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July 20 in history
- AD 70 – Siege of Jerusalem: Titus, son of emperor Vespasian, storms the Fortress of Antonia north of the Temple Mount. The Roman army is drawn into street fights with the Zealots.
- 792 – Kardam of Bulgaria defeats Byzantine Emperor Constantine VI at the Battle of Marcellae.
- 911 – Rollo lays siege to Chartres.
- 1189 – Richard I of England officially invested as Duke of Normandy.
- 1225 – Treaty of San Germano is signed at San Germano between Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II and Pope Gregory IX. A Dominican named Guala is responsible for the negotiations.
- 1398 – The Battle of Kellistown was fought on this day between the forces of the English led by Roger Mortimer, 4th Earl of March against the O’Byrnes and O’Tooles under the command of Art Óg mac Murchadha Caomhánach, the most powerful Chieftain in Leinster.
- 1402 – Ottoman-Timurid Wars: Battle of Ankara: Timur, ruler of Timurid Empire, defeats forces of the Ottoman Empire sultan Bayezid I.
- 1592 – During the first Japanese invasion of Korea, Japanese forces led by Toyotomi Hideyoshi captured Pyongyang, although they were ultimately unable to hold it.
- 1715 – Seventh Ottoman–Venetian War: The Ottoman Empire captures Nauplia, the capital of the Republic of Venice’s “Kingdom of the Morea”, thereby opening the way to the swift Ottoman reconquest of the Morea.
- 1738 – Canadian explorer Pierre Gaultier de Varennes et de La Vérendrye reaches the western shore of Lake Michigan.
- 1799 – Tekle Giyorgis I begins his first of six reigns as Emperor of Ethiopia.
- 1807 – Nicéphore Niépce is awarded a patent by Napoleon for the Pyréolophore, the world’s first internal combustion engine, after it successfully powered a boat upstream on the river Saône in France.
- 1810 – Citizens of Bogotá, New Granada declare independence from Spain.
- 1831 – Seneca and Shawnee people agree to relinquish their land in western Ohio for 60,000 acres west of the Mississippi River.
- 1848 – The first Women’s Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, New York, a two-day event, concludes.
- 1864 – American Civil War: Battle of Peachtree Creek: Near Atlanta, Georgia, Confederate forces led by General John Bell Hood unsuccessfully attack Union troops under General William T. Sherman.
- 1866 – Austro-Prussian War: Battle of Lissa: The Austrian Navy, led by Admiral Wilhelm von Tegetthoff, defeats the Italian Navy near the island of Vis in the Adriatic Sea.
- 1871 – British Columbia joins the confederation of Canada.
- 1885 – The Football Association legalizes professionalism in association football under pressure from the British Football Association.
- 1903 – The Ford Motor Company ships its first automobile.
- 1917 – World War I: The Corfu Declaration, which leads to the creation of the post-war Kingdom of Yugoslavia, is signed by the Yugoslav Committee and Kingdom of Serbia.
- 1920 – The Greek Army takes control of Silivri after Greece is awarded the city by the Paris Peace Conference; by 1923 Greece effectively lost control to the Turks.
- 1922 – The League of Nations awards mandates of Togoland to France and Tanganyika to the United Kingdom.
- 1932 – In the Preußenschlag (“Prussian coup”), German President Paul von Hindenburg dissolves the government of Prussia
- 1934 – Labor unrest in the U.S.: Police in Minneapolis fire upon striking truck drivers, during the Minneapolis Teamsters Strike of 1934, killing two and wounding sixty-seven.
- 1934 – West Coast waterfront strike: In Seattle, police fire tear gas on and club 2,000 striking longshoremen. The governor of Oregon calls out the National Guard to break a strike on the Portland docks.
- 1935 – Switzerland: A Royal Dutch Airlines plane en route from Milan to Frankfurt crashes into a Swiss mountain, killing thirteen.
- 1936 – The Montreux Convention is signed in Switzerland, authorizing Turkey to fortify the Dardanelles and Bosphorus but guaranteeing free passage to ships of all nations in peacetime.
- 1938 – The United States Department of Justice files suit in New York City against the motion picture industry charging violations of the Sherman Antitrust Act in regards to the studio system. The case would eventually result in a break-up of the industry in 1948.
- 1940 – Denmark leaves the League of Nations.
- 1940 – California opens its first freeway, the Arroyo Seco Parkway.
- 1941 – Soviet leader Joseph Stalin consolidates the Commissariats of Home Affairs and National Security to form the NKVD and names Lavrentiy Beria its chief.
- 1944 – World War II: Adolf Hitler survives an assassination attempt led by German Army Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg.
- 1949 – Israel and Syria sign a truce to end their nineteen-month war.
- 1950 – Cold War: In Philadelphia, Harry Gold pleads guilty to spying for the Soviet Union by passing secrets from atomic scientist Klaus Fuchs.
- 1951 – King Abdullah I of Jordan is assassinated by a Palestinian while attending Friday prayers in Jerusalem.
- 1954 – Germany: Otto John, head of West Germany’s secret service, defects to East Germany.
- 1960 – Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) elects Sirimavo Bandaranaike Prime Minister, the world’s first elected female head of government.
- 1960 – The Polaris missile is successfully launched from a submarine, the USS George Washington, for the first time.
- 1961 – French military forces break the Tunisian siege of Bizerte.
- 1964 – Vietnam War: Viet Cong forces attack the capital of Định Tường Province, Cái Bè, killing 11 South Vietnamese military personnel and 40 civilians (30 of whom are children).
- 1968 – The first International Special Olympics Summer Games are held at Soldier Field in Chicago, with about 1,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities.
- 1969 – Apollo program: Apollo 11’s crew successfully makes the first manned landing on the Moon in the Sea of Tranquility. Americans Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin become the first humans to walk on the Moon six and a half hours later.
- 1969 – A cease fire is announced between Honduras and El Salvador, six days after the beginning of the “Football War”.
- 1974 – Turkish invasion of Cyprus: Forces from Turkey invade Cyprus after a coup d’état, organised by the dictator of Greece, against president Makarios.
- 1976 – The American Viking 1 lander successfully lands on Mars.
- 1977 – The Central Intelligence Agency releases documents under the Freedom of Information Act revealing it had engaged in mind-control experiments.
- 1977 – The Johnstown flood of 1977 kills 84 people and causes millions of dollars in damages.
- 1982 – Hyde Park and Regent’s Park bombings: The Provisional IRA detonates two bombs in Hyde Park and Regent’s Park in central London, killing eight soldiers, wounding forty-seven people, and leading to the deaths of seven horses.
- 1985 – The government of Aruba passes legislation to secede from the Netherlands Antilles.
- 1989 – Burma’s ruling junta puts opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest.
- 1992 – Václav Havel resigns as president of Czechoslovakia.
- 1997 – The fully restored USS Constitution (a.k.a. Old Ironsides) celebrates its 200th birthday by setting sail for the first time in 116 years.
- 1999 – The Chinese Communist Party begins a persecution campaign against Falun Gong, arresting thousands nationwide.
- 2005 – The Civil Marriage Act legalizes same-sex marriage in Canada.
- 2012 – James Holmes opened fire at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, killing 12 and injuring 70 others.
- 2013 – Seventeen government soldiers are killed in an attack by FARC revolutionaries in the Colombian department of Arauca.
- 2015 – A huge explosion in the mostly Kurdish border town of Suruç, Turkey, targeting the Socialist Youth Associations Federation, kills at least 31 people and injures over 100.
- 2015 – The United States and Cuba resume full diplomatic relations after five decades.
- 2017 – O. J. Simpson is granted parole to be released from prison after serving nine years of a 33-year sentence after being convicted of armed robbery in Las Vegas.
Births on July 20
- 356 BC – Alexander the Great, Macedonian king (d. 323 BC)
- 647 – Yazid I, Arabian caliph (d. 683)
- 682 – Taichō, Japanese monk and scholar (d. 767)
- 1304 – Petrarch, Italian poet and scholar (d. 1374)
- 1313 – John Tiptoft, 2nd Baron Tibetot (d. 1367)
- 1346 – Margaret, Countess of Pembroke, daughter of King Edward III of England (d. 1361)
- 1470 – John Bourchier, 1st Earl of Bath, English noble (d. 1539)
- 1519 – Pope Innocent IX (d. 1591)
- 1537 – Arnaud d’Ossat, French cardinal (d. 1604)
- 1583 – Alban Roe, English Benedictine martyr (d. 1642)
- 1591 – Anne Hutchinson, English Puritan preacher (d. 1643)
- 1592 – Johan Björnsson Printz, governor of New Sweden (d. 1663)
- 1601 – Robert Wallop, English politician (d. 1667)
- 1620 – Nikolaes Heinsius the Elder, Dutch poet and scholar (d. 1681)
- 1649 – William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland (d. 1709)
- 1754 – Antoine Destutt de Tracy, French philosopher and academic (d. 1836)
- 1757 – Garsevan Chavchavadze, Georgian politician and diplomat (d. 1811)
- 1762 – Jakob Haibel, Austrian tenor and composer (d. 1826)
- 1774 – Auguste de Marmont, French general (d. 1852)
- 1789 – Mahmud II, Ottoman sultan (d. 1839)
- 1804 – Richard Owen, English biologist, anatomist, and paleontologist (d. 1892)
- 1822 – Gregor Mendel, Austro-German monk, geneticist and botanist (d. 1884)
- 1838 – Augustin Daly, American playwright and manager (d. 1899)
- 1838 – William Paine Lord, American lawyer and politician, 9th Governor of Oregon (d. 1911)
- 1838 – Sir George Trevelyan, 2nd Baronet, English civil servant and politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (d. 1928)
- 1847 – Max Liebermann, German painter and academic (d. 1935)
- 1849 – Robert Anderson Van Wyck, American lawyer and politician, 91st Mayor of New York City (d. 1918)
- 1852 – Theo Heemskerk, Dutch lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (d. 1932)
- 1854 – Philomène Belliveau, Canadian artist (d. 1940)
- 1864 – Erik Axel Karlfeldt, Swedish poet, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1931)
- 1864 – Ruggero Oddi, Italian physiologist and anatomist (d. 1913)
- 1868 – Miron Cristea, Romanian cleric and politician, 38th Prime Minister of Romania (d. 1939)
- 1873 – Alberto Santos-Dumont, Brazilian pilot (d. 1932)
- 1876 – Otto Blumenthal, German mathematician and academic (d. 1944)
- 1877 – Tom Crean, Irish sailor and explorer (d. 1938)
- 1882 – Olga Hahn-Neurath, Austrian mathematician and philosopher (d. 1937)
- 1889 – John Reith, 1st Baron Reith, Scottish broadcaster, co-founded BBC (d. 1971)
- 1890 – Verna Felton, American actress (d. 1966)
- 1890 – Julie Vinter Hansen, Danish-Swiss astronomer and academic (d. 1960)
- 1890 – Giorgio Morandi, Italian painter (d. 1964)
- 1893 – George Llewelyn Davies, English soldier (d. 1915)
- 1895 – László Moholy-Nagy, Hungarian painter, photographer, and sculptor (d. 1946)
- 1897 – Tadeusz Reichstein, Polish-Swiss chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1996)
- 1900 – Maurice Leyland, English cricketer and coach (d. 1967)
- 1901 – Vehbi Koç, Turkish businessman and philanthropist, founded Koç Holding (d. 1996)
- 1901 – Eugenio Lopez Sr., Filipino businessman and founder of the Lopez Group of Companies (d. 1975)
- 1901 – Heinie Manush, American baseball player and manager (d. 1971)
- 1902 – Leonidas Berry, American gastroenterologist (d. 1995)
- 1905 – Joseph Levis, American foil fencer (d. 2005)
- 1909 – Eric Rowan, South African cricketer (d. 1993)
- 1910 – Vilém Tauský, Czech-English conductor and composer (d. 2004)
- 1911 – Baqa Jilani, Indian cricketer (d. 1941)
- 1911 – José Zabala-Santos, Filipino author and illustrator (d. 1985)
- 1912 – George Johnston, Australian journalist and author (d. 1970)
- 1914 – Dobri Dobrev, Bulgarian philanthropist (d. 2018)
- 1914 – Charilaos Florakis, Greek politician (d. 2005)
- 1914 – Ersilio Tonini, Italian cardinal (d. 2013)
- 1918 – Cindy Walker, American singer-songwriter and dancer (d. 2006)
- 1919 – Edmund Hillary, New Zealand mountaineer and explorer (d. 2008)
- 1919 – Jacquemine Charrott Lodwidge, English writer (d. 2012)
- 1920 – Elliot Richardson, American lieutenant and politician, 11th United States Secretary of Defense (d. 1999)
- 1921 – Henri Alleg, English-French journalist and author (d. 2013)
- 1922 – Alan Stephenson Boyd, American lawyer and politician, 1st United States Secretary of Transportation
- 1923 – Stanisław Albinowski, Polish economist and journalist (d. 2005)
- 1924 – Lola Albright, American actress and singer (d. 2017)
- 1924 – Thomas Berger, American author and playwright (d. 2014)
- 1924 – Mort Garson, Canadian-American songwriter and composer (d. 2008)
- 1925 – Jacques Delors, French economist and politician, 8th President of the European Commission
- 1925 – Frantz Fanon, French–Algerian psychiatrist and philosopher (d. 1961)
- 1927 – Barbara Bergmann, American economist and academic (d. 2015)
- 1927 – Heather Chasen, English actress (d. 2020)
- 1927 – Michael Gielen, Austrian conductor and composer (d. 2019)
- 1927 – Ian P. Howard, English-Canadian psychologist and academic (d. 2013)
- 1928 – Józef Czyrek, Polish economist and politician, Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 2013)
- 1928 – Belaid Abdessalam, Prime Minister of Algeria
- 1929 – Hazel Hawke, Australian social worker and pianist, 23rd Spouse of the Prime Minister of Australia (d. 2013)
- 1929 – Mike Ilitch, American businessman, co-founded Little Caesars (d. 2017)
- 1929 – Rajendra Kumar, Pakistani-Indian actor and producer (d. 1999)
- 1929 – David Tonkin, Australian politician, 38th Premier of South Australia (d. 2000)
- 1930 – Giannis Agouris, Greek journalist and author (d. 2006)
- 1930 – Chuck Daly, American basketball player and coach (d. 2009)
- 1930 – William H. Goetzmann, American historian and author (d. 2010)
- 1930 – Sally Ann Howes, English-American singer and actress
- 1931 – Tony Marsh, English race car driver (d. 2009)
- 1932 – Nam June Paik, American artist (d. 2006)
- 1932 – Otto Schily, German lawyer and politician, German Minister of the Interior
- 1933 – Buddy Knox, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1999)
- 1933 – Cormac McCarthy, American novelist, playwright, and screenwriter
- 1933 – Rex Williams, English snooker player
- 1935 – Peter Palumbo, Baron Palumbo, English businessman and art collector
- 1935 – Sleepy LaBeef, American rockabilly singer and musician (d. 2019)
- 1936 – Alistair MacLeod, Canadian novelist and short story writer (d. 2014)
- 1936 – Barbara Mikulski, American social worker and politician
- 1938 – Deniz Baykal, Turkish lawyer and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey
- 1938 – Roger Hunt, English footballer
- 1938 – Tony Oliva, Cuban-American baseball player and coach
- 1938 – Diana Rigg, English actress
- 1938 – Natalie Wood, American actress (d. 1981)
- 1939 – Judy Chicago, American painter and sculptor
- 1941 – Don Chuy, American football player (d. 2014)
- 1941 – Periklis Korovesis, Greek author and journalist
- 1941 – Kurt Raab, German actor, screenwriter, and production designer (d. 1988)
- 1942 – Pete Hamilton, American race car driver
- 1943 – Chris Amon, New Zealand race car driver (d. 2016)
- 1943 – Bob McNab, English footballer
- 1943 – Adrian Păunescu, Romanian poet, journalist, and politician (d. 2010)
- 1943 – Wendy Richard, English actress (d. 2009)
- 1944 – Mel Daniels, American basketball player and coach (d. 2015)
- 1944 – W. Cary Edwards, American politician (d. 2010)
- 1944 – Olivier de Kersauson, French sailor
- 1944 – T. G. Sheppard, American country music singer-songwriter
- 1945 – Kim Carnes, American singer-songwriter
- 1945 – Larry Craig, American soldier and politician
- 1945 – John Lodge, English singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer
- 1945 – Bo Rein, American football player and coach (d. 1980)
- 1946 – Randal Kleiser, American actor, director, and producer
- 1947 – Gerd Binnig, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1947 – Carlos Santana, Mexican-American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1948 – Muse Watson, American actor and producer
- 1950 – Edward Leigh, English lawyer and politician
- 1950 – Lucille Lemay, Canadian archer
- 1951 – Jeff Rawle, English actor and screenwriter
- 1953 – Dave Evans, Welsh-Australian singer-songwriter
- 1953 – Thomas Friedman, American journalist and author
- 1953 – Marcia Hines, American-Australian singer and actress
- 1954 – Moira Harris, American actress
- 1954 – Jay Jay French, American guitarist and producer
- 1955 – Desmond Douglas, Jamaican-English table tennis player
- 1955 – René-Daniel Dubois, Canadian actor and playwright
- 1955 – Jem Finer, English banjo player and songwriter
- 1956 – Paul Cook, English drummer
- 1956 – Thomas N’Kono, Cameroonian footballer
- 1956 – Jim Prentice, Canadian lawyer and politician, 16th Premier of Alberta (d. 2016)
- 1958 – Mick MacNeil, Scottish keyboard player and songwriter
- 1959 – Radney Foster, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1960 – Claudio Langes, Italian race car driver
- 1960 – Prvoslav Vujčić, Serbian-Canadian poet and philosopher
- 1960 – Sudesh Berry, Indian actor
- 1961 – Óscar Elías Biscet, Cuban physician and activist, founded the Lawton Foundation
- 1962 – Carlos Alazraqui, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
- 1962 – Giovanna Amati, Italian race car driver
- 1962 – Julie Bindel, English journalist, author, and academic
- 1963 – Frank Whaley, American actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1964 – Chris Cornell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2017)
- 1964 – Terri Irwin, American-Australian zoologist and author
- 1964 – Sebastiano Rossi, Italian footballer
- 1964 – Bernd Schneider, German race car driver
- 1965 – Jess Walter, American journalist and author
- 1966 – Stone Gossard, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1966 – Enrique Peña Nieto, Mexican lawyer and politician, 57th President of Mexico
- 1967 – Courtney Taylor-Taylor, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1968 – Jimmy Carson, American ice hockey player
- 1968 – Hami Mandıralı, Turkish footballer and manager
- 1968 – Kool G Rap, American hip-hop artist
- 1969 – Josh Holloway, American actor
- 1969 – Kreso Kovacec, Croatian-German footballer
- 1969 – Giovanni Lombardi, Italian cyclist
- 1969 – Joon Park, South Korean-American singer
- 1969 – Tobi Vail, American singer and guitarist
- 1971 – Charles Johnson, American baseball player
- 1971 – Sandra Oh, Canadian actress
- 1972 – Jamie Ainscough, Australian rugby league player
- 1972 – Jozef Stümpel, Slovak ice hockey player
- 1972 – Erik Ullenhag, Swedish jurist and politician
- 1972 – Vitamin C, American singer-songwriter
- 1973 – Omar Epps, American actor
- 1973 – Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway
- 1973 – Peter Forsberg, Swedish ice hockey player and manager
- 1973 – Nixon McLean, Caribbean cricketer
- 1973 – Roberto Orci, Mexican-American screenwriter and producer
- 1973 – Claudio Reyna, American soccer player
- 1975 – Ray Allen, American basketball player and actor
- 1975 – Judy Greer, American actress and producer
- 1975 – Erik Hagen, Norwegian footballer
- 1975 – Birgitta Ohlsson, Swedish journalist and politician, 5th Swedish Minister for European Union Affairs
- 1975 – Jason Raize, American singer and actor
- 1975 – Yusuf Şimşek, Turkish footballer and manager
- 1976 – Erica Hill, American journalist
- 1976 – Debashish Mohanty, Indian cricketer and coach
- 1976 – Andrew Stockdale, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1976 – Alex Yoong, Malaysian race car driver
- 1977 – Kiki Musampa, Congolese footballer
- 1977 – Yves Niaré, French shot putter (d. 2012)
- 1977 – Alessandro Santos, Brazilian-Japanese footballer
- 1978 – Pavel Datsyuk, Russian ice hockey player
- 1978 – Will Solomon, American basketball player
- 1978 – Elliott Yamin, American singer-songwriter
- 1978 – Ieva Zunda, Latvian runner and hurdler
- 1979 – Miklós Fehér, Hungarian footballer (d. 2004)
- 1979 – Charlotte Hatherley, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1979 – David Ortega, Spanish swimmer
- 1980 – Tesfaye Bramble, English-Montserratian footballer
- 1980 – Gisele Bündchen, Brazilian model, fashionista, and businesswoman
- 1981 – Viktoria Ladõnskaja, Estonian journalist and politician
- 1982 – Antoine Vermette, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1984 – Alexi Casilla, Dominican baseball player
- 1984 – Matt Gilroy, American ice hockey player
- 1985 – John Francis Daley, American actor and screenwriter
- 1985 – Harley Morenstein, Canadian actor and YouTube personality
- 1985 – David Mundy, Australian footballer
- 1986 – Osric Chau, Canadian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1987 – Nicola Benedetti, Scottish violinist
- 1987 – Niall McGinn, Irish footballer
- 1988 – Julianne Hough, American singer-songwriter, actress, and dancer
- 1988 – Stephen Strasburg, American baseball player
- 1988 – Shahram Mahmoudi, Iranian volleyball player
- 1989 – Javier Cortés, Mexican footballer
- 1989 – Cristian Pasquato, Italian footballer
- 1990 – Lars Unnerstall, German footballer
- 1991 – Chiyoshōma Fujio, Mongolian sumo wrestler
- 1991 – Ryan James, Australian rugby league player
- 1991 – Kira Kazantsev, Miss America 2015
- 1991 – Philipp Reiter, German mountaineer and runner
- 1993 – Steven Adams, New Zealand basketball player
- 1995 – Moses Leota, New Zealand rugby league player
- 1996 – Ben Simmons, Australian basketball player
Deaths on July 20
- 518 – Amantius, Byzantine grand chamberlain and Monophysite martyr
- 833 – Ansegisus, Frankish abbot and saint
- 985 – Boniface VII, antipope of Rome
- 1031 – Robert II, king of France (b. 972)
- 1156 – Toba, emperor of Japan (b. 1103)
- 1320 – Oshin, king of Armenia (b. 1282)
- 1332 – Thomas Randolph, 1st Earl of Moray, regent of Scotland
- 1387 – Robert IV, French nobleman (b. 1356)
- 1398 – Roger Mortimer, 4th Earl of March, Welsh nobleman (b. 1374)
- 1453 – Enguerrand de Monstrelet, French historian and author (b. 1400)
- 1454 – John II, king of Castile and León (b. 1405)
- 1514 – György Dózsa, Transylvanian peasant revolt leader (b. 1470)
- 1524 – Claude, queen consort of France (b. 1499)
- 1526 – García Jofre de Loaísa, Spanish explorer (b. 1490)
- 1600 – William More, English courtier (b. 1520)
- 1616 – Hugh O’Neill, Earl of Tyrone, Irish nobleman and rebel soldier (b. 1550)
- 1704 – Peregrine White, English-American farmer and soldier (b. 1620)
- 1752 – Johann Christoph Pepusch, German-English composer and theorist (b. 1667)
- 1816 – Gavrila Derzhavin, Russian poet and politician (b. 1743)
- 1866 – Bernhard Riemann, German mathematician and academic (b. 1826)
- 1897 – Jean Ingelow, English poet and author (b. 1820)
- 1901 – William Cosmo Monkhouse, English poet and critic (b. 1840)
- 1903 – Leo XIII, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 1810)
- 1908 – Demetrius Vikelas, Greek businessman and author (b. 1835)
- 1908 – Karl Bernhard Zoeppritz, German geophysicist and seismologist (b. 1881)
- 1910 – Anderson Dawson, Australian politician, 14th Premier of Queensland (b. 1863)
- 1922 – Andrey Markov, Russian mathematician and theorist (b. 1856)
- 1923 – Pancho Villa, Mexican general and politician, Governor of Chihuahua (b. 1878)
- 1926 – Felix Dzerzhinsky, Russian educator and politician (b. 1877)
- 1927 – Ferdinand I, king of Romania (b. 1865)
- 1928 – Kostas Karyotakis, Greek poet and author (b. 1896)
- 1932 – René Bazin, French author and academic (b. 1853)
- 1937 – Olga Hahn-Neurath, Austrian mathematician and philosopher from the Vienna Circle (b. 1882)
- 1937 – Guglielmo Marconi, Italian physicist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1874)
- 1941 – Lew Fields, American actor and producer (b. 1867)
- 1944 – Ludwig Beck, German general (b. 1880)
- 1945 – Paul Valéry, French author and poet (b. 1871)
- 1951 – Abdullah I, king of Jordan (b. 1882)
- 1953 – Dumarsais Estimé, Haitian lawyer and politician, 33rd President of Haiti (b. 1900)
- 1953 – Jan Struther, English author and hymn-writer (b. 1901)
- 1955 – Calouste Gulbenkian, Armenian businessman and philanthropist (b. 1869)
- 1956 – James Alexander Calder, Canadian educator and politician, Canadian Minister of Militia and Defence (b. 1868)
- 1959 – William D. Leahy, American admiral and diplomat, United States Ambassador to France (b. 1875)
- 1965 – Batukeshwar Dutt, Indian activist (b. 1910)
- 1968 – Bray Hammond, American historian and author (b. 1886)
- 1970 – Iain Macleod, English journalist and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (b. 1913)
- 1972 – Geeta Dutt, Indian singer and actress (b. 1930)
- 1973 – Bruce Lee, American actor and martial artist (b. 1940)
- 1973 – Robert Smithson, American photographer and sculptor (b. 1938)
- 1974 – Allen Jenkins, American actor and singer (b. 1900)
- 1974 – Kamal Dasgupta, Bengali music director, composer and folk artist. (b. 1912)
- 1976 – Joseph Rochefort, American captain and cryptanalyst (b. 1900)
- 1977 – Gary Kellgren, American record producer, co-founded Record Plant (b. 1939)
- 1980 – Maria Martinez, San Ildefonso Pueblo (Native American) potter (b. 1887)
- 1981 – Kostas Choumis, Greek-Romanian footballer (b. 1913)
- 1983 – Frank Reynolds, American soldier and journalist (b. 1923)
- 1987 – Richard Egan, American soldier and actor (b. 1921)
- 1989 – Forrest H. Anderson, American judge and politician, 17th Governor of Montana (b. 1913)
- 1990 – Herbert Turner Jenkins, American police officer (b. 1907)
- 1993 – Vince Foster, American lawyer and political figure (b. 1945)
- 1994 – Paul Delvaux, Belgian painter (b. 1897)
- 1997 – M. E. H. Maharoof, Sri Lankan politician (b. 1939)
- 1998 – June Byers, American wrestler (b. 1922)
- 1999 – Sandra Gould, American actress (b. 1916)
- 2002 – Michalis Kritikopoulos, Greek footballer (b. 1946)
- 2003 – Nicolas Freeling, English author (b. 1927)
- 2004 – Lala Mara, Fijian politician (b. 1931)
- 2004 – Valdemaras Martinkėnas, Lithuanian footballer and coach (b. 1965)
- 2005 – James Doohan, Canadian-American actor (b. 1920)
- 2005 – Finn Gustavsen, Norwegian journalist and politician (b. 1926)
- 2005 – Kayo Hatta, American director and cinematographer (b. 1958)
- 2006 – Ted Grant, South African-English theorist and activist (b. 1913)
- 2006 – Gérard Oury, French actor, director, and producer (b. 1919)
- 2007 – Tammy Faye Messner, American Christian evangelist and talk show host (b. 1942)
- 2008 – Artie Traum, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer (b. 1943)
- 2008 – Dinko Šakić, Croatian concentration camp commander (b. 1921)
- 2009 – Vedat Okyar, Turkish footballer (b. 1945)
- 2009 – Mark Rosenzweig, American psychologist and academic (b. 1922)
- 2011 – Lucian Freud, German-English painter and illustrator (b. 1922)
- 2012 – Alastair Burnet, English journalist (b. 1928)
- 2012 – Jack Davis, American hurdler (b. 1930)
- 2012 – José Hermano Saraiva, Portuguese historian, jurist, and politician, Portuguese Minister of Education (b. 1919)
- 2013 – Pierre Fabre, French pharmacist and businessman, founded Laboratoires Pierre Fabre (b. 1926)
- 2013 – Khurshed Alam Khan, Indian politician, 2nd Governor of Goa (b. 1919)
- 2013 – Augustus Rowe, Canadian physician and politician (b. 1920)
- 2013 – Helen Thomas, American journalist and author (b. 1920)
- 2014 – Victor G. Atiyeh, American businessman and politician, 32nd Governor of Oregon (b. 1923)
- 2014 – Constantin Lucaci, Romanian sculptor and educator (b. 1923)
- 2014 – Bob McNamara, American football player (b. 1931)
- 2014 – Klaus Schmidt, German archaeologist and academic (b. 1953)
- 2015 – Wayne Carson, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1943)
- 2015 – Fred Else, English footballer and manager (b. 1933)
- 2015 – Dieter Moebius, Swiss-German keyboard player and producer (b. 1944)
- 2016 – Radu Beligan, Romanian actor, director, and essayist (b. 1918)
- 2017 – Chester Bennington, American singer (b. 1976)
Holidays and observances on July 20
- Birthday of Crown Prince Haakon Magnus (Norway)
- Christian feast day:
- Ansegisus
- Apollinaris of Ravenna
- Aurelius
- Ealhswith (or Elswith)
- Elijah
- Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Amelia Bloomer, Sojourner Truth, and Harriet Ross Tubman (Episcopal Church (USA))
- John Baptist Yi (one of The Korean Martyrs)
- Margaret the Virgin
- Thorlac (relic translation)
- Wilgefortis (cult suppressed)
- July 20 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Día del Amigo (Argentina, Brazil)
- Engineer’s Day (Costa Rica)
- Independence Day, celebrates the independence declaration of Colombia from Spain in 1810.
- International Chess Day
- Lempira Day (Honduras)
- Tree Planting Day (Central African Republic)
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July 17 in history
- 180 – Twelve inhabitants of Scillium (near Kasserine, modern-day Tunisia) in North Africa are executed for being Christians. This is the earliest record of Christianity in that part of the world.
- 1048 – Damasus II is elected pope.
- 1203 – The Fourth Crusade captures Constantinople by assault. The Byzantine emperor Alexios III Angelos flees from his capital into exile.
- 1402 – Zhu Di, better known by his era name as the Yongle Emperor, assumes the throne over the Ming dynasty of China.
- 1429 – Hundred Years’ War: Charles VII of France is crowned the King of France in the Reims Cathedral after a successful campaign by Joan of Arc.
- 1453 – Battle of Castillon: The last battle of Hundred Years’ War, the French under Jean Bureau defeat the English under the Earl of Shrewsbury, who is killed in the battle in Gascony.
- 1717 – King George I of Great Britain sails down the River Thames with a barge of 50 musicians, where George Frideric Handel’s Water Music is premiered.
- 1762 – Catherine II becomes tsar of Russia upon the murder of Peter III of Russia.
- 1771 – Bloody Falls massacre: Chipewyan chief Matonabbee, traveling as the guide to Samuel Hearne on his Arctic overland journey, massacres a group of unsuspecting Inuit.
- 1791 – Members of the French National Guard under the command of General Lafayette open fire on a crowd of radical Jacobins at the Champ de Mars, Paris, during the French Revolution, killing scores of people.
