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June 29 in History
- 226 – Cao Rui succeeds his father as emperor of the Kingdom of Wei.
- 1149 – Raymond of Poitiers is defeated and killed at the Battle of Inab by Nur ad-Din Zangi.
- 1194 – Sverre is crowned King of Norway, leading to his excommunication by the Catholic Church and civil war.
- 1444 – Skanderbeg defeats an Ottoman invasion force at Torvioll.
- 1534 – Jacques Cartier is the first European to reach Prince Edward Island.
- 1613 – The Globe Theatre in London, built by William Shakespeare‘s playing company, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, burns to the ground.
- 1644 – Charles I of England defeats a Parliamentarian detachment at the Battle of Cropredy Bridge.
- 1659 – At the Battle of Konotop the Ukrainian armies of Ivan Vyhovsky defeat the Russians led by Prince Trubetskoy.
- 1786 – Alexander Macdonell and over five hundred Roman Catholic highlanders leave Scotland to settle in Glengarry County, Ontario.
- 1807 – Russo-Turkish War: Admiral Dmitry Senyavin destroys the Ottoman fleet in the Battle of Athos.
- 1850 – Autocephaly officially granted by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople to the Church of Greece.
- 1864 – At least 99 people, mostly German and Polish immigrants, are killed in Canada’s worst railway disaster after a train fails to stop for an open drawbridge and plunges into the Rivière Richelieu near St-Hilaire, Quebec.
- 1874 – Greek politician Charilaos Trikoupis publishes a manifesto in the Athens daily Kairoi entitled “Who’s to Blame?” leveling complaints against King George. Trikoupis is elected Prime Minister of Greece the next year.
- 1880 – France annexes Tahiti, renaming the independent Kingdom of Tahiti as “Etablissements de français de l’Océanie”.
- 1881 – In Sudan, Muhammad Ahmad declares himself to be the Mahdi, the messianic redeemer of Islam.
- 1888 – George Edward Gouraud records Handel’s Israel in Egypt onto a phonograph cylinder, thought for many years to be the oldest known recording of music.
- 1889 – Hyde Park and several other Illinois townships vote to be annexed by Chicago, forming the largest United States city in area and second largest in population at the time.
- 1915 – The North Saskatchewan River flood of 1915 is the worst flood in Edmonton history.
- 1916 – British diplomat turned Irish nationalist Roger Casement is sentenced to death for his part in the Easter Rising.
- 1922 – France grants 1 km2 at Vimy Ridge “freely, and for all time, to the Government of Canada, the free use of the land exempt from all taxes”.
- 1927 – The Bird of Paradise, a U.S. Army Air Corps Fokker tri-motor, completes the first transpacific flight, from the mainland United States to Hawaii.
- 1945 – The Soviet Union annexes the Czechoslovak province of Carpathian Ruthenia.
- 1950 – Korean War: U.S. President Harry S. Truman authorizes a sea blockade of Korea.
- 1956 – The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 is signed by U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, officially creating the United States Interstate Highway System.
- 1972 – The United States Supreme Court rules in the case Furman v. Georgia that arbitrary and inconsistent imposition of the death penalty violates the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments and constitutes cruel and unusual punishment.
- 1974 – Vice President Isabel Perón assumes powers and duties as Acting President of Argentina, while her husband President Juan Peron is terminally ill.
- 1974 – Mikhail Baryshnikov defects from the Soviet Union to Canada while on tour with the Kirov Ballet.
- 1975 – Steve Wozniak tested his first prototype of Apple I computer.
- 1976 – The Seychelles become independent from the United Kingdom.
- 1976 – The Conference of Communist and Workers Parties of Europe convenes in East Berlin.
- 1987 – Vincent Van Gogh’s painting, the Le Pont de Trinquetaille, was bought for $20.4 million at an auction in London, England.
- 1995 – Space Shuttle program: STS-71 Mission (Atlantis) docks with the Russian space station Mir for the first time.
- 1995 – The Sampoong Department Store collapses in the Seocho District of Seoul, South Korea, killing 501 and injuring 937.
- 2002 – Naval clashes between South Korea and North Korea lead to the death of six South Korean sailors and sinking of a North Korean vessel.
- 2006 – Hamdan v. Rumsfeld: The U.S. Supreme Court rules that President George W. Bush’s plan to try Guantanamo Bay detainees in military tribunals violates U.S. and international law.
- 2007 – Apple Inc. releases its first mobile phone, the iPhone.
- 2012 – A derecho sweeps across the eastern United States, leaving at least 22 people dead and millions without power.
- 2014 – The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant self-declared its caliphate in Syria and northern Iraq.
Births on June 29
- 1136 – Petronilla of Aragon (d. 1173)
- 1326 – Murad I, Ottoman Sultan (d. 1389)
- 1398 – John II of Aragon and Navarre (d. 1479)
- 1443 – Anthony Browne, English knight (d. 1506)
- 1482 – Maria of Aragon, Queen of Portugal (d. 1517)
- 1488 – Pedro Pacheco de Villena, Catholic cardinal (d. 1560)
- 1517 – Rembert Dodoens, Flemish physician and botanist (d. 1585)
- 1525 – Peter Agricola, German humanist, theologian, diplomat and statesman (d. 1585)
- 1528 – Julius, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (d. 1589)
- 1543 – Christine of Hesse, Duchess consort of Holstein-Gottorp (d. 1604)
- 1596 – Emperor Go-Mizunoo of Japan (d. 1680)
- 1621 – Willem van der Zaan, Dutch Admiral (d. 1669)
- 1686 – Pietro Paolo Troisi, Maltese artist (d. 1743)
- 1746 – Joachim Heinrich Campe, German linguist, author, and educator (d. 1818)
- 1768 – Vincenzo Dimech, Maltese sculptor (d. 1831)
- 1787 – Lavinia Stoddard, American poet, school founder (d. 1820)
- 1793 – Josef Ressel, Czech-Austrian inventor, invented the propeller (d. 1857)
- 1798 – Willibald Alexis, German author and poet (d. 1871)
- 1798 – Giacomo Leopardi, Italian poet and philosopher (d. 1837)
- 1801 – Frédéric Bastiat, French economist and theorist (d. 1850)
- 1803 – John Newton Brown, American minister and author (d. 1868)
- 1818 – Angelo Secchi, Italian astronomer and academic (d. 1878)
- 1819 – Thomas Dunn English, American poet, playwright, and politician (d. 1902)
- 1833 – Peter Waage, Norwegian chemist and academic (d. 1900)
- 1835 – Celia Thaxter, American poet and story writer (d. 1894)
- 1844 – Peter I of Serbia (d. 1921)
- 1849 – Pedro Montt, Chilean lawyer and politician, 15th President of Chile (d. 1910)
- 1849 – Sergei Witte, Russian politician, 1st Chairmen of Council of Ministers of the Russian Empire (d. 1915)
- 1849 – John Hunn, American businessman and politician, 51st Governor of Delaware (d. 1926)
- 1858 – George Washington Goethals, American general and engineer, co-designed the Panama Canal (d. 1928)
- 1858 – Julia Lathrop, American activist and politician (d. 1932)
- 1861 – William James Mayo, American physician and surgeon, co-founded the Mayo Clinic (d. 1939)
- 1863 – Wilbert Robinson, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 1934)
- 1866 – Bartholomeus Roodenburch, Dutch swimmer (d. 1939)
- 1868 – George Ellery Hale, American astronomer and journalist (d. 1938)
- 1870 – Joseph Carl Breil, American tenor, composer, and director (d. 1926)
- 1873 – Leo Frobenius, German ethnologist and archaeologist (d. 1938)
- 1879 – Benedetto Aloisi Masella, Italian cardinal (d. 1970)
- 1880 – Ludwig Beck, German general (d. 1944)
- 1881 – Harry Frazee, American director, producer, and agent (d. 1929)
