1672

  • April 2 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 1513 – Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León first sights land in what is now the United States state of Florida.
    • 1755 – Commodore William James captures the Maratha fortress of Suvarnadurg on west coast of India.
    • 1792 – The Coinage Act is passed establishing the United States Mint.
    • 1800 – Ludwig van Beethoven leads the premiere of his First Symphony in Vienna.
    • 1800 – The Treaty of Constantinople establishes the Septinsular Republic, the first autonomous Greek state since the Fall of the Byzantine Empire.
    • 1801 – French Revolutionary Wars: The British capture the Danish fleet.
    • 1851 – Rama IV is crowned King of Thailand.
    • 1863 – American Civil War: The largest in a series of Southern bread riots occurs in Richmond, Virginia.
    • 1865 – American Civil War: Defeat at the Third Battle of Petersburg forces the Army of Northern Virginia and the Confederate government to abandon Richmond, Virginia.
    • 1885 – Canadian Cree warriors attack the village of Frog Lake, killing nine.
    • 1900 – The United States Congress passes the Foraker Act, giving Puerto Rico limited self-rule.
    • 1902 – Dmitry Sipyagin, Minister of Interior of the Russian Empire, is assassinated in the Marie Palace, Saint Petersburg.
    • 1902 – “Electric Theatre”, the first full-time movie theater in the United States, opens in Los Angeles.
    • 1911 – The Australian Bureau of Statistics conducts the country’s first national census.
    • 1912 – The ill-fated RMS Titanic begins sea trials.
    • 1917 – World War I: United States President Woodrow Wilson asks the U.S. Congress for a declaration of war on Germany.
    • 1921 – The Autonomous Government of Khorasan, a military government encompassing the modern state of Iran, is established.
    • 1930 – After the mysterious death of Empress Zewditu, Haile Selassie is proclaimed emperor of Ethiopia.
    • 1956 – As the World Turns and The Edge of Night premiere on CBS. The two soaps become the first daytime dramas to debut in the 30-minute format.
    • 1964 – The Soviet Union launches Zond 1.
    • 1972 – Actor Charlie Chaplin returns to the United States for the first time since being labeled a communist during the Red Scare in the early 1950s.
    • 1973 – Launch of the LexisNexis computerized legal research service.
    • 1975 – Vietnam War: Thousands of civilian refugees flee from Quảng Ngãi Province in front of advancing North Vietnamese troops.
    • 1976 – Prince Norodom Sihanouk resigns as leader of Cambodia and is placed under house arrest.
    • 1979 – A Soviet bio-warfare laboratory at Sverdlovsk accidentally releases airborne anthrax spores, killing 66 plus an unknown amount of livestock.
    • 1980 – United States President Jimmy Carter signs the Crude Oil Windfall Profits Tax Act.
    • 1982 – Falklands War: Argentina invades the Falkland Islands.
    • 1986 – Alabama governor George Wallace, a former segregationist, best known for the “Stand in the Schoolhouse Door”, announces that he will not seek a fifth four-year term and will retire from public life upon the end of his term in January 1987.
    • 1989 – Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev arrives in Havana, Cuba, to meet with Fidel Castro in an attempt to mend strained relations.
    • 1989 – ASUS corporation is founded.
    • 1991 – Rita Johnston becomes the first female Premier of a Canadian province when she succeeds William Vander Zalm (who had resigned) as Premier of British Columbia.
    • 1992 – In New York, Mafia boss John Gotti is convicted of murder and racketeering and is later sentenced to life in prison.
    • 1992 – Forty-two civilians are massacred in the town of Bijeljina in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
    • 2002 – Israeli forces surround the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem into which armed Palestinians had retreated.
    • 2004 – Islamist terrorists involved in the 11 March 2004 Madrid attacks attempt to bomb the Spanish high-speed train AVE near Madrid; the attack is thwarted.
    • 2006 – Over 60 tornadoes break out in the United States; Tennessee is hardest hit with 29 people killed.
    • 2012 – A mass shooting at Oikos University in California leaves seven people dead and three injured.
    • 2014 – A spree shooting occurs at the Fort Hood army base in Texas, with four dead, including the gunman, and 16 others injured.
    • 2015 – Gunmen attack Garissa University College in Kenya, killing at least 148 people and wounding 79 others.
    • 2015 – Four men steal items worth up to £200 million from an underground safe deposit facility in London’s Hatton Garden area in what has been called the “largest burglary in English legal history.”

    Births on April 2

    • 742 – Charlemagne, Frankish king (d. 814)
    • 1473 – John Corvinus, Hungarian noble (d. 1504)
    • 1545 – Elisabeth of Valois (d. 1568)
    • 1565 – Cornelis de Houtman, Dutch explorer (d. 1599)
    • 1586 – Pietro Della Valle, Italian traveler (d. 1652)
    • 1602 – Mary of Jesus of Ágreda, Franciscan abbess (d. 1665)
    • 1618 – Francesco Maria Grimaldi, Italian mathematician and physicist (d. 1663)
    • 1647 – Maria Sibylla Merian, German-Dutch botanist and illustrator (d. 1717)
    • 1653 – Prince George of Denmark (d. 1708)
    • 1696 – Francesca Cuzzoni, Italian operatic soprano (d. 1778)
    • 1719 – Johann Wilhelm Ludwig Gleim, German poet (d. 1803)
    • 1725 – Giacomo Casanova, Italian explorer and author (d. 1798)
    • 1788 – Francisco Balagtas, Filipino poet and author (d. 1862)
    • 1788 – Wilhelmine Reichard, German balloonist (d. 1848)
    • 1789 – Lucio Norberto Mansilla, Argentinian general and politician (d. 1871)
    • 1792 – Francisco de Paula Santander, Colombian general and politician, 4th President of the Republic of the New Granada (d. 1840)
    • 1798 – August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben, German poet and academic (d. 1874)
    • 1805 – Hans Christian Andersen, Danish novelist, short story writer, and poet (d. 1875)
    • 1814 – Henry L. Benning, American general and judge (d. 1875)
    • 1814 – Erastus Brigham Bigelow, American inventor (d. 1879)
    • 1827 – William Holman Hunt, English soldier and painter (d. 1910)
    • 1835 – Jacob Nash Victor, American engineer (d. 1907)
    • 1838 – Léon Gambetta, French lawyer and politician, 45th Prime Minister of France (d. 1882)
    • 1840 – Émile Zola, French novelist, playwright, journalist (d. 1902)
    • 1841 – Clément Ader, French engineer, designed the Ader Avion III (d. 1926)
    • 1842 – Dominic Savio, Italian Catholic saint, adolescent student of Saint John Bosco (d. 1857)
    • 1861 – Iván Persa, Slovenian priest and author (d. 1935)
    • 1862 – Nicholas Murray Butler, American philosopher and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1947)
    • 1869 – Hughie Jennings, American baseball player and manager (d. 1928)
    • 1875 – Walter Chrysler, American businessman, founded Chrysler (d. 1940)
    • 1875 – William Donne, English cricketer and captain (d. 1942)
    • 1884 – J. C. Squire, English poet, author, and historian (d. 1958)
    • 1891 – Jack Buchanan, Scottish entertainer (d. 1957)
    • 1891 – Max Ernst, German painter, sculptor, and poet (d. 1976)
    • 1891 – Tristão de Bragança Cunha, Indian nationalist and anti-colonial activist from Goa (d. 1958)
    • 1896 – Johnny Golden, American golfer (d. 1936)
    • 1898 – Harindranath Chattopadhyay, Indian poet, actor and politician (d. 1990)
    • 1898 – Chiungtze C. Tsen, Chinese mathematician (d. 1940)
    • 1900 – Roberto Arlt, Argentinian journalist, author, and playwright (d. 1942)
    • 1900 – Anis Fuleihan, Cypriot-American pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1970)
    • 1900 – Alfred Strange, English footballer (d. 1978)
    • 1902 – Jan Tschichold, German-Swiss graphic designer and typographer (d. 1974)
    • 1903 – Lionel Chevrier, Canadian lawyer and politician, 27th Canadian Minister of Justice (d. 1987)
    • 1906 – Alphonse-Marie Parent, Canadian priest and educator (d. 1970)
    • 1907 – Harald Andersson, American-Swedish discus thrower (d. 1985)
    • 1907 – Luke Appling, American baseball player and manager (d. 1991)
    • 1908 – Buddy Ebsen, American actor and dancer (d. 2003)
    • 1910 – Paul Triquet, Canadian general, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 1980)
    • 1910 – Chico Xavier, Brazilian spiritual medium (d. 2002)
    • 1914 – Alec Guinness, English actor (d. 2000)
    • 1919 – Delfo Cabrera, Argentinian runner and soldier (d. 1981)
    • 1920 – Gerald Bouey, Canadian lieutenant and civil servant (d. 2004)
    • 1920 – Jack Stokes, English animator and director (d. 2013)
    • 1920 – Jack Webb, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1982)
    • 1922 – John C. Whitehead, American banker and politician, 9th United States Deputy Secretary of State (d. 2015)
    • 1923 – Gloria Henry, American actress
    • 1923 – Johnny Paton, Scottish footballer, coach, and manager (d. 2015)
    • 1923 – G. Spencer-Brown, English mathematician, psychologist, and author (d. 2016)
    • 1924 – Bobby Ávila, Mexican baseball player (d. 2004)
    • 1925 – George MacDonald Fraser, Scottish author and screenwriter (d. 2008)
    • 1925 – Hans Rosenthal, German radio and television host (d. 1987)
    • 1926 – Jack Brabham, Australian race car driver (d. 2014)
    • 1926 – Rudra Rajasingham, Sri Lankan police officer and diplomat (d. 2006)
    • 1927 – Carmen Basilio, American boxer and soldier (d. 2012)
    • 1927 – Howard Callaway, American soldier and politician, 11th United States Secretary of the Army (d. 2014)
    • 1927 – Rita Gam, American actress (d. 2016)
    • 1927 – Billy Pierce, American baseball player and sportscaster (d. 2015)
    • 1927 – Kenneth Tynan, English author and critic (d. 1980)
    • 1928 – Joseph Bernardin, American cardinal (d. 1996)
    • 1928 – Serge Gainsbourg, French singer-songwriter, actor, and director (d. 1991)
    • 1928 – Roy Masters, English-American radio host
    • 1928 – David Robinson, Northern Irish horticulturist and academic (d. 2004)
    • 1929 – Ed Dorn, American poet and educator (d. 1999)
    • 1930 – Roddy Maude-Roxby, English actor
    • 1931 – Vladimir Kuznetsov, Russian javelin thrower (d. 1986)
    • 1932 – Edward Egan, American cardinal (d. 2015)
    • 1933 – György Konrád, Hungarian sociologist and author
    • 1934 – Paul Cohen, American mathematician and theorist (d. 2007)
    • 1934 – Brian Glover, English wrestler and actor (d. 1997)
    • 1934 – Carl Kasell, American journalist and game show host (d. 2018)
    • 1934 – Richard Portman, American sound engineer (d. 2017)
    • 1934 – Dovid Shmidel, Austrian-born Israeli rabbi
    • 1936 – Shaul Ladany, Serbian-Israeli race walker and engineer
    • 1937 – Dick Radatz, American baseball player (d. 2005)
    • 1938 – John Larsson, Swedish 17th General of The Salvation Army
    • 1938 – Booker Little, American trumpet player and composer (d. 1961)
    • 1938 – Al Weis, American baseball player
    • 1939 – Marvin Gaye, American singer-songwriter (d. 1984)
    • 1939 – Anthony Lake, American academic and diplomat, 18th United States National Security Advisor
    • 1939 – Lise Thibault, Canadian journalist and politician, 27th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec
    • 1940 – Donald Jackson, Canadian figure skater and coach
    • 1940 – Mike Hailwood, English motorcycle racer (d. 1981)
    • 1940 – Penelope Keith, English actress
    • 1941 – Dr. Demento, American radio host
    • 1941 – Sonny Throckmorton, American country singer-songwriter
    • 1942 – Leon Russell, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 2016)
    • 1942 – Roshan Seth, Indian-English actor
    • 1943 – Michael Boyce, Baron Boyce, South African-English admiral and politician, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports
    • 1943 – Caterina Bueno, Italian singer (d. 2007)
    • 1943 – Larry Coryell, American jazz guitarist (d. 2017)
    • 1943 – Antonio Sabàto, Sr., Italian actor
    • 1944 – Bill Malinchak, American football player
    • 1945 – Jürgen Drews, German singer-songwriter
    • 1945 – Guy Fréquelin, French race car driver
    • 1945 – Linda Hunt, American actress
    • 1945 – Reggie Smith, American baseball player and coach
    • 1945 – Don Sutton, American baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1945 – Anne Waldman, American poet
    • 1946 – Richard Collinge, New Zealand cricketer
    • 1946 – David Heyes, English politician
    • 1946 – Sue Townsend, English author and playwright (d. 2014)
    • 1946 – Kurt Winter, Canadian guitarist and songwriter (d. 1997)
    • 1947 – Paquita la del Barrio, Mexican singer-songwriter
    • 1947 – Tua Forsström, Finnish writer
    • 1947 – Emmylou Harris, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1947 – Camille Paglia, American author and critic
    • 1948 – Roald Als, Danish author and illustrator
    • 1948 – Dimitris Mitropanos, Greek singer (d. 2012)
    • 1948 – Daniel Okrent, American journalist and author
    • 1948 – Joan D. Vinge, American author
    • 1949 – Paul Gambaccini, American-English radio and television host
    • 1949 – Bernd Müller, German footballer
    • 1949 – Pamela Reed, American actress
    • 1949 – David Robinson, American drummer
    • 1950 – Lynn Westmoreland, American politician
    • 1951 – Ayako Okamoto, Japanese golfer
    • 1952 – Lennart Fagerlund, Swedish cyclist
    • 1952 – Will Hoy, English race car driver (d. 2002)
    • 1952 – Leon Wilkeson, American bass player and songwriter (d. 2001)
    • 1953 – Jim Allister, Northern Irish lawyer and politician
    • 1953 – Rosemary Bryant Mariner, 20th and 21st-century U.S. Navy aviator
    • 1953 – Malika Oufkir, Moroccan Berber writer
    • 1953 – Debralee Scott, American actress (d. 2005)
    • 1953 – James Vance, American author and playwright (d. 2017)
    • 1954 – Gregory Abbott, American singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1954 – Donald Petrie, American actor and director
    • 1955 – Michael Stone, Northern Irish loyalist paramilitary
    • 1957 – Caroline Dean, English biologist and academic
    • 1957 – Hank Steinbrenner, American businessman, co-owner of the New York Yankees
    • 1958 – Stefano Bettarello, Italian rugby player
    • 1958 – Larry Drew, American basketball player and coach
    • 1959 – Gelindo Bordin, Italian runner
    • 1959 – David Frankel, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1959 – Juha Kankkunen, Finnish race car driver
    • 1959 – Yves Lavandier, French director and producer
    • 1959 – Badou Ezzaki, Moroccan footballer and manager
    • 1960 – Linford Christie, Jamaican-English sprinter
    • 1960 – Brad Jones, Australian race car driver
    • 1960 – Pascale Nadeau, Canadian journalist
    • 1961 – Buddy Jewell, American singer-songwriter
    • 1961 – Christopher Meloni, American actor
    • 1961 – Keren Woodward, English singer-songwriter
    • 1962 – Pierre Carles, French director and producer
    • 1962 – Billy Dean, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1962 – Clark Gregg, American actor
    • 1963 – Karl Beattie, English director and producer
    • 1963 – Mike Gascoyne, English engineer
    • 1964 – Pete Incaviglia, American baseball player and coach
    • 1964 – Jonathon Sharkey, American wrestler
    • 1965 – Rodney King, American victim of police brutality (d. 2012)
    • 1966 – Bill Romanowski, American football player and actor
    • 1966 – Teddy Sheringham, English international footballer, striker and coach
    • 1967 – Greg Camp, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1967 – Phil Demmel, American guitarist and songwriter
    • 1969 – Ajay Devgan, Indian actor, director, and producer
    • 1971 – Edmundo Alves de Souza Neto, Brazilian footballer
    • 1971 – Jason Lewry, English cricketer
    • 1971 – Todd Woodbridge, Australian tennis player and sportscaster
    • 1972 – Remo D’Souza, Indian choreographer and dancer
    • 1972 – Calvin Davis, American sprinter and hurdler
    • 1972 – Zane Lamprey, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1973 – Dmitry Lipartov, Russian footballer
    • 1973 – Roselyn Sánchez, Puerto Rican-American actress
    • 1973 – Aleksejs Semjonovs, Latvian footballer
    • 1974 – Tayfun Korkut, Turkish football manager and former player
    • 1975 – Randy Livingston, American basketball player
    • 1975 – Katrin Rutschow-Stomporowski, German rower
    • 1976 – Andreas Anastasopoulos, Greek shot putter
    • 1976 – Rory Sabbatini, South African golfer
    • 1976 – Pattie Mallette, Canadian author and film producer
    • 1977 – Per Elofsson, Swedish skier
    • 1977 – Michael Fassbender, German-Irish actor and producer
    • 1977 – Hanno Pevkur, Estonian lawyer and politician, Estonian Minister of Justice
    • 1978 – Scott Lynch, American author
    • 1978 – Ethan Smith, American actor, director, and producer
    • 1979 – Jesse Carmichael, American keyboard player
    • 1980 – Avi Benedi, Israeli singer and songwriter
    • 1980 – Adam Fleming, Scottish journalist
    • 1980 – Gavin Heffernan, Canadian director and screenwriter
    • 1980 – Ricky Hendrick, American race car driver (d. 2004)
    • 1980 – Wairangi Koopu, New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1980 – Carlos Salcido, Mexican international footballer, defender
    • 1981 – Michael Clarke, Australian cricketer
    • 1981 – Kapil Sharma, Indian stand-up comedian, television presenter and actor
    • 1982 – Marco Amelia, Italian footballer
    • 1982 – Jeremy Bloom, American football player and skier
    • 1982 – Jack Evans, American wrestler
    • 1982 – David Ferrer, Spanish tennis player
    • 1983 – Yung Joc, American rapper
    • 1983 – Maksym Mazuryk, Ukrainian pole vaulter
    • 1984 – Engin Atsür, Turkish basketball player
    • 1984 – Nóra Barta, Hungarian diver
    • 1984 – Jérémy Morel, French footballer
    • 1985 – Thom Evans, Zimbabwean-Scottish rugby player
    • 1985 – Stéphane Lambiel, Swiss figure skater
    • 1986 – Ibrahim Afellay, Dutch footballer
    • 1986 – Andris Biedriņš, Latvian basketball player
    • 1986 – Lee DeWyze, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1987 – Pablo Aguilar, Paraguayan footballer
    • 1987 – Marc Pugh, English footballer
    • 1988 – Jesse Plemons, American actor
    • 1990 – Yevgeniya Kanayeva, Russian gymnast
    • 1990 – Miralem Pjanić, Bosnian footballer
    • 1991 – Quavo, American rapper
    • 1993 – Keshorn Walcott, Trinidadian javelin thrower
    • 1997 – Dillon Bassett, American race car driver
    • 1997 – Abdelhak Nouri, Dutch footballer

    Deaths on April 2

    • 670 – Hasan ibn Ali the second Shia Imam (b. 624)
    • 870 – Æbbe the Younger, Frankish abbess
    • 872 – Muflih al-Turki, Turkish general
    • 968 – Yuan Dezhao, Chinese chancellor (b. 891)
    • 991 – Bardas Skleros, Byzantine general
    • 1118 – Baldwin I, king of Jerusalem
    • 1244 – Henrik Harpestræng, Danish botanical and medical author
    • 1272 – Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall, English husband of Sanchia of Provence (b. 1209)
    • 1335 – Henry of Bohemia (b. 1265)
    • 1412 – Ruy González de Clavijo, Spanish explorer and author
    • 1416 – Ferdinand I, king of Aragon (b. 1379)
    • 1502 – Arthur, prince of Wales (b. 1486)
    • 1507 – Francis of Paola, Italian friar and saint, founded the Order of the Minims (b. 1416)
    • 1511 – Bernard VII, Lord of Lippe, German nobleman (b. 1428)
    • 1640 – Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski, Polish author and poet (b. 1595)
    • 1657 – Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1608)
    • 1657 – Jean-Jacques Olier, French priest, founded the Society of Saint-Sulpice (b. 1608)
    • 1672 – Pedro Calungsod, Filipino missionary and saint (b. 1654)
    • 1672 – Diego Luis de San Vitores, Spanish Jesuit missionary (b. 1627)
    • 1720 – Joseph Dudley, English politician, Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay (b. 1647)
    • 1742 – James Douglas, Scottish physician and anatomist (b. 1675)
    • 1747 – Johann Jacob Dillenius, German-English botanist and mycologist (b. 1684)
    • 1754 – Thomas Carte, English historian and author (b. 1686)
    • 1787 – Thomas Gage, English general and politician, Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay (b. 1719)
    • 1791 – Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau, French journalist and politician (b. 1749)
    • 1801 – Thomas Dadford, Jr., English engineer (b. 1761)
    • 1803 – Sir James Montgomery, 1st Baronet, Scottish judge and politician (b. 1721)
    • 1817 – Johann Heinrich Jung, German author and academic (b. 1740)
    • 1827 – Ludwig Heinrich Bojanus, German physician and educator (b. 1776)
    • 1845 – Philip Charles Durham, Scottish admiral and politician (b. 1763)
    • 1865 – A. P. Hill, American general (b. 1825)
    • 1872 – Samuel Morse, American painter and academic, invented the Morse code (b. 1791)
    • 1891 – Albert Pike, American lawyer and general (b. 1809)
    • 1891 – Ahmed Vefik Pasha, Greek playwright and politician, 249th Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire (b. 1823)
    • 1894 – Achille Vianelli, Italian painter and academic (b. 1803)
    • 1896 – Theodore Robinson, American painter and academic (b. 1852)
    • 1914 – Paul Heyse, German author, poet, and translator, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1830)
    • 1917 – Bryn Lewis, Welsh international rugby player (b.1891)
    • 1923 – Topal Osman, Turkish colonel (b. 1883)
    • 1928 – Theodore William Richards, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1868)
    • 1930 – Zewditu I of Ethiopia (b. 1876)
    • 1933 – Ranjitsinhji, Indian cricketer (b. 1872)
    • 1936 – Jean Baptiste Eugène Estienne, French general (b. 1860)
    • 1942 – Édouard Estaunié, French novelist (b. 1862)
    • 1948 – Sabahattin Ali, Turkish journalist, author, and poet (b. 1907)
    • 1953 – Hugo Sperrle, German field marshal (b. 1885)
    • 1966 – C. S. Forester, English novelist (b. 1899)
    • 1972 – Franz Halder, German general (b. 1884)
    • 1972 – Toshitsugu Takamatsu, Japanese martial artist and educator (b. 1887)
    • 1974 – Georges Pompidou, French banker and politician, 19th President of France (b. 1911)
    • 1977 – Walter Wolf, German academic and politician (b. 1907)
    • 1987 – Buddy Rich, American drummer, songwriter, and bandleader (b. 1917)
    • 1989 – Manolis Angelopoulos, Greek singer (b. 1939)
    • 1992 – Juanito, Spanish footballer and manager (b. 1954)
    • 1992 – Jan van Aartsen, Dutch politician (b. 1909)
    • 1994 – Betty Furness, American actress, consumer advocate, game show panelist, television journalist and television personality (b. 1916)
    • 1994 – Marc Fitch, British historian and philanthropist (b. 1908)
    • 1995 – Hannes Alfvén, Swedish physicist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1908)
    • 1997 – Tomoyuki Tanaka, Japanese director and producer (b. 1910)
    • 1998 – Rob Pilatus, American-German singer-songwriter (b. 1965)
    • 2001 – Charles Daudelin, Canadian sculptor and painter (b. 1920)
    • 2002 – Levi Celerio, Filipino composer and songwriter (b. 1910)
    • 2002 – John R. Pierce, American engineer and author (b. 1910)
    • 2003 – Edwin Starr, American singer-songwriter (b. 1942)
    • 2004 – John Argyris, Greek computer scientist, engineer, and academic (b. 1913)
    • 2005 – Lillian O’Donnell, American crime novelist (b. 1926)
    • 2005 – Pope John Paul II (b. 1920)
    • 2006 – Lloyd Searwar, Guyanese anthologist and diplomat (b. 1925)
    • 2007 – Henry L. Giclas, American astronomer and academic (b. 1910)
    • 2008 – Yakup Satar, Turkish World War I veteran(b. 1898)
    • 2009 – Albert Sanschagrin, Canadian bishop (b. 1911)
    • 2009 – Bud Shank, American saxophonist and flute player (b. 1926)
    • 2010 – Chris Kanyon, American wrestler (b. 1970)
    • 2011 – John C. Haas, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1918)
    • 2012 – Jesús Aguilarte, Venezuelan captain and politician (b. 1959)
    • 2012 – Elizabeth Catlett, American-Mexican sculptor and illustrator (b. 1915)
    • 2012 – Mauricio Lasansky, American graphic designer and academic (b. 1914)
    • 2013 – Fred, French author and illustrator (b. 1931)
    • 2013 – Jesús Franco, Spanish director, screenwriter, producer, and actor (b. 1930)
    • 2013 – Milo O’Shea, Irish-American actor (b. 1926)
    • 2014 – Glyn Jones, South African actor and screenwriter (b. 1931)
    • 2014 – Urs Widmer, Swiss author and playwright (b. 1938)
    • 2015 – Manoel de Oliveira, Portuguese actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1908)
    • 2015 – Robert H. Schuller, American pastor and author (b. 1926)
    • 2015 – Steve Stevaert, Belgian businessman and politician, Governor of Limburg (b. 1954)
    • 2016 – Gallieno Ferri, Italian comic book artist and illustrator (b. 1929)
    • 2016 – Robert Abajyan, Armenian sergeant (b. 1996)

    Holidays and observances on April 2

    • Christian feast day:
      • Abundius of Como
      • Amphianus of Lycia
      • Æbbe the Younger
      • Bronach of Glen-Seichis (Irish martyrology)
      • Francis of Paola
      • Francisco Coll Guitart
      • Henry Budd (Anglican Church of Canada)
      • Nicetius of Lyon
      • Pedro Calungsod
      • Theodosia of Tyre
      • Urban of Langres
      • April 2 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • International Children’s Book Day (International)
    • Thai Heritage Conservation Day (Thailand)
    • Unity of Peoples of Russia and Belarus Day (Belarus)
    • World Autism Awareness Day (International)

  • March 25 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 708 – Pope Constantine succeeds Pope Sisinnius as the 88th pope.
    • 717 – Theodosius III resigns the throne to the Byzantine Empire to enter the clergy.
    • 919 – Romanos Lekapenos seizes the Boukoleon Palace in Constantinople and becomes regent of the Byzantine emperor Constantine VII.
    • 1000 – Fatimid caliph al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah assassinates the eunuch chief minister Barjawan and assumes control of the government.
    • 1306 – Robert the Bruce becomes King of Scots (Scotland).
    • 1409 – The Council of Pisa opens.
    • 1555 – The city of Valencia is founded in present-day Venezuela.
    • 1576 – Jerome Savage takes out a sub-lease to start the Newington Butts Theatre outside London.
    • 1584 – Sir Walter Raleigh is granted a patent to colonize Virginia.
    • 1655 – Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, is discovered by Christiaan Huygens.
    • 1802 – The Treaty of Amiens is signed as a “Definitive Treaty of Peace” between France and the United Kingdom.
    • 1807 – The Slave Trade Act becomes law, abolishing the slave trade in the British Empire.
    • 1807 – The Swansea and Mumbles Railway, then known as the Oystermouth Railway, becomes the first passenger-carrying railway in the world.
    • 1811 – Percy Bysshe Shelley is expelled from the University of Oxford for publishing the pamphlet The Necessity of Atheism.
    • 1821 – Traditional date of the start of the Greek War of Independence. The war had actually begun on 23 February 1821 (Julian calendar).
    • 1845 – New Zealand Legislative Council pass the first Militia Act constituting the New Zealand Army.
    • 1865 – American Civil War: In Virginia, Confederate forces temporarily capture Fort Stedman from the Union.
    • 1894 – Coxey’s Army, the first significant American protest march, departs Massillon, Ohio for Washington, D.C.
    • 1911 – In New York City, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire kills 146 garment workers.
    • 1917 – The Georgian Orthodox Church restores its autocephaly abolished by Imperial Russia in 1811.
    • 1918 – The Belarusian People’s Republic is established.
    • 1924 – On the anniversary of Greek Independence, Alexandros Papanastasiou proclaims the Second Hellenic Republic.
    • 1931 – The Scottsboro Boys are arrested in Alabama and charged with rape.
    • 1941 – The Kingdom of Yugoslavia joins the Axis powers with the signing of the Tripartite Pact.
    • 1947 – An explosion in a coal mine in Centralia, Illinois kills 111.
    • 1948 – The first successful tornado forecast predicts that a tornado will strike Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma.
    • 1949 – More than 92,000 kulaks are suddenly deported from the Baltic states to Siberia.
    • 1957 – United States Customs seizes copies of Allen Ginsberg’s poem “Howl” on obscenity grounds.
    • 1957 – The European Economic Community is established with West Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg as the first members.
    • 1965 – Civil rights activists led by Martin Luther King Jr. successfully complete their 4-day 50-mile march from Selma to the capitol in Montgomery, Alabama.
    • 1969 – During their honeymoon, John Lennon and Yoko Ono hold their first Bed-In for Peace at the Amsterdam Hilton Hotel (until March 31).
    • 1971 – The Army of the Republic of Vietnam abandon an attempt to cut off the Ho Chi Minh trail in Laos.
    • 1975 – Faisal of Saudi Arabia is shot and killed by a mentally ill nephew.
    • 1979 – The first fully functional Space Shuttle orbiter, Columbia, is delivered to the John F. Kennedy Space Center to be prepared for its first launch.
    • 1988 – The Candle demonstration in Bratislava is the first mass demonstration of the 1980s against the communist regime in Czechoslovakia.
    • 1995 – WikiWikiWeb, the world’s first wiki, and part of the Portland Pattern Repository, is made public by Ward Cunningham.
    • 1996 – The European Union’s Veterinarian Committee bans the export of British beef and its by-products as a result of mad cow disease (Bovine spongiform encephalopathy).
    • 2006 – Capitol Hill massacre: A gunman kills six people before taking his own life at a party in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood.
    • 2006 – Protesters demanding a new election in Belarus, following the rigged 2006 Belarusian presidential election, clash with riot police. Opposition leader Aleksander Kozulin is among several protesters arrested.

