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

On This Day / admin

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

Births on May 27

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

Deaths on May 27

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

Holidays and observances on May 27

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

May 27 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

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

On This Day / admin

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

Births on May 24

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

Deaths on May 24

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

Holidays and observances on May 24

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

May 24 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

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

On This Day / admin

1395 – Battle of Rovine: The Wallachians defeat an invading Ottoman army.
1536 – George Boleyn, 2nd Viscount Rochford and four other men are executed for treason.
1536 – Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn’s marriage is annulled.
1590 – Anne of Denmark is crowned Queen of Scotland.
1642 – Paul de Chomedey, Sieur de Maisonneuve (1612–1676) founds the Ville Marie de Montréal.
1673 – Louis Jolliet and Jacques Marquette begin exploring the Mississippi River.
1792 – The New York Stock Exchange is formed under the Buttonwood Agreement.
1805 – Muhammad Ali becomes Wāli of Egypt.
1809 – Emperor Napoleon I orders the annexation of the Papal States to the French Empire.
1814 – Occupation of Monaco changes from French to Austrian.
1814 – The Constitution of Norway is signed and Crown Prince Christian Frederick of Denmark is elected King of Norway by the Norwegian Constituent Assembly.
1859 – Members of the Melbourne Football Club codified the first rules of Australian rules football.
1863 – Rosalía de Castro publishes Cantares Gallegos, the first book in the Galician language.
1865 – The International Telegraph Union (later the International Telecommunication Union) is established in Paris.
1875 – Aristides wins the first Kentucky Derby with the jockey Oliver Lewis (2:37.75)
1900 – Second Boer War: British troops relieve Mafeking.
1900 – The children’s novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum, is first published in the United States. The first copy is given to the author’s sister.
1902 – Greek archaeologist Valerios Stais discovers the Antikythera mechanism, an ancient mechanical analog computer.
1914 – The Protocol of Corfu is signed, recognising full autonomy to Northern Epirus under nominal Albanian sovereignty.
1915 – The last British Liberal Party government (led by H. H. Asquith) falls.
1933 – Vidkun Quisling and Johan Bernhard Hjort form Nasjonal Samling — the national-socialist party of Norway.
1939 – The Columbia Lions and the Princeton Tigers play in the United States’ first televised sporting event, a collegiate baseball game in New York City.
1940 – World War II: Germany occupies Brussels, Belgium.
1943 – World War II: Dambuster Raids commence by No. 617 Squadron RAF.
1954 – The United States Supreme Court hands down a unanimous decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, outlawing racial segregation in public schools.
1967 – Six-Day War: President Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt demands dismantling of the peace-keeping UN Emergency Force in Egypt.
1969 – Venera program: Soviet Venera 6 begins its descent into the atmosphere of Venus, sending back atmospheric data before being crushed by pressure.
1973 – Watergate scandal: Televised hearings begin in the United States Senate.
1974 – The Troubles: Thirty-three civilians are killed and 300 injured when the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) detonates four car bombs in Dublin and Monaghan, Republic of Ireland.
1974 – Police in Los Angeles raid the Symbionese Liberation Army’s headquarters, killing six members, including Camilla Hall.
1977 – Nolan Bushnell opened the first Chuck E. Cheese’s in San Jose, California.
1980 – General Chun Doo-hwan of South Korea seizes control of the government and declares martial law in order to suppress student demonstrations.
1980 – On the eve of presidential elections, Maoist guerrilla group Shining Path attacks a polling location in Chuschi (a town in Ayacucho), starting the Internal conflict in Peru.
1983 – The U.S. Department of Energy declassifies documents showing world’s largest mercury pollution event in Oak Ridge, Tennessee (ultimately found to be 4.2 million pounds , in response to the Appalachian Observer’s Freedom of Information Act request.
1983 – Lebanon, Israel, and the United States sign an agreement on Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon.
1984 – Prince Charles calls a proposed addition to the National Gallery, London, a “monstrous carbuncle on the face of a much-loved and elegant friend”, sparking controversies on the proper role of the Royal Family and the course of modern architecture.
1987 – Iran–Iraq War: An Iraqi Dassault Mirage F1 fighter jet fires two missiles into the U.S. Navy warship USS Stark, killing 37 and injuring 21 of her crew.
1990 – The General Assembly of the World Health Organization (WHO) eliminates homosexuality from the list of psychiatric diseases.
1992 – Three days of popular protests against the government of Prime Minister of Thailand Suchinda Kraprayoon begin in Bangkok, leading to a military crackdown that results in 52 officially confirmed deaths, hundreds of injuries, many disappearances, and more than 3,500 arrests.
1994 – Malawi holds its first multi-party elections.
1995 – Shawn Nelson steals an M60 tank from the California Army National Guard Armory in San Diego and proceeds to go on a rampage.
1997 – Troops of Laurent Kabila march into Kinshasa. Zaire is officially renamed Democratic Republic of the Congo.
2000 – Arsenal and Galatasaray fans clash in the 2000 UEFA Cup Final riots in Copenhagen
2004 – The first legal same-sex marriages in the U.S. are performed in the state of Massachusetts.
2006 – The aircraft carrier USS Oriskany is sunk in the Gulf of Mexico as an artificial reef.
2007 – Trains from North and South Korea cross the 38th Parallel in a test-run agreed by both governments. This is the first time that trains have crossed the Demilitarized Zone since 1953.
2014 – A plane crash in northern Laos kills 17 people.

Births on May 17

1155 – Jien, Japanese monk, poet, and historian (d. 1225)
1443 – Edmund, Earl of Rutland (d. 1460)
1451 – Engelbert II of Nassau, Count of Nassau-Vianden and Lord of Breda (1475–1504) (d. 1504)
1490 – Albert, Duke of Prussia, last Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights (d. 1568)
1500 – Federico II Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua (d. 1540)
1551 – Martin Delrio, Belgian occultist and theologian (d. 1601)
1568 – Anna Vasa of Sweden, Swedish princess (d. 1625)
1610 – Stefano della Bella, Italian engraver and etcher (d. 1664)
1628 – Ferdinand Charles, Archduke of Austria (d. 1662)
1636 – Edward Colman, English Catholic courtier under Charles II (d. 1678)
1682 – Bartholomew Roberts, Welsh pirate (d. 1722)
1698 – Gio Nicola Buhagiar, Maltese painter (d. 1752)
1706 – Andreas Felix von Oefele, German historian and librarian (d. 1780)
1718 – Robert Darcy, 4th Earl of Holderness, English politician and diplomat, Secretary of State for the Southern Department (d. 1778)
1732 – Francesco Pasquale Ricci, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1817)
1743 – Seth Warner, American colonel (d. 1784)
1749 – Edward Jenner, English physician and microbiologist (d. 1823)
1758 – Sir John St Aubyn, 5th Baronet, English politician (d. 1839)
1768 – Caroline of Brunswick (d. 1821)
1768 – Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (d. 1854)
1794 – Anna Brownell Jameson, Irish-English author (d. 1860)
1818 – Ezra Otis Kendall, American professor, astronomer and mathematician (d. 1899)
1821 – Sebastian Kneipp, German priest and therapist (d. 1897)
1835 – Thomas McIlwraith, Scottish-Australian politician, 8th Premier of Queensland (d. 1900)
1836 – Virginie Loveling, Belgian author and poet (d. 1923)
1836 – Wilhelm Steinitz, Austrian-American chess player (d. 1900)
1845 – Jacint Verdaguer, Catalan priest and poet (d. 1902)
1860 – Martin Kukučín, Slovak author and playwright (d. 1928)
1860 – Charlotte Barnum, American mathematician and social activist (d. 1934)
1863 – Léon Gérin, Canadian lawyer, sociologist, and civil servant (d. 1951)
1864 – Louis Richardet, Swiss target shooter (d. 1923)
1864 – Ante Trumbić, Croatian lawyer and politician, 27th Mayor of Split (d. 1938)
1866 – Erik Satie, French pianist and composer (d. 1925)
1868 – Horace Elgin Dodge, American businessman, co-founded Dodge (d. 1920)
1868 – Panagis Tsaldaris, Greek politician, Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1936)
1870 – Newton Moore, Australian politician, 8th Premier of Western Australia (d. 1936)
1873 – Henri Barbusse, French author and journalist (d. 1935)
1873 – Dorothy Richardson, English author and journalist (d. 1957)
1874 – George Sheldon, American diver (d. 1907)
1882 – Karl Burman, Estonian architect and painter (d. 1965)
1886 – Alfonso XIII of Spain, Spanish monarch (d. 1941)
1888 – Tich Freeman, English cricketer (d. 1965)
1889 – Dorothy Gibson, American actress and singer (d. 1946)
1889 – Alfonso Reyes, Mexican author (d. 1959)
1891 – Napoleon Zervas, Greek general and politician (d. 1957)
1893 – Frederick McKinley Jones, American inventor and entrepreneur (d. 1961)
1895 – Saul Adler, Belarusian-English captain and parasitologist (d. 1966)
1895 – Reinhold Saulmann, Estonian sprinter and bandy player (d. 1936)
1897 – Odd Hassel, Norwegian chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1981)
1898 – A. J. Casson, Canadian painter (d. 1992)
1899 – Carmen de Icaza, Spanish writer (d. 1979)
1901 – Werner Egk, German pianist and composer (d. 1983)
1903 – Cool Papa Bell, American baseball player and manager (d. 1991)
1904 – Marie-Anne Desmarest, French author (d. 1973)
1906 – Zinka Milanov, Croatian-American soprano and educator (d. 1989)
1909 – Julius Sumner Miller, American physicist and academic (d. 1987)
1911 – Lisa Fonssagrives, Swedish-American model (d. 1992)
1911 – Maureen O’Sullivan, Irish-American actress (d. 1998)
1912 – Archibald Cox, American lawyer and politician, 31st United States Solicitor General (d. 2004)
1912 – Ace Parker, American baseball and football player (d. 2013)
1912 – Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner, American inventor (d. 2006)
1913 – Hans Ruesch, Swiss racing driver and author (d. 2007)
1914 – Robert N. Thompson, American-Canadian chiropractor and politician (d. 1997)
1918 – Joan Benham, English actress (d. 1981)
1918 – Birgit Nilsson, Swedish operatic soprano (d. 2005)
1919 – Antonio Aguilar, Mexican singer-songwriter, producer, actor, and screenwriter (d. 2007)
1919 – Merle Miller, American author and screenwriter (d. 1986)
1919 – Gustav Naan, Russian-Estonian physicist and philosopher (d. 1994)
1920 – Harry Männil, Estonian-Venezuelan businessman, co-founded ACO Group (d. 2010)
1921 – Dennis Brain, English composer (d. 1957)
1921 – Bob Merrill, American composer and screenwriter (d. 1998)
1922 – Jean Rédélé, French racing driver, founded Alpine (d. 2007)
1923 – Michael Beetham, English commander and pilot (d. 2015)
1924 – Roy Bentley, English footballer (d. 2018)
1924 – Francis Tombs, Baron Tombs, English engineer and politician (d. 2020)
1926 – David Ogilvy, 13th Earl of Airlie, English-Scottish soldier and politician
1926 – Dietmar Schönherr, Austrian-Spanish actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2014)
1926 – Franz Sondheimer, German-English chemist and academic (d. 1981)
1929 – Branko Zebec, Yugoslav football player and coach (d. 1988)
1931 – Marshall Applewhite, American cult leader, founded Heaven’s Gate (d. 1997)
1931 – Dewey Redman, American saxophonist (d. 2006)
1932 – Rodric Braithwaite, English soldier and diplomat, British Ambassador to Russia
1932 – Peter Burge, Australian cricketer (d. 2001)
1933 – Yelena Gorchakova, Russian javelin thrower (d. 2002)
1934 – Friedrich-Wilhelm Kiel, German educator and politician
1934 – Earl Morrall, American football player and coach (d. 2014)
1934 – Ronald Wayne, American computer scientist, co-founded Apple Inc.
1935 – Dennis Potter, English voice actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1994)
1936 – Dennis Hopper, American actor and director (d. 2010)
1937 – Hazel R. O’Leary, American lawyer and politician, 7th United States Secretary of Energy
1938 – Jason Bernard, American actor (d. 1996)
1938 – Marcia Freedman, Israeli activist
1938 – Pervis Jackson, American R&B bass singer (d. 2008)
1939 – Hugh Dykes, Baron Dykes, English politician
1939 – Gary Paulsen, American author
1940 – Alan Kay, American computer scientist and academic
1940 – Reynato Puno, Filipino lawyer and jurist, 22nd Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
1941 – David Cope, American composer and author
1941 – Ben Nelson, American lawyer and politician, 37th Governor of Nebraska
1942 – Taj Mahal, American blues singer-songwriter and musician
1943 – Sirajuddin of Perlis, Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia
1943 – Johnny Warren, Australian footballer, coach, and sportscaster (d. 2004)
1944 – Jesse Winchester, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 2014)
1945 – B.S. Chandrasekhar, Indian cricketer
1945 – Tony Roche, Australian tennis player and coach
1946 – Udo Lindenberg, German singer-songwriter and drummer
1947 – Stephen Platten, English bishop
1948 – Dick Gaughan, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist
1949 – Bill Bruford, English drummer, songwriter, and producer
1949 – Keith, American pop singer
1950 – Howard Ashman, American playwright and composer (d. 1991)
1950 – Keith Bradley, Baron Bradley, English accountant and politician
1950 – Janez Drnovšek, Slovenian economist and politician, 2nd President of Slovenia (d. 2008)
1950 – Alan Johnson, English politician, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
1950 – Valeriya Novodvorskaya, Russian journalist and politician (d. 2014)
1951 – Simon Hughes, English lawyer and politician
1952 – Howard Hampton, Canadian lawyer and politician
1954 – Michael Roberts, South African-English jockey
1955 – Bill Paxton, American actor and director (d. 2017)
1955 – David Townsend, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2005)
1956 – Sugar Ray Leonard, American boxer
1956 – Annise Parker, American politician
1956 – Bob Saget, American comedian, actor, and television host
1956 – Dave Sim, Canadian cartoonist and author
1957 – Pascual Pérez, Dominican baseball player (d. 2012)
1958 – Paul Di’Anno, English rock singer-songwriter
1959 – Marcelo Loffreda, Argentine rugby player and coach
1960 – Lou DiBella, American boxing promoter, actor, and producer
1960 – Simon Fuller, English talent manager and producer, created the Idols series
1961 – Enya, Irish singer-songwriter and producer
1961 – Jamil Azzaoui, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
1961 – Justin King, English businessman
1962 – Lise Lyng Falkenberg, Danish journalist and author
1962 – Andrew Farrar, Australian rugby league player and coach
1962 – Craig Ferguson, Scottish-American comedian, actor, and talk show host
1962 – Jane Moore, English journalist and author
1962 – Rosalind Picard, American computer scientist and engineer, co-founded Affectiva
1963 – Jon Koncak, American basketball player
1963 – Page McConnell, American keyboard player and songwriter
1964 – Stratos Apostolakis, Greek footballer and coach
1964 – Mauro Martini, Italian race car driver
1964 – Menno Oosting, Dutch tennis player (d. 1999)
1965 – Trent Reznor, American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer
1965 – Jeremy Vine, English journalist and author
1966 – Qusay Hussein, Iraqi soldier and politician (d. 2003)
1966 – Mark Kratzmann, Australian tennis player and coach
1966 – Danny Manning, American basketball player and coach
1966 – Gilles Quénéhervé, French sprinter
1967 – Nancy Benoit, American professional wrestling valet and model (d. 2007)
1967 – Mohamed Nasheed, Maldivian lawyer and politician 4th President of the Maldives
1967 – Patrick Ortlieb, Austrian skier
1968 – Dave Abbruzzese, American rock drummer and songwriter
1969 – Keith Hill, English footballer and manager
1970 – Hubert Davis, American basketball player and coach
1970 – Jordan Knight, American singer-songwriter and actor
1970 – Matt Lindland, American mixed martial artist, wrestler, and politician
1970 – Jodie Rogers, Australian diver
1970 – René Vilbre, Estonian director and screenwriter
1971 – Mark Connors, Australian rugby player
1971 – Shaun Hart, Australian footballer, coach, and sportscaster
1971 – Stella Jongmans, Dutch athlete
1971 – Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, Dutch royal
1971 – Gina Raimondo, Governor of Rhode Island
1972 – Barry Hayles, English born Jamaican international footballer
1973 – Josh Homme, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
1974 – Andrea Corr, Irish singer-songwriter, pianist, and actress
1974 – Wiki González, Venezuelan baseball player
1974 – Eddie Lewis, American international soccer player
1975 – Marcelinho Paraíba, Brazilian footballer
1975 – Alex Wright, German wrestler
1976 – Kandi Burruss, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
1976 – Shayne Dunley, Australian rugby league player
1976 – José Guillén, Dominican-American baseball player
1976 – Daniel Komen, Kenyan runner
1976 – Wang Leehom, American-Taiwanese singer-songwriter, producer, actor, and director
1976 – Mayte Martínez, Spanish runner
1976 – Kirsten Vlieghuis, Dutch freestyle swimmer
1978 – John Foster, American baseball player and coach
1978 – Paddy Kenny, English footballer
1978 – Carlos Peña, Dominican-American baseball player
1978 – Magdalena Zděnovcová, Czech tennis player
1979 – David Jarolím, Czech footballer
1979 – Wayne Thomas, English footballer
1980 – Davor Džalto, Bosnian historian and philosopher
1980 – Fredrik Kessiakoff, Swedish cyclist
1980 – Alistair Overeem, Dutch mixed martial artist and kickboxer
1980 – Ariën van Weesenbeek, Dutch drummer
1981 – Beñat Albizuri, Spanish cyclist
1981 – Leon Osman, English footballer
1981 – Lim Jeong-hee, South Korean singer
1981 – Chris Skidmore, English historian and politician
1981 – Giannis Taralidis, Greek footballer
1982 – Matt Cassel, American football player
1982 – Dan Hardy, English mixed martial artist
1982 – Reiko Nakamura, Japanese swimmer
1982 – Tony Parker, French-American basketball player
1982 – Chloe Smith, English politician
1983 – Channing Frye, American basketball player
1983 – Chris Henry, American football player (d. 2009)
1983 – Nicky Hofs, Dutch footballer
1983 – Kevin Kingston, Australian rugby league player
1983 – Jeremy Sowers, American baseball player
1984 – Christian Bolaños, Costa Rican footballer
1984 – Christine Ohuruogu, English runner
1984 – Christine Robinson, Canadian water polo player
1984 – Passenger, English singer-songwriter and musician
1985 – Teófilo Gutiérrez, Colombian footballer
1985 – Derek Hough, American actor, singer, and dancer
1985 – Christine Nesbitt, Canadian speed skater
1985 – Todd Redmond, American baseball player
1985 – Matt Ryan, American football player
1986 – Marius Činikas, Lithuanian footballer
1986 – Timo Simonlatser, Estonian skier
1986 – Jodie Taylor, English footballer
1987 – Edvald Boasson Hagen, Norwegian cyclist
1987 – Aleandro Rosi, Italian footballer
1988 – Nikki Reed, American actress, singer, and screenwriter
1988 – Jennison Myrie-Williams, English footballer
1989 – Mose Masoe, New Zealand rugby league player
1989 – Rain Raadik, Estonian basketball player
1989 – Tessa Virtue, Canadian ice dancer
1990 – Fabian Giefer, German footballer
1990 – Charlie Gubb, New Zealand rugby league player
1990 – Katrina Hart, English runner
1990 – Guido Pella, Argentine tennis player
1991 – Johanna Konta, Australian-English tennis player
1991 – Adil Omar, Pakistani rapper and music producer
1991 – Abigail Raye, Canadian field hockey player