- 1881 – Curt Sachs, German-American composer and musicologist (d. 1959)
- 1882 – Henry Hawtrey, English runner (d. 1961)
- 1882 – Franz Seldte, German captain and politician, Reich Minister for Labour (d. 1947)
- 1886 – Robert Schuman, Luxembourgian-French lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 1963)
- 1888 – Squizzy Taylor, Australian gangster (d. 1927)
- 1889 – Willie Macfarlane, Scottish-American golfer (d. 1961)
- 1890 – Robert Laurent, American sculptor and academic (d. 1970)
- 1890 – Hendrikje van Andel-Schipper, Dutch supercentenarian (d. 2005)
- 1893 – Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis, Indian economist and statistician (d. 1972)
- 1893 – Aarre Merikanto, Finnish composer and educator (d. 1958)
- 1897 – Fulgence Charpentier, Canadian journalist and publisher (d. 2001)
- 1898 – Yvonne Lefébure, French pianist and educator (d. 1986)
- 1900 – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, French poet and pilot (d. 1944)
- 1901 – Nelson Eddy, American singer and actor (d. 1967)
- 1903 – Alan Blumlein, English engineer, developed the H2S radar (d. 1942)
- 1904 – Witold Hurewicz, Polish mathematician (d. 1956)
- 1906 – Ivan Chernyakhovsky, Ukrainian general (d. 1945)
- 1906 – Heinz Harmel, German general (d. 2000)
- 1908 – Leroy Anderson, American composer and conductor (d. 1975)
- 1908 – Erik Lundqvist, Swedish javelin thrower (d. 1963)
- 1910 – Frank Loesser, American composer and conductor (d. 1969)
- 1910 – Burgess Whitehead, American baseball player (d. 1993)
- 1911 – Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld (d. 2004)
- 1911 – Katherine DeMille, Canadian-American actress (d. 1995)
- 1911 – Bernard Herrmann, American composer and conductor (d. 1975)
- 1912 – José Pablo Moncayo, Mexican pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1958)
- 1912 – Émile Peynaud, French oenologist and academic (d. 2004)
- 1912 – John Toland, American historian and author (d. 2004)
- 1913 – Earle Meadows, American pole vaulter (d. 1992)
- 1914 – Rafael Kubelík, Czech-American conductor and composer (d. 1996)
- 1914 – Christos Papakyriakopoulos, Greek-American mathematician and academic (d. 1976)
- 1916 – Ruth Warrick, American actress and activist (d. 2005)
- 1917 – Ling Yun, Chinese politician (d. 2018)
- 1918 – Heini Lohrer, Swiss ice hockey player (d. 2011)
- 1918 – Gene La Rocque, U.S admiral (d. 2016)
- 1918 – Francis W. Nye, United States Air Force major general (d. 2019)
- 1919 – Ernesto Corripio y Ahumada, Mexican cardinal (d. 2008)
- 1919 – Walter Babington Thomas, Commander of British Far East Land Forces (d. 2017)
- 1919 – Slim Pickens, American actor and rodeo performer (d. 1983)
- 1920 – César Rodríguez Álvarez, Spanish footballer and manager (d. 1995)
- 1920 – Ray Harryhausen, American animator and producer (d. 2013)
- 1920 – Nicole Russell, Duchess of Bedford (d. 2012)
- 1921 – Frédéric Dard, French author and screenwriter (d. 2000)
- 1921 – Jean Kent, English actress (d. 2013)
- 1921 – Reinhard Mohn, German businessman (d. 2009)
- 1921 – Harry Schell, French-American race car driver (d. 1960)
- 1922 – Ralph Burns, American songwriter, bandleader, composer, conductor, arranger and pianist (d. 2001)
- 1922 – Vasko Popa, Serbian poet and academic (d. 1991)
- 1922 – John William Vessey, Jr., American general (d. 2016)
- 1923 – Chou Wen-chung, Chinese-American composer and educator (d. 2019)
- 1924 – Ezra Laderman, American composer and educator (d. 2015)
- 1924 – Roy Walford, American pathologist and gerontologist (d. 2004)
- 1924 – Philip H. Hoff, American politician (d. 2018)
- 1925 – Francis S. Currey, American World War II Medal of Honor recipient (d. 2019)
- 1925 – Giorgio Napolitano, Italian journalist and politician, 11th President of Italy
- 1925 – Chan Parker, American dancer and author (d. 1999)
- 1925 – Jackie Lynn Taylor, American actress (d. 2014)
- 1925 – Cara Williams, American actress
- 1926 – Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Kuwaiti ruler, 3rd Emir of Kuwait (d. 2006)
- 1926 – Julius W. Becton, Jr., U.S lieutenant general
- 1926 – Roger Stuart Bacon, Nova Scotia politician
- 1926 – Bobby Morgan, American professional baseball player
- 1927 – Pierre Perrault, Canadian director and screenwriter (d. 1999)
- 1927 – Marie Thérèse Killens, Canadian politician
- 1928 – Ian Bannen, Scottish actor (d. 1999)
- 1928 – Jean-Louis Pesch, French author and illustrator
- 1928 – Radius Prawiro, Indonesian economist and politician (d. 2005)
- 1929 – Pat Crawford Brown, American actress
- 1929 – Pete George, American weightlifter
- 1929 – Oriana Fallaci, Italian journalist and author (d. 2006)
- 1930 – Ernst Albrecht, German economist and politician, 6th Prime Minister of Lower Saxony (d. 2014)
- 1930 – Robert Evans, American actor and producer (d. 2019)
- 1930 – Viola Léger, American-Canadian actress and politician
- 1930 – Sławomir Mrożek, Polish-French author and playwright (d. 2013)
- 1931 – Sevim Burak, Turkish author (d. 1983)
- 1932 – Brian Hutton, Baron Hutton, British jurist; Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland
- 1933 – Bob Shaw, American baseball player and manager (d. 2010)
- 1933 – John Bradshaw, American theologian and author (d. 2016)
- 1934 – Corey Allen, American actor, director, and producer (d. 2010)
- 1935 – Vassilis C. Constantakopoulos, Greek captain and businessman (d. 2011)
- 1935 – Katsuya Nomura, Japanese baseball player and manager
- 1936 – Harmon Killebrew, American baseball player and sportscaster (d. 2011)
- 1939 – Alan Connolly, Australian cricketer
- 1939 – Amarildo Tavares da Silveira, Brazilian footballer and coach
- 1940 – Vyacheslav Artyomov, Russian composer
- 1940 – John Dawes, Welsh rugby player and coach
- 1941 – John Boccabella, American baseball player
- 1941 – Stokely Carmichael, Trinidadian-American activist (d. 1998)
- 1942 – Charlotte Bingham, English author and screenwriter
- 1942 – Mike Willesee, Australian journalist and producer (d. 2019)
- 1943 – Little Eva, American singer (d. 2003)
- 1943 – Louis Nicollin, French entrepreneur and chairman of Montpellier HSC (d. 2017)
- 1944 – Gary Busey, American actor
- 1944 – Andreu Mas-Colell, Spanish economist, academic, and politician
- 1944 – Seán Patrick O’Malley, American cardinal
- 1945 – Chandrika Kumaratunga, Sri Lankan journalist and politician, 5th President of Sri Lanka
- 1946 – Ernesto Pérez Balladares, Panamanian politician, 33rd President of Panama
- 1946 – Egon von Fürstenberg, Swiss fashion designer (d. 2004)
- 1947 – Richard Lewis, American actor and screenwriter
- 1948 – Sean Bergin, South African-Dutch saxophonist and flute player (d. 2012)
- 1948 – Fred Grandy, American actor and politician
- 1948 – Ian Paice, English drummer, songwriter, and producer
- 1948 – Usha Prashar, Baroness Prashar, Kenyan-English politician
- 1949 – Dan Dierdorf, American football player and sportscaster
- 1949 – Joan Clos, Spanish anesthesiologist and politician, 116th Mayor of Barcelona
- 1949 – Ann Veneman, American lawyer and politician, 27th United States Secretary of Agriculture
- 1950 – Bobby London, American illustrator
- 1951 – Craig Sager, American sportscaster (d. 2016)
- 1953 – Don Dokken, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1953 – Colin Hay, Scottish-Australian singer and guitarist
- 1954 – Rick Honeycutt, American baseball player and coach
- 1954 – Leovegildo Lins da Gama Júnior, Brazilian footballer, coach, and manager
- 1955 – Charles J. Precourt, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut
- 1956 – Nick Fry, English economist and businessman
