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

    • 61 BC – Pompey the Great celebrates his third triumph for victories over the pirates and the end of the Mithridatic Wars on his 45th birthday.
    • 1011 – Danes capture Canterbury after a siege, taking Ælfheah, archbishop of Canterbury, as a prisoner.
    • 1227 – Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, is excommunicated by Pope Gregory IX for his failure to participate in the Crusades.
    • 1267 – The Treaty of Montgomery recognises Llywelyn ap Gruffudd as Prince of Wales, but only as a vassal of King Henry III.
    • 1364 – English forces defeat the French in Brittany, ending the War of the Breton Succession.
    • 1578 – Tegucigalpa, capital city of Honduras, is claimed by the Spaniards.
    • 1637 – 42-year-old Lorenzo Ruiz dies.
    • 1717 – An earthquake strikes Antigua Guatemala, destroying much of the city’s architecture.
    • 1789 – The United States Department of War first establishes a regular army with a strength of several hundred men.
    • 1789 – The 1st United States Congress adjourns.
    • 1829 – The Metropolitan Police of London, later also known as the Met, is founded.
    • 1848 – The Battle of Pákozd is a stalemate between Hungarian and Croatian forces, and is the first battle of the Hungarian Revolution.
    • 1850 – The papal bull Universalis Ecclesiae restores the Roman Catholic hierarchy in England and Wales.
    • 1855 – The Philippine port of Iloilo is opened to world trade by the Spanish administration.
    • 1864 – American Civil War: The Battle of Chaffin’s Farm is fought.
    • 1864 – The Treaty of Lisbon defines the boundaries between Spain and Portugal and abolishes the Couto Misto microstate.
    • 1885 – The first practical public electric tramway in the world is opened in Blackpool, England.
    • 1907 – The cornerstone is laid at the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul (better known as Washington National Cathedral) in Washington, D.C.
    • 1911 – Italy declares war on the Ottoman Empire.
    • 1918 – World War I: Bulgaria signs the Armistice of Salonica.
    • 1918 – The Hindenburg Line is broken by an Allied attack.
    • 1918 – Germany’s Supreme Army Command tells the Kaiser and the Chancellor to open negotiations for an armistice.
    • 1923 – The British Mandate for Palestine takes effect, creating Mandatory Palestine.
    • 1923 – The French Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon takes effect.
    • 1923 – The First American Track & Field championships for women are held.
    • 1932 – Chaco War: Last day of the Battle of Boquerón between Paraguay and Bolivia.
    • 1940 – Two Avro Ansons collide in mid-air over New South Wales, Australia, remain locked together, then land safely.
    • 1941 – World War II: German forces, with the aid of local Ukrainian collaborators, begin the two-day Babi Yar massacre.
    • 1949 – The Communist Party of China writes the Common Programme for the future People’s Republic of China.
    • 1954 – The convention establishing CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research) is signed.
    • 1957 – The Kyshtym disaster is the third-worst nuclear accident ever recorded.
    • 1971 – Oman joins the Arab League.
    • 1972 – China–Japan relations: Japan establishes diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China after breaking official ties with the Republic of China.
    • 1975 – WGPR becomes the first black-owned-and-operated television station in the US.
    • 1979 – The dictator Francisco Macias of Equatorial Guinea is shot by soldiers from Western Sahara.
    • 1988 – NASA launches STS-26, the first mission since the Challenger disaster.
    • 1990 – Construction of the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul (better known as Washington National Cathedral) is completed in Washington, D.C.
    • 1990 – The YF-22, which would later become the F-22 Raptor, flies for the first time.
    • 1991 – A Haitian coup d’état occurs.
    • 1992 – Brazilian President Fernando Collor de Mello is impeached.
    • 2004 – The asteroid 4179 Toutatis passes within four lunar distances of Earth.
    • 2004 – Burt Rutan’s Ansari SpaceShipOne performs a successful spaceflight, the first of two required to win the Ansari X Prize.
    • 2006 – A Boeing 737 and an Embraer 600 collide in mid-air, killing 154 people and triggering a Brazilian aviation crisis.
    • 2007 – Calder Hall, the world’s first commercial nuclear power station, is demolished in a controlled explosion.
    • 2009 – The 8.1 Mw  Samoa earthquake results in a tsunami that kills 189 and injures hundreds.
    • 2011 – The special court in India convicted all 269 accused officials for atrocity on Dalits and 17 for rape in the Vachathi case.
    • 2013 – Over 42 people are killed by members of Boko Haram at the College of Agriculture in Nigeria.
    • 2016 – Eleven days after the Uri attack, the Indian Army conducts “surgical strikes” against suspected militants in Pakistani-administered Kashmir.
    • 2019 – Violence and low turnout mar the 2019 Afghan presidential election.
    • 2019 – At least 59 people are reported dead due to monsoon rains in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, India. 350 people have died this year due to rain in India, Nepal, and Bangladesh.

    Births on September 29

    • 106 BC – Pompey, Roman general and politician (d. 48 BC)
    • 929 – Qian Chu, Chinese king (Ten Kingdoms) (d. 988)
    • 1240 – Margaret of England, Queen consort of Scots (d. 1275)
    • 1276 – Christopher II of Denmark (d. 1332)
    • 1373 – Margaret of Bohemia, Burgravine of Nuremberg (d. 1410)
    • 1402 – Fernando, the Saint Prince, of Portugal (d. 1443)
    • 1403 – Elisabeth of Brandenburg, Duchess of Brzeg-Legnica and Cieszyn, German princess (d. 1449)
    • 1460 – Louis II de la Trémoille, French military leader (d. 1525)
    • 1463 – Louis I, Count of Löwenstein, founder of the House of Löwenstein-Wertheim (d. 1523)
    • 1511 – Michael Servetus, Spanish physician, cartographer, and theologian (d. 1553)
    • 1527 – John Lesley, Scottish bishop (d. 1596)
    • 1538 – Joan Terès i Borrull, Spanish archbishop and academic (d. 1603)
    • 1547 – Miguel de Cervantes, Spanish novelist, poet, and playwright (d. 1616)
    • 1548 – William V, Duke of Bavaria (d. 1626)
    • 1561 – Adriaan van Roomen, Flemish priest and mathematician (d. 1615)
    • 1574 – Ludovic Stewart, 2nd Duke of Lennox, Scottish nobleman and politician (d. 1624)
    • 1602 – Algernon Percy, 10th Earl of Northumberland, English military leader (d. 1668)
    • 1636 – Thomas Tenison, English archbishop (d. 1715)
    • 1639 – William Russell, Lord Russell, English politician (d. 1683)
    • 1640 – Antoine Coysevox, French sculptor and educator (d. 1720)
    • 1674 – Jacques-Martin Hotteterre, French flute player and composer (d. 1763)
    • 1678 – Adrien Maurice de Noailles, French soldier and politician, French Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 1766)
    • 1691 – Richard Challoner, English bishop (d. 1781)
    • 1703 – François Boucher, French painter and set designer (d. 1770)
    • 1718 – Nikita Ivanovich Panin, Russian soldier and politician, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 1783)
    • 1725 – Robert Clive, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Montgomeryshire (d. 1774)
    • 1758 – Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, English admiral (d. 1805)
    • 1766 – Charlotte, Princess Royal of England (d. 1828)
    • 1786 – Guadalupe Victoria, Mexican general, lawyer, and politician, 1st President of Mexico (d. 1843)
    • 1803 – Mercator Cooper, American captain and explorer (d. 1872)
    • 1803 – Jacques Charles François Sturm, French mathematician and theorist (d. 1850)
    • 1808 – Henry Bennett, American lawyer and politician (d. 1868)
    • 1810 – Elizabeth Gaskell, English author (d. 1865)
    • 1816 – Paul Féval, père, French author and playwright (d. 1887)
    • 1832 – Joachim Oppenheim, rabbi and author (d. 1891)
    • 1832 – Miguel Miramón, Unconstitutional president of Mexico, 1859-1860 (d. 1867)
    • 1843 – Mikhail Skobelev, Russian general (d. 1882)
    • 1844 – Miguel Ángel Juárez Celman, Argentinian lawyer and politician, 10th President of Argentina (d. 1909)
    • 1853 – Luther D. Bradley, American cartoonist (d. 1917)
    • 1863 – Hugo Haase, German lawyer, jurist, and politician (d. 1919)
    • 1864 – Miguel de Unamuno, Spanish philosopher and author (d. 1936)
    • 1866 – Mykhailo Hrushevskyi, Ukrainian historian, academic, and politician (d. 1934)
    • 1876 – Charlie Llewellyn, South African cricketer (d. 1964)
    • 1880 – Liberato Pinto, Portuguese colonel and politician, 79th Prime Minister of Portugal (d. 1949)
    • 1881 – Ludwig von Mises, Austrian-American economist, sociologist, and philosopher (d. 1973)
    • 1882 – Lilias Armstrong, English phonetician (d. 1937)
    • 1885 – George Scott, English footballer (d. 1916)
    • 1891 – Ian Fairweather, Scottish-Australian painter (d. 1974)
    • 1895 – Clarence Ashley, American singer, guitarist, and banjo player (d. 1967)
    • 1895 – Joseph Banks Rhine, American botanist and parapsychologist (d. 1980)
    • 1895 – Roscoe Turner, American pilot (d. 1970)
    • 1897 – Herbert Agar, American journalist and historian (d. 1980)
    • 1898 – Trofim Lysenko, Ukrainian-Russian biologist and agronomist (d. 1976)
    • 1899 – László Bíró, Hungarian-Argentinian journalist and inventor, invented the ballpoint pen (d. 1985)
    • 1899 – Billy Butlin, South African-English businessman, founded Butlins (d. 1980)
    • 1901 – Lanza del Vasto, Italian poet, philosopher, and activist (d. 1981)
    • 1901 – Enrico Fermi, Italian-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1954)
    • 1903 – Miguel Alemán Valdés, Mexican lawyer and civilian politician, 46th President of Mexico (1946-1952) (d. 1983)
    • 1903 – Diana Vreeland, American journalist (d. 1989)
    • 1904 – Greer Garson, English-American actress (d. 1996)
    • 1907 – Gene Autry, American singer, actor, and businessman (d. 1998)
    • 1907 – George W. Jenkins, American businessman, founded Publix (d. 1996)
    • 1908 – Eddie Tolan, American sprinter and educator (d. 1967)
    • 1910 – Bill Boyd, American singer and guitarist (d. 1977)
    • 1910 – Virginia Bruce, American actress (d. 1982)
    • 1911 – Charles Court, English-Australian politician, 21st Premier of Western Australia (d. 2007)
    • 1912 – Michelangelo Antonioni, Italian director and screenwriter (d. 2007)
    • 1913 – Trevor Howard, English actor (d. 1988)
    • 1913 – Stanley Kramer, American director and producer (d. 2001)
    • 1915 – Vincent DeDomenico, American businessman, founded the Napa Valley Wine Train (d. 2007)
    • 1915 – Oscar Handlin, American historian and academic (d. 2011)
    • 1915 – Brenda Marshall, American actress (d. 1992)
    • 1916 – Carl Giles, English cartoonist (d. 1995)
    • 1919 – Kira Zvorykina, Belarusian chess player (d. 2014)
    • 1920 – Peter D. Mitchell, English biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1992)
    • 1920 – Václav Neumann, Czech violinist and conductor (d. 1995)
    • 1921 – John Ritchie, New Zealand composer and educator (d. 2014)
    • 1921 – Albie Roles, English footballer and manager (d. 2012)
    • 1922 – Lizabeth Scott, American actress (d. 2015)
    • 1923 – Stan Berenstain, American author and illustrator (d. 2005)
    • 1923 – Bum Phillips, American football player and coach (d. 2013)
    • 1925 – Steve Forrest, American actor (d. 2013)
    • 1925 – Paul MacCready, American engineer, founded AeroVironment (d. 2007)
    • 1926 – Chuck Cooper, American basketball player (d. 1984)
    • 1926 – Pete Elliott, American football player and coach (d. 2013)
    • 1927 – Adhemar da Silva, Brazilian triple jumper and actor (d. 2001)
    • 1927 – Sherwood Johnston, American race car driver (d. 2000)
    • 1927 – Pete McCloskey, American colonel and politician
    • 1927 – Barbara Mertz, American historian and author (d. 2013)
    • 1928 – Eric Lubbock, 4th Baron Avebury, English lieutenant, engineer, and politician (d. 2016)
    • 1928 – Brajesh Mishra, Indian politician and diplomat, 1st Indian National Security Advisor (d. 2012)
    • 1928 – Nathan Shamuyarira, Zimbabwean journalist and politician, Zimbabwean Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 2014)
    • 1930 – Richard Bonynge, Australian pianist and conductor
    • 1930 – Colin Dexter, English author and educator (d. 2017)
    • 1931 – James Cronin, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2016)
    • 1931 – Anita Ekberg, Swedish-Italian model and actress (d. 2015)
    • 1931 – Paul Oestreicher, German-English priest and theologian
    • 1932 – Robert Benton, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1932 – Paul Giel, American baseball player and sportscaster (d. 2002)
    • 1933 – Samora Machel, Mozambican commander and politician, 1st President of Mozambique (d. 1986)
    • 1934 – Skandor Akbar, American wrestler and manager (d. 2010)
    • 1934 – Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Hungarian-American psychologist and academic
    • 1934 – Lance Gibbs, Guyanese cricketer and manager
    • 1934 – Stuart M. Kaminsky, American author and screenwriter (d. 2009)
    • 1934 – Lindsay Kline, Australian cricketer (d. 2015)
    • 1935 – Jerry Lee Lewis, American singer-songwriter and pianist
    • 1936 – Silvio Berlusconi, Italian businessman and politician, 50th Prime Minister of Italy
    • 1936 – James Fogle, American author (d. 2012)
    • 1936 – Hal Trosky, Jr., American baseball player (d. 2012)
    • 1938 – Dave Harper, English footballer (d. 2013)
    • 1938 – Wim Kok, Dutch union leader and politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (d. 2018)
    • 1939 – Fikret Abdić, Bosnian economist and politician
    • 1939 – Jim Baxter, Scottish footballer (d. 2001)
    • 1939 – Larry Linville, American actor (d. 2000)
    • 1939 – Rhodri Morgan, Welsh politician, 2nd First Minister of Wales (d. 2017)
    • 1940 – Brute Force, American singer-songwriter
    • 1940 – Carlos Morales Troncoso, Dominican politician, 34th Vice President of the Dominican Republic (d. 2014)
    • 1941 – David Steele, English cricketer
    • 1942 – Felice Gimondi, Italian cyclist
    • 1942 – Madeline Kahn, American actress and singer (d. 1999)
    • 1942 – Ian McShane, English actor
    • 1942 – Bill Nelson, American captain and politician
    • 1942 – Jean-Luc Ponty, French violinist and composer
    • 1942 – Janet Powell, Australian educator and politician (d. 2013)
    • 1942 – Steve Tesich, Serbian-American screenwriter and playwright (d. 1996)
    • 1943 – Wolfgang Overath, German footballer
    • 1943 – Lech Wałęsa, Polish electrician and politician, 2nd President of Poland, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1944 – Mike Post, American composer and producer
    • 1945 – Kyriakos Sfetsas, Greek composer and poet
    • 1945 – Nadezhda Chizhova, Russian shot putter
    • 1946 – Patricia Hodge, English actress
    • 1947 – Ülo Kaevats, Estonian philosopher, academic, and politician (d. 2015)
    • 1947 – S. H. Kapadia, Indian lawyer, judge, and politician, 38th Chief Justice of India (d. 2016)
    • 1947 – Gary Wetzel, American soldier, Medal of Honor recipient
    • 1948 – Mark Farner, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1948 – Bryant Gumbel, American journalist and sportscaster
    • 1948 – Theo Jörgensmann, German clarinet player and composer
    • 1948 – Mike Pinera, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1949 – George Dalaras, Greek singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1950 – Ken Macha, American baseball player and manager
    • 1951 – Michelle Bachelet, Chilean physician and politician, 34th President of Chile
    • 1951 – Pier Luigi Bersani, Italian educator and politician, 6th President of Emilia-Romagna
    • 1951 – Andrés Caicedo, Colombian author, poet, and playwright (d. 1977)
    • 1951 – Maureen Caird, Australian-New Zealand hurdler
    • 1951 – Mike Enriquez, Filipino journalist and radio commentator
    • 1952 – Roy Campbell, Jr., American trumpet player (d. 2014)
    • 1952 – Gábor Csupó, Hungarian-American animator, director, and producer, co-founded Klasky Csupo
    • 1952 – Richard Hodges, English archaeologist and academic
    • 1952 – Max Sandlin, American lawyer, judge, and politician
    • 1952 – Takanosato Toshihide, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 59th Yokozuna (d. 2011)
    • 1953 – Warren Cromartie, American baseball player, coach, and radio host
    • 1953 – Jean-Claude Lauzon, Canadian director and screenwriter (d. 1997)
    • 1953 – Lawrence Reed, American economist and author
    • 1954 – Uwe Jahn, German footballer and manager
    • 1954 – Mark Mitchell, Australian actor
    • 1955 – Ann Bancroft, American explorer and author
    • 1955 – Gareth Davies, Welsh rugby player and academic
    • 1955 – Joe Donnelly, American politician and lawyer
    • 1955 – Benoît Ferreux, French actor and director
    • 1955 – Gwen Ifill, American journalist (d. 2016)
    • 1956 – Sebastian Coe, English sprinter and politician
    • 1956 – Jenny Morris, New Zealand-Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1956 – Suzzy Roche, American singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1957 – Chris Broad, English cricketer and referee
    • 1957 – Sokratis Malamas, Greek singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1957 – Mark Nicholas, English cricketer and sportscaster
    • 1960 – Julian Armour, American-Canadian cellist and educator
    • 1960 – Kenneth Hansen, Swedish race car driver
    • 1960 – Alan McGee, Scottish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1960 – Hubert Neuper, Austrian ski jumper
    • 1960 – John Paxson, American basketball player and coach
    • 1960 – David Sammartino, American wrestler and trainer
    • 1960 – Andy Slaughter, English politician
    • 1960 – Carol Welsman, Canadian singer-songwriter and pianist
    • 1961 – Julia Gillard, Welsh-Australian lawyer and politician, 27th Prime Minister of Australia
    • 1961 – Stephanie Miller, American comedian and radio host
    • 1962 – Roger Bart, American actor
    • 1963 – Dave Andreychuk, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1963 – Les Claypool, American bass player, singer, songwriter, and producer
    • 1964 – Brad Lohaus, American basketball player
    • 1966 – Hersey Hawkins, American basketball player and coach
    • 1966 – Ben Miles, English actor
    • 1967 – Brett Anderson, English singer-songwriter
    • 1967 – Sara Sankey, English badminton player
    • 1968 – Patrick Burns, American paranormal investigator
    • 1968 – Luke Goss, English actor
    • 1968 – Matt Goss, English singer-songwriter
    • 1969 – Erika Eleniak, American model and actress
    • 1969 – DeVante Swing, American singer-songwriter, and producer
    • 1969 – Aleks Syntek, Mexican singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1970 – Russell Peters, Canadian comedian, actor, and producer
    • 1970 – Yoshihiro Tajiri, Japanese wrestler and trainer
    • 1970 – Natasha Gregson Wagner, American actress
    • 1970 – Kushboo, South Indian actress and producer
    • 1971 – Yitzhak Yedid, Israeli-Australian composer & pianist
    • 1971 – Tanoka Beard, American basketball player
    • 1971 – Mackenzie Crook, English actor and screenwriter
    • 1971 – Theodore Shapiro, American composer
    • 1972 – Oliver Gavin, English race car driver
    • 1973 – Foivos Delivorias, Greek singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1973 – Shannon Larratt, Canadian publisher, founded BMEzine (d. 2013)
    • 1973 – Scout Niblett, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1974 – Brian Ash, American screenwriter and producer
    • 1974 – Matt Hullum, American actor, director, and producer, co-founded Rooster Teeth
    • 1974 – James Lance, British actor
    • 1975 – Albert Celades, Spanish footballer and manager
    • 1976 – Darren Byfield, English-Jamaican footballer
    • 1976 – Kelvin Davis, English footballer
    • 1976 – Óscar Sevilla, Spanish cyclist
    • 1976 – Andriy Shevchenko, Ukrainian footballer and politician
    • 1977 – Eric Barton, American football player
    • 1977 – Wade Brookbank, Canadian ice hockey player and scout
    • 1977 – Debelah Morgan, American singer-songwriter
    • 1977 – Jake Westbrook, American baseball player
    • 1978 – Mohini Bhardwaj, American gymnast and coach
    • 1978 – Gunner McGrath, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1978 – Karen Putzer, Italian skier
    • 1978 – Kurt Nilsen, Norwegian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1979 – Orhan Ak, Turkish footballer
    • 1979 – Takumi Beppu, Japanese cyclist and manager
    • 1979 – Artika Sari Devi, Indonesian model and actress
    • 1979 – Shelley Duncan, American baseball player and manager
    • 1979 – Jaime Lozano, Mexican footballer
    • 1980 – Patrick Agyemang, English footballer
    • 1980 – Dallas Green, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1980 – Zachary Levi, American actor and singer
    • 1981 – Aris Galanopoulos, Greek footballer
    • 1981 – Shane Smeltz, German-New Zealand footballer
    • 1982 – Matt Giteau, Australian rugby player
    • 1982 – Amy Williams, English skeleton racer
    • 1983 – Lisette Oropesa, American soprano and actress
    • 1984 – Per Mertesacker, German footballer
    • 1985 – Calvin Johnson, American football player
    • 1985 – Niklas Moisander, Finnish footballer
    • 1985 – Dani Pedrosa, Spanish motorcycle racer
    • 1985 – Magnus Gangstad Jørgensen, Norwegian music producer
    • 1986 – Lisa Foiles, American actress and journalist
    • 1986 – Mark Fraser, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1986 – Matt Lashoff, American ice hockey player
    • 1986 – Isaac Makwala, Botswanan sprinter
    • 1986 – Benoît Pouliot, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1987 – David Del Rio, American actor and director
    • 1988 – Kevin Durant, American basketball player
    • 1988 – Justin Nozuka, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1989 – Theo Adams, English photographer and director
    • 1989 – Adore Delano, American drag queen and singer
    • 1989 – Yevhen Konoplyanka, Ukrainian footballer
    • 1989 – Aaron Martin, English footballer
    • 1989 – Andrea Poli, Italian footballer
    • 1989 – Fatima Lodhi, Pakistani social activist
    • 1990 – Doug Brochu, American voice actor
    • 1990 – Gerphil Flores, Filipina classical crossover singer and Asia’s Got Talent finalist
    • 1990 – Lena Wermelt, German footballer
    • 1991 – Adem Ljajić, Serbian footballer
    • 1991 – Martin Jensen, Danish musician
    • 1993 – Lee Hong-bin, South Korean singer
    • 1993 – Viktor Romanenkov, Estonian figure skater
    • 1993 – Oleg Vernyayev, Ukrainian artistic gymnast
    • 1998 – Vera Lapko, Belarusian tennis player
    • 1999 – Choi Ye-na, South Korean singer and dancer

    Deaths on September 29

    • 722 – Leudwinus, Frankish archbishop and saint (b. 660)
    • 855 – Lothair I, Roman emperor (b. 795)
    • 1186 – William of Tyre, Archbishop of Tyre (b. c. 1130)
    • 1225 – Arnaud Amalric, Papal legate who allegedly promoted mass murder
    • 1298 – Guido I da Montefeltro, Italian military strategist (b. 1223)
    • 1304 – John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey, English general (b. 1231)
    • 1360 – Joanna I of Auvergne, queen consort of France (b. 1326)
    • 1364 – Charles I, Duke of Brittany (b. 1319)
    • 1382 – ‘Izz al-Din ibn Rukn al-Din Mahmud, malik of Sistan
    • 1501 – Andrew Stewart, Scottish bishop (b. 1442)
    • 1560 – Gustav I of Sweden (b. 1496)
    • 1622 – Conrad Vorstius, German-Dutch Remonstrant theologian (b. 1569)
    • 1634 – Henry Hyde, English politician and lawyer (b.c. 1563)
    • 1637 – Lorenzo Ruiz, Filipino martyr and saint (b. 1600)
    • 1642 – René Goupil, French missionary and saint (b. 1608)
    • 1642 – William Stanley, 6th Earl of Derby, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Cheshire (b. 1561)
    • 1703 – Charles de Saint-Évremond, French-English soldier, author, and critic (b. 1610)
    • 1800 – Michael Denis, Austrian poet and author (b. 1729)
    • 1804 – Michael Hillegas, American politician, 1st Treasurer of the United States (b. 1728)
    • 1833 – Ferdinand VII of Spain (b. 1784)
    • 1862 – William “Bull” Nelson, American general (b. 1824)
    • 1887 – Bernhard von Langenbeck, German surgeon and academic (b. 1810)
    • 1889 – Louis Faidherbe, French general and politician (b. 1818)
    • 1900 – Samuel Fenton Cary, American lawyer and politician (b. 1814)
    • 1902 – William McGonagall, Scottish poet and actor (b. 1825)
    • 1902 – Émile Zola, French journalist, author, and playwright (b. 1840)
    • 1908 – Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis, Brazilian author, poet, and playwright (b. 1839)
    • 1910 – Winslow Homer, American painter, illustrator, and engraver (b. 1836)
    • 1913 – Rudolf Diesel, German engineer, invented the diesel engine (b. 1858)
    • 1918 – Lawrence Weathers, decorated WWI Australian soldier (b. 1890).
    • 1925 – Léon Bourgeois, French police officer and politician, 64th Prime Minister of France, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1851)
    • 1927 – Arthur Achleitner, German journalist and author (b. 1858)
    • 1927 – Willem Einthoven, Indonesian-Dutch physiologist and physician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1860)
    • 1928 – John Devoy, Irish-American Fenian rebel leader (b. 1842)
    • 1930 – Ilya Repin, Ukrainian-Russian painter and illustrator (b. 1844)
    • 1937 – Marie Zdeňka Baborová-Čiháková, Czech botanist and zoologist (b. 1877)
    • 1937 – Ray Ewry, American triple jumper (b. 1873)
    • 1937 – Ernst Hoppenberg, German swimmer and water polo player (b. 1878)
    • 1951 – Thomas Cahill, American soccer player and coach (b. 1864)
    • 1952 – John Cobb, English race car driver and pilot (b. 1899)
    • 1967 – Carson McCullers, American novelist, playwright, essayist, and poet (b. 1917)
    • 1970 – Edward Everett Horton, American actor (b. 1886)
    • 1973 – W. H. Auden, English-American poet, playwright, and critic (b. 1907)
    • 1975 – Casey Stengel, American baseball player and manager (b. 1890)
    • 1981 – Bill Shankly, Scottish footballer and manager (b. 1913)
    • 1982 – Monty Stratton, American baseball player and coach (b. 1912)
    • 1986 – Prince George Valdemar of Denmark (b. 1920)
    • 1987 – Henry Ford II, American businessman (b. 1917)
    • 1988 – Charles Addams, American cartoonist (b. 1912)
    • 1989 – Gussie Busch, American businessman (b. 1899)
    • 1989 – Georges Ulmer, Danish-French singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1919)
    • 1993 – Gordon Douglas, American actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1907)
    • 1997 – Roy Lichtenstein, American painter and sculptor (b. 1923)
    • 1998 – Tom Bradley, American lieutenant and politician, 38th Mayor of Los Angeles (b. 1917)
    • 1999 – Jean-Louis Millette, Canadian actor (b. 1935)
    • 2000 – John Grant, English journalist and politician (b. 1932)
    • 2001 – Mabel Fairbanks, American figure skater and coach (b. 1915)
    • 2001 – Nguyễn Văn Thiệu, Vietnamese general and politician, 5th President of South Vietnam (b. 1923)
    • 2004 – Richard Sainct, French motorcycle racer (b. 1970)
    • 2004 – Patrick Wormald, English historian (b. 1947)
    • 2005 – Patrick Caulfield, English painter and academic (b. 1936)
    • 2005 – Austin Leslie, American chef and author (b. 1934)
    • 2006 – Walter Hadlee, New Zealand cricketer and manager (b. 1915)
    • 2006 – Michael A. Monsoor, American soldier, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1981)
    • 2006 – Louis-Albert Vachon, Canadian cardinal (b. 1912)
    • 2007 – Lois Maxwell, Canadian actress (b. 1927)
    • 2007 – Yıldırım Aktuna, Turkish psychiatrist and politician, Turkish Minister of Health (b. 1930)
    • 2008 – Hayden Carruth, American poet and critic (b. 1921)
    • 2009 – Pavel Popovich, Ukrainian general, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1930)
    • 2010 – Tony Curtis, American actor (b. 1925)
    • 2010 – Greg Giraldo, American comedian, actor, and screenwriter (b. 1965)
    • 2011 – Sylvia Robinson, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1936)
    • 2012 – Hathloul bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Arabian prince (b. 1942)
    • 2012 – Neil Smith, Scottish geographer and academic (b. 1954)
    • 2012 – Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, American publisher (b. 1926)
    • 2012 – Malcolm Wicks, English academic and politician (b. 1947)
    • 2013 – Harold Agnew, American physicist and engineer (b. 1921)
    • 2013 – Anton Benning, German lieutenant (b. 1918)
    • 2013 – Pete T. Cenarrusa, American soldier, pilot, and politician, Secretary of State of Idaho (b. 1917)
    • 2013 – Carl Joachim Classen, German scholar and academic (b. 1928)
    • 2013 – L. C. Greenwood, American football player (b. 1946)
    • 2013 – Bob Kurland, American basketball player and politician (b. 1924)
    • 2014 – Miguel Boyer, Spanish economist and politician (b. 1939)
    • 2014 – Andreas Fransson, Swedish skier (b. 1983)
    • 2014 – Stan Monteith, American surgeon and author (b. 1929)
    • 2014 – Luis Nishizawa, Mexican painter and educator (b. 1918)
    • 2014 – John Ritchie, New Zealand composer and educator (b. 1921)
    • 2014 – George Shuba, American baseball player (b. 1924)
    • 2015 – Nawwaf bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Arabian prince (b. 1932)
    • 2015 – Hellmuth Karasek, Czech-German journalist, author, and critic (b. 1934)
    • 2015 – William Kerslake, American wrestler and engineer (b. 1929)
    • 2015 – Jean Ter-Merguerian, French-Armenian violinist (b. 1935)
    • 2015 – Phil Woods, American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader (b. 1931)
    • 2016 – Miriam Defensor Santiago, Filipina politician (b. 1945)
    • 2017 – Tom Alter, Indian actor (b. 1950)
    • 2018 – Otis Rush, American blues guitarist and singer (b. 1934)

    Holidays and observances on September 29

    • Christian feast day:
      • Rhipsime
      • September 29 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
      • the Archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. One of the four quarter days in the Irish calendar. (England and Ireland). Called Michaelmas in some western liturgical traditions
    • Day of Machine-Building Industry Workers (Russia)
    • Inventors’ Day (Argentina)
    • Victory of Boquerón Day (Paraguay)
    • World Heart Day
  • July 15 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

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

    Births on July 15

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

    Deaths on July 15

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

    Holidays and observances on July 15

    • Christian feast day:
      • Abhai (Syriac Orthodox Church)
      • Anne-Marie Javouhey
      • Bernhard II, Margrave of Baden-Baden
      • Bonaventure
      • Dispersion of the Apostles (No longer officially celebrated by the Catholic Church)
      • Donald of Ogilvy
      • Edith of Polesworth
      • Edith of Wilton
      • Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor
      • Plechelm
      • Quriaqos and Julietta
      • Swithun
      • Vladimir the Great (Eastern Orthodox; Catholic Church)
      • July 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Earliest day on which Birthday of Don Luis Muñoz Rivera can fall, while July 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Monday of July. (Puerto Rico)
    • Earliest day on which Galla Bayramy can fall, while July 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Sunday of July. (Turkmenistan)
    • Earliest day on which Marine Day can fall, while July 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Monday of July. (Japan)
    • Earliest day on which President’s Day (Botswana) can fall, while July 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Monday of July.
    • Elderly Men Day (Kiribati)
    • Festival of Santa Rosalia (Palermo, Sicily)
    • Sultan’s Birthday (Brunei Darussalam)
  • June 25 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 524 – The Franks are defeated by the Burgundians in the Battle of Vézeronce.
    • 841 – In the Battle of Fontenay-en-Puisaye, forces led by Charles the Bald and Louis the German defeat the armies of Lothair I of Italy and Pepin II of Aquitaine.
    • 1258 – War of Saint Sabas: In the Battle of Acre, the Venetians defeat a larger Genoese fleet sailing to relieve Acre.
    • 1530 – At the Diet of Augsburg the Augsburg Confession is presented to the Holy Roman Emperor by the Lutheran princes and Electors of Germany.
    • 1658 – Spanish forces fail to retake Jamaica at the Battle of Rio Nuevo during the Anglo-Spanish War.
    • 1678 – Venetian Elena Cornaro Piscopia is the first woman awarded a doctorate of philosophy when she graduates from the University of Padua.
    • 1741 – Maria Theresa is crowned Queen of Hungary.
    • 1786 – Gavriil Pribylov discovers St. George Island of the Pribilof Islands in the Bering Sea.
    • 1788 – Virginia becomes the tenth state to ratify the United States Constitution.
    • 1848 – A photograph of the June Days uprising becomes the first known instance of photojournalism.
    • 1876 – Battle of the Little Bighorn and the death of Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer.
    • 1900 – The Taoist monk Wang Yuanlu discovers the Dunhuang manuscripts, a cache of ancient texts that are of great historical and religious significance, in the Mogao Caves of Dunhuang, China.
    • 1906 – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania millionaire Harry Thaw shoots and kills prominent architect Stanford White.
    • 1910 – The United States Congress passes the Mann Act, which prohibits interstate transport of women or girls for “immoral purposes”; the ambiguous language would be used to selectively prosecute people for years to come.
    • 1910 – Igor Stravinsky’s ballet The Firebird is premiered in Paris, bringing him to prominence as a composer.
    • 1913 – American Civil War veterans begin arriving at the Great Reunion of 1913.
    • 1935 – Colombia–Soviet Union relations are established.
    • 1938 – Dr. Douglas Hyde is inaugurated as the first President of Ireland.
    • 1940 – World War II: The French armistice with Germany comes into effect.
    • 1943 – The Holocaust: Jews in the Częstochowa Ghetto in Poland stage an uprising against the Nazis.
    • 1943 – The left-wing German Jewish exile Arthur Goldstein is murdered in Auschwitz.
    • 1944 – World War II: The Battle of Tali-Ihantala, the largest battle ever fought in the Nordic countries, begins.
    • 1944 – World War II: United States Navy and British Royal Navy ships bombard Cherbourg to support United States Army units engaged in the Battle of Cherbourg.
    • 1944 – The final page of the comic Krazy Kat is published, exactly two months after its author George Herriman died.
    • 1947 – The Diary of a Young Girl (better known as The Diary of Anne Frank) is published.
    • 1950 – The Korean War begins with the invasion of South Korea by North Korea.
    • 1960 – Cold War: Two cryptographers working for the United States National Security Agency left for vacation to Mexico, and from there defected to the Soviet Union.
    • 1975 – Mozambique achieves independence from Portugal.
    • 1975 – Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declares a state of internal emergency in India.
    • 1976 – Missouri Governor Kit Bond issues an executive order rescinding the Extermination Order, formally apologizing on behalf of the state of Missouri for the suffering it had caused to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
    • 1978 – The rainbow flag representing gay pride is flown for the first time during the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade.
    • 1981 – Microsoft is restructured to become an incorporated business in its home state of Washington.
    • 1991 – Slovenia and Croatia declare their independence by referendum from Yugoslavia.
    • 1993 – Kim Campbell is sworn in as the first female Prime Minister of Canada.
    • 1996 – The Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia kills 19 U.S. servicemen.
    • 1997 – An unmanned Progress spacecraft collides with the Russian space station Mir.
    • 1997 – The National Hockey League approved expansion franchises for Nashville (1998), Atlanta (1999), Columbus (2000), and Minneapolis-Saint Paul (2000).
    • 1998 – In Clinton v. City of New York, the United States Supreme Court decides that the Line Item Veto Act of 1996 is unconstitutional.
    • 2017 – The World Health Organization estimates that Yemen has over 200,000 cases of cholera.

