1738

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

    • 1257 – Kraków, in Poland, receives city rights.
    • 1283 – Battle of the Gulf of Naples: Roger of Lauria, admiral to King Peter III of Aragon, destroys the Neapolitan fleet and captures Charles of Salerno.
    • 1288 – The Battle of Worringen ends the War of the Limburg Succession, with John I, Duke of Brabant, being one of the more important victors.
    • 1610 – The masque Tethys’ Festival is performed at Whitehall Palace to celebrate the investiture of Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales.
    • 1644 – The Qing dynasty Manchu forces led by the Shunzhi Emperor take Beijing during the collapse of the Ming dynasty.
    • 1798 – The Battle of New Ross: The attempt to spread the United Irish Rebellion into Munster is defeated.
    • 1817 – The first Great Lakes steamer, the Frontenac, is launched.
    • 1829 – HMS Pickle captures the armed slave ship Voladora off the coast of Cuba.
    • 1832 – The June Rebellion breaks out in Paris in an attempt to overthrow the monarchy of Louis Philippe.
    • 1837 – Houston is incorporated by the Republic of Texas.
    • 1849 – Denmark becomes a constitutional monarchy by the signing of a new constitution.
    • 1851 – Harriet Beecher Stowe’s anti-slavery serial, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, or Life Among the Lowly, starts a ten-month run in the National Era abolitionist newspaper.
    • 1862 – As the Treaty of Saigon is signed, ceding parts of southern Vietnam to France, the guerrilla leader Trương Định decides to defy Emperor Tự Đức of Vietnam and fight on against the Europeans.
    • 1864 – American Civil War: Battle of Piedmont: Union forces under General David Hunter defeat a Confederate army at Piedmont, Virginia, taking nearly 1,000 prisoners.
    • 1873 – Sultan Barghash bin Said of Zanzibar closes the great slave market under the terms of a treaty with Great Britain.
    • 1883 – The first regularly scheduled Orient Express departs Paris.
    • 1888 – The Rio de la Plata earthquake takes place.
    • 1893 – The trial of Lizzie Borden for the murder of her father and step-mother begins in New Bedford, Massachusetts.
    • 1900 – Second Boer War: British soldiers take Pretoria.
    • 1915 – Denmark amends its constitution to allow women’s suffrage.
    • 1916 – Louis Brandeis is sworn in as a Justice of the United States Supreme Court; he is the first American Jew to hold such a position.
    • 1916 – World War I: The Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire breaks out.
    • 1917 – World War I: Conscription begins in the United States as “Army registration day”.
    • 1940 – World War II: After a brief lull in the Battle of France, the Germans renew the offensive against the remaining French divisions south of the River Somme in Operation Fall Rot (“Case Red”).
    • 1941 – World War II: Four thousand Chongqing residents are asphyxiated in a bomb shelter during the Bombing of Chongqing.
    • 1942 – World War II: The United States declares war on Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania.
    • 1944 – World War II: More than 1,000 British bombers drop 5,000 tons of bombs on German gun batteries on the Normandy coast in preparation for D-Day.
    • 1945 – The Allied Control Council, the military occupation governing body of Germany, formally takes power.
    • 1946 – A fire in the La Salle Hotel in Chicago, Illinois, kills 61 people.
    • 1947 – Cold War: Marshall Plan: In a speech at Harvard University, the United States Secretary of State George Marshall calls for economic aid to war-torn Europe.
    • 1949 – Thailand elects Orapin Chaiyakan, the first female member of Thailand’s Parliament.
    • 1956 – Elvis Presley introduces his new single, “Hound Dog”, on The Milton Berle Show, scandalizing the audience with his suggestive hip movements.
    • 1959 – The first government of Singapore is sworn in.
    • 1963 – The British Secretary of State for War, John Profumo, resigns in a sex scandal known as the “Profumo affair”.
    • 1963 – Movement of 15 Khordad: Protests against the arrest of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini by the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. In several cities, masses of angry demonstrators are confronted by tanks and paratroopers.
    • 1964 – DSV Alvin is commissioned.
    • 1967 – The Six-Day War begins: Israel launches surprise strikes against Egyptian air-fields in response to the mobilisation of Egyptian forces on the Israeli border.
    • 1968 – Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy is assassinated by Sirhan Sirhan.
    • 1975 – The Suez Canal opens for the first time since the Six-Day War.
    • 1975 – The United Kingdom holds its first country-wide referendum on membership of the European Economic Community (EEC).
    • 1976 – The Teton Dam in Idaho, United States, collapses.
    • 1981 – The “Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report” of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that five people in Los Angeles, California, have a rare form of pneumonia seen only in patients with weakened immune systems, in what turns out to be the first recognized cases of AIDS.
    • 1983 – More than 100 people are killed when the Russian river cruise ship Aleksandr Suvorov collides with a girder of the Ulyanovsk Railway Bridge. The collision caused a freight train to derail, further damaging the vessel yet the ship remained afloat and was eventually restored and returned to service.
    • 1984 – Operation Blue Star: Under orders from India’s prime minister, Indira Gandhi, the Indian Army begins an invasion of the Golden Temple, the holiest site of the Sikh religion.
    • 1989 – The Tank Man halts the progress of a column of advancing tanks for over half an hour after the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989.
    • 1993 – Portions of the Holbeck Hall Hotel in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, UK, fall into the sea following a landslide.
    • 1995 – The Bose–Einstein condensate is first created.
    • 1997 – The Second Republic of the Congo Civil War begins.
    • 1998 – A strike begins at the General Motors parts factory in Flint, Michigan, that quickly spreads to five other assembly plants. The strike lasts seven weeks.
    • 2000 – The Six-Day War in Kisangani begins in Kisangani, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, between Ugandan and Rwandan forces. A large part of the city is destroyed.
    • 2001 – Tropical Storm Allison makes landfall on the upper-Texas coastline as a strong tropical storm and dumps large amounts of rain over Houston. The storm causes $5.5 billion in damages, making Allison the second costliest tropical storm in U.S. history.
    • 2003 – A severe heat wave across Pakistan and India reaches its peak, as temperatures exceed 50 °C (122 °F) in the region.
    • 2004 – Noël Mamère, Mayor of Bègles, celebrates marriage for two men for the first time in France.
    • 2006 – Serbia declares independence from the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro.
    • 2009 – After 65 straight days of civil disobedience, at least 31 people are killed in clashes between security forces and indigenous people near Bagua, Peru.
    • 2013 – A building collapse in Philadelphia kills six and wounds 14 other people.
    • 2015 – An earthquake with a moment magnitude of 6.0 struck Ranau, Sabah, Malaysia killing 18 people, including hikers and mountain guides on Mount Kinabalu, after mass landslides that occurred during the earthquake. This is the strongest earthquake to strike Malaysia since 1975.
    • 2017 – Montenegro becomes the 29th member of the NATO.
    • 2017 – Six Arab countries—Bahrain, Egypt, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and the United Arab Emirates—cut diplomatic ties with Qatar, accusing it of destabilising the region.

    Births on June 5

    • 1341 – Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, son of King Edward III of England and Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports (d. 1402)
    • 1412 – Ludovico III Gonzaga, Marquis of Mantua, Italian ruler (d. 1478)
    • 1493 – Justus Jonas, German priest and academic (d. 1555)
    • 1523 – Margaret of France, Duchess of Berry (d. 1573)
    • 1554 – Benedetto Giustiniani, Italian clergyman (d. 1621)
    • 1587 – Robert Rich, 2nd Earl of Warwick, English colonial administrator and admiral (d. 1658)
    • 1596 – Peter Wtewael, Dutch Golden Age painter (d. 1660)
    • 1640 – Pu Songling, Chinese author (d. 1715)
    • 1646 – Elena Cornaro Piscopia, Italian mathematician and philosopher (d. 1684)
    • 1660 – Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough (d. 1744)
    • 1757 – Pierre Jean George Cabanis, French physiologist and philosopher (d. 1808)
    • 1760 – Johan Gadolin, Finnish chemist, physicist, and mineralogist (d. 1852)
    • 1771 – Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover (d. 1851)
    • 1781 – Christian Lobeck, German scholar and academic (d. 1860)
    • 1801 – William Scamp, English architect and engineer (d. 1872)
    • 1819 – John Couch Adams, English mathematician and astronomer (d. 1892)
    • 1830 – Carmine Crocco, Italian soldier (d. 1905)
    • 1850 – Pat Garrett, American sheriff (d. 1908)
    • 1862 – Allvar Gullstrand, Swedish ophthalmologist and optician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1930)
    • 1868 – James Connolly, Scottish-born Irish rebel leader (d. 1916)
    • 1870 – Bernard de Pourtalès, Swiss captain and sailor (d. 1935)
    • 1876 – Isaac Heinemann, German-Israeli scholar and academic (d. 1957)
    • 1877 – Willard Miller, Canadian-American sailor, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1959)
    • 1878 – Pancho Villa, Mexican general and politician, Governor of Chihuahua (d. 1923)
    • 1879 – Robert Mayer, German-English businessman and philanthropist (d. 1985)
    • 1883 – John Maynard Keynes, English economist, philosopher, and academic (d. 1946)
    • 1884 – Ralph Benatzky, Czech-Swiss composer (d. 1957)
    • 1884 – Ivy Compton-Burnett, English author (d. 1969)
    • 1884 – Frederick Lorz, American runner (d. 1914)
    • 1892 – Jaan Kikkas, Estonian weightlifter (d. 1944)
    • 1894 – Roy Thomson, 1st Baron Thomson of Fleet, Canadian-English publisher and academic (d. 1976)
    • 1895 – William Boyd, American actor and producer (d. 1972)
    • 1895 – William Roberts, English soldier and painter (d. 1980)
    • 1898 – Salvatore Ferragamo, Italian shoe designer, founded Salvatore Ferragamo S.p.A. (d. 1960)
    • 1898 – Federico García Lorca, Spanish poet, playwright, and director (d. 1936)
    • 1899 – Otis Barton, American diver, engineer, and actor, designed the bathysphere (d. 1992)
    • 1899 – Theippan Maung Wa, Burmese writer (d. 1942)
    • 1900 – Dennis Gabor, Hungarian-English physicist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1979)
    • 1902 – Arthur Powell Davies, American minister, author, and activist (d. 1957)
    • 1905 – Wayne Boring, American illustrator (d. 1987)
    • 1912 – Dean Amadon, American ornithologist and author (d. 2003)
    • 1912 – Eric Hollies, English cricketer (d. 1981)
    • 1913 – Conrad Marca-Relli, American-Italian painter and academic (d. 2000)
    • 1914 – Beatrice de Cardi, English archaeologist and academic (d. 2016)
    • 1916 – Sid Barnes, Australian cricketer (d. 1973)
    • 1916 – Eddie Joost, American baseball player and manager (d. 2011)
    • 1919 – Richard Scarry, American-Swiss author and illustrator (d. 1994)
    • 1920 – Marion Motley, American football player and coach (d. 1999)
    • 1920 – Cornelius Ryan, Irish-American journalist and author (d. 1974)
    • 1922 – Paul Couvret, Dutch-Australian soldier, pilot, and politician (d. 2013)
    • 1922 – Sheila Sim, English actress (d. 2016)
    • 1923 – Jorge Daponte, Argentinian racing driver (d. 1963)
    • 1923 – Roger Lebel, Canadian actor (d. 1994)
    • 1923 – Daniel Pinkham, American organist and composer (d. 2006)
    • 1924 – Lou Brissie, American baseball player and scout (d. 2013)
    • 1924 – Art Donovan, American football player and radio host (d. 2013)
    • 1925 – Bill Hayes, American actor and singer
    • 1926 – Paul Soros, Hungarian-American engineer and businessman (d. 2013)
    • 1928 – Robert Lansing, American actor (d. 1994)
    • 1928 – Umberto Maglioli, Italian racing driver (d. 1999)
    • 1928 – Tony Richardson, English-American director and producer (d. 1991)
    • 1930 – Alifa Rifaat, Egyptian author (d. 1996)
    • 1931 – Yves Blais, Canadian businessman and politician (d. 1998)
    • 1931 – Jacques Demy, French actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1990)
    • 1931 – Jerzy Prokopiuk, Polish anthropologist and philosopher
    • 1932 – Christy Brown, Irish painter and author (d. 1981)
    • 1932 – Dave Gold, American businessman, founded the 99 Cents Only Stores (d. 2013)
    • 1933 – Bata Živojinović, Serbian actor and politician (d. 2016)
    • 1934 – Vilhjálmur Einarsson, Icelandic triple jumper, painter, and educator (d. 2019)
    • 1934 – Bill Moyers, American journalist, 13th White House Press Secretary
    • 1937 – Hélène Cixous, French author, poet, and critic
    • 1938 – Moira Anderson, Scottish singer
    • 1938 – Karin Balzer, German hurdler (d. 2019)
    • 1938 – Roy Higgins, Australian jockey (d. 2014)
    • 1939 – Joe Clark, Canadian journalist and politician, 16th Prime Minister of Canada
    • 1939 – Margaret Drabble, English novelist, biographer, and critic
    • 1941 – Martha Argerich, Argentinian pianist
    • 1941 – Erasmo Carlos, Brazilian singer-songwriter
    • 1941 – Spalding Gray, American writer, actor, and monologist (d. 2004)
    • 1941 – Robert Kraft, American businessman, founded The Kraft Group
    • 1941 – Jeff Rooker, Baron Rooker, English academic and politician, Minister of State for Immigration
    • 1941 – Gudrun Sjödén, Swedish designer
    • 1942 – Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, Equatoguinean lieutenant and politician, 2nd President of Equatorial Guinea
    • 1943 – Abraham Viruthakulangara, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Nagpur, Maharashtra, India (d. 2018)
    • 1944 – Whitfield Diffie, American cryptographer and academic
    • 1945 – John Carlos, American runner and football player
    • 1945 – André Lacroix, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach
    • 1946 – John Du Cann, English guitarist (d. 2001)
    • 1946 – Bob Grant, Australian rugby league player
    • 1946 – Patrick Head, English engineer and businessman, co-founded Williams F1
    • 1946 – Wanderléa, Brazilian singer and television host
    • 1947 – Laurie Anderson, American singer-songwriter and violinist
    • 1947 – Tom Evans, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1983)
    • 1947 – David Hare, English director, playwright, and screenwriter
    • 1947 – Freddie Stone, American singer, guitarist, and pastor
    • 1949 – Ken Follett, Welsh author
    • 1949 – Elizabeth Gloster, English lawyer and judge
    • 1949 – Alexander Scrymgeour, 12th Earl of Dundee, Scottish politician
    • 1950 – Ronnie Dyson, American singer and actor (d. 1990)
    • 1950 – Abraham Sarmiento, Jr., Filipino journalist and activist (d. 1977)
    • 1951 – Suze Orman, American financial adviser, author, and television host
    • 1952 – Pierre Bruneau, Canadian journalist and news anchor
    • 1952 – Carole Fredericks, American singer (d. 2001)
    • 1952 – Nicko McBrain, English drummer and songwriter
    • 1953 – Kathleen Kennedy, American film producer, co-founded Amblin Entertainment
    • 1954 – Alberto Malesani, Italian footballer and manager
    • 1954 – Phil Neale, English cricketer, coach, and manager
    • 1954 – Nancy Stafford, American model and actress
    • 1955 – Edino Nazareth Filho, Brazilian footballer and manager
    • 1956 – Richard Butler, English singer-songwriter
    • 1956 – Kenny G, American saxophonist, songwriter, and producer
    • 1957 – Charles Nolan, American fashion designer (d. 2011)
    • 1958 – Avigdor Lieberman, Moldavian-Israeli soldier and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Israel
    • 1958 – Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi, Comorian businessman and politician, President of Comoros
    • 1959 – Mark Ella, Australian rugby player
    • 1959 – Werner Schildhauer, German runner
    • 1960 – Boris Dugan, Estonian footballer and coach
    • 1960 – Claire Fox, English author and academic
    • 1961 – Anke Behmer, German heptathlete
    • 1961 – Mary Kay Bergman, American voice actress (d. 1999)
    • 1961 – Anthony Burger, American singer and pianist (d. 2006)
    • 1961 – Aldo Costa, Italian engineer
    • 1961 – Ramesh Krishnan, Indian tennis player and coach
    • 1962 – Jeff Garlin, American actor, comedian, director, and screenwriter
    • 1962 – Tõnis Lukas, Estonian historian and politician, 34th Estonian Minister of Education
    • 1964 – Lisa Cholodenko, American director and screenwriter
    • 1964 – Karl Sanders, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1965 – Michael E. Brown, American astronomer and author
    • 1965 – Sandrine Piau, French soprano
    • 1965 – Alfie Turcotte, American ice hockey player
    • 1967 – Matt Bullard, American basketball player and sportscaster
    • 1967 – Joe DeLoach, American sprinter
    • 1967 – Ray Lankford, American baseball player
    • 1967 – Ron Livingston, American actor
    • 1968 – Ed Vaizey, English lawyer and politician, Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries
    • 1969 – Brian McKnight, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
    • 1970 – Martin Gélinas, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1971 – Susan Lynch, Northern Irish actress
    • 1971 – Alex Mooney, American politician
    • 1971 – Takaya Tsubobayashi, Japanese racing driver
    • 1971 – Mark Wahlberg, American model, actor, producer, and rapper
    • 1972 – Yogi Adityanath, Indian priest and politician
    • 1972 – Paweł Kotla, Polish conductor and academic
    • 1973 – Lamon Brewster, American boxer
    • 1973 – Gella Vandecaveye, Belgian martial artist
    • 1974 – Mervyn Dillon, Trinidadian cricketer
    • 1974 – Scott Draper, Australian tennis player and golfer
    • 1974 – Russ Ortiz, American baseball player
    • 1975 – Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Lithuanian-American basketball player
    • 1975 – Duncan Patterson, English drummer and keyboard player
    • 1975 – Sandra Stals, Belgian runner
    • 1976 – Giannis Giannoulis, Canadian basketball player
    • 1976 – Torry Holt, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1977 – Liza Weil, American actress
    • 1978 – Fernando Meira, Portuguese footballer
    • 1979 – Stefanos Kotsolis, Greek footballer
    • 1979 – Matthew Scarlett, Australian footballer
    • 1979 – Pete Wentz, American singer-songwriter, bass player, actor, and fashion designer
    • 1979 – Jason White, American race car driver
    • 1980 – Mike Fisher, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1980 – Antonio García, Spanish racing driver
    • 1981 – Serhat Akın, Turkish footballer
    • 1981 – Sébastien Lefebvre, Canadian singer and guitarist
    • 1982 – Ryan Dallas Cook, American trombonist (d. 2005)
    • 1983 – Marques Colston, American football player
    • 1984 – Robert Barbieri, Canadian-Italian rugby player
    • 1984 – Eric Traoré, Senegalese footballer
    • 1985 – Jeremy Abbott, American figure skater
    • 1985 – Ekaterina Bychkova, Russian tennis player
    • 1986 – Dave Bolland, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1986 – Vernon Gholston, American football player
    • 1987 – Marcus Thornton, American basketball player
    • 1988 – Alessandro Salvi, Italian footballer
    • 1989 – Cam Atkinson, American ice hockey player
    • 1989 – Megumi Nakajima, Japanese voice actress and singer
    • 1990 – Radko Gudas, Czech ice hockey defenceman
    • 1991 – Sören Bertram, German footballer
    • 1992 – Joazhiño Arroe, Peruvian footballer
    • 1992 – Emily Seebohm, Australian swimmer
    • 1993 – Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Samoan-New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1995 – Troye Sivan, South African–born Australian singer-songwriter, actor, and YouTuber
    • 1995 – Ross Wilson, English table tennis player
    • 1997 – Sam Darnold, American football player
    • 1998 – Yulia Lipnitskaya, Russian figure skater

    Deaths on June 5

    • 301 – Sima Lun, Chinese emperor (b. 249)
    • 535 – Epiphanius, patriarch of Constantinople
    • 567 – Theodosius I, patriarch of Alexandria
    • 708 – Jacob of Edessa, Syrian bishop (b. 640)
    • 754 – Eoban, bishop of Utrecht
    • 754 – Boniface, English missionary and martyr (b. 675)
    • 879 – Ya’qub ibn al-Layth, Persian emir (b. 840)
    • 928 – Louis the Blind, king of Provence
    • 1017 – Sanjō, emperor of Japan (b. 976)
    • 1118 – Robert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Leicester, Norman nobleman and politician (b. 1049)
    • 1296 – Edmund Crouchback, English politician, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports (b. 1245)
    • 1310 – Amalric, prince of Tyre
    • 1316 – Louis X, king of France (b. 1289)
    • 1383 – Dmitry of Suzdal, Russian grand prince (b. 1324)
    • 1400 – Frederick I, duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
    • 1424 – Braccio da Montone, Italian nobleman (b. 1368)
    • 1434 – Yuri IV, Russian grand prince (b. 1374)
    • 1443 – Ferdinand, Portuguese prince (b. 1402)
    • 1445 – Leonel Power, English composer
    • 1530 – Mercurino Gattinara, Italian statesman and jurist (b. 1465)
    • 1568 – Lamoral, Count of Egmont (b. 1522)
    • 1625 – Orlando Gibbons, English organist and composer (b. 1583)
    • 1667 – Francesco Sforza Pallavicino, Italian cardinal and historian (b. 1607)
    • 1716 – Roger Cotes, English mathematician and academic (b. 1682)
    • 1722 – Johann Kuhnau, German organist and composer (b. 1660)
    • 1738 – Isaac de Beausobre, French pastor and theologian (b. 1659)
    • 1740 – Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Kent, English politician and courtier (b. 1671)
    • 1791 – Frederick Haldimand, Swiss-Canadian general and politician, 22nd Governor of Quebec (b. 1718)
    • 1816 – Giovanni Paisiello, Italian composer and educator (b. 1741)
    • 1825 – Odysseas Androutsos, Greek soldier (b. 1788)
    • 1826 – Carl Maria von Weber, German pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1786)
    • 1866 – John McDouall Stuart, Scottish explorer and surveyor (b. 1815)
    • 1899 – Antonio Luna, Filipino general (b. 1866)
    • 1900 – Stephen Crane, American poet, novelist, and short story writer (b. 1871)
    • 1906 – Karl Robert Eduard von Hartmann, German philosopher and author (b. 1842)
    • 1910 – O. Henry, American short story writer (b. 1862)
    • 1913 – Chris von der Ahe, German-American businessman (b. 1851)
    • 1916 – Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener, Irish-born British field marshal and politician, Secretary of State for War (b. 1850)
    • 1920 – Rhoda Broughton, Welsh-English author (b. 1840)
    • 1921 – Will Crooks, English trade unionist and politician (b. 1852)
    • 1921 – Georges Feydeau, French playwright (b. 1862)
    • 1930 – Eric Lemming, Swedish athlete (b. 1880)
    • 1930 – Pascin, Bulgarian-French painter and illustrator (b. 1885)
    • 1934 – Emily Dobson, Australian philanthropist (b. 1842)
    • 1934 – William Holman, English-Australian politician, 19th Premier of New South Wales (b. 1871)
    • 1947 – Nils Olaf Chrisander, Swedish-American actor and director (b. 1884)
    • 1967 – Arthur Biram, Israeli philologist, philosopher, and academic (b. 1878)
    • 1967 – Harry Brown, Australian public servant (b. 1878)
    • 1993 – Conway Twitty, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1933)
    • 1996 – Acharya Kuber Nath Rai, Indian poet and scholar (b. 1933)
    • 1997 – J. Anthony Lukas, American journalist and author (b. 1933)
    • 1998 – Jeanette Nolan, American actress (b. 1911)
    • 1998 – Sam Yorty, American soldier and politician, 37th Mayor of Los Angeles (b. 1909)
    • 1999 – Mel Tormé, American singer-songwriter (b. 1925)
    • 2000 – Don Liddle, American baseball player (b. 1925)
    • 2002 – Dee Dee Ramone, American singer-songwriter and bass player (b. 1951)
    • 2003 – Jürgen Möllemann, German soldier and politician, 10th Vice-Chancellor of Germany (b. 1945)
    • 2003 – Manuel Rosenthal, French composer and conductor (b. 1904)
    • 2004 – Iona Brown, English violinist and conductor (b. 1941)
    • 2004 – Ronald Reagan, American actor and politician, 40th President of the United States (b. 1911)
    • 2005 – Adolfo Aguilar Zínser, Mexican scholar and politician (b. 1949)
    • 2006 – Frederick Franck, Dutch-American painter, sculptor, and author (b. 1909)
    • 2006 – Edward L. Moyers, American businessman (b. 1928)
    • 2009 – Jeff Hanson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1978)
    • 2012 – Ray Bradbury, American science fiction writer and screenwriter (b. 1920)
    • 2012 – Hal Keller, American baseball player and manager (b. 1928)
    • 2012 – Mihai Pătrașcu, Romanian-American computer scientist (b. 1982)
    • 2012 – Charlie Sutton, Australian footballer and coach (b. 1924)
    • 2013 – Helen McElhone, Scottish politician (b. 1933)
    • 2013 – Stanisław Nagy, Polish cardinal (b. 1921)
    • 2013 – Ruairí Ó Brádaigh, Irish republican activist and politician (b. 1932)
    • 2013 – Michel Ostyn, Belgian physiologist and physician (b. 1924)
    • 2014 – Abu Abdulrahman al-Bilawi, Iraqi commander (b. 1971)
    • 2014 – Don Davis, American songwriter and producer (b. 1938)
    • 2014 – Reiulf Steen, Norwegian journalist and politician, Norwegian Minister of Transport and Communications (b. 1933)
    • 2015 – Tariq Aziz, Iraqi journalist and politician, Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1936)
    • 2015 – Alan Bond, English-Australian businessman (b. 1938)
    • 2015 – Richard Johnson, English actor (b. 1927)
    • 2015 – Roger Vergé, French chef and author (b. 1930)
    • 2016 – Jerome Bruner, American psychologist (b. 1915)
    • 2017 – Andy Cunningham, English actor (b. 1950)
    • 2017 – Cheick Tioté, Ivorian footballer (b. 1986)
    • 2018 – Kate Spade, American fashion designer (b. 1962)

    Holidays and observances on June 5

    • Arbor Day (New Zealand)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Boniface (Roman Catholic Church)
      • Dorotheus of Tyre
      • Genesius, Count of Clermont
      • Blessed Meinwerk
      • June 5 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Constitution Day (Denmark)
    • Father’s Day (Denmark)
    • Feast of Núr, the first day of the fifth month of the Bahá’í calendar (Bahá’í Faith) (only if Bahá’í Naw-Rúz falls on March 21)
    • Indian Arrival Day (Suriname)
    • Khordad Movement Anniversary (Iran) (Only if March equinox falls on March 20)
    • Liberation Day (Seychelles)
    • President’s Day (Equatorial Guinea)
    • Reclamation Day (Azerbaijan)
    • World Day Against Speciesism (International)
    • World Environment Day (International)

  • June 4 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 1411 – King Charles VI granted a monopoly for the ripening of Roquefort cheese to the people of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon as they had been doing for centuries.
    • 1561 – The steeple of St Paul’s, the medieval cathedral of London, is destroyed in a fire caused by lightning and is never rebuilt.
    • 1615 – Siege of Osaka: Forces under Tokugawa Ieyasu take Osaka Castle in Japan.
    • 1745 – Battle of Hohenfriedberg: Frederick the Great’s Prussian army decisively defeated an Austrian army under Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine during the War of the Austrian Succession.
    • 1760 – Great Upheaval: New England planters arrive to claim land in Nova Scotia, Canada, taken from the Acadians.
    • 1783 – The Montgolfier brothers publicly demonstrate their montgolfière (hot air balloon).
    • 1784 – Élisabeth Thible becomes the first woman to fly in an untethered hot air balloon. Her flight covers four kilometres in 45 minutes, and reached 1,500 metres altitude (estimated).
    • 1792 – Captain George Vancouver claims Puget Sound for the Kingdom of Great Britain.
    • 1802 – King Charles Emmanuel IV of Sardinia abdicates his throne in favor of his brother, Victor Emmanuel.
    • 1812 – Following Louisiana’s admittance as a U.S. state, the Louisiana Territory is renamed the Missouri Territory.
    • 1825 – General Lafayette, a French officer in the American Revolutionary War, speaks at what would become Lafayette Square, Buffalo, during his visit to the United States.
    • 1855 – Major Henry C. Wayne departs New York aboard the USS Supply to procure camels to establish the U.S. Camel Corps.
    • 1859 – Italian Independence wars: In the Battle of Magenta, the French army, under Louis-Napoleon, defeat the Austrian army.
    • 1862 – American Civil War: Confederate troops evacuate Fort Pillow on the Mississippi River, leaving the way clear for Union troops to take Memphis, Tennessee.
    • 1876 – An express train called the Transcontinental Express arrives in San Francisco, via the First Transcontinental Railroad only 83 hours and 39 minutes after leaving New York City.
    • 1878 – Cyprus Convention: The Ottoman Empire cedes Cyprus to the United Kingdom but retains nominal title.
    • 1896 – Henry Ford completes the Ford Quadricycle, his first gasoline-powered automobile, and gives it a successful test run.
    • 1912 – Massachusetts becomes the first state of the United States to set a minimum wage.
    • 1913 – Emily Davison, a suffragette, runs out in front of King George V’s horse at The Derby. She is trampled, never regains consciousness, and dies four days later.
    • 1916 – World War I: Russia opens the Brusilov Offensive with an artillery barrage of Austro-Hungarian lines in Galicia.
    • 1917 – The first Pulitzer Prizes are awarded: Laura E. Richards, Maude H. Elliott, and Florence Hall receive the first Pulitzer for biography (for Julia Ward Howe). Jean Jules Jusserand receives the first Pulitzer for history for his work With Americans of Past and Present Days. Herbert B. Swope receives the first Pulitzer for journalism for his work for the New York World.
    • 1919 – Women’s rights: The U.S. Congress approves the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which guarantees suffrage to women, and sends it to the U.S. states for ratification.
    • 1920 – Hungary loses 71% of its territory and 63% of its population when the Treaty of Trianon is signed in Paris.
    • 1928 – The President of the Republic of China, Zhang Zuolin, is assassinated by Japanese agents.
    • 1932 – Marmaduke Grove and other Chilean military officers lead a coup d’état establishing the short-lived Socialist Republic of Chile.
    • 1939 – The Holocaust: The MS St. Louis, a ship carrying 963 Jewish refugees, is denied permission to land in Florida, in the United States, after already being turned away from Cuba. Forced to return to Europe, more than 200 of its passengers later die in Nazi concentration camps.
    • 1940 – World War II: The Dunkirk evacuation ends: British forces complete evacuation of 338,000 troops from Dunkirk in France. To rally the morale of the country, Winston Churchill delivers, only to the House of Commons, his famous “We shall fight on the beaches” speech.
    • 1942 – World War II: The Battle of Midway begins. The Japanese Admiral Chūichi Nagumo orders a strike on Midway Island by much of the Imperial Japanese Navy.
    • 1943 – A military coup in Argentina ousts Ramón Castillo.
    • 1944 – World War II: A hunter-killer group of the United States Navy captures the German submarine U-505: The first time a U.S. Navy vessel had captured an enemy vessel at sea since the 19th century.
    • 1944 – World War II: The United States Fifth Army captures Rome, although much of the German Fourteenth Army is able to withdraw to the north.
    • 1961 – Cold War: In the Vienna summit, the Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev sparks the Berlin Crisis by threatening to sign a separate peace treaty with East Germany and ending American, British and French access to East Berlin.
    • 1967 – Seventy-two people are killed when a Canadair C-4 Argonaut crashes at Stockport in England.
    • 1970 – Tonga gains independence from the United Kingdom.
    • 1975 – The Governor of California Jerry Brown signs the California Agricultural Labor Relations Act into law, the first law in the U.S. giving farmworkers collective bargaining rights.
    • 1979 – Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings takes power in Ghana after a military coup in which General Fred Akuffo is overthrown.
    • 1983 – Gordon Kahl, who killed two US Marshals in Medina, North Dakota on February 13, is killed in a shootout in Smithville, Arkansas, along with a local sheriff, after a four-month manhunt.
    • 1986 – Jonathan Pollard pleads guilty to espionage for selling top secret United States military intelligence to Israel.
    • 1988 – Three cars on a train carrying hexogen to Kazakhstan explode in Arzamas, Gorky Oblast, USSR, killing 91 and injuring about 1,500.
    • 1989 – Ali Khamenei is elected as the new Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran by the Assembly of Experts after the death and funeral of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
    • 1989 – The Tiananmen Square protests are suppressed in Beijing by the People’s Liberation Army, with between 241 and 1,000 dead (an unofficial estimate).
    • 1989 – Solidarity’s victory in the first (somewhat) free parliamentary elections in post-war Poland sparks off a succession of peaceful anti-communist revolutions in Eastern Europe, leads to the creation of the so-called Contract Sejm and begins the Autumn of Nations.
    • 1989 – Ufa train disaster: A natural gas explosion near Ufa, Russia, kills 575 as two trains passing each other throw sparks near a leaky pipeline.
    • 1996 – The first flight of Ariane 5 explodes after roughly 37 seconds. It was a Cluster mission.
    • 1998 – Terry Nichols is sentenced to life in prison for his role in the Oklahoma City bombing.
    • 2010 – Falcon 9 Flight 1 is the maiden flight of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, which launches from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex 40.

