1648

  • May 26 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 17 – Germanicus celebrates a triumph in Rome for his victories over the Cherusci, Chatti, and other German tribes west of the Elbe.
    • 451 – Battle of Avarayr between Armenian rebels and the Sasanian Empire takes place. The Sasanids defeat the Armenians militarily but guarantee them freedom to openly practice Christianity.
    • 946 – King Edmund I of England is murdered by a thief whom he personally attacks while celebrating St Augustine’s Mass Day.
    • 961 – King Otto I elects his 6-year-old son Otto II as heir apparent and co-ruler of the East Frankish Kingdom. He is crowned at Aachen, and placed under the tutelage of his grandmother Matilda.
    • 1135 – Alfonso VII of León and Castile is crowned in León Cathedral as Imperator totius Hispaniae (Emperor of all of Spain).
    • 1293 – An earthquake strikes Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan, killing about 23,000.
    • 1328 – William of Ockham, the Franciscan Minister-General Michael of Cesena, and two other Franciscan leaders secretly leave Avignon, fearing a death sentence from Pope John XXII.
    • 1538 – Geneva expels John Calvin and his followers from the city. Calvin lives in exile in Strasbourg for the next three years.
    • 1573 – The Battle of Haarlemmermeer, a naval engagement in the Dutch War of Independence.
    • 1637 – Pequot War: A combined English and Mohegan force under John Mason attacks a village in Connecticut, massacring approximately 500 Pequots.
    • 1644 – Portuguese Restoration War: Portuguese and Spanish forces both claim victory in the Battle of Montijo.
    • 1736 – The Battle of Ackia was fought near the present site of Tupelo, Mississippi. British and Chickasaw soldiers repelled a French and Choctaw attack on the then-Chickasaw village of Ackia.
    • 1770 – The Orlov Revolt, an attempt to revolt against the Ottoman Empire before the Greek War of Independence, ends in disaster for the Greeks.
    • 1783 – A Great Jubilee Day held at North Stratford, Connecticut, celebrated the end of fighting in the American Revolution.
    • 1805 – Napoléon Bonaparte assumes the title of King of Italy and is crowned with the Iron Crown of Lombardy in Milan Cathedral, the gothic cathedral in Milan.
    • 1821 – Establishment of the Peloponnesian Senate by the Greek rebels.
    • 1822 – One hundred sixteen people die in the Grue Church fire, the biggest fire disaster in Norway’s history.
    • 1857 – Dred Scott is emancipated by the Blow family, his original owners.
    • 1864 – Montana is organized as a United States territory.
    • 1865 – American Civil War: The Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith, commander of the Confederate Trans-Mississippi division, is the last full general of the Confederate Army to surrender, at Galveston, Texas.
    • 1868 – The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson ends with his acquittal by one vote.
    • 1869 – Boston University is chartered by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
    • 1879 – Russia and the United Kingdom sign the Treaty of Gandamak establishing an Afghan state.
    • 1896 – Nicholas II becomes the last Tsar of Imperial Russia.
    • 1896 – Charles Dow publishes the first edition of the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
    • 1897 – Dracula, a Gothic horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker, is published.
    • 1897 – The original manuscript of William Bradford’s history, “Of Plymouth Plantation” is returned to the Governor of Massachusetts by the Bishop of London after being taken during the American Revolutionary War.
    • 1900 – Thousand Days’ War: The Colombian Conservative Party turns the tide of war in their favor with victory against the Colombian Liberal Party in the Battle of Palonegro.
    • 1908 – The first major commercial oil strike in the Middle East was made at Masjed Soleyman in southwest Persia. The rights to the resource were quickly acquired by the Anglo-Persian Oil Company.
    • 1917 – Several powerful tornadoes rip through Illinois, including the city of Mattoon.
    • 1918 – The Democratic Republic of Georgia is established.
    • 1923 – The first 24 Hours of Le Mans was held and has since been run annually in June.
    • 1927 – The last Ford Model T rolls off the assembly line after a production run of 15,007,003 vehicles.
    • 1936 – In the House of Commons of Northern Ireland, Tommy Henderson begins speaking on the Appropriation Bill. By the time he sits down in the early hours of the following morning, he had spoken for ten hours.
    • 1937 – Walter Reuther and members of the United Auto Workers (UAW) clashed with Ford Motor Company security guards at the River Rouge Complex complex in Dearborn, Michigan, during the Battle of the Overpass.
    • 1938 – In the United States, the House Un-American Activities Committee begins its first session.
    • 1940 – World War II: Operation Dynamo: In northern France, Allied forces begin a massive evacuation from Dunkirk, France.
    • 1940 – World War II: The Siege of Calais ends with the surrender of the British and French garrison.
    • 1942 – World War II: The Battle of Gazala takes place.
    • 1948 – The U.S. Congress passes Public Law 80-557, which permanently establishes the Civil Air Patrol as an auxiliary of the United States Air Force.
    • 1966 – British Guiana gains independence, becoming Guyana.
    • 1967 – The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is released.
    • 1968 – H-dagurinn in Iceland: Traffic changes from driving on the left to driving on the right overnight
    • 1969 – Apollo program: Apollo 10 returns to Earth after a successful eight-day test of all the components needed for the forthcoming first manned moon landing.
    • 1970 – The Soviet Tupolev Tu-144 becomes the first commercial transport to exceed Mach 2.
    • 1971 – Bangladesh Liberation War: The Pakistan Army slaughters at least 71 Hindus in Burunga, Sylhet, Bangladesh.
    • 1972 – The United States and the Soviet Union sign the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.
    • 1981 – Italian Prime Minister Arnaldo Forlani and his coalition cabinet resign following a scandal over membership of the pseudo-masonic lodge P2 (Propaganda Due).
    • 1981 – An EA-6B Prowler crashes on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, killing 14 crewmen and injuring 45 others.
    • 1983 – The 7.8 Mw  Sea of Japan earthquake shakes northern Honshu with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). A destructive tsunami is generated that leaves about 100 people dead.
    • 1986 – The European Community adopts the European flag.
    • 1991 – Zviad Gamsakhurdia becomes the first elected President of the Republic of Georgia in the post-Soviet era.
    • 1991 – Lauda Air Flight 004 breaks apart in mid-air and crashes in the Phu Toei National Park in Thailand, killing all 223 people on board.
    • 1998 – The Supreme Court of the United States rules in New Jersey v. New York that Ellis Island, the historic gateway for millions of immigrants, is mainly in the state of New Jersey, not New York.
    • 1998 – The first “National Sorry Day” was held in Australia, and reconciliation events were held nationally, and attended by over a million people.
    • 2002 – The tugboat Robert Y. Love collides with a support pier of Interstate 40 on the Arkansas River near Webbers Falls, Oklahoma, resulting in 14 deaths and 11 others injured.
    • 2004 – United States Army veteran Terry Nichols is found guilty of 161 state murder charges for helping carry out the Oklahoma City bombing.
    • 2008 – Severe flooding begins in eastern and southern China that will ultimately cause 148 deaths and force the evacuation of 1.3 million.

    Births on May 26

    • 1264 – Koreyasu, Japanese prince and shōgun (d. 1326)
    • 1478 – Clement VII, pope of the Catholic Church (d. 1534)
    • 1562 – James III, margrave of Baden-Hachberg (d. 1590)
    • 1566 – Mehmed III, Ottoman sultan (d. 1603)
    • 1602 – Philippe de Champaigne, Dutch-French painter (d. 1674)
    • 1623 – William Petty, English economist and philosopher (d. 1687)
    • 1650 – John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire (d. 1722)
    • 1667 – Abraham de Moivre, French-English mathematician and theorist (d. 1754)
    • 1669 – Sébastien Vaillant, French botanist and mycologist (d. 1722)
    • 1700 – Nicolaus Zinzendorf, German bishop and saint (d. 1760)
    • 1799 – August Kopisch, German poet and painter (d. 1853)
    • 1822 – Edmond de Goncourt, French author and critic, founded the Académie Goncourt (d. 1896)
    • 1863 – Bob Fitzsimmons, English-New Zealand boxer (d. 1917)
    • 1865 – Robert W. Chambers, American author and illustrator (d. 1933)
    • 1867 – Mary of Teck, English-born queen consort of the United Kingdom (d. 1953)
    • 1873 – Olaf Gulbransson, Norwegian painter and illustrator (d. 1958)
    • 1876 – Percy Perrin, English cricketer (d. 1945)
    • 1880 – W. Otto Miessner, American composer and educator (d. 1967)
    • 1881 – Adolfo de la Huerta, Mexican politician and provisional president, 1920 (d. 1955)
    • 1883 – Mamie Smith, American singer, actress, dancer, and pianist (d. 1946)
    • 1886 – Al Jolson, American singer and actor (d. 1950)
    • 1887 – Ba U, 2nd President of Burma (d. 1963)
    • 1893 – Eugene Aynsley Goossens, English conductor and composer (d. 1962)
    • 1895 – Dorothea Lange, American photographer and journalist (d. 1965)
    • 1895 – Paul Lukas, Hungarian-American actor and singer (d. 1971)
    • 1898 – Ernst Bacon, American pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1990)
    • 1898 – Christfried Burmeister, Estonian speed skater (d. 1965)
    • 1899 – Antonio Barrette, Canadian lawyer and politician, 18th Premier of Quebec (d. 1968)
    • 1899 – Muriel McQueen Fergusson, Canadian lawyer and politician, Canadian Speaker of the Senate (d. 1997)
    • 1900 – Karin Juel, Swedish singer, actor, and writer (d. 1976)
    • 1904 – George Formby, English singer-songwriter and actor (d. 1961)
    • 1904 – Necip Fazıl Kısakürek, Turkish author, poet, and playwright (d. 1983)
    • 1904 – Vlado Perlemuter, Lithuanian-French pianist and educator (d. 2002)
    • 1907 – Jean Bernard, French physician and haematologist (d. 2006)
    • 1907 – John Wayne, American actor, director, and producer (d. 1979)
    • 1908 – Robert Morley, English actor (d. 1992)
    • 1908 – Nguyễn Ngọc Thơ, Vietnamese politician, 1st Prime Minister of the Republic of Vietnam (d. 1976)
    • 1909 – Matt Busby, Scottish footballer and manager (d. 1994)
    • 1909 – Adolfo López Mateos, Mexican politician, 48th President of Mexico (d. 1969)
    • 1910 – Imi Lichtenfeld, Hungarian-Israeli martial artist, boxer, and gymnast (d. 1998)
    • 1911 – Maurice Baquet, French actor and cellist (d. 2005)
    • 1911 – Henry Ephron, American playwright, screenwriter, and producer (d. 1992)
    • 1912 – János Kádár, Hungarian mechanic and politician, 46th Prime Minister of Hungary (d. 1989)
    • 1912 – Jay Silverheels, Canadian-American actor (d. 1980)
    • 1913 – Peter Cushing, English actor (d. 1994)
    • 1913 – Pierre Daninos, French author (d. 2005)
    • 1913 – Karin Ekelund, Swedish actress (d. 1976)
    • 1913 – Josef Manger, German weightlifter (d. 1991)
    • 1914 – Frankie Manning, American dancer and choreographer (d. 2009)
    • 1915 – Vernon Alley, American bassist (d. 2004)
    • 1915 – Antonia Forest, English author (d. 2003)
    • 1916 – Henriette Roosenburg, Dutch journalist and author (d. 1972)
    • 1919 – Rubén González, Cuban pianist (d. 2003)
    • 1920 – Jack Cheetham, South African cricketer (d. 1980)
    • 1920 – Peggy Lee, American singer-songwriter and actress (d. 2002)
    • 1921 – Inge Borkh, German soprano (d. 2018)
    • 1922 – Troy Smith, American businessman, founded Sonic Drive-In (d. 2009)
    • 1923 – James Arness, American actor (d. 2011)
    • 1923 – Roy Dotrice, English actor (d. 2017)
    • 1925 – Carmen Montejo, Cuban-Mexican actress (d. 2013)
    • 1925 – Alec McCowen, English actor (d. 2017)
    • 1926 – Miles Davis, American trumpet player, composer, and bandleader (d. 1991)
    • 1927 – Jacques Bergerac, French actor and businessman (d. 2014)
    • 1928 – Jack Kevorkian, American pathologist, author, and assisted suicide activist (d. 2011)
    • 1929 – J. F. Ade Ajayi, Nigerian historian and academic (d. 2014)
    • 1929 – Ernie Carroll, Australian television personality and producer
    • 1929 – Hans Freeman, Australian bioinorganic chemist and protein crystallographer (d. 2008)
    • 1929 – John Jackson, English lawyer and businessman
    • 1929 – Catherine Sauvage, French singer and actress (d. 1998)
    • 1930 – Karim Emami, Indian-Iranian lexicographer and critic (d. 2005)
    • 1933 – Edward Whittemore, American soldier and author (d. 1995)
    • 1935 – Eero Loone, Estonian philosopher and academic
    • 1936 – David Stevens, Baron Stevens of Ludgate, English politician
    • 1937 – Manorama, Indian actress and singer (d. 2015)
    • 1937 – Paul E. Patton, American politician, 59th Governor of Kentucky
    • 1938 – William Bolcom, American pianist and composer
    • 1938 – Lyudmila Petrushevskaya, Russian author and playwright
    • 1938 – K. Bikram Singh, Indian director and producer (d. 2013)
    • 1938 – Teresa Stratas, Canadian soprano and actress
    • 1939 – Brent Musburger, American sportscaster
    • 1939 – Herb Trimpe, American author and illustrator (d. 2015)
    • 1940 – Monique Gagnon-Tremblay, Canadian academic and politician, Deputy Premier of Quebec
    • 1940 – Levon Helm, American singer-songwriter, drummer, producer, and actor (d. 2012)
    • 1941 – Aldrich Ames, American CIA officer and criminal
    • 1941 – Jim Dobbin, Scottish microbiologist and politician (d. 2014)
    • 1941 – Cliff Drysdale, South African tennis player and sportscaster
    • 1941 – Imants Kalniņš, Latvian composer
    • 1943 – Erica Terpstra, Dutch swimmer, journalist, and politician
    • 1944 – Phil Edmonston, American-Canadian journalist and politician
    • 1944 – Jan Kinder, Norwegian ice hockey player (d. 2013)
    • 1944 – Sam Posey, American race car driver and journalist
    • 1945 – Vilasrao Deshmukh, Indian lawyer and politician, 17th Chief Minister of Maharashtra (d. 2012)
    • 1945 – Alistair MacDuff, English lawyer and judge
    • 1945 – Garry Peterson, Canadian-American drummer
    • 1946 – Neshka Robeva, Bulgarian gymnast and coach
    • 1946 – Mick Ronson, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer (d. 1993)
    • 1947 – Carol O’Connell, American author and painter
    • 1947 – Glenn Turner, New Zealand cricketer
    • 1948 – Stevie Nicks, American singer-songwriter
    • 1949 – Jeremy Corbyn, British journalist and politician
    • 1949 – Ward Cunningham, American computer programmer, developed the first wiki
    • 1949 – Pam Grier, American actress
    • 1949 – Anne McGuire, Scottish educator and politician
    • 1949 – Philip Michael Thomas, American actor
    • 1949 – Hank Williams Jr., American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1951 – Ramón Calderón, Spanish lawyer and businessman
    • 1951 – Lou van den Dries, Dutch mathematician
    • 1951 – Sally Ride, American physicist and astronaut, founded Sally Ride Science (d. 2012)
    • 1951 – Madeleine Taylor-Quinn, Irish educator and politician
    • 1952 – David Meece, American singer-songwriter and pianist
    • 1953 – Kay Hagan, American lawyer and politician (d. 2019)
    • 1953 – Don McAllister, English footballer and manager
    • 1953 – Michael Portillo, English journalist and politician, Secretary of State for Defence
    • 1953 – Dan Roundfield, American basketball player (d. 2012)
    • 1954 – Alan Hollinghurst, English novelist, poet, short story writer, and translator
    • 1954 – Denis Lebel, Canadian businessman and politician, 29th Canadian Minister of Transport
    • 1955 – Masaharu Morimoto, Japanese-American chef
    • 1955 – Paul Stoddart, Australian businessman
    • 1955 – Wesley Walker, American football player and educator
    • 1956 – Neil Parish, English politician
    • 1956 – Fiona Shackleton, English lawyer
    • 1957 – Diomedes Díaz, Colombian singer-songwriter (d. 2013)
    • 1957 – François Legault, Canadian businessman and politician
    • 1957 – Roberto Ravaglia, Italian race car driver
    • 1958 – Ronnie Black, American golfer
    • 1958 – Arto Bryggare, Finnish hurdler and politician
    • 1958 – Margaret Colin, American actress
    • 1959 – Ole Bornedal, Danish actor, director, and producer
    • 1960 – Doug Hutchison, American actor
    • 1960 – Dean Lukin, Australian weightlifter
    • 1960 – Masahiro Matsunaga, Japanese race car driver
    • 1960 – Rob Murphy, American baseball player
    • 1960 – Romas Ubartas, Lithuanian discus thrower
    • 1961 – Steve Pate, American golfer
    • 1961 – Tarsem Singh, Indian-American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1962 – Black, English singer-songwriter (d. 2016)
    • 1962 – Genie Francis, Canadian-American actress
    • 1962 – Bobcat Goldthwait, American actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1963 – Simon Armitage, English poet, playwright and novelist
    • 1963 – Claude Legault, Canadian actor and screenwriter
    • 1963 – Mary Nightingale, English journalist
    • 1963 – Jamie Spence, English golfer
    • 1964 – Caitlín R. Kiernan, Irish-American paleontologist and author
    • 1964 – Lenny Kravitz, American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and actor
    • 1964 – Argiris Pedoulakis, Greek basketball player and coach
    • 1965 – Hazel Irvine, Scottish sportscaster and journalist
    • 1966 – Helena Bonham Carter, English actress
    • 1966 – Zola Budd, South African runner
    • 1967 – Philip Treacy, Irish milliner, hat designer
    • 1967 – Mika Yamamoto, Japanese journalist (d. 2012)
    • 1968 – Fernando León de Aranoa, Spanish director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1968 – Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark
    • 1968 – Steve Sedgley, English footballer and manager
    • 1969 – John Baird, Canadian politician, 10th Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs
    • 1969 – Siri Lindley, American triathlete and coach
    • 1969 – Dominic Mohan, English journalist
    • 1970 – Nobuhiro Watsuki, Japanese illustrator
    • 1971 – Zaher Andary, Lebanese footballer
    • 1971 – Matt Stone, American actor, animator, screenwriter, producer, and composer
    • 1973 – Naomi Harris, Canadian-American photographer
    • 1974 – Lars Frölander, Swedish swimmer
    • 1975 – Lauryn Hill, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
    • 1976 – Paul Collingwood, English cricketer and coach
    • 1976 – Stephen Curry, Australian comedian and actor
    • 1976 – Kenny Florian, American mixed martial artist and sportscaster
    • 1976 – Justin Pierre, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1977 – Nikos Chatzivrettas, Greek basketball player
    • 1977 – Raina Telgemeier, American author and cartoonist
    • 1977 – Luca Toni, Italian footballer
    • 1977 – Misaki Ito, Japanese actress and model
    • 1978 – Phil Elvrum, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1978 – Fabio Firmani, Italian footballer
    • 1978 – Dan Parks, Australian-Scottish rugby player
    • 1979 – Amanda Bauer, American astronomer and academic
    • 1979 – Natalya Nazarova, Russian sprinter
    • 1979 – Elisabeth Harnois, American actress
    • 1979 – Mehmet Okur, Turkish basketball player
    • 1980 – Louis-Jean Cormier, Canadian singer and songwriter
    • 1981 – Robert Copeland, Australian footballer
    • 1981 – Anthony Ervin, American swimmer
    • 1981 – Jason Manford, English actor, screenwriter, and television host
    • 1981 – Isaac Slade, American singer-songwriter and pianist
    • 1981 – Ben Zobrist, American baseball player
    • 1982 – Sten Lassmann, Estonian pianist
    • 1982 – Hasan Kabze, Turkish footballer
    • 1983 – Demy de Zeeuw, Dutch footballer
    • 1983 – Henry Holland, English fashion designer
    • 1983 – Nathan Merritt, Australian rugby league player
    • 1985 – Monika Christodoulou, Greek singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1985 – Ashley Vincent, English footballer
    • 1986 – Michel Tornéus, Swedish long jumper
    • 1987 – Olcay Şahan, Turkish footballer
    • 1987 – Josh Thomas, Australian comedian and actor
    • 1988 – Andrea Catellani, Italian footballer
    • 1988 – Will Chambers, Australian rugby league player
    • 1988 – Juan Guillermo Cuadrado, Colombian footballer
    • 1988 – Dani Samuels, Australian discus thrower
    • 1988 – Joel Selwood, Australian footballer
    • 1988 – Damian Williams, American football player
    • 1989 – Paula Findlay, Canadian triathlete
    • 1991 – Ah Young, South Korean singer and actress
    • 1992 – Curtis Rona, New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1993 – Jason Adesanya, Belgian footballer
    • 1993 – Dan Sarginson, Australian-English rugby league player
    • 1993 – Katerine Savard, Canadian swimmer
    • 1993 – Jimmy Vesey, American ice hockey player
    • 1996 – Lara Goodall, South African cricketer

    Deaths on May 26

    • 604 – Augustine of Canterbury, Benedictine monk and archbishop
    • 735 – Bede, English monk, historian, and theologian
    • 818 – Ali al-Ridha, Saudi Arabian 8th of The Twelve Imams
    • 926 – Yuan Xingqin, Chinese general and governor
    • 946 – Edmund I, king of England (b. 921)
    • 1035 – Berenguer Ramon I, Spanish nobleman (b. 1005)
    • 1055 – Adalbert, margrave of Austria
    • 1250 – Peter I, duke of Brittany
    • 1339 – Aldona Ona, queen of Poland
    • 1362 – Louis I, king of Naples (b. 1320)
    • 1421 – Mehmed I, Ottoman sultan (b. 1389)
    • 1512 – Bayezid II, Ottoman sultan (b. 1447)
    • 1536 – Francesco Berni, Italian poet (b. 1498)
    • 1552 – Sebastian Münster, German cartographer and cosmographer (b. 1488)
    • 1648 – Vincent Voiture, French poet and author (b. 1597)
    • 1653 – Robert Filmer, English theorist and author (b. 1588)
    • 1679 – Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria (b. 1636)
    • 1685 – Charles II, German elector palatine (b. 1651)
    • 1703 – Samuel Pepys, English politician (b. 1633)
    • 1742 – Pylyp Orlyk, Ukrainian diplomat (b. 1672)
    • 1746 – Thomas Southerne, Irish playwright (b. 1660)
    • 1762 – Alexander Gottlieb Baumgarten, German philosopher and academic (b. 1714)
    • 1799 – James Burnett, Lord Monboddo, Scottish linguist, biologist, and judge (b. 1714)
    • 1818 – Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly, Russian field marshal and politician, Governor-General of Finland (b. 1761)
    • 1818 – Manuel Rodríguez Erdoíza, Chilean lawyer and guerrilla leader (b. 1785)
    • 1824 – Capel Lofft, English lawyer (b. 1751)
    • 1840 – Sidney Smith, English admiral and politician (b. 1764)
    • 1881 – Jakob Bernays, German philologist and academic (b. 1824)
    • 1883 – Abdelkader El Djezairi, Algerian ruler (b. 1808)
    • 1902 – Almon Brown Strowger, American soldier and inventor (b. 1839)
    • 1904 – Georges Gilles de la Tourette, French physician and neurologist (b. 1857)
    • 1908 – Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, Indian religious leader, founded the Ahmadiyya movement (b. 1835)
    • 1914 – Jacob August Riis, Danish-American journalist, photographer, and reformer (b. 1849)
    • 1924 – Victor Herbert, Irish-American cellist, composer, and conductor, founded the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (b. 1859)
    • 1926 – Srečko Kosovel, Slovenian poet (b. 1904)
    • 1933 – Horatio Bottomley, English financier, journalist, and politician (b. 1860)
    • 1933 – Jimmie Rodgers, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1897)
    • 1939 – Charles Horace Mayo, American physician, co-founded Mayo Clinic (b. 1865)
    • 1943 – Edsel Ford, American businessman (b. 1893)
    • 1943 – Alice Tegnér, Swedish organist, composer, and educator (b. 1864)
    • 1944 – Christian Wirth, German SS officer (b. 1885)
    • 1948 – Torsten Bergström, Swedish actor and director (b. 1896)
    • 1951 – Lincoln Ellsworth, American explorer (b. 1880)
    • 1954 – Lionel Conacher, Canadian football player and politician (b. 1900)
    • 1955 – Alberto Ascari, Italian race car driver (b. 1918)
    • 1956 – Al Simmons, American baseball player and coach (b. 1902)
    • 1959 – Philip Kassel, American gymnast (b. 1876)
    • 1966 – Elizabeth Dilling, American author and activist (b. 1894)
    • 1969 – Paul Hawkins, Australian race car driver (b. 1937)
    • 1969 – Allan Haines Loughead, American engineer, co-founded the Lockheed Corporation (b. 1889)
    • 1974 – Silvio Moser, Swiss race car driver (b. 1941)
    • 1976 – Martin Heidegger, German philosopher and academic (b. 1889)
    • 1978 – Cybele Andrianou, Greek actress (b. 1887)
    • 1979 – George Brent, Irish-American actor (b. 1904)
    • 1984 – Elizabeth Peer, American journalist (b. 1936)
    • 1989 – Don Revie, English footballer and manager (b. 1927)
    • 1994 – Sonny Sharrock, American guitarist (b. 1940)
    • 1995 – Friz Freleng, American animator, director, and producer (b. 1906)
    • 1997 – Ralph Horween, American football player and coach (b. 1896)
    • 1999 – Paul Sacher, Swiss conductor and philanthropist (b. 1906)
    • 1999 – Waldo Semon, American chemist and engineer (b. 1898)
    • 2001 – Vittorio Brambilla, Italian race car driver (b. 1937)
    • 2001 – Anne Haney, American actress (b. 1934)
    • 2001 – Moven Mahachi, Zimbabwean soldier and politician, Zimbabwean Minister of Defence (b. 1952)
    • 2001 – Dona Massin, Canadian actress and choreographer (b. 1917)
    • 2002 – Mamo Wolde, Ethiopian runner (b. 1932)
    • 2003 – Kathleen Winsor, American journalist and author (b. 1919)
    • 2004 – Nikolai Chernykh, Russian astronomer (b. 1931)
    • 2005 – Eddie Albert, American actor (b. 1906)
    • 2005 – Chico Carrasquel, Venezuelan baseball player and manager (b. 1928)
    • 2005 – Ruth Laredo, American pianist and educator (b. 1937)
    • 2005 – Leslie Smith, English businessman, co-founded Lesney Products (b. 1918)
    • 2006 – Édouard Michelin, French businessman (b. 1963)
    • 2006 – Kevin O’Flanagan, Irish footballer and physician (b. 1919)
    • 2007 – Jack Edward Oliver, English illustrator (b. 1942)
    • 2007 – Howard Porter, American basketball player (b. 1948)
    • 2008 – Sydney Pollack, American actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1934)
    • 2008 – Zita Urbonaitė, Lithuanian cyclist (b. 1973)
    • 2009 – Mihalis Papagiannakis, Greek journalist and politician (b. 1941)
    • 2009 – Peter Zezel, Canadian ice hockey and soccer player (b. 1965)
    • 2010 – Art Linkletter, Canadian-American radio and television host (b. 1912)
    • 2010 – Chris Moran, English air marshal and pilot (b. 1956)
    • 2010 – Kieran Phelan, Irish politician (b. 1949)
    • 2011 – Arisen Ahubudu, Sri Lankan scholar, author, and playwright (b. 1920)
    • 2012 – Arthur Decabooter, Belgian cyclist (b. 1936)
    • 2012 – Leo Dillon, American illustrator (b. 1933)
    • 2012 – Stephen Healey, Welsh captain and footballer (b. 1982)
    • 2012 – Hiroshi Miyazawa, Japanese politician (b. 1921)
    • 2012 – Hans Schmidt, Canadian wrestler (b. 1925)
    • 2012 – Jim Unger, English-Canadian illustrator (b. 1937)
    • 2013 – Ray Barnhart, American businessman and politician (b. 1928)
    • 2013 – John Bierwirth, American lawyer and businessman (b. 1924)
    • 2013 – Roberto Civita, Italian-Brazilian businessman (b. 1936)
    • 2013 – Tom Lichtenberg, American football player and coach (b. 1940)
    • 2013 – Otto Muehl, Austrian painter (b. 1925)
    • 2013 – Jack Vance, American author (b. 1916)
    • 2014 – Baselios Thoma Didymos I, Indian metropolitan (b. 1921)
    • 2014 – Miodrag Radulovacki, Serbian-American academic and neuropharmacologist (b. 1933)
    • 2014 – William R. Roy, American physician, journalist, and politician (b. 1926)
    • 2014 – Hooshang Seyhoun, Iranian-Canadian architect, sculptor, and painter (b. 1920)
    • 2015 – Vicente Aranda, Spanish director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1926)
    • 2015 – Les Johnson, Australian politician and diplomat, Australian High Commissioner to New Zealand (b. 1924)
    • 2015 – Robert Kraft, American astronomer and academic (b. 1927)
    • 2015 – João Lucas, Portuguese footballer (b. 1979)
    • 2015 – Dayton Waller, American soldier and politician (b. 1925)
    • 2016 – Hedy Epstein, German-born American human rights activist and Holocaust survivor (b. 1924)
    • 2017 – Zbigniew Brzezinski, Polish-born American politician (b. 1928)