    Births on June 25

    • 1242 – Beatrice of England (d. 1275)
    • 1328 – William de Montagu, 2nd Earl of Salisbury, English commander (d. 1397)
    • 1371 – Joanna II of Naples (d. 1435)
    • 1484 – Bartholomeus V. Welser, German banker (d. 1561)
    • 1526 – Elisabeth Parr, Marchioness of Northampton (d. 1565)
    • 1560 – Wilhelm Fabry, German surgeon (d. 1634)
    • 1568 – Gunilla Bielke, Queen of Sweden (d. 1597)
    • 1612 – John Albert Vasa, Polish cardinal (d. 1634)
    • 1709 – Francesco Araja, Italian composer (d. 1762)
    • 1715 – Joseph Foullon de Doué, French soldier and politician, Controller-General of Finances (d. 1789)
    • 1755 – Natalia Alexeievna of Russia (d. 1776)
    • 1799 – David Douglas, Scottish-English botanist and explorer (d. 1834)
    • 1814 – Gabriel Auguste Daubrée, French geologist and engineer (d. 1896)
    • 1825 – James Farnell, Australian politician, 8th Premier of New South Wales (d. 1888)
    • 1852 – Antoni Gaudí, Spanish architect, designed the Park Güell (d. 1926)
    • 1858 – Georges Courteline, French author and playwright (d. 1929)
    • 1860 – Gustave Charpentier, French composer and conductor (d. 1956)
    • 1863 – Émile Francqui, Belgian soldier and diplomat (d. 1935)
    • 1864 – Walther Nernst, German chemist and physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1941)
    • 1866 – Eloísa Díaz, Chilean doctor and Chile’s first female physician (d. 1950)
    • 1874 – Rose O’Neill, American cartoonist, illustrator, artist, and writer (d. 1944)
    • 1884 – Géza Gyóni, Hungarian soldier and poet (d. 1917)
    • 1884 – Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler, German-French art collector and historian (d. 1979)
    • 1886 – Henry H. Arnold, American general (d. 1950)
    • 1887 – George Abbott, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1995)
    • 1887 – Frigyes Karinthy, Hungarian author, poet, and journalist (d. 1938)
    • 1892 – Shirō Ishii, Japanese microbiologist and general (d. 1959)
    • 1894 – Hermann Oberth, Romanian-German physicist and engineer (d. 1989)
    • 1898 – Kay Sage, American painter and poet (d. 1963)
    • 1900 – Marta Abba, Italian actress (d. 1988)
    • 1900 – Zinaida Aksentyeva, Ukrainian/Soviet astronomer (d. 1969)
    • 1900 – Georgia Hale, American silent film actress and real estate investor (d. 1985)
    • 1900 – Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, English admiral and politician, 44th Governor-General of India (d. 1979)
    • 1901 – Harold Roe Bartle, American businessman and politician, 47th Mayor of Kansas City (d. 1974)
    • 1902 – Yasuhito, Prince Chichibu of Japan (d. 1953)
    • 1903 – George Orwell, British novelist, essayist, and critic (d. 1950)
    • 1903 – Anne Revere, American actress (d. 1990)
    • 1905 – Rupert Wildt, German-American astronomer and academic (d. 1976)
    • 1907 – J. Hans D. Jensen, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1973)
    • 1908 – Willard Van Orman Quine, American philosopher and academic (d. 2000)
    • 1911 – William Howard Stein, American chemist and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1980)
    • 1912 – William T. Cahill, American lawyer and politician, 46th Governor of New Jersey (d. 1996)
    • 1913 – Cyril Fletcher, English actor and screenwriter (d. 2005)
    • 1915 – Whipper Billy Watson, Canadian-American wrestler and trainer (d. 1990)
    • 1917 – Nils Karlsson, Swedish skier (d. 2012)
    • 1917 – Claude Seignolle, French author (d. 2018)
    • 1918 – P. H. Newby, English soldier and author (d. 1997)
    • 1920 – Lassie Lou Ahern, American actress (d. 2018)
    • 1921 – Celia Franca, English-Canadian ballerina and choreographer, founded the National Ballet of Canada (d. 2007)
    • 1922 – Johnny Smith, American guitarist and songwriter (d. 2013)
    • 1923 – Sam Francis, American soldier and painter (d. 1994)
    • 1923 – Dorothy Gilman, American author (d. 2012)
    • 1923 – Jamshid Amouzegar, 43rd Prime Minister of Iran (d. 2016)
    • 1924 – Sidney Lumet, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2011)
    • 1924 – Dimitar Isakov, Bulgarian football player
    • 1924 – Madan Mohan, Iraqi-Indian composer and director (d. 1975)
    • 1924 – William J. Castagna, American lawyer and judge
    • 1925 – Clifton Chenier, American singer-songwriter and accordion player (d. 1987)
    • 1925 – June Lockhart, American actress
    • 1925 – Clay Evans, American Baptist pastor (d. 2019)
    • 1925 – Robert Venturi, American architect and academic (d. 2018)
    • 1925 – Virginia Patton, American actress and businesswoman
    • 1926 – Margaret Anstee, English diplomat (d. 2016)
    • 1926 – Ingeborg Bachmann, Austrian author and poet (d. 1973)
    • 1926 – Kep Enderby, Australian lawyer, judge, and politician, 23rd Attorney-General for Australia (d. 2015)
    • 1926 – Stig Sollander, Swedish Alpine skier (d. 2019)
    • 1927 – Antal Róka, Hungarian runner (d. 1970)
    • 1927 – Chuck Smith, American pastor, founded the Calvary Chapel (d. 2013)
    • 1927 – Arnold Wolfendale, English astronomer and academic
    • 1928 – Alexei Alexeyevich Abrikosov, Russian-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2017)
    • 1928 – John A. Wickham Jr., United States Army general
    • 1928 – Michel Brault, Canadian director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2013)
    • 1928 – Peyo, Belgian author and illustrator, created The Smurfs (d. 1992)
    • 1928 – Bill Russo, American pianist and composer (d. 2003)
    • 1928 – Alex Toth, American animator and screenwriter (d. 2006)
    • 1929 – Eric Carle, American author and illustrator
    • 1929 – Francesco Marchisano, Italian cardinal (d. 2014)
    • 1931 – V. P. Singh, Indian lawyer and politician, 7th Prime Minister of India (d. 2008)
    • 1932 – Peter Blake, English painter and illustrator
    • 1932 – Tim Parnell, English race car driver (d. 2017)
    • 1932 – George Sluizer, French-Dutch director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2014)
    • 1933 – Álvaro Siza Vieira, Portuguese architect, designed the Porto School of Architecture
    • 1934 – Jean Geissinger, American baseball player (d. 2014)
    • 1934 – Jack W. Hayford, American minister and author
    • 1934 – Beatriz Sheridan, Mexican actress and director (d. 2006)
    • 1935 – Ray Butt, English television producer and director (d. 2013)
    • 1935 – Salihu Ibrahim, Nigerian Army Officer (d. 2018)
    • 1935 – Taufiq Ismail, Indonesian poet and activist
    • 1935 – Larry Kramer, American author, playwright, and activist, co-founded Gay Men’s Health Crisis (d. 2020)
    • 1935 – Don Demeter, American professional baseball player
    • 1935 – Tony Lanfranchi, English race car driver (d. 2004)
    • 1935 – Judy Howe, American artistic gymnast
    • 1935 – Charles Sheffield, English-American mathematician, physicist, and author (d. 2002)
    • 1936 – B. J. Habibie, Indonesian engineer and politician, 3rd President of Indonesia (d. 2019)
    • 1936 – Bert Hölldobler, German biologist and entomologist
    • 1937 – Eddie Floyd, American R&B/soul singer-songwriter
    • 1937 – Derek Foster, Baron Foster of Bishop Auckland, English politician (d. 2019)
    • 1937 – Doreen Wells, English ballerina and actress
    • 1939 – Allen Fox, American tennis player and coach
    • 1940 – Judy Amoore, Australian runner
    • 1940 – Mary Beth Peil, American actress and singer
    • 1940 – A. J. Quinnell, English-Maltese author (d. 2005)
    • 1940 – Clint Warwick, English bass player (d. 2004)
    • 1941 – Denys Arcand, Canadian director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1941 – John Albert Raven, Scottish academic and ecologist
    • 1942 – Nikiforos Diamandouros, Greek academic and politician
    • 1942 – Willis Reed, American basketball player, coach, and manager
    • 1942 – Michel Tremblay, Canadian author and playwright
    • 1944 – Robert Charlebois, Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
    • 1944 – Gary David Goldberg, American screenwriter and producer (d. 2013)
    • 1945 – Carly Simon, American singer-songwriter
    • 1945 – Baba Gana Kingibe, Nigerian politician
    • 1945 – Harry Womack, American singer (d. 1974)
    • 1946 – Roméo Dallaire, Dutch-Canadian general and politician
    • 1946 – Allen Lanier, American guitarist and songwriter (d. 2013)
    • 1946 – Ian McDonald, English guitarist and saxophonist
    • 1947 – John Hilton, English table tennis player
    • 1947 – John Powell, American discus thrower
    • 1947 – Jimmie Walker, American actor and comedian
    • 1949 – Richard Clarke, Irish archbishop
    • 1949 – Patrick Tambay, French race car driver
    • 1949 – Yoon Joo-sang, South Korean actor
    • 1950 – Marcello Toninelli, Italian author and screenwriter
    • 1951 – Eva Bayer-Fluckiger, Swiss mathematician and academic
    • 1952 – Péter Erdő, Hungarian cardinal
    • 1952 – Tim Finn, New Zealand singer-songwriter
    • 1952 – Martin Gerschwitz, German singer-songwriter and keyboard player
    • 1952 – Alan Green, Northern Irish sportscaster
    • 1952 – Kristina Abelli Elander, Swedish artist
    • 1953 – Olivier Ameisen, French-American cardiologist and educator (d. 2013)
    • 1953 – Ian Davis, Australian cricketer
    • 1954 – Mario Lessard, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1954 – David Paich, American singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer
    • 1954 – Lina Romay, Spanish actress (d. 2012)
    • 1954 – Daryush Shokof, Iranian director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1954 – Sonia Sotomayor, American lawyer and judge
    • 1955 – Vic Marks, English cricketer and sportscaster
    • 1956 – Anthony Bourdain, American chef and author (d. 2018)
    • 1956 – Frank Paschek, German long jumper
    • 1956 – Boris Trajkovski, Macedonian politician, 2nd President of the Republic of Macedonia (d. 2004)
    • 1956 – Craig Young, Australian rugby player and coach
    • 1957 – Greg Millen, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
    • 1958 – George Becali, Romanian businessman, politician
    • 1959 – Lutz Dombrowski, German long jumper and educator
    • 1959 – Jari Puikkonen, Finnish ski jumper
    • 1959 – Bobbie Vaile, Australian astrophysicist and astronomer (d. 1996)
    • 1960 – Alastair Bruce of Crionaich, English-Scottish journalist and author
    • 1960 – Brian Hayward, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
    • 1960 – Craig Johnston, South African-Australian footballer and photographer
    • 1960 – Laurent Rodriguez, French rugby player
    • 1961 – Timur Bekmambetov, Kazakh director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1961 – Ricky Gervais, English comedian, actor, director, producer and singer
    • 1963 – John Benjamin Hickey, American actor
    • 1963 – Yann Martel, Spanish-Canadian author
    • 1963 – Doug Gilmour, Canadian ice hockey player and manager
    • 1963 – George Michael, English singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2016)
    • 1963 – Mike Stanley, American baseball player
    • 1964 – Dell Curry, American basketball player and coach
    • 1964 – Phil Emery, Australian cricketer
    • 1964 – Johnny Herbert, English race car driver and sportscaster
    • 1964 – John McCrea, American singer-songwriter and musician
    • 1964 – Greg Raymer, American poker player and lawyer
    • 1965 – Napole Polutele, French politician
    • 1965 – Kerri Pottharst, Australian beach volleyball player
    • 1965 – Joseph Hii Teck Kwong, Malaysian bishop
    • 1966 – Dikembe Mutombo, Congolese-American basketball player
    • 1967 – Tracey Spicer, Australian journalist
    • 1968 – Adrian Garvey, Zimbabwean-South African rugby player
    • 1968 – Vaios Karagiannis, Greek footballer and manager
    • 1969 – Hunter Foster, American actor and singer
    • 1969 – Zim Zum, American guitarist and songwriter
    • 1970 – Ariel Gore, American journalist and author
    • 1970 – Roope Latvala, Finnish guitarist
    • 1970 – Erki Nool, Estonian decathlete and politician
    • 1970 – Aaron Sele, American baseball player and scout
    • 1971 – Karen Darke, English cyclist and author
    • 1971 – Jason Gallian, Australian-English cricketer and educator
    • 1971 – Rod Kafer, Australian rugby player and sportscaster
    • 1971 – Neil Lennon, Northern Irish-Scottish footballer and manager
    • 1971 – Michael Tucker, American baseball player
    • 1972 – Carlos Delgado, Puerto Rican-American baseball player and coach
    • 1972 – Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, Libyan engineer and politician
    • 1973 – René Corbet, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1973 – Milan Hnilička, Czech ice hockey player
    • 1973 – Jamie Redknapp, English footballer and coach
    • 1974 – Nisha Ganatra, Canadian director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1974 – Glen Metropolit, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1975 – Kiur Aarma, Estonian journalist and producer
    • 1975 – Linda Cardellini, American actress
    • 1975 – Albert Costa, Spanish tennis player and coach
    • 1975 – Vladimir Kramnik, Russian chess player
    • 1975 – Michele Merkin, American model and television host
    • 1976 – José Cancela, Uruguayan footballer
    • 1976 – Iestyn Harris, Welsh rugby player and coach
    • 1976 – Carlos Nieto, Argentinian-Italian rugby player
    • 1976 – Neil Walker, American swimmer
    • 1978 – Aramis Ramírez, Dominican-American baseball player
    • 1978 – Luke Scott, American baseball player
    • 1978 – Marcus Stroud, American football player
    • 1979 – Marko Albert, Estonian swimmer and triathlete
    • 1979 – Richard Hughes, Scottish footballer
    • 1979 – Busy Philipps, American actress
    • 1981 – Simon Ammann, Swiss ski jumper
    • 1982 – Rain, South Korean singer and actor
    • 1982 – Mikhail Youzhny, Russian tennis player
    • 1983 – Todd Cooper, English swimmer
    • 1983 – Marc Janko, Austrian footballer
    • 1984 – Lauren Bush, American model and fashion designer
    • 1985 – Karim Matmour, Algerian footballer
    • 1986 – Aya Matsuura, Japanese singer and actress
    • 1986 – Seda Tokatlıoğlu, Turkish volleyball player
    • 1988 – Jhonas Enroth, Swedish ice hockey player
    • 1988 – Miguel Layún, Mexican footballer
    • 1988 – Therese Johaug, Norwegian cross-country skier
    • 1989 – Jack Cork, English footballer
    • 1989 – Edgar Morais, Portuguese actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1989 – Rafael Morais, Portuguese actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1990 – Andi Eigenmann, Filipino actress
    • 1991 – Liisi Rist, Estonian cyclist
    • 1991 – Anna Zaja, German tennis player
    • 1996 – Pietro Fittipaldi, Brazilian-American race car driver
    • 1996 – Sione Mata’utia, Australian rugby league player
    • 1996 – Lele Pons, Latina-American Internet personality
    • 1998 – Kyle Chalmers, Australian swimmer
    • 2006 – Mckenna Grace, American actress

    Deaths on June 25

    • 635 – Gao Zu, Chinese emperor (b. 566)
    • 841 – Gerard of Auvergne, Frankish nobleman
    • 841 – Ricwin of Nantes, Frankish nobleman
    • 891 – Sunderolt, German archbishop
    • 931 – An Chonghui, Chinese general
    • 1014 – Æthelstan Ætheling, son of Æthelred the Unready
    • 1031 – Sheng Zong, Chinese emperor (b. 972)
    • 1134 – Niels, king of Denmark (b. 1065)
    • 1218 – Simon de Montfort, 5th Earl of Leicester, French politician, Lord High Steward (b. 1160)
    • 1291 – Eleanor of Provence, queen of England (b. 1223)
    • 1337 – Frederick III, king of Sicily (b. 1272)
    • 1394 – Dorothea of Montau, German hermitess (b. 1347)
    • 1483 – Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers, English courtier and translator (b. 1440)
    • 1483 – Richard Grey, half brother of Edward V of England (b. 1458)
    • 1522 – Franchinus Gaffurius, Italian composer and theorist (b. 1451)
    • 1533 – Mary Tudor, queen of France (b. 1496)
    • 1579 – Hatano Hideharu, Japanese warlord (b. 1541)
    • 1593 – Michele Mercati, Italian physician and archaeologist (b. 1541)
    • 1634 – John Marston, English poet and playwright (b. 1576)
    • 1638 – Juan Pérez de Montalbán, Spanish author, poet, and playwright (b. 1602)
    • 1665 – Sigismund Francis, archduke of Austria (b. 1630)
    • 1669 – François de Vendôme, duke of Beaufort (b. 1616)
    • 1671 – Giovanni Battista Riccioli, Italian priest and astronomer (b. 1598)
    • 1673 – Charles de Batz-Castelmore d’Artagnan, French captain (b. 1611)
    • 1686 – Simon Ushakov, Russian painter and educator (b. 1626)
    • 1715 – Jean-Baptiste du Casse, French admiral and politician (b. 1646)
    • 1767 – Georg Philipp Telemann, German composer and theorist (b. 1681)
    • 1798 – Thomas Sandby, English cartographer, painter, and architect (b. 1721)
    • 1822 – E. T. A. Hoffmann, German composer, critic, and jurist (b. 1776)
    • 1835 – Ebenezer Pemberton, American educator (b. 1746)
    • 1838 – François-Nicolas-Benoît Haxo, French general and engineer (b. 1774)
    • 1861 – Abdülmecid I, Ottoman sultan (b. 1823)
    • 1866 – Alexander von Nordmann, Finnish biologist and paleontologist (b. 1803)
    • 1868 – Carlo Matteucci, Italian physicist and neurophysiologist (b. 1811)
    • 1870 – David Heaton, American lawyer and politician (b. 1823)
    • 1875 – Antoine-Louis Barye, French sculptor (b. 1796)
    • 1876 – James Calhoun, American lieutenant (b. 1845)
    • 1876 – Boston Custer, American civilian army contractor (b. 1848)
    • 1876 – George Armstrong Custer, American general (b. 1839)
    • 1876 – Thomas Custer, American officer, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1845)
    • 1876 – Myles Keogh, Irish-American officer (b. 1840)
    • 1882 – François Jouffroy, French sculptor (b. 1806)
    • 1884 – Hans Rott, Austrian organist and composer (b. 1858)
    • 1886 – Jean-Louis Beaudry, Canadian businessman and politician, 11th Mayor of Montreal (b. 1809)
    • 1894 – Marie François Sadi Carnot, French engineer and politician, 5th President of France (b. 1837)
    • 1906 – Stanford White, American architect, designed the Washington Square Arch (b. 1853)
    • 1912 – Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Dutch-British painter (b. 1836)
    • 1916 – Thomas Eakins, American painter, photographer, and sculptor (b. 1844)
    • 1917 – Géza Gyóni, Hungarian soldier and poet (b. 1884)
    • 1918 – Jake Beckley, American baseball player and coach (b. 1867)
    • 1922 – Satyendranath Dutta, Indian poet and author (b. 1882)
    • 1937 – Colin Clive, British actor (b. 1900)
    • 1939 – Richard Seaman, English race car driver (b. 1913)
    • 1943 – Arthur Goldstein, German Jewish left-wing activist (c. 1887)
    • 1944 – Dénes Berinkey, Hungarian jurist and politician, 18th Prime Minister of Hungary (b. 1871)
    • 1944 – Lucha Reyes, Mexican singer and actress (b. 1906)
    • 1947 – Jimmy Doyle, American boxer (b. 1924)
    • 1948 – William C. Lee, American general (b. 1895)
    • 1949 – Buck Freeman, American baseball player (b. 1871)
    • 1949 – James Steen, American water polo player (b. 1876)
    • 1950 – Maurice O’Sullivan, Irish police officer and author (b. 1904)
    • 1958 – Alfred Noyes, English author, poet, and playwright (b. 1880)
    • 1959 – Charles Starkweather, American spree killer (b. 1938)
    • 1960 – Tommy Corcoran, American baseball player and manager (b. 1869)
    • 1968 – Tony Hancock, English comedian and actor (b. 1924)
    • 1971 – John Boyd Orr, 1st Baron Boyd-Orr, Scottish physician, biologist, and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1880)
    • 1972 – Jan Matulka, Czech-American painter and illustrator (b. 1890)
    • 1974 – Cornelius Lanczos, Hungarian mathematician and physicist (b. 1893)
    • 1976 – Johnny Mercer, American singer-songwriter, co-founded Capitol Records (b. 1909)
    • 1977 – Olave Baden-Powell, British Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting leader (b. 1889)
    • 1977 – Endre Szervánszky, Hungarian pianist and composer (b. 1911)
    • 1979 – Dave Fleischer, American animator, director, and producer (b. 1894)
    • 1979 – Philippe Halsman, Latvian-American photographer (b. 1906)
    • 1981 – Felipe Cossío del Pomar, Peruvian painter and political activist (b. 1888)
    • 1983 – Alberto Ginastera, Argentinian pianist and composer (b. 1916)
    • 1984 – Michel Foucault, French historian and philosopher (b. 1926)
    • 1988 – Hillel Slovak, Israeli-American guitarist and songwriter (b. 1962)
    • 1990 – Ronald Gene Simmons, American sergeant and murderer (b. 1940)
    • 1992 – Jerome Brown, American football player (b. 1965)
    • 1995 – Warren E. Burger, Fifteenth Chief Justice of the United States (b. 1907)
    • 1995 – Ernest Walton, Irish physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1903)
    • 1996 – Arthur Snelling, English civil servant and diplomat, British Ambassador to South Africa (b. 1914)
    • 1997 – Jacques Cousteau, French oceanographer and explorer (b. 1910)
    • 2002 – Jean Corbeil, Canadian politician, 29th Canadian Minister of Labour (b. 1934)
    • 2003 – Lester Maddox, American businessman and politician, 75th Governor of Georgia (b. 1915)
    • 2004 – Morton Coutts, New Zealand inventor (b. 1904)
    • 2005 – John Fiedler, American actor and voice artist (b. 1925)
    • 2005 – Kâzım Koyuncu, Turkish singer-songwriter and activist (b. 1971)
    • 2006 – Jaap Penraat, Dutch-American humanitarian (b. 1918)
    • 2007 – J. Fred Duckett, American journalist and educator (b. 1933)
    • 2007 – Jeeva, Indian director, cinematographer, and screenwriter (b. 1963)
    • 2008 – Lyall Watson, South African anthropologist and ethologist (b. 1939)
    • 2009 – Farrah Fawcett, American actress and producer (b. 1947)
    • 2009 – Michael Jackson, American singer-songwriter, producer, dancer, and actor (b. 1958)
    • 2009 – Sky Saxon, American singer-songwriter (b. 1937)
    • 2010 – Alan Plater, English playwright and screenwriter (b. 1935)
    • 2010 – Richard B. Sellars, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1915)
    • 2011 – Annie Easley, American computer scientist and mathematician (b. 1933)
    • 2011 – Goff Richards, English composer and conductor (b. 1944)
    • 2011 – Margaret Tyzack, English actress (b. 1931)
    • 2012 – Shigemitsu Dandō, Japanese academic and jurist (b. 1913)
    • 2012 – Campbell Gillies, Scottish jockey (b. 1990)
    • 2012 – George Randolph Hearst, Jr., American businessman (b. 1927)
    • 2012 – Lucella MacLean, American baseball player (b. 1921)
    • 2012 – Edgar Ross, American boxer (b. 1949)
    • 2013 – George Burditt, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1923)
    • 2013 – Catherine Gibson, Scottish swimmer (b. 1931)
    • 2013 – Robert E. Gilka, American photographer and journalist (b. 1916)
    • 2013 – Harry Parker, American rower and coach (b. 1935)
    • 2013 – Mildred Ladner Thompson, American journalist (b. 1918)
    • 2013 – Green Wix Unthank, American soldier and judge (b. 1923)
    • 2014 – Nigel Calder, English journalist, author, and screenwriter (b. 1931)
    • 2014 – Ana María Matute, Spanish author and academic (b. 1925)
    • 2014 – Ivan Plyushch, Ukrainian agronomist and politician (b. 1941)
    • 2015 – Patrick Macnee, English actor (b. 1922)
    • 2015 – Nerses Bedros XIX Tarmouni, Egyptian-Armenian patriarch (b. 1940)
    • 2016 – Adam Small, South African writer of apartheid-period (b. 1936)
    • 2018 – Richard Benjamin Harrison, American businessman and reality television personality (b. 1941)
    • 2018 – David Goldblatt, South African photographer of apartheid-period (b. 1930)

    Holidays and observances on June 25

    • Arbor Day (Philippines)
    • Christian feast day:
      • David of Munktorp
      • Eurosia
      • Maximus (Massimo) of Turin
      • Philipp Melanchthon (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America)
      • Presentation of the Augsburg Confession (Lutheran)
      • Prosper of Aquitaine
      • Prosper of Reggio
      • William of Montevergine
      • June 25 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Mozambique from Portugal in 1975.
    • National Catfish Day (United States)
    • Statehood Day (Slovenia)
    • Statehood Day (Virginia)
    • Teacher’s Day (Guatemala)
    • World Vitiligo Day
  • June 23 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 229 – Sun Quan proclaims himself emperor of Eastern Wu.
    • 1266 – War of Saint Sabas: In the Battle of Trapani, the Venetians defeat a larger Genoese fleet, capturing all its ships.
    • 1280 – The Spanish Reconquista: In the Battle of Moclín the Emirate of Granada ambush a superior pursuing force, killing most of them in a military disaster for the Kingdom of Castile.
    • 1305 – A peace treaty between the Flemish and the French is signed at Athis-sur-Orge.
    • 1314 – First War of Scottish Independence: The Battle of Bannockburn (south of Stirling) begins.
    • 1532 – Henry VIII of England and Francis I of France sign the “Treaty of Closer Amity With France” (also known as the Pommeraye treaty), pledging mutual aid against Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.
    • 1565 – Dragut, commander of the Ottoman navy, dies during the Great Siege of Malta.
    • 1594 – The Action of Faial, Azores. The Portuguese carrack Cinco Chagas, loaded with slaves and treasure, is attacked and sunk by English ships with only 13 survivors out of over 700 on board.
    • 1611 – The mutinous crew of Henry Hudson’s fourth voyage sets Henry, his son and seven loyal crew members adrift in an open boat in what is now Hudson Bay; they are never heard from again.
    • 1683 – William Penn signs a friendship treaty with Lenni Lenape Indians in Pennsylvania.
    • 1713 – The French residents of Acadia are given one year to declare allegiance to Britain or leave Nova Scotia, Canada.
    • 1757 – Battle of Plassey: Three thousand British troops under Robert Clive defeat a 50,000-strong Indian army under Siraj ud-Daulah at Plassey.
    • 1758 – Seven Years’ War: Battle of Krefeld: British, Hanoverian, and Prussian forces defeat French troops at Krefeld in Germany.
    • 1760 – Seven Years’ War: Battle of Landeshut: Austria defeats Prussia.
    • 1780 – American Revolution: Battle of Springfield fought in and around Springfield, New Jersey (including Short Hills, formerly of Springfield, now of Millburn Township).
    • 1794 – Empress Catherine II of Russia grants Jews permission to settle in Kiev.
    • 1810 – John Jacob Astor forms the Pacific Fur Company.
    • 1812 – War of 1812: Great Britain revokes the restrictions on American commerce, thus eliminating one of the chief reasons for going to war.
    • 1860 – The United States Congress establishes the Government Printing Office.
    • 1865 – American Civil War: At Fort Towson in the Oklahoma Territory, Confederate Brigadier General Stand Watie surrenders the last significant Confederate army.
    • 1868 – Christopher Latham Sholes received a patent for an invention he called the “Type-Writer”.
    • 1887 – The Rocky Mountains Park Act becomes law in Canada creating the nation’s first national park, Banff National Park.
    • 1894 – The International Olympic Committee is founded at the Sorbonne in Paris, at the initiative of Baron Pierre de Coubertin.
    • 1913 – Second Balkan War: The Greeks defeat the Bulgarians in the Battle of Doiran.
    • 1914 – Mexican Revolution: Pancho Villa takes Zacatecas from Victoriano Huerta.
    • 1917 – In a game against the Washington Senators, Boston Red Sox pitcher Ernie Shore retires 26 batters in a row after replacing Babe Ruth, who had been ejected for punching the umpire.
    • 1919 – Estonian War of Independence: The decisive defeat of the Baltische Landeswehr in the Battle of Cēsis; this date is celebrated as Victory Day in Estonia.
    • 1926 – The College Board administers the first SAT exam.
    • 1931 – Wiley Post and Harold Gatty take off from Roosevelt Field, Long Island in an attempt to circumnavigate the world in a single-engine plane.
    • 1938 – The Civil Aeronautics Act is signed into law, forming the Civil Aeronautics Authority in the United States.
    • 1940 – Adolf Hitler goes on a three-hour tour of the architecture of Paris with architect Albert Speer and sculptor Arno Breker in his only visit to the city.
    • 1940 – Henry Larsen begins the first successful west-to-east navigation of Northwest Passage from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
    • 1941 – The Lithuanian Activist Front declares independence from the Soviet Union and forms the Provisional Government of Lithuania; it lasts only briefly as the Nazis will occupy Lithuania a few weeks later.
    • 1942 – World War II: Germany’s latest fighter aircraft, a Focke-Wulf Fw 190, is captured intact when it mistakenly lands at RAF Pembrey in Wales.
    • 1946 – The 1946 Vancouver Island earthquake strikes Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.
    • 1947 – The United States Senate follows the United States House of Representatives in overriding U.S. President Harry S. Truman’s veto of the Taft–Hartley Act.
    • 1951 – The ocean liner SS United States is christened and launched.
    • 1956 – The French National Assembly takes the first step in creating the French Community by passing the Loi Cadre, transferring a number of powers from Paris to elected territorial governments in French West Africa.
    • 1959 – Convicted Manhattan Project spy Klaus Fuchs is released after only nine years in prison and allowed to emigrate to Dresden, East Germany where he resumes a scientific career.
    • 1960 – The United States Food and Drug Administration declares Enovid to be the first officially approved combined oral contraceptive pill in the world.
    • 1961 – The Antarctic Treaty System, which sets aside Antarctica as a scientific preserve and limits military activity on the continent, its islands and ice shelves, comes into force.
    • 1967 – Cold War: U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson meets with Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin in Glassboro, New Jersey for the three-day Glassboro Summit Conference.
    • 1969 – Warren E. Burger is sworn in as Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court by retiring Chief Justice Earl Warren.
    • 1969 – IBM announces that effective January 1970 it will price its software and services separately from hardware thus creating the modern software industry.
    • 1972 – Watergate scandal: U.S. President Richard M. Nixon and White House Chief of Staff H. R. Haldeman are taped talking about using the Central Intelligence Agency to obstruct the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s investigation into the Watergate break-ins.
    • 1972 – Title IX of the United States Civil Rights Act of 1964 is amended to prohibit sexual discrimination to any educational program receiving federal funds.
    • 1973 – A fire at a house in Hull, England, which kills a six-year-old boy is passed off as an accident; it later emerges as the first of 26 deaths by fire caused over the next seven years by serial arsonist Peter Dinsdale.
    • 1985 – A terrorist bomb explodes at Narita International Airport near Tokyo. An hour later, the same group detonates a second bomb aboard Air India Flight 182, bringing the Boeing 747 down off the coast of Ireland killing all 329 aboard.
    • 1994 – NASA’s Space Station Processing Facility, a new state-of-the-art manufacturing building for the International Space Station, officially opens at Kennedy Space Center.
    • 2001 – The 8.4 Mw  southern Peru earthquake shakes coastal Peru with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). A destructive tsunami followed, leaving at least 74 people dead, and 2,687 injured.
    • 2012 – Ashton Eaton breaks the decathlon world record at the United States Olympic Trials.
    • 2013 – Nik Wallenda becomes the first man to successfully walk across the Grand Canyon on a tight rope.
    • 2013 – Militants stormed a high-altitude mountaineering base camp near Nanga Parbat in Gilgit–Baltistan, Pakistan killing ten climbers, and a local guide.
    • 2014 – The last of Syria’s declared chemical weapons are shipped out for destruction.
    • 2016 – The United Kingdom votes in a referendum to leave the European Union, by 52% to 48%.
    • 2017 – A series of terrorist attacks took place in Pakistan resulting in 96 deaths and wounded 200 others.