    Births on June 4

    • 1394 – Philippa of England, Queen of Denmark, Norway and Sweden (d. 1430)
    • 1489 – Antoine, Duke of Lorraine (d. 1544)
    • 1563 – George Heriot, Scottish goldsmith (d. 1624)
    • 1604 – Claudia de’ Medici, Italian daughter of Christina of Lorraine (d. 1648)
    • 1665 – Zacharie Robutel de La Noue, Canadian captain (d. 1733)
    • 1694 – François Quesnay, French economist and physician (d. 1774)
    • 1704 – Benjamin Huntsman, English inventor and businessman (d. 1776)
    • 1738 – George III of the United Kingdom (d. 1820)
    • 1744 – Patrick Ferguson, Scottish soldier, designed the Ferguson rifle (d. 1780)
    • 1754 – Miguel de Azcuénaga, Argentinian soldier (d. 1833)
    • 1754 – Franz Xaver von Zach, Slovak astronomer and academic (d. 1832)
    • 1787 – Constant Prévost, French geologist and academic (d. 1856)
    • 1801 – James Pennethorne, English architect, designed Victoria Park (d. 1871)
    • 1821 – Apollon Maykov, Russian poet and playwright (d. 1897)
    • 1829 – Jinmaku Kyūgorō, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 12th Yokozuna (d. 1903)
    • 1854 – Solko van den Bergh, Dutch target shooter (d. 1916)
    • 1860 – Alexis Lapointe, Canadian runner (d. 1924)
    • 1861 – William Propsting, Australian politician, 20th Premier of Tasmania (d. 1937)
    • 1866 – Miina Sillanpää, Finnish journalist and politician (d. 1952)
    • 1867 – Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, Finnish general and politician, 6th President of Finland (d. 1951)
    • 1873 – Nictzin Dyalhis, American author (d.1942)
    • 1877 – Heinrich Otto Wieland, German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1957)
    • 1879 – Mabel Lucie Attwell, English author and illustrator (d. 1964)
    • 1880 – Clara Blandick, American actress (d. 1962)
    • 1885 – Arturo Rawson, Argentinian general and politician, 26th President of Argentina (d. 1952)
    • 1887 – Tom Longboat, Canadian runner and soldier (d. 1949)
    • 1889 – Beno Gutenberg, German-American seismologist (d. 1960)
    • 1903 – Yevgeny Mravinsky, Russian conductor (d. 1988)
    • 1904 – Bhagat Puran Singh, Indian publisher, environmentalist, and philanthropist (d. 1992)
    • 1907 – Jacques Roumain, Haitian journalist and politician (d. 1944)
    • 1907 – Rosalind Russell, American actress (d. 1976)
    • 1907 – Patience Strong, English poet and journalist (d. 1990)
    • 1910 – Christopher Cockerell, English engineer, invented the hovercraft (d. 1999)
    • 1912 – Robert Jacobsen, Danish sculptor and painter (d. 1993)
    • 1915 – Walter Hadlee, New Zealand cricketer (d. 2006)
    • 1915 – Modibo Keïta, Malian educator and politician, 1st President of Mali (d. 1977)
    • 1915 – Nils Kihlberg, Swedish actor, singer, and director (d. 1965)
    • 1916 – Robert F. Furchgott, American biochemist and pharmacologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2009)
    • 1916 – Fernand Leduc, Canadian painter (d. 2014)
    • 1917 – Robert Merrill, American actor and singer (d. 2004)
    • 1921 – Milan Komar, Slovenian-Argentinian philosopher and academic (d. 2006)
    • 1921 – Bobby Wanzer, American basketball player and coach (d. 2016)
    • 1923 – Elizabeth Jolley, English-Australian author and academic (d. 2007)
    • 1923 – Masutatsu Ōyama, Japanese karateka (d. 1994)
    • 1924 – Tofilau Eti Alesana, Samoan politician, 5th Prime Minister of Samoa (d. 1999)
    • 1924 – Dennis Weaver, American actor and director (d. 2006)
    • 1925 – Antonio Puchades, Spanish footballer (d. 2013)
    • 1926 – Robert Earl Hughes, American who was the heaviest human being recorded in the history of the world during his lifetime (d. 1958)
    • 1926 – Ain Kaalep, Estonian poet, playwright, and critic (d. 2020)
    • 1926 – Judith Malina, German-American actress and director, co-founded The Living Theatre (d. 2015)
    • 1927 – Henning Carlsen, Danish director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2014)
    • 1927 – Geoffrey Palmer, English actor
    • 1928 – Ruth Westheimer, German-American therapist and author
    • 1929 – Karolos Papoulias, Greek lawyer and politician, 5th President of Greece
    • 1930 – George Chesworth, English air marshal and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Moray (d. 2017)
    • 1930 – Morgana King, American singer and actress (d. 2018)
    • 1930 – Viktor Tikhonov, Russian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2014)
    • 1931 – Gustav Nossal, Austrian-Australian biologist and academic
    • 1932 – John Drew Barrymore, American actor (d. 2004)
    • 1932 – Oliver Nelson, American saxophonist and composer (d. 1975)
    • 1932 – Maurice Shadbolt, New Zealand author and playwright (d. 2004)
    • 1934 – Monica Dacon, Vincentian educator and politician, 6th Governor-General of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
    • 1934 – Daphne Sheldrick, Kenyan-British conservationist and author (d. 2018)
    • 1935 – Colette Boky, Canadian soprano and actress
    • 1935 – Berhanu Dinka, Ethiopian economist and diplomat (d. 2013)
    • 1936 – Vince Camuto, American fashion designer and businessman, co-founded Nine West (d. 2015)
    • 1936 – Bruce Dern, American actor
    • 1937 – Freddy Fender, American singer and guitarist (d. 2006)
    • 1937 – Mortimer Zuckerman, Canadian-American businessman and publisher, founded Boston Properties
    • 1938 – John Harvard, Canadian journalist and politician, 23rd Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba (d. 2016)
    • 1938 – Art Mahaffey, American baseball player
    • 1939 – Jeremy Browne, 11th Marquess of Sligo, Anglo-Irish peer (d. 2014)
    • 1939 – Denis de Belleval, Canadian civil servant and politician
    • 1939 – Henri Pachard, American director and producer (d. 2008)
    • 1939 – George Reid, Scottish journalist and politician, 2nd Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament
    • 1940 – Ludwig Schwarz, Slovak-Austrian bishop
    • 1941 – Kenneth G. Ross, Australian playwright and screenwriter
    • 1942 – Louis Reichardt, American mountaineer
    • 1942 – Bill Rowe, Canadian lawyer and politician
    • 1943 – John Burgess, Australian radio and television host
    • 1943 – Sandra Haynie, American golfer
    • 1943 – Tom Jaine, English author
    • 1944 – Roger Ball, Scottish saxophonist and songwriter
    • 1944 – Michelle Phillips, American singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1945 – Anthony Braxton, American saxophonist, clarinet player, and composer
    • 1945 – Daniel Topolski, English rower and coach (d. 2015)
    • 1945 – Gordon Waller, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2009)
    • 1947 – Viktor Klima, Austrian businessman and politician, 25th Chancellor of Austria
    • 1948 – Bob Champion, English jockey
    • 1948 – Sandra Post, Canadian golfer and sportscaster
    • 1948 – Jürgen Sparwasser, German footballer and manager
    • 1949 – Gabriel Arcand, Canadian actor
    • 1949 – Mark B. Cohen, American lawyer and politician
    • 1950 – Raymond Dumais, Canadian bishop (d. 2012)
    • 1951 – Leigh Kennedy, American author
    • 1951 – Bronisław Malinowski, Polish runner (d. 1981)
    • 1951 – Melanie Phillips, English journalist and author
    • 1951 – Wendy Pini, American author and illustrator
    • 1951 – David Yip, English actor and playwright
    • 1952 – Bronisław Komorowski, Polish historian and politician, 5th President of Poland
    • 1952 – Dambudzo Marechera, Zimbabwean author and poet (d. 1987)
    • 1953 – Linda Lingle, American journalist and politician, 6th Governor of Hawaii
    • 1953 – Jimmy McCulloch, Scottish musician and songwriter (d. 1979)
    • 1953 – Susumu Ojima, Japanese businessman, founded Huser
    • 1953 – Paul Samson, English guitarist and producer (d. 2002)
    • 1954 – Raphael Ravenscroft, English saxophonist and composer (d. 2014)
    • 1954 – Kazuhiro Yamaji, Japanese actor and voice actor
    • 1955 – Val McDermid, Scottish author
    • 1955 – Mary Testa, American singer and actress
    • 1956 – Keith David, American actor
    • 1956 – John Hockenberry, American journalist and author
    • 1956 – Terry Kennedy, American baseball player and manager
    • 1956 – Joyce Sidman, American author and poet
    • 1957 – Neil McNab, Scottish footballer
    • 1959 – Juan Camacho, Bolivian runner
    • 1959 – Georgios Voulgarakis, Greek politician, 21st Greek Minister for Culture
    • 1960 – Miloš Đelmaš, Serbian footballer and manager
    • 1960 – Kristine Kathryn Rusch, American author
    • 1960 – Paul Taylor, American guitarist and keyboard player
    • 1960 – Bradley Walsh, English television presenter, comedian, singer and former footballer
    • 1961 – El DeBarge, American singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1961 – Ferenc Gyurcsány, Hungarian businessman and politician, 6th Prime Minister of Hungary
    • 1962 – Krzysztof Hołowczyc, Polish race car driver
    • 1962 – Zenon Jaskuła, Polish cyclist
    • 1962 – John P. Kee, American singer-songwriter and pastor
    • 1962 – Junius Ho, Hong Kong solicitor and politician
    • 1963 – Sean Fitzpatrick, New Zealand rugby union player
    • 1963 – Jim Lachey, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1963 – Xavier McDaniel, American basketball player and coach
    • 1964 – Sean Pertwee, English actor
    • 1964 – Kōji Yamamura, Japanese animator, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1965 – Mick Doohan, Australian motorcycle racer
    • 1965 – Andrea Jaeger, American tennis player and preacher
    • 1966 – Cecilia Bartoli, Italian soprano and actress
    • 1966 – Vladimir Voevodsky, Russian mathematician and academic (d. 2017)
    • 1966 – Bill Wiggin, English politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Wales
    • 1967 – Robert S. Kimbrough, American colonel and astronaut
    • 1968 – Roger Lim, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1968 – Niurka Montalvo, Cuban-Spanish long jumper
    • 1968 – Al B. Sure!, American R&B singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer
    • 1968 – Scott Wolf, American actor
    • 1969 – Horatio Sanz, Chilean-American actor and comedian
    • 1970 – Deborah Compagnoni, Italian skier
    • 1970 – Richie Hawtin, English-Canadian DJ and producer
    • 1970 – Dave Pybus, English bass player and songwriter
    • 1970 – Izabella Scorupco, Polish-Swedish actress and model
    • 1971 – Joseph Kabila, Congolese soldier and politician, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
    • 1971 – Mike Lee, American lawyer and politician
    • 1971 – Shoji Meguro, Japanese director and composer
    • 1971 – Karl Martin Sinijärv, Estonian journalist and poet
    • 1971 – Noah Wyle, American actor and producer
    • 1972 – Derian Hatcher, American ice hockey defenseman
    • 1972 – Rob Huebel, American comedian, actor, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1973 – Mikey Whipwreck, American wrestler and trainer
    • 1974 – Jacob Sahaya Kumar Aruni, Indian chef (d. 2012)
    • 1974 – Darin Erstad, American baseball player and coach
    • 1974 – Andrew Gwynne, English lawyer and politician
    • 1974 – Janette Husárová, Slovak tennis player
    • 1974 – Buddy Wakefield, American poet and author
    • 1975 – Russell Brand, English comedian and actor
    • 1975 – Henry Burris, American football player
    • 1975 – Angelina Jolie, American actress, filmmaker, humanitarian, and activist
    • 1975 – Dinanath Ramnarine, Trinidadian cricketer
    • 1975 – Alex Wharf, English cricketer
    • 1976 – Kasey Chambers, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1976 – Alexei Navalny, Russian lawyer and politician
    • 1976 – Nenad Zimonjić, Serbian tennis player
    • 1977 – Dionisis Chiotis, Greek footballer
    • 1977 – Alex Manninger, Austrian footballer
    • 1977 – Roman Miroshnichenko, Ukrainian guitarist and composer
    • 1977 – Roland G. Fryer Jr., American economist and professor
    • 1978 – Robin Lord Taylor, American actor
    • 1979 – Naohiro Takahara, Japanese footballer
    • 1979 – Daniel Vickerman, South African-Australian rugby player (d. 2017)
    • 1980 – François Beauchemin, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1981 – Jennifer Carroll, Canadian swimmer
    • 1981 – Giourkas Seitaridis, Greek footballer
    • 1981 – Natalia Vodopyanova, Russian basketball player
    • 1982 – Abel Kirui, Kenyan runner
    • 1982 – Ronnie Prude, American-Canadian football player
    • 1983 – Romaric, Ivorian footballer
    • 1983 – Emmanuel Eboué, Ivorian footballer
    • 1983 – Olha Saladuha, Ukrainian triple jumper
    • 1984 – Enrico Rossi Chauvenet, Italian footballer
    • 1984 – Rainie Yang, Taiwanese actress
    • 1984 – Ian White, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1985 – Leon Botha, South African painter and DJ (d. 2011)
    • 1985 – Anna-Lena Grönefeld, German tennis player
    • 1985 – Evan Lysacek, American figure skater
    • 1985 – Lukas Podolski, German footballer
    • 1985 – Oddvar Reiakvam, Norwegian politician
    • 1987 – Luisa Zissman, English businesswoman
    • 1987 – Mollie King, English singer-songwriter and model
    • 1988 – Matt Bartkowski, American ice hockey defenseman
    • 1988 – Kimberley Busteed, Australian model
    • 1989 – Federico Erba, Italian footballer
    • 1989 – Paweł Fajdek, Polish hammer thrower
    • 1990 – Zac Farro, American singer and drummer
    • 1990 – Evan Spiegel, American Internet entrepreneur
    • 1991 – Lorenzo Insigne, Italian footballer
    • 1991 – Matt McIlwrick, New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1991 – Ben Stokes, New Zealand-English cricketer
    • 1993 – Jonathan Huberdeau, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1995 – Shiori Tamai, Japanese singer
    • 1999 – Kim So-hyun, South Korean actress
    • 2004 – Mackenzie Ziegler, American dancer, singer, actress and model

    Deaths on June 4

    • 756 – Shōmu, Japanese emperor (b. 701)
    • 863 – Charles, archbishop of Mainz
    • 895 – Li Xi, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty
    • 946 – Guaimar II (Gybbosus), Lombard prince
    • 956 – Muhammad III of Shirvan, Muslim ruler
    • 1039 – Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 990)
    • 1102 – Władysław I Herman, Polish nobleman (b. c. 1044)
    • 1134 – Magnus I of Sweden (b. 1106)
    • 1135 – Emperor Huizong of Song (b. 1082)
    • 1206 – Adela of Champagne (b. 1140)
    • 1246 – Isabella of Angoulême (b. 1188)
    • 1257 – Przemysł I of Greater Poland (b. 1221)
    • 1394 – Mary de Bohun, wife of Henry IV of England (b.c. 1368)
    • 1453 – Andronikos Palaiologos Kantakouzenos, Byzantine commander
    • 1463 – Flavio Biondo, Italian historian and author (b. 1392)
    • 1472 – Nezahualcoyotl, Aztec poet (b. 1402)
    • 1585 – Muretus, French philosopher and author (b. 1526)
    • 1608 – Francis Caracciolo, Italian Catholic priest (b. 1563)
    • 1622 – Péter Révay, Hungarian soldier and historian (b. 1568)
    • 1647 – Canonicus, Grand Chief Sachem of the Narragansett (b. 1565)
    • 1663 – William Juxon, English archbishop and academic (b. 1582)
    • 1798 – Giacomo Casanova, Italian adventurer and author (b. 1725)
    • 1801 – Frederick Muhlenberg, American minister and politician, 1st Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (b. 1750)
    • 1809 – Nicolai Abildgaard, Danish neoclassical and history painter, sculptor and architect (b. 1743)
    • 1830 – Antonio José de Sucre, Venezuelan general and politician, 2nd President of Bolivia (b. 1795)
    • 1872 – Johan Rudolph Thorbecke, Dutch historian, jurist, and politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (b. 1798)
    • 1875 – Eduard Mörike, German pastor and poet (b. 1804)
    • 1876 – Abdülaziz of the Ottoman Empire, 32nd Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (b. 1830)
    • 1922 – W. H. R. Rivers, English anthropologist, neurologist, ethnologist, and psychiatrist (b. 1864)
    • 1925 – Margaret Murray Washington, American Academic (b. 1865)
    • 1926 – Fred Spofforth, Australian-English cricketer and coach (b. 1853)
    • 1928 – Zhang Zuolin, Chinese warlord (b. 1873)
    • 1929 – Harry Frazee, American director, producer, and agent (b. 1881)
    • 1931 – Hussein bin Ali, Sharif of Mecca, Sharif and Emir of Mecca, King of the Hejaz (b. 1853/54)
    • 1933 – Ahmet Haşim, Turkish poet and author (b. 1884)
    • 1939 – Tommy Ladnier, American trumpet player (b. 1900)
    • 1941 – Wilhelm II, German Emperor (b. 1859)
    • 1942 – Reinhard Heydrich, German SS officer and politician (b. 1904)
    • 1951 – Serge Koussevitzky, Russian-American bassist, composer, and conductor (b. 1874)
    • 1956 – Katherine MacDonald, American actress and producer (b. 1881)
    • 1962 – Clem McCarthy, American sportscaster (b. 1882)
    • 1967 – Linda Eenpalu, Estonian lawyer and politician (b. 1890)
    • 1968 – Dorothy Gish, American actress (b. 1898)
    • 1970 – Sonny Tufts, American actor (b. 1911)
    • 1971 – György Lukács, Hungarian historian and philosopher (b. 1885)
    • 1973 – Maurice René Fréchet, French mathematician and academic (b. 1878)
    • 1973 – Murry Wilson, American songwriter, producer, and manager (b. 1917)
    • 1981 – Leslie Averill, New Zealand doctor and soldier (b. 1897)
    • 1989 – Dik Browne, American cartoonist (b. 1917)
    • 1990 – Stiv Bators, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1949)
    • 1992 – Carl Stotz, American businessman, founded Little League Baseball (b. 1910)
    • 1993 – Bernard Evslin, American writer (b. 1922)
    • 1994 – Derek Leckenby, English musician (b. 1943)
    • 1997 – Ronnie Lane, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1946)
    • 1998 – Josephine Hutchinson, American actress (b. 1903)
    • 2002 – Fernando Belaúnde Terry, Peruvian architect and politician, 42nd President of Peru (b. 1912)
    • 2004 – Steve Lacy, American saxophonist and composer (b. 1934)
    • 2004 – Nino Manfredi, Italian actor (b. 1921)
    • 2007 – Clete Boyer, American baseball player and manager (b. 1937)
    • 2007 – Bill France, Jr., American businessman (b. 1933)
    • 2007 – Craig L. Thomas, American captain and politician (b. 1933)
    • 2010 – John Wooden, American basketball player and coach (b. 1910)
    • 2011 – Juan Francisco Luis, Virgin Islander sergeant and politician, 23rd Governor of the United States Virgin Islands (b. 1940)
    • 2011 – Andreas P. Nielsen, Danish author and composer (b. 1953)
    • 2012 – Peter Beaven, New Zealand architect, designed the Lyttelton Road Tunnel Administration Building (b. 1925)
    • 2012 – Pedro Borbón, Dominican-American baseball player (b. 1946)
    • 2012 – Rodolfo Quezada Toruño, Guatemalan cardinal (b. 1932)
    • 2012 – Herb Reed, American violinist (b. 1929)
    • 2013 – Walt Arfons, American race car driver (b. 1916)
    • 2013 – Joey Covington, American drummer (b. 1945)
    • 2013 – Hermann Gunnarsson, Icelandic footballer, handball player, and sportscaster (b. 1946)
    • 2013 – Will Wynn, American football player (b. 1949)
    • 2014 – George Ho, American-Hong Kong businessman (b. 1919)
    • 2014 – Nathan Shamuyarira, Zimbabwean journalist and politician, Zimbabwean Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1928)
    • 2014 – Sydney Templeman, Baron Templeman, English lawyer and judge (b. 1920)
    • 2014 – Don Zimmer, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1931)
    • 2015 – Marguerite Patten, English economist and author (b. 1915)
    • 2015 – Leonid Plyushch, Ukrainian mathematician and academic (b. 1938)
    • 2015 – Jabe Thomas, American race car driver (b. 1930)
    • 2015 – Anne Warburton, British academic and diplomat, British Ambassador to Denmark (b. 1927)
    • 2016 – Carmen Pereira, Bissau-Guinean politician (b. 1937)
    • 2017 – Juan Goytisolo, Spanish essayist, poet and novelist (b. 1931)

    Holidays and observances on June 4

    • Birthday of Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim & Flag Day celebration of the Finnish Defence Forces (Finland)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Filippo Smaldone
      • Francis Caracciolo
      • Optatus
      • Petroc of Cornwall
      • Quirinus of Sescia
      • Saturnina
      • June 4 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Emancipation Day or Independence Day, commemorates the abolition of serfdom in Tonga by King George Tupou in 1862, and the independence of Tonga from the British protectorate in 1970. (Tonga)
    • Flag Day (Estonia)
    • International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression (International)
    • National Unity Day (Hungary)
    • Tiananmen Square Protests of 1989 Memorial Day (International)

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

    • 585 BC – A solar eclipse occurs, as predicted by the Greek philosopher and scientist Thales, while Alyattes is battling Cyaxares in the Battle of Halys, leading to a truce. This is one of the cardinal dates from which other dates can be calculated.
    • 621 – Battle of Hulao: Li Shimin, the son of the Chinese emperor Gaozu, defeats the numerically superior forces of Dou Jiande near the Hulao Pass (Henan). This victory decides the outcome of the civil war that followed the Sui dynasty’s collapse in favour of the Tang dynasty.
    • 1533 – The Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, declares the marriage of King Henry VIII of England to Anne Boleyn valid.
    • 1588 – The Spanish Armada, with 130 ships and 30,000 men, sets sail from Lisbon, Portugal, heading for the English Channel. (It will take until May 30 for all ships to leave port.)
    • 1644 – English Civil War: Bolton Massacre by Royalist troops under the command of James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby.
    • 1754 – French and Indian War: In the first engagement of the war, Virginia militia under the 22-year-old Lieutenant colonel George Washington defeat a French reconnaissance party in the Battle of Jumonville Glen in what is now Fayette County in southwestern Pennsylvania.
    • 1802 – In Guadeloupe, 400 rebellious slaves, led by Louis Delgrès, blow themselves up rather than submit to Napoleon’s troops.
    • 1830 – U.S. President Andrew Jackson signs the Indian Removal Act which denies Native Americans their land rights and forcibly relocates them.
    • 1871 – The Paris Commune falls after two months.
    • 1892 – In San Francisco, John Muir organizes the Sierra Club.
    • 1905 – Russo-Japanese War: The Battle of Tsushima ends with the destruction of the Russian Baltic Fleet by Admiral Tōgō Heihachirō and the Imperial Japanese Navy.
    • 1907 – The first Isle of Man TT race was held.
    • 1918 – The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and the First Republic of Armenia declare their independence.
    • 1926 – The 28 May 1926 coup d’état: Ditadura Nacional is established in Portugal to suppress the unrest of the First Republic.
    • 1932 – In the Netherlands, construction of the Afsluitdijk is completed and the Zuiderzee bay is converted to the freshwater IJsselmeer.
    • 1934 – Near Callander, Ontario, Canada, the Dionne quintuplets are born to Oliva and Elzire Dionne; they will be the first quintuplets to survive infancy.
    • 1936 – Alan Turing submits On Computable Numbers for publication.
    • 1937 – Volkswagen, the German automobile manufacturer is founded.
    • 1940 – World War II: Belgium surrenders to Nazi Germany to end the Battle of Belgium.
    • 1940 – World War II: Norwegian, French, Polish and British forces recapture Narvik in Norway. This is the first allied infantry victory of the War.
    • 1948 – Daniel François Malan is elected as Prime Minister of South Africa. He later goes on to implement Apartheid.
    • 1958 – Cuban Revolution: Fidel Castro’s 26th of July Movement, heavily reinforced by Frank Pais Militia, overwhelm an army post in El Uvero.
    • 1961 – Peter Benenson’s article The Forgotten Prisoners is published in several internationally read newspapers. This will later be thought of as the founding of the human rights organization Amnesty International.
    • 1974 – Northern Ireland’s power-sharing Sunningdale Agreement collapses following a general strike by loyalists.
    • 1975 – Fifteen West African countries sign the Treaty of Lagos, creating the Economic Community of West African States.
    • 1977 – In Southgate, Kentucky, the Beverly Hills Supper Club is engulfed in fire, killing 165 people inside.
    • 1979 – Konstantinos Karamanlis signs the full treaty of the accession of Greece with the European Economic Community.
    • 1987 – A West German pilot, Mathias Rust, who was 18 years old, evades Soviet Union air defences and lands a private plane in the Red Square in Moscow, Russia.
    • 1991 – The capital city of Addis Ababa falls to the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front, ending both the Derg regime in Ethiopia and the Ethiopian Civil War.
    • 1995 – The 7.0 Mw  Neftegorsk earthquake shook the former Russian settlement of Neftegorsk with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). Total damage was $64.1–300 million, with 1,989 deaths and 750 injured. The settlement was not rebuilt.
    • 1996 – U.S. President Bill Clinton’s former business partners in the Whitewater land deal, Jim McDougal and Susan McDougal, and the Governor of Arkansas Jim Guy Tucker, are convicted of fraud.
    • 1998 – Nuclear testing: Pakistan responds to a series of nuclear tests by India with five of its own codenamed Chagai-I, prompting the United States, Japan, and other nations to impose economic sanctions. Pakistan celebrates Youm-e-Takbir annually.
    • 1999 – In Milan, Italy, after 22 years of restoration work, Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece The Last Supper is put back on display.
    • 2002 – The last steel girder is removed from the original World Trade Center site. Cleanup duties officially end with closing ceremonies at Ground Zero in Manhattan, New York City.
    • 2003 – Peter Hollingworth resigns as Governor-General of Australia following criticism of his handling of child sexual abuse allegations during his tenure as Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane.
    • 2004 – The Iraqi Governing Council chooses Ayad Allawi, a longtime anti-Saddam Hussein exile, as prime minister of Iraq’s interim government.
    • 2008 – The first meeting of the Constituent Assembly of Nepal formally declares Nepal a republic, ending the 240-year reign of the Shah dynasty.
    • 2010 – In West Bengal, India, the Jnaneswari Express train derailment and subsequent collision kills 148 passengers.
    • 2011 – Malta votes on the introduction of divorce; the proposal was approved by 53% of voters, resulting in a law allowing divorce under certain conditions being enacted later in the year.

