1622

On This Day

June 10- History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day
June 10 in History
- 671 – Emperor Tenji of Japan introduces a water clock (clepsydra) called Rokoku. The instrument, which measures time and indicates hours, is placed in the capital of Ōtsu.
- 1190 – Third Crusade: Frederick I Barbarossa drowns in the river Saleph while leading an army to Jerusalem.
- 1329 – The Battle of Pelekanon results in a Byzantine defeat by the Ottoman Empire.
- 1523 – Copenhagen is surrounded by the army of Frederick I of Denmark, as the city will not recognise him as the successor of Christian II of Denmark.
- 1539 – Council of Trent: Pope Paul III sends out letters to his bishops, delaying the Council due to war and the difficulty bishops had traveling to Venice.
- 1596 – Willem Barents and Jacob van Heemskerk discover Bear Island.
- 1619 – Thirty Years’ War: Battle of Záblatí, a turning point in the Bohemian Revolt.
- 1624 – Signing of the Treaty of Compiègne between France and the Netherlands.
- 1692 – Salem witch trials: Bridget Bishop is hanged at Gallows Hill near Salem, Massachusetts, for “certaine Detestable Arts called Witchcraft and Sorceries”.
- 1719 – Jacobite risings: Battle of Glen Shiel
- 1782 – King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke (Rama I) of Siam (modern day Thailand) is crowned.
- 1786 – A landslide dam on the Dadu River created by an earthquake ten days earlier collapses, killing 100,000 in the Sichuan province of China.
- 1793 – The Jardin des Plantes museum opens in Paris. A year later, it becomes the first public zoo.
- 1793 – French Revolution: Following the arrests of Girondin leaders, the Jacobins gain control of the Committee of Public Safety installing the revolutionary dictatorship.
- 1805 – First Barbary War: Yusuf Karamanli signs a treaty ending the hostilities between Tripolitania and the United States.
- 1829 – The first Boat Race between the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge takes place on the Thames in London.
- 1838 – Myall Creek massacre: Twenty-eight Aboriginal Australians are murdered.
- 1854 – The United States Naval Academy graduates its first class of students.
- 1861 – American Civil War: Battle of Big Bethel: Confederate troops under John B. Magruder defeat a much larger Union force led by General Ebenezer W. Pierce in Virginia.
- 1864 – American Civil War: Battle of Brice’s Crossroads: Confederate troops under Nathan Bedford Forrest defeat a much larger Union force led by General Samuel D. Sturgis in Mississippi.
- 1868 – Mihailo Obrenović III, Prince of Serbia is assassinated.
- 1871 – Sinmiyangyo: Captain McLane Tilton leads 109 US Marines in a naval attack on Han River forts on Kanghwa Island, Korea.
- 1878 – League of Prizren is established, to oppose the decisions of the Congress of Berlin and the Treaty of San Stefano, as a consequence of which the Albanian lands in the Balkans were being partitioned and given to the neighbor states of Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria, and Greece.
- 1886 – Mount Tarawera in New Zealand erupts, killing 153 people and burying the famous Pink and White Terraces. Eruptions continue for three months creating a large, 17 km long fissure across the mountain peak.
- 1898 – Spanish–American War: In the Battle of Guantánamo Bay, U.S. Marines begin the American invasion of Spanish-held Cuba.
- 1916 – The Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire was declared by Hussein bin Ali, Sharif of Mecca.
- 1918 – The Austro-Hungarian battleship SMS Szent István sinks off the Croatian coast after being torpedoed by an Italian MAS motorboat; the event is recorded by camera from a nearby vessel.
- 1924 – Fascists kidnap and kill Italian Socialist leader Giacomo Matteotti in Rome.
- 1935 – Dr. Robert Smith takes his last drink, and Alcoholics Anonymous is founded in Akron, Ohio, United States, by him and Bill Wilson.
- 1935 – Chaco War ends: A truce is called between Bolivia and Paraguay who had been fighting since 1932.
- 1940 – World War II: The Kingdom of Italy declares war on France and the United Kingdom.
- 1940 – World War II: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt denounces Italy’s actions in his “Stab in the Back” speech at the graduation ceremonies of the University of Virginia.
- 1940 – World War II: Military resistance to the German occupation of Norway ends.
- 1942 – World War II: The Lidice massacre is perpetrated as a reprisal for the assassination of Obergruppenführer Reinhard Heydrich.
- 1944 – World War II: Six hundred forty-two men, women and children massacred at Oradour-sur-Glane, France.
- 1944 – World War II: In Distomo, Boeotia, Greece, 218 men, women and children are massacred by German troops.
- 1944 – In baseball, 15-year-old Joe Nuxhall of the Cincinnati Reds becomes the youngest player ever in a major-league game.
- 1945 – Australian Imperial Forces land in Brunei Bay to liberate Brunei.
- 1947 – Saab produces its first automobile.
- 1957 – John Diefenbaker leads the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada to a stunning upset in the 1957 Canadian federal election, ending 22 years of Liberal Party government.
- 1963 – The Equal Pay Act of 1963, aimed at abolishing wage disparity based on sex, was signed into law by John F. Kennedy as part of his New Frontier Program.
- 1964 – United States Senate breaks a 75-day filibuster against the Civil Rights Act of 1964, leading to the bill’s passage.
- 1967 – The Six-Day War ends: Israel and Syria agree to a cease-fire.
- 1977 – James Earl Ray escapes from Brushy Mountain State Prison in Petros, Tennessee. He is recaptured three days later.
- 1980 – The African National Congress in South Africa publishes a call to fight from their imprisoned leader Nelson Mandela.
- 1982 – Lebanon War: The Syrian Arab Army defeats the Israeli Defense Forces in the Battle of Sultan Yacoub.
- 1990 – British Airways Flight 5390 lands safely at Southampton Airport after a blowout in the cockpit causes the captain to be partially sucked from the cockpit. There are no fatalities.
- 1991 – Eleven-year-old Jaycee Lee Dugard is kidnapped in South Lake Tahoe, California; she would remain a captive until 2009.
- 1994 – China conducts a nuclear test for DF-31 warhead at Area C (Beishan), Lop Nur, its prominence being due to the Cox Report.
- 1996 – Peace talks begin in Northern Ireland without the participation of Sinn Féin.
- 1997 – Before fleeing his northern stronghold, Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot orders the killing of his defense chief Son Sen and 11 of Sen’s family members.
- 1999 – Kosovo War: NATO suspends its airstrikes after Slobodan Milošević agrees to withdraw Serbian forces from Kosovo.
- 2001 – Pope John Paul II canonizes Lebanon’s first female saint, Saint Rafqa.
- 2002 – The first direct electronic communication experiment between the nervous systems of two humans is carried out by Kevin Warwick in the United Kingdom.
- 2003 – The Spirit rover is launched, beginning NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover mission.
- 2009 – James Wenneker von Brunn, who was 88-years-old, opened fire inside the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and fatally shot Museum Special Police Officer Stephen Tyrone Johns. Other security guards returned fire, wounding von Brunn, who was apprehended.
- 2019 – An Agusta A109E Power crashed onto the AXA Equitable Center on Seventh Avenue in Manhattan, New York City, which sparked a fire on the top of the building. The pilot of the helicopter was killed.
Births on June 10
- 867 – Emperor Uda of Japan (d. 931)
- 940 – Abu al-Wafa’ Buzjani, Persian mathematician and astronomer (d. 998)
- 1213 – Fakhr-al-Din Iraqi, Persian poet and philosopher (d. 1289)
- 1465 – Mercurino Gattinara, Italian statesman and jurist (d. 1530)
- 1513 – Louis, Duke of Montpensier (1561–1582) (d. 1582)
- 1557 – Leandro Bassano, Italian painter (d. 1622)
- 1632 – Esprit Fléchier, French bishop and author (d. 1710)
- 1688 – James Francis Edward Stuart, claimant to the English and Scottish throne (d. 1766)
- 1713 – Princess Caroline of Great Britain (d. 1757)
- 1716 – Carl Gustaf Ekeberg, Swedish physician and explorer (d. 1784)
- 1753 – William Eustis, American physician and politician, 12th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1825)
- 1804 – Hermann Schlegel, German ornithologist and herpetologist (d. 1884)
- 1819 – Gustave Courbet, French-Swiss painter and sculptor (d. 1877)
- 1825 – Sondre Norheim, Norwegian-American skier (d. 1897)
- 1832 – Edwin Arnold, English poet and journalist (d. 1904)
- 1832 – Nicolaus Otto, German engineer (d. 1891)
- 1832 – Stephen Mosher Wood, American lieutenant and politician (d. 1920)
- 1835 – Rebecca Latimer Felton, American educator and politician (d. 1930)
- 1839 – Ludvig Holstein-Ledreborg, Danish lawyer and politician, 19th Prime Minister of Denmark (d. 1912)
- 1840 – Theodor Philipsen, Danish painter (d. 1920)
- 1843 – Heinrich von Herzogenberg, Austrian composer and conductor (d. 1900)
- 1854 – Sarah Grand, Irish feminist writer (d. 1943)
- 1859 – Emanuel Nobel, Swedish-Russian businessman (d. 1932)
- 1862 – Mrs. Leslie Carter, American actress (d. 1937)
- 1863 – Louis Couperus, Dutch author and poet (d. 1923)
- 1864 – Ninian Comper, Scottish architect (d. 1960)
- 1865 – Frederick Cook, American physician and explorer (d. 1940)
- 1880 – André Derain, French painter and sculptor (d. 1954)
- 1882 – Nils Økland, Norwegian Esperantist and teacher (d. 1969)
- 1884 – Leone Sextus Tollemache, English captain (d. 1917)
- 1886 – Sessue Hayakawa, Japanese actor and producer (d. 1973)
- 1891 – Al Dubin, Swiss-American songwriter (d. 1945)
- 1895 – Hattie McDaniel, American actress (d. 1952)
- 1897 – Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna of Russia (d. 1918)
- 1898 – Princess Marie-Auguste of Anhalt (d. 1983)
- 1899 – Stanisław Czaykowski, Polish race car driver (d. 1933)
- 1901 – Frederick Loewe, Austrian-American composer (d. 1988)
- 1904 – Lin Huiyin, Chinese architect and poet (d. 1955)
- 1907 – Fairfield Porter, American painter and critic (d. 1975)
- 1907 – Dicky Wells, American jazz trombonist (d. 1985)^{[n 1]}
- 1909 – Lang Hancock, Australian soldier and businessman (d. 1992)
- 1910 – Frank Demaree, American baseball player and manager (d. 1958)
- 1910 – Howlin’ Wolf, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1976)
- 1911 – Ralph Kirkpatrick, American harpsichord player and musicologist (d. 1984)
- 1911 – Terence Rattigan, English playwright and screenwriter (d. 1977)
- 1912 – Jean Lesage, Canadian lawyer and politician, 11th Premier of Quebec (d. 1980)
- 1913 – Tikhon Khrennikov, Russian pianist and composer (d. 2007)
- 1913 – Benjamin Shapira, German-Israeli biochemist and academic (d. 1993)
- 1914 – Oktay Rıfat Horozcu, Turkish poet and playwright (d. 1988)
- 1915 – Saul Bellow, Canadian-American novelist, essayist and short story writer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2005)
- 1916 – Peride Celal, Turkish author (d. 2013)
- 1916 – William Rosenberg, American entrepreneur, founded Dunkin’ Donuts (d. 2002)
- 1918 – Patachou, French singer and actress (d. 2015)
- 1918 – Barry Morse, English-Canadian actor and director (d. 2008)
- 1919 – Haidar Abdel-Shafi, Palestinian physician and politician (d. 2007)
- 1919 – Kevin O’Flanagan, Irish footballer, rugby player, and physician (d. 2006)
- 1921 – Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
- 1921 – Jean Robic, French cyclist (d. 1980)
- 1922 – Judy Garland, American singer, actress, and vaudevillian (d. 1969)
- 1922 – Bill Kerr, South African-Australian actor (d. 2014)
- 1923 – Paul Brunelle, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1994)
- 1923 – Robert Maxwell, Czech-English captain, publisher, and politician (d. 1991)
- 1924 – Friedrich L. Bauer, German mathematician, computer scientist, and academic (d. 2015)
- 1925 – Leo Gravelle, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2013)
- 1925 – Nat Hentoff, American historian, author, and journalist (d. 2017)
- 1925 – James Salter, American novelist and short-story writer (d. 2015)
- 1926 – Bruno Bartoletti, Italian conductor (d. 2013)
- 1926 – Lionel Jeffries, English actor, screenwriter and film director (d. 2010)
- 1927 – Claudio Gilberto Froehlich, Brazilian zoologist
- 1927 – László Kubala, Hungarian footballer, coach, and manager (d. 2002)
- 1927 – Lin Yang-kang, Chinese politician, 29th Vice Premier of the Republic of China (d. 2013)
- 1927 – Johnny Orr, American basketball player and coach (d. 2013)
- 1927 – Eugene Parker, American astrophysicist and academic
- 1928 – Maurice Sendak, American author and illustrator (d. 2012)
- 1929 – James McDivitt, American general, pilot, and astronaut
- 1929 – Ian Sinclair, Australian farmer and politician, 42nd Australian Minister for Defence
- 1929 – Thomas Taylor, Baron Taylor of Blackburn, British Labour Party politician (d. 2016)
- 1929 – E. O. Wilson, American biologist, author, and academic
- 1930 – Aranka Siegal, Czech-American author and Holocaust survivor
- 1930 – Carmen Cozza, American baseball and football player (d. 2018)
- 1930 – Chen Xitong, Chinese politician, 8th Mayor of Beijing (d. 2013)
- 1931 – Bryan Cartledge, English academic and diplomat, British Ambassador to Russia
- 1931 – João Gilberto, Brazilian singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2019)
- 1932 – Pierre Cartier, French mathematician and academic
- 1933 – Chuck Fairbanks, American football player and coach (d. 2013)
- 1934 – Peter Gibson, English lawyer and judge
- 1934 – Tom Pendry, Baron Pendry, English politician
- 1935 – Vic Elford, English race car driver
- 1935 – Lu Jiaxi, Chinese self-taught mathematician (d. 1983)
- 1935 – Yoshihiro Tatsumi, Japanese author and illustrator (d. 2015)
- 1938 – Rahul Bajaj, Indian businessman and politician
- 1938 – Violetta Villas, Belgian-Polish singer-songwriter and actress (d. 2011)
- 1938 – Vasanti N. Bhat-Nayak, Indian mathematician and academic (d. 2009)
- 1940 – Augie Auer, American-New Zealand meteorologist (d. 2007)
- 1940 – John Stevens, English drummer (d. 1994)
- 1941 – Mickey Jones, American drummer (d. 2018)
- 1941 – Shirley Owens, American singer
- 1941 – Jürgen Prochnow, German actor
- 1941 – David Walker, Australian race car driver
- 1942 – Gordon Burns, Northern Irish journalist
- 1942 – Chantal Goya, French singer and actress
- 1942 – Arthur Hamilton, Lord Hamilton, Scottish lawyer and judge
- 1942 – Preston Manning, Canadian politician
- 1943 – Simon Jenkins, English journalist and author
- 1944 – Ze’ev Friedman, Polish-Israeli weightlifter (d. 1972)
- 1944 – Rick Price, English rock bass player
- 1947 – Michel Bastarache, Canadian businessman, lawyer, and jurist
- 1947 – Ken Singleton, American baseball player and sportscaster
- 1947 – Robert Wright, English air marshal
- 1950 – Elías Sosa, Dominican-American baseball player
- 1951 – Dan Fouts, American football player and sportscaster
- 1951 – Tony Mundine, Australian boxer
- 1951 – Burglinde Pollak, German pentathlete
- 1952 – Kage Baker, American author (d. 2010)
- 1953 – Eileen Cooper, English painter and academic
- 1953 – John Edwards, American lawyer and politician
- 1953 – Garry Hynes, Irish director and producer
- 1953 – Christine St-Pierre, Canadian journalist and politician
- 1954 – Moya Greene, Canadian businesswoman
- 1954 – Rich Hall, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
- 1955 – Annette Schavan, German theologian and politician
- 1955 – Andrew Stevens, American actor and producer
- 1958 – Yu Suzuki, Japanese game designer and producer
- 1959 – Carlo Ancelotti, Italian footballer and manager
- 1959 – Ernie C, American heavy metal guitarist, songwriter, and producer
- 1959 – Eliot Spitzer, American lawyer and politician, 54th Governor of New York
- 1960 – Nandamuri Balakrishna, Indian film actor and politician
- 1961 – Kim Deal, American singer-songwriter and musician
- 1961 – Maxi Priest, English singer-songwriter
- 1962 – Gina Gershon, American actress, singer and author
- 1962 – Anderson Bigode Herzer, Brazilian poet and author (d. 1982)
- 1962 – Wong Ka Kui, Hong Kong singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1993)
- 1962 – Tzi Ma, Hong Kong American character actor
- 1962 – Brent Sutter, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1963 – Brad Henry, American lawyer and politician, 26th Governor of Oklahoma
- 1963 – Jeanne Tripplehorn, American actress
- 1965 – Susanne Albers, German computer scientist and academic
- 1965 – Elizabeth Hurley, English model, actress, and producer
- 1965 – Joey Santiago, American alternative rock musician
- 1966 – David Platt, English footballer and manager
- 1967 – Emma Anderson, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1967 – Darren Robinson, American rapper (d. 1995)
- 1968 – Bill Burr, American comedian and actor
- 1968 – Derek Dooley, American football player and coach
- 1969 – Craig Hancock, Australian rugby league player
- 1969 – Ronny Johnsen, Norwegian footballer
- 1969 – Kate Snow, American journalist
- 1970 – Mike Doughty, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1970 – Katsuhiro Harada, Japanese game designer, director, and producer
- 1970 – Alex Santos, Filipino journalist
- 1970 – Shane Whereat, Australian rugby league player
- 1970 – Sarah Wixey, Welsh sport shooter
- 1971 – JoJo Hailey, American singer
- 1971 – Bobby Jindal, American journalist and politician, 55th Governor of Louisiana
- 1971 – Bruno N’Gotty, French footballer
- 1971 – Erik Rutan, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1972 – Steven Fischer, American director and producer
- 1972 – Radmila Šekerinska, Macedonian politician, Prime Minister of the Republic of Macedonia
- 1972 – Eric Upashantha, Sri Lankan cricketer
- 1973 – Faith Evans, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
- 1973 – Flesh-n-Bone, American rapper and actor
- 1973 – Pokey Reese, American baseball player
- 1975 – Henrik Pedersen, Danish footballer
- 1976 – Alari Lell, Estonian footballer
- 1976 – Esther Ouwehand, Dutch politician
- 1976 – Stefan Postma, Dutch footballer and coach
- 1976 – Hadi Saei, Iranian martial artist
- 1977 – Adam Darski, Polish singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1977 – Mike Rosenthal, American football player and coach
- 1978 – Raheem Brock, American football player
- 1979 – Evgeni Borounov, Russian ice dancer and coach
- 1979 – Kostas Louboutis, Greek footballer
- 1980 – Matuzalém, Brazilian footballer
- 1980 – Ovie Mughelli, American football player
- 1980 – Dmitri Uchaykin, Russian ice hockey player (d. 2013)
- 1980 – Daniele Seccarecci, Italian bodybuilder (d. 2013)
- 1980 – James Walsh, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and pianist
- 1981 – Mat Jackson, English race car driver
- 1981 – Albie Morkel, South African cricketer
- 1981 – Andrey Yepishin, Russian sprinter
- 1982 – Tara Lipinski, American figure skater
- 1982 – Princess Madeleine, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland
- 1982 – Ana Lúcia Souza, Brazilian ballerina and journalist
- 1983 – Jade Bailey, Barbadian athlete
- 1983 – Marion Barber III, American football player
- 1983 – Aaron Davey, Australian footballer
- 1983 – Leelee Sobieski, American actress and producer
- 1983 – Steve von Bergen, Swiss footballer
- 1984 – Johanna Kedzierski, German sprinter
- 1984 – Dirk Van Tichelt, Belgian martial artist
- 1985 – Richard Chambers, Irish rower
- 1985 – Kaia Kanepi, Estonian tennis player
- 1985 – Kristina Lundberg, Swedish ice hockey player
- 1985 – Dane Nielsen, Australian rugby league player
- 1985 – Andy Schleck, Luxembourger cyclist
- 1985 – Vasilis Torosidis, Greek footballer
- 1985 – Kreesha Turner, Canadian singer-songwriter and dancer
- 1986 – Al Alburquerque, Dominican baseball player
- 1986 – Marco Andreolli, Italian footballer
- 1987 – Martin Harnik, German-Austrian footballer
- 1987 – Amobi Okoye, Nigerian-American football player
- 1988 – Jeff Teague, American basketball player
- 1989 – DeAndre Kane, American basketball player
- 1989 – David Miller, South African cricketer
- 1989 – Mustapha Carayol, Gambian footballer
- 1989 – Alexandra Stan, Romanian singer-songwriter, dancer, and model
- 1991 – Alexa Scimeca Knierim, American figure skater
- 1992 – Kate Upton, American model and actress
Deaths on June 10
- 323 BC – Alexander the Great, Macedonian king (b. 356 BC)
- AD 38 – Julia Drusilla, Roman sister of Caligula (b. 16 AD)
- 223 – Liu Bei, Chinese emperor (b. 161)
- 779 – Emperor Daizong of Tang (b. 727)
- 754 – Abul Abbas al-Saffah, Muslim caliph (b. 721)
- 871 – Odo I, Frankish nobleman
- 903 – Cheng Rui, Chinese warlord
- 932 – Dong Zhang, Chinese general
- 942 – Liu Yan, emperor of Southern Han (b. 889)
- 1075 – Ernest, Margrave of Austria (b. 1027)
- 1141 – Richenza of Northeim (b. 1087)
- 1190 – Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1122)
- 1261 – Matilda of Brandenburg, Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg (b. 1210)
- 1338 – Kitabatake Akiie, Japanese governor (b. 1318)
- 1364 – Agnes of Austria (b. 1281)
- 1424 – Ernest, Duke of Austria (b. 1377)
- 1437 – Joan of Navarre, Queen of England (b. 1370)
- 1468 – Idris Imad al-Din, supreme leader of Tayyibi Isma’ilism, scholar and historian (b. 1392)
- 1552 – Alexander Barclay, English poet and author (b. 1476)
- 1556 – Martin Agricola, German composer and theorist (b. 1486)
- 1580 – Luís de Camões, Portuguese poet (b. 1524–25)
- 1604 – Isabella Andreini, Italian actress (b. 1562)
- 1607 – John Popham, English politician, Attorney General for England and Wales (b. 1531)
- 1654 – Alessandro Algardi, Italian sculptor (b. 1598)
- 1680 – Johan Göransson Gyllenstierna, Swedish lawyer and politician (b. 1635)
- 1692 – Bridget Bishop, Colonial Massachusetts woman hanged as a witch during the Salem witch trials (b. 1632)
- 1735 – Thomas Hearne, English historian and author (b. 1678)
- 1753 – Joachim Ludwig Schultheiss von Unfriedt, German architect (b. 1678)
- 1776 – Hsinbyushin, Burmese king (b. 1736)
- 1776 – Leopold Widhalm, Austrian instrument maker (b. 1722)
- 1791 – Toussaint-Guillaume Picquet de la Motte, French admiral (b. 1720)
- 1799 – Chevalier de Saint-Georges, Caribbean-French violinist, composer, and conductor (b. 1745)
- 1811 – Charles Frederick, Grand Duke of Baden (b. 1728)
- 1831 – Hans Karl von Diebitsch, German-Russian field marshal (b. 1785)
- 1836 – André-Marie Ampère, French physicist and mathematician (b. 1775)
- 1849 – Thomas Robert Bugeaud, French general and politician (b. 1784)
- 1849 – Robert Brown, Scottish botanist (b. 1773)
- 1868 – Mihailo Obrenović III, Prince of Serbia (b. 1823)
- 1899 – Ernest Chausson, French composer (b. 1855)
- 1901 – Robert Williams Buchanan, Scottish poet, author, and playwright (b. 1841)
- 1902 – Jacint Verdaguer, Catalan priest and poet (b. 1845)
- 1906 – Richard Seddon, English-New Zealand politician, 15th Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1845)
- 1909 – Edward Everett Hale, American minister, historian, and author (b. 1822)
- 1914 – Ödön Lechner, Hungarian architect (b. 1845)
- 1918 – Arrigo Boito, Italian author, poet, and composer (b. 1842)
- 1923 – Pierre Loti, French soldier and author (b. 1850)
- 1924 – Giacomo Matteotti, Italian lawyer and politician (b. 1885)
- 1926 – Antoni Gaudí, Spanish architect, designed the Park Güell (b. 1852)
- 1930 – Adolf von Harnack, German historian and theologian (b. 1851)
- 1934 – Frederick Delius, English composer and educator (b. 1862)
- 1936 – John Bowser, English-Australian politician, 26th Premier of Victoria (b. 1856)
- 1937 – Robert Borden, Canadian lawyer and politician, 8th Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1854)
- 1939 – Albert Ogilvie, Australian politician, 28th Premier of Tasmania (b. 1890)
- 1940 – Marcus Garvey, Jamaican journalist and activist, founded the Black Star Line (b. 1887)
- 1944 – Willem Jacob van Stockum, Dutch mathematician and academic (b. 1910)
- 1946 – Jack Johnson, American boxer (b. 1878)
- 1947 – Alexander Bethune, Canadian businessman and politician, 12th Mayor of Vancouver (b. 1852)
- 1949 – Sigrid Undset, Danish-Norwegian novelist, essayist, and translator, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1882)
- 1955 – Margaret Abbott, Indian-American golfer (b. 1876)
- 1958 – Angelina Weld Grimké, American journalist, poet, and playwright (b. 1880)
- 1959 – Zoltán Meskó, Hungarian politician (b. 1883)
- 1963 – Timothy Birdsall, English cartoonist (b. 1936)
- 1965 – Vahap Özaltay, Turkish footballer and manager (b. 1908)
- 1967 – Spencer Tracy, American actor (b. 1900)
- 1971 – Michael Rennie, English actor (b. 1909)
- 1973 – William Inge, American playwright and novelist (b. 1913)
- 1974 – Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester (b. 1900)
- 1976 – Adolph Zukor, American film producer, co-founded Paramount Pictures (b. 1873)
- 1982 – Rainer Werner Fassbinder, German actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1945)
- 1984 – Halide Nusret Zorlutuna, Turkish author and poet (b. 1901)
- 1986 – Merle Miller, American author and playwright (b. 1919)
- 1987 – Elizabeth Hartman, American actress (b. 1943)
- 1988 – Louis L’Amour, American novelist and short story writer (b. 1908)
- 1991 – Jean Bruller, French author and illustrator, co-founded Les Éditions de Minuit (b. 1902)
- 1992 – Hachidai Nakamura, Chinese-Japanese pianist and composer (b. 1931)
- 1993 – Les Dawson, English comedian, actor, writer and presenter (b. 1931)
- 1996 – George Hees, Canadian soldier, football player, and politician (b. 1910)
- 1996 – Jo Van Fleet, American actress (b. 1915)
- 1998 – Jim Hearn, American baseball player (b. 1921)
- 1998 – Hammond Innes, English soldier and author (b. 1914)
- 2000 – Hafez al-Assad, Syrian general and politician, 18th President of Syria (b. 1930)
- 2000 – Brian Statham, English cricketer (b. 1930)
- 2001 – Leila Pahlavi, Princess of Iran (b. 1970)
- 2002 – John Gotti, American mobster (b. 1940)
- 2003 – Donald Regan, American colonel and politician, 11th White House Chief of Staff (b. 1918)
- 2003 – Bernard Williams, English philosopher and academic (b. 1929)
- 2003 – Phil Williams, Welsh academic and politician (b. 1939)
- 2004 – Ray Charles, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and actor (b. 1930)
- 2004 – Odette Laure, French actress and singer (b. 1917)
- 2004 – Xenophon Zolotas, Greek economist and politician, 177th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1904)
- 2005 – Curtis Pitts, American aircraft designer, designed the Pitts Special (b. 1915)
- 2007 – Augie Auer, American-New Zealand meteorologist (b. 1940)
- 2008 – Chinghiz Aitmatov, Kyrgyzstani author and diplomat (b. 1928)
- 2009 – Stelios Skevofilakas, Greek footballer (b. 1940)
- 2010 – Basil Schott, American archbishop (b. 1939)
- 2010 – Sigmar Polke, German painter and photographer (b. 1941)
- 2011 – Brian Lenihan Jnr, Irish lawyer and politician, 25th Irish Minister for Finance (b. 1959)
- 2012 – Piero Bellugi, Italian conductor (b. 1924)
- 2012 – Warner Fusselle, American sportscaster (b. 1944)
- 2012 – Will Hoebee, Dutch songwriter and producer (b. 1947)
- 2012 – Georges Mathieu, French painter and academic (b. 1921)
- 2012 – Joshua Orwa Ojode, Kenyan politician (b. 1958)
- 2012 – George Saitoti, Kenyan economist and politician, 6th Vice-President of Kenya (b. 1945)
- 2012 – Sudono Salim, Chinese-Indonesian businessman, founded Bank Central Asia (b. 1916)
- 2012 – Gordon West, English footballer (b. 1943)
- 2013 – Doug Bailey, American political consultant (b. 1933)
- 2013 – Enrique Orizaola, Spanish footballer and coach (b. 1922)
- 2013 – Barbara Vucanovich, American lawyer and politician (b. 1921)
- 2014 – Marcello Alencar, Brazilian lawyer and politician, 57th Governor of Rio de Janeiro (b. 1925)
- 2014 – Gary Gilmour, Australian cricketer and manager (b. 1951)
- 2014 – Robert M. Grant, American theologian and academic (b. 1917)
- 2014 – Jack Lee, American radio host and politician (b. 1920)
- 2015 – Robert Chartoff, American film producer and philanthropist (b. 1933)
- 2015 – Wolfgang Jeschke, German author and publisher (b. 1936)
- 2016 – Christina Grimmie, American singer-songwriter (b. 1994)
- 2016 – Gordie Howe, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1928)
- 2017 – Julia Perez, Indonesian singer and actress (b. 1980)
- 2018 – Neal E. Boyd, American singer, winner of the 2008 season of America’s Got Talent (b. 1975)
- 2020 – Claudell Washington, American baseball player (b. 1954)
Holidays and observances on June 10
- Abolition Day (French Guiana)
- Army Day (Jordan)
- World Art Nouveau Day (Worldwide)
- Christian feast day:
  
  Bardo
  
  Getulius, Amancius and Cerealus
  
  Guardian Angel of Portugal
  
  John of Tobolsk (Russian Orthodox Church)
  
  Landry of Paris
  
  Maurinus of Cologne
  
  Maximus of Aveia (or of Aquila)
  
  Maximus of Naples
  
  Olivia
  
  June 10 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Navy Day (Italy)
- Portugal Day, also Day of Camões (Portugal and the Portuguese communities)
- Reconciliation Day (Republic of the Congo)
Read More June 10- History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day
On This Day

