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April 19 in History
- AD 65 – The freedman Milichus betrays Piso’s plot to kill Emperor Nero and all the conspirators are arrested.
- 531 – Battle of Callinicum: A Byzantine army under Belisarius is defeated by the Persians at Raqqa (northern Syria).
- 797 – Empress Irene organizes a conspiracy against her son, the Byzantine emperor Constantine VI. He is deposed and blinded. Shortly after, Constantine dies of his wounds; Irene proclaims herself basileus.
- 1506 – The Lisbon Massacre begins, in which accused Jews are being slaughtered by Portuguese Catholics.
- 1529 – Beginning of the Protestant Reformation: After the Second Diet of Speyer bans Lutheranism, a group of rulers (German: Fürst) and independent cities protests the reinstatement of the Edict of Worms.
- 1539 – The Treaty of Frankfurt between Protestants and the Holy Roman Emperor is signed.
- 1608 – In Ireland: O’Doherty’s Rebellion is launched by the Burning of Derry.
- 1677 – The French army captures the town of Cambrai held by Spanish troops.
- 1713 – With no living male heirs, Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor, issues the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713 to ensure that Habsburg lands and the Austrian throne would be inheritable by a female; his daughter and successor, Maria Theresa was not born until 1717.
- 1770 – Captain James Cook, still holding the rank of lieutenant, sights the eastern coast of what is now Australia.
- 1770 – Marie Antoinette marries Louis XVI of France in a proxy wedding.
- 1775 – American Revolutionary War: The war begins with an American victory in Concord during the battles of Lexington and Concord.
- 1782 – John Adams secures the Dutch Republic’s recognition of the United States as an independent government. The house which he had purchased in The Hague, Netherlands becomes the first American embassy.
- 1809 – An Austrian corps is defeated by the forces of the Duchy of Warsaw in the Battle of Raszyn, part of the struggles of the Fifth Coalition. On the same day the Austrian main army is defeated by a First French Empire Corps led by Louis-Nicolas Davout at the Battle of Teugen-Hausen in Bavaria, part of a four-day campaign that ended in a French victory.
- 1810 – Venezuela achieves home rule: Vicente Emparán, Governor of the Captaincy General is removed by the people of Caracas and a junta is installed.
- 1818 – French physicist Augustin Fresnel signs his preliminary “Note on the Theory of Diffraction” (deposited on the following day). The document ends with what we now call the Fresnel integrals.
- 1839 – The Treaty of London establishes Belgium as a kingdom and guarantees its neutrality.
- 1861 – American Civil War: Baltimore riot of 1861: A pro-Secession mob in Baltimore attacks United States Army troops marching through the city.
- 1903 – The Kishinev pogrom in Kishinev (Bessarabia) begins, forcing tens of thousands of Jews to later seek refuge in Palestine and the Western world.
- 1927 – Mae West is sentenced to ten days in jail for obscenity for her play Sex.
- 1942 – World War II: In Poland, the Majdan-Tatarski ghetto is established, situated between the Lublin Ghetto and a Majdanek subcamp.
- 1943 – World War II: In Poland, the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising begins, after German troops enter the Warsaw Ghetto to round up the remaining Jews.
- 1943 – Albert Hofmann deliberately doses himself with LSD for the first time, three days after having discovered its effects on April 16.
- 1956 – Actress Grace Kelly marries Prince Rainier of Monaco.
- 1960 – Students in South Korea hold a nationwide pro-democracy protest against president Syngman Rhee, eventually forcing him to resign.
- 1971 – Sierra Leone becomes a republic, and Siaka Stevens the president.
- 1971 – Launch of Salyut 1, the first space station.
- 1971 – Charles Manson is sentenced to death (later commuted to life imprisonment) for conspiracy in the Tate–LaBianca murders.
- 1973 – The Portuguese Socialist Party is founded in the German town of Bad Münstereifel.
- 1975 – India’s first satellite Aryabhata launched in orbit from Kapustin Yar, Russia.
- 1984 – Advance Australia Fair is proclaimed as Australia’s national anthem, and green and gold as the national colours.
- 1985 – Two hundred ATF and FBI agents lay siege to the compound of the white supremacist survivalist group The Covenant, The Sword, and the Arm of the Lord in Arkansas; the CSA surrenders two days later.
- 1987 – The Simpsons first appear as a series of shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show, first starting with Good Night.
- 1989 – A gun turret explodes on the USS Iowa, killing 47 sailors.
- 1993 – The 51-day FBI siege of the Branch Davidian building in Waco, Texas, USA, ends when a fire breaks out. 76 Davidians, including eighteen children under the age of ten, died in the fire.
- 1995 – Oklahoma City bombing: The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, USA, is bombed, killing 168 people including 19 children under the age of six.
- 1999 – The German Bundestag returns to Berlin.
- 2000 – Air Philippines Flight 541 crashes in Samal, Davao del Norte, killing all 131 people on board.
- 2005 – Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger is elected to the papacy and becomes Pope Benedict XVI.
- 2011 – Fidel Castro resigns as First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba after holding the title since July 1961.
- 2013 – Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev is killed in a shootout with police. His brother Dzhokhar is later captured hiding in a boat inside a backyard in the suburb of Watertown.
- 2020 – A killing spree in Nova Scotia, Canada, leaves 22 people and the perpetrator dead, making it the deadliest rampage in the country’s history.
Births on April 19
- 1452 – Frederick IV, King of Naples (d. 1504)
- 1593 – Sir John Hobart, 2nd Baronet, English politician (d. 1647)
- 1603 – Michel Le Tellier, French politician, French Minister of Defence (d. 1685)
- 1613 – Christoph Bach, German musician (d. 1661)
- 1633 – Willem Drost, Dutch painter (d. 1659)
- 1655 – George St Lo(e), Royal Navy officer and administrator (d. 1718)
- 1658 – Johann Wilhelm, Elector Palatine, German husband of Archduchess Maria Anna Josepha of Austria (d. 1716)
- 1665 – Jacques Lelong, French author (d. 1721)
- 1686 – Vasily Tatishchev, Russian ethnographer and politician (d. 1750)
- 1715 – James Nares, English organist and composer (d. 1783)
- 1721 – Roger Sherman, American lawyer and politician (d. 1793)
- 1734 – Karl von Ordóñez, Austrian violinist and composer (d. 1786)
- 1757 – Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth, English admiral and politician (d. 1833)
- 1758 – William Carnegie, 7th Earl of Northesk, Scottish admiral (d. 1831)
- 1785 – Alexandre Pierre François Boëly, French pianist and composer (d. 1858)
- 1787 – Deaf Smith, American soldier (d. 1837)
- 1793 – Ferdinand I of Austria (d. 1875)
- 1806 – Sarah Bagley, American labor organizer (d. 1889)
- 1814 – Louis Amédée Achard, French journalist and author (d. 1875)
- 1832 – José Echegaray, Spanish poet and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1916)
- 1835 – Julius Krohn, Finnish poet and journalist (d. 1888)
- 1863 – Hemmo Kallio, Finnish actor (d. 1940)
- 1872 – Alice Salomon, German social reformer (d. 1948)
- 1873 – Sydney Barnes, English cricketer (d. 1967)
- 1874 – Ernst Rüdin, Swiss psychiatrist, geneticist, and eugenicist (d. 1952)
- 1877 – Ole Evinrude, Norwegian-American engineer, invented the outboard motor (d. 1934)
- 1879 – Arthur Robertson, Scottish runner (d. 1957)
- 1882 – Getúlio Vargas, Brazilian lawyer and politician, 14th President of Brazil (d. 1954)
- 1883 – Henry Jameson, American soccer player (d. 1938)
- 1883 – Richard von Mises, Austrian-American mathematician and physicist (d. 1953)
- 1885 – Karl Tarvas, Estonian architect (d. 1975)
- 1889 – Otto Georg Thierack, German jurist and politician (d. 1946)
- 1891 – Françoise Rosay, French actress (d. 1974)
- 1892 – Germaine Tailleferre, French composer and educator (d. 1983)
- 1894 – Elizabeth Dilling, American author and activist (d. 1966)
- 1897 – Peter de Noronha, Indian businessman and philanthropist (d. 1970)
- 1897 – Jiroemon Kimura, Japanese super-centenarian, oldest verified man ever (d. 2013)
- 1898 – Constance Talmadge, American actress and producer (d. 1973)
- 1899 – George O’Brien, American actor (d. 1985)
- 1899 – Cemal Tollu, Turkish lieutenant and painter (d. 1968)
- 1900 – Iracema de Alencar, Brazilian film actress (d. 1978)
- 1900 – Richard Hughes, English author, poet, and playwright (d. 1976)
- 1900 – Roland Michener, Canadian lawyer and politician, 20th Governor General of Canada (d. 1991)
- 1900 – Rhea Silberta, Yiddish songwriter and singing teacher (d. 1959)
- 1902 – Veniamin Kaverin, Russian author and screenwriter (d. 1989)
- 1903 – Eliot Ness, American law enforcement agent (d. 1957)
- 1907 – Alan Wheatley, English actor (d. 1991)
- 1908 – Irena Eichlerówna, Polish actress (d. 1990)
- 1912 – Glenn T. Seaborg, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1999)
- 1913 – Ken Carpenter, American discus thrower and coach (d. 1984)
- 1917 – Sven Hassel, Danish-German soldier and author (d. 2012)
- 1919 – Sol Kaplan, American pianist and composer (d. 1990)
- 1920 – Gene Leis, American guitarist, composer, and producer (d. 1993)
- 1920 – Marvin Mandel, American lawyer and politician, 56th Governor of Maryland (d. 2015)
- 1920 – John O’Neil, American baseball player and manager (d. 2012)
- 1920 – Julien Ries, Belgian cardinal (d. 2013)
- 1920 – Marian Winters, American actress (d. 1978)
- 1921 – Anna Lee Aldred, American jockey (d. 2006)
- 1921 – Leon Henkin, American logician (d. 2006)
- 1921 – Roberto Tucci, Italian Jesuit leader, cardinal, and theologian (d. 2015)
- 1922 – Erich Hartmann, German colonel and pilot (d. 1993)
- 1922 – David Smith, politician in Rhodesia and Zimbabwe (d. 1996)
- 1925 – John Kraaijkamp, Sr., Dutch actor (d. 2011)
- 1925 – Hugh O’Brian, American actor (d. 2016)
- 1926 – Rawya Ateya, Egyptian captain and politician (d. 1997)
- 1928 – John Horlock, English engineer and academic (d. 2015)
- 1928 – Azlan Shah of Perak, Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia (d. 2014)
- 1931 – Walter Stewart, Canadian journalist and author (d. 2004)
- 1932 – Fernando Botero, Colombian painter and sculptor
- 1933 – Dickie Bird, English cricketer and umpire
- 1933 – Jayne Mansfield, American model and actress (d. 1967)
- 1933 – Philip Lavallin Wroughton, English captain and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire
- 1934 – Dickie Goodman, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 1989)
- 1935 – Dudley Moore, English actor, comedian, and pianist (d. 2002)
- 1935 – Justin Francis Rigali, American cardinal
- 1936 – Wilfried Martens, Belgian politician, 60th Prime Minister of Belgium (d. 2013)
- 1936 – Jack Pardee, American football player and coach (d. 2013)
- 1937 – Antonio Carluccio, Italian-English chef and author (d. 2017)
- 1937 – Elinor Donahue, American actress
- 1937 – Joseph Estrada, Filipino politician, 13th President of the Philippines
- 1938 – Stanley Fish, American theorist, author, and scholar
- 1939 – E. Clay Shaw, Jr., American accountant, judge, and politician (d. 2013)
- 1941 – Roberto Carlos, Brazilian singer-songwriter
- 1941 – Clark Dimond, American musician and author
- 1941 – Michel Roux, French-English chef and author (d. 2020)
- 1941 – Bobby Russell, American singer-songwriter (d. 1992)
- 1942 – Bas Jan Ader, Dutch-American photographer and director (d. 1975)
- 1942 – Alan Price, English keyboard player, singer, and composer
- 1942 – Jack Roush, American businessman, founded Roush Fenway Racing
- 1942 – Maarten van den Bergh, American-Dutch businessman
- 1943 – Margo MacDonald, Scottish journalist and politician (d. 2014)[28]
- 1943 – Lorenzo Sanz, Spanish businessman
- 1944 – Keith Erickson, American basketball player and sportscaster
- 1944 – James Heckman, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1944 – Bernie Worrell, American keyboard player and songwriter (d. 2016)[29]
- 1946 – Duygu Asena, Turkish journalist, author, and activist (d. 2006)
- 1946 – Tim Curry, English actor[30]
- 1947 – Murray Perahia, American pianist and conductor
- 1947 – Wilfrid Stevenson, Baron Stevenson of Balmacara, English civil servant
- 1947 – Yan Pascal Tortelier, French violinist and conductor
- 1947 – Mark Volman, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1948 – Stuart McLean, Canadian radio host and author (d. 2017)
- 1948 – Rick Miller, American baseball player and manager
- 1949 – Paloma Picasso, French-Spanish fashion designer
- 1949 – Larry Walters, American truck driver and pilot (d. 1993)
- 1950 – Julia Cleverdon, English businesswoman and philanthropist
- 1951 – Barry Brown, American actor and playwright (d. 1978)
- 1951 – Jóannes Eidesgaard, Faroese educator and politician, Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands
- 1952 – Alexis Argüello, Nicaraguan boxer and politician (d. 2009)
- 1952 – Tony Plana, Cuban-American actor and director
- 1952 – Michael Trend, English journalist and politician
- 1953 – Rod Morgenstein, American drummer
- 1953 – Sara Simeoni, Italian high jumper
- 1953 – Ruby Wax, British-based American comedian, actress, and screenwriter
- 1954 – Trevor Francis, English footballer and manager
- 1954 – Bob Rock, Canadian guitarist, songwriter, and producer
- 1956 – Sue Barker, English tennis player and journalist
- 1956 – Randy Carlyle, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1956 – Anne Glover, Scottish biologist and academic
- 1957 – Tony Martin, English singer-songwriter
- 1957 – Mukesh Ambani, Indian businessman, chairman of Reliance Industries and currently the richest man in Asia[31][32]
- 1958 – Steve Antin, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1958 – Stevie B, American singer-songwriter and record producer
- 1958 – Denis O’Brien, Irish businessman, founded BT Ireland
- 1958 – Vytautas Šapranauskas, Lithuanian actor (d. 2013)
- 1958 – Keith Shine, British academic and educator
- 1959 – Jane Campbell, Baroness Campbell of Surbiton, English activist
- 1959 – Teofisto Guingona III, Filipino lawyer and politician
- 1959 – Donald Markwell, Australian sociologist and academic
- 1960 – Nicoletta Braschi, Italian actress and producer
- 1960 – Ara Gevorgyan, Armenian pianist, composer, and producer
- 1960 – Roger Merrett, Australian footballer and coach
- 1960 – John Schweitz, American basketball player and coach
- 1960 – Frank Viola, American baseball player and coach[33]
- 1961 – Alan Kirschenbaum, American producer and writer (d. 2012)
- 1961 – Albert Martinez, Filipino actor, director, and producer
- 1961 – Spike Owen, American baseball player and coach
- 1962 – Al Unser Jr., American race car driver
- 1964 – Gordon Marshall, Scottish footballer and coach
- 1964 – Kim Weaver, American astrophysicist, astronomer, and academic
- 1965 – Natalie Dessay, French soprano and actress
- 1965 – Suge Knight, American record producer, co-founded Death Row Records
- 1966 – Véronique Gens, French soprano and actress
- 1966 – David La Haye, Canadian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1966 – Paul Reiffel, Australian cricketer and umpire
- 1966 – El Samurai, Japanese wrestler
- 1967 – Philippe Saint-André, French rugby player and coach
- 1968 – Ashley Judd, American actress and activist
- 1968 – Arshad Warsi, Indian film actor and producer
- 1969 – Andrew Carnie, Canadian-American linguist, author, and academic
- 1969 – Susan Polgar, Hungarian-American chess player
- 1970 – Luis Miguel, Mexican singer-songwriter and producer
- 1970 – Kelly Holmes, English runner
- 1970 – Abelardo Fernández, Spanish footballer and manager
- 1971 – Brendon Burns, Australian comedian, podcaster, writer and author
- 1971 – Scott McCord, Canadian voice actor
- 1972 – Rivaldo, Brazilian footballer
- 1972 – Jeff Wilkins, American football player
- 1973 – George Gregan, Zambian-Australian rugby player and coach
- 1973 – Alessio Scarpi, Italian footballer
- 1975 – Jason Gillespie, Australian cricketer and coach
- 1975 – Jussi Jääskeläinen, Finnish footballer
- 1976 – Ruud Jolie, Dutch guitarist
- 1976 – Scott Padgett, American basketball player, coach, and radio host
- 1976 – Kim Young-oh, South Korean author and illustrator
- 1977 – Joe Beimel, American baseball player
- 1977 – Anju Bobby George, Indian long jumper
- 1977 – Lucien Mettomo, Cameroonian footballer
- 1977 – Dennys Reyes, Mexican baseball player
- 1977 – Jonny Storm, English wrestler and trainer
- 1978 – James Franco, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1978 – Gabriel Heinze, Argentinian footballer
- 1978 – Amanda Sage, American-Austrian painter and educator
- 1979 – Rocky Bernard, American football player
- 1979 – Kate Hudson, American actress
- 1979 – Zhao Junzhe, Chinese footballer
- 1980 – Jason Blaine, Canadian singer-songwriter
- 1980 – Robyn Regehr, Brazilian-Canadian ice hockey player
- 1981 – Hayden Christensen, Canadian actor and producer
- 1981 – Ryuta Hara, Japanese footballer
- 1981 – Martin Havlát, Czech ice hockey player
- 1981 – James Hibberd, English cricketer
- 1981 – Troy Polamalu, American football player
- 1981 – Catalina Sandino Moreno, Colombian actress
- 1982 – Joseph Hagerty, American gymnast
- 1982 – Filip Jícha, Czech handball player
- 1982 – Samuel C. Morrison, Jr., Liberian-American journalist, producer, and screenwriter
- 1982 – Rocco Sabato, Italian footballer
- 1982 – Ignacio Serricchio, Argentinian-American actor
- 1982 – Sitiveni Sivivatu, New Zealand rugby player
- 1983 – Alberto Callaspo, Venezuelan-American baseball player
- 1983 – Zach Duke, American baseball player
- 1983 – Joe Mauer, American baseball player
- 1983 – Patrick Platins, German footballer
- 1983 – Curtis Thigpen, American baseball player
- 1984 – Christopher Pearce, English cricketer
- 1985 – Valon Behrami, Swiss footballer
- 1985 – David Cavazos, Mexican singer-songwriter
- 1985 – Sabrina Jalees, Canadian comedian, dancer, actress, presenter, and writer
- 1985 – Jan Zimmermann, German footballer
- 1986 – Pascal Angan, Beninese footballer
- 1986 – Candace Parker, American basketball player
- 1986 – Gabe Pruitt, American basketball player
- 1986 – Will Thursfield, English-Australian footballer
- 1987 – Luigi Giorgi, Italian footballer
- 1987 – Joe Hart, English footballer
- 1987 – Daniel Schuhmacher, German singer-songwriter
- 1987 – Maria Sharapova, Russian tennis player
- 1987 – Lauren Wilson, Canadian figure skater
- 1988 – Enrique Esqueda, Mexican footballer
- 1989 – Dominik Mader, German footballer
- 1989 – Daisuke Watabe, Japanese footballer
- 1989 – Genoveva Añonma, Equatoguinean footballer
- 1990 – Jackie Bradley, Jr., American baseball player
- 1990 – Kim Chiu, Filipino actress, singer, and dancer[34]
- 1990 – Héctor Herrera, Mexican footballer
- 1990 – Ayaka Takahashi, Japanese badminton player
- 1991 – Steve Cook, English footballer
Deaths April 19
- 843 – Judith of Bavaria, Frankish empress
- 1012 – Ælfheah of Canterbury, English archbishop and saint (b. 954)
- 1013 – Hisham II, Umayyad caliph of Córdoba (b. 966)
- 1044 – Gothelo I, duke of Lorraine
- 1054 – Leo IX, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 1002)
- 1321 – Gerasimus I, patriarch of Constantinople
- 1390 – Robert II, king of Scotland (b. 1316)
- 1405 – Thomas West, 1st Baron West, English nobleman (b. 1335)[35]
- 1431 – Adolph III, count of Waldeck (b. 1362)
- 1560 – Philip Melanchthon, German theologian and reformer (b. 1497)
- 1567 – Michael Stifel, German monk and mathematician (b. 1487)
- 1578 – Uesugi Kenshin, Japanese samurai and warlord (b. 1530)
- 1588 – Paolo Veronese, Italian painter (b. 1528)
- 1608 – Thomas Sackville, 1st Earl of Dorset, English poet, playwright, and politician, Lord High Treasurer (b. 1536)
- 1618 – Thomas Bastard, English priest and author (b. 1566)
- 1619 – Jagat Gosain, Mughal empress (b. 1573)[36]
- 1629 – Sigismondo d’India, Italian composer (b. 1582)
- 1632 – Sigismund III Vasa, king of Sweden and Poland (b. 1566)
- 1686 – Antonio de Solís y Ribadeneyra, Spanish historian and playwright (b. 1610)
- 1689 – Christina, queen of Sweden (b. 1626)
- 1733 – Elizabeth Hamilton, countess of Orkney (b. 1657)
- 1739 – Nicholas Saunderson, English mathematician and academic (b. 1682)
- 1768 – Canaletto, Italian painter and etcher (b. 1697)
- 1776 – Jacob Emden, German rabbi and author (b. 1697)
- 1791 – Richard Price, Welsh-English preacher and philosopher (b. 1723)
- 1813 – Benjamin Rush, American physician and educator (b. 1745)
- 1824 – Lord Byron, English-Scottish poet and playwright (b. 1788)
- 1831 – Johann Gottlieb Friedrich von Bohnenberger, German astronomer and mathematician (b. 1765)
- 1833 – James Gambier, 1st Baron Gambier, Bahamian-English admiral and politician, 36th Commodore Governor of Newfoundland (b. 1756)
- 1840 – Jean-Jacques Lartigue, Canadian bishop (b. 1777)
- 1854 – Robert Jameson, Scottish mineralogist and academic (b. 1774)
- 1881 – Benjamin Disraeli, English journalist and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1804)
- 1882 – Charles Darwin, English biologist and theorist (b. 1809)
- 1893 – Martin Körber, Estonian-German pastor, composer, and conductor (b. 1817)
- 1901 – Alfred Horatio Belo, American publisher, founded The Dallas Morning News (b. 1839)
- 1906 – Pierre Curie, French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1859)
- 1906 – Spencer Gore, English tennis player and cricketer (b. 1850)
- 1909 – Signe Rink, Greenland-born Danish writer and ethnologist (b. 1836)
- 1914 – Charles Sanders Peirce, American mathematician and philosopher (b. 1839)
- 1915 – Thomas Playford II, English-Australian politician, 17th Premier of South Australia (b. 1837)
- 1916 – Ephraim Shay, American engineer, designed the Shay locomotive (b. 1839)
- 1926 – Alexander Alexandrovich Chuprov, Russian-Swiss statistician and theorist (b. 1874)
- 1930 – Georges-Casimir Dessaulles, Canadian businessman and politician (b. 1827)
- 1937 – Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington, English cartographer and politician (b. 1856)
- 1937 – William Morton Wheeler, American entomologist and zoologist (b. 1865)
- 1941 – Johanna Müller-Hermann, Austrian composer (b. 1878)
- 1949 – Ulrich Salchow, Danish-Swedish figure skater (b. 1877)
- 1950 – Ernst Robert Curtius, French-German philologist and scholar (b. 1886)
- 1955 – Jim Corbett, British-Indian colonel, hunter, and author (b. 1875)
- 1960 – Beardsley Ruml, American economist and statistician (b. 1894)
- 1961 – Max Hainle, German swimmer (b. 1882)
- 1967 – Konrad Adenauer, German politician, 1st Chancellor of Germany (b. 1876)
- 1971 – Luigi Piotti, Italian race car driver (b. 1913)
- 1975 – Percy Lavon Julian, American chemist and academic (b. 1899)
- 1987 – Hugh Brannum, American vocalist, arranger, and composer (b. 1910)
- 1989 – Daphne du Maurier, English novelist and playwright (b. 1907)
- 1991 – Stanley Hawes, English-Australian director and producer (b. 1905)
- 1992 – Frankie Howerd, English actor and screenwriter (b. 1917)
- 1993 – David Koresh, American religious leader (b. 1959)
- 1993 – George S. Mickelson, American captain, lawyer, and politician, 28th Governor of South Dakota (b. 1941)
- 1998 – Octavio Paz, Mexican poet, philosopher, and academic Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1914)
- 1999 – Hermine Braunsteiner, Austrian-German SS officer (b. 1919)
- 2000 – Louis Applebaum, Canadian composer and conductor (b. 1918)
- 2001 – Meldrim Thomson, Jr.. American publisher and politician, 73rd Governor of New Hampshire (b. 1912)
- 2002 – Reginald Rose, American writer (b. 1920)
- 2003 – Mirza Tahir Ahmad, Indian-English caliph (b. 1928)
- 2004 – Norris McWhirter, English author and activist co-founded the Guinness World Records (b. 1925)
- 2004 – John Maynard Smith, English biologist and geneticist (b. 1920)
- 2004 – Jenny Pike, Canadian WWII servicewoman and photographer (b. 1922)[37]
- 2005 – George P. Cosmatos, Italian-Greek director and screenwriter (b. 1941)
- 2005 – Ruth Hussey, American actress (b. 1911)
- 2005 – Clement Meadmore, Australian-American sculptor and author (b. 1929)
- 2005 – Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Danish bassist and composer (b. 1946)
- 2006 – Albert Scott Crossfield, American engineer, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1921)
- 2007 – Jean-Pierre Cassel, French actor (b. 1932)
- 2008 – John Marzano, American baseball player and sportscaster (b. 1963)
- 2008 – Alfonso López Trujillo, Colombian cardinal (b. 1935)
- 2009 – J. G. Ballard, English novelist, short story writer, and essayist (b. 1930)
- 2011 – Elisabeth Sladen, English actress (b. 1946)[38]
- 2012 – Leopold David de Rothschild, English financier and philanthropist (b. 1927)
- 2012 – Greg Ham, Australian saxophonist, songwriter, and actor (b. 1953)
- 2012 – Levon Helm, American singer-songwriter, drummer, guitarist, instrumentalist, and actor (b. 1940)
- 2012 – Valeri Vasiliev, Russian ice hockey player (b. 1949)
- 2013 – Sivanthi Adithan, Indian businessman (b. 1936)
- 2013 – Allan Arbus, American actor and photographer (b. 1918)
- 2013 – Mike Denness, Scottish-English cricketer and referee (b. 1940)
- 2013 – François Jacob, French biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1920)
- 2013 – E. L. Konigsburg, American author and illustrator (b. 1930)
- 2013 – Al Neuharth, American journalist, author, and publisher, founded USA Today (b. 1924)
- 2014 – Lindy Berry, American football player (b. 1927)
- 2014 – Ian McIntyre, Scottish journalist and producer (b. 1930)
- 2014 – Frits Thors, Dutch journalist (b. 1909)
- 2015 – Raymond Carr, English historian and academic (b. 1919)
- 2015 – William Price Fox, American journalist and author (b. 1926)
- 2015 – Roy Mason, English miner and politician, Secretary of State for Defence (b. 1924)[39]
- 2015 – Tom McCabe, Scottish social worker and politician (b. 1954)[40]
- 2015 – Oktay Sinanoğlu, Italian-Turkish chemist and academic (b. 1935)
- 2016 – Patricio Aylwin, Chilean politician (b. 1918)[41]
- 2016 – Milt Pappas, American baseball player (b. 1939)[42]
- 2017 – Aaron Hernandez, American football player (b. 1989)[43]
Holidays and observances on April 19
- Christian feast day:
- Ælfheah of Canterbury (Anglican, Catholic)
- Conrad of Ascoli
- Emma of Lesum
- Expeditus
- George of Antioch
- Olaus and Laurentius Petri (Lutheran)
- Pope Leo IX
- Ursmar
- April 19 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Earliest day on which First Day of Summer or Sumardagurinn fyrsti can fall, while April 25 is the latest; celebrated on the first Thursday after April 18. (Iceland)
- Army Day (Brazil)
- Beginning of the Independence Movement (Venezuela)
- Bicycle Day[44]
- Dutch-American Friendship Day (United States)
- Holocaust Remembrance Day (Poland)
- Indian Day (Brazil)
- King Mswati III’s birthday (Eswatini)
- Landing of the 33 Patriots Day (Uruguay)
- Patriots’ Day (Massachusetts, Maine and Wisconsin, United States)
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April 17 in History
- 1080 – Harald III of Denmark dies and is succeeded by Canute IV, who would later be the first Dane to be canonized.
- 1349 – The rule of the Bavand dynasty in Mazandaran is brought to an end by the murder of Hasan II.
- 1362 – Kaunas Castle falls to the Teutonic Order after a month-long siege.
- 1492 – Spain and Christopher Columbus sign the Capitulations of Santa Fe for his voyage to Asia to acquire spices.
- 1521 – Trial of Martin Luther over his teachings begins during the assembly of the Diet of Worms. Initially intimidated, he asks for time to reflect before answering and is given a stay of one day.
- 1524 – Giovanni da Verrazzano reaches New York harbor.
- 1797 – Sir Ralph Abercromby attacks San Juan, Puerto Rico, in what would be one of the largest invasions of the Spanish territories in the Americas.
- 1797 – Citizens of Verona begin an unsuccessful eight-day rebellion against the French occupying forces.
- 1861 – The state of Virginia’s secession convention votes to secede from the United States, later becoming the eighth state to join the Confederate States of America.
- 1863 – American Civil War: Grierson’s Raid begins: Troops under Union Army Colonel Benjamin Grierson attack central Mississippi.
- 1864 – American Civil War: The Battle of Plymouth begins: Confederate forces attack Plymouth, North Carolina.
- 1869 – Morelos is admitted as the 27th state of Mexico.
- 1876 – Catalpa rescue: The rescue of six Fenian prisoners from Fremantle Prison in Western Australia.
- 1895 – The Treaty of Shimonoseki between China and Japan is signed. This marks the end of the First Sino-Japanese War, and the defeated Qing Empire is forced to renounce its claims on Korea and to concede the southern portion of the Fengtien province, Taiwan and the Pescadores Islands to Japan.
- 1905 – The Supreme Court of the United States decides Lochner v. New York, which holds that the “right to free contract” is implicit in the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
- 1907 – The Ellis Island immigration center processes 11,747 people, more than on any other day.
- 1912 – Russian troops open fire on striking goldfield workers in northeast Siberia, killing at least 150.
- 1941 – World War II: The Kingdom of Yugoslavia surrenders to Germany.
- 1942 – French prisoner of war General Henri Giraud escapes from his castle prison in Königstein Fortress.
- 1944 – Forces of the Communist-controlled Greek People’s Liberation Army attack the smaller National and Social Liberation resistance group, which surrenders. Its leader Dimitrios Psarros is murdered.
- 1945 – World War II: Montese, Italy, is liberated from Nazi forces.
- 1946 – The last French troops are withdrawn from Syria.
- 1951 – The Peak District becomes the United Kingdom’s first National Park.
- 1961 – Bay of Pigs Invasion: A group of Cuban exiles financed and trained by the CIA lands at the Bay of Pigs in Cuba with the aim of ousting Fidel Castro.
- 1969 – Sirhan Sirhan is convicted of assassinating Robert F. Kennedy.
- 1969 – Communist Party of Czechoslovakia chairman Alexander Dubček is deposed.
- 1970 – Apollo program: The ill-fated Apollo 13 spacecraft returns to Earth safely.
- 1971 – The Provisional Government of Bangladesh is formed.
- 1975 – The Cambodian Civil War ends. The Khmer Rouge captures the capital Phnom Penh and Cambodian government forces surrender.
- 1978 – Mir Akbar Khyber is assassinated, provoking a communist coup d’état in Afghanistan.
- 1982 – Constitution Act, 1982 Patriation of the Canadian constitution in Ottawa by Proclamation of Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada.
- 1992 – The Katina P is deliberately run aground off of Maputo, Mozambique and 60,000 tons of crude oil spill into the ocean.
- 2006 – A Palestinian suicide bomber detonates an explosive device in a Tel Aviv restaurant, killing 11 people and injuring 70.
- 2013 – An explosion at a fertilizer plant in the city of West, Texas, kills 15 people and injures 160 others.
- 2014 – NASA’s Kepler space telescope confirms the discovery of the first Earth-size planet in the habitable zone of another star.
