Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors. Please consider supporting us by whitelisting our website.

1691

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

On This Day /
  • 1430 – Joan of Arc is captured by the Burgundians while leading an army to raise the Siege of Compiègne.
  • 1498 – Girolamo Savonarola is burned at the stake in Florence, Italy.
  • 1533 – The marriage of King Henry VIII to Catherine of Aragon is declared null and void.
  • 1568 – Dutch rebels led by Louis of Nassau, defeat Jean de Ligne, Duke of Arenberg, and his loyalist troops in the Battle of Heiligerlee, opening the Eighty Years’ War.
  • 1609 – Official ratification of the Second Virginia Charter takes place.
  • 1618 – The Second Defenestration of Prague precipitates the Thirty Years’ War.
  • 1701 – After being convicted of piracy and of murdering William Moore, Captain William Kidd is hanged in London.
  • 1706 – John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, defeats a French army under Marshal François de Neufville, duc de Villeroy at the Battle of Ramillies.
  • 1788 – South Carolina ratifies the United States Constitution as the eighth American state.
  • 1793 – Battle of Famars during the Flanders Campaign of the War of the First Coalition.
  • 1829 – Accordion patent granted to Cyrill Demian in Vienna, Austrian Empire.
  • 1844 – Declaration of the Báb the evening before the 23rd: A merchant of Shiraz announces that he is a Prophet and founds a religious movement that would later be brutally crushed by the Persian government. He is considered to be a forerunner of the Bahá’í Faith; Bahá’ís celebrate the day as a holy day.
  • 1846 – Mexican–American War: President Mariano Paredes of Mexico unofficially declares war on the United States.
  • 1863 – The General German Workers’ Association, a precursor of the modern Social Democratic Party of Germany, is founded in Leipzig, Kingdom of Saxony.
  • 1873 – The Canadian Parliament establishes the North-West Mounted Police, the forerunner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
  • 1900 – American Civil War: Sergeant William Harvey Carney is awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism in the Assault on the Battery Wagner in 1863.
  • 1907 – The unicameral Parliament of Finland gathers for its first plenary session.
  • 1911 – The New York Public Library is dedicated.
  • 1915 – World War I: Italy joins the Allies, fulfilling its part of the Treaty of London.
  • 1932 – In Brazil, four students are shot and killed during a manifestation against the Brazilian dictator Getúlio Vargas, which resulted in the outbreak of the Constitutionalist Revolution several weeks later.
  • 1934 – Infamous American bank robbers Bonnie and Clyde are ambushed by police and killed in Bienville Parish, Louisiana.
  • 1934 – The Auto-Lite strike culminates in the “Battle of Toledo”, a five-day melée between 1,300 troops of the Ohio National Guard and 6,000 picketers.
  • 1939 – The U.S. Navy submarine USS Squalus sinks off the coast of New Hampshire during a test dive, causing the death of 24 sailors and two civilian technicians. The remaining 32 sailors and one civilian naval architect are rescued the following day.
  • 1945 – World War II: Heinrich Himmler, head of the Schutzstaffel, commits suicide while in Allied custody.
  • 1945 – World War II: Germany’s Flensburg Government under Karl Dönitz is dissolved when its members are arrested by British forces.
  • 1948 – Thomas C. Wasson, the US Consul-General, is assassinated in Jerusalem, Israel.
  • 1949 – Cold War: The Western occupying powers approve the Basic Law and establish a new German state, the Federal Republic of Germany.
  • 1951 – Tibetans sign the Seventeen Point Agreement with China.
  • 1960 – A tsunami caused by an earthquake in Chile the previous day kills 61 people in Hilo, Hawaii.
  • 1992 – Italy’s most prominent anti-mafia judge Giovanni Falcone, his wife and three body guards are killed by the Corleonesi clan with a half-ton bomb near Capaci, Sicily. His friend and colleague Paolo Borsellino will be assassinated less than two months later, making 1992 a turning point in the history of Italian Mafia prosecutions.
  • 1995 – The first version of the Java programming language is released.
  • 1998 – The Good Friday Agreement is accepted in a referendum in Northern Ireland with roughly 75% voting yes.
  • 2002 – The “55 parties” clause of the Kyoto Protocol is reached after its ratification by Iceland.
  • 2006 – Alaskan stratovolcano Mount Cleveland erupts.
  • 2008 – The International Court of Justice (ICJ) awards Middle Rocks to Malaysia and Pedra Branca (Pulau Batu Puteh) to Singapore, ending a 29-year territorial dispute between the two countries.
  • 2013 – A freeway bridge carrying Interstate 5 over the Skagit River collapses in Mount Vernon, Washington.
  • 2014 – Seven people, including the perpetrator, are killed and another 14 injured in a killing spree near the campus of University of California, Santa Barbara.
  • 2015 – At least 46 people are killed as a result of floods caused by a tornado in Texas and Oklahoma.
  • 2016 – Two suicide bombings, conducted by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, killed at least 45 potential army recruits in Aden, Yemen.
  • 2016 – Eight bombings were carried out by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria in Jableh and Tartus, coastline cities in Syria. One hundred eighty-four people were killed and at least 200 people injured.
  • 2017 – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law in Mindanao, following the Maute’s attack in Marawi.

Births on May 23

  • 635 – K’inich Kan Bahlam II, Mayan king (d. 702)
  • 675 – Perumbidugu Mutharaiyar II, King of Mutharaiyar dynasty, Tamil Nadu, India
  • 1052 – Philip I of France (d. 1108)
  • 1100 – Emperor Qinzong of Song (d. 1161)
  • 1127 – Uijong of Goryeo, Korean monarch of the Goryeo dynasty (d. 1173)
  • 1330 – Gongmin of Goryeo, Korean ruler (d. 1374)
  • 1586 – Paul Siefert, German composer and organist (d. 1666)
  • 1606 – Juan Caramuel y Lobkowitz, Spanish mathematician and philosopher (d. 1682)
  • 1614 – Bertholet Flemalle, Flemish Baroque painter (d. 1675)
  • 1617 – Elias Ashmole, English astrologer and politician (d. 1692)
  • 1629 – William VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel, noble of Hesse-Kassel (d. 1663)
  • 1707 – Carl Linnaeus, Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist (d. 1778)
  • 1718 – William Hunter, Scottish-English anatomist and physician (d. 1783)
  • 1729 – Giuseppe Parini, Italian poet and educator (d. 1799)
  • 1730 – Prince Augustus Ferdinand of Prussia, Prussian prince and general (d. 1813)
  • 1734 – Franz Mesmer, German physician and astrologer (d. 1815)
  • 1741 – Andrea Luchesi, Italian organist and composer (d. 1801)
  • 1789 – Franz Schlik, Austrian earl and general (d. 1862)
  • 1790 – Jules Dumont d’Urville, French admiral and explorer (d. 1842)
  • 1790 – James Pradier, French neoclassical sculptor (d. 1852)
  • 1794 – Ignaz Moscheles, Czech pianist and composer (d. 1870)
  • 1795 – Charles Barry, English architect, designed the Upper Brook Street Chapel and Halifax Town Hall (d. 1860)
  • 1800 – Rómulo Díaz de la Vega, Mexican general and president (1855) (d. 1877)
  • 1810 – Margaret Fuller, American journalist and critic (d. 1850)
  • 1817 – Manuel Robles Pezuela, Unconstitutional Mexican interim president (d. 1862)
  • 1820 – James Buchanan Eads, American engineer, designed the Eads Bridge (d. 1887)
  • 1820 – Lorenzo Sawyer, American lawyer and judge (d. 1891)
  • 1824 – Ambrose Burnside, American general and politician, 30th Governor of Rhode Island (d. 1881)
  • 1834 – Jānis Frīdrihs Baumanis, Latvian architect (d. 1891)
  • 1834 – Carl Bloch, Danish painter and academic (d. 1890)
  • 1837 – Anatole Mallet, Swiss mechanical engineer and inventor (d. 1919)
  • 1837 – Józef Wieniawski, Polish pianist and composer (d. 1912)
  • 1838 – Amaldus Nielsen, Norwegian painter (d. 1932)
  • 1840 – George Throssell, Irish-Australian politician, 2nd Premier of Western Australia (d. 1910)
  • 1844 – `Abdu’l-Bahá, Iranian religious leader (d. 1921)
  • 1848 – Otto Lilienthal, German pilot and engineer (d. 1896)
  • 1855 – Isabella Ford, English author and activist (d. 1924)
  • 1861 – József Rippl-Rónai, Hungarian painter (d. 1927)
  • 1863 – Władysław Horodecki, Polish architect (d. 1930)
  • 1864 – William O’Connor, American fencer (d. 1939)
  • 1865 – Epitácio Pessoa, Brazilian jurist and politician, 11th President of Brazil (d. 1942)
  • 1875 – Alfred P. Sloan, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 1966)
  • 1882 – William Halpenny, Canadian pole vaulter (d. 1960)
  • 1883 – Douglas Fairbanks, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1939)
  • 1884 – Corrado Gini, Italian sociologist and demographer (d. 1965)
  • 1887 – Thoralf Skolem, Norwegian mathematician and theorist (d. 1963)
  • 1887 – Nikolai Vekšin, Estonian-Russian sailor and captain (d. 1951)
  • 1888 – Adriaan Roland Holst, Dutch writer (d. 1976)
  • 1888 – Zack Wheat, American baseball player and police officer (d. 1972)
  • 1889 – Ernst Niekisch, German educator and politician (d. 1967)
  • 1890 – Herbert Marshall, English-American actor and singer (d. 1966)
  • 1891 – Pär Lagerkvist, Swedish novelist, playwright, and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1974)
  • 1892 – Albert Spencer, 7th Earl Spencer, British peer and grandfather of Diana Spencer (d. 1975)
  • 1896 – Felix Steiner, Russian-German SS officer (d. 1966)
  • 1897 – Jimmie Guthrie, Scottish motorcycle racer (d. 1937)
  • 1898 – Scott O’Dell, American soldier, journalist, and author (d. 1989)
  • 1898 – Josef Terboven, German soldier and politician (d. 1945)
  • 1899 – Jeralean Talley, American super-centenarian (d. 2015)
  • 1900 – Hans Frank, German lawyer and politician (d. 1946)
  • 1900 – Franz Leopold Neumann, German lawyer and theorist (d. 1954)
  • 1908 – John Bardeen, American physicist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1991)
  • 1908 – Hélène Boucher, French pilot (d. 1934)
  • 1910 – Margaret Wise Brown, American author and educator (d. 1952)
  • 1910 – Hugh Casson, English architect and academic (d. 1999)
  • 1910 – Scatman Crothers, American actor and comedian (d. 1986)
  • 1910 – Franz Kline, American painter and academic (d. 1962)
  • 1910 – Artie Shaw, American clarinet player, composer, and bandleader (d. 2004)
  • 1911 – Lou Brouillard, Canadian boxer (d. 1984)
  • 1911 – Paul Augustin Mayer, German cardinal (d. 2010)
  • 1911 – Betty Nuthall, English tennis player (d. 1983)
  • 1912 – Jean Françaix, French pianist and composer (d. 1997)
  • 1912 – John Payne, American actor (d. 1989)
  • 1914 – Harold Hitchcock, English visionary landscape artist (d. 2009)
  • 1914 – Celestine Sibley, American journalist and author (d. 1999)
  • 1914 – Barbara Ward, Baroness Jackson of Lodsworth, English economist, journalist, and prominent Catholic layperson (d. 1981)
  • 1915 – S. Donald Stookey, American physicist and chemist, invented CorningWare (d. 2014)
  • 1917 – Edward Norton Lorenz, American mathematician and meteorologist (d. 2008)
  • 1918 – Denis Compton, English cricketer and sportscaster (d. 1997)
  • 1919 – Robert Bernstein, American author and playwright (d. 1988)
  • 1919 – Ruth Fernández, Puerto Rican contralto and a member of the Puerto Rican Senate (d. 2012)
  • 1919 – Betty Garrett, American actress, singer, and dancer (d. 2011)
  • 1920 – Helen O’Connell, American singer (d. 1993)
  • 1923 – Alicia de Larrocha, Catalan-Spanish pianist (d. 2009)
  • 1923 – Irving Millman, American virologist and microbiologist (d. 2012)
  • 1924 – Karlheinz Deschner, German author and activist (d. 2014)
  • 1925 – Joshua Lederberg, American biologist and geneticist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2008)
  • 1926 – Basil Salvadore D’Souza, Indian bishop (d. 1996)
  • 1926 – Joe Slovo, Lithuanian-South African activist and politician (d. 1995)
  • 1928 – Rosemary Clooney, American singer and actress (d. 2002)
  • 1928 – Nigel Davenport, English actor (d. 2013)
  • 1928 – Nina Otkalenko, Russian runner (d. 2015)
  • 1929 – Ulla Jacobsson, Swedish-Austrian actress (d. 1982)
  • 1930 – Friedrich Achleitner, German poet and critic (d. 2019)
  • 1931 – Barbara Barrie, American actress
  • 1932 – Kevork Ajemian, Syrian-French journalist and author (d. 1998)
  • 1933 – Joan Collins, English actress
  • 1933 – Ove Fundin, Swedish motorcycle racer
  • 1934 – Robert Moog, electronic engineer and inventor of the Moog synthesizer (d. 2005)
  • 1935 – Lasse Strömstedt, Swedish author (d. 2009)
  • 1936 – Ingeborg Hallstein, German soprano and actress
  • 1936 – Charles Kimbrough, American actor
  • 1939 – Michel Colombier, French-American composer and conductor (d. 2004)
  • 1939 – Reinhard Hauff, German director and screenwriter
  • 1940 – Bjorn Johansen, Norwegian saxophonist (d. 2002)
  • 1940 – Gérard Larrousse, French race car driver
  • 1940 – Cora Sadosky, Argentinian mathematician and academic (d. 2010)
  • 1941 – Zalman King, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2012)
  • 1941 – Rod Thorn, American basketball player, coach, and executive
  • 1942 – Gabriel Liiceanu, Romanian philosopher, author, and academic
  • 1942 – Kovelamudi Raghavendra Rao, Indian director, screenwriter, and choreographer
  • 1943 – Peter Kenilorea, Solomon Islands politician, 1st Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands (d. 2016)
  • 1944 – John Newcombe, Australian tennis player and sportscaster
  • 1945 – Padmarajan, Indian director, screenwriter, and author (d. 1991)
  • 1946 – David Graham, Australian golfer
  • 1947 – Jane Kenyon, American poet and translator (d. 1995)
  • 1948 – Myriam Boyer, French actress, director, and producer
  • 1949 – Daniel DiNardo, American cardinal
  • 1949 – Alan García, Peruvian lawyer and politician, 61st and 64th President of Peru (d. 2019)
  • 1950 – Martin McGuinness, Irish republican and Sinn Féin politician, Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland (d. 2017)
  • 1951 – Anatoly Karpov, Russian chess player
  • 1951 – Antonis Samaras, Greek economist and politician, 185th Prime Minister of Greece
  • 1952 – Martin Parr, English photographer and journalist
  • 1954 – Gerry Armstrong, Northern Irish international footballer, striker
  • 1954 – Marvelous Marvin Hagler, American boxer and actor
  • 1955 – Luka Bloom, Irish singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1956 – Andrea Pazienza, Italian illustrator and painter (d. 1988)
  • 1956 – Ursula Plassnik, Austrian politician and diplomat, Foreign Minister of Austria
  • 1956 – Buck Showalter, American baseball player, coach, and manager
  • 1958 – Mitch Albom, American journalist, author, and screenwriter
  • 1958 – Drew Carey, American actor, game show host, and entrepreneur
  • 1958 – Lea DeLaria, American actress and singer
  • 1959 – Marcella Mesker, Dutch tennis player and sportscaster
  • 1960 – Linden Ashby, American actor
  • 1961 – Daniele Massaro, Italian footballer and manager
  • 1961 – Norrie May-Welby, Scottish Australian gender activist
  • 1962 – Karen Duffy, American actress
  • 1963 – Viviane Baladi, Swiss mathematician
  • 1964 – Ruth Metzler, Swiss lawyer and politician
  • 1965 – Manuel Sanchís Hontiyuelo, Spanish footballer
  • 1965 – Tom Tykwer, German director, producer, screenwriter, and composer
  • 1965 – Melissa McBride, American actress
  • 1965 – Paul Sironen, Australian rugby league player
  • 1966 – Graeme Hick, Zimbabwean-English cricketer and coach
  • 1966 – Gary Roberts, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1967 – Luís Roberto Alves, Mexican footballer
  • 1967 – Anna Ibrisagic, Swedish politician
  • 1968 – Guinevere Turner, American actress and screenwriter
  • 1970 – Bryan Herta, American race car driver and businessman, co-founded Bryan Herta Autosport
  • 1971 – George Osborne, English journalist and politician, former Chancellor of the Exchequer
  • 1972 – Rubens Barrichello, Brazilian race car driver
  • 1972 – Martin Saggers, English cricketer and umpire
  • 1973 – Maxwell, American singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1974 – Jewel, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, actress, and poet
  • 1974 – Manuela Schwesig, German politician, German Federal Minister of Family Affairs
  • 1976 – Ricardinho, Brazilian footballer and manager
  • 1977 – Ilia Kulik, Russian figure skater
  • 1978 – Scott Raynor, American drummer
  • 1979 – Rasual Butler, American basketball player (d. 2018)
  • 1979 – Brian Campbell, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1980 – Theofanis Gekas, Greek footballer
  • 1980 – Ben Ross, Australian rugby league player
  • 1983 – Silvio Proto, Belgian-Italian footballer
  • 1984 – Hugo Almeida, Portuguese footballer
  • 1985 – Sebastián Fernández, Uruguayan footballer
  • 1985 – Teymuraz Gabashvili, Russian tennis player
  • 1985 – Wim Stroetinga, Dutch cyclist
  • 1985 – Ross Wallace, Scottish footballer
  • 1986 – Ryan Coogler, American film director and screenwriter
  • 1986 – Alexei Sitnikov, Russian-Azerbaijani figure skater
  • 1986 – Alice Tait, Australian swimmer
  • 1986 – Ruben Zadkovich, Australian footballer
  • 1987 – Gracie Otto, Australian actress, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1987 – Bray Wyatt, American wrestler
  • 1988 – Rosanna Crawford, Canadian biathlete
  • 1988 – Angelo Ogbonna, Italian footballer
  • 1988 – Morgan Pressel, American golfer
  • 1989 – Ezequiel Schelotto, Italian footballer
  • 1990 – Dan Evans, British tennis player
  • 1990 – Kristina Kucova, Slovakian tennis player
  • 1990 – Oliver Venno, Estonian volleyball player
  • 1991 – Aaron Donald, American football player
  • 1991 – Lena Meyer-Landrut, German singer-songwriter
  • 1991 – César Pinares, Chilean footballer
  • 1996 – Katharina Althaus, German ski jumper
  • 1996 – Emmanuel Boateng, Ghanaian footballer
  • 1996 – Razvan Marin, Romanian footballer
  • 1997 – Pedro Chirivella, Spanish footballer
  • 1997 – Coy Craft, American footballer
  • 1997 – Joe Gomez, English footballer
  • 1997 – Gustaf Nilsson, Swedish footballer
  • 1997 – Sam Timmins, New Zealand basketball player
  • 1998 – Sérgio Sette Câmara, Brazilian race car driver
  • 1998 – Ross Cunningham, Scottish footballer
  • 1998 – Salwa Eid Naser, Bahraini track and field sprinter
  • 1998 – Luca De La Torre, American footballer
  • 1998 – Steve Lacy, American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer
  • 2000 – Felipe Drugovich, Brazilian race car driver
  • 2000 – Jaxson Hayes, American basketball player

