1553

  • June 3 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 350 – The Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, proclaims himself Roman emperor, entering Rome at the head of a group of gladiators.
    • 713 – The Byzantine emperor Philippicus is blinded, deposed and sent into exile by conspirators of the Opsikion army in Thrace. He is succeeded by Anastasios II, who begins the reorganization of the Byzantine army.
    • 1140 – The French scholar Peter Abelard is found guilty of heresy.
    • 1326 – The Treaty of Novgorod delineates borders between Russia and Norway in Finnmark.
    • 1539 – Hernando de Soto claims Florida for Spain.
    • 1608 – Samuel de Champlain completes his third voyage to New France at Tadoussac, Quebec.
    • 1621 – The Dutch West India Company receives a charter for New Netherland.
    • 1658 – Pope Alexander VII appoints François de Laval vicar apostolic in New France.
    • 1665 – James Stuart, Duke of York (later to become King James II of England), defeats the Dutch fleet off the coast of Lowestoft.
    • 1781 – Jack Jouett begins his midnight ride to warn Thomas Jefferson and the Virginia legislature of an impending raid by Banastre Tarleton.
    • 1839 – In Humen, China, Lin Tse-hsü destroys 1.2 million kilograms of opium confiscated from British merchants, providing Britain with a casus belli to open hostilities, resulting in the First Opium War.
    • 1861 – American Civil War: Battle of Philippi (also called the Philippi Races): Union forces rout Confederate troops in Barbour County, Virginia, now West Virginia.
    • 1864 – American Civil War: Battle of Cold Harbor: Union forces attack Confederate troops in Hanover County, Virginia.
    • 1866 – The Fenians are driven out of Fort Erie, Ontario back into the United States.
    • 1885 – In the last military engagement fought on Canadian soil, the Cree leader, Big Bear, escapes the North-West Mounted Police.
    • 1889 – The first long-distance electric power transmission line in the United States is completed, running 14 miles (23 km) between a generator at Willamette Falls and downtown Portland, Oregon.
    • 1916 – The National Defense Act is signed into law, increasing the size of the United States National Guard by 450,000 men.
    • 1935 – One thousand unemployed Canadian workers board freight cars in Vancouver, beginning a protest trek to Ottawa.
    • 1937 – The Duke of Windsor marries Wallis Simpson.
    • 1940 – World War II: The Luftwaffe bombs Paris.
    • 1940 – World War II: The Battle of Dunkirk ends with a German victory and with Allied forces in full retreat.
    • 1940 – Franz Rademacher proposes plans to make Madagascar the “Jewish homeland”, an idea that had first been considered by 19th century journalist Theodor Herzl.
    • 1941 – World War II: The Wehrmacht razes the Greek village of Kandanos to the ground and murders 180 of its inhabitants.
    • 1942 – World War II: Japan begins the Aleutian Islands Campaign by bombing Unalaska Island.
    • 1943 – In Los Angeles, California, white U.S. Navy sailors and Marines clash with Latino youths in the Zoot Suit Riots.
    • 1950 – Herzog and Lachenal of the French Annapurna expedition become the first climbers to reach the summit of an 8,000-metre peak.
    • 1962 – At Paris Orly Airport, Air France Flight 007 overruns the runway and explodes when the crew attempts to abort takeoff, killing 130.
    • 1963 – Soldiers of the South Vietnamese Army attack protesting Buddhists in Huế with liquid chemicals from tear-gas grenades, causing 67 people to be hospitalized for blistering of the skin and respiratory ailments.
    • 1965 – The launch of Gemini 4, the first multi-day space mission by a NASA crew. Ed White, a crew member, performs the first American spacewalk.
    • 1969 – Melbourne–Evans collision: off the coast of South Vietnam, the Australian aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne cuts the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Frank E. Evans in half.
    • 1973 – A Soviet supersonic Tupolev Tu-144 crashes near Goussainville, France, killing 14, the first crash of a supersonic passenger aircraft.
    • 1979 – A blowout at the Ixtoc I oil well in the southern Gulf of Mexico causes at least 3,000,000 barrels (480,000 m3) of oil to be spilled into the waters, the second-worst accidental oil spill ever recorded.
    • 1980 – An explosive device is detonated at the Statue of Liberty. The FBI suspects Croatian nationalists.
    • 1980 – The 1980 Grand Island tornado outbreak hits Nebraska, causing five deaths and $300 million (equivalent to $931 million in 2019) worth of damage.
    • 1982 – The Israeli ambassador to the United Kingdom, Shlomo Argov, is shot on a London street; he survives but is left paralysed.
    • 1984 – Operation Blue Star, a military offensive, is launched by the Indian government at Harmandir Sahib, also known as the Golden Temple, the holiest shrine for Sikhs, in Amritsar. The operation continues until June 6, with casualties, most of them civilians, in excess of 5,000.
    • 1989 – The government of China sends troops to force protesters out of Tiananmen Square after seven weeks of occupation.
    • 1991 – Mount Unzen erupts in Kyūshū, Japan, killing 43 people, all of them either researchers or journalists.
    • 1992 – Aboriginal land rights are granted in Australia in Mabo v Queensland (No 2), a case brought by Eddie Mabo.
    • 1998 – After suffering a mechanical failure, a high speed train derails at Eschede, Germany, killing 101 people.
    • 2006 – The union of Serbia and Montenegro comes to an end with Montenegro’s formal declaration of independence.
    • 2012 – A plane carrying 153 people on board crashes in a residential neighborhood in Lagos, Nigeria, killing everyone on board and 10 people on the ground.
    • 2012 – The pageant for the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II takes place on the River Thames.
    • 2013 – The trial of United States Army private Chelsea Manning for leaking classified material to WikiLeaks begins in Fort Meade, Maryland.
    • 2013 – At least 119 people are killed in a fire at a poultry farm in Jilin Province in northeastern China.
    • 2015 – An explosion at a gasoline station in Accra, Ghana, killing more than 200 people.
    • 2017 – London Bridge attack: Eight people are murdered and dozens of civilians are wounded by Islamist terrorists. Three of the attackers are shot dead by the police.
    • 2019 – Khartoum massacre: In Sudan, over 100 people are killed when security forces accompanied by Janjaweed militiamen storm and open fire on a sit-in protest.

    Births on June 3

    • 20 BC – Sejanus, Roman soldier and bodyguard (d. 31 AD)
    • 1139 – Conon of Naso, Basilian abbot (d. 1236)
    • 1421 – Giovanni di Cosimo de’ Medici, Italian noble (d. 1463)
    • 1454 – Bogislaw X, Duke of Pomerania (1474–1523) (d. 1523)
    • 1537 – João Manuel, Prince of Portugal (d. 1554)
    • 1540 – Charles II, Archduke of Austria (d. 1590)
    • 1554 – Pietro de’ Medici, Italian noble (d. 1604)
    • 1576 – Giovanni Diodati, Swiss-Italian minister, theologian, and academic (d. 1649)
    • 1594 – César, Duke of Vendôme, French nobleman (d. 1665)
    • 1603 – Pietro Paolini, Italian painter (d. 1681)
    • 1635 – Philippe Quinault, French playwright and composer (d. 1688)
    • 1636 – John Hale, American minister (d. 1700)
    • 1659 – David Gregory, Scottish-English mathematician and astronomer (d. 1708)
    • 1662 – Willem van Mieris, Dutch painter (d. 1747)
    • 1723 – Giovanni Antonio Scopoli, Italian physician, geologist, and botanist (d. 1788)
    • 1726 – James Hutton, Scottish geologist and physician (d. 1797)
    • 1736 – Ignaz Fränzl, German violinist and composer (d. 1811)
    • 1770 – Manuel Belgrano, Argentinian economist, lawyer, and politician (d. 1820)
    • 1808 – Jefferson Davis, American colonel and politician, President of the Confederate States of America (d. 1889)
    • 1818 – Louis Faidherbe, French general and politician, Governor of Senegal (d. 1889)
    • 1819 – Anton Anderledy, Swiss religious leader, 23rd Superior General of the Society of Jesus (d. 1892)
    • 1819 – Johan Jongkind, Dutch painter (d. 1891)
    • 1832 – Charles Lecocq, French pianist and composer (d. 1918)
    • 1843 – Frederick VIII of Denmark (d. 1912)
    • 1844 – Garret Hobart, American lawyer and politician, 24th Vice President of the United States (d. 1899)
    • 1844 – Detlev von Liliencron, German poet and author (d. 1909)
    • 1852 – Theodore Robinson, American painter and academic (d. 1896)
    • 1853 – Flinders Petrie, English archaeologist and academic (d. 1942)
    • 1864 – Otto Erich Hartleben, German poet and playwright (d. 1905)
    • 1864 – Ransom E. Olds, American businessman, founded Oldsmobile and REO Motor Car Company (d. 1950)
    • 1865 – George V of the United Kingdom (d. 1936)
    • 1866 – George Howells Broadhurst, English-American director and manager (d. 1952)
    • 1873 – Otto Loewi, German-American pharmacologist and psychobiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1961)
    • 1877 – Raoul Dufy, French painter and illustrator (d. 1953)
    • 1879 – Alla Nazimova, Ukrainian-American actress, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1945)
    • 1879 – Raymond Pearl, American biologist and botanist (d. 1940)
    • 1879 – Vivian Woodward, English footballer and soldier (d. 1954)
    • 1881 – Mikhail Larionov, Russian painter and set designer (d. 1964)
    • 1890 – Baburao Painter, Indian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1954)
    • 1897 – Memphis Minnie, American singer-songwriter (d. 1973)
    • 1899 – Georg von Békésy, Hungarian-American biophysicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1972)
    • 1900 – Adelaide Ames, American astronomer and academic (d. 1932)
    • 1900 – Leo Picard, German-Israeli geologist and academic (d. 1997)
    • 1901 – Maurice Evans, English actor (d. 1989)
    • 1901 – Zhang Xueliang, Chinese general and warlord (d. 2001)
    • 1903 – Eddie Acuff, American actor (d. 1956)
    • 1904 – Charles R. Drew, American physician and surgeon (d. 1950)
    • 1904 – Jan Peerce, American tenor and actor (d. 1984)
    • 1905 – Martin Gottfried Weiss, German SS officer (d. 1946)
    • 1906 – R. G. D. Allen, English economist, mathematician, and statistician (d. 1983)
    • 1906 – Josephine Baker, French actress, singer, and dancer; French Resistance operative (d. 1975)
    • 1906 – Walter Robins, English cricketer and footballer (d. 1968)
    • 1907 – Paul Rotha, English director and producer (d. 1984)
    • 1910 – Paulette Goddard, American actress and model (d. 1990)
    • 1911 – Ellen Corby, American actress and screenwriter (d. 1999)
    • 1913 – Pedro Mir, Dominican poet and author (d. 2000)
    • 1914 – Ignacio Ponseti, Spanish physician and orthopedist (d. 2009)
    • 1917 – Leo Gorcey, American actor (d. 1969)
    • 1918 – Patrick Cargill, English actor and producer (d. 1996)
    • 1918 – Lili St. Cyr, American dancer (d. 1999)
    • 1921 – Forbes Carlile, Australian pentathlete and coach (d. 2016)
    • 1921 – Jean Dréjac, French singer and composer (d. 2003)
    • 1922 – Alain Resnais, French director, cinematographer, and screenwriter (d. 2014)
    • 1923 – Igor Shafarevich, Russian mathematician and theorist (d. 2017)
    • 1924 – Karunanidhi, Indian screenwriter and politician, 3rd Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu (d. 2018)
    • 1924 – Colleen Dewhurst, Canadian-American actress (d. 1991)
    • 1924 – Bernard Glasser, American director and producer (d. 2014)
    • 1924 – Jimmy Rogers, American singer and guitarist (d. 1997)
    • 1924 – Torsten Wiesel, Swedish neurophysiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1925 – Tony Curtis, American actor (d. 2010)
    • 1925 – Thomas Winning, Scottish cardinal (d. 2001)
    • 1926 – Allen Ginsberg, American poet (d. 1997)
    • 1926 – Flora MacDonald, Canadian banker and politician, 10th Canadian Minister of Communications (d. 2015)
    • 1927 – Boots Randolph, American saxophonist and composer (d. 2007)
    • 1928 – Donald Judd, American sculptor and painter (d. 1994)
    • 1928 – John Richard Reid, New Zealand cricketer
    • 1929 – Werner Arber, Swiss microbiologist and geneticist, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1929 – Chuck Barris, American game show host and producer (d. 2017)
    • 1930 – Marion Zimmer Bradley, American author and poet (d. 1999)
    • 1930 – George Fernandes, Indian journalist and politician, Minister of Defence for India (d. 2019)
    • 1930 – Dakota Staton, American singer (d. 2007)
    • 1930 – Abbas Zandi, Iranian wrestler (d. 2017)
    • 1930 – Ben Wada, Japanese director and producer (d. 2011)
    • 1930 – Joe Coulombe, founder of Trader Joe’s (d. 2020)
    • 1931 – Françoise Arnoul, Algerian-French actress
    • 1931 – Raúl Castro, Cuban commander and politician, 18th President of Cuba
    • 1931 – John Norman, American philosopher and author
    • 1931 – Lindy Remigino, American runner and coach (d. 2018)
    • 1933 – Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Bahranian king (d. 1999)
    • 1936 – Larry McMurtry, American novelist and screenwriter
    • 1936 – Colin Meads, New Zealand rugby player and coach (d. 2017)
    • 1937 – Jean-Pierre Jaussaud, French race car driver
    • 1939 – Frank Blevins, English-Australian lawyer and politician, 7th Deputy Premier of South Australia (d. 2013)
    • 1939 – Steve Dalkowski, American baseball player (d. 2020)
    • 1939 – Ian Hunter, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1942 – Curtis Mayfield, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 1999)
    • 1943 – Billy Cunningham, American basketball player and coach
    • 1944 – Thomas Burns, British bishop
    • 1944 – Edith McGuire, American sprinter and educator
    • 1944 – Eddy Ottoz, Italian hurdler and coach
    • 1945 – Hale Irwin, American golfer and architect
    • 1945 – Ramon Jacinto, Filipino singer, guitarist, and businessman, founded the Rajah Broadcasting Network
    • 1945 – Bill Paterson, Scottish actor
    • 1946 – Michael Clarke, American drummer (d. 1993)
    • 1946 – Eddie Holman, American pop/R&B/gospel singer
    • 1946 – Penelope Wilton, English actress
    • 1947 – John Dykstra, American special effects artist and producer
    • 1947 – Mickey Finn, English drummer (d. 2003)
    • 1948 – Jan Reker, Dutch footballer and manager
    • 1950 – Frédéric François, Belgian-Italian singer-songwriter
    • 1950 – Melissa Mathison, American screenwriter and producer (d. 2015)
    • 1950 – Juan José Muñoz, Argentinian businessman (d. 2013)
    • 1950 – Larry Probst, American businessman
    • 1950 – Suzi Quatro, American-English singer-songwriter, bass player, producer, and actress
    • 1950 – Christos Verelis, Greek politician, Greek Minister of Transport and Communications
    • 1950 – Deniece Williams, American singer-songwriter
    • 1952 – Billy Powell, American keyboard player and songwriter (d. 2009)
    • 1952 – David Richards, Welsh entrepreneur and businessman
    • 1954 – Dan Hill, Canadian singer-songwriter
    • 1954 – Susan Landau, American mathematician and engineer
    • 1956 – George Burley, Scottish footballer and manager
    • 1956 – Danny Wilde, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1957 – Horst-Ulrich Hänel, German field hockey player
    • 1959 – Imbi Paju, Estonian-Finnish journalist and author
    • 1960 – Catherine Davani, first female Papua New Guinean judge (d. 2016)
    • 1960 – Tracy Grimshaw, Australian television host
    • 1960 – Carl Rackemann, Australian cricketer and sportscaster
    • 1961 – Lawrence Lessig, American lawyer, academic, and author, founded the Creative Commons
    • 1961 – Peter Vidmar, American gymnast
    • 1961 – Ed Wynne, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer
    • 1962 – Susannah Constantine, English fashion designer, journalist, and author
    • 1962 – Dagmar Neubauer, German sprinter
    • 1963 – Rudy Demotte, Belgian politician, 8th Minister-President of the Walloon Region
    • 1963 – Toshiaki Karasawa, Japanese actor
    • 1964 – André Bellavance, Canadian politician
    • 1964 – Kerry King, American guitarist and songwriter
    • 1964 – James Purefoy, English actor
    • 1965 – Hans Kroes, Dutch swimmer
    • 1965 – Michael Moore, British accountant and politician, Secretary of State for Scotland
    • 1966 – Wasim Akram, Pakistani cricketer, coach, and sportscaster
    • 1967 – Anderson Cooper, American journalist and author
    • 1967 – Tamás Darnyi, Hungarian swimmer
    • 1969 – Takako Minekawa, Japanese singer-songwriter
    • 1969 – Dean Pay, Australian rugby league player and coach
    • 1971 – Luigi Di Biagio, Italian footballer and manager
    • 1971 – Mary Grigson, Australian cross-country mountain biker
    • 1972 – Julie Gayet, French actress
    • 1974 – Kelly Jones, Welsh singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1974 – Serhiy Rebrov, Ukrainian international footballer and manager
    • 1975 – Jose Molina, Puerto Rican-American baseball player
    • 1976 – Nikos Chatzis, Greek basketball player
    • 1976 – Jamie McMurray, American race car driver
    • 1977 – Cris, Brazilian footballer
    • 1978 – Lyfe Jennings, American singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1979 – Luis Fernando López, Colombian race walker
    • 1979 – Christian Malcolm, Welsh sprinter
    • 1980 – Amauri, Brazilian-Italian footballer
    • 1981 – Sosene Anesi, New Zealand rugby player
    • 1982 – Yelena Isinbayeva, Russian pole vaulter
    • 1982 – Manfred Mölgg, Italian skier
    • 1983 – Pasquale Foggia, Italian footballer
    • 1984 – Todd Reid, Australian tennis player (d. 2018)
    • 1985 – Papiss Cissé, Senegalese footballer
    • 1985 – Łukasz Piszczek, Polish footballer
    • 1986 – Al Horford, Dominican basketball player
    • 1986 – Micah Kogo, Kenyan runner
    • 1986 – Rafael Nadal, Spanish tennis player
    • 1986 – Adrián Vallés, Spanish race car driver
    • 1986 – Tomáš Verner, Czech ice skater
    • 1987 – Masami Nagasawa, Japanese actress
    • 1989 – Katie Hoff, American swimmer
    • 1991 – Lukasz Teodorczyk, Polish footballer
    • 1991 – Sami Vatanen, Finnish ice hockey defenceman
    • 1991 – Yordano Ventura, Dominican baseball player (d. 2017)
    • 1992 – Mario Götze, German footballer

    Deaths on June 3

    • 628 – Liang Shidu, Chinese rebel leader
    • 800 – Staurakios, Byzantine general
    • 1052 – Prince Guaimar IV of Salerno
    • 1395 – Ivan Shishman of Bulgaria (b. 1350)
    • 1397 – William de Montagu, 2nd Earl of Salisbury, English commander (b. 1328)
    • 1411 – Leopold IV, Duke of Austria (b. 1371)
    • 1453 – Loukas Notaras, last megas doux of the Byzantine Empire
    • 1511 – Ahmad ibn Abi Jum’ah, Islamic scholar, author of the Oran fatwa
    • 1548 – Juan de Zumárraga, Spanish-Mexican archbishop (b. 1468)
    • 1553 – Wolf Huber, Austrian painter, printmaker and architect (b. 1485)
    • 1594 – John Aylmer, English bishop and scholar (b. 1521)
    • 1605 – Jan Zamoyski, Polish nobleman (b. 1542)
    • 1615 – Sanada Yukimura, Japanese samurai (b. 1567)
    • 1640 – Theophilus Howard, 2nd Earl of Suffolk, English politician, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports (b. 1584)
    • 1649 – Manuel de Faria e Sousa, Portuguese historian and poet (b. 1590)
    • 1657 – William Harvey, English physician and academic (b. 1578)
    • 1659 – Morgan Llwyd, Welsh minister and poet (b. 1619)
    • 1665 – Charles Weston, 3rd Earl of Portland, English noble (b. 1639)
    • 1780 – Thomas Hutchinson, American businessman and politician, Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay (b. 1711)
    • 1826 – Nikolay Karamzin, Russian historian and poet (b. 1766)
    • 1858 – Julius Reubke, German pianist and composer (b. 1834)
    • 1861 – Stephen A. Douglas, American lawyer and politician, 7th Secretary of State of Illinois (b. 1813)
    • 1865 – Okada Izō, Japanese samurai (b. 1838)
    • 1875 – Georges Bizet, French pianist and composer (b. 1838)
    • 1877 – Ludwig Ritter von Köchel, Austrian botanist, composer, and publisher (b. 1800)
    • 1882 – Christian Wilberg, German painter and illustrator (b. 1839)
    • 1894 – Karl Eduard Zachariae von Lingenthal, German lawyer and jurist (b. 1812)
    • 1899 – Johann Strauss II, Austrian composer and educator (b. 1825)
    • 1900 – Mary Kingsley, English explorer and author (b. 1862)
    • 1902 – Vital-Justin Grandin, French-Canadian bishop and missionary (b. 1829)
    • 1906 – John Maxwell, American golfer (b. 1871)
    • 1921 – Coenraad Hiebendaal, Dutch rower and physician (b. 1879)
    • 1924 – Franz Kafka, Czech-Austrian lawyer and author (b. 1883)
    • 1928 – Li Yuanhong, Chinese general and politician, 2nd President of the Republic of China (b. 1864)
    • 1933 – William Muldoon, American wrestler (b. 1852)
    • 1938 – John Flanagan, Irish-American hammer thrower and tug of war competitor (b. 1873)
    • 1946 – Mikhail Kalinin, Russian civil servant and politician (b. 1875)
    • 1963 – Edmond Decottignies, French weightlifter (b. 1893)
    • 1963 – Pope John XXIII (b. 1881)
    • 1963 – Nâzım Hikmet Ran, Turkish poet, author, and playwright (b. 1902)
    • 1964 – Kâzım Orbay, Turkish general and politician, 9th Turkish Speaker of the Parliament (b. 1887)
    • 1964 – Frans Eemil Sillanpää, Finnish author and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1888)
    • 1969 – George Edwin Cooke, American soccer player (b. 1883)
    • 1970 – Hjalmar Schacht, Danish-German economist, banker, and politician (b. 1877)
    • 1971 – Heinz Hopf, German-Swiss mathematician and academic (b. 1894)
    • 1973 – Jean Batmale, French footballer and manager (b. 1895)
    • 1975 – Ozzie Nelson, American actor and bandleader (b. 1906)
    • 1975 – Eisaku Satō, Japanese lawyer and politician, 39th Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1901)
    • 1977 – Archibald Hill, English physiologist and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1886)
    • 1977 – Roberto Rossellini, Italian director and screenwriter (b. 1906)
    • 1981 – Carleton S. Coon, American anthropologist and academic (b. 1904)
    • 1986 – Anna Neagle, English actress and singer (b. 1904)
    • 1987 – Will Sampson, American actor and painter (b. 1933)
    • 1989 – Ruhollah Khomeini, Iranian religious leader and politician, 1st Supreme Leader of Iran (b. 1902)
    • 1990 – Robert Noyce, American physicist and businessman, co-founded the Intel Corporation (b. 1927)
    • 1991 – Brian Bevan, Australian rugby league player (b. 1924)
    • 1991 – Katia Krafft, French volcanologist and geologist (b. 1942)
    • 1991 – Maurice Krafft, French volcanologist and geologist (b. 1946)
    • 1991 – Lê Văn Thiêm, Vietnamese mathematician and academic (b. 1918)
    • 1992 – Robert Morley, English actor and screenwriter (b. 1908)
    • 1994 – Puig Aubert, German-French rugby player and coach (b. 1925)
    • 1997 – Dennis James, American actor and game show host (b. 1917)
    • 2001 – Anthony Quinn, Mexican-American actor and producer (b. 1915)
    • 2002 – Lew Wasserman, American talent agent and manager (b. 1913)
    • 2003 – Felix de Weldon, Austrian-American sculptor, designed the Marine Corps War Memorial (b. 1907)
    • 2005 – Harold Cardinal, Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1945)
    • 2009 – David Carradine, American actor (b. 1936)
    • 2009 – Koko Taylor, American singer (b. 1928)
    • 2010 – John Hedgecoe, English photographer and author (b. 1932)
    • 2010 – Rue McClanahan, American actress (b. 1934)
    • 2011 – James Arness, American actor and producer (b. 1923)
    • 2011 – Andrew Gold, American singer, songwriter, musician and arranger (b. 1951)
    • 2011 – Bhajan Lal, Indian politician, 6th Chief Minister of Haryana (b. 1930)
    • 2011 – Jack Kevorkian, American pathologist, author, and activist (b. 1928)
    • 2011 – Jan van Roessel, Dutch footballer (b. 1925)
    • 2012 – Carol Ann Abrams, American producer, author, and academic (b. 1942)
    • 2012 – Rajsoomer Lallah, Mauritian lawyer and judge (b. 1933)
    • 2012 – Roy Salvadori, English race car driver and manager (b. 1922)
    • 2012 – Brian Talboys, New Zealand journalist and politician, 7th Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1921)
    • 2013 – Atul Chitnis, German-Indian technologist and journalist (b. 1962)
    • 2013 – Józef Czyrek, Polish economist and politician, Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1928)
    • 2013 – Frank Lautenberg, American soldier and politician (b. 1924)
    • 2014 – Svyatoslav Belza, Russian journalist, author, and critic (b. 1942)
    • 2014 – Gopinath Munde, Indian politician, 3rd Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra (b. 1949)
    • 2015 – Avi Beker, Israeli political scientist and academic (b. 1951)
    • 2016 – Muhammad Ali, American boxer (b. 1942)

    Holidays and observances on June 3

    • Christian feast day:
      • Charles Lwanga and Companions (Roman Catholic Church), and its related observances:
        • Martyrs’ Day (Uganda)
      • Clotilde
      • Kevin of Glendalough
      • Ovidius
      • Vladimirskaya (Russian Orthodox)
      • June 3 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Confederate Memorial Day (Kentucky, Louisiana, and Tennessee, United States)
    • Economist day (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
    • Mabo Day (Australia)
    • Opium Suppression Movement Day (Taiwan)
    • World Bicycle Day

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

    • 919 – The nobles of Franconia and Saxony elect Henry the Fowler at the Imperial Diet in Fritzlar as king of the East Frankish Kingdom.
    • 1218 – The Fifth Crusade leaves Acre for Egypt.
    • 1276 – Magnus Ladulås is crowned King of Sweden in Uppsala Cathedral.
    • 1487 – The ten-year-old Lambert Simnel is crowned in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, Ireland, with the name of Edward VI in a bid to threaten King Henry VII’s reign.
    • 1567 – Erik XIV of Sweden and his guards murder five incarcerated Swedish nobles.
    • 1595 – Nomenclator of Leiden University Library appears, the first printed catalog of an institutional library.
    • 1607 – One hundred English settlers disembark in Jamestown, the first permanent English colony in America.
    • 1621 – The Protestant Union is formally dissolved.
    • 1626 – Peter Minuit buys Manhattan.
    • 1667 – The French Royal Army crosses the border into the Spanish Netherlands, starting the War of Devolution opposing France to the Spanish Empire and the Triple Alliance.
    • 1683 – The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, England, opens as the world’s first university museum.
    • 1689 – The English Parliament passes the Act of Toleration protecting dissenting Protestants but excluding Roman Catholics.
    • 1738 – John Wesley is converted, essentially launching the Methodist movement; the day is celebrated annually by Methodists as Aldersgate Day and a church service is generally held on the preceding Sunday.
    • 1798 – The Irish Rebellion of 1798 led by the United Irishmen against British rule begins.
    • 1813 – South American independence leader Simón Bolívar enters Mérida, leading the invasion of Venezuela, and is proclaimed El Libertador (“The Liberator”).
    • 1822 – Battle of Pichincha: Antonio José de Sucre secures the independence of the Presidency of Quito.
    • 1832 – The First Kingdom of Greece is declared in the London Conference.
    • 1844 – Samuel Morse sends the message “What hath God wrought” (a biblical quotation, Numbers 23:23) from a committee room in the United States Capitol to his assistant, Alfred Vail, in Baltimore, Maryland, to inaugurate a commercial telegraph line between Baltimore and Washington D.C.
    • 1856 – John Brown and his men kill five slavery supporters at Pottawatomie Creek, Kansas.
    • 1861 – American Civil War: Union troops occupy Alexandria, Virginia.
    • 1883 – The Brooklyn Bridge in New York City is opened to traffic after 14 years of construction.
    • 1900 – Second Boer War: The United Kingdom annexes the Orange Free State.
    • 1915 – World War I: Italy declares war on Austria-Hungary, joining the conflict on the side of the Allies.
    • 1930 – Amy Johnson lands in Darwin, Northern Territory, becoming the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia (she left on May 5 for the 11,000 mile flight).
    • 1935 – The first night game in Major League Baseball history is played in Cincinnati, Ohio, with the Cincinnati Reds beating the Philadelphia Phillies 2–1 at Crosley Field.
    • 1940 – Igor Sikorsky performs the first successful single-rotor helicopter flight.
    • 1940 – Acting on the orders of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, NKVD agent Iosif Grigulevich orchestrates an unsuccessful assassination attempt on exiled Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky in Coyoacán, Mexico.
    • 1941 – World War II: In the Battle of the Atlantic, the German Battleship Bismarck sinks then-pride of the Royal Navy, HMS Hood, killing all but three crewmen.
    • 1948 – Arab–Israeli War: Egypt captures the Israeli kibbutz of Yad Mordechai, but the five-day effort gives Israeli forces time to prepare enough to stop the Egyptian advance a week later.
    • 1956 – The first Eurovision Song Contest is held in Lugano, Switzerland.
    • 1958 – United Press International is formed through a merger of the United Press and the International News Service.
    • 1960 – Following the 1960 Valdivia earthquake, the largest ever recorded earthquake, Cordón Caulle begins to erupt.
    • 1961 – American civil rights movement: Freedom Riders are arrested in Jackson, Mississippi, for “disturbing the peace” after disembarking from their bus.
    • 1962 – Project Mercury: American astronaut Scott Carpenter orbits the Earth three times in the Aurora 7 space capsule.
    • 1967 – Egypt imposes a blockade and siege of the Red Sea coast of Israel.
    • 1976 – The Judgment of Paris takes place in France, launching California as a worldwide force in the production of quality wine.
    • 1981 – Ecuadorian president Jaime Roldós Aguilera, his wife, and his presidential committee die in an aircraft accident while travelling from Quito to Zapotillo minutes after the president gave a famous speech regarding the 24 de mayo anniversary of the Battle of Pichincha.
    • 1982 – Liberation of Khorramshahr: Iranians recapture of the port city of Khorramshahr from the Iraqis during the Iran–Iraq War.
    • 1988 – Section 28 of the United Kingdom’s Local Government Act 1988, a controversial amendment stating that a local authority cannot intentionally promote homosexuality, is enacted.
    • 1991 – Israel conducts Operation Solomon, evacuating Ethiopian Jews to Israel.
    • 1992 – The last Thai dictator, General Suchinda Kraprayoon, resigns following pro-democracy protests.
    • 1992 – The ethnic cleansing in Kozarac, Bosnia and Herzegovina begins when Serbian militia and police forces enter the town.
    • 1993 – Eritrea gains its independence from Ethiopia.
    • 1993 – Roman Catholic Cardinal Juan Jesús Posadas Ocampo and five other people are assassinated in a shootout at Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla Guadalajara International Airport in Mexico.
    • 1994 – Four men convicted of bombing the World Trade Center in New York in 1993 are each sentenced to 240 years in prison.
    • 1995 – While attempting to return to Leeds Bradford Airport in the United Kingdom, Knight Air Flight 816 crashes in Harewood, North Yorkshire, killing all 12 people on board.
    • 1999 – The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague, Netherlands indicts Slobodan Milošević and four others for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Kosovo.
    • 2000 – Israeli troops withdraw from southern Lebanon after 22 years of occupation.
    • 2002 – Russia and the United States sign the Moscow Treaty.
    • 2014 – A 6.4 magnitude earthquake occurs in the Aegean Sea between Greece and Turkey, injuring 324 people.
    • 2014 – At least three people are killed in a shooting at Brussels’ Jewish Museum of Belgium.
    • 2019 – Twenty-two students die in a fire in Surat (India).
    • 2019 – Under pressure over her handling of Brexit, British Prime Minister Theresa May announces her resignation as Leader of the Conservative Party, effective as of June 7.