    Births on March 25

    • 1252 – Conradin, Duke of Swabia (d. 1268)
    • 1259 – Andronikos II Palaiologos, Byzantine emperor (d. 1332)
    • 1297 – Andronikos III Palaiologos, Byzantine emperor (d. 1341)
    • 1297 – Arnošt of Pardubice, Polish archbishop (d. 1364)
    • 1345 – Blanche of Lancaster (d. 1369)
    • 1347 – Catherine of Siena, Italian philosopher, theologian, and saint (d. 1380)
    • 1404 – John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset, English military leader (d. 1444)
    • 1414 – Thomas Clifford, 8th Baron de Clifford, English noble (d. 1455)
    • 1434 – Eustochia Smeralda Calafato, Italian saint (d. 1485)
    • 1453 – Giuliano de’ Medici (d. 1478)
    • 1479 – Vasili III of Russia (d. 1533)
    • 1491 – Marie d’Albret, Countess of Rethel (d. 1549)
    • 1510 – Guillaume Postel, French linguist (d. 1581)
    • 1538 – Christopher Clavius, German mathematician and astronomer (d. 1612)
    • 1541 – Francesco I de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (d. 1587)
    • 1545 – John II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg (d. 1622)
    • 1546 – Giacomo Castelvetro, Italian writer (d. 1616)
    • 1593 – Jean de Brébeuf, French-Canadian missionary and saint (d. 1649)
    • 1611 – Evliya Çelebi, Ottoman Turk traveller and writer (d. 1682)
    • 1636 – Henric Piccardt, Dutch lawyer (d. 1712)
    • 1643 – Louis Moréri, French priest and scholar (d. 1680)
    • 1661 – Paul de Rapin, French soldier and historian (d. 1725)
    • 1699 – Johann Adolph Hasse, German singer and composer (d. 1783)
    • 1741 – Jean-Antoine Houdon, French sculptor and educator (d. 1828)
    • 1745 – John Barry, American naval officer and father of the American navy (d. 1803)
    • 1767 – Joachim Murat, French general (d. 1815)
    • 1782 – Caroline Bonaparte, French daughter of Carlo Buonaparte (d. 1839)
    • 1800 – Ernst Heinrich Karl von Dechen, German geologist and academic (d. 1889)
    • 1808 – José de Espronceda, Spanish poet and author (d. 1842)
    • 1824 – Clinton L. Merriam, American banker and politician (d. 1900)
    • 1840 – Myles Keogh, Irish-American colonel (d. 1876)
    • 1863 – Simon Flexner, American physician and academic (d. 1946)
    • 1867 – Gutzon Borglum, American sculptor, designed Mount Rushmore (d. 1941)
    • 1867 – Arturo Toscanini, Italian-American cellist and conductor (d. 1957)
    • 1868 – Bill Lockwood, English cricketer (d. 1932)
    • 1871 – Louis Perrée, French fencer (d. 1924)
    • 1872 – Horatio Nelson Jackson, American race car driver and physician (d. 1955)
    • 1873 – Rudolf Rocker, German-American author and activist (d. 1958)
    • 1874 – Selim Sırrı Tarcan, Turkish educator and politician (d. 1957)
    • 1876 – Irving Baxter, American jumper and pole vaulter (d. 1957)
    • 1877 – Walter Little, Canadian politician (d. 1961)
    • 1878 – František Janda-Suk, Czech discus thrower and shot putter (d. 1955)
    • 1879 – Amedee Reyburn, American swimmer and water polo player (d. 1920)
    • 1881 – Béla Bartók, Hungarian pianist and composer (d. 1945)
    • 1881 – Patrick Henry Bruce, American painter and educator (d. 1936)
    • 1881 – Mary Webb, English author and poet (d. 1927)
    • 1893 – Johannes Villemson, Estonian runner (d. 1971)
    • 1895 – Siegfried Handloser, German general and physician (d. 1954)
    • 1885 – Jimmy Seed, English international footballer, inside forward and manager (d. 1966)
    • 1897 – Leslie Averill, New Zealand doctor and soldier (d. 1981)
    • 1899 – François Rozet, French-Canadian actor (d. 1994)
    • 1901 – Ed Begley, American actor (d. 1970)
    • 1903 – Binnie Barnes, English-American actress (d. 1998)
    • 1903 – Frankie Carle, American pianist and bandleader (d. 2001)
    • 1903 – Nahum Norbert Glatzer, Ukrainian-American theologian and scholar (d. 1990)
    • 1904 – Pete Johnson, American boogie-woogie and jazz pianist (d. 1967)
    • 1905 – Albrecht Mertz von Quirnheim, German colonel (d. 1944)
    • 1906 – Jean Sablon, French singer and actor (d. 1994)
    • 1906 – A. J. P. Taylor, English historian and academic (d. 1990)
    • 1908 – David Lean, English director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1991)
    • 1910 – Magda Olivero, Italian soprano (d. 2014)
    • 1910 – Benzion Netanyahu, Polish-Israeli historian and academic (d. 2012)
    • 1912 – Melita Norwood, English civil servant and spy (d. 2005)
    • 1912 – Jean Vilar, French actor and director (d. 1971)
    • 1913 – Reo Stakis, Cypriot-Scottish businessman, founded Stakis Hotels (d. 2001)
    • 1914 – Norman Borlaug, American agronomist and humanitarian, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2009)
    • 1915 – Dorothy Squires, Welsh singer (d. 1998)
    • 1916 – S. M. Pandit, Indian painter and educator (d. 1993)
    • 1918 – Howard Cosell, American soldier, journalist, and author (d. 1995)
    • 1920 – Paul Scott, English author, poet, and playwright (d. 1978)
    • 1920 – Patrick Troughton, English actor (d. 1987)
    • 1920 – Usha Mehta, Gandhian and freedom fighter of India (d. 2000)
    • 1921 – Nancy Kelly, American actress (d. 1995)
    • 1921 – Simone Signoret, French actress (d. 1985)
    • 1922 – Eileen Ford, American businesswoman, co-founded Ford Models (d. 2014)
    • 1923 – Bonnie Guitar, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2019)
    • 1923 – Wim van Est, Dutch cyclist (d. 2003)
    • 1924 – Roberts Blossom, American actor (d. 2011)
    • 1924 – Machiko Kyō, Japanese actress (d. 2019)
    • 1925 – Flannery O’Connor, American short story writer and novelist (d. 1964)
    • 1925 – Anthony Quinton, Baron Quinton, English physician and philosopher (d. 2010)
    • 1925 – Kishori Sinha, Indian politician, social activist and advocate (d. 2016)
    • 1926 – Riz Ortolani, Italian composer and conductor (d. 2014)
    • 1926 – László Papp, Hungarian boxer (d. 2003)
    • 1926 – Jaime Sabines, Mexican poet and politician (d. 1999)
    • 1926 – Gene Shalit, American journalist and critic
    • 1927 – P. Shanmugam, Indian politician, 13th Chief Minister of Puducherry (d. 2013)
    • 1928 – Jim Lovell, American captain, pilot, and astronaut
    • 1928 – Gunnar Nielsen, Danish runner and typographer (d. 1985)
    • 1928 – Hans Steinbrenner, German sculptor (d. 2008)
    • 1929 – Cecil Taylor, American pianist and composer (d. 2018)
    • 1930 – David Burge, American pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 2013)
    • 1930 – Carlo Mauri, Italian mountaineer and explorer (d. 1982)
    • 1930 – Rudy Minarcin, American baseball player and coach (d. 2013)
    • 1931 – Humphrey Burton, English radio and television host
    • 1932 – Penelope Gilliatt, English novelist, short story writer, and critic (d. 1993)
    • 1932 – Wes Santee, American runner (d. 2010)
    • 1934 – Johnny Burnette, American singer-songwriter (d. 1964)
    • 1934 – Bernard King, Australian actor and chef (d. 2002)
    • 1934 – Karlheinz Schreiber, German-Canadian businessman
    • 1934 – Gloria Steinem, American feminist activist, co-founded the Women’s Media Center
    • 1935 – Gabriel Elorde, Filipino boxer (d. 1985)
    • 1936 – Carl Kaufmann, American-German sprinter (d. 2008)
    • 1937 – Tom Monaghan, American businessman, founded Domino’s Pizza
    • 1938 – Hoyt Axton, American singer-songwriter and actor (d. 1999)
    • 1938 – Daniel Buren, French sculptor and painter
    • 1938 – Fritz d’Orey, Brazilian race car driver
    • 1939 – Toni Cade Bambara, American author, academic, and activist (d. 1995)
    • 1939 – D. C. Fontana, American screenwriter and producer (d. 2019)
    • 1941 – Gudmund Hernes, Norwegian sociologist and politician, Norwegian Minister of Education and Research
    • 1942 – Aretha Franklin, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 2018)
    • 1942 – Richard O’Brien, English actor and screenwriter
    • 1942 – Kim Woodburn, English television host
    • 1943 – Paul Michael Glaser, American actor and director
    • 1945 – Leila Diniz, Brazilian actress (d. 1972)
    • 1946 – Cliff Balsom, English footballer
    • 1946 – Daniel Bensaïd, French philosopher and author (d. 2010)
    • 1946 – Stephen Hunter, American author and critic
    • 1946 – Maurice Krafft, French volcanologist (d. 1991)
    • 1947 – Richard Cork, English historian and critic
    • 1947 – Elton John, English singer-songwriter, pianist, producer, and actor
    • 1948 – Bonnie Bedelia, American actress
    • 1948 – Michael Stanley, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1949 – Ronnie Flanagan, Northern Irish Chief Constable (Royal Irish Constabulary, Police Service of Northern Ireland)
    • 1949 – Sue Klebold, American activist
    • 1950 – Chuck Greenberg, American saxophonist, songwriter, and producer (d. 1995)
    • 1950 – Ronnie McDowell, American singer-songwriter
    • 1950 – David Paquette, American-New Zealander pianist
    • 1951 – Jumbo Tsuruta, Japanese wrestler (d. 2000)
    • 1952 – Stephen Dorrell, English soldier and politician, Secretary of State for Health
    • 1952 – Antanas Mockus, Colombian mathematician, philosopher, and politician, Mayor of Bogotá
    • 1953 – Robert Fox, English producer and manager
    • 1953 – Vesna Pusić, Croatian sociologist and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Croatia
    • 1953 – Haroon Rasheed, Pakistani cricketer and coach
    • 1954 – Thom Loverro, American journalist and author
    • 1955 – Daniel Boulud, French chef and author
    • 1955 – Lee Mazzilli, American baseball player, coach, and manager
    • 1957 – Christina Boxer, English runner and journalist
    • 1957 – Jonathan Michie, English economist and academic
    • 1957 – Aleksandr Puchkov, Russian hurdler
    • 1957 – Jim Uhls, American screenwriter and producer
    • 1958 – Lorna Brown, Canadian artist, curator, and writer
    • 1958 – Susie Bright, American journalist, author, and critic
    • 1958 – Sisy Chen, Taiwanese journalist and politician
    • 1958 – María Caridad Colón, Cuban javelin thrower and shot putter
    • 1958 – John Ensign, American physician and politician
    • 1958 – Ray Tanner, American baseball player and coach
    • 1958 – Åsa Torstensson, Swedish politician, 3rd Swedish Minister for Infrastructure
    • 1960 – Steve Norman, English saxophonist, songwriter, and producer
    • 1960 – Peter O’Brien, Australian actor
    • 1960 – Brenda Strong, American actress
    • 1961 – Mark Brooks, American golfer
    • 1962 – Marcia Cross, American actress
    • 1962 – David Nuttall, English lawyer and politician
    • 1963 – Karen Bruce, English dancer and choreographer
    • 1963 – Velle Kadalipp, Estonian architect
    • 1963 – Andrew O’Connor, British actor, comedian, magician, television presenter and executive producer
    • 1964 – René Meulensteen, Dutch footballer and coach
    • 1964 – Ken Wregget, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1964 – Norm Duke, American bowler
    • 1965 – Avery Johnson, American basketball player and coach
    • 1965 – Stefka Kostadinova, Bulgarian high jumper
    • 1965 – Sarah Jessica Parker, American actress, producer, and designer
    • 1966 – Tom Glavine, American baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1966 – Humberto Gonzalez, Mexican boxer
    • 1966 – Jeff Healey, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2008)
    • 1966 – Anton Rogan, Northern Irish footballer
    • 1967 – Matthew Barney, American sculptor and photographer
    • 1967 – Doug Stanhope, American comedian and actor
    • 1967 – Debi Thomas, American figure skater and physician
    • 1969 – George Chlitsios, Greek conductor and composer
    • 1969 – Dale Davis, American basketball player
    • 1969 – Cathy Dennis, English singer-songwriter, record producer and actress
    • 1969 – Jeffrey Walker, English singer-songwriter and bass player
    • 1970 – Magnus Larsson, Swedish golfer
    • 1971 – Stacy Dragila, American pole vaulter and coach
    • 1971 – Cammi Granato, American ice hockey player and sportscaster
    • 1971 – Sheryl Swoopes, American basketball player and coach
    • 1972 – Giniel de Villiers, South African race car driver
    • 1972 – Phil O’Donnell, Scottish footballer (d. 2007)
    • 1973 – Michaela Dorfmeister, Austrian skier
    • 1973 – Anders Fridén, Swedish singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1973 – Bob Sura, American basketball player
    • 1974 – Serge Betsen, Cameroonian-French rugby player
    • 1974 – Lark Voorhies, American actress and singer
    • 1975 – Ladislav Benýšek, Czech ice hockey player
    • 1975 – Melanie Blatt, English singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1975 – Erika Heynatz, Papua New Guinean-Australian model and actress
    • 1976 – Francie Bellew, Irish footballer
    • 1976 – Lars Figura, German sprinter
    • 1976 – Wladimir Klitschko, Ukrainian boxer
    • 1976 – Rima Wakarua, New Zealand-Italian rugby player
    • 1977 – Natalie Clein, English cellist and educator
    • 1977 – Andrew Lindsay, Scottish rower
    • 1978 – Gennaro Delvecchio, Italian footballer
    • 1979 – Muriel Hurtis-Houairi, French sprinter
    • 1980 – Kathrine Sørland, Norwegian fashion model and television presenter
    • 1982 – Danica Patrick, American race car driver
    • 1982 – Álvaro Saborío, Costa Rican footballer
    • 1982 – Jenny Slate, American comedian, actress and author
    • 1983 – Mickaël Hanany, French high jumper
    • 1984 – Katharine McPhee, American singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1984 – Liam Messam, New Zealand rugby player
    • 1985 – Carmen Rasmusen, Canadian-American singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1985 – Diana Rennik, Estonian figure skater
    • 1986 – Marco Belinelli, Italian basketball player
    • 1986 – Megan Gibson, American softball player
    • 1986 – Kyle Lowry, American basketball player
    • 1986 – Mickey Paea, Australian rugby league player
    • 1987 – Jacob Bagersted, Danish handball player
    • 1987 – Victor Obinna, Nigerian footballer
    • 1987 – Nobunari Oda, Japanese figure skater
    • 1988 – Big Sean, American rapper, singer and songwriter
    • 1988 – Mitchell Watt, Australian long jumper
    • 1988 – Arthur Zeiler, German rugby player
    • 1989 – Aly Michalka, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1989 – Scott Sinclair, English footballer
    • 1990 – Mehmet Ekici, Turkish footballer
    • 1990 – Alexander Esswein, German footballer
    • 1991 – Scott Malone, English footballer, left-back
    • 1993 – Jacob Gagan, Australian rugby league player
    • 1993 – Sam Johnstone, English footballer
    • 1994 – Justine Dufour-Lapointe, Canadian skier

    Deaths on March 25

    • 908 – Li Kening, Chinese general
    • 940 – Taira no Masakado, Japanese samurai
    • 990 – Nicodemus of Mammola, Italian monk and saint
    • 1005 – Kenneth III, king of Scotland
    • 1051 – Hugh IV, French nobleman
    • 1189 – Frederick, duke of Bohemia
    • 1223 – Alfonso II, king of Portugal (b. 1185)
    • 1351 – Kō no Moronao, Japanese samurai
    • 1351 – Kō no Moroyasu, Japanese samurai
    • 1392 – Hosokawa Yoriyuki, Japanese samurai
    • 1458 – Íñigo López de Mendoza, 1st Marquis of Santillana, Spanish poet and politician (b. 1398)
    • 1558 – Marcos de Niza, French friar and explorer (b. 1495)
    • 1603 – Ikoma Chikamasa, Japanese daimyō (b. 1526)
    • 1609 – Olaus Martini, Swedish archbishop (b. 1557)
    • 1609 – Isabelle de Limeuil, French noble (b. 1535)
    • 1620 – Johannes Nucius, German composer and theorist (b. 1556)
    • 1625 – Giambattista Marino, Italian poet and author (b. 1569)
    • 1658 – Herman IV, Landgrave of Hesse-Rotenburg, German nobleman (b. 1607)
    • 1677 – Wenceslaus Hollar, Czech-English painter and etcher (b. 1607)
    • 1701 – Jean Regnault de Segrais, French poet and novelist (b. 1624)
    • 1712 – Nehemiah Grew, English anatomist and physiologist (b. 1641)
    • 1732 – Lucy Filippini, Italian teacher and saint (b. 1672)
    • 1736 – Nicholas Hawksmoor, English architect, designed Easton Neston and Christ Church (b. 1661)
    • 1738 – Turlough O’Carolan, Irish harp player and composer (b. 1670)
    • 1801 – Novalis, German poet and author (b. 1772)
    • 1818 – Caspar Wessel, Norwegian-Danish mathematician and cartographer (b. 1745)
    • 1857 – William Colgate, English-American businessman and philanthropist, founded Colgate-Palmolive (b. 1783)
    • 1860 – James Braid, Scottish-English surgeon (b. 1795)
    • 1869 – Edward Bates, American politician and lawyer (b. 1793)
    • 1873 – Wilhelm Marstrand, Danish painter and illustrator (b. 1810)
    • 1907 – Ernst von Bergmann, Latvian-German surgeon and academic (b. 1836)
    • 1908 – Durham Stevens, American diplomat (b. 1851)
    • 1914 – Frédéric Mistral, French lexicographer and poet, 1904 Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1830)
    • 1917 – Elizabeth Storrs Mead, American academic (b. 1832)
    • 1918 – Claude Debussy, French composer (b. 1862)
    • 1918 – Peter Martin, Australian footballer and soldier (b. 1875)
    • 1927 – Marie-Alphonsine Danil Ghattas, Palestinian Roman Catholic nun; later canonized (b. 1843)
    • 1931 – Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi, Indian journalist and politician (b. 1890)
    • 1931 – Ida B. Wells, American journalist and activist (b. 1862)
    • 1932 – Harriet Backer, Norwegian painter (b.1845)
    • 1942 – William Carr, American rower (b. 1876)
    • 1951 – Eddie Collins, American baseball player and manager (b. 1887)
    • 1956 – Lou Moore, American race car driver (b. 1904)
    • 1956 – Robert Newton, English actor (b. 1905)
    • 1957 – Max Ophüls, German-American director and screenwriter (b. 1902)
    • 1958 – Tom Brown, American trombonist (b. 1888)
    • 1964 – Charles Benjamin Howard, Canadian businessman and politician (b. 1885)
    • 1965 – Viola Liuzzo, American civil rights activist (b. 1925)
    • 1969 – Billy Cotton, English singer, drummer, and bandleader (b. 1899)
    • 1969 – Max Eastman, American poet and activist (b. 1883)
    • 1973 – Jakob Sildnik, Estonian photographer and director (b. 1883)
    • 1973 – Edward Steichen, Luxembourgian-American photographer, painter, and curator (b. 1879)
    • 1975 – Juan Gaudino, Argentinian race car driver (b. 1893)
    • 1975 – Faisal of Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabian king (b. 1906)
    • 1975 – Deiva Zivarattinam, Indian lawyer and politician (b. 1894)
    • 1976 – Josef Albers, German-American painter and educator (b. 1888)
    • 1976 – Benjamin Miessner, American radio engineer and inventor (b. 1890)
    • 1979 – Robert Madgwick, Australian colonel and academic (b. 1905)
    • 1979 – Akinoumi Setsuo, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 37th Yokozuna (b. 1914)
    • 1980 – Milton H. Erickson, American psychiatrist and psychologist (b. 1901)
    • 1980 – Walter Susskind, Czech-English conductor and educator (b. 1913)
    • 1982 – Goodman Ace, American comedian and writer (b. 1899)
    • 1983 – Bob Waterfield, American football player and coach (b. 1920)
    • 1986 – Gloria Blondell, American actress (b. 1910)
    • 1987 – A. W. Mailvaganam, Sri Lankan physicist and academic (b. 1906)
    • 1988 – Robert Joffrey, American dancer, choreographer, and director, co-founded the Joffrey Ballet (b. 1930)
    • 1991 – Marcel Lefebvre, French-Swiss archbishop (b. 1905)
    • 1992 – Nancy Walker, American actress, singer, and director (b. 1922)
    • 1994 – Angelines Fernández, Spanish-Mexican actress (b. 1922)
    • 1994 – Bernard Kangro, Estonian poet and journalist (b. 1910)
    • 1994 – Max Petitpierre, Swiss jurist and politician (b. 1899)
    • 1995 – James Samuel Coleman, American sociologist and academic (b. 1926)
    • 1995 – John Hugenholtz, Dutch engineer (b. 1914)
    • 1996 – John Snagge, English journalist (b. 1904)
    • 1998 – Max Green, Australian lawyer (b. 1952)
    • 1998 – Steven Schiff, American lawyer and politician (b. 1947)
    • 1999 – Cal Ripken, Sr., American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1936)
    • 2000 – Helen Martin, American actress (b. 1909)
    • 2001 – Brian Trubshaw, English cricketer and pilot (b. 1924)
    • 2002 – Kenneth Wolstenholme, English journalist and sportscaster (b. 1920)
    • 2005 – Paul Henning, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1911)
    • 2006 – Bob Carlos Clarke, Irish photographer (b. 1950)
    • 2006 – Rocío Dúrcal, Spanish singer and actress (b. 1944)
    • 2006 – Richard Fleischer, American film director (b. 1916)
    • 2006 – Buck Owens, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1929)
    • 2007 – Andranik Margaryan, Armenian engineer and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Armenia (b. 1951)
    • 2008 – Ben Carnevale, American basketball player and coach (b. 1915)
    • 2008 – Thierry Gilardi, French journalist and sportscaster (b. 1958)
    • 2008 – Abby Mann, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1927)
    • 2008 – Herb Peterson, American businessman, created the McMuffin (b. 1919)
    • 2009 – Johnny Blanchard, American baseball player (b. 1933)
    • 2009 – Kosuke Koyama, Japanese-American theologian and academic (b. 1929)
    • 2009 – Dan Seals, American musician (b. 1948)
    • 2009 – Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu, Turkish politician and member of the Parliament of Turkey (b. 1954)
    • 2012 – Priscilla Buckley, American journalist and author (b. 1921)
    • 2012 – Hal E. Chester, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1921)
    • 2012 – John Crosfield, English businessman, founded Crosfield Electronics (b. 1915)
    • 2012 – Edd Gould, English animator and voice actor, founded Eddsworld (b. 1988)
    • 2012 – Antonio Tabucchi, Italian author and academic (b. 1943)
    • 2013 – Léonce Bernard, Canadian politician, 26th Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island (b. 1943)
    • 2013 – Ben Goldfaden, American basketball player and educator (b. 1913)
    • 2013 – Anthony Lewis, American journalist and academic (b. 1927)
    • 2013 – Jean Pickering, English runner and long jumper (b. 1929)
    • 2013 – Jean-Marc Roberts, French author and screenwriter (b. 1954)
    • 2013 – John F. Wiley, American lieutenant, football player, and coach (b. 1920)
    • 2014 – Lorna Arnold, English historian and author (b. 1915)
    • 2014 – Hank Lauricella, American football player and politician (b. 1930)
    • 2014 – Jon Lord, Canadian businessman and politician (b. 1956)
    • 2014 – Sonny Ruberto, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1946)
    • 2014 – Jonathan Schell, American journalist and author (b. 1943)
    • 2014 – Ralph Wilson, American businessman, founded the Buffalo Bills (b. 1918)
    • 2015 – George Fischbeck, American journalist and educator (b. 1922)
    • 2016 – Shannon Bolin, American actress and singer (b. 1917)
    • 2017 – Cuthbert Sebastian, St. Kitts and Nevis politician (b. 1921)
    • 2018 – Zell Miller, American author and politician (b. 1932)
    • 2019 – Scott Walker, American-born British singer-songwriter (b. 1943)[9]

    Holidays and observances on March 25

    • Anniversary of the Arengo and the Feast of the Militants (San Marino)
    • Christian feast days:
      • Ælfwold II of Sherborne
      • Barontius and Desiderius
      • Blessed Marie-Alphonsine Danil Ghattas
      • Omelyan Kovch (Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church)
      • Dismas, the “Good Thief”
      • Humbert of Maroilles
      • Quirinus of Tegernsee
      • March 25 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Cultural Workers Day (Russia)
    • Earliest day on which Seward’s Day can fall, while March 31 is the latest; celebrated on the last Monday in March. (Alaska)
    • Empress Menen’s Birthday (Rastafari)
    • EU Talent Day (European Union)
    • Feast of the Annunciation (Christianity), and its related observances (if March 25 falls in Holy Week or Easter Week the feast is moved to the Monday after the 2nd Sunday of Easter):
      • Historic start of the new year (Lady Day) in England, Wales, Ireland, and the future United States until the adoption of the Gregorian calendar in 1752. (The year 1751 began on 25 March; the year 1752 began on 1 January.) It is one of the four Quarter days in Ireland and England.
      • International Day of the Unborn Child (international)
      • Mother’s Day (Slovenia)
      • Vårfrudagen or Våffeldagen, “Waffle Day” (Sweden, Norway & Denmark)
    • Freedom Day (Belarus)
    • International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade (international)
    • International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members (United Nations General Assembly)
    • Maryland Day (Maryland, United States)
    • Medal of Honor Day (United States)
    • Independence Day, celebrates the start of Greek War of Independence from the Ottoman Empire, in 1821. (Greece)
    • NZ Army Day
    • Struggle for Human Rights Day (Slovakia)
    • Tolkien Reading Day

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

    • 106 – Start of the Bostran era, the calendar of the province of Arabia Petraea.
    • 238 – Gordian I and his son Gordian II are proclaimed Roman emperors.
    • 871 – Æthelred of Wessex is defeated by a Danish invasion army at the Battle of Marton.
    • 1508 – Ferdinand II of Aragon commissions Amerigo Vespucci chief navigator of the Spanish Empire.
    • 1621 – The Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony sign a peace treaty with Massasoit of the Wampanoags.
    • 1622 – Jamestown massacre: Algonquians kill 347 English settlers around Jamestown, Virginia, a third of the colony’s population, during the Second Anglo-Powhatan War.
    • 1630 – The Massachusetts Bay Colony outlaws the possession of cards, dice, and gaming tables.
    • 1638 – Anne Hutchinson is expelled from Massachusetts Bay Colony for religious dissent.
    • 1713 – The Tuscarora War comes to an end with the fall of Fort Neoheroka, effectively opening up the interior of North Carolina to European colonization.
    • 1739 – Nader Shah occupies Delhi in India and sacks the city, stealing the jewels of the Peacock Throne.
    • 1765 – The British Parliament passes the Stamp Act that introduces a tax to be levied directly on its American colonies.
    • 1784 – The Emerald Buddha is moved with great ceremony to its current location in Wat Phra Kaew, Thailand.
    • 1829 – In the London Protocol, the three protecting powers (United Kingdom, France and Russia) establish the borders of Greece.
    • 1849 – The Austrians defeat the Piedmontese at the Battle of Novara.
    • 1871 – In North Carolina, William Woods Holden becomes the first governor of a U.S. state to be removed from office by impeachment.
    • 1872 – Illinois becomes the first state to require gender equality in employment.
    • 1873 – The Spanish National Assembly abolishes slavery in Puerto Rico.
    • 1894 – The first playoff game for the Stanley Cup starts.
    • 1906 – The first England vs France rugby union match is played at Parc des Princes in Paris
    • 1920 – Azeri and Turkish army soldiers with participation of Kurdish gangs attacked the Armenian inhabitants of Shushi (Nagorno Karabakh).
    • 1933 – Cullen–Harrison Act: President Franklin Roosevelt signs an amendment to the Volstead Act, legalizing the manufacture and sale of “3.2 beer” (3.2% alcohol by weight, approximately 4% alcohol by volume) and light wines.
    • 1939 – Germany takes Memel from Lithuania.
    • 1942 – World War II: In the Mediterranean Sea, the Royal Navy confronts Italy’s Regia Marina in the Second Battle of Sirte.
    • 1943 – World War II: The entire village of Khatyn (in what is the present-day Republic of Belarus) is burnt alive by Schutzmannschaft Battalion 118.
    • 1945 – World War II: The city of Hildesheim, Germany heavily damaged in a British air raid, though it had little military significance and Germany was on the verge of final defeat.
    • 1945 – The Arab League is founded when a charter is adopted in Cairo, Egypt.
    • 1960 – Arthur Leonard Schawlow and Charles Hard Townes receive the first patent for a laser.
    • 1972 – The United States Congress sends the Equal Rights Amendment to the states for ratification.
    • 1972 – In Eisenstadt v. Baird, the United States Supreme Court decides that unmarried persons have the right to possess contraceptives.
    • 1975 – A fire at the Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant in Decatur, Alabama causes a dangerous reduction in cooling water levels.
    • 1978 – Karl Wallenda of The Flying Wallendas dies after falling off a tight-rope suspended between two hotels in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
    • 1982 – NASA’s Space Shuttle Columbia is launched from the Kennedy Space Center on its third mission, STS-3.
    • 1992 – USAir Flight 405 crashes shortly after takeoff from New York City’s LaGuardia Airport, leading to a number of studies into the effect that ice has on aircraft.
    • 1992 – Fall of communism in Albania: The Democratic Party of Albania wins a decisive majority in the parliamentary election.
    • 1993 – The Intel Corporation ships the first Pentium chips (80586), featuring a 60 MHz clock speed, 100+ MIPS, and a 64 bit data path.
    • 1995 – Cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov returns to earth after setting a record of 438 days in space.
    • 1997 – Tara Lipinski, aged 14 years and nine months, becomes the youngest women’s World Figure Skating Champion.
    • 2004 – Ahmed Yassin, co-founder and leader of the Palestinian Sunni Islamist group Hamas, two bodyguards, and nine civilian bystanders are killed in the Gaza Strip when hit by Israeli Air Force Hellfire missiles.
    • 2006 – Three Christian Peacemaker Team (CPT) hostages are freed by British forces in Baghdad after 118 days of captivity and the murder of their colleague from the U.S., Tom Fox.
    • 2013 – At least 37 people are killed and 200 are injured after a fire destroys a camp containing Burmese refugees near Ban Mae, Thailand.
    • 2016 – Three suicide bombers kill 32 people and injure 316 in the 2016 Brussels bombings at the airport and at the Maelbeek/Maalbeek metro station.
    • 2017 – A terrorist attack in London near the Houses of Parliament leaves four people dead and at least 20 injured.
    • 2019 – Robert S. Mueller III delivers his report on the Russian government’s influence on the election of Donald Trump in the 2016 United States presidential election.
    • 2019 – Two buses crashes in Kitampo, a town north of Ghana’s capital Accra, killing at least 50 people.
    • 2020 – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announces the country’s largest ever self-imposed curfew, in an effort to fight the spread of COVID-19.

    Births on March 22

    • 841 – Bernard Plantapilosa, Frankish son of Bernard of Septimania (d. 885)
    • 875 – William I, Duke of Aquitaine (d. 918)
    • 1212 – Emperor Go-Horikawa of Japan (d. 1235)
    • 1367 – Thomas de Mowbray, 1st Duke of Norfolk, English politician, Earl Marshal of the United Kingdom (probable; d. 1399)
    • 1394 – Ulugh Beg, Persian astronomer and mathematician (d. 1449)
    • 1459 – Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1519)
    • 1499 – Johann Carion, German astrologer and chronicler (d. 1537)
    • 1503 – Antonio Francesco Grazzini, Italian author and educator (d. 1583)
    • 1517 – Gioseffo Zarlino, Italian composer (d. 1590)
    • 1519 – Catherine Brandon, Duchess of Suffolk, English noblewoman (d. 1580)
    • 1582 – John Williams, Archbishop of York (d. 1650)
    • 1599 – Anthony van Dyck, Flemish-English painter and etcher (d. 1641)
    • 1609 – John II Casimir Vasa, Polish king (d. 1672)
    • 1615 – Katherine Jones, Viscountess Ranelagh, British scientist (d. 1691)
    • 1663 – August Hermann Francke, German clergyman, philanthropist, and scholar (d. 1727)
    • 1684 – William Pulteney, 1st Earl of Bath, English politician, Secretary at War (d. 1764)
    • 1712 – Edward Moore, English poet and playwright (d. 1757)
    • 1720 – Nicolas-Henri Jardin, French architect, designed the Yellow Palace and Bernstorff Palace (d. 1799)
    • 1723 – Charles Carroll, American lawyer and politician (d. 1783)
    • 1728 – Anton Raphael Mengs, German painter and theorist (d. 1779)
    • 1785 – Adam Sedgwick, English scientist (d. 1873)
    • 1797 – William I, German Emperor (d. 1888)
    • 1808 – Caroline Norton, English feminist, social reformer, and author (d. 1877)
    • 1808 – David Swinson Maynard, American physician and lawyer (d. 1873)
    • 1812 – Stephen Pearl Andrews, American author and activist (d. 1886)
    • 1814 – Thomas Crawford, American sculptor, designed the Statue of Freedom (d. 1857)
    • 1817 – Braxton Bragg, American general (d. 1876)
    • 1818 – John Ainsworth Horrocks, English-Australian explorer, founded Penwortham (d. 1846)
    • 1822 – Ahmed Cevdet Pasha, Ottoman sociologist, historian, scholar, statesman and jurist (d. 1895)
    • 1842 – Mykola Lysenko, Ukrainian pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1912)
    • 1846 – Randolph Caldecott, English illustrator and painter (d. 1886)
    • 1846 – James Timberlake, American lieutenant, police officer, and farmer (d. 1891)
    • 1852 – Otakar Ševčík, Czech violinist and educator (d. 1934)
    • 1852 – Hector Sévin, French cardinal (d. 1916)
    • 1855 – Dorothy Tennant, British painter (d. 1926)
    • 1857 – Paul Doumer, French mathematician, journalist, and politician, 14th President of France (d. 1932)
    • 1866 – Jack Boyle, American baseball player and umpire (d. 1913)
    • 1868 – Robert Andrews Millikan, American colonel and physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1953)
    • 1869 – Tom McInnes, Scottish-English footballer (d. 1939)
    • 1873 – Ernest Lawson, Canadian-American painter (d. 1939)
    • 1880 – Ernest C. Quigley, Canadian-American football player and coach (d. 1960)
    • 1884 – Arthur H. Vandenberg, American journalist and politician (d. 1951)
    • 1884 – Lyda Borelli, Italian actress (d. 1959)
    • 1885 – Aryeh Levin, Polish-Lithuanian rabbi and educator (d. 1969)
    • 1886 – August Rei, Estonian lawyer and politician, Head of State of Estonia (d. 1963)
    • 1887 – Chico Marx, American actor (d. 1961)
    • 1890 – George Clark, American race car driver (d. 1978)
    • 1892 – Charlie Poole, American country banjo player (d. 1931)
    • 1892 – Johannes Semper, Estonian poet and scholar (d. 1970)
    • 1896 – He Long, Chinese general and politician, 1st Vice Premier of the People’s Republic of China (d. 1969)
    • 1896 – Joseph Schildkraut, Austrian-American actor (d. 1964)
    • 1899 – Ruth Page, American ballerina and choreographer (d. 1991)
    • 1901 – Greta Kempton, Austrian-American painter (d. 1991)
    • 1902 – Johannes Brinkman, Dutch architect, designed the Van Nelle Factory (d. 1949)
    • 1902 – Madeleine Milhaud, French actress and composer (d. 2008)
    • 1903 – Bill Holman, American cartoonist (d. 1987)
    • 1907 – James M. Gavin, American general and diplomat, United States Ambassador to France (d. 1990)
    • 1908 – Jack Crawford, Australian tennis player (d. 1991)
    • 1908 – Louis L’Amour, American novelist and short story writer (d. 1988)
    • 1909 – Gabrielle Roy, Canadian author and educator (d. 1983)
    • 1910 – Nicholas Monsarrat, English sailor and author (d. 1979)
    • 1912 – Wilfrid Brambell, Irish actor and performer (d. 1985)
    • 1912 – Karl Malden, American actor (d. 2009)
    • 1912 – Agnes Martin, Canadian-American painter and educator (d. 2004)
    • 1912 – Leslie Johnson, English race car driver (d. 1959)
    • 1913 – Tom McCall, American journalist and politician, 30th Governor of Oregon (d. 1983)
    • 1913 – Lew Wasserman, American businessman and talent agent (d. 2002)
    • 1913 – James Westerfield, American actor (d. 1971)
    • 1914 – John Stanley, American author and illustrator (d. 1993)
    • 1914 – Donald Stokes, Baron Stokes, English businessman (d. 2008)
    • 1917 – Virginia Grey, American actress (d. 2004)
    • 1917 – Irving Kaplansky, Canadian-American mathematician and academic (d. 2006)
    • 1917 – Paul Rogers, English actor (d. 2013)
    • 1918 – Cheddi Jagan, Guyanese politician, 4th President of Guyana (d. 1997)
    • 1919 – Bernard Krigstein, American illustrator (d. 1990)
    • 1920 – James Brown, American actor and singer (d. 1992)
    • 1920 – Werner Klemperer, German-American actor (d. 2000)
    • 1920 – Lloyd MacPhail, Canadian businessman and politician, 23rd Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island (d. 1995)
    • 1920 – Fanny Waterman, English pianist and educator, founded the Leeds International Pianoforte Competition
    • 1920 – Katsuko Saruhashi, Japanese geochemist (d. 2007)
    • 1920 – Ross Martin, American actor (d. 1981)
    • 1921 – Nino Manfredi, Italian actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2004)
    • 1922 – John J. Gilligan, American lieutenant and politician, 62nd Governor of Ohio (d. 2013)
    • 1922 – Stewart Stern, American screenwriter (d. 2015)
    • 1923 – Marcel Marceau, French mime and actor (d. 2007)
    • 1924 – Al Neuharth, American journalist and author, founded USA Today (d. 2013)
    • 1924 – Yevgeny Ostashev, Russian test pilot, participant in the launch of the first artificial Earth satellite (d. 1960)
    • 1924 – Osman F. Seden, Turkish director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1998)
    • 1924 – Bill Wendell, American television announcer (d. 1999)
    • 1927 – Marty Blake, American basketball player and manager (d. 2013)
    • 1927 – Nicolas Tikhomiroff, Russian photographer (d. 2016)
    • 1928 – Carrie Donovan, American journalist (d. 2001)
    • 1928 – E. D. Hirsch, American author, critic, and academic
    • 1928 – Ed Macauley, American basketball player, coach, and priest (d. 2011)
    • 1929 – Yayoi Kusama, Japanese artist
    • 1929 – P. Ramlee, Malaysian actor, director, singer, songwriter, composer, and producer. (d. 1973)
    • 1930 – Derek Bok, American lawyer and academic
    • 1930 – Pat Robertson, American minister and broadcaster, founded the Christian Broadcasting Network
    • 1930 – Stephen Sondheim, American composer and songwriter
    • 1931 – Burton Richter, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2018)
    • 1931 – William Shatner, Canadian actor
    • 1931 – Leslie Thomas, Welsh journalist and author (d. 2014)
    • 1932 – Els Borst, Dutch physician and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands (d. 2014)
    • 1932 – Larry Evans, American chess player and journalist (d. 2010)
    • 1933 – Abolhassan Banisadr, Iranian economist and politician, 1st President of Iran
    • 1934 – May Britt, Swedish actress
    • 1934 – Sheila Cameron, English lawyer and judge
    • 1934 – Orrin Hatch, American lawyer and politician
    • 1935 – Lea Pericoli, Italian tennis player and journalist
    • 1935 – Frank Pulli, American baseball player and umpire (d. 2013)
    • 1935 – M. Emmet Walsh, American actor
    • 1936 – Ron Carey, American trade union leader (d. 2008)
    • 1936 – Roger Whittaker, Kenyan-English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1936 – Erol Büyükburç, Turkish singer-songwriter, pop music composer, and actor (d. 2015)
    • 1937 – Angelo Badalamenti, American pianist and composer
    • 1937 – Armin Hary, German sprinter
    • 1937 – Jon Hassell, American trumpet player and composer
    • 1938 – Rein Etruk, Estonian chess player (d. 2012)
    • 1940 – Dave Keon, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1940 – Haing S. Ngor, Cambodian-American physician and author (d. 1996)
    • 1940 – George Edward Alcorn, Jr. American physicist and inventor
    • 1941 – Billy Collins, American poet
    • 1941 – Jeremy Clyde, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1941 – Bruno Ganz, Swiss actor (d. 2019)
    • 1941 – Cassam Uteem, Mauritian politician, 2nd President of Mauritius
    • 1942 – Jorge Ben Jor, Brazilian singer-songwriter
    • 1942 – Dick Pound, Canadian lawyer and academic
    • 1943 – George Benson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1943 – Nazem Ganjapour, Iranian footballer and manager (d. 2013)
    • 1943 – Keith Relf, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 1976)
    • 1945 – Eric Roth, American screenwriter and producer
    • 1946 – Don Chaney, American basketball player and coach
    • 1946 – Rivka Golani, Israeli viola player and composer
    • 1946 – Rudy Rucker, American mathematician, computer scientist, and author
    • 1946 – Harry Vanda, Dutch-Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1947 – George Ferguson, English architect and politician, 1st Mayor of Bristol
    • 1947 – James Patterson, American author and producer
    • 1947 – Maarten van Gent, Dutch basketball player and coach
    • 1948 – Andrew Lloyd Webber, English composer and director
    • 1949 – Fanny Ardant, French actress, director, and screenwriter
    • 1949 – Brian Hanrahan, English journalist (d. 2010)
    • 1952 – Des Browne, Scottish lawyer and politician, Secretary of State for Scotland
    • 1953 – Kenneth Rogoff, American economist and chess grandmaster
    • 1955 – Lena Olin, Swedish actress
    • 1955 – Pete Sessions, American politician
    • 1955 – Valdis Zatlers, Latvian physician and politician, 7th President of Latvia
    • 1956 – Maria Teresa, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg (born María Teresa Mestre y Batista)
    • 1957 – Jürgen Bucher, German footballer
    • 1957 – Stephanie Mills, American actress and singer
    • 1959 – Matthew Modine, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1960 – Tarmo Laht, Estonian architect
    • 1960 – Lauri Vahtre, Estonian historian and politician
    • 1961 – Simon Furman, British comic book writer
    • 1963 – Deborah Bull, English ballerina
    • 1963 – Susan Ann Sulley, English pop singer (The Human League)
    • 1963 – Martin Vizcarra, Peruvian engineer and politician, 67th President of Peru
    • 1964 – David Gillespie, Australian rugby league player
    • 1966 – Pia Cayetano, Filipino lawyer and politician
    • 1966 – Todd Ewen, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2015)
    • 1966 – Artis Pabriks, Latvian academic and politician, 11th Minister for Defence of Latvia
    • 1966 – António Pinto, Portuguese runner
    • 1966 – Brian Shaw, American basketball player and coach
    • 1967 – Mario Cipollini, Italian cyclist
    • 1967 – Bernie Gallacher, Scottish-English footballer (d. 2011)
    • 1970 – Andreas Johnson, Swedish singer-songwriter
    • 1970 – Leontien van Moorsel, Dutch cyclist
    • 1970 – Hwang Young-cho, South Korean runner
    • 1971 – Keegan-Michael Key, American actor, comedian, and writer
    • 1972 – Shawn Bradley, German-American basketball player, coach, and actor
    • 1972 – Cory Lidle, American baseball player (d. 2006)
    • 1972 – Elvis Stojko, Canadian figure skater and sportscaster
    • 1973 – Beverley Knight, English singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1974 – Marcus Camby, American basketball player
    • 1974 – Philippe Clement, Belgian footballer
    • 1974 – Geo Meneses, Mexican producer and singer
    • 1975 – Cole Hauser, American actor and producer
    • 1975 – Jiří Novák, Czech-Monegasque tennis player
    • 1976 – Teun de Nooijer, Dutch field hockey player
    • 1976 – Kathryn Jean Lopez, American journalist
    • 1976 – Asako Toki, Japanese singer-songwriter
    • 1976 – Kellie Shanygne Williams, American actress
    • 1976 – Reese Witherspoon, American actress and producer
    • 1977 – Joey Porter, American football player and coach
    • 1977 – Tom Poti, American ice hockey player
    • 1979 – Aaron North, American guitarist
    • 1979 – Juan Uribe, Dominican baseball player
    • 1981 – Arne Gabius, German runner
    • 1982 – Piá, Brazilian footballer
    • 1982 – Enrico Gasparotto, Italian cyclist
    • 1982 – Michael Janyk, Canadian skier
    • 1984 – Piotr Trochowski, German footballer
    • 1985 – Mayola Biboko, Belgian footballer
    • 1985 – Jakob Fuglsang, Danish cyclist
    • 1985 – Mike Jenkins, American football player
    • 1985 – Justin Masterson, American baseball player
    • 1985 – Kelli Waite, Australian swimmer
    • 1986 – David Choi, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1986 – Dexter Fowler, American baseball player
    • 1987 – Ike Davis, American baseball player
    • 1987 – Jairo Mora Sandoval, Costa Rican environmentalist (d. 2013)
    • 1987 – Liam Doran, British rally cross driver
    • 1989 – Ruben Popa, Romanian footballer
    • 1989 – J. J. Watt, American football player
    • 1989 – Tyler Oakley, American internet celebrity