Deaths on May 17

528 – Empress Dowager Hu of Northern Wei
528 – Yuan Yong, imperial prince of Northern Wei
528 – Yuan Zhao, emperor of Northern Wei (b. 526)
896 – Liu Jianfeng, Chinese warlord
924 – Li Maozhen, Chinese warlord and king (b. 856)
946 – Al-Qa’im bi-Amr Allah, Fatimid caliph (b. 893)
1299 – Daumantas of Pskov, Lithuanian prince (b. c. 1240)
1336 – Go-Fushimi, emperor of Japan (b. 1288)
1365 – Louis II, Elector of Brandenburg (b. 1328)
1395 – Konstantin Dejanović/Constantine Dragaš, Serbian ruler (b. 1355)
1464 – Thomas de Ros, 9th Baron de Ros, English politician (b. 1427)
1510 – Sandro Botticelli, Italian painter (b. 1445)
1521 – Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, Welsh politician, Lord High Constable of England (b. 1478)
1536 – George Boleyn, 2nd Viscount Rochford, English courtier and diplomat, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports (b. 1504)
1536 – William Brereton, English courtier (b. 1487)
1536 – Henry Norris, English courtier (b. 1482)
1546 – Philipp von Hutten, German explorer (b. 1511)
1551 – Shin Saimdang, South Korean poet and calligraphist (b. 1504)
1558 – Francisco de Sá de Miranda, Portuguese poet (b. 1485)
1575 – Matthew Parker, English archbishop and academic (b. 1504)
1606 – False Dmitriy I, pretender to the Russian throne (b. 1582)
1607 – Anna d’Este, French princess (b. 1531)
1626 – Joan Pau Pujol, Catalan organist and composer (b. 1570)
1643 – Giovanni Picchi, Italian organist and composer (b. 1571)
1727 – Catherine I of Russia (b. 1684)
1729 – Samuel Clarke, English clergyman and philosopher (b. 1675)
1765 – Alexis Clairaut, French mathematician, astronomer, and geophysicist (b. 1713)
1797 – Michel-Jean Sedaine, French playwright and composer (b. 1719)
1801 – William Heberden, English physician and scholar (b. 1710)
1807 – John Gunby, American general (b. 1745)
1809 – Leopold Auenbrugger, Austrian physician (b. 1722)
1822 – Armand-Emmanuel de Vignerot du Plessis, Duc de Richelieu, French general and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of France (b. 1766)
1829 – John Jay, American politician and diplomat, 1st Chief Justice of the United States (b. 1745)
1838 – René Caillié, French explorer and author (b. 1799)
1838 – Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, French bishop and politician, Prime Minister of France (b. 1754)
1839 – Archibald Alison, Scottish priest and author (b. 1757)
1868 – Kondō Isami, Japanese commander (b. 1834)
1875 – John C. Breckinridge, American lawyer and politician, 14th Vice President of the United States, Confederate States general (b. 1821)
1879 – Asa Packer, American businessman, founded Lehigh University (b. 1805)
1880 – Ziya Pasha, Greek author and translator (b. 1826)
1886 – John Deere, American blacksmith and businessman, founded the Deere & Company (b. 1804)
1888 – Giacomo Zanella, Italian priest and poet (b. 1820)
1911 – Frederick August Otto Schwarz, German-American businessman, founded FAO Schwarz (b. 1836)
1916 – Boris Borisovich Golitsyn, Russian physicist and seismologist (b. 1862)
1917 – Clara Ayres, American nurse (b. 1880)
1917 – Charles Brooke, Rajah of Sarawak (b. 1829)
1919 – Guido von List, Austrian-German journalist, author, and poet (b. 1848)
1921 – Karl Mantzius, Danish actor and director (b. 1860)
1922 – Dorothy Levitt, English racing driver and journalist (b. 1882)
1927 – Harold Geiger, American pilot and lieutenant (b. 1884)
1934 – Cass Gilbert, American architect (b. 1859)
1935 – Paul Dukas, French composer, critic, and educator (b. 1865)
1936 – Panagis Tsaldaris, Greek lawyer and politician, 124th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1868)
1938 – Jakob Ehrlich, Czech-Austrian academic and politician (b. 1877)
1943 – Johanna Elberskirchen, German author and activist (b. 1864)
1947 – George Forbes, New Zealand farmer and politician, 22nd Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1869)
1951 – William Birdwood, Anglo-Indian field marshal (b. 1865)
1960 – Jules Supervielle, Uruguayan-French poet and author (b. 1884)
1963 – John Wilce, American football player, coach, and physician (b. 1888)
1964 – Nandor Fodor, Hungarian-American psychologist and parapsychologist (b. 1895)
1974 – Ernest Nash, German-American photographer and scholar (b. 1898)
1977 – Charles E. Rosendahl, American admiral and pilot (b. 1892)
1980 – Gündüz Kılıç, Turkish football player and coach (b. 1918)
1985 – Abe Burrows, American director, composer, and author (b. 1910)
1987 – Gunnar Myrdal, Swedish economist, sociologist, and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1898)
1992 – Lawrence Welk, American accordion player and bandleader (b. 1903)
1995 – Toe Blake, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1912)
1996 – Kevin Gilbert, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1966)
1999 – Bruce Fairbairn, Canadian trumpet player and producer (b. 1949)
1999 – Lembit Oll, Estonian chess Grandmaster (b. 1966)
2000 – Donald Coggan, English archbishop (b. 1909)
2001 – Jacques-Louis Lions, French mathematician (b. 1928)
2001 – Frank G. Slaughter, American physician and author (b. 1908)
2002 – László Kubala, Hungarian-Spanish footballer, coach, and manager (b. 1927)
2002 – Aşık Mahzuni Şerif, Turkish poet and composer (b. 1940)
2004 – Jørgen Nash, Danish poet and painter (b. 1920)
2004 – Tony Randall, American actor (b. 1920)
2004 – Ezzedine Salim, Iraqi politician (b. 1943)
2005 – Frank Gorshin, American actor (b. 1934)
2006 – Cy Feuer, American director, producer, and composer (b. 1911)
2007 – Lloyd Alexander, American soldier and author (b. 1924)
2007 – T. K. Doraiswamy, Indian poet and author (b. 1921)
2009 – Mario Benedetti, Uruguayan journalist, author, and poet (b. 1920)
2009 – Jung Seung-hye, South Korean journalist and producer (b. 1965)
2010 – Yvonne Loriod, French pianist, composer, and educator (b. 1924)
2010 – Walasse Ting, Chinese-American painter and poet (b. 1929)
2011 – Harmon Killebrew, American baseball player and sportscaster (b. 1936)
2012 – Gideon Ezra, Israeli geographer and politician, Israeli Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office (b. 1937)
2012 – Patrick Mafisango, Congolese-Rwandan footballer (b. 1980)
2012 – Donna Summer, American singer-songwriter (b. 1948)
2013 – Philippe Gaumont, French cyclist (b. 1973)
2013 – Peter Schulz, German politician, Mayor of Hamburg (b. 1930)
2013 – Ken Venturi, American golfer and sportscaster (b. 1931)
2013 – Jorge Rafael Videla, Argentine general and politician, 42nd President of Argentina (b. 1925)
2014 – Gerald Edelman, American biologist and immunologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1929)
2014 – C. P. Krishnan Nair, Indian businessman, founded The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts (b. 1922)
2014 – Douangchay Phichit, Laotian politician (b. 1944)
2014 – Thongbanh Sengaphone, Laotian politician (b. 1953)
2017 – Todor Veselinović, Serbian football player and manager (b. 1930)
2019 – Herman Wouk, American author (b. 1915)
2020 – Lucky Peterson, American blues singer, keyboardist and guitarist (b. 1964)

Holidays and observances on May 17

Birthday of the Raja (Perlis)
Christian feast day:
- Giulia Salzano
- Paschal Baylon
- William Hobart Hare (Episcopal Church (USA))
- Restituta
- May 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Children’s Day (Norway)
Constitution Day (Nauru)
Norwegian Constitution Day
The earliest date on which Trinity Sunday can fall, while June 20 is the latest; celebrated on the first Sunday after Pentecost. (Western Christianity)
Feast of ‘Aẓamat (Bahá’í Faith, day shifts with March Equinox, see List of observances set by the Baháʼí calendar)
Galician Literature Day or Día das Letras Galegas (Galicia)
National Day Against Homophobia (Canada)
International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia also known as IDAHOT
Liberation Day (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
Navy Day (Argentina)
World Hypertension Day
World Information Society Day (International)

May 17 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

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

On This Day / admin

946 – Emperor Suzaku abdicates the throne in favor of his brother Murakami who becomes the 62nd emperor of Japan.
1204 – Having been elected on May 9, Baldwin IX, Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire.
1426 – Gov. Thado of Mohnyin becomes king of Ava.
1527 – The Florentines drive out the Medici for a second time and Florence re-establishes itself as a republic.
1532 – Sir Thomas More resigns as Lord Chancellor of England.
1568 – Mary, Queen of Scots, flees to England.
1584 – Santiago de Vera becomes sixth Governor-General of the Spanish colony of the Philippines.
1739 – The Battle of Vasai concludes as the Marathas defeat the Portuguese army.
1770 – The 14-year-old Marie Antoinette marries 15-year-old Louis-Auguste, who later becomes king of France.
1771 – The Battle of Alamance, a pre-American Revolutionary War battle between local militia and a group of rebels called The “Regulators”, occurs in present-day Alamance County, North Carolina.
1811 – Peninsular War: The allies Spain, Portugal and United Kingdom, defeat the French at the Battle of Albuera.
1812 – Imperial Russia signs the Treaty of Bucharest, ending the Russo-Turkish War. The Ottoman Empire cedes Bessarabia to Russia.
1822 – Greek War of Independence: The Turks capture the Greek town of Souli.
1832 – Juan Godoy discovers the rich silver outcrops of Chañarcillo sparking the Chilean silver rush.
1834 – The Battle of Asseiceira is fought, the last and decisive engagement of the Liberal Wars in Portugal.
1842 – The first major wagon train heading for the Pacific Northwest sets out on the Oregon Trail from Elm Grove, Missouri, with 100 pioneers.
1866 – The United States Congress establishes the nickel.
1868 – The United States Senate fails to convict President Andrew Johnson by one vote.
1874 – A flood on the Mill River in Massachusetts destroys much of four villages and kills 139 people.
1877 – The 16 May 1877 crisis occurs in France, ending with the dissolution of the National Assembly 22 June and affirming the interpretation of the Constitution of 1875 as a parliamentary rather than presidential system. The elections held in October 1877 led to the defeat of the royalists as a formal political movement in France.
1888 – Nikola Tesla delivers a lecture describing the equipment which will allow efficient generation and use of alternating currents to transmit electric power over long distances.
1891 – The International Electrotechnical Exhibition opens in Frankfurt, Germany, and will feature the world’s first long-distance transmission of high-power, three-phase electric current (the most common form today).
1916 – The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the French Third Republic sign the secret wartime Sykes-Picot Agreement partitioning former Ottoman territories such as Iraq and Syria.
1918 – The Sedition Act of 1918 is passed by the U.S. Congress, making criticism of the government during wartime an imprisonable offense. It will be repealed less than two years later.
1919 – A naval Curtiss NC-4 aircraft commanded by Albert Cushing Read leaves Trepassey, Newfoundland, for Lisbon via the Azores on the first transatlantic flight.
1920 – In Rome, Pope Benedict XV canonizes Joan of Arc.
1929 – In Hollywood, the first Academy Awards ceremony takes place.
1943 – The Holocaust: The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising ends.
1951 – The first regularly scheduled transatlantic flights begin between Idlewild Airport (now John F Kennedy International Airport) in New York City and Heathrow Airport in London, operated by El Al Israel Airlines.
1959 – The Triton Fountain in Valletta, Malta is turned on for the first time.
1960 – Theodore Maiman operates the first optical laser (a ruby laser), at Hughes Research Laboratories in Malibu, California.
1961 – Park Chung-hee leads a coup d’état to overthrow the Second Republic of South Korea.
1966 – The Communist Party of China issues the “May 16 Notice”, marking the beginning of the Cultural Revolution.
1969 – Venera program: Venera 5, a Soviet space probe, lands on Venus.
1974 – Josip Broz Tito is elected president for life of Yugoslavia.
1988 – A report by the Surgeon General of the United States C. Everett Koop states that the addictive properties of nicotine are similar to those of heroin and cocaine.
1991 – Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom addresses a joint session of the United States Congress. She is the first British monarch to address the U.S. Congress.
1997 – Mobutu Sese Seko, the President of Zaire, flees the country.
2003 – In Morocco, 33 civilians are killed and more than 100 people are injured in the Casablanca terrorist attacks.
2005 – Kuwait permits women’s suffrage in a 35–23 National Assembly vote.
2011 – STS-134 (ISS assembly flight ULF6), launched from the Kennedy Space Center on the 25th and final flight for Space Shuttle Endeavour.
2014 – Twelve people are killed in two explosions in the Gikomba market area of Nairobi, Kenya.