- 1794 – The 16 Carmelite Martyrs of Compiègne are executed ten days prior to the end of the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror.
- 1867 – Harvard School of Dental Medicine is established in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the first dental school in the U.S. that is affiliated with a university.
- 1821: The Kingdom of Spain cedes the territory of Florida to the United States.
- 1899 – NEC Corporation is organized as the first Japanese joint venture with foreign capital.
- 1902 – Willis Carrier creates the first air conditioner in Buffalo, New York.
- 1917 – King George V issues a Proclamation stating that the male line descendants of the British Royal Family will bear the surname Windsor.
- 1918 – Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and his immediate family and retainers are executed by Bolshevik Chekists at the Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg, Russia.
- 1918 – The RMS Carpathia, the ship that rescued the 705 survivors from the RMS Titanic, is sunk off Ireland by the German SM U-55; five lives are lost.
- 1932 – Altona Bloody Sunday: A riot between the Nazi Party paramilitary forces, the SS and SA, and the German Communist Party ensues.
- 1936 – Spanish Civil War: An Armed Forces rebellion against the recently elected leftist Popular Front government of Spain starts the civil war.
- 1938 – Douglas Corrigan takes off from Brooklyn to fly the “wrong way” to Ireland and becomes known as “Wrong Way” Corrigan.
- 1944 – Port Chicago disaster: Near the San Francisco Bay, two ships laden with ammunition for the war explode in Port Chicago, California, killing 320.
- 1944 – World War II: At Sainte-Foy-de-Montgommery. in Normandy Field Marshal Erwin Rommel was strafed by allied aircraft while returning to his headquarters.
- 1945 – World War II: The main three leaders of the Allied nations, Winston Churchill, Harry S. Truman and Joseph Stalin, meet in the German city of Potsdam to decide the future of a defeated Germany.
- 1953 – The largest number of United States midshipman casualties in a single event results from an aircraft crash in Florida, killing 44.
- 1955 – Disneyland is dedicated and opened by Walt Disney in Anaheim, California.
- 1962 – Nuclear weapons testing: The “Small Boy” test shot Little Feller I becomes the last atmospheric test detonation at the Nevada National Security Site.
- 1968 – Abdul Rahman Arif is overthrown and the Ba’ath Party is installed as the governing power in Iraq with Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr as the new Iraqi President.
- 1973 – King Mohammed Zahir Shah of Afghanistan, while having surgery in Italy, is deposed by his cousin Mohammed Daoud Khan.
- 1975 – Apollo–Soyuz Test Project: An American Apollo and a Soviet Soyuz spacecraft dock with each other in orbit marking the first such link-up between spacecraft from the two nations.
- 1976 – East Timor is annexed, and becomes the 27th province of Indonesia.
- 1976 – The opening of the Summer Olympics in Montreal is marred by 25 African teams boycotting the games because of New Zealand’s participation. Contrary to rulings by other international sports organizations, the IOC had declined to exclude New Zealand because of their participation in South African sporting events during apartheid.
- 1979 – Nicaraguan dictator General Anastasio Somoza Debayle resigns and flees to Miami, Florida, United States.
- 1981 – A structural failure leads to the collapse of a walkway at the Hyatt Regency in Kansas City, Missouri, killing 114 people and injuring more than 200.
- 1984 – The national drinking age in the United States was changed from 18 to 21.
- 1985 – Founding of the EUREKA Network by former head of states François Mitterrand (France) and Helmut Kohl (Germany).
- 1989 – First flight of the B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber.
- 1989 – Holy See–Poland relations are restored.
- 1996 – TWA Flight 800: Off the coast of Long Island, New York, a Paris-bound TWA Boeing 747 explodes, killing all 230 on board.
- 1998 – The 7.0 Mw Papua New Guinea earthquake triggers a tsunami that destroys ten villages in Papua New Guinea, killing up to 2,700 people, and leaving several thousand injured.
- 1998 – A diplomatic conference adopts the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, establishing a permanent international court to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression.
- 2000 – During approach to Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Airport, Alliance Air Flight 7412 suddenly crashes into a residential neighborhood in Patna, killing 60 people.
- 2001 – Concorde is brought back into service nearly a year after the July 2000 crash.
- 2006 – The 7.7 Mw Pangandaran tsunami earthquake severely affects the Indonesian island of Java, killing 668 people, and leaving more than 9,000 injured.
- 2007 – TAM Airlines Flight 3054, an Airbus A320, crashes into a warehouse after landing too fast and missing the end of the São Paulo–Congonhas Airport runway, killing 199 people.
- 2014 – Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, a Boeing 777, crashes near the border of Ukraine and Russia after being shot down. All 298 people on board are killed.
- 2014 – A French regional train on the Pau-Bayonne line crashes into a high-speed train near the town of Denguin, resulting in at least 25 injuries.
- 2015 – At least 120 people are killed and 130 injured by a suicide bombing in Diyala Governorate, Iraq.
- 2018 – 12 new moons are discovered orbiting. Jupiter
Births on July 17
- 1487 – Ismail I of Iran (d. 1524)
- 1499 – Maria Salviati, Italian noblewoman (d. 1543)
- 1531 – Antoine de Créqui Canaples, Roman Catholic cardinal (d. 1574)
- 1674 – Isaac Watts, English hymnwriter and theologian (d. 1748)
- 1695 – Christian Karl Reinhard of Leiningen-Dachsburg-Falkenburg-Heidesheim (d. 1766)
- 1698 – Pierre Louis Maupertuis, French mathematician and philosopher (d. 1759)
- 1708 – Frederick Christian, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth (d. 1769)
- 1714 – Alexander Gottlieb Baumgarten, German philosopher and academic (d. 1762)
- 1744 – Elbridge Gerry, American merchant and politician, 5th Vice President of the United States (d. 1814)
- 1763 – John Jacob Astor, German-American businessman and philanthropist (d. 1848)
- 1774 – John Wilbur, American minister and theologian (d. 1856)
- 1797 – Paul Delaroche, French painter and academic (d. 1856)
- 1823 – Leander Clark, American businessman, judge, and politician (d. 1910)
- 1831 – Xianfeng Emperor of China (d. 1861)
- 1837 – Joseph-Alfred Mousseau, Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician, 7th Secretary of State for Canada (d. 1886)
- 1839 – Ephraim Shay, American engineer, invented the Shay locomotive (d. 1916)
- 1853 – Alexius Meinong, Ukrainian-Austrian philosopher and academic (d. 1920)
- 1868 – Henri Nathansen, Danish director and playwright (d. 1944)
- 1870 – Charles Davidson Dunbar, Scottish soldier and bagpipe player (d. 1939)
- 1871 – Lyonel Feininger, German-American painter and illustrator (d. 1956)
- 1879 – Jack Laviolette, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager (d. 1960)
- 1882 – James Somerville, English admiral and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Somerset (d. 1949)
- 1888 – Shmuel Yosef Agnon, Ukrainian-Israeli novelist, short story writer, and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1970)
- 1889 – Erle Stanley Gardner, American lawyer and author (d. 1970)
- 1894 – Georges Lemaître, Belgian priest, astronomer, and cosmologist (d. 1966)
- 1896 – Rupert Atkinson, English RAF officer (d. 1919)
- 1898 – Berenice Abbott, American photographer (d. 1991)
- 1898 – Osmond Borradaile, Canadian soldier and cinematographer (d. 1999)
- 1899 – James Cagney, American actor and dancer (d. 1986)
- 1900 – Marcel Dalio, French actor (d. 1983)
- 1901 – Luigi Chinetti, Italian-American race car driver (d. 1994)
- 1901 – Bruno Jasieński, Polish poet and author (d. 1938)
- 1901 – Patrick Smith, Irish farmer and politician, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (d. 1982)
- 1902 – Christina Stead, Australian author and academic (d. 1983)
- 1905 – William Gargan, American actor (d. 1979)
- 1910 – James Coyne, Canadian lawyer and banker, 2nd Governor of the Bank of Canada (d. 2012)
- 1910 – Frank Olson, American chemist and microbiologist (d. 1953)
- 1911 – Lionel Ferbos, American trumpet player (d. 2014)
- 1911 – Heinz Lehmann, German-Canadian psychiatrist and academic (d. 1999)
- 1912 – Erwin Bauer, German race car driver (d. 1958)
- 1912 – Art Linkletter, Canadian-American radio and television host (d. 2010)
- 1913 – Bertrand Goldberg, American architect, designed the Marina City Building (d. 1997)
- 1914 – Eleanor Steber, American soprano and educator (d. 1990)
- 1915 – Bijon Bhattacharya, Indian actor, singer, and screenwriter (d. 1978)
- 1915 – Arthur Rothstein, American photographer and educator (d. 1985)
- 1917 – Lou Boudreau, American baseball player and manager (d. 2001)
- 1917 – Phyllis Diller, American actress, comedian, and voice artist (d. 2012)
- 1917 – Kenan Evren, Turkish general and politician, 7th President of Turkey (d. 2015)
- 1917 – Christiane Rochefort, French author (d. 1998)
- 1918 – Carlos Manuel Arana Osorio, Guatemalan soldier and politician, President of Guatemala (d. 2003)
- 1918 – Red Sovine, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1980)
- 1920 – Gordon Gould, American physicist and academic, invented the laser (d. 2005)
- 1920 – Juan Antonio Samaranch, Spanish businessman, 7th President of the International Olympic Committee (d. 2010)
- 1921 – George Barnes, American guitarist, producer, and songwriter (d. 1977)
- 1921 – Louis Lachenal, French mountaineer (d. 1955)
- 1921 – Mary Osborne, American guitarist (d. 1992)
- 1921 – Toni Stone, American baseball player (d. 1996)
- 1921 – František Zvarík, Slovak actor (d. 2008)
- 1923 – Jeanne Block, American psychologist (d. 1981)
- 1923 – John Cooper, English car designer, co-founded the Cooper Car Company (d. 2000)
- 1924 – Garde Gardom, Canadian lawyer and politician, 26th Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia (d. 2013)
- 1925 – Jimmy Scott, American singer and actor (d. 2014)
- 1925 – Mohammad Hasan Sharq, Afghan politician
- 1926 – Édouard Carpentier, French-Canadian wrestler (d. 2010)
- 1926 – Willis Carto, American activist and theorist (d. 2015)
- 1928 – Vince Guaraldi, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 1976)
- 1929 – Sergei K. Godunov, Russian mathematician and academic
- 1932 – Niccolò Castiglioni, Italian composer (d. 1996)
- 1932 – Red Kerr, American basketball player and coach (d. 2009)
- 1932 – Wojciech Kilar, Polish pianist and composer (d. 2013)
- 1932 – Karla Kuskin, American author and illustrator (d. 2009)
- 1932 – Slick Leonard, American basketball player and coach
- 1932 – Quino, Spanish-Argentinian cartoonist
- 1932 – Hal Riney, American businessman, founded Publicis & Hal Riney (d. 2008)
- 1933 – Keiko Awaji, Japanese actress (d. 2014)
- 1933 – Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici, Maltese politician, 9th Prime Minister of Malta
- 1933 – Tony Pithey, Zimbabwean-South African cricketer (d. 2006)
- 1934 – Lucio Tan, Chinese-Filipino billionaire businessman and educator
- 1935 – Diahann Carroll, American actress and singer (d. 2019)
- 1935 – Peter Schickele, American composer and educator
- 1935 – Donald Sutherland, Canadian actor and producer
- 1938 – Hermann Huppen, Belgian author and illustrator
- 1939 – Andrée Champagne, Canadian actress and politician
- 1939 – Spencer Davis, Welsh singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1939 – Ali Khamenei, Iranian cleric and politician, 2nd Supreme Leader of Iran
- 1940 – Tim Brooke-Taylor, English actor and screenwriter (d. 2020)
- 1941 – Daryle Lamonica, American football player
- 1941 – Bob Taylor, English cricketer
- 1941 – Achim Warmbold, German race car driver and manager
- 1942 – Don Kessinger, American baseball player and manager
- 1942 – Gale Garnett, New Zealand–born Canadian singer
- 1942 – Connie Hawkins, American basketball player (d. 2017)
- 1942 – Zoot Money, English singer-songwriter and keyboard player
- 1943 – LaVyrle Spencer, American author and educator
- 1944 – Mark Burgess, New Zealand cricketer and footballer
- 1944 – Catherine Schell, Hungarian-English actress
- 1944 – Carlos Alberto Torres, Brazilian footballer and manager (d. 2016)
- 1945 – Alexander, Crown Prince of Yugoslavia
- 1945 – John Patten, Baron Patten, English politician, Secretary of State for Education
- 1946 – Chris Crutcher, American novelist and short story writer
- 1946 – Ted Sampley, American POW/MIA activist (d. 2009)
- 1947 – Joyce Anelay, Baroness Anelay of St John’s, English educator and politician
- 1947 – Robert Begerau, German footballer and manager
- 1947 – Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall
- 1947 – Wolfgang Flür, German musician (Kraftwerk)
- 1947 – Mick Tucker, English rock drummer (Sweet) (d. 2002)
- 1948 – Ron Asheton, American guitarist and songwriter (d. 2009)
- 1948 – Luc Bondy, Swiss director and producer (d. 2015)
- 1949 – Geezer Butler, English bass player and songwriter
- 1949 – Charley Steiner, American journalist and sportscaster
- 1950 – Phoebe Snow, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2011)
- 1950 – Tengku Sulaiman Shah, Malaysian corporate figure
- 1950 – Sadhan Chandra Majumder, Bangladeshi politician
- 1951 – Lucie Arnaz, American actress and singer
- 1951 – Mark Bowden, American journalist and author
- 1951 – Andrew Robathan, English soldier and politician, Minister of State for the Armed Forces
- 1952 – David Hasselhoff, American actor, singer, and producer
- 1952 – Nicolette Larson, American singer-songwriter (d. 1997)
- 1952 – Thé Lau, Dutch singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2015)
- 1952 – Robert R. McCammon, American author
- 1954 – António Costa, Prime Minister of Portugal
- 1954 – Angela Merkel, German chemist and politician, 8th Chancellor of Germany
- 1954 – Edward Natapei, Vanuatuan politician, 6th Prime Minister of Vanuatu (d. 2015)
- 1954 – J. Michael Straczynski, American author, screenwriter, and producer
- 1955 – Sylvie Léonard, Canadian actress and screenwriter
- 1955 – Paul Stamets, American mycologist and author
- 1956 – Julie Bishop, Australian lawyer and politician, 38th Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs
- 1956 – Bryan Trottier, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach
- 1957 – Bruce Crump, American drummer and songwriter (d. 2015)
- 1957 – Wendy Freedman, Canadian-American cosmologist and astronomer
- 1958 – Wong Kar-wai, Chinese director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1958 – Suzanne Moore, English journalist
- 1958 – Susan Silver, American music manager
- 1958 – Thérèse Rein, Australian businesswoman, founded Ingeus
- 1959 – Pola Uddin, Baroness Uddin, Bangladeshi-English politician
- 1960 – Kim Barnett, English cricketer and coach
- 1960 – Mark Burnett, English-American screenwriter and producer
- 1960 – Nancy Giles, American journalist and actress
- 1960 – Robin Shou, Hong Kong martial artist and actor
- 1960 – Dawn Upshaw, American soprano
- 1960 – Jan Wouters, Dutch footballer and manager
- 1961 – António Costa, Portuguese politician, 119th Prime Minister of Portugal
- 1961 – Jeremy Hardy, English comedian and actor (d. 2019)
- 1963 – Regina Belle, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
- 1963 – Letsie III of Lesotho
- 1963 – Matti Nykänen, Finnish ski jumper and singer (d. 2019)
- 1965 – Craig Morgan, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1965 – Alex Winter, English-American actor, film director and screenwriter
- 1966 – Lou Barlow, American guitarist and songwriter
- 1966 – Sten Tolgfors, Swedish lawyer and politician, 30th Swedish Minister of Defence
- 1969 – Scott Johnson, American cartoonist
- 1969 – Jaan Kirsipuu, Estonian cyclist
- 1971 – Calbert Cheaney, American basketball player and coach
- 1971 – Cory Doctorow, Canadian author and activist
- 1971 – Nico Mattan, Belgian cyclist
- 1972 – Elizabeth Cook, American singer and guitarist
- 1972 – Donny Marshall, American basketball player and sportscaster
- 1972 – Jason Rullo, American drummer
- 1972 – Jaap Stam, Dutch footballer and manager
- 1972 – Eric Williams, American basketball player
- 1973 – Eric Moulds, American football player
- 1974 – Claudio López, Argentine footballer
- 1975 – Andre Adams, New Zealand cricketer
- 1975 – Elena Anaya, Spanish actress
- 1975 – Darude, Finnish DJ and producer
- 1975 – Harlette, Australian-English fashion designer
- 1975 – Loretta Harrop, Australian triathlete
- 1976 – Luke Bryan, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1976 – Gino D’Acampo, Italian chef and author
- 1976 – Dagmara Domińczyk, Polish-American actress
- 1976 – Marcos Senna, Brazilian-Spanish footballer
- 1976 – Anders Svensson, Swedish footballer and sportscaster
- 1977 – Andrew Downton, Australian cricketer
- 1977 – Leif Hoste, Belgian cyclist
- 1977 – Marc Savard, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1978 – Ricardo Arona, Brazilian mixed martial artist
- 1978 – Panda Bear, American musician and songwriter
- 1978 – Jason Jennings, American baseball player
- 1979 – Mike Vogel, American actor
- 1980 – Javier Camuñas, Spanish footballer
- 1980 – Ryan Miller, American ice hockey player
- 1981 – Hely Ollarves, Venezuelan runner
- 1982 – Omari Banks, Anguillan cricketer
- 1982 – Natasha Hamilton, English singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress
- 1983 – Ryan Guettler, Australian motocross racer
- 1983 – Adam Lind, American baseball player
- 1985 – Loui Eriksson, Swedish ice hockey player
- 1985 – Tom Fletcher, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1985 – Neil McGregor, Scottish footballer
- 1986 – DeAngelo Smith, American football player
- 1986 – Lacey Von Erich, American wrestler
- 1987 – Darius Boyd, Australian rugby league player
- 1987 – Jan Charouz, Czech race car driver
- 1987 – Jeremih, American singer, songwriter, and record producer
- 1994 – Benjamin Mendy, French footballer
- 1994 – Kali Uchis, American singer-songwriter
- 1998 – Rosana Serrano, Cuban rower
Deaths on July 17
- 521 – Magnus Felix Ennodius, Gallo-Roman bishop
- 855 – Leo IV, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 790)
- 924 – Edward the Elder, English king (b. 877)
- 952 – Wu Hanyue, Chinese noblewoman (b. 913)
- 961 – Du, empress dowager of the Song Dynasty
- 1070 – Baldwin VI, count of Flanders (b. 1030)
- 1085 – Robert Guiscard, Norman adventurer
- 1119 – Baldwin VII, count of Flanders (b. 1093)
- 1210 – Sverker II, king of Sweden (b. 1210)
- 1304 – Edmund Mortimer, 2nd Baron Mortimer (b. 1251)
- 1399 – Jadwiga, queen of Poland (b. 1374)
- 1453 – Dmitry Shemyaka, Grand Prince of Moscow
- 1453 – John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury, English commander and politician (b. 1387)
- 1531 – Hosokawa Takakuni, Japanese commander (b. 1484)
- 1571 – Georg Fabricius, German poet and historian (b. 1516)
- 1588 – Mimar Sinan, Ottoman architect and engineer, designed the Sokollu Mehmet Pasha Mosque and Süleymaniye Mosque (b. 1489)
- 1603 – Mózes Székely, Hungarian noble (b. 1553)
- 1645 – Robert Carr, 1st Earl of Somerset, English-Scottish politician, Lord Chamberlain of the United Kingdom (b. 1587)
- 1704 – Pierre-Charles Le Sueur, French fur trader and explorer (b. 1657)
- 1709 – Robert Bolling, English planter and merchant (b. 1646)
- 1725 – Thomas King, English and British soldier, MP for Queenborough, lieutenant-governor of Sheerness (b. before 1660?).
- 1762 – Peter III of Russia (b. 1728)
- 1790 – Adam Smith, Scottish economist and philosopher (b. 1723)
- 1791 – Martin Dobrizhoffer, Austrian missionary and author (b. 1717)
- 1793 – Charlotte Corday, French murderer (b. 1768)
- 1794 – John Roebuck, English chemist and businessman (b. 1718)
- 1845 – Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1764)
- 1871 – Karl Tausig, Polish virtuoso pianist, arranger and composer (b. 1841)
- 1878 – Aleardo Aleardi, Italian poet and politician (b. 1812)
- 1879 – Maurycy Gottlieb, Ukrainian-Polish painter (b. 1856)
- 1881 – Jim Bridger, American scout and explorer (b. 1804)
- 1883 – Tự Đức, Vietnamese emperor (b. 1829)
- 1885 – Jean-Charles Chapais, Canadian farmer and politician, 1st Canadian Minister of Agriculture (b. 1811)
- 1887 – Dorothea Dix, American nurse and activist (b. 1802)
- 1893 – Frederick A. Johnson, American banker and politician (b. 1833)
- 1894 – Leconte de Lisle, French poet and translator (b. 1818)
- 1894 – Josef Hyrtl, Austrian anatomist and biologist (b. 1810)
- 1900 – Thomas McIlwraith, Scottish-Australian politician, 8th Premier of Queensland (b. 1835)
- 1907 – Hector Malot, French author and critic (b. 1830)
- 1912 – Henri Poincaré, French mathematician, physicist, and engineer (b. 1854)
- 1918 – Victims of the Shooting of the Romanov family
- Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia (b. 1901)
- Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia (b. 1899)
- Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna of Russia (b. 1895)
- Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna of Russia (b. 1897)
- Alexandra Fyodorovna of Russia (b. 1872)
- Aleksei Nikolaevich, Tsarevich of Russia (b. 1904)
- Nikolai II of Russia (b. 1868)
- Anna Demidova (b. 1878)
- Ivan Kharitonov (b. 1872)
- Alexei Trupp (b. 1858)
- Yevgeny Botkin (b. 1865)
- 1925 – Lovis Corinth, German painter (b. 1858)
- 1928 – Giovanni Giolitti, Italian politician, 13th Prime Minister of Italy (b. 1842)
- 1928 – Álvaro Obregón, Mexican general and politician, 39th President of Mexico (b. 1880)
- 1932 – Rasmus Rasmussen, Norwegian actor, singer, and director (b. 1862)
- 1935 – George William Russell, Irish poet and painter (b. 1867)
- 1942 – Robina Nicol, New Zealand photographer and suffragist (b. 1861)
- 1944 – William James Sidis, American mathematician and anthropologist (b. 1898)
- 1945 – Ernst Busch, German field marshal (b. 1885)
- 1946 – Florence Fuller, South African-born Australian artist (b. 1867)
- 1946 – Draža Mihailović, Serbian general (b. 1893)
- 1950 – Evangeline Booth, English 4th General of The Salvation Army (b. 1865)
- 1950 – Antonie Nedošinská, Czech actress (b. 1885)
- 1959 – Billie Holiday, American singer (b. 1915)
- 1959 – Eugene Meyer, American businessman and publisher (b. 1875)
- 1960 – Maud Menten, Canadian physician and biochemist (b. 1879)
- 1961 – Ty Cobb, American baseball player and manager (b. 1886)
- 1961 – Emin Halid Onat, Turkish architect and academic (b. 1908)
- 1967 – John Coltrane, American saxophonist and composer (b. 1926)
- 1974 – Dizzy Dean, American baseball player and sportscaster (b. 1910)
- 1975 – Konstantine Gamsakhurdia, Georgian author (b. 1893)
- 1980 – Don “Red” Barry, American actor and screenwriter (b. 1912)
- 1980 – Boris Delaunay, Russian mathematician and academic (b. 1890)
- 1988 – Bruiser Brody, American football player and wrestler (b. 1946)
- 1989 – Itubwa Amram, Nauruan pastor and politician (b. 1922)
- 1991 – John Patrick Spiegel, American psychiatrist and academic (b. 1911)
- 1994 – Jean Borotra, French tennis player (b. 1898)
- 1995 – Juan Manuel Fangio, Argentinian race car driver (b. 1911)
- 1996 – Victims of TWA Flight 800
- Michel Breistroff, French ice hockey player (b. 1971)
- Marcel Dadi, Tunisian-French guitarist (b. 1951)
- David Hogan, American composer (b. 1949)
- Jed Johnson, American interior designer and director (b. 1948)
- 1996 – Chas Chandler, American bass player and producer (b. 1938)
- 1998 – Lillian Hoban, American author and illustrator (b. 1925)
- 2001 – Katharine Graham, American publisher (b. 1917)
- 2002 – Joseph Luns, Dutch politician and Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1911)
- 2003 – David Kelly, Welsh weapons inspector (b. 1944)
- 2003 – Rosalyn Tureck, American pianist and harpsichord player (b. 1914)
- 2003 – Walter Zapp, Latvian-Swiss inventor, invented the Minox (b. 1905)
- 2005 – Geraldine Fitzgerald, Irish-American actress (b. 1913)
- 2005 – Edward Heath, English colonel and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1916)
- 2005 – Joe Vialls, Australian journalist and theorist (b. 1944)
- 2006 – Sam Myers, American singer-songwriter (b. 1936)
- 2006 – Mickey Spillane, American crime novelist (b. 1918)
- 2007 – Grant Forsberg, American actor and businessman (b. 1959)
- 2007 – Júlio Redecker, Brazilian politician (b. 1956)
- 2007 – Paulo Rogério Amoretty Souza, Brazilian lawyer and businessman (b. 1945)
- 2009 – Walter Cronkite, American journalist and actor (b. 1916)
- 2009 – Leszek Kołakowski, Polish historian and philosopher (b. 1927)
- 2010 – Larry Keith, American actor (b. 1931)
- 2011 – David Ngoombujarra, Australian actor (b. 1967)
- 2012 – Richard Evatt, English boxer (b. 1973)
- 2012 – Forrest S. McCartney, American general (b. 1931)
- 2012 – İlhan Mimaroğlu, Turkish-American composer and producer (b. 1926)
- 2012 – William Raspberry, American journalist and academic (b. 1935)
- 2012 – Marsha Singh, Indian-English politician (b. 1954)
- 2013 – Henri Alleg, English-French journalist and author (b. 1921)
- 2013 – Peter Appleyard, English-Canadian vibraphone player and composer (b. 1928)
- 2013 – Vincenzo Cerami, Italian screenwriter and producer (b. 1940)
- 2013 – Don Flye, American tennis player (b. 1933)
- 2013 – Ian Gourlay, English general (b. 1920)
- 2013 – David White, Scottish footballer and manager (b. 1933)[18]
- 2014 – Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 victims:
- Liam Davison, Australian author and critic (b. 1957)
- Shuba Jay, Malaysian actress (b. 1976)
- Joep Lange, Dutch physician and academic (b. 1954)
- Willem Witteveen, Dutch scholar and politician (b. 1952)
- 2014 – Henry Hartsfield, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1933)
- 2014 – Otto Piene, German sculptor and academic (b. 1928)
- 2014 – Elaine Stritch, American actress and singer (b. 1925)
- 2015 – Bill Arnsparger, American football player and coach (b. 1926)
- 2015 – Jules Bianchi, French race car driver (b. 1989)
- 2015 – Owen Chadwick, English rugby player, historian, and academic (b. 1916)
- 2015 – Van Miller, American sportscaster (b. 1927)
- 2015 – John Taylor, English pianist and educator (b. 1942)
Holidays and observances on July 17
- Christian feast day:
- Alexius of Rome (Western Church)
- Andrew Zorard
- Cynehelm
- Cynllo
- Inácio de Azevedo
- Jadwiga of Poland
- Magnus Felix Ennodius
- Marcellina
- Martyrs of Compiègne
- Blessed Pavel Peter Gojdič (Greek Catholic Church)
- Pope Leo IV
- Romanov sainthood (Russian Orthodox Church)
- Speratus and companions
- William White (Episcopal Church))
- July 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Constitution Day (South Korea)
- Gion Matsuri (Yasaka Shrine, Kyoto)
- Independence Day (Slovakia)
- International Firgun Day (international)
- King’s Birthday (Lesotho)
- U Tirot Sing Day (Meghalaya, India)
- World Day for International Justice (International)
- World Emoji Day (International)
-
June 4 in History
- 1411 – King Charles VI granted a monopoly for the ripening of Roquefort cheese to the people of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon as they had been doing for centuries.
- 1561 – The steeple of St Paul’s, the medieval cathedral of London, is destroyed in a fire caused by lightning and is never rebuilt.
- 1615 – Siege of Osaka: Forces under Tokugawa Ieyasu take Osaka Castle in Japan.
- 1745 – Battle of Hohenfriedberg: Frederick the Great’s Prussian army decisively defeated an Austrian army under Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine during the War of the Austrian Succession.
- 1760 – Great Upheaval: New England planters arrive to claim land in Nova Scotia, Canada, taken from the Acadians.
- 1783 – The Montgolfier brothers publicly demonstrate their montgolfière (hot air balloon).
- 1784 – Élisabeth Thible becomes the first woman to fly in an untethered hot air balloon. Her flight covers four kilometres in 45 minutes, and reached 1,500 metres altitude (estimated).
- 1792 – Captain George Vancouver claims Puget Sound for the Kingdom of Great Britain.
- 1802 – King Charles Emmanuel IV of Sardinia abdicates his throne in favor of his brother, Victor Emmanuel.
- 1812 – Following Louisiana’s admittance as a U.S. state, the Louisiana Territory is renamed the Missouri Territory.
- 1825 – General Lafayette, a French officer in the American Revolutionary War, speaks at what would become Lafayette Square, Buffalo, during his visit to the United States.
- 1855 – Major Henry C. Wayne departs New York aboard the USS Supply to procure camels to establish the U.S. Camel Corps.
- 1859 – Italian Independence wars: In the Battle of Magenta, the French army, under Louis-Napoleon, defeat the Austrian army.
- 1862 – American Civil War: Confederate troops evacuate Fort Pillow on the Mississippi River, leaving the way clear for Union troops to take Memphis, Tennessee.
- 1876 – An express train called the Transcontinental Express arrives in San Francisco, via the First Transcontinental Railroad only 83 hours and 39 minutes after leaving New York City.
- 1878 – Cyprus Convention: The Ottoman Empire cedes Cyprus to the United Kingdom but retains nominal title.
- 1896 – Henry Ford completes the Ford Quadricycle, his first gasoline-powered automobile, and gives it a successful test run.
- 1912 – Massachusetts becomes the first state of the United States to set a minimum wage.
- 1913 – Emily Davison, a suffragette, runs out in front of King George V’s horse at The Derby. She is trampled, never regains consciousness, and dies four days later.
- 1916 – World War I: Russia opens the Brusilov Offensive with an artillery barrage of Austro-Hungarian lines in Galicia.
- 1917 – The first Pulitzer Prizes are awarded: Laura E. Richards, Maude H. Elliott, and Florence Hall receive the first Pulitzer for biography (for Julia Ward Howe). Jean Jules Jusserand receives the first Pulitzer for history for his work With Americans of Past and Present Days. Herbert B. Swope receives the first Pulitzer for journalism for his work for the New York World.
- 1919 – Women’s rights: The U.S. Congress approves the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which guarantees suffrage to women, and sends it to the U.S. states for ratification.
- 1920 – Hungary loses 71% of its territory and 63% of its population when the Treaty of Trianon is signed in Paris.
- 1928 – The President of the Republic of China, Zhang Zuolin, is assassinated by Japanese agents.
- 1932 – Marmaduke Grove and other Chilean military officers lead a coup d’état establishing the short-lived Socialist Republic of Chile.