    Deaths on March 22

    • 880 – Carloman of Bavaria, Frankish king
    • 1144 – William of Norwich, child murder victim
    • 1322 – Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster, English politician, Lord High Steward of England (b. 1278)
    • 1418 – Dietrich of Nieheim, German bishop and historian (b. 1345)
    • 1421 – Thomas of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Clarence, English soldier and politician, Lord High Steward of England (b. 1388)
    • 1454 – John Kemp, Archbishop of Canterbury
    • 1471 – George of Poděbrady (b. 1420)
    • 1544 – Johannes Magnus, Swedish archbishop and theologian (b. 1488)
    • 1602 – Agostino Carracci, Italian painter and educator (b. 1557)
    • 1685 – Emperor Go-Sai of Japan (b. 1638)
    • 1687 – Jean-Baptiste Lully, Italian-French composer and conductor (b. 1632)
    • 1758 – Jonathan Edwards, English minister, theologian, and philosopher (b. 1703)
    • 1772 – John Canton, English physicist and academic (b. 1718)
    • 1820 – Stephen Decatur, American commander (b. 1779)
    • 1832 – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German novelist, poet, playwright, and diplomat (b. 1749)
    • 1840 – Étienne Bobillier, French mathematician and academic (b. 1798)
    • 1864 – Konstanty Kalinowski, writer, journalist, lawyer and revolutionary (b. 1838)
    • 1881 – Samuel Courtauld, English businessman (b. 1793)
    • 1896 – Thomas Hughes, English lawyer and politician (b. 1822)
    • 1913 – Song Jiaoren, Chinese educator and politician (b. 1882)
    • 1913 – Ruggero Oddi, Italian physiologist and anatomist (b.1864)
    • 1924 – William Macewen, Scottish surgeon and neuroscientist (b. 1848)
    • 1931 – James Campbell, 1st Baron Glenavy, Irish lawyer and politician (b. 1851)
    • 1942 – Frederick Cuming, English cricketer (b. 1875)
    • 1942 – William Donne, English captain and cricketer (b. 1875)
    • 1945 – John Hessin Clarke, American lawyer and judge (b. 1857)
    • 1952 – D. S. Senanayake, 1st Prime Minister of Sri Lanka (b. 1883)
    • 1955 – Ivan Šubašić, Croatian lawyer and politician, 23rd Prime Minister of Yugoslavia (b. 1892)
    • 1958 – Mike Todd, American film producer (b. 1909)
    • 1960 – José Antonio Aguirre, Spanish lawyer and politician, 1st President of the Basque Country (b. 1904)
    • 1966 – John Harlin, American mountaineer and pilot (b. 1935)
    • 1971 – Johannes Villemson, Estonian-American runner (b. 1893)
    • 1971 – Nella Walker, American actress and vaudevillian (b. 1886)
    • 1974 – Peter Revson, American race car driver (b. 1939)
    • 1974 – Orazio Satta Puliga, Italian automobile designer (b. 1910)
    • 1976 – John Dwyer McLaughlin, American painter (b. 1898)
    • 1977 – A. K. Gopalan, Indian educator and politician (b. 1904)
    • 1978 – Karl Wallenda, German-American acrobat and tightrope walker, founded The Flying Wallendas (b. 1905)
    • 1979 – Ben Lyon, American actor and studio executive (b. 1901)
    • 1981 – James Elliott, American runner and coach (b. 1915)
    • 1981 – Gil Puyat, Filipino businessman and politician, 13th President of the Senate of the Philippines (b. 1907)
    • 1986 – Olive Deering, American actress (b. 1918)
    • 1986 – Mark Dinning, American singer (b. 1933)
    • 1987 – Odysseas Angelis, Greek general and politician (b. 1912)
    • 1989 – Peta Taylor, English cricketer (b. 1912)
    • 1990 – Gerald Bull, Canadian engineer and academic (b. 1928)
    • 1991 – Léon Balcer, Canadian lawyer and politician, 19th Solicitor General of Canada (b. 1917)
    • 1991 – Paul Engle, American novelist, poet, playwright, and critic (b. 1908)
    • 1991 – Dave Guard, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1934)
    • 1991 – Gloria Holden, English-American actress (b. 1908)
    • 1993 – Steve Olin, American baseball player (b. 1965)
    • 1994 – Dan Hartman, American singer-songwriter, and producer (b. 1950)
    • 1994 – Walter Lantz, American animator, director, and producer (b. 1899)
    • 1996 – Don Murray, American drummer (b. 1945)
    • 1996 – Robert F. Overmyer, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1936)
    • 1996 – Billy Williamson, American guitarist (b. 1925)
    • 1999 – Max Beloff, Baron Beloff, English historian and academic (b. 1913)
    • 1999 – David Strickland, American actor (b. 1969)
    • 2000 – Carlo Parola, Italian footballer and manager (b. 1921)
    • 2001 – Stepas Butautas, Lithuanian basketball player and coach (b. 1925)
    • 2001 – Sabiha Gökçen, Turkish soldier and pilot (b. 1913)
    • 2001 – William Hanna, American animator, director, producer, and voice actor, co-founded Hanna-Barbera (b. 1910)
    • 2001 – Robert Fletcher Shaw, Canadian businessman, academic, and civil servant (b. 1910)
    • 2002 – Rudolf Baumgartner, Swiss violinist and conductor (b. 1917)
    • 2003 – Terry Lloyd, English journalist (b. 1952)
    • 2004 – Janet Akyüz Mattei, Turkish-American astronomer and academic (b. 1943)
    • 2004 – Ahmed Yassin, Co-founded Hamas (b. 1937)
    • 2004 – V. M. Tarkunde, Indian lawyer and civil rights activist (b. 1909)
    • 2005 – Rod Price, English guitarist and songwriter (b. 1947)
    • 2005 – Gemini Ganesan, Indian film actor (b. 1920)
    • 2005 – Kenzō Tange, Japanese architect, designed the Yoyogi National Gymnasium and Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum (b. 1913)
    • 2006 – Pierre Clostermann, French soldier, pilot, and politician (b. 1921)
    • 2006 – Pío Leyva, Cuban singer and author (b. 1917)
    • 2006 – Kurt von Trojan, Austrian-Australian journalist and author (b. 1937)
    • 2007 – U. G. Krishnamurti, Indian-Italian philosopher and educator (b. 1918)
    • 2008 – Cachao López, Cuban-American bassist and composer (b. 1918)
    • 2010 – James Black, Scottish biologist and pharmacologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1924)
    • 2010 – Özhan Canaydın, Turkish basketball player and businessman (b. 1943)
    • 2011 – Artur Agostinho, Portuguese journalist (b. 1920)
    • 2011 – Victor Bouchard, Canadian pianist and composer (b. 1926)
    • 2012 – Joe Blanchard, American football player and wrestler (b. 1928)
    • 2012 – John Payton, American lawyer and activist (b. 1946)
    • 2012 – Matthew White Ridley, 4th Viscount Ridley, English academic and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Northumberland (b. 1925)
    • 2012 – Mickey Sullivan, American baseball player and coach (b. 1932)
    • 2012 – David Waltz, American computer scientist and academic (b. 1943)
    • 2012 – Neil L. Whitehead, English anthropologist and author (b. 1956)
    • 2013 – Vladimír Čech, Czech actor and politician (b. 1951)
    • 2013 – James Nabrit, American lawyer and academic (b. 1932)
    • 2013 – Bebo Valdés, Cuban-Swedish pianist and composer (b. 1918)
    • 2013 – Derek Watkins, English trumpet player and composer (b. 1945)
    • 2013 – Ray Williams, American basketball player and coach (b. 1954)
    • 2014 – Yashwant Vithoba Chittal, Indian author (b. 1928)
    • 2014 – Mickey Duff, Polish-English boxer and manager (b. 1929)
    • 2014 – Thor Listau, Norwegian soldier and politician (b. 1938)
    • 2014 – Tasos Mitsopoulos, Cypriot politician, Cypriot Minister of Defence (b. 1965)
    • 2015 – Arkady Arkanov, Ukrainian-Russian actor and playwright (b. 1933)
    • 2015 – Horst Buhtz, German footballer and manager (b. 1923)
    • 2015 – George Neel, Jr., American businessman (b. 1930)
    • 2015 – Norman Scribner, American pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1936)
    • 2016 – Phife Dawg, American rapper (b. 1970)
    • 2016 – Rob Ford, Canadian businessman and politician, 64th Mayor of Toronto (b. 1969)
    • 2016 – Rita Gam, American actress (b. 1927)
    • 2018 – Johan van Hulst, Dutch politician, academic and author, Yad Vashem recipient (b. 1911)

    Holidays and observances on March 22

    • Bihar Day (Bihar, India)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Basil of Ancyra
      • Blessed Clemens August Graf von Galen
      • Darerca of Ireland
      • Epaphroditus
      • Jonathan Edwards (Lutheranism)
      • Lea of Rome
      • Nicholas Owen
      • Paul of Narbonne
      • March 22 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Earliest day on which Easter Sunday can fall (last in 1818, will not happen again until 2285), while April 25 is the latest. (Christianity)
    • Emancipation Day or Día de la Abolición de la Esclavitud (Puerto Rico)
    • World Water Day (International)

  • March 21- History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    In astrology, the day of the equinox is the first full day of the sign of Aries. It is also the traditional first day of the astrological year. In the 21st century, the equinox usually occurs on March 19 or 20; it occurred on March 21 only in 2003 and 2007. The next year in which the equinox occurs on March 21 will be 2102.

    March 21 in History

    • 537 – Siege of Rome: King Vitiges attempts to assault the northern and eastern city walls, but is repulsed at the Praenestine Gate, known as the Vivarium, by the defenders under the Byzantine generals Bessas and Peranius.
    • 630 – Emperor Heraclius returns the True Cross, one of the holiest Christian relics, to Jerusalem.
    • 717 – Battle of Vincy between Charles Martel and Ragenfrid.
    • 1152 – Annulment of the marriage of King Louis VII of France and Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine.
    • 1188 – Emperor Antoku accedes to the throne of Japan.
    • 1556 – On the day of his execution in Oxford, former Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer deviates from the scripted sermon by renouncing the recantations he has made and adds, “And as for the pope, I refuse him, as Christ’s enemy, and Antichrist with all his false doctrine.”
    • 1788 – A fire in New Orleans leaves most of the town in ruins.
    • 1800 – With the church leadership driven out of Rome during an armed conflict, Pius VII is crowned Pope in Venice with a temporary papal tiara made of papier-mâché.
    • 1801 – The Battle of Alexandria is fought between British and French forces near the ruins of Nicopolis near Alexandria in Egypt.
    • 1804 – Code Napoléon is adopted as French civil law.
    • 1814 – Napoleonic Wars: Austrian forces repel French troops in the Battle of Arcis-sur-Aube.
    • 1844 – The Bahá’í calendar begins. This is the first day of the first year of the Bahá’í calendar. It is annually celebrated by members of the Bahá’í Faith as the Bahá’í New Year or Náw-Rúz.
    • 1861 – Alexander Stephens gives the Cornerstone Speech.
    • 1871 – Otto von Bismarck is appointed as the first Chancellor of the German Empire.
    • 1871 – Journalist Henry Morton Stanley begins his trek to find the missionary and explorer David Livingstone.
    • 1913 – Over 360 are killed and 20,000 homes destroyed in the Great Dayton Flood in Dayton, Ohio.
    • 1918 – World War I: The first phase of the German Spring Offensive, Operation Michael, begins.
    • 1919 – The Hungarian Soviet Republic is established becoming the first Communist government to be formed in Europe after the October Revolution in Russia.
    • 1921 – The New Economic Policy is implemented by the Bolshevik Party in response to the economic failure as a result of war communism.
    • 1925 – The Butler Act prohibits the teaching of human evolution in Tennessee.
    • 1925 – Syngman Rhee is removed from office after being impeached as the President of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea.
    • 1928 – Charles Lindbergh is presented with the Medal of Honor for the first solo trans-Atlantic flight.
    • 1935 – Shah of Iran Reza Shah Pahlavi formally asks the international community to call Persia by its native name, Iran.
    • 1937 – Ponce massacre: Nineteen people in Ponce, Puerto Rico are gunned down by police acting on orders of the US-appointed Governor, Blanton C. Winship.
    • 1943 – Wehrmacht officer Rudolf von Gersdorff plots to assassinate Adolf Hitler by using a suicide bomb, but the plan falls through; von Gersdorff is able to defuse the bomb in time and avoid suspicion.
    • 1945 – World War II: British troops liberate Mandalay, Burma.
    • 1945 – World War II: Operation Carthage: Royal Air Force planes bomb Gestapo headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark. They also accidentally hit a school, killing 125 civilians.
    • 1945 – World War II: Bulgaria and the Soviet Union successfully complete their defense of the north bank of the Drava River as the Battle of the Transdanubian Hills concludes.
    • 1946 – The Los Angeles Rams sign Kenny Washington, making him the first African American player in professional American football since 1933.
    • 1952 – Alan Freed presents the Moondog Coronation Ball, the first rock and roll concert, in Cleveland, Ohio.
    • 1960 – Apartheid: Sharpeville massacre, South Africa: Police open fire on a group of black South African demonstrators, killing 69 and wounding 180.
    • 1963 – Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary (in California) closes.
    • 1965 – Ranger program: NASA launches Ranger 9, the last in a series of unmanned lunar space probes.
    • 1965 – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. leads 3,200 people on the start of the third and finally successful civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.
    • 1968 – Battle of Karameh in Jordan between the Israel Defense Forces and the combined forces of the Jordanian Armed Forces and PLO.
    • 1970 – The first Earth Day proclamation is issued by Joseph Alioto, Mayor of San Francisco.
    • 1980 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter announces a United States boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow to protest the Soviet–Afghan War.
    • 1983 – The first cases of the 1983 West Bank fainting epidemic begin; Israelis and Palestinians accuse each other of poison gas, but the cause is later determined mostly to be psychosomatic.
    • 1986 – Debi Thomas became the first African American to win the World Figure Skating Championships
    • 1990 – Namibia becomes independent after 75 years of South African rule.
    • 1994 – The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change enters into force.
    • 1999 – Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones become the first to circumnavigate the Earth in a hot air balloon.
    • 2000 – Pope John Paul II makes his first ever pontifical visit to Israel.
    • 2006 – The social media site Twitter is founded.
    • 2009 – Four police officers are shot and killed and a fifth is wounded in two shootings at Oakland, California.
    • 2019 – The 2019 Xiangshui chemical plant explosion occurs, killing at least 47 people and injuring 640 others.

    Births on March 21

    • 927 – Emperor Taizu of Song (d. 976)
    • 1474 – Angela Merici, Italian educator and saint (d. 1540)
    • 1501 – Anne Brooke, Baroness Cobham, English noble (d. 1558)
    • 1521 – Maurice, Elector of Saxony (d. 1553)
    • 1527 – Hermann Finck, German composer and educator (d. 1558)
    • 1555 – John Leveson, English politician (d. 1615)
    • 1557 – Anne Howard, Countess of Arundel, English countess and poet (d. 1630)
    • 1626 – Peter of Saint Joseph Betancur, Spanish saint and missionary (d. 1667)
    • 1672 – Stefano Benedetto Pallavicino, Italian poet and translator (d. 1742)
    • 1685 – Johann Sebastian Bach, German Baroque composer and musician (d. 1750)
    • 1713 – Francis Lewis, Welsh-American merchant and politician (d. 1803)
    • 1716 – Josef Seger, Bohemian organist, composer, and educator (d. 1782)
    • 1752 – Mary Dixon Kies, American inventor (d. 1837)
    • 1763 – Jean Paul, German journalist and author (d. 1825)
    • 1768 – Joseph Fourier, French mathematician and physicist (d. 1830)
    • 1806 – Benito Juárez, Mexican lawyer and politician, 25th President of Mexico (d. 1872)
    • 1811 – Nathaniel Woodard, English priest and educator (d. 1891)
    • 1825 – Alexander Mozhaysky, Russian soldier and engineer (d. 1890)
    • 1835 – Thomas Hayward, English cricketer (d. 1876)
    • 1839 – Modest Mussorgsky, Russian pianist and composer (d. 1881)
    • 1854 – Alick Bannerman, Australian cricketer and coach (d. 1924)
    • 1857 – Alice Henry, Australian journalist and activist (d. 1943)
    • 1859 – Daria Pratt, American golfer (d. 1938)
    • 1865 – George Owen Squier, American general (d. 1934)
    • 1866 – Antonia Maury, American astronomer and astrophysicist (d. 1952)
    • 1867 – Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr., American director and producer (d. 1932)
    • 1869 – David Robertson, Scottish-English golfer and rugby player (d. 1937)
    • 1874 – Alfred Tysoe, English runner (d. 1901)
    • 1876 – Walter Tewksbury, American runner and hurdler (d. 1968)
    • 1877 – Maurice Farman, French race car driver and pilot (d. 1964)
    • 1878 – Morris H. Whitehouse, American architect (d. 1944)
    • 1880 – Broncho Billy Anderson, American actor, director, and producer (d. 1971)
    • 1880 – Hans Hofmann, German-American painter and academic (d. 1966)
    • 1882 – Aleksander Kesküla, Estonian politician (d. 1963)
    • 1884 – George David Birkhoff, American mathematician (d. 1944)
    • 1885 – Pierre Renoir, French actor and director (d. 1952)
    • 1886 – Walter Dray, American pole vaulter (d. 1973)
    • 1887 – Clarice Beckett, Australian painter (d. 1935)
    • 1887 – Lajos Kassák, Hungarian poet, novelist and painter (d. 1967)
    • 1887 – M. N. Roy, Indian philosopher and politician (d. 1954)
    • 1889 – Jock Sutherland, American football player and coach (d. 1948)
    • 1896 – Friedrich Waismann, Austrian mathematician, physicist, and philosopher from the Vienna Circle (d. 1959)
    • 1897 – Sim Gokkes, Dutch composer and conductor (d. 1943)
    • 1897 – Salvador Lutteroth, Mexican wrestling promoter, founded Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (d. 1987)
    • 1899 – Panagiotis Pipinelis, Greek politician, Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1970)
    • 1901 – Karl Arnold, German businessman and politician, President of the German Bundesrat (d. 1958)
    • 1902 – Son House, American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1988)
    • 1904 – Jehane Benoît, Canadian journalist and author (d. 1987)
    • 1904 – Forrest Mars, Sr., American candy maker, created M&M’s and Mars bar (d. 1999)
    • 1904 – Nikos Skalkottas, Greek violinist and composer (d. 1949)
    • 1905 – Phyllis McGinley, American author and poet (d. 1978)
    • 1906 – John D. Rockefeller III, American philanthropist (d. 1978)
    • 1906 – Jim Thompson, American businessman (d. 1967)
    • 1906 – André Filho, Brazilian musician and songwriter (d. 1974)
    • 1907 – Zoltán Kemény, Hungarian sculptor (d. 1965)
    • 1909 – Harry Lane, English footballer (d. 1977)
    • 1910 – Julio Gallo, American businessman, co-founded E & J Gallo Winery (d. 1993)
    • 1910 – Muhammad Siddiq Khan, Bangladeshi librarian and educator (d. 1978)
    • 1911 – Walter Lincoln Hawkins, African-American scientist and inventor (d. 1992)
    • 1912 – André Laurendeau, Canadian journalist, playwright, and politician (d. 1968)
    • 1913 – George Abecassis, English race car driver and pilot (d. 1991)
    • 1913 – Guillermo Haro, Mexican astronomer (d. 1988)
    • 1914 – Paul Tortelier, French cellist and composer (d. 1990)
    • 1916 – Bismillah Khan, Indian shehnai player (d. 2006)
    • 1916 – Ken Wharton, English race car driver (d. 1957)
    • 1917 – Frank Hardy, Australian journalist, author, and playwright (d. 1994)
    • 1918 – Patrick Lucey, American captain and politician, 38th Governor of Wisconsin (d. 2014)
    • 1918 – Charles Thompson, American pianist and composer (d. 2016)
    • 1919 – Douglas Warren, Australian bishop (d. 2013)
    • 1920 – Manolis Chiotis, Greek singer-songwriter and bouzouki player (d. 1970)
    • 1920 – Éric Rohmer, French director, film critic, journalist, novelist and screenwriter (d. 2010)
    • 1921 – Arthur Grumiaux, Belgian violinist and pianist (d. 1986)
    • 1921 – Antony Hopkins, English pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 2014)
    • 1922 – Russ Meyer, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2004)
    • 1923 – Louis-Edmond Hamelin, Canadian geographer, author, and academic (d. 2020)
    • 1923 – Nizar Qabbani, Syrian poet, publisher, and diplomat (d. 1998)
    • 1923 – Nirmala Srivastava, Indian religious leader, founded Sahaja Yoga (d. 2011)
    • 1923 – Rezső Nyers, Hungarian politician (d. 2018)
    • 1924 – Philip Abbott, American actor (d. 1998)
    • 1924 – Dov Shilansky, Lithuanian-Israeli lawyer and politician (d. 2010)
    • 1925 – Harold Ashby, American saxophonist (d. 2003)
    • 1925 – Peter Brook, English-French director and producer
    • 1925 – Hugo Koblet, Swiss cyclist (d. 1964)
    • 1926 – André Delvaux, Belgian director and screenwriter (d. 2002)
    • 1927 – Halton Arp, American-German astronomer and critic (d. 2013)
    • 1927 – Hans-Dietrich Genscher, German soldier and politician, Vice-Chancellor of Germany (d. 2016)
    • 1928 – Surya Bahadur Thapa, Nepalese politician, 24th Prime Minister of Nepal (d. 2015)
    • 1929 – Maurice Catarcio, American wrestler (d. 2005)
    • 1930 – James Coco, American actor (d. 1987)
    • 1930 – Otis Spann, American blues pianist, singer and composer (d. 1970)
    • 1931 – Toyonobori, Japanese sumo wrestler (d. 1998)
    • 1931 – Clark L. Brundin, American-English engineer and academic
    • 1931 – Catherine Gibson, Scottish swimmer (d. 2013)
    • 1931 – Al Williamson, American illustrator (d. 2010)
    • 1932 – Walter Gilbert, American physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1932 – Joseph Silverstein, American violinist and conductor (d. 2015)
    • 1933 – John Hall, English businessman
    • 1933 – Michael Heseltine, Welsh businessman and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
    • 1934 – Al Freeman, Jr., American actor and director (d. 2012)
    • 1935 – Brian Clough, English footballer and manager (d. 2004)
    • 1936 – Ed Broadbent, Canadian pilot and politician
    • 1936 – Mike Westbrook, English pianist and composer
    • 1937 – Ann Clwyd, Welsh journalist and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Wales
    • 1937 – Tom Flores, American football player and coach
    • 1937 – Pierre-Jean Rémy, French diplomat and author (d. 2010)
    • 1938 – Michael Foreman, English author and illustrator
    • 1938 – Grahame Thomas, Australian cricketer
    • 1939 – Kathleen Widdoes, American actress
    • 1940 – Solomon Burke, American singer-songwriter (d. 2010)
    • 1940 – Andrea Elle, German bicyclist
    • 1942 – Françoise Dorléac, French actress (d. 1967)
    • 1942 – Kostas Politis, Greek basketball player and coach (d. 2018)
    • 1942 – Amina Claudine Myers, African-American singer-songwriter and pianist
    • 1942 – Patcha Ramachandra Rao, India metallurgist, educator and administrator (d. 2010)
    • 1943 – István Gyulai, Hungarian sprinter and sportscaster (d. 2006)
    • 1943 – Hartmut Haenchen, German conductor
    • 1943 – Vivian Stanshall, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and painter (d. 1995)
    • 1944 – Marie-Christine Barrault, French actress
    • 1944 – Janet Daley, American-English journalist and author
    • 1944 – Hideki Ishima, Japanese guitarist
    • 1944 – Mike Jackson, English general
    • 1944 – David Lindley, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
    • 1944 – Gaye Adegbalola, African-American singer and guitarist
    • 1945 – Anthony Grabiner, Baron Grabiner, English lawyer
    • 1945 – Charles Greene, American sprinter and coach
    • 1945 – Rose Stone, African-American R&B singer and keyboard player
    • 1946 – Timothy Dalton, Welsh-English actor
    • 1946 – Ray Dorset, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1946 – Joseph Mitsuaki Takami, Japanese cardinal
    • 1947 – George Johnston. Scottish footballer, forward
    • 1948 – Scott Fahlman, American computer scientist and academic
    • 1949 – Alvin Kallicharran, Guyanese cricketer and coach
    • 1949 – Andy Love, Scottish-English politician
    • 1949 – Eddie Money, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2019)
    • 1949 – Slavoj Žižek, Slovenian sociologist, philosopher, and academic
    • 1950 – Roger Hodgson, English singer-songwriter and keyboard player
    • 1950 – Ron Oden, American minister and politician, 19th Mayor of Palm Springs
    • 1950 – Sergey Lavrov, Russian politician and diplomat, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs
    • 1951 – Conrad Lozano, American bass player
    • 1951 – Russell Thompkins Jr., American soul singer
    • 1953 – Steve Furber, English computer scientist and academic
    • 1953 – Paul Martin Lester, American photographer, author, and educator
    • 1953 – David Wisniewski, English-American author and illustrator (d. 2002)
    • 1955 – Fadi Abboud, Lebanese economist and politician
    • 1955 – Jair Bolsonaro, Brazilian politician and retired military officer, 38th President of Brazil
    • 1955 – Bob Bennett, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1955 – Dimitrios Papadimoulis, Greek politician
    • 1955 – Bärbel Wöckel, East German sprinter
    • 1956 – Dick Beardsley, American runner
    • 1956 – Guy Chadwick, German-English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1956 – Richard H. Kirk, English guitarist, keyboard player, composer, and producer
    • 1956 – Ingrid Kristiansen, Norwegian runner
    • 1958 – Marlies Göhr, German sprinter
    • 1958 – Brad Hall, American comedian, director, and screenwriter
    • 1958 – Gary Oldman, English actor, filmmaker, musician and author
    • 1959 – Sarah Jane Morris, English singer-songwriter
    • 1959 – Yuval Rotem, Israeli diplomat
    • 1959 – Nobuo Uematsu, Japanese keyboard player and composer
    • 1960 – Marwan Farhat, Syrian actor and voice actor
    • 1960 – Benito T. de Leon, Filipino general
    • 1960 – Raivo Puusepp, Estonian architect
    • 1960 – Ayrton Senna, Brazilian race car driver (d. 1994)
    • 1960 – Robert Sweet, American drummer and producer
    • 1961 – Lothar Matthäus, German footballer and manager
    • 1961 – Gary O’Reilly, English footballer, defender
    • 1961 – Kassie DePaiva, American actress
    • 1961 – Slim Jim Phantom, American rock drummer
    • 1961 – Kim Turner, American hurdler
    • 1962 – Matthew Broderick, American actor
    • 1962 – Kathy Greenwood, Canadian actress and screenwriter
    • 1962 – Rosie O’Donnell, American actress, producer, and talk show host
    • 1962 – Mark Waid, American author
    • 1963 – Shawon Dunston, American baseball player
    • 1963 – Ronald Koeman, Dutch footballer and manager
    • 1963 – Shawn Lane, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer (d. 2003)
    • 1963 – Share Pedersen, American bass player
    • 1964 – Ieuan Evans, Welsh rugby player
    • 1964 – Jesper Skibby, Danish cyclist
    • 1965 – Xavier Bertrand, French businessman and politician, French Minister of Social Affairs
    • 1965 – Thomas Frank, American author, historian and political analyst
    • 1966 – Benito Archundia, Mexican footballer, referee, lawyer, and economist
    • 1966 – Hauke Fuhlbrügge, German runner
    • 1966 – Matthew Maynard, English cricketer and coach
    • 1966 – Moa Matthis, Swedish author
    • 1967 – Carwyn Jones, Welsh lawyer and politician, First Minister of Wales
    • 1967 – Mirela Rupic, American costume and fashion designer
    • 1968 – Cameron Clyne, Australian businessman
    • 1968 – Andrew Copeland, American singer and guitarist
    • 1968 – Gary Walsh, English football coach and former footballer
    • 1968 – Greg Ellis, English actor, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1968 – Tolunay Kafkas, Turkish footballer and manager
    • 1968 – Scott Williams, American basketball player and sportscaster
    • 1969 – Jonah Goldberg, American journalist and author
    • 1970 – Shiho Niiyama, Japanese voice actress (d. 2000)
    • 1970 – Cenk Uygur, Turkish-American political activist
    • 1971 – Zsolt Kürtösi, Hungarian decathlete
    • 1972 – Chris Candido, American wrestler (d. 2005)
    • 1972 – Balázs Kiss, Hungarian hammer thrower
    • 1972 – Derartu Tulu, Ethiopian runner
    • 1972 – Graeme Welch, English cricketer
    • 1973 – Ananda Lewis, American television host
    • 1973 – Stuart Nethercott, English footballer, defender and manager
    • 1973 – Large Professor, American rapper and producer
    • 1974 – Rhys Darby, New Zealand comedian and actor
    • 1974 – Dejima Takeharu, Japanese sumo wrestler
    • 1974 – Edsel Dope, American singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1974 – Ted Kravitz, British presenter and Formula One pit-lane reporter
    • 1974 – Kevin Leahy, American drummer
    • 1974 – Conor Woodman, Irish journalist and author
    • 1975 – Yacoub Al-Mohana, Kuwaiti director and producer
    • 1975 – Corne Krige, South African rugby player
    • 1975 – Fabricio Oberto, Argentinian-Italian basketball player
    • 1975 – Vitaly Potapenko, Ukrainian basketball player and coach
    • 1975 – Mark Williams, Welsh snooker player
    • 1976 – Rachael MacFarlane, American voice actress and singer
    • 1976 – Bamboo Mañalac, Filipino singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1976 – Tekin Sazlog, German-Turkish footballer
    • 1977 – Bruno Cirillo, Italian footballer
    • 1977 – Jamie Delgado, English tennis player
    • 1978 – Sally Barsosio, Kenyan runner
    • 1978 – Joyce Jimenez, Filipino movie and TV actress
    • 1978 – Charmaine Dragun, Australian journalist (d. 2007)
    • 1978 – Cristian Guzmán, Dominican baseball player
    • 1978 – Mohammad Rezaei, Iranian wrestler
    • 1980 – Ronaldinho, Brazilian footballer
    • 1980 – Marit Bjørgen, Norwegian skier
    • 1980 – Lee Jin, South Korean singer and actress
    • 1980 – Deryck Whibley, Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1981 – Germano Borovicz Cardoso Schweger, Brazilian footballer
    • 1981 – Sébastien Chavanel, French cyclist
    • 1981 – Glenn Hall, Australian rugby league player
    • 1981 – Jason King, Australian rugby league player
    • 1981 – Todd Polglase, Australian rugby league player
    • 1982 – Maria Elena Camerin, Italian tennis player
    • 1982 – Ejegayehu Dibaba, Ethiopian runner
    • 1982 – Aaron Hill, American baseball player
    • 1982 – Colin Turkington, Northern Irish race car driver
    • 1983 – Lucila Pascua, Spanish basketball player
    • 1983 – Jean Ondoa, Cameroonian footballer
    • 1984 – Tiago dos Santos Roberto, Brazilian footballer
    • 1984 – Guillermo Daniel Rodríguez, Uruguayan footballer
    • 1985 – Ryan Callahan, American ice hockey player
    • 1985 – Adrian Peterson, American football player
    • 1986 – Scott Eastwood, American actor
    • 1986 – Michu, Spanish footballer
    • 1986 – Romanos Alyfantis, Greek swimmer
    • 1986 – Nikoleta Kyriakopoulou, Greek pole vaulter
    • 1987 – Carlos Carrasco, Venezuelan baseball pitcher
    • 1988 – Kateřina Čechová, Czech sprinter
    • 1988 – Erik Johnson, American ice hockey player
    • 1988 – Eric Krüger, German sprinter
    • 1988 – Michael Madl, Austrian footballer, defender
    • 1989 – Jordi Alba, Spanish footballer
    • 1989 – Nicolás Lodeiro, Uruguayan footballer
    • 1990 – Mandy Capristo, German singer-songwriter and dancer
    • 1990 – Ryann Krais, American runner and heptathlete
    • 1990 – Alex Nimo, Liberian-American soccer player
    • 1991 – Luke Chapman, English footballer
    • 1991 – Antoine Griezmann, French footballer
    • 1992 – Lehlogonolo Masalesa, South African footballer
    • 1992 – Karolína Plíšková, Czech tennis player
    • 1993 – Jake Bidwell, English footballer
    • 1993 – Jesse Joronen, Finnish footballer
    • 1994 – Margaret Lu, American fencer
    • 1997 – Martina Stoessel, Argentine actress
    • 2000 – Jace Norman, American actor