- 1956 – David Burroughs Mattingly, American illustrator and painter
- 1956 – Pedro Guerrero, Dominican-American baseball player and manager
- 1956 – Pedro Santana Lopes, Portuguese lawyer and politician, 118th Prime Minister of Portugal
- 1956 – Pyotr Vasilevsky, Belarusian footballer and manager (d. 2012)
- 1957 – Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, Turkmen dentist and politician, 2nd President of Turkmenistan
- 1957 – María Conchita Alonso, Cuban-Venezuelan singer and actress
- 1957 – Robert Forster, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1957 – Michael Nutter, American politician, 98th Mayor of Philadelphia
- 1957 – Terry Wyatt, English physicist and academic
- 1958 – Dieter Althaus, German politician
- 1958 – Rosa Mota, Portuguese runner
- 1961 – Sharon Lawrence, American actress, singer, and dancer
- 1962 – Amanda Donohoe, English actress
- 1962 – Joan Laporta, Spanish lawyer and politician
- 1962 – George D. Zamka, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut
- 1963 – Anne-Sophie Mutter, German violinist
- 1964 – Stedman Pearson, English singer-songwriter and dancer
- 1965 – Tripp Eisen, American guitarist
- 1965 – Paul Jarvis, English cricketer
- 1966 – Yoko Kamio, Japanese author and comic artist
- 1967 – Jeff Burton, American race car driver
- 1967 – Melora Hardin, American actress and singer
- 1967 – Seamus McGarvey, Northern Irish cinematographer
- 1968 – Brian d’Arcy James, American actor and musician
- 1968 – Theoren Fleury, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1968 – Judith Hoag, American actress and educator
- 1969 – Claude Béchard, Canadian politician (d. 2010)
- 1969 – Pavlos Dermitzakis, Greek footballer and manager
- 1969 – Tōru Hashimoto, Japanese lawyer and politician
- 1970 – Melanie Paschke, German sprinter
- 1970 – Emily Skinner, American actress and singer
- 1971 – Matthew Good, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1973 – George Hincapie, American cyclist
- 1976 – Daniel Carlsson, Swedish race car driver
- 1976 – Bret McKenzie, New Zealand comedian, actor, musician, songwriter, and producer
- 1977 – Sotiris Liberopoulos, Greek footballer
- 1977 – Zuleikha Robinson, English actress
- 1978 – Nicole Scherzinger, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress
- 1979 – Matthew Bode, Australian footballer
- 1979 – Andy O’Brien, English footballer
- 1979 – Marleen Veldhuis, Dutch swimmer
- 1980 – Katherine Jenkins, Welsh soprano and actress
- 1981 – Luke Branighan, Australian rugby league player
- 1981 – Joe Johnson, American basketball player
- 1981 – Nicolás Vuyovich, Argentinian race car driver (d. 2005)
- 1981 – Shmuly Yanklowitz, American rabbi, author, and educator
- 1982 – Dusty Hughes, American baseball player
- 1982 – Lily Rabe, American actress
- 1983 – Aundrea Fimbres, American singer-songwriter and dancer
- 1983 – Jeremy Powers, American cyclist
- 1984 – Aleksandr Shustov, Russian high jumper
- 1985 – Quintin Demps, American football player
- 1986 – José Manuel Jurado, Spanish footballer
- 1986 – Edward Maya, Romanian singer-songwriter and producer
- 1988 – Éver Banega, Argentinian footballer
- 1990 – Kim Little, Scottish footballer
- 1990 – Yann M’Vila, French footballer
- 1991 – Suk Hyun-jun, South Korean footballer
- 1991 – Kawhi Leonard, American basketball player
- 1991 – Addison Timlin, American actress
- 1993 – Harrison Gilbertson, Australian actor
- 1994 – Camila Mendes, American actress and model
- 1996 – Joseph Manu, New Zealand rugby league player
- 1998 – Michael Porter Jr., American basketball player
- 2006 – Sam Lavagnino, American child voice actor
Deaths on June 29
- 226 – Cao Pi, Chinese emperor (b. 187)
- 884 – Yang Shili, general of the Tang Dynasty
- 976 – Gero, archbishop of Cologne
- 1059 – Bernard II, Duke of Saxony (b. 995)
- 1149 – Raymond of Poitiers, Prince of Antioch (b. 1115)
- 1153 – Óláfr Guðrøðarson, King of the Isles
- 1252 – Abel, King of Denmark (b. 1218)
- 1293 – Henry of Ghent, philosopher (b. c.1217)
- 1315 – Ramon Llull, Spanish philosopher (b. 1235)
- 1344 – Joan of Savoy, duchess consort of Brittany, throne claimant of Savoy (b. 1310)
- 1374 – Jan Milíč of Kroměříž, Czech priest and reformer
- 1432 – Janus of Cyprus (b. 1375)
- 1509 – Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond and Derby (b. 1443)
- 1520 – Moctezuma II, Aztec ruler (b. 1466)
- 1575 – Baba Nobuharu, Japanese samurai (b. 1515)
- 1594 – Niels Kaas, Danish politician, Chancellor of Denmark (b. 1535)
- 1626 – Scipione Cobelluzzi, Italian cardinal and archivist (b. 1564)
- 1646 – Laughlin Ó Cellaigh, Gaelic-Irish Lord
- 1725 – Arai Hakuseki, Japanese philosopher, academic, and politician (b. 1657)
- 1729 – Edward Taylor, American-English poet, pastor, and physician (b. circa 1642)
- 1744 – André Campra, French composer and conductor (b. 1660)
- 1764 – Ralph Allen, English businessman and philanthropist (b. 1693)
- 1779 – Anton Raphael Mengs, German painter (b. 1728)
- 1831 – Heinrich Friedrich Karl vom und zum Stein, Prussian minister and politician (b. 1757)
- 1840 – Lucien Bonaparte, French prince (b. 1775)
- 1852 – Henry Clay, American lawyer and politician, 9th United States Secretary of State (b. 1777)
- 1853 – Adrien-Henri de Jussieu, French botanist and academic (b. 1797)
- 1855 – John Gorrie, American physician and humanitarian (b. 1803)
- 1860 – Thomas Addison, English physician and endocrinologist (b. 1793)
- 1861 – Elizabeth Barrett Browning, English poet and translator (b. 1806)
- 1873 – Michael Madhusudan Dutt, Indian poet and playwright (b. 1824)
- 1875 – Ferdinand I of Austria (b. 1793)
- 1895 – Thomas Henry Huxley, English biologist (b. 1825)
- 1900 – Ivan Mikheevich Pervushin, Russian mathematician and academic (b. 1827)
- 1907 – Konstantinos Volanakis, Greek painter and academic (b. 1837)
- 1919 – José Gregorio Hernández Venezuelan physician and educator (b. 1864)
- 1931 – Nérée Beauchemin, Canadian poet and physician (b. 1850)
- 1933 – Roscoe Arbuckle, American actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1887)
- 1935 – Jack O’Neill, Irish-American baseball player and manager (b. 1873)
- 1936 – János Szlepecz, Slovene priest and missionary (b. 1872)
- 1940 – Paul Klee, Swiss painter and illustrator (b. 1879)
- 1941 – Ignacy Jan Paderewski, Polish pianist, composer, and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Poland (b. 1860)
- 1942 – Paul Troje, German politician, Mayor of Marburg (b. 1864)
- 1949 – Themistoklis Sofoulis, Greek politician, 115th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1860)
- 1955 – Max Pechstein, German painter and academic (b. 1881)
- 1960 – Frank Patrick, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1885)
- 1962 – Charles Lyon Chandler, American historian (b. 1883)
- 1964 – Eric Dolphy, American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader (b. 1928)
- 1967 – Primo Carnera, Italian boxer and actor (b. 1906)
- 1967 – Jayne Mansfield, American actress (b. 1933)
- 1969 – Moise Tshombe, Congolese accountant and politician, Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (b. 1919)
- 1971 – Nestor Mesta Chayres, Mexican operatic tenor and bolero vocalist (b. 1908)
- 1975 – Tim Buckley, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1947)
- 1978 – Bob Crane, American actor (b. 1928)
- 1979 – Lowell George, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1945)
- 1980 – Jorge Basadre, Peruvian historian (b. 1903)
- 1981 – Russell Drysdale, English-Australian painter (b. 1912)
- 1982 – Pierre Balmain, French fashion designer, founded Balmain (b. 1914)