    Births on May 28

    • 1140 – Xin Qiji, Chinese poet, general, and politician (d. 1207)
    • 1371 – John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy (d. 1419)
    • 1524 – Selim II, Ottoman sultan (d. 1574)
    • 1588 – Pierre Séguier, French politician, Lord Chancellor of France (d. 1672)
    • 1589 – Robert Arnauld d’Andilly, French writer (d. 1674)
    • 1663 – António Manoel de Vilhena, Grand Master of the Order of Saint John (d. 1736)
    • 1676 – Jacopo Riccati, Italian mathematician and academic (d. 1754)
    • 1692 – Geminiano Giacomelli, Italian composer (d. 1740)
    • 1738 – Joseph-Ignace Guillotin, French physician (d. 1814)
    • 1759 – William Pitt the Younger, English lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1806)
    • 1763 – Manuel Alberti, Argentinian priest and journalist (d. 1811)
    • 1764 – Edward Livingston, American jurist and politician, 11th United States Secretary of State (d. 1836)
    • 1779 – Thomas Moore, Irish poet and composer (d. 1852)
    • 1807 – Louis Agassiz, Swiss-American paleontologist and geologist (d. 1873)
    • 1818 – P. G. T. Beauregard, American general (d. 1893)
    • 1836 – Friedrich Baumfelder, German pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1916)
    • 1836 – Alexander Mitscherlich, German chemist and academic (d. 1918)
    • 1837 – George Ashlin, Irish architect, co-designed St Colman’s Cathedral (d. 1921)
    • 1837 – Tony Pastor, American impresario, variety performer and theatre owner (d. 1908)
    • 1841 – Sakaigawa Namiemon, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 14th Yokozuna (d. 1887)
    • 1853 – Carl Larsson, Swedish painter and author (d. 1919)
    • 1858 – Carl Richard Nyberg, Swedish inventor and businessman, developed the blow torch (d. 1939)
    • 1872 – Marian Smoluchowski, Polish physicist and mountaineer (d. 1917)
    • 1878 – Paul Pelliot, French sinologist and explorer (d. 1945)
    • 1879 – Milutin Milanković, Serbian mathematician, astronomer, and geophysicist (d. 1958)
    • 1883 – Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Indian poet and politician (d. 1966)
    • 1883 – Clough Williams-Ellis, English-Welsh architect, designed the Portmeirion Village (d. 1978)
    • 1884 – Edvard Beneš, Czech academic and politician, 2nd President of Czechoslovakia (d. 1948)
    • 1886 – Santo Trafficante, Sr., Italian-American mobster (d. 1954)
    • 1888 – Kaarel Eenpalu, Estonian journalist and politician, 6th Prime Minister of Estonia (d. 1942)
    • 1888 – Vivienne Haigh-Wood Eliot, English author and educator (d. 1947)
    • 1888 – Jim Thorpe, American decathlete, football player, and coach (d. 1953)
    • 1889 – Richard Réti, Slovak-Czech chess player and author (d. 1929)
    • 1892 – Minna Gombell, American actress (d. 1973)
    • 1900 – Tommy Ladnier, American trumpet player (d. 1939)
    • 1903 – S. L. Kirloskar, Indian businessman, founded Kirloskar Group (d. 1994)
    • 1906 – Henry Thambiah, Sri Lankan lawyer, judge, and diplomat, Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Canada (d. 1997)
    • 1908 – Léo Cadieux, Canadian journalist and politician, 17th Canadian Minister of National Defence (d. 2005)
    • 1908 – Ian Fleming, English journalist and author, created James Bond (d. 1964)
    • 1909 – Red Horner, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2005)
    • 1910 – Georg Gaßmann, German politician, Mayor of Marburg (d. 1987)
    • 1910 – Rachel Kempson, English actress (d. 2003)
    • 1910 – T-Bone Walker, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1975)
    • 1911 – Bob Crisp, South African cricketer (d. 1994)
    • 1911 – Thora Hird, English actress (d. 2003)
    • 1911 – Fritz Hochwälder, Austrian playwright (d. 1986)
    • 1912 – Herman Johannes, Indonesian scientist, academic, and politician (d. 1992)
    • 1912 – Ruby Payne-Scott, Australian physicist and astronomer (d. 1981)
    • 1912 – Patrick White, Australian novelist, poet, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1990)
    • 1914 – W. G. G. Duncan Smith, English captain and pilot (d. 1996)
    • 1915 – Joseph Greenberg, American linguist and academic (d. 2001)
    • 1916 – Walker Percy, American novelist and essayist (d. 1990)
    • 1917 – Barry Commoner, American biologist, academic, and politician (d. 2012)
    • 1918 – Johnny Wayne, Canadian comedian (d. 1990)
    • 1921 – D. V. Paluskar, Indian Hindustani classical musician (d. 1955)
    • 1921 – Heinz G. Konsalik, German journalist and author (d. 1999)
    • 1921 – Tom Uren, Australian soldier, boxer, and politician (d. 2015)
    • 1922 – Lou Duva, American boxer, trainer, and manager (d. 2017)
    • 1922 – Roger Fisher, American author and academic (d. 2012)
    • 1922 – Tuomas Gerdt, Finnish soldier
    • 1923 – György Ligeti, Hungarian-Austrian composer and educator (d. 2006)
    • 1923 – N. T. Rama Rao, Indian actor, director, producer, and politician, 10th Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh (d. 1996)
    • 1924 – Edward du Cann, English naval officer and politician (d. 2017)
    • 1924 – Paul Hébert, Canadian actor (d. 2017)
    • 1925 – Bülent Ecevit, Turkish journalist, scholar, and politician, 16th Prime Minister of Turkey (d. 2006)
    • 1925 – Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, German opera singer and conductor (d. 2012)
    • 1928 – Sally Forrest, American actress and dancer (d. 2015)
    • 1929 – Patrick McNair-Wilson, English politician
    • 1930 – Edward Seaga, American-Jamaican academic and politician, 5th Prime Minister of Jamaica (d. 2019)
    • 1931 – Carroll Baker, American actress
    • 1931 – Gordon Willis, American cinematographer (d. 2014)
    • 1932 – Tim Renton, Baron Renton of Mount Harry, English politician, Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries
    • 1933 – John Karlen, American actor
    • 1933 – Zelda Rubinstein, American actress and activist (d. 2010)
    • 1936 – Claude Forget, Canadian academic and politician
    • 1936 – Ole K. Sara, Norwegian politician (d. 2013)
    • 1936 – Betty Shabazz, American educator and activist (d. 1997)
    • 1938 – Jerry West, American basketball player, coach, and executive
    • 1939 – Maeve Binchy, Irish novelist (d. 2012)
    • 1940 – David William Brewer, English politician, Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London
    • 1940 – Shlomo Riskin, American rabbi and academic, founded the Lincoln Square Synagogue
    • 1941 – Beth Howland, American actress and singer (d. 2015)
    • 1942 – Stanley B. Prusiner, American neurologist and biochemist, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1943 – Terry Crisp, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1944 – Faith Brown, English actress and singer
    • 1944 – Rudy Giuliani, American lawyer and politician, 107th mayor of New York City
    • 1944 – Gladys Knight, American singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1944 – Rita MacNeil, Canadian singer and actress (d. 2013)
    • 1944 – Gary Stewart, American singer-songwriter (d. 2003)
    • 1944 – Billy Vera, American singer-songwriter and actor
    • 1945 – Patch Adams, American physician and author, founded the Gesundheit! Institute
    • 1945 – John N. Bambacus, American military veteran (USMC) and politician
    • 1945 – John Fogerty, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1945 – Jean Perrault, Canadian politician, Mayor of Sherbrooke, Quebec
    • 1945 – Helena Shovelton, English physician
    • 1946 – Bruce Alexander, English actor
    • 1946 – Skip Jutze, American baseball player
    • 1946 – Janet Paraskeva, Welsh politician
    • 1946 – K. Satchidanandan, Indian poet and critic
    • 1946 – William Shawcross, English journalist and author
    • 1947 – Zahi Hawass, Egyptian archaeologist and academic
    • 1947 – Lynn Johnston, Canadian author and illustrator
    • 1947 – Leland Sklar, American singer-songwriter and bass player
    • 1948 – Michael Field, Australian politician, 38th Premier of Tasmania
    • 1948 – Pierre Rapsat, Belgian singer and songwriter (d. 2002)
    • 1949 – Martin Kelner, English journalist, author, comedian, singer, actor and radio presenter
    • 1949 – Wendy O. Williams, American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress (d. 1998)
    • 1952 – Roger Briggs, American pianist, composer, conductor, and educator
    • 1953 – Pierre Gauthier, Canadian ice hockey player and manager
    • 1954 – João Carlos de Oliveira, Brazilian jumper (d. 1999)
    • 1954 – Youri Egorov, Russian pianist and composer (d. 1988)
    • 1954 – Charles Saumarez Smith, English historian and academic
    • 1954 – Péter Szilágyi, Hungarian conductor and politician (d. 2013)
    • 1954 – John Tory, Canadian lawyer and politician, 65th Mayor of Toronto
    • 1955 – Laura Amy Schlitz, American author and librarian
    • 1955 – Mark Howe, American ice hockey player and coach
    • 1956 – Jerry Douglas, American guitarist and producer
    • 1956 – Jeff Dujon, Jamaican cricketer
    • 1956 – Markus Höttinger, Austrian racing driver (d. 1980)
    • 1956 – Peter Wilkinson, English admiral
    • 1957 – Colin Barnes, English footballer
    • 1957 – Kirk Gibson, American baseball player and manager
    • 1957 – Ben Howland, American basketball player and coach
    • 1959 – Risto Mannisenmäki, Finnish racing driver
    • 1960 – Mark Sanford, American military veteran (USAF) and politician, 115th Governor of South Carolina
    • 1960 – Mary Portas, English journalist and author
    • 1963 – Houman Younessi, Australian-American biologist and academic
    • 1964 – Jeff Fenech, Australian boxer and trainer
    • 1964 – Armen Gilliam, American basketball player and coach (d. 2011)
    • 1964 – Zsa Zsa Padilla, Filipino singer and actress
    • 1964 – Phil Vassar, American singer-songwriter
    • 1965 – Chris Ballew, American singer-songwriter and bass player
    • 1965 – Mary Coughlan, Irish politician
    • 1966 – Roger Kumble, American director, screenwriter, and playwright
    • 1966 – Miljenko Jergović, Bosnian novelist and journalist
    • 1966 – Gavin Robertson, Australian cricketer
    • 1967 – Glen Rice, American basketball player
    • 1968 – Kylie Minogue, Australian singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
    • 1969 – Mike DiFelice, American baseball player and manager
    • 1969 – Rob Ford, Canadian politician, 64th Mayor of Toronto (d. 2016)
    • 1970 – Glenn Quinn, American actor (d. 2002)
    • 1971 – Isabelle Carré, French actress and singer
    • 1971 – Ekaterina Gordeeva, Russian figure skater and sportscaster
    • 1971 – Marco Rubio, American lawyer and politician
    • 1972 – Doriva, Brazilian footballer and manager
    • 1972 – Michael Boogerd, Dutch cyclist and manager
    • 1973 – Marco Paulo Faria Lemos, Portuguese footballer and manager
    • 1974 – Hans-Jörg Butt, German footballer
    • 1974 – Misbah-ul-Haq, Pakistani cricketer
    • 1975 – Maura Johnston, American journalist, critic, and academic
    • 1976 – Steven Bell, Australian rugby league player
    • 1976 – Zaza Enden, Georgian-Turkish wrestler, basketball player, and coach
    • 1976 – Roberto Goretti, Italian footballer
    • 1976 – Glenn Morrison, Australian rugby league player and coach
    • 1977 – Elisabeth Hasselbeck, American talk show host and author
    • 1978 – Jake Johnson, American actor
    • 1979 – Abdulaziz al-Omari, Saudi Arabian terrorist, hijacker of American Airlines Flight 11 (d. 2001)
    • 1979 – Ronald Curry, American football player and coach
    • 1980 – Miguel Pérez, Spanish footballer
    • 1980 – Lucy Shuker, English tennis player
    • 1981 – Daniel Cabrera, Dominican-American baseball player
    • 1981 – Eric Ghiaciuc, American football player
    • 1981 – Adam Green, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1982 – Alexa Davalos, French-American actress
    • 1982 – Jhonny Peralta, Dominican-American baseball player
    • 1983 – Steve Cronin, American soccer player
    • 1983 – Humberto Sánchez, Dominican-American baseball player
    • 1983 – Roman Atwood, American YouTube star
    • 1985 – Colbie Caillat, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1985 – Pablo Andrés González, Argentinian footballer
    • 1985 – Kostas Mendrinos, Greek footballer
    • 1985 – Carey Mulligan, English actress and singer
    • 1986 – Berrick Barnes, Australian rugby player
    • 1986 – Seth Rollins, American wrestler
    • 1986 – Ingmar Vos, Dutch decathlete
    • 1987 – T.J. Yates, American football player
    • 1988 – NaVorro Bowman, American football player
    • 1988 – Percy Harvin, American football player
    • 1988 – Craig Kimbrel, American baseball player
    • 1990 – Kyle Walker, English international footballer, right-back
    • 1991 – Sharrif Floyd, American football player
    • 1991 – Alexandre Lacazette, French footballer
    • 1991 – Kail Piho, Estonian skier
    • 1992 – Tom Carroll, English footballer
    • 1993 – Daniel Alvaro, Australian rugby league player
    • 1993 – Bárbara Luz, Portuguese tennis player
    • 1994 – John Stones, English footballer
    • 1994 – Son Yeon-jae, South Korean gymnast
    • 1998 – Dahyun, Korean singer
    • 1999 – Cameron Boyce, American actor (d. 2019)
    • 2000 – Phil Foden, English footballer

    Deaths on May 28

    • 576 – Germain of Paris, French bishop and saint (b. 496)
    • 741 – Ucha’an K’in B’alam, Mayan king
    • 926 – Kong Qian, official of Later Tang
    • 926 – Li Jiji, prince of Later Tang
    • 1023 – Wulfstan, English archbishop
    • 1279 – William Wishart, English bishop
    • 1327 – Robert Baldock, Lord Privy Seal and Lord Chancellor of England
    • 1357 – Afonso IV of Portugal (b. 1291)
    • 1427 – Henry IV, Count of Holstein-Rendsburg (b. 1397)
    • 1556 – Saitō Dōsan, Japanese samurai (b. 1494)
    • 1626 – Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk (b. 1561)
    • 1651 – Henry Grey, 10th Earl of Kent, English politician (b. 1594)
    • 1672 – John Trevor, Welsh politician, Secretary of State for the Northern Department (b. 1626)
    • 1747 – Luc de Clapiers, marquis de Vauvenargues, French author (b. 1715)
    • 1750 – Emperor Sakuramachi of Japan (b. 1720)
    • 1787 – Leopold Mozart, Austrian violinist, composer, and conductor (b. 1719)
    • 1805 – Luigi Boccherini, Italian cellist and composer (b. 1743)
    • 1808 – Richard Hurd, English bishop (b. 1720)
    • 1811 – Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville, Scottish lawyer and politician, Secretary of State for War (b. 1742)
    • 1831 – William Carnegie, 7th Earl of Northesk, Scottish-English admiral (b. 1756)
    • 1843 – Noah Webster, American lexicographer (b. 1758)
    • 1849 – Anne Brontë, English novelist and poet (b. 1820)
    • 1864 – Simion Bărnuțiu, Romanian historian and politician (b. 1808)
    • 1878 – John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1792)
    • 1904 – Kicking Bear, Native American tribal leader (b. 1846)
    • 1916 – Ivan Franko, Ukrainian economist, journalist, and poet (b. 1856)
    • 1927 – Boris Kustodiev, Russian painter and stage designer (b. 1878)
    • 1937 – Alfred Adler, Austrian-Scottish ophthalmologist and psychologist (b. 1870)
    • 1946 – Carter Glass, American publisher and politician, 47th United States Secretary of the Treasury (b. 1858)
    • 1947 – August Eigruber, Austrian-German politician (b. 1907)
    • 1952 – Philippe Desranleau, Canadian archbishop (b. 1882)
    • 1953 – Tatsuo Hori, Japanese author and poet (b. 1904)
    • 1964 – Terry Dillon, American football player (b. 1941)
    • 1968 – Fyodor Okhlopkov, Russian sergeant and sniper (b. 1908)
    • 1971 – Audie Murphy, American soldier and actor, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1925)
    • 1972 – Edward VIII of the United Kingdom (b. 1894)
    • 1975 – Ezzard Charles, American boxer (b. 1921)
    • 1976 – Zainul Abedin, Bangladeshi painter and sculptor (b. 1914)
    • 1980 – Rolf Nevanlinna, Finnish mathematician and academic (b. 1895)
    • 1981 – Mary Lou Williams, American pianist and composer (b. 1910)
    • 1981 – Stefan Wyszyński, Polish cardinal (b. 1901)
    • 1982 – H. Jones, English colonel, Victoria Cross recipient (b. 1940)
    • 1983 – Erastus Corning 2nd, American soldier and politician, 72nd Mayor of Albany (b. 1909)
    • 1984 – Eric Morecambe, English actor and comedian (b. 1926)
    • 1986 – Edip Cansever, Turkish poet and author (b. 1928)
    • 1988 – Sy Oliver, American trumpet player, composer, and bandleader (b. 1910)
    • 1990 – Julius Eastman, American composer (b. 1940)
    • 1994 – Julius Boros, American golfer (b. 1920)
    • 1994 – Ely Jacques Kahn, Jr., American author and academic (b. 1916)
    • 1998 – Phil Hartman, Canadian-American actor and comedian (b. 1948)
    • 1999 – Michael Barkai, Israeli commander (b. 1935)
    • 1999 – B. Vittalacharya, Indian director and producer (b. 1920)
    • 2000 – George Irving Bell, American physicist, biologist, and mountaineer (b. 1926)
    • 2001 – Joe Moakley, American lawyer and politician (b. 1927)
    • 2001 – Francisco Varela, Chilean biologist and philosopher (b. 1946)
    • 2002 – Mildred Benson, American journalist and author (b. 1905)
    • 2003 – Oleg Grigoryevich Makarov, Russian engineer and astronaut (b. 1933)
    • 2003 – Ilya Prigogine, Russian-Belgian chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1917)
    • 2003 – Martha Scott, American actress (b. 1912)
    • 2004 – Umberto Agnelli, Swiss-Italian businessman and politician (b. 1934)
    • 2004 – Michael Buonauro, American author and illustrator (b. 1979)
    • 2004 – John Tolos, Greek-Canadian wrestler (b. 1930)
    • 2006 – Thorleif Schjelderup, Norwegian ski jumper and author (b. 1920)
    • 2007 – Jörg Immendorff, German painter, sculptor, and academic (b. 1945)
    • 2007 – Toshikatsu Matsuoka, Japanese politician, Japanese Minister of Agriculture (b. 1945)
    • 2008 – Beryl Cook, English painter and illustrator (b. 1926)
    • 2010 – Gary Coleman, American actor (b. 1968)
    • 2011 – Gino Valenzano, Italian racing driver (b. 1920)
    • 2012 – Bob Edwards, English journalist (b. 1925)
    • 2012 – Yuri Susloparov, Ukrainian-Russian footballer and manager (b. 1958)
    • 2013 – Viktor Kulikov, Russian commander (b. 1921)
    • 2013 – Eddie Romero, Filipino director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1924)
    • 2013 – Gerd Schmückle, German general (b. 1917)
    • 2014 – Maya Angelou, American memoirist and poet (b. 1928)
    • 2014 – Stan Crowther, English footballer (b. 1935)
    • 2014 – Oscar Dystel, American publisher (b. 1912)
    • 2014 – Malcolm Glazer, American businessman (b. 1928)
    • 2014 – Bob Houbregs, Canadian-American basketball player and manager (b. 1932)
    • 2014 – Isaac Kungwane, South African footballer (b. 1971)
    • 2015 – Steven Gerber, American pianist and composer (b. 1948)
    • 2015 – Johnny Keating, Scottish trombonist, composer, and producer (b. 1927)
    • 2015 – Reynaldo Rey, American actor and screenwriter (b. 1940)
    • 2018 – Neale Cooper, Scottish footballer (b. 1963)
    • 2018 – Jens Christian Skou, Danish medical doctor and Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1918)
    • 2018 – Cornelia Frances, English-Australian actress (b. 1941)

    Holidays and observances on May 28

    • Armed Forces Day (Croatia)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Bernard of Menthon
      • Germain of Paris
      • John Calvin (Episcopal Church)
      • Lanfranc
      • Margaret Pole
      • William of Gellone
      • May 28 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Downfall of the Derg Day (Ethiopia)
    • Flag Day (Philippines)
    • Menstrual Hygiene Day
    • Republic Day (Nepal)
    • TDFR Republic Day, celebrates the declaration of independence of the First Republic of Armenia and the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic from the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic in 1918. (Azerbaijan and Armenia)
    • Youm-e-Takbir (Pakistan)

  • May 27 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 1096 – Count Emicho enters Mainz, where his followers massacre Jewish citizens.At least 600 Jews are killed.
    • 1120 – Richard III of Capua is anointed as Prince two weeks before his untimely death.
    • 1153 – Malcolm IV becomes King of Scotland.
    • 1199 – John is crowned King of England.
    • 1257 – Richard of Cornwall, and his wife, Sanchia of Provence, are crowned King and Queen of the Germans at Aachen Cathedral.
    • 1644 – Manchu regent Dorgon defeats rebel leader Li Zicheng of the Shun dynasty at the Battle of Shanhai Pass, allowing the Manchus to enter and conquer the capital city of Beijing.
    • 1703 – Tsar Peter the Great founds the city of Saint Petersburg.
    • 1798 – The Battle of Oulart Hill takes place in Wexford, Ireland; Irish rebel leaders defeat and kill a detachment of militia.
    • 1799 – War of the Second Coalition: Austrian forces defeat the French at Winterthur, Switzerland.
    • 1813 – War of 1812: In Canada, American forces capture Fort George.
    • 1860 – Giuseppe Garibaldi begins his attack on Palermo, Sicily, as part of the Italian unification.
    • 1863 – American Civil War: First Assault on the Confederate works at the Siege of Port Hudson.
    • 1874 – The first group of Dorsland trekkers under the leadership of Gert Alberts leaves Pretoria.
    • 1883 – Alexander III is crowned Tsar of Russia.
    • 1896 – The F4-strength St. Louis–East St. Louis tornado hits in St. Louis, Missouri, and East St. Louis, Illinois, killing at least 255 people and causing over $10–million in damage.
    • 1905 – Russo-Japanese War: The Battle of Tsushima begins.
    • 1917 – Pope Benedict XV promulgates the 1917 Code of Canon Law, the first comprehensive codification of Catholic canon law in the legal history of the Catholic Church.
    • 1919 – The NC-4 aircraft arrives in Lisbon after completing the first transatlantic flight.
    • 1927 – The Ford Motor Company ceases manufacture of the Ford Model T and begins to retool plants to make the Ford Model A.
    • 1930 – The 1,046 feet (319 m) Chrysler Building in New York City, the tallest man-made structure at the time, opens to the public.
    • 1933 – New Deal: The U.S. Federal Securities Act is signed into law requiring the registration of securities with the Federal Trade Commission.
    • 1933 – The Walt Disney Company releases the cartoon Three Little Pigs, with its hit song “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?”
    • 1935 – New Deal: The Supreme Court of the United States declares the National Industrial Recovery Act to be unconstitutional in A.L.A. Schechter Poultry Corp. v. United States, (295 U.S. 495).
    • 1937 – In California, the Golden Gate Bridge opens to pedestrian traffic, creating a vital link between San Francisco and Marin County, California.
    • 1940 – World War II: In the Le Paradis massacre, 99 soldiers from a Royal Norfolk Regiment unit are shot after surrendering to German troops; two survive.
    • 1941 – World War II: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaims an “unlimited national emergency”.
    • 1941 – World War II: The German battleship Bismarck is sunk in the North Atlantic killing almost 2,100 men.
    • 1942 – World War II: In Operation Anthropoid, Reinhard Heydrich is fatally wounded in Prague; he dies of his injuries eight days later.
    • 1958 – First flight of the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II.
    • 1960 – In Turkey, a military coup removes President Celâl Bayar and the rest of the democratic government from office.
    • 1962 – The Centralia mine fire is ignited in the town’s landfill above a coal mine.
    • 1965 – Vietnam War: American warships begin the first bombardment of National Liberation Front targets within South Vietnam.
    • 1967 – Australians vote in favor of a constitutional referendum granting the Australian government the power to make laws to benefit Indigenous Australians and to count them in the national census.
    • 1967 – The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy is launched by Jacqueline Kennedy and her daughter Caroline.
    • 1971 – The Dahlerau train disaster, the worst railway accident in West Germany, kills 46 people and injures 25 near Wuppertal.
    • 1971 – Pakistani forces massacre over 200 civilians, mostly Bengali Hindus, in the Bagbati massacre.
    • 1975 – Dibbles Bridge coach crash near Grassington, in North Yorkshire, England, kills 33 – the highest ever death toll in a road accident in the United Kingdom.
    • 1980 – The Gwangju Massacre: Airborne and army troops of South Korea retake the city of Gwangju from civil militias, killing at least 207 and possibly many more.
    • 1984 – The Danube-Black Sea canal is opened, in a ceremony attended by the Ceaușescus. It had been under construction since the 1950s.
    • 1996 – First Chechen War: the Russian President Boris Yeltsin meets with Chechnyan rebels for the first time and negotiates a cease-fire.
    • 1997 – The 1997 Central Texas tornado outbreak occurs, spawning multiple tornadoes in Central Texas, including the F5 that killed 27 in Jarrell.
    • 1998 – Oklahoma City bombing: Michael Fortier is sentenced to 12 years in prison and fined $200,000 for failing to warn authorities about the terrorist plot.
    • 2001 – Members of the Islamist separatist group Abu Sayyaf seize twenty hostages from an affluent island resort on Palawan in the Philippines; the hostage crisis would not be resolved until June 2002.
    • 2006 – The 6.4 Mw  Yogyakarta earthquake shakes central Java with an MSK intensity of VIII (Damaging), leaving more than 5,700 dead and 37,000 injured.
    • 2016 – Barack Obama is the first president of United States to visit Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and meet Hibakusha.
    • 2017 – Andrew Scheer takes over after Rona Ambrose as the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada.
    • 2018 – Maryland Flood Event: A flood occurs throughout the Patapsco Valley causing one death and destroying the entire first floors of buildings on Main Street in Ellicott City and causing cars to overturn.

