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May 31- History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day, Uncategorized / admin

455 – Emperor Petronius Maximus is stoned to death by an angry mob while fleeing Rome.
1223 – Mongol invasion of the Cumans: Battle of the Kalka River: Mongol armies of Genghis Khan led by Subutai defeat Kievan Rus’ and Cumans.
1293 – Mongol invasion of Java was a punitive expedition against King Kertanegara of Singhasari, who had refused to pay tribute to the Yuan and maimed one of its ministers. However, it ended with failure for the Mongols. Regarded as establish City of Surabaya
1578 – King Henry III lays the first stone of the Pont Neuf (New Bridge), the oldest bridge of Paris, France.
1669 – Citing poor eyesight as a reason, Samuel Pepys records the last event in his diary.
1775 – American Revolution: The Mecklenburg Resolves are adopted in the Province of North Carolina.
1790 – Manuel Quimper explores the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
1790 – The United States enacts its first copyright statute, the Copyright Act of 1790.
1795 – French Revolution: The Revolutionary Tribunal is suppressed.
1805 – French and Spanish forces begin the assault against British forces occupying Diamond Rock.
1813 – In Australia, William Lawson, Gregory Blaxland and William Wentworth reach Mount Blaxland, effectively marking the end of a route across the Blue Mountains.
1859 – The clock tower at the Houses of Parliament, which houses Big Ben, starts keeping time.
1862 – American Civil War: Peninsula Campaign: Confederate forces under Joseph E. Johnston and G.W. Smith engage Union forces under George B. McClellan outside Richmond, Virginia.
1864 – American Civil War: Overland Campaign: Battle of Cold Harbor: The Army of Northern Virginia engages the Army of the Potomac.
1879 – Gilmore’s Garden in New York City is renamed Madison Square Garden by William Henry Vanderbilt and is opened to the public at 26th Street and Madison Avenue.
1884 – The arrival at Plymouth of Tāwhiao, King of Maoris, to claim the protection of Queen Victoria.
1889 – Johnstown Flood: Over 2,200 people die after a dam fails and sends a 60-foot (18-meter) wall of water over the town of Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
1902 – Second Boer War: The Treaty of Vereeniging ends the war and ensures British control of South Africa.
1909 – The National Negro Committee, forerunner to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), convenes for the first time.
1910 – The South Africa Act comes into force, establishing the Union of South Africa.
1911 – The RMS Titanic is launched in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
1911 – The President of Mexico Porfirio Díaz flees the country during the Mexican Revolution.
1916 – World War I: Battle of Jutland: The British Grand Fleet engages the High Seas Fleet in the largest naval battle of the war, which proves indecisive.
1921 – The Tulsa race massacre kills at least 39, but other estimates of black fatalities vary from 55 to about 300.
1935 – A 7.7 M_w  earthquake destroys Quetta in modern-day Pakistan killing 40,000.
1941 – Anglo-Iraqi War: The United Kingdom completes the re-occupation of Iraq and returns ‘Abd al-Ilah to power as regent for Faisal II.
1942 – World War II: Imperial Japanese Navy midget submarines begin a series of attacks on Sydney, Australia.
1947 – Ferenc Nagy, the democratically elected Prime Minister of Hungary, resigns from office after blackmail from the Hungarian Communist Party accusing him of being part of a plot against the state. This grants the Communists effective control of the Hungarian government.
1961 – The South African Constitution of 1961 becomes effective, thus creating the Republic of South Africa, which remains outside the Commonwealth of Nations until 1 June 1994, when South Africa is returned to Commonwealth membership.
1961 – In Moscow City Court, the Rokotov–Faibishenko show trial begins, despite the Khrushchev Thaw to reverse Stalinist elements in Soviet society.
1962 – The West Indies Federation dissolves.
1970 – The 7.9 M_w  Ancash earthquake shakes Peru with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe) and a landslide buries the town of Yungay, Peru. Between 66,794–70,000 were killed and 50,000 were injured.
1971 – In accordance with the Uniform Monday Holiday Act passed by the U.S. Congress in 1968, observation of Memorial Day occurs on the last Monday in May for the first time, rather than on the traditional Memorial Day of May 30.
1973 – The United States Senate votes to cut off funding for the bombing of Khmer Rouge targets within Cambodia, hastening the end of the Cambodian Civil War.
1977 – The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System is completed.
1985 – United States–Canada tornado outbreak: Forty-one tornadoes hit Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Ontario, leaving 76 dead.
1991 – Bicesse Accords in Angola lay out a transition to multi-party democracy under the supervision of the United Nations’ UNAVEM II mission.
2005 – Vanity Fair reveals that Mark Felt was “Deep Throat”.
2008 – Usain Bolt breaks the world record in the 100m sprint, with a wind-legal (+1.7 m/s) 9.72 seconds
2010 – Israeli Shayetet 13 commandos boarded the Gaza Freedom Flotilla while still in international waters trying to break the ongoing blockade of the Gaza Strip; nine Turkish citizens on the flotilla were killed in the ensuing violent affray.
2013 – The asteroid 1998 QE2 and its moon make their closest approach to Earth for the next two centuries.
2013 – A record breaking 2.6 mile wide tornado strikes El Reno, Oklahoma, United States, causing eight fatalities and over 150 injuries.
2017 – A car bomb explodes in a crowded intersection in Kabul near the German embassy during rush hour, killing over 90 and injuring 463.
2017 – U.S. President Donald Trump tweets the word “covfefe” and quickly becomes a worldwide viral phenomenon.
2019 – A shooting occurs inside a municipal building at Virginia Beach, Virginia, leaving 13 people dead, including the shooter, and four others injured.

Births on May 31

1443 (or 1441) – Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond and Derby (d. 1509)
1462 – Philipp II, Count of Hanau-Lichtenberg (d. 1504)
1469 – Manuel I of Portugal (d. 1521)
1535 – Alessandro Allori, Italian painter (d. 1607)
1556 – Jerzy Radziwiłł, Catholic cardinal (d. 1600)
1577 – Nur Jahan, Empress consort of the Mughal Empire (d. 1645)
1613 – John George II, Elector of Saxony (d. 1680)
1640 – Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki, King of Poland (d. 1673)
1641 – Patriarch Dositheos II of Jerusalem (d. 1707)
1725 – Ahilyabai Holkar, Queen of the Malwa Kingdom under the Maratha Empire (d. 1795)
1732 – Count Hieronymus von Colloredo, Austrian archbishop (d. 1812)
1753 – Pierre Victurnien Vergniaud, French lawyer and politician (d. 1793)
1754 – Andrea Appiani, Italian painter and educator (d. 1817)
1773 – Ludwig Tieck, German poet, author, and critic (d. 1853)
1801 – Johann Georg Baiter, Swiss philologist and scholar (d. 1887)
1815 – Adye Douglas, English-Australian cricketer and politician, 15th Premier of Tasmania (d. 1906)
1818 – John Albion Andrew, American lawyer and politician, 25th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1867)
1819 – Walt Whitman, American poet, essayist, and journalist (d. 1892)
1827 – Kusumoto Ine, first Japanese female doctor of Western medicine (d. 1903)
1835 – Hijikata Toshizō, Japanese commander (d. 1869)
1838 – Henry Sidgwick, English economist and philosopher (d. 1900)
1842 – John Cox Bray, Australian politician, 15th Premier of South Australia (d. 1894)
1847 – William Pirrie, 1st Viscount Pirrie, Canadian-Irish businessman and politician, Lord Mayor of Belfast (d. 1924)
1852 – Francisco Moreno, Argentinian explorer and academic (d. 1919)
1852 – Julius Richard Petri, German microbiologist, invented the Petri dish (d. 1921)
1857 – Pope Pius XI (d. 1939)
1858 – Graham Wallas, English socialist, social psychologist, and educationalist (d. 1932)
1860 – Walter Sickert, English painter (d. 1942)
1863 – Francis Younghusband, Indian-English captain and explorer (d. 1942)
1866 – John Ringling, American entrepreneur; one of the founders of the Ringling Brothers Circus (d. 1936)
1875 – Rosa May Billinghurst, British suffragette and women’s rights activist (d.1953)
1879 – Frances Alda, New Zealand-Australian soprano (d. 1952)
1882 – Sándor Festetics, Hungarian politician, Hungarian Minister of War (d. 1956)
1883 – Lauri Kristian Relander, Finnish politician, 2nd President of Finland (d. 1942)
1885 – Robert Richards, Australian politician, 32nd Premier of South Australia (d. 1967)
1887 – Saint-John Perse, French poet and diplomat, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1975)
1892 – Michel Kikoine, Belarusian-French painter (d. 1968)
1892 – Erich Neumann, German lieutenant and politician (d. 1951)
1892 – Konstantin Paustovsky, Russian poet and author (d. 1968)
1892 – Gregor Strasser, German lieutenant and politician (d. 1934)
1894 – Fred Allen, American comedian, radio host, game show panelist, and author (d. 1956)
1898 – Norman Vincent Peale, American minister and author (d. 1993)
1900 – Lucile Godbold, American Olympic athlete (d. 1981)
1901 – Alfredo Antonini, Italian-American conductor and composer (d. 1983)
1908 – Don Ameche, American actor (d. 1993)
1909 – Art Coulter, Canadian-American ice hockey player (d. 2000)
1911 – Maurice Allais, French economist and physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2010)
1912 – Chien-Shiung Wu, Chinese-American experimental physicist (d. 1997)
1914 – Akira Ifukube, Japanese composer and educator (d. 2006)
1916 – Bert Haanstra, Dutch director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1997)
1918 – Robert Osterloh, American actor (d. 2001)
1918 – Lloyd Quarterman, African American chemist (d. 1982)
1919 – Robie Macauley, American editor, novelist and critic (d. 1995)
1921 – Edna Doré, English actress (d. 2014)
1921 – Andrew Grima, Anglo-Italian jewellery designer (d. 2007)
1921 – Howard Reig, American radio and television announcer (d. 2008)
1921 – Alida Valli, Austrian-Italian actress and singer (d. 2006)
1922 – Denholm Elliott, English-Spanish actor (d. 1992)
1923 – Ellsworth Kelly, American painter and sculptor (d. 2015)
1923 – Rainier III, Prince of Monaco (d. 2005)
1925 – Julian Beck, American actor and director (d. 1986)
1927 – James Eberle, English admiral (d. 2018)
1927 – Michael Sandberg, Baron Sandberg, English lieutenant and banker (d. 2017)
1928 – Pankaj Roy, Indian cricketer (d. 2001)
1929 – Menahem Golan, Israeli director and producer (d. 2014)
1930 – Clint Eastwood, American actor, director, musician, and producer
1931 – John Robert Schrieffer, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2019)
1931 – Shirley Verrett, American soprano and actress (d. 2010)
1932 – Ed Lincoln, Brazilian pianist, bassist, and composer (d. 2012)
1932 – Jay Miner, American computer scientist and engineer (d. 1994)
1933 – Henry B. Eyring, American religious leader, educator, and author
1934 – Jim Hutton, American actor (d. 1979)
1935 – Jim Bolger, New Zealand businessman and politician, 35th Prime Minister of New Zealand
1938 – Johnny Paycheck, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2003)
1938 – John Prescott, British sailor and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
1938 – Peter Yarrow, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
1939 – Terry Waite, English humanitarian and author
1940 – Anatoliy Bondarchuk, Ukrainian hammer thrower and coach
1940 – Augie Meyers, American musician and singer-songwriter
1940 – Gilbert Shelton, American illustrator
1941 – June Clark, Welsh nurse and educator
1941 – Louis Ignarro, American pharmacologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
1941 – William Nordhaus, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
1943 – Sharon Gless, American actress
1943 – Joe Namath, American football player, sportscaster, and actor
1945 – Rainer Werner Fassbinder, German actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1982)
1945 – Laurent Gbagbo, Ivorian academic and politician, 4th President of Côte d’Ivoire
1945 – Bernard Goldberg, American journalist and author
1946 – Ted Baehr, American publisher and critic
1946 – Steve Bucknor, Jamaican cricketer and umpire
1946 – Krista Kilvet, Estonian journalist, politician, and diplomat (d. 2009)
1946 – Debbie Moore, English model and businesswoman
1947 – Junior Campbell, Scottish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
1947 – Gabriele Hinzmann, German discus thrower
1948 – Svetlana Alexievich, Belarusian journalist and author, Nobel Prize laureate
1948 – John Bonham, English musician, songwriter and drummer (d. 1980)
1948 – Martin Hannett, English bass player, guitarist, and record producer (d. 1991)
1948 – Duncan Hunter, American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician
1949 – Tom Berenger, American actor, film producer and television writer
1950 – Jean Chalopin, French director, producer, and screenwriter, founded DIC Entertainment
1950 – Gregory Harrison, American actor
1950 – Edgar Savisaar, Estonian politician, Estonian Minister of the Interior
1951 – Karl-Hans Riehm, German hammer thrower
1952 – Karl Bartos, German singer-songwriter and keyboard player
1953 – Pirkka-Pekka Petelius, Finnish actor and screenwriter
1954 – Thomas Mavros, Greek footballer
1954 – Vicki Sue Robinson, American actress and singer (d. 2000)
1955 – Tommy Emmanuel, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
1955 – Susie Essman, American actress, comedian, and screenwriter
1956 – Fritz Hilpert, German drummer and composer
1956 – John Young, English singer-songwriter and keyboard player
1957 – Jim Craig, American ice hockey player
1959 – Andrea de Cesaris, Italian racing driver (d. 2014)
1959 – Phil Wilson, English politician
1960 – Greg Adams, Canadian ice hockey player and businessman
1960 – Chris Elliott, American actor, comedian, and screenwriter
1960 – Peter Winterbottom, English rugby player
1961 – Ray Cote, Canadian ice hockey player
1961 – Justin Madden, Australian footballer and politician
1961 – Lea Thompson, American actress, director, and producer
1962 – Corey Hart, Canadian singer-songwriter and producer
1963 – David Leigh, holder of the Sir Samuel Hall Chair of Chemistry at the University of Manchester
1963 – Viktor Orbán, Hungarian politician, 38th Prime Minister of Hungary
1963 – Wesley Willis, American singer-songwriter and keyboard player (d. 2003)
1964 – Leonard Asper, Canadian lawyer and businessman
1964 – Stéphane Caristan, French hurdler and coach
1964 – Yukio Edano, Japanese politician, Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs
1964 – Darryl “D.M.C.” McDaniels, American rapper and producer
1965 – Brooke Shields, American model, actress, and producer
1966 – Roshan Mahanama, Sri Lankan cricketer and referee
1967 – Phil Keoghan, New Zealand television host and producer
1967 – Kenny Lofton, American baseball player, coach, and sportscaster
1971 – Arun Luthra, Indo-Anglo-American saxophonist, konnakol artist, composer, and arranger
1972 – Christian McBride, American bassist and record producer
1972 – Archie Panjabi, Indo-British actress
1972 – Frode Estil, Norwegian skier
1972 – Antti Niemi, Finnish international footballer, goalkeeper and coach
1972 – Dave Roberts, American baseball player and coach
1974 – Hiroiki Ariyoshi, Japanese comedian and singer
1974 – Chad Campbell, American golfer
1975 – Mac Suzuki, Japanese baseball player
1976 – Colin Farrell, Irish actor
1976 – Matt Harpring, American basketball player and sportscaster
1977 – Theodoros Baev, Bulgarian-Greek volleyball player
1977 – Domenico Fioravanti, Italian swimmer
1977 – Eric Christian Olsen, American actor
1977 – Moses Sichone, Zambian footballer
1977 – Petr Tenkrát, Czech ice hockey player
1979 – Jean-François Gillet, Belgian footballer
1981 – Mikael Antonsson, Swedish footballer
1981 – Daniele Bonera, Italian footballer
1981 – Jake Peavy, American baseball player
1981 – Marlies Schild, Austrian skier
1984 – Andrew Bailey, American baseball player
1984 – Milorad Čavić, Serbian swimmer
1984 – Nate Robinson, American basketball player
1985 – Jordy Nelson, American football player
1986 – Robert Gesink, Dutch cyclist
1989 – Marco Reus, German footballer
1990 – Erik Karlsson, Swedish ice hockey player
1992 – Michaël Bournival, Canadian ice hockey player
1992 – Laura Ikauniece, Latvian heptathlete
1996 – Normani Korde, American singer
1998 – Santino Ferrucci, American race car driver

Deaths on May 31

455 – Petronius Maximus, Roman emperor (b. 396)
930 – Liu Hua, princess of Southern Han (b. 896)
960 – Fujiwara no Morosuke, Japanese statesman (b. 909)
1076 – Waltheof, Earl of Northumbria, English politician (b. 1050)
1089 – Sigwin von Are, archbishop of Cologne
1162 – Géza II, king of Hungary (b. 1130)
1321 – Birger, king of Sweden (b. 1280)
1326 – Maurice de Berkeley, 2nd Baron Berkeley (b. 1271)
1329 – Albertino Mussato, Italian statesman and writer (b. 1261)
1349 – Thomas Wake, English politician (b. 1297)
1370 – Vitalis of Assisi, Italian hermit and monk (b. 1295)
1408 – Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, Japanese shōgun (b. 1358)
1410 – Martin of Aragon, Spanish king (b. 1356)
1504 – Engelbert II of Nassau (b. 1451)
1558 – Philip Hoby, English general and diplomat (b. 1505)
1567 – Guido de Bres, Belgian pastor and theologian (b. 1522)
1594 – Tintoretto, Italian painter and educator (b. 1518)
1601 – Gebhard Truchsess von Waldburg, Archbishop-Elector of Cologne (b. 1547)
1640 – Zeynab Begum, Safavid princess (date of birth unknown)
1665 – Pieter Jansz. Saenredam, Dutch painter (b. 1597)
1680 – Joachim Neander, German theologian and educator (b. 1650)
1740 – Frederick William I of Prussia (b. 1688)
1747 – Andrey Osterman, German-Russian politician, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1686)
1809 – Joseph Haydn, Austrian pianist and composer (b. 1732)
1809 – Jean Lannes, French general (b. 1769)
1831 – Samuel Bentham, English architect and engineer (b. 1757)
1832 – Évariste Galois, French mathematician and theorist (b. 1811)
1837 – Joseph Grimaldi, English actor, comedian and dancer, (b. 1779)
1846 – Philip Marheineke, German pastor and philosopher (b. 1780)
1847 – Thomas Chalmers, Scottish minister and economist (b. 1780)
1848 – Eugénie de Guérin, French author (b. 1805)
1899 – Stefanos Koumanoudis, Greek archaeologist, teacher and writer (b. 1818)
1908 – Louis-Honoré Fréchette, Canadian author, poet, and politician (b. 1839)
1909 – Thomas Price, Welsh-Australian politician, 24th Premier of South Australia (b. 1852)
1910 – Elizabeth Blackwell, English-American physician and educator (b. 1821)
1931 – Felix-Raymond-Marie Rouleau, Canadian cardinal (b. 1866)
1931 – Willy Stöwer, German author and illustrator (b. 1864)
1945 – Odilo Globocnik, Italian-Austrian SS officer (b. 1904)
1954 – Antonis Benakis, Greek art collector and philanthropist, founded the Benaki Museum (b. 1873)
1957 – Stefanos Sarafis, Greek general and politician (b. 1890)
1957 – Leopold Staff, Polish poet and academic (b. 1878)
1960 – Willem Elsschot, Flemish author and poet (b. 1882)
1960 – Walther Funk, German economist, journalist, and politician, German Minister of Economics (b. 1890)
1962 – Henry F. Ashurst, American lawyer and politician (b. 1874)
1967 – Billy Strayhorn, American pianist and composer (b. 1915)
1970 – Terry Sawchuk, Canadian-American ice hockey player (b. 1929)
1976 – Jacques Monod, French biologist and geneticist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1910)
1977 – William Castle, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1914)
1978 – József Bozsik, Hungarian footballer and manager (b. 1925)
1981 – Barbara Ward, Baroness Jackson of Lodsworth, English economist and journalist (b. 1914)
1982 – Carlo Mauri, Italian mountaineer and explorer (b. 1930)
1983 – Jack Dempsey, American boxer and lieutenant (b. 1895)
1985 – Gaston Rébuffat, French mountaineer and author (b. 1921)
1986 – Jane Frank, American painter and sculptor (b. 1918)
1986 – James Rainwater, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1917)
1987 – John Abraham, Indian director and screenwriter (b. 1937)
1989 – Owen Lattimore, American author and academic (b. 1900)
1989 – C. L. R. James, Trinidadian journalist and historian (b. 1901)
1993 – Honey Tree Evil Eye, or, Spud Mackenzie, a Bull Terrier, dies of kidney failure.
1994 – Uzay Heparı, Turkish actor, producer, and composer (b. 1969)
1994 – Herva Nelli, Italian-American soprano (b. 1909)
1995 – Stanley Elkin, American novelist, short story writer, and essayist (b. 1930)
1996 – Timothy Leary, American psychologist and author (b. 1920)
1998 – Charles Van Acker, Belgian-American race car driver (b. 1912)
2000 – Petar Mladenov, Bulgarian diplomat, 1st President of Bulgaria (b. 1936)
2000 – Tito Puente, American jazz musician (b. 1923)
2000 – A. Jeyaratnam Wilson, Sri Lankan historian, author, and academic (b. 1928)
2001 – Arlene Francis, American actress, talk show host, game show panelist, and television personality (b. 1907)
2002 – Subhash Gupte, Indian cricketer (b. 1929)
2004 – Aiyathurai Nadesan, Sri Lankan journalist (b. 1954)
2004 – Robert Quine, American guitarist (b. 1941)
2004 – Étienne Roda-Gil, French screenwriter and composer (b. 1941)
2006 – Miguel Ortiz Berrocal, Spanish sculptor (b. 1933)
2006 – Raymond Davis, Jr., American physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1914)
2009 – Danny La Rue, Irish-British drag queen performer and singer (b. 1927)
2009 – George Tiller, American physician (b. 1941)
2010 – Louise Bourgeois, French-American sculptor and painter (b. 1911)
2010 – Brian Duffy, English photographer and producer (b. 1933)
2010 – William A. Fraker, American director, producer, and cinematographer (b. 1923)
2010 – Rubén Juárez, Argentinian singer-songwriter and bandoneón player (b. 1947)
2010 – Merata Mita, New Zealand director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1942)
2011 – Pauline Betz, American tennis player (b. 1919)
2011 – Jonas Bevacqua, American fashion designer, co-founded the Lifted Research Group (b. 1977)
2011 – Derek Hodge, Virgin Islander lawyer and politician, Lieutenant Governor of the United States Virgin Islands (b. 1941)
2011 – Hans Keilson, German-Dutch psychoanalyst and author (b. 1909)
2011 – John Martin, English admiral and politician, Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey (b. 1918)
2011 – Andy Robustelli, American football player and manager (b. 1925)
2012 – Christopher Challis, English cinematographer (b. 1919)
2012 – Randall B. Kester, American lawyer and judge (b. 1916)
2012 – Paul Pietsch, German racing driver and publisher (b. 1911)
2012 – Orlando Woolridge, American basketball player and coach (b. 1959)
2013 – Gerald E. Brown, American physicist and academic (b. 1926)
2013 – Frederic Lindsay, Scottish author and educator (b. 1933)
2013 – Miguel Méndez, American author and poet (b. 1930)
2013 – Tim Samaras, American engineer and storm chaser (b. 1957)
2013 – Jairo Mora Sandoval, Costa Rican environmentalist (b. 1987)
2013 – Jean Stapleton, American actress (b. 1923)
2014 – Marilyn Beck, American journalist (b. 1928)
2014 – Marinho Chagas, Brazilian footballer and coach (b. 1952)
2014 – Hoss Ellington, American race car driver (b. 1935)
2014 – Martha Hyer, American actress (b. 1924)
2014 – Lewis Katz, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1942)
2014 – Mary Soames, Baroness Soames, English author (b. 1922)
2015 – Gladys Taylor, Canadian author and publisher (b. 1917)
2016 – Mohamed Abdelaziz, President of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (1976–2016) (b. 1947)
2016 – Jan Crouch, American televangelist, co-founder of the Trinity Broadcasting Network (b. 1938)
2016 – Carla Lane, English television writer (b. 1928)
2016 – Rupert Neudeck, German journalist and humanitarian (b. 1939)

Holidays and observances on May 31

Anniversary of Royal Brunei Malay Regiment (Brunei)
Christian feast day:
- Camilla Battista da Varano
- Hermias
- Petronella
- Visitation of Mary (Western Christianity)
- May 31 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
The beginning of Gawai Dayak (Dayaks in Sarawak, Malaysia and West Kalimantan, Indonesia)
World No Tobacco Day (International)

May 31- History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day, Uncategorized