- 1982 – Henry King, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1886)
- 1986 – Frank Wise, Australian politician, 16th Premier of Western Australia (b. 1897)
- 1990 – Irving Wallace, American author and screenwriter (b. 1916)
- 1992 – Mohamed Boudiaf, Algerian soldier and politician, President of Algeria (b. 1919)
- 1993 – Héctor Lavoe, Puerto Rican-American singer-songwriter (b. 1946)
- 1994 – Kurt Eichhorn, German conductor and educator (b. 1908)
- 1995 – Lana Turner, American actress (b. 1921)
- 1997 – William Hickey, American actor (b. 1927)
- 1998 – Horst Jankowski, German pianist and composer (b. 1936)
- 1999 – Karekin I, Syrian-Armenian patriarch (b. 1950)
- 1999 – Allan Carr, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1937)
- 2000 – Vittorio Gassman, Italian actor and director (b. 1922)
- 2002 – Rosemary Clooney, American singer and actress (b. 1928)
- 2003 – Katharine Hepburn, American actress (b. 1907)
- 2004 – Bernard Babior, American physician and biochemist (b. 1935)
- 2004 – Alvin Hamilton, Canadian lieutenant and politician, 18th Canadian Minister of Agriculture (b. 1912)
- 2006 – Fabián Bielinsky, Argentinian director and screenwriter (b. 1959)
- 2006 – Randy Walker, American football player and coach (b. 1954)
- 2007 – Fred Saberhagen, American soldier and author (b. 1930)
- 2007 – Joel Siegel, American journalist and critic (b. 1943)
- 2009 – Joe Bowman, American, target shooter and boot-maker (b. 1925)
- 2011 – K. D. Sethna, Indian poet, scholar, writer, philosopher, and cultural critic (b. 1904)
- 2012 – Yong Nyuk Lin, Singaporean politician, Singaporean Minister of Health (b. 1918)
- 2012 – Vincent Ostrom, American political scientist and academic (b. 1919)
- 2012 – Juan Reccius, Chilean triple jumper (b. 1911)
- 2012 – Floyd Temple, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1926)
- 2013 – Peter Fitzgerald, Irish footballer and manager (b. 1937)
- 2013 – Jack Gotta, American-Canadian football player, coach, and manager (b. 1929)
- 2013 – Margherita Hack, Italian astrophysicist and author (b. 1922)
- 2013 – Gilma Jiménez, Colombian politician (b. 1956)
- 2014 – Damian D’Oliveira, South African cricketer (b. 1960)
- 2014 – Dermot Healy, Irish author, poet, and playwright (b. 1947)
- 2015 – Hisham Barakat, Egyptian lawyer and judge (b. 1950)
- 2015 – Josef Masopust, Czech footballer and coach (b. 1931)
- 2015 – Charles Pasqua, French businessman and politician, French Minister of the Interior (b. 1927)
- 2016 – Jan Hettema, Springbok cyclist and five times South African National Rally Champion (b. 1933)
- 2017 – Louis Nicollin, French entrepreneur and chairman of Montpellier HSC from 1974 to his death (b. 1943)
- 2017 – Dave Semenko, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1957)
- 2018 – Steve Ditko, American comic writer and illustrator (b. 1927)
- 2020 – Carl Reiner, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1922)
Holidays and observances on June 29
- Christian feast day:
- Cassius of Narni
- Feast of Saints Peter and Paul (Western Christianity), and its related observances:
- Haro Wine Festival (Haro, La Rioja)
- l-Imnarja (Malta)
- June 29 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Engineer’s Day (Ecuador)
- Independence Day (Seychelles), celebrates the independence of Seychelles from the United Kingdom in 1976.
- Veterans’ Day (Netherlands)
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June 24 in History
- 1312 BC – Mursili II launches a campaign against the Kingdom of Azzi-Hayasa.
- 217 BC – The Romans, led by Gaius Flaminius, are ambushed and defeated by Hannibal at the Battle of Lake Trasimene.
- 109 – Roman emperor Trajan inaugurates the Aqua Traiana, an aqueduct that channels water from Lake Bracciano, 40 kilometres (25 miles) northwest of Rome.
- 474 – Julius Nepos forces Roman usurper Glycerius to abdicate the throne and proclaims himself Emperor of the Western Roman Empire.
- 637 – The Battle of Moira is fought between the High King of Ireland and the Kings of Ulster and Dál Riata. It is claimed to be the largest battle in the history of Ireland.
- 972 – Battle of Cedynia, the first documented victory of Polish forces, takes place.
- 1128 – Battle of São Mamede, near Guimarães: Forces led by Afonso I defeat forces led by his mother Teresa of León and her lover Fernando Pérez de Traba.
- 1230 – The Siege of Jaén begins, in the context of the Spanish Reconquista.
- 1314 – First War of Scottish Independence: The Battle of Bannockburn concludes with a decisive victory by Scottish forces led by Robert the Bruce.
- 1340 – Hundred Years’ War: Battle of Sluys: The French fleet is almost completely destroyed by the English fleet commanded in person by King Edward III.
- 1374 – A sudden outbreak of St. John’s Dance causes people in the streets of Aachen, Germany, to experience hallucinations and begin to jump and twitch uncontrollably until they collapse from exhaustion.
- 1497 – John Cabot lands in North America at Newfoundland leading the first European exploration of the region since the Vikings.
- 1509 – Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon are crowned King and Queen of England.
- 1535 – The Dominion of Münster, a radical communal Anabaptist state in the independent German city of Münster, is conquered by Franz von Waldeck, the Catholic Prince-Bishopric of Münster in a night attack.
- 1571 – Miguel López de Legazpi founds Manila, the capital of the Philippines.
- 1604 – Samuel de Champlain discovers the mouth of the Saint John River, site of Reversing Falls and the present-day city of Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada.
- 1622 – Battle of Macau: The Dutch make a failed attempt to capture Macau.
- 1663 – The Spanish garrison of Évora capitulates, following the Portuguese victory at the Battle of Ameixial.
- 1717 – The Premier Grand Lodge of England is founded in London, the first Masonic Grand Lodge in the world (now the United Grand Lodge of England).
- 1762 – Battle of Wilhelmsthal: The British-Hanoverian army of Ferdinand of Brunswick defeats French forces in Westphalia.
- 1779 – American Revolutionary War: The Great Siege of Gibraltar begins.
- 1793 – The French Constitution of 1793 is formally adopted, although it is effectively suspended by the Committee of Public Safety.
- 1812 – Napoleonic Wars: Napoleon’s Grande Armée crosses the Neman river beginning the invasion of Russia.
- 1813 – Battle of Beaver Dams: A British and Indian combined force defeats the United States Army.
- 1821 – The Battle of Carabobo takes place. It is the decisive battle in the war of independence of Venezuela from Spain.
- 1859 – Battle of Solferino (Battle of the Three Sovereigns): Sardinia and France defeat Austria in Solferino, northern Italy.
- 1866 – Battle of Custoza: An Austrian army defeats the Italian army during the Austro-Prussian War.
- 1880 – First performance of O Canada at the Congrès national des Canadiens-Français. The song would later become the national anthem of Canada.
- 1894 – Marie François Sadi Carnot is assassinated by Sante Geronimo Caserio.
- 1902 – King Edward VII of the United Kingdom develops appendicitis, delaying his coronation.
- 1913 – Greece and Serbia annul their alliance with Bulgaria.
- 1916 – Mary Pickford becomes the first female film star to sign a million-dollar contract.
- 1918 – First airmail service in Canada from Montreal to Toronto.
- 1922 – The American Professional Football Association is renamed the National Football League.
- 1932 – A bloodless revolution instigated by the People’s Party ends the absolute power of King Prajadhipok of Siam (now Thailand).