    Births on May 27

    • 742 – Emperor Dezong of Tang (d. 805)
    • 1332 – Ibn Khaldun, Tunisian historian and theologian (d. 1406)
    • 1378 – Zhu Quan, Chinese military commander, historian and playwright (d. 1448)
    • 1519 – Girolamo Mei, Italian historian and theorist (d. 1594)
    • 1537 – Louis IV, Landgrave of Hesse-Marburg (d. 1604)
    • 1576 – Caspar Schoppe, German author and scholar (d. 1649)
    • 1584 – Michael Altenburg, German theologian and composer (d. 1640)
    • 1601 – Antoine Daniel, French-Canadian missionary and saint (d. 1648)
    • 1626 – William II, Prince of Orange (d. 1650)
    • 1627 – Anne Marie Louise d’Orléans, Duchess of Montpensier (d. 1693)
    • 1651 – Louis Antoine de Noailles, French cardinal (d. 1729)
    • 1652 – Elizabeth Charlotte, Princess Palatine of Germany (d. 1722)
    • 1738 – Nathaniel Gorham, American merchant and politician, 14th President of the Continental Congress (d. 1796)
    • 1756 – Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria (d. 1825)
    • 1774 – Francis Beaufort, Irish hydrographer and officer in the Royal Navy (d. 1857)
    • 1794 – Cornelius Vanderbilt, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 1877)
    • 1814 – John Rudolph Niernsee, Viennese-born American architect (d.1885)
    • 1815 – Henry Parkes, English-Australian politician, 7th Premier of New South Wales (d. 1896)
    • 1818 – Amelia Bloomer, American journalist and activist (d. 1894)
    • 1819 – Julia Ward Howe, American poet and songwriter (d. 1910)
    • 1827 – Samuel F. Miller, American lawyer and politician (d. 1892)
    • 1832 – Zenas Ferry Moody, American surveyor and politician, 7th Governor of Oregon (d. 1917)
    • 1836 – Jay Gould, American businessman and financier (d. 1892)
    • 1837 – Wild Bill Hickok, American police officer (d. 1876)
    • 1852 – Billy Barnes, English cricketer (d. 1899)
    • 1857 – Theodor Curtius, German chemist (d. 1928)
    • 1860 – Manuel Teixeira Gomes, Portuguese politician, 7th President of Portugal (d. 1941)
    • 1863 – Arthur Mold, English cricketer (d. 1921)
    • 1867 – Arnold Bennett, English author and playwright (d. 1931)
    • 1868 – Aleksa Šantić, Bosnian poet and author (d. 1924)
    • 1871 – Georges Rouault, French painter and illustrator (d. 1958)
    • 1875 – Frederick Cuming, English cricketer (d. 1942)
    • 1876 – Ferdynand Antoni Ossendowski, Polish journalist and author (d. 1945)
    • 1876 – William Stanier, English engineer (d. 1965)
    • 1878 – Anna Cervin, Swedish artist (d. 1972)
    • 1879 – Karl Bühler, German-American linguist and psychologist (d. 1963)
    • 1879 – Hans Lammers, German judge and politician (d. 1962)
    • 1883 – Jessie Arms Botke, American painter (d. 1971)
    • 1884 – Max Brod, Czech journalist, author, and composer (d. 1968)
    • 1887 – Frank Woolley, English cricketer (d. 1978)
    • 1888 – Louis Durey, French composer (d. 1979)
    • 1891 – Claude Champagne, Canadian violinist, pianist, and composer (d. 1965)
    • 1891 – Jaan Kärner, Estonian poet and author (d. 1958)
    • 1894 – Louis-Ferdinand Céline, French physician and author (d. 1961)
    • 1894 – Dashiell Hammett, American detective novelist and screenwriter (d. 1961)
    • 1895 – Douglas Lloyd Campbell, Canadian educator and politician, 13th Premier of Manitoba (d. 1995)
    • 1897 – John Cockcroft, English physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1967)
    • 1897 – Dink Templeton, American rugby player and coach (d. 1962)
    • 1898 – David Crosthwait, American engineer, inventor and writer (d. 1976)
    • 1899 – Johannes Türn, Estonian chess and draughts player (d. 1993)
    • 1900 – Lotte Toberentz, German overseer of the Nazi Uckermark concentration camp (d. 1964)
    • 1900 – Uładzimir Žyłka, Belarusian poet and translator (d. 1933)
    • 1904 – Chūhei Nambu, Japanese jumper and journalist (d. 1997)
    • 1906 – Buddhadasa, Thai monk and philosopher (d. 1993)
    • 1906 – Harry Hibbs, English footballer (d. 1984)
    • 1906 – Antonio Rosario Mennonna, Italian bishop (d. 2009)
    • 1907 – Nicolas Calas, Greek-American poet and critic (d. 1988)
    • 1907 – Rachel Carson, American biologist, environmentalist, and author (d. 1964)
    • 1909 – Dolores Hope, American singer and philanthropist (d. 2011)
    • 1911 – Hubert Humphrey, American journalist and politician, 38th Vice President of the United States (d. 1978)
    • 1911 – Teddy Kollek, Hungarian-Israeli politician, Mayor of Jerusalem (d. 2007)
    • 1911 – Vincent Price, American actor (d. 1993)
    • 1912 – John Cheever, American novelist and short story writer (d. 1982)
    • 1912 – Sam Snead, American golfer and sportscaster (d. 2002)
    • 1912 – Terry Moore, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 1995)
    • 1915 – Ester Soré, Chilean singer-songwriter (d. 1996)
    • 1915 – Herman Wouk, American novelist (d. 2019)
    • 1917 – Harry Webster, English engineer (d. 2007)
    • 1918 – Yasuhiro Nakasone, Japanese commander and politician, 45th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 2019)
    • 1921 – Bob Godfrey, Australian-English animator, director, and voice actor (d. 2013)
    • 1922 – Otto Carius, German lieutenant and pharmacist (d. 2015)
    • 1922 – Christopher Lee, English actor (d. 2015)
    • 1922 – John D. Vanderhoof, American banker and politician, 37th Governor of Colorado (d. 2013)
    • 1923 – Henry Kissinger, German-American political scientist and politician, 56th United States Secretary of State, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1923 – Sumner Redstone, American businessman and philanthropist
    • 1924 – Jaime Lusinchi, Venezuelan physician and politician, President of Venezuela (d. 2014)
    • 1924 – John Sumner, English-Australian director, founded the Melbourne Theatre Company (d. 2013)
    • 1925 – Tony Hillerman, American journalist and author (d. 2008)
    • 1927 – Jüri Randviir, Estonian chess player and journalist (d. 1996)
    • 1928 – Thea Musgrave, Scottish-American composer and educator
    • 1930 – John Barth, American novelist and short story writer
    • 1930 – William S. Sessions, American civil servant and judge, 8th Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
    • 1930 – Eino Tamberg, Estonian composer and educator (d. 2010)
    • 1931 – André Barbeau, French-Canadian neurologist (d. 1986)
    • 1931 – John Chapple, English field marshal and politician, Governor of Gibraltar
    • 1931 – Bernard Fresson, French actor (d. 2002)
    • 1931 – Faten Hamama, Egyptian actress and producer (d. 2015)
    • 1931 – Philip Kotler, American author and professor
    • 1933 – Edward Samuel Rogers, Canadian businessman (d. 2008)
    • 1933 – Manfred Sommer, Spanish author and illustrator (d. 2007)
    • 1934 – Ray Daviault, Canadian-American baseball player
    • 1934 – Harlan Ellison, American author and screenwriter (d. 2018)
    • 1935 – Daniel Colchico, American football player and coach (d. 2014)
    • 1935 – Mal Evans, British road manager of The Beatles (d. 1976)
    • 1935 – Jerry Kindall, American baseball player and coach (d. 2017)
    • 1935 – Ramsey Lewis, American jazz pianist and composer
    • 1935 – Lee Meriwether, American model and actress, Miss America 1955
    • 1936 – Benjamin Bathurst, English admiral
    • 1936 – Louis Gossett, Jr., American actor and producer
    • 1936 – Marcel Masse, Canadian educator and politician, 29th Canadian Minister of National Defence (d. 2014)
    • 1937 – Allan Carr, American playwright and producer (d. 1999)
    • 1939 – Simon Cairns, 6th Earl Cairns, English courtier and businessman
    • 1939 – Yves Duhaime, Canadian captain and politician
    • 1939 – Sokratis Kokkalis, Greek businessman
    • 1939 – Gerald Ronson, English businessman and philanthropist
    • 1939 – Lionel Sosa, Mexican-American advertising and marketing executive
    • 1939 – Don Williams, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2017)
    • 1940 – Mike Gibson, Australian journalist and sportscaster (d. 2015)
    • 1942 – Lee Baca, American police officer
    • 1942 – Piers Courage, English racing driver (d. 1970)
    • 1942 – Roger Freeman, Baron Freeman, English accountant and politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
    • 1942 – Robin Widdows, English racing driver
    • 1943 – Cilla Black, English singer and actress (d. 2015)
    • 1943 – Bruce Weitz, American actor
    • 1944 – Chris Dodd, American lawyer and politician
    • 1944 – Ingrid Roscoe, English historian and politician, Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire
    • 1944 – Alain Souchon, French singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
    • 1945 – Bruce Cockburn, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1946 – Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Danish bassist and composer (d. 2005)
    • 1946 – John Williams, English motorcycle racer (d. 1978)
    • 1947 – Peter DeFazio, American politician
    • 1947 – Marty Kristian, German-Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
    • 1947 – Branko Oblak, Slovenian footballer and coach
    • 1947 – Riivo Sinijärv, Estonian politician, 19th Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs
    • 1948 – Wubbo de Boer, Dutch civil servant (d. 2017)
    • 1948 – Pete Sears, English bass player
    • 1948 – Morning Glory Zell-Ravenheart, American occultist and author (d. 2014)
    • 1949 – Hugh Lowther, 8th Earl of Lonsdale, English politician
    • 1949 – Christa Vahlensieck, German runner
    • 1950 – Dee Dee Bridgewater, American singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1950 – Makis Dendrinos, Greek basketball player and coach (d. 2015)
    • 1951 – John Conteh, English boxer
    • 1954 – Pauline Hanson, Australian businesswoman, activist, and politician
    • 1954 – Jackie Slater, American football player and coach
    • 1955 – Eric Bischoff, American wrestler, manager, and producer
    • 1955 – Richard Schiff, American actor, director, and producer
    • 1955 – Ian Tracey, English organist and conductor
    • 1956 – Cynthia McFadden, American journalist
    • 1956 – Rosemary Squire, English producer and manager, co-founded Ambassador Theatre Group
    • 1956 – Giuseppe Tornatore, Italian director and screenwriter
    • 1957 – Dag Terje Andersen, Norwegian politician, Norwegian Minister of Labour
    • 1957 – Nitin Gadkari, Indian lawyer and politician, Indian Minister of Transport
    • 1957 – Eddie Harsch, Canadian-American keyboard player and bass player (d. 2016)
    • 1957 – Siouxsie Sioux, English singer-songwriter, musician, and producer
    • 1958 – Nick Anstee, English accountant and politician, 682nd Lord Mayor of London
    • 1958 – Neil Finn, New Zealand singer-songwriter and musician
    • 1958 – Jesse Robredo, Filipino politician, 23rd Filipino Secretary of the Interior (d. 2012)
    • 1960 – Gaston Therrien, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
    • 1961 – José Luíz Barbosa, Brazilian runner and coach
    • 1961 – Peri Gilpin, American actress
    • 1962 – Marcelino Bernal, Mexican footballer
    • 1962 – Ray Borner, Australian basketball player
    • 1962 – Steven Brill, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1962 – Anthony A. Hyman, Israeli-English biologist and academic
    • 1962 – David Mundell, Scottish lawyer and politician, Secretary of State for Scotland
    • 1962 – Ravi Shastri, Indian cricketer and sportscaster
    • 1963 – Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Cuban pianist and composer
    • 1963 – Maria Walliser, Swiss skier
    • 1964 – Adam Carolla, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1965 – Pat Cash, Australian-English tennis player and sportscaster
    • 1966 – Heston Blumenthal, English chef and author
    • 1967 – Paul Gascoigne, English international footballer, midfielder, coach, and manager
    • 1967 – Eddie McClintock, American actor
    • 1968 – Jeff Bagwell, American baseball player and coach
    • 1968 – Rebekah Brooks, English journalist
    • 1968 – Harun Erdenay, Turkish basketball player and coach
    • 1968 – Frank Thomas, American baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1969 – Todd Hundley, American baseball player
    • 1969 – Jeremy Mayfield, American race car driver
    • 1969 – Craig Federighi, American computer scientist and engineer
    • 1970 – Michele Bartoli, Italian cyclist
    • 1970 – Tim Farron, English educator and politician
    • 1970 – Joseph Fiennes, English actor
    • 1970 – Alex Archer, American-born Australian musician
    • 1971 – Mathew Batsiua, Nauruan politician
    • 1971 – Paul Bettany, English actor
    • 1971 – Wayne Carey, Australian footballer and coach
    • 1971 – Kaur Kender, Estonian author
    • 1971 – Lisa Lopes, American rapper and dancer (d. 2002)
    • 1971 – Lee Sharpe, English footballer
    • 1971 – Grant Stafford, South African tennis player
    • 1971 – Sophie Walker, British politician, leader of the Women’s Equality Party
    • 1971 – Petroc Trelawny, British radio and television broadcaster
    • 1972 – Todd Demsey, American golfer
    • 1972 – Antonio Freeman, American football player
    • 1972 – Maxim Sokolov, Russian ice hockey player
    • 1973 – Jack McBrayer, American actor and comedian
    • 1973 – Tana Umaga, New Zealand rugby player and coach
    • 1973 – Yorgos Lanthimos, Greek film video, and theatre director, producer and screenwriter
    • 1974 – Skye Edwards, British singer-songwriter
    • 1974 – Denise van Outen, English actress, singer, and television host
    • 1974 – Derek Webb, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1974 – Danny Wuerffel, American football player
    • 1975 – André 3000, American rapper
    • 1975 – Michael Hussey, Australian cricketer
    • 1975 – Jamie Oliver, English chef and author
    • 1975 – Feryal Özel, Turkish astrophysicist, astronomer, and academic
    • 1976 – Marcel Fässler, Swiss racing driver
    • 1977 – Abderrahmane Hammad, Algerian high jumper
    • 1977 – Mahela Jayawardene, Sri Lankan cricketer
    • 1978 – Adin Brown, American soccer player
    • 1979 – Michael Buonauro, American author and illustrator (d. 2004)
    • 1979 – Mile Sterjovski, Australian footballer
    • 1980 – Craig Buntin, Canadian figure skater
    • 1981 – Alina Cojocaru, Romanian ballerina
    • 1981 – Johan Elmander, Swedish footballer
    • 1984 – Blake Ahearn, American basketball player
    • 1984 – Miguel González, Mexican baseball pitcher
    • 1985 – Chiang Chien-ming, Taiwanese baseball player
    • 1985 – Roberto Soldado, Spanish footballer
    • 1986 – Conor Cummins, Manx motorcycle racer
    • 1986 – Bamba Fall, Senegalese basketball player
    • 1986 – Lasse Schöne, Danish footballer
    • 1987 – Gervinho, Ivorian footballer
    • 1987 – Bella Heathcote, Australian actress
    • 1987 – Eric Kolelas, French-English actor and director
    • 1987 – Bora Paçun, Turkish basketball player
    • 1987 – Matt Prior, Australian rugby league player
    • 1987 – Martina Sablikova, Czech speed skater and cyclist
    • 1988 – Vontae Davis, American football player
    • 1988 – Irina Davydova, Russian hurdler
    • 1988 – Garrett Richards, American baseball pitcher
    • 1988 – Tyler Sash, American football player (d. 2015)
    • 1989 – Igor Morozov, Estonian footballer
    • 1990 – Yenew Alamirew, Ethiopian runner
    • 1990 – Chris Colfer, American actor and singer
    • 1990 – Marcus Kruger, Swedish ice hockey player
    • 1991 – Sebastien Dewaest, Belgian footballer
    • 1991 – Tim Lafai, Samoan rugby league player
    • 1991 – Ksenia Pervak, Russian tennis player
    • 1991 – Eneli Vals, Estonian footballer
    • 1992 – Aaron Brown, Canadian sprinter
    • 1992 – Laurence Vincent-Lapointe, Canadian canoer

    Deaths on May 27

    • 366 – Procopius, Roman usurper (b. 325)
    • 398 – Murong Bao, emperor of the Xianbei state Later Yan (b. 355)
    • 475 – Eutropius, bishop of Orange
    • 866 – Ordoño I of Asturias (b. 831)
    • 927 – Simeon I of Bulgaria first Bulgarian Emperor (b. 864)
    • 1039 – Dirk III, Count of Holland (b. 981)
    • 1045 – Bruno of Würzburg, imperial chancellor of Italy (b. c. 1005)
    • 1178 – Godfrey van Rhenen, bishop of Utrecht
    • 1240 – William de Warenne, 5th Earl of Surrey (b. 1166)
    • 1444 – John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset, English commander (b. 1404)
    • 1508 – Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan (b. 1452)
    • 1508 – Lucrezia Crivelli, mistress of Ludovico Sforza (b. 1452)
    • 1525 – Thomas Müntzer, German mystic and theologian (b. 1488)
    • 1541 – Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury (b. 1473)
    • 1564 – John Calvin, French pastor and theologian (b. 1509)
    • 1610 – François Ravaillac, French assassin of Henry IV of France (b. 1578)
    • 1624 – Diego Ramírez de Arellano, Spanish sailor and cosmographer (b. c. 1580)
    • 1637 – John Boteler, 1st Baron Boteler of Brantfield, English politician (b. c. 1566)
    • 1661 – Archibald Campbell, 1st Marquess of Argyll, Scottish general and politician (b. 1607)
    • 1675 – Gaspard Dughet, Italian-French painter (b. 1613)
    • 1690 – Giovanni Legrenzi, Italian organist and composer (b. 1626)
    • 1702 – Dominique Bouhours, French priest and critic (b. 1628)
    • 1707 – Françoise-Athénaïs, marquise de Montespan, French mistress of Louis XIV of France (b. 1640)
    • 1781 – Giovanni Battista Beccaria, Italian physicist and academic (b. 1716)
    • 1797 – François-Noël Babeuf, French journalist (b. 1760)
    • 1831 – Jedediah Smith, American hunter, explorer, and author (b. 1799)
    • 1840 – Niccolò Paganini, Italian violinist and composer (b. 1782)
    • 1867 – Thomas Bulfinch American mythologist (b. 1796)
    • 1896 – Aleksandr Stoletov, Russian physicist, engineer, and academic (b. 1839)
    • 1910 – Robert Koch, German physician and microbiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1843)
    • 1918 – Ōzutsu Man’emon, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 18th Yokozuna (b. 1869)
    • 1919 – Kandukuri Veeresalingam, Indian author and activist (b. 1848)
    • 1933 – Achille Paroche, French target shooter (b. 1868)
    • 1939 – Joseph Roth, Austrian-French journalist and author (b. 1894)
    • 1941 – Ernst Lindemann, German captain (b. 1894)
    • 1941 – Günther Lütjens, German admiral (b. 1889)
    • 1942 – Muhammed Hamdi Yazır, Turkish theologian, logician, and translator (b. 1878)
    • 1943 – Gordon Coates, New Zealand soldier and politician, 21st Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1878)
    • 1945 – Enno Lolling, German physician (b. 1888)
    • 1947 – Ed Konetchy, American baseball player and manager (b. 1885)
    • 1949 – Robert Ripley, American cartoonist, publisher, and businessman, founded Ripley’s Believe It or Not! (b. 1890)
    • 1953 – Jesse Burkett, American baseball player and manager (b. 1868)
    • 1960 – James Montgomery Flagg, American painter and illustrator (b. 1877)
    • 1963 – Grigoris Lambrakis, Greek physician and politician (b. 1912)
    • 1964 – Jawaharlal Nehru, Indian lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of India (b. 1889)
    • 1967 – W. Otto Miessner, American composer and educator (b. 1880)
    • 1967 – Ernst Niekisch, German academic and politician (b. 1889)
    • 1969 – Jeffrey Hunter, American actor and producer (b. 1926)
    • 1971 – Béla Juhos, Hungarian-Austrian philosopher from the Vienna Circle (b. 1901)
    • 1971 – Armando Picchi, Italian footballer and coach (b. 1935)
    • 1980 – Gün Sazak, Turkish agronomist and politician (b. 1932)
    • 1984 – Vasilije Mokranjac, Serbian composer (b. 1923)
    • 1986 – Ismail al-Faruqi, Palestinian-American philosopher and academic (b. 1921)
    • 1986 – Ajoy Mukherjee, Indian politician, Chief Minister of West Bengal (b. 1901)
    • 1986 – Giorgos Tzifos, Greek actor and cinematographer (b. 1918)
    • 1987 – John Howard Northrop, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1891)
    • 1988 – Hjördis Petterson, Swedish actress (b. 1908)
    • 1988 – Ernst Ruska, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1906)
    • 1989 – Arseny Tarkovsky, Russian poet and translator (b. 1907)
    • 1990 – Robert B. Meyner, American lawyer and politician, 44th Governor of New Jersey (b. 1908)
    • 1991 – Leopold Nowak, Austrian musicologist and theorist (b. 1904)
    • 1992 – Uncle Charlie Osborne, American fiddler (b. 1890)
    • 1998 – Minoo Masani, Indian lawyer and politician (b. 1905)
    • 2000 – Kazimierz Leski, Polish engineer and pilot (b. 1912)
    • 2000 – Murray MacLehose, Baron MacLehose of Beoch, Scottish politician and diplomat, 25th Governor of Hong Kong (b. 1917)
    • 2000 – Maurice Richard, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1921)
    • 2003 – Luciano Berio, Italian composer and educator (b. 1925)
    • 2006 – Rob Borsellino, American journalist (b. 1949)
    • 2006 – Paul Gleason, American actor (b. 1939)
    • 2006 – Craig Heyward, American football player (b. 1966)
    • 2007 – Izumi Sakai, Japanese singer-songwriter (b. 1967)
    • 2007 – Gretchen Wyler, American actress and dancer (b. 1932)
    • 2007 – Ed Yost, American inventor, created the hot air balloon (b. 1919)
    • 2008 – Franz Künstler, Hungarian soldier (b. 1900)
    • 2009 – Thomas M. Franck, American lawyer and academic (b. 1931)
    • 2009 – Clive Granger, Welsh-American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1934)
    • 2009 – Mona Grey, British nursing administrator; Northern Ireland’s first Chief Nursing Officer
    • 2009 – Abram Hoffer, Canadian biochemist, physician, and psychiatrist (b. 1917)
    • 2009 – Gérard Jean-Juste, Haitian-American priest and theologian (b. 1946)
    • 2009 – Carol Anne O’Marie, American nun and author (b. 1933)
    • 2009 – William Refshauge, Australian soldier and physician (b. 1913)
    • 2009 – Paul Sharratt, English-American television host (b. 1933)
    • 2010 – Payut Ngaokrachang, Thai animator and director (b. 1929)
    • 2011 – Jeff Conaway, American actor and singer (b. 1950)
    • 2011 – Margo Dydek, Polish-American basketball player (b. 1974)
    • 2011 – Gil Scott-Heron, American singer-songwriter and poet (b. 1949)
    • 2012 – Simeon Daniel, Nevisian educator and politician, 1st Premier of Nevis (b. 1934)
    • 2012 – Friedrich Hirzebruch, German mathematician and academic (b. 1927)
    • 2012 – Anahit Perikhanian, Russian-born Armenian Iranologist (b. 1928)
    • 2012 – David Rimoin, Canadian-American geneticist and academic (b. 1936)
    • 2013 – Jagjit Singh Lyallpuri, Indian politician (b. 1917)
    • 2013 – Bill Pertwee, English actor (b. 1926)
    • 2013 – Abdoulaye Sékou Sow, Malian politician, Prime Minister of Mali (b. 1931)
    • 2014 – Robert Genn, Canadian painter and author (b. 1936)
    • 2014 – Helma Sanders-Brahms, German director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1940)
    • 2014 – Roberto Vargas, Puerto Rican-American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1929)
    • 2014 – Massimo Vignelli, Italian-American graphic designer (b. 1931)
    • 2015 – Erik Carlsson, Swedish rally driver (b. 1929)
    • 2015 – Nils Christie, Norwegian sociologist, criminologist, and author (b. 1928)
    • 2015 – Andy King, English footballer and manager (b. 1956)
    • 2015 – Michael Martin, American philosopher and academic (b. 1932)
    • 2017 – Gregg Allman, American musician, singer and songwriter (b. 1947)
    • 2020 – Larry Kramer, American playwright, public health advocate and LGBT rights activist (b. 1935)

    Holidays and observances on May 27

    • Armed Forces Day (Nicaragua)
    • Children’s Day (Nigeria)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Augustine of Canterbury
      • Blessed Lojze Grozde
      • Bede (commemoration, Anglican Communion)
      • Bruno of Würzburg
      • Eutropius of Orange
      • Hildebert
      • Julius the Veteran
      • May 27 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Mother’s Day (Bolivia)
    • Navy Day (Japan)
    • Slavery Abolition Day (Guadeloupe, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin)
    • Start of National Reconciliation Week (Australia)

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

    • 567 BC – Servius Tullius, the king of Rome, celebrates a triumph for his victory over the Etruscans.
    • 240 BC – First recorded perihelion passage of Halley’s Comet.
    • 1085 – Alfonso VI of Castile takes Toledo, Spain, back from the Moors.
    • 1420 – Henry the Navigator is appointed governor of the Order of Christ.
    • 1521 – The Diet of Worms ends when Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, issues the Edict of Worms, declaring Martin Luther an outlaw.
    • 1644 – Ming general Wu Sangui forms an alliance with the invading Manchus and opens the gates of the Great Wall of China at Shanhaiguan pass, letting the Manchus through towards the capital Beijing.
    • 1659 – Richard Cromwell resigns as Lord Protector of England following the restoration of the Long Parliament, beginning a second brief period of the republican government called the Commonwealth of England.
    • 1660 – Charles II lands at Dover at the invitation of the Convention Parliament, which marks the end of the Cromwell-proclaimed Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland and begins the Restoration of the British monarchy.
    • 1738 – A treaty between Pennsylvania and Maryland ends the Conojocular War with settlement of a boundary dispute and exchange of prisoners.
    • 1787 – After a delay of 11 days, the United States Constitutional Convention formally convenes in Philadelphia after a quorum of seven states is secured.
    • 1798 – United Irishmen Rebellion: Battle of Carlow begins; executions of suspected rebels at Carnew and at Dunlavin Green take place.
    • 1809 – Chuquisaca Revolution: Patriot revolt in Chuquisaca (modern-day Sucre) against the Spanish Empire, sparking the Latin American wars of independence.
    • 1810 – May Revolution: Citizens of Buenos Aires expel Viceroy Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros during the “May Week”, starting the Argentine War of Independence.
    • 1819 – The Argentine Constitution of 1819 is promulgated.
    • 1833 – The Chilean Constitution of 1833 is promulgated.
    • 1865 – In Mobile, Alabama, around 300 people are killed when an ordnance depot explodes.
    • 1878 – Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic opera H.M.S. Pinafore opens at the Opera Comique in London.
    • 1895 – Playwright, poet and novelist Oscar Wilde is convicted of “committing acts of gross indecency with other male persons” and sentenced to serve two years in prison.
    • 1895 – The Republic of Formosa is formed, with Tang Jingsong as its president.
    • 1914 – The House of Commons of the United Kingdom passes the Home Rule Bill for devolution in Ireland.
    • 1925 – Scopes Trial: John T. Scopes is indicted for teaching human evolution in Tennessee.
    • 1926 – Sholom Schwartzbard assassinates Symon Petliura, the head of the government of the Ukrainian People’s Republic, which is in government-in-exile in Paris.
    • 1935 – Jesse Owens of Ohio State University breaks three world records and ties a fourth at the Big Ten Conference Track and Field Championships in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
    • 1938 – Spanish Civil War: The bombing of Alicante kills 313 people.
    • 1940 – World War II: The German 2nd Panzer Division captures the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer; the surrender of the last French and British troops marks the end of the Battle of Boulogne.
    • 1946 – The parliament of Transjordan makes Abdullah I of Jordan their Emir.
    • 1953 – Nuclear weapons testing: At the Nevada Test Site, the United States conducts its first and only nuclear artillery test.
    • 1953 – The first public television station in the United States officially begins broadcasting as KUHT from the campus of the University of Houston.
    • 1955 – In the United States, a night-time F5 tornado strikes the small city of Udall, Kansas, killing 80 and injuring 273. It is the deadliest tornado to ever occur in the state and the 23rd deadliest in the U.S.
    • 1955 – First ascent of Mount Kangchenjunga: A British expedition led by Charles Evans, Joe Brown and George Band reaches the summit of the third-highest mountain in the world (8,586 meters); Norman Hardie and Tony Streather join them the following day.
    • 1961 – Apollo program: U.S. President John F. Kennedy announces, before a special joint session of the U.S. Congress, his goal to initiate a project to put a “man on the Moon” before the end of the decade.
    • 1963 – The Organisation of African Unity is established in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
    • 1966 – Explorer program: Explorer 32 launches.
    • 1968 – The Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri, is dedicated.
    • 1973 – In protest against the dictatorship in Greece, the captain and crew on Greek naval destroyer Velos mutiny and refuse to return to Greece, instead anchoring at Fiumicino, Italy.
    • 1977 – Star Wars (retroactively titled Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope) is released in theaters.
    • 1977 – The Chinese government removes a decade-old ban on William Shakespeare’s work, effectively ending the Cultural Revolution started in 1966.
    • 1978 – The first of a series of bombings orchestrated by the Unabomber detonates at Northwestern University resulting in minor injuries.
    • 1979 – John Spenkelink, a convicted murderer, is executed in Florida; he is the first person to be executed in the state after the reintroduction of capital punishment in 1976.
    • 1979 – American Airlines Flight 191: A McDonnell Douglas DC-10 crashes during takeoff at O’Hare International Airport, Chicago, killing all 271 on board and two people on the ground.
    • 1981 – In Riyadh, the Gulf Cooperation Council is created between Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
    • 1982 – Falklands War: HMS Coventry is sunk by Argentine Air Force A-4 Skyhawks.
    • 1985 – Bangladesh is hit by a tropical cyclone and storm surge, which kills approximately 10,000 people.
    • 1986 – The Hands Across America event takes place.
    • 1997 – A military coup in Sierra Leone replaces President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah with Major Johnny Paul Koroma.
    • 1999 – The United States House of Representatives releases the Cox Report which details the People’s Republic of China’s nuclear espionage against the U.S. over the prior two decades.
    • 2000 – Liberation Day of Lebanon: Israel withdraws its army from Lebanese territory (with the exception of the disputed Shebaa farms zone) 18 years after the invasion of 1982.
    • 2001 – Erik Weihenmayer becomes the first blind person to reach the summit of Mount Everest, in the Himalayas, with Dr. Sherman Bull.
    • 2002 – China Airlines Flight 611 disintegrates in mid-air and crashes into the Taiwan Strait, with the loss of all 225 people on board.
    • 2008 – NASA’s Phoenix lander touches down in the Green Valley region of Mars to search for environments suitable for water and microbial life.
    • 2009 – North Korea allegedly tests its second nuclear device, after which Pyongyang also conducts several missile tests, building tensions in the international community.
    • 2011 – Oprah Winfrey airs her last show, ending her 25-year run of The Oprah Winfrey Show.
    • 2012 – The SpaceX Dragon becomes the first commercial spacecraft to successfully rendezvous and berth with the International Space Station.
    • 2013 – Suspected Maoist rebels kill at least 28 people and injure 32 others in an attack on a convoy of Indian National Congress politicians in Chhattisgarh, India.
    • 2013 – A gas cylinder explodes on a school bus in the Pakistani city of Gujrat, killing at least 18 people.
    • 2018 – The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) becomes enforceable in the European Union.
    • 2018 – Ireland votes to repeal the Eighth Amendment of their constitution that prohibits abortion in all but a few cases, choosing to replace it with the Thirty-sixth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland.
    • 2020 – George Floyd, a black man, is killed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during an arrest when he is restrained in a prone position face-down on the ground for several minutes, provoking protests across the United States and elsewhere around the world.