    Holidays and observances on May 26

    • Christian feast day:
      • Augustine of Canterbury (Anglican Communion and Eastern Orthodox)
      • Lambert of Vence
      • Peter Sanz (one of Martyr Saints of China)
      • Philip Neri
      • Pope Eleuterus
      • Quadratus of Athens
      • Zachary, Bishop of Vienne
      • May 26 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Independence Day, commemorates the day of the First Republic in 1918 (Georgia)
    • Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Guyana from the United Kingdom in 1966.
    • Mother’s Day (Poland)
    • National Paper Airplane Day (United States)
    • National Sorry Day (Australia)

  • May 20 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 325 – The First Council of Nicaea is formally opened, starting the first ecumenical council of the Christian Church.
    • 491 – Empress Ariadne marries Anastasius I. The widowed Augusta is able to choose her successor for the Byzantine throne, after Zeno (late emperor) dies of dysentery.
    • 685 – The Battle of Dun Nechtain is fought between a Pictish army under King Bridei III and the invading Northumbrians under King Ecgfrith, who are decisively defeated.
    • 794 – While visiting the royal Mercian court at Sutton Walls with a view to marrying princess Ælfthryth, King Æthelberht II of East Anglia is taken captive and beheaded.
    • 1217 – The Second Battle of Lincoln is fought near Lincoln, England, resulting in the defeat of Prince Louis of France by William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke.
    • 1293 – King Sancho IV of Castile creates the Estudio de Escuelas de Generales in Alcalá de Henares.
    • 1449 – The Battle of Alfarrobeira is fought, establishing the House of Braganza as a principal royal family of Portugal.
    • 1497 – John Cabot sets sail from Bristol, England, on his ship Matthew looking for a route to the west (other documents give a May 2 date).
    • 1498 – Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama discovers the sea route to India when he arrives at Kozhikode (previously known as Calicut), India.
    • 1521 – Ignatius of Loyola is seriously wounded in the Battle of Pampeluna.
    • 1570 – Cartographer Abraham Ortelius issues Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, the first modern atlas.
    • 1609 – Shakespeare’s sonnets are first published in London, perhaps illicitly, by the publisher Thomas Thorpe.
    • 1631 – The city of Magdeburg in Germany is seized by forces of the Holy Roman Empire and most of its inhabitants massacred, in one of the bloodiest incidents of the Thirty Years’ War.
    • 1645 – Yangzhou massacre: The ten day massacre of 800,000 residents of the city of Yangzhou, part of the Transition from Ming to Qing.
    • 1741 – The Battle of Cartagena de Indias ends in a Spanish victory and the British begin withdrawal towards Jamaica with substantial losses.
    • 1775 – The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence is allegedly signed in Charlotte, North Carolina.
    • 1802 – By the Law of 20 May 1802, Napoleon Bonaparte reinstates slavery in the French colonies, revoking its abolition in the French Revolution.
    • 1813 – Napoleon Bonaparte leads his French troops into the Battle of Bautzen in Saxony, Germany, against the combined armies of Russia and Prussia. The battle ends the next day with a French victory.
    • 1840 – York Minster is badly damaged by fire.
    • 1861 – American Civil War: The state of Kentucky proclaims its neutrality, which will last until September 3 when Confederate forces enter the state. Meanwhile, the State of North Carolina secedes from the Union.
    • 1862 – U.S. President Abraham Lincoln signs the Homestead Act into law, opening 84 million acres of public land to settlers.
    • 1864 – American Civil War: Battle of Ware Bottom Church: In the Virginia Bermuda Hundred campaign, 10,000 troops fight in this Confederate victory.
    • 1873 – Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis receive a U.S. patent for blue jeans with copper rivets.
    • 1875 – Signing of the Metre Convention by 17 nations leading to the establishment of the International System of Units.
    • 1882 – The Triple Alliance between the German Empire, Austria-Hungary and the Kingdom of Italy is formed.
    • 1883 – Krakatoa begins to erupt; the volcano explodes three months later, killing more than 36,000 people.
    • 1891 – History of cinema: The first public display of Thomas Edison’s prototype kinetoscope.
    • 1902 – Cuba gains independence from the United States. Tomás Estrada Palma becomes the country’s first President.
    • 1927 – Treaty of Jeddah: The United Kingdom recognizes the sovereignty of King Ibn Saud in the Kingdoms of Hejaz and Nejd, which later merge to become the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
    • 1932 – Amelia Earhart takes off from Newfoundland to begin the world’s first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean by a female pilot, landing in Ireland the next day.
    • 1940 – The Holocaust: The first prisoners arrive at a new concentration camp at Auschwitz.
    • 1941 – World War II: Battle of Crete: German paratroops invade Crete.
    • 1948 – Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek wins the 1948 Republic of China presidential election and is sworn in as the first President of the Republic of China at Nanjing.
    • 1949 – In the United States, the Armed Forces Security Agency, the predecessor to the National Security Agency, is established.
    • 1956 – In Operation Redwing, the first United States airborne hydrogen bomb is dropped over Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean.
    • 1964 – Discovery of the cosmic microwave background radiation by Robert Woodrow Wilson and Arno Penzias.
    • 1967 – The Popular Movement of the Revolution political party is established in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
    • 1969 – The Battle of Hamburger Hill in Vietnam ends.
    • 1971 – In the Chuknagar massacre, Pakistani forces massacre thousands, mostly Bengali Hindus.
    • 1980 – In a referendum in Quebec, the population rejects, by 60% of the vote, a government proposal to move towards independence from Canada.
    • 1983 – First publications of the discovery of the HIV virus that causes AIDS in the journal Science by Luc Montagnier.
    • 1983 – Church Street bombing: A car bomb planted by Umkhonto we Sizwe explodes on Church Street in South Africa’s capital, Pretoria, killing 19 people and injuring 217 others.
    • 1985 – Radio Martí, part of the Voice of America service, begins broadcasting to Cuba.
    • 1989 – The Chinese authorities declare martial law in the face of pro-democracy demonstrations, setting the scene for the Tiananmen Square massacre.
    • 1990 – The first post-Communist presidential and parliamentary elections are held in Romania.
    • 1996 – Civil rights: The Supreme Court of the United States rules in Romer v. Evans against a law that would have prevented any city, town or county in the state of Colorado from taking any legislative, executive, or judicial action to protect the rights of gays and lesbians.
    • 2002 – The independence of East Timor is recognized by Portugal, formally ending 23 years of Indonesian rule and three years of provisional UN administration (Portugal itself is the former colonizer of East Timor until 1976).
    • 2012 – At least 27 people are killed and 50 others injured when a 6.0-magnitude earthquake strikes northern Italy.
    • 2013 – An EF5 tornado strikes the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore, killing 24 people and injuring 377 others.
    • 2019 – The International System of Units (SI): The base units are redefined, making the international prototype of the kilogram obsolete.

    Births on May 20

    • 1315 – Bonne of Luxembourg, first wife of John II of France (d. 1349)
    • 1470 – Pietro Bembo, Italian cardinal, poet, and scholar (d. 1547)
    • 1505 – Levinus Lemnius, Dutch writer (d. 1568)
    • 1531 – Thado Minsaw of Ava, Viceroy of Ava (d. 1584)
    • 1537 – Hieronymus Fabricius, Italian anatomist (d. 1619)
    • 1575 – Robert Heath, English judge and politician (d. 1649)
    • 1664 – Andreas Schlüter, German sculptor and architect (d. 1714)
    • 1726 – Francis Cotes, English painter and academic (d. 1770)
    • 1743 – Toussaint Louverture, Haitian revolutionary, general, and president (d. 1803)
    • 1759 – William Thornton, Virgin Islander-American architect, designed the United States Capitol (d. 1828)
    • 1769 – Andreas Vokos Miaoulis, Greek admiral and politician (d. 1835)
    • 1772 – Sir William Congreve, 2nd Baronet, English inventor and politician, developed Congreve rockets (d. 1828)
    • 1776 – Simon Fraser, American-Canadian fur trader and explorer (d. 1862)
    • 1795 – Pedro María de Anaya, Mexican soldier. President (1847-1848) (d. 1854)
    • 1799 – Honoré de Balzac, French novelist and playwright (d. 1850)
    • 1806 – John Stuart Mill, English economist, civil servant, and philosopher (d. 1873)
    • 1811 – Alfred Domett, English-New Zealand poet and politician, 4th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1887)
    • 1818 – William Fargo, American businessman and politician, co-founded Wells Fargo and American Express (d. 1881)
    • 1822 – Frédéric Passy, French economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1912)
    • 1824 – Cadmus M. Wilcox, Confederate States Army general (d. 1890)
    • 1825 – Antoinette Brown Blackwell, the first woman to be ordained as a mainstream Protestant minister in the U.S. (d. 1921)
    • 1830 – Hector Malot, French author (d. 1907)
    • 1838 – Jules Méline, French lawyer and politician, 65th Prime Minister of France (d. 1925)
    • 1851 – Emile Berliner, German-American inventor, invented the Gramophone record (d. 1929)
    • 1854 – George Prendergast, Australian politician, 28th Premier of Victoria (d. 1937)
    • 1856 – Henri-Edmond Cross, French Neo-Impressionist painter (d. 1910)
    • 1860 – Eduard Buchner, German chemist, zymologist, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1917)
    • 1875 – Hendrik Offerhaus, Dutch rower (d. 1953)
    • 1877 – Pat Leahy, Irish-American jumper (d. 1927)
    • 1879 – Hans Meerwein, German chemist (d. 1965)
    • 1882 – Sigrid Undset, Danish-Norwegian novelist, essayist, and translator, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1949)
    • 1883 – Faisal I of Iraq (d. 1933)
    • 1886 – Ali Sami Yen, Turkish footballer and manager, founded the Galatasaray Sports Club (d. 1951)
    • 1894 – Chandrashekarendra Saraswati, Indian guru and scholar (d. 1994)
    • 1895 – R. J. Mitchell, English engineer, designed the Supermarine Spitfire and Supermarine S.6B (d. 1937)
    • 1897 – Diego Abad de Santillán, Spanish economist and author (d. 1983)
    • 1897 – Malcolm Nokes, English hammer and discus thrower (d. 1986)
    • 1898 – Eduard Ole, Estonian painter (d. 1995)
    • 1899 – Aleksandr Deyneka, Russian painter and sculptor (d. 1969)
    • 1899 – John Marshall Harlan II, American lawyer and jurist (d. 1971)
    • 1900 – Sumitranandan Pant, Indian poet and author (d. 1977)
    • 1901 – Max Euwe, Dutch chess player, mathematician, and author (d. 1981)
    • 1901 – Doris Fleeson, American journalist (d. 1970)
    • 1904 – Margery Allingham, English author of detective fiction (d. 1966)
    • 1906 – Giuseppe Siri, Italian cardinal (d. 1989)
    • 1907 – Carl Mydans, American photographer and journalist (d. 2004)
    • 1908 – Henry Bolte, Australian politician, 38th Premier of Victoria (d. 1990)
    • 1908 – Louis Daquin, French actor and director (d. 1980)
    • 1908 – Francis Raymond Fosberg, American botanist and author (d. 1993)
    • 1908 – James Stewart, American actor (d. 1997)
    • 1911 – Gardner Fox, American author (d. 1986)
    • 1911 – Annie M. G. Schmidt, Dutch author and playwright (d. 1995)
    • 1913 – Teodoro Fernández, Peruvian footballer (d. 1996)
    • 1913 – William Redington Hewlett, American engineer, co-founded Hewlett-Packard (d. 2001)
    • 1915 – Peter Copley, English actor (d. 2008)
    • 1915 – Moshe Dayan, Israeli general and politician, 5th Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 1981)
    • 1915 – Joff Ellen, Australian comedian and actor (d. 1999)
    • 1916 – Owen Chadwick, English rugby player, historian, and academic (d. 2015)
    • 1916 – Alexey Maresyev, Russian soldier and pilot (d. 2001)
    • 1916 – Ondina Valla, Italian sprinter and hurdler (d. 2006)
    • 1917 – Tony Cliff, Israeli-English author and activist (d. 2000)
    • 1917 – Guy Favreau, Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician, 28th Canadian Minister of Justice (d. 1967)
    • 1918 – Alexandra Boyko, Russian tank commander (d. 1996)
    • 1918 – Edward B. Lewis, American biologist, geneticist, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2004)
    • 1919 – George Gobel, American comedian (d. 1991)
    • 1920 – John Cruickshank, Scottish lieutenant and banker, Victoria Cross recipient
    • 1921 – Wolfgang Borchert, German author and playwright (d. 1947)
    • 1921 – Hal Newhouser, American baseball player and scout (d. 1998)
    • 1921 – Hao Wang, Chinese-American logician, philosopher, and mathematician (d. 1995)
    • 1922 – Ted Hinton, Northern Irish international footballer (d. 1988)
    • 1923 – Edith Fellows, American actress (d. 2011)
    • 1923 – Sam Selvon, Trinidad-born writer (d. 1994)
    • 1924 – David Chavchavadze, English-American CIA officer and author (d. 2014)
    • 1924 – Zelmar Michelini, Uruguayan journalist and politician (d. 1976)
    • 1925 – Alexei Tupolev, Russian engineer, designed the Tupolev Tu-144 (d. 2001)
    • 1926 – Bob Sweikert, American race car driver (d. 1956)
    • 1927 – Bud Grant, American football player and coach
    • 1927 – David Hedison, American actor (d. 2019)
    • 1927 – Franciszek Macharski, Polish cardinal (d. 2016)
    • 1929 – Gilles Loiselle, Canadian politician and diplomat, 33rd Canadian Minister of Finance
    • 1930 – Sam Etcheverry, American football player and coach (d. 2009)
    • 1931 – Ken Boyer, American baseball player and manager (d. 1982)
    • 1931 – Louis Smith, American trumpeter (d. 2016)
    • 1933 – Constance Towers, American actress and singer
    • 1935 – José Mujica, Uruguayan guerrilla leader and politician, 40th President of Uruguay
    • 1936 – Anthony Zerbe, American actor
    • 1937 – Dave Hill, American golfer (d. 2011)
    • 1937 – Derek Lampe, English footballer
    • 1939 – Balu Mahendra, Sri Lankan-Indian director, cinematographer, and screenwriter (d. 2014)
    • 1940 – Shorty Long, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 1969)
    • 1940 – Stan Mikita, Slovak-Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster (d. 2018)
    • 1940 – Sadaharu Oh, Japanese-Taiwanese baseball player and manager
    • 1941 – Goh Chok Tong, Singaporean politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Singapore
    • 1941 – John Strasberg, American actor and teacher
    • 1942 – Raymond Chrétien, Canadian lawyer and diplomat, Canadian Ambassador to the United States
    • 1942 – Lynn Davies, Welsh sprinter and long jumper
    • 1942 – Carlos Hathcock, American sergeant and sniper (d. 1999)
    • 1942 – Frew McMillan, South African tennis player
    • 1943 – Albano Carrisi, Italian singer, actor, and winemaker
    • 1943 – Deryck Murray, Trinidadian cricketer
    • 1944 – Joe Cocker, English singer-songwriter (d. 2014)
    • 1944 – Boudewijn de Groot, Indonesian-Dutch singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1944 – Keith Fletcher, English cricketer and manager
    • 1944 – Dietrich Mateschitz, Austrian businessman, co-founded Red Bull GmbH
    • 1945 – Vladimiro Montesinos, Peruvian intelligence officer
    • 1946 – Cher, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
    • 1946 – Bobby Murcer, American baseball player, coach, manager, and sportscaster (d. 2008)
    • 1947 – Steve Currie, English bass player (d. 1981)
    • 1947 – Greg Dyke, English journalist and academic
    • 1949 – Robert Morin, Canadian director, cinematographer, and screenwriter
    • 1949 – Michèle Roberts, English author and poet
    • 1949 – Dave Thomas, Canadian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1950 – Andy Johns, English-American engineer and producer (d. 2013)
    • 1950 – Reinaldo Merlo, Argentinian footballer and coach
    • 1951 – Thomas Akers, American colonel, engineer, and astronaut
    • 1951 – Christie Blatchford, Canadian newspaper columnist, journalist and broadcaster (d. 2020)
    • 1951 – Mike Crapo, American lawyer and politician
    • 1952 – Roger Milla, Cameroonian footballer and manager
    • 1952 – Michael Wills, English politician, British Minister of Justice
    • 1953 – Robert Doyle, Australian educator and politician, 103rd Lord Mayor of Melbourne
    • 1954 – David Paterson, American lawyer and politician, 55th Governor of New York
    • 1954 – Colin Sutherland, Lord Carloway, Scottish lawyer and judge
    • 1955 – Steve George, American keyboard player and songwriter
    • 1955 – Zbigniew Preisner, Polish composer and producer
    • 1956 – Ingvar Ambjørnsen, Norwegian-German author and critic
    • 1956 – Gerry Peyton, English born Irish international footballer and coach
    • 1956 – Douglas Preston, American journalist and author
    • 1957 – Yoshihiko Noda, Japanese lawyer and politician, 62nd Prime Minister of Japan
    • 1958 – Ron Reagan, American journalist and radio host
    • 1958 – Jane Wiedlin, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress
    • 1959 – Susan Cowsill, American singer-songwriter
    • 1960 – Tony Goldwyn, American actor and director
    • 1961 – Clive Allen, English international footballer and manager
    • 1961 – Nick Heyward, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1963 – David Wells, American baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1964 – Kōichirō Genba, Japanese politician, 80th Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs
    • 1964 – Edin Osmanović, Slovenian footballer, coach, and manager
    • 1964 – Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer, English journalist and author
    • 1965 – Ted Allen, American television host and author
    • 1965 – Stu Grimson, Canadian ice hockey player, sportscaster, and lawyer
    • 1966 – Dan Abrams, American journalist and author
    • 1967 – Graham Brady, English politician
    • 1967 – Gabriele Muccino, Italian director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1968 – Timothy Olyphant, American actor and producer
    • 1969 – Road Dogg, American wrestler, producer, and soldier
    • 1970 – Terrell Brandon, American basketball player
    • 1970 – Louis Theroux, Singaporean-English journalist and producer
    • 1971 – Šárka Kašpárková, Czech triple jumper and coach
    • 1971 – Tony Stewart, American race car driver
    • 1972 – Michael Diamond, Australian shooter
    • 1972 – Christophe Dominici, French rugby player
    • 1972 – Busta Rhymes, American rapper, producer, and actor
    • 1973 – Nathan Long, Australian rugby league player
    • 1974 – Allison Amend, American novelist and short story writer
    • 1974 – Shiboprosad Mukherjee, Indian film director, writer and actor
    • 1975 – Juan Minujín, Argentinian actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1976 – Ramón Hernández, Venezuelan-American baseball player
    • 1976 – Tomoya Satozaki, Japanese baseball player
    • 1977 – Matt Czuchry, American actor
    • 1977 – Leo Franco, Argentinian footballer
    • 1977 – Angela Goethals, American actress
    • 1977 – Stirling Mortlock, Australian rugby player
    • 1977 – Vesa Toskala, Finnish ice hockey player
    • 1978 – Hristos Banikas, Greek chess player
    • 1978 – Pavla Hamáčková-Rybová, Czech pole vaulter
    • 1978 – Nils Schumann, German runner
    • 1979 – Andrew Scheer, Canadian politician, 28th Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada
    • 1979 – Jayson Werth, American baseball player
    • 1980 – Austin Kearns, American baseball player
    • 1980 – Kassim Osgood, American football player
    • 1981 – Iker Casillas, Spanish footballer
    • 1981 – Rachel Platten, American singer and songwriter
    • 1981 – Lindsay Taylor, American basketball player
    • 1981 – Mark Winterbottom, Australian race car driver
    • 1982 – Petr Čech, Czech footballer
    • 1982 – Imran Farhat, Pakistani cricketer
    • 1982 – Jessica Raine, English actress
    • 1982 – Daniel Ribeiro, Brazilian director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1983 – Óscar Cardozo, Paraguayan footballer
    • 1983 – Matt Langridge, English rower
    • 1984 – Mauro Rafael da Silva, Brazilian footballer
    • 1984 – Patrick Ewing, Jr., American basketball player
    • 1984 – Keith Grennan, American football player
    • 1985 – Chris Froome, Kenyan-English cyclist
    • 1985 – Brendon Goddard, Australian footballer
    • 1986 – Dexter Blackstock, English footballer
    • 1986 – Stéphane Mbia, Cameroonian footballer
    • 1986 – Jiřina Svobodová, Czech pole vaulter
    • 1987 – Mike Havenaar, Japanese footballer
    • 1987 – Julian Wright, American basketball player
    • 1988 – Joel Moon, Australian rugby league player
    • 1989 – Siosia Vave, Australian-Tongan rugby league player
    • 1991 – Bastian Baker, Swiss singer, songwriter, and performer
    • 1991 – Emre Colak, Turkish footballer
    • 1992 – Cate Campbell, Malawian-Australian swimmer
    • 1992 – Jack Gleeson, Irish actor
    • 1992 – Enes Kanter, Turkish basketball player
    • 1993 – Caroline Zhang, American figure skater
    • 1996 – Brian Kelly, Australian rugby league player
    • 1998 – Jamie Chadwick, English race car driver
    • 1998 – Nam Nguyen, Canadian figure skater