    Births on May 24

    • 15 BC – Germanicus, Roman general (d. 19)
    • 1335 – Margaret of Bohemia, Queen of Hungary (d. 1349)
    • 1494 – Pontormo, Italian painter (d. 1557)
    • 1522 – John Jewel, English bishop (d. 1571)
    • 1544 – William Gilbert, English physician, physicist, and astronomer (d. 1603)
    • 1576 – Elizabeth Carey, Lady Berkeley, English courtier (d. 1635)
    • 1616 – John Maitland, 1st Duke of Lauderdale, Scottish politician, Secretary of State, Scotland (d. 1682)
    • 1628 – Marek Sobieski, Polish noble (d. 1652)
    • 1669 – Emerentia von Düben, Swedish royal favorite (d. 1743)
    • 1671 – Gian Gastone de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (d. 1737)
    • 1686 – Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit, Polish-German physicist and engineer, developed the Fahrenheit scale (d. 1736)
    • 1689 – Daniel Finch, 8th Earl of Winchilsea, English politician, Lord President of the Council (d. 1769)
    • 1743 – Jean-Paul Marat, Swiss-French physician, journalist, and politician (d. 1793)
    • 1789 – Cathinka Buchwieser, German operatic singer and actress (d.1828)
    • 1794 – William Whewell, English priest and philosopher (d. 1866)
    • 1803 – Alexander von Nordmann, Finnish biologist and paleontologist (d. 1866)
    • 1810 – Abraham Geiger, German rabbi and scholar (d. 1874)
    • 1816 – Emanuel Leutze, German-American painter (d. 1868)
    • 1819 – Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom (d. 1901)
    • 1830 – Alexei Savrasov, Russian painter and academic (d. 1897)
    • 1855 – Arthur Wing Pinero, English actor, director, and playwright (d. 1934)
    • 1861 – Gerald Strickland, 1st Baron Strickland, Maltese lawyer and politician, 4th Prime Minister of Malta (d. 1940)
    • 1863 – George Grey Barnard, American sculptor (d. 1938)
    • 1868 – Charlie Taylor, American engineer and mechanic (d. 1956)
    • 1870 – Benjamin N. Cardozo, American lawyer and judge (d. 1938)
    • 1870 – Jan Smuts, South African lawyer and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of South Africa (d. 1950)
    • 1874 – Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine (d. 1878)
    • 1875 – Robert Garrett, American discus thrower and shot putter (d. 1961)
    • 1878 – Lillian Moller Gilbreth, American psychologist and engineer (d. 1972)
    • 1879 – H. B. Reese, American candy maker, created Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (d. 1956)
    • 1886 – Paul Paray, French organist, composer, and conductor (d. 1979)
    • 1887 – Mick Mannock, Irish soldier and pilot, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 1918)
    • 1891 – William F. Albright, American archaeologist, philologist, and scholar (d. 1971)
    • 1895 – Samuel Irving Newhouse Sr., American publisher, founded Advance Publications (d. 1979)
    • 1899 – Suzanne Lenglen, French tennis player (d. 1938)
    • 1899 – Henri Michaux, Belgian-French poet and painter (d. 1984)
    • 1900 – Eduardo De Filippo, Italian actor and screenwriter (d. 1984)
    • 1901 – José Nasazzi, Uruguayan footballer and manager (d. 1968)
    • 1902 – Lionel Conacher, Canadian football player and politician (d. 1954)
    • 1902 – Sylvia Daoust, Canadian sculptor (d. 2004)
    • 1905 – George Nakashima, American woodworker and architect(d. 1990)
    • 1905 – Mikhail Sholokhov, Russian novelist and short story writer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1984)
    • 1909 – Wilbur Mills, American banker and politician (d. 1992)
    • 1910 – Jimmy Demaret, American golfer (d. 1983)
    • 1913 – Joe Abreu, American baseball player and soldier (d. 1993)
    • 1914 – Lilli Palmer, German-American actress (d. 1986)
    • 1916 – Roden Cutler, Australian lieutenant and politician, 32nd Governor of New South Wales (d. 2002)
    • 1917 – Alan Campbell, Baron Campbell of Alloway, English lawyer and judge (d. 2013)
    • 1918 – Coleman Young, American politician, 66th Mayor of Detroit (d. 1997)
    • 1923 – Siobhán McKenna, Irish actress (d. 1986)
    • 1924 – Philip Pearlstein, American soldier and painter
    • 1925 – Carmine Infantino, American illustrator and educator (d. 2013)
    • 1925 – Mai Zetterling, Swedish actress and director (d. 1994)
    • 1926 – Stanley Baxter, Scottish actor and screenwriter
    • 1928 – William Trevor, Irish novelist, playwright and short story writer (d. 2016)
    • 1932 – Arnold Wesker, English playwright and producer (d. 2016)
    • 1933 – Jane Byrne, American lawyer and politician, 50th Mayor of Chicago (d. 2014)
    • 1933 – Réal Giguère, Canadian television host and actor
    • 1933 – Aharon Lichtenstein, French-Israeli rabbi and author (d. 2015)
    • 1935 – Joan Micklin Silver, American director and screenwriter
    • 1936 – Harold Budd, American composer and poet
    • 1937 – Maryvonne Dupureur, French runner and educator (d. 2008)
    • 1937 – Archie Shepp, American saxophonist and composer
    • 1938 – Prince Buster, Jamaican singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2016)
    • 1938 – Tommy Chong, Canadian-American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1940 – Joseph Brodsky, Russian-American poet and essayist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1996)
    • 1941 – Bob Dylan, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, artist, writer, and producer; Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1941 – Patricia Hollis, Baroness Hollis of Heigham, English academic and politician
    • 1942 – Ali Bacher, South African cricketer and manager
    • 1942 – Hannu Mikkola, Finnish race car driver
    • 1942 – Ichirō Ozawa, Japanese lawyer and politician, Japanese Minister of Home Affairs
    • 1943 – Gary Burghoff, American actor
    • 1944 – Patti LaBelle, American singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1944 – Dominique Lavanant, French actress
    • 1945 – Terry Callier, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2012)
    • 1945 – Steven Norris, English engineer and politician
    • 1945 – Richard Ottaway, English lieutenant and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
    • 1945 – Priscilla Presley, American actress and businesswoman
    • 1946 – Tansu Çiller, Turkish economist and politician, 22nd Prime Minister of Turkey
    • 1946 – Jesualdo Ferreira, Portuguese footballer and manager
    • 1946 – Irena Szewińska, Russian-Polish sprinter
    • 1947 – Albert Bouchard, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and drummer
    • 1947 – Mike De Leon, Filipino director, producer, screenwriter and cinematographer
    • 1947 – Mike Reid, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and American football player
    • 1947 – Waddy Wachtel, American guitarist, singer-songwriter, and record producer
    • 1947 – Martin Winterkorn, German businessman
    • 1948 – Richard Dembo, French director and screenwriter (d. 2004)
    • 1949 – Jim Broadbent, English actor
    • 1949 – Roger Deakins , English cinematographer
    • 1953 – Alfred Molina, English actor
    • 1955 – Rosanne Cash, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1955 – Philippe Lafontaine, Belgian singer and songwriter
    • 1955 – Rajesh Roshan, Indian composer
    • 1956 – R. B. Bernstein, American constitutional historian
    • 1956 – Larry Blackmon, American singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1956 – Dominic Grieve, English lawyer and politician, Attorney General for England and Wales
    • 1956 – Michael Jackson, Irish archbishop
    • 1958 – Chip Ganassi, American race car driver, team owner and businessman
    • 1959 – Pelle Lindbergh, Swedish-American ice hockey player (d. 1985)
    • 1959 – Barry O’Farrell, Australian politician, 43rd Premier of New South Wales
    • 1960 – Guy Fletcher, English keyboard player, guitarist, and producer
    • 1960 – Bill Harrigan, Australian rugby league referee and sportscaster
    • 1960 – Kristin Scott Thomas, English actress
    • 1961 – Lorella Cedroni, Italian philosopher and theorist (d. 2013)
    • 1961 – Alain Lemieux, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach
    • 1962 – Héctor Camacho, Puerto Rican-American boxer (d. 2012)
    • 1962 – Gene Anthony Ray, American actor, dancer, and choreographer (d. 2003)
    • 1963 – Ivan Capelli, Italian race car driver and sportscaster
    • 1963 – Michael Chabon, American novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter
    • 1963 – Joe Dumars, American basketball player
    • 1963 – Rich Rodriguez, American football player and coach
    • 1963 – Valerie Taylor, American computer scientist and educator
    • 1964 – Liz McColgan, Scottish educator and runner
    • 1964 – Adrian Moorhouse, English swimmer
    • 1964 – Isidro Pérez, Mexican boxer (d. 2013)
    • 1964 – Pat Verbeek, Canadian ice hockey player and manager
    • 1965 – John C. Reilly, American actor
    • 1965 – Shinichirō Watanabe, Japanese director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1966 – Éric Cantona, French footballer, manager, and actor
    • 1966 – Ricky Craven, American race car driver and sportscaster
    • 1967 – Tamer Karadağlı, Turkish actor
    • 1967 – Andrey Borodin, Russian-English economist and businessman
    • 1967 – Eric Close, American actor
    • 1967 – Heavy D, Jamaican-American rapper, producer, and actor (d. 2011)
    • 1967 – Carlos Hernández, Venezuelan-American baseball player and manager
    • 1969 – Martin McCague, Northern Irish-English cricketer
    • 1969 – Jacob Rees-Mogg, English politician
    • 1969 – Rich Robinson, American guitarist and songwriter
    • 1971 – Kris Draper, Canadian ice hockey player and manager
    • 1972 – Greg Berlanti, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1973 – Rodrigo, Argentinian singer-songwriter (d. 2000)
    • 1973 – Bartolo Colón, Dominican-American baseball player
    • 1973 – Shirish Kunder, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1973 – Vladimír Šmicer, Czech footballer and manager
    • 1974 – Sébastien Foucan, French runner and actor
    • 1974 – Masahide Kobayashi, Japanese baseball player and coach
    • 1974 – Magnus Manske, German biochemist and computer programmer, developed MediaWiki
    • 1975 – Will Sasso, Canadian actor and comedian
    • 1975 – Marc Gagnon, Canadian speed skater
    • 1975 – Giannis Goumas, Greek footballer and coach
    • 1975 – Maria Lawson, English singer-songwriter
    • 1976 – Alessandro Cortini, Italian-American singer and keyboard player
    • 1976 – Catherine Cox, New Zealand-Australian netball player
    • 1976 – Silje Vige, Norwegian singer
    • 1977 – Jeet Gannguli, Indian score composer, music director and singer
    • 1978 – Elijah Burke, American wrestler
    • 1978 – Johan Holmqvist, Swedish ice hockey player
    • 1978 – Brad Penny, American baseball player
    • 1978 – Rose, French singer, songwriter and composer
    • 1979 – Tracy McGrady, American basketball player
    • 1979 – Kareem McKenzie, American football player
    • 1980 – Jason Babin, American football player
    • 1980 – Anthony Minichiello, Australian rugby league player
    • 1981 – Andy Lee, Australian comedian, actor, and screenwriter
    • 1982 – Issah Gabriel Ahmed, Ghanaian footballer
    • 1982 – Rian Wallace, American football player
    • 1983 – Custódio Castro, Portuguese footballer
    • 1983 – Pedram Javaheri, Iranian-American meteorologist and journalist
    • 1983 – Woo Seung-yeon, South Korean model and actress (d. 2009)
    • 1984 – Sarah Hagan, American actress
    • 1984 – Dmitri Kruglov, Estonian footballer
    • 1985 – Tim Bridgman, English race car driver
    • 1986 – Mark Ballas, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, dancer, and actor
    • 1986 – Giannis Kontoes, Greek footballer
    • 1987 – Guillaume Latendresse, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1988 – Artem Anisimov, Russian ice hockey player
    • 1988 – Monica Lin Brown, American sergeant
    • 1988 – Billy Gilman, American musician
    • 1988 – Lucian Wintrich, American political artist and White House correspondent
    • 1989 – G-Eazy, American rapper
    • 1989 – Andrew Jordan, English race car driver
    • 1990 – Mattias Ekholm, Swedish ice hockey player
    • 1991 – Aled Davies, Welsh discus thrower
    • 1991 – Cody Eakin, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1992 – Marcus Bettinelli, English footballer, goalkeeper
    • 1994 – Daiya Seto, Japanese swimmer
    • 1994 – Emily Nicholl, Scottish netball player
    • 1994 – Daiya Seto, Japanese swimmer
    • 1994 – Emily Temple Wood, American 2016 Wikipedian of the Year award
    • 1999 – Tarjei Sandvik Moe, Norwegian actor

    Deaths on May 24

    • 688 – Ségéne, bishop of Armagh (b. c. 610)
    • 1089 – Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury
    • 1136 – Hugues de Payens, first Grand Master of the Knights Templar (b. c. 1070)
    • 1153 – David I of Scotland (b. 1083)
    • 1201 – Theobald III, Count of Champagne (b. 1179)
    • 1351 – Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Othman, Moroccan sultan (b. 1297)
    • 1408 – Taejo of Joseon (b. 1335)
    • 1425 – Murdoch Stewart, 2nd Duke of Albany, Scottish politician (b. 1362)
    • 1456 – Ambroise de Loré, French commander (b. 1396)
    • 1543 – Nicolaus Copernicus, Polish mathematician and astronomer (b. 1473)
    • 1612 – Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, English politician, Lord High Treasurer (b. 1563)
    • 1627 – Luis de Góngora, Spanish poet and cleric (b. 1561)
    • 1632 – Robert Hues, English mathematician and geographer (b. 1553)
    • 1665 – Mary of Jesus of Ágreda, Spanish Franciscan abbess and mystic (b. 1602)
    • 1734 – Georg Ernst Stahl, German physician and chemist (b. 1660)
    • 1792 – George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney, English admiral and politician, 16th Governor of Newfoundland (b. 1718)
    • 1806 – John Campbell, 5th Duke of Argyll, Scottish field marshal and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Argyllshire (b. 1723)
    • 1843 – Sylvestre François Lacroix, French mathematician and academic (b. 1765)
    • 1848 – Annette von Droste-Hülshoff, German author and composer (b. 1797)
    • 1861 – Elmer E. Ellsworth, American colonel (b. 1837)
    • 1872 – Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, German painter and illustrator (b. 1794)
    • 1879 – William Lloyd Garrison, American journalist and activist (b. 1805)
    • 1881 – Samuel Palmer, English painter and illustrator (b. 1805)
    • 1901 – Louis-Zéphirin Moreau, Canadian bishop (b. 1824)
    • 1908 – Old Tom Morris, Scottish golfer and architect (b. 1821)
    • 1915 – John Condon, Irish-English soldier (b. 1896)
    • 1919 – Amado Nervo, Mexican poet, journalist, and educator (b. 1870)
    • 1929 – Nikolai von Meck, Russian engineer (b. 1863)
    • 1941 – Lancelot Holland, English admiral (b. 1887)
    • 1945 – Robert Ritter von Greim, German field marshal and pilot (b. 1892)
    • 1948 – Jacques Feyder, Belgian actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1885)
    • 1949 – Alexey Shchusev, Russian architect, designed Lenin’s Mausoleum and Moscow Kazanskaya railway station (b. 1873)
    • 1950 – Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell, English field marshal and politician, 43rd Governor-General of India (b. 1883)
    • 1951 – Thomas N. Heffron, American actor, director, screenwriter (b. 1872)
    • 1956 – Martha Annie Whiteley, English chemist and mathematician (b. 1866)
    • 1958 – Frank Rowe, Australian public servant (b. 1895)
    • 1959 – John Foster Dulles, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 52nd United States Secretary of State (b. 1888)
    • 1963 – Elmore James, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1918)
    • 1965 – Sonny Boy Williamson II, American singer-songwriter and harmonica player (b. 1908)
    • 1974 – Duke Ellington, American pianist and composer (b. 1899)
    • 1976 – Denise Pelletier, Canadian actress (b. 1923)
    • 1979 – Ernest Bullock, English organist, composer, and educator (b. 1890)
    • 1981 – Herbert Müller, Swiss race car driver (b. 1940)
    • 1984 – Vince McMahon Sr., American wrestling promoter and businessman, founded WWE (b. 1914)
    • 1988 – Freddie Frith, English motorcycle road racer (b. 1909)
    • 1990 – Arthur Villeneuve, Canadian painter (b. 1910)
    • 1991 – Gene Clark, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1944)
    • 1992 – Hitoshi Ogawa, Japanese race car driver (b. 1956)
    • 1995 – Harold Wilson, English academic and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1916)
    • 1996 – Enrique Álvarez Félix, Mexican actor (b. 1934)
    • 1996 – Joseph Mitchell, American journalist and author (b. 1908)
    • 1997 – Edward Mulhare, Irish actor (b. 1923)
    • 2000 – Kurt Schork, American journalist and scholar (b. 1947)
    • 2000 – Majrooh Sultanpuri, Indian poet and songwriter (b. 1919)
    • 2002 – Wallace Markfield, American author (b. 1926)
    • 2003 – Rachel Kempson, English actress (b. 1910)
    • 2004 – Henry Ries, German-American photographer (b. 1917)
    • 2004 – Milton Shulman, Canadian author and critic (b. 1913)
    • 2004 – Edward Wagenknecht, American critic and educator (b. 1900)
    • 2005 – Carl Amery, German activist and author (b. 1922)
    • 2005 – Arthur Haulot, Belgian journalist and poet (b. 1913)
    • 2005 – Guy Tardif, Canadian academic and politician (b. 1935)
    • 2006 – Henry Bumstead, American art director and production designer (b. 1915)
    • 2006 – Claude Piéplu, French actor (b. 1923)
    • 2006 – Michał Życzkowski, Polish technician and educator (b. 1930)
    • 2008 – Dick Martin, American actor, comedian, and director (b. 1922)
    • 2008 – Jimmy McGriff, American organist and bandleader (b. 1936)
    • 2009 – Jay Bennett, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1963)
    • 2010 – Ray Alan, English ventriloquist, actor, and screenwriter (b. 1930)
    • 2010 – Paul Gray, American bass player and songwriter (b. 1972)
    • 2010 – Raymond V. Haysbert, American businessman and activist (b. 1920)
    • 2010 – Petr Muk, Czech singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1965)
    • 2010 – Anneliese Rothenberger, German soprano and actress (b. 1926)
    • 2011 – Huguette Clark, American heiress, painter, and philanthropist (b. 1906)
    • 2011 – Hakim Ali Zardari, Indian-Pakistani businessman and politician (b. 1930)
    • 2012 – Klaas Carel Faber, Dutch-German SS officer (b. 1922)
    • 2012 – Kathi Kamen Goldmark, American journalist and author (b. 1948)
    • 2012 – Jacqueline Harpman, Belgian psychoanalyst and author (b. 1929)
    • 2012 – Juan Francisco Lombardo, Argentinian footballer (b. 1925)
    • 2012 – Lee Rich, American production manager and producer (b. 1918)
    • 2013 – Helmut Braunlich, German-American violinist and composer (b. 1929)
    • 2013 – Ron Davies, Welsh footballer (b. 1942)
    • 2013 – Gotthard Graubner, German painter (b. 1930)
    • 2013 – Haynes Johnson, American journalist and author (b. 1931)
    • 2013 – Pyotr Todorovsky, Ukrainian-Russian director and screenwriter (b. 1925)
    • 2014 – David Allen, English cricketer (b. 1935)
    • 2014 – Stormé DeLarverie, known as the “Rosa Parks of the lesbian community” (b. 1920)
    • 2014 – Mahafarid Amir Khosravi, Iranian businessman (b. 1969)
    • 2014 – Knowlton Nash, Canadian journalist and author (b. 1927)
    • 2014 – John Vasconcellos, American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician (b. 1932)
    • 2015 – Dean Carroll, English rugby player (b. 1962)
    • 2015 – Kenneth Jacobs, Australian lawyer and judge (b. 1917)
    • 2015 – Tanith Lee, English author (b. 1947)
    • 2018 – Gudrun Burwitz, daughter of Margarete Himmler and Heinrich Himmler (b. 1929)
    • 2018 – John Bain (TotalBiscuit), English gaming commentator and critic (b. 1984)

    Holidays and observances on May 24

    • Aldersgate Day/Wesley Day (Methodism)
    • Battle of Pichincha Day (Ecuador)
    • Bermuda Day (Bermuda), celebrated on the nearest weekday if May 24 falls on the weekend.
    • Christian feast day:
      • Anna Pak Agi (one of The Korean Martyrs)
      • Donatian and Rogatian
      • Jackson Kemper (Episcopal Church)
      • Joanna
      • Mary, Help of Christians
      • Sarah (celebrated by the Romani people of Camargue)
      • Vincent of Lérins
      • May 24 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Commonwealth Day (Belize)
    • Earliest day on which El Colacho tradition can fall, while June 27 is the latest; celebrated on Sunday after Corpus Christi. (Castrillo de Murcia, near Burgos)
    • Independence Day (Eritrea), celebrates the independence of Eritrea from Ethiopia in 1993.
    • Lubiri Memorial Day (Buganda)
    • Saints Cyril and Methodius Day (Eastern Orthodox Church, Julian Calendar) and its related observance:
      • Bulgarian Education and Culture and Slavonic Literature Day (Bulgaria)
      • Saints Cyril and Methodius, Slavonic Enlighteners’ Day (North Macedonia)
    • Victoria Day; celebrated on Monday on or before May 24. (Canada), and its related observance:
      • National Patriots’ Day or Journée nationale des patriotes (Quebec)

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

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

    Births on May 22

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

    Deaths on May 22

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

    Holidays and observances on May 22

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

  • May 14 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 1097 – The Siege of Nicaea begins during the First Crusade.
    • 1264 – Battle of Lewes: Henry III of England is captured and forced to sign the Mise of Lewes, making Simon de Montfort the effective ruler of England.
    • 1509 – Battle of Agnadello: In northern Italy, French forces defeat the Republic of Venice.
    • 1607 – Jamestown, Virginia is settled as an English colony.
    • 1608 – The Protestant Union, a coalition of Protestant German states, is founded to defend the rights, land and safety of each member against the Catholic Church and Catholic German states.
    • 1610 – Henry IV of France is assassinated by Catholic zealot François Ravaillac, and Louis XIII ascends the throne.
    • 1643 – Four-year-old Louis XIV becomes King of France upon the death of his father, Louis XIII.
    • 1747 – War of the Austrian Succession: A British fleet under Admiral George Anson defeats the French at the First Battle of Cape Finisterre.
    • 1796 – Edward Jenner administers the first smallpox inoculation.
    • 1800 – The 6th United States Congress recesses, and the process of moving the U.S. Government from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C., begins the following day.
    • 1804 – William Clark and 42 men depart from Camp Dubois to join Meriwether Lewis at St. Charles, Missouri, marking the beginning of the Lewis and Clark Expedition‘s historic journey up the Missouri River.
    • 1811 – Paraguay: Pedro Juan Caballero, Fulgencio Yegros and José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia start actions to depose the Spanish governor.
    • 1836 – The Treaties of Velasco are signed in Velasco, Texas.
    • 1863 – American Civil War: The Battle of Jackson takes place.
    • 1868 – Boshin War: The Battle of Utsunomiya Castle ends as former Tokugawa shogunate forces withdraw northward.
    • 1870 – The first game of rugby in New Zealand is played in Nelson between Nelson College and the Nelson Rugby Football Club.
    • 1878 – The last witchcraft trial held in the United States begins in Salem, Massachusetts, after Lucretia Brown, an adherent of Christian Science, accused Daniel Spofford of attempting to harm her through his mental powers.
    • 1879 – The first group of 463 Indian indentured laborers arrives in Fiji aboard the Leonidas.
    • 1913 – Governor of New York William Sulzer approves the charter for the Rockefeller Foundation, which begins operations with a $100 million donation from John D. Rockefeller.
    • 1918 – Cape Town Mayor, Sir Harry Hands, inaugurates the Two-minute silence.
    • 1925 – Virginia Woolf’s novel Mrs Dalloway is published.
    • 1931 – Five unarmed civilians are killed in the Ådalen shootings, as the Swedish military is called in to deal with protesting workers.
    • 1935 – The Constitution of the Philippines is ratified by a popular vote.
    • 1939 – Lina Medina becomes the youngest confirmed mother in medical history at the age of five.
    • 1940 – World War II: Rotterdam, Netherlands is bombed by the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany despite a ceasefire, killing about 900 people and destroying the historic city center.
    • 1943 – World War II: A Japanese submarine sinks AHS Centaur off the coast of Queensland.
    • 1948 – Israel is declared to be an independent state and a provisional government is established. Immediately after the declaration, Israel is attacked by the neighboring Arab states, triggering the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.
    • 1951 – Trains run on the Talyllyn Railway in Wales for the first time since preservation, making it the first railway in the world to be operated by volunteers.
    • 1955 – Cold War: Eight Communist bloc countries, including the Soviet Union, sign a mutual defense treaty called the Warsaw Pact.
    • 1961 – Civil rights movement: A white mob twice attacks a Freedom Riders bus near Anniston, Alabama, before fire-bombing the bus and attacking the civil rights protesters who flee the burning vehicle.
    • 1970 – Andreas Baader is freed from custody by Ulrike Meinhof, Gudrun Ensslin and others, a pivotal moment in the formation of the Red Army Faction.
    • 1973 – Skylab, the United States’ first space station, is launched.
    • 1977 – A Dan-Air Boeing 707 leased to IAS Cargo Airlines crashes on approach to Lusaka International Airport (now Kenneth Kaunda International Airport) in Lusaka, Zambia, killing six people.
    • 1980 – Salvadoran Civil War: the Sumpul River massacre occurs in Chalatenango, El Salvador.
    • 1988 – Carrollton bus collision: A drunk driver traveling the wrong way on Interstate 71 near Carrollton, Kentucky hits a converted school bus carrying a church youth group. Twenty-seven die in the crash and ensuing fire.
    • 2004 – The Constitutional Court of South Korea overturns the impeachment of President Roh Moo-hyun.
    • 2004 – Rico Linhas Aéreas Flight 4815 crashes into the Amazon rainforest during approach to Eduardo Gomes International Airport in Manaus, Brazil, killing 33 people.
    • 2010 – Space Shuttle Atlantis launches on the STS-132 mission to deliver the first shuttle-launched Russian ISS component — Rassvet. This was originally slated to be the final launch of Atlantis, before Congress approved STS-135.
    • 2012 – Agni Air Flight CHT crashes in Nepal after a failed go-around, killing 15 people.