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

On This Day / admin

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

Births on May 17

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

Deaths on May 17

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

Holidays and observances on May 17

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

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

On This Day

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

On This Day / admin

1009 – Lombard Revolt: Lombard forces led by Melus revolt in Bari against the Byzantine Catepanate of Italy.
1271 – Ninth Crusade, Edward I of England disembarks at Acre.
1386 – England and Portugal formally ratify their alliance with the signing of the Treaty of Windsor, making it the oldest diplomatic alliance in the world which is still in force.
1450 – ‘Abd al-Latif (Timurid monarch) is assassinated.
1540 – Hernando de Alarcón sets sail on an expedition to the Gulf of California.
1662 – The figure who later became Mr. Punch makes his first recorded appearance in England.
1671 – Thomas Blood, disguised as a clergyman, attempts to steal England’s Crown Jewels from the Tower of London.
1726 – Five men arrested during a raid on Mother Clap’s molly house in London are executed at Tyburn.
1763 – The Siege of Fort Detroit begins during Pontiac’s War against British forces.
1864 – Second Schleswig War: The Danish navy defeats the Austrian and Prussian fleets in the Battle of Heligoland.
1865 – American Civil War: Nathan Bedford Forrest surrenders his forces at Gainesville, Alabama.
1865 – American Civil War: President Andrew Johnson issues a proclamation ending belligerent rights of the rebels and enjoining foreign nations to intern or expel Confederate ships.
1873 – Der Krach: Vienna stock market crash heralds the Long Depression.
1874 – The first horsebus makes its début in the city of Mumbai, traveling two routes.
1877 – Mihail Kogălniceanu reads, in the Chamber of Deputies, the Declaration of Independence of Romania. This day became the Independence Day of Romania.
1877 – A magnitude 8.8 earthquake off the coast of Peru kills 2,541, including some as far away as Hawaii and Japan.
1887 – Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show opens in London.
1901 – Australia opens its first national parliament in Melbourne.
1904 – The steam locomotive City of Truro becomes the first steam engine in Europe to exceed 100 mph (160 km/h).
1911 – The works of Gabriele D’Annunzio are placed in the Index of Forbidden Books by the Vatican.
1915 – World War I: Second Battle of Artois between German and French forces.
1918 – World War I: Germany repels Britain’s second attempt to blockade the port of Ostend, Belgium.
1920 – Polish–Soviet War: The Polish army under General Edward Rydz-Śmigły celebrates its capture of Kiev with a victory parade on Khreshchatyk.
1926 – Admiral Richard E. Byrd and Floyd Bennett claim to have flown over the North Pole (later discovery of Byrd’s diary appears to cast some doubt on the claim.)
1927 – Old Parliament House, Canberra officially opens.
1936 – Italy formally annexes Ethiopia after taking the capital Addis Ababa on May 5.
1940 – World War II: The German submarine U-9 sinks the French coastal submarine Doris near Den Helder.
1941 – World War II: The German submarine U-110 is captured by the Royal Navy. On board is the latest Enigma machine which Allied cryptographers later use to break coded German messages.
1942 – Holocaust: The SS executes 588 Jewish residents of the Podolian town of Zinkiv (Khmelnytska oblast, Ukraine). The Zoludek Ghetto (in Belarus) is destroyed and all its inhabitants executed or deported.
1945 – World War II: The final German Instrument of Surrender is signed at the Soviet headquarters in Berlin-Karlshorst.
1945 – World War II: The German occupation of the Channel Islands comes to an end.
1946 – King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy abdicates and is succeeded by Umberto II.
1948 – Czechoslovakia’s Ninth-of-May Constitution comes into effect.
1949 – Rainier III becomes Prince of Monaco.
1950 – Robert Schuman presents his proposal on the creation of an organized Europe, which according to him was indispensable to the maintenance of peaceful relations. This proposal, known as the “Schuman Declaration”, is considered by some people to be the beginning of the creation of what is now the European Union.
1955 – Cold War: West Germany joins NATO.
1958 – Alfred Hitchcock’s film Vertigo has world premiere in San Francisco.
1960 – The Food and Drug Administration announces it will approve birth control as an additional indication for Searle’s Enovid, making Enovid the world’s first approved oral contraceptive pill.
1961 – FCC Chairman Newton N. Minow gives his Wasteland Speech.
1964 – Ngô Đình Cẩn, de facto ruler of central Vietnam under his brother President Ngô Đình Diệm before the family’s toppling, is executed.
1969 – Carlos Lamarca leads the first urban guerrilla action against the military dictatorship of Brazil in São Paulo, by robbing two banks.
1970 – Vietnam War: In Washington, D.C., 75,000 to 100,000 war protesters demonstrate in front of the White House.
1974 – Watergate scandal: The United States House Committee on the Judiciary opens formal and public impeachment hearings against President Richard Nixon.
1977 – Hotel Polen fire: A disastrous fire burns down the Hotel Polen in Amsterdam causing 33 deaths and 21 severe injuries.
1979 – Iranian Jewish businessman Habib Elghanian is executed by firing squad in Tehran, prompting the mass exodus of the once 100,000-strong Jewish community of Iran.
1980 – In Florida, Liberian freighter MV Summit Venture collides with the Sunshine Skyway Bridge over Tampa Bay, making a 1,400-ft. section of the southbound span collapse. Thirty-five people in six cars and a Greyhound bus fall 150 ft. into the water and die.
1980 – In Norco, California, five masked gunmen hold up a Security Pacific bank, leading to a violent shoot-out and one of the largest pursuits in California history. Two of the gunmen and one police officer are killed and thirty-three police and civilian vehicles are destroyed in the chase.
1987 – LOT Flight 5055 Tadeusz Kościuszko crashes after takeoff in Warsaw, Poland, killing all 183 people on board.
1988 – New Parliament House, Canberra officially opens.
1992 – Armenian forces capture Shusha, marking a major turning point in the Nagorno-Karabakh War.
1992 – Westray Mine disaster kills 26 workers in Nova Scotia, Canada.
1994 – Disappearance of Cleashindra Hall in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.
2001 – In Ghana, 129 football fans die in what became known as the Accra Sports Stadium disaster. The deaths are caused by a stampede (caused by the firing of tear gas by police personnel at the stadium) that followed a controversial decision by the referee.
2002 – The 38-day stand-off in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem comes to an end when the Palestinians inside agree to have 13 suspected terrorists among them deported to several different countries.
2012 – A Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft crashes into Mount Salak in West Java, Indonesia, killing 45 people.
2015 – An Airbus A400M Atlas military transport aircraft crashes near the Spanish city of Seville with three people on board killed.
2015 – Russia stages its biggest ever military parade in Moscow’s Red Square to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Victory Day.
2018 – The historic defeat for Barisan Nasional, the governing coalition of Malaysia since the country’s independence in 1957 in 2018 Malaysian general election.
2018 – At the height of the 2018 East Africa floods, the Patel dam breaks in Solai, Kenya, killing 48 people and displacing another 2000.

Births on May 9

1147 – Minamoto no Yoritomo, Japanese shōgun (d. 1199)
1170 – Valdemar II of Denmark (d. 1241)
1540 – Maharana Pratap, Indian ruler (d. 1597)
1555 – Jerónima de la Asunción, Spanish Catholic nun and founder of the first monastery in Manila (d. 1630)
1594 – Louis Henry, Prince of Nassau-Dillenburg, military leader in the Thirty Years’ War (d. 1662)
1617 – Frederick, Landgrave of Hesse-Eschwege (d. 1655)
1740 – Giovanni Paisiello, Italian composer and educator (probable; d. 1816)
1746 – Gaspard Monge, French mathematician and engineer (d. 1818)
1763 – János Batsányi, Hungarian-Austrian poet and author (d. 1845)
1800 – John Brown, American activist (d. 1859)
1801 – Peter Hesketh-Fleetwood, English politician, founded the town of Fleetwood (d. 1866)
1814 – John Brougham, Irish-American actor and playwright (d. 1880)
1823 – Frederick Weld, English-New Zealand politician, 6th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1891)
1824 – Jacob ben Moses Bachrach, Polish apologist and author (d. 1896)
1825 – James Collinson, Victorian painter (d. 1881)
1836 – Ferdinand Monoyer, French ophthalmologist, invented the Monoyer chart (d. 1912)
1837 – Adam Opel, German engineer, founded the Opel Company (d. 1895)
1845 – Gustaf de Laval, Swedish engineer and businessman (d. 1913)
1850 – Edward Weston, English-American chemist (d. 1936)
1855 – Julius Röntgen, German-Dutch composer (d. 1932)
1860 – J. M. Barrie, Scottish novelist and playwright (d. 1937)
1866 – Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Indian economist and politician (d. 1915)
1870 – Harry Vardon, British golfer (d. 1937)
1873 – Anton Cermak, Czech-American captain and politician, 44th Mayor of Chicago (d. 1933)
1874 – Howard Carter, English archaeologist and historian (d. 1939)
1882 – George Barker, American painter (d. 1965)
1882 – Henry J. Kaiser, American shipbuilder and businessman, founded Kaiser Shipyards (d. 1967)
1883 – José Ortega y Gasset, Spanish philosopher, author, and critic (d. 1955)
1884 – Valdemar Psilander, Danish actor (d. 1917)
1885 – Gianni Vella, Maltese artist (d. 1977)
1888 – Francesco Baracca, Italian fighter pilot (d. 1918)
1888 – Rolf de Maré, Swedish art collector (d. 1964)
1892 – Zita of Bourbon-Parma, last Empress of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (d. 1989)
1893 – William Moulton Marston, American psychologist and author (d. 1947)
1895 – Richard Barthelmess, American actor (d. 1963)
1895 – Lucian Blaga, Romanian poet, playwright, and philosopher (d. 1961)
1895 – Frank Foss, American pole vaulter (d. 1989)
1896 – Richard Day, Canadian-American art director and set decorator (d. 1972)
1900 – Maria Malicka, Polish stage and film actress (d. 1992)
1904 – Conrad Bernier, Canadian-American organist, composer, and educator (d. 1988)
1905 – Lilí Álvarez, Spanish tennis player, author, and feminist (d. 1998)
1906 – Eleanor Estes, American librarian, author, and illustrator (d. 1988)
1907 – Jackie Grant, Trinidadian cricketer (d. 1978)
1907 – Kathryn Kuhlman, American evangelist and author (d. 1976)
1907 – Baldur von Schirach, German politician (d. 1974)
1909 – Don Messer, Canadian violinist (d. 1973)
1909 – Gordon Bunshaft, American architect, designed the Solow Building (d. 1990)
1911 – Harry Simeone, American music arranger, conductor, and composer (d. 2005)
1912 – Pedro Armendáriz, Mexican-American actor (d. 1963)
1912 – Per Imerslund, Norwegian-German soldier and author (d. 1943)
1912 – Géza Ottlik, Hungarian mathematician and theorist (d. 1990)
1914 – Patricia Swift Blalock, American librarian (d.2011)
1914 – Denham Fouts, American prostitute (d. 1948)
1914 – Thanat Khoman, Thai politician and diplomat (d. 2016)
1914 – Carlo Maria Giulini, Italian conductor and director (d. 2005)
1914 – Hank Snow, American country music singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1999)
1916 – William Pène du Bois, American author and illustrator (d. 1993)
1917 – Fay Kanin, American screenwriter and producer (d. 2013)
1918 – Moisis Michail Bourlas, Greek soldier and educator (d. 2011)
1918 – Orville Freeman, American soldier and politician, 16th United States Secretary of Agriculture (d. 2003)
1918 – Mike Wallace, American journalist, media personality and one-time game show host (d. 2012)
1919 – Clifford Chadderton, Canadian soldier and journalist (d. 2013)
1920 – William Tenn, English-American author and academic (d. 2010)
1920 – Richard Adams, English novelist (d. 2016)
1921 – Daniel Berrigan, American priest, poet, and activist (d. 2016)
1921 – Sophie Scholl, German activist (d. 1943)
1921 – Mona Van Duyn, American poet and academic (d. 2004)
1923 – Johnny Grant, American radio host and producer (d. 2008)
1924 – Bulat Okudzhava, Russian singer, poet, and author (d. 1997)
1926 – John Middleton Murry, Jr., English soldier, pilot, and author (d. 2002)
1927 – Manfred Eigen, German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2019)
1928 – Ralph Goings, American painter (d. 2016)
1928 – Pancho Gonzales, American tennis player (d. 1995)
1928 – Barbara Ann Scott, Canadian figure skater (d. 2012)
1930 – Joan Sims, English actress (d. 2001)
1930 – Kalifa Tillisi, Libyan historian and linguist (d. 2010)
1931 – Vance D. Brand, American pilot, engineer, and astronaut
1932 – Conrad Hunte, Barbadian cricketer (d. 1999)
1934 – Alan Bennett, English screenwriter, playwright, and novelist
1935 – Nokie Edwards, American guitarist (d. 2018)
1935 – Roger Hargreaves, English author and illustrator (d. 1988)
1936 – Terry Downes, British boxer and former world middle-weight champion (d. 2017)
1936 – Albert Finney, English actor (d. 2019)
1936 – Glenda Jackson, English actress and politician
1937 – Sonny Curtis, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1937 – Rafael Moneo, Spanish architect, designed the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels and Valladolid Science Museum
1937 – Dave Prater, American singer (d. 1988)
1938 – Charles Simić, Serbian-American poet and editor
1939 – Ralph Boston, American long jumper
1939 – Ion Țiriac, Romanian tennis player and manager
1939 – Ken Warby, Australian motorboat racer
1939 – Giorgio Zancanaro, Italian baritone
1939 – John Ogbu, Nigerian-American anthropologist and professor (d. 2003)
1940 – James L. Brooks, American director, producer, and screenwriter
1941 – Dorothy Hyman, English sprinter
1941 – Danny Rapp, American musician (d. 1983)
1942 – John Ashcroft, American lawyer and politician, 79th United States Attorney General
1942 – Tommy Roe, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1943 – Vince Cable, English economist and politician, former Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills
1943 – Anders Isaksson, Swedish historian and journalist (d. 2009)
1943 – Colin Pillinger, English astronomer, chemist, and academic (d. 2014)
1944 – Richie Furay, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1945 – Gamal El-Ghitani, Egyptian journalist and author (d. 2015)
1945 – Jupp Heynckes, German footballer and manager
1945 – Steve Katz, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
1946 – Candice Bergen, American actress and producer
1946 – Ayşe Nur Zarakolu, Turkish author and activist (d. 2002)
1947 – Yukiya Amano, Japanese diplomat (d. 2019)
1948 – Hans Georg Bock, German mathematician, computer scientist, and academic
1948 – John Mahaffey, American golfer
1948 – Steven W. Mosher, American social scientist and author
1948 – Calvin Murphy, American basketball player and radio host
1949 – Billy Joel, American singer-songwriter and pianist
1949 – Richard S. Williamson, American lawyer and diplomat, 17th Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs (d. 2013)
1951 – Alley Mills, American actress
1953 – Bruno Brokken, Belgian high jumper
1955 – Meles Zenawi, Prime Minister of Ethiopia (d. 2012)
1955 – Anne Sofie von Otter, Swedish soprano and actress
1956 – Wendy Crewson, Canadian actress and producer
1956 – Jana Wendt, Australian television host
1958 – Graham Smith, Canadian swimmer
1959 – Andrew Jones, New Zealand cricketer
1960 – Tony Gwynn, American baseball player and coach (d. 2014)
1961 – Sean Altman, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1961 – John Corbett, American actor
1962 – Dave Gahan, English singer-songwriter
1962 – Paul Heaton, English singer-songwriter
1963 – Joe Cirella, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
1965 – Ken Nomura, Japanese race car driver and sportscaster
1965 – Steve Yzerman, Canadian ice hockey player and manager
1966 – Mark Tinordi, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
1968 – Masahiko Harada, Japanese ski jumper
1968 – Graham Harman, American philosopher and academic
1968 – Ruth Kelly, British economist and politician, Secretary of State for Transport
1968 – Marie-José Pérec, French sprinter
1968 – Neil Ruddock, English international footballer and television personality
1970 – Doug Christie, American basketball player
1970 – Hao Haidong, Chinese footballer & all time top scorer for Chinese national team
1970 – Ghostface Killah, American rapper and actor
1971 – Jason Lee, English footballer and manager
1971 – Dan Chiasson, American poet and critic
1972 – Megumi Odaka, Japanese actress and singer
1973 – Tegla Loroupe, Kenyan runner
1973 – Leonard Myles-Mills, Ghanaian sprinter
1975 – Tamia, Canadian singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
1975 – Brian Deegan, American motocross rider
1977 – Averno, Mexican wrestler
1977 – Marek Jankulovski, Czech footballer
1977 – Svein Tuft, Canadian cyclist
1978 – Leandro Cufré, Argentinian footballer
1978 – Santiago Dellapè, Argentinian-Italian rugby player
1978 – Aaron Harang, American baseball player
1978 – Marwan al-Shehhi, Emirati terrorist (d. 2001)
1979 – Pierre Bouvier, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
1979 – Rosario Dawson, American actress
1979 – Andrew W.K., American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, motivational speaker, and music producer
1980 – Grant Hackett, Australian swimmer
1980 – Angela Nikodinov, American figure skater
1980 – Tony Schmidt, German race car driver
1980 – Jo Hyun-jae, South Korean actor
1981 – Bill Murphy, American baseball player
1981 – Evangelos Tsiolis, Greek footballer
1983 – Giacomo Brichetto, Italian footballer
1983 – Alan Campbell, British sculler
1983 – Christos Marangos, Cypriot footballer
1983 – Ryuhei Matsuda, Japanese actor
1983 – Gilles Müller, Luxembourgian tennis player
1983 – Tyler Lumsden, American baseball player
1983 – Leandro Rinaudo, Italian footballer
1984 – Prince Fielder, American baseball player
1984 – Chase Headley, American baseball player
1985 – Jake Long, American football player
1985 – Henrique Andrade Silva, Brazilian footballer
1987 – Scott Bolton, Australian rugby league player
1987 – Kevin Gameiro, French footballer
1987 – Vitaliy Pushkar, Ukrainian race car driver
1988 – J. R. Fitzpatrick, Canadian race car driver
1989 – Ellen White, English footballer
1991 – Majlinda Kelmendi, Kosovar judoka
1992 – Dan Burn, English footballer
1996 – Saron Läänmäe, Estonian footballer
1996 – Grace Reid, Scottish diver

Deaths on May 9

729 – Osric, king of Northumbria
893 – Shi Pu, warlord of the Tang Dynasty
909 – Adalgar, archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen
934 – Wang Sitong, Chinese general and governor (b. 892)
1280 – Magnus VI of Norway
1315 – Hugh V, Duke of Burgundy (b. 1282)
1329 – John Drokensford, Bishop of Bath and Wells
1443 – Niccolò Albergati, Italian Cardinal and diplomat (b. 1373)
1446 – Mary of Enghien (b. 1368)
1590 – Charles de Bourbon French cardinal and pretender to the throne (b. 1523)
1657 – William Bradford, English-American politician, 2nd Governor of Plymouth Colony (b. 1590)
1707 – Dieterich Buxtehude, German-Danish organist and composer (b. 1637)
1736 – Diogo de Mendonça Corte-Real, Portuguese judge and politician (b. 1658)
1745 – Tomaso Antonio Vitali, Italian violinist and composer (b. 1663)
1747 – John Dalrymple, 2nd Earl of Stair, Scottish field marshal and diplomat, British Ambassador to France (b. 1673)
1760 – Nicolaus Zinzendorf, German bishop and saint (b. 1700)
1789 – Jean-Baptiste Vaquette de Gribeauval, French general and engineer (b. 1715)
1790 – William Clingan, American politician (b. 1721)
1791 – Francis Hopkinson, American judge and politician (b. 1737)
1805 – Friedrich Schiller, German poet, playwright, and historian (b. 1759)
1850 – Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac, French chemist and physicist (b. 1778)
1850 – Garlieb Merkel, Estonian author and activist (b. 1769)
1861 – Peter Ernst von Lasaulx, German philologist and politician (b. 1805)
1864 – John Sedgwick, American general and educator (b. 1813)
1889 – William S. Harney, American general (b. 1800)
1906 – Oscar von Gebhardt, German theologian and academic (b. 1844)
1914 – C. W. Post, American businessman, founded Post Foods (b. 1854)
1915 – François Faber, Luxembourgian-French cyclist and soldier (b. 1887)
1915 – Anthony Wilding, New Zealand tennis player and cricketer (b. 1883)
1918 – George Coșbuc, Romanian journalist and poet (b. 1866)
1931 – Albert Abraham Michelson, German-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1852)
1933 – John Arthur Jarvis, English swimmer (b. 1872)
1935 – Ernst Bresslau, German zoologist (b. 1877)
1938 – Thomas B. Thrige, Danish businessman (b. 1866)
1942 – Józef Cebula, Polish priest and saint (b. 1902)
1944 – Han Yong-un, Korean poet and social reformer (b. 1879)
1949 – Louis II, Prince of Monaco (b. 1870)
1950 – Esteban Terradas i Illa, Spanish mathematician and engineer (b. 1883)
1957 – Ernest de Silva, Sri Lankan banker and businessman (b. 1887)
1957 – Ezio Pinza, Italian actor and singer (b. 1892)
1959 – Bhaurao Patil, Indian activist and educator (b. 1887)
1965 – Leopold Figl, Austrian engineer and politician, 18th Chancellor of Austria (b. 1902)
1968 – Mercedes de Acosta, American author, poet, and playwright (b. 1893)
1968 – Harold Gray, American cartoonist, created Little Orphan Annie (b. 1894)
1968 – Marion Lorne, American actress (b. 1883)
1968 – Finlay Currie, British actor (b. 1878)
1970 – Walter Reuther, American union leader (b. 1907)
1976 – Jens Bjørneboe, Norwegian author, poet, and playwright (b. 1920)
1976 – Ulrike Meinhof, German militant, co-founded the Red Army Faction (b. 1934)
1977 – James Jones, American novelist (b. 1921)
1978 – Giuseppe Impastato, Italian journalist and activist (b. 1948)
1978 – Aldo Moro, Italian lawyer and politician, 38th Prime Minister of Italy (b. 1916)
1979 – Cyrus S. Eaton, Canadian-American banker, businessman, and philanthropist (b. 1883)
1979 – Eddie Jefferson, American singer and lyricist (b. 1918)
1980 – Kate Molale, South African activist (b. 1928)
1981 – Nelson Algren, American novelist and short story writer (b. 1909)
1983 – Henry Bachtold, Australian soldier and railway engineer (b. 1891)
1985 – Edmond O’Brien, American actor and director (b. 1915)
1986 – Tenzing Norgay, Nepalese mountaineer (b. 1914)
1987 – Obafemi Awolowo, Nigerian lawyer and politician (b. 1909)
1993 – Penelope Gilliatt, English novelist, short story writer, and critic (b. 1932)
1994 – Elias Motsoaledi, South African activist (b. 1924)
1997 – Rawya Ateya, Egyptian captain and politician (b. 1926)
1997 – Marco Ferreri, Italian actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1928)
1998 – Alice Faye, American actress and singer (b. 1915)
1998 – Talat Mahmood, Indian singer and actor (b. 1924)
2003 – Russell B. Long, American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician (b. 1918)
2004 – Akhmad Kadyrov, Chechen cleric and politician, 1st President of the Chechen Republic (b. 1951)
2004 – Alan King, American actor, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1927)
2004 – Brenda Fassie, South African singer (b. 1964)
2007 – Dwight Wilson, Canadian soldier (b. 1901)
2008 – Jack Gibson, Australian rugby league player, coach, and sportscaster (b. 1929)
2008 – Baptiste Manzini, American football player (b. 1920)
2008 – Nuala O’Faolain, Irish journalist and producer (b. 1942)
2008 – Pascal Sevran, French singer, television host, and author (b. 1945)
2009 – Chuck Daly, American basketball player and coach (b. 1930)
2010 – Lena Horne, American singer, actress, and activist (b. 1917)
2010 – Otakar Motejl, Czech lawyer and politician (b. 1932)
2011 – Wouter Weylandt, Belgian cyclist (b. 1984)
2012 – Bertram Cohler, American psychologist, psychoanalyst, and academic (b. 1938)
2012 – Geoffrey Henry, Cook Islander lawyer and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of the Cook Islands (b. 1940)
2012 – Vidal Sassoon, English-American hairdresser and businessman (b. 1928)
2013 – Ramón Blanco Rodríguez, Spanish footballer and manager (b. 1952)
2013 – George M. Leader, American soldier and politician, 36th Governor of Pennsylvania (b. 1918)
2013 – Humberto Lugo Gil, Mexican lawyer and politician, 23rd Governor of Hidalgo (b. 1933)
2013 – Ottavio Missoni, Italian hurdler and fashion designer, founded Missoni (b. 1921)
2014 – Giacomo Bini, Italian priest and missionary (b. 1938)
2014 – Harlan Mathews, American lawyer and politician (b. 1927)
2014 – Nedurumalli Janardhana Reddy, Indian politician, 12th Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh (b. 1935)
2014 – Mary Stewart, English-Scottish author and poet (b. 1916)
2015 – Edward W. Estlow, American football player and journalist (b. 1920)
2015 – Kenan Evren, Turkish general and politician, 7th President of Turkey (b. 1917)
2015 – Elizabeth Wilson, American actress (b. 1921)
2017 – Robert Miles, a Swiss-born Italian record producer, composer, musician and DJ (b. 1969)
2018 – Per Kirkeby, Danish painter, poet, film maker and sculptor (b. 1938)
2019 – Freddie Starr, English comedian, impressionist, singer and actor (1943)
2020 – Little Richard, American singer, songwriter, and pianist (b. 1932)

Holidays and observances on May 9

Anniversary of Dianetics (Church of Scientology)
Christian feast day:
- Beatus of Lungern
- Beatus of Vendome
- Christopher (Eastern Orthodox Church)
- George Preca
- Gerontius of Cervia
- Gregory of Nazianzen (The Episcopal Church (US) and traditional Roman Catholic calendar)
- Nicolaus Zinzendorf (Lutheran)
- Pachomius the Great
- Tudy of Landevennec
- May 9 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Commemoration of the end of the German occupation of the Channel Islands related observances:
- Liberation Day, commemorating the end of the German occupation of the Channel Islands during World War II. (Guernsey and Jersey)
- National Day (Alderney)
Europe Day, commemorating the Schuman Declaration. (European Union)
Victory Day observances, celebration of the Soviet Union victory over Nazi Germany (Soviet Union, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Serbia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan)
- Victory and Peace Day, marks the capture of Shusha (1992) in the Nagorno-Karabakh War, and the end of World War II. (Armenia)
- Victory Day over Nazism in World War II (Ukraine)

May 9 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

April 28 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day, Uncategorized / admin

224 – The Battle of Hormozdgan is fought. Ardashir I defeats and kills Artabanus V effectively ending the Parthian Empire.
357 – Emperor Constantius II enters Rome for the first time to celebrate his victory over Magnus Magnentius.
1192 – Assassination of Conrad of Montferrat (Conrad I), King of Jerusalem, in Tyre, two days after his title to the throne is confirmed by election. The killing is carried out by Hashshashin.
1253 – Nichiren, a Japanese Buddhist monk, propounds Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō for the very first time and declares it to be the essence of Buddhism, in effect founding Nichiren Buddhism.
1503 – The Battle of Cerignola is fought. It is noted as one of the first European battles in history won by small arms fire using gunpowder.
1611 – Establishment of the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, The Catholic University of the Philippines, the largest Catholic university in the world.
1758 – The Marathas defeat the Afghans in the Battle of Attock and capture the city.
1788 – Maryland becomes the seventh state to ratify the United States Constitution.
1789 – Mutiny on the Bounty: Lieutenant William Bligh and 18 sailors are set adrift and the rebel crew returns to Tahiti briefly and then sets sail for Pitcairn Island.
1792 – France invades the Austrian Netherlands (present day Belgium and Luxembourg), beginning the French Revolutionary Wars.
1794 – Sardinians, headed by Giovanni Maria Angioy, start a revolution against Savoy domination, expelling Viceroy Balbiano and his officials from Cagliari, the capital and largest city of the island.
1796 – The Armistice of Cherasco is signed by Napoleon Bonaparte and Vittorio Amedeo III, King of Sardinia, expanding French territory along the Mediterranean coast.
1869 – Chinese and Irish laborers for the Central Pacific Railroad working on the First Transcontinental Railroad lay ten miles of track in one day, a feat which has never been matched.
1881 – Billy the Kid escapes from the Lincoln County jail in Mesilla, New Mexico.
1887 – A week after being arrested by the Prussian Secret Police, French police inspector Guillaume Schnaebelé is released on order of William I, German Emperor, defusing a possible war.
1910 – Frenchman Louis Paulhan wins the 1910 London to Manchester air race, the first long-distance aeroplane race in England.
1920 – Azerbaijan is added to the Soviet Union.
1923 – Wembley Stadium is opened, named initially as the Empire Stadium.
1930 – The Independence Producers hosted the first night game in the history of Organized Baseball in Independence, Kansas.
1941 – The Ustaše massacre nearly 200 Serbs in the village of Gudovac, the first massacre of their genocidal campaign against Serbs of the Independent State of Croatia.
1944 – World War II: Nine German E-boats attacked US and UK units during Exercise Tiger, the rehearsal for the Normandy landings, killing 946.
1945 – Benito Mussolini and his mistress Clara Petacci are shot dead by Walter Audisio, a member of the Italian resistance movement.
1947 – Thor Heyerdahl and five crew mates set out from Peru on the Kon-Tiki to demonstrate that Peruvian natives could have settled Polynesia.
1948 – Igor Stravinsky conducted the premiere of his American ballet, Orpheus at the New York City Center.
1949 – The Hukbalahap are accused of assassinating former First Lady of the Philippines Aurora Quezon, while she is en route to dedicate a hospital in memory of her late husband; her daughter and ten others are also killed.
1952 – Dwight D. Eisenhower resigns as Supreme Allied Commander of NATO.
1952 – The Treaty of San Francisco comes into effect, restoring Japanese sovereignty and ending its state of war with most of the Allies of World War II.
1952 – The Sino-Japanese Peace Treaty (Treaty of Taipei) is signed in Taipei, Taiwan between Japan and the Republic of China to officially end the Second Sino-Japanese War.
1965 – United States occupation of the Dominican Republic: American troops land in the Dominican Republic to “forestall establishment of a Communist dictatorship” and to evacuate U.S. Army troops.
1967 – Vietnam War: Boxer Muhammad Ali refuses his induction into the United States Army and is subsequently stripped of his championship and license.
1969 – Charles de Gaulle resigns as President of France.
1970 – Vietnam War: U.S. President Richard Nixon formally authorizes American combat troops to take part in the Cambodian campaign.
1973 – The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd, recorded in Abbey Road Studios goes to number one on the US Billboard chart, beginning a record-breaking 741-week chart run.
1975 – General Cao Văn Viên, chief of the South Vietnamese military, departs for the US as the North Vietnamese Army closed in on victory.
1977 – The Red Army Faction trial ends, with Andreas Baader, Gudrun Ensslin and Jan-Carl Raspe found guilty of four counts of murder and more than 30 counts of attempted murder.
1978 – President of Afghanistan, Mohammed Daoud Khan, is overthrown and assassinated in a coup led by pro-communist rebels.
1986 – The United States Navy aircraft carrier USS Enterprise becomes the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to transit the Suez Canal, navigating from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea to relieve the USS Coral Sea.
1986 – High levels of radiation resulting from the Chernobyl disaster are detected at a nuclear power plant in Sweden, leading Soviet authorities to publicly announce the accident.
1988 – Near Maui, Hawaii, flight attendant Clarabelle “C.B.” Lansing is blown out of Aloha Airlines Flight 243, a Boeing 737, and falls to her death when part of the plane’s fuselage rips open in mid-flight.
1993 – A Zambia Air Force DHC-5 Buffalo crashes off the coast of Libreville, Gabon, killing all 30 passengers, which included the entire Zambia national football team.
1994 – Former Central Intelligence Agency counterintelligence officer and analyst Aldrich Ames pleads guilty to giving U.S. secrets to the Soviet Union and later Russia.
1996 – Whitewater controversy: President Bill Clinton gives a 4½ hour videotaped testimony for the defense.
1996 – Port Arthur massacre, Tasmania: A gunman, Martin Bryant, opens fire at the Broad Arrow Cafe in Port Arthur, Tasmania, killing 35 people and wounding 23 others.
2004 – CBS News released evidence of the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse. The photographs show rape and abuse from the American troops over Iraqi detainees.