    Deaths on March 21

    • 543 or 547 – Benedict of Nursia, Italian saint (b. 480)
    • 867 – Ælla, king of Northumbria
    • 867 – Osberht, king of Northumbria
    • 1034 – Ezzo, Count Palatine of Lotharingia (b. 955)
    • 1063 – Richeza of Lotharingia (b. 995)
    • 1076 – Robert I, Duke of Burgundy (b. 1011)
    • 1201 – Absalon, Danish archbishop (b. c. 1128)
    • 1306 – Robert II, Duke of Burgundy (b. 1248)
    • 1372 – Rudolf VI, Margrave of Baden
    • 1487 – Nicholas of Flüe, Swiss monk and saint (b. 1417)
    • 1540 – John de Vere, 15th Earl of Oxford, English peer and courtier (b. c. 1482)
    • 1556 – Thomas Cranmer, English archbishop (b. 1489)
    • 1571 – Odet de Coligny, French cardinal and Protestant (b. 1517)
    • 1617 – Pocahontas, Algonquian Indigenous princess (b. c. 1595)
    • 1653 – Tarhoncu Ahmed Pasha, Albanian politician, Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire
    • 1656 – James Ussher, Irish archbishop (b. 1581)
    • 1676 – Henri Sauval, French historian and author (b. 1623)
    • 1729 – John Law, Scottish-French economist and politician, Controller-General of Finances (b. 1671)
    • 1729 – Elżbieta Sieniawska, politically influential Polish magnate (b. 1669)
    • 1734 – Robert Wodrow, Scottish historian and author (b. 1679)
    • 1751 – Johann Heinrich Zedler, German publisher (b. 1706)
    • 1752 – Gio Nicola Buhagiar, Maltese painter (b. 1698)
    • 1762 – Nicolas Louis de Lacaille, French priest, astronomer, and academic (b. 1713)
    • 1772 – Jacques-Nicolas Bellin, French geographer and cartographer (b. 1703)
    • 1795 – Giovanni Arduino, Italian miner and geologist (b. 1714)
    • 1801 – Andrea Luchesi, Italian composer and educator (b. 1741)
    • 1804 – Louis Antoine, Duke of Enghien (b. 1772)
    • 1843 – Robert Southey, English poet, historian, and translator (b. 1774)
    • 1843 – Guadalupe Victoria, Mexican general and politician, 1st President of Mexico (b. 1786)
    • 1854 – Pedro María de Anaya, Mexican soldier. President (1847-1848) (b. 1795)
    • 1863 – Edwin Vose Sumner, American general (b. 1797)
    • 1869 – 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) (b. 1803)
    • 1884 – Ezra Abbot, American scholar and academic (b. 1819)
    • 1891 – Joseph E. Johnston, American general (b. 1807)
    • 1915 – Frederick Winslow Taylor, American golfer, tennis player, and engineer (b. 1856)
    • 1920 – Evelina Haverfield, British suffragette and aid worker (b. 1867)
    • 1932 – Frantz Reichel, French rugby player and hurdler (b. 1871)
    • 1934 – Franz Schreker, Austrian composer and conductor (b. 1878)
    • 1934 – Lilyan Tashman, American actress (b. 1896)
    • 1936 – Alexander Glazunov, Russian composer and conductor (b. 1865)
    • 1939 – Evald Aav, Estonian composer and conductor (b. 1900)
    • 1939 – Ali Hikmet Ayerdem, Turkish general and politician (b. 1877)
    • 1943 – Cornelia Fort, American soldier and pilot (b. 1919)
    • 1945 – Arthur Nebe, German SS officer (b. 1894)
    • 1951 – Willem Mengelberg, Dutch conductor and composer (b. 1871)
    • 1953 – Ed Voss, American basketball player (b. 1922)
    • 1956 – Hatı Çırpan, Turkish politician (b. 1890)
    • 1958 – Cyril M. Kornbluth, American soldier and author (b. 1923)
    • 1970 – Manolis Chiotis, Greek singer-songwriter and bouzouki player (b. 1920)
    • 1975 – Joe Medwick, American baseball player and coach (b. 1911)
    • 1978 – Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh, President of Ireland (b. 1911)
    • 1980 – Peter Stoner, American mathematician and astronomer (b. 1888)
    • 1985 – Michael Redgrave, English actor, director, and manager (b. 1908)
    • 1987 – Walter L. Gordon, Canadian accountant, lawyer, and politician, 22nd Canadian Minister of Finance (b. 1906)
    • 1987 – Robert Preston, American captain, actor, and singer (b. 1918)
    • 1991 – Vedat Dalokay, Turkish architect and politician, Mayor of Ankara (b. 1927)
    • 1991 – Leo Fender, American businessman, founded Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (b. 1909)
    • 1992 – John Ireland, Canadian-American actor and director (b. 1914)
    • 1992 – Natalie Sleeth, American pianist and composer (b. 1930)
    • 1994 – Macdonald Carey, American actor (b. 1913)
    • 1994 – Lili Damita, French-American actress and singer (b. 1904)
    • 1994 – Aleksandrs Laime, Latvian-born explorer (b. 1911)
    • 1997 – Wilbert Awdry, English cleric and author, created Thomas the Tank Engine (b. 1911)
    • 1998 – Galina Ulanova, Russian ballerina (b. 1910)
    • 1999 – Jean Guitton, French philosopher and author (b. 1905)
    • 1999 – Ernie Wise, English comedian and actor (b. 1925)
    • 2001 – Chung Ju-yung, South Korean businessman, founded Hyundai (b. 1915)
    • 2001 – Anthony Steel, English actor and singer (b. 1920)
    • 2002 – Herman Talmadge, American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician, 70th Governor of Georgia (b. 1913)
    • 2003 – Shivani, Indian author (b. 1923)
    • 2003 – Umar Wirahadikusumah, Indonesian general and politician, 4th Vice President of Indonesia (b. 1924)
    • 2004 – Ludmilla Tchérina, French actress, dancer, and choreographer (b. 1924)
    • 2005 – Barney Martin, American police officer and actor (b. 1923)
    • 2005 – Bobby Short, American singer and pianist (b. 1924)
    • 2007 – Drew Hayes, American author and illustrator (b. 1969)
    • 2007 – Sven O. Høiby, Norwegian hurdler and journalist (b. 1936)
    • 2008 – Denis Cosgrove, English-American geographer and academic (b. 1948)
    • 2008 – Guillermo Jullian de la Fuente, Chilean architect and academic (b. 1931)
    • 2009 – Walt Poddubny, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1960)
    • 2010 – Wolfgang Wagner, German director and manager (b. 1919)
    • 2011 – Loleatta Holloway, American singer-songwriter (b. 1946)
    • 2011 – Gerd Klier, German footballer (b. 1944)
    • 2011 – Ladislav Novák, Czech footballer and manager (b. 1931)
    • 2011 – Pinetop Perkins, American singer and pianist (b. 1913)
    • 2012 – Albrecht Dietz, German economist and businessman (b. 1926)
    • 2012 – Ron Erhardt, American football player and coach (b. 1931)
    • 2012 – Robert Fuest, English director, screenwriter, and production designer (b. 1927)
    • 2012 – Tonino Guerra, Italian poet and screenwriter (b. 1920)
    • 2012 – Irving Louis Horowitz, American sociologist, author, and academic (b. 1929)
    • 2012 – Yuri Razuvaev, Russian chess player and trainer (b. 1945)
    • 2012 – Marina Salye, Russian geologist and politician (b. 1934)
    • 2013 – Chinua Achebe, Nigerian novelist, poet, and critic (b. 1930)
    • 2013 – Rick Hautala, American author and screenwriter (b. 1949)
    • 2013 – Harlon Hill, American football player and coach (b. 1932)
    • 2013 – Pietro Mennea, Italian sprinter and politician (b. 1952)
    • 2013 – Giancarlo Zagni, Italian director and screenwriter (b. 1926)
    • 2014 – Qoriniasi Bale, Fijian lawyer and politician, 25th Attorney-General of Fiji (b. 1929)
    • 2014 – Bill Boedeker, American football player and soldier (b. 1924)
    • 2014 – Jack Fleck, American golfer (b. 1921)
    • 2014 – Simeon Oduoye, Nigerian police officer and politician (b. 1945)
    • 2014 – James Rebhorn, American actor (b. 1948)
    • 2014 – Ignatius Zakka I Iwas, Iraqi patriarch (b. 1933)
    • 2015 – Ishaya Bakut, Nigerian general and politician, Governor of Benue State (b. 1947)
    • 2015 – Chuck Bednarik, American lieutenant and football player (b. 1925)
    • 2015 – James C. Binnicker, American sergeant (b. 1938)
    • 2015 – Hans Erni, Swiss painter, sculptor, and illustrator (b. 1909)
    • 2015 – Jørgen Ingmann, Danish singer and guitarist (Grethe and Jørgen Ingmann) (b. 1925)
    • 2015 – Alberta Watson, Canadian actress (b. 1955)
    • 2017 – Chuck Barris, American game show host and producer (b. 1929)
    • 2017 – Colin Dexter, English author (b. 1930)
    • 2017 – Martin McGuinness, Irish republican and deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland (2007–2017) (b. 1950)
    • 2017 – Mike Hall, British cyclist (b. 1981)
    • 2019 – Victor Hochhauser CBE, British music promoter (b. 1923)[21]
    • 2019 – Gonzalo Portocarrero, Peruvian sociologist (b. 1949)

    Holidays and observances on March 21

    • Arbor Day (Portugal)
    • Birth of Benito Juárez, a Fiestas Patrias (Mexico)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Benedetta Cambiagio Frassinello
      • Passing of Saint Benedict (Order of Saint Benedict)
      • Birillus
      • Enda of Aran
      • Nicholas of Flüe
      • Serapion of Thmuis
      • Thomas Cranmer (Anglicanism)
      • March 21 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Earliest day on which Holy Saturday can fall, while April 24 is the latest; celebrated on the Saturday before Easter (Christianity)
    • Education Freedom Day
    • Harmony Day (Australia)
    • Human Rights Day (South Africa)
    • Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Namibia from South African mandate in 1990
    • International Colour Day (International)
    • International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (International)
    • International Day of Forests (International), by proclamation of the United Nations General Assembly
    • Mother’s Day (most of the Arab world)
    • National Tree Planting Day (Lesotho)
    • Newroz (Iran, Kurdistan, Mesopotamia)
    • Truant’s Day (Poland, Faroe Islands)
    • Vernal equinox related observances (see March 20)
    • World Down Syndrome Day (International)
    • World Poetry Day (International)
    • World Puppetry Day (International)
    • Youth Day (Tunisia)

  • March 20- History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    Typically the March equinox falls on March 20, marking the vernal point in the Northern Hemisphere and the autumnal point in the Southern Hemisphere.

    • 235 – Maximinus Thrax is proclaimed emperor.
    • 673 – Emperor Tenmu of Japan assumes the Chrysanthemum Throne at the Palace of Kiyomihara in Asuka.
    • 1206 – Michael IV Autoreianos is appointed Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.
    • 1600 – The Linköping Bloodbath takes place on Maundy Thursday in Linköping, Sweden: five Swedish noblemen are publicly beheaded in the aftermath of the War against Sigismund (1598–1599).
    • 1602 – The Dutch East India Company is established.
    • 1616 – Sir Walter Raleigh is freed from the Tower of London after 13 years of imprisonment.
    • 1760 – The Great Boston Fire of 1760 destroys 349 buildings.
    • 1815 – After escaping from Elba, Napoleon enters Paris with a regular army of 140,000 and a volunteer force of around 200,000, beginning his “Hundred Days” rule.
    • 1848 – German revolutions of 1848–49: King Ludwig I of Bavaria abdicates.
    • 1852 – Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin is published.
    • 1854 – The Republican Party of the United States is organized in Ripon, Wisconsin, US.
    • 1861 – An earthquake destroys Mendoza, Argentina.
    • 1883 – The Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property is signed.
    • 1888 – The premiere of the very first Romani language operetta is staged in Moscow, Russia.
    • 1890 – Prime Minister of the German Empire Otto von Bismarck is dismissed by Emperor Wilhelm II.
    • 1896 – With the approval of Emperor Guangxu, the Qing dynasty post office is opened, marking the beginning of a postal service in China.
    • 1913 – Sung Chiao-jen, a founder of the Chinese Nationalist Party, is wounded in an assassination attempt and dies 2 days later.
    • 1915 – Albert Einstein publishes his general theory of relativity.
    • 1921 – The Upper Silesia plebiscite was a plebiscite mandated by the Versailles Treaty to determine a section of the border between Weimar Germany and Poland.
    • 1922 – The USS Langley is commissioned as the first United States Navy aircraft carrier.
    • 1923 – The Arts Club of Chicago hosts the opening of Pablo Picasso’s first United States showing, entitled Original Drawings by Pablo Picasso, becoming an early proponent of modern art in the United States.
    • 1933 – Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler ordered the creation of Dachau concentration camp as Chief of Police of Munich and appointed Theodor Eicke as the camp commandant.
    • 1942 – World War II: General Douglas MacArthur, at Terowie, South Australia, makes his famous speech regarding the fall of the Philippines, in which he says: “I came out of Bataan and I shall return”.
    • 1948 – With a Musicians Union ban lifted, the first telecasts of classical music in the United States, under Eugene Ormandy and Arturo Toscanini, are given on CBS and NBC.
    • 1951 – Fujiyoshida, a city located in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan, in the center of the Japanese main island of Honshū is founded.
    • 1952 – The US Senate ratifies the Security Treaty Between the United States and Japan.
    • 1956 – Tunisia gains independence from France.
    • 1964 – The precursor of the European Space Agency, ESRO (European Space Research Organisation) is established per an agreement signed on June 14, 1962.
    • 1972 – The Troubles: The first Provisional IRA car bombing in Belfast kills seven people and injures 148 others in Northern Ireland.
    • 1985 – Libby Riddles becomes the first woman to win the 1,135-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.
    • 1985 – Canadian paraplegic athlete and humanitarian Rick Hansen begins his circumnavigation of the globe in a wheelchair in the name of spinal cord injury medical research.
    • 1987 – The Food and Drug Administration approves the anti-AIDS drug, AZT.
    • 1988 – Eritrean War of Independence: Having defeated the Nadew Command, the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front enters the town of Afabet, victoriously concluding the Battle of Afabet.
    • 1990 – Ferdinand Marcos’s widow, Imelda Marcos, goes on trial for bribery, embezzlement, and racketeering.
    • 1993 – The Troubles: A Provisional IRA bomb kills two children in Warrington, England. It leads to mass protests in both Britain and Ireland.
    • 1995 – The Japanese cult Aum Shinrikyo carries out a sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway, killing 13 and wounding over 6,200 people.
    • 1999 – Legoland California, the first Legoland outside of Europe, opens in Carlsbad, California, US.
    • 2000 – Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, a former Black Panther once known as H. Rap Brown, is captured after murdering Georgia sheriff’s deputy Ricky Kinchen and critically wounding Deputy Aldranon English.
    • 2003 – Invasion of Iraq: In the early hours of the morning, the United States and three other countries (the UK, Australia and Poland) begin military operations in Iraq.
    • 2006 – Over 150 Chadian soldiers are killed in eastern Chad by members of the rebel UFDC. The rebel movement sought to overthrow Chadian president Idriss Déby.
    • 2012 – At least 52 people are killed and more than 250 injured in a wave of terror attacks across ten cities in Iraq.
    • 2014 – Four suspected Taliban members attack the Kabul Serena Hotel, killing at least nine people.
    • 2015 – A Solar eclipse, equinox, and a supermoon all occur on the same day.

    Births on March 20

    • 43 BC – Ovid, Roman poet (d. 17)
    • 1253 – Magadu, renamed Wareru, founder of Ramanya Kingdom, renamed Hanthawady Kingdom of Pegu (b. a commoner; d. on a Saturday in January 1307)
    • 1319 – Laurence Hastings, 1st Earl of Pembroke (d. 1348)
    • 1469 – Cecily of York (d. 1507)
    • 1477 – Jerome Emser, German theologian and scholar (d. 1527)
    • 1479 – Ippolito d’Este, Italian cardinal (d. 1520)
    • 1502 – Pierino Belli, Italian soldier and jurist (d. 1575)
    • 1532 – Juan de Ribera, Roman Catholic archbishop (d. 1611)
    • 1612 – Anne Bradstreet, Puritan American poet (d. 1672)
    • 1615 – Dara Shikoh, Indian prince (d. 1659)
    • 1639 – Ivan Mazepa, Ukrainian diplomat, Hetman of Ukraine (d. 1709)
    • 1725 – Abdul Hamid I, Ottoman sultan (d. 1789)
    • 1737 – Rama I, Thai king (d. 1809)
    • 1771 – Heinrich Clauren, German author (d. 1854)
    • 1796 – Edward Gibbon Wakefield, English politician (d. 1862)
    • 1799 – Karl August Nicander, Swedish poet and author (d. 1839)
    • 1800 – Braulio Carrillo Colina, Costa Rican lawyer and politician, President of Costa Rica (d. 1845)
    • 1805 – Thomas Cooper, British poet (d. 1892)
    • 1811 – Napoleon II, French emperor (d. 1832)
    • 1811 – George Caleb Bingham, American painter and politician, State Treasurer of Missouri (d. 1879)
    • 1821 – Ned Buntline, American journalist, author, and publisher (d. 1886)
    • 1824 – Theodor von Heuglin, German explorer and ornithologist (d. 1876)
    • 1828 – Henrik Ibsen, Norwegian poet, playwright, and director (d. 1906)
    • 1831 – Patrick Jennings, Northern Irish-Australian politician, 11th Premier of New South Wales (d. 1897)
    • 1831 – Solomon L. Spink, American lawyer and politician (d. 1881)
    • 1834 – Charles William Eliot, American mathematician and academic (d. 1926)
    • 1836 – Ferris Jacobs, Jr., American general, lawyer, and politician (d. 1886)
    • 1836 – Edward Poynter, English painter, illustrator, and curator (d. 1919)
    • 1840 – Illarion Pryanishnikov, Russian painter (d. 1894)
    • 1851 – Ismail Gasprinski, Ukrainian educator, publisher, and politician (d. 1914)
    • 1856 – John Lavery, Irish painter (d. 1941)
    • 1856 – Frederick Winslow Taylor, American tennis player and engineer (d. 1915)
    • 1870 – Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck, German general (d. 1964)
    • 1874 – Börries von Münchhausen, German poet and activist (d. 1945)
    • 1876 – Payne Whitney, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 1927)
    • 1879 – Maud Menten, Canadian physician and biochemist (d. 1960)
    • 1882 – René Coty, French lawyer and politician, 17th President of France (d. 1962)
    • 1882 – Harold Weber, American golfer (d. 1933)
    • 1884 – Philipp Frank, Austrian-American physicist, mathematician, and philosopher (d. 1966)
    • 1884 – John Jensen, Australian public servant (d. 1970)
    • 1885 – Vernon Ransford, Australian cricketer (d. 1958)
    • 1888 – Amanda Clement, American baseball player, umpire, and educator (d. 1971)
    • 1890 – Lauritz Melchior, Danish-American tenor and actor (d. 1973)
    • 1894 – Amalie Sara Colquhoun, Australian landscape and portrait painter (d. 1974)
    • 1895 – Fredric Wertham, German-American psychologist and author (d. 1981)
    • 1898 – Eduard Wiiralt, Estonian artist (d. 1954)
    • 1900 – Amelia Chopitea Villa, Bolivia’s first female physician (d. 1942)
    • 1903 – Edgar Buchanan, American actor (d. 1979)
    • 1904 – B. F. Skinner, American psychologist and author (d. 1990)
    • 1905 – Jean Galia, French rugby player and boxer (d. 1949)
    • 1906 – Abraham Beame, American accountant and politician, 104th Mayor of New York City (d. 2001)
    • 1906 – Ozzie Nelson, American actor and bandleader (d. 1975)
    • 1907 – Hugh MacLennan, Canadian author and educator (d. 1990)
    • 1908 – Michael Redgrave, English actor and director (d. 1985)
    • 1910 – Erwin Blask, German hammer thrower (d. 1999)
    • 1911 – Alfonso García Robles, Mexican lawyer and diplomat, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1991)
    • 1912 – Ralph Hauenstein, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 2016)
    • 1913 – Nikolai Stepulov, Russian-Estonian boxer (d. 1968)
    • 1914 – Wendell Corey, American actor and politician (d. 1968)
    • 1915 – Rudolf Kirchschläger, Austrian judge and politician, 8th President of Austria (d. 2000)
    • 1915 – Sviatoslav Richter, Ukrainian pianist and composer (d. 1997)
    • 1915 – Sister Rosetta Tharpe, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1973)
    • 1916 – Pierre Messmer, French lieutenant and politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 2007)
    • 1917 – Vera Lynn, English singer, songwriter and actress (d. 2020)
    • 1917 – Yigael Yadin, Israeli archaeologist, general, and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Israel (d. 1984)
    • 1918 – Jack Barry, American game show host and producer, co-founded Barry & Enright Productions (d. 1984)
    • 1918 – Donald Featherstone, English soldier and author (d. 2013)
    • 1918 – Marian McPartland, English-American pianist and composer (d. 2013)
    • 1918 – Bernd Alois Zimmermann, German composer (d. 1970)
    • 1919 – Gerhard Barkhorn, German fighter ace (d. 1983)
    • 1920 – Pamela Harriman, English-American diplomat, 58th United States Ambassador to France (d. 1997)
    • 1920 – Rosemary Timperley, English author and screenwriter (d. 1988)
    • 1921 – Usmar Ismail, Indonesian filmmaker (d. 1971)
    • 1921 – Dušan Pirjevec, Slovenian historian and philosopher (d. 1977)
    • 1921 – Alfréd Rényi, Hungarian mathematician and theorist (d. 1970)
    • 1922 – Larry Elgart, American saxophonist and bandleader (d. 2017)
    • 1922 – Ray Goulding, American actor and screenwriter (d. 1990)
    • 1922 – Carl Reiner, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2020)
    • 1923 – Con Martin, Irish footballer and manager (d. 2013)
    • 1923 – Shaukat Siddiqui, Pakistani journalist, author, and activist (d. 2006)
    • 1925 – John Ehrlichman, American lawyer, 12th White House Counsel (d. 1999)
    • 1927 – John Joubert, South African-English composer and academic (d. 2019)
    • 1928 – Jerome Biffle, American long jumper and coach (d. 2002)
    • 1928 – James P. Gordon, American physicist and engineer (d. 2013)
    • 1928 – Fred Rogers, American television host and producer (d. 2003)
    • 1929 – William Andrew MacKay, Canadian lawyer and judge (d. 2013)
    • 1929 – Germán Robles, Spanish-Mexican actor and director (d. 2015)
    • 1930 – S. Arasaratnam, Sri Lankan historian, author, and academic (d. 1998)
    • 1931 – Hal Linden, American actor, singer, and director
    • 1931 – Rein Raamat, Estonian director and screenwriter
    • 1933 – Lateef Adegbite, Nigerian lawyer and politician (d. 2012)
    • 1933 – George Altman, American baseball player
    • 1933 – Ian Walsh, Australian rugby league player and coach (d. 2013)
    • 1934 – Willie Brown, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 41st Mayor of San Francisco
    • 1934 – David Malouf, Australian author and playwright
    • 1935 – Ted Bessell, American actor and director (d. 1996)
    • 1935 – Bettye Washington Greene, American chemist (d. 1995)
    • 1936 – Lee “Scratch” Perry, Jamaican singer, songwriter, music producer, and inventor
    • 1936 – Mark Saville, Baron Saville of Newdigate, English lieutenant, lawyer, and judge
    • 1937 – Lois Lowry, American author
    • 1937 – Jerry Reed, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (d. 2008)
    • 1938 – Sergei Novikov, Russian mathematician and academic
    • 1939 – Gerald Curran, American lawyer and politician (d. 2013)
    • 1939 – Don Edwards, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1939 – Walter Jakob Gehring, Swiss biologist and academic (d. 2014)
    • 1939 – Brian Mulroney, Canadian lawyer and politician, 18th Prime Minister of Canada
    • 1940 – Stathis Chaitas, Greek footballer and manager
    • 1940 – Mary Ellen Mark, American photographer and journalist (d. 2015)
    • 1940 – Giampiero Moretti, Italian race car driver and businessman, founded the Momo company (d. 2012)
    • 1941 – Pat Corrales, American baseball player and manager
    • 1941 – Kenji Kimihara, Japanese runner
    • 1943 – Gerard Malanga, American poet and photographer
    • 1943 – Douglas Tompkins, American businessman, co-founded The North Face and Esprit Holdings (d. 2015)
    • 1943 – Paul Junger Witt, American director and producer (d. 2018)
    • 1944 – John Cameron, English composer and conductor
    • 1944 – Camille Cosby, American author, producer, and philanthropist
    • 1944 – Alan Harper, English-Irish archbishop
    • 1945 – Henry Bartholomay, American soldier and pilot (d. 2015)
    • 1945 – Jay Ingram, Canadian television host and author
    • 1945 – Pat Riley, American basketball player and coach
    • 1945 – Tim Yeo, English politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Health
    • 1946 – Douglas B. Green, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1946 – Malcolm Simmons, English motorcycle racer (d. 2014)
    • 1947 – John Boswell, American historian, philologist, and academic (d. 1994)
    • 1948 – John de Lancie, American actor
    • 1948 – Bobby Orr, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1948 – Nikos Papazoglou, Greek singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2011)
    • 1949 – Marcia Ball, American blues singer-songwriter and pianist
    • 1949 – Richard Dowden, English journalist and educator
    • 1950 – William Hurt, American actor
    • 1950 – Carl Palmer, English drummer, percussionist, and songwriter
    • 1951 – Jimmie Vaughan, American blues-rock singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1952 – Geoff Brabham, Australian race car driver
    • 1952 – David Greenaway, English economist and academic
    • 1953 – Phil Judd, New Zealand singer-songwriter, guitarist and painter
    • 1954 – Mike Francesa, American radio talk show host and television commentator
    • 1954 – Liana Kanelli, Greek journalist and politician
    • 1954 – Paul Mirabella, American baseball player
    • 1955 – Nina Kiriki Hoffman, American author
    • 1955 – Ian Moss, Australian guitarist and singer-songwriter
    • 1955 – Mariya Takeuchi, Japanese singer-songwriter
    • 1956 – Catherine Ashton, English politician, Vice-President of the European Commission
    • 1956 – Anne Donahue, American lawyer and politician
    • 1956 – Naoto Takenaka, Japanese actor, comedian, singer, and director
    • 1957 – Vanessa Bell Calloway, American actress
    • 1957 – David Foster, Australian woodchopper
    • 1957 – Spike Lee, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1957 – Theresa Russell, American actress
    • 1957 – Chris Wedge, American animator, producer, screenwriter, and voice actor
    • 1958 – Holly Hunter, American actress and producer
    • 1958 – Rickey Jackson, American football player
    • 1958 – Joe Reaiche, Australian rugby player
    • 1959 – Dave Beasant, English footballer and coach
    • 1959 – Mary Roach, American author
    • 1959 – Sting, American wrestler
    • 1959 – Peter Truscott, Baron Truscott, British Labour Party politician and peer
    • 1960 – Norm Magnusson, American painter and sculptor
    • 1960 – Norbert Pohlmann, German computer scientist and academic
    • 1960 – Yuri Shargin, Russian colonel, engineer, and astronaut
    • 1961 – Ingrid Arndt-Brauer, German politician
    • 1961 – Jesper Olsen, Danish footballer and manager
    • 1961 – Sara Wheeler, English author and journalist
    • 1962 – Stephen Sommers, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1963 – Paul Annacone, American tennis player and coach
    • 1963 – Kathy Ireland, American model, actress, and furniture designer
    • 1963 – Yelena Romanova, Russian runner (d. 2007)
    • 1963 – David Thewlis, English-French actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1964 – Natacha Atlas, Belgian singer-songwriter
    • 1965 – William Dalrymple, Scottish historian and author
    • 1967 – Xavier Beauvois, French actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1967 – Mookie Blaylock, American basketball player
    • 1968 – Carlos Almeida, Cape Verdean runner
    • 1968 – A. J. Jacobs, American journalist and author
    • 1968 – Paul Merson, English footballer and manager
    • 1968 – Ultra Naté, American singer, songwriter, record producer, DJ, and promoter
    • 1969 – Yvette Cooper, English economist and politician, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
    • 1969 – Fabien Galthie, French rugby player
    • 1970 – Edoardo Ballerini, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1970 – Josephine Medina, Filipino Paralympic table tennis player
    • 1970 – sj Miller, American academic, public speaker, and social justice activist
    • 1970 – Michael Rapaport, American actor, podcast host, and director
    • 1971 – Manny Alexander, Dominican baseball player
    • 1971 – Touré, American journalist and author
    • 1972 – Chilly Gonzales, Canadian-German singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer
    • 1972 – Alex Kapranos, English-Scottish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1972 – Greg Searle, English rower
    • 1972 – Marco Sejna, German footballer
    • 1972 – Cristel Vahtra, Estonian skier
    • 1973 – Nicky Boje, South African cricketer
    • 1973 – Natalya Khrushcheleva, Russian runner
    • 1973 – Talal Khalifa Aljeri, Kuwaiti businessman
    • 1974 – Carsten Ramelow, German footballer
    • 1975 – Ramin Bahrani, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1975 – Isolde Kostner, Italian skier
    • 1976 – Chester Bennington, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor (d. 2017)
    • 1978 – Kevin Betsy, English born Seychelles international footballer, midfielder and manager
    • 1978 – Brent Sherwin, Australian rugby league player
    • 1979 – Shinnosuke Abe, Japanese baseball player
    • 1979 – Freema Agyeman, English actress
    • 1979 – Keven Mealamu, New Zealand rugby player
    • 1980 – Jamal Crawford, American basketball player
    • 1980 – Robertas Javtokas, Lithuanian basketball player
    • 1981 – Ian Murray, Scottish footballer
    • 1981 – Carl Webb, Australian rugby league player
    • 1982 – Terrence Duffin, Zimbabwean cricketer
    • 1982 – Tomasz Kuszczak, Polish footballer
    • 1982 – José Moreira, Portuguese footballer
    • 1983 – Carolina Padrón, Venezuelan journalist
    • 1983 – Jenni Vartiainen, Finnish singer
    • 1984 – Vikram Banerjee, English cricketer
    • 1984 – Christy Carlson Romano, American actress and singer
    • 1984 – Fernando Torres, Spanish footballer
    • 1985 – Morgan Amalfitano, French footballer
    • 1985 – Ronnie Brewer, American basketball player
    • 1985 – Nicolas Lombaerts, Belgian footballer
    • 1986 – Dean Geyer, South African-Australian singer-songwriter and actor
    • 1986 – Julián Magallanes, Argentinian footballer
    • 1986 – Ruby Rose, Australian actress and model
    • 1986 – Román Torres, Panamanian footballer
    • 1987 – Daniel Maa Boumsong, Cameroonian footballer
    • 1987 – Jô, Brazilian footballer
    • 1987 – Pedro Ken, Brazilian footballer
    • 1987 – Sergei Kostitsyn, Belarusian ice hockey player
    • 1989 – Xavier Dolan, Canadian actor and director
    • 1989 – Tamim Iqbal, Bangladeshi Cricketer
    • 1990 – Blake Ferguson, Australian rugby league player
    • 1990 – Marcos Rojo, Argentine footballer
    • 1991 – Mattia Destro, Italian footballer
    • 1991 – Michał Kucharczyk, Polish footballer
    • 1991 – Ethan Lowe, Australian rugby league player
    • 1993 – Sloane Stephens, American tennis player
    • 1995 – Jack Bird, Australian rugby league player