    Births on May 14

    • 1316 – Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1378)
    • 1553 – Margaret of Valois (d. 1615)
    • 1574 – Francesco Rasi, Italian singer-songwriter, theorbo player, and poet (d. 1621)
    • 1592 – Alice Barnham, wife of statesman Francis Bacon (d. 1650)
    • 1630 – Katakura Kagenaga, Japanese samurai (d. 1681)
    • 1652 – Johann Philipp Förtsch, German composer (d. 1732)
    • 1657 – Sambhaji, Indian emperor (d. 1689)
    • 1666 – Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia (d. 1732)
    • 1679 – Peder Horrebow, Danish astronomer and mathematician (d. 1764)
    • 1699 – Hans Joachim von Zieten, Prussian general (d. 1786)
    • 1701 – William Emerson, English mathematician and academic (d. 1782)
    • 1710 – Adolf Frederick, King of Sweden (d. 1771)
    • 1725 – Ludovico Manin, the last Doge of Venice (d. 1802)
    • 1727 – Thomas Gainsborough, English painter (d. 1788)
    • 1737 – George Macartney, 1st Earl Macartney, Irish-English politician and diplomat, Governor of Grenada (d. 1806)
    • 1752 – Timothy Dwight IV, American minister, theologian, and academic (d. 1817)
    • 1752 – Albrecht Thaer, German agronomist and author (d. 1828)
    • 1761 – Samuel Dexter, American lawyer and politician, 4th United States Secretary of War, 3rd United States Secretary of the Treasury (d. 1816)
    • 1771 – Robert Owen, Welsh businessman and social reformer (d. 1858)
    • 1771 – Thomas Wedgwood, English photographer (d. 1805)
    • 1781 – Friedrich Ludwig Georg von Raumer, German historian and academic (d. 1873)
    • 1794 – Fanny Imlay, daughter of British feminist Mary Wollstonecraft (d. 1816)
    • 1814 – Charles Beyer, German-English engineer, co-founded Beyer, Peacock and Company (d. 1876)
    • 1817 – Alexander Kaufmann, German poet and educator (d. 1893)
    • 1820 – James Martin, Irish-Australian politician, 6th Premier of New South Wales (d. 1886)
    • 1830 – Antonio Annetto Caruana, Maltese archaeologist and author (d. 1905)
    • 1832 – Rudolf Lipschitz, German mathematician and academic (d. 1903)
    • 1851 – Anna Laurens Dawes, American author and suffragist (d. 1938)
    • 1852 – Henri Julien, Canadian illustrator (d. 1908)
    • 1863 – John Charles Fields, Canadian mathematician, founder of the Fields Medal (d. 1932)
    • 1867 – Kurt Eisner, German journalist and politician, Prime Minister of Bavaria (d. 1919)
    • 1868 – Magnus Hirschfeld, German physician and sexologist (d. 1935)
    • 1869 – Arthur Rostron, English captain (d. 1940)
    • 1872 – Elia Dalla Costa, Italian cardinal (d. 1961)
    • 1878 – J. L. Wilkinson, American baseball player and manager (d. 1964)
    • 1879 – Fred Englehardt, American jumper (d. 1942)
    • 1880 – Wilhelm List, German field marshal (d. 1971)
    • 1881 – Lionel Hill, Australian politician, 30th Premier of South Australia (d. 1963)
    • 1881 – George Murray Hulbert, American judge and politician (d. 1950)
    • 1885 – Otto Klemperer, German composer and conductor (d. 1973)
    • 1887 – Ants Kurvits, Estonian general and politician, 10th Estonian Minister of War (d. 1943)
    • 1888 – Archie Alexander, American mathematician and engineer (d. 1958)
    • 1893 – Louis Verneuil, French actor and playwright (d. 1952)
    • 1897 – Sidney Bechet, American saxophonist, clarinet player, and composer (d. 1959)
    • 1897 – Ed Ricketts, American biologist and ecologist (d. 1948)
    • 1899 – Charlotte Auerbach, German-Jewish Scottish folklorist, geneticist, and zoologist. (d.1994)
    • 1899 – Pierre Victor Auger, French physicist and academic (d. 1993)
    • 1899 – Earle Combs, American baseball player and coach (d. 1976)
    • 1900 – Hal Borland, American journalist and author (d. 1978)
    • 1900 – Walter Rehberg, Swiss pianist and composer (d. 1957)
    • 1900 – Cai Chang, Chinese first leader of All-China Women’s Federation (d. 1990)
    • 1900 – Leo Smit, Dutch pianist and composer (d. 1943)
    • 1900 – Edgar Wind, German-English historian, author, and academic (d. 1971)
    • 1901 – Robert Ritter, German psychologist and physician (d. 1951)
    • 1903 – Billie Dove, American actress (d. 1997)
    • 1904 – Hans Albert Einstein, Swiss-American engineer and educator (d. 1973)
    • 1904 – Marcel Junod, Swiss physician and anesthesiologist (d. 1961)
    • 1905 – Jean Daniélou, French cardinal and theologian (d. 1974)
    • 1905 – Herbert Morrison, American soldier and journalist (d. 1989)
    • 1905 – Antonio Berni, Argentinian painter, illustrator, and engraver (d. 1981)
    • 1907 – Ayub Khan, Pakistani general and politician, 2nd President of Pakistan (d. 1974)
    • 1907 – Hans von der Groeben, German journalist and diplomat (d. 2005)
    • 1908 – Betty Jeffrey, Australian nurse and author (d. 2000)
    • 1909 – Godfrey Rampling, English sprinter and colonel (d. 2009)
    • 1910 – Ken Viljoen, South African cricketer (d. 1974)
    • 1910 – Ne Win, Prime Minister and President of Burma (d. 2002)
    • 1914 – Gul Khan Nasir, Pakistani journalist, poet, and politician (d. 1983)
    • 1914 – William Thomas Tutte, British codebreaker and mathematician (d. 2002)
    • 1916 – Robert F. Christy, Canadian-American physicist and astronomer (d. 2012)
    • 1916 – Lance Dossor, English-Australian pianist and educator (d. 2005)
    • 1916 – Marco Zanuso, Italian architect and designer (d. 2001)
    • 1917 – Lou Harrison, American composer and critic (d. 2003)
    • 1917 – Norman Luboff, American composer and conductor (d. 1987)
    • 1919 – Solange Chaput-Rolland, Canadian journalist and politician (d. 2001)
    • 1919 – John Hope, American soldier and meteorologist (d. 2002)
    • 1921 – Richard Deacon, American actor (d. 1984)
    • 1922 – Franjo Tuđman, Yugoslav historian; later 1st President of Croatia (d. 1999)
    • 1923 – Adnan Pachachi, Iraqi politician, Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 2019)
    • 1923 – Mrinal Sen, Bangladeshi-Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2018)
    • 1925 – Sophie Kurys, American baseball player (d. 2013)
    • 1925 – Patrice Munsel, American soprano and actress (d. 2016)
    • 1925 – Boris Parsadanian, Armenian-Estonian violinist and composer (d. 1997)
    • 1925 – Al Porcino, American trumpet player (d. 2013)
    • 1925 – Ninian Sanderson, Scottish race car driver (d. 1985)
    • 1926 – Eric Morecambe, English comedian and actor (d. 1984)
    • 1927 – Herbert W. Franke, Austrian scientist and author
    • 1928 – Dub Jones, American R&B bass singer (d. 2000)
    • 1928 – Frederik H. Kreuger, Dutch engineer, author, and academic (d. 2015)
    • 1928 – Brian Macdonald, Canadian dancer and choreographer (d. 2014)
    • 1929 – Barbara Branden, Canadian-American author (d. 2013)
    • 1929 – Henry McGee, English actor and singer (d. 2006)
    • 1929 – Gump Worsley, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2007)
    • 1930 – William James, Australian general and physician (d. 2015)
    • 1931 – Alvin Lucier, American composer and academic
    • 1932 – Robert Bechtle, American lithographer and painter
    • 1933 – Siân Phillips, Welsh actress and singer
    • 1935 – Ethel Johnson, American professional wrestler (d. 2018)
    • 1935 – Rudi Šeligo, Slovenian playwright and politician (d. 2004)
    • 1936 – Bobby Darin, American singer-songwriter and actor (d. 1973)
    • 1936 – Dick Howser, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 1987)
    • 1938 – Robert Boyd, English pediatrician and academic
    • 1939 – Rupert Neudeck, German journalist and humanitarian (d. 2016)
    • 1939 – Troy Shondell, American singer-songwriter (d. 2016)
    • 1940 – Chay Blyth, Scottish sailor and rower
    • 1940 – H. Jones, English colonel, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 1982)
    • 1940 – George Mathewson, Scottish banker and businessman
    • 1941 – Ada den Haan, Dutch swimmer
    • 1942 – Valeriy Brumel, Russian high jumper (d. 2003)
    • 1942 – Byron Dorgan, American lawyer and politician
    • 1942 – Alistair McAlpine, Baron McAlpine of West Green, English businessman and politician (d. 2014)
    • 1942 – Tony Pérez, Cuban-American baseball player and manager
    • 1942 – Malise Ruthven, Irish author and academic
    • 1943 – Jack Bruce, Scottish-English singer-songwriter and bass player (d. 2014)
    • 1943 – L. Denis Desautels, Canadian accountant and civil servant
    • 1943 – Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, Icelandic academic and politician, 5th President of Iceland
    • 1943 – Derek Leckenby, English pop-rock guitarist (d. 1994)
    • 1943 – Richard Peto, English statistician and epidemiologist
    • 1944 – Gene Cornish, Canadian-American guitarist
    • 1944 – George Lucas, American director, producer, and screenwriter, founded Lucasfilm
    • 1944 – David Kelly, Welsh scientist (d. 2003)
    • 1945 – Francesca Annis, English actress
    • 1945 – George Nicholls, English rugby player
    • 1945 – Yochanan Vollach, Israeli footballer
    • 1946 – Sarah Hogg, Viscountess Hailsham, English economist and journalist
    • 1947 – Al Ciner, American pop-rock guitarist
    • 1947 – Ana Martín, Mexican actress, singer producer and former model (Miss Mexico 1963)
    • 1948 – Timothy Stevenson, English lawyer and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire
    • 1948 – Bob Woolmer, Indian-English cricketer and coach (d. 2007)
    • 1949 – Sverre Årnes, Norwegian author, screenwriter, and director
    • 1949 – Walter Day, American game designer and businessman, founded Twin Galaxies
    • 1949 – Johan Schans, Dutch swimmer
    • 1949 – Klaus-Peter Thaler, German cyclist
    • 1951 – Jay Beckenstein, American saxophonist
    • 1952 – David Byrne, Scottish singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
    • 1952 – Michael Fallon, Scottish politician, Secretary of State for Defence
    • 1952 – Orna Grumberg, Israeli computer scientist and academic
    • 1952 – Raul Mälk, Estonian politician, 22nd Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs
    • 1952 – Wim Mertens, Belgian composer, countertenor vocalist, pianist, guitarist, and musicologist.
    • 1952 – Donald R. McMonagle, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut
    • 1952 – Robert Zemeckis, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1953 – Tom Cochrane, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1953 – Hywel Williams, Welsh politician
    • 1955 – Marie Chouinard, Canadian dancer and choreographer
    • 1955 – Alasdair Fraser, Scottish fiddler
    • 1955 – Peter Kirsten, South African cricketer and rugby player
    • 1955 – Dennis Martínez, Nicaraguan baseball player and coach
    • 1955 – Jens Sparschuh, German author and playwright
    • 1956 – Hazel Blears, English lawyer and politician, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
    • 1956 – Steve Hogarth, English singer-songwriter and keyboardist
    • 1958 – Christine Brennan, American journalist and author
    • 1958 – Chris Evans, English-Australian politician, 26th Australian Minister for Employment
    • 1958 – Rudy Pérez, Cuban-born American composer and music producer
    • 1958 – Wilma Rusman, Dutch runner
    • 1959 – Carlisle Best, Barbadian cricketer
    • 1959 – Patrick Bruel, French actor, singer, and poker player
    • 1959 – Markus Büchel, Liechtensteiner politician, 9th Prime Minister of Liechtenstein (d. 2013)
    • 1959 – Robert Greene, American author and translator
    • 1959 – John Holt, American football player (d. 2013)
    • 1959 – Rick Vaive, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1959 – Heather Wheeler, English politician
    • 1960 – Anne Clark, English singer-songwriter and poet
    • 1960 – Alec Dankworth, English bassist and composer
    • 1960 – Frank Nobilo, New Zealand golfer
    • 1960 – Ronan Tynan, Irish tenor
    • 1961 – David Quantick, English journalist and critic
    • 1961 – Tommy Rogers, American wrestler (d. 2015)
    • 1961 – Tim Roth, English actor and director
    • 1961 – Alain Vigneault, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1962 – Ian Astbury, English-Canadian singer-songwriter
    • 1962 – C.C. DeVille, American guitarist, songwriter, and actor
    • 1962 – Danny Huston, Italian-American actor and director
    • 1963 – Pat Borders, American baseball player and coach
    • 1963 – David Yelland, English journalist and author
    • 1964 – James M. Kelly, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut
    • 1964 – Suzy Kolber, American sportscaster and producer
    • 1964 – Alan McIndoe, Australian rugby league player
    • 1964 – Eric Peterson, American guitarist and songwriter
    • 1965 – Eoin Colfer, Irish author
    • 1966 – Marianne Denicourt, French actress, director, and screenwriter
    • 1966 – Mike Inez, American rock bass player and songwriter
    • 1966 – Fab Morvan, French singer-songwriter, dancer and model
    • 1966 – Raphael Saadiq, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1967 – Natasha Kaiser-Brown, American sprinter and coach
    • 1967 – Tony Siragusa, American football player and journalist
    • 1968 – Mary DePiero, Canadian diver
    • 1969 – Cate Blanchett, Australian actress
    • 1969 – Sabine Schmitz, German race car driver and sportscaster
    • 1969 – Henry Smith, English politician
    • 1969 – Danny Wood, American singer-songwriter, record producer, and choreographer
    • 1971 – Deanne Bray, American actress
    • 1971 – Sofia Coppola, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1971 – Martin Reim, Estonian footballer and manager
    • 1972 – Kirstjen Nielsen, American attorney, 6th United States Secretary of Homeland Security
    • 1973 – Natalie Appleton, Canadian singer and actress
    • 1973 – Voshon Lenard, American basketball player
    • 1973 – Fraser Nelson, Scottish journalist
    • 1973 – Hakan Ünsal, Turkish footballer and sportscaster
    • 1973 – Julian White, English rugby player
    • 1974 – Anu Välba, Estonian journalist
    • 1975 – Nicki Sørensen, Danish cyclist
    • 1976 – Hunter Burgan, American bass player
    • 1976 – Brian Lawrence, American baseball player and coach
    • 1976 – Martine McCutcheon, English actress and singer
    • 1977 – Sophie Anderton, English model and actress
    • 1977 – Roy Halladay, American baseball player (d. 2017)
    • 1977 – Ada Nicodemou, Cypriot-Australian actress
    • 1978 – Brent Harvey, Australian footballer
    • 1978 – Eddie House, American basketball player
    • 1978 – André Macanga, Angolan footballer and manager
    • 1978 – Gustavo Varela, Uruguayan footballer
    • 1979 – Dan Auerbach, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1979 – Edwige Lawson-Wade, French basketball player
    • 1979 – Clinton Morrison, English-Irish footballer
    • 1979 – Carlos Tenorio, Ecuadorian footballer
    • 1980 – Zdeněk Grygera, Czech footballer
    • 1980 – Pavel Londak, Estonian footballer
    • 1980 – Eugene Martineau, Dutch decathlete
    • 1980 – Júlia Sebestyén, Hungarian figure skater
    • 1980 – Hugo Southwell, English-Scottish rugby player
    • 1980 – Joe van Niekerk, South African rugby player
    • 1981 – Pranav Mistry, Indian computer scientist, invented SixthSense
    • 1983 – Anahí, Mexican singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
    • 1983 – Keeley Donovan, English journalist
    • 1983 – Frank Gore, American football player
    • 1983 – Uroš Slokar, Slovenian basketball player
    • 1983 – Tatenda Taibu, Zimbabwean cricketer
    • 1983 – Amber Tamblyn, American actress, author, model, director
    • 1984 – Gary Ablett, Jr., Australian footballer
    • 1984 – Luke Gregerson, American baseball player
    • 1984 – Olly Murs, English singer-songwriter
    • 1984 – Michael Rensing, German footballer
    • 1984 – Indrek Siska, Estonian footballer
    • 1984 – Mark Zuckerberg, American computer programmer and businessman, co-founded Facebook
    • 1985 – Dustin Lynch, American singer-songwriter
    • 1985 – Sam Perrett, New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1985 – Simona Peycheva, Bulgarian gymnast
    • 1985 – Zack Ryder, American wrestler
    • 1986 – Andrea Bovo, Italian footballer
    • 1986 – Clay Matthews III, American football player
    • 1986 – Marco Motta, Italian footballer
    • 1987 – Jeong Min-hyeong, South Korean footballer (d. 2012)
    • 1987 – Franck Songo’o, Cameroonian footballer
    • 1987 – François Steyn, South African rugby player
    • 1988 – Jayne Appel, American basketball player
    • 1989 – Rob Gronkowski, American football player
    • 1989 – Alina Talay, Belorussian hurdler
    • 1993 – Miranda Cosgrove, American actress and singer
    • 1993 – Kristina Mladenovic, French tennis player
    • 1993 – Bence Rakaczki, Hungarian footballer (d. 2014)
    • 1994 – Marcos Aoás Corrêa, Brazilian footballer
    • 1994 – Pernille Blume, Danish swimmer
    • 1994 – Bronte Campbell, Australian swimmer
    • 1994 – Dennis Praet, Belgian footballer
    • 1995 – Bernardo Fernandes da Silva Junior, Brazilian footballer
    • 1995 – Jonah Placid, Australian rugby player
    • 1996 – Martin Garrix, Dutch DJ
    • 2001 – Jack Hughes, American hockey player

    Deaths on May 14

    • 649 – Pope Theodore I
    • 934 – Zhu Hongzhao, Chinese general and governor
    • 964 – Pope John XII (b. 927)
    • 1080 – William Walcher, Bishop of Durham
    • 1219 – William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke, English soldier and politician (b. 1147)
    • 1470 – Charles VIII of Sweden (b. 1409)
    • 1576 – Tahmasp I, Shah of Persia (b. 1514)
    • 1603 – Magnus II, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg (b. 1543)
    • 1608 – Charles III, Duke of Lorraine (b. 1543)
    • 1610 – Henry IV of France (b. 1553)
    • 1643 – Louis XIII of France (b. 1601)
    • 1649 – Friedrich Spanheim, Swiss theologian and academic (b. 1600)
    • 1667 – Georges de Scudéry, French author, poet, and playwright (b. 1601)
    • 1688 – Antoine Furetière, French scholar, lexicographer, and author (b. 1619)
    • 1754 – Pierre-Claude Nivelle de La Chaussée, French playwright and producer (b. 1692)
    • 1761 – Thomas Simpson, English mathematician and academic (b. 1710)
    • 1847 – Fanny Mendelssohn, German pianist and composer (b. 1805)
    • 1860 – Ludwig Bechstein, German author (b. 1801)
    • 1873 – Gideon Brecher, Austrian physician and author (b. 1797)
    • 1878 – Ōkubo Toshimichi, Japanese samurai and politician (b. 1830)
    • 1881 – Mary Seacole, Jamaican-English nurse and author (b. 1805)
    • 1889 – Volney Howard, American lawyer, jurist, and politician (b. 1809)
    • 1893 – Ernst Kummer, German mathematician and academic (b. 1810)
    • 1906 – Carl Schurz, German-American general, journalist, and politician, 13th United States Secretary of the Interior (b. 1829)
    • 1912 – Frederick VIII of Denmark (b. 1843)
    • 1912 – August Strindberg, Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist (b. 1849)
    • 1918 – James Gordon Bennett, Jr., American journalist and publisher (b. 1841)
    • 1919 – Henry J. Heinz, American businessman, founded the H. J. Heinz Company (b. 1844)
    • 1923 – N. G. Chandavarkar, Indian jurist and politician (b. 1855)
    • 1923 – Charles de Freycinet, French engineer and politician, 43rd Prime Minister of France (b. 1828)
    • 1931 – David Belasco, American director, producer, and playwright (b. 1853)
    • 1934 – Lou Criger, American baseball player and manager (b. 1872)
    • 1935 – Magnus Hirschfeld, German physician and sexologist (b. 1868)
    • 1936 – Edmund Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby, English field marshal and diplomat, British High Commissioner in Egypt (b. 1861)
    • 1940 – Emma Goldman, Lithuanian author and activist (b. 1869)
    • 1940 – Menno ter Braak, Dutch author (b. 1902)
    • 1943 – Henri La Fontaine, Belgian lawyer and author, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1854)
    • 1945 – Heber J. Grant, American religious leader, 7th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (b. 1856)
    • 1945 – Wolfgang Lüth, Latvian-German captain (b. 1913)
    • 1945 – Isis Pogson, English astronomer and meteorologist (b. 1852)
    • 1953 – Yasuo Kuniyoshi, American painter and photographer (b. 1893)
    • 1954 – Heinz Guderian, Prussian-German general (b. 1888)
    • 1956 – Joan Malleson, English physician (b. 1889)
    • 1957 – Marie Vassilieff, Russian-French painter (b. 1884)
    • 1959 – Sidney Bechet, American saxophonist, clarinet player, and composer (b. 1897)
    • 1959 – Infanta Maria Antonia of Portugal (b. 1862)
    • 1960 – Lucrezia Bori, Spanish soprano and actress (b. 1887)
    • 1962 – Florence Auer, American actress and screenwriter (b. 1880)
    • 1968 – Husband E. Kimmel, American admiral (b. 1882)
    • 1969 – Enid Bennett, Australian-American actress (b. 1893)
    • 1969 – Frederick Lane, Australian swimmer (b. 1888)
    • 1970 – Billie Burke, American actress and singer (b. 1884)
    • 1973 – Jean Gebser, German linguist, philosopher, and poet (b. 1905)
    • 1976 – Keith Relf, English singer-songwriter, harmonica player, and producer (b. 1943)
    • 1979 – Jean Rhys, Dominican-English novelist (b. 1890)
    • 1980 – Hugh Griffith, Welsh actor (b. 1912)
    • 1982 – Hugh Beaumont, American actor (b. 1909)
    • 1983 – Roger J. Traynor, American academic and jurist, 23rd Chief Justice of California (b. 1900)
    • 1983 – Miguel Alemán Valdés, Mexican politician, 46th President of Mexico (b. 1900)
    • 1984 – Ted Hicks, Australian public servant and diplomat, Australian High Commissioner to New Zealand (b. 1910)
    • 1984 – Walter Rauff, German SS officer (b. 1906)
    • 1987 – Rita Hayworth, American actress and dancer (b. 1918)
    • 1987 – Vitomil Zupan, Slovenian poet and playwright (b. 1914)
    • 1988 – Willem Drees, Dutch politician and historian, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (1948–1958) (b. 1886)
    • 1991 – Aladár Gerevich, Hungarian fencer (b. 1910)
    • 1992 – Nie Rongzhen, Chinese general and politician, Mayor of Beijing (b. 1899)
    • 1993 – William Randolph Hearst, Jr., American journalist and publisher (b. 1908)
    • 1994 – Cihat Arman, Turkish footballer and manager (b. 1915)
    • 1994 – W. Graham Claytor Jr., American businessman, lieutenant, and politician, 15th United States Secretary of the Navy (b. 1914)
    • 1995 – Christian B. Anfinsen, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1916)
    • 1997 – Harry Blackstone Jr., American magician and author (b. 1934)
    • 1997 – Boris Parsadanian, Armenian-Estonian violinist and composer (b. 1925)
    • 1998 – Marjory Stoneman Douglas, American journalist and environmentalist (b. 1890)
    • 1998 – Frank Sinatra, American singer and actor (b. 1915)
    • 2000 – Keizō Obuchi, Japanese politician, 84th Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1937)
    • 2001 – Paul Bénichou, French writer, intellectual, critic, and literary historian (b. 1908)
    • 2001 – Gil Langley, Australian cricketer, footballer, and politician (b. 1919)
    • 2003 – Dave DeBusschere, American basketball player and coach (b. 1940)
    • 2003 – Wendy Hiller, English actress (b. 1912)
    • 2003 – Robert Stack, American actor and producer (b. 1919)
    • 2004 – Anna Lee, English-American actress (b. 1913)
    • 2005 – Jimmy Martin, American musician (b. 1927)
    • 2006 – Lew Anderson, American actor and saxophonist (b. 1922)
    • 2006 – Stanley Kunitz, American poet and translator (b. 1905)
    • 2006 – Eva Norvind, Mexican actress, director, and producer (b. 1944)
    • 2007 – Mary Scheier, American sculptor and educator (b. 1908)
    • 2007 – Ülo Jõgi, Estonian historian and author (b. 1921)
    • 2010 – Frank J. Dodd, American businessman and politician, president of the New Jersey Senate (b. 1938)
    • 2010 – Norman Hand, American football player (b. 1972)
    • 2010 – Goh Keng Swee, Singaporean soldier and politician, 2nd Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore (b. 1918)
    • 2012 – Ernst Hinterberger, Austrian author and screenwriter (b. 1931)
    • 2012 – Mario Trejo, Argentinian poet, playwright, and journalist (b. 1926)
    • 2013 – Wayne Brown, American accountant and politician, 14th Mayor of Mesa (b. 1936)
    • 2013 – Arsen Chilingaryan, Armenian footballer and manager (b. 1962)
    • 2013 – Asghar Ali Engineer, Indian author and activist (b. 1939)
    • 2013 – Ray Guy, Canadian journalist (b. 1939)
    • 2014 – Jeffrey Kruger, English-American businessman (b. 1931)
    • 2014 – Emanuel Raymond Lewis, American librarian and author (b. 1928)
    • 2014 – Morvin Simon, New Zealand historian, composer, and conductor (b. 1944)
    • 2015 – B.B. King, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1925)
    • 2015 – Micheál O’Brien, Irish footballer and hurler (b. 1923)
    • 2015 – Stanton J. Peale, American astrophysicist and academic (b. 1937)
    • 2015 – Franz Wright, Austrian-American poet and translator (b. 1953)
    • 2016 – Darwyn Cooke, American comic book writer and artist (b. 1962)
    • 2017 – Powers Boothe, American actor (b. 1948)
    • 2018 – Tom Wolfe, American author (b. 1931)
    • 2019 – Tim Conway, American actor, writer (b. 1933)

    Holidays and observances on May 14

    • Christian feast day:
      • Boniface of Tarsus
      • Engelmund of Velsen
      • Matthias the Apostle (Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Communion)
      • Michael Garicoïts
      • Mo Chutu of Lismore (Roman Catholic Church)
      • Victor and Corona
      • May 14 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Earliest day on which the first day of Sanja Matsuri can fall, while May 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third weekend of May. (Sensō-ji, Tokyo)
    • Flag Day (Paraguay)
    • Hastings Banda’s Birthday (Malawi)
    • National Unification Day (Liberia)
    • The first day of Izumo-taisha Shrine Grand Festival. (Izumo-taisha)

  • May 7 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 351 – The Jewish revolt against Constantius Gallus breaks out after his arrival at Antioch.
    • 558 – In Constantinople, the dome of the Hagia Sophia collapses, twenty years after its construction. Justinian I immediately orders that the dome be rebuilt.
    • 1274 – In France, the Second Council of Lyon opens to regulate the election of the Pope.
    • 1487 – The Siege of Málaga commences during the Spanish Reconquista.
    • 1544 – The Burning of Edinburgh by an English army is the first action of the Rough Wooing.
    • 1664 – Louis XIV of France begins construction of the Palace of Versailles.
    • 1685 – Battle of Vrtijeljka between rebels and Ottoman forces.
    • 1697 – Stockholm’s royal castle (dating back to medieval times) is destroyed by fire. It is replaced in the 18th century by the current Royal Palace.
    • 1718 – The city of New Orleans is founded by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville.
    • 1763 – Pontiac’s War begins with Pontiac’s attempt to seize Fort Detroit from the British.
    • 1794 – French Revolution: Robespierre introduces the Cult of the Supreme Being in the National Convention as the new state religion of the French First Republic.
    • 1824 – World premiere of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in Vienna, Austria. The performance is conducted by Michael Umlauf under the composer’s supervision.
    • 1832 – Greece’s independence is recognized by the Treaty of London.
    • 1840 – The Great Natchez Tornado strikes Natchez, Mississippi killing 317 people. It is the second deadliest tornado in United States history.
    • 1846 – The Cambridge Chronicle, America’s oldest surviving weekly newspaper, is published for the first time in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
    • 1864 – American Civil War: The Army of the Potomac, under General Ulysses S. Grant, breaks off from the Battle of the Wilderness and moves southwards.
    • 1864 – The world’s oldest surviving clipper ship, the City of Adelaide is launched by William Pile, Hay and Co. in Sunderland, England, for transporting passengers and goods between Britain and Australia.
    • 1895 – In Saint Petersburg, Russian scientist Alexander Stepanovich Popov demonstrates to the Russian Physical and Chemical Society his invention, the Popov lightning detector—a primitive radio receiver. In some parts of the former Soviet Union the anniversary of this day is celebrated as Radio Day.
    • 1915 – World War I: German submarine U-20 sinks RMS Lusitania, killing 1,198 people, including 128 Americans. Public reaction to the sinking turns many former pro-Germans in the United States against the German Empire.
    • 1915 – The Republic of China accedes to 13 of the 21 Demands, extending the Empire of Japan‘s control over Manchuria and the Chinese economy.
    • 1920 – Kiev Offensive: Polish troops led by Józef Piłsudski and Edward Rydz-Śmigły and assisted by a symbolic Ukrainian force capture Kiev only to be driven out by the Red Army counter-offensive a month later.
    • 1920 – Treaty of Moscow: Soviet Russia recognizes the independence of the Democratic Republic of Georgia only to invade the country six months later.
    • 1920 – Morecambe Football Club was founded during a meeting at the West View Hotel on the town’s promenade.
    • 1930 – The 7.1 Mw  Salmas earthquake shakes northwestern Iran and southeastern Turkey with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). Up to three-thousand people were killed.
    • 1931 – The stand-off between criminal Francis Crowley and 300 members of the New York Police Department takes place in his fifth-floor apartment on West 91st Street, New York City.
    • 1937 – Spanish Civil War: The German Condor Legion, equipped with Heinkel He 51 biplanes, arrives in Spain to assist Francisco Franco’s forces.
    • 1940 – World War II: The Norway Debate in the British House of Commons begins, and leads to the replacement of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain with Winston Churchill three days later.
    • 1942 – World War II: During the Battle of the Coral Sea, United States Navy aircraft carrier aircraft attack and sink the Imperial Japanese Navy light aircraft carrier Shōhō; the battle marks the first time in naval history that two enemy fleets fight without visual contact between warring ships.
    • 1945 – World War II: Last German U boat attack of the war, two freighters are sunk off the Firth of Forth, Scotland.
    • 1945 – World War II: General Alfred Jodl signs unconditional surrender terms at Reims, France, ending Germany’s participation in the war. The document takes effect the next day.
    • 1946 – Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering (later renamed Sony) is founded
    • 1948 – The Council of Europe is founded during the Hague Congress.
    • 1952 – The concept of the integrated circuit, the basis for all modern computers, is first published by Geoffrey Dummer.
    • 1954 – Indochina War: The Battle of Dien Bien Phu ends in a French defeat and a Viet Minh victory (the battle began on March 13).
    • 1960 – Cold War: U-2 Crisis of 1960: Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev announces that his nation is holding American U-2 pilot Gary Powers.
    • 1976 – The Honda Accord is officially launched.
    • 1986 – Canadian Patrick Morrow becomes the first person to climb each of the Seven Summits.
    • 1992 – Michigan ratifies a 203-year-old proposed amendment to the United States Constitution making the 27th Amendment law. This amendment bars the U.S. Congress from giving itself a mid-term pay raise.
    • 1992 – Space Shuttle program: The Space Shuttle Endeavour is launched on its first mission, STS-49.
    • 1992 – Three employees at a McDonald’s Restaurant in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada, are brutally murdered and a fourth permanently disabled after a botched robbery. It is the first “fast-food murder” in Canada.
    • 1994 – Edvard Munch’s painting The Scream is recovered undamaged after being stolen from the National Gallery of Norway in February.
    • 1998 – Mercedes-Benz buys Chrysler for US$40 billion and forms DaimlerChrysler in the largest industrial merger in history.
    • 1999 – Pope John Paul II travels to Romania, becoming the first pope to visit a predominantly Eastern Orthodox country since the Great Schism in 1054.
    • 1999 – Kosovo War: Three Chinese citizens are killed and 20 wounded when a NATO aircraft apparently inadvertently bombs the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, Serbia.
    • 1999 – In Guinea-Bissau, President João Bernardo Vieira is ousted in a military coup.
    • 2000 – Vladimir Putin is inaugurated as president of Russia.
    • 2002 – An EgyptAir Boeing 737-500 crashes on approach to Tunis–Carthage International Airport, killing 14 people.
    • 2002 – A China Northern Airlines MD-82 plunges into the Yellow Sea, killing 112 people.
    • 2004 – American businessman Nick Berg is beheaded by Islamic militants. The act is recorded on videotape and released on the Internet.

    Births on May 7

    • Before 160 – Julia Maesa, Roman noblewoman (d. 224)
    • 1488 – John III of the Palatinate, archbishop of Regensburg (d. 1538)
    • 1530 – Louis, Prince of Condé (d. 1569)
    • 1553 – Albert Frederick, Duke of Prussia (d. 1618)
    • 1605 – Patriarch Nikon of Moscow (d. 1681)
    • 1643 – Stephanus Van Cortlandt, American politician, 10th Mayor of New York City (d. 1700)
    • 1700 – Gerard van Swieten, Dutch-Austrian physician (d. 1772)
    • 1701 – Carl Heinrich Graun, German tenor and composer (d. 1759)
    • 1711 – David Hume, Scottish economist, historian, and philosopher (d. 1776)
    • 1724 – Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser, French-Austrian field marshal (d. 1797)
    • 1740 – Nikolai Arkharov, Russian police officer and general (d. 1814)
    • 1748 – Olympe de Gouges, French playwright and philosopher (d. 1793)
    • 1763 – Józef Poniatowski, Polish general (d. 1813)
    • 1767 – Princess Frederica Charlotte of Prussia (d. 1820)
    • 1774 – William Bainbridge, American commodore (d. 1833)
    • 1787 – Jacques Viger, Canadian archaeologist and politician, 1st mayor of Montreal (d. 1858)
    • 1812 – Robert Browning, English poet and playwright (d. 1889)
    • 1833 – Johannes Brahms, German pianist and composer (d. 1897)
    • 1836 – Joseph Gurney Cannon, American lawyer and politician, 40th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (d. 1926)
    • 1837 – Karl Mauch, German geographer and explorer (d. 1875)
    • 1840 – Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Russian composer and educator (d. 1893)
    • 1845 – Mary Eliza Mahoney, American nurse and activist (d. 1926)
    • 1847 – Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1929)
    • 1857 – William A. MacCorkle, American lawyer and politician, 9th Governor of West Virginia (d. 1930)
    • 1860 – Tom Norman, English businessman (d. 1930)
    • 1861 – Rabindranath Tagore, Indian author and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1941)
    • 1867 – Władysław Reymont, Polish novelist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1925)
    • 1875 – Bill Hoyt, American pole vaulter (d. 1951)
    • 1880 – Pandurang Vaman Kane, Indologist and Sanskrit scholar, Bharat Ratna awardee (d. 1972)
    • 1881 – George E. Wiley, American cyclist (d. 1954)
    • 1882 – Willem Elsschot, Belgian author and poet (d. 1960)
    • 1885 – George “Gabby” Hayes, American actor (d. 1969)
    • 1889 – Viktor Puskar, Estonian colonel (d. 1943)
    • 1891 – Harry McShane, Scottish engineer and activist (d. 1988)
    • 1892 – Archibald MacLeish, American poet, playwright, and lawyer (d. 1982)
    • 1892 – Josip Broz Tito, Yugoslav field marshal and politician, 1st President of Yugoslavia (d. 1980)
    • 1893 – Frank J. Selke, Canadian ice hockey coach and manager (d. 1985)
    • 1896 – Kathleen McKane Godfree, English tennis and badminton player (d. 1992)
    • 1899 – Alfred Gerrard, English sculptor and academic (d. 1998)
    • 1901 – Gary Cooper, American actor (d. 1961)
    • 1903 – Jimmy Ball, Canadian sprinter (d. 1988)
    • 1904 – Kurt Weitzmann, German-American historian and author (d. 1993)
    • 1906 – Eric Krenz, American discus thrower and shot putter (d. 1931)
    • 1909 – Edwin H. Land, American scientist and inventor, co-founded the Polaroid Corporation (d. 1991)
    • 1909 – Dorothy Sunrise Lorentino, Native American teacher (d. 2005)
    • 1911 – Ishirō Honda, Japanese director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1993)
    • 1911 – Rıfat Ilgaz, Turkish author, poet, and educator (d. 1993)
    • 1912 – Pannalal Patel, Indian author (d. 1989)
    • 1913 – John Spencer Hardy, American general (d. 2012)
    • 1913 – Simon Ramo, American physicist and engineer (d. 2016)
    • 1914 – Arthur Snelling, English civil servant and diplomat. British Ambassador to South Africa (d. 1996)
    • 1916 – Huw Wheldon, Welsh-English broadcaster (d. 1986)
    • 1916 – W. B. Young, Scottish rugby player and physician (d. 2013)
    • 1917 – Domenico Bartolucci, Italian cardinal and composer (d. 2013)
    • 1917 – Lenox Hewitt, Australian public servant (d. 2020)
    • 1917 – David Tomlinson, English actor (d. 2000)
    • 1919 – Eva Perón, Argentinian actress, 25th First Lady of Argentina (d. 1952)
    • 1920 – Rendra Karno, Indonesian actor (d. 1985)
    • 1921 – Asa Briggs, Baron Briggs, English historian and academic (d. 2016)
    • 1921 – Gaston Rébuffat, French mountaineer and author (d. 1985)
    • 1922 – Darren McGavin, American actor and director (d. 2006)
    • 1922 – Joe O’Donnell, American photographer and journalist (d. 2007)
    • 1923 – Anne Baxter, American actress (d. 1985)
    • 1923 – Jim Lowe, American singer-songwriter, disc jockey, and radio host (d. 2016)
    • 1923 – Bülent Ulusu, Turkish admiral and politician, 18th Prime Minister of Turkey (d. 2015)
    • 1924 – Albert Band, French-American director and producer (d. 2002)
    • 1925 – Lauri Vaska, Estonian-American chemist and academic (d. 2015)
    • 1927 – Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, German-American author and screenwriter (d. 2013)
    • 1929 – Dick Williams, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 2011)
    • 1930 – Totie Fields, American comedian and author (d. 1978)
    • 1930 – Babe Parilli, American football player and coach (d. 2017)
    • 1930 – John Smith, Baron Kirkhill, English politician
    • 1931 – Teresa Brewer, American singer (d. 2007)
    • 1931 – Gene Wolfe, American author (d. 2019)
    • 1932 – Jordi Bonet, Spanish-Canadian painter and sculptor (d. 1979)
    • 1932 – Alan Cuthbert, English pharmacologist and academic (d. 2016)
    • 1932 – Pete Domenici, American lawyer and politician, 37th Mayor of Albuquerque (d. 2017)
    • 1932 – Derek Taylor, English journalist and author (d. 1997)
    • 1933 – Johnny Unitas, American football player and sportscaster (d. 2002)
    • 1935 – Avraham Heffner, Israeli actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2014)
    • 1935 – Michael Hopkins, English architect
    • 1936 – Robin Hanbury-Tenison, English explorer and author
    • 1936 – Tony O’Reilly, Irish rugby player and businessman
    • 1936 – Jimmy Ruffin, American soul singer (d. 2014)
    • 1937 – Eddie Clayton, English footballer
    • 1937 – Claude Raymond, Canadian baseball player and coach
    • 1939 – Sidney Altman, Canadian-American biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1939 – Ruggero Deodato, Italian actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1939 – Ruud Lubbers, Dutch economist and politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (d. 2018)
    • 1939 – Johnny Maestro, American pop/doo-wop singer (d. 2010)
    • 1939 – Clive Soley, Baron Soley, English politician
    • 1940 – Angela Carter, English novelist and short story writer (d. 1992)
    • 1940 – Dave Chambers, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1941 – Lawrence Collins, Baron Collins of Mapesbury, English lawyer and judge
    • 1943 – Terry Allen, American singer and painter
    • 1943 – Harvey Andrews, English singer-songwriter and poet
    • 1943 – John Bannon, Australian academic and politician, 39th Premier of South Australia (d. 2015)
    • 1943 – Peter Carey, Australian novelist and short story writer
    • 1945 – Christy Moore, Irish singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1945 – Robin Strasser, American actress
    • 1946 – Thelma Houston, American R&B/disco singer and actress
    • 1946 – Marv Hubbard, American football player (d. 2015)
    • 1946 – Bill Kreutzmann, American drummer
    • 1946 – Michael Rosen, English author and poet
    • 1946 – Brian Turner, English chef and television host
    • 1949 – Kathy Ahern, American golfer (d. 1996)
    • 1949 – Deborah Butterfield, American sculptor
    • 1950 – John Dowling Coates, Australian lawyer, sports administrator and businessman
    • 1950 – Randall “Tex” Cobb, American boxer and actor
    • 1950 – Tim Russert, American television journalist and lawyer (d. 2008)
    • 1953 – Pat McInally, American football player and coach
    • 1953 – Ian McKay, English sergeant, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 1982)
    • 1954 – Philippe Geluck, Belgian cartoonist
    • 1954 – Joanna Haigh, English meteorologist and physicist
    • 1954 – Amy Heckerling, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1955 – Clément Gignac, Canadian politician
    • 1955 – Ben Poquette, American basketball player
    • 1955 – Axel Zwingenberger, German pianist and songwriter
    • 1956 – Jan Peter Balkenende, Dutch jurist and politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands
    • 1956 – Anne Dudley, English pianist and composer
    • 1956 – Nicholas Hytner, English director and producer
    • 1956 – Jean Lapierre, Canadian talk show host and politician
    • 1956 – Calum MacDonald, Scottish journalist and politician
    • 1957 – Kristina M. Johnson, American business executive, engineer, academic and government official
    • 1958 – Mikhail Biryukov, Russian footballer and manager
    • 1958 – Mark G. Kuzyk, American physicist and academic
    • 1958 – Anne Marie Rafferty, English nurse and academic
    • 1959 – Michael E. Knight, American actor
    • 1959 – Tony Sealy, English footballer, forward and manager
    • 1959 – Heiki Valk, Estonian archeologist and academic
    • 1960 – Adam Bernstein, American director and screenwriter
    • 1960 – Ara Darzi, Baron Darzi of Denham, Iraqi-English surgeon and academic
    • 1960 – Almudena Grandes, Spanish author
    • 1961 – Hans-Peter Bartels, German politician
    • 1961 – Sue Black, Scottish anthropologist and academic
    • 1961 – Ivar Must, Estonian composer and producer
    • 1962 – Tony Campbell, American basketball player and coach
    • 1962 – Judith Donath, American computer scientist and academic
    • 1963 – Johnny Lee Middleton, American bass player and songwriter
    • 1964 – Ronnie Harmon, American football player
    • 1964 – Denis Mandarino, Brazilian guitarist, composer, and painter
    • 1964 – Leslie O’Neal, American football player
    • 1965 – Reuben Davis, American football player
    • 1965 – Owen Hart, Canadian wrestler (d. 1999)
    • 1965 – Norman Whiteside, Northern Irish footballer and manager
    • 1965 – Huang Zhihong, Chinese shot putter
    • 1967 – Martin Bryant, Australian mass murderer
    • 1967 – Adam Price, Danish chef and screenwriter
    • 1967 – Joe Rice, American colonel and politician
    • 1968 – Traci Lords, American actress and singer
    • 1968 – Lisa Raitt, Canadian lawyer and politician, 30th Canadian Minister of Transport
    • 1969 – Eagle-Eye Cherry, Swedish singer-songwriter
    • 1969 – Jun Falkenstein, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1969 – Katerina Maleeva, Bulgarian tennis player
    • 1971 – Reidar Horghagen, Norwegian drummer
    • 1971 – Dave Karpa, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1971 – Thomas Piketty, French economist
    • 1972 – Peter Dubovský, Czech-Slovak footballer (d. 2000)
    • 1972 – Frank Trigg, American mixed martial artist and wrestler
    • 1973 – Kristian Lundin, Swedish songwriter and producer
    • 1973 – Paolo Savoldelli, Italian cyclist
    • 1974 – Ian Pearce, English footballer and assistant manager
    • 1973 – Lawrence Johnson, American pole vaulter
    • 1975 – Ashley Cowan, English cricketer
    • 1976 – Calvin Booth, American basketball player
    • 1976 – Berke Hatipoğlu, Turkish guitarist and songwriter
    • 1976 – Stacey Jones, New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1976 – Andrea Lo Cicero, Italian rugby player
    • 1976 – Michael P. Murphy, American lieutenant, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 2005)
    • 1976 – Ayelet Shaked, Israeli Minister of Justice (2015-2019)
    • 1977 – Elton Flatley, Australian rugby player
    • 1978 – Stian Arnesen, Norwegian guitarist, drummer, and songwriter
    • 1978 – James Carter, American hurdler
    • 1978 – Shawn Marion, American basketball player
    • 1979 – Katie Douglas, American basketball player
    • 1983 – Phionah Atuhebwe, Ugandan vaccinologist and immunization expert
    • 1984 – James Loney, American baseball player
    • 1984 – Alex Smith, American football player
    • 1984 – Kevin Owens, Canadian wrestler
    • 1985 – Jarrad Hickey, Australian rugby league player
    • 1985 – Drew Neitzel, American basketball player
    • 1986 – Matt Helders, English drummer
    • 1987 – Asami Konno, Japanese singer
    • 1987 – Michael Maidens, English footballer (d. 2007)
    • 1987 – Mark Reynolds, Scottish footballer
    • 1987 – David Schlemko, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1988 – Eino Puri, Estonian footballer
    • 1988 – Sander Puri, Estonian footballer
    • 1989 – Earl Thomas, American football player
    • 1995 – Seko Fofana, French born Ivorian international footballer
    • 1997 – Daria Kasatkina, Russian tennis player
    • 1998 – Jesse Puljujärvi, Finnish ice hockey player