Births on April 28

AD 32 – Otho, Roman emperor (d. 69 AD)
1402 – Nezahualcoyotl, Acolhuan philosopher, warrior, poet and ruler (d. 1472)
1442 – Edward IV, king of England (d. 1483)
1545 – Yi Sun-sin, Korean commander (d. 1598)
1573 – Charles de Valois, Duke of Angoulême, son of Charles IX (d. 1650)
1604 – Joris Jansen Rapelje, Dutch settler in colonial North America (d. 1662)
1623 – Wilhelmus Beekman, Dutch politician (d. 1707)
1630 – Charles Cotton, English poet and author (d. 1687)
1676 – Frederick I, prince consort and king of Sweden (d. 1751)
1715 – Franz Sparry, Austrian composer and educator (d. 1767)
1758 – James Monroe, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 5th President of the United States (d. 1831)
1761 – Marie Harel, French cheesemaker (d. 1844)
1765 – Sylvestre François Lacroix, French mathematician and academic (d. 1834)
1819 – Ezra Abbot, American scholar and academic (d. 1884)
1827 – William Hall, Canadian soldier, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 1904)
1838 – Tobias Asser, Dutch lawyer and scholar, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1913)
1848 – Ludvig Schytte, Danish pianist, composer, and educator (d. 1909)
1854 – Hertha Marks Ayrton, Polish-British engineer, mathematician, and physicist. (d. 1923)
1855 – José Malhoa, Portuguese painter (d. 1933)
1863 – Josiah Thomas, English-Australian miner and politician, 7th Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs (d. 1933)
1863 – Nikolai von Meck, Russian engineer (d. 1929)
1865 – Charles W. Woodworth, American entomologist and academic (d. 1940)
1868 – Lucy Booth, English composer (d. 1953)
1868 – Georgy Voronoy, Ukrainian-Russian mathematician and academic (d. 1908)
1874 – Karl Kraus, Austrian journalist and author (d. 1936)
1874 – Sidney Toler, American actor and director (d. 1947)
1876 – Nicola Romeo, Italian engineer and businessman (d. 1938)
1878 – Lionel Barrymore, American actor and director (d. 1954)
1886 – Erich Salomon, German-born news photographer (d. 1944)
1886 – Art Shaw, American hurdler (d. 1955)
1888 – Walter Tull, English footballer and soldier (d. 1918)
1889 – António de Oliveira Salazar, Portuguese economist and politician, 100th Prime Minister of Portugal (d. 1970)
1896 – Na Hye-sok, South Korean journalist, poet, and painter (d. 1948)
1896 – Tristan Tzara, Romanian-French poet and critic (d. 1963)
1897 – Ye Jianying, Chinese general and politician, Head of State of the People’s Republic of China (d. 1986)
1900 – Alice Berry, Australian activist (d. 1978)
1900 – Heinrich Müller, German SS officer (d. 1945)
1900 – Jan Oort, Dutch astronomer and academic (d. 1992)
1901 – H. B. Stallard, English runner and surgeon (d. 1973)
1902 – Johan Borgen, Norwegian author and critic (d. 1979)
1906 – Kurt Gödel, Czech-American mathematician, philosopher, and academic (d. 1978)
1906 – Paul Sacher, Swiss conductor and philanthropist (d. 1999)
1908 – Ethel Catherwood, American-Canadian high jumper and javelin thrower (d. 1987)
1908 – Jack Fingleton, Australian cricketer, journalist, and sportscaster (d. 1981)
1908 – Oskar Schindler, Czech-German businessman (d. 1974)
1909 – Arthur Võõbus, Estonian-American theologist and orientalist (d. 1988)
1910 – Sam Merwin, Jr., American author (d. 1996)
1911 – Lee Falk, American director, producer, and playwright (d. 1999)
1912 – Odette Hallowes, French soldier and spy (d. 1995)
1912 – Kaneto Shindō, Japanese director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2012)
1913 – Rose Murphy, American singer (d. 1989)
1914 – Michel Mohrt, French author, historian (d. 2011)
1916 – Ferruccio Lamborghini, Italian businessman, created Lamborghini (d. 1993)
1917 – Robert Cornthwaite, American actor (d. 2006)
1921 – Rowland Evans, American soldier, journalist, and author (d. 2001)
1921 – Simin Daneshvar, Iranian author and academic (d. 2012)
1923 – Carolyn Cassady, American author (d. 2013)
1923 – William Guarnere, American sergeant (d. 2014)
1924 – Dick Ayers, American author and illustrator (d. 2014)
1924 – Blossom Dearie, American singer and pianist (d. 2009)
1924 – Kenneth Kaunda, Zambian educator and politician, 1st President of Zambia
1925 – T. John Lesinski, American judge and politician, 51st Lieutenant Governor of Michigan (d. 1996)
1925 – John Leonard Thorn, English lieutenant, author, and academic
1926 – James Bama, American artist and illustrator
1926 – Bill Blackbeard, American historian and author (d. 2011)
1926 – Harper Lee, American novelist (d. 2016)
1926 – Hulusi Sayın, Turkish general (d. 1991)
1928 – Yves Klein, French painter (d. 1962)
1928 – Eugene Merle Shoemaker, American geologist and astronomer (d. 1997)
1930 – James Baker, American lawyer and politician, 61st United States Secretary of State
1930 – Carolyn Jones, American actress (d. 1983)
1933 – Miodrag Radulovacki, Serbian-American neuropharmacologist and academic (d. 2014)
1934 – Lois Duncan, American journalist and author (d. 2016)
1935 – Pedro Ramos, Cuban baseball player
1935 – Jimmy Wray, Scottish boxer and politician (d. 2013)
1936 – Tariq Aziz, Iraqi journalist and politician, Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 2015)
1937 – Saddam Hussein, Iraqi general and politician, 5th President of Iraq (d. 2006)
1937 – Jean Redpath, Scottish singer-songwriter (d. 2014)
1937 – John White, Scottish international footballer(d. 1964)
1938 – Madge Sinclair, Jamaican-American actress (d. 1995)
1941 – Ann-Margret, Swedish-American actress, singer, and dancer
1941 – Lucien Aimar, French cyclist
1941 – John Madejski, English businessman and academic
1941 – Karl Barry Sharpless, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
1941 – Iryna Zhylenko, Ukrainian poet and author (d. 2013)
1942 – Mike Brearley, English cricketer and psychoanalyst
1943 – Aryeh Bibi, Iraqi-born Israeli politician
1944 – Elizabeth LeCompte, American director and producer
1944 – Jean-Claude Van Cauwenberghe, Belgian politician, 10th Minister-President of the Walloon Region
1944 – Alice Waters, American chef and author
1946 – Nour El-Sherif, Egyptian actor and producer (d. 2015)
1946 – Ginette Reno, Canadian singer-songwriter and actress
1946 – Larissa Grunig, American theorist and activist
1947 – Christian Jacq, French historian and author
1947 – Nicola LeFanu, English composer and academic
1947 – Steve Khan, American jazz guitarist
1948 – Terry Pratchett, English journalist, author, and screenwriter (d. 2015)
1948 – Marcia Strassman, American actress and singer (d. 2014)
1949 – Jeremy Cooke, English lawyer and judge
1949 – Paul Guilfoyle, American actor
1949 – Bruno Kirby, American actor and director (d. 2006)
1950 – Willie Colón, Puerto Rican-American trombonist and producer
1950 – Jay Leno, American comedian, talk show host, and producer
1950 – Steve Rider, English journalist and sportscaster
1951 – Tim Congdon, English economist and politician
1951 – Larry Smith, Canadian football player and politician
1952 – Chuck Leavell, American singer-songwriter and keyboard player
1952 – Mary McDonnell, American actress
1953 – Roberto Bolaño, Chilean novelist, short-story writer, poet, and essayist (d. 2003)
1953 – Kim Gordon, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
1953 – Brian Greenhoff, English footballer and coach (d. 2013)
1954 – Timothy Curley, American educator
1954 – Michael P. Jackson, American politician, 3rd Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security
1954 – Vic Sotto, Filipino actor-producer, singer-songwriter, comedian and television personality
1954 – Ron Zook, American football player and coach
1955 – Eddie Jobson, English keyboard player and violinist
1955 – Dieter Rubach, German bass player
1956 – Jimmy Barnes, Scottish-Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
1957 – Wilma Landkroon, Dutch singer
1958 – Hal Sutton, American golfer
1960 – Tom Browning, American baseball player
1960 – Elena Kagan, American lawyer and jurist, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
1960 – Phil King, English bass player
1960 – Ian Rankin, Scottish author
1960 – Jón Páll Sigmarsson, Icelandic strongman and weightlifter (d. 1993)
1960 – Walter Zenga, Italian footballer and manager
1963 – Sandrine Dumas, French actress, director, and screenwriter
1963 – Lloyd Eisler, Canadian figure skater and coach
1963 – Marc Lacroix, Belgian biochemist and academic
1964 – Stephen Ames, Trinidadian golfer
1964 – Noriyuki Iwadare, Japanese composer
1964 – Ajay Kakkar, Baron Kakkar, English surgeon and academic
1964 – Barry Larkin, American baseball player, manager, and sportscaster
1964 – L’Wren Scott, American model and fashion designer (d. 2014)
1965 – Jennifer Rardin, American author (d. 2010)
1966 – John Daly, American golfer
1966 – Too Short, American rapper, producer and actor
1967 – Chris White, English engineer and politician
1968 – Howard Donald, English singer-songwriter and producer
1968 – Andy Flower, South-African-Zimbabwean cricketer and coach
1969 – LeRon Perry Ellis, American basketball player
1970 – Richard Fromberg, Australian tennis player
1970 – Nicklas Lidström, Swedish ice hockey player and scout
1970 – Diego Simeone, Argentinian footballer and manager
1971 – Brad McEwan, Australian journalist
1972 – Violent J, American rapper
1972 – Helena Tulve, Estonian composer
1972 – Jean-Paul van Gastel, Dutch footballer and manager
1973 – Jorge Garcia, American actor and producer
1973 – Earl Holmes, American football player and coach
1973 – Andrew Mehrtens, South African-New Zealand rugby player
1974 – Penélope Cruz, Spanish actress and producer
1974 – Margo Dydek, Polish basketball player and coach (d. 2011)
1974 – Richel Hersisia, Dutch boxer
1974 – Vernon Kay, English radio and television host
1974 – Dominic Matteo, Scottish footballer and journalist
1975 – Michael Walchhofer, Austrian skier
1976 – Shane Jurgensen, Australian cricketer
1978 – Lauren Laverne, English singer and television host
1978 – Robert Oliveri, American actor
1978 – Nate Richert, American actor
1979 – Scott Fujita, American football player and sportscaster
1980 – Bradley Wiggins, English cyclist
1981 – Jessica Alba, American model and actress
1981 – Pietro Travagli, Italian rugby player
1982 – Nikki Grahame, English model and journalist
1982 – Chris Kaman, American basketball player
1983 – Josh Brookes, Australian motorcycle racer
1983 – David Freese, American baseball player
1983 – Roger Johnson, English footballer
1983 – Graham Wagg, English cricketer
1983 – Thomas Waldrom, New Zealand-English rugby player
1984 – Dmitri Torbinski, Russian footballer
1985 – Lucas Jakubczyk, German sprinter and long jumper
1985 – Deividas Stagniūnas, Lithuanian ice dancer
1986 – Roman Polák, Czech ice hockey player
1986 – Jenna Ushkowitz, Korean-American actress, singer, and dancer
1987 – Ryan Conroy, Scottish footballer
1987 – Samantha Akkineni, Indian actress and model
1987 – Bradley Johnson, English footballer
1987 – Zoran Tošić, Serbian footballer
1988 – Jonathan Biabiany, French footballer
1988 – Juan Manuel Mata, Spanish footballer
1988 – Katariina Tuohimaa, Finnish tennis player
1989 – Emil Salomonsson, Swedish footballer
1989 – Kim Sung-kyu, South Korean singer
1990 – Niels-Peter Mørck, Danish footballer
1992 – Blake Bortles, American football player
1992 – DeMarcus Lawrence, American football player
1993 – Craig Garvey, Australian rugby league player
1993 – Eva Samková, Czech snowboarder
1995 – Jonathan Benteke, Belgian footballer
1995 – Melanie Martinez, American singer

Deaths on April 28

224 – Artabanus V of Parthia (b. 191)
948 – Hu Jinsi, Chinese general and prefect
988 – Adaldag, archbishop of Bremen
1109 – Abbot Hugh of Cluny (b. 1024)
1192 – Conrad of Montferrat (b. 1140)
1197 – Rhys ap Gruffydd, prince of Deheubarth (b. 1132)
1257 – Shajar al-Durr, sovereign sultana of Egypt
1260 – Luchesius Modestini, founding member of the Third Order of St. Francis
1400 – Baldus de Ubaldis, Italian jurist (b. 1327)
1489 – Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland, English politician (b. 1449)
1533 – Nicholas West, English bishop and diplomat (b. 1461)
1643 – Francisco de Lucena, Portuguese politician (b. 1578)
1710 – Thomas Betterton, English actor and manager (b. 1630)
1716 – Louis de Montfort, French priest and saint (b. 1673)
1726 – Thomas Pitt, English merchant and politician (b. 1653)
1741 – Magnus Julius De la Gardie, Swedish general and politician (b. 1668)
1772 – Johann Friedrich Struensee, German physician and politician (b. 1737)
1781 – Cornelius Harnett, American merchant, farmer, and politician (b. 1723)
1813 – Mikhail Kutuzov, Russian field marshal (b. 1745)
1816 – Johann Heinrich Abicht, German philosopher, author, and academic (b. 1762)
1841 – Peter Chanel, French priest, missionary, and martyr (b. 1803)
1853 – Ludwig Tieck, German author and poet (b. 1773)
1858 – Johannes Peter Müller, German physiologist and anatomist (b. 1801)
1865 – Samuel Cunard, Canadian-English businessman, founded Cunard Line (b. 1787)
1881 – Antoine Samuel Adam-Salomon, French sculptor and photographer (b. 1818)
1883 – John Russell, English hunter and dog breeder (b. 1795)
1902 – Cyprien Tanguay, Canadian priest and historian (b. 1819)
1903 – Josiah Willard Gibbs, American scientist (b. 1839)
1905 – Fitzhugh Lee, American general and politician, 40th Governor of Virginia (b. 1835)
1925 – Richard Butler, English-Australian politician, 23rd Premier of South Australia (b. 1850)
1928 – May Jordan McConnel, Australian trade unionist and suffragist (b. 1860)
1929 – Hendrik van Heuckelum, Dutch footballer (b. 1879)
1936 – Fuad I of Egypt (b. 1868)
1944 – Mohammed Alim Khan, Manghud ruler (b. 1880)
1944 – Frank Knox, American journalist and politician, 46th United States Secretary of the Navy (b. 1874)
1945 – Roberto Farinacci, Italian soldier and politician (b. 1892)
1945 – Hermann Fegelein, German general (b. 1906)
1945 – Benito Mussolini, Italian journalist and politician, 27th Prime Minister of Italy (b. 1883)
1946 – Louis Bachelier, French mathematician and academic (b. 1870)
1954 – Léon Jouhaux, French union leader, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1879)
1956 – Fred Marriott, American race car driver (b. 1872)
1957 – Heinrich Bär, German colonel and pilot (b. 1913)
1962 – Bennie Osler, South African rugby player (b. 1901)
1963 – Wilhelm Weber, German gymnast (b. 1880)
1970 – Ed Begley, American actor (b. 1901)
1973 – Clas Thunberg, Finnish speed skater (b. 1893)
1976 – Richard Hughes, American author and poet (b. 1900)
1977 – Ricardo Cortez, American actor (b. 1900)
1977 – Sepp Herberger, German footballer and coach (b. 1897)
1978 – Mohammed Daoud Khan, Afghan commander and politician, 1st President of Afghanistan (b. 1909)
1980 – Tommy Caldwell, American bass player (b. 1949)
1987 – Ben Linder, American engineer and activist (b. 1959)
1991 – Steve Broidy, American film producer (b. 1905)
1992 – Francis Bacon, Irish painter (b. 1909)
1993 – Diva Diniz Corrêa, Brazilian zoologist (b. 1918)
1993 – Jim Valvano, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster (b. 1946)
1994 – Berton Roueché, American journalist and author (b. 1910)
1996 – Lester Sumrall, American minister, founded LeSEA (b. 1913)
1997 – Ann Petry, American novelist (b. 1908)
1998 – Jerome Bixby, American author and screenwriter (b. 1923)
1999 – Rory Calhoun, American actor, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1922)
1999 – Rolf Landauer, German-American physicist and engineer (b. 1927)
1999 – Alf Ramsey, English footballer and manager (b. 1920)
1999 – Arthur Leonard Schawlow, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1921)
2000 – Jerzy Einhorn, Polish-Swedish physician and politician (b. 1925)
2000 – Penelope Fitzgerald, English author and poet (b. 1916)
2002 – Alexander Lebed, Russian general and politician (b. 1950)
2002 – Lou Thesz, American wrestler and trainer (b. 1916)
2005 – Percy Heath, American bassist (b. 1923)
2005 – Chris Candido, American wrestler (b. 1971)
2005 – Taraki Sivaram, Sri Lankan journalist and author (b. 1959)
2006 – Steve Howe, American baseball player (b. 1958)
2007 – Dabbs Greer, American actor (b. 1917)
2007 – René Mailhot, Canadian journalist (b. 1942)
2007 – Tommy Newsom, American saxophonist and bandleader (b. 1929)
2007 – Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker, German physicist and philosopher (b. 1912)
2007 – Bertha Wilson, Scottish-Canadian lawyer and jurist (b. 1923)
2009 – Ekaterina Maximova, Russian ballerina and actress (b. 1939)
2009 – Richard Pratt, Polish-Australian businessman (b. 1934)
2011 – Erhard Loretan, Swiss mountaineer (b. 1959)
2012 – Fred Allen, New Zealand rugby player and coach (b. 1920)
2012 – Matilde Camus, Spanish poet and author (b. 1919)
2012 – Al Ecuyer, American football player (b. 1937)
2012 – Patricia Medina, English actress (b. 1919)
2012 – Milan N. Popović, Serbian psychiatrist and author (b. 1924)
2012 – Aberdeen Shikoyi, Kenyan rugby player (b. 1985)
2013 – Brad Lesley, American baseball player (b. 1958)
2013 – Fredrick McKissack, American author (b. 1939)
2013 – John C. Reynolds, American computer scientist and academic (b. 1935)
2013 – Jack Shea, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1928)
2013 – János Starker, Hungarian-American cellist and educator (b. 1924)
2013 – Paulo Vanzolini, Brazilian singer-songwriter and zoologist (b. 1924)
2013 – Bernie Wood, New Zealand journalist and author (b. 1939)
2014 – Barbara Fiske Calhoun, American cartoonist and painter (b. 1919)
2014 – William Honan, American journalist and author (b. 1930)
2014 – Dennis Kamakahi, American guitarist and composer (b. 1953)
2014 – Edgar Laprade, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1919)
2014 – Jack Ramsay, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster (b. 1925)
2014 – Idris Sardi, Indonesian violinist and composer (b. 1938)
2014 – Frederic Schwartz, American architect, co-designed Empty Sky (b. 1951)
2014 – Ryan Tandy, Australian rugby player (b. 1981)
2015 – Antônio Abujamra, Brazilian actor and director (b. 1932)
2015 – Marcia Brown, American author and illustrator (b. 1918)
2015 – Michael J. Ingelido, American general (b. 1916)
2016 – Jenny Diski, English author and screenwriter (b. 1947)
2017 – Mariano Gagnon, American Catholic priest and author (b. 1929)
2018 – James Hylton, American race car driver (b. 1934)
2019 – Richard Lugar, American politician (b.1932)
2019 – John Singleton, American film director (b. 1968)

Holidays and observances on April 28

Christian feast day:
- Aphrodisius and companions
- Gianna Beretta Molla
- Kirill of Turov (Orthodox, added to Roman Martyrology in 1969)
- Louis de Montfort
- Pamphilus of Sulmona
- Peter Chanel
- Vitalis and Valeria of Milan
- April 28 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Lawyers’ Day (Odisha, India)
Mujahideen Victory Day (Afghanistan)
National Heroes Day (Barbados)
Restoration of Sovereignty Day (Japan)
Sardinia Day (Sardinia)
Workers’ Memorial Day and World Day for Safety and Health at Work (international)
- National Day of Mourning (Canada)

April 28 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day, Uncategorized

April 21 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day / admin

753 BC – Romulus founds Rome (traditional date).
43 BC – Battle of Mutina: Mark Antony is again defeated in battle by Aulus Hirtius, who is killed. Antony fails to capture Mutina and Decimus Brutus is murdered shortly after.
900 – The Laguna Copperplate Inscription (the earliest known written document found in what is now the Philippines): the Commander-in-Chief of the Kingdom of Tondo, as represented by the Honourable Jayadewa, Lord Minister of Pailah, pardons from all debt the Honourable Namwaran and his relations.
1092 – The Diocese of Pisa is elevated to the rank of metropolitan archdiocese by Pope Urban II
1506 – The three-day Lisbon Massacre comes to an end with the slaughter of over 1,900 suspected Jews by Portuguese Catholics.
1509 – Henry VIII ascends the throne of England on the death of his father, Henry VII.
1526 – The last ruler of the Lodi dynasty, Ibrahim Lodi is defeated and killed by Babur in the First Battle of Panipat.
1615 – The Wignacourt Aqueduct is inaugurated in Malta.
1782 – The city of Rattanakosin, now known internationally as Bangkok, is founded on the eastern bank of the Chao Phraya River by King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke.
1789 – George Washington’s reception at Trenton is hosted by the Ladies of Trenton as he journeys to New York City for his first inauguration.
1792 – Tiradentes, a revolutionary leading a movement for Brazil’s independence, is hanged, drawn and quartered.
1802 – Twelve thousand Wahhabis under Abdul-Aziz bin Muhammad, invaded city of Karbala, killed over three thousand inhabitants, and sacked the city.
1806 – Action of 21 April 1806: A French frigate escapes British forces off the coast of South Africa.
1809 – Two Austrian army corps are driven from Landshut by a First French Empire army led by Napoleon as two French corps to the north hold off the main Austrian army on the first day of the Battle of Eckmühl.
1821 – Benderli Ali Pasha arrives in Constantinople as the new Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire; he remains in power for only nine days before being sent into exile.
1836 – Texas Revolution: The Battle of San Jacinto: Republic of Texas forces under Sam Houston defeat troops under Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna.
1856 – Australian labour movement: Stonemasons and building workers on building sites around Melbourne march from the University of Melbourne to Parliament House to achieve an eight-hour day.
1894 – Norway formally adopts the Krag–Jørgensen bolt-action rifle as the main arm of its armed forces, a weapon that would remain in service for almost 50 years.
1898 – Spanish–American War: The United States Navy begins a blockade of Cuban ports. When the U.S. Congress issued a declaration of war on April 25, it declared that a state of war had existed from this date.
1914 – Ypiranga incident: A German arms shipment to Mexico is intercepted by the U.S. Navy near Veracruz.
1918 – World War I: German fighter ace Manfred von Richthofen, better known as “The Red Baron”, is shot down and killed over Vaux-sur-Somme in France.
1926 – Al-Baqi cemetery, former site of the mausoleum of four Shi’a Imams, is leveled to the ground by Wahhabis.
1934 – The “Surgeon’s Photograph”, the most famous photo allegedly showing the Loch Ness Monster, is published in the Daily Mail (in 1999, it is revealed to be a hoax).
1945 – World War II: Soviet forces south of Berlin at Zossen attack the German High Command headquarters.
1948 – United Nations Security Council Resolution 47 relating to Kashmir conflict is adopted.
1952 – Secretary’s Day (now Administrative Professionals’ Day) is first celebrated.
1958 – United Airlines Flight 736 collides into a United States Air Force fighter jet near Arden, Nevada in what is now Enterprise, Nevada.
1960 – Brasília, Brazil’s capital, is officially inaugurated. At 09:30, the Three Powers of the Republic are simultaneously transferred from the old capital, Rio de Janeiro.
1962 – The Seattle World’s Fair (Century 21 Exposition) opens. It is the first World’s Fair in the United States since World War II.
1963 – The first election of the Universal House of Justice is held, marking its establishment as the supreme governing institution of the Bahá’í Faith.
1964 – A Transit-5bn satellite fails to reach orbit after launch; as it re-enters the atmosphere, 2.1 pounds (0.95 kg) of radioactive plutonium in its SNAP RTG power source is widely dispersed.
1965 – The 1964–1965 New York World’s Fair opens for its second and final season.
1966 – Rastafari movement: Haile Selassie of Ethiopia visits Jamaica, an event now celebrated as Grounation Day.
1967 – A few days before the general election in Greece, Colonel George Papadopoulos leads a coup d’état, establishing a military regime that lasts for seven years.
1975 – Vietnam War: President of South Vietnam Nguyễn Văn Thiệu flees Saigon, as Xuân Lộc, the last South Vietnamese outpost blocking a direct North Vietnamese assault on Saigon, falls.
1977 – Annie opens on Broadway.
1982 – Baseball: Rollie Fingers of the Milwaukee Brewers becomes the first pitcher to record 300 saves.
1985 – The compound of the militant group The Covenant, The Sword, and the Arm of the Lord surrenders to federal authorities in Arkansas after a two-day government siege.
1987 – The Tamil Tigers are blamed for a car bomb that detonates in the Sri Lankan capital city of Colombo, killing 106 people.
1989 – Tiananmen Square protests of 1989: In Beijing, around 100,000 students gather in Tiananmen Square to commemorate Chinese reform leader Hu Yaobang.
1993 – The Supreme Court in La Paz, Bolivia, sentences former dictator Luis García Meza to 30 years in jail without parole for murder, theft, fraud and violating the constitution.
2004 – Five suicide car bombers target police stations in and around Basra, killing 74 people and wounding 160.
2010 – The controversial Kharkiv Pact (Russian Ukrainian Naval Base for Gas Treaty) is signed in Kharkiv, Ukraine, by Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev; it was unilaterally terminated by Russia on March 31, 2014.
2012 – Two trains are involved in a head-on collision near Sloterdijk, Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, injuring 116 people.
2014 – The American city of Flint, Michigan switches its water source to the Flint River, beginning the ongoing Flint water crisis which has caused lead poisoning in up to 12,000 people, and 15 deaths from Legionnaires disease, ultimately leading to criminal indictments against 15 people, five of whom have been charged with involuntary manslaughter.
2019 – Eight bombs explode at churches, hotels, and other locations in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday; more than 200 people are killed.