Deaths on May 23

  • 230 – Urban I, pope of the Catholic Church
  • 922 – Li Sizhao, Chinese general and governor
  • 962 – Guibert of Gembloux, Frankish abbot (b. 892)
  • 1125 – Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1081)
  • 1304 – Jehan de Lescurel, French poet and composer
  • 1338 – Alice de Warenne, Countess of Arundel, English noble (b. 1287)
  • 1370 – Toghon Temür, Mongol emperor (b. 1320)
  • 1423 – Antipope Benedict XIII (b. 1328)
  • 1498 – Girolamo Savonarola, Italian friar and preacher (b. 1452)
  • 1523 – Ashikaga Yoshitane, Japanese shōgun (b. 1466)
  • 1524 – Ismail I, First Emperor of Safavid Empire (b. 1487)
  • 1591 – John Blitheman, English organist and composer (b. 1525)
  • 1662 – John Gauden, English bishop (b. 1605)
  • 1670 – Ferdinando II de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (b. 1610)
  • 1691 – Adrien Auzout, French astronomer and instrument maker (b. 1622)
  • 1701 – William Kidd, Scottish pirate (b. 1645)
  • 1749 – Abraham ben Abraham, Polish martyr (b. 1700)
  • 1752 – William Bradford, English-American printer (b. 1663)
  • 1754 – John Wood, the Elder, English architect, designed The Circus and Queen Square (b. 1704)
  • 1783 – James Otis, Jr., American lawyer and politician (b. 1725)
  • 1813 – Géraud Duroc, French general and diplomat (b. 1772)
  • 1815 – Gotthilf Heinrich Ernst Muhlenberg, American clergyman and botanist (b. 1753)
  • 1841 – Franz Xaver von Baader, German philosopher and theologian (b. 1765)
  • 1855 – Charles Robert Malden, English lieutenant and explorer (b. 1797)
  • 1857 – Augustin-Louis Cauchy, French mathematician and academic (b. 1789)
  • 1868 – Kit Carson, American general (b. 1809)
  • 1886 – Leopold von Ranke, German historian and academic (b. 1795)
  • 1893 – Anton von Schmerling, Austrian politician (b. 1805)
  • 1895 – Franz Ernst Neumann, German mineralogist, physicist, and mathematician (b. 1798)
  • 1906 – Henrik Ibsen, Norwegian director, playwright, and poet (b. 1828)
  • 1908 – François Coppée, French poet and author (b. 1842)
  • 1920 – Svetozar Boroević, Croatian-Austrian field marshal (b. 1856)
  • 1921 – August Nilsson, Swedish shot putter and tug of war competitor (b. 1872)
  • 1934 – Clyde Barrow, American criminal (b. 1909)
  • 1934 – Mihkel Martna, Estonian journalist and politician (b. 1860)
  • 1934 – Bonnie Parker, American criminal (b. 1910)
  • 1937 – John D. Rockefeller, American businessman and philanthropist, founded the Standard Oil Company and Rockefeller University (b. 1839)
  • 1938 – Frederick Ruple, Swiss-American painter (b. 1871)
  • 1942 – Panagiotis Toundas, Greek composer and conductor (b. 1886)
  • 1945 – Heinrich Himmler, German commander and politician, Reich Minister of the Interior (b. 1900)
  • 1947 – Charles-Ferdinand Ramuz, Swiss author and poet (b. 1878)
  • 1949 – Jan Frans De Boever, Belgian painter and illustrator (b. 1872)
  • 1956 – Gustav Suits, Latvian-Estonian poet and politician (b. 1883)
  • 1960 – Georges Claude, French engineer and inventor, created Neon lighting (b. 1870)
  • 1962 – Louis Coatalen, French engineer (b. 1879)
  • 1963 – August Jakobson, Estonian author and politician (b. 1904)
  • 1965 – David Smith, American sculptor (b. 1906)
  • 1975 – Moms Mabley, American comedian and actor (b. 1894)
  • 1979 – S. Selvanayagam, Sri Lankan geographer and academic (b. 1932)
  • 1981 – Gene Green, American baseball player (b. 1933)
  • 1981 – Rayner Heppenstall, English author and poet (b. 1911)
  • 1981 – George Jessel, American actor, singer, and producer (b. 1898)
  • 1981 – David Lewis, Belarusian-Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1909)
  • 1986 – Sterling Hayden, American actor (b. 1916)
  • 1989 – Georgy Tovstonogov, Russian director and producer (b. 1915)
  • 1989 – Karl Koch, German computer hacker (b. 1965)
  • 1991 – Wilhelm Kempff, German pianist and composer (b. 1895)
  • 1991 – Jean Van Houtte, Belgian academic and politician, 50th Prime Minister of Belgium (b. 1907)
  • 1991 – Fletcher Markle, Canadian director, screenwriter, and producer (b. 1921)
  • 1992 – Kostas Davourlis, Greek footballer (b. 1948)
  • 1992 – Giovanni Falcone, Italian lawyer and judge (b. 1939)
  • 1994 – Olav Hauge, Norwegian poet (b. 1908)
  • 1996 – Kronid Lyubarsky, Russian journalist and activist (b. 1934)
  • 1998 – Telford Taylor, American general and lawyer (b. 1908)
  • 1999 – Owen Hart, Canadian-American wrestler (b. 1965)
  • 2002 – Sam Snead, American golfer and journalist (b. 1912)
  • 2006 – Lloyd Bentsen, American colonel and politician, 69th United States Secretary of the Treasury (b. 1921)
  • 2006 – Kazimierz Górski, Polish footballer and manager (b. 1921)
  • 2008 – Iñaki Ochoa de Olza, Spanish mountaineer (b. 1967)
  • 2008 – Utah Phillips, American singer-songwriter and poet (b. 1935)
  • 2009 – Roh Moo-hyun, South Korean soldier and politician, 9th President of South Korea (b. 1946)
  • 2010 – José Lima, Dominican-American baseball player (b. 1972)
  • 2010 – Simon Monjack, English director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1970)
  • 2011 – Xavier Tondo, Spanish cyclist (b. 1978)
  • 2012 – Paul Fussell, American historian, author, and academic (b. 1924)
  • 2013 – Epy Guerrero, Dominican baseball player, coach, and scout (b. 1942)
  • 2013 – Hayri Kozakçıoğlu, Turkish police officer and politician, 15th Governor of Istanbul Province (b. 1938)
  • 2013 – Georges Moustaki, Egyptian-French singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1934)
  • 2013 – Flynn Robinson, American basketball player (b. 1941)
  • 2014 – Mikhail Egorovich Alekseev, Russian linguist and academic (b. 1949)
  • 2014 – Madhav Mantri, Indian cricketer (b. 1921)
  • 2015 – Anne Meara, American actress, comedian and playwright (b. 1929)
  • 2015 – Aleksey Mozgovoy, Ukrainian sergeant (b. 1975)
  • 2015 – Alicia Nash, Salvadoran-American physicist and engineer (b. 1933)
  • 2015 – John Forbes Nash, Jr., American mathematician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1928)
  • 2017 – Roger Moore, English actor (b. 1927)
  • 2020 – Hana Kimura, Japanese professional wrestler (b. 1997)

Holidays and observances on May 23

  • Christian feast day:
    • Aaron the Illustrious (Syriac Orthodox Church)
    • Desiderius of Vienne
    • Giovanni Battista de’ Rossi
    • Julia of Corsica
    • Nicolaus Copernicus and Johannes Kepler (Episcopal Church (USA))
    • Quintian, Lucius and Julian
    • William of Perth
    • May 23 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Constitution Day (Germany)
  • Earliest day on which Declaration of the Báb can fall, while May 24 is the latest; observed on ‘Aẓamat 8 (Bahá’í Faith)
  • Earliest day on which National Heroes’ Day can fall, while May 31 is the latest; celebrated on last Monday of May. (Turks and Caicos Islands)
  • Labour Day (Jamaica)
  • Students’ Day (Mexico)
  • World Turtle Day

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

On This Day

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

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

Births on May 16

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

Deaths on May 16

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

Holidays and observances on May 16

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

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

On This Day

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

On This Day /
  • 238 – Year of the Six Emperors: The Roman Senate outlaws emperor Maximinus Thrax for his bloodthirsty proscriptions in Rome and nominates two of its members, Pupienus and Balbinus, to the throne.
  • 1500 – Portuguese navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral lands in Brazil.
  • 1519 – Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés establishes a settlement at Veracruz, Mexico.
  • 1529 – Treaty of Zaragoza divides the eastern hemisphere between Spain and Portugal along a line 297.5 leagues (1,250 kilometres (780 mi)) east of the Moluccas.
  • 1622 – The Capture of Ormuz by the East India Company ends Portuguese control of Hormuz Island.
  • 1809 – The second day of the Battle of Eckmühl: The Austrian army is defeated by the First French Empire army led by Napoleon and driven over the Danube in Regensburg.
  • 1836 – Texas Revolution: A day after the Battle of San Jacinto, forces under Texas General Sam Houston identify Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna among the captives of the battle when some of his fellow soldiers mistakenly give away his identity.
  • 1864 – The U.S. Congress passes the Coinage Act of 1864 that mandates that the inscription In God We Trust be placed on all coins minted as United States currency.
  • 1876 – The first game in the history of the National League was played at the Jefferson Street Grounds in Philadelphia. This game is often pointed to as the beginning of Major League Baseball.
  • 1889 – At noon, thousands rush to claim land in the Land Rush of 1889. Within hours the cities of Oklahoma City and Guthrie are formed with populations of at least 10,000.
  • 1898 – Spanish–American War: The USS Nashville captures a Spanish merchant ship.
  • 1906 – The 1906 Intercalated Games, now recognized as part of the official Olympic Games, open in Athens.
  • 1915 – The use of poison gas in World War I escalates when chlorine gas is released as a chemical weapon in the Second Battle of Ypres.
  • 1930 – The United Kingdom, Japan and the United States sign the London Naval Treaty regulating submarine warfare and limiting shipbuilding.
  • 1944 – The 1st Air Commando Group using Sikorsky R-4 helicopters stage the first use of helicopters in combat with combat search and rescue operations in the China Burma India Theater.
  • 1944 – World War II: Operation Persecution is initiated: Allied forces land in the Hollandia (currently known as Jayapura) area of New Guinea.
  • 1944 – World War II: In Greenland, the Allied Sledge Patrol attack the German Bassgeiger weather station.
  • 1945 – World War II: Prisoners at the Jasenovac concentration camp revolt. Five hundred twenty are killed and around eighty escape.
  • 1948 – Arab–Israeli War: The port city of Haifa is captured by Jewish forces.
  • 1951 – Korean War: The Chinese People’s Volunteer Army begin assaulting positions defended by the Royal Australian Regiment and the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry at the Battle of Kapyong.
  • 1954 – Red Scare: Witnesses begin testifying and live television coverage of the Army–McCarthy hearings begins.
  • 1969 – British yachtsman Sir Robin Knox-Johnston wins the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race and completes the first solo non-stop circumnavigation of the world.
  • 1969 – The formation of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) is announced at a mass rally in Calcutta.
  • 1970 – The first Earth Day is celebrated.
  • 1972 – Increased American bombing in Vietnam prompts anti-war protests in Los Angeles, New York City, and San Francisco.
  • 1977 – Optical fiber is first used to carry live telephone traffic.
  • 1983 – The German magazine Stern claims the “Hitler Diaries” had been found in wreckage in East Germany; the diaries are subsequently revealed to be forgeries.
  • 1992 – In a series of explosions in Guadalajara, Mexico, 206 people are killed, nearly 500 injured and 15,000 left homeless.
  • 1993 – Eighteen-year-old Stephen Lawrence is murdered in a racially motivated attack while waiting for a bus in Well Hall, Eltham.
  • 1997 – Haouch Khemisti massacre in Algeria where 93 villagers are killed.
  • 2000 – In a pre-dawn raid, federal agents seize six-year-old Elián González from his relatives’ home in Miami.
  • 2004 – Two fuel trains collide in Ryongchon, North Korea, killing up to 150 people.
  • 2005 – Japan’s Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi apologizes for Japan’s war record.
  • 2008 – The United States Air Force retires the remaining F-117 Nighthawk aircraft in service.
  • 2013 – The Royal Canadian Mounted Police arrest and charge two men with plotting to disrupt a Toronto area train service in a plot claimed to be backed by Al-Qaeda elements.
  • 2014 – More than 60 people are killed and 80 are seriously injured in a train crash in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Katanga Province.
  • 2016 – The Paris Agreement is signed, an agreement to help fight global warming.
  • 2019 – The 2019 Luzon earthquake kills at least 18 people in the Philippines.

Births on April 22

  • 1412 – Reinhard III, Count of Hanau (1451–1452) (d. 1452)
  • 1444 – Elizabeth of York, Duchess of Suffolk (d. 1503)
  • 1451 – Isabella I of Castile (d. 1504)
  • 1518 – Antoine of Navarre (d. 1562)
  • 1592 – Wilhelm Schickard, German astronomer and mathematician (d. 1635)
  • 1610 – Pope Alexander VIII (d. 1691)
  • 1658 – Giuseppe Torelli, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1709)
  • 1690 – John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville, English politician, Lord President of the Council (d. 1763)
  • 1707 – Henry Fielding, English novelist and playwright (d. 1754)
  • 1711 – Paul II Anton, Prince Esterházy, Austrian soldier (d. 1762)
  • 1724 – Immanuel Kant, German anthropologist, philosopher, and academic (d. 1804)
  • 1732 – John Johnson, English architect and surveyor (d. 1814)
  • 1744 – James Sullivan, American lawyer and politician, 7th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1808)
  • 1757 – Alessandro Rolla, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1841)
  • 1766 – Germaine de Staël, French author and political philosopher (d. 1817)
  • 1812 – Solomon Caesar Malan, Swiss-English orientalist (d. 1894)
  • 1816 – Charles-Denis Bourbaki, French general (d. 1897)
  • 1830 – Emily Davies, British suffragist and educator, co-founder and an early Mistress of Girton College, Cambridge University
  • 1832 – Julius Sterling Morton, American journalist and politician, 3rd United States Secretary of Agriculture (d. 1902)
  • 1844 – Lewis Powell, American soldier, attempted assassin of William H. Seward (d. 1865)
  • 1852 – William IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (d. 1912)
  • 1858 – Ethel Smyth, English composer (d. 1944)
  • 1854 – Henri La Fontaine, Belgian lawyer and author, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1943)
  • 1860 – Ada Rehan, Irish-American actress (d. 1916)
  • 1870 – Vladimir Lenin, Russian revolutionary and founder of Soviet Russia (d. 1924)
  • 1872 – Princess Margaret of Prussia (d. 1954)
  • 1873 – Ellen Glasgow, American author (d. 1945)
  • 1876 – Róbert Bárány, Austrian-Swedish otologist and physician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1936)
  • 1876 – Georg Lurich, Estonian wrestler and strongman (d. 1920)
  • 1879 – Bernhard Gregory, Estonian-German chess player (d. 1939)
  • 1884 – Otto Rank, Austrian-American psychologist and academic (d. 1939)
  • 1886 – Izidor Cankar, Slovenian historian, author, and diplomat (d. 1958)
  • 1889 – Richard Glücks, German SS officer (d. 1945)
  • 1891 – Laura Gilpin, American photographer (d. 1979)
  • 1891 – Vittorio Jano, Italian engineer (d. 1965)
  • 1891 – Harold Jeffreys, English mathematician, geophysicist, and astronomer (d. 1989)
  • 1891 – Nicola Sacco, Italian-American anarchist (d. 1927)
  • 1892 – Vernon Johns, African-American minister and activist (d. 1965)
  • 1899 – Vladimir Nabokov, Russian-born novelist and critic (d. 1977)
  • 1900 – Nellie Beer, British politician, Lord Mayor of Manchester from 1966–67 (d. 1988)
  • 1904 – J. Robert Oppenheimer, American physicist and academic (d. 1967)
  • 1905 – Robert Choquette, American-Canadian author, poet, and diplomat (d. 1991)
  • 1906 – Eric Fenby, English composer and educator (d. 1997)
  • 1906 – Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten (d. 1947)
  • 1908 – Ivan Yefremov, Russian paleontologist and author (d. 1972)
  • 1909 – Rita Levi-Montalcini, Sephardic Jewish-Italian neurologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2012)
  • 1909 – Indro Montanelli, Italian journalist and historian (d. 2001)
  • 1909 – Spyros Markezinis, Greek politician, Prime Minister of Greece (d. 2000)
  • 1910 – Norman Steenrod, American mathematician and academic (d. 1971)
  • 1912 – Kathleen Ferrier, English operatic singer (d. 1953)
  • 1912 – Kaneto Shindo, Japanese director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2012)
  • 1914 – Baldev Raj Chopra, Indian director and producer (d. 2008)
  • 1914 – Jan de Hartog, Dutch-American author and playwright (d. 2002)
  • 1914 – José Quiñones Gonzales, Peruvian soldier and pilot (d. 1941)
  • 1914 – Michael Wittmann, German SS officer (d. 1944)
  • 1916 – Hanfried Lenz, German mathematician and academic (d. 2013)
  • 1916 – Yehudi Menuhin, American-Swiss violinist and conductor (d. 1999)
  • 1917 – Yvette Chauviré, French ballerina (d. 2016)
  • 1917 – Sidney Nolan, Australian painter (d. 1992)
  • 1918 – William Jay Smith, American poet and academic (d. 2015)
  • 1918 – Mickey Vernon, American baseball player and coach (d. 2008)
  • 1919 – Donald J. Cram, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2001)
  • 1919 – Carl Lindner, Jr., American businessman and philanthropist (d. 2011)
  • 1922 – Richard Diebenkorn, American soldier and painter (d. 1993)
  • 1922 – Charles Mingus, American bassist, composer, and bandleader (d. 1979)
  • 1922 – Wolf V. Vishniac, American microbiologist and academic (d. 1973)
  • 1923 – Peter Kane Dufault, American soldier, pilot, and poet (d. 2013)
  • 1923 – Bettie Page, American model and actress (d. 2008)
  • 1923 – Aaron Spelling, American actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2006)
  • 1924 – Nam Duck-woo, South Korean politician, 12th Prime Minister of South Korea (d. 2013)
  • 1926 – Charlotte Rae, American actress and singer (d. 2018)
  • 1926 – James Stirling, Scottish architect, designed the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart and Seeley Historical Library (d. 1992)
  • 1927 – Laurel Aitken, Cuban-Jamaican singer (d. 2005)
  • 1929 – Michael Atiyah, English-Lebanese mathematician and academic (d. 2019)
  • 1929 – Robert Wade-Gery, English diplomat, British High Commissioner to India (d. 2015)
  • 1930 – Enno Penno, Estonian politician, Prime Minister of Estonia in exile (d. 2016)
  • 1931 – John Buchanan, Canadian lawyer and politician, 20th Premier of Nova Scotia (d. 2019)
  • 1931 – Ronald Hynd, English dancer and choreographer
  • 1933 – Anthony Llewellyn, Welsh-American chemist and astronaut (d. 2013)
  • 1935 – Christopher Ball, English linguist and academic
  • 1935 – Paul Chambers, African-American bassist and composer (d. 1969)
  • 1935 – Bhama Srinivasan, Indian-American mathematician and academic
  • 1936 – Glen Campbell, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (d. 2017)
  • 1936 – Pierre Hétu, Canadian pianist and conductor (d. 1998)
  • 1937 – Jack Nicholson, American actor and producer
  • 1937 – Jack Nitzsche, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and conductor (d. 2000)
  • 1938 – Alan Bond, English-Australian businessman (d. 2015)
  • 1938 – Gani Fawehinmi, Nigerian lawyer and activist (d. 2009)
  • 1938 – Issey Miyake, Japanese fashion designer
  • 1938 – Adam Raphael, English journalist and author
  • 1939 – Mel Carter, American singer and actor
  • 1939 – John Foley, English general and politician, Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey
  • 1939 – Ray Guy, Canadian journalist and author (d. 2013)
  • 1939 – Jason Miller, American actor and playwright (d. 2001)
  • 1939 – Theodor Waigel, German lawyer and politician, German Federal Minister of Finance
  • 1941 – Greville Howard, Baron Howard of Rising, English politician
  • 1942 – Giorgio Agamben, Italian philosopher and academic
  • 1942 – Mary Prior, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Bristol
  • 1943 – Keith Crisco, American businessman and politician (d. 2014)
  • 1943 – Janet Evanovich, American author
  • 1943 – Louise Glück, American poet
  • 1943 – John Maples, Baron Maples, English lawyer and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Defence (d. 2012)
  • 1943 – Scott W. Williams, American mathematician and professor
  • 1944 – Steve Fossett, American businessman, pilot, and sailor (d. 2007)
  • 1944 – Doug Jarrett, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2014)
  • 1944 – Joshua Rifkin, American conductor and musicologist
  • 1945 – Gopalkrishna Gandhi, Indian civil servant and politician, 22nd Governor of West Bengal
  • 1945 – Demetrio Stratos, Egyptian-Italian singer-songwriter (d. 1979)
  • 1946 – Steven L. Bennett, American captain and pilot, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1972)
  • 1946 – Paul Davies, English physicist and author
  • 1946 – Louise Harel, Canadian lawyer and politician
  • 1946 – Archy Kirkwood, Baron Kirkwood of Kirkhope, Scottish lawyer and politician
  • 1946 – Nicholas Stern, Baron Stern of Brentford, English economist and academic
  • 1946 – John Waters, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1948 – John Pritchard, English bishop
  • 1949 – Spencer Haywood, American basketball player
  • 1950 – Peter Frampton, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1950 – Jancis Robinson, English journalist and critic
  • 1951 – Paul Carrack, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1951 – Aivars Kalējs, Latvian organist, composer, and pianist
  • 1951 – Ana María Shua, Argentinian author and poet
  • 1952 – François Berléand, French actor
  • 1952 – Dave Loveridge, New Zealand rugby player
  • 1952 – Phil Smith, American basketball player (d. 2002)
  • 1953 – Valeri Bondarenko, Estonian footballer and coach
  • 1953 – Richard Broadbent, English businessman
  • 1955 – David Collier, English businessman
  • 1957 – Donald Tusk, Polish journalist and politician, 14th Prime Minister of Poland
  • 1959 – Keith Boanas, English footballer and manager
  • 1959 – Terry Francona, American baseball player, coach, and manager
  • 1959 – Catherine Mary Stewart, Canadian actress
  • 1959 – Ryan Stiles, American-Canadian actor and producer
  • 1960 – Lloyd Honeyghan, Jamaican-English boxer
  • 1960 – Mart Laar, Estonian historian and politician, 9th Prime Minister of Estonia
  • 1960 – Randall L. Stephenson, American businessman
  • 1961 – Alo Mattiisen, Estonian composer (d. 1996)
  • 1961 – Ann McKechin, Scottish lawyer and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland
  • 1961 – Dewey Nicks, American photographer and director
  • 1962 – Danièle Sauvageau, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1963 – Rosalind Gill, English sociologist and academic
  • 1963 – Magnús Ver Magnússon, Icelandic weightlifter and strongman
  • 1964 – Paul Baxter, English footballer
  • 1965 – Miguel Leal, Portuguese footballer and manager
  • 1965 – Peter Zezel, Canadian ice hockey and soccer player (d. 2009)
  • 1966 – Mickey Morandini, American baseball player and manager
  • 1966 – Jeffrey Dean Morgan, American actor
  • 1967 – David J. C. MacKay, English physicist, engineer, and academic
  • 1967 – Sherri Shepherd, American actress and talk show panelist
  • 1967 – Harvey Williams, American football player
  • 1968 – Jo Angel, Australian cricketer
  • 1968 – Bimbo Coles, American basketball player and coach
  • 1968 – Zarley Zalapski, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1969 – Dion Dublin, English footballer and sportscaster
  • 1970 – Erkki Bahovski, Estonian journalist
  • 1971 – Eric Mabius, American actor
  • 1971 – Spencer Prior, English footballer
  • 1972 – Sabine Appelmans, Belgian tennis player
  • 1972 – Owen Finegan, Australian rugby player and coach
  • 1972 – Milka Duno, Venezuelan race car driver and engineer
  • 1972 – Sergei Hohlov-Simson, Estonian footballer and manager
  • 1972 – Willie Robertson, American hunter and businessman
  • 1973 – Adem Poric, English-Australian footballer
  • 1973 – Ofer Talker, Israeli footballer and manager
  • 1974 – Shavo Odadjian, Armenian-American bass player, songwriter, and producer
  • 1975 – Greg Moore, Canadian race car driver (d. 1999)
  • 1975 – Carlos Sastre, Spanish cyclist
  • 1975 – Anders Nyström, Swedish guitarist and songwriter
  • 1976 – Dan Cloutier, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1976 – Paul Henderson, Australian footballer
  • 1976 – Michał Żewłakow, Polish footballer
  • 1977 – Mark van Bommel, Dutch footballer
  • 1978 – Paul Malakwen Kosgei, Kenyan runner and coach
  • 1978 – David Masters, English cricketer
  • 1978 – Matt Orford, Australian rugby league player
  • 1978 – Jason Stollsteimer, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1978 – Esteban Tuero, Argentinian race car driver
  • 1979 – Zoltán Gera, Hungarian international footballer and manager
  • 1979 – Daniel Johns, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1980 – Igor Budan, Croatian footballer
  • 1980 – Clarke Dermody, New Zealand rugby player
  • 1980 – Nicolas Douchez, French footballer
  • 1980 – Courtney Friel, American journalist
  • 1980 – Carlos Hernández, Venezuelan baseball player
  • 1980 – Quincy Timberlake, Kenyan-Australian activist, engineer, and politician
  • 1980 – Rutledge Wood, American racing analyst and television personality
  • 1981 – Madis Kallas, Estonian decathlete and activist
  • 1981 – Rafael Sperafico, Brazilian race car driver (d. 2007)
  • 1981 – Jonathan Trott, South African-English cricketer
  • 1982 – Kaká, Brazilian footballer
  • 1982 – Cassidy Freeman, American actress and musician
  • 1982 – Joel Monaghan, Australian rugby league player
  • 1982 – David Purcey, American baseball player
  • 1982 – Aidas Reklys, Lithuanian figure skater
  • 1982 – Aleksander Saharov, Estonian footballer
  • 1982 – Noriko Shitaya, Japanese voice actress
  • 1983 – Remi Ayodele, American football player
  • 1983 – Sam W. Heads, English-American entomologist and palaeontologist
  • 1983 – Jos Hooiveld, Dutch footballer
  • 1983 – Matt Jones, American football player
  • 1983 – Vangelis Mantzios, Greek footballer
  • 1984 – Amelle Berrabah, English singer-songwriter
  • 1985 – Kristin Fairlie, Canadian actress
  • 1986 – Amber Heard, American actress and producer
  • 1986 – Marshawn Lynch, American football player
  • 1986 – Dušan Šakota, Serbian-Greek basketball player
  • 1987 – David Luiz, Brazilian footballer
  • 1987 – David Mateos, Spanish footballer
  • 1988 – Dee Gordon, American baseball player
  • 1989 – DeJuan Blair, American basketball player
  • 1989 – Jasper Cillessen, Dutch footballer
  • 1989 – Aron Gunnarsson, Icelandic footballer
  • 1990 – Óscar González, Mexican boxer (d. 2014)
  • 1990 – Machine Gun Kelly, American rapper and actor
  • 1991 – Jordi Murphy, Irish international rugby player
  • 1991 – Braydon Smith, Australian boxer (d. 2015)
  • 1992 – Kenny Stills, American football player
  • 1992 – Joonas Vaino, Estonian basketball player
  • 1993 – Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti, Australian footballer
  • 1993 – Ngani Laumape, New Zealand rugby player
  • 1993 – Marcel Ritzmaier, Austrian footballer

