1762

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

    • 495 BC – A newly constructed temple in honour of the god Mercury was dedicated in ancient Rome on the Circus Maximus, between the Aventine and Palatine hills. To spite the senate and the consuls, the people awarded the dedication to a senior military officer, Marcus Laetorius.
    • 221 – Liu Bei, Chinese warlord, proclaims himself emperor of Shu Han, the successor of the Han dynasty.
    • 392 – Emperor Valentinian II is assassinated while advancing into Gaul against the Frankish usurper Arbogast. He is found hanging in his residence at Vienne.
    • 589 – King Authari marries Theodelinda, daughter of the Bavarian duke Garibald I. A Catholic, she has great influence among the Lombard nobility.
    • 908 – The three-year-old Constantine VII, the son of Emperor Leo VI the Wise, is crowned as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire by Patriarch Euthymius I at Constantinople.
    • 1252 – Pope Innocent IV issues the papal bull ad extirpanda, which authorizes, but also limits, the torture of heretics in the Medieval Inquisition.
    • 1525 – Insurgent peasants led by Anabaptist pastor Thomas Müntzer were defeated at the Battle of Frankenhausen, ending the German Peasants’ War in the Holy Roman Empire.
    • 1536 – Anne Boleyn, Queen of England, stands trial in London on charges of treason, adultery and incest; she is condemned to death by a specially-selected jury.
    • 1567 – Mary, Queen of Scots marries James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, her third husband.
    • 1618 – Johannes Kepler confirms his previously rejected discovery of the third law of planetary motion (he first discovered it on March 8 but soon rejected the idea after some initial calculations were made).
    • 1648 – The Peace of Münster is ratified, by which Spain acknowledges Dutch sovereignty.
    • 1718 – James Puckle, a London lawyer, patents the world’s first machine gun.
    • 1776 – American Revolution: The Fifth Virginia Convention instructs its Continental Congress delegation to propose a resolution of independence from Great Britain, paving the way for the United States Declaration of Independence.
    • 1791 – French Revolution: Maximilien Robespierre proposes the Self-denying Ordinance.
    • 1792 – War of the First Coalition: France declares war on Kingdom of Sardinia.
    • 1793 – Diego Marín Aguilera flies a glider for “about 360 meters”, at a height of 5–6 meters, during one of the first attempted manned flights.
    • 1796 – War of the First Coalition: Napoleon enters Milan in triumph.
    • 1800 – King George III of the United Kingdom survives an assassination attempt by James Hadfield, who is later acquitted by reason of insanity.
    • 1817 – Opening of the first private mental health hospital in the United States, the Asylum for the Relief of Persons Deprived of the Use of Their Reason (now Friends Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania).
    • 1836 – Francis Baily observes “Baily’s beads” during an annular eclipse.
    • 1849 – The Sicilian revolution of 1848 is finally extinguished.
    • 1850 – The Bloody Island massacre takes place in Lake County, California, in which a large number of Pomo Indians are slaughtered by a regiment of the United States Cavalry.
    • 1850 – The Arana–Southern Treaty is ratified, ending “the existing differences” between Great Britain and Argentina.
    • 1851 – The first Australian gold rush is proclaimed, although the discovery had been made three months earlier.
    • 1858 – Opening of the present Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London.
    • 1862 – President Abraham Lincoln signs a bill into law creating the United States Bureau of Agriculture. It is later renamed the United States Department of Agriculture.
    • 1864 – American Civil War: Battle of New Market, Virginia: Students from the Virginia Military Institute fight alongside the Confederate army to force Union General Franz Sigel out of the Shenandoah Valley.
    • 1867 – Canadian Bank of Commerce opens for business in Toronto, Ontario. The bank would later merge with Imperial Bank of Canada to become what is CIBC in 1961.
    • 1869 – Women’s suffrage: In New York, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton form the National Woman Suffrage Association.
    • 1891 – Pope Leo XIII defends workers’ rights and property rights in the encyclical Rerum novarum, the beginning of modern Catholic social teaching.
    • 1904 – Russo-Japanese War: The Russian minelayer Amur lays a minefield about 15 miles off Port Arthur and sinks Japan’s battleships Hatsuse, 15,000 tons, with 496 crew and Yashima.
    • 1905 – Las Vegas is founded when 110 acres (0.45 km2), in what later would become downtown, are auctioned off.
    • 1911 – In Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey v. United States, the United States Supreme Court declares Standard Oil to be an “unreasonable” monopoly under the Sherman Antitrust Act and orders the company to be broken up.
    • 1911 – More than 300 Chinese immigrants are killed in the Torreón massacre when the forces of the Mexican Revolution led by Emilio Madero take the city of Torreón from the Federales.
    • 1914 – During a poker game at the Gaiety Theatre in Galesburg, Illinois, comedian Art Fisher nicknames Chicko, Harpo, Groucho, and Gummo Marx.
    • 1919 – The Winnipeg general strike begins. By 11:00, almost the whole working population of Winnipeg had walked off the job.
    • 1919 – Greek occupation of Smyrna. During the occupation, the Greek army kills or wounds 350 Turks; those responsible are punished by Greek commander Aristides Stergiades.
    • 1925 – Al-Insaniyyah, the first Arabic communist newspaper, is founded.
    • 1928 – Walt Disney character Mickey Mouse premieres in his first cartoon, “Plane Crazy”.
    • 1929 – A fire at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio kills 123.
    • 1932 – In an attempted coup d’état, the Prime Minister of Japan Inukai Tsuyoshi is assassinated.
    • 1933 – All military aviation organizations within or under the control of the RLM of Germany were officially merged in a covert manner to form its Wehrmacht military’s air arm, the Luftwaffe.
    • 1934 – Kārlis Ulmanis establishes an authoritarian government in Latvia.
    • 1940 – USS Sailfish is recommissioned. It was originally the USS Squalus.
    • 1940 – World War II: After fierce fighting, the poorly trained and equipped Dutch troops surrender to Germany, marking the beginning of five years of occupation.
    • 1940 – Richard and Maurice McDonald open the first McDonald’s restaurant.
    • 1941 – First flight of the Gloster E.28/39 the first British and Allied jet aircraft.
    • 1941 – Joe DiMaggio begins a 56-game hitting streak.
    • 1942 – World War II: In the United States, a bill creating the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) is signed into law.
    • 1943 – Joseph Stalin dissolves the Comintern (or Third International).
    • 1945 – World War II: The Battle of Poljana, the final skirmish in Europe is fought near Prevalje, Slovenia.
    • 1948 – Following the expiration of The British Mandate for Palestine, the Kingdom of Egypt, Transjordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia invade Israel thus starting the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.
    • 1957 – At Malden Island in the Pacific Ocean, Britain tests its first hydrogen bomb in Operation Grapple.
    • 1958 – The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 3.
    • 1960 – The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 4.
    • 1963 – Project Mercury: The launch of the final Mercury mission, Mercury-Atlas 9 with astronaut Gordon Cooper on board. He becomes the first American to spend more than a day in space, and the last American to go into space alone.
    • 1966 – After a policy dispute, Prime Minister Nguyễn Cao Kỳ of South Vietnam’s ruling junta launches a military attack on the forces of General Tôn Thất Đính, forcing him to abandon his command.
    • 1969 – People’s Park: California Governor Ronald Reagan has an impromptu student park owned by the University of California at Berkeley fenced off from student anti-war protestors, sparking a riot.
    • 1970 – President Richard Nixon appoints Anna Mae Hays and Elizabeth P. Hoisington the first female United States Army generals.
    • 1970 – Philip Lafayette Gibbs and James Earl Green are killed at Jackson State University by police during student protests.
    • 1972 – The Ryukyu Islands, under U.S. military governance since its conquest in 1945, reverts to Japanese control.
    • 1972 – In Laurel, Maryland, Arthur Bremer shoots and paralyzes Alabama Governor George Wallace while he is campaigning to become president.
    • 1974 – Ma’alot massacre: Members of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine attack and take hostages at an Israeli school; a total of 31 people are killed, including 22 schoolchildren.
    • 1976 – Aeroflot Flight 1802 crashes in Viktorovka, Chernihiv Raion, killing all 52 people on board.
    • 1987 – The Soviet Union launches the Polyus prototype orbital weapons platform. It fails to reach orbit.
    • 1988 – Soviet–Afghan War: After more than eight years of fighting, the Soviet Army begins to withdraw 115,000 troops from Afghanistan.
    • 1991 – Édith Cresson becomes France’s first female Prime Minister.
    • 1997 – The United States government acknowledges the existence of the “Secret War” in Laos and dedicates the Laos Memorial in honor of Hmong and other “Secret War” veterans.
    • 1997 – The Space Shuttle Atlantis launches on STS-84 to dock with the Russian space station Mir.
    • 2004 – Arsenal F.C. go an entire league campaign unbeaten in the English Premier League, joining Preston North End F.C with the right to claim the title “The Invincibles”.
    • 2008 – California becomes the second U.S. state after Massachusetts in 2004 to legalize same-sex marriage after the state’s own Supreme Court rules a previous ban unconstitutional.
    • 2010 – Jessica Watson becomes the youngest person to sail, non-stop and unassisted around the world solo.
    • 2013 – An upsurge in violence in Iraq leaves more than 389 people dead over three days.

    Births on May 15

    • 1397 – Sejong the Great, Korean king (d. 1450)
    • 1531 – Maria of Austria, Duchess of Jülich-Cleves-Berg (d. 1581)
    • 1565 – Hendrick de Keyser, Dutch sculptor and architect (d. 1621)
    • 1567 – Claudio Monteverdi, Italian priest and composer (d. 1643)
    • 1655 – Pope Innocent XIII (d. 1724)
    • 1608 – René Goupil, French-American missionary and saint (d. 1642)
    • 1633 – Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban, French noble (d. 1707)
    • 1645 – George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreys, British judge (d. 1689)
    • 1689 – Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, English writer (d. 1762)
    • 1720 – Maximilian Hell, Hungarian priest and astronomer (d. 1792)
    • 1749 – Levi Lincoln Sr., American lawyer and politician, 4th United States Attorney General (d. 1820)
    • 1759 – Maria Theresia von Paradis, Austrian pianist and composer (d. 1824)
    • 1770 – Ezekiel Hart, Canadian businessman and politician (d. 1843)
    • 1773 – Klemens von Metternich, German-Austrian politician, 1st State Chancellor of the Austrian Empire (d. 1859)
    • 1786 – Dimitris Plapoutas, Greek general and politician (d. 1864)
    • 1803 – Juan Almonte, son of José María Morelos, was a Mexican soldier and diplomat who served as a regent in the Second Mexican Empire (1863-1864) (d. 1869)
    • 1805 – Samuel Carter, Early English railway solicitor and MP (d. 1878)
    • 1808 – Michael William Balfe, Irish composer and conductor (d. 1870)
    • 1817 – Debendranath Tagore, Indian philosopher and author (d. 1905)
    • 1841 – Clarence Dutton, American commander and geologist (d. 1912)
    • 1845 – Élie Metchnikoff, Russian zoologist (d. 1916)
    • 1848 – Viktor Vasnetsov, Russian painter and illustrator (d. 1926)
    • 1854 – Ioannis Psycharis, Ukrainian-French philologist and author (d. 1929)
    • 1856 – L. Frank Baum, American novelist (d. 1919)
    • 1856 – Matthias Zurbriggen, Swiss mountaineer (d. 1917)
    • 1857 – Williamina Fleming, Scottish-American astronomer and academic (d. 1911)
    • 1859 – Pierre Curie, French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1906)
    • 1862 – Arthur Schnitzler, Austrian author and playwright (d. 1931)
    • 1863 – Frank Hornby, English businessman and politician, invented Meccano (d. 1936)
    • 1869 – Paul Probst, Swiss target shooter (d. 1945)
    • 1869 – John Storey, Australian politician, 20th Premier of New South Wales (d. 1921)
    • 1882 – Walter White, Scottish international footballer (d. 1950)
    • 1890 – Katherine Anne Porter, American short story writer, novelist, and essayist (d. 1980)
    • 1891 – Mikhail Bulgakov, Russian novelist and playwright (d. 1940)
    • 1891 – Fritz Feigl, Austrian-Brazilian chemist and academic (d. 1971)
    • 1892 – Charles E. Rosendahl, American admiral (d. 1977)
    • 1892 – Jimmy Wilde, Welsh boxer (d. 1969)
    • 1893 – José Nepomuceno, Filipino filmmaker, founder of Philippine cinema (d. 1959)
    • 1894 – Feg Murray, American hurdler and cartoonist (d. 1973)
    • 1895 – Prescott Bush, American captain, banker, and politician (d. 1972)
    • 1895 – William D. Byron, American lieutenant and politician (d. 1941)
    • 1898 – Arletty, French model, actress, and singer (d. 1992)
    • 1899 – Jean Étienne Valluy, French general (d. 1970)
    • 1900 – Ida Rhodes, American mathematician, pioneer in computer programming (d. 1986)
    • 1901 – Xavier Herbert, Australian author (d. 1984)
    • 1901 – Luis Monti, Argentinian-Italian footballer and manager (d. 1983)
    • 1902 – Richard J. Daley, American lawyer and politician, 48th Mayor of Chicago (d. 1976)
    • 1902 – Sigizmund Levanevsky, Soviet aircraft pilot of Polish origin (d. 1937)
    • 1903 – Maria Reiche, German mathematician and archaeologist (d. 1998)
    • 1904 – Clifton Fadiman, American game show host and author (d. 1999)
    • 1905 – Joseph Cotten, American actor (d. 1994)
    • 1905 – Albert Dubout, French cartoonist, illustrator, painter, and sculptor (d. 1976)
    • 1905 – Abraham Zapruder, American businessman and amateur photographer, filmed the Zapruder film (d. 1970)
    • 1907 – Sukhdev Thapar, Indian activist (d. 1931)
    • 1909 – James Mason, English actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1984)
    • 1909 – Clara Solovera, Chilean singer-songwriter (d. 1992)
    • 1910 – Constance Cummings, British-based American actress (d. 2005)
    • 1911 – Max Frisch, Swiss playwright and novelist (d. 1991)
    • 1911 – Herta Oberheuser, German physician (d. 1978)
    • 1912 – Arthur Berger, American composer and educator (d. 2003)
    • 1914 – Turk Broda, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 1972)
    • 1914 – Angus MacLean, Canadian farmer and politician, 25th Premier of Prince Edward Island (d. 2000)
    • 1914 – Norrie Paramor, English composer, producer, and conductor (d. 1979)
    • 1915 – Hilda Bernstein, English-South African author and activist (d. 2006)
    • 1915 – Paul Samuelson, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2009)
    • 1915 – Henrik Sandberg, Danish production manager and producer (d. 1993)
    • 1916 – Vera Gebuhr, Danish actress (d. 2014)
    • 1918 – Eddy Arnold, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (d. 2008)
    • 1918 – Arthur Jackson, American lieutenant and target shooter (d. 2015)
    • 1918 – Joseph Wiseman, Canadian-American actor (d. 2009)
    • 1920 – Michel Audiard, French director and screenwriter (d. 1985)
    • 1922 – Sigurd Ottovich Schmidt, Russian historian and ethnographer (d. 2013)
    • 1922 – Jakucho Setouchi, Japanese nun and author
    • 1923 – Richard Avedon, American sailor and photographer (d. 2004)
    • 1923 – John Lanchbery, English-Australian composer and conductor (d. 2003)
    • 1924 – Maria Koepcke, German-Peruvian ornithologist and zoologist (d. 1971)
    • 1925 – Andrei Eshpai, Russian pianist and composer (d. 2015)
    • 1925 – Mary F. Lyon, English geneticist and biologist (d. 2014)
    • 1925 – Carl Sanders, American soldier, pilot, and politician, 74th Governor of Georgia (d. 2014)
    • 1925 – Roy Stewart, Jamaican-English actor and stuntman (d. 2008)
    • 1926 – Clermont Pépin, Canadian pianist, composer, and educator (d. 2006)
    • 1926 – Anthony Shaffer, English author, playwright, and screenwriter (d. 2001)
    • 1926 – Peter Shaffer, English playwright and screenwriter (d. 2016)
    • 1930 – Jasper Johns, American painter and sculptor
    • 1931 – Ken Venturi, American golfer and sportscaster (d. 2013)
    • 1935 – Don Bragg, American pole vaulter
    • 1935 – Ted Dexter, Italian-English cricketer
    • 1935 – Utah Phillips, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2008)
    • 1935 – Akihiro Miwa, Japanese singer, actor, director, composer, author and drag queen
    • 1936 – Anna Maria Alberghetti, Italian-American actress and singer
    • 1936 – Mart Laga, Estonian basketball player (d. 1977)
    • 1936 – Ralph Steadman, English painter and illustrator
    • 1936 – Paul Zindel, American playwright and novelist (d. 2003)
    • 1937 – Madeleine Albright, Czech-American politician and diplomat, 64th United States Secretary of State
    • 1937 – Karin Krog, Norwegian singer
    • 1937 – Trini Lopez, American singer, guitarist, and actor
    • 1938 – Mireille Darc, French actress, director, and screenwriter (d. 2017)
    • 1938 – Nancy Garden, American author (d. 2014)
    • 1939 – Dorothy Shirley, English high jumper and educator
    • 1940 – Roger Ailes, American businessman (d. 2017)
    • 1940 – Lainie Kazan, American actress and singer
    • 1940 – Don Nelson, American basketball player and coach
    • 1941 – Jaxon, American illustrator and publisher, co-founded the Rip Off Press (d. 2006)
    • 1942 – Lois Johnson, American singer-songwriter (d. 2014)
    • 1942 – Jusuf Kalla, Indonesian businessman and politician, 10th Vice President of Indonesia
    • 1942 – Doug Lowe, Australian politician, 35th Premier of Tasmania
    • 1942 – K. T. Oslin, American singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1943 – Paul Bégin, Canadian lawyer and politician
    • 1943 – Freddie Perren, American songwriter, producer, and conductor (d. 2004)
    • 1944 – Bill Alter, American police officer and politician
    • 1944 – Ulrich Beck, German sociologist and academic (d. 2015)
    • 1945 – Michael Dexter, English hematologist and academic
    • 1945 – Jerry Quarry, American boxer (d. 1999)
    • 1946 – Thadeus Nguyễn Văn Lý, Vietnamese priest and activist
    • 1947 – Graeham Goble, Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer
    • 1948 – Kate Bornstein, American author, playwright, performance artist, and gender theorist
    • 1948 – Yutaka Enatsu, Japanese baseball player
    • 1948 – Brian Eno, English singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer
    • 1948 – Kathleen Sebelius, American politician, 44th Governor of Kansas
    • 1949 – Frank L. Culbertson Jr., American captain, pilot, and astronaut
    • 1949 – Robert S.J. Sparks, English geologist and academic
    • 1950 – Jim Bacon, Australian politician, 41st Premier of Tasmania (d. 2004)
    • 1950 – Jim Simons, American golfer (d. 2005)
    • 1951 – Dennis Frederiksen, American singer-songwriter (d. 2014)
    • 1951 – Chris Ham, English political scientist and academic
    • 1951 – Frank Wilczek, American mathematician and physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1952 – Chazz Palminteri, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1953 – George Brett, American baseball player and coach
    • 1953 – Athene Donald, English physicist and academic
    • 1953 – Mike Oldfield, English-Irish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1954 – Diana Liverman, English-American geographer and academic
    • 1954 – Caroline Thomson, English journalist and broadcaster
    • 1955 – Mohamed Brahmi, Tunisian politician (d. 2013)
    • 1955 – Lia Vissi, Cypriot singer-songwriter and politician
    • 1956 – Andreas Loverdos, Greek lawyer and politician, Greek Minister of Labour
    • 1956 – Dan Patrick, American television anchor and sportscaster
    • 1956 – Kevin Greenaugh, American nuclear engineer
    • 1957 – Meg Gardiner, American-English author and academic
    • 1957 – Juan José Ibarretxe, Spanish politician
    • 1957 – Kevin Von Erich, American football player and wrestler
    • 1958 – Jason Graae, American musical theater actor
    • 1958 – Ruth Marcus, American journalist
    • 1958 – Ron Simmons, American football player and wrestler
    • 1959 – Khaosai Galaxy, Thai boxer and politician
    • 1959 – Luis Pérez-Sala, Spanish race car driver
    • 1959 – Beverly Jo Scott, American-Belgian singer-songwriter
    • 1960 – Rhonda Burchmore, Australian actress, singer, and dancer
    • 1960 – Rob Bowman, American director and producer
    • 1960 – R. Kuhaneswaran, Sri Lankan politician
    • 1960 – Rimas Kurtinaitis, Lithuanian basketball player and coach
    • 1961 – Giselle Fernández, Mexican-American television journalist.
    • 1962 – Lisa Curry, Australian swimmer
    • 1963 – Gavin Nebbeling, South African footballer
    • 1964 – Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Danish lawyer and politician, 40th Prime Minister of Denmark
    • 1965 – André Abujamra, Brazilian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1965 – Scott Tronc, Australian rugby league player
    • 1966 – Jiří Němec, Czech footballer
    • 1967 – Simen Agdestein, Norwegian chess grandmaster and football player
    • 1967 – Laura Hillenbrand, American journalist and author
    • 1967 – John Smoltz, American baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1967 – Madhuri Dixit, Indian actress
    • 1968 – Cecilia Malmström, Swedish academic and politician, 15th European Commissioner for Trade
    • 1968 – Sophie Raworth, English journalist and broadcaster
    • 1969 – Hideki Irabu, Japanese-American baseball player (d. 2011)
    • 1969 – Emmitt Smith, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1970 – Frank de Boer, Dutch footballer and manager
    • 1970 – Ronald de Boer, Dutch footballer and manager
    • 1970 – Desmond Howard, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1970 – Alison Jackson, English photographer, director, and screenwriter
    • 1970 – Rod Smith, American football player
    • 1970 – Ben Wallace, English captain and politician
    • 1971 – Karin Lušnic, Slovenian tennis player
    • 1972 – Danny Alexander, Scottish politician, Secretary of State for Scotland
    • 1972 – David Charvet, French actor and singer
    • 1974 – Vasilis Kikilias, Greek basketball player and politician
    • 1974 – Matthew Sadler, English chess player and author
    • 1974 – Marko Tredup, German footballer and manager
    • 1974 – Ahmet Zappa, American musician and writer
    • 1975 – Ray Lewis, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1975 – Ales Michalevic, Belarusian lawyer and politician
    • 1976 – Torraye Braggs, American basketball player
    • 1976 – Mark Kennedy, Irish footballer
    • 1976 – Jacek Krzynówek, Polish footballer
    • 1976 – Ryan Leaf, American football player and coach
    • 1976 – Anže Logar, Slovenian politician
    • 1976 – Tyler Walker, American baseball player
    • 1978 – Amy Chow, American gymnast and pediatrician
    • 1978 – Dwayne De Rosario, Canadian soccer player
    • 1978 – Edu, Brazilian footballer
    • 1978 – David Krumholtz, American actor
    • 1979 – Adolfo Bautista, Mexican footballer
    • 1979 – Daniel Caines, English sprinter
    • 1979 – Chris Masoe, New Zealand rugby player
    • 1979 – Ryan Max Riley, American skier
    • 1979 – Robert Royal, American football player
    • 1979 – Dominic Scott, Irish guitarist
    • 1980 – Josh Beckett, American baseball player
    • 1981 – Patrice Evra, French footballer
    • 1981 – Paul Konchesky, English international footballer
    • 1981 – Justin Morneau, Canadian baseball player
    • 1981 – Zara Phillips, English equestrian
    • 1981 – Jamie-Lynn Sigler, American actress and singer
    • 1982 – Veronica Campbell-Brown, Jamaican sprinter
    • 1982 – Segundo Castillo, Ecuadorian footballer
    • 1982 – Rafael Pérez, Dominican baseball player
    • 1982 – Layal Abboud, Lebanese singer
    • 1984 – Jeff Deslauriers, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1984 – Sérgio Jimenez, Brazilian race car driver
    • 1984 – Samantha Noble, Australian actress
    • 1984 – Beau Scott, Australian rugby league player
    • 1984 – Mr Probz, Dutch singer, songwriter, rapper, actor and record producer
    • 1985 – Cristiane, Brazilian footballer
    • 1985 – Tania Cagnotto, Italian diver
    • 1985 – Laura Harvey, English football coach
    • 1985 – Tathagata Mukherjee, Indian actor
    • 1985 – Denis Onyango, Ugandan goalkeeper
    • 1985 – Justine Robbeson, South African javelin thrower
    • 1986 – Thomas Brown, American football player
    • 1986 – Matías Fernández, Chilean footballer
    • 1986 – Adam Moffat, Scottish footballer
    • 1987 – David Adams, American baseball player
    • 1987 – Michael Brantley, American baseball player
    • 1987 – Brian Dozier, American baseball player
    • 1987 – Mark Fayne, American ice hockey player
    • 1987 – Ersan İlyasova, Turkish basketball player
    • 1987 – Leonardo Mayer, Argentinian tennis player
    • 1987 – Andy Murray, Scottish tennis player
    • 1988 – Indrek Kajupank, Estonian basketball player
    • 1988 – Scott Laird, English footballer
    • 1989 – Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, French footballer
    • 1990 – Jordan Eberle, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1990 – Lee Jong-hyun, Korean guitarist
    • 1990 – Stella Maxwell, New Zealand model
    • 1993 – Jeremy Hawkins, New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1993 – Tomáš Kalas, Czech international footballer
    • 1996 – Birdy, English singer-songwriter
    • 1997 – Ousmane Dembélé, French footballer

    Deaths on May 15

    • 392 – Valentinian II, Roman emperor (b. 371)
    • 558 – Hilary of Galeata, Christian monk (b. 476)
    • 884 – Narinus I, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 830)
    • 913 – Hatto I, German archbishop (b. 850)
    • 926 – Zhuang Zong, Chinese emperor (b. 885)
    • 973 – Byrhthelm, bishop of Wells
    • 1036 – Go-Ichijō, emperor of Japan (b. 1008)
    • 1157 – Yuri Dolgorukiy, Grand Prince of Kiev (b. 1099)
    • 1175 – Mleh, prince of Armenia
    • 1174 – Nur ad-Din, Seljuk emir of Syria (b. 1118)
    • 1268 – Peter II, count of Savoy (b. 1203)
    • 1461 – Domenico Veneziano, Italian painter (b. c. 1410)
    • 1464 – Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset (b. 1436)
    • 1470 – Charles VIII, king of Sweden (b. 1409)
    • 1585 – Niwa Nagahide, Japanese samurai (b. 1535)
    • 1609 – Giovanni Croce, Italian composer and educator (b. 1557)
    • 1615 – Henry Bromley, English politician (b. 1560)
    • 1634 – Hendrick Avercamp, Dutch painter (b. 1585)
    • 1698 – Marie Champmeslé, French actress (b. 1642)
    • 1699 – Sir Edward Petre, 3rd Baronet, English politician (b. 1631)
    • 1700 – John Hale, American minister (b. 1636)
    • 1740 – Ephraim Chambers, English publisher (b. 1680)
    • 1773 – Alban Butler, English priest and hagiographer (b. 1710)
    • 1845 – Braulio Carrillo Colina, Costa Rican lawyer and politician, Head of State of Costa Rica (b. 1800)
    • 1879 – Gottfried Semper, German architect and educator, designed the Semper Opera House (b. 1803)
    • 1886 – Emily Dickinson, American poet and author (b. 1830)
    • 1914 – Ida Freund, Austrian-born chemist and educator (b. 1863)
    • 1919 – Hasan Tahsin, Turkish journalist (b. 1888)
    • 1924 – Paul-Henri-Benjamin d’Estournelles de Constant, French diplomat and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1852)
    • 1926 – Joseph James Fletcher, Australian biologist (b. 1850)
    • 1928 – Umegatani Tōtarō I, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 15th Yokozuna (b. 1845)
    • 1935 – Kazimir Malevich, Ukrainian-Russian painter and theoretician (b. 1878)
    • 1937 – Philip Snowden, 1st Viscount Snowden, English politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (b. 1864)
    • 1945 – Kenneth J. Alford, English soldier, bandmaster, and composer (b. 1881)
    • 1945 – Charles Williams, English author, poet, and critic (b. 1886)
    • 1948 – Edward J. Flanagan, Irish-American priest, founded Boys Town (b. 1886)
    • 1954 – William March, American soldier and author (b. 1893)
    • 1956 – Austin Osman Spare, English painter and magician (b. 1886)
    • 1957 – Keith Andrews, American race car driver (b. 1920)
    • 1957 – Dick Irvin, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1892)
    • 1963 – John Aglionby, English-born Bishop of Accra and soldier (b. 1884)
    • 1964 – Vladko Maček, Croatian lawyer and politician (b. 1879)
    • 1965 – Pio Pion, Italian businessman (b. 1887)
    • 1967 – Edward Hopper, American painter (b. 1882)
    • 1967 – Italo Mus, Italian painter (b. 1892)
    • 1969 – Joe Malone, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1890)
    • 1971 – Tyrone Guthrie, English director, producer, and playwright (b. 1900)
    • 1978 – Robert Menzies, Australian lawyer and politician, 12th Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1894)
    • 1980 – Gordon Prange, American historian and author (b. 1910)
    • 1982 – Gordon Smiley, American race car driver (b. 1946)
    • 1984 – Francis Schaeffer, American pastor, theologian, and philosopher (b. 1912)
    • 1985 – Jackie Curtis, American actress and writer (b. 1947)
    • 1986 – Elio de Angelis, Italian race car driver (b. 1958)
    • 1986 – Theodore H. White, American historian, journalist, and author (b. 1915)
    • 1989 – Johnny Green, American composer and conductor (b. 1908)
    • 1989 – Luc Lacourcière, Canadian ethnographer and author (b. 1910)
    • 1991 – Andreas Floer, German mathematician and academic (b. 1956)
    • 1991 – Amadou Hampâté Bâ, Malian ethnologist and author (b. 1901)
    • 1991 – Fritz Riess, German race car driver (b. 1922)
    • 1993 – Salah Ahmed Ibrahim, Sudanese poet and diplomat (b. 1933)
    • 1994 – Gilbert Roland, American actor (b. 1905)
    • 1995 – Eric Porter, English actor (b. 1928)
    • 1996 – Charles B. Fulton, American lawyer and judge (b. 1910)
    • 1998 – Earl Manigault, American basketball player (b. 1944)
    • 1998 – Naim Talu, Turkish economist, banker, politician, 15th Prime Minister of Turkey (b. 1919)
    • 2003 – June Carter Cash, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress (b. 1929)
    • 2006 – Nizar Abdul Zahra, Iraqi footballer (b. 1961)
    • 2007 – Jerry Falwell, American pastor, founded Liberty University (b. 1933)
    • 2008 – Tommy Burns, Scottish footballer and manager (b. 1956)
    • 2008 – Alexander Courage, American composer and conductor (b. 1919)
    • 2008 – Will Elder, American illustrator (b. 1921)
    • 2009 – Bud Tingwell, Australian actor, director, and producer (b. 1923)
    • 2009 – Wayman Tisdale, American basketball player and bass player (b. 1964)
    • 2010 – Besian Idrizaj, Austrian footballer (b. 1987)
    • 2010 – Loris Kessel, Swiss race car driver (b. 1950)
    • 2012 – Carlos Fuentes, Mexican novelist and essayist (b. 1928)
    • 2012 – Arno Lustiger, German historian and author (b. 1924)
    • 2012 – Zakaria Mohieddin, Egyptian soldier and politician, 33rd Prime Minister of Egypt (b. 1918)
    • 2013 – Henrique Rosa, Bissau-Guinean politician, President of Guinea-Bissau (b. 1946)
    • 2014 – Jean-Luc Dehaene, French-Belgian politician, 63rd Prime Minister of Belgium (b. 1940)
    • 2014 – Noribumi Suzuki, Japanese director and screenwriter (b. 1933)
    • 2015 – Elisabeth Bing, German-American physical therapist and author (b. 1914)
    • 2015 – Jackie Brookner, American sculptor and educator (b. 1945)
    • 2015 – Garo Yepremian, Cypriot-American football player (b. 1944)
    • 2020 – Fred Willard, American actor, comedian, and writer (b. 1933)[19]