Births on April 17
- 44 – Pope Evaristus (d. 107)
- 1277 – Michael IX Palaiologos, Byzantine emperor (d. 1320)
- 1455 – Andrea Gritti, Doge of Venice (d. 1538)
- 1497 – Pedro de Valdivia, Spanish conquistador, conquered northern Chile (d. 1553)
- 1573 – Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria (d. 1651)
- 1586 – John Ford, English poet and playwright (d. 1639)
- 1598 – Giovanni Battista Riccioli, Italian priest and astronomer (d. 1671)
- 1620 – Marguerite Bourgeoys, French-Canadian nun and saint, founded the Congregation of Notre Dame of Montreal (d. 1700)
- 1635 – Edward Stillingfleet, British theologian and scholar (d. 1699)
- 1676 – Frederick I of Sweden (d. 1751)
- 1683 – Johann David Heinichen, German composer and theorist (d. 1729)
- 1710 – Henry Erskine, 10th Earl of Buchan, Scottish politician (d. 1767)
- 1734 – Taksin, King of Thailand (d. 1782)
- 1741 – Samuel Chase, American lawyer and jurist (d. 1811)
- 1750 – François de Neufchâteau, French academic and politician, French Minister of the Interior (d. 1828)
- 1756 – Dheeran Chinnamalai, Indian commander (d. 1805)
- 1766 – Collin McKinney, American surveyor, merchant, and politician (d. 1861)
- 1794 – Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius, German botanist and explorer (d. 1868)
- 1798 – Étienne Bobillier, French mathematician and academic (d. 1840)
- 1814 – Josif Pančić, Serbian botanist and academic (d. 1888)
- 1816 – Thomas Hazlehurst, English architect and philanthropist (d. 1876)
- 1820 – Alexander Cartwright, American firefighter and inventor of baseball (d. 1892)
- 1833 – Jean-Baptiste Accolay, Belgian violinist, composer, and conductor (d. 1900)
- 1837 – J. P. Morgan, American banker and financier, founded J.P. Morgan & Co. (d. 1913)
- 1842 – Maurice Rouvier, French businessman and politician, 53rd Prime Minister of France (d. 1911)
- 1849 – William R. Day, American jurist and politician, 36th United States Secretary of State (d. 1923)
- 1852 – Cap Anson, American baseball player and manager (d. 1922)
- 1863 – Augustus Edward Hough Love, English mathematician and theorist (d. 1940)
- 1865 – Ursula Ledóchowska, Polish-Austrian nun and saint, founded the Congregation of the Ursulines of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus (d. 1939)
- 1866 – Ernest Starling, English physiologist and academic (d. 1927)
- 1875 – Aleksander Tõnisson, Estonian general and politician, 5th Estonian Minister of War (d. 1941)
- 1877 – Matsudaira Tsuneo, Japanese diplomat (d. 1949)
- 1878 – Emil Fuchs, German-American lawyer and businessman (d. 1961)
- 1878 – Demetrios Petrokokkinos, Greek tennis player (d. 1942)
- 1879 – Henri Tauzin, French hurdler (d. 1918)
- 1882 – Artur Schnabel, Jewish-Polish pianist and composer (d. 1951)
- 1888 – Herms Niel, German soldier, trombonist, and composer (d. 1954)
- 1891 – George Adamski, Polish-American ufologist and author (d. 1965)
- 1895 – Robert Dean Frisbie, American soldier and author (d. 1948)
- 1896 – Señor Wences, Spanish-American ventriloquist (d. 1999)
- 1897 – Nisargadatta Maharaj, Indian philosopher and educator (d. 1981)
- 1897 – Thornton Wilder, American novelist and playwright (d. 1975)
- 1897 – Edouard Wyss-Dunant, Swiss physician and mountaineer (d. 1983)
- 1899 – Aleksander Klumberg, Estonian decathlete and coach (d. 1958)
- 1903 – Nicolas Nabokov, Russian-American composer and educator (d. 1978)
- 1903 – Gregor Piatigorsky, Ukrainian-American cellist and educator (d. 1976)
- 1903 – Morgan Taylor, American hurdler and coach (d. 1975)
- 1905 – Louis Jean Heydt, American journalist and actor (d. 1960)
- 1905 – Arthur Lake, American actor (d. 1987)
- 1906 – Sidney Garfield, American physician, co-founded Kaiser Permanente (d. 1984)
- 1909 – Alain Poher, French politician, President of France (d. 1996)
- 1910 – Evangelos Averoff, Greek historian and politician, Greek Minister of Defence (d. 1990)
- 1910 – Ivan Goff, Australian screenwriter and producer (d. 1999)
- 1910 – Helenio Herrera, French footballer and manager (d. 1997)
- 1911 – Hervé Bazin, French author and poet (d. 1996)
- 1911 – Lester Rodney, American soldier and journalist (d. 2009)
- 1912 – Marta Eggerth, Jewish-Hungarian-American actress and singer (d. 2013)
- 1914 – George Davis, American art director (d. 1984)
- 1914 – Mac Raboy, American illustrator (d. 1967)
- 1915 – Martin Clemens, Scottish soldier (d. 2009)
- 1915 – Joe Foss, American general and politician, 20th Governor of South Dakota (d. 2003)
- 1915 – Regina Ghazaryan, Armenian painter (d. 1999)
- 1916 – Win Maung, 3rd President of Union of Myanmar (d. 1989)
- 1916 – A. Thiagarajah, Sri Lankan educator and politician (d. 1981)
- 1916 – Sirimavo Bandaranaike, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, world’s first female prime minister (d. 2000)
- 1918 – William Holden, American actor (d. 1981)
- 1919 – Gilles Lamontagne, Canadian lieutenant and politician, 24th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (d. 2016)
- 1919 – Chavela Vargas, Costa Rican-Mexican singer-songwriter and actress (d. 2012)
- 1920 – Edmonde Charles-Roux, French journalist and author (d. 2016)
- 1923 – Lindsay Anderson, English actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1994)
- 1923 – Solly Hemus, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 2017)
- 1923 – Neville McNamara, Australian air marshal (d. 2014)
- 1923 – Gianni Raimondi, Italian lyric tenor (d. 2008)
- 1923 – Harry Reasoner, American soldier and journalist (d. 1991)
- 1924 – Kenneth Norman Jones, Australian public servant
- 1924 – Donald Richie, American-Japanese author and critic (d. 2013)
- 1925 – René Moawad, Lebanese lawyer and politician, 13th President of Lebanon (d. 1989)
- 1926 – Joan Lorring, British actress (d. 2014)
- 1926 – Gerry McNeil, Canadian ice hockey player and manager (d. 2004)
- 1927 – Margot Honecker, East German politician and First Lady (d. 2016)
- 1928 – Victor Lownes, American businessman (d. 2017)
- 1928 – Cynthia Ozick, American short story writer, novelist, and essayist
- 1928 – Heinz Putzl, Austrian fencer
- 1928 – Fabien Roy, Canadian accountant and politician
- 1929 – James Last, German-American bassist, composer, and bandleader (d. 2015)
- 1930 – Chris Barber, English trombonist and bandleader
- 1931 – John Barrett, English tennis player and sportscaster
- 1931 – Malcolm Browne, American journalist and photographer (d. 2012)
- 1934 – Don Kirshner, American songwriter and producer (d. 2011)
- 1934 – Peter Morris, Australian-English surgeon and academic
- 1935 – Bud Paxson, American broadcaster, founded Home Shopping Network and Pax TV (d. 2015)
- 1937 – Ronald Hamowy, Canadian historian and academic (d. 2012)
- 1937 – Ferdinand Piëch, Austrian-German engineer and businessman (d. 2019)
- 1938 – Ben Barnes, American businessman and politician, 36th Lieutenant Governor of Texas
- 1938 – Doug Lewis, Canadian lawyer and politician, 41st Canadian Minister of Justice
- 1938 – Ronald H. Miller, American theologian, author, and academic (d. 2011)
- 1938 – Kerry Wendell Thornley, American theorist and author (d. 1988)
- 1939 – Robert Miller, American art dealer (d. 2011)
- 1940 – Eric Dancer, English businessman and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Devon
- 1940 – Billy Fury, English singer-songwriter (d. 1983)
- 1940 – John McCririck, English journalist (d. 2019)
- 1940 – Chuck Menville, American animator and screenwriter (d. 1992)
- 1940 – Anja Silja, German soprano and actress
- 1940 – Agostino Vallini, Italian cardinal and vicar general of Rome
- 1941 – Lagle Parek, Estonian architect and politician, Estonian Minister of the Interior
- 1942 – Buster Williams, American jazz bassist
- 1943 – Richard Allen Epstein, American lawyer, author, and academic
- 1946 – Clare Francis, English sailor and author
- 1947 – Nigel Emslie, Lord Emslie, Scottish lawyer and judge
- 1947 – Richard Field, English lawyer and judge
- 1947 – Sherrie Levine, American photographer
- 1947 – Tsutomu Wakamatsu, Japanese baseball player, coach, and manager
- 1948 – Jan Hammer, Czech pianist, composer, and producer
- 1948 – Alice Harden, American educator and politician (d. 2012)
- 1948 – Pekka Vasala, Finnish runner
- 1951 – Olivia Hussey, Argentinian-English actress
- 1951 – Börje Salming, Swedish ice hockey player and businessman
- 1952 – Joe Alaskey, American voice actor (d. 2016)
- 1952 – Pierre Guité, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1952 – John McColl, English general and politician, Lieutenant Governor of Jersey
- 1952 – Željko Ražnatović, Serbian commander (d. 2000)
- 1952 – John Robertson, Scottish businessman and politician
- 1954 – Riccardo Patrese, Italian race car driver
- 1954 – Roddy Piper, Canadian professional wrestler and actor (d. 2015)
- 1954 – Michael Sembello, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1955 – Todd Lickliter, American basketball player and coach
- 1955 – Pete Shelley, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2018)
- 1955 – Mike Stroud, English physician and explorer
- 1956 – Colin Tyre, Lord Tyre, Scottish lawyer and judge
- 1957 – Teri Austin, Canadian actress
- 1957 – Afrika Bambaataa, American disc jockey
- 1957 – Nick Hornby, English novelist, essayist, lyricist, and screenwriter
- 1957 – Julia Macur, English lawyer and judge
- 1957 – Frank McDonough, British historian
- 1958 – Laslo Babits, Canadian javelin thrower (d. 2013)
- 1959 – Sean Bean, English actor
- 1959 – Jimmy Mann, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1959 – Li Meisu, Chinese shot putter
- 1960 – Vladimir Polyakov, Russian pole vaulter
- 1961 – Frank J. Christensen, American labor union leader
- 1961 – Norman Cowans, Jamaican-English cricketer
- 1961 – Boomer Esiason, American football player and sportscaster
- 1961 – Bella Freud, English fashion designer
- 1962 – Paul Nicholls, English jockey and trainer
- 1964 – Ken Daneyko, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
- 1964 – Maynard James Keenan, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1964 – Rachel Notley, Canadian politician
- 1964 – Lela Rochon, American actress
- 1966 – Vikram, Indian actor and singer
- 1967 – Kimberly Elise, American actress
- 1967 – Marquis Grissom, American baseball player and coach
- 1967 – Ian Jones, New Zealand rugby player
- 1967 – Barnaby Joyce, Australian politician, 17th Deputy Prime Minister of Australia
- 1967 – Liz Phair, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1968 – Julie Fagerholt, Danish fashion designer
- 1968 – Phil Henderson, American basketball player and coach (d. 2013)
- 1968 – Eric Lamaze, Canadian jockey
- 1968 – Roger Twose, New Zealand cricketer
- 1968 – Richie Woodhall, English boxer and trainer
- 1970 – Redman, American rapper, producer, and actor
- 1971 – Claire Sweeney, English actress
- 1972 – Gary Bennett, American baseball player
- 1972 – Tony Boselli, American football player and sportscaster
- 1972 – Jennifer Garner, American actress
- 1972 – Muttiah Muralitharan, Sri Lankan cricketer
- 1972 – Yuichi Nishimura, Japanese footballer and referee
- 1972 – Terran Sandwith, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1973 – Katrin Koov, Estonian architect
- 1973 – Brett Maher, Australian basketball player and sportscaster
- 1973 – Theo Ratliff, American basketball player
- 1974 – Mikael Åkerfeldt, Swedish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1974 – Victoria Beckham, English singer and fashion designer
- 1975 – Heidi Alexander, English politician
- 1975 – Travis Roy, American ice hockey player
- 1976 – Maurice Wignall, Jamaican hurdler and long jumper
- 1977 – Chad Hedrick, American speed skater
- 1977 – Frederik Magle, Danish composer, organist, and pianist
- 1978 – Monika Bergmann-Schmuderer, German skier
- 1978 – Lindsay Hartley, American actress
- 1978 – Jason White, Scottish rugby player
- 1979 – Eric Brewer, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1979 – Marija Šestak, Serbian-Slovenian triple jumper
- 1980 – Fabián Vargas, Colombian footballer
- 1980 – Curtis Woodhouse, English footballer, boxer, and manager
- 1981 – Jenny Meadows, English runner
- 1981 – Hanna Pakarinen, Finnish singer-songwriter
- 1981 – Ryan Raburn, American baseball player
- 1981 – Chris Thompson, English runner
- 1981 – Zhang Yaokun, Chinese footballer
- 1982 – Brad Boyes, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1982 – Chuck Kobasew, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1983 – Stanislav Chistov, Russian ice hockey player
- 1983 – Roberto Jiménez, Peruvian footballer
- 1983 – Andrea Marcato, Italian rugby player
- 1984 – Pablo Sebastián Álvarez, Argentinian footballer
- 1984 – Jed Lowrie, American baseball player
- 1984 – Raffaele Palladino, Italian footballer
- 1985 – Rooney Mara, American actress
- 1985 – Luke Mitchell, Australian actor and model
- 1985 – Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, French tennis player
- 1986 – Romain Grosjean, French race car driver
- 1988 – Takahiro Moriuchi, Japanese singer-songwriter
- 1989 – Paraskevi Papachristou, Greek triple jumper
- 1989 – Avi Kaplan, singer and songwriter
- 1990 – Jonathan Brown, Welsh footballer
- 1992 – Lachlan Maranta, Australian rugby league footballer
- 1994 – Alanna Goldie, Canadian fencer
- 1996 – Lorna Fitzgerald, British actress
Deaths on April 17
- 485 – Proclus, Greek mathematician and philosopher (b. 412)
- 617 – Donnán of Eigg, Irish priest and saint
- 648 – Xiao, empress of the Sui Dynasty
- 744 – Al-Walid II, Umayyad caliph (b. 706)
- 818 – Bernard of Italy, Frankish king (b. 797)
- 858 – Benedict III, pope of the Catholic Church
- 1071 – Manuel Komnenos, Byzantine military commander (b. c. 1045)
- 1080 – Harald III of Denmark (b. 1041)
- 1111 – Robert of Molesme, Christian saint and abbot (b. 1027)
- 1298 – Árni Þorláksson, Icelandic bishop (b. 1237)
- 1321 – Infanta Branca of Portugal, daughter of King Afonso III of Portugal (b. 1259)
- 1331 – Robert de Vere, 6th Earl of Oxford, English nobleman (b. 1257)
- 1344 – Constantine II, King of Armenia
- 1355 – Marin Falier, Doge of Venice (b. 1285)
- 1427 – John IV, Duke of Brabant (b. 1403)
- 1539 – George, Duke of Saxony (b. 1471)
- 1574 – Joachim Camerarius, German scholar and translator (b. 1500)
- 1669 – Antonio Bertali, Italian violinist and composer (b. 1605)
- 1680 – Kateri Tekakwitha, Mohawk-born Native American saint (b. 1656)
- 1695 – Juana Inés de la Cruz, Mexican poet and scholar (b. 1651)
- 1696 – Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, marquise de Sévigné, French author (b. 1626)
- 1711 – Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1678)
- 1713 – David Hollatz, Polish pastor and theologian (b. 1648)
- 1764 – Johann Mattheson, German lexicographer and composer (b. 1681)
- 1790 – Benjamin Franklin, American inventor, publisher, and politician, 6th President of Pennsylvania (b. 1706)
- 1799 – Richard Jupp, English surveyor and architect (b. 1728)
- 1840 – Hannah Webster Foster, American journalist and author (b. 1758)
- 1843 – Samuel Morey, American engineer (b. 1762)
- 1882 – George Jennings, English engineer and plumber, invented the Flush toilet (b. 1810)
- 1888 – E. G. Squier, American archaeologist and journalist (b. 1821)
- 1892 – Alexander Mackenzie, Scottish-Canadian journalist and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1822)
- 1921 – Manwel Dimech, Maltese journalist, author, and philosopher (b. 1860)
- 1923 – Laurence Ginnell, Irish lawyer and politician (b. 1852)
- 1930 – Alexander Golovin, Russian painter and stage designer (b. 1863)
- 1933 – Kote Marjanishvili, Georgian director and playwright (b. 1872)
- 1936 – Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck, Dutch lawyer and politician, 28th Prime Minister of the Netherlands (b. 1873)
- 1942 – Jean Baptiste Perrin, French-American physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1870)
- 1944 – J. T. Hearne, English cricketer and coach (b. 1867)
- 1944 – Dimitrios Psarros, Greek lieutenant, founded the National and Social Liberation (b. 1893)
- 1946 – Juan Bautista Sacasa, Nicaraguan medical doctor, politician and 20th President of Nicaragua (b. 1874)
- 1948 – Suzuki Kantarō, Japanese admiral and politician, 42nd Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1868)
- 1954 – Lucrețiu Pătrășcanu, Romanian lawyer and politician, Romanian Minister of Justice (b. 1900)
- 1960 – Eddie Cochran, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1938)
- 1961 – Elda Anderson, American physicist and health researcher (b. 1899)
- 1967 – Red Allen, American singer and trumpet player (b. 1908)
- 1975 – Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Indian philosopher and politician, 2nd President of India (b. 1888)
- 1976 – Henrik Dam, Danish biochemist and physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1895)
- 1977 – William Conway, Irish cardinal (b. 1913)
- 1983 – Felix Pappalardi, American singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer (b. 1939)
- 1984 – Claude Provost, Canadian-American ice hockey player (b. 1933)
- 1987 – Cecil Harmsworth King, English publisher (b. 1901)
- 1987 – Dick Shawn, American actor (b. 1923)
- 1988 – Louise Nevelson, Ukrainian-American sculptor and educator (b. 1900)
- 1990 – Ralph Abernathy, American minister and activist (b. 1936)
- 1993 – Turgut Özal, Turkish engineer and politician, 8th president of Turkey (b. 1927)
- 1994 – Roger Wolcott Sperry, American psychologist and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1913)
- 1995 – Frank E. Resnik, American sergeant and businessman (b. 1928)
- 1996 – Piet Hein, Danish poet and mathematician (b. 1905)
- 1997 – Chaim Herzog, Israeli general, lawyer, and politician, 6th President of Israel (b. 1918)
- 1998 – Linda McCartney, American photographer, activist, and musician (b. 1941)
- 2003 – Robert Atkins, American physician and cardiologist, created the Atkins diet (b. 1930)
- 2003 – H. B. Bailey, American race car driver (b. 1936)
- 2003 – John Paul Getty, Jr., American-English philanthropist (b. 1932)
- 2003 – Earl King, American blues singer, guitarist and songwriter (b. 1934)
- 2003 – Yiannis Latsis, Greek businessman (b. 1910)
- 2004 – Edmond Pidoux, Swiss author and poet (b. 1908)
- 2006 – Jean Bernard, French physician and haematologist (b. 1907)
- 2006 – Scott Brazil, American director and producer (b. 1955)
- 2006 – Henderson Forsythe, American actor (b. 1917)
- 2007 – Kitty Carlisle, American actress, singer, socialite and game show panelist (b. 1910)
- 2008 – Aimé Césaire, Caribbean-French poet and politician (b. 1913)
- 2008 – Danny Federici, American organist and accordion player (b. 1950)
- 2011 – Eric Gross, Austrian-Australian pianist and composer (b. 1926)
- 2011 – Michael Sarrazin, Canadian actor (b. 1940)
- 2011 – Robert Vickrey, American artist and author (b. 1926)
- 2012 – Leila Berg, English journalist and author (b. 1917)
- 2012 – J. Quinn Brisben, American educator and politician (b. 1934)
- 2012 – Dimitris Mitropanos, Greek singer (b. 1948)
- 2012 – Nityananda Mohapatra, Indian journalist, poet, and politician (b. 1912)
- 2012 – Jonathan V. Plaut, American rabbi and author (b. 1942)
- 2012 – Stanley Rogers Resor, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 9th United States Secretary of the Army (b. 1917)
- 2013 – Carlos Graça, São Toméan politician, Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe (b. 1931)
- 2013 – Bi Kidude, Tanzanian Taarab singer (b. ≈1910)
- 2013 – Yngve Moe, Norwegian bass player and songwriter (b. 1957)
- 2013 – V. S. Ramadevi, Indian politician, 13th Governor of Karnataka (b. 1934)
- 2014 – Gabriel García Márquez, Colombian journalist and author, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1927)
- 2014 – Bernat Klein, Serbian-Scottish fashion designer and painter (b. 1922)
- 2014 – Wojciech Leśnikowski, Polish–American architect and academic (b. 1938)
- 2014 – Karpal Singh, Malaysian lawyer and politician (b. 1940)
- 2015 – Robert P. Griffin, American soldier, lawyer, and politician (b. 1923)
- 2015 – Scotty Probasco, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1928)
- 2015 – Jeremiah J. Rodell, American general (b. 1921)
- 2015 – A. Alfred Taubman, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1924)
- 2016 – Chyna, American wrestler (b. 1969)
- 2016 – Doris Roberts, American actress (b. 1925)
- 2018 – Barbara Bush, former First Lady of the United States (b. 1925)
- 2018 – Carl Kasell, American radio personality (b. 1934)
- 2019 – Alan García, Peruvian lawyer and politician, 61st and 64th President of Peru (b. 1949)
Holidays and observances on April 17
- Christian feast day:
- Kateri Tekakwitha (Canada)
- Stephen Harding
- April 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Earliest day on which Store Bededag or General Prayer Day can fall, while May 13 is the latest; observed on the 4th Friday after Easter. (Denmark)
- Evacuation Day (Syria), celebrates the recognition of the independence of Syria from France in 1946.
- FAO Day (Iraq)
- Flag Day (American Samoa)
- Malbec World Day
- Women’s Day (Gabon)
- World Hemophilia Day
-
April 13 in History
- 1111 – Henry V is crowned Holy Roman Emperor.
- 1204 – Constantinople falls to the Crusaders of the Fourth Crusade, temporarily ending the Byzantine Empire.
- 1612 – Miyamoto Musashi defeats Sasaki Kojirō at Funajima island.
- 1613 – Samuel Argall, having captured Native American princess Pocahontas in Passapatanzy, Virginia, sets off with her to Jamestown with the intention of exchanging her for English prisoners held by her father.
- 1742 – George Frideric Handel’s oratorio Messiah makes its world-premiere in Dublin, Ireland.
- 1777 – American Revolutionary War: American forces are ambushed and defeated in the Battle of Bound Brook, New Jersey.
- 1829 – The Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829 gives Roman Catholics in the United Kingdom the right to vote and to sit in Parliament.
- 1849 – Lajos Kossuth presents the Hungarian Declaration of Independence in a closed session of the National Assembly.
- 1861 – American Civil War: Fort Sumter surrenders to Confederate forces.
- 1865 – American Civil War: Raleigh, North Carolina is occupied by Union Forces.
- 1870 – The New York City Metropolitan Museum of Art is founded.
- 1873 – The Colfax massacre, in which more than 60 black men are murdered, takes place.
- 1909 – The military of the Ottoman Empire reverses the Ottoman countercoup of 1909 to force the overthrow of Sultan Abdul Hamid II.
- 1919 – Jallianwala Bagh massacre: British Indian Army troops lead by Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer killed approx 379-1000 unarmed demonstrators including men and women in Amritsar, India; and approximately 1,500 injured.
- 1941 – A pact of neutrality between the USSR and Japan is signed.
- 1943 – World War II: The discovery of mass graves of Polish prisoners of war killed by Soviet forces in the Katyń Forest Massacre is announced, causing a diplomatic rift between the Polish government-in-exile in London and the Soviet Union, which denies responsibility.
- 1943 – The Jefferson Memorial is dedicated in Washington, D.C., on the 200th anniversary of President Thomas Jefferson’s birth.
- 1944 – Relations between New Zealand and the Soviet Union are established.
- 1945 – World War II: German troops kill more than 1,000 political and military prisoners in Gardelegen, Germany.
- 1945 – World War II: Soviet and Bulgarian forces capture Vienna.
- 1948 – In an ambush, 78 Jewish doctors, nurses and medical students from Hadassah Hospital, and a British soldier, are massacred by Arabs in Sheikh Jarrah. This event came to be known as the Hadassah medical convoy massacre.
- 1953 – CIA director Allen Dulles launches the mind-control program Project MKUltra.
- 1958 – American pianist Van Cliburn is awarded first prize at the inaugural International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow.
- 1960 – The United States launches Transit 1-B, the world’s first satellite navigation system.
- 1964 – At the Academy Awards, Sidney Poitier becomes the first African-American male to win the Best Actor award for the 1963 film Lilies of the Field.
- 1970 – An oxygen tank aboard the Apollo 13 Service Module explodes, putting the crew in great danger and causing major damage to the Apollo command and service module (codenamed “Odyssey“) while en route to the Moon.
- 1972 – The Universal Postal Union decides to recognize the People’s Republic of China as the only legitimate Chinese representative, effectively expelling the Republic of China administering Taiwan.
- 1972 – Vietnam War: The Battle of An Lộc begins.
- 1975 – An attack by the Phalangist resistance kills 26 militia members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, marking the start of the 15-year Lebanese Civil War.
- 1976 – The United States Treasury Department reintroduces the two-dollar bill as a Federal Reserve Note on Thomas Jefferson’s 233rd birthday as part of the United States Bicentennial celebration.
- 1976 – Forty workers die in an explosion at the Lapua ammunition factory, the deadliest accidental disaster in modern history in Finland.
- 1992 – Basements throughout the Chicago Loop are flooded, forcing the Chicago Board of Trade Building and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange to close.
- 1997 – Tiger Woods becomes the youngest golfer to win the Masters Tournament.
- 2003 – A bus near the Vale of Tempe, Greece was involved in a major vehicle accident with a truck and multiple cars, leaving 21 students in the tenth grade of Makrochori, Imathia High School dead and nine injured during their return to their homes from a trip to Athens.
- 2017 – The US drops the largest ever non-nuclear weapon on Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan.