    Deaths on May 20

    • 685 – Ecgfrith of Northumbria (b. 645)
    • 794 – Æthelberht II, king of East Anglia
    • 965 – Gero the Great, Saxon ruler (b.c. 900)
    • 1062 – Bao Zheng, Chinese magistrate and mayor of Kaifeng (b. 999)
    • 1277 – Pope John XXI (b. 1215)
    • 1285 – John II of Jerusalem (b. 1259)
    • 1291 – Sufi Saint Sayyid Jalaluddin Surkh-Posh Bukhari
    • 1366 – Maria of Calabria, Empress of Constantinople (b. 1329)
    • 1444 – Bernardino of Siena, Italian-Spanish missionary and saint (b. 1380)
    • 1449 – Álvaro Vaz de Almada, 1st Count of Avranches
    • 1449 – Infante Pedro, Duke of Coimbra (b. 1392)
    • 1501 – Columba of Rieti, Italian Dominican tertiary Religious Sister (b. 1467)
    • 1503 – Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de’ Medici, Italian banker and politician (b. 1463)
    • 1506 – Christopher Columbus, Italian explorer, discovered the Americas (b. 1451)
    • 1550 – Ashikaga Yoshiharu, Japanese shōgun (b. 1510)
    • 1579 – Isabella Markham, English courtier (b. 1527)
    • 1622 – Osman II, Ottoman sultan (b. 1604)
    • 1645 – Shi Kefa, Chinese general and calligrapher (b. 1601)
    • 1648 – Władysław IV Vasa, Polish son of Sigismund III Vasa (b. 1595)
    • 1677 – George Digby, 2nd Earl of Bristol, Spanish-English politician, English Secretary of State (b. 1612)
    • 1713 – Thomas Sprat, English bishop (b. 1635)
    • 1717 – John Trevor, Welsh lawyer and politician, 102nd Speaker of the House of Commons (b. 1637)
    • 1722 – Sébastien Vaillant, French botanist and mycologist (b. 1669)
    • 1732 – Thomas Boston, Scottish author and educator (b. 1676)
    • 1782 – William Emerson, English mathematician and academic (b. 1701)
    • 1793 – Charles Bonnet, Swiss botanist and biologist (b. 1720)
    • 1812 – Count Hieronymus von Colloredo, Austrian archbishop (b. 1732)
    • 1834 – Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, French general (b. 1757)
    • 1841 – Joseph Blanco White, Spanish poet and theologian (b. 1775)
    • 1864 – John Clare, English poet (b. 1793)
    • 1873 – George-Étienne Cartier, Canadian soldier, lawyer, and politician, 9th Premier of East Canada (b. 1814)
    • 1880 – Ana Néri, Brazilian nurse and philanthropist (b. 1814)
    • 1896 – Clara Schumann, German pianist and composer (b. 1819)
    • 1909 – Ernest Hogan, American actor and composer (b. 1859)
    • 1917 – Valentine Fleming, Scottish soldier and politician (b. 1887)
    • 1917 – Philipp von Ferrary, Italian stamp collector (b. 1850)
    • 1924 – Bogd Khan, Mongolian ruler (c. 1869)
    • 1925 – Joseph Howard, Maltese politician, 1st Prime Minister of Malta (b. 1862)
    • 1931 – Ernest Noel, Scottish businessman and politician (b. 1831)
    • 1940 – Verner von Heidenstam, Swedish author and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1859)
    • 1942 – Hector Guimard, French Architect (b. 1867)
    • 1946 – Jacob Ellehammer, Danish pilot and engineer (b. 1871)
    • 1947 – Philipp Lenard, Slovak-German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1862)
    • 1947 – Georgios Siantos, Greek sergeant and politician (b. 1890)
    • 1949 – Damaskinos of Athens, Greek archbishop and politician, 137th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1891)
    • 1956 – Max Beerbohm, English essayist, parodist, and caricaturist (b. 1872)
    • 1956 – Zoltán Halmay, Hungarian swimmer and trainer (b. 1881)
    • 1961 – Josef Priller, German colonel and pilot (b. 1915)
    • 1964 – Rudy Lewis, American singer (b. 1936)
    • 1971 – Waldo Williams, Welsh poet and academic (b. 1904)
    • 1973 – Renzo Pasolini, Italian motorcycle racer (b. 1938)
    • 1973 – Jarno Saarinen, Finnish motorcycle racer (b. 1945)
    • 1975 – Barbara Hepworth, English sculptor and lithographer (b. 1903)
    • 1976 – Syd Howe, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1911)
    • 1976 – Zelmar Michelini, Uruguayan journalist and politician (b. 1924)
    • 1976 – Héctor Gutiérrez Ruiz, Uruguayan politician (b. 1934)
    • 1989 – John Hicks, English economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1904)
    • 1989 – Gilda Radner, American actress and comedian (b. 1946)
    • 1995 – Les Cowie, Australian rugby league player (b. 1925)
    • 1996 – Jon Pertwee, English actor, portrayed the Third Doctor (b. 1919)
    • 1998 – Robert Normann, Norwegian guitarist (b. 1916)
    • 2000 – Jean-Pierre Rampal, French flute player (b. 1922)
    • 2000 – Malik Sealy, American basketball player and actor (b. 1970)
    • 2000 – Yevgeny Khrunov, Russian colonel, engineer, and astronaut (b. 1933)
    • 2001 – Renato Carosone, Italian singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1920)
    • 2002 – Stephen Jay Gould, American paleontologist, biologist, and academic (b. 1941)
    • 2005 – Paul Ricœur, French philosopher and academic (b. 1913)
    • 2005 – William Seawell, American general (b. 1918)
    • 2007 – Norman Von Nida, Australian golfer (b. 1914)
    • 2008 – Hamilton Jordan, American politician, 8th White House Chief of Staff (b. 1944)
    • 2009 – Arthur Erickson, Canadian architect and urban planner, designed Roy Thomson Hall (b. 1924)
    • 2009 – Lucy Gordon, American actress and model (b. 1980)
    • 2009 – Pierre Gamarra, French author, poet, and critic (b. 1919)
    • 2011 – Randy Savage, American wrestler and actor (b. 1952)
    • 2012 – Leela Dube, Indian anthropologist and scholar (b. 1923)
    • 2012 – Robin Gibb, Manx-English singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1949)
    • 2012 – David Littman, English-Swiss historian, author, and academic (b. 1933)
    • 2012 – Ken Lyons, American bass guitarist (b. 1953)
    • 2012 – Eugene Polley, American engineer, invented the remote control (b. 1915)
    • 2012 – Andrew B. Steinberg, American lawyer (b. 1958)
    • 2013 – Flavio Costantini, Italian painter and illustrator (b. 1926)
    • 2013 – Billie Dawe, Canadian ice hockey player and manager (b. 1924)
    • 2013 – Anders Eliasson, Swedish composer (b. 1947)
    • 2013 – Miloslav Kříž, Czech basketball player and coach (b. 1924)
    • 2013 – Ray Manzarek, American singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer (b. 1939)
    • 2013 – Denys Roberts, English judge and politician (b. 1923)
    • 2013 – Zach Sobiech, American singer-songwriter (b. 1995)
    • 2014 – Sandra Bem, American psychologist and academic (b. 1944)
    • 2014 – Ross Brown, New Zealand rugby player (b. 1934)
    • 2014 – Robyn Denny, English-French painter (b. 1930)
    • 2014 – Arthur Gelb, American journalist, author, and critic (b. 1924)
    • 2014 – Prince Rupert Loewenstein, Spanish-English businessman (b. 1933)
    • 2014 – Barbara Murray, English actress (b. 1929)
    • 2015 – Bob Belden, American saxophonist, composer, and producer (b. 1956)
    • 2015 – Femi Robinson, Nigerian actor and playwright (b. 1940)

    Holidays and observances on May 20

    • Christian feast day:
      • Abercius and Helena
      • Alcuin of York
      • Aurea of Ostia
      • Austregisilus
      • Baudilus
      • Bernardino of Siena
      • Ivo of Chartres
      • Lucifer of Cagliari
      • Sanctan
      • May 20 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Day of Remembrance (Cambodia)
    • Emancipation Day (Florida)
    • European Maritime Day (European Council)
    • Independence Restoration Day, celebrates the independence of East Timor from Indonesia in 2002.
    • Josephine Baker Day (NAACP)
    • National Awakening Day (Indonesia), and its related observances:
      • Indonesian Doctor Day (Indonesia)
    • National Day (Cameroon)
    • World Bee Day
    • World Metrology Day

  • May 15 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 495 BC – A newly constructed temple in honour of the god Mercury was dedicated in ancient Rome on the Circus Maximus, between the Aventine and Palatine hills. To spite the senate and the consuls, the people awarded the dedication to a senior military officer, Marcus Laetorius.
    • 221 – Liu Bei, Chinese warlord, proclaims himself emperor of Shu Han, the successor of the Han dynasty.
    • 392 – Emperor Valentinian II is assassinated while advancing into Gaul against the Frankish usurper Arbogast. He is found hanging in his residence at Vienne.
    • 589 – King Authari marries Theodelinda, daughter of the Bavarian duke Garibald I. A Catholic, she has great influence among the Lombard nobility.
    • 908 – The three-year-old Constantine VII, the son of Emperor Leo VI the Wise, is crowned as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire by Patriarch Euthymius I at Constantinople.
    • 1252 – Pope Innocent IV issues the papal bull ad extirpanda, which authorizes, but also limits, the torture of heretics in the Medieval Inquisition.
    • 1525 – Insurgent peasants led by Anabaptist pastor Thomas Müntzer were defeated at the Battle of Frankenhausen, ending the German Peasants’ War in the Holy Roman Empire.
    • 1536 – Anne Boleyn, Queen of England, stands trial in London on charges of treason, adultery and incest; she is condemned to death by a specially-selected jury.
    • 1567 – Mary, Queen of Scots marries James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, her third husband.
    • 1618 – Johannes Kepler confirms his previously rejected discovery of the third law of planetary motion (he first discovered it on March 8 but soon rejected the idea after some initial calculations were made).
    • 1648 – The Peace of Münster is ratified, by which Spain acknowledges Dutch sovereignty.
    • 1718 – James Puckle, a London lawyer, patents the world’s first machine gun.
    • 1776 – American Revolution: The Fifth Virginia Convention instructs its Continental Congress delegation to propose a resolution of independence from Great Britain, paving the way for the United States Declaration of Independence.
    • 1791 – French Revolution: Maximilien Robespierre proposes the Self-denying Ordinance.
    • 1792 – War of the First Coalition: France declares war on Kingdom of Sardinia.
    • 1793 – Diego Marín Aguilera flies a glider for “about 360 meters”, at a height of 5–6 meters, during one of the first attempted manned flights.
    • 1796 – War of the First Coalition: Napoleon enters Milan in triumph.
    • 1800 – King George III of the United Kingdom survives an assassination attempt by James Hadfield, who is later acquitted by reason of insanity.
    • 1817 – Opening of the first private mental health hospital in the United States, the Asylum for the Relief of Persons Deprived of the Use of Their Reason (now Friends Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania).
    • 1836 – Francis Baily observes “Baily’s beads” during an annular eclipse.
    • 1849 – The Sicilian revolution of 1848 is finally extinguished.
    • 1850 – The Bloody Island massacre takes place in Lake County, California, in which a large number of Pomo Indians are slaughtered by a regiment of the United States Cavalry.
    • 1850 – The Arana–Southern Treaty is ratified, ending “the existing differences” between Great Britain and Argentina.
    • 1851 – The first Australian gold rush is proclaimed, although the discovery had been made three months earlier.
    • 1858 – Opening of the present Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London.
    • 1862 – President Abraham Lincoln signs a bill into law creating the United States Bureau of Agriculture. It is later renamed the United States Department of Agriculture.
    • 1864 – American Civil War: Battle of New Market, Virginia: Students from the Virginia Military Institute fight alongside the Confederate army to force Union General Franz Sigel out of the Shenandoah Valley.
    • 1867 – Canadian Bank of Commerce opens for business in Toronto, Ontario. The bank would later merge with Imperial Bank of Canada to become what is CIBC in 1961.
    • 1869 – Women’s suffrage: In New York, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton form the National Woman Suffrage Association.
    • 1891 – Pope Leo XIII defends workers’ rights and property rights in the encyclical Rerum novarum, the beginning of modern Catholic social teaching.
    • 1904 – Russo-Japanese War: The Russian minelayer Amur lays a minefield about 15 miles off Port Arthur and sinks Japan’s battleships Hatsuse, 15,000 tons, with 496 crew and Yashima.
    • 1905 – Las Vegas is founded when 110 acres (0.45 km2), in what later would become downtown, are auctioned off.
    • 1911 – In Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey v. United States, the United States Supreme Court declares Standard Oil to be an “unreasonable” monopoly under the Sherman Antitrust Act and orders the company to be broken up.
    • 1911 – More than 300 Chinese immigrants are killed in the Torreón massacre when the forces of the Mexican Revolution led by Emilio Madero take the city of Torreón from the Federales.
    • 1914 – During a poker game at the Gaiety Theatre in Galesburg, Illinois, comedian Art Fisher nicknames Chicko, Harpo, Groucho, and Gummo Marx.
    • 1919 – The Winnipeg general strike begins. By 11:00, almost the whole working population of Winnipeg had walked off the job.
    • 1919 – Greek occupation of Smyrna. During the occupation, the Greek army kills or wounds 350 Turks; those responsible are punished by Greek commander Aristides Stergiades.
    • 1925 – Al-Insaniyyah, the first Arabic communist newspaper, is founded.
    • 1928 – Walt Disney character Mickey Mouse premieres in his first cartoon, “Plane Crazy”.
    • 1929 – A fire at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio kills 123.
    • 1932 – In an attempted coup d’état, the Prime Minister of Japan Inukai Tsuyoshi is assassinated.
    • 1933 – All military aviation organizations within or under the control of the RLM of Germany were officially merged in a covert manner to form its Wehrmacht military’s air arm, the Luftwaffe.
    • 1934 – Kārlis Ulmanis establishes an authoritarian government in Latvia.
    • 1940 – USS Sailfish is recommissioned. It was originally the USS Squalus.
    • 1940 – World War II: After fierce fighting, the poorly trained and equipped Dutch troops surrender to Germany, marking the beginning of five years of occupation.
    • 1940 – Richard and Maurice McDonald open the first McDonald’s restaurant.
    • 1941 – First flight of the Gloster E.28/39 the first British and Allied jet aircraft.
    • 1941 – Joe DiMaggio begins a 56-game hitting streak.
    • 1942 – World War II: In the United States, a bill creating the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) is signed into law.
    • 1943 – Joseph Stalin dissolves the Comintern (or Third International).
    • 1945 – World War II: The Battle of Poljana, the final skirmish in Europe is fought near Prevalje, Slovenia.
    • 1948 – Following the expiration of The British Mandate for Palestine, the Kingdom of Egypt, Transjordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia invade Israel thus starting the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.
    • 1957 – At Malden Island in the Pacific Ocean, Britain tests its first hydrogen bomb in Operation Grapple.
    • 1958 – The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 3.
    • 1960 – The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 4.
    • 1963 – Project Mercury: The launch of the final Mercury mission, Mercury-Atlas 9 with astronaut Gordon Cooper on board. He becomes the first American to spend more than a day in space, and the last American to go into space alone.
    • 1966 – After a policy dispute, Prime Minister Nguyễn Cao Kỳ of South Vietnam’s ruling junta launches a military attack on the forces of General Tôn Thất Đính, forcing him to abandon his command.
    • 1969 – People’s Park: California Governor Ronald Reagan has an impromptu student park owned by the University of California at Berkeley fenced off from student anti-war protestors, sparking a riot.
    • 1970 – President Richard Nixon appoints Anna Mae Hays and Elizabeth P. Hoisington the first female United States Army generals.
    • 1970 – Philip Lafayette Gibbs and James Earl Green are killed at Jackson State University by police during student protests.
    • 1972 – The Ryukyu Islands, under U.S. military governance since its conquest in 1945, reverts to Japanese control.
    • 1972 – In Laurel, Maryland, Arthur Bremer shoots and paralyzes Alabama Governor George Wallace while he is campaigning to become president.
    • 1974 – Ma’alot massacre: Members of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine attack and take hostages at an Israeli school; a total of 31 people are killed, including 22 schoolchildren.
    • 1976 – Aeroflot Flight 1802 crashes in Viktorovka, Chernihiv Raion, killing all 52 people on board.
    • 1987 – The Soviet Union launches the Polyus prototype orbital weapons platform. It fails to reach orbit.
    • 1988 – Soviet–Afghan War: After more than eight years of fighting, the Soviet Army begins to withdraw 115,000 troops from Afghanistan.
    • 1991 – Édith Cresson becomes France’s first female Prime Minister.
    • 1997 – The United States government acknowledges the existence of the “Secret War” in Laos and dedicates the Laos Memorial in honor of Hmong and other “Secret War” veterans.
    • 1997 – The Space Shuttle Atlantis launches on STS-84 to dock with the Russian space station Mir.
    • 2004 – Arsenal F.C. go an entire league campaign unbeaten in the English Premier League, joining Preston North End F.C with the right to claim the title “The Invincibles”.
    • 2008 – California becomes the second U.S. state after Massachusetts in 2004 to legalize same-sex marriage after the state’s own Supreme Court rules a previous ban unconstitutional.
    • 2010 – Jessica Watson becomes the youngest person to sail, non-stop and unassisted around the world solo.
    • 2013 – An upsurge in violence in Iraq leaves more than 389 people dead over three days.

    Births on May 15

    • 1397 – Sejong the Great, Korean king (d. 1450)
    • 1531 – Maria of Austria, Duchess of Jülich-Cleves-Berg (d. 1581)
    • 1565 – Hendrick de Keyser, Dutch sculptor and architect (d. 1621)
    • 1567 – Claudio Monteverdi, Italian priest and composer (d. 1643)
    • 1655 – Pope Innocent XIII (d. 1724)
    • 1608 – René Goupil, French-American missionary and saint (d. 1642)
    • 1633 – Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban, French noble (d. 1707)
    • 1645 – George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreys, British judge (d. 1689)
    • 1689 – Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, English writer (d. 1762)
    • 1720 – Maximilian Hell, Hungarian priest and astronomer (d. 1792)
    • 1749 – Levi Lincoln Sr., American lawyer and politician, 4th United States Attorney General (d. 1820)
    • 1759 – Maria Theresia von Paradis, Austrian pianist and composer (d. 1824)
    • 1770 – Ezekiel Hart, Canadian businessman and politician (d. 1843)
    • 1773 – Klemens von Metternich, German-Austrian politician, 1st State Chancellor of the Austrian Empire (d. 1859)
    • 1786 – Dimitris Plapoutas, Greek general and politician (d. 1864)
    • 1803 – Juan Almonte, son of José María Morelos, was a Mexican soldier and diplomat who served as a regent in the Second Mexican Empire (1863-1864) (d. 1869)
    • 1805 – Samuel Carter, Early English railway solicitor and MP (d. 1878)
    • 1808 – Michael William Balfe, Irish composer and conductor (d. 1870)
    • 1817 – Debendranath Tagore, Indian philosopher and author (d. 1905)
    • 1841 – Clarence Dutton, American commander and geologist (d. 1912)
    • 1845 – Élie Metchnikoff, Russian zoologist (d. 1916)
    • 1848 – Viktor Vasnetsov, Russian painter and illustrator (d. 1926)
    • 1854 – Ioannis Psycharis, Ukrainian-French philologist and author (d. 1929)
    • 1856 – L. Frank Baum, American novelist (d. 1919)
    • 1856 – Matthias Zurbriggen, Swiss mountaineer (d. 1917)
    • 1857 – Williamina Fleming, Scottish-American astronomer and academic (d. 1911)
    • 1859 – Pierre Curie, French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1906)
    • 1862 – Arthur Schnitzler, Austrian author and playwright (d. 1931)
    • 1863 – Frank Hornby, English businessman and politician, invented Meccano (d. 1936)
    • 1869 – Paul Probst, Swiss target shooter (d. 1945)
    • 1869 – John Storey, Australian politician, 20th Premier of New South Wales (d. 1921)
    • 1882 – Walter White, Scottish international footballer (d. 1950)
    • 1890 – Katherine Anne Porter, American short story writer, novelist, and essayist (d. 1980)
    • 1891 – Mikhail Bulgakov, Russian novelist and playwright (d. 1940)
    • 1891 – Fritz Feigl, Austrian-Brazilian chemist and academic (d. 1971)
    • 1892 – Charles E. Rosendahl, American admiral (d. 1977)
    • 1892 – Jimmy Wilde, Welsh boxer (d. 1969)
    • 1893 – José Nepomuceno, Filipino filmmaker, founder of Philippine cinema (d. 1959)
    • 1894 – Feg Murray, American hurdler and cartoonist (d. 1973)
    • 1895 – Prescott Bush, American captain, banker, and politician (d. 1972)
    • 1895 – William D. Byron, American lieutenant and politician (d. 1941)
    • 1898 – Arletty, French model, actress, and singer (d. 1992)
    • 1899 – Jean Étienne Valluy, French general (d. 1970)
    • 1900 – Ida Rhodes, American mathematician, pioneer in computer programming (d. 1986)
    • 1901 – Xavier Herbert, Australian author (d. 1984)
    • 1901 – Luis Monti, Argentinian-Italian footballer and manager (d. 1983)
    • 1902 – Richard J. Daley, American lawyer and politician, 48th Mayor of Chicago (d. 1976)
    • 1902 – Sigizmund Levanevsky, Soviet aircraft pilot of Polish origin (d. 1937)
    • 1903 – Maria Reiche, German mathematician and archaeologist (d. 1998)
    • 1904 – Clifton Fadiman, American game show host and author (d. 1999)
    • 1905 – Joseph Cotten, American actor (d. 1994)
    • 1905 – Albert Dubout, French cartoonist, illustrator, painter, and sculptor (d. 1976)
    • 1905 – Abraham Zapruder, American businessman and amateur photographer, filmed the Zapruder film (d. 1970)
    • 1907 – Sukhdev Thapar, Indian activist (d. 1931)
    • 1909 – James Mason, English actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1984)
    • 1909 – Clara Solovera, Chilean singer-songwriter (d. 1992)
    • 1910 – Constance Cummings, British-based American actress (d. 2005)
    • 1911 – Max Frisch, Swiss playwright and novelist (d. 1991)
    • 1911 – Herta Oberheuser, German physician (d. 1978)
    • 1912 – Arthur Berger, American composer and educator (d. 2003)
    • 1914 – Turk Broda, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 1972)
    • 1914 – Angus MacLean, Canadian farmer and politician, 25th Premier of Prince Edward Island (d. 2000)
    • 1914 – Norrie Paramor, English composer, producer, and conductor (d. 1979)
    • 1915 – Hilda Bernstein, English-South African author and activist (d. 2006)
    • 1915 – Paul Samuelson, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2009)
    • 1915 – Henrik Sandberg, Danish production manager and producer (d. 1993)
    • 1916 – Vera Gebuhr, Danish actress (d. 2014)
    • 1918 – Eddy Arnold, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (d. 2008)
    • 1918 – Arthur Jackson, American lieutenant and target shooter (d. 2015)
    • 1918 – Joseph Wiseman, Canadian-American actor (d. 2009)
    • 1920 – Michel Audiard, French director and screenwriter (d. 1985)
    • 1922 – Sigurd Ottovich Schmidt, Russian historian and ethnographer (d. 2013)
    • 1922 – Jakucho Setouchi, Japanese nun and author
    • 1923 – Richard Avedon, American sailor and photographer (d. 2004)
    • 1923 – John Lanchbery, English-Australian composer and conductor (d. 2003)
    • 1924 – Maria Koepcke, German-Peruvian ornithologist and zoologist (d. 1971)
    • 1925 – Andrei Eshpai, Russian pianist and composer (d. 2015)
    • 1925 – Mary F. Lyon, English geneticist and biologist (d. 2014)
    • 1925 – Carl Sanders, American soldier, pilot, and politician, 74th Governor of Georgia (d. 2014)
    • 1925 – Roy Stewart, Jamaican-English actor and stuntman (d. 2008)
    • 1926 – Clermont Pépin, Canadian pianist, composer, and educator (d. 2006)
    • 1926 – Anthony Shaffer, English author, playwright, and screenwriter (d. 2001)
    • 1926 – Peter Shaffer, English playwright and screenwriter (d. 2016)
    • 1930 – Jasper Johns, American painter and sculptor
    • 1931 – Ken Venturi, American golfer and sportscaster (d. 2013)
    • 1935 – Don Bragg, American pole vaulter
    • 1935 – Ted Dexter, Italian-English cricketer
    • 1935 – Utah Phillips, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2008)
    • 1935 – Akihiro Miwa, Japanese singer, actor, director, composer, author and drag queen
    • 1936 – Anna Maria Alberghetti, Italian-American actress and singer
    • 1936 – Mart Laga, Estonian basketball player (d. 1977)
    • 1936 – Ralph Steadman, English painter and illustrator
    • 1936 – Paul Zindel, American playwright and novelist (d. 2003)
    • 1937 – Madeleine Albright, Czech-American politician and diplomat, 64th United States Secretary of State
    • 1937 – Karin Krog, Norwegian singer
    • 1937 – Trini Lopez, American singer, guitarist, and actor
    • 1938 – Mireille Darc, French actress, director, and screenwriter (d. 2017)
    • 1938 – Nancy Garden, American author (d. 2014)
    • 1939 – Dorothy Shirley, English high jumper and educator
    • 1940 – Roger Ailes, American businessman (d. 2017)
    • 1940 – Lainie Kazan, American actress and singer
    • 1940 – Don Nelson, American basketball player and coach
    • 1941 – Jaxon, American illustrator and publisher, co-founded the Rip Off Press (d. 2006)
    • 1942 – Lois Johnson, American singer-songwriter (d. 2014)
    • 1942 – Jusuf Kalla, Indonesian businessman and politician, 10th Vice President of Indonesia
    • 1942 – Doug Lowe, Australian politician, 35th Premier of Tasmania
    • 1942 – K. T. Oslin, American singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1943 – Paul Bégin, Canadian lawyer and politician
    • 1943 – Freddie Perren, American songwriter, producer, and conductor (d. 2004)
    • 1944 – Bill Alter, American police officer and politician
    • 1944 – Ulrich Beck, German sociologist and academic (d. 2015)
    • 1945 – Michael Dexter, English hematologist and academic
    • 1945 – Jerry Quarry, American boxer (d. 1999)
    • 1946 – Thadeus Nguyễn Văn Lý, Vietnamese priest and activist
    • 1947 – Graeham Goble, Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer
    • 1948 – Kate Bornstein, American author, playwright, performance artist, and gender theorist
    • 1948 – Yutaka Enatsu, Japanese baseball player
    • 1948 – Brian Eno, English singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer
    • 1948 – Kathleen Sebelius, American politician, 44th Governor of Kansas
    • 1949 – Frank L. Culbertson Jr., American captain, pilot, and astronaut
    • 1949 – Robert S.J. Sparks, English geologist and academic
    • 1950 – Jim Bacon, Australian politician, 41st Premier of Tasmania (d. 2004)
    • 1950 – Jim Simons, American golfer (d. 2005)
    • 1951 – Dennis Frederiksen, American singer-songwriter (d. 2014)
    • 1951 – Chris Ham, English political scientist and academic
    • 1951 – Frank Wilczek, American mathematician and physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1952 – Chazz Palminteri, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1953 – George Brett, American baseball player and coach
    • 1953 – Athene Donald, English physicist and academic
    • 1953 – Mike Oldfield, English-Irish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1954 – Diana Liverman, English-American geographer and academic
    • 1954 – Caroline Thomson, English journalist and broadcaster
    • 1955 – Mohamed Brahmi, Tunisian politician (d. 2013)
    • 1955 – Lia Vissi, Cypriot singer-songwriter and politician
    • 1956 – Andreas Loverdos, Greek lawyer and politician, Greek Minister of Labour
    • 1956 – Dan Patrick, American television anchor and sportscaster
    • 1956 – Kevin Greenaugh, American nuclear engineer
    • 1957 – Meg Gardiner, American-English author and academic
    • 1957 – Juan José Ibarretxe, Spanish politician
    • 1957 – Kevin Von Erich, American football player and wrestler
    • 1958 – Jason Graae, American musical theater actor
    • 1958 – Ruth Marcus, American journalist
    • 1958 – Ron Simmons, American football player and wrestler
    • 1959 – Khaosai Galaxy, Thai boxer and politician
    • 1959 – Luis Pérez-Sala, Spanish race car driver
    • 1959 – Beverly Jo Scott, American-Belgian singer-songwriter
    • 1960 – Rhonda Burchmore, Australian actress, singer, and dancer
    • 1960 – Rob Bowman, American director and producer
    • 1960 – R. Kuhaneswaran, Sri Lankan politician
    • 1960 – Rimas Kurtinaitis, Lithuanian basketball player and coach
    • 1961 – Giselle Fernández, Mexican-American television journalist.
    • 1962 – Lisa Curry, Australian swimmer
    • 1963 – Gavin Nebbeling, South African footballer
    • 1964 – Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Danish lawyer and politician, 40th Prime Minister of Denmark
    • 1965 – André Abujamra, Brazilian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1965 – Scott Tronc, Australian rugby league player
    • 1966 – Jiří Němec, Czech footballer
    • 1967 – Simen Agdestein, Norwegian chess grandmaster and football player
    • 1967 – Laura Hillenbrand, American journalist and author
    • 1967 – John Smoltz, American baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1967 – Madhuri Dixit, Indian actress
    • 1968 – Cecilia Malmström, Swedish academic and politician, 15th European Commissioner for Trade
    • 1968 – Sophie Raworth, English journalist and broadcaster
    • 1969 – Hideki Irabu, Japanese-American baseball player (d. 2011)
    • 1969 – Emmitt Smith, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1970 – Frank de Boer, Dutch footballer and manager
    • 1970 – Ronald de Boer, Dutch footballer and manager
    • 1970 – Desmond Howard, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1970 – Alison Jackson, English photographer, director, and screenwriter
    • 1970 – Rod Smith, American football player
    • 1970 – Ben Wallace, English captain and politician
    • 1971 – Karin Lušnic, Slovenian tennis player
    • 1972 – Danny Alexander, Scottish politician, Secretary of State for Scotland
    • 1972 – David Charvet, French actor and singer
    • 1974 – Vasilis Kikilias, Greek basketball player and politician
    • 1974 – Matthew Sadler, English chess player and author
    • 1974 – Marko Tredup, German footballer and manager
    • 1974 – Ahmet Zappa, American musician and writer
    • 1975 – Ray Lewis, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1975 – Ales Michalevic, Belarusian lawyer and politician
    • 1976 – Torraye Braggs, American basketball player
    • 1976 – Mark Kennedy, Irish footballer
    • 1976 – Jacek Krzynówek, Polish footballer
    • 1976 – Ryan Leaf, American football player and coach
    • 1976 – Anže Logar, Slovenian politician
    • 1976 – Tyler Walker, American baseball player
    • 1978 – Amy Chow, American gymnast and pediatrician
    • 1978 – Dwayne De Rosario, Canadian soccer player
    • 1978 – Edu, Brazilian footballer
    • 1978 – David Krumholtz, American actor
    • 1979 – Adolfo Bautista, Mexican footballer
    • 1979 – Daniel Caines, English sprinter
    • 1979 – Chris Masoe, New Zealand rugby player
    • 1979 – Ryan Max Riley, American skier
    • 1979 – Robert Royal, American football player
    • 1979 – Dominic Scott, Irish guitarist
    • 1980 – Josh Beckett, American baseball player
    • 1981 – Patrice Evra, French footballer
    • 1981 – Paul Konchesky, English international footballer
    • 1981 – Justin Morneau, Canadian baseball player
    • 1981 – Zara Phillips, English equestrian
    • 1981 – Jamie-Lynn Sigler, American actress and singer
    • 1982 – Veronica Campbell-Brown, Jamaican sprinter
    • 1982 – Segundo Castillo, Ecuadorian footballer
    • 1982 – Rafael Pérez, Dominican baseball player
    • 1982 – Layal Abboud, Lebanese singer
    • 1984 – Jeff Deslauriers, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1984 – Sérgio Jimenez, Brazilian race car driver
    • 1984 – Samantha Noble, Australian actress
    • 1984 – Beau Scott, Australian rugby league player
    • 1984 – Mr Probz, Dutch singer, songwriter, rapper, actor and record producer
    • 1985 – Cristiane, Brazilian footballer
    • 1985 – Tania Cagnotto, Italian diver
    • 1985 – Laura Harvey, English football coach
    • 1985 – Tathagata Mukherjee, Indian actor
    • 1985 – Denis Onyango, Ugandan goalkeeper
    • 1985 – Justine Robbeson, South African javelin thrower
    • 1986 – Thomas Brown, American football player
    • 1986 – Matías Fernández, Chilean footballer
    • 1986 – Adam Moffat, Scottish footballer
    • 1987 – David Adams, American baseball player
    • 1987 – Michael Brantley, American baseball player
    • 1987 – Brian Dozier, American baseball player
    • 1987 – Mark Fayne, American ice hockey player
    • 1987 – Ersan İlyasova, Turkish basketball player
    • 1987 – Leonardo Mayer, Argentinian tennis player
    • 1987 – Andy Murray, Scottish tennis player
    • 1988 – Indrek Kajupank, Estonian basketball player
    • 1988 – Scott Laird, English footballer
    • 1989 – Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, French footballer
    • 1990 – Jordan Eberle, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1990 – Lee Jong-hyun, Korean guitarist
    • 1990 – Stella Maxwell, New Zealand model
    • 1993 – Jeremy Hawkins, New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1993 – Tomáš Kalas, Czech international footballer
    • 1996 – Birdy, English singer-songwriter
    • 1997 – Ousmane Dembélé, French footballer