June 6- History, Events, Births, Deaths Holidays and Observances On This Day
June 6 in History
- 913 – The 8-year-old illegitimate son of Leo VI the Wise, Constantine VII, becomes nominal ruler of the Byzantine Empire, under the regency of a seven-man council headed by Patriarch Nicholas Mystikos, appointed by Constantine’s uncle Alexander III on his deathbed.
- 1513 – Italian Wars: Battle of Novara. Swiss troops defeat the French under Louis II de la Trémoille, forcing the French to abandon Milan. Duke Massimiliano Sforza is restored.
- 1523 – Gustav Vasa, the Swedish regent, is elected King of Sweden, marking a symbolic end to the Kalmar Union. This is the Swedish national day.
- 1586 – Francis Drake’s forces raid St. Augustine in Spanish Florida.
- 1674 – Shivaji, founder of the Maratha Empire, is crowned.
- 1749 – The Conspiracy of the Slaves in Malta is discovered.
- 1762 – Seven Years’ War: British forces begin a siege of Havana, Cuba, and temporarily capture the city in the Battle of Havana.
- 1808 – Napoleon’s brother, Joseph Bonaparte, is crowned King of Spain.
- 1809 – Sweden promulgates a new Constitution, which restores political power to the Riksdag of the Estates after 20 years of enlightened absolutism. At the same time, Charles XIII is elected to succeed Gustav IV Adolf as King of Sweden.
- 1813 – War of 1812: Battle of Stoney Creek: A British force of 700 under John Vincent defeats an American force twice its size under William Winder and John Chandler.
- 1822 – Alexis St. Martin is accidentally shot in the stomach, leading to William Beaumont’s studies on digestion.
- 1832 – The June Rebellion in Paris is put down by the National Guard.
- 1844 – The Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) is founded in London.
- 1844 – The Glaciarium, the world’s first mechanically frozen ice rink, opens.
- 1857 – Sophia of Nassau marries the future King Oscar II of Sweden–Norway.
- 1859 – Australia: Queensland is established as a separate colony from New South Wales (Queensland Day).
- 1862 – American Civil War: Battle of Memphis: Union forces capture Memphis, Tennessee, from the Confederates.
- 1882 – The Shewan forces of Menelik II of Ethiopia defeat the Gojjame army in the Battle of Embabo. The Shewans capture Negus Tekle Haymanot of Gojjam, and their victory leads to a Shewan hegemony over the territories south of the Abay River.
- 1889 – The Great Seattle Fire destroys all of downtown Seattle.
- 1892 – The Chicago “L” elevated rail system begins operation.
- 1894 – Governor Davis H. Waite orders the Colorado state militia to protect and support the miners engaged in the Cripple Creek miners’ strike.
- 1909 – French troops capture Abéché (in modern-day Chad) and install a puppet sultan in the Ouaddai Empire.
- 1912 – The eruption of Novarupta in Alaska begins. It is the largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century.
- 1916 – The death of Yuan Shikai marks the beginning of China’s Warlord Era.
- 1918 – World War I: Battle of Belleau Wood: The U.S. Marine Corps suffers its worst single day’s casualties while attempting to recapture the wood at Château-Thierry.
- 1919 – After eight days of existence, the Republic of Prekmurje is conquered by the Hungarian Soviet Republic.
- 1921 – Southwark Bridge in London is opened to traffic by King George V and Queen Mary.
- 1932 – The Revenue Act of 1932 is enacted, creating the first gas tax in the United States, at a rate of 1 cent per US gallon (¹⁄₄¢/L) sold.
- 1933 – The first drive-in theater opens in Camden, New Jersey, United States.
- 1934 – New Deal: The U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 into law, establishing the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
- 1939 – Judge Joseph Force Crater, known as the “Missingest Man in New York”, is declared legally dead.
- 1942 – World War II: Battle of Midway. U.S. Navy dive bombers sink the Japanese cruiser Mikuma and four Japanese carriers.
- 1944 – World War II: The Allied invasion of Normandy—codenamed Operation Overlord—begins with the execution of Operation Neptune (commonly referred to as D-Day), the landing of 155,000 Allied troops on the beaches of Normandy in France. The Allied soldiers quickly break through the Atlantic Wall and push inland in the largest amphibious military operation in history.
- 1946 – The Basketball Association of America is founded in New York City; the BAA was the precursor to the modern National Basketball Association.
- 1954 – The grand opening of the sculpture of Yuriy Dolgorukiy took place in Moscow. This statue is one of the main monuments of Moscow.
- 1964 – Under a temporary order, the rocket launches at Cuxhaven, Germany are terminated. They never resume.
- 1971 – Soyuz program: Soyuz 11 is launched.
- 1971 – A midair collision between a Hughes Airwest Douglas DC-9 jetliner and a United States Marine Corps McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II jet fighter near Duarte, California, claims 50 lives.
- 1971 – Vietnam War: The Battle of Long Khanh between Australian and Vietnamese communist forces begins.
- 1974 – A new Instrument of Government is promulgated making Sweden a parliamentary monarchy.
- 1981 – Bihar train disaster: A passenger train travelling between Mansi and Saharsa, India, jumps the tracks at a bridge crossing the Bagmati River. The government places the official death toll at 268 plus another 300 missing; however, it is generally believed that the death toll is closer to 1,000.
- 1982 – The Lebanon War begins. Forces under Israeli Defense Minister Ariel Sharon invade southern Lebanon during Operation Peace for the Galilee, eventually reaching as far north as the capital Beirut.
- 1985 – The grave of “Wolfgang Gerhard” is opened in Embu, Brazil; the exhumed remains are later proven to be those of Josef Mengele, Auschwitz’s “Angel of Death”; Mengele is thought to have drowned while swimming in February 1979.
- 1993 – Punsalmaagiin Ochirbat wins the first presidential election in Mongolia.
- 1994 – China Northwest Airlines Flight 2303 crashes near Xi’an, China, killing all 160 people on board.
- 2002 – Eastern Mediterranean event. A near-Earth asteroid estimated at ten meters in diameter explodes over the Mediterranean Sea between Greece and Libya. The explosion is estimated to have a force of 26 kilotons, slightly more powerful than the Nagasaki atomic bomb.
- 2004 – Tamil is established as a “classical language” by the President of India, Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, in a joint sitting of the two houses of the Indian Parliament.
- 2005 – In Gonzales v. Raich, the United States Supreme Court upholds a federal law banning cannabis, including medical marijuana.
Births on June 6

pre-19th century
- 1236 – Wen Tianxiang, Chinese general and scholar (d. 1283)
- 1243 – Alix of Brittany, Dame de Pontarcy, Breton noble (d. 1288)
- 1296 – Władysław of Legnica (d. 1352)
- 1436 – Regiomontanus, German mathematician, astronomer, and bishop (d. 1476)
- 1519 – Andrea Cesalpino, Italian philosopher, physician, and botanist (d. 1603)
- 1539 – Catherine Vasa, Regent of East Frisia (d. 1610)
- 1553 – Bernardino Baldi, Italian mathematician and author (d. 1617)
- 1556 – Edward la Zouche, 11th Baron Zouche, English politician and diplomat (d. 1625)
- 1580 – Godefroy Wendelin, Belgian astronomer and author (d. 1667)
- 1584 – Yuan Chonghuan, politician, military general and writer (d. 1630)
- 1599 – Diego Velázquez, Spanish painter and educator (d. 1660)
- 1606 – Pierre Corneille, French playwright and producer (d. 1684)
- 1622 – Claude-Jean Allouez, French-American missionary and explorer (d. 1689)
- 1646 – Hortense Mancini, favourite Italian niece of Cardinal Mazarin (d. 1699)
- 1661 – Giacomo Antonio Perti, Italian composer and educator (d. 1756)
- 1699 – Johann Georg Estor, German historian and theorist (d. 1773)
- 1714 – Joseph I of Portugal (d. 1777)
- 1735 – Anton Schweitzer, German composer (d. 1787)
- 1755 – Nathan Hale, American soldier (d. 1776)
- 1756 – John Trumbull, American soldier and painter (d. 1843)
- 1772 – Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily (d. 1807)
- 1799 – Alexander Pushkin, Russian author and poet (d. 1837)
19th century
- 1807 – Thiệu Trị, Vietnamese emperor (d. 1847)
- 1810 – Friedrich Wilhelm Schneidewin, German philologist and scholar (d. 1856)
- 1829 – Honinbo Shusaku, Japanese Go player (d. 1862)
- 1841 – Eliza Orzeszkowa, Polish author and publisher (d. 1910)
- 1844 – Konstantin Savitsky, Russian painter and academic (d. 1905)
- 1850 – Karl Ferdinand Braun, German-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1918)
- 1857 – Aleksandr Lyapunov, Russian mathematician and physicist (d. 1918)
- 1862 – Henry Newbolt, English historian, author, and poet (d. 1938)
- 1867 – David T. Abercrombie, American surveyor and businessman, founded Abercrombie & Fitch (d. 1931)
- 1868 – Robert Falcon Scott, English sailor and explorer (d. 1912)
- 1872 – Alix of Hesse, German princess and Russian empress (d.1918)
- 1875 – Thomas Mann, German author and critic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1955)
- 1878 – Vincent de Moro-Giafferi, French lawyer and politician (d. 1956)
- 1884 – Jock Hutchison, Scottish-American golfer (d. 1977)
- 1890 – Ted Lewis, American singer, clarinet player, and bandleader (d. 1971)
- 1891 – Masti Venkatesha Iyengar, Indian author and academic (d. 1986)
- 1891 – Erich Marcks, German general (d. 1944)
- 1896 – Henry Allingham, English World War I soldier and supercentenarian (d. 2009).
- 1896 – Italo Balbo, Italian air marshal and politician (d. 1940)
- 1898 – Walter Abel, American actor (d. 1987)
- 1898 – Jacobus Johannes Fouché, South African politician, 2nd State President of South Africa (d. 1980)
- 1898 – Ninette de Valois, English ballerina, choreographer, and director (d. 2001)
- 1900 – Manfred Sakel, Ukrainian-American psychiatrist and physician (d. 1957)
1901–1930
- 1901 – Jan Struther, English author and hymnwriter (d. 1953)
- 1901 – Sukarno, Indonesian engineer and politician, 1st President of Indonesia (d. 1970)
- 1902 – Jimmie Lunceford, American saxophonist and bandleader (d. 1947)
- 1903 – Aram Khachaturian, Armenian composer and conductor (d. 1978)
- 1903 – Bakht Singh, Indian evangelist, well-known bible teacher and preacher (d. 2000)
- 1906 – Max August Zorn, German mathematician and academic (d. 1993)
- 1907 – Bill Dickey, American baseball player and manager (d. 1993)
- 1907 – Robin Humphreys, British scholar of Latin America (d. 1999)
- 1908 – Giovanni Bracco, Italian race car driver (d. 1968)
- 1909 – Isaiah Berlin, Latvian-English historian and philosopher (d. 1997)
- 1913 – Carlo L. Golino, Italian-American author, critic, and academic (d. 1991)
- 1915 – Vincent Persichetti, American pianist and composer (d. 1987)
- 1916 – Hamani Diori, Nigerien academic and politician, 1st President of Niger (d. 1989)
- 1917 – Kirk Kerkorian, American businessman, founded the Tracinda Corporation (d. 2015)
- 1918 – Edwin G. Krebs, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2009)
- 1919 – Peter Carington, 6th Baron Carrington, English army officer and politician, 6th Secretary General of NATO (d. 2018)
- 1923 – V. C. Andrews, American author, illustrator, and painter (d. 1986)
- 1923 – Jean Pouliot, Canadian broadcaster (d. 2004)
- 1925 – Maxine Kumin, American poet and author (d. 2014)
- 1925 – Frank Chee Willeto, American soldier and politician, 4th Vice President of the Navajo Nation (d. 2013)
- 1926 – Torsten Andersson, Swedish painter and illustrator (d. 2009)
- 1926 – Erdal İnönü, Turkish physicist and politician, Prime Minister of Turkey (d. 2007)
- 1926 – Klaus Tennstedt, German conductor (d. 1998)
- 1929 – Sunil Dutt, Indian actor, director, producer, and politician (d. 2005)
- 1930 – Frank Tyson, English-Australian cricketer, coach and journalist (d. 2015)
1931–1945

Tommie Smith, born 6 June 1944, at the 1968 Olympic medal ceremony where he and John Carlos (behind) protested against racism.
- 1932 – David Scott, American colonel, engineer, and astronaut
- 1932 – Billie Whitelaw, English actress (d. 2014)
- 1933 – Eli Broad, American businessman and philanthropist, co-founded KB Home
- 1933 – Heinrich Rohrer, Swiss physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2013)
- 1934 – Albert II of Belgium
- 1935 – Jon Henricks, Australian swimmer; winner of two Olympic gold medals in 1956.
- 1936 – Mompati Merafhe, Botswana general and politician, Vice-President of Botswana (d. 2015)
- 1936 – D. Ramanaidu, Indian actor, director, and producer, founded Suresh Productions (d. 2015)
- 1936 – Levi Stubbs, American singer (d. 2008)
- 1938 – Prince Luiz of Orléans-Braganza
- 1938 – Ryuchi Matsuda, Japanese martial artist and author (d. 2013)
- 1939 – Louis Andriessen, Dutch pianist and composer
- 1939 – Gary U.S. Bonds, American singer-songwriter
- 1939 – Eddie Giacomin, Canadian-American ice hockey player, coach, and sportscaster
- 1940 – Kumar Bhattacharyya, Baron Bhattacharyya, Indian-English engineer and academic (d. 2019)
- 1940 – Willie John McBride, Northern Irish rugby player, coach, and manager
- 1941 – Alexander Cockburn, Scottish-American journalist and author (d. 2012)
- 1943 – José de Jesús Gudiño Pelayo, Mexican lawyer and jurist (d. 2010)
- 1943 – Richard Smalley, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2005)
- 1943 – Joe Stampley, American country music singer-songwriter
- 1944 – Monty Alexander, Jamaican jazz pianist.
- 1944 – Phillip Allen Sharp, American molecular biologist; 1993 Nobel Prize laureate (Physiology or Medicine).
- 1944 – Tommie Smith, American sprinter and football player; winner of 1968 Olympic 200m gold medal in a world record time.
1946–2000
- 1946 – Tony Levin, American bass player and songwriter.^[
- 1947 – David Blunkett, British Labour politician; Home Secretary 2001–2004.
- 1947 – Robert Englund, American actor; best known for Nightmare on Elm Street.
- 1947 – Ada Kok, Dutch butterfly stroke swimmer; winner of three Olympic medals including gold in 1968.
- 1948 – Arlene Harris, American entrepreneur, inventor, investor and policy advocate.
- 1949 – Holly Near, American folk singer and songwriter.
- 1954 – Harvey Fierstein, American actor and playwright; twice a winner at the Tony Awards.
- 1954 – Wladyslaw Zmuda, Polish footballer and manager; 91 caps for Poland and voted Best Young Player at the 1974 FIFA World Cup.
- 1955 – Sam Simon, American director, producer and screenwriter; co-developer of The Simpsons (d. 2015).
- 1956 – Björn Borg, Swedish tennis player; winner of eleven Grand Slam singles titles including five consecutive Wimbledons.
- 1972 – Natalie Morales, American television journalist and NBC News anchor.
Deaths
- 184 – Qiao Xuan, Chinese official (b. c. 110).
- 863 – Abu Musa Utamish, vizier to the Abbasid Caliphate.
- 913 – Alexander III, Byzantine emperor (b. 870).
- 1097 – Agnes of Aquitaine, Queen of Aragon and Navarre
- 1134 – Norbert of Xanten, German bishop and saint (b. 1060)
- 1217 – Henry I, King of Castile and Toledo (b. 1204)
- 1237 – John of Scotland, Earl of Huntingdon
- 1251 – William III of Dampierre, Count of Flanders
- 1252 – Robert Passelewe, Bishop of Chichester
- 1333 – William Donn de Burgh, 3rd Earl of Ulster (b. 1312)
- 1393 – Emperor Go-En’yū of Japan (b. 1359)
- 1480 – Vecchietta, Italian painter, sculptor, and architect (b. 1412)
- 1548 – João de Castro, Portuguese soldier and politician, Governor of Portuguese India (b. 1500)
- 1561 – Ridolfo Ghirlandaio, Italian painter (b. 1483)
- 1583 – Nakagawa Kiyohide, Japanese daimyō (b. 1556)
- 1659 – Nadira Banu Begum, Mughal princess (b. 1618)
- 1661 – Martino Martini, Italian Jesuit missionary (b. 1614)
- 1730 – Alain Emmanuel de Coëtlogon, French general (b. 1646)
- 1740 – Alexander Spotswood, Moroccan-American colonial and politician, Lieutenant Governor of Virginia (b. 1676)
- 1784 – Joan van der Capellen tot den Pol, Dutch politician (b. 1741)
- 1799 – Patrick Henry, American lawyer and politician, 1st Governor of Virginia (b. 1736)
- 1813 – Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart, French architect, designed the Hôtel de Mademoiselle de Condé (b. 1739)
- 1813 – Antonio Cachia, Maltese architect, engineer and archaeologist (b. 1739)
- 1832 – Jeremy Bentham, English jurist and philosopher (b. 1748)
- 1840 – Marcellin Champagnat, French priest and saint, founded the Marist Brothers (b. 1789)
- 1843 – Friedrich Hölderlin, German poet and author (b. 1770)
- 1861 – Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour, Italian politician, 1st Prime Minister of Italy (b. 1810)
- 1862 – Turner Ashby, American colonel (b. 1828)
- 1865 – William Quantrill, American captain (b. 1837)
- 1878 – Robert Stirling, Scottish minister and engineer, invented the stirling engine (b. 1790)
- 1881 – Henri Vieuxtemps, Belgian violinist and composer (b. 1820)
- 1883 – Ciprian Porumbescu, Romanian composer and poet (b. 1853)
- 1891 – John A. Macdonald, Scottish-Canadian lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1815)
- 1916 – Yuan Shikai, Chinese general and politician, 2nd President of the Republic of China (b. 1859)
- 1922 – Lillian Russell, American actress and singer (b. 1860)
- 1924 – William Pirrie, 1st Viscount Pirrie, Irish businessman and politician, Lord Mayor of Belfast (b. 1847)
- 1934 – Julije Kempf, Croatian historian and author (b. 1864)
- 1935 – Julian Byng, 1st Viscount Byng of Vimy, English field marshal and politician, 12th Governor-General of Canada (b. 1862)
- 1941 – Louis Chevrolet, Swiss-American race car driver and businessman, founded Chevrolet and Frontenac Motor Corporation (b. 1878)
- 1943 – Pandelis Pouliopoulos, Greek politician (b. 1900)
- 1946 – Gerhart Hauptmann, German novelist, poet, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1862)
- 1947 – James Agate, English author and critic (b. 1877)
- 1948 – Louis Lumière, French director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1864)
- 1951 – Olive Tell, American actress (b. 1894)
- 1954 – Fritz Kasparek, Austrian mountaineer and author (b. 1910)
- 1955 – Max Meldrum, Scottish-Australian painter and educator (b. 1875)
- 1961 – Carl Jung, Swiss psychiatrist and psychotherapist (b. 1875)
- 1962 – Yves Klein, French painter (b. 1928)
- 1962 – Tom Phillis, Australian motorcycle racer (b. 1934)
- 1963 – William Baziotes, American painter and academic (b. 1912)
- 1968 – Randolph Churchill, English journalist and politician (b. 1911)
- 1968 – Robert F. Kennedy, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 64th United States Attorney General (b. 1925)
- 1968 – Kâzım Özalp, Turkish general and politician, 3rd Turkish Minister of National Defence (b. 1880)
- 1975 – Larry Blyden, American actor (b. 1925)
- 1976 – J. Paul Getty, American businessman, founded the Getty Oil Company (b. 1892)
- 1979 – Jack Haley, American actor (b. 1897)
- 1980 – Ruth Aarons, American table tennis player and manager (b. 1918)
- 1982 – Kenneth Rexroth, American poet and academic (b. 1905)
- 1983 – Hans Leip, German author, poet, and playwright (b. 1893)
- 1984 – A. Bertram Chandler, English-Australian soldier and author (b. 1912)
- 1991 – Stan Getz, American saxophonist (b. 1927)
- 1994 – Barry Sullivan, American actor (b. 1912)
- 1996 – George Davis Snell, American geneticist and immunologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1903)
- 1997 – Magda Gabor, Hungarian-American actress and socialite (b. 1915)
- 2000 – Frédéric Dard, French author and screenwriter (b. 1921)
- 2001 – Suzanne Schiffman, French screenwriter and director (b. 1939)
- 2003 – Ken Grimwood, American author (b. 1944)
- 2003 – Dave Rowberry, English singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1940)
- 2005 – Anne Bancroft, American actress (b. 1931)
- 2005 – Dana Elcar, American actor (b. 1927)
- 2006 – Arnold Newman, American photographer and educator (b. 1918)
- 2006 – Billy Preston, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and actor (b. 1946)
- 2006 – Camille Sandorfy, Hungarian-Canadian chemist and academic (b. 1920)
- 2009 – Jean Dausset, French-Spanish immunologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1916)
- 2009 – Jim Owens, American football player and coach (b. 1927)
- 2010 – Marvin Isley, American singer-songwriter and bass player (b. 1953)
- 2012 – Vladimir Krutov, Russian ice hockey player (b. 1960)
- 2012 – Manuel Preciado Rebolledo, Spanish footballer and coach (b. 1957)
- 2012 – Mykola Volosyanko, Ukrainian footballer and manager (b. 1972)
- 2013 – Jerome Karle, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1918)
- 2013 – Eugen Merzbacher, German-American physicist and academic (b. 1921)
- 2013 – Tom Sharpe, English-Spanish author and academic (b. 1928)
- 2013 – Esther Williams, American swimmer and actress (b. 1921)
- 2014 – Ado Bayero, Nigerian politician and diplomat (b. 1930)
- 2014 – Eric Hill, English-American author and illustrator (b. 1927)
- 2014 – Lorna Wing, English psychiatrist and physician (b. 1928)
- 2015 – Pierre Brice, French actor (b. 1929)
- 2015 – Vincent Bugliosi, American lawyer and author (b. 1934)
- 2015 – Ronnie Gilbert, American singer-songwriter (b. 1926)
- 2015 – Ludvík Vaculík, Czech journalist and author (b. 1926)
- 2016 – Viktor Korchnoi, Russian chess player (b. 1931)
- 2016 – Peter Shaffer, English playwright and screenwriter (b. 1926)
- 2018 – Ralph Santolla, American guitarist (b. 1969)
Holidays and observances on June 6
- Christian feast day:
  
  Claude the Thaumaturge
  
  Gottschalk
  
  Ini Kopuria (Church of England, Episcopal Church, Anglican Church of Melanesia)
  
  Marcellin Champagnat
  
  Norbert of Xanten
  
  June 6 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Engineer’s Day (Taiwan)
- Korean Children’s Union Foundation Day (North Korea)
- Memorial Day (South Korea)
- National Day, marks the end of the Danish-ruled Kalmar Union. (Sweden)
- National Huntington’s Disease Awareness Day (United States)
- Normandy landings of the Allied Expeditionary Forces (D-Day), a.k.a. Operation Neptune, part of Operation Overlord (1944)
- Queensland Day (Queensland)
- Teachers’ Day (Bolivia)
- UN Russian Language Day (United Nations)
Read More June 6- History, Events, Births, Deaths Holidays and Observances On This Day
On This Day