- 1938 – Pieces of a meteorite land near Chicora, Pennsylvania. The meteorite is estimated to have weighed 450 metric tons when it hit the Earth’s atmosphere and exploded.
- 1939 – Siam is renamed Thailand by Plaek Phibunsongkhram, the country’s third prime minister.
- 1940 – World War II: Operation Collar, the first British Commando raid on occupied France, by No 11 Independent Company.
- 1943 – US military police attempt to arrest a black soldier in Bamber Bridge, England, sparking the Battle of Bamber Bridge mutiny that leaves one dead and seven wounded.
- 1947 – Kenneth Arnold makes the first widely reported UFO sighting near Mount Rainier, Washington, leading to the coining of the phrase “flying saucer”.
- 1948 – Cold War: Start of the Berlin Blockade: The Soviet Union makes overland travel between West Germany and West Berlin impossible.
- 1949 – The first television western, Hopalong Cassidy, starring William Boyd, is aired on NBC.
- 1950 – Apartheid: In South Africa, the Group Areas Act is passed, formally segregating races.
- 1954 – First Indochina War: Battle of Mang Yang Pass: Viet Minh troops belonging to the 803rd Regiment ambush G.M. 100 of France in An Khê.
- 1957 – In Roth v. United States, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that obscenity is not protected by the First Amendment.
- 1963 – The United Kingdom grants Zanzibar internal self-government.
- 1973 – The UpStairs Lounge, a gay bar in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana, is attacked by an arsonist during a church service, and 32 people die from smoke inhalation or fire.
- 1975 – Eastern Air Lines Flight 66 encounters severe wind shear and crashes on final approach to New York’s JFK Airport killing 113 of the 124 passengers on board, making it the deadliest U.S. plane crash at the time. This accident led to decades of research into downburst and microburst phenomena and their effects on aircraft.
- 1981 – The Humber Bridge opens to traffic, connecting Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. It remained the world’s longest bridge span for 17 years.
- 1982 – British Airways Flight 9 flies into a cloud of volcanic ash thrown up by the eruption of Mount Galunggung, resulting in the failure of all four engines.
- 1989 – Jiang Zemin succeeds Zhao Ziyang to become the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China after the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989.
- 1995 – Rugby World Cup: South Africa defeats New Zealand and Nelson Mandela presents Francois Pienaar with the Webb Ellis Cup in an iconic post-apartheid moment.
- 2002 – The Igandu train disaster in Tanzania kills 281, the worst train accident in African history.
- 2004 – In New York, capital punishment is declared unconstitutional.
- 2010 – At Wimbledon, John Isner of the United States defeats Nicolas Mahut of France, in the longest match in professional tennis history.
- 2010 – Julia Gillard assumes office as the first female Prime Minister of Australia.
- 2012 – Death of Lonesome George, the last known individual of Chelonoidis nigra abingdonii, a subspecies of the Galápagos tortoise.
- 2013 – Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is found guilty of abusing his power and engaging in sex with an underage prostitute, and is sentenced to seven years in prison.
Births on June 24
- 1210 – Count Floris IV of Holland (d. 1234)
- 1244 – Henry I, Landgrave of Hesse (d. 1308)
- 1254 – Floris V, Count of Holland (d. 1296)
- 1257 – Robert de Vere, 6th Earl of Oxford, English nobleman (probable; d. 1331)
- 1314 – Philippa of Hainault Queen of England (d. 1369)
- 1322 – Joanna, Duchess of Brabant (d. 1406)
- 1343 – Joan of Valois, Queen of Navarre (d. 1373)
- 1360 – Nuno Álvares Pereira, Portuguese general
- 1386 – John of Capistrano, Italian priest and saint (d. 1456)
- 1465 – Isabella del Balzo, Queen Consort of Naples (d. 1533)
- 1485 – Johannes Bugenhagen, Polish-German priest and reformer (d. 1558)
- 1485 – Elizabeth of Denmark, Electress of Brandenburg (d. 1555)
- 1499 – Johannes Brenz, German theologian and the Protestant Reformer (d. 1570)
- 1519 – Theodore Beza, French theologian and scholar (d. 1605)
- 1532 – Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, English politician (d. 1588)
- 1532 – William IV, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel (d. 1573)
- 1535 – Joanna of Austria, Princess of Portugal (d. 1573)
- 1546 – Robert Persons, English Jesuit priest, insurrectionist, and author (d. 1610)
- 1587 – William Arnold, English-American settler (d. 1675)
- 1591 – Mustafa I, Ottoman sultan (d. 1639)
- 1614 – John Belasyse, 1st Baron Belasyse
- 1616 – Ferdinand Bol, Dutch painter, etcher and draftsman, student of Rembrandt (d. 1680)
- 1661 – Hachisuka Tsunanori, Japanese daimyō (d. 1730)
- 1663 – Jean Baptiste Massillon, French bishop (d. 1742)
- 1687 – Johann Albrecht Bengel, German-Lutheran clergyman and scholar (d. 1757)
- 1694 – Jean-Jacques Burlamaqui, Swiss author and theorist (d. 1748)
- 1704 – Jean-Baptiste de Boyer, Marquis d’Argens, French philosopher and author (d. 1771)
- 1753 – William Hull, American general and politician, 1st Governor of Michigan Territory (d. 1825)
- 1755 – Anacharsis Cloots, Prussian-French activist (d. 1794)
- 1767 – Jean-Baptiste Benoît Eyriès, French geographer and author (d. 1846)
- 1771 – Éleuthère Irénée du Pont, French chemist and businessman, founded DuPont (d. 1834)
- 1774 – Antonio González de Balcarce, Argentinian commander and politician, 5th Supreme Director of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata (d. 1819)
- 1774 – François-Nicolas-Benoît Haxo, French general and engineer (d. 1838)
- 1777 – John Ross, Scottish commander and explorer (d. 1856)
- 1782 – Juan Larrea, Argentinian captain and politician (d. 1847)
- 1783 – Johann Heinrich von Thünen, German economist and geographer (d. 1850)
- 1784 – Juan Antonio Lavalleja, Uruguayan general and politician, President of Uruguay (d. 1853)
- 1788 – Thomas Blanchard, American inventor (d. 1864)
- 1795 – Ernst Heinrich Weber, German physician and psychologist (d. 1878)
- 1797 – John Hughes, Irish-American archbishop (d. 1864)
- 1797 – Paweł Edmund Strzelecki, Polish geologist and explorer (d. 1873)
- 1804 – Stephan Endlicher, Austrian botanist, numismatist, and sinologist (d. 1849)
- 1804 – Willard Richards, American religious leader (d. 1854)
- 1811 – John Archibald Campbell, American lawyer and jurist (d. 1889)
- 1813 – Henry Ward Beecher, American minister and reformer (d. 1887)
- 1813 – Francis Boott, American composer (d. 1904)
- 1821 – Guillermo Rawson, Argentinian physician and politician (d. 1890)
- 1826 – George Goyder, English-Australian surveyor (d. 1898)
- 1835 – Johannes Wislicenus, German chemist and academic (d. 1902)
- 1838 – Jan Matejko, Polish painter (d. 1893)
- 1839 – Gustavus Franklin Swift, American businessman (d. 1903)
- 1842 – Ambrose Bierce, American short story writer, essayist, and journalist (d. 1914)
- 1846 – Samuel Johnson, Nigerian priest and historian (d. 1901)
- 1850 – Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener, Irish field marshal and politician, Governor-General of Sudan (d. 1916)
- 1852 – Friedrich Loeffler, German bacteriologist and academic (d. 1915)
- 1854 – Eleanor Norcross, American painter (d. 1923)
- 1856 – Henry Chapman Mercer, American archaeologist and author (d. 1930)
- 1858 – Hastings Rashdall, English historian, philosopher, and theologian (d. 1924)
- 1865 – Robert Henri, American painter and educator (d. 1929)
- 1867 – Ruth Randall Edström, American educator and activist (d. 1944)