    Births on June 23

    • 47 BC – Caesarion, Egyptian king (d. 30 BC)
    • 1385 – Stefan, Count Palatine of Simmern-Zweibrücken (d. 1459)
    • 1433 – Francis II, Duke of Brittany (d. 1488)
    • 1456 – Margaret of Denmark, Queen of Scotland (d. 1486)
    • 1489 – Charles II, Duke of Savoy, Italian nobleman (d. 1496)
    • 1534 – Oda Nobunaga, Japanese warlord (d. 1582)
    • 1596 – Johan Banér, Swedish field marshal (d. 1641)
    • 1616 – Shah Shuja, Mughal prince (d. 1661)
    • 1625 – John Fell, English churchman and influential academic (d. 1686)
    • 1668 – Giambattista Vico, Italian jurist, historian, and philosopher (d. 1744)
    • 1683 – Étienne Fourmont, French orientalist and sinologist (d. 1745)
    • 1711 – Giovanni Battista Guadagnini, Italian instrument maker (d. 1786)
    • 1716 – Fletcher Norton, 1st Baron Grantley, English lawyer and politician, Solicitor General for England and Wales (d. 1789)
    • 1750 – Déodat Gratet de Dolomieu, French geologist and academic (d. 1801)
    • 1763 – Joséphine de Beauharnais, French wife of Napoleon I (d. 1814)
    • 1799 – John Milton Bernhisel, American physician and politician (d. 1881)
    • 1800 – Karol Marcinkowski, Polish physician and activist (d. 1846)
    • 1824 – Carl Reinecke, German pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1910)
    • 1843 – Paul Heinrich von Groth, German scientist (d. 1927)
    • 1860 – Albert Giraud, Belgian poet and librarian (d. 1929)
    • 1863 – Sándor Bródy, Hungarian author and journalist (d. 1924)
    • 1877 – Norman Pritchard, Indian-English hurdler and actor (d. 1929)
    • 1879 – Huda Sha’arawi, Egyptian feminist and journalist (d. 1947)
    • 1884 – Cyclone Taylor, Canadian ice hockey player and politician (d. 1979)
    • 1888 – Bronson M. Cutting, American publisher and politician (d. 1935)
    • 1889 – Anna Akhmatova, Ukrainian-Russian poet and author (d. 1966)
    • 1889 – Verena Holmes, English engineer (d. 1964)
    • 1894 – Harold Barrowclough, New Zealand military leader, lawyer and Chief Justice (d. 1972)
    • 1894 – Alfred Kinsey, American entomologist and sexologist (d. 1956)
    • 1894 – Edward VIII, King of the United Kingdom (d. 1972)
    • 1899 – Amédée Gordini, Italian-born French race car driver and sports car manufacturer (d. 1979)
    • 1900 – Blanche Noyes, American aviator, winner of the 1936 Bendix Trophy Race (d. 1981)
    • 1901 – Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar, Turkish author, poet, and scholar (d. 1962)
    • 1903 – Paul Martin Sr., Canadian lawyer and politician (d. 1992)
    • 1904 – Quintin McMillan, South African cricketer (d. 1938)
    • 1905 – Jack Pickersgill, Canadian civil servant and politician, 35th Secretary of State for Canada (d. 1997)
    • 1906 – Tribhuvan of Nepal (d. 1955)
    • 1907 – Dercy Gonçalves, Brazilian actress and singer (d. 2008)
    • 1907 – James Meade, English economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1995)
    • 1909 – David Lewis, Russian-Canadian lawyer and politician (d. 1981)
    • 1909 – Georges Rouquier, French actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1989)
    • 1910 – Jean Anouilh, French playwright and screenwriter (d. 1987)
    • 1910 – Gordon B. Hinckley, American religious leader, 15th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (d. 2008)
    • 1910 – Milt Hinton, American bassist and photographer (d. 2000)
    • 1910 – Bill King, English commander and author (d. 2012)
    • 1910 – Lawson Little, American golfer (d. 1968)
    • 1912 – Alan Turing, English mathematician and computer scientist (d. 1954)
    • 1913 – William P. Rogers, American commander, lawyer, and politician, 55th United States Secretary of State (d. 2001)
    • 1915 – Frances Gabe, American artist and inventor (d. 2016)
    • 1916 – Len Hutton, English cricketer and soldier (d. 1990)
    • 1916 – Irene Worth, American actress (d. 2002)
    • 1916 – Al G. Wright, American bandleader and conductor
    • 1919 – Mohamed Boudiaf, Algerian politician, President of Algeria (d. 1992)
    • 1920 – Saleh Ajeery, Kuwaiti astronomer
    • 1921 – Paul Findley, American politician (d. 2019)
    • 1922 – Morris R. Jeppson, American lieutenant and physicist (d. 2010)
    • 1922 – Hal Laycoe, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 1998)
    • 1923 – Peter Corr, Irish-English footballer and manager (d. 2001)
    • 1923 – Elroy Schwartz, American screenwriter and producer (d. 2013)
    • 1923 – Doris Johnson, American politician
    • 1923 – Jerry Rullo, American professional basketball player (d. 2016)
    • 1923 – Giuseppina Tuissi, Italian communist and Partisan (d. 1945)
    • 1924 – Frank Bolle, American comic-strip artist, comic-book artist, and illustrator (d. 2020)
    • 1925 – Miriam Karlin, English actress (d. 2011)
    • 1925 – Art Modell, American businessman (d. 2012)
    • 1925 – Anna Chennault, Chinese widow of Lieutenant General Claire Lee Chennault (d. 2018)
    • 1926 – Lawson Soulsby, Baron Soulsby of Swaffham Prior, English microbiologist and parasitologist (d. 2017)
    • 1926 – Magda Herzberger, Romanian author, poet and composer, a survivor of the Holocaust
    • 1926 – Annette Mbaye d’Erneville, Senegalese writer
    • 1926 – Arnaldo Pomodoro, Italian sculptor
    • 1927 – Bob Fosse, American actor, dancer, choreographer, and director (d. 1987)
    • 1927 – John Habgood, Baron Habgood, English archbishop (d. 2019)
    • 1928 – Jean Cione, American baseball player (d. 2010)
    • 1928 – Klaus von Dohnányi, German politician
    • 1928 – Michael Shaara, American author and academic (d. 1988)
    • 1929 – June Carter Cash, American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress (d. 2003)
    • 1929 – Mario Ghella, Italian racing cyclist
    • 1930 – Donn F. Eisele, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (d. 1987)
    • 1930 – John Elliott, English historian and academic
    • 1930 – Francis Newall, 2nd Baron Newall, English businessman and politician
    • 1930 – Anthony Thwaite, English poet, critic, and academic
    • 1930 – Marie-Thérèse Houphouët-Boigny, former First Lady of Ivory Coast
    • 1931 – Gunnar Uusi, Estonian chess player (d. 1981)
    • 1931 – Ola Ullsten, Swedish politician and diplomat (d. 2018)
    • 1932 – Peter Millett, Baron Millett, English lawyer and judge
    • 1934 – Keith Sutton, English bishop (d. 2017)
    • 1934 – Bill Torrey, Canadian businessman (d. 2018)
    • 1934 – Virbhadra Singh, Indian politician
    • 1935 – Maurice Ferré, Puerto Rican-American politician, 32nd Mayor of Miami
    • 1935 – Keith Burkinshaw, English footballer and manager
    • 1936 – Richard Bach, American novelist and essayist
    • 1936 – Costas Simitis, Greek economist, lawyer, and politician, 180th Prime Minister of Greece
    • 1937 – Martti Ahtisaari, Finnish captain and politician, 10th President of Finland, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1937 – Alan Haselhurst, English academic and politician
    • 1937 – Niki Sullivan, American guitarist and songwriter (d. 2004)
    • 1939 – Scott Burton, American sculptor (d. 1989)
    • 1940 – Adam Faith, English singer (d. 2003)
    • 1940 – George Feigley, American sex cult leader and two-time prison escapee (d. 2009)
    • 1940 – Derry Irvine, Baron Irvine of Lairg, Scottish lawyer, judge, and politician, Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain
    • 1940 – Wilma Rudolph, American runner (d. 1994)
    • 1940 – Mike Shrimpton, New Zealand cricketer and coach (d. 2015)
    • 1940 – Stuart Sutcliffe, Scottish painter and musician (d. 1962)
    • 1940 – Diana Trask, Australian singer-songwriter
    • 1941 – Robert Hunter, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2019)
    • 1941 – Roger McDonald, Australian author and screenwriter
    • 1941 – Keith Newton, English footballer (d. 1998)
    • 1942 – Martin Rees, Baron Rees of Ludlow, English cosmologist and astrophysicist
    • 1943 – Patrick Bokanowski, French filmmaker
    • 1943 – Ellyn Kaschak, American psychologist and academic
    • 1943 – James Levine, American pianist and conductor
    • 1945 – Kjell Albin Abrahamson, Swedish journalist and author
    • 1945 – John Garang, Sudanese colonel and politician, President of Southern Sudan (d. 2005)
    • 1946 – Julian Hipwood, English polo player and coach
    • 1946 – Ted Shackelford, American actor
    • 1947 – Bryan Brown, Australian actor and producer
    • 1948 – Clarence Thomas, American lawyer and judge, United States Supreme Court Justice
    • 1949 – Gordon Bray, Australian journalist and sportscaster
    • 1949 – Sheila Noakes, Baroness Noakes, English accountant and politician
    • 1951 – Angelo Falcón, Puerto Rican-American political scientist, activist, and academic, founded the National Institute for Latino Policy
    • 1951 – Michèle Mouton, French race car driver and manager
    • 1951 – Raj Babbar, Indian actor and politician
    • 1953 – Armen Sarkissian, Armenian physicist, politician and current President of Armenia
    • 1955 – Pierre Corbeil, Canadian dentist and politician
    • 1955 – Glenn Danzig, American singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1955 – Jean Tigana, French footballer and manager
    • 1956 – Daniel J. Drucker, Canadian academic and educator
    • 1956 – Tony Hill, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1956 – Randy Jackson, American bass player and producer
    • 1957 – Dave Houghton, Zimbabwean cricketer and coach
    • 1957 – Frances McDormand, American actress, winner of the Triple Crown of Acting
    • 1958 – John Hayes, English politician, Minister of State at the Department of Energy and Climate Change
    • 1960 – Donald Harrison, American saxophonist, composer, and producer
    • 1960 – Tatsuya Uemura, Japanese composer and programmer
    • 1961 – Richard Arnold, English lawyer and judge
    • 1961 – Zoran Janjetov, Serbian singer and illustrator
    • 1961 – LaSalle Thompson, American basketball player, coach, and manager
    • 1962 – Chuck Billy, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1963 – Colin Montgomerie, Scottish golfer
    • 1964 – Nicolas Marceau, Canadian economist and politician
    • 1964 – Tara Morice, Australian actress and singer
    • 1964 – Joss Whedon, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1964 – Lou Yun, Chinese gymnast
    • 1965 – Paul Arthurs, English guitarist
    • 1965 – Sylvia Mathews Burwell, American government and non-profit executive
    • 1965 – Peter O’Malley, Australian golfer
    • 1966 – Chico DeBarge, American singer and pianist
    • 1969 – Martin Klebba, American actor, producer, and stuntman
    • 1970 – Robert Brooks, American football player
    • 1970 – Martin Deschamps, Canadian singer-songwriter
    • 1970 – Yann Tiersen, French singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1971 – Fred Ewanuick, Canadian actor and producer
    • 1971 – Félix Potvin, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1972 – Selma Blair, American actress
    • 1972 – Louis Van Amstel, Dutch dancer and choreographer
    • 1972 – Zinedine Zidane, French footballer and manager
    • 1974 – Joel Edgerton, Australian actor
    • 1974 – Mark Hendrickson, American basketball and baseball player
    • 1975 – Kevin Dyson, American football player and coach
    • 1975 – David Howell, English golfer
    • 1975 – Mike James, American basketball player
    • 1975 – KT Tunstall, Scottish singer-songwriter and musician
    • 1976 – Wade Barrett, American soccer player and manager
    • 1976 – Joe Becker, American guitarist and composer
    • 1976 – Savvas Poursaitidis, Greek-Cypriot footballer and scout
    • 1976 – Brandon Stokley, American football player
    • 1976 – Paola Suárez, Argentinian tennis player
    • 1976 – Emmanuelle Vaugier, Canadian actress and singer
    • 1976 – Patrick Vieira, French footballer and manager
    • 1977 – Miguel Ángel Angulo, Spanish footballer
    • 1977 – Hayden Foxe, Australian footballer and manager
    • 1977 – Jaan Jüris, Estonian ski jumper
    • 1977 – Jason Mraz, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1977 – Shaun O’Hara, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1978 – Memphis Bleek, American rapper, producer, and actor
    • 1978 – Frederic Leclercq, French heavy metal musician
    • 1978 – Matt Light, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1979 – LaDainian Tomlinson, American football player
    • 1980 – Becky Cloonan, American author and illustrator
    • 1980 – Melissa Rauch, American actress
    • 1980 – Ramnaresh Sarwan, Guyanese cricketer
    • 1980 – Francesca Schiavone, Italian tennis player
    • 1981 – Antony Costa, English singer-songwriter
    • 1981 – Rolf Wacha, German rugby player
    • 1982 – Derek Boogaard, Canadian-American ice hockey player (d. 2011)
    • 1983 – Brooks Laich, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1983 – José Manuel Rojas, Chilean footballer
    • 1984 – Duffy, Welsh singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1984 – Takeshi Matsuda, Japanese swimmer
    • 1984 – Levern Spencer, Saint Lucian high jumper
    • 1985 – Marcel Reece, American football player
    • 1986 – Christy Altomare, American actress and singer songwriter
    • 1987 – Alessia Filippi, Italian swimmer
    • 1988 – Chet Faker, Australian singer-songwriter
    • 1988 – Chellsie Memmel, American gymnast
    • 1989 – Lisa Carrington, New Zealand flatwater canoeist
    • 1989 – Jordan Nolan, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1990 – Clevid Dikamona, French footballer
    • 1990 – Vasek Pospisil, Canadian tennis player
    • 1990 – Laura Ràfols, Spanish footballer
    • 1991 – Katie Armiger, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1992 – Luiza Galiulina, Uzbekistani gymnast
    • 1992 – Nampalys Mendy, French footballer
    • 1993 – Tim Anderson, American baseball player
    • 1993 – Marvin Grumann, German footballer
    • 2004 – Alexandra Trusova, Russian figure skater

    Deaths on June 23

    • AD 79 – Vespasian, Roman emperor (b. AD 9)
    • 679 – Æthelthryth, English saint (b. 636)
    • 947 – Li Congyi, prince of Later Tang (b. 931)
    • 947 – Wang, imperial consort of Later Tang
    • 960 – Feng Yanji, chancellor of Southern Tang (b. 903)
    • 994 – Lothair Udo I, count of Stade (b. 950)
    • 1018 – Henry I, margrave of Austria
    • 1137 – Adalbert of Mainz, German archbishop
    • 1222 – Constance of Aragon, Hungarian queen (b. 1179)
    • 1290 – Henryk IV Probus, duke of Wrocław and high duke of Kraków (b. c. 1258)
    • 1314 – Henry de Bohun, English knight
    • 1324 – Aymer de Valence, 2nd Earl of Pembroke (b. 1270)
    • 1343 – Giacomo Gaetani Stefaneschi, Italian cardinal (b. c. 1270)
    • 1356 – Margaret II, Holy Roman Empress (b. 1311)
    • 1537 – Pedro de Mendoza, Spanish conquistador (b. 1487)
    • 1565 – Dragut, Ottoman admiral (b. 1485)
    • 1582 – Shimizu Muneharu, Japanese commander (b. 1537)
    • 1615 – Mashita Nagamori, Japanese daimyō (b. 1545)
    • 1677 – William Louis, duke of Württemberg (b. 1647)
    • 1686 – William Coventry, English politician (b. 1628)
    • 1707 – John Mill, English theologian and author (b. 1645)
    • 1733 – Johann Jakob Scheuchzer, Swiss paleontologist and scholar (b. 1672)
    • 1770 – Mark Akenside, English poet and physician (b. 1721)
    • 1775 – Karl Ludwig von Pöllnitz, German adventurer and author (b. 1692)
    • 1779 – Mikael Sehul, Ethiopian warlord (b. 1691)
    • 1806 – Mathurin Jacques Brisson, French zoologist and philosopher (b. 1723)
    • 1811 – Nicolau Tolentino de Almeida, Portuguese poet and author (b. 1740)
    • 1832 – Sir James Hall, 4th Baronet, Scottish geologist and geophysicist (b. 1761)
    • 1836 – James Mill, Scottish economist, historian, and philosopher (b. 1773)
    • 1848 – Maria Leopoldine of Austria-Este, Electress of Bavaria (b. 1776)
    • 1856 – Ivan Kireyevsky, Russian philosopher and critic (b. 1806)
    • 1881 – Matthias Jakob Schleiden, German botanist and academic (b. 1804)
    • 1891 – Wilhelm Eduard Weber, German physicist and academic (b. 1804)
    • 1891 – Samuel Newitt Wood, American lawyer and politician (b. 1825)
    • 1893 – William Fox, English-New Zealand lawyer and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1812)
    • 1893 – Theophilus Shepstone, English-South African politician (b. 1817)
    • 1914 – Bhaktivinoda Thakur, Indian guru and philosopher (b. 1838)
    • 1945 – Giuseppina Tuissi, Italian journalist and activist (b. 1923)
    • 1953 – Albert Gleizes, French painter (b. 1881)
    • 1954 – Salih Omurtak, Turkish general (b. 1889)
    • 1956 – Reinhold Glière, Russian composer and educator (b. 1875)
    • 1959 – Boris Vian, French author, poet, and playwright (b. 1920)
    • 1959 – Hidir Lutfi, Iraqi poet. (b. 1880)
    • 1969 – Volmari Iso-Hollo, Finnish runner (b. 1907)
    • 1970 – Roscoe Turner, American soldier and pilot (b. 1895)
    • 1973 – Gerry Birrell, Scottish race car driver (b. 1944)
    • 1980 – Sanjay Gandhi, Indian engineer and politician (b. 1946)
    • 1980 – Clyfford Still, American painter and academic (b. 1904)
    • 1989 – Werner Best, German police officer and jurist (b. 1903)
    • 1990 – Harindranath Chattopadhyay, Indian poet, actor, and politician (b. 1898)
    • 1992 – Eric Andolsek, American football player (b. 1966)
    • 1995 – Roger Grimsby, American journalist (b. 1928)
    • 1995 – Jonas Salk, American biologist and physician (b. 1914)
    • 1995 – Anatoli Tarasov, Russian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1918)
    • 1996 – Andreas Papandreou, Greek economist and politician, 174th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1919)
    • 1996 – Ray Lindwall, Australian cricketer and rugby player (b. 1921)
    • 1997 – Betty Shabazz, American educator and activist (b. 1936)
    • 1998 – Maureen O’Sullivan, Irish-American actress (b. 1911)
    • 2000 – Peter Dubovský, Slovak footballer (b. 1972)
    • 2002 – Pedro Alcázar, Panamanian boxer (b. 1975)
    • 2005 – Shana Alexander, American journalist and author (b. 1926)
    • 2005 – Manolis Anagnostakis, Greek poet and critic (b. 1925)
    • 2006 – Aaron Spelling, American actor, producer, and screenwriter, founded Spelling Television (b. 1923)
    • 2007 – Rod Beck, American baseball player (b. 1968)
    • 2008 – Claudio Capone, Italian-Scottish actor (b. 1952)
    • 2008 – Arthur Chung, Guyanese surveyor and politician, 1st President of Guyana (b. 1918)
    • 2008 – Marian Glinka, Polish actor and bodybuilder (b. 1943)
    • 2009 – Raymond Berthiaume, Canadian singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1931)
    • 2009 – Ed McMahon, American game show host and announcer (b. 1923)
    • 2009 – Jerri Nielsen, American physician and explorer (b. 1952)
    • 2010 – John Burton, Australian public servant and diplomat (b. 1915)
    • 2011 – Peter Falk, American actor (b. 1927)
    • 2011 – Dennis Marshall, Costa Rican footballer (b. 1985)
    • 2011 – Fred Steiner, American composer and conductor (b. 1923)
    • 2012 – James Durbin, English economist and statistician (b. 1923)
    • 2012 – Brigitte Engerer, French pianist and educator (b. 1952)
    • 2012 – Alan McDonald, Northern Ireland footballer and manager (b. 1963)
    • 2012 – Frank Chee Willeto, American soldier and politician, 4th Vice President of the Navajo Nation (b. 1925)
    • 2012 – Walter J. Zable, American football player and businessman, founded the Cubic Corporation (b. 1915)
    • 2013 – Bobby Bland, American singer-songwriter (b. 1930)
    • 2013 – Gary David Goldberg, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1944)
    • 2013 – Frank Kelso, American admiral and politician, United States Secretary of the Navy (b. 1933)
    • 2013 – Kurt Leichtweiss, German mathematician and academic (b. 1927)
    • 2013 – Richard Matheson, American author and screenwriter (b. 1926)
    • 2013 – Darryl Read, English singer-songwriter, drummer, and actor (b. 1951)
    • 2013 – Sharon Stouder, American swimmer (b. 1948)
    • 2014 – Nancy Garden, American author (b. 1938)
    • 2014 – Euros Lewis, Welsh cricketer (b. 1942)
    • 2014 – Paula Kent Meehan, American businesswoman, co-founded Redken (b. 1931)
    • 2015 – Miguel Facussé Barjum, Honduran businessman (b. 1924)
    • 2015 – Nirmala Joshi, Indian nun, lawyer, and social worker (b. 1934)
    • 2015 – Dick Van Patten, American actor (b. 1928)
    • 2016 – Ralph Stanley, American singer and banjo player (b. 1927)

    Holidays and observances on June 23

    • Christian feast day:
      • Æthelthryth
      • Marie of Oignies
      • Joseph Cafasso
      • June 23 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Earliest day on which Feast of Raḥmat can fall, while June 24 is the latest. (Bahá’í Faith)
    • Father’s Day (Nicaragua, Poland)
    • Grand Duke’s Official Birthday (Luxembourg)
    • International Widows Day (international)
    • National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism (Canada)
    • Okinawa Memorial Day (Okinawa Prefecture)
    • St John’s Eve and the first day of the Midsummer celebrations [although this is not the real summer solstice; see June 20] (Roman Catholic Church, Europe):
      • Bonfires of Saint John (Spain)
      • First night of Festa de São João do Porto (Porto)
      • First day of Golowan Festival (Cornwall)
      • Jaaniõhtu (Estonia)
      • Jāņi (Latvia)
      • Kupala Night (Belarus, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Ukraine)
      • Last day of Drăgaica fair (Buzău, Romania)
    • United Nations Public Service Day (International)
    • Victory Day (Estonia)
  • May 21 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 293 – Roman Emperors Diocletian and Maximian appoint Galerius as Caesar to Diocletian, beginning the period of four rulers known as the Tetrarchy.
    • 878 – Syracuse, Sicily, is captured by the Muslim Aghlabids after a nine-month siege.
    • 879 – Pope John VIII gives blessings to Branimir of Croatia and to the Croatian people, considered to be international recognition of the Croatian state.
    • 996 – Sixteen-year-old Otto III is crowned Holy Roman Emperor.
    • 1349 – Dušan’s Code, the constitution of the Serbian Empire, is enacted by Dušan the Mighty.
    • 1403 – Henry III of Castile sends Ruy González de Clavijo as ambassador to Timur to discuss the possibility of an alliance between Timur and Castile against the Ottoman Empire.
    • 1554 – Queen Mary I grants a royal charter to Derby School, as a grammar school for boys in Derby, England.
    • 1659 – In the Concert of The Hague, the Dutch Republic, the Commonwealth of England and the Kingdom of France set out their views on how the Second Northern War should end.
    • 1660 – The Battle of Long Sault concludes after five days in which French colonial militia, with their Huron and Algonquin allies, are defeated by the Iroquois Confederacy.
    • 1674 – The nobility elect John Sobieski King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania.
    • 1703 – Daniel Defoe is imprisoned on charges of seditious libel.
    • 1725 – The Order of St. Alexander Nevsky is instituted in Russia by Empress Catherine I. It would later be discontinued and then reinstated by the Soviet government in 1942 as the Order of Alexander Nevsky.
    • 1758 – Ten-year-old Mary Campbell is abducted in Pennsylvania by Lenape during the French and Indian War. She is returned six and a half years later.
    • 1792 – A lava dome collapses on Mount Unzen, near the city of Shimbara on the Japanese island of Kyūshū, creating a deadly tsunami that kills nearly 15,000 people.
    • 1809 – The first day of the Battle of Aspern-Essling between the Austrian army led by Archduke Charles and the French army led by Napoleon I of France sees the French attack across the Danube held.
    • 1851 – Slavery in Colombia is abolished.
    • 1856 – Lawrence, Kansas is captured and burned by pro-slavery forces.
    • 1863 – American Civil War: The Union Army succeeds in closing off the last escape route from Port Hudson, Louisiana, in preparation for the coming siege.
    • 1864 – Russia declares an end to the Russo-Circassian War and many Circassians are forced into exile. The day is designated the Circassian Day of Mourning.
    • 1864 – American Civil War: The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House ends.
    • 1864 – The Ionian Islands reunite with Greece.
    • 1871 – French troops invade the Paris Commune and engage its residents in street fighting. By the close of “Bloody Week”, some 20,000 communards have been killed and 38,000 arrested.
    • 1871 – Opening of the first rack railway in Europe, the Rigi Bahnen on Mount Rigi.
    • 1879 – War of the Pacific: Two Chilean ships blocking the harbor of Iquique (then belonging to Peru) battle two Peruvian vessels in the Battle of Iquique.
    • 1881 – The American Red Cross is established by Clara Barton in Washington, D.C.
    • 1894 – The Manchester Ship Canal in the United Kingdom is officially opened by Queen Victoria, who later knights its designer Sir Edward Leader Williams.
    • 1904 – The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) is founded in Paris.
    • 1911 – President of Mexico Porfirio Díaz and the revolutionary Francisco Madero sign the Treaty of Ciudad Juárez to put an end to the fighting between the forces of both men, concluding the initial phase of the Mexican Revolution.
    • 1917 – The Imperial War Graves Commission is established through royal charter to mark, record, and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of the British Empire’s military forces.
    • 1917 – The Great Atlanta fire of 1917 causes $5.5 million in damages, destroying some 300 acres including 2,000 homes, businesses and churches, displacing about 10,000 people but leading to only one fatality (due to heart attack).
    • 1924 – University of Chicago students Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold, Jr. murder 14-year-old Bobby Franks in a “thrill killing”.
    • 1927 – Charles Lindbergh touches down at Le Bourget Field in Paris, completing the world’s first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean.
    • 1932 – Bad weather forces Amelia Earhart to land in a pasture in Derry, Northern Ireland, and she thereby becomes the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
    • 1934 – Oskaloosa, Iowa, becomes the first municipality in the United States to fingerprint all of its citizens.
    • 1936 – Sada Abe is arrested after wandering the streets of Tokyo for days with her dead lover’s severed genitals in her handbag. Her story soon becomes one of Japan’s most notorious scandals.
    • 1937 – A Soviet station, North Pole-1, becomes the first scientific research settlement to operate on the drift ice of the Arctic Ocean.
    • 1939 – The Canadian National War Memorial is unveiled by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
    • 1946 – Physicist Louis Slotin is fatally irradiated in a criticality incident during an experiment with the demon core at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
    • 1951 – The opening of the Ninth Street Show, otherwise known as the 9th Street Art Exhibition: A gathering of a number of notable artists, and the stepping-out of the post war New York avant-garde, collectively known as the New York School.
    • 1961 – American civil rights movement: Alabama Governor John Malcolm Patterson declares martial law in an attempt to restore order after race riots break out.
    • 1966 – The Ulster Volunteer Force declares war on the Irish Republican Army in Northern Ireland.
    • 1969 – Civil unrest in Rosario, Argentina, known as Rosariazo, following the death of a 15-year-old student.
    • 1972 – Michelangelo’s Pietà in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome is damaged by a vandal, the mentally disturbed Hungarian geologist Laszlo Toth.
    • 1976 – Twenty-nine people are killed in the Yuba City bus disaster in Martinez, California.
    • 1979 – White Night riots in San Francisco following the manslaughter conviction of Dan White for the assassinations of George Moscone and Harvey Milk.
    • 1981 – The Italian government releases the membership list of Propaganda Due, an illegal pseudo-Masonic lodge that was implicated in numerous Italian crimes and mysteries.
    • 1981 – Transamerica Corporation agrees to sell United Artists to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer for $380 million after the box office failure of the 1980 film Heaven’s Gate.
    • 1982 – Falklands War: A British amphibious assault during Operation Sutton leads to the Battle of San Carlos.
    • 1991 – Former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi is assassinated by a female suicide bomber near Madras.
    • 1991 – Mengistu Haile Mariam, president of the People’s Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, flees Ethiopia, effectively bringing the Ethiopian Civil War to an end.
    • 1992 – After 30 seasons Johnny Carson hosted his penultimate episode and last featuring guests (Robin Williams and Bette Midler) of The Tonight Show.
    • 1994 – The Democratic Republic of Yemen unsuccessfully attempts to secede from the Republic of Yemen; a war breaks out.
    • 1996 – The ferry MV Bukoba sinks in Tanzanian waters on Lake Victoria, killing nearly 1,000.
    • 1998 – In Miami, five abortion clinics are attacked by a butyric acid attacker.
    • 1998 – President Suharto of Indonesia resigns following the killing of students from Trisakti University earlier that week by security forces and growing mass protests in Jakarta against his ongoing corrupt rule.
    • 2001 – French Taubira law is enacted, officially recognizing the Atlantic slave trade and slavery as crimes against humanity.
    • 2003 – The 6.8 Mw  Boumerdès earthquake shakes northern Algeria with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme). More than 2,200 people were killed and a moderate tsunami sank boats at the Balearic Islands.
    • 2005 – The tallest roller coaster in the world, Kingda Ka opens at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township, New Jersey.
    • 2006 – The Republic of Montenegro holds a referendum proposing independence from the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro; 55% of Montenegrins vote for independence.
    • 2010 – JAXA, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, launches the solar-sail spacecraft IKAROS aboard an H-IIA rocket. The vessel would make a Venus flyby late in the year.
    • 2011 – Radio broadcaster Harold Camping predicted that the world would end on this date.
    • 2012 – A bus accident near Himara, Albania kills 13 people and injures 21 others.
    • 2012 – A suicide bombing kills more than 120 people in Sana’a, Yemen.
    • 2017 – Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus performed their final show at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