June 4 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day
June 4 in History
- 1411 – King Charles VI granted a monopoly for the ripening of Roquefort cheese to the people of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon as they had been doing for centuries.
- 1561 – The steeple of St Paul’s, the medieval cathedral of London, is destroyed in a fire caused by lightning and is never rebuilt.
- 1615 – Siege of Osaka: Forces under Tokugawa Ieyasu take Osaka Castle in Japan.
- 1745 – Battle of Hohenfriedberg: Frederick the Great’s Prussian army decisively defeated an Austrian army under Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine during the War of the Austrian Succession.
- 1760 – Great Upheaval: New England planters arrive to claim land in Nova Scotia, Canada, taken from the Acadians.
- 1783 – The Montgolfier brothers publicly demonstrate their montgolfière (hot air balloon).
- 1784 – Élisabeth Thible becomes the first woman to fly in an untethered hot air balloon. Her flight covers four kilometres in 45 minutes, and reached 1,500 metres altitude (estimated).
- 1792 – Captain George Vancouver claims Puget Sound for the Kingdom of Great Britain.
- 1802 – King Charles Emmanuel IV of Sardinia abdicates his throne in favor of his brother, Victor Emmanuel.
- 1812 – Following Louisiana’s admittance as a U.S. state, the Louisiana Territory is renamed the Missouri Territory.
- 1825 – General Lafayette, a French officer in the American Revolutionary War, speaks at what would become Lafayette Square, Buffalo, during his visit to the United States.
- 1855 – Major Henry C. Wayne departs New York aboard the USS Supply to procure camels to establish the U.S. Camel Corps.
- 1859 – Italian Independence wars: In the Battle of Magenta, the French army, under Louis-Napoleon, defeat the Austrian army.
- 1862 – American Civil War: Confederate troops evacuate Fort Pillow on the Mississippi River, leaving the way clear for Union troops to take Memphis, Tennessee.
- 1876 – An express train called the Transcontinental Express arrives in San Francisco, via the First Transcontinental Railroad only 83 hours and 39 minutes after leaving New York City.
- 1878 – Cyprus Convention: The Ottoman Empire cedes Cyprus to the United Kingdom but retains nominal title.
- 1896 – Henry Ford completes the Ford Quadricycle, his first gasoline-powered automobile, and gives it a successful test run.
- 1912 – Massachusetts becomes the first state of the United States to set a minimum wage.
- 1913 – Emily Davison, a suffragette, runs out in front of King George V’s horse at The Derby. She is trampled, never regains consciousness, and dies four days later.
- 1916 – World War I: Russia opens the Brusilov Offensive with an artillery barrage of Austro-Hungarian lines in Galicia.
- 1917 – The first Pulitzer Prizes are awarded: Laura E. Richards, Maude H. Elliott, and Florence Hall receive the first Pulitzer for biography (for Julia Ward Howe). Jean Jules Jusserand receives the first Pulitzer for history for his work With Americans of Past and Present Days. Herbert B. Swope receives the first Pulitzer for journalism for his work for the New York World.
- 1919 – Women’s rights: The U.S. Congress approves the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which guarantees suffrage to women, and sends it to the U.S. states for ratification.
- 1920 – Hungary loses 71% of its territory and 63% of its population when the Treaty of Trianon is signed in Paris.
- 1928 – The President of the Republic of China, Zhang Zuolin, is assassinated by Japanese agents.
- 1932 – Marmaduke Grove and other Chilean military officers lead a coup d’état establishing the short-lived Socialist Republic of Chile.
- 1939 – The Holocaust: The MS St. Louis, a ship carrying 963 Jewish refugees, is denied permission to land in Florida, in the United States, after already being turned away from Cuba. Forced to return to Europe, more than 200 of its passengers later die in Nazi concentration camps.
- 1940 – World War II: The Dunkirk evacuation ends: British forces complete evacuation of 338,000 troops from Dunkirk in France. To rally the morale of the country, Winston Churchill delivers, only to the House of Commons, his famous “We shall fight on the beaches” speech.
- 1942 – World War II: The Battle of Midway begins. The Japanese Admiral Chūichi Nagumo orders a strike on Midway Island by much of the Imperial Japanese Navy.
- 1943 – A military coup in Argentina ousts Ramón Castillo.
- 1944 – World War II: A hunter-killer group of the United States Navy captures the German submarine U-505: The first time a U.S. Navy vessel had captured an enemy vessel at sea since the 19th century.
- 1944 – World War II: The United States Fifth Army captures Rome, although much of the German Fourteenth Army is able to withdraw to the north.
- 1961 – Cold War: In the Vienna summit, the Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev sparks the Berlin Crisis by threatening to sign a separate peace treaty with East Germany and ending American, British and French access to East Berlin.
- 1967 – Seventy-two people are killed when a Canadair C-4 Argonaut crashes at Stockport in England.
- 1970 – Tonga gains independence from the United Kingdom.
- 1975 – The Governor of California Jerry Brown signs the California Agricultural Labor Relations Act into law, the first law in the U.S. giving farmworkers collective bargaining rights.
- 1979 – Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings takes power in Ghana after a military coup in which General Fred Akuffo is overthrown.
- 1983 – Gordon Kahl, who killed two US Marshals in Medina, North Dakota on February 13, is killed in a shootout in Smithville, Arkansas, along with a local sheriff, after a four-month manhunt.
- 1986 – Jonathan Pollard pleads guilty to espionage for selling top secret United States military intelligence to Israel.
- 1988 – Three cars on a train carrying hexogen to Kazakhstan explode in Arzamas, Gorky Oblast, USSR, killing 91 and injuring about 1,500.
- 1989 – Ali Khamenei is elected as the new Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran by the Assembly of Experts after the death and funeral of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
- 1989 – The Tiananmen Square protests are suppressed in Beijing by the People’s Liberation Army, with between 241 and 1,000 dead (an unofficial estimate).
- 1989 – Solidarity’s victory in the first (somewhat) free parliamentary elections in post-war Poland sparks off a succession of peaceful anti-communist revolutions in Eastern Europe, leads to the creation of the so-called Contract Sejm and begins the Autumn of Nations.
- 1989 – Ufa train disaster: A natural gas explosion near Ufa, Russia, kills 575 as two trains passing each other throw sparks near a leaky pipeline.
- 1996 – The first flight of Ariane 5 explodes after roughly 37 seconds. It was a Cluster mission.
- 1998 – Terry Nichols is sentenced to life in prison for his role in the Oklahoma City bombing.
- 2010 – Falcon 9 Flight 1 is the maiden flight of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, which launches from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex 40.
Births on June 4
- 1394 – Philippa of England, Queen of Denmark, Norway and Sweden (d. 1430)
- 1489 – Antoine, Duke of Lorraine (d. 1544)
- 1563 – George Heriot, Scottish goldsmith (d. 1624)
- 1604 – Claudia de’ Medici, Italian daughter of Christina of Lorraine (d. 1648)
- 1665 – Zacharie Robutel de La Noue, Canadian captain (d. 1733)
- 1694 – François Quesnay, French economist and physician (d. 1774)
- 1704 – Benjamin Huntsman, English inventor and businessman (d. 1776)
- 1738 – George III of the United Kingdom (d. 1820)
- 1744 – Patrick Ferguson, Scottish soldier, designed the Ferguson rifle (d. 1780)
- 1754 – Miguel de Azcuénaga, Argentinian soldier (d. 1833)
- 1754 – Franz Xaver von Zach, Slovak astronomer and academic (d. 1832)
- 1787 – Constant Prévost, French geologist and academic (d. 1856)
- 1801 – James Pennethorne, English architect, designed Victoria Park (d. 1871)
- 1821 – Apollon Maykov, Russian poet and playwright (d. 1897)
- 1829 – Jinmaku Kyūgorō, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 12th Yokozuna (d. 1903)
- 1854 – Solko van den Bergh, Dutch target shooter (d. 1916)
- 1860 – Alexis Lapointe, Canadian runner (d. 1924)
- 1861 – William Propsting, Australian politician, 20th Premier of Tasmania (d. 1937)
- 1866 – Miina Sillanpää, Finnish journalist and politician (d. 1952)
- 1867 – Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, Finnish general and politician, 6th President of Finland (d. 1951)
- 1873 – Nictzin Dyalhis, American author (d.1942)
- 1877 – Heinrich Otto Wieland, German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1957)
- 1879 – Mabel Lucie Attwell, English author and illustrator (d. 1964)
- 1880 – Clara Blandick, American actress (d. 1962)
- 1885 – Arturo Rawson, Argentinian general and politician, 26th President of Argentina (d. 1952)
- 1887 – Tom Longboat, Canadian runner and soldier (d. 1949)
- 1889 – Beno Gutenberg, German-American seismologist (d. 1960)
- 1903 – Yevgeny Mravinsky, Russian conductor (d. 1988)
- 1904 – Bhagat Puran Singh, Indian publisher, environmentalist, and philanthropist (d. 1992)
- 1907 – Jacques Roumain, Haitian journalist and politician (d. 1944)
- 1907 – Rosalind Russell, American actress (d. 1976)
- 1907 – Patience Strong, English poet and journalist (d. 1990)
- 1910 – Christopher Cockerell, English engineer, invented the hovercraft (d. 1999)
- 1912 – Robert Jacobsen, Danish sculptor and painter (d. 1993)
- 1915 – Walter Hadlee, New Zealand cricketer (d. 2006)
- 1915 – Modibo Keïta, Malian educator and politician, 1st President of Mali (d. 1977)
- 1915 – Nils Kihlberg, Swedish actor, singer, and director (d. 1965)
- 1916 – Robert F. Furchgott, American biochemist and pharmacologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2009)
- 1916 – Fernand Leduc, Canadian painter (d. 2014)
- 1917 – Robert Merrill, American actor and singer (d. 2004)
- 1921 – Milan Komar, Slovenian-Argentinian philosopher and academic (d. 2006)
- 1921 – Bobby Wanzer, American basketball player and coach (d. 2016)
- 1923 – Elizabeth Jolley, English-Australian author and academic (d. 2007)
- 1923 – Masutatsu Ōyama, Japanese karateka (d. 1994)
- 1924 – Tofilau Eti Alesana, Samoan politician, 5th Prime Minister of Samoa (d. 1999)
- 1924 – Dennis Weaver, American actor and director (d. 2006)
- 1925 – Antonio Puchades, Spanish footballer (d. 2013)
- 1926 – Robert Earl Hughes, American who was the heaviest human being recorded in the history of the world during his lifetime (d. 1958)
- 1926 – Ain Kaalep, Estonian poet, playwright, and critic (d. 2020)
- 1926 – Judith Malina, German-American actress and director, co-founded The Living Theatre (d. 2015)
- 1927 – Henning Carlsen, Danish director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2014)
- 1927 – Geoffrey Palmer, English actor
- 1928 – Ruth Westheimer, German-American therapist and author
- 1929 – Karolos Papoulias, Greek lawyer and politician, 5th President of Greece
- 1930 – George Chesworth, English air marshal and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Moray (d. 2017)
- 1930 – Morgana King, American singer and actress (d. 2018)
- 1930 – Viktor Tikhonov, Russian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2014)
- 1931 – Gustav Nossal, Austrian-Australian biologist and academic
- 1932 – John Drew Barrymore, American actor (d. 2004)
- 1932 – Oliver Nelson, American saxophonist and composer (d. 1975)
- 1932 – Maurice Shadbolt, New Zealand author and playwright (d. 2004)
- 1934 – Monica Dacon, Vincentian educator and politician, 6th Governor-General of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- 1934 – Daphne Sheldrick, Kenyan-British conservationist and author (d. 2018)
- 1935 – Colette Boky, Canadian soprano and actress
- 1935 – Berhanu Dinka, Ethiopian economist and diplomat (d. 2013)
- 1936 – Vince Camuto, American fashion designer and businessman, co-founded Nine West (d. 2015)
- 1936 – Bruce Dern, American actor
- 1937 – Freddy Fender, American singer and guitarist (d. 2006)
- 1937 – Mortimer Zuckerman, Canadian-American businessman and publisher, founded Boston Properties
- 1938 – John Harvard, Canadian journalist and politician, 23rd Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba (d. 2016)
- 1938 – Art Mahaffey, American baseball player
- 1939 – Jeremy Browne, 11th Marquess of Sligo, Anglo-Irish peer (d. 2014)
- 1939 – Denis de Belleval, Canadian civil servant and politician
- 1939 – Henri Pachard, American director and producer (d. 2008)
- 1939 – George Reid, Scottish journalist and politician, 2nd Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament
- 1940 – Ludwig Schwarz, Slovak-Austrian bishop
- 1941 – Kenneth G. Ross, Australian playwright and screenwriter
- 1942 – Louis Reichardt, American mountaineer
- 1942 – Bill Rowe, Canadian lawyer and politician
- 1943 – John Burgess, Australian radio and television host
- 1943 – Sandra Haynie, American golfer
- 1943 – Tom Jaine, English author
- 1944 – Roger Ball, Scottish saxophonist and songwriter
- 1944 – Michelle Phillips, American singer-songwriter and actress
- 1945 – Anthony Braxton, American saxophonist, clarinet player, and composer
- 1945 – Daniel Topolski, English rower and coach (d. 2015)
- 1945 – Gordon Waller, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2009)
- 1947 – Viktor Klima, Austrian businessman and politician, 25th Chancellor of Austria
- 1948 – Bob Champion, English jockey
- 1948 – Sandra Post, Canadian golfer and sportscaster
- 1948 – Jürgen Sparwasser, German footballer and manager
- 1949 – Gabriel Arcand, Canadian actor
- 1949 – Mark B. Cohen, American lawyer and politician
- 1950 – Raymond Dumais, Canadian bishop (d. 2012)
- 1951 – Leigh Kennedy, American author
- 1951 – Bronisław Malinowski, Polish runner (d. 1981)
- 1951 – Melanie Phillips, English journalist and author
- 1951 – Wendy Pini, American author and illustrator
- 1951 – David Yip, English actor and playwright
- 1952 – Bronisław Komorowski, Polish historian and politician, 5th President of Poland
- 1952 – Dambudzo Marechera, Zimbabwean author and poet (d. 1987)
- 1953 – Linda Lingle, American journalist and politician, 6th Governor of Hawaii
- 1953 – Jimmy McCulloch, Scottish musician and songwriter (d. 1979)
- 1953 – Susumu Ojima, Japanese businessman, founded Huser
- 1953 – Paul Samson, English guitarist and producer (d. 2002)
- 1954 – Raphael Ravenscroft, English saxophonist and composer (d. 2014)
- 1954 – Kazuhiro Yamaji, Japanese actor and voice actor
- 1955 – Val McDermid, Scottish author
- 1955 – Mary Testa, American singer and actress
- 1956 – Keith David, American actor
- 1956 – John Hockenberry, American journalist and author
- 1956 – Terry Kennedy, American baseball player and manager
- 1956 – Joyce Sidman, American author and poet
- 1957 – Neil McNab, Scottish footballer
- 1959 – Juan Camacho, Bolivian runner
- 1959 – Georgios Voulgarakis, Greek politician, 21st Greek Minister for Culture
- 1960 – Miloš Đelmaš, Serbian footballer and manager
- 1960 – Kristine Kathryn Rusch, American author
- 1960 – Paul Taylor, American guitarist and keyboard player
- 1960 – Bradley Walsh, English television presenter, comedian, singer and former footballer
- 1961 – El DeBarge, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1961 – Ferenc Gyurcsány, Hungarian businessman and politician, 6th Prime Minister of Hungary
- 1962 – Krzysztof Hołowczyc, Polish race car driver
- 1962 – Zenon Jaskuła, Polish cyclist
- 1962 – John P. Kee, American singer-songwriter and pastor
- 1962 – Junius Ho, Hong Kong solicitor and politician
- 1963 – Sean Fitzpatrick, New Zealand rugby union player
- 1963 – Jim Lachey, American football player and sportscaster
- 1963 – Xavier McDaniel, American basketball player and coach
- 1964 – Sean Pertwee, English actor
- 1964 – Kōji Yamamura, Japanese animator, producer, and screenwriter
- 1965 – Mick Doohan, Australian motorcycle racer
- 1965 – Andrea Jaeger, American tennis player and preacher
- 1966 – Cecilia Bartoli, Italian soprano and actress
- 1966 – Vladimir Voevodsky, Russian mathematician and academic (d. 2017)
- 1966 – Bill Wiggin, English politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Wales
- 1967 – Robert S. Kimbrough, American colonel and astronaut
- 1968 – Roger Lim, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1968 – Niurka Montalvo, Cuban-Spanish long jumper
- 1968 – Al B. Sure!, American R&B singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer
- 1968 – Scott Wolf, American actor
- 1969 – Horatio Sanz, Chilean-American actor and comedian
- 1970 – Deborah Compagnoni, Italian skier
- 1970 – Richie Hawtin, English-Canadian DJ and producer
- 1970 – Dave Pybus, English bass player and songwriter
- 1970 – Izabella Scorupco, Polish-Swedish actress and model
- 1971 – Joseph Kabila, Congolese soldier and politician, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- 1971 – Mike Lee, American lawyer and politician
- 1971 – Shoji Meguro, Japanese director and composer
- 1971 – Karl Martin Sinijärv, Estonian journalist and poet
- 1971 – Noah Wyle, American actor and producer
- 1972 – Derian Hatcher, American ice hockey defenseman
- 1972 – Rob Huebel, American comedian, actor, producer, and screenwriter
- 1973 – Mikey Whipwreck, American wrestler and trainer
- 1974 – Jacob Sahaya Kumar Aruni, Indian chef (d. 2012)
- 1974 – Darin Erstad, American baseball player and coach
- 1974 – Andrew Gwynne, English lawyer and politician
- 1974 – Janette Husárová, Slovak tennis player
- 1974 – Buddy Wakefield, American poet and author
- 1975 – Russell Brand, English comedian and actor
- 1975 – Henry Burris, American football player
- 1975 – Angelina Jolie, American actress, filmmaker, humanitarian, and activist
- 1975 – Dinanath Ramnarine, Trinidadian cricketer
- 1975 – Alex Wharf, English cricketer
- 1976 – Kasey Chambers, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1976 – Alexei Navalny, Russian lawyer and politician
- 1976 – Nenad Zimonjić, Serbian tennis player
- 1977 – Dionisis Chiotis, Greek footballer
- 1977 – Alex Manninger, Austrian footballer
- 1977 – Roman Miroshnichenko, Ukrainian guitarist and composer
- 1977 – Roland G. Fryer Jr., American economist and professor
- 1978 – Robin Lord Taylor, American actor
- 1979 – Naohiro Takahara, Japanese footballer
- 1979 – Daniel Vickerman, South African-Australian rugby player (d. 2017)
- 1980 – François Beauchemin, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1981 – Jennifer Carroll, Canadian swimmer
- 1981 – Giourkas Seitaridis, Greek footballer
- 1981 – Natalia Vodopyanova, Russian basketball player
- 1982 – Abel Kirui, Kenyan runner
- 1982 – Ronnie Prude, American-Canadian football player
- 1983 – Romaric, Ivorian footballer
- 1983 – Emmanuel Eboué, Ivorian footballer
- 1983 – Olha Saladuha, Ukrainian triple jumper
- 1984 – Enrico Rossi Chauvenet, Italian footballer
- 1984 – Rainie Yang, Taiwanese actress
- 1984 – Ian White, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1985 – Leon Botha, South African painter and DJ (d. 2011)
- 1985 – Anna-Lena Grönefeld, German tennis player
- 1985 – Evan Lysacek, American figure skater
- 1985 – Lukas Podolski, German footballer
- 1985 – Oddvar Reiakvam, Norwegian politician
- 1987 – Luisa Zissman, English businesswoman
- 1987 – Mollie King, English singer-songwriter and model
- 1988 – Matt Bartkowski, American ice hockey defenseman
- 1988 – Kimberley Busteed, Australian model
- 1989 – Federico Erba, Italian footballer
- 1989 – Paweł Fajdek, Polish hammer thrower
- 1990 – Zac Farro, American singer and drummer
- 1990 – Evan Spiegel, American Internet entrepreneur
- 1991 – Lorenzo Insigne, Italian footballer
- 1991 – Matt McIlwrick, New Zealand rugby league player
- 1991 – Ben Stokes, New Zealand-English cricketer
- 1993 – Jonathan Huberdeau, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1995 – Shiori Tamai, Japanese singer
- 1999 – Kim So-hyun, South Korean actress
- 2004 – Mackenzie Ziegler, American dancer, singer, actress and model
Deaths on June 4
- 756 – Shōmu, Japanese emperor (b. 701)
- 863 – Charles, archbishop of Mainz
- 895 – Li Xi, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty
- 946 – Guaimar II (Gybbosus), Lombard prince
- 956 – Muhammad III of Shirvan, Muslim ruler
- 1039 – Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 990)
- 1102 – Władysław I Herman, Polish nobleman (b. c. 1044)
- 1134 – Magnus I of Sweden (b. 1106)
- 1135 – Emperor Huizong of Song (b. 1082)
- 1206 – Adela of Champagne (b. 1140)
- 1246 – Isabella of Angoulême (b. 1188)
- 1257 – Przemysł I of Greater Poland (b. 1221)
- 1394 – Mary de Bohun, wife of Henry IV of England (b.c. 1368)
- 1453 – Andronikos Palaiologos Kantakouzenos, Byzantine commander
- 1463 – Flavio Biondo, Italian historian and author (b. 1392)
- 1472 – Nezahualcoyotl, Aztec poet (b. 1402)
- 1585 – Muretus, French philosopher and author (b. 1526)
- 1608 – Francis Caracciolo, Italian Catholic priest (b. 1563)
- 1622 – Péter Révay, Hungarian soldier and historian (b. 1568)
- 1647 – Canonicus, Grand Chief Sachem of the Narragansett (b. 1565)
- 1663 – William Juxon, English archbishop and academic (b. 1582)
- 1798 – Giacomo Casanova, Italian adventurer and author (b. 1725)
- 1801 – Frederick Muhlenberg, American minister and politician, 1st Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (b. 1750)
- 1809 – Nicolai Abildgaard, Danish neoclassical and history painter, sculptor and architect (b. 1743)
- 1830 – Antonio José de Sucre, Venezuelan general and politician, 2nd President of Bolivia (b. 1795)
- 1872 – Johan Rudolph Thorbecke, Dutch historian, jurist, and politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (b. 1798)
- 1875 – Eduard Mörike, German pastor and poet (b. 1804)
- 1876 – Abdülaziz of the Ottoman Empire, 32nd Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (b. 1830)
- 1922 – W. H. R. Rivers, English anthropologist, neurologist, ethnologist, and psychiatrist (b. 1864)
- 1925 – Margaret Murray Washington, American Academic (b. 1865)
- 1926 – Fred Spofforth, Australian-English cricketer and coach (b. 1853)
- 1928 – Zhang Zuolin, Chinese warlord (b. 1873)
- 1929 – Harry Frazee, American director, producer, and agent (b. 1881)
- 1931 – Hussein bin Ali, Sharif of Mecca, Sharif and Emir of Mecca, King of the Hejaz (b. 1853/54)
- 1933 – Ahmet Haşim, Turkish poet and author (b. 1884)
- 1939 – Tommy Ladnier, American trumpet player (b. 1900)
- 1941 – Wilhelm II, German Emperor (b. 1859)
- 1942 – Reinhard Heydrich, German SS officer and politician (b. 1904)
- 1951 – Serge Koussevitzky, Russian-American bassist, composer, and conductor (b. 1874)
- 1956 – Katherine MacDonald, American actress and producer (b. 1881)
- 1962 – Clem McCarthy, American sportscaster (b. 1882)
- 1967 – Linda Eenpalu, Estonian lawyer and politician (b. 1890)
- 1968 – Dorothy Gish, American actress (b. 1898)
- 1970 – Sonny Tufts, American actor (b. 1911)
- 1971 – György Lukács, Hungarian historian and philosopher (b. 1885)
- 1973 – Maurice René Fréchet, French mathematician and academic (b. 1878)
- 1973 – Murry Wilson, American songwriter, producer, and manager (b. 1917)
- 1981 – Leslie Averill, New Zealand doctor and soldier (b. 1897)
- 1989 – Dik Browne, American cartoonist (b. 1917)
- 1990 – Stiv Bators, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1949)
- 1992 – Carl Stotz, American businessman, founded Little League Baseball (b. 1910)
- 1993 – Bernard Evslin, American writer (b. 1922)
- 1994 – Derek Leckenby, English musician (b. 1943)
- 1997 – Ronnie Lane, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1946)
- 1998 – Josephine Hutchinson, American actress (b. 1903)
- 2002 – Fernando Belaúnde Terry, Peruvian architect and politician, 42nd President of Peru (b. 1912)
- 2004 – Steve Lacy, American saxophonist and composer (b. 1934)
- 2004 – Nino Manfredi, Italian actor (b. 1921)
- 2007 – Clete Boyer, American baseball player and manager (b. 1937)
- 2007 – Bill France, Jr., American businessman (b. 1933)
- 2007 – Craig L. Thomas, American captain and politician (b. 1933)
- 2010 – John Wooden, American basketball player and coach (b. 1910)
- 2011 – Juan Francisco Luis, Virgin Islander sergeant and politician, 23rd Governor of the United States Virgin Islands (b. 1940)
- 2011 – Andreas P. Nielsen, Danish author and composer (b. 1953)
- 2012 – Peter Beaven, New Zealand architect, designed the Lyttelton Road Tunnel Administration Building (b. 1925)
- 2012 – Pedro Borbón, Dominican-American baseball player (b. 1946)
- 2012 – Rodolfo Quezada Toruño, Guatemalan cardinal (b. 1932)
- 2012 – Herb Reed, American violinist (b. 1929)
- 2013 – Walt Arfons, American race car driver (b. 1916)
- 2013 – Joey Covington, American drummer (b. 1945)
- 2013 – Hermann Gunnarsson, Icelandic footballer, handball player, and sportscaster (b. 1946)
- 2013 – Will Wynn, American football player (b. 1949)
- 2014 – George Ho, American-Hong Kong businessman (b. 1919)
- 2014 – Nathan Shamuyarira, Zimbabwean journalist and politician, Zimbabwean Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1928)
- 2014 – Sydney Templeman, Baron Templeman, English lawyer and judge (b. 1920)
- 2014 – Don Zimmer, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1931)
- 2015 – Marguerite Patten, English economist and author (b. 1915)
- 2015 – Leonid Plyushch, Ukrainian mathematician and academic (b. 1938)
- 2015 – Jabe Thomas, American race car driver (b. 1930)
- 2015 – Anne Warburton, British academic and diplomat, British Ambassador to Denmark (b. 1927)
- 2016 – Carmen Pereira, Bissau-Guinean politician (b. 1937)
- 2017 – Juan Goytisolo, Spanish essayist, poet and novelist (b. 1931)
Holidays and observances on June 4
- Birthday of Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim & Flag Day celebration of the Finnish Defence Forces (Finland)
- Christian feast day:
  
  Filippo Smaldone
  
  Francis Caracciolo
  
  Optatus
  
  Petroc of Cornwall
  
  Quirinus of Sescia
  
  Saturnina
  
  June 4 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Emancipation Day or Independence Day, commemorates the abolition of serfdom in Tonga by King George Tupou in 1862, and the independence of Tonga from the British protectorate in 1970. (Tonga)
- Flag Day (Estonia)
- International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression (International)
- National Unity Day (Hungary)
- Tiananmen Square Protests of 1989 Memorial Day (International)
Read More June 4 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day
On This Day