Births on April 13
- 1229 – Louis II, Duke of Bavaria (d. 1294)
- 1350 – Margaret III, Countess of Flanders (d. 1405)
- 1506 – Peter Faber, French priest and theologian, co-founded the Society of Jesus (d. 1546)
- 1519 – Catherine de’ Medici, Italian-French wife of Henry II of France (d. 1589)
- 1570 – Guy Fawkes, English soldier, planned the Gunpowder Plot (probable; d. 1606)
- 1573 – Christina of Holstein-Gottorp (d. 1625)
- 1593 – Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford, English soldier and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (d. 1641)
- 1618 – Roger de Rabutin, Comte de Bussy, French author (d. 1693)
- 1636 – Hendrik van Rheede, Dutch botanist (d. 1691)
- 1648 – Jeanne Marie Bouvier de la Motte Guyon, French mystic (d. 1717)
- 1713 – Pierre Jélyotte, French tenor (d. 1797)
- 1729 – Thomas Percy, Irish bishop and poet (d. 1811)
- 1732 – Frederick North, Lord North, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1792)
- 1735 – Isaac Low, American merchant and politician, founded the New York Chamber of Commerce (d. 1791)
- 1743 – Thomas Jefferson, American lawyer and politician, 3rd President of the United States (d. 1826)
- 1747 – Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans (d. 1793)
- 1764 – Laurent de Gouvion Saint-Cyr, French general and politician, French Minister of War (d. 1830)
- 1769 – Thomas Lawrence, English painter and educator (d. 1830)
- 1771 – Richard Trevithick, Cornish-English engineer and explorer (d. 1833)
- 1780 – Alexander Mitchell, Irish engineer, invented the Screw-pile lighthouse (d. 1868)
- 1784 – Friedrich Graf von Wrangel, Prussian field marshal (d. 1877)
- 1787 – John Robertson, American lawyer and politician (d. 1873)
- 1794 – Jean Pierre Flourens, French physiologist and academic (d. 1867)
- 1802 – Leopold Fitzinger, Austrian zoologist and herpetologist (d. 1884)
- 1808 – Antonio Meucci, Italian-American engineer (d. 1889)
- 1810 – Félicien David, French composer (d. 1876)
- 1824 – William Alexander, Irish archbishop, poet, and theologian (d. 1911)
- 1825 – Thomas D’Arcy McGee, Irish-Canadian journalist and politician (d. 1868)
- 1828 – Josephine Butler, English feminist and social reformer (d. 1906)
- 1828 – Joseph Lightfoot, English bishop and theologian (d. 1889)
- 1832 – Juan Montalvo, Ecuadorian author and diplomat (d. 1889)
- 1841 – Louis-Ernest Barrias, French sculptor and academic (d. 1905)
- 1850 – Arthur Matthew Weld Downing, Irish astronomer (d. 1917)
- 1851 – Robert Abbe, American surgeon and radiologist (d. 1928)
- 1851 – William Quan Judge, Irish occultist and theosophist (d. 1896)
- 1852 – Frank Winfield Woolworth, American businessman, founded the F. W. Woolworth Company (d. 1919)
- 1854 – Lucy Craft Laney, Founder of the Haines Normal and Industrial School, Augusta, Georgia (d. 1933)
- 1860 – James Ensor, English-Belgian painter (d. 1949)
- 1866 – Butch Cassidy, American criminal (d. 1908)
- 1872 – John Cameron, Scottish international footballer and manager (d. 1935)
- 1872 – Alexander Roda Roda, Austrian-Croatian journalist and author (d. 1945)
- 1873 – John W. Davis, American lawyer and politician, 14th United States Solicitor General (d. 1955)
- 1875 – Ray Lyman Wilbur, American physician, academic, and politician, 31st United States Secretary of the Interior (d. 1949)
- 1879 – Edward Bruce, American lawyer and painter (d. 1943)
- 1879 – Oswald Bruce Cooper, American type designer, lettering artist, graphic designer, and educator (d. 1940)
- 1880 – Charles Christie, Canadian-American businessman, co-founded the Christie Film Company (d. 1955)
- 1885 – Vean Gregg, American baseball player (d. 1964)
- 1885 – Juhan Kukk, Estonian politician, Head of State of Estonia (d. 1942)
- 1885 – György Lukács, Hungarian philosopher and critic (d. 1971)
- 1885 – Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy, Dutch politician (d. 1961)
- 1887 – Gordon S. Fahrni, Canadian physician and golfer (d. 1995)
- 1889 – Herbert Yardley, American cryptologist and author (d. 1958)
- 1890 – Frank Murphy, American jurist and politician, 56th United States Attorney General (d. 1949)
- 1890 – Dadasaheb Torne, Indian director and producer (d. 1960)
- 1891 – Maurice Buckley, Australian sergeant, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 1921)
- 1891 – Nella Larsen, Danish/African-American nurse, librarian, and author (d. 1964)
- 1891 – Robert Scholl, German accountant and politician (d. 1973)
- 1892 – Sir Arthur Harris, 1st Baronet, English air marshal (d. 1984)
- 1892 – Robert Watson-Watt, Scottish engineer, invented Radar (d. 1973)
- 1894 – Arthur Fadden, Australian accountant and politician, 13th Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1973)
- 1894 – Joie Ray, American runner (d. 1978)
- 1896 – Fred Barnett, English footballer (d. 1982)
- 1897 – Werner Voss, German lieutenant and pilot (d. 1917)
- 1899 – Alfred Mosher Butts, American architect and game designer, created Scrabble (d. 1993)
- 1899 – Harold Osborn, American high jumper and decathlete (d. 1975)
- 1900 – Sorcha Boru, American potter and ceramic sculptor (d. 2006)
- 1900 – Pierre Molinier, French painter and photographer (d. 1976)
- 1901 – Jacques Lacan, French psychiatrist and psychoanalyst (d. 1981)
- 1901 – Alan Watt, Australian public servant and diplomat, Australian Ambassador to Japan (d. 1988)
- 1902 – Philippe de Rothschild, French Grand Prix driver, playwright, and producer (d. 1988)
- 1902 – Marguerite Henry, American author (d. 1997)
- 1904 – David Robinson, English businessman and philanthropist (d. 1987)
- 1905 – Rae Johnstone, Australian jockey (d. 1964)
- 1906 – Samuel Beckett, Irish novelist, poet, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1989)
- 1906 – Bud Freeman, American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader (d. 1991)
- 1907 – Harold Stassen, American lawyer and politician, 25th Governor of Minnesota (d. 2001)
- 1909 – Eudora Welty, American short story writer and novelist (d. 2001)
- 1911 – Ico Hitrec, Croatian footballer and manager (d. 1946)
- 1911 – Jean-Louis Lévesque, Canadian businessman and philanthropist (d. 1994)
- 1911 – Nino Sanzogno, Italian conductor and composer (d. 1983)
- 1913 – Dave Albritton, American high jumper and coach (d. 1994)
- 1913 – Kermit Tyler, American lieutenant and pilot (d. 2010)
- 1914 – Orhan Veli Kanık, Turkish poet and author (d. 1950)
- 1916 – Phyllis Fraser, Welsh-American actress, journalist, and publisher, co-founded Beginner Books (d. 2006)
- 1917 – Robert Orville Anderson, American businessman, founded Atlantic Richfield Oil Co. (d. 2007)
- 1917 – Bill Clements, American soldier, engineer, and politician, 15th United States Deputy Secretary of Defense (d. 2011)
- 1919 – Roland Gaucher, French journalist and politician (d. 2007)
- 1919 – Howard Keel, American actor and singer (d. 2004)
- 1919 – Madalyn Murray O’Hair, American activist, founded American Atheists (d. 1995)
- 1920 – Roberto Calvi, Italian banker (d. 1982)
- 1920 – Claude Cheysson, French lieutenant and politician, French Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 2012)
- 1920 – Liam Cosgrave, Irish lawyer and politician, 6th Taoiseach of Ireland (d. 2017)
- 1920 – Theodore L. Thomas, American chemical engineer, Patent attorney and writer (d. 2005)
- 1922 – Heinz Baas, German footballer and manager (d. 1994)
- 1922 – John Braine, English librarian and author (d. 1986)
- 1922 – Julius Nyerere, Tanzanian politician and teacher, 1st President of Tanzania (d. 1999)
- 1922 – Valve Pormeister, Estonian architect (d. 2002)
- 1923 – Don Adams, American actor and director (d. 2005)
- 1923 – A. H. Halsey, English sociologist and academic (d. 2014)
- 1923 – Stanley Tanger, American businessman and philanthropist, founded the Tanger Factory Outlet Centers (d. 2010)
- 1924 – John T. Biggers, American painter (d. 2001)
- 1924 – Jack T. Chick, American author, illustrator, and publisher (d. 2016)
- 1924 – Stanley Donen, American film director and choreographer (d. 2019)
- 1926 – Ellie Lambeti, Greek actress (d. 1983)
- 1926 – John Spencer-Churchill, 11th Duke of Marlborough, English businessman (d. 2014)
- 1927 – Rosemary Haughton, English philosopher, theologian, and author
- 1927 – Antonino Rocca, Italian-American wrestler (d. 1977)
- 1927 – Maurice Ronet, French actor and director (d. 1983)
- 1928 – Alan Clark, English historian and politician, Minister of State for Trade (d. 1999)
- 1928 – Gianni Marzotto, Italian racing driver and businessman (d. 2012)
- 1929 – Marilynn Smith, American golfer (d. 2019)
- 1931 – Anita Cerquetti, Italian soprano (d. 2014)
- 1931 – Robert Enrico, French director and screenwriter (d. 2001)
- 1931 – Dan Gurney, American race car driver and engineer (d. 2018)
- 1931 – Jon Stone, American composer, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1997)
- 1932 – Orlando Letelier, Chilean-American economist and politician, Chilean Minister of National Defense (d. 1976)
- 1933 – Ben Nighthorse Campbell, American soldier and politician
- 1934 – John Muckler, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager
- 1936 – Pierre Rosenberg, French historian and academic
- 1937 – Col Joye, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1937 – Edward Fox, English actor
- 1937 – Lanford Wilson, American playwright, co-founded the Circle Repertory Company (d. 2011)
- 1938 – Klaus Lehnertz, German pole vaulter
- 1938 – John Weston, English poet and diplomat
- 1939 – Seamus Heaney, Irish poet and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2013)
- 1939 – Paul Sorvino, American actor and singer
- 1940 – Mike Beuttler, Egyptian-English racing driver (d. 1988)
- 1940 – Lester Chambers, American singer and musician
- 1940 – J. M. G. Le Clézio, Breton French-Mauritian author and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1940 – Vladimir Cosma, French composer, conductor and violinist
- 1940 – Jim McNab, Scottish footballer (d. 2006)
- 1940 – Max Mosley, English racing driver and engineer, co-founded March Engineering, former president of the FIA
- 1940 – Ruby Puryear Hearn, African-American biophysicist
- 1941 – Michael Stuart Brown, American geneticist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1941 – Jean-Marc Reiser, French author and illustrator (d. 1983)
- 1942 – Bill Conti, American composer and conductor
- 1943 – Alan Jones, Australian rugby coach, radio host, and educator
- 1943 – Billy Kidd, American skier
- 1943 – Tim Krabbé, Dutch journalist and author
- 1943 – Philip Norman, English journalist, author, and playwright
- 1944 – Franco Arese, Italian runner
- 1944 – Charles Burnett, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1944 – Jack Casady, American bass guitarist
- 1944 – Susan Davis, Russian-American social worker and politician
- 1945 – Ed Caruthers, American high jumper
- 1945 – Tony Dow, American actor
- 1945 – Lowell George, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 1979)
- 1945 – Bob Kalsu, American football player and lieutenant (d. 1970)
- 1945 – Judy Nunn, Australian actress and author
- 1946 – Al Green, American singer-songwriter, producer, and pastor
- 1947 – Rae Armantrout, American poet and academic
- 1947 – Mike Chapman, Australian-English songwriter and producer
- 1947 – Jean-Jacques Laffont, French economist and academic (d. 2004)
- 1947 – Yves Landry, Canadian cyclist
- 1948 – Nam Hae-il, South Korean admiral
- 1948 – Drago Jančar, Slovenian author and playwright
- 1948 – Mikhail Shufutinsky, Soviet and Russian singer, actor, TV presenter
- 1949 – Len Cook, New Zealand-English mathematician and statistician
- 1949 – Frank Doran, Scottish lawyer and politician (d. 2017)
- 1949 – Christopher Hitchens, English-American essayist, literary critic, and journalist (d. 2011)
- 1949 – Ricardo Zunino, Argentinian racing driver
- 1950 – Ron Perlman, American actor
- 1950 – Tommy Raudonikis, Australian rugby league player and coach
- 1951 – Leszek Borysiewicz, Welsh immunologist and academic
- 1951 – Peabo Bryson, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1951 – Peter Davison, English actor
- 1951 – Joachim Streich, German footballer and manager
- 1951 – Max Weinberg, American drummer
- 1952 – Sam Bush, American mandolin player
- 1952 – David Drew, English lawyer and politician
- 1952 – Gabrielle Gourdeau, Canadian writer (d. 2006)
- 1952 – Jonjo O’Neill, Irish jockey and trainer
- 1953 – Stephen Byers, English politician
- 1953 – Dany Laferrière, Haitian-Canadian journalist and author
- 1954 – Jimmy Destri, American keyboard player and songwriter
- 1954 – Niels Olsen, Danish singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1954 – Barbara Roche, English lawyer and politician
- 1955 – Steve Camp, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1955 – Muwenda Mutebi II, current King of Buganda Kingdom
- 1955 – Louis Johnson, American bass player and producer (d. 2015)
- 1955 – Lupe Pintor, Mexican boxer
- 1955 – Ole von Beust, German lawyer and politician, 1st Mayor of Hamburg
- 1956 – Possum Bourne, New Zealand racing driver (d. 2003)
- 1956 – Alan Devonshire, English footballer and manager
- 1956 – Edward Forbes Smiley III, American art thief and map dealer
- 1957 – Amy Goodman, American journalist and author
- 1957 – Saundra Santiago, American actress
- 1960 – Lyn Brown, English social worker and politician
- 1960 – Bob Casey, Jr., American lawyer and politician, senior senator of Pennsylvania
- 1960 – Olaf Ludwig, German cyclist and manager
- 1960 – Rudi Völler, German footballer and manager
- 1961 – Hiro Yamamoto, American bass player and songwriter
- 1962 – Hillel Slovak, Israeli-American guitarist (d. 1988)
- 1963 – Garry Kasparov, Russian chess player and author
- 1964 – Davis Love III, American golfer and sportscaster
- 1964 – Caroline Rhea, Canadian actress and comedian
- 1964 – John Swinney, Scottish businessman and politician, Deputy First Minister of Scotland
- 1965 – Patricio Pouchulu, Argentinian architect and educator
- 1966 – Ali Boumnijel, Tunisian footballer
- 1966 – Marc Ford, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
- 1967 – Dana Barros, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster
- 1967 – Michael Eisen, American biologist and academic
- 1967 – Olga Tañón, Puerto Rican-American singer-songwriter
- 1968 – Ted Washington, American football player
- 1969 – Dirk Muschiol, German footballer
- 1970 – Monty Brown, American football player and wrestler
- 1970 – Gerry Creaney, Scottish footballer and manager
- 1970 – Nick Garrett, English singer
- 1970 – Szilveszter Csollány, Hungarian gymnast
- 1970 – Ricardo Rincón, Mexican-American baseball player
- 1970 – Ricky Schroder, American actor
- 1971 – Franck Esposito, French swimmer
- 1971 – Danie Mellor, Australian painter and sculptor
- 1971 – Bo Outlaw, American basketball player
- 1971 – Valensia, Dutch singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1972 – Mariusz Czerkawski, Polish ice hockey player and golfer
- 1972 – Aaron Lewis, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1974 – Valentina Cervi, Italian actress
- 1974 – Sergei Gonchar, Russian ice hockey player
- 1974 – Darren Turner, English racing driver
- 1974 – David Zdrilic, Australian footballer and manager
- 1975 – Jasey-Jay Anderson, Canadian snowboarder
- 1975 – Lou Bega, German singer-songwriter
- 1975 – Bruce Dyer, English footballer
- 1975 – Tatiana Navka, Russian ice dancer
- 1976 – Jonathan Brandis, American actor (d. 2003)
- 1976 – Patrik Eliáš, Czech-American ice hockey player
- 1976 – Glenn Howerton, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
- 1977 – Margus Tsahkna, Estonian lawyer and politician
- 1978 – Arron Asham, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1978 – Carles Puyol, Spanish footballer
- 1978 – Raemon Sluiter, Dutch tennis player
- 1978 – Keydrick Vincent, American football player
- 1979 – Gréta Arn, Hungarian tennis player
- 1979 – Baron Davis, American basketball player
- 1979 – Tony Lundon, Irish singer-songwriter, producer, and dancer
- 1979 – Meghann Shaughnessy, American tennis player
- 1980 – Colleen Clinkenbeard, American voice actress, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1980 – Jason Maguire, Irish jockey
- 1980 – Alan Melikdjanian, American independent filmmaker and YouTuber
- 1980 – Quentin Richardson, American basketball player
- 1981 – Nat Borchers, American soccer player
- 1981 – Gemma Doyle, Scottish politician
- 1982 – Nellie McKay, British-American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress
- 1983 – Claudio Bravo, Chilean footballer
- 1983 – Schalk Burger, South African rugby player
- 1983 – Nicole Cooke, Welsh cyclist
- 1983 – Hunter Pence, American baseball player
- 1984 – Jarmo Ahjupera, Estonian footballer
- 1984 – Anders Lindegaard, Danish footballer
- 1985 – Anna Jennings-Edquist, Australian actress, director, and playwright
- 1985 – Algo Kärp, Estonian skier
- 1985 – Cody Nickson, American reality television personality
- 1986 – Michael Bingham, American-English sprinter
- 1986 – Lorenzo Cain, American baseball player
- 1987 – Brandon Hardesty, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1987 – Massimiliano Pesenti, Italian footballer
- 1987 – Allison Weiss, American singer-songwriter
- 1988 – Anderson, Brazilian footballer
- 1988 – Petteri Koponen, Finnish basketball player
- 1988 – Allison Williams, American actress and singer
- 1989 – Ryan Bailey, American sprinter
- 1989 – Dong Dong, Chinese trampolinist
- 1989 – Nastassia Mironchyk-Ivanova, Belarusian long jumper
- 1989 – Josh Reynolds, Australian rugby league player
- 1989 – Vladislav Yegin, Russian ice hockey player
- 1990 – Anastasija Sevastova, a professional tennis player from Latvia
- 1991 – Akeem Adams, Trinidadian footballer (d. 2013)
- 1991 – Ulises Dávila, Mexican footballer
- 1991 – Josh Gordon, American football player
- 1992 – Denis Kudryavtsev, Russian hurdler
- 1992 – Jordan Silk, Australian cricketer
- 1993 – Tony Wroten, American basketball player
- 1994 – Ángelo Henríquez, Chilean footballer
- 1994 – Elvis Merzļikins, Latvian ice hockey player
- 1997 – Kyle Walker-Peters, English footballer
Deaths on April 13
- 548 – Lý Nam Đế, Vietnamese emperor (b. 503)
- 585 – Hermenegild, Visigothic prince and saint
- 799 – Paul the Deacon, Italian monk and historian (b. 720)
- 814 – Krum, khan of the Bulgarian Khanate
- 862 – Donald I, king of the Picts (b. 812)
- 989 – Bardas Phokas, Byzantine general
- 1035 – Herbert I, Count of Maine
- 1093 – Vsevolod I of Kiev (b. 1030)
- 1113 – Ida of Lorraine, saint and noblewoman (b. c. 1040)
- 1138 – Simon I, Duke of Lorraine (b. 1076)
- 1213 – Guy of Thouars, regent of Brittany
- 1275 – Eleanor of England (b. 1215)
- 1367 – John Tiptoft, 2nd Baron Tibetot (b. 1313)
- 1592 – Bartolomeo Ammannati, Italian architect and sculptor (b. 1511)
- 1605 – Boris Godunov, Tsar of Russia (b. 1551)
- 1612 – Sasaki Kojirō, Japanese samurai (b. 1585)
- 1635 – Fakhr-al-Din II, Ottoman prince (b. 1572)
- 1638 – Henri, Duke of Rohan (b. 1579)
- 1641 – Richard Montagu, English bishop (b. 1577)
- 1695 – Jean de La Fontaine, French author and poet (b. 1621)
- 1716 – Arthur Herbert, 1st Earl of Torrington, English admiral and politician (b. 1648)
- 1722 – Charles Leslie, Irish priest and theologian (b. 1650)
- 1793 – Pierre Gaspard Chaumette, French botanist, lawyer, and politician (b. 1763)
- 1794 – Nicolas Chamfort, French playwright and poet (b. 1741)
- 1826 – Franz Danzi, German cellist, composer, and conductor (b. 1763)
- 1853 – Leopold Gmelin, German chemist and academic (b. 1788)
- 1853 – James Iredell, Jr., American lawyer and politician, 23rd Governor of North Carolina (b. 1788)
- 1855 – Henry De la Beche, English geologist and palaeontologist (b. 1796)
- 1868 – Tewodros II of Ethiopia (b. 1818)
- 1880 – Robert Fortune, Scottish botanist and author (b. 1813)
- 1882 – Bruno Bauer, German historian and philosopher (b. 1809)
- 1886 – John Humphrey Noyes, American religious leader, founded the Oneida Community (b. 1811)
- 1890 – Samuel J. Randall, American captain, lawyer, and politician, 33rd Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (b. 1828)
- 1899 – James Service, Scottish-Australian politician, 12th Premier of Victoria (b. 1823)
- 1909 – Whitley Stokes, Anglo-Irish lawyer and scholar (b. 1830)
- 1910 – William Quiller Orchardson, Scottish-English painter and educator (b. 1835)
- 1911 – John McLane, Scottish-American politician, 50th Governor of New Hampshire (b. 1852)
- 1911 – George Washington Glick, American lawyer and politician, 9th Governor of Kansas (b. 1827)
- 1912 – Takuboku Ishikawa, Japanese poet and author (b. 1886)
- 1917 – Diamond Jim Brady, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1856)
- 1918 – Lavr Kornilov, Russian general (b. 1870)
- 1927 – Georg Voigt, German politician, Mayor of Frankfurt (b. 1866)
- 1936 – Konstantinos Demertzis, Greek politician 129th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1876)
- 1938 – Grey Owl, English-Canadian environmentalist and author (b. 1888)
- 1941 – Annie Jump Cannon, American astronomer and academic (b. 1863)
- 1941 – William Twaits, Canadian soccer player (b. 1879)
- 1942 – Henk Sneevliet, Dutch politician (b. 1883)
- 1942 – Anton Uesson, Estonian engineer and politician, 17th Mayor of Tallinn (b. 1879)
- 1944 – Cécile Chaminade, French pianist and composer (b. 1857)
- 1945 – Ernst Cassirer, Polish-American philosopher and academic (b. 1874)
- 1954 – Samuel Jones, American high jumper (b. 1880)
- 1954 – Angus Lewis Macdonald, Canadian lawyer and politician, 12th Premier of Nova Scotia (b. 1890)
- 1956 – Emil Nolde, Danish-German painter and educator (b. 1867)
- 1959 – Eduard van Beinum, Dutch pianist, violinist, and conductor (b. 1901)
- 1961 – John A. Bennett, American soldier (b. 1935)
- 1962 – Culbert Olson, American lawyer and politician, 29th Governor of California (b. 1876)
- 1966 – Abdul Salam Arif, Iraqi colonel and politician, 2nd President of Iraq (b. 1921)
- 1966 – Carlo Carrà, Italian painter (b. 1881)
- 1966 – Georges Duhamel, French soldier and author (b. 1884)
- 1967 – Nicole Berger, French actress (b. 1934)
- 1969 – Alfred Karindi, Estonian pianist and composer (b. 1901)
- 1971 – Michel Brière, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1949)
- 1971 – Juhan Smuul, Estonian author, poet, and screenwriter (b. 1921)
- 1975 – Larry Parks, American actor and singer (b. 1914)
- 1975 – François Tombalbaye, Chadian soldier, academic, and politician, 1st President of Chad (b. 1918)
- 1978 – Jack Chambers, Canadian painter and director (b. 1931)
- 1978 – Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, Nigerian educator and women’s rights activist (b. 1900)
- 1980 – Markus Höttinger, Austrian racing driver (b. 1956)
- 1983 – Gerry Hitchens, English footballer (b. 1934)
- 1983 – Theodore Stephanides, Greek physician, author, and poet (b. 1896)
- 1984 – Ralph Kirkpatrick, American harp player and musicologist (b. 1911)
- 1988 – Jean Gascon, Canadian actor and director (b. 1920)
- 1992 – Maurice Sauvé, Canadian economist and politician (b. 1923)
- 1992 – Feza Gürsey, Turkish mathematician and physicist (b. 1921)
- 1992 – Daniel Pollock, Australian actor (b. 1968)
- 1993 – Wallace Stegner, American novelist, short story writer, and essayist (b. 1909)
- 1996 – Leila Mackinlay, English author and educator (b. 1910)
- 1997 – Bryant Bowles, American soldier and activist, founded the National Association for the Advancement of White People (b. 1920)
- 1997 – Alan Cooley, Australian public servant (b. 1920)
- 1997 – Dorothy Frooks, American author and actress (b. 1896)
- 1997 – Voldemar Väli, Estonian wrestler (b. 1903)
- 1998 – Patrick de Gayardon, French skydiver and base jumper (b. 1960)
- 1999 – Ortvin Sarapu, Estonian-New Zealand chess player and author (b. 1924)
- 1999 – Willi Stoph, German engineer and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of East Germany (b. 1914)
- 2000 – Giorgio Bassani, Italian author and poet (b. 1916)
- 2000 – Frenchy Bordagaray, American baseball player and manager (b. 1910)
- 2004 – Caron Keating, Northern Irish television host (b. 1962)
- 2005 – Don Blasingame, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1932)
- 2005 – Johnnie Johnson, American pianist and songwriter (b. 1924)
- 2005 – Phillip Pavia, American painter and sculptor (b. 1912)
- 2005 – Philippe Volter, Belgian actor and director (b. 1959)
- 2006 – Bill Baker, American baseball player, coach, and umpire (b. 1911)
- 2006 – Muriel Spark, Scottish novelist, poet, and critic (b. 1918)
- 2008 – John Archibald Wheeler, American physicist and academic (b. 1911)
- 2009 – Mark Fidrych, American baseball player (b. 1954)
- 2009 – Bruce Snyder, American football player and coach (b. 1940)
- 2009 – George Feigley, American sex cult leader, convicted rapist and two-time prison escapee (b. 1940)
- 2012 – William B. Buffum, American soldier and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Lebanon (b. 1921)
- 2012 – Cecil Chaudhry, Pakistani pilot, academic, and activist (b. 1941)
- 2012 – Shūichi Higurashi, Japanese illustrator (b. 1936)
- 2012 – David S. Smith, American diplomat, United States Ambassador to Sweden (b. 1918)
- 2012 – Robert Wigmore, Cook Islander politician, 14th Deputy Prime Minister of the Cook Islands (b. 1949)
- 2013 – Chi Cheng, American bass player (b. 1970)
- 2013 – Stephen Dodgson, English composer and educator (b. 1924)
- 2013 – Dean Drummond, American composer and conductor (b. 1949)
- 2013 – Vincent Montana, Jr., American drummer and composer (b. 1928)
- 2013 – Lin Yang-kang, Taiwanese politician, 29th Vice Premier of the Republic of China (b. 1927)
- 2014 – Fred Enke, American football player (b. 1924)
- 2014 – Ernesto Laclau, Argentinian-Spanish philosopher and theorist (b. 1935)
- 2014 – Michael Ruppert, American journalist and author (b. 1951)
- 2014 – Rafał Sznajder, Polish fencer (b. 1972)
- 2015 – Gerald Calabrese, American basketball player and politician (b. 1925)
- 2015 – Ronnie Carroll, Irish singer and politician (b. 1934)
- 2015 – Thelma Coyne Long, Australian tennis player and captain (b. 1918)
- 2015 – Eduardo Galeano, Uruguayan journalist and author (b. 1940)
- 2015 – Günter Grass, German novelist, poet, playwright, and illustrator, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1927)
- 2015 – Herb Trimpe, American author and illustrator (b. 1939)
- 2016 – Nera White, American basketball player (b. 1935)
- 2017 – Dan Rooney, American football executive and former United States Ambassador to Ireland (b. 1932)
- 2018 – Art Bell, American broadcaster and author (b. 1945)
- 2019 – Neus Català, Anti-fascist activist (b. 1915)
- 2019 – Yvette Williams, New Zealand athlete (b. 1929)
Holidays and observances on April 13
- Christian feast day:
- Hermenegild
- Blessed Ida of Louvain
- Pope Martin I
- April 13 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Jefferson’s Birthday (United States)
- Katyn Memorial Day (Poland)
- South and Southeast Asian New Year. (see April 14)
- Teacher’s Day (Ecuador)
- Unfairly Prosecuted Persons Day (Slovakia)
-
April 12 in History
- 240 – Shapur I becomes co-emperor of the Sasanian Empire with his father Ardashir I.
- 467 – Anthemius is elevated to Emperor of the Western Roman Empire.
- 627 – King Edwin of Northumbria is converted to Christianity by Paulinus, bishop of York.
- 1012 – Duke Oldřich of Bohemia deposes and blinds his brother Jaromír who flees to Poland.
- 1204 – The Crusaders of the Fourth Crusade breach the walls of Constantinople and enter the city, which they completely occupy the following day.
- 1606 – The Union Flag is adopted as the flag of English and Scottish ships.
- 1776 – American Revolution: With the Halifax Resolves, the North Carolina Provincial Congress authorizes its Congressional delegation to vote for independence from Britain.
- 1807 – The Froberg mutiny ends when the remaining mutineers blow up the magazine of Fort Ricasoli.
- 1820 – Alexander Ypsilantis is declared leader of Filiki Eteria, a secret organization to overthrow Ottoman rule over Greece.
- 1831 – Soldiers marching on the Broughton Suspension Bridge in Manchester, England, cause it to collapse.
- 1861 – American Civil War: Battle of Fort Sumter. The war begins with Confederate forces firing on Fort Sumter, in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina.
- 1862 – American Civil War: The Andrews Raid (the Great Locomotive Chase) occurs, starting from Big Shanty, Georgia (now Kennesaw).
- 1864 – American Civil War: The Battle of Fort Pillow: Confederate forces kill most of the African American soldiers that surrendered at Fort Pillow, Tennessee.
- 1865 – American Civil War: Mobile, Alabama, falls to the Union Army.
- 1877 – The United Kingdom annexes the Transvaal.
- 1910 – SMS Zrínyi, one of the last pre-dreadnought battleships built by the Austro-Hungarian Navy, is launched.
- 1917 – World War I: Canadian forces successfully complete the taking of Vimy Ridge from the Germans.
- 1927 – Shanghai massacre of 1927: Chiang Kai-shek orders the Communist Party of China members executed in Shanghai, ending the First United Front.
- 1927 – Rocksprings, Texas was hit by an F5 tornado that destroyed 235 of the 247 buildings in the town and killed 72 townspeople and injured 205; third deadliest tornado in Texas history.
- 1928 – The Bremen, a German Junkers W 33 type aircraft, takes off for the first successful transatlantic aeroplane flight from east to west.
- 1934 – The strongest surface wind gust in the world at the time of 231 mph, is measured on the summit of Mount Washington, New Hampshire. It has since been surpassed.
- 1934 – The U.S. Auto-Lite strike begins, culminating in a five-day melee between Ohio National Guard troops and 6,000 strikers and picketers.
- 1937 – Sir Frank Whittle ground-tests the first jet engine designed to power an aircraft, at Rugby, England.
- 1945 – U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt dies in office; Vice President Harry S. Truman becomes President upon Roosevelt’s death.
- 1945 – World War II: The U.S. Ninth Army under General William H. Simpson crosses the Elbe River astride Magdeburg, and reached Tangermünde—only 50 miles from Berlin.
- 1955 – The polio vaccine, developed by Dr. Jonas Salk, is declared safe and effective.
- 1961 – Cold War: Space Race: The Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human to travel into outer space and perform the first manned orbital flight, Vostok 1.
- 1963 – The Soviet nuclear-powered submarine K-33 collides with the Finnish merchant vessel M/S Finnclipper in the Danish straits.
- 1970 – Soviet submarine K-8, carrying four nuclear torpedoes, sinks in the Bay of Biscay four days after a fire on board.
- 1980 – The Americo-Liberian government of Liberia is violently deposed.
- 1980 – Transbrasil Flight 303, a Boeing 727, crashes on approach to Hercílio Luz International Airport, in Florianópolis, Brazil. Fifty-five out of the 58 people on board are killed.
- 1981 – The first launch of a Space Shuttle (Columbia) takes place: The STS-1 mission.
- 1983 – Harold Washington is elected as the first black mayor of Chicago.
- 1990 – Jim Gary’s “Twentieth Century Dinosaurs” exhibition opens at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. He is the only sculptor ever invited to present a solo exhibition there.
- 1992 – The Euro Disney Resort officially opens with its theme park Euro Disneyland; the resort and its park’s name are subsequently changed to Disneyland Paris.
- 1999 – United States President Bill Clinton is cited for contempt of court for giving “intentionally false statements” in a civil lawsuit; he is later fined and disbarred.
- 2002 – A suicide bomber blows herself up at the entrance to Jerusalem’s Mahane Yehuda Market, killing seven people and wounding 104.
- 2007 – A suicide bomber penetrates the Green Zone and detonates in a cafeteria within a parliament building, killing Iraqi MP Mohammed Awad and wounding more than twenty other people.
- 2009 – Zimbabwe officially abandons the Zimbabwean dollar as its official currency.
- 2010 – Merano derailment: A rail accident in South Tyrol kills nine people and injures a further 28.
- 2013 – Two suicide bombers kill three Chadian soldiers and injure dozens of civilians at a market in Kidal, Mali.
- 2014 – The Great Fire of Valparaíso ravages the Chilean city of Valparaíso, killing 16 people, displacing nearly 10,000, and destroying over 2,000 homes.