    Holidays and observances on May 15

    • Aoi Matsuri (Kyoto)
    • Army Day (Slovenia)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Achillius of Larissa
      • Athanasius of Alexandria (Coptic Church)
      • Dymphna
      • Hallvard Vebjørnsson (Roman Catholic Church)
      • Hesychius of Cazorla
      • Hilary of Galeata
      • Isidore the Laborer, celebrated with festivals in various countries, the beginning of bullfighting season in Madrid.
      • Jean-Baptiste de La Salle (Roman Catholic Church)
      • Peter, Andrew, Paul, and Denise (Roman Catholic Church)
      • Reticius (Roman Catholic Church)
      • Sophia of Rome (Roman Catholic church)
      • May 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Constituent Assembly Day (Lithuania)
    • Earliest date on which Armed Forces Day (United States) can fall, while May 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Saturday of May.
    • Independence Day (Paraguay), celebrates the independence of Paraguay from Spain in 1811. Celebrations for the anniversary of the independence begin on Flag Day, May 14.
    • International Conscientious Objectors Day
    • International Day of Families (International)
    • La Corsa dei Ceri begins on the eve of the feast day of Saint Ubaldo. (Gubbio)
    • Mother’s Day (Paraguay)
    • Nakba Day (Palestinian communities)
    • Peace Officers Memorial Day (United States)
    • Republic Day (Lithuania)
    • Teachers’ Day (Colombia, Mexico and South Korea)
  • May 11 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 330 – Constantinople is consecrated.
    • 868 – A copy of the Diamond Sutra is printed in China, making it the oldest known dated printed book.
    • 912 – Alexander becomes Emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
    • 1745 – War of the Austrian Succession: French forces defeat an Anglo-Dutch–Hanoverian army.
    • 1792 – Robert Gray commands the first expedition to sail into the Columbia River.
    • 1812 – Prime Minister Spencer Perceval is assassinated by John Bellingham in the lobby of the British House of Commons.
    • 1813 – William Lawson, Gregory Blaxland and William Wentworth discover a route across the Blue Mountains, opening up inland Australia to settlement.
    • 1833 – The Lady of the Lake strikes an iceberg off Newfoundland and sinks with the loss of up to 265 passengers and crew.
    • 1846 – President James K. Polk asked for a Declaration of War against Mexico, starting the Mexican–American War.
    • 1857 – Indian Rebellion of 1857: Indian rebels seize Delhi from the British.
    • 1858 – Minnesota is admitted as the 32nd state of the United States.
    • 1880 – Seven people are killed in the Mussel Slough Tragedy, a gun battle in California.
    • 1889 – An attack upon a U.S. Army paymaster and escort results in the theft of over $28,000 and the award of two Medals of Honor.
    • 1894 – Four thousand Pullman Palace Car Company workers go on a wildcat strike.
    • 1910 – An act of the U.S. Congress establishes Glacier National Park in Montana.
    • 1943 – World War II: American troops invade Attu Island in the Aleutian Islands in an attempt to expel occupying Japanese forces.
    • 1945 – World War II: Off the coast of Okinawa, the aircraft carrier USS Bunker Hill is hit by two kamikazes.
    • 1960 – Adolf Eichmann is captured by the Mossad in Argentina.
    • 1963 – Racist bombings in Birmingham, Alabama, disrupt nonviolence in the Birmingham campaign and precipitate a crisis involving federal troops.
    • 1970 – The 1970 Lubbock tornado kills 26 and causes $250 million in damage.
    • 1973 – Citing government misconduct, Daniel Ellsberg’s charges for his involvement in releasing the Pentagon Papers to The New York Times are dismissed.
    • 1985 – Fifty-six spectators die and more than 200 are injured in the Bradford City stadium fire.
    • 1987 – Klaus Barbie goes on trial in Lyon for war crimes committed during World War II.
    • 1996 – After the aircraft’s departure from Miami, a fire started by improperly handled chemical oxygen generators in the cargo hold of Atlanta-bound ValuJet Flight 592 causes the Douglas DC-9 to crash in the Florida Everglades, killing all 110 on board.
    • 1997 – Deep Blue, a chess-playing supercomputer, defeats Garry Kasparov in the last game of the rematch, becoming the first computer to beat a world-champion chess player in a classic match format.
    • 1998 – India conducts three underground atomic tests in Pokhran.
    • 2000 – Second Chechen War: Chechen separatists ambush Russian paramilitary forces in the Republic of Ingushetia.
    • 2010 – David Cameron takes office as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom as the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats form the country’s first coalition government since the Second World War.
    • 2011 – An earthquake of magnitude 5.1 hits Lorca, Spain.
    • 2013 – Fifty-two people are killed in a bombing in Reyhanlı, Turkey.
    • 2014 – Fifteen people are killed and 46 injured in Kinshasa in a stampede caused by tear gas being thrown into soccer stands by police officers.
    • 2016 – One hundred and ten people are killed in an ISIL bombing in Baghdad.

    Births on May 11

    • 1571 – Niwa Nagashige, Japanese daimyō (d. 1637)
    • 1715 – Johann Gottfried Bernhard Bach, German organist (d. 1739)
    • 1752 – Johann Friedrich Blumenbach, German physician, physiologist, and anthropologist (d. 1840)
    • 1797 – José Mariano Salas, Mexican general and politician (d. 1867)
    • 1811 – Jean-Jacques Challet-Venel, Swiss politician (d. 1893)
    • 1852 – Charles W. Fairbanks, American journalist and politician, 26th United States Vice President (d. 1918)
    • 1854 – Jack Blackham, Australian cricketer (d. 1932)
    • 1869 – Archibald Warden, English tennis player (d. 1943)
    • 1871 – Frank Schlesinger, American astronomer and author (d. 1943)
    • 1875 – Harriet Quimby, American pilot and screenwriter (d. 1912)
    • 1881 – Al Cabrera, Spanish-Cuban baseball player and manager (d. 1964)
    • 1881 – Jan van Gilse, Dutch composer and conductor (d. 1944)
    • 1881 – Theodore von Kármán, Hungarian-American mathematician, physicist, and engineer (d. 1963)
    • 1888 – Irving Berlin, Belarusian-American pianist and composer (d. 1989)
    • 1888 – Willis Augustus Lee, American admiral (d. 1945)
    • 1889 – Paul Nash, British painter (d. 1946)
    • 1890 – Willie Applegarth, English-American sprinter (d. 1958)
    • 1890 – Helge Løvland, Norwegian decathlete (d. 1984)
    • 1894 – Martha Graham, American dancer and choreographer (d. 1991)
    • 1895 – Jacques Brugnon, French tennis player (d. 1978)
    • 1895 – William Grant Still, American composer and conductor (d. 1978)
    • 1896 – Josip Štolcer-Slavenski, Croatian composer and academic (d. 1955)
    • 1897 – Robert E. Gross, American businessman (d. 1961)
    • 1901 – Rose Ausländer, Ukrainian-English poet and author (d. 1988):7
    • 1901 – Gladys Rockmore Davis, American painter (d. 1967)
    • 1902 – Edna Ernestine Kramer, American mathematician (d. 1984)
    • 1903 – Charlie Gehringer, American baseball player and manager (d. 1993)
    • 1904 – Salvador Dalí, Spanish artist (d. 1989)
    • 1905 – Lise de Baissac, Mauritian-born SOE agent, war hero (d. 2004)
    • 1905 – Catherine Bauer Wurster, American architect and public housing advocate (d. 1964)
    • 1907 – Rip Sewell, American baseball player and coach (d. 1989
    • 1911 – Mitchell Sharp, Canadian economist and politician, 23rd Canadian Minister of Finance (d. 2004)
    • 1911 – Phil Silvers, American actor and comedian (d. 1985)
    • 1912 – Saadat Hasan Manto, Indian-Pakistani author and screenwriter (d. 1955)
    • 1916 – Camilo José Cela, Spanish author and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2002)
    • 1918 – Richard Feynman, American physicist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1988)
    • 1921 – Robin Barbour, Scottish minister and author (d. 2014)
    • 1921 – Hildegard Hamm-Brücher, German politician (d. 2016)
    • 1924 – Antony Hewish, English astronomer and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1925 – Edward J. King, American football player and politician, 66th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 2006)
    • 1927 – Bernard Fox, British actor (d. 2016)
    • 1927 – Gene Savoy, American explorer, author, and scholar (d. 2007)
    • 1930 – Edsger W. Dijkstra, Dutch computer scientist and academic (d. 2002)
    • 1930 – Stanley Elkin, American novelist, short story writer, and essayist (d. 1995)
    • 1932 – Valentino Garavani, Italian fashion designer
    • 1933 – Louis Farrakhan, American religious leader
    • 1934 – Jim Jeffords, American captain, lawyer, and politician (d. 2014)
    • 1934 – Jack Twyman, American basketball player (d. 2012)
    • 1935 – Francisco Umbral, Spanish journalist and author (d. 2007)
    • 1937 – Ildikó Újlaky-Rejtő, Hungarian Olympic and world champion foil fencer
    • 1938 – Narendra Patel, Baron Patel, Tanzanian-English obstetrician, academic, and politician
    • 1941 – Eric Burdon, English musician
    • 1941 – Ian Redpath, Australian cricketer and coach
    • 1943 – Nancy Greene, Canadian skier and politician
    • 1944 – John Benaud, Australian cricketer
    • 1948 – Jack Cantoni, French rugby player (d. 2013)
    • 1948 – Nirj Deva, Sri Lankan-English politician
    • 1950 – Jeremy Paxman, English journalist and author
    • 1950 – Sadashiv Amrapurkar, Indian actor (d. 2014)
    • 1951 – Ed Stelmach, Canadian farmer and politician, 13th Premier of Alberta
    • 1954 – John Gregory, English footballer and manager
    • 1955 – John DeStefano, Jr., American politician, 49th Mayor of New Haven
    • 1957 – Mike Nesbitt, Northern Irish journalist and politician
    • 1962 – Steve Bono, American football player
    • 1964 – Bobby Witt, American baseball player
    • 1964 – Floyd Youmans, American baseball player, coach, and manager
    • 1967 – Alberto García Aspe, Mexican footballer and manager
    • 1969 – Mitch Healey, Australian rugby league player and coach
    • 1969 – Simon Vroemen, Dutch runner
    • 1970 – Harold Ford, Jr., American lawyer and politician
    • 1970 – Jason Queally, English cyclist
    • 1972 – Tomáš Dvořák, Czech decathlete and coach
    • 1973 – Tsuyoshi Ogata, Japanese runner
    • 1974 – Darren Ward, English-Welsh footballer and coach
    • 1974 – Tony Warner, English born Trinidadian international footballer and coach
    • 1975 – Francisco Cordero, Dominican-American baseball player
    • 1976 – Kardinal Offishall, American rapper and record producer/executive
    • 1977 – Pablo Gabriel García, Uruguayan footballer
    • 1977 – Victor Matfield, South African rugby player, coach, and sportscaster
    • 1977 – Bobby Roode, Canadian professional wrestler
    • 1978 – Laetitia Casta, French model and actress
    • 1982 – Cory Monteith, Canadian actor and singer (d. 2013)
    • 1983 – Matt Leinart, American football player
    • 1983 – Steven Sotloff, American-Israeli journalist (d. 2014)
    • 1983 – Holly Valance, Australian actress, singer and model
    • 1984 – Andrés Iniesta, Spanish footballer
    • 1986 – Abou Diaby, French footballer
    • 1986 – Miguel Veloso, Portuguese footballer
    • 1987 – Lim Seul-ong, South Korean singer and actor
    • 1987 – Monica Roșu, Romanian gymnast
    • 1988 – Jeremy Maclin, American football player
    • 1988 – Brad Marchand, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1989 – Alyssa Brown, Canadian artistic gymnast
    • 1989 – Giovani dos Santos, Mexican international footballer
    • 1989 – Cam Newton, American football player
    • 1992 – Thibaut Courtois, Belgian footballer
    • 1992 – Pablo Sarabia, Spanish footballer
    • 1993 – Maurice Harkless, American-Puerto Rican basketball player
    • 1994 – Hagos Gebrhiwet, Ethiopian runner
    • 1995 – Gelson Martins, Portuguese footballer
    • 1999 – Sabrina Carpenter, American singer and actress
    • 1999 – Kaitlyn Dias, American actress and voice artist

    Deaths on May 11

    • 1610 – Matteo Ricci, Italian priest and mathematician (b. 1552)
    • 1686 – Otto von Guericke, German physicist and politician (b. 1602)
    • 1778 – William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, English soldier and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1708)
    • 1779 – John Hart, American lawyer and politician (b. 1711)
    • 1812 – Spencer Perceval, English lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1762)
    • 1848 – Tom Cribb, English boxer (b. 1781)
    • 1849 – Juliette Récamier, French businesswoman (b. 1777)
    • 1882 – Frederick Innes, Scottish-Australian politician, 9th Premier of Tasmania (b. 1816)
    • 1889 – John Cadbury, English businessman and philanthropist, founded the Cadbury Company (b. 1801)
    • 1908 – Charles Kingston, Australian politician, 20th Premier of South Australia (b. 1850)
    • 1916 – Karl Schwarzschild, German astronomer and physicist (b. 1873):xix
    • 1918 – George Elmslie, Australian politician, 25th Premier of Victoria (b. 1861)
    • 1920 – James Colosimo, Italian-American mob boss (b. 1878)
    • 1920 – William Dean Howells, American novelist, literary critic, and playwright (b. 1837)
    • 1927 – Juan Gris, Spanish painter and sculptor (b. 1887)
    • 1929 – Jozef Murgaš, Slovak-American priest, architect, botanist, and painter (b. 1864)
    • 1938 – George Lyon, Canadian golfer and cricketer (b. 1858)
    • 1955 – Gilbert Jessop, English cricketer (b. 1874)
    • 1960 – John D. Rockefeller Jr., American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1874)
    • 1963 – Herbert Spencer Gasser, American physiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1888):169
    • 1967 – James E. Brewton, American painter (b. 1930)
    • 1979 – Lester Flatt, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1914)
    • 1981 – Odd Hassel, Norwegian chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1897)
    • 1981 – Bob Marley, Jamaican singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1945)
    • 1983 – Zenna Henderson, American writer (b. 1917)
    • 1985 – Chester Gould, American cartoonist, created Dick Tracy (b. 1900)
    • 1986 – Fritz Pollard, American football player and coach (b. 1894)
    • 1988 – Kim Philby, British-Soviet double agent (b. 1912)
    • 1994 – Timothy Carey, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1928)
    • 2001 – Douglas Adams, English novelist and screenwriter (b. 1952)
    • 2002 – Renaude Lapointe, Canadian journalist and politician (b. 1912)
    • 2002 – Bill Peet, American animator and screenwriter (b. 1915)
    • 2003 – Noel Redding, English bass player (b. 1945)
    • 2005 – Léo Cadieux, Canadian politician, 17th Canadian Minister of National Defence (b. 1908)
    • 2006 – Floyd Patterson, American boxer and actor (b. 1935)
    • 2007 – Malietoa Tanumafili II, Samoan ruler (b. 1913)
    • 2008 – John Rutsey, Canadian drummer (b. 1953)
    • 2009 – Abel Goumba, Central African physician and politician, Prime Minister of the Central African Republic (b. 1926)
    • 2009 – Claudio Huepe, Chilean economist and politician, Chilean Minister Secretary-General of Government (b. 1939)
    • 2009 – Sardarilal Mathradas Nanda, Indian admiral (b. 1915)
    • 2010 – Doris Eaton Travis, American dancer and vaudevillian (b. 1904)
    • 2011 – Robert Traylor, American basketball player (b. 1977)

    Holidays and observances on May 11

    • Christian feast day:
      • Anthimus of Rome
      • Gangulphus of Burgundy
      • Majolus of Cluny
      • Mamertus, the first of the Ice Saints
      • May 11 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • National Technology Day (India)
    • Statehood Day (Minnesota)
    • Vietnam Human Rights Day (Vietnam)
  • May 5 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    This day marks the approximate midpoint of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and of autumn in the Southern Hemisphere (starting the season at the March equinox).

    May 5 in History

    • 553 – The Second Council of Constantinople begins
    • 1215 – Rebel barons renounce their allegiance to King John of England — part of a chain of events leading to the signing of the Magna Carta.
    • 1260 – Kublai Khan becomes ruler of the Mongol Empire.
    • 1494 – Christopher Columbus lands on the island of Jamaica and claims it for Spain.
    • 1640 – King Charles I of England dissolves the Short Parliament.
    • 1654 – Cromwell’s Act of Grace, aimed at reconciliation with the Scots, proclaimed in Edinburgh.
    • 1672 – In preparation for the Franco-Dutch War, Louis XIV of France personally inspects his troops at Charleroi in one of the most magnificent displays of military power in the seventeenth century.
    • 1762 – Russia and Prussia sign the Treaty of St. Petersburg.
    • 1789 – In France, the Estates-General convenes for the first time since 1614.
    • 1809 – Mary Kies becomes the first woman awarded a U.S. patent, for a technique of weaving straw with silk and thread.
    • 1809 – The Swiss canton of Aargau allows citizenship to Jews.
    • 1811 – Peninsular War: In the Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro, the British-Portuguese Army repels an attempt by the French Army of Portugal to relieve the besieged city of Almeida.
    • 1821 – Emperor Napoleon dies in exile on the island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean.
    • 1835 – The first railway in continental Europe opens between Brussels and Mechelen.
    • 1860 – Giuseppe Garibaldi sets sail from Genoa, leading the expedition of the Thousand to conquer the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and giving birth to the Kingdom of Italy.
    • 1862 – Cinco de Mayo: Troops led by Ignacio Zaragoza halt a French invasion in the Battle of Puebla in Mexico.
    • 1864 – American Civil War: The Battle of the Wilderness begins in Spotsylvania County.
    • 1865 – American Civil War: The Confederate District of the Gulf surrenders about 4,000 men at Citronelle, Alabama.
    • 1865 – American Civil War: The Confederate government was declared dissolved at Washington, Georgia.
    • 1866 – Memorial Day first celebrated in United States at Waterloo, New York.
    • 1877 – American Indian Wars: Sitting Bull leads his band of Lakota into Canada to avoid harassment by the United States Army under Colonel Nelson Miles.
    • 1886 – The Bay View massacre: A militia fires into a crowd of protesters in Milwaukee, killing seven.
    • 1891 – The Music Hall in New York City (later known as Carnegie Hall) has its grand opening and first public performance, with Tchaikovsky as the guest conductor.
    • 1904 – Pitching against the Philadelphia Athletics at the Huntington Avenue Grounds, Cy Young of the Boston Americans throws the first perfect game in the modern era of baseball.
    • 1905 – The trial in the Stratton Brothers case begins in London, England; it marks the first time that fingerprint evidence is used to gain a conviction for murder.
    • 1912 – Pravda, the “voice” of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, begins publication in Saint Petersburg.
    • 1920 – Authorities arrest Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti for alleged robbery and murder.
    • 1925 – Scopes Trial: Serving of an arrest warrant on John T. Scopes for teaching evolution in violation of the Butler Act.
    • 1927 – To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf is first published.
    • 1936 – Italian troops occupy Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
    • 1940 – World War II: Norwegian refugees form a government-in-exile in London.
    • 1940 – World War II: Norwegian Campaign: Norwegian squads in Hegra Fortress and Vinjesvingen capitulate to German forces after all other Norwegian forces in southern Norway had laid down their arms.
    • 1941 – Emperor Haile Selassie returns to Addis Ababa; the country commemorates the date as Liberation Day or Patriots’ Victory Day.
    • 1945 – World War II: The German surrender at Lüneburg Heath becomes effective, encompassing all German armed forces opposing the 21st Army Group in northwestern Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands.
    • 1945 – World War II: Dönitz gives Löhr permission to seek an armistice with the Western Allies to preserve a communist free Austria and recognising first, from a German standpoint, the separation of Austria from Germany undoing the Anschluss.
    • 1945 – World War II: The Prague uprising begins as an attempt by the Czech resistance to free the city from German occupation.
    • 1945 – World War II: A Fu-Go balloon bomb launched by the Japanese Army kills six people near Bly, Oregon.
    • 1945 – World War II: Battle of Castle Itter, the only battle in which American and German troops fought cooperatively.
    • 1946 – The International Military Tribunal for the Far East begins in Tokyo with twenty-eight Japanese military and government officials accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
    • 1950 – Bhumibol Adulyadej is crowned as King of Thailand.
    • 1955 – The General Treaty, by which France, Britain and the United States recognize the sovereignty of West Germany, comes into effect.
    • 1961 – Alan Shepard becomes the first American to travel into outer space, on a sub-orbital flight.
    • 1964 – The Council of Europe declares May 5 as Europe Day.
    • 1972 – Alitalia Flight 112 crashes into Mount Longa near Palermo, Sicily, killing all 115 aboard, making it the deadliest single-aircraft disaster in Italy.
    • 1973 – Secretariat wins the 1973 Kentucky Derby in 1:59​25, an as-yet unbeaten record.
    • 1980 – Operation Nimrod: The British Special Air Service storms the Iranian embassy in London after a six-day siege.
    • 1981 – Bobby Sands dies in the Long Kesh prison hospital after 66 days of hunger-striking, aged 27.
    • 1985 – Ronald Reagan visits the military cemetery at Bitburg and the site of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where he makes a speech.
    • 1987 – Iran–Contra affair: Start of Congressional televised hearings in the United States of America
    • 1991 – A riot breaks out in the Mt. Pleasant section of Washington, D.C. after police shoot a Salvadoran man.
    • 1992 – Armand Césari Stadium disaster in Bastia (Corsica): Eighteen people are killed and 2,300 are injured when one of the terraces collapses before a football match between SC Bastia and Olympique de Marseille.
    • 1993 – Three eight-year-old boys are murdered in West Memphis, Arkansas, Ultimately leading to the conviction of the West Memphis Three.
    • 1994 – The signing of the Bishkek Protocol between Armenia and Azerbaijan effectively freezes the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
    • 1994 – American teenager Michael P. Fay is caned in Singapore for theft and vandalism.
    • 1998 – A Peruvian Air Force Boeing 737 operating for Occidental Petroleum crashes on approach to Alférez FAP Alfredo Vladimir Sara Bauer Airport in Andoas, Peru, killing 75 people.
    • 2006 – The government of Sudan signs an accord with the Sudan Liberation Army.
    • 2007 – Kenya Airways Flight 507 crashes after takeoff from Douala International Airport in Douala, Cameroon, killing all 114 aboard, making it the deadliest aircraft disaster in Cameroon.
    • 2010 – Mass protests in Greece erupt in response to austerity measures imposed by the government as a result of the Greek government-debt crisis.
    • 2014 – Eleven people are missing after a Chinese cargo ship collides with a Marshall Islands registered container ship off the coast of Hong Kong.
    • 2014 – Twenty-two people die after two boats carrying refugees collide in the Aegean Sea off the coast of Greece.
    • 2019 – A Russian jet plane burst into flames while attempting an emergency landing at Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow killing at least 41 people.
    • 2020 – The National Telecommunications Commission issued a Cease and desist order to ABS-CBN Corporation to stop the operation of it’s free TV and radio stations.