Deaths on April 22

  • 296 – Pope Caius
  • 536 – Pope Agapetus I
  • 591 – Peter III of Raqqa
  • 613 – Saint Theodore of Sykeon
  • 846 – Wuzong, Chinese emperor (b. 814)
  • 1208 – Philip of Poitou, Prince-Bishop of Durham
  • 1322 – Francis of Fabriano, Italian writer (b. 1251)
  • 1355 – Eleanor of Woodstock, countess regent of Guelders, eldest daughter of King Edward II of England (b. 1318)
  • 1585 – Henry of Saxe-Lauenburg, Prince-Archbishop of Bremen, Prince-Bishop of Osnabrück and Paderborn (b. 1550)
  • 1616 – Miguel de Cervantes, Spanish novelist, poet, and playwright (b. 1547)
  • 1672 – Georg Stiernhielm, Swedish linguist and poet (b. 1598)
  • 1699 – Hans Erasmus Aßmann, German poet (b. 1646)
  • 1758 – Antoine de Jussieu, French botanist and physician (b. 1686)
  • 1778 – James Hargreaves, British inventor (b. 1720)
  • 1806 – Pierre-Charles Villeneuve, French admiral (b. 1763)
  • 1821 – Gregory V of Constantinople, Greek patriarch and saint (b. 1746)
  • 1833 – Richard Trevithick, English engineer and explorer (b. 1771)
  • 1850 – Friedrich Robert Faehlmann, Estonian philologist and physician (b. 1798)
  • 1854 – Nicolás Bravo, Mexican general and politician, 11th President of Mexico (b. 1786)
  • 1871 – Martín Carrera, Mexican general and president (1855) (b. 1806)
  • 1877 – James P. Kirkwood, Scottish-American engineer (b. 1807)
  • 1892 – Édouard Lalo, French violinist and composer (b. 1823)
  • 1893 – Chaim Aronson, Lithuanian businessman and author (b. 1825)
  • 1894 – Kostas Krystallis, Greek author and poet (b. 1868)
  • 1896 – Thomas Meik, English engineer, founded Halcrow Group (b. 1812)
  • 1908 – Henry Campbell-Bannerman, Scottish-English merchant and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1836)
  • 1925 – André Caplet, French composer and conductor (b. 1878)
  • 1929 – Henry Lerolle, French painter and art collector (b. 1848)
  • 1932 – Ferenc Oslay, Hungarian-Slovene historian and author (b. 1883)
  • 1933 – Henry Royce, English engineer and businessman, co-founded Rolls-Royce Limited (b. 1863)
  • 1944 – Nikolaos Roussen, Greek captain (b. 1913)
  • 1945 – Wilhelm Cauer, German mathematician and academic (b. 1900)
  • 1945 – Käthe Kollwitz, German painter and sculptor (b. 1867)
  • 1946 – Lionel Atwill, English-American actor (b. 1885)
  • 1946 – Harlan F. Stone, American lawyer and jurist, 12th Chief Justice of the United States (b. 1872)
  • 1949 – Charles Middleton, American actor (b. 1874)
  • 1950 – Charles Hamilton Houston, American lawyer and academic (b. 1895)
  • 1951 – Horace Donisthorpe, English myrmecologist and coleopterist (b. 1870)
  • 1956 – Walt Faulkner, American race car driver (b. 1918)
  • 1968 – Stephen H. Sholes, American record producer (b. 1911)
  • 1978 – Will Geer, American actor (b. 1902)
  • 1980 – Jane Froman, American actress and singer (b. 1907)
  • 1980 – Fritz Strassmann, German chemist and physicist (b. 1902)
  • 1983 – Earl Hines, American pianist and bandleader (b. 1903)
  • 1984 – Ansel Adams, American photographer and environmentalist (b. 1902)
  • 1985 – Paul Hugh Emmett, American chemist and academic (b. 1900)
  • 1985 – Jacques Ferron, Canadian physician and author (b. 1921)
  • 1986 – Mircea Eliade, Romanian historian and author (b. 1907)
  • 1987 – Erika Nõva, Estonian architect (b. 1905)
  • 1988 – Grigori Kuzmin, Russian-Estonian astronomer and academic (b. 1917)
  • 1988 – Irene Rich, American actress (b. 1891)
  • 1989 – Emilio G. Segrè, Italian-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1905)
  • 1990 – Albert Salmi, American actor (b. 1928)
  • 1994 – Richard Nixon, American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician, 37th President of the United States (b. 1913)
  • 1995 – Jane Kenyon, American poet and author (b. 1947)
  • 1996 – Erma Bombeck, American journalist and author (b. 1927)
  • 1996 – Jug McSpaden, American golfer and architect (b. 1908)
  • 1998 – Kitch Christie, South African rugby player and coach (b. 1940)
  • 1999 – Chan Canasta, Polish-English magician (b. 1920)
  • 1999 – Munir Ahmad Khan, Pakistani nuclear engineer (b. 1926)
  • 2002 – Linda Lovelace, American porn actress and activist (b. 1949)
  • 2003 – Felice Bryant, American songwriter (b. 1925)
  • 2003 – James H. Critchfield, American CIA officer (b. 1917)
  • 2003 – Martha Griffiths, American lawyer, judge, and politician, 58th Lieutenant Governor of Michigan (b. 1912)
  • 2003 – Mike Larrabee, American runner (b. 1933)
  • 2004 – Jason Dunham, American soldier, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1981)
  • 2004 – Pat Tillman, American football player and soldier (b. 1976)
  • 2005 – Erika Fuchs, German translator (b. 1906)
  • 2005 – Philip Morrison, American physicist and academic (b. 1915)
  • 2005 – Eduardo Paolozzi, Scottish sculptor and artist (b. 1924)
  • 2006 – Henriette Avram, American computer scientist and academic (b. 1919)
  • 2006 – D’Iberville Fortier, Canadian diplomat (b. 1926)
  • 2006 – Alida Valli, Italian actress (b. 1921)
  • 2007 – Juanita Millender-McDonald, American educator and politician (b. 1938)
  • 2008 – Cameron Argetsinger, American race car driver and lawyer (b. 1921)
  • 2008 – Ed Chynoweth, Canadian businessman (b. 1941)
  • 2009 – Jack Cardiff, British cinematographer, director and photographer (b. 1914)
  • 2010 – Richard Barrett, American lawyer and activist (b. 1943)
  • 2011 – Hazel Dickens, American singer-songwriter, bassist and guitarist (b. 1935)
  • 2012 – John Amabile, American football player and coach (b. 1939)
  • 2012 – Bill Granger, American author (b. 1941)
  • 2012 – Buzz Potamkin, American director and producer (b. 1945)
  • 2012 – George Rathmann, American chemist, biologist, and businessman (b. 1927)
  • 2013 – Dave Gold, American businessman, founded 99 Cents Only Stores (b. 1932)
  • 2013 – George Stanley Gordon, American businessman (b. 1926)
  • 2013 – Richie Havens, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1941)
  • 2013 – Lalgudi Jayaraman, Indian violinist and composer (b. 1930)
  • 2013 – Mike Smith, English footballer (b. 1935)
  • 2013 – Robert Suderburg, American pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1936)
  • 2013 – J. S. Verma, Indian judge, 27th Chief Justice of India (b. 1933)
  • 2014 – Allen Jacobs, American football player and coach (b. 1941)
  • 2014 – Jovan Krkobabić, Serbian politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia (b. 1930)
  • 2014 – Mohammad Naseem, Pakistani-English activist (b. 1924)
  • 2014 – Werner Potzernheim, German cyclist (b. 1927)
  • 2014 – Oswaldo Vigas, Venezuelan painter (b. 1926)
  • 2015 – Dick Balharry, Scottish environmentalist and photographer (b. 1937)
  • 2015 – Gennadi Vengerov, Belarusian-Russian actor (b. 1959)
  • 2017 – Erin Moran, American actress (b. 1960)
  • 2017 – Donna Leanne Williams, Australian writer, artist, activist (b. 1963)

Holidays and observances on April 22

  • Christian feast day:
    • Acepsimas of Hnaita and companions (Catholic Church)
    • Arwald
    • Epipodius and Alexander
    • Hudson Stuck (Episcopal Church)
    • John Muir (Episcopal Church)
    • Opportuna of Montreuil
    • Pope Caius
    • Pope Soter
    • St Senorina
    • April 22 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Discovery Day (Brazil)
  • Earth Day (International observance) and its related observance:
    • International Mother Earth Day
  • Holocaust Remembrance Day (Serbia)
  • From 2018 onwards, a national day of commemoration for the murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence (United Kingdom)

April 22 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

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

On This Day /
  • 769 – The Lateran Council condemned the Council of Hieria and anathematized its iconoclastic rulings.
  • 1071 – Bari, the last Byzantine possession in southern Italy, is surrendered to Robert Guiscard.
  • 1395 – Timur defeats Tokhtamysh of the Golden Horde at the Battle of the Terek River. The Golden Horde capital city, Sarai, is razed to the ground and Timur installs a puppet ruler on the throne.
  • 1450 – Battle of Formigny: Toward the end of the Hundred Years’ War, the French attack and nearly annihilate English forces, ending English domination in Northern France.
  • 1632 – Battle of Rain: Swedes under Gustavus Adolphus defeat the Holy Roman Empire during the Thirty Years’ War.
  • 1642 – Irish Confederate Wars: A Confederate Irish militia is routed in the Battle of Kilrush when it attempts to halt the progress of a Royalist Army.
  • 1715 – The Pocotaligo Massacre triggers the start of the Yamasee War in colonial South Carolina.
  • 1736 – Foundation of the Kingdom of Corsica.
  • 1738 – Serse, an Italian opera by George Frideric Handel receives its premiere performance in London, England.
  • 1755 – Samuel Johnson’s A Dictionary of the English Language is published in London.
  • 1783 – Preliminary articles of peace ending the American Revolutionary War (or American War of Independence) are ratified.
  • 1817 – Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc founded the American School for the Deaf, the first American school for deaf students, in Hartford, Connecticut.
  • 1861 – President Abraham Lincoln calls for 75,000 Volunteers to quell the insurrection that soon became the American Civil War.
  • 1865 – President Abraham Lincoln dies after being shot the previous evening by actor John Wilkes Booth. Vice President Andrew Johnson becomes President upon Lincoln’s death.
  • 1892 – The General Electric Company is formed.
  • 1896 – Closing ceremony of the Games of the I Olympiad in Athens, Greece.
  • 1900 – Philippine–American War: Filipino guerrillas launch a surprise attack on U.S. infantry and begin a four-day siege of Catubig, Philippines.
  • 1907 – Triangle Fraternity is founded at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.
  • 1912 – The British passenger liner RMS Titanic sinks in the North Atlantic at 2:20 a.m., two hours and forty minutes after hitting an iceberg. Only 710 of 2,227 passengers and crew on board survive.
  • 1920 – Two security guards are murdered during a robbery in South Braintree, Massachusetts. Anarchists Sacco and Vanzetti would be convicted of and executed for the crime, amid much controversy.
  • 1922 – U.S. Senator John B. Kendrick of Wyoming introduces a resolution calling for an investigation of a secret land deal, which leads to the discovery of the Teapot Dome scandal.
  • 1923 – Insulin becomes generally available for use by people with diabetes.
  • 1924 – Rand McNally publishes its first road atlas.
  • 1936 – First day of the Arab revolt in Mandatory Palestine.
  • 1941 – In the Belfast Blitz, two-hundred bombers of the German Luftwaffe attack Belfast, killing around one thousand people.
  • 1942 – The George Cross is awarded “to the island fortress of Malta” by King George VI.
  • 1945 – Bergen-Belsen concentration camp is liberated.
  • 1947 – Jackie Robinson debuts for the Brooklyn Dodgers, breaking baseball’s color line.
  • 1952 – First flight of the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress.
  • 1955 – McDonald’s restaurant dates its founding to the opening of a franchised restaurant by Ray Kroc, in Des Plaines, Illinois.
  • 1960 – At Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina, Ella Baker leads a conference that results in the creation of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, one of the principal organizations of the civil rights movement in the 1960s.
  • 1969 – The EC-121 shootdown incident: North Korea shoots down a United States Navy aircraft over the Sea of Japan, killing all 31 onboard.
  • 1970 – During the Cambodian Civil War, massacre of the Vietnamese minority results in 800 bodies flowing down the Mekong river into South Vietnam.
  • 1986 – The United States launches Operation El Dorado Canyon, its bombing raids against Libyan targets in response to a discotheque bombing in West Germany that killed two U.S. servicemen.
  • 1989 – Hillsborough disaster: A human crush occurs at Hillsborough Stadium, home of Sheffield Wednesday, in the FA Cup Semi-final, resulting in the deaths of 96 Liverpool fans.
  • 1989 – Upon Hu Yaobang’s death, the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 begin in China.
  • 1994 – Marrakesh Agreement relating to foundation of World Trade Organization is adopted.
  • 2013 – Two bombs explode near the finish line at the Boston Marathon in Boston, Massachusetts, killing three people and injuring 264 others.
  • 2013 – A wave of bombings across Iraq kills at least 75 people.
  • 2014 – In the worst massacre of the South Sudanese Civil War, at least 200 civilians were gunned down after seeking refuge in houses of worship as well as hospitals.
  • 2019 – The cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris in France is seriously damaged by a large fire.