Births on May 16

1418 – John II of Cyprus, King of Cyprus and Armenia and also titular King of Jerusalem from 1432 to 1458 (probable; d. 1458)
1455 – Wolfgang I of Oettingen, German count (d. 1522)
1542 – Anna Sibylle of Hanau-Lichtenberg, German noblewoman (d. 1580)
1606 – John Bulwer, British doctor (d. 1656)
1611 – Pope Innocent XI (d. 1689)
1641 – Dudley North, English economist and politician (d. 1691)
1710 – William Talbot, 1st Earl Talbot, English politician, Lord Steward of the Household (d. 1782)
1718 – Maria Gaetana Agnesi, Italian mathematician and philosopher (d. 1799)
1763 – Louis Nicolas Vauquelin, French pharmacist and chemist (d. 1829)
1788 – Friedrich Rückert, German poet and translator (d. 1866)
1801 – William H. Seward, American lawyer and politician, 24th United States Secretary of State (d. 1872)
1804 – Elizabeth Palmer Peabody, American educator who founded the first U.S. kindergarten (d. 1894)
1819 – Johann Voldemar Jannsen, Estonian journalist and poet (d. 1890)
1821 – Pafnuty Chebyshev, Russian mathematician and statistician (d. 1894)
1824 – Levi P. Morton, American banker and politician, 22nd United States Vice President (d. 1920)
1824 – Edmund Kirby Smith, American general (d. 1893)
1827 – Pierre Cuypers, Dutch architect, designed the Amsterdam Centraal railway station and Rijksmuseum (d. 1921)
1831 – David Edward Hughes, Welsh-American physicist, co-invented the microphone (d. 1900)
1862 – Margaret Fountaine, English lepidopterist and diarist (d.1940)
1876 – Fred Conrad Koch, American biochemist and endocrinologist (d. 1948)
1879 – Pierre Gilliard, Swiss author and academic (d. 1962)
1882 – Simeon Price, American golfer (d. 1945)
1883 – Celâl Bayar, Turkish politician, 3rd President of Turkey (d. 1986)
1888 – Royal Rife, American microbiologist and instrument maker (d. 1971)
1890 – Edith Grace White, American ichthyologist (d. 1975)
1892 – Osgood Perkins, American actor (d. 1937)
1894 – Walter Yust, American journalist and writer (d. 1960)
1897 – Zvi Sliternik, Israeli entomologist and academic (d. 1994)
1898 – Tamara de Lempicka, Polish-American painter (d. 1980)
1898 – Desanka Maksimović, Serbian poet and academic (d. 1993)
1898 – Kenji Mizoguchi, Japanese director and screenwriter (d. 1956)
1903 – Charles F. Brannock, American inventor and manufacturer (d. 1992)
1905 – Henry Fonda, American actor (d. 1982)
1906 – Ernie McCormick, Australian cricketer (d. 1991)
1906 – Alfred Pellan, Canadian painter and educator (d. 1988)
1906 – Arturo Uslar Pietri, Venezuelan lawyer, journalist, and author (d. 2001)
1906 – Margret Rey, German author and illustrator (d. 1996)
1907 – Bob Tisdall, Irish hurdler (d. 2004)
1909 – Margaret Sullavan, American actress and singer (d. 1960)
1909 – Luigi Villoresi, Italian race car driver (d. 1997)
1910 – Olga Bergholz, Russian poet and author (d. 1975)
1910 – Higashifushimi Kunihide, Japanese monk and educator (d. 2014)
1910 – Aleksandr Ivanovich Laktionov, Russian painter and educator (d. 1972)
1912 – Studs Terkel, American historian and author (d. 2008)
1913 – Gordon Chalk, Australian politician, 30th Premier of Queensland (d. 1991)
1913 – Woody Herman, American singer, saxophonist, and clarinet player (d. 1987)
1914 – Edward T. Hall, American anthropologist and author (d. 2009)
1915 – Mario Monicelli, Italian director and screenwriter (d. 2010)
1916 – Ephraim Katzir, Israeli biophysicist and politician, 4th President of Israel (d. 2009)
1917 – Ben Kuroki, American sergeant and pilot (d. 2015)
1917 – James C. Murray, American lawyer and politician (d. 1999)
1917 – Juan Rulfo, Mexican author and photographer (d. 1986)
1918 – Wilf Mannion, English footballer and manager (d. 2000)
1919 – Liberace, American pianist and entertainer (d. 1987)
1919 – Ramon Margalef, Spanish ecologist and biologist (d. 2004)
1920 – Martine Carol, French actress (d. 1967)
1921 – Harry Carey, Jr., American actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2012)
1923 – Victoria Fromkin, American linguist and academic (d. 2000)
1923 – Merton Miller, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2000)
1923 – Peter Underwood, English parapsychologist and author (d. 2014)
1924 – Dawda Jawara, 1st President of the Gambia (d. 2019)
1925 – Nancy Roman, American astronomer (d. 2018)
1925 – Ola Vincent, Nigerian banker and economist (d. 2012)
1925 – Nílton Santos, Brazilian footballer (d. 2013)
1928 – Billy Martin, American baseball player and coach (d. 1989)
1929 – Betty Carter, American singer-songwriter (d. 1998)
1929 – John Conyers, American lawyer and politician (d. 2019)
1929 – Claude Morin, Canadian academic and politician
1929 – Adrienne Rich, American poet, essayist, and feminist (d. 2012)
1930 – Friedrich Gulda, Austrian pianist and composer (d. 2000)
1931 – Vujadin Boškov, Serbian footballer, coach, and manager (d. 2014)
1931 – Hana Brady, Jewish-Czech Holocaust victim (d.1944)
1931 – K. Natwar Singh, Indian scholar and politician, Indian Minister of External Affairs
1931 – Lowell P. Weicker, Jr., American soldier and politician, 85th Governor of Connecticut
1934 – Kenneth O. Morgan, Welsh historian and author
1934 – Antony Walker, English general
1935 – Floyd Smith, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
1936 – Karl Lehmann, German cardinal (d. 2018)
1937 – Yvonne Craig, American ballet dancer and actress (d. 2015)
1938 – Stuart Bell, English lawyer and politician (d. 2012)
1938 – Ivan Sutherland, American computer scientist and academic
1938 – Marco Aurelio Denegri, Peruvian television host and sexologist (d. 2018)
1941 – Denis Hart, Australian archbishop
1942 – David Penry-Davey, English lawyer and judge (d. 2015)
1943 – Kay Andrews, Baroness Andrews, English politician
1943 – Dan Coats, American politician and diplomat, 29th United States Ambassador to Germany
1943 – Wieteke van Dort, Dutch actress, comedian, singer, writer and artist
1944 – Billy Cobham, Panamanian-American drummer, composer, and bandleader
1944 – Antal Nagy, Hungarian footballer
1944 – Danny Trejo, American actor
1946 – John Law, English sociologist and academic
1946 – Robert Fripp, English guitarist, songwriter and producer
1947 – Cheryl Clarke, American writer
1947 – Darrell Sweet, Scottish drummer (d. 1999)
1947 – Roch Thériault, Canadian religious leader (d. 2011)
1948 – Jesper Christensen, Danish actor, director, and producer
1948 – Judy Finnigan, English talk show host and author
1948 – Enrico Fumia, Italian automobile and product designer
1948 – Emma Georgina Rothschild, English historian and academic
1948 – Staf Van Roosbroeck, Belgian cyclist
1949 – Rick Reuschel, American baseball player
1950 – Georg Bednorz, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
1950 – Ray Condo, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2004)
1950 – Bruce Coville, American author
1951 – Christian Lacroix, French fashion designer
1951 – Jonathan Richman, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1951 – Janet Soskice, Canadian philosopher and theologian
1952 – James Herndon, American psychologist and academic
1953 – Pierce Brosnan, Irish-American actor and producer
1953 – Peter Onorati, American actor
1953 – Richard Page, American singer-songwriter and bass player
1953 – Kitanoumi Toshimitsu, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 55th Yokozuna (d. 2015)
1953 – David Maclean, Scottish politician
1953 – Stephen Woolman, Lord Woolman, Scottish judge and academic
1954 – Dafydd Williams, Canadian physician and astronaut
1955 – Olga Korbut, Soviet gymnast
1955 – Jack Morris, American baseball player and sportscaster
1955 – Hazel O’Connor, English-born Irish singer-songwriter and actress
1955 – Páidí Ó Sé, Irish footballer and manager (d. 2012)
1955 – Debra Winger, American actress
1956 – Loretta Schrijver, Dutch television host, news anchor
1957 – Joan Benoit, American runner
1957 – Benjamin Mancroft, 3rd Baron Mancroft, English politician
1957 – Yuri Shevchuk, Russian singer-songwriter and guitarist
1957 – Anthony St John, 22nd Baron St John of Bletso, English lawyer and businessman
1957 – Bob Suter, American ice hockey player and coach (d. 2014)
1959 – Mitch Webster, American baseball player
1959 – Mare Winningham, American actress and singer-songwriter
1960 – Landon Deireragea, Nauruan politician, Nauruan Speaker of Parliament
1960 – S. Shanmuganathan, Sri Lankan commander and politician (d. 1998)
1961 – Kevin McDonald, Canadian actor and screenwriter
1961 – Charles Wright, American wrestler
1962 – Jimmy Hood, Scottish engineer and politician (d. 2017)
1962 – Helga Radtke, German long jumper
1963 – Rachel Griffith, Anglo-American economist
1963 – David Wilkinson, English theologian and academic
1964 – John Salley, American basketball player and actor
1964 – Boyd Tinsley, American singer-songwriter and violinist
1964 – Milton Jones, English comedian, actor, and screenwriter
1965 – Krist Novoselic, American bass player, songwriter, author, and activist
1965 – Tanel Tammet, Estonian computer scientist, engineer, and academic
1966 – Janet Jackson, American singer-songwriter, producer, dancer, and actress
1966 – Scott Reeves, American singer-songwriter and actor
1966 – Thurman Thomas, American football player
1967 – Doug Brocail, American baseball player and coach
1967 – Susan Williams, Baroness Williams of Trafford, British politician
1968 – Ralph Tresvant, American singer and producer
1969 – David Boreanaz, American actor
1969 – Tucker Carlson, American journalist, co-founded The Daily Caller
1969 – Steve Lewis, American sprinter
1970 – Gabriela Sabatini, Argentinian tennis player
1970 – Danielle Spencer, Australian singer-songwriter and actress
1971 – Phil Clarke, English rugby league player and sportscaster
1971 – Rachel Goswell, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
1972 – Christian Califano, French rugby player
1972 – Matthew Hart, New Zealand cricketer
1973 – Tori Spelling, American actress, reality television personality, and author
1974 – Laura Pausini, Italian singer-songwriter and producer
1974 – Sonny Sandoval, American singer-songwriter and rapper
1975 – Tony Kakko, Finnish musician, composer, and vocalist
1975 – Simon Whitfield, Canadian triathlete
1976 – Dirk Nannes, Australian-Dutch cricketer
1977 – Melanie Lynskey, New Zealand actress
1977 – Emilíana Torrini, Icelandic singer-songwriter
1978 – Scott Nicholls, English motorcycle racer
1978 – Lionel Scaloni, Argentinian footballer
1980 – Nuria Llagostera Vives, Spanish tennis player
1981 – Ricardo Costa, Portuguese footballer
1982 – Łukasz Kubot, Polish tennis player
1983 – Daniel Kerr, Australian footballer
1983 – Kyle Wellwood, Canadian ice hockey player
1984 – Darío Cvitanich, Argentinian footballer
1984 – Tomáš Fleischmann, Czech ice hockey player
1984 – Jensen Lewis, American baseball player
1984 – Rick Rypien, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2011)
1985 – Anja Mittag, German footballer
1985 – Rodrigo Peters Marques, Brazilian footballer
1985 – Corey Perry, Canadian ice hockey player
1986 – Megan Fox, American actress
1986 – Andy Keogh, Irish footballer
1986 – Shamcey Supsup, Filipino model and architect
1987 – Tom Onslow-Cole, English race car driver
1988 – Jesús Castillo, Mexican footballer
1988 – Martynas Gecevičius, Lithuanian basketball player
1988 – Jaak Põldma, Estonian tennis player
1989 – Behati Prinsloo, Namibian model
1990 – Amanda Carreras, Gibraltarian tennis player
1990 – Thomas Brodie-Sangster, English actor
1990 – Darko Šarović, Serbian sprinter
1990 – Omar Strong, American basketball player
1991 – Grigor Dimitrov, Bulgarian tennis player
1991 – Joey Graceffa, American internet celebrity
1991 – Ashley Wagner, American figure skater
1992 – Jeff Skinner, Canadian ice hockey player
1992 – Kirstin Maldonado, American singer and songwriter
1993 – Johannes Thingnes Bø, Norwegian biathlete
1993 – Karol Mets, Estonian footballer
1993 – IU, Korean singer-songwriter and actress
1995 – Elizabeth Ralston, Australian footballer
1996 – Louisa Chirico, an American tennis player

Deaths on May 16

290 – Emperor Wu of Jin, Chinese emperor (b. 236)
895 – Qian Kuan, Chinese nobleman
934 – Meng Hanqiong, eunuch official of Later Tang
995 – Fujiwara no Michitaka, Japanese nobleman (b. 953)
1182 – John Komnenos Vatatzes, Byzantine general (b. 1132)
1265 – Simon Stock, English-French saint (b. 1165)
1375 – Liu Bowen, Chinese military strategist, officer, statesman and poet (b. 1311)
1412 – Gian Maria Visconti, Duke of Milan (b. 1388)
1561 – Jan Tarnowski, Polish noble and statesman (b. 1488)
1620 – William Adams, English sailor and navigator (b. 1564)
1657 – Andrew Bobola, Polish missionary and martyr (b. 1591)
1667 – Thomas Wriothesley, 4th Earl of Southampton, English politician, Lord High Treasurer (b. 1607)
1669 – Pietro da Cortona, Italian painter and architect, designed the Santi Luca e Martina (b. 1596)
1691 – Jacob Leisler, German-American politician, 8th Colonial Governor of New York (b. 1640)
1696 – Mariana of Austria, Queen consort of Spain (b. 1634)
1703 – Charles Perrault, French author and academic (b. 1628)
1778 – Robert Darcy, 4th Earl of Holderness, English politician, Secretary of State for the Southern Department (b. 1718)
1790 – Philip Yorke, 2nd Earl of Hardwicke, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire (b. 1720)
1818 – Matthew Lewis, English author and playwright (b. 1775)
1823 – Grace Elliott, Scottish courtesan and spy (b. c.1754)
1830 – Joseph Fourier, French mathematician and physicist (b. 1768)
1862 – Edward Gibbon Wakefield, English politician (b. 1796)
1882 – Reuben Chapman, American lawyer and politician, 13th Governor of Alabama (b. 1799)
1890 – Mihkel Veske, Estonian poet, linguist and theologist (b. 1843)
1891 – Ion C. Brătianu, Romanian politician, 14th Prime Minister of Romania (b. 1821)
1910 – Henri-Edmond Cross, French Neo-Impressionist painter (b. 1856)
1913 – Louis Perrier, Swiss architect and politician (b. 1849)
1920 – Levi P. Morton, American politician, 22nd United States Vice President (b. 1824)
1926 – Mehmed VI, Ottoman sultan (b. 1861)
1936 – Leonidas Paraskevopoulos, Greek general and politician (b. 1860)
1938 – Joseph Strauss, American engineer, co designed The Golden Gate Bridge (b. 1870)
1943 – Alfred Hoche, German psychiatrist and academic (b. 1865)
1944 – George Ade, American journalist, author, and playwright (b. 1866)
1946 – Bruno Tesch, German chemist and businessman (b. 1890)
1947 – Frederick Gowland Hopkins, English biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1861)
1947 – Zhang Lingfu, Chinese general (b. 1903)
1953 – Django Reinhardt, Belgian guitarist and composer (b. 1910)
1954 – Clemens Krauss, Austrian conductor and manager (b. 1893)
1955 – James Agee, American novelist, screenwriter, and critic(b. 1909)
1955 – Manny Ayulo, American race car driver (b. 1921)
1956 – H. B. Reese, American candy-maker and businessman, created Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (b. 1876)
1957 – Eliot Ness, American federal agent (b. 1903)
1961 – George A. Malcolm, American lawyer and jurist (b. 1881)
1973 – Jacques Lipchitz, Lithuanian-American sculptor (b. 1891)
1977 – Modibo Keïta, Malian politician, 1st President of Mali (b. 1915)
1979 – A. Philip Randolph, American union leader and activist (b. 1889)
1981 – Ernie Freeman, American pianist, composer, and bandleader (b. 1922)
1981 – Willy Hartner, German physician and academic (b. 1905)
1984 – Andy Kaufman, American actor, comedian, and screenwriter (b. 1949)
1984 – Irwin Shaw, American playwright, screenwriter, novelist, and short story writer (b. 1913)
1985 – Margaret Hamilton, American actress (b. 1902)
1989 – Leila Kasra, Iranian poet and songwriter (b. 1939)
1990 – Sammy Davis Jr., American singer, dancer, and actor (b. 1925)
1990 – Jim Henson, American puppeteer, director, producer, and screenwriter, created The Muppets (b. 1936)
1993 – Marv Johnson, American singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1938)
1994 – Alain Cuny, French actor (b. 1908)
1996 – Jeremy Michael Boorda, American admiral (b. 1939)
1997 – Elbridge Durbrow, American diplomat (b. 1903)
2002 – Alec Campbell, Australian soldier (b. 1899)
2003 – Mark McCormack, American lawyer and sports agent, founded IMG (b. 1930)
2005 – Andrew Goodpaster, American general (b. 1915)
2008 – Robert Mondavi, American winemaker, co-founded the Opus One Winery (b. 1913)
2010 – Ronnie James Dio, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1942)
2010 – Hank Jones, American pianist, composer, and bandleader (b. 1918)
2011 – Ralph Barker, English author (b. 1917)
2011 – Bob Davis, Australian footballer and coach (b. 1928)
2011 – Edward Hardwicke, English actor (b. 1932)
2011 – Kiyoshi Kodama, Japanese actor (b. 1934)
2012 – Patricia Aakhus, American author and academic (b. 1952)
2012 – James Abdnor, American soldier and politician, 30th Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota (b. 1923)
2012 – Chuck Brown, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1936)
2012 – Ernie Chan, Filipino-American illustrator (b. 1940)
2012 – Kevin Hickey, American baseball player (b. 1956)
2013 – Angelo Errichetti, American politician (b. 1928)
2013 – Bryan Illerbrun, Canadian football player (b. 1957)
2013 – Frankie Librán, Puerto Rican-American baseball player (b. 1948)
2013 – Heinrich Rohrer, Swiss physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1933)
2013 – Dick Trickle, American race car driver (b. 1941)
2013 – Bernard Waber, American author and illustrator (b. 1921)
2014 – Chris Duckworth, Zimbabwean-South African cricketer (b. 1933)
2014 – Vito Favero, Italian cyclist (b. 1932)
2014 – Bud Hollowell, American baseball player and manager (b. 1943)
2014 – Clyde Snow, American anthropologist and author (b. 1928)
2015 – Prashant Bhargava, American director and producer (b. 1973)
2015 – Moshe Levinger, Israeli rabbi and author (b. 1935)
2015 – Flora MacNeil, Scottish Gaelic singer (b. 1928)
2019 – Piet Blauw, Dutch politician (b. 1937)
2019 – Bob Hawke, Australian politician, 23rd Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1929)
2019 – I. M. Pei, Chinese-American architect (b. 1917)

Holidays and observances on May 16

Christian feast day:
- Aaron (Coptic Church)
- Abda and Abdjesus, and companions:
  - Abdas of Susa
- Andrew Bobola
- Brendan the Navigator (Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Communion, Eastern Orthodox Church)
- Caroline Chisholm (Church of England)
- Gemma Galgani (Passionists Calendar)
- Germerius
- Honoratus of Amiens
- John of Nepomuk
- Margaret of Cortona
- Peregrine of Auxerre
- Simon Stock
- Ubald (see Saint Ubaldo Day)
Martyrs of Sudan (Episcopal Church (USA))
Mass Graves Day (Iraq)
National Day, declared by Salva Kiir Mayardit (South Sudan)
Teachers’ Day (Malaysia)

May 16 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

May 8 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day / admin

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)

May 8 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

May 5 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day / admin

This day marks the approximate midpoint of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and of autumn in the Southern Hemisphere (starting the season at the March equinox).