    Deaths on March 20

    • 687 – Cuthbert, Northumbrian (English) monk, bishop, and saint (b. 634)
    • 703 – Wulfram, archbishop of Sens
    • 842 – Alfonso II, king of Asturias (Spain) (b. 759)
    • 851 – Ebbo, archbishop of Reims
    • 1181 – Taira no Kiyomori, Japanese general (b. 1118)
    • 1191 – Pope Clement III (b. 1130)
    • 1239 – Hermann von Salza, German knight and diplomat (b. 1179)
    • 1302 – Ralph Walpole, Bishop of Norwich
    • 1336 – Maurice Csák, Hungarian Dominican friar (b. 1270)
    • 1351 – Muhammad bin Tughluq, Sultan of Delhi
    • 1390 – Alexios III Megas Komnenos, Emperor of Trebizond (b. 1338)
    • 1413 – Henry IV of England (b. 1367)
    • 1440 – Sigismund I of Lithuania
    • 1475 – Georges Chastellain, Burgundian chronicler and poet
    • 1549 – Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley, English general and politician, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports (b. 1508)
    • 1568 – Albert, Duke of Prussia (b. 1490)
    • 1619 – Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1557)
    • 1673 – Augustyn Kordecki, Polish monk (b. 1603)
    • 1688 – Maria of Orange-Nassau, Dutch princess (b. 1642)
    • 1730 – Adrienne Lecouvreur, French actress (b. 1692)
    • 1746 – Nicolas de Largillière, French painter and academic (b. 1656)
    • 1780 – Benjamin Truman, English brewer and businessman (b. 1699)
    • 1793 – William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield, Scottish judge and politician, Attorney General for England and Wales (b. 1705)
    • 1835 – Louis Léopold Robert, French painter (b. 1794)
    • 1849 – James Justinian Morier, Turkish-English author and diplomat (b. 1780)
    • 1855 – Joseph Aspdin, English businessman (b. 1788)
    • 1865 – Yamanami Keisuke, Japanese samurai (b. 1833)
    • 1874 – Hans Christian Lumbye, Danish composer and conductor (b. 1810)
    • 1878 – Julius Robert von Mayer, German physician and physicist (b. 1814)
    • 1894 – Lajos Kossuth, Hungarian lawyer, journalist and politician (b. 1802)
    • 1897 – Apollon Maykov, Russian poet and playwright (b. 1821)
    • 1899 – Franz Ritter von Hauer, Austrian geologist and author (b. 1822)
    • 1909 – Friedrich Amelung, Estonian historian and businessman (b. 1842)
    • 1918 – Lewis A. Grant, American general and lawyer (b. 1828)
    • 1925 – George Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston, English politician, 35th Governor-General of India (b. 1859)
    • 1929 – Ferdinand Foch, French field marshal (b. 1851)
    • 1930 – Arthur F. Andrews, American cyclist (b. 1876)
    • 1931 – Hermann Müller, German journalist and politician, 12th Chancellor of Germany (b. 1876)
    • 1933 – Giuseppe Zangara, Italian-American assassin of Anton Cermak (b. 1900; executed)
    • 1940 – Alfred Ploetz, German physician, biologist, and eugenicist (b. 1860)
    • 1945 – Dorothy Campbell, Scottish-American golfer (b. 1883)
    • 1946 – Amadeus William Grabau, American-Chinese geologist, paleontologist, and academic (b. 1870)
    • 1947 – Sigurd Wallén, Swedish actor and director (b. 1884)
    • 1952 – Hjalmar Väre, Finnish cyclist (b. 1892)
    • 1958 – Adegoke Adelabu, Nigerian merchant, journalist, and politician (b. 1915)
    • 1964 – Brendan Behan, Irish republican and playwright (b. 1923)
    • 1965 – Daniel Frank, American long jumper (b. 1882)
    • 1966 – Johnny Morrison, American baseball player (b. 1895)
    • 1968 – Carl Theodor Dreyer, Danish director and screenwriter (b. 1889)
    • 1969 – Henri Longchambon, French politician (b. 1896)
    • 1971 – Falih Rıfkı Atay, Turkish journalist and politician (b. 1894)
    • 1972 – Marilyn Maxwell, American actress (b. 1921)
    • 1974 – Chet Huntley, American journalist (b. 1911)
    • 1977 – Charles Lyttelton, 10th Viscount Cobham, English politician, 9th Governor-General of New Zealand (b. 1909)
    • 1977 – Terukuni Manzō, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 38th Yokozuna (b. 1919)
    • 1978 – Jacques Brugnon, French tennis player (b. 1895)
    • 1981 – Gerry Bertier, American football player (b. 1953)
    • 1983 – Ivan Matveyevich Vinogradov, Russian mathematician and academic (b. 1891)
    • 1990 – Maurice Cloche, French director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1907)
    • 1990 – Lev Yashin, Russian footballer (b. 1929)
    • 1992 – Georges Delerue, French composer (b. 1925)
    • 1993 – Polykarp Kusch, German-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1911)
    • 1994 – Lewis Grizzard, American writer and humorist (b. 1946)
    • 1997 – V. S. Pritchett, English short story writer, essayist, and critic (b. 1900)
    • 1999 – Patrick Heron, British painter (b. 1920)
    • 2000 – Gene Eugene, Canadian-American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1961)
    • 2001 – Luis Alvarado, Puerto Rican-American baseball player (b. 1949)
    • 2004 – Juliana of the Netherlands (b. 1909)
    • 2004 – Pierre Sévigny, Canadian colonel and politician (b. 1917)
    • 2005 – Armand Lohikoski, American-Finnish director and screenwriter (b. 1912)
    • 2007 – Raynald Fréchette, Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician (b. 1933)
    • 2007 – Taha Yassin Ramadan, Iraqi politician, Vice President of Iraq (b. 1938)
    • 2007 – Hawa Yakubu, Ghanaian politician (b. 1948)
    • 2010 – Ai, American poet and academic (b. 1947)
    • 2010 – Girija Prasad Koirala, Indian-Nepalese politician, 30th Prime Minister of Nepal (b. 1924)
    • 2010 – Stewart Udall, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 37th United States Secretary of the Interior (b. 1920)
    • 2011 – Johnny Pearson, English pianist, conductor, and composer (b. 1925)
    • 2012 – Lincoln Hall, Australian mountaineer and author (b. 1955)
    • 2012 – Noboru Ishiguro, Japanese animator and director (b. 1938)
    • 2012 – Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg, Polish-Israeli rabbi and author (b. 1910)
    • 2012 – Jim Stynes, Irish-Australian footballer (b. 1966)
    • 2013 – James Herbert, English author (b. 1943)
    • 2013 – George Lowe, New Zealand-English mountaineer and explorer (b. 1924)
    • 2013 – Zillur Rahman, Bangladeshi lawyer and politician, 19th President of Bangladesh (b. 1929)
    • 2014 – Hennie Aucamp, South African poet, author, and academic (b. 1934)
    • 2014 – Hilderaldo Bellini, Brazilian footballer (b. 1930)
    • 2014 – Tonie Nathan, American politician (b. 1923)
    • 2014 – Khushwant Singh, Indian journalist and author (b. 1915)
    • 2015 – Eva Burrows, Australian 13th General of The Salvation Army (b. 1929)
    • 2015 – Malcolm Fraser, Australian politician, 22nd Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1930)
    • 2016 – Anker Jørgensen, Danish politician, Prime Minister of Denmark (b. 1922)
    • 2017 – David Rockefeller, American billionaire and philanthropist (b. 1915)
    • 2018 – C. K. Mann, a Ghanaian Highlife musician and producer (b. 1936)
    • 2019 – Mary Warnock, English philosopher & writer (b. 1924)
    • 2020 – Kenny Rogers, American singer (b. 1938)

    Holidays and observances on March 20

    • Christian feast day:
      • Alexandra
      • Blessed John of Parma
      • Clement of Ireland
      • Cuthbert of Lindisfarne
      • Herbert of Derwentwater
      • John of Nepomuk
      • Józef Bilczewski
      • María Josefa Sancho de Guerra
      • Martin of Braga
      • Michele Carcano
      • Wulfram
      • March 20 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Earliest date for the vernal equinox in the Northern hemisphere:
      • Bahá’í Naw-Rúz, started at sunset on March 20. The end of the 19-day sunrise-to-sunset fast. (Bahá’í Faith)
      • Chunfen (China)
      • Earth Equinox Day
      • International Astrology Day
      • New Year (Thelema)
      • Nowruz (Persian, Gilaki, Kurdish, Zoroastrians, and other Iranian people and countries with an Iranian influence)
      • Ostara in the northern hemisphere, Mabon in the southern hemisphere. (Neo-Druidic Wheel of the Year)
      • Shunbun no Hi (Japan)
      • Sun-Earth Day (United States)
      • Vernal Equinox Day/Kōreisai (Japan)
      • World Storytelling Day
    • Earliest day on which Good Friday can fall, while April 23 is the latest; celebrated on Friday before Easter. (Christianity)
    • Great American Meatout (United States)
    • Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Tunisia from France in 1956.
    • International Day of Happiness (United Nations)
    • International Francophonie Day (Organisation internationale de la Francophonie), and its related observances:
      • UN French Language Day (United Nations)
    • National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (United States)
    • World Sparrow Day

  • March 15- History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    In the Roman calendar, March 15 was known as the Ides of March.

    March 15 in History

    • 474 BC – Roman consul Gnaeus Manlius Vulso celebrates an ovation for concluding the war against Veii and securing a forty years’ truce.
    • 44 BC – Marcus Junius Brutus the Younger and his fellow conspirators, Gaius Cassius Longinus, Decimus Junius Brutus, and several other Roman senators, march to the Capitol following the assassination of Julius Caesar, but there is no response to their appeals to the population, who have left the streets in fear. Caesar’s body remains in its place
    • 351 – Constantius II elevates his cousin Gallus to Caesar, and puts him in charge of the Eastern part of the Roman Empire.
    • 493 – Odoacer, the first barbarian King of Italy after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, is slain by Theoderic the Great, king of the Ostrogoths, while the two kings were feasting together.
    • 856 – Michael III, emperor of the Byzantine Empire, overthrows the regency of his mother, empress Theodora (wife of Theophilos) with support of the Byzantine nobility.
    • 933 – After a ten-year truce, German King Henry the Fowler defeats a Hungarian army at the Battle of Riade near the Unstrut river.
    • 1147 – Conquest of Santarém: The forces of Afonso I of Portugal capture Santarém.
    • 1311 – Battle of Halmyros: The Catalan Company defeats Walter V, Count of Brienne to take control of the Duchy of Athens, a Crusader state in Greece.
    • 1493 – Christopher Columbus returns to Spain after his first trip to the Americas.
    • 1564 – Mughal Emperor Akbar abolishes “jizya” (per capita tax).
    • 1672 – Charles II of England issues the Royal Declaration of Indulgence.
    • 1781 – American Revolutionary War: Battle of Guilford Court House: Near present-day Greensboro, North Carolina, 1,900 British troops under General Charles Cornwallis defeat a mixed American force numbering 4,400 in a Pyrrhic victory.
    • 1783 – In an emotional speech in Newburgh, New York, George Washington asks his officers not to support the Newburgh Conspiracy. The plea is successful and the threatened coup d’état never takes place.
    • 1819 – French physicist Augustin Fresnel is adjudged the winner of the Grand Prix of the Académie des Sciences for his “Memoir on the Diffraction of Light”, which verifies the Fresnel integrals, accounts for the limited extent to which light spreads into shadows, and thereby demolishes Newton’s initial objection to the wave theory of light.
    • 1820 – Maine becomes the 23rd U.S. state.
    • 1827 – University of Toronto is founded.
    • 1848 – A revolution breaks out in Hungary. The Habsburg rulers are compelled to meet the demands of the Reform party.
    • 1864 – American Civil War: The Red River Campaign: U.S. Navy fleet arrives at Alexandria, Louisiana.
    • 1874 – France and Vietnam sign the Second Treaty of Saigon, further recognizing the full sovereignty of France over Cochinchina.
    • 1875 – Archbishop of New York John McCloskey is named the first cardinal in the United States.
    • 1877 – First ever official cricket test match is played: Australia vs England at the MCG Stadium, in Melbourne, Australia.
    • 1878 – Restoration of the Scottish Catholic hierarchy, broken off back in 1603.
    • 1888 – Start of the Anglo-Tibetan War of 1888.
    • 1895 – Heian Shrine is founded.
    • 1906 – Rolls-Royce Limited is incorporated.
    • 1916 – United States President Woodrow Wilson sends 4,800 United States troops over the U.S.–Mexico border to pursue Pancho Villa.
    • 1917 – Tsar Nicholas II of Russia abdicates the Russian throne ending the 304-year Romanov dynasty.
    • 1921 – Talaat Pasha, former Grand Vizir of the Ottoman Empire and chief architect of the Armenian Genocide is assassinated in Berlin by a 23-year-old Armenian, Soghomon Tehlirian.
    • 1922 – After Egypt gains nominal independence from the United Kingdom, Fuad I becomes King of Egypt.
    • 1926 – The dictator Theodoros Pangalos is elected President of Greece without opposition.
    • 1927 – The first Women’s Boat Race between the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge takes place on The Isis in Oxford.
    • 1931 – SS Viking explodes off Newfoundland, killing 27 of the 147 onboard.
    • 1933 – Austrian Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss keeps members of the National Council from convening, starting the Austrofascist dictatorship.
    • 1939 – Germany occupies Czechoslovakia.
    • 1939 – Carpatho-Ukraine declares itself an independent republic, but is annexed by Hungary the next day.
    • 1941 – Philippine Airlines, the flag carrier of the Philippines takes its first flight between Manila (from Nielson Field) to Baguio City with a Beechcraft Model 18 making the airline the first and oldest commercial airline in Asia operating under its original name.
    • 1943 – World War II: Third Battle of Kharkov: The Germans retake the city of Kharkov from the Soviet armies in bitter street fighting.
    • 1945 – World War II: Soviet forces begin an offensive to push Germans from Upper Silesia.
    • 1951 – the Iranian oil industry is nationalized.
    • 1952 – In Cilaos, Réunion, 1870 mm (73 inches) of rain falls in a 24-hour period, setting a new world record (March 15 through March 16).
    • 1961 – At the 1961 Commonwealth Prime Ministers’ Conference, South Africa announces that it will withdraw from the Commonwealth when the South African Constitution of 1961 comes into effect.
    • 1965 – President Lyndon B. Johnson, responding to the Selma crisis, tells U.S. Congress “We shall overcome” while advocating the Voting Rights Act.
    • 1978 – Somalia and Ethiopia signed a truce to end the Ethio-Somali War.
    • 1986 – Collapse of Hotel New World: Thirty-three people die when the Hotel New World in Singapore collapses.
    • 1990 – Mikhail Gorbachev is elected as the first President of the Soviet Union.
    • 1991 – Cold War: The Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany comes into effect, granting full sovereignty to the Federal Republic of Germany.
    • 2008 – Stockpiles of obsolete ammunition explode at an ex-military ammunition depot in the village of Gërdec, Albania, killing 26 people.
    • 2011 – Beginning of the Syrian Civil War.
    • 2019 – Fifty-one people are killed in the Christchurch mosque shootings.
    • 2019 – Beginning of the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests.
    • 2019 – Approximately 1.4 million young people in 123 countries go on strike to protest climate change.

    Births on March 15

    • 270 – Saint Nicholas, Greek bishop and saint (d. 343)
    • 1097 – Fujiwara no Tadamichi, Japanese noble (d. 1164)
    • 1275 – Margaret of England, Duchess of Brabant (d. 1333)
    • 1407 – Jacob, Margrave of Baden-Baden (d. 1453)
    • 1444 – Francesco Gonzaga, Catholic cardinal (d. 1483)
    • 1493 – Anne de Montmorency, French captain and diplomat (d. 1567)
    • 1513 – Hedwig Jagiellon, Electress of Brandenburg (d. 1573)
    • 1516 – Alqas Mirza, Safavid prince (d. 1550)
    • 1582 – Daniel Featley, English theologian and controversialist (d. 1645)
    • 1584 – Philip, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (d. 1663)
    • 1591 – Alexandre de Rhodes, French missionary and lexicographer (d. 1660)
    • 1611 – Jan Fyt, Flemish painter (d. 1661)
    • 1638 – Shunzhi Emperor of China (d. 1661)
    • 1666 – George Bähr, German architect, designed the Dresden Frauenkirche (d. 1738)
    • 1754 – Archibald Menzies, Scottish surgeon and botanist (d. 1842)
    • 1767 – Andrew Jackson, American general, judge, and politician, 7th President of the United States (d. 1845)
    • 1779 – William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1848)
    • 1790 – Ludwig Immanuel Magnus, German mathematician and academic (d. 1861)
    • 1791 – Charles Knight, English author and publisher (d. 1873)
    • 1809 – Joseph Jenkins Roberts, American-Liberian historian and politician, 1st President of Liberia (d. 1876)
    • 1809 – Karl Josef von Hefele, German bishop and theologian (d. 1893)
    • 1813 – John Snow, English physician and epidemiologist (d. 1858)
    • 1818 – Mariano Álvarez, Filipino general and politician (d. 1924)
    • 1821 – Johann Josef Loschmidt, Austrian physicist and chemist (d. 1895)
    • 1821 – William Milligan, Scottish theologian, author, and educator (d. 1892)
    • 1824 – Jules Chevalier, French priest, founded the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (d. 1907)
    • 1830 – Paul Heyse, German author, poet, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1914)
    • 1830 – Élisée Reclus, French geographer and academic (d. 1905)
    • 1831 – Saint Daniele Comboni, Italian missionary and saint (d. 1881)
    • 1835 – John Henry Kagi, American lawyer and activist (d. 1859)
    • 1835 – Eduard Strauss, Austrian composer and conductor (d. 1916)
    • 1838 – Karl Davydov, Russian cellist, composer, and conductor (d. 1889)
    • 1851 – John Sebastian Little, American lawyer and politician, 21st Governor of Arkansas (d. 1916)
    • 1851 – William Mitchell Ramsay, Scottish archaeologist and scholar (d. 1939)
    • 1852 – Augusta, Lady Gregory, Anglo-Irish landowner, playwright, and translator (d. 1932)
    • 1854 – Emil von Behring, German physiologist and physician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1917)
    • 1857 – Christian Michelsen, Norwegian businessman and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Norway (d. 1925)
    • 1858 – Liberty Hyde Bailey, American botanist and academic, co-founded the American Society for Horticultural Science (d. 1954)
    • 1860 – Waldemar Haffkine, Russian-Swiss bacteriologist and microbiologist (d. 1930)
    • 1864 – Johan Halvorsen, Norwegian violinist, composer, and conductor (Oslo Philharmonic) (d. 1935)
    • 1865 – Manuk Abeghian, Armenian author and scholar (d. 1944)
    • 1866 – Matthew Charlton, Australian miner and politician (d. 1948)
    • 1866 – Johan Vaaler, Norwegian inventor, often erroneously identified as the inventor of the Paper clip (d. 1910)
    • 1868 – Grace Chisholm Young, English mathematician (d. 1944)
    • 1869 – Stanisław Wojciechowski, Polish scholar and politician, 2nd President of the Republic of Poland (d. 1953)
    • 1874 – Eugène Fiset, Canadian physician, general, and politician, 18th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (d. 1951)
    • 1874 – Harold L. Ickes, American journalist and politician, 32nd United States Secretary of the Interior (d. 1952)
    • 1878 – Reza Shah, Iranian king (d. 1944)
    • 1886 – Wladimir Burliuk, Ukrainian-Greek painter and illustrator (d. 1917)
    • 1887 – Marjorie Merriweather Post, American businesswoman and philanthropist, founded General Foods (d. 1973)
    • 1887 – Lütfi Kırdar, Turkish physician and politician, Turkish Minister of Health (d. 1961)
    • 1879 – Benjamin R. Jacobs, American biochemist (d. 1963)
    • 1890 – Boris Delaunay, Russian mathematician and mountaineer (d. 1980)
    • 1892 – James Basevi Ord, Mexican-American colonel (d. 1938)
    • 1897 – Jackson Scholz, American runner (d. 1986)
    • 1900 – Gilberto Freyre, Brazilian sociologist, anthropologist, historian and writer (d. 1987)
    • 1904 – George Brent, Irish-American actor (d. 1979)
    • 1904 – J. Pat O’Malley, English-American actor (d. 1985)
    • 1905 – Berthold Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg, German lawyer and judge (d. 1944)
    • 1907 – Zarah Leander, Swedish actress and singer (d. 1981)
    • 1909 – Jaroslava Muchová Syllabová, Czech painter (d. 1986)
    • 1912 – Lightnin’ Hopkins, American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1982)
    • 1912 – Louis Paul Boon, Flemish journalist and author (d. 1979)
    • 1913 – Macdonald Carey, American actor (d. 1994)
    • 1913 – Jack Fairman, English race car driver (d. 2002)
    • 1916 – Frank Coghlan, Jr., American actor and pilot (d. 2009)
    • 1916 – Fadil Hoxha, Kosovar commander and politician, 2nd President of Kosovo (d. 2001)
    • 1916 – Harry James, American trumpet player, bandleader, and actor (d. 1983)
    • 1918 – Richard Ellmann, American author and critic (d. 1987)
    • 1918 – Punch Imlach, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager (d. 1987)
    • 1919 – Lawrence Tierney, American actor (d. 2002)
    • 1920 – E. Donnall Thomas, American physician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2012)
    • 1921 – Madelyn Pugh, American television writer and producer (d. 2011)
    • 1922 – Eddie Calvert, English trumpeter (d. 1978)
    • 1926 – Ben Johnston, American composer and academic (d. 2019)
    • 1926 – Norm Van Brocklin, American football player and coach (d. 1983)
    • 1927 – Christian Marquand, French actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2000)
    • 1927 – Carl Smith, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2010)
    • 1928 – Bob Wilber, American clarinetist and saxophonist (d. 2019)
    • 1930 – Zhores Alferov, Belarusian-Russian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2019)
    • 1932 – Alan Bean, American captain, pilot, and astronaut (d. 2018)
    • 1932 – Arif Mardin, Turkish-American record producer (d. 2006)
    • 1933 – Ruth Bader Ginsburg, American lawyer and judge
    • 1933 – Philippe de Broca, French actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2004)
    • 1934 – Richard Layard, Baron Layard, English economist and academic
    • 1934 – Kanshi Ram, Indian politician (d. 2006)
    • 1935 – David Andrews, Irish politician, 21st Minister of Foreign Affairs for Ireland
    • 1935 – Judd Hirsch, American actor
    • 1935 – Jimmy Swaggart, American pastor and television host
    • 1935 – Leonid Yengibarov, Russian-Armenian clown and boxer (d. 1972)
    • 1936 – Howard Greenfield, American songwriter (d. 1986)
    • 1937 – Marcus Raichle, American neurologist and physiologist
    • 1937 – Valentin Rasputin, Russian environmentalist and author (d. 2015)
    • 1938 – Charles Lloyd, American saxophonist and flute player
    • 1939 – Ted Kaufman, American engineer and politician
    • 1939 – Robert Nye, English author, poet, and playwright (d. 2016)
    • 1939 – Julie Tullis, English mountaineer (d. 1986)
    • 1940 – Frank Dobson, English politician, Secretary of State for Health (d. 2019)
    • 1940 – Phil Lesh, American bassist
    • 1941 – Mike Love, American singer-songwriter and musician
    • 1941 – Carolyn Hansson, Canadian materials engineer
    • 1943 – David Cronenberg, Canadian actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1943 – Lynda La Plante, English actress, screenwriter, and author
    • 1943 – Michael Scott-Joynt, English bishop (d. 2014)
    • 1943 – Sly Stone, American singer-songwriter, musician, and producer
    • 1943 – The Iron Sheik, Iranian-American wrestler and actor
    • 1944 – Chi Cheng, Taiwanese runner and politician
    • 1944 – Jacques Doillon, French director and screenwriter
    • 1944 – Francis Mankiewicz, Canadian director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1993)
    • 1944 – A. K. Faezul Huq, Bangladeshi lawyer and politician (d. 2007)
    • 1945 – Mark J. Green, American lawyer and politician
    • 1946 – Bobby Bonds, American baseball player and coach (d. 2003)
    • 1946 – John Dempsey, English born Irish international footballer, centre-back and manager
    • 1947 – Ry Cooder, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1947 – Gino Ferrin, German footballer and manager
    • 1947 – Juraj Kukura, Slovak-German actor
    • 1948 – Kate Bornstein, American author and activist
    • 1948 – Sérgio Vieira de Mello, Brazilian diplomat (d. 2003)
    • 1950 – Jørgen Olsen, Danish singer-songwriter
    • 1950 – Kurt Koch, Swiss cardinal
    • 1951 – David Alton, Baron Alton of Liverpool, English educator and politician
    • 1952 – Howard Devoto, English singer-songwriter
    • 1952 – Philip Green, English businessman
    • 1952 – Howard Koh, American physician and politician, 14th United States Assistant Secretary for Health
    • 1953 – Richard Bruton, Irish economist and politician, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation
    • 1953 – Heather Graham Pozzessere, American author
    • 1953 – Kumba Ialá, Bissau-Guinean educator and politician, President of Guinea-Bissau (d. 2014)
    • 1954 – Massimo Bubola, Italian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1954 – Isobel Buchanan, Scottish soprano and actress
    • 1954 – Bob Budiansky, American author and illustrator
    • 1954 – Henry Marsh, American runner and businessman, co-founded MonaVie
    • 1954 – Craig Wasson, American actor
    • 1955 – Mohsin Khan, Pakistani cricketer
    • 1955 – Dee Snider, American singer-songwriter and actor
    • 1956 – Clay Matthews, Jr., American football player and coach
    • 1957 – Joaquim de Almeida, Portuguese-American actor
    • 1957 – Víctor Muñoz, Spanish footballer and manager
    • 1957 – David Silverman, American animator, director, and screenwriter
    • 1958 – Anne Davies, English television presenter and newsreader
    • 1959 – Harold Baines, American baseball player and coach
    • 1959 – Renny Harlin, Finnish director and producer
    • 1959 – Lisa Holton, American journalist and author
    • 1959 – Ben Okri, Nigerian poet and author
    • 1960 – Mike Pagliarulo, American baseball player and coach
    • 1960 – Phil Walsh, Australian rules footballer and coach (d. 2015)
    • 1961 – Terry Cummings, American basketball player and singer
    • 1961 – Craig Ludwig, American ice hockey player and coach
    • 1962 – Terence Trent D’Arby, American singer-songwriter
    • 1962 – Jimmy Baio, American actor
    • 1963 – Bret Michaels, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
    • 1964 – Davide Pinato, Italian footballer
    • 1964 – Rockwell, American singer-songwriter and musician
    • 1965 – Sunetra Gupta, Indian epidemiologist, author, and academic
    • 1965 – Robyn Malcolm, New Zealand actress
    • 1967 – Naoko Takeuchi, Japanese manga artist, creator of Sailor Moon
    • 1968 – Kahimi Karie, Japanese singer
    • 1968 – Mark McGrath, American singer-songwriter and television host
    • 1968 – Terje Riis-Johansen, Norwegian politician, Norwegian Minister of Petroleum and Energy
    • 1968 – Sabrina Salerno, Italian singer-songwriter, actress, and producer
    • 1969 – Rona Ambrose, Canadian journalist and politician, former Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada
    • 1969 – Gianluca Festa, Italian footballer and coach
    • 1969 – Yutaka Take, Japanese jockey
    • 1970 – Christine Anu, Australian singer
    • 1970 – Naka Drotske, South African rugby player
    • 1970 – Derek Parra, American speed skater and coach
    • 1971 – Penny Lancaster, English model and photographer
    • 1971 – Joanne Wise, English long jumper
    • 1972 – Mark Hoppus, American singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer
    • 1972 – Holger Stromberg, German chef
    • 1972 – Mike Tomlin, American football player and coach
    • 1973 – Robin Hunicke, American video game designer and producer
    • 1973 – Masayuki Naruse, Japanese wrestler and mixed martial artist
    • 1974 – Robert Fick, American baseball player
    • 1975 – Eva Longoria, American actress and producer
    • 1975 – Veselin Topalov, Bulgarian chess player
    • 1975 – Darcy Tucker, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1975 – will.i.am, American rapper, producer, and actor
    • 1976 – Katherine Brooks, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1976 – Abhay Deol, Indian actor
    • 1976 – Cara Pifko, Canadian actress
    • 1977 – Joe Hahn, American DJ, producer, and director
    • 1977 – Brian Tee, Japanese-American actor, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1978 – Takeru Kobayashi, Japanese competitive eater
    • 1979 – Kyle Mills, New Zealand cricketer
    • 1979 – Kevin Youkilis, American baseball player and scout
    • 1980 – Freddie Bynum, American baseball player
    • 1980 – Eric Grothe, Jr. Australian rugby league player and guitarist
    • 1980 – Claudiney Ramos, Brazilian footballer (d. 2013)
    • 1981 – Young Buck, American rapper, producer, and actor
    • 1981 – Mikael Forssell, German-Finnish footballer
    • 1981 – Veronica Maggio, Swedish singer-songwriter
    • 1981 – Jens Salumäe, Estonian skier
    • 1982 – Tom Budge, Australian actor
    • 1982 – Emily Dunn, American actress and dancer
    • 1982 – Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich, Kenyan runner
    • 1983 – Sean Biggerstaff, Scottish actor
    • 1983 – Umut Bulut, Turkish footballer
    • 1983 – Ben Hilfenhaus, Australian cricketer
    • 1983 – Kostas Kaimakoglou, Greek basketball player
    • 1983 – Golda Marcus, Salvadoran swimmer
    • 1983 – Daryl Murphy, Irish footballer
    • 1983 – Heiko Niidas, Estonian basketball player
    • 1983 – Ricky Sekhon, English actor
    • 1983 – Yo Yo Honey Singh, Indian music producer
    • 1984 – Badradine Belloumou, French-Algerian footballer
    • 1984 – Malin Buska, Swedish actress
    • 1984 – Olivier Jean, Canadian speed skater
    • 1984 – Kostas Vasileiadis, Greek basketball player
    • 1984 – Wilson Aparecido Xavier Júnior, Brazilian footballer
    • 1987 – Eric Decker, American football player
    • 1988 – Éver Guzmán, Mexican footballer
    • 1988 – James Reimer, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1988 – Jolo Revilla, Filipino actor and politician
    • 1988 – Alexander Sims, English race car driver
    • 1989 – Sam Baldock, English footballer
    • 1989 – Bryce Gibbs, Australian footballer
    • 1989 – Sandro, Brazilian international footballer, midfielder
    • 1989 – Gil Roberts, American sprinter
    • 1989 – Adrien Silva, Portuguese footballer
    • 1989 – Caitlin Wachs, American actress
    • 1990 – Siobhan Magnus, American singer-songwriter
    • 1991 – Tavon Austin, American footballer
    • 1991 – Kurt Baptiste, Australian rugby league player
    • 1991 – Xavier Henry, American basketball player
    • 1996 – Seonaid McIntosh, Scottish sports shooter
    • 2000 – Kristian Kostov, Russian-Bulgarian singer-songwriter

    Deaths on March 15

    • 44 BC – Julius Caesar, Roman general and statesman (b. 100 BC)
    • 220 – Cao Cao, Chinese general, warlord and statesman (b. 155)
    • 493 – Odoacer, the first king of Italy after the fall of the Western Roman Empire (b. 433)
    • 752 – Pope Zachary
    • 963 – Romanos II, Byzantine emperor (b. 938)
    • 990 – Siegfried I (the Older), German nobleman
    • 1086 – Richilde, Countess of Hainaut, Flemish consort and regent (b. c. 1018)
    • 1124 – Ernulf, Bishop of Rochester (b. c. 1040)
    • 1190 – Isabella of Hainault, queen of Philip II of France (b. 1170)
    • 1311 – Walter V, Count of Brienne (b. 1275)
    • 1311 – Thomas III d’Autremencourt, Lord of Salona, Marshal of Achaea
    • 1311 – Albert Pallavicini, Margrave of Bodonitza
    • 1311 – George I Ghisi, Triarch of Euboea, Baron of Chalandritsa, Lord of Tinos, Mykonos, Serifos and Keos
    • 1327 – Albert of Schwarzburg, grand preceptor of the Knights Hospitaller
    • 1346 – Shah Jalal, Sufi saint of Bengal (b. 1271).
    • 1536 – Pargalı Ibrahim Pasha, Ottoman politician, 35th Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire (b. 1493)
    • 1575 – Annibale Padovano, Italian organist and composer (b. 1527)
    • 1644 – Countess Louise Juliana of Nassau (b. 1576)
    • 1657 – David Pardo, Dutch rabbi and scholar (b. 1591)
    • 1673 – Salvator Rosa, Italian painter and poet (b. 1615)
    • 1711 – Eusebio Kino, Italian priest and missionary (b. 1645)
    • 1820 – Clement Mary Hofbauer, Austrian priest and saint (b. 1751)
    • 1832 – Otto Wilhelm Masing, Estonian linguist and clergyman (b. 1763)
    • 1842 – Luigi Cherubini, Italian composer and theorist (b. 1760)
    • 1849 – Giuseppe Caspar Mezzofanti, Italian cardinal and linguist (b. 1774)
    • 1891 – Joseph Bazalgette, English engineer and academic (b. 1819)
    • 1897 – James Joseph Sylvester, English mathematician and academic (b. 1814)
    • 1898 – Henry Bessemer, English engineer and businessman (b. 1813)
    • 1921 – Talaat Pasha, Ottoman politician, 281st Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire (b. 1874)
    • 1927 – Hector Rason, English-Australian politician, 7th Premier of Western Australia (b. 1858)
    • 1933 – Gustavo Jiménez, Peruvian colonel and politician, 73rd President of Peru (b. 1886)
    • 1937 – H. P. Lovecraft, American short story writer, editor, and novelist (b. 1890)
    • 1938 – Nikolai Bukharin, Russian journalist, and politician (b. 1888)
    • 1939 – Luis Barceló, Spanish colonel (b. 1896)
    • 1941 – Alexej von Jawlensky, Russian-German painter (b. 1864)
    • 1944 – Otto von Below, Prussian general (b. 1857)
    • 1951 – John S. Paraskevopoulos, Greek-South African astronomer and academic (b. 1889)
    • 1957 – Ernst Nobs, Swiss politician (b. 1886)
    • 1959 – Lester Young, American saxophonist and clarinet player (b. 1909)
    • 1962 – Charles Bartliff, American soccer player (b. 1886)
    • 1962 – Arthur Compton, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1892)
    • 1966 – Abe Saperstein, American basketball player and coach (b. 1902)
    • 1969 – Miles Malleson, English actor and screenwriter (b. 1888)
    • 1969 – Musashiyama Takeshi, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 33rd Yokozuna (b. 1909)
    • 1970 – Tarjei Vesaas, Norwegian author and poet (b. 1897)
    • 1971 – Jean-Pierre Monseré, Belgian cyclist (b. 1948)
    • 1972 – Aleksandr Ivanovich Laktionov, Russian painter and educator (b. 1910)
    • 1975 – Aristotle Onassis, Greek-Argentinian businessman (b. 1906)
    • 1977 – Hubert Aquin, Canadian author and activist (b. 1929)
    • 1977 – Antonino Rocca, Italian-American wrestler and referee (b. 1921)
    • 1981 – René Clair, French director and screenwriter (b. 1898)
    • 1983 – Coloman Braun-Bogdan, Romanian footballer and manager (b. 1905)
    • 1983 – Rebecca West, English author and critic (b. 1892)
    • 1985 – Radha Krishna Choudhary, Indian historian and author (b. 1921)
    • 1986 – Alexandru Giugaru, Romanian actor (b. 1897)
    • 1987 – Douglas Abbott, Canadian lawyer and politician, 10th Canadian Minister of National Defence (b. 1899)
    • 1988 – Dmitri Polyakov, Ukrainian general and spy (b. 1926)
    • 1989 – Muhammad Jameel Didi, Maldivian poet and politician (b. 1915)
    • 1990 – Farzad Bazoft, Iranian-English journalist (b. 1958)
    • 1990 – Tom Harmon, American football player and sportscaster (b. 1919)
    • 1991 – Bud Freeman, American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader (b. 1906)
    • 1992 – Rahi Masoom Raza, Indian Urdu poet (b.1927)
    • 1997 – Gail Davis, American actress (b. 1925)
    • 1997 – Victor Vasarely, Hungarian-French painter (b. 1906)
    • 1998 – Tim Maia, Brazilian singer-songwriter (b. 1942)
    • 1998 – Benjamin Spock, American pediatrician and author (b. 1903)
    • 1999 – Guy D’Artois, Canadian soldier (b. 1917)
    • 2001 – Gaetano Cozzi, Italian historian and academic (b. 1922)
    • 2001 – Ann Sothern, American actress and singer (b. 1909)
    • 2003 – Thora Hird, English actress (b. 1911)
    • 2003 – Paul Stojanovich, American television producer, created World’s Wildest Police Videos (b. 1956)
    • 2004 – Philippe Lemaire, French actor (b. 1927)
    • 2004 – Bill Pickering, New Zealand-American scientist and engineer (b. 1910)
    • 2004 – John Pople, English-American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1925)
    • 2005 – Bob Bellear, Australian engineer and judge (b. 1944)
    • 2005 – Otar Korkia, Georgian basketball player and coach (b. 1923)
    • 2005 – Shoji Nishio, Japanese martial artist (b. 1927)
    • 2006 – Georgios Rallis, Greek lieutenant and politician, 173rd Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1918)
    • 2006 – Red Storey, Canadian football player and referee (b. 1918)
    • 2007 – Charles Harrelson, American murderer (b. 1938)
    • 2007 – Bowie Kuhn, American lawyer and businessman (b. 1926)
    • 2007 – Stuart Rosenberg, American director and producer (b. 1927)
    • 2008 – Mikey Dread, Jamaican singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1954)
    • 2008 – Vytautas Kernagis, Lithuanian singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1951)
    • 2008 – G. David Low, American astronaut and engineer (b. 1956)
    • 2008 – Ken Reardon, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1921)
    • 2008 – Sarla Thakral, First Indian woman to earn a pilot’s license. (b. 1914)
    • 2009 – Ron Silver, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1946)
    • 2011 – Nate Dogg, American rapper (b. 1969)
    • 2011 – Smiley Culture, English singer and DJ (b. 1963)
    • 2012 – Mervyn Davies, Welsh rugby player (b. 1946)
    • 2012 – Eb Gaines, American businessman and diplomat (b. 1927)
    • 2012 – Luis Gonzales, Filipino actor (b. 1928)
    • 2012 – Bernardino González Ruíz, Panamanian physician and politician, President of Panama (b. 1911)
    • 2012 – Fran Matera, American illustrator (b. 1924)
    • 2012 – Dave Philley, American baseball player and manager (b. 1920)
    • 2013 – James Bonk, American chemist and academic (b. 1931)
    • 2013 – Booth Gardner, American businessman and politician, 19th Governor of Washington (b. 1936)
    • 2013 – Hardrock Gunter, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1925)
    • 2013 – Shannon Larratt, Canadian publisher, founded BMEzine (b. 1973)
    • 2013 – Terry Lightfoot, English clarinet player (b. 1935)
    • 2013 – Leverne McDonnell, Australian actress (b. 1963).
    • 2013 – Masamichi Noro, Japanese-French martial artist, founded Kinomichi (b. 1935)
    • 2013 – Kallam Anji Reddy, Indian engineer and businessman, founded Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories (b. 1940)
    • 2013 – Peter Worsley, English sociologist (b. 1924)
    • 2013 – Felipe Zetter, Mexican footballer (b. 1923)
    • 2014 – Scott Asheton, American drummer (b. 1949).
    • 2014 – David Brenner, American comedian, actor, and author (b. 1936)
    • 2014 – Bo Callaway, American soldier and politician, 11th United States Secretary of the Army (b. 1927)
    • 2014 – Clarissa Dickson Wright, English chef, author, and television personality (b. 1947)
    • 2014 – Everett L. Fullam, American priest and scholar (b. 1930)
    • 2014 – Cees Veerman, Dutch singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1943)
    • 2015 – Collins Chabane, South African politician (b. 1960)
    • 2015 – Robert Clatworthy, English sculptor and educator (b. 1928)
    • 2015 – Narayan Desai, Indian author and activist (b. 1924)
    • 2015 – Sally Forrest, American actress and dancer (b. 1928)
    • 2015 – Curtis Gans, American political scientist and author (b. 1937)
    • 2015 – Mike Porcaro, American bass player (b. 1955)
    • 2016 – Sylvia Anderson, English voice actress and television and film producer (b. 1927)
    • 2016 – Asa Briggs, English historian and academic (b. 1921)
    • 2016 – Daryl Coley, American singer and pastor (b. 1955)
    • 2016 – Seru Rabeni, Fijian rugby player (b. 1978)
    • 2019 – Larry DiTillio, American film and TV series writer (b. 1948)
    • 2020 – Vittorio Gregotti, Italian architect (b. 1927)