Births on April 15

  • 68 BC – Gaius Maecenas, Roman politician (d. 8 BC)
  • 1282 – Frederick IV, Duke of Lorraine (d. 1329)
  • 1367 – Henry IV of England (d. 1413)
  • 1442 – John Paston, English noble (d. 1479)
  • 1452 – Leonardo da Vinci, Italian painter, sculptor, and architect (d. 1519)
  • 1469 – Guru Nanak, the first Sikh guru (d. 1539)
  • 1552 – Pietro Cataldi, Italian mathematician and astronomer (d. 1626)
  • 1563 – Guru Arjan Dev, fifth Sikh leader (d. 1606)
  • 1588 – Claudius Salmasius, French author and scholar (d. 1653)
  • 1592 – Francesco Maria Brancaccio, Catholic cardinal (d. 1675)
  • 1641 – Robert Sibbald, Scottish physician and geographer (d. 1722)
  • 1642 – Suleiman II, Ottoman sultan (d. 1691)
  • 1646 – Christian V of Denmark (d. 1699)
  • 1684 – Catherine I of Russia (d. 1727)
  • 1688 – Johann Friedrich Fasch, German violinist and composer (d. 1758)
  • 1707 – Leonhard Euler, Swiss mathematician and physicist (d. 1783)
  • 1710 – William Cullen, Scottish physician and chemist (d. 1790)
  • 1741 – Charles Willson Peale, American painter and soldier (d. 1827)
  • 1771 – Nicolas Chopin, French-Polish educator (d. 1844)
  • 1772 – Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, French biologist and zoologist (d. 1844)
  • 1793 – Friedrich Georg Wilhelm von Struve, German astronomer and academic (d. 1864)
  • 1795 – Maria Schicklgruber, mother of Alois Hitler and the paternal grandmother of Adolf Hitler (d.1847)
  • 1800 – James Clark Ross, English captain and explorer (d. 1862)
  • 1808 – William Champ, English-Australian politician, 1st Premier of Tasmania (d. 1892)
  • 1809 – Hermann Grassmann, German linguist and mathematician (d. 1877)
  • 1817 – William Crowther, Dutch-Australian politician, 14th Premier of Tasmania (d. 1885)
  • 1828 – Jean Danjou, French captain (d. 1863)
  • 1832 – Wilhelm Busch, German poet, painter, and illustrator (d. 1908)
  • 1841 – Mary Grant Roberts, Australian zoo owner (d. 1921)
  • 1841 – Joseph E. Seagram, Canadian businessman and politician, founded the Seagram Company Ltd (d. 1919)
  • 1843 – Henry James, American novelist, short story writer, and critic (d. 1916)
  • 1856 – Jean Moréas, Greek poet and critic (d. 1910)
  • 1858 – Émile Durkheim, French sociologist, psychologist, and philosopher (d. 1917)
  • 1861 – Bliss Carman, Canadian-British poet and playwright (d. 1929)
  • 1863 – Ida Freund, Austrian-born chemist and educator (d. 1914)
  • 1874 – George Harrison Shull, American botanist and geneticist (d. 1954)
  • 1874 – Johannes Stark, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1957)
  • 1875 – James J. Jeffries, American boxer and promoter (d. 1953)
  • 1877 – Georg Kolbe, German sculptor (d. 1947)
  • 1878 – Robert Walser, Swiss author and playwright (d. 1956)
  • 1879 – Melville Henry Cane, American lawyer and poet (d. 1980)
  • 1883 – Stanley Bruce, Australian captain and politician, 8th Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1967)
  • 1885 – Tadeusz Kutrzeba, Polish general (d. 1947)
  • 1886 – Nikolay Gumilyov, Russian poet and critic (d. 1921)
  • 1887 – William Forgan Smith, Scottish-Australian politician, 24th Premier of Queensland (d. 1953)
  • 1888 – Maximilian Kronberger, German poet and author (d. 1904)
  • 1889 – Thomas Hart Benton, American painter and educator (d. 1975)
  • 1889 – A. Philip Randolph, American activist (d. 1979)
  • 1890 – Percy Shaw, English businessman, invented the cat’s eye (d. 1976)
  • 1892 – Theo Osterkamp, German general and pilot (d. 1975)
  • 1892 – Corrie ten Boom, Dutch-American clocksmith, Nazi resister, and author (d. 1983)
  • 1894 – Nikita Khrushchev, Russian general and politician, 7th Premier of the Soviet Union (d. 1971)
  • 1894 – Bessie Smith, African-American singer and actress (d. 1937)
  • 1895 – Clark McConachy, New Zealand snooker player (d. 1980)
  • 1895 – Abigail Mejia, Dominican feminist activist, nationalist, literary critic and educator (d. 1941)
  • 1896 – Nikolay Semyonov, Russian physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1986)
  • 1898 – Harry Edward, Guyanese-English sprinter (d. 1973)
  • 1901 – Joe Davis, English snooker player (d. 1978)
  • 1901 – Ajoy Mukherjee, Indian politician, Chief Minister of West Bengal (d. 1986)
  • 1901 – René Pleven, French businessman and politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 1993)
  • 1902 – Fernando Pessa, Portuguese journalist (d. 2002)
  • 1903 – John Williams, English-American actor (d. 1983)
  • 1904 – Arshile Gorky, Armenian-American painter and illustrator (d. 1948)
  • 1907 – Nikolaas Tinbergen, Dutch-English ethologist and ornithologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1988)
  • 1908 – eden ahbez, Scottish-American songwriter and recording artist (d. 1995)
  • 1908 – Lita Grey, American actress (d. 1995)
  • 1910 – Sulo Bärlund, Finnish shot putter (d. 1986)
  • 1910 – Miguel Najdorf, Polish-Argentinian chess player and theoretician (d. 1997)
  • 1912 – William Congdon, American-Italian painter and sculptor (d. 1998)
  • 1912 – Kim Il-sung, North Korean general and politician, 1st Supreme Leader of North Korea (d. 1994)
  • 1915 – Elizabeth Catlett, African-American sculptor and illustrator (d. 2012)
  • 1916 – Alfred S. Bloomingdale, American businessman (d. 1982)
  • 1916 – Helene Hanff, American author and screenwriter (d. 1997)
  • 1917 – Hans Conried, American actor (d. 1982)
  • 1917 – Elmer Gedeon, American baseball player and bomber pilot (d. 1944)
  • 1917 – James Kee, American lawyer and politician (d. 1989)
  • 1918 – Hans Billian, German film director, screenwriter, and actor (d. 2007)
  • 1919 – Alberto Breccia, Uruguayan-Argentinian author and illustrator (d. 1993)
  • 1920 – Godfrey Stafford, English-South African physicist and academic (d. 2013)
  • 1920 – Thomas Szasz, Hungarian-American psychiatrist and academic (d. 2012)
  • 1920 – Richard von Weizsäcker, German soldier and politician, 6th President of Germany (d. 2015)
  • 1921 – Georgy Beregovoy, Ukrainian-Russian general, pilot, and astronaut (d. 1995)
  • 1921 – Angelo DiGeorge, American physician and endocrinologist (d. 2009)
  • 1922 – Michael Ansara, Syrian-American actor (d. 2013)
  • 1922 – Hasrat Jaipuri, Indian poet and songwriter (d. 1999)
  • 1922 – Harold Washington, American lawyer and politician, 51st Mayor of Chicago (d. 1987)
  • 1922 – Graham Whitehead, English racing driver (d. 1981)
  • 1923 – Artur Alliksaar, Estonian poet and author (d. 1966)
  • 1923 – Robert DePugh, American activist, founded the Minutemen (an anti-Communist organization) (d. 2009)
  • 1924 – M. Canagaratnam, Sri Lankan politician (d. 1980)
  • 1924 – Rikki Fulton, Scottish comedian (d. 2004)
  • 1924 – Neville Marriner, English violinist and conductor (d. 2016)
  • 1927 – Robert Mills, American physicist and academic (d. 1999)
  • 1929 – Gérald Beaudoin, Canadian lawyer and politician (d. 2008)
  • 1929 – Adrian Cadbury, English rower and businessman (d. 2015)
  • 1930 – Georges Descrières, French actor (d. 2013)
  • 1930 – Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, Icelandic educator and politician, 4th President of Iceland
  • 1931 – Kenneth Bloomfield, Northern Irish civil servant
  • 1931 – Tomas Tranströmer, Swedish poet, translator, and psychologist Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2015)
  • 1933 – Roy Clark, American musician and television personality (d. 2018)
  • 1933 – David Hamilton, English-French photographer and director (d. 2016)
  • 1933 – Elizabeth Montgomery, American actress and producer (d. 1995)
  • 1935 – Stavros Paravas, Greek actor and producer (d. 2008)
  • 1936 – Raymond Poulidor, French cyclist
  • 1937 – Bob Luman, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1978)
  • 1938 – Claudia Cardinale, Italian actress
  • 1938 – Hso Khan Pha, Burmese-Canadian geologist and politician (d. 2016)
  • 1939 – Marty Wilde, English singer-songwriter and actor
  • 1939 – Desiré Ecaré, Ivorian filmmaker (d. 2009)
  • 1940 – Jeffrey Archer, English author, playwright, and politician
  • 1940 – Penelope Coelen, South African actress, model, beauty queen and 1958 Miss World
  • 1940 – Willie Davis, American baseball player and actor (d. 2010)
  • 1940 – Robert Lacroix, Canadian economist and academic
  • 1941 – Howard Berman, American lawyer and politician
  • 1942 – Francis X. DiLorenzo, American bishop (d. 2017)
  • 1942 – Walt Hazzard, American basketball player and coach (d. 2011)
  • 1942 – Kenneth Lay, American businessman (d. 2006)
  • 1942 – Tim Lankester, English economist and academic
  • 1943 – Pınar Kür, Turkish author, playwright, and academic
  • 1943 – Robert Lefkowitz, American physician and biochemist, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1943 – Veronica Linklater, Baroness Linklater, English politician
  • 1943 – Hugh Thompson, Jr., American soldier and pilot (d. 2006)
  • 1944 – Dzhokhar Dudayev, Russian-Chechen general and politician, 1st President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (d. 1996)
  • 1944 – Dave Edmunds, Welsh singer, guitarist, and producer
  • 1946 – John Lloyd, Scottish journalist and author
  • 1946 – Pete Rouse, American politician, White House Chief of Staff
  • 1947 – Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, American screenwriter and producer
  • 1947 – Martin Broughton, English businessman
  • 1947 – Lois Chiles, American model and actress
  • 1947 – David Omand, English civil servant and academic
  • 1947 – Cristina Husmark Pehrsson, Swedish nurse and politician, Swedish Minister for Social Security
  • 1947 – Woolly Wolstenholme, English singer and keyboard player (d. 2010)
  • 1948 – Christopher Brown, English historian, curator, and academic
  • 1948 – Michael Kamen, American composer and conductor (d. 2003)
  • 1948 – Phil Mogg, English singer-songwriter and musician
  • 1949 – Alla Pugacheva, Russian singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1949 – Craig Zadan, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2018)
  • 1950 – Josiane Balasko, French actress, director, and screenwriter
  • 1950 – Amy Wright, American actress
  • 1950 – Karel Kroupa, Czech football player
  • 1951 – Heloise, American journalist and author
  • 1951 – John L. Phillips, American captain and astronaut
  • 1951 – Stuart Prebble, English journalist and producer
  • 1951 – Marsha Ivins, American engineer and astronaut
  • 1952 – Kym Gyngell, Australian actor, comedian, and screenwriter
  • 1952 – Brian Muir, English sculptor and set designer
  • 1952 – Avital Ronell, Czech-American philosopher and academic
  • 1955 – Dodi Fayed, Egyptian film producer (d. 1997)
  • 1955 – Joice Mujuru, Zimbabwean politician
  • 1956 – Michael Cooper, American basketball player and coach
  • 1957 – Evelyn Ashford, American runner and coach
  • 1958 – Keith Acton, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1958 – John Bracewell, New Zealand cricketer
  • 1958 – Memos Ioannou, Greek basketball player and coach
  • 1958 – Benjamin Zephaniah, English actor, author, poet, and playwright
  • 1959 – Fruit Chan, Chinese director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1959 – Kevin Lowe, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager
  • 1959 – Emma Thompson, English actress, comedian, author, activist and screenwriter
  • 1960 – Pierre Aubry, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1960 – Susanne Bier, Danish director and screenwriter
  • 1960 – Pedro Delgado, Spanish cyclist and sportscaster
  • 1960 – Tony Jones, English snooker player
  • 1961 – Neil Carmichael, English academic and politician
  • 1961 – Carol W. Greider, American molecular biologist
  • 1961 – Dawn Wright, American geographer and oceanographer
  • 1962 – Nawal El Moutawakel, Moroccan athlete and politician
  • 1962 – Tom Kane, American voice actor
  • 1963 – Alex Crawford, Nigerian-South African journalist
  • 1963 – Manzoor Elahi, Pakistani cricketer
  • 1963 – Manoj Prabhakar, Indian cricketer and sportscaster
  • 1964 – Andre Joubert, South African rugby player
  • 1964 – Lee Kernaghan, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1965 – Linda Perry, American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer
  • 1965 – Kevin Stevens, American ice hockey player
  • 1966 – Samantha Fox, English singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1966 – Mott Green, American businessman (d. 2013)
  • 1967 – Frankie Poullain, Scottish bass player and songwriter
  • 1967 – Dara Torres, American swimmer and journalist
  • 1968 – Ben Clarke, English rugby player and coach
  • 1968 – Brahim Lahlafi, Moroccan-French runner
  • 1968 – Ed O’Brien, English guitarist
  • 1969 – Jeromy Burnitz, American baseball player
  • 1969 – Kaisa Roose, Estonian pianist and conductor
  • 1969 – Jimmy Waite, Canadian-German ice hockey player and coach
  • 1970 – Chris Huffins, American decathlete and coach
  • 1971 – Philippe Carbonneau, French rugby player
  • 1971 – Finidi George, Nigerian footballer
  • 1971 – Jason Sehorn, American football player
  • 1971 – Josia Thugwane, South African runner
  • 1971 – Karl Turner, English lawyer and politician
  • 1972 – Arturo Gatti, Italian-Canadian boxer (d. 2009)
  • 1972 – Lou Romano, American animator and voice actor
  • 1974 – Kim Min-kyo, South Korean actor and director
  • 1974 – Danny Pino, American actor and screenwriter
  • 1974 – Mike Quinn, American football player
  • 1974 – Douglas Spain, American actor, director, and producer
  • 1974 – Tim Thomas, American ice hockey player
  • 1975 – Sarah Teichmann, German-American biophysicist and immunologist
  • 1976 – Jason Bonsignore, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1976 – Darius Regelskis, Lithuanian footballer
  • 1976 – Kęstutis Šeštokas, Lithuanian basketball player
  • 1976 – Steve Williams, English rower
  • 1977 – Sudarsan Pattnaik, Indian sculptor
  • 1977 – Brian Pothier, American ice hockey player
  • 1978 – Milton Bradley, American baseball player
  • 1978 – Tim Corcoran, American baseball player
  • 1978 – Luis Fonsi, Puerto Rican-American singer-songwriter and dancer
  • 1978 – Chris Stapleton, American country singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1980 – Patrick Carney, American drummer, musician, and producer
  • 1980 – James Foster, English cricketer
  • 1980 – Raül López, Spanish basketball player
  • 1980 – Willie Mason, New Zealand-Australian rugby league player
  • 1980 – Aida Mollenkamp, American chef and author
  • 1980 – Billy Yates, American football player
  • 1981 – Andrés D’Alessandro, Argentinian footballer
  • 1982 – Michael Aubrey, American baseball player
  • 1982 – Anthony Green, American singer-songwriter
  • 1982 – Seth Rogen, Canadian-American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1983 – Alice Braga, Brazilian actress
  • 1983 – Matt Cardle, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1983 – Dudu Cearense, Brazilian footballer
  • 1983 – Andreas Fransson, Swedish skier (d. 2014)
  • 1983 – Ilya Kovalchuk, Russian ice hockey player
  • 1983 – Martin Pedersen, Danish cyclist
  • 1984 – Antonio Cromartie, American football player
  • 1984 – Cam Janssen, American ice hockey player
  • 1984 – Daniel Paille, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1985 – Ryan Hamilton, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1986 – Tom Heaton, English footballer
  • 1986 – Sylvain Marveaux, French footballer
  • 1988 – Blake Ayshford, Australian rugby league player
  • 1988 – Steven Defour, Belgian footballer
  • 1988 – Chris Tillman, American baseball pitcher
  • 1989 – Darren Nicholls, Australian rugby league player
  • 1990 – Emma Watson, English actress
  • 1991 – Daiki Arioka, Japanese idol, singer, and actor
  • 1991 – Javier Fernández López, Spanish figure skater
  • 1992 – Jeremy McGovern, Australian rules football player
  • 1994 – Brodie Grundy, Australian rules football player
  • 1994 – Shaunae Miller-Uibo, Bahamian sprinter
  • 1995 – Leander Dendoncker, Belgian footballer
  • 1999 – Denis Shapovalov, Canadian tennis player
  • 2001 – Shanti Dope, Filipino rapper

Deaths on April 15

  • 628 – Suiko, emperor of Japan (b. 554)
  • 943 – Liu Bin, emperor of Southern Han (b. 920)
  • 956 – Lin Yanyu, Chinese court official and eunuch
  • 1053 – Godwin, Earl of Wessex (b. 1001)
  • 1136 – Richard Fitz Gilbert de Clare (b. 1094)
  • 1220 – Adolf of Altena, German archbishop (b. 1157)
  • 1237 – Richard Poore, English ecclesiastic
  • 1415 – Manuel Chrysoloras, Greek philosopher and translator (b. 1355)
  • 1446 – Filippo Brunelleschi, Italian sculptor and architect (b. 1377)
  • 1502 – John IV of Chalon-Arlay, Prince of Orange (b. 1443)
  • 1558 – Roxelana, wife of Suleiman the Magnificent (b. c. 1500)
  • 1610 – Robert Persons, English Jesuit priest, insurrectionist, and author (b. 1546)
  • 1632 – George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore, English politician, English Secretary of State (b. 1580)
  • 1652 – Patriarch Joseph of Moscow, Russian patriarch
  • 1659 – Simon Dach, German poet and hymnwriter (b. 1605)
  • 1719 – Françoise d’Aubigné, Marquise de Maintenon, French wife of Louis XIV of France (b. 1635)
  • 1754 – Jacopo Riccati, Italian mathematician and academic (b. 1676)
  • 1761 – Archibald Campbell, 3rd Duke of Argyll, Scottish lawyer and politician, Lord President of the Court of Session (b. 1682)
  • 1761 – William Oldys, English historian and author (b. 1696)
  • 1764 – Peder Horrebow, Danish astronomer and mathematician (b. 1679)
  • 1765 – Mikhail Lomonosov, Russian chemist and physicist (b. 1711)
  • 1788 – Giuseppe Bonno, Austrian composer (b. 1711)
  • 1793 – Ignacije Szentmartony, Croatian priest, mathematician, and astronomer (b. 1718)
  • 1854 – Arthur Aikin, English chemist and mineralogist (b. 1773)
  • 1861 – Sylvester Jordan, Austrian-German lawyer and politician (b. 1792)
  • 1865 – Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States (b. 1809)
  • 1888 – Matthew Arnold, English poet and critic (b. 1822)
  • 1889 – Father Damien, Belgian priest and saint (b. 1840)
  • 1898 – Te Keepa Te Rangihiwinui, New Zealand commander and politician
  • 1912 – Victims of the Titanic disaster:
    • Thomas Andrews, Irish shipbuilder (b. 1873)
    • John Jacob Astor IV, American colonel, businessman, and author (b. 1864)
    • Archibald Butt, American general and journalist (b. 1865)
    • Jacques Futrelle, American journalist and author (b. 1875)
    • Benjamin Guggenheim, American businessman (b. 1865)
    • Henry B. Harris, American producer and manager (b. 1866)
    • Wallace Hartley, English violinist and bandleader (b. 1878)
    • James Paul Moody, English Sixth Officer (b. 1887)
    • William McMaster Murdoch, Scottish First Officer (b. 1873)
    • Jack Phillips, English telegraphist (b. 1887)
    • Edward Smith, English Captain (b. 1850)
    • William Thomas Stead, English journalist (b. 1849)
    • Ida Straus, German-American businesswoman (b. 1849)
    • Isidor Straus, German-American businessman and politician (b. 1845)
    • John B. Thayer, American business and sportsman (b. 1862)
    • Henry Tingle Wilde, English chief officer (b. 1872)
  • 1917 – János Murkovics, Slovene author, poet, and educator (b. 1839)
  • 1927 – Gaston Leroux, French journalist and author (b. 1868)
  • 1938 – César Vallejo, Peruvian journalist, poet, and playwright (b. 1892)
  • 1942 – Robert Musil, Austrian-Swiss author and playwright (b. 1880)
  • 1943 – Aristarkh Lentulov, Russian painter and set designer (b. 1882)
  • 1944 – Nikolai Fyodorovich Vatutin, Russian general (b. 1901)
  • 1945 – Hermann Florstedt, German SS officer (b. 1895)
  • 1948 – Radola Gajda, Montenegrin-Czech general and politician (b. 1892)
  • 1949 – Wallace Beery, American actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1885)
  • 1962 – Clara Blandick, American actress (b. 1880)
  • 1962 – Arsenio Lacson, Filipino journalist and politician, Mayor of Manila (b. 1912)
  • 1963 – Edward Greeves, Jr., Australian footballer (b. 1903)
  • 1966 – Habibullah Bahar Chowdhury, Bengali politician, writer, journalist, first health minister of East Pakistan
  • 1967 – Totò, Italian comedian (b. 1898)
  • 1971 – Gurgen Boryan, Armenian poet and playwright (b. 1915)
  • 1971 – Friedebert Tuglas, Estonian author and critic (b. 1886)
  • 1979 – David Brand, Australian politician, 19th Premier of Western Australia (b. 1912)
  • 1980 – Raymond Bailey, American actor and soldier (b. 1904)
  • 1980 – Jean-Paul Sartre, French philosopher and author, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1905)
  • 1982 – Arthur Lowe, English actor (b. 1915)
  • 1984 – Tommy Cooper, Welsh comedian and magician (b. 1921)
  • 1986 – Jean Genet, French novelist, poet, and playwright (b. 1910)
  • 1988 – Kenneth Williams, English actor and screenwriter (b. 1926)
  • 1989 – Hu Yaobang, Chinese soldier and politician, former General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (b. 1915)
  • 1990 – Greta Garbo, Swedish-American actress (b. 1905)
  • 1993 – Leslie Charteris, English author and screenwriter (b. 1907)
  • 1993 – John Tuzo Wilson, Canadian geophysicist and geologist (b. 1908)
  • 1998 – William Congdon, American-Italian painter and sculptor (b. 1912)
  • 1998 – Pol Pot, Cambodian general and politician, 29th Prime Minister of Cambodia (b. 1925)
  • 1999 – Harvey Postlethwaite, English engineer (b. 1944)
  • 2000 – Edward Gorey, American poet and illustrator (b. 1925)
  • 2001 – Joey Ramone, American singer-songwriter (b. 1951)
  • 2002 – Damon Knight, American author and critic (b. 1922)
  • 2002 – Byron White, American football player, lawyer, and jurist, 4th United States Deputy Attorney General (b. 1917)
  • 2004 – Mitsuteru Yokoyama, Japanese illustrator (b. 1934)
  • 2007 – Brant Parker, American illustrator (b. 1920)
  • 2008 – Krister Stendahl, Swedish bishop, theologian, and scholar (b. 1921)
  • 2009 – Clement Freud, German-English journalist, academic, and politician (b. 1924)
  • 2009 – László Tisza, Hungarian-American physicist and academic (b. 1907)
  • 2009 – Salih Neftçi, Turkish economist and author (b. 1947)
  • 2010 – Jack Herer, American author and activist (b. 1939)
  • 2010 – Michael Pataki, American actor and director (b. 1938)
  • 2011 – Vittorio Arrigoni, Italian journalist, author, and activist (b. 1975)
  • 2012 – Paul Bogart, American director and producer (b. 1919)
  • 2012 – Dwayne Schintzius, American basketball player (b. 1968)
  • 2013 – Benjamin Fain, Ukrainian-Israeli physicist and academic (b. 1930)
  • 2013 – Richard LeParmentier, American-English actor and screenwriter (b. 1946)
  • 2013 – Jean-François Paillard, French conductor (b. 1928)
  • 2014 – John Houbolt, American engineer and academic (b. 1919)
  • 2014 – Eliseo Verón, Argentinian sociologist and academic (b. 1935)
  • 2015 – Jonathan Crombie, Canadian-American actor and screenwriter (b. 1966)
  • 2015 – Surya Bahadur Thapa, Nepalese politician, 24th Prime Minister of Nepal (b. 1928)
  • 2017 – Clifton James, American actor (b. 1920)
  • 2017 – Emma Morano, Italian supercentenarian, last person verified born in the 1800s (b. 1899)
  • 2018 – R. Lee Ermey, American actor (b. 1944)
  • 2018 – Vittorio Taviani, Italian film director and screenwriter (b. 1929)

Holidays and observances on April 15

  • Christian feast day:
    • Abbo II of Metz
    • Father Damien (The Episcopal Church)
    • Hunna
    • Paternus of Avranches
    • April 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Day of the Sun (North Korea)
  • Earliest day on which Sechseläuten can fall, while April 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Monday in April. (Zürich)
  • Father Damien Day (Hawaii)
  • Hillsborough Disaster Memorial (Liverpool, England)
  • Jackie Robinson Day (United States)
  • National American Sign Language Day (United States)
  • One Boston Day (United States)
  • Poila Boishakh (Bengali New Year)
  • Tax Day, the official deadline for filing an individual tax return (or requesting an extension). (United States, Philippines)
  • Universal Day of Culture
  • World Art Day