May 5 in History

553 – The Second Council of Constantinople begins
1215 – Rebel barons renounce their allegiance to King John of England — part of a chain of events leading to the signing of the Magna Carta.
1260 – Kublai Khan becomes ruler of the Mongol Empire.
1494 – Christopher Columbus lands on the island of Jamaica and claims it for Spain.
1640 – King Charles I of England dissolves the Short Parliament.
1654 – Cromwell’s Act of Grace, aimed at reconciliation with the Scots, proclaimed in Edinburgh.
1672 – In preparation for the Franco-Dutch War, Louis XIV of France personally inspects his troops at Charleroi in one of the most magnificent displays of military power in the seventeenth century.
1762 – Russia and Prussia sign the Treaty of St. Petersburg.
1789 – In France, the Estates-General convenes for the first time since 1614.
1809 – Mary Kies becomes the first woman awarded a U.S. patent, for a technique of weaving straw with silk and thread.
1809 – The Swiss canton of Aargau allows citizenship to Jews.
1811 – Peninsular War: In the Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro, the British-Portuguese Army repels an attempt by the French Army of Portugal to relieve the besieged city of Almeida.
1821 – Emperor Napoleon dies in exile on the island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean.
1835 – The first railway in continental Europe opens between Brussels and Mechelen.
1860 – Giuseppe Garibaldi sets sail from Genoa, leading the expedition of the Thousand to conquer the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and giving birth to the Kingdom of Italy.
1862 – Cinco de Mayo: Troops led by Ignacio Zaragoza halt a French invasion in the Battle of Puebla in Mexico.
1864 – American Civil War: The Battle of the Wilderness begins in Spotsylvania County.
1865 – American Civil War: The Confederate District of the Gulf surrenders about 4,000 men at Citronelle, Alabama.
1865 – American Civil War: The Confederate government was declared dissolved at Washington, Georgia.
1866 – Memorial Day first celebrated in United States at Waterloo, New York.
1877 – American Indian Wars: Sitting Bull leads his band of Lakota into Canada to avoid harassment by the United States Army under Colonel Nelson Miles.
1886 – The Bay View massacre: A militia fires into a crowd of protesters in Milwaukee, killing seven.
1891 – The Music Hall in New York City (later known as Carnegie Hall) has its grand opening and first public performance, with Tchaikovsky as the guest conductor.
1904 – Pitching against the Philadelphia Athletics at the Huntington Avenue Grounds, Cy Young of the Boston Americans throws the first perfect game in the modern era of baseball.
1905 – The trial in the Stratton Brothers case begins in London, England; it marks the first time that fingerprint evidence is used to gain a conviction for murder.
1912 – Pravda, the “voice” of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, begins publication in Saint Petersburg.
1920 – Authorities arrest Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti for alleged robbery and murder.
1925 – Scopes Trial: Serving of an arrest warrant on John T. Scopes for teaching evolution in violation of the Butler Act.
1927 – To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf is first published.
1936 – Italian troops occupy Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
1940 – World War II: Norwegian refugees form a government-in-exile in London.
1940 – World War II: Norwegian Campaign: Norwegian squads in Hegra Fortress and Vinjesvingen capitulate to German forces after all other Norwegian forces in southern Norway had laid down their arms.
1941 – Emperor Haile Selassie returns to Addis Ababa; the country commemorates the date as Liberation Day or Patriots’ Victory Day.
1945 – World War II: The German surrender at Lüneburg Heath becomes effective, encompassing all German armed forces opposing the 21st Army Group in northwestern Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands.
1945 – World War II: Dönitz gives Löhr permission to seek an armistice with the Western Allies to preserve a communist free Austria and recognising first, from a German standpoint, the separation of Austria from Germany undoing the Anschluss.
1945 – World War II: The Prague uprising begins as an attempt by the Czech resistance to free the city from German occupation.
1945 – World War II: A Fu-Go balloon bomb launched by the Japanese Army kills six people near Bly, Oregon.
1945 – World War II: Battle of Castle Itter, the only battle in which American and German troops fought cooperatively.
1946 – The International Military Tribunal for the Far East begins in Tokyo with twenty-eight Japanese military and government officials accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
1950 – Bhumibol Adulyadej is crowned as King of Thailand.
1955 – The General Treaty, by which France, Britain and the United States recognize the sovereignty of West Germany, comes into effect.
1961 – Alan Shepard becomes the first American to travel into outer space, on a sub-orbital flight.
1964 – The Council of Europe declares May 5 as Europe Day.
1972 – Alitalia Flight 112 crashes into Mount Longa near Palermo, Sicily, killing all 115 aboard, making it the deadliest single-aircraft disaster in Italy.
1973 – Secretariat wins the 1973 Kentucky Derby in 1:59²⁄₅, an as-yet unbeaten record.
1980 – Operation Nimrod: The British Special Air Service storms the Iranian embassy in London after a six-day siege.
1981 – Bobby Sands dies in the Long Kesh prison hospital after 66 days of hunger-striking, aged 27.
1985 – Ronald Reagan visits the military cemetery at Bitburg and the site of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where he makes a speech.
1987 – Iran–Contra affair: Start of Congressional televised hearings in the United States of America
1991 – A riot breaks out in the Mt. Pleasant section of Washington, D.C. after police shoot a Salvadoran man.
1992 – Armand Césari Stadium disaster in Bastia (Corsica): Eighteen people are killed and 2,300 are injured when one of the terraces collapses before a football match between SC Bastia and Olympique de Marseille.
1993 – Three eight-year-old boys are murdered in West Memphis, Arkansas, Ultimately leading to the conviction of the West Memphis Three.
1994 – The signing of the Bishkek Protocol between Armenia and Azerbaijan effectively freezes the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
1994 – American teenager Michael P. Fay is caned in Singapore for theft and vandalism.
1998 – A Peruvian Air Force Boeing 737 operating for Occidental Petroleum crashes on approach to Alférez FAP Alfredo Vladimir Sara Bauer Airport in Andoas, Peru, killing 75 people.
2006 – The government of Sudan signs an accord with the Sudan Liberation Army.
2007 – Kenya Airways Flight 507 crashes after takeoff from Douala International Airport in Douala, Cameroon, killing all 114 aboard, making it the deadliest aircraft disaster in Cameroon.
2010 – Mass protests in Greece erupt in response to austerity measures imposed by the government as a result of the Greek government-debt crisis.
2014 – Eleven people are missing after a Chinese cargo ship collides with a Marshall Islands registered container ship off the coast of Hong Kong.
2014 – Twenty-two people die after two boats carrying refugees collide in the Aegean Sea off the coast of Greece.
2019 – A Russian jet plane burst into flames while attempting an emergency landing at Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow killing at least 41 people.
2020 – The National Telecommunications Commission issued a Cease and desist order to ABS-CBN Corporation to stop the operation of it’s free TV and radio stations.

Births on May 5

1210 – Afonso III of Portugal (d. 1279)
1282 – Juan Manuel, Prince of Villena (d. 1322)
1310 – Preczlaw of Pogarell, Cardinal and Bishop of Wrocław (d. 1376)
1352 – Rupert of Germany, Count Palatine of the Rhine (d. 1410)
1479 – Guru Amar Das, Indian 3rd Sikh Guru (d. 1574)
1504 – Stanislaus Hosius, Polish cardinal (d. 1579)
1530 – Gabriel, comte de Montgomery, French nobleman (d. 1574)
1542 – Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exeter, English soldier and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Northamptonshire (d. 1623)
1582 – John Frederick, Duke of Württemberg (d. 1628)
1684 – Françoise Charlotte d’Aubigné, French wife of Adrien Maurice de Noailles (d. 1739)
1747 – Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1792)
1749 – Jean-Frédéric Edelmann, French pianist and composer (d. 1794)
1764 – Robert Craufurd, Scottish general and politician (d. 1812)
1800 – Louis Christophe François Hachette, French publisher (d. 1864)
1813 – Søren Kierkegaard, Danish philosopher and author (d. 1855)
1818 – Karl Marx, German philosopher, sociologist, and journalist (d. 1883)
1826 – Eugénie de Montijo, French wife of Napoleon III (d. 1920)
1830 – John Batterson Stetson, American businessman, founded the John B. Stetson Company (d. 1906)
1832 – Hubert Howe Bancroft, American ethnologist and historian (d. 1918)
1833 – Ferdinand von Richthofen, German geographer and academic (d. 1905)
1834 – Viktor Hartmann, Russian painter and architect (d. 1873)
1843 – William George Beers, Canadian dentist and patriot (d. 1900)
1846 – Henryk Sienkiewicz, Polish journalist and author, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1916)
1858 – John L. Leal, American physician (d. 1914)
1859 – Charles B. Hanford, American Shakespearean actor (d. 1926)
1864 – Nellie Bly, American journalist and author (d. 1922)
1865 – Helen Maud Merrill, American litterateur and poet (d. 1943)
1866 – Thomas B. Thrige, Danish businessman (d. 1938)
1869 – Fabián de la Rosa, Filipino painter and educator (d. 1937)
1869 – Hans Pfitzner, German composer and conductor (d. 1949)
1874 – Thomas Bavin, New Zealand-Australian politician, 24th Premier of New South Wales (d. 1941)
1882 – Sylvia Pankhurst, English women’s suffrage movement leader and socialist activist (d. 1960)
1883 – Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell, English general and politician, 43rd Governor-General of India (d. 1950)
1883 – Anna Johnson Pell Wheeler, American mathematician (d. 1966)
1884 – Chief Bender, American baseball player and coach (d. 1954)
1885 – Kingsley Fairbridge, South African-Australian scholar and politician (d. 1924)
1887 – Mervyn S. Bennion, American captain, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1941)
1889 – Herbie Taylor, South African cricketer and soldier (d. 1973)
1890 – Christopher Morley, American journalist and author (d. 1957)
1892 – Dorothy Garrod, British archaeologist (d. 1968)
1898 – Elsie Eaves, American engineer (d. 1983)
1898 – Blind Willie McTell, American Piedmont blues singer and guitar player (d. 1959)
1899 – Freeman Gosden, American actor and screenwriter (d. 1982)
1900 – Helen Redfield, American geneticist (d. 1988)
1903 – James Beard, American chef and author (d. 1985)
1905 – Floyd Gottfredson, American author and illustrator (d. 1986)
1906 – Charles Exbrayat, French author and screenwriter (d. 1989)
1907 – Daryna Dmytrivna Polotniuk, Bukovinian (Ukrainian) journalist and author (d. 1982)
1908 – Kurt Böhme, German opera singer (d. 1989)
1909 – Miklós Radnóti, Hungarian poet and author (d. 1944)
1910 – Leo Lionni, American author and illustrator (d. 1999)
1911 – Gilles Grangier, French director and screenwriter (d. 1996)
1911 – Andor Lilienthal, Russian-Hungarian chess player (d. 2010)
1911 – Pritilata Waddedar, Indian educator and activist (d. 1932)
1913 – Duane Carter, American race car driver (d. 1993)
1914 – Tyrone Power, American actor (d. 1958)
1915 – Alice Faye, American actress and singer (d. 1998)
1916 – Zail Singh, Indian politician, 7th President of India (d. 1994)
1917 – Pío Leyva, Cuban singer-songwriter (d. 2006)
1918 – Egidio Galea, Maltese Roman Catholic priest (d. 2005)
1919 – Georgios Papadopoulos, Greek colonel and politician, 169th Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1999)
1921 – Arthur Leonard Schawlow, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1999)
1922 – Irene Gut Opdyke, Polish nurse and humanitarian (d. 2003)
1923 – William C. Campbell, American golfer (d. 2013)
1923 – James Gilbert, Scottish television producer and director (d. 2016)
1923 – Cathleen Synge Morawetz, Canadian mathematician (d. 2017)
1923 – Richard Wollheim, English philosopher and academic (d. 2003)
1925 – Leo Ryan, American soldier, educator, and politician (d. 1978)
1927 – Pat Carroll, American actress
1929 – Ilene Woods, American actress (d. 2010)
1930 – Hans Abramson, Swedish director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2012)
1931 – Greg, Belgian author and illustrator (d. 1999)
1932 – Stan Goldberg, American illustrator (d. 2014)
1932 – Bob Said, American race car driver and bobsled racer (d. 2002)
1933 – Igor Kashkarov, Russian high jumper
1933 – Collie Smith, Jamaican cricketer (d. 1959)
1934 – Henri Konan Bédié, Ivorian politician, 2nd President of Côte d’Ivoire
1934 – Victor Garland, Australian accountant and politician, 26th Australian Minister for Veterans’ Affairs
1935 – Eddie Linden, Scottish poet and magazine editor
1935 – Bernard Pivot, French journalist, talk show host, and producer
1935 – Robert Rehme, American film producer
1936 – Sandy Baron, American actor and comedian (d. 2001)
1936 – Patrick Gowers, English composer and educator (d. 2014)
1936 – Ervin Lázár, Hungarian author (d. 2006)
1937 – Delia Derbyshire, English musician, arranger and composer (d. 2001)
1938 – Michael Murphy, American actor
1938 – Barbara Wagner, Canadian figure skater and coach
1939 – Ray Gosling, English journalist, author, and activist (d. 2013)
1940 – Lance Henriksen, American actor
1940 – Michael Lindsay-Hogg, American director and producer
1941 – Alexander Ragulin, Russian ice hockey player (d. 2004)
1942 – István Bujtor, Hungarian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2009)
1942 – Jean Corston, Baroness Corston, English lawyer and politician
1942 – Hugh Courtenay, 18th Earl of Devon, English politician (d. 2015)
1942 – Tammy Wynette, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1998)
1943 – Michael Palin, English actor and screenwriter
1943 – Ignacio Ramonet, Spanish journalist and author
1944 – Bo Larsson, Swedish footballer
1944 – John Rhys-Davies, Welsh actor and screenwriter
1944 – Roger Rees, Welsh-American actor and director (d. 2015)
1945 – Kurt Loder, American journalist, author, and critic
1945 – Dianne Willcocks, English sociologist and academic
1946 – Jim Kelly, American actor, athlete, and martial artist
1946 – Aydın Menderes, Turkish politician (d. 2011)
1948 – Bella van der Spiegel-Hage, Dutch cyclist
1948 – Bill Ward, English drummer and songwriter
1949 – Eppie Bleeker, Dutch speed skater
1950 – Rex Caldwell, American golfer
1950 – Maggie MacNeal, Dutch singer
1951 – Rudolf Finsterer, German rugby player and coach
1951 – Toomas Vilosius, Estonian physician and politician, 2nd Minister of Social Affairs of Estonia
1952 – Ed Lee, American politician and attorney, 43rd Mayor of San Francisco (d. 2017)
1952 – Jorge Llopart, Spanish race walker
1952 – Willem Witteveen, Dutch scholar and politician (d. 2014)
1955 – Jon Butcher, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and freelance multimedia producer
1956 – Steve Scott, American runner and coach
1957 – Richard E. Grant, Swazi-English actor, director, and screenwriter
1957 – Peter Howitt, English actor, director, and screenwriter
1957 – Aad van Mil, Dutch water polo player
1958 – Ron Arad, Israeli colonel and pilot (d. 1986)
1958 – Robert DiPierdomenico, Australian footballer and sportscaster
1958 – Vanessa Downing, Australian actress
1958 – Jack Wishna, American businessman, co-founded Rockcityclub (d. 2012)
1959 – Bobby Ellsworth, American singer and bass player
1959 – Ian McCulloch, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
1959 – Steve Stevens, American guitarist and songwriter
1959 – Brian Williams, American journalist
1960 – Doug Hawkins, Australian footballer and sportscaster
1961 – Marg Downey, Australian actress
1961 – Hiroshi Hase, Japanese wrestler and politician
1961 – Rob Williams, American basketball player (d. 2014)
1962 – Kaoru Wada, Japanese composer and conductor
1963 – James LaBrie, Canadian singer-songwriter
1963 – Simon Rimmer, English chef and author
1963 – Scott Westerfeld, American author and composer
1964 – Jean-François Copé, French politician, French Minister of Budget
1964 – Heike Henkel, German high jumper
1964 – Don Payne, American screenwriter and producer (d. 2013)
1964 – Minami Takayama, Japanese voice actress and singer
1964 – Efrat Mishori, Israeli poet and filmmaker
1965 – Glenn Seton, Australian race car driver
1966 – Shawn Drover, Canadian drummer
1966 – Sergei Stanishev, Bulgarian politician, 46th Prime Minister of Bulgaria
1966 – Josh Weinstein, American screenwriter and producer
1967 – Adam Hughes, American author and illustrator
1967 – Alexis Sinduhije, Burundian journalist and politician
1969 – Pieter Muller, South African rugby player
1970 – Kyan Douglas, American television host and author
1970 – Todd Newton, American game show host
1971 – Harold Miner, American basketball player
1971 – Mike Redmond, American baseball player and manager
1972 – James Cracknell, English rower
1972 – Žigmund Pálffy, Slovakian ice hockey player
1972 – Mikael Renberg, Swedish ice hockey player
1975 – Meb Keflezighi, American runner
1976 – Dieter Brummer, Australian actor
1976 – Jean-François Dumoulin, Canadian race car driver
1976 – Anastasios Pantos, Greek footballer
1976 – Juan Pablo Sorín, Argentinian footballer and sportscaster
1978 – Morgan Pehme, American director, producer, and screenwriter
1979 – Vincent Kartheiser, American actor
1980 – Yossi Benayoun, Israeli footballer
1980 – Hank Green, American entrepreneur, educator, and vlogger
1980 – DerMarr Johnson, American basketball player
1981 – Craig David, English singer-songwriter, musician and producer
1981 – Danielle Fishel, American actress
1982 – Ferrie Bodde, Dutch footballer
1982 – Wouter D’Haene, Belgian sprinter
1982 – Randall Gay, American football player
1982 – Corey Parker, Australian rugby league footballer
1983 – James Anyon, English cricketer
1983 – Henry Cavill, English actor
1983 – Mabel Gay, Cuban triple jumper
1983 – Annie Villeneuve, Canadian singer-songwriter
1983 – Scott Ware, American football player
1984 – Johanna Hedva, Korean-American artist and genderqueer activist
1984 – Wade MacNeil, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
1984 – Christian Valdez, Mexican footballer
1985 – Shoko Nakagawa, Japanese actress and singer
1985 – Emanuele Giaccherini, Italian footballer
1985 – Tsepo Masilela, South African footballer
1985 – Marcos Rogério Oliveira Duarte, Brazilian footballer
1985 – Terrence Wheatley, American football player
1987 – Graham Dorrans, Scottish footballer
1988 – Adele, English singer-songwriter
1988 – Mervyn Westfield, English cricketer
1989 – Chris Brown, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actor
1991 – Xenofon Fetsis, Greek footballer
1991 – Raúl Jiménez, Mexican footballer
1992 – Loïck Landre, French footballer
1994 – Celeste, English singer
1998 – Aryna Sabalenka, Belarusian tennis player
1999 – Nathan Chen, American figure skater
1999 – Justin Kluivert, Dutch footballer