    Births on May 5

    • 1210 – Afonso III of Portugal (d. 1279)
    • 1282 – Juan Manuel, Prince of Villena (d. 1322)
    • 1310 – Preczlaw of Pogarell, Cardinal and Bishop of Wrocław (d. 1376)
    • 1352 – Rupert of Germany, Count Palatine of the Rhine (d. 1410)
    • 1479 – Guru Amar Das, Indian 3rd Sikh Guru (d. 1574)
    • 1504 – Stanislaus Hosius, Polish cardinal (d. 1579)
    • 1530 – Gabriel, comte de Montgomery, French nobleman (d. 1574)
    • 1542 – Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exeter, English soldier and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Northamptonshire (d. 1623)
    • 1582 – John Frederick, Duke of Württemberg (d. 1628)
    • 1684 – Françoise Charlotte d’Aubigné, French wife of Adrien Maurice de Noailles (d. 1739)
    • 1747 – Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1792)
    • 1749 – Jean-Frédéric Edelmann, French pianist and composer (d. 1794)
    • 1764 – Robert Craufurd, Scottish general and politician (d. 1812)
    • 1800 – Louis Christophe François Hachette, French publisher (d. 1864)
    • 1813 – Søren Kierkegaard, Danish philosopher and author (d. 1855)
    • 1818 – Karl Marx, German philosopher, sociologist, and journalist (d. 1883)
    • 1826 – Eugénie de Montijo, French wife of Napoleon III (d. 1920)
    • 1830 – John Batterson Stetson, American businessman, founded the John B. Stetson Company (d. 1906)
    • 1832 – Hubert Howe Bancroft, American ethnologist and historian (d. 1918)
    • 1833 – Ferdinand von Richthofen, German geographer and academic (d. 1905)
    • 1834 – Viktor Hartmann, Russian painter and architect (d. 1873)
    • 1843 – William George Beers, Canadian dentist and patriot (d. 1900)
    • 1846 – Henryk Sienkiewicz, Polish journalist and author, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1916)
    • 1858 – John L. Leal, American physician (d. 1914)
    • 1859 – Charles B. Hanford, American Shakespearean actor (d. 1926)
    • 1864 – Nellie Bly, American journalist and author (d. 1922)
    • 1865 – Helen Maud Merrill, American litterateur and poet (d. 1943)
    • 1866 – Thomas B. Thrige, Danish businessman (d. 1938)
    • 1869 – Fabián de la Rosa, Filipino painter and educator (d. 1937)
    • 1869 – Hans Pfitzner, German composer and conductor (d. 1949)
    • 1874 – Thomas Bavin, New Zealand-Australian politician, 24th Premier of New South Wales (d. 1941)
    • 1882 – Sylvia Pankhurst, English women’s suffrage movement leader and socialist activist (d. 1960)
    • 1883 – Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell, English general and politician, 43rd Governor-General of India (d. 1950)
    • 1883 – Anna Johnson Pell Wheeler, American mathematician (d. 1966)
    • 1884 – Chief Bender, American baseball player and coach (d. 1954)
    • 1885 – Kingsley Fairbridge, South African-Australian scholar and politician (d. 1924)
    • 1887 – Mervyn S. Bennion, American captain, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1941)
    • 1889 – Herbie Taylor, South African cricketer and soldier (d. 1973)
    • 1890 – Christopher Morley, American journalist and author (d. 1957)
    • 1892 – Dorothy Garrod, British archaeologist (d. 1968)
    • 1898 – Elsie Eaves, American engineer (d. 1983)
    • 1898 – Blind Willie McTell, American Piedmont blues singer and guitar player (d. 1959)
    • 1899 – Freeman Gosden, American actor and screenwriter (d. 1982)
    • 1900 – Helen Redfield, American geneticist (d. 1988)
    • 1903 – James Beard, American chef and author (d. 1985)
    • 1905 – Floyd Gottfredson, American author and illustrator (d. 1986)
    • 1906 – Charles Exbrayat, French author and screenwriter (d. 1989)
    • 1907 – Daryna Dmytrivna Polotniuk, Bukovinian (Ukrainian) journalist and author (d. 1982)
    • 1908 – Kurt Böhme, German opera singer (d. 1989)
    • 1909 – Miklós Radnóti, Hungarian poet and author (d. 1944)
    • 1910 – Leo Lionni, American author and illustrator (d. 1999)
    • 1911 – Gilles Grangier, French director and screenwriter (d. 1996)
    • 1911 – Andor Lilienthal, Russian-Hungarian chess player (d. 2010)
    • 1911 – Pritilata Waddedar, Indian educator and activist (d. 1932)
    • 1913 – Duane Carter, American race car driver (d. 1993)
    • 1914 – Tyrone Power, American actor (d. 1958)
    • 1915 – Alice Faye, American actress and singer (d. 1998)
    • 1916 – Zail Singh, Indian politician, 7th President of India (d. 1994)
    • 1917 – Pío Leyva, Cuban singer-songwriter (d. 2006)
    • 1918 – Egidio Galea, Maltese Roman Catholic priest (d. 2005)
    • 1919 – Georgios Papadopoulos, Greek colonel and politician, 169th Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1999)
    • 1921 – Arthur Leonard Schawlow, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1999)
    • 1922 – Irene Gut Opdyke, Polish nurse and humanitarian (d. 2003)
    • 1923 – William C. Campbell, American golfer (d. 2013)
    • 1923 – James Gilbert, Scottish television producer and director (d. 2016)
    • 1923 – Cathleen Synge Morawetz, Canadian mathematician (d. 2017)
    • 1923 – Richard Wollheim, English philosopher and academic (d. 2003)
    • 1925 – Leo Ryan, American soldier, educator, and politician (d. 1978)
    • 1927 – Pat Carroll, American actress
    • 1929 – Ilene Woods, American actress (d. 2010)
    • 1930 – Hans Abramson, Swedish director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2012)
    • 1931 – Greg, Belgian author and illustrator (d. 1999)
    • 1932 – Stan Goldberg, American illustrator (d. 2014)
    • 1932 – Bob Said, American race car driver and bobsled racer (d. 2002)
    • 1933 – Igor Kashkarov, Russian high jumper
    • 1933 – Collie Smith, Jamaican cricketer (d. 1959)
    • 1934 – Henri Konan Bédié, Ivorian politician, 2nd President of Côte d’Ivoire
    • 1934 – Victor Garland, Australian accountant and politician, 26th Australian Minister for Veterans’ Affairs
    • 1935 – Eddie Linden, Scottish poet and magazine editor
    • 1935 – Bernard Pivot, French journalist, talk show host, and producer
    • 1935 – Robert Rehme, American film producer
    • 1936 – Sandy Baron, American actor and comedian (d. 2001)
    • 1936 – Patrick Gowers, English composer and educator (d. 2014)
    • 1936 – Ervin Lázár, Hungarian author (d. 2006)
    • 1937 – Delia Derbyshire, English musician, arranger and composer (d. 2001)
    • 1938 – Michael Murphy, American actor
    • 1938 – Barbara Wagner, Canadian figure skater and coach
    • 1939 – Ray Gosling, English journalist, author, and activist (d. 2013)
    • 1940 – Lance Henriksen, American actor
    • 1940 – Michael Lindsay-Hogg, American director and producer
    • 1941 – Alexander Ragulin, Russian ice hockey player (d. 2004)
    • 1942 – István Bujtor, Hungarian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2009)
    • 1942 – Jean Corston, Baroness Corston, English lawyer and politician
    • 1942 – Hugh Courtenay, 18th Earl of Devon, English politician (d. 2015)
    • 1942 – Tammy Wynette, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1998)
    • 1943 – Michael Palin, English actor and screenwriter
    • 1943 – Ignacio Ramonet, Spanish journalist and author
    • 1944 – Bo Larsson, Swedish footballer
    • 1944 – John Rhys-Davies, Welsh actor and screenwriter
    • 1944 – Roger Rees, Welsh-American actor and director (d. 2015)
    • 1945 – Kurt Loder, American journalist, author, and critic
    • 1945 – Dianne Willcocks, English sociologist and academic
    • 1946 – Jim Kelly, American actor, athlete, and martial artist
    • 1946 – Aydın Menderes, Turkish politician (d. 2011)
    • 1948 – Bella van der Spiegel-Hage, Dutch cyclist
    • 1948 – Bill Ward, English drummer and songwriter
    • 1949 – Eppie Bleeker, Dutch speed skater
    • 1950 – Rex Caldwell, American golfer
    • 1950 – Maggie MacNeal, Dutch singer
    • 1951 – Rudolf Finsterer, German rugby player and coach
    • 1951 – Toomas Vilosius, Estonian physician and politician, 2nd Minister of Social Affairs of Estonia
    • 1952 – Ed Lee, American politician and attorney, 43rd Mayor of San Francisco (d. 2017)
    • 1952 – Jorge Llopart, Spanish race walker
    • 1952 – Willem Witteveen, Dutch scholar and politician (d. 2014)
    • 1955 – Jon Butcher, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and freelance multimedia producer
    • 1956 – Steve Scott, American runner and coach
    • 1957 – Richard E. Grant, Swazi-English actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1957 – Peter Howitt, English actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1957 – Aad van Mil, Dutch water polo player
    • 1958 – Ron Arad, Israeli colonel and pilot (d. 1986)
    • 1958 – Robert DiPierdomenico, Australian footballer and sportscaster
    • 1958 – Vanessa Downing, Australian actress
    • 1958 – Jack Wishna, American businessman, co-founded Rockcityclub (d. 2012)
    • 1959 – Bobby Ellsworth, American singer and bass player
    • 1959 – Ian McCulloch, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1959 – Steve Stevens, American guitarist and songwriter
    • 1959 – Brian Williams, American journalist
    • 1960 – Doug Hawkins, Australian footballer and sportscaster
    • 1961 – Marg Downey, Australian actress
    • 1961 – Hiroshi Hase, Japanese wrestler and politician
    • 1961 – Rob Williams, American basketball player (d. 2014)
    • 1962 – Kaoru Wada, Japanese composer and conductor
    • 1963 – James LaBrie, Canadian singer-songwriter
    • 1963 – Simon Rimmer, English chef and author
    • 1963 – Scott Westerfeld, American author and composer
    • 1964 – Jean-François Copé, French politician, French Minister of Budget
    • 1964 – Heike Henkel, German high jumper
    • 1964 – Don Payne, American screenwriter and producer (d. 2013)
    • 1964 – Minami Takayama, Japanese voice actress and singer
    • 1964 – Efrat Mishori, Israeli poet and filmmaker
    • 1965 – Glenn Seton, Australian race car driver
    • 1966 – Shawn Drover, Canadian drummer
    • 1966 – Sergei Stanishev, Bulgarian politician, 46th Prime Minister of Bulgaria
    • 1966 – Josh Weinstein, American screenwriter and producer
    • 1967 – Adam Hughes, American author and illustrator
    • 1967 – Alexis Sinduhije, Burundian journalist and politician
    • 1969 – Pieter Muller, South African rugby player
    • 1970 – Kyan Douglas, American television host and author
    • 1970 – Todd Newton, American game show host
    • 1971 – Harold Miner, American basketball player
    • 1971 – Mike Redmond, American baseball player and manager
    • 1972 – James Cracknell, English rower
    • 1972 – Žigmund Pálffy, Slovakian ice hockey player
    • 1972 – Mikael Renberg, Swedish ice hockey player
    • 1975 – Meb Keflezighi, American runner
    • 1976 – Dieter Brummer, Australian actor
    • 1976 – Jean-François Dumoulin, Canadian race car driver
    • 1976 – Anastasios Pantos, Greek footballer
    • 1976 – Juan Pablo Sorín, Argentinian footballer and sportscaster
    • 1978 – Morgan Pehme, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1979 – Vincent Kartheiser, American actor
    • 1980 – Yossi Benayoun, Israeli footballer
    • 1980 – Hank Green, American entrepreneur, educator, and vlogger
    • 1980 – DerMarr Johnson, American basketball player
    • 1981 – Craig David, English singer-songwriter, musician and producer
    • 1981 – Danielle Fishel, American actress
    • 1982 – Ferrie Bodde, Dutch footballer
    • 1982 – Wouter D’Haene, Belgian sprinter
    • 1982 – Randall Gay, American football player
    • 1982 – Corey Parker, Australian rugby league footballer
    • 1983 – James Anyon, English cricketer
    • 1983 – Henry Cavill, English actor
    • 1983 – Mabel Gay, Cuban triple jumper
    • 1983 – Annie Villeneuve, Canadian singer-songwriter
    • 1983 – Scott Ware, American football player
    • 1984 – Johanna Hedva, Korean-American artist and genderqueer activist
    • 1984 – Wade MacNeil, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1984 – Christian Valdez, Mexican footballer
    • 1985 – Shoko Nakagawa, Japanese actress and singer
    • 1985 – Emanuele Giaccherini, Italian footballer
    • 1985 – Tsepo Masilela, South African footballer
    • 1985 – Marcos Rogério Oliveira Duarte, Brazilian footballer
    • 1985 – Terrence Wheatley, American football player
    • 1987 – Graham Dorrans, Scottish footballer
    • 1988 – Adele, English singer-songwriter
    • 1988 – Mervyn Westfield, English cricketer
    • 1989 – Chris Brown, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actor
    • 1991 – Xenofon Fetsis, Greek footballer
    • 1991 – Raúl Jiménez, Mexican footballer
    • 1992 – Loïck Landre, French footballer
    • 1994 – Celeste, English singer
    • 1998 – Aryna Sabalenka, Belarusian tennis player
    • 1999 – Nathan Chen, American figure skater
    • 1999 – Justin Kluivert, Dutch footballer

    Deaths on May 5

    • 465 – Gerontius, Archbishop of Milan
    • 1194 – Casimir II the Just, Polish son of Bolesław III Wrymouth (b. 1138)
    • 1243 – Hubert de Burgh, 1st Earl of Kent, English justiciar (b. c. 1160)
    • 1306 – Constantine Palaiologos, Byzantine general (b. 1261)
    • 1309 – Charles II of Naples (b. 1254)
    • 1316 – Elizabeth of Rhuddlan, daughter of King Edward I of England (b. 1282)
    • 1338 – Prince Tsunenaga, son of the Japanese Emperor (b. 1324)
    • 1380 – Saint Philotheos, Coptic martyr
    • 1432 – Francesco Bussone da Carmagnola, Italian adventurer
    • 1525 – Frederick III, Elector of Saxony (b. 1463)
    • 1582 – Charlotte of Bourbon, Princess consort of Orange, married to William I of Orange (b. 1547)
    • 1586 – Henry Sidney, Irish politician, Lord Deputy of Ireland (b. 1529)
    • 1671 – Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester, English general and politician, Lord Chamberlain of the United Kingdom (b. 1602)
    • 1672 – Samuel Cooper, English painter and linguist (b. 1609)
    • 1700 – Angelo Italia, Italian architect (b. 1628)
    • 1705 – Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1640)
    • 1760 – Laurence Shirley, 4th Earl Ferrers, English politician (b. 1720)
    • 1766 – Jean Astruc, French physician and scholar (b. 1684)
    • 1808 – Pierre Jean George Cabanis, French physiologist and philosopher (b. 1757)
    • 1821 – Napoleon, French general and emperor (b. 1769)
    • 1827 – Frederick Augustus I of Saxony (b. 1750)
    • 1833 – Sophia Campbell, English-Australian painter (b. 1777)
    • 1855 – Sir Robert Inglis, 2nd Baronet, English politician (b. 1786)
    • 1859 – Peter Gustav Lejeune Dirichlet, German mathematician and academic (b. 1805)
    • 1860 – Jean-Charles Prince, Canadian bishop (b. 1804)
    • 1883 – John O’Shanassy, Irish-Australian politician, 2nd Premier of Victoria (b. 1818)
    • 1892 – August Wilhelm von Hofmann, German chemist and academic (b. 1818)
    • 1896 – Silas Adams, American lawyer and politician (b. 1839)
    • 1902 – Bret Harte, American short story writer and poet (b. 1836)
    • 1907 – Şeker Ahmed Pasha, Turkish soldier and painter (b. 1841)
    • 1913 – Henry Moret, French painter (b. 1856)
    • 1916 – John MacBride, Irish soldier and rebel (b. 1865)
    • 1916 – Maurice Raoul-Duval, French polo player (b. 1866)
    • 1921 – Alfred Hermann Fried, Austrian journalist and publicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1864)
    • 1924 – A. Sabapathy, Sri Lankan journalist and politician (b. 1853)
    • 1931 – Glen Kidston, English pilot and race car driver (b. 1899)
    • 1942 – Qemal Stafa, Albanian politician (b. 1920)
    • 1947 – Ty LaForest, Canadian-American baseball player (b. 1917)
    • 1957 – Leopold Löwenheim, German mathematician and logician (b. 1878)
    • 1959 – Carlos Saavedra Lamas, Argentinian academic and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1878)
    • 1962 – Ernest Tyldesley, English cricketer (b. 1889)
    • 1965 – Nikos Gounaris, Greek tenor and composer (b. 1915)
    • 1965 – John Waters, American director and screenwriter (b. 1893)
    • 1971 – Violet Jessop, Argentinean-English nurse (b. 1887)
    • 1973 – Zekai Özger, Turkish poet and academic (b. 1948)
    • 1977 – Ludwig Erhard, German economist and politician, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1897)
    • 1981 – Bobby Sands, PIRA volunteer and hunger striker (b. 1954)
    • 1983 – Horst Schumann, German physician (b. 1901)
    • 1983 – John Williams, English-American actor (b. 1903)
    • 1985 – Donald Bailey, English engineer, designed the Bailey bridge (b. 1901)
    • 1988 – Michael Shaara, American author and academic (b. 1928)
    • 1993 – Irving Howe, American literary and social critic (b. 1920)
    • 1994 – Mário Quintana, Brazilian poet and translator (b. 1906)
    • 1995 – Mikhail Botvinnik, Russian chess player and coach (b. 1911)
    • 1999 – Vasilis Diamantopoulos, Greek actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1920)
    • 2000 – Gino Bartali, Italian cyclist (b. 1914)
    • 2000 – Bill Musselman, American basketball player and coach (b. 1940)
    • 2001 – Morris Graves, American painter and educator (b. 1910)
    • 2001 – Clifton Hillegass, American publisher, created CliffsNotes (b. 1918)
    • 2002 – Hugo Banzer, Bolivian general and politician, 62nd President of Bolivia (b. 1926)
    • 2002 – Paul Wilbur Klipsch, American engineer, founded Klipsch Audio Technologies (b. 1904)
    • 2002 – George Sidney, American director and producer (b. 1916)
    • 2003 – Sam Bockarie, Sierra Leonean commander (b. 1964)
    • 2003 – Walter Sisulu, South African activist and politician (b. 1912)
    • 2006 – Naushad Ali, Indian composer and producer (b. 1919)
    • 2006 – Atıf Yılmaz, Turkish director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1925)
    • 2007 – Theodore Harold Maiman, American-Canadian physicist and engineer, created the laser (b. 1927)
    • 2008 – Irv Robbins, Canadian-American businessman, co-founded Baskin-Robbins (b. 1917)
    • 2008 – Jerry Wallace, American singer and guitarist (b. 1928)
    • 2010 – Giulietta Simionato, Italian soprano (b. 1910)
    • 2010 – Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, Nigerian academic and politician, 13th President of Nigeria (b. 1951)
    • 2011 – Claude Choules, English-Australian soldier (b. 1901)
    • 2011 – Yosef Merimovich, Israeli footballer and manager (b. 1924)
    • 2011 – Dana Wynter, British actress (b. 1931)
    • 2012 – Surendranath, Indian cricketer (b. 1937)
    • 2012 – Carl Johan Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg (b. 1916)
    • 2012 – Aatos Erkko, Finnish journalist and publisher (b. 1932)
    • 2012 – George Knobel, Dutch footballer, coach, and manager (b. 1922)
    • 2012 – Roy Padayachie, South African lawyer and politician, South African Minister of Communications (b. 1950)
    • 2013 – Sarah Kirsch, German poet and author (b. 1935)
    • 2013 – Robert Ressler, American FBI agent and author (b. 1937)
    • 2014 – Michael Otedola, Nigerian journalist and politician, 9th Governor of Lagos State (b. 1926)
    • 2015 – Jobst Brandt, American cyclist, engineer, and author (b. 1935)
    • 2015 – Hans Jansen, Dutch linguist, academic, and politician (b. 1942)
    • 2017 – Binyamin Elon, Israeli Orthodox rabbi and politician (b. 1954)
    • 2017 – Ely Ould Mohamed Vall, Mauritanian politician (b. 1953)

    Holidays and observances on May 5

    • Children’s Day (Japan, South Korea)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Angelus of Jerusalem
      • Aventinus of Tours
      • Blessed Edmund Ignatius Rice
      • Frederick the Wise (Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod)
      • Hilary of Arles
      • Jutta of Kulmsee
      • Stanisław Kazimierczyk
      • May 5 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Cinco de Mayo (Mexico, United States)
    • Constitution Day (Kyrgyzstan)
    • Europe Day (Council of Europe)
    • Feast of al-Khadr or Saint George (Palestinian)
    • Indian Arrival Day (Guyana)
    • International Midwives’ Day (International)
    • Liberation Day (Denmark, Netherlands)
    • Lusophone Culture Day (Community of Portuguese Language Countries)
    • World Portuguese language day (International)
    • Martyrs’ Day (Albania)
    • Patriots’ Victory Day (Ethiopia)
    • Senior Citizens Day (Palau)
    • Tango no sekku (Japan)
  • May 2 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    May 2 in History

    • 1194 – King Richard I of England gives Portsmouth its first Royal Charter
    • 1230 – William de Braose is hanged by Prince Llywelyn the Great.
    • 1335 – Otto the Merry, Duke of Austria, becomes Duke of Carinthia.
    • 1536 – Anne Boleyn, Queen of England, is arrested and imprisoned on charges of adultery, incest, treason and witchcraft.
    • 1559 – John Knox returns from exile to Scotland to become the leader of the nascent Scottish Reformation.
    • 1568 – Mary, Queen of Scots, escapes from Loch Leven Castle.
    • 1611 – The King James Version of the Bible is published for the first time in London, England, by printer Robert Barker.
    • 1625 – Afonso Mendes, appointed by Pope Gregory XV as Latin Patriarch of Ethiopia, arrives at Beilul from Goa.
    • 1670 – King Charles II of England grants a permanent charter to the Hudson’s Bay Company to open up the fur trade in North America.
    • 1672 – John Maitland becomes Duke of Lauderdale and Earl of March.
    • 1808 – Outbreak of the Peninsular War: The people of Madrid rise up in rebellion against French occupation. Francisco de Goya later memorializes this event in his painting The Second of May 1808.
    • 1812 – The Siege of Cuautla during the Mexican War of Independence ends with both sides claiming victory after Mexican rebels under José María Morelos y Pavón abandon the city after 72 days under siege by royalist Spanish troops under Félix María Calleja.
    • 1816 – Marriage of Léopold of Saxe-Coburg and Princess Charlotte of Wales.
    • 1829 – After anchoring nearby, Captain Charles Fremantle of HMS Challenger, declares the Swan River Colony in Australia.
    • 1863 – American Civil War: Stonewall Jackson is wounded by friendly fire while returning to camp after reconnoitering during the Battle of Chancellorsville. He succumbs to pneumonia eight days later.
    • 1866 – Peruvian defenders fight off the Spanish fleet at the Battle of Callao.
    • 1876 – The April Uprising breaks out in Ottoman Bulgaria.
    • 1879 – The Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party is founded in Madrid by Pablo Iglesias.
    • 1885 – Cree and Assiniboine warriors win the Battle of Cut Knife, their largest victory over Canadian forces during the North-West Rebellion.
    • 1889 – Menelik II, Emperor of Ethiopia, signs the Treaty of Wuchale, giving Italy control over Eritrea.
    • 1906 – Closing ceremony of the Intercalated Games in Athens, Greece.
    • 1918 – General Motors acquires the Chevrolet Motor Company of Delaware.
    • 1920 – The first game of the Negro National League baseball is played in Indianapolis.
    • 1933 – Germany’s independent labor unions are replaced by the German Labour Front.
    • 1941 – Following the coup d’état against Iraq Crown Prince ‘Abd al-Ilah earlier that year, the United Kingdom launches the Anglo-Iraqi War to restore him to power.
    • 1945 – World War II: The Soviet Union announces the fall of Berlin.
    • 1945 – World War II: The surrender of Caserta comes into effect, by which German troops in Italy cease fighting.
    • 1945 – World War II: The US 82nd Airborne Division liberates Wöbbelin concentration camp finding 1000 dead prisoners, most of whom starved to death.
    • 1945 – World War II: A death march from Dachau to the Austrian border is halted by the segregated, all-Nisei 522nd Field Artillery Battalion of the U.S. Army in southern Bavaria, saving several hundred prisoners.
    • 1952 – A De Havilland Comet makes the first jetliner flight with fare-paying passengers, from London to Johannesburg.
    • 1955 – Tennessee Williams wins the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
    • 1963 – Berthold Seliger launches a rocket with three stages and a maximum flight altitude of more than 100 kilometres near Cuxhaven. It is the only sounding rocket developed in Germany.
    • 1964 – Vietnam War: An explosion sinks the American aircraft carrier USNS Card while it is docked at Saigon. Two Viet Cong combat swimmers had placed explosives on the ship’s hull. She is raised and returned to service less than seven months later.
    • 1964 – First ascent of Shishapangma, the fourteenth highest mountain in the world and the lowest of the Eight-thousanders.
    • 1969 – The British ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 2 departs on her maiden voyage to New York City.
    • 1972 – In the early morning hours a fire breaks out at the Sunshine Mine located between Kellogg and Wallace, Idaho, killing 91 workers.
    • 1982 – Falklands War: The British nuclear submarine HMS Conqueror sinks the Argentine cruiser ARA General Belgrano.
    • 1986 – Chernobyl disaster: The City of Chernobyl is evacuated six days after the disaster.
    • 1989 – Cold War: Hungary begins dismantling its border fence with Austria, which allows a number of East Germans to defect.
    • 1994 – A bus crashes in Gdańsk, Poland killing 32 people.
    • 1995 – During the Croatian War of Independence, the Army of the Republic of Serb Krajina fires cluster bombs at Zagreb, killing seven and wounding over 175 civilians.
    • 1998 – The European Central Bank is founded in Brussels in order to define and execute the European Union’s monetary policy.
    • 1999 – Panamanian general election, 1999: Mireya Moscoso becomes the first woman to be elected President of Panama.
    • 2000 – President Bill Clinton announces that accurate GPS access would no longer be restricted to the United States military.
    • 2004 – The Yelwa massacre concludes. It began on 4 February 2004 when armed Muslims killed 78 Christians at Yelwa. In response, about 630 Muslims were killed by Christians on May 2nd.
    • 2008 – Cyclone Nargis makes landfall in Burma killing over 138,000 people and leaving millions of people homeless.
    • 2008 – Chaitén Volcano begins erupting in Chile, forcing the evacuation of more than 4,500 people.
    • 2011 – Osama bin Laden, the suspected mastermind behind the September 11 attacks and the FBI’s most wanted man, is killed by the United States special forces in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
    • 2011 – An E. coli outbreak strikes Europe, mostly in Germany, leaving more than 30 people dead and many others sick from the bacteria outbreak.
    • 2012 – A pastel version of The Scream, by Norwegian painter Edvard Munch, sells for $120 million in a New York City auction, setting a new world record for a work of art at auction.
    • 2014 – Two mudslides in Badakhshan, Afghanistan, leave up to 2,500 people missing.