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

On This Day

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

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

Births on April 13

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

Deaths on April 13

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

Holidays and observances on April 13

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

April 13 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

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

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

Births on April 9

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

Deaths on April 9

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

Holidays and observances on April 9

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

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

On This Day

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

On This Day /
  • 217 – Roman Emperor Caracalla is assassinated. He is succeeded by his Praetorian Guard prefect, Marcus Opellius Macrinus.
  • 632 – King Charibert II is assassinated at Blaye (Gironde), along with his infant son Chilperic.
  • 876 – The Battle of Dayr al-‘Aqul saves Baghdad from the Saffarids.
  • 1093 – The new Winchester Cathedral is dedicated by Walkelin.
  • 1139 – Roger II of Sicily is excommunicated.
  • 1149 – Pope Eugene III takes refuge in the castle of Ptolemy II of Tusculum.
  • 1232 – Mongol–Jin War: The Mongols begin their siege on Kaifeng, the capital of the Jin dynasty.
  • 1271 – In Syria, sultan Baibars conquers the Krak des Chevaliers.
  • 1665 – English colonial patents are granted for the establishment of the Monmouth Tract, for what would eventually become Monmouth County in northeastern New Jersey.
  • 1730 – Shearith Israel, the first synagogue in New York City, is dedicated.
  • 1740 – War of Jenkins’ Ear: Three British ships capture the Spanish third-rate Princesa, taken into service as HMS Princess.
  • 1808 – The Roman Catholic Diocese of Baltimore is promoted to an archdiocese, with the founding of the dioceses of New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and Bardstown (now Louisville) by Pope Pius VII.
  • 1820 – The Venus de Milo is discovered on the Aegean island of Milos.
  • 1832 – Black Hawk War: Around three-hundred United States 6th Infantry troops leave St. Louis, Missouri to fight the Sauk Native Americans.
  • 1864 – American Civil War: Battle of Mansfield: Union forces are thwarted by the Confederate army at Mansfield, Louisiana.
  • 1866 – Italy and Prussia ally against the Austrian Empire.
  • 1886 – William Ewart Gladstone introduces the first Irish Home Rule Bill into the British House of Commons.
  • 1895 – In Pollock v. Farmers’ Loan & Trust Co. the Supreme Court of the United States declares unapportioned income tax to be unconstitutional.
  • 1904 – The French Third Republic and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland sign the Entente cordiale.
  • 1904 – Longacre Square in Midtown Manhattan is renamed Times Square after The New York Times.
  • 1906 – Auguste Deter, the first person to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, dies.
  • 1908 – H. H. Asquith of the Liberal Party takes office as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, succeeding Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman.
  • 1908 – Harvard University votes to establish the Harvard Business School.
  • 1911 – Dutch physicist Heike Kamerlingh Onnes discovers superconductivity.
  • 1913 – The 17th Amendment to the United States Constitution, requiring direct election of Senators, becomes law.
  • 1916 – In Corona, California, race car driver Bob Burman crashes, killing three (including himself), and badly injuring five spectators.
  • 1918 – World War I: Actors Douglas Fairbanks and Charlie Chaplin sell war bonds on the streets of New York City’s financial district.
  • 1924 – Sharia courts are abolished in Turkey, as part of Atatürk’s Reforms.
  • 1929 – Indian independence movement: At the Delhi Central Assembly, Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt throw handouts and bombs to court arrest.
  • 1935 – The Works Progress Administration is formed when the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act of 1935 becomes law.
  • 1942 – World War II: Siege of Leningrad: Soviet forces open a much-needed railway link to Leningrad.
  • 1942 – World War II: The Japanese take Bataan in the Philippines.
  • 1943 – U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in an attempt to check inflation, freezes wages and prices, prohibits workers from changing jobs unless the war effort would be aided thereby, and bars rate increases by common carriers and public utilities.
  • 1943 – Otto and Elise Hampel are executed in Berlin for their anti-Nazi activities.
  • 1945 – World War II: After an air raid accidentally destroys a train carrying about 4,000 Nazi concentration camp internees in Prussian Hanover, the survivors are massacred by Nazis.
  • 1946 – Électricité de France, the world’s largest utility company, is formed as a result of the nationalisation of a number of electricity producers, transporters and distributors.
  • 1950 – India and Pakistan sign the Liaquat–Nehru Pact.
  • 1952 – U.S. President Harry Truman calls for the seizure of all domestic steel mills in an attempt to prevent the 1952 steel strike.
  • 1953 – Mau Mau leader Jomo Kenyatta is convicted by British Kenya’s rulers.
  • 1954 – A Royal Canadian Air Force Canadair Harvard collides with a Trans-Canada Airlines Canadair North Star over Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, killing 37 people.
  • 1954 – South African Airways Flight 201 A de Havilland DH.106 Comet 1 crashes into the sea during night killing 21 people.
  • 1959 – A team of computer manufacturers, users, and university people led by Grace Hopper meets to discuss the creation of a new programming language that would be called COBOL.
  • 1959 – The Organization of American States drafts an agreement to create the Inter-American Development Bank.
  • 1960 – The Netherlands and West Germany sign an agreement to negotiate the return of German land annexed by the Dutch in return for 280 million German marks as Wiedergutmachung.
  • 1961 – A large explosion on board the MV Dara in the Persian Gulf kills 238.
  • 1964 – The Gemini 1 test flight is conducted.
  • 1968 – BOAC Flight 712 catches fire shortly after takeoff. As a result of her actions in the accident, Barbara Jane Harrison is awarded a posthumous George Cross, the only GC awarded to a woman in peacetime.
  • 1970 – Bahr El-Baqar primary school bombing: Israeli bombers strike an Egyptian school. Forty-six children are killed.
  • 1974 – At Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium, Hank Aaron hits his 715th career home run to surpass Babe Ruth’s 39-year-old record.
  • 1975 – Frank Robinson manages the Cleveland Indians in his first game as major league baseball’s first African American manager.
  • 1987 – Los Angeles Dodgers executive Al Campanis resigns amid controversy over racially charged remarks he had made while on Nightline.
  • 1992 – Retired tennis great Arthur Ashe announces that he has AIDS, acquired from blood transfusions during one of his two heart surgeries.
  • 1993 – The Republic of North Macedonia joins the United Nations.
  • 1999 – Haryana Gana Parishad, a political party in the Indian state of Haryana, merges with the Indian National Congress.
  • 2004 – War in Darfur: The Humanitarian Ceasefire Agreement is signed by the Sudanese government and two rebel groups.
  • 2006 – Shedden massacre: The bodies of eight men, all shot to death, are found in a field in Shedden, Elgin County, Ontario. The murders are soon linked to the Bandidos Motorcycle Club.
  • 2008 – The construction of the world’s first skyscraper to integrate wind turbines is completed in Bahrain.
  • 2013 – The Islamic State of Iraq enters the Syrian Civil War and begins by declaring a merger with the Al-Nusra Front under the name Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham.

Births on April 8

  • 1320 – Peter I of Portugal (d. 1367)
  • 1408 – Jadwiga of Lithuania, Polish princess (d. 1431)
  • 1435 – John Clifford, 9th Baron de Clifford, English noble (d. 1461)
  • 1533 – Claudio Merulo, Italian organist and composer (d. 1604)
  • 1536 – Barbara of Hesse (d. 1597)
  • 1541 – Michele Mercati, Italian physician and archaeologist (d. 1593)
  • 1580 – William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke, English noble, courtier and patron of the arts (d. 1630)
  • 1596 – Juan van der Hamen, Spanish artist (d. 1631)
  • 1605 – Philip IV of Spain (d. 1665)
  • 1605 – Mary Stuart, English-Scottish princess (d. 1607)
  • 1641 – Henry Sydney, 1st Earl of Romney, English general and politician, Secretary of State for the Northern Department (d. 1704)
  • 1692 – Giuseppe Tartini, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1770)
  • 1726 – Lewis Morris, American judge and politician (d. 1798)
  • 1732 – David Rittenhouse, American astronomer and mathematician (d. 1796)
  • 1761 – William Joseph Chaminade, French priest, founded the Society of Mary (d. 1850)
  • 1770 – John Thomas Campbell, Irish-Australian banker and politician (d. 1830)
  • 1798 – Dionysios Solomos, Greek poet and author (d. 1857)
  • 1818 – Christian IX of Denmark (d. 1906)
  • 1818 – August Wilhelm von Hofmann, German chemist and academic (d. 1892)
  • 1826 – Pancha Carrasco, Costa Rican soldier (d. 1890)
  • 1827 – Ramón Emeterio Betances, Puerto Rican ophthalmologist, journalist, and politician (d. 1898)
  • 1842 – Elizabeth Bacon Custer, American author and educator (d. 1933)
  • 1859 – Edmund Husserl, German Jewish-Austrian mathematician and philosopher (d. 1938)
  • 1864 – Carlos Deltour, French rower and rugby player (d. 1920)
  • 1867 – Allen Butler Talcott, American painter and educator (d. 1908)
  • 1869 – Harvey Cushing, American surgeon and academic (d. 1939)
  • 1871 – Clarence Hudson White, American photographer and educator (d. 1925)
  • 1874 – Manuel Díaz, Cuban fencer (d. 1929)
  • 1874 – Stanisław Taczak, Polish general (d. 1960)
  • 1875 – Albert I of Belgium (d. 1934)
  • 1882 (O.S. 27 March) – Dmytro Doroshenko, Lithuanian-Ukrainian historian and politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and Prime Minister of Ukraine (d. 1951)
  • 1883 – R. P. Keigwin, English cricketer and academic (d. 1972)
  • 1883 – Julius Seljamaa, Estonian journalist and politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia (d. 1936)
  • 1885 – Dimitrios Levidis, Greek-French soldier, composer, and educator (d. 1951)
  • 1886 – Margaret Ayer Barnes, American author and playwright (d. 1967)
  • 1888 – Dennis Chávez, American journalist and politician (d. 1962)
  • 1889 – Adrian Boult, English conductor (d. 1983)
  • 1892 – Richard Neutra, Austrian-American architect, designed the Los Angeles County Hall of Records (d. 1970)
  • 1892 – Mary Pickford, Canadian-American actress, producer, and screenwriter, co-founded United Artists (d. 1979)
  • 1896 – Yip Harburg, American composer (d. 1981)
  • 1900 – Marie Byles, Australian solicitor (d. 1979)
  • 1902 – Andrew Irvine, English mountaineer and explorer (d. 1924)
  • 1902 – Maria Maksakova Sr., Russian soprano (d. 1974)
  • 1904 – John Hicks, English economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1989)
  • 1904 – Hirsch Jacobs, American horse trainer (d. 1970)
  • 1905 – Joachim Büchner, German sprinter and graphic designer (d. 1978)
  • 1905 – Helen Joseph, English-South African activist (d. 1992)
  • 1905 – Erwin Keller, German field hockey player (d. 1971)
  • 1906 – Raoul Jobin, Canadian tenor and educator (d. 1974)
  • 1908 – Hugo Fregonese, Argentinian director and screenwriter (d. 1987)
  • 1909 – John Fante, American author and screenwriter (d. 1983)
  • 1910 – George Musso, American football player and police officer (d. 2000)
  • 1911 – Melvin Calvin, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1997)
  • 1911 – Emil Cioran, Romanian-French philosopher and academic (d. 1995)
  • 1912 – Alois Brunner, Austrian-German SS officer (d. 2001 or 2010)
  • 1912 – Sonja Henie, Norwegian-American figure skater and actress (d. 1969)
  • 1914 – María Félix, Yaqui/Basque-Mexican actress (d. 2002)
  • 1915 – Ivan Supek, Croatian physicist, philosopher and writer (d. 2007)
  • 1917 – Winifred Asprey, American mathematician and computer scientist (d. 2007)
  • 1917 – Lloyd Bott, Australian public servant (d. 2004)
  • 1917 – Hubertus Ernst, Dutch bishop (d. 2017)
  • 1917 – Grigori Kuzmin, Russian-Estonian astronomer (d. 1988)
  • 1918 – Betty Ford, American wife of Gerald Ford, 40th First Lady of the United States (d. 2011)
  • 1918 – Glendon Swarthout, American author and academic (d. 1992)
  • 1919 – Ian Smith, Zimbabwean lieutenant and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Rhodesia (d. 2007)
  • 1921 – Franco Corelli, Italian tenor and actor (d. 2003)
  • 1921 – Jan Novák, Czech composer (d. 1984)
  • 1921 – Herman van Raalte, Dutch footballer (d. 2013)
  • 1922 – Carmen McRae, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and actress (d. 1994)
  • 1923 – George Fisher, American cartoonist (d. 2003)
  • 1923 – Edward Mulhare, Irish-American actor (d. 1997)
  • 1924 – Frédéric Back, German-Canadian animator, director, and screenwriter (d. 2013)
  • 1924 – Anthony Farrar-Hockley, English general and historian (d. 2006)
  • 1924 – Kumar Gandharva, Hindustani classical singer (d. 1992)
  • 1924 – Sara Northrup Hollister, American occultist (d. 1997)
  • 1926 – Henry N. Cobb, American architect and academic, co-founded Pei Cobb Freed & Partners (d. 2020)
  • 1926 – Shecky Greene, American actor
  • 1926 – Jürgen Moltmann, German theologian and academic
  • 1927 – Tilly Armstrong, English author (d. 2010)
  • 1927 – Ollie Mitchell, American trumpet player and bandleader (d. 2013)
  • 1928 – Fred Ebb, American lyricist (d. 2004)
  • 1929 – Jacques Brel, Belgian singer-songwriter and actor (d. 1978)
  • 1929 – Renzo De Felice, Italian historian and author (d. 1996)
  • 1930 – Carlos Hugo, Duke of Parma (d. 2010)
  • 1931 – John Gavin, American actor and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Mexico (d. 2018)
  • 1932 – Iskandar of Johor (d. 2010)
  • 1933 – James Lockhart, American scholar of colonial Latin America, especially Nahua peoples (d. 2014)
  • 1934 – Kisho Kurokawa, Japanese architect, designed the Nakagin Capsule Tower and Singapore Flyer (d. 2007)
  • 1935 – Oscar Zeta Acosta, American lawyer and politician (d. 1974)
  • 1935 – Albert Bustamante, American soldier, educator, and politician
  • 1937 – Tony Barton, English footballer, outside right and manager (d. 1993)
  • 1937 – Seymour Hersh, American journalist and author
  • 1937 – Momo Kapor, Serbian author and painter (d. 2010)
  • 1938 – Kofi Annan, Ghanaian economist and diplomat, 7th Secretary-General of the United Nations (d. 2018)
  • 1938 – John Hamm, Canadian physician and politician, 25th Premier of Nova Scotia
  • 1938 – Mary W. Gray, American mathematician, statistician, and lawyer
  • 1939 – John Arbuthnott, Scottish microbiologist and academic
  • 1939 – Trina Schart Hyman, American author and illustrator (d. 2004)
  • 1940 – John Havlicek, American basketball player (d. 2019)
  • 1941 – J. J. Jackson, American soul/R&B singer, songwriter, and arranger
  • 1941 – Vivienne Westwood, English fashion designer
  • 1942 – Tony Banks, Baron Stratford, Northern Irish politician, Minister for Sport and the Olympics (d. 2006)
  • 1942 – Roger Chapman, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1942 – Douglas Trumbull, American director, producer, and special effects artist
  • 1943 – Michael Bennett, American dancer, choreographer, and director (d. 1987)
  • 1943 – Miller Farr, American football player
  • 1943 – James Herbert, English author and illustrator (d. 2013)
  • 1943 – Chris Orr, English painter and illustrator
  • 1944 – Hywel Bennett, Welsh actor (d. 2017)
  • 1944 – Odd Nerdrum, Swedish-Norwegian painter and illustrator
  • 1945 – Derrick Walker, Scottish businessman
  • 1945 – Jang Yong, South Korean actor
  • 1946 – Catfish Hunter, American baseball player (d. 1999)
  • 1946 – Tim Thomerson, American actor and producer
  • 1947 – Tom DeLay, American lawyer and politician
  • 1947 – Steve Howe, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer
  • 1947 – Robert Kiyosaki, American businessman, co-founded Cashflow Technologies
  • 1947 – Pascal Lamy, French businessman and politician, European Commissioner for Trade
  • 1947 – Larry Norman, American singer-songwriter, and producer (d. 2008)
  • 1948 – Barbara Young, Baroness Young of Old Scone, Scottish academic and politician
  • 1949 – K. C. Kamalasabayson, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician, 39th Attorney General of Sri Lanka (d. 2007)
  • 1949 – John Madden, English director and producer
  • 1949 – Brenda Russell, African-American-Canadian singer-songwriter and keyboard player
  • 1949 – John Scott, English sociologist and academic
  • 1950 – Grzegorz Lato, Polish footballer and coach
  • 1951 – Gerd Andres, German politician
  • 1951 – Geir Haarde, Icelandic economist, journalist, and politician, 23rd Prime Minister of Iceland
  • 1951 – Mel Schacher, American bass player
  • 1951 – Joan Sebastian, Mexican singer-songwriter and actor (d. 2015)
  • 1952 – Ahmet Piriştina, Turkish politician (d. 2004)
  • 1954 – Gary Carter, American baseball player and coach (d. 2012)
  • 1954 – Princess Lalla Amina of Morocco (d. 2012)
  • 1954 – G.V. Loganathan, Indian-American engineer and academic (d. 2007)
  • 1955 – Ricky Bell, American football player (d. 1984)
  • 1955 – Gerrie Coetzee, South African boxer
  • 1955 – Ron Johnson, American businessman and politician
  • 1955 – Barbara Kingsolver, American novelist, essayist and poet
  • 1955 – David Wu, Taiwanese-American lawyer and politician
  • 1956 – Michael Benton, Scottish-English paleontologist and academic
  • 1956 – Christine Boisson, French actress
  • 1956 – Roman Dragoun, Czech singer-songwriter and keyboard player
  • 1956 – Jim Piddock, English actor, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1957 – Fred Smerlas, American football player and radio host
  • 1958 – Detlef Bruckhoff, German footballer
  • 1958 – Tom Petranoff, American javelin thrower and coach
  • 1959 – Alain Bondue, French cyclist
  • 1960 – John Schneider, American actor and country singer
  • 1961 – Richard Hatch, American reality contestant
  • 1961 – Brian McDermott, English footballer and manager
  • 1962 – Paddy Lowe, English engineer
  • 1962 – Izzy Stradlin, American guitarist and songwriter
  • 1963 – Tine Asmundsen, Norwegian bassist
  • 1963 – Julian Lennon, English singer-songwriter
  • 1963 – Terry Porter, American basketball player and coach
  • 1963 – Donita Sparks, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1963 – Alec Stewart, English cricketer
  • 1963 – Seth Tobias, American businessman (d. 2007)
  • 1964 – Biz Markie, American rapper, producer, and actor
  • 1964 – John McGinlay, Scottish footballer and manager
  • 1965 – Steven Blaney, Canadian businessman and politician, 5th Canadian Minister of Public Safety
  • 1965 – Michael Jones, New Zealand rugby player and coach
  • 1966 – Iveta Bartošová, Czech singer and actress (d. 2014)
  • 1966 – Mark Blundell, English race car driver
  • 1966 – Andy Currier, English rugby league player
  • 1966 – Charlotte Dawson, New Zealand-Australian television host (d. 2014)
  • 1966 – Dalton Grant, English high jumper
  • 1966 – Mazinho, Brazilian footballer, coach, and manager
  • 1966 – Harri Rovanperä, Finnish race car driver
  • 1966 – Evripidis Stylianidis, Greek lawyer and politician, Greek Minister for the Interior
  • 1966 – Robin Wright, American actress, director, producer
  • 1967 – Kenny Benjamin, Antiguan cricketer
  • 1968 – Patricia Arquette, French-Canadian Russian/Polish Jewish-American actress and director
  • 1968 – Patricia Girard, French runner and hurdler
  • 1968 – Tracy Grammer, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1971 – Darren Jessee, American singer-songwriter and drummer
  • 1972 – Paul Gray, American bass player and songwriter (d. 2010)
  • 1972 – Sergei Magnitsky, Russian lawyer and accountant (d. 2009)
  • 1973 – Khaled Badra, Tunisian footballer
  • 1973 – Emma Caulfield, American actress
  • 1974 – Toutai Kefu, Tongan-Australian rugby player
  • 1974 – Nnedi Okorafor, Nigerian-American author and educator
  • 1975 – Anouk, Dutch singer
  • 1975 – Francesco Flachi, Italian footballer
  • 1975 – Timo Pérez, Dominican-American baseball player
  • 1975 – Funda Arar, Turkish singer
  • 1977 – Ana de la Reguera, Mexican actress
  • 1977 – Mehran Ghassemi, Iranian journalist and author (d. 2008)
  • 1977 – Mark Spencer, American computer programmer and engineer
  • 1978 – Daigo, Japanese singer-songwriter, actor, and voice actor
  • 1978 – Bernt Haas, Austrian-Swiss footballer
  • 1978 – Rachel Roberts, Canadian model and actress
  • 1978 – Jocelyn Robichaud, Canadian tennis player and coach
  • 1978 – Evans Rutto, Kenyan runner
  • 1979 – Alexi Laiho, Finnish singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1979 – Amit Trivedi, Indian singer-songwriter
  • 1980 – Manuel Ortega, Austrian singer
  • 1980 – Katee Sackhoff, American actress
  • 1980 – Mariko Seyama, Japanese announcer, photographer, and model
  • 1981 – Frédérick Bousquet, French swimmer
  • 1981 – Ofer Shechter, Israeli model, actor, and screenwriter
  • 1982 – Gennady Golovkin, Kazakhstani boxer
  • 1982 – Brett White, Australian rugby league player
  • 1983 – Tatyana Petrova Arkhipova, Russian runner
  • 1984 – Michelle Donelan, British politician
  • 1984 – Ezra Koenig, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1984 – Pablo Portillo, Mexican singer and actor
  • 1984 – Taran Noah Smith, American actor
  • 1985 – Patrick Schliwa, German rugby player
  • 1985 – Yemane Tsegay, Ethiopian runner
  • 1986 – Igor Akinfeev, Russian footballer
  • 1986 – Félix Hernández, Venezuelan-American baseball player
  • 1987 – Royston Drenthe, Dutch footballer
  • 1987 – Jeremy Hellickson, American baseball player
  • 1987 – Sam Rapira, New Zealand rugby league player
  • 1988 – Jenni Asserholt, Swedish ice hockey player
  • 1988 – Kim Myung-sung, South Korean baseball player
  • 1990 – Kim Jong-hyun, South Korean singer (d. 2017)
  • 1993 – Viktor Arvidsson, Swedish ice hockey player
  • 1993 – Zac Santo, Australian rugby league player
  • 1994 – Josh Chudleigh, Australian rugby league player
  • 1995 – Cedi Osman, Turkish professional basketball player
  • 1997 – Saygrace, Australian singer and songwriter
  • 1997 – Arno Verschueren, Belgian professional football player