    Deaths on May 15

    • 392 – Valentinian II, Roman emperor (b. 371)
    • 558 – Hilary of Galeata, Christian monk (b. 476)
    • 884 – Narinus I, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 830)
    • 913 – Hatto I, German archbishop (b. 850)
    • 926 – Zhuang Zong, Chinese emperor (b. 885)
    • 973 – Byrhthelm, bishop of Wells
    • 1036 – Go-Ichijō, emperor of Japan (b. 1008)
    • 1157 – Yuri Dolgorukiy, Grand Prince of Kiev (b. 1099)
    • 1175 – Mleh, prince of Armenia
    • 1174 – Nur ad-Din, Seljuk emir of Syria (b. 1118)
    • 1268 – Peter II, count of Savoy (b. 1203)
    • 1461 – Domenico Veneziano, Italian painter (b. c. 1410)
    • 1464 – Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset (b. 1436)
    • 1470 – Charles VIII, king of Sweden (b. 1409)
    • 1585 – Niwa Nagahide, Japanese samurai (b. 1535)
    • 1609 – Giovanni Croce, Italian composer and educator (b. 1557)
    • 1615 – Henry Bromley, English politician (b. 1560)
    • 1634 – Hendrick Avercamp, Dutch painter (b. 1585)
    • 1698 – Marie Champmeslé, French actress (b. 1642)
    • 1699 – Sir Edward Petre, 3rd Baronet, English politician (b. 1631)
    • 1700 – John Hale, American minister (b. 1636)
    • 1740 – Ephraim Chambers, English publisher (b. 1680)
    • 1773 – Alban Butler, English priest and hagiographer (b. 1710)
    • 1845 – Braulio Carrillo Colina, Costa Rican lawyer and politician, Head of State of Costa Rica (b. 1800)
    • 1879 – Gottfried Semper, German architect and educator, designed the Semper Opera House (b. 1803)
    • 1886 – Emily Dickinson, American poet and author (b. 1830)
    • 1914 – Ida Freund, Austrian-born chemist and educator (b. 1863)
    • 1919 – Hasan Tahsin, Turkish journalist (b. 1888)
    • 1924 – Paul-Henri-Benjamin d’Estournelles de Constant, French diplomat and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1852)
    • 1926 – Joseph James Fletcher, Australian biologist (b. 1850)
    • 1928 – Umegatani Tōtarō I, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 15th Yokozuna (b. 1845)
    • 1935 – Kazimir Malevich, Ukrainian-Russian painter and theoretician (b. 1878)
    • 1937 – Philip Snowden, 1st Viscount Snowden, English politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (b. 1864)
    • 1945 – Kenneth J. Alford, English soldier, bandmaster, and composer (b. 1881)
    • 1945 – Charles Williams, English author, poet, and critic (b. 1886)
    • 1948 – Edward J. Flanagan, Irish-American priest, founded Boys Town (b. 1886)
    • 1954 – William March, American soldier and author (b. 1893)
    • 1956 – Austin Osman Spare, English painter and magician (b. 1886)
    • 1957 – Keith Andrews, American race car driver (b. 1920)
    • 1957 – Dick Irvin, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1892)
    • 1963 – John Aglionby, English-born Bishop of Accra and soldier (b. 1884)
    • 1964 – Vladko Maček, Croatian lawyer and politician (b. 1879)
    • 1965 – Pio Pion, Italian businessman (b. 1887)
    • 1967 – Edward Hopper, American painter (b. 1882)
    • 1967 – Italo Mus, Italian painter (b. 1892)
    • 1969 – Joe Malone, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1890)
    • 1971 – Tyrone Guthrie, English director, producer, and playwright (b. 1900)
    • 1978 – Robert Menzies, Australian lawyer and politician, 12th Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1894)
    • 1980 – Gordon Prange, American historian and author (b. 1910)
    • 1982 – Gordon Smiley, American race car driver (b. 1946)
    • 1984 – Francis Schaeffer, American pastor, theologian, and philosopher (b. 1912)
    • 1985 – Jackie Curtis, American actress and writer (b. 1947)
    • 1986 – Elio de Angelis, Italian race car driver (b. 1958)
    • 1986 – Theodore H. White, American historian, journalist, and author (b. 1915)
    • 1989 – Johnny Green, American composer and conductor (b. 1908)
    • 1989 – Luc Lacourcière, Canadian ethnographer and author (b. 1910)
    • 1991 – Andreas Floer, German mathematician and academic (b. 1956)
    • 1991 – Amadou Hampâté Bâ, Malian ethnologist and author (b. 1901)
    • 1991 – Fritz Riess, German race car driver (b. 1922)
    • 1993 – Salah Ahmed Ibrahim, Sudanese poet and diplomat (b. 1933)
    • 1994 – Gilbert Roland, American actor (b. 1905)
    • 1995 – Eric Porter, English actor (b. 1928)
    • 1996 – Charles B. Fulton, American lawyer and judge (b. 1910)
    • 1998 – Earl Manigault, American basketball player (b. 1944)
    • 1998 – Naim Talu, Turkish economist, banker, politician, 15th Prime Minister of Turkey (b. 1919)
    • 2003 – June Carter Cash, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress (b. 1929)
    • 2006 – Nizar Abdul Zahra, Iraqi footballer (b. 1961)
    • 2007 – Jerry Falwell, American pastor, founded Liberty University (b. 1933)
    • 2008 – Tommy Burns, Scottish footballer and manager (b. 1956)
    • 2008 – Alexander Courage, American composer and conductor (b. 1919)
    • 2008 – Will Elder, American illustrator (b. 1921)
    • 2009 – Bud Tingwell, Australian actor, director, and producer (b. 1923)
    • 2009 – Wayman Tisdale, American basketball player and bass player (b. 1964)
    • 2010 – Besian Idrizaj, Austrian footballer (b. 1987)
    • 2010 – Loris Kessel, Swiss race car driver (b. 1950)
    • 2012 – Carlos Fuentes, Mexican novelist and essayist (b. 1928)
    • 2012 – Arno Lustiger, German historian and author (b. 1924)
    • 2012 – Zakaria Mohieddin, Egyptian soldier and politician, 33rd Prime Minister of Egypt (b. 1918)
    • 2013 – Henrique Rosa, Bissau-Guinean politician, President of Guinea-Bissau (b. 1946)
    • 2014 – Jean-Luc Dehaene, French-Belgian politician, 63rd Prime Minister of Belgium (b. 1940)
    • 2014 – Noribumi Suzuki, Japanese director and screenwriter (b. 1933)
    • 2015 – Elisabeth Bing, German-American physical therapist and author (b. 1914)
    • 2015 – Jackie Brookner, American sculptor and educator (b. 1945)
    • 2015 – Garo Yepremian, Cypriot-American football player (b. 1944)
    • 2020 – Fred Willard, American actor, comedian, and writer (b. 1933)[19]

    Holidays and observances on May 15

    • Aoi Matsuri (Kyoto)
    • Army Day (Slovenia)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Achillius of Larissa
      • Athanasius of Alexandria (Coptic Church)
      • Dymphna
      • Hallvard Vebjørnsson (Roman Catholic Church)
      • Hesychius of Cazorla
      • Hilary of Galeata
      • Isidore the Laborer, celebrated with festivals in various countries, the beginning of bullfighting season in Madrid.
      • Jean-Baptiste de La Salle (Roman Catholic Church)
      • Peter, Andrew, Paul, and Denise (Roman Catholic Church)
      • Reticius (Roman Catholic Church)
      • Sophia of Rome (Roman Catholic church)
      • May 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Constituent Assembly Day (Lithuania)
    • Earliest date on which Armed Forces Day (United States) can fall, while May 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Saturday of May.
    • Independence Day (Paraguay), celebrates the independence of Paraguay from Spain in 1811. Celebrations for the anniversary of the independence begin on Flag Day, May 14.
    • International Conscientious Objectors Day
    • International Day of Families (International)
    • La Corsa dei Ceri begins on the eve of the feast day of Saint Ubaldo. (Gubbio)
    • Mother’s Day (Paraguay)
    • Nakba Day (Palestinian communities)
    • Peace Officers Memorial Day (United States)
    • Republic Day (Lithuania)
    • Teachers’ Day (Colombia, Mexico and South Korea)

  • April 26 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 1336 – Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch) ascends Mont Ventoux.
    • 1478 – The Pazzi family attack Lorenzo de’ Medici and kill his brother Giuliano during High Mass in Florence Cathedral.
    • 1564 – Playwright William Shakespeare is baptized in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England (date of actual birth is unknown).
    • 1607 – English colonists make landfall at Cape Henry, Virginia.
    • 1721 – A massive earthquake devastates the Iranian city of Tabriz.
    • 1777 – Sybil Ludington, aged 16, rode 40 miles (64 km) to alert American colonial forces to the approach of the British regular forces
    • 1794 – Battle of Beaumont during the Flanders Campaign of the War of the First Coalition.
    • 1802 – Napoleon Bonaparte signs a general amnesty to allow all but about one thousand of the most notorious émigrés of the French Revolution to return to France.
    • 1803 – Thousands of meteor fragments fall from the skies of L’Aigle, France; the event convinces European scientists that meteors exist.
    • 1805 – First Barbary War: United States Marines captured Derne under the command of First Lieutenant Presley O’Bannon.
    • 1865 – American Civil War: Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston surrenders his army to General William Tecumseh Sherman at the Bennett Place near Durham, North Carolina. Also the date of Confederate Memorial Day for two states.
    • 1865 – Union cavalry troopers corner and shoot dead John Wilkes Booth, assassin of President Abraham Lincoln, in Virginia.
    • 1903 – Atlético Madrid Association football club is founded
    • 1923 – The Duke of York weds Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon at Westminster Abbey.
    • 1925 – Paul von Hindenburg defeats Wilhelm Marx in the second round of the German presidential election to become the first directly elected head of state of the Weimar Republic.
    • 1933 – The Gestapo, the official secret police force of Nazi Germany, is established.
    • 1937 – Spanish Civil War: Guernica, Spain, is bombed by German Luftwaffe.
    • 1942 – Benxihu Colliery accident in Manchukuo leaves 1549 Chinese miners dead.
    • 1943 – The Easter Riots break out in Uppsala, Sweden.
    • 1944 – Georgios Papandreou becomes head of the Greek government-in-exile based in Egypt.
    • 1944 – Heinrich Kreipe is captured by Allied commandos in occupied Crete.
    • 1945 – World War II: Battle of Bautzen: Last successful German tank-offensive of the war and last noteworthy victory of the Wehrmacht.
    • 1945 – World War II: Filipino troops of the 66th Infantry Regiment, Philippine Commonwealth Army, USAFIP-NL and the American troops of the 33rd and 37th Infantry Division, United States Army are liberated in Baguio City and they fight against the Japanese forces under General Tomoyuki Yamashita.
    • 1954 – The Geneva Conference, an effort to restore peace in Indochina and Korea, begins.
    • 1956 – SS Ideal X, the world’s first successful container ship, leaves Port Newark, New Jersey, for Houston, Texas.
    • 1958 – Final run of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad’s Royal Blue from Washington, D.C., to New York City after 68 years, the first U.S. passenger train to use electric locomotives.
    • 1960 – Forced out by the April Revolution, President of South Korea Syngman Rhee resigns after 12 years of dictatorial rule.
    • 1962 – NASA’s Ranger 4 spacecraft crashes into the Moon.
    • 1963 – In Libya, amendments to the constitution transform Libya (United Kingdom of Libya) into one national unity (Kingdom of Libya) and allows for female participation in elections.
    • 1964 – Tanganyika and Zanzibar merge to form Tanzania.
    • 1966 – The magnitude 5.1 Tashkent earthquake affects the largest city in Soviet Central Asia with a maximum MSK intensity of VII (Very strong). Tashkent is mostly destroyed and 15–200 are killed.
    • 1966 – A new government is formed in the Republic of the Congo, led by Ambroise Noumazalaye.
    • 1970 – The Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization enters into force.
    • 1981 – Dr. Michael R. Harrison of the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center performs the world’s first human open fetal surgery.
    • 1982 – Fifty-seven people are killed by former police officer Woo Bum-kon in a shooting spree in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea.
    • 1986 – A nuclear reactor accident occurs at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic in the Soviet Union, creating the world’s worst nuclear disaster.
    • 1989 – The deadliest known tornado strikes Central Bangladesh, killing upwards of 1,300, injuring 12,000, and leaving as many as 80,000 homeless.
    • 1989 – People’s Daily publishes the April 26 Editorial which inflames the nascent Tiananmen Square protests.
    • 1991 – Seventy tornadoes break out in the central United States. Before the outbreak’s end, Andover, Kansas, would record the year’s only F5 tornado.
    • 1994 – China Airlines Flight 140 crashes at Nagoya Airport in Japan, killing 264 of the 271 people on board.
    • 2002 – Robert Steinhäuser kills 16 at Gutenberg-Gymnasium in Erfurt, Germany before dying of a self-inflicted gunshot.
    • 2005 – Under international pressure, Syria withdraws the last of its 14,000 troop military garrison in Lebanon, ending its 29-year military domination of that country (Syrian occupation of Lebanon).
    • 2018 – American comedian Bill Cosby is found guilty of sexual assault.

    Births on April 26

    • 121 – Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor (d. 180)
    • 757 – Hisham I of Córdoba (d. 796)
    • 764 – Al-Hadi, Iranian caliph (d. 786)
    • 1284 – Alice de Toeni, Countess of Warwick (d. 1324)
    • 1319 – King John II of France (d. 1364)
    • 1538 – Gian Paolo Lomazzo, Italian painter and academic (d. 1600)
    • 1575 – Marie de’ Medici, queen of Henry IV of France (d. 1642)
    • 1647 – William Ashhurst, English banker, Sheriff of London, Lord Mayor of London and politician (d. 1720)
    • 1648 – Peter II of Portugal (d. 1706)
    • 1697 – Adam Falckenhagen, German lute player and composer (d. 1754)
    • 1710 – Thomas Reid, Scottish philosopher and academic (d. 1796)
    • 1718 – Esek Hopkins, American commander (d. 1802)
    • 1774 – Christian Leopold von Buch, German geologist and paleontologist (d. 1853)
    • 1782 – Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily (d. 1866)
    • 1785 – John James Audubon, French-American ornithologist and painter (d. 1851)
    • 1787 – Ludwig Uhland, German poet, philologist, and historian (d. 1862)
    • 1798 – Eugène Delacroix, French painter and lithographer (d. 1863)
    • 1801 – Ambrose Dudley Mann, American politician and diplomat, 1st United States Assistant Secretary of State (d. 1889)
    • 1804 – Charles Goodyear, American banker, lawyer, and politician (d. 1876)
    • 1822 – Frederick Law Olmsted, American journalist and designer, co-designed Central Park (d. 1903)
    • 1834 – Charles Farrar Browne, American author (d. 1867)
    • 1856 – Joseph Ward, Australian-New Zealand businessman and politician, 17th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1930)
    • 1862 – Edmund C. Tarbell, American painter and educator (d. 1938)
    • 1876 – Ernst Felle, German rower (d. 1959)
    • 1877 – James Dooley, Irish-Australian politician, 21st Premier of New South Wales (d. 1950)
    • 1878 – Rafael Guízar y Valencia, Mexican bishop and saint (d. 1938)
    • 1879 – Eric Campbell, British actor (d. 1917)
    • 1879 – Owen Willans Richardson, English physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1959)
    • 1886 – Ma Rainey, American singer (d. 1939)
    • 1886 – Ğabdulla Tuqay, Russian poet and publicist (d. 1913)
    • 1889 – Anita Loos, American author, playwright, and screenwriter (d. 1981)
    • 1889 – Ludwig Wittgenstein, Austrian-English philosopher and academic (d. 1951)
    • 1894 – Rudolf Hess, Egyptian-German politician (d. 1987)
    • 1896 – Ruut Tarmo, Estonian actor and director (d. 1967)
    • 1896 – Ernst Udet, German colonel and pilot (d. 1941)
    • 1897 – Eddie Eagan, American boxer and bobsledder (d. 1967)
    • 1897 – Douglas Sirk, German-American director and screenwriter (d. 1987)
    • 1898 – Vicente Aleixandre, Spanish poet and author, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1984)
    • 1898 – John Grierson, Scottish director and producer (d. 1972)
    • 1899 – Oscar Rabin, Latvian-English saxophonist and bandleader (d. 1958)
    • 1900 – Eva Aschoff, German bookbinder and calligrapher (d. 1969)
    • 1900 – Charles Francis Richter, American seismologist and physicist (d. 1985)
    • 1900 – Hack Wilson, American baseball player (d. 1948)
    • 1904 – Paul-Émile Léger, Canadian cardinal (d. 1991)
    • 1904 – Xenophon Zolotas, Greek economist and politician, 177th Prime Minister of Greece (d. 2004)
    • 1905 – Jean Vigo, French director and screenwriter (d. 1934)
    • 1907 – Ilias Tsirimokos, Greek politician, Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1968)
    • 1909 – Marianne Hoppe, German actress (d. 2002)
    • 1910 – Tomoyuki Tanaka, Japanese screenwriter and producer (d. 1997)
    • 1911 – Paul Verner, German soldier and politician (d. 1986)
    • 1912 – A. E. van Vogt, Canadian-American author (d. 2000)
    • 1914 – Bernard Malamud, Jewish American novelist and short story writer (d. 1986)
    • 1914 – James Rouse, American real estate developer (d. 1996)
    • 1916 – Eyvind Earle, American artist, author, and illustrator (d. 2000)
    • 1916 – Ken Wallis, English commander, engineer, and pilot (d. 2013)
    • 1916 – Morris West, Australian author and playwright (d. 1999)
    • 1917 – Sal Maglie, American baseball player and coach (d. 1992)
    • 1917 – I. M. Pei, Chinese-American architect, designed the National Gallery of Art and Bank of China Tower (d. 2019)
    • 1917 – Virgil Trucks, American baseball player and coach (d. 2013)
    • 1918 – Fanny Blankers-Koen, Dutch sprinter and long jumper (d. 2004)
    • 1921 – Jimmy Giuffre, American clarinet player, saxophonist, and composer (d. 2008)
    • 1922 – J. C. Holt, English historian and academic (d. 2014)
    • 1922 – Jeanne Sauvé, Canadian journalist and politician, 23rd Governor General of Canada (d. 1993)
    • 1922 – Margaret Scott, South African-Australian ballerina and choreographer (d. 2019)
    • 1924 – Browning Ross, American runner and soldier (d. 1998)
    • 1925 – Vladimir Boltyansky, Russian mathematician, educator and author (d. 2019)
    • 1925 – Gerard Cafesjian, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 2013)
    • 1925 – Michele Ferrero, Italian entrepreneur (d. 2015)
    • 1925 – Frank Hahn, British economist (d. 2013)
    • 1926 – Michael Mathias Prechtl, German soldier and illustrator (d. 2003)
    • 1927 – Jack Douglas, English actor (d. 2008)
    • 1927 – Harry Gallatin, American basketball player and coach (d. 2015)
    • 1927 – Granny Hamner, American baseball player (d. 1993)
    • 1929 – Richard Mitchell, American author and educator (d. 2002)
    • 1930 – Roger Moens, Belgian runner and sportscaster
    • 1931 – Paul Almond, Canadian director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2015)
    • 1931 – Bernie Brillstein, American talent agent and producer (d. 2008)
    • 1931 – John Cain Jr., Australian politician, 41st Premier of Victoria (d. 2019)
    • 1932 – Israr Ahmed, Indian-Pakistani theologian, philosopher, and scholar (d. 2010)
    • 1932 – Shirley Cawley, English long jumper
    • 1932 – Frank D’Rone, American singer and guitarist (d. 2013)
    • 1932 – Francis Lai, French accordion player and composer (d. 2018)
    • 1932 – Michael Smith, English-Canadian biochemist and geneticist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2000)
    • 1933 – Carol Burnett, American actress, singer, and producer
    • 1933 – Filiberto Ojeda Ríos, Puerto Rican-American general (d. 2005)
    • 1933 – Arno Allan Penzias, German-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1935 – Patricia Reilly Giff, American author and educator
    • 1937 – Jean-Pierre Beltoise, French race car driver and motorcycle racer (d. 2015)
    • 1938 – Duane Eddy, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
    • 1938 – Maurice Williams, American doo-wop/R&B singer-songwriter
    • 1940 – Molvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari, Indian cleric and politician (d. 2014)
    • 1940 – Giorgio Moroder, Italian singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1940 – Cliff Watson, English rugby league player (d. 2018)
    • 1941 – Claudine Auger, French model and actress (d. 2019)
    • 1942 – Svyatoslav Belza, Russian journalist, author, and critic (d. 2014)
    • 1942 – Sharon Carstairs, Canadian lawyer and politician, Leader of the Government in the Senate
    • 1942 – Michael Kergin, Canadian diplomat, Canadian Ambassador to the United States
    • 1942 – Bobby Rydell, American singer and actor
    • 1942 – Jadwiga Staniszkis, Polish sociologist, political scientist, and academic
    • 1943 – Gary Wright, American singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer
    • 1943 – Peter Zumthor, Swiss architect and academic, designed the Therme Vals
    • 1944 – Richard Bradshaw, English conductor (d. 2007)
    • 1945 – Howard Davies, English director and producer (d. 2016)
    • 1945 – Dick Johnson, Australian race car driver
    • 1945 – Sylvain Simard, Canadian academic and politician
    • 1946 – Ralph Coates, English international footballer (d. 2010)
    • 1946 – Marilyn Nelson, American poet and author
    • 1946 – Alberto Quintano, Chilean footballer
    • 1949 – Carlos Bianchi, Argentinian footballer and manager
    • 1949 – Jerry Blackwell, American wrestler (d. 1995)
    • 1951 – John Battle, English politician
    • 1954 – Tatyana Fomina, Estonian chess player
    • 1954 – Alan Hinkes, English mountaineer and explorer
    • 1955 – Kurt Bodewig, German politician
    • 1956 – Koo Stark, American actress and photographer
    • 1958 – John Crichton-Stuart, 7th Marquess of Bute, Scottish race car driver
    • 1958 – Giancarlo Esposito, American actor, director, and producer
    • 1958 – Georgios Kostikos, Greek footballer, coach, and manager
    • 1959 – John Corabi, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1960 – Steve Lombardozzi, American baseball player and coach
    • 1960 – Roger Taylor, English drummer
    • 1961 – Joan Chen, Chinese-American actress, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1961 – Chris Mars, American artist
    • 1962 – Colin Anderson, English footballer
    • 1962 – Debra Wilson, American actress and comedian
    • 1963 – Jet Li, Chinese-Singaporean martial artist, actor, and producer
    • 1963 – Colin Scotts, Australian-American football player
    • 1963 – Cornelia Ullrich, German hurdler
    • 1963 – Bill Wennington, Canadian basketball player
    • 1965 – Susannah Harker, English actress
    • 1965 – Kevin James, American actor and comedian
    • 1967 – Glenn Thomas Jacobs, American professional wrestler, actor, businessman and politician
    • 1967 – Marianne Jean-Baptiste, English actress and singer-songwriter
    • 1967 – Toomas Tõniste, Estonian sailor and politician
    • 1970 – Dean Austin, English footballer and manager
    • 1970 – Melania Trump, Slovene-American model; 47th First Lady of the United States
    • 1970 – Kristen R. Ghodsee, American ethnographer and academic
    • 1970 – Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress
    • 1971 – Jay DeMarcus, American bass player, songwriter, and producer
    • 1972 – Jason Bargwanna, Australian race car driver
    • 1972 – Kiko, Spanish footballer
    • 1972 – Natrone Means, American football player and coach
    • 1972 – Avi Nimni, Israeli footballer and manager
    • 1973 – Geoff Blum, American baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1973 – Jules Naudet, French-American director and producer
    • 1973 – Chris Perry, English footballer
    • 1973 – Óscar García Junyent, Spanish footballer and coach
    • 1975 – Joey Jordison, American musician, songwriter, record producer
    • 1975 – Rahul Verma, Indian social worker and activist
    • 1976 – Luigi Panarelli, Italian footballer
    • 1976 – Václav Varaďa, Czech ice hockey player
    • 1977 – Samantha Cristoforetti, Italian astronaut
    • 1977 – Kosuke Fukudome, Japanese baseball player
    • 1977 – Roxana Saberi, American journalist and author
    • 1977 – Tom Welling, American actor
    • 1978 – Joe Crede, American baseball player
    • 1978 – Stana Katic, Canadian actress
    • 1978 – Peter Madsen, Danish footballer
    • 1980 – Jordana Brewster, Panamanian-American actress
    • 1980 – Marlon King, English footballer
    • 1980 – Anna Mucha, Polish actress and journalist
    • 1980 – Channing Tatum, American actor and producer
    • 1981 – Caro Emerald, Dutch pop and jazz singer
    • 1981 – Ms. Dynamite, English rapper and producer
    • 1981 – Sandra Schmitt, German skier (d. 2000)
    • 1982 – Novlene Williams-Mills, Jamaican sprinter
    • 1983 – José María López, Argentinian race car driver
    • 1983 – Jessica Lynch, American soldier
    • 1984 – Emily Wickersham, American actress
    • 1985 – John Isner, American tennis player
    • 1985 – Andrea Koch Benvenuto, Chilean tennis player
    • 1986 – Lior Refaelov, Israeli footballer
    • 1986 – Sean Evans, American YouTuber and producer
    • 1986 – Yuliya Zaripova, Russian runner
    • 1987 – Jorge Andújar Moreno, Spanish footballer
    • 1988 – Ben Spina, Australian rugby league player
    • 1988 – Manuel Viniegra, Mexican footballer
    • 1988 – Gareth Evans, English footballer
    • 1989 – Melvin Ingram, American football player
    • 1990 – Mitch Rein, Australian rugby league player
    • 1990 – Nevin Spence, Northern Irish rugby player (d. 2012)
    • 1991 – Lazaros Fotias, Greek footballer
    • 1991 – Peter Handscomb, Australian cricketer
    • 1991 – Will Heard, British singer and songwriter
    • 1991 – Isaac Liu, New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1991 – Ignacio Lores Varela, Uruguayan footballer
    • 1991 – Srdjan Pejicic, Canadian/Bosnian basketball player
    • 1991 – Wojciech Pszczolarski, Polish bicycle racer
    • 1992 – Aaron Judge, American baseball player
    • 1994 – Daniil Kvyat, Russian race car driver