May 23 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day
May 23 in History
- 1430 – Joan of Arc is captured by the Burgundians while leading an army to raise the Siege of Compiègne.
- 1498 – Girolamo Savonarola is burned at the stake in Florence, Italy.
- 1533 – The marriage of King Henry VIII to Catherine of Aragon is declared null and void.
- 1568 – Dutch rebels led by Louis of Nassau, defeat Jean de Ligne, Duke of Arenberg, and his loyalist troops in the Battle of Heiligerlee, opening the Eighty Years’ War.
- 1609 – Official ratification of the Second Virginia Charter takes place.
- 1618 – The Second Defenestration of Prague precipitates the Thirty Years’ War.
- 1701 – After being convicted of piracy and of murdering William Moore, Captain William Kidd is hanged in London.
- 1706 – John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, defeats a French army under Marshal François de Neufville, duc de Villeroy at the Battle of Ramillies.
- 1788 – South Carolina ratifies the United States Constitution as the eighth American state.
- 1793 – Battle of Famars during the Flanders Campaign of the War of the First Coalition.
- 1829 – Accordion patent granted to Cyrill Demian in Vienna, Austrian Empire.
- 1844 – Declaration of the Báb the evening before the 23rd: A merchant of Shiraz announces that he is a Prophet and founds a religious movement that would later be brutally crushed by the Persian government. He is considered to be a forerunner of the Bahá’í Faith; Bahá’ís celebrate the day as a holy day.
- 1846 – Mexican–American War: President Mariano Paredes of Mexico unofficially declares war on the United States.
- 1863 – The General German Workers’ Association, a precursor of the modern Social Democratic Party of Germany, is founded in Leipzig, Kingdom of Saxony.
- 1873 – The Canadian Parliament establishes the North-West Mounted Police, the forerunner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
- 1900 – American Civil War: Sergeant William Harvey Carney is awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism in the Assault on the Battery Wagner in 1863.
- 1907 – The unicameral Parliament of Finland gathers for its first plenary session.
- 1911 – The New York Public Library is dedicated.
- 1915 – World War I: Italy joins the Allies, fulfilling its part of the Treaty of London.
- 1932 – In Brazil, four students are shot and killed during a manifestation against the Brazilian dictator Getúlio Vargas, which resulted in the outbreak of the Constitutionalist Revolution several weeks later.
- 1934 – Infamous American bank robbers Bonnie and Clyde are ambushed by police and killed in Bienville Parish, Louisiana.
- 1934 – The Auto-Lite strike culminates in the “Battle of Toledo”, a five-day melée between 1,300 troops of the Ohio National Guard and 6,000 picketers.
- 1939 – The U.S. Navy submarine USS Squalus sinks off the coast of New Hampshire during a test dive, causing the death of 24 sailors and two civilian technicians. The remaining 32 sailors and one civilian naval architect are rescued the following day.
- 1945 – World War II: Heinrich Himmler, head of the Schutzstaffel, commits suicide while in Allied custody.
- 1945 – World War II: Germany’s Flensburg Government under Karl Dönitz is dissolved when its members are arrested by British forces.
- 1948 – Thomas C. Wasson, the US Consul-General, is assassinated in Jerusalem, Israel.
- 1949 – Cold War: The Western occupying powers approve the Basic Law and establish a new German state, the Federal Republic of Germany.
- 1951 – Tibetans sign the Seventeen Point Agreement with China.
- 1960 – A tsunami caused by an earthquake in Chile the previous day kills 61 people in Hilo, Hawaii.
- 1992 – Italy’s most prominent anti-mafia judge Giovanni Falcone, his wife and three body guards are killed by the Corleonesi clan with a half-ton bomb near Capaci, Sicily. His friend and colleague Paolo Borsellino will be assassinated less than two months later, making 1992 a turning point in the history of Italian Mafia prosecutions.
- 1995 – The first version of the Java programming language is released.
- 1998 – The Good Friday Agreement is accepted in a referendum in Northern Ireland with roughly 75% voting yes.
- 2002 – The “55 parties” clause of the Kyoto Protocol is reached after its ratification by Iceland.
- 2006 – Alaskan stratovolcano Mount Cleveland erupts.
- 2008 – The International Court of Justice (ICJ) awards Middle Rocks to Malaysia and Pedra Branca (Pulau Batu Puteh) to Singapore, ending a 29-year territorial dispute between the two countries.
- 2013 – A freeway bridge carrying Interstate 5 over the Skagit River collapses in Mount Vernon, Washington.
- 2014 – Seven people, including the perpetrator, are killed and another 14 injured in a killing spree near the campus of University of California, Santa Barbara.
- 2015 – At least 46 people are killed as a result of floods caused by a tornado in Texas and Oklahoma.
- 2016 – Two suicide bombings, conducted by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, killed at least 45 potential army recruits in Aden, Yemen.
- 2016 – Eight bombings were carried out by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria in Jableh and Tartus, coastline cities in Syria. One hundred eighty-four people were killed and at least 200 people injured.
- 2017 – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law in Mindanao, following the Maute’s attack in Marawi.
Births on May 23
- 635 – K’inich Kan Bahlam II, Mayan king (d. 702)
- 675 – Perumbidugu Mutharaiyar II, King of Mutharaiyar dynasty, Tamil Nadu, India
- 1052 – Philip I of France (d. 1108)
- 1100 – Emperor Qinzong of Song (d. 1161)
- 1127 – Uijong of Goryeo, Korean monarch of the Goryeo dynasty (d. 1173)
- 1330 – Gongmin of Goryeo, Korean ruler (d. 1374)
- 1586 – Paul Siefert, German composer and organist (d. 1666)
- 1606 – Juan Caramuel y Lobkowitz, Spanish mathematician and philosopher (d. 1682)
- 1614 – Bertholet Flemalle, Flemish Baroque painter (d. 1675)
- 1617 – Elias Ashmole, English astrologer and politician (d. 1692)
- 1629 – William VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel, noble of Hesse-Kassel (d. 1663)
- 1707 – Carl Linnaeus, Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist (d. 1778)
- 1718 – William Hunter, Scottish-English anatomist and physician (d. 1783)
- 1729 – Giuseppe Parini, Italian poet and educator (d. 1799)
- 1730 – Prince Augustus Ferdinand of Prussia, Prussian prince and general (d. 1813)
- 1734 – Franz Mesmer, German physician and astrologer (d. 1815)
- 1741 – Andrea Luchesi, Italian organist and composer (d. 1801)
- 1789 – Franz Schlik, Austrian earl and general (d. 1862)
- 1790 – Jules Dumont d’Urville, French admiral and explorer (d. 1842)
- 1790 – James Pradier, French neoclassical sculptor (d. 1852)
- 1794 – Ignaz Moscheles, Czech pianist and composer (d. 1870)
- 1795 – Charles Barry, English architect, designed the Upper Brook Street Chapel and Halifax Town Hall (d. 1860)
- 1800 – Rómulo Díaz de la Vega, Mexican general and president (1855) (d. 1877)
- 1810 – Margaret Fuller, American journalist and critic (d. 1850)
- 1817 – Manuel Robles Pezuela, Unconstitutional Mexican interim president (d. 1862)
- 1820 – James Buchanan Eads, American engineer, designed the Eads Bridge (d. 1887)
- 1820 – Lorenzo Sawyer, American lawyer and judge (d. 1891)
- 1824 – Ambrose Burnside, American general and politician, 30th Governor of Rhode Island (d. 1881)
- 1834 – Jānis Frīdrihs Baumanis, Latvian architect (d. 1891)
- 1834 – Carl Bloch, Danish painter and academic (d. 1890)
- 1837 – Anatole Mallet, Swiss mechanical engineer and inventor (d. 1919)
- 1837 – Józef Wieniawski, Polish pianist and composer (d. 1912)
- 1838 – Amaldus Nielsen, Norwegian painter (d. 1932)
- 1840 – George Throssell, Irish-Australian politician, 2nd Premier of Western Australia (d. 1910)
- 1844 – `Abdu’l-Bahá, Iranian religious leader (d. 1921)
- 1848 – Otto Lilienthal, German pilot and engineer (d. 1896)
- 1855 – Isabella Ford, English author and activist (d. 1924)
- 1861 – József Rippl-Rónai, Hungarian painter (d. 1927)
- 1863 – Władysław Horodecki, Polish architect (d. 1930)
- 1864 – William O’Connor, American fencer (d. 1939)
- 1865 – Epitácio Pessoa, Brazilian jurist and politician, 11th President of Brazil (d. 1942)
- 1875 – Alfred P. Sloan, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 1966)
- 1882 – William Halpenny, Canadian pole vaulter (d. 1960)
- 1883 – Douglas Fairbanks, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1939)
- 1884 – Corrado Gini, Italian sociologist and demographer (d. 1965)
- 1887 – Thoralf Skolem, Norwegian mathematician and theorist (d. 1963)
- 1887 – Nikolai Vekšin, Estonian-Russian sailor and captain (d. 1951)
- 1888 – Adriaan Roland Holst, Dutch writer (d. 1976)
- 1888 – Zack Wheat, American baseball player and police officer (d. 1972)
- 1889 – Ernst Niekisch, German educator and politician (d. 1967)
- 1890 – Herbert Marshall, English-American actor and singer (d. 1966)
- 1891 – Pär Lagerkvist, Swedish novelist, playwright, and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1974)
- 1892 – Albert Spencer, 7th Earl Spencer, British peer and grandfather of Diana Spencer (d. 1975)
- 1896 – Felix Steiner, Russian-German SS officer (d. 1966)
- 1897 – Jimmie Guthrie, Scottish motorcycle racer (d. 1937)
- 1898 – Scott O’Dell, American soldier, journalist, and author (d. 1989)
- 1898 – Josef Terboven, German soldier and politician (d. 1945)
- 1899 – Jeralean Talley, American super-centenarian (d. 2015)
- 1900 – Hans Frank, German lawyer and politician (d. 1946)
- 1900 – Franz Leopold Neumann, German lawyer and theorist (d. 1954)
- 1908 – John Bardeen, American physicist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1991)
- 1908 – Hélène Boucher, French pilot (d. 1934)
- 1910 – Margaret Wise Brown, American author and educator (d. 1952)
- 1910 – Hugh Casson, English architect and academic (d. 1999)
- 1910 – Scatman Crothers, American actor and comedian (d. 1986)
- 1910 – Franz Kline, American painter and academic (d. 1962)
- 1910 – Artie Shaw, American clarinet player, composer, and bandleader (d. 2004)
- 1911 – Lou Brouillard, Canadian boxer (d. 1984)
- 1911 – Paul Augustin Mayer, German cardinal (d. 2010)
- 1911 – Betty Nuthall, English tennis player (d. 1983)
- 1912 – Jean Françaix, French pianist and composer (d. 1997)
- 1912 – John Payne, American actor (d. 1989)
- 1914 – Harold Hitchcock, English visionary landscape artist (d. 2009)
- 1914 – Celestine Sibley, American journalist and author (d. 1999)
- 1914 – Barbara Ward, Baroness Jackson of Lodsworth, English economist, journalist, and prominent Catholic layperson (d. 1981)
- 1915 – S. Donald Stookey, American physicist and chemist, invented CorningWare (d. 2014)
- 1917 – Edward Norton Lorenz, American mathematician and meteorologist (d. 2008)
- 1918 – Denis Compton, English cricketer and sportscaster (d. 1997)
- 1919 – Robert Bernstein, American author and playwright (d. 1988)
- 1919 – Ruth Fernández, Puerto Rican contralto and a member of the Puerto Rican Senate (d. 2012)
- 1919 – Betty Garrett, American actress, singer, and dancer (d. 2011)
- 1920 – Helen O’Connell, American singer (d. 1993)
- 1923 – Alicia de Larrocha, Catalan-Spanish pianist (d. 2009)
- 1923 – Irving Millman, American virologist and microbiologist (d. 2012)
- 1924 – Karlheinz Deschner, German author and activist (d. 2014)
- 1925 – Joshua Lederberg, American biologist and geneticist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2008)
- 1926 – Basil Salvadore D’Souza, Indian bishop (d. 1996)
- 1926 – Joe Slovo, Lithuanian-South African activist and politician (d. 1995)
- 1928 – Rosemary Clooney, American singer and actress (d. 2002)
- 1928 – Nigel Davenport, English actor (d. 2013)
- 1928 – Nina Otkalenko, Russian runner (d. 2015)
- 1929 – Ulla Jacobsson, Swedish-Austrian actress (d. 1982)
- 1930 – Friedrich Achleitner, German poet and critic (d. 2019)
- 1931 – Barbara Barrie, American actress
- 1932 – Kevork Ajemian, Syrian-French journalist and author (d. 1998)
- 1933 – Joan Collins, English actress
- 1933 – Ove Fundin, Swedish motorcycle racer
- 1934 – Robert Moog, electronic engineer and inventor of the Moog synthesizer (d. 2005)
- 1935 – Lasse Strömstedt, Swedish author (d. 2009)
- 1936 – Ingeborg Hallstein, German soprano and actress
- 1936 – Charles Kimbrough, American actor
- 1939 – Michel Colombier, French-American composer and conductor (d. 2004)
- 1939 – Reinhard Hauff, German director and screenwriter
- 1940 – Bjorn Johansen, Norwegian saxophonist (d. 2002)
- 1940 – Gérard Larrousse, French race car driver
- 1940 – Cora Sadosky, Argentinian mathematician and academic (d. 2010)
- 1941 – Zalman King, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2012)
- 1941 – Rod Thorn, American basketball player, coach, and executive
- 1942 – Gabriel Liiceanu, Romanian philosopher, author, and academic
- 1942 – Kovelamudi Raghavendra Rao, Indian director, screenwriter, and choreographer
- 1943 – Peter Kenilorea, Solomon Islands politician, 1st Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands (d. 2016)
- 1944 – John Newcombe, Australian tennis player and sportscaster
- 1945 – Padmarajan, Indian director, screenwriter, and author (d. 1991)
- 1946 – David Graham, Australian golfer
- 1947 – Jane Kenyon, American poet and translator (d. 1995)
- 1948 – Myriam Boyer, French actress, director, and producer
- 1949 – Daniel DiNardo, American cardinal
- 1949 – Alan García, Peruvian lawyer and politician, 61st and 64th President of Peru (d. 2019)
- 1950 – Martin McGuinness, Irish republican and Sinn Féin politician, Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland (d. 2017)
- 1951 – Anatoly Karpov, Russian chess player
- 1951 – Antonis Samaras, Greek economist and politician, 185th Prime Minister of Greece
- 1952 – Martin Parr, English photographer and journalist
- 1954 – Gerry Armstrong, Northern Irish international footballer, striker
- 1954 – Marvelous Marvin Hagler, American boxer and actor
- 1955 – Luka Bloom, Irish singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1956 – Andrea Pazienza, Italian illustrator and painter (d. 1988)
- 1956 – Ursula Plassnik, Austrian politician and diplomat, Foreign Minister of Austria
- 1956 – Buck Showalter, American baseball player, coach, and manager
- 1958 – Mitch Albom, American journalist, author, and screenwriter
- 1958 – Drew Carey, American actor, game show host, and entrepreneur
- 1958 – Lea DeLaria, American actress and singer
- 1959 – Marcella Mesker, Dutch tennis player and sportscaster
- 1960 – Linden Ashby, American actor
- 1961 – Daniele Massaro, Italian footballer and manager
- 1961 – Norrie May-Welby, Scottish Australian gender activist
- 1962 – Karen Duffy, American actress
- 1963 – Viviane Baladi, Swiss mathematician
- 1964 – Ruth Metzler, Swiss lawyer and politician
- 1965 – Manuel Sanchís Hontiyuelo, Spanish footballer
- 1965 – Tom Tykwer, German director, producer, screenwriter, and composer
- 1965 – Melissa McBride, American actress
- 1965 – Paul Sironen, Australian rugby league player
- 1966 – Graeme Hick, Zimbabwean-English cricketer and coach
- 1966 – Gary Roberts, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1967 – Luís Roberto Alves, Mexican footballer
- 1967 – Anna Ibrisagic, Swedish politician
- 1968 – Guinevere Turner, American actress and screenwriter
- 1970 – Bryan Herta, American race car driver and businessman, co-founded Bryan Herta Autosport
- 1971 – George Osborne, English journalist and politician, former Chancellor of the Exchequer
- 1972 – Rubens Barrichello, Brazilian race car driver
- 1972 – Martin Saggers, English cricketer and umpire
- 1973 – Maxwell, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1974 – Jewel, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, actress, and poet
- 1974 – Manuela Schwesig, German politician, German Federal Minister of Family Affairs
- 1976 – Ricardinho, Brazilian footballer and manager
- 1977 – Ilia Kulik, Russian figure skater
- 1978 – Scott Raynor, American drummer
- 1979 – Rasual Butler, American basketball player (d. 2018)
- 1979 – Brian Campbell, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1980 – Theofanis Gekas, Greek footballer
- 1980 – Ben Ross, Australian rugby league player
- 1983 – Silvio Proto, Belgian-Italian footballer
- 1984 – Hugo Almeida, Portuguese footballer
- 1985 – Sebastián Fernández, Uruguayan footballer
- 1985 – Teymuraz Gabashvili, Russian tennis player
- 1985 – Wim Stroetinga, Dutch cyclist
- 1985 – Ross Wallace, Scottish footballer
- 1986 – Ryan Coogler, American film director and screenwriter
- 1986 – Alexei Sitnikov, Russian-Azerbaijani figure skater
- 1986 – Alice Tait, Australian swimmer
- 1986 – Ruben Zadkovich, Australian footballer
- 1987 – Gracie Otto, Australian actress, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1987 – Bray Wyatt, American wrestler
- 1988 – Rosanna Crawford, Canadian biathlete
- 1988 – Angelo Ogbonna, Italian footballer
- 1988 – Morgan Pressel, American golfer
- 1989 – Ezequiel Schelotto, Italian footballer
- 1990 – Dan Evans, British tennis player
- 1990 – Kristina Kucova, Slovakian tennis player
- 1990 – Oliver Venno, Estonian volleyball player
- 1991 – Aaron Donald, American football player
- 1991 – Lena Meyer-Landrut, German singer-songwriter
- 1991 – César Pinares, Chilean footballer
- 1996 – Katharina Althaus, German ski jumper
- 1996 – Emmanuel Boateng, Ghanaian footballer
- 1996 – Razvan Marin, Romanian footballer
- 1997 – Pedro Chirivella, Spanish footballer
- 1997 – Coy Craft, American footballer
- 1997 – Joe Gomez, English footballer
- 1997 – Gustaf Nilsson, Swedish footballer
- 1997 – Sam Timmins, New Zealand basketball player
- 1998 – Sérgio Sette Câmara, Brazilian race car driver
- 1998 – Ross Cunningham, Scottish footballer
- 1998 – Salwa Eid Naser, Bahraini track and field sprinter
- 1998 – Luca De La Torre, American footballer
- 1998 – Steve Lacy, American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer
- 2000 – Felipe Drugovich, Brazilian race car driver
- 2000 – Jaxson Hayes, American basketball player
Deaths on May 23
- 230 – Urban I, pope of the Catholic Church
- 922 – Li Sizhao, Chinese general and governor
- 962 – Guibert of Gembloux, Frankish abbot (b. 892)
- 1125 – Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1081)
- 1304 – Jehan de Lescurel, French poet and composer
- 1338 – Alice de Warenne, Countess of Arundel, English noble (b. 1287)
- 1370 – Toghon Temür, Mongol emperor (b. 1320)
- 1423 – Antipope Benedict XIII (b. 1328)
- 1498 – Girolamo Savonarola, Italian friar and preacher (b. 1452)
- 1523 – Ashikaga Yoshitane, Japanese shōgun (b. 1466)
- 1524 – Ismail I, First Emperor of Safavid Empire (b. 1487)
- 1591 – John Blitheman, English organist and composer (b. 1525)
- 1662 – John Gauden, English bishop (b. 1605)
- 1670 – Ferdinando II de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (b. 1610)
- 1691 – Adrien Auzout, French astronomer and instrument maker (b. 1622)
- 1701 – William Kidd, Scottish pirate (b. 1645)
- 1749 – Abraham ben Abraham, Polish martyr (b. 1700)
- 1752 – William Bradford, English-American printer (b. 1663)
- 1754 – John Wood, the Elder, English architect, designed The Circus and Queen Square (b. 1704)
- 1783 – James Otis, Jr., American lawyer and politician (b. 1725)
- 1813 – Géraud Duroc, French general and diplomat (b. 1772)
- 1815 – Gotthilf Heinrich Ernst Muhlenberg, American clergyman and botanist (b. 1753)
- 1841 – Franz Xaver von Baader, German philosopher and theologian (b. 1765)
- 1855 – Charles Robert Malden, English lieutenant and explorer (b. 1797)
- 1857 – Augustin-Louis Cauchy, French mathematician and academic (b. 1789)
- 1868 – Kit Carson, American general (b. 1809)
- 1886 – Leopold von Ranke, German historian and academic (b. 1795)
- 1893 – Anton von Schmerling, Austrian politician (b. 1805)
- 1895 – Franz Ernst Neumann, German mineralogist, physicist, and mathematician (b. 1798)
- 1906 – Henrik Ibsen, Norwegian director, playwright, and poet (b. 1828)
- 1908 – François Coppée, French poet and author (b. 1842)
- 1920 – Svetozar Boroević, Croatian-Austrian field marshal (b. 1856)
- 1921 – August Nilsson, Swedish shot putter and tug of war competitor (b. 1872)
- 1934 – Clyde Barrow, American criminal (b. 1909)
- 1934 – Mihkel Martna, Estonian journalist and politician (b. 1860)
- 1934 – Bonnie Parker, American criminal (b. 1910)
- 1937 – John D. Rockefeller, American businessman and philanthropist, founded the Standard Oil Company and Rockefeller University (b. 1839)
- 1938 – Frederick Ruple, Swiss-American painter (b. 1871)
- 1942 – Panagiotis Toundas, Greek composer and conductor (b. 1886)
- 1945 – Heinrich Himmler, German commander and politician, Reich Minister of the Interior (b. 1900)
- 1947 – Charles-Ferdinand Ramuz, Swiss author and poet (b. 1878)
- 1949 – Jan Frans De Boever, Belgian painter and illustrator (b. 1872)
- 1956 – Gustav Suits, Latvian-Estonian poet and politician (b. 1883)
- 1960 – Georges Claude, French engineer and inventor, created Neon lighting (b. 1870)
- 1962 – Louis Coatalen, French engineer (b. 1879)
- 1963 – August Jakobson, Estonian author and politician (b. 1904)
- 1965 – David Smith, American sculptor (b. 1906)
- 1975 – Moms Mabley, American comedian and actor (b. 1894)
- 1979 – S. Selvanayagam, Sri Lankan geographer and academic (b. 1932)
- 1981 – Gene Green, American baseball player (b. 1933)
- 1981 – Rayner Heppenstall, English author and poet (b. 1911)
- 1981 – George Jessel, American actor, singer, and producer (b. 1898)
- 1981 – David Lewis, Belarusian-Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1909)
- 1986 – Sterling Hayden, American actor (b. 1916)
- 1989 – Georgy Tovstonogov, Russian director and producer (b. 1915)
- 1989 – Karl Koch, German computer hacker (b. 1965)
- 1991 – Wilhelm Kempff, German pianist and composer (b. 1895)
- 1991 – Jean Van Houtte, Belgian academic and politician, 50th Prime Minister of Belgium (b. 1907)
- 1991 – Fletcher Markle, Canadian director, screenwriter, and producer (b. 1921)
- 1992 – Kostas Davourlis, Greek footballer (b. 1948)
- 1992 – Giovanni Falcone, Italian lawyer and judge (b. 1939)
- 1994 – Olav Hauge, Norwegian poet (b. 1908)
- 1996 – Kronid Lyubarsky, Russian journalist and activist (b. 1934)
- 1998 – Telford Taylor, American general and lawyer (b. 1908)
- 1999 – Owen Hart, Canadian-American wrestler (b. 1965)
- 2002 – Sam Snead, American golfer and journalist (b. 1912)
- 2006 – Lloyd Bentsen, American colonel and politician, 69th United States Secretary of the Treasury (b. 1921)
- 2006 – Kazimierz Górski, Polish footballer and manager (b. 1921)
- 2008 – Iñaki Ochoa de Olza, Spanish mountaineer (b. 1967)
- 2008 – Utah Phillips, American singer-songwriter and poet (b. 1935)
- 2009 – Roh Moo-hyun, South Korean soldier and politician, 9th President of South Korea (b. 1946)
- 2010 – José Lima, Dominican-American baseball player (b. 1972)
- 2010 – Simon Monjack, English director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1970)
- 2011 – Xavier Tondo, Spanish cyclist (b. 1978)
- 2012 – Paul Fussell, American historian, author, and academic (b. 1924)
- 2013 – Epy Guerrero, Dominican baseball player, coach, and scout (b. 1942)
- 2013 – Hayri Kozakçıoğlu, Turkish police officer and politician, 15th Governor of Istanbul Province (b. 1938)
- 2013 – Georges Moustaki, Egyptian-French singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1934)
- 2013 – Flynn Robinson, American basketball player (b. 1941)
- 2014 – Mikhail Egorovich Alekseev, Russian linguist and academic (b. 1949)
- 2014 – Madhav Mantri, Indian cricketer (b. 1921)
- 2015 – Anne Meara, American actress, comedian and playwright (b. 1929)
- 2015 – Aleksey Mozgovoy, Ukrainian sergeant (b. 1975)
- 2015 – Alicia Nash, Salvadoran-American physicist and engineer (b. 1933)
- 2015 – John Forbes Nash, Jr., American mathematician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1928)
- 2017 – Roger Moore, English actor (b. 1927)
- 2020 – Hana Kimura, Japanese professional wrestler (b. 1997)
Holidays and observances on May 23
- Christian feast day:
  
  Aaron the Illustrious (Syriac Orthodox Church)
  
  Desiderius of Vienne
  
  Giovanni Battista de’ Rossi
  
  Julia of Corsica
  
  Nicolaus Copernicus and Johannes Kepler (Episcopal Church (USA))
  
  Quintian, Lucius and Julian
  
  William of Perth
  
  May 23 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Constitution Day (Germany)
- Earliest day on which Declaration of the Báb can fall, while May 24 is the latest; observed on ‘Aẓamat 8 (Bahá’í Faith)
- Earliest day on which National Heroes’ Day can fall, while May 31 is the latest; celebrated on last Monday of May. (Turks and Caicos Islands)
- Labour Day (Jamaica)
- Students’ Day (Mexico)
- World Turtle Day
Read More May 23 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day
On This Day

May 22 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day
May 22 in History
- 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
Read More May 22 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day
On This Day

May 20 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day
May 20 in History
- 325 – The First Council of Nicaea is formally opened, starting the first ecumenical council of the Christian Church.
- 491 – Empress Ariadne marries Anastasius I. The widowed Augusta is able to choose her successor for the Byzantine throne, after Zeno (late emperor) dies of dysentery.
- 685 – The Battle of Dun Nechtain is fought between a Pictish army under King Bridei III and the invading Northumbrians under King Ecgfrith, who are decisively defeated.
- 794 – While visiting the royal Mercian court at Sutton Walls with a view to marrying princess Ælfthryth, King Æthelberht II of East Anglia is taken captive and beheaded.
- 1217 – The Second Battle of Lincoln is fought near Lincoln, England, resulting in the defeat of Prince Louis of France by William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke.
- 1293 – King Sancho IV of Castile creates the Estudio de Escuelas de Generales in Alcalá de Henares.
- 1449 – The Battle of Alfarrobeira is fought, establishing the House of Braganza as a principal royal family of Portugal.
- 1497 – John Cabot sets sail from Bristol, England, on his ship Matthew looking for a route to the west (other documents give a May 2 date).
- 1498 – Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama discovers the sea route to India when he arrives at Kozhikode (previously known as Calicut), India.
- 1521 – Ignatius of Loyola is seriously wounded in the Battle of Pampeluna.
- 1570 – Cartographer Abraham Ortelius issues Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, the first modern atlas.
- 1609 – Shakespeare’s sonnets are first published in London, perhaps illicitly, by the publisher Thomas Thorpe.
- 1631 – The city of Magdeburg in Germany is seized by forces of the Holy Roman Empire and most of its inhabitants massacred, in one of the bloodiest incidents of the Thirty Years’ War.
- 1645 – Yangzhou massacre: The ten day massacre of 800,000 residents of the city of Yangzhou, part of the Transition from Ming to Qing.
- 1741 – The Battle of Cartagena de Indias ends in a Spanish victory and the British begin withdrawal towards Jamaica with substantial losses.
- 1775 – The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence is allegedly signed in Charlotte, North Carolina.
- 1802 – By the Law of 20 May 1802, Napoleon Bonaparte reinstates slavery in the French colonies, revoking its abolition in the French Revolution.
- 1813 – Napoleon Bonaparte leads his French troops into the Battle of Bautzen in Saxony, Germany, against the combined armies of Russia and Prussia. The battle ends the next day with a French victory.
- 1840 – York Minster is badly damaged by fire.
- 1861 – American Civil War: The state of Kentucky proclaims its neutrality, which will last until September 3 when Confederate forces enter the state. Meanwhile, the State of North Carolina secedes from the Union.
- 1862 – U.S. President Abraham Lincoln signs the Homestead Act into law, opening 84 million acres of public land to settlers.
- 1864 – American Civil War: Battle of Ware Bottom Church: In the Virginia Bermuda Hundred campaign, 10,000 troops fight in this Confederate victory.
- 1873 – Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis receive a U.S. patent for blue jeans with copper rivets.
- 1875 – Signing of the Metre Convention by 17 nations leading to the establishment of the International System of Units.
- 1882 – The Triple Alliance between the German Empire, Austria-Hungary and the Kingdom of Italy is formed.
- 1883 – Krakatoa begins to erupt; the volcano explodes three months later, killing more than 36,000 people.
- 1891 – History of cinema: The first public display of Thomas Edison’s prototype kinetoscope.
- 1902 – Cuba gains independence from the United States. Tomás Estrada Palma becomes the country’s first President.
- 1927 – Treaty of Jeddah: The United Kingdom recognizes the sovereignty of King Ibn Saud in the Kingdoms of Hejaz and Nejd, which later merge to become the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
- 1932 – Amelia Earhart takes off from Newfoundland to begin the world’s first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean by a female pilot, landing in Ireland the next day.
- 1940 – The Holocaust: The first prisoners arrive at a new concentration camp at Auschwitz.
- 1941 – World War II: Battle of Crete: German paratroops invade Crete.
- 1948 – Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek wins the 1948 Republic of China presidential election and is sworn in as the first President of the Republic of China at Nanjing.
- 1949 – In the United States, the Armed Forces Security Agency, the predecessor to the National Security Agency, is established.
- 1956 – In Operation Redwing, the first United States airborne hydrogen bomb is dropped over Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean.
- 1964 – Discovery of the cosmic microwave background radiation by Robert Woodrow Wilson and Arno Penzias.
- 1967 – The Popular Movement of the Revolution political party is established in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- 1969 – The Battle of Hamburger Hill in Vietnam ends.
- 1971 – In the Chuknagar massacre, Pakistani forces massacre thousands, mostly Bengali Hindus.
- 1980 – In a referendum in Quebec, the population rejects, by 60% of the vote, a government proposal to move towards independence from Canada.
- 1983 – First publications of the discovery of the HIV virus that causes AIDS in the journal Science by Luc Montagnier.
- 1983 – Church Street bombing: A car bomb planted by Umkhonto we Sizwe explodes on Church Street in South Africa’s capital, Pretoria, killing 19 people and injuring 217 others.
- 1985 – Radio Martí, part of the Voice of America service, begins broadcasting to Cuba.
- 1989 – The Chinese authorities declare martial law in the face of pro-democracy demonstrations, setting the scene for the Tiananmen Square massacre.
- 1990 – The first post-Communist presidential and parliamentary elections are held in Romania.
- 1996 – Civil rights: The Supreme Court of the United States rules in Romer v. Evans against a law that would have prevented any city, town or county in the state of Colorado from taking any legislative, executive, or judicial action to protect the rights of gays and lesbians.
- 2002 – The independence of East Timor is recognized by Portugal, formally ending 23 years of Indonesian rule and three years of provisional UN administration (Portugal itself is the former colonizer of East Timor until 1976).
- 2012 – At least 27 people are killed and 50 others injured when a 6.0-magnitude earthquake strikes northern Italy.
- 2013 – An EF5 tornado strikes the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore, killing 24 people and injuring 377 others.
- 2019 – The International System of Units (SI): The base units are redefined, making the international prototype of the kilogram obsolete.
Births on May 20
- 1315 – Bonne of Luxembourg, first wife of John II of France (d. 1349)
- 1470 – Pietro Bembo, Italian cardinal, poet, and scholar (d. 1547)
- 1505 – Levinus Lemnius, Dutch writer (d. 1568)
- 1531 – Thado Minsaw of Ava, Viceroy of Ava (d. 1584)
- 1537 – Hieronymus Fabricius, Italian anatomist (d. 1619)
- 1575 – Robert Heath, English judge and politician (d. 1649)
- 1664 – Andreas Schlüter, German sculptor and architect (d. 1714)
- 1726 – Francis Cotes, English painter and academic (d. 1770)
- 1743 – Toussaint Louverture, Haitian revolutionary, general, and president (d. 1803)
- 1759 – William Thornton, Virgin Islander-American architect, designed the United States Capitol (d. 1828)
- 1769 – Andreas Vokos Miaoulis, Greek admiral and politician (d. 1835)
- 1772 – Sir William Congreve, 2nd Baronet, English inventor and politician, developed Congreve rockets (d. 1828)
- 1776 – Simon Fraser, American-Canadian fur trader and explorer (d. 1862)
- 1795 – Pedro María de Anaya, Mexican soldier. President (1847-1848) (d. 1854)
- 1799 – Honoré de Balzac, French novelist and playwright (d. 1850)
- 1806 – John Stuart Mill, English economist, civil servant, and philosopher (d. 1873)
- 1811 – Alfred Domett, English-New Zealand poet and politician, 4th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1887)
- 1818 – William Fargo, American businessman and politician, co-founded Wells Fargo and American Express (d. 1881)
- 1822 – Frédéric Passy, French economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1912)
- 1824 – Cadmus M. Wilcox, Confederate States Army general (d. 1890)
- 1825 – Antoinette Brown Blackwell, the first woman to be ordained as a mainstream Protestant minister in the U.S. (d. 1921)
- 1830 – Hector Malot, French author (d. 1907)
- 1838 – Jules Méline, French lawyer and politician, 65th Prime Minister of France (d. 1925)
- 1851 – Emile Berliner, German-American inventor, invented the Gramophone record (d. 1929)
- 1854 – George Prendergast, Australian politician, 28th Premier of Victoria (d. 1937)
- 1856 – Henri-Edmond Cross, French Neo-Impressionist painter (d. 1910)
- 1860 – Eduard Buchner, German chemist, zymologist, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1917)
- 1875 – Hendrik Offerhaus, Dutch rower (d. 1953)
- 1877 – Pat Leahy, Irish-American jumper (d. 1927)
- 1879 – Hans Meerwein, German chemist (d. 1965)
- 1882 – Sigrid Undset, Danish-Norwegian novelist, essayist, and translator, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1949)
- 1883 – Faisal I of Iraq (d. 1933)
- 1886 – Ali Sami Yen, Turkish footballer and manager, founded the Galatasaray Sports Club (d. 1951)
- 1894 – Chandrashekarendra Saraswati, Indian guru and scholar (d. 1994)
- 1895 – R. J. Mitchell, English engineer, designed the Supermarine Spitfire and Supermarine S.6B (d. 1937)
- 1897 – Diego Abad de Santillán, Spanish economist and author (d. 1983)
- 1897 – Malcolm Nokes, English hammer and discus thrower (d. 1986)
- 1898 – Eduard Ole, Estonian painter (d. 1995)
- 1899 – Aleksandr Deyneka, Russian painter and sculptor (d. 1969)
- 1899 – John Marshall Harlan II, American lawyer and jurist (d. 1971)
- 1900 – Sumitranandan Pant, Indian poet and author (d. 1977)
- 1901 – Max Euwe, Dutch chess player, mathematician, and author (d. 1981)
- 1901 – Doris Fleeson, American journalist (d. 1970)
- 1904 – Margery Allingham, English author of detective fiction (d. 1966)
- 1906 – Giuseppe Siri, Italian cardinal (d. 1989)
- 1907 – Carl Mydans, American photographer and journalist (d. 2004)
- 1908 – Henry Bolte, Australian politician, 38th Premier of Victoria (d. 1990)
- 1908 – Louis Daquin, French actor and director (d. 1980)
- 1908 – Francis Raymond Fosberg, American botanist and author (d. 1993)
- 1908 – James Stewart, American actor (d. 1997)
- 1911 – Gardner Fox, American author (d. 1986)
- 1911 – Annie M. G. Schmidt, Dutch author and playwright (d. 1995)
- 1913 – Teodoro Fernández, Peruvian footballer (d. 1996)
- 1913 – William Redington Hewlett, American engineer, co-founded Hewlett-Packard (d. 2001)
- 1915 – Peter Copley, English actor (d. 2008)
- 1915 – Moshe Dayan, Israeli general and politician, 5th Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 1981)
- 1915 – Joff Ellen, Australian comedian and actor (d. 1999)
- 1916 – Owen Chadwick, English rugby player, historian, and academic (d. 2015)
- 1916 – Alexey Maresyev, Russian soldier and pilot (d. 2001)
- 1916 – Ondina Valla, Italian sprinter and hurdler (d. 2006)
- 1917 – Tony Cliff, Israeli-English author and activist (d. 2000)
- 1917 – Guy Favreau, Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician, 28th Canadian Minister of Justice (d. 1967)
- 1918 – Alexandra Boyko, Russian tank commander (d. 1996)
- 1918 – Edward B. Lewis, American biologist, geneticist, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2004)
- 1919 – George Gobel, American comedian (d. 1991)
- 1920 – John Cruickshank, Scottish lieutenant and banker, Victoria Cross recipient
- 1921 – Wolfgang Borchert, German author and playwright (d. 1947)
- 1921 – Hal Newhouser, American baseball player and scout (d. 1998)
- 1921 – Hao Wang, Chinese-American logician, philosopher, and mathematician (d. 1995)
- 1922 – Ted Hinton, Northern Irish international footballer (d. 1988)
- 1923 – Edith Fellows, American actress (d. 2011)
- 1923 – Sam Selvon, Trinidad-born writer (d. 1994)
- 1924 – David Chavchavadze, English-American CIA officer and author (d. 2014)
- 1924 – Zelmar Michelini, Uruguayan journalist and politician (d. 1976)
- 1925 – Alexei Tupolev, Russian engineer, designed the Tupolev Tu-144 (d. 2001)
- 1926 – Bob Sweikert, American race car driver (d. 1956)
- 1927 – Bud Grant, American football player and coach
- 1927 – David Hedison, American actor (d. 2019)
- 1927 – Franciszek Macharski, Polish cardinal (d. 2016)
- 1929 – Gilles Loiselle, Canadian politician and diplomat, 33rd Canadian Minister of Finance
- 1930 – Sam Etcheverry, American football player and coach (d. 2009)
- 1931 – Ken Boyer, American baseball player and manager (d. 1982)
- 1931 – Louis Smith, American trumpeter (d. 2016)
- 1933 – Constance Towers, American actress and singer
- 1935 – José Mujica, Uruguayan guerrilla leader and politician, 40th President of Uruguay
- 1936 – Anthony Zerbe, American actor
- 1937 – Dave Hill, American golfer (d. 2011)
- 1937 – Derek Lampe, English footballer
- 1939 – Balu Mahendra, Sri Lankan-Indian director, cinematographer, and screenwriter (d. 2014)
- 1940 – Shorty Long, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 1969)
- 1940 – Stan Mikita, Slovak-Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster (d. 2018)
- 1940 – Sadaharu Oh, Japanese-Taiwanese baseball player and manager
- 1941 – Goh Chok Tong, Singaporean politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Singapore
- 1941 – John Strasberg, American actor and teacher
- 1942 – Raymond Chrétien, Canadian lawyer and diplomat, Canadian Ambassador to the United States
- 1942 – Lynn Davies, Welsh sprinter and long jumper
- 1942 – Carlos Hathcock, American sergeant and sniper (d. 1999)
- 1942 – Frew McMillan, South African tennis player
- 1943 – Albano Carrisi, Italian singer, actor, and winemaker
- 1943 – Deryck Murray, Trinidadian cricketer
- 1944 – Joe Cocker, English singer-songwriter (d. 2014)
- 1944 – Boudewijn de Groot, Indonesian-Dutch singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1944 – Keith Fletcher, English cricketer and manager
- 1944 – Dietrich Mateschitz, Austrian businessman, co-founded Red Bull GmbH
- 1945 – Vladimiro Montesinos, Peruvian intelligence officer
- 1946 – Cher, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
- 1946 – Bobby Murcer, American baseball player, coach, manager, and sportscaster (d. 2008)
- 1947 – Steve Currie, English bass player (d. 1981)
- 1947 – Greg Dyke, English journalist and academic
- 1949 – Robert Morin, Canadian director, cinematographer, and screenwriter
- 1949 – Michèle Roberts, English author and poet
- 1949 – Dave Thomas, Canadian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1950 – Andy Johns, English-American engineer and producer (d. 2013)
- 1950 – Reinaldo Merlo, Argentinian footballer and coach
- 1951 – Thomas Akers, American colonel, engineer, and astronaut
- 1951 – Christie Blatchford, Canadian newspaper columnist, journalist and broadcaster (d. 2020)
- 1951 – Mike Crapo, American lawyer and politician
- 1952 – Roger Milla, Cameroonian footballer and manager
- 1952 – Michael Wills, English politician, British Minister of Justice
- 1953 – Robert Doyle, Australian educator and politician, 103rd Lord Mayor of Melbourne
- 1954 – David Paterson, American lawyer and politician, 55th Governor of New York
- 1954 – Colin Sutherland, Lord Carloway, Scottish lawyer and judge
- 1955 – Steve George, American keyboard player and songwriter
- 1955 – Zbigniew Preisner, Polish composer and producer
- 1956 – Ingvar Ambjørnsen, Norwegian-German author and critic
- 1956 – Gerry Peyton, English born Irish international footballer and coach
- 1956 – Douglas Preston, American journalist and author
- 1957 – Yoshihiko Noda, Japanese lawyer and politician, 62nd Prime Minister of Japan
- 1958 – Ron Reagan, American journalist and radio host
- 1958 – Jane Wiedlin, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress
- 1959 – Susan Cowsill, American singer-songwriter
- 1960 – Tony Goldwyn, American actor and director
- 1961 – Clive Allen, English international footballer and manager
- 1961 – Nick Heyward, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1963 – David Wells, American baseball player and sportscaster
- 1964 – Kōichirō Genba, Japanese politician, 80th Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs
- 1964 – Edin Osmanović, Slovenian footballer, coach, and manager
- 1964 – Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer, English journalist and author
- 1965 – Ted Allen, American television host and author
- 1965 – Stu Grimson, Canadian ice hockey player, sportscaster, and lawyer
- 1966 – Dan Abrams, American journalist and author
- 1967 – Graham Brady, English politician
- 1967 – Gabriele Muccino, Italian director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1968 – Timothy Olyphant, American actor and producer
- 1969 – Road Dogg, American wrestler, producer, and soldier
- 1970 – Terrell Brandon, American basketball player
- 1970 – Louis Theroux, Singaporean-English journalist and producer
- 1971 – Šárka Kašpárková, Czech triple jumper and coach
- 1971 – Tony Stewart, American race car driver
- 1972 – Michael Diamond, Australian shooter
- 1972 – Christophe Dominici, French rugby player
- 1972 – Busta Rhymes, American rapper, producer, and actor
- 1973 – Nathan Long, Australian rugby league player
- 1974 – Allison Amend, American novelist and short story writer
- 1974 – Shiboprosad Mukherjee, Indian film director, writer and actor
- 1975 – Juan Minujín, Argentinian actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1976 – Ramón Hernández, Venezuelan-American baseball player
- 1976 – Tomoya Satozaki, Japanese baseball player
- 1977 – Matt Czuchry, American actor
- 1977 – Leo Franco, Argentinian footballer
- 1977 – Angela Goethals, American actress
- 1977 – Stirling Mortlock, Australian rugby player
- 1977 – Vesa Toskala, Finnish ice hockey player
- 1978 – Hristos Banikas, Greek chess player
- 1978 – Pavla Hamáčková-Rybová, Czech pole vaulter
- 1978 – Nils Schumann, German runner
- 1979 – Andrew Scheer, Canadian politician, 28th Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada
- 1979 – Jayson Werth, American baseball player
- 1980 – Austin Kearns, American baseball player
- 1980 – Kassim Osgood, American football player
- 1981 – Iker Casillas, Spanish footballer
- 1981 – Rachel Platten, American singer and songwriter
- 1981 – Lindsay Taylor, American basketball player
- 1981 – Mark Winterbottom, Australian race car driver
- 1982 – Petr Čech, Czech footballer
- 1982 – Imran Farhat, Pakistani cricketer
- 1982 – Jessica Raine, English actress
- 1982 – Daniel Ribeiro, Brazilian director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1983 – Óscar Cardozo, Paraguayan footballer
- 1983 – Matt Langridge, English rower
- 1984 – Mauro Rafael da Silva, Brazilian footballer
- 1984 – Patrick Ewing, Jr., American basketball player
- 1984 – Keith Grennan, American football player
- 1985 – Chris Froome, Kenyan-English cyclist
- 1985 – Brendon Goddard, Australian footballer
- 1986 – Dexter Blackstock, English footballer
- 1986 – Stéphane Mbia, Cameroonian footballer
- 1986 – Jiřina Svobodová, Czech pole vaulter
- 1987 – Mike Havenaar, Japanese footballer
- 1987 – Julian Wright, American basketball player
- 1988 – Joel Moon, Australian rugby league player
- 1989 – Siosia Vave, Australian-Tongan rugby league player
- 1991 – Bastian Baker, Swiss singer, songwriter, and performer
- 1991 – Emre Colak, Turkish footballer
- 1992 – Cate Campbell, Malawian-Australian swimmer
- 1992 – Jack Gleeson, Irish actor
- 1992 – Enes Kanter, Turkish basketball player
- 1993 – Caroline Zhang, American figure skater
- 1996 – Brian Kelly, Australian rugby league player
- 1998 – Jamie Chadwick, English race car driver
- 1998 – Nam Nguyen, Canadian figure skater
Deaths on May 20
- 685 – Ecgfrith of Northumbria (b. 645)
- 794 – Æthelberht II, king of East Anglia
- 965 – Gero the Great, Saxon ruler (b.c. 900)
- 1062 – Bao Zheng, Chinese magistrate and mayor of Kaifeng (b. 999)
- 1277 – Pope John XXI (b. 1215)
- 1285 – John II of Jerusalem (b. 1259)
- 1291 – Sufi Saint Sayyid Jalaluddin Surkh-Posh Bukhari
- 1366 – Maria of Calabria, Empress of Constantinople (b. 1329)
- 1444 – Bernardino of Siena, Italian-Spanish missionary and saint (b. 1380)
- 1449 – Álvaro Vaz de Almada, 1st Count of Avranches
- 1449 – Infante Pedro, Duke of Coimbra (b. 1392)
- 1501 – Columba of Rieti, Italian Dominican tertiary Religious Sister (b. 1467)
- 1503 – Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de’ Medici, Italian banker and politician (b. 1463)
- 1506 – Christopher Columbus, Italian explorer, discovered the Americas (b. 1451)
- 1550 – Ashikaga Yoshiharu, Japanese shōgun (b. 1510)
- 1579 – Isabella Markham, English courtier (b. 1527)
- 1622 – Osman II, Ottoman sultan (b. 1604)
- 1645 – Shi Kefa, Chinese general and calligrapher (b. 1601)
- 1648 – Władysław IV Vasa, Polish son of Sigismund III Vasa (b. 1595)
- 1677 – George Digby, 2nd Earl of Bristol, Spanish-English politician, English Secretary of State (b. 1612)
- 1713 – Thomas Sprat, English bishop (b. 1635)
- 1717 – John Trevor, Welsh lawyer and politician, 102nd Speaker of the House of Commons (b. 1637)
- 1722 – Sébastien Vaillant, French botanist and mycologist (b. 1669)
- 1732 – Thomas Boston, Scottish author and educator (b. 1676)
- 1782 – William Emerson, English mathematician and academic (b. 1701)
- 1793 – Charles Bonnet, Swiss botanist and biologist (b. 1720)
- 1812 – Count Hieronymus von Colloredo, Austrian archbishop (b. 1732)
- 1834 – Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, French general (b. 1757)
- 1841 – Joseph Blanco White, Spanish poet and theologian (b. 1775)
- 1864 – John Clare, English poet (b. 1793)
- 1873 – George-Étienne Cartier, Canadian soldier, lawyer, and politician, 9th Premier of East Canada (b. 1814)
- 1880 – Ana Néri, Brazilian nurse and philanthropist (b. 1814)
- 1896 – Clara Schumann, German pianist and composer (b. 1819)
- 1909 – Ernest Hogan, American actor and composer (b. 1859)
- 1917 – Valentine Fleming, Scottish soldier and politician (b. 1887)
- 1917 – Philipp von Ferrary, Italian stamp collector (b. 1850)
- 1924 – Bogd Khan, Mongolian ruler (c. 1869)
- 1925 – Joseph Howard, Maltese politician, 1st Prime Minister of Malta (b. 1862)
- 1931 – Ernest Noel, Scottish businessman and politician (b. 1831)
- 1940 – Verner von Heidenstam, Swedish author and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1859)
- 1942 – Hector Guimard, French Architect (b. 1867)
- 1946 – Jacob Ellehammer, Danish pilot and engineer (b. 1871)
- 1947 – Philipp Lenard, Slovak-German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1862)
- 1947 – Georgios Siantos, Greek sergeant and politician (b. 1890)
- 1949 – Damaskinos of Athens, Greek archbishop and politician, 137th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1891)
- 1956 – Max Beerbohm, English essayist, parodist, and caricaturist (b. 1872)
- 1956 – Zoltán Halmay, Hungarian swimmer and trainer (b. 1881)
- 1961 – Josef Priller, German colonel and pilot (b. 1915)
- 1964 – Rudy Lewis, American singer (b. 1936)
- 1971 – Waldo Williams, Welsh poet and academic (b. 1904)
- 1973 – Renzo Pasolini, Italian motorcycle racer (b. 1938)
- 1973 – Jarno Saarinen, Finnish motorcycle racer (b. 1945)
- 1975 – Barbara Hepworth, English sculptor and lithographer (b. 1903)
- 1976 – Syd Howe, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1911)
- 1976 – Zelmar Michelini, Uruguayan journalist and politician (b. 1924)
- 1976 – Héctor Gutiérrez Ruiz, Uruguayan politician (b. 1934)
- 1989 – John Hicks, English economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1904)
- 1989 – Gilda Radner, American actress and comedian (b. 1946)
- 1995 – Les Cowie, Australian rugby league player (b. 1925)
- 1996 – Jon Pertwee, English actor, portrayed the Third Doctor (b. 1919)
- 1998 – Robert Normann, Norwegian guitarist (b. 1916)
- 2000 – Jean-Pierre Rampal, French flute player (b. 1922)
- 2000 – Malik Sealy, American basketball player and actor (b. 1970)
- 2000 – Yevgeny Khrunov, Russian colonel, engineer, and astronaut (b. 1933)
- 2001 – Renato Carosone, Italian singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1920)
- 2002 – Stephen Jay Gould, American paleontologist, biologist, and academic (b. 1941)
- 2005 – Paul Ricœur, French philosopher and academic (b. 1913)
- 2005 – William Seawell, American general (b. 1918)
- 2007 – Norman Von Nida, Australian golfer (b. 1914)
- 2008 – Hamilton Jordan, American politician, 8th White House Chief of Staff (b. 1944)
- 2009 – Arthur Erickson, Canadian architect and urban planner, designed Roy Thomson Hall (b. 1924)
- 2009 – Lucy Gordon, American actress and model (b. 1980)
- 2009 – Pierre Gamarra, French author, poet, and critic (b. 1919)
- 2011 – Randy Savage, American wrestler and actor (b. 1952)
- 2012 – Leela Dube, Indian anthropologist and scholar (b. 1923)
- 2012 – Robin Gibb, Manx-English singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1949)
- 2012 – David Littman, English-Swiss historian, author, and academic (b. 1933)
- 2012 – Ken Lyons, American bass guitarist (b. 1953)
- 2012 – Eugene Polley, American engineer, invented the remote control (b. 1915)
- 2012 – Andrew B. Steinberg, American lawyer (b. 1958)
- 2013 – Flavio Costantini, Italian painter and illustrator (b. 1926)
- 2013 – Billie Dawe, Canadian ice hockey player and manager (b. 1924)
- 2013 – Anders Eliasson, Swedish composer (b. 1947)
- 2013 – Miloslav Kříž, Czech basketball player and coach (b. 1924)
- 2013 – Ray Manzarek, American singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer (b. 1939)
- 2013 – Denys Roberts, English judge and politician (b. 1923)
- 2013 – Zach Sobiech, American singer-songwriter (b. 1995)
- 2014 – Sandra Bem, American psychologist and academic (b. 1944)
- 2014 – Ross Brown, New Zealand rugby player (b. 1934)
- 2014 – Robyn Denny, English-French painter (b. 1930)
- 2014 – Arthur Gelb, American journalist, author, and critic (b. 1924)
- 2014 – Prince Rupert Loewenstein, Spanish-English businessman (b. 1933)
- 2014 – Barbara Murray, English actress (b. 1929)
- 2015 – Bob Belden, American saxophonist, composer, and producer (b. 1956)
- 2015 – Femi Robinson, Nigerian actor and playwright (b. 1940)
Holidays and observances on May 20
- Christian feast day:
  