- 1869 – Prince George of Greece and Denmark (d. 1957)
- 1872 – Frank Crowninshield, American journalist and art and theatre critic (d. 1947)
- 1875 – Forrest Reid, Irish novelist, literary critic and translator (d. 1947)
- 1880 – Oswald Veblen, American mathematician and academic (g. 1960)
- 1880 – João Cândido Felisberto, Brazilian revolutionary and sailor (d. 1969)
- 1881 – George Shiels, Irish-Canadian author, poet, and playwright (d. 1949)
- 1882 – Athanase David, Canadian lawyer and politician (d. 1953)
- 1882 – Carl Diem, German businessman (d. 1962)
- 1883 – Victor Francis Hess, Austrian-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1964)
- 1883 – Fritz Löhner-Beda, Jewish Austrian librettist, lyricist and writer (d.1942)
- 1883 – Jean Metzinger, French artist (d. 1956)
- 1883 – Arthur L. Newton, American runner (d. 1956)
- 1883 – Frank Verner, American runner (d. 1966)
- 1884 – Frank Waller, American runner (d. 1941)
- 1885 – Olaf Holtedahl, Norwegian geologist (d. 1975)
- 1888 – Gerrit Rietveld, Dutch architect, designed the Rietveld Schröder House (d. 1964)
- 1893 – Roy O. Disney, American businessman, co-founded The Walt Disney Company (d. 1971)
- 1895 – Jack Dempsey, American boxer and soldier (d. 1983)
- 1898 – Armin Öpik, Estonian-Australian paleontologist and geologist (d. 1983)
- 1898 – Karl Selter, Estonian politician, 14th Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia (d. 1958)
- 1900 – Wilhelm Cauer, German mathematician and engineer (d. 1945)
- 1901 – Marcel Mule, French saxophonist (d. 2001)
- 1901 – Harry Partch, American composer and theorist (d. 1974)
- 1901 – Chuck Taylor, American basketball player and salesman (d. 1969)
- 1904 – Phil Harris, American singer-songwriter and actor (d. 1995)
- 1905 – Fred Alderman, American sprinter (d. 1998)
- 1906 – Pierre Fournier, French cellist and educator (d. 1986)
- 1906 – Willard Maas, American poet and educator (d. 1971)
- 1907 – Arseny Tarkovsky, Russian poet and translator (d. 1989)
- 1908 – Hugo Distler, German organist, composer, and conductor (d. 1942)
- 1908 – Alfons Rebane, Estonian colonel (d. 1976)
- 1909 – Jean Deslauriers, Canadian violinist, composer, and conductor (d. 1978)
- 1909 – William Penney, Baron Penney, English mathematician and physicist (d. 1991)
- 1909 – Betty Cavanna, American author (d. 2001)
- 1911 – Juan Manuel Fangio, Argentinian race car driver (d. 1995)
- 1911 – Ernesto Sabato, Argentinian physicist and academic (d. 2011)
- 1911 – Portia White, Canadian opera singer (d. 1968)
- 1912 – Brian Johnston, English sportscaster and author (d. 1994)
- 1912 – Mary Wesley, English author (d. 2002)
- 1913 – Gustaaf Deloor, Belgian cyclist and soldier (d. 2002)
- 1914 – Jan Karski, Polish-American activist and academic (d. 2000)
- 1914 – Pearl Witherington, French secret agent (d. 2008)
- 1915 – Fred Hoyle, English astronomer and author (d. 2001)
- 1916 – William B. Saxbe, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 70th United States Attorney General (d. 2010)
- 1916 – Saloua Raouda Choucair, Lebanese painter and sculptor (d. 2017)
- 1917 – David Easton, Canadian-American political scientist and academic (d. 2014)
- 1917 – Lucy Jarvis, American television producer (d. 2020)
- 1917 – Ramblin’ Tommy Scott, American singer and guitarist (d. 2013)
- 1917 – Joan Clarke, English cryptanalyst and numismatist (d. 1996)
- 1918 – Mildred Ladner Thompson, American journalist and author (d. 2013)
- 1918 – Yong Nyuk Lin, Singaporean businessman and politician, Singaporean Minister for Education (d. 2012)
- 1919 – Al Molinaro, American actor (d. 2015)
- 1921 – Gerhard Sommer, German soldier
- 1922 – Jack Carter, American actor and comedian (d. 2015)
- 1922 – John Postgate, English microbiologist, author, and academic (d. 2014)
- 1922 – Richard Timberlake, American economist
- 1923 – Margaret Olley, Australian painter and philanthropist (d. 2011)
- 1924 – Kurt Furgler, Swiss politician, 70th President of the Swiss Confederation (d. 2008)
- 1924 – Archie Roy, Scottish astronomer and academic (d. 2012)
- 1924 – Yoshito Takamine, American politician (d. 2015)
- 1925 – Ogden Reid, American politician (d. 2019)
- 1927 – Fernand Dumont, Canadian sociologist, philosopher, and poet (d. 1997)
- 1927 – James B. Edwards, American dentist, soldier, and politician, 3rd United States Secretary of Energy (d. 2014)
- 1927 – Martin Lewis Perl, American physicist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2014)
- 1929 – Carolyn S. Shoemaker, American astronomer
- 1930 – Claude Chabrol, French actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2010)
- 1930 – Donald Gordon, South African businessman and philanthropist (d. 2019)
- 1930 – William Bernard Ziff, Jr., American publisher (d. 2006)
- 1931 – Billy Casper, American golfer and architect (d. 2015)
- 1932 – David McTaggart, Canadian-Italian environmentalist (d. 2001)
- 1933 – Sam Jones, American basketball player and coach
- 1933 – Ngina Kenyatta, 1st First Lady of Kenya
- 1934 – Ferdinand Biwersi, German footballer and referee (d. 2013)
- 1934 – Jean-Pierre Ferland, Canadian singer-songwriter
- 1934 – Gloria Christian, Italian singer
- 1935 – Terry Riley, American composer and educator
- 1935 – Jean Milesi, French racing cyclist
- 1935 – Charlie Dees, American baseball player
- 1937 – Anita Desai, Indian-American author and academic
- 1938 – Lawrence Block, American author
- 1938 – Abulfaz Elchibey, 1st democratically elected Azerbaijani president (d. 2000)
- 1938 – Ken Gray, New Zealand rugby player (d. 1992)
- 1939 – Brigitte Fontaine, French singer
- 1940 – Ian Ross, Australian newsreader (d. 2014)
- 1940 – Vittorio Storaro, Italian cinematographer
- 1941 – Erkin Koray, Turkish singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1941 – Julia Kristeva, Bulgarian-French psychoanalyst and author
- 1941 – Graham McKenzie, Australian cricketer
- 1942 – Arthur Brown, English rock singer-songwriter
- 1942 – Michele Lee, American actress and singer
- 1942 – Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle, Chilean engineer and politician, 32nd President of Chile
- 1942 – Colin Groves, Australian academician and educator
- 1943 – Birgit Grodal, Danish economist and academic (d. 2004)
- 1944 – Jeff Beck, English guitarist and songwriter
- 1944 – Kathryn Lasky, American author
- 1944 – Chris Wood, English saxophonist (d. 1983)
- 1945 – Colin Blunstone, English singer-songwriter
- 1945 – Wayne Cashman, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1945 – George Pataki, American lawyer and politician, 53rd Governor of New York
- 1945 – Betty Stöve, Dutch tennis player
- 1946 – David Collenette, Canadian civil servant and politician, 32nd Canadian Minister of National Defence
- 1946 – Ellison Onizuka, American colonel, engineer, and astronaut (d. 1986)
- 1946 – Robert Reich, American economist and politician, 22nd United States Secretary of Labor
- 1947 – Clarissa Dickson Wright, English chef, author, and television personality (d. 2014)
- 1947 – Peter Weller, American actor and director
- 1948 – Patrick Moraz, Swiss keyboard player and songwriter
- 1949 – John Illsley, English singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer
- 1949 – Betty Jackson, English fashion designer
- 1950 – Nancy Allen, American actress
- 1950 – Bob Carlos Clarke, Irish-born English photographer (d. 2006)
- 1950 – Jan Kulczyk, Polish businessman (d. 2015)
- 1950 – Mercedes Lackey, American author
- 1951 – Raelene Boyle, Australian sprinter
- 1951 – Charles Sturridge, English director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1952 – Dianna Melrose, English diplomat, British High Commissioner to Tanzania