    Deaths on  April 26

    • 499 – Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei (b. 467)
    • 645 – Richarius, Frankish monk and saint (b. 560)
    • 680 – Muawiyah I, Umayyad caliph (b. 602)
    • 757 – Pope Stephen II (b. 715)
    • 893 – Chen Jingxuan, general of the Tang Dynasty
    • 962 – Adalbero I, bishop of Metz
    • 1192 – Emperor Go-Shirakawa of Japan (b. 1127)
    • 1366 – Simon Islip, Archbishop of Canterbury
    • 1392 – Jeong Mong-ju, Korean civil minister, diplomat and scholar (b. 1338)
    • 1444 – Robert Campin, Flemish painter (b. 1378)
    • 1478 – Giuliano de’ Medici, Italian ruler (b. 1453)
    • 1489 – Ashikaga Yoshihisa, Japanese shōgun (b. 1465)
    • 1558 – Jean Fernel, French physician (b. 1497)
    • 1686 – Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie, Swedish statesman and military man (b. 1622)
    • 1716 – John Somers, 1st Baron Somers, English jurist and politician, Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain (b. 1651)
    • 1784 – Nano Nagle, Irish nun and educator, founded the Presentation Sisters (b. 1718)
    • 1789 – Petr Ivanovich Panin, Russian general (b. 1721)
    • 1809 – Bernhard Schott, German music publisher (b. 1748)
    • 1865 – John Wilkes Booth, American actor, assassin of Abraham Lincoln (b. 1838)
    • 1881 – Ludwig Freiherr von und zu der Tann-Rathsamhausen, German general (b. 1815)
    • 1895 – Eric Stenbock, Estonian-English author and poet (b. 1860)
    • 1910 – Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Norwegian-French author, poet, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1832)
    • 1915 – John Bunny, American actor (b. 1863)
    • 1920 – Srinivasa Ramanujan, Indian mathematician and theorist (b. 1887)
    • 1932 – William Lockwood, English cricketer (b. 1868)
    • 1934 – Arturs Alberings, Latvian politician, former Prime Minister of Latvia (b. 1876)
    • 1940 – Carl Bosch, German chemist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1874)
    • 1944 – Violette Morris, French footballer, shot putter, and discus thrower (b. 1893)
    • 1945 – Sigmund Rascher, German physician (b. 1909)
    • 1945 – Pavlo Skoropadskyi, German-Ukrainian general and politician, Hetman of Ukraine (b. 1871)
    • 1946 – James Larkin White, American miner, explorer, and park ranger (b. 1882)
    • 1950 – George Murray Hulbert, American lawyer, judge, and politician (b. 1881)
    • 1951 – Arnold Sommerfeld, German physicist and academic (b. 1868)
    • 1956 – Edward Arnold, American actor (b. 1890)
    • 1957 – Gichin Funakoshi, Japanese martial artist, founded Shotokan (b. 1868)
    • 1964 – E. J. Pratt, Canadian poet and author (b. 1882)
    • 1968 – John Heartfield, German illustrator and photographer (b. 1891)
    • 1969 – Morihei Ueshiba, Japanese martial artist, founded aikido (b. 1883)
    • 1970 – Erik Bergman, Swedish minister and author (b. 1886)
    • 1970 – Gypsy Rose Lee, American actress, striptease dancer, and writer (b. 1911)
    • 1973 – Irene Ryan, American actress and philanthropist (b. 1902)
    • 1976 – Sidney Franklin, American bullfighter (b. 1903)
    • 1976 – Sid James, South African-English actor (b. 1913)
    • 1976 – Armstrong Sperry, American author and illustrator (b. 1897)
    • 1980 – Cicely Courtneidge, Australian-born British actress, comedian and singer (b. 1893)
    • 1981 – Jim Davis, American actor (b. 1909)
    • 1984 – Count Basie, American pianist, composer, and bandleader (b. 1904)
    • 1986 – Broderick Crawford, American actor (b. 1911)
    • 1986 – Bessie Love, American actress (b. 1898)
    • 1986 – Dechko Uzunov, Bulgarian painter (b. 1899)
    • 1987 – Shankar, Indian composer and conductor (b. 1922)
    • 1987 – John Silkin, English lawyer and politician, Shadow Leader of the House of Commons (b. 1923)
    • 1989 – Lucille Ball, American model, actress, comedian, and producer (b. 1911)
    • 1991 – Leo Arnaud, French-American composer and conductor (b. 1904)
    • 1991 – Carmine Coppola, American composer and conductor (b. 1910)
    • 1991 – A. B. Guthrie, Jr., American novelist and historian, (b. 1901)
    • 1991 – Richard Hatfield, Canadian lawyer and politician, 26th Premier of New Brunswick (b. 1931)
    • 1994 – Masutatsu Ōyama, Japanese martial artist, founded Kyokushin kaikan (b. 1923)
    • 1996 – Stirling Silliphant, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1918)
    • 1999 – Adrian Borland, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1957)
    • 1999 – Jill Dando, English journalist and television personality (b. 1961)
    • 2003 – Rosemary Brown, Jamaican-Canadian academic and politician (b. 1930)
    • 2003 – Yun Hyon-seok, South Korean poet and author (b. 1984)
    • 2003 – Edward Max Nicholson, Irish environmentalist, co-founded the World Wide Fund for Nature (b. 1904)
    • 2004 – Hubert Selby, Jr., American author, poet, and screenwriter (b. 1928)
    • 2005 – Mason Adams, American actor (b. 1919)
    • 2005 – Elisabeth Domitien, Prime Minister of the Central African Republic (b. 1925)
    • 2005 – Maria Schell, Austrian-Swiss actress (b. 1926)
    • 2005 – Augusto Roa Bastos, Paraguayan journalist, author, and academic (b. 1917)
    • 2007 – Jack Valenti, American businessman, created the MPAA film rating system (b. 1921)
    • 2009 – Hans Holzer, Austrian-American paranormal investigator and author (b. 1920)
    • 2010 – Mariam A. Aleem, Egyptian graphic designer and academic (b. 1930)
    • 2010 – Urs Felber, Swiss engineer and businessman (b. 1942)
    • 2011 – Phoebe Snow, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1950)
    • 2012 – Terence Spinks, English boxer and trainer (b. 1938)
    • 2013 – Jacqueline Brookes, American actress and educator (b. 1930)
    • 2013 – George Jones, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1931)
    • 2014 – Gerald Guralnik, American physicist and academic (b. 1936)
    • 2014 – Paul Robeson, Jr., American historian and author (b. 1927)
    • 2014 – DJ Rashad, American electronic musician, producer and DJ (b. 1979)
    • 2015 – Jayne Meadows, American actress (b. 1919)
    • 2015 – Marcel Pronovost, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1930)
    • 2016 – Harry Wu, Chinese human rights activist (b. 1937)
    • 2017 – Jonathan Demme, American filmmaker, producer and screenwriter (b. 1944)

    Holidays and observances on April 26

    • Chernobyl disaster related observances:
      • Day of Remembrance of the Chernobyl tragedy (Belarus)
      • Memorial Day of Radiation Accidents and Catastrophes (Russia)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Aldobrandesca (or Alda)
      • Franca Visalta
      • Lucidius of Verona
      • Our Lady of Good Counsel
      • Pope Anacletus and Marcellinus
      • Riquier
      • Paschasius Radbertus
      • Peter of Rates (or of Braga)
      • Robert Hunt (Episcopal Church (USA))
      • Stephen of Perm, see also Old Permic Alphabet Day
      • Trudpert
      • April 26 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Confederate Memorial Day (Florida, United States)
    • Union Day (Tanzania)
    • World Intellectual Property Day

  • April 18 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 796 – King Æthelred I of Northumbria is murdered in Corbridge by a group led by his ealdormen, Ealdred and Wada. The patrician Osbald is crowned, but abdicates within 27 days.
    • 1506 – The cornerstone of the current St. Peter’s Basilica is laid.
    • 1518 – Bona Sforza is crowned as queen consort of Poland.
    • 1521 – Trial of Martin Luther begins its second day during the assembly of the Diet of Worms. He refuses to recant his teachings despite the risk of excommunication.
    • 1689 – Bostonians rise up in rebellion against Sir Edmund Andros.
    • 1738 – Real Academia de la Historia (“Royal Academy of History”) is founded in Madrid.
    • 1775 – American Revolution: The British advancement by sea begins; Paul Revere and other riders warn the countryside of the troop movements.
    • 1783 – Three-Fifths Compromise: the first instance of black slaves in the United States of America being counted as three fifths of persons (for the purpose of taxation), in a resolution of the Congress of the Confederation. This was later adopted in the 1787 Constitution.
    • 1831 – The University of Alabama is founded in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
    • 1847 – American victory at the battle of Cerro Gordo opens the way for invasion of Mexico.
    • 1857 – “The Spirits Book” by Allan Kardec is published, marking the birth of Spiritualism in France.
    • 1864 – Battle of Dybbøl: A Prussian-Austrian army defeats Denmark and gains control of Schleswig. Denmark surrenders the province in the following peace settlement.
    • 1897 – The Greco-Turkish War is declared between Greece and the Ottoman Empire.
    • 1899 – The St. Andrew’s Ambulance Association is granted a royal charter by Queen Victoria.
    • 1902 – The 7.5 Mw  Guatemala earthquake shakes Guatemala with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe), killing between 800–2,000.
    • 1906 – An earthquake and fire destroy much of San Francisco, California.
    • 1909 – Joan of Arc is beatified in Rome.
    • 1912 – The Cunard liner RMS Carpathia brings 705 survivors from the RMS Titanic to New York City.
    • 1915 – French pilot Roland Garros is shot down and glides to a landing on the German side of the lines during World War I.
    • 1923 – Yankee Stadium: “The House that Ruth Built” opens.
    • 1925 – The International Amateur Radio Union is formed in Paris.
    • 1930 – The British Broadcasting Corporation announced that “there is no news” in their evening report.
    • 1939 – Robert Menzies, who became Australia’s longest-serving prime minister, is elected as leader of the United Australia Party after the death of Prime Minister Joseph Lyons.
    • 1942 – World War II: The Doolittle Raid on Japan: Tokyo, Yokohama, Kobe and Nagoya are bombed.
    • 1942 – Pierre Laval becomes Prime Minister of Vichy France.
    • 1943 – World War II: Operation Vengeance, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto is killed when his aircraft is shot down by U.S. fighters over Bougainville Island.
    • 1945 – Over 1,000 bombers attack the small island of Heligoland, Germany.
    • 1946 – The International Court of Justice holds its inaugural meeting in The Hague, Netherlands.
    • 1949 – The Republic of Ireland Act comes into effect.
    • 1949 – The keel for the aircraft carrier USS United States is laid down at Newport News Drydock and Shipbuilding. However, construction is canceled five days later, resulting in the Revolt of the Admirals.
    • 1954 – Gamal Abdel Nasser seizes power in Egypt.
    • 1955 – Twenty-nine nations meet at Bandung, Indonesia, for the first Asian-African Conference.
    • 1980 – The Republic of Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) comes into being, with Canaan Banana as the country’s first President. The Zimbabwean dollar replaces the Rhodesian dollar as the official currency.
    • 1983 – A suicide bomber in Lebanon destroys the United States embassy in Beirut, killing 63 people.
    • 1987 – The New York Islanders defeat the Washington Capitals 3–2 in Game 7 of their Patrick Division Semifinal series.
    • 1988 – The United States launches Operation Praying Mantis against Iranian naval forces in the largest naval battle since World War II.
    • 1996 – In Lebanon, at least 106 civilians are killed when the Israel Defense Forces shell the United Nations compound at Qana where more than 800 civilians had taken refuge.
    • 1997 – The Red River flood begins and soon overwhelms the city of Grand Forks, North Dakota. Fire breaks out and spreads in downtown Grand Forks, but high water levels hamper efforts to reach the fire, leading to the destruction of 11 buildings.
    • 1999 – Wayne Gretzky, the National Hockey League’s all-time points scorer, plays his final game at Madison Square Garden as a teammate of the New York Rangers in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Gretzky recorded his final career point, an assist, bringing his career point total to 2,857.
    • 2007 – A series of bombings, two of them being suicides, occur in Baghdad, killing 198 and injuring 251.
    • 2013 – A suicide bombing in a Baghdad cafe kills 27 people and injures another 65.
    • 2018 – King Mswati III of Swaziland announces that his country’s name will change to Eswatini.
    • 2019 – A redacted version of the Mueller Report is released to the United States Congress and the public.
    • 2020 – Coronavirus Pandemic: Europe surpasses 100,000 COVID-19 deaths.

    Births on April 18

    • 359 – Gratian, Roman emperor (d. 383)
    • 588 – K’an II, Mayan ruler (d. 658)
    • 812 – Al-Wathiq, Abbasid caliph (d. 847)
    • 1446 – Ippolita Maria Sforza, Italian noble (d. 1484)
    • 1480 – Lucrezia Borgia, daughter of Pope Alexander VI
    • 1503 – Henry II of Navarre, (d. 1555)
    • 1534 – William Harrison, English clergyman (d. 1593)
    • 1580 – Thomas Middleton, English Jacobean playwright and poet (d. 1627)
    • 1590 – Ahmed I, Ottoman Emperor (d. 1617)
    • 1605 – Giacomo Carissimi, Italian priest and composer (d. 1674)
    • 1666 – Jean-Féry Rebel, French violinist and composer (d. 1747)
    • 1740 – Sir Francis Baring, 1st Baronet, English banker and politician (d. 1810)
    • 1759 – Jacques Widerkehr, French cellist and composer (d. 1823)
    • 1771 – Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg (d. 1820)
    • 1772 – David Ricardo, British economist and politician (d. 1823)
    • 1794 – William Debenham, English founder of Debenhams (d. 1863)
    • 1797 – Adolphe Thiers, French historian and politician, 2nd President of France (d. 1877)
    • 1813 – James McCune Smith, African-American physician, apothecary, abolitionist, and author (d. 1865)
    • 1819 – Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, Cuban lawyer and activist (d. 1874)
    • 1819 – Franz von Suppé, Austrian composer and conductor (d. 1895)
    • 1838 – Paul-Émile Lecoq de Boisbaudran, French chemist and academic (d. 1912)
    • 1854 – Ludwig Levy, German architect (d. 1907)
    • 1857 – Clarence Darrow, American lawyer (d. 1938)
    • 1858 – Dhondo Keshav Karve, Indian educator and activist, Bharat Ratna Awardee (d. 1962)
    • 1858 – Alexander Shirvanzade, Armenian playwright and author (d. 1935)
    • 1863 – Count Leopold Berchtold, Austrian-Hungarian politician and diplomat, Joint Foreign Minister of Austria-Hungary (d. 1942)
    • 1863 – Linton Hope, English sailor and architect (d. 1920)
    • 1864 – Richard Harding Davis, American journalist and author (d. 1916)
    • 1874 – Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić, Croatian author and poet (d. 1938)
    • 1877 – Vicente Sotto, Filipino lawyer and politician (d. 1950)
    • 1879 – Korneli Kekelidze, Georgian philologist and scholar (d. 1962)
    • 1880 – Sam Crawford, American baseball player, coach, and umpire (d. 1968)
    • 1882 – Isaac Babalola Akinyele, Nigerian ruler (d. 1964)
    • 1882 – Leopold Stokowski, English conductor (d. 1977)
    • 1884 – Jaan Anvelt, Estonian educator and politician (d. 1937)
    • 1888 – Duffy Lewis, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 1979)
    • 1889 – Jessie Street, Australian activist (d. 1970)
    • 1892 – Eugene Houdry, French-American mechanical engineer and inventor (d. 1962)
    • 1893 – Violette Morris, French shot putter and discus thrower (d. 1944)
    • 1897 – Ardito Desio, Italian geologist and cartographer (d. 2001)
    • 1897 – Per-Erik Hedlund, Swedish skier (d. 1975)
    • 1898 – Patrick Hennessy, Irish soldier and businessman (d. 1981)
    • 1900 – Bertha Isaacs, Bahamian teacher, tennis player, politician and women’s rights activist (d. 1997)
    • 1901 – Al Lewis, American songwriter (d. 1967)
    • 1901 – László Németh, Hungarian dentist, author, and playwright (d. 1975)
    • 1902 – Waldemar Hammenhög, Swedish author (d. 1972)
    • 1902 – Giuseppe Pella, Italian politician, 32nd Prime Minister of Italy (d. 1981)
    • 1904 – Pigmeat Markham, African-American comedian, singer, and dancer (d. 1981)
    • 1905 – Sydney Halter, Canadian lawyer and businessman (d. 1990)
    • 1905 – George H. Hitchings, American physician and pharmacologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1998)
    • 1907 – Miklós Rózsa, Hungarian-American composer and conductor (d. 1995)
    • 1911 – Ilario Bandini, Italian businessman and racing driver (d. 1992)
    • 1911 – Maurice Goldhaber, Ukrainian Jewish-American physicist and academic (d. 2011)
    • 1914 – Claire Martin, Canadian author (d. 2014)
    • 1915 – Joy Davidman, Polish-Ukrainian Jewish American poet and author (d. 1960)
    • 1916 – Carl Burgos, American illustrator (d. 1984)
    • 1916 – Doug Peden, Canadian basketball player (d. 2005)
    • 1917 – Ty LaForest, Canadian-American baseball player (d. 1947)
    • 1918 – Gabriel Axel, Danish-French actor, director, and producer (d. 2014)
    • 1918 – André Bazin, French critic and theorist (d. 1958)
    • 1918 – Shinobu Hashimoto, Japanese director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2018)
    • 1918 – Clifton Hillegass, American publisher, founded CliffsNotes (d. 2001)
    • 1918 – Tony Mottola, American guitarist and composer (d. 2004)
    • 1919 – Virginia O’Brien, American actress and singer (d. 2001)
    • 1919 – Esther Afua Ocloo, Ghanaian entrepreneur and pioneer of microlending (d. 2002)
    • 1920 – John F. Wiley, American football player and coach (d. 2013)
    • 1921 – Jean Richard, French actor and singer (d. 2001)
    • 1922 – Barbara Hale, American actress (d. 2017)
    • 1922 – Lord Kitchener, Trinidadian singer (d. 2000)
    • 1923 – Alfred Bieler, Swiss ice hockey player (d. 2013)
    • 1923 – Beryl Platt, Baroness Platt of Writtle, English engineer and politician (d. 2015)
    • 1924 – Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2005)
    • 1924 – Henry Hyde, American commander, lawyer, and politician (d. 2007)
    • 1924 – Roy Mason, English miner and politician, Secretary of State for Defence (d. 2015)
    • 1925 – Marcus Schmuck, Austrian mountaineer and author (d. 2005)
    • 1926 – Doug Insole, English cricketer (d. 2017)
    • 1927 – Samuel P. Huntington, American political scientist, author, and academic (d. 2008)
    • 1927 – Tadeusz Mazowiecki, Polish journalist and politician, Prime Minister of Poland (d. 2013)
    • 1927 – Charles Pasqua, French businessman and politician, French Minister of the Interior (d. 2015)
    • 1928 – Karl Josef Becker, German cardinal and theologian (d. 2015)
    • 1928 – Otto Piene, German sculptor and academic (d. 2014)
    • 1929 – Peter Hordern, English soldier and politician
    • 1930 – Clive Revill, New Zealand actor and singer
    • 1931 – Bill Miles, American director and producer (d. 2013)
    • 1934 – James Drury, American actor (d. 2020)
    • 1934 – George Shirley, African-American tenor and educator
    • 1935 – Brian Clay, Australian rugby league player (d. 1987)
    • 1935 – Costas Ferris, Egyptian-Greek actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1936 – Roger Graef, American-English criminologist, director, and producer
    • 1936 – Vladimir Hütt, Estonian physicist and philosopher (d. 1997)
    • 1936 – “TV” Tommy Ivo, American actor and drag racer
    • 1937 – Jan Kaplický, Czech architect, designed the Selfridges Building (d. 2009)
    • 1937 – Tatyana Shchelkanova, Russian long jumper and heptathlete (d. 2011)
    • 1937 – Teddy Taylor, Scottish journalist and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland
    • 1939 – Glen Hardin, American pianist and arranger
    • 1939 – Thomas J. Moyer, American lawyer and judge (d. 2010)
    • 1940 – Joseph L. Goldstein, American biochemist and geneticist, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1940 – Mike Vickers, English guitarist, saxophonist, and songwriter
    • 1941 – Michael D. Higgins, Irish sociologist and politician, 9th President of Ireland
    • 1942 – Michael Beloff, English lawyer and academic
    • 1942 – Steve Blass, American baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1942 – Robert Christgau, American journalist and critic
    • 1942 – Jochen Rindt, German-Austrian racing driver (d. 1970)
    • 1944 – Kathy Acker, American author and poet (d. 1997)
    • 1944 – Frances D’Souza, Baroness D’Souza, English academic and politician
    • 1944 – Robert Hanssen, American FBI agent and double agent
    • 1944 – Philip Jackson, Scottish sculptor and photographer
    • 1945 – Bernard Arcand, Canadian anthropologist and author (d. 2009)
    • 1945 – Richard Bausch, American novelist and short story writer
    • 1945 – Robert Bausch, American novelist and short story writer
    • 1946 – Hayley Mills, English actress
    • 1946 – Tommy Shannon, American bass guitarist
    • 1947 – Moses Blah, Liberian general and politician, 23rd President of Liberia (d. 2013)
    • 1947 – Dorothy Lyman, American actress
    • 1947 – Cindy Pickett, American actress
    • 1947 – Jerzy Stuhr, Polish actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1947 – James Woods, American actor and producer
    • 1948 – Régis Wargnier, French director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1949 – Geoff Bodine, American race car driver
    • 1950 – Paul Callery, Australian footballer
    • 1950 – Tina Chow, American model and jewelry designer (d. 1992)
    • 1950 – Kenny Ortega, American director, producer, and choreographer
    • 1950 – Grigory Sokolov, Russian pianist and composer
    • 1951 – Ricardo Fortaleza, Australian-Filipino boxer and coach
    • 1951 – Pierre Pettigrew, Canadian businessman and politician, 5th Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs
    • 1953 – Rick Moranis, Canadian-American actor, comedian, singer and screenwriter
    • 1954 – Robert Greenberg, American pianist and composer
    • 1956 – Chris Jones, English footballer
    • 1956 – Eric Roberts, American actor
    • 1957 – Ian Campbell, Australian jumper
    • 1958 – Gabi Delgado-López, Spanish-German singer, co-founder of D.A.F.
    • 1958 – Malcolm Marshall, Barbadian cricketer and coach (d. 1999)
    • 1959 – Susan Faludi, American journalist and author
    • 1959 – Frank Mulholland, Lord Mulholland, Scottish judge, former Solicitor General for Scotland and Lord Advocate
    • 1960 – John Chiedozie, Nigerian international footballer
    • 1960 – Yelena Zhupiyeva-Vyazova, Ukrainian runner
    • 1961 – Kelly Hansen, American singer-songwriter
    • 1961 – Jane Leeves, English actress and dancer
    • 1961 – John Podhoretz, American journalist and author
    • 1962 – Jeff Dunham, American comedian and ventriloquist
    • 1962 – Nick Farr-Jones, Australian rugby player and sportscaster
    • 1963 – Eric McCormack, Canadian-American actor and producer
    • 1963 – Conan O’Brien, American actor, producer, screenwriter, and talk show host
    • 1963 – Phil Simmons, Trinidadian cricketer
    • 1963 – Peter Van Loan, Canadian lawyer and politician, 16th Canadian Minister of International Trade
    • 1964 – Niall Ferguson, Scottish historian and academic
    • 1964 – Rithy Panh, Cambodian director and screenwriter
    • 1966 – Valeri Kamensky, Russian ice hockey player
    • 1967 – Maria Bello, American actress and writer
    • 1969 – Keith DeCandido, American author
    • 1969 – Stefan Schwarz, Swedish footballer and manager
    • 1969 – Robert Změlík, Czech decathlete
    • 1970 – Rico Brogna, American baseball player and coach
    • 1970 – Greg Eklund, American drummer and guitarist
    • 1970 – Saad Hariri, Saudi Arabian-Lebanese businessman and politician, 33rd Prime Minister of Lebanon
    • 1970 – François Leroux, Canadian ice hockey player and radio host
    • 1970 – Tatiana Stefanidou, Greek journalist and talk show host
    • 1971 – Oleg Petrov, Russian ice hockey player
    • 1971 – Graham Rowntree, English rugby player
    • 1971 – David Tennant, Scottish actor
    • 1972 – Rosa Clemente, American journalist and activist
    • 1972 – Eli Roth, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1972 – Michael Rutter, English motorcycle racer
    • 1973 – Derrick Brooks, American football player
    • 1973 – Brady Clark, American baseball player
    • 1973 – Haile Gebrselassie, Ethiopian runner
    • 1974 – Millie Corretjer, Puerto Rican-American actress and singer
    • 1974 – Mark Tremonti, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1976 – Gavin Creel, American actor and singer
    • 1976 – Melissa Joan Hart, American actress, director, and producer
    • 1976 – Andrew Ilie, Romanian-Australian tennis player
    • 1976 – Justin Ross, American politician
    • 1976 – Staffan Strand, Swedish high jumper
    • 1977 – Dan LaCouture, American ice hockey player
    • 1977 – Cindy Taylor, Paraguayan model and actress
    • 1979 – Michael Bradley, American basketball player and coach
    • 1979 – Ethan Cohn, American actor
    • 1979 – Matt Cooper, Australian rugby league player
    • 1979 – Anthony Davidson, English racing driver
    • 1979 – Kourtney Kardashian, American model and businesswoman
    • 1980 – Rabiu Afolabi, Nigerian footballer and manager
    • 1980 – Justin Levens, American mixed martial artist (d. 2008)
    • 1981 – Brian Buscher, American baseball player
    • 1981 – Milan Jovanović, Serbian footballer
    • 1981 – Aldo Ramírez, Colombian footballer
    • 1981 – Audrey Tang, Taiwanese computer scientist and academic
    • 1982 – Ibrahim al-Asiri, Saudi Arabian terrorist
    • 1982 – Greg Camarillo, American football player
    • 1982 – Ricardo Colclough, Canadian-American football player
    • 1982 – Simone Farina, Italian footballer
    • 1982 – Scott Hartnell, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1982 – Blair Late, American singer-songwriter and journalist
    • 1982 – Darren Sutherland, Irish boxer (d. 2009)
    • 1982 – Marie-Élaine Thibert, Canadian singer
    • 1983 – Miguel Cabrera, Venezuelan baseball player
    • 1983 – Reeve Carney, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
    • 1984 – Red Bryant, American football player
    • 1984 – America Ferrera, American actress and producer
    • 1985 – Łukasz Fabiański, Polish footballer
    • 1986 – Billy Butler, American baseball player
    • 1986 – Maurice Edu, American soccer player
    • 1986 – Taylor Griffin, American basketball player
    • 1986 – Conrad Logan, Irish footballer
    • 1986 – Efraín Velarde, Mexican footballer
    • 1987 – Brett Deledio, Australian footballer
    • 1987 – Danny Guthrie, English footballer
    • 1987 – Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, English model and actress
    • 1987 – Samantha Jade, Australian singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1987 – Ivan Tričkovski, Macedonian footballer
    • 1988 – Andre Frolov, Estonian footballer
    • 1988 – Alexander Hauck, South African-German rugby player
    • 1989 – Jessica Jung, Korean American singer, songwriter, actress, and fashion designer
    • 1990 – Henderson Álvarez, Venezuelan baseball player
    • 1990 – Anna van der Breggen, Dutch cyclist
    • 1990 – Jake Howells, English footballer
    • 1990 – Wojciech Szczęsny, Polish footballer
    • 1990 – Junior Torunarigha, Nigerian footballer
    • 1993 – Matt Salisbury, English cricketer
    • 1993 – Nathan Sykes, English singer-songwriter
    • 1995 – Divock Origi, Belgian footballer
    • 1996 – Mariah Bell, American figure skater
    • 1996 – Ioana Ducu, Romanian tennis player
    • 1997 – Matthias Blübaum, German chess grandmaster
    • 1997 – Donny van de Beek, Dutch footballer