Births on April 12
- 811 – Muhammad al-Jawad, the ninth Imam of Shia Islam (d. 835)
- 959 – En’yū, emperor of Japan (d. 991)
- 1116 – Richeza of Poland, queen of Sweden and Grand Princess of Minsk (d. 1156)
- 1432 – Anne of Austria, Landgravine of Thuringia (d. 1462)
- 1484 – Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, Italian architect, designed the Apostolic Palace and St. Peter’s Basilica (d. 1546)
- 1484 – Maharana Sangram Singh, Rana of Mewar (d. 1527)
- 1500 – Joachim Camerarius, German scholar and translator (d. 1574)
- 1526 – Muretus, French philosopher and author (d. 1585)
- 1550 – Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, English courtier and politician, Lord Great Chamberlain (d. 1604)
- 1577 – Christian IV of Denmark (d. 1648)
- 1612 – Simone Cantarini, Italian painter and engraver (d. 1648)
- 1639 – Martin Lister, English naturalist and physician (d. 1712)
- 1656 – Benoît de Maillet, French diplomat and natural historian (d. 1738)
- 1705 – William Cookworthy, English minister and pharmacist (d. 1780)
- 1710 – Caffarelli, Italian actor and singer (d. 1783)
- 1713 – Guillaume Thomas François Raynal, French historian and author (d. 1796)
- 1716 – Felice Giardini, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1796)
- 1722 – Pietro Nardini, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1793)
- 1724 – Lyman Hall, American physician, clergyman, and politician, 16th Governor of Georgia (d. 1790)
- 1748 – Antoine Laurent de Jussieu, French botanist and author (d. 1836)
- 1777 – Henry Clay, American lawyer and politician, 9th United States Secretary of State (d. 1852)
- 1792 – John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, English soldier and politician, Lord Privy Seal (d. 1840)
- 1794 – Germinal Pierre Dandelin, Belgian mathematician and engineer (d. 1847)
- 1796 – George N. Briggs, American lawyer and politician, 19th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1861)
- 1799 – Henri Druey, Swiss lawyer and politician, 2nd President of the Swiss Confederation (d. 1855)
- 1801 – Joseph Lanner, Austrian composer and conductor (d. 1843)
- 1816 – Charles Gavan Duffy, Irish-Australian politician, 8th Premier of Victoria (d. 1903)
- 1823 – Alexander Ostrovsky, Russian playwright and translator (d. 1886)
- 1839 – Nikolay Przhevalsky, Russian geographer and explorer (d. 1888)
- 1845 – Gustaf Cederström, Swedish painter (d. 1933)
- 1851 – José Gautier Benítez, Puerto Rican soldier and poet (d. 1880)
- 1851 – Edward Walter Maunder, English astronomer and author (d. 1928)
- 1852 – Ferdinand von Lindemann, German mathematician and academic (d. 1939)
- 1856 – Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington, English mountaineer, cartographer, and politician (d. 1937)
- 1863 – Raul Pompeia, Brazilian writer (d. 1895)
- 1868 – Akiyama Saneyuki, Japanese admiral (d. 1918)
- 1869 – Henri Désiré Landru, French serial killer (d. 1922)
- 1871 – Ioannis Metaxas, Greek general and politician, 130th Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1941)
- 1874 – William B. Bankhead, American lawyer and politician, 47th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (d. 1940)
- 1880 – Addie Joss, American baseball player and journalist (d. 1911)
- 1883 – Imogen Cunningham, American photographer and educator (d. 1976)
- 1883 – Dally Messenger, Australian rugby player, cricketer, and sailor (d. 1959)
- 1884 – Tenby Davies, Welsh runner (d. 1932)
- 1884 – Otto Meyerhof, German physician and biochemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1951)
- 1885 – Robert Delaunay, French painter (d. 1941)
- 1887 – Harold Lockwood, American actor and director (d. 1918)
- 1888 – Dan Ahearn, Irish-American long jumper and police officer (d. 1942)
- 1888 – Cecil Kimber, English automobile engineer (d. 1945)
- 1892 – Henry Darger, American writer and artist (d. 1973)
- 1894 – Dorothy Cumming, Australian-American actress (d. 1983)
- 1894 – Francisco Craveiro Lopes, Portuguese field marshal and politician, 13th President of Portugal (d. 1964)
- 1898 – Lily Pons, French-American soprano and actress (d. 1976)
- 1901 – Lowell Stockman, American farmer and politician (d. 1962)
- 1902 – Louis Beel, Dutch academic and politician, 36th Prime Minister of the Netherlands (d. 1977)
- 1903 – Jan Tinbergen, Dutch economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1994)
- 1907 – Zawgyi, Burmese poet, author, literary historian, critic, scholar and academic (d. 1990)
- 1907 – Felix de Weldon, Austrian-American sculptor, designed the Marine Corps War Memorial (d. 2003)
- 1908 – Ida Pollock, English author and painter (d. 2013)
- 1908 – Robert Lee Scott, Jr., American pilot and general (d. 2006)
- 1910 – Gillo Dorfles, Italian art critic, painter and philosopher (d. 2018)
- 1910 – Irma Rapuzzi, French politician (d. 2018)
- 1911 – Mahmoud Younis, Egyptian engineer (d. 1976)
- 1912 – Frank Dilio, Canadian businessman (d. 1997)
- 1912 – Hamengkubuwono IX, Indonesian politician, 2nd Vice President of Indonesia (d. 1988)
- 1912 – Hound Dog Taylor, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1975)
- 1913 – Keiko Fukuda, Japanese-American martial artist (d. 2013)
- 1914 – Armen Alchian, American economist and academic (d. 2013)
- 1916 – Beverly Cleary, American author
- 1916 – Russell Garcia, American-New Zealander composer and conductor (d. 2011)
- 1916 – Benjamin Libet, American neuropsychologist and academic (d. 2007)
- 1917 – Helen Forrest, American singer and actress (d. 1999)
- 1917 – Vinoo Mankad, Indian cricketer (d. 1978)
- 1917 – Robert Manzon, French racing driver (d. 2015)
- 1919 – István Anhalt, Hungarian-Canadian composer and educator (d. 2012)
- 1919 – Billy Vaughn, American musician and bandleader (d. 1991)
- 1921 – Robert Cliche, Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician (d. 1978)
- 1922 – Simon Kapwepwe, Zambian politician, 2nd Vice President of Zambia (d. 1980)
- 1923 – Ann Miller, American actress, singer, and dancer (d. 2004)
- 1924 – Raymond Barre, French economist and politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 2007)
- 1924 – Peter Safar, Austrian physician and academic (d. 2003)
- 1924 – Curtis Turner, American race car driver (d. 1970)
- 1925 – Evelyn Berezin, American computer scientist and engineer (d. 2018)
- 1925 – Ned Miller, American country music singer and songwriter (d. 2016)
- 1925 – Oliver Postgate, English animator, puppeteer, and screenwriter (d. 2008)
- 1926 – Jane Withers, American actress
- 1927 – Thomas Hemsley, English baritone (d. 2013)
- 1927 – Alvin Sargent, two-time Academy-Award-winning American screenwriter (d. 2019)
- 1928 – Hardy Krüger, German actor
- 1928 – Jean-François Paillard, French conductor (d. 2013)
- 1929 – Elspet Gray, Scottish actress (d. 2013)
- 1929 – Mukhran Machavariani, Georgian poet and educator (d. 2010)
- 1930 – John Landy, Australian runner and politician, 26th Governor of Victoria
- 1930 – Bryan Magee, English philosopher and politician (d. 2019)
- 1930 – Manuel Neri, American sculptor and painter
- 1930 – Michał Życzkowski, Polish technician and educator (d. 2006)
- 1931 – Leonid Derbenyov, Russian poet and songwriter (d. 1995)
- 1932 – Lakshman Kadirgamar, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician, 5th Sri Lankan Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 2005)
- 1932 – Jean-Pierre Marielle, French actor (d. 2019)
- 1932 – Tiny Tim, American singer and ukulele player (d. 1996)
- 1933 – Montserrat Caballé, Spanish soprano and actress (d. 2018)
- 1934 – Heinz Schneiter, Swiss footballer and manager (d. 2017)
- 1936 – Charles Napier, American actor (d. 2011)
- 1936 – Kennedy Simmonds, Kittitian politician, 4th Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis
- 1937 – Dennis Banks, American author and activist (d. 2017)
- 1937 – Igor Volk, Ukrainian-Russian colonel, pilot, and astronaut (d. 2017)
- 1939 – Alan Ayckbourn, English director and playwright
- 1939 – Johnny Raper, Australian rugby league player and coach
- 1940 – Woodie Fryman, American baseball player (d. 2011)
- 1940 – Herbie Hancock, American pianist, composer, and bandleader
- 1941 – Bobby Moore, English footballer and manager (d. 1993)
- 1942 – Bill Bryden, Scottish actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1942 – Carlos Reutemann, Argentinian race car driver and politician
- 1942 – Jacob Zuma, South African politician, 4th President of South Africa
- 1943 – Sumitra Mahajan, Indian politician, 16th Speaker of the Lok Sabha
- 1944 – Lisa Jardine, English historian, author, and academic (d. 2015)
- 1944 – John Kay, German-Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1945 – Lee Jong-wook, South Korean physician and diplomat (d. 2006)
- 1946 – Ed O’Neill, American actor and comedian
- 1946 – George Robertson, Baron Robertson of Port Ellen, Scottish politician and diplomat, 10th Secretary General of NATO
- 1947 – Roy M. Anderson, English epidemiologist, zoologist, and academic
- 1947 – Martin Brasier, English palaeontologist, biologist, and academic (d. 2014)
- 1947 – Alex Briley, American disco singer
- 1947 – Tom Clancy, American historian and author (d. 2013)
- 1947 – Woody Johnson, American businessman and philanthropist
- 1947 – Dan Lauria, American actor
- 1947 – David Letterman, American comedian and talk show host
- 1948 – Jeremy Beadle, English television host and producer (d. 2008)
- 1948 – Joschka Fischer, German academic and politician
- 1948 – Marcello Lippi, Italian footballer, manager, and coach
- 1949 – Scott Turow, American lawyer and author
- 1950 – Flavio Briatore, Italian businessman
- 1950 – David Cassidy, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2017)
- 1950 – Joyce Banda, Malawian politician, 4th president of Malawi
- 1950 – Nick Sackman, English composer and educator
- 1951 – Tom Noonan, American actor
- 1952 – Reuben Gant, American football player
- 1952 – Leicester Rutledge, New Zealand rugby player
- 1952 – Gary Soto, American poet, novelist, and memoirist
- 1952 – Ralph Wiley, American journalist (d. 2004)
- 1953 – Tanino Liberatore, Italian author and illustrator
- 1954 – John Faulkner, Australian educator and politician, 52nd Australian Minister for Defence
- 1954 – Steve Stevaert, Belgian businessman and politician (d. 2015)
- 1954 – Pat Travers, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1955 – Fabian Hamilton, English graphic designer, engineer, and politician
- 1956 – Andy Garcia, Cuban-American actor, director, and producer
- 1956 – Herbert Grönemeyer, German singer-songwriter and actor
- 1957 – Greg Child, Australian mountaineer and author
- 1957 – Vince Gill, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1957 – Tama Janowitz, American novelist and short story writer
- 1958 – Will Sergeant, English guitarist
- 1958 – Klaus Tafelmeier, German javelin thrower
- 1958 – Ginka Zagorcheva, Bulgarian hurdler
- 1959 – Howard Stableford, English radio and television host
- 1961 – Corrado Fabi, Italian racing driver
- 1961 – Charles Mann, American football player and sportscaster
- 1961 – Magda Szubanski, English-Australian actress, comedian and writer
- 1962 – Art Alexakis, American singer-songwriter and musician
- 1962 – Carlos Sainz, Spanish racing driver
- 1962 – Nobuhiko Takada, Japanese mixed martial artist and wrestler, founded Hustle
- 1963 – Lydia Cacho, Mexican journalist and author
- 1964 – Chris Fairclough, English footballer and coach
- 1965 – Amy Ray, American folk-rock singer-songwriter, musician, and music producer
- 1965 – Kim Bodnia, Danish actor and director
- 1965 – Chi Onwurah, English politician
- 1965 – Gervais Rufyikiri, Burundian politician
- 1965 – Mihai Stoica, Romanian footballer and manager
- 1966 – Nils-Olav Johansen, Norwegian guitarist and singer
- 1966 – Lorenzo White, American football player
- 1967 – Sarah Cracknell, English singer-songwriter
- 1968 – Alicia Coppola, American actress
- 1968 – Toby Gad, German songwriter and producer
- 1968 – Adam Graves, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1969 – Jörn Lenz, German footballer and manager
- 1969 – Lucas Radebe, South African footballer and sportscaster
- 1969 – Michael Jackson, American football player and politician (d. 2017)
- 1970 – Sylvain Bouchard, Canadian speed skater
- 1971 – Nicholas Brendon, American actor
- 1971 – Shannen Doherty, American actress, director, and producer
- 1972 – Paul Lo Duca, American baseball player and sportscaster
- 1973 – J. Scott Campbell, American author and illustrator
- 1973 – Ryan Kisor, American trumpet player and composer
- 1973 – Antonio Osuna, Mexican-American baseball player
- 1973 – Christian Panucci, Italian footballer and manager
- 1974 – Belinda Emmett, Australian actress (d. 2006)
- 1974 – Bryan Fletcher, Australian rugby league player and sportscaster
- 1974 – Roman Hamrlík, Czech ice hockey player
- 1974 – Marley Shelton, American actress
- 1974 – Sylvinho, Brazilian footballer and manager
- 1976 – Olga Kotlyarova, Russian runner
- 1976 – Brad Miller, American basketball player
- 1977 – Giovanny Espinoza, Ecuadorian footballer
- 1977 – Sarah Monahan, Australian actress
- 1977 – Jason Price, Welsh footballer
- 1977 – Glenn Rogers, Australian-Scottish cricketer
- 1978 – Guy Berryman, Scottish bass player and producer
- 1978 – Scott Crary, American director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1978 – Svetlana Lapina, Russian high jumper
- 1978 – Robin Walker, English businessman and politician
- 1979 – Claire Danes, American actress
- 1979 – Elena Grosheva, Russian gymnast
- 1979 – Mateja Kežman, Serbian footballer
- 1979 – Jennifer Morrison, American actress
- 1979 – Cristian Ranalli, Italian footballer
- 1979 – Lee Soo-young, South Korean singer
- 1980 – Sara Head, Welsh Paralympic table tennis champion
- 1980 – Brian McFadden, Irish singer-songwriter
- 1981 – Yuriy Borzakovskiy, Russian runner
- 1981 – Nicolás Burdisso, Argentinian footballer
- 1981 – Tulsi Gabbard, American politician
- 1981 – Grant Holt, English footballer and professional wrestler
- 1981 – Hisashi Iwakuma, Japanese baseball pitcher
- 1983 – Jelena Dokic, Serbian-Australian tennis player
- 1983 – Luke Kibet, Kenyan runner
- 1984 – Aleksey Dmitrik, Russian high jumper
- 1985 – Brennan Boesch, American baseball player
- 1985 – Hitomi Yoshizawa, Japanese singer
- 1986 – Brad Brach, American baseball pitcher
- 1986 – Blerim Džemaili, Swiss footballer
- 1986 – Marcel Granollers, Spanish tennis player
- 1986 – Jonathan Pitroipa, Burkinabé footballer
- 1987 – Brooklyn Decker, American model and actress
- 1987 – Shawn Gore, Canadian football player
- 1987 – Josh McCrone, Australian rugby league player
- 1987 – Luiz Adriano, Brazilian professional footballer
- 1987 – Brendon Urie, American singer, songwriter, musician and multi-instrumentalist
- 1988 – Ricardo Gabriel Álvarez, Argentinian footballer
- 1988 – Stephen Brogan, English footballer
- 1988 – Amedeo Calliari, Italian footballer
- 1988 – Jessie James Decker, American singer-songwriter
- 1989 – Bethan Dainton, Welsh rugby union player
- 1989 – Miguel Ángel Ponce, American-Mexican footballer
- 1989 – Ádám Hanga, Hungarian basketball player
- 1989 – Kaitlyn Weaver, Canadian-American ice dancer
- 1989 – Valentin Stocker, Swiss footballer
- 1990 – Francesca Halsall, English swimmer
- 1990 – Hiroki Sakai, Japanese footballer
- 1991 – Torey Krug, American ice hockey player
- 1991 – Lionel Carole, French professional footballer
- 1991 – Oliver Norwood, English born Northern Irish international footballer
- 1991 – Magnus Pääjärvi, Swedish ice hockey player
- 1991 – Jazz Richards, Welsh international footballer
- 1992 – Chad le Clos, South African swimmer
- 1993 – Jordan Archer, English-Scottish footballer
- 1993 – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1994 – Isabelle Drummond, Brazilian actress and singer
- 1994 – Saoirse Ronan, American-born Irish actress
- 1994 – Oh Sehun, South Korean musician
- 1994 – Eric Bailly, Ivorian professional footballer
- 1994 – Guido Rodríguez, Argentine footballer
- 1995 – Pedro Cachín, Argentine tennis player
- 1996 – Elizaveta Kulichkova, Russian tennis player
Deaths on April 12
- 45 BC – Gnaeus Pompeius, Roman general and politician (b. 75 BC)
- 352 – Julius I, pope of the Catholic Church
- 434 – Maximianus, archbishop of Constantinople
- 901 – Eudokia Baïana, Byzantine empress and wife of Leo VI
- 1125 – Vladislaus I, Duke of Bohemia (b. 1065)
- 1167 – Charles VII, king of Sweden (b. c. 1130)
- 1212 – Vsevolod the Big Nest, Grand Prince of Vladimir (b. 1154)
- 1256 – Margaret of Bourbon, Queen of Navarre, regent of Navarre (b. c. 1217)
- 1443 – Henry Chichele, English archbishop (b. 1364)
- 1500 – Leonhard of Gorizia, Count of Gorz (b. 1440)
- 1530 – Joanna La Beltraneja, Princess of Castile (b. 1462)
- 1550 – Claude, Duke of Guise (b. 1496)
- 1555 – Joanna of Castile (b. 1479)
- 1675 – Richard Bennett, English politician, colonial Governor of Virginia (b. 1609)
- 1684 – Nicola Amati, Italian instrument maker (b. 1596)
- 1687 – Ambrose Dixon, English-American soldier (b. 1619)
- 1704 – Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet, French bishop and theologian (b. 1627)
- 1748 – William Kent, English architect, designed Holkham Hall and Chiswick House (b. 1685)
- 1782 – Metastasio, Italian-Austrian poet and composer (b. 1698)
- 1788 – Carlo Antonio Campioni, French-Italian composer (b. 1719)
- 1795 – Johann Kaspar Basselet von La Rosée, Bavarian general (b. 1710)
- 1814 – Charles Burney, English composer and historian (b. 1726)
- 1817 – Charles Messier, French astronomer and academic (b. 1730)
- 1850 – Adoniram Judson, American lexicographer and missionary (b. 1788)
- 1866 – Peter Hesketh-Fleetwood, English politician, founded Fleetwood (b. 1801)
- 1872 – Nikolaos Mantzaros, Greek composer and theorist (b. 1795)
- 1878 – William M. Tweed, American lawyer and politician (b. 1823)
- 1879 – Richard Taylor, American general (b. 1826)
- 1885 – William Crowther, Dutch-Australian politician, 14th Premier of Tasmania (b. 1817)
- 1898 – Elzéar-Alexandre Taschereau, Canadian cardinal (b. 1820)
- 1902 – Marie Alfred Cornu, French physicist and academic (b. 1842)
- 1906 – Mahesh Chandra Nyayratna Bhattacharyya, Indian scholar, academic, and philanthropist (b. 1836)
- 1912 – Clara Barton, American nurse and humanitarian, founded the American Red Cross (b. 1821)
- 1933 – Adelbert Ames, American general and politician, 30th Governor of Mississippi (b. 1835)
- 1937 – Abdülhak Hâmid Tarhan, Turkish playwright and poet (b. 1852)
- 1938 – Feodor Chaliapin, Russian opera singer (b. 1873)
- 1943 – Viktor Puskar, Estonian colonel (b. 1889)
- 1945 – Franklin D. Roosevelt, American lawyer and politician, 32nd President of the United States (b. 1882)
- 1953 – Lionel Logue, Australian actor and therapist (b. 1880)
- 1962 – Ron Flockhart, Scottish racing driver (b. 1923)
- 1966 – Sydney Allard, English racing driver and founder of the Allard car company (b. 1910)
- 1968 – Heinrich Nordhoff, German engineer (b. 1899)
- 1971 – Ed Lafitte, American baseball player and dentist (b. 1886)
- 1973 – Arthur Freed, American songwriter and producer (b. 1894)
- 1975 – Josephine Baker, French actress, activist, and humanitarian (b. 1906)
- 1977 – Philip K. Wrigley, American businessman, co-founded Lincoln Park Gun Club (b. 1894)
- 1980 – William R. Tolbert, Jr., Liberian politician, 20th President of Liberia (b. 1913)
- 1981 – Prince Yasuhiko Asaka of Japan (b. 1887)
- 1981 – Joe Louis, American boxer and wrestler (b. 1914)
- 1983 – Jørgen Juve, Norwegian football player and journalist (b. 1906)
- 1983 – Carl Morton, American baseball player (b. 1944)
- 1984 – Edwin T. Layton, American admiral and cryptanalyst (b. 1903)
- 1986 – Valentin Kataev, Russian author and playwright (b. 1897)
- 1988 – Colette Deréal, French singer and actress (b. 1927)
- 1988 – Alan Paton, South African historian and author (b. 1903)
- 1989 – Abbie Hoffman, American activist, co-founded Youth International Party (b. 1936)
- 1989 – Sugar Ray Robinson, American boxer (b. 1921)
- 1992 – Ilario Bandini, Italian racing driver and businessman (b. 1911)
- 1997 – George Wald, American neurologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1906)
- 1998 – Robert Ford, Canadian poet and diplomat (b. 1915)
- 1999 – Boxcar Willie, American singer-songwriter (b. 1931)
- 2001 – Harvey Ball, American illustrator, created the smiley (b. 1921)
- 2002 – George Shevelov, Ukrainian-American linguist and philologist (b. 1908)
- 2004 – Moran Campbell, Canadian physician and academic, invented the venturi mask (b. 1925)
- 2006 – William Sloane Coffin, American minister and activist (b. 1924)
- 2007 – Kevin Crease, Australian journalist (b. 1936)
- 2008 – Cecilia Colledge, English-American figure skater and coach (b. 1920)
- 2008 – Patrick Hillery, Irish physician and politician, 6th President of Ireland (b. 1923)
- 2008 – Jerry Zucker, Israeli-American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1949)
- 2010 – Michel Chartrand, Canadian trade union leader (b. 1916)
- 2010 – Werner Schroeter, German director and screenwriter (b. 1945)
- 2011 – Karim Fakhrawi, Bahraini journalist, co-founded Al-Wasat (b. 1962)
- 2012 – Mohit Chattopadhyay, Indian poet and playwright (b. 1934)
- 2012 – Rodgers Grant, American pianist and composer (b. 1935)
- 2013 – Robert Byrne, American chess player and author (b. 1928)
- 2013 – Johnny du Plooy, South African boxer (b. 1964)
- 2013 – Michael France, American screenwriter (b. 1962)
- 2013 – Brennan Manning, American priest and author (b. 1934)
- 2013 – Annamária Szalai, Hungarian journalist and politician (b. 1961)
- 2013 – Ya’akov Yosef, Israeli rabbi and politician (b. 1946)
- 2014 – Pierre Autin-Grenier, French author and poet (b. 1947)
- 2014 – Pierre-Henri Menthéour, French cyclist (b. 1960)
- 2014 – Maurício Alves Peruchi, Brazilian footballer (b. 1990)
- 2014 – Hal Smith, American baseball player and coach (b. 1931)
- 2014 – Billy Standridge, American race car driver (b. 1953)
- 2015 – Paulo Brossard, Brazilian jurist and politician (b. 1924)
- 2015 – Patrice Dominguez, Algerian-French tennis player and trainer (b. 1950)
- 2015 – Alfred Eick, German commander (b. 1916)
- 2015 – André Mba Obame, Gabonese politician (b. 1957)
- 2016 – Anne Jackson, American actress (b. 1925)
- 2016 – Mohammad Al Gaz, Emirati politician & diplomat (b. 1930)
- 2017 – Charlie Murphy, American actor and comedian (b. 1959)
- 2020 – Tarvaris Jackson, American football player (b. 1983)
Holidays and observances on April 12
- Children’s Day (Bolivia)
- Christian feast day:
- Adoniram Judson (Episcopal Church)
- Alferius
- Blessed Angelo Carletti di Chivasso
- Erkembode
- Pope Julius I
- Teresa of the Andes
- Zeno of Verona
- April 12 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Commemoration of first human in space by Yuri Gagarin:
- Cosmonautics Day (Russia)
- International Day of Human Space Flight
- Yuri’s Night (International observance)
- Halifax Day (North Carolina)
- National Redemption Day (Liberia)
-
April 11 in History
- 491 – Flavius Anastasius becomes Byzantine emperor, with the name of Anastasius I.
- 1241 – Batu Khan defeats Béla IV of Hungary at the Battle of Mohi.
- 1512 – War of the League of Cambrai: French forces led by Gaston de Foix win the Battle of Ravenna.
- 1544 – Italian War of 1542–46: A French army defeats Habsburg forces at the Battle of Ceresole, but fails to exploit its victory.
- 1689 – William III and Mary II are crowned as joint sovereigns of Great Britain.
- 1713 – War of the Spanish Succession (Queen Anne’s War): Treaty of Utrecht.
- 1727 – Premiere of Johann Sebastian Bach’s St Matthew Passion BWV 244b at the St. Thomas Church, Leipzig
- 1809 – An incomplete British victory over the French fleet at the Battle of the Basque Roads results in the court-martial of James, Lord Gambier.
- 1814 – The Treaty of Fontainebleau ends the War of the Sixth Coalition against Napoleon Bonaparte, and forces him to abdicate unconditionally for the first time.
- 1856 – Second Battle of Rivas: Juan Santamaría burns down the hostel where William Walker’s filibusters are holed up.
- 1868 – Former shōgun Tokugawa Yoshinobu surrenders Edo Castle to Imperial forces, marking the end of the Tokugawa shogunate.
- 1876 – The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks is organized.
- 1881 – Spelman College is founded in Atlanta, Georgia as the Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary, an institute of higher education for African-American women.
- 1908 – SMS Blücher, the last armored cruiser to be built by the Imperial German Navy, is launched.
- 1909 – The city of Tel Aviv is founded.
- 1921 – Emir Abdullah establishes the first centralised government in the newly created British protectorate of Transjordan.
- 1945 – World War II: American forces liberate the Buchenwald concentration camp.
- 1951 – Korean War: President Harry Truman relieves General of the Army Douglas MacArthur of overall command in Korea.
- 1951 – The Stone of Scone, the stone upon which Scottish monarchs were traditionally crowned, is found on the site of the altar of Arbroath Abbey. It had been taken by Scottish nationalist students from its place in Westminster Abbey.
- 1955 – The Air India Kashmir Princess is bombed and crashes in a failed assassination attempt on Zhou Enlai by the Kuomintang.
- 1957 – United Kingdom agrees to Singaporean self-rule.
- 1961 – The trial of Adolf Eichmann begins in Jerusalem.
- 1963 – Pope John XXIII issues Pacem in terris, the first encyclical addressed to all Christians instead of only Catholics, and which described the conditions for world peace in human terms.
- 1964 – Brazilian Marshal Humberto de Alencar Castelo Branco is elected President by the National Congress.
- 1965 – The Palm Sunday tornado outbreak of 1965: Fifty-one tornadoes hit in six Midwestern states, killing 256 people.
- 1968 – President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1968, prohibiting discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of housing.
- 1968 – Assassination attempt on Rudi Dutschke, leader of the German student movement.
- 1970 – Apollo 13 is launched.
- 1976 – The Apple I is created.
- 1977 – London Transport’s Silver Jubilee AEC Routemaster buses are launched.
- 1979 – Ugandan dictator Idi Amin is deposed.
- 1981 – A massive riot in Brixton, south London results in almost 300 police injuries and 65 serious civilian injuries.
- 1986 – FBI Miami Shootout: A gun battle in broad daylight in Dade County, Florida between two bank/armored car robbers and pursuing FBI agents. During the firefight, FBI agents Jerry L. Dove and Benjamin P. Grogan were killed, while five other agents were wounded. As a result, the popular .40 S&W cartridge was developed.
- 1987 – The London Agreement is secretly signed between Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Shimon Peres and King Hussein of Jordan.
- 1990 – Customs officers in Middlesbrough, England, seize what they believe to be the barrel of a massive gun on a ship bound for Iraq.
- 1993 – Four hundred fifty prisoners rioted at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville, Ohio, and continued to do so for ten days, citing grievances related to prison conditions, as well as the forced vaccination of Nation of Islam prisoners (for tuberculosis) against their religious beliefs.
- 2001 – The detained crew of a United States EP-3E aircraft that landed in Hainan, China after a collision with a J-8 fighter, is released.
- 2002 – The Ghriba synagogue bombing by al-Qaeda kills 21 in Tunisia.
- 2002 – Over two hundred thousand people march in Caracas towards the Presidential palace to demand the resignation of President Hugo Chávez. Nineteen protesters are killed.
- 2006 – Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announces Iran’s claim to have successfully enriched uranium.
- 2007 – Algiers bombings: Two bombings in Algiers kill 33 people and wound a further 222 others.
- 2011 – An explosion in the Minsk Metro, Belarus kills 15 people and injures 204 others.
- 2012 – A pair of great earthquakes occur in the Wharton Basin west of Sumatra in Indonesia. The maximum Mercalli intensity of this strike-slip doublet earthquake was VII (Very strong). Ten were killed, twelve were injured, and a non-destructive tsunami was observed on the island of Nias.
- 2018 – An Ilyushin Il-76 which was owned and operated by the Algerian Air Force crashes near Boufarik, Algeria, killing 257.
Births on April 11
- 145 – Septimius Severus, Roman emperor (probable; d. 211)
- 1184 – William of Winchester, Lord of Lüneburg (d. 1213)
- 1348 – Andronikos IV Palaiologos, Byzantine Emperor (d. 1385)
- 1357 – John I of Portugal (d. 1433)
- 1370 – Frederick I, Elector of Saxony (d. 1428)
- 1374 – Roger Mortimer, 4th Earl of March, heir to the throne of England (d. 1398)
- 1493 – George I, Duke of Pomerania (d. 1531)
- 1591 – Bartholomeus Strobel, Silezian painter (d. 1650)
- 1592 – John Eliot, English lawyer and politician (d. 1632)
- 1644 – Marie Jeanne Baptiste of Savoy-Nemours, Duchess of Savoy (d. 1724)
- 1658 – James Hamilton, 4th Duke of Hamilton, Scottish peer (d. 1712)
- 1683 – Jean-Joseph Mouret, French composer and conductor (d. 1738)
- 1715 – John Alcock, English organist and composer (d. 1806)
- 1721 – David Zeisberger, Czech-American clergyman and missionary (d. 1808)
- 1722 – Christopher Smart, English actor, playwright, and poet (d. 1771)
- 1749 – Adélaïde Labille-Guiard, French miniaturist and portrait painter (d. 1803)
- 1755 – James Parkinson, English surgeon, geologist, and paleontologist (d. 1824)
- 1770 – George Canning, Irish-English lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1827)
- 1794 – Edward Everett, English-American educator and politician, 15th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1865)
- 1798 – Macedonio Melloni, Italian physicist and academic (d. 1854)
- 1819 – Charles Hallé, German-English pianist and conductor (d. 1895)
- 1825 – Ferdinand Lassalle, German philosopher and jurist (d. 1864)
- 1827 – Jyotirao Phule, Indian scholar, philosopher, and activist (d. 1890)
- 1854 – Hugh Massie, Australian cricketer (d. 1938)
- 1856 – Arthur Shrewsbury, English cricketer and rugby player (d. 1903)
- 1859 – Stefanos Thomopoulos, Greek historian and author (d. 1939)
- 1862 – William Wallace Campbell, American astronomer and academic (d. 1938)
- 1862 – Charles Evans Hughes, American lawyer and politician, 44th United States Secretary of State (d. 1948)
- 1864 – Johanna Elberskirchen, German author and activist (d. 1943)
- 1866 – Bernard O’Dowd, Australian journalist, author, and poet (d. 1953)
- 1867 – Mark Keppel, American educator (d. 1928)
- 1869 – Gustav Vigeland, Norwegian sculptor, designed the Nobel Peace Prize medal (d. 1943)
- 1871 – Gyula Kellner, Hungarian runner (d. 1940)
- 1873 – Edward Lawson, English soldier, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 1955)
- 1876 – Paul Henry, Irish painter (d. 1958)
- 1876 – Ivane Javakhishvili, Georgian historian and academic (d. 1940)
- 1879 – Bernhard Schmidt, Estonian-German astronomer and optician (d. 1935)
- 1887 – Jamini Roy, Indian painter (d. 1972)
- 1893 – Dean Acheson, American lawyer and politician, 51st United States Secretary of State (d. 1971)
- 1896 – Léo-Paul Desrosiers, Canadian journalist and author (d. 1967)
- 1899 – Percy Lavon Julian, African-American chemist and academic (d. 1975)
- 1900 – Sándor Márai, Hungarian journalist and author (d. 1989)
- 1903 – Misuzu Kaneko, Japanese poet (d. 1930)
- 1904 – K. L. Saigal, Indian singer and actor (d. 1947)
- 1905 – Attila József, Hungarian poet and educator (d. 1937)
- 1906 – Dale Messick, American author and illustrator (d. 2005)
- 1907 – Paul Douglas, American actor (d. 1959)
- 1908 – Jane Bolin, American lawyer and judge (d. 2007)
- 1908 – Masaru Ibuka, Japanese businessman, co-founded Sony (d. 1997)
- 1908 – Dan Maskell, English tennis player and sportscaster (d. 1992)
- 1908 – Leo Rosten, Polish-American author and academic (d. 1997)
- 1910 – António de Spínola, Portuguese general and politician, 14th President of Portugal (d. 1996)
- 1912 – John Levy, American bassist and businessman (d. 2012)
- 1913 – Oleg Cassini, French-American fashion designer (d. 2006)
- 1914 – Norman McLaren, Scottish-Canadian animator, director, and producer (d. 1987)
- 1914 – Robert Stanfield, Canadian economist, lawyer, and politician, 17th Premier of Nova Scotia (d. 2003)
- 1914 – Dorothy Lewis Bernstein, American mathematician (d. 1988)
- 1916 – Alberto Ginastera, Argentinian-Swiss pianist and composer (d. 1983)
- 1916 – Howard W. Koch, American director and producer (d. 2001)
- 1917 – David Westheimer, American soldier, journalist, and author (d. 2005)
- 1918 – Richard Wainwright, English soldier and politician (d. 2003)
- 1919 – Raymond Carr, English historian and academic (d. 2015)
- 1920 – Emilio Colombo, Italian lawyer and politician, 40th Prime Minister of Italy (d. 2013)
- 1920 – William Royer, American soldier and politician (d. 2013)
- 1921 – Jim Hearn, American baseball player (d. 1998)
- 1921 – Jack Rayner, Australian rugby league player and coach (d. 2008)
- 1922 – Arved Viirlaid, Estonian-Canadian soldier and author (d. 2015)
- 1923 – George J. Maloof, Sr., American businessman (d. 1980)
- 1924 – Mohammad Naseem, Pakistani-English activist and politician (d. 2014)
- 1925 – Yuriy Lituyev, Russian hurdler and commander (d. 2000)
- 1925 – Viola Liuzzo, American civil rights activist (d. 1965)
- 1925 – Viktor Masing, Estonian botanist and ecologist (d. 2001)
- 1925 – Pierre Péladeau, Canadian businessman, founded Quebecor (d. 1997)
- 1926 – David Manker Abshire, American commander and diplomat, United States Permanent Representative to NATO (d. 2014)
- 1926 – Victor Bouchard, Canadian pianist and composer (d. 2011)
- 1926 – Karl Rebane, Estonian physicist and academic (d. 2007)
- 1927 – Lokesh Chandra, Indian historian
- 1928 – Ethel Kennedy, American philanthropist
- 1928 – Edwin Pope, American journalist and author (d. 2017)
- 1928 – Tommy Tycho, Hungarian-Australian pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 2013)
- 1930 – Nicholas F. Brady, American businessman and politician, 68th United States Secretary of the Treasury
- 1930 – Walter Krüger, German javelin thrower (d. 2018)
- 1930 – Anton LaVey, American occultist, founded the Church of Satan (d. 1997)
- 1931 – Lewis Jones, Welsh rugby player and coach
- 1932 – Joel Grey, American actor, singer, and dancer
- 1933 – Tony Brown, American journalist and academic
- 1934 – Mark Strand, Canadian-born American poet, essayist, and translator (d. 2014)
- 1934 – Ron Pember, English actor, director and playwright
- 1935 – Richard Berry, American singer-songwriter (d. 1997)
- 1936 – Brian Noble, English bishop (d. 2019)
- 1937 – Jill Gascoine, English actress and author
- 1938 – Gerry Baker, American soccer player and manager (d. 2013)
- 1938 – Michael Deaver, American politician, Deputy White House Chief of Staff (d. 2007)
- 1938 – Reatha King, American chemist and businesswoman
- 1939 – Luther Johnson, American singer and guitarist
- 1939 – Louise Lasser, American actress
- 1940 – Col Firmin, Australian politician (d. 2013)
- 1940 – Thomas Harris, American author and screenwriter
- 1940 – Władysław Komar, Polish shot putter and actor (d. 1998)
- 1941 – Ellen Goodman, American journalist and author
- 1941 – Shirley Stelfox, English actress (d. 2015)
- 1942 – Anatoly Berezovoy, Russian colonel, pilot, and astronaut (d. 2014)
- 1942 – Hattie Gossett, American writer
- 1942 – James Underwood, English pathologist and academic
- 1943 – John Montagu, 11th Earl of Sandwich, English businessman and politician
- 1943 – Harley Race, American wrestler and trainer (d. 2019)
- 1944 – Peter Barfuß, German footballer
- 1944 – John Milius, American director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1945 – John Krebs, Baron Krebs, English zoologist and academic
- 1946 – Chris Burden, American sculptor, illustrator, and academic (d. 2015)
- 1946 – Bob Harris, English journalist and radio host
- 1947 – Lev Bulat, Ukrainian-Russian physicist and academic (d. 2016)
- 1947 – Uli Edel, German director and screenwriter
- 1947 – Frank Mantooth, American pianist and composer (d. 2004)
- 1947 – Peter Riegert, American actor, screenwriter and film director
- 1947 – Michael T. Wright, English engineer and academic (d. 2015)
- 1949 – Bernd Eichinger, German director and producer (d. 2011)
- 1950 – Bill Irwin, American actor and clown
- 1951 – Paul Fox, English singer and guitarist (d. 2007)