Births on April 21

1132 – Sancho VI, king of Navarre (d. 1194)
1488 – Ulrich von Hutten, German religious reformer (d. 1523)
1523 – Marco Antonio Bragadin, Venetian lawyer and military officer (d. 1571)
1555 – Ludovico Carracci, Italian painter and etcher (d. 1619)
1619 – Jan van Riebeeck, Dutch founder of Cape Town (d. 1677)
1630 – Pieter Gerritsz van Roestraten, Dutch-English painter (d. 1700)
1631 – Francesco Maidalchini, Catholic cardinal (d. 1700)
1642 – Simon de la Loubère, French mathematician, poet, and diplomat (d. 1729)
1651 – Joseph Vaz, Sri Lankan priest, missionary, and saint (d. 1711)
1652 – Michel Rolle, French mathematician and academic (d. 1719)
1671 – John Law, Scottish economist (d. 1729)
1673 – Wilhelmine Amalia of Brunswick-Lüneburg (d. 1742)
1713 – Louis de Noailles, French general (d. 1793)
1730 – Antonín Kammel, Czech violinist and composer (d. 1788)
1752 – Pierre-Alexandre-Laurent Forfait, French engineer, hydrographer, and politician, French Minister of Marine and the Colonies (d. 1807)
1752 – Humphry Repton, English gardener and author (d. 1818)
1774 – Jean-Baptiste Biot, French physicist, astronomer, and mathematician (d. 1862)
1775 – Alexander Anderson, Scottish-American illustrator and engraver (d. 1870)
1790 – Manuel Blanco Encalada, Spanish-Chilean admiral and politician, 1st President of Chile (d. 1876)
1810 – John Putnam Chapin, American politician, 10th Mayor of Chicago (d. 1864)
1811 – Alson Sherman, American merchant and politician, 8th Mayor of Chicago (d. 1903)
1814 – Angela Burdett-Coutts, 1st Baroness Burdett-Coutts, English art collector and philanthropist (d. 1906)
1816 – Charlotte Brontë, Cornish-English novelist and poet (d. 1855)
1837 – Fredrik Bajer, Danish lieutenant and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1922)
1838 – John Muir, Scottish-American environmentalist and author (d. 1914)
1851 – Charles Barrois, French geologist and palaeontologist (d. 1939)
1854 – William Stang, German-American bishop (d. 1907)
1864 – Max Weber, German economist and sociologist (d. 1920)
1868 – Alfred Henry Maurer, American painter (d. 1932)
1870 – Edwin Stanton Porter, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1941)
1874 – Vincent Scotto, French actor and composer (d. 1952)
1882 – Percy Williams Bridgman, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1961)
1885 – Tatu Kolehmainen, Finnish runner (d. 1967)
1887 – Joe McCarthy, American baseball manager (d. 1978)
1889 – Marcel Boussac, French businessman (d. 1980)
1889 – Paul Karrer, Russian-Swiss chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1971)
1889 – Efrem Zimbalist, Sr., Russian-American violinist, composer, and conductor (d. 1985)
1892 – Freddie Dixon, English motorcycle racer and racing driver (d. 1956)
1893 – Romeo Bertini, Italian runner (d. 1973)
1898 – Maurice Wilson, English soldier, pilot, and mountaineer (d. 1934)
1899 – Randall Thompson, American composer and academic (d. 1984)
1903 – Luis Saslavsky, Argentinian director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1995)
1904 – Jean Hélion, French painter (d. 1987)
1904 – Odilo Globocnik, Italian-Austrian SS officer (d. 1945)
1905 – Pat Brown, American lawyer and politician, 32nd Governor of California (d. 1996)
1911 – Ivan Combe, American businessman, developed Clearasil (d. 2000)
1911 – Kemal Satır, Turkish physician and politician (d. 1991)
1912 – Eve Arnold, Russian-American photojournalist (d. 2012)
1912 – Marcel Camus, French director and screenwriter (d. 1982)
1913 – Norman Parkinson, English photographer (d. 1990)
1914 – Angelo Savoldi, Italian-American wrestler and promoter, co-founded International World Class Championship Wrestling (d. 2013)
1915 – Garrett Hardin, American ecologist, author, and academic (d. 2003)
1915 – Anthony Quinn, Mexican-American actor (d. 2001)
1916 – Estella B. Diggs, American businesswoman and politician (d. 2013)
1918 – Eddy Christiani, Dutch singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2016)
1919 – Don Cornell, American singer (d. 2004)
1919 – Roger Doucet, Canadian tenor (d. 1981)
1919 – Licio Gelli, Italian financer (d. 2015)
1920 – Edmund Adamkiewicz, German footballer (d. 1991)
1922 – Alistair MacLean, Scottish novelist and screenwriter (d. 1987)
1922 – Allan Watkins, Welsh-English cricketer (d. 2011)
1923 – John Mortimer, English lawyer and author (d. 2009)
1924 – Ira Louvin, American singer-songwriter and mandolin player (d. 1965)
1925 – Anthony Mason, Australian soldier and judge, 9th Chief Justice of Australia
1925 – John Swinton of Kimmerghame, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Berwickshire (d. 2018)
1926 – Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and her other realms
1926 – Arthur Rowley, English footballer, manager and cricketer (d. 2002)
1927 – Ahmed Arif, Turkish poet and author (d. 1991)
1928 – Jack Evans, Welsh-Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 1996)
1930 – Hilda Hilst, Brazilian author, poet, and playwright (d. 2004)
1930 – Silvana Mangano, Italian actress (d. 1989)
1930 – Dieter Roth, German-Swiss illustrator and sculptor (d. 1998)
1930 – Jack Taylor, English footballer and referee (d. 2012)
1931 – Morgan Wootten, American high school basketball coach (d. 2020)
1932 – Slide Hampton, African-American trombonist and composer
1932 – Elaine May, American actress, comedian, director, and screenwriter
1932 – Angela Mortimer, English tennis player
1933 – Edelmiro Amante, Filipino lawyer and politician (d. 2013)
1933 – Easley Blackwood, Jr., American pianist, composer, and educator
1933 – Ignatius Zakka I Iwas, Iraqi patriarch (d. 2014)
1935 – Charles Grodin, American actor and talk show host
1935 – Thomas Kean, American academic and politician, 48th Governor of New Jersey
1936 – James Dobson, American evangelist, psychologist, and author, founded Focus on the Family
1936 – Reg Fleming, Canadian-American ice hockey player (d. 2009)
1937 – Gary Peters, American baseball player
1937 – Ben Zinn, Israeli-born American academic and former international soccer player
1939 – John McCabe, English pianist and composer (d. 2015)
1939 – Sister Helen Prejean, American nun, activist, and author
1939 – Reni Santoni, American actor
1940 – Jacques Caron, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
1940 – Souleymane Cissé, Malian director, producer, and screenwriter
1941 – David L. Boren, American lawyer and politician, 21st Governor of Oklahoma
1942 – Geoffrey Palmer, New Zealand politician, 33rd Prime Minister of New Zealand
1945 – Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan, Indian cricketer and umpire
1945 – Mark Wainberg, Canadian researcher and HIV/AIDS activist (d. 2017)
1945 – Diana Darvey, English actress, singer and dancer (d. 2000)
1947 – Al Bumbry, American baseball player
1947 – Iggy Pop, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
1947 – John Weider, English bass player
1948 – Gary Condit, American businessman and politician
1948 – Paul Davis, American singer-songwriter and musician (d. 2008)
1948 – Josef Flammer, Swiss ophthalmologist
1948 – Dieter Fromm, German runner
1949 – Patti LuPone, American actress and singer
1950 – Shivaji Satam, Indian actor
1951 – Tony Danza, American actor and producer
1951 – Michael Freedman, American mathematician and academic
1951 – Bob Varsha, American sportscaster
1951 – Steve Vickers, Canadian ice hockey player
1952 – Gerald Early, American author and academic
1952 – Cheryl Gillan, British businesswoman and politician, Secretary of State for Wales
1953 – John Brumby, Australian politician, 45th Premier of Victoria
1954 – Ebiet G. Ade, Indonesian singer-songwriter and guitarist
1954 – James Morrison, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
1955 – Murathan Mungan, Turkish author, poet, and playwright
1955 – Doug Soetaert, Canadian ice hockey player
1956 – Peter Kosminsky, English director, producer, and screenwriter
1956 – Phillip Longman, German-American demographer and journalist
1957 – Hervé Le Tellier, French linguist and author
1957 – Jesse Orosco, American baseball player
1957 – Herbert Wetterauer, German painter, sculptor, and author
1958 – Andie MacDowell, American model, actress, and producer
1958 – Yoshito Usui, Japanese illustrator (d. 2009)
1958 – Michael Zarnock, American author
1959 – Tim Jacobus, American illustrator and painter
1959 – Olga Kuragina, Russian pentathlete
1959 – Arno Pijpers, Dutch footballer and coach
1959 – Robert Smith, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
1960 – Michel Goulet, Canadian ice hockey player and scout
1960 – Julius Korir, Kenyan runner
1961 – Cathy Cavadini, American voice actress
1961 – Carey Hayes, American screenwriter and producer
1961 – Chad Hayes, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
1961 – Neale Marmon, English-German footballer, coach, and manager
1961 – David Servan-Schreiber, French physician, neuroscientist, and author (d. 2011)
1962 – Les Lancaster, American baseball player and coach
1962 – Craig Robinson, American basketball player and coach
1962 – Aavo Sarap, Estonian footballer and coach
1963 – Ken Caminiti, American baseball player (d. 2004)
1963 – Roy Dupuis, Canadian actor
1963 – John Cameron Mitchell, American actor, director, and screenwriter
1964 – Alex Baumann, Czech-Canadian swimmer
1964 – Ludmila Engquist, Russian-Swedish hurdler
1965 – Ed Belfour, Canadian ice hockey player
1965 – Karen Foster, American model and actress
1965 – Gary Grant, American basketball player
1965 – Thomas Helmer, German footballer
1965 – Fiona Kelleghan, American academic, critic and librarian
1967 – Emilio Valle, Cuban hurdler
1968 – Peter van Vossen, Dutch footballer and coach
1969 – John Kibowen, Kenyan runner
1969 – Toby Stephens, English actor
1970 – Jeff Anderson, American actor, director, and screenwriter
1970 – Glen Hansard, Irish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
1970 – Rob Riggle, American actor and comedian
1970 – Nicole Sullivan, American actress, comedian, and screenwriter
1971 – Axl Rotten, American wrestler (d. 2016)
1971 – Michael Turner, American author and illustrator (d. 2008)
1972 – Richard Chelimo, Kenyan runner (d. 2001)
1972 – Gwendal Peizerat, French ice dancer
1973 – Steve Backshall, English naturalist, writer, and television presenter
1973 – Jonathan Nsenga, Belgian hurdler and coach
1974 – Maksim Gruznov, Estonian footballer
1974 – Orlando Jordan, American wrestler
1974 – David Peachey, Australian rugby league player
1975 – Danyon Loader, New Zealand swimmer
1976 – Rommel Adducul, Filipino basketball player
1976 – Petero Civoniceva, Fijian-Australian rugby league player
1977 – Gyula Koi, Hungarian scholar and educator
1977 – Jamie Salé, Canadian figure skater
1978 – Jacob Burns, Australian footballer
1978 – Jukka Nevalainen, Finnish drummer
1978 – Yuliya Pechonkina, Russian hurdler
1979 – Virginie Basselot, French chef
1979 – Tobias Linderoth, French-Swedish footballer and coach
1979 – James McAvoy, Scottish actor
1980 – Jeff Keppinger, American baseball player
1980 – Vincent Lecavalier, Canadian ice hockey player
1980 – Tony Romo, American football player
1981 – Mads Junker, Danish footballer
1982 – Khalif Barnes, American football player
1982 – Micheal Luck, Australian rugby league player
1982 – Carnell Williams, American football player
1983 – Paweł Brożek, Polish footballer
1983 – Marco Donadel, Italian footballer
1983 – Tarvaris Jackson, American football player (d. 2020)
1984 – Shayna Fox, American voice actress
1986 – Audra Cohen, American tennis player
1986 – Alexander Edler, Swedish ice hockey player
1986 – Rodney Stuckey, American basketball player
1986 – Mirko Valdifiori, Italian footballer
1987 – Nadif Chowdhury, Bangladeshi cricketer
1987 – Eric Devendorf, American basketball player
1987 – Leroy George, Dutch footballer
1987 – Anastasia Prikhodko, Ukrainian singer
1988 – Ricky Berens, American swimmer
1988 – Jencarlos Canela, American singer-songwriter and actor
1988 – Pedro Mosquera, Spanish footballer
1988 – Adam Rooney, Irish footballer
1989 – Tatyana McFadden, Russian-American sprinter and skier
1989 – Carlos Muñoz, Chilean footballer
1990 – Aleksandar Prijović, Swiss-born Serbian footballer
1992 – Isco, Spanish footballer
1992 – Rene Santos, Brazilian footballer
1992 – Joc Pederson, American baseball player
1994 – Mitchell Weiser, German footballer

Deaths on April 21

234 – Emperor Xian of Han, Chinese emperor (b. 181)
586 – Liuvigild, king of the Visigoths
847 – Odgar, Frankish archbishop of Mainz
866 – Bardas, de facto regent of the Byzantine Empire
941 – Bajkam, de facto regent of the Abbasid Caliphate
1073 – Pope Alexander II
1109 – Anselm of Canterbury, Italian-English archbishop and saint (b. 1033)
1136 – Stephen, Count of Tréguier Breton noblemen (b. c. 1058/62)
1142 – Peter Abelard, French philosopher and theologian (b. 1079)
1213 – Maria of Montpellier, Lady of Montpellier, Queen of Aragon (b. 1182)
1329 – Frederick IV, Duke of Lorraine (b. 1282)
1400 – John Wittlebury, English politician (b. 1333)
1509 – Henry VII of England (b. 1457)
1557 – Petrus Apianus, German mathematician and astronomer (b. 1495)
1574 – Cosimo I de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (b. 1519)
1591 – Sen no Rikyū, Japanese exponent of the tea ceremony (b. 1522)
1650 – Yagyū Jūbei Mitsuyoshi, Japanese samurai (b. 1607)
1668 – Jan Boeckhorst, Flemish painter (b. c. 1604)
1699 – Jean Racine, French playwright and poet (b. 1639)
1719 – Philippe de La Hire, French mathematician and astronomer (b. 1640)
1720 – Antoine Hamilton, Irish-French soldier and author (b. 1646)
1722 – Robert Beverley, Jr., English historian and author (b. 1673)
1736 – Prince Eugene of Savoy (b. 1663)
1740 – Thomas Tickell, English poet and author (b. 1685)
1758 – Francesco Zerafa, Maltese architect (b. 1679)
1815 – Joseph Winston, American soldier and politician (b. 1746)
1825 – Johann Friedrich Pfaff, German mathematician and academic (b. 1765)
1852 – Ivan Nabokov, Russian general (b. 1787)
1863 – Sir Robert Bateson, 1st Baronet, Irish politician (b. 1782)
1900 – Vikramatji Khimojiraj, Indian ruler (b. 1819)
1910 – Mark Twain, American novelist, humorist, and critic (b. 1835)
1918 – Manfred von Richthofen, German captain and pilot (b. 1892)
1924 – Eleonora Duse, Italian actress (b. 1858)
1930 – Robert Bridges, English poet and author (b. 1844)
1932 – Friedrich Gustav Piffl, Bohemian cardinal (b. 1864)
1938 – Muhammad Iqbal, Indian-Pakistani philosopher and poet (b. 1877)
1941 – Fritz Manteuffel, German gymnast (b. 1875)
1945 – Walter Model, German field marshal (b. 1891)
1946 – John Maynard Keynes, English economist and philosopher (b. 1883)
1948 – Aldo Leopold, American ecologist and author (b. 1887)
1952 – Leslie Banks, American actor, director and producer (b. 1890)
1954 – Emil Leon Post, Polish-American mathematician and logician (b. 1897)
1956 – Charles MacArthur, American playwright and screenwriter (b. 1895)
1965 – Edward Victor Appleton, English-Scottish physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1892)
1971 – François Duvalier, Haitian physician and politician, 40th President of Haiti (b. 1907)
1973 – Arthur Fadden, Australian accountant and politician, 13th Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1894)
1973 – Kemal Tahir, Turkish journalist and author (b. 1910)
1974 – Chic Harley, American football player (b. 1894)
1977 – Gummo Marx, American vaudevillian and talent agent (b. 1893)
1978 – Sandy Denny, English singer-songwriter (b.1947)
1978 – Thomas Wyatt Turner, American biologist and academic (b. 1877)
1980 – Alexander Oparin, Russian biochemist and academic (b. 1894)
1980 – Sohrab Sepehri, Iranian poet and painter (b. 1928)
1983 – Walter Slezak, Austrian-American actor and singer (b. 1902)
1984 – Marcel Janco, Romanian-Israeli artist (b. 1895)
1984 – Hristo Prodanov, Bulgarian engineer and mountaineer (b. 1943)
1985 – Rudi Gernreich, Austrian-American fashion designer, created the monokini (b. 1922)
1985 – Tancredo Neves, Brazilian banker and politician, Prime Minister of Brazil (b. 1910)
1986 – Marjorie Eaton, American painter and actress (b. 1901)
1986 – Salah Jahin, Egyptian poet, playwright, and composer (b. 1930)
1987 – Gustav Bergmann, Austrian-American philosopher from the Vienna Circle (b. 1906)
1989 – James Kirkwood, Jr., American actor, playwright, and author (b. 1924)
1990 – Erté, Russian-French illustrator (b. 1892)
1991 – Willi Boskovsky, Austrian violinist and conductor (b. 1909)
1996 – Zora Arkus-Duntov, Belgian-born American engineer and race car driver (b. 1909)
1996 – Dzhokhar Dudayev, Chechen general and politician, 1st President of Ichkeria (b. 1944)
1996 – Abdul Hafeez Kardar, Pakistani cricketer (b. 1925)
1996 – Jimmy Snyder, American sportscaster (b. 1919)
1998 – Jean-François Lyotard, French sociologist and philosopher (b. 1924)
1999 – Buddy Rogers, American actor (b. 1904)
2003 – Nina Simone, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and activist (b. 1933)
2004 – Mary McGrory, American journalist (b. 1918)
2005 – Gerry Marshall, English race car driver and journalist (b. 1941)
2006 – Johnny Checketts, New Zealand commander and pilot (b. 1912)
2006 – T. K. Ramakrishnan, Indian politician (b. 1922)
2006 – Telê Santana, Brazilian footballer and manager (b. 1931)
2007 – Lobby Loyde, Australian guitarist, songwriter, and producer (b. 1941)
2009 – Vivian Maier, American photographer (b. 1926)
2010 – Gustav Lorentzen, Norwegian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1947)
2010 – Juan Antonio Samaranch, Spanish businessman, seventh President of the International Olympic Committee (b. 1920)
2010 – Kanagaratnam Sriskandan, Sri Lankan-English engineer and civil servant (b. 1930)
2011 – Catharina Halkes, Dutch theologian and academic (b. 1920)
2012 – Doris Betts, American author and academic (b. 1932)
2012 – Charles Colson, American lawyer and activist, founded Prison Fellowship (b. 1931)
2012 – Albert Falco, French captain and diver (b. 1927)
2012 – Charles Higham, English-American author and poet (b. 1931)
2012 – Jerry Toppazzini, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1931)
2013 – Chrissy Amphlett, Australian singer-songwriter and actress (b. 1959)
2013 – Shakuntala Devi, Indian mathematician and astrologer (b. 1929)
2013 – Leopold Engleitner, Austrian Holocaust survivor, author, and educator (b. 1905)
2013 – Gordon D. Gayle, American general and historian (b. 1917)
2014 – Herb Gray, Canadian lawyer and politician, 7th Deputy Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1931)
2014 – Janet Gray Hayes, American politician, 60th Mayor of San Jose (b. 1926)
2014 – George H. Heilmeier, American engineer (b. 1936)
2014 – Win Tin, Burmese journalist and politician, co-founded the National League for Democracy (b. 1930)
2015 – M. H. Abrams, American author, critic, and academic (b. 1912)
2015 – Steve Byrnes, American sportscaster and producer (b. 1959)
2015 – John Moshoeu, South African footballer and manager (b. 1965)
2015 – Janaki Ballabh Patnaik, Indian politician, Governor of Assam (b. 1927)
2015 – Sydney Valpy Radley-Walters, Canadian general (b. 1920)
2015 – Betsy von Furstenberg, German-American actress (b. 1931)
2016 – Prince, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor (b. 1958)
2017 – Ugo Ehiogu, English footballer (b. 1972)
2018 – Verne Troyer, American actor (b. 1969)
2018 – Nabi Tajima, Japanese supercentenarian, oldest Japanese and Asian person ever, last verified person born in the 19th century (b. 1900)
2019 – Polly Higgins, Scottish barrister, author and environmental lobbyist, (b. 1968)

Holidays and observances April 21

Christian feast day:
- Abdecalas
- Anastasius Sinaita
- Anselm of Canterbury
- Beuno
- Conrad of Parzham
- Holy Infant of Good Health
- Shemon Bar Sabbae
- Wolbodo
- April 21 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Civil Service Day (India)
Grounation Day (Rastafari movement)
Heroic Defense of Veracruz (Mexico)
Kang Pan-sok’s Birthday (North Korea)
Kartini Day (Indonesia)
Local Self Government Day (Russia)
National Tea Day (United Kingdom)
National Tree Planting Day (Kenya)
San Jacinto Day (Texas)
Queen’s Official Birthday (Falkland Islands)
Tiradentes’ Day (Brazil)
Vietnam Book Day (Vietnam)

April 21 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

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

On This Day / admin

823 – Lothair I is crowned King of Italy by Pope Paschal I.
919 – The second Fatimid invasion of Egypt begins, when the Fatimid heir-apparent, al-Qa’im bi-Amr Allah, sets out from Raqqada at the head of his army.
1081 – Alexios I Komnenos is crowned Byzantine emperor at Constantinople, bringing the Komnenian dynasty to full power.
1242 – During the Battle on the Ice of Lake Peipus, Russian forces, led by Alexander Nevsky, rebuff an invasion attempt by the Teutonic Knights.
1536 – Royal Entry of Charles V into Rome: The last Roman triumph.
1566 – Two hundred Dutch noblemen, led by Hendrick van Brederode, force themselves into the presence of Margaret of Parma and present the Petition of Compromise, denouncing the Spanish Inquisition in the Seventeen Provinces.
1609 – Daimyō (Lord) Shimazu Tadatsune of the Satsuma Domain in southern Kyūshū, Japan, completes his successful invasion of the Ryūkyū Kingdom in Okinawa.
1614 – In Virginia, Native American Pocahontas marries English colonist John Rolfe.
1621 – The Mayflower sets sail from Plymouth, Massachusetts on a return trip to England.
1710 – The Statute of Anne receives the royal assent establishing the Copyright law of the United Kingdom.
1722 – The Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen discovers Easter Island.
1792 – United States President George Washington exercises his authority to veto a bill, the first time this power is used in the United States.
1795 – Peace of Basel between France and Prussia is made.
1818 – In the Battle of Maipú, Chile’s independence movement, led by Bernardo O’Higgins and José de San Martín, win a decisive victory over Spain, leaving 2,000 Spaniards and 1,000 Chilean patriots dead.
1862 – American Civil War: The Battle of Yorktown begins.
1879 – Chile declares war on Bolivia and Peru, starting the War of the Pacific.
1900 – Archaeologists in Knossos, Crete, discover a large cache of clay tablets with hieroglyphic writing in a script they call Linear B.
1904 – The first international rugby league match is played between England and an Other Nationalities team (Welsh and Scottish players) in Central Park, Wigan, England.
1915 – Boxing challenger Jess Willard knocks out Jack Johnson in Havana, Cuba to become the Heavyweight Champion of the World.
1922 – The American Birth Control League, forerunner of Planned Parenthood, is incorporated.
1932 – Dominion of Newfoundland: Ten thousand rioters seize the Colonial Building leading to the end of self-government.
1933 – U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs two executive orders: 6101 to establish the Civilian Conservation Corps, and 6102 “forbidding the Hoarding of Gold Coin, Gold Bullion, and Gold Certificates” by U.S. citizens.
1936 – Tupelo–Gainesville tornado outbreak: An F5 tornado kills 233 in Tupelo, Mississippi.
1942 – World War II: The Imperial Japanese Navy launches a carrier-based air attack on Colombo, Ceylon during the Indian Ocean raid. Port and civilian facilities are damaged and the Royal Navy cruisers HMS Cornwall and HMS Dorsetshire are sunk southwest of the island.
1943 – World War II: American bomber aircraft accidentally cause more than 900 civilian deaths, including 209 children, and 1,300 wounded among the civilian population of the Belgian town of Mortsel. Their target was the Erla factory one kilometer from the residential area hit.
1944 – World War II: Two hundred seventy inhabitants of the Greek town of Kleisoura are executed by the Germans.
1945 – Cold War: Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito signs an agreement with the Soviet Union to allow “temporary entry of Soviet troops into Yugoslav territory”.
1946 – Soviet troops end their year-long occupation of the Danish island of Bornholm.
1946 – A Fleet Air Arm Vickers Wellington crashes into a residential area in Rabat, Malta during a training exercise, killing all 4 crew members and 16 civilians on the ground.
1949 – A fire in a hospital in Effingham, Illinois, kills 77 people and leads to nationwide fire code improvements in the United States.
1951 – Cold War: Ethel and Julius Rosenberg are sentenced to death for spying for the Soviet Union.
1956 – Cuban Revolution: Fidel Castro declares himself at war with Cuban President Fulgencio Batista.
1956 – In Sri Lanka, the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna win the general elections in a landslide and S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike is sworn in as the Prime Minister of Ceylon.
1957 – In India, Communists win the first elections in united Kerala and E. M. S. Namboodiripad is sworn in as the first Chief Minister.
1958 – Ripple Rock, an underwater threat to navigation in the Seymour Narrows in Canada is destroyed in one of the largest non-nuclear controlled explosions of the time.
1969 – Vietnam War: Massive antiwar demonstrations occur in many U.S. cities.
1971 – In Sri Lanka, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna launches a revolt against the United Front government of Sirimavo Bandaranaike.
1976 – In China, the April Fifth Movement leads to the Tiananmen Incident.
1977 – The US Supreme Court rules that congressional legislation that diminished the size of the Sioux people’s reservation thereby destroyed the tribe’s jurisdictional authority over the area in Rosebud Sioux Tribe v. Kneip.
1986 – Three people are killed in the bombing of the La Belle discotheque in West Berlin, Germany.
1991 – An ASA EMB 120 crashes in Brunswick, Georgia, killing all 23 aboard including Sen. John Tower and astronaut Sonny Carter.
1992 – Alberto Fujimori, president of Peru, dissolves the Peruvian congress by military force.
1992 – Peace protesters Suada Dilberovic and Olga Sučić are killed on the Vrbanja Bridge in Sarajevo, becoming the first casualties of the Bosnian War.
1998 – In Japan, the Akashi Kaikyō Bridge opens to traffic, becoming the longest bridge span in the world.
1999 – Two Libyans suspected of bringing down Pan Am Flight 103 in 1988 are handed over for eventual trial in the Netherlands.
2000 – UEFA Cup semi-final violence: Four Galatasaray fans are arrested for the stabbings to death of two Leeds United fans.
2009 – North Korea launches its controversial Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2 rocket. The satellite passed over mainland Japan, which prompted an immediate reaction from the United Nations Security Council, as well as participating states of Six-party talks.
2010 – Twenty-nine coal miners are killed in an explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine in West Virginia.