    Deaths on April 18

    • 727 – Agallianos Kontoskeles, Byzantine commander and rebel leader
    • 850 – Perfectus, Spanish monk and martyr
    • 909 – Dionysius II, Syriac Orthodox patriarch of Antioch
    • 943 – Fujiwara no Atsutada, Japanese nobleman and poet (b. 906)
    • 963 – Stephen Lekapenos, co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire
    • 1161 – Theobald of Bec, French-English archbishop (b. 1090)
    • 1176 – Galdino della Sala, Italian archdeacon and saint
    • 1552 – John Leland, English poet and historian (b. 1502)
    • 1555 – Polydore Vergil, English historian (b. 1470)
    • 1556 – Luigi Alamanni, Italian poet and politician (b. 1495)
    • 1567 – Wilhelm von Grumbach, German adventurer (b. 1503)
    • 1587 – John Foxe, English historian and author (b. 1516)
    • 1636 – Julius Caesar, English judge and politician (b. 1557)
    • 1650 – Simonds d’Ewes, English lawyer and politician (b. 1602)
    • 1674 – John Graunt, English demographer and statistician (b. 1620)
    • 1689 – George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreys, Welsh judge and politician, Lord Chancellor of Great Britain (b. 1648)
    • 1732 – Louis Feuillée, French astronomer, geographer, and botanist (b. 1660)
    • 1742 – Arvid Horn, Swedish general and politician (b. 1664)
    • 1763 – Marie-Josephte Corriveau, Canadian murderer (b. 1733)
    • 1794 – Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden, English lawyer, judge, and politician, Lord Chancellor of Great Britain (b. 1714)
    • 1796 – Johan Wilcke, Swedish physicist and academic (b. 1732)
    • 1802 – Erasmus Darwin, English physician and botanist (b. 1731)
    • 1832 – Jeanne-Elisabeth Chaudet, French painter (b. 1761)
    • 1859 – Tatya Tope, Indian general (b. 1814)
    • 1864 – Juris Alunāns, Latvian philologist and linguist (b. 1832)
    • 1873 – Justus von Liebig, German chemist and academic (b. 1803)
    • 1898 – Gustave Moreau, French painter and academic (b. 1826)
    • 1906 – Luis Martín, Spanish religious leader, 24th Superior-General of the Society of Jesus (b. 1846)
    • 1912 – Martha Ripley, American physician (b. 1843)
    • 1917 – Vladimir Serbsky, Russian psychiatrist and academic (b. 1858)
    • 1923 – Savina Petrilli, Italian religious leader (b. 1851)
    • 1936 – Milton Brown, American singer and bandleader (b. 1903)
    • 1936 – Ottorino Respighi, Italian composer and conductor (b. 1879)
    • 1938 – George Bryant, American archer (b. 1878)
    • 1942 – Aleksander Mitt, Estonian speed skater (b. 1903)
    • 1942 – Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, American heiress, sculptor and art collector, founded the Whitney Museum of American Art (b. 1875)
    • 1943 – Isoroku Yamamoto, Japanese admiral (b. 1884)
    • 1945 – John Ambrose Fleming, English physicist and engineer, invented the vacuum tube (b. 1849)
    • 1945 – Ernie Pyle, American journalist and soldier (b. 1900)
    • 1947 – Jozef Tiso, Slovak priest and politician, President of Slovakia (b. 1887)
    • 1951 – Óscar Carmona, Portuguese field marshal and politician, 11th President of Portugal (b. 1869)
    • 1955 – Albert Einstein, German-American physicist, engineer, and academic (b. 1879)
    • 1958 – Maurice Gamelin, Belgian-French general (b. 1872)
    • 1959 – Irving Cummings, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1888)
    • 1959 – Percy Smith, English footballer and manager (b. 1880)
    • 1963 – Meyer Jacobstein, American academic and politician (b. 1880)
    • 1964 – Ben Hecht, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1894)
    • 1965 – Guillermo González Camarena, Mexican engineer (b. 1917)
    • 1967 – Karl Miller, German footballer (b. 1913)
    • 1974 – Marcel Pagnol, French author, playwright, and director (b. 1895)
    • 1986 – Marcel Dassault, French businessman, founded Dassault Aviation (b. 1892)
    • 1988 – Pierre Desproges, French journalist and actor (b. 1939)
    • 1988 – Oktay Rıfat Horozcu, Turkish poet and playwright (b. 1914)
    • 1995 – Arturo Frondizi, Argentinian lawyer and politician, 32nd President of Argentina (b. 1908)
    • 1996 – Brook Berringer, American football player (b. 1973)
    • 1996 – Bernard Edwards, American bass player and producer (b. 1952)
    • 1997 – Edward Barker, English cartoonist (b. 1950)
    • 1998 – Terry Sanford, American lieutenant and politician, 65th Governor of North Carolina (b. 1917)
    • 2002 – Thor Heyerdahl, Norwegian ethnographer and explorer (b. 1914)
    • 2002 – Wahoo McDaniel, American football player and wrestler (b. 1938)
    • 2003 – Edgar F. Codd, English-American soldier, pilot, and computer scientist (b. 1923)
    • 2004 – Kamisese Mara, Fijian politician, 2nd President of Fiji (b. 1920)
    • 2005 – Sam Mills, American football player and coach (b. 1959)
    • 2006 – Mercedes Palomino, Spanish-born Quebec actor and theatre director (b. 1913)
    • 2007 – Iccho Itoh, Japanese politician (b. 1945)
    • 2008 – Germaine Tillion, French ethnologist and anthropologist (b. 1907)
    • 2012 – Dick Clark, American television host and producer, founded Dick Clark Productions (b. 1929)
    • 2012 – René Lépine, Canadian businessman and philanthropist (b. 1929)
    • 2012 – K. D. Wentworth, American author (b. 1951)
    • 2013 – Cordell Mosson, American bass player (b. 1952)
    • 2013 – Steuart Pringle, English general (b. 1928)
    • 2013 – Goran Švob, Croatian philosopher and author (b. 1947)
    • 2013 – Anne Williams, English activist (b. 1951)
    • 2014 – Guru Dhanapal, Indian director and producer (b. 1959)
    • 2014 – Sanford Jay Frank, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1954)
    • 2014 – Eduard Kosolapov, Russian footballer (b. 1976)
    • 2014 – David McClarty, Northern Irish politician (b. 1951)
    • 2014 – Brian Priestman, English conductor and academic (b. 1927)
    • 2014 – Dylan Tombides, Australian footballer (b. 1994)
    • 2015 – Roger Lobo, Macanese-Hong Kong businessman and politician (b. 1923)
    • 2015 – Erwin Waldner, German footballer (b. 1933)
    • 2016 – Aleah Stanbridge, Swedish singer (b. 1977)
    • 2017 – Vic Albury, Major League pitcher (b. 1947)
    • 2018 – Bruno Sammartino, Italian professional wrestler (b. 1935)
    • 2018 – Dale Winton, British television presenter (b. 1955)
    • 2019 – Lorraine Warren, American paranormal investigator. (b. 1927)

    Holidays and observances on  April 18

    • Christian feast day:
      • Apollonius the Apologist
      • Corebus
      • Cyril VI of Constantinople (Eastern Orthodox Church)
      • Eleutherius and Antia
      • Galdino della Sala
      • Molaise of Leighlin
      • Perfectus
      • Plato of Sakkoudion
      • April 18 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Army Day (Iran)
    • Coma Patients’ Day (Poland)
    • Friend’s Day (Brazil)
    • Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Zimbabwe from the United Kingdom in 1980.
    • International Day For Monuments and Sites
    • Invention Day (Japan)
    • Victory over the Teutonic Knights in the Battle of the Ice (Russia)

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

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

    Births on April 17

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

    Deaths on April 17

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

    Holidays and observances on April 17

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

  • April 13 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 1111 – Henry V is crowned Holy Roman Emperor.
    • 1204 – Constantinople falls to the Crusaders of the Fourth Crusade, temporarily ending the Byzantine Empire.
    • 1612 – Miyamoto Musashi defeats Sasaki Kojirō at Funajima island.
    • 1613 – Samuel Argall, having captured Native American princess Pocahontas in Passapatanzy, Virginia, sets off with her to Jamestown with the intention of exchanging her for English prisoners held by her father.
    • 1742 – George Frideric Handel’s oratorio Messiah makes its world-premiere in Dublin, Ireland.
    • 1777 – American Revolutionary War: American forces are ambushed and defeated in the Battle of Bound Brook, New Jersey.
    • 1829 – The Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829 gives Roman Catholics in the United Kingdom the right to vote and to sit in Parliament.
    • 1849 – Lajos Kossuth presents the Hungarian Declaration of Independence in a closed session of the National Assembly.
    • 1861 – American Civil War: Fort Sumter surrenders to Confederate forces.
    • 1865 – American Civil War: Raleigh, North Carolina is occupied by Union Forces.
    • 1870 – The New York City Metropolitan Museum of Art is founded.
    • 1873 – The Colfax massacre, in which more than 60 black men are murdered, takes place.
    • 1909 – The military of the Ottoman Empire reverses the Ottoman countercoup of 1909 to force the overthrow of Sultan Abdul Hamid II.
    • 1919 – Jallianwala Bagh massacre: British Indian Army troops lead by Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer killed approx 379-1000 unarmed demonstrators including men and women in Amritsar, India; and approximately 1,500 injured.
    • 1941 – A pact of neutrality between the USSR and Japan is signed.
    • 1943 – World War II: The discovery of mass graves of Polish prisoners of war killed by Soviet forces in the Katyń Forest Massacre is announced, causing a diplomatic rift between the Polish government-in-exile in London and the Soviet Union, which denies responsibility.
    • 1943 – The Jefferson Memorial is dedicated in Washington, D.C., on the 200th anniversary of President Thomas Jefferson’s birth.
    • 1944 – Relations between New Zealand and the Soviet Union are established.
    • 1945 – World War II: German troops kill more than 1,000 political and military prisoners in Gardelegen, Germany.
    • 1945 – World War II: Soviet and Bulgarian forces capture Vienna.
    • 1948 – In an ambush, 78 Jewish doctors, nurses and medical students from Hadassah Hospital, and a British soldier, are massacred by Arabs in Sheikh Jarrah. This event came to be known as the Hadassah medical convoy massacre.
    • 1953 – CIA director Allen Dulles launches the mind-control program Project MKUltra.
    • 1958 – American pianist Van Cliburn is awarded first prize at the inaugural International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow.
    • 1960 – The United States launches Transit 1-B, the world’s first satellite navigation system.
    • 1964 – At the Academy Awards, Sidney Poitier becomes the first African-American male to win the Best Actor award for the 1963 film Lilies of the Field.
    • 1970 – An oxygen tank aboard the Apollo 13 Service Module explodes, putting the crew in great danger and causing major damage to the Apollo command and service module (codenamed “Odyssey“) while en route to the Moon.
    • 1972 – The Universal Postal Union decides to recognize the People’s Republic of China as the only legitimate Chinese representative, effectively expelling the Republic of China administering Taiwan.
    • 1972 – Vietnam War: The Battle of An Lộc begins.
    • 1975 – An attack by the Phalangist resistance kills 26 militia members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, marking the start of the 15-year Lebanese Civil War.
    • 1976 – The United States Treasury Department reintroduces the two-dollar bill as a Federal Reserve Note on Thomas Jefferson’s 233rd birthday as part of the United States Bicentennial celebration.
    • 1976 – Forty workers die in an explosion at the Lapua ammunition factory, the deadliest accidental disaster in modern history in Finland.
    • 1992 – Basements throughout the Chicago Loop are flooded, forcing the Chicago Board of Trade Building and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange to close.
    • 1997 – Tiger Woods becomes the youngest golfer to win the Masters Tournament.
    • 2003 – A bus near the Vale of Tempe, Greece was involved in a major vehicle accident with a truck and multiple cars, leaving 21 students in the tenth grade of Makrochori, Imathia High School dead and nine injured during their return to their homes from a trip to Athens.
    • 2017 – The US drops the largest ever non-nuclear weapon on Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan.

    Births on April 13

    • 1229 – Louis II, Duke of Bavaria (d. 1294)
    • 1350 – Margaret III, Countess of Flanders (d. 1405)
    • 1506 – Peter Faber, French priest and theologian, co-founded the Society of Jesus (d. 1546)
    • 1519 – Catherine de’ Medici, Italian-French wife of Henry II of France (d. 1589)
    • 1570 – Guy Fawkes, English soldier, planned the Gunpowder Plot (probable; d. 1606)
    • 1573 – Christina of Holstein-Gottorp (d. 1625)
    • 1593 – Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford, English soldier and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (d. 1641)
    • 1618 – Roger de Rabutin, Comte de Bussy, French author (d. 1693)
    • 1636 – Hendrik van Rheede, Dutch botanist (d. 1691)
    • 1648 – Jeanne Marie Bouvier de la Motte Guyon, French mystic (d. 1717)
    • 1713 – Pierre Jélyotte, French tenor (d. 1797)
    • 1729 – Thomas Percy, Irish bishop and poet (d. 1811)
    • 1732 – Frederick North, Lord North, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1792)
    • 1735 – Isaac Low, American merchant and politician, founded the New York Chamber of Commerce (d. 1791)
    • 1743 – Thomas Jefferson, American lawyer and politician, 3rd President of the United States (d. 1826)
    • 1747 – Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans (d. 1793)
    • 1764 – Laurent de Gouvion Saint-Cyr, French general and politician, French Minister of War (d. 1830)
    • 1769 – Thomas Lawrence, English painter and educator (d. 1830)
    • 1771 – Richard Trevithick, Cornish-English engineer and explorer (d. 1833)
    • 1780 – Alexander Mitchell, Irish engineer, invented the Screw-pile lighthouse (d. 1868)
    • 1784 – Friedrich Graf von Wrangel, Prussian field marshal (d. 1877)
    • 1787 – John Robertson, American lawyer and politician (d. 1873)
    • 1794 – Jean Pierre Flourens, French physiologist and academic (d. 1867)
    • 1802 – Leopold Fitzinger, Austrian zoologist and herpetologist (d. 1884)
    • 1808 – Antonio Meucci, Italian-American engineer (d. 1889)
    • 1810 – Félicien David, French composer (d. 1876)
    • 1824 – William Alexander, Irish archbishop, poet, and theologian (d. 1911)
    • 1825 – Thomas D’Arcy McGee, Irish-Canadian journalist and politician (d. 1868)
    • 1828 – Josephine Butler, English feminist and social reformer (d. 1906)
    • 1828 – Joseph Lightfoot, English bishop and theologian (d. 1889)
    • 1832 – Juan Montalvo, Ecuadorian author and diplomat (d. 1889)
    • 1841 – Louis-Ernest Barrias, French sculptor and academic (d. 1905)
    • 1850 – Arthur Matthew Weld Downing, Irish astronomer (d. 1917)
    • 1851 – Robert Abbe, American surgeon and radiologist (d. 1928)
    • 1851 – William Quan Judge, Irish occultist and theosophist (d. 1896)
    • 1852 – Frank Winfield Woolworth, American businessman, founded the F. W. Woolworth Company (d. 1919)
    • 1854 – Lucy Craft Laney, Founder of the Haines Normal and Industrial School, Augusta, Georgia (d. 1933)
    • 1860 – James Ensor, English-Belgian painter (d. 1949)
    • 1866 – Butch Cassidy, American criminal (d. 1908)
    • 1872 – John Cameron, Scottish international footballer and manager (d. 1935)
    • 1872 – Alexander Roda Roda, Austrian-Croatian journalist and author (d. 1945)
    • 1873 – John W. Davis, American lawyer and politician, 14th United States Solicitor General (d. 1955)
    • 1875 – Ray Lyman Wilbur, American physician, academic, and politician, 31st United States Secretary of the Interior (d. 1949)
    • 1879 – Edward Bruce, American lawyer and painter (d. 1943)
    • 1879 – Oswald Bruce Cooper, American type designer, lettering artist, graphic designer, and educator (d. 1940)
    • 1880 – Charles Christie, Canadian-American businessman, co-founded the Christie Film Company (d. 1955)
    • 1885 – Vean Gregg, American baseball player (d. 1964)
    • 1885 – Juhan Kukk, Estonian politician, Head of State of Estonia (d. 1942)
    • 1885 – György Lukács, Hungarian philosopher and critic (d. 1971)
    • 1885 – Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy, Dutch politician (d. 1961)
    • 1887 – Gordon S. Fahrni, Canadian physician and golfer (d. 1995)
    • 1889 – Herbert Yardley, American cryptologist and author (d. 1958)
    • 1890 – Frank Murphy, American jurist and politician, 56th United States Attorney General (d. 1949)
    • 1890 – Dadasaheb Torne, Indian director and producer (d. 1960)
    • 1891 – Maurice Buckley, Australian sergeant, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 1921)
    • 1891 – Nella Larsen, Danish/African-American nurse, librarian, and author (d. 1964)
    • 1891 – Robert Scholl, German accountant and politician (d. 1973)
    • 1892 – Sir Arthur Harris, 1st Baronet, English air marshal (d. 1984)
    • 1892 – Robert Watson-Watt, Scottish engineer, invented Radar (d. 1973)
    • 1894 – Arthur Fadden, Australian accountant and politician, 13th Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1973)
    • 1894 – Joie Ray, American runner (d. 1978)
    • 1896 – Fred Barnett, English footballer (d. 1982)
    • 1897 – Werner Voss, German lieutenant and pilot (d. 1917)
    • 1899 – Alfred Mosher Butts, American architect and game designer, created Scrabble (d. 1993)
    • 1899 – Harold Osborn, American high jumper and decathlete (d. 1975)
    • 1900 – Sorcha Boru, American potter and ceramic sculptor (d. 2006)
    • 1900 – Pierre Molinier, French painter and photographer (d. 1976)
    • 1901 – Jacques Lacan, French psychiatrist and psychoanalyst (d. 1981)
    • 1901 – Alan Watt, Australian public servant and diplomat, Australian Ambassador to Japan (d. 1988)
    • 1902 – Philippe de Rothschild, French Grand Prix driver, playwright, and producer (d. 1988)
    • 1902 – Marguerite Henry, American author (d. 1997)
    • 1904 – David Robinson, English businessman and philanthropist (d. 1987)
    • 1905 – Rae Johnstone, Australian jockey (d. 1964)
    • 1906 – Samuel Beckett, Irish novelist, poet, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1989)
    • 1906 – Bud Freeman, American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader (d. 1991)
    • 1907 – Harold Stassen, American lawyer and politician, 25th Governor of Minnesota (d. 2001)
    • 1909 – Eudora Welty, American short story writer and novelist (d. 2001)
    • 1911 – Ico Hitrec, Croatian footballer and manager (d. 1946)
    • 1911 – Jean-Louis Lévesque, Canadian businessman and philanthropist (d. 1994)
    • 1911 – Nino Sanzogno, Italian conductor and composer (d. 1983)
    • 1913 – Dave Albritton, American high jumper and coach (d. 1994)
    • 1913 – Kermit Tyler, American lieutenant and pilot (d. 2010)
    • 1914 – Orhan Veli Kanık, Turkish poet and author (d. 1950)
    • 1916 – Phyllis Fraser, Welsh-American actress, journalist, and publisher, co-founded Beginner Books (d. 2006)
    • 1917 – Robert Orville Anderson, American businessman, founded Atlantic Richfield Oil Co. (d. 2007)
    • 1917 – Bill Clements, American soldier, engineer, and politician, 15th United States Deputy Secretary of Defense (d. 2011)
    • 1919 – Roland Gaucher, French journalist and politician (d. 2007)
    • 1919 – Howard Keel, American actor and singer (d. 2004)
    • 1919 – Madalyn Murray O’Hair, American activist, founded American Atheists (d. 1995)
    • 1920 – Roberto Calvi, Italian banker (d. 1982)
    • 1920 – Claude Cheysson, French lieutenant and politician, French Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 2012)
    • 1920 – Liam Cosgrave, Irish lawyer and politician, 6th Taoiseach of Ireland (d. 2017)
    • 1920 – Theodore L. Thomas, American chemical engineer, Patent attorney and writer (d. 2005)
    • 1922 – Heinz Baas, German footballer and manager (d. 1994)
    • 1922 – John Braine, English librarian and author (d. 1986)
    • 1922 – Julius Nyerere, Tanzanian politician and teacher, 1st President of Tanzania (d. 1999)
    • 1922 – Valve Pormeister, Estonian architect (d. 2002)
    • 1923 – Don Adams, American actor and director (d. 2005)
    • 1923 – A. H. Halsey, English sociologist and academic (d. 2014)
    • 1923 – Stanley Tanger, American businessman and philanthropist, founded the Tanger Factory Outlet Centers (d. 2010)
    • 1924 – John T. Biggers, American painter (d. 2001)
    • 1924 – Jack T. Chick, American author, illustrator, and publisher (d. 2016)
    • 1924 – Stanley Donen, American film director and choreographer (d. 2019)
    • 1926 – Ellie Lambeti, Greek actress (d. 1983)
    • 1926 – John Spencer-Churchill, 11th Duke of Marlborough, English businessman (d. 2014)
    • 1927 – Rosemary Haughton, English philosopher, theologian, and author
    • 1927 – Antonino Rocca, Italian-American wrestler (d. 1977)
    • 1927 – Maurice Ronet, French actor and director (d. 1983)
    • 1928 – Alan Clark, English historian and politician, Minister of State for Trade (d. 1999)
    • 1928 – Gianni Marzotto, Italian racing driver and businessman (d. 2012)
    • 1929 – Marilynn Smith, American golfer (d. 2019)
    • 1931 – Anita Cerquetti, Italian soprano (d. 2014)
    • 1931 – Robert Enrico, French director and screenwriter (d. 2001)
    • 1931 – Dan Gurney, American race car driver and engineer (d. 2018)
    • 1931 – Jon Stone, American composer, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1997)
    • 1932 – Orlando Letelier, Chilean-American economist and politician, Chilean Minister of National Defense (d. 1976)
    • 1933 – Ben Nighthorse Campbell, American soldier and politician
    • 1934 – John Muckler, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager
    • 1936 – Pierre Rosenberg, French historian and academic
    • 1937 – Col Joye, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1937 – Edward Fox, English actor
    • 1937 – Lanford Wilson, American playwright, co-founded the Circle Repertory Company (d. 2011)
    • 1938 – Klaus Lehnertz, German pole vaulter
    • 1938 – John Weston, English poet and diplomat
    • 1939 – Seamus Heaney, Irish poet and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2013)
    • 1939 – Paul Sorvino, American actor and singer
    • 1940 – Mike Beuttler, Egyptian-English racing driver (d. 1988)
    • 1940 – Lester Chambers, American singer and musician
    • 1940 – J. M. G. Le Clézio, Breton French-Mauritian author and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1940 – Vladimir Cosma, French composer, conductor and violinist
    • 1940 – Jim McNab, Scottish footballer (d. 2006)
    • 1940 – Max Mosley, English racing driver and engineer, co-founded March Engineering, former president of the FIA
    • 1940 – Ruby Puryear Hearn, African-American biophysicist
    • 1941 – Michael Stuart Brown, American geneticist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1941 – Jean-Marc Reiser, French author and illustrator (d. 1983)
    • 1942 – Bill Conti, American composer and conductor
    • 1943 – Alan Jones, Australian rugby coach, radio host, and educator
    • 1943 – Billy Kidd, American skier
    • 1943 – Tim Krabbé, Dutch journalist and author
    • 1943 – Philip Norman, English journalist, author, and playwright
    • 1944 – Franco Arese, Italian runner
    • 1944 – Charles Burnett, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1944 – Jack Casady, American bass guitarist
    • 1944 – Susan Davis, Russian-American social worker and politician
    • 1945 – Ed Caruthers, American high jumper
    • 1945 – Tony Dow, American actor
    • 1945 – Lowell George, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 1979)
    • 1945 – Bob Kalsu, American football player and lieutenant (d. 1970)
    • 1945 – Judy Nunn, Australian actress and author
    • 1946 – Al Green, American singer-songwriter, producer, and pastor
    • 1947 – Rae Armantrout, American poet and academic
    • 1947 – Mike Chapman, Australian-English songwriter and producer
    • 1947 – Jean-Jacques Laffont, French economist and academic (d. 2004)
    • 1947 – Yves Landry, Canadian cyclist
    • 1948 – Nam Hae-il, South Korean admiral
    • 1948 – Drago Jančar, Slovenian author and playwright
    • 1948 – Mikhail Shufutinsky, Soviet and Russian singer, actor, TV presenter
    • 1949 – Len Cook, New Zealand-English mathematician and statistician
    • 1949 – Frank Doran, Scottish lawyer and politician (d. 2017)
    • 1949 – Christopher Hitchens, English-American essayist, literary critic, and journalist (d. 2011)
    • 1949 – Ricardo Zunino, Argentinian racing driver
    • 1950 – Ron Perlman, American actor
    • 1950 – Tommy Raudonikis, Australian rugby league player and coach
    • 1951 – Leszek Borysiewicz, Welsh immunologist and academic
    • 1951 – Peabo Bryson, American singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1951 – Peter Davison, English actor
    • 1951 – Joachim Streich, German footballer and manager
    • 1951 – Max Weinberg, American drummer
    • 1952 – Sam Bush, American mandolin player
    • 1952 – David Drew, English lawyer and politician
    • 1952 – Gabrielle Gourdeau, Canadian writer (d. 2006)
    • 1952 – Jonjo O’Neill, Irish jockey and trainer
    • 1953 – Stephen Byers, English politician
    • 1953 – Dany Laferrière, Haitian-Canadian journalist and author
    • 1954 – Jimmy Destri, American keyboard player and songwriter
    • 1954 – Niels Olsen, Danish singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1954 – Barbara Roche, English lawyer and politician
    • 1955 – Steve Camp, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1955 – Muwenda Mutebi II, current King of Buganda Kingdom
    • 1955 – Louis Johnson, American bass player and producer (d. 2015)
    • 1955 – Lupe Pintor, Mexican boxer
    • 1955 – Ole von Beust, German lawyer and politician, 1st Mayor of Hamburg
    • 1956 – Possum Bourne, New Zealand racing driver (d. 2003)
    • 1956 – Alan Devonshire, English footballer and manager
    • 1956 – Edward Forbes Smiley III, American art thief and map dealer
    • 1957 – Amy Goodman, American journalist and author
    • 1957 – Saundra Santiago, American actress
    • 1960 – Lyn Brown, English social worker and politician
    • 1960 – Bob Casey, Jr., American lawyer and politician, senior senator of Pennsylvania
    • 1960 – Olaf Ludwig, German cyclist and manager
    • 1960 – Rudi Völler, German footballer and manager
    • 1961 – Hiro Yamamoto, American bass player and songwriter
    • 1962 – Hillel Slovak, Israeli-American guitarist (d. 1988)
    • 1963 – Garry Kasparov, Russian chess player and author
    • 1964 – Davis Love III, American golfer and sportscaster
    • 1964 – Caroline Rhea, Canadian actress and comedian
    • 1964 – John Swinney, Scottish businessman and politician, Deputy First Minister of Scotland
    • 1965 – Patricio Pouchulu, Argentinian architect and educator
    • 1966 – Ali Boumnijel, Tunisian footballer
    • 1966 – Marc Ford, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
    • 1967 – Dana Barros, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster
    • 1967 – Michael Eisen, American biologist and academic
    • 1967 – Olga Tañón, Puerto Rican-American singer-songwriter
    • 1968 – Ted Washington, American football player
    • 1969 – Dirk Muschiol, German footballer
    • 1970 – Monty Brown, American football player and wrestler
    • 1970 – Gerry Creaney, Scottish footballer and manager
    • 1970 – Nick Garrett, English singer
    • 1970 – Szilveszter Csollány, Hungarian gymnast
    • 1970 – Ricardo Rincón, Mexican-American baseball player
    • 1970 – Ricky Schroder, American actor
    • 1971 – Franck Esposito, French swimmer
    • 1971 – Danie Mellor, Australian painter and sculptor
    • 1971 – Bo Outlaw, American basketball player
    • 1971 – Valensia, Dutch singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1972 – Mariusz Czerkawski, Polish ice hockey player and golfer
    • 1972 – Aaron Lewis, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1974 – Valentina Cervi, Italian actress
    • 1974 – Sergei Gonchar, Russian ice hockey player
    • 1974 – Darren Turner, English racing driver
    • 1974 – David Zdrilic, Australian footballer and manager
    • 1975 – Jasey-Jay Anderson, Canadian snowboarder
    • 1975 – Lou Bega, German singer-songwriter
    • 1975 – Bruce Dyer, English footballer
    • 1975 – Tatiana Navka, Russian ice dancer
    • 1976 – Jonathan Brandis, American actor (d. 2003)
    • 1976 – Patrik Eliáš, Czech-American ice hockey player
    • 1976 – Glenn Howerton, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1977 – Margus Tsahkna, Estonian lawyer and politician
    • 1978 – Arron Asham, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1978 – Carles Puyol, Spanish footballer
    • 1978 – Raemon Sluiter, Dutch tennis player
    • 1978 – Keydrick Vincent, American football player
    • 1979 – Gréta Arn, Hungarian tennis player
    • 1979 – Baron Davis, American basketball player
    • 1979 – Tony Lundon, Irish singer-songwriter, producer, and dancer
    • 1979 – Meghann Shaughnessy, American tennis player
    • 1980 – Colleen Clinkenbeard, American voice actress, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1980 – Jason Maguire, Irish jockey
    • 1980 – Alan Melikdjanian, American independent filmmaker and YouTuber
    • 1980 – Quentin Richardson, American basketball player
    • 1981 – Nat Borchers, American soccer player
    • 1981 – Gemma Doyle, Scottish politician
    • 1982 – Nellie McKay, British-American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress
    • 1983 – Claudio Bravo, Chilean footballer
    • 1983 – Schalk Burger, South African rugby player
    • 1983 – Nicole Cooke, Welsh cyclist
    • 1983 – Hunter Pence, American baseball player
    • 1984 – Jarmo Ahjupera, Estonian footballer
    • 1984 – Anders Lindegaard, Danish footballer
    • 1985 – Anna Jennings-Edquist, Australian actress, director, and playwright
    • 1985 – Algo Kärp, Estonian skier
    • 1985 – Cody Nickson, American reality television personality
    • 1986 – Michael Bingham, American-English sprinter
    • 1986 – Lorenzo Cain, American baseball player
    • 1987 – Brandon Hardesty, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1987 – Massimiliano Pesenti, Italian footballer
    • 1987 – Allison Weiss, American singer-songwriter
    • 1988 – Anderson, Brazilian footballer
    • 1988 – Petteri Koponen, Finnish basketball player
    • 1988 – Allison Williams, American actress and singer
    • 1989 – Ryan Bailey, American sprinter
    • 1989 – Dong Dong, Chinese trampolinist
    • 1989 – Nastassia Mironchyk-Ivanova, Belarusian long jumper
    • 1989 – Josh Reynolds, Australian rugby league player
    • 1989 – Vladislav Yegin, Russian ice hockey player
    • 1990 – Anastasija Sevastova, a professional tennis player from Latvia
    • 1991 – Akeem Adams, Trinidadian footballer (d. 2013)
    • 1991 – Ulises Dávila, Mexican footballer
    • 1991 – Josh Gordon, American football player
    • 1992 – Denis Kudryavtsev, Russian hurdler
    • 1992 – Jordan Silk, Australian cricketer
    • 1993 – Tony Wroten, American basketball player
    • 1994 – Ángelo Henríquez, Chilean footballer
    • 1994 – Elvis Merzļikins, Latvian ice hockey player
    • 1997 – Kyle Walker-Peters, English footballer