    Births on May 21

    • 1471 – Albrecht Dürer, German painter, engraver, and mathematician (d. 1528)
    • 1497 – Al-Hattab, Muslim jurist (d. 1547)
    • 1527 – Philip II of Spain (d. 1598)
    • 1653 – Eleonore of Austria, Queen of Poland (d. 1697)
    • 1688 – Alexander Pope, English poet, essayist, and translator (d. 1744)
    • 1755 – Alfred Moore, American lawyer and judge (d. 1810)
    • 1756 – William Babington, Irish-born, English physician and mineralogist (d. 1833)
    • 1763 – Joseph Fouché, French lawyer and politician (d. 1820)
    • 1775 – Lucien Bonaparte, French soldier and politician (d. 1840)
    • 1780 – Elizabeth Fry, English prison reformer, philanthropist and Quaker (d. 1845)
    • 1790 – William Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire, English politician, Lord Chamberlain of the Household (d. 1858)
    • 1792 – Gaspard-Gustave de Coriolis, French mathematician and engineer (d. 1843)
    • 1799 – Mary Anning, English paleontologist (d. 1847)
    • 1801 – Princess Sophie of Sweden, Swedish princess (d. 1865)
    • 1806 – Harriet Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland, English duchess (d. 1868)
    • 1808 – David de Jahacob Lopez Cardozo, Dutch Talmudist (d. 1890)
    • 1827 – William P. Sprague, American banker and politician (d. 1899)
    • 1828 – Rudolf Koller, Swiss painter (d. 1905)
    • 1835 – František Chvostek, Czech-Austrian physician and academic (d. 1884)
    • 1837 – Itagaki Taisuke, Japanese soldier and politician (d. 1919)
    • 1843 – Charles Albert Gobat, Swiss lawyer and politician, and Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1914)
    • 1843 – Louis Renault, French jurist, educator, and Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1918)
    • 1844 – Henri Rousseau, French painter (d. 1910)
    • 1850 – Giuseppe Mercalli, Italian priest and volcanologist (d. 1914)
    • 1851 – Léon Bourgeois, French police officer and politician, 64th Prime Minister of France, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1925)
    • 1853 – Jacques Marie Eugène Godefroy Cavaignac, French politician (d. 1905)
    • 1856 – José Batlle y Ordóñez, Uruguayan journalist and politician, President of Uruguay (d. 1929)
    • 1860 – Willem Einthoven, Indonesian-Dutch physician, physiologist, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1927)
    • 1861 – Abel Ayerza, Argentinian physician and academic (d. 1918)
    • 1863 – Archduke Eugen of Austria (d. 1954)
    • 1864 – Princess Stéphanie of Belgium (d. 1945)
    • 1873 – Hans Berger, German neurologist and academic (d. 1941)
    • 1878 – Glenn Curtiss, American cyclist and engineer (d. 1930)
    • 1880 – Tudor Arghezi, Romanian journalist, author, and poet (d. 1967)
    • 1884 – Manuel Pérez y Curis, Uruguayan poet and publisher (d. 1920)
    • 1885 – Princess Sophie of Albania, (Princess Sophie of Schönburg-Waldenburg) (d. 1936)
    • 1893 – Arthur Carr, English cricketer (d. 1963)
    • 1893 – Giles Chippindall, Australian public servant (d. 1969)
    • 1895 – Lázaro Cárdenas, Mexican general, president (1934–1940) and father of Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas (d. 1970)
    • 1898 – Armand Hammer, American physician and businessman, founded Occidental Petroleum (d. 1990)
    • 1898 – Charles Léon Hammes, Luxembourgian lawyer and judge (d. 1967)
    • 1898 – Carl Johnson, American long jumper (d. 1932)
    • 1898 – John McLaughlin, American painter and translator (d. 1976)
    • 1901 – Regina M. Anderson, Multiracial playwright and librarian (d. 1993)
    • 1901 – Horace Heidt, American pianist, bandleader, and radio host (d. 1986)
    • 1901 – Sam Jaffe, American film producer and agent (d. 2000)
    • 1901 – Suzanne Lilar, Belgian author and playwright (d. 1992)
    • 1902 – Earl Averill, American baseball player (d. 1983)
    • 1902 – Marcel Breuer, Hungarian-American architect and academic, designed the Ameritrust Tower (d. 1981)
    • 1902 – Anatole Litvak, Ukrainian-American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1974)
    • 1903 – Manly Wade Wellman, American author (d. 1986)
    • 1904 – Robert Montgomery, American actor and director (d. 1981)
    • 1904 – Fats Waller, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 1943)
    • 1907 – John C. Allen, American roller coaster designer (d. 1979)
    • 1912 – Chen Dayu, Chinese painter and calligrapher (d. 2001)
    • 1912 – John Curtis Gowan, American psychologist and academic (d. 1986)
    • 1912 – Monty Stratton, American baseball player and coach (d. 1982)
    • 1913 – Gina Bachauer, Greek pianist and composer (d. 1976)
    • 1915 – Cathleen Cordell, American actress (d. 1997)
    • 1915 – Chakravarthi V. Narasimhan, Indian Civil Service Officer and former Under Secretary-General of the UN (d. 2003)
    • 1916 – Dennis Day, American singer and actor (d. 1988)
    • 1916 – Tinus Osendarp, Dutch sprinter and police officer (d. 2002)
    • 1916 – Harold Robbins, American author and screenwriter (d. 1997)
    • 1917 – Raymond Burr, Canadian-American actor and director (d. 1993)
    • 1918 – Anthony Steel, English actor and singer (d. 2001)
    • 1919 – George P. Mitchell, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 2013)
    • 1920 – Bill Barber, American tuba player and educator (d. 2007)
    • 1920 – Forrest White, American businessman, co-founded the Music Man Company (d. 1994)
    • 1921 – Sandy Douglas, English computer scientist and academic, designed OXO (d. 2010)
    • 1921 – Andrei Sakharov, Russian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1989)
    • 1923 – Vernon Biever, American photographer (d. 2010)
    • 1923 – Armand Borel, Swiss-American mathematician and academic (d. 2003)
    • 1923 – Ara Parseghian, American football player and coach (d. 2017)
    • 1923 – Dorothy Hewett, Australian feminist poet, novelist and playwright (d. 2002)
    • 1923 – Evelyn Ward, American actress (d. 2012)
    • 1924 – Peggy Cass, American actress, comedian, and game show panelist (d. 1999)
    • 1926 – Robert Creeley, American novelist, essayist, and poet (d. 2005)
    • 1927 – Kay Kendall, English actress and comedian (d. 1959)
    • 1927 – Péter Zwack, Hungarian businessman and diplomat (d. 2012)
    • 1928 – Tom Donahue, American radio host and producer (d. 1975)
    • 1928 – Alice Drummond, American actress (d. 2016)
    • 1929 – Larance Marable, American drummer (d. 2012)
    • 1929 – Robert Welch, English silversmith and industrial designer (d. 2000)
    • 1930 – Tommy Bryant, American bassist (d. 1982)
    • 1930 – Keith Davis, New Zealand rugby player (d. 2019)
    • 1930 – Malcolm Fraser, Australian politician, 22nd Prime Minister of Australia (d. 2015)
    • 1932 – Inese Jaunzeme, Latvian javelin thrower and surgeon (d. 2011)
    • 1932 – Leonidas Vasilikopoulos, Greek admiral and intelligence chief (d. 2014)
    • 1933 – Maurice André, French trumpet player (d. 2012)
    • 1933 – Yevgeny Minayev, Russian weightlifter (d. 1993)
    • 1934 – Jocasta Innes, Chinese-English journalist and author (d. 2013)
    • 1934 – Bob Northern, American horn player and bandleader
    • 1934 – Bengt I. Samuelsson, Swedish biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1935 – Terry Lightfoot, English clarinet player and bandleader (d. 2013)
    • 1936 – Günter Blobel, Polish-American biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2018)
    • 1938 – Lee “Shot” Williams, American singer (d. 2011)
    • 1939 – Heinz Holliger, Swiss oboist, composer, and conductor
    • 1940 – Tony Sheridan, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2013)
    • 1941 – Martin Carthy, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1941 – Bobby Cox, American baseball player and manager
    • 1941 – Ambrose Greenway, 4th Baron Greenway, English photographer and politician
    • 1941 – Ronald Isley, American singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1942 – David Hunt, Baron Hunt of Wirral, English politician, Secretary of State for Wales
    • 1942 – John Konrads, Australian swimmer
    • 1942 – Danny Ongais, American race car driver
    • 1943 – Vincent Crane, English pianist and composer (d. 1989)
    • 1943 – John Dalton, English bass player
    • 1943 – Hilton Valentine, English guitarist and songwriter
    • 1944 – Haleh Afshar, Baroness Afshar, Iranian-English academic and politician
    • 1944 – Marcie Blane, American singer
    • 1944 – Janet Dailey, American author and entrepreneur (d. 2013)
    • 1944 – Mary Robinson, Irish lawyer and politician, 7th President of Ireland
    • 1945 – Ernst Messerschmid, German physicist and astronaut
    • 1945 – Richard Hatch, American actor, writer, and producer (d. 2017)
    • 1946 – Allan McKeown, English-American screenwriter and producer (d. 2013)
    • 1946 – Wayne Roycroft, Australian equestrian rider and coach
    • 1947 – Bill Champlin, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1947 – Linda Laubenstein, American physician and academic (d. 1992)
    • 1947 – İlber Ortaylı, Turkish historian and academic
    • 1948 – Elizabeth Buchan, English author and critic
    • 1948 – Joe Camilleri, Maltese-Australian singer-songwriter and saxophonist
    • 1948 – Jonathan Hyde, Australian-English actor
    • 1948 – Denis MacShane, Scottish journalist and politician, UK Minister of State for Europe
    • 1948 – Leo Sayer, English-Australian singer-songwriter and musician
    • 1949 – Andrew Neil, Scottish journalist and academic
    • 1949 – Denis O’Connor, British police officer
    • 1949 – Rosalind Plowright, English soprano
    • 1950 – Will Hutton, English economist and journalist
    • 1951 – Al Franken, American actor, screenwriter, and politician
    • 1951 – Adrian Hardiman, Irish lawyer and judge (d. 2016)
    • 1952 – Mr. T, American actor and wrestler
    • 1953 – Nora Aunor, Filipino actress and recording artist
    • 1954 – D. B. S. Jeyaraj, Sri Lankan-Canadian journalist and blogger
    • 1954 – Janice Karman, American film producer, record producer, singer, and voice actress
    • 1954 – Marc Ribot, American guitarist and composer
    • 1955 – Paul Barber, English field hockey player
    • 1955 – Stan Lynch, American drummer, songwriter, and producer
    • 1957 – James Bailey, American basketball player
    • 1957 – Nadine Dorries, English nurse and politician
    • 1957 – Judge Reinhold, American actor and producer
    • 1957 – Renée Soutendijk, Dutch actress
    • 1958 – Christian Audigier, French fashion designer (d. 2015)
    • 1958 – Muffy Calder, Canadian-Scottish computer scientist and academic
    • 1958 – Michael Crick, English journalist and author
    • 1958 – Naeem Khan, Indian-American fashion designer
    • 1958 – Jefery Levy, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1959 – Nick Cassavetes, American actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1959 – Abdulla Yameen, Maldivian politician, 6th President of the Maldives
    • 1960 – Jeffrey Dahmer, American serial killer (d. 1994)
    • 1960 – Kent Hrbek, American baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1960 – Mohanlal, Indian actor
    • 1960 – Mark Ridgway, Australian cricketer
    • 1960 – Vladimir Salnikov, Russian swimmer
    • 1962 – David Crumb, American composer and educator
    • 1963 – Richard Appel, American screenwriter and producer
    • 1963 – Patrick Grant, American musician and producer
    • 1963 – David Lonsdale, English actor
    • 1964 – Pete Sandoval, Salvadoran-American drummer
    • 1963 – Kevin Shields, American-Irish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1963 – Dave Specter, American guitarist
    • 1963 – Laurie Spina, Australian rugby league player and sportscaster
    • 1964 – Danny Bailey, English footballer and coach
    • 1965 – Josh Richman, American actor and producer
    • 1966 – Lisa Edelstein, American actress and playwright
    • 1966 – Tatyana Ledovskaya, Belarusian hurdler
    • 1967 – Chris Benoit, Canadian professional wrestler (d. 2007)
    • 1968 – Ilmar Raag, Estonian director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1968 – Matthias Ungemach, German-Australian rower
    • 1968 – Julie Vega, Filipino actress and singer (d. 1985)
    • 1969 – Pierluigi Brivio, Italian footballer
    • 1969 – Georgiy Gongadze, Georgian-Ukrainian journalist and director (d. 2000)
    • 1969 – Masayo Kurata, Japanese voice actress and singer
    • 1969 – George LeMieux, American lawyer and politician
    • 1969 – Brian Statham, Rhodesian born English footballer, defender and manager
    • 1970 – Brigita Bukovec, Slovenian hurdler
    • 1970 – Dorsey Levens, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1970 – Pauline Menczer, Australian surfer
    • 1970 – Carl Veart, Australian footballer and coach
    • 1972 – The Notorious B.I.G., American rapper (d. 1997)
    • 1973 – Stewart Cink, American golfer
    • 1973 – Noel Fielding, English comedian, musician and television presenter
    • 1974 – Brad Arthur, Australian rugby league coach
    • 1974 – Fairuza Balk, American actress
    • 1974 – Aditi Gowitrikar, Indian model, actress, and physician, Mrs. World 2001
    • 1974 – Havoc, American rapper and producer
    • 1975 – Anthony Mundine, Australian rugby league player and boxer
    • 1976 – Stuart Bingham, English snooker player
    • 1976 – Abderrahim Goumri, Moroccan runner (d. 2013)
    • 1976 – Deron Miller, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1977 – Quinton Fortune, South African international footballer midfielder and coach
    • 1977 – Michael Fuß, German footballer
    • 1977 – Ricky Williams, American football player and coach
    • 1978 – Max B, American rapper and songwriter
    • 1978 – Briana Banks, German-American porn actress and model
    • 1978 – Jamaal Magloire, Canadian basketball player and coach
    • 1979 – Damián Ariel Álvarez, Argentinian-Mexican footballer
    • 1979 – Jamie Hepburn, Scottish politician, Minister for Sport, Health Improvement and Mental Health
    • 1979 – James Clancy Phelan, Australian author and academic
    • 1979 – Scott Smith, American mixed martial artist
    • 1979 – Sonja Vectomov, Czech musician/composer
    • 1980 – Gotye, Belgian-Australian singer-songwriter
    • 1981 – Craig Anderson, American ice hockey player
    • 1981 – Edson Buddle, American soccer player
    • 1981 – Josh Hamilton, American baseball player
    • 1981 – Maximilian Mutzke, German singer-songwriter
    • 1981 – Anna Rogowska, Polish pole vaulter
    • 1983 – Līga Dekmeijere, Latvian tennis player
    • 1983 – Deidson Araújo Maia, Brazilian footballer
    • 1983 – Kaori Shimizu, Japanese voice actress and singer
    • 1984 – Brandon Fields, American football player
    • 1984 – Sara Goller, German volleyball player
    • 1984 – Syamsul Yusof, Malaysian actor, film director, scriptwriter, film producer, rapper and singer
    • 1985 – Mutya Buena, English singer-songwriter
    • 1985 – Alison Carroll, English gymnast, model, and actress
    • 1985 – Mark Cavendish, Manx cyclist
    • 1985 – Alexander Dale Oen, Norwegian swimmer (d. 2012)
    • 1985 – Isa Guha, English cricketer
    • 1985 – Lucie Hradecká, Czech tennis player
    • 1985 – Kano, English rapper, producer, and actor
    • 1985 – Dušan Kuciak, Slovak footballer
    • 1985 – Heath L’Estrange, Australian rugby league player
    • 1985 – Andrew Miller, American baseball player
    • 1986 – Mario Mandžukić, Croatian footballer
    • 1986 – Myra, American singer and actress
    • 1986 – Eder Sánchez, Mexican race walker
    • 1986 – Park Sojin, South Korean singer-songwriter and dancer
    • 1986 – Greg Stewart, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1987 – Beau Falloon, Australian rugby league player
    • 1988 – Claire Cashmore, English Paralympic swimmer
    • 1988 – Park Gyu-ri, South Korean singer
    • 1988 – Jonny Howson, English footballer
    • 1988 – Kaire Leibak, Estonian triple jumper
    • 1989 – Emily Robins, New Zealand actress and singer
    • 1989 – Hal Robson-Kanu, English footballer
    • 1990 – Kierre Beckles, Barbadian athlete
    • 1990 – Rene Krhin, Slovenian footballer
    • 1991 – Guilherme, Brazilian footballer
    • 1992 – Hutch Dano, American actor
    • 1992 – Lisa Evans, Scottish footballer
    • 1992 – Philipp Grüneberg, German footballer
    • 1992 – Olivia Olson, American singer and actress
    • 1993 – Grete Gaim, Estonian biathlete
    • 1993 – Luke Garbutt, English footballer, left-back
    • 1994 – Tom Daley, English diver
    • 1995 – Katharina Andresen, Norwegian heiress and equestrian
    • 1995 – Diego Loyzaga, Filipino actor
    • 1996 – Josh Allen, American footballer
    • 1996 – Indy de Vroome, Dutch tennis player
    • 1996 – Karen Khachanov, Russian tennis player
    • 1997 – Ivan De Santis, Italian footballer
    • 1997 – Sisca Folkertsma, Dutch footballer
    • 1997 – Viktoria Petryk, Ukrainian singer-songwriter

    Deaths on May 21

    • 252 – Sun Quan, Chinese emperor of Eastern Wu (b. 182)
    • 954 – Feng Dao, Chinese prince and chancellor (b. 882)
    • 987 – Louis V, king of West Francia (b. c. 966)
    • 1075 – Richeza of Poland, queen of Hungary (b. 1013)
    • 1086 – Wang Anshi, Chinese statesman and poet (b. 1021)
    • 1237 – Olaf the Black, Manx son of Godred II Olafsson
    • 1254 – Conrad IV, king of Germany (b. 1228)
    • 1416 – Anna of Celje, queen consort of Poland (b. 1386)
    • 1471 – Henry VI, king of England (b. 1421)
    • 1481 – Christian I, king of Denmark (b. 1426)
    • 1512 – Pandolfo Petrucci, Italian ruler (b. 1452)
    • 1524 – Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk, English soldier and politician, Lord High Treasurer (b. 1443)
    • 1542 – Hernando de Soto, Spanish-American explorer (b. 1496)
    • 1563 – Martynas Mažvydas, Lithuanian writer (b. 1510)
    • 1607 – John Rainolds, English scholar and academic (b. 1549)
    • 1619 – Hieronymus Fabricius, Italian anatomist (b. 1537)
    • 1639 – Tommaso Campanella, Italian astrologer, theologian, and poet (b. 1568)
    • 1647 – Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft, Dutch poet and playwright (b. 1581)
    • 1650 – James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose, Scottish general and politician (b. 1612)
    • 1664 – Elizabeth Poole, English settler, founded Taunton, Massachusetts (b. 1588)
    • 1670 – Niccolò Zucchi, Italian astronomer and physicist (b. 1586)
    • 1686 – Otto von Guericke, German physicist and inventor of the Magdeburg Hemispheres (b. 1602)
    • 1690 – John Eliot, English-American minister and missionary (b. 1604)
    • 1719 – Pierre Poiret, French mystic and philosopher (b. 1646)
    • 1724 – Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer, English politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (b. 1661)
    • 1742 – Lars Roberg, Swedish physician and academic (b. 1664)
    • 1762 – Alexander Joseph Sulkowski, Polish and Saxon general (b. 1695)
    • 1771 – Christopher Smart, English actor, playwright, and poet (b. 1722)
    • 1786 – Carl Wilhelm Scheele, German-Swedish chemist and pharmacist (b. 1742)
    • 1790 – Thomas Warton, English poet and critic (b. 1728)
    • 1810 – Chevalier d’Eon, French diplomat and spy (b. 1728)
    • 1844 – Giuseppe Baini, Italian priest and composer (b. 1775)
    • 1858 – José de la Riva Agüero, Peruvian soldier and politician, 1st President of Peru and 2nd President of North Peru (b. 1783)
    • 1862 – John Drew, Irish-American actor and manager (b. 1827)
    • 1879 – Arturo Prat, Chilean lawyer and commander (b. 1848)
    • 1894 – Émile Henry, French anarchist (b. 1872)
    • 1894 – August Kundt, German physicist and academic (b. 1839)
    • 1895 – Franz von Suppé, Austrian composer and conductor (b. 1819)
    • 1901 – Joseph Olivier, French rugby player (b. 1874)
    • 1911 – Williamina Fleming, Scottish-American astronomer and academic (b. 1857)
    • 1915 – Leonid Gobyato, Russian general and engineer (b. 1875)
    • 1919 – Evgraf Fedorov, Russian mathematician, crystallographer, and mineralogist (b. 1853)
    • 1920 – Venustiano Carranza, Mexican politician, 54th President of Mexico (b. 1859)
    • 1925 – Hidesaburō Ueno, Japanese agriculturalist, guardian of Hachikō (b. 1871)
    • 1926 – Ronald Firbank, English-Italian author (b. 1886)
    • 1929 – Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1847)
    • 1932 – Marcel Boulenger, French fencer and author (b. 1873)
    • 1935 – Jane Addams, American activist and author, co-founded Hull House, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1860)
    • 1935 – Hugo de Vries, Dutch botanist and geneticist (b. 1848)
    • 1940 – Billy Minter, English footballer and manager (b. 1888)
    • 1949 – Klaus Mann, German-American novelist, playwright, and critic (b. 1906)
    • 1952 – John Garfield, American actor (b. 1913)
    • 1956 – Harry Bensley, English businessman and adventurer (b. 1877)
    • 1957 – Alexander Vertinsky, Ukrainian-Russian singer-songwriter, actor, and poet (b. 1889)
    • 1964 – James Franck, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1882)
    • 1965 – Marguerite Bise, French chef (b. 1898)
    • 1965 – Geoffrey de Havilland, English pilot and engineer, designed the de Havilland Mosquito (b. 1882)
    • 1968 – Doris Lloyd, English actress (b. 1896)
    • 1970 – E. L. Grant Watson, English-Australian biologist and author (b. 1885)
    • 1973 – Vaughn Monroe, American singer, trumpet player, bandleader, and actor (b. 1911)
    • 1973 – Ivan Konev, Soviet Marshal and general (b. 1897)
    • 1981 – Raymond McCreesh, PIRA volunteer (b. 1957)
    • 1981 – Patsy O’Hara, INLA volunteer (b. 1957)
    • 1983 – Kenneth Clark, English historian and author (b. 1903)
    • 1984 – Ann Little, American actress (b. 1891)
    • 1988 – Sammy Davis Sr., American actor and dancer (b. 1900)
    • 1991 – Lino Brocka, Filipino director and screenwriter (b. 1939)
    • 1991 – Rajiv Gandhi, Indian politician, 6th Prime Minister of India (b. 1944)
    • 1995 – Les Aspin, American captain and politician, 18th United States Secretary of Defense (b. 1938)
    • 1996 – Paul Delph, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1957)
    • 1996 – Lash LaRue, American actor and producer (b. 1917)
    • 1996 – Villem Raam, Estonian art historian, art critic and conservator (b. 1910)
    • 1998 – Robert Gist, American actor and director (b. 1917)
    • 2000 – Barbara Cartland, English author (b. 1901)
    • 2000 – John Gielgud, English actor (b. 1904)
    • 2000 – Mark R. Hughes, American businessman, founded Herbalife (b. 1956)
    • 2002 – Niki de Saint Phalle, French-American sculptor and painter (b. 1930)
    • 2003 – Alejandro de Tomaso, Argentinian-Italian race car driver and businessman, founded De Tomaso (b. 1928)
    • 2003 – Frank D. White, American captain, banker, and politician, 41st Governor of Arkansas (b. 1933)
    • 2005 – Deborah Berger, American outsider artist (b. 1956)
    • 2005 – Stephen Elliott, American actor (b. 1918)
    • 2005 – Howard Morris, American actor and director (b. 1919)
    • 2006 – Spencer Clark, American race car driver (b. 1987)
    • 2006 – Katherine Dunham, American dancer, choreographer, and author (b. 1909)
    • 2006 – Cherd Songsri, Thai director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1931)
    • 2006 – Billy Walker, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1929)
    • 2012 – Eddie Blazonczyk, American singer-songwriter (b. 1941)
    • 2012 – Otis Clark, American butler and preacher, survivor of the Tulsa race riot (b. 1903)
    • 2012 – Constantine of Irinoupolis, Metropolitan of Irinoupolis and Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA (b. 1936)
    • 2012 – Roman Dumbadze, Georgian commander (b. 1964)
    • 2012 – Douglas Rodríguez, Cuban boxer (b. 1950)
    • 2012 – Bill Stewart, American football player and coach (b. 1952)
    • 2012 – Alan Thorne, Australian anthropologist and academic (b. 1939)
    • 2013 – Count Christian of Rosenborg, member of the Danish royal family (b. 1942)
    • 2013 – Frank Comstock, American trombonist, composer, and conductor (b. 1922)
    • 2013 – Cot Deal, American baseball player and coach (b. 1923)
    • 2013 – Mohammad Khaled Hossain, Bangladeshi mountaineer (b. 1979)
    • 2013 – Leonard Marsh, American businessman, co-founded Snapple (b. 1933)
    • 2013 – Bob Thompson, American pianist and composer (b. 1924)
    • 2013 – Dominique Venner, French journalist and historian (b. 1935)
    • 2013 – David Voelker, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1953)
    • 2014 – Tunku Annuar, Malaysian son of Badlishah of Kedah (b. 1939)
    • 2014 – Evelyn Blackmon, American businesswoman and politician (b. 1924)
    • 2014 – Johnny Gray, American baseball player (b. 1926)
    • 2014 – Jaime Lusinchi, Venezuelan physician and politician, President of Venezuela (b. 1924)
    • 2014 – Alireza Soleimani, Iranian wrestler (b. 1956)
    • 2015 – Annarita Sidoti, Italian race walker (b. 1969)
    • 2015 – Twinkle, English singer-songwriter (b. 1948)
    • 2015 – Jassem Al-Kharafi, Kuwaiti businessman and politician, 8th Kuwaiti Speaker of the National Assembly (b. 1940)
    • 2015 – Fred Gladding, American baseball player and coach (b. 1936)
    • 2015 – Louis Johnson, American bass player and producer (b. 1955)
    • 2016 – Nick Menza, American drummer and songwriter (b. 1964)
    • 2019 – Rik Kuypers, Belgian film director (b. 1925)
    • 2019 – Binyavanga Wainaina, Kenyan writer (b. 1971)
    • 2020 – Alan Merten, fifth President of George Mason University (b. 1941)