Births on April 5

1170 – Isabella of Hainault (d. 1190)
1219 – Wonjong of Goryeo, 24th ruler of Goryeo (d. 1274)
1279 – Al-Nuwayri, Egyptian Muslim historian (d. 1333)
1288 – Emperor Go-Fushimi of Japan (d. 1336)
1315 – James III of Majorca (d. 1349)
1365 – William II, Duke of Bavaria (d. 1417)
1472 – Bianca Maria Sforza, Italian wife of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1510)
1521 – Francesco Laparelli, Italian architect (d. 1570)
1523 – Blaise de Vigenère, French cryptographer and diplomat (d. 1596)
1533 – Giulio della Rovere, Italian Catholic Cardinal (d. 1578)
1539 – George Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach (d. 1603)
1549 – Princess Elizabeth of Sweden, (d. 1597)
1568 – Pope Urban VIII (d. 1644)
1588 – Thomas Hobbes, English philosopher (d. 1679)
1591 – Frederick Ulrich, Duke of Brunswick-Luneburg (d. 1634)
1595 – John Wilson, English composer and educator (d. 1674)
1604 – Charles IV (d. 1675)
1616 – Frederick, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken (d. 1661)
1622 – Vincenzo Viviani, Italian mathematician, astronomer, and physicist (d. 1703)
1649 – Elihu Yale, American-English merchant and philanthropist (d. 1721)
1656 – Nikita Demidov, Russian industrialist (d. 1725)
1664 – Élisabeth Thérèse de Lorraine, French noblewoman and Princess of Epinoy (d. 1748)
1674 – Margravine Elisabeth Sophie of Brandenburg, (d. 1748)
1691 – Louis VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt (d. 1768)
1692 – Adrienne Lecouvreur, French actress (d. 1730)
1719 – Axel von Fersen the Elder, Swedish field marshal and politician, Lord Marshal of Sweden (d. 1794)
1726 – Benjamin Harrison V, American politician, planter and merchant (d. 1791)
1727 – Pasquale Anfossi, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1797)
1729 – Frederick Charles Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (d. 1809)
1730 – Jean Baptiste Seroux d’Agincourt, French archaeologist and historian (d. 1814)
1732 – Jean-Honoré Fragonard, French painter and etcher (d. 1806)
1735 – Franziskus Herzan von Harras, Czech Roman Catholic cardinal (d. 1804)
1739 – Philemon Dickinson, American lawyer and politician (d. 1809)
1752 – Sébastien Érard, French instrument maker (d. 1831)
1761 – Sybil Ludington, American heroine of the American Revolutionary War (d. 1839)
1769 – Sir Thomas Hardy, 1st Baronet, English admiral (d. 1839)
1773 – José María Coppinger, governor of Spanish East Florida (d. 1844)
1773 – Duchess Therese of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, (d. 1839)
1777 – Marie Jules César Savigny, French zoologist (d. 1851)
1782 – Wincenty Krasiński, Polish nobleman (d. 1858)
1784 – Louis Spohr, German violinist, composer, and conductor (d. 1859)
1788 – Franz Pforr, German painter (d. 1812)
1793 – Casimir Delavigne, French poet and dramatist (d. 1843)
1793 – Felix de Muelenaere, Belgian politician (d. 1862)
1795 – Henry Havelock, British general (d. 1857)
1799 – Jacques Denys Choisy, Swiss clergyman and botanist (d. 1859)
1801 – Félix Dujardin, French biologist (d. 1860)
1801 – Vincenzo Gioberti, Italian philosopher, publicist and politician (d. 1852)
1804 – Matthias Jakob Schleiden, German botanist (d. 1881)
1809 – Karl Felix Halm, German scholar and critic (d. 1882)
1810 – Sir Henry Rawlinson, British East India Company army officer and politician (d. 1895)
1811 – Jules Dupré, French painter (d. 1889)
1814 – Felix Lichnowsky, Czech soldier and politician (d. 1848)
1822 – Émile Louis Victor de Laveleye, Belgian economist (d. 1892)
1827 – Joseph Lister, English surgeon and academic (d. 1912)
1832 – Jules Ferry, French lawyer and politician, 44th Prime Minister of France (d. 1893)
1834 – Prentice Mulford, American humorist and author (d. 1891)
1834 – Wilhelm Olbers Focke, German medical doctor and botanist (d. 1922)
1834 – Frank R. Stockton, American writer and humorist (d. 1902)
1835 – Vítězslav Hálek, Czech poet, writer, journalist, dramatist and theatre critic. (d. 1874)
1837 – Algernon Charles Swinburne, English poet, playwright, novelist, and critic (d. 1909)
1839 – Robert Smalls, African-American ship’s pilot, sea captain, and politician (d. 1915)
1840 – Ghazaros Aghayan, Armenian historian and linguist (d. 1911)
1842 – Hans Hildebrand, Swedish archaeologist (d. 1913)
1845 – Friedrich Sigmund Merkel, German anatomist and histopathologist (d. 1919)
1845 – Jules Cambon, French diplomat (d. 1935)
1846 – Sigmund Exner, Austrian physiologist (d. 1926)
1846 – Henry Wellesley, British peer and politician (d. 1900)
1848 – Thure de Thulstrup, American illustrator (d. 1930)
1848 – Ulrich Wille, Swiss army general (d. 1925)
1850 – Enrico Mazzanti, Italian engineer and cartoonist (d. 1910)
1852 – Émile Billard, French sailor (d. 1930)
1852 – Walter W. Winans, American marksman and sculptor (d. 1920)
1852 – Franz Eckert, German composer and musician (d. 1916)
1856 – Booker T. Washington, African-American educator, essayist and historian (d. 1915)
1857 – Alexander of Battenberg (d. 1893)
1858 – Washington Atlee Burpee, Canadian businessman, founded Burpee Seeds (d. 1915)
1859 – Reinhold Seeberg, German theologian (d. 1935)
1860 – Harry S. Barlow, British tennis player (d. 1917)
1862 – Louis Ganne, French conductor (d. 1923)
1862 – Leo Stern, English cellist (d. 1904)
1863 – Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine (d. 1950)
1867 – Ernest Lewis, British tennis player (d. 1930)
1869 – Sergey Chaplygin, Russian physicist, mathematician, and engineer (d. 1942)
1869 – Albert Roussel, French composer (d. 1937)
1870 – Motobu Chōki, Japanese karateka (d. 1944)
1871 – Stanisław Grabski, Polish economist and politician (d. 1949)
1872 – Samuel Cate Prescott, American microbiologist and chemist (d. 1962)
1873 – Joseph Rheden, Austrian astronomer (d. 1946)
1874 – Emmanuel Célestin Suhard, French Cardinal of the Catholic Church (d. 1949)
1874 – Manuel María Ponce Brousset, President of Peru (d. 1966)
1878 – Albert Champion, French cyclist (d. 1927)
1878 – Georg Misch, German philosopher (d. 1965)
1878 – Paul Weinstein, German high jumper (d. 1964)
1879 – Arthur Berriedale Keith, Scottish lawyer (d. 1944)
1879 – Nikolaus zu Dohna-Schlodien, German naval officer and author (d. 1956)
1880 – Eric Carlberg, Swedish Army officer, diplomat, shooter, fencer and modern pentathlete (d. 1963)
1880 – Vilhelm Carlberg, Swedish Army officer and shooter (d. 1970)
1882 – Song Jiaoren, Chinese revolutionary (d. 1913)
1882 – Natalia Sedova, 2nd wife of Leon Trotsky (d. 1962)
1883 – Walter Huston, Canadian-American actor and singer (d. 1950)
1884 – Ion Inculeț, Bessarabian academic and politician, President of Moldova (d. 1940)
1885 – Dimitrie Cuclin, Romanian composer (d. 1978)
1886 – Gotthelf Bergsträsser, German linguist (d. 1933)
1886 – Frederick Lindemann, British physicist (d. 1957)
1886 – Gustavo Jiménez, Peruvian colonel and politician, 73rd President of Peru (d. 1933)
1887 – William Cowhig, British gymnast (d. 1964)
1889 – Vicente Ferreira Pastinha, Brazilian martial artist (d. 1981)
1890 – Karl Kirk, Danish gymnast (d. 1955)
1890 – William Moore, British track and field athlete (d. 1956)
1891 – Arnold Jackson, English runner, soldier, and lawyer (d. 1972)
1891 – Laura Vicuña, Chilean nun (d. 1904)
1892 – Raymond Bonney, American ice hockey player (d. 1964)
1893 – Frithjof Andersen, Norwegian wrestler (d. 1975)
1893 – Clas Thunberg, Finnish speed skater (d. 1973)
1894 – Lawrence Dale Bell, American industrialist and founder of Bell Aircraft Corporation (d. 1956)
1894 – Hans Hüttig, German SS officer (d. 1980)
1894 – Carl Rudolf Florin, Swedish botanist (d. 1965)
1895 – Mike O’Dowd, American boxer (d. 1957)
1896 – Einar Lundborg, Swedish aviator (d. 1931)
1897 – Hans Schuberth, German politician (d. 1976)
1899 – Alfred Blalock, American surgeon and academic (d. 1964)
1900 – Herbert Bayer, Austrian-American graphic designer, painter, and photographer (d. 1985)
1900 – Roman Steinberg, Estonian wrestler (d. 1928)
1900 – Spencer Tracy, American actor (d. 1967)
1901 – Curt Bois, German actor (d. 1991)
1901 – Chester Bowles, American diplomat and ambassador (d. 1986)
1901 – Melvyn Douglas, American actor (d. 1981)
1901 – Doggie Julian, American football, basketball, and baseball player and coach (d. 1967)
1902 – Menachem Mendel Schneerson, Russian-American rabbi (d. 1994)
1903 – Marion Aye, American actress (d. 1951)
1904 – Richard Eberhart, American poet and academic (d. 2005)
1906 – Albert Charles Smith, American botanist (d. 1999)
1906 – Fernando Germani, Italian organist (d. 1998)
1906 – Ted Morgan, New Zealand boxer (d. 1952)
1907 – Sanya Dharmasakti, Thai jurist (d. 2002)
1908 – Bette Davis, American actress (d. 1989)
1908 – Kurt Neumann, German director (d. 1958)
1908 – Jagjivan Ram, Indian politician, 4th Deputy Prime Minister of India (d. 1986)
1908 – Herbert von Karajan, Austrian conductor and manager (d. 1989)
1909 – Albert R. Broccoli, American film producer, co-founded Eon Productions (d. 1996)
1909 – Giacomo Gentilomo, Italian film director and painter (d. 2001)
1909 – Károly Sós, Hungarian footballer and manager (d. 1991)
1909 – Erwin Wegner, German hurdler (d. 1945)
1910 – Sven Andersson, Swedish politician (d. 1987)
1910 – Oronzo Pugliese, Italian football manager (d. 1990)
1911 – Hedi Amara Nouira, Tunisian politician (d. 1993)
1911 – Johnny Revolta, American golfer (d. 1991)
1912 – Jehan Buhan, French fencer (d. 1999)
1912 – Habib Elghanian, Iranian businessman (d. 1979)
1912 – Antonio Ferri, Italian scientist (d. 1975)
1912 – Carlos Guastavino, Argentine composer (d. 2000)
1912 – Makar Honcharenko, Ukrainian footballer and manager (d. 1997)
1912 – John Le Mesurier, English actor (d. 1983)
1912 – István Örkény, Hungarian author and playwright (d. 1979)
1912 – Bill Roberts, English sprinter and soldier (d. 2001)
1913 – Antoni Clavé, Catalan artist (d. 2005)
1913 – Nicolas Grunitzky, 2nd President of Togo (d. 1969)
1913 – Ruth Smith, Faroese artist (d. 1958)
1914 – Felice Borel, Italian footballer (d. 1993)
1916 – Gregory Peck, American actor, political activist, and producer (d. 2003)
1917 – Robert Bloch, American author (d. 1994)
1917 – Frans Gommers, Belgian footballer (d. 1996)
1919 – Lester James Peries, Sri Lankan director, screenwriter, and producer (d. 2018)
1920 – Barend Biesheuvel, Dutch politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (d. 2001)
1920 – Arthur Hailey, English-Canadian soldier and author (d. 2004)
1920 – Alfonso Thiele, Turkish-Italian race car driver (d. 1986)
1920 – John Willem Gran, Swedish bishop (d. 2008)
1921 – Christopher Hewett, English actor and theatre director (d. 2001)
1922 – Tom Finney, English footballer (d. 2014)
1922 – Harry Freedman, Polish-Canadian horn player, composer, and educator (d. 2005)
1922 – Andy Linden, American race car driver (d. 1987)
1922 – Gale Storm, American actress and singer (d. 2009)
1923 – Ernest Mandel, German-born Belgian Marxist economist, Trotskyist activist and theorist (d. 1995)
1923 – Michael V. Gazzo, American actor (d. 1995)
1923 – Nguyễn Văn Thiệu, Vietnamese general and politician, 5th President of South Vietnam (d. 2001)
1924 – Igor Borisov, Soviet rower (d. before 2005)
1925 – Janet Rowley, American human geneticist (d. 2013)
1925 – Pierre Nihant, Belgian cyclist (d. 1993)
1926 – Roger Corman, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
1926 – Liang Yusheng, Chinese writer (d. 2009)
1927 – Thanin Kraivichien, Thai lawyer and politician
1927 – Arne Hoel, Norwegian ski jumper (d. 2006)
1928 – Enzo Cannavale, Italian actor (d. 2011)
1928 – Tony Williams, American singer (d. 1992)
1929 – Hugo Claus, Belgian author, poet, and painter (d. 2008)
1929 – Ivar Giaever, Norwegian-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
1929 – Nigel Hawthorne, English actor and producer (d. 2001)
1929 – Joe Meek, English songwriter and producer (d. 1967)
1929 – Mahmoud Mollaghasemi, Iranian wrestler
1930 – Mary Costa, American singer and actress
1930 – Pierre Lhomme, French director of photography (d. 2019)
1931 – Jack Clement, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2013)
1931 – Héctor Olivera, Argentine director, producer and screenwriter
1933 – Feridun Buğeker, Turkish footballer (d. 2014)
1933 – Frank Gorshin, American actor (d. 2005)
1933 – Barbara Holland, American author (d. 2010)
1933 – K. Kailasapathy, Sri Lankan journalist and academic (d. 1982)
1934 – John Carey, English author and critic
1934 – Roman Herzog, German lawyer and politician, 7th President of Germany (d. 2017)
1934 – Moise Safra, Brazilian businessman and philanthropist, co-founded Banco Safra (d. 2014)
1934 – Stanley Turrentine, American saxophonist and composer (d. 2000)
1935 – Giovanni Cianfriglia, Italian actor
1935 – Peter Grant, English talent manager (d. 1995)
1935 – Donald Lynden-Bell, English astrophysicist and astronomer (d. 2018)
1935 – Frank Schepke, German rower (d. 2017)
1936 – Ronnie Bucknum, American race car driver (d. 1992)
1936 – Glenn Jordan, American director and producer
1936 – Dragoljub Minić, Yugoslavian chess Grandmaster (d. 2005)
1937 – Joseph Lelyveld, American journalist and author
1937 – Jean-Pierre Petit, French scientist
1937 – Colin Powell, American general and politician, 65th United States Secretary of State
1937 – Andrzej Schinzel, Polish mathematician
1937 – Arie Selinger, Israeli volleyball player and manager
1937 – Juan Vicente Lezcano, Paraguayan footballer (d. 2012)
1938 – Colin Bland, Zimbabwean-South African cricketer (d. 2018)
1938 – Mal Colston, Australian educator and politician (d. 2003)
1938 – Nancy Holt, American sculptor and painter (d. 2014)
1938 – Natalya Kustinskaya, Soviet actress (d. 2012)
1939 – Leka I, Crown Prince of Albania (d. 2011)
1939 – Crispian St. Peters, English singer-songwriter (d. 2010)
1939 – Haidar Abu Bakr al-Attas, Prime Minister of Yemen
1939 – Ronald White, American singer-songwriter (d. 1995)
1939 – David Winters, English-American actor, choreographer and producer (d. 2019)
1940 – Tommy Cash, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1940 – Gilles Proulx, Canadian journalist, historian, and radio host
1941 – Michael Moriarty, American-Canadian actor
1941 – Dave Swarbrick, English singer-songwriter and fiddler (d. 2016)
1942 – Allan Clarke, English singer-songwriter
1942 – Pascal Couchepin, Swiss politician
1942 – Juan Gisbert Sr., Spanish tennis player
1942 – Peter Greenaway, Welsh director and screenwriter
1943 – Dean Brown, Australian politician, 41st Premier of South Australia
1943 – Max Gail, American actor and director
1943 – Fighting Harada, Japanese boxer
1943 – Miet Smet, Belgian politician
1943 – Jean-Louis Tauran, French cardinal (d. 2018)
1944 – Willeke van Ammelrooy, Dutch actress and director
1944 – János Martonyi, Hungarian politician
1944 – Evan Parker, British musician
1944 – Douangchay Phichit, Laotian politician (d. 2014)
1944 – Willy Planckaert, Belgian cyclist
1944 – Pedro Rosselló, Puerto Rican physician and politician, 7th Governor of Puerto Rico
1944 – Peter T. King, American soldier, lawyer, and politician
1945 – Ove Bengtson, Swedish tennis player
1945 – Steve Carver, American director and producer
1945 – Cem Karaca, Turkish musician (d. 2004)
1945 – Tommy Smith, English footballer (d. 2019)
1946 – Jane Asher, English actress
1946 – Julio Ángel Fernández, Uruguayan astronomer
1946 – Björn Granath, Swedish actor (d. 2017)
1946 – Georgi Markov, Bulgarian Greco-Roman wrestler
1947 – Đurđica Bjedov, Yugoslav swimmer
1947 – Willy Chirino, Cuban-American musician
1947 – Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Filipino academic and politician, 14th President of the Philippines
1947 – Ramón Mifflin, Peruvian footballer
1947 – Virendra Sharma, Indian-English lawyer and politician
1948 – Pierre-Albert Chapuisat, Swiss footballer
1948 – Dave Holland, English drummer (d. 2018)
1948 – Roy McFarland, English footballer and manager
1949 – Stanley Dziedzic, American wrestler
1949 – Larry Franco, American film producer
1949 – Judith Resnik, Ukrainian-American engineer and astronaut (d. 1986)
1950 – Ann C. Crispin, American writer (d. 2013)
1950 – Franklin Chang Díaz, Costa Rican-Chinese American astronaut and physicist
1950 – Agnetha Fältskog, Swedish singer-songwriter and producer
1950 – Toshiko Fujita, Japanese actress, singer and narrator (d. 2018)
1950 – Miki Manojlović, Serbian actor
1951 – Les Binks, Irish drummer and songwriter
1951 – Yevgeniy Gavrilenko, Belarusian hurdler
1951 – Nedim Gürsel, Turkish writer
1951 – Dean Kamen, American inventor and businessman, founded Segway Inc.
1951 – Dave McArtney, New Zealand singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2013)
1951 – Ubol Ratana, Thai Princess
1952 – Alfie Conn, Scottish international footballer, midfielder
1952 – John C. Dvorak, American author and editor
1952 – Sandy Mayer, American tennis player
1952 – Dennis Mortimer, English footballer
1952 – Mitch Pileggi, American actor
1953 – Frank Gaffney, American journalist and radio host
1953 – Keiko Han, Japanese actress
1953 – Tae Jin-ah, South Korean singer
1953 – Raleb Majadele, Israeli politician
1953 – Ian Swales, English accountant and politician
1954 – Guy Bertrand, Canadian linguist and radio host
1954 – Peter Case, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1954 – Mohamed Ben Mouza, Tunisian footballer
1954 – Stan Ridgway, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1954 – Yoshiichi Watanabe, Japanese footballer
1955 – Charlotte de Turckheim, French actress, producer, and screenwriter
1955 – Ricardo Ferrero, Argentine footballer (d. 2015)
1955 – Christian Gourcuff, French footballer and manager
1955 – Anthony Horowitz, English author and screenwriter
1955 – Bernard Longley, English prelate
1955 – Akira Toriyama, Japanese illustrator
1955 – Takayoshi Yamano, Japanese footballer
1956 – Diamond Dallas Page, American wrestler and actor
1956 – Leonid Fedun, Russian businessman
1956 – Reid Ribble, American politician
1957 – Sebastian Adayanthrath, Indian bishop
1957 – Karin Roßley, German hurdler
1958 – Henrik Dettmann, Finnish basketball coach
1958 – Ryoichi Kawakatsu, Japanese footballer
1958 – Johan Kriek, South African-American tennis player
1958 – Daniel Schneidermann, French journalist
1958 – Lasantha Wickrematunge, Sri Lankan lawyer and journalist (d. 2009)
1959 – Paul Chung, Hong Kong actor and host (d. 1989)
1960 – Asteris Koutoulas, Romanian-German record producer, manager, and author
1960 – Larry McCray, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1960 – Ian Redford, Scottish footballer and manager (d. 2014)
1960 – Hiromi Taniguchi, Japanese long-distance runner
1960 – Adnan Terzić, Bosnian politician
1961 – Andrea Arnold, English filmmaker and actress
1961 – Anna Caterina Antonacci, Italian soprano
1961 – Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, Bahraini-Danish human rights activist
1961 – Lisa Zane, American actress and singer
1962 – Lana Clarkson, American actress and model (d. 2003)
1962 – Sara Danius, Swedish scholar of literature and aesthetics
1962 – Richard Gough, Swedish born Scottish international footballer
1962 – Arild Monsen, Norwegian cross-country skier
1962 – Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, Russian businessman and politician, 1st President of Kalmykia
1963 – Arthur Adams, American comic book artist and writer
1964 – Neil Eckersley, British judoka
1964 – Vakhtang Iagorashvili, Soviet modern pentathlete
1964 – Levon Julfalakyan, Soviet Armenian Greco-Roman wrestler
1964 – Marius Lăcătuș, Romanian footballer and coach
1965 – Aykut Kocaman, Turkish footballer and manager
1965 – Lang Tzu-yun, Taiwanese actress
1965 – Elizabeth McIntyre, American freestyle skier
1965 – Svetlana Paramygina, Belarusian biathlete
1966 – Yoon Hyun, South Korean judoka
1966 – Mike McCready, American guitarist and songwriter
1967 – Troy Gentry, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2017)
1967 – Franck Silvestre, French footballer
1967 – Erland Johnsen, Norwegian footballer
1967 – Laima Zilporytė, Soviet cyclist
1968 – Paula Cole, American singer-songwriter and pianist
1969 – Dinos Angelidis, Greek basketball player
1969 – Viatcheslav Djavanian, Russian cyclist
1969 – Pontus Kåmark, Swedish footballer
1969 – Pavlo Khnykin, Ukrainian swimmer
1969 – Tomislav Piplica, Bosnian footballer and manager
1969 – Ravindra Prabhat, Indian writer and journalist
1970 – Soheil Ayari, French race car driver
1970 – Valérie Bonneton, French actress
1970 – Diamond D, American hip hop producer
1970 – Petar Genov, Bulgarian chess grandmaster
1970 – Thea Gill, Canadian actress
1970 – Miho Hatori, Japanese singer-songwriter
1970 – Irina Timofeyeva, Russian long-distance runner
1971 – Dong Abay, Filipino singer-songwriter and guitarist
1971 – Austin Berry, Costa Rican footballer
1971 – Simona Cavallari, Italian actress
1971 – Victoria Hamilton, English actress
1971 – Nelson Parraguez, Chilean footballer
1971 – Kim Soo-nyung, South Korean archer
1972 – Krista Allen, American actress
1972 – Nima Arkani-Hamed, American-Canadian theoretical physicist
1972 – Tom Coronel, Dutch race car driver
1972 – Paul Okon, Australian footballer and manager
1972 – Yasuhiro Takemoto, Japanese animator and director (d. 2019)
1972 – Junko Takeuchi, Japanese actress
1973 – Élodie Bouchez, French-American actress
1973 – Lidia Trettel, Italian snowboarder
1973 – Pharrell Williams, American singer, songwriter and rapper
1974 – Sandra Bagarić, Croatian opera singer and actress
1974 – Julien Boutter, French tennis player
1974 – Katja Holanti, Finnish biathlete
1974 – Oleg Khodkov, Russian handball player
1974 – Ariel López, Argentine footballer
1974 – Lukas Ridgeston, Slovak actor and director
1974 – Vyacheslav Voronin, Russian high jumper
1975 – Sarah Baldock, English organist and conductor
1975 – John Hartson, Welsh footballer and coach
1975 – Juicy J, American rapper and producer
1975 – Serhiy Klymentiev, Ukrainian ice hockey player
1975 – Caitlin Moran, English journalist, author, and critic
1975 – Marcos Vales, Spanish footballer
1975 – Shammond Williams, American basketball player and coach
1976 – Luis de Agustini, Uruguayan footballer
1976 – Péter Biros, Hungarian water polo player
1976 – Sterling K. Brown, American actor
1976 – Aleksei Budõlin, Estonian judoka
1976 – Simone Inzaghi, Italian footballer
1976 – Fernando Morientes, Spanish footballer and coach
1976 – Natascha Ragosina, Russian boxer
1976 – Henrik Stenson, Swedish golfer
1976 – Valeria Straneo, Italian long-distance runner
1976 – Indrek Tobreluts, Estonian biathlete
1976 – Anouska van der Zee, Dutch cyclist
1977 – Jonathan Erlich, Israeli tennis player
1977 – Trevor Letowski, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
1977 – Daniel Majstorović, Swedish footballer
1978 – Dwain Chambers, British track sprinter
1978 – Marcone Amaral Costa, Qatari footballer
1978 – Tarek El-Said, Egyptian footballer
1978 – Jairo Patiño, Colombian footballer
1978 – Sohyang, South Korean singer
1978 – Stephen Jackson, American basketball player
1978 – Arnaud Tournant, French cyclist
1978 – Franziska van Almsick, German swimmer
1978 – Günther Weidlinger, Austrian long-distance runner
1979 – Vlada Avramov, Serbian footballer
1979 – Josh Boone, American screenwriter and director
1979 – Song Dae-nam, South Korean judoka
1979 – Timo Hildebrand, German footballer
1979 – Imany, French singer
1979 – Barel Mouko, Congolese footballer
1979 – Cesare Natali, Italian footballer
1979 – Mitsuo Ogasawara, Japanese footballer
1979 – Alexander Resch, German luger
1979 – Andrius Velička, Lithuanian footballer
1979 – Dante Wesley, American football player
1979 – Chen Yanqing, Chinese weightlifter
1980 – Matt Bonner, American basketball player
1980 – Alberta Brianti, Italian tennis player
1980 – Rafael Cavalcante, Brazilian mixed martial artist
1980 – David Chocarro, Argentinian baseball player and actor
1980 – Mike Glumac, Canadian ice hockey player
1980 – Mario Kasun, Croatian basketball player
1980 – Lee Jae-won, South Korean DJ and singer
1980 – Joris Mathijsen, Dutch footballer
1980 – Rasmus Quist Hansen, Danish rower
1980 – Odlanier Solís, Cuban boxer
1981 – Matthew Emmons, American rifle shooter
1981 – Michael A. Monsoor, American sailor, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 2006)
1981 – Mariqueen Maandig, Filipino-American musician and singer-songwriter
1981 – Daba Modibo Keïta, Malian taekwondo athlete
1981 – Marissa Nadler, American musician
1981 – Tom Riley, English actor and producer
1981 – Mompati Thuma, Botswana footballer
1981 – Pieter Weening, Dutch cyclist
1982 – Hayley Atwell, English-American actress
1982 – Matheus Coradini Vivian, Brazilian footballer
1982 – Thomas Hitzlsperger, German footballer
1982 – Kelly Pavlik, American boxer
1982 – Matt Pickens, American soccer player
1982 – Alexandre Prémat, French race car driver
1982 – Danylo Sapunov, Ukrainian-Kazakhstani triathlete
1982 – Hubert Schwab, Swiss cyclist
1982 – Marcel Seip, Dutch former footballer
1983 – Jaime Castrillón, Colombian footballer
1983 – Jorge Andrés Martínez, Uruguayan footballer
1983 – Brock Radunske, Canadian-South Korean ice hockey player
1983 – Yohann Sangaré, French basketball player
1983 – Cécile Storti, French cross-country skier
1983 – Shikha Uberoi, Indian-American tennis player
1984 – Marshall Allman, American actor
1984 – Aram Mp3, Armenian singer and comedian
1984 – Rune Brattsveen, Norwegian biathlete
1984 – Alexei Glukhov, Russian ice hockey player
1984 – Maartje Goderie, Dutch field hockey player
1984 – Darija Jurak, Croatian tennis player
1984 – Dejan Kelhar, Slovenian footballer
1984 – Dmitry Kozonchuk, Russian cyclist
1984 – Shin Min-a, South Korean actress
1984 – Jess Sum, Hong Kong actress
1984 – Peter Penz, Austrian luger
1984 – Samuele Preisig, Swiss footballer
1984 – Cristian Săpunaru, Romanian footballer
1984 – Fabio Vitaioli, San Marinese footballer
1984 – Kisho Yano, Japanese footballer
1984 – Saba Qamar, Pakistani actress-model
1985 – Daniel Congré, French footballer
1985 – Erwin l’Ami, Dutch chess player
1985 – Jolanda Keizer, Dutch heptathlete
1985 – Sergey Khachatryan, Armenian violinist
1985 – Linas Pilibaitis, Lithuanian footballer
1985 – Jan Smeets, Dutch chess grandmaster
1985 – Kristof Vandewalle, Belgian cyclist
1986 – Anna Sophia Berglund, American model and actress
1986 – Anzor Boltukayev, Chechen wrestler
1986 – Diego Chará, Colombian footballer
1986 – Charlotte Flair, American wrestler, author and actress
1986 – Róbert Kasza, Hungarian Modern pentathlete
1986 – Eetu Muinonen, Finnish footballer
1986 – Manuel Ruz, Spanish footballer
1986 – Albert Selimov, Azerbaijani boxer
1987 – Max Grün, German footballer
1987 – Balázs Hárai, Hungarian water polo player
1987 – Anton Kokorin, Russian sprint athlete
1987 – Fyodor Kudryashov, Russian footballer
1987 – Etiënne Reijnen, Dutch footballer
1988 – Gerson Acevedo, Chilean footballer
1988 – Teresa Almeida, Angolan handball player
1988 – Quade Cooper, New Zealand rugby player and boxer
1988 – Jonathan Davies, Welsh rugby union player
1988 – Gevorg Ghazaryan, Armenian footballer
1988 – Alisha Glass, American ex-indoor volleyball player
1988 – Vurğun Hüseynov, Azerbaijani footballer
1988 – Matthias Jaissle, German footballer and manager
1988 – Jon Kwang-ik, North Korean footballer
1988 – Christopher Papamichalopoulos, Cypriot skier
1988 – Zack Smith, Canadian ice hockey player
1988 – Pape Sy, French basketball player
1988 – Alexey Volkov, Russian biathlete
1989 – Kader Amadou, Nigerien footballer
1989 – Yémi Apithy, Beninese fencer
1989 – Liemarvin Bonevacia, Dutch sprinter
1989 – Freddie Fox, English actor
1989 – Emre Güral, Turkish footballer
1989 – Justin Holiday, American basketball player
1989 – Rachel Homan, Canadian curler
1989 – Lily James, English actress
1989 – Trevor Marsicano, American speed skater
1989 – Jonathan Rossini, Swiss footballer
1989 – Kiki Sukezane, Japanese actress
1989 – Sosuke Takatani, Japanese wrestler
1990 – Alex Cuthbert, Welsh rugby player
1990 – Amer Said Al-Shatri, Omani footballer
1990 – Fredy Hinestroza, Colombian footballer
1990 – Chen Huijia, Chinese swimmer
1990 – Haruma Miura, Japanese actor and singer
1990 – Ismaeel Mohammad, Qatari footballer
1990 – Iryna Pamialova, Belarusian canoeist
1990 – Jakub Sedláček, Czech ice hockey player
1990 – Sercan Yıldırım, Turkish footballer
1990 – Género Zeefuik, Dutch footballer
1991 – Yassine Bounou, Moroccan footballer
1991 – Nathaniel Clyne, English footballer
1991 – Adriano Grimaldi, Italian-German footballer
1991 – Joël Mall, Swiss footballer
1991 – Guilherme dos Santos Torres, Brazilian footballer
1992 – Emmalyn Estrada, Canadian singer-songwriter and dancer
1992 – Shintaro Kurumaya, Japanese footballer
1992 – Kaveh Rezaei, Iranian footballer
1992 – Dmytro Ryzhuk, Ukrainian footballer
1993 – Andreas Bouchalakis, Greek footballer
1993 – Maya DiRado, American swimmer
1993 – Laura Feiersinger, Austrian footballer
1993 – Scottie Wilbekin, American-born naturalized Turkish basketball player
1994 – Mateusz Bieniek, Polish volleyball player
1994 – Edem Rjaïbi, Tunisian footballer
1994 – Richard Sánchez, Mexican footballer
1995 – Viliame Kikau, Fijian rugby league player
1995 – Sei Muroya, Japanese footballer
1995 – Gleb Rassadkin, Belarusian footballer
1995 – Sebastian Starke Hedlund, Swedish footballer
1996 – Nicolas Beer, Danish race car driver
1996 – Raouf Benguit, Algerian footballer
1997 – Borja Mayoral, Spanish footballer
1998 – Jeremy Olson
1999 – Andrea Buwalda
2000 – Ayush Mahesh Khedekar, Indian actor
2001 – Thylane Blondeau, French model and actress