- 1952 – Nancy Honeytree, American singer and guitarist
- 1952 – Indira Samarasekera, Sri Lankan engineer and academic
- 1952 – Peter Windsor, English-Australian journalist and sportscaster
- 1953 – Guy Verhofstadt, Belgian politician, 47th Prime Minister of Belgium
- 1953 – Andrew Wiles, English mathematician and academic
- 1954 – Abdullah Atalar, Turkish engineer and academic
- 1954 – Aleksandr Averin, Azerbaijani cyclist and coach
- 1954 – Francis Lickerish, English guitarist and composer
- 1954 – David Perrett, Scottish psychologist and academic
- 1954 – Ian Redmond, English biologist and conservationist
- 1954 – Willie Royster, American baseball player (d. 2015)
- 1955 – Kevin Brady, American lawyer and politician
- 1955 – Michael Callen, American singer-songwriter and AIDS activist (d. 1993)
- 1955 – Micheal Ray Richardson, American basketball player and coach
- 1958 – Stuart Adamson, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2001)
- 1958 – Lyudmila Kondratyeva, Russian sprinter
- 1959 – Pierre Lacroix, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1959 – Ana María Polo, Cuban-American lawyer and judge
- 1959 – Zahid Maleque, Bangladeshi politician
- 1960 – Jeremy Clarkson, English journalist and television presenter
- 1961 – Vincent Gallo, American actor, director, producer, and musician
- 1961 – Doug Hopkins, American guitarist and songwriter (d. 1993)
- 1961 – Nobuaki Kakuda, Japanese martial artist
- 1962 – Franck Ducheix, French fencer
- 1962 – Mark Lawson, English journalist and author
- 1963 – Billy Bowden, New Zealand cricketer and umpire
- 1963 – Waldemar Fornalik, Polish footballer and manager
- 1963 – Elizabeth Smylie, Australian tennis player
- 1964 – Steve Azar, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1964 – John Cryer, English journalist and politician
- 1964 – Johann Sebastian Paetsch, American cellist
- 1964 – Bret Saberhagen, American baseball player and coach
- 1964 – Patrick Sang, Kenyan runner
- 1966 – Steve Scarsone, American baseball player and manager
- 1966 – Shin Seung-hun, South Korean singer-songwriter
- 1966 – Lisa Stansfield, English singer-songwriter and actress
- 1968 – Sergei Lukyanenko, Kazakh-Russian journalist and author
- 1969 – Cerys Matthews, Welsh singer-songwriter
- 1969 – Michael von Grünigen, Swiss skier
- 1970 – Trevor Linden, Canadian ice hockey player and manager
- 1970 – Delroy Pearson, English singer-songwriter and producer
- 1971 – John Leech, English politician
- 1971 – Oliver Riedel, German bass player
- 1972 – Balls Mahoney, American wrestler (d. 2016)
- 1972 – Allan Théo, French singer
- 1972 – Jason Varitek, American baseball player and manager
- 1973 – Jennifer Esposito, American actress
- 1973 – Olivier Magne, French rugby player
- 1974 – Àlex Corretja, Spanish tennis player and coach
- 1974 – Ashot Danielyan, Armenian weightlifter
- 1974 – David Jassy, Swedish singer-songwriter and producer
- 1974 – Zöe Lucker, English actress
- 1974 – Tom Thacker, Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1974 – Trot Nixon, American baseball player and sportscaster
- 1975 – Olga Hostáková, Czech tennis player
- 1975 – Walid Soliman, Tunisian author and translator
- 1976 – Kelvim Escobar, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1977 – Ivonne Teichmann, German runner
- 1978 – Josh Hancock, American baseball player (d. 2007)
- 1979 – Malcolm Christie, English footballer
- 1979 – Sebastien Grainger, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1979 – Michel Riesen, Swiss ice hockey player
- 1979 – Josh Server, American actor
- 1980 – Keiji Tamada, Japanese footballer
- 1980 – Mark Teixeira, American baseball player
- 1981 – Alessandra Ambrosio, Brazilian model
- 1981 – Alexandre Burrows, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1981 – Veronica Pyke, Australian cricketer
- 1982 – Ian Bell, English cricketer
- 1982 – Peeter Kümmel, Estonian skier
- 1983 – Jennifer Heil, Canadian skier
- 1983 – Rubén Palazuelos, Spanish footballer
- 1983 – Nicky Pastorelli, Dutch race car driver
- 1984 – Kelli Garner, American actress
- 1984 – Nikola Karabatić, French handball player
- 1985 – Pablo Hernández Domínguez, Spanish footballer
- 1985 – Will Minson, Australian footballer
- 1986 – Sarodj Bertin, Haitian model and human rights lawyer
- 1986 – Dai Greene, Welsh hurdler
- 1986 – Lena Schöneborn, German pentathlete
- 1987 – Joss Stone, English singer-songwriter and actress
- 1987 – Lights, Canadian singer-songwriter
- 1988 – Leland Irving, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1989 – Torrin Lawrence, American sprinter (d. 2014)
- 1989 – Zola Jesus, American singer
- 1990 – Dimitrios Anastasopoulos, Greek footballer
- 1990 – Thulani Serero, South African footballer
- 1991 – Thiago Alcântara, Spanish footballer
- 1991 – Brennan Poole, American racing driver
- 1996 – Dele Alli, English international footballer
- 1997 – Georgia Bohl, Australian swimmer
- 1997 – Miriam Kolodziejová, a Czech tennis player
Deaths on April 11
- 618 – Yang Guang, Chinese emperor of the Sui Dynasty (b. 569)
- 678 – Donus, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 610)
- 924 – Herman I, chancellor and archbishop of Cologne
- 1034 – Romanos III Argyros, Byzantine emperor (b. 968)
- 1077 – Anawrahta, king of Burma and founder of the Pagan Empire (b. 1014)
- 1079 – Stanislaus of Szczepanów, bishop of Kraków (b. 1030)
- 1165 – Stephen IV, king of Hungary and Croatia
- 1240 – Llywelyn the Great, Welsh prince (b. 1172)
- 1447 – Henry Beaufort, Cardinal, Lord Chancellor of England (b. 1377)
- 1512 – Gaston de Foix, French military commander (b. 1489)
- 1554 – Thomas Wyatt the Younger, English rebel leader (b. 1521)
- 1587 – Thomas Bromley, English lord chancellor (b. 1530)
- 1609 – John Lumley, 1st Baron Lumley, English noble (b. 1533)
- 1612 – Emanuel van Meteren, Flemish historian and author (b. 1535)
- 1612 – Edward Wightman, English minister and martyr (b. 1566)
- 1626 – Marino Ghetaldi, Ragusan mathematician and physicist (b. 1568)
- 1712 – Richard Simon, French priest and critic (b. 1638)
- 1723 – John Robinson, English bishop and diplomat (b. 1650)
- 1783 – Nikita Ivanovich Panin, Polish-Russian politician, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1718)
- 1798 – Karl Wilhelm Ramler, German poet and academic (b. 1725)
- 1856 – Juan Santamaría, Costa Rican soldier (b. 1831)
- 1861 – Francisco González Bocanegra, Mexican poet and composer (b. 1824)
- 1873 – Edward Canby, American general (b. 1817)
- 1890 – David de Jahacob Lopez Cardozo, Dutch Talmudist (b. 1808)
- 1890 – Joseph Merrick, English man with severe deformities (b. 1862)
- 1894 – Constantin Lipsius, German architect and theorist (b. 1832)
- 1895 – Julius Lothar Meyer, German chemist (b. 1830)
- 1902 – Wade Hampton III, American general and politician, 77th Governor of South Carolina (b. 1818)
- 1903 – Gemma Galgani, Italian mystic and saint (b. 1878)
- 1906 – James Anthony Bailey, American businessman, co-founded Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus (b. 1847)
- 1906 – Francis Pharcellus Church, American journalist and publisher, co-founded Armed Forces Journal and The Galaxy Magazine (b. 1839)
- 1908 – Henry Bird, English chess player and author (b. 1829)
- 1916 – Richard Harding Davis, American journalist and author (b. 1864)
- 1918 – Otto Wagner, Austrian architect and urban planner (b. 1841)
- 1926 – Luther Burbank, American botanist and academic (b. 1849)
- 1939 – Kurtdereli Mehmet, Turkish wrestler (b. 1864)
- 1953 – Kid Nichols, American baseball player and manager (b. 1869)
- 1954 – Paul Specht, American violinist and bandleader (b. 1895)
- 1958 – Konstantin Yuon, Russian painter and educator (b. 1875)
- 1960 – Rosa Grünberg, Swedish actress (b. 1878)
- 1962 – Ukichiro Nakaya, Japanese physicist and academic (b. 1900)
- 1962 – George Poage, American hurdler and educator (b. 1880)
- 1967 – Thomas Farrell, American general (b. 1891)
- 1967 – Donald Sangster, Jamaican lawyer and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Jamaica (b. 1911)
- 1970 – Cathy O’Donnell, American actress (b. 1923)
- 1970 – John O’Hara, American novelist and short story writer (b. 1905)
- 1974 – Ernst Ziegler, German actor (b. 1894)
- 1977 – Jacques Prévert, French poet and screenwriter (b. 1900)
- 1977 – Phanishwar Nath ‘Renu’, Indian author and activist (b. 1921)
- 1980 – Ümit Kaftancıoğlu, Turkish journalist and producer (b. 1935)
- 1981 – Caroline Gordon, American author and critic (b. 1895)
- 1983 – Dolores del Río, Mexican actress (b. 1904)
- 1984 – Edgar V. Saks, Estonian historian and politician, Estonian Minister of Education (b. 1910)
- 1985 – Bunny Ahearne, Irish-born English businessman (b. 1900)
- 1985 – John Gilroy, English artist and illustrator (b. 1898)
- 1985 – Enver Hoxha, Albanian educator and politician, 21st Prime Minister of Albania (b. 1908)
- 1987 – Erskine Caldwell, American novelist and short story writer (b. 1903)
- 1987 – Primo Levi, Italian chemist and author (b. 1919)
- 1990 – Harold Ballard, Canadian businessman (b. 1903)
- 1991 – Walker Cooper, American baseball player and manager (b. 1915)
- 1991 – Bruno Hoffmann. German glass harp player (b. 1913)
- 1992 – James Brown, American actor and singer (b. 1920)
- 1992 – Eve Merriam, American author and poet (b. 1916)
- 1992 – Alejandro Obregón, Colombian painter, sculptor, and engraver (b. 1920)
- 1996 – Jessica Dubroff, American pilot (b. 1988)
- 1997 – Muriel McQueen Fergusson, Canadian lawyer and politician, Canadian Speaker of the Senate (b. 1899)
- 1997 – Wang Xiaobo, contemporary Chinese novelist and essayist (b. 1952)
- 1999 – William H. Armstrong, American author and educator (b. 1911)
- 2000 – Diana Darvey, English actress, singer and dancer (b. 1945)
- 2001 – Harry Secombe, Welsh-English actor (b. 1921)
- 2003 – Cecil Howard Green, English-American geophysicist and businessman, founded Texas Instruments (b. 1900)
- 2005 – André François, Romanian-French cartoonist, painter, and sculptor (b. 1915)
- 2005 – Lucien Laurent, French footballer and coach (b. 1907)
- 2006 – June Pointer, American singer (b. 1953)
- 2006 – DeShaun Holton, American rapper and actor (b. 1973)
- 2007 – Roscoe Lee Browne, American actor and director (b. 1922)
- 2007 – Loïc Leferme, French diver (b. 1970)
- 2007 – Janet McDonald, American lawyer and author (b. 1954)
- 2007 – Ronald Speirs, Scottish-American colonel (b. 1920)
- 2007 – Kurt Vonnegut, American novelist, short story writer, and playwright (b. 1922)
- 2008 – Merlin German, American sergeant (b. 1985)
- 2009 – Gerda Gilboe, Danish actress and singer (b. 1914)
- 2009 – Vishnu Prabhakar, Indian author and playwright (b. 1912)
- 2009 – Corín Tellado, Spanish author (b. 1927)
- 2010 – Julia Tsenova, Bulgarian pianist and composer (b. 1948)
- 2011 – Larry Sweeney, American wrestler and manager (b. 1981)
- 2012 – Ahmed Ben Bella, Algerian soldier and politician, 1st President of Algeria (b. 1916)
- 2012 – Roger Caron, Canadian criminal and author (b. 1938)
- 2012 – Tippy Dye, American basketball player and coach (b. 1915)
- 2012 – Hal McKusick, American saxophonist, clarinet player, and flute player (b. 1924)
- 2012 – Agustin Roman, American bishop (b. 1928)
- 2013 – Don Blackman, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer (b. 1953)
- 2013 – Grady Hatton, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1922)
- 2013 – Thomas Hemsley, English actor and singer (b. 1927)
- 2013 – Hilary Koprowski, Polish-American virologist and immunologist (b. 1916)
- 2013 – Gilles Marchal, French singer-songwriter (b. 1944)
- 2013 – Maria Tallchief, American ballerina (b. 1925)
- 2013 – Clorindo Testa, Italian-Argentinian architect (b. 1923)
- 2013 – Jonathan Winters, American comedian, actor and screenwriter (b. 1925)
- 2014 – Rolf Brem, Swiss sculptor and illustrator (b. 1926)
- 2014 – Edna Doré, English actress (b. 1921)
- 2014 – Bill Henry, American baseball player (b. 1927)
- 2014 – Lou Hudson, American basketball player and sportscaster (b. 1944)
- 2014 – Myer S. Kripke, American rabbi and scholar (b. 1914)
- 2014 – Sergey Nepobedimy, Russian engineer (b. 1921)
- 2014 – Jesse Winchester, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1944)
- 2015 – Jimmy Gunn, American football player (b. 1948)
- 2015 – Muhammad Kamaruzzaman, Bangladeshi journalist and politician (b. 1952)
- 2015 – François Maspero, French journalist and author (b. 1932)
- 2015 – Hanut Singh, Indian general (b. 1933)
- 2015 – Tekena Tamuno, Nigerian historian and academic (b. 1932)
- 2017 – J. Geils, American singer and guitarist (b. 1946)
- 2017 – Mark Wainberg, Canadian researcher and HIV/AIDS activist (b. 1945)
- 2020 – John Horton Conway, English mathematician (b. 1937)
Holidays and observances on April 11
- Christian feast day:
- Antipas of Pergamum (Greek Orthodox Church)
- Gemma Galgani
- Godeberta
- Guthlac of Crowland
- George Selwyn (Anglicanism)
- Stanislaus of Szczepanów
- April 11 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Juan Santamaría Day, anniversary of his death in the Second Battle of Rivas. (Costa Rica)
- International Louie Louie Day
- World Parkinson’s Day
-
April 10 in History
- 428 – Nestorius becomes the Patriarch of Constantinople.
- 837 – Halley’s Comet makes its closest approach to Earth at a distance equal to 0.0342 AU (5.1 million kilometres/3.2 million miles).
- 1407 – Deshin Shekpa, 5th Karmapa Lama visits the Ming dynasty capital at Nanjing. He is awarded the title “Great Treasure Prince of Dharma”.
- 1500 – Ludovico Sforza is captured by Swiss troops at Novara and is handed over to the French.
- 1606 – The Virginia Company of London is established by royal charter by James I of England with the purpose of establishing colonial settlements in North America.
- 1710 – The Statute of Anne, the first law regulating copyright, comes into force in Great Britain.
- 1741 – War of the Austrian Succession: Prussia gains control of Silesia at the Battle of Mollwitz.
- 1809 – Napoleonic Wars: The War of the Fifth Coalition begins when forces of the Austrian Empire invade Bavaria.
- 1815 – The Mount Tambora volcano begins a three-month-long eruption, lasting until July 15. The eruption ultimately kills 71,000 people and affects Earth’s climate for the next two years.
- 1816 – The Federal government of the United States approves the creation of the Second Bank of the United States.
- 1821 – Patriarch Gregory V of Constantinople is hanged by the Ottoman government from the main gate of the Patriarchate and his body is thrown into the Bosphorus.
- 1826 – The 10,500 inhabitants of the Greek town of Missolonghi begin leaving the town after a year’s siege by Turkish forces. Very few of them survive.
- 1858 – After the original Big Ben, a 14.5 tonnes (32,000 lb) bell for the Palace of Westminster, had cracked during testing, it is recast into the current 13.76 tonnes (30,300 lb) bell by Whitechapel Bell Foundry.
- 1864 – Archduke Maximilian of Habsburg is proclaimed emperor of Mexico during the French intervention in Mexico.
- 1865 – American Civil War: A day after his surrender to Union forces, Confederate General Robert E. Lee addresses his troops for the last time.
- 1866 – The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) is founded in New York City by Henry Bergh.
- 1868 – At Arogee in Abyssinia, British and Indian forces defeat an army of Emperor Tewodros II. While 700 Ethiopians are killed and many more injured, only two British/Indian troops die.
- 1872 – The first Arbor Day is celebrated in Nebraska.
- 1875 – India: Arya Samaj is founded in Mumbai by Swami Dayananda Saraswati to propagate his goal of social reform.
- 1887 – On Easter Sunday, Pope Leo XIII authorizes the establishment of the Catholic University of America.
- 1912 – RMS Titanic sets sail from Southampton, England on her maiden and only voyage.
- 1916 – The Professional Golfers’ Association of America (PGA) is created in New York City.
- 1919 – Mexican Revolution leader Emiliano Zapata is ambushed and shot dead by government forces in Morelos.
- 1925 – The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is first published in New York City, by Charles Scribner’s Sons.
- 1938 – The 1938 German parliamentary election and referendum seeks approval for a single list of Nazi candidates and the recent annexation of Austria.
- 1939 – Alcoholics Anonymous, A.A.’s “Big Book”, is first published.
- 1941 – World War II: The Axis powers establish the Independent State of Croatia.
- 1944 – Rudolf Vrba and Alfréd Wetzler escape from Birkenau death camp.
- 1957 – The Suez Canal is reopened for all shipping after being closed for three months.
- 1963 – One hundred twenty-nine American sailors die when the submarine USS Thresher sinks at sea.
- 1968 – The TEV Wahine, a New Zealand ferry sinks in Wellington harbour due to a fierce storm – the strongest winds ever in Wellington. Out of the 734 people on board, fifty-three died.
- 1970 – Paul McCartney announces that he is leaving The Beatles for personal and professional reasons.
- 1971 – Ping-pong diplomacy: In an attempt to thaw relations with the United States, China hosts the U.S. table tennis team for a week-long visit.
- 1972 – Tombs containing bamboo slips, among them Sun Tzu’s Art of War and Sun Bin’s lost military treatise, are accidentally discovered by construction workers in Shandong.
- 1972 – Vietnam War: For the first time since November 1967, American B-52 bombers reportedly begin bombing North Vietnam.
- 1973 – Invicta International Airlines Flight 435 crashes in a snowstorm on approach to Basel, Switzerland, killing 108 people.
- 1979 – Red River Valley tornado outbreak: A tornado lands in Wichita Falls, Texas killing 42 people.
- 1988 – The Ojhri Camp explosion kills or injures more than 1,000 people in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Pakistan.
- 1991 – Italian ferry MS Moby Prince collides with an oil tanker in dense fog off Livorno, Italy, killing 140.
- 1991 – A rare tropical storm develops in the South Atlantic Ocean near Angola; the first to be documented by satellites.
- 1998 – The Good Friday Agreement is signed in Northern Ireland.
- 2009 – President of Fiji Ratu Josefa Iloilo announces the abrogation of the constitution and assumes all governance in the country, creating a constitutional crisis.
- 2010 – Polish Air Force Tu-154M crashes near Smolensk, Russia, killing 96 people, including Polish President Lech Kaczyński, his wife, and dozens of other senior officials and dignitaries.
- 2016 – The Paravur temple accident in which a devastating fire caused by the explosion of firecrackers stored for Vishu, kills more than one hundred people out of the thousands gathered for seventh day of Bhadrakali worship.
- 2016 – An earthquake of 6.6 magnitude strikes 39 km west-southwest of Ashkasham, shakes up India, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Srinagar and Pakistan.
- 2019 – Scientists from the Event Horizon Telescope project announce the first ever image of a black hole, located in the centre of the M87 galaxy.
Births on April 10
- 401 – Theodosius II, Roman emperor (d. 450)
- 1018 – Nizam al-Mulk, Persian scholar and vizier (d. 1092)
- 1472 – Margaret of York, English princess (d. 1472)
- 1480 – Philibert II, duke of Savoy (d. 1504)
- 1487 – William I, count of Nassau-Dillenburg (d. 1559)
- 1512 – James V, king of Scotland (d. 1542)
- 1579 – Augustus II, duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (d. 1666)
- 1583 – Hugo Grotius, Dutch philosopher and jurist (d. 1645)
- 1603 – Christian, Prince-Elect of Denmark (d. 1647)
- 1651 – Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus, German mathematician, physicist, and physician (d. 1708)
- 1656 – René Lepage de Sainte-Claire, French-Canadian settler, founded Rimouski (d. 1718)
- 1704 – Benjamin Heath, English scholar and author (d. 1766)
- 1707 – Michel Corrette, French organist, composer, and author (d. 1795)
- 1713 – John Whitehurst, English geologist and clockmaker (d. 1788)
- 1755 – Samuel Hahnemann, German-French physician and academic (d. 1843)
- 1762 – Giovanni Aldini, Italian physicist and academic (d. 1834)
- 1769 – Jean Lannes, French marshal (d. 1809)
- 1778 – William Hazlitt, English essayist and critic (d. 1830)
- 1794 – Matthew C. Perry, English-Scottish American commander (d. 1858)
- 1806 – Juliette Drouet, French actress (d. 1883)
- 1806 – Leonidas Polk, Scottish-American general and bishop (d. 1884)
- 1827 – Lew Wallace, American general, lawyer, and politician, 11th Governor of New Mexico Territory (d. 1905)
- 1829 – William Booth, English minister, founded The Salvation Army (d. 1912)
- 1847 – Joseph Pulitzer, Hungarian-American journalist, publisher, and politician, founded Pulitzer, Inc. (d. 1911)
- 1864 – Eugen d’Albert, Scottish-German pianist and composer (d. 1932)
- 1865 – Jack Miner, American-Canadian farmer, hunter, and environmentalist (d. 1944)
- 1867 – George William Russell, Irish author, poet, and painter (d. 1935)
- 1868 – George Arliss, English actor and playwright (d. 1946)
- 1868 – Asriel Günzig, Moravian rabbi (d. 1931)
- 1873 – Kyösti Kallio, Finnish farmer, banker, and politician, 4th President of Finland (d. 1940)
- 1875 – George Clawley, English footballer (d. 1920)
- 1877 – Alfred Kubin, Austrian author and illustrator (d. 1959)
- 1879 – Bernhard Gregory, Estonian-German chess player (d. 1939)
- 1879 – Coenraad Hiebendaal, Dutch rower and physician (d. 1921)
- 1880 – Frances Perkins, American sociologist, academic, and politician, 4th United States Secretary of Labor (d. 1965)
- 1880 – Montague Summers, English clergyman and author (d. 1948)
- 1886 – Johnny Hayes, American runner and trainer (d. 1965)
- 1887 – Bernardo Houssay, Argentinian physiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1971)
- 1889 – Louis Rougier, French philosopher from the Vienna Circle (d. 1982)
- 1891 – Frank Barson, English footballer and coach (d. 1968)
- 1893 – Otto Steinböck, Austrian zoologist (d. 1969)
- 1894 – Ben Nicholson, British painter (d. 1982)
- 1897 – Prafulla Chandra Sen, Indian accountant and politician, 3rd Chief Minister of West Bengal (d. 1990)
- 1900 – Arnold Orville Beckman, American chemist, inventor, and philanthropist (d. 2004)
- 1901 – Dhananjay Ramchandra Gadgil, Indian economist (d. 1971)
- 1903 – Clare Turlay Newberry, American author and illustrator (d. 1970)
- 1906 – Steve Anderson, American hurdler (d. 1988)
- 1910 – Margaret Clapp, American scholar and academic (d. 1974)
- 1910 – Helenio Herrera, Argentinian footballer and manager (d. 1997)
- 1910 – Paul Sweezy, American economist and publisher, founded the Monthly Review (d. 2004)
- 1911 – Martin Denny, American pianist and composer (d. 2005)
- 1911 – Maurice Schumann, French journalist and politician, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs for France (d. 1998)
- 1912 – Boris Kidrič, Austrian-Slovenian politician, 1st Prime Minister of Slovenia (d. 1953)
- 1913 – Stefan Heym, German-American soldier and author (d. 2001)
- 1914 – Jack Badcock, Australian cricketer (d. 1982)
- 1915 – Harry Morgan, American actor and director (d. 2011)
- 1915 – Leo Vroman, Dutch-American hematologist, poet, and illustrator (d. 2014)
- 1916 – Lee Jung-seob, Korean painter (d. 1956)
- 1917 – Jagjit Singh Lyallpuri, Indian politician (d. 2013)
- 1917 – Robert Burns Woodward, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1979)
- 1919 – John Houbolt, American engineer and academic (d. 2014)
- 1921 – Chuck Connors, American baseball player and actor (d. 1992)
- 1921 – Jake Warren, Canadian soldier and diplomat, Canadian Ambassador to the United States (d. 2008)
- 1921 – Sheb Wooley, American singer-songwriter and actor (d. 2003)
- 1923 – Roger Gaillard, Haitian historian and author (d. 2000)
- 1923 – Jane Kean, American actress and singer (d. 2013)
- 1923 – Floyd Simmons, American decathlete and actor (d. 2008)
- 1923 – Sid Tickridge, English footballer (d. 1997)
- 1923 – John Watkins, South African cricketer
- 1924 – Kenneth Noland, American soldier and painter (d. 2010)
- 1925 – Linda Goodman, American astrologer and author (d. 1995)
- 1925 – Angelo Poffo, American wrestler and promoter (d. 2010)
- 1926 – Jacques Castérède, French pianist and composer (d. 2014)
- 1926 – Junior Samples, American comedian (d. 1983)
- 1927 – Norma Candal, Puerto Rican-American actress (d. 2006)
- 1927 – Marshall Warren Nirenberg, American biochemist and geneticist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2010)
- 1929 – Mike Hawthorn, English race car driver (d. 1959)
- 1929 – Liz Sheridan, American actress
- 1929 – Max von Sydow, Swedish-French actor (d. 2020)
- 1930 – Claude Bolling, French pianist, composer, and actor
- 1930 – Dolores Huerta, American activist, co-founded the United Farm Workers
- 1931 – Kishori Amonkar, Indian classical vocalist (d. 2017)
- 1932 – Delphine Seyrig, Swiss/Alsatian French actress (d. 1990)
- 1932 – Omar Sharif, Egyptian actor and screenwriter (d. 2015)
- 1933 – Rokusuke Ei, Japanese composer and author (d. 2016)
- 1933 – Helen McElhone, Scottish politician (d. 2013)
- 1934 – David Halberstam, American journalist and author (d. 2007)
- 1935 – John A. Bennett, American soldier (d. 1961)
- 1935 – Patrick Garland, English actor and director (d. 2013)
- 1935 – Peter Hollingworth, Australian bishop, 23rd Governor General of Australia
- 1936 – John Howell, English long jumper
- 1936 – John Madden, American football player, coach, and sportscaster
- 1936 – Bobby Smith, American singer (d. 2013)
- 1937 – Bella Akhmadulina, Soviet and Russian poet, short story writer, and translator (d. 2010)
- 1938 – Don Meredith, American football player and sportscaster (d. 2010)
- 1939 – Claudio Magris, Italian scholar, author, and translator
- 1940 – Gloria Hunniford, British radio and television host
- 1941 – Harold Long, Canadian politician (d. 2013)
- 1941 – Paul Theroux, American novelist, short story writer, and travel writer
- 1942 – Nick Auf der Maur, Canadian journalist and politician (d. 1998)
- 1942 – Ian Callaghan, English footballer
- 1942 – Stuart Dybek, American novelist, short story writer, and poet
- 1943 – Andrzej Badeński, Polish-German sprinter (d. 2008)
- 1943 – Margaret Pemberton, English author
- 1945 – Kevin Berry, Australian swimmer (d. 2006)
- 1946 – David Angell, American screenwriter and producer (d. 2001)
- 1946 – Bob Watson, American baseball player and manager
- 1946 – Adolf Winkelmann, German director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1947 – David A. Adler, American author and educator
- 1947 – Bunny Wailer, Jamaican singer-songwriter and drummer
- 1948 – Mel Blount, American football player
- 1949 – Daniel Mangeas, French banker and sportscaster
- 1949 – Eric Troyer, American singer-songwriter, keyboardist and guitarist
- 1950 – Ken Griffey, Sr., American baseball player and manager
- 1950 – Eddie Hazel, American guitarist (d. 1992)
- 1951 – David Helvarg, American journalist and activist
- 1952 – Narayan Rane, Indian politician, 16th Chief Minister of Maharashtra
- 1952 – Masashi Sada, Japanese singer, lyricist, composer, novelist, actor, and producer
- 1952 – Steven Seagal, American actor, producer, and martial artist
- 1953 – David Moorcroft, English runner and businessman
- 1953 – Pamela Wallin, Swedish-Canadian journalist, academic, and politician
- 1954 – Paul Bearer, American wrestler and manager (d. 2013)
- 1954 – Anne Lamott, American author and educator
- 1954 – Peter MacNicol, American actor
- 1954 – Juan Williams, Panamanian-American journalist and author
- 1955 – Lesley Garrett, English soprano and actress
- 1956 – Carol V. Robinson, English chemist and academic
- 1957 – Aliko Dangote, Nigerian businessman, founded Dangote Group
- 1957 – John M. Ford, American author and poet (d. 2006)
- 1957 – Steve Gustafson, Spanish-American bass player
- 1957 – Rosemary Hill, English historian and author
- 1958 – Bob Bell, Northern Irish engineer
- 1958 – Yefim Bronfman, Uzbek-American pianist
- 1958 – Brigitte Holzapfel, German high jumper
- 1959 – Babyface, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1959 – Yvan Loubier, Canadian economist and politician
- 1959 – Brian Setzer, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1960 – Steve Bisciotti, American businessman, co-founded Allegis Group
- 1960 – Katrina Leskanich, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1960 – Terry Teagle, American basketball player
- 1961 – Nicky Campbell, Scottish broadcaster and journalist
- 1961 – Joe Cole, American roadie and author (d. 1991)
- 1961 – Carole Goble, English computer scientist and academic
- 1961 – Mark Jones, American basketball player
- 1962 – Steve Tasker, American football player and sportscaster
- 1963 – Warren DeMartini, American guitarist and songwriter
- 1963 – Jeff Gray, American baseball player and coach
- 1963 – Doris Leuthard, Swiss lawyer and politician, 162nd President of the Swiss Confederation
- 1965 – Tim Alexander, American drummer and songwriter
- 1966 – Steve Claridge, English footballer, manager, and sportscaster
- 1967 – Donald Dufresne, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1967 – David Rovics, American singer-songwriter
- 1968 – Metin Göktepe, Turkish photographer and journalist (d. 1996)
- 1968 – Orlando Jones, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
- 1969 – Steve Glasson, Australian lawn bowler
- 1969 – Ekaterini Koffa, Greek sprinter
- 1970 – Enrico Ciccone, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1970 – Leonard Doroftei, Romanian-Canadian boxer
- 1970 – Kenny Lattimore, American singer-songwriter
- 1970 – Q-Tip, American rapper, producer, and actor
- 1971 – Brad William Henke, American football player and actor
- 1971 – Indro Olumets, Estonian footballer and coach
- 1971 – Al Reyes, Dominican-American baseball player
- 1972 – Ian Harvey, Australian cricketer
- 1972 – Priit Kasesalu, Estonian computer programmer, co-created Skype
- 1972 – Gordon Buchanan, Scottish film maker
- 1973 – Guillaume Canet, French actor and director
- 1973 – Roberto Carlos, Brazilian footballer and manager
- 1973 – Aidan Moffat, Scottish singer-songwriter
- 1973 – Christopher Simmons, Canadian-American graphic designer, author, and academic
- 1974 – Eric Greitens, American soldier, author and politician
- 1974 – Petros Passalis, Greek footballer
- 1975 – Chris Carrabba, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1975 – Terrence Lewis, Indian dancer and choreographer
- 1975 – David Harbour, American actor
- 1976 – Clare Buckfield, English actress
- 1976 – Yoshino Kimura, Japanese actress and singer
- 1976 – Sara Renner, Canadian skier
- 1977 – Stephanie Sheh, Taiwanese-American voice actress, director, and producer
- 1978 – Sir Christus, Finnish guitarist
- 1979 – Iván Alonso, Uruguayan footballer
- 1979 – Kenyon Coleman, American football player
- 1979 – Rachel Corrie, American author and activist (d. 2003)
- 1979 – Tsuyoshi Domoto, Japanese singer-songwriter and actor
- 1979 – Sophie Ellis-Bextor, English singer-songwriter
- 1979 – Peter Kopteff, Finnish footballer
- 1980 – Sean Avery, Canadian ice hockey player and model
- 1980 – Charlie Hunnam, English actor
- 1980 – Shao Jiayi, Chinese footballer
- 1980 – Kasey Kahne, American race car driver
- 1980 – Bryce Soderberg, American singer-songwriter and bass player
- 1981 – Laura Bell Bundy, American actress and singer
- 1981 – Liz McClarnon, English singer and dancer
- 1981 – Michael Pitt, American actor, model and musician
- 1981 – Alexei Semenov, Russian ice hockey player
- 1982 – Andre Ethier, American baseball player
- 1982 – Chyler Leigh, American actress and singer
- 1983 – Jamie Chung, American actress
- 1983 – Andrew Dost, American guitarist and songwriter
- 1983 – Ryan Merriman, American actor
- 1983 – Hannes Sigurðsson, Icelandic footballer
- 1984 – Faustina Agolley, Australian television host
- 1984 – Jeremy Barrett, American figure skater
- 1984 – Mandy Moore, American singer-songwriter and actress
- 1984 – David Obua, Ugandan footballer
- 1984 – Damien Perquis, French-Polish footballer
- 1984 – Gonzalo Javier Rodríguez, Argentinian footballer
- 1985 – Barkhad Abdi, Somali-American actor and director
- 1985 – Willo Flood, Irish footballer
- 1985 – Jesús Gámez, Spanish footballer
- 1985 – Dion Phaneuf, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1986 – Olivia Borlée, Belgian sprinter
- 1986 – Fernando Gago, Argentine footballer
- 1986 – Corey Kluber, American baseball pitcher
- 1986 – Vincent Kompany, Belgian footballer
- 1986 – Tore Reginiussen, Norwegian footballer
- 1987 – Shay Mitchell, Canadian actress and model
- 1987 – Hayley Westenra, New Zealand soprano
- 1988 – Chris Heston, American baseball pitcher
- 1988 – Kareem Jackson, American football player
- 1988 – Haley Joel Osment, American actor
- 1990 – Ben Amos, English footballer
- 1990 – Andile Jali, South African footballer
- 1990 – Ricky Leutele, Australian-Samoan rugby league player
- 1990 – Maren Morris, American singer
- 1990 – Alex Pettyfer, English actor
- 1991 – AJ Michalka, American actress and singer
- 1992 – Jack Buchanan, Australian rugby league player
- 1992 – Sadio Mané, Senegalese footballer
- 1992 – Daisy Ridley, English actress
- 1993 – Sofia Carson, American singer and actress
- 1994 – Siobhan Hunter, Scottish footballer
- 1995 – Ian Nelson, American actor
- 1996 – Thanasi Kokkinakis, Australian tennis player
- 1996 – Audrey Whitby, American actress
- 1998 – Anna Pogorilaya, Russian figure skater
- 2001 – Ky Baldwin, Australian singer and actor
- 2001 – Noa Kirel, Israeli singer
Deaths on April 10
- 879 – Louis the Stammerer, king of West Francia (b. 846)
- 943 – Landulf I, prince of Benevento and Capua
- 948 – Hugh of Arles, king of Italy
- 1008 – Notker of Liège, French bishop (b. 940)
- 1216 – Eric X, king of Sweden (b. 1180)
- 1282 – Ahmad Fanakati, chief minister under Kublai Khan
- 1309 – Elisabeth von Rapperswil, Swiss countess (b. 1261)
- 1362 – Maud, English noblewoman (b. 1339)
- 1500 – Michael Tarchaniota Marullus, Greek scholar and poet
- 1533 – Frederick I, king of Denmark and Norway (b. 1471)
- 1545 – Costanzo Festa, Italian composer
- 1585 – Gregory XIII, Pope of the Catholic Church (b. 1502)
- 1598 – Jacopo Mazzoni, Italian philosopher (b. 1548)
- 1599 – Gabrielle d’Estrées, French mistress of Henry IV of France (b. 1571)
- 1601 – Mark Alexander Boyd, Scottish soldier and poet (b. 1562)
- 1619 – Thomas Jones, English-Irish archbishop and politician, Lord Chancellor of Ireland (b. 1550)
- 1640 – Agostino Agazzari, Italian composer and theorist (b. 1578)
- 1644 – William Brewster, English official and pilgrim leader (b. 1566)
- 1646 – Santino Solari, Swiss architect and sculptor (b. 1576)
- 1667 – Jan Marek Marci, Czech physician and author (b. 1595)
- 1704 – William Egon of Fürstenberg, German cardinal (b. 1629)
- 1756 – Giacomo Antonio Perti, Italian composer (b. 1661)
- 1760 – Jean Lebeuf, French historian and author (b. 1687)
- 1786 – John Byron, English admiral and politician, 24th Commodore Governor of Newfoundland (b. 1723)
- 1806 – Horatio Gates, English-American general (b. 1727)
- 1813 – Joseph-Louis Lagrange, Italian mathematician and astronomer (b. 1736)
- 1823 – Karl Leonhard Reinhold, Austrian philosopher and academic (b. 1757)
- 1871 – Lucio Norberto Mansilla, Argentinian general and politician (b. 1789)
- 1904 – Isabella II, Spanish queen (b. 1830)
- 1909 – Algernon Charles Swinburne, English poet, playwright, novelist, and critic (b. 1837)
- 1919 – Emiliano Zapata, Mexican general (b. 1879)
- 1920 – Moritz Cantor, German mathematician and historian (b. 1829)
- 1931 – Kahlil Gibran, Lebanese-American poet, painter, and philosopher (b. 1883)
- 1935 – Rosa Campbell Praed, Australian novelist (b. 1851)
- 1938 – King Oliver, American cornet player and bandleader (b. 1885)
- 1942 – Carl Schenstrøm, Danish actor and director (b. 1881)
- 1943 – Andreas Faehlmann, Estonian-German sailor and engineer (b. 1898)
- 1945 – Hendrik Nicolaas Werkman, Dutch printer and typographer (b. 1882)
- 1947 – Charles Nordhoff, English-American lieutenant and author (b. 1887)
- 1950 – Fevzi Çakmak, Turkish field marshal and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Turkey (b. 1876)
- 1954 – Auguste Lumière, French director and producer (b. 1862)
- 1954 – Oscar Mathisen, Norwegian speed skater (b. 1888)
- 1955 – Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, French priest, theologian, and philosopher (b. 1881)
- 1958 – Chuck Willis, American singer-songwriter (b. 1928)
- 1960 – André Berthomieu, French director and screenwriter (b. 1903)