- 1952 – Bob Neill, English lawyer and politician
- 1953 – William E. Moerner, American chemist and physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1953 – Michael Tuck, Australian footballer and coach
- 1955 – Chris Higgins, English geneticist and academic
- 1955 – Edmund Malura, German footballer and manager
- 1955 – Loren Roberts, American golfer
- 1956 – Owen Paterson, English politician, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
- 1957 – Mark Parkinson, American lawyer and politician, 45th Governor of Kansas
- 1958 – Jean Charest, Canadian lawyer and politician, 5th Deputy Prime Minister of Canada
- 1958 – Silvio Mondinelli, Italian mountaineer
- 1958 – John Tortorella, American ice hockey player and coach
- 1959 – Andy McCluskey, English singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer
- 1960 – Elish Angiolini, Scottish lawyer, judge, and politician, Solicitor General for Scotland
- 1960 – Siedah Garrett, American singer-songwriter and pianist
- 1960 – Karin Pilsäter, Swedish accountant and politician
- 1960 – Erik Poppe, Norwegian director, cinematographer, and screenwriter
- 1961 – Dennis Danell, American singer and guitarist (d. 2000)
- 1961 – Iain Glen, Scottish actor
- 1961 – Bernie Nicholls, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1961 – Ralph E. Reed, Jr., American journalist and activist
- 1961 – Curt Smith, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1963 – Yuri Kasparyan, Russian guitarist
- 1963 – Preki, Serbian-American soccer player and coach
- 1963 – Mike Wieringo, American author and illustrator (d. 2007)
- 1964 – Jean-Luc Delarue, French television host and producer (d. 2012)
- 1964 – Kathryn Parminter, Baroness Parminter, English politician
- 1964 – Gary Suter, American ice hockey player and scout
- 1965 – Claude Bourbonnais, Canadian race car driver
- 1965 – Uwe Krupp, German ice hockey player and coach
- 1965 – Richard Lumsden, English actor, writer, composer and musician
- 1966 – Hope Sandoval, American singer-songwriter and musician
- 1966 – Adrienne Shelly, American actress, director, and screenwriter (d. 2006)
- 1967 – Janez Lapajne, Slovenian director and producer
- 1967 – John Limniatis, Greek-Canadian footballer and manager
- 1968 – Alaa Abdelnaby, Egyptian-American basketball player and sportscaster
- 1970 – Glenn Medeiros, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1970 – Bernardo Sassetti, Portuguese pianist, composer, and educator (d. 2012)
- 1972 – Robbie McEwen, Australian cyclist
- 1972 – Denis Žvegelj, Slovenian rower
- 1973 – Alexis Gauthier, French chef
- 1973 – Jere Lehtinen, Finnish ice hockey player
- 1974 – Dan Byles, English sailor, rower, and politician
- 1974 – Chris Guccione, American baseball player and umpire
- 1975 – Marek Malík, Czech ice hockey player
- 1975 – Federico Pucciariello, Argentinian-Italian rugby player
- 1976 – Brock Olivo, American football player and coach
- 1977 – Dimos Dikoudis, Greek basketball player and manager
- 1977 – Jeff Farmer, Australian footballer
- 1978 – Luis García, Spanish footballer
- 1978 – Pantelis Kafes, Greek footballer
- 1978 – Shunsuke Nakamura, Japanese footballer
- 1978 – Ariel Pink, American singer-songwriter
- 1978 – Juan Román Riquelme, Argentinian footballer
- 1978 – Emppu Vuorinen, Finnish guitarist and songwriter
- 1979 – Mindy Kaling, American actress and producer
- 1979 – Petra Němcová, Czech model and philanthropist
- 1980 – Cicinho, Brazilian footballer
- 1980 – Nina Dübbers, German tennis player
- 1980 – Andrew Jones, Australian race car driver
- 1980 – Minka Kelly, American actress
- 1982 – Kevin Nolan, English footballer
- 1982 – Jarret Stoll, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1983 – Rebecca Cooke, English swimmer
- 1983 – Gianni Munari, Italian footballer
- 1983 – Gard Nilssen, Norwegian drummer
- 1983 – David Shillington, Australian rugby league player
- 1984 – Andrea Raggi, Italian footballer
- 1984 – J.J. Redick, American basketball player
- 1984 – Johanna Welin, Swedish-born German wheelchair basketball player
- 1985 – Diego Alves Carreira, Brazilian footballer
- 1985 – Tom Kennedy, English footballer
- 1985 – Ethan Klein, American YouTuber
- 1985 – Nate Myles, Australian rugby league player
- 1985 – Vernon Philander, South African cricketer
- 1985 – Yukina Shirakawa, Japanese model
- 1986 – Stuart Broad, English cricketer
- 1986 – Phil Hughes, American baseball player
- 1986 – Solange Knowles, American singer-songwriter and actress
- 1987 – Simona Dobrá, Czech tennis player
- 1987 – Lionel Messi, Argentinian footballer
- 1987 – Pierre Vaultier, French snowboarder
- 1988 – Micah Richards, English footballer
- 1989 – Teklemariam Medhin, Eritrean runner
- 1990 – Michael Del Zotto, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1990 – Richard Sukuta-Pasu, German footballer
- 1991 – Yasmin Paige, English actress
- 1991 – Aidan Sezer, Australian rugby league player
- 1992 – David Alaba, Austrian footballer
- 1996 – Duki, Argentinian rapper
Deaths on June 24
- 994 – Abu Isa al-Warraq, Arab scholar (b. 889)
- 1046 – Jeongjong II, Korean ruler (b. 1018)
- 1088 – William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey, Norman nobleman
- 1314 – Gilbert de Clare, 8th Earl of Gloucester, English commander (b. 1291)
- 1314 – Robert de Clifford, 1st Baron de Clifford, English soldier and politician, Lord Warden of the Marches (b. 1274)
- 1398 – Hongwu, Chinese emperor (b. 1328)
- 1439 – Frederick IV, duke of Austria (b. 1382)
- 1503 – Reginald Bray, English architect and politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (b. 1440)
- 1519 – Lucrezia Borgia, Italian wife of Alfonso I d’Este, Duke of Ferrara (b. 1480)
- 1520 – Hosokawa Sumimoto, Japanese commander (b. 1489)
- 1604 – Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, English courtier, Lord Great Chamberlain (b. 1550)
- 1637 – Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc, French astronomer and historian (b. 1580)
- 1643 – John Hampden, English politician (b. 1595)
- 1766 – Adrien Maurice de Noailles, French soldier and politician, French Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1678)
- 1778 – Pieter Burman the Younger, Dutch philologist and academic (b. 1714)
- 1803 – Matthew Thornton, Irish-American judge and politician (b. 1714)
- 1817 – Thomas McKean, American lawyer and politician, 2nd Governor of Pennsylvania (b. 1734)
- 1835 – Andreas Vokos Miaoulis, Greek admiral and politician (b. 1769)
- 1902 – George Leake, Australian politician, 2nd Premier of Western Australia (b. 1856)
- 1908 – Grover Cleveland, American lawyer and politician, 22nd and 24th President of the United States (b. 1837)
- 1909 – Sarah Orne Jewett, American novelist, short story writer, and poet (b. 1849)
- 1922 – Walther Rathenau, German businessman and politician, 7th German Minister for Foreign Affairs (b. 1867)
- 1931 – Otto Mears, Russian-American businessman (b. 1840)
- 1931 – Xiang Zhongfa, Chinese politician, 2nd General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (b. 1880)
- 1932 – Ernst Põdder, Estonian general (b. 1879)
- 1943 – Camille Roy, Canadian priest and critic (b. 1870)
- 1946 – Louise Whitfield Carnegie, American philanthropist (b. 1857)
- 1947 – Emil Seidel, American politician, Mayor of Milwaukee (b. 1864)
- 1962 – Volfgangs Dārziņš, Latvian composer, pianist and music critic (b. 1906)
- 1964 – Stuart Davis, American painter and academic (b. 1892)
- 1968 – Tony Hancock, English actor, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1924)
- 1969 – Frank King, American cartoonist (b. 1883)