    Deaths on May 7

    • 721 – John of Beverley, bishop of York
    • 833 – Ibn Hisham, Egyptian Muslim historian
    • 973 – Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 912)
    • 1014 – Bagrat III, 1st King of Georgia (b. 960)
    • 1092 – Remigius de Fécamp, English monk and bishop
    • 1166 – William I of Sicily
    • 1202 – Hamelin de Warenne, Earl of Surrey
    • 1205 – Ladislaus III of Hungary (b. 1201)
    • 1234 – Otto I, Duke of Merania (b. c. 1180)
    • 1243 – Hugh d’Aubigny, 5th Earl of Arundel
    • 1427 – Thomas la Warr, 5th Baron De La Warr, English priest (b. 1352)
    • 1494 – Eskender, Emperor of Ethiopia (b. 1471)
    • 1523 – Franz von Sickingen, German knight (b. 1481)
    • 1539 – Ottaviano Petrucci, Italian printer (b. 1466)
    • 1617 – David Fabricius, German astronomer and theologian (b. 1564)
    • 1667 – Johann Jakob Froberger, German organist and composer (b. 1616)
    • 1682 – Feodor III of Russia (b. 1661)
    • 1685 – Bajo Pivljanin (b. 1630)
    • 1718 – Mary of Modena (b. 1658)
    • 1793 – Pietro Nardini, Italian violinist and composer (b. 1722)
    • 1800 – Niccolò Piccinni, Italian composer (b. 1728)
    • 1805 – William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne, Irish-English general and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1737)
    • 1815 – Jabez Bowen, American colonel and politician, 45th Deputy Governor of Rhode Island (b. 1739)
    • 1825 – Antonio Salieri, Italian composer and conductor (b. 1750)
    • 1840 – Caspar David Friedrich, German painter and educator (b. 1774)
    • 1868 – Henry Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux, Scottish lawyer and politician, Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain (b. 1778)
    • 1872 – Alexander Loyd, American carpenter and politician, 4th Mayor of Chicago (b. 1805)
    • 1876 – William Buell Sprague, American clergyman, historian, and author (b. 1795)
    • 1887 – C. F. W. Walther, German-American religious leader and theologian (b. 1811)
    • 1896 – H. H. Holmes, American serial killer (b. 1861)
    • 1902 – Agostino Roscelli, Italian priest and saint (b. 1818)
    • 1917 – Albert Ball, English fighter pilot (b. 1896)
    • 1922 – Max Wagenknecht, German pianist and composer (b. 1857)
    • 1924 – Alluri Sitarama Raju, Indian activist (b. 1897/1898)
    • 1925 – William Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme, English businessman and politician (b. 1851)
    • 1937 – Ernst A. Lehmann, German captain and author (b. 1886)
    • 1938 – Octavian Goga, Romanian politician, former Prime Minister (b. 1881)
    • 1940 – George Lansbury, English journalist and politician (b. 1859)
    • 1941 – James George Frazer, Scottish-English anthropologist and academic (b. 1854)
    • 1942 – Felix Weingartner, Croatian pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1863)
    • 1943 – Fethi Okyar, Turkish colonel and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Turkey (b. 1880)
    • 1946 – Herbert Macaulay, Nigerian journalist and politician (b. 1864)
    • 1951 – Warner Baxter, American actor (b. 1889)
    • 1967 – Margaret Larkin, American writer and poet (b. 1899)
    • 1958 – Mihkel Lüdig, Estonian organist, composer, and conductor (b. 1880)
    • 1976 – Alison Uttley, English children’s book writer (b. 1884)
    • 1978 – Mort Weisinger, American journalist and author (b. 1915)
    • 1986 – Haldun Taner, Turkish playwright and author (b. 1915)
    • 1987 – Colin Blakely, Northern Irish actor (b. 1930)
    • 1987 – Paul Popham, American soldier and activist, co-founded Gay Men’s Health Crisis (b. 1941)
    • 1990 – Sam Tambimuttu, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician (b. 1932)
    • 1994 – Clement Greenberg, American art critic (b. 1909)
    • 1995 – Ray McKinley, American drummer, singer, and bandleader (Glenn Miller Orchestra) (b. 1910)
    • 1998 – Allan McLeod Cormack, South African-English physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1924)
    • 1998 – Eddie Rabbitt, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1941)
    • 2000 – Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., American captain, actor, and producer (b. 1909)
    • 2001 – Jacques de Bourbon-Busset, French author and politician (b. 1912)
    • 2004 – Waldemar Milewicz, Polish journalist (b. 1956)
    • 2005 – Tristan Egolf, American author and activist (b. 1971)
    • 2005 – Peter Rodino, American captain and politician (b. 1909)
    • 2005 – Otilino Tenorio, Ecuadorian footballer (b. 1980)
    • 2006 – Richard Carleton, Australian journalist (b. 1943)
    • 2006 – Joan C. Edwards, American singer and philanthropist (b. 1918)
    • 2007 – Isabella Blow, English magazine editor (b. 1958)
    • 2007 – Diego Corrales, American boxer (b. 1977)
    • 2007 – Octavian Paler, Romanian journalist and politician (b. 1926)
    • 2007 – Yahweh ben Yahweh, American cult leader, founded the Nation of Yahweh (b. 1935)
    • 2009 – David Mellor, English designer (b. 1930)
    • 2009 – Danny Ozark, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1923)
    • 2011 – Seve Ballesteros, Spanish golfer (b. 1957)
    • 2011 – Willard Boyle, Canadian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1924)
    • 2011 – Big George, English songwriter, producer, and radio host (b. 1957)
    • 2012 – Sammy Barr, Scottish trade union leader (b. 1931)
    • 2012 – Ferenc Bartha, Hungarian economist and politician (b. 1943)
    • 2012 – Dennis E. Fitch, American captain and pilot (b. 1942)
    • 2013 – Ferruccio Mazzola, Italian footballer and manager (b. 1948)
    • 2013 – George Sauer, Jr., American football player (b. 1943)
    • 2014 – Neville McNamara, Australian air marshal (b. 1923)
    • 2014 – Colin Pillinger, English astronomer, chemist, and academic (b. 1943)
    • 2014 – Dick Welteroth, American baseball player (b. 1927)
    • 2015 – Frank DiPascali, American businessman (b. 1956)
    • 2015 – John Dixon, Australian-American author, and illustrator (b. 1929)

    Holidays and observances on May 7

    • Christian feast day:
      • Agathius of Byzantium
      • Agostino Roscelli
      • Pope Benedict II
      • Flavia Domitilla
      • Gisela of Hungary
      • Harriet Starr Cannon (Episcopal Church (USA))
      • John of Beverley
      • Rose Venerini
      • Stanislaus (Roman Martyrology)
      • May 7 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Defender of the Fatherland Day (Kazakhstan)
    • Dien Bien Phu Victory Day (Vietnam)
    • Radio Day, commemorating the work of Alexander Popov (Russia, Bulgaria)

  • April 30 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 311 – The Diocletianic Persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire ends.
    • 313 – Battle of Tzirallum: Emperor Licinius defeats Maximinus II and unifies the Eastern Roman Empire.
    • 642 – Chindasuinth is proclaimed king by the Visigothic nobility and bishops.
    • 1315 – Enguerrand de Marigny is hanged at the instigation of Charles, Count of Valois.
    • 1492 – Spain gives Christopher Columbus his commission of exploration.
    • 1513 – Edmund de la Pole, Yorkist pretender to the English throne, is executed on the orders of Henry VIII.
    • 1557 – Mapuche leader Lautaro is killed by Spanish forces at the Battle of Mataquito in Chile.
    • 1598 – Juan de Oñate begins the conquest of Santa Fe de Nuevo México.
    • 1598 – Henry IV of France issues the Edict of Nantes, allowing freedom of religion to the Huguenots.
    • 1636 – Eighty Years’ War: Dutch Republic forces recapture a strategically important fort from Spain after a nine-month siege.
    • 1671 – Petar Zrinski, the Croatian Ban from the Zrinski family, is executed.
    • 1789 – On the balcony of Federal Hall on Wall Street in New York City, George Washington takes the oath of office to become the first elected President of the United States.
    • 1803 – Louisiana Purchase: The United States purchases the Louisiana Territory from France for $15 million, more than doubling the size of the young nation.
    • 1812 – The Territory of Orleans becomes the 18th U.S. state under the name Louisiana.
    • 1838 – Nicaragua declares independence from the Central American Federation.
    • 1863 – A 65-man French Foreign Legion infantry patrol fights a force of nearly 2,000 Mexican soldiers to nearly the last man in Hacienda Camarón, Mexico.
    • 1871 – The Camp Grant massacre takes place in Arizona Territory.
    • 1885 – Governor of New York David B. Hill signs legislation creating the Niagara Reservation, New York’s first state park, ensuring that Niagara Falls will not be devoted solely to industrial and commercial use.
    • 1897 – J. J. Thomson of the Cavendish Laboratory announces his discovery of the electron as a subatomic particle, over 1,800 times smaller than a proton (in the atomic nucleus), at a lecture at the Royal Institution in London.
    • 1900 – Hawaii becomes a territory of the United States, with Sanford B. Dole as governor.
    • 1904 – The Louisiana Purchase Exposition World’s Fair opens in St. Louis, Missouri.
    • 1905 – Albert Einstein completes his doctoral thesis at the University of Zurich.
    • 1925 – Automaker Dodge Brothers, Inc is sold to Dillon, Read & Co. for US$146 million plus $50 million for charity.
    • 1927 – The Federal Industrial Institute for Women opens in Alderson, West Virginia, as the first women’s federal prison in the United States.
    • 1927 – Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford become the first celebrities to leave their footprints in concrete at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.
    • 1937 – The Commonwealth of the Philippines holds a plebiscite for Filipino women on whether they should be extended the right to suffrage; over 90% would vote in the affirmative.
    • 1938 – The animated cartoon short Porky’s Hare Hunt debuts in movie theaters, introducing Happy Rabbit, an early version of Bugs Bunny.
    • 1939 – The 1939–40 New York World’s Fair opens.
    • 1939 – NBC inaugurates its regularly scheduled television service in New York City, broadcasting President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s N.Y. World’s Fair opening day ceremonial address.
    • 1943 – World War II: The British submarine HMS Seraph surfaces near Huelva to cast adrift a dead man dressed as a courier and carrying false invasion plans.
    • 1945 – World War II: Führerbunker: Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun commit suicide after being married for less than 40 hours. Soviet soldiers raise the Victory Banner over the Reichstag building.
    • 1945 – World War II: Stalag Luft I prisoner-of-war camp near Barth, Germany is liberated by Soviet soldiers, freeing nearly 9000 American and British airmen.
    • 1947 – In Nevada, Boulder Dam is renamed Hoover Dam.
    • 1948 – In Bogotá, Colombia, the Organization of American States is established.
    • 1956 – Former Vice President and Democratic Senator Alben Barkley dies during a speech in Virginia.
    • 1957 – Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery entered into force.
    • 1961 – K-19, the first Soviet nuclear submarine equipped with nuclear missiles, is commissioned.
    • 1963 – The Bristol Bus Boycott is held in Bristol to protest the Bristol Omnibus Company’s refusal to employ Black or Asian bus crews, drawing national attention to racial discrimination in the United Kingdom.
    • 1966 – The Church of Satan is formed in The Black House, San Francisco.
    • 1973 – Watergate scandal: U.S. President Richard Nixon announces that White House Counsel John Dean has been fired and that other top aides, most notably H. R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman, have resigned.
    • 1975 – Fall of Saigon: Communist forces gain control of Saigon. The Vietnam War formally ends with the unconditional surrender of South Vietnamese president Dương Văn Minh.
    • 1980 – Beatrix is inaugurated as Queen of the Netherlands following the abdication of Juliana.
    • 1980 – The Iranian Embassy siege begins in London.
    • 1982 – The Bijon Setu massacre occurs in Calcutta, India.
    • 1993 – CERN announces World Wide Web protocols will be free.
    • 1994 – Formula One racing driver Roland Ratzenberger is killed in a crash during the qualifying session of the San Marino Grand Prix run at Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari outside Imola, Italy.
    • 2000 – Canonization of Faustina Kowalska in the presence of 200,000 people and the first Divine Mercy Sunday celebrated worldwide.
    • 2004 – U.S. media release graphic photos of American soldiers abusing and sexually humiliating Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison.
    • 2008 – Two skeletal remains found near Yekaterinburg, Russia are confirmed by Russian scientists to be the remains of Alexei and Anastasia, two of the children of the last Tsar of Russia, whose entire family was executed at Yekaterinburg by the Bolsheviks.
    • 2009 – Chrysler files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
    • 2009 – Seven civilians and the perpetrator are killed and another ten injured at a Queen’s Day parade in Apeldoorn, Netherlands in an attempted assassination on Queen Beatrix.
    • 2012 – An overloaded ferry capsizes on the Brahmaputra River in India killing at least 103 people.
    • 2013 – Willem-Alexander is inaugurated as King of the Netherlands following the abdication of Beatrix.
    • 2014 – A bomb blast in Ürümqi, China kills three people and injures 79 others.

    Births on April 30

    • 1245 – Philip III of France (d. 1285)
    • 1310 – King Casimir III of Poland (d. 1368)
    • 1331 – Gaston III, Count of Foix (d. 1391)
    • 1383 – Anne of Gloucester, English countess, granddaughter of King Edward III of England (d. 1438)
    • 1425 – William III, Landgrave of Thuringia (d. 1482)
    • 1504 – Francesco Primaticcio, Italian painter (d. 1570)
    • 1553 – Louise of Lorraine (d. 1601)
    • 1623 – François de Laval, French-Canadian bishop and saint (d. 1708)
    • 1651 – Jean-Baptiste de La Salle, French priest and saint (d. 1719)
    • 1662 – Mary II of England (d. 1694)
    • 1664 – François Louis, Prince of Conti (d. 1709)
    • 1710 – Johann Kaspar Basselet von La Rosée, Bavarian general (d. 1795)
    • 1723 – Mathurin Jacques Brisson, French zoologist and philosopher (d. 1806)
    • 1758 – Emmanuel Vitale, Maltese commander and politician (d. 1802)
    • 1770 – David Thompson, English-Canadian cartographer and explorer (d. 1857)
    • 1777 – Carl Friedrich Gauss, German mathematician and physicist (d. 1855)
    • 1803 – Albrecht von Roon, Prussian soldier and politician, 10th Minister President of Prussia (d. 1879)
    • 1829 – Ferdinand von Hochstetter, Austrian geologist and academic (d. 1884)
    • 1857 – Eugen Bleuler, Swiss psychiatrist and eugenicist (d. 1940)
    • 1857 – Walter Simon, German banker and philanthropist (d. 1920)
    • 1865 – Max Nettlau, German historian and academic (d. 1944)
    • 1866 – Mary Haviland Stilwell Kuesel, American pioneer dentist (d. 1936)
    • 1869 – Hans Poelzig, German architect, designed the IG Farben Building and Großes Schauspielhaus (d. 1936)
    • 1870 – Franz Lehár, Hungarian composer (d. 1948)
    • 1870 – Dadasaheb Phalke, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1944)
    • 1874 – Cyriel Verschaeve, Flemish priest and author (d. 1949)
    • 1876 – Orso Mario Corbino, Italian physicist and politician (d. 1937)
    • 1877 – Léon Flameng, French cyclist (d. 1917)
    • 1877 – Alice B. Toklas, American memoirist (d. 1967)
    • 1878 – Władysław Witwicki, Polish psychologist, philosopher, translator, historian (of philosophy and art) and artist (d. 1948)
    • 1880 – Charles Exeter Devereux Crombie, Scottish cartoonist (d. 1967)
    • 1883 – Jaroslav Hašek, Czech soldier and author (d. 1923)
    • 1883 – Luigi Russolo, Italian painter and composer (d. 1947)
    • 1884 – Olof Sandborg, Swedish actor (d. 1965)
    • 1888 – John Crowe Ransom, American poet, critic, and academic (d. 1974)
    • 1893 – Harold Breen, Australian public servant (d. 1966)
    • 1893 – Joachim von Ribbentrop, German soldier and politician, 14th German Reich Minister for Foreign Affairs (d. 1946)
    • 1895 – Philippe Panneton, Canadian physician, academic, and diplomat (d. 1960)
    • 1896 – Reverend Gary Davis, American singer and guitarist (d. 1972)
    • 1896 – Hans List, Austrian scientist and businessman, founded the AVL Engineering Company (d. 1996)
    • 1897 – Humberto Mauro, Brazilian director and screenwriter (d. 1983)
    • 1900 – Erni Krusten, Estonian author and poet (d. 1984)
    • 1901 – Simon Kuznets, Belarusian-American economist, statistician, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1985)
    • 1902 – Theodore Schultz, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1998)
    • 1905 – Sergey Nikolsky, Russian mathematician and academic (d. 2012)
    • 1908 – Eve Arden, American actress (d. 1990)
    • 1908 – Bjarni Benediktsson, Icelandic professor of law and politician, 13th Prime Minister of Iceland (d. 1970)
    • 1908 – Frank Robert Miller, Canadian air marshal and politician (d. 1997)
    • 1909 – F. E. McWilliam, Irish sculptor and educator (d. 1992)
    • 1909 – Juliana of the Netherlands (d. 2004)
    • 1910 – Levi Celerio, Filipino pianist, violinist, and composer (d. 2002)
    • 1914 – Charles Beetham, American middle-distance runner (d. 1997)
    • 1914 – Dorival Caymmi, Brazilian singer-songwriter, actor, and painter (d. 2008)
    • 1916 – Paul Kuusberg, Estonian journalist and author (d. 2003)
    • 1916 – Claude Shannon, American mathematician and engineer (d. 2001)
    • 1916 – Robert Shaw, American conductor (d. 1999)
    • 1917 – Bea Wain, American singer (d. 2017)
    • 1920 – Duncan Hamilton, Irish-English race car driver and pilot (d. 1994)
    • 1920 – Tom Moore, British army officer and fundraiser
    • 1921 – Roger L. Easton, American scientist, co-invented the GPS (d. 2014)
    • 1922 – Anton Murray, South African cricketer (d. 1995)
    • 1923 – Percy Heath, American bassist (d. 2005)
    • 1923 – Kagamisato Kiyoji, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 42nd Yokozuna (d. 2004)
    • 1924 – Uno Laht, Estonian KGB officer and author (d. 2008)
    • 1925 – Corinne Calvet, French actress (d. 2001)
    • 1925 – Johnny Horton, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1960)
    • 1926 – Shrinivas Khale, Indian composer (d. 2011)
    • 1926 – Cloris Leachman, American actress and comedian
    • 1928 – Hugh Hood, Canadian author and academic (d. 2000)
    • 1928 – Orlando Sirola, Italian tennis player (d. 1995)
    • 1930 – Félix Guattari, French psychotherapist and philosopher (d. 1992)
    • 1933 – Charles Sanderson, Baron Sanderson of Bowden, English politician
    • 1934 – Jerry Lordan, English singer-songwriter (d. 1995)
    • 1934 – Don McKenney, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1937 – Tony Harrison, English poet and playwright
    • 1938 – Gary Collins, American actor and talk show host (d. 2012)
    • 1938 – Juraj Jakubisko, Slovak director and screenwriter
    • 1938 – Larry Niven, American author and screenwriter
    • 1940 – Jeroen Brouwers, Dutch journalist and writer
    • 1940 – Michael Cleary, Australian rugby player and politician
    • 1941 – Stavros Dimas, Greek lawyer and politician, Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs
    • 1941 – Max Merritt, New Zealand-Australian singer-songwriter
    • 1942 – Sallehuddin of Kedah, Sultan of Kedah
    • 1943 – Frederick Chiluba, Zambian politician, 2nd President of Zambia (d. 2011)
    • 1943 – Bobby Vee, American pop singer-songwriter (d. 2016)
    • 1944 – Jon Bing, Norwegian author, scholar, and academic (d. 2014)
    • 1944 – Jill Clayburgh, American actress (d. 2010)
    • 1945 – J. Michael Brady, British radiologist
    • 1945 – Annie Dillard, American novelist, essayist, and poet
    • 1945 – Mimi Fariña, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and activist (d. 2001)
    • 1945 – Michael J. Smith, American captain, pilot, and astronaut (d. 1986)
    • 1946 – King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
    • 1946 – Bill Plympton, American animator, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1946 – Don Schollander, American swimmer
    • 1947 – Paul Fiddes, English theologian and academic
    • 1947 – Finn Kalvik, Norwegian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1947 – Tom Køhlert, Danish footballer and manager
    • 1947 – Mats Odell, Swedish economist and politician, Swedish Minister for Financial Markets
    • 1948 – Wayne Kramer, American guitarist and singer-songwriter
    • 1948 – Pierre Pagé, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1948 – Margit Papp, Hungarian athlete
    • 1949 – Phil Garner, American baseball player and manager
    • 1949 – António Guterres, Portuguese academic and politician, 114th Prime Minister of Portugal and 9th Secretary-General of the United Nations
    • 1949 – Karl Meiler, German tennis player (d. 2014)
    • 1952 – Jacques Audiard, French director and screenwriter
    • 1952 – Jack Middelburg, Dutch motorcycle racer (d. 1984)
    • 1953 – Merrill Osmond, American singer and bass player
    • 1954 – Jane Campion, New Zealand director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1954 – Kim Darroch, English diplomat, UK Permanent Representative to the European Union
    • 1954 – Frank-Michael Marczewski, German footballer
    • 1955 – Nicolas Hulot, French journalist and environmentalist
    • 1955 – David Kitchin, English lawyer and judge
    • 1955 – Zlatko Topčić, Bosnian writer and screenwriter
    • 1956 – Lars von Trier, Danish director and screenwriter
    • 1957 – Wonder Mike, American rapper and songwriter
    • 1958 – Charles Berling, French actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1959 – Stephen Harper, Canadian economist and politician, 22nd Prime Minister of Canada
    • 1960 – Geoffrey Cox, English lawyer and politician
    • 1960 – Kerry Healey, American academic and politician, 70th Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts
    • 1961 – Arnór Guðjohnsen, Icelandic footballer
    • 1961 – Isiah Thomas, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster
    • 1963 – Andrew Carwood, English tenor and conductor
    • 1963 – Michael Waltrip, American race car driver and sportscaster
    • 1964 – Tony Fernandes, Malaysian-Indian businessman, co-founded Tune Group
    • 1964 – Ian Healy, Australian cricketer, coach, and sportscaster
    • 1964 – Lorenzo Staelens, Belgian footballer and manager
    • 1964 – Abhishek Chatterjee, Indian actor
    • 1965 – Daniela Costian, Romanian-Australian discus thrower
    • 1965 – Adrian Pasdar, American actor
    • 1966 – Jeff Brown, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1966 – Dave Meggett, American football player and coach
    • 1967 – Phil Chang, Taiwanese singer-songwriter and actor
    • 1969 – Warren Defever, American bass player and producer
    • 1969 – Justine Greening, English accountant and politician, Secretary of State for International Development
    • 1969 – Paulo Jr., Brazilian bass player
    • 1972 – Takako Tokiwa, Japanese actress
    • 1973 – Leigh Francis, English comedian and actor
    • 1974 – Christian Tamminga, Dutch athlete
    • 1975 – Johnny Galecki, American actor
    • 1976 – Davian Clarke, Jamaican sprinter
    • 1976 – Amanda Palmer, American singer-songwriter and pianist
    • 1976 – Daniel Wagon, Australian rugby league player
    • 1977 – Jeannie Haddaway, American politician
    • 1977 – Meredith L. Patterson, American technologist, journalist, and author
    • 1978 – Liljay, Taiwanese singer
    • 1979 – Gerardo Torrado, Mexican footballer
    • 1980 – Luis Scola, Argentinian basketball player
    • 1980 – Jeroen Verhoeven, Dutch footballer
    • 1981 – Nicole Kaczmarski, American basketball player
    • 1981 – John O’Shea, Irish footballer
    • 1981 – Kunal Nayyar, British-Indian actor
    • 1981 – Justin Vernon, American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer
    • 1982 – Kirsten Dunst, American actress
    • 1982 – Drew Seeley, Canadian-American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actor
    • 1983 – Chris Carr, American football player
    • 1983 – Tatjana Hüfner, German luger
    • 1983 – Marina Tomić, Slovenian hurdler
    • 1983 – Troy Williamson, American football player
    • 1984 – Seimone Augustus, American basketball player
    • 1984 – Shawn Daivari, American wrestler and manager
    • 1984 – Risto Mätas, Estonian javelin thrower
    • 1984 – Lee Roache, English footballer
    • 1985 – Brandon Bass, American basketball player
    • 1985 – Gal Gadot, Israeli actress and model
    • 1985 – Ashley Alexandra Dupré, American journalist, singer, and prostitute
    • 1986 – Dianna Agron, American actress and singer
    • 1986 – Martten Kaldvee, Estonian biathlete
    • 1987 – Alipate Carlile, Australian footballer
    • 1987 – Chris Morris, South African cricketer
    • 1987 – Rohit Sharma, Indian cricketer
    • 1988 – Andy Allen, Australian chef
    • 1988 – Sander Baart, Dutch field hockey player
    • 1988 – Liu Xijun, Chinese singer
    • 1988 – Oh Hye-ri, South Korean taekwondo athlete
    • 1989 – Jang Wooyoung, South Korean singer and actor
    • 1990 – Jonny Brownlee, English triathlete
    • 1990 – Mac DeMarco, Canadian singer-songwriter
    • 1990 – Kaarel Kiidron, Estonian footballer
    • 1991 – Chris Kreider, American ice hockey player
    • 1992 – Travis Scott, American rapper and producer
    • 1992 – Marc-André ter Stegen, German footballer
    • 1993 – Dion Dreesens, Dutch swimmer
    • 1993 – Martin Fuksa, Czech canoeist
    • 1994 – Chae Seo-jin, South Korean actress
    • 1994 – Wang Yafan, Chinese tennis player
    • 1996 – Luke Friend, English singer
    • 1997 – Adam Ryczkowski, Polish footballer
    • 1999 – Jorden van Foreest, Dutch chess grandmaster
    • 2000 – Yui Hiwatashi, Japanese singer
    • 2003 – Jung Yun-Seok, South Korean actor