    Holidays and observances on May 21

    • Afro-Colombian Day (Colombia)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Arcangelo Tadini
      • Blessed Adílio Daronch and Manuel Gómez González
      • Blessed Franz Jägerstätter
      • Earliest day on which Corpus Christi can fall, while June 24 is the latest; held on Thursday after Trinity Sunday (often locally moved to Sunday). (Roman Catholic Church)
      • Emperor Constantine I
      • Eugène de Mazenod
      • Helena of Constantinople, also known as “Feast of the Holy Great Sovereigns Constantine and Helen, Equal-to-the-Apostles.” (Eastern Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion)
      • John Elliot (Episcopal Church)
      • Saints of the Cristero War, including Christopher Magallanes
      • May 21 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Circassian Day of Mourning (Circassians)
    • Day of Patriots and Military (Hungary)
    • Independence Day, celebrates the Montenegrin independence referendum in 2006, celebrated until the next day. (Montenegro)
    • Navy Day (Chile)
    • Saint Helena Day, celebrates the discovery of Saint Helena in 1502. (Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha)
    • World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development (International)
    • International Tea Day (International)
  • May 12 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 254 – Pope Stephen I succeeds Pope Lucius I, becoming the 23rd pope of the Catholic Church.
    • 907 – Zhu Wen forces Emperor Ai into abdicating, ending the Tang dynasty after nearly three hundred years of rule.
    • 1191 – Richard I of England marries Berengaria of Navarre in Cyprus; she is crowned Queen consort of England the same day.
    • 1328 – Antipope Nicholas V, a claimant to the papacy, is consecrated in Rome by the Bishop of Venice.
    • 1364 – Jagiellonian University, the oldest university in Poland, is founded in Kraków.
    • 1510 – The Prince of Anhua rebellion begins when Zhu Zhifan kills all the officials invited to a banquet and declares his intent on ousting the powerful Ming dynasty eunuch Liu Jin during the reign of the Zhengde Emperor.
    • 1551 – National University of San Marcos, the oldest university in the Americas, is founded in Lima, Peru.
    • 1588 – French Wars of Religion: Henry III of France flees Paris after Henry I, Duke of Guise, enters the city and a spontaneous uprising occurs.
    • 1593 – London playwright Thomas Kyd is arrested and tortured by the Privy Council for libel.
    • 1743 – Maria Theresa of Austria is crowned Queen of Bohemia after defeating her rival, Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor.
    • 1778 – Heinrich XI, count of the Principality of Reuss-Greiz, is elevated to Prince by Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor.
    • 1780 – American Revolutionary War: In the largest defeat of the Continental Army, Charleston, South Carolina is taken by British forces.
    • 1797 – War of the First Coalition: Napoleon I of France conquers Venice.
    • 1821 – The first major battle of the Greek War of Independence against the Turks is fought in Valtetsi.
    • 1846 – The Donner Party of pioneers departs Independence, Missouri for California, on what will become a year-long journey of hardship and cannibalism.
    • 1862 – American Civil War: U.S. federal troops occupy Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
    • 1863 – American Civil War: Battle of Raymond: Two divisions of James B. McPherson’s XVII Corps turn the left wing of Confederate General John C. Pemberton’s defensive line on Fourteen Mile Creek, opening up the interior of Mississippi to the Union Army during the Vicksburg Campaign.
    • 1864 – American Civil War: The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House: Union troops assault a Confederate salient known as the “Mule Shoe”, with the fiercest fighting of the war, much of it hand-to-hand combat, occurring at “the Bloody Angle” on the northwest.
    • 1865 – American Civil War: The Battle of Palmito Ranch: The first day of the last major land action to take place during the Civil War, resulting in a Confederate victory.
    • 1870 – The Manitoba Act is given the Royal Assent, paving the way for Manitoba to become a province of Canada on July 15.
    • 1881 – In North Africa, Tunisia becomes a French protectorate.
    • 1885 – North-West Rebellion: The four-day Battle of Batoche, pitting rebel Métis against the Canadian government, comes to an end with a decisive rebel defeat.
    • 1888 – In Southeast Asia, the North Borneo Chartered Company’s territories become the British protectorate of North Borneo.
    • 1926 – The Italian-built airship Norge becomes the first vessel to fly over the North Pole.
    • 1932 – Ten weeks after his abduction, Charles Jr., the infant son of Charles Lindbergh, is found dead near Hopewell, New Jersey, just a few miles from the Lindberghs’ home.
    • 1933 – The Agricultural Adjustment Act, which restricts agricultural production through government purchase of livestock for slaughter and paying subsidies to farmers when they remove land from planting, is signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
    • 1937 – The Duke and Duchess of York are crowned as King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Westminster Abbey.
    • 1941 – Konrad Zuse presents the Z3, the world’s first working programmable, fully automatic computer, in Berlin.
    • 1942 – World War II: Second Battle of Kharkov: In eastern Ukraine, Red Army forces under Marshal Semyon Timoshenko launch a major offensive from the Izium bridgehead, only to be encircled and destroyed by the troops of Army Group South two weeks later.
    • 1942 – World War II: The U.S. tanker SS Virginia is torpedoed in the mouth of the Mississippi River by the German submarine U-507.
    • 1948 – Wilhelmina, Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, cedes the throne.
    • 1949 – Cold War: The Soviet Union lifts its blockade of Berlin.
    • 1965 – The Soviet spacecraft Luna 5 crashes on the Moon.
    • 1968 – Vietnam War: North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces attack Australian troops defending Fire Support Base Coral.
    • 1978 – In Zaire, rebels occupy the city of Kolwezi, the mining center of the province of Shaba (now known as Katanga); the local government asks the US, France and Belgium to restore order.
    • 1981 – Francis Hughes, Provisional IRA hunger striker, dies in the Maze Prison, Northern Ireland.
    • 1982 – During a procession outside the shrine of the Virgin Mary in Fátima, Portugal, security guards overpower Juan María Fernández y Krohn before he can attack Pope John Paul II with a bayonet.
    • 1989 – The San Bernardino train disaster kills four people. A week later an underground gasoline pipeline explodes killing two more people.
    • 1998 – Four students are shot at Trisakti University, leading to widespread riots and the fall of Suharto.
    • 2002 – Former US President Jimmy Carter arrives in Cuba for a five-day visit with Fidel Castro, becoming the first President of the United States, in or out of office, to visit the island since Castro’s 1959 revolution.
    • 2003 – The Riyadh compound bombings, carried out by al-Qaeda, kill 26 people.
    • 2006 – Mass unrest by the Primeiro Comando da Capital begins in São Paulo (Brazil), leaving at least 150 dead.
    • 2006 – Iranian Azeris interpret a cartoon published in an Iranian magazine as insulting, resulting in massive riots throughout the country.
    • 2008 – An earthquake (measuring around 8.0 magnitude) occurs in Sichuan, China, killing over 69,000 people.
    • 2008 – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducts the largest-ever raid of a workplace in Postville, Iowa, arresting nearly 400 immigrants for identity theft and document fraud.
    • 2010 – Afriqiyah Airways Flight 771 crashes on final approach to Tripoli International Airport in Tripoli, Libya, killing 103 out of the 104 people on board.
    • 2015 – A train derailment in Philadelphia kills eight people and injures more than 200.
    • 2015 – Massive Nepal earthquake kills 218 people and injures more than 3500.
    • 2017 – The WannaCry ransomware attack impacts over 400 thousand computers worldwide, targeting computers of the United Kingdom’s National Health Services and Telefónica computers.
    • 2018 – Paris knife attack: A man was fatally shot by police in Paris after killing one and injuring several others.

    Births on May 13

    1401 – Emperor Shōkō of Japan (d. 1428)

    • 1479 – Pompeo Colonna, Catholic cardinal (d. 1532)
    • 1496 – Gustav I of Sweden (d. 1560)
    • 1590 – Cosimo II de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (d. 1621)
    • 1606 – Joachim von Sandrart, German art-historian and painter (d. 1688)
    • 1622 – Louis de Buade de Frontenac, French-Canadian soldier and politician, 3rd Governor General of New France (d. 1698)
    • 1626 – Louis Hennepin, Flemish priest and missionary (d. 1705)
    • 1670 – Augustus II the Strong, Polish king (d. 1733)
    • 1700 – Luigi Vanvitelli, Italian architect and engineer, designed the Palace of Caserta and Royal Palace of Milan (d. 1773)
    • 1725 – Louis Philippe I, Duke of Orléans (d. 1785)
    • 1739 – Johann Baptist Wanhal, Czech-Austrian organist and composer (d. 1813)
    • 1754 – Franz Anton Hoffmeister, German composer and publisher (d. 1812)
    • 1755 – Giovanni Battista Viotti, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1824)
    • 1767 – Manuel Godoy, Spanish field marshal and politician, Prime Minister of Spain (d. 1851)
    • 1774 – Ellis Cunliffe Lister, English politician (d. 1853)
    • 1777 – Mary Reibey, Australian businesswoman (d. 1855)
    • 1803 – Justus von Liebig, German chemist and academic (d. 1873)
    • 1804 – Robert Baldwin, Canadian lawyer and politician, 3rd Premier of West Canada (d. 1858)
    • 1806 – Johan Vilhelm Snellman, Finnish philosopher and politician (d. 1881)
    • 1812 – Edward Lear, English poet and illustrator (d. 1888)
    • 1814 – Adolf von Henselt, German pianist and composer (d. 1889)
    • 1820 – Florence Nightingale, Italian-English nurse, social reformer, and statistician (d. 1910)
    • 1825 – Orélie-Antoine de Tounens, French lawyer and explorer (d. 1878)
    • 1828 – Dante Gabriel Rossetti, English poet and painter (d. 1882)
    • 1829 – Pavlos Carrer, Greek composer and educator (d. 1896)
    • 1839 – Tôn Thất Thuyết, Vietnamese mandarin (d. 1913)
    • 1840 – Alejandro Gorostiaga, Chilean colonel (d. 1912)
    • 1842 – Jules Massenet, French composer (d. 1912)
    • 1845 – Gabriel Fauré, French pianist, composer, and educator (d. 1924)
    • 1850 – Henry Cabot Lodge, American historian and politician (d. 1924)
    • 1850 – Frederick Holder, Australian politician, 19th Premier of South Australia (d. 1909)
    • 1859 – William Alden Smith, American lawyer and politician (d. 1932)
    • 1859 – Frank Wilson, English-Australian politician, 9th Premier of Western Australia (d. 1918)
    • 1863 – Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury, Bengali writer, painter, violin player and composer, technologist and entrepreneur. (d. 1915)
    • 1867 – Hugh Trumble, Australian cricketer and accountant (d. 1938)
    • 1869 – Carl Schuhmann, German gymnast, wrestler, and weightlifter (d. 1946)
    • 1872 – Anton Korošec, Slovenian priest and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Yugoslavia (d. 1940)
    • 1873 – J. E. H. MacDonald, English-Canadian painter (d. 1932)
    • 1874 – Clemens von Pirquet, Austrian pediatrician and immunologist (d. 1929)
    • 1875 – Charles Holden, English architect, designed the Bristol Central Library (d. 1960)
    • 1880 – Lincoln Ellsworth, American explorer (d. 1951)
    • 1885 – Paltiel Daykan, Lithuanian-Israeli lawyer and jurist (d. 1969)
    • 1885 – Saneatsu Mushanokōji, Japanese author (d. 1976)
    • 1886 – Ernst A. Lehmann, German captain and pilot (d. 1937)
    • 1899 – Abelardo L. Rodríguez, substitute president of Mexico (d. 1967)
    • 1889 – Otto Frank, German-Swiss businessman and Holocaust survivor; father of diarist Anne Frank (d. 1980)
    • 1892 – Fritz Kortner, Austrian-German actor and director (d. 1970)
    • 1895 – William Giauque, Canadian-American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1982)
    • 1895 – Jiddu Krishnamurti, Indian-American philosopher and author (d. 1986)
    • 1900 – Helene Weigel, Austrian-German actress (d. 1971)
    • 1901 – The Duke of Paducah, American country comedian, radio host and banjo player (d. 1986)
    • 1903 – Faith Bennett, British actress and ATA pilot during WWII (d. 1969)
    • 1903 – Wilfrid Hyde-White, English actor (d. 1991)
    • 1905 – Édouard Rinfret, Canadian lawyer and politician, Postmaster General of Canada (d. 1994)
    • 1907 – Leslie Charteris, English author and screenwriter (d. 1993)
    • 1907 – Katharine Hepburn, American actress (d. 2003)
    • 1908 – Nicholas Kaldor, Hungarian-English economist (d. 1986)
    • 1910 – James Dudley, American baseball player, wrestling manager and executive (d. 2004)
    • 1910 – Johan Ferrier, Surinamese educator and politician, 1st President of Suriname (d. 2010)
    • 1910 – Dorothy Hodgkin, English biochemist, crystallographer, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1994)
    • 1910 – Gordon Jenkins, American pianist and composer (d. 1984)
    • 1911 – Charles Biro, American author and illustrator (d. 1972)
    • 1912 – Henry Jonsson, Swedish runner (d. 2001)
    • 1912 – Marshal Royal, American saxophonist and clarinet player (d. 1995)
    • 1914 – Bertus Aafjes, Dutch poet and author (d. 1993)
    • 1914 – Howard K. Smith, American journalist and actor (d. 2002)
    • 1915 – Tony Strobl, American comics artist and animator (d. 1991)
    • 1916 – Albert Murray, American author and critic (d. 2013)
    • 1918 – Mary Kay Ash, American businesswoman, founded Mary Kay Cosmetics (d. 2001)
    • 1918 – Julius Rosenberg, American spy (d. 1953)
    • 1921 – Joseph Beuys, German sculptor and illustrator (d. 1986)
    • 1921 – Farley Mowat, Canadian environmentalist and author (d. 2014)
    • 1922 – Marco Denevi, Argentinian lawyer and author (d. 1998)
    • 1922 – Murray Gershenz, American actor and businessman (d. 2013)
    • 1922 – Bob Goldham, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster (d. 1991)
    • 1922 – Roy Salvadori, English race car driver and manager (d. 2012)
    • 1924 – Maxine Cooper, American actress and photographer (d. 2009)
    • 1924 – Alexander Esenin-Volpin, Russian-American mathematician and poet (d. 2016)
    • 1924 – Tony Hancock, English actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1968)
    • 1925 – Yogi Berra, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 2015)
    • 1926 – Paulette Poujol-Oriol, Hatian educator and writer (d. 2011)
    • 1926 – Viren J. Shah, Indian politician, 21st Governor of West Bengal (d. 2013)
    • 1928 – Burt Bacharach, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer
    • 1929 – Sam Nujoma, Namibian politician, 1st President of Namibia
    • 1929 – Dollard St. Laurent, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2015)
    • 1930 – Jesús Franco, Spanish director and screenwriter (d. 2013)
    • 1932 – Joel Joffe, Baron Joffe, South African-English lawyer and politician (d. 2017)
    • 1933 – Andrei Voznesensky, Russian poet (d. 2010)
    • 1935 – Felipe Alou, Dominican-American baseball player, coach, and manager
    • 1935 – Johnny Bucyk, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
    • 1936 – Guillermo Endara, Panamanian lawyer and politician, 32nd President of Panama (d. 2009)
    • 1936 – Tom Snyder, American journalist and talk show host (d. 2007)
    • 1936 – Frank Stella, American painter and sculptor
    • 1937 – Beryl Burton, English cyclist (d. 1996)
    • 1937 – George Carlin, American comedian, actor, and author (d. 2008)
    • 1937 – Susan Hampshire, English actress
    • 1937 – Miriam Stoppard, English physician and author
    • 1938 – Millie Perkins, American actress
    • 1939 – Cyril Chantler, English pediatrician and academic
    • 1939 – Jalal Dabagh, Kurdish journalist and politician
    • 1939 – Miltiadis Evert, Greek minister and politician, 69th Mayor of Athens (d. 2011)
    • 1939 – Reg Gasnier, Australian rugby league player, coach, and sportscaster (d. 2014)
    • 1939 – Ron Ziegler, American politician, White House Press Secretary (d. 2003)
    • 1940 – Lill Lindfors, Swedish singer
    • 1940 – Norman Whitfield, American songwriter and producer (d. 2008)
    • 1941 – Ruud de Wolff, Dutch singer (d. 2000)
    • 1942 – Ian Dury, English singer-songwriter (d. 2000)
    • 1942 – Michel Fugain, French singer-songwriter
    • 1942 – Billy Swan, American country singer-songwriter
    • 1942 – Dragoljub Velimirović, Serbian chess player and theoretician (d. 2014)
    • 1944 – Chris Patten, English academic and politician, 28th Governor of Hong Kong
    • 1945 – Alan Ball, Jr., English footballer and manager (d. 2007)
    • 1945 – Ian McLagan, English keyboard player and songwriter (d. 2014)
    • 1945 – Patrick Ricard, French businessman (d. 2012)
    • 1946 – Daniel Libeskind, American architect, designed the Imperial War Museum North and Jewish Museum
    • 1947 – Michael Ignatieff, Canadian journalist and politician
    • 1948 – Lindsay Crouse, American actress
    • 1948 – Dave Heineman, American captain and politician, 39th Governor of Nebraska
    • 1948 – Richard Riehle, American actor
    • 1948 – Steve Winwood, English singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist
    • 1949 – Ross Bleckner, American painter
    • 1950 – Bruce Boxleitner, American actor and author
    • 1950 – Gabriel Byrne, Irish actor, director, and producer
    • 1950 – Helena Kennedy, Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws, Scottish lawyer, academic, and politician
    • 1950 – Billy Squier, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1951 – George Karl, American basketball player and coach
    • 1955 – Kix Brooks, American country music singer-songwriter and musician
    • 1956 – Bernie Federko, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager
    • 1956 – Sergio Marchi, Argentinean-Canadian urban planner and politician, 10th Canadian Minister of International Trade
    • 1956 – Greg Phillinganes, American keyboardist
    • 1956 – Asad Rauf, Pakistani cricketer and umpire
    • 1957 – Ziya Onis, Turkish economist and academic
    • 1958 – Kim Greist, American actress
    • 1958 – Andreas Petroulakis, Greek cartoonist
    • 1958 – Dries van Noten, Belgian fashion designer
    • 1959 – Dave Christian, American ice hockey player
    • 1959 – Ray Gillen, American rock singer-songwriter (d. 1993)
    • 1959 – Ving Rhames, American actor
    • 1960 – Lisa Martin, Australian runner
    • 1961 – Thomas Dooley, German-American soccer player and manager
    • 1961 – Billy Duffy, English rock guitarist and songwriter
    • 1961 – Bruce McCulloch, Canadian actor and comedian
    • 1962 – Emilio Estevez, American actor
    • 1962 – Brett Gurewitz, American guitarist and songwriter
    • 1962 – Gregory H. Johnson, English-born American astronaut
    • 1963 – Panagiotis Fasoulas, Greek basketball player and politician
    • 1963 – Gavin Hood, South African actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1963 – Stefano Modena, Italian race car driver
    • 1963 – Vanessa A. Williams, American actress and producer
    • 1964 – Pierre Morel, French director and cinematographer
    • 1965 – Renée Simonsen, Danish model and writer
    • 1965 – Stacy Wilson, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1966 – Stephen Baldwin, American actor
    • 1966 – Bebel Gilberto, American-Brazilian singer-songwriter
    • 1966 – Deborah Kara Unger, Canadian actress
    • 1967 – Mireille Bousquet-Mélou, French mathematician
    • 1967 – Bill Shorten, Australian politician
    • 1968 – Tony Hawk, American skateboarder and actor
    • 1968 – Catherine Tate, English actress and screenwriter
    • 1969 – Suzanne Clément, Canadian actress
    • 1969 – Kim Fields, American actress
    • 1970 – Mark Foster, English swimmer
    • 1970 – Jim Furyk, American golfer
    • 1970 – Samantha Mathis, American actress
    • 1970 – Mike Weir, Canadian golfer
    • 1970 – David A. R. White, American actor and producer
    • 1971 – Doug Basham, American wrestler
    • 1971 – Jamie Luner, American actress
    • 1972 – Christian Campbell, Canadian-American actor, writer and photographer
    • 1973 – Mackenzie Astin, American actor
    • 1973 – Lutz Pfannenstiel, German footballer and manager
    • 1975 – Jonah Lomu, New Zealand rugby player (d. 2015)
    • 1975 – Ricky Ortiz, American professional wrestler and football player
    • 1976 – Kardinal Offishall, Canadian rap musician and producer
    • 1977 – Graeme Dott, Scottish snooker player and coach
    • 1977 – Maryam Mirzakhani, Iranian mathematician (d. 2017)
    • 1977 – Onur Saylak, Turkish actor, filmmaker and director
    • 1977 – Rachel Wilson, Canadian actress and voice actress
    • 1978 – Aaron Abrams, Canadian actor
    • 1978 – Malin Åkerman, Swedish-Canadian model, actress, and singer
    • 1978 – Jason Biggs, American actor and comedian
    • 1978 – Aya Ishiguro, Japanese singer and fashion designer
    • 1979 – Adrian Serioux,Canadian soccer player
    • 1979 – Aaron Yoo, American actor
    • 1980 – Keith Bogans, American basketball player
    • 1981 – Rami Malek, American actor
    • 1981 – Kentaro Sato, Japanese-American composer and conductor
    • 1981 – Dennis Trillo, Filipino actor and singer
    • 1982 – Donnie Nietes, Filipino boxer
    • 1983 – Domhnall Gleeson, Irish actor
    • 1983 – Alina Kabaeva, Russian gymnast and politician
    • 1983 – Yujiro Kushida, Japanese wrestler and mixed martial artist
    • 1983 – Charilaos Pappas, Greek footballer
    • 1983 – Virginie Razzano, French tennis player
    • 1983 – Francisco Javier Torres, Mexican footballer
    • 1984 – Clare Bowen, Australian actress and singer
    • 1985 – Paolo Goltz, Argentinian footballer
    • 1985 – Andrew Howe, Italian long jumper and sprinter
    • 1985 – Jeroen Simaeys, Belgian footballer
    • 1986 – Jonathan Orozco, Mexican footballer
    • 1986 – Emily VanCamp, Canadian actress
    • 1987 – Kieron Pollard, Trinidadian cricketer
    • 1988 – Marcelo, Brazilian footballer
    • 1989 – Eleftheria Eleftheriou, Greek Cypriot singer, musician, and actress
    • 1990 – Florent Amodio, French figure skater
    • 1992 – Volha Khudzenka, Belarusian kayaker
    • 1995 – Luke Benward, American actor and singer
    • 1995 – Irina Khromacheva, Russian tennis player
    • 1997 – Morgan Lake, English athlete

    Deaths on May 12

    • 805 – Æthelhard, archbishop of Canterbury
    • 940 – Eutychius, patriarch of Alexandria (b. 877)
    • 1003 – Sylvester II, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 946)
    • 1012 – Sergius IV, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 970)
    • 1090 – Liutold of Eppenstein, duke of Carinthia
    • 1161 – Fergus of Galloway, Scottish nobleman
    • 1182 – Valdemar I, king of Denmark (b. 1131)
    • 1331 – Engelbert of Admont, Benedictine abbot and scholar
    • 1382 – Joanna I, queen of Naples (b. 1328)
    • 1465 – Thomas Palaiologos, Despot of Morea (b. 1409)
    • 1490 – Joanna, Portuguese princess and regent (b. 1452)
    • 1529 – Cecily Bonville, 7th Baroness Harington, English noblewoman (b. 1460)
    • 1599 – Murad Mirza, Mughal prince (b. 1570)
    • 1634 – George Chapman, English poet and playwright (b. 1559)
    • 1641 – Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford, English soldier and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (b. 1593)
    • 1684 – Edme Mariotte, French physicist and priest (b. 1620)
    • 1699 – Lucas Achtschellinck, Flemish painter (b. 1626)
    • 1700 – John Dryden, English poet, playwright, and critic (b. 1631)
    • 1708 – Adolphus Frederick II, duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (b. 1658)
    • 1748 – Thomas Lowndes, English astronomer and academic (b. 1692)
    • 1759 – Lambert-Sigisbert Adam, French sculptor (b. 1700)
    • 1784 – Abraham Trembley, Swiss zoologist and academic (b. 1710)
    • 1792 – Charles Simon Favart, French playwright and composer (b. 1710)
    • 1796 – Johann Uz, German poet and author (b. 1720)
    • 1801 – Nicholas Repnin, Russian general and politician, Governor-General of Baltic provinces (b. 1734)
    • 1842 – Walenty Wańkowicz, Belarusian-Polish painter (b. 1799)
    • 1845 – János Batsányi, Hungarian poet and academic (b. 1763)
    • 1856 – Jacques Philippe Marie Binet, French mathematician, physicist, and astronomer (b. 1786)
    • 1859 – Sergey Aksakov, Russian author and academic (b. 1791)
    • 1860 – Charles Barry, English architect, designed Upper Brook Street Chapel and the Palace of Westminster (b. 1795)
    • 1864 – J. E. B. Stuart, American general (b. 1833)
    • 1867 – Friedrich Wilhelm Eduard Gerhard, German archaeologist and academic (b. 1795)
    • 1878 – Anselme Payen, French chemist and academic (b. 1795)
    • 1876 – Georgi Benkovski, Bulgarian activist (b. 1843)
    • 1884 – Bedřich Smetana, Czech composer and educator (b. 1824)
    • 1907 – Joris-Karl Huysmans, French author and critic (b. 1848)
    • 1916 – James Connolly, Scottish-born Irish socialist and rebel leader (b. 1868)
    • 1925 – Amy Lowell, American poet and critic (b. 1874)
    • 1931 – Eugène Ysaÿe, Belgian violinist, composer, and conductor (b. 1858)
    • 1935 – Józef Piłsudski, Polish field marshal and politician, 15th Prime Minister of Poland (b. 1867)
    • 1944 – Max Brand, American journalist and author (b. 1892)
    • 1944 – Arthur Quiller-Couch, English author, poet, and critic (b. 1863)
    • 1956 – Louis Calhern, American actor and singer (b. 1895)
    • 1957 – Alfonso de Portago, Spanish bobsledder and race car driver (b. 1928)
    • 1957 – Erich von Stroheim, Austrian-American actor, director, and producer (b. 1885)
    • 1963 – Richard Girulatis, German footballer and manager (b. 1878)
    • 1963 – Robert Kerr, Irish-Canadian sprinter and coach (b. 1882)
    • 1964 – Agnes Forbes Blackadder, Scottish medical doctor (b. 1875)
    • 1966 – Felix Steiner, Russian-German SS officer (b. 1896)
    • 1967 – John Masefield, English poet and author (b. 1878)
    • 1970 – Nelly Sachs, German poet and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1891)
    • 1971 – Heinie Manush, American baseball player and coach (b. 1901)
    • 1973 – Frances Marion, American screenwriter, novelist and journalist (b. 1888)
    • 1973 – Art Pollard, American race car driver (b. 1927)
    • 1974 – Wayne Maki, Canadian National Hockey League player (b. 1944)
    • 1980 – Lillian Roth, American actress 9b. 1910)
    • 1985 – Jean Dubuffet, French painter and sculptor (b. 1901)
    • 1986 – Elisabeth Bergner, German actress (b. 1897)
    • 1992 – Nikos Gatsos, Greek poet and songwriter (b. 1911)
    • 1992 – Robert Reed, American actor (b. 1932)
    • 1993 – Zeno Colò, Italian Olympic alpine skier (b.1920)
    • 1994 – Erik Erikson, German-American psychologist and psychoanalyst (b. 1902)
    • 1994 – John Smith, Scottish-English lawyer and politician, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer (b. 1938)
    • 1995 – Ștefan Kovács, Romanian football player and coach (b. 1920)
    • 1999 – Saul Steinberg, Romanian-American illustrator (b. 1914)
    • 2000 – Adam Petty, American race car driver (b. 1980)
    • 2001 – Perry Como, American singer and television host (b. 1912)
    • 2001 – Alexei Tupolev, Russian engineer, designed the Tupolev Tu-144 (b. 1925)
    • 2003 – Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, French-American diplomat (b. 1933)
    • 2005 – Ömer Kavur, Turkish director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1944)
    • 2005 – Martin Lings, English author and scholar (b. 1909)
    • 2005 – Monica Zetterlund, Swedish actress (b. 1937)
    • 2006 – Hussein Maziq, Libyan politician, Prime Minister of Libya (b. 1918)
    • 2008 – Robert Rauschenberg, American painter and illustrator (b. 1925)
    • 2008 – Irena Sendler, Polish nurse and humanitarian (b. 1910)
    • 2009 – Antonio Vega, Spanish singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1957)
    • 2012 – Jan Bens, Dutch footballer and coach (b. 1921)
    • 2012 – Eddy Paape, Belgian illustrator (b. 1920)
    • 2013 – Gerd Langguth, German political scientist, author, and academic (b. 1946)
    • 2014 – Cornell Borchers, Lithuanian-German actress and singer (b. 1925)
    • 2014 – Marco Cé, Italian cardinal (b. 1925)
    • 2014 – H. R. Giger, Swiss painter, sculptor, and set designer (b. 1940)
    • 2014 – Sarat Pujari, Indian actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1934)
    • 2014 – Lorenzo Zambrano, Mexican businessman and philanthropist (b. 1944)
    • 2015 – Peter Gay, German-American historian, author, and academic (b. 1923)
    • 2015 – William Zinsser American journalist and critic (b. 1922)
    • 2016 – Mike Agostini, Trinidadian sprinter (b. 1935)
    • 2017 – Mauno Koivisto, Finnish banker and politician, 9th President of Finland (b. 1923)
    • 2018 – Dennis Nilsen, Scottish serial killer (b. 1945)

    Holidays and observances on May 12

    • 2nd Amendment Day (Pennsylvania, United States)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Blessed Imelda
      • Blessed Joan of Portugal
      • Crispoldus
      • Dominic de la Calzada
      • Epiphanius of Salamis
      • Gregory Dix (Church of England)
      • Modoald
      • Nereus, Achilleus, Domitilla, and Pancras
      • Patriarch Germanus I of Constantinople (Eastern Church)
      • Philip of Agira
      • May 12 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Day of the Finnish Identity (Finland)
    • International Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Awareness Day
    • International Nurses Day
    • Saint Andrea the First Day (Georgia)
  • May 8 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 453 BC – Spring and Autumn period: The house of Zhao defeats the house of Zhi, ending the Battle of Jinyang, a military conflict between the elite families of the State of Jin.
    • 413 – Emperor Honorius signs an edict providing tax relief for the Italian provinces Tuscia, Campania, Picenum, Samnium, Apulia, Lucania and Calabria, which were plundered by the Visigoths.
    • 589 – Reccared I opens the Third Council of Toledo, marking the entry of Visigothic Spain into the Catholic Church.
    • 1429 – Joan of Arc lifts the Siege of Orléans, turning the tide of the Hundred Years’ War.
    • 1450 – Kentishmen revolt against King Henry VI.
    • 1516 – A group of imperial guards, led by Trịnh Duy Sản, murdered Emperor Lê Tương Dực and fled, leaving the capital Thăng Long undefended.
    • 1541 – Hernando de Soto stops near present-day Walls, Mississippi, and sees the Mississippi River(then known by the Spanish as Río de Espíritu Santo, the name given to it by Alonso Álvarez de Pineda in 1519).
    • 1788 – King Louis XVI of France attempts to impose the reforms of Étienne Charles de Loménie de Brienne by abolishing the parlements.
    • 1794 – Branded a traitor during the Reign of Terror, French chemist Antoine Lavoisier, who was also a tax collector with the Ferme générale, is tried, convicted and guillotined in one day in Paris.
    • 1821 – Greek War of Independence: The Greeks defeat the Turks at the Battle of Gravia Inn.
    • 1842 – A train derails and catches fire in Paris, killing between 52 and 200 people.
    • 1846 – Mexican–American War: American forces led by Zachary Taylor defeat a Mexican force north of the Rio Grande in the first major battle of the war.
    • 1877 – At Gilmore’s Gardens in New York City, the first Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show opens.
    • 1886 – Pharmacist John Pemberton first sells a carbonated beverage named “Coca-Cola” as a patent medicine.
    • 1898 – The first games of the Italian football league system are played.
    • 1899 – The Irish Literary Theatre in Dublin produced its first play.
    • 1902 – In Martinique, Mount Pelée erupts, destroying the town of Saint-Pierre and killing over 30,000 people. Only a handful of residents survive the blast.
    • 1912 – Paramount Pictures is founded.
    • 1919 – Edward George Honey proposes the idea of a moment of silence to commemorate the Armistice of 11 November 1918 which ended World War I.
    • 1921 – The creation of the Communist Party of Romania.
    • 1924 – The Klaipėda Convention is signed formally incorporating Klaipėda Region (Memel Territory) into Lithuania.
    • 1927 – Attempting to make the first non-stop transatlantic flight from Paris to New York, French war heroes Charles Nungesser and François Coli disappear after taking off aboard The White Bird biplane.
    • 1933 – Mohandas Gandhi begins a 21-day fast of self-purification and launched a one-year campaign to help the Harijan movement.
    • 1941 – World War II: The German Luftwaffe launches a bombing raid on Nottingham and Derby.
    • 1942 – World War II: The German 11th Army begins Operation Trappenjagd (Bustard Hunt) and destroys the bridgehead of the three Soviet armies defending the Kerch Peninsula.
    • 1942 – World War II: The Battle of the Coral Sea comes to an end with Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft carrier aircraft attacking and sinking the United States Navy aircraft carrier USS Lexington.
    • 1942 – World War II: Gunners of the Ceylon Garrison Artillery on Horsburgh Island in the Cocos Islands rebel in the Cocos Islands Mutiny. Their mutiny is crushed and three of them are executed, the only British Commonwealth soldiers to be executed for mutiny during the Second World War.
    • 1945 – World War II: The German Instrument of Surrender signed at Reims comes into effect.
    • 1945 – End of the Prague uprising, celebrated now as a national holiday in the Czech Republic.
    • 1945 – Hundreds of Algerian civilians are killed by French Army soldiers in the Sétif massacre.
    • 1945 – The Halifax riot starts when thousands of civilians and servicemen rampage through Halifax, Nova Scotia.
    • 1946 – Estonian schoolgirls Aili Jõgi and Ageeda Paavel blow up the Soviet memorial which preceded the Bronze Soldier of Tallinn.
    • 1963 – South Vietnamese soldiers under the Roman Catholic President Ngo Dinh Diem open fire on Buddhists defying a ban on the flying of the Buddhist flag on Vesak, killing nine and sparking the Buddhist crisis.
    • 1967 – The Philippine province of Davao is split into three: Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, and Davao Oriental.
    • 1972 – Vietnam War: U.S. President Richard Nixon announces his order to place naval mines in major North Vietnamese ports in order to stem the flow of weapons and other goods to that nation.
    • 1973 – A 71-day standoff between federal authorities and the American Indian Movement members occupying the Pine Ridge Reservation at Wounded Knee, South Dakota ends with the surrender of the militants.
    • 1976 – The rollercoaster The New Revolution, the first steel coaster with a vertical loop, opens at Six Flags Magic Mountain.
    • 1978 – The first ascent of Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen, by Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler.
    • 1980 – The World Health Organization confirms the eradication of smallpox.
    • 1984 – Corporal Denis Lortie enters the Quebec National Assembly and opens fire, killing three people and wounding 13. René Jalbert, Sergeant-at-Arms of the Assembly, succeeds in calming him, for which he will later receive the Cross of Valour.
    • 1984 – The Thames Barrier is officially opened, preventing the floodplain of most of Greater London from being flooded except under extreme circumstances.
    • 1987 – The SAS kills eight Provisional Irish Republican Army volunteers and a civilian during an ambush in Loughgall, Northern Ireland.
    • 1988 – A fire at Illinois Bell’s Hinsdale Central Office triggers an extended 1AESS network outage once considered to be the “worst telecommunications disaster in US telephone industry history”.
    • 1997 – China Southern Airlines Flight 3456 crashes on approach into Bao’an International Airport, killing 35 people.
    • 2019 – British 17-year-old Isabelle Holdaway is reported to be the first patient ever to receive a genetically modified phage therapy to treat a drug-resistant infection.