    Births on May 2

    • 1360 – Yongle Emperor of China (d. 1424)
    • 1402 – Eleanor of Aragon, Queen of Portugal (d. 1445)
    • 1451 – René II, Duke of Lorraine (d. 1508)
    • 1458 – Eleanor of Viseu (d. 1525)
    • 1476 – Charles I, Duke of Münsterberg-Oels, Count of Kladsko, Governor of Bohemia and Silesia (d. 1536)
    • 1533 – Philip II, Duke of Brunswick-Grubenhagen (d. 1596)
    • 1551 – William Camden, English historian and topographer (d. 1623)
    • 1567 – Sebald de Weert, Dutch captain, vice-admiral of the Dutch East India Company (d. 1603)
    • 1579 – Tokugawa Hidetada, Japanese shōgun (d. 1632)
    • 1601 – Athanasius Kircher, German priest and scholar (d. 1680)
    • 1660 – Alessandro Scarlatti, Italian composer (d. 1725)
    • 1695 – Giovanni Niccolò Servandoni, Italian-French painter and architect (d. 1766)
    • 1702 – Friedrich Christoph Oetinger, German theologian and theosopher (d. 1782)
    • 1707 – Jean-Baptiste Barrière, French cellist and composer (d. 1747)
    • 1729 – Catherine the Great of Russia (d. 1796)
    • 1737 – William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne, Irish-English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1805)
    • 1740 – Elias Boudinot, American lawyer and politician, 10th President of the Continental Congress (d. 1821)
    • 1750 – John André, English soldier and spy (d. 1780)
    • 1752 – Ludwig August Lebrun, German oboe player and composer (d. 1790)
    • 1754 – Vicente Martín y Soler, Spanish composer (d. 1806)
    • 1772 – Novalis, German author and poet (d. 1801)
    • 1773 – Henrik Steffens, Norwegian philosopher and poet (d. 1845)
    • 1797 – Abraham Pineo Gesner, Canadian physician and geologist (d. 1864)
    • 1802 – Heinrich Gustav Magnus, German chemist and physicist (d. 1870)
    • 1806 – Catherine Labouré, French nun and saint (d. 1876)
    • 1810 – Hans Christian Lumbye, Danish composer and conductor (d. 1874)
    • 1813 – Caroline Leigh Gascoigne, English novelist and poet (d. 1883)
    • 1815 – William Buell Richards, Canadian lawyer and judge, 1st Chief Justice of Canada (d. 1889)
    • 1822 – Jane Miller Thengberg, Scottish-Swedish governess and educator (d. 1902)
    • 1828 – Désiré Charnay, French archaeologist and photographer (d. 1915)
    • 1830 – Otto Staudinger, German entomologist and author (d. 1900)
    • 1843 – Elijah McCoy, Canadian-American engineer (d. 1929)
    • 1859 – Jerome K. Jerome, English author and playwright (d. 1927)
    • 1860 – John Scott Haldane, Scottish physiologist, physician, and academic (d. 1936)
    • 1860 – Theodor Herzl, Austro-Hungarian Zionist philosopher, journalist and author (d. 1904)
    • 1865 – Clyde Fitch, American playwright (d. 1909)
    • 1867 – Giuseppe Morello, Italian-American mobster (d. 1930)
    • 1873 – Jurgis Baltrušaitis, Lithuanian poet, critic, and translator (d. 1944)
    • 1879 – James F. Byrnes, American stenographer and politician, 49th United States Secretary of State (d. 1972)
    • 1880 – Bill Horr, American football player, discus thrower, and coach (d. 1955)
    • 1882 – Isabel González, Puerto Rican activist who helped pave the way for Puerto Ricans’ American citizenship (d. 1971)
    • 1885 – Hedda Hopper, American actress and gossip columnist (d. 1966)
    • 1886 – Gottfried Benn, German author and poet (d. 1956)
    • 1887 – Vernon Castle, English-American dancer (d. 1918)
    • 1887 – Eddie Collins, American baseball player and manager (d. 1951)
    • 1889 – Ki Hajar Dewantara, Indonesian philosopher, academic, and politician (d. 1959)
    • 1890 – E. E. Smith, American engineer and author (d. 1965)
    • 1892 – Manfred von Richthofen, German captain and pilot (d. 1918)
    • 1894 – Norma Talmadge, leading US actress of the silent era (d. 1957)
    • 1894 – Joseph Henry Woodger, English biologist, philosopher, and academic (d. 1981)
    • 1895 – Lorenz Hart, American playwright and lyricist (d. 1943)
    • 1897 – John Frederick Coots, American songwriter (d. 1985)
    • 1898 – Henry Hall, English bandleader, composer, and actor (d. 1989)
    • 1901 – Bob Wyatt, English cricketer (d. 1995)
    • 1901 – Edouard Zeckendorf, Belgian doctor, army officer and mathematician (d. 1983)
    • 1901 – Willi Bredel, German writer (d. 1964)
    • 1902 – Brian Aherne, English actor (d. 1986)
    • 1902 – Werner Finck, German Kabarett comedian, actor and author (d. 1978)
    • 1903 – Benjamin Spock, American rower, pediatrician, and author (d. 1998)
    • 1904 – Bill Brandt, German-English photographer and journalist (d. 1983)
    • 1905 – Alan Rawsthorne, British composer (d. 1971)
    • 1905 – Charlotte Armstrong, American author (d. 1969)
    • 1906 – Philippe Halsman, Latvian-American photographer (d. 1979)
    • 1907 – Pinky Lee, American comedian and television host (d. 1993)
    • 1908 – Frank Rowlett, American cryptologist (d. 1998)
    • 1909 – Teddy Stauffer, Swiss bandleader, musician, and actor (d. 1991)
    • 1910 – Alexander Bonnyman, Jr., American lieutenant, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1943)
    • 1910 – Edmund Bacon, American urban planner, architect, educator, and author (d. 2005)
    • 1912 – Axel Springer, German journalist and publisher, founded Axel Springer AG (d. 1985)
    • 1912 – Karl Adam, German rowing coaches (d. 1976)
    • 1912 – Marten Toonder, Dutch comic strip creator (d. 2005)
    • 1912 – Nigel Patrick, English actor and director (d. 1981)
    • 1913 – Pietro Frua, Italian coachbuilder and car designer (d. 1983)
    • 1913 – Aydın Sayılı, Turkish historian and academic (d. 1993)
    • 1915 – Doris Fisher, American singer-songwriter (d. 2003)
    • 1915 – Peggy Mount, English actress (d. 2001)
    • 1917 – Albert Castelyns, Belgian water polo player and bobsledder
    • 1917 – Văn Tiến Dũng, Vietnamese general and politician, 6th Minister of Defence for Vietnam (d. 2002)
    • 1920 – Jean-Marie Auberson, Swiss violinist and conductor (d. 2004)
    • 1920 – Otto Buchsbaum, Austrian-Brazilian journalist and activist (d. 2000)
    • 1920 – Vasantrao Deshpande, Indian singer and sitar player (d. 1983)
    • 1920 – Guinn Smith, American pole vaulter, soldier, and pilot (d. 2004)
    • 1920 – Jacob Gilboa, Israeli composer (d. 2007)
    • 1921 – B. B. Lal, Indian archaeologist
    • 1921 – Satyajit Ray, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1992)
    • 1922 – Roscoe Lee Browne, American actor and director (d. 2007)
    • 1922 – A. M. Rosenthal, Canadian-born American journalist and author (d. 2006)
    • 1922 – Serge Reggiani, Italian-born French singer and actor (d. 2004)
    • 1923 – Patrick Hillery, Irish physician and politician, 6th President of Ireland (d. 2008)
    • 1923 – Albert Nordengen, Norwegian banker and politician (d. 2004)
    • 1924 – Jamal Abro, Pakistani lawyer and author (d. 2004)
    • 1924 – Theodore Bikel, Austrian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (d. 2015)
    • 1924 – Arthur Clues, Australian rugby league player (d. 1998)
    • 1924 – Hugh Cortazzi, English soldier, historian, and diplomat, British Ambassador to Japan (d. 2018)
    • 1925 – John Neville, English-Canadian actor (d. 2011)
    • 1926 – Gérard D. Levesque, Canadian lawyer and politician, 5th Deputy Premier of Quebec (d. 1993)
    • 1927 – Ray Barrett, Australian actor and singer (d. 2009)
    • 1927 – Amos Kenan, Israeli columnist, painter, sculptor, playwright and novelist (d. 2009)
    • 1927 – Michael Broadbent, British wine critic and writer (d. 2020)
    • 1928 – Hans Trass, Estonian ecologist and botanist (d. 2017)
    • 1928 – Georges-Arthur Goldschmidt, French writer and translator of German origin
    • 1928 – Horst Stein, German conductor (d. 2008)
    • 1929 – Édouard Balladur, Turkish-French economist and politician, 162nd Prime Minister of France
    • 1929 – James Dillion, American discus thrower (d. 2010)
    • 1929 – Link Wray, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2005)
    • 1929 – Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, Druk Gyalpo of Bhutan (d. 1972)
    • 1930 – Yoram Kaniuk, Israeli painter and critic (d. 2013)
    • 1930 – Marco Pannella, Italian journalist and politician (d. 2016)
    • 1931 – Phil Bruns, American actor and stuntman (d. 2012)
    • 1931 – Martha Grimes, American author and poet
    • 1932 – Maury Allen, American journalist, actor, and author (d. 2010)
    • 1933 – Bunk Gardner, American musician
    • 1933 – Harry Woolf, Baron Woolf, English lawyer and judge, Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales
    • 1934 – Manfred Durniok, German film producer, director and screenwriter (d. 2003)
    • 1935 – Luis Suárez Miramontes, Spanish footballer and manager
    • 1935 – Faisal II of Iraq, the last King of Iraq (d.1958)
    • 1936 – Norma Aleandro, Argentinian actress, director, and screenwriter
    • 1936 – Engelbert Humperdinck, English singer and pianist
    • 1936 – Michael Rabin, American violinist (d. 1972)
    • 1937 – Klaus Enders, German motorcycle sidecar racer (d. 2019)
    • 1937 – Lorenzo Music, American actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2001)
    • 1937 – Gisela Elsner, German writer (d. 1992)
    • 1938 – Moshoeshoe II of Lesotho (d. 1996)
    • 1939 – Sumio Iijima, Japanese physicist and engineer
    • 1939 – Ernesto Castano, Italian football player
    • 1940 – Jules Albert Wijdenbosch, Surinamese politician
    • 1941 – Tony Adamowicz, American race car driver (d. 2016)
    • 1941 – Bruce Cameron, Scottish bishop
    • 1941 – Clay Carroll, American baseball player
    • 1941 – Eddy Louiss, French jazz musician (d. 2015)
    • 1942 – Jacques Rogge, Belgian businessman
    • 1942 – Wojciech Pszoniak, Polish film and theater actor
    • 1944 – Robert G. W. Anderson, English chemist, historian, and curator
    • 1945 – Randy Cain, American soul singer (d. 2009)
    • 1945 – Judge Dread, English singer-songwriter (d. 1998)
    • 1945 – Bianca Jagger, Nicaraguan-American model, actress, and activist
    • 1945 – Goldy McJohn, Canadian keyboard player (d. 2017)
    • 1946 – Peter L. Benson, American psychologist and academic (d. 2011)
    • 1946 – Lesley Gore, American singer-songwriter (d. 2015)
    • 1946 – David Suchet, English actor
    • 1947 – James Dyson, English businessman, founded the Dyson Company
    • 1947 – Lynda Myles, English screenwriter and producer
    • 1947 – Philippe Herreweghe, Belgian conductor
    • 1948 – Larry Gatlin, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
    • 1949 – Alan Titchmarsh, English gardener and author
    • 1949 – Alfons Schuhbeck, German celebrity chef, author and businessman
    • 1950 – Simon Gaskell, English chemist and academic
    • 1950 – Duncan Gay, Australian businessman and politician
    • 1950 – Lou Gramm, American singer-songwriter
    • 1950 – Richard Ground, English lawyer and judge (d. 2014)
    • 1950 – Fausto Silva, Brazilian television presenter
    • 1951 – John Glascock, English singer and bass player (d. 1979)
    • 1952 – Chris Anderson, Australian rugby league player and coach
    • 1952 – Christine Baranski, American actress and singer
    • 1952 – Isla St Clair, Scottish singer and actress
    • 1953 – Valery Gergiev, Russian conductor and director
    • 1953 – Jamaal Wilkes, American basketball player
    • 1954 – Elliot Goldenthal, American composer and conductor
    • 1954 – Dawn Primarolo, English politician
    • 1954 – Stephen Venables, English mountaineer and author
    • 1955 – Willie Miller, Scottish footballer
    • 1955 – Donatella Versace, Italian fashion designer
    • 1956 – Régis Labeaume, Canadian businessman and politician, 41st Mayor of Quebec City
    • 1958 – Yasushi Akimoto, Japanese songwriter and producer
    • 1958 – Stanislav Levý, Czech footballer and manager
    • 1958 – David O’Leary, English-Irish footballer and manager
    • 1959 – Alan Best, Canadian animator, director, and producer
    • 1959 – Tony Wakeford, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1960 – Stephen Daldry, English director and producer
    • 1961 – Steve James, English snooker player
    • 1961 – Sophie Thibault, Canadian journalist
    • 1961 – Phil Vickery, English chef and author
    • 1962 – Elizabeth Berridge, American actress
    • 1962 – Michael Grandage, English director and producer
    • 1962 – Jimmy White, English snooker player
    • 1965 – Félix José, Dominican-American baseball player
    • 1966 – Uwe Freiler, German footballer
    • 1966 – Margus Kolga, Estonian diplomat
    • 1966 – Belinda Stronach, Canadian businesswoman, philanthropist, and politician
    • 1967 – Bengt Åkerblom, Swedish ice hockey player (d. 1995)
    • 1967 – Mika Brzezinski, American journalist and author
    • 1967 – David Rocastle, English footballer (d. 2001)
    • 1968 – Jeff Agoos, Swiss-American soccer player, manager, and sportscaster
    • 1968 – Julia Hartley-Brewer, English broadcaster and columnist
    • 1968 – Ziana Zain, Malaysian singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1969 – Brian Lara, Trinidadian cricketer
    • 1970 – Marco Walker, Swiss footballer and coach
    • 1971 – Musashimaru Kōyō, Samoan-American sumo wrestler, the 67th Yokozuna
    • 1971 – Fatima Yusuf, Nigerian sprinter
    • 1972 – Paul Adcock, English footballer
    • 1972 – Ahti Heinla, Estonian programmer and businessman, co-developed Skype
    • 1972 – Dwayne Johnson, American-Canadian wrestler, actor, and producer
    • 1973 – Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, German director and screenwriter
    • 1974 – Horacio Carbonari, Argentinian footballer and manager
    • 1974 – Andy Johnson, English-Welsh footballer
    • 1974 – Janek Meet, Estonian footballer
    • 1975 – David Beckham, English footballer, coach, and model
    • 1975 – Joe Wilkinson, English comedian, actor and writer
    • 1976 – Jeff Gutt, American singer-songwriter
    • 1977 – Brian Cardinal, American basketball player
    • 1977 – Jan Fitschen, German runner
    • 1977 – Luke Hudson, American baseball player
    • 1977 – Fredrik Malm, Swedish journalist and politician
    • 1977 – Jenna von Oÿ, American actress and singer
    • 1977 – Kalle Palander, Finnish skier
    • 1978 – Melvin Ely, American basketball player
    • 1978 – Mike Weaver, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1979 – Jason Chimera, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1979 – Ioannis Kanotidis, Greek footballer
    • 1979 – Defne Joy Foster, Turkish-American actress, presenter and VJ (d. 2011)
    • 1980 – Tim Borowski, German footballer
    • 1980 – Pierre-Luc Gagnon, Canadian skateboarder
    • 1980 – Ellie Kemper, American actress, comedian and writer
    • 1980 – Zat Knight, English footballer
    • 1980 – Artūras Masiulis, Lithuanian basketball player
    • 1980 – Troy Murphy, American basketball player
    • 1980 – Lassaâd Ouertani, Tunisian footballer (d. 2013)
    • 1980 – Brad Richards, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1980 – Vincent Tong, Canadian actor, singer, voice actor and director
    • 1981 – Robert Buckley, American actor
    • 1981 – Chris Kirkland, English footballer
    • 1981 – Tiago Mendes, Portuguese footballer
    • 1981 – Matt Murray, English footballer
    • 1981 – Rina Satō, Japanese voice actress and singer
    • 1982 – Timothy Benjamin, Welsh sprinter
    • 1982 – Johan Botha, South African cricketer
    • 1983 – Alessandro Diamanti, Italian footballer
    • 1983 – Maynor Figueroa, Honduran footballer
    • 1983 – Tina Maze, Slovenian skier
    • 1983 – Daniel Sordo, Spanish race car driver
    • 1983 – Ove Vanebo, Norwegian politician
    • 1984 – Saulius Mikoliūnas, Lithuanian footballer
    • 1984 – Thabo Sefolosha, Swiss basketball player
    • 1985 – Lily Allen, English singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1985 – Kyle Busch, American race car driver
    • 1985 – Ashley Harkleroad, American tennis player
    • 1985 – Sarah Hughes, American figure skater
    • 1987 – Saara Aalto, Finnish singer and actress
    • 1987 – Nana Kitade, Japanese singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1987 – Pat McAfee, American football player
    • 1987 – Kris Russell, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1987 – Justin Young, English singer and songwriter
    • 1988 – Neftalí Feliz, Dominican baseball player
    • 1988 – Stephen Henderson, Irish footballer
    • 1989 – Jeanette Pohlen, American basketball player
    • 1990 – Kay Panabaker, American actress
    • 1990 – Paul George, American basketball player
    • 1991 – Jeong Jinwoon, South Korean actor and singer
    • 1992 – Sunmi, South Korean singer
    • 1992 – María Teresa Torró Flor, Spanish tennis player
    • 1993 – Owain Doull, Welsh track cyclist
    • 1993 – Isyana Sarasvati, Indonesian singer
    • 1993 – Huang Zitao, Chinese singer and rapper
    • 1996 – Cherprang Areekul, Thai singer
    • 1996 – Julian Brandt, German footballer
    • 1996 – Schuyler Bailar, American swimmer
    • 2015 – Princess Charlotte of Cambridge, British royal, and fourth in line to the British throne

    Deaths on May 2

    • 373 – Athanasius of Alexandria, Egyptian bishop and saint (b. 298)
    • 649 – Marutha of Tikrit, Persian theologian of the Syriac Orthodox Church (b. 565)
    • 821 – Liu Zong, general of the Tang Dynasty
    • 907 – Boris I of Bulgaria
    • 1219 – Leo I, King of Armenia (b. 1150)
    • 1230 – William de Braose, English son of Reginald de Braose (b. 1197)
    • 1293 – Meir of Rothenburg, German rabbi (b. c.1215)
    • 1300 – Blanche of Artois (b. 1248)
    • 1450 – William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk, English admiral (b. 1396)
    • 1519 – Leonardo da Vinci, Italian painter, sculptor, and architect (b. 1452)
    • 1564 – Rodolfo Pio da Carpi, Italian cardinal (b. 1500)
    • 1627 – Lodovico Grossi da Viadana, Italian composer and educator (b. 1560)
    • 1667 – George Wither, English poet and author (b. 1588)
    • 1683 – Stjepan Gradić, Croatian philosopher and mathematician (b. 1613)
    • 1711 – Laurence Hyde, 1st Earl of Rochester, English politician, First Lord of the Treasury (b. 1641)
    • 1799 – Juan Vicente de Güemes, 2nd Count of Revillagigedo (b. 1740)
    • 1802 – Herman Willem Daendels, Dutch general and politician, Governor-General of the Dutch Gold Coast (b. 1762)
    • 1810 – Henry Jerome de Salis, English priest (b. 1740)
    • 1819 – Mary Moser, English painter and academic (b. 1744)
    • 1857 – Alfred de Musset, French dramatist, poet, and novelist (b. 1810)
    • 1864 – Giacomo Meyerbeer, German composer and educator (b. 1791)
    • 1880 – Eberhard Anheuser, German-American businessman, co-founded Anheuser-Busch (b. 1805)
    • 1880 – Tom Wills, Australian cricketer, co-created Australian rules football (b. 1835)
    • 1885 – Terézia Zakoucs, Hungarian-Slovene author (b. 1817)
    • 1915 – Clara Immerwahr, German chemist (b. 1870)
    • 1918 – Jüri Vilms, Estonian lawyer and politician (b. 1889)
    • 1925 – Antun Branko Šimić, Croatian and Bosnian-Herzegovinian poet (b. 1898)
    • 1927 – Ernest Starling, English physiologist and academic (b. 1866)
    • 1929 – Charalambos Tseroulis, Greek general and politician, Greek Minister for Military Affairs (b. 1879)
    • 1941 – Penelope Delta, Greek author (b. 1874)
    • 1945 – Martin Bormann, German politician (b. 1900)
    • 1945 – Joe Corbett, American baseball player and journalist (b. 1875)
    • 1947 – Dorothea Binz, German SS officer (b. 1920)
    • 1953 – Wallace Bryant, American archer (b. 1863)
    • 1957 – Joseph McCarthy, American captain, lawyer, judge, and politician (b. 1908)
    • 1963 – Ronald Barnes, 3rd Baron Gorell, English cricketer, peer, politician, poet, author and newspaper editor (b. 1884)
    • 1964 – Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor, American-English politician (b. 1879)
    • 1969 – Franz von Papen, German general and politician, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1879)
    • 1972 – J. Edgar Hoover, American 1st director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (b. 1895)
    • 1974 – James O. Richardson, American admiral (b. 1878)
    • 1977 – Nicholas Magallanes, American principal dancer and charter member of the New York City Ballet (b. 1922)
    • 1979 – Giulio Natta, Italian chemist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1903)
    • 1980 – Clarrie Grimmett, New Zealand-Australian cricketer (b. 1891)
    • 1980 – George Pal, Hungarian-American animator and producer (b. 1908)
    • 1983 – Norm Van Brocklin, American football player and coach (b. 1926)
    • 1984 – Jack Barry, American game show host and producer, co-founded Barry & Enright Productions (b. 1918)
    • 1984 – Bob Clampett, American animator, director, and producer (b. 1913)
    • 1985 – Attilio Bettega, Italian race car driver (b. 1951)
    • 1985 – Larry Clinton, American trumpet player and bandleader (b. 1909)
    • 1986 – Sergio Cresto, American race car driver (b. 1956)
    • 1986 – Henri Toivonen, Finnish race car driver (b. 1956)
    • 1989 – Veniamin Kaverin, Russian author (b. 1902)
    • 1989 – Giuseppe Siri, Italian cardinal (b. 1906)
    • 1990 – David Rappaport, English-American actor (b. 1951)
    • 1991 – Gauri Shankar Rai, Indian Politician(b.1924)
    • 1991 – Ronald McKie, Australian journalist and author (b. 1909)
    • 1992 – Wilbur Mills, American lawyer and politician (b. 1909)
    • 1993 – André Moynet, French race car driver, pilot, and politician (b. 1921)
    • 1994 – Dorothy Marie Donnelly, American poet and author (b. 1903)
    • 1995 – John Bunting, Australian public servant and diplomat, (b. 1918)
    • 1995 – Michael Hordern, English actor (b. 1911)
    • 1997 – John Eccles, Australian neurophysiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1903)
    • 1997 – Paulo Freire, Brazilian philosopher and academic (b. 1921)
    • 1998 – hide, Japanese singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1964)
    • 1998 – Justin Fashanu, English footballer (b. 1961)
    • 1998 – Gene Raymond, American actor (b. 1908)
    • 1998 – Lord Voldemort, English wizard and terrorist (b. 1926)
    • 1999 – Douglas Harkness, Canadian colonel and politician (b. 1903)
    • 1999 – Oliver Reed, English actor (b. 1938)
    • 2000 – Sundar Popo, Indo-Trinidadian musician (b. 1943)
    • 2002 – W. T. Tutte, English-Canadian mathematician and academic (b. 1917)
    • 2005 – Wee Kim Wee, Singaporean journalist and politician, 4th President of Singapore (b. 1915)
    • 2006 – Louis Rukeyser, American journalist and author (b. 1933)
    • 2007 – Brad McGann, New Zealand director and screenwriter (b. 1964)
    • 2008 – Beverlee McKinsey, American actress (b. 1940)
    • 2008 – Izold Pustõlnik, Ukrainian-Estonian astronomer and academic (b. 1938)
    • 2009 – Marilyn French, American author and academic (b. 1929)
    • 2009 – Kiyoshiro Imawano, Japanese singer-songwriter, producer, and actor (b. 1951)
    • 2009 – Jack Kemp, American football player and politician, 9th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (b. 1935)
    • 2010 – Lynn Redgrave, English-American actress and singer (b. 1943)
    • 2011 – Osama bin Laden, Saudi Arabian terrorist, founder of Al-Qaeda (b. 1957)
    • 2012 – Fernando Lopes, Portuguese director and screenwriter (b. 1935)
    • 2012 – Zenaida Manfugás, Cuban-born American-naturalized pianist (b. 1932)
    • 2012 – Tufan Miñnullin, Russian playwright and politician (b. 1936)
    • 2012 – Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih, Indonesian physician and politician, Indonesian Minister of Health (b. 1955)
    • 2012 – Akira Tonomura, Japanese physicist, author, and academic (b. 1942)
    • 2013 – Ernie Field, English boxer (b. 1943)
    • 2013 – Jeff Hanneman, American guitarist and songwriter (b. 1964)
    • 2013 – Joseph P. McFadden, American bishop (b. 1947)
    • 2013 – Dvora Omer, Israeli author and educator (b. 1932)
    • 2013 – Ivan Turina, Croatian footballer (b. 1980)
    • 2013 – Charles Banks Wilson, American painter and illustrator (b. 1918)
    • 2014 – Tomás Balduino, Brazilian bishop (b. 1922)
    • 2014 – Žarko Petan, Slovenian director, playwright, and screenwriter (b. 1929)
    • 2014 – Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., American actor (b. 1918)
    • 2015 – Stuart Archer, English colonel and architect (b. 1915)
    • 2015 – Michael Blake, American author and screenwriter (b. 1945)
    • 2015 – Guy Carawan, American singer and musicologist (b. 1927)
    • 2015 – Maya Plisetskaya, Russian-Lithuanian ballerina, choreographer, actress, and director (b. 1925)
    • 2015 – Ruth Rendell, English author (b. 1930)
    • 2016 – Afeni Shakur, American music businesswoman, activist, and Black Panther (b. 1947)
    • 2020 – Arif Wazir, Pakistani politician, leader of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (b. 1982)

    Holidays and observances on May 2

    • Christian feast day:
      • Athanasius of Alexandria (Western Christianity)
      • Boris I of Bulgaria (Bulgarian Orthodox Church)
      • Germanus of Normandy
      • May 2 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • International Harry Potter Day
    • The last day of the Festival of Ridván (Bahá’í Faith) (Note that this date is non-Gregorian and may change according to the March equinox, see List of observances set by the Baháʼí calendar)
    • Anniversary of the Dos de Mayo Uprising (Community of Madrid, Spain)
    • Birth Anniversary of Third Druk Gyalpo (Bhutan)
    • Flag Day (Poland)
    • Indonesia National Education Day
    • Teachers’ Day (Iran) (Note that this date is non-Gregorian and may change according to the March Equinox, see List of observances set by the Solar Hijri calendar)
  • April 29 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 1091 – Battle of Levounion: The Pechenegs are defeated by Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos.
    • 1386 – Battle of the Vikhra River: The Principality of Smolensk is defeated by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and becomes its vassal.
    • 1429 – Joan of Arc arrives to relieve the Siege of Orléans.
    • 1483 – Gran Canaria, the main island of the Canary Islands, is conquered by the Kingdom of Castile.
    • 1521 – Swedish War of Liberation: Swedish troops defeat a Danish force in the Battle of Västerås.
    • 1770 – James Cook arrives in Australia at Botany Bay, which he names.
    • 1781 – American Revolutionary War: British and French ships clash in the Battle of Fort Royal off the coast of Martinique.
    • 1861 – American Civil War: Maryland’s House of Delegates votes not to secede from the Union.
    • 1862 – American Civil War: The Capture of New Orleans by Union forces under David Farragut.
    • 1864 – Theta Xi fraternity is founded at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the only fraternity to be founded during the American Civil War.
    • 1903 – A landslide kills 70 people in Frank, in the District of Alberta, Canada.
    • 1910 – The Parliament of the United Kingdom passes the People’s Budget, the first budget in British history with the expressed intent of redistributing wealth among the British public.
    • 1911 – Tsinghua University, one of mainland China’s leading universities, is founded.
    • 1916 – World War I: The UK’s 6th Indian Division surrenders to Ottoman Forces at the Siege of Kut in one of the largest surrenders of British forces up to that point.
    • 1916 – Easter Rising: After six days of fighting, Irish rebel leaders surrender to British forces in Dublin, bringing the Easter Rising to an end.
    • 1944 – World War II: British agent Nancy Wake, a leading figure in the French Resistance and the Gestapo’s most wanted person, parachutes back into France to be a liaison between London and the local maquis group.
    • 1945 – World War II: The Surrender of Caserta is signed by the commander of German forces in Italy.
    • 1945 – World War II: Airdrops of food begin over German-occupied regions of the Netherlands.
    • 1945 – World War II: The Captain-class frigate HMS Goodall (K479) is torpedoed by U-286 outside the Kola Inlet becoming the last Royal Navy ship to be sunk in the European theatre of World War II.
    • 1945 – World War II: Führerbunker: Adolf Hitler marries his longtime partner Eva Braun in a Berlin bunker and designates Admiral Karl Dönitz as his successor; Hitler and Braun both commit suicide the following day.
    • 1945 – Dachau concentration camp is liberated by United States troops.
    • 1945 – The Italian commune of Fornovo di Taro is liberated from German forces by Brazilian forces.
    • 1946 – The International Military Tribunal for the Far East convenes and indicts former Prime Minister of Japan Hideki Tojo and 28 former Japanese leaders for war crimes.
    • 1951 – Tibetan delegates to the Central People’s Government arrive in Beijing and draft a Seventeen Point Agreement for Chinese sovereignty and Tibetan autonomy.
    • 1953 – The first U.S. experimental 3D television broadcast showed an episode of Space Patrol on Los Angeles ABC affiliate KECA-TV.
    • 1965 – Pakistan’s Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) successfully launches its seventh rocket in its Rehber series.
    • 1967 – After refusing induction into the United States Army the previous day, Muhammad Ali is stripped of his boxing title.
    • 1968 – The controversial musical Hair, a product of the hippie counter-culture and sexual revolution of the 1960s, opens at the Biltmore Theatre on Broadway, with some of its songs becoming anthems of the anti-Vietnam War movement.
    • 1970 – Vietnam War: United States and South Vietnamese forces invade Cambodia to hunt Viet Cong.
    • 1974 – Watergate scandal: United States President Richard Nixon announces the release of edited transcripts of White House tape recordings relating to the scandal.
    • 1975 – Vietnam War: Operation Frequent Wind: The U.S. begins to evacuate U.S. citizens from Saigon before an expected North Vietnamese takeover. U.S. involvement in the war comes to an end.
    • 1975 – Vietnam War: The North Vietnamese army completes its capture of all parts of South Vietnamese-held Trường Sa Islands.
    • 1986 – A fire at the Central library of the City of Los Angeles Public Library damages or destroys 400,000 books and other items.
    • 1986 – Chernobyl disaster: American and European spy satellites capture the ruins of the 4th Reactor at the Chernobyl Power Plant.
    • 1991 – A cyclone strikes the Chittagong district of southeastern Bangladesh with winds of around 155 miles per hour (249 km/h), killing at least 138,000 people and leaving as many as ten million homeless.
    • 1991 – The 7.0 Mw  Racha earthquake affects Georgia with a maximum MSK intensity of IX (Destructive), killing 270 people.
    • 1992 – Riots in Los Angeles, following the acquittal of police officers charged with excessive force in the beating of Rodney King. Over the next three days 63 people are killed and hundreds of buildings are destroyed.
    • 1997 – The Chemical Weapons Convention of 1993 enters into force, outlawing the production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons by its signatories.
    • 2011 – The Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton takes place at Westminster Abbey in London.
    • 2013 – A powerful explosion occurs in an office building in Prague, believed to have been caused by natural gas, injures 43 people.
    • 2013 – National Airlines Flight 102, a Boeing 747-400 freighter aircraft, crashes during takeoff from Bagram Airfield in Parwan Province, Afghanistan, killing seven people.
    • 2015 – A baseball game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Chicago White Sox sets the all-time low attendance mark for Major League Baseball. Zero fans were in attendance for the game, as the stadium was officially closed to the public due to the 2015 Baltimore protests.