Deaths on April 8

  • 217 – Caracalla, Roman emperor (b. 188)
  • 622 – Shōtoku, Japanese prince (b. 572)
  • 632 – Charibert II, Frankish king (b. 607)
  • 894 – Adalelm, Frankish nobleman
  • 944 – Wang Yanxi, Chinese emperor
  • 956 – Gilbert, Frankish nobleman
  • 967 – Mu’izz al-Dawla, Buyid emir (b. 915)
  • 1143 – John II Komnenos, Byzantine emperor (b. 1087)
  • 1150 – Gertrude of Babenberg , duchess of Bohemia (b. 1118)
  • 1321 – Thomas of Tolentino, Italian-Franciscan missionary (b. c. 1255)
  • 1338 – Stephen Gravesend, bishop of London
  • 1364 – John II, French king (b. 1319)
  • 1450 – Sejong the Great, Korean king (b. 1397)
  • 1461 – Georg von Peuerbach, German mathematician and astronomer (b. 1423)
  • 1492 – Lorenzo de’ Medici, Italian ruler (b. 1449)
  • 1551 – Oda Nobuhide, Japanese warlord (b. 1510)
  • 1586 – Martin Chemnitz, Lutheran theologian and reformer (b. 1522)
  • 1608 – Magdalen Dacre, English noble (b. 1538)
  • 1612 – Anne Catherine of Brandenburg (b. 1575)
  • 1691 – Carlo Rainaldi, Italian architect, designed the Santa Maria dei Miracoli and Santa Maria in Montesanto (b. 1611)
  • 1697 – Niels Juel, Norwegian-Danish admiral (b. 1629)
  • 1704 – Hiob Ludolf, German orientalist and philologist (b. 1624)
  • 1704 – Henry Sydney, 1st Earl of Romney, English colonel and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (b. 1641)
  • 1709 – Wolfgang Dietrich of Castell-Remlingen, German nobleman (b. 1641)
  • 1725 – John Wise, American minister (b. 1652)
  • 1735 – Francis II Rákóczi, Hungarian prince (b. 1676)
  • 1848 – Gaetano Donizetti, Italian composer (b. 1797)
  • 1860 – István Széchenyi, Hungarian statesman and reformer (b.1791)
  • 1861 – Elisha Otis, American businessman, founded the Otis Elevator Company (b. 1811)
  • 1870 – Charles Auguste de Bériot, Belgian violinist and composer (b. 1802)
  • 1894 – Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, Indian journalist, author, and poet (b. 1838)
  • 1906 – Auguste Deter, German woman, first person diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease (b. 1850)
  • 1919 – Loránd Eötvös, Hungarian physicist, academic, and politician, Hungarian Minister of Education (b. 1848)
  • 1920 – Charles Griffes, American pianist and composer (b. 1884)
  • 1931 – Erik Axel Karlfeldt, Swedish poet Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1864)
  • 1936 – Róbert Bárány, Austrian physician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1876)
  • 1936 – Božena Benešová, Czech poet and novelist (b. 1873)
  • 1941 – Marcel Prévost, French novelist and playwright (b. 1862)
  • 1942 – Kostas Skarvelis, Greek guitarist and composer (b. 1880)
  • 1947 – Olaf Frydenlund, Norwegian target shooter (b. 1862)
  • 1950 – Vaslav Nijinsky, Polish dancer and choreographer (b. 1890)
  • 1959 – Marios Makrionitis, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Athens (b. 1913)
  • 1961 – Joseph Carrodus, Australian public servant (b. 1885)
  • 1962 – Juan Belmonte, Spanish bullfighter (b. 1892)
  • 1965 – Lars Hanson, Swedish actor (b. 1886)
  • 1969 – Zinaida Aksentyeva, Ukrainian astronomer (b. 1900)
  • 1973 – Pablo Picasso, Spanish painter and sculptor (b. 1881)
  • 1974 – James Charles McGuigan, Canadian cardinal (b. 1894)
  • 1979 – Breece D’J Pancake, American short story writer (b. 1952)
  • 1981 – Omar Bradley, American general (b. 1893)
  • 1983 – Isamu Kosugi, Japanese actor and director (b. 1904)
  • 1984 – Pyotr Kapitsa, Russian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1894)
  • 1985 – John Frederick Coots, American pianist and composer (b. 1897)
  • 1990 – Ryan White, American activist, inspired the Ryan White Care Act (b. 1971)
  • 1991 – Per Ohlin, Swedish musician (b. 1969)
  • 1992 – Daniel Bovet, Swiss-Italian pharmacologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1907)
  • 1993 – Marian Anderson, American operatic singer (b. 1897)
  • 1994 – François Rozet, French-Canadian actor (b. 1899)
  • 1996 – Ben Johnson, American actor and stuntman (b. 1918)
  • 1996 – León Klimovsky, Argentinian-Spanish actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1906)
  • 1996 – Mick Young, Australian politician (b. 1936)
  • 1997 – Laura Nyro, American singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1947)
  • 2000 – František Šťastný, Czech motorcycle racer (b. 1927)
  • 2000 – Claire Trevor, American actress (b. 1910)
  • 2002 – María Félix, Mexican actress (b. 1914)
  • 2002 – Harvey Quaytman, American painter (b. 1937)
  • 2004 – Werner Schumacher, German actor (b. 1921)
  • 2005 – Onna White, Canadian choreographer and dancer (b. 1922)
  • 2006 – Gerard Reve, Dutch author and poet (b. 1923)
  • 2007 – Sol LeWitt, American painter and sculptor (b. 1928)
  • 2008 – Kazuo Shiraga, Japanese painter (b. 1924)
  • 2009 – Richard de Mille, American Scientologist, author, investigative journalist, and psychologist (b. 1922)
  • 2009 – Piotr Morawski, Polish mountaineer (b. 1976)
  • 2010 – Malcolm McLaren, English singer-songwriter (b. 1946)
  • 2010 – Teddy Scholten, Dutch singer (b. 1926)
  • 2011 – Hedda Sterne, Romanian-American painter and photographer (b. 1910)
  • 2012 – Blair Kiel, American football player and coach (b. 1961)
  • 2012 – Jack Tramiel, Polish-American businessman, founded Commodore International (b. 1928)
  • 2012 – Janusz K. Zawodny, Polish-American soldier, historian, and political scientist (b. 1921)
  • 2013 – Mikhail Beketov, Russian journalist (b. 1958)
  • 2013 – Annette Funicello, American actress and singer (b. 1942)
  • 2013 – Sara Montiel, Spanish-Mexican actress and singer (b. 1928)
  • 2013 – José Luis Sampedro, Spanish economist and author (b. 1917)
  • 2013 – Margaret Thatcher, English lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1925)
  • 2014 – Emmanuel III Delly, Iraqi patriarch (b. 1927)
  • 2014 – Karlheinz Deschner, German author and activist (b. 1924)
  • 2014 – Ivan Mercep, New Zealand architect, designed the Te Papa Tongarewa Museum (b. 1930)
  • 2015 – Jayakanthan, Indian journalist and author (b. 1934)
  • 2015 – Rayson Huang, Hong Kong chemist and academic (b. 1920)
  • 2015 – Sergei Lashchenko, Ukrainian kick-boxer (b. 1987)
  • 2015 – David Laventhol, American journalist and publisher (b. 1933)
  • 2015 – Jean-Claude Turcotte, Canadian cardinal (b. 1936)

Holidays and observances on April 8

  • Buddha’s Birthday, also known as Hana Matsuri, “Flower Festival” (Japan)
  • Christian feast day:
    • Anne Ayres (Episcopal Church (USA))
    • Constantina
    • Julie Billiart of Namur
    • Perpetuus
    • Walter of Pontoise
    • William Augustus Muhlenberg (Episcopal Church (USA))
    • April 8 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Earliest day on which Fast and Prayer Day can fall, while April 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Friday in April (Liberia)
  • International Romani Day

April 8 – 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 /
  • 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

April 3 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 686 – Maya king Yuknoom Yich’aak K’ahk’ assumes the crown of Calakmul.
  • 801 – King Louis the Pious captures Barcelona from the Moors after a siege of several months.
  • 1043 – Edward the Confessor is crowned King of England.
  • 1077 – The first Parliament of Friuli is created.
  • 1559 – The Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis treaty is signed, ending the Italian Wars.
  • 1860 – The first successful United States Pony Express run from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California, begins.
  • 1865 – American Civil War: Union forces capture Richmond, Virginia, the capital of the Confederate States of America.
  • 1882 – American Old West: Robert Ford kills Jesse James.
  • 1885 – Gottlieb Daimler is granted a German patent for his engine design.
  • 1888 – The first of eleven unsolved brutal murders of women committed in or near the impoverished Whitechapel district in the East End of London, occurs.
  • 1895 – The trial in the libel case brought by Oscar Wilde begins, eventually resulting in his imprisonment on charges of homosexuality.
  • 1922 – Joseph Stalin becomes the first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
  • 1933 – First flight over Mount Everest, by the British Houston-Mount Everest Flight Expedition, led by the Marquis of Clydesdale, and funded by Lucy, Lady Houston.
  • 1936 – Bruno Richard Hauptmann is executed for the kidnapping and death of Charles Augustus Lindbergh, Jr., the baby son of pilot Charles Lindbergh.
  • 1942 – World War II: Japanese forces begin an assault on the United States and Filipino troops on the Bataan Peninsula.
  • 1946 – Japanese Lt. General Masaharu Homma is executed in the Philippines for leading the Bataan Death March.
  • 1948 – Cold War: U.S. President Harry S. Truman signs the Marshall Plan, authorizing $5 billion in aid for 16 countries.
  • 1948 – In Jeju Province, South Korea, a civil-war-like period of violence and human rights abuses begins, known as the Jeju uprising.
  • 1955 – The American Civil Liberties Union announces it will defend Allen Ginsberg’s book Howl against obscenity charges.
  • 1956 – Hudsonville–Standale tornado: The western half of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan is struck by a deadly F5 tornado.
  • 1968 – Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech. He was assassinated the next day.
  • 1969 – Vietnam War: United States Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird announces that the United States will start to “Vietnamize” the war effort.
  • 1973 – Martin Cooper of Motorola makes the first handheld mobile phone call to Joel S. Engel of Bell Labs.
  • 1974 – The 1974 Super Outbreak occurs, the second biggest tornado outbreak in recorded history (after the 2011 Super Outbreak). The death toll is 315, with nearly 5,500 injured.
  • 1975 – Bobby Fischer refuses to play in a chess match against Anatoly Karpov, giving Karpov the title of World Champion by default.
  • 1980 – US Congress restores a federal trust relationship with the 501 members of the Shvwits, Kanosh, Koosharem, and the Indian Peaks and Cedar City bands of the Paiute people of Utah.
  • 1981 – The Osborne 1, the first successful portable computer, is unveiled at the West Coast Computer Faire in San Francisco.
  • 1989 – The US Supreme Court upholds the jurisdictional rights of tribal courts under the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 in Mississippi Choctaw Band v. Holyfield.
  • 1996 – Suspected “Unabomber” Theodore Kaczynski is captured at his Montana cabin in the United States.
  • 1997 – The Thalit massacre begins in Algeria; all but one of the 53 inhabitants of Thalit are killed by guerrillas.
  • 2000 – United States v. Microsoft Corp.: Microsoft is ruled to have violated United States antitrust law by keeping “an oppressive thumb” on its competitors.
  • 2004 – Islamic terrorists involved in the 2004 Madrid train bombings are trapped by the police in their apartment and kill themselves.
  • 2007 – Conventional-Train World Speed Record: A French TGV train on the LGV Est high speed line sets an official new world speed record.
  • 2008 – ATA Airlines, once one of the ten largest U.S. passenger airlines and largest charter airline, files for bankruptcy for the second time in five years and ceases all operations.
  • 2008 – Texas law enforcement cordons off the FLDS’s YFZ Ranch. Eventually, 533 women and children will be taken into state custody.
  • 2009 – Jiverly Antares Wong opens fire at the American Civic Association immigration center in Binghamton, New York, killing thirteen and wounding four before committing suicide.
  • 2010 – Apple Inc. released the first generation iPad, a tablet computer.
  • 2013 – More than 50 people die in floods resulting from record-breaking rainfall in La Plata and Buenos Aires, Argentina.
  • 2016 – The Panama Papers, a leak of legal documents, reveals information on 214,488 offshore companies.
  • 2017 – A bomb explodes in the St Petersburg metro system, killing 14 and injuring several more people.
  • 2018 – YouTube headquarters shooting.

Births on April 3

  • 1016 – Xing Zong, Chinese emperor (d. 1055)
  • 1151 – Igor Svyatoslavich, Russian prince (d. 1202)
  • 1438 – John III of Egmont, Dutch nobleman (d. 1516)
  • 1529 – Michael Neander, German mathematician and astronomer (d. 1581)
  • 1540 – Maria de’ Medici, Italian noblewoman, the eldest daughter of Cosimo I de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany and Eleonora di Toledo. (d. 1557)
  • 1593 – George Herbert, English poet (d. 1633)
  • 1639 – Alessandro Stradella, Italian composer (d. 1682)
  • 1643 – Charles V, duke of Lorraine (d. 1690)
  • 1682 – Valentin Rathgeber, German organist and composer (d. 1750)
  • 1693 – George Edwards, English ornithologist and entomologist (d. 1773)
  • 1715 – William Watson, English physician, physicist, and botanist (d. 1787)
  • 1764 – John Abernethy, English surgeon and anatomist (d. 1831)
  • 1769 – Christian Günther von Bernstorff, Danish-Prussian politician and diplomat (d. 1835)
  • 1770 – Theodoros Kolokotronis, Greek general (d. 1843)
  • 1778 – Pierre Bretonneau, French doctor who performed the first successful tracheotomy (d. 1862)
  • 1781 – Swaminarayan, Indian religious leader (d. 1830)
  • 1782 – Alexander Macomb, American general (d. 1841)
  • 1783 – Washington Irving, American short story writer, essayist, biographer, historian (d. 1859)
  • 1791 – Anne Lister, English diarist, mountaineer, and traveller (d.1840)
  • 1798 – Charles Wilkes, American admiral, geographer, and explorer (d.1877)
  • 1807 – Mary Carpenter, English educational and social reformer (d. 1877)
  • 1814 – Lorenzo Snow, American religious leader, 5th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (d. 1901)
  • 1822 – Edward Everett Hale, American minister, historian, and author (d. 1909)
  • 1823 – George Derby, American lieutenant and journalist (d. 1861)
  • 1823 – William M. Tweed, American politician (d. 1878)
  • 1826 – Cyrus K. Holliday, American businessman (d. 1900)
  • 1837 – John Burroughs, American botanist and author (d. 1921)
  • 1842 – Ulric Dahlgren, American colonel (d. 1864)
  • 1848 – Arturo Prat, Chilean lawyer and captain (d. 1879)
  • 1858 – Jacob Gaudaur, Canadian rower (d. 1937)
  • 1860 – Frederik van Eeden, Dutch psychiatrist and author (d. 1932)
  • 1864 – Emil Kellenberger, Swiss target shooter (d. 1943)
  • 1875 – Mistinguett, French actress and singer (d. 1956)
  • 1876 – Margaret Anglin, Canadian actress, director, and producer (d. 1958)
  • 1876 – Tomáš Baťa, Czech businessman, founded Bata Shoes (d. 1932)
  • 1880 – Otto Weininger, Jewish-Austrian philosopher and author (d. 1903)
  • 1881 – Alcide De Gasperi, Italian journalist and politician, 30th Prime Minister of Italy (d. 1954)
  • 1882 – Philippe Desranleau, Canadian archbishop (d. 1952)
  • 1883 – Ikki Kita, Japanese philosopher and author (d. 1937)
  • 1885 – Allan Dwan, Canadian-American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1981)
  • 1885 – Bud Fisher, American cartoonist (d. 1954)
  • 1885 – Marie-Victorin Kirouac, Canadian botanist and academic (d. 1944)
  • 1885 – St John Philby, English colonial and explorer (d. 1960)
  • 1886 – Dooley Wilson, American actor and singer (d. 1953)
  • 1887 – Ōtori Tanigorō, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 24th Yokozuna (d. 1956)
  • 1887 – Nishizō Tsukahara, Japanese admiral (d. 1966)
  • 1888 – Neville Cardus, English author and critic (d. 1975)
  • 1888 – Thomas C. Kinkaid, American admiral (d. 1972)
  • 1889 – Grigoraș Dinicu, Romanian violinist and composer (d. 1949)
  • 1893 – Leslie Howard, English actor (d. 1943)
  • 1895 – Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Italian-American composer and educator (d. 1968)
  • 1895 – Zez Confrey, American pianist and composer (d. 1971)
  • 1897 – Joe Kirkwood Sr., Australian golfer (d. 1970)
  • 1897 – Thrasyvoulos Tsakalotos, Greek general (d. 1989)
  • 1898 – David Jack, English footballer and manager (d. 1958)
  • 1898 – George Jessel, American actor, singer, and producer (d. 1981)
  • 1898 – Henry Luce, American publisher, co-founded Time Magazine (d. 1967)
  • 1900 – Camille Chamoun, Lebanese lawyer and politician, 7th President of Lebanon (d. 1987)
  • 1900 – Albert Walsh, Canadian lawyer and politician, 1st Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland (d. 1958)
  • 1903 – Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay, Indian social reformer and freedom fighter (d. 1988)
  • 1904 – Iron Eyes Cody, American actor and stuntman (d. 1999)
  • 1904 – Sally Rand, American dancer (d. 1979)
  • 1904 – Russel Wright, American furniture designer (d. 1976)
  • 1905 – Robert Sink, American general (d. 1965)
  • 1909 – Stanislaw Ulam, Polish-American mathematician and academic (d. 1984)
  • 1910 – Ted Hook, Australian public servant (d. 1990)
  • 1911 – Nanette Bordeaux, Canadian-American actress (d. 1956)
  • 1911 – Michael Woodruff, English-Scottish surgeon and academic (d. 2001)
  • 1911 – Stanisława Walasiewicz, Polish-American runner (d. 1980)
  • 1912 – Dorothy Eden, New Zealand-English author (d. 1982)
  • 1912 – Grigoris Lambrakis, Greek physician and politician (d. 1963)
  • 1913 – Per Borten, Norwegian politician, 18th Prime Minister of Norway (d. 2005)
  • 1914 – Ray Getliffe, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2008)
  • 1914 – Sam Manekshaw, Indian field marshal (d. 2008)
  • 1915 – Piet de Jong, Dutch politician and naval officer, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (d. 2016)
  • 1915 – İhsan Doğramacı, Turkish physician and academic (d. 2010)
  • 1916 – Herb Caen, American journalist and author (d. 1997)
  • 1916 – Cliff Gladwin, English cricketer (d. 1988)
  • 1916 – Louis Guglielmi, Catalan composer (d. 1991)
  • 1918 – Mary Anderson, American actress (d. 2014)
  • 1918 – Louis Applebaum, Canadian composer and conductor (d. 2000)
  • 1919 – Ervin Drake, American songwriter and composer (d. 2015)
  • 1919 – Clairette Oddera, French-Canadian actress and singer (d. 2008)
  • 1920 – Stan Freeman, American composer and conductor (d. 2001)
  • 1920 – Yoshibayama Junnosuke, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 43rd Yokozuna (d. 1977)
  • 1921 – Robert Karvelas, American actor (d. 1991)
  • 1921 – Jan Sterling, American actress (d. 2004)
  • 1922 – Yevhen Bulanchyk, Ukrainian hurdler (d. 1996)
  • 1922 – Doris Day, American singer and actress (d. 2019)
  • 1923 – Daniel Hoffman, American poet and academic (d. 2013)
  • 1924 – Marlon Brando, American actor and director (d. 2004)
  • 1924 – Roza Shanina, Russian sergeant and sniper (d. 1945)
  • 1925 – Tony Benn, English pilot and politician, Secretary of State for Industry (d. 2014)
  • 1926 – Alex Grammas, American baseball player, manager, and coach (d. 2019)
  • 1926 – Gus Grissom, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (d. 1967)
  • 1927 – Wesley A. Brown, American general and engineer (d. 2012)
  • 1928 – Don Gibson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2003)
  • 1928 – Emmett Johns, Canadian priest, founded Dans la Rue (d. 2018)
  • 1928 – Earl Lloyd, American basketball player and coach (d. 2015)
  • 1928 – Jennifer Paterson, English chef and television personality (d. 1999)
  • 1929 – Fazlur Rahman Khan, Bangladeshi engineer and architect, co-designed the Willis Tower and John Hancock Center (d. 1982)
  • 1929 – Poul Schlüter, Danish lawyer and politician, 37th Prime Minister of Denmark
  • 1930 – Lawton Chiles, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 41st Governor of Florida (d. 1998)
  • 1930 – Helmut Kohl, German politician, Chancellor of Germany (d. 2017)
  • 1930 – Mario Benjamín Menéndez, Argentinian general and politician (d. 2015)
  • 1930 – Wally Moon, American baseball player and coach (d. 2018)
  • 1931 – William Bast, American screenwriter and author (d. 2015)
  • 1933 – Bob Dornan, American politician
  • 1933 – Rod Funseth, American golfer (d. 1985)
  • 1934 – Pamela Allen, New Zealand children’s writer and illustrator
  • 1934 – Jane Goodall, English primatologist and anthropologist
  • 1934 – Jim Parker, American football player (d. 2005)
  • 1936 – Jimmy McGriff, American organist and bandleader (d. 2008)
  • 1936 – Harold Vick, American saxophonist and flute player (d. 1987)
  • 1938 – Jeff Barry, American singer-songwriter, and producer
  • 1938 – Phil Rodgers, American golfer (d. 2018)
  • 1939 – François de Roubaix, French composer (d. 1975)
  • 1939 – Hawk Taylor, American baseball player and coach (d. 2012)
  • 1939 – Paul Craig Roberts, American economist and politician
  • 1941 – Jan Berry, American singer-songwriter (d. 2004)
  • 1941 – Philippé Wynne, American soul singer (d. 1984)
  • 1942 – Marsha Mason, American actress
  • 1942 – Wayne Newton, American singer
  • 1942 – Billy Joe Royal, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2015)
  • 1943 – Mario Lavista, Mexican composer
  • 1943 – Jonathan Lynn, English actor, director, and screenwriter
  • 1943 – Richard Manuel, Canadian singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 1986)
  • 1943 – Hikaru Saeki, Japanese admiral, the first female star officer of the Japan Self-Defense Forces
  • 1944 – Peter Colman, Australian biologist and academic
  • 1944 – Tony Orlando, American singer
  • 1945 – Doon Arbus, American author and journalist
  • 1945 – Bernie Parent, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1945 – Catherine Spaak, French actress
  • 1946 – Nicholas Jones, English actor
  • 1946 – Dee Murray, English bass player (d. 1992)
  • 1946 – Hanna Suchocka, Polish lawyer and politician, 5th Prime Minister of Poland
  • 1947 – Anders Eliasson, Swedish composer (d. 2013)
  • 1948 – Arlette Cousture, Canadian author and screenwriter
  • 1948 – Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, Dutch academic, politician, and diplomat, 11th Secretary General of NATO
  • 1948 – Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck, German footballer
  • 1948 – Carlos Salinas de Gortari, Mexican economist and politician, 53rd President of Mexico
  • 1949 – Lyle Alzado, American football player and actor (d. 1992)
  • 1949 – A. C. Grayling, English philosopher and academic
  • 1949 – Richard Thompson, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1950 – Indrajit Coomaraswamy, Sri Lankan cricketer and economist
  • 1951 – Brendan Barber, English trade union leader
  • 1951 – Annette Dolphin, British academician and educator
  • 1951 – Mitch Woods, American singer-songwriter and pianist
  • 1952 – Mike Moore, American lawyer and politician
  • 1953 – Sandra Boynton, American author and illustrator
  • 1953 – Wakanohana Kanji II, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 56th Yokozuna
  • 1953 – James Smith, American boxer
  • 1953 – Craig Taubman, American singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1954 – Elisabetta Brusa, Italian composer
  • 1954 – K. Krishnasamy, Indian physician and politician
  • 1956 – Kalle Kulbok, Estonian politician
  • 1956 – Boris Miljković, Serbian director and producer
  • 1956 – Miguel Bosé, Spanish musician and actor
  • 1956 – Ray Combs, American game show host (d. 1996)
  • 1958 – Alec Baldwin, American actor, comedian, producer and television host
  • 1958 – Adam Gussow, American scholar, musician, and memoirist
  • 1958 – Francesca Woodman, Jewish-American photographer (d. 1981)
  • 1959 – David Hyde Pierce, American actor and activist
  • 1960 – Arjen Anthony Lucassen, Dutch singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1961 – Tim Crews, American baseball player (d. 1993)
  • 1961 – Eddie Murphy, American actor and comedian
  • 1962 – Dave Miley, American baseball player and manager
  • 1962 – Mike Ness, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1962 – Jaya Prada, Indian actress and politician
  • 1963 – Les Davidson, Australian rugby league player
  • 1963 – Ricky Nixon, Australian footballer and manager
  • 1963 – Criss Oliva, American guitarist and songwriter (d. 1993)
  • 1964 – Marco Ballotta, Italian footballer and manager
  • 1964 – Nigel Farage, English politician
  • 1964 – Claire Perry, English banker and politician
  • 1964 – Bjarne Riis, Danish cyclist and manager
  • 1964 – Andy Robinson, English rugby player and coach
  • 1964 – Jay Weatherill, Australian politician, 45th Premier of South Australia
  • 1965 – Nazia Hassan, Pakistani pop singer-songwriter, lawyer and social activist (d. 2000)
  • 1966 – John de Vries, Australian race car driver
  • 1967 – Cat Cora, American chef and author
  • 1967 – Pervis Ellison, American basketball player
  • 1967 – Brent Gilchrist, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1967 – Cristi Puiu, Romanian director and screenwriter
  • 1967 – Mark Skaife, Australian race car driver and sportscaster
  • 1968 – Sebastian Bach, Bahamian-Canadian singer-songwriter and actor
  • 1968 – Charlotte Coleman, English actress (d. 2001)
  • 1968 – Jamie Hewlett, English director and performer
  • 1968 – Tomoaki Kanemoto, Japanese baseball player
  • 1969 – Rodney Hampton, American football player
  • 1969 – Peter Matera, Australian footballer and coach
  • 1969 – Ben Mendelsohn, Australian actor
  • 1969 – Lance Storm, Canadian wrestler and trainer
  • 1971 – Vitālijs Astafjevs, Latvian footballer and manager
  • 1971 – Emmanuel Collard, French race car driver
  • 1971 – Picabo Street, American skier
  • 1972 – Jennie Garth, American actress and director
  • 1972 – Catherine McCormack, English actress
  • 1972 – Sandrine Testud, French tennis player
  • 1973 – Nilesh Kulkarni, Indian cricketer
  • 1973 – Adam Scott, American actor
  • 1974 – Marcus Brown, American basketball player
  • 1974 – Drew Shirley, American guitarist and songwriter
  • 1974 – Lee Williams, Welsh model and actor
  • 1975 – Shawn Bates, American ice hockey player
  • 1975 – Michael Olowokandi, Nigerian-American basketball player
  • 1975 – Aries Spears, American comedian and actor
  • 1975 – Yoshinobu Takahashi, Japanese baseball player
  • 1975 – Koji Uehara, Japanese baseball player
  • 1976 – Nicolas Escudé, French tennis player
  • 1978 – Matthew Goode, English actor
  • 1978 – Tommy Haas, German-American tennis player
  • 1978 – John Smit, South African rugby player
  • 1979 – Simon Black, Australian footballer and coach
  • 1980 – Andrei Lodis, Belarusian footballer
  • 1980 – Megan Rohrer, American pastor and transgender activist
  • 1981 – Aaron Bertram, American trumpet player
  • 1981 – DeShawn Stevenson, American basketball player
  • 1982 – Jared Allen, American football player
  • 1982 – Iain Fyfe, Australian footballer
  • 1982 – Cobie Smulders, Canadian actress
  • 1983 – Ben Foster, English footballer
  • 1983 – Stephen Weiss, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1984 – Jonathan Blondel, Belgian footballer
  • 1984 – Maxi López, Argentinian footballer
  • 1985 – Jari-Matti Latvala, Finnish race car driver
  • 1985 – Leona Lewis, English singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1986 – Amanda Bynes, American actress
  • 1986 – Stephanie Cox, American soccer player
  • 1986 – Annalisa Cucinotta, Italian cyclist
  • 1986 – Sergio Sánchez Ortega, Spanish footballer
  • 1987 – Rachel Bloom, American actress, writer, and producer
  • 1987 – Jay Bruce, American baseball player
  • 1987 – Yileen Gordon, Australian rugby league player
  • 1987 – Jason Kipnis, American baseball player
  • 1987 – Martyn Rooney, English sprinter
  • 1987 – Julie Sokolow, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1988 – Kam Chancellor, American football player
  • 1988 – Brandon Graham, American football player
  • 1988 – Peter Hartley, English footballer
  • 1988 – Tim Krul, Dutch footballer
  • 1989 – Romain Alessandrini, French footballer
  • 1989 – Israel Folau, Australian rugby player and footballer
  • 1989 – Joel Romelo, Australian rugby league player
  • 1989 – Thisara Perera, Sri Lankan cricketer
  • 1990 – Karim Ansarifard, Iranian footballer
  • 1990 – Madison Brengle, American tennis player
  • 1990 – Sotiris Ninis, Greek footballer
  • 1990 – Natasha Negovanlis, Canadian actress and singer
  • 1991 – Hayley Kiyoko, American actress and singer
  • 1992 – Simone Benedetti, Italian footballer
  • 1992 – Yuliya Yefimova, Russian swimmer
  • 1993 – Pape Moussa Konaté, Senegalese footballer
  • 1994 – Kodi Nikorima, New Zealand rugby league player
  • 1996 – Mayo Hibi, Japanese tennis player
  • 1997 – Gabriel Jesus, Brazilian footballer
  • 1998 – Paris Jackson, American actress, model and singer