- 1962 – Michael Curtiz, Hungarian-American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1886)
- 1962 – Stuart Sutcliffe, Scottish artist and musician (b. 1940)
- 1965 – Lloyd Casner, American race car driver, founded Casner Motor Racing Division (b. 1928)
- 1965 – Linda Darnell, American actress (b. 1923)
- 1966 – Evelyn Waugh, English soldier, novelist, journalist and critic (b. 1903)
- 1968 – Gustavs Celmiņš, Latvian lieutenant and politician (b. 1899)
- 1969 – Harley Earl, American businessman (b. 1893)
- 1975 – Walker Evans, American photographer (b. 1903)
- 1975 – Marjorie Main, American actress (b. 1890)
- 1978 – Hjalmar Mäe, Estonian politician (b. 1901)
- 1979 – Nino Rota, Italian pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1911)
- 1980 – Kay Medford, American actress and singer (b. 1919)
- 1981 – Howard Thurman, American author, philosopher and civil rights activist (b. 1899)
- 1983 – Issam Sartawi, Palestinian activist (b. 1935)
- 1985 – Zisis Verros, Greek chieftain of the Macedonian Struggle (b. 1880)
- 1986 – Linda Creed, American singer-songwriter (b. 1948)
- 1991 – Kevin Peter Hall, American actor (b. 1955)
- 1991 – Martin Hannett, English guitarist and producer (b. 1948)
- 1991 – Natalie Schafer, American actress (b. 1900)
- 1992 – Sam Kinison, American comedian and actor (b. 1953)
- 1993 – Chris Hani, South African activist and politician (b. 1942)
- 1994 – Sam B. Hall, Jr., American lawyer, judge, and politician (b. 1924)
- 1995 – Morarji Desai, Indian politician, 4th Prime Minister of India (b. 1896)
- 1997 – Michael Dorris, American author and academic (b. 1945)
- 1998 – Seraphim of Athens, Greek archbishop (b. 1913)
- 1999 – Heinz Fraenkel-Conrat, German-American biochemist and physician (b. 1910)
- 1999 – Jean Vander Pyl, American actress and voice artist (b. 1919)
- 2000 – Peter Jones, English actor and screenwriter (b. 1920)
- 2000 – Larry Linville, American actor (b. 1939)
- 2003 – Little Eva, American singer (b. 1943)
- 2004 – Jacek Kaczmarski, Polish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and poet (b. 1957)
- 2004 – Sakıp Sabancı, Turkish businessman and philanthropist, founded Sabancı Holding (b. 1933)
- 2005 – Norbert Brainin, Austrian violinist (b. 1923)
- 2005 – Scott Gottlieb, American drummer (b. 1970)
- 2005 – Archbishop Iakovos of America (b. 1911)
- 2005 – Al Lucas, American football player (b. 1978)
- 2005 – Wally Tax, Dutch singer-songwriter (b. 1948)
- 2007 – Charles Philippe Leblond, French-Canadian biologist and academic (b. 1910)
- 2007 – Dakota Staton, American singer (b. 1930)
- 2009 – Deborah Digges, American poet and educator (b. 1950)
- 2010 – Casualties in the 2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash included:
- Ryszard Kaczorowski, Polish soldier and politician, 6th President of the Republic of Poland (b. 1919)
- Maria Kaczyńska, Polish economist, First Lady of Poland (b. 1942)
- Lech Kaczyński, Polish lawyer and politician, 4th President of Poland (b. 1949)
- Anna Walentynowicz, Ukrainian-Polish journalist and activist (b. 1929)
- 2010 – Dixie Carter, American actress and singer (b. 1939)
- 2012 – Raymond Aubrac, French engineer and activist (b. 1914)
- 2012 – Barbara Buchholz, German theremin player and composer (b. 1959)
- 2012 – Lili Chookasian, Armenian-American operatic singer (b. 1921)
- 2012 – Luis Aponte Martínez, Puerto Rican cardinal (b. 1922)
- 2012 – Akin Omoboriowo, Nigerian lawyer and politician (b. 1932)
- 2013 – Lorenzo Antonetti, Italian cardinal (b. 1922)
- 2013 – Raymond Boudon, French sociologist and academic (b. 1934)
- 2013 – Binod Bihari Chowdhury, Bangladeshi activist (b. 1911)
- 2013 – Robert Edwards, English physiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1925)
- 2013 – Olive Lewin, Jamaican anthropologist, musicologist, and author (b. 1927)
- 2013 – Gordon Thomas, English cyclist (b. 1921)
- 2013 – Angela Voigt, German long jumper (b. 1951)
- 2014 – Dominique Baudis, French journalist and politician (b. 1947)
- 2014 – Jim Flaherty, Canadian lawyer and politician, 37th Canadian Minister of Finance (b. 1949)
- 2014 – Richard Hoggart, English author and academic (b. 1918)
- 2014 – Sue Townsend, English author and playwright (b. 1946)
- 2015 – Richie Benaud, Australian cricketer and sportscaster (b. 1930)
- 2015 – Raúl Héctor Castro, Mexican-American politician and diplomat, 14th Governor of Arizona (b. 1916)
- 2015 – Judith Malina, German-American actress and director, co-founded The Living Theatre (b. 1926)
- 2015 – Rose Francine Rogombé, Gabonese lawyer and politician, President of Gabon (b. 1942)
- 2015 – Peter Walsh, Australian farmer and politician, 6th Australian Minister for Finance (b. 1935)
- 2016 – Howard Marks, Welsh cannabis smuggler, writer, and legalisation campaigner (b. 1945)
Holidays and observances on April 10
- Christian feast day:
- Fulbert of Chartres
- James, Azadanus and Abdicius
- Mikael Agricola (Lutheran)
- Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (Episcopal Church)
- William of Ockham (Anglicanism)
- William Law (Anglicanism)
- April 10 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Day of the Builder (Azerbaijan)
- Feast of the Third Day of the Writing of the Book of the Law (Thelema)
- Siblings Day (International observance)
- World Homeopathy Day
-
April 7 in History
- 451 – Attila the Hun sacks the town of Metz and attacks other cities in Gaul.
- 529 – First draft of the Corpus Juris Civilis (a fundamental work in jurisprudence) is issued by Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian I.
- 611 – Maya king Uneh Chan of Calakmul sacks rival city-state Palenque in southern Mexico.
- 1141 – Empress Matilda became the first female ruler of England, adopting the title ‘Lady of the English’.
- 1348 – Charles University is founded in Prague.
- 1521 – Ferdinand Magellan arrives at Cebu.
- 1541 – Francis Xavier leaves Lisbon on a mission to the Portuguese East Indies.
- 1724 – Premiere performance of Johann Sebastian Bach’s St John Passion, BWV 245, at St. Nicholas Church, Leipzig.
- 1767 – End of Burmese–Siamese War (1765–67).
- 1776 – Captain John Barry and the USS Lexington captures the Edward.
- 1788 – American pioneers to the Northwest Territory establish Marietta, Ohio as the first permanent American settlement in the Northwest Territory.
- 1789 – Selim III became Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and Caliph of Islam.
- 1798 – The Mississippi Territory is organized from disputed territory claimed by both the United States and Spain. It is expanded in 1804 and again in 1812.
- 1805 – Lewis and Clark Expedition: The Corps of Discovery breaks camp among the Mandan tribe and resumes its journey West along the Missouri River.
- 1805 – German composer Ludwig van Beethoven premiered his Third Symphony, at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna.
- 1827 – John Walker, an English chemist, sells the first friction match that he had invented the previous year.
- 1829 – Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, commences translation of the Book of Mormon, with Oliver Cowdery as his scribe.
- 1831 – Emperor Pedro I of Brazil resigns. He goes to his native Portugal to become King Pedro IV.
- 1862 – American Civil War: The Union’s Army of the Tennessee and the Army of the Ohio defeat the Confederate Army of Mississippi near Shiloh, Tennessee.
- 1868 – Thomas D’Arcy McGee, one of the Canadian Fathers of Confederation, is assassinated by a Fenian activist.
- 1890 – Completion of the first Lake Biwa Canal.
- 1906 – Mount Vesuvius erupts and devastates Naples.
- 1906 – The Algeciras Conference gives France and Spain control over Morocco.
- 1922 – The United States Secretary of the Interior leases federal petroleum reserves to private oil companies on excessively generous terms.
- 1927 – The first long-distance public television broadcast (from Washington, D.C., to New York City, displaying the image of Commerce Secretary Herbert Hoover).
- 1933 – Prohibition in the United States is repealed for beer of no more than 3.2% alcohol by weight, eight months before the ratification of the XXI amendment. (Now celebrated as National Beer Day in the United States.)
- 1940 – Booker T. Washington becomes the first African American to be depicted on a United States postage stamp.
- 1943 – The Holocaust in Ukraine: In Terebovlia, Germans order 1,100 Jews to undress and march through the city to the nearby village of Plebanivka, where they are shot and buried in ditches.
- 1943 – Ioannis Rallis becomes collaborationist Prime Minister of Greece during the Axis Occupation.
- 1945 – World War II: The battleship Yamato, one of the two largest ever constructed, is sunk by American aircraft during Operation Ten-Go.
- 1945 – World War II: Visoko is liberated by the 7th, 9th, and 17th Krajina brigades from the Tenth division of Yugoslav Partisan forces.
- 1948 – The World Health Organization is established by the United Nations.
- 1949 – The Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific opened on Broadway; it would run for 1,925 performances and win ten Tony Awards.
- 1954 – United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower gives his “domino theory” speech during a news conference.
- 1955 – Winston Churchill resigns as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom amid indications of failing health.
- 1964 – IBM announces the System/360.
- 1964 – A bulldozer kills Rev. Bruce W. Klunder, a civil rights activist, during a school segregation protest in Cleveland, Ohio, sparking a riot.
- 1965 – Representatives of the National Congress of American Indians testify before members of the US Senate against the termination of the Colville tribe in Washington DC.
- 1968 – Motor racing world champion Jim Clark is killed in an accident during a Formula Two race at Hockenheim.
- 1969 – The Internet’s symbolic birth date: Publication of RFC 1.
- 1971 – President Richard Nixon announces his decision to quicken the pace of Vietnamization.
- 1976 – Member of Parliament and suspected spy John Stonehouse resigns from the Labour Party (UK) after being arrested for faking his own death.
- 1977 – German Federal prosecutor Siegfried Buback and his driver are shot by two Red Army Faction members while waiting at a red light.
- 1978 – Development of the neutron bomb is canceled by President Jimmy Carter.
- 1980 – During the Iran hostage crisis, the United States severs relations with Iran.
- 1983 – During STS-6, astronauts Story Musgrave and Don Peterson perform the first Space Shuttle spacewalk.
- 1989 – Soviet submarine Komsomolets sinks in the Barents Sea off the coast of Norway killing 42 sailors.
- 1990 – Iran–Contra affair: John Poindexter is found guilty of five charges for his part in the scandal (the conviction is later reversed on appeal).
- 1990 – A fire breaks out on the passenger ferry Scandinavian Star, killing 159 people.
- 1994 – Rwandan genocide: Massacres of Tutsis begin in Kigali, Rwanda.
- 1994 – Auburn Calloway attempts to destroy Federal Express Flight 705 in order to allow his family to benefit from his life insurance policy.
- 1995 – First Chechen War: Russian paramilitary troops begin a massacre of civilians in Samashki, Chechnya.
- 1999 – The World Trade Organization rules in favor of the United States in its long-running trade dispute with the European Union over bananas.
- 2001 – Mars Odyssey is launched.
- 2003 – U.S. troops capture Baghdad; Saddam Hussein’s regime falls two days later.
- 2009 – Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori is sentenced to 25 years in prison for ordering killings and kidnappings by security forces.
- 2009 – Mass protests begin across Moldova under the belief that results from the parliamentary election are fraudulent.
- 2017 – A man deliberately drives a hijacked truck into a crowd of people, killing five people and injuring fifteen others.
Births on April 7
- 1206 – Otto II Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria (d. 1253)
- 1330 – John, 3rd Earl of Kent, English nobleman (d. 1352)
- 1470 – Edward Stafford, 2nd Earl of Wiltshire (d. 1498)
- 1506 – Francis Xavier, Spanish missionary and saint, co-founded the Society of Jesus (d. 1552)
- 1539 – Tobias Stimmer, Swiss painter and illustrator (d. 1584)
- 1613 – Gerrit Dou, Dutch painter (d. 1675)
- 1644 – François de Neufville, duc de Villeroy, French general (d. 1730)
- 1648 – John Sheffield, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby, English poet and politician, Lord President of the Council (d. 1721)
- 1652 – Pope Clement XII (d. 1740)
- 1713 – Nicola Sala, Italian composer and theorist (d. 1801)
- 1718 – Hugh Blair, Scottish minister and author (d. 1800)
- 1727 – Michel Adanson, French botanist, entomologist, and mycologist (d. 1806)
- 1763 – Domenico Dragonetti, Italian bassist and composer (d. 1846)
- 1770 – William Wordsworth, English poet (d. 1850)
- 1772 – Charles Fourier, French philosopher and author (d. 1837)
- 1780 – William Ellery Channing, American preacher and theologian (d. 1842)
- 1803 – James Curtiss, American journalist and politician, 11th Mayor of Chicago (d. 1859)
- 1803 – Flora Tristan, French author and activist (d. 1844)
- 1811 – Hasan Tahsini, Albanian astronomer, mathematician, and philosopher (d. 1881)
- 1817 – Francesco Selmi, Italian chemist and patriot (d. 1881)
- 1848 – Randall Davidson, Scottish archbishop (d. 1930)
- 1859 – Walter Camp, American football player and coach (d. 1925)
- 1860 – Will Keith Kellogg, American businessman, founded the Kellogg Company (d. 1951)
- 1867 – Holger Pedersen, Danish linguist and academic (d. 1953)
- 1870 – Gustav Landauer, Jewish-German theorist and activist (d. 1919)
- 1871 – Epifanio de los Santos, Filipino jurist, historian, and scholar (d. 1927)
- 1873 – John McGraw, American baseball player and manager (d. 1934)
- 1874 – Frederick Carl Frieseke, German-American painter (d. 1939)
- 1876 – Fay Moulton, American sprinter, football player, coach, and lawyer (d. 1945)
- 1882 – Bert Ironmonger, Australian cricketer (d. 1971)
- 1882 – Kurt von Schleicher, German general and politician, 23rd Chancellor of Germany (d. 1934)
- 1883 – Gino Severini, Italian-French painter and author (d. 1966)
- 1884 – Clement Smoot, American golfer (d. 1963)
- 1886 – Ed Lafitte, American baseball player and soldier (d. 1971)
- 1889 – Gabriela Mistral, Chilean poet and educator, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1957)
- 1890 – Paul Berth, Danish footballer (d. 1969)
- 1890 – Marjory Stoneman Douglas, American journalist and activist (d. 1998)
- 1891 – Ole Kirk Christiansen, Danish businessman, founded the Lego Group (d. 1958)
- 1893 – Allen Dulles, American lawyer and diplomat, 5th Director of Central Intelligence (d. 1969)
- 1895 – John Flannagan, American soldier and sculptor (d. 1942)
- 1895 – Margarete Schön, German actress (d. 1985)
- 1896 – Frits Peutz, Dutch architect, designed the Glaspaleis (d. 1974)
- 1897 – Erich Löwenhardt, Polish-German lieutenant and pilot (d. 1918)
- 1897 – Walter Winchell, American journalist and radio host (d. 1972)
- 1899 – Robert Casadesus, French pianist and composer (d. 1972)
- 1900 – Adolf Dymsza, Polish actor (d. 1975)
- 1900 – Tebbs Lloyd Johnson, English race walker (d. 1984)
- 1902 – Eduard Eelma, Estonian footballer (d. 1941)
- 1903 – M. Balasundaram, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician (d. 1965)
- 1903 – Edwin T. Layton, American admiral (d. 1984)
- 1904 – Roland Wilson, Australian economist and statistician (d. 1996)
- 1908 – Percy Faith, Canadian composer, conductor, and bandleader (d. 1976)
- 1908 – Pete Zaremba, American hammer thrower (d. 1994)
- 1909 – Robert Charroux, French author and critic (d. 1978)
- 1913 – Louise Currie, American actress (d. 2013)
- 1913 – Charles Vanik, American soldier, judge, and politician (d. 2007)
- 1914 – Ralph Flanagan, American pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1995)
- 1915 – Stanley Adams, American actor and screenwriter (d. 1977)
- 1915 – Billie Holiday, American singer-songwriter and actress (d. 1959)
- 1915 – Henry Kuttner, American author (d. 1958)
- 1916 – Anthony Caruso, American actor (d. 2003)
- 1917 – R. G. Armstrong, American actor and playwright (d. 2012)
- 1918 – Bobby Doerr, American baseball player and coach (d. 2017)
- 1919 – Roger Lemelin, Canadian author and screenwriter (d. 1992)
- 1919 – Edoardo Mangiarotti, Italian fencer (d. 2012)
- 1920 – Ravi Shankar, Indian-American sitar player and composer (d. 2012)
- 1921 – Feza Gürsey, Turkish mathematician and physicist (d. 1992)
- 1922 – Mongo Santamaría, Cuban-American drummer (d. 2003)
- 1924 – Johannes Mario Simmel, Austrian-English author and screenwriter (d. 2009)
- 1925 – Chaturanan Mishra, Indian trade union leader and politician (d. 2011)
- 1925 – Jan van Roessel, Dutch footballer (d. 2011)
- 1927 – Babatunde Olatunji, Nigerian-American drummer, educator, and activist (d. 2003)
- 1927 – Leonid Shcherbakov, Russian triple jumper
- 1928 – James Garner, American actor, singer, and producer (d. 2014)
- 1928 – Alan J. Pakula, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1998)
- 1928 – James White, Northern Irish author and educator (d. 1999)
- 1929 – Bob Denard, French soldier (d. 2007)
- 1929 – Joe Gallo, American gangster (d. 1972)
- 1930 – Jane Priestman, English interior designer
- 1930 – Yves Rocher, French businessman, founded the Yves Rocher Company (d. 2009)
- 1930 – Andrew Sachs, German-English actor and screenwriter (d. 2016)
- 1930 – Roger Vergé, French chef and restaurateur (d. 2015)
- 1931 – Donald Barthelme, American short story writer and novelist (d. 1989)
- 1931 – Daniel Ellsberg, American activist and author
- 1932 – Cal Smith, American singer and guitarist (d. 2013)
- 1933 – Wayne Rogers, American actor, investor, and producer (d. 2015)
- 1933 – Sakıp Sabancı, Turkish businessman and philanthropist (d. 2004)
- 1934 – Ian Richardson, Scottish-English actor (d. 2007)
- 1935 – Bobby Bare, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1935 – Hodding Carter III, American journalist and politician, Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs
- 1937 – Charlie Thomas, American singer
- 1938 – Jerry Brown, American lawyer and politician, 34th and 39th Governor of California
- 1938 – Spencer Dryden, American drummer (d. 2005)
- 1938 – Freddie Hubbard, American trumpet player and composer (d. 2008)
- 1938 – Iris Johansen, American author
- 1939 – Francis Ford Coppola, American director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1939 – David Frost, English journalist and game show host (d. 2013)
- 1939 – Gary Kellgren, American record producer, co-founded Record Plant (d. 1977)
- 1939 – Brett Whiteley, Australian painter (d. 1992)
- 1940 – Marju Lauristin, Estonian academic and politician, 1st Estonian Minister of Social Affairs
- 1941 – James Di Pasquale, American composer
- 1941 – Peter Fluck, English puppet maker and illustrator
- 1941 – Cornelia Frances, English-Australian actress (d. 2018)
- 1941 – Gorden Kaye, English actor (d. 2017)
- 1942 – Jeetendra, Indian actor, TV and film producer
- 1943 – Mick Abrahams, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1943 – Dennis Amiss, English cricketer and manager
- 1944 – Shel Bachrach, American insurance broker, investor, businessman and philanthropist
- 1944 – Warner Fusselle, American sportscaster (d. 2012)
- 1944 – Oshik Levi, Israeli singer and actor
- 1944 – Julia Phillips, American film producer and author (d. 2002)
- 1944 – Gerhard Schröder, German lawyer and politician, 7th Chancellor of Germany
- 1944 – Bill Stoneman, American baseball player and manager
- 1945 – Megas, Icelandic singer-songwriter
- 1945 – Gerry Cottle, English businessman
- 1945 – Marilyn Friedman, American philosopher and academic
- 1945 – Martyn Lewis, Welsh journalist and author
- 1945 – Joël Robuchon, French chef and author (d. 2018)
- 1945 – Werner Schroeter, German director and screenwriter (d. 2010)
- 1945 – Hans van Hemert, Dutch songwriter and producer
- 1946 – Zaid Abdul-Aziz, American basketball player
- 1946 – Colette Besson, French runner and educator (d. 2005)
- 1946 – Herménégilde Chiasson, Canadian poet, playwright, and politician, 29th Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick
- 1946 – Dimitrij Rupel, Slovenian politician and diplomate
- 1946 – Stan Winston, American special effects designer and makeup artist (d. 2008)
- 1947 – Patricia Bennett, American singer
- 1947 – Florian Schneider, German singer and drummer (d. 2020)
- 1947 – Michèle Torr, French singer and author
- 1948 – John Oates, American singer-songwriter guitarist, and producer
- 1949 – Mitch Daniels, American academic and politician, 49th Governor of Indiana
- 1950 – Brian J. Doyle, American press secretary
- 1951 – Bruce Gary, American drummer (d. 2006)
- 1951 – Janis Ian, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1952 – David Baulcombe, English geneticist and academic
- 1952 – Jane Frederick, American hurdler and heptathlete
- 1952 – Gilles Valiquette, Canadian actor, singer, and producer
- 1952 – Dennis Hayden, American actor
- 1953 – Santa Barraza, American mixed media artist
- 1953 – Douglas Kell, English biochemist and academic
- 1954 – Jackie Chan, Hong Kong martial artist, actor, stuntman, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1954 – Tony Dorsett, American football player
- 1955 – Tim Cochran, American mathematician and academic (d. 2014)
- 1955 – Gregg Jarrett, American lawyer and journalist
- 1956 – Annika Billström, Swedish businesswoman and politician, 16th Mayor of Stockholm
- 1956 – Christopher Darden, American lawyer and author
- 1956 – Georg Werthner, Austrian decathlete
- 1957 – Kim Kap-soo, South Korean actor
- 1957 – Thelma Walker, British politician
- 1958 – Brian Haner, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1958 – Hindrek Kesler, Estonian architect
- 1960 – Buster Douglas, American boxer and actor
- 1960 – Sandy Powell, English costume designer
- 1961 – Thurl Bailey, American basketball player and actor
- 1961 – Pascal Olmeta, French footballer
- 1961 – Brigitte van der Burg, Tanzanian-Dutch geographer and politician
- 1962 – Jon Cruddas, English lawyer and politician
- 1962 – Andrew Hampsten, American cyclist
- 1963 – Jaime de Marichalar, Spanish businessman
- 1963 – Nick Herbert, English businessman and politician, Minister for Policing
- 1963 – Dave Johnson, American decathlete and educator
- 1964 – Jace Alexander, American actor and director
- 1964 – Russell Crowe, New Zealand-Australian actor
- 1964 – Steve Graves, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1965 – Bill Bellamy, American comedian, actor, and producer
- 1965 – Rozalie Hirs, Dutch composer and poet
- 1965 – Alison Lapper, English painter and photographer
- 1965 – Nenad Vučinić, Serbian-New Zealand basketball player and coach
- 1966 – Richard Gomez, Filipino actor and politician
- 1966 – Zvika Hadar, Israeli entertainer
- 1966 – Béla Mavrák, Hungarian tenor singer
- 1966 – Gary Wilkinson, English snooker player
- 1967 – Artemis Gounaki, Greek-German singer-songwriter
- 1967 – Bodo Illgner, German footballer
- 1967 – Simone Schilder, Dutch tennis player
- 1968 – Duncan Armstrong, Australian swimmer and sportscaster
- 1968 – Jennifer Lynch, American actress, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1968 – Jože Možina, Slovenian historian, sociologist and journalist
- 1968 – Vasiliy Sokov, Russian triple jumper
- 1969 – Ricky Watters, American football player
- 1970 – Leif Ove Andsnes, Norwegian pianist and educator
- 1971 – Guillaume Depardieu, French actor (d. 2008)
- 1971 – Victor Kraatz, German-Canadian figure skater
- 1972 – Tim Peake, British astronaut
- 1973 – Marco Delvecchio, Italian footballer
- 1973 – Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, Dutch lawyer and politician, Dutch Minister of Defence
- 1973 – Carole Montillet, French skier
- 1973 – Christian O’Connell, British radio DJ and presenter
- 1973 – Brett Tomko, American baseball player
- 1975 – Karin Dreijer Andersson, Swedish singer-songwriter and producer
- 1975 – Ronde Barber, American football player and sportscaster
- 1975 – Tiki Barber, American football player and journalist
- 1975 – Ronnie Belliard, American baseball player
- 1975 – John Cooper, American singer-songwriter and bass player
- 1975 – Simon Woolford, Australian rugby league player
- 1976 – Kevin Alejandro, American actor and producer
- 1976 – Martin Buß, German high jumper
- 1976 – Jessica Lee, English lawyer and politician
- 1976 – Aaron Lohr, American actor
- 1976 – Barbara Jane Reams, American actress
- 1976 – Gang Qiang, Chinese anchor
- 1978 – Jo Appleby, English soprano
- 1978 – Duncan James, English singer-songwriter and actor
- 1978 – Lilia Osterloh, American tennis player
- 1979 – Adrián Beltré, Dominican-American baseball player
- 1979 – Patrick Crayton, American football player
- 1979 – Pascal Dupuis, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1979 – Danny Sandoval, Venezuelan-American baseball player
- 1980 – Dragan Bogavac, Montenegrin footballer
- 1980 – Tetsuji Tamayama, Japanese actor
- 1981 – Hitoe Arakaki, Japanese singer
- 1981 – Kazuki Watanabe, Japanese songwriter and guitarist (d. 2000)
- 1981 – Vanessa Olivarez, American singer-songwriter, and actress
- 1981 – Suzann Pettersen, Norwegian golfer
- 1982 – Silvana Arias, Peruvian actress
- 1982 – Sonjay Dutt, American wrestler
- 1982 – Kelli Young, English singer
- 1983 – Hamish Davidson, Australian musician
- 1983 – Franck Ribéry, French footballer
- 1983 – Jon Stead, English footballer
- 1983 – Jakub Smrž, Czech motorcycle rider
- 1983 – Janar Talts, Estonian basketball player
- 1984 – Hiroko Shimabukuro, Japanese singer
- 1985 – KC Concepcion, Filipino actress and singer
- 1985 – Humza Yousaf, Scottish politician
- 1986 – Brooke Brodack, American comedian
- 1986 – Jack Duarte, Mexican actor, singer, and guitarist
- 1986 – Andi Fraggs, English singer-songwriter and producer
- 1986 – Christian Fuchs, Austrian footballer
- 1987 – Martín Cáceres, Uruguayan footballer
- 1987 – Eelco Sintnicolaas, Dutch decathlete
- 1987 – Jamar Smith, American football player
- 1988 – Antonio Piccolo, Italian footballer
- 1988 – Ed Speleers, English actor and producer
- 1989 – Alexa Demara, American actress, model and writer
- 1989 – Franco Di Santo, Argentinian footballer
- 1989 – Mitchell Pearce, Australian rugby league player
- 1989 – Teddy Riner, French judoka
- 1990 – Nickel Ashmeade, Jamaican sprinter
- 1990 – Anna Bogomazova, Russian-American kick-boxer, martial artist, and wrestler
- 1990 – Sorana Cîrstea, Romanian tennis player
- 1990 – Trent Cotchin, Australian footballer
- 1991 – Luka Milivojević, Serbian footballer
- 1991 – Anne-Marie, English singer-songwriter
- 1992 – Andreea Acatrinei, Romanian gymnast
- 1992 – Guilherme Negueba, Brazilian footballer
- 1993 – Ichinojō Takashi, Mongolian sumo wrestler
- 1994 – Johanna Allik, Estonian figure skater
- 1994 – Aaron Gray, Australian rugby league player
- 1996 – Emerson Hyndman, American international soccer player[5]
- 1997 – Rafaela Gómez, Ecuadorian tennis player
Deaths on April 7
- AD 30 – Jesus Christ, (possible date of the crucifixion) (b. circa 4 BC)
- 821 – George the Standard-Bearer, archbishop of Mytilene (b. c. 776)
- 924 – Berengar I of Italy (b. 845)
- 1206 – Frederick I, Duke of Lorraine
- 1340 – Bolesław Jerzy II of Mazovia (b. 1308)
- 1498 – Charles VIII of France (b. 1470)
- 1499 – Galeotto I Pico, Duke of Mirandola (b. 1442)
- 1501 – Minkhaung II, king of Ava (b. 1446)
- 1606 – Edward Oldcorne, English martyr (b. 1561)
- 1614 – El Greco, Greek-Spanish painter and sculptor (b. 1541)
- 1638 – Shimazu Tadatsune, Japanese daimyō (b. 1576)
- 1651 – Lennart Torstensson, Swedish field marshal and engineer (b. 1603)
- 1658 – Juan Eusebio Nieremberg, Spanish mystic and philosopher (b. 1595)
- 1661 – Sir William Brereton, 1st Baronet, English commander and politician (b. 1604)
- 1663 – Francis Cooke, English-American settler (b. 1583)
- 1668 – William Davenant, English poet and playwright (b. 1606)
- 1719 – Jean-Baptiste de La Salle, French priest and saint, founded the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools (b. 1651)
- 1739 – Dick Turpin, English criminal (b. 1705)
- 1747 – Leopold I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau (b. 1676)
- 1761 – Thomas Bayes, English minister and mathematician (b. 1701)
- 1766 – Tiberius Hemsterhuis, Dutch philologist and critic (b. 1685)
- 1767 – Franz Sparry, Austrian composer and director (b. 1715)
- 1782 – Taksin, Thai king (b. 1734)
- 1789 – Abdul Hamid I, Ottoman sultan (b. 1725)
- 1789 – Petrus Camper, Dutch physician, anatomist, and physiologist (b. 1722)
- 1801 – Noël François de Wailly, French lexicographer and author (b. 1724)
- 1804 – Toussaint Louverture, Haitian general (b. 1743)
- 1811 – Garsevan Chavchavadze, Georgian diplomat and politician (b. 1757)
- 1823 – Jacques Charles, French physicist and mathematician (b. 1746)
- 1833 – Antoni Radziwiłł, Lithuanian composer and politician (b. 1775)
- 1836 – William Godwin, English journalist and author (b. 1756)
- 1849 – Pedro Ignacio de Castro Barros, Argentinian priest and politician (b. 1777)
- 1850 – William Lisle Bowles, English poet and critic (b. 1762)
- 1858 – Anton Diabelli, Austrian composer and publisher (b. 1781)
- 1868 – Thomas D’Arcy McGee, Irish-Canadian journalist, activist, and politician (b. 1825)
- 1879 – Begum Hazrat Mahal, Begum of Awadh, was the second wife of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah (b. 1820)
- 1885 – Karl Theodor Ernst von Siebold, German physiologist and zoologist (b. 1804)
- 1889 – Youssef Bey Karam, Lebanese soldier and politician (b. 1823)
- 1889 – Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada, Mexican politician and president, 1872-1876 (b. 1823)
- 1891 – P. T. Barnum, American businessman and politician, co-founded The Barnum & Bailey Circus (b. 1810)
- 1917 – Spyridon Samaras, Greek composer and playwright (b. 1861)
- 1918 – David Kolehmainen, Finnish wrestler (b. 1885)
- 1918 – George E. Ohr, American potter (b. 1857)
- 1920 – Karl Binding, German lawyer and jurist (b. 1841)
- 1922 – James McGowen, Australian politician, 18th Premier of New South Wales (b. 1855)
- 1928 – Alexander Bogdanov, Russian physician, philosopher, and author (b. 1873)
- 1932 – Grigore Constantinescu, Romanian priest and journalist (b. 1875)
- 1938 – Suzanne Valadon, French painter (b. 1865)
- 1939 – Joseph Lyons, Australian educator and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1879)
- 1943 – Jovan Dučić, Serbian-American poet and diplomat (b. 1871)
- 1943 – Alexandre Millerand, French lawyer and politician, 12th President of France (b. 1859)
- 1947 – Henry Ford, American engineer and businessman, founded the Ford Motor Company (b. 1863)
- 1949 – John Gourlay, Canadian soccer player (b. 1872)
- 1950 – Walter Huston, Canadian-American actor and singer (b. 1883)
- 1955 – Theda Bara, American actress (b. 1885)
- 1956 – Fred Appleby, English runner (b. 1879)
- 1960 – Henri Guisan, Swiss general (b. 1874)
- 1965 – Roger Leger, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1919)
- 1966 – Walt Hansgen, American race car driver (b. 1919)
- 1968 – Edwin Baker, Canadian co-founder of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) (b. 1893)
- 1968 – Jim Clark, Scottish race car driver (b. 1936)
- 1972 – Joe Gallo, American gangster (b. 1929)
- 1972 – Abeid Karume, Tanzanian politician, 1st President of Zanzibar (b. 1905)
- 1981 – Kit Lambert, English record producer and manager (b. 1935)
- 1981 – Norman Taurog, American director and screenwriter (b. 1899)
- 1982 – Harald Ertl, Austrian race car driver and journalist (b. 1948)
- 1984 – Frank Church, American soldier, lawyer, and politician (b. 1924)
- 1985 – Carl Schmitt, German philosopher and jurist (b. 1888)
- 1986 – Leonid Kantorovich, Russian mathematician and economist (b. 1912)
- 1990 – Ronald Evans, American captain, engineer, and astronaut (b. 1933)
- 1991 – Memduh Ünlütürk, Turkish general (b. 1913)
- 1992 – Ace Bailey, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1903)
- 1992 – Antonis Tritsis, Greek high jumper and politician, 71st Mayor of Athens (b. 1937)
- 1994 – Lee Brilleaux, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1952)
- 1994 – Albert Guðmundsson, Icelandic footballer, manager, and politician (b. 1923)
- 1994 – Golo Mann, German historian and author (b. 1909)
- 1994 – Agathe Uwilingiyimana, Rwandan chemist, academic, and politician, Prime Minister of Rwanda (b. 1953)
- 1995 – Philip Jebb, English architect and politician (b. 1927)
- 1997 – Luis Aloma, Cuban-American baseball player (b. 1923)
- 1997 – Georgy Shonin, Ukrainian-Russian general, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1935)
- 1998 – Alex Schomburg, Puerto Rican-American painter and illustrator (b. 1905)
- 1999 – Heinz Lehmann, German-Canadian psychiatrist and academic (b. 1911)
- 2001 – David Graf, American actor (b. 1950)
- 2001 – Beatrice Straight, American actress (b. 1914)
- 2002 – John Agar, American actor (b. 1921)
- 2003 – Cecile de Brunhoff, French pianist and author (b. 1903)
- 2003 – David Greene, English-American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1921)
- 2004 – Victor Argo, American actor (b. 1934)
- 2004 – Konstantinos Kallias, Greek politician (b. 1901)
- 2005 – Cliff Allison, English race car driver (b. 1932)
- 2005 – Grigoris Bithikotsis, Greek singer-songwriter (b. 1922)
- 2005 – Bob Kennedy, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1920)
- 2005 – Melih Kibar, Turkish composer and educator (b. 1951)
- 2007 – Johnny Hart, American author and illustrator (b. 1931)
- 2007 – Barry Nelson, American actor (b. 1917)
- 2008 – Ludu Daw Amar, Burmese journalist and author (b. 1915)
- 2009 – Dave Arneson, American game designer, co-created Dungeons & Dragons (b. 1947)
- 2011 – Pierre Gauvreau, Canadian painter (b. 1922)
- 2012 – Steven Kanumba, Tanzanian actor and director (b. 1984)
- 2012 – Satsue Mito, Japanese zoologist and academic (b. 1914)
- 2012 – Ignatius Moses I Daoud, Syrian cardinal (b. 1930)
- 2012 – David E. Pergrin, American colonel and engineer (b. 1917)
- 2012 – Bashir Ahmed Qureshi, Pakistani politician (b. 1959)
- 2012 – Mike Wallace, American television news journalist (b. 1918)
- 2013 – Marty Blake, American businessman (b. 1927)
- 2013 – Les Blank, American director and producer (b. 1935)
- 2013 – Andy Johns, English-American record producer (b. 1950)
- 2013 – Lilly Pulitzer, American fashion designer (b. 1931)
- 2013 – Irma Ravinale, Italian composer and educator (b. 1937)
- 2013 – Mickey Rose, American screenwriter (b. 1935)
- 2013 – Carl Williams, American boxer (b. 1959)
- 2014 – George Dureau, American painter and photographer (b. 1930)
- 2014 – James Alexander Green, American-English mathematician and academic (b. 1926)
- 2014 – V. K. Murthy, Indian cinematographer (b. 1923)
- 2014 – Zeituni Onyango, Kenyan-American computer programmer (b. 1952)
- 2014 – John Shirley-Quirk, English opera singer (b. 1931)
- 2014 – George Shuffler, American guitarist (b. 1925)
- 2014 – Josep Maria Subirachs, Spanish sculptor and painter (b. 1927)
- 2014 – Royce Waltman, American basketball player and coach (b. 1942)
- 2015 – Tim Babcock, American soldier and politician, 16th Governor of Montana (b. 1919)
- 2015 – José Capellán, Dominican-American baseball player (b. 1981)
- 2015 – Stan Freberg, American puppeteer, voice actor, and singer (b. 1926)
- 2015 – Richard Henyekane, South African footballer (b. 1983)
- 2015 – Geoffrey Lewis, American actor (b. 1935)
- 2016 – Blackjack Mulligan, American professional wrestler (b. 1942)
- 2019 – Seymour Cassel, American actor (b. 1935)
Holidays and observances on April 7
- Christian feast days:
- Aibert of Crespin
- Blessed Alexander Rawlins
- Blessed Edward Oldcorne and Blessed Ralph Ashley
- Blessed Notker the Stammerer
- Brynach
- Hegesippus
- Henry Walpole
- Hermann Joseph
- Jean-Baptiste de La Salle
- Patriarch Tikhon of Moscow (Eastern Orthodox Church, Episcopal Church (USA))
- April 7 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Flag Day (Slovenia)
- Genocide Memorial Day (Rwanda), and its related observance:
- International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Rwanda Genocide (United Nations)
- Motherhood and Beauty Day (Armenia)
- National Beer Day (United States)
- Sheikh Abeid Amani Karume Day (Tanzania)
- Women’s Day (Mozambique)
- World Health Day (International observance)
-
April 5 in History
- 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.