    Deaths on April 30

    • AD 65 – Lucan, Roman poet (b. 39)
    • 125 – An, Chinese emperor (b. 94)
    • 535 – Amalasuntha, Ostrogothic queen and regent
    • 783 – Hildegard of the Vinzgau, Frankish queen
    • 1002 – Eckard I, German nobleman
    • 1030 – Mahmud of Ghazni, Ghaznavid emir (b. 971)
    • 1063 – Ren Zong, Chinese emperor (b. 1010)
    • 1131 – Adjutor, French knight and saint
    • 1305 – Roger de Flor, Italian military adventurer (b. 1267)
    • 1341 – John III, duke of Brittany (b. 1286)
    • 1439 – Richard de Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick, English commander (b. 1382)
    • 1524 – Pierre Terrail, seigneur de Bayard, French soldier (b. 1473)
    • 1544 – Thomas Audley, 1st Baron Audley of Walden, English lawyer and judge, Lord Chancellor of England (b. 1488)
    • 1550 – Tabinshwehti, Burmese king (b. 1516)
    • 1632 – Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly, Bavarian general (b. 1559)
    • 1632 – Sigismund III Vasa, Swedish-Polish son of John III of Sweden (b. 1566)
    • 1637 – Niwa Nagashige, Japanese daimyō (b. 1571)
    • 1655 – Eustache Le Sueur, French painter (b. 1617)
    • 1660 – Petrus Scriverius, Dutch historian and scholar (b. 1576)
    • 1672 – Marie of the Incarnation, French-Canadian nun and saint, founded the Ursulines of Quebec (b. 1599)
    • 1696 – Robert Plot, English chemist and academic (b. 1640)
    • 1712 – Philipp van Limborch, Dutch theologian and author (b. 1633)
    • 1736 – Johann Albert Fabricius, German scholar and author (b. 1668)
    • 1758 – François d’Agincourt, French organist and composer (b. 1684)
    • 1792 – John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, English politician, Secretary of State for the Northern Department (b. 1718)
    • 1795 – Jean-Jacques Barthélemy, French archaeologist and author (b. 1716)
    • 1806 – Onogawa Kisaburō, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 5th Yokozuna (b. 1758)
    • 1841 – Peter Andreas Heiberg, Danish philologist and author (b. 1758)
    • 1847 – Charles, Austrian commander and duke of Teschen (b. 1771)
    • 1863 – Jean Danjou, French captain (b. 1828)
    • 1865 – Robert FitzRoy, English admiral, meteorologist, and politician, 2nd Governor of New Zealand (b. 1805)
    • 1870 – Thomas Cooke, Canadian bishop and missionary (b. 1792)
    • 1875 – Jean-Frédéric Waldeck, French explorer, lithographer, and cartographer (b. 1766)
    • 1879 – Emma Smith, American religious leader (b. 1804)
    • 1883 – Édouard Manet, French painter (b. 1832)
    • 1891 – Joseph Leidy, American paleontologist and author (b. 1823)
    • 1900 – Casey Jones, American engineer (b. 1863)
    • 1903 – Emily Stowe, Canadian physician and activist (b. 1831)
    • 1910 – Jean Moréas, Greek poet and critic (b. 1856)
    • 1936 – A. E. Housman, English poet and scholar (b. 1859)
    • 1939 – Frank Haller, American boxer (b. 1883)
    • 1943 – Otto Jespersen, Danish linguist and academic (b. 1860)
    • 1943 – Beatrice Webb, English sociologist and economist (b. 1858)
    • 1953 – Jacob Linzbach, Estonian linguist and author (b. 1874)
    • 1956 – Alben W. Barkley, American lawyer and politician, 35th Vice President of the United States (b. 1877)
    • 1970 – Jacques Presser, Dutch historian, writer and poet (b. 1899)
    • 1970 – Inger Stevens, Swedish-American actress (b. 1934)
    • 1972 – Gia Scala, English-American model and actress (b. 1934)
    • 1973 – Václav Renč, Czech poet and playwright (b. 1911)
    • 1974 – Agnes Moorehead, American actress (b. 1900)
    • 1980 – Luis Muñoz Marín, Puerto Rican journalist and politician, 1st Governor of Puerto Rico (b. 1898)
    • 1982 – Lester Bangs, American journalist and author (b. 1949)
    • 1983 – George Balanchine, Russian dancer and choreographer (b. 1904)
    • 1983 – Muddy Waters, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and bandleader (b. 1913)
    • 1983 – Edouard Wyss-Dunant, Swiss physician and mountaineer (b. 1897)
    • 1986 – Robert Stevenson, English director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1905)
    • 1989 – Sergio Leone, Italian director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1929)
    • 1993 – Tommy Caton, English footballer (b. 1962)
    • 1994 – Roland Ratzenberger, Austrian race car driver (b. 1960)
    • 1994 – Richard Scarry, American author and illustrator (b. 1919)
    • 1995 – Maung Maung Kha, Burmese colonel and politician, 8th Prime Minister of Burma (b. 1920)
    • 1998 – Nizar Qabbani, Syrian-English poet, publisher, and diplomat (b. 1926)
    • 2000 – Poul Hartling, Danish politician, 36th Prime Minister of Denmark (b. 1914)
    • 2002 – Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, German philanthropist, founded the Gründerzeit Museum (b. 1928)
    • 2003 – Mark Berger, American economist and academic (b. 1955)
    • 2003 – Possum Bourne, New Zealand race car driver (b. 1956)
    • 2005 – Phil Rasmussen, American lieutenant and pilot (b. 1918)
    • 2006 – Jean-François Revel, French philosopher (b. 1924)
    • 2006 – Pramoedya Ananta Toer, Indonesian author and academic (b. 1925)
    • 2007 – Kevin Mitchell, American football player (b. 1971)
    • 2007 – Tom Poston, American actor, comedian, and game show panelist (b. 1921)
    • 2007 – Gordon Scott, American film and television actor (b. 1926)
    • 2008 – John Cargher, English-Australian journalist and author (b. 1919)
    • 2008 – Juancho Evertsz, Dutch Antillean politician (b. 1923)
    • 2009 – Henk Nijdam, Dutch cyclist (b. 1935)
    • 2011 – Dorjee Khandu, Indian politician, 6th Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh (b. 1955)
    • 2011 – Evald Okas, Estonian painter (b. 1915)
    • 2011 – Ernesto Sabato, Argentinian physicist, author, and painter (b. 1911)
    • 2012 – Tomás Borge, Nicaraguan poet and politician, co-founded the Sandinista National Liberation Front (b. 1930)
    • 2012 – Alexander Dale Oen, Norwegian swimmer (b. 1985)
    • 2012 – Giannis Gravanis, Greek footballer (b. 1958)
    • 2012 – Benzion Netanyahu, Russian-Israeli historian and academic (b. 1910)
    • 2012 – Sicelo Shiceka, South African politician (b. 1966)
    • 2013 – Roberto Chabet, Filipino painter and sculptor (b. 1937)
    • 2013 – Shirley Firth, Canadian skier (b. 1953)
    • 2013 – Viviane Forrester, French author and critic (b. 1925)
    • 2013 – Mike Gray, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1935)
    • 2014 – Khaled Choudhury, Indian painter and set designer (b. 1919)
    • 2014 – Julian Lewis, English biologist and academic (b. 1946)
    • 2014 – Carl E. Moses, American businessman and politician (b. 1929)
    • 2014 – Ian Ross, Australian journalist (b. 1940)
    • 2015 – Lennart Bodström, Swedish politician (b. 1928)
    • 2015 – Ben E. King, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1938)
    • 2015 – Steven Goldmann, Canadian director and producer (b. 1961)
    • 2016 – Daniel Berrigan, American priest and activist (b. 1921)
    • 2016 – Harry Kroto, English chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1939)
    • 2019 – Peter Mayhew, English-American actor (b. 1944)
    • 2020 – Tony Allen, Nigerian drummer and composer (b. 1940)

    Holidays and observances on April 30

    • Armed Forces Day (Georgia)
    • Birthday of the King Carl XVI Gustaf, one of the official flag days of Sweden.
    • Camarón Day (French Foreign Legion)
    • Children’s Day (Mexico)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Adjutor
      • Aimo
      • Amator, Peter and Louis
      • Donatus of Evorea
      • Eutropius of Saintes
      • Marie Guyart (Anglican Church of Canada)
      • Marie of the Incarnation (Ursuline)
      • Maximus of Rome
      • Blessed Miles Gerard
      • Pomponius of Naples
      • Pope Pius V
      • Quirinus of Neuss
      • Sarah Josepha Hale (Episcopal Church)
      • Suitbert the Younger
      • April 30 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Consumer Protection Day (Thailand)
    • Earliest day on which Ascension Day can fall, while June 3 is the latest; celebrated 40 days after Easter (Christianity), and its related observances:
      • Festa della Sensa (Venice)
      • Global Day of Prayer (Western Christianity)
      • Sheep Festival (Cameroon)
    • Honesty Day (United States)
    • International Jazz Day (UNESCO)
    • Martyrs’ Day (Pakistan)
    • May Eve, the eve of the first day of summer in the Northern hemisphere (see May 1):
      • Beltane begins at sunset in the Northern hemisphere, Samhain begins at sunset in the Southern hemisphere. (Neo-Druidic Wheel of the Year)
      • Carodejnice (Czech Republic and Slovakia)
      • Walpurgis Night (Central and Northern Europe)
    • National Persian Gulf Day (Iran)
    • Reunification Day (Vietnam)
    • Russian State Fire Service Day (Russia)
    • Teachers’ Day (Paraguay)

  • April 17 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 1080 – Harald III of Denmark dies and is succeeded by Canute IV, who would later be the first Dane to be canonized.
    • 1349 – The rule of the Bavand dynasty in Mazandaran is brought to an end by the murder of Hasan II.
    • 1362 – Kaunas Castle falls to the Teutonic Order after a month-long siege.
    • 1492 – Spain and Christopher Columbus sign the Capitulations of Santa Fe for his voyage to Asia to acquire spices.
    • 1521 – Trial of Martin Luther over his teachings begins during the assembly of the Diet of Worms. Initially intimidated, he asks for time to reflect before answering and is given a stay of one day.
    • 1524 – Giovanni da Verrazzano reaches New York harbor.
    • 1797 – Sir Ralph Abercromby attacks San Juan, Puerto Rico, in what would be one of the largest invasions of the Spanish territories in the Americas.
    • 1797 – Citizens of Verona begin an unsuccessful eight-day rebellion against the French occupying forces.
    • 1861 – The state of Virginia’s secession convention votes to secede from the United States, later becoming the eighth state to join the Confederate States of America.
    • 1863 – American Civil War: Grierson’s Raid begins: Troops under Union Army Colonel Benjamin Grierson attack central Mississippi.
    • 1864 – American Civil War: The Battle of Plymouth begins: Confederate forces attack Plymouth, North Carolina.
    • 1869 – Morelos is admitted as the 27th state of Mexico.
    • 1876 – Catalpa rescue: The rescue of six Fenian prisoners from Fremantle Prison in Western Australia.
    • 1895 – The Treaty of Shimonoseki between China and Japan is signed. This marks the end of the First Sino-Japanese War, and the defeated Qing Empire is forced to renounce its claims on Korea and to concede the southern portion of the Fengtien province, Taiwan and the Pescadores Islands to Japan.
    • 1905 – The Supreme Court of the United States decides Lochner v. New York, which holds that the “right to free contract” is implicit in the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
    • 1907 – The Ellis Island immigration center processes 11,747 people, more than on any other day.
    • 1912 – Russian troops open fire on striking goldfield workers in northeast Siberia, killing at least 150.
    • 1941 – World War II: The Kingdom of Yugoslavia surrenders to Germany.
    • 1942 – French prisoner of war General Henri Giraud escapes from his castle prison in Königstein Fortress.
    • 1944 – Forces of the Communist-controlled Greek People’s Liberation Army attack the smaller National and Social Liberation resistance group, which surrenders. Its leader Dimitrios Psarros is murdered.
    • 1945 – World War II: Montese, Italy, is liberated from Nazi forces.
    • 1946 – The last French troops are withdrawn from Syria.
    • 1951 – The Peak District becomes the United Kingdom’s first National Park.
    • 1961 – Bay of Pigs Invasion: A group of Cuban exiles financed and trained by the CIA lands at the Bay of Pigs in Cuba with the aim of ousting Fidel Castro.
    • 1969 – Sirhan Sirhan is convicted of assassinating Robert F. Kennedy.
    • 1969 – Communist Party of Czechoslovakia chairman Alexander Dubček is deposed.
    • 1970 – Apollo program: The ill-fated Apollo 13 spacecraft returns to Earth safely.
    • 1971 – The Provisional Government of Bangladesh is formed.
    • 1975 – The Cambodian Civil War ends. The Khmer Rouge captures the capital Phnom Penh and Cambodian government forces surrender.
    • 1978 – Mir Akbar Khyber is assassinated, provoking a communist coup d’état in Afghanistan.
    • 1982 – Constitution Act, 1982 Patriation of the Canadian constitution in Ottawa by Proclamation of Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada.
    • 1992 – The Katina P is deliberately run aground off of Maputo, Mozambique and 60,000 tons of crude oil spill into the ocean.
    • 2006 – A Palestinian suicide bomber detonates an explosive device in a Tel Aviv restaurant, killing 11 people and injuring 70.
    • 2013 – An explosion at a fertilizer plant in the city of West, Texas, kills 15 people and injures 160 others.
    • 2014 – NASA’s Kepler space telescope confirms the discovery of the first Earth-size planet in the habitable zone of another star.

    Births on April 17

    • 44 – Pope Evaristus (d. 107)
    • 1277 – Michael IX Palaiologos, Byzantine emperor (d. 1320)
    • 1455 – Andrea Gritti, Doge of Venice (d. 1538)
    • 1497 – Pedro de Valdivia, Spanish conquistador, conquered northern Chile (d. 1553)
    • 1573 – Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria (d. 1651)
    • 1586 – John Ford, English poet and playwright (d. 1639)
    • 1598 – Giovanni Battista Riccioli, Italian priest and astronomer (d. 1671)
    • 1620 – Marguerite Bourgeoys, French-Canadian nun and saint, founded the Congregation of Notre Dame of Montreal (d. 1700)
    • 1635 – Edward Stillingfleet, British theologian and scholar (d. 1699)
    • 1676 – Frederick I of Sweden (d. 1751)
    • 1683 – Johann David Heinichen, German composer and theorist (d. 1729)
    • 1710 – Henry Erskine, 10th Earl of Buchan, Scottish politician (d. 1767)
    • 1734 – Taksin, King of Thailand (d. 1782)
    • 1741 – Samuel Chase, American lawyer and jurist (d. 1811)
    • 1750 – François de Neufchâteau, French academic and politician, French Minister of the Interior (d. 1828)
    • 1756 – Dheeran Chinnamalai, Indian commander (d. 1805)
    • 1766 – Collin McKinney, American surveyor, merchant, and politician (d. 1861)
    • 1794 – Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius, German botanist and explorer (d. 1868)
    • 1798 – Étienne Bobillier, French mathematician and academic (d. 1840)
    • 1814 – Josif Pančić, Serbian botanist and academic (d. 1888)
    • 1816 – Thomas Hazlehurst, English architect and philanthropist (d. 1876)
    • 1820 – Alexander Cartwright, American firefighter and inventor of baseball (d. 1892)
    • 1833 – Jean-Baptiste Accolay, Belgian violinist, composer, and conductor (d. 1900)
    • 1837 – J. P. Morgan, American banker and financier, founded J.P. Morgan & Co. (d. 1913)
    • 1842 – Maurice Rouvier, French businessman and politician, 53rd Prime Minister of France (d. 1911)
    • 1849 – William R. Day, American jurist and politician, 36th United States Secretary of State (d. 1923)
    • 1852 – Cap Anson, American baseball player and manager (d. 1922)
    • 1863 – Augustus Edward Hough Love, English mathematician and theorist (d. 1940)
    • 1865 – Ursula Ledóchowska, Polish-Austrian nun and saint, founded the Congregation of the Ursulines of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus (d. 1939)
    • 1866 – Ernest Starling, English physiologist and academic (d. 1927)
    • 1875 – Aleksander Tõnisson, Estonian general and politician, 5th Estonian Minister of War (d. 1941)
    • 1877 – Matsudaira Tsuneo, Japanese diplomat (d. 1949)
    • 1878 – Emil Fuchs, German-American lawyer and businessman (d. 1961)
    • 1878 – Demetrios Petrokokkinos, Greek tennis player (d. 1942)
    • 1879 – Henri Tauzin, French hurdler (d. 1918)
    • 1882 – Artur Schnabel, Jewish-Polish pianist and composer (d. 1951)
    • 1888 – Herms Niel, German soldier, trombonist, and composer (d. 1954)
    • 1891 – George Adamski, Polish-American ufologist and author (d. 1965)
    • 1895 – Robert Dean Frisbie, American soldier and author (d. 1948)
    • 1896 – Señor Wences, Spanish-American ventriloquist (d. 1999)
    • 1897 – Nisargadatta Maharaj, Indian philosopher and educator (d. 1981)
    • 1897 – Thornton Wilder, American novelist and playwright (d. 1975)
    • 1897 – Edouard Wyss-Dunant, Swiss physician and mountaineer (d. 1983)
    • 1899 – Aleksander Klumberg, Estonian decathlete and coach (d. 1958)
    • 1903 – Nicolas Nabokov, Russian-American composer and educator (d. 1978)
    • 1903 – Gregor Piatigorsky, Ukrainian-American cellist and educator (d. 1976)
    • 1903 – Morgan Taylor, American hurdler and coach (d. 1975)
    • 1905 – Louis Jean Heydt, American journalist and actor (d. 1960)
    • 1905 – Arthur Lake, American actor (d. 1987)
    • 1906 – Sidney Garfield, American physician, co-founded Kaiser Permanente (d. 1984)
    • 1909 – Alain Poher, French politician, President of France (d. 1996)
    • 1910 – Evangelos Averoff, Greek historian and politician, Greek Minister of Defence (d. 1990)
    • 1910 – Ivan Goff, Australian screenwriter and producer (d. 1999)
    • 1910 – Helenio Herrera, French footballer and manager (d. 1997)
    • 1911 – Hervé Bazin, French author and poet (d. 1996)
    • 1911 – Lester Rodney, American soldier and journalist (d. 2009)
    • 1912 – Marta Eggerth, Jewish-Hungarian-American actress and singer (d. 2013)
    • 1914 – George Davis, American art director (d. 1984)
    • 1914 – Mac Raboy, American illustrator (d. 1967)
    • 1915 – Martin Clemens, Scottish soldier (d. 2009)
    • 1915 – Joe Foss, American general and politician, 20th Governor of South Dakota (d. 2003)
    • 1915 – Regina Ghazaryan, Armenian painter (d. 1999)
    • 1916 – Win Maung, 3rd President of Union of Myanmar (d. 1989)
    • 1916 – A. Thiagarajah, Sri Lankan educator and politician (d. 1981)
    • 1916 – Sirimavo Bandaranaike, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, world’s first female prime minister (d. 2000)
    • 1918 – William Holden, American actor (d. 1981)
    • 1919 – Gilles Lamontagne, Canadian lieutenant and politician, 24th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (d. 2016)
    • 1919 – Chavela Vargas, Costa Rican-Mexican singer-songwriter and actress (d. 2012)
    • 1920 – Edmonde Charles-Roux, French journalist and author (d. 2016)
    • 1923 – Lindsay Anderson, English actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1994)
    • 1923 – Solly Hemus, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 2017)
    • 1923 – Neville McNamara, Australian air marshal (d. 2014)
    • 1923 – Gianni Raimondi, Italian lyric tenor (d. 2008)
    • 1923 – Harry Reasoner, American soldier and journalist (d. 1991)
    • 1924 – Kenneth Norman Jones, Australian public servant
    • 1924 – Donald Richie, American-Japanese author and critic (d. 2013)
    • 1925 – René Moawad, Lebanese lawyer and politician, 13th President of Lebanon (d. 1989)
    • 1926 – Joan Lorring, British actress (d. 2014)
    • 1926 – Gerry McNeil, Canadian ice hockey player and manager (d. 2004)
    • 1927 – Margot Honecker, East German politician and First Lady (d. 2016)
    • 1928 – Victor Lownes, American businessman (d. 2017)
    • 1928 – Cynthia Ozick, American short story writer, novelist, and essayist
    • 1928 – Heinz Putzl, Austrian fencer
    • 1928 – Fabien Roy, Canadian accountant and politician
    • 1929 – James Last, German-American bassist, composer, and bandleader (d. 2015)
    • 1930 – Chris Barber, English trombonist and bandleader
    • 1931 – John Barrett, English tennis player and sportscaster
    • 1931 – Malcolm Browne, American journalist and photographer (d. 2012)
    • 1934 – Don Kirshner, American songwriter and producer (d. 2011)
    • 1934 – Peter Morris, Australian-English surgeon and academic
    • 1935 – Bud Paxson, American broadcaster, founded Home Shopping Network and Pax TV (d. 2015)
    • 1937 – Ronald Hamowy, Canadian historian and academic (d. 2012)
    • 1937 – Ferdinand Piëch, Austrian-German engineer and businessman (d. 2019)
    • 1938 – Ben Barnes, American businessman and politician, 36th Lieutenant Governor of Texas
    • 1938 – Doug Lewis, Canadian lawyer and politician, 41st Canadian Minister of Justice
    • 1938 – Ronald H. Miller, American theologian, author, and academic (d. 2011)
    • 1938 – Kerry Wendell Thornley, American theorist and author (d. 1988)
    • 1939 – Robert Miller, American art dealer (d. 2011)
    • 1940 – Eric Dancer, English businessman and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Devon
    • 1940 – Billy Fury, English singer-songwriter (d. 1983)
    • 1940 – John McCririck, English journalist (d. 2019)
    • 1940 – Chuck Menville, American animator and screenwriter (d. 1992)
    • 1940 – Anja Silja, German soprano and actress
    • 1940 – Agostino Vallini, Italian cardinal and vicar general of Rome
    • 1941 – Lagle Parek, Estonian architect and politician, Estonian Minister of the Interior
    • 1942 – Buster Williams, American jazz bassist
    • 1943 – Richard Allen Epstein, American lawyer, author, and academic
    • 1946 – Clare Francis, English sailor and author
    • 1947 – Nigel Emslie, Lord Emslie, Scottish lawyer and judge
    • 1947 – Richard Field, English lawyer and judge
    • 1947 – Sherrie Levine, American photographer
    • 1947 – Tsutomu Wakamatsu, Japanese baseball player, coach, and manager
    • 1948 – Jan Hammer, Czech pianist, composer, and producer
    • 1948 – Alice Harden, American educator and politician (d. 2012)
    • 1948 – Pekka Vasala, Finnish runner
    • 1951 – Olivia Hussey, Argentinian-English actress
    • 1951 – Börje Salming, Swedish ice hockey player and businessman
    • 1952 – Joe Alaskey, American voice actor (d. 2016)
    • 1952 – Pierre Guité, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1952 – John McColl, English general and politician, Lieutenant Governor of Jersey
    • 1952 – Željko Ražnatović, Serbian commander (d. 2000)
    • 1952 – John Robertson, Scottish businessman and politician
    • 1954 – Riccardo Patrese, Italian race car driver
    • 1954 – Roddy Piper, Canadian professional wrestler and actor (d. 2015)
    • 1954 – Michael Sembello, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1955 – Todd Lickliter, American basketball player and coach
    • 1955 – Pete Shelley, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2018)
    • 1955 – Mike Stroud, English physician and explorer
    • 1956 – Colin Tyre, Lord Tyre, Scottish lawyer and judge
    • 1957 – Teri Austin, Canadian actress
    • 1957 – Afrika Bambaataa, American disc jockey
    • 1957 – Nick Hornby, English novelist, essayist, lyricist, and screenwriter
    • 1957 – Julia Macur, English lawyer and judge
    • 1957 – Frank McDonough, British historian
    • 1958 – Laslo Babits, Canadian javelin thrower (d. 2013)
    • 1959 – Sean Bean, English actor
    • 1959 – Jimmy Mann, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1959 – Li Meisu, Chinese shot putter
    • 1960 – Vladimir Polyakov, Russian pole vaulter
    • 1961 – Frank J. Christensen, American labor union leader
    • 1961 – Norman Cowans, Jamaican-English cricketer
    • 1961 – Boomer Esiason, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1961 – Bella Freud, English fashion designer
    • 1962 – Paul Nicholls, English jockey and trainer
    • 1964 – Ken Daneyko, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
    • 1964 – Maynard James Keenan, American singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1964 – Rachel Notley, Canadian politician
    • 1964 – Lela Rochon, American actress
    • 1966 – Vikram, Indian actor and singer
    • 1967 – Kimberly Elise, American actress
    • 1967 – Marquis Grissom, American baseball player and coach
    • 1967 – Ian Jones, New Zealand rugby player
    • 1967 – Barnaby Joyce, Australian politician, 17th Deputy Prime Minister of Australia
    • 1967 – Liz Phair, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1968 – Julie Fagerholt, Danish fashion designer
    • 1968 – Phil Henderson, American basketball player and coach (d. 2013)
    • 1968 – Eric Lamaze, Canadian jockey
    • 1968 – Roger Twose, New Zealand cricketer
    • 1968 – Richie Woodhall, English boxer and trainer
    • 1970 – Redman, American rapper, producer, and actor
    • 1971 – Claire Sweeney, English actress
    • 1972 – Gary Bennett, American baseball player
    • 1972 – Tony Boselli, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1972 – Jennifer Garner, American actress
    • 1972 – Muttiah Muralitharan, Sri Lankan cricketer
    • 1972 – Yuichi Nishimura, Japanese footballer and referee
    • 1972 – Terran Sandwith, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1973 – Katrin Koov, Estonian architect
    • 1973 – Brett Maher, Australian basketball player and sportscaster
    • 1973 – Theo Ratliff, American basketball player
    • 1974 – Mikael Åkerfeldt, Swedish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1974 – Victoria Beckham, English singer and fashion designer
    • 1975 – Heidi Alexander, English politician
    • 1975 – Travis Roy, American ice hockey player
    • 1976 – Maurice Wignall, Jamaican hurdler and long jumper
    • 1977 – Chad Hedrick, American speed skater
    • 1977 – Frederik Magle, Danish composer, organist, and pianist
    • 1978 – Monika Bergmann-Schmuderer, German skier
    • 1978 – Lindsay Hartley, American actress
    • 1978 – Jason White, Scottish rugby player
    • 1979 – Eric Brewer, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1979 – Marija Šestak, Serbian-Slovenian triple jumper
    • 1980 – Fabián Vargas, Colombian footballer
    • 1980 – Curtis Woodhouse, English footballer, boxer, and manager
    • 1981 – Jenny Meadows, English runner
    • 1981 – Hanna Pakarinen, Finnish singer-songwriter
    • 1981 – Ryan Raburn, American baseball player
    • 1981 – Chris Thompson, English runner
    • 1981 – Zhang Yaokun, Chinese footballer
    • 1982 – Brad Boyes, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1982 – Chuck Kobasew, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1983 – Stanislav Chistov, Russian ice hockey player
    • 1983 – Roberto Jiménez, Peruvian footballer
    • 1983 – Andrea Marcato, Italian rugby player
    • 1984 – Pablo Sebastián Álvarez, Argentinian footballer
    • 1984 – Jed Lowrie, American baseball player
    • 1984 – Raffaele Palladino, Italian footballer
    • 1985 – Rooney Mara, American actress
    • 1985 – Luke Mitchell, Australian actor and model
    • 1985 – Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, French tennis player
    • 1986 – Romain Grosjean, French race car driver
    • 1988 – Takahiro Moriuchi, Japanese singer-songwriter
    • 1989 – Paraskevi Papachristou, Greek triple jumper
    • 1989 – Avi Kaplan, singer and songwriter
    • 1990 – Jonathan Brown, Welsh footballer
    • 1992 – Lachlan Maranta, Australian rugby league footballer
    • 1994 – Alanna Goldie, Canadian fencer
    • 1996 – Lorna Fitzgerald, British actress

    Deaths on April 17

    • 485 – Proclus, Greek mathematician and philosopher (b. 412)
    • 617 – Donnán of Eigg, Irish priest and saint
    • 648 – Xiao, empress of the Sui Dynasty
    • 744 – Al-Walid II, Umayyad caliph (b. 706)
    • 818 – Bernard of Italy, Frankish king (b. 797)
    • 858 – Benedict III, pope of the Catholic Church
    • 1071 – Manuel Komnenos, Byzantine military commander (b. c. 1045)
    • 1080 – Harald III of Denmark (b. 1041)
    • 1111 – Robert of Molesme, Christian saint and abbot (b. 1027)
    • 1298 – Árni Þorláksson, Icelandic bishop (b. 1237)
    • 1321 – Infanta Branca of Portugal, daughter of King Afonso III of Portugal (b. 1259)
    • 1331 – Robert de Vere, 6th Earl of Oxford, English nobleman (b. 1257)
    • 1344 – Constantine II, King of Armenia
    • 1355 – Marin Falier, Doge of Venice (b. 1285)
    • 1427 – John IV, Duke of Brabant (b. 1403)
    • 1539 – George, Duke of Saxony (b. 1471)
    • 1574 – Joachim Camerarius, German scholar and translator (b. 1500)
    • 1669 – Antonio Bertali, Italian violinist and composer (b. 1605)
    • 1680 – Kateri Tekakwitha, Mohawk-born Native American saint (b. 1656)
    • 1695 – Juana Inés de la Cruz, Mexican poet and scholar (b. 1651)
    • 1696 – Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, marquise de Sévigné, French author (b. 1626)
    • 1711 – Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1678)
    • 1713 – David Hollatz, Polish pastor and theologian (b. 1648)
    • 1764 – Johann Mattheson, German lexicographer and composer (b. 1681)
    • 1790 – Benjamin Franklin, American inventor, publisher, and politician, 6th President of Pennsylvania (b. 1706)
    • 1799 – Richard Jupp, English surveyor and architect (b. 1728)
    • 1840 – Hannah Webster Foster, American journalist and author (b. 1758)
    • 1843 – Samuel Morey, American engineer (b. 1762)
    • 1882 – George Jennings, English engineer and plumber, invented the Flush toilet (b. 1810)
    • 1888 – E. G. Squier, American archaeologist and journalist (b. 1821)
    • 1892 – Alexander Mackenzie, Scottish-Canadian journalist and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1822)
    • 1921 – Manwel Dimech, Maltese journalist, author, and philosopher (b. 1860)
    • 1923 – Laurence Ginnell, Irish lawyer and politician (b. 1852)
    • 1930 – Alexander Golovin, Russian painter and stage designer (b. 1863)
    • 1933 – Kote Marjanishvili, Georgian director and playwright (b. 1872)
    • 1936 – Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck, Dutch lawyer and politician, 28th Prime Minister of the Netherlands (b. 1873)
    • 1942 – Jean Baptiste Perrin, French-American physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1870)
    • 1944 – J. T. Hearne, English cricketer and coach (b. 1867)
    • 1944 – Dimitrios Psarros, Greek lieutenant, founded the National and Social Liberation (b. 1893)
    • 1946 – Juan Bautista Sacasa, Nicaraguan medical doctor, politician and 20th President of Nicaragua (b. 1874)
    • 1948 – Suzuki Kantarō, Japanese admiral and politician, 42nd Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1868)
    • 1954 – Lucrețiu Pătrășcanu, Romanian lawyer and politician, Romanian Minister of Justice (b. 1900)
    • 1960 – Eddie Cochran, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1938)
    • 1961 – Elda Anderson, American physicist and health researcher (b. 1899)
    • 1967 – Red Allen, American singer and trumpet player (b. 1908)
    • 1975 – Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Indian philosopher and politician, 2nd President of India (b. 1888)
    • 1976 – Henrik Dam, Danish biochemist and physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1895)
    • 1977 – William Conway, Irish cardinal (b. 1913)
    • 1983 – Felix Pappalardi, American singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer (b. 1939)
    • 1984 – Claude Provost, Canadian-American ice hockey player (b. 1933)
    • 1987 – Cecil Harmsworth King, English publisher (b. 1901)
    • 1987 – Dick Shawn, American actor (b. 1923)
    • 1988 – Louise Nevelson, Ukrainian-American sculptor and educator (b. 1900)
    • 1990 – Ralph Abernathy, American minister and activist (b. 1936)
    • 1993 – Turgut Özal, Turkish engineer and politician, 8th president of Turkey (b. 1927)
    • 1994 – Roger Wolcott Sperry, American psychologist and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1913)
    • 1995 – Frank E. Resnik, American sergeant and businessman (b. 1928)
    • 1996 – Piet Hein, Danish poet and mathematician (b. 1905)
    • 1997 – Chaim Herzog, Israeli general, lawyer, and politician, 6th President of Israel (b. 1918)
    • 1998 – Linda McCartney, American photographer, activist, and musician (b. 1941)
    • 2003 – Robert Atkins, American physician and cardiologist, created the Atkins diet (b. 1930)
    • 2003 – H. B. Bailey, American race car driver (b. 1936)
    • 2003 – John Paul Getty, Jr., American-English philanthropist (b. 1932)
    • 2003 – Earl King, American blues singer, guitarist and songwriter (b. 1934)
    • 2003 – Yiannis Latsis, Greek businessman (b. 1910)
    • 2004 – Edmond Pidoux, Swiss author and poet (b. 1908)
    • 2006 – Jean Bernard, French physician and haematologist (b. 1907)
    • 2006 – Scott Brazil, American director and producer (b. 1955)
    • 2006 – Henderson Forsythe, American actor (b. 1917)
    • 2007 – Kitty Carlisle, American actress, singer, socialite and game show panelist (b. 1910)
    • 2008 – Aimé Césaire, Caribbean-French poet and politician (b. 1913)
    • 2008 – Danny Federici, American organist and accordion player (b. 1950)
    • 2011 – Eric Gross, Austrian-Australian pianist and composer (b. 1926)
    • 2011 – Michael Sarrazin, Canadian actor (b. 1940)
    • 2011 – Robert Vickrey, American artist and author (b. 1926)
    • 2012 – Leila Berg, English journalist and author (b. 1917)
    • 2012 – J. Quinn Brisben, American educator and politician (b. 1934)
    • 2012 – Dimitris Mitropanos, Greek singer (b. 1948)
    • 2012 – Nityananda Mohapatra, Indian journalist, poet, and politician (b. 1912)
    • 2012 – Jonathan V. Plaut, American rabbi and author (b. 1942)
    • 2012 – Stanley Rogers Resor, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 9th United States Secretary of the Army (b. 1917)
    • 2013 – Carlos Graça, São Toméan politician, Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe (b. 1931)
    • 2013 – Bi Kidude, Tanzanian Taarab singer (b. ≈1910)
    • 2013 – Yngve Moe, Norwegian bass player and songwriter (b. 1957)
    • 2013 – V. S. Ramadevi, Indian politician, 13th Governor of Karnataka (b. 1934)
    • 2014 – Gabriel García Márquez, Colombian journalist and author, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1927)
    • 2014 – Bernat Klein, Serbian-Scottish fashion designer and painter (b. 1922)
    • 2014 – Wojciech Leśnikowski, Polish–American architect and academic (b. 1938)
    • 2014 – Karpal Singh, Malaysian lawyer and politician (b. 1940)
    • 2015 – Robert P. Griffin, American soldier, lawyer, and politician (b. 1923)
    • 2015 – Scotty Probasco, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1928)
    • 2015 – Jeremiah J. Rodell, American general (b. 1921)
    • 2015 – A. Alfred Taubman, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1924)
    • 2016 – Chyna, American wrestler (b. 1969)
    • 2016 – Doris Roberts, American actress (b. 1925)
    • 2018 – Barbara Bush, former First Lady of the United States (b. 1925)
    • 2018 – Carl Kasell, American radio personality (b. 1934)
    • 2019 – Alan García, Peruvian lawyer and politician, 61st and 64th President of Peru (b. 1949)