- 1939 – The Holocaust: The MS St. Louis, a ship carrying 963 Jewish refugees, is denied permission to land in Florida, in the United States, after already being turned away from Cuba. Forced to return to Europe, more than 200 of its passengers later die in Nazi concentration camps.
- 1940 – World War II: The Dunkirk evacuation ends: British forces complete evacuation of 338,000 troops from Dunkirk in France. To rally the morale of the country, Winston Churchill delivers, only to the House of Commons, his famous “We shall fight on the beaches” speech.
- 1942 – World War II: The Battle of Midway begins. The Japanese Admiral Chūichi Nagumo orders a strike on Midway Island by much of the Imperial Japanese Navy.
- 1943 – A military coup in Argentina ousts Ramón Castillo.
- 1944 – World War II: A hunter-killer group of the United States Navy captures the German submarine U-505: The first time a U.S. Navy vessel had captured an enemy vessel at sea since the 19th century.
- 1944 – World War II: The United States Fifth Army captures Rome, although much of the German Fourteenth Army is able to withdraw to the north.
- 1961 – Cold War: In the Vienna summit, the Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev sparks the Berlin Crisis by threatening to sign a separate peace treaty with East Germany and ending American, British and French access to East Berlin.
- 1967 – Seventy-two people are killed when a Canadair C-4 Argonaut crashes at Stockport in England.
- 1970 – Tonga gains independence from the United Kingdom.
- 1975 – The Governor of California Jerry Brown signs the California Agricultural Labor Relations Act into law, the first law in the U.S. giving farmworkers collective bargaining rights.
- 1979 – Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings takes power in Ghana after a military coup in which General Fred Akuffo is overthrown.
- 1983 – Gordon Kahl, who killed two US Marshals in Medina, North Dakota on February 13, is killed in a shootout in Smithville, Arkansas, along with a local sheriff, after a four-month manhunt.
- 1986 – Jonathan Pollard pleads guilty to espionage for selling top secret United States military intelligence to Israel.
- 1988 – Three cars on a train carrying hexogen to Kazakhstan explode in Arzamas, Gorky Oblast, USSR, killing 91 and injuring about 1,500.
- 1989 – Ali Khamenei is elected as the new Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran by the Assembly of Experts after the death and funeral of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
- 1989 – The Tiananmen Square protests are suppressed in Beijing by the People’s Liberation Army, with between 241 and 1,000 dead (an unofficial estimate).
- 1989 – Solidarity’s victory in the first (somewhat) free parliamentary elections in post-war Poland sparks off a succession of peaceful anti-communist revolutions in Eastern Europe, leads to the creation of the so-called Contract Sejm and begins the Autumn of Nations.
- 1989 – Ufa train disaster: A natural gas explosion near Ufa, Russia, kills 575 as two trains passing each other throw sparks near a leaky pipeline.
- 1996 – The first flight of Ariane 5 explodes after roughly 37 seconds. It was a Cluster mission.
- 1998 – Terry Nichols is sentenced to life in prison for his role in the Oklahoma City bombing.
- 2010 – Falcon 9 Flight 1 is the maiden flight of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, which launches from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex 40.
Births on June 4
- 1394 – Philippa of England, Queen of Denmark, Norway and Sweden (d. 1430)
- 1489 – Antoine, Duke of Lorraine (d. 1544)
- 1563 – George Heriot, Scottish goldsmith (d. 1624)
- 1604 – Claudia de’ Medici, Italian daughter of Christina of Lorraine (d. 1648)
- 1665 – Zacharie Robutel de La Noue, Canadian captain (d. 1733)
- 1694 – François Quesnay, French economist and physician (d. 1774)
- 1704 – Benjamin Huntsman, English inventor and businessman (d. 1776)
- 1738 – George III of the United Kingdom (d. 1820)
- 1744 – Patrick Ferguson, Scottish soldier, designed the Ferguson rifle (d. 1780)
- 1754 – Miguel de Azcuénaga, Argentinian soldier (d. 1833)
- 1754 – Franz Xaver von Zach, Slovak astronomer and academic (d. 1832)
- 1787 – Constant Prévost, French geologist and academic (d. 1856)
- 1801 – James Pennethorne, English architect, designed Victoria Park (d. 1871)
- 1821 – Apollon Maykov, Russian poet and playwright (d. 1897)
- 1829 – Jinmaku Kyūgorō, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 12th Yokozuna (d. 1903)
- 1854 – Solko van den Bergh, Dutch target shooter (d. 1916)
- 1860 – Alexis Lapointe, Canadian runner (d. 1924)
- 1861 – William Propsting, Australian politician, 20th Premier of Tasmania (d. 1937)
- 1866 – Miina Sillanpää, Finnish journalist and politician (d. 1952)
- 1867 – Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, Finnish general and politician, 6th President of Finland (d. 1951)
- 1873 – Nictzin Dyalhis, American author (d.1942)
- 1877 – Heinrich Otto Wieland, German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1957)
- 1879 – Mabel Lucie Attwell, English author and illustrator (d. 1964)
- 1880 – Clara Blandick, American actress (d. 1962)
- 1885 – Arturo Rawson, Argentinian general and politician, 26th President of Argentina (d. 1952)
- 1887 – Tom Longboat, Canadian runner and soldier (d. 1949)
- 1889 – Beno Gutenberg, German-American seismologist (d. 1960)
- 1903 – Yevgeny Mravinsky, Russian conductor (d. 1988)
- 1904 – Bhagat Puran Singh, Indian publisher, environmentalist, and philanthropist (d. 1992)
- 1907 – Jacques Roumain, Haitian journalist and politician (d. 1944)
- 1907 – Rosalind Russell, American actress (d. 1976)
- 1907 – Patience Strong, English poet and journalist (d. 1990)
- 1910 – Christopher Cockerell, English engineer, invented the hovercraft (d. 1999)
- 1912 – Robert Jacobsen, Danish sculptor and painter (d. 1993)
- 1915 – Walter Hadlee, New Zealand cricketer (d. 2006)
- 1915 – Modibo Keïta, Malian educator and politician, 1st President of Mali (d. 1977)
- 1915 – Nils Kihlberg, Swedish actor, singer, and director (d. 1965)
- 1916 – Robert F. Furchgott, American biochemist and pharmacologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2009)
- 1916 – Fernand Leduc, Canadian painter (d. 2014)
- 1917 – Robert Merrill, American actor and singer (d. 2004)
- 1921 – Milan Komar, Slovenian-Argentinian philosopher and academic (d. 2006)
- 1921 – Bobby Wanzer, American basketball player and coach (d. 2016)
- 1923 – Elizabeth Jolley, English-Australian author and academic (d. 2007)
- 1923 – Masutatsu Ōyama, Japanese karateka (d. 1994)
- 1924 – Tofilau Eti Alesana, Samoan politician, 5th Prime Minister of Samoa (d. 1999)
- 1924 – Dennis Weaver, American actor and director (d. 2006)
- 1925 – Antonio Puchades, Spanish footballer (d. 2013)
- 1926 – Robert Earl Hughes, American who was the heaviest human being recorded in the history of the world during his lifetime (d. 1958)
- 1926 – Ain Kaalep, Estonian poet, playwright, and critic (d. 2020)
- 1926 – Judith Malina, German-American actress and director, co-founded The Living Theatre (d. 2015)
- 1927 – Henning Carlsen, Danish director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2014)
- 1927 – Geoffrey Palmer, English actor
- 1928 – Ruth Westheimer, German-American therapist and author
- 1929 – Karolos Papoulias, Greek lawyer and politician, 5th President of Greece
- 1930 – George Chesworth, English air marshal and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Moray (d. 2017)
- 1930 – Morgana King, American singer and actress (d. 2018)
- 1930 – Viktor Tikhonov, Russian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2014)
- 1931 – Gustav Nossal, Austrian-Australian biologist and academic
- 1932 – John Drew Barrymore, American actor (d. 2004)
- 1932 – Oliver Nelson, American saxophonist and composer (d. 1975)
- 1932 – Maurice Shadbolt, New Zealand author and playwright (d. 2004)
- 1934 – Monica Dacon, Vincentian educator and politician, 6th Governor-General of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- 1934 – Daphne Sheldrick, Kenyan-British conservationist and author (d. 2018)
- 1935 – Colette Boky, Canadian soprano and actress
- 1935 – Berhanu Dinka, Ethiopian economist and diplomat (d. 2013)
- 1936 – Vince Camuto, American fashion designer and businessman, co-founded Nine West (d. 2015)
- 1936 – Bruce Dern, American actor
- 1937 – Freddy Fender, American singer and guitarist (d. 2006)
- 1937 – Mortimer Zuckerman, Canadian-American businessman and publisher, founded Boston Properties
- 1938 – John Harvard, Canadian journalist and politician, 23rd Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba (d. 2016)
- 1938 – Art Mahaffey, American baseball player
- 1939 – Jeremy Browne, 11th Marquess of Sligo, Anglo-Irish peer (d. 2014)
- 1939 – Denis de Belleval, Canadian civil servant and politician
- 1939 – Henri Pachard, American director and producer (d. 2008)
- 1939 – George Reid, Scottish journalist and politician, 2nd Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament
- 1940 – Ludwig Schwarz, Slovak-Austrian bishop
- 1941 – Kenneth G. Ross, Australian playwright and screenwriter
- 1942 – Louis Reichardt, American mountaineer
- 1942 – Bill Rowe, Canadian lawyer and politician
- 1943 – John Burgess, Australian radio and television host
- 1943 – Sandra Haynie, American golfer
- 1943 – Tom Jaine, English author
- 1944 – Roger Ball, Scottish saxophonist and songwriter
- 1944 – Michelle Phillips, American singer-songwriter and actress
- 1945 – Anthony Braxton, American saxophonist, clarinet player, and composer
- 1945 – Daniel Topolski, English rower and coach (d. 2015)
- 1945 – Gordon Waller, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2009)
- 1947 – Viktor Klima, Austrian businessman and politician, 25th Chancellor of Austria
- 1948 – Bob Champion, English jockey
- 1948 – Sandra Post, Canadian golfer and sportscaster
- 1948 – Jürgen Sparwasser, German footballer and manager
- 1949 – Gabriel Arcand, Canadian actor
- 1949 – Mark B. Cohen, American lawyer and politician
- 1950 – Raymond Dumais, Canadian bishop (d. 2012)
- 1951 – Leigh Kennedy, American author
- 1951 – Bronisław Malinowski, Polish runner (d. 1981)
- 1951 – Melanie Phillips, English journalist and author
- 1951 – Wendy Pini, American author and illustrator
- 1951 – David Yip, English actor and playwright
- 1952 – Bronisław Komorowski, Polish historian and politician, 5th President of Poland
- 1952 – Dambudzo Marechera, Zimbabwean author and poet (d. 1987)
- 1953 – Linda Lingle, American journalist and politician, 6th Governor of Hawaii
- 1953 – Jimmy McCulloch, Scottish musician and songwriter (d. 1979)
- 1953 – Susumu Ojima, Japanese businessman, founded Huser
- 1953 – Paul Samson, English guitarist and producer (d. 2002)
- 1954 – Raphael Ravenscroft, English saxophonist and composer (d. 2014)
- 1954 – Kazuhiro Yamaji, Japanese actor and voice actor
- 1955 – Val McDermid, Scottish author
- 1955 – Mary Testa, American singer and actress
- 1956 – Keith David, American actor
- 1956 – John Hockenberry, American journalist and author
- 1956 – Terry Kennedy, American baseball player and manager
- 1956 – Joyce Sidman, American author and poet
- 1957 – Neil McNab, Scottish footballer
- 1959 – Juan Camacho, Bolivian runner
- 1959 – Georgios Voulgarakis, Greek politician, 21st Greek Minister for Culture
- 1960 – Miloš Đelmaš, Serbian footballer and manager
- 1960 – Kristine Kathryn Rusch, American author
- 1960 – Paul Taylor, American guitarist and keyboard player
- 1960 – Bradley Walsh, English television presenter, comedian, singer and former footballer
- 1961 – El DeBarge, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1961 – Ferenc Gyurcsány, Hungarian businessman and politician, 6th Prime Minister of Hungary
- 1962 – Krzysztof Hołowczyc, Polish race car driver
- 1962 – Zenon Jaskuła, Polish cyclist
- 1962 – John P. Kee, American singer-songwriter and pastor
- 1962 – Junius Ho, Hong Kong solicitor and politician
- 1963 – Sean Fitzpatrick, New Zealand rugby union player
- 1963 – Jim Lachey, American football player and sportscaster
- 1963 – Xavier McDaniel, American basketball player and coach
- 1964 – Sean Pertwee, English actor
- 1964 – Kōji Yamamura, Japanese animator, producer, and screenwriter
- 1965 – Mick Doohan, Australian motorcycle racer
- 1965 – Andrea Jaeger, American tennis player and preacher
- 1966 – Cecilia Bartoli, Italian soprano and actress
- 1966 – Vladimir Voevodsky, Russian mathematician and academic (d. 2017)
- 1966 – Bill Wiggin, English politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Wales
- 1967 – Robert S. Kimbrough, American colonel and astronaut
- 1968 – Roger Lim, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1968 – Niurka Montalvo, Cuban-Spanish long jumper
- 1968 – Al B. Sure!, American R&B singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer
- 1968 – Scott Wolf, American actor
- 1969 – Horatio Sanz, Chilean-American actor and comedian
- 1970 – Deborah Compagnoni, Italian skier
- 1970 – Richie Hawtin, English-Canadian DJ and producer
- 1970 – Dave Pybus, English bass player and songwriter
- 1970 – Izabella Scorupco, Polish-Swedish actress and model
- 1971 – Joseph Kabila, Congolese soldier and politician, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- 1971 – Mike Lee, American lawyer and politician
- 1971 – Shoji Meguro, Japanese director and composer
- 1971 – Karl Martin Sinijärv, Estonian journalist and poet
- 1971 – Noah Wyle, American actor and producer
- 1972 – Derian Hatcher, American ice hockey defenseman
- 1972 – Rob Huebel, American comedian, actor, producer, and screenwriter
- 1973 – Mikey Whipwreck, American wrestler and trainer
- 1974 – Jacob Sahaya Kumar Aruni, Indian chef (d. 2012)
- 1974 – Darin Erstad, American baseball player and coach
- 1974 – Andrew Gwynne, English lawyer and politician
- 1974 – Janette Husárová, Slovak tennis player
- 1974 – Buddy Wakefield, American poet and author
- 1975 – Russell Brand, English comedian and actor
- 1975 – Henry Burris, American football player
- 1975 – Angelina Jolie, American actress, filmmaker, humanitarian, and activist
- 1975 – Dinanath Ramnarine, Trinidadian cricketer
- 1975 – Alex Wharf, English cricketer
- 1976 – Kasey Chambers, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1976 – Alexei Navalny, Russian lawyer and politician
- 1976 – Nenad Zimonjić, Serbian tennis player
- 1977 – Dionisis Chiotis, Greek footballer
- 1977 – Alex Manninger, Austrian footballer
- 1977 – Roman Miroshnichenko, Ukrainian guitarist and composer
- 1977 – Roland G. Fryer Jr., American economist and professor
- 1978 – Robin Lord Taylor, American actor
- 1979 – Naohiro Takahara, Japanese footballer
- 1979 – Daniel Vickerman, South African-Australian rugby player (d. 2017)
- 1980 – François Beauchemin, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1981 – Jennifer Carroll, Canadian swimmer
- 1981 – Giourkas Seitaridis, Greek footballer
- 1981 – Natalia Vodopyanova, Russian basketball player
- 1982 – Abel Kirui, Kenyan runner
- 1982 – Ronnie Prude, American-Canadian football player
- 1983 – Romaric, Ivorian footballer
- 1983 – Emmanuel Eboué, Ivorian footballer
- 1983 – Olha Saladuha, Ukrainian triple jumper
- 1984 – Enrico Rossi Chauvenet, Italian footballer
- 1984 – Rainie Yang, Taiwanese actress
- 1984 – Ian White, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1985 – Leon Botha, South African painter and DJ (d. 2011)
- 1985 – Anna-Lena Grönefeld, German tennis player
- 1985 – Evan Lysacek, American figure skater
- 1985 – Lukas Podolski, German footballer
- 1985 – Oddvar Reiakvam, Norwegian politician
- 1987 – Luisa Zissman, English businesswoman
- 1987 – Mollie King, English singer-songwriter and model
- 1988 – Matt Bartkowski, American ice hockey defenseman
- 1988 – Kimberley Busteed, Australian model
- 1989 – Federico Erba, Italian footballer
- 1989 – Paweł Fajdek, Polish hammer thrower
- 1990 – Zac Farro, American singer and drummer
- 1990 – Evan Spiegel, American Internet entrepreneur
- 1991 – Lorenzo Insigne, Italian footballer
- 1991 – Matt McIlwrick, New Zealand rugby league player
- 1991 – Ben Stokes, New Zealand-English cricketer
- 1993 – Jonathan Huberdeau, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1995 – Shiori Tamai, Japanese singer
- 1999 – Kim So-hyun, South Korean actress
- 2004 – Mackenzie Ziegler, American dancer, singer, actress and model
Deaths on June 4
- 756 – Shōmu, Japanese emperor (b. 701)
- 863 – Charles, archbishop of Mainz
- 895 – Li Xi, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty
- 946 – Guaimar II (Gybbosus), Lombard prince
- 956 – Muhammad III of Shirvan, Muslim ruler
- 1039 – Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 990)
- 1102 – Władysław I Herman, Polish nobleman (b. c. 1044)
- 1134 – Magnus I of Sweden (b. 1106)
- 1135 – Emperor Huizong of Song (b. 1082)
- 1206 – Adela of Champagne (b. 1140)
- 1246 – Isabella of Angoulême (b. 1188)
- 1257 – Przemysł I of Greater Poland (b. 1221)
- 1394 – Mary de Bohun, wife of Henry IV of England (b.c. 1368)
- 1453 – Andronikos Palaiologos Kantakouzenos, Byzantine commander
- 1463 – Flavio Biondo, Italian historian and author (b. 1392)
- 1472 – Nezahualcoyotl, Aztec poet (b. 1402)
- 1585 – Muretus, French philosopher and author (b. 1526)
- 1608 – Francis Caracciolo, Italian Catholic priest (b. 1563)
- 1622 – Péter Révay, Hungarian soldier and historian (b. 1568)
- 1647 – Canonicus, Grand Chief Sachem of the Narragansett (b. 1565)
- 1663 – William Juxon, English archbishop and academic (b. 1582)
- 1798 – Giacomo Casanova, Italian adventurer and author (b. 1725)
- 1801 – Frederick Muhlenberg, American minister and politician, 1st Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (b. 1750)
- 1809 – Nicolai Abildgaard, Danish neoclassical and history painter, sculptor and architect (b. 1743)
- 1830 – Antonio José de Sucre, Venezuelan general and politician, 2nd President of Bolivia (b. 1795)
- 1872 – Johan Rudolph Thorbecke, Dutch historian, jurist, and politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (b. 1798)
- 1875 – Eduard Mörike, German pastor and poet (b. 1804)
- 1876 – Abdülaziz of the Ottoman Empire, 32nd Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (b. 1830)
- 1922 – W. H. R. Rivers, English anthropologist, neurologist, ethnologist, and psychiatrist (b. 1864)
- 1925 – Margaret Murray Washington, American Academic (b. 1865)
- 1926 – Fred Spofforth, Australian-English cricketer and coach (b. 1853)
- 1928 – Zhang Zuolin, Chinese warlord (b. 1873)
- 1929 – Harry Frazee, American director, producer, and agent (b. 1881)
- 1931 – Hussein bin Ali, Sharif of Mecca, Sharif and Emir of Mecca, King of the Hejaz (b. 1853/54)
- 1933 – Ahmet Haşim, Turkish poet and author (b. 1884)
- 1939 – Tommy Ladnier, American trumpet player (b. 1900)
- 1941 – Wilhelm II, German Emperor (b. 1859)
- 1942 – Reinhard Heydrich, German SS officer and politician (b. 1904)
- 1951 – Serge Koussevitzky, Russian-American bassist, composer, and conductor (b. 1874)
- 1956 – Katherine MacDonald, American actress and producer (b. 1881)
- 1962 – Clem McCarthy, American sportscaster (b. 1882)
- 1967 – Linda Eenpalu, Estonian lawyer and politician (b. 1890)
- 1968 – Dorothy Gish, American actress (b. 1898)
- 1970 – Sonny Tufts, American actor (b. 1911)
- 1971 – György Lukács, Hungarian historian and philosopher (b. 1885)
- 1973 – Maurice René Fréchet, French mathematician and academic (b. 1878)
- 1973 – Murry Wilson, American songwriter, producer, and manager (b. 1917)
- 1981 – Leslie Averill, New Zealand doctor and soldier (b. 1897)
- 1989 – Dik Browne, American cartoonist (b. 1917)
- 1990 – Stiv Bators, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1949)
- 1992 – Carl Stotz, American businessman, founded Little League Baseball (b. 1910)
- 1993 – Bernard Evslin, American writer (b. 1922)
- 1994 – Derek Leckenby, English musician (b. 1943)
- 1997 – Ronnie Lane, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1946)
- 1998 – Josephine Hutchinson, American actress (b. 1903)
- 2002 – Fernando Belaúnde Terry, Peruvian architect and politician, 42nd President of Peru (b. 1912)
- 2004 – Steve Lacy, American saxophonist and composer (b. 1934)
- 2004 – Nino Manfredi, Italian actor (b. 1921)
- 2007 – Clete Boyer, American baseball player and manager (b. 1937)
- 2007 – Bill France, Jr., American businessman (b. 1933)
- 2007 – Craig L. Thomas, American captain and politician (b. 1933)
- 2010 – John Wooden, American basketball player and coach (b. 1910)
- 2011 – Juan Francisco Luis, Virgin Islander sergeant and politician, 23rd Governor of the United States Virgin Islands (b. 1940)
- 2011 – Andreas P. Nielsen, Danish author and composer (b. 1953)
- 2012 – Peter Beaven, New Zealand architect, designed the Lyttelton Road Tunnel Administration Building (b. 1925)
- 2012 – Pedro Borbón, Dominican-American baseball player (b. 1946)
- 2012 – Rodolfo Quezada Toruño, Guatemalan cardinal (b. 1932)
- 2012 – Herb Reed, American violinist (b. 1929)
- 2013 – Walt Arfons, American race car driver (b. 1916)
- 2013 – Joey Covington, American drummer (b. 1945)
- 2013 – Hermann Gunnarsson, Icelandic footballer, handball player, and sportscaster (b. 1946)
- 2013 – Will Wynn, American football player (b. 1949)
- 2014 – George Ho, American-Hong Kong businessman (b. 1919)
- 2014 – Nathan Shamuyarira, Zimbabwean journalist and politician, Zimbabwean Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1928)
- 2014 – Sydney Templeman, Baron Templeman, English lawyer and judge (b. 1920)
- 2014 – Don Zimmer, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1931)
- 2015 – Marguerite Patten, English economist and author (b. 1915)
- 2015 – Leonid Plyushch, Ukrainian mathematician and academic (b. 1938)
- 2015 – Jabe Thomas, American race car driver (b. 1930)
- 2015 – Anne Warburton, British academic and diplomat, British Ambassador to Denmark (b. 1927)
- 2016 – Carmen Pereira, Bissau-Guinean politician (b. 1937)
- 2017 – Juan Goytisolo, Spanish essayist, poet and novelist (b. 1931)
Holidays and observances on June 4
- Birthday of Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim & Flag Day celebration of the Finnish Defence Forces (Finland)
- Christian feast day:
- Filippo Smaldone
- Francis Caracciolo
- Optatus
- Petroc of Cornwall
- Quirinus of Sescia
- Saturnina
- June 4 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Emancipation Day or Independence Day, commemorates the abolition of serfdom in Tonga by King George Tupou in 1862, and the independence of Tonga from the British protectorate in 1970. (Tonga)
- Flag Day (Estonia)
- International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression (International)
- National Unity Day (Hungary)
- Tiananmen Square Protests of 1989 Memorial Day (International)
-
June 3 in History
- 350 – The Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, proclaims himself Roman emperor, entering Rome at the head of a group of gladiators.
- 713 – The Byzantine emperor Philippicus is blinded, deposed and sent into exile by conspirators of the Opsikion army in Thrace. He is succeeded by Anastasios II, who begins the reorganization of the Byzantine army.
- 1140 – The French scholar Peter Abelard is found guilty of heresy.
- 1326 – The Treaty of Novgorod delineates borders between Russia and Norway in Finnmark.
- 1539 – Hernando de Soto claims Florida for Spain.
- 1608 – Samuel de Champlain completes his third voyage to New France at Tadoussac, Quebec.
- 1621 – The Dutch West India Company receives a charter for New Netherland.
- 1658 – Pope Alexander VII appoints François de Laval vicar apostolic in New France.
- 1665 – James Stuart, Duke of York (later to become King James II of England), defeats the Dutch fleet off the coast of Lowestoft.
- 1781 – Jack Jouett begins his midnight ride to warn Thomas Jefferson and the Virginia legislature of an impending raid by Banastre Tarleton.
- 1839 – In Humen, China, Lin Tse-hsü destroys 1.2 million kilograms of opium confiscated from British merchants, providing Britain with a casus belli to open hostilities, resulting in the First Opium War.
- 1861 – American Civil War: Battle of Philippi (also called the Philippi Races): Union forces rout Confederate troops in Barbour County, Virginia, now West Virginia.
- 1864 – American Civil War: Battle of Cold Harbor: Union forces attack Confederate troops in Hanover County, Virginia.
- 1866 – The Fenians are driven out of Fort Erie, Ontario back into the United States.
- 1885 – In the last military engagement fought on Canadian soil, the Cree leader, Big Bear, escapes the North-West Mounted Police.
- 1889 – The first long-distance electric power transmission line in the United States is completed, running 14 miles (23 km) between a generator at Willamette Falls and downtown Portland, Oregon.
- 1916 – The National Defense Act is signed into law, increasing the size of the United States National Guard by 450,000 men.
- 1935 – One thousand unemployed Canadian workers board freight cars in Vancouver, beginning a protest trek to Ottawa.
- 1937 – The Duke of Windsor marries Wallis Simpson.
- 1940 – World War II: The Luftwaffe bombs Paris.
- 1940 – World War II: The Battle of Dunkirk ends with a German victory and with Allied forces in full retreat.
- 1940 – Franz Rademacher proposes plans to make Madagascar the “Jewish homeland”, an idea that had first been considered by 19th century journalist Theodor Herzl.
- 1941 – World War II: The Wehrmacht razes the Greek village of Kandanos to the ground and murders 180 of its inhabitants.
- 1942 – World War II: Japan begins the Aleutian Islands Campaign by bombing Unalaska Island.
- 1943 – In Los Angeles, California, white U.S. Navy sailors and Marines clash with Latino youths in the Zoot Suit Riots.
- 1950 – Herzog and Lachenal of the French Annapurna expedition become the first climbers to reach the summit of an 8,000-metre peak.
- 1962 – At Paris Orly Airport, Air France Flight 007 overruns the runway and explodes when the crew attempts to abort takeoff, killing 130.
- 1963 – Soldiers of the South Vietnamese Army attack protesting Buddhists in Huế with liquid chemicals from tear-gas grenades, causing 67 people to be hospitalized for blistering of the skin and respiratory ailments.
- 1965 – The launch of Gemini 4, the first multi-day space mission by a NASA crew. Ed White, a crew member, performs the first American spacewalk.
- 1969 – Melbourne–Evans collision: off the coast of South Vietnam, the Australian aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne cuts the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Frank E. Evans in half.
- 1973 – A Soviet supersonic Tupolev Tu-144 crashes near Goussainville, France, killing 14, the first crash of a supersonic passenger aircraft.
- 1979 – A blowout at the Ixtoc I oil well in the southern Gulf of Mexico causes at least 3,000,000 barrels (480,000 m3) of oil to be spilled into the waters, the second-worst accidental oil spill ever recorded.
- 1980 – An explosive device is detonated at the Statue of Liberty. The FBI suspects Croatian nationalists.
- 1980 – The 1980 Grand Island tornado outbreak hits Nebraska, causing five deaths and $300 million (equivalent to $931 million in 2019) worth of damage.
- 1982 – The Israeli ambassador to the United Kingdom, Shlomo Argov, is shot on a London street; he survives but is left paralysed.
- 1984 – Operation Blue Star, a military offensive, is launched by the Indian government at Harmandir Sahib, also known as the Golden Temple, the holiest shrine for Sikhs, in Amritsar. The operation continues until June 6, with casualties, most of them civilians, in excess of 5,000.
- 1989 – The government of China sends troops to force protesters out of Tiananmen Square after seven weeks of occupation.
- 1991 – Mount Unzen erupts in Kyūshū, Japan, killing 43 people, all of them either researchers or journalists.
- 1992 – Aboriginal land rights are granted in Australia in Mabo v Queensland (No 2), a case brought by Eddie Mabo.
- 1998 – After suffering a mechanical failure, a high speed train derails at Eschede, Germany, killing 101 people.
- 2006 – The union of Serbia and Montenegro comes to an end with Montenegro’s formal declaration of independence.
- 2012 – A plane carrying 153 people on board crashes in a residential neighborhood in Lagos, Nigeria, killing everyone on board and 10 people on the ground.
- 2012 – The pageant for the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II takes place on the River Thames.
- 2013 – The trial of United States Army private Chelsea Manning for leaking classified material to WikiLeaks begins in Fort Meade, Maryland.
- 2013 – At least 119 people are killed in a fire at a poultry farm in Jilin Province in northeastern China.
- 2015 – An explosion at a gasoline station in Accra, Ghana, killing more than 200 people.
- 2017 – London Bridge attack: Eight people are murdered and dozens of civilians are wounded by Islamist terrorists. Three of the attackers are shot dead by the police.
- 2019 – Khartoum massacre: In Sudan, over 100 people are killed when security forces accompanied by Janjaweed militiamen storm and open fire on a sit-in protest.