    Holidays and observances on March 15

    • Christian feast day:
      • Aristobulus of Britannia
      • Clemens Maria Hofbauer
      • Leocritia
      • Longinus
      • Louise de Marillac
      • Raymond of Fitero
      • March 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Constitution Day (Belarus)
    • Earliest day on which Birth of Benito Juárez can fall, while March 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Monday of March. (Mexico)
    • Earliest day on which Palm Sunday can fall, while April 18 is the latest; celebrated on the sixth Sunday of Lent. (Christianity)
    • Hōnen Matsuri (Japan)
    • International Day Against Police Brutality (International)
    • J. J. Roberts’ Birthday (Liberia)
    • National Day, celebrating the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 (Hungary)
    • World Consumer Rights Day (International)
    • World Contact Day
    • World Day of Muslim Culture, Peace, Dialogue and Film (International)
    • World Speech Day
    • Youth Day (Palau)

  • March 12- History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 538 – Vitiges, king of the Ostrogoths ends his siege of Rome and retreats to Ravenna, leaving the city in the hands of the victorious Byzantine general, Belisarius.
    • 1622 – Ignatius of Loyola and Francis Xavier, founders of the Society of Jesus, are canonized by the Roman Catholic Church.
    • 1689 – James II of England landed at Kinsale, starting the Williamite War in Ireland.
    • 1811 – Peninsular War: A day after a successful rearguard action, French Marshal Michel Ney once again successfully delays the pursuing Anglo-Portuguese force at the Battle of Redinha.
    • 1912 – The Girl Guides (later renamed the Girl Scouts of the USA) are founded in the United States.
    • 1913 – The future capital of Australia is officially named Canberra.
    • 1918 – Moscow becomes the capital of Russia again after Saint Petersburg held this status for most of the period since 1713.
    • 1920 – The Kapp Putsch begins when the Marinebrigade Ehrhardt is ordered to march on Berlin.
    • 1928 – In California, the St. Francis Dam fails; the resulting floods kill 431 people.
    • 1930 – Mahatma Gandhi begins the Salt March, a 200-mile march to the sea to protest the British monopoly on salt in India.
    • 1933 – Great Depression: Franklin D. Roosevelt addresses the nation for the first time as President of the United States. This is also the first of his “fireside chats”.
    • 1938 – Anschluss: German troops occupy and absorb Austria.
    • 1940 – Winter War: Finland signs the Moscow Peace Treaty with the Soviet Union, ceding almost all of Finnish Karelia.
    • 1942 – The Battle of Java ends with the surrender of the American-British-Dutch-Australian Command to the Japanese Empire in Bandung, West Java, Dutch East Indies.
    • 1947 – Cold War: The Truman Doctrine is proclaimed to help stem the spread of Communism.
    • 1950 – The Llandow air disaster kills 80 people when the aircraft they are travelling in crashes near Sigingstone, Wales. At the time this was the world’s deadliest air disaster.
    • 1967 – Suharto takes power from Sukarno when the People’s Consultative Assembly inaugurate him as Acting President of Indonesia.
    • 1968 – Mauritius achieves independence from the United Kingdom.
    • 1971 – The 1971 Turkish military memorandum is sent to the Süleyman Demirel government of Turkey and the government resigns.
    • 1989 – Sir Tim Berners-Lee submits his proposal to CERN for an information management system, which subsequently develops into the world wide web.
    • 1992 – Mauritius becomes a republic while remaining a member of the Commonwealth of Nations.
    • 1993 – Several bombs explode in Mumbai, India, killing about 300 people and injuring hundreds more.
    • 1993 – North Korea announces that it will withdraw from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and refuses to allow inspectors access to its nuclear sites.
    • 1999 – Former Warsaw Pact members the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland join NATO.
    • 2003 – Zoran Đinđić, Prime Minister of Serbia, is assassinated in Belgrade.
    • 2003 – The World Health Organization officially release a global warning of outbreaks of Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
    • 2004 – The President of South Korea, Roh Moo-hyun, is impeached by its National Assembly: the first such impeachment in the nation’s history.
    • 2009 – Financier Bernard Madoff pleads guilty to one of the largest frauds in Wall Street’s history.
    • 2011 – A reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant explodes and releases radioactivity into the atmosphere a day after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.
    • 2014 – A gas explosion in the New York City neighborhood of East Harlem kills eight and injures 70 others.
    • 2019 – In the House of Commons, the revised EU Withdrawal Bill was rejected by a margin of 149 votes.

    Births on March 12

    • 1270 – Charles, Count of Valois (d. 1325)
    • 1515 – Caspar Othmayr, German Lutheran pastor and composer (d. 1553)
    • 1607 – Paul Gerhardt, German poet and composer (d. 1676)
    • 1613 – André Le Nôtre, French gardener and architect (d. 1700)
    • 1626 – John Aubrey, English historian and philosopher (d. 1697)
    • 1637 – Anne Hyde, Duchess of York and Albany (d. 1671)
    • 1672 – Richard Steele, Irish-Welsh journalist and politician (d. 1729)
    • 1685 – George Berkeley, Irish bishop and philosopher (d. 1753)
    • 1710 – Thomas Arne, English composer (d. 1778)
    • 1735 – François-Emmanuel Guignard, comte de Saint-Priest, French politician and diplomat (d. 1821)
    • 1753 – Jean Denis, French politician, lawyer, jurist, journalist, and historian (d. 1827)
    • 1766 – Claudius Buchanan, Scottish theologian (d. 1815)
    • 1781 – Frederica of Baden, Queen consort to Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden (d. 1826)
    • 1784 – William Buckland, English geologist and paleontologist; Dean of Westminster (d. 1856)
    • 1795 – William Lyon Mackenzie, Scottish-Canadian journalist and politician, 1st Mayor of Toronto (d. 1861)
    • 1795 – George Tyler Wood, American military officer and politician (d. 1858)
    • 1806 – Jane Pierce, American wife of Franklin Pierce, 15th First Lady of the United States (d. 1863)
    • 1807 – James Abbott, Indian Army officer (d. 1896)
    • 1815 – Louis-Jules Trochu, French military leader and politician (d. 1896)
    • 1821 – John Abbott, Canadian lawyer and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Canada (d. 1893)
    • 1821 – Medo Pucić, Croatian writer and politician (d. 1882)
    • 1823 – Katsu Kaishū, Japanese statesman (d. 1899)
    • 1824 – Gustav Kirchhoff, Russian-German physicist and academic (d. 1887)
    • 1832 – Charles Boycott, English farmer and agent (d. 1897)
    • 1834 – Hilary A. Herbert, Secretary of the Navy (d. 1919)
    • 1835 – Simon Newcomb, Canadian-American astronomer and mathematician (d. 1909)
    • 1837 – Alexandre Guilmant, French organist and composer (d. 1911)
    • 1838 – William Henry Perkin, English chemist and academic (d. 1907)
    • 1843 – Gabriel Tarde, French sociologist and criminologist (d. 1904)
    • 1855 – Eduard Birnbaum, Polish-born German cantor (d. 1920)
    • 1857 – William V. Ranous, American actor and director (d. 1915)
    • 1858 – Adolph Ochs, American publisher (d. 1935)
    • 1859 – Ernesto Cesàro, Italian mathematician (d. 1906)
    • 1860 – Eric Stenbock, Estonian poet and author (d. 1895)
    • 1863 – Gabriele D’Annunzio, Italian soldier, journalist, poet, and playwright (d. 1938)
    • 1863 – Vladimir Vernadsky, Russian and Ukrainian mineralogist and chemist (d. 1945)
    • 1864 – W. H. R. Rivers, English anthropologist, neurologist, ethnologist, and psychiatrist (d. 1922)
    • 1874 – Edmund Eysler, Austrian composer (d. 1949)
    • 1877 – Wilhelm Frick, German lawyer and politician, German Federal Minister of the Interior (d. 1946)
    • 1878 – Gemma Galgani, Italian mystic and saint (d. 1903)
    • 1880 – Henry Drysdale Dakin, English-American chemist and academic (d. 1952)
    • 1881 – Väinö Tanner, Finnish politician of Social Democratic Party of Finland (d. 1966)
    • 1882 – Carlos Blanco Galindo, Bolivian politician (d. 1943)
    • 1883 – Sándor Jávorka, Hungarian botanist (d. 1961)
    • 1888 – Walter Hermann Bucher, German-American geologist and paleontologist (d. 1965)
    • 1888 – Hans Knappertsbusch, German conductor (d. 1965)
    • 1890 – Evert Taube, Swedish singer-songwriter and lute player (d. 1976)
    • 1896 – Jesse Fuller, American singer-songwriter and musician (d. 1976)
    • 1898 – Tian Han, Chinese playwright (d. 1968)
    • 1898 – Luitpold Steidle, German army officer and politician (d. 1984)
    • 1899 – Ramón Muttis, Argentine footballer (d. 1955)
    • 1900 – Rinus van den Berge, Dutch athlete (d. 1972)
    • 1900 – Gustavo Rojas Pinilla, 19th President of Colombia (d. 1975)
    • 1904 – Lyudmila Keldysh, Russian mathematician (d. 1976)
    • 1905 – Takashi Shimura, Japanese actor (d. 1982)
    • 1907 – Dorrit Hoffleit, American astronomer and academic (d. 2007)
    • 1908 – Rita Angus, New Zealand painter (d. 1970)
    • 1908 – David Marshall, Singaporean lawyer and politician, 1st Chief Minister of Singapore (d. 1995)
    • 1909 – Petras Cvirka, Lithuanian author (d. 1947)
    • 1910 – Masayoshi Ōhira, Japanese politician, 68th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1980)
    • 1910 – László Lékai, Archbishop of Esztergom and Cardinal (d. 1986)
    • 1911 – Gustavo Díaz Ordaz, Mexican academic and politician, 49th President of Mexico (d. 1979)
    • 1912 – Willie Hall, English international footballer (d. 1967)
    • 1912 – Irving Layton, Romanian-Canadian poet and academic (d. 2006)
    • 1913 – Yashwantrao Chavan, Indian politician, 5th Deputy Prime Minister of India (d. 1984)
    • 1913 – Agathe von Trapp, Hungarian-American singer and author (d. 2010)
    • 1915 – Alberto Burri, Italian painter and sculptor (d. 1995)
    • 1915 – Jiří Mucha, Czech journalist (d. 1991)
    • 1917 – Leonard Chess, American record company executive, co-founder of Chess Records (d. 1969)
    • 1917 – Millard Kaufman, American author and screenwriter (d. 2009)
    • 1917 – Googie Withers, Indian-Australian actress (d. 2011)
    • 1918 – Pádraig Faulkner, Irish Fianna Fáil politician (d. 2012)
    • 1918 – Elaine de Kooning, American painter and academic (d. 1989)
    • 1921 – Gianni Agnelli, Italian businessman (d. 2001)
    • 1921 – Gordon MacRae, American actor and singer (d. 1986)
    • 1922 – Jack Kerouac, American author and poet (d. 1969)
    • 1922 – Lane Kirkland, American sailor and union leader (d. 1999)
    • 1923 – Hjalmar Andersen, Norwegian speed skater and cyclist (d. 2013)
    • 1923 – Norbert Brainin, Austrian violinist (d. 2005)
    • 1923 – Wally Schirra, American captain, pilot, and astronaut (d. 2007)
    • 1923 – Mae Young, American wrestler (d. 2014)
    • 1925 – Leo Esaki, Japanese physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1925 – Harry Harrison, American author and illustrator (d. 2012)
    • 1926 – George Ariyoshi, American lawyer and politician, 3rd Governor of Hawaii
    • 1926 – Arthur A. Hartman, American career diplomat (d. 2015)
    • 1926 – John Clellon Holmes, American author and professor (d. 1988)
    • 1926 – David Nadien, American violinist (d. 2014)
    • 1927 – Raúl Alfonsín, Argentinian lawyer and politician, 46th President of Argentina (d. 2009)
    • 1927 – Emmett Leith, professor of electrical engineering and co-inventor of three-dimensional holography (d. 2005)
    • 1927 – Sudharmono, 5th Vice President of Indonesia (d. 2006)
    • 1928 – Edward Albee, American director and playwright (d. 2016)
    • 1929 – Win Tin, Burmese journalist and politician, co-founded the National League for Democracy (d. 2014)
    • 1930 – Antony Acland, British former diplomat and Provost of Eton College
    • 1931 – Józef Tischner, Polish priest and philosopher (d. 2000)
    • 1932 – Bob Houbregs, Canadian basketball player (d. 2014)
    • 1932 – Andrew Young, American pastor and politician, 14th United States Ambassador to the United Nations
    • 1933 – Myrna Fahey, American actress (d. 1973)
    • 1933 – Barbara Feldon, American actress
    • 1934 – Francisco J. Ayala, Spanish-American evolutionary biologist and philosopher
    • 1936 – Virginia Hamilton, American children’s books author (d. 2002)
    • 1936 – Michał Heller, Polish professor of philosophy
    • 1936 – Eddie Sutton, American basketball player and coach
    • 1937 – Zoltán Horvath, Hungarian sabre fencer
    • 1937 – Zurab Sotkilava, Georgian operatic tenor (d. 2017)
    • 1938 – Vladimir Msryan, Armenian actor, (d. 2010)
    • 1938 – Johnny Rutherford, American race car driver and sportscaster
    • 1938 – Juan Horacio Suárez, Argentine bishop
    • 1940 – Al Jarreau, American singer (d. 2017)
    • 1941 – Josip Skoblar, former Croatian footballer
    • 1942 – Jimmy Wynn, American baseball player (d. 2020)
    • 1943 – Ratko Mladić, Serbian general
    • 1944 – Erwin Mueller, former American basketball player (d. 2018)
    • 1945 – Anne Summers, Australian feminist writer, editor, publisher and public servant
    • 1946 – Dean Cundey, American cinematographer and film director
    • 1946 – Liza Minnelli, American actress, singer and dancer
    • 1946 – Frank Welker, American voice actor and singer
    • 1947 – Peter Harry Carstensen, German educator and politician
    • 1947 – Jan-Erik Enestam, Finland-Swedish politician
    • 1947 – David Rigert, Soviet Olympic weightlifter
    • 1947 – Mitt Romney, American businessman and politician, 70th Governor of Massachusetts
    • 1948 – Virginia Bottomley, Scottish social worker and politician, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
    • 1948 – Kent Conrad, American politician
    • 1948 – James Taylor, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1949 – Rob Cohen, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1949 – David Mellor, British politician
    • 1950 – Javier Clemente, Spanish footballer and manager
    • 1952 – André Comte-Sponville, French philosopher
    • 1952 – Yasuhiko Okudera, former Japanese footballer
    • 1952 – John Mitchell, English footballer, forward
    • 1953 – Pavel Pinigin, former Soviet wrestler and Olympic champion
    • 1954 – Anish Kapoor, Indian-English sculptor
    • 1956 – Ove Aunli, former Norwegian cross-country skier
    • 1956 – Stanisław Bobak, Polish ski jumper (d. 2010)
    • 1956 – Steve Harris, English bass player and songwriter
    • 1956 – Lesley Manville, English actress
    • 1956 – Dale Murphy, American baseball player, coach, and sportscaster
    • 1956 – Pim Verbeek, Dutch football manager (d. 2019)
    • 1957 – Patrick Battiston, French footballer and coach
    • 1957 – Marlon Jackson, American singer-songwriter and dancer
    • 1957 – Andrey Lopatov, Soviet basketball player
    • 1958 – Phil Anderson, English-Australian cyclist
    • 1959 – Milorad Dodik, Bosnian Serb politician and president of Republika Srpska
    • 1959 – Luenell, American comedian and actress
    • 1959 – Michael Walter, German luger (d. 2016)
    • 1960 – Jason Beghe, American actor
    • 1960 – Courtney B. Vance, American actor and painter
    • 1961 – Titus Welliver, American actor
    • 1962 – Julia Campbell, American actress
    • 1962 – Andreas Köpke, former German footballer
    • 1962 – Chris Sanders, American illustrator and voice actor
    • 1962 – Darryl Strawberry, American baseball player and minister
    • 1963 – John Andretti, American race car driver (d. 2020)
    • 1963 – Candy Costie, American swimmer
    • 1963 – Joaquim Cruz, Brazilian runner and coach
    • 1963 – Reiner Gies, German boxer
    • 1963 – Ian Holloway, English footballer and manager
    • 1963 – Paul Way, English golfer
    • 1964 – Dieter Eckstein, retired German footballer
    • 1964 – Umirzak Shukeyev, Kazakh chairman of Samruk-Kazyna
    • 1965 – Steve Finley, American baseball player
    • 1965 – Ivari Padar, former Minister of Finance and Minister of Agriculture of the Estonian Social Democratic Party
    • 1966 – David Daniels, American countertenor
    • 1966 – Grant Long, American basketball player and sportscaster
    • 1967 – Julio Dely Valdés, Panamanian footballer and manager
    • 1968 – Tammy Duckworth, Thai-American colonel, pilot, and politician
    • 1968 – Aaron Eckhart, American actor and producer
    • 1969 – Graham Coxon, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1969 – Jake Tapper, American journalist and author
    • 1970 – Karen Bradley, British politician
    • 1970 – Dave Eggers, American author and screenwriter
    • 1970 – Mathias Grönberg, Swedish golfer
    • 1970 – Rex Walters, American basketball player and coach
    • 1971 – Isaiah Rider, American basketball player and rapper
    • 1971 – Dragutin Topić, Serbian high jumper
    • 1972 – Doron Sheffer, Israeli basketball player
    • 1974 – Charles Akonnor, former Ghanaian footballer
    • 1974 – Walid Badir, former Israeli footballer
    • 1975 – Nicolae Grigore, former Romanian footballer
    • 1975 – Edgaras Jankauskas, former Lithuanian footballer
    • 1975 – Srđan Pecelj, Bosnian footballer
    • 1976 – Deron Quint, American ice hockey defenseman
    • 1976 – Zhao Wei, Chinese actress, film director, producer and pop singer
    • 1977 – Michelle Burgher, track and field athlete
    • 1977 – Ramiro Corrales, American soccer player
    • 1977 – Amdy Faye, former Senegalese footballer
    • 1977 – Brent Johnson, American ice hockey player
    • 1978 – Casey Mears, American race car driver
    • 1978 – Marco Ferreira, Portuguese footballer
    • 1978 – Arina Tanemura, Japanese author and illustrator
    • 1979 – Rhys Coiro, American actor
    • 1979 – Pete Doherty, English musician, songwriter, actor, poet, writer, and artist
    • 1979 – Jamie Dwyer, Australian field hockey player and coach
    • 1979 – Gerard López, former Spanish footballer
    • 1979 – Ben Sandford, New Zealand skeleton racer
    • 1979 – Tim Wieskötter, German sprint canoer
    • 1979 – Edwin Villafuerte, Ecuadorian goalkeeper
    • 1980 – Césinha, Brazilian footballer
    • 1980 – Becky Holliday, American pole vaulter
    • 1980 – Jens Mouris, Dutch cyclist
    • 1980 – Douglas Murray, Swedish ice hockey player
    • 1981 – Kenta Kobayashi, Japanese wrestler and kick-boxer
    • 1981 – Katarina Srebotnik, Slovenian tennis player
    • 1981 – Holly Williams, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1982 – Lili Bordán, Hungarian-American actress
    • 1982 – Samm Levine, American actor and comedian
    • 1982 – Ilya Nikulin, Russian ice hockey player
    • 1982 – Hisato Satō, Japanese footballer
    • 1982 – Yūto Satō, Japanese footballer
    • 1982 – Tobias Schweinsteiger, German footballer
    • 1983 – Atif Aslam, Pakistani singer and actor
    • 1984 – Shreya Ghoshal, Indian singer
    • 1984 – Jaimie Alexander, American actress
    • 1985 – Marco Bonanomi, Italian racing driver
    • 1985 – Aleksandr Bukharov, Russian footballer
    • 1985 – Ed Clancy, English track and road cyclist
    • 1985 – Andriy Tovt, Ukrainian footballer
    • 1986 – Martynas Andriuškevičius, Lithuanian basketball player
    • 1986 – Oleh Dopilka, Ukrainian footballer
    • 1986 – Danny Jones, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
    • 1986 – Ben Offereins, Australian runner
    • 1986 – František Rajtoral, Czech footballer (d. 2017)
    • 1987 – Manuele Boaro, Italian cyclist
    • 1987 – Jessica Hardy, American swimmer
    • 1987 – Maxwell Holt, American volleyball player
    • 1987 – Teimour Radjabov, Azerbaijani chess player
    • 1987 – Chris Seitz, American soccer player
    • 1987 – Vadim Shipachyov, Russian ice hockey player
    • 1987 – Pablo Velázquez, Paraguayan footballer
    • 1988 – Sebastian Brendel, German canoe racer
    • 1988 – Kostas Mitroglou, Greek footballer
    • 1988 – Cristian Chagas Tarouco, Brazilian footballer
    • 1989 – Jordan Adéoti, French footballer
    • 1989 – Vytautas Černiauskas, Lithuanian footballer
    • 1989 – Tyler Clary, former American swimmer
    • 1989 – Richard Eckersley, English footballer
    • 1989 – Chen Jianghua, Chinese basketball player
    • 1989 – Siim Luts, Estonian footballer
    • 1990 – Alexander Kröckel, German skeleton racer
    • 1990 – Irakli Kvekveskiri, Georgian footballer
    • 1990 – Dawid Kubacki, Polish ski jumper
    • 1990 – Matias Myttynen, Finnish ice hockey player
    • 1990 – Ilija Nestorovski, Macedonian footballer
    • 1990 – Milena Raičević, Montenegrin handballer
    • 1990 – Mikko Sumusalo, Finnish footballer
    • 1991 – Felix Kroos, German footballer
    • 1991 – Niclas Heimann, German footballer
    • 1991 – Leandro Fernandez, Argentine footballer
    • 1992 – Daniele Baselli, Italian footballer
    • 1992 – Jordan Ferri, French footballer
    • 1992 – Ciara Mageean, Irish middle-distance runner
    • 1992 – Jiří Skalák, Czech footballer
    • 1993 – Shehu Abdullahi, Nigerian footballer
    • 1993 – Amjad Attwan, Iraqi footballer
    • 1993 – Anton Shramchenko, Belarusian footballer
    • 1994 – Katie Archibald, Scottish track cyclist
    • 1994 – Jerami Grant, American basketball player
    • 1994 – Christina Grimmie, American singer-songwriter (d. 2016)
    • 1996 – Sehrou Guirassy, French footballer
    • 1996 – Karim Hafez, Egyptian footballer
    • 1996 – Robert Murić, Croatian footballer
    • 1997 – Dean Henderson, English footballer
    • 1997 – Allan Saint-Maximin, French footballer
    • 1997 – Felipe Vizeu, Brazilian footballer
    • 1998 – Mecole Hardman, American football player
    • 1998 – Daniel Samohin, Israeli figure skater
    • 1998 – Elizaveta Ukolova, Czech figure skater

    Deaths on March 12

    • 417 – Innocent I, pope of the Catholic Church
    • 604 – Gregory I, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 540)
    • 1022 – Symeon the New Theologian (b. 949)
    • 1316 – Stefan Dragutin (b. c. 1244)
    • 1539 – Thomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of Wiltshire, English diplomat and politician (b.1477)
    • 1648 – Tirso de Molina, Spanish monk and poet (b. 1571)
    • 1699 – Peder Griffenfeld, Danish politician (b. 1635)
    • 1898 – Zachris Topelius, Finnish-Swedish journalist, historian, and author (b. 1818)
    • 1916 – Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach, Austrian author (b. 1830)
    • 1925 – Sun Yat-sen, Chinese physician and politician, 1st President of the Republic of China (b. 1866)
    • 1929 – Asa Griggs Candler, American businessman and politician, 44th Mayor of Atlanta (b. 1851)
    • 1935 – Mihajlo Pupin, Serbian-American physicist and chemist (b. 1858)
    • 1942 – William Henry Bragg, English physicist, chemist, and mathematician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1862)
    • 1943 – Gustav Vigeland, Norwegian sculptor (b. 1869)
    • 1946 – Ferenc Szálasi, Hungarian soldier and politician, Head of State of Hungary (b. 1897)
    • 1949 – Wilhelm Steinkopf, German chemist (b. 1879)
    • 1954 – Marianne Weber, German sociologist and suffragist (b. 1870)
    • 1955 – Charlie Parker, American saxophonist and composer (b. 1920)
    • 1955 – Theodor Plievier, German author best known for his anti-war novel (b. 1892)
    • 1957 – Josephine Hull, American actress (b. 1877)
    • 1971 – Eugene Lindsay Opie, American physician and pathologist (b. 1873)
    • 1973 – Frankie Frisch, American baseball player and manager (b. 1898)
    • 1974 – George D. Sax, American banker and businessman (b. 1904)
    • 1985 – Eugene Ormandy, Hungarian-American violinist and conductor (b. 1899)
    • 1989 – Maurice Evans, English-American actor (b. 1901)
    • 1991 – Ragnar Granit, Finnish-Swedish neuroscientist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1900)
    • 1991 – William Heinesen, Faroese author, poet, and author (b. 1900)
    • 1992 – Lucy M. Lewis, American potter (b. 1890)
    • 1998 – Beatrice Wood, American painter and potter (b. 1893)
    • 1999 – Yehudi Menuhin, American-Swiss violinist and conductor (b. 1916)
    • 1999 – Bidu Sayão, Brazilian-American soprano (b. 1902)
    • 2000 – Aleksandar Nikolić, Yugoslav basketball coach (b. 1924)
    • 2001 – Morton Downey Jr., American singer-songwriter, actor, and talk show host (b. 1933)
    • 2001 – Robert Ludlum, American author (b. 1927)
    • 2001 – Victor Westhoff, Dutch botanist and academic (b. 1916)
    • 2002 – Spyros Kyprianou, Cypriot lawyer and politician, 2nd President of Cyprus (b. 1932)
    • 2002 – Jean-Paul Riopelle, Canadian painter and sculptor (b. 1923)
    • 2003 – Zoran Đinđić, Serbian philosopher and politician, 6th Prime Minister of Serbia (b. 1952)
    • 2003 – Howard Fast, American novelist and screenwriter (b. 1914)
    • 2003 – Lynne Thigpen, American actress and singer (b. 1948)
    • 2004 – Milton Resnick, Russian-American painter (b. 1917)
    • 2006 – Victor Sokolov, Russian-American priest and journalist (b. 1947)
    • 2008 – Jorge Guinzburg, Argentinian journalist and producer (b. 1949)
    • 2008 – Lazare Ponticelli, Italian-French soldier and supercentenarian (b. 1897)
    • 2010 – Miguel Delibes, Spanish journalist and author (b. 1920)
    • 2011 – Nilla Pizzi, Italian singer (b. 1919)
    • 2012 – Dick Harter, American basketball player and coach (b. 1930)
    • 2012 – Michael Hossack, American drummer (b. 1946)
    • 2012 – Friedhelm Konietzka, German-Swiss footballer and manager (b. 1938)
    • 2013 – Clive Burr, English drummer and songwriter (b. 1957)
    • 2013 – Michael Grigsby, English director and producer (b. 1936)
    • 2013 – Ganesh Pyne, Indian painter and illustrator (b. 1937)
    • 2014 – Věra Chytilová, Czech actress, director, and screenwriter (b. 1929)
    • 2014 – Paul C. Donnelly, American scientist and engineer (b. 1923)
    • 2014 – José Policarpo, Portuguese cardinal (b. 1936)
    • 2015 – Willie Barrow, American minister and activist (b. 1924)
    • 2015 – Michael Graves, American architect and academic, designed the Portland Building and the Humana Building (b. 1934)
    • 2015 – Ada Jafri, Pakistani poet and author (b. 1924)
    • 2015 – Terry Pratchett, English journalist, author, and screenwriter (b. 1948)
    • 2016 – Rafiq Azad, Bangladeshi poet and author (b. 1942)
    • 2016 – Felix Ibru, Nigerian architect and politician, Governor of Delta State (b. 1935)
    • 2016 – Lloyd Shapley, American mathematician and economist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1923)

    Holidays and observances on March 12

    • Arbor Day (China)
    • Arbor Day (Taiwan)
    • Aztec New Year
    • Christian feast day:
      • Alphege
      • Bernard of Carinola (or of Capua)
      • Gorgonius, Peter Cubicularius and Dorotheus of Nicomedia
      • Mura (McFeredach)
      • Fina
      • Maximilian of Tebessa
      • Paul Aurelian
      • Pope Gregory I (Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Catholic Church, and Anglican Communion)
      • Theophanes the Confessor
      • March 12 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • National Day (Mauritius)
    • World Day Against Cyber Censorship
    • Youth Day (Zambia)

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

    • 747 BC – Epoch (origin) of Ptolemy’s Nabonassar Era.
    • 364 – Valentinian I is proclaimed Roman emperor
    • 1233 – Mongol–Jin War: The Mongols capture Kaifeng, the capital of the Jin dynasty, after besieging it for months.
    • 1266 – Battle of Benevento: An army led by Charles, Count of Anjou, defeats a combined German and Sicilian force led by Manfred, King of Sicily. Manfred is killed in the battle and Pope Clement IV invests Charles as king of Sicily and Naples.
    • 1365 – The Ava Kingdom and the royal city of Ava (Inwa) founded by King Thado Minbya
    • 1606 – The Janszoon voyage of 1605–06 becomes the first European expedition to set foot on Australia, although it is mistaken as a part of New Guinea.
    • 1616 – Galileo Galilei is formally banned by the Roman Catholic Church from teaching or defending the view that the earth orbits the sun.
    • 1775 – The British East India Company factory on Balambangan Island is destroyed by Moro pirates
    • 1794 – The first Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen burns down.
    • 1815 – Napoleon Bonaparte escapes from Elba.
    • 1876 – Japan and Korea sign a treaty granting Japanese citizens extraterritoriality rights, opening three ports to Japanese trade, and ending Korea’s status as a tributary state of Qing dynasty China.
    • 1909 – Kinemacolor, the first successful color motion picture process, is first shown to the general public at the Palace Theatre in London.
    • 1914 – HMHS Britannic, sister to the RMS Titanic, is launched at Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast.
    • 1919 – President Woodrow Wilson signs an act of Congress establishing the Grand Canyon National Park.
    • 1929 – President Calvin Coolidge signs an executive order establishing the 96,000 acre Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.
    • 1935 – Adolf Hitler orders the Luftwaffe to be re-formed, violating the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles.
    • 1935 – Robert Watson-Watt carries out a demonstration near Daventry which leads directly to the development of radar in the United Kingdom.
    • 1936 – In the February 26 Incident, young Japanese military officers attempt to stage a coup against the government.
    • 1952 – Vincent Massey is sworn in as the first Canadian-born Governor General of Canada.
    • 1960 – A New York-bound Alitalia airliner crashes into a cemetery in Shannon, Ireland, shortly after takeoff, killing 34 of the 52 persons on board.
    • 1966 – Apollo program: Launch of AS-201, the first flight of the Saturn IB rocket
    • 1971 – U.N. Secretary-General U Thant signs United Nations proclamation of the vernal equinox as Earth Day.
    • 1979 – The Superliner railcar enters revenue service with Amtrak.
    • 1980 – Egypt and Israel establish full diplomatic relations.
    • 1987 – Iran–Contra affair: The Tower Commission rebukes President Ronald Reagan for not controlling his national security staff.
    • 1992 – Nagorno-Karabakh War: Khojaly Massacre: Armenian armed forces open fire on Azeri civilians at a military post outside the town of Khojaly leaving hundreds dead.
    • 1993 – World Trade Center bombing: In New York City, a truck bomb parked below the North Tower of the World Trade Center explodes, killing six and injuring over a thousand people.
    • 1995 – The UK’s oldest investment banking institute, Barings Bank, collapses after a rogue securities broker Nick Leeson loses $1.4 billion by speculating on the Singapore International Monetary Exchange using futures contracts.
    • 2008 – The New York Philharmonic performs in Pyongyang, North Korea; this is the first event of its kind to take place in North Korea.
    • 2012 – Trayvon Martin was shot and killed at the age of 17 in Sanford, Florida.
    • 2012 – A train derails in Burlington, Ontario, Canada killing at least three people and injuring 45.
    • 2013 – A hot air balloon crashes near Luxor, Egypt, killing 19 people.