    Births on April 29

    • 912 – Minamoto no Mitsunaka, Japanese samurai (d. 997)
    • 1469 – William II, Landgrave of Hesse (d. 1509)
    • 1587 – Sophie of Saxony, Duchess of Pomerania (d. 1635)
    • 1636 – Esaias Reusner, German lute player and composer (d. 1679)
    • 1665 – James Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde, Irish general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (d. 1745)
    • 1667 – John Arbuthnot, Scottish-English physician and polymath (d. 1735)
    • 1686 – Peregrine Bertie, 2nd Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven, English politician, Lord Great Chamberlain (d. 1742)
    • 1727 – Jean-Georges Noverre, French actor and dancer (d. 1810)
    • 1745 – Oliver Ellsworth, American lawyer and politician, 3rd Chief Justice of the United States (d. 1807)
    • 1758 – Georg Carl von Döbeln, Swedish general (d. 1820)
    • 1762 – Jean-Baptiste Jourdan, French general and politician, French Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 1833)
    • 1780 – Charles Nodier, French librarian and author (d. 1844)
    • 1783 – David Cox, English landscape painter (d. 1859)
    • 1784 – Samuel Turell Armstrong, American publisher and politician, 14th Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1850)
    • 1810 – Thomas Adolphus Trollope, English journalist and author (d. 1892)
    • 1814 – Sadok Barącz, Galician religious leader, historian, folklorist, archivist (d. 1892)
    • 1818 – Alexander II of Russia (d. 1881)
    • 1837 – Georges Ernest Boulanger, French general and politician, French Minister of War (d. 1891)
    • 1842 – Carl Millöcker, Austrian composer and conductor (d. 1899)
    • 1847 – Joachim Andersen, Danish flautist, composer, conductor, and co-founder of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (d. 1907)
    • 1848 – Raja Ravi Varma, Indian painter and academic (d. 1906)
    • 1854 – Henri Poincaré, French mathematician, physicist, and engineer (d. 1912)
    • 1858 – Georgia Hopley, American journalist, temperance advocate, and the first woman prohibition agent (d. 1944)
    • 1863 – Constantine P. Cavafy, Egyptian-Greek journalist and poet (d. 1933)
    • 1863 – William Randolph Hearst, American publisher and politician, founded the Hearst Corporation (d. 1951)
    • 1863 – Maria Teresia Ledóchowska, Austrian nun and missionary (d. 1922)
    • 1872 – Harry Payne Whitney, American businessman and lawyer (d. 1930)
    • 1872 – Forest Ray Moulton, American astronomer and academic (d. 1952)
    • 1875 – Rafael Sabatini, Italian-English novelist and short story writer (d. 1950)
    • 1878 – Friedrich Adler, Jewish-German academic, artist and designer (d.1945)
    • 1879 – Thomas Beecham, English conductor (d. 1961, March 8)
    • 1880 – Fethi Okyar, Turkish military officer, diplomat and politician (d. 1943)
    • 1882 – Auguste Herbin, French painter (d. 1960)
    • 1882 – Hendrik Nicolaas Werkman, Dutch printer, typographer, and Nazi resister (d. 1945)
    • 1891 – Bharathidasan, Indian poet and activist (d. 1964)
    • 1894 – Marietta Blau, Austrian physicist and academic (d. 1970)
    • 1885 – Egon Erwin Kisch, Czech journalist and author (d. 1948)
    • 1887 – Raymond Thorne, American swimmer (d. 1921)
    • 1893 – Harold Urey, American chemist and astronomer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1981)
    • 1895 – Vladimir Propp, Russian scholar and critic (d. 1970)
    • 1895 – Malcolm Sargent, English organist, composer, and conductor (d. 1967)
    • 1899 – Duke Ellington, American pianist, composer, and bandleader (d. 1974)
    • 1899 – Mary Petty, American illustrator (d. 1976)
    • 1900 – Concha de Albornoz, Spanish feminist and intellectual, exiled during the Spanish Civil War (d. 1972)
    • 1900 – Amelia Best, Australian politician, one of the first women elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly (d. 1979)
    • 1901 – Hirohito, Japanese emperor (d. 1989)
    • 1907 – Fred Zinnemann, Austrian-American director and producer (d. 1997)
    • 1908 – Jack Williamson, American author and academic (d. 2006)
    • 1909 – Tom Ewell, American actor (d. 1994)
    • 1912 – Richard Carlson, American actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1977)
    • 1915 – Henry H. Barschall, German-American physicist and academic (d. 1997)
    • 1917 – Maya Deren, Ukrainian-American director, poet, and photographer (d. 1961)
    • 1917 – Celeste Holm, American actress and singer (d. 2012)
    • 1918 – George Allen, American football player and coach (d. 1990)
    • 1919 – Gérard Oury, French actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2006)
    • 1920 – Edward Blishen, English author and radio host (d. 1996)
    • 1920 – Harold Shapero, American composer (d. 2013)
    • 1922 – Helmut Krackowizer, Austrian motorcycle racer and journalist (d. 2001)
    • 1922 – Toots Thielemans, Belgian guitarist and harmonica player (d. 2016)
    • 1923 – Irvin Kershner, American actor, director, and producer (d. 2010)
    • 1924 – Al Balding, Canadian golfer (d. 2006)
    • 1924 – Zizi Jeanmaire, French ballerina and actress
    • 1925 – John Compton, Saint Lucian lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Saint Lucia (d. 2007)
    • 1925 – Iwao Takamoto, American animator, director, and producer (d. 2007)
    • 1926 – Elmer Kelton, American journalist and author (d. 2009)
    • 1927 – Dorothy Manley, English sprinter
    • 1927 – Bill Slater, English footballer (d. 2018)
    • 1928 – Carl Gardner, American singer (d. 2011)
    • 1928 – Heinz Wolff, German-English physiologist, engineer, and academic (d. 2017)
    • 1929 – Walter Kempowski, German author and academic (d. 2007)
    • 1929 – Mickey McDermott, American baseball player and coach (d. 2003)
    • 1929 – Peter Sculthorpe, Australian composer and conductor (d. 2014)
    • 1929 – Maurice Strong, Canadian businessman and diplomat (d. 2015)
    • 1929 – Jeremy Thorpe, English lawyer and politician (d. 2014)
    • 1930 – Jean Rochefort, French actor and director (d. 2017)
    • 1931 – Frank Auerbach, British-German painter
    • 1931 – Lonnie Donegan, Scottish-English singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2002)
    • 1931 – Chris Pearson, Canadian politician, 1st Premier of Yukon (d. 2014)
    • 1932 – Joy Clements, American soprano and actress (d. 2005)
    • 1932 – David Tindle, English painter and educator
    • 1933 – Ed Charles, American baseball player and coach (d. 2018)
    • 1933 – Mark Eyskens, Belgian economist and politician, 61st Prime Minister of Belgium
    • 1933 – Rod McKuen, American singer-songwriter and poet (d. 2015)
    • 1933 – Willie Nelson, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor
    • 1934 – Luis Aparicio, Venezuelan-American baseball player
    • 1934 – Peter de la Billière, English general
    • 1934 – Erika Fisch, German sprinter and hurdler
    • 1934 – Pedro Pires, Cape Verdean politician, 3rd President of Cape Verde
    • 1935 – Otis Rush, American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2018)
    • 1936 – Zubin Mehta, Indian bassist and conductor
    • 1936 – Adolfo Nicolás, Spanish priest, 13th Superior General of the Society of Jesus
    • 1936 – Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild, English banker and philanthropist
    • 1936 – April Stevens, American pop singer
    • 1937 – Arvo Mets, Estonian-Russian poet and translator (d. 1997)
    • 1937 – Jill Paton Walsh, English author
    • 1938 – Bernard Madoff, American businessman, financier and convicted felon
    • 1938 – Klaus Voormann, German artist, bass player, and producer
    • 1940 – Stephanos of Tallinn, Estonian metropolitan
    • 1940 – Brian Taber, Australian cricketer
    • 1941 – Jonah Barrington, English-Irish squash player
    • 1941 – Dorothy Edgington, British philosopher
    • 1941 – Hanne Darboven, German painter (d. 2009)
    • 1942 – Lynda Chalker, Baroness Chalker of Wallasey, English politician, Minister of State for Europe
    • 1942 – Rennie Fritchie, Baroness Fritchie, English civil servant and academic
    • 1942 – Galina Kulakova, Russian skier
    • 1943 – Duane Allen, American country singer
    • 1943 – Brenda Dean, Baroness Dean of Thornton-le-Fylde, English union leader and politician (d. 2018)
    • 1943 – Ruth Deech, Baroness Deech, English lawyer and academic
    • 1944 – Francis Lee, English footballer and businessman
    • 1945 – Brian Charlesworth, English biologist, geneticist, and academic
    • 1945 – Hugh Hopper, English bass guitarist (d. 2009)
    • 1945 – Catherine Lara, French singer-songwriter and violinist
    • 1945 – Tammi Terrell, American soul singer-songwriter (d. 1970)
    • 1946 – Aleksander Wolszczan, Polish astronomer
    • 1947 – Serge Bernier, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1947 – Tommy James, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1947 – Johnny Miller, American golfer and sportscaster
    • 1947 – Jim Ryun, American runner and politician
    • 1948 – Bruce Cutler, American lawyer
    • 1950 – Paul Holmes, New Zealand journalist (d. 2013)
    • 1950 – Phillip Noyce, Australian director and producer
    • 1950 – Debbie Stabenow, American social worker and politician
    • 1951 – Rick Burleson, American baseball player
    • 1951 – Dale Earnhardt, American race car driver (d. 2001)
    • 1951 – John Holmes, English diplomat, British Ambassador to France
    • 1952 – Nora Dunn, American actress and comedian
    • 1952 – David Icke, English footballer and sportscaster
    • 1952 – Bob McClure, American baseball player and coach
    • 1952 – Rob Nicholson, Canadian lawyer and politician, 11th Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs
    • 1952 – Ron Washington, American baseball player and manager
    • 1954 – Jake Burton Carpenter, American snowboarder and businessman, founded Burton Snowboards
    • 1954 – Jerry Seinfeld, American comedian, actor, and producer
    • 1955 – Don McKinnon, Australian rugby league player
    • 1955 – Kate Mulgrew, American actress
    • 1956 – Karen Barad, American physicist and philosopher
    • 1957 – Daniel Day-Lewis, British-Irish actor
    • 1957 – Mark Kendall, American guitarist and songwriter
    • 1958 – Michelle Pfeiffer, American actress
    • 1958 – Eve Plumb, American actress
    • 1958 – Gary Cohen, American baseball play-by-play announcer
    • 1958 – Kevin Moore, English footballer (d. 2013)
    • 1960 – Bill Glasson, American golfer
    • 1960 – Robert J. Sawyer, Canadian author and academic
    • 1962 – Bruce Driver, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1962 – Rob Druppers, Dutch runner
    • 1962 – Stephan Burger, German Catholic archbishop
    • 1963 – Mike Babcock, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1964 – Federico Castelluccio, Italian-American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1964 – Radek Jaroš, Czech mountaineer and author
    • 1965 – Michel Bussi, French geographer, author, and academic
    • 1965 – Peter Rauhofer, Austrian-American disc jockey and producer (d. 2013)
    • 1965 – Larisa Turchinskaya, Russian-Australian heptathlete and coach
    • 1965 – Brendon Tuuta, New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1966 – Christian Tetzlaff, German violinist
    • 1966 – Phil Tufnell, English cricketer and radio host
    • 1967 – Marcel Albers, Dutch race car driver (d. 1992)
    • 1967 – Curtis Joseph, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1968 – Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, 4th President of Croatia
    • 1968 – Carnie Wilson, American singer-songwriter
    • 1969 – Jack Mackenroth, American swimmer, model, and fashion designer
    • 1970 – Andre Agassi, American tennis player
    • 1970 – Uma Thurman, American actress
    • 1972 – Dustin McDaniel, American lawyer and politician, 55th Arkansas Attorney General
    • 1974 – Jasper Wood, Canadian violinist and educator
    • 1974 – Anggun, Diva Indonesia
    • 1975 – Rafael Betancourt, Venezuelan baseball player
    • 1975 – Artem Yashkin, Ukrainian footballer
    • 1976 – Fabio Liverani, Italian footballer and manager
    • 1976 – Chiyotaikai Ryūji, Japanese sumo wrestler
    • 1977 – Zuzana Hejdová, Czech tennis player
    • 1977 – Claus Jensen, Danish international footballer and manager
    • 1977 – Titus O’Neil, American football player and wrestler
    • 1977 – Attila Zsivoczky, Hungarian decathlete and high jumper
    • 1978 – Tony Armas, Jr., Venezuelan baseball player
    • 1978 – Bob Bryan, American tennis player
    • 1978 – Mike Bryan, American tennis player
    • 1978 – Javier Colon, American singer-songwriter and musician
    • 1978 – Craig Gower, Australian rugby player
    • 1978 – Tyler Labine, Canadian actor and comedian
    • 1979 – Lee Dong-gook, South Korean footballer
    • 1979 – Ryan Sharp, Scottish race car driver and manager
    • 1980 – Mathieu Biron, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1980 – Kelly Shoppach, American baseball player
    • 1981 – Lisa Allen, English chef
    • 1981 – George McCartney, Northern Irish footballer
    • 1981 – Émilie Mondor, Canadian runner (d. 2006)
    • 1983 – Jay Cutler, American football player
    • 1983 – Tommie Harris, American football player
    • 1983 – David Lee, American basketball player
    • 1984 – Kirby Cote, Canadian swimmer
    • 1984 – Paulius Jankūnas, Lithuanian basketball player
    • 1984 – Lina Krasnoroutskaya, Russian tennis player
    • 1984 – Vassilis Xanthopoulos, Greek basketball player
    • 1985 – Jean-François Jacques, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1986 – Byun Yo-han, South Korean actor
    • 1986 – Lee Chae-young, South Korean actress
    • 1986 – Viljar Veski, Estonian basketball player
    • 1986 – Sisa Waqa, Fijian rugby league player
    • 1986 – Monique Alfradique, Brazilian actress
    • 1987 – Knut Børsheim, Norwegian golfer
    • 1987 – Sara Errani, Italian tennis player
    • 1988 – Elías Hernández, Mexican footballer
    • 1988 – Alfred Hui, Hong Kong singer
    • 1988 – Jovan Leacock, American football player
    • 1988 – Taoufik Makhloufi, Algerian athlete
    • 1988 – Jonathan Toews, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1988 – Younha, South Korean singer-songwriter and record producer
    • 1991 – Adam Smith, English footballer
    • 1991 – Jung Hye-sung, South Korean actress
    • 1992 – Emilio Orozco, American soccer player
    • 1992 – Alina Rosenberg, German Paralympic equestrian
    • 1994 – Christina Shakovets, German tennis player
    • 1995 – Victoria Sinitsina, Russian ice dancer
    • 1996 – Katherine Langford, Australian actress
    • 1998 – Kimberly Birrell, Australian tennis player
    • 2007 – Infanta Sofía of Spain, Spanish princess

    Deaths on April 29

    • 643 – Hou Junji, Chinese general and politician, Chancellor of the Tang dynasty
    • 926 – Burchard II, Duke of Swabia (b. 883)
    • 1380 – Catherine of Siena, Italian mystic, philosopher, and saint (b. 1347)
    • 1417 – Louis II of Anjou (b. 1377)
    • 1594 – Thomas Cooper, English bishop, lexicographer, and theologian (b. 1517)
    • 1630 – Agrippa d’Aubigné, French soldier and poet (b. 1552)
    • 1658 – John Cleveland, English poet and author (b. 1613)
    • 1676 – Michiel de Ruyter, Dutch admiral (b. 1607)
    • 1688 – Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg (b. 1620)
    • 1698 – Charles Cornwallis, 3rd Baron Cornwallis, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Suffolk (b. 1655)
    • 1707 – George Farquhar, Irish-English actor and playwright (b. 1678)
    • 1743 – Charles-Irénée Castel de Saint-Pierre, French theorist and author (b. 1658)
    • 1768 – Georg Brandt, Swedish chemist and mineralogist (b. 1694)
    • 1771 – Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli, French-Italian architect, designed Winter Palace and Catherine Palace (b. 1700)
    • 1776 – Edward Wortley Montagu, English explorer and author (b. 1713)
    • 1793 – John Michell, English geologist and astronomer (b. 1724)
    • 1798 – Nikolaus Poda von Neuhaus, Austrian entomologist and author (b. 1723)
    • 1833 – William Babington, Anglo-Irish physician and mineralogist (b. 1756)
    • 1854 – Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey, English field marshal and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (b. 1768)
    • 1903 – Paul Du Chaillu, French-American anthropologist and zoologist (b. 1835)
    • 1905 – Ignacio Cervantes, Cuban pianist and composer (b. 1847)
    • 1916 – Jørgen Pedersen Gram, Danish mathematician and academic (b. 1850)
    • 1920 – William H. Seward Jr., American general and banker (b. 1839)
    • 1921 – Arthur Mold, English cricketer (b. 1863)
    • 1933 – Constantine P. Cavafy, Greek poet and journalist (b. 1863)
    • 1937 – William Gillette, American actor and playwright (b. 1853)
    • 1944 – Bernardino Machado, Portuguese academic and politician, 3rd President of Portugal (b. 1851)
    • 1945 – Matthias Kleinheisterkamp, German SS officer (b. 1893)
    • 1947 – Irving Fisher, American economist and statistician (b. 1867)
    • 1951 – Ludwig Wittgenstein, Austrian-English philosopher and academic (b. 1889)
    • 1954 – Kathleen Clarice Groom, Australian-English author and screenwriter (b. 1872)
    • 1956 – Harold Bride, English soldier and operator (b. 1890)
    • 1956 – Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb, German field marshal (b. 1876)
    • 1959 – Kenneth Arthur Noel Anderson, India-born English soldier and Governor of Gibraltar (b. 1891)
    • 1964 – Rae Johnstone, Australian jockey (b. 1905)
    • 1966 – William Eccles, English physicist and engineer (b. 1875)
    • 1966 – Paula Strasberg, American actress, acting coach, and member of the Communist Party (b. 1909)
    • 1967 – J. B. Lenoir, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1929)
    • 1968 – Lin Zhao, Chinese dissident and Christian executed during the Cultural Revolution (b. 1932)
    • 1976 – Edvard Drabløs, Norwegian actor and director (b. 1883)
    • 1978 – Theo Helfrich, German race car driver (b. 1913)
    • 1979 – Muhsin Ertuğrul, Turkish actor and director (b. 1892)
    • 1979 – Hardie Gramatky, American author and illustrator (b. 1907)
    • 1980 – Alfred Hitchcock, English-American director and producer (b. 1899)
    • 1982 – Raymond Bussières, French actor, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1907)
    • 1992 – Mae Clarke, American actress (b. 1910)
    • 1993 – Michael Gordon, American actor and director (b. 1909)
    • 1993 – Mick Ronson, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer (b. 1946)
    • 1997 – Mike Royko, American journalist and author (b. 1932)
    • 1998 – Hal Laycoe, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1922)
    • 2000 – Phạm Văn Đồng, Vietnamese lieutenant and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Vietnam (b. 1906)
    • 2001 – Arthur B. C. Walker, Jr., American physicist and academic (b. 1936)
    • 2002 – Bob Akin, American race car driver and journalist (b. 1936)
    • 2003 – Janko Bobetko, Croatian Army general and Chief of the General Staff (b. 1919)
    • 2004 – Sid Smith, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1925)
    • 2005 – William J. Bell, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1927)
    • 2005 – Louis Leithold, American mathematician and academic (b. 1924)
    • 2006 – John Kenneth Galbraith, Canadian-American economist and diplomat, United States Ambassador to India (b. 1908)
    • 2007 – Milt Bocek, American baseball player and soldier (b. 1912)
    • 2007 – Josh Hancock, American baseball player (b. 1978)
    • 2007 – Dick Motz, New Zealand cricketer and rugby player (b. 1940)
    • 2007 – Ivica Račan, Croatian politician, 7th Prime Minister of Croatia (b. 1944)
    • 2008 – Chuck Daigh, American race car driver (b. 1923)
    • 2008 – Albert Hofmann, Swiss chemist and academic (b. 1906)
    • 2010 – Sandy Douglas, English computer scientist and academic, designed OXO (b. 1921)
    • 2011 – Siamak Pourzand, Iranian journalist and critic (b. 1931)
    • 2011 – Joanna Russ, American writer, academic and radical feminist (b. 1937)
    • 2012 – Shukri Ghanem, Libyan politician, Prime Minister of Libya (b. 1942)
    • 2012 – Joel Goldsmith, American composer and conductor (b. 1957)
    • 2012 – Roland Moreno. French engineer, invented the smart card (b. 1945)
    • 2012 – Kenny Roberts, American singer-songwriter (b. 1926)
    • 2013 – Alex Elisala, New Zealand-Australian rugby player (b. 1992)
    • 2013 – Pesah Grupper, Israeli politician, 13th Israel Minister of Agriculture (b. 1924)
    • 2013 – Parekura Horomia, New Zealand politician, 40th Minister of Māori Affairs (b. 1950)
    • 2013 – John La Montaine, American pianist and composer (b. 1920)
    • 2013 – Ernest Michael, American mathematician and scholar (b. 1925)
    • 2013 – Kevin Moore, English footballer (b. 1958)
    • 2013 – Marianna Zachariadi, Greek pole vaulter (b. 1990)
    • 2014 – Iveta Bartošová, Czech singer and actress (b. 1966)
    • 2014 – Al Feldstein, American author and illustrator (b. 1925)
    • 2014 – Bob Hoskins, English actor (b. 1942)
    • 2014 – Michael Kadosh, Israeli footballer and manager (b. 1940)
    • 2015 – François Michelin, French businessman (b. 1926)
    • 2015 – Jean Nidetch, American businesswoman, co-founded Weight Watchers (b. 1923)
    • 2015 – Calvin Peete, American golfer (b. 1943)
    • 2015 – Dan Walker, American lawyer and politician, 36th Governor of Illinois (b. 1922)
    • 2016 – Renato Corona, Filipino lawyer and jurist, 23rd Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines (b. 1948)
    • 2019 – Josef Šural, Czech footballer (b. 1990)
    • 2020 – Irrfan Khan, Indian film actor (b. 1967)

    Holidays and observances on April 29

    • Christian feast day:
      • Catherine of Siena (Catholic, Lutheran and Anglican Church)
      • Endelienta
      • Hugh of Cluny
      • Robert of Molesme
      • Torpes of Pisa
      • April 29 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare (United Nations)
    • International Dance Day (UNESCO)
    • Shōwa Day, traditionally the start of the Golden Week holiday period, which is April 29 and May 3–5. (Japan)
  • |

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

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

    Births on April 28

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

    Deaths on April 28

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

    Holidays and observances on April 28

    • Christian feast day:
      • Aphrodisius and companions
      • Gianna Beretta Molla
      • Kirill of Turov (Orthodox, added to Roman Martyrology in 1969)
      • Louis de Montfort
      • Pamphilus of Sulmona
      • Peter Chanel
      • Vitalis and Valeria of Milan
      • April 28 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Lawyers’ Day (Odisha, India)
    • Mujahideen Victory Day (Afghanistan)
    • National Heroes Day (Barbados)
    • Restoration of Sovereignty Day (Japan)
    • Sardinia Day (Sardinia)
    • Workers’ Memorial Day and World Day for Safety and Health at Work (international)
      • National Day of Mourning (Canada)
  • April 22 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

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

    Births on April 22

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

    Deaths on April 22

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

    Holidays and observances on April 22

    • Christian feast day:
      • Acepsimas of Hnaita and companions (Catholic Church)
      • Arwald
      • Epipodius and Alexander
      • Hudson Stuck (Episcopal Church)
      • John Muir (Episcopal Church)
      • Opportuna of Montreuil
      • Pope Caius
      • Pope Soter
      • St Senorina
      • April 22 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Discovery Day (Brazil)
    • Earth Day (International observance) and its related observance:
      • International Mother Earth Day
    • Holocaust Remembrance Day (Serbia)
    • From 2018 onwards, a national day of commemoration for the murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence (United Kingdom)
  • April 17 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 1080 – Harald III of Denmark dies and is succeeded by Canute IV, who would later be the first Dane to be canonized.
    • 1349 – The rule of the Bavand dynasty in Mazandaran is brought to an end by the murder of Hasan II.
    • 1362 – Kaunas Castle falls to the Teutonic Order after a month-long siege.
    • 1492 – Spain and Christopher Columbus sign the Capitulations of Santa Fe for his voyage to Asia to acquire spices.
    • 1521 – Trial of Martin Luther over his teachings begins during the assembly of the Diet of Worms. Initially intimidated, he asks for time to reflect before answering and is given a stay of one day.
    • 1524 – Giovanni da Verrazzano reaches New York harbor.
    • 1797 – Sir Ralph Abercromby attacks San Juan, Puerto Rico, in what would be one of the largest invasions of the Spanish territories in the Americas.
    • 1797 – Citizens of Verona begin an unsuccessful eight-day rebellion against the French occupying forces.
    • 1861 – The state of Virginia’s secession convention votes to secede from the United States, later becoming the eighth state to join the Confederate States of America.
    • 1863 – American Civil War: Grierson’s Raid begins: Troops under Union Army Colonel Benjamin Grierson attack central Mississippi.
    • 1864 – American Civil War: The Battle of Plymouth begins: Confederate forces attack Plymouth, North Carolina.
    • 1869 – Morelos is admitted as the 27th state of Mexico.
    • 1876 – Catalpa rescue: The rescue of six Fenian prisoners from Fremantle Prison in Western Australia.
    • 1895 – The Treaty of Shimonoseki between China and Japan is signed. This marks the end of the First Sino-Japanese War, and the defeated Qing Empire is forced to renounce its claims on Korea and to concede the southern portion of the Fengtien province, Taiwan and the Pescadores Islands to Japan.
    • 1905 – The Supreme Court of the United States decides Lochner v. New York, which holds that the “right to free contract” is implicit in the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
    • 1907 – The Ellis Island immigration center processes 11,747 people, more than on any other day.
    • 1912 – Russian troops open fire on striking goldfield workers in northeast Siberia, killing at least 150.
    • 1941 – World War II: The Kingdom of Yugoslavia surrenders to Germany.
    • 1942 – French prisoner of war General Henri Giraud escapes from his castle prison in Königstein Fortress.
    • 1944 – Forces of the Communist-controlled Greek People’s Liberation Army attack the smaller National and Social Liberation resistance group, which surrenders. Its leader Dimitrios Psarros is murdered.
    • 1945 – World War II: Montese, Italy, is liberated from Nazi forces.
    • 1946 – The last French troops are withdrawn from Syria.
    • 1951 – The Peak District becomes the United Kingdom’s first National Park.
    • 1961 – Bay of Pigs Invasion: A group of Cuban exiles financed and trained by the CIA lands at the Bay of Pigs in Cuba with the aim of ousting Fidel Castro.
    • 1969 – Sirhan Sirhan is convicted of assassinating Robert F. Kennedy.
    • 1969 – Communist Party of Czechoslovakia chairman Alexander Dubček is deposed.
    • 1970 – Apollo program: The ill-fated Apollo 13 spacecraft returns to Earth safely.
    • 1971 – The Provisional Government of Bangladesh is formed.
    • 1975 – The Cambodian Civil War ends. The Khmer Rouge captures the capital Phnom Penh and Cambodian government forces surrender.
    • 1978 – Mir Akbar Khyber is assassinated, provoking a communist coup d’état in Afghanistan.
    • 1982 – Constitution Act, 1982 Patriation of the Canadian constitution in Ottawa by Proclamation of Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada.
    • 1992 – The Katina P is deliberately run aground off of Maputo, Mozambique and 60,000 tons of crude oil spill into the ocean.
    • 2006 – A Palestinian suicide bomber detonates an explosive device in a Tel Aviv restaurant, killing 11 people and injuring 70.
    • 2013 – An explosion at a fertilizer plant in the city of West, Texas, kills 15 people and injures 160 others.
    • 2014 – NASA’s Kepler space telescope confirms the discovery of the first Earth-size planet in the habitable zone of another star.