Deaths on May 5

465 – Gerontius, Archbishop of Milan
1194 – Casimir II the Just, Polish son of Bolesław III Wrymouth (b. 1138)
1243 – Hubert de Burgh, 1st Earl of Kent, English justiciar (b. c. 1160)
1306 – Constantine Palaiologos, Byzantine general (b. 1261)
1309 – Charles II of Naples (b. 1254)
1316 – Elizabeth of Rhuddlan, daughter of King Edward I of England (b. 1282)
1338 – Prince Tsunenaga, son of the Japanese Emperor (b. 1324)
1380 – Saint Philotheos, Coptic martyr
1432 – Francesco Bussone da Carmagnola, Italian adventurer
1525 – Frederick III, Elector of Saxony (b. 1463)
1582 – Charlotte of Bourbon, Princess consort of Orange, married to William I of Orange (b. 1547)
1586 – Henry Sidney, Irish politician, Lord Deputy of Ireland (b. 1529)
1671 – Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester, English general and politician, Lord Chamberlain of the United Kingdom (b. 1602)
1672 – Samuel Cooper, English painter and linguist (b. 1609)
1700 – Angelo Italia, Italian architect (b. 1628)
1705 – Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1640)
1760 – Laurence Shirley, 4th Earl Ferrers, English politician (b. 1720)
1766 – Jean Astruc, French physician and scholar (b. 1684)
1808 – Pierre Jean George Cabanis, French physiologist and philosopher (b. 1757)
1821 – Napoleon, French general and emperor (b. 1769)
1827 – Frederick Augustus I of Saxony (b. 1750)
1833 – Sophia Campbell, English-Australian painter (b. 1777)
1855 – Sir Robert Inglis, 2nd Baronet, English politician (b. 1786)
1859 – Peter Gustav Lejeune Dirichlet, German mathematician and academic (b. 1805)
1860 – Jean-Charles Prince, Canadian bishop (b. 1804)
1883 – John O’Shanassy, Irish-Australian politician, 2nd Premier of Victoria (b. 1818)
1892 – August Wilhelm von Hofmann, German chemist and academic (b. 1818)
1896 – Silas Adams, American lawyer and politician (b. 1839)
1902 – Bret Harte, American short story writer and poet (b. 1836)
1907 – Şeker Ahmed Pasha, Turkish soldier and painter (b. 1841)
1913 – Henry Moret, French painter (b. 1856)
1916 – John MacBride, Irish soldier and rebel (b. 1865)
1916 – Maurice Raoul-Duval, French polo player (b. 1866)
1921 – Alfred Hermann Fried, Austrian journalist and publicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1864)
1924 – A. Sabapathy, Sri Lankan journalist and politician (b. 1853)
1931 – Glen Kidston, English pilot and race car driver (b. 1899)
1942 – Qemal Stafa, Albanian politician (b. 1920)
1947 – Ty LaForest, Canadian-American baseball player (b. 1917)
1957 – Leopold Löwenheim, German mathematician and logician (b. 1878)
1959 – Carlos Saavedra Lamas, Argentinian academic and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1878)
1962 – Ernest Tyldesley, English cricketer (b. 1889)
1965 – Nikos Gounaris, Greek tenor and composer (b. 1915)
1965 – John Waters, American director and screenwriter (b. 1893)
1971 – Violet Jessop, Argentinean-English nurse (b. 1887)
1973 – Zekai Özger, Turkish poet and academic (b. 1948)
1977 – Ludwig Erhard, German economist and politician, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1897)
1981 – Bobby Sands, PIRA volunteer and hunger striker (b. 1954)
1983 – Horst Schumann, German physician (b. 1901)
1983 – John Williams, English-American actor (b. 1903)
1985 – Donald Bailey, English engineer, designed the Bailey bridge (b. 1901)
1988 – Michael Shaara, American author and academic (b. 1928)
1993 – Irving Howe, American literary and social critic (b. 1920)
1994 – Mário Quintana, Brazilian poet and translator (b. 1906)
1995 – Mikhail Botvinnik, Russian chess player and coach (b. 1911)
1999 – Vasilis Diamantopoulos, Greek actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1920)
2000 – Gino Bartali, Italian cyclist (b. 1914)
2000 – Bill Musselman, American basketball player and coach (b. 1940)
2001 – Morris Graves, American painter and educator (b. 1910)
2001 – Clifton Hillegass, American publisher, created CliffsNotes (b. 1918)
2002 – Hugo Banzer, Bolivian general and politician, 62nd President of Bolivia (b. 1926)
2002 – Paul Wilbur Klipsch, American engineer, founded Klipsch Audio Technologies (b. 1904)
2002 – George Sidney, American director and producer (b. 1916)
2003 – Sam Bockarie, Sierra Leonean commander (b. 1964)
2003 – Walter Sisulu, South African activist and politician (b. 1912)
2006 – Naushad Ali, Indian composer and producer (b. 1919)
2006 – Atıf Yılmaz, Turkish director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1925)
2007 – Theodore Harold Maiman, American-Canadian physicist and engineer, created the laser (b. 1927)
2008 – Irv Robbins, Canadian-American businessman, co-founded Baskin-Robbins (b. 1917)
2008 – Jerry Wallace, American singer and guitarist (b. 1928)
2010 – Giulietta Simionato, Italian soprano (b. 1910)
2010 – Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, Nigerian academic and politician, 13th President of Nigeria (b. 1951)
2011 – Claude Choules, English-Australian soldier (b. 1901)
2011 – Yosef Merimovich, Israeli footballer and manager (b. 1924)
2011 – Dana Wynter, British actress (b. 1931)
2012 – Surendranath, Indian cricketer (b. 1937)
2012 – Carl Johan Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg (b. 1916)
2012 – Aatos Erkko, Finnish journalist and publisher (b. 1932)
2012 – George Knobel, Dutch footballer, coach, and manager (b. 1922)
2012 – Roy Padayachie, South African lawyer and politician, South African Minister of Communications (b. 1950)
2013 – Sarah Kirsch, German poet and author (b. 1935)
2013 – Robert Ressler, American FBI agent and author (b. 1937)
2014 – Michael Otedola, Nigerian journalist and politician, 9th Governor of Lagos State (b. 1926)
2015 – Jobst Brandt, American cyclist, engineer, and author (b. 1935)
2015 – Hans Jansen, Dutch linguist, academic, and politician (b. 1942)
2017 – Binyamin Elon, Israeli Orthodox rabbi and politician (b. 1954)
2017 – Ely Ould Mohamed Vall, Mauritanian politician (b. 1953)

Holidays and observances on May 5

Children’s Day (Japan, South Korea)
Christian feast day:
- Angelus of Jerusalem
- Aventinus of Tours
- Blessed Edmund Ignatius Rice
- Frederick the Wise (Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod)
- Hilary of Arles
- Jutta of Kulmsee
- Stanisław Kazimierczyk
- May 5 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Cinco de Mayo (Mexico, United States)
Constitution Day (Kyrgyzstan)
Europe Day (Council of Europe)
Feast of al-Khadr or Saint George (Palestinian)
Indian Arrival Day (Guyana)
International Midwives’ Day (International)
Liberation Day (Denmark, Netherlands)
Lusophone Culture Day (Community of Portuguese Language Countries)
World Portuguese language day (International)
Martyrs’ Day (Albania)
Patriots’ Victory Day (Ethiopia)
Senior Citizens Day (Palau)
Tango no sekku (Japan)

May 5 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

April 23 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day / admin

215 BC – A temple is built on the Capitoline Hill dedicated to Venus Erycina to commemorate the Roman defeat at Lake Trasimene.
599 – Maya king Uneh Chan of Calakmul attacks rival city-state Palenque in southern Mexico, defeating queen Yohl Ik’nal and sacking the city.
711 – Dagobert III succeeds his father King Childebert III as King of the Franks.
1014 – Battle of Clontarf: High King of Ireland Brian Boru defeats Viking invaders, but is killed in battle.
1016 – Edmund Ironside succeeds his father Æthelred the Unready as King of England.
1343 – St. George’s Night Uprising commences in the Duchy of Estonia.
1348 – The founding of the Order of the Garter by King Edward III is announced on St. George’s Day.
1516 – The Munich Reinheitsgebot (regarding the ingredients of beer) takes effect in all of Bavaria.
1521 – Battle of Villalar: King Charles I of Spain defeats the Comuneros.
1635 – The first public school in the United States, Boston Latin School, is founded in Boston.
1655 – The Siege of Santo Domingo begins during the Anglo-Spanish War, and fails seven days later.
1660 – Treaty of Oliva is established between Sweden and Poland.
1661 – King Charles II of England, Scotland and Ireland is crowned in Westminster Abbey.
1815 – The Second Serbian Uprising: A second phase of the national revolution of the Serbs against the Ottoman Empire, erupts shortly after the annexation of the country to the Ottoman Empire.
1879 – Fire burns down the second main building and dome of the University of Notre Dame, which prompts the construction of the third, and current, Main Building with its golden dome.
1914 – First baseball game at Wrigley Field, then known as Weeghman Park, in Chicago.
1918 – World War I: The British Royal Navy makes a raid in an attempt to neutralise the Belgian port of Bruges-Zeebrugge.
1920 – The Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) is founded in Ankara. The assembly denounces the government of Sultan Mehmed VI and announces the preparation of a temporary constitution.
1927 – Cardiff City defeat Arsenal in the FA Cup Final, the only time it has been won by a team not based in England.
1935 – The Polish Constitution of 1935 is adopted.
1940 – The Rhythm Club fire at a dance hall in Natchez, Mississippi, kills 198 people.
1941 – World War II: The Greek government and King George II evacuate Athens before the invading Wehrmacht.
1942 – World War II: Baedeker Blitz: German bombers hit Exeter, Bath and York in retaliation for the British raid on Lübeck.
1945 – World War II: Adolf Hitler’s designated successor, Hermann Göring, sends him a telegram asking permission to take leadership of the Third Reich. Martin Bormann and Joseph Goebbels advise Hitler that the telegram is treasonous.
1946 – Manuel Roxas is elected the last President of the Commonwealth of the Philippines.
1949 – Chinese Civil War: Establishment of the People’s Liberation Army Navy.
1951 – Cold War: American journalist William N. Oatis is arrested for espionage by the Communist government of Czechoslovakia.
1961 – Algiers putsch by French generals.
1967 – Soviet space program: Soyuz 1 (Russian: Союз 1, Union 1) a manned spaceflight carrying cosmonaut Colonel Vladimir Komarov is launched into orbit.
1968 – Vietnam War: Student protesters at Columbia University in New York City take over administration buildings and shut down the university.
1971 – Bangladesh Liberation War: The Pakistan Army and Razakars massacre approximately 3,000 Hindu emigrants in the Jathibhanga area of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).
1985 – Coca-Cola changes its formula and releases New Coke. The response is overwhelmingly negative, and the original formula is back on the market in less than three months.
1990 – Namibia becomes the 160th member of the United Nations and the 50th member of the Commonwealth of Nations.
1993 – Eritreans vote overwhelmingly for independence from Ethiopia in a United Nations-monitored referendum.
1993 – Sri Lankan politician Lalith Athulathmudali is assassinated while addressing a gathering, approximately four weeks ahead of the Provincial Council elections for the Western Province.
1999 – NATO bombs the headquarters of Radio Television of Serbia, as part of their aerial campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
2005 – The first ever YouTube video, titled “Me at the zoo”, was published by co-founder Jawed Karim.
2013 – At least 28 people are killed and more than 70 are injured as violence breaks out in Hawija, Iraq.
2018 – A vehicle-ramming attack kills 10 people and injures 16 in Toronto. A 25-year-old suspect, Alek Minassian, is arrested.
2019 – The 2019 Hpakant jade mine collapse in Myanmar kills four miners and two rescuers.