Births on June 3
- 20 BC – Sejanus, Roman soldier and bodyguard (d. 31 AD)
- 1139 – Conon of Naso, Basilian abbot (d. 1236)
- 1421 – Giovanni di Cosimo de’ Medici, Italian noble (d. 1463)
- 1454 – Bogislaw X, Duke of Pomerania (1474–1523) (d. 1523)
- 1537 – João Manuel, Prince of Portugal (d. 1554)
- 1540 – Charles II, Archduke of Austria (d. 1590)
- 1554 – Pietro de’ Medici, Italian noble (d. 1604)
- 1576 – Giovanni Diodati, Swiss-Italian minister, theologian, and academic (d. 1649)
- 1594 – César, Duke of Vendôme, French nobleman (d. 1665)
- 1603 – Pietro Paolini, Italian painter (d. 1681)
- 1635 – Philippe Quinault, French playwright and composer (d. 1688)
- 1636 – John Hale, American minister (d. 1700)
- 1659 – David Gregory, Scottish-English mathematician and astronomer (d. 1708)
- 1662 – Willem van Mieris, Dutch painter (d. 1747)
- 1723 – Giovanni Antonio Scopoli, Italian physician, geologist, and botanist (d. 1788)
- 1726 – James Hutton, Scottish geologist and physician (d. 1797)
- 1736 – Ignaz Fränzl, German violinist and composer (d. 1811)
- 1770 – Manuel Belgrano, Argentinian economist, lawyer, and politician (d. 1820)
- 1808 – Jefferson Davis, American colonel and politician, President of the Confederate States of America (d. 1889)
- 1818 – Louis Faidherbe, French general and politician, Governor of Senegal (d. 1889)
- 1819 – Anton Anderledy, Swiss religious leader, 23rd Superior General of the Society of Jesus (d. 1892)
- 1819 – Johan Jongkind, Dutch painter (d. 1891)
- 1832 – Charles Lecocq, French pianist and composer (d. 1918)
- 1843 – Frederick VIII of Denmark (d. 1912)
- 1844 – Garret Hobart, American lawyer and politician, 24th Vice President of the United States (d. 1899)
- 1844 – Detlev von Liliencron, German poet and author (d. 1909)
- 1852 – Theodore Robinson, American painter and academic (d. 1896)
- 1853 – Flinders Petrie, English archaeologist and academic (d. 1942)
- 1864 – Otto Erich Hartleben, German poet and playwright (d. 1905)
- 1864 – Ransom E. Olds, American businessman, founded Oldsmobile and REO Motor Car Company (d. 1950)
- 1865 – George V of the United Kingdom (d. 1936)
- 1866 – George Howells Broadhurst, English-American director and manager (d. 1952)
- 1873 – Otto Loewi, German-American pharmacologist and psychobiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1961)
- 1877 – Raoul Dufy, French painter and illustrator (d. 1953)
- 1879 – Alla Nazimova, Ukrainian-American actress, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1945)
- 1879 – Raymond Pearl, American biologist and botanist (d. 1940)
- 1879 – Vivian Woodward, English footballer and soldier (d. 1954)
- 1881 – Mikhail Larionov, Russian painter and set designer (d. 1964)
- 1890 – Baburao Painter, Indian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1954)
- 1897 – Memphis Minnie, American singer-songwriter (d. 1973)
- 1899 – Georg von Békésy, Hungarian-American biophysicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1972)
- 1900 – Adelaide Ames, American astronomer and academic (d. 1932)
- 1900 – Leo Picard, German-Israeli geologist and academic (d. 1997)
- 1901 – Maurice Evans, English actor (d. 1989)
- 1901 – Zhang Xueliang, Chinese general and warlord (d. 2001)
- 1903 – Eddie Acuff, American actor (d. 1956)
- 1904 – Charles R. Drew, American physician and surgeon (d. 1950)
- 1904 – Jan Peerce, American tenor and actor (d. 1984)
- 1905 – Martin Gottfried Weiss, German SS officer (d. 1946)
- 1906 – R. G. D. Allen, English economist, mathematician, and statistician (d. 1983)
- 1906 – Josephine Baker, French actress, singer, and dancer; French Resistance operative (d. 1975)
- 1906 – Walter Robins, English cricketer and footballer (d. 1968)
- 1907 – Paul Rotha, English director and producer (d. 1984)
- 1910 – Paulette Goddard, American actress and model (d. 1990)
- 1911 – Ellen Corby, American actress and screenwriter (d. 1999)
- 1913 – Pedro Mir, Dominican poet and author (d. 2000)
- 1914 – Ignacio Ponseti, Spanish physician and orthopedist (d. 2009)
- 1917 – Leo Gorcey, American actor (d. 1969)
- 1918 – Patrick Cargill, English actor and producer (d. 1996)
- 1918 – Lili St. Cyr, American dancer (d. 1999)
- 1921 – Forbes Carlile, Australian pentathlete and coach (d. 2016)
- 1921 – Jean Dréjac, French singer and composer (d. 2003)
- 1922 – Alain Resnais, French director, cinematographer, and screenwriter (d. 2014)
- 1923 – Igor Shafarevich, Russian mathematician and theorist (d. 2017)
- 1924 – Karunanidhi, Indian screenwriter and politician, 3rd Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu (d. 2018)
- 1924 – Colleen Dewhurst, Canadian-American actress (d. 1991)
- 1924 – Bernard Glasser, American director and producer (d. 2014)
- 1924 – Jimmy Rogers, American singer and guitarist (d. 1997)
- 1924 – Torsten Wiesel, Swedish neurophysiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1925 – Tony Curtis, American actor (d. 2010)
- 1925 – Thomas Winning, Scottish cardinal (d. 2001)
- 1926 – Allen Ginsberg, American poet (d. 1997)
- 1926 – Flora MacDonald, Canadian banker and politician, 10th Canadian Minister of Communications (d. 2015)
- 1927 – Boots Randolph, American saxophonist and composer (d. 2007)
- 1928 – Donald Judd, American sculptor and painter (d. 1994)
- 1928 – John Richard Reid, New Zealand cricketer
- 1929 – Werner Arber, Swiss microbiologist and geneticist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1929 – Chuck Barris, American game show host and producer (d. 2017)
- 1930 – Marion Zimmer Bradley, American author and poet (d. 1999)
- 1930 – George Fernandes, Indian journalist and politician, Minister of Defence for India (d. 2019)
- 1930 – Dakota Staton, American singer (d. 2007)
- 1930 – Abbas Zandi, Iranian wrestler (d. 2017)
- 1930 – Ben Wada, Japanese director and producer (d. 2011)
- 1930 – Joe Coulombe, founder of Trader Joe’s (d. 2020)
- 1931 – Françoise Arnoul, Algerian-French actress
- 1931 – Raúl Castro, Cuban commander and politician, 18th President of Cuba
- 1931 – John Norman, American philosopher and author
- 1931 – Lindy Remigino, American runner and coach (d. 2018)
- 1933 – Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Bahranian king (d. 1999)
- 1936 – Larry McMurtry, American novelist and screenwriter
- 1936 – Colin Meads, New Zealand rugby player and coach (d. 2017)
- 1937 – Jean-Pierre Jaussaud, French race car driver
- 1939 – Frank Blevins, English-Australian lawyer and politician, 7th Deputy Premier of South Australia (d. 2013)
- 1939 – Steve Dalkowski, American baseball player (d. 2020)
- 1939 – Ian Hunter, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1942 – Curtis Mayfield, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 1999)
- 1943 – Billy Cunningham, American basketball player and coach
- 1944 – Thomas Burns, British bishop
- 1944 – Edith McGuire, American sprinter and educator
- 1944 – Eddy Ottoz, Italian hurdler and coach
- 1945 – Hale Irwin, American golfer and architect
- 1945 – Ramon Jacinto, Filipino singer, guitarist, and businessman, founded the Rajah Broadcasting Network
- 1945 – Bill Paterson, Scottish actor
- 1946 – Michael Clarke, American drummer (d. 1993)
- 1946 – Eddie Holman, American pop/R&B/gospel singer
- 1946 – Penelope Wilton, English actress
- 1947 – John Dykstra, American special effects artist and producer
- 1947 – Mickey Finn, English drummer (d. 2003)
- 1948 – Jan Reker, Dutch footballer and manager
- 1950 – Frédéric François, Belgian-Italian singer-songwriter
- 1950 – Melissa Mathison, American screenwriter and producer (d. 2015)
- 1950 – Juan José Muñoz, Argentinian businessman (d. 2013)
- 1950 – Larry Probst, American businessman
- 1950 – Suzi Quatro, American-English singer-songwriter, bass player, producer, and actress
- 1950 – Christos Verelis, Greek politician, Greek Minister of Transport and Communications
- 1950 – Deniece Williams, American singer-songwriter
- 1952 – Billy Powell, American keyboard player and songwriter (d. 2009)
- 1952 – David Richards, Welsh entrepreneur and businessman
- 1954 – Dan Hill, Canadian singer-songwriter
- 1954 – Susan Landau, American mathematician and engineer
- 1956 – George Burley, Scottish footballer and manager
- 1956 – Danny Wilde, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1957 – Horst-Ulrich Hänel, German field hockey player
- 1959 – Imbi Paju, Estonian-Finnish journalist and author
- 1960 – Catherine Davani, first female Papua New Guinean judge (d. 2016)
- 1960 – Tracy Grimshaw, Australian television host
- 1960 – Carl Rackemann, Australian cricketer and sportscaster
- 1961 – Lawrence Lessig, American lawyer, academic, and author, founded the Creative Commons
- 1961 – Peter Vidmar, American gymnast
- 1961 – Ed Wynne, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer
- 1962 – Susannah Constantine, English fashion designer, journalist, and author
- 1962 – Dagmar Neubauer, German sprinter
- 1963 – Rudy Demotte, Belgian politician, 8th Minister-President of the Walloon Region
- 1963 – Toshiaki Karasawa, Japanese actor
- 1964 – André Bellavance, Canadian politician
- 1964 – Kerry King, American guitarist and songwriter
- 1964 – James Purefoy, English actor
- 1965 – Hans Kroes, Dutch swimmer
- 1965 – Michael Moore, British accountant and politician, Secretary of State for Scotland
- 1966 – Wasim Akram, Pakistani cricketer, coach, and sportscaster
- 1967 – Anderson Cooper, American journalist and author
- 1967 – Tamás Darnyi, Hungarian swimmer
- 1969 – Takako Minekawa, Japanese singer-songwriter
- 1969 – Dean Pay, Australian rugby league player and coach
- 1971 – Luigi Di Biagio, Italian footballer and manager
- 1971 – Mary Grigson, Australian cross-country mountain biker
- 1972 – Julie Gayet, French actress
- 1974 – Kelly Jones, Welsh singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1974 – Serhiy Rebrov, Ukrainian international footballer and manager
- 1975 – Jose Molina, Puerto Rican-American baseball player
- 1976 – Nikos Chatzis, Greek basketball player
- 1976 – Jamie McMurray, American race car driver
- 1977 – Cris, Brazilian footballer
- 1978 – Lyfe Jennings, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1979 – Luis Fernando López, Colombian race walker
- 1979 – Christian Malcolm, Welsh sprinter
- 1980 – Amauri, Brazilian-Italian footballer
- 1981 – Sosene Anesi, New Zealand rugby player
- 1982 – Yelena Isinbayeva, Russian pole vaulter
- 1982 – Manfred Mölgg, Italian skier
- 1983 – Pasquale Foggia, Italian footballer
- 1984 – Todd Reid, Australian tennis player (d. 2018)
- 1985 – Papiss Cissé, Senegalese footballer
- 1985 – Łukasz Piszczek, Polish footballer
- 1986 – Al Horford, Dominican basketball player
- 1986 – Micah Kogo, Kenyan runner
- 1986 – Rafael Nadal, Spanish tennis player
- 1986 – Adrián Vallés, Spanish race car driver
- 1986 – Tomáš Verner, Czech ice skater
- 1987 – Masami Nagasawa, Japanese actress
- 1989 – Katie Hoff, American swimmer
- 1991 – Lukasz Teodorczyk, Polish footballer
- 1991 – Sami Vatanen, Finnish ice hockey defenceman
- 1991 – Yordano Ventura, Dominican baseball player (d. 2017)
- 1992 – Mario Götze, German footballer
Deaths on June 3
- 628 – Liang Shidu, Chinese rebel leader
- 800 – Staurakios, Byzantine general
- 1052 – Prince Guaimar IV of Salerno
- 1395 – Ivan Shishman of Bulgaria (b. 1350)
- 1397 – William de Montagu, 2nd Earl of Salisbury, English commander (b. 1328)
- 1411 – Leopold IV, Duke of Austria (b. 1371)
- 1453 – Loukas Notaras, last megas doux of the Byzantine Empire
- 1511 – Ahmad ibn Abi Jum’ah, Islamic scholar, author of the Oran fatwa
- 1548 – Juan de Zumárraga, Spanish-Mexican archbishop (b. 1468)
- 1553 – Wolf Huber, Austrian painter, printmaker and architect (b. 1485)
- 1594 – John Aylmer, English bishop and scholar (b. 1521)
- 1605 – Jan Zamoyski, Polish nobleman (b. 1542)
- 1615 – Sanada Yukimura, Japanese samurai (b. 1567)
- 1640 – Theophilus Howard, 2nd Earl of Suffolk, English politician, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports (b. 1584)
- 1649 – Manuel de Faria e Sousa, Portuguese historian and poet (b. 1590)
- 1657 – William Harvey, English physician and academic (b. 1578)
- 1659 – Morgan Llwyd, Welsh minister and poet (b. 1619)
- 1665 – Charles Weston, 3rd Earl of Portland, English noble (b. 1639)
- 1780 – Thomas Hutchinson, American businessman and politician, Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay (b. 1711)
- 1826 – Nikolay Karamzin, Russian historian and poet (b. 1766)
- 1858 – Julius Reubke, German pianist and composer (b. 1834)
- 1861 – Stephen A. Douglas, American lawyer and politician, 7th Secretary of State of Illinois (b. 1813)
- 1865 – Okada Izō, Japanese samurai (b. 1838)
- 1875 – Georges Bizet, French pianist and composer (b. 1838)
- 1877 – Ludwig Ritter von Köchel, Austrian botanist, composer, and publisher (b. 1800)
- 1882 – Christian Wilberg, German painter and illustrator (b. 1839)
- 1894 – Karl Eduard Zachariae von Lingenthal, German lawyer and jurist (b. 1812)
- 1899 – Johann Strauss II, Austrian composer and educator (b. 1825)
- 1900 – Mary Kingsley, English explorer and author (b. 1862)
- 1902 – Vital-Justin Grandin, French-Canadian bishop and missionary (b. 1829)
- 1906 – John Maxwell, American golfer (b. 1871)
- 1921 – Coenraad Hiebendaal, Dutch rower and physician (b. 1879)
- 1924 – Franz Kafka, Czech-Austrian lawyer and author (b. 1883)
- 1928 – Li Yuanhong, Chinese general and politician, 2nd President of the Republic of China (b. 1864)
- 1933 – William Muldoon, American wrestler (b. 1852)
- 1938 – John Flanagan, Irish-American hammer thrower and tug of war competitor (b. 1873)
- 1946 – Mikhail Kalinin, Russian civil servant and politician (b. 1875)
- 1963 – Edmond Decottignies, French weightlifter (b. 1893)
- 1963 – Pope John XXIII (b. 1881)
- 1963 – Nâzım Hikmet Ran, Turkish poet, author, and playwright (b. 1902)
- 1964 – Kâzım Orbay, Turkish general and politician, 9th Turkish Speaker of the Parliament (b. 1887)
- 1964 – Frans Eemil Sillanpää, Finnish author and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1888)
- 1969 – George Edwin Cooke, American soccer player (b. 1883)
- 1970 – Hjalmar Schacht, Danish-German economist, banker, and politician (b. 1877)
- 1971 – Heinz Hopf, German-Swiss mathematician and academic (b. 1894)
- 1973 – Jean Batmale, French footballer and manager (b. 1895)
- 1975 – Ozzie Nelson, American actor and bandleader (b. 1906)
- 1975 – Eisaku Satō, Japanese lawyer and politician, 39th Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1901)
- 1977 – Archibald Hill, English physiologist and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1886)
- 1977 – Roberto Rossellini, Italian director and screenwriter (b. 1906)
- 1981 – Carleton S. Coon, American anthropologist and academic (b. 1904)
- 1986 – Anna Neagle, English actress and singer (b. 1904)
- 1987 – Will Sampson, American actor and painter (b. 1933)
- 1989 – Ruhollah Khomeini, Iranian religious leader and politician, 1st Supreme Leader of Iran (b. 1902)
- 1990 – Robert Noyce, American physicist and businessman, co-founded the Intel Corporation (b. 1927)
- 1991 – Brian Bevan, Australian rugby league player (b. 1924)
- 1991 – Katia Krafft, French volcanologist and geologist (b. 1942)
- 1991 – Maurice Krafft, French volcanologist and geologist (b. 1946)
- 1991 – Lê Văn Thiêm, Vietnamese mathematician and academic (b. 1918)
- 1992 – Robert Morley, English actor and screenwriter (b. 1908)
- 1994 – Puig Aubert, German-French rugby player and coach (b. 1925)
- 1997 – Dennis James, American actor and game show host (b. 1917)
- 2001 – Anthony Quinn, Mexican-American actor and producer (b. 1915)
- 2002 – Lew Wasserman, American talent agent and manager (b. 1913)
- 2003 – Felix de Weldon, Austrian-American sculptor, designed the Marine Corps War Memorial (b. 1907)
- 2005 – Harold Cardinal, Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1945)
- 2009 – David Carradine, American actor (b. 1936)
- 2009 – Koko Taylor, American singer (b. 1928)
- 2010 – John Hedgecoe, English photographer and author (b. 1932)
- 2010 – Rue McClanahan, American actress (b. 1934)
- 2011 – James Arness, American actor and producer (b. 1923)
- 2011 – Andrew Gold, American singer, songwriter, musician and arranger (b. 1951)
- 2011 – Bhajan Lal, Indian politician, 6th Chief Minister of Haryana (b. 1930)
- 2011 – Jack Kevorkian, American pathologist, author, and activist (b. 1928)
- 2011 – Jan van Roessel, Dutch footballer (b. 1925)
- 2012 – Carol Ann Abrams, American producer, author, and academic (b. 1942)
- 2012 – Rajsoomer Lallah, Mauritian lawyer and judge (b. 1933)
- 2012 – Roy Salvadori, English race car driver and manager (b. 1922)
- 2012 – Brian Talboys, New Zealand journalist and politician, 7th Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1921)
- 2013 – Atul Chitnis, German-Indian technologist and journalist (b. 1962)
- 2013 – Józef Czyrek, Polish economist and politician, Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1928)
- 2013 – Frank Lautenberg, American soldier and politician (b. 1924)
- 2014 – Svyatoslav Belza, Russian journalist, author, and critic (b. 1942)
- 2014 – Gopinath Munde, Indian politician, 3rd Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra (b. 1949)
- 2015 – Avi Beker, Israeli political scientist and academic (b. 1951)
- 2016 – Muhammad Ali, American boxer (b. 1942)
Holidays and observances on June 3
- Christian feast day:
- Charles Lwanga and Companions (Roman Catholic Church), and its related observances:
- Clotilde
- Kevin of Glendalough
- Ovidius
- Vladimirskaya (Russian Orthodox)
- June 3 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Confederate Memorial Day (Kentucky, Louisiana, and Tennessee, United States)
- Economist day (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
- Mabo Day (Australia)
- Opium Suppression Movement Day (Taiwan)
- World Bicycle Day
-
June 2 in History
- 455 – Sack of Rome: Vandals enter Rome, and plunder the city for two weeks.
- 1098 – First Crusade: The first Siege of Antioch ends as Crusader forces take the city; the second siege began five days later.
- 1615 – The first Récollet missionaries arrive at Quebec City, from Rouen, France.
- 1676 – Franco-Dutch War: France ensured the supremacy of its naval fleet for the remainder of the war with its victory in the Battle of Palermo.
- 1692 – Bridget Bishop is the first person to be tried for witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts; she was found guilty and later hanged.
- 1763 – Pontiac’s Rebellion: At what is now Mackinaw City, Michigan, Chippewas capture Fort Michilimackinac by diverting the garrison’s attention with a game of lacrosse, then chasing a ball into the fort.
- 1774 – Intolerable Acts: The Quartering Act is enacted, allowing a governor in colonial America to house British soldiers in uninhabited houses, outhouses, barns, or other buildings if suitable quarters are not provided.
- 1793 – French Revolution: François Hanriot, leader of the Parisian National Guard, arrests 22 Girondists selected by Jean-Paul Marat, setting the stage for the Reign of Terror.
- 1805 – Napoleonic Wars: A Franco-Spanish fleet recaptures Diamond Rock, an uninhabited island at the entrance to the bay leading to Fort-de-France, from the British.
- 1835 – P. T. Barnum and his circus start their first tour of the United States.
- 1848 – The Slavic congress in Prague begins.
- 1866 – The Fenians defeat Canadian forces at Ridgeway and Fort Erie, but the raids end soon after.
- 1896 – Guglielmo Marconi applies for a patent for his wireless telegraph.
- 1909 – Alfred Deakin becomes Prime Minister of Australia for the third time.
- 1910 – Charles Rolls, a co-founder of Rolls-Royce Limited, becomes the first man to make a non-stop double crossing of the English Channel by plane.
- 1919 – Anarchists simultaneously set off bombs in eight separate U.S. cities.
- 1924 – U.S. President Calvin Coolidge signs the Indian Citizenship Act into law, granting citizenship to all Native Americans born within the territorial limits of the United States.
- 1941 – World War II: German paratroopers murder Greek civilians in the villages of Kondomari and Alikianos.
- 1946 – Birth of the Italian Republic: In a referendum, Italians vote to turn Italy from a monarchy into a Republic. After the referendum, King Umberto II of Italy is exiled.
- 1953 – The coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, who is crowned Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Her Other Realms and Territories & Head of the Commonwealth, the first major international event to be televised.
- 1955 – The USSR and Yugoslavia sign the Belgrade declaration and thus normalize relations between both countries, discontinued since 1948.
- 1962 – During the FIFA World Cup, police had to intervene multiple times in fights between Chilean and Italian players in one of the most violent games in football history.
- 1964 – The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) is formed.
- 1966 – Surveyor program: Surveyor 1 lands in Oceanus Procellarum on the Moon, becoming the first U.S. spacecraft to soft-land on another world.
- 1967 – Luis Monge is executed in Colorado’s gas chamber, in the last pre-Furman execution in the United States.
- 1967 – Protests in West Berlin against the arrival of the Shah of Iran turn into riots, during which Benno Ohnesorg is killed by a police officer. His death results in the founding of the terrorist group Movement 2 June.
- 1979 – Pope John Paul II starts his first official visit to his native Poland, becoming the first Pope to visit a Communist country.
- 1983 – After an emergency landing because of an in-flight fire, twenty-three passengers aboard Air Canada Flight 797 are killed when a flashover occurs as the plane’s doors open. Because of this incident, numerous new safety regulations are put in place.
- 1990 – The Lower Ohio Valley tornado outbreak spawns 66 confirmed tornadoes in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio, killing 12.
- 1997 – In Denver, Timothy McVeigh is convicted on 15 counts of murder and conspiracy for his role in the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, in which 168 people died. He was executed four years later.
- 2003 – Europe launches its first voyage to another planet, Mars. The European Space Agency’s Mars Express probe launches from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan.
- 2012 – Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is sentenced to life imprisonment for his role in the killing of demonstrators during the 2011 Egyptian revolution.
- 2014 – Telangana officially becomes the 29th state of India, formed from ten districts of northwestern Andhra Pradesh.
Births on June 2
- 1305 – Abu Sa’id Bahadur Khan, ruler of Ilkhanate (d. 1335)
- 1423 – Ferdinand I of Naples (d. 1494)
- 1489 – Charles, Duke of Vendôme (d. 1537)
- 1535 – Pope Leo XI (d. 1605)
- 1602 – Rudolf Christian, Count of East Frisia, Ruler of East Frisia (d. 1628)
- 1621 – Rutger von Ascheberg, Courland-born soldier in Swedish service (d. 1693)
- 1621 – (baptized) Isaac van Ostade, Dutch painter (d. 1649)
- 1638 – Henry Hyde, 2nd Earl of Clarendon (d. 1709)
- 1644 – William Salmon, English medical writer (d. 1713)
- 1739 – Jabez Bowen, American colonel and politician, 45th Deputy Governor of Rhode Island (d. 1815)
- 1740 – Marquis de Sade, French philosopher and politician (d. 1814)
- 1743 – Alessandro Cagliostro, Italian occultist and explorer (d. 1795)
- 1773 – John Randolph of Roanoke, American planter and politician, 8th United States Ambassador to Russia (d. 1833)
- 1774 – William Lawson, English-Australian explorer and politician (d. 1850)
- 1813 – Daniel Pollen, Irish-New Zealand politician, 9th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1896)
- 1823 – Gédéon Ouimet, Canadian lawyer and politician, 2nd Premier of Quebec (d. 1905)
- 1835 – Pope Pius X (d. 1914)
- 1838 – Duchess Alexandra Petrovna of Oldenburg (d. 1900)
- 1840 – Thomas Hardy, English novelist and poet (d. 1928)
- 1840 – Émile Munier, French artist (d. 1895)
- 1857 – Edward Elgar, English composer and educator (d. 1934)
- 1857 – Karl Adolph Gjellerup, Danish author and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1919)
- 1861 – Concordia Selander, Swedish actress and manager (d. 1935)
- 1863 – Felix Weingartner, Croatian-Austrian pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1942)
- 1865 – George Lohmann, English cricketer (d. 1901)
- 1865 – Adelaide Casely-Hayford, Sierra Leone Creole advocate and activist for cultural nationalism (d. 1960)
- 1869 – Jack O’Connor, American baseball player and manager (d. 1937)
- 1875 – Charles Stewart Mott, American businessman and politician, 50th Mayor of Flint, Michigan (d. 1973)
- 1878 – Wallace Hartley, English violinist and bandleader (d. 1912)
- 1881 – Walter Egan, American golfer (d. 1971)
- 1891 – Thurman Arnold, American lawyer and judge (d. 1969)
- 1891 – Takijirō Ōnishi, Japanese admiral and pilot (d. 1945)
- 1899 – Lotte Reiniger, German animator and director (d. 1981)
- 1899 – Edwin Way Teale, American environmentalist and photographer (d. 1980)
- 1904 – Frank Runacres, English painter and educator (d. 1974)
- 1904 – Johnny Weissmuller, Hungarian-American swimmer and actor (d. 1984)
- 1907 – Dorothy West, American journalist and author (d. 1998)
- 1907 – John Lehmann, English poet and publisher (d. 1987)
- 1910 – Hector Dyer, American sprinter (d. 1990)
- 1911 – Joe McCluskey, American runner (d. 2002)
- 1913 – Barbara Pym, English author (d. 1980)
- 1913 – Elsie Tu, English-Hong Kong educator and politician (d. 2015)
- 1914 – Johnny Bulla, American golfer (d. 2003)
- 1915 – Alexandru Nicolschi, Romanian spy (d. 1992)
- 1917 – Heinz Sielmann, German photographer and director (d. 2006)
- 1918 – Ruth Atkinson, Canadian-American illustrator (d. 1997)
- 1918 – Kathryn Tucker Windham, American journalist and author (d. 2011)
- 1919 – Nat Mayer Shapiro, American painter (d. 2005)
- 1920 – Frank G. Clement, American lawyer and politician, 41st Governor of Tennessee (d. 1969)
- 1920 – Yolande Donlan, American-English actress (d. 2014)
- 1920 – Marcel Reich-Ranicki, Polish-German author and critic (d. 2013)
- 1920 – Tex Schramm, American businessman (d. 2003)
- 1920 – Johnny Speight, English screenwriter and producer (d. 1998)
- 1921 – Betty Freeman, American photographer and philanthropist (d. 2009)
- 1921 – Ernie Royal, American trumpet player (d. 1983)
- 1921 – Sigmund Sternberg, Hungarian-English businessman and philanthropist (d. 2016)
- 1921 – András Szennay, Hungarian priest (d. 2012)
- 1922 – Juan Antonio Bardem, Spanish director and screenwriter (d. 2002)
- 1922 – Carmen Silvera, Canadian-English actress (d. 2002)
- 1923 – Lloyd Shapley, American mathematician and economist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2016)
- 1924 – June Callwood, Canadian journalist, author, and activist (d. 2007)
- 1926 – Chiyonoyama Masanobu, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 41st Yokozuna (d. 1977)
- 1926 – Milo O’Shea, Irish-American actor (d. 2013)
- 1927 – W. Watts Biggers, American author, screenwriter, and animator (d. 2013)
- 1927 – Colin Brittan, English footballer (d. 2013)
- 1927 – Christopher Slade, English lawyer and judge
- 1928 – Erzsi Kovács, Hungarian singer (d. 2014)
- 1928 – Rafael A. Lecuona, Cuban-American gymnast and academic (d. 2014)
- 1928 – Ron Reynolds, English footballer (d. 1999)
- 1929 – Norton Juster, American architect, author, and academic
- 1929 – Ken McGregor, Australian tennis player (d. 2007)
- 1930 – Pete Conrad, American captain, pilot, and astronaut (d. 1999)
- 1933 – Jerry Lumpe, American baseball player and coach (d. 2014)
- 1933 – Lew “Sneaky Pete” Robinson, drag racer (d. 1971)
- 1934 – Johnny Carter, American singer (d. 2009)
- 1935 – Carol Shields, American-Canadian novelist and short story writer (d. 2003)
- 1935 – Dimitri Kitsikis, Greek poet and educator
- 1936 – Volodymyr Holubnychy, Ukrainian race walker
- 1937 – Rosalyn Higgins, English lawyer and judge
- 1937 – Sally Kellerman, American actress
- 1937 – Jimmy Jones, American singer-songwriter (d. 2012)
- 1937 – Robert Paul, Canadian figure skater and choreographer
- 1937 – Deric Washburn, American screenwriter and playwright
- 1938 – Kevin Brownlow, English historian and author
- 1938 – George William Penrose, Lord Penrose, Scottish lawyer and judge
- 1939 – Charles Miller, American musician (d. 1980)
- 1939 – John Schlee, American golfer (d. 2000)
- 1940 – Constantine II of Greece
- 1941 – Ünal Aysal, Turkish businessman
- 1941 – Stacy Keach, American actor
- 1941 – Lou Nanne, Canadian-American ice hockey player and manager
- 1941 – Charlie Watts, English drummer, songwriter, and producer
- 1942 – Mike Ahern, Australian politician, 32nd Premier of Queensland
- 1943 – Charles Haid, American actor and director
- 1943 – Crescenzio Sepe, Italian cardinal
- 1944 – Robert Elliott, American actor (d. 2004)
- 1944 – Marvin Hamlisch, American composer and conductor (d. 2012)
- 1945 – Richard Long, English painter, sculptor, and photographer
- 1945 – Bonnie Newman, American businesswoman and politician
- 1946 – Lasse Hallström, Swedish director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1946 – Peter Sutcliffe, UK serial killer
- 1948 – Jerry Mathers, American actor
- 1949 – Heather Couper, English astronomer and physicist (d. 2020)
- 1949 – Frank Rich, American journalist and critic
- 1950 – Jonathan Evans, Welsh lawyer and politician
- 1950 – Joanna Gleason, Canadian actress and singer
- 1950 – Anne Phillips, English theorist and academic
- 1950 – Momčilo Vukotić, Serbian footballer and manager
- 1951 – Gilbert Baker, American artist, gay rights activist, and designer of the rainbow flag (d. 2017)
- 1951 – Arnold Mühren, Dutch footballer and manager
- 1951 – Larry Robinson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1951 – Alexander Wylie, Lord Kinclaven, Scottish lawyer, judge, and educator
- 1952 – Gary Bettman, American commissioner of the National Hockey League
- 1953 – Vidar Johansen, Norwegian saxophonist
- 1953 – Craig Stadler, American golfer
- 1953 – Cornel West, American philosopher, author, and academic
- 1954 – Dennis Haysbert, American actor and producer
- 1955 – Dana Carvey, American comedian and actor
- 1955 – Nandan Nilekani, Indian businessman, co-founded Infosys
- 1955 – Mani Ratnam, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1955 – Michael Steele, American singer-songwriter and bass player
- 1956 – Jan Lammers, Dutch race car driver
- 1957 – Mark Lawrenson, English footballer and manager
- 1958 – Lex Luger, American wrestler and football player
- 1959 – Rineke Dijkstra, Dutch photographer
- 1959 – Lydia Lunch, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress
- 1959 – Erwin Olaf, Dutch photographer
- 1960 – Olga Bondarenko, Russian runner
- 1960 – Tony Hadley, English singer-songwriter and actor
- 1960 – Kyle Petty, American race car driver and sportscaster
- 1961 – Dez Cadena, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1962 – Mark Plaatjes, South African-American runner and coach
- 1963 – Anand Abhyankar, Indian actor (d. 2012)
- 1964 – Caroline Link, German director and screenwriter
- 1965 – Russ Courtnall, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1965 – Mark Waugh, Australian cricketer and journalist
- 1965 – Steve Waugh, Australian cricketer
- 1966 – Dayana Cadeau, Haitian born Canadian-American professional bodybuilder
- 1966 – Candace Gingrich, American activist
- 1966 – Pedro Guerra, Spanish singer-songwriter
- 1966 – Petra van Staveren, Dutch swimmer
- 1967 – Remigija Nazarovienė, Lithuanian heptathlete and coach
- 1967 – Mike Stanton, American baseball player
- 1968 – Merril Bainbridge, Australian singer-songwriter
- 1968 – Andy Cohen, American television host
- 1969 – Kurt Abbott, American baseball player
- 1969 – Paulo Sérgio, Brazilian footballer