    Births on February 26

    • 1361 – Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia (d. 1419)
    • 1416 – Christopher of Bavaria (d. 1448)
    • 1564 – Christopher Marlowe, English playwright, poet and translator (d. 1593)
    • 1584 – Albert VI, Duke of Bavaria (d. 1666)
    • 1587 – Stefano Landi, Italian composer and educator (d. 1639)
    • 1629 – Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll, Scottish peer (d. 1685)
    • 1651 – Quirinus Kuhlmann, German Baroque poet and mystic (d. 1689)
    • 1671 – Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury, English philosopher and politician (d. 1713)
    • 1672 – Antoine Augustin Calmet, French monk and theologian (d. 1757)
    • 1677 – Nicola Fago, Italian composer and teacher (d. 1745)
    • 1718 – Johan Ernst Gunnerus, Norwegian bishop, botanist and zoologist (d. 1773)
    • 1720 – Gian Francesco Albani, Italian cardinal (d. 1803)
    • 1746 – Maria Amalia, Duchess of Parma (d. 1806)
    • 1770 – Anton Reicha, Bohemian composer and flautist (d. 1836)
    • 1777 – Matija Nenadović, Serbian priest, historian, and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Serbia (d. 1854)
    • 1786 – François Arago, French mathematician and politician, 25th Prime Minister of France (d. 1853)
    • 1799 – Benoît Paul Émile Clapeyron, French physicist and engineer (d. 1864)
    • 1802 – Victor Hugo, French author, poet, and playwright (d. 1885)
    • 1808 – Honoré Daumier, French painter, illustrator, and sculptor (d. 1879)
    • 1808 – Nathan Kelley, American architect, designed the Ohio Statehouse (d. 1871)
    • 1829 – Levi Strauss, German-American fashion designer, founded Levi Strauss & Co. (d. 1902)
    • 1842 – Camille Flammarion, French astronomer and author (d. 1925)
    • 1846 – Buffalo Bill, American soldier and hunter (d. 1917)
    • 1852 – John Harvey Kellogg, American surgeon, co-created Corn flakes (d. 1943)
    • 1857 – Émile Coué, French psychologist and pharmacist (d. 1926)
    • 1861 – Ferdinand I of Bulgaria (d. 1948)
    • 1861 – Nadezhda Krupskaya, Russian soldier and politician (d. 1939)
    • 1866 – Herbert Henry Dow, Canadian-American businessman, founded the Dow Chemical Company (d. 1930)
    • 1877 – Henry Barwell, Australian politician, 28th Premier of South Australia (d. 1959)
    • 1877 – Rudolph Dirks, German-American illustrator (d. 1968)
    • 1879 – Frank Bridge, English viola player and composer (d. 1941)
    • 1880 – Kenneth Edgeworth, Irish astronomer (d. 1972)
    • 1881 – Janus Djurhuus, Faroese poet (d. 1948)
    • 1882 – Husband E. Kimmel, American admiral (d. 1968)
    • 1885 – Aleksandras Stulginskis, Lithuanian farmer and politician, 2nd President of Lithuania (d. 1969)
    • 1887 – Grover Cleveland Alexander, American baseball player and coach (d. 1950)
    • 1887 – William Frawley, American actor and vaudevillian (d. 1966)
    • 1887 – Stefan Grabiński, Polish author and educator (d. 1936)
    • 1893 – Wallace Fard Muhammad, American religious leader, founded the Nation of Islam (disappeared 1934)
    • 1893 – Dorothy Whipple, English novelist (d. 1966)
    • 1896 – Andrei Zhdanov, Ukrainian-Russian civil servant and politician (d. 1948)
    • 1899 – Max Petitpierre, Swiss jurist and politician, 54th President of the Swiss Confederation (d. 1994)
    • 1900 – Halina Konopacka, Polish discus thrower and poet (d. 1989)
    • 1900 – Fritz Wiessner, German-American mountaineer (d. 1988)
    • 1902 – Jean Bruller, French author and illustrator, co-founded Les Éditions de Minuit (d. 1991)
    • 1903 – Giulio Natta, Italian chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1979)
    • 1903 – Orde Wingate, English general (d. 1944)
    • 1906 – Madeleine Carroll, English actress (d. 1987)
    • 1908 – Tex Avery, American animator, producer, and voice actor (d. 1980)
    • 1908 – Nestor Mesta Chayres, Mexican operatic tenor and bolero vocalist (d. 1971)
    • 1908 – Jean-Pierre Wimille, French race car driver (d. 1949)
    • 1909 – Fanny Cradock, English chef, author, and critic (d. 1994)
    • 1909 – Talal of Jordan (d. 1972)
    • 1910 – Vic Woodley, English footballer (d. 1978)
    • 1911 – Tarō Okamoto, Japanese painter and sculptor (d. 1996)
    • 1912 – Dane Clark, American actor and director (d. 1998)
    • 1913 – George Barker, English author and poet (d. 1991)
    • 1914 – Robert Alda, American actor, singer, and director (d. 1986)
    • 1916 – Jackie Gleason, American actor and singer (d. 1987)
    • 1918 – Otis R. Bowen, American physician and politician, 44th Governor of Indiana (d. 2013)
    • 1918 – Pyotr Masherov, Leader of Soviet Belarus (d. 1980)
    • 1918 – Theodore Sturgeon, American author and critic (d. 1985)
    • 1919 – Mason Adams, American actor (d. 2005)
    • 1920 – Danny Gardella, American baseball player and trainer (d. 2005)
    • 1920 – Tony Randall, American actor, director, and producer (d. 2004)
    • 1920 – Lucjan Wolanowski, Polish journalist and author (d. 2006)
    • 1921 – Betty Hutton, American actress and singer (d. 2007)
    • 1922 – Bill Johnston, Australian cricketer and businessman (d. 2007)
    • 1922 – Margaret Leighton, English actress (d. 1976)
    • 1924 – Noboru Takeshita, Japanese soldier and politician, 74th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 2000)
    • 1924 – Marc Bucci, American composer, lyricist, and dramatist (d. 2002)
    • 1925 – Everton Weekes, Barbadian cricketer and referee
    • 1926 – Doris Belack, American actress (d. 2011)
    • 1926 – Verne Gagne, American football player, wrestler, and trainer (d. 2015)
    • 1927 – Tom Kennedy, American game show host and actor
    • 1928 – Fats Domino, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 2017)
    • 1928 – Ariel Sharon, Israeli general and politician, 11th Prime Minister of Israel (d. 2014)
    • 1931 – Ally MacLeod, Scottish footballer and manager (d. 2004)
    • 1931 – Robert Novak, American journalist and author (d. 2009)
    • 1931 – Josephine Tewson, English actress
    • 1932 – Johnny Cash, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (d. 2003)
    • 1933 – James Goldsmith, French-British businessman and politician (d. 1997)
    • 1934 – Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina, Algerian director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1936 – José Policarpo, Portuguese cardinal (d. 2014)
    • 1937 – Paul Dickson, American football player and coach (d. 2011)
    • 1939 – Chuck Wepner, American professional boxer
    • 1940 – Oldřich Kulhánek, Czech painter, illustrator, and stage designer (d. 2013)
    • 1942 – Jozef Adamec, Slovak footballer and manager (d. 2018)
    • 1943 – Paul Cotton, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1943 – Bill Duke, American actor and director
    • 1943 – Dante Ferretti, Italian art director and costume designer
    • 1943 – Bob “The Bear” Hite, American singer-songwriter and musician (d. 1981)
    • 1944 – Christopher Hope, South African author and poet
    • 1944 – Ronald Lauder, American businessman and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Austria
    • 1945 – Peter Brock, Australian race car driver (d. 2006)
    • 1945 – Marta Kristen, Norwegian-American actress
    • 1945 – Mitch Ryder, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1946 – Colin Bell, English footballer
    • 1946 – Ahmed Zewail, Egyptian-American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2016)
    • 1947 – Sandie Shaw, English singer and psychotherapist
    • 1948 – Sharyn McCrumb, American author
    • 1949 – Simon Crean, Australian trade union leader and politician, 14th Australian Minister for the Arts
    • 1949 – Elizabeth George, American author and educator
    • 1949 – Emma Kirkby, English soprano
    • 1950 – Jonathan Cain, American singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer
    • 1950 – Helen Clark, New Zealand academic and politician, 37th Prime Minister of New Zealand
    • 1951 – Steve Bell, English cartoonist
    • 1951 – Wayne Goss, Australian lawyer and politician, 34th Premier of Queensland (d. 2014)
    • 1953 – Michael Bolton, American singer-songwriter and actor
    • 1954 – Prince Ernst August of Hanover
    • 1954 – Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Turkish politician, 12th President of Turkey
    • 1955 – Andreas Maislinger, Austrian historian and academic, founded the Austrian Holocaust Memorial Service
    • 1956 – Michel Houellebecq, French author, poet, screenwriter, and director
    • 1957 – David Beasley, American lawyer and politician, 113th Governor of South Carolina
    • 1957 – Joe Mullen, American ice hockey player and coach
    • 1957 – Keena Rothhammer, American swimmer
    • 1958 – Paul Ackford, English rugby player
    • 1958 – Greg Germann, American actor and director
    • 1958 – Susan Helms, American general, engineer, and astronaut
    • 1958 – Tim Kaine, American lawyer and politician, 70th Governor of Virginia
    • 1959 – Rolando Blackman, American basketball player and coach
    • 1959 – Ahmet Davutoğlu, Turkish political scientist, academic, and politician, 37th Prime Minister of Turkey
    • 1960 – Jaz Coleman, English singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer
    • 1962 – Ahn Cheol-soo, South Korean physician, academic, and politician
    • 1963 – Chase Masterson, American actress, singer, and activist
    • 1965 – James Mitchell, American wrestler and manager
    • 1966 – Garry Conille, Haitian physician and politician, 14th Prime Minister of Haiti
    • 1966 – Marc Fortier, French-Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1966 – Najwa Karam, Lebanese singer
    • 1967 – Mark Carroll, Australian rugby league player
    • 1967 – Kazuyoshi Miura, Japanese footballer
    • 1968 – Tim Commerford, American bass player
    • 1969 – Hitoshi Sakimoto, Japanese composer and producer
    • 1970 – Mark Harper, English accountant and politician, Minister of State for Immigration
    • 1970 – Scott Mahon, Australian rugby league player
    • 1971 – Erykah Badu, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
    • 1971 – Max Martin, Swedish-American record producer and songwriter
    • 1971 – Hélène Segara, French singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1973 – Marshall Faulk, American football player
    • 1973 – Ole Gunnar Solskjær, Norwegian footballer and manager
    • 1973 – Jenny Thompson, American swimmer
    • 1974 – Sébastien Loeb, French race car driver
    • 1974 – Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski, Filipina television actress, host and equestrienne
    • 1976 – Nalini Anantharaman, French mathematician
    • 1976 – Chad Urmston, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1977 – Marty Reasoner, American ice hockey player and coach
    • 1977 – Tim Thomas, American basketball player
    • 1977 – Shane Williams, Welsh rugby union player
    • 1978 – Abdoulaye Faye, Senegalese footballer
    • 1979 – Corinne Bailey Rae, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1979 – Steve Evans, Welsh footballer
    • 1979 – Pedro Mendes, Portuguese international footballer, midfielder
    • 1980 – Steve Blake, American basketball player
    • 1981 – Kertus Davis, American race car driver
    • 1981 – Oh Seung-bum, South Korean footballer
    • 1982 – Li Na, Chinese tennis player
    • 1982 – Matt Prior, South African-English cricketer
    • 1982 – Nate Ruess, American singer-songwriter
    • 1983 – Jerome Harrison, American football player
    • 1983 – Pepe, Brazilian-Portuguese footballer
    • 1984 – Emmanuel Adebayor, Togolese international footballer, forward
    • 1984 – Natalia Lafourcade, Mexican singer-songwriter
    • 1984 – Beren Saat, Turkish actress
    • 1985 – Fernando Llorente, Spanish international footballer, striker
    • 1986 – Hannah Kearney, American skier
    • 1989 – Gabriel Obertan, French footballer
    • 1990 – Kateřina Cachová, Czech heptathlete
    • 1990 – Takanoiwa Yoshimori, Mongolian sumo wrestler
    • 1991 – Lee Chae-rin, South Korean singer
    • 1992 – Mikael Granlund, Finnish professional hockey player
    • 1992 – Michael Chee Kam, New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1997 – Reghan Tumilty, Scottish footballer

    Deaths on February 26

    • 420 – Porphyry of Gaza, Greek bishop and saint (b. 347)
    • 943 – Muirchertach mac Néill, king of Ailech (Ireland)
    • 1154 – Roger II of Sicily (b. 1093)
    • 1266 – Manfred, King of Sicily (b. 1232)
    • 1275 – Margaret of England, Queen consort of Scots (b. 1240)
    • 1349 – Fatima bint al-Ahmar, Nasrid princess in the Emirate of Granada (b. c.1260)
    • 1360 – Roger Mortimer, 2nd Earl of March, English commander (b. 1328)
    • 1462 – John de Vere, 12th Earl of Oxford, English politician (b. 1408)
    • 1548 – Lorenzino de’ Medici, Italian writer and assassin (b. 1514)
    • 1577 – Eric XIV of Sweden (b. 1533)
    • 1603 – Maria of Austria, Holy Roman Empress, spouse of Maximilian II (b. 1528)
    • 1608 – John Still, English bishop (b. 1543)
    • 1611 – Antonio Possevino, Italian priest and diplomat (b. 1533)
    • 1625 – Anna Vasa of Sweden, Polish and Swedish princess (b. 1568)
    • 1630 – William Brade, English violinist and composer (b. 1560)
    • 1638 – Claude Gaspard Bachet de Méziriac, French mathematician and linguist (b. 1581)
    • 1723 – Thomas d’Urfey, English poet and playwright (b. 1653)
    • 1726 – Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria (b. 1662)
    • 1770 – Giuseppe Tartini, Italian violinist and composer (b. 1692)
    • 1790 – Joshua Rowley, English admiral (b. 1730)
    • 1802 – Esek Hopkins, American admiral (b. 1718)
    • 1806 – Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, Haitian-French general (b. 1762)
    • 1813 – Robert R. Livingston, American lawyer and politician, 1st United States Secretary of Foreign Affairs (b. 1746)
    • 1815 – Prince Josias of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (b. 1737)
    • 1821 – Joseph de Maistre, French lawyer and diplomat (b. 1753)
    • 1864 – Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine, Canadian jurist and politician, 3rd Premier of Canada East (b. 1807)
    • 1883 – Alexandros Koumoundouros, Greek lawyer and politician, 56th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1817)
    • 1887 – Anandi Gopal Joshi, First Indian women physician (b. 1865)
    • 1889 – Karl Davydov, Russian cellist and composer (b. 1838)
    • 1903 – Richard Jordan Gatling, American engineer, invented the Gatling gun (b. 1818)
    • 1906 – Jean Lanfray, Swiss convicted murderer (b. 1874)
    • 1913 – Felix Draeseke, German composer and academic (b. 1835)
    • 1921 – Carl Menger, Polish-Austrian economist and academic (b. 1840)
    • 1930 – Mary Whiton Calkins, American philosopher and psychologist (b. 1863)
    • 1931 – Otto Wallach, German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1847)
    • 1936 – February 26 Incident:
      • Takahashi Korekiyo, Japanese accountant and politician, 20th Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1854)
      • Saitō Makoto, Japanese admiral and politician, 30th Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1858)
      • Jōtarō Watanabe, Japanese general (b. 1874)
    • 1943 – Theodor Eicke, German general (b. 1892)
    • 1945 – Sándor Szurmay, Minister of Defence of the Hungarian portion of Austria-Hungary (b. 1860)
    • 1947 – Heinrich Häberlin, Swiss judge and politician, President of the Swiss National Council (b. 1868)
    • 1950 – Harry Lauder, Scottish comedian and singer (b. 1870)
    • 1951 – Sabiha Kasimati, Albanian ichthyologist (b. 1912) executed with 20 others
    • 1952 – Theodoros Pangalos, Greek general and politician, President of Greece (b. 1878)
    • 1961 – Karl Albiker, German sculptor, lithographer, and educator (b. 1878)
    • 1961 – Mohammed V of Morocco (b. 1909)
    • 1966 – Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Indian poet and politician (b. 1883)
    • 1969 – Levi Eshkol, Israeli soldier and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Israel (b. 1895)
    • 1969 – Karl Jaspers, German-Swiss psychiatrist and philosopher (b. 1883)
    • 1981 – Robert Aickman, English author and activist (b. 1914)
    • 1981 – Howard Hanson, American composer, conductor, and educator (b. 1896)
    • 1985 – Tjalling Koopmans, Dutch-American economist and mathematician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1910)
    • 1989 – Roy Eldridge, American trumpet player (b. 1911)
    • 1993 – Constance Ford, American model and actress (b. 1923)
    • 1994 – Bill Hicks, American comedian (b. 1961)
    • 1995 – Jack Clayton, English director and producer (b. 1921)
    • 1997 – David Doyle, American actor (b. 1929)
    • 1998 – Theodore Schultz, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1902)
    • 2000 – George L. Street III, American captain, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1913)
    • 2002 – Lawrence Tierney, American actor (b. 1919)
    • 2004 – Adolf Ehrnrooth, Finnish general (b. 1905)
    • 2004 – Boris Trajkovski, Macedonian politician, 2nd President of the Republic of Macedonia (b. 1956)
    • 2005 – Jef Raskin, American computer scientist, created Macintosh (b. 1943)
    • 2006 – Georgina Battiscombe, British biographer (b. 1905)
    • 2008 – Bodil Udsen, Danish actress (b. 1925)
    • 2009 – Johnny Kerr, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster (b. 1932)
    • 2009 – Wendy Richard, English actress (b. 1943)
    • 2009 – Norm Van Lier, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster (b. 1947)
    • 2010 – Jun Seba, also known as “Nujabes”, Japanese record producer, DJ, composer and arranger (b. 1974)
    • 2011 – Arnošt Lustig, Czech author, playwright, and screenwriter (b. 1926)
    • 2012 – Richard Carpenter, English actor and screenwriter (b. 1929)
    • 2013 – Marie-Claire Alain, French organist and educator (b. 1926)
    • 2013 – Stéphane Hessel, German-French diplomat and author (b. 1917)
    • 2013 – Simon Li, Hong Kong judge and politician (b. 1922)
    • 2014 – Sorel Etrog, Romanian-Canadian sculptor, painter, and illustrator (b. 1933)
    • 2014 – Phyllis Krasilovsky, American author and academic (b. 1927)
    • 2014 – Paco de Lucía, Spanish guitarist, songwriter, and producer (b. 1947)
    • 2015 – Sheppard Frere, English historian and archaeologist (b. 1916)
    • 2015 – Theodore Hesburgh, American priest, theologian, educator, and academic (b. 1917)
    • 2015 – Earl Lloyd, American basketball player and coach (b. 1928)
    • 2015 – Tom Schweich, American lawyer and politician, 36th State Auditor of Missouri (b. 1960)
    • 2016 – Andy Bathgate, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager (b. 1932)
    • 2016 – Don Getty, Canadian football player and politician, 11th Premier of Alberta (b. 1933)
    • 2017 – Joseph Wapner, American lieutenant and judge (b. 1919)

    Holidays and observances on February 26

    • Christian feast day:
      • Alexander of Alexandria
      • Emily Malbone Morgan (Episcopal Church (USA))
      • Isabelle of France
      • Li Tim-Oi (Anglican Church of Canada)
      • Porphyry of Gaza
      • February 26 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • The first day of Ayyám-i-Há (Bahá’í Faith) (Please note that this observance is only locked into this date the Gregorian calendar on this date if Bahá’í Naw-Rúz takes place on March 21, which it doesn’t in all years)
    • Day of Remembrance for Victims of Khojaly Massacre (Azerbaijan)
    • Liberation Day (Kuwait)
    • Saviours’ Day (Nation of Islam)

  • February 19 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 197 – Emperor Septimius Severus defeats usurper Clodius Albinus in the Battle of Lugdunum, the bloodiest battle between Roman armies.
    • 356 – Emperor Constantius II issues a decree closing all pagan temples in the Roman Empire.
    • 1594 – Having already been elected to the throne of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1587, Sigismund III of the House of Vasa is crowned King of Sweden, having succeeded his father John III of Sweden in 1592.
    • 1600 – The Peruvian stratovolcano Huaynaputina explodes in the most violent eruption in the recorded history of South America.
    • 1649 – The Second Battle of Guararapes takes place, effectively ending Dutch colonization efforts in Brazil.
    • 1674 – England and the Netherlands sign the Treaty of Westminster, ending the Third Anglo-Dutch War. A provision of the agreement transfers the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam to England, and it is renamed New York.
    • 1726 – The Supreme Privy Council is established in Russia.
    • 1807 – Former Vice President of the United States Aaron Burr is arrested for treason in Wakefield, Alabama and confined to Fort Stoddert.
    • 1819 – British explorer William Smith discovers the South Shetland Islands and claims them in the name of King George III.
    • 1836 – King William IV signs Letters Patent establishing the Province of South Australia.
    • 1846 – In Austin, Texas the newly formed Texas state government is officially installed. The Republic of Texas government officially transfers power to the State of Texas government following the annexation of Texas by the United States.
    • 1847 – The first group of rescuers reaches the Donner Party.
    • 1859 – Daniel E. Sickles, a New York Congressman, is acquitted of murder on grounds of temporary insanity.
    • 1878 – Thomas Edison patents the phonograph.
    • 1884 – More than sixty tornadoes strike the Southern United States, one of the largest tornado outbreaks in U.S. history.
    • 1913 – Pedro Lascuráin becomes President of Mexico for 45 minutes; this is the shortest term to date of any person as president of any country.
    • 1915 – World War I: The first naval attack on the Dardanelles begins when a strong Anglo-French task force bombards Ottoman artillery along the coast of Gallipoli.
    • 1937 – Yekatit 12: During a public ceremony at the Viceregal Palace (the former Imperial residence) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, two Ethiopian nationalists of Eritrean origin attempt to kill viceroy Rodolfo Graziani with a number of grenades.
    • 1942 – World War II: Nearly 250 Japanese warplanes attack the northern Australian city of Darwin, killing 243 people.
    • 1942 – World War II: United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs executive order 9066, allowing the United States military to relocate Japanese Americans to internment camps.
    • 1943 – World War II: Battle of Kasserine Pass in Tunisia begins.
    • 1945 – World War II: Battle of Iwo Jima: About 30,000 United States Marines land on the island of Iwo Jima.
    • 1948 – The Conference of Youth and Students of Southeast Asia Fighting for Freedom and Independence convenes in Calcutta.
    • 1949 – Ezra Pound is awarded the first Bollingen Prize in poetry by the Bollingen Foundation and Yale University.
    • 1953 – Book censorship in the United States: The Georgia Literature Commission is established.
    • 1954 – Transfer of Crimea: The Soviet Politburo of the Soviet Union orders the transfer of the Crimean Oblast from the Russian SFSR to the Ukrainian SSR.
    • 1959 – The United Kingdom grants Cyprus independence, which is formally proclaimed on August 16, 1960.
    • 1960 – China successfully launches the T-7, its first sounding rocket.
    • 1963 – The publication of Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique reawakens the feminist movement in the United States as women’s organizations and consciousness raising groups spread.
    • 1965 – Colonel Phạm Ngọc Thảo of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, and a communist spy of the North Vietnamese Viet Minh, along with Generals Lâm Văn Phát and Trần Thiện Khiêm, all Catholics, attempt a coup against the military junta of the Buddhist Nguyễn Khánh.
    • 1976 – Executive Order 9066, which led to the relocation of Japanese Americans to internment camps, is rescinded by President Gerald Ford’s Proclamation 4417.
    • 1978 – Egyptian forces raid Larnaca International Airport in an attempt to intervene in a hijacking, without authorisation from the Republic of Cyprus authorities. The Cypriot National Guard and Police forces kill 15 Egyptian commandos and destroy the Egyptian C-130 transport plane in open combat.
    • 1985 – William J. Schroeder becomes the first recipient of an artificial heart to leave the hospital.
    • 1985 – Iberia Airlines Boeing 727 crashes into Mount Oiz in Spain, killing 148.
    • 1986 – Akkaraipattu massacre: the Sri Lankan Army massacres 80 Tamil farm workers in eastern Sri Lanka.
    • 1989 – Flying Tiger Line flight 66 crashes into a hill near Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Malaysia, killing four.
    • 2002 – NASA’s Mars Odyssey space probe begins to map the surface of Mars using its thermal emission imaging system.
    • 2003 – An Ilyushin Il-76 military aircraft crashes near Kerman, Iran, killing 275.
    • 2006 – A methane explosion in a coal mine near Nueva Rosita, Mexico, kills 65 miners.
    • 2011 – The debut exhibition of the Belitung shipwreck, containing the largest collection of Tang dynasty artifacts found in one location, begins in Singapore.
    • 2012 – Forty-four people are killed in a prison brawl in Apodaca, Nuevo León, Mexico.

    Births on February 19

    • 1461 – Domenico Grimani, Italian cardinal (d. 1523)
    • 1473 – Nicolaus Copernicus, Polish mathematician and astronomer (d. 1543)
    • 1497 – Matthäus Schwarz, German fashion writer (d. 1574)
    • 1519 – Froben Christoph of Zimmern, German author of the Zimmern Chronicle (d. 1566)
    • 1526 – Carolus Clusius, Flemish botanist and academic (d. 1609)
    • 1532 – Jean-Antoine de Baïf, French poet (d. 1589)
    • 1552 – Melchior Klesl, Austrian cardinal (d. 1630)
    • 1594 – Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales (d. 1612)
    • 1611 – Andries de Graeff, Dutch politician (d. 1678)
    • 1630 – Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Indian warrior king and the founder of Maratha Empire
    • 1660 – Friedrich Hoffmann, German physician and chemist (d. 1742)
    • 1717 – David Garrick, English actor, playwright, and producer (d. 1779)
    • 1743 – Luigi Boccherini, Italian cellist and composer (d. 1805)
    • 1798 – Allan MacNab, Canadian soldier, lawyer, and politician, Premier of Canada West (d. 1862)
    • 1800 – Émilie Gamelin, Canadian nun and social worker, founded the Sisters of Providence (d. 1851)
    • 1804 – Carl von Rokitansky, German physician, pathologist, and philosopher (d. 1878)
    • 1821 – August Schleicher, German linguist and academic (d. 1868)
    • 1833 – Élie Ducommun, Swiss journalist and activist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1906)
    • 1838 – Lydia Thompson, British burlesque performer (d. 1908)
    • 1841 – Elfrida Andrée, Swedish organist, composer, and conductor (d. 1929)
    • 1855 – Nishinoumi Kajirō I, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 16th Yokozuna (d. 1908)
    • 1859 – Svante Arrhenius, Swedish physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1927)
    • 1865 – Sven Hedin, Swedish geographer and explorer (d. 1952)
    • 1869 – Hovhannes Tumanyan, Armenian-Russian poet and author (d. 1923)
    • 1872 – Johan Pitka, Estonian admiral (d. 1944)
    • 1876 – Constantin Brâncuși, Romanian-French sculptor, painter, and photographer (d. 1957)
    • 1877 – Gabriele Münter, German painter (d. 1962)
    • 1878 – Harriet Bosse, Swedish–Norwegian actress (d. 1961)
    • 1880 – Álvaro Obregón, Mexican general and politician, 39th President of Mexico (d. 1928)
    • 1886 – José Abad Santos, Filipino lawyer and jurist, 5th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines (d. 1942)
    • 1888 – José Eustasio Rivera, Colombian lawyer and poet (d. 1928)
    • 1893 – Cedric Hardwicke, English actor and director (d. 1964)
    • 1895 – Louis Calhern, American actor (d. 1956)
    • 1896 – André Breton, French poet and author (d. 1966)
    • 1897 – Alma Rubens, American actress (d. 1931)
    • 1899 – Lucio Fontana, Argentinian-Italian painter and sculptor (d. 1968)
    • 1902 – Kay Boyle, American novelist, short story writer, and educator (d. 1992)
    • 1904 – Havank, Dutch journalist and author (d. 1964)
    • 1904 – Elisabeth Welch, American-English singer and actress (d. 2003)
    • 1911 – Merle Oberon, Indian-American actress (d. 1979)
    • 1912 – Dorothy Janis, American actress (d. 2010)
    • 1912 – Saul Chaplin, American composer (d. 1997)
    • 1913 – Prince Pedro Gastão of Orléans-Braganza (d. 2007)
    • 1913 – Frank Tashlin, American animator and screenwriter (d. 1972)
    • 1914 – Thelma Kench, New Zealand Olympic sprinter (d. 1985)
    • 1915 – John Freeman, English lawyer, politician, and diplomat, British Ambassador to the United States (d. 2014)
    • 1916 – Eddie Arcaro, American jockey and sportscaster (d. 1997)
    • 1917 – Carson McCullers, American novelist, short story writer, playwright, and essayist (d. 1967)
    • 1918 – Fay McKenzie, American actress (d. 2019)
    • 1920 – C. Z. Guest, American actress, fashion designer, and author (d. 2003)
    • 1920 – Jaan Kross, Estonian author and poet (d. 2007)
    • 1920 – George Rose, English actor and singer (d. 1988)
    • 1922 – Władysław Bartoszewski, Polish journalist and politician, Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 2015)
    • 1924 – David Bronstein, Ukrainian chess player and theoretician (d. 2006)
    • 1924 – Lee Marvin, American actor (d. 1987)
    • 1926 – György Kurtág, Hungarian composer and academic
    • 1927 – Philippe Boiry, French journalist (d. 2014)
    • 1929 – Jacques Deray, French director and screenwriter (d. 2003)
    • 1930 – John Frankenheimer, American director and producer (d. 2002)
    • 1930 – Kasinathuni Viswanath, Indian actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1932 – Joseph P. Kerwin, American captain, physician, and astronaut
    • 1935 – Dave Niehaus, American sportscaster (d. 2010)
    • 1935 – Russ Nixon, American MLB catcher and coach (d. 2016)
    • 1936 – Sam Myers, American singer-songwriter (d. 2006)
    • 1936 – Frederick Seidel, American poet
    • 1937 – Terry Carr, American author and educator (d. 1987)
    • 1937 – Norm O’Neill, Australian cricketer and sportscaster (d. 2008)
    • 1938 – Choekyi Gyaltsen, 10th Panchen Lama (d. 1989)
    • 1939 – Erin Pizzey, English activist and author, founded Refuge
    • 1940 – Saparmurat Niyazov, Turkmen engineer and politician, 1st President of Turkmenistan (d. 2006)
    • 1940 – Smokey Robinson, American singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1940 – Bobby Rogers, American singer-songwriter (d. 2013)
    • 1941 – David Gross, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1941 – Jenny Tonge, Baroness Tonge, English politician
    • 1942 – Cyrus Chothia, English biochemist and emeritus scientist at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology (d. 2019)
    • 1942 – Paul Krause, American football player and politician
    • 1942 – Howard Stringer, Welsh businessman
    • 1942 – Will Provine, American biologist, historian, and academic (d. 2015)
    • 1943 – Lou Christie, American singer-songwriter
    • 1943 – Homer Hickam, American author and engineer
    • 1943 – Tim Hunt, English biochemist and academic, Nobel laureate
    • 1944 – Les Hinton, English-American journalist and businessman
    • 1945 – Yuri Antonov, Uzbek-Russian singer-songwriter
    • 1946 – Paul Dean, Canadian guitarist
    • 1946 – Peter Hudson, Australian footballer and coach
    • 1946 – Karen Silkwood, American technician and activist (d. 1974)
    • 1947 – Jackie Curtis, American actress and playwright (d. 1985)
    • 1947 – Tim Shadbolt, New Zealand businessman and politician, 42nd Mayor of Invercargill
    • 1948 – Mark Andes, American singer-songwriter and bass player
    • 1948 – Pim Fortuyn, Dutch sociologist, academic, and politician (d. 2002)
    • 1948 – Tony Iommi, English guitarist and songwriter
    • 1949 – Danielle Bunten Berry, American game designer and programmer (d. 1998)
    • 1949 – Eddie Hardin, English singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 2015)
    • 1949 – Barry Lloyd, English footballer, midfielder and manager
    • 1949 – William Messner-Loebs, American author and illustrator
    • 1950 – Juice Leskinen, Finnish singer-songwriter (d. 2006)
    • 1950 – Andy Powell, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1951 – Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri, Pakistani scholar and politician, founder of Minhaj-ul-Quran
    • 1952 – Ryū Murakami, Japanese novelist and filmmaker
    • 1952 – Rodolfo Neri Vela, Mexican engineer and astronaut
    • 1952 – Gary Seear, New Zealand rugby player (d. 2018)
    • 1952 – Dave Cheadle, American baseball player (d. 2012)
    • 1952 – Amy Tan, American novelist, essayist, and short story writer
    • 1952 – Danilo Türk, Slovene academic and politician, 3rd President of Slovenia
    • 1953 – Corrado Barazzutti, Italian tennis player
    • 1953 – Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, Argentine lawyer and politician, former President of Argentina and current Vice President of Argentina
    • 1953 – Massimo Troisi, Italian actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1994)
    • 1954 – Sócrates, Brazilian footballer and manager (d. 2011)
    • 1954 – Francis Buchholz, German bass player
    • 1954 – Michael Gira, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1955 – Jeff Daniels, American actor and playwright
    • 1956 – Kathleen Beller, American actress
    • 1956 – Peter Holsapple, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1956 – Roderick MacKinnon, American biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1956 – Dave Wakeling, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1957 – Falco, Austrian singer-songwriter, rapper, and musician (d. 1998)
    • 1957 – Dave Stewart, American baseball player and coach
    • 1957 – Ray Winstone, English actor
    • 1958 – Tommy Cairo, American wrestler
    • 1958 – Helen Fielding, English author and screenwriter
    • 1958 – Steve Nieve, English keyboard player and composer
    • 1959 – Roger Goodell, American businessman
    • 1960 – Prince Andrew, Duke of York
    • 1960 – John Paul Jr., American race car driver
    • 1961 – Justin Fashanu, English footballer (d. 1998)
    • 1961 – Ernie Gonzalez, American golfer
    • 1962 – Hana Mandlíková, Czech-Australian tennis player and coach
    • 1963 – Seal, English singer-songwriter
    • 1963 – Jessica Tuck, American actress
    • 1964 – Doug Aldrich, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1964 – Jonathan Lethem, American novelist, essayist, and short story writer
    • 1965 – Jon Fishman, American drummer
    • 1965 – Clark Hunt, American businessman
    • 1965 – Leroy, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1966 – Justine Bateman, American actress and producer
    • 1966 – Paul Haarhuis, Dutch tennis player and coach
    • 1966 – Eduardo Xol, American designer and author
    • 1967 – Benicio del Toro, Puerto Rican-American actor, director, and producer
    • 1968 – Frank Watkins, American bass player (d. 2015)
    • 1968 – Prince Markie Dee, American rapper and actor
    • 1969 – Burton C. Bell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1969 – Helena Guergis, Canadian businesswoman and politician
    • 1970 – Joacim Cans, Swedish singer-songwriter
    • 1971 – Miguel Batista, Dominican baseball player and poet
    • 1971 – Richard Green, Australian golfer
    • 1971 – Jeff Kinney, American author and illustrator
    • 1972 – Francine Fournier, American wrestler and manager
    • 1972 – Sunset Thomas, American pornographic actress
    • 1975 – Daniel Adair, Canadian drummer and producer
    • 1975 – Daewon Song, South Korean-American skateboarder, co-founded Almost Skateboards
    • 1977 – Ola Salo, Swedish singer-songwriter and keyboard player
    • 1977 – Andrew Ross Sorkin, American journalist and author
    • 1977 – Gianluca Zambrotta, Italian footballer and manager
    • 1978 – Ben Gummer, English scholar and politician
    • 1978 – Immortal Technique, Peruvian-American rapper
    • 1979 – Steve Cherundolo, American soccer player and manager
    • 1980 – Dwight Freeney, American football player
    • 1980 – Ma Lin, Chinese table tennis player
    • 1980 – Mike Miller, American basketball player
    • 1981 – Beth Ditto, American singer
    • 1983 – Kotoōshū Katsunori, Bulgarian sumo wrestler
    • 1983 – Mika Nakashima, Japanese singer and actress
    • 1983 – Ryan Whitney, American ice hockey player
    • 1984 – Chris Richardson, American singer-songwriter
    • 1985 – Haylie Duff, American actress and singer
    • 1986 – Kyle Chipchura, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1986 – Marta, Brazilian footballer
    • 1986 – Maria Mena, Norwegian singer-songwriter
    • 1986 – Michael Schwimer, American baseball player
    • 1987 – Anna Cappellini, Italian ice dancer
    • 1988 – Shawn Matthias, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1988 – Seth Morrison, American guitarist
    • 1989 – Sone Aluko, Anglo-Nigerian international footballer, forward/winger
    • 1991 – Christoph Kramer, German national footballer
    • 1991 – Trevor Bayne, American race car driver
    • 1992 – Camille Kostek, American model
    • 1993 – Mauro Icardi, Argentinian footballer
    • 1993 – Victoria Justice, American actress and singer
    • 1994 – Sam Lisone, New Zealand-Samoan rugby league player
    • 1994 – Tiina Trutsi, Estonian footballer
    • 1995 – Nikola Jokić, Serbian basketball player
    • 1998 – Katharina Gerlach, German tennis player
    • 2001 – David Mazouz, American actor
    • 2004 – Millie Bobby Brown, English actress