-
March 29 in History
- 845 – Paris is sacked by Viking raiders, probably under Ragnar Lodbrok, who collects a huge ransom in exchange for leaving.
- 1430 – The Ottoman Empire under Murad II captures Thessalonica from the Republic of Venice.
- 1461 – Battle of Towton: Edward of York defeats Queen Margaret to become King Edward IV of England, bringing a temporary stop to the Wars of the Roses.
- 1500 – Cesare Borgia is given the title of Captain-General and Gonfalonier by his father Rodrigo Borgia after returning from his conquests in the Romagna.
- 1549 – The city of Salvador da Bahia, the first capital of Brazil, is founded.
- 1632 – Treaty of Saint-Germain is signed returning Quebec to French control after the English had seized it in 1629.
- 1792 – King Gustav III of Sweden dies after being shot in the back at a midnight masquerade ball at Stockholm’s Royal Opera 13 days earlier. He is succeeded by Gustav IV Adolf.
- 1806 – Construction is authorized of the Great National Pike, better known as the Cumberland Road, becoming the first United States federal highway.
- 1809 – King Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden abdicates after a coup d’état. At the Diet of Porvoo, Finland’s four Estates pledge allegiance to Alexander I of Russia, commencing the secession of the Grand Duchy of Finland from Sweden.
- 1831 – Great Bosnian uprising: Bosniaks rebel against Turkey.
- 1847 – Mexican–American War: United States forces led by General Winfield Scott take Veracruz after a siege.
- 1849 – The United Kingdom annexes the Punjab.
- 1857 – Sepoy Mangal Pandey of the 34th Regiment, Bengal Native Infantry mutinies against the East India Company’s rule in India and inspires the protracted Indian Rebellion of 1857, also known as the Sepoy Mutiny.
- 1865 – American Civil War: Federal forces under Major General Philip Sheridan move to flank Confederate forces under Robert E. Lee as the Appomattox Campaign begins.
- 1867 – Queen Victoria gives Royal Assent to the British North America Act which establishes Canada on July 1.
- 1871 – Royal Albert Hall is opened by Queen Victoria.
- 1879 – Anglo-Zulu War: Battle of Kambula: British forces defeat 20,000 Zulus.
- 1882 – The Knights of Columbus is established.
- 1886 – John Pemberton brews the first batch of Coca-Cola in a backyard in Atlanta.
- 1911 – The M1911 .45 ACP pistol becomes the official U.S. Army side arm.
- 1927 – Sunbeam 1000hp breaks the land speed record at Daytona Beach, Florida.
- 1930 – Heinrich Brüning is appointed German Reichskanzler.
- 1936 – Adolf Hitler receives 99% of the votes in the 1936 German parliamentary election and referendum.
- 1941 – The North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement goes into effect at 03:00 local time.
- 1941 – World War II: British Royal Navy and Royal Australian Navy forces defeat those of the Italian Regia Marina off the Peloponnesian coast of Greece in the Battle of Cape Matapan.
- 1942 – The Bombing of Lübeck in World War II is the first major success for the RAF Bomber Command against Germany and a German city.
- 1945 – World War II: Last day of V-1 flying bomb attacks on England.
- 1945 – World War II: The German 4th Army is almost destroyed by the Soviet Red Army.
- 1946 – Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México, one of Mexico’s leading universities, is founded.
- 1947 – Malagasy Uprising against French colonial rule in Madagascar.
- 1951 – Ethel and Julius Rosenberg are convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage.
- 1957 – The New York, Ontario and Western Railway makes its final run, the first major U.S. railroad to be abandoned in its entirety.
- 1961 – The Twenty-third Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, allowing residents of Washington, D.C., to vote in presidential elections.
- 1962 – Arturo Frondizi, the president of Argentina, is overthrown in a military coup by Argentina’s armed forces, ending an 111⁄2 day constitutional crisis.
- 1971 – My Lai Massacre: Lieutenant William Calley is convicted of premeditated murder and sentenced to life in prison.
- 1973 – Vietnam War: The last United States combat soldiers leave South Vietnam.
- 1973 – Operation Barrel Roll, a covert American bombing campaign in Laos to stop communist infiltration of South Vietnam, ends.
- 1974 – NASA’s Mariner 10 becomes the first space probe to fly by Mercury.
- 1974 – Terracotta Army was discovered in Shaanxi province, China.
- 1982 – The Canada Act 1982 receives the Royal Assent from Queen Elizabeth II, setting the stage for the Queen of Canada to proclaim the Constitution Act, 1982.
- 1984 – The Baltimore Colts load its possessions onto fifteen Mayflower moving trucks in the early morning hours and transfer its operations to Indianapolis.
- 1990 – The Czechoslovak parliament is unable to reach an agreement on what to call the country after the fall of Communism, sparking the so-called Hyphen War.
- 1993 – Catherine Callbeck becomes premier of Prince Edward Island and the first woman to be elected in a general election as premier of a Canadian province.
- 1999 – The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above the 10,000 mark (10,006.78) for the first time, during the height of the dot-com bubble.
- 1999 – A magnitude 6.8 earthquake in India strikes the Chamoli district in Uttar Pradesh, killing 103.
- 2002 – In reaction to the Passover massacre two days prior, Israel launches Operation Defensive Shield against Palestinian militants, its largest military operation in the West Bank since the 1967 Six-Day War.
- 2004 – Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia join NATO as full members.
- 2010 – Two suicide bombers hit the Moscow Metro system at the peak of the morning rush hour, killing 40.
- 2013 – At least 36 people are killed when a 16-floor building collapses in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
- 2014 – The first same-sex marriages in England and Wales are performed.
Births on March 29
- 1001 – Sokkate, king of the Pagan dynasty of Burma (d. 1044)
- 1187 – Arthur I, Duke of Brittany (d. 1203)
- 1373 – Marie d’Alençon, French princess (d. 1417)
- 1517 – Carlo Carafa, Italian cardinal (d. 1561)
- 1553 – Vitsentzos Kornaros, Greek poet and playwright (d. 1614)
- 1561 – Santorio Santorio, Italian biologist (d. 1636)
- 1584 – Ferdinando Fairfax, 2nd Lord Fairfax of Cameron, English general and politician (d. 1648)
- 1602 – John Lightfoot, English priest, scholar, and academic (d. 1675)
- 1620 – Edward Digges, English barrister and colonist
- 1629 – Alexis of Russia, Tsar of Russia (d. 1676)
- 1713 – John Ponsonby, Irish politician (d. 1789)
- 1735 – Johann Karl August Musäus, German author (d. 1787)
- 1747 – Johann Wilhelm Hässler, German pianist and composer (d. 1822)
- 1769 – Nicolas Jean-de-Dieu Soult, French general and politician, 12th Prime Minister of France (d. 1851)
- 1780 – Jørgen Jørgensen, Danish adventurer (d. 1841)
- 1790 – John Tyler, American lawyer and politician, 10th President of the United States (d. 1862)
- 1799 – Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1869)
- 1802 – Johann Moritz Rugendas, German landscape painter of Spanish America (d. 1858)
- 1816 – 10th Dalai Lama (d. 1837)
- 1824 – Ludwig Büchner, German physiologist, physician, and philosopher (d. 1899)
- 1826 – Wilhelm Liebknecht, German journalist and politician (d. 1900)
- 1862 – Adolfo Müller-Ury, Swiss-American painter (d. 1947)
- 1863 – Walter James, Australian politician, 5th Premier of Western Australia (d. 1943)
- 1867 – Cy Young, American baseball player and manager (d. 1955)
- 1869 – Aleš Hrdlička, Czech-American anthropologist and scholar (d. 1943)
- 1869 – Sir Edwin Lutyens, British architect (d. 1944)
- 1870 – Pavlos Melas, French-Greek captain (d. 1904)
- 1871 – Tom Hayward, English cricketer (d. 1939)
- 1872 – Hal Colebatch, English-Australian politician, 12th Premier of Western Australia (d. 1953)
- 1873 – Tullio Levi-Civita, Jewish-Italian mathematician and academic (d. 1941)
- 1874 – Lou Henry Hoover, American wife of Herbert Hoover, 33rd First Lady of the United States (d. 1944)
- 1876 – Friedrich Traun, German sprinter and tennis player (d. 1908)
- 1884 – Ed Archibald, Canadian pole vaulter (d. 1965)
- 1885 – Dezső Kosztolányi, Hungarian author and poet (d. 1936)
- 1888 – Enea Bossi, Sr., Italian-American engineer, designed the Budd BB-1 Pioneer and Bossi-Bonomi Pedaliante (d. 1963)
- 1889 – Warner Baxter, American actor (d. 1951)
- 1889 – Howard Lindsay, American producer, playwright, librettist, director and actor (d. 1968)
- 1890 – Bert Bliss, English international footballer, inside forward (d. 1968)
- 1891 – Yvan Goll, French-German poet and playwright (d. 1950)
- 1891 – Alfred Neubauer, Austrian race car driver and manager (d. 1980)
- 1892 – József Mindszenty, Hungarian cardinal (d. 1975)
- 1893 – Astrid Holm, Danish actress (d. 1961)
- 1895 – Ernst Jünger, German philosopher and author (d. 1998)
- 1896 – Wilhelm Ackermann, German mathematician (d. 1962)
- 1899 – Lavrentiy Beria, Georgian-Russian general and politician (d. 1953)
- 1900 – Bill Aston, English race car driver (d. 1974)
- 1900 – John McEwen, Australian farmer and politician, 18th Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1980)
- 1902 – Marcel Aymé, French author, playwright, and screenwriter (d. 1967)
- 1902 – Don Miller, American football player and coach (d. 1979)
- 1902 – William Walton, English composer (d. 1983)
- 1903 – Douglas Harkness, Canadian colonel and politician, 14th Canadian Minister of National Defence (d. 1999)
- 1906 – James Bausch, American decathlete and football player (d. 1974)
- 1907 – Braguinha, Brazilian singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2006)
- 1908 – Arthur O’Connell, American actor (d. 1981)
- 1908 – Dennis O’Keefe, American actor and screenwriter (d. 1968)
- 1909 – Moon Mullican, American country and western singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 1967)
- 1912 – Hanna Reitsch, German soldier and pilot (d. 1979)
- 1914 – Phil Foster, American actor (d. 1985)
- 1914 – Chapman Pincher, Indian-English historian, journalist, and author (d. 2014)
- 1916 – Peter Geach, English philosopher and academic (d. 2013)
- 1916 – Eugene McCarthy, American poet and politician (d. 2005)
- 1917 – Tommy Holmes, American baseball player (d. 2008)
- 1918 – Pearl Bailey, American actress and singer (d. 1990)
- 1918 – Lê Văn Thiêm, Vietnamese mathematician and academic (d. 1991)
- 1918 – Sam Walton, American businessman, founded Walmart and Sam’s Club (d. 1992)
- 1919 – Eileen Heckart, American actress (d. 2001)
- 1920 – John M. Belk, American businessman and politician (d. 2007)
- 1920 – Clarke Fraser, American-Canadian geneticist and academic (d. 2014)
- 1920 – Pierre Moinot, French author (d. 2007)
- 1920 – Theodore Trautwein, American lawyer and judge (d. 2000)
- 1921 – Sam Loxton, Australian cricketer, footballer, and politician (d. 2011)
- 1923 – Geoff Duke, English-Manx motorcycle racer (d. 2015)
- 1923 – Betty Binns Fletcher, American lawyer and judge (d. 2012)
- 1923 – Bob Haymes, American singer-songwriter, and actor (d. 1989)
- 1926 – Moshe Sanbar, Hungarian-Israeli banker and economist (d. 2012)
- 1927 – John McLaughlin, American journalist and producer (d. 2016)
- 1927 – John Vane, English pharmacologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2004)
- 1928 – Romesh Bhandari, Pakistani-Indian politician, 13th Foreign Secretary of India (d. 2013)
- 1928 – Keith Botsford, Belgian-American journalist, author, and academic (d. 2018)
- 1928 – Vincent Gigante, American boxer and mobster (d. 2005)
- 1929 – Sheila Kitzinger, English activist, author, and academic (d. 2015)
- 1929 – Richard Lewontin, American biologist, geneticist, and academic
- 1929 – Lennart Meri, Estonian director and politician, 2nd President of Estonia (d. 2006)
- 1929 – Utpal Dutt, Indian Bengali actor, director and playwright (d. 1993)
- 1930 – Anerood Jugnauth, Mauritian lawyer and politician, 4th President of Mauritius
- 1931 – Ștefan Andrei, Romanian politician, 87th Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 2014)
- 1931 – Sopubek Begaliev, Kyrgyzstani economist and politician (d. 2002)
- 1931 – Aleksei Gubarev, Russian general, pilot, and astronaut (d. 2015)
- 1931 – Norman Tebbit, English journalist and politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
- 1933 – Jacques Brault, Canadian poet and academic
- 1934 – Shahryar Khan, Indian-Pakistani politician and diplomat, 20th Foreign Secretary of Pakistan
- 1936 – Richard Rodney Bennett, English-American composer and educator (d. 2012)
- 1936 – Mogens Camre, Danish politician (d. 2016)
- 1936 – John A. Durkin, American lawyer and politician (d. 2012)
- 1936 – Judith Guest, American author and screenwriter
- 1936 – Joseph P. Teasdale, American lawyer and politician, 48th Governor of Missouri (d. 2014)
- 1937 – Roberto Chabet, Filipino painter and sculptor (d. 2013)
- 1937 – Smarck Michel, Haitian businessman and politician, 6th Prime Minister of Haiti (d. 2012)
- 1937 – Gordon Milne, English footballer
- 1938 – Bert de Vries, Dutch politician
- 1939 – Roland Arnall, French-American businessman and diplomat, 63rd United States Ambassador to the Netherlands (d. 2008)
- 1939 – Terence Hill, Italian actor, director, and producer
- 1939 – Hanumant Singh, Indian cricketer (d. 2006)
- 1940 – Ray Davis, American bass singer (d. 2005)
- 1940 – Astrud Gilberto, Brazilian singer-songwriter
- 1940 – John Suchet, English journalist and game show host
- 1941 – Joseph Hooton Taylor Jr., American astrophysicist and astronomer, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1942 – Bob Lurtsema, American football player
- 1942 – Scott Wilson, American actor (d. 2018)
- 1943 – Vangelis, Greek keyboard player and songwriter
- 1943 – Chad Allan, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1943 – Eric Idle, English actor and comedian
- 1943 – John Major, English banker and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
- 1944 – Terry Jacks, Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1944 – Denny McLain, American baseball player and sportscaster
- 1944 – Lynne Segal, Australian-British feminist academic and activist
- 1945 – Walt Frazier, American basketball player and sportscaster
- 1945 – Speedy Keen, English singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer (d. 2002)
- 1946 – Billy Thorpe, English-Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 2007)
- 1946 – Segun Bucknor, Nigerian musician and journalist (d. 2017)
- 1947 – Inge Bödding, German sprinter
- 1947 – Robert Gordon, American singer and actor
- 1947 – Bobby Kimball, American singer-songwriter
- 1948 – Bud Cort, American actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1948 – Piet Souer, Dutch record producer, songwriter and arranger
- 1949 – Michael Brecker, American saxophonist and composer (d. 2007)
- 1949 – Dave Greenfield, English musician (d. 2020)
- 1949 – Pauline Marois, Canadian social worker and politician, 30th Premier of Quebec
- 1949 – Keith Simpson, English historian and politician
- 1951 – William Clarke, American harmonica player (d. 1996)
- 1951 – Geoff Howarth, New Zealand cricketer
- 1951 – Tina Monzon-Palma, Filipino journalist
- 1952 – Rainer Bonhof, German footballer
- 1952 – Russell Fairfax, Australian rugby player and coach
- 1952 – John Hendricks, American businessman, founded Discovery Communications
- 1952 – Teófilo Stevenson, Cuban boxer and engineer (d. 2012)
- 1953 – Tõnis Palts, Estonian politician, 39th Mayor of Tallinn
- 1955 – Earl Campbell, American football player
- 1955 – Brendan Gleeson, Irish actor
- 1955 – Marina Sirtis, British-American actress
- 1956 – Patty Donahue, American singer (d. 1996)
- 1957 – Elizabeth Hand, American author
- 1957 – Christopher Lambert, American-born French actor
- 1958 – Pedro Bial, Brazilian journalist and producer
- 1958 – Travis Childers, American businessman and politician
- 1958 – Nouriel Roubini, Turkish-American economist and academic
- 1958 – Victor Salva, American director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1958 – Marc Silvestri, American publisher, founded Top Cow Productions
- 1959 – Barry Blanchard, Canadian mountaineer
- 1959 – Perry Farrell, American singer-songwriter
- 1959 – Brad McCrimmon, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2011)
- 1960 – Wayne Pearce, Australian rugby league player, coach, and sportscaster
- 1961 – Gary Brabham, English-Australian race car driver
- 1961 – Mike Kingery, American baseball player
- 1961 – Amy Sedaris, American actress and comedian
- 1961 – Michael Winterbottom, English director and producer
- 1962 – Billy Beane, American baseball player and manager
- 1962 – Ted Failon, Filipino journalist and politician
- 1962 – Kirk Triplett, American golfer
- 1964 – Catherine Cortez Masto, American attorney and politician
- 1964 – Jill Goodacre, American model and actress
- 1964 – Elle Macpherson, Australian model and actress
- 1964 – Ming Tsai, American chef and television host
- 1965 – Emilios T. Harlaftis, Greek astrophysicist, astronomer, and academic (d. 2005)
- 1965 – William Oefelein, American commander, pilot, and astronaut
- 1965 – Voula Patoulidou, Greek hurdler, long jumper, and politician
- 1966 – Krasimir Balakov, Bulgarian footballer and manager
- 1966 – Jeroen Dijsselbloem, Dutch politician
- 1966 – Eric Gunderson, American baseball player
- 1966 – Sigrid Kirchmann, Austrian high jumper
- 1967 – Ainars Bagatskis, Latvian basketball player and coach
- 1967 – Michel Hazanavicius, French director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1967 – Brian Jordan, American baseball player and sportscaster
- 1968 – Lucy Lawless, New Zealand actress
- 1969 – Kim Batten, American hurdler
- 1969 – Shinichi Mochizuki, Japanese mathematician
- 1969 – Jimmy Spencer, American football player and coach
- 1971 – Robert Gibbs, American political adviser, 28th White House Press Secretary
- 1971 – Lara Logan, South African television and radio journalist and war correspondent
- 1971 – Hidetoshi Nishijima, Japanese actor
- 1972 – Rui Costa, Portuguese footballer
- 1972 – Piet-Hein Geeris, Dutch field hockey player
- 1972 – Alex Ochoa, Cuban-American baseball player and coach
- 1972 – Priti Patel, British Indian politician, Secretary of State for the Home Department
- 1973 – Marc Overmars, Dutch footballer and coach
- 1973 – Sebastiano Siviglia, Italian footballer
- 1973 – Steve Smith, English high jumper
- 1974 – Miguel Gómez, Colombian-American photographer and educator
- 1976 – Igor Astarloa, Spanish cyclist
- 1976 – Jennifer Capriati, American tennis player
- 1978 – Aaron Persico, New Zealand-Italian rugby player
- 1980 – Bill Demong, American skier
- 1980 – Bruno Silva, Uruguayan footballer
- 1981 – Jlloyd Samuel, Trinidadian footballer (d. 2018)
- 1982 – Jēkabs Rēdlihs, Latvian ice hockey player
- 1983 – Darius Draudvila, Lithuanian decathlete
- 1984 – Juan Mónaco, Argentinian tennis player
- 1985 – Fernando Amorebieta, Venezuelan international footballer, central defender
- 1985 – Maxim Lapierre, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1985 – Mickey Pimentel, American football player
- 1986 – Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, English footballer
- 1986 – Ivan Ukhov, Russian high jumper
- 1987 – Gianluca Freddi, Italian footballer
- 1987 – Dimitri Payet, French footballer
- 1987 – Romain Hamouma, French footballer
- 1988 – Esther Cremer, German runner
- 1988 – Jesús Molina, Mexican footballer
- 1988 – Jürgen Zopp, Estonian tennis player
- 1989 – James Tomkins, English footballer
- 1990 – Carlos Peña, Mexican footballer
- 1990 – Teemu Pukki, Finnish footballer
- 1990 – Lyle Taylor, English footballer
- 1991 – Irene, South Korean idol, actress and television host
- 1991 – Fabio Borini, Italian footballer
- 1991 – N’Golo Kanté, French footballer
- 1993 – Thorgan Hazard, Belgian footballer
Deaths on March 29
- 87 BC – Emperor Wu of Han of China (b. 157 BC)
- AD 57 – Emperor Guangwu of Han (b. 5 BC)
- 500 – Gwynllyw, Welsh king and religious figure
- 1058 – Pope Stephen IX (b. 1020)
- 1075 – Ottokar I of Styria, German noble
- 1368 – Emperor Go-Murakami of Japan (b. 1328)
- 1461 – Henry Percy, 3rd Earl of Northumberland, English politician (b. 1421)
- 1461 – Lionel de Welles, 6th Baron Welles
- 1467 – Matthew Palaiologos Asen, Byzantine aristocrat and official
- 1578 – Louis I, Cardinal of Guise (b. 1527)
- 1578 – Arthur Champernowne, English admiral and politician (b. 1524)
- 1628 – Tobias Matthew, English archbishop and academic (b. 1546)
- 1629 – Jacob de Gheyn II, Dutch painter and engraver (b. 1565)
- 1692 – Nicolaus Bruhns, Danish-German organist, violinist, and composer (b. 1665)
- 1703 – George Frederick II, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach, (b. 1678)
- 1751 – Thomas Coram, English captain and philanthropist, founded Foundling Hospital (b. 1668)
- 1772 – Emanuel Swedenborg, Swedish astronomer, philosopher, and theologian (b. 1688)
- 1788 – Charles Wesley, English missionary and poet (b. 1707)
- 1792 – Gustav III of Sweden (b. 1746)
- 1800 – Marc René, marquis de Montalembert, French general and engineer (b. 1714)
- 1803 – Gottfried van Swieten, Dutch-Austrian librarian and diplomat (b. 1733)
- 1826 – Johann Heinrich Voss, German poet, translator, and academic (b. 1751)
- 1829 – Cornelio Saavedra, Argentinian general and politician (b. 1759)
- 1848 – John Jacob Astor, German-American businessman (b. 1763)
- 1855 – Henri Druey, Swiss politician, 2nd President of the Swiss Confederation (b. 1799)
- 1873 – Francesco Zantedeschi, Italian priest and physicist (b. 1797)
- 1877 – Inazuma Raigorō, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 7th Yokozuna (b. 1802)
- 1888 – Charles-Valentin Alkan, French pianist and composer (b. 1813)
- 1891 – John Plankinton, American businessman and industrialist, also noted for philanthropy (b. 1820)
- 1891 – Georges Seurat, French painter (b. 1859)
- 1900 – Cyrus K. Holliday, American businessman (b. 1826)
- 1905 – William Plankinton, American businessman, industrialist and banker (b. 1843)
- 1906 – Slava Raškaj, Croatian painter (b. 1878)
- 1911 – Alexandre Guilmant, French organist and composer (b. 1837)
- 1912 – Henry Robertson Bowers, Scottish lieutenant and explorer (b. 1883)
- 1912 – Robert Falcon Scott, English lieutenant and explorer (b. 1868)
- 1912 – Edward Adrian Wilson, English physician and explorer (b. 1872)
- 1924 – Charles Villiers Stanford, Irish composer and conductor (b. 1852)
- 1934 – Otto Hermann Kahn, German-American banker and philanthropist (b. 1867)
- 1937 – Karol Szymanowski, Polish pianist and composer (b. 1882)
- 1940 – Alexander Obolensky, Russian-English rugby player and soldier (b. 1916)
- 1948 – Harry Price, English parapsychologist and author (b. 1881)
- 1957 – Joyce Cary, Anglo-Irish novelist (b. 1888)
- 1959 – Barthélemy Boganda, African priest and politician, 1st Prime Minister of the Central African Republic (b. 1910)
- 1963 – Gaspard Fauteux, Canadian dentist and politician, 19th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (b. 1898)
- 1963 – August Rei, Estonian soldier, journalist, and politician, 12th Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1886)
- 1970 – Anna Louise Strong, American journalist and author (b. 1885)
- 1971 – Dhirendranath Datta, Pakistani lawyer and politician (b. 1886)
- 1972 – J. Arthur Rank, English businessman, founded Rank Organisation (b. 1888)
- 1980 – Mantovani, Italian-English conductor and composer (b. 1905)
- 1981 – Eric Williams, Trinidadian historian and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago (b. 1911)
- 1982 – Walter Hallstein, German academic and politician, 1st President of the European Commission (b. 1901)
- 1982 – Carl Orff, German composer and educator (b. 1895)
- 1982 – Nathan Farragut Twining, American general (b. 1897)
- 1985 – Luther Terry, American physician and academic, 9th Surgeon General of the United States (b. 1911)
- 1988 – Maurice Blackburn, Canadian composer and conductor (b. 1914)
- 1988 – Ted Kluszewski, American baseball player and coach (b. 1924)
- 1991 – Guy Bourdin, French photographer (b. 1928)
- 1992 – Paul Henreid, American actor (b. 1908)
- 1994 – Bill Travers, English actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1922)
- 1995 – Mort Meskin, American illustrator (b. 1916)
- 1995 – Terry Moore, American baseball player and coach (b. 1912)
- 1996 – Frank Daniel, Czech-American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1926)
- 1996 – Bill Goldsworthy, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1944)
- 1997 – Hans-Walter Eigenbrodt, German footballer and coach (b. 1935)
- 1999 – Gyula Zsengellér, Hungarian footballer (b. 1915)
- 1999 – Joe Williams, American jazz singer (b. 1918)
- 2001 – Helge Ingstad, Norwegian lawyer, academic, and explorer (b. 1899)
- 2001 – John Lewis, American pianist and composer (b. 1920)
- 2003 – Carlo Urbani, Italian physician and microbiologist (b. 1956)
- 2004 – Lise de Baissac, Mauritian-born SOE agent, war hero (b. 1905)
- 2004 – Joel Feinberg, American philosopher and academic (b. 1926)
- 2005 – Miltos Sachtouris, Greek poet and author (b. 1919)
- 2006 – Salvador Elizondo, Mexican author and poet (b. 1932)
- 2007 – Larry L’Estrange, English rugby player and soldier (b. 1934)
- 2009 – Vladimir Fedotov, Russian footballer and manager (b. 1943)
- 2009 – Andy Hallett, American actor and singer (b. 1975)
- 2011 – Ângelo de Sousa, Portuguese painter and sculptor (b. 1938)
- 2011 – Iakovos Kambanellis, Greek author, poet, playwright, and screenwriter (b. 1921)
- 2012 – Pap Cheyassin Secka, Gambian lawyer and politician (b. 1942)
- 2012 – Bill Jenkins, American race car driver and engineer (b. 1930)
- 2013 – Reginald Gray, Irish-French painter (b. 1930)
- 2013 – Brian Huggins, English-Canadian journalist and actor (b. 1931)
- 2013 – Liu Kang, Chinese footballer and manager (b. 1961)
- 2013 – Ralph Klein, Canadian journalist and politician, 12th Premier of Alberta (b. 1942)
- 2013 – Art Phillips, Canadian businessman and politician, 32nd Mayor of Vancouver (b. 1930)
- 2014 – Marc Platt, American actor and dancer (b. 1913)
- 2014 – Ruth A. M. Schmidt, American geologist and paleontologist (b. 1916)
- 2015 – William Delafield Cook, Australian-English painter (b. 1926)
- 2015 – Gerry Hardstaff, English cricketer (b. 1940)
- 2016 – Patty Duke, American actress (b. 1946)
- 2017 – Alexei Alexeyevich Abrikosov, Russian physicist (b. 1928)
- 2019 – Agnès Varda, French film director (b. 1928)
Holidays and observances on March 29
- Christian feast day:
- Berthold
- Eustace of Luxeuil
- Gwladys
- Gwynllyw
- Hans Nielsen Hauge (Lutheran)
- John Keble (commemoration, Anglicanism)
- March 29 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Earliest day on which the Octave Day of Easter can fall, while May 2 is the latest; observed on the Sunday after Easter. (Christianity)
- Boganda Day (Central African Republic)
- Commemoration of the 1947 Rebellion (Madagascar)
- National Vietnam War Veterans Day (United States of America)
- Day of the Young Combatant (Chile)
- Youth Day (Taiwan)
-
March 26 in History
- 590 – Emperor Maurice proclaims his son Theodosius as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
- 1027 – Pope John XIX crowns Conrad II as Holy Roman Emperor.