    Deaths on April 13

    • 548 – Lý Nam Đế, Vietnamese emperor (b. 503)
    • 585 – Hermenegild, Visigothic prince and saint
    • 799 – Paul the Deacon, Italian monk and historian (b. 720)
    • 814 – Krum, khan of the Bulgarian Khanate
    • 862 – Donald I, king of the Picts (b. 812)
    • 989 – Bardas Phokas, Byzantine general
    • 1035 – Herbert I, Count of Maine
    • 1093 – Vsevolod I of Kiev (b. 1030)
    • 1113 – Ida of Lorraine, saint and noblewoman (b. c. 1040)
    • 1138 – Simon I, Duke of Lorraine (b. 1076)
    • 1213 – Guy of Thouars, regent of Brittany
    • 1275 – Eleanor of England (b. 1215)
    • 1367 – John Tiptoft, 2nd Baron Tibetot (b. 1313)
    • 1592 – Bartolomeo Ammannati, Italian architect and sculptor (b. 1511)
    • 1605 – Boris Godunov, Tsar of Russia (b. 1551)
    • 1612 – Sasaki Kojirō, Japanese samurai (b. 1585)
    • 1635 – Fakhr-al-Din II, Ottoman prince (b. 1572)
    • 1638 – Henri, Duke of Rohan (b. 1579)
    • 1641 – Richard Montagu, English bishop (b. 1577)
    • 1695 – Jean de La Fontaine, French author and poet (b. 1621)
    • 1716 – Arthur Herbert, 1st Earl of Torrington, English admiral and politician (b. 1648)
    • 1722 – Charles Leslie, Irish priest and theologian (b. 1650)
    • 1793 – Pierre Gaspard Chaumette, French botanist, lawyer, and politician (b. 1763)
    • 1794 – Nicolas Chamfort, French playwright and poet (b. 1741)
    • 1826 – Franz Danzi, German cellist, composer, and conductor (b. 1763)
    • 1853 – Leopold Gmelin, German chemist and academic (b. 1788)
    • 1853 – James Iredell, Jr., American lawyer and politician, 23rd Governor of North Carolina (b. 1788)
    • 1855 – Henry De la Beche, English geologist and palaeontologist (b. 1796)
    • 1868 – Tewodros II of Ethiopia (b. 1818)
    • 1880 – Robert Fortune, Scottish botanist and author (b. 1813)
    • 1882 – Bruno Bauer, German historian and philosopher (b. 1809)
    • 1886 – John Humphrey Noyes, American religious leader, founded the Oneida Community (b. 1811)
    • 1890 – Samuel J. Randall, American captain, lawyer, and politician, 33rd Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (b. 1828)
    • 1899 – James Service, Scottish-Australian politician, 12th Premier of Victoria (b. 1823)
    • 1909 – Whitley Stokes, Anglo-Irish lawyer and scholar (b. 1830)
    • 1910 – William Quiller Orchardson, Scottish-English painter and educator (b. 1835)
    • 1911 – John McLane, Scottish-American politician, 50th Governor of New Hampshire (b. 1852)
    • 1911 – George Washington Glick, American lawyer and politician, 9th Governor of Kansas (b. 1827)
    • 1912 – Takuboku Ishikawa, Japanese poet and author (b. 1886)
    • 1917 – Diamond Jim Brady, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1856)
    • 1918 – Lavr Kornilov, Russian general (b. 1870)
    • 1927 – Georg Voigt, German politician, Mayor of Frankfurt (b. 1866)
    • 1936 – Konstantinos Demertzis, Greek politician 129th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1876)
    • 1938 – Grey Owl, English-Canadian environmentalist and author (b. 1888)
    • 1941 – Annie Jump Cannon, American astronomer and academic (b. 1863)
    • 1941 – William Twaits, Canadian soccer player (b. 1879)
    • 1942 – Henk Sneevliet, Dutch politician (b. 1883)
    • 1942 – Anton Uesson, Estonian engineer and politician, 17th Mayor of Tallinn (b. 1879)
    • 1944 – Cécile Chaminade, French pianist and composer (b. 1857)
    • 1945 – Ernst Cassirer, Polish-American philosopher and academic (b. 1874)
    • 1954 – Samuel Jones, American high jumper (b. 1880)
    • 1954 – Angus Lewis Macdonald, Canadian lawyer and politician, 12th Premier of Nova Scotia (b. 1890)
    • 1956 – Emil Nolde, Danish-German painter and educator (b. 1867)
    • 1959 – Eduard van Beinum, Dutch pianist, violinist, and conductor (b. 1901)
    • 1961 – John A. Bennett, American soldier (b. 1935)
    • 1962 – Culbert Olson, American lawyer and politician, 29th Governor of California (b. 1876)
    • 1966 – Abdul Salam Arif, Iraqi colonel and politician, 2nd President of Iraq (b. 1921)
    • 1966 – Carlo Carrà, Italian painter (b. 1881)
    • 1966 – Georges Duhamel, French soldier and author (b. 1884)
    • 1967 – Nicole Berger, French actress (b. 1934)
    • 1969 – Alfred Karindi, Estonian pianist and composer (b. 1901)
    • 1971 – Michel Brière, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1949)
    • 1971 – Juhan Smuul, Estonian author, poet, and screenwriter (b. 1921)
    • 1975 – Larry Parks, American actor and singer (b. 1914)
    • 1975 – François Tombalbaye, Chadian soldier, academic, and politician, 1st President of Chad (b. 1918)
    • 1978 – Jack Chambers, Canadian painter and director (b. 1931)
    • 1978 – Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, Nigerian educator and women’s rights activist (b. 1900)
    • 1980 – Markus Höttinger, Austrian racing driver (b. 1956)
    • 1983 – Gerry Hitchens, English footballer (b. 1934)
    • 1983 – Theodore Stephanides, Greek physician, author, and poet (b. 1896)
    • 1984 – Ralph Kirkpatrick, American harp player and musicologist (b. 1911)
    • 1988 – Jean Gascon, Canadian actor and director (b. 1920)
    • 1992 – Maurice Sauvé, Canadian economist and politician (b. 1923)
    • 1992 – Feza Gürsey, Turkish mathematician and physicist (b. 1921)
    • 1992 – Daniel Pollock, Australian actor (b. 1968)
    • 1993 – Wallace Stegner, American novelist, short story writer, and essayist (b. 1909)
    • 1996 – Leila Mackinlay, English author and educator (b. 1910)
    • 1997 – Bryant Bowles, American soldier and activist, founded the National Association for the Advancement of White People (b. 1920)
    • 1997 – Alan Cooley, Australian public servant (b. 1920)
    • 1997 – Dorothy Frooks, American author and actress (b. 1896)
    • 1997 – Voldemar Väli, Estonian wrestler (b. 1903)
    • 1998 – Patrick de Gayardon, French skydiver and base jumper (b. 1960)
    • 1999 – Ortvin Sarapu, Estonian-New Zealand chess player and author (b. 1924)
    • 1999 – Willi Stoph, German engineer and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of East Germany (b. 1914)
    • 2000 – Giorgio Bassani, Italian author and poet (b. 1916)
    • 2000 – Frenchy Bordagaray, American baseball player and manager (b. 1910)
    • 2004 – Caron Keating, Northern Irish television host (b. 1962)
    • 2005 – Don Blasingame, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1932)
    • 2005 – Johnnie Johnson, American pianist and songwriter (b. 1924)
    • 2005 – Phillip Pavia, American painter and sculptor (b. 1912)
    • 2005 – Philippe Volter, Belgian actor and director (b. 1959)
    • 2006 – Bill Baker, American baseball player, coach, and umpire (b. 1911)
    • 2006 – Muriel Spark, Scottish novelist, poet, and critic (b. 1918)
    • 2008 – John Archibald Wheeler, American physicist and academic (b. 1911)
    • 2009 – Mark Fidrych, American baseball player (b. 1954)
    • 2009 – Bruce Snyder, American football player and coach (b. 1940)
    • 2009 – George Feigley, American sex cult leader, convicted rapist and two-time prison escapee (b. 1940)
    • 2012 – William B. Buffum, American soldier and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Lebanon (b. 1921)
    • 2012 – Cecil Chaudhry, Pakistani pilot, academic, and activist (b. 1941)
    • 2012 – Shūichi Higurashi, Japanese illustrator (b. 1936)
    • 2012 – David S. Smith, American diplomat, United States Ambassador to Sweden (b. 1918)
    • 2012 – Robert Wigmore, Cook Islander politician, 14th Deputy Prime Minister of the Cook Islands (b. 1949)
    • 2013 – Chi Cheng, American bass player (b. 1970)
    • 2013 – Stephen Dodgson, English composer and educator (b. 1924)
    • 2013 – Dean Drummond, American composer and conductor (b. 1949)
    • 2013 – Vincent Montana, Jr., American drummer and composer (b. 1928)
    • 2013 – Lin Yang-kang, Taiwanese politician, 29th Vice Premier of the Republic of China (b. 1927)
    • 2014 – Fred Enke, American football player (b. 1924)
    • 2014 – Ernesto Laclau, Argentinian-Spanish philosopher and theorist (b. 1935)
    • 2014 – Michael Ruppert, American journalist and author (b. 1951)
    • 2014 – Rafał Sznajder, Polish fencer (b. 1972)
    • 2015 – Gerald Calabrese, American basketball player and politician (b. 1925)
    • 2015 – Ronnie Carroll, Irish singer and politician (b. 1934)
    • 2015 – Thelma Coyne Long, Australian tennis player and captain (b. 1918)
    • 2015 – Eduardo Galeano, Uruguayan journalist and author (b. 1940)
    • 2015 – Günter Grass, German novelist, poet, playwright, and illustrator, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1927)
    • 2015 – Herb Trimpe, American author and illustrator (b. 1939)
    • 2016 – Nera White, American basketball player (b. 1935)
    • 2017 – Dan Rooney, American football executive and former United States Ambassador to Ireland (b. 1932)
    • 2018 – Art Bell, American broadcaster and author (b. 1945)
    • 2019 – Neus Català, Anti-fascist activist (b. 1915)
    • 2019 – Yvette Williams, New Zealand athlete (b. 1929)

    Holidays and observances on April 13

    • Christian feast day:
      • Hermenegild
      • Blessed Ida of Louvain
      • Pope Martin I
      • April 13 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Jefferson’s Birthday (United States)
    • Katyn Memorial Day (Poland)
    • South and Southeast Asian New Year. (see April 14)
    • Teacher’s Day (Ecuador)
    • Unfairly Prosecuted Persons Day (Slovakia)

  • April 12 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

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

    Births on April 12

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

    Deaths on April 12

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

    Holidays and observances on April 12

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

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

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

    Births on April 9

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

    Deaths on April 9

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

    Holidays and observances on April 9

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

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

    • 451 – Attila the Hun sacks the town of Metz and attacks other cities in Gaul.
    • 529 – First draft of the Corpus Juris Civilis (a fundamental work in jurisprudence) is issued by Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian I.
    • 611 – Maya king Uneh Chan of Calakmul sacks rival city-state Palenque in southern Mexico.
    • 1141 – Empress Matilda became the first female ruler of England, adopting the title ‘Lady of the English’.
    • 1348 – Charles University is founded in Prague.
    • 1521 – Ferdinand Magellan arrives at Cebu.
    • 1541 – Francis Xavier leaves Lisbon on a mission to the Portuguese East Indies.
    • 1724 – Premiere performance of Johann Sebastian Bach’s St John Passion, BWV 245, at St. Nicholas Church, Leipzig.
    • 1767 – End of Burmese–Siamese War (1765–67).
    • 1776 – Captain John Barry and the USS Lexington captures the Edward.
    • 1788 – American pioneers to the Northwest Territory establish Marietta, Ohio as the first permanent American settlement in the Northwest Territory.
    • 1789 – Selim III became Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and Caliph of Islam.
    • 1798 – The Mississippi Territory is organized from disputed territory claimed by both the United States and Spain. It is expanded in 1804 and again in 1812.
    • 1805 – Lewis and Clark Expedition: The Corps of Discovery breaks camp among the Mandan tribe and resumes its journey West along the Missouri River.
    • 1805 – German composer Ludwig van Beethoven premiered his Third Symphony, at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna.
    • 1827 – John Walker, an English chemist, sells the first friction match that he had invented the previous year.
    • 1829 – Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, commences translation of the Book of Mormon, with Oliver Cowdery as his scribe.
    • 1831 – Emperor Pedro I of Brazil resigns. He goes to his native Portugal to become King Pedro IV.
    • 1862 – American Civil War: The Union’s Army of the Tennessee and the Army of the Ohio defeat the Confederate Army of Mississippi near Shiloh, Tennessee.
    • 1868 – Thomas D’Arcy McGee, one of the Canadian Fathers of Confederation, is assassinated by a Fenian activist.
    • 1890 – Completion of the first Lake Biwa Canal.
    • 1906 – Mount Vesuvius erupts and devastates Naples.
    • 1906 – The Algeciras Conference gives France and Spain control over Morocco.
    • 1922 – The United States Secretary of the Interior leases federal petroleum reserves to private oil companies on excessively generous terms.
    • 1927 – The first long-distance public television broadcast (from Washington, D.C., to New York City, displaying the image of Commerce Secretary Herbert Hoover).
    • 1933 – Prohibition in the United States is repealed for beer of no more than 3.2% alcohol by weight, eight months before the ratification of the XXI amendment. (Now celebrated as National Beer Day in the United States.)
    • 1940 – Booker T. Washington becomes the first African American to be depicted on a United States postage stamp.
    • 1943 – The Holocaust in Ukraine: In Terebovlia, Germans order 1,100 Jews to undress and march through the city to the nearby village of Plebanivka, where they are shot and buried in ditches.
    • 1943 – Ioannis Rallis becomes collaborationist Prime Minister of Greece during the Axis Occupation.
    • 1945 – World War II: The battleship Yamato, one of the two largest ever constructed, is sunk by American aircraft during Operation Ten-Go.
    • 1945 – World War II: Visoko is liberated by the 7th, 9th, and 17th Krajina brigades from the Tenth division of Yugoslav Partisan forces.
    • 1948 – The World Health Organization is established by the United Nations.
    • 1949 – The Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific opened on Broadway; it would run for 1,925 performances and win ten Tony Awards.
    • 1954 – United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower gives his “domino theory” speech during a news conference.
    • 1955 – Winston Churchill resigns as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom amid indications of failing health.
    • 1964 – IBM announces the System/360.
    • 1964 – A bulldozer kills Rev. Bruce W. Klunder, a civil rights activist, during a school segregation protest in Cleveland, Ohio, sparking a riot.
    • 1965 – Representatives of the National Congress of American Indians testify before members of the US Senate against the termination of the Colville tribe in Washington DC.
    • 1968 – Motor racing world champion Jim Clark is killed in an accident during a Formula Two race at Hockenheim.
    • 1969 – The Internet’s symbolic birth date: Publication of RFC 1.
    • 1971 – President Richard Nixon announces his decision to quicken the pace of Vietnamization.
    • 1976 – Member of Parliament and suspected spy John Stonehouse resigns from the Labour Party (UK) after being arrested for faking his own death.
    • 1977 – German Federal prosecutor Siegfried Buback and his driver are shot by two Red Army Faction members while waiting at a red light.
    • 1978 – Development of the neutron bomb is canceled by President Jimmy Carter.
    • 1980 – During the Iran hostage crisis, the United States severs relations with Iran.
    • 1983 – During STS-6, astronauts Story Musgrave and Don Peterson perform the first Space Shuttle spacewalk.
    • 1989 – Soviet submarine Komsomolets sinks in the Barents Sea off the coast of Norway killing 42 sailors.
    • 1990 – Iran–Contra affair: John Poindexter is found guilty of five charges for his part in the scandal (the conviction is later reversed on appeal).
    • 1990 – A fire breaks out on the passenger ferry Scandinavian Star, killing 159 people.
    • 1994 – Rwandan genocide: Massacres of Tutsis begin in Kigali, Rwanda.
    • 1994 – Auburn Calloway attempts to destroy Federal Express Flight 705 in order to allow his family to benefit from his life insurance policy.
    • 1995 – First Chechen War: Russian paramilitary troops begin a massacre of civilians in Samashki, Chechnya.
    • 1999 – The World Trade Organization rules in favor of the United States in its long-running trade dispute with the European Union over bananas.
    • 2001 – Mars Odyssey is launched.
    • 2003 – U.S. troops capture Baghdad; Saddam Hussein’s regime falls two days later.
    • 2009 – Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori is sentenced to 25 years in prison for ordering killings and kidnappings by security forces.
    • 2009 – Mass protests begin across Moldova under the belief that results from the parliamentary election are fraudulent.
    • 2017 – A man deliberately drives a hijacked truck into a crowd of people, killing five people and injuring fifteen others.