    Births on May 8

    • 1326 – Joan I, Countess of Auvergne (d. 1360)
    • 1427 – John Tiptoft, 1st Earl of Worcester, Lord High Treasurer (d. 1470)
    • 1460 – Frederick I, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach (d. 1536)
    • 1492 – Andrea Alciato, Italian jurist and writer (d. 1550)
    • 1508 – Charles Wriothesley, English Officer of Arms (d. 1562)
    • 1521 – Peter Canisius, Dutch-Swiss priest and saint (d. 1597)
    • 1551 – Thomas Drury, English government informer and swindler (d. 1603)
    • 1587 – Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy (d. 1637)
    • 1622 – Claes Rålamb, Swedish politician (d. 1698)
    • 1628 – Angelo Italia, Sicilian Jesuit and architect (d. 1700)
    • 1629 – Niels Juel, Norwegian-Danish admiral (d. 1697)
    • 1632 – Heino Heinrich Graf von Flemming, German field marshal and politician (d. 1706)
    • 1639 – Giovanni Battista Gaulli, Italian artist (d. 1709)
    • 1641 – Nicolaes Witsen, Mayor of Amsterdam, Netherlands (d. 1717)
    • 1653 – Claude Louis Hector de Villars, French general and politician, French Minister of Defence (d. 1734)
    • 1670 – Charles Beauclerk, 1st Duke of St Albans, English soldier and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire (d. 1726)
    • 1698 – Henry Baker, English naturalist (d. 1774)
    • 1720 – William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1764)
    • 1735 – Nathaniel Dance-Holland, English painter and politician (d. 1811)
    • 1737 – Edward Gibbon, English historian and politician (d. 1794)
    • 1745 – Carl Stamitz, German violinist and composer (d. 1801)
    • 1753 – Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, Mexican priest and rebel leader (d. 1811)
    • 1786 – John Vianney, French priest and saint (d. 1859)
    • 1815 – Edward Tompkins, American lawyer and politician (d. 1872)
    • 1818 – Samuel Leonard Tilley, Canadian pharmacist and politician, 3rd Premier of New Brunswick (d. 1896)
    • 1821 – William Henry Vanderbilt, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 1885)
    • 1824 – William Walker, American physician, lawyer, journalist and mercenary (d. 1860)
    • 1825 – George Bruce Malleson, English-Indian colonel and author (d. 1898)
    • 1828 – Henry Dunant, Swiss businessman and activist, co-founded the Red Cross, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1910)
    • 1828 – Charbel Makhluf, Lebanese monk and saint (d. 1898)
    • 1829 – Louis Moreau Gottschalk, American pianist and composer (d. 1869)
    • 1835 – Bertalan Székely, Hungarian painter and academic (d. 1910)
    • 1839 – Adolphe-Basile Routhier, Canadian judge, author, and songwriter (d. 1920)
    • 1842 – Emil Christian Hansen, Danish physiologist and mycologist (d. 1909)
    • 1846 – Oscar Hammerstein I, American businessman and composer (d. 1919)
    • 1850 – Ross Barnes, American baseball player and manager (d. 1915)
    • 1853 – Dan Brouthers, American baseball player and manager (d. 1932)
    • 1856 – Pedro Lascuráin, Mexican politician, president for 45 minutes on February 13, 1913. (d. 1952)
    • 1858 – Heinrich Berté, Slovak-Austrian composer (d. 1924)
    • 1858 – J. Meade Falkner, English author and poet (d. 1932)
    • 1859 – Johan Jensen, Danish mathematician and engineer (d. 1925)
    • 1867 – Margarete Böhme, German novelist (d. 1939)
    • 1879 – Wesley Coe, American shot putter, discus thrower, and tug of war competitor (d. 1926)
    • 1884 – Harry S. Truman, American colonel and politician, 33rd President of the United States (d. 1972)
    • 1885 – Thomas B. Costain, Canadian journalist and author (d. 1965)
    • 1892 – Adriaan Pelt, Dutch journalist and diplomat (d. 1981)
    • 1893 – Francis Ouimet, American golfer (d. 1967)
    • 1893 – Edd Roush, American baseball player and coach (d. 1988)
    • 1893 – Teddy Wakelam, English rugby player and sportscaster (d. 1963)
    • 1895 – James H. Kindelberger, American businessman (d. 1962)
    • 1895 – Fulton J. Sheen, American archbishop (d. 1979)
    • 1895 – Edmund Wilson, American critic, essayist, and editor (d. 1972)
    • 1898 – Aloysius Stepinac, Croatian cardinal (d. 1960)
    • 1899 – Arthur Q. Bryan, American actor, voice actor, comedian and radio personality (d. 1959)
    • 1899 – Friedrich Hayek, Austrian economist and philosopher, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1992)
    • 1899 – Jacques Heim, French fashion designer (d. 1967)
    • 1901 – Turkey Stearnes, American baseball player (d. 1979)
    • 1902 – André Michel Lwoff, French microbiologist and physician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1994)
    • 1903 – Fernandel, French actor and singer (d. 1971)
    • 1903 – Mary Stewart, Baroness Stewart of Alvechurch, British politician and educator (d. 1984)
    • 1904 – John Snagge, English journalist (d. 1996)
    • 1905 – Red Nichols, American cornet player, composer, and bandleader (d. 1965)
    • 1906 – Roberto Rossellini, Italian director and screenwriter (d. 1977)
    • 1910 – George Male, English footballer (d. 1998)
    • 1910 – Andrew E. Svenson, American author and publisher (d. 1975)
    • 1910 – Mary Lou Williams, American pianist and composer (d. 1981)
    • 1911 – Wilhelm Friedrich de Gaay Fortman, Dutch jurist and politician, Dutch Minister of The Interior (d. 1997)
    • 1911 – Robert Johnson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1938)
    • 1912 – George Woodcock, Canadian author and poet (d. 1995)
    • 1913 – Bob Clampett, American animator, director, and producer (d. 1984)
    • 1913 – Sid James, South African-English actor and singer (d. 1976)
    • 1915 – Milton Meltzer, American historian and author (d. 2009)
    • 1916 – João Havelange, Brazilian water polo player, lawyer, and businessman (d. 2016)
    • 1916 – Chinmayananda Saraswati, Indian spiritual leader and educator (d. 1993)
    • 1916 – Ramananda Sengupta, Indian cinematographer (d. 2017)
    • 1917 – John Anderson, Jr., American lawyer and politician, 36th Governor of Kansas (d. 2014)
    • 1919 – Lex Barker, American actor (d. 1973)
    • 1920 – Saul Bass, American graphic designer and director (d. 1996)
    • 1920 – Tom of Finland, Finnish illustrator (d. 1991)
    • 1920 – Sloan Wilson, American author and poet (d. 2003)
    • 1920 – Gordon McClymont, Australian ecologist and academic (d. 2000)
    • 1922 – Mary Q. Steele, American naturalist and author (d. 1992)
    • 1924 – S. Vithiananthan, Sri Lankan author and academic (d. 1989)
    • 1925 – Ali Hassan Mwinyi, Tanzanian politician, 2nd President of Tanzania
    • 1926 – David Attenborough, English environmentalist and television host
    • 1926 – David Hurst, German actor (d. 2019)
    • 1926 – Don Rickles, American comedian and actor (d. 2017)
    • 1927 – Chumy Chúmez, Spanish actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2003)
    • 1927 – László Paskai, Hungarian cardinal (d. 2015)
    • 1928 – Robert Conley, American journalist (d. 2013)
    • 1928 – Ted Sorensen, American lawyer, 8th White House Counsel (d. 2010)
    • 1929 – Ethel D. Allen, American physician and politician (d. 1981)
    • 1929 – Girija Devi, Indian classical singer (d. 2017)
    • 1929 – Claude Castonguay, Canadian banker and politician
    • 1929 – Miyoshi Umeki, Japanese-American actress and singer (d. 2007)
    • 1930 – Heather Harper, Northern Irish soprano (d. 2019)
    • 1930 – Doug Atkins, American football player (d. 2015)
    • 1930 – René Maltête, French photographer and poet (d. 2000)
    • 1930 – Gary Snyder, American poet, essayist, and translator
    • 1932 – Julieta Campos, Cuban-Mexican author and translator (d. 2007)
    • 1932 – Phyllida Law, Scottish actress
    • 1932 – Harry Wells, Australian rugby league player
    • 1934 – Leonard Hoffmann, Baron Hoffmann, South African-English lawyer and judge
    • 1934 – Maurice Norman, English footballer
    • 1934 – David Williamson, Baron Williamson of Horton, English soldier and politician (d. 2015)
    • 1935 – Lucius Cary, 15th Viscount Falkland, Scottish politician
    • 1935 – Princess Elisabeth of Denmark (d. 2018)
    • 1935 – Jack Charlton, English footballer and manager
    • 1936 – Kazuo Koike, Japanese author
    • 1936 – Haljand Udam, Estonian orientalist and academic (d. 2005)
    • 1937 – Bernard Cleary, Canadian journalist, academic, and politician
    • 1937 – Mike Cuellar, Cuban-American baseball player (d. 2010)
    • 1937 – Carlos Gaviria Díaz, Colombian lawyer and politician (d. 2015)
    • 1937 – Thomas Pynchon, American novelist
    • 1938 – Javed Burki, Indian-Pakistani cricketer
    • 1938 – Jean Giraud, French author and illustrator (d. 2012)
    • 1939 – Paul Drayton, American sprinter (d. 2010)
    • 1940 – Peter Benchley, American author and screenwriter (d. 2006)
    • 1940 – James Blyth, Baron Blyth of Rowington, English businessman and academic
    • 1940 – Irwin Cotler, Canadian lawyer and politician, 47th Canadian Minister of Justice
    • 1940 – Emilio Delgado, Mexican-American actor, “Sesame Street”
    • 1940 – Ricky Nelson, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (d. 1985)
    • 1940 – Toni Tennille, American singer-songwriter and keyboard player
    • 1941 – John Fred, American singer-songwriter (d. 2005)
    • 1941 – Bill Lockyer, American academic and politician, 30th Attorney General of California
    • 1941 – James Traficant, American lawyer and politician (d. 2014)
    • 1942 – Martin Dobkin, Canadian doctor and politician, 2nd Mayor of Mississauga
    • 1942 – Robin Hobbs, English cricketer
    • 1942 – Norman Lamont, Scottish banker and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer
    • 1942 – Pierre Morency, Canadian poet and playwright
    • 1942 – Terry Neill, Irish footballer and manager
    • 1943 – Pat Barker, English author
    • 1943 – Johnny Greaves, Australian rugby league player
    • 1943 – Jon Mark, English-New Zealand singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1943 – Paul Samwell-Smith, English bass player and producer
    • 1943 – Danny Whitten, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1972)
    • 1944 – Gary Glitter, English singer-songwriter
    • 1944 – Bill Legend, English drummer
    • 1945 – Arthur Docters van Leeuwen, Dutch jurist and politician
    • 1945 – Mike German, Baron German, Welsh educator and politician, Deputy First Minister for Wales
    • 1945 – Janine Haines, Australian politician (d. 2004)
    • 1945 – Keith Jarrett, American pianist and composer
    • 1946 – André Boulerice, Canadian politician
    • 1946 – Jonathan Dancy, English philosopher, author, and academic
    • 1947 – H. Robert Horvitz, American biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1947 – Felicity Lott, English soprano
    • 1947 – John Reid, Baron Reid of Cardowan, Scottish historian and politician, Secretary of State for Defence
    • 1948 – Steve Braun, American baseball player and coach
    • 1948 – Stephen Stohn, American-Canadian lawyer and producer
    • 1949 – David Vines, Australian economist and academic
    • 1950 – Robert Mugge, American director and producer
    • 1950 – Lepo Sumera, Estonian composer and educator (d. 2000)
    • 1951 – Philip Bailey, American singer-songwriter, drummer, and actor
    • 1951 – Mike D’Antoni, American basketball player and coach
    • 1951 – Chris Frantz, American drummer and producer
    • 1952 – Peter McNab, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
    • 1953 – Billy Burnette, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
    • 1953 – Alex Van Halen, Dutch-American drummer
    • 1954 – Pam Arciero, American puppeteer and voice actress
    • 1954 – David Keith, American actor and director
    • 1954 – John Michael Talbot, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1955 – Stephen Furst, American actor and director (d. 2017)
    • 1955 – Mladen Markač, Croatian general
    • 1955 – Keith Osgood, English footballer
    • 1956 – Jeff Wincott, Canadian actor and martial artist
    • 1957 – Bill Cowher, American football player and coach
    • 1957 – Rino Katase, Japanese actress
    • 1957 – Gary Lunn, Canadian lawyer and politician, 6th Canadian Minister of Natural Resources
    • 1958 – Roddy Doyle, Irish novelist, playwright, and screenwriter
    • 1958 – Simone Kleinsma, Dutch actress and singer
    • 1958 – Brooks Newmark, American-English businessman and politician, Lord of the Treasury
    • 1958 – Lovie Smith, American football player and coach
    • 1959 – Ronnie Lott, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1959 – David Manners, 11th Duke of Rutland, English politician
    • 1959 – Ikue Sakakibara, Japanese actress and singer
    • 1960 – Franco Baresi, Italian footballer and coach
    • 1960 – Eric Brittingham, American bass player
    • 1961 – Bill de Blasio, American politician, 109th Mayor of New York City
    • 1961 – Gert Kruys, Dutch footballer and manager
    • 1961 – Vallo Reimaa, Estonian academic and politician
    • 1961 – David Winning, Canadian-American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1962 – Natalia Molchanova, Russian diver (d. 2015)
    • 1962 – David Sole, Scottish rugby player
    • 1963 – Sylvain Cossette, Canadian singer-songwriter
    • 1963 – Anthony Field, Australian guitarist, songwriter, producer, and actor
    • 1963 – Michel Gondry, French director and screenwriter
    • 1963 – Izabela Kloc, Polish politician
    • 1963 – Aleksandr Kovalenko, Belarusian triple jumper
    • 1963 – Rick Zombo, American ice hockey player and coach
    • 1964 – Päivi Alafrantti, Finnish javelin thrower
    • 1964 – Melissa Gilbert, American actress and director
    • 1964 – Bobby Labonte, American race car driver
    • 1964 – Nathalie Roy, Canadian lawyer and politician
    • 1964 – Dave Rowntree, English drummer and animator
    • 1964 – Metin Tekin, Turkish footballer, manager, and journalist
    • 1966 – Cláudio Taffarel, Brazilian footballer and coach
    • 1967 – Viviana Durante, Italian ballerina and actress
    • 1967 – Angus Scott, British sports television presenter
    • 1968 – Teet Kask, Estonian ballet dancer and choreographer
    • 1968 – Nathalie Normandeau, Canadian politician, Deputy Premier of Quebec
    • 1968 – Johan Pehrson, Swedish lawyer and politician
    • 1969 – Jonny Searle, English rower
    • 1969 – Akebono Tarō, American-Japanese sumo wrestler, the 64th Yokozuna
    • 1969 – John Timu, New Zealand rugby player
    • 1970 – Michael Bevan, Australian cricketer and coach
    • 1970 – Naomi Klein, Canadian author and activist
    • 1970 – Luis Enrique, Spanish footballer and manager
    • 1971 – Chuck Huber, American voice actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1971 – Candice Night, American singer-songwriter
    • 1972 – Darren Hayes, Australian singer-songwriter
    • 1972 – Ray Whitney, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1973 – Hiromu Arakawa, Japanese author and illustrator
    • 1973 – Jesús Arellano, Mexican footballer
    • 1973 – Marcus Brigstocke, English comedian, actor, and screenwriter
    • 1974 – Marge Kõrkjas, Estonian swimmer
    • 1974 – Korey Stringer, American football player (d. 2001)
    • 1974 – Christian XXX, American pornographic star
    • 1975 – Enrique Iglesias, Spanish-American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
    • 1975 – Jussi Markkanen, Finnish ice hockey player
    • 1975 – Gastón Mazzacane, Argentinian race car driver
    • 1975 – Dmitri Ustritski, Estonian footballer
    • 1976 – Gonçalo Abecasis, Portuguese-American biochemist and academic
    • 1976 – Martha Wainwright, Canadian-American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1977 – Joe Bonamassa, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1977 – Bad News Brown, Canadian rapper, harmonica player, and actor (d. 2011)
    • 1977 – Theodoros Papaloukas, Greek basketball player
    • 1977 – Kathrin Bringmann, German mathematician and academic
    • 1978 – Lúcio, Brazilian footballer
    • 1978 – Jang Woo-hyuk, South Korean rapper and dancer
    • 1979 – Ole Morten Vågan, Norwegian bassist
    • 1980 – Keyon Dooling, American basketball player
    • 1980 – Panagiotis Kafkis, Greek basketball player
    • 1980 – Evgeny Lebedev, Russian-English publisher and philanthropist
    • 1980 – Michelle McManus, Scottish singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1980 – Benny Yau, Hong Kong-Canadian actor and singer
    • 1981 – Stephen Amell, Canadian actor
    • 1981 – Andrea Barzagli, Italian footballer
    • 1981 – Tatyana Dektyareva, Russian hurdler
    • 1981 – Björn Dixgård, Swedish singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1981 – Manny Gamburyan, Armenian-American mixed martial artist
    • 1981 – John Maine, American baseball player
    • 1982 – Buakaw Banchamek, Thai kick-boxer
    • 1982 – Christina Cole, English actress
    • 1982 – Adrián González, American baseball player
    • 1982 – Uğur Yıldırım, Turkish-Dutch footballer
    • 1983 – Juan Martin Goity, Argentinian-German rugby player
    • 1983 – Bershawn Jackson, American hurdler
    • 1983 – Lawrence Vickers, American football player
    • 1983 – Vicky McClure, English actress
    • 1984 – David King, English figure skater
    • 1985 – Tommaso Ciampa, American wrestler
    • 1985 – Silvia Stroescu, Romanian gymnast
    • 1985 – Sarah Vaillancourt, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1985 – Usama Young, American football player
    • 1986 – Pemra Özgen, Turkish tennis player
    • 1986 – Galen Rupp, American runner
    • 1986 – Marvell Wynne, American soccer player
    • 1987 – Felix Jones, American football player
    • 1987 – Aarne Nirk, Estonian hurdler
    • 1987 – Mark Noble, English footballer
    • 1987 – Kurt Tippett, Australian footballer
    • 1988 – Tanel Kurbas, Estonian basketball player
    • 1988 – Maicon Pereira de Oliveira, Brazilian footballer (d. 2014)
    • 1989 – Liam Bridcutt, English footballer
    • 1989 – Lars Eller, Danish ice hockey player
    • 1989 – Dinesh Patel, Indian baseball player
    • 1990 – Kemba Walker, American basketball player
    • 1991 – Ethan Gage, Canadian soccer player
    • 1991 – Valentijn Lietmeijer, Dutch basketball player
    • 1991 – Anamaria Tămârjan, Romanian gymnast
    • 1992 – Kevin Hayes, American ice hockey player
    • 1993 – Pat Cummins, Australian cricketer
    • 1996 – 6ix9ine, American rapper
    • 2001 – Jordyn Huitema, Canadian soccer player
    • 2003 – Moulay Hassan, Crown Prince of Morocco

    Deaths on May 8

    • 535 – Pope John II
    • 615 – Pope Boniface IV (b. 550)
    • 685 – Pope Benedict II
    • 997 – Tai Zong, Chinese emperor (b. 939)
    • 1157 – Ahmed Sanjar, Seljuk sultan (b. 1086)
    • 1192 – Ottokar IV, duke of Styria (b. 1163)
    • 1220 – Richeza of Denmark, queen of Sweden
    • 1278 – Duan Zong, Chinese emperor (b. 1269)
    • 1319 – Haakon V, king of Norway (b. 1270)
    • 1473 – John Stafford, 1st Earl of Wiltshire, English politician (b. 1420)
    • 1538 – Edward Foxe, English bishop and academic (b. 1496)
    • 1551 – Barbara Radziwiłł, queen of Poland (b. 1520)
    • 1668 – Catherine of St. Augustine, French-Canadian nun and saint (b. 1632)
    • 1766 – Samuel Chandler, English minister and author (b. 1693)
    • 1773 – Ali Bey al-Kabir, Egyptian sultan (b. 1728)
    • 1781 – Richard Jago, English priest and poet (b. 1715)
    • 1782 – Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, 1st Marquis of Pombal, Portuguese politician, Prime Minister of Portugal (b. 1699)
    • 1785 – Étienne François, duc de Choiseul, French general and politician, Prime Minister of France (b. 1719)
    • 1785 – Pietro Longhi, Italian painter (b. 1701)
    • 1788 – Giovanni Antonio Scopoli, Italian physician and botanist (b. 1723)
    • 1794 – Antoine Lavoisier, French chemist and biologist (b. 1743)
    • 1819 – Kamehameha I, king of the Hawaiian Islands
    • 1822 – John Stark, American general (b. 1728)
    • 1828 – Mauro Giuliani, Italian guitarist, cellist, and composer (b. 1781)
    • 1837 – Alexander Balashov, Russian general and politician, Russian Minister of Police (b. 1770)
    • 1842 – Jules Dumont d’Urville, French admiral and explorer (b. 1790)
    • 1853 – Jan Roothaan, Dutch priest, 21st Superior General of the Society of Jesus (b. 1785)
    • 1880 – Gustave Flaubert, French novelist (b. 1821)
    • 1891 – Helena Blavatsky, Russian-English mystic and author (b. 1831)
    • 1891 – John Robertson, English-Australian politician, 5th Premier of New South Wales (b. 1816)
    • 1893 – Manuel González Flores, Mexican general and president, 1880–1884 (b. 1833)
    • 1903 – Paul Gauguin, French painter and sculptor (b. 1848)
    • 1907 – Edmund G. Ross, American soldier and politician, 13th Governor of New Mexico Territory (b. 1826)
    • 1925 – John Beresford, Irish polo player (b. 1847)
    • 1936 – Oswald Spengler, German historian and philosopher (b. 1880)
    • 1941 – Natalie, queen consort of Serbia (b. 1859)
    • 1941 – Tore Svennberg, Swedish actor and director (b. 1858)
    • 1942 – Nikolai Reek, Estonian general and politician, 11th Estonian Minister of War (b. 1890)
    • 1943 – Mordechai Anielewicz, Polish commander (b. 1919)
    • 1944 – Themistoklis Diakidis, Greek high jumper (b. 1882)
    • 1945 – Frank Bourne, British soldier, last survivor of the Battle of Rorke’s Drift (b. 1854)
    • 1945 – Wilhelm Rediess, German SS officer (b. 1900)
    • 1945 – Bernhard Rust, German lieutenant and politician (b. 1883)
    • 1945 – Josef Terboven, German lieutenant and politician (b. 1898)
    • 1947 – Harry Gordon Selfridge, American-English businessman, founded Selfridges (b. 1858)
    • 1948 – U Saw, Burmese politician, Prime Minister of Burma (b. 1900)
    • 1950 – Vital Brazil, Brazilian physician and immunologist (b. 1865)
    • 1952 – William Fox, Austrian businessman, founded Fox Theatres (b. 1879)
    • 1959 – John Fraser, Canadian soccer player (b. 1881)
    • 1960 – J. H. C. Whitehead, Indian-English mathematician and academic (b. 1904)
    • 1965 – Wally Hardinge, English cricketer and footballer (b. 1886)
    • 1969 – Remington Kellogg, American zoologist and paleontologist (b. 1892)
    • 1972 – Pandurang Vaman Kane, Indologist and Sanskrit scholar, Bharat Ratna awardee (b. 1880)
    • 1972 – Beatrice Helen Worsley, Mexican-Canadian computer scientist (b. 1921)
    • 1975 – Avery Brundage, American businessman and art collector (b. 1887)
    • 1980 – Geoffrey Baker, English Field Marshal and Chief of the General Staff of the British Army (b. 1920)
    • 1981 – Uri Zvi Greenberg, Israeli poet and journalist (b. 1896)
    • 1982 – Neil Bogart, American record producer, co-founded Casablanca Records (b. 1943)
    • 1982 – Gilles Villeneuve, Canadian race car driver (b. 1950)
    • 1983 – John Fante, American author and screenwriter (b. 1909)
    • 1984 – Lila Bell Wallace, American publisher, co-founded Reader’s Digest (b. 1890)
    • 1984 – Gino Bianco, Italian-Brazilian race car driver (b. 1916)
    • 1985 – Karl Marx, German conductor and composer (b. 1897)
    • 1985 – Theodore Sturgeon, American author and critic (b. 1918)
    • 1985 – Dolph Sweet, American actor (b. 1920)
    • 1986 – Ernle Bradford, English historian and author (b. 1922)
    • 1987 – Doris Stokes, English psychic and author (b. 1920)
    • 1988 – Robert A. Heinlein, American science fiction writer and screenwriter (b. 1907)
    • 1990 – Luigi Nono, Italian composer and educator (b. 1924)
    • 1991 – Jean Langlais, French pianist and composer (b. 1907)
    • 1991 – Rudolf Serkin, Czech-Austrian pianist and educator (b. 1903)
    • 1992 – Joyce Ricketts, American baseball player (b. 1933)
    • 1993 – Avram Davidson, American soldier and author (b. 1923)
    • 1994 – George Peppard, American actor and producer (b. 1928)
    • 1995 – Teresa Teng, Taiwanese singer (b. 1953)
    • 1996 – Beryl Burton, English cyclist (b. 1937)
    • 1996 – Luis Miguel Dominguín, Spanish bullfighter (b. 1926)
    • 1996 – Larry Levis, American poet, author, and critic (b. 1946)
    • 1996 – Garth Williams, American illustrator (b. 1912)
    • 1998 – Johannes Kotkas, Estonian wrestler (b. 1915)
    • 1998 – Charles Rebozo, American banker and businessman (b. 1912)
    • 1999 – Dirk Bogarde, English actor and screenwriter (b. 1921)
    • 1999 – Ed Gilbert, American actor (b. 1931)
    • 1999 – Dana Plato, American actress (b. 1964)
    • 1999 – Soeman Hs, Indonesian author and educator (b. 1904)
    • 2000 – Pita Amor, Mexican poet and author (b. 1918)
    • 2000 – Dédé Fortin, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1962)
    • 2000 – Henry Nicols, American activist (b. 1973)
    • 2003 – Elvira Pagã, Brazilian vedette, singer, and artist (b. 1920)
    • 2005 – Jean Carrière, French author (b. 1928)
    • 2005 – Nicolás Vuyovich, Argentinian race car driver (b. 1981)
    • 2006 – Iain Macmillan, Scottish photographer and author (b. 1938)
    • 2007 – Philip R. Craig, American author and poet (b. 1933)
    • 2007 – Carson Whitsett, American keyboard player, songwriter, and producer (b. 1945)
    • 2008 – Eddy Arnold, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (b. 1918)
    • 2008 – François Sterchele, Belgian footballer (b. 1982)
    • 2009 – Dom DiMaggio, American baseball player (b. 1917)
    • 2009 – Bud Shrake, American journalist and author (b. 1931)
    • 2011 – Lionel Rose, Australian boxer (b. 1948)
    • 2012 – Everett Lilly, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1924)
    • 2012 – Jerry McMorris, American businessman (b. 1941)
    • 2012 – Stacy Robinson, American football player (b. 1962)
    • 2012 – Maurice Sendak, American author and illustrator (b. 1928)
    • 2012 – Ampon Tangnoppakul, Thai criminal (b. 1948)
    • 2012 – Roman Totenberg, Polish-American violinist and educator (b. 1911)
    • 2013 – Jeanne Cooper, American actress (b. 1928)
    • 2013 – Bryan Forbes, English actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1926)
    • 2013 – Juan José Muñoz, Argentinian businessman (b. 1950)
    • 2013 – Hugh J. Silverman, American philosopher and theorist (b. 1945)
    • 2013 – Ken Whaley, Austrian-English bass player (b. 1946)
    • 2014 – Roger L. Easton, American scientist, co-invented the GPS (b. 1921)
    • 2014 – Nancy Malone, American actress, director, and producer (b. 1935)
    • 2014 – Yago Lamela, Spanish long jumper (b. 1977)
    • 2014 – Jair Rodrigues, Brazilian singer (b. 1939)
    • 2014 – R. Douglas Stuart Jr., American businessman and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Norway (b. 1916)
    • 2014 – Joseph P. Teasdale, American lawyer and politician, 48th Governor of Missouri (b. 1936)
    • 2015 – Zeki Alasya, Turkish actor and director (b. 1943)
    • 2015 – Mwepu Ilunga, Congolese footballer (b. 1949)
    • 2015 – Menashe Kadishman, Israeli sculptor and painter (b. 1932)
    • 2015 – Juan Schwanner, Hungarian-Chilean footballer and manager (b. 1921)
    • 2015 – Atanas Semerdzhiev, Bulgarian soldier and politician, 1st Vice President of Bulgaria (b. 1924)
    • 2016 – Tom M. Apostol, American analytic number theorist (b. 1923)
    • 2016 – William Schallert, American actor; president (1979–81) of the Screen Actors Guild (b. 1922)
    • 2018 – Big Bully Busick, American professional wrestler (b. 1954)
    • 2018 – Anne V. Coates, British film editor (Lawrence of ArabiaThe Elephant ManErin Brockovich), Oscar winner (1963) (b. 1925)
    • 2019 – Sprent Dabwido, President of Nauru from 2011 to 2013 (b. 1972)