    Births on May 25

    • 1048 – Emperor Shenzong of Song (d. 1085)
    • 1320 – Toghon Temür, Mongolian emperor (d. 1370)
    • 1334 – Emperor Sukō of Japan (d. 1398)
    • 1416 – Jakobus (“James”), Count of Lichtenburg (d. 1480)
    • 1417 – Catherine of Cleves, Duchess consort regent of Guelders (d. 1479)
    • 1550 – Camillus de Lellis, Italian saint and nurse (d. 1614)
    • 1606 – Charles Garnier, French missionary and saint (d. 1649)
    • 1661 – Claude Buffier, Polish-French historian and philosopher (d. 1737)
    • 1713 – John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute, Scottish politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1792)
    • 1725 – Samuel Ward, American politician, 31st Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island (d. 1776)
    • 1783 – Philip Pendleton Barbour, American farmer and politician, 12th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (d. 1841)
    • 1791 – Minh Mạng, Vietnamese emperor (d. 1841)
    • 1803 – Edward Bulwer-Lytton, English author, playwright, and politician, Secretary of State for the Colonies (d. 1873)
    • 1803 – Ralph Waldo Emerson, American poet and philosopher (d. 1882)
    • 1818 – Jacob Burckhardt, Swiss historian and academic (d. 1897)
    • 1818 – Louise de Broglie, Countess d’Haussonville, French essayist and biographer (d. 1882)
    • 1830 – Trebor Mai (né Robert Williams), Welsh poet (d. 1877)
    • 1846 – Naim Frashëri, Albanian-Turkish poet and translator (d. 1900)
    • 1848 – Johann Baptist Singenberger, Swiss composer, educator, and publisher (d. 1924)
    • 1852 – William Muldoon, American wrestler and trainer (d. 1933)
    • 1856 – Louis Franchet d’Espèrey, Algerian-French general (d. 1942)
    • 1860 – James McKeen Cattell, American psychologist and academic (d. 1944)
    • 1865 – John Mott, American evangelist and saint, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1955)
    • 1865 – Pieter Zeeman, Dutch physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1943)
    • 1867 – Anders Peter Nielsen, Danish target shooter (d. 1950)
    • 1869 – Robbie Ross, Canadian journalist and art critic (d. 1918)
    • 1869 – Mathilde Verne, English pianist and educator (d. 1936)
    • 1878 – Bill Robinson, American actor and dancer (d. 1949)
    • 1879 – Max Aitken, Lord Beaverbrook, Canadian-English businessman and politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (d. 1964)
    • 1879 – William Stickney, American golfer (d. 1944)
    • 1880 – Jean Alexandre Barré, French neurologist and academic (d. 1967)
    • 1882 – Marie Doro, American actress (d. 1956)
    • 1883 – Carl Johan Lind, Swedish hammer thrower (d. 1965)
    • 1886 – Rash Behari Bose, Indian soldier and activist (d. 1945)
    • 1886 – Philip Murray, Scottish-American miner and labor leader (d. 1952)
    • 1887 – Padre Pio, Italian priest and saint (d. 1968)
    • 1888 – Miles Malleson, English actor and screenwriter (d. 1969)
    • 1889 – Günther Lütjens, German admiral (d. 1941)
    • 1889 – Igor Sikorsky, Russian-American aircraft designer, founded Sikorsky Aircraft (d. 1972)
    • 1893 – Ernest “Pop” Stoneman, American country musician (d. 1968)
    • 1897 – Alan Kippax, Australian cricketer (d. 1972)
    • 1897 – Gene Tunney, American boxer and soldier (d. 1978)
    • 1898 – Bennett Cerf, American publisher and television game show panelist; co-founded Random House (d. 1971)
    • 1899 – Kazi Nazrul Islam, Bengali poet, author, and flute player (d. 1976)
    • 1900 – Alain Grandbois, Canadian poet and author (d. 1975)
    • 1907 – U Nu, Burmese politician, 1st Prime Minister of Burma (d. 1995)
    • 1908 – Theodore Roethke, American poet (d. 1963)
    • 1909 – Alfred Kubel, German politician, 5th Prime Minister of Lower Saxony (d. 1999)
    • 1912 – Dean Rockwell, American commander, wrestler, and coach (d. 2005)
    • 1913 – Heinrich Bär, German colonel and pilot (d. 1957)
    • 1913 – Richard Dimbleby, English journalist and producer (d. 1965)
    • 1916 – Brian Dickson, Canadian captain, lawyer, and politician, 15th Chief Justice of Canada (d. 1998)
    • 1916 – Giuseppe Tosi, Italian discus thrower (d. 1981)
    • 1917 – Steve Cochran, American film, television and stage actor (d. 1965)
    • 1917 – Theodore Hesburgh, American priest, theologian, and academic (d. 2015)
    • 1920 – Arthur Wint, Jamaican runner and diplomat (d. 1992)
    • 1921 – Hal David, American songwriter and composer (d. 2012)
    • 1921 – Kitty Kallen, American singer (d. 2016)
    • 1921 – Jack Steinberger, German-Swiss physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1922 – Enrico Berlinguer, Italian politician (d. 1984)
    • 1924 – István Nyers, French-Hungarian footballer (d. 2005)
    • 1925 – Rosario Castellanos, Mexican poet and author (d. 1974)
    • 1925 – Jeanne Crain, American actress (d. 2003)
    • 1925 – Eldon Griffiths, English journalist and politician (d. 2014)
    • 1925 – Don Liddle, American baseball player (d. 2000)
    • 1925 – Claude Pinoteau, French film director and screenwriter (d. 2012)
    • 1926 – Claude Akins, American actor (d. 1994)
    • 1926 – William Bowyer, English painter and academic (d. 2015)
    • 1926 – Phyllis Gotlieb, Canadian author and poet (d. 2009)
    • 1926 – Bill Sharman, American basketball player and coach (d. 2013)
    • 1926 – David Wynne, English sculptor and painter (d. 2014)
    • 1927 – Robert Ludlum, American soldier and author (d. 2001)
    • 1927 – Norman Petty, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer (d. 1984)
    • 1929 – Beverly Sills, American soprano and actress (d. 2007)
    • 1930 – Sonia Rykiel, French fashion designer (d. 2016)
    • 1931 – Herb Gray, Canadian lawyer and politician, 7th Deputy Prime Minister of Canada (d. 2014)
    • 1931 – Georgy Grechko, Russian engineer and astronaut (d. 2017)
    • 1931 – Irwin Winkler, American director and producer
    • 1932 – John Gregory Dunne, American novelist, screenwriter, and critic (d. 2003)
    • 1932 – K. C. Jones, American basketball player and coach
    • 1933 – Sarah Marshall, English-American actress (d. 2014)
    • 1933 – Basdeo Panday, Trinidadian lawyer and politician, 5th Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago
    • 1933 – Ray Spencer, English footballer (d. 2016)
    • 1933 – Jógvan Sundstein, Faroese accountant and politician, 7th Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands
    • 1935 – John Ffowcs Williams, Welsh engineer and academic
    • 1935 – Cookie Gilchrist, American football player (d. 2011)
    • 1935 – W. P. Kinsella, Canadian novelist and short story writer (d. 2016)
    • 1935 – Victoria Shaw, Australian-born American actress (d. 1988)
    • 1936 – Tom T. Hall, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1936 – Rusi Surti, Indian cricketer (d. 2013)
    • 1937 – Tom Phillips, English painter and academic
    • 1938 – Raymond Carver, American short story writer and poet (d. 1988)
    • 1938 – Margaret Forster, English historian, author, and critic (d. 2016)
    • 1938 – Geoffrey Robinson, English businessman and politician
    • 1939 – Dixie Carter, American actress and singer (d. 2010)
    • 1939 – Ian McKellen, English actor
    • 1940 – Nobuyoshi Araki, Japanese photographer
    • 1941 – Rudolf Adler, Czech filmmaker:88
    • 1941 – Uta Frith, German developmental psychologist
    • 1941 – Vladimir Voronin, Moldovan economist and politician, 3rd President of Moldova
    • 1943 – Jessi Colter, American singer-songwriter and pianist
    • 1943 – John Palmer, English keyboard player
    • 1943 – Leslie Uggams, American actress and singer
    • 1944 – Digby Anderson, English journalist and philosopher
    • 1944 – Pierre Bachelet, French singer-songwriter (d. 2005)
    • 1944 – Charlie Harper, English singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1944 – Robert MacPherson, American mathematician and academic
    • 1944 – Frank Oz, English-born American puppeteer, filmmaker, and actor
    • 1944 – Chris Ralston, English rugby player
    • 1946 – Bill Adam, Scottish-Canadian racing driver
    • 1946 – David A. Hargrave, American game designer, created Arduin (d. 1988)
    • 1947 – Karen Valentine, American actress
    • 1947 – Catherine G. Wolf, American psychologist and computer scientist
    • 1948 – Bülent Arınç, Turkish lawyer and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey
    • 1948 – Marianne Elliott, Northern Irish historian, author, and academic
    • 1948 – Klaus Meine, German rock singer-songwriter
    • 1949 – Jamaica Kincaid, Antiguan-American novelist, short story writer, and essayist
    • 1949 – Barry Windsor-Smith, English painter and illustrator
    • 1950 – Robby Steinhardt, American rock violinist and singer
    • 1951 – Bob Gale, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1952 – Jeffrey Bewkes, American businessman
    • 1952 – Nick Fotiu, American ice hockey player and coach
    • 1952 – David Jenkins, Trinidadian-Scottish runner
    • 1952 – Al Sarrantonio, American author and publisher
    • 1952 – Gordon H. Smith, American businessman and politician
    • 1953 – Eve Ensler, American playwright and producer
    • 1953 – Daniel Passarella, Argentinian footballer, coach, and manager
    • 1953 – Stan Sakai, Japanese-American author and illustrator
    • 1953 – Gaetano Scirea, Italian footballer (d. 1989)
    • 1954 – John Beck, English footballer, midfielder and manager
    • 1954 – Murali, Indian actor, producer, and politician (d. 2009)
    • 1955 – Alistair Burt, English lawyer and politician
    • 1956 – Stavros Arnaoutakis, Greek politician
    • 1956 – Larry Hogan, American politician, 62nd Governor of Maryland
    • 1956 – David P. Sartor, American composer and conductor
    • 1957 – Alastair Campbell, English journalist and author
    • 1957 – Edward Lee, American author
    • 1957 – Robert Picard, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1958 – Dorothy Straight, American children’s author
    • 1958 – Paul Weller, English singer, songwriter and musician
    • 1959 – Julian Clary, English comedian, actor, and author
    • 1959 – Manolis Kefalogiannis, Greek politician
    • 1959 – Rick Wamsley, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1960 – Amy Klobuchar, American lawyer and politician
    • 1960 – Anthea Turner, English journalist and television host
    • 1962 – Ric Nattress, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager
    • 1963 – George Hickenlooper, American director and producer (d. 2010)
    • 1963 – Mike Myers, Canadian-American actor, singer, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1963 – Ludovic Orban, Romanian engineer, and politician, 68th Prime Minister of Romania
    • 1964 – David Shaw, Canadian-American ice hockey player
    • 1965 – Yahya Jammeh, Gambian colonel and politician, President of the Gambia
    • 1967 – Luc Nilis, Belgian footballer and manager
    • 1967 – Mark Rosewater, Head designer of Magic: the Gathering
    • 1968 – Kendall Gill, American basketball player, boxer, and sportscaster
    • 1969 – Glen Drover, Canadian guitarist and songwriter
    • 1969 – Anne Heche, American actress
    • 1969 – Karen Bernstein, Canadian voice actress
    • 1969 – Stacy London, American journalist and author
    • 1970 – Robert Croft, Welsh-English cricketer and sportscaster
    • 1970 – Jamie Kennedy, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1971 – Stefano Baldini, Italian runner
    • 1971 – Marco Cappato, Italian politician
    • 1972 – Karan Johar, Indian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1972 – Octavia Spencer, American actress and author
    • 1973 – Daz Dillinger, American rapper and producer
    • 1973 – Molly Sims, American model and actress
    • 1974 – Dougie Freedman, Scottish footballer and manager
    • 1974 – Frank Klepacki, American drummer and composer
    • 1974 – Miguel Tejada, Dominican-American baseball player
    • 1975 – Blaise Nkufo, Congolese-Swiss footballer
    • 1976 – Stefan Holm, Swedish high jumper
    • 1976 – Erki Pütsep, Estonian cyclist
    • 1976 – Ethan Suplee, American actor
    • 1976 – Cillian Murphy, Irish actor
    • 1976 – Miguel Zepeda, Mexican footballer
    • 1977 – Andre Anis, Estonian footballer
    • 1977 – Alberto Del Rio, Mexican-American mixed martial artist and wrestler
    • 1978 – Adam Gontier, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1978 – Brian Urlacher, American football player
    • 1979 – Carlos Bocanegra, American international soccer player, defender and Sports Executive
    • 1979 – Sayed Moawad, Egyptian footballer
    • 1979 – Caroline Ouellette, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1979 – Sam Sodje, English-Nigerian footballer
    • 1979 – Jonny Wilkinson, English rugby player
    • 1979 – Chris Young, American baseball pitcher
    • 1980 – David Navarro, Spanish footballer
    • 1981 – Michalis Pelekanos, Greek basketball player
    • 1981 – Matt Utai, New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1982 – Adam Boyd, English footballer
    • 1982 – Daniel Braaten, Norwegian footballer
    • 1982 – Ryan Gallant, American skateboarder
    • 1982 – Roger Guerreiro, Polish footballer
    • 1982 – Justin Hodges, Australian rugby league player
    • 1982 – Ezekiel Kemboi, Kenyan runner
    • 1982 – Jason Kubel, American baseball player
    • 1982 – Stacey Pensgen, American figure skater and meteorologist
    • 1982 – Luke Webster, Australian footballer
    • 1984 – Luke Ball, Australian footballer
    • 1984 – Kyle Brodziak, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1984 – A. J. Foyt IV, American race car driver
    • 1984 – Shawne Merriman, American football player
    • 1985 – Luciana Abreu, Portuguese singer and actress
    • 1985 – Demba Ba, French footballer
    • 1985 – Gert Kams, Estonian footballer
    • 1985 – Roman Reigns, American football player and wrestler
    • 1986 – Edewin Fanini, Brazilian footballer
    • 1986 – Yoan Gouffran, French footballer
    • 1986 – Takahiro Hōjō, Japanese actor and musician
    • 1986 – Geraint Thomas, Welsh cyclist
    • 1987 – Timothy Derijck, Belgian footballer
    • 1987 – Yves De Winter, Belgian footballer
    • 1987 – Moritz Stehling, German footballer
    • 1987 – Kamil Stoch, Polish ski jumper
    • 1988 – Dávid Škutka, Slovak footballer
    • 1988 – Cameron van der Burgh, South African swimmer
    • 1990 – Bo Dallas, American wrestler
    • 1990 – Nikita Filatov, Russian ice hockey player
    • 1993 – James Porter, English cricketer
    • 1994 – Matt Murray, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1994 – Aly Raisman, American gymnast
    • 1995 – Kagiso Rabada, South African cricketer
    • 1996 – David Pastrňák, Czech ice hockey player

    Deaths on May 25

    • 675 – Li Hong, Chinese prince (b. 652)
    • 709 – Aldhelm, English-Latin bishop, poet, and scholar (b. 639)
    • 803 – Higbald of Lindisfarne, English bishop
    • 912 – Xue Yiju, chancellor of Later Liang
    • 916 – Flann Sinna, king of Meath
    • 939 – Yao Yanzhang, general of Chu
    • 986 – Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi, Muslim astronomer (b. 903)
    • 992 – Mieszko I of Poland (b. 935)
    • 1085 – Pope Gregory VII (b. 1020)
    • 1261 – Pope Alexander IV (b. 1185)
    • 1452 – John Stafford, English archbishop and politician
    • 1555 – Gemma Frisius, Dutch physician, mathematician, and cartographer (b. 1508)
    • 1555 – Henry II of Navarre (b. 1503)
    • 1595 – Valens Acidalius, German poet and critic (b. 1567)
    • 1595 – Philip Neri, Italian priest and saint (b. 1515)
    • 1607 – Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi, Italian Carmelite nun and mystic (b. 1566)
    • 1632 – Adam Tanner, Austrian mathematician and philosopher (b. 1572)
    • 1667 – Gustaf Bonde, Finnish-Swedish politician, 5th Lord High Treasurer of Sweden (b. 1620)
    • 1681 – Pedro Calderón de la Barca, Spanish poet and playwright (b. 1600)
    • 1741 – Daniel Ernst Jablonski, German bishop and theologian (b. 1660)
    • 1786 – Peter III of Portugal (b. 1717)
    • 1789 – Anders Dahl, Swedish botanist and physician (b. 1751)
    • 1797 – John Griffin, 4th Baron Howard de Walden, English field marshal and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Essex (b. 1719)
    • 1805 – William Paley, English priest and philosopher (b. 1743)
    • 1849 – Benjamin D’Urban, English general and politician, Governor of British Guiana (b. 1777)
    • 1895 – Ahmed Cevdet Pasha, Ottoman sociologist, historian, and jurist (b. 1822)
    • 1899 – Rosa Bonheur, French painter and sculptor (b. 1822)
    • 1912 – Austin Lane Crothers, American educator and politician, 46th Governor of Maryland (b. 1860)
    • 1917 – Maksim Bahdanovič, Belarusian poet and critic (b. 1891)
    • 1919 – Eliza Pollock, American archer (b. 1840)
    • 1919 – Madam C. J. Walker, American businesswoman and philanthropist, founded the Madame C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company (b. 1867)
    • 1924 – Lyubov Popova, Russian painter and illustrator (b. 1889)
    • 1926 – Symon Petliura, Ukrainian journalist and politician (b. 1879)
    • 1927 – Payne Whitney, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1876)
    • 1930 – Randall Davidson, Scottish-English archbishop (b. 1848)
    • 1934 – Gustav Holst, English trombonist, composer, and educator (b. 1874)
    • 1937 – Henry Ossawa Tanner, American-French painter and illustrator (b. 1859)
    • 1939 – Frank Watson Dyson, English astronomer and academic (b. 1868)
    • 1942 – Emanuel Feuermann, Ukrainian-American cellist and educator (b. 1902)
    • 1943 – Nils von Dardel, Swedish painter (b. 1888)
    • 1948 – Witold Pilecki, Polish officer and Resistance leader (b. 1901)
    • 1951 – Paula von Preradović, Croatian poet and author (b. 1887)
    • 1954 – Robert Capa, Hungarian photographer and journalist (b. 1913)
    • 1957 – Leo Goodwin, American swimmer, diver, and water polo player (b. 1883)
    • 1968 – Georg von Küchler, German field marshal (b. 1881)
    • 1970 – Tom Patey, Scottish mountaineer and author (b. 1932)
    • 1977 – Yevgenia Ginzburg, Russian author (b. 1904)
    • 1979 – Itzhak Bentov, Czech-Israeli engineer, mystic, and author (b. 1923)
    • 1979 – Amédée Gordini, Italian-born French racing driver and sports car manufacturer (b. 1899)
    • 1981 – Ruby Payne-Scott, Australian physicist and astronomer (b. 1912)
    • 1981 – Fredric Warburg, English author and publisher (b. 1898)
    • 1983 – Necip Fazıl Kısakürek, Turkish author, poet, and playwright (b. 1904)
    • 1983 – Idris of Libya (b. 1889)
    • 1983 – Jack Stewart, Canadian-American ice hockey player (b. 1917)
    • 1986 – Chester Bowles, American journalist and politician, 22nd Under Secretary of State (b. 1901)
    • 1990 – Vic Tayback, American actor (b. 1930)
    • 1995 – Élie Bayol, French racing driver (b. 1914)
    • 1995 – Krešimir Ćosić, Croatian basketball player and coach, Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer 1996 (b. 1948)
    • 1995 – Dany Robin, French actress (b. 1927)
    • 1996 – Renzo De Felice, Italian historian and author (b. 1929)
    • 2003 – Sloan Wilson, American author and poet (b. 1920)
    • 2004 – Roger Williams Straus, Jr., American publisher, co-founded Farrar, Straus and Giroux Publishing Company (b. 1917)
    • 2005 – Sunil Dutt, Indian actor, director, producer, and politician (b. 1929)
    • 2005 – Robert Jankel, English businessman, founded Panther Westwinds (b. 1938)
    • 2005 – Graham Kennedy, Australian television host and actor (b. 1934)
    • 2005 – Ismail Merchant, Indian-born film producer and director (b. 1936)
    • 2005 – Zoran Mušič, Slovene painter and illustrator (b. 1909)
    • 2007 – Charles Nelson Reilly, American actor, comedian, and director (b. 1931)
    • 2008 – J. R. Simplot, American businessman, founded Simplot (b. 1909)
    • 2009 – Haakon Lie, Norwegian politician (b. 1905)
    • 2010 – Alexander Belostenny, Ukrainian basketball player (b. 1959)
    • 2010 – Michael H. Jordan, American businessman (b. 1936)
    • 2010 – Alan Hickinbotham, Australian footballer and coach (b. 1925)
    • 2010 – Gabriel Vargas, Mexican painter and illustrator (b. 1915)
    • 2010 – Jarvis Williams, American football player and coach (b. 1965)
    • 2011 – Terry Jenner, Australian cricketer and coach (b. 1944)
    • 2012 – William Hanley, American author and screenwriter (b. 1931)
    • 2012 – Peter D. Sieruta, American author and critic (b. 1958)
    • 2012 – Lou Watson, American basketball player and coach (b. 1924)
    • 2013 – Mahendra Karma, Indian politician (b. 1950)
    • 2013 – Nand Kumar Patel, Indian politician (b. 1953)
    • 2014 – David Allen, English cricketer (b. 1935)
    • 2014 – Marcel Côté, Canadian economist and politician (b. 1942)
    • 2014 – Wojciech Jaruzelski, Polish general and politician, 1st President of Poland (b. 1923)
    • 2014 – Herb Jeffries, American singer and actor (b. 1913)
    • 2014 – Toaripi Lauti, Tuvaluan educator and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Tuvalu (b. 1928)
    • 2014 – Matthew Saad Muhammad, American boxer and trainer (b. 1954)
    • 2015 – George Braden, Canadian lawyer and politician, 2nd Premier of the Northwest Territories (b. 1949)
    • 2015 – Robert Lebel, Canadian bishop (b. 1924)
    • 2019 – Claus von Bülow, Danish-British socialite (b.1926)

    Holidays and observances on May 25

    • Africa Day (African Union)
    • African Liberation Day (African Union, Rastafari)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Aldhelm
      • Bede
      • Canius
      • Dionysius of Milan
      • Dúnchad mac Cinn Fáelad
      • Gerard of Lunel
      • Madeleine Sophie Barat
      • Mary Magdalene de Pazzi
      • Maximus (Mauxe) of Évreux
      • Pope Boniface IV
      • Pope Gregory VII
      • Pope Urban I
      • Zenobius of Florence
      • May 25 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Earliest day on which Arbor Day can fall, while May 31 is the latest; celebrated on the last Sunday in May. (Venezuela)
    • Earliest day on which Children’s Day can fall, while May 31 is the latest; celebrated on the last Sunday in May. (Hungary)
    • Earliest day on which Holiday of Saint Etchmiadzin can fall, while July 27 is the latest; celebrated on the 64th day after Easter. (Armenia)
    • Earliest day on which Memorial Day can fall, while May 31 is the latest; celebrated on the last Monday in May. (United States)
    • Earliest day on which Mother’s Day can fall, while May 31 is the latest; celebrated on the last Sunday in May. (Algeria, Dominican Republic, France (First Sunday of June, if Pentecost occurs on this day), Haiti, Mauritius, Morocco, Sweden, Tunisia)
    • Earliest day on which Turkmen Carpet Day can fall, while May 31 is the latest; celebrated on the last Sunday in May. (Turkmenistan)
    • First National Government / National Day (Argentina)
    • Geek Pride Day (geek culture)
    • Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Jordan from the United Kingdom in 1946.
    • Last bell (Russia, post-Soviet countries)
    • Liberation Day (Lebanon)
    • International Missing Children’s Day and its related observances:
      • National Missing Children’s Day (United States),
    • National Tap Dance Day (United States)
    • Towel Day in honour of the work of the writer Douglas Adams

  • May 24 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 919 – The nobles of Franconia and Saxony elect Henry the Fowler at the Imperial Diet in Fritzlar as king of the East Frankish Kingdom.
    • 1218 – The Fifth Crusade leaves Acre for Egypt.
    • 1276 – Magnus Ladulås is crowned King of Sweden in Uppsala Cathedral.
    • 1487 – The ten-year-old Lambert Simnel is crowned in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, Ireland, with the name of Edward VI in a bid to threaten King Henry VII’s reign.
    • 1567 – Erik XIV of Sweden and his guards murder five incarcerated Swedish nobles.
    • 1595 – Nomenclator of Leiden University Library appears, the first printed catalog of an institutional library.
    • 1607 – One hundred English settlers disembark in Jamestown, the first permanent English colony in America.
    • 1621 – The Protestant Union is formally dissolved.
    • 1626 – Peter Minuit buys Manhattan.
    • 1667 – The French Royal Army crosses the border into the Spanish Netherlands, starting the War of Devolution opposing France to the Spanish Empire and the Triple Alliance.
    • 1683 – The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, England, opens as the world’s first university museum.
    • 1689 – The English Parliament passes the Act of Toleration protecting dissenting Protestants but excluding Roman Catholics.
    • 1738 – John Wesley is converted, essentially launching the Methodist movement; the day is celebrated annually by Methodists as Aldersgate Day and a church service is generally held on the preceding Sunday.
    • 1798 – The Irish Rebellion of 1798 led by the United Irishmen against British rule begins.
    • 1813 – South American independence leader Simón Bolívar enters Mérida, leading the invasion of Venezuela, and is proclaimed El Libertador (“The Liberator”).
    • 1822 – Battle of Pichincha: Antonio José de Sucre secures the independence of the Presidency of Quito.
    • 1832 – The First Kingdom of Greece is declared in the London Conference.
    • 1844 – Samuel Morse sends the message “What hath God wrought” (a biblical quotation, Numbers 23:23) from a committee room in the United States Capitol to his assistant, Alfred Vail, in Baltimore, Maryland, to inaugurate a commercial telegraph line between Baltimore and Washington D.C.
    • 1856 – John Brown and his men kill five slavery supporters at Pottawatomie Creek, Kansas.
    • 1861 – American Civil War: Union troops occupy Alexandria, Virginia.
    • 1883 – The Brooklyn Bridge in New York City is opened to traffic after 14 years of construction.
    • 1900 – Second Boer War: The United Kingdom annexes the Orange Free State.
    • 1915 – World War I: Italy declares war on Austria-Hungary, joining the conflict on the side of the Allies.
    • 1930 – Amy Johnson lands in Darwin, Northern Territory, becoming the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia (she left on May 5 for the 11,000 mile flight).
    • 1935 – The first night game in Major League Baseball history is played in Cincinnati, Ohio, with the Cincinnati Reds beating the Philadelphia Phillies 2–1 at Crosley Field.
    • 1940 – Igor Sikorsky performs the first successful single-rotor helicopter flight.
    • 1940 – Acting on the orders of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, NKVD agent Iosif Grigulevich orchestrates an unsuccessful assassination attempt on exiled Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky in Coyoacán, Mexico.
    • 1941 – World War II: In the Battle of the Atlantic, the German Battleship Bismarck sinks then-pride of the Royal Navy, HMS Hood, killing all but three crewmen.
    • 1948 – Arab–Israeli War: Egypt captures the Israeli kibbutz of Yad Mordechai, but the five-day effort gives Israeli forces time to prepare enough to stop the Egyptian advance a week later.
    • 1956 – The first Eurovision Song Contest is held in Lugano, Switzerland.
    • 1958 – United Press International is formed through a merger of the United Press and the International News Service.
    • 1960 – Following the 1960 Valdivia earthquake, the largest ever recorded earthquake, Cordón Caulle begins to erupt.
    • 1961 – American civil rights movement: Freedom Riders are arrested in Jackson, Mississippi, for “disturbing the peace” after disembarking from their bus.
    • 1962 – Project Mercury: American astronaut Scott Carpenter orbits the Earth three times in the Aurora 7 space capsule.
    • 1967 – Egypt imposes a blockade and siege of the Red Sea coast of Israel.
    • 1976 – The Judgment of Paris takes place in France, launching California as a worldwide force in the production of quality wine.
    • 1981 – Ecuadorian president Jaime Roldós Aguilera, his wife, and his presidential committee die in an aircraft accident while travelling from Quito to Zapotillo minutes after the president gave a famous speech regarding the 24 de mayo anniversary of the Battle of Pichincha.
    • 1982 – Liberation of Khorramshahr: Iranians recapture of the port city of Khorramshahr from the Iraqis during the Iran–Iraq War.
    • 1988 – Section 28 of the United Kingdom’s Local Government Act 1988, a controversial amendment stating that a local authority cannot intentionally promote homosexuality, is enacted.
    • 1991 – Israel conducts Operation Solomon, evacuating Ethiopian Jews to Israel.
    • 1992 – The last Thai dictator, General Suchinda Kraprayoon, resigns following pro-democracy protests.
    • 1992 – The ethnic cleansing in Kozarac, Bosnia and Herzegovina begins when Serbian militia and police forces enter the town.
    • 1993 – Eritrea gains its independence from Ethiopia.
    • 1993 – Roman Catholic Cardinal Juan Jesús Posadas Ocampo and five other people are assassinated in a shootout at Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla Guadalajara International Airport in Mexico.
    • 1994 – Four men convicted of bombing the World Trade Center in New York in 1993 are each sentenced to 240 years in prison.
    • 1995 – While attempting to return to Leeds Bradford Airport in the United Kingdom, Knight Air Flight 816 crashes in Harewood, North Yorkshire, killing all 12 people on board.
    • 1999 – The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague, Netherlands indicts Slobodan Milošević and four others for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Kosovo.
    • 2000 – Israeli troops withdraw from southern Lebanon after 22 years of occupation.
    • 2002 – Russia and the United States sign the Moscow Treaty.
    • 2014 – A 6.4 magnitude earthquake occurs in the Aegean Sea between Greece and Turkey, injuring 324 people.
    • 2014 – At least three people are killed in a shooting at Brussels’ Jewish Museum of Belgium.
    • 2019 – Twenty-two students die in a fire in Surat (India).
    • 2019 – Under pressure over her handling of Brexit, British Prime Minister Theresa May announces her resignation as Leader of the Conservative Party, effective as of June 7.