    Births on April 17

    • 44 – Pope Evaristus (d. 107)
    • 1277 – Michael IX Palaiologos, Byzantine emperor (d. 1320)
    • 1455 – Andrea Gritti, Doge of Venice (d. 1538)
    • 1497 – Pedro de Valdivia, Spanish conquistador, conquered northern Chile (d. 1553)
    • 1573 – Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria (d. 1651)
    • 1586 – John Ford, English poet and playwright (d. 1639)
    • 1598 – Giovanni Battista Riccioli, Italian priest and astronomer (d. 1671)
    • 1620 – Marguerite Bourgeoys, French-Canadian nun and saint, founded the Congregation of Notre Dame of Montreal (d. 1700)
    • 1635 – Edward Stillingfleet, British theologian and scholar (d. 1699)
    • 1676 – Frederick I of Sweden (d. 1751)
    • 1683 – Johann David Heinichen, German composer and theorist (d. 1729)
    • 1710 – Henry Erskine, 10th Earl of Buchan, Scottish politician (d. 1767)
    • 1734 – Taksin, King of Thailand (d. 1782)
    • 1741 – Samuel Chase, American lawyer and jurist (d. 1811)
    • 1750 – François de Neufchâteau, French academic and politician, French Minister of the Interior (d. 1828)
    • 1756 – Dheeran Chinnamalai, Indian commander (d. 1805)
    • 1766 – Collin McKinney, American surveyor, merchant, and politician (d. 1861)
    • 1794 – Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius, German botanist and explorer (d. 1868)
    • 1798 – Étienne Bobillier, French mathematician and academic (d. 1840)
    • 1814 – Josif Pančić, Serbian botanist and academic (d. 1888)
    • 1816 – Thomas Hazlehurst, English architect and philanthropist (d. 1876)
    • 1820 – Alexander Cartwright, American firefighter and inventor of baseball (d. 1892)
    • 1833 – Jean-Baptiste Accolay, Belgian violinist, composer, and conductor (d. 1900)
    • 1837 – J. P. Morgan, American banker and financier, founded J.P. Morgan & Co. (d. 1913)
    • 1842 – Maurice Rouvier, French businessman and politician, 53rd Prime Minister of France (d. 1911)
    • 1849 – William R. Day, American jurist and politician, 36th United States Secretary of State (d. 1923)
    • 1852 – Cap Anson, American baseball player and manager (d. 1922)
    • 1863 – Augustus Edward Hough Love, English mathematician and theorist (d. 1940)
    • 1865 – Ursula Ledóchowska, Polish-Austrian nun and saint, founded the Congregation of the Ursulines of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus (d. 1939)
    • 1866 – Ernest Starling, English physiologist and academic (d. 1927)
    • 1875 – Aleksander Tõnisson, Estonian general and politician, 5th Estonian Minister of War (d. 1941)
    • 1877 – Matsudaira Tsuneo, Japanese diplomat (d. 1949)
    • 1878 – Emil Fuchs, German-American lawyer and businessman (d. 1961)
    • 1878 – Demetrios Petrokokkinos, Greek tennis player (d. 1942)
    • 1879 – Henri Tauzin, French hurdler (d. 1918)
    • 1882 – Artur Schnabel, Jewish-Polish pianist and composer (d. 1951)
    • 1888 – Herms Niel, German soldier, trombonist, and composer (d. 1954)
    • 1891 – George Adamski, Polish-American ufologist and author (d. 1965)
    • 1895 – Robert Dean Frisbie, American soldier and author (d. 1948)
    • 1896 – Señor Wences, Spanish-American ventriloquist (d. 1999)
    • 1897 – Nisargadatta Maharaj, Indian philosopher and educator (d. 1981)
    • 1897 – Thornton Wilder, American novelist and playwright (d. 1975)
    • 1897 – Edouard Wyss-Dunant, Swiss physician and mountaineer (d. 1983)
    • 1899 – Aleksander Klumberg, Estonian decathlete and coach (d. 1958)
    • 1903 – Nicolas Nabokov, Russian-American composer and educator (d. 1978)
    • 1903 – Gregor Piatigorsky, Ukrainian-American cellist and educator (d. 1976)
    • 1903 – Morgan Taylor, American hurdler and coach (d. 1975)
    • 1905 – Louis Jean Heydt, American journalist and actor (d. 1960)
    • 1905 – Arthur Lake, American actor (d. 1987)
    • 1906 – Sidney Garfield, American physician, co-founded Kaiser Permanente (d. 1984)
    • 1909 – Alain Poher, French politician, President of France (d. 1996)
    • 1910 – Evangelos Averoff, Greek historian and politician, Greek Minister of Defence (d. 1990)
    • 1910 – Ivan Goff, Australian screenwriter and producer (d. 1999)
    • 1910 – Helenio Herrera, French footballer and manager (d. 1997)
    • 1911 – Hervé Bazin, French author and poet (d. 1996)
    • 1911 – Lester Rodney, American soldier and journalist (d. 2009)
    • 1912 – Marta Eggerth, Jewish-Hungarian-American actress and singer (d. 2013)
    • 1914 – George Davis, American art director (d. 1984)
    • 1914 – Mac Raboy, American illustrator (d. 1967)
    • 1915 – Martin Clemens, Scottish soldier (d. 2009)
    • 1915 – Joe Foss, American general and politician, 20th Governor of South Dakota (d. 2003)
    • 1915 – Regina Ghazaryan, Armenian painter (d. 1999)
    • 1916 – Win Maung, 3rd President of Union of Myanmar (d. 1989)
    • 1916 – A. Thiagarajah, Sri Lankan educator and politician (d. 1981)
    • 1916 – Sirimavo Bandaranaike, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, world’s first female prime minister (d. 2000)
    • 1918 – William Holden, American actor (d. 1981)
    • 1919 – Gilles Lamontagne, Canadian lieutenant and politician, 24th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (d. 2016)
    • 1919 – Chavela Vargas, Costa Rican-Mexican singer-songwriter and actress (d. 2012)
    • 1920 – Edmonde Charles-Roux, French journalist and author (d. 2016)
    • 1923 – Lindsay Anderson, English actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1994)
    • 1923 – Solly Hemus, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 2017)
    • 1923 – Neville McNamara, Australian air marshal (d. 2014)
    • 1923 – Gianni Raimondi, Italian lyric tenor (d. 2008)
    • 1923 – Harry Reasoner, American soldier and journalist (d. 1991)
    • 1924 – Kenneth Norman Jones, Australian public servant
    • 1924 – Donald Richie, American-Japanese author and critic (d. 2013)
    • 1925 – René Moawad, Lebanese lawyer and politician, 13th President of Lebanon (d. 1989)
    • 1926 – Joan Lorring, British actress (d. 2014)
    • 1926 – Gerry McNeil, Canadian ice hockey player and manager (d. 2004)
    • 1927 – Margot Honecker, East German politician and First Lady (d. 2016)
    • 1928 – Victor Lownes, American businessman (d. 2017)
    • 1928 – Cynthia Ozick, American short story writer, novelist, and essayist
    • 1928 – Heinz Putzl, Austrian fencer
    • 1928 – Fabien Roy, Canadian accountant and politician
    • 1929 – James Last, German-American bassist, composer, and bandleader (d. 2015)
    • 1930 – Chris Barber, English trombonist and bandleader
    • 1931 – John Barrett, English tennis player and sportscaster
    • 1931 – Malcolm Browne, American journalist and photographer (d. 2012)
    • 1934 – Don Kirshner, American songwriter and producer (d. 2011)
    • 1934 – Peter Morris, Australian-English surgeon and academic
    • 1935 – Bud Paxson, American broadcaster, founded Home Shopping Network and Pax TV (d. 2015)
    • 1937 – Ronald Hamowy, Canadian historian and academic (d. 2012)
    • 1937 – Ferdinand Piëch, Austrian-German engineer and businessman (d. 2019)
    • 1938 – Ben Barnes, American businessman and politician, 36th Lieutenant Governor of Texas
    • 1938 – Doug Lewis, Canadian lawyer and politician, 41st Canadian Minister of Justice
    • 1938 – Ronald H. Miller, American theologian, author, and academic (d. 2011)
    • 1938 – Kerry Wendell Thornley, American theorist and author (d. 1988)
    • 1939 – Robert Miller, American art dealer (d. 2011)
    • 1940 – Eric Dancer, English businessman and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Devon
    • 1940 – Billy Fury, English singer-songwriter (d. 1983)
    • 1940 – John McCririck, English journalist (d. 2019)
    • 1940 – Chuck Menville, American animator and screenwriter (d. 1992)
    • 1940 – Anja Silja, German soprano and actress
    • 1940 – Agostino Vallini, Italian cardinal and vicar general of Rome
    • 1941 – Lagle Parek, Estonian architect and politician, Estonian Minister of the Interior
    • 1942 – Buster Williams, American jazz bassist
    • 1943 – Richard Allen Epstein, American lawyer, author, and academic
    • 1946 – Clare Francis, English sailor and author
    • 1947 – Nigel Emslie, Lord Emslie, Scottish lawyer and judge
    • 1947 – Richard Field, English lawyer and judge
    • 1947 – Sherrie Levine, American photographer
    • 1947 – Tsutomu Wakamatsu, Japanese baseball player, coach, and manager
    • 1948 – Jan Hammer, Czech pianist, composer, and producer
    • 1948 – Alice Harden, American educator and politician (d. 2012)
    • 1948 – Pekka Vasala, Finnish runner
    • 1951 – Olivia Hussey, Argentinian-English actress
    • 1951 – Börje Salming, Swedish ice hockey player and businessman
    • 1952 – Joe Alaskey, American voice actor (d. 2016)
    • 1952 – Pierre Guité, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1952 – John McColl, English general and politician, Lieutenant Governor of Jersey
    • 1952 – Željko Ražnatović, Serbian commander (d. 2000)
    • 1952 – John Robertson, Scottish businessman and politician
    • 1954 – Riccardo Patrese, Italian race car driver
    • 1954 – Roddy Piper, Canadian professional wrestler and actor (d. 2015)
    • 1954 – Michael Sembello, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1955 – Todd Lickliter, American basketball player and coach
    • 1955 – Pete Shelley, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2018)
    • 1955 – Mike Stroud, English physician and explorer
    • 1956 – Colin Tyre, Lord Tyre, Scottish lawyer and judge
    • 1957 – Teri Austin, Canadian actress
    • 1957 – Afrika Bambaataa, American disc jockey
    • 1957 – Nick Hornby, English novelist, essayist, lyricist, and screenwriter
    • 1957 – Julia Macur, English lawyer and judge
    • 1957 – Frank McDonough, British historian
    • 1958 – Laslo Babits, Canadian javelin thrower (d. 2013)
    • 1959 – Sean Bean, English actor
    • 1959 – Jimmy Mann, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1959 – Li Meisu, Chinese shot putter
    • 1960 – Vladimir Polyakov, Russian pole vaulter
    • 1961 – Frank J. Christensen, American labor union leader
    • 1961 – Norman Cowans, Jamaican-English cricketer
    • 1961 – Boomer Esiason, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1961 – Bella Freud, English fashion designer
    • 1962 – Paul Nicholls, English jockey and trainer
    • 1964 – Ken Daneyko, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
    • 1964 – Maynard James Keenan, American singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1964 – Rachel Notley, Canadian politician
    • 1964 – Lela Rochon, American actress
    • 1966 – Vikram, Indian actor and singer
    • 1967 – Kimberly Elise, American actress
    • 1967 – Marquis Grissom, American baseball player and coach
    • 1967 – Ian Jones, New Zealand rugby player
    • 1967 – Barnaby Joyce, Australian politician, 17th Deputy Prime Minister of Australia
    • 1967 – Liz Phair, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1968 – Julie Fagerholt, Danish fashion designer
    • 1968 – Phil Henderson, American basketball player and coach (d. 2013)
    • 1968 – Eric Lamaze, Canadian jockey
    • 1968 – Roger Twose, New Zealand cricketer
    • 1968 – Richie Woodhall, English boxer and trainer
    • 1970 – Redman, American rapper, producer, and actor
    • 1971 – Claire Sweeney, English actress
    • 1972 – Gary Bennett, American baseball player
    • 1972 – Tony Boselli, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1972 – Jennifer Garner, American actress
    • 1972 – Muttiah Muralitharan, Sri Lankan cricketer
    • 1972 – Yuichi Nishimura, Japanese footballer and referee
    • 1972 – Terran Sandwith, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1973 – Katrin Koov, Estonian architect
    • 1973 – Brett Maher, Australian basketball player and sportscaster
    • 1973 – Theo Ratliff, American basketball player
    • 1974 – Mikael Åkerfeldt, Swedish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1974 – Victoria Beckham, English singer and fashion designer
    • 1975 – Heidi Alexander, English politician
    • 1975 – Travis Roy, American ice hockey player
    • 1976 – Maurice Wignall, Jamaican hurdler and long jumper
    • 1977 – Chad Hedrick, American speed skater
    • 1977 – Frederik Magle, Danish composer, organist, and pianist
    • 1978 – Monika Bergmann-Schmuderer, German skier
    • 1978 – Lindsay Hartley, American actress
    • 1978 – Jason White, Scottish rugby player
    • 1979 – Eric Brewer, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1979 – Marija Šestak, Serbian-Slovenian triple jumper
    • 1980 – Fabián Vargas, Colombian footballer
    • 1980 – Curtis Woodhouse, English footballer, boxer, and manager
    • 1981 – Jenny Meadows, English runner
    • 1981 – Hanna Pakarinen, Finnish singer-songwriter
    • 1981 – Ryan Raburn, American baseball player
    • 1981 – Chris Thompson, English runner
    • 1981 – Zhang Yaokun, Chinese footballer
    • 1982 – Brad Boyes, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1982 – Chuck Kobasew, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1983 – Stanislav Chistov, Russian ice hockey player
    • 1983 – Roberto Jiménez, Peruvian footballer
    • 1983 – Andrea Marcato, Italian rugby player
    • 1984 – Pablo Sebastián Álvarez, Argentinian footballer
    • 1984 – Jed Lowrie, American baseball player
    • 1984 – Raffaele Palladino, Italian footballer
    • 1985 – Rooney Mara, American actress
    • 1985 – Luke Mitchell, Australian actor and model
    • 1985 – Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, French tennis player
    • 1986 – Romain Grosjean, French race car driver
    • 1988 – Takahiro Moriuchi, Japanese singer-songwriter
    • 1989 – Paraskevi Papachristou, Greek triple jumper
    • 1989 – Avi Kaplan, singer and songwriter
    • 1990 – Jonathan Brown, Welsh footballer
    • 1992 – Lachlan Maranta, Australian rugby league footballer
    • 1994 – Alanna Goldie, Canadian fencer
    • 1996 – Lorna Fitzgerald, British actress

    Deaths on April 17

    • 485 – Proclus, Greek mathematician and philosopher (b. 412)
    • 617 – Donnán of Eigg, Irish priest and saint
    • 648 – Xiao, empress of the Sui Dynasty
    • 744 – Al-Walid II, Umayyad caliph (b. 706)
    • 818 – Bernard of Italy, Frankish king (b. 797)
    • 858 – Benedict III, pope of the Catholic Church
    • 1071 – Manuel Komnenos, Byzantine military commander (b. c. 1045)
    • 1080 – Harald III of Denmark (b. 1041)
    • 1111 – Robert of Molesme, Christian saint and abbot (b. 1027)
    • 1298 – Árni Þorláksson, Icelandic bishop (b. 1237)
    • 1321 – Infanta Branca of Portugal, daughter of King Afonso III of Portugal (b. 1259)
    • 1331 – Robert de Vere, 6th Earl of Oxford, English nobleman (b. 1257)
    • 1344 – Constantine II, King of Armenia
    • 1355 – Marin Falier, Doge of Venice (b. 1285)
    • 1427 – John IV, Duke of Brabant (b. 1403)
    • 1539 – George, Duke of Saxony (b. 1471)
    • 1574 – Joachim Camerarius, German scholar and translator (b. 1500)
    • 1669 – Antonio Bertali, Italian violinist and composer (b. 1605)
    • 1680 – Kateri Tekakwitha, Mohawk-born Native American saint (b. 1656)
    • 1695 – Juana Inés de la Cruz, Mexican poet and scholar (b. 1651)
    • 1696 – Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, marquise de Sévigné, French author (b. 1626)
    • 1711 – Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1678)
    • 1713 – David Hollatz, Polish pastor and theologian (b. 1648)
    • 1764 – Johann Mattheson, German lexicographer and composer (b. 1681)
    • 1790 – Benjamin Franklin, American inventor, publisher, and politician, 6th President of Pennsylvania (b. 1706)
    • 1799 – Richard Jupp, English surveyor and architect (b. 1728)
    • 1840 – Hannah Webster Foster, American journalist and author (b. 1758)
    • 1843 – Samuel Morey, American engineer (b. 1762)
    • 1882 – George Jennings, English engineer and plumber, invented the Flush toilet (b. 1810)
    • 1888 – E. G. Squier, American archaeologist and journalist (b. 1821)
    • 1892 – Alexander Mackenzie, Scottish-Canadian journalist and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1822)
    • 1921 – Manwel Dimech, Maltese journalist, author, and philosopher (b. 1860)
    • 1923 – Laurence Ginnell, Irish lawyer and politician (b. 1852)
    • 1930 – Alexander Golovin, Russian painter and stage designer (b. 1863)
    • 1933 – Kote Marjanishvili, Georgian director and playwright (b. 1872)
    • 1936 – Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck, Dutch lawyer and politician, 28th Prime Minister of the Netherlands (b. 1873)
    • 1942 – Jean Baptiste Perrin, French-American physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1870)
    • 1944 – J. T. Hearne, English cricketer and coach (b. 1867)
    • 1944 – Dimitrios Psarros, Greek lieutenant, founded the National and Social Liberation (b. 1893)
    • 1946 – Juan Bautista Sacasa, Nicaraguan medical doctor, politician and 20th President of Nicaragua (b. 1874)
    • 1948 – Suzuki Kantarō, Japanese admiral and politician, 42nd Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1868)
    • 1954 – Lucrețiu Pătrășcanu, Romanian lawyer and politician, Romanian Minister of Justice (b. 1900)
    • 1960 – Eddie Cochran, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1938)
    • 1961 – Elda Anderson, American physicist and health researcher (b. 1899)
    • 1967 – Red Allen, American singer and trumpet player (b. 1908)
    • 1975 – Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Indian philosopher and politician, 2nd President of India (b. 1888)
    • 1976 – Henrik Dam, Danish biochemist and physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1895)
    • 1977 – William Conway, Irish cardinal (b. 1913)
    • 1983 – Felix Pappalardi, American singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer (b. 1939)
    • 1984 – Claude Provost, Canadian-American ice hockey player (b. 1933)
    • 1987 – Cecil Harmsworth King, English publisher (b. 1901)
    • 1987 – Dick Shawn, American actor (b. 1923)
    • 1988 – Louise Nevelson, Ukrainian-American sculptor and educator (b. 1900)
    • 1990 – Ralph Abernathy, American minister and activist (b. 1936)
    • 1993 – Turgut Özal, Turkish engineer and politician, 8th president of Turkey (b. 1927)
    • 1994 – Roger Wolcott Sperry, American psychologist and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1913)
    • 1995 – Frank E. Resnik, American sergeant and businessman (b. 1928)
    • 1996 – Piet Hein, Danish poet and mathematician (b. 1905)
    • 1997 – Chaim Herzog, Israeli general, lawyer, and politician, 6th President of Israel (b. 1918)
    • 1998 – Linda McCartney, American photographer, activist, and musician (b. 1941)
    • 2003 – Robert Atkins, American physician and cardiologist, created the Atkins diet (b. 1930)
    • 2003 – H. B. Bailey, American race car driver (b. 1936)
    • 2003 – John Paul Getty, Jr., American-English philanthropist (b. 1932)
    • 2003 – Earl King, American blues singer, guitarist and songwriter (b. 1934)
    • 2003 – Yiannis Latsis, Greek businessman (b. 1910)
    • 2004 – Edmond Pidoux, Swiss author and poet (b. 1908)
    • 2006 – Jean Bernard, French physician and haematologist (b. 1907)
    • 2006 – Scott Brazil, American director and producer (b. 1955)
    • 2006 – Henderson Forsythe, American actor (b. 1917)
    • 2007 – Kitty Carlisle, American actress, singer, socialite and game show panelist (b. 1910)
    • 2008 – Aimé Césaire, Caribbean-French poet and politician (b. 1913)
    • 2008 – Danny Federici, American organist and accordion player (b. 1950)
    • 2011 – Eric Gross, Austrian-Australian pianist and composer (b. 1926)
    • 2011 – Michael Sarrazin, Canadian actor (b. 1940)
    • 2011 – Robert Vickrey, American artist and author (b. 1926)
    • 2012 – Leila Berg, English journalist and author (b. 1917)
    • 2012 – J. Quinn Brisben, American educator and politician (b. 1934)
    • 2012 – Dimitris Mitropanos, Greek singer (b. 1948)
    • 2012 – Nityananda Mohapatra, Indian journalist, poet, and politician (b. 1912)
    • 2012 – Jonathan V. Plaut, American rabbi and author (b. 1942)
    • 2012 – Stanley Rogers Resor, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 9th United States Secretary of the Army (b. 1917)
    • 2013 – Carlos Graça, São Toméan politician, Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe (b. 1931)
    • 2013 – Bi Kidude, Tanzanian Taarab singer (b. ≈1910)
    • 2013 – Yngve Moe, Norwegian bass player and songwriter (b. 1957)
    • 2013 – V. S. Ramadevi, Indian politician, 13th Governor of Karnataka (b. 1934)
    • 2014 – Gabriel García Márquez, Colombian journalist and author, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1927)
    • 2014 – Bernat Klein, Serbian-Scottish fashion designer and painter (b. 1922)
    • 2014 – Wojciech Leśnikowski, Polish–American architect and academic (b. 1938)
    • 2014 – Karpal Singh, Malaysian lawyer and politician (b. 1940)
    • 2015 – Robert P. Griffin, American soldier, lawyer, and politician (b. 1923)
    • 2015 – Scotty Probasco, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1928)
    • 2015 – Jeremiah J. Rodell, American general (b. 1921)
    • 2015 – A. Alfred Taubman, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1924)
    • 2016 – Chyna, American wrestler (b. 1969)
    • 2016 – Doris Roberts, American actress (b. 1925)
    • 2018 – Barbara Bush, former First Lady of the United States (b. 1925)
    • 2018 – Carl Kasell, American radio personality (b. 1934)
    • 2019 – Alan García, Peruvian lawyer and politician, 61st and 64th President of Peru (b. 1949)

    Holidays and observances on April 17

    • Christian feast day:
      • Kateri Tekakwitha (Canada)
      • Stephen Harding
      • April 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Earliest day on which Store Bededag or General Prayer Day can fall, while May 13 is the latest; observed on the 4th Friday after Easter. (Denmark)
    • Evacuation Day (Syria), celebrates the recognition of the independence of Syria from France in 1946.
    • FAO Day (Iraq)
    • Flag Day (American Samoa)
    • Malbec World Day
    • Women’s Day (Gabon)
    • World Hemophilia Day
  • April 14 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 43 BC – Battle of Forum Gallorum: Mark Antony, besieging Caesar’s assassin Decimus Brutus in Mutina, defeats the forces of the consul Pansa, but is then immediately defeated by the army of the other consul, Aulus Hirtius.
    • AD 69 – Vitellius, commander of the Rhine armies, defeats Emperor Otho in the Battle of Bedriacum to take power over Rome.
    • AD 70 – Siege of Jerusalem: Titus, son of emperor Vespasian, surrounds the Jewish capital with four Roman legions.
    • 193 – Septimius Severus is proclaimed Roman emperor by the army in Illyricum (in the Balkans).
    • 966 – After his marriage to the Christian Doubravka of Bohemia, the pagan ruler of the Polans, Mieszko I, converts to Christianity, an event considered to be the founding of the Polish state.
    • 972 – Co-Emperor Otto II, a son of Otto I (the Great), marries the Byzantine princess Theophanu. She is crowned empress by Pope John XIII at Rome.
    • 1028 – Henry III, son of Conrad, is elected King of Germany.
    • 1205 – Battle of Adrianople between Bulgarians and Crusaders.
    • 1294 – Temür, grandson of Kublai, is elected Khagan of the Mongols and Emperor of the Yuan dynasty with the reigning titles Oljeitu and Chengzong.
    • 1341 – Sack of Saluzzo (Italy) by Italian-Angevine troops under Manfred V, Marquess of Saluzzo.
    • 1434 – The foundation stone of Nantes Cathedral, France is laid.
    • 1471 – In England, the Yorkists under Edward IV defeat the Lancastrians under the Earl of Warwick at the Battle of Barnet; the Earl is killed and Edward IV resumes the throne.
    • 1561 – A celestial phenomenon is reported over Nuremberg, described as an aerial battle.
    • 1639 – Imperial forces are defeated by the Swedes at the Battle of Chemnitz. The Swedish victory prolongs the Thirty Years’ War and allows them to advance into Bohemia.
    • 1699 – Khalsa: The Sikh religion was formalised as the Khalsa – the brotherhood of Warrior-Saints – by Guru Gobind Singh in northern India, in accordance with the Nanakshahi calendar.
    • 1775 – The first abolition society in North America is established. The Society for the Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage is organized in Philadelphia by Benjamin Franklin and Benjamin Rush.
    • 1816 – Bussa, a slave in British-ruled Barbados, leads a slave rebellion and is killed. For this, he is remembered as the first national hero of Barbados.
    • 1828 – Noah Webster copyrights the first edition of his dictionary.
    • 1849 – Hungary declares itself independent of Austria with Lajos Kossuth as its leader.
    • 1865 – U.S. President Abraham Lincoln is shot in Ford’s Theatre by John Wilkes Booth; Lincoln died the next day.
    • 1865 – U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward and his family are attacked at home by Lewis Powell.
    • 1881 – The Four Dead in Five Seconds Gunfight is fought in El Paso, Texas.
    • 1890 – The Pan-American Union is founded by the First International Conference of American States in Washington, D.C.
    • 1894 – The first ever commercial motion picture house opened in New York City using ten Kinetoscopes, a device for peep-show viewing of films.
    • 1900 – The Exposition Universelle begins.
    • 1902 – James Cash Penney opens his first store in Kemmerer, Wyoming.
    • 1906 – The Azusa Street Revival opens and will launch Pentecostalism as a worldwide movement.
    • 1908 – Hauser Dam, a steel dam on the Missouri River in Montana, U.S., fails, sending a surge of water 25 to 30 feet (7.6 to 9.1 m) high downstream.
    • 1909 – A massacre is organized by the Ottoman Empire against the Armenian population of Cilicia.
    • 1912 – The British passenger liner RMS Titanic hits an iceberg in the North Atlantic at 23:40 (sinks morning of April 15th).
    • 1927 – The first Volvo car premieres in Gothenburg, Sweden.
    • 1928 – The Bremen, a German Junkers W 33 type aircraft, reaches Greenly Island, Canada – the first successful transatlantic aeroplane flight from east to west.
    • 1931 – The Spanish Cortes deposes King Alfonso XIII and proclaims the Second Spanish Republic.
    • 1935 – The Black Sunday dust storm, considered one of the worst storms of the Dust Bowl, swept across the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles and neighboring areas.
    • 1939 – The Grapes of Wrath, by American author John Steinbeck is first published by the Viking Press.
    • 1940 – World War II: Royal Marines land in Namsos, Norway in preparation for a larger force to arrive two days later.
    • 1941 – World War II: German general Erwin Rommel attacks Tobruk.
    • 1944 – Bombay explosion: A massive explosion in Bombay harbor kills 300 and causes economic damage valued then at 20 million pounds.
    • 1945 – Razing of Friesoythe: The 4th Canadian (Armoured) Division deliberately destroyed the German town of Friesoythe on the orders of Major General Christopher Vokes.
    • 1958 – The Soviet satellite Sputnik 2 falls from orbit after a mission duration of 162 days. This was the first spacecraft to carry a living animal, a female dog named Laika, who likely lived only a few hours.
    • 1967 – Gnassingbé Eyadéma overthrows President of Togo Nicolas Grunitzky and installs himself as the new president, a title he would hold for the next 38 years.
    • 1978 – Tbilisi Demonstrations: Thousands of Georgians demonstrate against Soviet attempts to change the constitutional status of the Georgian language.
    • 1981 – STS-1: The first operational Space Shuttle, Columbia completes its first test flight.
    • 1986 – The heaviest hailstones ever recorded (1 kilogram (2.2 lb)) fall on the Gopalganj district of Bangladesh, killing 92.
    • 1988 – The USS Samuel B. Roberts strikes a mine in the Persian Gulf during Operation Earnest Will.
    • 1988 – In a United Nations ceremony in Geneva, Switzerland, the Soviet Union signs an agreement pledging to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan.
    • 1991 – The Republic of Georgia introduces the post of President after its declaration of independence from the Soviet Union.
    • 1994 – In a U.S. friendly fire incident during Operation Provide Comfort in northern Iraq, two United States Air Force aircraft mistakenly shoot-down two United States Army helicopters, killing 26 people.
    • 1999 – NATO mistakenly bombs a convoy of ethnic Albanian refugees. Yugoslav officials say 75 people were killed.
    • 1999 – A severe hailstorm strikes Sydney, Australia causing A$2.3 billion in insured damages, the most costly natural disaster in Australian history.
    • 2002 – Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez returns to office two days after being ousted and arrested by the country’s military.
    • 2003 – The Human Genome Project is completed with 99% of the human genome sequenced to an accuracy of 99.99%.
    • 2003 – U.S. troops in Baghdad capture Abu Abbas, leader of the Palestinian group that killed an American on the hijacked cruise liner the MS Achille Lauro in 1985.
    • 2005 – The Oregon Supreme Court nullifies marriage licenses issued to same-sex couples a year earlier by Multnomah County.
    • 2006 – Twin blasts triggered by crude bombs during Asr prayer in Jama Masjid, Delhi injure 13 people.
    • 2010 – Nearly 2,700 are killed in a magnitude 6.9 earthquake in the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture.
    • 2014 – Twin bomb blasts in Abuja, Nigeria, kill at least 75 people and injures 141 others.
    • 2014 – Two hundred seventy-six schoolgirls are abducted by Boko Haram in Chibok, Nigeria.
    • 2016 – In Japan, the foreshock of Kumamoto earthquakes occurs.