    Births on April 7

    • 1206 – Otto II Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria (d. 1253)
    • 1330 – John, 3rd Earl of Kent, English nobleman (d. 1352)
    • 1470 – Edward Stafford, 2nd Earl of Wiltshire (d. 1498)
    • 1506 – Francis Xavier, Spanish missionary and saint, co-founded the Society of Jesus (d. 1552)
    • 1539 – Tobias Stimmer, Swiss painter and illustrator (d. 1584)
    • 1613 – Gerrit Dou, Dutch painter (d. 1675)
    • 1644 – François de Neufville, duc de Villeroy, French general (d. 1730)
    • 1648 – John Sheffield, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby, English poet and politician, Lord President of the Council (d. 1721)
    • 1652 – Pope Clement XII (d. 1740)
    • 1713 – Nicola Sala, Italian composer and theorist (d. 1801)
    • 1718 – Hugh Blair, Scottish minister and author (d. 1800)
    • 1727 – Michel Adanson, French botanist, entomologist, and mycologist (d. 1806)
    • 1763 – Domenico Dragonetti, Italian bassist and composer (d. 1846)
    • 1770 – William Wordsworth, English poet (d. 1850)
    • 1772 – Charles Fourier, French philosopher and author (d. 1837)
    • 1780 – William Ellery Channing, American preacher and theologian (d. 1842)
    • 1803 – James Curtiss, American journalist and politician, 11th Mayor of Chicago (d. 1859)
    • 1803 – Flora Tristan, French author and activist (d. 1844)
    • 1811 – Hasan Tahsini, Albanian astronomer, mathematician, and philosopher (d. 1881)
    • 1817 – Francesco Selmi, Italian chemist and patriot (d. 1881)
    • 1848 – Randall Davidson, Scottish archbishop (d. 1930)
    • 1859 – Walter Camp, American football player and coach (d. 1925)
    • 1860 – Will Keith Kellogg, American businessman, founded the Kellogg Company (d. 1951)
    • 1867 – Holger Pedersen, Danish linguist and academic (d. 1953)
    • 1870 – Gustav Landauer, Jewish-German theorist and activist (d. 1919)
    • 1871 – Epifanio de los Santos, Filipino jurist, historian, and scholar (d. 1927)
    • 1873 – John McGraw, American baseball player and manager (d. 1934)
    • 1874 – Frederick Carl Frieseke, German-American painter (d. 1939)
    • 1876 – Fay Moulton, American sprinter, football player, coach, and lawyer (d. 1945)
    • 1882 – Bert Ironmonger, Australian cricketer (d. 1971)
    • 1882 – Kurt von Schleicher, German general and politician, 23rd Chancellor of Germany (d. 1934)
    • 1883 – Gino Severini, Italian-French painter and author (d. 1966)
    • 1884 – Clement Smoot, American golfer (d. 1963)
    • 1886 – Ed Lafitte, American baseball player and soldier (d. 1971)
    • 1889 – Gabriela Mistral, Chilean poet and educator, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1957)
    • 1890 – Paul Berth, Danish footballer (d. 1969)
    • 1890 – Marjory Stoneman Douglas, American journalist and activist (d. 1998)
    • 1891 – Ole Kirk Christiansen, Danish businessman, founded the Lego Group (d. 1958)
    • 1893 – Allen Dulles, American lawyer and diplomat, 5th Director of Central Intelligence (d. 1969)
    • 1895 – John Flannagan, American soldier and sculptor (d. 1942)
    • 1895 – Margarete Schön, German actress (d. 1985)
    • 1896 – Frits Peutz, Dutch architect, designed the Glaspaleis (d. 1974)
    • 1897 – Erich Löwenhardt, Polish-German lieutenant and pilot (d. 1918)
    • 1897 – Walter Winchell, American journalist and radio host (d. 1972)
    • 1899 – Robert Casadesus, French pianist and composer (d. 1972)
    • 1900 – Adolf Dymsza, Polish actor (d. 1975)
    • 1900 – Tebbs Lloyd Johnson, English race walker (d. 1984)
    • 1902 – Eduard Eelma, Estonian footballer (d. 1941)
    • 1903 – M. Balasundaram, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician (d. 1965)
    • 1903 – Edwin T. Layton, American admiral (d. 1984)
    • 1904 – Roland Wilson, Australian economist and statistician (d. 1996)
    • 1908 – Percy Faith, Canadian composer, conductor, and bandleader (d. 1976)
    • 1908 – Pete Zaremba, American hammer thrower (d. 1994)
    • 1909 – Robert Charroux, French author and critic (d. 1978)
    • 1913 – Louise Currie, American actress (d. 2013)
    • 1913 – Charles Vanik, American soldier, judge, and politician (d. 2007)
    • 1914 – Ralph Flanagan, American pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1995)
    • 1915 – Stanley Adams, American actor and screenwriter (d. 1977)
    • 1915 – Billie Holiday, American singer-songwriter and actress (d. 1959)
    • 1915 – Henry Kuttner, American author (d. 1958)
    • 1916 – Anthony Caruso, American actor (d. 2003)
    • 1917 – R. G. Armstrong, American actor and playwright (d. 2012)
    • 1918 – Bobby Doerr, American baseball player and coach (d. 2017)
    • 1919 – Roger Lemelin, Canadian author and screenwriter (d. 1992)
    • 1919 – Edoardo Mangiarotti, Italian fencer (d. 2012)
    • 1920 – Ravi Shankar, Indian-American sitar player and composer (d. 2012)
    • 1921 – Feza Gürsey, Turkish mathematician and physicist (d. 1992)
    • 1922 – Mongo Santamaría, Cuban-American drummer (d. 2003)
    • 1924 – Johannes Mario Simmel, Austrian-English author and screenwriter (d. 2009)
    • 1925 – Chaturanan Mishra, Indian trade union leader and politician (d. 2011)
    • 1925 – Jan van Roessel, Dutch footballer (d. 2011)
    • 1927 – Babatunde Olatunji, Nigerian-American drummer, educator, and activist (d. 2003)
    • 1927 – Leonid Shcherbakov, Russian triple jumper
    • 1928 – James Garner, American actor, singer, and producer (d. 2014)
    • 1928 – Alan J. Pakula, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1998)
    • 1928 – James White, Northern Irish author and educator (d. 1999)
    • 1929 – Bob Denard, French soldier (d. 2007)
    • 1929 – Joe Gallo, American gangster (d. 1972)
    • 1930 – Jane Priestman, English interior designer
    • 1930 – Yves Rocher, French businessman, founded the Yves Rocher Company (d. 2009)
    • 1930 – Andrew Sachs, German-English actor and screenwriter (d. 2016)
    • 1930 – Roger Vergé, French chef and restaurateur (d. 2015)
    • 1931 – Donald Barthelme, American short story writer and novelist (d. 1989)
    • 1931 – Daniel Ellsberg, American activist and author
    • 1932 – Cal Smith, American singer and guitarist (d. 2013)
    • 1933 – Wayne Rogers, American actor, investor, and producer (d. 2015)
    • 1933 – Sakıp Sabancı, Turkish businessman and philanthropist (d. 2004)
    • 1934 – Ian Richardson, Scottish-English actor (d. 2007)
    • 1935 – Bobby Bare, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1935 – Hodding Carter III, American journalist and politician, Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs
    • 1937 – Charlie Thomas, American singer
    • 1938 – Jerry Brown, American lawyer and politician, 34th and 39th Governor of California
    • 1938 – Spencer Dryden, American drummer (d. 2005)
    • 1938 – Freddie Hubbard, American trumpet player and composer (d. 2008)
    • 1938 – Iris Johansen, American author
    • 1939 – Francis Ford Coppola, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1939 – David Frost, English journalist and game show host (d. 2013)
    • 1939 – Gary Kellgren, American record producer, co-founded Record Plant (d. 1977)
    • 1939 – Brett Whiteley, Australian painter (d. 1992)
    • 1940 – Marju Lauristin, Estonian academic and politician, 1st Estonian Minister of Social Affairs
    • 1941 – James Di Pasquale, American composer
    • 1941 – Peter Fluck, English puppet maker and illustrator
    • 1941 – Cornelia Frances, English-Australian actress (d. 2018)
    • 1941 – Gorden Kaye, English actor (d. 2017)
    • 1942 – Jeetendra, Indian actor, TV and film producer
    • 1943 – Mick Abrahams, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1943 – Dennis Amiss, English cricketer and manager
    • 1944 – Shel Bachrach, American insurance broker, investor, businessman and philanthropist
    • 1944 – Warner Fusselle, American sportscaster (d. 2012)
    • 1944 – Oshik Levi, Israeli singer and actor
    • 1944 – Julia Phillips, American film producer and author (d. 2002)
    • 1944 – Gerhard Schröder, German lawyer and politician, 7th Chancellor of Germany
    • 1944 – Bill Stoneman, American baseball player and manager
    • 1945 – Megas, Icelandic singer-songwriter
    • 1945 – Gerry Cottle, English businessman
    • 1945 – Marilyn Friedman, American philosopher and academic
    • 1945 – Martyn Lewis, Welsh journalist and author
    • 1945 – Joël Robuchon, French chef and author (d. 2018)
    • 1945 – Werner Schroeter, German director and screenwriter (d. 2010)
    • 1945 – Hans van Hemert, Dutch songwriter and producer
    • 1946 – Zaid Abdul-Aziz, American basketball player
    • 1946 – Colette Besson, French runner and educator (d. 2005)
    • 1946 – Herménégilde Chiasson, Canadian poet, playwright, and politician, 29th Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick
    • 1946 – Dimitrij Rupel, Slovenian politician and diplomate
    • 1946 – Stan Winston, American special effects designer and makeup artist (d. 2008)
    • 1947 – Patricia Bennett, American singer
    • 1947 – Florian Schneider, German singer and drummer (d. 2020)
    • 1947 – Michèle Torr, French singer and author
    • 1948 – John Oates, American singer-songwriter guitarist, and producer
    • 1949 – Mitch Daniels, American academic and politician, 49th Governor of Indiana
    • 1950 – Brian J. Doyle, American press secretary
    • 1951 – Bruce Gary, American drummer (d. 2006)
    • 1951 – Janis Ian, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1952 – David Baulcombe, English geneticist and academic
    • 1952 – Jane Frederick, American hurdler and heptathlete
    • 1952 – Gilles Valiquette, Canadian actor, singer, and producer
    • 1952 – Dennis Hayden, American actor
    • 1953 – Santa Barraza, American mixed media artist
    • 1953 – Douglas Kell, English biochemist and academic
    • 1954 – Jackie Chan, Hong Kong martial artist, actor, stuntman, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1954 – Tony Dorsett, American football player
    • 1955 – Tim Cochran, American mathematician and academic (d. 2014)
    • 1955 – Gregg Jarrett, American lawyer and journalist
    • 1956 – Annika Billström, Swedish businesswoman and politician, 16th Mayor of Stockholm
    • 1956 – Christopher Darden, American lawyer and author
    • 1956 – Georg Werthner, Austrian decathlete
    • 1957 – Kim Kap-soo, South Korean actor
    • 1957 – Thelma Walker, British politician
    • 1958 – Brian Haner, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1958 – Hindrek Kesler, Estonian architect
    • 1960 – Buster Douglas, American boxer and actor
    • 1960 – Sandy Powell, English costume designer
    • 1961 – Thurl Bailey, American basketball player and actor
    • 1961 – Pascal Olmeta, French footballer
    • 1961 – Brigitte van der Burg, Tanzanian-Dutch geographer and politician
    • 1962 – Jon Cruddas, English lawyer and politician
    • 1962 – Andrew Hampsten, American cyclist
    • 1963 – Jaime de Marichalar, Spanish businessman
    • 1963 – Nick Herbert, English businessman and politician, Minister for Policing
    • 1963 – Dave Johnson, American decathlete and educator
    • 1964 – Jace Alexander, American actor and director
    • 1964 – Russell Crowe, New Zealand-Australian actor
    • 1964 – Steve Graves, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1965 – Bill Bellamy, American comedian, actor, and producer
    • 1965 – Rozalie Hirs, Dutch composer and poet
    • 1965 – Alison Lapper, English painter and photographer
    • 1965 – Nenad Vučinić, Serbian-New Zealand basketball player and coach
    • 1966 – Richard Gomez, Filipino actor and politician
    • 1966 – Zvika Hadar, Israeli entertainer
    • 1966 – Béla Mavrák, Hungarian tenor singer
    • 1966 – Gary Wilkinson, English snooker player
    • 1967 – Artemis Gounaki, Greek-German singer-songwriter
    • 1967 – Bodo Illgner, German footballer
    • 1967 – Simone Schilder, Dutch tennis player
    • 1968 – Duncan Armstrong, Australian swimmer and sportscaster
    • 1968 – Jennifer Lynch, American actress, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1968 – Jože Možina, Slovenian historian, sociologist and journalist
    • 1968 – Vasiliy Sokov, Russian triple jumper
    • 1969 – Ricky Watters, American football player
    • 1970 – Leif Ove Andsnes, Norwegian pianist and educator
    • 1971 – Guillaume Depardieu, French actor (d. 2008)
    • 1971 – Victor Kraatz, German-Canadian figure skater
    • 1972 – Tim Peake, British astronaut
    • 1973 – Marco Delvecchio, Italian footballer
    • 1973 – Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, Dutch lawyer and politician, Dutch Minister of Defence
    • 1973 – Carole Montillet, French skier
    • 1973 – Christian O’Connell, British radio DJ and presenter
    • 1973 – Brett Tomko, American baseball player
    • 1975 – Karin Dreijer Andersson, Swedish singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1975 – Ronde Barber, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1975 – Tiki Barber, American football player and journalist
    • 1975 – Ronnie Belliard, American baseball player
    • 1975 – John Cooper, American singer-songwriter and bass player
    • 1975 – Simon Woolford, Australian rugby league player
    • 1976 – Kevin Alejandro, American actor and producer
    • 1976 – Martin Buß, German high jumper
    • 1976 – Jessica Lee, English lawyer and politician
    • 1976 – Aaron Lohr, American actor
    • 1976 – Barbara Jane Reams, American actress
    • 1976 – Gang Qiang, Chinese anchor
    • 1978 – Jo Appleby, English soprano
    • 1978 – Duncan James, English singer-songwriter and actor
    • 1978 – Lilia Osterloh, American tennis player
    • 1979 – Adrián Beltré, Dominican-American baseball player
    • 1979 – Patrick Crayton, American football player
    • 1979 – Pascal Dupuis, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1979 – Danny Sandoval, Venezuelan-American baseball player
    • 1980 – Dragan Bogavac, Montenegrin footballer
    • 1980 – Tetsuji Tamayama, Japanese actor
    • 1981 – Hitoe Arakaki, Japanese singer
    • 1981 – Kazuki Watanabe, Japanese songwriter and guitarist (d. 2000)
    • 1981 – Vanessa Olivarez, American singer-songwriter, and actress
    • 1981 – Suzann Pettersen, Norwegian golfer
    • 1982 – Silvana Arias, Peruvian actress
    • 1982 – Sonjay Dutt, American wrestler
    • 1982 – Kelli Young, English singer
    • 1983 – Hamish Davidson, Australian musician
    • 1983 – Franck Ribéry, French footballer
    • 1983 – Jon Stead, English footballer
    • 1983 – Jakub Smrž, Czech motorcycle rider
    • 1983 – Janar Talts, Estonian basketball player
    • 1984 – Hiroko Shimabukuro, Japanese singer
    • 1985 – KC Concepcion, Filipino actress and singer
    • 1985 – Humza Yousaf, Scottish politician
    • 1986 – Brooke Brodack, American comedian
    • 1986 – Jack Duarte, Mexican actor, singer, and guitarist
    • 1986 – Andi Fraggs, English singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1986 – Christian Fuchs, Austrian footballer
    • 1987 – Martín Cáceres, Uruguayan footballer
    • 1987 – Eelco Sintnicolaas, Dutch decathlete
    • 1987 – Jamar Smith, American football player
    • 1988 – Antonio Piccolo, Italian footballer
    • 1988 – Ed Speleers, English actor and producer
    • 1989 – Alexa Demara, American actress, model and writer
    • 1989 – Franco Di Santo, Argentinian footballer
    • 1989 – Mitchell Pearce, Australian rugby league player
    • 1989 – Teddy Riner, French judoka
    • 1990 – Nickel Ashmeade, Jamaican sprinter
    • 1990 – Anna Bogomazova, Russian-American kick-boxer, martial artist, and wrestler
    • 1990 – Sorana Cîrstea, Romanian tennis player
    • 1990 – Trent Cotchin, Australian footballer
    • 1991 – Luka Milivojević, Serbian footballer
    • 1991 – Anne-Marie, English singer-songwriter
    • 1992 – Andreea Acatrinei, Romanian gymnast
    • 1992 – Guilherme Negueba, Brazilian footballer
    • 1993 – Ichinojō Takashi, Mongolian sumo wrestler
    • 1994 – Johanna Allik, Estonian figure skater
    • 1994 – Aaron Gray, Australian rugby league player
    • 1996 – Emerson Hyndman, American international soccer player[5]
    • 1997 – Rafaela Gómez, Ecuadorian tennis player

    Deaths on April 7

    • AD 30 – Jesus Christ, (possible date of the crucifixion) (b. circa 4 BC)
    • 821 – George the Standard-Bearer, archbishop of Mytilene (b. c. 776)
    • 924 – Berengar I of Italy (b. 845)
    • 1206 – Frederick I, Duke of Lorraine
    • 1340 – Bolesław Jerzy II of Mazovia (b. 1308)
    • 1498 – Charles VIII of France (b. 1470)
    • 1499 – Galeotto I Pico, Duke of Mirandola (b. 1442)
    • 1501 – Minkhaung II, king of Ava (b. 1446)
    • 1606 – Edward Oldcorne, English martyr (b. 1561)
    • 1614 – El Greco, Greek-Spanish painter and sculptor (b. 1541)
    • 1638 – Shimazu Tadatsune, Japanese daimyō (b. 1576)
    • 1651 – Lennart Torstensson, Swedish field marshal and engineer (b. 1603)
    • 1658 – Juan Eusebio Nieremberg, Spanish mystic and philosopher (b. 1595)
    • 1661 – Sir William Brereton, 1st Baronet, English commander and politician (b. 1604)
    • 1663 – Francis Cooke, English-American settler (b. 1583)
    • 1668 – William Davenant, English poet and playwright (b. 1606)
    • 1719 – Jean-Baptiste de La Salle, French priest and saint, founded the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools (b. 1651)
    • 1739 – Dick Turpin, English criminal (b. 1705)
    • 1747 – Leopold I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau (b. 1676)
    • 1761 – Thomas Bayes, English minister and mathematician (b. 1701)
    • 1766 – Tiberius Hemsterhuis, Dutch philologist and critic (b. 1685)
    • 1767 – Franz Sparry, Austrian composer and director (b. 1715)
    • 1782 – Taksin, Thai king (b. 1734)
    • 1789 – Abdul Hamid I, Ottoman sultan (b. 1725)
    • 1789 – Petrus Camper, Dutch physician, anatomist, and physiologist (b. 1722)
    • 1801 – Noël François de Wailly, French lexicographer and author (b. 1724)
    • 1804 – Toussaint Louverture, Haitian general (b. 1743)
    • 1811 – Garsevan Chavchavadze, Georgian diplomat and politician (b. 1757)
    • 1823 – Jacques Charles, French physicist and mathematician (b. 1746)
    • 1833 – Antoni Radziwiłł, Lithuanian composer and politician (b. 1775)
    • 1836 – William Godwin, English journalist and author (b. 1756)
    • 1849 – Pedro Ignacio de Castro Barros, Argentinian priest and politician (b. 1777)
    • 1850 – William Lisle Bowles, English poet and critic (b. 1762)
    • 1858 – Anton Diabelli, Austrian composer and publisher (b. 1781)
    • 1868 – Thomas D’Arcy McGee, Irish-Canadian journalist, activist, and politician (b. 1825)
    • 1879 – Begum Hazrat Mahal, Begum of Awadh, was the second wife of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah (b. 1820)
    • 1885 – Karl Theodor Ernst von Siebold, German physiologist and zoologist (b. 1804)
    • 1889 – Youssef Bey Karam, Lebanese soldier and politician (b. 1823)
    • 1889 – Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada, Mexican politician and president, 1872-1876 (b. 1823)
    • 1891 – P. T. Barnum, American businessman and politician, co-founded The Barnum & Bailey Circus (b. 1810)
    • 1917 – Spyridon Samaras, Greek composer and playwright (b. 1861)
    • 1918 – David Kolehmainen, Finnish wrestler (b. 1885)
    • 1918 – George E. Ohr, American potter (b. 1857)
    • 1920 – Karl Binding, German lawyer and jurist (b. 1841)
    • 1922 – James McGowen, Australian politician, 18th Premier of New South Wales (b. 1855)
    • 1928 – Alexander Bogdanov, Russian physician, philosopher, and author (b. 1873)
    • 1932 – Grigore Constantinescu, Romanian priest and journalist (b. 1875)
    • 1938 – Suzanne Valadon, French painter (b. 1865)
    • 1939 – Joseph Lyons, Australian educator and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1879)
    • 1943 – Jovan Dučić, Serbian-American poet and diplomat (b. 1871)
    • 1943 – Alexandre Millerand, French lawyer and politician, 12th President of France (b. 1859)
    • 1947 – Henry Ford, American engineer and businessman, founded the Ford Motor Company (b. 1863)
    • 1949 – John Gourlay, Canadian soccer player (b. 1872)
    • 1950 – Walter Huston, Canadian-American actor and singer (b. 1883)
    • 1955 – Theda Bara, American actress (b. 1885)
    • 1956 – Fred Appleby, English runner (b. 1879)
    • 1960 – Henri Guisan, Swiss general (b. 1874)
    • 1965 – Roger Leger, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1919)
    • 1966 – Walt Hansgen, American race car driver (b. 1919)
    • 1968 – Edwin Baker, Canadian co-founder of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) (b. 1893)
    • 1968 – Jim Clark, Scottish race car driver (b. 1936)
    • 1972 – Joe Gallo, American gangster (b. 1929)
    • 1972 – Abeid Karume, Tanzanian politician, 1st President of Zanzibar (b. 1905)
    • 1981 – Kit Lambert, English record producer and manager (b. 1935)
    • 1981 – Norman Taurog, American director and screenwriter (b. 1899)
    • 1982 – Harald Ertl, Austrian race car driver and journalist (b. 1948)
    • 1984 – Frank Church, American soldier, lawyer, and politician (b. 1924)
    • 1985 – Carl Schmitt, German philosopher and jurist (b. 1888)
    • 1986 – Leonid Kantorovich, Russian mathematician and economist (b. 1912)
    • 1990 – Ronald Evans, American captain, engineer, and astronaut (b. 1933)
    • 1991 – Memduh Ünlütürk, Turkish general (b. 1913)
    • 1992 – Ace Bailey, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1903)
    • 1992 – Antonis Tritsis, Greek high jumper and politician, 71st Mayor of Athens (b. 1937)
    • 1994 – Lee Brilleaux, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1952)
    • 1994 – Albert Guðmundsson, Icelandic footballer, manager, and politician (b. 1923)
    • 1994 – Golo Mann, German historian and author (b. 1909)
    • 1994 – Agathe Uwilingiyimana, Rwandan chemist, academic, and politician, Prime Minister of Rwanda (b. 1953)
    • 1995 – Philip Jebb, English architect and politician (b. 1927)
    • 1997 – Luis Aloma, Cuban-American baseball player (b. 1923)
    • 1997 – Georgy Shonin, Ukrainian-Russian general, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1935)
    • 1998 – Alex Schomburg, Puerto Rican-American painter and illustrator (b. 1905)
    • 1999 – Heinz Lehmann, German-Canadian psychiatrist and academic (b. 1911)
    • 2001 – David Graf, American actor (b. 1950)
    • 2001 – Beatrice Straight, American actress (b. 1914)
    • 2002 – John Agar, American actor (b. 1921)
    • 2003 – Cecile de Brunhoff, French pianist and author (b. 1903)
    • 2003 – David Greene, English-American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1921)
    • 2004 – Victor Argo, American actor (b. 1934)
    • 2004 – Konstantinos Kallias, Greek politician (b. 1901)
    • 2005 – Cliff Allison, English race car driver (b. 1932)
    • 2005 – Grigoris Bithikotsis, Greek singer-songwriter (b. 1922)
    • 2005 – Bob Kennedy, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1920)
    • 2005 – Melih Kibar, Turkish composer and educator (b. 1951)
    • 2007 – Johnny Hart, American author and illustrator (b. 1931)
    • 2007 – Barry Nelson, American actor (b. 1917)
    • 2008 – Ludu Daw Amar, Burmese journalist and author (b. 1915)
    • 2009 – Dave Arneson, American game designer, co-created Dungeons & Dragons (b. 1947)
    • 2011 – Pierre Gauvreau, Canadian painter (b. 1922)
    • 2012 – Steven Kanumba, Tanzanian actor and director (b. 1984)
    • 2012 – Satsue Mito, Japanese zoologist and academic (b. 1914)
    • 2012 – Ignatius Moses I Daoud, Syrian cardinal (b. 1930)
    • 2012 – David E. Pergrin, American colonel and engineer (b. 1917)
    • 2012 – Bashir Ahmed Qureshi, Pakistani politician (b. 1959)
    • 2012 – Mike Wallace, American television news journalist (b. 1918)
    • 2013 – Marty Blake, American businessman (b. 1927)
    • 2013 – Les Blank, American director and producer (b. 1935)
    • 2013 – Andy Johns, English-American record producer (b. 1950)
    • 2013 – Lilly Pulitzer, American fashion designer (b. 1931)
    • 2013 – Irma Ravinale, Italian composer and educator (b. 1937)
    • 2013 – Mickey Rose, American screenwriter (b. 1935)
    • 2013 – Carl Williams, American boxer (b. 1959)
    • 2014 – George Dureau, American painter and photographer (b. 1930)
    • 2014 – James Alexander Green, American-English mathematician and academic (b. 1926)
    • 2014 – V. K. Murthy, Indian cinematographer (b. 1923)
    • 2014 – Zeituni Onyango, Kenyan-American computer programmer (b. 1952)
    • 2014 – John Shirley-Quirk, English opera singer (b. 1931)
    • 2014 – George Shuffler, American guitarist (b. 1925)
    • 2014 – Josep Maria Subirachs, Spanish sculptor and painter (b. 1927)
    • 2014 – Royce Waltman, American basketball player and coach (b. 1942)
    • 2015 – Tim Babcock, American soldier and politician, 16th Governor of Montana (b. 1919)
    • 2015 – José Capellán, Dominican-American baseball player (b. 1981)
    • 2015 – Stan Freberg, American puppeteer, voice actor, and singer (b. 1926)
    • 2015 – Richard Henyekane, South African footballer (b. 1983)
    • 2015 – Geoffrey Lewis, American actor (b. 1935)
    • 2016 – Blackjack Mulligan, American professional wrestler (b. 1942)
    • 2019 – Seymour Cassel, American actor (b. 1935)

    Holidays and observances on April 7

    • Christian feast days:
      • Aibert of Crespin
      • Blessed Alexander Rawlins
      • Blessed Edward Oldcorne and Blessed Ralph Ashley
      • Blessed Notker the Stammerer
      • Brynach
      • Hegesippus
      • Henry Walpole
      • Hermann Joseph
      • Jean-Baptiste de La Salle
      • Patriarch Tikhon of Moscow (Eastern Orthodox Church, Episcopal Church (USA))
      • April 7 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Flag Day (Slovenia)
    • Genocide Memorial Day (Rwanda), and its related observance:
      • International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Rwanda Genocide (United Nations)
    • Motherhood and Beauty Day (Armenia)
    • National Beer Day (United States)
    • Sheikh Abeid Amani Karume Day (Tanzania)
    • Women’s Day (Mozambique)
    • World Health Day (International observance)