- 1969 – David Wheaton, American tennis player, radio host, and author
- 1970 – B Real, American rapper and actor
- 1971 – Kateřina Jacques, Czech translator and politician
- 1972 – Wayne Brady, American actor, comedian, game show host, and singer
- 1972 – Raúl Ibañez, American baseball player
- 1972 – Wentworth Miller, American actor and screenwriter
- 1973 – Marko Kristal, Estonian footballer and manager
- 1973 – Neifi Pérez, Dominican-American baseball player
- 1974 – Gata Kamsky, Russian-American chess player
- 1974 – Matt Serra, American mixed martial artist
- 1975 – Salvatore Scibona, American author
- 1976 – Earl Boykins, American basketball player
- 1976 – Martin Čech, Czech ice hockey player (d. 2007)
- 1976 – Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira, Brazilian mixed martial artist and boxer
- 1976 – Tim Rice-Oxley, English singer-songwriter and keyboard player
- 1977 – Teet Allas, Estonian footballer
- 1977 – A.J. Styles, American wrestler
- 1977 – Zachary Quinto, American actor and producer
- 1978 – Dominic Cooper, English actor
- 1978 – Nikki Cox, American actress
- 1978 – Justin Long, American actor
- 1978 – Yi So-yeon, biotechnologist and astronaut, the first Korean in space
- 1978 – Luke Williamson, Australian rugby league player
- 1979 – Morena Baccarin, Brazilian-American actress
- 1979 – Butterfly Boucher, Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1979 – Natalia Rodríguez, Spanish runner
- 1980 – Fabrizio Moretti, Brazilian-American drummer
- 1980 – Bobby Simmons, American basketball player
- 1980 – Richard Skuse, English rugby player
- 1980 – Abby Wambach, American soccer player and coach
- 1980 – Tomasz Wróblewski, Polish bass player and songwriter
- 1981 – Nikolay Davydenko, Russian tennis player
- 1981 – Chin-hui Tsao, Taiwanese baseball player
- 1982 – Jewel Staite, Canadian actress
- 1983 – Chris Higgins, American ice hockey player
- 1983 – Leela James, American singer-songwriter
- 1983 – Toni Livers, Swiss skier
- 1983 – Brooke White, American singer-songwriter and actress
- 1984 – Jack Afamasaga, New Zealand rugby league player
- 1984 – Max Boyer, Canadian wrestler
- 1984 – Feleti Mateo, Australian-Tongan rugby league player
- 1985 – Miyuki Sawashiro, Japanese voice actress and singer
- 1985 – Maggie Thrash, American graphic novelist and writer
- 1986 – Todd Carney, Australian rugby league player
- 1987 – Maryka Holtzhausen, South African netball player
- 1987 – Yoann Huget, French rugby player
- 1987 – Matthew Koma, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1987 – Angelo Mathews, Sri Lankan cricketer
- 1987 – Darin Zanyar, Swedish singer-songwriter
- 1987 – Sonakshi Sinha, Indian actress
- 1988 – Sergio Agüero, Argentinian footballer
- 1988 – Patrik Berglund, Swedish ice hockey player
- 1988 – Staniliya Stamenova, Bulgarian canoeist
- 1989 – Freddy Adu, Ghanaian-American footballer
- 1989 – Steve Smith, Australian cricketer
- 1990 – Jack Lowden, Scottish actor
- 1992 – Pajtim Kasami, Swiss footballer
- 1993 – Adam Taggart, Australian footballer
- 1994 – Mike Grzesiek, Esports player and streamer
- 1999 – Campbell Graham, Australian rugby league player
- 2000 – Lilimar Hernandez, Venezuelan actress
Deaths on June 2
- 657 – Pope Eugene I
- 891 – Al-Muwaffaq, Abbasid general (b. 842)
- 910 – Richilde of Provence (b. 845)
- 1200 – Bishop John of Oxford
- 1258 – Peter I, Count of Urgell
- 1292 – Rhys ap Maredudd, Welsh nobleman and rebel leader
- 1418 – Katherine of Lancaster, queen of Henry III of Castile
- 1453 – Álvaro de Luna, Duke of Trujillo, Constable of Castile
- 1567 – Shane O’Neill, head of the O’Neill dynasty in Ireland (b. 1530)
- 1572 – Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk (b. 1536)
- 1581 – James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton, Scottish soldier and politician, Lord Chancellor of Scotland (b. 1525)
- 1603 – Bernard of Wąbrzeźno, Roman Catholic priest (b. 1575)
- 1693 – John Wildman, English soldier and politician, Postmaster General of the United Kingdom (b. 1621)
- 1701 – Madeleine de Scudéry, French author (b. 1607)
- 1716 – Ogata Kōrin, Japanese painter and educator (b. 1658)
- 1754 – Ebenezer Erskine, Scottish minister and theologian (b. 1680)
- 1761 – Jonas Alströmer, Swedish businessman (b. 1685)
- 1785 – Jean Paul de Gua de Malves, French mathematician and academic (b. 1713)
- 1806 – William Tate, English painter (b. 1747)
- 1853 – Henry Trevor, 21st Baron Dacre, English general (b. 1777)
- 1865 – Ner Middleswarth, American judge and politician (b. 1783)
- 1875 – Józef Kremer, Polish psychologist, historian, and philosopher (b. 1806)
- 1881 – Émile Littré, French lexicographer and philosopher (b. 1801)
- 1882 – Giuseppe Garibaldi, Italian general and politician (b. 1807)
- 1901 – George Leslie Mackay, Canadian missionary and author (b. 1844)
- 1927 – Hüseyin Avni Lifij, Turkish painter (b. 1886)
- 1929 – Enrique Gorostieta, Mexican general (b. 1889)
- 1933 – Frank Jarvis, American runner and triple jumper (b. 1878)
- 1937 – Louis Vierne, French organist and composer (b. 1870)
- 1941 – Lou Gehrig, American baseball player (b. 1903)
- 1942 – Bunny Berigan, American singer and trumpet player (b. 1908)
- 1947 – John Gretton, 1st Baron Gretton, English sailor and politician (b. 1867)
- 1948 – Viktor Brack, German physician (b. 1904)
- 1948 – Karl Brandt, German SS officer (b. 1904)
- 1948 – Karl Gebhardt, German physician (b. 1897)
- 1948 – Waldemar Hoven, German physician (b. 1903)
- 1948 – Wolfram Sievers, German SS officer (b. 1905)
- 1952 – Naum Torbov, Bulgarian architect, designed the Central Sofia Market Hall (b. 1880)
- 1956 – Jean Hersholt, Danish-American actor and director (b. 1886)
- 1959 – Lyda Borelli, Italian actress (b. 1884)
- 1961 – George S. Kaufman, American director, producer, and playwright (b. 1889)
- 1962 – Vita Sackville-West, English author and poet (b. 1892)
- 1967 – Benno Ohnesorg, German student and activist (b. 1940)
- 1968 – André Mathieu, Canadian pianist and composer (b. 1929)
- 1969 – Leo Gorcey, American actor (b. 1917)
- 1970 – Orhan Kemal, Turkish author (b. 1914)
- 1970 – Albert Lamorisse, French director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1922)
- 1970 – Bruce McLaren, New Zealand race car driver and engineer, founded the McLaren racing team (b. 1937)
- 1970 – Giuseppe Ungaretti, Italian soldier, journalist, and academic (b. 1888)
- 1974 – Hiroshi Kazato, Japanese race car driver (b. 1949)
- 1976 – Kenneth Mason, English soldier and geographer (b. 1887)
- 1976 – Juan José Torres, Bolivian general and politician, 61st President of Bolivia (b. 1920)
- 1977 – Albert Bittlmayer, German footballer (b. 1952)
- 1977 – Stephen Boyd, Northern Irish-born American actor (b. 1931)
- 1978 – Santiago Bernabéu Yeste, Spanish footballer and coach (b. 1895)
- 1979 – Jim Hutton, American actor (b. 1934)
- 1982 – Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry, Pakistani lawyer and politician, 5th President of Pakistan (b. 1904)
- 1983 – Stan Rogers, Canadian singer-songwriter (b. 1949)
- 1983 – Ray Stehr, Australian rugby league player and coach (b. 1913)
- 1986 – Aurèle Joliat, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1901)
- 1987 – Anthony de Mello, Indian-American priest and psychotherapist (b. 1931)
- 1987 – Sammy Kaye, American bandleader and songwriter (b. 1910)
- 1987 – Andrés Segovia, Spanish guitarist (b. 1893)
- 1988 – Raj Kapoor, Indian actor, director, and producer (b. 1924)
- 1989 – Ted a’Beckett, Australian cricketer and footballer (b. 1907)
- 1990 – Jack Gilford, American actor and comedian (b. 1908)
- 1990 – Rex Harrison, English actor (b. 1908)
- 1991 – Ahmed Arif, Turkish poet and author (b. 1927)
- 1992 – Philip Dunne, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1908)
- 1993 – Johnny Mize, American baseball player, coach, and sportscaster (b. 1913)
- 1993 – Tahar Djaout, Algerian journalist, writer and poet (b. 1954)
- 1994 – David Stove, Australian philosopher, author, and academic (b. 1927)
- 1996 – John Alton, Hungarian-American cinematographer and director (b. 1901)
- 1996 – Leon Garfield, English author (b. 1921)
- 1996 – Ray Combs, American game show host (b. 1956)
- 1997 – Doc Cheatham, American trumpet player, singer, and bandleader (b. 1905)
- 1999 – Junior Braithwaite, Jamaican singer (b. 1949)
- 2000 – Svyatoslav Fyodorov, Russian ophthalmologist, academic, and politician (b. 1927)
- 2000 – John Schlee, American golfer (b. 1939)
- 2000 – Gerald James Whitrow, English mathematician, cosmologist, and historian (b. 1912)
- 2001 – Imogene Coca, American actress and comedian (b. 1908)
- 2001 – Joey Maxim, American boxer (b. 1922)
- 2002 – Hugo van Lawick, Dutch director and photographer (b. 1937)
- 2003 – Freddie Blassie, American wrestler and manager (b. 1918)
- 2003 – Alma Ricard, Canadian broadcaster and philanthropist (b. 1906)
- 2005 – Lucien Cliche, Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1916)
- 2005 – Gunder Gundersen, Norwegian skier (b. 1930)
- 2005 – Samir Kassir, Lebanese journalist and educator (b. 1950)
- 2005 – Melita Norwood, English civil servant and spy (b. 1912)
- 2006 – Keith Smith, English rugby player and coach (b. 1952)
- 2007 – Kentarō Haneda, Japanese pianist and composer (b. 1949)
- 2007 – Huang Ju, Chinese engineer and politician, 1st Vice Premier of the People’s Republic of China (b. 1938)
- 2008 – Bo Diddley, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1928)
- 2008 – Mel Ferrer, American actor (b. 1917)
- 2008 – Cevher Özden, Turkish banker and businessman (b. 1933)
- 2009 – David Eddings, American author (b. 1931)
- 2012 – Avraham Botzer, Polish-Israeli commander (b. 1929)
- 2012 – Adolfo Calero, Nicaraguan businessman and political activist (b. 1931)
- 2012 – Richard Dawson, English-American soldier, actor, television personality, and game show host (b. 1932)
- 2012 – LeRoy Ellis, American basketball player (b. 1940)
- 2012 – Kathryn Joosten, American actress (b. 1939)
- 2012 – Jan Gmelich Meijling, Dutch commander and politician (b. 1943)
- 2013 – Mario Bernardi, Canadian pianist and conductor (b. 1930)
- 2013 – Chen Xitong, Chinese politician, 8th Mayor of Beijing (b. 1930)
- 2013 – Mandawuy Yunupingu, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1956)
- 2014 – Ivica Brzić, Serbian footballer and manager (b. 1941)
- 2014 – Anjan Das, Indian director and producer (b. 1951)
- 2014 – Gennadi Gusarov, Russian footballer and manager (b. 1937)
- 2014 – Nikolay Khrenkov, Russian bobsledder (b. 1984)
- 2014 – Duraisamy Simon Lourdusamy, Indian cardinal (b. 1924)
- 2014 – Kuaima Riruako, Namibian politician (b. 1935)
- 2014 – Alexander Shulgin, American pharmacologist and chemist (b. 1925)
- 2015 – Fernando de Araújo, East Timorese politician, President of East Timor (b. 1963)
- 2015 – Irwin Rose, American biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1926)
- 2017 – Peter Sallis, English actor (b. 1921)
Holidays and observances on June 2
- Children’s Day (North Korea)
- Christian feast day:
- Alexander (martyr)
- Elmo
- Felix of Nicosia
- Marcellinus and Peter
- Martyrs of Lyon, including Blandina
- Pope Eugene I
- Pothinus
- June 2 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Civil Aviation Day (Azerbaijan)
- Coronation of King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, also Social Forestry Day (Bhutan)
- Day of Hristo Botev (Bulgaria)
- Decoration Day (Canada)
- Festa della Repubblica (Italy)
- International Sex Workers Day
- Telangana Day (Telangana, India)
-
May 29 in History
- 363 – The Roman emperor Julian defeats the Sasanian army in the Battle of Ctesiphon, under the walls of the Sasanian capital, but is unable to take the city.
- 1108 – Battle of Uclés: Almoravid troops under the command of Tamim ibn Yusuf defeat a Castile and León alliance under the command of Prince Sancho Alfónsez.
- 1167 – Battle of Monte Porzio: A Roman army supporting Pope Alexander III is defeated by Christian of Buch and Rainald of Dassel.
- 1176 – Battle of Legnano: The Lombard League defeats Emperor Frederick I.
- 1328 – Philip VI is crowned King of France.
- 1416 – Battle of Gallipoli: The Venetians under Pietro Loredan defeat a much larger Ottoman fleet off Gallipoli.
- 1453 – Fall of Constantinople: Ottoman armies under Sultan Mehmed II Fatih capture Constantinople after a 53-day siege, ending the Byzantine Empire.
- 1658 – Battle of Samugarh: decisive battle in the struggle for the throne during the Mughal war of succession (1658–1659).
- 1660 – English Restoration: Charles II is restored to the throne of England, Scotland and Ireland.
- 1733 – The right of settlers in New France to enslave natives is upheld at Quebec City.
- 1780 – American Revolutionary War: At the Battle of Waxhaws, the British continue attacking after the Continentals lay down their arms, killing 113 and critically wounding all but 53 that remained.
- 1790 – Rhode Island becomes the last of North America’s original Thirteen Colonies to ratify the Constitution and become one of the United States.
- 1798 – United Irishmen Rebellion: Between 300 and 500 United Irishmen are executed as rebels by the British Army in County Kildare, Ireland.
- 1807 – Mustafa IV became Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and Caliph of Islam.
- 1848 – Wisconsin is admitted as the 30th U.S. state.
- 1852 – Jenny Lind leaves New York after her two-year American tour.
- 1861 – The Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce is founded, in Hong Kong.
- 1864 – Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico arrives in Mexico for the first time.
- 1867 – The Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 (“the Compromise”) is born through Act 12, which establishes the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
- 1868 – Mihailo Obrenović III, Prince of Serbia is assassinated.
- 1886 – The pharmacist John Pemberton places his first advertisement for Coca-Cola, which appeared in The Atlanta Journal.
- 1900 – N’Djamena is founded as Fort-Lamy by the French commander Émile Gentil.
- 1903 – In the May Coup, Alexander I, King of Serbia, and Queen Draga, are assassinated in Belgrade by the Black Hand (Crna Ruka) organization.
- 1913 – Igor Stravinsky’s ballet score The Rite of Spring receives its premiere performance in Paris, France, provoking a riot.
- 1914 – The Ocean liner RMS Empress of Ireland sinks in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence with the loss of 1,012 lives.
- 1918 – Armenia defeats the Ottoman Army in the Battle of Sardarabad.
- 1919 – Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity is tested (later confirmed) by Arthur Eddington and Andrew Claude de la Cherois Crommelin
- 1920 – The Louth flood of 1920 was a severe flash flooding in the Lincolnshire market town of Louth which occurred 29 May 1920, resulting in 23 fatalities in 20 minutes. It has been described as one of the most significant flood disasters in Britain during the 20th century.
- 1931 – Michele Schirru, a citizen of the United States, is executed by Italian military firing squad for intent to kill Benito Mussolini.
- 1932 – World War I veterans begin to assemble in Washington, D.C., in the Bonus Army to request cash bonuses promised to them to be paid in 1945.
- 1935 – First flight of the Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter aeroplane.
- 1945 – First combat mission of the Consolidated B-32 Dominator heavy bomber.
- 1948 – United Nations Truce Supervision Organization is founded.
- 1950 – The St. Roch, the first ship to circumnavigate North America, arrives in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
- 1953 – Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay become the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest, on Tenzing Norgay’s (adopted) 39th birthday.
- 1964 – The Arab League meets in East Jerusalem to discuss the Palestinian question, leading to the formation of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
- 1973 – Tom Bradley is elected the first black mayor of Los Angeles, California.
- 1982 – Pope John Paul II becomes the first pontiff to visit Canterbury Cathedral.
- 1982 – Falklands War: British forces defeat the Argentines at the Battle of Goose Green.
- 1985 – Heysel Stadium disaster: Thirty-nine association football fans die and hundreds are injured when a dilapidated retaining wall collapses.
- 1985 – Amputee Steve Fonyo completes cross-Canada marathon at Victoria, British Columbia, after 14 months.
- 1988 – The U.S. President Ronald Reagan begins his first visit to the Soviet Union when he arrives in Moscow for a superpower summit with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.
- 1989 – Signing of an agreement between Egypt and the United States, allowing the manufacture of parts of the F-16 jet fighter plane in Egypt.
- 1990 – The Russian parliament elects Boris Yeltsin as president of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic.
- 1993 – The Miss Sarajevo beauty pageant is held in war-torn Sarajevo drawing global attention to the plight of its citizens.
- 1999 – Olusegun Obasanjo takes office as President of Nigeria, the first elected and civilian head of state in Nigeria after 16 years of military rule.
- 1999 – Space Shuttle Discovery completes the first docking with the International Space Station.
- 2001 – The U.S. Supreme Court rules that the disabled golfer Casey Martin can use a cart to ride in tournaments.
- 2004 – The National World War II Memorial is dedicated in Washington, D.C.
- 2008 – A doublet earthquake, of combined magnitude 6.1, strikes Iceland near the town of Selfoss, injuring 30 people.
- 2012 – A 5.8-magnitude earthquake hits northern Italy near Bologna, killing at least 24 people.
- 2015 – One World Observatory at One World Trade Center opens.
Births on May 29
- 1421 – Charles, Prince of Viana (d. 1461)
- 1439 – Pope Pius III (d. 1503)
- 1443 – Victor, Duke of Münsterberg, Reichsgraf, Duke of Münsterberg and Opava, Count of Glatz (d. 1500)
- 1504 – Antun Vrančić, Croatian archbishop (d. 1573)
- 1555 – George Carew, 1st Earl of Totnes, English Earl, general and administrator (d. 1629)
- 1568 – Virginia de’ Medici, Italian princess (d. 1615)
- 1594 – Gottfried Heinrich Graf zu Pappenheim, Bavarian field marshal (d. 1632)
- 1627 – Anne, Duchess of Montpensier, French princess (d. 1693)
- 1630 – Charles II of England (d. 1685)
- 1675 – Humphry Ditton, English mathematician and philosopher (d. 1715)
- 1716 – Louis-Jean-Marie Daubenton, French zoologist and mineralogist (d. 1800)
- 1722 – James FitzGerald, 1st Duke of Leinster, Irish soldier and politician (d. 1773)
- 1730 – Jackson of Exeter, English organist and composer (d. 1803)
- 1736 – Patrick Henry, American lawyer and politician, 1st Governor of Virginia (d. 1799)
- 1780 – Henri Braconnot, French chemist and pharmacist (d. 1855)
- 1794 – Johann Heinrich von Mädler, German astronomer and selenographer (d. 1874)
- 1797 – Louise-Adéone Drölling, French painter (d. 1836)
- 1823 – John H. Balsley, American carpenter and inventor (d. 1895)
- 1860 – Isaac Albéniz, Spanish pianist and composer (d. 1909)
- 1871 – Clark Voorhees, American painter (d. 1933)
- 1873 – Rudolf Tobias, Estonian organist and composer (d. 1918)
- 1874 – G. K. Chesterton, English essayist, poet, and playwright (d. 1936)
- 1880 – Oswald Spengler, German historian and philosopher (d. 1936)
- 1892 – Alfonsina Storni, Swiss-Argentinian poet and author (d. 1938)
- 1893 – Max Brand, American journalist and author (d. 1944)
- 1894 – Beatrice Lillie, Canadian-English actress, singer and writer (d. 1989)
- 1894 – Josef von Sternberg, Austrian-American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1969)
- 1897 – Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Czech-American pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1957)
- 1899 – Douglas Abbott, Canadian lawyer and politician, 10th Canadian Minister of Defence (d. 1987)
- 1902 – Harry Kadwell, Australian rugby league player and coach (d. 1999)
- 1903 – Bob Hope, English-American actor, singer, and producer (d. 2003)
- 1904 – Hubert Opperman, Australian cyclist and politician (d. 1996)
- 1905 – Sebastian Shaw, English actor, director, and playwright (d. 1994)
- 1906 – T. H. White, Indian-English author (d. 1964)
- 1907 – Hartland Molson, Canadian captain and politician (d. 2002)
- 1908 – Diana Morgan, Welsh-English playwright and screenwriter (d. 1996)
- 1910 – Ralph Metcalfe, American sprinter and politician (d. 1978)
- 1913 – Tony Zale, American boxer (d. 1997)
- 1914 – Stacy Keach Sr., American actor (d. 2003)
- 1914 – Tenzing Norgay, Nepalese-Indian mountaineer (d. 1986)
- 1915 – Karl Münchinger, German conductor and composer (d. 1990)
- 1917 – John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States (d. 1963)
- 1917 – Marcel Trudel, Canadian historian, author, and academic (d. 2011)
- 1919 – Jacques Genest, Canadian physician and academic (d. 2018)
- 1920 – John Harsanyi, Hungarian-American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2000)
- 1920 – Clifton James, American actor (d. 2017)
- 1921 – Norman Hetherington, Australian cartoonist and puppeteer (d. 2010)
- 1922 – Joe Weatherly, American race car driver (d. 1964)
- 1922 – Iannis Xenakis, Greek-French composer, engineer, and theorist (d. 2001)
- 1923 – Bernard Clavel, French author (d. 2010)
- 1923 – John Parker, 6th Earl of Morley, English colonel and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Devon (d. 2015)
- 1923 – Eugene Wright, American jazz bassist
- 1924 – Lars Bo, Danish author and illustrator (d. 1999)
- 1924 – Miloslav Kříž, Czech basketball player and coach (d. 2013)
- 1924 – Pepper Paire, American baseball player (d. 2013)
- 1926 – Katie Boyle, Italian-English actress and television host (d. 2018)
- 1926 – Halaevalu Mataʻaho ʻAhomeʻe, Queen Consort of Tonga (d. 2017)
- 1926 – Abdoulaye Wade, Senegalese academic and politician, 3rd President of Senegal
- 1927 – Jean Coutu, Canadian pharmacist and businessman, founded the Jean Coutu Group
- 1929 – Harry Frankfurt, American philosopher and academic
- 1929 – Peter Higgs, English-Scottish physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1929 – Roberto Vargas, Puerto Rican-American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 2014)
- 1932 – Paul R. Ehrlich, American biologist and author
- 1932 – Richie Guerin, American basketball player and coach
- 1933 – Helmuth Rilling, German conductor and educator
- 1933 – Tarquinio Provini, Italian motorcycle racer (d. 2005)
- 1934 – Bill Vander Zalm, Dutch-Canadian businessman and politician, 28th Premier of British Columbia
- 1935 – André Brink, South African author and playwright (d. 2015)
- 1935 – Sylvia Robinson, American singer and producer (d. 2011)
- 1937 – Charles W. Pickering, American lawyer and judge
- 1937 – Irmin Schmidt, German keyboard player and composer
- 1937 – Alwin Schockemöhle, German show-jumper
- 1937 – Harry Statham, American basketball player and coach
- 1938 – Christopher Bland, English businessman and politician (d. 2017)
- 1938 – Fay Vincent, American lawyer and businessman
- 1939 – Pete Smith, Australian radio and television announcer
- 1939 – Al Unser, American race car driver
- 1940 – Taihō Kōki, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 48th Yokozuna (d. 2013)
- 1940 – Farooq Leghari, Pakistani politician, 8th President of Pakistan (d. 2010)
- 1941 – Doug Scott, English mountaineer and author
- 1941 – Bob Simon, American journalist (d. 2015)
- 1942 – Pierre Bourque, Canadian businessman and politician, 40th Mayor of Montreal
- 1942 – Kevin Conway, American actor and director (d. 2020)
- 1943 – Robert W. Edgar, American educator and politician (d. 2013)
- 1944 – Bob Benmosche, American businessman (d. 2015)
- 1944 – Quentin Davies, English soldier and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
- 1945 – Gary Brooker, English singer-songwriter and pianist
- 1945 – Peter Fraser, Baron Fraser of Carmyllie, Scottish lawyer and politician, Solicitor General for Scotland (d. 2013)
- 1945 – Julian Le Grand, English economist and author
- 1945 – Martin Pipe, English jockey and trainer
- 1945 – Joyce Tenneson, American photographer
- 1945 – Jean-Pierre Van Rossem, Belgian scholar and author (d. 2018)
- 1946 – Fernando Buesa, Spanish politician (d. 2000)
- 1947 – Anthony Geary, American actor
- 1948 – Michael Berkeley, English composer and radio host
- 1948 – Keith Gull, English microbiologist and academic
- 1949 – Robert Axelrod, American actor and screenwriter (d. 2019)
- 1949 – Brian Kidd, English footballer and manager
- 1949 – Francis Rossi, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1950 – Rebbie Jackson, American singer and actress
- 1953 – Danny Elfman, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
- 1954 – Robert Beaser, American composer and educator
- 1954 – Jerry Moran, American lawyer and politician
- 1955 – Frank Baumgartl, German runner (d. 2010)
- 1955 – John Hinckley Jr., American attempted assassin of Ronald Reagan
- 1955 – David Kirschner, American animator, producer, and author
- 1955 – Gordon Rintoul, Scottish historian and curator
- 1955 – Ken Schrader, American race car driver and sportscaster
- 1956 – Mark Lyall Grant, English diplomat, British Ambassador to the United Nations
- 1956 – La Toya Jackson, American singer-songwriter and actress
- 1957 – Steven Croft, English bishop and theologian
- 1957 – Jeb Hensarling, American lawyer and politician
- 1957 – Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Iranian film director
- 1958 – Annette Bening, American actress
- 1958 – Juliano Mer-Khamis, Israeli actor, director, and activist (d. 2011)
- 1958 – Uwe Rapolder, German footballer and coach
- 1958 – Mike Stenhouse, American baseball player and sportscaster
- 1959 – Rupert Everett, English actor and novelist
- 1959 – Mel Gaynor, English drummer
- 1959 – Steve Hanley, Irish-English bass player and songwriter
- 1960 – Thomas Baumer, Swiss economist and academic
- 1960 – Mike Freer, English politician
- 1961 – Melissa Etheridge, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and activist
- 1961 – John Miceli, American drummer
- 1962 – Fandi Ahmad, Singaporean footballer, coach, and manager
- 1962 – Eric Davis, American baseball player
- 1962 – Carol Kirkwood, Scottish journalist
- 1962 – Chloé Sainte-Marie, Canadian actress and singer
- 1963 – Blaze Bayley, English singer-songwriter
- 1963 – Zhu Jianhua, Chinese high jumper
- 1963 – Ukyo Katayama, Japanese race car driver
- 1963 – Claude Loiselle, Canadian ice hockey player and manager
- 1964 – Howard Mills III, American academic and politician
- 1964 – Oswaldo Negri Jr., Brazilian race car driver
- 1966 – Natalie Nougayrède, French journalist
- 1967 – Noel Gallagher, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1967 – Mike Keane, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1967 – Steven Levitt, American economist, author, and academic
- 1968 – Torquhil Campbell, 13th Duke of Argyll, Scottish politician
- 1968 – Tate George, American basketball player
- 1968 – Jessica Morden, English politician
- 1968 – Hida Viloria, American activist
- 1970 – Natarsha Belling, Australian journalist
- 1970 – Roberto Di Matteo, Italian footballer and manager
- 1971 – Éric Lucas, Canadian boxer
- 1971 – Bernd Mayländer, German race car driver
- 1971 – Jo Beth Taylor, Australian television host and actress
- 1971 – Rob Womack, English shot putter and discus thrower
- 1972 – Bill Curley, American basketball player and coach
- 1972 – Simon Jones, English singer and bass player
- 1973 – Tomoko Kaneda, Japanese voice actress, singer, and radio personality
- 1973 – Mark Lee, American guitarist and songwriter
- 1973 – Alpay Özalan, Turkish footballer
- 1974 – Steve Cardenas, American martial artist and retired actor
- 1974 – Stephen Larkham, Australian rugby player and coach
- 1974 – Aaron McGruder, American author and cartoonist
- 1974 – Myf Warhurst, Australian radio and television host
- 1974 – Jenny Willott, English politician
- 1975 – Jason Allison, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1975 – Mel B, English singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress
- 1975 – Sven Kubis, German footballer
- 1975 – Sarah Millican, English comedian
- 1975 – Anthony Wall, English golfer
- 1975 – Daniel Tosh, American comedian, television host, actor, writer, and executive producer
- 1976 – Caçapa, Brazilian footballer and manager
- 1976 – Jerry Hairston Jr., American baseball player and sportscaster
- 1976 – Raef LaFrentz, American basketball player
- 1976 – Yegor Titov, Russian footballer
- 1977 – Massimo Ambrosini, Italian footballer
- 1977 – Marco Cassetti, Italian footballer
- 1977 – António Lebo Lebo, Angolan footballer
- 1978 – Pelle Almqvist, Swedish singer-songwriter
- 1978 – Sébastien Grosjean, French tennis player
- 1978 – Lorenzo Odone, Italian-American adrenoleukodystrophy patient who inspired the 1992 film, Lorenzo’s Oil (d. 2008)
- 1978 – Adam Rickitt, English singer
- 1979 – Arne Friedrich, German footballer
- 1979 – Brian Kendrick, American wrestler
- 1979 – John Rheinecker, American baseball player (d. 2017)
- 1980 – Ernesto Farías, Argentinian footballer
- 1981 – Andrey Arshavin, Russian footballer
- 1982 – Nataliya Dobrynska, Ukrainian heptathlete
- 1982 – Matt Macri, American baseball player
- 1982 – Kim Tae-kyun, South Korean baseball player
- 1984 – Carmelo Anthony, American basketball player
- 1984 – Nia Jax, Australian-American professional wrestler
- 1984 – Funmi Jimoh, American long jumper
- 1984 – Andreas Schäffer, German footballer
- 1984 – Ina Wroldsen, Norwegian singer and songwriter
- 1985 – Nathan Horton, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1987 – Lina Andrijauskaitė, Lithuanian long jumper
- 1987 – Issac Luke, New Zealand rugby league player
- 1987 – Kelvin Maynard, Dutch footballer (d. 2019)
- 1987 – Noah Reid, Canadian actor, producer, and screenwriter
- 1987 – Rui Sampaio, Portuguese footballer
- 1988 – Muath Al-Kasasbeh, Jordanian captain and pilot (d. 2015)
- 1988 – Cheng Fei, Chinese gymnast
- 1988 – Steve Mason, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1989 – Ezekiel Ansah, Ghanaian-American football player
- 1989 – Diego Barisone, Argentinian footballer (d. 2015)
- 1989 – Riley Keough, American model and actress
- 1990 – Joe Biagini, American baseball pitcher
- 1992 – Sarah Moundir, Swiss tennis player
- 1993 – Jana Čepelová, Slovak tennis player
- 1993 – Maika Monroe, American actress and kiteboarder
- 1993 – Grete Šadeiko, Estonian heptathlete
- 1998 – Markelle Fultz, American basketball player
- 1999 – Park Ji-hoon, South Korean singer and actor
Deaths on May 29
- 931 – Jimeno Garcés of Pamplona
- 1040 – Renauld I, Count of Nevers
- 1259 – Christopher I of Denmark (b. 1219)
- 1311 – James II of Majorca (b. 1243)
- 1320 – Pope John VIII of Alexandria, Coptic pope
- 1327 – Jens Grand, Danish archbishop (b. c. 1260)
- 1379 – Henry II of Castile (b. 1334)
- 1405 – Philippe de Mézières, French soldier and author (b. 1327)
- 1425 – Hongxi Emperor of China (b. 1378)
- 1453 – Ulubatlı Hasan, Ottoman commander (b. 1428)
- 1453 – Constantine XI Palaiologos, Byzantine emperor (b. 1404)
- 1500 – Bartolomeu Dias, Portuguese explorer and navigator (b. 1451)
- 1500 – Thomas Rotherham, English cleric and minister (b. 1423)
- 1546 – David Beaton, Scottish cardinal and politician, Lord Chancellor of Scotland (b. 1494)
- 1593 – John Penry, Welsh martyr (b. 1559)
- 1660 – Frans van Schooten, Dutch mathematician and academic (b. 1615)
- 1691 – Cornelis Tromp, Dutch admiral (b. 1629)
- 1790 – Israel Putnam, American general (b. 1718)
- 1796 – Carl Fredrik Pechlin, Swedish general and politician (b. 1720)
- 1814 – Joséphine de Beauharnais, first wife of Napoleon Bonaparte (b. 1763)
- 1829 – Humphry Davy, English-Swiss chemist and academic (b. 1778)