    Births on April 14

    • 1126 – Averroes, Spanish physician and philosopher (d. 1198)
    • 1204 – Henry I, king of Castile (d. 1217)
    • 1331 – Jeanne-Marie de Maille, French Roman Catholic saint (d. 1414)
    • 1527 – Abraham Ortelius, Flemish cartographer and geographer (d. 1598)
    • 1572 – Adam Tanner, Austrian mathematician, philosopher, and academic (d. 1632)
    • 1578 – Philip III of Spain (d. 1621)
    • 1629 – Christiaan Huygens, Dutch mathematician, astronomer, and physicist (d. 1695)
    • 1668 – Magnus Julius De la Gardie, Swedish general and politician (d. 1741)
    • 1678 – Abraham Darby I, English iron master (d. 1717)
    • 1709 – Charles Collé, French playwright and songwriter (d. 1783)
    • 1714 – Adam Gib, Scottish minister and author (d. 1788)
    • 1738 – William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1809)
    • 1741 – Emperor Momozono of Japan (d. 1762)
    • 1769 – Barthélemy Catherine Joubert, French general (d. 1799)
    • 1773 – Jean-Baptiste de Villèle, French politician, 6th Prime Minister of France (d. 1854)
    • 1788 – David G. Burnet, American politician, 2nd Vice-President of Texas (d. 1870)
    • 1800 – John Appold, English engineer (d. 1865)
    • 1812 – George Grey, Portuguese-New Zealand soldier, explorer, and politician, 11th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1898)
    • 1814 – Dimitri Kipiani, Georgian publicist and author (d. 1887)
    • 1819 – Harriett Ellen Grannis Arey, American educator, author, editor, and publisher (d. 1901)
    • 1827 – Augustus Pitt Rivers, English general, ethnologist, and archaeologist (d. 1900)
    • 1852 – Alexander Greenlaw Hamilton, Australian biologist (d. 1941)
    • 1854 – Martin Lipp, Estonian pastor and poet (d. 1923)
    • 1857 – Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom (d. 1944)
    • 1865 – Alfred Hoare Powell, English architect, and designer and painter of pottery (d. 1960)
    • 1866 – Anne Sullivan, American educator (d. 1936)
    • 1868 – Peter Behrens, German architect, designed the AEG turbine factory (d. 1940)
    • 1870 – Victor Borisov-Musatov, Russian painter and educator (d. 1905)
    • 1870 – Syd Gregory, Australian cricketer and coach (d. 1929)
    • 1872 – Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Indian-English scholar and translator (d. 1953)
    • 1876 – Cecil Chubb, English barrister and one time owner of Stonehenge (d. 1934)
    • 1881 – Husain Salaahuddin, Maldivian poet and scholar (d. 1948)
    • 1882 – Moritz Schlick, German-Austrian physicist and philosopher (d. 1936)
    • 1886 – Ernst Robert Curtius, German philologist and scholar (d. 1956)
    • 1886 – Árpád Tóth, Hungarian poet and translator (d. 1928)
    • 1889 – Arnold J. Toynbee, English historian and academic (d. 1975)
    • 1891 – B. R. Ambedkar, Indian economist, jurist, and politician, 1st Indian Minister of Law and Justice (d. 1956)
    • 1891 – Otto Lasanen, Finnish wrestler (d. 1958)
    • 1892 – Juan Belmonte, Spanish bullfighter (d. 1962)
    • 1892 – V. Gordon Childe, Australian archaeologist and philologist (d. 1957)
    • 1892 – Claire Windsor, American actress (d. 1972)
    • 1902 – Sylvio Mantha, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and referee (d. 1974)
    • 1903 – Henry Corbin, French philosopher and academic (d. 1978)
    • 1903 – Ruth Svedberg, Swedish discus thrower and triathlete (d. 2002)
    • 1904 – John Gielgud, English actor, director, and producer (d. 2000)
    • 1905 – Elizabeth Huckaby, American author and educator (d. 1999)
    • 1905 – Georg Lammers, German sprinter (d. 1987)
    • 1905 – Jean Pierre-Bloch, French author and activist (d. 1999)
    • 1906 – Faisal of Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabian king (d. 1975)
    • 1907 – François Duvalier, Haitian physician and politician, 40th President of Haiti (d. 1971)
    • 1912 – Robert Doisneau, French photographer and journalist (d. 1994)
    • 1912 – Georg Siimenson, Estonian footballer (d. 1978)
    • 1913 – Jean Fournet, French conductor (d. 2008)
    • 1916 – Don Willesee, Australian telegraphist and politician, 29th Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs (d. 2003)
    • 1917 – Valerie Hobson, English actress (d. 1998)
    • 1917 – Marvin Miller, American baseball executive (d. 2012)
    • 1918 – Mary Healy, American actress and singer (d. 2015)
    • 1919 – Shamshad Begum, Pakistani-Indian singer (d. 2013)
    • 1919 – K. Saraswathi Amma, Indian author and playwright (d. 1975)
    • 1920 – Ivor Forbes Guest, English lawyer, historian, and author (d. 2018)
    • 1921 – Thomas Schelling, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2016)
    • 1922 – Audrey Long, American actress (d. 2014)
    • 1923 – Roberto De Vicenzo, Argentinian golfer (d. 2017)
    • 1924 – Shorty Rogers, American trumpet player and composer (d. 1994)
    • 1924 – Joseph Ruskin, American actor and producer (d. 2013)
    • 1924 – Mary Warnock, Baroness Warnock, English philosopher, and academic (d. 2019)
    • 1925 – Abel Muzorewa, Zimbabwean minister and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Zimbabwe Rhodesia (d. 2010)
    • 1925 – Rod Steiger, American soldier and actor (d. 2002)
    • 1926 – Barbara Anderson, New Zealand author (d. 2013)
    • 1926 – Frank Daniel, Czech director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1996)
    • 1926 – Gloria Jean, American actress and singer (d. 2018)
    • 1926 – Liz Renay, American actress and author (d. 2007)
    • 1927 – Alan MacDiarmid, New Zealand chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2007)
    • 1927 – Dany Robin, French actress and singer (d. 1995)
    • 1929 – Gerry Anderson, English director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2012)
    • 1929 – Inez Andrews, African-American singer-songwriter (d. 2012)
    • 1930 – Martin Adolf Bormann, German priest and theologian (d. 2013)
    • 1930 – Arnold Burns, American lawyer and politician, 21st United States Deputy Attorney General (d. 2013)
    • 1930 – René Desmaison, French mountaineer (d. 2007)
    • 1930 – Bradford Dillman, American actor and author (d. 2018)
    • 1931 – Geoffrey Dalton, English admiral
    • 1931 – Paul Masnick, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1932 – Bill Bennett, Canadian lawyer and politician, 27th Premier of British Columbia (d. 2015)
    • 1932 – Atef Ebeid, Egyptian academic and politician, 47th Prime Minister of Egypt (d. 2014)
    • 1932 – Loretta Lynn, American singer-songwriter and musician
    • 1932 – Cameron Parker, Scottish businessman and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Renfrewshire
    • 1933 – Paddy Hopkirk, Northern Irish racing driver
    • 1933 – Boris Strugatsky, Russian author (d. 2012)
    • 1933 – Yuri Oganessian, Armenian-Russian nuclear physicist
    • 1934 – Fredric Jameson, American philosopher and theorist
    • 1935 – Susan Cunliffe-Lister, Baroness Masham of Ilton, English table tennis player, swimmer, and politician
    • 1935 – John Oliver, English bishop
    • 1935 – Erich von Däniken, Swiss historian and author
    • 1936 – Arlene Martel, American actress and singer (d. 2014)
    • 1936 – Bobby Nichols, American golfer
    • 1936 – Frank Serpico, American-Italian soldier, police officer and lecturer
    • 1937 – Efi Arazi, Israeli businessman, founded the Scailex Corporation (d. 2013)
    • 1937 – Sepp Mayerl, Austrian mountaineer (d. 2012)
    • 1938 – Mahmud Esad Coşan, Turkish author and academic (d. 2001)
    • 1940 – Julie Christie, English actress and activist
    • 1940 – David Hope, Baron Hope of Thornes, English archbishop and academic
    • 1940 – Richard Thompson, English physician and academic
    • 1941 – Pete Rose, American baseball player and manager
    • 1942 – Valeriy Brumel, Soviet high jumper (d. 2003)
    • 1942 – Valentin Lebedev, Russian engineer and astronaut
    • 1942 – Björn Rosengren, Swedish politician, Swedish Minister of Enterprise and Innovation
    • 1944 – John Sergeant, English journalist
    • 1945 – Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi, Samoan economist and politician, 8th Prime Minister of Samoa
    • 1945 – Ritchie Blackmore, English guitarist and songwriter
    • 1945 – Roger Frappier, Canadian producer, director and screenwriter
    • 1946 – Mireille Guiliano, French-American author
    • 1946 – Michael Sarris, Cypriot economist and politician, Cypriot Minister of Finance
    • 1946 – Knut Kristiansen, Norwegian pianist and orchestra leader
    • 1947 – Dominique Baudis, French journalist and politician (d. 2014)
    • 1947 – Bob Massie, Australian cricketer
    • 1948 – Berry Berenson, American model, actress, and photographer (d. 2001)
    • 1948 – Anastasios Papaligouras, Greek lawyer and politician, Greek Minister of Justice
    • 1949 – Dave Gibbons, English author and illustrator
    • 1949 – DeAnne Julius, American-British economist and academic
    • 1949 – Chris Langham, English actor and screenwriter
    • 1949 – Chas Mortimer, English motorcycle racer
    • 1949 – John Shea, American actor and director
    • 1950 – Francis Collins, American physician and geneticist
    • 1950 – Péter Esterházy, Hungarian author (d. 2016)
    • 1951 – Milija Aleksic, English footballer (d. 2012)
    • 1951 – José Eduardo González Navas, Spanish politician
    • 1951 – Julian Lloyd Webber, English cellist, conductor, and educator
    • 1951 – Elizabeth Symons, Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean, English politician
    • 1952 – Kenny Aaronson, American bass player
    • 1952 – Mickey O’Sullivan, Irish footballer and manager
    • 1952 – David Urquhart, Scottish bishop
    • 1954 – Sue Hill, English pathologist and civil servant
    • 1954 – Katsuhiro Otomo, Japanese director, screenwriter, and illustrator
    • 1956 – Boris Šprem, Croatian lawyer and politician, 8th President of Croatian Parliament (d. 2012)
    • 1957 – Lothaire Bluteau, Canadian actor
    • 1957 – Mikhail Pletnev, Russian pianist, composer, and conductor
    • 1958 – Peter Capaldi, Scottish actor
    • 1959 – Steve Byrnes, American sportscaster and producer (d. 2015)
    • 1959 – Marie-Thérèse Fortin, Canadian actress
    • 1960 – Brad Garrett, American actor and comedian
    • 1960 – Myoma Myint Kywe, Burmese historian and journalist
    • 1960 – Osamu Sato, Japanese graphic artist, programmer, and composer
    • 1960 – Tina Rosenberg, American journalist and author
    • 1960 – Pat Symcox, South African cricketer
    • 1961 – Robert Carlyle, Scottish actor and director
    • 1961 – Daniel Clowes, American cartoonist and screenwriter
    • 1962 – Guillaume Leblanc, Canadian athlete
    • 1964 – Brian Adams, American wrestler (d. 2007)
    • 1964 – Jeff Andretti, American race car driver
    • 1964 – Greg Battle, American-Canadian football player
    • 1964 – Stuart Duncan, American bluegrass musician
    • 1964 – Jeff Hopkins, Welsh international footballer and manager
    • 1964 – Gina McKee, English actress
    • 1965 – Tom Dey, American director and producer
    • 1965 – Alexandre Jardin, French author
    • 1965 – Craig McDermott, Australian cricketer and coach
    • 1966 – André Boisclair, Canadian lawyer and politician
    • 1966 – Jan Boklöv, Swedish ski jumper
    • 1966 – David Justice, American baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1966 – Greg Maddux, American baseball player, coach, and manager
    • 1967 – Nicola Berti, Italian international footballer
    • 1967 – Steve Chiasson, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1999)
    • 1967 – Alain Côté, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1967 – Barrett Martin, American drummer, songwriter, and producer
    • 1967 – Julia Zemiro, French-Australian actress, comedian, singer and writer
    • 1968 – Anthony Michael Hall, American actor
    • 1969 – Brad Ausmus, American baseball player and manager
    • 1969 – Martyn LeNoble, Dutch-American bass player
    • 1969 – Vebjørn Selbekk, Norwegian journalist
    • 1970 – Steve Avery, American baseball player
    • 1970 – Shizuka Kudō, Japanese singer and actress
    • 1971 – Miguel Calero, Colombian footballer and manager (d. 2012)
    • 1971 – Carlos Pérez, Dominican-American baseball player
    • 1971 – Gregg Zaun, American baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1972 – Paul Devlin, English-Scottish footballer and manager
    • 1972 – Roberto Mejía, Dominican baseball player
    • 1972 – Dean Potter, American rock climber and BASE jumper (d. 2015)
    • 1973 – Roberto Ayala, Argentinian footballer
    • 1973 – Adrien Brody, American actor
    • 1973 – Hidetaka Suehiro, Japanese video game director and writer
    • 1973 – David Miller, American tenor
    • 1974 – Da Brat, American rapper
    • 1975 – Lita, American wrestler
    • 1975 – Luciano Almeida, Brazilian footballer
    • 1975 – Avner Dorman, Israeli-American composer and academic
    • 1975 – Anderson Silva, Brazilian mixed martial artist and boxer
    • 1976 – Christian Älvestam, Swedish singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1976 – Georgina Chapman, English model, actress, and fashion designer, co-founded Marchesa
    • 1976 – Anna DeForge, American basketball player
    • 1976 – Kyle Farnsworth, American baseball player
    • 1976 – Nadine Faustin-Parker, Hatian hurdler
    • 1976 – Jason Wiemer, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1977 – Nate Fox, American basketball player (d. 2014)
    • 1977 – Martin Kaalma, Estonian footballer
    • 1977 – Sarah Michelle Gellar, American actress and producer
    • 1977 – Rob McElhenney, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1978 – Roland Lessing, Estonian biathlete
    • 1979 – Iain Balshaw, English rugby player
    • 1979 – Rebecca DiPietro, American wrestler and model
    • 1979 – Marios Elia, Cypriot footballer
    • 1979 – Ross Filipo, New Zealand rugby player
    • 1979 – Noé Pamarot, French footballer
    • 1979 – Patrick Somerville, American novelist and short story writer
    • 1979 – Kerem Tunçeri, Turkish basketball player
    • 1980 – Win Butler, American-Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1980 – Jeremy Smith, New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1981 – Mustafa Güngör, German rugby player
    • 1981 – Amy Leach, English director and producer
    • 1982 – Uğur Boral, Turkish footballer
    • 1982 – Larissa França, Brazilian volleyball player
    • 1983 – Simona La Mantia, Italian triple jumper
    • 1983 – James McFadden, Scottish footballer
    • 1983 – William Obeng, Ghanaian-American football player
    • 1983 – Nikoloz Tskitishvili, Georgian basketball player
    • 1984 – Blake Costanzo, American football player
    • 1984 – Charles Hamelin, Canadian speed skater
    • 1984 – Harumafuji Kōhei, Mongolian sumo wrestler, the 70th Yokozuna
    • 1984 – Adán Sánchez, American-Mexican musician (d. 2004)
    • 1984 – Tyler Thigpen, American football player
    • 1985 – Grant Clitsome, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1986 – Matt Derbyshire, English footballer
    • 1986 – Goran Gogić, Serbian footballer (d. 2015)
    • 1987 – Michael Baze, American jockey (d. 2011)
    • 1987 – Erwin Hoffer, Austrian footballer
    • 1987 – Wilson Kiprop, Kenyan runner
    • 1987 – Korina Perkovic, German tennis player
    • 1988 – Roberto Bautista Agut, Spanish tennis player
    • 1988 – Eric Gryba, Canadian ice hockey defenseman
    • 1988 – Eliška Klučinová, Czech heptathlete
    • 1988 – Vasileios Pliatsikas, Greek footballer
    • 1988 – Brad Sinopoli, Canadian football player
    • 1989 – Joe Haden, American football player
    • 1990 – Markus Smarzoch, German footballer
    • 1992 – Frederik Sørensen, Danish footballer
    • 1996 – Abigail Breslin, American actress

    Deaths on April 14

    • 911 – Pope Sergius III, pope of the Roman Catholic Church
    • 1070 – Gerard, Duke of Lorraine (b. c. 1030)
    • 1099 – Conrad, Bishop of Utrecht (b. before 1040)
    • 1132 – Mstislav I of Kiev (b. 1076)
    • 1279 – Bolesław the Pious, Duke of Greater Poland (b. 1224)
    • 1322 – Bartholomew de Badlesmere, 1st Baron Badlesmere, English soldier and politician, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports (b. 1275)
    • 1345 – Richard de Bury, English bishop and politician, Lord Chancellor of The United Kingdom (b. 1287)
    • 1424 – Lucia Visconti, English countess (b. 1372)
    • 1433 – Lidwina, Dutch saint (b. 1380)
    • 1471 – Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, English commander and politician (b. 1428)
    • 1471 – John Neville, 1st Marquess of Montagu (b. 1431)
    • 1480 – Thomas de Spens, Scottish statesman and prelate (b. c. 1415)
    • 1488 – Girolamo Riario, Lord of Imola and Forli (b. 1443)
    • 1574 – Louis of Nassau (b. 1538)
    • 1578 – James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, English husband of Mary, Queen of Scots (b. 1534)
    • 1587 – Edward Manners, 3rd Earl of Rutland (b. 1548)
    • 1599 – Henry Wallop, English politician (b. 1540)
    • 1609 – Gasparo da Salò, Italian violin maker (b. 1540)
    • 1662 – William Fiennes, 1st Viscount Saye and Sele, English politician (b. 1582)
    • 1682 – Avvakum, Russian priest and saint (b. 1620)
    • 1721 – Michel Chamillart, French politician, Controller-General of Finances (b. 1652)
    • 1740 – Lady Catherine Jones, English philanthropist (b.1672)
    • 1759 – George Frideric Handel, German-English organist and composer (b. 1685)
    • 1785 – William Whitehead, English poet and playwright (b. 1715)
    • 1792 – Maximilian Hell, Slovak-Hungarian astronomer and priest (b. 1720)
    • 1843 – Joseph Lanner, Austrian violinist and composer (b. 1801)
    • 1864 – Charles Lot Church, American-Canadian politician (b. 1777)
    • 1888 – Emil Czyrniański, Polish chemist (b. 1824)
    • 1910 – Mikhail Vrubel, Russian painter and sculptor (b. 1856)
    • 1911 – Addie Joss, American baseball player and journalist (b. 1880)
    • 1911 – Henri Elzéar Taschereau, Canadian lawyer and jurist, 4th Chief Justice of Canada (b. 1836)
    • 1912 – Henri Brisson, French politician, 50th Prime Minister of France (b. 1835)
    • 1914 – Hubert Bland, English activist, co-founded the Fabian Society (b. 1855)
    • 1916 – Gina Krog, Norwegian suffragist and women’s rights activist (b. 1847)
    • 1917 – L. L. Zamenhof, Polish physician and linguist, created Esperanto (b. 1859)
    • 1919 – Auguste-Réal Angers, Canadian judge and politician, 6th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (b. 1837)
    • 1925 – John Singer Sargent, American painter (b. 1856)
    • 1930 – Vladimir Mayakovsky, Georgian-Russian actor, playwright, and poet (b. 1893)
    • 1931 – Richard Armstedt, German philologist, historian, and educator (b. 1851)
    • 1935 – Emmy Noether, German-American mathematician and academic (b. 1882)
    • 1938 – Gillis Grafström, Swedish figure skater and architect (b. 1893)
    • 1943 – Yakov Dzhugashvili, Georgian-Russian lieutenant (b. 1907)
    • 1950 – Ramana Maharshi, Indian guru and philosopher (b. 1879)
    • 1951 – Al Christie, Canadian-American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1881)
    • 1962 – M. Visvesvaraya, Indian engineer and scholar (b. 1860)
    • 1963 – Rahul Sankrityayan, Indian monk and historian (b. 1893)
    • 1964 – Tatyana Afanasyeva, Russian-Dutch mathematician and theorist (b. 1876)
    • 1964 – Rachel Carson, American biologist and author (b. 1907)
    • 1968 – Al Benton, American baseball player (b. 1911)
    • 1969 – Matilde Muñoz Sampedro, Spanish actress (b. 1900)
    • 1975 – Günter Dyhrenfurth, German-Swiss mountaineer, geologist, and explorer (b. 1886)
    • 1975 – Fredric March, American actor (b. 1897)
    • 1976 – José Revueltas, Mexican author and activist (b. 1914)
    • 1978 – Joe Gordon, American baseball player and manager (b. 1915)
    • 1978 – F. R. Leavis, English educator and critic (b. 1895)
    • 1983 – Pete Farndon, English bassist (The Pretenders) (b. 1952)
    • 1983 – Gianni Rodari, Italian journalist and author (b. 1920)
    • 1986 – Simone de Beauvoir, French novelist and philosopher (b. 1908)
    • 1990 – Thurston Harris, American singer (b. 1931)
    • 1990 – Olabisi Onabanjo, Nigerian politician, 3rd Governor of Ogun State (b. 1927)
    • 1992 – Irene Greenwood, Australian radio broadcaster and feminist and peace activist (b. 1898)
    • 1994 – Salimuzzaman Siddiqui, Pakistani chemist and scholar (b. 1897)
    • 1995 – Burl Ives, American actor, folk singer, and writer (b. 1909)
    • 1999 – Ellen Corby, American actress and screenwriter (b. 1911)
    • 1999 – Anthony Newley, English singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1931)
    • 1999 – Bill Wendell, American television announcer (b. 1924)
    • 2000 – Phil Katz, American computer programmer, co-created the zip file format (b. 1962)
    • 2000 – August R. Lindt, Swiss lawyer and politician (b. 1905)
    • 2000 – Wilf Mannion, English footballer (b. 1918)
    • 2001 – Jim Baxter, Scottish footballer (b. 1939)
    • 2001 – Hiroshi Teshigahara, Japanese director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1927)
    • 2003 – Jyrki Otila, Finnish politician (b. 1941)
    • 2004 – Micheline Charest, English-Canadian television producer, co-founded the Cookie Jar Group (b. 1953)
    • 2006 – Mahmut Bakalli, Kosovo politician (b. 1936)
    • 2007 – June Callwood, Canadian journalist, author, and activist (b. 1924)
    • 2007 – Don Ho, American singer and ukulele player (b. 1930)
    • 2007 – René Rémond, French historian and economist (b. 1918)
    • 2008 – Tommy Holmes, American baseball player and manager (b. 1917)
    • 2008 – Ollie Johnston, American animator and voice actor (b. 1912)
    • 2009 – Maurice Druon, French author (b. 1918)
    • 2010 – Israr Ahmed, Pakistani theologian and scholar (b. 1932)
    • 2010 – Alice Miller, Polish-French psychologist and author (b. 1923)
    • 2010 – Peter Steele, American singer-songwriter and bass player (b. 1962)
    • 2011 – Jean Gratton, Canadian Roman Catholic bishop (b. 1924)
    • 2012 – Émile Bouchard, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1919)
    • 2012 – Jonathan Frid, Canadian actor (b. 1924)
    • 2012 – Piermario Morosini, Italian footballer (b. 1986)
    • 2013 – Efi Arazi, Israeli businessman, founded the Scailex Corporation (b. 1937)
    • 2013 – Colin Davis, English conductor and educator (b. 1927)
    • 2013 – R. P. Goenka, Indian businessman, founded RPG Group (b. 1930)
    • 2013 – George Jackson, American singer-songwriter (b. 1945)
    • 2013 – Armando Villanueva, Peruvian politician, 121st Prime Minister of Peru (b. 1915)
    • 2013 – Charlie Wilson, American politician (b. 1943)
    • 2014 – Nina Cassian, Romanian poet and critic (b. 1924)
    • 2014 – Crad Kilodney, American-Canadian author (b. 1948)
    • 2014 – Wally Olins, English businessman and academic (b. 1930)
    • 2014 – Mick Staton, American soldier and politician (b. 1940)
    • 2015 – Klaus Bednarz, German journalist and author (b. 1942)
    • 2015 – Mark Reeds, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach (b. 1960)
    • 2015 – Percy Sledge, American singer (b. 1940)
    • 2015 – Roberto Tucci, Italian cardinal and theologian (b. 1921)
    • 2019 – Bibi Andersson, Swedish actress (b.1935)

    Holidays and observances on April 14

    • Ambedkar Jayanti (India)
    • Black Day (South Korea)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Anthony, John, and Eustathius
      • Bénézet
      • Henry Beard Delany (Episcopal Church (USA))
      • Domnina of Terni
      • Lidwina
      • Peter González
      • Tiburtius, Valerian, and Maximus
      • April 14 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Commemoration of Anfal Genocide Against the Kurds (Iraqi Kurdistan)
    • Day of Mologa (Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia)
    • Day of the Georgian language (Georgia)
    • Dhivehi Language Day (Maldives)
    • N’Ko Alphabet Day (Mande speakers)
    • Pan American Day (several countries in The Americas)
    • South and Southeast Asian New Year, celebrated on the sidereal vernal equinox. (see April 13):
      • Assamese New Year, or Bohag Bihu (India’s Assam Valley)
      • Bengali New Year, or Pohela Boishakh (Bangladesh and India’s West Bengal state)
      • Burmese New Year, or Thingyan (Myanmar)
      • Hindu and Sikh New Year, or Vaisakhi (Punjab region)
      • Khmer New Year, or Chol Chnam Thmey (Cambodia)
      • Lao New Year, or Pi Mai Lao (Laos)
      • Mahl New Year, or Alathu Aharudhuvas (Maldives and India’s Lakshadweep and Kerala state)
      • Maithili New Year, or Jude Sheetal (Mithila region)
      • Malayali New Year, or Vishu (India’s Kerala state)
      • Nepali New Year, or Navabarsha / Vaishak Ek (Nepal)
      • Oriya/Odia New Year, or Pana Sankranti (India’s Odisha state)
      • Sinhalese New Year, or Aluth Avurudhu (Sri Lanka)
      • Tamil New Year, or Puthandu (India’s Tamil Nadu state)
      • Thai New Year, or Songkran, celebrated from 13 to 15 April (Thailand)
      • Tuluva New Year, or Bisu (India’s Karnataka state)
    • The first day of Takayama Spring Festival (Takayama, Gifu, Japan)
    • Youth Day (Angola)
  • April 10 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 428 – Nestorius becomes the Patriarch of Constantinople.
    • 837 – Halley’s Comet makes its closest approach to Earth at a distance equal to 0.0342 AU (5.1 million kilometres/3.2 million miles).
    • 1407 – Deshin Shekpa, 5th Karmapa Lama visits the Ming dynasty capital at Nanjing. He is awarded the title “Great Treasure Prince of Dharma”.
    • 1500 – Ludovico Sforza is captured by Swiss troops at Novara and is handed over to the French.
    • 1606 – The Virginia Company of London is established by royal charter by James I of England with the purpose of establishing colonial settlements in North America.
    • 1710 – The Statute of Anne, the first law regulating copyright, comes into force in Great Britain.
    • 1741 – War of the Austrian Succession: Prussia gains control of Silesia at the Battle of Mollwitz.
    • 1809 – Napoleonic Wars: The War of the Fifth Coalition begins when forces of the Austrian Empire invade Bavaria.
    • 1815 – The Mount Tambora volcano begins a three-month-long eruption, lasting until July 15. The eruption ultimately kills 71,000 people and affects Earth’s climate for the next two years.
    • 1816 – The Federal government of the United States approves the creation of the Second Bank of the United States.
    • 1821 – Patriarch Gregory V of Constantinople is hanged by the Ottoman government from the main gate of the Patriarchate and his body is thrown into the Bosphorus.
    • 1826 – The 10,500 inhabitants of the Greek town of Missolonghi begin leaving the town after a year’s siege by Turkish forces. Very few of them survive.
    • 1858 – After the original Big Ben, a 14.5 tonnes (32,000 lb) bell for the Palace of Westminster, had cracked during testing, it is recast into the current 13.76 tonnes (30,300 lb) bell by Whitechapel Bell Foundry.
    • 1864 – Archduke Maximilian of Habsburg is proclaimed emperor of Mexico during the French intervention in Mexico.
    • 1865 – American Civil War: A day after his surrender to Union forces, Confederate General Robert E. Lee addresses his troops for the last time.
    • 1866 – The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) is founded in New York City by Henry Bergh.
    • 1868 – At Arogee in Abyssinia, British and Indian forces defeat an army of Emperor Tewodros II. While 700 Ethiopians are killed and many more injured, only two British/Indian troops die.
    • 1872 – The first Arbor Day is celebrated in Nebraska.
    • 1875 – India: Arya Samaj is founded in Mumbai by Swami Dayananda Saraswati to propagate his goal of social reform.
    • 1887 – On Easter Sunday, Pope Leo XIII authorizes the establishment of the Catholic University of America.
    • 1912 – RMS Titanic sets sail from Southampton, England on her maiden and only voyage.
    • 1916 – The Professional Golfers’ Association of America (PGA) is created in New York City.
    • 1919 – Mexican Revolution leader Emiliano Zapata is ambushed and shot dead by government forces in Morelos.
    • 1925 – The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is first published in New York City, by Charles Scribner’s Sons.
    • 1938 – The 1938 German parliamentary election and referendum seeks approval for a single list of Nazi candidates and the recent annexation of Austria.
    • 1939 – Alcoholics Anonymous, A.A.’s “Big Book”, is first published.
    • 1941 – World War II: The Axis powers establish the Independent State of Croatia.
    • 1944 – Rudolf Vrba and Alfréd Wetzler escape from Birkenau death camp.
    • 1957 – The Suez Canal is reopened for all shipping after being closed for three months.
    • 1963 – One hundred twenty-nine American sailors die when the submarine USS Thresher sinks at sea.
    • 1968 – The TEV Wahine, a New Zealand ferry sinks in Wellington harbour due to a fierce storm – the strongest winds ever in Wellington. Out of the 734 people on board, fifty-three died.
    • 1970 – Paul McCartney announces that he is leaving The Beatles for personal and professional reasons.
    • 1971 – Ping-pong diplomacy: In an attempt to thaw relations with the United States, China hosts the U.S. table tennis team for a week-long visit.
    • 1972 – Tombs containing bamboo slips, among them Sun Tzu’s Art of War and Sun Bin’s lost military treatise, are accidentally discovered by construction workers in Shandong.
    • 1972 – Vietnam War: For the first time since November 1967, American B-52 bombers reportedly begin bombing North Vietnam.
    • 1973 – Invicta International Airlines Flight 435 crashes in a snowstorm on approach to Basel, Switzerland, killing 108 people.
    • 1979 – Red River Valley tornado outbreak: A tornado lands in Wichita Falls, Texas killing 42 people.
    • 1988 – The Ojhri Camp explosion kills or injures more than 1,000 people in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Pakistan.
    • 1991 – Italian ferry MS Moby Prince collides with an oil tanker in dense fog off Livorno, Italy, killing 140.
    • 1991 – A rare tropical storm develops in the South Atlantic Ocean near Angola; the first to be documented by satellites.
    • 1998 – The Good Friday Agreement is signed in Northern Ireland.
    • 2009 – President of Fiji Ratu Josefa Iloilo announces the abrogation of the constitution and assumes all governance in the country, creating a constitutional crisis.
    • 2010 – Polish Air Force Tu-154M crashes near Smolensk, Russia, killing 96 people, including Polish President Lech Kaczyński, his wife, and dozens of other senior officials and dignitaries.
    • 2016 – The Paravur temple accident in which a devastating fire caused by the explosion of firecrackers stored for Vishu, kills more than one hundred people out of the thousands gathered for seventh day of Bhadrakali worship.
    • 2016 – An earthquake of 6.6 magnitude strikes 39 km west-southwest of Ashkasham, shakes up India, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Srinagar and Pakistan.
    • 2019 – Scientists from the Event Horizon Telescope project announce the first ever image of a black hole, located in the centre of the M87 galaxy.