    Holidays and observances on May 8

    • Christian feast day:
      • Amato Ronconi
      • Apparition of Saint Michael
      • Arsenius the Great
      • Desideratus
      • Blessed Catherine of St. Augustine
      • Julian of Norwich (Anglican, Lutheran)
      • Magdalene of Canossa
      • Our Lady of Luján
      • Peter of Tarentaise
      • Blessed Teresa Demjanovich (Ruthenian Catholic Church)
      • May 8 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Earliest day on which Father’s Day can fall, while May 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Sunday of May. (Romania)
    • Earliest day on which Mother’s Day can fall, while May 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Sunday of May. (United States and others)
    • Earliest day on which State Flag and State Emblem Day can fall, while May 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Sunday of May. (Belarus)
    • Earliest day on which World Fair Trade Day can fall, while May 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Saturday of May (site of the WFTO) (International)
    • Emancipation Day (Columbus, Mississippi)
    • Furry Dance (Helston, UK)
    • Liberation Day (Czech Republic)
    • Miguel Hidalgo’s birthday (Mexico)
    • Parents’ Day (South Korea)
    • Truman Day (Missouri)
    • Veterans Day (Norway)
    • Victory in Europe Day, and its related observances (Europe):
      • Time of Remembrance and Reconciliation for Those Who Lost Their Lives during the Second World War, continues to May 9
    • White Lotus Day (Theosophy)
    • World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day (International)
  • April 16 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • AD 73 – Masada, a Jewish fortress, falls to the Romans after several months of siege, ending the First Jewish–Roman War.
    • 1346 – Stefan Dušan, “the Mighty”, is crowned Emperor of the Serbs at Skopje, his empire occupying much of the Balkans.
    • 1520 – The Revolt of the Comuneros begins in Spain against the rule of Charles V.
    • 1582 – Spanish conquistador Hernando de Lerma founds the settlement of Salta, Argentina.
    • 1746 – The Battle of Culloden is fought between the French-supported Jacobites and the British Hanoverian forces commanded by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, in Scotland.After the battle many highland traditions were banned and the Highlands of Scotland were cleared of inhabitants.
    • 1780 – Franz Friedrich Wilhelm von Fürstenberg founds the University of Münster.
    • 1799 – French Revolutionary Wars: The Battle of Mount Tabor: Napoleon drives Ottoman Turks across the River Jordan near Acre.
    • 1818 – The United States Senate ratifies the Rush–Bagot Treaty, limiting naval armaments on the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain.
    • 1847 – Shooting of a Māori by an English sailor results in the opening of the Wanganui Campaign of the New Zealand Wars.
    • 1853 – The Great Indian Peninsula Railway opens the first passenger rail in India, from Bori Bunder to Thane.
    • 1858 – The Wernerian Natural History Society, a former Scottish learned society, is wound up.
    • 1862 – American Civil War: Battle at Lee’s Mills in Virginia.
    • 1862 – American Civil War: The District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act, a bill ending slavery in the District of Columbia, becomes law.
    • 1863 – American Civil War: During the Vicksburg Campaign, gunboats commanded by acting Rear Admiral David Dixon Porter run downriver past Confederate artillery batteries at Vicksburg.
    • 1881 – In Dodge City, Kansas, Bat Masterson fights his last gun battle.
    • 1908 – Natural Bridges National Monument is established in Utah.
    • 1910 – The oldest existing indoor ice hockey arena still used for the sport in the 21st century, Boston Arena, opens for the first time.
    • 1912 – Harriet Quimby becomes the first woman to fly an airplane across the English Channel.
    • 1917 – Vladimir Lenin returns to Petrograd, Russia, from exile in Switzerland.
    • 1919 – Mohandas Gandhi organizes a day of “prayer and fasting” in response to the killing of Indian protesters in the Jallianwala Bagh massacre by the British colonial troops three days earlier.
    • 1919 – Polish–Soviet War: The Polish army launches the Vilna offensive to capture Vilnius in modern Lithuania.
    • 1922 – The Treaty of Rapallo, pursuant to which Germany and the Soviet Union re-establish diplomatic relations, is signed.
    • 1925 – During the Communist St Nedelya Church assault in Sofia, Bulgaria, 150 are killed and 500 are wounded.
    • 1941 – World War II: The Italian-German Tarigo convoy is attacked and destroyed by British ships.
    • 1941 – World War II: The Nazi-affiliated Ustaše is put in charge of the Independent State of Croatia by the Axis powers after Operation 25 is effected.
    • 1943 – Albert Hofmann accidentally discovers the hallucinogenic effects of the research drug LSD. He intentionally takes the drug three days later on April 19.
    • 1944 – World War II: Allied forces start bombing Belgrade, killing about 1,100 people. This bombing fell on the Orthodox Christian Easter.
    • 1945 – World War II: The Red Army begins the final assault on German forces around Berlin, with nearly one million troops fighting in the Battle of the Seelow Heights.
    • 1945 – The United States Army liberates Nazi Sonderlager (high security) prisoner-of-war camp Oflag IV-C (better known as Colditz).
    • 1945 – More than 7,000 die when the German refugee ship Goya is sunk by a Soviet submarine.
    • 1947 – An explosion on board a freighter in port causes the city of Texas City, Texas, to catch fire, killing almost 600.
    • 1947 – Bernard Baruch first applies the term “Cold War” to describe the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union.
    • 1961 – In a nationally broadcast speech, Cuban leader Fidel Castro declares that he is a Marxist–Leninist and that Cuba is going to adopt Communism.
    • 1963 – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. pens his Letter from Birmingham Jail while incarcerated in Birmingham, Alabama for protesting against segregation.
    • 1972 – Apollo program: The launch of Apollo 16 from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
    • 1990 – “Doctor Death”, Jack Kevorkian, participates in his first assisted suicide.
    • 2001 – India and Bangladesh begin a five-day border conflict, but are unable to resolve the disputes about their border.
    • 2003 – The Treaty of Accession is signed in Athens admitting ten new member states to the European Union.
    • 2007 – Virginia Tech shooting: Seung-Hui Cho guns down 32 people and injures 17 before committing suicide.
    • 2012 – The trial for Anders Behring Breivik, the perpetrator of the 2011 Norway attacks, begins in Oslo, Norway.
    • 2012 – The Pulitzer Prize winners were announced, it was the first time since 1977 that no book won the Fiction Prize.
    • 2013 – A 7.8-magnitude earthquake strikes Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran, killing at least 35 people and injuring 117 others.
    • 2013 – The 2013 Baga massacre is started when Boko Haram militants engage government soldiers in Baga.
    • 2014 – The South Korean ferry MV Sewol capsizes and sinks near Jindo Island, killing 304 passengers and crew and leading to widespread criticism of the South Korean government, media, and shipping authorities.

    Births on April 16

    • 1435 – Jan II the Mad, Duke of Żagań (1439–1449 and 1461–1468 and again in 1472) (d. 1504)
    • 1488 – Jungjong of Joseon (d. 1544)
    • 1495 – Petrus Apianus, German mathematician and astronomer (d. 1557)
    • 1516 – Tabinshwehti, Burmese king (d. 1550)
    • 1569 – John Davies, English poet and lawyer (d. 1626)
    • 1635 – Frans van Mieris the Elder, Dutch painter (d. 1681)
    • 1646 – Jules Hardouin-Mansart, French architect, designed the Château de Dampierre and Grand Trianon (d. 1708)
    • 1660 – Hans Sloane, Irish-English physician and academic (d. 1753)
    • 1661 – Charles Montagu, 1st Earl of Halifax, English poet and politician, First Lord of the Treasury (d. 1715)
    • 1682 – John Hadley, English mathematician, invented the octant (d. 1744)
    • 1697 – Johann Gottlieb Görner, German organist and composer (d. 1778)
    • 1728 – Joseph Black, French-Scottish physician and chemist (d. 1799)
    • 1730 – Henry Clinton, English general and politician (d. 1795)
    • 1755 – Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, French painter (d. 1842)
    • 1786 – John Franklin, English admiral and politician, 4th Lieutenant Governor of Van Diemen’s Land (d. 1847)
    • 1800 – George Bingham, 3rd Earl of Lucan, English field marshal and politician (d. 1888)
    • 1808 – Caleb Blood Smith, American journalist, lawyer, and politician, 6th United States Secretary of the Interior (d. 1864)
    • 1821 – Ford Madox Brown, French-English soldier and painter (d. 1893)
    • 1823 – Gotthold Eisenstein, German mathematician and academic (d. 1852)
    • 1826 – Sir James Corry, 1st Baronet, British politician (d. 1891)
    • 1827 – Octave Crémazie, Canadian poet and bookseller (d. 1879)
    • 1839 – Antonio Starabba, Marchese di Rudinì, Italian politician, 12th Prime Minister of Italy (d. 1908)
    • 1834 – Charles Lennox Richardson, English merchant (d. 1862)
    • 1844 – Anatole France, French journalist, novelist, and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1924)
    • 1847 – Hans Auer, Swiss-Austrian architect, designed the Federal Palace of Switzerland (d. 1906)
    • 1848 – Kandukuri Veeresalingam, Indian author and activist (d. 1919)
    • 1851 – Ponnambalam Ramanathan, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician, 3rd Solicitor General of Sri Lanka (d. 1930)
    • 1864 – Rose Talbot Bullard, American medical doctor and professor (d. 1915)
    • 1865 – Harry Chauvel, Australian general (d. 1945)
    • 1866 – José de Diego, Puerto Rican journalist, lawyer, and politician (d. 1918)
    • 1867 – Wilbur Wright, American inventor (d. 1912)
    • 1871 – John Millington Synge, Irish author, poet, and playwright (d. 1909)
    • 1874 – Jōtarō Watanabe, Japanese general (d. 1936)
    • 1878 – R. E. Foster, English cricketer and footballer (d. 1914)
    • 1882 – Seth Bingham, American organist and composer (d. 1972)
    • 1884 – Ronald Barnes, 3rd Baron Gorell, English cricketer, journalist, and politician (d. 1963)
    • 1885 – Leó Weiner, Hungarian composer and educator (d. 1960)
    • 1886 – Michalis Dorizas, Greek-American football player and javelin thrower (d. 1957)
    • 1886 – Ernst Thälmann, German politician (d. 1944)
    • 1888 – Billy Minter, English footballer and manager (d. 1940)
    • 1889 – Charlie Chaplin, English actor, director, producer, screenwriter, and composer (d. 1977)
    • 1890 – Fred Root, English cricketer and umpire (d. 1954)
    • 1890 – Gertrude Chandler Warner, American author and educator (d. 1979)
    • 1891 – Dorothy P. Lathrop, American author and illustrator (d. 1980)
    • 1892 – Howard Mumford Jones, American author, critic, and academic (d. 1980)
    • 1893 – Germaine Guèvremont, Canadian journalist and author (d. 1968)
    • 1893 – John Norton, American hurdler (d. 1979)
    • 1895 – Ove Arup, English-Danish engineer and businessman, founded Arup (d. 1988)
    • 1896 – Robert Henry Best, American journalist (d. 1952)
    • 1896 – Árpád Weisz, Hungarian footballer (d. 1944)
    • 1899 – Osman Achmatowicz, Polish chemist and academic (d. 1988)
    • 1900 – Polly Adler, Russian-American madam and author (d. 1962)
    • 1903 – Paul Waner, American baseball player and manager (d. 1965)
    • 1904 – Fifi D’Orsay, Canadian-American vaudevillian, actress, and singer (d. 1983)
    • 1905 – Frits Philips, Dutch businessman (d. 2005)
    • 1907 – Joseph-Armand Bombardier, Canadian inventor and businessman, founded Bombardier Inc. (d. 1964)
    • 1907 – August Eigruber, Austrian-German politician (d. 1947)
    • 1908 – Ellis Marsalis, Sr., American businessman and activist (d. 2004)
    • 1908 – Ray Ventura, French jazz bandleader (d. 1979)
    • 1910 – Berton Roueché, American journalist and author (d. 1994)
    • 1911 – Guy Burgess, English-Russian spy (d. 1963)
    • 1913 – Les Tremayne, English actor (d. 2003)
    • 1914 – John Hodiak, American actor (d. 1955)
    • 1915 – Robert Speck, Canadian politician, 1st Mayor of Mississauga (d. 1972)
    • 1916 – Behçet Necatigil, Turkish author, poet, and translator (d. 1979)
    • 1917 – Victoria Eugenia Fernández de Córdoba, 18th Duchess of Medinaceli (d. 2013)
    • 1917 – Barry Nelson, American actor (d. 2007)
    • 1918 – Dick Gibson, English racing driver (d. 2010)
    • 1918 – Hsuan Hua, Chinese-American monk and author (d. 1995)
    • 1918 – Juozas Kazickas, Lithuanian-American businessman and philanthropist (d. 2014)
    • 1918 – Spike Milligan, Irish actor, comedian, and writer (d. 2002)
    • 1919 – Merce Cunningham, American dancer and choreographer (d. 2009)
    • 1919 – Nilla Pizzi, Italian singer (d. 2011)
    • 1919 – Pedro Ramírez Vázquez, Mexican architect, designed the Tijuana Cultural Center and National Museum of Anthropology (d. 2013)
    • 1919 – Thomas Willmore, English geometer and academic (d. 2005)
    • 1920 – Ananda Dassanayake, Sri Lankan politician (d. 2012)
    • 1920 – Prince George Valdemar of Denmark (d. 1986)
    • 1921 – Arlin M. Adams, American lawyer and judge (d. 2015)
    • 1921 – Wolfgang Leonhard, German historian and author (d. 2014)
    • 1921 – Peter Ustinov, English actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2004)
    • 1922 – Kingsley Amis, English novelist, poet, and critic (d. 1995)
    • 1922 – John Christopher, English author (d. 2012)
    • 1922 – Lawrence N. Guarino, American colonel (d. 2014)
    • 1922 – Leo Tindemans, Belgian politician, 43rd Prime Minister of Belgium (d. 2014)
    • 1923 – Warren Barker, American composer (d. 2006)
    • 1923 – Arch A. Moore Jr., American sergeant, lawyer, and politician, 28th Governor of West Virginia (d. 2015)
    • 1924 – John Harvey-Jones, English academic and businessman (d. 2008)
    • 1924 – Henry Mancini, American composer and conductor (d. 1994)
    • 1924 – Rudy Pompilli, American saxophonist (d. 1976)
    • 1924 – Madanjeet Singh, Indian diplomat, author, and philanthropist (d. 2013)
    • 1926 – Pierre Fabre, French pharmacist, founded Laboratoires Pierre Fabre (d. 2013)
    • 1927 – Edie Adams, American actress and singer (d. 2008)
    • 1927 – Pope Benedict XVI
    • 1927 – Rolf Schult, German actor (d. 2013)
    • 1928 – Dick Lane, American football player and soldier (d. 2002)
    • 1929 – Roy Hamilton, American singer (d. 1969)
    • 1929 – Ralph Slatyer, Australian biologist and ecologist (d. 2012)
    • 1929 – Ed Townsend, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2003)
    • 1930 – Doug Beasy, Australian footballer and educator (d. 2013)
    • 1930 – Herbie Mann, American flute player and composer (d. 2003)
    • 1932 – Maury Meyers, American lawyer and politician (d. 2014)
    • 1933 – Marcos Alonso Imaz, Spanish footballer (d. 2012)
    • 1933 – Joan Bakewell, English journalist and author
    • 1933 – Perry Botkin Jr., American composer, arranger and musician
    • 1933 – Vera Krepkina, Russian long jumper
    • 1933 – Ike Pappas, American journalist and actor (d. 2008)
    • 1934 – Vince Hill, English singer-songwriter
    • 1934 – Robert Stigwood, Australian producer and manager (d. 2016)
    • 1934 – Barrie Unsworth, Australian politician, 36th Premier of New South Wales
    • 1934 – Vicar, Chilean cartoonist (d. 2012)
    • 1935 – Marcel Carrière, Canadian director and screenwriter
    • 1935 – Sarah Kirsch, German poet and author (d. 2013)
    • 1935 – Lennart Risberg, Swedish boxer (d. 2013)
    • 1935 – Dominique Venner, French journalist and historian (d. 2013)
    • 1935 – Bobby Vinton, American singer
    • 1936 – Vadim Kuzmin, Russian physicist and academic (d. 2015)
    • 1937 – Gert Potgieter, South African hurdler and coach
    • 1938 – Rich Rollins, American baseball player
    • 1938 – Gordon Wilson, Scottish lawyer and politician (d. 2017)
    • 1939 – John Amabile, American football player and coach (d. 2012)
    • 1939 – Dusty Springfield, English singer and record producer (d. 1999)
    • 1940 – Benoît Bouchard, Canadian academic and politician, 18th Canadian Minister of Transport
    • 1940 – David Holford, Barbadian cricketer
    • 1940 – Queen Margrethe II of Denmark
    • 1940 – Joan Snyder, American painter
    • 1940 – Thomas Stonor, 7th Baron Camoys, English banker and politician, Lord Chamberlain of the United Kingdom
    • 1941 – Allan Segal, American director and producer (d. 2012)
    • 1942 – Jim Lonborg, American baseball pitcher
    • 1942 – Sir Frank Williams, English businessman, founded the Williams F1 Racing Team
    • 1943 – Lonesome Dave Peverett, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2000)
    • 1943 – Petro Tyschtschenko, Austrian-German businessman
    • 1943 – John Watkins, Australian cricketer
    • 1945 – Tom Allen, American lawyer and politician
    • 1946 – Margot Adler, American journalist and author (d. 2014)
    • 1946 – Ernst Bakker, Dutch politician (d. 2014)
    • 1946 – Johnnie Lewis, Liberian lawyer and politician, 18th Chief Justice of Liberia (d. 2015)
    • 1946 – R. Carlos Nakai, American flute player
    • 1947 – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, American basketball player and coach
    • 1947 – Gerry Rafferty, Scottish singer-songwriter (d. 2011)
    • 1948 – Reg Alcock, Canadian businessman and politician, 17th Canadian President of the Treasury Board (d. 2011)
    • 1950 – David Graf, American actor (d. 2001)
    • 1950 – Colleen Hewett, Australian singer and actress
    • 1951 – Ioan Mihai Cochinescu, Romanian author and photographer
    • 1951 – David Nutt, English psychiatrist and academic
    • 1952 – Bill Belichick, American football player and coach
    • 1952 – Michel Blanc, French actor and director
    • 1952 – Esther Roth-Shahamorov, Israeli sprinter and hurdler
    • 1952 – Billy West, American voice actor, singer-songwriter, and comedian
    • 1953 – Peter Garrett, Australian singer-songwriter and politician
    • 1953 – Jay O. Sanders, American actor
    • 1954 – Ellen Barkin, American actress
    • 1954 – John Bowe, Australian racing driver
    • 1954 – Mike Zuke, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1955 – Bruce Bochy, American baseball player and manager
    • 1955 – Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg
    • 1956 – David M. Brown, American captain, pilot, and astronaut (d. 2003)
    • 1956 – T Lavitz, American keyboard player, composer, and producer (d. 2010)
    • 1956 – Lise-Marie Morerod, Swiss skier
    • 1957 – Patricia De Martelaere, Belgian philosopher, author, and academic (d. 2009)
    • 1958 – Tim Flach, English photographer and director
    • 1958 – Ulf Wakenius, Swedish guitarist
    • 1959 – Alison Ramsay, English-Scottish field hockey player and lawyer
    • 1960 – Wahab Akbar, Filipino politician (d. 2007)
    • 1960 – Rafael Benítez, Spanish footballer and manager
    • 1960 – Pierre Littbarski, German footballer and manager
    • 1961 – Jarbom Gamlin, Indian lawyer and politician, 7th Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh (d. 2014)
    • 1961 – Linda Ruth Williams, British film studies academic
    • 1962 – Anna Dello Russo, Italian journalist
    • 1962 – Douglas Elmendorf, American economist and politician
    • 1962 – Ian MacKaye, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1963 – Saleem Malik, Pakistani cricketer
    • 1963 – Jimmy Osmond, American singer
    • 1964 – David Kohan, American screenwriter and producer
    • 1964 – Dave Pirner, American singer, songwriter and producer
    • 1964 – Esbjörn Svensson, Swedish pianist (d. 2008)
    • 1965 – Yves-François Blanchet, Canadian politician
    • 1965 – Jon Cryer, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1965 – Martin Lawrence, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1966 – Jarle Vespestad, Norwegian drummer
    • 1966 – Jeff Varner, American newscaster and reality television personality
    • 1968 – Vickie Guerrero, American wrestler and manager
    • 1968 – Rüdiger Stenzel, German runner
    • 1969 – Patrik Järbyn, Swedish skier
    • 1969 – Fernando Viña, American baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1970 – Dero Goi, German singer-songwriter and drummer
    • 1970 – Walt Williams, American basketball player
    • 1971 – Cameron Blades, Australian rugby player
    • 1971 – Selena, American singer-songwriter, actress, and fashion designer (d. 1995)
    • 1971 – Seigo Yamamoto, Japanese racing driver
    • 1971 – Natasha Zvereva, Belarusian tennis player
    • 1972 – Conchita Martínez, Spanish-American tennis player
    • 1972 – Tracy K. Smith, American poet and educator
    • 1973 – Akon, Senegalese-American singer, rapper and songwriter
    • 1973 – Charlotta Sörenstam, Swedish golfer
    • 1973 – Teddy Cobeña, Spanish-Ecuadorian expressionist and representational sculptor
    • 1975 – Keon Clark, American basketball player
    • 1976 – Lukas Haas, American actor and musician
    • 1976 – Kelli O’Hara, American actress and singer
    • 1977 – Freddie Ljungberg, Swedish footballer
    • 1979 – Christijan Albers, Dutch racing driver
    • 1979 – Lars Börgeling, German pole vaulter
    • 1979 – Daniel Browne, New Zealand rugby player
    • 1981 – Anestis Agritis, Greek footballer
    • 1981 – Maya Dunietz, Israeli singer-songwriter and pianist
    • 1981 – Matthieu Proulx, Canadian football player
    • 1982 – Gina Carano, American mixed martial artist and actress
    • 1982 – Boris Diaw, French basketball player
    • 1982 – Jonathan Vilma, American football player
    • 1983 – Marié Digby, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress
    • 1983 – Cat Osterman, American softball player
    • 1984 – Teddy Blass, American composer and producer
    • 1984 – Claire Foy, English actress
    • 1984 – Tucker Fredricks, American speed skater
    • 1984 – Paweł Kieszek, Polish footballer
    • 1984 – Kerron Stewart, Jamaican sprinter
    • 1985 – Luol Deng, Sudanese-English basketball player
    • 1985 – Brendon Leonard, New Zealand rugby player
    • 1985 – Benjamín Rojas, Argentinian singer-songwriter and actor
    • 1985 – Taye Taiwo, Nigerian footballer
    • 1986 – Paul di Resta, Scottish racing driver
    • 1986 – Shinji Okazaki, Japanese footballer
    • 1986 – Peter Regin, Danish ice hockey player
    • 1986 – Epke Zonderland, Dutch gymnast
    • 1987 – Cenk Akyol, Turkish basketball player
    • 1987 – Aaron Lennon, English international footballer
    • 1988 – Kyle Okposo, American ice hockey player
    • 1990 – Reggie Jackson, American basketball player
    • 1990 – Vangelis Mantzaris, Greek basketball player
    • 1990 – Tony McQuay, American sprinter
    • 1990 – Travis Shaw, American baseball player
    • 1991 – Nolan Arenado, American baseball player
    • 1991 – Kim Kyung-jung, South Korean footballer
    • 1993 – Mirai Nagasu, American figure skater
    • 1993 – Chance the Rapper, American rapper
    • 1994 – Albert Almora, American baseball player
    • 1994 – Will Fuller, American football player
    • 2002 – Sadie Sink, American actress

    Deaths on April 16

    • AD 69 – Otho, Roman emperor (b. AD 32)
    • 665 – Fructuosus of Braga, French archbishop and saint
    • 1090 – Sikelgaita, duchess of Apulia (b. c. 1040)
    • 1113 – Sviatopolk II of Kiev (b. 1050)
    • 1118 – Adelaide del Vasto, regent of Sicily, mother of Roger II of Sicily, queen of Baldwin I of Jerusalem
    • 1198 – Frederick I, Duke of Austria (b. 1175)
    • 1234 – Richard Marshal, 3rd Earl of Pembroke (b. 1191)
    • 1375 – John Hastings, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, English nobleman and soldier (b. 1347)
    • 1496 – Charles II, Duke of Savoy (b. 1489)
    • 1587 – Anne Seymour, Duchess of Somerset (b. 1497)
    • 1640 – Countess Charlotte Flandrina of Nassau (b. 1579)
    • 1645 – Tobias Hume, Scottish soldier, viol player, and composer (b. 1569)
    • 1687 – George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, English poet and politician, Lord Lieutenant of the West Riding of Yorkshire (b. 1628)
    • 1689 – Aphra Behn, English author and playwright (b. 1640)
    • 1742 – Stefano Benedetto Pallavicino, Italian poet and translator (b. 1672)
    • 1756 – Jacques Cassini, French astronomer (b. 1677)
    • 1783 – Christian Mayer, Czech astronomer and educator (b. 1719)
    • 1788 – Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon, French mathematician, cosmologist, and author (b. 1707)
    • 1828 – Francisco Goya, Spanish-French painter and illustrator (b. 1746)
    • 1846 – Domenico Dragonetti, Italian bassist and composer (b. 1763)
    • 1850 – Marie Tussaud, French-English sculptor, founded the Madame Tussauds Wax Museum (b. 1761)
    • 1859 – Alexis de Tocqueville, French historian and philosopher, French Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1805)
    • 1879 – Bernadette Soubirous, French nun and saint (b. 1844)
    • 1888 – Zygmunt Florenty Wróblewski, Polish physicist and chemist (b. 1845)
    • 1899 – Emilio Jacinto, Filipino journalist and activist (b. 1875)
    • 1904 – Maximilian Kronberger, German poet and author (b. 1888)
    • 1904 – Samuel Smiles, Scottish-English author (b. 1812)
    • 1914 – George William Hill, American astronomer and mathematician (b. 1838)
    • 1915 – Nelson W. Aldrich, American businessman and politician (b. 1841)
    • 1925 – Stefan Nerezov, Bulgarian general (b. 1867)
    • 1928 – Henry Birks, Canadian businessman, founded Henry Birks and Sons (b. 1840)
    • 1928 – Roman Steinberg, Estonian wrestler (b. 1900)
    • 1930 – José Carlos Mariátegui, Peruvian journalist, philosopher, and activist (b. 1894)
    • 1935 – Panait Istrati, Romanian journalist and author (b. 1884)
    • 1937 – Jay Johnson Morrow, American military engineer and politician, 3rd Governor of the Panama Canal Zone (b. 1870)
    • 1938 – Steve Bloomer, English footballer and manager (b. 1874)
    • 1941 – Josiah Stamp, 1st Baron Stamp, English economist and civil servant (b. 1880)
    • 1942 – Princess Alexandra of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (b. 1878)
    • 1942 – Denis St. George Daly, Irish polo player (b. 1862)
    • 1946 – Arthur Chevrolet, Swiss-American race car driver and engineer (b. 1884)
    • 1947 – Rudolf Höss, German SS officer (b. 1900)
    • 1950 – Eduard Oja, Estonian composer, conductor, and critic (b. 1905)
    • 1950 – Anders Peter Nielsen, Danish target shooter (b. 1867)
    • 1955 – David Kirkwood, Scottish engineer and politician (b. 1872)
    • 1958 – Rosalind Franklin, English biophysicist and academic (b. 1920)
    • 1960 – Mihály Fekete, Hungarian actor, screenwriter and film director (b. 1884)
    • 1961 – Carl Hovland, American psychologist and academic (b. 1912)
    • 1965 – Francis Balfour, English soldier and colonial administrator (b. 1884)
    • 1965 – Sydney Chaplin, English actor, comedian, brother of Charlie Chaplin (b. 1885)
    • 1966 – Eric Lambert, Australian author (b. 1918)
    • 1968 – Fay Bainter, American actress (b. 1893)
    • 1968 – Edna Ferber, American novelist, short story writer, and playwright (b. 1885)
    • 1969 – Hem Vejakorn, Thai illustrator and painter (b. 1904)
    • 1970 – Richard Neutra, Austrian-American architect, designed the Los Angeles County Hall of Records (b. 1892)
    • 1970 – Péter Veres, Hungarian politician, Hungarian Minister of Defence (b. 1897)
    • 1972 – Yasunari Kawabata, Japanese novelist and short story writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1899)
    • 1972 – Frank O’Connor, Australian public servant (b. 1894)
    • 1973 – István Kertész, Hungarian conductor and educator (b. 1929)
    • 1978 – Lucius D. Clay, American officer and military governor in occupied Germany (b. 1898)
    • 1980 – Morris Stoloff, American composer (b. 1898)
    • 1985 – Scott Brady, American actor (b. 1924)
    • 1988 – Khalil al-Wazir, Palestinian commander, founded Fatah (b. 1935)
    • 1988 – Youri Egorov, Russian pianist (b. 1954)
    • 1989 – Jocko Conlan, American baseball player and umpire (b. 1899)
    • 1989 – Kaoru Ishikawa Japanese author and educator (b. 1915)
    • 1989 – Miles Lawrence, English cricketer (b. 1940)
    • 1989 – Hakkı Yeten, Turkish footballer and manager (b. 1910)
    • 1991 – David Lean, English director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1908)
    • 1992 – Neville Brand, American actor (b. 1920)
    • 1992 – Alexandru Nicolschi, Romanian spy and activist (b. 1915)
    • 1992 – Andy Russell, American singer and actor (b. 1919)
    • 1994 – Paul-Émilien Dalpé, Canadian labor unionist (b. 1919)
    • 1994 – Ralph Ellison, American novelist and critic (b. 1913)
    • 1996 – Lucille Bremer, American actress and dancer (b. 1917)
    • 1996 – Stavros Niarchos, Greek-Swiss businessman (b. 1909)
    • 1997 – Esmeralda Arboleda Cadavid, Colombian politician (b. 1921)
    • 1997 – Roland Topor, French actor, director, and painter (b. 1938)
    • 1998 – Alberto Calderón, Argentinian-American mathematician and academic (b. 1920)
    • 1998 – Fred Davis, English snooker player (b. 1913)
    • 1998 – Marie-Louise Meilleur, Canadian super-centenarian (b. 1880)
    • 1999 – Skip Spence, Canadian-American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1946)
    • 2001 – Robert Osterloh, American actor (b. 1918)
    • 2001 – Michael Ritchie, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1938)
    • 2001 – Alec Stock, English footballer and manager (b. 1917)
    • 2002 – Billy Ayre, English footballer and manager (b. 1952)
    • 2002 – Ruth Fertel, American businesswoman, founded Ruth’s Chris Steak House (b. 1927)
    • 2002 – Robert Urich, American actor (b. 1946)
    • 2003 – Graham Jarvis, Canadian actor (b. 1930)
    • 2003 – Graham Stuart Thomas, English horticulturalist and author (b. 1909)
    • 2005 – Kay Walsh, English actress, singer, and dancer (b. 1911)
    • 2007 – Frank Bateson, New Zealand astronomer (b. 1909)
    • 2007 – Gaétan Duchesne, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1962)
    • 2007 – Maria Lenk, Brazilian swimmer (b. 1915)
    • 2007 – Chandrabose Suthaharan, Sri Lankan journalist
    • 2008 – Edward Norton Lorenz, American mathematician and meteorologist (b. 1917)
    • 2010 – Rasim Delić, Bosnian general and convicted war criminal (b. 1949)
    • 2010 – Daryl Gates, American police officer, created the D.A.R.E. Program (b. 1926)
    • 2011 – Gerry Alexander, Jamaican cricketer and veterinarian (b. 1928)
    • 2011 – Allan Blakeney, Canadian scholar and politician, 10th Premier of Saskatchewan (b. 1925)
    • 2011 – Sol Saks, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1910)
    • 2012 – Sári Barabás, Hungarian soprano (b. 1914)
    • 2012 – Marian Biskup, Polish author and academic (b. 1922)
    • 2012 – Alan Hacker, English clarinet player and conductor (b. 1938)
    • 2012 – George Kunda, Zambian lawyer and politician, 11th Vice-President of Zambia (b. 1956)
    • 2012 – Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller, Danish businessman (b. 1913)
    • 2012 – Carlo Petrini, Italian footballer and coach (b. 1948)
    • 2013 – Charles Bruzon, Gibraltarian politician (b. 1938)
    • 2013 – Ali Kafi, Algerian colonel and politician (b. 1928)
    • 2013 – Siegfried Ludwig, Austrian politician, 18th Governor of Lower Austria (b. 1926)
    • 2013 – Pentti Lund, Finnish-Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1925)
    • 2013 – George Beverly Shea, Canadian-American singer-songwriter (b. 1909)
    • 2013 – Pat Summerall, American football player and sportscaster (b. 1930)
    • 2013 – Pedro Ramírez Vázquez, Mexican architect, designed the Tijuana Cultural Center and National Museum of Anthropology (b. 1919)
    • 2014 – Gyude Bryant, Liberian businessman and politician (b. 1949)
    • 2014 – Aulis Rytkönen, Finnish footballer and manager (b. 1929)
    • 2014 – Ernst Florian Winter, Austrian-American historian and political scientist (b. 1923)
    • 2015 – Valery Belousov, Russian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1948)
    • 2015 – Attaphol Buspakom, Thai footballer and manager (b. 1962)
    • 2015 – Oles Buzina, Ukrainian journalist and author (b. 1969)
    • 2015 – Stanislav Gross, Czech lawyer and politician, 5th Prime Minister of the Czech Republic (b. 1969)
    • 2016 – Charlie Hodge, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1933)
    • 2018 – Harry Anderson, American actor and magician (b. 1952)
    • 2018 – Jim Caine, British jazz pianist (b. 1926)