    Holidays and observances on April 17

    • Christian feast day:
      • Kateri Tekakwitha (Canada)
      • Stephen Harding
      • April 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Earliest day on which Store Bededag or General Prayer Day can fall, while May 13 is the latest; observed on the 4th Friday after Easter. (Denmark)
    • Evacuation Day (Syria), celebrates the recognition of the independence of Syria from France in 1946.
    • FAO Day (Iraq)
    • Flag Day (American Samoa)
    • Malbec World Day
    • Women’s Day (Gabon)
    • World Hemophilia Day

  • April 9 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 190 – Dong Zhuo has his troops evacuate the capital Luoyang and burn it to the ground.
    • 475 – Byzantine Emperor Basiliscus issues a circular letter (Enkyklikon) to the bishops of his empire, supporting the Monophysite Christological position.
    • 537 – Siege of Rome: The Byzantine general Belisarius receives his promised reinforcements, 1,600 cavalry, mostly of Hunnic or Slavic origin and expert bowmen. He starts, despite shortages, raids against the Gothic camps and Vitiges is forced into a stalemate.
    • 1241 – Battle of Liegnitz: Mongol forces defeat the Polish and German armies.
    • 1288 – Mongol invasions of Vietnam: Yuan forces are defeated by Trần forces in the Battle of Bach Dang in present-day northern Vietnam.
    • 1388 – Despite being outnumbered 16 to 1, forces of the Old Swiss Confederacy are victorious over the Archduchy of Austria in the Battle of Näfels.
    • 1413 – Henry V is crowned King of England.
    • 1440 – Christopher of Bavaria is appointed King of Denmark.
    • 1454 – The Treaty of Lodi is signed, establishing a balance of power among northern Italian city-states for almost 50 years.
    • 1511 – St John’s College, Cambridge, England, founded by Lady Margaret Beaufort, receives its charter.
    • 1585 – The expedition organised by Sir Walter Raleigh departs England for Roanoke Island (now in North Carolina) to establish the Roanoke Colony.
    • 1609 – Eighty Years’ War: Spain and the Dutch Republic sign the Treaty of Antwerp to initiate twelve years of truce.
    • 1609 – Philip III of Spain issues the decree of the “Expulsion of the Moriscos”.
    • 1682 – Robert Cavelier de La Salle discovers the mouth of the Mississippi River, claims it for France and names it Louisiana.
    • 1782 – American Revolutionary War: Battle of the Saintes begins.
    • 1784 – The Treaty of Paris, ratified by the United States Congress on January 14, 1784, is ratified by King George III of the Kingdom of Great Britain, ending the American Revolutionary War. Copies of the ratified documents are exchanged on May 12, 1784.
    • 1860 – On his phonautograph machine, Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville makes the oldest known recording of an audible human voice.
    • 1865 – American Civil War: Robert E. Lee surrenders the Army of Northern Virginia (26,765 troops) to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, effectively ending the war.
    • 1909 – The U.S. Congress passes the Payne–Aldrich Tariff Act.
    • 1914 – Mexican Revolution: One of the world’s first naval/air skirmishes takes place off the coast of western Mexico.
    • 1916 – World War I: The Battle of Verdun: German forces launch their third offensive of the battle.
    • 1917 – World War I: The Battle of Arras: The battle begins with Canadian Corps executing a massive assault on Vimy Ridge.
    • 1918 – World War I: The Battle of the Lys: The Portuguese Expeditionary Corps is crushed by the German forces during what is called the Spring Offensive on the Belgian region of Flanders.
    • 1937 – The Kamikaze arrives at Croydon Airport in London. It is the first Japanese-built aircraft to fly to Europe.
    • 1939 – African-American singer Marian Anderson gives a concert at the Lincoln Memorial after being denied the use of Constitution Hall by the Daughters of the American Revolution.
    • 1940 – World War II: Operation Weserübung: Germany invades Denmark and Norway.
    • 1940 – Vidkun Quisling seizes power in Norway.
    • 1942 – World War II: The Battle of Bataan ends. An Indian Ocean raid by Japan’s 1st Air Fleet sinks the British aircraft carrier HMS Hermes and the Australian destroyer HMAS Vampire.
    • 1945 – Execution of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, anti-Nazi dissident and spy, by the Nazi regime.
    • 1945 – World War II: The German heavy cruiser Admiral Scheer is sunk by the Royal Air Force.
    • 1945 – World War II: The Battle of Königsberg, in East Prussia, ends.
    • 1945 – The United States Atomic Energy Commission is formed.
    • 1947 – The Glazier–Higgins–Woodward tornadoes kill 181 and injure 970 in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas.
    • 1947 – The Journey of Reconciliation, the first interracial Freedom Ride begins through the upper South in violation of Jim Crow laws. The riders wanted enforcement of the United States Supreme Court’s 1946 Irene Morgan decision that banned racial segregation in interstate travel.
    • 1947 – United Nations Security Council Resolution 22 relating to Corfu Channel incident is adopted.
    • 1948 – Jorge Eliécer Gaitán’s assassination provokes a violent riot in Bogotá (the Bogotazo), and a further ten years of violence in Colombia.
    • 1948 – Fighters from the Irgun and Lehi Zionist paramilitary groups attacked Deir Yassin near Jerusalem, killing over 100.
    • 1952 – Hugo Ballivián’s government is overthrown by the Bolivian National Revolution, starting a period of agrarian reform, universal suffrage and the nationalization of tin mines
    • 1957 – The Suez Canal in Egypt is cleared and opens to shipping following the Suez Crisis.
    • 1959 – Project Mercury: NASA announces the selection of the United States’ first seven astronauts, whom the news media quickly dub the “Mercury Seven”.
    • 1960 – Dr Hendrik Verwoerd, Prime Minister of South Africa and architect of apartheid, narrowly survives an assassination attempt by a white farmer, David Pratt in Johannesburg.
    • 1961 – The Pacific Electric Railway in Los Angeles, once the largest electric railway in the world, ends operations.
    • 1965 – Astrodome opens. First indoor baseball game is played.
    • 1967 – The first Boeing 737 (a 100 series) makes its maiden flight.
    • 1969 – The first British-built Concorde 002 makes its maiden flight from Filton to RAF Fairford.
    • 1975 – The first game of the Philippine Basketball Association, the second oldest professional basketball league in the world.
    • 1976 – The EMD F40PH diesel locomotive enters revenue service with Amtrak.
    • 1980 – The Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein kills philosopher Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr and his sister Bint al-Huda after three days of torture.
    • 1981 – The U.S. Navy nuclear submarine USS George Washington accidentally collides with the Nissho Maru, a Japanese cargo ship, sinking it.
    • 1989 – Tbilisi massacre: an anti-Soviet peaceful demonstration and hunger strike in Tbilisi, demanding restoration of Georgian independence, is dispersed by the Soviet Army, resulting in 20 deaths and hundreds of injuries.
    • 1990 – An IRA bombing in County Down, Northern Ireland, kills three members of the UDR.
    • 1990 – Thirteen thousand members of the Dene and Métis tribes sign a land claim agreement for 180,000 square kilometres (69,000 sq mi) in the Mackenzie Valley of the western Arctic.
    • 1991 – Georgia declares independence from the Soviet Union.
    • 1992 – A U.S. Federal Court finds former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega guilty of drug and racketeering charges. He is sentenced to 30 years in prison.
    • 1999 – Kosovo War: The Battle of Košare begins.
    • 2003 – Iraq War: Baghdad falls to American forces.
    • 2005 – Charles, Prince of Wales marries Camilla Parker Bowles in a civil ceremony at Windsor’s Guildhall.
    • 2009 – In Tbilisi, Georgia, up to 60,000 people protest against the government of Mikheil Saakashvili.
    • 2013 – A 6.1–magnitude earthquake strikes Iran killing 32 people and injuring over 850 people.
    • 2013 – At least 13 people are killed and another three injured after a man goes on a spree shooting in the Serbian village of Velika Ivanča.
    • 2014 – A student stabs 20 people at Franklin Regional High School in Murrysville, Pennsylvania.
    • 2017 – The Palm Sunday church bombings at Coptic churches in Tanta and Alexandria, Egypt, take place.
    • 2017 – After refusing to give up his seat on an overbooked United Airlines flight, Dr. David Dao Duy Anh is forcibly dragged off the flight by aviation security officers, leading to major criticism of United Airlines.

    Births on April 9

    • 1285 – Ayurbarwada Buyantu Khan, Emperor Renzong of Yuan (d. 1320)
    • 1458 – Camilla Battista da Varano, Italian saint (d. 1524)
    • 1498 – Jean, Cardinal of Lorraine (d. 1550)
    • 1586 – Julius Henry, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg (d. 1665)
    • 1597 – John Davenport, English minister, co-founded the New Haven Colony (d. 1670)
    • 1598 – Johann Crüger, Sorbian-German composer and theorist (d. 1662)
    • 1624 – Henrik Rysensteen, Dutch military engineer (d. 1679)
    • 1627 – Johann Caspar Kerll, German organist and composer (d. 1693)
    • 1634 – Countess Albertine Agnes of Nassau (d. 1696)
    • 1648 – Henri de Massue, Earl of Galway, French soldier and diplomat (d. 1720)
    • 1649 – James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Staffordshire (d. 1685)
    • 1654 – Samuel Fritz, Czech Jesuit missionary to South America (d. 1725?)
    • 1680 – Philippe Néricault Destouches, French playwright (d. 1754)
    • 1686 – James Craggs the Younger, English politician, Secretary of State for the Southern Department (d. 1721)
    • 1691 – Johann Matthias Gesner, German scholar and academic (d. 1761)
    • 1717 – Georg Matthias Monn, Austrian organist, composer, and educator (d. 1750)
    • 1770 – Thomas Johann Seebeck, German physicist and academic (d. 1831)
    • 1773 – Étienne Aignan, French author and academic (d. 1824)
    • 1794 – Theobald Boehm, German flute player and composer (d. 1881)
    • 1802 – Elias Lönnrot, Finnish physician and philologist (d. 1884)
    • 1806 – Isambard Kingdom Brunel, English engineer, designed the Clifton Suspension Bridge (d. 1859)
    • 1807 – James Bannerman, Scottish theologian and academic (d. 1868)
    • 1821 – Charles Baudelaire, French poet and critic (d. 1867)
    • 1830 – Eadweard Muybridge, English photographer and cinematographer (d. 1904)
    • 1835 – Leopold II of Belgium (d. 1909)
    • 1835 – Somerset Lowry-Corry, 4th Earl Belmore (d. 1913)
    • 1846 – Paolo Tosti, Italian-English composer and educator (d. 1916)
    • 1848 – Ezequiél Moreno y Díaz, Spanish Augustinian Recollect priest and saint (d. 1906)
    • 1865 – Erich Ludendorff, German general and politician (d. 1937)
    • 1865 – Charles Proteus Steinmetz, Polish-American mathematician and engineer (d. 1923)
    • 1867 – Chris Watson, Chilean-Australian journalist and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1941)
    • 1867 – Charles Winckler, Danish tug of war competitor, discus thrower, and shot putter (d. 1932)
    • 1872 – Léon Blum, French lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 1950)
    • 1875 – Jacques Futrelle, American journalist and author (d. 1912)
    • 1880 – Jan Letzel, Czech architect (d. 1925)
    • 1882 – Frederick Francis IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (d. 1946)
    • 1882 – Otz Tollen, German actor (d. 1965)
    • 1883 – Frank King, American cartoonist (d. 1969)
    • 1887 – Konrad Tom, Polish actor, writer, singer, and director (d. 1957)
    • 1888 – Sol Hurok, Ukrainian-American talent manager (d. 1974)
    • 1893 – Charles E. Burchfield, American painter (d.1967)
    • 1893 – Victor Gollancz, English publisher, founded Victor Gollancz Ltd (d. 1967)
    • 1893 – Rahul Sankrityayan, Indian linguist, author, and scholar (d. 1963)
    • 1895 – Mance Lipscomb, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1976)
    • 1895 – Michel Simon, Swiss-French actor (d. 1975)
    • 1897 – John B. Gambling, American radio host (d. 1974)
    • 1898 – Curly Lambeau, American football player and coach (d. 1965)
    • 1898 – Paul Robeson, American singer, actor, and activist (d. 1976)
    • 1900 – Allen Jenkins, American actor and singer (d. 1974)
    • 1901 – Jean Bruchési, Canadian historian and author (d. 1979)
    • 1901 – Paul Willis, American actor and director (d. 1960)
    • 1902 – Théodore Monod, French explorer and scholar (d. 2000)
    • 1903 – Ward Bond, American actor (d. 1960)
    • 1904 – Sharkey Bonano, American singer, trumpet player, and bandleader (d. 1972)
    • 1905 – J. William Fulbright, American lawyer and politician (d. 1995)
    • 1906 – Rafaela Aparicio, Spanish actress (d. 1996)
    • 1906 – Antal Doráti, Hungarian-American conductor and composer (d. 1988)
    • 1906 – Hugh Gaitskell, British politician and leader of the Labour Party (d. 1963)
    • 1906 – Victor Vasarely, Hungarian-French painter (d. 1997)
    • 1908 – Joseph Krumgold, American author and screenwriter (d. 1980)
    • 1909 – Robert Helpmann, Australian dancer, actor, and choreographer (d. 1986)
    • 1910 – Abraham A. Ribicoff, American lawyer and politician, 4th United States Secretary of Health and Human Services (d. 1998)
    • 1912 – Lev Kopelev, Ukrainian-German author and academic (d. 1997)
    • 1915 – Daniel Johnson Sr., Canadian lawyer and politician, 20th Premier of Quebec (d. 1968)
    • 1916 – Julian Dash, American swing music jazz tenor saxophonist (d. 1974)
    • 1916 – Heinz Meyer, German Fallschirmjäger (paratrooper) during World War II (d. 1987)
    • 1916 – Bill Leonard, American journalist (d. 1994)
    • 1917 – Johannes Bobrowski, German songwriter and poet (d. 1965)
    • 1917 – Ronnie Burgess, Welsh international footballer left-half and manager (d. 2005)
    • 1917 – Brad Dexter, American actor (d. 2002)
    • 1917 – Henry Hewes, American theater writer (d. 2006)
    • 1918 – Jørn Utzon, Danish architect, designed the Sydney Opera House (d. 2008)
    • 1919 – J. Presper Eckert, American engineer, invented the ENIAC (d. 1995)
    • 1921 – Jean-Marie Balestre, French businessman (d. 2008)
    • 1921 – Yitzhak Navon, Israeli politician (d. 2015)
    • 1921 – Frankie Thomas, American actor (d. 2006)
    • 1921 – Mary Jackson, African-American mathematician and aerospace engineer (d. 2005)
    • 1922 – Carl Amery, German author and activist (d. 2005)
    • 1923 – Leonard Levy, American historian and author (d. 2006)
    • 1924 – Arthur Shaw, English professional footballer (d. 2015)
    • 1925 – Virginia Gibson, American actress, singer, and dancer (d. 2013)
    • 1925 – Art Kane, American photographer (d. 1995)
    • 1926 – Gerry Fitt, Northern Irish soldier and politician; British life peer (d. 2005)
    • 1926 – Hugh Hefner, American publisher, founded Playboy Enterprises (d. 2017)
    • 1926 – Harris Wofford, American politician, author and civil rights activist (d. 2019)
    • 1927 – Tiny Hill, New Zealand rugby player (d. 2019)
    • 1928 – Paul Arizin, American basketball player (d. 2006)
    • 1928 – Tom Lehrer, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and mathematician
    • 1929 – Sharan Rani Backliwal, Indian sarod player and scholar (d. 2008)
    • 1929 – Fred Hollows, New Zealand-Australian ophthalmologist (d. 1993)
    • 1929 – Paule Marshall, American author and academic (d. 2019)
    • 1930 – Nathaniel Branden, Canadian-American psychotherapist and author (d. 2014)
    • 1930 – F. Albert Cotton, American chemist and academic (d. 2007)
    • 1930 – Jim Fowler, American zoologist and television host (d. 2019)
    • 1930 – Wallace McCain, Canadian businessman, founded McCain Foods (d. 2011)
    • 1931 – Richard Hatfield, Canadian lawyer and politician, 26th Premier of New Brunswick (d. 1991)
    • 1932 – Armin Jordan, Swiss conductor (d. 2006)
    • 1932 – Peter Moores, English businessman and philanthropist (d. 2016)
    • 1932 – Carl Perkins, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1998)
    • 1933 – Jean-Paul Belmondo, French actor and producer
    • 1933 – René Burri, Swiss photographer and journalist (d. 2014)
    • 1933 – Fern Michaels, American author
    • 1933 – Richard Rose, American political scientist and academic
    • 1933 – Gian Maria Volonté, Italian actor (d. 1994)
    • 1934 – Bill Birch, New Zealand surveyor and politician, 38th New Zealand Minister of Finance
    • 1934 – Tom Phillis, Australian motorcycle racer (d. 1962)
    • 1934 – Mariya Pisareva, Russian high jumper
    • 1935 – Aulis Sallinen, Finnish composer and academic
    • 1935 – Avery Schreiber, American actor and comedian (d. 2002)
    • 1936 – Jerzy Maksymiuk, Polish pianist, composer, and conductor
    • 1936 – Valerie Solanas, American radical feminist author, attempted murderer (d. 1988)
    • 1937 – Simon Brown, Baron Brown of Eaton-under-Heywood, English lieutenant, lawyer, and judge
    • 1937 – Marty Krofft, Canadian screenwriter and producer
    • 1937 – Valerie Singleton, English television and radio host
    • 1938 – Viktor Chernomyrdin, Russian businessman and politician, 30th Prime Minister of Russia (d. 2010)
    • 1939 – Michael Learned, American actress
    • 1940 – Hans-Joachim Reske, German sprinter
    • 1940 – Jim Roberts, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach (d. 2015)
    • 1941 – Kay Adams, American singer-songwriter
    • 1942 – Brandon deWilde, American actor (d. 1972)
    • 1942 – Margo Smith, American singer-songwriter
    • 1943 – Leila Khaled, Palestinian activist
    • 1943 – Terry Knight, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2004)
    • 1944 – Joe Brinkman, American baseball player and umpire
    • 1944 – Heinz-Joachim Rothenburg, German shot putter
    • 1945 – Steve Gadd, American drummer and percussionist[9]
    • 1946 – Nate Colbert, American baseball player[10]
    • 1946 – Alan Knott, English cricketer[11]
    • 1946 – Sara Parkin, Scottish activist and politician[12]
    • 1946 – David Webb, English footballer, coach, and manager
    • 1947 – Giovanni Andrea Cornia, Italian economist and academic
    • 1948 – Jaya Bachchan, Indian actress and politician
    • 1948 – Michel Parizeau, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1948 – Patty Pravo, Italian singer
    • 1949 – Tony Cragg, English sculptor
    • 1952 – Robert Clark, American author
    • 1952 – Bruce Robertson, New Zealand rugby player
    • 1952 – Tania Tsanaklidou, Greek singer and actress
    • 1953 – John Howard, English singer-songwriter and pianist
    • 1953 – Hal Ketchum, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1953 – Stephen Paddock, American mass murderer responsible for the 2017 Las Vegas shooting (d. 2017)
    • 1954 – Ken Kalfus, American journalist and author
    • 1954 – Dennis Quaid, American actor
    • 1954 – Iain Duncan Smith, British soldier and politician, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
    • 1955 – Yamina Benguigui, Algerian-French director and politician
    • 1955 – Joolz Denby, English poet and author
    • 1956 – Miguel Ángel Russo, Argentinian footballer and coach
    • 1956 – Nigel Shadbolt, English computer scientist and academic
    • 1956 – Vahur Sova, Estonian architect
    • 1956 – Marina Zoueva, Russian ice dancer and coach
    • 1957 – Seve Ballesteros, Spanish golfer and architect (d. 2011)
    • 1957 – Martin Margiela, Belgian fashion designer
    • 1957 – Jamie Redfern, English-born Australian television presenter, and pop singer
    • 1958 – Tony Sibson, English boxer
    • 1958 – Nigel Slater, English food writer and author
    • 1959 – Bernard Jenkin, English businessman and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
    • 1960 – Jaak Aab, Estonian educator and politician, Minister of Social Affairs of Estonia
    • 1961 – Mark Kelly, Irish keyboard player
    • 1961 – Kirk McCaskill, Canadian-American baseball and hockey player
    • 1962 – John Eaves, American production designer and illustrator
    • 1962 – Ihor Podolchak, Ukrainian director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1962 – Imran Sherwani, English field hockey player
    • 1962 – Jeff Turner, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster
    • 1963 – Marc Jacobs, American-French fashion designer
    • 1963 – Joe Scarborough, American journalist, lawyer, and politician
    • 1964 – Rob Awalt, German-American football player
    • 1964 – Juliet Cuthbert, Jamaican sprinter
    • 1964 – Peter Penashue, Canadian businessman and politician, 9th Canadian Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs
    • 1964 – Margaret Peterson Haddix, American author
    • 1964 – Rick Tocchet, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach
    • 1965 – Helen Alfredsson, Swedish golfer
    • 1965 – Paulina Porizkova, Czech-born Swedish-American model and actress
    • 1965 – Jeff Zucker, American businessman
    • 1966 – John Hammond, English weather forecaster
    • 1966 – Cynthia Nixon, American actress
    • 1967 – Natascha Engel, German-English translator and politician
    • 1967 – Sam Harris, American author, philosopher, and neuroscientist
    • 1968 – Jay Chandrasekhar, American actor, comedian, writer and director
    • 1969 – Barnaby Kay, English actor
    • 1969 – Linda Kisabaka, German runner
    • 1970 – Chorão, Brazilian singer-songwriter (d. 2013)
    • 1971 – Peter Canavan, Irish footballer and manager
    • 1971 – Leo Fortune-West, English footballer and manager
    • 1971 – Austin Peck, American actor
    • 1971 – Jacques Villeneuve, Canadian race car driver
    • 1972 – Bernard Ackah, German-Japanese martial artist and kick-boxer
    • 1972 – Siiri Vallner, Estonian architect
    • 1974 – Megan Connolly, Australian actress (d. 2001)
    • 1974 – Jenna Jameson, American actress and pornographic performer
    • 1975 – Robbie Fowler, English footballer and manager
    • 1975 – David Gordon Green, American director and screenwriter
    • 1976 – Kyle Peterson, American baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1977 – Gerard Way, American singer-songwriter and comic book writer
    • 1978 – Kousei Amano, Japanese actor
    • 1978 – Jorge Andrade, Portuguese footballer
    • 1978 – Rachel Stevens, English singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress
    • 1979 – Jeff Reed, American football player
    • 1979 – Keshia Knight Pulliam, American actress
    • 1980 – Sarah Ayton, English sailor
    • 1980 – Luciano Galletti, Argentinian footballer
    • 1980 – Albert Hammond Jr., American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1981 – Milan Bartovič, Slovak ice hockey player
    • 1981 – A. J. Ellis, American baseball player
    • 1981 – Ireneusz Jeleń, Polish footballer
    • 1981 – Dennis Sarfate, American baseball player
    • 1981 – Eric Harris, American mass murderer, responsible for the Columbine High School massacre (d. 1999)
    • 1982 – Jay Baruchel, Canadian actor
    • 1982 – Carlos Hernández, Costa Rican footballer
    • 1982 – Kathleen Munroe, Canadian-American actress
    • 1983 – Ryan Clark, Australian actor
    • 1984 – Habiba Ghribi, Tunisian runner[13]
    • 1984 – Adam Loewen, Canadian baseball player
    • 1984 – Óscar Razo, Mexican footballer
    • 1985 – Antonio Nocerino, Italian footballer
    • 1985 – David Robertson, American baseball player
    • 1986 – Mike Hart, American football player
    • 1986 – Leighton Meester, American actress
    • 1987 – Kassim Abdallah, French-Comorian footballer
    • 1987 – Graham Gano, American football player
    • 1987 – Craig Mabbitt, American singer
    • 1987 – Jesse McCartney, American singer-songwriter and actor
    • 1987 – Jarrod Mullen, Australian rugby league player
    • 1987 – Jazmine Sullivan, American singer-songwriter
    • 1988 – Michel Alves Baroni, Brazilian footballer
    • 1988 – Jeremy Metcalfe, English racing driver
    • 1989 – Danielle Kahle, American figure skater
    • 1990 – Kristen Stewart, American actress
    • 1990 – Ryan Williams, American football player
    • 1991 – Ryan Kelly, American basketball player
    • 1991 – Mary Killman, American synchronized swimmer
    • 1992 – Joshua Ledet, American singer
    • 1994 – Joey Pollari, American actor
    • 1995 – Domagoj Bošnjak, Croatian basketball player
    • 1995 – Robert Bauer, German-Kazakhstani footballer
    • 1996 – Jayden Brailey, Australian rugby league player[14]
    • 1996 – Giovani Lo Celso, Argentinian international footballer, midfielder[15]
    • 1998 – Elle Fanning, American actress[16]
    • 1999 – Montero Lamar Hill, American rapper[17]
    • 2000 – Jackie Evancho, American singer[18]

    Deaths on April 9

    • 585 BC – Jimmu, emperor of Japan (b. 711 BC)
    • AD 93 – Yuan An, Chinese scholar and politician
    • 436 – Tan Daoji, Chinese general and politician
    • 491 – Zeno, emperor of the Byzantine Empire (b. 425)
    • 682 – Maslama ibn Mukhallad al-Ansari, Egyptian politician, Governor of Egypt (b. 616)
    • 715 – Constantine, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 664)
    • 1024 – Benedict VIII, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 980)
    • 1137 – William X, duke of Aquitaine (b. 1099)
    • 1241 – Henry II, High Duke of Poland (b. 1196)
    • 1283 – Margaret of Scotland, queen of Norway (b. 1261)
    • 1327 – Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland, Scottish nobleman (ca. 1296)
    • 1483 – Edward IV, king of England (b. 1442)
    • 1484 – Edward of Middleheim, prince of Wales (b. 1473)
    • 1550 – Alqas Mirza, Safavid prince (b. 1516)[19]
    • 1553 – François Rabelais, French monk and scholar (b. 1494)
    • 1557 – Mikael Agricola, Finnish priest and scholar (b. 1510)
    • 1626 – Francis Bacon, English jurist and politician, Attorney General for England and Wales (b. 1561)
    • 1654 – Matei Basarab, Romanian prince (b. 1588)
    • 1693 – Roger de Rabutin, Comte de Bussy, French author (b. 1618)
    • 1747 – Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat, Scottish soldier and politician (b. 1667)
    • 1754 – Christian Wolff, German philosopher and academic (b. 1679)
    • 1761 – William Law, English priest and theologian (b. 1686)
    • 1768 – Sarah Fielding, English author (b. 1710)
    • 1804 – Jacques Necker, Swiss-French politician, Chief Minister to the French Monarch (b. 1732)
    • 1806 – William V, stadtholder of the Dutch Republic (b. 1748)
    • 1872 – Erastus Corning, American businessman and politician (b. 1794)
    • 1876 – Charles Goodyear, American lawyer, judge, and politician (b. 1804)
    • 1882 – Dante Gabriel Rossetti, English poet and painter (b. 1828)
    • 1889 – Michel Eugène Chevreul, French chemist and academic (b. 1786)
    • 1909 – Helena Modjeska, Polish-American actress (b. 1840)
    • 1915 – Raymond Whittindale, English rugby player (b. 1883)
    • 1917 – James Hope Moulton, English philologist and scholar (b. 1863)
    • 1922 – Hans Fruhstorfer, German entomologist and explorer (b. 1866)
    • 1926 – Zip the Pinhead, American freak show performer (b. 1857)
    • 1936 – Ferdinand Tönnies, German sociologist and philosopher (b. 1855)
    • 1940 – Mrs Patrick Campbell, English actress (b. 1865)
    • 1944 – Yevgeniya Rudneva, Ukrainian lieutenant and pilot (b. 1920)
    • 1945 – Dietrich Bonhoeffer, German pastor and theologian (b. 1906)
    • 1945 – Wilhelm Canaris, German admiral (b. 1887)
    • 1945 – Johann Georg Elser, German carpenter (b. 1903)
    • 1945 – Hans Oster, German general (b. 1887)
    • 1945 – Karl Sack, German lawyer and jurist (b. 1896)
    • 1945 – Hans von Dohnányi, Austrian-German lawyer and jurist (b. 1902)
    • 1948 – George Carpenter, Australian 5th General of The Salvation Army (b. 1872)
    • 1948 – Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, Colombian lawyer and politician, 16th Colombian Minister of National Education (b. 1903)
    • 1951 – Vilhelm Bjerknes, Norwegian physicist and meteorologist (b. 1862)
    • 1953 – Eddie Cochems, American football player and coach (b. 1877)
    • 1953 – C. E. M. Joad, English philosopher and television host (b. 1891)
    • 1953 – Hans Reichenbach, German philosopher from the Vienna Circle (b. 1891)
    • 1959 – Frank Lloyd Wright, American architect, designed the Price Tower and Fallingwater (b. 1867)
    • 1961 – Zog I of Albania (b. 1895)
    • 1963 – Eddie Edwards, American trombonist (b. 1891)
    • 1963 – Xul Solar, Argentinian painter and sculptor (b. 1887)
    • 1970 – Gustaf Tenggren, Swedish-American illustrator and animator (b. 1896)
    • 1976 – Dagmar Nordstrom, American singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1903)
    • 1976 – Phil Ochs, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1940)
    • 1976 – Renato Petronio, Italian rower (b. 1891)
    • 1978 – Clough Williams-Ellis, English-Welsh architect, designed Portmeirion (b. 1883)
    • 1980 – Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr, Iraqi cleric and philosopher (b. 1935)
    • 1982 – Wilfrid Pelletier, Canadian pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1896)
    • 1988 – Brook Benton, American singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1931)
    • 1988 – Hans Berndt, German footballer (b. 1913)
    • 1988 – Dave Prater, American singer (b. 1937)
    • 1991 – Forrest Towns, American hurdler and coach (b. 1914)
    • 1993 – Joseph B. Soloveitchik, American rabbi and philosopher (b. 1903)
    • 1996 – Richard Condon, American author and publicist (b. 1915)
    • 1997 – Mae Boren Axton, American singer-songwriter (b. 1914)
    • 1997 – Helene Hanff, American author and screenwriter (b. 1916)
    • 1998 – Tom Cora, American cellist and composer (b. 1953)
    • 1999 – Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara, Nigerien general and politician, President of Niger (b. 1949)
    • 2001 – Willie Stargell, American baseball player and coach (b. 1940)
    • 2002 – Pat Flaherty, American race car driver (b. 1926)
    • 2002 – Leopold Vietoris, Austrian soldier, mathematician, and academic (b. 1891)
    • 2003 – Jerry Bittle, American cartoonist (b. 1949)
    • 2006 – Billy Hitchcock, American baseball player, coach, manager (b. 1916)
    • 2006 – Vilgot Sjöman, Swedish director and screenwriter (b. 1924)
    • 2007 – Egon Bondy, Czech philosopher and poet (b. 1930)
    • 2007 – Dorrit Hoffleit, American astronomer and academic (b. 1907)
    • 2009 – Nick Adenhart, American baseball player (b. 1986)
    • 2010 – Zoltán Varga, Hungarian footballer and manager (b. 1945)
    • 2011 – Zakariya Rashid Hassan al-Ashiri, Bahraini journalist (b. 1971)
    • 2011 – Sidney Lumet, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1924)
    • 2012 – Malcolm Thomas, Welsh rugby player and cricketer (b. 1929)
    • 2013 – David Hayes, American sculptor and painter (b. 1931)
    • 2013 – Greg McCrary, American football player (b. 1952)
    • 2013 – Mordechai Mishani, Israeli lawyer and politician (b. 1945)
    • 2013 – McCandlish Phillips, American journalist and author (b. 1927)
    • 2013 – Paolo Soleri, Italian-American architect, designed the Cosanti (b. 1919)
    • 2014 – Gil Askey, American trumpet player, composer, and producer (b. 1925)
    • 2014 – Chris Banks, American football player (b. 1973)
    • 2014 – Rory Ellinger, American lawyer and politician (b. 1941)
    • 2014 – Norman Girvan, Jamaican economist, academic, and politician (b. 1941)
    • 2014 – Aelay Narendra, Indian politician (b. 1946)
    • 2014 – A. N. R. Robinson, Trinbagonian politician, 3rd President of Trinidad and Tobago (b. 1926)
    • 2014 – Svetlana Velmar-Janković, Serbian author (b. 1933)
    • 2015 – Paul Almond, Canadian-American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1931)
    • 2015 – Margaret Rule, British marine archaeologist (b. 1928)
    • 2015 – Nina Companeez, French director and screenwriter (b. 1937)
    • 2015 – Alexander Dalgarno, English physicist and academic (b. 1928)
    • 2015 – Ivan Doig, American journalist and author (b. 1939)
    • 2015 – Tsien Tsuen-hsuin, Chinese-American academic (b. 1909)
    • 2016 – Duane Clarridge, American spy (b. 1932)
    • 2016 – Will Smith, American football player (b. 1981)
    • 2017 – John Clarke, New Zealand-Australian comedian, writer, and satirist (b. 1948)