    Births on April 10

    • 401 – Theodosius II, Roman emperor (d. 450)
    • 1018 – Nizam al-Mulk, Persian scholar and vizier (d. 1092)
    • 1472 – Margaret of York, English princess (d. 1472)
    • 1480 – Philibert II, duke of Savoy (d. 1504)
    • 1487 – William I, count of Nassau-Dillenburg (d. 1559)
    • 1512 – James V, king of Scotland (d. 1542)
    • 1579 – Augustus II, duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (d. 1666)
    • 1583 – Hugo Grotius, Dutch philosopher and jurist (d. 1645)
    • 1603 – Christian, Prince-Elect of Denmark (d. 1647)
    • 1651 – Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus, German mathematician, physicist, and physician (d. 1708)
    • 1656 – René Lepage de Sainte-Claire, French-Canadian settler, founded Rimouski (d. 1718)
    • 1704 – Benjamin Heath, English scholar and author (d. 1766)
    • 1707 – Michel Corrette, French organist, composer, and author (d. 1795)
    • 1713 – John Whitehurst, English geologist and clockmaker (d. 1788)
    • 1755 – Samuel Hahnemann, German-French physician and academic (d. 1843)
    • 1762 – Giovanni Aldini, Italian physicist and academic (d. 1834)
    • 1769 – Jean Lannes, French marshal (d. 1809)
    • 1778 – William Hazlitt, English essayist and critic (d. 1830)
    • 1794 – Matthew C. Perry, English-Scottish American commander (d. 1858)
    • 1806 – Juliette Drouet, French actress (d. 1883)
    • 1806 – Leonidas Polk, Scottish-American general and bishop (d. 1884)
    • 1827 – Lew Wallace, American general, lawyer, and politician, 11th Governor of New Mexico Territory (d. 1905)
    • 1829 – William Booth, English minister, founded The Salvation Army (d. 1912)
    • 1847 – Joseph Pulitzer, Hungarian-American journalist, publisher, and politician, founded Pulitzer, Inc. (d. 1911)
    • 1864 – Eugen d’Albert, Scottish-German pianist and composer (d. 1932)
    • 1865 – Jack Miner, American-Canadian farmer, hunter, and environmentalist (d. 1944)
    • 1867 – George William Russell, Irish author, poet, and painter (d. 1935)
    • 1868 – George Arliss, English actor and playwright (d. 1946)
    • 1868 – Asriel Günzig, Moravian rabbi (d. 1931)
    • 1873 – Kyösti Kallio, Finnish farmer, banker, and politician, 4th President of Finland (d. 1940)
    • 1875 – George Clawley, English footballer (d. 1920)
    • 1877 – Alfred Kubin, Austrian author and illustrator (d. 1959)
    • 1879 – Bernhard Gregory, Estonian-German chess player (d. 1939)
    • 1879 – Coenraad Hiebendaal, Dutch rower and physician (d. 1921)
    • 1880 – Frances Perkins, American sociologist, academic, and politician, 4th United States Secretary of Labor (d. 1965)
    • 1880 – Montague Summers, English clergyman and author (d. 1948)
    • 1886 – Johnny Hayes, American runner and trainer (d. 1965)
    • 1887 – Bernardo Houssay, Argentinian physiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1971)
    • 1889 – Louis Rougier, French philosopher from the Vienna Circle (d. 1982)
    • 1891 – Frank Barson, English footballer and coach (d. 1968)
    • 1893 – Otto Steinböck, Austrian zoologist (d. 1969)
    • 1894 – Ben Nicholson, British painter (d. 1982)
    • 1897 – Prafulla Chandra Sen, Indian accountant and politician, 3rd Chief Minister of West Bengal (d. 1990)
    • 1900 – Arnold Orville Beckman, American chemist, inventor, and philanthropist (d. 2004)
    • 1901 – Dhananjay Ramchandra Gadgil, Indian economist (d. 1971)
    • 1903 – Clare Turlay Newberry, American author and illustrator (d. 1970)
    • 1906 – Steve Anderson, American hurdler (d. 1988)
    • 1910 – Margaret Clapp, American scholar and academic (d. 1974)
    • 1910 – Helenio Herrera, Argentinian footballer and manager (d. 1997)
    • 1910 – Paul Sweezy, American economist and publisher, founded the Monthly Review (d. 2004)
    • 1911 – Martin Denny, American pianist and composer (d. 2005)
    • 1911 – Maurice Schumann, French journalist and politician, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs for France (d. 1998)
    • 1912 – Boris Kidrič, Austrian-Slovenian politician, 1st Prime Minister of Slovenia (d. 1953)
    • 1913 – Stefan Heym, German-American soldier and author (d. 2001)
    • 1914 – Jack Badcock, Australian cricketer (d. 1982)
    • 1915 – Harry Morgan, American actor and director (d. 2011)
    • 1915 – Leo Vroman, Dutch-American hematologist, poet, and illustrator (d. 2014)
    • 1916 – Lee Jung-seob, Korean painter (d. 1956)
    • 1917 – Jagjit Singh Lyallpuri, Indian politician (d. 2013)
    • 1917 – Robert Burns Woodward, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1979)
    • 1919 – John Houbolt, American engineer and academic (d. 2014)
    • 1921 – Chuck Connors, American baseball player and actor (d. 1992)
    • 1921 – Jake Warren, Canadian soldier and diplomat, Canadian Ambassador to the United States (d. 2008)
    • 1921 – Sheb Wooley, American singer-songwriter and actor (d. 2003)
    • 1923 – Roger Gaillard, Haitian historian and author (d. 2000)
    • 1923 – Jane Kean, American actress and singer (d. 2013)
    • 1923 – Floyd Simmons, American decathlete and actor (d. 2008)
    • 1923 – Sid Tickridge, English footballer (d. 1997)
    • 1923 – John Watkins, South African cricketer
    • 1924 – Kenneth Noland, American soldier and painter (d. 2010)
    • 1925 – Linda Goodman, American astrologer and author (d. 1995)
    • 1925 – Angelo Poffo, American wrestler and promoter (d. 2010)
    • 1926 – Jacques Castérède, French pianist and composer (d. 2014)
    • 1926 – Junior Samples, American comedian (d. 1983)
    • 1927 – Norma Candal, Puerto Rican-American actress (d. 2006)
    • 1927 – Marshall Warren Nirenberg, American biochemist and geneticist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2010)
    • 1929 – Mike Hawthorn, English race car driver (d. 1959)
    • 1929 – Liz Sheridan, American actress
    • 1929 – Max von Sydow, Swedish-French actor (d. 2020)
    • 1930 – Claude Bolling, French pianist, composer, and actor
    • 1930 – Dolores Huerta, American activist, co-founded the United Farm Workers
    • 1931 – Kishori Amonkar, Indian classical vocalist (d. 2017)
    • 1932 – Delphine Seyrig, Swiss/Alsatian French actress (d. 1990)
    • 1932 – Omar Sharif, Egyptian actor and screenwriter (d. 2015)
    • 1933 – Rokusuke Ei, Japanese composer and author (d. 2016)
    • 1933 – Helen McElhone, Scottish politician (d. 2013)
    • 1934 – David Halberstam, American journalist and author (d. 2007)
    • 1935 – John A. Bennett, American soldier (d. 1961)
    • 1935 – Patrick Garland, English actor and director (d. 2013)
    • 1935 – Peter Hollingworth, Australian bishop, 23rd Governor General of Australia
    • 1936 – John Howell, English long jumper
    • 1936 – John Madden, American football player, coach, and sportscaster
    • 1936 – Bobby Smith, American singer (d. 2013)
    • 1937 – Bella Akhmadulina, Soviet and Russian poet, short story writer, and translator (d. 2010)
    • 1938 – Don Meredith, American football player and sportscaster (d. 2010)
    • 1939 – Claudio Magris, Italian scholar, author, and translator
    • 1940 – Gloria Hunniford, British radio and television host
    • 1941 – Harold Long, Canadian politician (d. 2013)
    • 1941 – Paul Theroux, American novelist, short story writer, and travel writer
    • 1942 – Nick Auf der Maur, Canadian journalist and politician (d. 1998)
    • 1942 – Ian Callaghan, English footballer
    • 1942 – Stuart Dybek, American novelist, short story writer, and poet
    • 1943 – Andrzej Badeński, Polish-German sprinter (d. 2008)
    • 1943 – Margaret Pemberton, English author
    • 1945 – Kevin Berry, Australian swimmer (d. 2006)
    • 1946 – David Angell, American screenwriter and producer (d. 2001)
    • 1946 – Bob Watson, American baseball player and manager
    • 1946 – Adolf Winkelmann, German director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1947 – David A. Adler, American author and educator
    • 1947 – Bunny Wailer, Jamaican singer-songwriter and drummer
    • 1948 – Mel Blount, American football player
    • 1949 – Daniel Mangeas, French banker and sportscaster
    • 1949 – Eric Troyer, American singer-songwriter, keyboardist and guitarist
    • 1950 – Ken Griffey, Sr., American baseball player and manager
    • 1950 – Eddie Hazel, American guitarist (d. 1992)
    • 1951 – David Helvarg, American journalist and activist
    • 1952 – Narayan Rane, Indian politician, 16th Chief Minister of Maharashtra
    • 1952 – Masashi Sada, Japanese singer, lyricist, composer, novelist, actor, and producer
    • 1952 – Steven Seagal, American actor, producer, and martial artist
    • 1953 – David Moorcroft, English runner and businessman
    • 1953 – Pamela Wallin, Swedish-Canadian journalist, academic, and politician
    • 1954 – Paul Bearer, American wrestler and manager (d. 2013)
    • 1954 – Anne Lamott, American author and educator
    • 1954 – Peter MacNicol, American actor
    • 1954 – Juan Williams, Panamanian-American journalist and author
    • 1955 – Lesley Garrett, English soprano and actress
    • 1956 – Carol V. Robinson, English chemist and academic
    • 1957 – Aliko Dangote, Nigerian businessman, founded Dangote Group
    • 1957 – John M. Ford, American author and poet (d. 2006)
    • 1957 – Steve Gustafson, Spanish-American bass player
    • 1957 – Rosemary Hill, English historian and author
    • 1958 – Bob Bell, Northern Irish engineer
    • 1958 – Yefim Bronfman, Uzbek-American pianist
    • 1958 – Brigitte Holzapfel, German high jumper
    • 1959 – Babyface, American singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1959 – Yvan Loubier, Canadian economist and politician
    • 1959 – Brian Setzer, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1960 – Steve Bisciotti, American businessman, co-founded Allegis Group
    • 1960 – Katrina Leskanich, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1960 – Terry Teagle, American basketball player
    • 1961 – Nicky Campbell, Scottish broadcaster and journalist
    • 1961 – Joe Cole, American roadie and author (d. 1991)
    • 1961 – Carole Goble, English computer scientist and academic
    • 1961 – Mark Jones, American basketball player
    • 1962 – Steve Tasker, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1963 – Warren DeMartini, American guitarist and songwriter
    • 1963 – Jeff Gray, American baseball player and coach
    • 1963 – Doris Leuthard, Swiss lawyer and politician, 162nd President of the Swiss Confederation
    • 1965 – Tim Alexander, American drummer and songwriter
    • 1966 – Steve Claridge, English footballer, manager, and sportscaster
    • 1967 – Donald Dufresne, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1967 – David Rovics, American singer-songwriter
    • 1968 – Metin Göktepe, Turkish photographer and journalist (d. 1996)
    • 1968 – Orlando Jones, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1969 – Steve Glasson, Australian lawn bowler
    • 1969 – Ekaterini Koffa, Greek sprinter
    • 1970 – Enrico Ciccone, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1970 – Leonard Doroftei, Romanian-Canadian boxer
    • 1970 – Kenny Lattimore, American singer-songwriter
    • 1970 – Q-Tip, American rapper, producer, and actor
    • 1971 – Brad William Henke, American football player and actor
    • 1971 – Indro Olumets, Estonian footballer and coach
    • 1971 – Al Reyes, Dominican-American baseball player
    • 1972 – Ian Harvey, Australian cricketer
    • 1972 – Priit Kasesalu, Estonian computer programmer, co-created Skype
    • 1972 – Gordon Buchanan, Scottish film maker
    • 1973 – Guillaume Canet, French actor and director
    • 1973 – Roberto Carlos, Brazilian footballer and manager
    • 1973 – Aidan Moffat, Scottish singer-songwriter
    • 1973 – Christopher Simmons, Canadian-American graphic designer, author, and academic
    • 1974 – Eric Greitens, American soldier, author and politician
    • 1974 – Petros Passalis, Greek footballer
    • 1975 – Chris Carrabba, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1975 – Terrence Lewis, Indian dancer and choreographer
    • 1975 – David Harbour, American actor
    • 1976 – Clare Buckfield, English actress
    • 1976 – Yoshino Kimura, Japanese actress and singer
    • 1976 – Sara Renner, Canadian skier
    • 1977 – Stephanie Sheh, Taiwanese-American voice actress, director, and producer
    • 1978 – Sir Christus, Finnish guitarist
    • 1979 – Iván Alonso, Uruguayan footballer
    • 1979 – Kenyon Coleman, American football player
    • 1979 – Rachel Corrie, American author and activist (d. 2003)
    • 1979 – Tsuyoshi Domoto, Japanese singer-songwriter and actor
    • 1979 – Sophie Ellis-Bextor, English singer-songwriter
    • 1979 – Peter Kopteff, Finnish footballer
    • 1980 – Sean Avery, Canadian ice hockey player and model
    • 1980 – Charlie Hunnam, English actor
    • 1980 – Shao Jiayi, Chinese footballer
    • 1980 – Kasey Kahne, American race car driver
    • 1980 – Bryce Soderberg, American singer-songwriter and bass player
    • 1981 – Laura Bell Bundy, American actress and singer
    • 1981 – Liz McClarnon, English singer and dancer
    • 1981 – Michael Pitt, American actor, model and musician
    • 1981 – Alexei Semenov, Russian ice hockey player
    • 1982 – Andre Ethier, American baseball player
    • 1982 – Chyler Leigh, American actress and singer
    • 1983 – Jamie Chung, American actress
    • 1983 – Andrew Dost, American guitarist and songwriter
    • 1983 – Ryan Merriman, American actor
    • 1983 – Hannes Sigurðsson, Icelandic footballer
    • 1984 – Faustina Agolley, Australian television host
    • 1984 – Jeremy Barrett, American figure skater
    • 1984 – Mandy Moore, American singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1984 – David Obua, Ugandan footballer
    • 1984 – Damien Perquis, French-Polish footballer
    • 1984 – Gonzalo Javier Rodríguez, Argentinian footballer
    • 1985 – Barkhad Abdi, Somali-American actor and director
    • 1985 – Willo Flood, Irish footballer
    • 1985 – Jesús Gámez, Spanish footballer
    • 1985 – Dion Phaneuf, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1986 – Olivia Borlée, Belgian sprinter
    • 1986 – Fernando Gago, Argentine footballer
    • 1986 – Corey Kluber, American baseball pitcher
    • 1986 – Vincent Kompany, Belgian footballer
    • 1986 – Tore Reginiussen, Norwegian footballer
    • 1987 – Shay Mitchell, Canadian actress and model
    • 1987 – Hayley Westenra, New Zealand soprano
    • 1988 – Chris Heston, American baseball pitcher
    • 1988 – Kareem Jackson, American football player
    • 1988 – Haley Joel Osment, American actor
    • 1990 – Ben Amos, English footballer
    • 1990 – Andile Jali, South African footballer
    • 1990 – Ricky Leutele, Australian-Samoan rugby league player
    • 1990 – Maren Morris, American singer
    • 1990 – Alex Pettyfer, English actor
    • 1991 – AJ Michalka, American actress and singer
    • 1992 – Jack Buchanan, Australian rugby league player
    • 1992 – Sadio Mané, Senegalese footballer
    • 1992 – Daisy Ridley, English actress
    • 1993 – Sofia Carson, American singer and actress
    • 1994 – Siobhan Hunter, Scottish footballer
    • 1995 – Ian Nelson, American actor
    • 1996 – Thanasi Kokkinakis, Australian tennis player
    • 1996 – Audrey Whitby, American actress
    • 1998 – Anna Pogorilaya, Russian figure skater
    • 2001 – Ky Baldwin, Australian singer and actor
    • 2001 – Noa Kirel, Israeli singer

    Deaths on April 10

    • 879 – Louis the Stammerer, king of West Francia (b. 846)
    • 943 – Landulf I, prince of Benevento and Capua
    • 948 – Hugh of Arles, king of Italy
    • 1008 – Notker of Liège, French bishop (b. 940)
    • 1216 – Eric X, king of Sweden (b. 1180)
    • 1282 – Ahmad Fanakati, chief minister under Kublai Khan
    • 1309 – Elisabeth von Rapperswil, Swiss countess (b. 1261)
    • 1362 – Maud, English noblewoman (b. 1339)
    • 1500 – Michael Tarchaniota Marullus, Greek scholar and poet
    • 1533 – Frederick I, king of Denmark and Norway (b. 1471)
    • 1545 – Costanzo Festa, Italian composer
    • 1585 – Gregory XIII, Pope of the Catholic Church (b. 1502)
    • 1598 – Jacopo Mazzoni, Italian philosopher (b. 1548)
    • 1599 – Gabrielle d’Estrées, French mistress of Henry IV of France (b. 1571)
    • 1601 – Mark Alexander Boyd, Scottish soldier and poet (b. 1562)
    • 1619 – Thomas Jones, English-Irish archbishop and politician, Lord Chancellor of Ireland (b. 1550)
    • 1640 – Agostino Agazzari, Italian composer and theorist (b. 1578)
    • 1644 – William Brewster, English official and pilgrim leader (b. 1566)
    • 1646 – Santino Solari, Swiss architect and sculptor (b. 1576)
    • 1667 – Jan Marek Marci, Czech physician and author (b. 1595)
    • 1704 – William Egon of Fürstenberg, German cardinal (b. 1629)
    • 1756 – Giacomo Antonio Perti, Italian composer (b. 1661)
    • 1760 – Jean Lebeuf, French historian and author (b. 1687)
    • 1786 – John Byron, English admiral and politician, 24th Commodore Governor of Newfoundland (b. 1723)
    • 1806 – Horatio Gates, English-American general (b. 1727)
    • 1813 – Joseph-Louis Lagrange, Italian mathematician and astronomer (b. 1736)
    • 1823 – Karl Leonhard Reinhold, Austrian philosopher and academic (b. 1757)
    • 1871 – Lucio Norberto Mansilla, Argentinian general and politician (b. 1789)
    • 1904 – Isabella II, Spanish queen (b. 1830)
    • 1909 – Algernon Charles Swinburne, English poet, playwright, novelist, and critic (b. 1837)
    • 1919 – Emiliano Zapata, Mexican general (b. 1879)
    • 1920 – Moritz Cantor, German mathematician and historian (b. 1829)
    • 1931 – Kahlil Gibran, Lebanese-American poet, painter, and philosopher (b. 1883)
    • 1935 – Rosa Campbell Praed, Australian novelist (b. 1851)
    • 1938 – King Oliver, American cornet player and bandleader (b. 1885)
    • 1942 – Carl Schenstrøm, Danish actor and director (b. 1881)
    • 1943 – Andreas Faehlmann, Estonian-German sailor and engineer (b. 1898)
    • 1945 – Hendrik Nicolaas Werkman, Dutch printer and typographer (b. 1882)
    • 1947 – Charles Nordhoff, English-American lieutenant and author (b. 1887)
    • 1950 – Fevzi Çakmak, Turkish field marshal and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Turkey (b. 1876)
    • 1954 – Auguste Lumière, French director and producer (b. 1862)
    • 1954 – Oscar Mathisen, Norwegian speed skater (b. 1888)
    • 1955 – Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, French priest, theologian, and philosopher (b. 1881)
    • 1958 – Chuck Willis, American singer-songwriter (b. 1928)
    • 1960 – André Berthomieu, French director and screenwriter (b. 1903)
    • 1962 – Michael Curtiz, Hungarian-American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1886)
    • 1962 – Stuart Sutcliffe, Scottish artist and musician (b. 1940)
    • 1965 – Lloyd Casner, American race car driver, founded Casner Motor Racing Division (b. 1928)
    • 1965 – Linda Darnell, American actress (b. 1923)
    • 1966 – Evelyn Waugh, English soldier, novelist, journalist and critic (b. 1903)
    • 1968 – Gustavs Celmiņš, Latvian lieutenant and politician (b. 1899)
    • 1969 – Harley Earl, American businessman (b. 1893)
    • 1975 – Walker Evans, American photographer (b. 1903)
    • 1975 – Marjorie Main, American actress (b. 1890)
    • 1978 – Hjalmar Mäe, Estonian politician (b. 1901)
    • 1979 – Nino Rota, Italian pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1911)
    • 1980 – Kay Medford, American actress and singer (b. 1919)
    • 1981 – Howard Thurman, American author, philosopher and civil rights activist (b. 1899)
    • 1983 – Issam Sartawi, Palestinian activist (b. 1935)
    • 1985 – Zisis Verros, Greek chieftain of the Macedonian Struggle (b. 1880)
    • 1986 – Linda Creed, American singer-songwriter (b. 1948)
    • 1991 – Kevin Peter Hall, American actor (b. 1955)
    • 1991 – Martin Hannett, English guitarist and producer (b. 1948)
    • 1991 – Natalie Schafer, American actress (b. 1900)
    • 1992 – Sam Kinison, American comedian and actor (b. 1953)
    • 1993 – Chris Hani, South African activist and politician (b. 1942)
    • 1994 – Sam B. Hall, Jr., American lawyer, judge, and politician (b. 1924)
    • 1995 – Morarji Desai, Indian politician, 4th Prime Minister of India (b. 1896)
    • 1997 – Michael Dorris, American author and academic (b. 1945)
    • 1998 – Seraphim of Athens, Greek archbishop (b. 1913)
    • 1999 – Heinz Fraenkel-Conrat, German-American biochemist and physician (b. 1910)
    • 1999 – Jean Vander Pyl, American actress and voice artist (b. 1919)
    • 2000 – Peter Jones, English actor and screenwriter (b. 1920)
    • 2000 – Larry Linville, American actor (b. 1939)
    • 2003 – Little Eva, American singer (b. 1943)
    • 2004 – Jacek Kaczmarski, Polish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and poet (b. 1957)
    • 2004 – Sakıp Sabancı, Turkish businessman and philanthropist, founded Sabancı Holding (b. 1933)
    • 2005 – Norbert Brainin, Austrian violinist (b. 1923)
    • 2005 – Scott Gottlieb, American drummer (b. 1970)
    • 2005 – Archbishop Iakovos of America (b. 1911)
    • 2005 – Al Lucas, American football player (b. 1978)
    • 2005 – Wally Tax, Dutch singer-songwriter (b. 1948)
    • 2007 – Charles Philippe Leblond, French-Canadian biologist and academic (b. 1910)
    • 2007 – Dakota Staton, American singer (b. 1930)
    • 2009 – Deborah Digges, American poet and educator (b. 1950)
    • 2010 – Casualties in the 2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash included:
      • Ryszard Kaczorowski, Polish soldier and politician, 6th President of the Republic of Poland (b. 1919)
      • Maria Kaczyńska, Polish economist, First Lady of Poland (b. 1942)
      • Lech Kaczyński, Polish lawyer and politician, 4th President of Poland (b. 1949)
      • Anna Walentynowicz, Ukrainian-Polish journalist and activist (b. 1929)
    • 2010 – Dixie Carter, American actress and singer (b. 1939)
    • 2012 – Raymond Aubrac, French engineer and activist (b. 1914)
    • 2012 – Barbara Buchholz, German theremin player and composer (b. 1959)
    • 2012 – Lili Chookasian, Armenian-American operatic singer (b. 1921)
    • 2012 – Luis Aponte Martínez, Puerto Rican cardinal (b. 1922)
    • 2012 – Akin Omoboriowo, Nigerian lawyer and politician (b. 1932)
    • 2013 – Lorenzo Antonetti, Italian cardinal (b. 1922)
    • 2013 – Raymond Boudon, French sociologist and academic (b. 1934)
    • 2013 – Binod Bihari Chowdhury, Bangladeshi activist (b. 1911)
    • 2013 – Robert Edwards, English physiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1925)
    • 2013 – Olive Lewin, Jamaican anthropologist, musicologist, and author (b. 1927)
    • 2013 – Gordon Thomas, English cyclist (b. 1921)
    • 2013 – Angela Voigt, German long jumper (b. 1951)
    • 2014 – Dominique Baudis, French journalist and politician (b. 1947)
    • 2014 – Jim Flaherty, Canadian lawyer and politician, 37th Canadian Minister of Finance (b. 1949)
    • 2014 – Richard Hoggart, English author and academic (b. 1918)
    • 2014 – Sue Townsend, English author and playwright (b. 1946)
    • 2015 – Richie Benaud, Australian cricketer and sportscaster (b. 1930)
    • 2015 – Raúl Héctor Castro, Mexican-American politician and diplomat, 14th Governor of Arizona (b. 1916)
    • 2015 – Judith Malina, German-American actress and director, co-founded The Living Theatre (b. 1926)
    • 2015 – Rose Francine Rogombé, Gabonese lawyer and politician, President of Gabon (b. 1942)
    • 2015 – Peter Walsh, Australian farmer and politician, 6th Australian Minister for Finance (b. 1935)
    • 2016 – Howard Marks, Welsh cannabis smuggler, writer, and legalisation campaigner (b. 1945)

    Holidays and observances on April 10

    • Christian feast day:
      • Fulbert of Chartres
      • James, Azadanus and Abdicius
      • Mikael Agricola (Lutheran)
      • Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (Episcopal Church)
      • William of Ockham (Anglicanism)
      • William Law (Anglicanism)
      • April 10 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Day of the Builder (Azerbaijan)
    • Feast of the Third Day of the Writing of the Book of the Law (Thelema)
    • Siblings Day (International observance)
    • World Homeopathy Day