Births on April 23

1141 (probable) – Malcolm IV of Scotland (d. 1165)
1185 – Afonso II of Portugal (d. 1223)
1408 – John de Vere, 12th Earl of Oxford (d. 1462)
1420 – George of Poděbrady, King of Bohemia (d. 1471)
1464 – Joan of France, Duchess of Berry (d. 1505)
1464 – Robert Fayrfax, English Renaissance composer (d. 1521)
1484 – Julius Caesar Scaliger, Italian physician and scholar (d. 1558)
1500 – Alexander Ales, Scottish theologian and academic (d. 1565)
1500 – Johann Stumpf, Swiss writer (d. 1576)
1512 – Henry FitzAlan, 19th Earl of Arundel, Chancellor of the University of Oxford (d. 1580)
1516 – Georg Fabricius, German poet, historian, and archaeologist (d. 1571)
1598 – Maarten Tromp, Dutch admiral (d. 1653)
1621 – William Penn, English admiral and politician (d. 1670)
1628 – Johannes Hudde, Dutch mathematician and politician (d. 1704)
1661 – Issachar Berend Lehmann, German-Jewish banker, merchant and diplomat (d. 1730)
1715 – Johann Friedrich Doles, German composer and conductor (d. 1797)
1720 – Vilna Gaon, Lithuanian rabbi and author (d. 1797)
1744 – Princess Charlotte Amalie Wilhelmine of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön (d. 1770)
1748 – Félix Vicq-d’Azyr, French physician and anatomist (d. 1794)
1791 – James Buchanan, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 15th President of the United States (d. 1868)
1792 – Thomas Romney Robinson, Irish astronomer and physicist (d. 1882)
1794 – Wei Yuan, Chinese scholar and author (d. 1856)
1805 – Johann Karl Friedrich Rosenkranz, German philosopher and academic (d. 1879)
1812 – Frederick Whitaker, English-New Zealand lawyer and politician, 5th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1891)
1813 – Stephen A. Douglas, American educator and politician, 7th Illinois Secretary of State (d. 1861)
1813 – Frédéric Ozanam, Italian-French historian and scholar (d. 1853)
1818 – James Anthony Froude, English historian, novelist, biographer and editor (d. 1894)
1819 – Edward Stafford, Scottish-New Zealand educator and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1901)
1853 – Winthrop M. Crane, American businessman and politician, 40th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1920)
1856 – Granville Woods, American inventor and engineer (d. 1910)
1857 – Ruggero Leoncavallo, Italian composer (d. 1919)
1858 – Max Planck, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1947)
1860 – Justinian Oxenham, Australian public servant (d. 1932)
1861 – Edmund Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby, English field marshal and diplomat, British High Commissioner in Egypt (d. 1936)
1861 – John Peltz, American baseball player and manager (d. 1906)
1865 – Ali-Agha Shikhlinski, Russian-Azerbaijani general (d. 1943)
1867 – Johannes Fibiger, Danish physician and pathologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1928)
1876 – Arthur Moeller van den Bruck, German historian and author (d. 1925)
1880 – Michel Fokine, Russian dancer and choreographer (d. 1942)
1882 – Albert Coates, English composer and conductor (d. 1953)
1888 – Georges Vanier, Canadian general and politician, 19th Governor General of Canada (d. 1967)
1889 – Karel Doorman, Dutch admiral (d. 1942)
1893 – Frank Borzage, American actor and director (d. 1952)
1895 – Ngaio Marsh, New Zealand author and director (d. 1982)
1897 – Folke Jansson, American general (d. 1965)
1897 – Lester B. Pearson, Canadian historian and politician, 14th Prime Minister of Canada, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1972)
1898 – Lucius D. Clay, American general (d. 1978)
1899 – Bertil Ohlin, Swedish economist and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1979)
1899 – Minoru Shirota, Japanese physician and microbiologist, invented Yakult (d. 1982)
1900 – Jim Bottomley, American baseball player and sportscaster (d. 1959)
1900 – Joseph Green, Polish-American actor and director (d. 1996)
1901 – E. B. Ford, English biologist and geneticist (d. 1988)
1902 – Halldór Laxness, Icelandic author and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1998)
1903 – Guy Simonds, English-Canadian general (d. 1974)
1904 – Clifford Bricker, Canadian long-distance runner (d. 1980)
1904 – Louis Muhlstock, Polish-Canadian painter (d. 2001)
1904 – Duncan Renaldo, American actor (d. 1985)
1907 – Lee Miller, American model and photographer (d. 1977)
1907 – Fritz Wotruba, Austrian sculptor, designed the Wotruba Church (d. 1975)
1908 – Myron Waldman, American animator and director (d. 2006)
1910 – Sheila Scott Macintyre, Scottish mathematician (d. 1960)
1910 – Simone Simon, French actress (d. 2005)
1911 – Ronald Neame, English-American director, cinematographer, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2010)
1913 – Diosa Costello, Puerto Rican-American entertainer, producer and club owner (d. 2013)
1915 – Arnold Alexander Hall, English engineer, academic, and businessman (d. 2000)
1916 – Yiannis Moralis, Greek painter and educator (d. 2009)
1916 – Sinah Estelle Kelley, American chemist (d. 1982)
1917 – Dorian Leigh, American model (d. 2008)
1917 – Tony Lupien, American baseball player and coach (d. 2004)
1918 – Maurice Druon, French author and screenwriter (d. 2009)
1919 – Oleg Penkovsky, Russian colonel (d. 1963)
1920 – Eric Grant Yarrow, 3rd Baronet, English businessman (d. 2018)
1921 – Judy Agnew, Second Lady of the United States (d. 2012)
1921 – Cleto Bellucci, Italian archbishop (d. 2013)
1921 – Janet Blair, American actress and singer (d. 2007)
1921 – Warren Spahn, American baseball player and coach (d. 2003)
1923 – Dolph Briscoe, American lieutenant and politician, 41st Governor of Texas (d. 2010)
1923 – Avram Davidson, American soldier and author (d. 1993)
1924 – Chuck Harmon, American baseball player and scout (d. 2019)
1924 – Bobby Rosengarden, American drummer and bandleader (d. 2007)
1926 – J.P. Donleavy, American-Irish novelist and playwright (d. 2017)
1926 – Rifaat el-Mahgoub, Egyptian politician (d. 1990)
1928 – Shirley Temple, American actress, singer, dancer, and diplomat (d. 2014)
1929 – George Steiner, French-American philosopher, author, and critic (d. 2020)
1932 – Halston, American fashion designer (d. 1990)
1932 – Jim Fixx, American runner and author (d. 1984)
1933 – Annie Easley, American computer scientist, mathematician, and engineer (d. 2011)
1934 – George Canseco, Filipino composer and producer (d. 2004)
1936 – Roy Orbison, American singer-songwriter (d. 1988)
1937 – Victoria Glendinning, English author and critic
1937 – David Mills, English cricketer (d. 2013)
1937 – Barry Shepherd, Australian cricketer (d. 2001)
1939 – Jorge Fons, Mexican director and screenwriter
1939 – Bill Hagerty, English journalist
1939 – Lee Majors, American actor
1939 – Ray Peterson, American pop singer (d. 2005)
1940 – Michael Copps, American academic and politician
1940 – Dale Houston, American singer-songwriter (d. 2007)
1940 – Michael Kadosh, Israeli footballer and manager (d. 2014)
1941 – Jacqueline Boyer, French singer and actress
1941 – Arie den Hartog, Dutch road bicycle racer (d. 2018)
1941 – Paavo Lipponen, Finnish journalist and politician, 38th Prime Minister of Finland
1941 – Michael Lynne, American film producer, co-founded New Line Cinema
1941 – Ed Stewart, English radio and television host (d. 2016)
1941 – Ray Tomlinson, American computer programmer and engineer (d. 2016)
1942 – Sandra Dee, American model and actress (d. 2005)
1943 – Gail Goodrich, American basketball player and coach
1943 – Tony Esposito, Canadian-American ice hockey player, coach, and manager
1943 – Frans Koppelaar, Dutch painter
1943 – Hervé Villechaize, French actor (d. 1993)
1944 – Jean-François Stévenin, French actor and director
1946 – Blair Brown, American actress
1946 – Carlton Sherwood, American soldier and journalist (d. 2014)
1947 – Robert Burgess, English sociologist and academic
1947 – Glenn Cornick, English bass player (d. 2014)
1947 – Bernadette Devlin McAliskey, Irish civil rights leader and politician
1948 – Pascal Quignard, French author and screenwriter
1948 – Serge Thériault, Canadian actor
1949 – Paul Collier, English economist and academic
1949 – David Cross, English violinist
1949 – John Miles, British rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist
1950 – Rowley Leigh, English chef and journalist
1950 – Barbara McIlvaine Smith, Sac and Fox Nation Native American politician
1951 – Martin Bayerle, American treasure hunter
1952 – Narada Michael Walden, American singer-songwriter, drummer, and producer
1953 – James Russo, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
1954 – Stephen Dalton, English air marshal
1954 – Michael Moore, American director, producer, and activist
1955 – Judy Davis, Australian actress
1955 – Tony Miles, English chess player (d. 2001)
1955 – Urmas Ott, Estonian journalist and author (d. 2008)
1957 – Neville Brody, English graphic designer, typographer, and art director
1957 – Jan Hooks, American actress and comedian (d. 2014)
1958 – Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson, Icelandic composer and producer
1958 – Ryan Walter, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
1959 – Unity Dow, Botswanan judge, author, and rights activist
1960 – Valerie Bertinelli, American actress
1960 – Steve Clark, English guitarist and songwriter (d. 1991)
1960 – Barry Douglas, Irish pianist and conductor
1960 – Léo Jaime, Brazilian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
1960 – Claude Julien, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
1961 – George Lopez, American comedian, actor, and talk show host
1961 – Pierluigi Martini, Italian race car driver
1962 – John Hannah, Scottish actor and producer
1962 – Shaun Spiers, English businessman and politician
1963 – Paul Belmondo, French race car driver
1963 – Robby Naish, American windsurfer
1964 – Gianandrea Noseda, Italian pianist and conductor
1965 – Leni Robredo, Filipina human rights lawyer, 14th Vice President of the Philippines
1966 – Jörg Deisinger, German bass player
1966 – Matt Freeman, American bass player
1966 – Lembit Oll, Estonian chess Grandmaster (d. 1999)
1967 – Rheal Cormier, Canadian baseball player
1967 – Melina Kanakaredes, American actress
1968 – Bas Haring, Dutch philosopher, writer, television presenter and professor.
1968 – Ken McRae, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
1968 – Timothy McVeigh, American terrorist, Oklahoma City bombing co-perpetrator (d. 2001)
1969 – Martín López-Zubero, American-Spanish swimmer and coach
1969 – Yelena Shushunova, Russian gymnast
1970 – Egemen Bağış, Turkish politician, 1st Minister of European Union Affairs
1970 – Dennis Culp, American singer-songwriter and trombonist
1970 – Andrew Gee, Australian rugby league player and manager
1970 – Hans Välimäki, Finnish chef and author
1970 – Tayfur Havutçu, Turkish international footballer and manager
1971 – Uli Herzner, German-American fashion designer
1972 – Pierre Labrie, Canadian poet and playwright
1972 – Peter Dench, English photographer and journalist
1972 – Amira Medunjanin, singer from Bosnia and Herzegovina
1973 – Patrick Poulin, Canadian ice hockey player
1974 – Carlos Dengler, American bass player
1974 – Michael Kerr, New Zealand-German rugby player
1975 – Bobby Shaw, American football player
1976 – Aaron Dessner, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
1977 – John Cena, American professional wrestler and actor
1977 – David Kidwell, New Zealand rugby league player and coach
1977 – Willie Mitchell, Canadian ice hockey player
1977 – John Oliver, English comedian, actor, producer, and screenwriter
1977 – Kal Penn, Indian-American actor
1977 – Bram Schmitz, Dutch cyclist
1977 – Lee Young-pyo, South Korean international footballer
1978 – Gezahegne Abera, Ethiopian runner
1979 – Barry Hawkins, English snooker player
1979 – Jaime King, American actress and model
1979 – Joanna Krupa, Polish-American model and television personality
1979 – Samppa Lajunen, Finnish skier
1982 – Tony Sunshine, American singer-songwriter
1983 – Leon Andreasen, Danish international footballer
1983 – Daniela Hantuchová, Slovak tennis player
1983 – Ian Henderson, English rugby league player
1984 – Alexandra Kosteniuk, Russian chess player
1984 – Jesse Lee Soffer, American actor
1985 – Angel Locsin, Filipino actress, producer, and fashion designer
1986 – Sven Kramer, Dutch speed skater
1986 – Alysia Montaño, American runner
1986 – Rafael Fernandes, Brazilian baseball player
1987 – Michael Arroyo, Ecuadorian footballer
1987 – John Boye, Ghanaian footballer
1987 – Emily Fox, American basketball player
1988 – Victor Anichebe, Nigerian footballer
1988 – Alistair Brownlee, English triathlete
1988 – Signe Ronka, Canadian figure skater
1988 – Lenka Wienerová, Slovak tennis player
1989 – Nicole Vaidišová, Czech tennis player
1990 – Rui Fonte, Portuguese footballer, winger
1990 – Dev Patel, English actor
1991 – Nathan Baker, English footballer
1991 – Caleb Johnson, American singer-songwriter
1991 – Paul Vaughan, Australian-Italian rugby league player
1994 – Patrick Olsen, Danish footballer
1994 – Song Kang, South Korean actor
1995 – Gigi Hadid, American fashion model and television personality
1997 – Zach Apple, American swimmer

Deaths on April 23

303 – Saint George, Roman soldier and martyr (b. 275)
711 – Childebert III, Frankish king (b. 670)
725 – Wihtred of Kent (b. 670)
871 – Æthelred of Wessex (b. 837)
915 – Yang Shihou, Chinese general
944 – Wichmann the Elder, Saxon nobleman
990 – Ekkehard II, Swiss monk and abbot
997 – Adalbert of Prague, Czech bishop, missionary, and saint (b. 956)
1014 – Brian Boru, Irish king (b. 941)
1014 – Domnall mac Eimín, Mormaer of Mar
1016 – Æthelred the Unready, English son of Edgar the Peaceful (b. 968)
1124 – Alexander I of Scotland (b. 1078)
1151 – Adeliza of Louvain (b. 1103)
1170 – Minamoto no Tametomo, Japanese samurai (b. 1139)
1196 – Béla III of Hungary (b. c.1148)
1200 – Zhu Xi, Chinese philosopher (b. 1130)
1217 – Inge II of Norway (b. 1185)
1262 – Aegidius of Assisi, companion of Saint Francis of Assisi
1307 – Joan of Acre (b. 1272)
1400 – Aubrey de Vere, 10th Earl of Oxford, English politician and nobleman (b. c. 1338)
1407 – Olivier de Clisson, French soldier (b. 1326)
1501 – Domenico della Rovere, Catholic cardinal (b. 1442)
1554 – Gaspara Stampa, Italian poet (b. 1523)
1605 – Boris Godunov, Russian ruler (b. 1551)
1616 – William Shakespeare, English playwright and poet (b. 1564)
1625 – Maurice, Prince of Orange (b. 1567)
1695 – Henry Vaughan, Welsh poet and author (b. 1621)
1702 – Margaret Fell, English religious leader, founded the Religious Society of Friends (b. 1614)
1781 – James Abercrombie, Scottish general and politician (b. 1706)
1784 – Solomon I of Imereti (b. 1735)
1792 – Karl Friedrich Bahrdt, German theologian and author (b. 1741)
1794 – Guillaume-Chrétien de Lamoignon de Malesherbes, French lawyer and politician (b. 1721)
1827 – Georgios Karaiskakis, Greek general (b. 1780)
1839 – Jacques Félix Emmanuel Hamelin, French admiral and explorer (b. 1768)
1850 – William Wordsworth, English poet and author (b. 1770)
1889 – Jules Amédée Barbey d’Aurevilly, French author and critic (b. 1808)
1895 – Carl Ludwig, German physician and physiologist (b. 1815)
1905 – Gédéon Ouimet, Canadian politician, 2nd Premier of Quebec (b. 1823)
1907 – Alferd Packer, American prospector (b. 1842)
1915 – Rupert Brooke, English poet (b. 1887)
1936 – Teresa de la Parra, French-Venezuelan author (b. 1889)
1951 – Jules Berry, French actor and director (b. 1883)
1951 – Charles G. Dawes, American banker and politician, 30th Vice President of the United States, Nobel Peace Prize laureate (b. 1865)
1959 – Bak Jungyang, Korean politician
1965 – George Adamski, Polish-American ufologist and author (b. 1891)
1966 – George Ohsawa, Japanese founder of the Macrobiotic diet (b. 1893)
1981 – Josep Pla, Catalan journalist and author (b. 1897)
1983 – Buster Crabbe, American swimmer and actor (b. 1908)
1984 – Red Garland, American pianist (b. 1923)
1985 – Sam Ervin, American lawyer and politician (b. 1896)
1985 – Frank Farrell, Australian rugby league player and policeman (b. 1916)
1986 – Harold Arlen, American composer (b. 1905)
1986 – Jim Laker, English cricketer and sportscaster (b. 1922)
1986 – Otto Preminger, Ukrainian-American actor, director, and producer (b. 1906)
1990 – Paulette Goddard, American actress (b. 1910)
1991 – Johnny Thunders, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1952)
1992 – Satyajit Ray, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1921)
1992 – Tanka Prasad Acharya, Nepalese politician, 27th Prime Minister of Nepal (b. 1912)
1993 – Cesar Chavez, American activist, co-founded the United Farm Workers (b. 1927)
1995 – Douglas Lloyd Campbell, Canadian farmer and politician, 13th Premier of Manitoba (b. 1895)
1995 – Howard Cosell, American lawyer and journalist (b. 1918)
1995 – Riho Lahi, Estonian journalist (b. 1904)
1995 – John C. Stennis, American lawyer and politician (b. 1904)
1996 – Jean Victor Allard, Canadian general (b. 1913)
1996 – P. L. Travers, Australian-English author and actress (b. 1899)
1997 – Denis Compton, English cricketer and footballer (b. 1918)
1998 – Konstantinos Karamanlis, Greek lawyer and politician, 172nd Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1907)
1998 – James Earl Ray, American assassin of Martin Luther King, Jr. (b. 1928)
1998 – Thanassis Skordalos, Greek singer-songwriter and lyra player (b. 1920)
2003 – Fernand Fonssagrives, French-American photographer (b. 1910)
2004 – Herman Veenstra, Dutch water polo player (b. 1911)
2005 – Joh Bjelke-Petersen, New Zealand-Australian politician, 31st Premier of Queensland (b. 1911)
2005 – Robert Farnon, Canadian-English trumpet player, composer and conductor (b. 1917)
2005 – Al Grassby, Australian journalist and politician (b. 1928)
2005 – John Mills, English actor (b. 1908)
2005 – Romano Scarpa, Italian author and illustrator (b. 1927)
2005 – Earl Wilson, American baseball player, coach and educator (b. 1934)
2006 – Phil Walden, American record producer and manager, co-founder of Capricorn Records (b. 1940)
2007 – Paul Erdman, Canadian-American economist and author (b. 1932)
2007 – David Halberstam, American journalist, historian and author (b. 1934)
2007 – Peter Randall, English sergeant (b. 1930)
2007 – Boris Yeltsin, Russian politician, 1st President of Russia (b. 1931)
2010 – Peter Porter, Australian-born British poet (b. 1929)
2011 – James Casey, English comedian, radio scriptwriter and producer (b. 1922)
2011 – Tom King, American guitarist and songwriter (b. 1943)
2011 – Geoffrey Russell, 4th Baron Ampthill, English businessman and politician (b. 1921)
2011 – Max van der Stoel, Dutch politician and Minister of State (b. 1924)
2011 – John Sullivan, English screenwriter and producer (b. 1946)
2012 – Lillemor Arvidsson, Swedish trade union leader and politician, 34th Governor of Gotland (b. 1943)
2012 – Billy Bryans, Canadian drummer, songwriter and producer (b. 1947)
2012 – Chris Ethridge, American bass player and songwriter (b. 1947)
2012 – Raymond Thorsteinsson, Canadian geologist and paleontologist (b. 1921)
2012 – LeRoy T. Walker, American football player and coach (b. 1918)
2013 – Bob Brozman, American guitarist (b. 1954)
2013 – Robert W. Edgar, American educator and politician (b. 1943)
2013 – Tony Grealish, English footballer (b. 1956)
2013 – Antonio Maccanico, Italian banker and politician (b. 1924)
2013 – Frank W. J. Olver, English-American mathematician and academic (b. 1924)
2013 – Kathryn Wasserman Davis, American philanthropist and scholar (b. 1907)
2014 – Benjamín Brea, Spanish-Venezuelan saxophonist, clarinet player, and conductor (b. 1946)
2014 – Michael Glawogger, Austrian director, screenwriter, and cinematographer (b. 1959)
2014 – Jaap Havekotte, Dutch speed skater and producer of ice skates (b. 1912)
2014 – Connie Marrero, Cuban baseball player and coach (b. 1911)
2014 – F. Michael Rogers, American general (b. 1921)
2014 – Mark Shand, English conservationist and author (b. 1951)
2014 – Patric Standford, English composer and educator (b. 1939)
2015 – Richard Corliss, American journalist and critic (b. 1944)
2015 – Ray Jackson, Australian activist (b. 1941)
2015 – Pierre Claude Nolin, Canadian lawyer and politician, Speaker of the Canadian Senate (b. 1950)
2015 – Jim Steffen, American football player (b. 1936)
2015 – Francis Tsai, American author and illustrator (b. 1967)
2016 – Inge King, German-born Australian sculptor (b. 1915)
2016 – Banharn Silpa-archa, Thai politician, Prime Minister from 1995–1996 (b. 1932)
2019 – Charity Sunshine Tillemann-Dick, American soprano singer and presenter (b.1983)