    Holidays and observances on April 9

    • Christian feast day:
      • Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Anglicanism, Lutheranism)
      • Gaucherius
      • Materiana
      • Waltrude
      • April 9 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Anniversary of the German Invasion of Denmark (Denmark)
    • Baghdad Liberation Day (Iraqi Kurdistan)
    • Bataan Day or Araw ng Kagitingan (Philippines)
    • Constitution Day (Kosovo)
    • Day of National Unity (Georgia)
    • Day of the Finnish Language (Finland)
    • Feast of the Second Day of the Writing of the Book of the Law (Thelema)
    • Martyr’s Day (Tunisia)
    • National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day (United States)
    • Remembrance for Haakon Sigurdsson (The Troth)
    • Vimy Ridge Day (Canada)

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

    • 845 – Paris is sacked by Viking raiders, probably under Ragnar Lodbrok, who collects a huge ransom in exchange for leaving.
    • 1430 – The Ottoman Empire under Murad II captures Thessalonica from the Republic of Venice.
    • 1461 – Battle of Towton: Edward of York defeats Queen Margaret to become King Edward IV of England, bringing a temporary stop to the Wars of the Roses.
    • 1500 – Cesare Borgia is given the title of Captain-General and Gonfalonier by his father Rodrigo Borgia after returning from his conquests in the Romagna.
    • 1549 – The city of Salvador da Bahia, the first capital of Brazil, is founded.
    • 1632 – Treaty of Saint-Germain is signed returning Quebec to French control after the English had seized it in 1629.
    • 1792 – King Gustav III of Sweden dies after being shot in the back at a midnight masquerade ball at Stockholm’s Royal Opera 13 days earlier. He is succeeded by Gustav IV Adolf.
    • 1806 – Construction is authorized of the Great National Pike, better known as the Cumberland Road, becoming the first United States federal highway.
    • 1809 – King Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden abdicates after a coup d’état. At the Diet of Porvoo, Finland’s four Estates pledge allegiance to Alexander I of Russia, commencing the secession of the Grand Duchy of Finland from Sweden.
    • 1831 – Great Bosnian uprising: Bosniaks rebel against Turkey.
    • 1847 – Mexican–American War: United States forces led by General Winfield Scott take Veracruz after a siege.
    • 1849 – The United Kingdom annexes the Punjab.
    • 1857 – Sepoy Mangal Pandey of the 34th Regiment, Bengal Native Infantry mutinies against the East India Company’s rule in India and inspires the protracted Indian Rebellion of 1857, also known as the Sepoy Mutiny.
    • 1865 – American Civil War: Federal forces under Major General Philip Sheridan move to flank Confederate forces under Robert E. Lee as the Appomattox Campaign begins.
    • 1867 – Queen Victoria gives Royal Assent to the British North America Act which establishes Canada on July 1.
    • 1871 – Royal Albert Hall is opened by Queen Victoria.
    • 1879 – Anglo-Zulu War: Battle of Kambula: British forces defeat 20,000 Zulus.
    • 1882 – The Knights of Columbus is established.
    • 1886 – John Pemberton brews the first batch of Coca-Cola in a backyard in Atlanta.
    • 1911 – The M1911 .45 ACP pistol becomes the official U.S. Army side arm.
    • 1927 – Sunbeam 1000hp breaks the land speed record at Daytona Beach, Florida.
    • 1930 – Heinrich Brüning is appointed German Reichskanzler.
    • 1936 – Adolf Hitler receives 99% of the votes in the 1936 German parliamentary election and referendum.
    • 1941 – The North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement goes into effect at 03:00 local time.
    • 1941 – World War II: British Royal Navy and Royal Australian Navy forces defeat those of the Italian Regia Marina off the Peloponnesian coast of Greece in the Battle of Cape Matapan.
    • 1942 – The Bombing of Lübeck in World War II is the first major success for the RAF Bomber Command against Germany and a German city.
    • 1945 – World War II: Last day of V-1 flying bomb attacks on England.
    • 1945 – World War II: The German 4th Army is almost destroyed by the Soviet Red Army.
    • 1946 – Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México, one of Mexico’s leading universities, is founded.
    • 1947 – Malagasy Uprising against French colonial rule in Madagascar.
    • 1951 – Ethel and Julius Rosenberg are convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage.
    • 1957 – The New York, Ontario and Western Railway makes its final run, the first major U.S. railroad to be abandoned in its entirety.
    • 1961 – The Twenty-third Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, allowing residents of Washington, D.C., to vote in presidential elections.
    • 1962 – Arturo Frondizi, the president of Argentina, is overthrown in a military coup by Argentina’s armed forces, ending an 11​1⁄2 day constitutional crisis.
    • 1971 – My Lai Massacre: Lieutenant William Calley is convicted of premeditated murder and sentenced to life in prison.
    • 1973 – Vietnam War: The last United States combat soldiers leave South Vietnam.
    • 1973 – Operation Barrel Roll, a covert American bombing campaign in Laos to stop communist infiltration of South Vietnam, ends.
    • 1974 – NASA’s Mariner 10 becomes the first space probe to fly by Mercury.
    • 1974 – Terracotta Army was discovered in Shaanxi province, China.
    • 1982 – The Canada Act 1982 receives the Royal Assent from Queen Elizabeth II, setting the stage for the Queen of Canada to proclaim the Constitution Act, 1982.
    • 1984 – The Baltimore Colts load its possessions onto fifteen Mayflower moving trucks in the early morning hours and transfer its operations to Indianapolis.
    • 1990 – The Czechoslovak parliament is unable to reach an agreement on what to call the country after the fall of Communism, sparking the so-called Hyphen War.
    • 1993 – Catherine Callbeck becomes premier of Prince Edward Island and the first woman to be elected in a general election as premier of a Canadian province.
    • 1999 – The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above the 10,000 mark (10,006.78) for the first time, during the height of the dot-com bubble.
    • 1999 – A magnitude 6.8 earthquake in India strikes the Chamoli district in Uttar Pradesh, killing 103.
    • 2002 – In reaction to the Passover massacre two days prior, Israel launches Operation Defensive Shield against Palestinian militants, its largest military operation in the West Bank since the 1967 Six-Day War.
    • 2004 – Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia join NATO as full members.
    • 2010 – Two suicide bombers hit the Moscow Metro system at the peak of the morning rush hour, killing 40.
    • 2013 – At least 36 people are killed when a 16-floor building collapses in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
    • 2014 – The first same-sex marriages in England and Wales are performed.

    Births on March 29

    • 1001 – Sokkate, king of the Pagan dynasty of Burma (d. 1044)
    • 1187 – Arthur I, Duke of Brittany (d. 1203)
    • 1373 – Marie d’Alençon, French princess (d. 1417)
    • 1517 – Carlo Carafa, Italian cardinal (d. 1561)
    • 1553 – Vitsentzos Kornaros, Greek poet and playwright (d. 1614)
    • 1561 – Santorio Santorio, Italian biologist (d. 1636)
    • 1584 – Ferdinando Fairfax, 2nd Lord Fairfax of Cameron, English general and politician (d. 1648)
    • 1602 – John Lightfoot, English priest, scholar, and academic (d. 1675)
    • 1620 – Edward Digges, English barrister and colonist
    • 1629 – Alexis of Russia, Tsar of Russia (d. 1676)
    • 1713 – John Ponsonby, Irish politician (d. 1789)
    • 1735 – Johann Karl August Musäus, German author (d. 1787)
    • 1747 – Johann Wilhelm Hässler, German pianist and composer (d. 1822)
    • 1769 – Nicolas Jean-de-Dieu Soult, French general and politician, 12th Prime Minister of France (d. 1851)
    • 1780 – Jørgen Jørgensen, Danish adventurer (d. 1841)
    • 1790 – John Tyler, American lawyer and politician, 10th President of the United States (d. 1862)
    • 1799 – Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1869)
    • 1802 – Johann Moritz Rugendas, German landscape painter of Spanish America (d. 1858)
    • 1816 – 10th Dalai Lama (d. 1837)
    • 1824 – Ludwig Büchner, German physiologist, physician, and philosopher (d. 1899)
    • 1826 – Wilhelm Liebknecht, German journalist and politician (d. 1900)
    • 1862 – Adolfo Müller-Ury, Swiss-American painter (d. 1947)
    • 1863 – Walter James, Australian politician, 5th Premier of Western Australia (d. 1943)
    • 1867 – Cy Young, American baseball player and manager (d. 1955)
    • 1869 – Aleš Hrdlička, Czech-American anthropologist and scholar (d. 1943)
    • 1869 – Sir Edwin Lutyens, British architect (d. 1944)
    • 1870 – Pavlos Melas, French-Greek captain (d. 1904)
    • 1871 – Tom Hayward, English cricketer (d. 1939)
    • 1872 – Hal Colebatch, English-Australian politician, 12th Premier of Western Australia (d. 1953)
    • 1873 – Tullio Levi-Civita, Jewish-Italian mathematician and academic (d. 1941)
    • 1874 – Lou Henry Hoover, American wife of Herbert Hoover, 33rd First Lady of the United States (d. 1944)
    • 1876 – Friedrich Traun, German sprinter and tennis player (d. 1908)
    • 1884 – Ed Archibald, Canadian pole vaulter (d. 1965)
    • 1885 – Dezső Kosztolányi, Hungarian author and poet (d. 1936)
    • 1888 – Enea Bossi, Sr., Italian-American engineer, designed the Budd BB-1 Pioneer and Bossi-Bonomi Pedaliante (d. 1963)
    • 1889 – Warner Baxter, American actor (d. 1951)
    • 1889 – Howard Lindsay, American producer, playwright, librettist, director and actor (d. 1968)
    • 1890 – Bert Bliss, English international footballer, inside forward (d. 1968)
    • 1891 – Yvan Goll, French-German poet and playwright (d. 1950)
    • 1891 – Alfred Neubauer, Austrian race car driver and manager (d. 1980)
    • 1892 – József Mindszenty, Hungarian cardinal (d. 1975)
    • 1893 – Astrid Holm, Danish actress (d. 1961)
    • 1895 – Ernst Jünger, German philosopher and author (d. 1998)
    • 1896 – Wilhelm Ackermann, German mathematician (d. 1962)
    • 1899 – Lavrentiy Beria, Georgian-Russian general and politician (d. 1953)
    • 1900 – Bill Aston, English race car driver (d. 1974)
    • 1900 – John McEwen, Australian farmer and politician, 18th Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1980)
    • 1902 – Marcel Aymé, French author, playwright, and screenwriter (d. 1967)
    • 1902 – Don Miller, American football player and coach (d. 1979)
    • 1902 – William Walton, English composer (d. 1983)
    • 1903 – Douglas Harkness, Canadian colonel and politician, 14th Canadian Minister of National Defence (d. 1999)
    • 1906 – James Bausch, American decathlete and football player (d. 1974)
    • 1907 – Braguinha, Brazilian singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2006)
    • 1908 – Arthur O’Connell, American actor (d. 1981)
    • 1908 – Dennis O’Keefe, American actor and screenwriter (d. 1968)
    • 1909 – Moon Mullican, American country and western singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 1967)
    • 1912 – Hanna Reitsch, German soldier and pilot (d. 1979)
    • 1914 – Phil Foster, American actor (d. 1985)
    • 1914 – Chapman Pincher, Indian-English historian, journalist, and author (d. 2014)
    • 1916 – Peter Geach, English philosopher and academic (d. 2013)
    • 1916 – Eugene McCarthy, American poet and politician (d. 2005)
    • 1917 – Tommy Holmes, American baseball player (d. 2008)
    • 1918 – Pearl Bailey, American actress and singer (d. 1990)
    • 1918 – Lê Văn Thiêm, Vietnamese mathematician and academic (d. 1991)
    • 1918 – Sam Walton, American businessman, founded Walmart and Sam’s Club (d. 1992)
    • 1919 – Eileen Heckart, American actress (d. 2001)
    • 1920 – John M. Belk, American businessman and politician (d. 2007)
    • 1920 – Clarke Fraser, American-Canadian geneticist and academic (d. 2014)
    • 1920 – Pierre Moinot, French author (d. 2007)
    • 1920 – Theodore Trautwein, American lawyer and judge (d. 2000)
    • 1921 – Sam Loxton, Australian cricketer, footballer, and politician (d. 2011)
    • 1923 – Geoff Duke, English-Manx motorcycle racer (d. 2015)
    • 1923 – Betty Binns Fletcher, American lawyer and judge (d. 2012)
    • 1923 – Bob Haymes, American singer-songwriter, and actor (d. 1989)
    • 1926 – Moshe Sanbar, Hungarian-Israeli banker and economist (d. 2012)
    • 1927 – John McLaughlin, American journalist and producer (d. 2016)
    • 1927 – John Vane, English pharmacologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2004)
    • 1928 – Romesh Bhandari, Pakistani-Indian politician, 13th Foreign Secretary of India (d. 2013)
    • 1928 – Keith Botsford, Belgian-American journalist, author, and academic (d. 2018)
    • 1928 – Vincent Gigante, American boxer and mobster (d. 2005)
    • 1929 – Sheila Kitzinger, English activist, author, and academic (d. 2015)
    • 1929 – Richard Lewontin, American biologist, geneticist, and academic
    • 1929 – Lennart Meri, Estonian director and politician, 2nd President of Estonia (d. 2006)
    • 1929 – Utpal Dutt, Indian Bengali actor, director and playwright (d. 1993)
    • 1930 – Anerood Jugnauth, Mauritian lawyer and politician, 4th President of Mauritius
    • 1931 – Ștefan Andrei, Romanian politician, 87th Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 2014)
    • 1931 – Sopubek Begaliev, Kyrgyzstani economist and politician (d. 2002)
    • 1931 – Aleksei Gubarev, Russian general, pilot, and astronaut (d. 2015)
    • 1931 – Norman Tebbit, English journalist and politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
    • 1933 – Jacques Brault, Canadian poet and academic
    • 1934 – Shahryar Khan, Indian-Pakistani politician and diplomat, 20th Foreign Secretary of Pakistan
    • 1936 – Richard Rodney Bennett, English-American composer and educator (d. 2012)
    • 1936 – Mogens Camre, Danish politician (d. 2016)
    • 1936 – John A. Durkin, American lawyer and politician (d. 2012)
    • 1936 – Judith Guest, American author and screenwriter
    • 1936 – Joseph P. Teasdale, American lawyer and politician, 48th Governor of Missouri (d. 2014)
    • 1937 – Roberto Chabet, Filipino painter and sculptor (d. 2013)
    • 1937 – Smarck Michel, Haitian businessman and politician, 6th Prime Minister of Haiti (d. 2012)
    • 1937 – Gordon Milne, English footballer
    • 1938 – Bert de Vries, Dutch politician
    • 1939 – Roland Arnall, French-American businessman and diplomat, 63rd United States Ambassador to the Netherlands (d. 2008)
    • 1939 – Terence Hill, Italian actor, director, and producer
    • 1939 – Hanumant Singh, Indian cricketer (d. 2006)
    • 1940 – Ray Davis, American bass singer (d. 2005)
    • 1940 – Astrud Gilberto, Brazilian singer-songwriter
    • 1940 – John Suchet, English journalist and game show host
    • 1941 – Joseph Hooton Taylor Jr., American astrophysicist and astronomer, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1942 – Bob Lurtsema, American football player
    • 1942 – Scott Wilson, American actor (d. 2018)
    • 1943 – Vangelis, Greek keyboard player and songwriter
    • 1943 – Chad Allan, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1943 – Eric Idle, English actor and comedian
    • 1943 – John Major, English banker and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
    • 1944 – Terry Jacks, Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1944 – Denny McLain, American baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1944 – Lynne Segal, Australian-British feminist academic and activist
    • 1945 – Walt Frazier, American basketball player and sportscaster
    • 1945 – Speedy Keen, English singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer (d. 2002)
    • 1946 – Billy Thorpe, English-Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 2007)
    • 1946 – Segun Bucknor, Nigerian musician and journalist (d. 2017)
    • 1947 – Inge Bödding, German sprinter
    • 1947 – Robert Gordon, American singer and actor
    • 1947 – Bobby Kimball, American singer-songwriter
    • 1948 – Bud Cort, American actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1948 – Piet Souer, Dutch record producer, songwriter and arranger
    • 1949 – Michael Brecker, American saxophonist and composer (d. 2007)
    • 1949 – Dave Greenfield, English musician (d. 2020)
    • 1949 – Pauline Marois, Canadian social worker and politician, 30th Premier of Quebec
    • 1949 – Keith Simpson, English historian and politician
    • 1951 – William Clarke, American harmonica player (d. 1996)
    • 1951 – Geoff Howarth, New Zealand cricketer
    • 1951 – Tina Monzon-Palma, Filipino journalist
    • 1952 – Rainer Bonhof, German footballer
    • 1952 – Russell Fairfax, Australian rugby player and coach
    • 1952 – John Hendricks, American businessman, founded Discovery Communications
    • 1952 – Teófilo Stevenson, Cuban boxer and engineer (d. 2012)
    • 1953 – Tõnis Palts, Estonian politician, 39th Mayor of Tallinn
    • 1955 – Earl Campbell, American football player
    • 1955 – Brendan Gleeson, Irish actor
    • 1955 – Marina Sirtis, British-American actress
    • 1956 – Patty Donahue, American singer (d. 1996)
    • 1957 – Elizabeth Hand, American author
    • 1957 – Christopher Lambert, American-born French actor
    • 1958 – Pedro Bial, Brazilian journalist and producer
    • 1958 – Travis Childers, American businessman and politician
    • 1958 – Nouriel Roubini, Turkish-American economist and academic
    • 1958 – Victor Salva, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1958 – Marc Silvestri, American publisher, founded Top Cow Productions
    • 1959 – Barry Blanchard, Canadian mountaineer
    • 1959 – Perry Farrell, American singer-songwriter
    • 1959 – Brad McCrimmon, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2011)
    • 1960 – Wayne Pearce, Australian rugby league player, coach, and sportscaster
    • 1961 – Gary Brabham, English-Australian race car driver
    • 1961 – Mike Kingery, American baseball player
    • 1961 – Amy Sedaris, American actress and comedian
    • 1961 – Michael Winterbottom, English director and producer
    • 1962 – Billy Beane, American baseball player and manager
    • 1962 – Ted Failon, Filipino journalist and politician
    • 1962 – Kirk Triplett, American golfer
    • 1964 – Catherine Cortez Masto, American attorney and politician
    • 1964 – Jill Goodacre, American model and actress
    • 1964 – Elle Macpherson, Australian model and actress
    • 1964 – Ming Tsai, American chef and television host
    • 1965 – Emilios T. Harlaftis, Greek astrophysicist, astronomer, and academic (d. 2005)
    • 1965 – William Oefelein, American commander, pilot, and astronaut
    • 1965 – Voula Patoulidou, Greek hurdler, long jumper, and politician
    • 1966 – Krasimir Balakov, Bulgarian footballer and manager
    • 1966 – Jeroen Dijsselbloem, Dutch politician
    • 1966 – Eric Gunderson, American baseball player
    • 1966 – Sigrid Kirchmann, Austrian high jumper
    • 1967 – Ainars Bagatskis, Latvian basketball player and coach
    • 1967 – Michel Hazanavicius, French director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1967 – Brian Jordan, American baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1968 – Lucy Lawless, New Zealand actress
    • 1969 – Kim Batten, American hurdler
    • 1969 – Shinichi Mochizuki, Japanese mathematician
    • 1969 – Jimmy Spencer, American football player and coach
    • 1971 – Robert Gibbs, American political adviser, 28th White House Press Secretary
    • 1971 – Lara Logan, South African television and radio journalist and war correspondent
    • 1971 – Hidetoshi Nishijima, Japanese actor
    • 1972 – Rui Costa, Portuguese footballer
    • 1972 – Piet-Hein Geeris, Dutch field hockey player
    • 1972 – Alex Ochoa, Cuban-American baseball player and coach
    • 1972 – Priti Patel, British Indian politician, Secretary of State for the Home Department
    • 1973 – Marc Overmars, Dutch footballer and coach
    • 1973 – Sebastiano Siviglia, Italian footballer
    • 1973 – Steve Smith, English high jumper
    • 1974 – Miguel Gómez, Colombian-American photographer and educator
    • 1976 – Igor Astarloa, Spanish cyclist
    • 1976 – Jennifer Capriati, American tennis player
    • 1978 – Aaron Persico, New Zealand-Italian rugby player
    • 1980 – Bill Demong, American skier
    • 1980 – Bruno Silva, Uruguayan footballer
    • 1981 – Jlloyd Samuel, Trinidadian footballer (d. 2018)
    • 1982 – Jēkabs Rēdlihs, Latvian ice hockey player
    • 1983 – Darius Draudvila, Lithuanian decathlete
    • 1984 – Juan Mónaco, Argentinian tennis player
    • 1985 – Fernando Amorebieta, Venezuelan international footballer, central defender
    • 1985 – Maxim Lapierre, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1985 – Mickey Pimentel, American football player
    • 1986 – Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, English footballer
    • 1986 – Ivan Ukhov, Russian high jumper
    • 1987 – Gianluca Freddi, Italian footballer
    • 1987 – Dimitri Payet, French footballer
    • 1987 – Romain Hamouma, French footballer
    • 1988 – Esther Cremer, German runner
    • 1988 – Jesús Molina, Mexican footballer
    • 1988 – Jürgen Zopp, Estonian tennis player
    • 1989 – James Tomkins, English footballer
    • 1990 – Carlos Peña, Mexican footballer
    • 1990 – Teemu Pukki, Finnish footballer
    • 1990 – Lyle Taylor, English footballer
    • 1991 – Irene, South Korean idol, actress and television host
    • 1991 – Fabio Borini, Italian footballer
    • 1991 – N’Golo Kanté, French footballer
    • 1993 – Thorgan Hazard, Belgian footballer

    Deaths on March 29

    • 87 BC – Emperor Wu of Han of China (b. 157 BC)
    • AD 57 – Emperor Guangwu of Han (b. 5 BC)
    • 500 – Gwynllyw, Welsh king and religious figure
    • 1058 – Pope Stephen IX (b. 1020)
    • 1075 – Ottokar I of Styria, German noble
    • 1368 – Emperor Go-Murakami of Japan (b. 1328)
    • 1461 – Henry Percy, 3rd Earl of Northumberland, English politician (b. 1421)
    • 1461 – Lionel de Welles, 6th Baron Welles
    • 1467 – Matthew Palaiologos Asen, Byzantine aristocrat and official
    • 1578 – Louis I, Cardinal of Guise (b. 1527)
    • 1578 – Arthur Champernowne, English admiral and politician (b. 1524)
    • 1628 – Tobias Matthew, English archbishop and academic (b. 1546)
    • 1629 – Jacob de Gheyn II, Dutch painter and engraver (b. 1565)
    • 1692 – Nicolaus Bruhns, Danish-German organist, violinist, and composer (b. 1665)
    • 1703 – George Frederick II, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach, (b. 1678)
    • 1751 – Thomas Coram, English captain and philanthropist, founded Foundling Hospital (b. 1668)
    • 1772 – Emanuel Swedenborg, Swedish astronomer, philosopher, and theologian (b. 1688)
    • 1788 – Charles Wesley, English missionary and poet (b. 1707)
    • 1792 – Gustav III of Sweden (b. 1746)
    • 1800 – Marc René, marquis de Montalembert, French general and engineer (b. 1714)
    • 1803 – Gottfried van Swieten, Dutch-Austrian librarian and diplomat (b. 1733)
    • 1826 – Johann Heinrich Voss, German poet, translator, and academic (b. 1751)
    • 1829 – Cornelio Saavedra, Argentinian general and politician (b. 1759)
    • 1848 – John Jacob Astor, German-American businessman (b. 1763)
    • 1855 – Henri Druey, Swiss politician, 2nd President of the Swiss Confederation (b. 1799)
    • 1873 – Francesco Zantedeschi, Italian priest and physicist (b. 1797)
    • 1877 – Inazuma Raigorō, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 7th Yokozuna (b. 1802)
    • 1888 – Charles-Valentin Alkan, French pianist and composer (b. 1813)
    • 1891 – John Plankinton, American businessman and industrialist, also noted for philanthropy (b. 1820)
    • 1891 – Georges Seurat, French painter (b. 1859)
    • 1900 – Cyrus K. Holliday, American businessman (b. 1826)
    • 1905 – William Plankinton, American businessman, industrialist and banker (b. 1843)
    • 1906 – Slava Raškaj, Croatian painter (b. 1878)
    • 1911 – Alexandre Guilmant, French organist and composer (b. 1837)
    • 1912 – Henry Robertson Bowers, Scottish lieutenant and explorer (b. 1883)
    • 1912 – Robert Falcon Scott, English lieutenant and explorer (b. 1868)
    • 1912 – Edward Adrian Wilson, English physician and explorer (b. 1872)
    • 1924 – Charles Villiers Stanford, Irish composer and conductor (b. 1852)
    • 1934 – Otto Hermann Kahn, German-American banker and philanthropist (b. 1867)
    • 1937 – Karol Szymanowski, Polish pianist and composer (b. 1882)
    • 1940 – Alexander Obolensky, Russian-English rugby player and soldier (b. 1916)
    • 1948 – Harry Price, English parapsychologist and author (b. 1881)
    • 1957 – Joyce Cary, Anglo-Irish novelist (b. 1888)
    • 1959 – Barthélemy Boganda, African priest and politician, 1st Prime Minister of the Central African Republic (b. 1910)
    • 1963 – Gaspard Fauteux, Canadian dentist and politician, 19th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (b. 1898)
    • 1963 – August Rei, Estonian soldier, journalist, and politician, 12th Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1886)
    • 1970 – Anna Louise Strong, American journalist and author (b. 1885)
    • 1971 – Dhirendranath Datta, Pakistani lawyer and politician (b. 1886)
    • 1972 – J. Arthur Rank, English businessman, founded Rank Organisation (b. 1888)
    • 1980 – Mantovani, Italian-English conductor and composer (b. 1905)
    • 1981 – Eric Williams, Trinidadian historian and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago (b. 1911)
    • 1982 – Walter Hallstein, German academic and politician, 1st President of the European Commission (b. 1901)
    • 1982 – Carl Orff, German composer and educator (b. 1895)
    • 1982 – Nathan Farragut Twining, American general (b. 1897)
    • 1985 – Luther Terry, American physician and academic, 9th Surgeon General of the United States (b. 1911)
    • 1988 – Maurice Blackburn, Canadian composer and conductor (b. 1914)
    • 1988 – Ted Kluszewski, American baseball player and coach (b. 1924)
    • 1991 – Guy Bourdin, French photographer (b. 1928)
    • 1992 – Paul Henreid, American actor (b. 1908)
    • 1994 – Bill Travers, English actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1922)
    • 1995 – Mort Meskin, American illustrator (b. 1916)
    • 1995 – Terry Moore, American baseball player and coach (b. 1912)
    • 1996 – Frank Daniel, Czech-American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1926)
    • 1996 – Bill Goldsworthy, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1944)
    • 1997 – Hans-Walter Eigenbrodt, German footballer and coach (b. 1935)
    • 1999 – Gyula Zsengellér, Hungarian footballer (b. 1915)
    • 1999 – Joe Williams, American jazz singer (b. 1918)
    • 2001 – Helge Ingstad, Norwegian lawyer, academic, and explorer (b. 1899)
    • 2001 – John Lewis, American pianist and composer (b. 1920)
    • 2003 – Carlo Urbani, Italian physician and microbiologist (b. 1956)
    • 2004 – Lise de Baissac, Mauritian-born SOE agent, war hero (b. 1905)
    • 2004 – Joel Feinberg, American philosopher and academic (b. 1926)
    • 2005 – Miltos Sachtouris, Greek poet and author (b. 1919)
    • 2006 – Salvador Elizondo, Mexican author and poet (b. 1932)
    • 2007 – Larry L’Estrange, English rugby player and soldier (b. 1934)
    • 2009 – Vladimir Fedotov, Russian footballer and manager (b. 1943)
    • 2009 – Andy Hallett, American actor and singer (b. 1975)
    • 2011 – Ângelo de Sousa, Portuguese painter and sculptor (b. 1938)
    • 2011 – Iakovos Kambanellis, Greek author, poet, playwright, and screenwriter (b. 1921)
    • 2012 – Pap Cheyassin Secka, Gambian lawyer and politician (b. 1942)
    • 2012 – Bill Jenkins, American race car driver and engineer (b. 1930)
    • 2013 – Reginald Gray, Irish-French painter (b. 1930)
    • 2013 – Brian Huggins, English-Canadian journalist and actor (b. 1931)
    • 2013 – Liu Kang, Chinese footballer and manager (b. 1961)
    • 2013 – Ralph Klein, Canadian journalist and politician, 12th Premier of Alberta (b. 1942)
    • 2013 – Art Phillips, Canadian businessman and politician, 32nd Mayor of Vancouver (b. 1930)
    • 2014 – Marc Platt, American actor and dancer (b. 1913)
    • 2014 – Ruth A. M. Schmidt, American geologist and paleontologist (b. 1916)
    • 2015 – William Delafield Cook, Australian-English painter (b. 1926)
    • 2015 – Gerry Hardstaff, English cricketer (b. 1940)
    • 2016 – Patty Duke, American actress (b. 1946)
    • 2017 – Alexei Alexeyevich Abrikosov, Russian physicist (b. 1928)
    • 2019 – Agnès Varda, French film director (b. 1928)

    Holidays and observances on March 29

    • Christian feast day:
      • Berthold
      • Eustace of Luxeuil
      • Gwladys
      • Gwynllyw
      • Hans Nielsen Hauge (Lutheran)
      • John Keble (commemoration, Anglicanism)
      • March 29 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Earliest day on which the Octave Day of Easter can fall, while May 2 is the latest; observed on the Sunday after Easter. (Christianity)
    • Boganda Day (Central African Republic)
    • Commemoration of the 1947 Rebellion (Madagascar)
    • National Vietnam War Veterans Day (United States of America)
    • Day of the Young Combatant (Chile)
    • Youth Day (Taiwan)

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

    • 1309 – Pope Clement V imposes excommunication and interdiction on Venice, and a general prohibition of all commercial intercourse with Venice, which had seized on Ferrara, a papal fiefdom.
    • 1329 – Pope John XXII issues his In Agro Dominico condemning some writings of Meister Eckhart as heretical.
    • 1513 – Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León reaches the northern end of The Bahamas on his first voyage to Florida.
    • 1625 – Charles I becomes King of England, Scotland and Ireland as well as claiming the title King of France.
    • 1782 – Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
    • 1794 – The United States Government establishes a permanent navy and authorizes the building of six frigates.
    • 1809 – Peninsular War: A combined Franco-Polish force defeats the Spanish in the Battle of Ciudad Real.
    • 1814 – War of 1812: In central Alabama, U.S. forces under General Andrew Jackson defeat the Creek at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend.
    • 1836 – Texas Revolution: On the orders of General Antonio López de Santa Anna, the Mexican army massacres 342 Texas POWs at Goliad, Texas.
    • 1866 – President of the United States of America Andrew Johnson vetoes the Civil Rights Act of 1866. His veto is overridden by Congress and the bill passes into law on April 9.
    • 1871 – The first international rugby football match, when Scotland defeats England in Edinburgh at Raeburn Place.
    • 1884 – A mob in Cincinnati, Ohio, attacks members of a jury which had returned a verdict of manslaughter in what was seen as a clear case of murder; over the next few days the mob would riot and eventually destroy the courthouse.
    • 1886 – Geronimo, Apache warrior, surrenders to the U.S. Army, ending the main phase of the Apache Wars.
    • 1899 – Emilio Aguinaldo leads Filipino forces for the only time during the Philippine–American War at the Battle of Marilao River.
    • 1915 – Typhoid Mary, the first healthy carrier of disease ever identified in the United States is put in quarantine for the second time, where she would remain for the rest of her life.
    • 1918 – The National Council of Bessarabia proclaims union with the Kingdom of Romania.
    • 1938 – Second Sino-Japanese War: The Battle of Taierzhuang begins, resulting several weeks later in the war’s first major Chinese victory over Japan.
    • 1941 – World War II: Yugoslav Air Force officers topple the pro-Axis government in a bloodless coup.
    • 1943 – World War II: Battle of the Komandorski Islands: In the Aleutian Islands the battle begins when United States Navy forces intercept Japanese attempting to reinforce a garrison at Kiska.
    • 1945 – World War II: Operation Starvation, the aerial mining of Japan’s ports and waterways begins. Argentina declares war on the Axis Powers.
    • 1958 – Nikita Khrushchev becomes Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union.
    • 1964 – The Good Friday earthquake, the most powerful earthquake recorded in North American history at a magnitude of 9.2 strikes Southcentral Alaska, killing 125 people and inflicting massive damage to the city of Anchorage.
    • 1975 – Construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System begins.
    • 1977 – Tenerife airport disaster: Two Boeing 747 airliners collide on a foggy runway on Tenerife in the Canary Islands, killing 583 (all 248 on KLM and 335 on Pan Am). Sixty-one survived on the Pan Am flight. This is the deadliest aviation accident in history.
    • 1980 – The Norwegian oil platform Alexander L. Kielland collapses in the North Sea, killing 123 of its crew of 212.
    • 1980 – Silver Thursday: A steep fall in silver prices, resulting from the Hunt Brothers attempting to corner the market in silver, leads to panic on commodity and futures exchanges.
    • 1981 – The Solidarity movement in Poland stages a warning strike, in which at least 12 million Poles walk off their jobs for four hours.
    • 1986 – A car bomb explodes outside Russell Street Police HQ in Melbourne, Australia, killing one police officer and injuring 21 people.
    • 1990 – The United States begins broadcasting anti-Castro propaganda to Cuba on TV Martí.
    • 1993 – Jiang Zemin is appointed President of the People’s Republic of China.
    • 1993 – Italian former minister and Christian Democracy leader Giulio Andreotti is accused of mafia allegiance by the tribunal of Palermo.
    • 1998 – The Food and Drug Administration approves Viagra for use as a treatment for male impotence, the first pill to be approved for this condition in the United States.
    • 1999 – Kosovo War: An American Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk is shot down by a Yugoslav SAM, the first and only Nighthawk to be lost in combat.
    • 2000 – A Phillips Petroleum plant explosion in Pasadena, Texas kills one person and injures 71 others.
    • 2002 – Passover massacre: A Palestinian suicide bomber kills 29 people at a Passover seder in Netanya, Israel.
    • 2002 – Nanterre massacre: In Nanterre, France, a gunman opens fire at the end of a town council meeting, resulting in the deaths of eight councilors; 19 other people are injured.
    • 2004 – HMS Scylla, a decommissioned Leander-class frigate, is sunk as an artificial reef off Cornwall, the first of its kind in Europe.
    • 2009 – The dam forming Situ Gintung, an artificial lake in Indonesia, fails, killing at least 99 people.
    • 2014 – Philippines signs a peace accord with the largest Muslim rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, ending decades of conflict.
    • 2015 – Al-Shabab militants attack and temporarily occupy a Mogadishu hotel leaving at least 20 people dead.
    • 2016 – A suicide blast in Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park, Lahore claims over 70 lives and leaves almost 300 others injured. The target of the bombing are Christians celebrating Easter.
    • 2020 – North Macedonia becomes the 30th member of NATO.