    Deaths on February 19

    • 197 – Clodius Albinus, Roman usurper (b. 150)
    • 446 – Leontius of Trier, Bishop of Trier
    • 1133 – Irene Doukaina, Byzantine wife of Alexios I Komnenos (b. 1066)
    • 1275 – Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, Sufi philosopher and poet (b. 1177)
    • 1300 – Munio of Zamora, General of the Dominican Order
    • 1408 – Thomas Bardolf, 5th Baron Bardolf, English rebel
    • 1414 – Thomas Arundel, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1353)
    • 1445 – Leonor of Aragon, queen of Portugal (b. 1402)
    • 1491 – Enno I, Count of East Frisia, German noble (b. 1460)
    • 1553 – Erasmus Reinhold, German astronomer and mathematician (b. 1511)
    • 1602 – Philippe Emmanuel, Duke of Mercœur (b. 1558)
    • 1605 – Orazio Vecchi, Italian composer (b. 1550)
    • 1622 – Henry Savile, English scholar and politician (b. 1549)
    • 1672 – Charles Chauncy, English-American minister, theologian, and academic (b. 1592)
    • 1709 – Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, Japanese shōgun (b. 1646)
    • 1716 – Dorothe Engelbretsdatter, Norwegian author and poet (b. 1634)
    • 1785 – Mary, Countess of Harold, English aristocrat and philanthropist (b. 1701)
    • 1789 – Nicholas Van Dyke, American lawyer and politician, 7th Governor of Delaware (b. 1738)
    • 1799 – Jean-Charles de Borda, French mathematician, physicist, and sailor (b. 1733)
    • 1806 – Elizabeth Carter, English poet and translator (b. 1717)
    • 1837 – Georg Büchner, German-Swiss poet and playwright (b. 1813)
    • 1837 – Thomas Burgess, English bishop and philosopher (b. 1756)
    • 1887 – Multatuli, Dutch-German author and civil servant (b. 1820)
    • 1897 – Karl Weierstrass, German mathematician and academic (b. 1815)
    • 1915 – Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Indian philosopher and politician (b. 1866)
    • 1916 – Ernst Mach, Austrian-Czech physicist and philosopher (b. 1838)
    • 1927 – Robert Fuchs, Austrian composer and educator (b. 1847)
    • 1928 – George Howard Earle Jr., American lawyer and businessman (b. 1856)
    • 1936 – Billy Mitchell, American general and pilot (b. 1879)
    • 1945 – John Basilone, American sergeant, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1916)
    • 1951 – André Gide, French novelist, essayist, and dramatist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1869)
    • 1952 – Knut Hamsun, Norwegian novelist, poet, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1859)
    • 1953 – Richard Rushall, British businessman (b. 1864)
    • 1957 – Maurice Garin, Italian-French cyclist (b. 1871)
    • 1959 – Willard Miller, American sailor, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1877)
    • 1962 – Georgios Papanikolaou, Greek-American pathologist, invented the Pap smear (b. 1883)
    • 1969 – Madge Blake, American actress (b. 1899)
    • 1970 – Ralph Edward Flanders, (b. 1890) US Senator from Vermont.
    • 1972 – John Grierson, Scottish director and producer (b. 1898)
    • 1972 – Lee Morgan, American trumpet player and composer (b. 1938)
    • 1973 – Joseph Szigeti, Hungarian violinist (b. 1892)
    • 1977 – Anthony Crosland, English captain and politician, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (b. 1918)
    • 1977 – Mike González, Cuban baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1890)
    • 1980 – Bon Scott, Scottish-Australian singer-songwriter (b. 1946)
    • 1983 – Alice White, American actress (b. 1904)
    • 1988 – André Frédéric Cournand, French-American physician and physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1895)
    • 1992 – Tojo Yamamoto, American wrestler and manager (b. 1927)
    • 1994 – Derek Jarman, English director and set designer (b. 1942)
    • 1996 – Charlie Finley, American businessman (b. 1918)
    • 1997 – Leo Rosten, Polish-American author and academic (b. 1908)
    • 1997 – Deng Xiaoping, Chinese politician, 1st Vice Premier of the People’s Republic of China (b. 1904)
    • 1998 – Grandpa Jones, American singer-songwriter and banjo player (b. 1913)
    • 1999 – Mohammad Mohammad Sadeq al-Sadr, Iraqi cleric (b. 1943)
    • 2000 – Friedensreich Hundertwasser, Austrian-New Zealand painter and illustrator (b. 1928)
    • 2001 – Stanley Kramer, American director and producer (b. 1913)
    • 2001 – Charles Trenet, French singer-songwriter (b. 1913)
    • 2002 – Sylvia Rivera, American transgender LGBT activist (b. 1951)
    • 2003 – Johnny Paycheck, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1938)
    • 2007 – Janet Blair, American actress and singer (b. 1921)
    • 2007 – Celia Franca, English-Canadian dancer and director, founded the National Ballet of Canada (b. 1921)
    • 2008 – Yegor Letov, Russian singer-songwriter (b. 1964)
    • 2008 – Lydia Shum, Chinese-Hong Kong actress and singer (b. 1945)
    • 2009 – Kelly Groucutt, English singer and bass player (b. 1945)
    • 2011 – Ollie Matson, American sprinter and football player (b. 1930)
    • 2012 – Ruth Barcan Marcus, American philosopher and logician (b. 1921)
    • 2012 – Jaroslav Velinský, Czech author and songwriter (b. 1932)
    • 2012 – Vitaly Vorotnikov, Russian politician, 27th Prime Minister of Russia (b. 1926)
    • 2013 – Armen Alchian, American economist and academic (b. 1914)
    • 2013 – Park Chul-soo, South Korean director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1948)
    • 2013 – Robert Coleman Richardson, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1937)
    • 2013 – Donald Richie, American-Japanese author and critic (b. 1924)
    • 2013 – Eugene Whelan, Canadian farmer and politician, 22nd Canadian Minister of Agriculture (b. 1924)
    • 2014 – Kresten Bjerre, Danish footballer and manager (b. 1946)
    • 2014 – Dale Gardner, American captain and astronaut (b. 1948)
    • 2014 – Valeri Kubasov, Russian engineer and astronaut (b. 1935)
    • 2015 – Harold Johnson, American boxer (b. 1928)
    • 2015 – Nirad Mohapatra, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1947)
    • 2015 – Harris Wittels, American actor, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1984)
    • 2016 – Umberto Eco, Italian novelist, literary critic, and philosopher (b. 1932)
    • 2016 – Harper Lee, American author (b. 1926)
    • 2016 – Chiaki Morosawa, Japanese anime screenwriter (b. 1959)
    • 2016 – Samuel Willenberg, Polish-Israeli sculptor and painter (b. 1923)
    • 2017 – Larry Coryell, American jazz guitarist (b. 1943)
    • 2019 – Clark Dimond, American musician and author (b. 1941)
    • 2019 – Karl Lagerfeld, German fashion designer (b. 1933)
    • 2020 – José Mojica Marins, Brazilian filmmaker, actor, composer, screenwriter, and television horror host Coffin Joe. (b. 1936)
    • 2020 – Pop Smoke, American rapper (b. 1999)

    Holidays and observances on February 19

    • Armed Forces Day (Mexico)
    • Brâncuși Day (Romania)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Barbatus of Benevento
      • Boniface of Brussels
      • Conrad of Piacenza
      • Lucy Yi Zhenmei (one of Martyrs of Guizhou)
      • February 19 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Commemoration of Vasil Levski (Bulgaria)
    • Flag Day (Turkmenistan)
    • Shivaji Jayanti (Maharashtra, India)9

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

    • 748 – Abbasid Revolution: The Hashimi rebels under Abu Muslim Khorasani take Merv, capital of the Umayyad province Khorasan, marking the consolidation of the Abbasid revolt.
    • 842 – Charles the Bald and Louis the German swear the Oaths of Strasbourg in the French and German languages.
    • 1014 – Pope Benedict VIII crowns Henry of Bavaria, King of Germany and of Italy, as Holy Roman Emperor.
    • 1076 – Pope Gregory VII excommunicates Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor.
    • 1130 – Pope Innocent II is elected.
    • 1349 – Several hundred Jews are burned to death by mobs while the remaining Jews are forcibly removed from Strasbourg.
    • 1400 – Richard II of England dies, most probably from starvation, in Pontefract Castle, on the orders of Henry Bolingbroke.
    • 1530 – Spanish conquistadores, led by Nuño de Guzmán, overthrow and execute Tangaxuan II, the last independent monarch of the Tarascan state in present-day central Mexico.
    • 1556 – Thomas Cranmer is declared a heretic.
    • 1556 – Coronation of Akbar.
    • 1655 – The Mapuches launch coordinated attacks against the Spanish in Chile beginning the Mapuche uprising of 1655.
    • 1778 – The United States flag is formally recognized by a foreign naval vessel for the first time, when French Admiral Toussaint-Guillaume Picquet de la Motte renders a nine gun salute to USS Ranger, commanded by John Paul Jones.
    • 1779 – American Revolutionary War: The Battle of Kettle Creek is fought in Georgia.
    • 1779 – James Cook is killed by Native Hawaiians near Kealakekua on the Island of Hawaii.
    • 1797 – French Revolutionary Wars: Battle of Cape St. Vincent: John Jervis, (later 1st Earl of St Vincent) and Horatio Nelson (later 1st Viscount Nelson) lead the British Royal Navy to victory over a Spanish fleet in action near Gibraltar.
    • 1804 – Karađorđe leads the First Serbian Uprising against the Ottoman Empire.
    • 1831 – Ras Marye of Yejju marches into Tigray and defeats and kills Dejazmach Sabagadis in the Battle of Debre Abbay.
    • 1835 – The original Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, in the Latter Day Saint movement, is formed in Kirtland, Ohio.
    • 1849 – In New York City, James Knox Polk becomes the first serving President of the United States to have his photograph taken.
    • 1852 – Great Ormond St Hospital for Sick Children, the first hospital in England to provide in-patient beds specifically for children, is founded in London.
    • 1855 – Texas is linked by telegraph to the rest of the United States, with the completion of a connection between New Orleans and Marshall, Texas.
    • 1859 – Oregon is admitted as the 33rd U.S. state.
    • 1876 – Alexander Graham Bell applies for a patent for the telephone, as does Elisha Gray.
    • 1879 – The War of the Pacific breaks out when the Chilean Army occupies the Bolivian port city of Antofagasta.
    • 1899 – Voting machines are approved by the U.S. Congress for use in federal elections.
    • 1900 – British forces begin the Battle of the Tugela Heights in an effort to lift the Siege of Ladysmith.
    • 1903 – The United States Department of Commerce and Labor is established (later split into the Department of Commerce and the Department of Labor).
    • 1912 – Arizona is admitted as the 48th and the last contiguous U.S. state.
    • 1912 – The U.S. Navy commissions its first class of diesel-powered submarines.
    • 1919 – The Polish–Soviet War begins.
    • 1920 – The League of Women Voters is founded in Chicago.
    • 1924 – The Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company changes its name to International Business Machines Corporation (IBM).
    • 1929 – Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre: Seven people, six of them gangster rivals of Al Capone’s gang, are murdered in Chicago.
    • 1942 – Battle of Pasir Panjang contributes to the fall of Singapore.
    • 1943 – World War II: Rostov-on-Don, Russia is liberated.
    • 1943 – World War II: Tunisia Campaign: General Hans-Jürgen von Arnim’s Fifth Panzer Army launches a concerted attack against Allied positions in Tunisia.
    • 1944 – World War II: In the Action of 14 February 1944, a Royal Navy submarine sinks a German-controlled Italian submarine in the Strait of Malacca.
    • 1945 – World War II: On the first day of the bombing of Dresden, the British Royal Air Force and the United States Army Air Forces begin fire-bombing Dresden.
    • 1945 – World War II: Navigational error leads to the mistaken bombing of Prague, Czechoslovakia by an American squadron of B-17s assisting in the Soviet’s Vistula–Oder Offensive.
    • 1945 – World War II: Mostar is liberated by Yugoslav partisans
    • 1945 – President Franklin D. Roosevelt meets King Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia aboard the USS Quincy, officially beginning U.S.-Saudi diplomatic relations.
    • 1946 – The Bank of England is nationalized.
    • 1949 – The Knesset (parliament of Israel) convenes for the first time.
    • 1949 – The Asbestos Strike begins in Canada. The strike marks the beginning of the Quiet Revolution in Quebec.
    • 1961 – Discovery of the chemical elements: Element 103, Lawrencium, is first synthesized at the University of California.
    • 1966 – Australian currency is decimalized.
    • 1979 – In Kabul, Setami Milli militants kidnap the American ambassador to Afghanistan, Adolph Dubs who is later killed during a gunfight between his kidnappers and police.
    • 1983 – United American Bank of Knoxville, Tennessee collapses. Its president, Jake Butcher, is later convicted of fraud.
    • 1989 – Union Carbide agrees to pay $470 million to the Indian government for damages it caused in the 1984 Bhopal disaster.
    • 1989 – Iranian leader Ruhollah Khomeini issues a fatwa encouraging Muslims to kill Salman Rushdie, author of The Satanic Verses.
    • 1990 – Ninety-two people are killed when Indian Airlines Flight 605 crashes in Bangalore, India.
    • 1990 – The Voyager 1 spacecraft takes the photograph of planet Earth that later become famous as Pale Blue Dot.
    • 1998 – An oil tanker train collides with a freight train in Yaoundé, Cameroon, spilling fuel oil. One person scavenging the oil created a massive explosion which killed 120.
    • 2000 – The spacecraft NEAR Shoemaker enters orbit around asteroid 433 Eros, the first spacecraft to orbit an asteroid.
    • 2004 – In a suburb of Moscow, Russia, the roof of the Transvaal water park collapses, killing more than 25 people, and wounding more than 100 others.
    • 2005 – In Beirut, 23 people, including former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, are killed when the equivalent of around 1,000 kg of TNT is detonated while Hariri’s motorcade drives through the city.
    • 2005 – Seven people are killed and 151 wounded in a series of bombings by suspected al-Qaeda-linked militants that hit Makati, Davao City, and General Santos City, all in the Philippines.
    • 2005 – YouTube is launched by a group of college students, eventually becoming the largest video sharing website in the world and a main source for viral videos.
    • 2008 – Northern Illinois University shooting: A gunman opens fire in a lecture hall of Northern Illinois University in DeKalb County, Illinois, resulting in six fatalities (including the gunman) and 21 injuries.
    • 2011 – As a part of Arab Spring, the Bahraini uprising begins with a ‘Day of Rage’.
    • 2018 – Jacob Zuma resigns as President of South Africa.
    • 2018 – A shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida is one of the deadliest school massacres with 17 fatalities and 15 injuries.
    • 2019 – Pulwama attack takes place in Lethpora in Pulwama district, Jammu and Kashmir, India in which 40 Central Reserve Police Force personnel and a suicide bomber were killed and 35 were injured.

    Births on February 14

    • 1404 – Leon Battista Alberti, Italian painter, poet, and philosopher (d. 1472)
    • 1408 – John FitzAlan, 14th Earl of Arundel (d. 1435)
    • 1452 – Pandolfo Petrucci, tyrant of Siena (d. 1512)
    • 1468 – Johannes Werner, German priest and mathematician (d. 1522)
    • 1483 – Babur, Moghul emperor (d. 1530)
    • 1490 – Valentin Friedland, German scholar and educationist of the Reformation (d. 1556)
    • 1513 – Domenico Ferrabosco, Italian composer (d. 1573)
    • 1545 – Lucrezia de’ Medici, Duchess of Ferrara (d. 1561)
    • 1602 – Francesco Cavalli, Italian composer (d. 1676)
    • 1614 – John Wilkins, English bishop, academic and natural philosopher (d. 1672)
    • 1625 – Countess Palatine Maria Eufrosyne of Zweibrücken, Swedish princess (d. 1687)
    • 1628 – Valentine Greatrakes, Irish faith healer (d. 1683)
    • 1640 – Countess Palatine Anna Magdalena of Birkenfeld-Bischweiler (d. 1693)
    • 1670 – Rajaram Raj Bhonsle, third Chhatrapati of the Maratha Empire (d. 1700)
    • 1679 – Georg Friedrich Kauffmann, German organist and composer (d. 1735)
    • 1692 – Pierre-Claude Nivelle de La Chaussée, French author and playwright (d. 1754)
    • 1701 – Enrique Flórez, Spanish historian and author (d. 1773)
    • 1763 – Jean Victor Marie Moreau, French general (d. 1813)
    • 1782 – Eleanora Atherton, English philanthropist (d. 1870)
    • 1784 – Heinrich Baermann, German clarinetist (d. 1847)
    • 1799 – Walenty Wańkowicz, Polish painter and illustrator (d. 1842)
    • 1800 – Emory Washburn, American historian, lawyer, and politician, 22nd Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1877)
    • 1808 – Michael Costa, Italian-English conductor and composer (d. 1884)
    • 1813 – Lydia Hamilton Smith, African-American businesswoman (d. 1884)
    • 1819 – Christopher Latham Sholes, American journalist and politician, invented the typewriter (d. 1890)
    • 1824 – Winfield Scott Hancock, American general and politician (d. 1886)
    • 1828 – Edmond François Valentin About, French journalist and author (d. 1885)
    • 1835 – Piet Paaltjens, Dutch minister and poet (d. 1894)
    • 1838 – Margaret E. Knight, American inventor (d. 1914)
    • 1846 – Julian Scott, American soldier and drummer, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1901)
    • 1847 – Anna Howard Shaw, American physician, minister, and activist (d. 1919)
    • 1848 – Benjamin Baillaud, French astronomer and academic (d. 1934)
    • 1855 – Frank Harris, Irish author and journalist (d. 1931)
    • 1859 – George Washington Gale Ferris Jr., American engineer, inventor of the Ferris wheel (d. 1896)
    • 1860 – Eugen Schiffer, German lawyer and politician, Vice-Chancellor of Germany (d. 1954)
    • 1869 – Charles Thomson Rees Wilson, Scottish physicist and meteorologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1959)
    • 1878 – Julius Nieuwland, Belgian priest, chemist and academic (d. 1936)
    • 1882 – John Barrymore, American actor (d. 1942)
    • 1884 – Nils Olaf Chrisander, Swedish actor and director (d. 1947)
    • 1884 – Kostas Varnalis, Greek poet and playwright (d. 1974)
    • 1890 – Nina Hamnett, Welsh-English painter and author (d. 1956)
    • 1890 – Dick Richards Welsh international footballer, forward
    • 1891 – Katherine Stinson, American aviator (d. 1977)
    • 1892 – Radola Gajda, Czech commander and politician (d. 1948)
    • 1894 – Jack Benny, American actor and producer (d. 1974)
    • 1895 – Wilhelm Burgdorf, German general (d. 1945)
    • 1895 – Max Horkheimer, German philosopher and sociologist (d. 1973)
    • 1898 – Bill Tilman, English mountaineer and explorer (d. 1977)
    • 1898 – Fritz Zwicky, Swiss-American physicist and astronomer (d. 1974)
    • 1900 – Jessica Dragonette, American singer (d. 1980)
    • 1903 – Stuart Erwin, American actor (d. 1967)
    • 1905 – Thelma Ritter, American actress and singer (d. 1969)
    • 1907 – Johnny Longden, English-American jockey and trainer (d. 2003)
    • 1911 – Willem Johan Kolff, Dutch physician and inventor (d. 2009)
    • 1912 – Tibor Sekelj, Hungarian lawyer, explorer, and author (d. 1988)
    • 1913 – Mel Allen, American sportscaster (d. 1996)
    • 1913 – Woody Hayes, American football player and coach (d. 1987)
    • 1913 – Jimmy Hoffa, American trade union leader (d. 1975)
    • 1913 – James Pike, American bishop (d. 1969)
    • 1916 – Marcel Bigeard, French general (d. 2010)
    • 1916 – Sally Gray, English actress and singer (d. 2006)
    • 1916 – Masaki Kobayashi, Japanese director and producer (d. 1996)
    • 1916 – Edward Platt, American actor (d. 1974)
    • 1917 – Herbert A. Hauptman, American mathematician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2011)
    • 1921 – Hugh Downs, American journalist, game show host, and producer
    • 1921 – Hazel McCallion, Canadian businesswoman and politician, 3rd Mayor of Mississauga
    • 1923 – Jay Hebert, American golfer (d. 1997)
    • 1924 – Patricia Knatchbull, 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma (d. 2017)
    • 1927 – Lois Maxwell, Canadian-Australian model and actress (d. 2007)
    • 1928 – William Allain, American soldier and politician, 58th Governor of Mississippi (d. 2013)
    • 1928 – Vicente T. Blaz, American general and politician (d. 2014)
    • 1929 – Vic Morrow, American actor and director (d. 1982)
    • 1931 – Bernie Geoffrion, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach (d. 2006)
    • 1931 – Brian Kelly, American actor and director (d. 2005)
    • 1932 – Harriet Andersson, Swedish actress
    • 1934 – Florence Henderson, American actress and singer (d. 2016)
    • 1935 – David Wilson, Baron Wilson of Tillyorn, Scottish academic and diplomat, 27th Governor of Hong Kong
    • 1936 – Anna German, Polish singer (d. 1982)
    • 1937 – John MacGregor, Baron MacGregor of Pulham Market, English politician, Secretary of State for Transport
    • 1937 – Magic Sam, American singer and guitarist (d. 1969)
    • 1939 – Razzy Bailey, American country music singer-songwriter and musician
    • 1939 – Blowfly, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2016)
    • 1939 – Eugene Fama, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1940 – James Maynard, American businessman, co-founded Golden Corral
    • 1941 – Donna Shalala, American academic and politician, 18th United States Secretary of Health and Human Services
    • 1941 – Paul Tsongas, American lawyer and politician (d. 1997)
    • 1942 – Michael Bloomberg, American businessman and politician, 108th Mayor of New York City
    • 1942 – Andrew Robinson, American actor and director
    • 1942 – Ricardo Rodríguez, Mexican race car driver (d. 1962)
    • 1943 – Eric Andersen, American singer-songwriter
    • 1943 – Maceo Parker, American saxophonist
    • 1943 – Aaron Russo, American director and producer (d. 2007)
    • 1944 – Carl Bernstein, American journalist and author
    • 1944 – Alan Parker, English director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1944 – Ronnie Peterson, Swedish race car driver (d. 1978)
    • 1945 – Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein
    • 1945 – Rod Masterson, American lieutenant and actor (d. 2013)
    • 1946 – Bernard Dowiyogo, Nauru politician, President of Nauru (d. 2003)
    • 1946 – Gregory Hines, American actor, singer, and dancer (d. 2003)
    • 1947 – Tim Buckley, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1975)
    • 1947 – Judd Gregg, American lawyer and politician, 76th Governor of New Hampshire
    • 1948 – Kitten Natividad, Mexican-American actress and dancer
    • 1948 – Pat O’Brien, American journalist and author
    • 1948 – Wally Tax, Dutch singer-songwriter (d. 2005)
    • 1948 – Teller, American magician and actor
    • 1950 – Roger Fisher, American guitarist and songwriter
    • 1951 – Terry Gross, American radio host and producer
    • 1951 – Kevin Keegan, English footballer and manager
    • 1952 – Sushma Swaraj, Indian lawyer and politician, Indian Minister of External Affairs (d. 2019)
    • 1954 – Jam Mohammad Yousaf, Pakistani politician, Chief Minister of Balochistan (d. 2013)
    • 1955 – Carol Kalish, American publisher (d. 1991)
    • 1956 – Howard Davis Jr., American boxer and trainer (d. 2015)
    • 1956 – Dave Dravecky, American baseball player
    • 1956 – Katharina Fritsch, German sculptor and academic
    • 1957 – Alan Hunter, American television host and actor
    • 1957 – Soile Isokoski, Finnish soprano and actress
    • 1957 – Alan Smith, English bishop
    • 1958 – Grant Thomas, Australian footballer and coach
    • 1959 – Renée Fleming, American soprano and actress
    • 1960 – Philip Jones, English admiral
    • 1960 – Jim Kelly, American football player and businessman
    • 1960 – Meg Tilly, American actress and author
    • 1963 – Enrico Colantoni, Canadian actor, director, and producer
    • 1963 – John Marzano, American baseball player (d. 2008)
    • 1964 – Gianni Bugno, Italian cyclist and sportscaster
    • 1966 – Petr Svoboda, Czech ice hockey player and agent
    • 1967 – Stelios Haji-Ioannou, Greek-English businessman, founded easyJet
    • 1967 – Manuela Maleeva, Bulgarian-Swiss tennis player
    • 1967 – Mark Rutte, Dutch businessman and politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands
    • 1968 – Jules Asner, American model and television host
    • 1968 – Chris Lewis, Guyanese-English cricketer
    • 1968 – Scott McClellan, American civil servant and author, 25th White House Press Secretary
    • 1969 – Meg Hillier, English journalist and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change
    • 1970 – Giuseppe Guerini, Italian cyclist
    • 1970 – Sean Hill, American ice hockey player
    • 1970 – Simon Pegg, English actor, director, and producer
    • 1971 – Kris Aquino, Filipino talk show host, actress, and producer
    • 1971 – Gheorghe Mureșan, Romanian basketball player
    • 1972 – Drew Bledsoe, American football player and coach
    • 1972 – Musōyama Masashi, Japanese sumo wrestler
    • 1972 – Najwa Nimri, Spanish actress and singer
    • 1972 – Jaan Tallinn, Estonian computer programmer, co-developed Skype
    • 1972 – Rob Thomas, American singer-songwriter
    • 1973 – H. D. Ackerman, South African cricketer
    • 1973 – Tyus Edney, American basketball player and coach
    • 1973 – Steve McNair, American football player (d. 2009)
    • 1973 – Annalisa Buffa, Italian mathematician
    • 1974 – Valentina Vezzali, Italian fencer and politician
    • 1976 – Liv Kristine, Norwegian singer-songwriter
    • 1976 – Rie Rasmussen, Danish model, film director, writer, photographer, and actress
    • 1977 – Cadel Evans, Australian cyclist
    • 1977 – Jim Jefferies, Australian comedian and actor
    • 1977 – Darren Purse, English footballer
    • 1977 – Elmer Symons, South African motorcycle racer (d. 2007)
    • 1977 – Anna Erschler, Russian mathematician
    • 1977 – Robert J. Jackson Jr., American law professor
    • 1978 – Richard Hamilton, American basketball player
    • 1978 – Darius Songaila, Lithuanian basketball player and coach
    • 1980 – Josh Senter, American screenwriter and producer
    • 1980 – Michelle Ye, Hong Kong actress and producer
    • 1981 – Matteo Brighi, Italian footballer
    • 1981 – Randy de Puniet, French motorcycle racer
    • 1981 – Brad Halsey, American baseball player (d. 2014)
    • 1982 – Marián Gáborík, Slovak ice hockey player
    • 1982 – John Halls, English footballer and model
    • 1982 – Lenka Tvarošková, Slovak tennis player
    • 1983 – Callix Crabbe, Virgin Islander baseball player
    • 1983 – Rocky Elsom, Australian rugby player
    • 1983 – Bacary Sagna, French footballer
    • 1985 – Karima Adebibe, English model and actress
    • 1985 – Tyler Clippard, American baseball player
    • 1985 – Heart Evangelista, Filipino singer and actress
    • 1985 – Philippe Senderos, Swiss international footballer, centre back
    • 1985 – Miki Yeung, Hong Kong singer and actress
    • 1986 – Michael Ammermüller, German race car driver
    • 1986 – Oliver Lee, English actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1986 – Gao Lin, Chinese footballer
    • 1987 – Edinson Cavani, Uruguayan footballer
    • 1987 – Tom Pyatt, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1987 – David Wheater, English footballer
    • 1988 – Katie Boland, Canadian actress, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1988 – Ángel Di María, Argentinian footballer
    • 1988 – Siim Liivik, Estonian ice hockey player
    • 1988 – Asia Nitollano, American singer and dancer
    • 1989 – Néstor Calderón, Mexican footballer
    • 1989 – Adam Matuszczyk, Polish footballer
    • 1989 – Emma Miskew, Canadian curler
    • 1989 – Brandon Sutter, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1989 – Jurij Tepeš, Slovenian ski jumper
    • 1989 – Kristian Thomas, English gymnast
    • 1990 – Sefa Yılmaz, German-Turkish footballer
    • 1991 – Daniela Mona Lambin, Estonian footballer
    • 1991 – Chris Rowney, English footballer
    • 1992 – Christian Eriksen, Danish footballer
    • 1992 – Freddie Highmore, English actor
    • 1996 – Lucas Hernandez, French footballer

    Deaths on February 14

    • 869 – Cyril, Greek missionary bishop (b. 827)
    • 945 – Lian Chongyu, Chinese general
    • 945 – Zhu Wenjin, Chinese emperor
    • 1009 – Bruno of Querfurt, German missionary bishop
    • 1010 – Fujiwara no Korechika, Japanese nobleman (b. 974)
    • 1140 – Leo I, Armenian prince
    • 1140 – Sobĕslav I, duke of Bohemia
    • 1164 – Sviatoslav Olgovich, Kievan prince
    • 1229 – Rǫgnvaldr Guðrøðarson, king of the Isles
    • 1317 – Margaret of France, queen of England
    • 1400 – Richard II, king of England (b. 1367)
    • 1440 – Dietrich of Oldenburg, German nobleman
    • 1489 – Nicolaus von Tüngen, prince-bishop of Warmia
    • 1528 – Edzard I, German nobleman (b. 1462)
    • 1549 – Il Sodoma, Italian painter (b. 1477)
    • 1571 – Odet de Coligny, French cardinal (b. 1517)
    • 1676 – Abraham Bosse, French engraver and illustrator (b. 1602)
    • 1714 – Maria Luisa of Savoy, queen of Spain (b. 1688)
    • 1737 – Charles Talbot, 1st Baron Talbot, English lawyer and politician Lord Chancellor of Great Britain (b. 1685)
    • 1744 – John Hadley, English mathematician, invented the octant (b. 1682)
    • 1779 – James Cook, English captain, cartographer, and explorer (b. 1728)
    • 1780 – William Blackstone, English jurist and politician (b. 1723)
    • 1782 – Singu Min, Burmese king (b. 1756)
    • 1808 – John Dickinson, American lawyer and politician 5th Governor of Delaware (b. 1732)
    • 1831 – Vicente Guerrero, Mexican general and politician, 2nd President of Mexico (b. 1782)
    • 1831 – Henry Maudslay, English engineer (b. 1771)
    • 1870 – St. John Richardson Liddell, American general (b. 1815)
    • 1881 – Fernando Wood, American merchant and politician, 73rd Mayor of New York City (b. 1812)
    • 1884 – Lydia Hamilton Smith, African-American businesswoman (b. 1813)
    • 1885 – Jules Vallès, French journalist and author (b. 1832)
    • 1891 – William Tecumseh Sherman, American general (b. 1820)
    • 1894 – Eugène Charles Catalan, Belgian-French mathematician and academic (b. 1814)
    • 1901 – Edward Stafford, Scottish-New Zealand educator and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1819)
    • 1910 – Giovanni Passannante, Italian anarchist (b. 1849)
    • 1922 – Heikki Ritavuori, Finnish lawyer and politician (b. 1880)
    • 1929 – Thomas Burke, American sprinter, coach, and lawyer (b. 1875)
    • 1930 – Thomas Mackenzie, Scottish-New Zealand cartographer and politician, 18th Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1853)
    • 1933 – Carl Correns, German botanist and geneticist (b. 1864)
    • 1942 – Adnan Saidi, Malayan lieutenant (b. 1915)
    • 1943 – Dora Gerson, German actress and singer (b. 1899)
    • 1943 – David Hilbert, Russian-German mathematician, physicist, and philosopher (b. 1862)
    • 1948 – Mordecai Brown, American baseball player and manager (b. 1876)
    • 1949 – Yusuf Salman Yusuf, Iraqi politician (b. 1901)
    • 1950 – Karl Guthe Jansky, American physicist and engineer (b. 1905)
    • 1952 – Maurice De Waele, Belgian cyclist (b. 1896)
    • 1958 – Abdur Rab Nishtar, Pakistani politician, 2nd Governor of Punjab (b. 1899)
    • 1959 – Baby Dodds, American drummer (b. 1898)
    • 1967 – Sig Ruman, German-American actor (b. 1884)
    • 1969 – Vito Genovese, Italian-American mob boss (b. 1897)
    • 1970 – Herbert Strudwick, English cricketer and coach (b. 1880)
    • 1974 – Stewie Dempster, New Zealand cricketer and coach (b. 1903)
    • 1975 – Julian Huxley, English biologist and eugenicist, co-founded the World Wide Fund for Nature (b. 1887)
    • 1975 – P. G. Wodehouse, English novelist and playwright (b. 1881)
    • 1979 – Adolph Dubs, American lieutenant and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Afghanistan (b. 1920)
    • 1983 – Lina Radke, German runner and coach (b. 1903)
    • 1986 – Edmund Rubbra, English composer and conductor (b. 1901)
    • 1987 – Dmitry Kabalevsky, Russian pianist and composer (b. 1904)
    • 1988 – Frederick Loewe, German-American composer (b. 1901)
    • 1989 – James Bond, American ornithologist and zoologist (b. 1900)
    • 1989 – Vincent Crane, English pianist (b. 1943)
    • 1994 – Andrei Chikatilo, Soviet serial killer (b. 1936)
    • 1994 – Christopher Lasch, American historian and critic (b. 1932)
    • 1995 – Michael V. Gazzo, American actor and playwright (b. 1923)
    • 1995 – U Nu, Burmese politician, 1st Prime Minister of Burma (b. 1907)
    • 1996 – Bob Paisley, English footballer and manager (b. 1919)
    • 1999 – John Ehrlichman, American lawyer and politician, 12th White House Counsel (b. 1925)
    • 1999 – Buddy Knox, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1933)
    • 2002 – Nándor Hidegkuti, Hungarian footballer and manager (b. 1922)
    • 2002 – Mick Tucker, English drummer (b. 1947)
    • 2003 – Johnny Longden, English jockey and trainer (b. 1907)
    • 2004 – Marco Pantani, Italian cyclist (b. 1970)
    • 2005 – Rafic Hariri, Lebanese businessman and politician, 60th Prime Minister of Lebanon (b. 1944; assassinated)
    • 2006 – Lynden David Hall, English singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1974)
    • 2007 – Ryan Larkin, Canadian animator and director (b. 1943)
    • 2007 – Gareth Morris, English flute player and educator (b. 1920)
    • 2009 – Bernard Ashley, English engineer and businessman, co-founded Laura Ashley plc (b. 1926)
    • 2009 – Louie Bellson, American drummer and composer (b. 1924)
    • 2010 – Doug Fieger, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1952)
    • 2010 – Dick Francis, Welsh jockey and author (b. 1920)
    • 2010 – Linnart Mäll, Estonian historian, orientalist, and translator (b. 1938)
    • 2011 – George Shearing, English-American pianist and composer (b. 1919)
    • 2012 – Mike Bernardo, South African boxer and martial artist (b. 1969)
    • 2012 – Tonmi Lillman, Finnish drummer and producer (b. 1973)
    • 2012 – Dory Previn, American singer-songwriter (b. 1925)
    • 2012 – Péter Rusorán, Hungarian swimmer, water polo player, and coach (b. 1940)
    • 2013 – Glenn Boyer, American historian and author (b. 1924)
    • 2013 – Ronald Dworkin, American philosopher and scholar (b. 1931)
    • 2014 – Tom Finney, English footballer (b. 1922)
    • 2014 – Chris Pearson, Canadian lawyer and politician, 1st Premier of Yukon (b. 1931)
    • 2014 – Mike Stepovich, American lawyer and politician, Governor of Alaska Territory (b. 1919)
    • 2015 – Louis Jourdan, French-American actor and singer (b. 1921)
    • 2015 – Philip Levine, American poet and academic (b. 1928)
    • 2015 – Franjo Mihalić, Croatian-Serbian runner and coach (b. 1920)
    • 2016 – Eric Lubbock, 4th Baron Avebury, English lieutenant, engineer, and politician (b. 1928)
    • 2016 – Steven Stucky, American composer and academic (b. 1949)
    • 2018 – Ruud Lubbers, Dutch politician and diplomat, Prime Minister and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (b. 1939)
    • 2018 – Morgan Tsvangirai, 2nd Prime Minister of Zimbabwe (b. 1952).

    Holidays and observances on February 14

    • Christian feast day:
      • Cyril and Methodius, patron saints of Europe (Roman Catholic Church)
      • Manchan
      • Valentine (Valentine’s Day)
      • February 14 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Statehood Day (Arizona, United States)
    • Statehood Day (Oregon, United States)
    • Presentation of Jesus at the Temple (Armenian Apostolic Church)
    • Parents’ Worship Day (parts of India)