Holidays and observances on April 23

Castile and León Day (Castile and León)
Christian feast day:
- Adalbert of Prague
- Felix, Fortunatus, and Achilleus
- George
- Blessed Giles of Assisi
- Gerard of Toul
- Ibar of Beggerin (Meath)
- Toyohiko Kagawa (Episcopal and Lutheran Church)
- April 23 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Earliest day on which the first day of Children’s Day can fall, while April 29 is the latest; celebrated on the last Saturday of April. (Colombia)
Independence Day (Conch Republic, Key West, Florida)
International Pixel-Stained Technopeasant Day
Khongjom Day (Manipur)
National Sovereignty and Children’s Day (Turkey and Northern Cyprus)
Navy Day (China)
St George’s Day (England) and its related observances:
- Canada Book Day (Canada)
- La Diada de Sant Jordi (Catalonia, Spain)
- World Book Day
UN English Language Day (United Nations)

April 23 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

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

On This Day / admin

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

Births on April 16

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

Deaths on April 16

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

Holidays and observances on April 16

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

April 16 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

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

On This Day / admin

845 – Paris is sacked by Viking raiders, probably under Ragnar Lodbrok, who collects a huge ransom in exchange for leaving.
1430 – The Ottoman Empire under Murad II captures Thessalonica from the Republic of Venice.
1461 – Battle of Towton: Edward of York defeats Queen Margaret to become King Edward IV of England, bringing a temporary stop to the Wars of the Roses.
1500 – Cesare Borgia is given the title of Captain-General and Gonfalonier by his father Rodrigo Borgia after returning from his conquests in the Romagna.
1549 – The city of Salvador da Bahia, the first capital of Brazil, is founded.
1632 – Treaty of Saint-Germain is signed returning Quebec to French control after the English had seized it in 1629.
1792 – King Gustav III of Sweden dies after being shot in the back at a midnight masquerade ball at Stockholm’s Royal Opera 13 days earlier. He is succeeded by Gustav IV Adolf.
1806 – Construction is authorized of the Great National Pike, better known as the Cumberland Road, becoming the first United States federal highway.
1809 – King Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden abdicates after a coup d’état. At the Diet of Porvoo, Finland’s four Estates pledge allegiance to Alexander I of Russia, commencing the secession of the Grand Duchy of Finland from Sweden.
1831 – Great Bosnian uprising: Bosniaks rebel against Turkey.
1847 – Mexican–American War: United States forces led by General Winfield Scott take Veracruz after a siege.
1849 – The United Kingdom annexes the Punjab.
1857 – Sepoy Mangal Pandey of the 34th Regiment, Bengal Native Infantry mutinies against the East India Company’s rule in India and inspires the protracted Indian Rebellion of 1857, also known as the Sepoy Mutiny.
1865 – American Civil War: Federal forces under Major General Philip Sheridan move to flank Confederate forces under Robert E. Lee as the Appomattox Campaign begins.
1867 – Queen Victoria gives Royal Assent to the British North America Act which establishes Canada on July 1.
1871 – Royal Albert Hall is opened by Queen Victoria.
1879 – Anglo-Zulu War: Battle of Kambula: British forces defeat 20,000 Zulus.
1882 – The Knights of Columbus is established.
1886 – John Pemberton brews the first batch of Coca-Cola in a backyard in Atlanta.
1911 – The M1911 .45 ACP pistol becomes the official U.S. Army side arm.
1927 – Sunbeam 1000hp breaks the land speed record at Daytona Beach, Florida.
1930 – Heinrich Brüning is appointed German Reichskanzler.
1936 – Adolf Hitler receives 99% of the votes in the 1936 German parliamentary election and referendum.
1941 – The North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement goes into effect at 03:00 local time.
1941 – World War II: British Royal Navy and Royal Australian Navy forces defeat those of the Italian Regia Marina off the Peloponnesian coast of Greece in the Battle of Cape Matapan.
1942 – The Bombing of Lübeck in World War II is the first major success for the RAF Bomber Command against Germany and a German city.
1945 – World War II: Last day of V-1 flying bomb attacks on England.
1945 – World War II: The German 4th Army is almost destroyed by the Soviet Red Army.
1946 – Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México, one of Mexico’s leading universities, is founded.
1947 – Malagasy Uprising against French colonial rule in Madagascar.
1951 – Ethel and Julius Rosenberg are convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage.
1957 – The New York, Ontario and Western Railway makes its final run, the first major U.S. railroad to be abandoned in its entirety.
1961 – The Twenty-third Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, allowing residents of Washington, D.C., to vote in presidential elections.
1962 – Arturo Frondizi, the president of Argentina, is overthrown in a military coup by Argentina’s armed forces, ending an 11¹⁄₂ day constitutional crisis.
1971 – My Lai Massacre: Lieutenant William Calley is convicted of premeditated murder and sentenced to life in prison.
1973 – Vietnam War: The last United States combat soldiers leave South Vietnam.
1973 – Operation Barrel Roll, a covert American bombing campaign in Laos to stop communist infiltration of South Vietnam, ends.
1974 – NASA’s Mariner 10 becomes the first space probe to fly by Mercury.
1974 – Terracotta Army was discovered in Shaanxi province, China.
1982 – The Canada Act 1982 receives the Royal Assent from Queen Elizabeth II, setting the stage for the Queen of Canada to proclaim the Constitution Act, 1982.
1984 – The Baltimore Colts load its possessions onto fifteen Mayflower moving trucks in the early morning hours and transfer its operations to Indianapolis.
1990 – The Czechoslovak parliament is unable to reach an agreement on what to call the country after the fall of Communism, sparking the so-called Hyphen War.
1993 – Catherine Callbeck becomes premier of Prince Edward Island and the first woman to be elected in a general election as premier of a Canadian province.
1999 – The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above the 10,000 mark (10,006.78) for the first time, during the height of the dot-com bubble.
1999 – A magnitude 6.8 earthquake in India strikes the Chamoli district in Uttar Pradesh, killing 103.
2002 – In reaction to the Passover massacre two days prior, Israel launches Operation Defensive Shield against Palestinian militants, its largest military operation in the West Bank since the 1967 Six-Day War.
2004 – Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia join NATO as full members.
2010 – Two suicide bombers hit the Moscow Metro system at the peak of the morning rush hour, killing 40.
2013 – At least 36 people are killed when a 16-floor building collapses in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
2014 – The first same-sex marriages in England and Wales are performed.

Births on March 29

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

Deaths on March 29

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

Holidays and observances on March 29

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

March 29 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

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

On This Day / admin

March 24th is the 365th and last day of the year in many European implementations of the Julian calendar.

March 24 in History

1199 – King Richard I of England is wounded by a crossbow bolt while fighting in France, leading to his death on April 6.
1387 – English victory over a Franco-Castilian-Flemish fleet in the Battle of Margate off the coast of Margate.
1401 – Turco-Mongol emperor Timur sacks Damascus.
1603 – James VI of Scotland is proclaimed King James I of England and Ireland, upon the death of Elizabeth I.
1603 – Tokugawa Ieyasu is granted the title of shōgun from Emperor Go-Yōzei, and establishes the Tokugawa shogunate in Edo, Japan.
1663 – The Province of Carolina is granted by charter to eight Lords Proprietor in reward for their assistance in restoring Charles II of England to the throne.
1720 – Count Frederick of Hesse-Kassel is elected King of Sweden by the Riksdag of the Estates, after his consort Ulrika Eleonora abdicated the throne on 29 February
1721 – Johann Sebastian Bach dedicated six concertos to Margrave Christian Ludwig of Brandenburg-Schwedt, now commonly called the Brandenburg Concertos, BWV 1046–1051.
1731 – Naturalization of Hieronimus de Salis Parliamentary Act is passed.
1765 – Great Britain passes the Quartering Act, which requires the Thirteen Colonies to house British troops.
1794 – In Kraków, Tadeusz Kościuszko announces a general uprising against Imperial Russia and the Kingdom of Prussia, and assumes the powers of the Commander in Chief of all of the Polish forces.
1829 – The Parliament of the United Kingdom passes the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829, allowing Catholics to serve in Parliament.
1832 – In Hiram, Ohio, a group of men beat and tar and feather Mormon leader Joseph Smith.
1854 – President José Gregorio Monagas abolishes slavery in Venezuela.
1860 – Sakuradamon Incident: Assassination of Japanese Chief Minister (Tairō) Ii Naosuke.
1869 – The last of Titokowaru’s forces surrendered to the New Zealand government, ending his uprising.
1878 – The British frigate HMS Eurydice sinks, killing more than 300.
1882 – Robert Koch announces the discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium responsible for tuberculosis.
1885 – Sino-French War: Chinese victory in the Battle of Bang Bo on the Tonkin–Guangxi border.
1900 – Mayor of New York City Robert Anderson Van Wyck breaks ground for a new underground “Rapid Transit Railroad” that would link Manhattan and Brooklyn.
1907 – The first issue of the Georgian Bolshevik newspaper Dro is published.
1921 – The 1921 Women’s Olympiad begins in Monte Carlo, first international women’s sports event.
1927 – Nanking Incident: Foreign warships bombard Nanjing, China, in defense of the foreign citizens within the city.
1934 – United States Congress passes the Tydings–McDuffie Act, allowing the Philippines to become a self-governing commonwealth.
1944 – Ardeatine massacre: German troops murder 335 Italian civilians in Rome.
1944 – World War II: In an event later dramatized in the movie The Great Escape, 76 Allied prisoners of war begin breaking out of the German camp Stalag Luft III.
1946 – A British Cabinet Mission arrives in India to discuss and plan for the transfer of power from the British Raj to Indian leadership.
1958 – Rock ‘n’ roll teen idol Elvis Presley is drafted in the U.S. Army.
1961 – Quebec Board of the French Language is established.
1965 – Images from the Ranger 9 lunar probe are broadcast live on network television.
1973 – Kenyan athlete Kip Keino defeats Jim Ryun at the first-ever professional track meet in Los Angeles.
1976 – In Argentina, the armed forces overthrow the constitutional government of President Isabel Perón and start a 7-year dictatorial period self-styled the National Reorganization Process.
1977 – Morarji Desai became the Prime Minister of India, the first Prime Minister not to belong to Indian National Congress.
1980 – El Salvadorian Archbishop Óscar Romero is assassinated while celebrating Mass in San Salvador.
1986 – The Loscoe gas explosion leads to new UK laws on landfill gas migration and gas protection on landfill sites.
1989 – In Prince William Sound in Alaska, the Exxon Valdez spills 240,000 barrels (38,000 m³) of crude oil after running aground.
1993 – Discovery of Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9.
1998 – Mitchell Johnson and Andrew Golden, aged 11 and 13 respectively, fire upon teachers and students at Westside Middle School in Jonesboro, Arkansas; five people are killed and ten are wounded.
1998 – A tornado sweeps through Dantan in India, killing 250 people and injuring 3,000 others.
1998 – First computer-assisted Bone Segment Navigation, performed at the University of Regensburg, Germany
1999 – Kosovo war: NATO began attacks on Yugoslavia without United Nations Security Council (UNSC) approval, marking the first time NATO has attacked a sovereign country.
1999 – A lorry carrying margarine and flour catches fire inside the Mont Blanc Tunnel. The resulting inferno kills 38 people.
2003 – The Arab League votes 21–1 in favor of a resolution demanding the immediate and unconditional removal of U.S. and British soldiers from Iraq.
2008 – Bhutan officially becomes a democracy, with its first ever general election.
2015 – Germanwings Flight 9525 crashes in the French Alps in an apparent pilot mass murder-suicide, killing all 150 people on board.