    Holidays and observances on April 16

    • Christian feast day:
      • Benedict Joseph Labre
      • Bernadette Soubirous
      • Drogo
      • Fructuosus of Braga
      • Isabella Gilmore (Church of England)
      • Martyrs of Zaragoza
      • Molly Brant (Konwatsijayenni) (Anglican Church of Canada, Episcopal Church)
      • Turibius of Astorga
      • April 16 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Birthday of José de Diego (Puerto Rico, United States)
    • Birthday of Queen Margrethe II (Denmark)
    • Emancipation Day (Washington, D.C., United States)
    • Foursquare Day (International observance)
    • Memorial Day for the Victims of the Holocaust (Hungary)
    • National Healthcare Decisions Day (United States)
    • Remembrance of Chemical Attack on Balisan and Sheikh Wasan (Iraqi Kurdistan)
    • World Voice Day
  • April 12 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 240 – Shapur I becomes co-emperor of the Sasanian Empire with his father Ardashir I.
    • 467 – Anthemius is elevated to Emperor of the Western Roman Empire.
    • 627 – King Edwin of Northumbria is converted to Christianity by Paulinus, bishop of York.
    • 1012 – Duke Oldřich of Bohemia deposes and blinds his brother Jaromír who flees to Poland.
    • 1204 – The Crusaders of the Fourth Crusade breach the walls of Constantinople and enter the city, which they completely occupy the following day.
    • 1606 – The Union Flag is adopted as the flag of English and Scottish ships.
    • 1776 – American Revolution: With the Halifax Resolves, the North Carolina Provincial Congress authorizes its Congressional delegation to vote for independence from Britain.
    • 1807 – The Froberg mutiny ends when the remaining mutineers blow up the magazine of Fort Ricasoli.
    • 1820 – Alexander Ypsilantis is declared leader of Filiki Eteria, a secret organization to overthrow Ottoman rule over Greece.
    • 1831 – Soldiers marching on the Broughton Suspension Bridge in Manchester, England, cause it to collapse.
    • 1861 – American Civil War: Battle of Fort Sumter. The war begins with Confederate forces firing on Fort Sumter, in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina.
    • 1862 – American Civil War: The Andrews Raid (the Great Locomotive Chase) occurs, starting from Big Shanty, Georgia (now Kennesaw).
    • 1864 – American Civil War: The Battle of Fort Pillow: Confederate forces kill most of the African American soldiers that surrendered at Fort Pillow, Tennessee.
    • 1865 – American Civil War: Mobile, Alabama, falls to the Union Army.
    • 1877 – The United Kingdom annexes the Transvaal.
    • 1910 – SMS Zrínyi, one of the last pre-dreadnought battleships built by the Austro-Hungarian Navy, is launched.
    • 1917 – World War I: Canadian forces successfully complete the taking of Vimy Ridge from the Germans.
    • 1927 – Shanghai massacre of 1927: Chiang Kai-shek orders the Communist Party of China members executed in Shanghai, ending the First United Front.
    • 1927 – Rocksprings, Texas was hit by an F5 tornado that destroyed 235 of the 247 buildings in the town and killed 72 townspeople and injured 205; third deadliest tornado in Texas history.
    • 1928 – The Bremen, a German Junkers W 33 type aircraft, takes off for the first successful transatlantic aeroplane flight from east to west.
    • 1934 – The strongest surface wind gust in the world at the time of 231 mph, is measured on the summit of Mount Washington, New Hampshire. It has since been surpassed.
    • 1934 – The U.S. Auto-Lite strike begins, culminating in a five-day melee between Ohio National Guard troops and 6,000 strikers and picketers.
    • 1937 – Sir Frank Whittle ground-tests the first jet engine designed to power an aircraft, at Rugby, England.
    • 1945 – U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt dies in office; Vice President Harry S. Truman becomes President upon Roosevelt’s death.
    • 1945 – World War II: The U.S. Ninth Army under General William H. Simpson crosses the Elbe River astride Magdeburg, and reached Tangermünde—only 50 miles from Berlin.
    • 1955 – The polio vaccine, developed by Dr. Jonas Salk, is declared safe and effective.
    • 1961 – Cold War: Space Race: The Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human to travel into outer space and perform the first manned orbital flight, Vostok 1.
    • 1963 – The Soviet nuclear-powered submarine K-33 collides with the Finnish merchant vessel M/S Finnclipper in the Danish straits.
    • 1970 – Soviet submarine K-8, carrying four nuclear torpedoes, sinks in the Bay of Biscay four days after a fire on board.
    • 1980 – The Americo-Liberian government of Liberia is violently deposed.
    • 1980 – Transbrasil Flight 303, a Boeing 727, crashes on approach to Hercílio Luz International Airport, in Florianópolis, Brazil. Fifty-five out of the 58 people on board are killed.
    • 1981 – The first launch of a Space Shuttle (Columbia) takes place: The STS-1 mission.
    • 1983 – Harold Washington is elected as the first black mayor of Chicago.
    • 1990 – Jim Gary’s “Twentieth Century Dinosaurs” exhibition opens at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. He is the only sculptor ever invited to present a solo exhibition there.
    • 1992 – The Euro Disney Resort officially opens with its theme park Euro Disneyland; the resort and its park’s name are subsequently changed to Disneyland Paris.
    • 1999 – United States President Bill Clinton is cited for contempt of court for giving “intentionally false statements” in a civil lawsuit; he is later fined and disbarred.
    • 2002 – A suicide bomber blows herself up at the entrance to Jerusalem’s Mahane Yehuda Market, killing seven people and wounding 104.
    • 2007 – A suicide bomber penetrates the Green Zone and detonates in a cafeteria within a parliament building, killing Iraqi MP Mohammed Awad and wounding more than twenty other people.
    • 2009 – Zimbabwe officially abandons the Zimbabwean dollar as its official currency.
    • 2010 – Merano derailment: A rail accident in South Tyrol kills nine people and injures a further 28.
    • 2013 – Two suicide bombers kill three Chadian soldiers and injure dozens of civilians at a market in Kidal, Mali.
    • 2014 – The Great Fire of Valparaíso ravages the Chilean city of Valparaíso, killing 16 people, displacing nearly 10,000, and destroying over 2,000 homes.

    Births on April 12

    • 811 – Muhammad al-Jawad, the ninth Imam of Shia Islam (d. 835)
    • 959 – En’yū, emperor of Japan (d. 991)
    • 1116 – Richeza of Poland, queen of Sweden and Grand Princess of Minsk (d. 1156)
    • 1432 – Anne of Austria, Landgravine of Thuringia (d. 1462)
    • 1484 – Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, Italian architect, designed the Apostolic Palace and St. Peter’s Basilica (d. 1546)
    • 1484 – Maharana Sangram Singh, Rana of Mewar (d. 1527)
    • 1500 – Joachim Camerarius, German scholar and translator (d. 1574)
    • 1526 – Muretus, French philosopher and author (d. 1585)
    • 1550 – Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, English courtier and politician, Lord Great Chamberlain (d. 1604)
    • 1577 – Christian IV of Denmark (d. 1648)
    • 1612 – Simone Cantarini, Italian painter and engraver (d. 1648)
    • 1639 – Martin Lister, English naturalist and physician (d. 1712)
    • 1656 – Benoît de Maillet, French diplomat and natural historian (d. 1738)
    • 1705 – William Cookworthy, English minister and pharmacist (d. 1780)
    • 1710 – Caffarelli, Italian actor and singer (d. 1783)
    • 1713 – Guillaume Thomas François Raynal, French historian and author (d. 1796)
    • 1716 – Felice Giardini, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1796)
    • 1722 – Pietro Nardini, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1793)
    • 1724 – Lyman Hall, American physician, clergyman, and politician, 16th Governor of Georgia (d. 1790)
    • 1748 – Antoine Laurent de Jussieu, French botanist and author (d. 1836)
    • 1777 – Henry Clay, American lawyer and politician, 9th United States Secretary of State (d. 1852)
    • 1792 – John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, English soldier and politician, Lord Privy Seal (d. 1840)
    • 1794 – Germinal Pierre Dandelin, Belgian mathematician and engineer (d. 1847)
    • 1796 – George N. Briggs, American lawyer and politician, 19th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1861)
    • 1799 – Henri Druey, Swiss lawyer and politician, 2nd President of the Swiss Confederation (d. 1855)
    • 1801 – Joseph Lanner, Austrian composer and conductor (d. 1843)
    • 1816 – Charles Gavan Duffy, Irish-Australian politician, 8th Premier of Victoria (d. 1903)
    • 1823 – Alexander Ostrovsky, Russian playwright and translator (d. 1886)
    • 1839 – Nikolay Przhevalsky, Russian geographer and explorer (d. 1888)
    • 1845 – Gustaf Cederström, Swedish painter (d. 1933)
    • 1851 – José Gautier Benítez, Puerto Rican soldier and poet (d. 1880)
    • 1851 – Edward Walter Maunder, English astronomer and author (d. 1928)
    • 1852 – Ferdinand von Lindemann, German mathematician and academic (d. 1939)
    • 1856 – Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington, English mountaineer, cartographer, and politician (d. 1937)
    • 1863 – Raul Pompeia, Brazilian writer (d. 1895)
    • 1868 – Akiyama Saneyuki, Japanese admiral (d. 1918)
    • 1869 – Henri Désiré Landru, French serial killer (d. 1922)
    • 1871 – Ioannis Metaxas, Greek general and politician, 130th Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1941)
    • 1874 – William B. Bankhead, American lawyer and politician, 47th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (d. 1940)
    • 1880 – Addie Joss, American baseball player and journalist (d. 1911)
    • 1883 – Imogen Cunningham, American photographer and educator (d. 1976)
    • 1883 – Dally Messenger, Australian rugby player, cricketer, and sailor (d. 1959)
    • 1884 – Tenby Davies, Welsh runner (d. 1932)
    • 1884 – Otto Meyerhof, German physician and biochemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1951)
    • 1885 – Robert Delaunay, French painter (d. 1941)
    • 1887 – Harold Lockwood, American actor and director (d. 1918)
    • 1888 – Dan Ahearn, Irish-American long jumper and police officer (d. 1942)
    • 1888 – Cecil Kimber, English automobile engineer (d. 1945)
    • 1892 – Henry Darger, American writer and artist (d. 1973)
    • 1894 – Dorothy Cumming, Australian-American actress (d. 1983)
    • 1894 – Francisco Craveiro Lopes, Portuguese field marshal and politician, 13th President of Portugal (d. 1964)
    • 1898 – Lily Pons, French-American soprano and actress (d. 1976)
    • 1901 – Lowell Stockman, American farmer and politician (d. 1962)
    • 1902 – Louis Beel, Dutch academic and politician, 36th Prime Minister of the Netherlands (d. 1977)
    • 1903 – Jan Tinbergen, Dutch economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1994)
    • 1907 – Zawgyi, Burmese poet, author, literary historian, critic, scholar and academic (d. 1990)
    • 1907 – Felix de Weldon, Austrian-American sculptor, designed the Marine Corps War Memorial (d. 2003)
    • 1908 – Ida Pollock, English author and painter (d. 2013)
    • 1908 – Robert Lee Scott, Jr., American pilot and general (d. 2006)
    • 1910 – Gillo Dorfles, Italian art critic, painter and philosopher (d. 2018)
    • 1910 – Irma Rapuzzi, French politician (d. 2018)
    • 1911 – Mahmoud Younis, Egyptian engineer (d. 1976)
    • 1912 – Frank Dilio, Canadian businessman (d. 1997)
    • 1912 – Hamengkubuwono IX, Indonesian politician, 2nd Vice President of Indonesia (d. 1988)
    • 1912 – Hound Dog Taylor, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1975)
    • 1913 – Keiko Fukuda, Japanese-American martial artist (d. 2013)
    • 1914 – Armen Alchian, American economist and academic (d. 2013)
    • 1916 – Beverly Cleary, American author
    • 1916 – Russell Garcia, American-New Zealander composer and conductor (d. 2011)
    • 1916 – Benjamin Libet, American neuropsychologist and academic (d. 2007)
    • 1917 – Helen Forrest, American singer and actress (d. 1999)
    • 1917 – Vinoo Mankad, Indian cricketer (d. 1978)
    • 1917 – Robert Manzon, French racing driver (d. 2015)
    • 1919 – István Anhalt, Hungarian-Canadian composer and educator (d. 2012)
    • 1919 – Billy Vaughn, American musician and bandleader (d. 1991)
    • 1921 – Robert Cliche, Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician (d. 1978)
    • 1922 – Simon Kapwepwe, Zambian politician, 2nd Vice President of Zambia (d. 1980)
    • 1923 – Ann Miller, American actress, singer, and dancer (d. 2004)
    • 1924 – Raymond Barre, French economist and politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 2007)
    • 1924 – Peter Safar, Austrian physician and academic (d. 2003)
    • 1924 – Curtis Turner, American race car driver (d. 1970)
    • 1925 – Evelyn Berezin, American computer scientist and engineer (d. 2018)
    • 1925 – Ned Miller, American country music singer and songwriter (d. 2016)
    • 1925 – Oliver Postgate, English animator, puppeteer, and screenwriter (d. 2008)
    • 1926 – Jane Withers, American actress
    • 1927 – Thomas Hemsley, English baritone (d. 2013)
    • 1927 – Alvin Sargent, two-time Academy-Award-winning American screenwriter (d. 2019)
    • 1928 – Hardy Krüger, German actor
    • 1928 – Jean-François Paillard, French conductor (d. 2013)
    • 1929 – Elspet Gray, Scottish actress (d. 2013)
    • 1929 – Mukhran Machavariani, Georgian poet and educator (d. 2010)
    • 1930 – John Landy, Australian runner and politician, 26th Governor of Victoria
    • 1930 – Bryan Magee, English philosopher and politician (d. 2019)
    • 1930 – Manuel Neri, American sculptor and painter
    • 1930 – Michał Życzkowski, Polish technician and educator (d. 2006)
    • 1931 – Leonid Derbenyov, Russian poet and songwriter (d. 1995)
    • 1932 – Lakshman Kadirgamar, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician, 5th Sri Lankan Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 2005)
    • 1932 – Jean-Pierre Marielle, French actor (d. 2019)
    • 1932 – Tiny Tim, American singer and ukulele player (d. 1996)
    • 1933 – Montserrat Caballé, Spanish soprano and actress (d. 2018)
    • 1934 – Heinz Schneiter, Swiss footballer and manager (d. 2017)
    • 1936 – Charles Napier, American actor (d. 2011)
    • 1936 – Kennedy Simmonds, Kittitian politician, 4th Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis
    • 1937 – Dennis Banks, American author and activist (d. 2017)
    • 1937 – Igor Volk, Ukrainian-Russian colonel, pilot, and astronaut (d. 2017)
    • 1939 – Alan Ayckbourn, English director and playwright
    • 1939 – Johnny Raper, Australian rugby league player and coach
    • 1940 – Woodie Fryman, American baseball player (d. 2011)
    • 1940 – Herbie Hancock, American pianist, composer, and bandleader
    • 1941 – Bobby Moore, English footballer and manager (d. 1993)
    • 1942 – Bill Bryden, Scottish actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1942 – Carlos Reutemann, Argentinian race car driver and politician
    • 1942 – Jacob Zuma, South African politician, 4th President of South Africa
    • 1943 – Sumitra Mahajan, Indian politician, 16th Speaker of the Lok Sabha
    • 1944 – Lisa Jardine, English historian, author, and academic (d. 2015)
    • 1944 – John Kay, German-Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1945 – Lee Jong-wook, South Korean physician and diplomat (d. 2006)
    • 1946 – Ed O’Neill, American actor and comedian
    • 1946 – George Robertson, Baron Robertson of Port Ellen, Scottish politician and diplomat, 10th Secretary General of NATO
    • 1947 – Roy M. Anderson, English epidemiologist, zoologist, and academic
    • 1947 – Martin Brasier, English palaeontologist, biologist, and academic (d. 2014)
    • 1947 – Alex Briley, American disco singer
    • 1947 – Tom Clancy, American historian and author (d. 2013)
    • 1947 – Woody Johnson, American businessman and philanthropist
    • 1947 – Dan Lauria, American actor
    • 1947 – David Letterman, American comedian and talk show host
    • 1948 – Jeremy Beadle, English television host and producer (d. 2008)
    • 1948 – Joschka Fischer, German academic and politician
    • 1948 – Marcello Lippi, Italian footballer, manager, and coach
    • 1949 – Scott Turow, American lawyer and author
    • 1950 – Flavio Briatore, Italian businessman
    • 1950 – David Cassidy, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2017)
    • 1950 – Joyce Banda, Malawian politician, 4th president of Malawi
    • 1950 – Nick Sackman, English composer and educator
    • 1951 – Tom Noonan, American actor
    • 1952 – Reuben Gant, American football player
    • 1952 – Leicester Rutledge, New Zealand rugby player
    • 1952 – Gary Soto, American poet, novelist, and memoirist
    • 1952 – Ralph Wiley, American journalist (d. 2004)
    • 1953 – Tanino Liberatore, Italian author and illustrator
    • 1954 – John Faulkner, Australian educator and politician, 52nd Australian Minister for Defence
    • 1954 – Steve Stevaert, Belgian businessman and politician (d. 2015)
    • 1954 – Pat Travers, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1955 – Fabian Hamilton, English graphic designer, engineer, and politician
    • 1956 – Andy Garcia, Cuban-American actor, director, and producer
    • 1956 – Herbert Grönemeyer, German singer-songwriter and actor
    • 1957 – Greg Child, Australian mountaineer and author
    • 1957 – Vince Gill, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1957 – Tama Janowitz, American novelist and short story writer
    • 1958 – Will Sergeant, English guitarist
    • 1958 – Klaus Tafelmeier, German javelin thrower
    • 1958 – Ginka Zagorcheva, Bulgarian hurdler
    • 1959 – Howard Stableford, English radio and television host
    • 1961 – Corrado Fabi, Italian racing driver
    • 1961 – Charles Mann, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1961 – Magda Szubanski, English-Australian actress, comedian and writer
    • 1962 – Art Alexakis, American singer-songwriter and musician
    • 1962 – Carlos Sainz, Spanish racing driver
    • 1962 – Nobuhiko Takada, Japanese mixed martial artist and wrestler, founded Hustle
    • 1963 – Lydia Cacho, Mexican journalist and author
    • 1964 – Chris Fairclough, English footballer and coach
    • 1965 – Amy Ray, American folk-rock singer-songwriter, musician, and music producer
    • 1965 – Kim Bodnia, Danish actor and director
    • 1965 – Chi Onwurah, English politician
    • 1965 – Gervais Rufyikiri, Burundian politician
    • 1965 – Mihai Stoica, Romanian footballer and manager
    • 1966 – Nils-Olav Johansen, Norwegian guitarist and singer
    • 1966 – Lorenzo White, American football player
    • 1967 – Sarah Cracknell, English singer-songwriter
    • 1968 – Alicia Coppola, American actress
    • 1968 – Toby Gad, German songwriter and producer
    • 1968 – Adam Graves, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1969 – Jörn Lenz, German footballer and manager
    • 1969 – Lucas Radebe, South African footballer and sportscaster
    • 1969 – Michael Jackson, American football player and politician (d. 2017)
    • 1970 – Sylvain Bouchard, Canadian speed skater
    • 1971 – Nicholas Brendon, American actor
    • 1971 – Shannen Doherty, American actress, director, and producer
    • 1972 – Paul Lo Duca, American baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1973 – J. Scott Campbell, American author and illustrator
    • 1973 – Ryan Kisor, American trumpet player and composer
    • 1973 – Antonio Osuna, Mexican-American baseball player
    • 1973 – Christian Panucci, Italian footballer and manager
    • 1974 – Belinda Emmett, Australian actress (d. 2006)
    • 1974 – Bryan Fletcher, Australian rugby league player and sportscaster
    • 1974 – Roman Hamrlík, Czech ice hockey player
    • 1974 – Marley Shelton, American actress
    • 1974 – Sylvinho, Brazilian footballer and manager
    • 1976 – Olga Kotlyarova, Russian runner
    • 1976 – Brad Miller, American basketball player
    • 1977 – Giovanny Espinoza, Ecuadorian footballer
    • 1977 – Sarah Monahan, Australian actress
    • 1977 – Jason Price, Welsh footballer
    • 1977 – Glenn Rogers, Australian-Scottish cricketer
    • 1978 – Guy Berryman, Scottish bass player and producer
    • 1978 – Scott Crary, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1978 – Svetlana Lapina, Russian high jumper
    • 1978 – Robin Walker, English businessman and politician
    • 1979 – Claire Danes, American actress
    • 1979 – Elena Grosheva, Russian gymnast
    • 1979 – Mateja Kežman, Serbian footballer
    • 1979 – Jennifer Morrison, American actress
    • 1979 – Cristian Ranalli, Italian footballer
    • 1979 – Lee Soo-young, South Korean singer
    • 1980 – Sara Head, Welsh Paralympic table tennis champion
    • 1980 – Brian McFadden, Irish singer-songwriter
    • 1981 – Yuriy Borzakovskiy, Russian runner
    • 1981 – Nicolás Burdisso, Argentinian footballer
    • 1981 – Tulsi Gabbard, American politician
    • 1981 – Grant Holt, English footballer and professional wrestler
    • 1981 – Hisashi Iwakuma, Japanese baseball pitcher
    • 1983 – Jelena Dokic, Serbian-Australian tennis player
    • 1983 – Luke Kibet, Kenyan runner
    • 1984 – Aleksey Dmitrik, Russian high jumper
    • 1985 – Brennan Boesch, American baseball player
    • 1985 – Hitomi Yoshizawa, Japanese singer
    • 1986 – Brad Brach, American baseball pitcher
    • 1986 – Blerim Džemaili, Swiss footballer
    • 1986 – Marcel Granollers, Spanish tennis player
    • 1986 – Jonathan Pitroipa, Burkinabé footballer
    • 1987 – Brooklyn Decker, American model and actress
    • 1987 – Shawn Gore, Canadian football player
    • 1987 – Josh McCrone, Australian rugby league player
    • 1987 – Luiz Adriano, Brazilian professional footballer
    • 1987 – Brendon Urie, American singer, songwriter, musician and multi-instrumentalist
    • 1988 – Ricardo Gabriel Álvarez, Argentinian footballer
    • 1988 – Stephen Brogan, English footballer
    • 1988 – Amedeo Calliari, Italian footballer
    • 1988 – Jessie James Decker, American singer-songwriter
    • 1989 – Bethan Dainton, Welsh rugby union player
    • 1989 – Miguel Ángel Ponce, American-Mexican footballer
    • 1989 – Ádám Hanga, Hungarian basketball player
    • 1989 – Kaitlyn Weaver, Canadian-American ice dancer
    • 1989 – Valentin Stocker, Swiss footballer
    • 1990 – Francesca Halsall, English swimmer
    • 1990 – Hiroki Sakai, Japanese footballer
    • 1991 – Torey Krug, American ice hockey player
    • 1991 – Lionel Carole, French professional footballer
    • 1991 – Oliver Norwood, English born Northern Irish international footballer
    • 1991 – Magnus Pääjärvi, Swedish ice hockey player
    • 1991 – Jazz Richards, Welsh international footballer
    • 1992 – Chad le Clos, South African swimmer
    • 1993 – Jordan Archer, English-Scottish footballer
    • 1993 – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1994 – Isabelle Drummond, Brazilian actress and singer
    • 1994 – Saoirse Ronan, American-born Irish actress
    • 1994 – Oh Sehun, South Korean musician
    • 1994 – Eric Bailly, Ivorian professional footballer
    • 1994 – Guido Rodríguez, Argentine footballer
    • 1995 – Pedro Cachín, Argentine tennis player
    • 1996 – Elizaveta Kulichkova, Russian tennis player

    Deaths on April 12

    • 45 BC – Gnaeus Pompeius, Roman general and politician (b. 75 BC)
    • 352 – Julius I, pope of the Catholic Church
    • 434 – Maximianus, archbishop of Constantinople
    • 901 – Eudokia Baïana, Byzantine empress and wife of Leo VI
    • 1125 – Vladislaus I, Duke of Bohemia (b. 1065)
    • 1167 – Charles VII, king of Sweden (b. c. 1130)
    • 1212 – Vsevolod the Big Nest, Grand Prince of Vladimir (b. 1154)
    • 1256 – Margaret of Bourbon, Queen of Navarre, regent of Navarre (b. c. 1217)
    • 1443 – Henry Chichele, English archbishop (b. 1364)
    • 1500 – Leonhard of Gorizia, Count of Gorz (b. 1440)
    • 1530 – Joanna La Beltraneja, Princess of Castile (b. 1462)
    • 1550 – Claude, Duke of Guise (b. 1496)
    • 1555 – Joanna of Castile (b. 1479)
    • 1675 – Richard Bennett, English politician, colonial Governor of Virginia (b. 1609)
    • 1684 – Nicola Amati, Italian instrument maker (b. 1596)
    • 1687 – Ambrose Dixon, English-American soldier (b. 1619)
    • 1704 – Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet, French bishop and theologian (b. 1627)
    • 1748 – William Kent, English architect, designed Holkham Hall and Chiswick House (b. 1685)
    • 1782 – Metastasio, Italian-Austrian poet and composer (b. 1698)
    • 1788 – Carlo Antonio Campioni, French-Italian composer (b. 1719)
    • 1795 – Johann Kaspar Basselet von La Rosée, Bavarian general (b. 1710)
    • 1814 – Charles Burney, English composer and historian (b. 1726)
    • 1817 – Charles Messier, French astronomer and academic (b. 1730)
    • 1850 – Adoniram Judson, American lexicographer and missionary (b. 1788)
    • 1866 – Peter Hesketh-Fleetwood, English politician, founded Fleetwood (b. 1801)
    • 1872 – Nikolaos Mantzaros, Greek composer and theorist (b. 1795)
    • 1878 – William M. Tweed, American lawyer and politician (b. 1823)
    • 1879 – Richard Taylor, American general (b. 1826)
    • 1885 – William Crowther, Dutch-Australian politician, 14th Premier of Tasmania (b. 1817)
    • 1898 – Elzéar-Alexandre Taschereau, Canadian cardinal (b. 1820)
    • 1902 – Marie Alfred Cornu, French physicist and academic (b. 1842)
    • 1906 – Mahesh Chandra Nyayratna Bhattacharyya, Indian scholar, academic, and philanthropist (b. 1836)
    • 1912 – Clara Barton, American nurse and humanitarian, founded the American Red Cross (b. 1821)
    • 1933 – Adelbert Ames, American general and politician, 30th Governor of Mississippi (b. 1835)
    • 1937 – Abdülhak Hâmid Tarhan, Turkish playwright and poet (b. 1852)
    • 1938 – Feodor Chaliapin, Russian opera singer (b. 1873)
    • 1943 – Viktor Puskar, Estonian colonel (b. 1889)
    • 1945 – Franklin D. Roosevelt, American lawyer and politician, 32nd President of the United States (b. 1882)
    • 1953 – Lionel Logue, Australian actor and therapist (b. 1880)
    • 1962 – Ron Flockhart, Scottish racing driver (b. 1923)
    • 1966 – Sydney Allard, English racing driver and founder of the Allard car company (b. 1910)
    • 1968 – Heinrich Nordhoff, German engineer (b. 1899)
    • 1971 – Ed Lafitte, American baseball player and dentist (b. 1886)
    • 1973 – Arthur Freed, American songwriter and producer (b. 1894)
    • 1975 – Josephine Baker, French actress, activist, and humanitarian (b. 1906)
    • 1977 – Philip K. Wrigley, American businessman, co-founded Lincoln Park Gun Club (b. 1894)
    • 1980 – William R. Tolbert, Jr., Liberian politician, 20th President of Liberia (b. 1913)
    • 1981 – Prince Yasuhiko Asaka of Japan (b. 1887)
    • 1981 – Joe Louis, American boxer and wrestler (b. 1914)
    • 1983 – Jørgen Juve, Norwegian football player and journalist (b. 1906)
    • 1983 – Carl Morton, American baseball player (b. 1944)
    • 1984 – Edwin T. Layton, American admiral and cryptanalyst (b. 1903)
    • 1986 – Valentin Kataev, Russian author and playwright (b. 1897)
    • 1988 – Colette Deréal, French singer and actress (b. 1927)
    • 1988 – Alan Paton, South African historian and author (b. 1903)
    • 1989 – Abbie Hoffman, American activist, co-founded Youth International Party (b. 1936)
    • 1989 – Sugar Ray Robinson, American boxer (b. 1921)
    • 1992 – Ilario Bandini, Italian racing driver and businessman (b. 1911)
    • 1997 – George Wald, American neurologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1906)
    • 1998 – Robert Ford, Canadian poet and diplomat (b. 1915)
    • 1999 – Boxcar Willie, American singer-songwriter (b. 1931)
    • 2001 – Harvey Ball, American illustrator, created the smiley (b. 1921)
    • 2002 – George Shevelov, Ukrainian-American linguist and philologist (b. 1908)
    • 2004 – Moran Campbell, Canadian physician and academic, invented the venturi mask (b. 1925)
    • 2006 – William Sloane Coffin, American minister and activist (b. 1924)
    • 2007 – Kevin Crease, Australian journalist (b. 1936)
    • 2008 – Cecilia Colledge, English-American figure skater and coach (b. 1920)
    • 2008 – Patrick Hillery, Irish physician and politician, 6th President of Ireland (b. 1923)
    • 2008 – Jerry Zucker, Israeli-American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1949)
    • 2010 – Michel Chartrand, Canadian trade union leader (b. 1916)
    • 2010 – Werner Schroeter, German director and screenwriter (b. 1945)
    • 2011 – Karim Fakhrawi, Bahraini journalist, co-founded Al-Wasat (b. 1962)
    • 2012 – Mohit Chattopadhyay, Indian poet and playwright (b. 1934)
    • 2012 – Rodgers Grant, American pianist and composer (b. 1935)
    • 2013 – Robert Byrne, American chess player and author (b. 1928)
    • 2013 – Johnny du Plooy, South African boxer (b. 1964)
    • 2013 – Michael France, American screenwriter (b. 1962)
    • 2013 – Brennan Manning, American priest and author (b. 1934)
    • 2013 – Annamária Szalai, Hungarian journalist and politician (b. 1961)
    • 2013 – Ya’akov Yosef, Israeli rabbi and politician (b. 1946)
    • 2014 – Pierre Autin-Grenier, French author and poet (b. 1947)
    • 2014 – Pierre-Henri Menthéour, French cyclist (b. 1960)
    • 2014 – Maurício Alves Peruchi, Brazilian footballer (b. 1990)
    • 2014 – Hal Smith, American baseball player and coach (b. 1931)
    • 2014 – Billy Standridge, American race car driver (b. 1953)
    • 2015 – Paulo Brossard, Brazilian jurist and politician (b. 1924)
    • 2015 – Patrice Dominguez, Algerian-French tennis player and trainer (b. 1950)
    • 2015 – Alfred Eick, German commander (b. 1916)
    • 2015 – André Mba Obame, Gabonese politician (b. 1957)
    • 2016 – Anne Jackson, American actress (b. 1925)
    • 2016 – Mohammad Al Gaz, Emirati politician & diplomat (b. 1930)
    • 2017 – Charlie Murphy, American actor and comedian (b. 1959)
    • 2020 – Tarvaris Jackson, American football player (b. 1983)

    Holidays and observances on April 12

    • Children’s Day (Bolivia)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Adoniram Judson (Episcopal Church)
      • Alferius
      • Blessed Angelo Carletti di Chivasso
      • Erkembode
      • Pope Julius I
      • Teresa of the Andes
      • Zeno of Verona
      • April 12 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Commemoration of first human in space by Yuri Gagarin:
      • Cosmonautics Day (Russia)
      • International Day of Human Space Flight
      • Yuri’s Night (International observance)
    • Halifax Day (North Carolina)
    • National Redemption Day (Liberia)