Deaths on April 3

  • 963 – William III, Duke of Aquitaine (b. 915)
  • 1153 – al-Adil ibn al-Sallar, vizier of the Fatimid Caliphate
  • 1171 – Philip of Milly, seventh Grand Master of the Knights Templar (b. c. 1120)
  • 1203 – Arthur I, Duke of Brittany (b. 1187)
  • 1253 – Saint Richard of Chichester
  • 1287 – Pope Honorius IV (b. 1210)
  • 1325 – Nizamuddin Auliya, Sufi saint (b. 1238)
  • 1350 – Odo IV, Duke of Burgundy (b. 1295)
  • 1538 – Elizabeth Boleyn, Countess of Wiltshire (b. 1480)
  • 1545 – Antonio de Guevara, Spanish chronicler and moralist (b. 1481)
  • 1606 – Charles Blount, 8th Baron Mountjoy, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (b. 1563)
  • 1630 – Christopher Villiers, 1st Earl of Anglesey, English noble (b. c.  1593)
  • 1680 – Shivaji, Indian emperor, founded the Maratha Empire (b. 1630)
  • 1682 – Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, Spanish painter and educator (b. 1618)
  • 1691 – Jean Petitot, French-Swiss painter (b. 1608)
  • 1695 – Melchior d’Hondecoeter, Dutch painter (b. 1636)
  • 1717 – Jacques Ozanam, French mathematician and academic (b. 1640)
  • 1728 – James Anderson, Scottish lawyer and historian (b. 1662)
  • 1792 – George Pocock, English admiral (b. 1706)
  • 1804 – Jędrzej Kitowicz, Polish priest, historian, and author (b. 1727)
  • 1827 – Ernst Chladni, German physicist and academic (b. 1756)
  • 1838 – François Carlo Antommarchi, French physician and author (b. 1780)
  • 1844 – Edward Bigge, English cleric, 1st Archdeacon of Lindisfarne (b. 1807)
  • 1846 – William Braine, English soldier and explorer (b. 1814)
  • 1849 – Juliusz Słowacki, Polish-French poet and playwright (b. 1809)
  • 1868 – Franz Berwald, Swedish composer and surgeon (b. 1796)
  • 1882 – Jesse James, American criminal and outlaw (b. 1847)
  • 1897 – Johannes Brahms, German pianist and composer (b. 1833)
  • 1901 – Richard D’Oyly Carte, English composer and talent agent (b. 1844)
  • 1902 – Esther Hobart Morris, American lawyer and judge (b. 1814)
  • 1930 – Emma Albani, Canadian-English operatic soprano (b. 1847)
  • 1936 – Richard Hauptmann, German-American murderer (b. 1899)
  • 1941 – Tachiyama Mineemon, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 22nd Yokozuna (b. 1877)
  • 1941 – Pál Teleki, Hungarian academic and politician, 22nd Prime Minister of Hungary (b. 1879)
  • 1943 – Conrad Veidt, German actor, director, and producer (b. 1893)
  • 1946 – Masaharu Homma, Japanese general (b. 1887)
  • 1950 – Kurt Weill, German-American composer and pianist (b. 1900)
  • 1950 – Carter G. Woodson, American historian, author, and journalist, founded Black History Month (b. 1875)
  • 1951 – Henrik Visnapuu, Estonian poet and playwright (b. 1890)
  • 1952 – Miina Sillanpää, Finnish minister and politician (b. 1866)
  • 1957 – Ned Sparks, Canadian-American actor (b. 1883)
  • 1958 – Jaan Kärner, Estonian poet and author (b. 1891)
  • 1962 – Manolis Kalomiris, Greek composer and educator (b. 1883)
  • 1970 – Avigdor Hameiri, Israeli author (b. 1890)
  • 1971 – Joseph Valachi, American gangster (b. 1904)
  • 1972 – Ferde Grofé, American pianist and composer (b. 1892)
  • 1975 – Mary Ure, Scottish-English actress (b. 1933)
  • 1976 – David M. Dennison, American physicist and academic (b. 1900)
  • 1976 – Claude-Henri Grignon, Canadian journalist and politician (b. 1894)
  • 1978 – Ray Noble, English bandleader, composer, and actor (b. 1903)
  • 1978 – Winston Sharples, American composer (b. 1909)
  • 1981 – Juan Trippe, American businessman, founded Pan American World Airways (b. 1899)
  • 1982 – Warren Oates, American actor (b. 1928)
  • 1983 – Jimmy Bloomfield, English footballer and manager (b. 1934)
  • 1986 – Peter Pears, English tenor and educator (b. 1910)
  • 1987 – Tom Sestak, American football player (b. 1936)
  • 1988 – Milton Caniff, American cartoonist (b. 1907)
  • 1990 – Sarah Vaughan, American singer (b. 1924)
  • 1991 – Charles Goren, American bridge player and author (b. 1901)
  • 1991 – Graham Greene, English novelist, playwright, and critic (b. 1904)
  • 1993 – Pinky Lee, American television host (b. 1907)
  • 1994 – Frank Wells, American businessman (b. 1932)
  • 1995 – Alfred J. Billes, Canadian businessman, co-founded Canadian Tire (b. 1902)
  • 1996 – Ron Brown, American captain and politician, 30th United States Secretary of Commerce (b. 1941)
  • 1998 – Mary Cartwright, English mathematician and academic (b. 1900)
  • 1999 – Lionel Bart, English composer (b. 1930)
  • 1999 – Geoffrey Walsh, Canadian general (b. 1909)
  • 2000 – Terence McKenna, American botanist and philosopher (b. 1946)
  • 2000 – Dina Abramowicz, Librarian and YIVO and Yiddish language expert (b. 1909)
  • 2005 – François Gérin, Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1944)
  • 2007 – Nina Wang, Chinese businesswoman (b. 1937)
  • 2008 – Hrvoje Ćustić, Croatian footballer (b. 1983)
  • 2012 – Mingote, Spanish cartoonist and journalist (b. 1919)
  • 2012 – Richard Descoings, French civil servant (b. 1958)
  • 2012 – Govind Narain, Indian politician, 8th Governor of Karnataka (b. 1917)
  • 2012 – Chief Jay Strongbow, American wrestler (b. 1928)
  • 2012 – José María Zárraga, Spanish footballer and manager (b. 1930)
  • 2013 – Mariví Bilbao, Spanish actress (b. 1930)
  • 2013 – Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, German-American author and screenwriter (b. 1927)
  • 2014 – Régine Deforges, French author, playwright, and director (b. 1935)
  • 2014 – Fred Kida, American illustrator (b. 1920)
  • 2014 – Prince Michael of Prussia (b. 1940)
  • 2014 – Jovan Pavlović, Serbian metropolitan (b. 1936)
  • 2014 – Arthur “Guitar Boogie” Smith, American guitarist, fiddler, and composer (b. 1921)
  • 2015 – Sarah Brady, American activist and author (b. 1942)
  • 2015 – Bob Burns, American drummer and songwriter (b. 1950)
  • 2015 – Shmuel Wosner, Austrian-Israeli rabbi and author (b. 1913)
  • 2016 – Cesare Maldini, Italian footballer and manager (b. 1932)
  • 2016 – Joe Medicine Crow, American anthropologist, historian, and author (b. 1913)
  • 2016 – Koji Wada, Japanese singer and songwriter (b. 1974)
  • 2017 – Kishori Amonkar, Indian Classical Vocalist (b. 1931)

Holidays and observances on April 3

  • Christian feast day:
    • Agape, Chionia, and Irene
    • Burgundofara
    • Luigi Scrosoppi
    • Richard of Chichester
    • April 3 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

April 3 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

April 1 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /

It is the first day of the second quarter of the year, and the midway point of the first half of the year.

  • 33 – According to one historian’s account, Jesus Christ’s Last Supper is held.
  • 286 – Emperor Diocletian elevates his general Maximian to co-emperor with the rank of Augustus and gives him control over the Western regions of the Roman Empire.
  • 325 – Crown Prince Jin Chengdi, age four, succeeds his father Jin Mingdi as emperor of the Eastern Jin dynasty.
  • 457 – Majorian is acclaimed emperor by the Roman army after defeating 900 Alemanni near Lake Maggiore (Italy).
  • 527 – Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne.
  • 528 – The daughter of Emperor Xiaoming of Northern Wei was made the “Emperor” as a male heir of the late emperor by Empress Dowager Hu. Deposed and replaced by Yuan Zhao the next day, she was the first female monarch in the History of China, but is not widely recognised.
  • 988 – Robert II of France is married to Rozala of Italy. The marriage is arranged by his father, King Hugh Capet.
  • 1234 – Richard Marshal, 3rd Earl of Pembroke, is defeated by knights loyal to King Henry III of England in the Battle of the Curragh in Ireland.
  • 1293 – Robert Winchelsey leaves England for Rome, to be consecrated as Archbishop of Canterbury.
  • 1318 – Berwick-upon-Tweed is captured by Scotland from England.
  • 1340 – Niels Ebbesen kills Gerhard III, Count of Holstein-Rendsburg in his bedroom, ending the 1332-1340 interregnum in Denmark.
  • 1545 – Potosí, Bolivia, is founded after the discovery of huge silver deposits in the area.
  • 1572 – In the Eighty Years’ War, the Watergeuzen capture Brielle from the Seventeen Provinces, gaining the first foothold on land for what would become the Dutch Republic.
  • 1625 – A combined Spanish and Portuguese fleet of 52 ships commences the recapture of Bahia from the Dutch during the Dutch–Portuguese War.
  • 1789 – In New York City, the United States House of Representatives achieves its first quorum and elects Frederick Muhlenberg of Pennsylvania as its first Speaker.
  • 1826 – Samuel Morey received a patent for a compressionless “Gas or Vapor Engine”.
  • 1833 – The Convention of 1833, a political gathering of settlers in Mexican Texas to help draft a series of petitions to the Mexican government, begins in San Felipe de Austin.
  • 1854 – Charles Dickens’ novel Hard Times begins serialisation in his magazine Household Words.
  • 1865 – American Civil War: Union troops led by Philip Sheridan decisively defeat Confederate troops led by George Pickett, cutting the Army of Northern Virginia’s last supply line.
  • 1867 – Singapore becomes a British crown colony.
  • 1871 – The 3rd Duke of Buckingham opened the Brill Tramway, a short railway line to transport goods between his lands and the national rail network.
  • 1873 – The White Star steamer RMS Atlantic sinks off Nova Scotia, killing 547 in one of the worst marine disasters of the 19th century.
  • 1889 – The University of Northern Colorado was established, as the Colorado State Normal School.
  • 1891 – The Wrigley Company is founded in Chicago, Illinois.
  • 1893 – The rank of Chief Petty Officer in the United States Navy is established.
  • 1908 – The Territorial Force (renamed Territorial Army in 1920) is formed as a volunteer reserve component of the British Army.
  • 1918 – The Royal Air Force is created by the merger of the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service.
  • 1924 – Adolf Hitler is sentenced to five years imprisonment for his participation in the “Beer Hall Putsch” but spends only nine months in jail.
  • 1924 – The Royal Canadian Air Force is formed.
  • 1933 – The recently elected Nazis under Julius Streicher organize a one-day boycott of all Jewish-owned businesses in Germany, ushering in a series of anti-Semitic acts.
  • 1933 – English cricketer Wally Hammond set a record for the highest individual Test innings of 336 not out, during a Test match against New Zealand.
  • 1935 – India’s central banking institution, The Reserve Bank of India, is formed.
  • 1937 – Aden becomes a British crown colony.
  • 1937 – The Royal New Zealand Air Force is formed as an independent service.
  • 1937 – Spanish Civil War: Jaén, Spain is bombed by German fascist forces, supporting Francoist Nationalists.
  • 1939 – Spanish Civil War: Generalísimo Francisco Franco of the Spanish State announces the end of the Spanish Civil War, when the last of the Republican forces surrender.
  • 1941 – Fântâna Albă massacre: Between 200 and 2,000 Romanian civilians are killed by Soviet Border Troops.
  • 1941 – A military coup in Iraq overthrows the regime of ‘Abd al-Ilah and installs Rashid Ali al-Gaylani as Prime Minister.
  • 1944 – Navigation errors lead to an accidental American bombing of the Swiss city of Schaffhausen.
  • 1945 – World War II: The Tenth United States Army attacks the Thirty-Second Japanese Army on Okinawa.
  • 1946 – The 8.6 Mw  Aleutian Islands earthquake shakes the Aleutian Islands with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VI (Strong). A destructive tsunami reaches the Hawaiian Islands resulting in dozens of deaths, mostly in Hilo, Hawaii.
  • 1947 – The only mutiny in the history of the Royal New Zealand Navy begins.
  • 1948 – Cold War: Communist forces respond to the introduction of the Deutsche Mark by attempting to force the western powers to withdraw from Berlin.
  • 1948 – Faroe Islands gain autonomy from Denmark.
  • 1949 – Chinese Civil War: The Chinese Communist Party holds unsuccessful peace talks with the Nationalist Party in Beijing, after three years of fighting.
  • 1949 – The Government of Canada repeals Japanese-Canadian internment after seven years.
  • 1954 – United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower authorizes the creation of the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado.
  • 1955 – The EOKA rebellion against the British Empire begins in Cyprus, with the goal of unifying with Greece.
  • 1960 – The TIROS-1 satellite transmits the first television picture from space.
  • 1969 – The Hawker Siddeley Harrier, the first operational fighter aircraft with Vertical/Short Takeoff and Landing capabilities, enters service with the Royal Air Force.
  • 1970 – President Richard Nixon signs the Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act into law, requiring the Surgeon General’s warnings on tobacco products and banning cigarette advertising on television and radio in the United States, effective 1 January 1971.
  • 1970 – The first of over 670,000 AMC Gremlins are released into North America to compete with foreign imported cars.
  • 1971 – Bangladesh Liberation War: The Pakistan Army massacre over 1,000 people in Keraniganj Upazila, Bangladesh.
  • 1973 – Project Tiger, a tiger conservation project, is launched in the Jim Corbett National Park, India.
  • 1974 – The Local Government Act 1972 of England and Wales comes into effect.
  • 1976 – Apple Inc. is formed by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne in Cupertino, California, USA.
  • 1978 – The Philippine College of Commerce, through a presidential decree, becomes the Polytechnic University of the Philippines.
  • 1979 – Iran becomes an Islamic republic by a 99% vote, officially overthrowing the Shah.
  • 1979 – Nickelodeon was launched in United States.
  • 1986 – Communist Party of Nepal (Mashal) cadres attack a number of police stations in Kathmandu, seeking to incite a popular rebellion.
  • 1989 – Margaret Thatcher’s new local government tax, the Community Charge (commonly known as the “poll tax”), is introduced in Scotland.
  • 1993 – Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority is founded in Los Angeles, California, USA.
  • 1996 – The government of Nova Scotia amalgamated the City of Halifax and the over 200 communities around the area to create the Halifax Regional Municipality.
  • 1997 – Comet Hale–Bopp is seen passing at perihelion.
  • 1999 – Nunavut is established as a Canadian territory carved out of the eastern part of the Northwest Territories.
  • 2001 – An EP-3E United States Navy surveillance aircraft collides with a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Shenyang J-8 fighter jet. The Navy crew makes an emergency landing in Hainan, China and is detained.
  • 2001 – Former President of Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Slobodan Milošević surrenders to police special forces, to be tried on war crimes charges.
  • 2001 – Same-sex marriage becomes legal in the Netherlands, the first contemporary country to allow it.
  • 2004 – Google announces Gmail to the public.
  • 2006 – Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) of the Government of the United Kingdom is enforced, but later merged into National Crime Agency on 7 October 2013.
  • 2011 – After protests against the burning of the Quran turn violent, a mob attacks a United Nations compound in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan, resulting in the deaths of thirteen people, including eight foreign workers.
  • 2016 – Nagorno-Karabakh clashes: The Four Day War or April War begins along the Nagorno-Karabakh line of contact on April 1.