  Abercius and Helena
  
  Alcuin of York
  
  Aurea of Ostia
  
  Austregisilus
  
  Baudilus
  
  Bernardino of Siena
  
  Ivo of Chartres
  
  Lucifer of Cagliari
  
  Sanctan
  
  May 20 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Day of Remembrance (Cambodia)
- Emancipation Day (Florida)
- European Maritime Day (European Council)
- Independence Restoration Day, celebrates the independence of East Timor from Indonesia in 2002.
- Josephine Baker Day (NAACP)
- National Awakening Day (Indonesia), and its related observances:
  
  Indonesian Doctor Day (Indonesia)
- National Day (Cameroon)
- World Bee Day
- World Metrology Day
Read More May 20 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day
On This Day

May 12 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day
May 12 in History
- 254 – Pope Stephen I succeeds Pope Lucius I, becoming the 23rd pope of the Catholic Church.
- 907 – Zhu Wen forces Emperor Ai into abdicating, ending the Tang dynasty after nearly three hundred years of rule.
- 1191 – Richard I of England marries Berengaria of Navarre in Cyprus; she is crowned Queen consort of England the same day.
- 1328 – Antipope Nicholas V, a claimant to the papacy, is consecrated in Rome by the Bishop of Venice.
- 1364 – Jagiellonian University, the oldest university in Poland, is founded in Kraków.
- 1510 – The Prince of Anhua rebellion begins when Zhu Zhifan kills all the officials invited to a banquet and declares his intent on ousting the powerful Ming dynasty eunuch Liu Jin during the reign of the Zhengde Emperor.
- 1551 – National University of San Marcos, the oldest university in the Americas, is founded in Lima, Peru.
- 1588 – French Wars of Religion: Henry III of France flees Paris after Henry I, Duke of Guise, enters the city and a spontaneous uprising occurs.
- 1593 – London playwright Thomas Kyd is arrested and tortured by the Privy Council for libel.
- 1743 – Maria Theresa of Austria is crowned Queen of Bohemia after defeating her rival, Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor.
- 1778 – Heinrich XI, count of the Principality of Reuss-Greiz, is elevated to Prince by Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor.
- 1780 – American Revolutionary War: In the largest defeat of the Continental Army, Charleston, South Carolina is taken by British forces.
- 1797 – War of the First Coalition: Napoleon I of France conquers Venice.
- 1821 – The first major battle of the Greek War of Independence against the Turks is fought in Valtetsi.
- 1846 – The Donner Party of pioneers departs Independence, Missouri for California, on what will become a year-long journey of hardship and cannibalism.
- 1862 – American Civil War: U.S. federal troops occupy Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
- 1863 – American Civil War: Battle of Raymond: Two divisions of James B. McPherson’s XVII Corps turn the left wing of Confederate General John C. Pemberton’s defensive line on Fourteen Mile Creek, opening up the interior of Mississippi to the Union Army during the Vicksburg Campaign.
- 1864 – American Civil War: The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House: Union troops assault a Confederate salient known as the “Mule Shoe”, with the fiercest fighting of the war, much of it hand-to-hand combat, occurring at “the Bloody Angle” on the northwest.
- 1865 – American Civil War: The Battle of Palmito Ranch: The first day of the last major land action to take place during the Civil War, resulting in a Confederate victory.
- 1870 – The Manitoba Act is given the Royal Assent, paving the way for Manitoba to become a province of Canada on July 15.
- 1881 – In North Africa, Tunisia becomes a French protectorate.
- 1885 – North-West Rebellion: The four-day Battle of Batoche, pitting rebel Métis against the Canadian government, comes to an end with a decisive rebel defeat.
- 1888 – In Southeast Asia, the North Borneo Chartered Company’s territories become the British protectorate of North Borneo.
- 1926 – The Italian-built airship Norge becomes the first vessel to fly over the North Pole.
- 1932 – Ten weeks after his abduction, Charles Jr., the infant son of Charles Lindbergh, is found dead near Hopewell, New Jersey, just a few miles from the Lindberghs’ home.
- 1933 – The Agricultural Adjustment Act, which restricts agricultural production through government purchase of livestock for slaughter and paying subsidies to farmers when they remove land from planting, is signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
- 1937 – The Duke and Duchess of York are crowned as King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Westminster Abbey.
- 1941 – Konrad Zuse presents the Z3, the world’s first working programmable, fully automatic computer, in Berlin.
- 1942 – World War II: Second Battle of Kharkov: In eastern Ukraine, Red Army forces under Marshal Semyon Timoshenko launch a major offensive from the Izium bridgehead, only to be encircled and destroyed by the troops of Army Group South two weeks later.
- 1942 – World War II: The U.S. tanker SS Virginia is torpedoed in the mouth of the Mississippi River by the German submarine U-507.
- 1948 – Wilhelmina, Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, cedes the throne.
- 1949 – Cold War: The Soviet Union lifts its blockade of Berlin.
- 1965 – The Soviet spacecraft Luna 5 crashes on the Moon.
- 1968 – Vietnam War: North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces attack Australian troops defending Fire Support Base Coral.
- 1978 – In Zaire, rebels occupy the city of Kolwezi, the mining center of the province of Shaba (now known as Katanga); the local government asks the US, France and Belgium to restore order.
- 1981 – Francis Hughes, Provisional IRA hunger striker, dies in the Maze Prison, Northern Ireland.
- 1982 – During a procession outside the shrine of the Virgin Mary in Fátima, Portugal, security guards overpower Juan María Fernández y Krohn before he can attack Pope John Paul II with a bayonet.
- 1989 – The San Bernardino train disaster kills four people. A week later an underground gasoline pipeline explodes killing two more people.
- 1998 – Four students are shot at Trisakti University, leading to widespread riots and the fall of Suharto.
- 2002 – Former US President Jimmy Carter arrives in Cuba for a five-day visit with Fidel Castro, becoming the first President of the United States, in or out of office, to visit the island since Castro’s 1959 revolution.
- 2003 – The Riyadh compound bombings, carried out by al-Qaeda, kill 26 people.
- 2006 – Mass unrest by the Primeiro Comando da Capital begins in São Paulo (Brazil), leaving at least 150 dead.
- 2006 – Iranian Azeris interpret a cartoon published in an Iranian magazine as insulting, resulting in massive riots throughout the country.
- 2008 – An earthquake (measuring around 8.0 magnitude) occurs in Sichuan, China, killing over 69,000 people.
- 2008 – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducts the largest-ever raid of a workplace in Postville, Iowa, arresting nearly 400 immigrants for identity theft and document fraud.
- 2010 – Afriqiyah Airways Flight 771 crashes on final approach to Tripoli International Airport in Tripoli, Libya, killing 103 out of the 104 people on board.
- 2015 – A train derailment in Philadelphia kills eight people and injures more than 200.
- 2015 – Massive Nepal earthquake kills 218 people and injures more than 3500.
- 2017 – The WannaCry ransomware attack impacts over 400 thousand computers worldwide, targeting computers of the United Kingdom’s National Health Services and Telefónica computers.
- 2018 – Paris knife attack: A man was fatally shot by police in Paris after killing one and injuring several others.
Births on May 13

1401 – Emperor Shōkō of Japan (d. 1428)
- 1479 – Pompeo Colonna, Catholic cardinal (d. 1532)
- 1496 – Gustav I of Sweden (d. 1560)
- 1590 – Cosimo II de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (d. 1621)
- 1606 – Joachim von Sandrart, German art-historian and painter (d. 1688)
- 1622 – Louis de Buade de Frontenac, French-Canadian soldier and politician, 3rd Governor General of New France (d. 1698)
- 1626 – Louis Hennepin, Flemish priest and missionary (d. 1705)
- 1670 – Augustus II the Strong, Polish king (d. 1733)
- 1700 – Luigi Vanvitelli, Italian architect and engineer, designed the Palace of Caserta and Royal Palace of Milan (d. 1773)
- 1725 – Louis Philippe I, Duke of Orléans (d. 1785)
- 1739 – Johann Baptist Wanhal, Czech-Austrian organist and composer (d. 1813)
- 1754 – Franz Anton Hoffmeister, German composer and publisher (d. 1812)
- 1755 – Giovanni Battista Viotti, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1824)
- 1767 – Manuel Godoy, Spanish field marshal and politician, Prime Minister of Spain (d. 1851)
- 1774 – Ellis Cunliffe Lister, English politician (d. 1853)
- 1777 – Mary Reibey, Australian businesswoman (d. 1855)
- 1803 – Justus von Liebig, German chemist and academic (d. 1873)
- 1804 – Robert Baldwin, Canadian lawyer and politician, 3rd Premier of West Canada (d. 1858)
- 1806 – Johan Vilhelm Snellman, Finnish philosopher and politician (d. 1881)
- 1812 – Edward Lear, English poet and illustrator (d. 1888)
- 1814 – Adolf von Henselt, German pianist and composer (d. 1889)
- 1820 – Florence Nightingale, Italian-English nurse, social reformer, and statistician (d. 1910)
- 1825 – Orélie-Antoine de Tounens, French lawyer and explorer (d. 1878)
- 1828 – Dante Gabriel Rossetti, English poet and painter (d. 1882)
- 1829 – Pavlos Carrer, Greek composer and educator (d. 1896)
- 1839 – Tôn Thất Thuyết, Vietnamese mandarin (d. 1913)
- 1840 – Alejandro Gorostiaga, Chilean colonel (d. 1912)
- 1842 – Jules Massenet, French composer (d. 1912)
- 1845 – Gabriel Fauré, French pianist, composer, and educator (d. 1924)
- 1850 – Henry Cabot Lodge, American historian and politician (d. 1924)
- 1850 – Frederick Holder, Australian politician, 19th Premier of South Australia (d. 1909)
- 1859 – William Alden Smith, American lawyer and politician (d. 1932)
- 1859 – Frank Wilson, English-Australian politician, 9th Premier of Western Australia (d. 1918)
- 1863 – Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury, Bengali writer, painter, violin player and composer, technologist and entrepreneur. (d. 1915)
- 1867 – Hugh Trumble, Australian cricketer and accountant (d. 1938)
- 1869 – Carl Schuhmann, German gymnast, wrestler, and weightlifter (d. 1946)
- 1872 – Anton Korošec, Slovenian priest and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Yugoslavia (d. 1940)
- 1873 – J. E. H. MacDonald, English-Canadian painter (d. 1932)
- 1874 – Clemens von Pirquet, Austrian pediatrician and immunologist (d. 1929)
- 1875 – Charles Holden, English architect, designed the Bristol Central Library (d. 1960)
- 1880 – Lincoln Ellsworth, American explorer (d. 1951)
- 1885 – Paltiel Daykan, Lithuanian-Israeli lawyer and jurist (d. 1969)
- 1885 – Saneatsu Mushanokōji, Japanese author (d. 1976)
- 1886 – Ernst A. Lehmann, German captain and pilot (d. 1937)
- 1899 – Abelardo L. Rodríguez, substitute president of Mexico (d. 1967)
- 1889 – Otto Frank, German-Swiss businessman and Holocaust survivor; father of diarist Anne Frank (d. 1980)
- 1892 – Fritz Kortner, Austrian-German actor and director (d. 1970)
- 1895 – William Giauque, Canadian-American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1982)
- 1895 – Jiddu Krishnamurti, Indian-American philosopher and author (d. 1986)
- 1900 – Helene Weigel, Austrian-German actress (d. 1971)
- 1901 – The Duke of Paducah, American country comedian, radio host and banjo player (d. 1986)
- 1903 – Faith Bennett, British actress and ATA pilot during WWII (d. 1969)
- 1903 – Wilfrid Hyde-White, English actor (d. 1991)
- 1905 – Édouard Rinfret, Canadian lawyer and politician, Postmaster General of Canada (d. 1994)
- 1907 – Leslie Charteris, English author and screenwriter (d. 1993)
- 1907 – Katharine Hepburn, American actress (d. 2003)
- 1908 – Nicholas Kaldor, Hungarian-English economist (d. 1986)
- 1910 – James Dudley, American baseball player, wrestling manager and executive (d. 2004)
- 1910 – Johan Ferrier, Surinamese educator and politician, 1st President of Suriname (d. 2010)
- 1910 – Dorothy Hodgkin, English biochemist, crystallographer, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1994)
- 1910 – Gordon Jenkins, American pianist and composer (d. 1984)
- 1911 – Charles Biro, American author and illustrator (d. 1972)
- 1912 – Henry Jonsson, Swedish runner (d. 2001)
- 1912 – Marshal Royal, American saxophonist and clarinet player (d. 1995)
- 1914 – Bertus Aafjes, Dutch poet and author (d. 1993)
- 1914 – Howard K. Smith, American journalist and actor (d. 2002)
- 1915 – Tony Strobl, American comics artist and animator (d. 1991)
- 1916 – Albert Murray, American author and critic (d. 2013)
- 1918 – Mary Kay Ash, American businesswoman, founded Mary Kay Cosmetics (d. 2001)
- 1918 – Julius Rosenberg, American spy (d. 1953)
- 1921 – Joseph Beuys, German sculptor and illustrator (d. 1986)
- 1921 – Farley Mowat, Canadian environmentalist and author (d. 2014)
- 1922 – Marco Denevi, Argentinian lawyer and author (d. 1998)
- 1922 – Murray Gershenz, American actor and businessman (d. 2013)
- 1922 – Bob Goldham, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster (d. 1991)
- 1922 – Roy Salvadori, English race car driver and manager (d. 2012)
- 1924 – Maxine Cooper, American actress and photographer (d. 2009)
- 1924 – Alexander Esenin-Volpin, Russian-American mathematician and poet (d. 2016)
- 1924 – Tony Hancock, English actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1968)
- 1925 – Yogi Berra, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 2015)
- 1926 – Paulette Poujol-Oriol, Hatian educator and writer (d. 2011)
- 1926 – Viren J. Shah, Indian politician, 21st Governor of West Bengal (d. 2013)
- 1928 – Burt Bacharach, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer
- 1929 – Sam Nujoma, Namibian politician, 1st President of Namibia
- 1929 – Dollard St. Laurent, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2015)
- 1930 – Jesús Franco, Spanish director and screenwriter (d. 2013)
- 1932 – Joel Joffe, Baron Joffe, South African-English lawyer and politician (d. 2017)
- 1933 – Andrei Voznesensky, Russian poet (d. 2010)
- 1935 – Felipe Alou, Dominican-American baseball player, coach, and manager
- 1935 – Johnny Bucyk, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
- 1936 – Guillermo Endara, Panamanian lawyer and politician, 32nd President of Panama (d. 2009)
- 1936 – Tom Snyder, American journalist and talk show host (d. 2007)
- 1936 – Frank Stella, American painter and sculptor
- 1937 – Beryl Burton, English cyclist (d. 1996)
- 1937 – George Carlin, American comedian, actor, and author (d. 2008)
- 1937 – Susan Hampshire, English actress
- 1937 – Miriam Stoppard, English physician and author
- 1938 – Millie Perkins, American actress
- 1939 – Cyril Chantler, English pediatrician and academic
- 1939 – Jalal Dabagh, Kurdish journalist and politician
- 1939 – Miltiadis Evert, Greek minister and politician, 69th Mayor of Athens (d. 2011)
- 1939 – Reg Gasnier, Australian rugby league player, coach, and sportscaster (d. 2014)
- 1939 – Ron Ziegler, American politician, White House Press Secretary (d. 2003)
- 1940 – Lill Lindfors, Swedish singer
- 1940 – Norman Whitfield, American songwriter and producer (d. 2008)
- 1941 – Ruud de Wolff, Dutch singer (d. 2000)
- 1942 – Ian Dury, English singer-songwriter (d. 2000)
- 1942 – Michel Fugain, French singer-songwriter
- 1942 – Billy Swan, American country singer-songwriter
- 1942 – Dragoljub Velimirović, Serbian chess player and theoretician (d. 2014)
- 1944 – Chris Patten, English academic and politician, 28th Governor of Hong Kong
- 1945 – Alan Ball, Jr., English footballer and manager (d. 2007)
- 1945 – Ian McLagan, English keyboard player and songwriter (d. 2014)
- 1945 – Patrick Ricard, French businessman (d. 2012)
- 1946 – Daniel Libeskind, American architect, designed the Imperial War Museum North and Jewish Museum
- 1947 – Michael Ignatieff, Canadian journalist and politician
- 1948 – Lindsay Crouse, American actress
- 1948 – Dave Heineman, American captain and politician, 39th Governor of Nebraska
- 1948 – Richard Riehle, American actor
- 1948 – Steve Winwood, English singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist
- 1949 – Ross Bleckner, American painter
- 1950 – Bruce Boxleitner, American actor and author
- 1950 – Gabriel Byrne, Irish actor, director, and producer
- 1950 – Helena Kennedy, Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws, Scottish lawyer, academic, and politician
- 1950 – Billy Squier, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1951 – George Karl, American basketball player and coach
- 1955 – Kix Brooks, American country music singer-songwriter and musician
- 1956 – Bernie Federko, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager
- 1956 – Sergio Marchi, Argentinean-Canadian urban planner and politician, 10th Canadian Minister of International Trade
- 1956 – Greg Phillinganes, American keyboardist
- 1956 – Asad Rauf, Pakistani cricketer and umpire
- 1957 – Ziya Onis, Turkish economist and academic
- 1958 – Kim Greist, American actress
- 1958 – Andreas Petroulakis, Greek cartoonist
- 1958 – Dries van Noten, Belgian fashion designer
- 1959 – Dave Christian, American ice hockey player
- 1959 – Ray Gillen, American rock singer-songwriter (d. 1993)
- 1959 – Ving Rhames, American actor
- 1960 – Lisa Martin, Australian runner
- 1961 – Thomas Dooley, German-American soccer player and manager
- 1961 – Billy Duffy, English rock guitarist and songwriter
- 1961 – Bruce McCulloch, Canadian actor and comedian
- 1962 – Emilio Estevez, American actor
- 1962 – Brett Gurewitz, American guitarist and songwriter
- 1962 – Gregory H. Johnson, English-born American astronaut
- 1963 – Panagiotis Fasoulas, Greek basketball player and politician
- 1963 – Gavin Hood, South African actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1963 – Stefano Modena, Italian race car driver
- 1963 – Vanessa A. Williams, American actress and producer
- 1964 – Pierre Morel, French director and cinematographer
- 1965 – Renée Simonsen, Danish model and writer
- 1965 – Stacy Wilson, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1966 – Stephen Baldwin, American actor
- 1966 – Bebel Gilberto, American-Brazilian singer-songwriter
- 1966 – Deborah Kara Unger, Canadian actress
- 1967 – Mireille Bousquet-Mélou, French mathematician
- 1967 – Bill Shorten, Australian politician
- 1968 – Tony Hawk, American skateboarder and actor
- 1968 – Catherine Tate, English actress and screenwriter
- 1969 – Suzanne Clément, Canadian actress
- 1969 – Kim Fields, American actress
- 1970 – Mark Foster, English swimmer
- 1970 – Jim Furyk, American golfer
- 1970 – Samantha Mathis, American actress
- 1970 – Mike Weir, Canadian golfer
- 1970 – David A. R. White, American actor and producer
- 1971 – Doug Basham, American wrestler
- 1971 – Jamie Luner, American actress
- 1972 – Christian Campbell, Canadian-American actor, writer and photographer
- 1973 – Mackenzie Astin, American actor
- 1973 – Lutz Pfannenstiel, German footballer and manager
- 1975 – Jonah Lomu, New Zealand rugby player (d. 2015)
- 1975 – Ricky Ortiz, American professional wrestler and football player
- 1976 – Kardinal Offishall, Canadian rap musician and producer
- 1977 – Graeme Dott, Scottish snooker player and coach
- 1977 – Maryam Mirzakhani, Iranian mathematician (d. 2017)
- 1977 – Onur Saylak, Turkish actor, filmmaker and director
- 1977 – Rachel Wilson, Canadian actress and voice actress
- 1978 – Aaron Abrams, Canadian actor
- 1978 – Malin Åkerman, Swedish-Canadian model, actress, and singer
- 1978 – Jason Biggs, American actor and comedian
- 1978 – Aya Ishiguro, Japanese singer and fashion designer
- 1979 – Adrian Serioux,Canadian soccer player
- 1979 – Aaron Yoo, American actor
- 1980 – Keith Bogans, American basketball player
- 1981 – Rami Malek, American actor
- 1981 – Kentaro Sato, Japanese-American composer and conductor
- 1981 – Dennis Trillo, Filipino actor and singer
- 1982 – Donnie Nietes, Filipino boxer
- 1983 – Domhnall Gleeson, Irish actor
- 1983 – Alina Kabaeva, Russian gymnast and politician
- 1983 – Yujiro Kushida, Japanese wrestler and mixed martial artist
- 1983 – Charilaos Pappas, Greek footballer
- 1983 – Virginie Razzano, French tennis player
- 1983 – Francisco Javier Torres, Mexican footballer
- 1984 – Clare Bowen, Australian actress and singer
- 1985 – Paolo Goltz, Argentinian footballer
- 1985 – Andrew Howe, Italian long jumper and sprinter
- 1985 – Jeroen Simaeys, Belgian footballer
- 1986 – Jonathan Orozco, Mexican footballer
- 1986 – Emily VanCamp, Canadian actress
- 1987 – Kieron Pollard, Trinidadian cricketer
- 1988 – Marcelo, Brazilian footballer
- 1989 – Eleftheria Eleftheriou, Greek Cypriot singer, musician, and actress
- 1990 – Florent Amodio, French figure skater
- 1992 – Volha Khudzenka, Belarusian kayaker
- 1995 – Luke Benward, American actor and singer
- 1995 – Irina Khromacheva, Russian tennis player
- 1997 – Morgan Lake, English athlete
Deaths on May 12
- 805 – Æthelhard, archbishop of Canterbury
- 940 – Eutychius, patriarch of Alexandria (b. 877)
- 1003 – Sylvester II, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 946)
- 1012 – Sergius IV, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 970)
- 1090 – Liutold of Eppenstein, duke of Carinthia
- 1161 – Fergus of Galloway, Scottish nobleman
- 1182 – Valdemar I, king of Denmark (b. 1131)
- 1331 – Engelbert of Admont, Benedictine abbot and scholar
- 1382 – Joanna I, queen of Naples (b. 1328)
- 1465 – Thomas Palaiologos, Despot of Morea (b. 1409)
- 1490 – Joanna, Portuguese princess and regent (b. 1452)
- 1529 – Cecily Bonville, 7th Baroness Harington, English noblewoman (b. 1460)
- 1599 – Murad Mirza, Mughal prince (b. 1570)
- 1634 – George Chapman, English poet and playwright (b. 1559)
- 1641 – Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford, English soldier and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (b. 1593)
- 1684 – Edme Mariotte, French physicist and priest (b. 1620)
- 1699 – Lucas Achtschellinck, Flemish painter (b. 1626)
- 1700 – John Dryden, English poet, playwright, and critic (b. 1631)
- 1708 – Adolphus Frederick II, duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (b. 1658)
- 1748 – Thomas Lowndes, English astronomer and academic (b. 1692)
- 1759 – Lambert-Sigisbert Adam, French sculptor (b. 1700)
- 1784 – Abraham Trembley, Swiss zoologist and academic (b. 1710)
- 1792 – Charles Simon Favart, French playwright and composer (b. 1710)
- 1796 – Johann Uz, German poet and author (b. 1720)
- 1801 – Nicholas Repnin, Russian general and politician, Governor-General of Baltic provinces (b. 1734)
- 1842 – Walenty Wańkowicz, Belarusian-Polish painter (b. 1799)
- 1845 – János Batsányi, Hungarian poet and academic (b. 1763)
- 1856 – Jacques Philippe Marie Binet, French mathematician, physicist, and astronomer (b. 1786)
- 1859 – Sergey Aksakov, Russian author and academic (b. 1791)
- 1860 – Charles Barry, English architect, designed Upper Brook Street Chapel and the Palace of Westminster (b. 1795)
- 1864 – J. E. B. Stuart, American general (b. 1833)
- 1867 – Friedrich Wilhelm Eduard Gerhard, German archaeologist and academic (b. 1795)
- 1878 – Anselme Payen, French chemist and academic (b. 1795)
- 1876 – Georgi Benkovski, Bulgarian activist (b. 1843)
- 1884 – Bedřich Smetana, Czech composer and educator (b. 1824)
- 1907 – Joris-Karl Huysmans, French author and critic (b. 1848)
- 1916 – James Connolly, Scottish-born Irish socialist and rebel leader (b. 1868)
- 1925 – Amy Lowell, American poet and critic (b. 1874)
- 1931 – Eugène Ysaÿe, Belgian violinist, composer, and conductor (b. 1858)
- 1935 – Józef Piłsudski, Polish field marshal and politician, 15th Prime Minister of Poland (b. 1867)
- 1944 – Max Brand, American journalist and author (b. 1892)
- 1944 – Arthur Quiller-Couch, English author, poet, and critic (b. 1863)
- 1956 – Louis Calhern, American actor and singer (b. 1895)
- 1957 – Alfonso de Portago, Spanish bobsledder and race car driver (b. 1928)
- 1957 – Erich von Stroheim, Austrian-American actor, director, and producer (b. 1885)
- 1963 – Richard Girulatis, German footballer and manager (b. 1878)
- 1963 – Robert Kerr, Irish-Canadian sprinter and coach (b. 1882)
- 1964 – Agnes Forbes Blackadder, Scottish medical doctor (b. 1875)
- 1966 – Felix Steiner, Russian-German SS officer (b. 1896)
- 1967 – John Masefield, English poet and author (b. 1878)
- 1970 – Nelly Sachs, German poet and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1891)
- 1971 – Heinie Manush, American baseball player and coach (b. 1901)
- 1973 – Frances Marion, American screenwriter, novelist and journalist (b. 1888)
- 1973 – Art Pollard, American race car driver (b. 1927)
- 1974 – Wayne Maki, Canadian National Hockey League player (b. 1944)
- 1980 – Lillian Roth, American actress 9b. 1910)
- 1985 – Jean Dubuffet, French painter and sculptor (b. 1901)
- 1986 – Elisabeth Bergner, German actress (b. 1897)
- 1992 – Nikos Gatsos, Greek poet and songwriter (b. 1911)
- 1992 – Robert Reed, American actor (b. 1932)
- 1993 – Zeno Colò, Italian Olympic alpine skier (b.1920)
- 1994 – Erik Erikson, German-American psychologist and psychoanalyst (b. 1902)
- 1994 – John Smith, Scottish-English lawyer and politician, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer (b. 1938)
- 1995 – Ștefan Kovács, Romanian football player and coach (b. 1920)
- 1999 – Saul Steinberg, Romanian-American illustrator (b. 1914)
- 2000 – Adam Petty, American race car driver (b. 1980)
- 2001 – Perry Como, American singer and television host (b. 1912)
- 2001 – Alexei Tupolev, Russian engineer, designed the Tupolev Tu-144 (b. 1925)
- 2003 – Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, French-American diplomat (b. 1933)
- 2005 – Ömer Kavur, Turkish director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1944)
- 2005 – Martin Lings, English author and scholar (b. 1909)
- 2005 – Monica Zetterlund, Swedish actress (b. 1937)
- 2006 – Hussein Maziq, Libyan politician, Prime Minister of Libya (b. 1918)
- 2008 – Robert Rauschenberg, American painter and illustrator (b. 1925)
- 2008 – Irena Sendler, Polish nurse and humanitarian (b. 1910)
- 2009 – Antonio Vega, Spanish singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1957)
- 2012 – Jan Bens, Dutch footballer and coach (b. 1921)
- 2012 – Eddy Paape, Belgian illustrator (b. 1920)
- 2013 – Gerd Langguth, German political scientist, author, and academic (b. 1946)
- 2014 – Cornell Borchers, Lithuanian-German actress and singer (b. 1925)
- 2014 – Marco Cé, Italian cardinal (b. 1925)
- 2014 – H. R. Giger, Swiss painter, sculptor, and set designer (b. 1940)
- 2014 – Sarat Pujari, Indian actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1934)
- 2014 – Lorenzo Zambrano, Mexican businessman and philanthropist (b. 1944)
- 2015 – Peter Gay, German-American historian, author, and academic (b. 1923)
- 2015 – William Zinsser American journalist and critic (b. 1922)
- 2016 – Mike Agostini, Trinidadian sprinter (b. 1935)
- 2017 – Mauno Koivisto, Finnish banker and politician, 9th President of Finland (b. 1923)
- 2018 – Dennis Nilsen, Scottish serial killer (b. 1945)
Holidays and observances on May 12
- 2nd Amendment Day (Pennsylvania, United States)
- Christian feast day:
  