- 1847 – Emmanuel de Grouchy, Marquis de Grouchy, French general (b. 1766)
- 1862 – Franz Mirecki, Polish composer, music conductor, and music teacher (b. 1791)
- 1866 – Winfield Scott, American general, lawyer, and politician (b. 1786)
- 1873 – Prince Friedrich of Hesse and by Rhine (b. 1870)
- 1892 – Bahá’u’lláh, Persian religious leader, founded the Bahá’í Faith (b. 1817)
- 1896 – Gabriel Auguste Daubrée, French geologist and academic (b. 1814)
- 1903 – Bruce Price, American architect, designed the Château Frontenac and American Surety Building (b. 1845)
- 1910 – Mily Balakirev, Russian pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1837)
- 1911 – W. S. Gilbert, English playwright and poet (b. 1836)
- 1914 – Laurence Sydney Brodribb Irving, English author and playwright (b. 1871)
- 1914 – Henry Seton-Karr, English explorer, hunter, and author (b. 1853)
- 1917 – Kate Harrington, American poet and educator (b. 1831)
- 1919 – Robert Bacon, American colonel and politician, 39th United States Secretary of State (b. 1860)
- 1920 – Carlos Deltour, French rower (b. 1864)
- 1921 – Abbott Handerson Thayer, American painter and educator (b. 1849)
- 1935 – Josef Suk, Czech violinist and composer (b. 1874)
- 1939 – Ursula Ledóchowska, Austrian-Polish nun and saint, founded the Congregation of the Ursulines of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus (b. 1865)
- 1941 – Léo-Pol Morin, Canadian pianist, composer, and educator (b. 1892)
- 1942 – John Barrymore, American actor (b. 1882)
- 1946 – Martin Gottfried Weiss, German SS officer (b. 1905)
- 1948 – May Whitty, English actress (b. 1865)
- 1951 – Fanny Brice, American singer and comedian (b. 1891)
- 1951 – Dimitrios Levidis, Greek-French soldier and composer (b. 1885)
- 1953 – Morgan Russell, American painter and educator (b. 1886)
- 1957 – James Whale, English director (b. 1889)
- 1958 – Juan Ramón Jiménez, Spanish poet and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1881)
- 1963 – Netta Muskett, English author (b. 1887)
- 1966 – Ignace Lepp, Estonian-French priest and psychologist (b. 1909)
- 1968 – Arnold Susi, Estonian lawyer and politician, Estonian Minister of Education (b. 1896)
- 1970 – John Gunther, American journalist and author (b. 1901)
- 1970 – Eva Hesse, American artist (b. 1936)
- 1972 – Moe Berg, American baseball player, coach, and spy (b. 1902)
- 1972 – Stephen Timoshenko, Ukrainian-American engineer and academic (b. 1878)
- 1973 – George Harriman, English businessman (b. 1908)
- 1977 – Ba Maw, Burmese politician, Prime Minister of Burma (b. 1893)
- 1979 – Mary Pickford, Canadian-American actress, producer, and screenwriter, co-founded United Artists (b. 1892)
- 1979 – John H. Wood Jr., American lawyer and judge (b. 1916)
- 1982 – Romy Schneider, Austrian actress (b. 1938)
- 1983 – Arvīds Pelše, Latvian-Russian historian and politician (b. 1899)
- 1987 – Charan Singh, Indian politician, 5th Prime Minister of India (b. 1902)
- 1988 – Salem bin Laden, Saudi Arabian businessman (b. 1946)
- 1989 – George C. Homans, American sociologist and academic (b. 1910)
- 1991 – Margaret Barr (choreographer), Australian choreographer and teacher of dance-drama (b. 1904)
- 1993 – Billy Conn, American boxer (b. 1917)
- 1994 – Erich Honecker, German lawyer and politician (b. 1912)
- 1994- Lady May Abel Smith, member of the British Royal Family (b. 1906)
- 1996 – Tamara Toumanova, American ballerina and actress (b. 1919)
- 1997 – Jeff Buckley, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1966)
- 1998 – Barry Goldwater, American general, activist, and politician (b. 1909)
- 2003 – David Jefferies, English motorcycle racer (b. 1972)
- 2004 – Archibald Cox, American lawyer and politician, 31st United States Solicitor General (b. 1912)
- 2004 – Samuel Dash, American academic and politician (b. 1925)
- 2005 – John D’Amico, Canadian ice hockey player and referee (b. 1937)
- 2005 – Hamilton Naki, South African surgeon (b. 1926)
- 2005 – George Rochberg, American soldier and composer (b. 1918)
- 2006 – Jacques Bouchard, Canadian businessman (b. 1930)
- 2007 – Dave Balon, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1938)
- 2007 – Lois Browne-Evans, Bermudian lawyer and politician (b. 1927)
- 2008 – Paula Gunn Allen, Native American writer (b. 1939)
- 2008 – Luc Bourdon, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1987)
- 2008 – Harvey Korman, American actor and comedian (b. 1927)
- 2010 – Dennis Hopper, American actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1936)
- 2011 – Sergei Bagapsh, Abkhazian politician, 2nd President of Abkhazia (b. 1949)
- 2011 – Bill Clements, American soldier and politician, 42nd Governor of Texas (b. 1917)
- 2011 – Ferenc Mádl, Hungarian academic and politician, 14th President of Hungary (b. 1931)
- 2012 – Mark Minkov, Russian composer (b. 1944)
- 2012 – Kaneto Shindo, Japanese director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1912)
- 2012 – Doc Watson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1923)
- 2013 – Richard Ballantine, American-English journalist and author (b. 1940)
- 2013 – Françoise Blanchard, French actress (b. 1954)
- 2013 – Andrew Greeley, American priest, sociologist, and author (b. 1928)
- 2013 – Mulgrew Miller, American pianist and composer (b. 1955)
- 2013 – Henry Morgentaler, Polish-Canadian physician and activist (b. 1923)
- 2013 – Franca Rame, Italian actress and playwright (b. 1928)
- 2013 – Ludwig G. Strauss, German physician and academic (b. 1949)
- 2013 – Wali-ur-Rehman, Pakistani commander (b. 1970)
- 2014 – Christine Charbonneau, Canadian singer-songwriter (b. 1943)
- 2014 – Walter Jakob Gehring, Swiss biologist and academic (b. 1939)
- 2014 – Peter Glaser, Czech-American scientist and engineer (b. 1923)
- 2014 – Miljenko Prohaska, Croatian composer and conductor (b. 1925)
- 2014 – William M. Roth, American businessman (b. 1916)
- 2015 – Henry Carr, American football player and sprinter (b. 1942)
- 2015 – Doris Hart, American tennis player (b. 1925)
- 2015 – Betsy Palmer, American actress (b. 1926)
- 2017 – Manuel Noriega, Panamanian general and politician, Military Leader of Panama (b. 1934)
- 2017 – Mordechai Tzipori, Israeli Lieutenant General and minister (b. 1924)
- 2017 – Konstantinos Mitsotakis, Greek politician and prime minister (b. 1918)
- 2020 – Maikanti Baru, Nigerian engineer, former chief of state oil firm. (b. 1959)
Holidays and observances on May 29
- Army Day (Argentina)
- Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh (Bahá’í Faith) (Only if Bahá’í Naw-Rúz falls on March 21 of the Gregorian calendar)
- Christian feast day:
- Bona of Pisa
- Hypomone (Eastern Orthodox Church)
- Maximin of Trier
- Pope Alexander of Alexandria (Eastern Orthodox Church)
- Theodosia of Constantinople (Eastern Orthodox Church)
- Ursula Ledóchowska
- May 29 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Earliest day on which Feast of the Sacred Heart can fall, while July 2 is the latest; celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. (Catholic Church)
- International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers (International)
- National Elderly Day (Indonesia)
- Oak Apple Day (England), and its related observance:
- Castleton Garland Day (Castleton)
- Statehood Day (Rhode Island and Wisconsin)
- Veterans Day (Sweden)
- World Digestive Health Day
-
May 13 in History
- 1373 – Julian of Norwich has visions of Jesus while suffering from a life-threatening illness, visions which are later described and interpreted in her book Revelations of Divine Love.
- 1515 – Mary Tudor, Queen of France, and Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, are officially married at Greenwich.
- 1568 – Battle of Langside: The forces of Mary, Queen of Scots, are defeated by a confederacy of Scottish Protestants under James Stewart, Earl of Moray, her half-brother.
- 1619 – Dutch statesman Johan van Oldenbarnevelt is executed in The Hague after being convicted of treason.
- 1779 – War of the Bavarian Succession: Russian and French mediators at the Congress of Teschen negotiate an end to the war. In the agreement Austria receives the part of its territory that was taken from it (the Innviertel).
- 1780 – The Cumberland Compact is signed by leaders of the settlers in the Cumberland River area of what would become the U.S. state of Tennessee, providing for democratic government and a formal system of justice.
- 1787 – Captain Arthur Phillip leaves Portsmouth, England, with eleven ships full of convicts (the “First Fleet”) to establish a penal colony in Australia.
- 1804 – Forces sent by Yusuf Karamanli of Tripoli to retake Derna from the Americans attack the city.
- 1830 – Ecuador gains its independence from Gran Colombia.
- 1846 – Mexican–American War: The United States declares war on the Federal Republic of Mexico following a dispute over the American annexation of the Republic of Texas and a Mexican military incursion.
- 1861 – American Civil War: Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom issues a “proclamation of neutrality” which recognizes the Confederacy as having belligerent rights.
- 1861 – The Great Comet of 1861 is discovered by John Tebbutt of Windsor, New South Wales, Australia.
- 1861 – Pakistan’s (then a part of British India) first railway line opens, from Karachi to Kotri.
- 1862 – The USS Planter, a steamer and gunship, steals through Confederate lines and is passed to the Union, by a southern slave, Robert Smalls, who later was officially appointed as captain, becoming the first black man to command a United States ship.
- 1864 – American Civil War: Battle of Resaca: The battle begins with Union General Sherman fighting toward Atlanta.
- 1865 – American Civil War: Battle of Palmito Ranch: In far south Texas, the last land battle of the Civil War ends with a Confederate victory.
- 1880 – In Menlo Park, New Jersey, Thomas Edison performs the first test of his electric railway.
- 1888 – With the passage of the Lei Áurea (“Golden Law”), Empire of Brazil abolishes slavery.
- 1909 – The first Giro d’Italia starts from Milan. Italian cyclist Luigi Ganna will be the winner.
- 1912 – The Royal Flying Corps, the forerunner of the Royal Air Force, is established in the United Kingdom.
- 1917 – Three children report the first apparition of Our Lady of Fátima in Fátima, Portugal.
- 1940 – World War II: Germany’s conquest of France begins as the German army crosses the Meuse. Winston Churchill makes his “blood, toil, tears, and sweat” speech to the House of Commons.
- 1940 – Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands flees her country to Great Britain after the German invasion. Princess Juliana takes her children to Canada for their safety.
- 1941 – World War II: Yugoslav royal colonel Dragoljub Mihailović starts fighting against German occupation troops, beginning the Serbian resistance.
- 1943 – World War II: Operations Vulcan and Strike force the surrender of the last Axis troops in Tunisia.
- 1948 – Arab–Israeli War: The Kfar Etzion massacre is committed by Arab irregulars, the day before the declaration of independence of the state of Israel on May 14.
- 1950 – The first round of the Formula One World Championship is held at Silverstone.
- 1951 – The 400th anniversary of the founding of the National University of San Marcos is commemorated by the opening of the first large-capacity stadium in Peru.
- 1952 – The Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Parliament of India, holds its first sitting.
- 1954 – The anti-National Service Riots, by Chinese middle school students in Singapore, take place.
- 1954 – The original Broadway production of The Pajama Game opens and runs for another 1,063 performances. Later received three Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical, and Best Choreography.
- 1958 – During a visit to Caracas, Venezuela, Vice President Richard Nixon’s car is attacked by anti-American demonstrators.
- 1958 – May 1958 crisis: A group of French military officers lead a coup in Algiers demanding that a government of national unity be formed with Charles de Gaulle at its head in order to defend French control of Algeria.
- 1958 – Ben Carlin becomes the first (and only) person to circumnavigate the world by amphibious vehicle, having travelled over 17,000 kilometres (11,000 mi) by sea and 62,000 kilometres (39,000 mi) by land during a ten-year journey.
- 1960 – Hundreds of University of California, Berkeley students congregate for the first day of protest against a visit by the House Committee on Un-American Activities.
- 1967 – Dr. Zakir Husain becomes the third President of India. He is the first Muslim President of the Indian Union. He holds this position until August 24, 1969.
- 1969 – May 13 Incident involving sectarian violence in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
- 1971 – Over 900 unarmed Bengali Hindus are murdered in the Demra massacre.
- 1972 – Faulty electrical wiring ignites a fire underneath the Playtown Cabaret in Osaka, Japan. Blocked exits and non-functional elevators lead to 118 fatalities, with many victims leaping to their deaths.
- 1972 – The Troubles: A car bombing outside a crowded pub in Belfast sparks a two-day gun battle involving the Provisional IRA, Ulster Volunteer Force and British Army. Seven people are killed and over 66 injured.
- 1980 – An F3 tornado hits Kalamazoo County, Michigan. President Jimmy Carter declares it a federal disaster area.
- 1981 – Mehmet Ali Ağca attempts to assassinate Pope John Paul II in St. Peter’s Square in Rome. The Pope is rushed to the Agostino Gemelli University Polyclinic to undergo emergency surgery and survives.
- 1985 – Police bombed MOVE headquarters in Philadelphia to end a stand-off, killing six adults and five children, and destroying the homes of 250 city residents.
- 1989 – Large groups of students occupy Tiananmen Square and begin a hunger strike.
- 1990 – The Dinamo–Red Star riot took place at Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb, Croatia between the Bad Blue Boys (fans of Dinamo Zagreb) and the Delije (fans of Red Star Belgrade).
- 1992 – Li Hongzhi gives the first public lecture on Falun Gong in Changchun, People’s Republic of China.
- 1995 – Alison Hargreaves, a 33-year-old British mother, becomes the first woman to conquer Everest without oxygen or the help of sherpas.
- 1996 – Severe thunderstorms and a tornado in Bangladesh kill 600 people.
- 1998 – Race riots break out in Jakarta, Indonesia, where shops owned by Indonesians of Chinese descent are looted and women raped.
- 1998 – India carries out two nuclear weapon tests at Pokhran, following the three conducted on May 11. The United States and Japan impose economic sanctions on India.
- 2005 – Andijan uprising, Uzbekistan; Troops open fire on crowds of protestors after a prison break; at least 187 people were killed according to official estimates.
- 2006 – São Paulo violence: Rebellions occur in several prisons in Brazil.
- 2011 – Two bombs explode in the Charsadda District of Pakistan killing 98 people and wounding 140 others.
- 2012 – Forty-nine dismembered bodies are discovered by Mexican authorities on Mexican Federal Highway 40.
- 2013 – American physician Kermit Gosnell is found guilty in Pennsylvania of murdering three infants born alive during attempted abortions, involuntary manslaughter of a woman during an abortion procedure, and other charges.
- 2014 – An explosion at an underground coal mine in southwest Turkey kills 301 miners.
Births on May 13
- 1024 – Hugh of Cluny, French abbot and saint (d. 1109)
- 1179 – Theobald III, Count of Champagne (d. 1201)
- 1221 – Alexander Nevsky, Russian prince and saint (d. 1263)
- 1254 – Marie of Brabant, Queen of France (d. 1321)
- 1453 – Mary Stewart, Countess of Arran, Scottish princess (d. 1488)
- 1588 – Ole Worm, Danish physician and historian (d. 1654)
- 1597 – Cornelis Schut, Flemish painter, draughtsman and engraver (d. 1655)
- 1638 – Richard Simon, French priest and scholar (d. 1712)
- 1699 – Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, 1st Marquis of Pombal, Portuguese politician, Prime Minister of Portugal (d. 1782)
- 1712 – Count Johann Hartwig Ernst von Bernstorff, Danish politician and diplomat (d. 1772)
- 1713 – Alexis Clairaut, French mathematician, astronomer, and geophysicist (d. 1765)
- 1717 – Maria Theresa, Archduchess, Queen, and Empress; Austrian wife of Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1780)
- 1730 – Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1782)
- 1735 – Horace Coignet, French violinist and composer (d. 1821)
- 1742 – Maria Christina, Duchess of Teschen (d. 1798)
- 1753 – Lazare Carnot, French general, mathematician, and politician, French Minister of the Interior (d. 1823)
- 1792 – Pope Pius IX (d. 1878)
- 1794 – Louis Léopold Robert, French painter (d. 1835)
- 1795 – Gérard Paul Deshayes, French geologist and chronologist (d. 1875)
- 1811 – Juan Bautista Ceballos, President of Mexico (1853) (b. 1859)
- 1822 – Francis, Duke of Cádiz (d. 1902)
- 1830 – Zebulon Baird Vance, American colonel, lawyer, and politician, 37th Governor of North Carolina (d. 1894)
- 1832 – Juris Alunāns, Latvian philologist and author (d. 1864)
- 1840 – Alphonse Daudet, French author, poet, and playwright (d. 1897)
- 1842 – Arthur Sullivan, English composer (d. 1900)
- 1853 – Vaiben Louis Solomon, Australian politician, 21st Premier of South Australia (d. 1908)
- 1856 – Tom O’Rourke, American boxer and manager (d. 1938)
- 1857 – Ronald Ross, Indian-English physician and mathematician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1932)
- 1868 – Sumner Paine, American target shooter (d. 1904)
- 1869 – Mehmet Emin Yurdakul, Turkish writer (d. 1944)
- 1877 – Robert Hamilton, Scottish international footballer (d. 1948)
- 1881 – Lima Barreto, Brazilian journalist and author (d. 1922)
- 1881 – Joe Forshaw, American runner (d. 1964)
- 1882 – Georges Braque, French painter and sculptor (d. 1963)
- 1883 – Georgios Papanikolaou, Greek-American pathologist, invented the pap smear (d. 1962)
- 1884 – Oskar Rosenfeld, Jewish-Austrian writer and Holocaust victim (d.1944)
- 1885 – Mikiel Gonzi, Maltese archbishop (d. 1984)
- 1887 – Lorna Hodgkinson, Australian educator and educational psychologist (d. 1951)
- 1888 – Inge Lehmann, Danish seismologist and geophysicist (d. 1993)
- 1894 – Ásgeir Ásgeirsson, Icelandic politician, 2nd President of Iceland (d. 1972)
- 1895 – Nandor Fodor, Hungarian-American psychologist, parapsychologist, and author (d. 1964)
- 1901 – Murilo Mendes, Brazilian poet and telegrapher (d. 1975)
- 1904 – Louis Duffus, Australian-South African cricketer and journalist (d. 1984)
- 1905 – Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, Indian lawyer and politician, 5th President of India (d. 1977)
- 1907 – Daphne du Maurier, English novelist and playwright (d. 1989)
- 1908 – Eugen Kapp, Estonian composer and educator (d. 1996)
- 1909 – Ken Darby, American composer and conductor (d. 1992)
- 1911 – Robert Middleton, American actor (d. 1977)
- 1911 – Maxine Sullivan, American singer and actress (d. 1987)
- 1912 – Gil Evans, Canadian-American pianist, composer, and bandleader (d. 1988)
- 1912 – Judah Nadich, American colonel and rabbi (d. 2007)
- 1913 – Robert Dorning, English actor, singer, and dancer (d. 1989)
- 1913 – Theo Helfrich, German racing driver (d. 1978)
- 1913 – William R. Tolbert, Jr., Liberian politician, 20th President of Liberia (d. 1980)
- 1914 – Joe Louis, American boxer (d. 1981)
- 1914 – Johnnie Wright, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2011)
- 1914 – Antonia Ferrín Moreiras, Spanish mathematician, academic, and astronomer (d. 2009)
- 1916 – Sachidananda Routray, Indian Oriya-language poet (d. 2004)
- 1918 – Balasaraswati, Indian dancer and instructor (d. 1984)
- 1918 – Gwyn Howells, Australian public servant (d. 1997)
- 1920 – Gareth Morris, English flute player (d. 2007)
- 1922 – Michael Ainsworth, English cricketer (d. 1978)
- 1922 – Otl Aicher, German graphic designer and typographer (d. 1991)
- 1922 – Bea Arthur, American actress and singer (d. 2009)
- 1923 – Ruth Adler Schnee, German-American textile designer and interior designer
- 1924 – Theodore Mann, American director and producer (d. 2012)
- 1924 – Harry Schwarz, South African anti-apartheid leader, lawyer, and Ambassador (d. 2010)
- 1927 – Archie Scott Brown, Scottish race car driver (d. 1958)
- 1927 – Fred Hellerman, American folk singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 2016)
- 1927 – Herbert Ross, American actor, director, and producer (d. 2001)
- 1928 – Enrique Bolaños, Nicaraguan politician, President of Nicaragua
- 1928 – Édouard Molinaro, French actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2013)
- 1929 – John Galvin, American general (d. 2015)
- 1930 – Mike Gravel, American lieutenant and politician
- 1930 – José Jiménez Lozano, Spanish journalist and author
- 1930 – Vernon Shaw, Dominican politician, 5th President of Dominica (d. 2013)
- 1931 – Jim Jones, American cult leader, founder of the Peoples Temple (d. 1978)
- 1931 – Sydney Lipworth, South African-English lawyer, businessman, and philanthropist
- 1933 – John Roseboro, American baseball player and coach (d. 2002)
- 1934 – Ehud Netzer, Israeli archaeologist, architect, and academic (d. 2010)
- 1934 – Leon Wagner, American baseball player and actor (d. 2004)
- 1935 – Dominic Cossa, American opera singer
- 1935 – Jan Saudek, Czech photographer and painter
- 1935 – Kája Saudek, Czech author and illustrator (d. 2015)
- 1936 – Bill Rompkey, Canadian educator and politician (d. 2017)
- 1937 – Trevor Baylis, English inventor, invented the wind-up radio (d. 2018)
- 1937 – Roch Carrier, Canadian librarian and author
- 1937 – Zohra Lampert, American actress
- 1937 – Beverley Owen, American actress (d. 2019)
- 1937 – Roger Zelazny, American author and poet (d. 1995)
- 1938 – Giuliano Amato, Italian academic and politician, 48th Prime Minister of Italy
- 1938 – Laurent Beaudoin, Canadian businessman
- 1938 – Anna Cropper, British actress (d. 2007)
- 1938 – Francine Pascal, American author and playwright
- 1938 – Buck Taylor, American actor
- 1939 – Hildrun Claus, German long jumper
- 1939 – Peter Frenkel, German race walker and coach
- 1939 – Harvey Keitel, American actor
- 1940 – Bruce Chatwin, English author (d. 1989)
- 1940 – Kōkichi Tsuburaya, Japanese runner (d. 1968)
- 1941 – Senta Berger, Austrian actress
- 1941 – Joe Brown, English singer and musician
- 1941 – Jody Conradt, American basketball player and coach
- 1941 – Ritchie Valens, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1959)
- 1942 – Leighton Gage, American author (d. 2013)
- 1942 – Roger Young, American director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1943 – Anthony Clarke, Baron Clarke of Stone-cum-Ebony, English lawyer and judge
- 1943 – Kurt Trampedach, Danish painter and sculptor (d. 2013)
- 1943 – Mary Wells, American singer-songwriter (d. 1992)
- 1944 – Sir Crispin Agnew, 11th Baronet, Scottish explorer, lawyer, and judge
- 1944 – Robert L. Crawford Jr., American actor
- 1944 – Carolyn Franklin, American R&B singer-songwriter (d. 1988)
- 1944 – Armistead Maupin, American author, screenwriter, and actor
- 1945 – Lasse Berghagen, Swedish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
- 1945 – Magic Dick, American blues-rock harmonica, trumpet, and saxophone player
- 1945 – Lou Marini, American saxophonist and composer
- 1946 – Tim Pigott-Smith, English actor and author (d. 2017)
- 1946 – Jean Rondeau, French race car driver and constructor (d. 1985)
- 1946 – Marv Wolfman, American author
- 1947 – Charles Baxter, American novelist, essayist, and poet
- 1947 – Edgar Burcksen, Dutch-American film editor
- 1948 – Sheila Jeffreys, English-Australian political scientist, author, and academic
- 1948 – Dean Meminger, American basketball player and coach (d. 2013)
- 1949 – Jane Glover, English conductor and scholar
- 1949 – Zoë Wanamaker, American-British actress
- 1949 – Philip Kruse, Norwegian trumpeter and orchestra leader
- 1950 – Andy Cunningham, English actor (d. 2011)
- 1950 – Danny Kirwan, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2018)
- 1950 – Joe Johnston, American film director and effects artist
- 1950 – Manning Marable, American author and academic (d. 2011)
- 1950 – Bobby Valentine, American baseball player and manager
- 1950 – Stevie Wonder, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer
- 1951 – Rosie Boycott, English journalist and author
- 1951 – Sharon Sayles Belton, American politician, 45th Mayor of Minneapolis
- 1951 – Anand Modak, Indian composer and director (d. 2014)
- 1951 – Herman Philipse, Dutch philosopher and academic
- 1951 – Selina Scott, English journalist, producer, and author
- 1951 – Paul Thompson, English drummer
- 1952 – John Kasich, American politician, 69th Governor of Ohio
- 1952 – Mary Walsh, Canadian actress, producer, and screenwriter
- 1952 – Londa Schiebinger, American academic and author
- 1953 – Zlatko Burić, Croat-Danish actor
- 1953 – Gerry Sutcliffe, English politician, Vice-Chamberlain of the Household
- 1953 – David Voelker, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 2013)
- 1953 – Harm Wiersma, Dutch draughts player and politician
- 1953 – Ruth A. David, American electrical engineer
- 1954 – Johnny Logan, Australian-Irish singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1956 – Richard Madeley, English journalist and author
- 1956 – Fred Melamed, American actor
- 1956 – Kailash Vijayvargiya, National General Secretary of Bhartiya Janta Party
- 1957 – Alan Ball, American director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1957 – Frances Barber, English actress
- 1957 – Mark Heap, English actor
- 1957 – David Hill, English organist and conductor
- 1957 – Mar Roxas, Filipino economist and politician, 24th Filipino Secretary of the Interior
- 1957 – Koji Suzuki, Japanese author and screenwriter
- 1958 – Anthony Ray Parker, American actor
- 1961 – Siobhan Fallon Hogan, American actress
- 1961 – Dennis Rodman, American basketball player, wrestler, and actor
- 1962 – Paul Burstow, English politician
- 1962 – Nick Hurd, English businessman and politician, Minister for Civil Society
- 1963 – Andrea Leadsom, English politician
- 1963 – Wally Masur, Australian tennis player, coach, and sportscaster
- 1964 – Stephen Colbert, American comedian and talk show host
- 1964 – Chris Maitland, English drummer
- 1964 – Tom Verica, American actor, television director, and producer
- 1965 – José Antonio Delgado, Venezuelan mountaineer (d. 2006)
- 1965 – Tasmin Little, English violinist and educator
- 1965 – János Marozsán, Hungarian footballer
- 1965 – Hikari Ōta, Japanese comedian and actor
- 1965 – José Rijo, Dominican baseball player
- 1965 – Lari White, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress (d. 2018)
- 1966 – Alison Goldfrapp, English singer-songwriter and producer
- 1966 – Darius Rucker, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1967 – Tish Cyrus, American actress and film producer
- 1967 – Shon Greenblatt, American actor
- 1967 – Tommy Gunn, pornographic actor
- 1967 – Chuck Schuldiner, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2001)
- 1967 – Melanie Thornton, American-German singer (d. 2001)
- 1968 – Miguel Ángel Blanco, Spanish politician (d. 1997)
- 1968 – Susan Floyd, American actress
- 1968 – Scott Morrison, Australian politician, 30th Prime Minister of Australia
- 1968 – PMD, American rapper
- 1968 – Dmitriy Shevchenko, Russian discus thrower and coach
- 1969 – Buckethead, American guitarist and songwriter
- 1969 – Nikos Aliagas, French-Greek journalist and television host
- 1970 – Doug Evans, American football player
- 1970 – Robert Maćkowiak, Polish sprinter
- 1971 – Imogen Boorman, English actress and martial artist
- 1971 – Rob Fredrickson, American football player
- 1971 – Espen Lind, Norwegian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1971 – Tom Nalen, American football player and sportscaster
- 1972 – Stefaan Maene, Belgian swimmer
- 1972 – Darryl Sydor, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1972 – Pieta van Dishoeck, Dutch rower
- 1973 – Eric Lewis, American pianist
- 1973 – Bridgett Riley, American boxer and stuntwoman
- 1975 – Jamie Allison, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1975 – Cristian Bezzi, Italian rugby player and coach
- 1975 – Brian Geraghty, American actor
- 1976 – Mark Delaney, Welsh footballer and manager
- 1976 – Trajan Langdon, American basketball player and scout
- 1976 – Ana Popović, Serbian-American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1976 – Magdalena Walach, Polish actress
- 1977 – Ilse DeLange, Dutch singer-songwriter
- 1977 – Anthony Q. Farrell, Canadian-American actor and screenwriter
- 1977 – Robby Hammock, American baseball player and coach
- 1977 – Neil Hopkins, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
- 1977 – James Middlebrook, English cricketer
- 1977 – Samantha Morton, English actress and director
- 1977 – Brian Thomas Smith, American actor and producer
- 1977 – Pusha T, American rapper
- 1978 – Brooke Anderson, American journalist
- 1978 – Mike Bibby, American basketball player and coach
- 1978 – Ryan Bukvich, American baseball player
- 1978 – Germán Magariños, Argentinian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1978 – Dilshan Vitharana, Sri Lankan cricketer
- 1978 – Barry Zito, American baseball player
- 1978 – Nuwan Zoysa, Sri Lankan cricketer
- 1979 – Prince Carl Philip, Duke of Värmland
- 1979 – Steve Mildenhall, English footballer
- 1979 – Vyacheslav Shevchuk, Ukrainian footballer
- 1980 – L. J. Smith, American football player
- 1981 – Luciana Berger, English politician
- 1981 – Nicolas Jeanjean, French rugby player
- 1981 – Sunny Leone, Canadian American actress, model, and pornstar
- 1981 – Michael Mantenuto, American actor (d. 2017)
- 1981 – Shaun Phillips, American football player
- 1981 – Ryan Piers Williams, American actor and film director
- 1982 – Albert Crusat, Spanish footballer
- 1982 – Larry Fonacier, Filipino basketball player
- 1982 – Oguchi Onyewu, American soccer player
- 1983 – Natalie Cassidy, English actress and singer
- 1983 – Anita Görbicz, Hungarian handball player
- 1983 – Johnny Hoogerland, Dutch cyclist
- 1983 – Grégory Lemarchal, French singer (d. 2007)
- 1983 – Jacob Reynolds, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
- 1983 – Yaya Touré, Ivorian footballer
- 1984 – J. B. Cox, American baseball player
- 1984 – Benny Dayal, Indian singer
- 1984 – Dawn Harper, American hurdler
- 1984 – Caroline Rotich, Kenyan runner
- 1985 – Javier Balboa, Spanish-Equatoguinean footballer
- 1985 – Jaroslav Halák, Slovak ice hockey player
- 1985 – David Hernandez, American baseball player
- 1985 – Carolina Luján, Argentine chess player
- 1985 – Iwan Rheon, Welsh actor and singer
- 1985 – Travis Zajac, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1986 – Lena Dunham, American actress, director, and screenwriter
- 1986 – Eun-Hee Ji, South Korean golfer
- 1986 – Robert Pattinson, English actor
- 1986 – Alexander Rybak, Belarusian-Norwegian singer-songwriter, violinist, and actor
- 1986 – Scott Sutter, English footballer
- 1986 – Nino Schurter, Swiss cyclist
- 1986 – Kris Versteeg, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1987 – Antonio Adán, Spanish footballer
- 1987 – Hugo Becker, French actor
- 1987 – Matt Doyle, American actor and singer
- 1987 – Laura Izibor, Irish singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer
- 1987 – Candice King, American singer-songwriter and actress
- 1987 – Sandro Mareco, Argentine chess player
- 1987 – Hunter Parrish, American actor and singer
- 1987 – Marianne Vos, Dutch cyclist
- 1987 – Charlotte Wessels, Dutch singer-songwriter
- 1987 – Bobby Shuttleworth, American soccer player
- 1988 – Paulo Avelino, Filipino actor and singer