    Births on May 24

    • 15 BC – Germanicus, Roman general (d. 19)
    • 1335 – Margaret of Bohemia, Queen of Hungary (d. 1349)
    • 1494 – Pontormo, Italian painter (d. 1557)
    • 1522 – John Jewel, English bishop (d. 1571)
    • 1544 – William Gilbert, English physician, physicist, and astronomer (d. 1603)
    • 1576 – Elizabeth Carey, Lady Berkeley, English courtier (d. 1635)
    • 1616 – John Maitland, 1st Duke of Lauderdale, Scottish politician, Secretary of State, Scotland (d. 1682)
    • 1628 – Marek Sobieski, Polish noble (d. 1652)
    • 1669 – Emerentia von Düben, Swedish royal favorite (d. 1743)
    • 1671 – Gian Gastone de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (d. 1737)
    • 1686 – Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit, Polish-German physicist and engineer, developed the Fahrenheit scale (d. 1736)
    • 1689 – Daniel Finch, 8th Earl of Winchilsea, English politician, Lord President of the Council (d. 1769)
    • 1743 – Jean-Paul Marat, Swiss-French physician, journalist, and politician (d. 1793)
    • 1789 – Cathinka Buchwieser, German operatic singer and actress (d.1828)
    • 1794 – William Whewell, English priest and philosopher (d. 1866)
    • 1803 – Alexander von Nordmann, Finnish biologist and paleontologist (d. 1866)
    • 1810 – Abraham Geiger, German rabbi and scholar (d. 1874)
    • 1816 – Emanuel Leutze, German-American painter (d. 1868)
    • 1819 – Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom (d. 1901)
    • 1830 – Alexei Savrasov, Russian painter and academic (d. 1897)
    • 1855 – Arthur Wing Pinero, English actor, director, and playwright (d. 1934)
    • 1861 – Gerald Strickland, 1st Baron Strickland, Maltese lawyer and politician, 4th Prime Minister of Malta (d. 1940)
    • 1863 – George Grey Barnard, American sculptor (d. 1938)
    • 1868 – Charlie Taylor, American engineer and mechanic (d. 1956)
    • 1870 – Benjamin N. Cardozo, American lawyer and judge (d. 1938)
    • 1870 – Jan Smuts, South African lawyer and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of South Africa (d. 1950)
    • 1874 – Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine (d. 1878)
    • 1875 – Robert Garrett, American discus thrower and shot putter (d. 1961)
    • 1878 – Lillian Moller Gilbreth, American psychologist and engineer (d. 1972)
    • 1879 – H. B. Reese, American candy maker, created Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (d. 1956)
    • 1886 – Paul Paray, French organist, composer, and conductor (d. 1979)
    • 1887 – Mick Mannock, Irish soldier and pilot, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 1918)
    • 1891 – William F. Albright, American archaeologist, philologist, and scholar (d. 1971)
    • 1895 – Samuel Irving Newhouse Sr., American publisher, founded Advance Publications (d. 1979)
    • 1899 – Suzanne Lenglen, French tennis player (d. 1938)
    • 1899 – Henri Michaux, Belgian-French poet and painter (d. 1984)
    • 1900 – Eduardo De Filippo, Italian actor and screenwriter (d. 1984)
    • 1901 – José Nasazzi, Uruguayan footballer and manager (d. 1968)
    • 1902 – Lionel Conacher, Canadian football player and politician (d. 1954)
    • 1902 – Sylvia Daoust, Canadian sculptor (d. 2004)
    • 1905 – George Nakashima, American woodworker and architect(d. 1990)
    • 1905 – Mikhail Sholokhov, Russian novelist and short story writer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1984)
    • 1909 – Wilbur Mills, American banker and politician (d. 1992)
    • 1910 – Jimmy Demaret, American golfer (d. 1983)
    • 1913 – Joe Abreu, American baseball player and soldier (d. 1993)
    • 1914 – Lilli Palmer, German-American actress (d. 1986)
    • 1916 – Roden Cutler, Australian lieutenant and politician, 32nd Governor of New South Wales (d. 2002)
    • 1917 – Alan Campbell, Baron Campbell of Alloway, English lawyer and judge (d. 2013)
    • 1918 – Coleman Young, American politician, 66th Mayor of Detroit (d. 1997)
    • 1923 – Siobhán McKenna, Irish actress (d. 1986)
    • 1924 – Philip Pearlstein, American soldier and painter
    • 1925 – Carmine Infantino, American illustrator and educator (d. 2013)
    • 1925 – Mai Zetterling, Swedish actress and director (d. 1994)
    • 1926 – Stanley Baxter, Scottish actor and screenwriter
    • 1928 – William Trevor, Irish novelist, playwright and short story writer (d. 2016)
    • 1932 – Arnold Wesker, English playwright and producer (d. 2016)
    • 1933 – Jane Byrne, American lawyer and politician, 50th Mayor of Chicago (d. 2014)
    • 1933 – Réal Giguère, Canadian television host and actor
    • 1933 – Aharon Lichtenstein, French-Israeli rabbi and author (d. 2015)
    • 1935 – Joan Micklin Silver, American director and screenwriter
    • 1936 – Harold Budd, American composer and poet
    • 1937 – Maryvonne Dupureur, French runner and educator (d. 2008)
    • 1937 – Archie Shepp, American saxophonist and composer
    • 1938 – Prince Buster, Jamaican singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2016)
    • 1938 – Tommy Chong, Canadian-American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1940 – Joseph Brodsky, Russian-American poet and essayist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1996)
    • 1941 – Bob Dylan, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, artist, writer, and producer; Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1941 – Patricia Hollis, Baroness Hollis of Heigham, English academic and politician
    • 1942 – Ali Bacher, South African cricketer and manager
    • 1942 – Hannu Mikkola, Finnish race car driver
    • 1942 – Ichirō Ozawa, Japanese lawyer and politician, Japanese Minister of Home Affairs
    • 1943 – Gary Burghoff, American actor
    • 1944 – Patti LaBelle, American singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1944 – Dominique Lavanant, French actress
    • 1945 – Terry Callier, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2012)
    • 1945 – Steven Norris, English engineer and politician
    • 1945 – Richard Ottaway, English lieutenant and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
    • 1945 – Priscilla Presley, American actress and businesswoman
    • 1946 – Tansu Çiller, Turkish economist and politician, 22nd Prime Minister of Turkey
    • 1946 – Jesualdo Ferreira, Portuguese footballer and manager
    • 1946 – Irena Szewińska, Russian-Polish sprinter
    • 1947 – Albert Bouchard, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and drummer
    • 1947 – Mike De Leon, Filipino director, producer, screenwriter and cinematographer
    • 1947 – Mike Reid, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and American football player
    • 1947 – Waddy Wachtel, American guitarist, singer-songwriter, and record producer
    • 1947 – Martin Winterkorn, German businessman
    • 1948 – Richard Dembo, French director and screenwriter (d. 2004)
    • 1949 – Jim Broadbent, English actor
    • 1949 – Roger Deakins , English cinematographer
    • 1953 – Alfred Molina, English actor
    • 1955 – Rosanne Cash, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1955 – Philippe Lafontaine, Belgian singer and songwriter
    • 1955 – Rajesh Roshan, Indian composer
    • 1956 – R. B. Bernstein, American constitutional historian
    • 1956 – Larry Blackmon, American singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1956 – Dominic Grieve, English lawyer and politician, Attorney General for England and Wales
    • 1956 – Michael Jackson, Irish archbishop
    • 1958 – Chip Ganassi, American race car driver, team owner and businessman
    • 1959 – Pelle Lindbergh, Swedish-American ice hockey player (d. 1985)
    • 1959 – Barry O’Farrell, Australian politician, 43rd Premier of New South Wales
    • 1960 – Guy Fletcher, English keyboard player, guitarist, and producer
    • 1960 – Bill Harrigan, Australian rugby league referee and sportscaster
    • 1960 – Kristin Scott Thomas, English actress
    • 1961 – Lorella Cedroni, Italian philosopher and theorist (d. 2013)
    • 1961 – Alain Lemieux, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach
    • 1962 – Héctor Camacho, Puerto Rican-American boxer (d. 2012)
    • 1962 – Gene Anthony Ray, American actor, dancer, and choreographer (d. 2003)
    • 1963 – Ivan Capelli, Italian race car driver and sportscaster
    • 1963 – Michael Chabon, American novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter
    • 1963 – Joe Dumars, American basketball player
    • 1963 – Rich Rodriguez, American football player and coach
    • 1963 – Valerie Taylor, American computer scientist and educator
    • 1964 – Liz McColgan, Scottish educator and runner
    • 1964 – Adrian Moorhouse, English swimmer
    • 1964 – Isidro Pérez, Mexican boxer (d. 2013)
    • 1964 – Pat Verbeek, Canadian ice hockey player and manager
    • 1965 – John C. Reilly, American actor
    • 1965 – Shinichirō Watanabe, Japanese director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1966 – Éric Cantona, French footballer, manager, and actor
    • 1966 – Ricky Craven, American race car driver and sportscaster
    • 1967 – Tamer Karadağlı, Turkish actor
    • 1967 – Andrey Borodin, Russian-English economist and businessman
    • 1967 – Eric Close, American actor
    • 1967 – Heavy D, Jamaican-American rapper, producer, and actor (d. 2011)
    • 1967 – Carlos Hernández, Venezuelan-American baseball player and manager
    • 1969 – Martin McCague, Northern Irish-English cricketer
    • 1969 – Jacob Rees-Mogg, English politician
    • 1969 – Rich Robinson, American guitarist and songwriter
    • 1971 – Kris Draper, Canadian ice hockey player and manager
    • 1972 – Greg Berlanti, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1973 – Rodrigo, Argentinian singer-songwriter (d. 2000)
    • 1973 – Bartolo Colón, Dominican-American baseball player
    • 1973 – Shirish Kunder, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1973 – Vladimír Šmicer, Czech footballer and manager
    • 1974 – Sébastien Foucan, French runner and actor
    • 1974 – Masahide Kobayashi, Japanese baseball player and coach
    • 1974 – Magnus Manske, German biochemist and computer programmer, developed MediaWiki
    • 1975 – Will Sasso, Canadian actor and comedian
    • 1975 – Marc Gagnon, Canadian speed skater
    • 1975 – Giannis Goumas, Greek footballer and coach
    • 1975 – Maria Lawson, English singer-songwriter
    • 1976 – Alessandro Cortini, Italian-American singer and keyboard player
    • 1976 – Catherine Cox, New Zealand-Australian netball player
    • 1976 – Silje Vige, Norwegian singer
    • 1977 – Jeet Gannguli, Indian score composer, music director and singer
    • 1978 – Elijah Burke, American wrestler
    • 1978 – Johan Holmqvist, Swedish ice hockey player
    • 1978 – Brad Penny, American baseball player
    • 1978 – Rose, French singer, songwriter and composer
    • 1979 – Tracy McGrady, American basketball player
    • 1979 – Kareem McKenzie, American football player
    • 1980 – Jason Babin, American football player
    • 1980 – Anthony Minichiello, Australian rugby league player
    • 1981 – Andy Lee, Australian comedian, actor, and screenwriter
    • 1982 – Issah Gabriel Ahmed, Ghanaian footballer
    • 1982 – Rian Wallace, American football player
    • 1983 – Custódio Castro, Portuguese footballer
    • 1983 – Pedram Javaheri, Iranian-American meteorologist and journalist
    • 1983 – Woo Seung-yeon, South Korean model and actress (d. 2009)
    • 1984 – Sarah Hagan, American actress
    • 1984 – Dmitri Kruglov, Estonian footballer
    • 1985 – Tim Bridgman, English race car driver
    • 1986 – Mark Ballas, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, dancer, and actor
    • 1986 – Giannis Kontoes, Greek footballer
    • 1987 – Guillaume Latendresse, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1988 – Artem Anisimov, Russian ice hockey player
    • 1988 – Monica Lin Brown, American sergeant
    • 1988 – Billy Gilman, American musician
    • 1988 – Lucian Wintrich, American political artist and White House correspondent
    • 1989 – G-Eazy, American rapper
    • 1989 – Andrew Jordan, English race car driver
    • 1990 – Mattias Ekholm, Swedish ice hockey player
    • 1991 – Aled Davies, Welsh discus thrower
    • 1991 – Cody Eakin, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1992 – Marcus Bettinelli, English footballer, goalkeeper
    • 1994 – Daiya Seto, Japanese swimmer
    • 1994 – Emily Nicholl, Scottish netball player
    • 1994 – Daiya Seto, Japanese swimmer
    • 1994 – Emily Temple Wood, American 2016 Wikipedian of the Year award
    • 1999 – Tarjei Sandvik Moe, Norwegian actor

    Deaths on May 24

    • 688 – Ségéne, bishop of Armagh (b. c. 610)
    • 1089 – Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury
    • 1136 – Hugues de Payens, first Grand Master of the Knights Templar (b. c. 1070)
    • 1153 – David I of Scotland (b. 1083)
    • 1201 – Theobald III, Count of Champagne (b. 1179)
    • 1351 – Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Othman, Moroccan sultan (b. 1297)
    • 1408 – Taejo of Joseon (b. 1335)
    • 1425 – Murdoch Stewart, 2nd Duke of Albany, Scottish politician (b. 1362)
    • 1456 – Ambroise de Loré, French commander (b. 1396)
    • 1543 – Nicolaus Copernicus, Polish mathematician and astronomer (b. 1473)
    • 1612 – Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, English politician, Lord High Treasurer (b. 1563)
    • 1627 – Luis de Góngora, Spanish poet and cleric (b. 1561)
    • 1632 – Robert Hues, English mathematician and geographer (b. 1553)
    • 1665 – Mary of Jesus of Ágreda, Spanish Franciscan abbess and mystic (b. 1602)
    • 1734 – Georg Ernst Stahl, German physician and chemist (b. 1660)
    • 1792 – George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney, English admiral and politician, 16th Governor of Newfoundland (b. 1718)
    • 1806 – John Campbell, 5th Duke of Argyll, Scottish field marshal and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Argyllshire (b. 1723)
    • 1843 – Sylvestre François Lacroix, French mathematician and academic (b. 1765)
    • 1848 – Annette von Droste-Hülshoff, German author and composer (b. 1797)
    • 1861 – Elmer E. Ellsworth, American colonel (b. 1837)
    • 1872 – Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, German painter and illustrator (b. 1794)
    • 1879 – William Lloyd Garrison, American journalist and activist (b. 1805)
    • 1881 – Samuel Palmer, English painter and illustrator (b. 1805)
    • 1901 – Louis-Zéphirin Moreau, Canadian bishop (b. 1824)
    • 1908 – Old Tom Morris, Scottish golfer and architect (b. 1821)
    • 1915 – John Condon, Irish-English soldier (b. 1896)
    • 1919 – Amado Nervo, Mexican poet, journalist, and educator (b. 1870)
    • 1929 – Nikolai von Meck, Russian engineer (b. 1863)
    • 1941 – Lancelot Holland, English admiral (b. 1887)
    • 1945 – Robert Ritter von Greim, German field marshal and pilot (b. 1892)
    • 1948 – Jacques Feyder, Belgian actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1885)
    • 1949 – Alexey Shchusev, Russian architect, designed Lenin’s Mausoleum and Moscow Kazanskaya railway station (b. 1873)
    • 1950 – Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell, English field marshal and politician, 43rd Governor-General of India (b. 1883)
    • 1951 – Thomas N. Heffron, American actor, director, screenwriter (b. 1872)
    • 1956 – Martha Annie Whiteley, English chemist and mathematician (b. 1866)
    • 1958 – Frank Rowe, Australian public servant (b. 1895)
    • 1959 – John Foster Dulles, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 52nd United States Secretary of State (b. 1888)
    • 1963 – Elmore James, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1918)
    • 1965 – Sonny Boy Williamson II, American singer-songwriter and harmonica player (b. 1908)
    • 1974 – Duke Ellington, American pianist and composer (b. 1899)
    • 1976 – Denise Pelletier, Canadian actress (b. 1923)
    • 1979 – Ernest Bullock, English organist, composer, and educator (b. 1890)
    • 1981 – Herbert Müller, Swiss race car driver (b. 1940)
    • 1984 – Vince McMahon Sr., American wrestling promoter and businessman, founded WWE (b. 1914)
    • 1988 – Freddie Frith, English motorcycle road racer (b. 1909)
    • 1990 – Arthur Villeneuve, Canadian painter (b. 1910)
    • 1991 – Gene Clark, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1944)
    • 1992 – Hitoshi Ogawa, Japanese race car driver (b. 1956)
    • 1995 – Harold Wilson, English academic and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1916)
    • 1996 – Enrique Álvarez Félix, Mexican actor (b. 1934)
    • 1996 – Joseph Mitchell, American journalist and author (b. 1908)
    • 1997 – Edward Mulhare, Irish actor (b. 1923)
    • 2000 – Kurt Schork, American journalist and scholar (b. 1947)
    • 2000 – Majrooh Sultanpuri, Indian poet and songwriter (b. 1919)
    • 2002 – Wallace Markfield, American author (b. 1926)
    • 2003 – Rachel Kempson, English actress (b. 1910)
    • 2004 – Henry Ries, German-American photographer (b. 1917)
    • 2004 – Milton Shulman, Canadian author and critic (b. 1913)
    • 2004 – Edward Wagenknecht, American critic and educator (b. 1900)
    • 2005 – Carl Amery, German activist and author (b. 1922)
    • 2005 – Arthur Haulot, Belgian journalist and poet (b. 1913)
    • 2005 – Guy Tardif, Canadian academic and politician (b. 1935)
    • 2006 – Henry Bumstead, American art director and production designer (b. 1915)
    • 2006 – Claude Piéplu, French actor (b. 1923)
    • 2006 – Michał Życzkowski, Polish technician and educator (b. 1930)
    • 2008 – Dick Martin, American actor, comedian, and director (b. 1922)
    • 2008 – Jimmy McGriff, American organist and bandleader (b. 1936)
    • 2009 – Jay Bennett, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1963)
    • 2010 – Ray Alan, English ventriloquist, actor, and screenwriter (b. 1930)
    • 2010 – Paul Gray, American bass player and songwriter (b. 1972)
    • 2010 – Raymond V. Haysbert, American businessman and activist (b. 1920)
    • 2010 – Petr Muk, Czech singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1965)
    • 2010 – Anneliese Rothenberger, German soprano and actress (b. 1926)
    • 2011 – Huguette Clark, American heiress, painter, and philanthropist (b. 1906)
    • 2011 – Hakim Ali Zardari, Indian-Pakistani businessman and politician (b. 1930)
    • 2012 – Klaas Carel Faber, Dutch-German SS officer (b. 1922)
    • 2012 – Kathi Kamen Goldmark, American journalist and author (b. 1948)
    • 2012 – Jacqueline Harpman, Belgian psychoanalyst and author (b. 1929)
    • 2012 – Juan Francisco Lombardo, Argentinian footballer (b. 1925)
    • 2012 – Lee Rich, American production manager and producer (b. 1918)
    • 2013 – Helmut Braunlich, German-American violinist and composer (b. 1929)
    • 2013 – Ron Davies, Welsh footballer (b. 1942)
    • 2013 – Gotthard Graubner, German painter (b. 1930)
    • 2013 – Haynes Johnson, American journalist and author (b. 1931)
    • 2013 – Pyotr Todorovsky, Ukrainian-Russian director and screenwriter (b. 1925)
    • 2014 – David Allen, English cricketer (b. 1935)
    • 2014 – Stormé DeLarverie, known as the “Rosa Parks of the lesbian community” (b. 1920)
    • 2014 – Mahafarid Amir Khosravi, Iranian businessman (b. 1969)
    • 2014 – Knowlton Nash, Canadian journalist and author (b. 1927)
    • 2014 – John Vasconcellos, American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician (b. 1932)
    • 2015 – Dean Carroll, English rugby player (b. 1962)
    • 2015 – Kenneth Jacobs, Australian lawyer and judge (b. 1917)
    • 2015 – Tanith Lee, English author (b. 1947)
    • 2018 – Gudrun Burwitz, daughter of Margarete Himmler and Heinrich Himmler (b. 1929)
    • 2018 – John Bain (TotalBiscuit), English gaming commentator and critic (b. 1984)

    Holidays and observances on May 24

    • Aldersgate Day/Wesley Day (Methodism)
    • Battle of Pichincha Day (Ecuador)
    • Bermuda Day (Bermuda), celebrated on the nearest weekday if May 24 falls on the weekend.
    • Christian feast day:
      • Anna Pak Agi (one of The Korean Martyrs)
      • Donatian and Rogatian
      • Jackson Kemper (Episcopal Church)
      • Joanna
      • Mary, Help of Christians
      • Sarah (celebrated by the Romani people of Camargue)
      • Vincent of Lérins
      • May 24 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Commonwealth Day (Belize)
    • Earliest day on which El Colacho tradition can fall, while June 27 is the latest; celebrated on Sunday after Corpus Christi. (Castrillo de Murcia, near Burgos)
    • Independence Day (Eritrea), celebrates the independence of Eritrea from Ethiopia in 1993.
    • Lubiri Memorial Day (Buganda)
    • Saints Cyril and Methodius Day (Eastern Orthodox Church, Julian Calendar) and its related observance:
      • Bulgarian Education and Culture and Slavonic Literature Day (Bulgaria)
      • Saints Cyril and Methodius, Slavonic Enlighteners’ Day (North Macedonia)
    • Victoria Day; celebrated on Monday on or before May 24. (Canada), and its related observance:
      • National Patriots’ Day or Journée nationale des patriotes (Quebec)

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

    • 332 – Emperor Constantine the Great announces free distributions of food to the citizens in Constantinople.
    • 872 – Louis II of Italy is crowned for the second time as Roman Emperor at Rome, at the age of 47. His first coronation was 28 years earlier, in 844, during the reign of his father Lothair I.
    • 1096 – First Crusade: Around 800 Jews are massacred in Worms, Germany.
    • 1152 – The future Henry II of England marries Eleanor of Aquitaine. He would become king two years later, after the death of his cousin once removed King Stephen of England.
    • 1268 – The Principality of Antioch, a crusader state, falls to the Mamluk Sultan Baibars in the Siege of Antioch.
    • 1291 – Fall of Acre, the end of Crusader presence in the Holy Land.
    • 1302 – Bruges Matins, the nocturnal massacre of the French garrison in Bruges by members of the local Flemish militia.
    • 1388 – During the Battle of Buyur Lake, General Lan Yu leads a Chinese army forward to crush the Mongol hordes of Tögüs Temür, the Khan of Northern Yuan.
    • 1499 – Alonso de Ojeda sets sail from Cádiz on his voyage to what is now Venezuela.
    • 1565 – The Great Siege of Malta begins, in which Ottoman forces attempt and fail to conquer Malta.
    • 1593 – Playwright Thomas Kyd’s accusations of heresy lead to an arrest warrant for Christopher Marlowe.
    • 1631 – In Dorchester, Massachusetts, John Winthrop takes the oath of office and becomes the first Governor of Massachusetts.
    • 1652 – Slavery in Rhode Island is abolished, although the law is not rigorously enforced.
    • 1756 – The Seven Years’ War begins when Great Britain declares war on France.
    • 1783 – First United Empire Loyalists reach Parrtown (later called Saint John, New Brunswick), Canada, after leaving the United States.
    • 1794 – Battle of Tourcoing during the Flanders Campaign of the War of the First Coalition.
    • 1803 – Napoleonic Wars: The United Kingdom revokes the Treaty of Amiens and declares war on France.
    • 1804 – Napoleon Bonaparte is proclaimed Emperor of the French by the French Senate.
    • 1811 – Battle of Las Piedras: The first great military triumph of the revolution of the Río de la Plata in Uruguay led by José Artigas.
    • 1812 – John Bellingham is found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging for the assassination of British Prime Minister Spencer Perceval.
    • 1843 – The Disruption in Edinburgh of the Free Church of Scotland from the Church of Scotland.
    • 1848 – Opening of the first German National Assembly (Nationalversammlung) in Frankfurt, Germany.
    • 1860 – Abraham Lincoln wins the Republican Party presidential nomination over William H. Seward, who later becomes the United States Secretary of State.
    • 1863 – American Civil War: The Siege of Vicksburg begins.
    • 1896 – The United States Supreme Court rules in Plessy v. Ferguson that the “separate but equal” doctrine is constitutional.
    • 1896 – Khodynka Tragedy: A mass panic on Khodynka Field in Moscow during the festivities of the coronation of Russian Tsar Nicholas II results in the deaths of 1,389 people.
    • 1900 – The United Kingdom proclaims a protectorate over Tonga.
    • 1912 – The first Indian film, Shree Pundalik by Dadasaheb Torne, is released in Mumbai.
    • 1917 – World War I: The Selective Service Act of 1917 is passed, giving the President of the United States the power of conscription.
    • 1926 – Evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson disappears in Venice, California.
    • 1927 – The Bath School disaster: Forty-five people, including many children, are killed by bombs planted by a disgruntled school-board member in Michigan.
    • 1927 – After being founded for 20 years, the Government of the Republic of China approves Tongji University to be among the first national universities of the Republic of China.
    • 1933 – New Deal: President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs an act creating the Tennessee Valley Authority.
    • 1944 – World War II: Battle of Monte Cassino: Conclusion after seven days of the fourth battle as German paratroopers evacuate Monte Cassino.
    • 1944 – Deportation of Crimean Tatars by the Soviet Union government.
    • 1948 – The First Legislative Yuan of the Republic of China officially convenes in Nanking.
    • 1953 – Jackie Cochran becomes the first woman to break the sound barrier.
    • 1955 – Operation Passage to Freedom, the evacuation of 310,000 Vietnamese civilians, soldiers and non-Vietnamese members of the French Army from communist North Vietnam to South Vietnam following the end of the First Indochina War, ends.
    • 1965 – Israeli spy Eli Cohen is hanged in Damascus, Syria.
    • 1969 – Apollo program: Apollo 10 is launched.
    • 1973 – Aeroflot Flight 109 is hijacked mid-flight and the aircraft is subsequently destroyed when the hijacker’s bomb explodes, killing all 82 people on board.
    • 1974 – Nuclear weapons testing: Under project Smiling Buddha, India successfully detonates its first nuclear weapon becoming the sixth nation to do so.
    • 1977 – Likud party wins the 1977 Israeli legislative election, with Menachem Begin, its founder, as the sixth Prime Minister of Israel.
    • 1980 – Mount St. Helens erupts in Washington, United States, killing 57 people and causing $3 billion in damage.
    • 1980 – Students in Gwangju, South Korea begin demonstrations calling for democratic reforms.
    • 1990 – In France, a modified TGV train achieves a new rail world speed record of 515.3 km/h (320.2 mph).
    • 1991 – Northern Somalia declares independence from the rest of Somalia as the Republic of Somaliland but is not recognized by the international community.
    • 1993 – Riots in Nørrebro, Copenhagen, caused by the approval of the four Danish exceptions in the Maastricht Treaty referendum. Police open fire against civilians for the first time since World War II and injure 11 demonstrators.
    • 1994 – Israeli troops finish withdrawing from the Gaza Strip, ceding the area to the Palestinian National Authority to govern.
    • 2005 – A second photo from the Hubble Space Telescope confirms that Pluto has two additional moons, Nix and Hydra.
    • 2006 – The post Loktantra Andolan government passes a landmark bill curtailing the power of the monarchy and making Nepal a secular country.
    • 2009 – The LTTE are defeated by the Sri Lankan government, ending almost 26 years of fighting between the two sides.
    • 2015 – At least 78 people die in a landslide caused by heavy rains in the Colombian town of Salgar.
    • 2018 – A school shooting at Santa Fe High School in Texas kills 10 people.