  Blessed Imelda
  
  Blessed Joan of Portugal
  
  Crispoldus
  
  Dominic de la Calzada
  
  Epiphanius of Salamis
  
  Gregory Dix (Church of England)
  
  Modoald
  
  Nereus, Achilleus, Domitilla, and Pancras
  
  Patriarch Germanus I of Constantinople (Eastern Church)
  
  Philip of Agira
  
  May 12 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Day of the Finnish Identity (Finland)
- International Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Awareness Day
- International Nurses Day
- Saint Andrea the First Day (Georgia)
Read More May 12 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day
On This Day

May 8 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day
May 8 in History
- 453 BC – Spring and Autumn period: The house of Zhao defeats the house of Zhi, ending the Battle of Jinyang, a military conflict between the elite families of the State of Jin.
- 413 – Emperor Honorius signs an edict providing tax relief for the Italian provinces Tuscia, Campania, Picenum, Samnium, Apulia, Lucania and Calabria, which were plundered by the Visigoths.
- 589 – Reccared I opens the Third Council of Toledo, marking the entry of Visigothic Spain into the Catholic Church.
- 1429 – Joan of Arc lifts the Siege of Orléans, turning the tide of the Hundred Years’ War.
- 1450 – Kentishmen revolt against King Henry VI.
- 1516 – A group of imperial guards, led by Trịnh Duy Sản, murdered Emperor Lê Tương Dực and fled, leaving the capital Thăng Long undefended.
- 1541 – Hernando de Soto stops near present-day Walls, Mississippi, and sees the Mississippi River(then known by the Spanish as Río de Espíritu Santo, the name given to it by Alonso Álvarez de Pineda in 1519).
- 1788 – King Louis XVI of France attempts to impose the reforms of Étienne Charles de Loménie de Brienne by abolishing the parlements.
- 1794 – Branded a traitor during the Reign of Terror, French chemist Antoine Lavoisier, who was also a tax collector with the Ferme générale, is tried, convicted and guillotined in one day in Paris.
- 1821 – Greek War of Independence: The Greeks defeat the Turks at the Battle of Gravia Inn.
- 1842 – A train derails and catches fire in Paris, killing between 52 and 200 people.
- 1846 – Mexican–American War: American forces led by Zachary Taylor defeat a Mexican force north of the Rio Grande in the first major battle of the war.
- 1877 – At Gilmore’s Gardens in New York City, the first Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show opens.
- 1886 – Pharmacist John Pemberton first sells a carbonated beverage named “Coca-Cola” as a patent medicine.
- 1898 – The first games of the Italian football league system are played.
- 1899 – The Irish Literary Theatre in Dublin produced its first play.
- 1902 – In Martinique, Mount Pelée erupts, destroying the town of Saint-Pierre and killing over 30,000 people. Only a handful of residents survive the blast.
- 1912 – Paramount Pictures is founded.
- 1919 – Edward George Honey proposes the idea of a moment of silence to commemorate the Armistice of 11 November 1918 which ended World War I.
- 1921 – The creation of the Communist Party of Romania.
- 1924 – The Klaipėda Convention is signed formally incorporating Klaipėda Region (Memel Territory) into Lithuania.
- 1927 – Attempting to make the first non-stop transatlantic flight from Paris to New York, French war heroes Charles Nungesser and François Coli disappear after taking off aboard The White Bird biplane.
- 1933 – Mohandas Gandhi begins a 21-day fast of self-purification and launched a one-year campaign to help the Harijan movement.
- 1941 – World War II: The German Luftwaffe launches a bombing raid on Nottingham and Derby.
- 1942 – World War II: The German 11th Army begins Operation Trappenjagd (Bustard Hunt) and destroys the bridgehead of the three Soviet armies defending the Kerch Peninsula.
- 1942 – World War II: The Battle of the Coral Sea comes to an end with Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft carrier aircraft attacking and sinking the United States Navy aircraft carrier USS Lexington.
- 1942 – World War II: Gunners of the Ceylon Garrison Artillery on Horsburgh Island in the Cocos Islands rebel in the Cocos Islands Mutiny. Their mutiny is crushed and three of them are executed, the only British Commonwealth soldiers to be executed for mutiny during the Second World War.
- 1945 – World War II: The German Instrument of Surrender signed at Reims comes into effect.
- 1945 – End of the Prague uprising, celebrated now as a national holiday in the Czech Republic.
- 1945 – Hundreds of Algerian civilians are killed by French Army soldiers in the Sétif massacre.
- 1945 – The Halifax riot starts when thousands of civilians and servicemen rampage through Halifax, Nova Scotia.
- 1946 – Estonian schoolgirls Aili Jõgi and Ageeda Paavel blow up the Soviet memorial which preceded the Bronze Soldier of Tallinn.
- 1963 – South Vietnamese soldiers under the Roman Catholic President Ngo Dinh Diem open fire on Buddhists defying a ban on the flying of the Buddhist flag on Vesak, killing nine and sparking the Buddhist crisis.
- 1967 – The Philippine province of Davao is split into three: Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, and Davao Oriental.
- 1972 – Vietnam War: U.S. President Richard Nixon announces his order to place naval mines in major North Vietnamese ports in order to stem the flow of weapons and other goods to that nation.
- 1973 – A 71-day standoff between federal authorities and the American Indian Movement members occupying the Pine Ridge Reservation at Wounded Knee, South Dakota ends with the surrender of the militants.
- 1976 – The rollercoaster The New Revolution, the first steel coaster with a vertical loop, opens at Six Flags Magic Mountain.
- 1978 – The first ascent of Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen, by Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler.
- 1980 – The World Health Organization confirms the eradication of smallpox.
- 1984 – Corporal Denis Lortie enters the Quebec National Assembly and opens fire, killing three people and wounding 13. René Jalbert, Sergeant-at-Arms of the Assembly, succeeds in calming him, for which he will later receive the Cross of Valour.
- 1984 – The Thames Barrier is officially opened, preventing the floodplain of most of Greater London from being flooded except under extreme circumstances.
- 1987 – The SAS kills eight Provisional Irish Republican Army volunteers and a civilian during an ambush in Loughgall, Northern Ireland.
- 1988 – A fire at Illinois Bell’s Hinsdale Central Office triggers an extended 1AESS network outage once considered to be the “worst telecommunications disaster in US telephone industry history”.
- 1997 – China Southern Airlines Flight 3456 crashes on approach into Bao’an International Airport, killing 35 people.
- 2019 – British 17-year-old Isabelle Holdaway is reported to be the first patient ever to receive a genetically modified phage therapy to treat a drug-resistant infection.
Births on May 8
- 1326 – Joan I, Countess of Auvergne (d. 1360)
- 1427 – John Tiptoft, 1st Earl of Worcester, Lord High Treasurer (d. 1470)
- 1460 – Frederick I, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach (d. 1536)
- 1492 – Andrea Alciato, Italian jurist and writer (d. 1550)
- 1508 – Charles Wriothesley, English Officer of Arms (d. 1562)
- 1521 – Peter Canisius, Dutch-Swiss priest and saint (d. 1597)
- 1551 – Thomas Drury, English government informer and swindler (d. 1603)
- 1587 – Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy (d. 1637)
- 1622 – Claes Rålamb, Swedish politician (d. 1698)
- 1628 – Angelo Italia, Sicilian Jesuit and architect (d. 1700)
- 1629 – Niels Juel, Norwegian-Danish admiral (d. 1697)
- 1632 – Heino Heinrich Graf von Flemming, German field marshal and politician (d. 1706)
- 1639 – Giovanni Battista Gaulli, Italian artist (d. 1709)
- 1641 – Nicolaes Witsen, Mayor of Amsterdam, Netherlands (d. 1717)
- 1653 – Claude Louis Hector de Villars, French general and politician, French Minister of Defence (d. 1734)
- 1670 – Charles Beauclerk, 1st Duke of St Albans, English soldier and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire (d. 1726)
- 1698 – Henry Baker, English naturalist (d. 1774)
- 1720 – William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1764)
- 1735 – Nathaniel Dance-Holland, English painter and politician (d. 1811)
- 1737 – Edward Gibbon, English historian and politician (d. 1794)
- 1745 – Carl Stamitz, German violinist and composer (d. 1801)
- 1753 – Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, Mexican priest and rebel leader (d. 1811)
- 1786 – John Vianney, French priest and saint (d. 1859)
- 1815 – Edward Tompkins, American lawyer and politician (d. 1872)
- 1818 – Samuel Leonard Tilley, Canadian pharmacist and politician, 3rd Premier of New Brunswick (d. 1896)
- 1821 – William Henry Vanderbilt, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 1885)
- 1824 – William Walker, American physician, lawyer, journalist and mercenary (d. 1860)
- 1825 – George Bruce Malleson, English-Indian colonel and author (d. 1898)
- 1828 – Henry Dunant, Swiss businessman and activist, co-founded the Red Cross, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1910)
- 1828 – Charbel Makhluf, Lebanese monk and saint (d. 1898)
- 1829 – Louis Moreau Gottschalk, American pianist and composer (d. 1869)
- 1835 – Bertalan Székely, Hungarian painter and academic (d. 1910)
- 1839 – Adolphe-Basile Routhier, Canadian judge, author, and songwriter (d. 1920)
- 1842 – Emil Christian Hansen, Danish physiologist and mycologist (d. 1909)
- 1846 – Oscar Hammerstein I, American businessman and composer (d. 1919)
- 1850 – Ross Barnes, American baseball player and manager (d. 1915)
- 1853 – Dan Brouthers, American baseball player and manager (d. 1932)
- 1856 – Pedro Lascuráin, Mexican politician, president for 45 minutes on February 13, 1913. (d. 1952)
- 1858 – Heinrich Berté, Slovak-Austrian composer (d. 1924)
- 1858 – J. Meade Falkner, English author and poet (d. 1932)
- 1859 – Johan Jensen, Danish mathematician and engineer (d. 1925)
- 1867 – Margarete Böhme, German novelist (d. 1939)
- 1879 – Wesley Coe, American shot putter, discus thrower, and tug of war competitor (d. 1926)
- 1884 – Harry S. Truman, American colonel and politician, 33rd President of the United States (d. 1972)
- 1885 – Thomas B. Costain, Canadian journalist and author (d. 1965)
- 1892 – Adriaan Pelt, Dutch journalist and diplomat (d. 1981)
- 1893 – Francis Ouimet, American golfer (d. 1967)
- 1893 – Edd Roush, American baseball player and coach (d. 1988)
- 1893 – Teddy Wakelam, English rugby player and sportscaster (d. 1963)
- 1895 – James H. Kindelberger, American businessman (d. 1962)
- 1895 – Fulton J. Sheen, American archbishop (d. 1979)
- 1895 – Edmund Wilson, American critic, essayist, and editor (d. 1972)
- 1898 – Aloysius Stepinac, Croatian cardinal (d. 1960)
- 1899 – Arthur Q. Bryan, American actor, voice actor, comedian and radio personality (d. 1959)
- 1899 – Friedrich Hayek, Austrian economist and philosopher, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1992)
- 1899 – Jacques Heim, French fashion designer (d. 1967)
- 1901 – Turkey Stearnes, American baseball player (d. 1979)
- 1902 – André Michel Lwoff, French microbiologist and physician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1994)
- 1903 – Fernandel, French actor and singer (d. 1971)
- 1903 – Mary Stewart, Baroness Stewart of Alvechurch, British politician and educator (d. 1984)
- 1904 – John Snagge, English journalist (d. 1996)
- 1905 – Red Nichols, American cornet player, composer, and bandleader (d. 1965)
- 1906 – Roberto Rossellini, Italian director and screenwriter (d. 1977)
- 1910 – George Male, English footballer (d. 1998)
- 1910 – Andrew E. Svenson, American author and publisher (d. 1975)
- 1910 – Mary Lou Williams, American pianist and composer (d. 1981)
- 1911 – Wilhelm Friedrich de Gaay Fortman, Dutch jurist and politician, Dutch Minister of The Interior (d. 1997)
- 1911 – Robert Johnson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1938)
- 1912 – George Woodcock, Canadian author and poet (d. 1995)
- 1913 – Bob Clampett, American animator, director, and producer (d. 1984)
- 1913 – Sid James, South African-English actor and singer (d. 1976)
- 1915 – Milton Meltzer, American historian and author (d. 2009)
- 1916 – João Havelange, Brazilian water polo player, lawyer, and businessman (d. 2016)
- 1916 – Chinmayananda Saraswati, Indian spiritual leader and educator (d. 1993)
- 1916 – Ramananda Sengupta, Indian cinematographer (d. 2017)
- 1917 – John Anderson, Jr., American lawyer and politician, 36th Governor of Kansas (d. 2014)
- 1919 – Lex Barker, American actor (d. 1973)
- 1920 – Saul Bass, American graphic designer and director (d. 1996)
- 1920 – Tom of Finland, Finnish illustrator (d. 1991)
- 1920 – Sloan Wilson, American author and poet (d. 2003)
- 1920 – Gordon McClymont, Australian ecologist and academic (d. 2000)
- 1922 – Mary Q. Steele, American naturalist and author (d. 1992)
- 1924 – S. Vithiananthan, Sri Lankan author and academic (d. 1989)
- 1925 – Ali Hassan Mwinyi, Tanzanian politician, 2nd President of Tanzania
- 1926 – David Attenborough, English environmentalist and television host
- 1926 – David Hurst, German actor (d. 2019)
- 1926 – Don Rickles, American comedian and actor (d. 2017)
- 1927 – Chumy Chúmez, Spanish actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2003)
- 1927 – László Paskai, Hungarian cardinal (d. 2015)
- 1928 – Robert Conley, American journalist (d. 2013)
- 1928 – Ted Sorensen, American lawyer, 8th White House Counsel (d. 2010)
- 1929 – Ethel D. Allen, American physician and politician (d. 1981)
- 1929 – Girija Devi, Indian classical singer (d. 2017)
- 1929 – Claude Castonguay, Canadian banker and politician
- 1929 – Miyoshi Umeki, Japanese-American actress and singer (d. 2007)
- 1930 – Heather Harper, Northern Irish soprano (d. 2019)
- 1930 – Doug Atkins, American football player (d. 2015)
- 1930 – René Maltête, French photographer and poet (d. 2000)
- 1930 – Gary Snyder, American poet, essayist, and translator
- 1932 – Julieta Campos, Cuban-Mexican author and translator (d. 2007)
- 1932 – Phyllida Law, Scottish actress
- 1932 – Harry Wells, Australian rugby league player
- 1934 – Leonard Hoffmann, Baron Hoffmann, South African-English lawyer and judge
- 1934 – Maurice Norman, English footballer
- 1934 – David Williamson, Baron Williamson of Horton, English soldier and politician (d. 2015)
- 1935 – Lucius Cary, 15th Viscount Falkland, Scottish politician
- 1935 – Princess Elisabeth of Denmark (d. 2018)
- 1935 – Jack Charlton, English footballer and manager
- 1936 – Kazuo Koike, Japanese author
- 1936 – Haljand Udam, Estonian orientalist and academic (d. 2005)
- 1937 – Bernard Cleary, Canadian journalist, academic, and politician
- 1937 – Mike Cuellar, Cuban-American baseball player (d. 2010)
- 1937 – Carlos Gaviria Díaz, Colombian lawyer and politician (d. 2015)
- 1937 – Thomas Pynchon, American novelist
- 1938 – Javed Burki, Indian-Pakistani cricketer
- 1938 – Jean Giraud, French author and illustrator (d. 2012)
- 1939 – Paul Drayton, American sprinter (d. 2010)
- 1940 – Peter Benchley, American author and screenwriter (d. 2006)
- 1940 – James Blyth, Baron Blyth of Rowington, English businessman and academic
- 1940 – Irwin Cotler, Canadian lawyer and politician, 47th Canadian Minister of Justice
- 1940 – Emilio Delgado, Mexican-American actor, “Sesame Street”
- 1940 – Ricky Nelson, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (d. 1985)
- 1940 – Toni Tennille, American singer-songwriter and keyboard player
- 1941 – John Fred, American singer-songwriter (d. 2005)
- 1941 – Bill Lockyer, American academic and politician, 30th Attorney General of California
- 1941 – James Traficant, American lawyer and politician (d. 2014)
- 1942 – Martin Dobkin, Canadian doctor and politician, 2nd Mayor of Mississauga
- 1942 – Robin Hobbs, English cricketer
- 1942 – Norman Lamont, Scottish banker and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer
- 1942 – Pierre Morency, Canadian poet and playwright
- 1942 – Terry Neill, Irish footballer and manager
- 1943 – Pat Barker, English author
- 1943 – Johnny Greaves, Australian rugby league player
- 1943 – Jon Mark, English-New Zealand singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1943 – Paul Samwell-Smith, English bass player and producer
- 1943 – Danny Whitten, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1972)
- 1944 – Gary Glitter, English singer-songwriter
- 1944 – Bill Legend, English drummer
- 1945 – Arthur Docters van Leeuwen, Dutch jurist and politician
- 1945 – Mike German, Baron German, Welsh educator and politician, Deputy First Minister for Wales
- 1945 – Janine Haines, Australian politician (d. 2004)
- 1945 – Keith Jarrett, American pianist and composer
- 1946 – André Boulerice, Canadian politician
- 1946 – Jonathan Dancy, English philosopher, author, and academic
- 1947 – H. Robert Horvitz, American biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1947 – Felicity Lott, English soprano
- 1947 – John Reid, Baron Reid of Cardowan, Scottish historian and politician, Secretary of State for Defence
- 1948 – Steve Braun, American baseball player and coach
- 1948 – Stephen Stohn, American-Canadian lawyer and producer
- 1949 – David Vines, Australian economist and academic
- 1950 – Robert Mugge, American director and producer
- 1950 – Lepo Sumera, Estonian composer and educator (d. 2000)
- 1951 – Philip Bailey, American singer-songwriter, drummer, and actor
- 1951 – Mike D’Antoni, American basketball player and coach
- 1951 – Chris Frantz, American drummer and producer
- 1952 – Peter McNab, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
- 1953 – Billy Burnette, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
- 1953 – Alex Van Halen, Dutch-American drummer
- 1954 – Pam Arciero, American puppeteer and voice actress
- 1954 – David Keith, American actor and director
- 1954 – John Michael Talbot, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1955 – Stephen Furst, American actor and director (d. 2017)
- 1955 – Mladen Markač, Croatian general
- 1955 – Keith Osgood, English footballer
- 1956 – Jeff Wincott, Canadian actor and martial artist
- 1957 – Bill Cowher, American football player and coach
- 1957 – Rino Katase, Japanese actress
- 1957 – Gary Lunn, Canadian lawyer and politician, 6th Canadian Minister of Natural Resources
- 1958 – Roddy Doyle, Irish novelist, playwright, and screenwriter
- 1958 – Simone Kleinsma, Dutch actress and singer
- 1958 – Brooks Newmark, American-English businessman and politician, Lord of the Treasury
- 1958 – Lovie Smith, American football player and coach
- 1959 – Ronnie Lott, American football player and sportscaster
- 1959 – David Manners, 11th Duke of Rutland, English politician
- 1959 – Ikue Sakakibara, Japanese actress and singer
- 1960 – Franco Baresi, Italian footballer and coach
- 1960 – Eric Brittingham, American bass player
- 1961 – Bill de Blasio, American politician, 109th Mayor of New York City
- 1961 – Gert Kruys, Dutch footballer and manager
- 1961 – Vallo Reimaa, Estonian academic and politician
- 1961 – David Winning, Canadian-American director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1962 – Natalia Molchanova, Russian diver (d. 2015)
- 1962 – David Sole, Scottish rugby player
- 1963 – Sylvain Cossette, Canadian singer-songwriter
- 1963 – Anthony Field, Australian guitarist, songwriter, producer, and actor
- 1963 – Michel Gondry, French director and screenwriter
- 1963 – Izabela Kloc, Polish politician
- 1963 – Aleksandr Kovalenko, Belarusian triple jumper
- 1963 – Rick Zombo, American ice hockey player and coach
- 1964 – Päivi Alafrantti, Finnish javelin thrower
- 1964 – Melissa Gilbert, American actress and director
- 1964 – Bobby Labonte, American race car driver
- 1964 – Nathalie Roy, Canadian lawyer and politician
- 1964 – Dave Rowntree, English drummer and animator
- 1964 – Metin Tekin, Turkish footballer, manager, and journalist
- 1966 – Cláudio Taffarel, Brazilian footballer and coach
- 1967 – Viviana Durante, Italian ballerina and actress
- 1967 – Angus Scott, British sports television presenter
- 1968 – Teet Kask, Estonian ballet dancer and choreographer
- 1968 – Nathalie Normandeau, Canadian politician, Deputy Premier of Quebec
- 1968 – Johan Pehrson, Swedish lawyer and politician
- 1969 – Jonny Searle, English rower
- 1969 – Akebono Tarō, American-Japanese sumo wrestler, the 64th Yokozuna
- 1969 – John Timu, New Zealand rugby player
- 1970 – Michael Bevan, Australian cricketer and coach
- 1970 – Naomi Klein, Canadian author and activist
- 1970 – Luis Enrique, Spanish footballer and manager
- 1971 – Chuck Huber, American voice actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1971 – Candice Night, American singer-songwriter
- 1972 – Darren Hayes, Australian singer-songwriter
- 1972 – Ray Whitney, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1973 – Hiromu Arakawa, Japanese author and illustrator
- 1973 – Jesús Arellano, Mexican footballer
- 1973 – Marcus Brigstocke, English comedian, actor, and screenwriter
- 1974 – Marge Kõrkjas, Estonian swimmer
- 1974 – Korey Stringer, American football player (d. 2001)
- 1974 – Christian XXX, American pornographic star
- 1975 – Enrique Iglesias, Spanish-American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
- 1975 – Jussi Markkanen, Finnish ice hockey player
- 1975 – Gastón Mazzacane, Argentinian race car driver
- 1975 – Dmitri Ustritski, Estonian footballer
- 1976 – Gonçalo Abecasis, Portuguese-American biochemist and academic
- 1976 – Martha Wainwright, Canadian-American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1977 – Joe Bonamassa, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1977 – Bad News Brown, Canadian rapper, harmonica player, and actor (d. 2011)
- 1977 – Theodoros Papaloukas, Greek basketball player
- 1977 – Kathrin Bringmann, German mathematician and academic
- 1978 – Lúcio, Brazilian footballer
- 1978 – Jang Woo-hyuk, South Korean rapper and dancer
- 1979 – Ole Morten Vågan, Norwegian bassist
- 1980 – Keyon Dooling, American basketball player
- 1980 – Panagiotis Kafkis, Greek basketball player
- 1980 – Evgeny Lebedev, Russian-English publisher and philanthropist
- 1980 – Michelle McManus, Scottish singer-songwriter and actress
- 1980 – Benny Yau, Hong Kong-Canadian actor and singer
- 1981 – Stephen Amell, Canadian actor
- 1981 – Andrea Barzagli, Italian footballer
- 1981 – Tatyana Dektyareva, Russian hurdler
- 1981 – Björn Dixgård, Swedish singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1981 – Manny Gamburyan, Armenian-American mixed martial artist
- 1981 – John Maine, American baseball player
- 1982 – Buakaw Banchamek, Thai kick-boxer
- 1982 – Christina Cole, English actress
- 1982 – Adrián González, American baseball player
- 1982 – Uğur Yıldırım, Turkish-Dutch footballer
- 1983 – Juan Martin Goity, Argentinian-German rugby player
- 1983 – Bershawn Jackson, American hurdler
- 1983 – Lawrence Vickers, American football player
- 1983 – Vicky McClure, English actress
- 1984 – David King, English figure skater
- 1985 – Tommaso Ciampa, American wrestler
- 1985 – Silvia Stroescu, Romanian gymnast
- 1985 – Sarah Vaillancourt, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1985 – Usama Young, American football player
- 1986 – Pemra Özgen, Turkish tennis player
- 1986 – Galen Rupp, American runner
- 1986 – Marvell Wynne, American soccer player
- 1987 – Felix Jones, American football player
- 1987 – Aarne Nirk, Estonian hurdler
- 1987 – Mark Noble, English footballer
- 1987 – Kurt Tippett, Australian footballer
- 1988 – Tanel Kurbas, Estonian basketball player
- 1988 – Maicon Pereira de Oliveira, Brazilian footballer (d. 2014)
- 1989 – Liam Bridcutt, English footballer
- 1989 – Lars Eller, Danish ice hockey player
- 1989 – Dinesh Patel, Indian baseball player
- 1990 – Kemba Walker, American basketball player
- 1991 – Ethan Gage, Canadian soccer player
- 1991 – Valentijn Lietmeijer, Dutch basketball player
- 1991 – Anamaria Tămârjan, Romanian gymnast
- 1992 – Kevin Hayes, American ice hockey player
- 1993 – Pat Cummins, Australian cricketer
- 1996 – 6ix9ine, American rapper
- 2001 – Jordyn Huitema, Canadian soccer player
- 2003 – Moulay Hassan, Crown Prince of Morocco
Deaths on May 8
- 535 – Pope John II
- 615 – Pope Boniface IV (b. 550)
- 685 – Pope Benedict II
- 997 – Tai Zong, Chinese emperor (b. 939)
- 1157 – Ahmed Sanjar, Seljuk sultan (b. 1086)
- 1192 – Ottokar IV, duke of Styria (b. 1163)
- 1220 – Richeza of Denmark, queen of Sweden
- 1278 – Duan Zong, Chinese emperor (b. 1269)
- 1319 – Haakon V, king of Norway (b. 1270)
- 1473 – John Stafford, 1st Earl of Wiltshire, English politician (b. 1420)
- 1538 – Edward Foxe, English bishop and academic (b. 1496)
- 1551 – Barbara Radziwiłł, queen of Poland (b. 1520)
- 1668 – Catherine of St. Augustine, French-Canadian nun and saint (b. 1632)
- 1766 – Samuel Chandler, English minister and author (b. 1693)
- 1773 – Ali Bey al-Kabir, Egyptian sultan (b. 1728)
- 1781 – Richard Jago, English priest and poet (b. 1715)
- 1782 – Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, 1st Marquis of Pombal, Portuguese politician, Prime Minister of Portugal (b. 1699)
- 1785 – Étienne François, duc de Choiseul, French general and politician, Prime Minister of France (b. 1719)
- 1785 – Pietro Longhi, Italian painter (b. 1701)
- 1788 – Giovanni Antonio Scopoli, Italian physician and botanist (b. 1723)
- 1794 – Antoine Lavoisier, French chemist and biologist (b. 1743)
- 1819 – Kamehameha I, king of the Hawaiian Islands
- 1822 – John Stark, American general (b. 1728)
- 1828 – Mauro Giuliani, Italian guitarist, cellist, and composer (b. 1781)
- 1837 – Alexander Balashov, Russian general and politician, Russian Minister of Police (b. 1770)
- 1842 – Jules Dumont d’Urville, French admiral and explorer (b. 1790)
- 1853 – Jan Roothaan, Dutch priest, 21st Superior General of the Society of Jesus (b. 1785)
- 1880 – Gustave Flaubert, French novelist (b. 1821)
- 1891 – Helena Blavatsky, Russian-English mystic and author (b. 1831)
- 1891 – John Robertson, English-Australian politician, 5th Premier of New South Wales (b. 1816)
- 1893 – Manuel González Flores, Mexican general and president, 1880–1884 (b. 1833)
- 1903 – Paul Gauguin, French painter and sculptor (b. 1848)
- 1907 – Edmund G. Ross, American soldier and politician, 13th Governor of New Mexico Territory (b. 1826)
- 1925 – John Beresford, Irish polo player (b. 1847)
- 1936 – Oswald Spengler, German historian and philosopher (b. 1880)
- 1941 – Natalie, queen consort of Serbia (b. 1859)
- 1941 – Tore Svennberg, Swedish actor and director (b. 1858)
- 1942 – Nikolai Reek, Estonian general and politician, 11th Estonian Minister of War (b. 1890)
- 1943 – Mordechai Anielewicz, Polish commander (b. 1919)
- 1944 – Themistoklis Diakidis, Greek high jumper (b. 1882)
- 1945 – Frank Bourne, British soldier, last survivor of the Battle of Rorke’s Drift (b. 1854)
- 1945 – Wilhelm Rediess, German SS officer (b. 1900)
- 1945 – Bernhard Rust, German lieutenant and politician (b. 1883)
- 1945 – Josef Terboven, German lieutenant and politician (b. 1898)
- 1947 – Harry Gordon Selfridge, American-English businessman, founded Selfridges (b. 1858)
- 1948 – U Saw, Burmese politician, Prime Minister of Burma (b. 1900)
- 1950 – Vital Brazil, Brazilian physician and immunologist (b. 1865)
- 1952 – William Fox, Austrian businessman, founded Fox Theatres (b. 1879)
- 1959 – John Fraser, Canadian soccer player (b. 1881)
- 1960 – J. H. C. Whitehead, Indian-English mathematician and academic (b. 1904)
- 1965 – Wally Hardinge, English cricketer and footballer (b. 1886)
- 1969 – Remington Kellogg, American zoologist and paleontologist (b. 1892)
- 1972 – Pandurang Vaman Kane, Indologist and Sanskrit scholar, Bharat Ratna awardee (b. 1880)
- 1972 – Beatrice Helen Worsley, Mexican-Canadian computer scientist (b. 1921)
- 1975 – Avery Brundage, American businessman and art collector (b. 1887)
- 1980 – Geoffrey Baker, English Field Marshal and Chief of the General Staff of the British Army (b. 1920)
- 1981 – Uri Zvi Greenberg, Israeli poet and journalist (b. 1896)
- 1982 – Neil Bogart, American record producer, co-founded Casablanca Records (b. 1943)
- 1982 – Gilles Villeneuve, Canadian race car driver (b. 1950)
- 1983 – John Fante, American author and screenwriter (b. 1909)
- 1984 – Lila Bell Wallace, American publisher, co-founded Reader’s Digest (b. 1890)
- 1984 – Gino Bianco, Italian-Brazilian race car driver (b. 1916)
- 1985 – Karl Marx, German conductor and composer (b. 1897)
- 1985 – Theodore Sturgeon, American author and critic (b. 1918)
- 1985 – Dolph Sweet, American actor (b. 1920)
- 1986 – Ernle Bradford, English historian and author (b. 1922)
- 1987 – Doris Stokes, English psychic and author (b. 1920)
- 1988 – Robert A. Heinlein, American science fiction writer and screenwriter (b. 1907)
- 1990 – Luigi Nono, Italian composer and educator (b. 1924)
- 1991 – Jean Langlais, French pianist and composer (b. 1907)
- 1991 – Rudolf Serkin, Czech-Austrian pianist and educator (b. 1903)
- 1992 – Joyce Ricketts, American baseball player (b. 1933)
- 1993 – Avram Davidson, American soldier and author (b. 1923)
- 1994 – George Peppard, American actor and producer (b. 1928)
- 1995 – Teresa Teng, Taiwanese singer (b. 1953)
- 1996 – Beryl Burton, English cyclist (b. 1937)
- 1996 – Luis Miguel Dominguín, Spanish bullfighter (b. 1926)
- 1996 – Larry Levis, American poet, author, and critic (b. 1946)
- 1996 – Garth Williams, American illustrator (b. 1912)
- 1998 – Johannes Kotkas, Estonian wrestler (b. 1915)
- 1998 – Charles Rebozo, American banker and businessman (b. 1912)
- 1999 – Dirk Bogarde, English actor and screenwriter (b. 1921)
- 1999 – Ed Gilbert, American actor (b. 1931)
- 1999 – Dana Plato, American actress (b. 1964)
- 1999 – Soeman Hs, Indonesian author and educator (b. 1904)
- 2000 – Pita Amor, Mexican poet and author (b. 1918)
- 2000 – Dédé Fortin, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1962)
- 2000 – Henry Nicols, American activist (b. 1973)
- 2003 – Elvira Pagã, Brazilian vedette, singer, and artist (b. 1920)
- 2005 – Jean Carrière, French author (b. 1928)
- 2005 – Nicolás Vuyovich, Argentinian race car driver (b. 1981)
- 2006 – Iain Macmillan, Scottish photographer and author (b. 1938)
- 2007 – Philip R. Craig, American author and poet (b. 1933)
- 2007 – Carson Whitsett, American keyboard player, songwriter, and producer (b. 1945)
- 2008 – Eddy Arnold, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (b. 1918)
- 2008 – François Sterchele, Belgian footballer (b. 1982)
- 2009 – Dom DiMaggio, American baseball player (b. 1917)
- 2009 – Bud Shrake, American journalist and author (b. 1931)
- 2011 – Lionel Rose, Australian boxer (b. 1948)
- 2012 – Everett Lilly, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1924)
- 2012 – Jerry McMorris, American businessman (b. 1941)
- 2012 – Stacy Robinson, American football player (b. 1962)
- 2012 – Maurice Sendak, American author and illustrator (b. 1928)
- 2012 – Ampon Tangnoppakul, Thai criminal (b. 1948)
- 2012 – Roman Totenberg, Polish-American violinist and educator (b. 1911)
- 2013 – Jeanne Cooper, American actress (b. 1928)
- 2013 – Bryan Forbes, English actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1926)
- 2013 – Juan José Muñoz, Argentinian businessman (b. 1950)
- 2013 – Hugh J. Silverman, American philosopher and theorist (b. 1945)
- 2013 – Ken Whaley, Austrian-English bass player (b. 1946)
- 2014 – Roger L. Easton, American scientist, co-invented the GPS (b. 1921)
- 2014 – Nancy Malone, American actress, director, and producer (b. 1935)
- 2014 – Yago Lamela, Spanish long jumper (b. 1977)
- 2014 – Jair Rodrigues, Brazilian singer (b. 1939)
- 2014 – R. Douglas Stuart Jr., American businessman and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Norway (b. 1916)
- 2014 – Joseph P. Teasdale, American lawyer and politician, 48th Governor of Missouri (b. 1936)
- 2015 – Zeki Alasya, Turkish actor and director (b. 1943)
- 2015 – Mwepu Ilunga, Congolese footballer (b. 1949)
- 2015 – Menashe Kadishman, Israeli sculptor and painter (b. 1932)
- 2015 – Juan Schwanner, Hungarian-Chilean footballer and manager (b. 1921)
- 2015 – Atanas Semerdzhiev, Bulgarian soldier and politician, 1st Vice President of Bulgaria (b. 1924)
- 2016 – Tom M. Apostol, American analytic number theorist (b. 1923)
- 2016 – William Schallert, American actor; president (1979–81) of the Screen Actors Guild (b. 1922)
- 2018 – Big Bully Busick, American professional wrestler (b. 1954)
- 2018 – Anne V. Coates, British film editor (Lawrence of Arabia, The Elephant Man, Erin Brockovich), Oscar winner (1963) (b. 1925)
- 2019 – Sprent Dabwido, President of Nauru from 2011 to 2013 (b. 1972)
Holidays and observances on May 8
- Christian feast day:
  