- 1988 – Didier Cohen, Australian DJ, producer and media personality
- 1988 – Casey Donovan, Australian singer-songwriter
- 1989 – P. K. Subban, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1990 – Mychal Givens, American baseball player
- 1991 – Jennifer Beattie, Scottish footballer
- 1991 – Anders Fannemel, Norwegian ski jumper
- 1992 – Bill Arnold, American ice hockey player
- 1992 – Willson Contreras, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1992 – Josh Papalii, New Zealand-Australian rugby league player
- 1992 – Georgina García Pérez, Spanish tennis player
- 1993 – Stefan Kraft, Austrian ski jumper
- 1993 – Debby Ryan, American actress and singer
- 1993 – Romelu Lukaku, Belgian footballer
- 1993 – Siim-Tanel Sammelselg, Estonian ski jumper
- 1993 – Tones and I, Australian singer-songwriter
- 1994 – Łukasz Moneta, Polish footballer
- 1997 – Reimis Smith, Australian rugby league player
Deaths on May 13
- 189 – Emperor Ling of Han, Chinese emperor (b. 156)
- 1112 – Ulric II, Margrave of Carniola
- 1176 – Matthias I, Duke of Lorraine (b. 1119)
- 1285 – Robert de Ros, 1st Baron de Ros
- 1312 – Theobald II, Duke of Lorraine (b. 1263)
- 1573 – Takeda Shingen, Japanese daimyō (b. 1521)
- 1619 – Johan van Oldenbarnevelt, Dutch politician (b. 1547)
- 1704 – Louis Bourdaloue, French preacher and author (b. 1632)
- 1726 – Francesco Antonio Pistocchi, Italian singer (b. 1659)
- 1782 – Daniel Solander, Swedish-English botanist and phycologist (b. 1736)
- 1807 – Eliphalet Dyer, American colonel, lawyer, and politician (b. 1721)
- 1809 – Beilby Porteus, English bishop (b. 1731)
- 1832 – Georges Cuvier, French zoologist and academic (b. 1769)
- 1835 – John Nash, English architect, designed the Royal Pavilion (b. 1752)
- 1866 – Nikolai Brashman, Czech-Russian mathematician and academic (b. 1796)
- 1878 – Joseph Henry, American physicist and academic (b. 1797)
- 1884 – Cyrus McCormick, American businessman, co-founded the International Harvester Company (b. 1809)
- 1885 – Friedrich Gustav Jakob Henle, German physician, pathologist, and anatomist (b. 1809)
- 1903 – Apolinario Mabini, Filipino lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of the Philippines (b. 1864)
- 1916 – Sholem Aleichem, Ukrainian-American author and playwright (b. 1859)
- 1921 – Jean Aicard, French author, poet, and playwright (b. 1848)
- 1926 – Libert H. Boeynaems, Belgian-American bishop (b. 1857)
- 1929 – Arthur Scherbius, German electrical engineer, invented the Enigma machine (b. 1878)
- 1930 – Fridtjof Nansen, Norwegian scientist, explorer, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1861)
- 1938 – Charles Édouard Guillaume, Swiss-French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1861)
- 1941 – Frederick Christian, English cricketer (b. 1877)
- 1941 – Ōnishiki Uichirō, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 26th Yokozuna (b. 1891)
- 1945 – Tubby Hall, American drummer (b. 1895)
- 1946 – Zara DuPont, American suffragist (b. 1869)
- 1947 – Sukanta Bhattacharya, Indian poet and playwright (b. 1926)
- 1948 – Kathleen Cavendish, Marchioness of Hartington (b. 1920)
- 1957 – Michael Fekete, Hungarian-Israeli mathematician and academic (b. 1886)
- 1961 – Gary Cooper, American actor (b. 1901)
- 1962 – Henry Trendley Dean, American dentist (b. 1893)
- 1962 – Franz Kline, American painter and academic (b. 1910)
- 1963 – Alois Hudal, Austrian-Italian bishop (b. 1885)
- 1972 – Dan Blocker, American actor (b. 1928)
- 1974 – Jaime Torres Bodet, Mexican poet and diplomat (b. 1902)
- 1974 – Arthur J. Burks, American colonel and author (b. 1898)
- 1975 – Bob Wills, American singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1905)
- 1977 – Mickey Spillane, American mobster (b. 1934)
- 1985 – Leatrice Joy, American actress (b. 1893)
- 1985 – Richard Ellmann, American literary critic and biographer (b. 1918)
- 1988 – Chet Baker, American singer and trumpet player (b. 1929)
- 1992 – F. E. McWilliam, Irish sculptor (b. 1909)
- 1994 – Duncan Hamilton, Irish-English race car driver (b. 1920)
- 1994 – John Swainson, Canadian-American jurist and politician, 42nd Governor of Michigan (b. 1925)
- 1995 – Hao Wang, Chinese-American logician, philosopher, and mathematician (b. 1921)
- 1999 – Abd al-Aziz ibn Baz, Saudi Arabian scholar and academic (b. 1910)
- 1999 – Gene Sarazen, American golfer and journalist (b. 1902)
- 2000 – Paul Bartel, American actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1938)
- 2000 – Jumbo Tsuruta, Japanese wrestler (b. 1951)
- 2001 – Jason Miller, American actor and playwright (b. 1939)
- 2002 – Ruth Cracknell, Australian actress and author (b. 1925)
- 2002 – Valeriy Lobanovskyi, Ukrainian footballer and manager (b. 1939)
- 2005 – Eddie Barclay, French record producer, founded Barclay Records (b. 1921)
- 2005 – George Dantzig, American mathematician and academic (b. 1914)
- 2006 – Jaroslav Pelikan, American historian and scholar (b. 1923)
- 2006 – Johnnie Wilder, Jr., American singer (b. 1949)
- 2008 – Saad Al-Salim Al-Sabah, Kuwaiti ruler, Emir of Kuwait (b. 1930)
- 2008 – Ron Stone, American journalist and author (b. 1936)
- 2009 – Frank Aletter, American actor (b. 1926)
- 2009 – Meir Brandsdorfer, Belgian rabbi (b. 1934)
- 2009 – Achille Compagnoni, Italian skier and mountaineer (b. 1914)
- 2011 – Derek Boogaard, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1982)
- 2011 – Stephen De Staebler, American sculptor and educator (b. 1933)
- 2011 – Wallace McCain, Canadian businessman, co-founded McCain Foods (b. 1930)
- 2011 – Bruce Ricker, American director and producer (b. 1942)
- 2012 – Arsala Rahmani Daulat, Afghan politician (b. 1937)
- 2012 – Donald “Duck” Dunn, American bass player, songwriter, and producer (b. 1941)
- 2012 – Ada Maria Isasi-Diaz, Cuban-American theologian, author, and academic (b. 1943)
- 2012 – Lee Richardson, English speedway rider (b. 1979)
- 2012 – Don Ritchie, Australian humanitarian (b. 1925)
- 2012 – Nguyễn Văn Thiện, Vietnamese bishop (b. 1906)
- 2013 – Joyce Brothers, American psychologist, author, and actress (b. 1927)
- 2013 – Otto Herrigel, Namibian lawyer and politician (b. 1937)
- 2013 – Jagdish Mali, Indian photographer (b. 1954)
- 2013 – Chuck Muncie, American football player (b. 1953)
- 2013 – Fyodor Tuvin, Russian footballer (b. 1973)
- 2013 – Lynne Woolstencroft, Canadian politician (b. 1943)
- 2014 – David Malet Armstrong, Australian philosopher and author (b. 1926)
- 2014 – Malik Bendjelloul, Swedish director and producer (b. 1977)
- 2014 – J. F. Coleman, American soldier and pilot (b. 1918)
- 2014 – Ron Stevens, Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1949)
- 2014 – Morning Glory Zell-Ravenheart, American occultist and author (b. 1948)
- 2015 – Earl Averill, Jr., American baseball player (b. 1931)
- 2015 – Robert Drasnin, American clarinet player and composer (b. 1927)
- 2015 – Nina Otkalenko, Russian runner (b. 1928)
- 2015 – David Sackett, American-Canadian physician and academic (b. 1934)
- 2015 – Gainan Saidkhuzhin, Russian cyclist (b. 1937)
- 2018 – Margot Kidder, Canadian-American actress (b. 1948)
- 2019 – Doris Day, American singer and actress (b. 1922)
- 2019 – Unita Blackwell, American civil rights activist, and politician (b. 1933)
Holidays and observances on May 13
- Abbotsbury Garland Day (Dorset, England)
- Christian feast day:
- Our Lady of Fátima
- Gerard of Villamagna
- Glyceria
- John the Silent (Roman Catholic)
- Julian of Norwich (Roman Catholic)
- Frances Perkins (Episcopal Church (USA))
- Servatius
- May 13 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Rotuma Day (Rotuma)
-
May 4 in History
- 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 26 in History
- 1336 – Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch) ascends Mont Ventoux.
- 1478 – The Pazzi family attack Lorenzo de’ Medici and kill his brother Giuliano during High Mass in Florence Cathedral.
- 1564 – Playwright William Shakespeare is baptized in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England (date of actual birth is unknown).
- 1607 – English colonists make landfall at Cape Henry, Virginia.
- 1721 – A massive earthquake devastates the Iranian city of Tabriz.
- 1777 – Sybil Ludington, aged 16, rode 40 miles (64 km) to alert American colonial forces to the approach of the British regular forces
- 1794 – Battle of Beaumont during the Flanders Campaign of the War of the First Coalition.
- 1802 – Napoleon Bonaparte signs a general amnesty to allow all but about one thousand of the most notorious émigrés of the French Revolution to return to France.
- 1803 – Thousands of meteor fragments fall from the skies of L’Aigle, France; the event convinces European scientists that meteors exist.
- 1805 – First Barbary War: United States Marines captured Derne under the command of First Lieutenant Presley O’Bannon.
- 1865 – American Civil War: Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston surrenders his army to General William Tecumseh Sherman at the Bennett Place near Durham, North Carolina. Also the date of Confederate Memorial Day for two states.
- 1865 – Union cavalry troopers corner and shoot dead John Wilkes Booth, assassin of President Abraham Lincoln, in Virginia.
- 1903 – Atlético Madrid Association football club is founded
- 1923 – The Duke of York weds Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon at Westminster Abbey.
- 1925 – Paul von Hindenburg defeats Wilhelm Marx in the second round of the German presidential election to become the first directly elected head of state of the Weimar Republic.
- 1933 – The Gestapo, the official secret police force of Nazi Germany, is established.
- 1937 – Spanish Civil War: Guernica, Spain, is bombed by German Luftwaffe.
- 1942 – Benxihu Colliery accident in Manchukuo leaves 1549 Chinese miners dead.
- 1943 – The Easter Riots break out in Uppsala, Sweden.
- 1944 – Georgios Papandreou becomes head of the Greek government-in-exile based in Egypt.
- 1944 – Heinrich Kreipe is captured by Allied commandos in occupied Crete.
- 1945 – World War II: Battle of Bautzen: Last successful German tank-offensive of the war and last noteworthy victory of the Wehrmacht.
- 1945 – World War II: Filipino troops of the 66th Infantry Regiment, Philippine Commonwealth Army, USAFIP-NL and the American troops of the 33rd and 37th Infantry Division, United States Army are liberated in Baguio City and they fight against the Japanese forces under General Tomoyuki Yamashita.
- 1954 – The Geneva Conference, an effort to restore peace in Indochina and Korea, begins.
- 1956 – SS Ideal X, the world’s first successful container ship, leaves Port Newark, New Jersey, for Houston, Texas.
- 1958 – Final run of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad’s Royal Blue from Washington, D.C., to New York City after 68 years, the first U.S. passenger train to use electric locomotives.
- 1960 – Forced out by the April Revolution, President of South Korea Syngman Rhee resigns after 12 years of dictatorial rule.
- 1962 – NASA’s Ranger 4 spacecraft crashes into the Moon.
- 1963 – In Libya, amendments to the constitution transform Libya (United Kingdom of Libya) into one national unity (Kingdom of Libya) and allows for female participation in elections.
- 1964 – Tanganyika and Zanzibar merge to form Tanzania.
- 1966 – The magnitude 5.1 Tashkent earthquake affects the largest city in Soviet Central Asia with a maximum MSK intensity of VII (Very strong). Tashkent is mostly destroyed and 15–200 are killed.
- 1966 – A new government is formed in the Republic of the Congo, led by Ambroise Noumazalaye.
- 1970 – The Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization enters into force.
- 1981 – Dr. Michael R. Harrison of the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center performs the world’s first human open fetal surgery.
- 1982 – Fifty-seven people are killed by former police officer Woo Bum-kon in a shooting spree in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea.
- 1986 – A nuclear reactor accident occurs at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic in the Soviet Union, creating the world’s worst nuclear disaster.
- 1989 – The deadliest known tornado strikes Central Bangladesh, killing upwards of 1,300, injuring 12,000, and leaving as many as 80,000 homeless.
- 1989 – People’s Daily publishes the April 26 Editorial which inflames the nascent Tiananmen Square protests.
- 1991 – Seventy tornadoes break out in the central United States. Before the outbreak’s end, Andover, Kansas, would record the year’s only F5 tornado.
- 1994 – China Airlines Flight 140 crashes at Nagoya Airport in Japan, killing 264 of the 271 people on board.
- 2002 – Robert Steinhäuser kills 16 at Gutenberg-Gymnasium in Erfurt, Germany before dying of a self-inflicted gunshot.
- 2005 – Under international pressure, Syria withdraws the last of its 14,000 troop military garrison in Lebanon, ending its 29-year military domination of that country (Syrian occupation of Lebanon).
- 2018 – American comedian Bill Cosby is found guilty of sexual assault.
Births on April 26
- 121 – Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor (d. 180)
- 757 – Hisham I of Córdoba (d. 796)
- 764 – Al-Hadi, Iranian caliph (d. 786)
- 1284 – Alice de Toeni, Countess of Warwick (d. 1324)
- 1319 – King John II of France (d. 1364)
- 1538 – Gian Paolo Lomazzo, Italian painter and academic (d. 1600)
- 1575 – Marie de’ Medici, queen of Henry IV of France (d. 1642)
- 1647 – William Ashhurst, English banker, Sheriff of London, Lord Mayor of London and politician (d. 1720)
- 1648 – Peter II of Portugal (d. 1706)
- 1697 – Adam Falckenhagen, German lute player and composer (d. 1754)
- 1710 – Thomas Reid, Scottish philosopher and academic (d. 1796)
- 1718 – Esek Hopkins, American commander (d. 1802)
- 1774 – Christian Leopold von Buch, German geologist and paleontologist (d. 1853)
- 1782 – Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily (d. 1866)
- 1785 – John James Audubon, French-American ornithologist and painter (d. 1851)
- 1787 – Ludwig Uhland, German poet, philologist, and historian (d. 1862)
- 1798 – Eugène Delacroix, French painter and lithographer (d. 1863)
- 1801 – Ambrose Dudley Mann, American politician and diplomat, 1st United States Assistant Secretary of State (d. 1889)
- 1804 – Charles Goodyear, American banker, lawyer, and politician (d. 1876)
- 1822 – Frederick Law Olmsted, American journalist and designer, co-designed Central Park (d. 1903)
- 1834 – Charles Farrar Browne, American author (d. 1867)
- 1856 – Joseph Ward, Australian-New Zealand businessman and politician, 17th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1930)
- 1862 – Edmund C. Tarbell, American painter and educator (d. 1938)
- 1876 – Ernst Felle, German rower (d. 1959)
- 1877 – James Dooley, Irish-Australian politician, 21st Premier of New South Wales (d. 1950)
- 1878 – Rafael Guízar y Valencia, Mexican bishop and saint (d. 1938)
- 1879 – Eric Campbell, British actor (d. 1917)
- 1879 – Owen Willans Richardson, English physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1959)
- 1886 – Ma Rainey, American singer (d. 1939)
- 1886 – Ğabdulla Tuqay, Russian poet and publicist (d. 1913)
- 1889 – Anita Loos, American author, playwright, and screenwriter (d. 1981)
- 1889 – Ludwig Wittgenstein, Austrian-English philosopher and academic (d. 1951)
- 1894 – Rudolf Hess, Egyptian-German politician (d. 1987)
- 1896 – Ruut Tarmo, Estonian actor and director (d. 1967)
- 1896 – Ernst Udet, German colonel and pilot (d. 1941)
- 1897 – Eddie Eagan, American boxer and bobsledder (d. 1967)
- 1897 – Douglas Sirk, German-American director and screenwriter (d. 1987)
- 1898 – Vicente Aleixandre, Spanish poet and author, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1984)
- 1898 – John Grierson, Scottish director and producer (d. 1972)
- 1899 – Oscar Rabin, Latvian-English saxophonist and bandleader (d. 1958)
- 1900 – Eva Aschoff, German bookbinder and calligrapher (d. 1969)
- 1900 – Charles Francis Richter, American seismologist and physicist (d. 1985)
- 1900 – Hack Wilson, American baseball player (d. 1948)
- 1904 – Paul-Émile Léger, Canadian cardinal (d. 1991)
- 1904 – Xenophon Zolotas, Greek economist and politician, 177th Prime Minister of Greece (d. 2004)
- 1905 – Jean Vigo, French director and screenwriter (d. 1934)
- 1907 – Ilias Tsirimokos, Greek politician, Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1968)
- 1909 – Marianne Hoppe, German actress (d. 2002)
- 1910 – Tomoyuki Tanaka, Japanese screenwriter and producer (d. 1997)
- 1911 – Paul Verner, German soldier and politician (d. 1986)
- 1912 – A. E. van Vogt, Canadian-American author (d. 2000)
- 1914 – Bernard Malamud, Jewish American novelist and short story writer (d. 1986)
- 1914 – James Rouse, American real estate developer (d. 1996)
- 1916 – Eyvind Earle, American artist, author, and illustrator (d. 2000)
- 1916 – Ken Wallis, English commander, engineer, and pilot (d. 2013)
- 1916 – Morris West, Australian author and playwright (d. 1999)
- 1917 – Sal Maglie, American baseball player and coach (d. 1992)
- 1917 – I. M. Pei, Chinese-American architect, designed the National Gallery of Art and Bank of China Tower (d. 2019)
- 1917 – Virgil Trucks, American baseball player and coach (d. 2013)
- 1918 – Fanny Blankers-Koen, Dutch sprinter and long jumper (d. 2004)
- 1921 – Jimmy Giuffre, American clarinet player, saxophonist, and composer (d. 2008)
- 1922 – J. C. Holt, English historian and academic (d. 2014)
- 1922 – Jeanne Sauvé, Canadian journalist and politician, 23rd Governor General of Canada (d. 1993)
- 1922 – Margaret Scott, South African-Australian ballerina and choreographer (d. 2019)
- 1924 – Browning Ross, American runner and soldier (d. 1998)
- 1925 – Vladimir Boltyansky, Russian mathematician, educator and author (d. 2019)
- 1925 – Gerard Cafesjian, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 2013)
- 1925 – Michele Ferrero, Italian entrepreneur (d. 2015)
- 1925 – Frank Hahn, British economist (d. 2013)
- 1926 – Michael Mathias Prechtl, German soldier and illustrator (d. 2003)
- 1927 – Jack Douglas, English actor (d. 2008)
- 1927 – Harry Gallatin, American basketball player and coach (d. 2015)
- 1927 – Granny Hamner, American baseball player (d. 1993)
- 1929 – Richard Mitchell, American author and educator (d. 2002)
- 1930 – Roger Moens, Belgian runner and sportscaster
- 1931 – Paul Almond, Canadian director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2015)
- 1931 – Bernie Brillstein, American talent agent and producer (d. 2008)
- 1931 – John Cain Jr., Australian politician, 41st Premier of Victoria (d. 2019)
- 1932 – Israr Ahmed, Indian-Pakistani theologian, philosopher, and scholar (d. 2010)
- 1932 – Shirley Cawley, English long jumper
- 1932 – Frank D’Rone, American singer and guitarist (d. 2013)
- 1932 – Francis Lai, French accordion player and composer (d. 2018)
- 1932 – Michael Smith, English-Canadian biochemist and geneticist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2000)
- 1933 – Carol Burnett, American actress, singer, and producer
- 1933 – Filiberto Ojeda Ríos, Puerto Rican-American general (d. 2005)
- 1933 – Arno Allan Penzias, German-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1935 – Patricia Reilly Giff, American author and educator
- 1937 – Jean-Pierre Beltoise, French race car driver and motorcycle racer (d. 2015)
- 1938 – Duane Eddy, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
- 1938 – Maurice Williams, American doo-wop/R&B singer-songwriter
- 1940 – Molvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari, Indian cleric and politician (d. 2014)
- 1940 – Giorgio Moroder, Italian singer-songwriter and producer
- 1940 – Cliff Watson, English rugby league player (d. 2018)
- 1941 – Claudine Auger, French model and actress (d. 2019)
- 1942 – Svyatoslav Belza, Russian journalist, author, and critic (d. 2014)
- 1942 – Sharon Carstairs, Canadian lawyer and politician, Leader of the Government in the Senate
- 1942 – Michael Kergin, Canadian diplomat, Canadian Ambassador to the United States
- 1942 – Bobby Rydell, American singer and actor
- 1942 – Jadwiga Staniszkis, Polish sociologist, political scientist, and academic
- 1943 – Gary Wright, American singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer
- 1943 – Peter Zumthor, Swiss architect and academic, designed the Therme Vals
- 1944 – Richard Bradshaw, English conductor (d. 2007)
- 1945 – Howard Davies, English director and producer (d. 2016)
- 1945 – Dick Johnson, Australian race car driver
- 1945 – Sylvain Simard, Canadian academic and politician
- 1946 – Ralph Coates, English international footballer (d. 2010)
- 1946 – Marilyn Nelson, American poet and author
- 1946 – Alberto Quintano, Chilean footballer
- 1949 – Carlos Bianchi, Argentinian footballer and manager
- 1949 – Jerry Blackwell, American wrestler (d. 1995)
- 1951 – John Battle, English politician
- 1954 – Tatyana Fomina, Estonian chess player
- 1954 – Alan Hinkes, English mountaineer and explorer
- 1955 – Kurt Bodewig, German politician
- 1956 – Koo Stark, American actress and photographer
- 1958 – John Crichton-Stuart, 7th Marquess of Bute, Scottish race car driver
- 1958 – Giancarlo Esposito, American actor, director, and producer
- 1958 – Georgios Kostikos, Greek footballer, coach, and manager
- 1959 – John Corabi, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1960 – Steve Lombardozzi, American baseball player and coach
- 1960 – Roger Taylor, English drummer
- 1961 – Joan Chen, Chinese-American actress, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1961 – Chris Mars, American artist
- 1962 – Colin Anderson, English footballer
- 1962 – Debra Wilson, American actress and comedian
- 1963 – Jet Li, Chinese-Singaporean martial artist, actor, and producer
- 1963 – Colin Scotts, Australian-American football player
- 1963 – Cornelia Ullrich, German hurdler
- 1963 – Bill Wennington, Canadian basketball player
- 1965 – Susannah Harker, English actress
- 1965 – Kevin James, American actor and comedian
- 1967 – Glenn Thomas Jacobs, American professional wrestler, actor, businessman and politician
- 1967 – Marianne Jean-Baptiste, English actress and singer-songwriter
- 1967 – Toomas Tõniste, Estonian sailor and politician
- 1970 – Dean Austin, English footballer and manager
- 1970 – Melania Trump, Slovene-American model; 47th First Lady of the United States
- 1970 – Kristen R. Ghodsee, American ethnographer and academic
- 1970 – Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress
- 1971 – Jay DeMarcus, American bass player, songwriter, and producer
- 1972 – Jason Bargwanna, Australian race car driver
- 1972 – Kiko, Spanish footballer
- 1972 – Natrone Means, American football player and coach
- 1972 – Avi Nimni, Israeli footballer and manager
- 1973 – Geoff Blum, American baseball player and sportscaster
- 1973 – Jules Naudet, French-American director and producer
- 1973 – Chris Perry, English footballer
- 1973 – Óscar García Junyent, Spanish footballer and coach
- 1975 – Joey Jordison, American musician, songwriter, record producer
- 1975 – Rahul Verma, Indian social worker and activist
- 1976 – Luigi Panarelli, Italian footballer
- 1976 – Václav Varaďa, Czech ice hockey player
- 1977 – Samantha Cristoforetti, Italian astronaut
- 1977 – Kosuke Fukudome, Japanese baseball player
- 1977 – Roxana Saberi, American journalist and author
- 1977 – Tom Welling, American actor
- 1978 – Joe Crede, American baseball player
- 1978 – Stana Katic, Canadian actress
- 1978 – Peter Madsen, Danish footballer
- 1980 – Jordana Brewster, Panamanian-American actress
- 1980 – Marlon King, English footballer
- 1980 – Anna Mucha, Polish actress and journalist
- 1980 – Channing Tatum, American actor and producer
- 1981 – Caro Emerald, Dutch pop and jazz singer
- 1981 – Ms. Dynamite, English rapper and producer
- 1981 – Sandra Schmitt, German skier (d. 2000)
- 1982 – Novlene Williams-Mills, Jamaican sprinter
- 1983 – José María López, Argentinian race car driver
- 1983 – Jessica Lynch, American soldier
- 1984 – Emily Wickersham, American actress
- 1985 – John Isner, American tennis player
- 1985 – Andrea Koch Benvenuto, Chilean tennis player
- 1986 – Lior Refaelov, Israeli footballer
- 1986 – Sean Evans, American YouTuber and producer
- 1986 – Yuliya Zaripova, Russian runner
- 1987 – Jorge Andújar Moreno, Spanish footballer
- 1988 – Ben Spina, Australian rugby league player
- 1988 – Manuel Viniegra, Mexican footballer
- 1988 – Gareth Evans, English footballer
- 1989 – Melvin Ingram, American football player
- 1990 – Mitch Rein, Australian rugby league player
- 1990 – Nevin Spence, Northern Irish rugby player (d. 2012)
- 1991 – Lazaros Fotias, Greek footballer
- 1991 – Peter Handscomb, Australian cricketer
- 1991 – Will Heard, British singer and songwriter
- 1991 – Isaac Liu, New Zealand rugby league player
- 1991 – Ignacio Lores Varela, Uruguayan footballer
- 1991 – Srdjan Pejicic, Canadian/Bosnian basketball player
- 1991 – Wojciech Pszczolarski, Polish bicycle racer
- 1992 – Aaron Judge, American baseball player
- 1994 – Daniil Kvyat, Russian race car driver
Deaths on April 26
- 499 – Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei (b. 467)
- 645 – Richarius, Frankish monk and saint (b. 560)
- 680 – Muawiyah I, Umayyad caliph (b. 602)
- 757 – Pope Stephen II (b. 715)
- 893 – Chen Jingxuan, general of the Tang Dynasty
- 962 – Adalbero I, bishop of Metz
- 1192 – Emperor Go-Shirakawa of Japan (b. 1127)
- 1366 – Simon Islip, Archbishop of Canterbury
- 1392 – Jeong Mong-ju, Korean civil minister, diplomat and scholar (b. 1338)
- 1444 – Robert Campin, Flemish painter (b. 1378)
- 1478 – Giuliano de’ Medici, Italian ruler (b. 1453)
- 1489 – Ashikaga Yoshihisa, Japanese shōgun (b. 1465)
- 1558 – Jean Fernel, French physician (b. 1497)
- 1686 – Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie, Swedish statesman and military man (b. 1622)
- 1716 – John Somers, 1st Baron Somers, English jurist and politician, Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain (b. 1651)
- 1784 – Nano Nagle, Irish nun and educator, founded the Presentation Sisters (b. 1718)
- 1789 – Petr Ivanovich Panin, Russian general (b. 1721)
- 1809 – Bernhard Schott, German music publisher (b. 1748)
- 1865 – John Wilkes Booth, American actor, assassin of Abraham Lincoln (b. 1838)
- 1881 – Ludwig Freiherr von und zu der Tann-Rathsamhausen, German general (b. 1815)
- 1895 – Eric Stenbock, Estonian-English author and poet (b. 1860)
- 1910 – Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Norwegian-French author, poet, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1832)
- 1915 – John Bunny, American actor (b. 1863)
- 1920 – Srinivasa Ramanujan, Indian mathematician and theorist (b. 1887)
- 1932 – William Lockwood, English cricketer (b. 1868)
- 1934 – Arturs Alberings, Latvian politician, former Prime Minister of Latvia (b. 1876)
- 1940 – Carl Bosch, German chemist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1874)
- 1944 – Violette Morris, French footballer, shot putter, and discus thrower (b. 1893)
- 1945 – Sigmund Rascher, German physician (b. 1909)
- 1945 – Pavlo Skoropadskyi, German-Ukrainian general and politician, Hetman of Ukraine (b. 1871)
- 1946 – James Larkin White, American miner, explorer, and park ranger (b. 1882)
- 1950 – George Murray Hulbert, American lawyer, judge, and politician (b. 1881)
- 1951 – Arnold Sommerfeld, German physicist and academic (b. 1868)
- 1956 – Edward Arnold, American actor (b. 1890)
- 1957 – Gichin Funakoshi, Japanese martial artist, founded Shotokan (b. 1868)
- 1964 – E. J. Pratt, Canadian poet and author (b. 1882)
- 1968 – John Heartfield, German illustrator and photographer (b. 1891)
- 1969 – Morihei Ueshiba, Japanese martial artist, founded aikido (b. 1883)
- 1970 – Erik Bergman, Swedish minister and author (b. 1886)
- 1970 – Gypsy Rose Lee, American actress, striptease dancer, and writer (b. 1911)
- 1973 – Irene Ryan, American actress and philanthropist (b. 1902)
- 1976 – Sidney Franklin, American bullfighter (b. 1903)
- 1976 – Sid James, South African-English actor (b. 1913)
- 1976 – Armstrong Sperry, American author and illustrator (b. 1897)
- 1980 – Cicely Courtneidge, Australian-born British actress, comedian and singer (b. 1893)
- 1981 – Jim Davis, American actor (b. 1909)
- 1984 – Count Basie, American pianist, composer, and bandleader (b. 1904)
- 1986 – Broderick Crawford, American actor (b. 1911)
- 1986 – Bessie Love, American actress (b. 1898)
- 1986 – Dechko Uzunov, Bulgarian painter (b. 1899)
- 1987 – Shankar, Indian composer and conductor (b. 1922)
- 1987 – John Silkin, English lawyer and politician, Shadow Leader of the House of Commons (b. 1923)
- 1989 – Lucille Ball, American model, actress, comedian, and producer (b. 1911)
- 1991 – Leo Arnaud, French-American composer and conductor (b. 1904)
- 1991 – Carmine Coppola, American composer and conductor (b. 1910)
- 1991 – A. B. Guthrie, Jr., American novelist and historian, (b. 1901)
- 1991 – Richard Hatfield, Canadian lawyer and politician, 26th Premier of New Brunswick (b. 1931)
- 1994 – Masutatsu Ōyama, Japanese martial artist, founded Kyokushin kaikan (b. 1923)
- 1996 – Stirling Silliphant, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1918)
- 1999 – Adrian Borland, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1957)
- 1999 – Jill Dando, English journalist and television personality (b. 1961)
- 2003 – Rosemary Brown, Jamaican-Canadian academic and politician (b. 1930)
- 2003 – Yun Hyon-seok, South Korean poet and author (b. 1984)
- 2003 – Edward Max Nicholson, Irish environmentalist, co-founded the World Wide Fund for Nature (b. 1904)
- 2004 – Hubert Selby, Jr., American author, poet, and screenwriter (b. 1928)
- 2005 – Mason Adams, American actor (b. 1919)
- 2005 – Elisabeth Domitien, Prime Minister of the Central African Republic (b. 1925)
- 2005 – Maria Schell, Austrian-Swiss actress (b. 1926)
- 2005 – Augusto Roa Bastos, Paraguayan journalist, author, and academic (b. 1917)
- 2007 – Jack Valenti, American businessman, created the MPAA film rating system (b. 1921)
- 2009 – Hans Holzer, Austrian-American paranormal investigator and author (b. 1920)
- 2010 – Mariam A. Aleem, Egyptian graphic designer and academic (b. 1930)
- 2010 – Urs Felber, Swiss engineer and businessman (b. 1942)
- 2011 – Phoebe Snow, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1950)
- 2012 – Terence Spinks, English boxer and trainer (b. 1938)
- 2013 – Jacqueline Brookes, American actress and educator (b. 1930)
- 2013 – George Jones, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1931)
- 2014 – Gerald Guralnik, American physicist and academic (b. 1936)
- 2014 – Paul Robeson, Jr., American historian and author (b. 1927)
- 2014 – DJ Rashad, American electronic musician, producer and DJ (b. 1979)
- 2015 – Jayne Meadows, American actress (b. 1919)
- 2015 – Marcel Pronovost, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1930)
- 2016 – Harry Wu, Chinese human rights activist (b. 1937)
- 2017 – Jonathan Demme, American filmmaker, producer and screenwriter (b. 1944)
Holidays and observances on April 26
- Chernobyl disaster related observances:
- Day of Remembrance of the Chernobyl tragedy (Belarus)
- Memorial Day of Radiation Accidents and Catastrophes (Russia)
- Christian feast day:
- Aldobrandesca (or Alda)
- Franca Visalta
- Lucidius of Verona
- Our Lady of Good Counsel
- Pope Anacletus and Marcellinus
- Riquier
- Paschasius Radbertus
- Peter of Rates (or of Braga)
- Robert Hunt (Episcopal Church (USA))
- Stephen of Perm, see also Old Permic Alphabet Day
- Trudpert
- April 26 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Confederate Memorial Day (Florida, United States)
- Union Day (Tanzania)
- World Intellectual Property Day
-
April 20 in History
- 1303 – The Sapienza University of Rome is instituted by a bull of Pope Boniface VIII.