Deaths on April 5

517 – Timothy I, Byzantine patriarch
582 – Eutychius, Byzantine patriarch
584 – Ruadán of Lorrha, Irish abbot
828 – Nikephoros I, Byzantine patriarch
902 – Al-Mu’tadid, Abbasid caliph
1168 – Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester, English politician (b. 1104)
1183 – Ramon Berenguer III, Spanish count of Cerdanya and Provence
1205 – Isabella I of Jerusalem, queen regent of Jerusalem (b. 1172)
1258 – Juliana of Liège, Belgian canoness and saint
1308 – Ivan Kőszegi, Hungarian baron and oligarch
1325 – Ralph de Monthermer, 1st Baron of Monthermer and Earl of Gloucester (b. c.1270)
1419 – Vincent Ferrer, Spanish missionary and saint (b. 1350)
1431 – Bernard I, margrave of Baden-Baden (b. 1364)
1512 – Lazzaro Bastiani, Italian painter (b. 1429)
1534 – Jan Matthys, Dutch anabaptist reformer
1594 – Catherine of Palma, Spanish nun (b. 1533)
1617 – Alonso Lobo, Spanish composer (b. 1555)
1626 – Anna Koltovskaya, Russian tsarina
1673 – François Caron, Belgian-French explorer and politician, 8th Governor of Formosa (b. 1600)
1674 – George Frederick, prince of Nassau-Siegen (b. 1606)
1679 – Anne Geneviève de Bourbon, French princess (b. 1619)
1684 – William Brouncker, English mathematician (b. 1620)
1684 – Karl Eusebius, prince of Liechtenstein (b. 1611)
1693 – Anne Marie Louise d’Orléans, French noblewoman (b. 1627)
1693 – Philip William August, German nobleman (b. 1668)
1695 – George Savile, English politician, Lord President of the Council (b. 1633)
1697 – Charles XI, king of Sweden (b. 1655)
1704 – Christian Ulrich I, German nobleman and Duke of Württemberg-Oels (b. 1652)
1708 – Christian Heinrich, German prince and member of the House of Hohenzollern (b. 1661)
1709 – Roger de Piles, French painter, engraver, art critic and diplomat (b. 1635)
1712 – Jan Luyken, Dutch poet, illustrator and engraver (b. 1649)
1717 – Jean Jouvenet, French painter (b. 1647)
1723 – Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach, Austrian architect, sculptor and historian (b. 1656)
1735 – William Derham, English minister and philosopher (b. 1657)
1751 – Frederick I, prince consort and king of Sweden (b. 1676)
1765 – Edward Young, English poet and author (b. 1683)
1767 – Princess Charlotte Wilhelmine of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, German princess of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (b. 1685)
1768 – Egidio Forcellini, Italian philologist (b. 1688)
1769 – Marc-Antoine Laugier, Jesuit priest (b. 1713)
1794 – Georges Danton, French lawyer and politician, French Minister of Justice (b. 1759)
1794 – François Chabot, French politician (b. 1756)
1794 – Camille Desmoulins, French journalist, lawyer, and politician (b. 1760)
1794 – Fabre d’Églantine, French actor, dramatist, poet and politician (b. 1750)
1794 – Marie-Jean Hérault de Séchelles, French judge and politician (b. 1759)
1794 – Pierre Philippeaux, French lawyer (b. 1754)
1794 – François Joseph Westermann, French general (b. 1751)
1799 – Johann Christoph Gatterer, German historian (b. 1727)
1804 – Jean-Charles Pichegru, French general (b. 1761)
1808 – Johann Georg Wille, German engraver (b. 1715)
1830 – Richard Chenevix, Irish chemist and playwright (b. 1774)
1831 – Pierre Léonard Vander Linden, Belgian entomologist (b. 1797)
1842 – Shah Shujah Durrani, 5th Emir of Afghanistan (b. 1785)
1852 – Prince Felix of Schwarzenberg, (b. 1800)
1861 – Ferdinand Joachimsthal, German mathematician (b. 1818)
1862 – Barend Cornelis Koekkoek, Dutch artist (b. 1803)
1865 – Manfredo Fanti, Italian general (b. 1806)
1866 – Thomas Hodgkin, British physician (b. 1798)
1868 – Karel Purkyně, Czech painter (b. 1834)
1871 – Paolo Savi, Italian geologist and ornithologist (b. 1798)
1872 – Paul-Auguste-Ernest Laugier, French astronomer (b. 1812)
1873 – Milivoje Blaznavac, Serbian soldier and politician (b. 1824)
1882 – Pierre Guillaume Frédéric le Play, (b. 1806)
1888 – Vsevolod Garshin, Russian author (b. 1855)
1891 – Johann Hermann Bauer, (b. 1861)
1900 – Joseph Bertrand, French mathematician, economist, and academic (b. 1822)
1900 – Osman Nuri Pasha, Ottoman field marshal and the hero of the Siege of Plevna in 1877 (b. 1832)
1901 – Angelo Messedaglia, Italian social scientist and statistician (b. 1820)
1902 – Hans Ernst August Buchner, German bacteriologist (b. 1850)
1904 – Ernst Leopold, 4th Prince of Leiningen (b. 1830)
1904 – Frances Power Cobbe, Irish writer (b. 1822)
1906 – Eastman Johnson, American painter (b. 1824)
1914 – Bernard Borggreve, German forestry scientist (b. 1836)
1916 – Maksim Kovalevsky, Russian sociologist (b. 1851)
1918 – George Tupou II, King of Tonga (b. 1874)
1918 – Paul Vidal de La Blache, French geographer (b. 1845)
1920 – Laurent Marqueste, French sculptor (b. 1848)
1921 – Alphons Diepenbrock, Dutch composer (b. 1862)
1921 – Sophie Elkan, Swedish-Jewish writer and translator (b. 1853)
1923 – George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon, English archaeologist and businessman (b. 1866)
1924 – Victor Hensen, German zoologist (b. 1835)
1928 – Roy Kilner, English cricketer and soldier (b. 1890)
1928 – Viktor Oliva, Czech painter and illustrator (b. 1861)
1929 – Francis Aidan Gasquet, English Benedictine monk (b. 1846)
1929 – Ludwig von Sybel, German archeologist (b. 1846)
1932 – María Blanchard, Spanish painter (b. 1881)
1933 – Earl Derr Biggers, American novelist and playwright (b. 1884)
1933 – Hjalmar Mellin, Finnish mathematician and functional theorist (b. 1854)
1934 – Salvatore Di Giacomo, Italian poet, playwright, songwriter and fascist intellectual (b. 1860)
1934 – Jiro Sato, Japanese tennis player (b. 1908)
1935 – Achille Locatelli, Roman Catholic cardinal (b. 1856)
1935 – Emil Młynarski, Polish conductor, violinist, composer, and pedagogue (b. 1870)
1935 – Franz von Vecsey, Hungarian violinist and composer (b. 1893)
1936 – Chandler Egan, American golfer and architect (b. 1884)
1937 – Gustav Adolf Deissmann, (b. 1866)
1937 – José Benlliure y Gil, Spanish painter (b. 1858)
1938 – Helena Westermarck, Finnish artist and writer (b. 1857)
1938 – Verner Lehtimäki, Finnish revolutionary (b. 1890)
1940 – Charles Freer Andrews, English-Indian priest, missionary, and educator (b. 1871)
1940 – Robert Maillart, Swiss civil engineer (b. 1872)
1940 – Jay O’Brien, American bobsledder (b. 1883)
1940 – Song Zheyuan, Chinese general (b. 1885)
1941 – Parvin E’tesami, Persian poet (b. 1907)
1941 – Nigel Gresley, Scottish-English engineer (b. 1876)
1941 – Franciszek Kleeberg, Polish general (b. 1888)
1945 – Heinrich Borgmann, German officer (b. 1912)
1945 – Karl-Otto Koch, German SS officer (b. 1897)
1946 – Vincent Youmans, American composer and producer (b. 1898)
1947 – Bernhard Pankok, German painter, artist and architect (b. 1872)
1947 – Elis Strömgren, Swedish-Danish astronomer (b. 1870)
1948 – Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, American socialite and philanthropist (b. 1874)
1949 – Erich Zeigner, Prime Minister of Saxony (b. 1886)
1950 – Hiroshi Yoshida, Japanese painter (b. 1876)
1952 – Agnes Morton, British tennis player (b.
1954 – Princess Märtha of Sweden, (b. 1901)
1954 – Claude Delvincourt, French pianist and composer (b. 1888)
1956 – William Titt, British gymnast (b. 1881)
1958 – Prince Ferdinand of Bavaria, (b. 1884)
1958 – Ásgrímur Jónsson, Icelandic painter (b. 1876)
1958 – Isidora Sekulić, Serbian writer (b. 1877)
1961 – Nikolai Kryukov, Russian composer (b. 1908)
1962 – Boo Kullberg, Swedish gymnast (b. 1889)
1963 – Jacobus Oud, Dutch architect (b. 1890)
1964 – James Chapin, American ornithologist (b. 1889)
1964 – Aloïse Corbaz, Swiss artist (b. 1886)
1964 – Douglas MacArthur, American general (b. 1880)
1965 – Pedro Sernagiotto, Italian-Brazilian footballer (b. 1908)
1965 – Sándor Szalay, Hungarian figure skater (b. 1893)
1967 – Mischa Elman, Ukrainian-American violinist (b. 1891)
1967 – Johan Falkberget, Norwegian author (b. 1879)
1967 – Hermann Joseph Muller, American geneticist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1890)
1967 – Herbert Johnston, British runner (b. 1902)
1968 – Félix Couchoro, Togolese writer (b. 1900)
1968 – Lajos Csordás, Hungarian footballer
1968 – Giuseppe Paris, Italian gymnast (b. 1895)
1969 – Alberto Bonucci, Italian actor and director (b. 1918)
1969 – Rómulo Gallegos, Venezuelan novelist and politician (b. 1917)
1969 – Ain-Ervin Mere, Estonian SS officer (b. 1903)
1970 – Louisa Bolus, South African botanist and taxonomist (b. 1877)
1970 – Alfred Sturtevant, American geneticist and academic (b. 1891)
1970 – Karl von Spreti, German diplomat (b. 1907)
1971 – José Cubiles, Spanish pianist and conductor (b. 1894)
1972 – Brian Donlevy, American actor and producer (b. 1901)
1973 – David Murray, British race car driver (b. 1909)
1973 – Isabel Jewell, American actress and singer (b. 1907)
1973 – Alla Tarasova, Russian ballerina (b. l898)
1974 – Bino Bini, Italian fencer (b. 1900)
1974 – A. Y. Jackson, Canadian painter (b. 1882)
1975 – Tell Berna, American middle and long-distance runner (b. 1891)
1975 – Victor Marijnen, Dutch politician (b. 1917)
1975 – Chiang Kai-shek, Chinese general and politician, 1st President of the Republic of China (b. 1887)
1975 – Harold Osborn, American track and fielder (b. 1899)
1976 – Howard Hughes, American pilot, engineer, and director (b. 1905)
1976 – Wilder Penfield, American-Canadian surgeon and academic (b. 1891)
1976 – Harry Wyld, British cyclist (b. 1900)
1977 – Carlos Prío Socarrás, President of Cuba, (b. 1903)
1977 – Yuri Zavadsky, Russian actor and director (b. 1894)
1981 – Émile Hanse, Belgian footballer (b. 1892)
1981 – Bob Hite, American singer-songwriter (b. 1945)
1981 – Pinchus Kremegne, French artist (b. 1890)
1982 – Abe Fortas, American lawyer and jurist (b. 1910)
1984 – Hans Lunding, Danish military officer (b. 1899)
1984 – Giuseppe Tucci, Italian scholar of oriental cultures (b. 1894)
1986 – Manly Wade Wellman, American writer (b. 1903)
1987 – Leabua Jonathan, 2nd Prime Minister of Lesotho (b. 1914)
1988 – Alf Kjellin, Swedish actor and director (b. 1920)
1989 – Frank Foss, American pole vaulter (b. 1895)
1989 – Karel Zeman, Czech director, artist, production designer and animator (b. 1910)
1991 – Sonny Carter, American soccer player, physician, and astronaut (b. 1947)
1991 – Jay Miller, American basketball player (b. 1943)
1991 – Jiří Mucha, Czech journalist, writer and screenwriter (b. 1915)
1991 – William Sidney, 1st Viscount De L’Isle (b. 1909)
1991 – John Tower, American soldier, academic, and politician (b. 1925)
1992 – Takeshi Inoue, Japanese footballer (b. 1928)
1992 – Molly Picon, American actress (b. 1898)
1992 – Sam Walton, American businessman, founded Walmart and Sam’s Club (b. 1918)
1993 – Divya Bharti, Indian actress (b. 1974)
1994 – Kurt Cobain, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1967)
1995 – Nicolaas Cortlever, Dutch chess player (b. 1915)
1995 – Emilio Greco, Italian sculptor and engraver (b. 1913)
1995 – Christian Pineau, French Resistance fighter (b. 1904)
1996 – Charlene Holt, American actress (b. 1928)
1997 – Allen Ginsberg, American poet (b. 1926)
1998 – Frederick Charles Frank, British theoretical physicist (b. 1911)
1998 – Cozy Powell, English drummer (b. 1947)
1999 – Giulio Einaudi, Italian book publisher (b. 1912)
2000 – Heinrich Müller, Austrian footballer (b. 1909)
2000 – Lee Petty, American race car driver (b. 1914)
2001 – Aldo Olivieri, Italian footballer (b. 1910)
2002 – Layne Staley, American singer-songwriter (b. 1967)
2002 – Kim Won-gyun, North Korean composer and politician (b. 1917)
2003 – Keizo Morishita, Japanese painter (b. 1944)
2004 – Fernand Goyvaerts, Belgian footballer (b. 1938)
2004 – Sławomir Rawicz, Polish lieutenant (b. 1915)
2004 – Heiner Zieschang, German mathematician and academic (b. 1936)
2005 – Saul Bellow, Canadian-American novelist, essayist and short story writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1915)
2005 – Robert Borg, American military officer and equestrian (b. 1913)
2005 – Chung Nam-sik, South Korean footballer (b. 1917)
2006 – Allan Kaprow, American painter and educator (b. 1927)
2006 – Gene Pitney, American singer-songwriter (b. 1941)
2006 – Yevgeny Seredin, Russian swimmer (b. 1958)
2006 – Pasquale Macchi, Roman Catholic archbishop (b. 1923)
2007 – Maria Gripe, Swedish journalist and author (b. 1923)
2007 – Leela Majumdar, Indian author and academic (b. 1908)
2007 – Werner Maser, German historian and journalist (b. 1922)
2007 – Mark St. John, American guitarist (b. 1956)
2007 – Thomas Stoltz Harvey, American pathologist (b. 1912)
2008 – Charlton Heston, American actor, director, and political activist (b. 1923)
2009 – I. J. Good, British mathematician (b. 1916)
2010 – Vitaly Sevastyanov, Soviet cosmonaut and engineer (b. 1935)
2011 – Baruch Samuel Blumberg, American physician and geneticist (b. 1925)
2011 – Ange-Félix Patassé, Central African politician (b. 1937)
2012 – Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, German designer (b. 1935)
2012 – Pedro Bartolomé Benoit, Dominican Republican politician military officer
2012 – Jim Marshall, English businessman, founded Marshall Amplification (b. 1923)
2012 – Barney McKenna, Irish musician (b. 1939)
2012 – Bingu wa Mutharika, Malawian economist and politician, 3rd President of Malawi (b. 1934)
2013 – Regina Bianchi, Italian actress (b. 1921)
2013 – Piero de Palma, Italian tenor and actor (b. 1924)
2014 – Alan Davie, Scottish saxophonist and painter (b. 1920)
2014 – Mariano Díaz, Spanish cyclist (b. 1939)
2014 – Peter Matthiessen, American novelist, short story writer, editor, co-founded The Paris Review (b. 1927)
2014 – John Pinette, American comedian (b. 1964)
2014 – José Wilker, Brazilian actor, director, and producer (b. 1947)
2015 – Fredric Brandt, American dermatologist and author (b. 1949)
2015 – Juan Carlos Cáceres, Argentinian singer and pianist (b. 1936)
2016 – Koço Kasapoğlu, Turkish footballer (b. 1936)
2017 – Attilio Benfatto, Italian cyclist (b. 1943)
2017 – Arthur Bisguier, American chess Grandmaster (b. 1929)
2017 – Paul G. Comba, Italian-American computer scientist and astronomer (b. 1926)
2017 – Makoto Ōoka, Japanese poet and literary critic (b. 1931)
2017 – Paul O’Neill, American rock composer and producer (b. 1956)
2017 – Tim Parnell, British race car driver (b. 1932)
2017 – Memè Perlini, Italian actor and director (b. 1947)
2017 – Atanase Sciotnic, Romanian sprint canoeist (b. 1942)
2017 – Ilkka Sinisalo, Finnish ice hockey player (b. 1958)
2018 – Isao Takahata, Japanese director (b. 1935)
2019 – Sydney Brenner, South African biologist (b. 1927)^[16]

Holidays and observances on April 5

Christian feast day:
- Albert of Montecorvino
- Derfel Gadarn
- Æthelburh of Kent
- Gerald of Sauve-Majeure
- Juliana of Liège
- Maria Crescentia Höss
- Blessed Mariano de la Mata
- Pandita Mary Ramabai (Episcopal Church (USA))
- Ruadhán of Lorrha
- Vincent Ferrer
- April 5 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Cold Food Festival, held on April 4 if it is a leap year (China); and its related observances:
Earliest day on which Sham el-Nessim can fall, while May 9 is the latest; celebrated on Monday after the Orthodox Easter (Egypt)
Children’s Day (Palestinian territories)
Sikmogil (South Korea)
National Maritime Day is observed in India, in commemoration of the first voyage of SS Loyalty of the Scindia Steam Navigation Company Ltd. in 1919.