Births on April 1

  • 1220 – Emperor Go-Saga of Japan (d. 1272)
  • 1282 – Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1347)
  • 1328 – Blanche of France, Duchess of Orléans (d. 1382)
  • 1543 – François de Bonne, Duke of Lesdiguières (d. 1626)
  • 1578 – William Harvey, English physician and academic (d. 1657)
  • 1610 – Charles de Saint-Évremond, French soldier and critic (d. 1703)
  • 1629 – Jean-Henri d’Anglebert, French organist and composer (d. 1691)
  • 1640 – Georg Mohr, Danish mathematician and academic (d. 1697)
  • 1647 – John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester, English poet and courtier (d. 1680)
  • 1697 – Antoine François Prévost, French novelist and translator (d. 1763)
  • 1721 – Pieter Hellendaal, Dutch-English organist, violinist, and composer (d. 1799)
  • 1741 – George Dance the Younger, English architect and surveyor (d. 1825)
  • 1753 – Joseph de Maistre, French philosopher, lawyer, and diplomat (d. 1821)
  • 1755 – Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, French lawyer and politician (d. 1826)
  • 1765 – Luigi Schiavonetti, Italian engraver and etcher (d. 1810)
  • 1776 – Sophie Germain, French mathematician, physicist, and philosopher (d. 1831)
  • 1786 – William Mulready, Irish genre painter (d. 1863)
  • 1815 – Otto von Bismarck, German lawyer and politician, 1st Chancellor of the German Empire (d. 1898)
  • 1815 – Edward Clark, American lawyer and politician, 8th Governor of Texas (d. 1880)
  • 1823 – Simon Bolivar Buckner, American general and politician, 30th Governor of Kentucky (d. 1891)
  • 1824 – Louis-Zéphirin Moreau, Canadian bishop (d. 1901)
  • 1834 – James Fisk, American businessman (d. 1872)
  • 1852 – Edwin Austin Abbey, American painter and illustrator (d. 1911)
  • 1865 – Richard Adolf Zsigmondy, Austrian-German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1929)
  • 1866 – William Blomfield, New Zealand cartoonist and politician (d. 1938)
  • 1866 – Ferruccio Busoni, Italian pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1924)
  • 1866 – Ève Lavallière, French actress (d. 1929)
  • 1868 – Edmond Rostand, French poet and playwright (d. 1918)
  • 1868 – Walter Mead, English cricketer (d. 1954)
  • 1871 – F. Melius Christiansen, Norwegian-American violinist and conductor (d. 1955)
  • 1873 – Sergei Rachmaninoff, Russian pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1943)
  • 1874 – Ernest Barnes, English mathematician and theologian (d. 1953)
  • 1874 – Prince Karl of Bavaria (d. 1927)
  • 1875 – Edgar Wallace, English journalist, author, and playwright (d. 1932)
  • 1878 – C. Ganesha Iyer, Ceylon Tamil philologist (d. 1958)
  • 1879 – Stanislaus Zbyszko, Polish wrestler and strongman (d. 1967)
  • 1881 – Octavian Goga, Romanian Prime Minister (d. 1938)
  • 1883 – Lon Chaney, American actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1930)
  • 1883 – Edvard Drabløs, Norwegian actor and director (d. 1976)
  • 1883 – Laurette Taylor, Irish-American actress (d. 1946)
  • 1885 – Wallace Beery, American actor (d. 1949)
  • 1885 – Clementine Churchill, English wife of Winston Churchill (d. 1977)
  • 1889 – K. B. Hedgewar, Indian physician and activist (d. 1940)
  • 1893 – Cicely Courtneidge, Australian-English actress (d. 1980)
  • 1895 – Alberta Hunter, African-American singer-songwriter and nurse (d. 1984)
  • 1898 – William James Sidis, Ukrainian-Russian Jewish American mathematician, anthropologist, and historian (d. 1944)
  • 1899 – Gustavs Celmiņš, Latvian academic and politician (d. 1968)
  • 1900 – Stefanie Clausen, Danish Olympic diver (d. 1981)
  • 1901 – Whittaker Chambers, American journalist and spy (d. 1961)
  • 1905 – Gaston Eyskens, Belgian economist and politician, 47th Prime Minister of Belgium (d. 1988)
  • 1905 – Paul Hasluck, Australian historian, poet, and politician, 17th Governor-General of Australia (d. 1993)
  • 1906 – Alexander Sergeyevich Yakovlev, Russian engineer, founded the Yakovlev Design Bureau (d. 1989)
  • 1907 – Shivakumara Swami, Indian religious leader and philanthropist (d. 2019)
  • 1908 – Abraham Maslow, American psychologist and academic (d. 1970)
  • 1908 – Harlow Rothert, American shot putter, lawyer, and academic (d. 1997)
  • 1909 – Abner Biberman, American actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1977)
  • 1909 – Eddy Duchin, American pianist and bandleader (d. 1951)
  • 1910 – Harry Carney, American saxophonist and clarinet player (d. 1974)
  • 1910 – Bob Van Osdel, American high jumper and soldier (d. 1987)
  • 1911 – Augusta Braxton Baker, African American librarian (d. 1998)
  • 1913 – Memos Makris, Greek sculptor (d. 1993)
  • 1915 – O. W. Fischer, Austrian-Swiss actor and director (d. 2004)
  • 1916 – Sheila May Edmonds, British mathematician (d. 2002)
  • 1917 – Sydney Newman, Canadian screenwriter and producer, co-created Doctor Who (d. 1997)
  • 1917 – Melville Shavelson, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2007)
  • 1919 – Joseph Murray, American surgeon and soldier, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2012)
  • 1920 – Toshiro Mifune, Japanese actor (d. 1997)
  • 1921 – William Bergsma, American composer and educator (d. 1994)
  • 1921 – Arthur “Guitar Boogie” Smith, American guitarist, fiddler, and composer (d. 2014)
  • 1922 – Duke Jordan, American pianist and composer (d. 2006)
  • 1922 – William Manchester, American historian and author (d. 2004)
  • 1924 – Brendan Byrne, American lieutenant, judge, and politician, 47th Governor of New Jersey (d. 2018)
  • 1926 – Anne McCaffrey, American-Irish author (d. 2011)
  • 1927 – Walter Bahr, American soccer player, coach, and manager (d. 2018)
  • 1927 – Amos Milburn, American R&B singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 1980)
  • 1927 – Ferenc Puskás, Hungarian footballer and manager (d. 2006)
  • 1929 – Jonathan Haze, American actor, producer, screenwriter, and production manager
  • 1929 – Milan Kundera, Czech-born novelist, poet, and playwright
  • 1929 – Payut Ngaokrachang, Thai animator and director (d. 2010)
  • 1929 – Jane Powell, American actress, singer, and dancer
  • 1930 – Grace Lee Whitney, American actress and singer (d. 2015)
  • 1931 – George Baker, Bulgarian-English actor and screenwriter (d. 2011)
  • 1931 – Rolf Hochhuth, German author and playwright (d. 2020)
  • 1932 – Debbie Reynolds, Scottish-Irish American actress, singer, and dancer (d. 2016)
  • 1933 – Claude Cohen-Tannoudji, Algerian-French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1933 – Dan Flavin, American sculptor and educator (d. 1996)
  • 1934 – Vladimir Posner, French-American journalist and radio host
  • 1935 – Larry McDonald, American physician and politician (d. 1983)
  • 1936 – Peter Collinson, English-American director and producer (d. 1980)
  • 1936 – Jean-Pascal Delamuraz, Swiss politician, 80th President of the Swiss Confederation (d. 1998)
  • 1936 – Tarun Gogoi, Indian politician, 14th Chief Minister of Assam
  • 1936 – Abdul Qadeer Khan, Indian-Pakistani physicist, chemist, and engineer
  • 1937 – Jordan Charney, American actor
  • 1939 – Ali MacGraw, American model and actress
  • 1939 – Phil Niekro, American baseball player and manager
  • 1940 – Wangari Maathai, Kenyan environmentalist and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2011)
  • 1941 – Gideon Gadot, Israeli journalist and politician (d. 2012)
  • 1941 – Ajit Wadekar, Indian cricketer, coach, and manager (d. 2018)
  • 1942 – Samuel R. Delany, American author and critic
  • 1942 – Richard D. Wolff, American economist and academic
  • 1943 – Dafydd Wigley, Welsh academic and politician
  • 1946 – Nikitas Kaklamanis, Greek academic and politician, Greek Minister of Health and Social Security
  • 1946 – Ronnie Lane, English bass player, songwriter, and producer (d. 1997)
  • 1946 – Arrigo Sacchi, Italian footballer, coach, and manager
  • 1947 – Alain Connes, French mathematician and academic
  • 1947 – Philippe Kirsch, Canadian lawyer and judge
  • 1947 – Francine Prose, American novelist, short story writer, and critic
  • 1947 – Norm Van Lier, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster (d. 2009)
  • 1948 – Jimmy Cliff, Jamaican singer and musician
  • 1948 – Javier Irureta, Spanish footballer and manager
  • 1948 – Peter Law, Welsh politician and independent Member of parliament(d. 2006)
  • 1949 – Gérard Mestrallet, French businessman
  • 1949 – Paul Manafort, American lobbyist, political consultant, and convicted felon
  • 1949 – Sammy Nelson, Northern Irish footballer and coach
  • 1949 – Gil Scott-Heron, American singer-songwriter and author (d. 2011)
  • 1950 – Samuel Alito, American lawyer and jurist
  • 1950 – Loris Kessel, Swiss racing driver (d. 2010)
  • 1950 – Daniel Paillé, Canadian academic and politician
  • 1951 – John Abizaid, American general
  • 1951 – Frederic Schwartz, American architect, co-designed Empty Sky (d. 2014)
  • 1952 – Annette O’Toole, American actress
  • 1952 – Bernard Stiegler, French philosopher and academic
  • 1953 – Barry Sonnenfeld, American cinematographer, director, and producer
  • 1953 – Alberto Zaccheroni, Italian footballer and manager
  • 1954 – Jeff Porcaro, American drummer, songwriter, and producer (d. 1992)
  • 1955 – Don Hasselbeck, American football player and sportscaster
  • 1955 – Humayun Akhtar Khan, Pakistani politician, 5th Commerce Minister of Pakistan
  • 1955 – Terry Nichols, American criminal
  • 1957 – David Gower, English cricketer and sportscaster
  • 1957 – Denise Nickerson, American actress (d. 2019)
  • 1958 – D. Boon, American singer and musician (d. 1985)
  • 1959 – Helmuth Duckadam, Romanian footballer
  • 1961 – Susan Boyle, Scottish singer
  • 1961 – Sergio Scariolo, Italian professional basketball head coach
  • 1961 – Mark White, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1962 – Mark Shulman, American author
  • 1962 – Chris Grayling, English journalist and politician, Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain
  • 1962 – Samboy Lim, Filipino basketball player and manager
  • 1962 – Phillip Schofield, English television host
  • 1963 – Teodoro de Villa Diaz, Filipino guitarist and songwriter (d. 1988)
  • 1963 – Aprille Ericsson-Jackson, American aerospace engineer
  • 1964 – Erik Breukink, Dutch cyclist and manager
  • 1964 – Kevin Duckworth, American basketball player (d. 2008)
  • 1964 – John Morris, English cricketer
  • 1964 – José Rodrigues dos Santos, Portuguese journalist, author, and educator
  • 1965 – Jane Adams, American film, television, and stage actress
  • 1965 – Mark Jackson, American basketball player and coach
  • 1966 – Chris Evans, English radio and television host
  • 1966 – Mehmet Özdilek, Turkish footballer and manager
  • 1967 – Nicola Roxon, Australian lawyer and politician, 34th Attorney-General for Australia
  • 1968 – Mike Baird, Australian politician, 44th Premier of New South Wales
  • 1968 – Andreas Schnaas, German actor and director
  • 1968 – Alexander Stubb, Finnish academic and politician, 43rd Prime Minister of Finland
  • 1969 – Lev Lobodin, Ukrainian-Russian decathlete
  • 1969 – Andrew Vlahov, Australian basketball player
  • 1969 – Dean Windass, English footballer and manager
  • 1970 – Brad Meltzer, American author, screenwriter, and producer
  • 1971 – Sonia Bisset, Cuban javelin thrower
  • 1971 – Shinji Nakano, Japanese racing driver
  • 1972 – Darren McCarty, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
  • 1972 – Jesse Tobias, American guitarist and songwriter
  • 1973 – Christian Finnegan, American comedian and actor
  • 1973 – Stephen Fleming, New Zealand cricketer and coach
  • 1973 – Rachel Maddow, American journalist and author
  • 1974 – Hugo Ibarra, Argentinian footballer and manager
  • 1975 – John Butler, American-Australian singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1975 – Magdalena Maleeva, Bulgarian tennis player
  • 1976 – Hazem El Masri, Lebanese-Australian rugby league player and educator
  • 1976 – David Gilliland, American race car driver
  • 1976 – David Oyelowo, English actor
  • 1976 – Clarence Seedorf, Dutch-Brazilian footballer and manager
  • 1976 – Yuka Yoshida, Japanese tennis player
  • 1977 – Vitor Belfort, Brazilian-American boxer and mixed martial artist
  • 1977 – Haimar Zubeldia, Spanish cyclist
  • 1978 – Antonio de Nigris, Mexican footballer (d. 2009)
  • 1978 – Mirka Federer, Slovak-Swiss tennis player
  • 1978 – Anamaria Marinca, Romanian-English actress
  • 1978 – Etan Thomas, American basketball player
  • 1979 – Ruth Beitia, Spanish high jumper
  • 1980 – Dennis Kruppke, German footballer
  • 1980 – Randy Orton, American wrestler
  • 1980 – Bijou Phillips, American actress and model
  • 1981 – Antonis Fotsis, Greek basketball player
  • 1981 – Bjørn Einar Romøren, Norwegian ski jumper
  • 1982 – Taran Killam, American actor, voice artist, comedian, and writer
  • 1982 – Andreas Thorkildsen, Norwegian javelin thrower
  • 1983 – Ólafur Ingi Skúlason, Icelandic footballer
  • 1983 – Sean Taylor, American football player (d. 2007)
  • 1984 – Gilberto Macena, Brazilian footballer
  • 1985 – Daniel Murphy, American baseball player
  • 1985 – Beth Tweddle, English gymnast
  • 1986 – Hillary Scott, American country singer-songwriter
  • 1987 – Ding Junhui, Chinese professional snooker player
  • 1987 – Gianluca Musacci, Italian footballer
  • 1987 – Oliver Turvey, English racing driver
  • 1988 – Brook Lopez, American basketball player
  • 1988 – Robin Lopez, American basketball player
  • 1989 – Jan Blokhuijsen, Dutch speed skater
  • 1989 – David N’Gog, French footballer
  • 1989 – Christian Vietoris, German racing driver
  • 1990 – Julia Fischer, German discus thrower
  • 1992 – Deng Linlin, Chinese gymnast
  • 1995 – Logan Paul, American Youtuber and actor
  • 1997 – Álex Palou, Spanish racing driver

Deaths on April 1

  • 996 – John XV, pope of the Catholic Church
  • 1085 – Shen Zong, Chinese emperor (b. 1048)
  • 1132 – Hugh of Châteauneuf, French bishop (b. 1053)
  • 1204 – Eleanor of Aquitaine, queen of France and England (b. 1122)
  • 1205 – Amalric II, king of Cyprus and Jerusalem
  • 1282 – Abaqa Khan, ruler of the Mongol Ilkhanate (b. 1234)
  • 1431 – Nuno Álvares Pereira, Portuguese general (b. 1360)
  • 1441 – Blanche I, queen of Navarre and Sicily (b. 1387)
  • 1455 – Zbigniew Oleśnicki, Polish cardinal and statesman (b. 1389)
  • 1528 – Francisco de Peñalosa, Spanish composer (b. 1470)
  • 1548 – Sigismund I, king of Poland (b. 1467)
  • 1580 – Alonso Mudarra, Spanish guitarist and composer (b. 1510)
  • 1601 – Françoise d’Orléans-Longueville, French princess (b. 1549)
  • 1621 – Cristofano Allori, Italian painter and educator (b. 1577)
  • 1682 – Franz Egon of Fürstenberg, Bavarian bishop (b. 1625)
  • 1787 – Floyer Sydenham, English scholar and academic (b. 1710)
  • 1839 – Benjamin Pierce, American soldier and politician, 11th Governor of New Hampshire (b. 1757)
  • 1865 – Giuditta Pasta, Italian soprano (b. 1797)
  • 1872 – Frederick Denison Maurice, English theologian and academic (b. 1805)
  • 1878 – John C.W. Daly, English-Canadian soldier and politician (b. 1796)
  • 1890 – David Wilber, American politician (b. 1820)
  • 1890 – Alexander Mozhaysky, Russian soldier, pilot, and engineer (b. 1825)
  • 1914 – Rube Waddell, American baseball player (b. 1876)
  • 1914 – Charles Wells, English founder of Charles Wells Ltd (b. 1842)
  • 1917 – Scott Joplin, American pianist and composer (b. 1868)
  • 1920 – Walter Simon, German banker and philanthropist (b. 1857)
  • 1922 – Charles I, emperor of Austria (b. 1887)
  • 1922 – Hermann Rorschach, Swiss psychologist and author (b. 1884)
  • 1924 – Jacob Bolotin, American physician (b. 1888)
  • 1924 – Lloyd Hildebrand, English cyclist (b. 1870)
  • 1924 – Stan Rowley, Australian sprinter (b. 1876)
  • 1946 – Noah Beery, Sr., American actor (b. 1882)
  • 1947 – George II, king of Greece (b. 1890)
  • 1950 – Charles R. Drew, American physician and surgeon (b. 1904)
  • 1950 – Recep Peker, Turkish soldier and politician, 6th Prime Minister of Turkey (b. 1889)
  • 1962 – Jussi Kekkonen, Finnish captain and businessman (b. 1910)
  • 1965 – Helena Rubinstein, Polish-American businesswoman (b. 1870)
  • 1966 – Brian O’Nolan, Irish author (b. 1911)
  • 1968 – Lev Landau, Azerbaijani-Russian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1908)
  • 1976 – Max Ernst, German painter and sculptor (b. 1891)
  • 1981 – Eua Sunthornsanan, Thai singer-songwriter and bandleader (b. 1910)
  • 1984 – Marvin Gaye, American singer-songwriter (b. 1939)
  • 1984 – Elizabeth Goudge, English author (b. 1900)
  • 1986 – Erik Bruhn, Danish actor, director, and choreographer (b. 1928)
  • 1987 – Henri Cochet, French tennis player (b. 1901)
  • 1991 – Martha Graham, American dancer and choreographer (b. 1894)
  • 1991 – Jaime Guzmán, Chilean lawyer and politician (b. 1946)
  • 1992 – Michael Havers, Baron Havers, English lawyer and politician, Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain (b. 1923)
  • 1993 – Alan Kulwicki, American race car driver (b. 1954)
  • 1994 – Robert Doisneau, French photographer (b. 1912)
  • 1995 – H. Adams Carter, American mountaineer, journalist, and educator (b. 1914)
  • 1995 – Francisco Moncion, Dominican American ballet dancer, choreographer, charter member of the New York City Ballet (b. 1918)
  • 1995 – Lucie Rie, Austrian-English potter (b. 1902)
  • 1997 – Makar Honcharenko, Ukrainian footballer and manager (b. 1912)
  • 1998 – Rozz Williams, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1963)
  • 1999 – Jesse Stone, American pianist, songwriter, and producer (b. 1901)
  • 2001 – Trịnh Công Sơn, Vietnamese guitarist and composer (b. 1939)
  • 2002 – Simo Häyhä, Finnish soldier and sniper (b. 1905)
  • 2003 – Leslie Cheung, Hong Kong singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1956)
  • 2004 – Ioannis Kyrastas, Greek footballer and manager (b. 1952)
  • 2004 – Carrie Snodgress, American actress (b. 1945)
  • 2005 – Paul Bomani, Tanzanian politician and diplomat, 1st Tanzanian Minister of Finance (b 1925)
  • 2005 – Robert Coldwell Wood, American political scientist and academic (b. 1923)
  • 2006 – In Tam, Cambodian general and politician, 26th Prime Minister of Cambodia (b. 1916)
  • 2010 – John Forsythe, American actor (b. 1918)
  • 2010 – Tzannis Tzannetakis, Greek soldier and politician, 175th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1927)
  • 2012 – Lionel Bowen, Australian soldier, lawyer, and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1922)
  • 2012 – Giorgio Chinaglia, Italian-American soccer player and radio host (b. 1947)
  • 2012 – Miguel de la Madrid, Mexican banker, academic, and politician, 52nd President of Mexico (b. 1934)
  • 2013 – Moses Blah, Liberian general and politician, 23rd President of Liberia (b. 1947)
  • 2013 – Karen Muir, South African swimmer and physician (b. 1952)
  • 2014 – King Fleming, American pianist and bandleader (b. 1922)
  • 2014 – Jacques Le Goff, French historian and author (b. 1924)
  • 2014 – Rolf Rendtorff, German theologian and academic (b. 1925)
  • 2015 – Nicolae Rainea, Romanian footballer and referee (b. 1933)
  • 2017 – Lonnie Brooks, American blues singer and guitarist (b. 1933)
  • 2017 – Yevgeny Yevtushenko, Soviet and Russian poet and writer (b. 1932)
  • 2018 – Steven Bochco, American television writer and producer (b. 1943)
  • 2019 – Vonda N. McIntyre, American science fiction author (b. 1948)

Holidays and observances on April 1

  • Christian feast day:
    • Cellach of Armagh
    • Hugh of Grenoble
    • Frederick Denison Maurice (Episcopal Church (USA))
    • Mary of Egypt
    • Melito of Sardis
    • Nuno Álvares Pereira
    • Tewdrig
    • Theodora
    • Walric, abbot of Leuconay
    • April 1 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Earliest day on which Sizdah Be-dar can fall, while April 2 is the latest; celebrated on the 13th day after vernal equinox. (Iran)
  • Iranian Islamic Republic Day (Iran) falls on this day if the Vernal Equinox falls on March 21.
  • Veneralia was held on April 1 during Ancient Rome, however this date does not lock into the modern Gregorian calendar.
  • April Fools’ Day
  • Odisha Day (Odisha, India)
  • Arbor Day (Tanzania)
  • Civil Service Day (Thailand)
  • Cyprus National Day (Cyprus)
  • Edible Book Day
  • Fossil Fools Day
  • Kha b-Nisan, the Assyrian New Year (Assyrian people)
  • National Civil Service Day (Thailand)

April 1 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day