- 1453 – Three Genoese galleys and a Byzantine blockade runner fight their way through an Ottoman blockading fleet a few weeks before the fall of Constantinople.
- 1534 – Jacques Cartier begins his first voyage to what is today the east coast of Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador.
- 1535 – The sun dog phenomenon is observed over Stockholm, as later depicted in the famous painting Vädersolstavlan.
- 1653 – Oliver Cromwell dissolves the Rump Parliament.
- 1657 – Admiral Robert Blake destroys a Spanish silver fleet under heavy fire at the Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
- 1657 – Freedom of religion is granted to the Jews of New Amsterdam (later New York City).
- 1689 – Deposed monarch James II of England lays siege to Derry.
- 1752 – Start of Konbaung–Hanthawaddy War, a new phase in the Burmese Civil War (1740–57).
- 1770 – The Georgian king, Erekle II, abandoned by his Russian ally Count Totleben, wins a victory over Ottoman forces at Aspindza.
- 1775 – American Revolutionary War: The Siege of Boston begins, following the battles at Lexington and Concord.
- 1789 – George Washington arrives at Grays Ferry, Philadelphia while en route to Manhattan for his inauguration.
- 1792 – France declares war against the “King of Hungary and Bohemia”, the beginning of French Revolutionary Wars.
- 1800 – The Septinsular Republic is established.
- 1809 – Two Austrian army corps in Bavaria are defeated by a First French Empire army led by Napoleon at the Battle of Abensberg on the second day of a four-day campaign that ended in a French victory.
- 1810 – The governor of Caracas, Venezuela declares independence from Spain.
- 1818 – The case of Ashford v Thornton ends, with Abraham Thornton allowed to go free rather than face a retrial for murder, after his demand for trial by battle is upheld.
- 1828 – René Caillié becomes the second non-Muslim to enter (and the first to return from) Timbuktu, following Major Gordon Laing.
- 1836 – U.S. Congress passes an act creating the Wisconsin Territory.
- 1861 – American Civil War: Robert E. Lee resigns his commission in the United States Army in order to command the forces of the state of Virginia.
- 1862 – Louis Pasteur and Claude Bernard complete the experiment disproving the theory of spontaneous generation.
- 1865 – Astronomer Angelo Secchi demonstrates the Secchi disk, which measures water clarity, aboard Pope Pius IX’s yacht, the L’Immaculata Concezion.
- 1876 – The April Uprising begins. Its suppression shocks European opinion, and Bulgarian independence becomes a condition for ending the Russo-Turkish War.
- 1884 – Pope Leo XIII publishes the encyclical Humanum genus.
- 1898 – U.S. President William McKinley signed a joint resolution to Congress for declaration of war against Spain, beginning the Spanish–American War.
- 1902 – Pierre and Marie Curie refine radium chloride.
- 1908 – Opening day of competition in the New South Wales Rugby League.
- 1912 – Opening day for baseball’s Tiger Stadium in Detroit, and Fenway Park in Boston.
- 1914 – Nineteen men, women, and children die in the Ludlow Massacre during a Colorado coal-miners’ strike.
- 1916 – The Chicago Cubs play their first game at Weeghman Park (currently Wrigley Field), defeating the Cincinnati Reds 7–6 in 11 innings.
- 1918 – Manfred von Richthofen, a.k.a. The Red Baron, shoots down his 79th and 80th victims, his final victories before his death the following day.
- 1922 – The Soviet government creates South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast within Georgian SSR.
- 1939 – Adolf Hitler’s 50th birthday’s celebrations in Germany
- 1945 – World War II: U.S. troops capture Leipzig, Germany, only to later cede the city to the Soviet Union.
- 1945 – World War II: Führerbunker: On his 56th birthday Adolf Hitler makes his last trip to the surface to award Iron Crosses to boy soldiers of the Hitler Youth.
- 1945 – Twenty Jewish children used in medical experiments at Neuengamme are killed in the basement of the Bullenhuser Damm school.
- 1946 – The League of Nations officially dissolves, giving most of its power to the United Nations.
- 1961 – Cold War: Failure of the Bay of Pigs Invasion of US-backed Cuban exiles against Cuba.
- 1968 – English politician Enoch Powell makes his controversial “Rivers of Blood” speech.
- 1972 – Apollo program: Apollo 16 lunar module, commanded by John Young and piloted by Charles Duke, lands on the moon.
- 1998 – Air France Flight 422 crashes after taking off from El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá, Colombia, killing all 53 people on board.
- 1999 – Columbine High School massacre: Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold kill 13 people and injure 24 others before committing suicide at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado.
- 2007 – Johnson Space Center shooting: William Phillips with a handgun barricade himself in NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas before killing a male hostage and himself.
- 2008 – Danica Patrick wins the Indy Japan 300 becoming the first female driver in history to win an Indy car race.
- 2010 – The Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explodes in the Gulf of Mexico, killing eleven workers and beginning an oil spill that would last six months.
- 2012 – One hundred twenty-seven people are killed when a plane crashes in a residential area near the Benazir Bhutto International Airport near Islamabad, Pakistan.
- 2013 – A 6.6-magnitude earthquake strikes Lushan County, Ya’an, in China’s Sichuan province, killing more than 150 people and injuring thousands.
- 2015 – Ten people are killed in a bomb attack on a convoy carrying food supplies to a United Nations compound in Garowe in the Somali region of Puntland.
Births on April 20
- 1494 – Johannes Agricola, German theologian and reformer (d. 1566)
- 1544 – Renata of Lorraine, Duchess consort of Bavaria (d. 1602)
- 1586 – Rose of Lima, Peruvian mystic and saint (d. 1617)
- 1633 – Emperor Go-Kōmyō of Japan (d. 1654)
- 1646 – Charles Plumier, French botanist and author (d. 1704)
- 1650 – William Bedloe, English spy (d. 1680)
- 1718 – David Brainerd, American missionary (d. 1747)
- 1723 – Cornelius Harnett, American merchant, farmer, and politician (d. 1781)
- 1727 – Florimond Claude, Comte de Mercy-Argenteau, Belgian-Austrian minister and diplomat (d. 1794)
- 1745 – Philippe Pinel, French physician and psychiatrist (d. 1826)
- 1748 – Georg Michael Telemann, German composer and theologian (d. 1831)
- 1772 – William Lawless, Irish revolutionary and French general (d. 1824)
- 1808 – Napoleon III, French politician, 1st President of France (d. 1873)
- 1816 – Bogoslav Šulek, Croatian philologist, historian, and lexicographer (d. 1895)
- 1818 – Heinrich Göbel, German-American mechanic and engineer (d. 1893)
- 1826 – Dinah Craik, English author and poet (d. 1887)
- 1836 – Eli Whitney Blake, Jr., American scientist and academic (d. 1895)
- 1839 – Carol I of Romania, King of Romania (d. 1914)
- 1840 – Odilon Redon, French painter and illustrator (d. 1916)
- 1850 – Daniel Chester French, American sculptor, designed the Lincoln statue (d. 1931)
- 1851 – Alexander Dianin, Russian chemist (d. 1918)
- 1851 – Siegmund Lubin, Polish-American businessman, founded the Lubin Manufacturing Company (d. 1923)
- 1860 – Justinien de Clary, French target shooter (d. 1933)
- 1871 – Sydney Chapman, English economist and civil servant (d. 1951)
- 1873 – James Harcourt, English character actor (d. 1951)
- 1875 – Vladimir Vidrić, Croatian poet and lawyer (d. 1909)
- 1879 – Paul Poiret, French fashion designer (d. 1944)
- 1882 – Holland Smith, American general (d. 1967)
- 1884 – Princess Beatrice of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (d. 1966)
- 1884 – Oliver Kirk, American boxer (d. 1960)
- 1884 – Daniel Varoujan, Armenian poet and educator (d. 1915)
- 1889 – Albert Jean Amateau, Turkish rabbi, lawyer, and activist (d. 1996)
- 1889 – Prince Erik, Duke of Västmanland (d. 1918)
- 1889 – Marie-Antoinette de Geuser, French mystic (d. 1918)
- 1889 – Adolf Hitler, Austrian born German politician, Führer of Nazi Germany (d. 1945)
- 1889 – Tonny Kessler, Dutch footballer (d. 1960)
- 1890 – Maurice Duplessis, Canadian lawyer and politician, 16th Premier of Quebec (d. 1959)
- 1890 – Adolf Schärf, Austrian soldier and politician, 6th President of Austria (d. 1965)
- 1891 – Dave Bancroft, American baseball player and manager (d. 1972)
- 1893 – Harold Lloyd, American actor, comedian, and producer (d. 1971)
- 1893 – Joan Miró, Spanish painter and sculptor (d. 1983)
- 1895 – Emile Christian, American trombonist and composer (d. 1973)
- 1895 – Henry de Montherlant, French essayist, novelist, and dramatist (d. 1972)
- 1896 – Wop May, Canadian captain and pilot (d. 1952)
- 1899 – Alan Arnett McLeod, Canadian lieutenant, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 1918)
- 1904 – Bruce Cabot, American actor (d. 1972)
- 1907 – Miran Bux, Pakistani cricketer (d. 1991)
- 1907 – Augoustinos Kantiotes, Greek bishop (d. 2010)
- 1908 – Lionel Hampton, American vibraphone player, pianist, bandleader, and actor (d. 2002)
- 1910 – Fatin Rüştü Zorlu, Turkish diplomat and politician (d. 1961)
- 1913 – Mimis Fotopoulos, Greek actor and poet (d. 1986)
- 1913 – Willi Hennig, German biologist and entomologist (d. 1976)
- 1913 – Roger Rochard, French runner (d. 1993)
- 1914 – Betty Lou Gerson, American actress (d. 1999)
- 1915 – Joseph Wolpe, South African psychotherapist and physician (d. 1997)
- 1916 – Nasiba Zeynalova, Azerbaijani actress (d. 2004)
- 1918 – Kai Siegbahn, Swedish physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2007)
- 1919 – Richard Hillary, Australian lieutenant and pilot (d. 1943)
- 1920 – Frances Ames, South African neurologist, psychiatrist, and human rights activist (d. 2002)
- 1920 – Clement Isong, Nigerian banker and politician, Governor of Cross River State (d. 2000)
- 1920 – Ronald Speirs, American colonel (d. 2007)
- 1920 – John Paul Stevens, American lawyer and jurist, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (d. 2019)
- 1923 – Mother Angelica, American nun and broadcaster, founded Eternal Word Television Network (d. 2016)
- 1923 – Irene Lieblich, Polish-American painter and illustrator (d. 2008)
- 1923 – Tito Puente, American drummer and producer (d. 2000)
- 1924 – Nina Foch, Dutch-American actress (d. 2008)
- 1924 – Leslie Phillips, English actor and producer
- 1924 – Guy Rocher, Canadian sociologist and academic
- 1925 – Ernie Stautner, German-American football player and coach (d. 2006)
- 1925 – Elena Verdugo, American actress (d. 2017)
- 1927 – Bud Cullen, Canadian judge and politician, 1st Canadian Minister of Employment and Immigration (d. 2005)
- 1927 – Phil Hill, American race car driver (d. 2008)
- 1927 – K. Alex Müller, Swiss physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1928 – Robert Byrne, American chess player and author (d. 2013)
- 1928 – Johnny Gavin, Irish international footballer (d. 2007)
- 1929 – Harry Agganis, American baseball and football player (d. 1955)
- 1929 – Bobby Hollander, American film director, actor, and magazine publisher (d. 2002)
- 1930 – Dwight Gustafson, American composer and conductor (d. 2014)
- 1930 – Antony Jay, English director and screenwriter (d. 2016)
- 1931 – Michael Allenby, 3rd Viscount Allenby, English lieutenant and politician (d. 2014)
- 1931 – John Eccles, 2nd Viscount Eccles, English businessman and politician
- 1932 – Myriam Bru, French actress
- 1933 – Kristaq Dhamo, Albanian actor and film director
- 1936 – Lisa Davis, English and American former child and adult actress
- 1936 – Pauli Ellefsen, Faroese technician, surveyor, and politician, 6th Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands (d. 2012)
- 1936 – Pat Roberts, American captain, journalist, and politician
- 1936 – Christopher Robinson, English organist and conductor
- 1937 – Jiří Dienstbier, Czech journalist and politician, Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 2011)
- 1937 – Antonios Kounadis, Greek discus thrower
- 1937 – Harvey Quaytman, American painter and educator (d. 2002)
- 1937 – George Takei, American actor
- 1938 – Betty Cuthbert, Australian sprinter
- 1938 – Manfred Kinder, German runner
- 1938 – Peter Snow, British historian and journalist
- 1938 – Eszter Tamási, Hungarian actress (d. 1991)
- 1939 – Elspeth Ballantyne, Australian actress
- 1939 – Peter S. Beagle, American author and screenwriter
- 1939 – Gro Harlem Brundtland, Norwegian physician and politician, 22nd Prime Minister of Norway
- 1939 – Johnny Tillotson, American singer-songwriter
- 1940 – James Gammon, American actor (d. 2010)
- 1941 – Ryan O’Neal, American actor
- 1942 – Giles Henderson, English lawyer and academic
- 1942 – Arto Paasilinna, Finnish journalist and author
- 1943 – Alan Beith, English academic and politician
- 1943 – John Eliot Gardiner, English conductor and director
- 1943 – Edie Sedgwick, American model and actress (d. 1971)
- 1944 – Toivo Aare, Estonian journalist and author (d. 1999)
- 1945 – Michael Brandon, American actor and director
- 1945 – Olga Karlatos, Greek actress and Bermudian lawyer
- 1945 – Thein Sein, Burmese general and politician, 8th President of Burma
- 1945 – Naftali Temu, Kenyan runner (d. 2003)
- 1945 – Steve Spurrier, American football player and head coach, 1966 Heisman Trophy winner
- 1946 – Sandro Chia, Italian painter and sculptor
- 1946 – Julien Poulin, Canadian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1946 – Gordon Smiley, American race car driver (d. 1982)
- 1947 – Rita Dionne-Marsolais, Canadian economist and politician
- 1947 – David Leland, English actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1947 – Viktor Suvorov, Russian intelligence officer, historian, and author
- 1948 – Gregory Itzin, American actor
- 1948 – Matthias Kuhle, German geographer and academic (d. 2015)
- 1949 – Veronica Cartwright, English-American actress
- 1949 – Toller Cranston, Canadian-Mexican figure skater and painter (d. 2015)
- 1949 – Massimo D’Alema, Italian journalist and politician, 76th Prime Minister of Italy
- 1949 – Jessica Lange, American actress
- 1950 – Steve Erickson, American author and critic
- 1950 – Alexander Lebed, Russian general and politician (d. 2002)
- 1950 – N. Chandrababu Naidu, Indian politician, 13th Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
- 1951 – Louise Jameson, English actress
- 1951 – Luther Vandross, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2005)
- 1952 – Louka Katseli, Greek economist and politician
- 1952 – Božidar Maljković, Serbian basketball player and coach
- 1952 – Eric Pickles, English politician, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
- 1953 – Sebastian Faulks, English journalist and author
- 1955 – Donald Pettit, American engineer and astronaut
- 1956 – Beatrice Ask, Swedish politician, Swedish Minister for Justice
- 1956 – Peter Chelsom, English film director, writer, and actor
- 1956 – Kakha Bendukidze, Georgian economist and politician
- 1956 – Georgie Glen, Scottish actress
- 1958 – Viacheslav Fetisov, Russian ice hockey player and coach
- 1959 – Perry Haddock, Australian rugby league player
- 1960 – Debbie Flintoff-King, Australian hurdler and coach
- 1961 – Don Mattingly, American baseball player, coach, and manager
- 1961 – Konstantin Lavronenko, Russian actor
- 1961 – Nicholas Lyndhurst, English actor
- 1961 – Paul Usher, English actor
- 1963 – Maurício Gugelmin, Brazilian race car driver
- 1963 – Rachel Whiteread, English sculptor
- 1964 – Crispin Glover, American actor
- 1964 – Andy Serkis, English actor and director
- 1964 – Rosalynn Sumners, American figure skater
- 1965 – Kostis Chatzidakis, Greek politician, Ministry of Economy, Infrastructure, Shipping and Tourism
- 1965 – Léa Fazer, Swiss film director, screenwriter and actress
- 1965 – Adrián Fernández, Mexican race car driver
- 1965 – Rebecca Lacey, English actress
- 1966 – David Chalmers, Australian philosopher and academic
- 1966 – David Filo, American businessman, co-founded Yahoo!
- 1966 – Vincent Riendeau, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1967 – Mike Portnoy, American drummer and songwriter
- 1967 – Raymond van Barneveld, Dutch darts player
- 1968 – Julia Morris, Australian entertainer
- 1968 – Yelena Välbe, Russian skier and manager
- 1968 – Roman Virastyuk, Ukrainian shot putter
- 1969 – Felix Baumgartner, Austrian skydiver and BASE jumper
- 1969 – Will Hodgman, Australian politician, 45th Premier of Tasmania
- 1970 – Sarantuya, Mongolian soprano
- 1970 – Avishai Cohen, Israeli singer-songwriter and bassist
- 1970 – Shemar Moore, American actor
- 1971 – Carla Geurts, Dutch swimmer, physiologist, and academic
- 1971 – Allan Houston, American basketball player and manager
- 1971 – Nikos Kyzeridis, Greek footballer
- 1972 – Lê Huỳnh Đức, Vietnamese footballer, coach, and manager
- 1972 – Carmen Electra, American model and actress
- 1972 – Željko Joksimović, Serbian singer-songwriter and producer
- 1972 – Stephen Marley, American singer, guitarist, and producer
- 1972 – Julia Peng, Taiwanese singer
- 1973 – Isabel dos Santos, Angolan businesswoman and first African woman billionaire
- 1973 – Lamond Murray, American basketball player
- 1974 – Adrian Ilie, Romanian footballer
- 1974 – Julie Fernandez, English actress and model
- 1974 – Urmas Paet, Estonian journalist and politician, 26th Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs
- 1975 – Killer Mike, American rapper and activist
- 1976 – Aldo Bobadilla, Paraguayan footballer
- 1976 – Shay Given, Irish footballer and manager
- 1976 – Chris Mason, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1976 – Ismail Rasheed, Maldivian actor
- 1976 – Georgina Rylance, English actress
- 1979 – Stian Barsnes-Simonsen, Norwegian actor and television host
- 1979 – Ludovic Magnin, Swiss footballer and coach
- 1979 – Nate Marquardt, American mixed martial artist
- 1980 – Gunta Baško, Latvian basketball player
- 1980 – Sunaina Sunaina, Indian weightlifter
- 1980 – Jasmin Wagner, German singer and actress
- 1982 – Jacqueline Govaert, Dutch singer-songwriter and pianist
- 1982 – Dario Knežević, Croatian footballer
- 1983 – Danny Granger, American basketball player
- 1983 – Miranda Kerr, Australian model
- 1983 – Joanne King, Irish actress
- 1984 – Nelson Évora, Ivorian-Portuguese triple jumper
- 1984 – Bárbara Lennie, Spanish actress
- 1984 – Edixon Perea, Colombian footballer
- 1984 – Jenna Shoemaker, American triathlete
- 1985 – Curt Hawkins, American wrestler
- 1985 – Brent Seabrook, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1987 – Chun Woo-hee, South Korean actress
- 1988 – Brandon Belt, American baseball player
- 1989 – Cally-Jo, English fine artist and tattoo artist
- 1989 – Nina Davuluri, Miss America 2014
- 1989 – Carlos Valdes, Colombian-American actor and singer
- 1990 – Luhan, Chinese singer and actor
- 1990 – Abby Mavers, English actress
- 1992 – Kristian Álvarez, Mexican footballer
- 1992 – Marko Meerits, Estonian footballer
- 1995 – Damian McKenzie, New Zealand rugby union player
- 1995 – Jean Marie Dongou, Cameroonian footballer
- 1997 – Alexander “Sascha” Zverev, German tennis player
- 1998 – Zachary Claman DeMelo, Canadian racing driver
Deaths on April 20
- 689 – Cædwalla, king of Wessex (b. 659)
- 767 – Taichō, Japanese monk (b. 682)
- 888 – Xi Zong, Chinese emperor (b. 862)
- 1099 – Peter Bartholomew (b. 1061)
- 1164 – Antipope Victor IV
- 1176 – Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, English-Irish politician, Lord Chief Justice of Ireland (b. 1130)
- 1248 – Güyük Khan, Mongol ruler, 3rd Great Khan of the Mongol Empire (b. 1206)
- 1284 – Hōjō Tokimune, regent of Japan (b. 1251)
- 1314 – Pope Clement V (b. 1264)
- 1322 – Simon Rinalducci, Italian Augustinian friar
- 1521 – Zhengde, Chinese emperor (b. 1491)
- 1534 – Elizabeth Barton, English nun and martyr (b. 1506)
- 1558 – Johannes Bugenhagen, German priest and theologian (b. 1485)
- 1643 – Christoph Demantius, German composer and poet (b. 1567)
- 1703 – Lancelot Addison, English clergyman and educator (b. 1632)
- 1769 – Chief Pontiac, American tribal leader (b. 1720)
- 1831 – John Abernethy, English surgeon and anatomist (b. 1764)
- 1873 – William Tite, English architect, designed the Royal Exchange (b. 1798)
- 1874 – Alexander H. Bailey, American lawyer, judge, and politician (b. 1817)
- 1881 – William Burges, English architect and designer (b. 1827)
- 1886 – Charles-François-Frédéric, marquis de Montholon-Sémonville, French general and diplomat, French ambassador to the United States (b. 1814)
- 1887 – Muhammad Sharif Pasha, Greek-Egyptian politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Egypt (b. 1826)
- 1899 – Joseph Wolf, German ornithologist and illustrator (b. 1820)
- 1902 – Joaquim de Sousa Andrade, Brazilian poet and educator (b. 1833)
- 1912 – Bram Stoker, Anglo-Irish novelist and critic, created Count Dracula (b. 1847)
- 1918 – Karl Ferdinand Braun, German-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1850)
- 1927 – Enrique Simonet, Spanish painter and educator (b. 1866)
- 1929 – Prince Henry of Prussia (b. 1862)
- 1931 – Sir Cosmo Duff-Gordon, 5th Baronet, Scottish-English fencer and businessman (b. 1862)
- 1932 – Giuseppe Peano, Italian mathematician and philosopher (b. 1858)
- 1935 – John Cameron, Scottish footballer and manager (b. 1872)
- 1935 – Lucy, Lady Duff-Gordon, English fashion designer (b. 1863)
- 1942 – Jüri Jaakson, Estonian businessman and politician, 6th State Elder of Estonia (b. 1870)
- 1944 – Elmer Gedeon, American baseball player and pilot (b. 1917)
- 1945 – Erwin Bumke, Polish-German jurist and politician (b. 1874)
- 1946 – Mae Busch, Australian actress (b. 1891)
- 1947 – Christian X of Denmark (b. 1870)
- 1951 – Ivanoe Bonomi, Italian politician, 25th Prime Minister of Italy (b. 1873)
- 1961 – Ado Vabbe, Estonian painter (b. 1892)
- 1967 – Léo-Paul Desrosiers, Canadian journalist and author (b. 1896)
- 1968 – Rudolph Dirks, German-American illustrator (b. 1877)
- 1969 – Vjekoslav Luburić, Croatian Ustaše official and concentration camp administrator (b. 1914)
- 1980 – M. Canagaratnam, Sri Lankan politician (b. 1924)
- 1982 – Archibald MacLeish, American poet, playwright, and lawyer (b. 1892)
- 1986 – Sibte Hassan, Pakistani journalist, scholar, and activist (b. 1916)
- 1991 – Steve Marriott, English singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1947)
- 1991 – Don Siegel, American director and producer (b. 1912)
- 1992 – Marjorie Gestring, American springboard diver (b. 1922)
- 1992 – Benny Hill, English comedian, actor, and screenwriter (b. 1924)
- 1993 – Cantinflas, Mexican actor, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1911)
- 1995 – Milovan Đilas, Yugoslav communist, politician, theorist and author (b. 1911)
- 1996 – Trần Văn Trà, Vietnamese general and politician (b. 1918)
- 1999 – Casualties of the Columbine High School massacre:
- Cassie Bernall, American student (b. 1981)
- Eric Harris, American student and murderer (b. 1981)
- Dylan Klebold, American student and murderer (b. 1981)
- Rachel Scott, American student, inspired the Rachel’s Challenge (b. 1981)
- 1999 – Rick Rude, American wrestler (b. 1958)
- 2001 – Giuseppe Sinopoli, Italian conductor and composer (b. 1946)
- 2002 – Alan Dale, American singer (b. 1925)
- 2003 – Daijiro Kato, Japanese motorcycle racer (b. 1976)
- 2003 – Bernard Katz, German-English biophysicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1911)
- 2004 – Lizzy Mercier Descloux, French musician, singer-songwriter, composer, actress, writer and painter (b. 1956)
- 2005 – Fumio Niwa, Japanese journalist and author (b. 1904)
- 2007 – Andrew Hill, American pianist, composer, and bandleader (b. 1931)
- 2007 – Michael Fu Tieshan, Chinese bishop (b. 1931)
- 2008 – Monica Lovinescu, Romanian journalist and author (b. 1923)
- 2010 – Dorothy Height, American educator and activist (b. 1912)
- 2011 – Tim Hetherington, English photographer and journalist (b. 1970)
- 2012 – Bert Weedon, English guitarist and songwriter (b. 1920)
- 2014 – Mithat Bayrak, Turkish wrestler and trainer (b. 1929)
- 2014 – Rubin Carter, American-Canadian boxer (b. 1937)
- 2014 – Neville Wran, Australian lawyer and politician, 35th Premier of New South Wales (b. 1926)
- 2016 – Victoria Wood, British comedian, actress and writer (b. 1953)
- 2017 – Cuba Gooding Sr., American singer and actor (b. 1944)
- 2018 – Avicii, Swedish DJ, and musician (b. 1989)
- 2019 – Jacqueline Saburido, Venezuelan activist (b. 1978)
Holidays and observances on April 20
- 420 (cannabis culture) (International)
- Christian feast day:
- Agnes of Montepulciano
- Beuno
- Hugh of Anzy le Duc
- Johannes Bugenhagen (Lutheran)
- Marcellinus of Gaul (Embrun)
- Blessed Oda of Brabant
- Pope Anicetus
- Theotimos
- April 20 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- UN Chinese Language Day (United Nations)