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

On This Day

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

On This Day / admin

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 20- History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

March 16- History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day / admin

March 16 in History

934 – Meng Zhixiang declares himself emperor and establishes Later Shu as a new state independent of Later Tang.
1190 – Massacre of Jews at Clifford’s Tower, York.
1244 – Over 200 Cathars who refuse to recant are burned to death after the Fall of Montségur.
1322 – The Battle of Boroughbridge takes place in the Despenser Wars.
1521 – Ferdinand Magellan reaches the island of Homonhon in the Philippines.
1621 – Samoset, a Mohegan, visited the settlers of Plymouth Colony and greets them, “Welcome, Englishmen! My name is Samoset.”
1660 – The Long Parliament of England is dissolved so as to prepare for the new Convention Parliament.
1689 – The 23rd Regiment of Foot, or Royal Welch Fusiliers, is founded.
1782 – American Revolutionary War: Spanish troops capture the British-held island of Roatán.
1782 – Anglo-Spanish War (1779): Action of 16 March 1782.
1792 – King Gustav III of Sweden is shot; he dies on March 29.
1797 – French Revolutionary Wars: An Austrian column is defeated by the French in the Battle of Valvasone.
1802 – The Army Corps of Engineers is established to found and operate the United States Military Academy at West Point.
1812 – The Siege of Badajoz begins: British and Portuguese forces besiege and defeat the French garrison during the Peninsular War.
1815 – Prince Willem proclaims himself King of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, the first constitutional monarch in the Netherlands.
1818 – In the Second Battle of Cancha Rayada, Spanish forces defeated Chileans under José de San Martín.
1864 – American Civil War: During the Red River Campaign, Union troops reach Alexandria, Louisiana.
1865 – American Civil War: The Battle of Averasborough began as Confederate forces suffer irreplaceable casualties in the final months of the war.
1870 – The first version of the overture fantasy Romeo and Juliet by Tchaikovsky receives its première performance.
1872 – The Wanderers F.C. won the first FA Cup, the oldest football competition in the world, beating Royal Engineers A.F.C. 1–0 at The Oval in Kennington, London.
1894 – Jules Massenet’s opera Thaïs is first performed.
1898 – In Melbourne the representatives of five colonies adopted a constitution, which would become the basis of the Commonwealth of Australia.
1900 – Sir Arthur Evans purchased the land around the ruins of Knossos, the largest Bronze Age archaeological site on Crete.
1916 – The 7th and 10th US cavalry regiments under John J. Pershing cross the US–Mexico border to join the hunt for Pancho Villa.
1917 – World War I: A German auxiliary cruiser is sunk in the Action of 16 March 1917.
1918 – Finnish Civil War: Battle of Länkipohja is infamous for its bloody aftermath as the Whites executed 70–100 capitulated Reds.
1924 – In accordance with the Treaty of Rome, Fiume becomes annexed as part of Italy.
1925 – An earthquake occurs in Yunnan, China.
1926 – History of Rocketry: Robert Goddard launches the first liquid-fueled rocket, at Auburn, Massachusetts.
1935 – Adolf Hitler orders Germany to rearm herself in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. Conscription is reintroduced to form the Wehrmacht.
1936 – Warmer-than-normal temperatures rapidly melt snow and ice on the upper Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, leading to a major flood in Pittsburgh.
1939 – From Prague Castle, Hitler proclaims Bohemia and Moravia a German protectorate.
1940 – First person killed (James Isbister) in a German bombing raid on the UK in World War II during a raid on Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands.
1945 – World War II: The Battle of Iwo Jima ended, but small pockets of Japanese resistance persisted.
1945 – Ninety percent of Würzburg, Germany is destroyed in only 20 minutes by British bombers, resulting in around 5,000 deaths.
1958 – The Ford Motor Company produces its 50 millionth automobile, the Thunderbird, averaging almost a million cars a year since the company’s founding.
1962 – A Flying Tiger Line Super Constellation disappears in the western Pacific Ocean, with all 107 aboard missing and presumed dead.
1966 – Launch of Gemini 8, the 12th manned American space flight and first space docking with an Agena Target Vehicle.
1968 – Vietnam War: My Lai Massacre occurs; between 347 and 500 Vietnamese villagers (men, women, and children) are killed by American troops.
1968 – General Motors produces its 100 millionth automobile, the Oldsmobile Toronado.
1969 – A Viasa McDonnell Douglas DC-9 crashes in Maracaibo, Venezuela, killing 155.
1976 – British Prime Minister Harold Wilson resigns, citing personal reasons.
1977 – Assassination of Kamal Jumblatt, the main leader of the anti-government forces in the Lebanese Civil War.
1978 – Former Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro is kidnapped. (He is later murdered by his captors.)
1978 – A Balkan Bulgarian Airlines Tupolev Tu-134 crashes near Gabare, Bulgaria, killing 73.
1978 – Supertanker Amoco Cadiz splits in two after running aground on the Portsall Rocks, three miles off the coast of Brittany, resulting in the largest oil spill in history at that time.
1979 – Sino-Vietnamese War: The People’s Liberation Army crosses the border back into China, ends the war.
1983 – Demolition of the Ismaning radio transmitter, the last wooden radio tower in Germany.
1984 – William Buckley, the CIA station chief in Lebanon, is kidnapped by Hezbollah. (He later dies in captivity.)
1985 – Associated Press newsman Terry Anderson is taken hostage in Beirut. He is released on December 4, 1991.
1988 – Iran–Contra affair: Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North and Vice Admiral John Poindexter are indicted on charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States.
1988 – Halabja chemical attack: The Kurdish town of Halabja in Iraq is attacked with a mix of poison gas and nerve agents on the orders of Saddam Hussein, killing 5,000 people and injuring about 10,000 people.
1988 – The Troubles: Ulster loyalist militant Michael Stone attacks a Provisional IRA funeral in Belfast with pistols and grenades. Three persons, one of them a member of PIRA are killed, and more than 60 others are wounded.
1991 – The airplane carrying eight members of Reba McEntire’s touring band crashed on the side of Otay Mountain.
1995 – Mississippi formally ratifies the Thirteenth Amendment, becoming the last state to approve the abolition of slavery. The Thirteenth Amendment was officially ratified in 1865.
2001 – A series of bomb blasts that took place in the city of Shijiazhuang, China killed 108 people and injured 38 others, was the biggest mass murder in China in decades.
2003 – American activist Rachel Corrie is killed in Rafah trying to obstruct the demolition of a home by being run over by a bulldozer.
2005 – Israel officially hands over Jericho to Palestinian control.
2014 – Crimea votes in a controversial referendum to secede from Ukraine to join Russia.
2016 – A bomb detonates in a bus carrying government employees in Peshawar, Pakistan, killing 15 and injuring at least 54.
2016 – Two suicide bombers detonate their explosives at a mosque during morning prayer on the outskirts of Maiduguri, Nigeria, killing 22 and injuring 18.

Births on March 16

1399 – The Xuande Emperor, ruler of Ming China (d. 1435)
1445 – Johann Geiler von Kaisersberg, Swiss priest and theologian (d. 1510)
1465 – Kunigunde of Austria, Archduchess of Austria (d. 1520)
1473 – Henry IV, Duke of Saxony (d. 1541)
1559 – Amar Singh I, successor of Maharana Pratap of Mewar (d. 1620)
1581 – Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft, Dutch historian and poet (d. 1647)
1585 – Gerbrand Bredero, Dutch poet and playwright (d. 1618)
1590 – Ii Naotaka, Japanese daimyō (d. 1659)
1596 – Ebba Brahe, Swedish countess (d. 1674)
1609 – Michael Franck, German baker, teacher, poet, and composer (d. 1667)
1609 – Agostino Mitelli, Italian painter (d. 1660)
1621 – Georg Neumark, German poet and composer (d. 1681)
1631 – René Le Bossu, French critic (d. 1680)
1638 – François Crépieul, Jesuit missionary (d. 1702)
1654 – Andreas Acoluthus, German scholar (d. 1704)
1670 – François de Franquetot de Coigny, French general (d. 1759)
1673 – Jean Bouhier, French jurist and scholar (d. 1746)
1687 – Sophia Dorothea of Hanover, queen consort of Frederick William I (d. 1757)
1693 – Malhar Rao Holkar, Indian nobleman (d. 1766)
1701 – Daniel Lorenz Salthenius, Swedish theologian (d. 1750)
1729 – Maria Louise Albertine (d. 1818)
1741 – Carlo Amoretti, Italian scientist (d. 1816)
1744 – Nicolas-Germain Léonard, French poet and novelist (d. 1793)
1750 – Caroline Herschel, German-English astronomer (d. 1848)
1751 – James Madison, American academic and politician, 4th President of the United States (d. 1836)
1753 – François Amédée Doppet, French general (d. 1799)
1760 – Johann Heinrich Meyer, Swiss painter and writer (d. 1832)
1766 – Jean-Frédéric Waldeck, French antiquarian, cartographer, artist and explorer (d. 1875)
1771 – Antoine-Jean Gros, French painter (d. 1835)
1773 – Juan Ramón Balcarce, Argentinian general and politician, 6th Governor of Buenos Aires Province (d. 1836)
1774 – Matthew Flinders, English navigator and cartographer (d. 1814)
1789 – Francis Rawdon Chesney, English general and explorer (d. 1872)
1789 – Georg Ohm, German physicist and mathematician (d. 1854)
1794 – Ami Boué, Austrian geologist and ethnographer (d. 1881)
1797 – Alaric Alexander Watts, English poet and journalist (d. 1864)
1799 – Anna Atkins, English botanist and photographer (d. 1871)
1800 – Emperor Ninkō of Japan (d. 1846)
1805 – Peter Ernst von Lasaulx, German philologist and politician (d. 1861)
1806 – Félix De Vigne, Belgian painter (d. 1862)
1808 – Hannah T. King, British-born American writer and pioneer (d. 1886)
1813 – Gaëtan de Rochebouët, French prime minister (d. 1899)
1819 – José Paranhos, Brazilian politician (d. 1880)
1820 – Enrico Tamberlik, Italian tenor (d. 1889)
1821 – Eduard Heine, German mathematician and academic (d. 1881)
1822 – Rosa Bonheur, French painter and sculptor (d. 1899)
1822 – John Pope, American general (d. 1892)
1823 – William Henry Monk, English organist and composer (d. 1889)
1825 – Camilo Castelo Branco, Portuguese writer (d. 1890)
1828 – Émile Deshayes de Marcère, French politician (d. 1918)
1834 – James Hector, Scottish geologist and surgeon (d. 1907)
1836 – Andrew Smith Hallidie, English-American engineer and businessman (d. 1900)
1839 – Sully Prudhomme, French poet and critic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1907)
1839 – John Butler Yeats, Irish painter (d. 1922)
1840 – Shibusawa Eiichi, Japanese businessman (d. 1931)
1840 – Georg von der Gabelentz, German linguist and sinologist (d. 1893)
1845 – Umegatani Tōtarō I, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 15th Yokozuna (d. 1928)
1846 – Gösta Mittag-Leffler, Swedish mathematician and academic (d. 1927)
1846 – Rebecca Cole, American physician and social reformer (d. 1922)
1846 – Jurgis Bielinis, Lithuanian book smuggler (d. 1918)
1848 – Axel Heiberg, Norwegian financier and diplomat (d. 1932)
1851 – Otto Bardenhewer, German patrologist (d. 1935)
1851 – Martinus Beijerinck, Dutch microbiologist and botanist (d. 1931)
1856 – Napoléon, Prince Imperial of France (d. 1879)
1857 – Charles Harding Firth, English historian and academic (d. 1936)
1859 – Alexander Stepanovich Popov, Russian physicist and academic (d. 1906)
1865 – Patsy Donovan, Irish-American baseball player and manager (d. 1953)
1869 – Willy Burmester, German violinist (d. 1933)
1871 – Hans Merensky, South African geologist and philanthropist (d. 1951)
1871 – Frantz Reichel, French rugby player and hurdler (d. 1932)
1874 – Frédéric François-Marsal, French prime minister (d. 1958)
1877 – Léo-Ernest Ouimet, Canadian director and producer (d. 1972)
1878 – Clemens August Graf von Galen, German cardinal (d. 1946)
1878 – Paul Jouve, French painter (d. 1973)
1881 – Fannie Charles Dillon, American composer (d. 1947)
1882 – James Lightbody, American runner (d. 1953)
1883 – Ethel Anderson, Australian poet, author, and painter (d. 1958)
1884 – Eric P. Kelly, American journalist and author (d. 1960)
1885 – Giacomo Benvenuti, Italian composer and musicologist (d. 1943)
1885 – Sydney Chaplin, English actor (d. 1965)
1886 – Herbert Lindström, Swedish tug of war player (d. 1951)
1887 – Emilio Lunghi, Italian runner (d. 1925)
1887 – S. Stillman Berry, American marine zoologist (1984)
1889 – Reggie Walker, South African athlete (d. 1951)
1892 – César Vallejo, Peruvian poet, playwright, and journalist (d. 1938)
1895 – Ernest Labrousse, French historian (d. 1988)
1897 – Antonio Donghi, Italian painter (d. 1963)
1897 – Conrad Nagel, American actor (d. 1970)
1900 – Cyril Hume, American novelist (d. 1966)
1900 – Mencha Karnicheva, Macedonian revolutionary and assassin (d. 1964)
1901 – Alexis Chantraine, Belgian footballer (d. 1987)
1903 – Mike Mansfield, American politician and diplomat, 22nd United States Ambassador to Japan (d. 2001)
1906 – Francisco Ayala, Spanish sociologist, author, and translator (d. 2009)
1906 – Maurice Turnbull, Welsh-English cricketer and rugby player (d. 1944)
1906 – Henny Youngman, English-American violinist and comedian (d. 1998)
1908 – René Daumal, French author and poet (d. 1944)
1908 – Ernest Rogez, French water polo player (d. 1986)
1908 – Robert Rossen, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1966)
1910 – Aladár Gerevich, Hungarian fencer (d. 1991)
1910 – Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi, Indian-English cricketer and politician, 8th Nawab of Pataudi (d. 1952)
1911 – Pierre Harmel, Belgian lawyer and politician, 40th Prime Minister of Belgium (d. 2009)
1911 – Josef Mengele, German physician and captain (d. 1979)
1911 – Philip Pavia, American painter and sculptor (d.2005)
1912 – Pat Nixon, First Lady of the United States (d. 1993)
1913 – Rémy Raffalli, French soldier (d. 1952)
1915 – Kunihiko Kodaira, Japanese mathematician and academic (d. 1997)
1916 – Mercedes McCambridge, American actress (d. 2004)
1916 – Tsutomu Yamaguchi, Japanese engineer and businessman (d. 2010)
1917 – Louis C. Wyman, American lawyer and politician (d. 2002)
1917 – Laure Pillay, Mauritian lawyer and jurist (d. 2017)
1917 – Mehrdad Pahlbod, Iranian politician (d. 2018)
1918 – Aldo van Eyck, Dutch architect (d. 1999)
1918 – Frederick Reines, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1998)
1920 – John Addison, English-American soldier and composer (d. 1998)
1920 – Sid Fleischman, American author and screenwriter (d. 2010)
1920 – Traudl Junge, German secretary (d. 2002)
1920 – Leo McKern, Australian-English actor (d. 2002)
1922 – Harding Lemay, American screenwriter and playwright (d. 2018)
1923 – Heinz Wallberg, German conductor (d. 2004)
1925 – Cornell Borchers, Lithuanian-German actress and singer (d. 2014)
1925 – Mary Hinkson, American dancer and choreographer (d. 2014)
1925 – Ervin Kassai, Hungarian basketball player and referee (d. 2012)
1925 – Luis E. Miramontes, Mexican chemist and engineer (d. 2004)
1926 – Charles Goodell, American lawyer and politician (d. 1987)
1926 – Jerry Lewis, American actor and comedian (d. 2017)
1927 – Vladimir Komarov, Russian pilot, engineer, and astronaut (d. 1967)
1927 – Daniel Patrick Moynihan, American sociologist and politician, 12th United States Ambassador to the United Nations (d. 2003)
1927 – Olga San Juan, American actress and dancer (d. 2009)
1928 – Wakanohana Kanji I, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 45th Yokozuna (d. 2010)
1928 – Christa Ludwig, German soprano and actress
1929 – Betty Johnson, American singer
1929 – Tihomir Novakov, Serbian-American physicist and academic (d. 2015)
1929 – Nadja Tiller, Austrian actress
1930 – Tommy Flanagan, American pianist and composer (d. 2001)
1930 – Minoru Miki, Japanese composer (d. 2011)
1931 – Augusto Boal, Brazilian theatre director, writer and politician (d. 2009)
1931 – Alan Heyman, American-South Korean musicologist and composer (d. 2014)
1931 – Anthony Kenny, English philosopher and academic
1931 – John Munro, Canadian lawyer and politician, 22nd Canadian Minister of Labour (d. 2003)
1932 – Don Blasingame, American baseball player and manager (d. 2005)
1932 – Walter Cunningham, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut
1932 – Kurt Diemberger, Austrian mountaineer and author
1932 – Herbert Marx, Canadian politician (d. 2020)
1933 – Keith Critchlow, English architect and academic, co-founded Temenos Academy
1933 – Sanford I. Weill, American banker, financier, and philanthropist
1934 – Jean Cournoyer, Canadian politician
1934 – Ray Hnatyshyn, Canadian lawyer and politician, 24th Governor General of Canada (d. 2002)
1934 – Roger Norrington, English violinist and conductor
1935 – Teresa Berganza, Spanish soprano and actress
1935 – Pepe Cáceres, Colombian bullfighter (d. 1987)
1936 – Raymond Vahan Damadian, Armenian-American inventor, invented the MRI
1936 – Fred Neil, American folk singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2001)
1937 – David Frith, English historian, journalist, and author
1937 – Attilio Nicora, Italian cardinal (d. 2017)
1937 – Amos Tversky, Israeli-American psychologist and academic (d. 1996)
1938 – Carlos Bilardo, Argentinian footballer and manager
1939 – Yvon Côté, Canadian teacher
1940 – Bernardo Bertolucci, Italian director and screenwriter (d. 2018)
1940 – Vagif Mustafazadeh, Azerbaijani pianist and composer (d. 1979)
1940 – Jan Pronk, Dutch academic and politician, Dutch Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment
1940 – Keith Rowe, English guitarist
1941 – Robert Guéï, Ivorian soldier and politician, 3rd President of Côte d’Ivoire (d. 2002)
1941 – Chuck Woolery, American game show host and television personality
1942 – Roger Crozier, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach (d. 1996)
1942 – Gijs van Lennep, Dutch race car driver
1942 – Jean-Pierre Schosteck, French politician
1942 – James Soong, Chinese-Taiwanese politician, Governor of Taiwan Province
1942 – Jerry Jeff Walker, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1943 – Ursula Goodenough, American biologist, zoologist, and author
1943 – Hans Heyer, German racing driver
1943 – Álvaro de Soto, Peruvian diplomat
1944 – Andrew S. Tanenbaum, American computer scientist and academic
1946 – Sigmund Groven, Norwegian harmonica player and composer
1946 – Mary Kaldor, English economist and academic
1946 – J. Z. Knight, American New Age teacher and author
1946 – Guesch Patti, French singer
1948 – Michael Owen Bruce, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1948 – Richard Desjardins, Canadian singer-songwriter and director
1948 – Catherine Quéré, French politician
1949 – Erik Estrada, American actor
1949 – Victor Garber, Canadian actor and singer
1949 – Elliott Murphy, American-French singer-songwriter and journalist
1950 – Peter Forster, English bishop
1950 – Kate Nelligan, Canadian actress
1950 – Edhem Šljivo, Bosnian footballer
1951 – Ray Benson, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
1951 – Abdelmajid Bourebbou, Algerian footballer
1951 – Oddvar Brå, Norwegian skier
1951 – Joe DeLamielleure, American football player
1951 – Alexandre Gonzalez, French long-distance runner
1953 – Claus Peter Flor, German conductor
1953 – Isabelle Huppert, French actress
1953 – Rainer Knaak, German chess player
1953 – Richard Stallman, American computer scientist and programmer
1954 – David Heath, English politician
1954 – Jimmy Nail, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
1954 – Tim O’Brien, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1954 – Dav Whatmore, Sri Lankan-Australian cricketer and coach
1954 – Nancy Wilson, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actress
1955 – Svetlana Alexeeva, Russian ice dancer and coach
1955 – Rimantas Astrauskas, Lithuanian physicist
1955 – Bruno Barreto, Brazilian director, producer, and screenwriter
1955 – Linda Lepomme, Belgian actress and singer
1955 – Bob Ley, American sports anchor and reporter
1955 – Andy Scott, Canadian politician (d. 2013)
1955 – Jiro Watanabe, Japanese boxer
1956 – Ozzie Newsome, American football player and manager
1956 – Clifton Powell, American actor, director, and producer
1956 – Yoriko Shono, Japanese writer
1956 – Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf, Swiss lawyer and politician
1958 – Phillip Wilcher, Australian pianist and composer
1958 – Kate Worley, American author (d. 2004)
1958 – Jorge Ramos, Mexican-American journalist and author
1959 – Michael J. Bloomfield, American astronaut
1959 – Sebastian Currier, American composer and educator
1959 – Greg Dyer, Australian cricketer
1959 – Flavor Flav, American rapper and actor
1959 – Charles Hudson, American baseball player
1959 – Steve Marker, American musician
1959 – Jens Stoltenberg, Norwegian economist and politician, 27th Prime Minister of Norway, 13th Secretary General of NATO
1960 – John Hemming, English businessman and politician
1960 – Duane Sutter, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
1960 – Jenny Eclair, English comedian, actress and screenwriter
1961 – Brett Kenny, Australian rugby league player and coach
1961 – Todd McFarlane, Canadian author, illustrator, and businessman, founded McFarlane Toys
1962 – Franck Fréon, French race car driver
1962 – Liliane Gaschet, French athlete
1963 – Jerome Flynn, English actor and singer
1963 – Kevin Smith, New Zealand actor and singer (d. 2002)
1964 – Patty Griffin, American singer-songwriter
1964 – Jaclyn Jose, Filipino actress
1964 – Pascal Richard, Swiss racing cyclist
1964 – Gore Verbinski, American director, producer, and screenwriter
1965 – Steve Armstrong, American wrestler
1965 – Cindy Brown, American basketball player
1965 – Mark Carney, Canadian-English economist and banker
1965 – Cristiana Reali, Italian-Brazilian actress
1966 – Chrissy Redden, Canadian cross-country cyclist
1967 – Tracy Bonham, American singer and violinist
1967 – John Darnielle, American musician and novelist
1967 – Lauren Graham, American actress and producer
1967 – Ronnie McCoury, American bluegrass mandolin player, singer and songwriter
1967 – Heidi Zurbriggen, Swiss alpine skier
1968 – Trevor Wilson, American basketball player and police officer
1969 – Judah Friedlander, American comedian and actor
1969 – Ottis Gibson, Barbadian cricketer and coach
1969 – Alina Ivanova, Russian athlete
1969 – Evangelos Koronios, Greek basketball player and coach
1970 – Joakim Berg, Swedish singer-songwriter and guitarist
1971 – Franck Comba, French rugby player
1971 – Alan Tudyk, American actor
1972 – Ismaïl Sghyr, French-Moroccan long-distance runner
1973 – Andrey Mizurov, Kazakhstani road bicycle racer
1973 – Vonda Ward, American boxer
1974 – Georgios Anatolakis, Greek footballer and politician
1974 – Anne Charrier, French actress
1974 – Heath Streak, Zimbabwean cricketer
1975 – Luciano Castro, Argentine actor
1975 – Sienna Guillory, English model and actress
1975 – Lionel Torres, French archer
1976 – Blu Cantrell, American singer-songwriter and producer
1976 – Leila Lejeune, French handballer
1976 – Susanne Ljungskog, Swedish cyclist
1976 – Abraham Núñez, Dominican baseball player
1976 – Zhu Chen, Qatari chess Grandmaster
1977 – Mónica Cruz, Spanish actress and dancer
1977 – Thomas Rupprath, German swimmer
1978 – Brooke Burns, American fashion model and actress
1978 – Annett Renneberg, German actress and singer
1979 – Christina Liebherr, Swiss equestrian
1979 – Rashad Moore, American football player
1979 – Sébastien Ostertag, French handball player
1979 – Leena Peisa, Finnish keyboard player and songwriter
1979 – Andrei Stepanov, Estonian footballer
1980 – Todd Heap, American football player
1980 – Felipe Reyes, Spanish basketball player
1981 – Andrew Bree, Irish swimmer
1981 – Curtis Granderson, American baseball player
1981 – Julien Mazet, French road bicycle racer
1981 – Fabiana Murer, Brazilian pole vaulter
1982 – Miguel Comminges, Guadeloupean footballer
1982 – Riley Cote, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
1982 – Tommy Hansen, Czech actor
1982 – Jesús Del Nero, Spanish road bicycle racer
1982 – Brian Wilson, American baseball player
1983 – Stephen Drew, American baseball player
1983 – Brandon League, American baseball player
1983 – Nicolas Rousseau, French road bicycle racer
1983 – Tramon Williams, American football player
1984 – Levi Brown, American football player
1984 – Aisling Bea, Irish comedienne and actress
1984 – Sharon Cherop, Kenyan long-distance runner
1984 – Michael Ennis, Australian rugby player
1984 – Hosea Gear, New Zealand rugby player
1984 – Brandon Prust, Canadian ice hockey player
1985 – Teddy Atine-Venel, French athlete
1985 – Eddy Lover, Panamanian singer-songwriter
1985 – Aleksei Sokirskiy, Russian hammer thrower
1986 – Alexandra Daddario, American actress
1986 – Toney Douglas, American basketball player
1986 – Kenny Dykstra, American wrestler
1986 – T. J. Jordan, American basketball player
1986 – Boaz Solossa, Indonesian footballer
1986 – Daisuke Takahashi, Japanese figure skater
1987 – Fabien Lemoine, French football player
1988 – Jessica Gregg, Canadian speed skater
1988 – Patrick Herrmann, German footballer
1989 – Blake Griffin, American basketball player
1989 – Jung So-min, South Korean actress
1989 – Magalie Pottier, French racing cyclist
1989 – Theo Walcott, English footballer
1990 – Andre Young, American basketball player
1991 – Reggie Bullock, American basketball player
1991 – Wolfgang Van Halen, American bassist
1993 – George Ford, English rugby union player
1993 – Marine Lorphelin, Miss France
1994 – Joel Embiid, Cameroonian basketball player
1995 – Inga Janulevičiūtė, Lithuanian figure skater
1997 – Florian Neuhaus, German football player