  Amato Ronconi
  
  Apparition of Saint Michael
  
  Arsenius the Great
  
  Desideratus
  
  Blessed Catherine of St. Augustine
  
  Julian of Norwich (Anglican, Lutheran)
  
  Magdalene of Canossa
  
  Our Lady of Luján
  
  Peter of Tarentaise
  
  Blessed Teresa Demjanovich (Ruthenian Catholic Church)
  
  May 8 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Earliest day on which Father’s Day can fall, while May 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Sunday of May. (Romania)
- Earliest day on which Mother’s Day can fall, while May 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Sunday of May. (United States and others)
- Earliest day on which State Flag and State Emblem Day can fall, while May 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Sunday of May. (Belarus)
- Earliest day on which World Fair Trade Day can fall, while May 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Saturday of May (site of the WFTO) (International)
- Emancipation Day (Columbus, Mississippi)
- Furry Dance (Helston, UK)
- Liberation Day (Czech Republic)
- Miguel Hidalgo’s birthday (Mexico)
- Parents’ Day (South Korea)
- Truman Day (Missouri)
- Veterans Day (Norway)
- Victory in Europe Day, and its related observances (Europe):
  
  Time of Remembrance and Reconciliation for Those Who Lost Their Lives during the Second World War, continues to May 9
- White Lotus Day (Theosophy)
- World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day (International)
Read More May 8 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day
On This Day

April 26 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day
April 26 in History
- 1336 – Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch) ascends Mont Ventoux.
- 1478 – The Pazzi family attack Lorenzo de’ Medici and kill his brother Giuliano during High Mass in Florence Cathedral.
- 1564 – Playwright William Shakespeare is baptized in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England (date of actual birth is unknown).
- 1607 – English colonists make landfall at Cape Henry, Virginia.
- 1721 – A massive earthquake devastates the Iranian city of Tabriz.
- 1777 – Sybil Ludington, aged 16, rode 40 miles (64 km) to alert American colonial forces to the approach of the British regular forces
- 1794 – Battle of Beaumont during the Flanders Campaign of the War of the First Coalition.
- 1802 – Napoleon Bonaparte signs a general amnesty to allow all but about one thousand of the most notorious émigrés of the French Revolution to return to France.
- 1803 – Thousands of meteor fragments fall from the skies of L’Aigle, France; the event convinces European scientists that meteors exist.
- 1805 – First Barbary War: United States Marines captured Derne under the command of First Lieutenant Presley O’Bannon.
- 1865 – American Civil War: Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston surrenders his army to General William Tecumseh Sherman at the Bennett Place near Durham, North Carolina. Also the date of Confederate Memorial Day for two states.
- 1865 – Union cavalry troopers corner and shoot dead John Wilkes Booth, assassin of President Abraham Lincoln, in Virginia.
- 1903 – Atlético Madrid Association football club is founded
- 1923 – The Duke of York weds Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon at Westminster Abbey.
- 1925 – Paul von Hindenburg defeats Wilhelm Marx in the second round of the German presidential election to become the first directly elected head of state of the Weimar Republic.
- 1933 – The Gestapo, the official secret police force of Nazi Germany, is established.
- 1937 – Spanish Civil War: Guernica, Spain, is bombed by German Luftwaffe.
- 1942 – Benxihu Colliery accident in Manchukuo leaves 1549 Chinese miners dead.
- 1943 – The Easter Riots break out in Uppsala, Sweden.
- 1944 – Georgios Papandreou becomes head of the Greek government-in-exile based in Egypt.
- 1944 – Heinrich Kreipe is captured by Allied commandos in occupied Crete.
- 1945 – World War II: Battle of Bautzen: Last successful German tank-offensive of the war and last noteworthy victory of the Wehrmacht.
- 1945 – World War II: Filipino troops of the 66th Infantry Regiment, Philippine Commonwealth Army, USAFIP-NL and the American troops of the 33rd and 37th Infantry Division, United States Army are liberated in Baguio City and they fight against the Japanese forces under General Tomoyuki Yamashita.
- 1954 – The Geneva Conference, an effort to restore peace in Indochina and Korea, begins.
- 1956 – SS Ideal X, the world’s first successful container ship, leaves Port Newark, New Jersey, for Houston, Texas.
- 1958 – Final run of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad’s Royal Blue from Washington, D.C., to New York City after 68 years, the first U.S. passenger train to use electric locomotives.
- 1960 – Forced out by the April Revolution, President of South Korea Syngman Rhee resigns after 12 years of dictatorial rule.
- 1962 – NASA’s Ranger 4 spacecraft crashes into the Moon.
- 1963 – In Libya, amendments to the constitution transform Libya (United Kingdom of Libya) into one national unity (Kingdom of Libya) and allows for female participation in elections.
- 1964 – Tanganyika and Zanzibar merge to form Tanzania.
- 1966 – The magnitude 5.1 Tashkent earthquake affects the largest city in Soviet Central Asia with a maximum MSK intensity of VII (Very strong). Tashkent is mostly destroyed and 15–200 are killed.
- 1966 – A new government is formed in the Republic of the Congo, led by Ambroise Noumazalaye.
- 1970 – The Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization enters into force.
- 1981 – Dr. Michael R. Harrison of the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center performs the world’s first human open fetal surgery.
- 1982 – Fifty-seven people are killed by former police officer Woo Bum-kon in a shooting spree in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea.
- 1986 – A nuclear reactor accident occurs at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic in the Soviet Union, creating the world’s worst nuclear disaster.
- 1989 – The deadliest known tornado strikes Central Bangladesh, killing upwards of 1,300, injuring 12,000, and leaving as many as 80,000 homeless.
- 1989 – People’s Daily publishes the April 26 Editorial which inflames the nascent Tiananmen Square protests.
- 1991 – Seventy tornadoes break out in the central United States. Before the outbreak’s end, Andover, Kansas, would record the year’s only F5 tornado.
- 1994 – China Airlines Flight 140 crashes at Nagoya Airport in Japan, killing 264 of the 271 people on board.
- 2002 – Robert Steinhäuser kills 16 at Gutenberg-Gymnasium in Erfurt, Germany before dying of a self-inflicted gunshot.
- 2005 – Under international pressure, Syria withdraws the last of its 14,000 troop military garrison in Lebanon, ending its 29-year military domination of that country (Syrian occupation of Lebanon).
- 2018 – American comedian Bill Cosby is found guilty of sexual assault.
Births on April 26
- 121 – Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor (d. 180)
- 757 – Hisham I of Córdoba (d. 796)
- 764 – Al-Hadi, Iranian caliph (d. 786)
- 1284 – Alice de Toeni, Countess of Warwick (d. 1324)
- 1319 – King John II of France (d. 1364)
- 1538 – Gian Paolo Lomazzo, Italian painter and academic (d. 1600)
- 1575 – Marie de’ Medici, queen of Henry IV of France (d. 1642)
- 1647 – William Ashhurst, English banker, Sheriff of London, Lord Mayor of London and politician (d. 1720)
- 1648 – Peter II of Portugal (d. 1706)
- 1697 – Adam Falckenhagen, German lute player and composer (d. 1754)
- 1710 – Thomas Reid, Scottish philosopher and academic (d. 1796)
- 1718 – Esek Hopkins, American commander (d. 1802)
- 1774 – Christian Leopold von Buch, German geologist and paleontologist (d. 1853)
- 1782 – Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily (d. 1866)
- 1785 – John James Audubon, French-American ornithologist and painter (d. 1851)
- 1787 – Ludwig Uhland, German poet, philologist, and historian (d. 1862)
- 1798 – Eugène Delacroix, French painter and lithographer (d. 1863)
- 1801 – Ambrose Dudley Mann, American politician and diplomat, 1st United States Assistant Secretary of State (d. 1889)
- 1804 – Charles Goodyear, American banker, lawyer, and politician (d. 1876)
- 1822 – Frederick Law Olmsted, American journalist and designer, co-designed Central Park (d. 1903)
- 1834 – Charles Farrar Browne, American author (d. 1867)
- 1856 – Joseph Ward, Australian-New Zealand businessman and politician, 17th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1930)
- 1862 – Edmund C. Tarbell, American painter and educator (d. 1938)
- 1876 – Ernst Felle, German rower (d. 1959)
- 1877 – James Dooley, Irish-Australian politician, 21st Premier of New South Wales (d. 1950)
- 1878 – Rafael Guízar y Valencia, Mexican bishop and saint (d. 1938)
- 1879 – Eric Campbell, British actor (d. 1917)
- 1879 – Owen Willans Richardson, English physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1959)
- 1886 – Ma Rainey, American singer (d. 1939)
- 1886 – Ğabdulla Tuqay, Russian poet and publicist (d. 1913)
- 1889 – Anita Loos, American author, playwright, and screenwriter (d. 1981)
- 1889 – Ludwig Wittgenstein, Austrian-English philosopher and academic (d. 1951)
- 1894 – Rudolf Hess, Egyptian-German politician (d. 1987)
- 1896 – Ruut Tarmo, Estonian actor and director (d. 1967)
- 1896 – Ernst Udet, German colonel and pilot (d. 1941)
- 1897 – Eddie Eagan, American boxer and bobsledder (d. 1967)
- 1897 – Douglas Sirk, German-American director and screenwriter (d. 1987)
- 1898 – Vicente Aleixandre, Spanish poet and author, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1984)
- 1898 – John Grierson, Scottish director and producer (d. 1972)
- 1899 – Oscar Rabin, Latvian-English saxophonist and bandleader (d. 1958)
- 1900 – Eva Aschoff, German bookbinder and calligrapher (d. 1969)
- 1900 – Charles Francis Richter, American seismologist and physicist (d. 1985)
- 1900 – Hack Wilson, American baseball player (d. 1948)
- 1904 – Paul-Émile Léger, Canadian cardinal (d. 1991)
- 1904 – Xenophon Zolotas, Greek economist and politician, 177th Prime Minister of Greece (d. 2004)
- 1905 – Jean Vigo, French director and screenwriter (d. 1934)
- 1907 – Ilias Tsirimokos, Greek politician, Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1968)
- 1909 – Marianne Hoppe, German actress (d. 2002)
- 1910 – Tomoyuki Tanaka, Japanese screenwriter and producer (d. 1997)
- 1911 – Paul Verner, German soldier and politician (d. 1986)
- 1912 – A. E. van Vogt, Canadian-American author (d. 2000)
- 1914 – Bernard Malamud, Jewish American novelist and short story writer (d. 1986)
- 1914 – James Rouse, American real estate developer (d. 1996)
- 1916 – Eyvind Earle, American artist, author, and illustrator (d. 2000)
- 1916 – Ken Wallis, English commander, engineer, and pilot (d. 2013)
- 1916 – Morris West, Australian author and playwright (d. 1999)
- 1917 – Sal Maglie, American baseball player and coach (d. 1992)
- 1917 – I. M. Pei, Chinese-American architect, designed the National Gallery of Art and Bank of China Tower (d. 2019)
- 1917 – Virgil Trucks, American baseball player and coach (d. 2013)
- 1918 – Fanny Blankers-Koen, Dutch sprinter and long jumper (d. 2004)
- 1921 – Jimmy Giuffre, American clarinet player, saxophonist, and composer (d. 2008)
- 1922 – J. C. Holt, English historian and academic (d. 2014)
- 1922 – Jeanne Sauvé, Canadian journalist and politician, 23rd Governor General of Canada (d. 1993)
- 1922 – Margaret Scott, South African-Australian ballerina and choreographer (d. 2019)
- 1924 – Browning Ross, American runner and soldier (d. 1998)
- 1925 – Vladimir Boltyansky, Russian mathematician, educator and author (d. 2019)
- 1925 – Gerard Cafesjian, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 2013)
- 1925 – Michele Ferrero, Italian entrepreneur (d. 2015)
- 1925 – Frank Hahn, British economist (d. 2013)
- 1926 – Michael Mathias Prechtl, German soldier and illustrator (d. 2003)
- 1927 – Jack Douglas, English actor (d. 2008)
- 1927 – Harry Gallatin, American basketball player and coach (d. 2015)
- 1927 – Granny Hamner, American baseball player (d. 1993)
- 1929 – Richard Mitchell, American author and educator (d. 2002)
- 1930 – Roger Moens, Belgian runner and sportscaster
- 1931 – Paul Almond, Canadian director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2015)
- 1931 – Bernie Brillstein, American talent agent and producer (d. 2008)
- 1931 – John Cain Jr., Australian politician, 41st Premier of Victoria (d. 2019)
- 1932 – Israr Ahmed, Indian-Pakistani theologian, philosopher, and scholar (d. 2010)
- 1932 – Shirley Cawley, English long jumper
- 1932 – Frank D’Rone, American singer and guitarist (d. 2013)
- 1932 – Francis Lai, French accordion player and composer (d. 2018)
- 1932 – Michael Smith, English-Canadian biochemist and geneticist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2000)
- 1933 – Carol Burnett, American actress, singer, and producer
- 1933 – Filiberto Ojeda Ríos, Puerto Rican-American general (d. 2005)
- 1933 – Arno Allan Penzias, German-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1935 – Patricia Reilly Giff, American author and educator
- 1937 – Jean-Pierre Beltoise, French race car driver and motorcycle racer (d. 2015)
- 1938 – Duane Eddy, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
- 1938 – Maurice Williams, American doo-wop/R&B singer-songwriter
- 1940 – Molvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari, Indian cleric and politician (d. 2014)
- 1940 – Giorgio Moroder, Italian singer-songwriter and producer
- 1940 – Cliff Watson, English rugby league player (d. 2018)
- 1941 – Claudine Auger, French model and actress (d. 2019)
- 1942 – Svyatoslav Belza, Russian journalist, author, and critic (d. 2014)
- 1942 – Sharon Carstairs, Canadian lawyer and politician, Leader of the Government in the Senate
- 1942 – Michael Kergin, Canadian diplomat, Canadian Ambassador to the United States
- 1942 – Bobby Rydell, American singer and actor
- 1942 – Jadwiga Staniszkis, Polish sociologist, political scientist, and academic
- 1943 – Gary Wright, American singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer
- 1943 – Peter Zumthor, Swiss architect and academic, designed the Therme Vals
- 1944 – Richard Bradshaw, English conductor (d. 2007)
- 1945 – Howard Davies, English director and producer (d. 2016)
- 1945 – Dick Johnson, Australian race car driver
- 1945 – Sylvain Simard, Canadian academic and politician
- 1946 – Ralph Coates, English international footballer (d. 2010)
- 1946 – Marilyn Nelson, American poet and author
- 1946 – Alberto Quintano, Chilean footballer
- 1949 – Carlos Bianchi, Argentinian footballer and manager
- 1949 – Jerry Blackwell, American wrestler (d. 1995)
- 1951 – John Battle, English politician
- 1954 – Tatyana Fomina, Estonian chess player
- 1954 – Alan Hinkes, English mountaineer and explorer
- 1955 – Kurt Bodewig, German politician
- 1956 – Koo Stark, American actress and photographer
- 1958 – John Crichton-Stuart, 7th Marquess of Bute, Scottish race car driver
- 1958 – Giancarlo Esposito, American actor, director, and producer
- 1958 – Georgios Kostikos, Greek footballer, coach, and manager
- 1959 – John Corabi, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1960 – Steve Lombardozzi, American baseball player and coach
- 1960 – Roger Taylor, English drummer
- 1961 – Joan Chen, Chinese-American actress, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1961 – Chris Mars, American artist
- 1962 – Colin Anderson, English footballer
- 1962 – Debra Wilson, American actress and comedian
- 1963 – Jet Li, Chinese-Singaporean martial artist, actor, and producer
- 1963 – Colin Scotts, Australian-American football player
- 1963 – Cornelia Ullrich, German hurdler
- 1963 – Bill Wennington, Canadian basketball player
- 1965 – Susannah Harker, English actress
- 1965 – Kevin James, American actor and comedian
- 1967 – Glenn Thomas Jacobs, American professional wrestler, actor, businessman and politician
- 1967 – Marianne Jean-Baptiste, English actress and singer-songwriter
- 1967 – Toomas Tõniste, Estonian sailor and politician
- 1970 – Dean Austin, English footballer and manager
- 1970 – Melania Trump, Slovene-American model; 47th First Lady of the United States
- 1970 – Kristen R. Ghodsee, American ethnographer and academic
- 1970 – Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress
- 1971 – Jay DeMarcus, American bass player, songwriter, and producer
- 1972 – Jason Bargwanna, Australian race car driver
- 1972 – Kiko, Spanish footballer
- 1972 – Natrone Means, American football player and coach
- 1972 – Avi Nimni, Israeli footballer and manager
- 1973 – Geoff Blum, American baseball player and sportscaster
- 1973 – Jules Naudet, French-American director and producer
- 1973 – Chris Perry, English footballer
- 1973 – Óscar García Junyent, Spanish footballer and coach
- 1975 – Joey Jordison, American musician, songwriter, record producer
- 1975 – Rahul Verma, Indian social worker and activist
- 1976 – Luigi Panarelli, Italian footballer
- 1976 – Václav Varaďa, Czech ice hockey player
- 1977 – Samantha Cristoforetti, Italian astronaut
- 1977 – Kosuke Fukudome, Japanese baseball player
- 1977 – Roxana Saberi, American journalist and author
- 1977 – Tom Welling, American actor
- 1978 – Joe Crede, American baseball player
- 1978 – Stana Katic, Canadian actress
- 1978 – Peter Madsen, Danish footballer
- 1980 – Jordana Brewster, Panamanian-American actress
- 1980 – Marlon King, English footballer
- 1980 – Anna Mucha, Polish actress and journalist
- 1980 – Channing Tatum, American actor and producer
- 1981 – Caro Emerald, Dutch pop and jazz singer
- 1981 – Ms. Dynamite, English rapper and producer
- 1981 – Sandra Schmitt, German skier (d. 2000)
- 1982 – Novlene Williams-Mills, Jamaican sprinter
- 1983 – José María López, Argentinian race car driver
- 1983 – Jessica Lynch, American soldier
- 1984 – Emily Wickersham, American actress
- 1985 – John Isner, American tennis player
- 1985 – Andrea Koch Benvenuto, Chilean tennis player
- 1986 – Lior Refaelov, Israeli footballer
- 1986 – Sean Evans, American YouTuber and producer
- 1986 – Yuliya Zaripova, Russian runner
- 1987 – Jorge Andújar Moreno, Spanish footballer
- 1988 – Ben Spina, Australian rugby league player
- 1988 – Manuel Viniegra, Mexican footballer
- 1988 – Gareth Evans, English footballer
- 1989 – Melvin Ingram, American football player
- 1990 – Mitch Rein, Australian rugby league player
- 1990 – Nevin Spence, Northern Irish rugby player (d. 2012)
- 1991 – Lazaros Fotias, Greek footballer
- 1991 – Peter Handscomb, Australian cricketer
- 1991 – Will Heard, British singer and songwriter
- 1991 – Isaac Liu, New Zealand rugby league player
- 1991 – Ignacio Lores Varela, Uruguayan footballer
- 1991 – Srdjan Pejicic, Canadian/Bosnian basketball player
- 1991 – Wojciech Pszczolarski, Polish bicycle racer
- 1992 – Aaron Judge, American baseball player
- 1994 – Daniil Kvyat, Russian race car driver
Deaths on April 26
- 499 – Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei (b. 467)
- 645 – Richarius, Frankish monk and saint (b. 560)
- 680 – Muawiyah I, Umayyad caliph (b. 602)
- 757 – Pope Stephen II (b. 715)
- 893 – Chen Jingxuan, general of the Tang Dynasty
- 962 – Adalbero I, bishop of Metz
- 1192 – Emperor Go-Shirakawa of Japan (b. 1127)
- 1366 – Simon Islip, Archbishop of Canterbury
- 1392 – Jeong Mong-ju, Korean civil minister, diplomat and scholar (b. 1338)
- 1444 – Robert Campin, Flemish painter (b. 1378)
- 1478 – Giuliano de’ Medici, Italian ruler (b. 1453)
- 1489 – Ashikaga Yoshihisa, Japanese shōgun (b. 1465)
- 1558 – Jean Fernel, French physician (b. 1497)
- 1686 – Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie, Swedish statesman and military man (b. 1622)
- 1716 – John Somers, 1st Baron Somers, English jurist and politician, Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain (b. 1651)
- 1784 – Nano Nagle, Irish nun and educator, founded the Presentation Sisters (b. 1718)
- 1789 – Petr Ivanovich Panin, Russian general (b. 1721)
- 1809 – Bernhard Schott, German music publisher (b. 1748)
- 1865 – John Wilkes Booth, American actor, assassin of Abraham Lincoln (b. 1838)
- 1881 – Ludwig Freiherr von und zu der Tann-Rathsamhausen, German general (b. 1815)
- 1895 – Eric Stenbock, Estonian-English author and poet (b. 1860)
- 1910 – Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Norwegian-French author, poet, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1832)
- 1915 – John Bunny, American actor (b. 1863)
- 1920 – Srinivasa Ramanujan, Indian mathematician and theorist (b. 1887)
- 1932 – William Lockwood, English cricketer (b. 1868)
- 1934 – Arturs Alberings, Latvian politician, former Prime Minister of Latvia (b. 1876)
- 1940 – Carl Bosch, German chemist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1874)
- 1944 – Violette Morris, French footballer, shot putter, and discus thrower (b. 1893)
- 1945 – Sigmund Rascher, German physician (b. 1909)
- 1945 – Pavlo Skoropadskyi, German-Ukrainian general and politician, Hetman of Ukraine (b. 1871)
- 1946 – James Larkin White, American miner, explorer, and park ranger (b. 1882)
- 1950 – George Murray Hulbert, American lawyer, judge, and politician (b. 1881)
- 1951 – Arnold Sommerfeld, German physicist and academic (b. 1868)
- 1956 – Edward Arnold, American actor (b. 1890)
- 1957 – Gichin Funakoshi, Japanese martial artist, founded Shotokan (b. 1868)
- 1964 – E. J. Pratt, Canadian poet and author (b. 1882)
- 1968 – John Heartfield, German illustrator and photographer (b. 1891)
- 1969 – Morihei Ueshiba, Japanese martial artist, founded aikido (b. 1883)
- 1970 – Erik Bergman, Swedish minister and author (b. 1886)
- 1970 – Gypsy Rose Lee, American actress, striptease dancer, and writer (b. 1911)
- 1973 – Irene Ryan, American actress and philanthropist (b. 1902)
- 1976 – Sidney Franklin, American bullfighter (b. 1903)
- 1976 – Sid James, South African-English actor (b. 1913)
- 1976 – Armstrong Sperry, American author and illustrator (b. 1897)
- 1980 – Cicely Courtneidge, Australian-born British actress, comedian and singer (b. 1893)
- 1981 – Jim Davis, American actor (b. 1909)
- 1984 – Count Basie, American pianist, composer, and bandleader (b. 1904)
- 1986 – Broderick Crawford, American actor (b. 1911)
- 1986 – Bessie Love, American actress (b. 1898)
- 1986 – Dechko Uzunov, Bulgarian painter (b. 1899)
- 1987 – Shankar, Indian composer and conductor (b. 1922)
- 1987 – John Silkin, English lawyer and politician, Shadow Leader of the House of Commons (b. 1923)
- 1989 – Lucille Ball, American model, actress, comedian, and producer (b. 1911)
- 1991 – Leo Arnaud, French-American composer and conductor (b. 1904)
- 1991 – Carmine Coppola, American composer and conductor (b. 1910)
- 1991 – A. B. Guthrie, Jr., American novelist and historian, (b. 1901)
- 1991 – Richard Hatfield, Canadian lawyer and politician, 26th Premier of New Brunswick (b. 1931)
- 1994 – Masutatsu Ōyama, Japanese martial artist, founded Kyokushin kaikan (b. 1923)
- 1996 – Stirling Silliphant, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1918)
- 1999 – Adrian Borland, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1957)
- 1999 – Jill Dando, English journalist and television personality (b. 1961)
- 2003 – Rosemary Brown, Jamaican-Canadian academic and politician (b. 1930)
- 2003 – Yun Hyon-seok, South Korean poet and author (b. 1984)
- 2003 – Edward Max Nicholson, Irish environmentalist, co-founded the World Wide Fund for Nature (b. 1904)
- 2004 – Hubert Selby, Jr., American author, poet, and screenwriter (b. 1928)
- 2005 – Mason Adams, American actor (b. 1919)
- 2005 – Elisabeth Domitien, Prime Minister of the Central African Republic (b. 1925)
- 2005 – Maria Schell, Austrian-Swiss actress (b. 1926)
- 2005 – Augusto Roa Bastos, Paraguayan journalist, author, and academic (b. 1917)
- 2007 – Jack Valenti, American businessman, created the MPAA film rating system (b. 1921)
- 2009 – Hans Holzer, Austrian-American paranormal investigator and author (b. 1920)
- 2010 – Mariam A. Aleem, Egyptian graphic designer and academic (b. 1930)
- 2010 – Urs Felber, Swiss engineer and businessman (b. 1942)
- 2011 – Phoebe Snow, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1950)
- 2012 – Terence Spinks, English boxer and trainer (b. 1938)
- 2013 – Jacqueline Brookes, American actress and educator (b. 1930)
- 2013 – George Jones, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1931)
- 2014 – Gerald Guralnik, American physicist and academic (b. 1936)
- 2014 – Paul Robeson, Jr., American historian and author (b. 1927)
- 2014 – DJ Rashad, American electronic musician, producer and DJ (b. 1979)
- 2015 – Jayne Meadows, American actress (b. 1919)
- 2015 – Marcel Pronovost, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1930)
- 2016 – Harry Wu, Chinese human rights activist (b. 1937)
- 2017 – Jonathan Demme, American filmmaker, producer and screenwriter (b. 1944)
Holidays and observances on April 26
- Chernobyl disaster related observances:
  