Births on March 24

1103 – Yue Fei, Chinese military general (d. 1142)
1441 – Ernest, Elector of Saxony, German ruler of Saxony (d. 1486)
1494 – Georgius Agricola, German mineralogist and scholar (d. 1555)
1577 – Francis, Duke of Pomerania-Stettin, Bishop of Cammin (d. 1620)
1607 – Michiel de Ruyter, Dutch admiral (d. 1667)
1628 – Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg (d. 1685)
1657 – Arai Hakuseki, Japanese academic and politician (d. 1725)
1693 – John Harrison, English carpenter and clock-maker, invented the Marine chronometer (d. 1776)
1725 – Samuel Ashe, American lawyer and politician, 9th Governor of North Carolina (d. 1813)
1725 – Thomas Cushing, American lawyer and politician, 1st Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1788)
1755 – Rufus King, American lawyer and politician, United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom (d. 1827)
1762 – Marcos Portugal, Portuguese organist and composer (d. 1830)
1775 – Muthuswami Dikshitar, Indian poet and composer (d. 1835)
1782 – Orest Kiprensky, Russian-Italian painter (d. 1836)
1796 – Zulma Carraud, French author (d. 1889)
1796 – John Corry Wilson Daly, Canadian businessman and politician (d. 1878)
1803 – Egerton Ryerson, Canadian minister, educator, and politician (d. 1882)
1808 – Maria Malibran, Spanish-French soprano (d. 1836)
1809 – Mariano José de Larra, Spanish journalist and author (d. 1837)
1809 – Joseph Liouville, French mathematician and academic (d. 1882)
1816 – Pelagio Antonio de Labastida y Dávalos, Roman Catholic archbishop and Mexican politician who served as regent during the Second Mexican Empire (1863-1864) (d. 1891)
1820 – Edmond Becquerel, French physicist and academic (d. 1891)
1820 – Fanny Crosby, American poet and composer (d. 1915)
1823 – Thomas Spencer Baynes, English philosopher and critic (d. 1887)
1826 – Matilda Joslyn Gage, American activist and author (d. 1898)
1828 – Horace Gray, American lawyer and jurist (d. 1902)
1829 – George Francis Train, American businessman (d. 1904)
1829 – Ignacio Zaragoza, Mexican general (d. 1862)
1830 – Robert Hamerling, Austrian poet and playwright (d. 1889)
1834 – William Morris, English textile designer, poet, and author (d. 1896)
1834 – John Wesley Powell, American soldier, geologist, and explorer (d. 1902)
1835 – Joseph Stefan, Austrian physicist, mathematician, and poet (d. 1893)
1848 – Honoré Beaugrand, Canadian journalist and politician, 18th Mayor of Montreal (d. 1906)
1850 – Silas Hocking, English minister and author (d. 1935)
1854 – Henry Lefroy, Australian politician, 11th Premier of Western Australia (d. 1930)
1855 – Andrew W. Mellon, American banker, financier, and diplomat, 49th United States Secretary of the Treasury (d. 1937)
1855 – Olive Schreiner, South African author and activist (d. 1920)
1862 – Frank Weston Benson, American painter and educator (d. 1951)
1869 – Émile Fabre, French author and playwright (d. 1955)
1871 – Alec Hurley, English music hall singer (d. 1913)
1874 – Luigi Einaudi, Italian economist and politician, 2nd President of the Italian Republic (d. 1961)
1874 – Harry Houdini, Hungarian-Jewish American magician and actor (d. 1926)
1875 – William Burns, Canadian lacrosse player (d. 1953)
1879 – Neyzen Tevfik, Turkish philosopher, poet, and composer (d. 1953)
1882 – Marcel Lalu, French gymnast (d. 1951)
1882 – George Monckton-Arundell, 8th Viscount Galway, English politician, 5th Governor-General of New Zealand (d. 1943)
1883 – Dorothy Campbell, Scottish-American golfer (d. 1945)
1884 – Peter Debye, Dutch-American physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1966)
1884 – Chika Kuroda, Japanese chemist (d. 1968)
1884 – Eugène Tisserant, French cardinal (d. 1972)
1885 – Charles Daniels, American swimmer (d. 1973)
1885 – Dimitrie Cuclin, Romanian violinist and composer (d. 1978)
1886 – Edward Weston, American photographer (d. 1958)
1886 – Robert Mallet-Stevens, French architect and designer (d. 1945)
1887 – Roscoe Arbuckle, American actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1933)
1888 – Viktor Kingissepp, Estonian politician (d. 1922)
1889 – Albert Hill, English-Canadian runner (d. 1969)
1890 – Agnes Macphail, Canadian educator and politician (d. 1954)
1891 – Sergey Ivanovich Vavilov, Russian physicist and academic (d. 1951)
1892 – Marston Morse, American mathematician and academic (d. 1977)
1893 – Walter Baade, German astronomer and author (d. 1960)
1893 – George Sisler, American baseball player and scout (d. 1973)
1897 – Wilhelm Reich, Austrian-American psychotherapist and academic (d. 1957)
1901 – Ub Iwerks, American animator, director, and producer, co-created Mickey Mouse (d. 1971)
1902 – Thomas E. Dewey, American lawyer and politician, 47th Governor of New York (d. 1971)
1903 – Adolf Butenandt, German biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1995)
1903 – Malcolm Muggeridge, English journalist, author, and scholar (d. 1990)
1905 – Pura Santillan-Castrence, Filipino author and diplomat (d. 2007)
1907 – Paul Sauvé, Canadian lawyer and politician, 17th Premier of Quebec (d. 1960)
1909 – Clyde Barrow, American criminal (d. 1934)
1909 – Richard Wurmbrand, Romanian Pastor and Evangelist (d. 2001)
1910 – Richard Conte, American actor, singer, and director (d. 1975)
1911 – Joseph Barbera, American animator, director, and producer, co-founded Hanna-Barbera (d. 2006)
1912 – Dorothy Height, African-American educator and activist (d. 2010)
1915 – Eugène Martin, French racing driver (d. 2006)
1916 – Donald Hamilton, Swedish-American soldier and author (d. 2006)
1916 – Harry B. Whittington, English palaeontologist and academic (d. 2010)
1917 – John Kendrew, English biochemist and crystallographer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1997)
1919 – Lawrence Ferlinghetti, American poet and publisher, co-founded City Lights Bookstore
1919 – Robert Heilbroner, American economist and historian (d. 2005)
1920 – Gene Nelson, American actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1996)
1920 – Mary Stolz, American author (d. 2006)
1921 – Vasily Smyslov, Russian chess player (d. 2010)
1922 – Onna White, Canadian dancer and choreographer (d. 2005)
1923 – Murray Hamilton, American actor (d. 1986)
1923 – Michael Legat, English author and publisher (d. 2011)
1924 – Norman Fell, American actor (d. 1998)
1925 – Puig Aubert, German-French rugby league player and coach (d. 1994)
1926 – Desmond Connell, Irish cardinal (d. 2017)
1926 – Dario Fo, Italian playwright, actor, director, and composer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2016)
1926 – William Porter, American hurdler (d. 2000)
1927 – John Woodland Hastings, American biochemist and academic (d. 2014)
1927 – Martin Walser, German author and playwright
1928 – Byron Janis, American pianist and composer
1929 – Pat Renella, Italian-American actor (d. 2012)
1930 – David Dacko, Central African politician, 1st President of the Central African Republic (d. 2003)
1930 – Steve McQueen, American actor and producer (d. 1980)
1931 – Hanno Drechsler, German educator and politician, Mayor of Marburg (d. 2003)
1933 – Stephen De Staebler, American sculptor and educator (d. 2011)
1933 – Lee Mendelson, American television producer (d. 2019)
1936 – Don Covay, American singer-songwriter (d. 2015)
1936 – Alex Olmedo, Peruvian-American tennis player
1937 – Billy Stewart, American singer and pianist (d. 1970)
1938 – David Irving, English historian and author
1940 – Bob Mackie, American fashion designer
1941 – Michael Masser, American songwriter, composer and producer (d. 2015)
1944 – R. Lee Ermey, American sergeant and actor (d. 2018)
1944 – Vojislav Koštunica, Serbian academic and politician, 8th Prime Minister of Serbia
1945 – Robert T. Bakker, American paleontologist and academic
1945 – Curtis Hanson, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2016)
1945 – Patrick Malahide, English actor and screenwriter
1946 – Klaus Dinger, German guitarist and songwriter (d. 2008)
1946 – Kitty O’Neil, American stuntwoman (d. 2018)
1947 – Dennis Erickson, American football player and coach
1947 – Christine Gregoire, American lawyer and politician, 22nd Governor of Washington
1947 – Mick Jones, English footballer and coach
1947 – Alan Sugar, English businessman
1948 – Javier Diez Canseco, Peruvian sociologist and politician (d. 2013)
1948 – Jerzy Kukuczka, Polish mountaineer (d. 1989)
1948 – Lee Oskar, Jewish-Danish musician
1949 – Tabitha King, American author and poet
1949 – Ruud Krol, Dutch footballer and coach
1949 – Steve Lang, Canadian bass player (April Wine) (d. 2017)
1949 – Nick Lowe, English singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer
1949 – Ali Akbar Salehi, Iranian academic and politician, 36th Foreign Affairs Minister of Iran
1949 – Ranil Wickremesinghe, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician, 13th Prime Minister of Sri Lanka
1950 – Gary Wichard, American football player and agent (d. 2011)
1951 – Peter Boyle, Scottish-Australian footballer and manager (d. 2013)
1951 – Pat Bradley, American golfer
1951 – Tommy Hilfiger, American fashion designer, founded the Tommy Hilfiger Corporation
1951 – Dougie Thomson, Scottish bass player
1951 – Anna Włodarczyk, Polish long jumper and coach
1952 – Greg McCrary, American football player (d. 2013)
1953 – Anita L. Allen, African-American lawyer, philosopher, and academic
1953 – Louie Anderson, American actor and comedian
1955 – Doug Jarvis, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
1955 – Pat Price, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
1956 – Steve Ballmer, American businessman
1956 – Bill Wray, American cartoonist and painter
1957 – Pierre Harvey, Canadian cyclist and skier
1957 – Pat Jarvis, Australian rugby league player
1958 – Mike Woodson, American basketball player and coach
1959 – Emmit King, American sprinter
1959 – Renaldo Nehemiah, American hurdler and football player
1959 – Derek Statham, English footballer
1960 – Jan Berglin, Swedish cartoonist
1960 – Barry Horowitz, American wrestler
1960 – Kelly Le Brock, English-American actress and model
1960 – Nena, German singer-songwriter and actress
1960 – Scott Pruett, American race car driver
1960 – Annabella Sciorra, American actress
1961 – Dean Jones, Australian cricketer and coach
1961 – Yanis Varoufakis, Greek economist and politician, Greek Minister of Finance
1962 – Angèle Dubeau, Canadian violinist
1962 – Star Jones, African-American lawyer, journalist, and talk show host
1962 – Irina Meszynski, German discus thrower
1963 – Raimond van der Gouw, Dutch footballer and coach
1963 – Vadym Tyshchenko, Ukrainian footballer and manager (d. 2015)
1963 – Torsten Voss, German decathlete and bobsledder
1965 – The Undertaker, American wrestler and actor
1966 – Floyd Heard, American sprinter and coach
1967 – Diann Roffe, American skier
1968 – Minarti Timur, Indonesian badminton player
1969 – Stephan Eberharter, Austrian skier
1970 – Lara Flynn Boyle, American actress
1970 – Sharon Corr, Irish singer-songwriter and violinist
1970 – Judith Draxler, Austrian swimmer
1970 – Erica Kennedy, African-American journalist and author (d. 2012)
1970 – Mike Vanderjagt, Canadian-American football player
1971 – Tig Notaro, American comedian and actor
1972 – Christophe Dugarry, French footballer
1972 – Steve Karsay, American baseball player and coach
1973 – Jacek Bąk, Polish footballer
1973 – Philippe Boucher, Canadian ice hockey player and manager
1973 – Steve Corica, Australian footballer and coach
1973 – Jure Ivanušič, Slovenian actor, concert pianist and chansonnier
1973 – Mette Jacobsen, Danish swimmer
1973 – Glen Jakovich, Australian footballer
1973 – Jim Parsons, American actor
1974 – Alyson Hannigan, American actress
1974 – Sergey Klyugin, Russian high jumper
1974 – Tado, Filipino comedian and activist (d. 2014)
1975 – Thomas Johansson, Swedish-Monacan tennis player
1976 – Aaron Brooks, American football player
1976 – Aliou Cissé, Senegalese footballer and coach
1976 – Athanasios Kostoulas, Greek footballer
1976 – Peyton Manning, American football player and entrepreneur
1977 – Jessica Chastain, American actress
1977 – Maxim Kuznetsov, Russian ice hockey player
1977 – Darren Lockyer, Australian rugby league player and sportscaster
1978 – Michael Braun, Australian footballer and coach
1978 – Tomáš Ujfaluši, Czech footballer and manager
1978 – José Valverde, Dominican baseball player
1979 – Lake Bell, Jewish-American actress, director, and screenwriter
1979 – Norris Hopper, American baseball player
1979 – Periklis Iakovakis, Greek hurdler
1979 – Graeme Swann, English cricketer
1980 – Tassos Venetis, Greek footballer
1981 – Mike Adams, American football player
1981 – Ron Hainsey, American ice hockey player
1981 – Dirk Hayhurst, American baseball player
1981 – Mark Looms, Dutch footballer
1981 – Gary Paffett, English racing driver
1982 – Corey Hart, American baseball player
1982 – Jack Swagger, American mixed martial artist and professional wrestler
1982 – Epico Colon, Puerto Rican professional wrestler
1982 – Jimmy Hempte, Belgian footballer
1982 – Dustin McGowan, American baseball player
1983 – Luca Ceccarelli, Italian footballer
1983 – Riccardo Musetti, Italian footballer
1983 – Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau, Canadian ice hockey player
1983 – T.J. Ford, American basketball player
1984 – Benoît Assou-Ekotto, French born Cameroonian international footballer, left-back
1984 – Chris Bosh, American basketball player
1984 – Adrian D’Souza, Indian field hockey player
1984 – Lucy Wangui Kabuu, Kenyan runner
1984 – Park Bom, South Korean singer
1984 – Philipp Petzschner, German tennis player
1985 – Lana, American wrestler and manager
1985 – Haruka Ayase, Japanese actress and singer
1987 – Ramires, Brazilian footballer
1987 – Shakib Al Hasan, Bangladeshi cricketer
1987 – Billy Jones, English footballer
1987 – Yuma Asami, Japanese actress and singer
1988 – Aiga Grabuste, Latvian heptathlete
1988 – Ryan Higgins, Zimbabwean cricketer
1988 – Matías Martínez, Argentinian footballer
1988 – Kardo Ploomipuu, Estonian swimmer
1988 – Matt Todd, New Zealand rugby union player
1990 – Starlin Castro, American baseball player
1990 – Aljur Abrenica, Filipino actor
1990 – Keisha Castle-Hughes, Australian-New Zealand actress
1990 – Lacey Evans, American wrestler
1991 – Nick Browne, English cricketer
1991 – Dalila Jakupovic, Slovenian tennis player
1995 – Enzo Fernandez, French-Spanish footballer

Deaths on March 24

809 – Harun al-Rashid, Arab caliph (b. 763)
832 – Wulfred, archbishop of Canterbury
1284 – Hugh III of Cyprus (b. 1235)
1296 – Odon de Pins, Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller
1381 – Catherine of Vadstena, Swedish saint (b. 1332)
1394 – Constance of Castile, claimant to the throne of Castile
1396 – Walter Hilton, English mystic and saint (b. 1340)
1399 – Margaret, Duchess of Norfolk (b.c. 1320)
1443 – James Douglas, 7th Earl of Douglas (b. 1371)
1455 – Pope Nicholas V (b. 1397)
1499 – Edward Stafford, 2nd Earl of Wiltshire, English nobleman (b. 1470)
1563 – Hosokawa Harumoto, Japanese daimyō (b. 1514)
1575 – Joseph ben Ephraim Karo, Spanish-Portuguese rabbi and author (b. 1488)
1603 – Elizabeth I of England (b. 1533)
1653 – Samuel Scheidt, German organist and composer (b. 1587)
1684 – Pieter de Hooch, Dutch painter (b. 1629)
1684 – Elizabeth Ridgeway, English woman convicted of poisoning her husband
1773 – Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield, English politician, Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard (b. 1694)
1776 – John Harrison, English carpenter and clockmaker, invented the Marine chronometer (b. 1693)
1824 – Louis Marie de La Révellière-Lépeaux, French lawyer (b. 1753)
1838 – Abraham Hume, English floriculturist and Tory politician (b. 1748/49)
1869 – Antoine-Henri Jomini, French-Russian general (b. 1779)
1881 – Achille Ernest Oscar Joseph Delesse, French geologist and mineralogist (b. 1817)
1882 – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, American poet and educator (b. 1807)
1887 – Ivan Kramskoi, Russian painter and critic (b. 1837)
1888 – Vsevolod Garshin, Russian author (b. 1855)
1905 – Jules Verne, French novelist, poet, and playwright (b. 1828)
1909 – John Millington Synge, Irish playwright and poet (b. 1871)
1915 – Margaret Lindsay Huggins, Anglo-Irish astronomer (b. 1848)
1915 – Karol Olszewski, Polish chemist, mathematician, and physicist (b. 1846)
1916 – Enrique Granados, Spanish pianist and composer (b. 1867)
1926 – Phan Châu Trinh, Vietnamese activist (b. 1872)
1940 – Édouard Branly, French physicist and academic (b. 1844)
1944 – Orde Wingate, Indian-English general (b. 1903)
1946 – Alexander Alekhine, Russian chess player (b. 1892)
1946 – Carl Schuhmann, German gymnast, shot putter, and jumper (b. 1869)
1948 – Sigrid Hjertén, Swedish painter and illustrator (b. 1885)
1950 – James Rudolph Garfield, American lawyer and politician, 23rd United States Secretary of the Interior (b. 1865)
1951 – Lorna Hodgkinson, Australian educator and educational psychologist (b. 1887)
1953 – Mary of Teck (b. 1867)
1962 – Jean Goldkette, French-American pianist and bandleader (b. 1899)
1962 – Auguste Piccard, Swiss physicist and explorer (b. 1884)
1968 – Alice Guy-Blaché, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1873)
1971 – Arne Jacobsen, Danish architect, designed the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel and Aarhus City Hall (b. 1902)
1971 – Arthur Metcalfe, Australian public servant (b. 1895)
1976 – Bernard Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, English field marshal (b. 1887)
1978 – Park Mok-wol, influential Korean poet and academic (b. 1916)
1980 – Óscar Romero, Salvadoran archbishop (b. 1917)
1984 – Sam Jaffe, American actor (b. 1891)
1985 – Raoul Ubac, French painter, sculptor, photographer and engraver (b. 1910)
1988 – Turhan Feyzioğlu, Turkish academic and politician, 27th Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey (b. 1922)
1990 – Ray Goulding, American comedian and radio host (b. 1922)
1991 – John Kerr, Australian lawyer and politician, 18th Governor-General of Australia (b. 1914)
1993 – Albert Arlen, Australian pianist, composer, actor, and playwright (b. 1905)
1993 – John Hersey, American journalist and author (b. 1914)
1995 – Joseph Needham, English historian and academic (b. 1900)
1999 – Gertrud Scholtz-Klink, German politician (b. 1902)
1999 – Birdie Tebbetts, American baseball player and manager (b. 1912)
2001 – Muriel Young, English television host and producer (b. 1928)
2002 – César Milstein, Argentinian-English biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1927)
2002 – Bob Said, American race car driver and bobsledder (b. 1932)
2003 – Hans Hermann Groër, Austrian cardinal (b. 1919)
2006 – Rudra Rajasingham, Sri Lankan police officer and diplomat (b. 1926)
2007 – Shripad Narayan Pendse, Indian Marathi novelist (b. 1913)
2008 – Chalmers Alford, American guitarist (b. 1955)
2008 – Neil Aspinall, Welsh-English record producer and manager (b. 1941)
2008 – Rafael Azcona, Spanish author and screenwriter (b. 1926)
2008 – Richard Widmark, American actor (b. 1914)
2009 – George Kell, American baseball player and sportscaster (b. 1922)
2009 – Hans Klenk, German racing driver (b. 1919)
2009 – Gábor Ocskay, Hungarian ice hockey player (b. 1975)
2010 – Robert Culp, American actor (b. 1930)
2010 – Jim Marshall, American photographer (b. 1936)
2012 – Paul Callaghan, New Zealand physicist and academic (b. 1947)
2012 – Nick Noble, American singer-songwriter (b. 1926)
2013 – Barbara Anderson, New Zealand author (b. 1926)
2013 – Inge Lønning, Norwegian theologian, academic, and politician (b. 1938)
2013 – Gury Marchuk, Russian physicist, mathematician, and academic (b. 1925)
2013 – Paolo Ponzo, Italian footballer (b. 1972)
2013 – Mohamed Yousri Salama, Egyptian dentist and politician (b. 1974)
2013 – Francis Hovell-Thurlow-Cumming-Bruce, 8th Baron Thurlow, English diplomat (b. 1912)
2014 – Oleksandr Muzychko, Ukrainian activist (b. 1962)
2014 – John Rowe Townsend, English author and scholar (b. 1922)
2014 – David A. Trampier, American illustrator (b. 1954)
2015 – Yehuda Avner, English-Israeli diplomat (b. 1928)
2015 – notable deaths of the Germanwings Flight 9525 crash:
- Oleg Bryjak, Kazakhstani-German opera singer (b. 1960)
- Maria Radner, German opera singer (b. 1981)
2016 – Johan Cruyff, Dutch footballer (b. 1947)
2016 – Garry Shandling, American comedian, actor, and screenwriter (b. 1949)
2018 – Lys Assia, Swiss singer and First Winner of the Eurovision Song Contest (b. 1924)
2019 – Joseph Pilato, American film and voice actor (b.1949)
2020 – Albert Uderzo, French comic book artist (b. 1927)

Holidays and observances on March 24

Christian feast day:
- Catherine of Vadstena
- Hildelith of Barking
- Mac Cairthinn of Clogher
- Óscar Romero (Catholic Church, Anglican Communion, Lutheranism)
- Paul Couturier (Church of England)
- Walter Hilton (Church of England)
- March 24 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Day of Remembrance for Truth and Justice (Argentina)
National Tree Planting Day (Uganda)
Student Day (Scientology)
World Tuberculosis Day (International)

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