    Births on May 18

    • 1048 – Omar Khayyám, Persian mathematician, astronomer, and poet (d. 1131)
    • 1186 – Konstantin of Rostov (d. 1218)
    • 1450 – Piero Soderini, Italian politician and diplomat (d. 1513)
    • 1537 – Guido Luca Ferrero, Roman Catholic cardinal (d. 1585)
    • 1631 – Stanislaus Papczyński, Polish priest (d. 1701)
    • 1662 – George Smalridge, English bishop (d. 1719)
    • 1692 – Joseph Butler, English bishop, theologian, and apologist (d. 1752)
    • 1711 – Roger Joseph Boscovich, Ragusan physicist, astronomer, and mathematician (d. 1787)
    • 1777 – John George Children, English chemist, mineralogist, and zoologist (d. 1852)
    • 1778 – Charles Vane, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry, Irish soldier and diplomat, British Ambassador to Austria (d. 1854)
    • 1785 – John Wilson, Scottish author and critic (d. 1854)
    • 1797 – Frederick Augustus II of Saxony (d. 1854)
    • 1822 – Mathew Brady, American photographer and journalist (d. 1896)
    • 1835 – Charles N. Sims, American Methodist preacher and 3rd chancellor of Syracuse University (d. 1908)
    • 1850 – Oliver Heaviside, English engineer, mathematician, and physicist (d. 1925)
    • 1851 – James Budd, American lawyer and politician, 19th Governor of California (d. 1908)
    • 1852 – Gertrude Käsebier, American photographer (d. 1934)
    • 1854 – Bernard Zweers, Dutch composer and educator (d. 1924)
    • 1855 – Francis Bellamy, American minister and author (d. 1931)
    • 1862 – Josephus Daniels, American publisher and politician, 41st United States Secretary of the Navy (d. 1948)
    • 1867 – Minakata Kumagusu, Japanese author, biologist, naturalist and ethnologist (d. 1941)
    • 1868 – Nicholas II of Russia (d. 1918)
    • 1869 – Lucy Beaumont, English-American actress (d. 1937)
    • 1871 – Denis Horgan, Irish shot putter and weight thrower (d. 1922)
    • 1872 – Bertrand Russell, British mathematician, historian, and philosopher, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1970)
    • 1876 – Hermann Müller, German journalist and politician, 12th Chancellor of Germany (d. 1931)
    • 1878 – Johannes Terwogt, Dutch rower (d. 1977)
    • 1882 – Babe Adams, American baseball player, manager, and journalist (d. 1968)
    • 1883 – Eurico Gaspar Dutra, Brazilian marshal and politician, 16th President of Brazil (d. 1974)
    • 1883 – Walter Gropius, German-American architect, designed the John F. Kennedy Federal Building (d. 1969)
    • 1886 – Jeanie MacPherson, American actress and screenwriter (d. 1946)
    • 1889 – Thomas Midgley, Jr., American chemist and engineer (d. 1944)
    • 1891 – Rudolf Carnap, German-American philosopher and academic (d. 1970)
    • 1892 – Ezio Pinza, Italian-American actor and singer (d. 1957)
    • 1895 – Augusto César Sandino, Nicaraguan rebel leader (d. 1934)
    • 1896 – Eric Backman, Swedish runner (d. 1965)
    • 1897 – Frank Capra, Italian-American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1991)
    • 1898 – Faruk Nafiz Çamlıbel, Turkish poet, author, and playwright (d. 1973)
    • 1901 – Henri Sauguet, French composer (d. 1989)
    • 1901 – Vincent du Vigneaud, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1978)
    • 1902 – Meredith Willson, American playwright and composer (d. 1984)
    • 1904 – Shunryū Suzuki, Japanese-American monk and educator (d. 1971)
    • 1904 – Jacob K. Javits, American colonel and politician, 58th New York Attorney General (d. 1986)
    • 1905 – Ruth Alexander, pioneering American pilot (d. 1930)
    • 1905 – Hedley Verity, English cricketer and soldier (d. 1943)
    • 1907 – Irene Hunt, American author and educator (d. 2001)
    • 1909 – Fred Perry, English-Australian tennis player and academic (d. 1995)
    • 1910 – Ester Boserup, Danish economist and author (d. 1999)
    • 1911 – Big Joe Turner, American blues/R&B singer (d. 1985)
    • 1912 – Richard Brooks, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1992)
    • 1912 – Perry Como, American singer and television host (d. 2001)
    • 1912 – Walter Sisulu, South African politician (d. 2003)
    • 1913 – Jane Birdwood, Baroness Birdwood, Canadian-English publisher and politician (d. 2000)
    • 1914 – Pierre Balmain, French fashion designer, founded Balmain (d. 1982)
    • 1914 – Boris Christoff, Bulgarian-Italian opera singer (d. 1993)
    • 1917 – Bill Everett, American author and illustrator (d. 1973)
    • 1919 – Margot Fonteyn, British ballerina (d. 1991)
    • 1920 – Pope John Paul II (d. 2005)
    • 1921 – Michael A. Epstein, English pathologist and academic
    • 1922 – Bill Macy, American actor (d. 2019)
    • 1922 – Kai Winding, Danish-American trombonist and composer (d. 1983)
    • 1923 – Jean-Louis Roux, Canadian actor and politician, 34th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (d. 2013)
    • 1923 – Hugh Shearer, Jamaican journalist and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Jamaica (d. 2004)
    • 1924 – Priscilla Pointer, American actress
    • 1924 – Jack Whitaker, American sportscaster (d. 2019)
    • 1925 – Lillian Hoban, American author and illustrator (d. 1998)
    • 1927 – Richard Body, English politician (d. 2018)
    • 1927 – Ray Nagel, American football player and coach (d. 2015)
    • 1928 – Pernell Roberts, American actor (d. 2010)
    • 1929 – Jack Sanford, American baseball player and coach (d. 2000)
    • 1929 – Norman St John-Stevas, Baron St John of Fawsley, English lawyer and politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (d. 2012)
    • 1930 – Warren Rudman, American soldier, lawyer, and politician (d. 2012)
    • 1930 – Fred Saberhagen, American soldier and author (d. 2007)
    • 1931 – Don Martin, American cartoonist (d. 2000)
    • 1931 – Robert Morse, American actor
    • 1931 – Kalju Pitksaar, Estonian chess player (d. 1995)
    • 1931 – Clément Vincent, Canadian farmer and politician (d. 2018)
    • 1933 – Bernadette Chirac, French politician, First Lady of France
    • 1933 – H. D. Deve Gowda, Indian farmer and politician, 11th Prime Minister of India
    • 1933 – Don Whillans, English rock climber and mountaineer (d. 1985)
    • 1934 – Dwayne Hickman, American actor and director
    • 1936 – Leon Ashley, American singer-songwriter (d. 2013)
    • 1936 – Türker İnanoğlu, Turkish director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1936 – Michael Sandle, English sculptor and academic
    • 1937 – Brooks Robinson, American baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1937 – Jacques Santer, Luxembourger jurist and politician, 22nd Prime Minister of Luxembourg
    • 1938 – Janet Fish, American painter and academic
    • 1939 – Patrick Cormack, Baron Cormack, English historian, journalist, and politician
    • 1939 – Giovanni Falcone, Italian lawyer and judge (d. 1992)
    • 1939 – Gordon O’Connor, Canadian general and politician, 38th Canadian Minister of Defence
    • 1940 – Erico Aumentado, Filipino journalist, lawyer, and politician (d. 2012)
    • 1941 – Gino Brito, Canadian wrestler and promoter
    • 1941 – Malcolm Longair, Scottish astronomer, physicist, and academic
    • 1941 – Miriam Margolyes, English-Australian actress and singer
    • 1942 – Nobby Stiles, English footballer, coach, and manager
    • 1944 – Albert Hammond, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1944 – W. G. Sebald, German novelist, essayist, and poet (d. 2001)
    • 1946 – Frank Hsieh, Taiwanese lawyer and politician, 40th Premier of the Republic of China
    • 1946 – Reggie Jackson, American baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1946 – Gerd Langguth, German political scientist and author (d. 2013)
    • 1947 – John Bruton, Irish politician, 10th Taoiseach of Ireland
    • 1947 – Gail Strickland, American actress
    • 1948 – Joe Bonsall, American country/gospel singer
    • 1948 – Yi Mun-yol, South Korean author and academic
    • 1948 – Richard Swedberg, Swedish sociologist and academic
    • 1948 – Tom Udall, American lawyer and politician, 28th New Mexico Attorney General, United States Senator from New Mexico
    • 1949 – Rick Wakeman, English progressive rock keyboardist and songwriter (Yes)
    • 1949 – Walter Hawkins, American gospel music singer and pastor (d. 2010)
    • 1950 – Rod Milburn, American hurdler and coach (d. 1997)
    • 1950 – Mark Mothersbaugh, American singer-songwriter and painter
    • 1951 – Richard Clapton, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1951 – Jim Sundberg, American baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1951 – Angela Voigt, German long jumper (d. 2013)
    • 1952 – Diane Duane, American author and screenwriter
    • 1952 – David Leakey, English general and politician
    • 1952 – George Strait, American singer, guitarist and producer
    • 1952 – Jeana Yeager, American pilot
    • 1953 – Alan Kupperberg, American author and illustrator (d. 2015)
    • 1954 – Wreckless Eric, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1954 – Eric Gerets, Belgian footballer and manager
    • 1955 – Chow Yun-fat, Hong Kong actor and screenwriter
    • 1956 – Catherine Corsini, French director and screenwriter
    • 1956 – John Godber, English playwright and screenwriter
    • 1957 – Michael Cretu, Romanian-German keyboard player and producer
    • 1957 – Henrietta Moore, English anthropologist and academic
    • 1958 – Rubén Omar Romano, Argentinian-Mexican footballer and coach
    • 1958 – Toyah Willcox, English singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
    • 1959 – Graham Dilley, English cricketer and coach (d. 2011)
    • 1959 – Jay Wells, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1960 – Brent Ashton, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1960 – Jari Kurri, Finnish ice hockey player, coach, and manager
    • 1960 – Yannick Noah, French tennis player
    • 1961 – Russell Senior, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1963 – Marty McSorley, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1963 – Sam Vincent, American basketball player and coach
    • 1964 – Ignasi Guardans, Spanish academic and politician
    • 1966 – Renata Nielsen, Polish-Danish long jumper and coach
    • 1966 – Michael Tait, American singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1967 – Nina Björk, Swedish journalist and author
    • 1967 – Heinz-Harald Frentzen, German race car driver
    • 1967 – Nancy Juvonen, American screenwriter and producer, co-founded Flower Films
    • 1967 – Mimi Macpherson, Australian environmentalist, entrepreneur and celebrity
    • 1968 – Philippe Benetton, French rugby player
    • 1968 – Ralf Kelleners, German race car driver
    • 1969 – Troy Cassar-Daley, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1969 – Martika, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
    • 1969 – Antônio Carlos Zago, Brazilian footballer and manager
    • 1970 – Tina Fey, American actress, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1970 – Tim Horan, Australian rugby player and sportscaster
    • 1970 – Billy Howerdel, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
    • 1970 – Javier Cárdenas, Spanish singer, television and radio presenter
    • 1970 – Vicky Sunohara, Canadian former ice hockey player
    • 1971 – Brad Friedel, American international soccer player, goalkeeper, manager and sportscaster
    • 1971 – Mark Menzies, Scottish politician
    • 1971 – Nobuteru Taniguchi, Japanese race car driver
    • 1972 – Turner Stevenson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1973 – Donyell Marshall, American basketball player and coach
    • 1973 – Aleksandr Olerski, Estonian footballer (d. 2011)
    • 1974 – Nelson Figueroa, American baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1975 – Jem, Welsh singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1975 – John Higgins, Scottish snooker player
    • 1975 – Jack Johnson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1976 – Ron Mercer, American basketball player
    • 1976 – Marko Tomasović, Croatian pianist and composer
    • 1976 – Oleg Tverdovsky, Ukrainian-Russian ice hockey player
    • 1977 – Lee Hendrie, English footballer
    • 1977 – Danny Mills, English footballer and sportscaster
    • 1977 – Li Tie, Chinese footballer and manager
    • 1978 – Ricardo Carvalho, Portuguese footballer
    • 1978 – Marcus Giles, American baseball player
    • 1978 – Charles Kamathi, Kenyan runner
    • 1979 – Jens Bergensten, Swedish video game designer, co-designed Minecraft
    • 1979 – Mariusz Lewandowski, Polish footballer
    • 1979 – Michal Martikán, Slovak slalom canoeist
    • 1979 – Milivoje Novaković, Slovenian footballer
    • 1979 – Julián Speroni, Argentinian footballer
    • 1980 – Reggie Evans, American basketball player
    • 1980 – Michaël Llodra, French tennis player
    • 1980 – Diego Pérez, Uruguayan footballer
    • 1981 – Mahamadou Diarra, Malian international footballer
    • 1981 – Ashley Harrison, Australian rugby league player
    • 1982 – Jason Brown, English footballer
    • 1982 – Marie-Ève Pelletier, Canadian tennis player
    • 1983 – Gary O’Neil, English footballer
    • 1983 – Luis Terrero, Dominican baseball player
    • 1983 – Vince Young, American football player
    • 1984 – Ivet Lalova, Bulgarian sprinter
    • 1984 – Simon Pagenaud, French race car driver
    • 1984 – Darius Šilinskis, Lithuanian basketball player
    • 1984 – Joakim Soria, Mexican baseball player
    • 1984 – Niki Terpstra, Dutch cyclist
    • 1985 – Oliver Sin, Hungarian painter
    • 1985 – Henrique Sereno, Portuguese footballer
    • 1986 – Ahmed Hamada, Egyptian race car driver
    • 1986 – Kevin Anderson, South African tennis player
    • 1988 – Taeyang, South Korean singer
    • 1990 – Dimitri Daeseleire, Belgian footballer
    • 1990 – Yuya Osako, Japanese footballer
    • 1990 – Josh Starling, Australian rugby league player
    • 1992 – Adwoa Aboah, British fashion model
    • 1993 – Stuart Percy, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1993 – Jessica Watson, Australian sailor
    • 1998 – Polina Edmunds, American figure skater
    • 1999 – Laura Omloop, Belgian singer-songwriter
    • 2000 – Ryan Sessegnon, English footballer
    • 2000 – Steven Sessegnon, English footballer
    • 2002 – Alina Zagitova, Russian figure skater

    Deaths on May 18

    • 526 – Pope John I (b. 470)
    • 893 – Stephen I of Constantinople (b. 867)
    • 932 – Ma Shaohong, general of Later Tang
    • 947 – Emperor Taizong of the Liao Dynasty
    • 978 – Frederick I, duke of Upper Lorraine
    • 1065 – Frederick, Duke of Lower Lorraine (b. c. 1003)
    • 1096 – Minna of Worms, Jewish martyr killed during the Worms massacre (1096)
    • 1160 – Eric Jedvardsson (King Eric IX) of Sweden (since 1156); (b. circa 1120)
    • 1297 – Nicholas Longespee, Bishop of Salisbury
    • 1401 – Vladislaus II of Opole (b. 1332)
    • 1410 – Rupert of Germany, Count Palatine of the Rhine (b. 1352)
    • 1550 – Jean, Cardinal of Lorraine (b. 1498)
    • 1551 – Domenico di Pace Beccafumi, Italian painter (b. 1486)
    • 1675 – Stanisław Lubieniecki, Polish astronomer, historian, and theologian (b. 1623)
    • 1675 – Jacques Marquette, French-American missionary and explorer (b. 1637)
    • 1692 – Elias Ashmole, English astrologer and politician (b. 1617)
    • 1721 – Maria Barbara Carillo, victim of the Spanish Inquisition (b.1625)
    • 1733 – Georg Böhm, German organist and composer (b. 1761)
    • 1780 – Charles Hardy, English-American admiral and politician, 29th Colonial Governor of New York (b. 1714)
    • 1781 – Túpac Amaru II, Peruvian-Indian rebel leader (b. 1742)
    • 1792 – Levy Solomons, Canadian merchant and fur trader (b. 1730)
    • 1795 – Robert Rogers, English colonel (b. 1731)
    • 1799 – Pierre Beaumarchais, French playwright and publisher (b. 1732)
    • 1800 – Alexander Suvorov, Russian general (b. 1729)
    • 1807 – John Douglas, Scottish bishop and scholar (b. 1721)
    • 1808 – Elijah Craig, American minister, inventor, and educator, invented Bourbon whiskey (b. 1738)
    • 1844 – Richard McCarty, American lawyer and politician (b. 1780)
    • 1853 – Lionel Kieseritzky, Estonian-French chess player (b. 1806)
    • 1867 – Clarkson Stanfield, English painter (b. 1793)
    • 1889 – Isabella Glyn, Scottish-English actress (b. 1823)
    • 1900 – Félix Ravaisson-Mollien, French archaeologist and philosopher (b. 1813)
    • 1908 – Louis-Napoléon Casault, Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician (b. 1823)
    • 1909 – Isaac Albéniz, Spanish pianist and composer (b. 1860)
    • 1909 – George Meredith, English novelist and poet (b. 1828)
    • 1910 – Eliza Orzeszkowa, Polish author and publisher (b. 1841)
    • 1910 – Pauline Viardot, French soprano and composer (b. 1821)
    • 1911 – Gustav Mahler, Austrian composer and conductor (b. 1860)
    • 1922 – Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran, French physician and parasitologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1845)
    • 1941 – Werner Sombart, German economist and sociologist (b. 1863)
    • 1943 – Ōnishiki Daigorō, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 28th Yokozuna (b. 1883)
    • 1947 – Hal Chase, American baseball player and manager (b. 1883)
    • 1955 – Mary McLeod Bethune, American educator and activist (b. 1875)
    • 1956 – Maurice Tate, English cricketer (b. 1895)
    • 1958 – Jacob Fichman, Israeli poet and critic (b. 1881)
    • 1963 – Ernie Davis, American football player, coach, and manager (b. 1939)
    • 1968 – Frank Walsh, Australian politician, 34th Premier of South Australia (b. 1897)
    • 1971 – Aleksandr Gennadievich Kurosh, Russian mathematician and theorist (b. 1908)
    • 1973 – Jeannette Rankin, American social worker and politician (b. 1880)
    • 1974 – Harry Ricardo, English engine designer and researcher (b. 1885)
    • 1975 – Leroy Anderson, American composer and conductor (b. 1908)
    • 1980 – Victims of Mount St. Helens eruption:
      • Reid Blackburn, American photographer and journalist (b. 1952)
      • David A. Johnston, American volcanologist and geologist (b. 1949)
    • 1980 – Ian Curtis, English singer-songwriter (b. 1956)
    • 1981 – Arthur O’Connell, American actor (b. 1908)
    • 1981 – William Saroyan, American novelist, playwright, and short story writer (b. 1908)
    • 1987 – Mahdi Amel, Lebanese journalist, poet, and academic (b. 1936)
    • 1989 – Dorothy Ruth, American horse breeder and author (b. 1921)
    • 1990 – Jill Ireland, English actress (b. 1936)
    • 1995 – Elisha Cook, Jr., American actor (b. 1903)
    • 1995 – Alexander Godunov, Russian-American ballet dancer and actor (b. 1949)
    • 1995 – Brinsley Le Poer Trench, 8th Earl of Clancarty, Irish ufologist and historian (b. 1911)
    • 1995 – Elizabeth Montgomery, American actress (b. 1933)
    • 1998 – Obaidullah Aleem, Indian-Pakistani poet and author (b. 1939)
    • 1999 – Augustus Pablo, Jamaican singer, keyboard player, and producer (b. 1954)
    • 1999 – Betty Robinson, American runner (b. 1911)
    • 2000 – Stephen M. Wolownik, Russian-American composer and musicologist (b. 1946)
    • 2001 – Irene Hunt, American author and illustrator (b. 1907)
    • 2004 – Elvin Jones, American drummer and bandleader (b. 1927)
    • 2006 – Jaan Eilart, Estonian geographer, ecologist, and historian (b. 1933)
    • 2007 – Pierre-Gilles de Gennes, French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1932)
    • 2008 – Joseph Pevney, American actor and director (b. 1911)
    • 2008 – Roberto García-Calvo Montiel, Spanish judge (b. 1942)
    • 2009 – Velupillai Prabhakaran, Sri Lankan rebel leader, founded the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (b. 1954)
    • 2012 – Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, German opera singer and conductor (b. 1925)
    • 2012 – Peter Jones, English-Australian drummer and songwriter (b. 1967)
    • 2012 – Alan Oakley, English bicycle designer, designed the Raleigh Chopper (b. 1927)
    • 2013 – Aleksei Balabanov, Russian director and screenwriter (b. 1959)
    • 2013 – Jo Benkow, Norwegian soldier and politician (b. 1924)
    • 2013 – Steve Forrest, American actor (b. 1925)
    • 2013 – David McMillan, American football player (b. 1981)
    • 2013 – Lothar Schmid, German chess player (b. 1928)
    • 2014 – Dobrica Ćosić, Serbian politician, 1st President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (b. 1921)
    • 2014 – Hans-Peter Dürr, German physicist and academic (b. 1929)
    • 2014 – Kaiketsu Masateru, Japanese sumo wrestler (b. 1948)
    • 2014 – Chukwuedu Nwokolo, Nigerian physician and academic (b. 1921)
    • 2014 – Wubbo Ockels, Dutch physicist and astronaut (b. 1946)
    • 2015 – Halldór Ásgrímsson, Icelandic accountant and politician, 22nd Prime Minister of Iceland (b. 1947)
    • 2015 – Raymond Gosling, English physicist and academic (b. 1926)
    • 2015 – T. J. Moran, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1930)
    • 2015 – Jean-François Théodore, French businessman (b. 1946)
    • 2017 – Roger Ailes, American businessman (b. 1940)
    • 2017 – Jacque Fresco, American engineer and academic (b. 1916)
    • 2017 – Chris Cornell, American singer (b. 1964)
    • 2020 – Ken Osmond, American actor and the police officer (b. 1943)

    Holidays and observances on May 18

    • Christian feast day:
      • Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury
      • Eric IX of Sweden
      • Felix of Cantalice
      • Pope John I
      • Venantius of Camerino
      • May 18 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Victoria Day (Canada) (Earliest possible date of the last Monday preceding May 25)
    • Baltic Fleet Day (Russia)
    • Battle of Las Piedras Day (Uruguay)
    • Day of Remembrance of Crimean Tatar genocide (Ukraine)
    • Flag and Universities Day (Haiti)
    • Independence Day (Somaliland) (unrecognized)
    • International Museum Day
    • Mullivaikkal Remembrance Day (Sri Lankan Tamils)
    • Revival, Unity, and Poetry of Magtymguly Day (Turkmenistan)
    • Teacher’s Day (Syria)
    • Victory Day (Sri Lanka)
    • World AIDS Vaccine Day

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

    • 475 BC – Roman consul Publius Valerius Poplicola celebrates a Roman triumph for his victory over Veii and the Sabines.
    • 305 – Diocletian and Maximian retire from the office of Roman emperor.
    • 524 – King Sigismund of Burgundy is executed at Orléans after an eight-year reign and is succeeded by his brother Godomar.
    • 880 – The Nea Ekklesia is inaugurated in Constantinople, setting the model for all later cross-in-square Orthodox churches.
    • 1169 – Norman mercenaries land at Bannow Bay in Leinster, marking the beginning of the Norman invasion of Ireland.
    • 1328 – Wars of Scottish Independence end: By the Treaty of Edinburgh–Northampton, England recognises Scotland as an independent state.
    • 1455 – Battle of Arkinholm, Royal forces end the Black Douglas hegemony in Scotland.
    • 1576 – Stephen Báthory, the reigning Prince of Transylvania, marries Anna Jagiellon and they become co-rulers of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
    • 1707 – The Act of Union joining England and Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain takes effect.
    • 1753 – Publication of Species Plantarum by Linnaeus, and the formal start date of plant taxonomy adopted by the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature.
    • 1759 – Josiah Wedgwood founds the Wedgwood pottery company in Great Britain
    • 1776 – Establishment of the Illuminati in Ingolstadt, Upper Bavaria, by Jesuit-taught Adam Weishaupt.
    • 1778 – American Revolution: The Battle of Crooked Billet begins in Hatboro, Pennsylvania.
    • 1786 – In Vienna, Austria, Mozart’s opera The Marriage of Figaro is performed for the first time.
    • 1794 – War of the Pyrenees: The Battle of Boulou ends, in which French forces defeat the Spanish and regain nearly all the land they lost to Spain in 1793.
    • 1820 – Execution of the Cato Street Conspirators, who plotted to kill the British Cabinet and Prime Minister Lord Liverpool.
    • 1840 – The Penny Black, the first official adhesive postage stamp, is issued in the United Kingdom.
    • 1844 – Hong Kong Police Force, the world’s second modern police force and Asia’s first, is established.
    • 1846 – The few remaining Mormons left in Nauvoo, Illinois, formally dedicate the Nauvoo Temple.
    • 1851 – Queen Victoria opens The Great Exhibition at The Crystal Palace in London.
    • 1856 – The Province of Isabela was created in the Philippines in honor of Queen Isabela II.
    • 1862 – American Civil War: The Union Army completes its capture of New Orleans.
    • 1863 – American Civil War: The Battle of Chancellorsville begins.
    • 1865 – The Empire of Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay sign the Treaty of the Triple Alliance.
    • 1866 – The Memphis Race Riots begin. In three days time, 46 blacks and two whites were killed. Reports of the atrocities influenced passage of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
    • 1875 – Alexandra Palace reopens after being burned down in a fire in 1873.
    • 1884 – The Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions demands the eight-hour work day in the United States.
    • 1884 – Moses Fleetwood Walker becomes the first black person to play in a professional baseball game in the United States.
    • 1885 – The original Chicago Board of Trade Building opens for business.
    • 1886 – Rallies are held throughout the United States demanding the eight-hour work day, culminating in the Haymarket affair in Chicago, in commemoration of which May 1 is celebrated as International Workers’ Day in many countries.
    • 1893 – The World’s Columbian Exposition opens in Chicago.
    • 1894 – Coxey’s Army, the first significant American protest march, arrives in Washington, D.C.
    • 1898 – Spanish–American War: Battle of Manila Bay: The Asiatic Squadron of the United States Navy destroys the Pacific Squadron of the Spanish Navy after a seven-hour battle. Spain loses all seven of its ships, and 381 Spanish sailors die. There are no American vessel losses or combat deaths.
    • 1900 – The Scofield Mine disaster kills over 200 men in Scofield, Utah in what is to date the fifth-worst mining accident in United States history.
    • 1915 – The RMS Lusitania departs from New York City on her 202nd, and final, crossing of the North Atlantic. Six days later, the ship is torpedoed off the coast of Ireland with the loss of 1,198 lives.
    • 1919 – German troops enter Munich to suppress the Bavarian Soviet Republic.
    • 1925 – The All-China Federation of Trade Unions is officially founded. Today it is the largest trade union in the world, with 134 million members.
    • 1927 – The Union Labor Life Insurance Company is founded by the American Federation of Labor.
    • 1929 – The 7.2 Mw  Kopet Dag earthquake shakes the Iran–Turkmenistan border region with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent), killing up to 3,800 and injuring 1,121.
    • 1930 – “Pluto” is officially proposed for the name of the newly-discovered dwarf planet Pluto by Vesto Slipher in the Lowell Observatory Observation Circular. The name quickly catches on.
    • 1931 – The Empire State Building is dedicated in New York City.
    • 1941 – World War II: German forces launch a major attack during the siege of Tobruk.
    • 1944 – World War II: Two hundred Communist prisoners are shot by the Germans at Kaisariani, Athens in reprisal for the killing of General Franz Krech by partisans at Molaoi.
    • 1945 – World War II: A German newsreader officially announces that Adolf Hitler has “fallen at his command post in the Reich Chancellery fighting to the last breath against Bolshevism and for Germany”. The Soviet flag is raised over the Reich Chancellery, by order of Stalin.
    • 1945 – World War II: Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels and his wife Magda commit suicide in the Reich Garden outside the Führerbunker. Their children are also killed by having cyanide pills inserted into their mouths by their mother, Magda.
    • 1945 – World War II: Forces of the Soviet Red Army liberate Allied prisoners of war imprisoned at Stalag Luft I near Barth, Germany.
    • 1945 – World War II: Up to 2,500 people die in a mass suicide in Demmin following the advance of the Red Army.
    • 1945 – World War II: Yugoslav Partisans liberate Trieste.
    • 1946 – Start of three-year Pilbara strike of Indigenous Australians.
    • 1946 – The Paris Peace Conference concludes that the islands of the Dodecanese should be returned to Greece by Italy.
    • 1947 – Portella della Ginestra massacre against May Day celebrations in Sicily by the bandit and separatist leader Salvatore Giuliano where 11 persons are killed and 33 wounded.
    • 1956 – The polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk is made available to the public.
    • 1956 – A doctor in Japan reports an “epidemic of an unknown disease of the central nervous system”, marking the official discovery of Minamata disease.
    • 1957 – Thirty-four people are killed when a Vickers Viking airliner crashes in Hampshire, England.
    • 1960 – Formation of the western Indian states of Gujarat and Maharashtra; also known as “Maharashtra Day”.
    • 1960 – Cold War: U-2 incident: Francis Gary Powers, in a Lockheed U-2 spyplane, is shot down over the Sverdlovsk Oblast, Soviet Union, sparking a diplomatic crisis.
    • 1961 – The Prime Minister of Cuba, Fidel Castro, proclaims Cuba a socialist nation and abolishes elections.
    • 1965 – Cross-Strait relations: Battle of Dong-Yin, a naval conflict between the Republic of China and the People’s Republic of China, takes place.
    • 1967 – Elvis Presley and Priscilla Beaulieu are married in Las Vegas.
    • 1970 – Vietnam War: Protests erupt following the announcement by Richard Nixon that the U.S. and South Vietnamese forces would attack Vietnamese communists in a Cambodian Campaign.
    • 1971 – Amtrak (the National Railroad Passenger Corporation) takes over operation of U.S. passenger rail service.
    • 1974 – The Argentine terrorist organization Montoneros is expelled from Plaza de Mayo by president Juan Perón.
    • 1977 – Thirty-six people are killed in Taksim Square, Istanbul, during the Labour Day celebrations.
    • 1978 – Japan’s Naomi Uemura, travelling by dog sled, becomes the first person to reach the North Pole alone.
    • 1982 – Operation Black Buck: The Royal Air Force attacks the Argentine Air Force during Falklands War.
    • 1983 – The Sydney Entertainment Centre is opened.
    • 1987 – Pope John Paul II beatifies Edith Stein, a Jewish-born Carmelite nun who was gassed in the Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz.
    • 1989 – Disney-MGM Studios opens at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida, United States.
    • 1990 – The former Philippine Episcopal Church (supervised by the Episcopal Church of the United States of America) is granted full autonomy and raised to the status of an Autocephalous Anglican Province and renamed the Episcopal Church in the Philippines.
    • 1993 – Dingiri Banda Wijetunga became president of Sri Lanka automatically after killing of R Premadasa in LTTE bomb explosion.
    • 1994 – Three-time Formula One world champion Ayrton Senna is killed in an accident whilst leading the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola.
    • 1995 – Croatian War of Independence: Croatian forces launch Operation Flash.
    • 1999 – The body of British climber George Mallory is found on Mount Everest, 75 years after his disappearance in 1924
    • 1999 – SpongeBob SquarePants premieres on Nickelodeon.
    • 2001 – Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declares the existence of “a state of rebellion”, hours after thousands of supporters of her arrested predecessor, Joseph Estrada, storm towards the presidential palace at the height of the EDSA III rebellion.
    • 2002 – OpenOffice.org released version 1.0, the first stable version of the software.
    • 2003 – Invasion of Iraq: In what becomes known as the “Mission Accomplished” speech, on board the USS Abraham Lincoln (off the coast of California), U.S. President George W. Bush declares that “major combat operations in Iraq have ended”.
    • 2004 – Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia join the European Union, celebrated at the residence of the Irish President in Dublin.
    • 2009 – Same-sex marriage is legalized in Sweden.
    • 2011 – Pope John Paul II is beatified by his successor, Pope Benedict XVI.
    • 2019 – Naxalite attack in Gadchiroli district of India: Sixteen army soldiers, including a driver, killed in an IED blast. Naxals targeted an anti-Naxal operations team.