  Day of Remembrance of the Chernobyl tragedy (Belarus)
  
  Memorial Day of Radiation Accidents and Catastrophes (Russia)
- Christian feast day:
  
  Aldobrandesca (or Alda)
  
  Franca Visalta
  
  Lucidius of Verona
  
  Our Lady of Good Counsel
  
  Pope Anacletus and Marcellinus
  
  Riquier
  
  Paschasius Radbertus
  
  Peter of Rates (or of Braga)
  
  Robert Hunt (Episcopal Church (USA))
  
  Stephen of Perm, see also Old Permic Alphabet Day
  
  Trudpert
  
  April 26 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Confederate Memorial Day (Florida, United States)
- Union Day (Tanzania)
- World Intellectual Property Day
Read More April 26 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day
On This Day

April 24 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day
April 24 in History
- 1479 BC – Thutmose III ascends to the throne of Egypt, although power effectively shifts to Hatshepsut (according to the Low Chronology of the 18th dynasty).
- 1183 BC – Traditional reckoning of the Fall of Troy marking the end of the legendary Trojan War, given by chief librarian of the Library of Alexandria Erastothenes, among others.
- 1547 – Battle of Mühlberg. Duke of Alba, commanding Spanish-Imperial forces of Charles I of Spain, defeats the troops of Schmalkaldic League.
- 1558 – Mary, Queen of Scots, marries the Dauphin of France, François, at Notre Dame de Paris.
- 1704 – The first regular newspaper in British Colonial America, The Boston News-Letter, is published.
- 1800 – The United States Library of Congress is established when President John Adams signs legislation to appropriate $5,000 to purchase “such books as may be necessary for the use of Congress”.
- 1877 – Russo-Turkish War: Russian Empire declares war on Ottoman Empire.
- 1885 – American sharpshooter Annie Oakley is hired by Nate Salsbury to be a part of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West.
- 1895 – Joshua Slocum, the first person to sail single-handedly around the world, sets sail from Boston, Massachusetts aboard the sloop “Spray”.
- 1913 – The Woolworth Building, a skyscraper in New York City, is opened.
- 1914 – The Franck–Hertz experiment, a pillar of quantum mechanics, is presented to the German Physical Society.
- 1915 – The arrest of 250 Armenian intellectuals and community leaders in Istanbul marks the beginning of the Armenian Genocide.
- 1916 – Easter Rising: Irish rebels, led by Patrick Pearse and James Connolly, launch an uprising in Dublin against British rule and proclaim an Irish Republic.
- 1916 – Ernest Shackleton and five men of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition launch a lifeboat from uninhabited Elephant Island in the Southern Ocean to organise a rescue for the crew of the sunken Endurance.
- 1918 – World War I: First tank-to-tank combat, during the second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux. Three British Mark IVs meet three German A7Vs.
- 1922 – The first segment of the Imperial Wireless Chain providing wireless telegraphy between Leafield in Oxfordshire, England, and Cairo, Egypt, comes into operation.
- 1926 – The Treaty of Berlin is signed. Germany and the Soviet Union each pledge neutrality in the event of an attack on the other by a third party for the next five years.
- 1932 – Benny Rothman leads the mass trespass of Kinder Scout, leading to substantial legal reforms in the United Kingdom.
- 1933 – Nazi Germany begins its persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses by shutting down the Watch Tower Society office in Magdeburg.
- 1944 – World War II: The SBS launches a raid against the garrison of Santorini in Greece.
- 1953 – Winston Churchill is knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.
- 1955 – The Bandung Conference ends: Twenty-nine non-aligned nations of Asia and Africa finish a meeting that condemns colonialism, racism, and the Cold War.
- 1957 – Suez Crisis: The Suez Canal is reopened following the introduction of UNEF peacekeepers to the region.
- 1963 – Marriage of Princess Alexandra of Kent to Angus Ogilvy at Westminster Abbey in London.
- 1965 – Civil war breaks out in the Dominican Republic when Colonel Francisco Caamaño overthrows the triumvirate that had been in power since the coup d’état against Juan Bosch.
- 1967 – Cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov dies in Soyuz 1 when its parachute fails to open. He is the first human to die during a space mission.
- 1967 – Vietnam War: American General William Westmoreland says in a news conference that the enemy had “gained support in the United States that gives him hope that he can win politically that which he cannot win militarily”.
- 1970 – China launches Dong Fang Hong I, becoming the fifth nation to put an object into orbit using its own booster.
- 1970 – The Gambia becomes a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations, with Dawda Jawara as its first President.
- 1980 – Eight U.S. servicemen die in Operation Eagle Claw as they attempt to end the Iran hostage crisis.
- 1990 – STS-31: The Hubble Space Telescope is launched from the Space Shuttle Discovery.
- 1990 – Gruinard Island, Scotland, is officially declared free of the anthrax disease after 48 years of quarantine.
- 1993 – An IRA bomb devastates the Bishopsgate area of London.
- 1996 – In the United States, the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 is passed into law.
- 2004 – The United States lifts economic sanctions imposed on Libya 18 years previously, as a reward for its cooperation in eliminating weapons of mass destruction.
- 2005 – Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger is inaugurated as the 265th Pope of the Catholic Church taking the name Pope Benedict XVI.
- 2011 – WikiLeaks starts publishing the Guantanamo Bay files leak.
- 2013 – A building collapses near Dhaka, Bangladesh, killing 1,129 people and injuring 2,500 others.
- 2013 – Violence in Bachu County, Kashgar Prefecture, of China’s Xinjiang results in death of 21 people.
Births on April 24
- 1086 – Ramiro II of Aragon (d. 1157)
- 1492 – Sabina of Bavaria, Bavarian duchess and noblewoman (d. 1564)
- 1532 – Thomas Lucy, English politician (d. 1600)
- 1533 – William I of Orange, founding father of the Netherlands (d. 1584)
- 1538 – Guglielmo Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua (d. 1587)
- 1545 – Henry Wriothesley, 2nd Earl of Southampton, English Earl (d. 1581)
- 1562 – Xu Guangqi, Ming Dynasty Chinese politician, scholar and lay Catholic leader (d. 1633)
- 1581 – Vincent de Paul, French priest and saint (d. 1660)
- 1608 – Gaston, Duke of Orléans, third son of King Henry IV of France (d. 1660)
- 1620 – John Graunt, English demographer and statistician (d. 1674)
- 1706 – Giovanni Battista Martini, Italian pianist and composer (d. 1780)
- 1718 – Nathaniel Hone the Elder, Irish-English painter and educator (d. 1784)
- 1743 – Edmund Cartwright, English clergyman and engineer, invented the power loom (d. 1823)
- 1784 – Peter Vivian Daniel, American lawyer and jurist (d. 1860)
- 1815 – Anthony Trollope, English novelist, essayist, and short story writer (d. 1882)
- 1823 – Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada, Mexican politician, President of Mexico (d. 1889)
- 1845 – Carl Spitteler, Swiss poet and author, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1924)
- 1856 – Philippe Pétain, French general and politician, 119th Prime Minister of France (d. 1951)
- 1860 – Queen Marau, last Queen of Tahiti (d.1935)
- 1862 – Tomitaro Makino, Japanese botanist (d. 1957)
- 1868 – Sandy Herd, Scottish golfer (d. 1944)
- 1876 – Erich Raeder, German admiral (d. 1960)
- 1878 – Jean Crotti, Swiss-French painter (d. 1958)
- 1879 – Susanna Bokoyni, Hungarian-American circus performer (d. 1984)
- 1880 – Gideon Sundback, Swedish-American engineer and businessman, developed the zipper (d. 1954)
- 1880 – Josef Müller, Croatian entomologist (d. 1964)
- 1882 – Hugh Dowding, 1st Baron Dowding, Scottish-English air marshal (d. 1970)
- 1885 – Thomas Cronan, American triple jumper (d. 1962)
- 1885 – Con Walsh, Irish-Canadian hammer thrower and footballer (d. 1961)
- 1887 – Denys Finch Hatton, English hunter (d. 1931)
- 1888 – Pe Maung Tin, Burma-based scholar and educator (d. 1973)
- 1889 – Stafford Cripps, English academic and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (d. 1952)
- 1889 – Lyubov Popova, Russian painter and academic (d. 1924)
- 1897 – Manuel Ávila Camacho, Mexican colonel and politician, 45th President of Mexico (d. 1955)
- 1897 – Benjamin Lee Whorf, American linguist, anthropologist, and engineer (d. 1941)
- 1899 – Oscar Zariski, Russian-American mathematician and academic (d. 1986)
- 1900 – Elizabeth Goudge, English author and educator (d. 1984)
- 1903 – José Antonio Primo de Rivera, Spanish lawyer and politician, founded the Falange (d. 1936)
- 1904 – Willem de Kooning, Dutch-American painter and educator (d. 1997)
- 1905 – Al Bates, American long jumper (d. 1999)
- 1905 – Robert Penn Warren, American novelist, poet, and literary critic (d. 1989)
- 1906 – William Joyce, American-born Irish-British Nazi propaganda broadcaster (d. 1946)
- 1906 – Mimi Smith, English nurse (d. 1991)
- 1907 – Gabriel Figueroa, Mexican cinematographer (d. 1997)
- 1908 – Marceline Day, American actress (d. 2000)
- 1908 – Inga Gentzel, Swedish runner (d. 1991)
- 1908 – Józef Gosławski, Polish sculptor (d. 1963)
- 1912 – Ruth Osburn, American discus thrower (d. 1994)
- 1913 – Dieter Grau, German-American scientist and engineer (d. 2014)
- 1914 – William Castle, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1977)
- 1914 – Phil Watson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 1991)
- 1914 – Justin Wilson, American chef and author (d. 2001)
- 1916 – Lou Thesz, American wrestler and trainer (d. 2002)
- 1919 – David Blackwell, American mathematician and academic (d. 2010)
- 1919 – Glafcos Clerides, Cypriot lawyer and politician, 4th President of Cyprus (d. 2013)
- 1920 – Gino Valenzano, Italian race car driver (d. 2011)
- 1922 – Marc-Adélard Tremblay, Canadian anthropologist and academic (d. 2014)
- 1923 – Gus Bodnar, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2005)
- 1923 – Doris Burn, American author and illustrator (d. 2011)
- 1924 – Clement Freud, German-English radio host, academic, and politician (d. 2009)
- 1924 – Ruth Kobart, American actress and singer (d. 2002)
- 1925 – Franco Leccese, Italian sprinter (d. 1992)
- 1926 – Marilyn Erskine, American actress
- 1926 – Thorbjörn Fälldin, Swedish farmer and politician, 27th Prime Minister of Sweden (d. 2016)
- 1927 – Josy Barthel, Luxembourgian runner and politician, Luxembourgian Minister for Energy (d. 1992)
- 1928 – Tommy Docherty, Scottish footballer and manager
- 1928 – Johnny Griffin, American saxophonist (d. 2008)
- 1928 – Anahit Perikhanian, Russian-born Armenian Iranologist (d. 2012)
- 1929 – Dr. Rajkumar, Indian actor and singer (d. 2006)
- 1930 – Jerome Callet, American instrument designer, educator, and author (d. 2019)
- 1930 – Richard Donner, American actor, director, and producer
- 1930 – José Sarney, Brazilian lawyer and politician, 31st President of Brazil
- 1931 – Abdelhamid Kermali, Algerian footballer and manager (d. 2013)
- 1931 – Bridget Riley, English painter and illustrator
- 1934 – Jayakanthan, Indian journalist and author (d. 2015)
- 1934 – Shirley MacLaine, American actress, singer, and dancer
- 1936 – David Crombie, Canadian educator and politician, 56th Mayor of Toronto
- 1936 – Jill Ireland, English actress (d. 1990)
- 1937 – Joe Henderson, American saxophonist and composer (d. 2001)
- 1940 – Sue Grafton, American author (d. 2017)
- 1941 – Richard Holbrooke, American journalist, banker, and diplomat, 22nd United States Ambassador to the United Nations (d. 2010)
- 1941 – John Williams, Australian-English guitarist and composer
- 1942 – Richard M. Daley, American lawyer and politician, 54th Mayor of Chicago
- 1942 – Barbra Streisand, American singer, actress, activist, and producer
- 1943 – Richard Sterban, American country & gospel bass singer
- 1943 – Gordon West, English footballer (d. 2012)
- 1944 – Peter Cresswell, English judge
- 1944 – Maarja Nummert, Estonian architect
- 1944 – Tony Visconti, American record producer, musician and singer
- 1945 – Doug Clifford, American drummer and songwriter
- 1946 – Doug Christie, Canadian lawyer and activist (d. 2013)
- 1947 – Josep Borrell, Spanish engineer and politician, 22nd President of the European Parliament
- 1947 – João Braz de Aviz, Brazilian cardinal
- 1947 – Claude Dubois, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1947 – Denise Kingsmill, Baroness Kingsmill, New Zealand-English lawyer and politician
- 1947 – Roger D. Kornberg, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1948 – Paul Cellucci, American soldier and politician, 69th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 2013)
- 1948 – Eliana Gil, Ecuadorian-American psychiatrist, therapist, and author
- 1949 – Eddie Hart, American sprinter
- 1949 – Véronique Sanson, French singer-songwriter and producer
- 1950 – Rob Hyman, American singer-songwriter and musician
- 1951 – Ron Arad, Israeli architect and academic
- 1951 – Christian Bobin, French author and poet
- 1951 – Nigel Harrison, English bass player and songwriter
- 1951 – Enda Kenny, Irish educator and politician, 13th Taoiseach of Ireland
- 1952 – Jean Paul Gaultier, French fashion designer
- 1952 – Ralph Winter, American film producer
- 1953 – Eric Bogosian, American actor and writer
- 1954 – Mumia Abu-Jamal, American journalist, activist, and convicted murderer
- 1954 – Jack Blades, American singer-songwriter and bass player
- 1955 – Marion Caspers-Merk, German politician
- 1955 – John de Mol Jr., Dutch businessman, co-founded Endemol
- 1955 – Eamon Gilmore, Irish trade union leader and politician, 25th Tánaiste of Ireland
- 1955 – Margaret Moran, British politician and criminal
- 1955 – Guy Nève, Belgian race car driver (d. 1992)
- 1955 – Michael O’Keefe, American actor
- 1955 – Bill Osborne, New Zealand rugby player
- 1956 – James A. Winnefeld, Jr., American admiral
- 1957 – Nazir Ahmed, Baron Ahmed, Pakistani-English businessman and politician
- 1958 – Brian Paddick, English police officer and politician
- 1959 – Paula Yates, British-Australian television host and author (d. 2000)
- 1961 – Andrew Murrison, English physician and politician, Minister for International Security Strategy
- 1962 – Clemens Binninger, German politician
- 1962 – Stuart Pearce, English footballer, coach, and manager
- 1962 – Steve Roach, Australian rugby league player, coach, and sportscaster
- 1963 – Paula Frazer, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1963 – Billy Gould, American bass player, songwriter, and producer
- 1963 – Mano Solo, French singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 2010)
- 1964 – Helga Arendt, German sprinter (d. 2013)
- 1964 – Cedric the Entertainer, American comedian, actor, and producer
- 1964 – Djimon Hounsou, Beninese-American actor and producer
- 1964 – Witold Smorawiński, Polish guitarist, composer, and educator
- 1965 – Jeff Jackson, Canadian ice hockey player and manager
- 1966 – Pierre Brassard, Canadian comedian and actor
- 1966 – Alessandro Costacurta, Italian footballer, coach, and manager
- 1966 – David Usher, English-Canadian singer-songwriter
- 1967 – Dino Rađa, Croatian basketball player
- 1967 – Omar Vizquel, Venezuelan-American baseball player and coach
- 1968 – Aidan Gillen, Irish actor
- 1968 – Todd Jones, American baseball player
- 1968 – Roxanna Panufnik, English composer
- 1968 – Hashim Thaçi, Kosovan soldier and politician, 5th Prime Minister of Kosovo
- 1969 – Elias Atmatsidis, Greek footballer
- 1969 – Rory McCann, Scottish actor
- 1969 – Eilidh Whiteford, Scottish academic and politician
- 1970 – Damien Fleming, Australian cricketer, coach, and sportscaster
- 1971 – Kumar Dharmasena, Sri Lankan cricketer and umpire
- 1971 – Mauro Pawlowski, Belgian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1972 – Rab Douglas, Scottish footballer
- 1972 – Chipper Jones, American baseball player
- 1972 – Jure Košir, Slovenian skier and singer
- 1973 – Gabby Logan, English gymnast, television and radio host
- 1973 – Damon Lindelof, American screenwriter and producer
- 1973 – Brian Marshall, American bass player and songwriter
- 1973 – Eric Snow, American basketball player and coach
- 1973 – Sachin Tendulkar, Indian cricketer
- 1973 – Toomas Tohver, Estonian footballer
- 1973 – Lee Westwood, English golfer
- 1974 – Eric Kripke, American director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1974 – Stephen Wiltshire, English illustrator
- 1975 – Dejan Savić, Yugoslavian and Serbian water polo player
- 1976 – Steve Finnan, Irish international footballer
- 1976 – Frédéric Niemeyer, Canadian tennis player and coach
- 1977 – Carlos Beltrán, Puerto Rican-American baseball player
- 1977 – Diego Placente, Argentine footballer
- 1978 – Diego Quintana, Argentine footballer
- 1980 – Fernando Arce, Mexican footballer
- 1980 – Karen Asrian, Armenian chess player (d. 2008)
- 1981 – Taylor Dent, American tennis player
- 1981 – Yuko Nakanishi, Japanese swimmer
- 1982 – Kelly Clarkson, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
- 1982 – David Oliver, American hurdler
- 1982 – Simon Tischer, German volleyball player
- 1983 – Hanna Melnychenko, Ukrainian heptathlete
- 1985 – Mike Rodgers, American sprinter
- 1986 – Aaron Cunningham, American baseball player
- 1987 – Ben Howard, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1987 – Kris Letang, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1987 – Rein Taaramäe, Estonian cyclist
- 1987 – Jan Vertonghen, Belgian international footballer
- 1987 – Varun Dhawan, Indian actor
- 1989 – Elīna Babkina, Latvian basketball player
- 1989 – David Boudia, American diver
- 1989 – Taja Mohorčič, Slovenian tennis player
- 1990 – Kim Tae-ri, South Korean actress
- 1990 – Jan Veselý, Czech basketball player
- 1991 – Sigrid Agren, French-Swedish model
- 1991 – Morgan Ciprès, French figure skater
- 1991 – Batuhan Karadeniz, Turkish footballer
- 1992 – Joe Keery, American actor
- 1992 – Laura Kenny, English cyclist
- 1993 – Ben Davies, Welsh international footballer
- 1994 – Jordan Fisher, American singer, dancer, and actor
- 1994 – Caspar Lee, British-South African Youtuber
- 1996 – Ashleigh Barty, Australian tennis player
- 1997 – Lydia Ko, New Zealand golfer
- 1997 – Veronika Kudermetova, Russian tennis player
- 1998 – Ryan Newman, American actress
- 1999 – Jerry Jeudy, American football player
Deaths on April 24
- 624 – Mellitus, saint, and archbishop of Canterbury
- 1149 – Petronille de Chemillé, abbess of Fontevrault
- 1288 – Gertrude of Austria (b. 1226)
- 1338 – Theodore I, Marquess of Montferrat (b. 1291)
- 1479 – Jorge Manrique, Spanish poet (b. 1440)
- 1513 – Şehzade Ahmet, Ottoman prince (b. 1465)
- 1617 – Concino Concini, Italian-French politician, Prime Minister of France (b. 1575)
- 1622 – Fidelis of Sigmaringen, German friar and saint (b. 1577)
- 1656 – Thomas Fincke, Danish mathematician and physicist (b. 1561)
- 1731 – Daniel Defoe, English journalist, novelist, and spy (b. 1660)
- 1748 – Anton thor Helle, German-Estonian clergyman and translator (b. 1683)
- 1779 – Eleazar Wheelock, American minister and academic, founded Dartmouth College (b. 1711)
- 1794 – Axel von Fersen the Elder, Swedish field marshal and politician (b. 1719)
- 1852 – Vasily Zhukovsky, Russian poet and translator (b. 1783)
- 1889 – Zulma Carraud, French author (b. 1796)
- 1891 – Helmuth von Moltke the Elder, German field marshal (b. 1800)
- 1924 – G. Stanley Hall, American psychologist and academic (b. 1844)
- 1931 – David Kldiashvili, Georgian author and playwright (b. 1862)
- 1935 – Anastasios Papoulas, Greek general (b. 1857)
- 1938 – George Grey Barnard, American sculptor (b. 1863)
- 1939 – Louis Trousselier, French cyclist (b. 1881)
- 1941 – Karin Boye, Swedish author and poet (b. 1900)
- 1942 – Lucy Maud Montgomery, Canadian author (b. 1874)
- 1944 – Charles Jordan, American magician (b. 1888)
- 1945 – Ernst-Robert Grawitz, German physician (b. 1899)
- 1947 – Hans Biebow, German SS officer (b. 1902)
- 1947 – Willa Cather, American novelist, short story writer, and poet (b. 1873)
- 1948 – Jāzeps Vītols, Latvian composer (b. 1863)
- 1954 – Guy Mairesse, French race car driver (b. 1910)
- 1960 – Max von Laue, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1879)
- 1961 – Lee Moran, American actor, director and screenwriter (b. 1888)
- 1962 – Milt Franklyn, American composer (b. 1897)
- 1964 – Gerhard Domagk, German pathologist and bacteriologist (b. 1895)
- 1965 – Louise Dresser, American actress (b. 1878)
- 1966 – Simon Chikovani, Georgian poet and author (b. 1902)
- 1967 – Vladimir Komarov, Russian pilot, engineer, and astronaut (b. 1927)
- 1967 – Robert Richards, Australian politician, 32nd Premier of South Australia (b. 1885)
- 1968 – Walter Tewksbury, American athlete (b. 1876)
- 1970 – Otis Spann, American singer and pianist (b. 1930)
- 1972 – Fernando Amorsolo, Filipino painter (b. 1892)
- 1974 – Bud Abbott, American comedian and producer (b. 1895)
- 1975 – Pete Ham, Welsh singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1947)
- 1976 – Mark Tobey, American-Swiss painter and educator (b. 1890)
- 1980 – Alejo Carpentier, Swiss-Cuban musicologist and author (b. 1904)
- 1982 – Ville Ritola, Finnish runner (b. 1896)
- 1983 – Erol Güngör, Turkish sociologist, psychologist, and academic (b. 1938)
- 1983 – Rolf Stommelen, German race car driver (b. 1943)
- 1984 – Rafael Pérez y Pérez, Spanish author (b. 1891)
- 1993 – Oliver Tambo, South African lawyer and activist (b. 1917)
- 1993 – Tran Duc Thao, Vietnamese philosopher and theorist (b. 1917)
- 1995 – Lodewijk Bruckman, Dutch painter (b. 1903)
- 1997 – Allan Francovich, American director and producer (b. 1941)
- 1997 – Pat Paulsen, American comedian and activist (b. 1927)
- 1997 – Eugene Stoner, American engineer, designed the AR-15 rifle (b. 1922)
- 2001 – Josef Peters, German race car driver (b. 1914)
- 2001 – Johnny Valentine, American wrestler (b. 1928)
- 2002 – Lucien Wercollier, Luxembourgian sculptor (b. 1908)
- 2004 – José Giovanni, French-Swiss director and producer (b. 1923)
- 2004 – Estée Lauder, American businesswoman, co-founded Estée Lauder Companies (b. 1906)
- 2005 – Ezer Weizman, Israeli general and politician, 7th President of Israel (b. 1924)
- 2005 – Fei Xiaotong, Chinese sociologist and academic (b. 1910)
- 2006 – Brian Labone, English footballer (b. 1940)
- 2006 – Moshe Teitelbaum, Romanian-American rabbi and author (b. 1914)
- 2008 – Jimmy Giuffre, American clarinet player, and saxophonist, and composer (b. 1921)
- 2011 – Sathya Sai Baba, Indian guru and philanthropist (b. 1926)
- 2014 – Hans Hollein, Austrian architect, designed Haas House (b. 1934)
- 2014 – Sandy Jardine, Scottish footballer and manager (b. 1948)
- 2014 – Shobha Nagi Reddy, Indian politician (b. 1968)
- 2014 – Tadeusz Różewicz, Polish poet and playwright (b. 1921)
- 2015 – Władysław Bartoszewski, Polish journalist and politician, Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1922)
- 2016 – Tommy Kono, American weightlifter and coach (b. 1930)
- 2017 – Robert Pirsig, American author and philosopher (b. 1928)
Holidays and observances on April 24
- Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day (Armenia, France)
- Christian feast day:
  
  Benedict Menni
  
  Dermot of Armagh
  
  Dyfnan of Anglesey
  
  Ecgberht of Ripon
  
  Fidelis of Sigmaringen
  
  Gregory of Elvira
  
  Ivo of Ramsey
  
  Johann Walter (Lutheran)
  
  Mary of Clopas
  
  Mary Euphrasia Pelletier
  
  Mellitus
  
  Peter of Saint Joseph de Betancur
  
  Salome (disciple)
  
  Wilfrid (Church of England)
  
  William Firmatus
  
  April 24 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Concord Day (Niger)
- Democracy Day (Nepal)
- Earliest day on which Arbor Day can fall, while April 30 is the latest; celebrated on the last Friday in April. (United States)
- Earliest day on which Turkmen Racing Horse Festival can fall, while April 30 is the latest; celebrated on the last Sunday in April. (Turkmenistan)
- Fashion Revolution Day, and its related observances:
  
  Labour Safety Day (Bangladesh, proposed)
- Kapyong Day (Australia, Canada)
- National Panchayati Raj Day (India)
- St Mark’s Eve
- Republic Day (The Gambia)
- World Day for Laboratory Animals
Read More April 24 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day