- 1169 – Saladin becomes the emir of Egypt.
- 1344 – The Siege of Algeciras, one of the first European military engagements where gunpowder was used, comes to an end.
- 1351 – Combat of the Thirty: Thirty Breton knights call out and defeat thirty English knights.
- 1484 – William Caxton prints his translation of Aesop’s Fables.
- 1552 – Guru Amar Das becomes the Third Sikh guru.
- 1636 – Utrecht University is founded in the Netherlands.
- 1697 – Safavid government troops take control of Basra
- 1812 – An earthquake devastates Caracas, Venezuela.
- 1812 – A political cartoon in the Boston Gazette coins the term “gerrymander” to describe oddly shaped electoral districts designed to help incumbents win reelection.
- 1830 – The Book of Mormon is published in Palmyra, New York.
- 1839 – The first Henley Royal Regatta is held.
- 1871 – The elections of Commune council of the Paris Commune are held.
- 1885 – The Métis people of the District of Saskatchewan under Louis Riel begin the North-West Rebellion against Canada.
- 1913 – First Balkan War: Bulgarian forces capture Adrianople.
- 1915 – The Vancouver Millionaires win the 1915 Stanley Cup Finals, the first championship played between the Pacific Coast Hockey Association and the National Hockey Association.
- 1917 – World War I: First Battle of Gaza: British troops are halted after 17,000 Turks block their advance.
- 1922 – The German Social Democratic Party is founded in Poland.
- 1931 – Swissair is founded as the national airline of Switzerland.
- 1931 – Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union is founded in Vietnam.
- 1934 – The United Kingdom driving test is introduced.
- 1939 – Spanish Civil War: Nationalists begin their final offensive of the war.
- 1942 – World War II: The first female prisoners arrive at Auschwitz concentration camp in German-occupied Poland.
- 1945 – World War II: The Battle of Iwo Jima ends as the island is officially secured by American forces.
- 1954 – Nuclear weapons testing: The Romeo shot of Operation Castle is detonated at Bikini Atoll. Yield: 11 megatons.
- 1958 – The United States Army launches Explorer 3.
- 1958 – The African Regroupment Party is launched at a meeting in Paris.
- 1967 – Ten thousand people gather for one of many Central Park be-ins in New York City.
- 1970 – South Vietnamese President Nguyễn Văn Thiệu implements a land reform program to solve the problem of land tenancy.
- 1971 – East Pakistan declares its independence from Pakistan to form Bangladesh and the Bangladesh Liberation War begins.
- 1975 – The Biological Weapons Convention comes into force.
- 1979 – Anwar al-Sadat, Menachem Begin and Jimmy Carter sign the Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty in Washington, D.C.
- 1981 – Social Democratic Party (UK) is founded as a party.
- 1982 – A groundbreaking ceremony for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is held in Washington, D.C.
- 1991 – Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay sign the Treaty of Asunción, establishing Mercosur, the South Common Market.
- 1997 – Thirty-nine bodies are found in the Heaven’s Gate mass suicides.
- 1998 – During the Algerian Civil War, the Oued Bouaicha massacre sees fifty-two people, mostly infants, killed with axes and knives.
- 2005 – Around 200,000 to 300,000 Taiwanese demonstrate in Taipei in opposition to the Anti-Secession Law of China.
- 2010 – The South Korean Navy corvette Cheonan is torpedoed, killing 46 sailors. After an international investigation, the President of the United Nations Security Council blames North Korea.
- 2017 – Russia-wide anti-corruption protests in 99 cities. The Levada Center survey showed that 38% of surveyed Russians supported protests and that 67 percent held Putin personally responsible for high-level corruption.
Births on March 26
- 1031 – Malcolm III, king of Scotland (d. 1093)
- 1516 – Conrad Gessner, Swiss botanist and zoologist (d. 1565)
- 1554 – Charles of Lorraine, duke of Mayenne (d. 1611)
- 1584 – John II, duke of Zweibrücken (d. 1635)
- 1633 – Mary Beale, British artist (d. 1699)
- 1634 – Domenico Freschi, Italian priest and composer (d. 1710)
- 1656 – Nicolaas Hartsoeker, Dutch mathematician and physicist (d. 1725)
- 1687 – Sophia Dorothea of Hanover, queen consort of Prussia (d. 1757)
- 1698 – Prokop Diviš, Czech priest, scientist and inventor (d. 1765)
- 1749 – William Blount, American politician (d. 1800)
- 1753 – Benjamin Thompson, American-French physicist and politician, Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies (d. 1814)
- 1773 – Nathaniel Bowditch, American mathematician and navigator (d. 1838)
- 1794 – Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, German painter (d. 1872)
- 1804 – David Humphreys Storer, American physician and academic (d. 1891)
- 1824 – Julie-Victoire Daubié, French journalist (d. 1874)
- 1829 – Théodore Aubanel, French poet (d. 1886)
- 1842 – Alexandre Saint-Yves d’Alveydre, French occultist (d. 1909)
- 1850 – Edward Bellamy, American author, socialist, and utopian visionary (d. 1898)
- 1852 – Élémir Bourges, French author (d. 1925)
- 1854 – Maurice Lecoq, French target shooter (d. 1925)
- 1856 – William Massey, Irish-New Zealand farmer and politician, 19th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1925)
- 1857 – Théodore Tuffier, French surgeon (d. 1929)
- 1859 – A. E. Housman, English poet and scholar (d. 1936)
- 1859 – Adolf Hurwitz, Jewish German-Swiss mathematician and academic (d. 1919)
- 1860 – André Prévost, French tennis player (d. 1919)
- 1866 – Fred Karno, English producer and manager (d. 1941)
- 1868 – King Fuad I of Egypt (d. 1936)
- 1873 – Dorothea Bleek, South African-German anthropologist and philologist (d. 1948)
- 1874 – Robert Frost, American poet and playwright (d. 1963)
- 1875 – Max Abraham, Polish-German physicist and academic (d. 1922)
- 1875 – Syngman Rhee, South Korean journalist and politician, 1st President of South Korea (d. 1965)
- 1876 – William of Wied, prince of Albania (d. 1945)
- 1876 – Kate Richards O’Hare, American Socialist Party activist and editor (d. 1948)
- 1879 – Othmar Ammann, Swiss-American engineer, designed the George Washington Bridge and Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge (d. 1965)
- 1879 – Waldemar Tietgens, German rower (d. 1917)
- 1881 – Guccio Gucci, Italian fashion designer, founded Gucci (d. 1953)
- 1882 – Hermann Obrecht, Swiss politician (d. 1940)
- 1884 – Wilhelm Backhaus, German pianist and educator (d. 1969)
- 1884 – Georges Imbert, French chemical engineer and inventor (d. 1950)
- 1886 – Hugh Mulzac, Vincentian-American soldier and politician (d. 1971)
- 1888 – Elsa Brändström, Swedish nurse and philanthropist (d. 1948)
- 1893 – James Bryant Conant, American chemist, academic, and diplomat, 1st United States Ambassador to West Germany (d. 1978)
- 1893 – Palmiro Togliatti, Italian journalist and politician, Italian Minister of Justice (d. 1964)
- 1894 – Viorica Ursuleac, Ukrainian-Romanian soprano and actress (d. 1985)
- 1895 – Vilho Tuulos, Finnish triple jumper (d. 1967)
- 1898 – Rudolf Dassler, German businessman, founded Puma SE (d. 1974)
- 1898 – Charles Shadwell, English conductor and bandleader (d. 1979)
- 1900 – Angela Maria Autsch, German nun, died in Auschwitz helping Jewish prisoners (d. 1941)
- 1904 – Joseph Campbell, American mythologist and author (d. 1987)
- 1904 – Emilio Fernández, Mexican actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1986)
- 1904 – Attilio Ferraris, Italian footballer (d. 1947)
- 1905 – Monty Berman, English cinematographer and producer (d. 2006)
- 1905 – André Cluytens, Belgian-French conductor and director (d. 1967)
- 1905 – Viktor Frankl, Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist (d. 1997)
- 1906 – Rafael Méndez, Mexican trumpet player and composer (d. 1981)
- 1907 – Azellus Denis, Canadian lawyer and politician, Postmaster General of Canada (d. 1991)
- 1907 – Mahadevi Varma, Indian poet and activist (d. 1987)
- 1908 – Franz Stangl, Austrian-German SS officer (d. 1971)
- 1909 – Chips Rafferty, Australian actor (d. 1971)
- 1910 – K. W. Devanayagam, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician, 10th Sri Lankan Minister of Justice (d. 2002)
- 1911 – Lennart Atterwall, Swedish javelin thrower (d. 2001)
- 1911 – J. L. Austin, English philosopher and academic (d. 1960)
- 1911 – Bernard Katz, German-English biophysicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2003)
- 1911 – Tennessee Williams, American playwright, and poet (d. 1983)
- 1913 – Jacqueline de Romilly, Jewish Franco-Greek philologist, author, and scholar (d. 2010)
- 1913 – Paul Erdős, Hungarian-Polish mathematician and academic (d. 1996)
- 1914 – Toru Kumon, Japanese mathematician and academic (d. 1995)
- 1914 – William Westmoreland, American general (d. 2005)
- 1915 – Lennart Strandberg, Swedish sprinter (d. 1989)
- 1915 – Hwang Sun-won, North Korean author and poet (d. 2000)
- 1916 – Christian B. Anfinsen, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1995)
- 1916 – Bill Edrich, English cricketer and footballer (d. 1986)
- 1916 – Sterling Hayden, American actor and author (d. 1986)
- 1917 – Rufus Thomas, American R&B singer-songwriter (d. 2001)
- 1919 – Strother Martin, American actor (d. 1980)
- 1919 – Roger Leger, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1965)
- 1920 – Sergio Livingstone, Chilean footballer and journalist (d. 2012)
- 1922 – William Milliken, American politician, 44th Governor of Michigan (d. 2019)
- 1922 – Oscar Sala, Italian-Brazilian physicist and academic (d. 2010)
- 1922 – Guido Stampacchia, Italian mathematician and academic (d. 1978)
- 1923 – Gert Bastian, German general and politician (d. 1992)
- 1923 – Bob Elliott, American comedian, actor, and screenwriter (d. 2016)
- 1925 – Maqsood Ahmed, Pakistani cricketer (d. 1999)
- 1925 – Pierre Boulez, French pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 2016)
- 1925 – Vesta Roy, American politician, Governor of New Hampshire (d. 2002)
- 1925 – Edward Graham, Baron Graham of Edmonton, English soldier and politician (d. 2020)
- 1925 – Ben Mondor, Canadian-American businessman (d. 2010)
- 1925 – James Moody, American saxophonist and composer (d. 2010)
- 1927 – Harold Chapman, English photographer
- 1929 – Edward Sorel, American illustrator and caricaturist
- 1929 – Edwin Turney, American businessman, co-founded Advanced Micro Devices (d. 2008)
- 1930 – Sandra Day O’Connor, American lawyer and jurist
- 1930 – Gregory Corso, American poet (d. 2001)
- 1931 – Leonard Nimoy, American actor (d. 2015)
- 1932 – Leroy Griffith, American businessman
- 1932 – James Andrew Harris, American chemist and academic (d. 2000)
- 1933 – Tinto Brass, Italian director and screenwriter
- 1934 – Alan Arkin, American actor
- 1934 – Edvaldo Alves de Santa Rosa, Brazilian footballer (d. 2002)
- 1937 – Wayne Embry, American basketball player and manager
- 1937 – Barbara Jones, American sprinter
- 1937 – James Lee, Canadian businessman and politician, 26th Premier of Prince Edward Island
- 1938 – Norman Ackroyd, English painter and illustrator
- 1938 – Anthony James Leggett, English-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1940 – James Caan, American actor and singer
- 1940 – Nancy Pelosi, American lawyer and politician, 60th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
- 1941 – Richard Dawkins, Kenyan-English ethologist, biologist, and academic
- 1941 – Lella Lombardi, Italian racing driver (d. 1992)
- 1942 – Erica Jong, American novelist and poet
- 1943 – Mustafa Kalemli, Turkish physician and politician, Turkish Minister of the Interior
- 1943 – Bob Woodward, American journalist and author
- 1944 – Diana Ross, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
- 1945 – Paul Bérenger, Mauritian politician, Prime Minister of Mauritius
- 1945 – Mikhail Voronin, Russian gymnast and coach (d. 2004)
- 1946 – Johnny Crawford, American actor and singer
- 1946 – Alain Madelin, French politician, French Minister of Finance
- 1947 – Subhash Kak, Indian-American professor and author
- 1947 – John Rowles, New Zealand-Australian singer-songwriter
- 1948 – Kyung-wha Chung, South Korean violinist and educator
- 1948 – Richard Tandy, English pianist and keyboard player (Electric Light Orchestra)
- 1948 – Steven Tyler, American singer-songwriter and actor
- 1949 – Jon English, English-Australian singer-songwriter and actor (d. 2016)
- 1949 – Rudi Koertzen, South African cricketer and umpire
- 1949 – Vicki Lawrence, American actress, comedian, talk show host, and singer
- 1949 – Fran Sheehan, American bass player
- 1949 – Patrick Süskind, German author and screenwriter
- 1949 – Ernest Lee Thomas, American actor
- 1950 – Teddy Pendergrass, American singer-songwriter (d. 2010)
- 1950 – Graham Barlow, English cricketer
- 1950 – Martin Short, Canadian-American actor, screenwriter, and producer
- 1950 – Alan Silvestri, American composer and conductor
- 1951 – Željko Pavličević, Croatian professional basketball coach and former professional player
- 1951 – Carl Wieman, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1952 – Didier Pironi, French racing driver (d. 1987)
- 1953 – Lincoln Chafee, American academic and politician, 74th Governor of Rhode Island
- 1953 – Elaine Chao, Taiwanese-American banker and politician, 24th United States Secretary of Labor
- 1953 – Tatyana Providokhina, Russian runner
- 1954 – Clive Palmer, Australian businessman and politician
- 1954 – Curtis Sliwa, American talk show host and activist, founded Guardian Angels
- 1954 – Dorothy Porter, Australian poet and playwright (d. 2008)
- 1956 – Charly McClain, American country singer
- 1956 – Park Won-soon, South Korean lawyer and politician, 35th Mayor of Seoul
- 1957 – Fiona Bruce, Scottish lawyer and politician
- 1957 – Leeza Gibbons, American talk show host and television personality
- 1957 – Paul Morley, English journalist, producer, and author
- 1957 – Shirin Neshat, Iranian visual artist
- 1958 – Elio de Angelis, Italian racing driver (d. 1986)
- 1960 – Marcus Allen, American football player and sportscaster
- 1960 – Jennifer Grey, American actress and dancer
- 1960 – Graeme Rutjes, Australian-Dutch footballer
- 1961 – William Hague, English historian and politician, First Secretary of State
- 1962 – Richard Coles, English pianist, saxophonist, and priest
- 1962 – Kevin Seitzer, American baseball player and coach
- 1962 – Yuri Gidzenko, Russian pilot and cosmonaut
- 1962 – John Stockton, American basketball player and coach
- 1962 – Eric Allan Kramer, American-Canadian actor
- 1963 – Natsuhiko Kyogoku, Japanese author
- 1964 – Martin Bella, Australian rugby league player
- 1964 – Martin Donnelly, Irish racing driver
- 1964 – Maria Miller, English businessman and politician, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
- 1964 – Ulf Samuelsson, Swedish-American ice hockey player and coach
- 1965 – Trey Azagthoth, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
- 1965 – Violeta Szekely, Romanian runner
- 1966 – Michael Imperioli, American actor and screenwriter
- 1967 – Jason Chaffetz, American politician
- 1968 – Laurent Brochard, French cyclist
- 1968 – Kenny Chesney, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1968 – James Iha, American guitarist and songwriter
- 1969 – Alessandro Moscardi, Italian rugby player
- 1970 – Paul Bosvelt, Dutch footballer
- 1970 – Jelle Goes, Dutch footballer and coach
- 1970 – Thomas Kyparissis, Greek footballer
- 1970 – Martin McDonagh, English-born Irish playwright, screenwriter, and director
- 1971 – Behzad Ghorbani, Iranian zoologist
- 1971 – Martyn Day, Scottish politician
- 1971 – Erick Morillo, Colombian-American DJ and producer
- 1971 – Rennae Stubbs, Australian tennis player and sportscaster
- 1971 – Paul Williams, English footballer and manager
- 1972 – Leslie Mann, American actress
- 1972 – Jason Maxwell, American baseball player
- 1973 – Larry Page, American computer scientist and businessman, co-founder of Google
- 1973 – T. R. Knight, American actor
- 1973 – Matt Burke, Australian rugby player and sportscaster
- 1974 – Irina Spîrlea, Romanian tennis player
- 1974 – Vadimas Petrenko, Lithuanian footballer
- 1974 – Michael Peca, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1976 – Amy Smart, American actress and former model
- 1976 – Alex Varas, Chilean footballer
- 1976 – Eirik Verås Larsen, Norwegian sprint kayaker
- 1977 – Kevin Davies, English footballer
- 1977 – Bianca Kajlich, American actress
- 1977 – Sylvain Grenier, Canadian wrestler
- 1978 – Anastasia Kostaki, Greek basketball player
- 1979 – Nacho Novo, Spanish footballer
- 1979 – Ben Blair, New Zealand rugby union footballer
- 1979 – Hiromi Uehara, Japanese pianist and composer
- 1979 – Pierre Womé, Cameroonian footballer
- 1979 – Juliana Paes, Brazilian actress
- 1980 – Margaret Brennan, American journalist
- 1980 – Son Ho-young, South Korean singer
- 1980 – Richie Wellens, English footballer
- 1981 – Sébastien Centomo, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1981 – Baruch Dego, Ethiopian-Israeli footballer
- 1981 – Massimo Donati, Italian footballer
- 1981 – Josh Wilson, American baseball player
- 1982 – Mikel Arteta, Spanish footballer
- 1982 – Brendan Ryan, American baseball player
- 1982 – Nate Kaeding, American football player
- 1983 – Andreas Hinkel, German footballer
- 1983 – Floriana Lima, American actress
- 1983 – Roman Bednář, Czech footballer
- 1983 – Mike Mondo, American wrestler
- 1984 – Jimmy Howard, American ice hockey player
- 1984 – Drew Mitchell, Australian rugby player
- 1984 – Felix Neureuther, German skier
- 1984 – Marco Stier, German footballer
- 1984 – Gregory Strydom, Zimbabwean cricketer
- 1984 – Sara Jean Underwood, American model, television host, and actress
- 1985 – Keira Knightley, English actress
- 1985 – Matt Grevers, American swimmer
- 1985 – Jonathan Groff, American actor and singer
- 1985 – Prosper Utseya, Zimbabwean cricketer
- 1986 – Maxime Biset, Belgian footballer
- 1986 – Rob Kearney, Irish rugby player
- 1986 – Emma Laine, Finnish tennis player
- 1987 – Kim Dong-suk, South Korean footballer
- 1987 – Jermichael Finley, American football player
- 1987 – Steven Fletcher, Scottish footballer
- 1989 – Simon Kjær, Danish footballer
- 1990 – Choi Woo-shik, South Korean actor
- 1990 – Patrick Ekeng, Cameroonian footballer (d. 2016)
- 1990 – Yuya Takaki, Japanese idol, singer, dancer, model and actor
- 1990 – Xiumin, South Korean singer and actor, member of South Korean boy band EXO
- 1991 – Matt Davidson, American baseball player
- 1992 – Nina Agdal, Danish model
- 1992 – Stoffel Vandoorne, Belgian racing driver
- 1994 – Jed Wallace, English footballer
- 1996 – Zane Musgrove, New Zealand rugby league player
- 1996 – Kathryn Bernardo, Filipino actress
- 1998 – Satoko Miyahara, Japanese figure skater
- 2003 – Bhad Bhabie, American rapper and social media personality
Deaths on March 26
- 752 – Pope-elect Stephen
- 809 – Ludger, Frisian missionary
- 903 – Sugawara no Michizane, Japanese poet
- 908 – Ai, emperor of the Tang Dynasty (b. 892)
- 922 – Mansur Al-Hallaj, Persian mystic and poet (b. 858)
- 929 – Wang Du, Chinese warlord and governor (jiedushi)
- 973 – Guntram (“the Rich”), Frankish nobleman
- 983 – ‘Adud al-Dawla, Iranian ruler (b. 936)
- 1091 – Wallada bint al-Mustakfi, Andalusian poet
- 1130 – Sigurd the Crusader, Norwegian king (b. 1090)
- 1132 – Geoffrey of Vendôme, French cardinal and theologian (b. 1065)
- 1212 – Sancho I of Portugal (b. 1154)
- 1242 – William de Forz, 3rd Earl of Albemarle
- 1324 – Marie de Luxembourg, Queen of France (b. 1304)
- 1326 – Alessandra Giliani, anatomist (b. c. 1307)
- 1402 – David Stewart, Duke of Rothesay, heir to the throne of Scotland (b. 1378)
- 1437 – Walter Stewart, Earl of Atholl, Scottish nobleman and regicide
- 1517 – Heinrich Isaac, Flemish composer (b. 1450)
- 1535 – Georg Tannstetter, Austrian mathematician, astronomer, and cartographer (b. 1482)
- 1546 – Thomas Elyot, English scholar and diplomat (b. 1490)
- 1566 – Antonio de Cabezón, Spanish organist and composer (b. 1510)
- 1625 – Giambattista Marini, Italian poet (b. 1569)
- 1649 – John Winthrop, English lawyer and politician, 2nd Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony
- 1679 – Johannes Schefferus, Swedish historian and author (b. 1621)
- 1697 – Godfrey McCulloch, Scottish politician (b. 1640)
- 1726 – John Vanbrugh, English playwright and architect, designed Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard (b. 1664)
- 1772 – Charles Pinot Duclos, French author and politician (b. 1704)
- 1776 – Samuel Ward, American jurist and politician, 31st Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island (b. 1725)
- 1780 – Charles I, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (b. 1713)
- 1793 – John Mudge, English physician and engineer (b. 1721)
- 1797 – James Hutton, Scottish geologist and physician (b. 1726)
- 1814 – Joseph-Ignace Guillotin, French physician and politician (b. 1738)
- 1827 – Ludwig van Beethoven, German pianist and composer (b. 1770)
- 1858 – John Addison Thomas, American lieutenant, engineer, and politician, 3rd United States Assistant Secretary of State (b. 1811)
- 1862 – Uriah P. Levy, American commander (b. 1792)
- 1881 – Roman Sanguszko, Polish general and activist (b. 1800)
- 1885 – Anson Stager, American general and businessman, co-founded Western Union (b. 1825)
- 1888 – Barghash bin Said of Zanzibar (b. 1837)
- 1892 – Walt Whitman, American poet, essayist, and journalist (b. 1819)
- 1902 – Cecil Rhodes, English-South African colonialist, businessman and politician, 6th Prime Minister of the Cape Colony (b. 1853)
- 1905 – Maurice Barrymore, American actor (b. 1849)
- 1910 – Auguste Charlois, French astronomer (b. 1864)
- 1920 – William Chester Minor, American surgeon and lexicographer (b. 1834)
- 1923 – Sarah Bernhardt, French actress and screenwriter (b. 1844)
- 1926 – Constantin Fehrenbach, German lawyer and politician, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1852)
- 1932 – Henry M. Leland, American machinist, inventor, engineer, automotive entrepreneur and founded of Cadillac and Lincoln (b. 1843)
- 1934 – John Biller, American jumper and discus thrower (b. 1877)
- 1940 – Wilhelm Anderson, German-Estonian astrophysicist (b. 1880)
- 1940 – Spyridon Louis, Greek runner (b. 1873)
- 1942 – Jimmy Burke, American baseball player and manager (b. 1874)
- 1942 – Carolyn Wells, American novelist and poet (b. 1862)
- 1945 – David Lloyd George, English-Welsh lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1863)
- 1951 – James F. Hinkle, American banker and politician, 6th Governor of New Mexico (b. 1864)
- 1954 – Charles Perrin, French rower (b. 1875)
- 1957 – Édouard Herriot, French politician, Prime Minister of France (b. 1872)
- 1958 – Phil Mead, English cricketer and footballer (b. 1887)
- 1959 – Raymond Chandler, American crime novelist and screenwriter (b. 1888)
- 1966 – Victor Hochepied, French swimmer (b. 1883)
- 1969 – John Kennedy Toole, American novelist (b. 1937)
- 1973 – Noël Coward, English playwright, actor, and composer (b. 1899)
- 1973 – Johnny Drake, American football player (b. 1916)
- 1979 – Beauford Delaney, American-French painter (b. 1901)
- 1979 – Jean Stafford, American author and academic (b. 1915)
- 1980 – Roland Barthes, French linguist and critic (b. 1915)
- 1983 – Anthony Blunt, English historian and spy (b. 1907)
- 1984 – Ahmed Sékou Touré, Guinean politician, 1st President of Guinea (b. 1922)
- 1987 – Eugen Jochum, German conductor (b. 1902)
- 1987 – Walter Abel, American actor (b. 1898)
- 1990 – Halston, American fashion designer (b. 1932)
- 1992 – Barbara Frum, American-Canadian journalist and radio host (b. 1937)
- 1993 – Louis Falco, American dancer and choreographer (b. 1942)
- 1995 – Eazy-E, American rapper and producer (b. 1964)
- 1996 – Edmund Muskie, American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician, 58th United States Secretary of State (b. 1914)
- 1996 – David Packard, American engineer and businessman, co-founded Hewlett-Packard (b. 1912)
- 2000 – Alex Comfort, English physician and author (b. 1920)
- 2002 – Randy Castillo, American drummer and songwriter (b. 1950)
- 2003 – Daniel Patrick Moynihan, American sociologist and politician, 12th United States Ambassador to the United Nations (b. 1927)
- 2004 – Jan Sterling, American actress (b. 1921)
- 2005 – James Callaghan, English lieutenant and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1912)
- 2005 – Frederick Rotimi Williams, Nigerian lawyer and politician (b. 1920)
- 2006 – Anil Biswas, Indian journalist and politician (b. 1944)
- 2006 – Paul Dana, American racing driver (b. 1975)
- 2006 – Nikki Sudden, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1956)
- 2008 – Robert Fagles, American poet and academic (b. 1933)
- 2008 – Manuel Marulanda, Colombian rebel leader (b. 1930)
- 2009 – Shane McConkey, Canadian skier and BASE jumper (b. 1969)
- 2009 – Arne Bendiksen, Norwegian singer and composer (b. 1926)
- 2010 – Charles Ryskamp, American art collector and curator (b. 1928)
- 2011 – Roger Abbott, English-Canadian actor, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1946)
- 2011 – Geraldine Ferraro, American lawyer and politician (b. 1935)
- 2011 – Diana Wynne Jones, English author (b. 1934)
- 2012 – Sisto Averno, American football player (b. 1925)
- 2012 – Michael Begley, Irish carpenter and politician (b. 1932)
- 2012 – Thomas M. Cover, American theorist and academic (b. 1938)
- 2012 – David Craighead, American organist and educator (b. 1924)
- 2012 – Manik Godghate, Indian poet and educator (b. 1937)
- 2012 – Helmer Ringgren, Swedish theologian and academic (b. 1917)
- 2013 – Tom Boerwinkle, American basketball player and sportscaster (b. 1945)
- 2013 – Krzysztof Kozłowski, Polish journalist and politician, Polish Minister of Interior (b. 1931)
- 2013 – Dave Leggett, American baseball player (b. 1933)
- 2013 – Don Payne, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1964)
- 2014 – Roger Birkman, American psychologist and author (b. 1919)
- 2014 – Dick Guidry, American businessman and politician (b. 1929)
- 2014 – Marcus Kimball, Baron Kimball, English politician (b. 1928)
- 2015 – Dinkha IV, Iraqi patriarch (b. 1935)
- 2015 – Friedrich L. Bauer, German mathematician, computer scientist, and academic (b. 1924)
- 2015 – Tomas Tranströmer, Swedish poet, translator, and psychologist Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1931)
- 2016 – Jim Harrison, American novelist, essayist, and poet (b. 1937)
- 2018 – Fabrizio Frizzi, Italian television presenter (b. 1958)
Holidays and observances on March 26
- Christian feast days:
- Castulus
- Emmanuel and companions
- Felicitas
- Harriet Monsell (Church of England)
- Larissa
- Ludger
- Richard Allen (Episcopal Church (USA))
- March 26 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Independence Day and National Day (Bangladesh), celebrates the declaration of independence from Pakistan in 1971.
- Martyr’s Day or Day of Democracy (Mali)
- Prince Kūhiō Day (Hawaii, United States)
- Purple Day (Canada and United States)
- Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel (Eastern Christianity)