    Births on March 27

    • 972 – Robert II, king of France (d. 1031)
    • 1401 – Albert III, duke of Bavaria (d. 1460)
    • 1416 – Francis of Paola, Italian friar and saint, founded Order of the Minims (d. 1507)
    • 1546 – Johannes Piscator, German theologian (d. 1625)
    • 1627 – Stephen Fox, English politician (d. 1716)
    • 1676 – Francis II Rákóczi, Hungarian prince (b. 1676)
    • 1679 – Domenico Lalli, Italian poet and librettist (d. 1741)
    • 1681 – Joaquín Fernández de Portocarrero, Spanish-Italian cardinal (d. 1760)
    • 1702 – Johann Ernst Eberlin, German organist and composer (d. 1762)
    • 1710 – Joseph Abaco, Belgian cellist and composer (d. 1805)
    • 1712 – Claude Bourgelat, French surgeon and author (d. 1779)
    • 1714 – Francesco Antonio Zaccaria, Italian historian and theologian (d. 1795)
    • 1724 – Jane Colden, American botanist and author (d. 1766)
    • 1745 – Lindley Murray, American-English Quaker and grammarian (d. 1826)
    • 1746 – Michael Bruce, Scottish poet and composer (d. 1767)
    • 1746 – Carlo Buonaparte, Corsican-French lawyer and politician (d. 1785)
    • 1765 – Franz Xaver von Baader, German philosopher and theologian (d. 1841)
    • 1781 – Alexander Vostokov, Estonian-Russian philologist and academic (d. 1864)
    • 1784 – Sándor Kőrösi Csoma, Hungarian philologist, orientalist, and author (d. 1842)
    • 1785 – Louis XVII of France (d. 1795)
    • 1797 – Alfred de Vigny, French author, poet, and playwright (d. 1863)
    • 1801 – Alexander Barrow, American lawyer and politician (d. 1846)
    • 1802 – Charles-Mathias Simons, German-Luxembourger jurist and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Luxembourg (d. 1874)
    • 1809 – Georges-Eugène Haussmann, French engineer, urban planner, and politician (d. 1891)
    • 1811 – Edward William Cooke, English painter and illustrator (d. 1880)
    • 1814 – Charles Mackay, Scottish journalist, anthologist, and author (d. 1889)
    • 1820 – Edward Augustus Inglefield, English admiral and explorer (d. 1894)
    • 1822 – Henri Murger, French novelist and poet (d. 1861)
    • 1824 – Virginia Minor, American women’s suffrage activist (d. 1894)
    • 1839 – John Ballance, Irish-New Zealand journalist and politician, 14th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1893)
    • 1843 – George Frederick Leycester Marshall, English colonel and entomologist (d. 1934)
    • 1844 – Adolphus Greely, American general and explorer, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1935)
    • 1845 – Wilhelm Röntgen, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1923)
    • 1845 – Jakob Sverdrup, Norwegian bishop and politician, Norwegian Minister of Education and Church Affairs (d. 1899)
    • 1847 – Otto Wallach, German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1931)
    • 1851 – Ruperto Chapí, Spanish composer, co-founded Sociedad General de Autores y Editores (d. 1909)
    • 1851 – Vincent d’Indy, French composer and educator (d. 1931)
    • 1852 – Jan van Beers, Belgian painter and illustrator (d. 1927)
    • 1854 – Giovanni Battista Grassi, Italian physician, zoologist, and entomologist (d. 1925)
    • 1855 – William Libbey, American target shooter, colonel, mountaineer, geographer, geologist, and archaeologist (d. 1927)
    • 1857 – Karl Pearson, English mathematician, eugenicist, and academic (d. 1936)
    • 1859 – George Giffen, Australian cricketer and footballer (d. 1927)
    • 1860 – Frank Frost Abbott, American-Swiss scholar and academic (d. 1924)
    • 1862 – Jelena Dimitrijević, Serbian short story writer, novelist, poet, traveller, social worker, feminist and polyglot (d. 1945)
    • 1862 – Arturo Berutti, Argentinian composer (d. 1938)
    • 1863 – Henry Royce, English engineer and businessman, founded Rolls-Royce Limited (d. 1933)
    • 1866 – John Allan, Australian politician, 29th Premier of Victoria (d. 1936)
    • 1868 – Patty Hill, American songwriter and educator (d. 1946)
    • 1869 – James McNeill, Irish politician, 2nd Governor-General of the Irish Free State (d. 1938)
    • 1869 – J. R. Clynes, English trade unionist and politician, Home Secretary (d. 1949)
    • 1871 – Heinrich Mann, German author and poet (d. 1950)
    • 1871 – Joseph G. Morrison, American captain and Nazarene minister (d. 1939)
    • 1871 – Piet Aalberse, Dutch politician, Minister of Labour (d. 1948)
    • 1875 – Albert Marquet, French painter (d. 1947)
    • 1877 – Oscar Grégoire, Belgian water polo player and swimmer (d. 1947)
    • 1878 – Kathleen Scott, British sculptor (d. 1947)
    • 1879 – Sándor Garbai, Hungarian politician, 19th Prime Minister of Hungary (d. 1947)
    • 1879 – Miller Huggins, American baseball player and manager (d. 1929)
    • 1879 – Edward Steichen, Luxembourger-American painter and photographer (d. 1973)
    • 1881 – Arkady Averchenko, Russian playwright and satirist (d. 1925)
    • 1882 – Thomas Graham Brown, Scottish mountaineer and physiologist (d. 1965)
    • 1883 – Marie Under, Estonian author and poet (d. 1980)
    • 1884 – Gordon Thomson, English rower and lieutenant (d. 1953)
    • 1885 – Julio Lozano Díaz, Honduran accountant and politician, 40th President of Honduras (d. 1957)
    • 1885 – Reginald Fletcher, 1st Baron Winster, English navy officer and politician, Secretary of State for Transport (d. 1961)
    • 1886 – Sergey Kirov, Russian politician (d. 1934)
    • 1886 – Wladimir Burliuk, Ukrainian painter and illustrator (d. 1917)
    • 1886 – Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, German-American architect, designed IBM Plaza and Seagram Building (d. 1969)
    • 1887 – Väinö Siikaniemi, Finnish javelin thrower, poet, and translator (d. 1932)
    • 1888 – George Alfred Lawrence Hearne, English-South African cricketer (d. 1978)
    • 1889 – Yakup Kadri Karaosmanoğlu, Egyptian-Turkish journalist, author, and politician (d. 1974)
    • 1889 – Leonard Mociulschi, Romanian general (d. 1979)
    • 1890 – Harald Julin, Swedish swimmer and water polo player (d. 1967)
    • 1890 – Frederick Dalrymple-Hamilton, Scottish admiral (d. 1974)
    • 1891 – Lajos Zilahy, Hungarian novelist and playwright (d. 1974)
    • 1891 – Klawdziy Duzh-Dushewski, Belarusian-Lithuanian architect, journalist, and diplomat, created the Flag of Belarus (d. 1959)
    • 1892 – Ferde Grofé, American pianist and composer (d. 1972)
    • 1892 – Thorne Smith, American author (d. 1934)
    • 1893 – Karl Mannheim, Hungarian-English sociologist and academic (d. 1947)
    • 1893 – G. Lloyd Spencer, American lieutenant and politician (d. 1981)
    • 1893 – George Beranger, Australian-American actor and director (d. 1973)
    • 1894 – René Fonck, French colonel and pilot (d. 1953)
    • 1895 – Roland Leighton, English soldier and poet (d. 1915)
    • 1897 – Douglas Hartree, English mathematician and physicist (d. 1958)
    • 1897 – Fred Keating, American magician, stage and film actor (d. 1961)
    • 1899 – Francis Ponge, French poet and author (d. 1988)
    • 1899 – Herbert Arthur Stuart, German-Swiss physicist and academic (d. 1974)
    • 1899 – Gloria Swanson, American actress and producer (d. 1983)
    • 1901 – Carl Barks, American illustrator and screenwriter (d. 2000)
    • 1901 – Erich Ollenhauer, German politician (d. 1963)
    • 1901 – Eisaku Satō, Japanese politician, 61st Prime Minister of Japan, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1975)
    • 1901 – Kenneth Slessor, Australian journalist and poet (d. 1971)
    • 1902 – Sidney Buchman, American screenwriter and producer (d. 1975)
    • 1902 – Charles Lang, American cinematographer (d. 1998)
    • 1903 – Xavier Villaurrutia, Mexican poet and playwright (d. 1950)
    • 1905 – Leroy Carr, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 1935)
    • 1905 – Rudolf Christoph Freiherr von Gersdorff, German general (d. 1980)
    • 1905 – Elsie MacGill, Canadian-American author and engineer (d. 1980)
    • 1906 – Pee Wee Russell, American clarinet player, saxophonist, and composer (d. 1969)
    • 1909 – Golo Mann, German historian and author (d. 1994)
    • 1909 – Ben Webster, American saxophonist (d. 1973)
    • 1909 – Valery Marakou, Belarusian poet and translator (d. 1937)
    • 1910 – Ai Qing, Chinese poet and author (d. 1996)
    • 1911 – Veronika Tushnova, Russian poet and physician (d. 1965)
    • 1912 – James Callaghan, English lieutenant and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 2005)
    • 1913 – Theodor Dannecker, German SS officer (d. 1945)
    • 1914 – Richard Denning, American actor (d. 1998)
    • 1914 – Budd Schulberg, American author, screenwriter, and producer (d. 2009)
    • 1915 – Robert Lockwood, Jr., American guitarist (d. 2006)
    • 1917 – Cyrus Vance, American lawyer and politician, 57th United States Secretary of State (d. 2002)
    • 1920 – Colin Rowe, English-American architect, theorist and academic (d. 1999)
    • 1921 – Phil Chess, Czech-American record producer, co-founded Chess Records (d. 2016)
    • 1921 – Moacir Barbosa Nascimento, Brazilian footballer and coach (d. 2000)
    • 1921 – Harold Nicholas, American actor and dancer (d. 2000)
    • 1922 – Dick King-Smith, English author (d. 2011)
    • 1922 – Stefan Wul, French author and surgeon (d. 2003)
    • 1922 – Jules Olitski, Ukrainian-American painter, printmaker, and sculptor (d. 2007)
    • 1923 – Shūsaku Endō, Japanese author (d. 1996)
    • 1923 – Louis Simpson, Jamaican-American poet, translator, and academic (d. 2012)
    • 1924 – Sarah Vaughan, American singer (d. 1990)
    • 1924 – Ian Black, Scottish international footballer, goalkeeper and lawn bowls player (d. 2012)
    • 1924 – Margaret K. Butler, American mathematician and computer programmer (d. 2013)
    • 1926 – Frank O’Hara, American writer (d. 1966)
    • 1927 – Sylvia Anderson, English voice actress, screenwriter, and producer (d. 2016)
    • 1927 – Anthony Lewis, American journalist and academic (d. 2013)
    • 1927 – Mstislav Rostropovich, Russian cellist and conductor (d. 2007)
    • 1928 – Jean Dotto, French cyclist (d. 2000)
    • 1929 – Anne Ramsey, American actress (d. 1988)
    • 1929 – Reg Evans, Australian actor (d. 2009)
    • 1930 – Daniel Spoerri, Romanian-Swiss photographer, writer and artist
    • 1931 – David Janssen, American actor and screenwriter (d. 1980)
    • 1932 – Junior Parker, American singer and harmonica player (d. 1971)
    • 1932 – Bailey Olter, Micronesian politician, 3rd President of the Federated States of Micronesia (d. 1999)
    • 1933 – Lê Văn Hưng, South Vietnamese Brigadier general (d. 1975)
    • 1934 – István Csurka, Hungarian journalist, author, and politician (d. 2012)
    • 1935 – Stanley Rother, American Roman Catholic priest and missionary (d. 1981)
    • 1935 – Julian Glover, English actor
    • 1936 – Malcolm Goldstein, American violinist and composer
    • 1937 – Alan Hawkshaw, English keyboard player and songwriter
    • 1939 – Jay Kim, South Korean-American engineer and politician
    • 1939 – Cale Yarborough, American race car driver and businessman
    • 1940 – Sandro Munari, Italian race car driver
    • 1940 – Austin Pendleton, American actor, director, and playwright
    • 1941 – Ivan Gašparovič, Slovak lawyer and politician, 3rd President of Slovakia
    • 1941 – Liese Prokop, Austrian pentathlete and politician, Austrian Minister of the Interior (d. 2006)
    • 1942 – Michael Jackson, English journalist and author (d. 2007)
    • 1942 – John Sulston, English biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2018)
    • 1942 – Michael York, English actor
    • 1943 – Mike Curtis, American football player and coach (d. 2020)
    • 1944 – Jesse Brown, American marine and politician, 2nd United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs (d. 2002)
    • 1944 – Bryan Campbell, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1946 – Michael Aris, Cuban-English author and academic (d. 1999)
    • 1947 – Oliver Friggieri, Maltese author, critic, poet and philosopher
    • 1947 – Brian Jones, English balloonist and pilot
    • 1947 – Walt Mossberg, American journalist
    • 1948 – Jens-Peter Bonde, Danish lawyer and politician
    • 1950 – Tony Banks, English keyboardist and songwriter
    • 1950 – Petros Efthymiou, Greek academic and politician, Greek Minister of Culture, Education and Religious Affairs
    • 1950 – Maria Ewing, African-American soprano
    • 1950 – Chris Stewart, English musician and author
    • 1950 – Terry Yorath, Welsh international footballer, Midfielder and international manager
    • 1951 – Andrei Kozyrev, Belgian-Russian politician and diplomat, Minister of Foreign Affairs for Russia
    • 1952 – Annemarie Moser-Pröll, Austrian skier
    • 1952 – Maria Schneider, French actress (d. 2011)
    • 1953 – Herman Ponsteen, Dutch cyclist
    • 1954 – Gerard Batten, English lawyer and politician
    • 1955 – Patrick McCabe, Irish writer
    • 1955 – Mariano Rajoy, Spanish lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of Spain
    • 1955 – Susan Neiman, Jewish American-German philosopher and author
    • 1956 – Leung Kwok-hung, Hong Kong activist and politician
    • 1956 – Thomas Wassberg, Swedish cross country skier
    • 1957 – Kostas Vasilakakis, Greek footballer and manager
    • 1957 – Stephen Dillane, English actor
    • 1958 – Didier de Radiguès, Belgian race car driver and motorcycle racer
    • 1959 – Andrew Farriss, Australian rock musician and multi-instrumentalist
    • 1960 – Hans Pflügler, German footballer
    • 1960 – Renato Russo, Brazilian singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1996)
    • 1961 – Ellery Hanley, English rugby league player and coach
    • 1961 – Tony Rominger, Swiss professional cyclist
    • 1962 – Jann Arden, Canadian singer-songwriter
    • 1962 – Brett French, Australian rugby league player
    • 1962 – Rob Hollink, Dutch poker player
    • 1962 – John O’Farrell, English journalist and author
    • 1962 – Brad Wright, American-Spanish basketball player
    • 1962 – Kevin J. Anderson, American science fiction writer
    • 1963 – Cory Blackwell, American basketball player
    • 1963 – Randall Cunningham, American football player, coach, and pastor
    • 1963 – Filippos Sachinidis, Greek-Canadian economist and politician
    • 1963 – Gary Stevens, English-Australian footballer and physiotherapist
    • 1963 – Quentin Tarantino, American director, producer, screenwriter and actor
    • 1963 – Xuxa, Brazilian actress, singer, businesswoman and television presenter
    • 1965 – Gregor Foitek, Swiss race car driver
    • 1966 – Žarko Paspalj, Serbian basketball player
    • 1967 – Talisa Soto, American actress
    • 1968 – Irina Belova, Russian heptathlete
    • 1969 – Gianluigi Lentini, Italian footballer and manager
    • 1969 – Pauley Perrette, American actress
    • 1970 – Leila Pahlavi, Princess of Iran (d. 2001)
    • 1970 – Derek Aucoin, Canadian baseball player
    • 1970 – Mariah Carey, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
    • 1970 – Brent Fitz, Canadian-American multi-instrumentalist and recording artist
    • 1970 – Jarrod McCracken, New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1970 – Elizabeth Mitchell, American actress
    • 1970 – Uwe Rosenberg, German game designer, created Bohnanza
    • 1971 – David Coulthard, Scottish race car driver and sportscaster
    • 1971 – Nathan Fillion, Canadian actor
    • 1972 – Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Surinamese-Dutch footballer, coach, and manager
    • 1972 – Charlie Haas, American professional wrestler
    • 1973 – Roger Telemachus, South African cricketer
    • 1974 – Marek Citko, Polish footballer and manager
    • 1974 – George Koumantarakis, Greek-South African footballer
    • 1974 – Gaizka Mendieta, Spanish footballer
    • 1975 – Andrew Blowers, New Zealand rugby player
    • 1975 – Kim Felton, Australian golfer
    • 1975 – Jeff Palmer, American gay porn actor and singer-songwriter
    • 1975 – Fergie, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress
    • 1975 – Christian Fiedler, German footballer and manager
    • 1976 – Roberta Anastase, Romanian politician, 57th President of the Chamber of Deputies of Romania
    • 1976 – Danny Fortson, American basketball player
    • 1976 – Adrian Anca, Romanian footballer
    • 1977 – Vítor Meira, Brazilian race car driver
    • 1978 – Gabriel Paraschiv, Romanian footballer
    • 1978 – Marius Bakken, Norwegian runner
    • 1978 – Amélie Cocheteux, French tennis player
    • 1979 – Tom Palmer, English rugby union player
    • 1979 – Mohsen Moeini, Iranian author and director
    • 1979 – Imran Tahir, Pakistani-South African cricketer
    • 1979 – Jennifer Wilson, Zimbabwean-South African field hockey player
    • 1980 – Sean Ryan, American football player
    • 1980 – Michaela Paštiková, Czech tennis player
    • 1980 – Maksim Shevchenko, Kazakhstani footballer
    • 1981 – Terry McFlynn, Irish footballer
    • 1981 – Akhil Kumar, Indian boxer
    • 1981 – Jukka Keskisalo, Finnish runner
    • 1981 – Hilda Kibet, Kenyan runner
    • 1982 – Shawn Beveney, Guyanese footballer
    • 1983 – Yuliya Golubchikova, Russian pole vaulter
    • 1983 – Vasily Koshechkin, Russian ice hockey player
    • 1983 – Román Martínez, Argentinian footballer
    • 1984 – Adam Ashley-Cooper, Australian rugby player
    • 1984 – Ben Franks, Australian-born New Zealand rugby player
    • 1984 – Brett Holman, Australian footballer
    • 1985 – Dustin Byfuglien, American ice hockey player
    • 1985 – Danny Vukovic, Australian footballer
    • 1986 – Manuel Neuer, German footballer
    • 1987 – Jefferson Bernárdez, Honduran footballer
    • 1987 – Samuel Francis, Nigerian-Qatari sprinter
    • 1987 – Polina Gagarina, Russian singer-songwriter
    • 1987 – Buster Posey, American baseball player
    • 1988 – Jessie J, English singer-songwriter
    • 1988 – Atsuto Uchida, Japanese footballer
    • 1988 – Brenda Song, American actress
    • 1988 – Mauro Goicoechea, Uruguayan footballer
    • 1988 – Holliday Grainger, English actress
    • 1989 – Matt Harvey, American baseball player
    • 1989 – Camilla Lees, New Zealand netball player
    • 1990 – Erdin Demir, Swedish-Turkish footballer
    • 1990 – Ben Hunt, Australian rugby league player
    • 1990 – Nicolas Nkoulou, Cameroonian footballer
    • 1990 – Luca Zuffi, Swiss footballer
    • 1990 – Kimbra, New Zealand musician
    • 1990 – Brodha V, Indian Rapper and Music Producer
    • 1992 – Marc Muniesa, Spanish footballer
    • 1995 – Bill Tuiloma, New Zealand footballer

    Deaths on March 27

    • 710 – Rupert of Salzburg, Austrian bishop and saint (b. 660)
    • 853 – Haymo of Halberstadt, German bishop and author (b. 778)
    • 913 – Du Xiao, chancellor of Later Liang
    • 913 – Zhang empress of Later Liang
    • 916 – Alduin I, Frankish nobleman
    • 965 – Arnulf I, Count of Flanders (born c. 890)
    • 973 – Hermann Billung, Frankish lieutenant (b. 900)
    • 1045 – Ali ibn Ahmad al-Jarjara’i, Fatimid vizier
    • 1184 – Giorgi III, King of Georgia
    • 1248 – Maud Marshal, English countess (b. 1192)
    • 1350 – Alfonso XI of Castile (b. 1312)
    • 1378 – Pope Gregory XI (b. 1336)
    • 1462 – Vasily II of Moscow (b. 1415)
    • 1472 – Janus Pannonius, Hungarian bishop and poet (b. 1434)
    • 1482 – Mary of Burgundy, Sovereign Duchess regnant of Burgundy, married to Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1457)
    • 1564 – Lütfi Pasha, Turkish historian and politician, Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire (b. 1488)
    • 1572 – Girolamo Maggi, Italian polymath (b. c. 1523)
    • 1598 – Theodor de Bry, Belgian-German engraver, goldsmith, and publisher (b. 1528)
    • 1613 – Sigismund Báthory (b. 1573)
    • 1615 – Margaret of Valois (b. 1553)
    • 1621 – Benedetto Giustiniani, Italian cardinal (b. 1554)
    • 1624 – Ulrik of Denmark, Danish prince-bishop (b. 1578)
    • 1625 – James VI and I of the United Kingdom (b. 1566)
    • 1635 – Robert Naunton, English politician (b. 1563)
    • 1676 – Bernardino de Rebolledo, Spanish poet, soldier, and diplomat (b. 1597)
    • 1679 – Abraham Mignon, Dutch painter (b. 1640)
    • 1697 – Simon Bradstreet, English businessman and politician, 20th Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony (b. 1603)
    • 1729 – Leopold, Duke of Lorraine (b. 1679)
    • 1757 – Johann Stamitz, Czech violinist and composer (b. 1717)
    • 1770 – Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Italian painter (b. 1696)
    • 1848 – Gabriel Bibron, French zoologist and herpetologist (b. 1805)
    • 1849 – Archibald Acheson, 2nd Earl of Gosford, Irish-Canadian politician, 35th Governor General of Canada (b. 1776)
    • 1850 – Wilhelm Beer, Prussian astronomer and banker (b. 1797)
    • 1864 – Jean-Jacques Ampère, French philologist and academic (b. 1800)
    • 1869 – James Harper, American publisher and politician, 65th Mayor of New York City (b. 1795)
    • 1875 – Juan Crisóstomo Torrico, Peruvian soldier and politician, President of Peru (b. 1808)
    • 1875 – Edgar Quinet, French historian and academic (b. 1803)
    • 1878 – George Gilbert Scott, English architect, designed the Albert Memorial and St Mary’s Cathedral (b. 1811)
    • 1886 – Henry Taylor, English poet and playwright (b. 1800)
    • 1889 – John Bright, English politician, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (b. 1811)
    • 1890 – Carl Jacob Löwig, German chemist and academic (b. 1803)
    • 1898 – Syed Ahmad Khan, Indian philosopher and activist (b. 1817)
    • 1900 – Joseph A. Campbell, American businessman, founded the Campbell Soup Company (b. 1817)
    • 1910 – Alexander Emanuel Agassiz, Swiss-American ichthyologist, zoologist, and engineer (b. 1835)
    • 1913 – Richard Montgomery Gano, American minister, physician, and general (b. 1830)
    • 1918 – Henry Adams, American journalist, historian, and author (b. 1838)
    • 1918 – Martin Sheridan, Irish-American discus thrower and jumper (b. 1881)
    • 1921 – Harry Barron, English general and politician, 16th Governor of Western Australia (b. 1847)
    • 1922 – Nikolay Sokolov, Russian composer and educator (b. 1859)
    • 1923 – James Dewar, Scottish chemist and physicist (b. 1842)
    • 1925 – Carl Neumann, German mathematician and academic (b. 1832)
    • 1926 – Kick Kelly, American baseball player, manager, and umpire (b. 1856)
    • 1926 – Georges Vézina, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1887)
    • 1927 – Joe Start, American baseball player and manager (b. 1842)
    • 1927 – Klaus Berntsen, Danish politician, Prime Minister of Denmark (b. 1844)
    • 1928 – Leslie Stuart, English organist and composer (b. 1863)
    • 1931 – Arnold Bennett, English author and playwright (b. 1867)
    • 1934 – Francis William Reitz, South African lawyer and politician, 5th State President of the Orange Free State (b. 1844)
    • 1938 – William Stern, German-American psychologist and philosopher (b. 1871)
    • 1940 – Michael Joseph Savage, Australian-New Zealand politician, 23rd Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1872)
    • 1942 – Julio González, Catalan sculptor and painter (b. 1876)
    • 1943 – George Monckton-Arundell, 8th Viscount Galway, English politician, 5th Governor-General of New Zealand (b. 1882)
    • 1945 – Vincent Hugo Bendix, American engineer and businessman, founded Bendix Corporation (b. 1881)
    • 1945 – Halid Ziya Uşaklıgil, Turkish author, poet, and playwright (b. 1866)
    • 1946 – Karl Groos, German psychologist and philosopher (b. 1861)
    • 1949 – Elisheva Bikhovski, Israeli-Russian poet (b. 1888)
    • 1952 – Kiichiro Toyoda, Japanese businessman, founded Toyota (b. 1894)
    • 1956 – Évariste Lévi-Provençal, French orientalist and historian (b. 1894)
    • 1958 – Leon C. Phillips, American lawyer and politician, 11th Governor of Oklahoma (b. 1890)
    • 1960 – Gregorio Marañón, Spanish physician, philosopher, and author (b. 1887)
    • 1967 – Jaroslav Heyrovský, Czech chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1890)
    • 1968 – Yuri Gagarin, Russian colonel, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1934)
    • 1968 – Vladimir Seryogin, Russian soldier and pilot (b. 1922)
    • 1973 – Mikhail Kalatozov, Georgian-Russian director, screenwriter, and cinematographer (b. 1903)
    • 1974 – Eduardo Santos, Colombian journalist, lawyer, and politician, 15th President of Colombia (b. 1888)
    • 1975 – Arthur Bliss, English conductor and composer (b. 1891)
    • 1976 – Georg August Zinn, German lawyer and politician, Minister President of Hesse (b. 1901)
    • 1977 – Shirley Graham Du Bois, American author, playwright, and composer (b. 1896)
    • 1977 – Diana Hyland, American actress (b. 1936)
    • 1977 – Jacob Veldhuyzen van Zanten, Dutch airline pilot (b. 1927)
    • 1978 – Nat Bailey, Canadian businessman, founded the White Spot (b. 1902)
    • 1978 – Kunwar Digvijay Singh, Indian field hockey (b. 1922)
    • 1978 – Sverre Farstad, Norwegian speed skater (b. 1920)
    • 1980 – Steve Fisher, American author and screenwriter (b. 1912)
    • 1981 – Jakob Ackeret, Swiss engineer and academic (b. 1898)
    • 1982 – Fazlur Khan, Bangladeshi-American engineer and architect, designed the John Hancock Center and Willis Tower (b. 1929)
    • 1987 – William Bowers, American journalist and screenwriter (b. 1916)
    • 1988 – Charles Willeford, American author, poet, and critic (b. 1919)
    • 1989 – May Allison, American actress (b. 1890)
    • 1989 – Malcolm Cowley, American novelist, poet, and literary critic (b. 1898)
    • 1990 – Percy Beard, American hurdler and coach (b. 1908)
    • 1991 – Aldo Ray, American actor (b. 1926)
    • 1992 – Colin Gibson, English footballer (b. 1923)
    • 1992 – Lang Hancock, Australian businessman (b. 1909)
    • 1992 – James E. Webb, American colonel and politician, 16th Under Secretary of State (b. 1906)
    • 1993 – Kamal Hassan Ali, Egyptian general and politician, Prime Minister of Egypt (b. 1921)
    • 1993 – Paul László, Hungarian-American architect and interior designer (b. 1900)
    • 1994 – Elisabeth Schmid, German archaeologist and osteologist (b. 1912)
    • 1994 – Lawrence Wetherby, American lawyer and politician, 48th Governor of Kentucky (b. 1908)
    • 1995 – René Allio, French director and screenwriter (b. 1924)
    • 1997 – Lane Dwinell, American businessman and politician, 69th Governor of New Hampshire (b. 1906)
    • 1997 – Ella Maillart, Swiss skier, sailor, field hockey player, and photographer (b. 1903)
    • 1998 – David McClelland, American psychologist and academic (b. 1917)
    • 1999 – Michael Aris, Cuban-English author and academic (b. 1946)
    • 2000 – George Allen, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1914)
    • 2000 – Ian Dury, English singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1942)
    • 2002 – Milton Berle, American comedian and actor (b. 1908)
    • 2002 – Dudley Moore, English actor (b. 1935)
    • 2002 – Billy Wilder, Austrian-born American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1906)
    • 2003 – Edwin Carr, New Zealand composer and educator (b. 1926)
    • 2004 – Robert Merle, French author (b. 1909)
    • 2005 – Wilfred Gordon Bigelow, Canadian soldier and surgeon (b. 1913)
    • 2006 – Dan Curtis, American director and producer (b. 1928)
    • 2006 – Stanisław Lem, Ukrainian-Polish author (b. 1921)
    • 2006 – Rudolf Vrba, Czech Holocaust survivor and educator (b. 1924)
    • 2006 – Neil Williams, English cricketer (b. 1962)
    • 2007 – Nancy Adams, New Zealand botanist and illustrator (b. 1926)
    • 2007 – Paul Lauterbur, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1929)
    • 2008 – Jean-Marie Balestre, French businessman (b. 1921)
    • 2009 – Irving R. Levine, American journalist and author (b. 1922)
    • 2010 – Dick Giordano, American illustrator (b. 1932)
    • 2011 – Clement Arrindell, Nevisian judge and politician, 1st Governor-General of Saint Kitts and Nevis (b. 1931)
    • 2011 – Farley Granger, American actor (b. 1925)
    • 2012 – Adrienne Rich, American poet, essayist and feminist (b. 1929)
    • 2013 – Hjalmar Andersen, Norwegian speed skater (b. 1923)
    • 2013 – Yvonne Brill, Canadian-American scientist and engineer (b. 1924)
    • 2013 – Fay Kanin, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1917)
    • 2014 – Richard N. Frye, American scholar and academic (b. 1920)
    • 2014 – James R. Schlesinger, American economist and politician, 12th United States Secretary of Defense and first United States Secretary of Energy (b. 1929)
    • 2015 – Johnny Helms, American trumpet player, bandleader, and educator (b. 1935)
    • 2015 – T. Sailo, Indian soldier and politician, 2nd Chief Minister of Mizoram (b. 1922)
    • 2016 – Mother Angelica, American Roman Catholic religious leader and media personality (b. 1923)

    Holidays and observances on March 27

    • Christian feast day:
      • Alexander, a Pannonian soldier, martyred in 3rd century.
      • Amador of Portugal
      • Augusta of Treviso
      • Charles Henry Brent (Episcopal Church (USA))
      • Gelasius, Archbishop of Armagh
      • John of Egypt
      • Philetus
      • Romulus of Nîmes, a Benedictine abbot, martyred c. 730.
      • Rupert of Salzburg
      • Zanitas and Lazarus of Persia
      • March 27 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Armed Forces Day (Myanmar)
    • International whisk(e)y day
    • World Theatre Day (International)