    Births on May 1

    • 1218 – John I, Count of Hainaut (d. 1257)
    • 1218 – Rudolf I of Germany (d. 1291)
    • 1285 – Edmund FitzAlan, 9th Earl of Arundel, English politician (d. 1326)
    • 1326 – Rinchinbal Khan, Mongolian emperor (d. 1332)
    • 1488 – Sidonie of Bavaria, eldest daughter of Duke Albrecht IV of Bavaria-Munich (d. 1505)
    • 1527 – Johannes Stadius, German astronomer, astrologer, mathematician (d. 1579)
    • 1545 – Franciscus Junius, French theologian (d. 1602)
    • 1579 – Wolphert Gerretse, Dutch-American farmer, co-founded New Netherland (d. 1662)
    • 1582 – Marco da Gagliano, Italian composer (d. 1643)
    • 1585 – Sophia Olelkovich Radziwill, Belarusian saint (d. 1612)
    • 1591 – Johann Adam Schall von Bell, German missionary and astronomer (d. 1666)
    • 1594 – John Haynes, English-American politician, 1st Governor of the Colony of Connecticut (d. 1653)
    • 1602 – William Lilly, English astrologer (d. 1681)
    • 1672 – Joseph Addison, English essayist, poet, playwright, and politician (d. 1719)
    • 1730 – Joshua Rowley, English admiral (d. 1790)
    • 1735 – Jan Hendrik van Kinsbergen, Dutch admiral and philanthropist (d. 1819)
    • 1751 – Judith Sargent Murray, American poet and playwright (d. 1820)
    • 1764 – Benjamin Henry Latrobe, English-American architect, designed the United States Capitol (d. 1820)
    • 1769 – Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, Irish-English field marshal and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1852)
    • 1783 – Phoebe Hinsdale Brown, American hymnwriter (d. 1861)
    • 1803 – James Clarence Mangan, Irish poet and author (d. 1849)
    • 1821 – Henry Ayers, English-Australian politician, 8th Premier of South Australia (d. 1897)
    • 1824 – Alexander William Williamson, English chemist and academic (d. 1904)
    • 1825 – Johann Jakob Balmer, Swiss mathematician and physicist (d. 1898)
    • 1825 – George Inness, American painter and educator (d. 1894)
    • 1827 – Jules Breton, French painter (d. 1906)
    • 1829 – José de Alencar, Brazilian author and playwright (d. 1877)
    • 1829 – Frederick Sandys, English painter and illustrator (d. 1904)
    • 1830 – Guido Gezelle, Belgian priest and poet (d. 1899)
    • 1831 – Emily Stowe, Canadian physician and activist (d. 1903)
    • 1847 – Henry Demarest Lloyd, American journalist and politician (d. 1903)
    • 1848 – Adelsteen Normann, Norwegian painter (d. 1919)
    • 1850 – Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (d. 1942)
    • 1851 – Laza Lazarević, Serbian psychiatrist and neurologist (d. 1891)
    • 1852 – Calamity Jane, American frontierswoman and professional scout (d. 1903)
    • 1852 – Santiago Ramón y Cajal, Spanish neuroscientist and pathologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1934)
    • 1853 – Jacob Mikhailovich Gordin, Jewish Ukrainian-American journalist, actor, and playwright (d. 1909)
    • 1855 – Cecilia Beaux, American painter and academic (d. 1942)
    • 1857 – Theo van Gogh, Dutch art dealer (d. 1891)
    • 1859 – Jacqueline Comerre-Paton, French painter and sculptor (d. 1955)
    • 1862 – Marcel Prévost, French novelist and playwright (d. 1941)
    • 1864 – Anna Jarvis, American founder of Mother’s Day (d. 1948)
    • 1871 – Seakle Greijdanus, Dutch theologian and scholar (d. 1948)
    • 1871 – Emiliano Chamorro Vargas, President of Nicaragua (d. 1966)
    • 1872 – Hugo Alfvén, Swedish composer, conductor, violinist, and painter (d. 1960)
    • 1872 – Sidónio Pais, Portuguese soldier and politician, 4th President of Portugal (d. 1918)
    • 1874 – Romaine Brooks, American-French painter and illustrator (d. 1970)
    • 1874 – Paul Van Asbroeck, Belgian target shooter (d. 1959)
    • 1875 – Dave Hall, American runner (d. 1972)
    • 1881 – Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, French priest, palaeontologist, and philosopher (d. 1955)
    • 1884 – Francis Curzon, 5th Earl Howe, English race car driver and politician (d. 1964)
    • 1885 – Clément Pansaers, Belgian poet (d. 1922)
    • 1885 – Ralph Stackpole, American sculptor and painter (d. 1973)
    • 1887 – Alan Cunningham, Anglo-Irish general and diplomat, High Commissioners for Palestine and Transjordan (d. 1983)
    • 1890 – Clelia Lollini, Italian physician (d. 1963 or 1964)
    • 1891 – Lillian Estelle Fisher, American historian of Spanish America (d. 1988)
    • 1895 – Nikolai Yezhov, Soviet secret police official, head of the NKVD (d. 1940)
    • 1895 – May Hollinworth, Australian theatre producer and director (d. 1968)
    • 1896 – Herbert Backe, German agronomist and politician (d. 1947)
    • 1896 – Mark W. Clark, American general (d. 1984)
    • 1896 – J. Lawton Collins, American general (d. 1987)
    • 1898 – Alfred Schmidt, Estonian weightlifter (d. 1972)
    • 1900 – Ignazio Silone, Italian journalist and politician (d. 1978)
    • 1900 – Aleksander Wat, Polish poet and writer (d. 1967)
    • 1901 – Sterling Allen Brown, American poet, academic, and critic (d. 1989)
    • 1901 – Heinz Eric Roemheld, American pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1985)
    • 1901 – Antal Szerb, Hungarian scholar and author (d. 1945)
    • 1905 – Henry Koster, German-American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1988)
    • 1906 – Horst Schumann, German SS officer and physician (d. 1983)
    • 1907 – Hayes Alvis, American bassist (d. 1972)
    • 1907 – Kate Smith, American singer and actress (d. 1986)
    • 1908 – Giovannino Guareschi, Italian journalist and author (d. 1968)
    • 1908 – Morris Kline, American mathematician and academic (d. 1992)
    • 1909 – Endel Puusepp, Estonian-Soviet military pilot and politician (d. 1996)
    • 1909 – Yiannis Ritsos, Greek poet and playwright (d. 1990)
    • 1910 – Behice Boran, Turkish sociologist and politician (d. 1987)
    • 1910 – Raya Dunayevskaya, Ukrainian-American philosopher and activist (d. 1987)
    • 1910 – Dirk Andries Flentrop, Dutch organ builder (d. 2003)
    • 1910 – J. Allen Hynek, American astronomer and ufologist (d. 1986)
    • 1910 – Nejdet Sançar, Turkish literature teacher (d. 1975)
    • 1911 – Wilfred Watson, English-Canadian poet, playwright and educator (d. 1998)
    • 1912 – Otto Kretschmer, German admiral (d. 1998)
    • 1913 – Louis Nye, American actor (d. 2005)
    • 1913 – Walter Susskind, Czech-English pianist, conductor, and educator (d. 1980)
    • 1914 – Jaap van der Poll, Dutch javelin thrower (d. 2010)
    • 1915 – Hanns Martin Schleyer, German businessman (d. 1977)
    • 1916 – Antoni Bazaniak, Polish sprint canoeist (d. 1979)
    • 1916 – Glenn Ford, Canadian-American actor and producer (d. 2006)
    • 1917 – John Beradino, American baseball player and actor (d. 1996)
    • 1917 – Ulric Cross, Trinidadian navigator, judge, and diplomat (d. 2013)
    • 1917 – Danielle Darrieux, French actress and singer (d. 2017)
    • 1917 – Ahron Soloveichik, Russian rabbi and scholar (d. 2001)
    • 1918 – Gersh Budker, Ukrainian-Russian physicist and academic (d. 1977)
    • 1918 – Jack Paar, American comedian, author and talk show host (d. 2004)
    • 1919 – Manna Dey, Indian singer and composer (d. 2013)
    • 1919 – Mohammed Karim Lamrani, Moroccan businessman and politician, 7th Prime Minister of Morocco (d. 2018)
    • 1919 – Dan O’Herlihy, Irish-American actor (d. 2005)
    • 1921 – Vladimir Colin, Romanian journalist and author (d. 1991)
    • 1922 – Alastair Gillespie, Canadian scholar and politician (d. 2018)
    • 1923 – Joseph Heller, American novelist, short story writer, and playwright (d. 1999)
    • 1923 – Antônio Maria Mucciolo, Italian-Brazilian archbishop (d. 2012)
    • 1923 – Marcel Rayman, Polish soldier (d. 1944)
    • 1924 – Evelyn Boyd Granville, American mathematician, computer scientist, and academic
    • 1924 – Karel Kachyňa, Czech director and screenwriter (d. 2004)
    • 1924 – Terry Southern, American novelist, essayist, and screenwriter (d. 1995)
    • 1925 – Chuck Bednarik, American lieutenant and football player (d. 2015)
    • 1925 – Scott Carpenter, American commander, pilot, and astronaut (d. 2013)
    • 1925 – Sardar Fazlul Karim, Bangladeshi philosopher, scholar, and academic (d. 2014)
    • 1926 – Peter Lax, Hungarian-American mathematician and academic
    • 1927 – Gary Bertini, Israeli conductor and composer (d. 2005)
    • 1927 – Laura Betti, Italian actress (d. 2004)
    • 1927 – Albert Zafy, Malagasy politician, 3rd President of Madagascar (d. 2017)
    • 1927 – Bernard Vukas, Yugoslav-Croatian footballer (d. 1983)
    • 1928 – Sonny James, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2016)
    • 1928 – Delfim Netto, Brazilian economist
    • 1929 – Ralf Dahrendorf, German-English sociologist and politician (d. 2009)
    • 1929 – Sonny Ramadhin, Trinidadian cricketer
    • 1930 – Ollie Matson, American sprinter and football player (d. 2011)
    • 1930 – Richard Riordan, American lieutenant and politician, 39th Mayor of Los Angeles and publisher
    • 1930 – Little Walter Jacobs, American blues harp player and singer (d. 1968)
    • 1931 – Naim Attallah, Palestinian author
    • 1932 – Sandy Woodward, English admiral (d. 2013)
    • 1932 – Tabibar Rahman Sarder, Bangladeshi politician. (d. 2010)
    • 1934 – Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas, Mexican politician
    • 1934 – Tang Chang, Thai artist (d. 1990)
    • 1934 – Shirley Horn, American singer and pianist (d. 2005)
    • 1934 – Phillip King, Tunisian-English sculptor
    • 1934 – John Meillon, Australian actor (d. 1989)
    • 1936 – Danièle Huillet, French filmmaker (d. 2006)
    • 1936 – Hans E. Wallman, Swedish director, producer, and composer (d. 2014)
    • 1937 – Una Stubbs, English actress and dancer
    • 1939 – Judy Collins, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1939 – Wilhelmina Cooper, Dutch model (d. 1980)
    • 1939 – Victor Davies, Canadian pianist, composer, and conductor
    • 1943 – Vassal Gadoengin, Nauruan politician (d. 2004)
    • 1943 – Joe Walsh, Irish politician, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (d. 2014)
    • 1945 – Rita Coolidge, American singer-songwriter
    • 1945 – Carson Whitsett, American keyboard player, songwriter, and producer (d. 2007)
    • 1946 – Joanna Lumley, English actress, voice-over artist, author, and activist
    • 1946 – John Woo, Hong Kong director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1947 – Jacob Bekenstein, Mexican-born Israeli-American theoretical physicist (d. 2015)
    • 1947 – Sergio Infante, Chilean-Swedish poet and author
    • 1948 – Györgyi Balogh, Hungarian sprinter
    • 1948 – Patricia Hill Collins, American sociologist and scholar
    • 1949 – Jim Clench, Canadian bass player (d. 2010)
    • 1949 – Tim Hodgkinson, English saxophonist, clarinet player, and composer
    • 1949 – Paul Teutul, Sr., American motorcycle designer, co-founded Orange County Choppers
    • 1950 – Dann Florek, American actor and director
    • 1950 – Danny McGrain, Scottish footballer and coach
    • 1951 – Gordon Greenidge, Barbadian cricketer and coach
    • 1951 – Geoff Lees, English race car driver
    • 1951 – Sally Mann, American photographer
    • 1952 – Richard Blundell, English economist and academic
    • 1952 – Kim Lewison, English lawyer and judge
    • 1952 – Peter Smith, Malaysian-born English academic and judge
    • 1953 – Glen Ballard, American songwriter and producer
    • 1954 – Ray Parker, Jr., American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1954 – Joel Rosenberg, Canadian-American author and activist (d. 2011)
    • 1955 – Alex Cunningham, Scottish politician
    • 1955 – Martin O’Donnell, American composer
    • 1955 – Ray Searage, American baseball player and coach
    • 1956 – Catherine Frot, French actress
    • 1956 – Phil Foglio, American illustrator
    • 1957 – Rick Darling, Australian cricketer
    • 1957 – Uberto Pasolini, Italian banker, director, and producer
    • 1959 – Yasmina Reza, French actress and playwright
    • 1959 – Lawrence Seeff, South African cricketer and basket weaver
    • 1960 – Steve Cauthen, American jockey and sportscaster
    • 1961 – Sultan Günal-Gezer, Dutch politician
    • 1961 – Clint Malarchuk, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1961 – Marilyn Milian, American judge
    • 1961 – Vasiliy Sidorenko, Russian hammer thrower
    • 1962 – Maia Morgenstern, Romanian actress
    • 1962 – Ted Sundquist, American football player, coach, and manager
    • 1964 – Yvonne van Gennip, Dutch speed skater
    • 1966 – Olaf Thon, German footballer and manager
    • 1967 – Tim McGraw, American singer-songwriter and actor
    • 1968 – Oliver Bierhoff, German footballer and manager
    • 1968 – D’arcy Wretzky, American bass player and singer
    • 1969 – Wes Anderson, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1969 – Mary Lou McDonald, Irish politician
    • 1969 – Billy Owens, American basketball player
    • 1970 – Bernard Butler, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1971 – Ethan Albright, American football player
    • 1971 – Stuart Appleby, Australian golfer
    • 1971 – Kim Grant, South African tennis player
    • 1971 – Artur Kohutek, Polish hurdler and soldier
    • 1971 – Ajith Kumar, Indian film actor in Tamil cinema and race car driver
    • 1972 – Ramzi bin al-Shibh, Yemeni terrorist
    • 1972 – Julie Benz, American actress
    • 1972 – Yoon Hae-young, South Korean actress
    • 1973 – Peter Baah, English footballer and manager
    • 1973 – Mike Jesse, German footballer
    • 1973 – Curtis Martin, American football player
    • 1973 – Oliver Neuville, German footballer
    • 1975 – Austin Croshere, American basketball player and sportscaster
    • 1975 – Marc-Vivien Foé, Cameroonian footballer (d. 2003)
    • 1975 – Nina Hossain, English journalist
    • 1975 – Alexey Smertin, Russian international footballer
    • 1976 – Patricia Stokkers, Dutch swimmer
    • 1977 – Vera Lischka, Austrian swimmer and politician
    • 1978 – James Badge Dale, American actor
    • 1979 – Mauro Bergamasco, Italian rugby player
    • 1979 – Roman Lyashenko, Russian ice hockey player (d. 2003)
    • 1980 – Marvin Cabrera, Mexican footballer
    • 1980 – Rob Davison, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1980 – Inês Henriques, Portuguese race walker
    • 1980 – Jan Heylen, Belgian race car driver
    • 1980 – Jay Reatard, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2010)
    • 1980 – Yuliya Tabakova, Russian athlete
    • 1981 – Manny Acosta, Panamanian baseball player
    • 1981 – Derek Asamoah, Ghanaian footballer
    • 1981 – Alexander Hleb, Belarusian footballer
    • 1981 – Wes Welker, American football player
    • 1982 – Beto, Portuguese footballer
    • 1982 – Jamie Dornan, Northern Irish model and actor
    • 1982 – Mark Farren, Irish footballer (d. 2016)
    • 1982 – Katya Zamolodchikova, American drag queen
    • 1982 – Tommy Robredo, Spanish tennis player
    • 1982 – Darijo Srna, Croatian footballer
    • 1983 – Alain Bernard, French swimmer
    • 1983 – Human Tornado, American wrestler
    • 1983 – Park Hae-jin, South Korean actor
    • 1984 – David Backes, American ice hockey player
    • 1984 – Mišo Brečko, Slovenian footballer
    • 1984 – Patrick Eaves, American ice hockey player
    • 1984 – Alexander Farnerud, Swedish footballer
    • 1984 – Farah Fath, American actress
    • 1984 – Keiichiro Koyama, Japanese singer and actor
    • 1984 – Víctor Montaño, Colombian footballer
    • 1984 – Mark Seaby, Australian footballer
    • 1985 – Shahriar Nafees, Bangladeshi cricketer
    • 1986 – Christian Benítez, Ecuadorian footballer (d. 2013)
    • 1986 – Adam Casey, Australian footballer
    • 1986 – Cassie Jaye, American actress and film director
    • 1986 – Jesse Klaver, Dutch politician
    • 1986 – Lee Chang-min, South Korean singer
    • 1986 – Brent Stanton, Australian footballer
    • 1987 – Leonardo Bonucci, Italian footballer
    • 1987 – Glen Coffee, American football player
    • 1987 – Iván DeJesús Jr., Puerto Rican baseball player
    • 1987 – Marcus Drum, Australian footballer
    • 1987 – Amir Johnson, American basketball player
    • 1987 – Ryan Mathews, American football player
    • 1987 – Saidi Ntibazonkiza, Burundian footballer
    • 1987 – Shahar Pe’er, Israeli tennis player
    • 1988 – Maria Balaba, Latvian figure skater
    • 1988 – Maxim Gustik, Belarusian freestyle skier
    • 1988 – Teodor Peterson, Swedish cross-country skier
    • 1989 – Alejandro Arribas, Spanish footballer
    • 1989 – Poļina Jeļizarova, Latvian runner
    • 1990 – Uriel Álvarez, Mexican footballer
    • 1990 – Caitlin Stasey, Australian actress
    • 1990 – Diego Contento, German footballer
    • 1990 – Scooter Gennett, American baseball player
    • 1991 – Marcus Stroman, American baseball player
    • 1991 – Daniel Talbot, British sprinter
    • 1992 – Trevor Philp, Canadian alpine skier
    • 1992 – Bradley Roby, American football player
    • 1993 – Jean-Christophe Bahebeck, French footballer
    • 1993 – Ifeoma Nwoye, Nigerian wrestler
    • 1994 – Wallace Oliveira, Brazilian footballer
    • 1995 – Collin Seedorf, Dutch footballer
    • 1996 – Christopher J. Alexis Jr., Grenadian road cyclist
    • 1996 – Daniel Saifiti, Australian-Fijian rugby league player
    • 1996 – Jacob Saifiti, Australian-Fijian rugby league player
    • 1996 – Michael Seaton, Jamaican footballer
    • 2004 – Charli D’Amelio, American social media influencer and dancer

    Deaths on May 1

    • 408 – Arcadius, Byzantine emperor (b. 377)
    • 558 – Marcouf, missionary and saint
    • 908 – Wang Zongji, Chinese prince and pretender
    • 1118 – Matilda of Scotland (b. 1080)
    • 1171 – Diarmait Mac Murchada, King of Leinster (b. 1110)
    • 1187 – Roger de Moulins, Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller
    • 1255 – Walter de Gray, English prelate and statesman
    • 1277 – Stefan Uroš I of Serbia (b. 1223)
    • 1278 – William II of Villehardouin
    • 1308 – Albert I of Germany (b. 1255)
    • 1312 – Paul I Šubić of Bribir
    • 1539 – Isabella of Portugal (b. 1503)
    • 1555 – Pope Marcellus II (b. 1501)
    • 1572 – Pope Pius V (b. 1504)
    • 1668 – Frans Luycx, Flemish painter (b. 1604)
    • 1730 – François de Troy, French painter and engraver (b. 1645)
    • 1731 – Johann Ludwig Bach, German violinist and composer (b. 1677)
    • 1738 – Charles Howard, 3rd Earl of Carlisle, English politician, First Lord of the Treasury (b. 1669)
    • 1772 – Gottfried Achenwall, Polish-German historian, economist, and jurist (b. 1719)
    • 1813 – Jean-Baptiste Bessières, French general (b. 1768)
    • 1838 – Antoine Louis Dugès, French obstetrician and naturalist (b. 1797)
    • 1856 – John Wilbur, American minister and theologian (b. 1774)
    • 1873 – David Livingstone, Scottish-English missionary and explorer (b. 1813)
    • 1899 – Ludwig Büchner, German physiologist and physician (b. 1824)
    • 1904 – Antonín Dvořák, Czech composer and academic (b. 1841)
    • 1913 – John Barclay Armstrong, American lieutenant (b. 1850)
    • 1920 – Princess Margaret of Connaught (b. 1882)
    • 1935 – Henri Pélissier, French cyclist (b. 1889)
    • 1943 – Johan Oscar Smith, Norwegian religious leader, founded the Brunstad Christian Church (b. 1871)
    • 1945 – Joseph Goebbels, German lawyer and politician, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1897)
    • 1945 – Magda Goebbels, German wife of Joseph Goebbels (b. 1901)
    • 1953 – Everett Shinn, American painter and illustrator (b. 1876)
    • 1956 – LeRoy Samse, American pole vaulter (b. 1883)
    • 1960 – Charles Holden, English architect, designed the Bristol Central Library (b. 1875)
    • 1963 – Lope K. Santos, Filipino lawyer and politician (b. 1879)
    • 1965 – Spike Jones, American singer and bandleader (b. 1911)
    • 1968 – Jack Adams, Canadian-American ice hockey player, coach, and manager (b. 1895)
    • 1968 – Harold Nicolson, English author and politician (b. 1886)
    • 1970 – Yi Un, Korean prince (b. 1897)
    • 1973 – Asger Jorn, Danish painter and sculptor (b. 1914)
    • 1976 – T. R. M. Howard, American surgeon and activist (b. 1908)
    • 1976 – Alexandros Panagoulis, Greek poet and politician (b. 1939)
    • 1978 – Aram Khachaturian, Armenian composer and conductor (b. 1903)
    • 1982 – William Primrose, Scottish viola player and educator (b. 1903)
    • 1984 – Jüri Lossmann, Estonian-Swedish runner (b. 1891)
    • 1985 – Denise Robins, English journalist and author (b. 1897)
    • 1986 – Hylda Baker, English comedian, actress and music hall performer (b. 1905)
    • 1986 – Hugo Peretti, American songwriter and producer (b. 1916)
    • 1988 – Ben Lexcen, Australian sailor and architect (b. 1936)
    • 1989 – Sally Kirkland, American journalist (b. 1912)
    • 1989 – V. M. Panchalingam, Sri Lankan civil servant (b. 1930)
    • 1989 – Patrice Tardif, Canadian farmer and politician (b. 1904)
    • 1990 – Sergio Franchi, Italian-American tenor and actor (b. 1926)
    • 1991 – Richard Thorpe, American director and screenwriter (b. 1896)
    • 1993 – Pierre Bérégovoy, French metallurgist and politician, Prime Minister of France (b. 1925)
    • 1993 – Ranasinghe Premadasa, Sri Lankan politician, 3rd President of Sri Lanka (b. 1924)
    • 1994 – Ayrton Senna, Brazilian race car driver (b. 1960)
    • 1995 – Antonio Salemme, Italian-American painter (b. 1892)
    • 1997 – Fernand Dumont, Canadian sociologist, philosopher, and poet (b. 1927)
    • 1998 – Eldridge Cleaver, American author and activist (b. 1935)
    • 2000 – Steve Reeves, American bodybuilder and actor (b. 1926)
    • 2002 – Ebrahim Al-Arrayedh, Indian poet and author (b. 1908)
    • 2003 – Miss Elizabeth, American wrestler and manager (b. 1960)
    • 2003 – Wim van Est, Dutch cyclist (b. 1923)
    • 2005 – Kenneth Clark, American psychologist and academic (b. 1914)
    • 2008 – Anthony Mamo, Maltese judge and politician, 1st President of Malta (b. 1909)
    • 2008 – Philipp von Boeselager, German soldier and economist (b. 1917)
    • 2010 – Helen Wagner, American actress (b. 1918)
    • 2011 – Henry Cooper, English boxer (b. 1934)
    • 2011 – Ted Lowe, English sportscaster (b. 1920)
    • 2012 – James Kinley, Canadian engineer and politician, 29th Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia (b. 1925)
    • 2012 – Mordechai Virshubski, German-Israeli lawyer and politician (b. 1930)
    • 2013 – Chris Kelly, American rapper (b. 1978)
    • 2013 – Pierre Pleimelding, French footballer and manager (b. 1952)
    • 2014 – Adamu Atta, Nigerian lawyer and politician, 5th Governor of Kwara State (b. 1927)
    • 2014 – Radhia Cousot, Tunisian-American computer scientist and academic (b. 1947)
    • 2014 – Assi Dayan, Israeli actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1945)
    • 2014 – Juan de Dios Castillo, Mexican footballer and coach (b. 1951)
    • 2015 – Geoff Duke, English-Manx motorcycle racer (b. 1923)
    • 2015 – Vafa Guluzade, Azerbaijani political scientist, academic, and diplomat (b. 1940)
    • 2015 – María Elena Velasco, Mexican actress, singer, director, and screenwriter (b. 1940)
    • 2015 – Grace Lee Whitney, American actress (b. 1930)

    Holidays and observances on May 1

    • Christian feast day:
      • Andeolus
      • Augustin Schoeffler, Jean-Louis Bonnard (part of Vietnamese Martyrs)
      • Benedict of Szkalka
      • Brioc
      • James the Less (Anglican Communion)
      • Joseph the Worker (Roman Catholic)
      • Blessed Klymentiy Sheptytsky (Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
      • Marcouf
      • Philip the Apostle (Anglican Communion, Lutheran Church)
      • Richard Pampuri
      • Sigismund of Burgundy
      • Ultan
      • May 1 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Earliest day on which Mother’s Day can fall, while May 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Monday in May. (Samoa)
    • Earliest day on which Mother’s Day can fall, while May 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Sunday in May. (Hong Kong, Hungary, Lithuania, Mozambique, Portugal, Spain, Romania)
    • Earliest day on which National Day of Prayer can fall, while May 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Thursday in May. (United States)
    • Earliest day on which World Asthma Day can fall, while May 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Tuesday in May. (International)
    • Armed Forces Day (Mauritania)
    • Constitution Day (Argentina, Latvia, Marshall Islands)
    • Commemoration of the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat following the foundation of Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti (India):
      • Maharashtra Day
    • International Sunflower Guerrilla Gardening Day
    • Lei Day (Hawaii)
    • International Workers’ Day or Labour Day (International), and its related observances:
      • Earliest day on which Labour Day can fall, while May 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Monday of May. (Barbados, Dominica)
      • Law Day (United States), formerly intended to counterbalance the celebration of Labour Day. (United States)
      • Loyalty Day, formerly intended to counterbalance the celebration of Labour Day. (United States)
    • May Day (beginning of Summer) observances in the Northern hemisphere (see April 30):
      • Beltane (Ireland, Scotland, Isle of Man, Celtic neopagans and Wiccans in the Northern hemisphere)
      • Earliest day on which Beltane can fall, while May 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Monday in May. (Ireland, Scotland)
      • Calan Mai (Wales)
    • Samhain (Celtic neopagans and Wiccans in the Southern Hemisphere)

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

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

    Births on April 18

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

    Deaths on April 18

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

    Holidays and observances on  April 18

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

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

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

    Births on April 15

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

    Deaths on April 15

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

    Holidays and observances on April 15

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