Deaths on March 16

AD 37 – Tiberius, Roman emperor (b. 42 BC)
455 – Valentinian III, Roman emperor (assassinated; b. 419)
455 – Heraclius, Roman courtier (primicerius sacri cubiculi )
842 – Xiao Mian, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty
933 – Takin al-Khazari, Egyptian commander and politician, Abbasid Governor of Egypt
943 – Pi Guangye, Chinese official and chancellor (b. 877)
1021 – Heribert of Cologne, German archbishop and saint (b. 970)
1072 – Adalbert of Hamburg, German archbishop (b. 1000)
1181 – Henry I, Count of Champagne
1185 – Baldwin IV of Jerusalem (b. 1161)
1279 – Jeanne of Dammartin, Queen consort of Castile and León (b. 1216)
1322 – Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford, English general and politician, Lord High Constable of England (b. 1276)
1405 – Margaret III, Countess of Flanders (b. 1350)
1410 – John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset, French-English admiral and politician, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports (b. 1373)
1457 – Ladislaus Hunyadi, Hungarian politician (b. 1433)
1485 – Anne Neville, queen of Richard III of England (b. 1456)
1559 – Anthony St. Leger, English-Irish politician Lord Deputy of Ireland (b. 1496)
1649 – Jean de Brébeuf, French-Canadian missionary and saint (b. 1593)
1679 – John Leverett, English general and politician, 19th Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony (b. 1616)
1721 – James Craggs the Elder, English politician, Postmaster General of the United Kingdom (b. 1657)
1736 – Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, Italian organist and composer (b. 1710)
1737 – Benjamin Wadsworth, American minister and academic (b. 1670)
1738 – George Bähr, German architect, designed the Dresden Frauenkirche (b. 1666)
1747 – Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst (b. 1690)
1838 – Nathaniel Bowditch, American captain and mathematician (b. 1773)
1841 – Félix Savart, French physicist and psychologist (d. 1791)
1868 – David Wilmot, American politician, sponsor of Wilmot Proviso (b. 1814)
1884 – Art Croft, American baseball player (b. 1855)
1888 – Hippolyte Carnot, French politician (b. 1801)
1892 – Samuel F. Miller, American lawyer and politician (b. 1827)
1898 – Aubrey Beardsley, English author and illustrator (b. 1872)
1899 – Joseph Medill, American journalist and politician, 26th Mayor of Chicago (b. 1823)
1903 – Roy Bean, American lawyer and judge (b. 1825)
1907 – John O’Leary, Irish politician (b. 1830)
1912 – Max Burckhard, Austrian theater director (b. 1854)
1914 – Gaston Calmette, French journalist (b. 1858)
1914 – Charles Albert Gobat, Swiss lawyer and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1843)
1914 – John Murray, Scottish oceanographer, biologist, and limnologist (b. 1841)
1925 – August von Wassermann, German bacteriologist and hygienist (b. 1866)
1930 – Miguel Primo de Rivera, Spanish general and politician, Prime Minister of Spain (b. 1870)
1935 – John James Rickard Macleod, Scottish physician and physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1876)
1935 – Aron Nimzowitsch, Latvian-Danish chess player (b. 1886)
1936 – Marguerite Durand, French actress, journalist, and activist (b. 1864)
1937 – Alexander von Staël-Holstein, Estonian orientalist and sinologist (b. 1877)
1940 – Selma Lagerlöf, Swedish author and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1858)
1945 – Börries von Münchhausen, German poet (b. 1874)
1955 – Nicolas de Staël, French-Russian painter and illustrator (b. 1914)
1957 – Constantin Brâncuși, Romanian-French sculptor, painter, and photographer (b. 1876)
1958 – Leon Cadore, American baseball player (b. 1891)
1961 – Chen Geng, Chinese general and politician (b. 1903)
1961 – Václav Talich, Czech violinist and conductor (b. 1883)
1963 – Laura Adams Armer, American author and photographer (b. 1874)
1965 – Alice Herz, German activist (b. 1882)
1967 – Thomas MacGreevy, Irish poet (b. 1893)
1968 – Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Italian-American pianist and composer (b. 1895)
1968 – Gunnar Ekelöf, Swedish poet and translator (b. 1907)
1970 – Tammi Terrell, American singer (b. 1945)
1971 – Bebe Daniels, American actress (b. 1901)
1971 – Thomas E. Dewey, American lawyer and politician, 47th Governor of New York (b. 1902)
1972 – Pie Traynor, American baseball player (b. 1898)
1975 – T-Bone Walker, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1910)
1977 – Kamal Jumblatt, Lebanese lawyer and politician (b. 1917)
1979 – Jean Monnet, French economist and politician (b. 1888)
1980 – Tamara de Lempicka, Polish-American painter (b. 1898)
1983 – Arthur Godfrey, American actor and television host (b. 1903)
1983 – Fred Rose, Polish-Canadian politician (b. 1907)
1985 – Roger Sessions, American composer, critic, and educator (b. 1896)
1985 – Eddie Shore, Canadian-American ice hockey player (b. 1902)
1988 – Jigger Statz, American baseball player (b.1897)
1988 – Mickey Thompson, American race car driver (b. 1928)
1990 – Ernst Bacon, American pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1898)
1991 – Chris Austin, American country singer (b .1964)
1991 – Jean Bellette, Australian artist (b. 1908)
1992 – Yves Rocard, French physicist and engineer (b. 1903)
1994 – Eric Show, American baseball player (b. 1956)
1998 – Derek Barton, English-American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1918)
1998 – Esther Bubley, American photographer (b. 1921)
1999 – Gratien Gélinas, Canadian actor, director, and playwright (b. 1909)
2000 – Thomas Ferebee, American colonel and pilot (b. 1918)
2000 – Pavel Prudnikau, Belarusian poet and author (b. 1911)
2000 – Michael Starr, Canadian judge and politician, 16th Canadian Minister of Labour (b. 1910)
2000 – Carlos Velázquez, Puerto Rican pitcher (b. 1948)
2001 – Bob Wollek, French race car driver (b. 1943)
2003 – Rachel Corrie, American activist (b. 1979)
2003 – Ronald Ferguson, English captain, polo player, and manager (b. 1931)
2004 – Vilém Tauský, Czech conductor and composer (b. 1910)
2005 – Todd Bell, American football player (b. 1958)
2005 – Ralph Erskine, English architect, designed The London Ark (b. 1914)
2005 – Dick Radatz, American baseball player (b. 1937)
2007 – Manjural Islam Rana, Bangladeshi cricketer (b. 1984)
2008 – Bill Brown, Australian cricketer and soldier (b. 1912)
2008 – Ivan Dixon, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1931)
2008 – Gary Hart, American wrestler and manager (b. 1942)
2010 – Ksenija Pajčin, Serbian singer, dancer and model (b. 1977)
2011 – Richard Wirthlin, American religious leader (b. 1931)
2012 – Donald E. Hillman, American colonel and pilot (b. 1918)
2012 – Takaaki Yoshimoto, Japanese poet, philosopher, and critic (b. 1924)
2013 – Jamal Nazrul Islam, Bangladeshi physicist and cosmologist (b. 1939)
2013 – José Alfredo Martínez de Hoz, Argentinian economist and politician, Minister of Economy of Argentina (b. 1925)
2013 – Yadier Pedroso, Cuban pitcher (b. 1986)
2013 – Ruchoma Shain, American-born teacher and author (b. 1914)
2013 – Marina Solodkin, Russian-Israeli academic and politician (b. 1952)
2013 – Frank Thornton, English actor (b. 1921)
2014 – Gary Bettenhausen, American race car driver (b. 1941)
2014 – Donald Crothers, American chemist and academic (b. 1937)
2014 – Yulisa Pat Amadu Maddy, Sierra Leonean author, poet, and playwright (b. 1936)
2014 – Steve Moore, English author and illustrator (b. 1949)
2014 – Alexander Pochinok, Russian economist and politician (b. 1958)
2015 – Jack Haley, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster (b. 1964)
2015 – Don Robertson, American pianist and composer (b. 1922)
2016 – Alexander Esenin-Volpin, Russian-American mathematician and poet (b. 1924)
2016 – Frank Sinatra Jr., American singer and actor (b. 1944)
2017 – Lewis Rowland, American neurologist (b. 1925)
2018 – Louise Slaughter, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York (b. 1929)
2019 – Dick Dale, American surf-rock guitarist, singer, and songwriter (b. 1937)

Holidays and observances on March 16

Christian feast day:
- Abbán
- Finian Lobhar (Finian the Leper)
- Heribert of Cologne
- Hilarius of Aquileia
- Julian of Antioch
- March 16 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Day of the Book Smugglers (Lithuania)
Remembrance day of the Latvian legionnaires (Latvia)
Saint Urho’s Day (Finnish Americans and Finnish Canadians)
Austin 3:16 Day (Not official, but leisure day)

March 16- History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

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

On This Day / admin

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 15- History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

March 14- History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day / admin

1590 – Battle of Ivry: Henry of Navarre and the Huguenots defeat the forces of the Catholic League under Charles, Duke of Mayenne, during the French Wars of Religion.
1647 – Thirty Years’ War: Bavaria, Cologne, France and Sweden sign the Truce of Ulm.
1663 – According to his own account, Otto von Guericke completes his book De Vacuo.
1674 – The Third Anglo-Dutch War: The Battle of Ronas Voe results in the Dutch East India Company ship Wapen van Rotterdam being captured with a death toll of up to 300 Dutch crew and soldiers.
1757 – Admiral Sir John Byng is executed by firing squad aboard HMS Monarch for breach of the Articles of War.
1780 – American Revolutionary War: Spanish forces capture Fort Charlotte in Mobile, Alabama, the last British frontier post capable of threatening New Orleans.
1794 – Eli Whitney is granted a patent for the cotton gin.
1885 – The Mikado, a light opera by W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan, receives its first public performance at the Savoy Theatre in London.
1900 – The Gold Standard Act is ratified, placing the United States currency on the gold standard.
1903 – Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, the first national wildlife refuge in the US, is established by President Theodore Roosevelt.
1920 – In the second of the 1920 Schleswig plebiscites, about 80% of the population in Zone II votes to remain part of Weimar Germany.
1926 – The El Virilla train accident, Costa Rica, kills 248 people and wounds another 93 when a train falls off a bridge over the Río Virilla between Heredia and Tibás.
1931 – Alam Ara, India’s first talking film, is released.
1939 – Slovakia declares independence under German pressure.
1942 – Anne Miller becomes the first American patient to be treated with penicillin, under the care of Orvan Hess and John Bumstead.
1943 – The liquidation of the Kraków Ghetto is completed.
1945 – The R.A.F. drop the Grand Slam bomb in action for the first time, on a railway viaduct near Bielefeld, Germany.
1951 – Korean War: United Nations troops recapture Seoul for the second time.
1961 – A USAF B-52 bomber crashes near near Yuba City, California whilst carrying nuclear weapons.
1964 – Jack Ruby is convicted of killing Lee Harvey Oswald, the assumed assassin of John F. Kennedy.
1967 – The body of U.S. President John F. Kennedy is moved to a permanent burial place at Arlington National Cemetery.
1978 – The Israel Defense Forces launch Operation Litani, a seven-day campaign to invade and occupy southern Lebanon.
1980 – LOT Flight 7 crashes during final approach near Warsaw, Poland, killing 87 people, including a 14-man American boxing team.
1982 – The South African government bombs the headquarters of the African National Congress in London.
1988 – In the Johnson South Reef Skirmish Chinese forces defeat Vietnamese forces in an altercation over control of one of the Spratly Islands.
1995 – Norman Thagard becomes the first American astronaut to ride to space on board a Russian launch vehicle.
2006 – The 2006 Chadian coup d’état attempt ends in failure.
2007 – The Nandigram violence in Nandigram, West Bengal results in the deaths of at least 14 people.
2008 – A series of riots, protests, and demonstrations erupt in Lhasa and subsequently spread elsewhere in Tibet.
2019 – Cyclone Idai makes landfall near Beira, Mozambique, causing devastating floods and over 1000 deaths.

Births on March 14

1638 – Johann Georg Gichtel, German mystic (d. 1710)
1790 – Ludwig Emil Grimm, German painter and engraver (d. 1863)
1800 – James Bogardus, American inventor and architect (d. 1874)
1801 – Kristjan Jaak Peterson, Estonian poet (d. 1822)
1804 – Johann Strauss I, Austrian composer and conductor (d. 1849)
1813 – Joseph P. Bradley, American lawyer and jurist (d. 1892)
1820 – Victor Emmanuel II of Italy (d. 1878)
1822 – Teresa Cristina of the Two Sicilies (d. 1889)
1823 – Théodore de Banville, French poet and critic (d. 1891)
1833 – Frederic Shields, English painter and illustrator (d. 1911)
1833 – Lucy Hobbs Taylor, American dentist and educator (d. 1910)
1835 – Giovanni Schiaparelli, Italian astronomer and historian (d. 1910)
1836 – Isabella Beeton, English author of Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management (d. 1865)
1837 – Charles Ammi Cutter, American librarian (d. 1903)
1844 – Umberto I of Italy (d. 1900)
1844 – Arthur O’Shaughnessy, English poet and herpetologist (d. 1881)
1847 – Castro Alves, Brazilian poet and playwright (d. 1871)
1853 – Ferdinand Hodler, Swiss painter (d. 1918)
1854 – Paul Ehrlich, German physician and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1915)
1854 – John Lane, English publisher, co-founded The Bodley Head (d. 1925)
1854 – Alexandru Macedonski, Romanian author and poet (d. 1920)
1854 – Thomas R. Marshall, American lawyer and politician, 28th Vice President of the United States of America (d. 1925)
1862 – Vilhelm Bjerknes, Norwegian physicist and meteorologist (d. 1951)
1863 – Casey Jones, American engineer (d. 1900)
1868 – Emily Murphy, Canadian jurist, author, and activist (d. 1933)
1869 – Algernon Blackwood, English author and playwright (d. 1951)
1874 – Anton Philips, Dutch businessman, co-founded Philips Electronics (d. 1951)
1879 – Albert Einstein, German-American physicist, engineer, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1955)
1882 – Wacław Sierpiński, Polish mathematician and academic (d. 1969)
1885 – Raoul Lufbery, French-American soldier and pilot (d. 1918)
1886 – Firmin Lambot, Belgian cyclist (d. 1964)
1887 – Sylvia Beach, American-French publisher, founded Shakespeare and Company (d. 1962)
1898 – Reginald Marsh, French-American painter and illustrator (d. 1954)
1899 – K. C. Irving, Canadian businessman, founded Irving Oil (d. 1992)
1901 – Sid Atkinson, South African hurdler and long jumper (d. 1977)
1903 – Adolph Gottlieb, American painter and sculptor (d. 1974)
1904 – Doris Eaton Travis, American actress and dancer (d. 2010)
1905 – Raymond Aron, French journalist, sociologist, and philosopher (d. 1983)
1906 – Ulvi Cemal Erkin, Turkish composer and educator (d. 1972)
1908 – Ed Heinemann, American designer of military aircraft (d. 1991)
1908 – Maurice Merleau-Ponty, French philosopher and academic (d. 1961)
1908 – Philip Conrad Vincent, English engineer and businessman, founded Vincent Motorcycles (d. 1979)
1911 – Akira Yoshizawa, Japanese origamist (d. 2005)
1912 – Cliff Bastin, English footballer (d. 1991)
1912 – Les Brown, American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader (d. 2001)
1912 – W. Graham Claytor, Jr. American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician, 15th United States Secretary of the Navy (d. 1994)
1912 – W. Willard Wirtz, American lawyer and politician, 10th United States Secretary of Labor (d. 2010)
1914 – Lee Hays, American singer-songwriter (d. 1981)
1914 – Bill Owen, English actor and songwriter (d. 1999)
1914 – Lee Petty, American race car driver and businessman, founded Petty Enterprises (d. 2000)
1915 – Alexander Brott, Canadian violinist, composer, and conductor (d. 2005)
1916 – Horton Foote, American author, playwright, and screenwriter (d. 2009)
1917 – Alan Smith, English lieutenant and pilot (d. 2013)
1918 – Zoia Horn, American librarian (d. 2014)
1919 – Max Shulman, American author and screenwriter (d. 1988)
1920 – Hank Ketcham, American author and cartoonist, created Dennis the Menace (d. 2001)
1920 – Dorothy Tyler-Odam, English high jumper (d. 2014)
1921 – S. Truett Cathy, American businessman, founded Chick-fil-A (d. 2014)
1921 – Ada Louise Huxtable, American author and critic (d. 2013)
1922 – Les Baxter, American pianist and composer (d. 1996)
1923 – Diane Arbus, American photographer (d. 1971)
1925 – William Clay Ford, Sr., American businessman (d. 2014)
1925 – Joseph A. Unanue, American sergeant and businessman (d. 2013)
1926 – François Morel, Canadian pianist, composer, conductor, and educator (d. 2018)
1928 – Frank Borman, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut
1928 – Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente, Spanish environmentalist (d. 1980)
1929 – Bob Goalby, American golfer
1932 – Mark Murphy, American singer-songwriter and actor (d. 2015)
1932 – Naina Yeltsina, Russian wife of Boris Yeltsin, First Lady of Russia
1933 – Michael Caine, English actor and author
1933 – Quincy Jones, American singer-songwriter, trumpet player, and producer
1934 – Eugene Cernan, American captain, pilot, and astronaut (d. 2017)
1934 – Paul Rader, American 15th General of The Salvation Army
1936 – Bob Charles, New Zealand golfer
1937 – Peter van der Merwe, South African cricketer and referee (d. 2013)
1938 – Eleanor Bron, English actress and screenwriter
1938 – Jan Crouch, American televangelist, co-founder of the Trinity Broadcasting Network (d. 2016)
1938 – John Gleeson, Australian cricketer (d. 2016)
1939 – Raymond J. Barry, American actor
1939 – Bertrand Blier, French director and screenwriter
1939 – Yves Boisset, French director and screenwriter
1941 – Wolfgang Petersen, German-American director, producer, and screenwriter
1942 – Rita Tushingham, English actress
1943 – Anita Morris, American actress and singer (d. 1994)
1944 – Boris Brott, Canadian composer and conductor
1944 – Václav Nedomanský, Czech ice hockey player and manager
1944 – Bobby Smith, English footballer and manager
1944 – Tom Stannage, Australian historian and academic (d. 2012)
1945 – Jasper Carrott, English comedian, actor, and game show host
1945 – Michael Martin Murphey, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1945 – Walter Parazaider, American saxophonist
1946 – William Lerach, American securities and class action attorney
1946 – Wes Unseld, American basketball player, coach, and manager
1947 – Roy Budd, English pianist and composer (d. 1993)
1947 – William J. Jefferson, American lawyer and politician
1947 – Jona Lewie, English singer-songwriter and keyboard player
1948 – Tom Coburn, American physician and politician (d. 2020)
1948 – Billy Crystal, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
1948 – Theo Jansen, Dutch sculptor
1950 – Rick Dees, American actor and radio host
1951 – Jerry Greenfield, American businessman and philanthropist, co-founded Ben & Jerry’s
1953 – Nick Keir, Scottish singer-songwriter (d. 2013)
1955 – Jonathan Kaufer, American director and screenwriter (d. 2013)
1956 – Alexey Pajitnov, Russian video game designer and computer engineer, creator of Tetris
1956 – Butch Wynegar, American baseball player and coach
1957 – Tad Williams, American author
1958 – Albert II, Prince of Monaco
1959 – Laila Robins, American actress
1959 – Tamara Tunie, American actress
1960 – Heidi Hammel, American astronomer and academic
1961 – Garry Jack, Australian rugby league player and coach
1961 – Mike Lazaridis, Turkish–Canadian businessman and philanthropist, founded BlackBerry Limited
1963 – Bruce Reid, Australian cricketer and coach
1965 – Kevin Brown, American baseball player and coach
1965 – Aamir Khan, Indian film actor, producer, and director
1965 – Billy Sherwood, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
1965 – Kevin Williamson, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
1966 – Jonas Elmer, Danish actor, director, and screenwriter
1966 – Elise Neal, American actress and producer
1968 – Megan Follows, Canadian-American actress
1969 – Larry Johnson, American basketball player and actor
1970 – Kristian Bush, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1972 – Irom Chanu Sharmila, Indian poet and activist
1973 – Rohit Shetty, Indian film director and producer
1974 – Patrick Traverse, Canadian ice hockey player
1975 – Steve Harper, English footballer and referee
1975 – Dmitri Markov, Belarusian-Australian pole vaulter
1976 – Phil Vickery, English rugby player and sportscaster
1977 – Vadims Fjodorovs, Latvian footballer and coach
1977 – Naoki Matsuda, Japanese footballer (d. 2011)
1977 – Jeremy Paul, New Zealand-Australian rugby player
1978 – Pieter van den Hoogenband, Dutch swimmer
1979 – Nicolas Anelka, French footballer and manager
1979 – Chris Klein, American actor
1979 – Sead Ramović, German-Bosnian footballer
1980 – Aaron Brown, English footballer and coach
1980 – Ben Herring, New Zealand rugby player
1981 – Bobby Jenks, American baseball player
1981 – George Wilson, American football player
1982 – Carlos Marinelli, Argentinian footballer
1982 – François Sterchele, Belgian footballer (d. 2008)
1983 – Bakhtiyar Artayev, Kazakh boxer
1986 – Elton Chigumbura, Zimbabwean cricketer
1986 – Jessica Gallagher, Australian skier and cyclist
1986 – Andy Taylor, English footballer
1988 – Stephen Curry, American basketball player
1988 – Rico Freimuth, German decathlete
1989 – Kevin Lacroix, Canadian race car driver
1990 – Joe Allen, Welsh footballer
1990 – Tamás Kádár, Hungarian footballer
1990 – Haru Kuroki, Japanese actress
1990 – Kolbeinn Sigþórsson, Icelandic footballer
1991 – Emir Bekrić, Serbian hurdler
1991 – László Szűcs, Hungarian footballer
1991 – Steven Zellner, German footballer
1993 – Philipp Ziereis, German footballer
1994 – Ansel Elgort, American actor and DJ
1996 – Batuhan Altıntaş, Turkish footballer
1997 – Simone Biles, American gymnast
2008 – Abby Ryder Fortson, American actress

Deaths on March 14

840 – Einhard, Frankish scholar
968 – Matilda of Ringelheim, Saxon queen (b. c. 896)
1555 – John Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford (b. 1485)
1647 – Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange (b. 1584)
1648 – Ferdinando Fairfax, 2nd Lord Fairfax of Cameron, English general and politician (b. 1584)
1696 – Jean Domat, French lawyer and jurist (b. 1625)
1748 – George Wade, Irish field marshal and politician (b. 1673)
1757 – John Byng, British admiral and politician, 11th Commodore Governor of Newfoundland (b. 1704)
1791 – Johann Salomo Semler, German historian and critic (b. 1725)
1803 – Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock, German poet (b. 1724)
1811 – Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton, English academic and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1735)
1823 – Charles François Dumouriez, French general and politician, French Minister of War (b. 1739)
1860 – Carl Ritter von Ghega, Italian engineer, designed the Semmering railway (b. 1802)
1877 – Juan Manuel de Rosas, Argentinian general and politician, 17th Governor of Buenos Aires Province (b. 1793)
1883 – Karl Marx, German philosopher and theorist (b. 1818)
1884 – Quintino Sella, Italian economist and politician, Italian Minister of Finances (b. 1827)
1932 – George Eastman, American inventor and businessman, founded Eastman Kodak (b. 1854)
1953 – Klement Gottwald, Czechoslovak Communist politician and 14th President of Czechoslovakia (b. 1896)
1957 – Evagoras Pallikarides, Cypriot activist (b. 1938)
1965 – Marion Jones Farquhar, American tennis player (b. 1879)
1968 – Erwin Panofsky, German historian and academic (b. 1892)
1969 – Ben Shahn, Lithuanian-American painter, illustrator, and educator (b. 1898)
1973 – Howard H. Aiken, American computer scientist and engineer (b. 1900)
1973 – Chic Young, American cartoonist (b. 1901)
1975 – Susan Hayward, American actress (b. 1917)
1976 – Busby Berkeley, American director and choreographer (b. 1895)
1977 – Fannie Lou Hamer, American activist and philanthropist (b. 1917)
1980 – Mohammad Hatta, Indonesian politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Indonesia (b. 1902)
1980 – Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente, Spanish environmentalist (b. 1928)
1984 – Hovhannes Shiraz, Armenian poet (b. 1915)
1989 – Zita of Bourbon-Parma, Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary (b. 1892)
1991 – Howard Ashman, American playwright and composer (b. 1950)
1995 – William Alfred Fowler, American physicist and astronomer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1911)
1997 – Fred Zinnemann, Austrian-American director and producer (b. 1907)
1999 – Kirk Alyn, American actor (b. 1910)
1999 – John Broome, American author (b. 1913)
2003 – Jack Goldstein, Canadian-American painter (b. 1945)
2003 – Jean-Luc Lagardère, French engineer and businessman (b. 1928)
2006 – Lennart Meri, Estonian director and politician, 2nd President of Estonia (b. 1929)
2007 – Lucie Aubrac, French educator and activist (b. 1912)
2008 – Chiara Lubich, Italian activist, co-founded the Focolare Movement (b. 1920)
2010 – Peter Graves, American actor (b. 1926)
2012 – Pierre Schoendoerffer, French director and screenwriter (b. 1928)
2012 – Ċensu Tabone, Maltese general and politician, 4th President of Malta (b. 1913)
2013 – Jack Greene, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1930)
2013 – Aramais Sahakyan, Armenian poet and author (b. 1936)
2013 – Ieng Sary, Vietnamese-Cambodian politician, Cambodian Minister for Foreign Affairs (b. 1925)
2014 – Tony Benn, English politician, Postmaster General of the United Kingdom (b. 1925)
2014 – Meir Har-Zion, Israeli commander (b. 1934)
2016 – John W. Cahn, German-American metallurgist and academic (b. 1928)
2016 – Peter Maxwell Davies, English composer and conductor (b. 1934)
2016 – Suranimala Rajapaksha, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician (b. 1949)
2018 – Jim Bowen, English stand-up comedian and TV personality (b. 1937)
2018 – Marielle Franco, Brazilian politician and human rights activist (b. 1979)
2018 – Stephen Hawking, English physicist and author (b. 1942)
2018 – Liam O’Flynn, Irish uileann piper (b. 1945)
2019 – Jake Phelps, American skateboarder and Thrasher editor-in-chief (b. 1962)

Holidays and observances on March 14

Christian feast day:
- Leobinus
- March 14 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Constitution Day (Andorra)
Heroes’ Day (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines)
Mother Tongue Day (Estonia)
Nanakshahi New Year, first day of the month of Chet (Sikhism)
Pi Day
Summer Day (Albania)
White Day on which men give gifts to women; complementary to Valentine’s Day (Japan and other Asian nations)

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