- 1969 – Willy Ley, German-American historian and author (b. 1906)
- 1976 – Minor White, American photographer, critic, and academic (b. 1908)
- 1978 – Robert Charroux, French author and critic (b. 1909)
- 1980 – V. V. Giri, Indian lawyer and politician, 4th President of India (b. 1894)
- 1984 – Clarence Campbell, Canadian businessman (b. 1905)
- 1987 – Jackie Gleason, American actor, comedian, and producer (b. 1916)
- 1988 – Csaba Kesjár, Hungarian race car driver (b. 1962)
- 1991 – Sumner Locke Elliott, Australian-American author and playwright (b. 1917)
- 1991 – Rufino Tamayo, Mexican painter and illustrator (b. 1899)
- 1994 – Jean Vallerand, Canadian violinist, composer, and conductor (b. 1915)
- 1995 – Andrew J. Transue, American politician and attorney Morissette v. United States (b. 1903)
- 1997 – Brian Keith, American actor (b. 1921)
- 2000 – Vera Atkins, British intelligence officer (b. 1908)
- 2000 – David Tomlinson, English actor and comedian (b. 1917)
- 2000 – Rodrigo Bueno, Argentine cuarteto singer (b. 1973)
- 2002 – Pierre Werner, Luxembourgian banker and politician, 21st Prime Minister of Luxembourg (b. 1913)
- 2004 – Ifigeneia Giannopoulou, Greek songwriter and author (b. 1957)
- 2005 – Paul Winchell, American actor, voice artist, and ventriloquist (b. 1922)
- 2007 – Natasja Saad, Danish rapper and reggae singer (b. 1974)
- 2007 – Chris Benoit, Canadian wrestler (b. 1967)
- 2007 – Derek Dougan, Northern Irish footballer and manager (b. 1938)
- 2008 – Gerhard Ringel, Austrian mathematician and academic (b. 1919)
- 2009 – Roméo LeBlanc, Canadian journalist and politician, 25th Governor General of Canada (b. 1927)
- 2010 – Fred Anderson, American jazz tenor saxophonist (b. 1929)
- 2011 – Tomislav Ivić, Croatian football coach and manager (b. 1933)
- 2012 – Darrel Akerfelds, American baseball player and coach (b. 1962)
- 2012 – Gad Beck, German author and educator (b. 1923)
- 2012 – Gu Chaohao, Chinese mathematician and academic (b. 1926)
- 2012 – Miki Roqué, Spanish footballer (b. 1988)
- 2012 – Ann C. Scales, American lawyer, educator, and activist (b. 1952)
- 2013 – Mick Aston, English archaeologist and academic (b. 1946)
- 2013 – Emilio Colombo, Italian politician, 40th Prime Minister of Italy (b. 1920)
- 2013 – Joannes Gijsen, Dutch bishop (b. 1932)
- 2013 – William Hathaway, American lawyer and politician (b. 1924)
- 2013 – James Martin, English-Bermudian computer scientist and author (b. 1933)
- 2013 – Alan Myers, American drummer (b. 1955)
- 2014 – John Clement, Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1928)
- 2014 – Olga Kotelko, Canadian runner and softball player (b. 1919)
- 2014 – Ramón José Velásquez, Venezuelan journalist, lawyer, and politician, President of Venezuela (b. 1916)
- 2014 – Eli Wallach, American actor (b. 1915)
- 2015 – Cristiano Araújo, Brazilian singer-songwriter (b. 1986)
- 2015 – Mario Biaggi, American police officer, politician and criminal (b. 1917)
- 2015 – Marva Collins, American author and educator (b. 1936)
- 2015 – Susan Ahn Cuddy, American lieutenant (b. 1915)
- 2019 – Billy Drago, American actor (b. 1945)
Holidays and observances on June 24
- Army Day or Battle of Carabobo Day (Venezuela)
- Bannockburn Day (Scotland)
- Christian feast day:
- María Guadalupe García Zavala
- Nativity of Saint John the Baptist
- June 24 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Day of the Caboclo (Amazonas, Brazil)
- Discovery Day, observed on the nearest Monday to June 24 (Newfoundland and Labrador)
- Earliest day on which Armed Forces Day can fall, while June 30 is the latest; celebrated on the last Saturday in June. (United Kingdom)
- Earliest day on which Inventors’ and Rationalizers’ Day can fall, while June 30 is the latest; celebrated on the last Saturday in June. (Russia)
- Earliest day on which Mother’s Day can fall, while June 30 is the latest; celebrated on the last Sunday in June. (Kenya)
- Earliest day on which Youth Day can fall, while Jun 30 is the latest; celebrated on the last Sunday in June. (Ukraine, Belarus)
- Inti Raymi, a winter solstice festival and a New Year in the Andes of the Southern Hemisphere (Sacsayhuamán)
- St John’s Day and the second day of the Midsummer celebrations (although this is not the astronomical summer solstice, see June 20) (Roman Catholic Church, Europe), and its related observances:
- Enyovden (Bulgaria)
- Jaanipäev (Estonia)
- Jāņi (Latvia)
- Jónsmessa (Iceland)
- Midsummer Day (England)
- Saint Jonas’ Festival or Joninės (Lithuania)
- Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day (Quebec)
- Sânziene (western Carpathian Mountains of Romania)
- Wattah Wattah Festival (Philippines)
- Fors Fortuna, ancient Roman festival to Fortuna
-
June 23 in History
- 229 – Sun Quan proclaims himself emperor of Eastern Wu.
- 1266 – War of Saint Sabas: In the Battle of Trapani, the Venetians defeat a larger Genoese fleet, capturing all its ships.
- 1280 – The Spanish Reconquista: In the Battle of Moclín the Emirate of Granada ambush a superior pursuing force, killing most of them in a military disaster for the Kingdom of Castile.
- 1305 – A peace treaty between the Flemish and the French is signed at Athis-sur-Orge.
- 1314 – First War of Scottish Independence: The Battle of Bannockburn (south of Stirling) begins.
- 1532 – Henry VIII of England and Francis I of France sign the “Treaty of Closer Amity With France” (also known as the Pommeraye treaty), pledging mutual aid against Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.
- 1565 – Dragut, commander of the Ottoman navy, dies during the Great Siege of Malta.
- 1594 – The Action of Faial, Azores. The Portuguese carrack Cinco Chagas, loaded with slaves and treasure, is attacked and sunk by English ships with only 13 survivors out of over 700 on board.
- 1611 – The mutinous crew of Henry Hudson’s fourth voyage sets Henry, his son and seven loyal crew members adrift in an open boat in what is now Hudson Bay; they are never heard from again.
- 1683 – William Penn signs a friendship treaty with Lenni Lenape Indians in Pennsylvania.
- 1713 – The French residents of Acadia are given one year to declare allegiance to Britain or leave Nova Scotia, Canada.
- 1757 – Battle of Plassey: Three thousand British troops under Robert Clive defeat a 50,000-strong Indian army under Siraj ud-Daulah at Plassey.
- 1758 – Seven Years’ War: Battle of Krefeld: British, Hanoverian, and Prussian forces defeat French troops at Krefeld in Germany.
- 1760 – Seven Years’ War: Battle of Landeshut: Austria defeats Prussia.
- 1780 – American Revolution: Battle of Springfield fought in and around Springfield, New Jersey (including Short Hills, formerly of Springfield, now of Millburn Township).
- 1794 – Empress Catherine II of Russia grants Jews permission to settle in Kiev.
- 1810 – John Jacob Astor forms the Pacific Fur Company.
- 1812 – War of 1812: Great Britain revokes the restrictions on American commerce, thus eliminating one of the chief reasons for going to war.
- 1860 – The United States Congress establishes the Government Printing Office.
- 1865 – American Civil War: At Fort Towson in the Oklahoma Territory, Confederate Brigadier General Stand Watie surrenders the last significant Confederate army.
- 1868 – Christopher Latham Sholes received a patent for an invention he called the “Type-Writer”.
- 1887 – The Rocky Mountains Park Act becomes law in Canada creating the nation’s first national park, Banff National Park.
- 1894 – The International Olympic Committee is founded at the Sorbonne in Paris, at the initiative of Baron Pierre de Coubertin.
- 1913 – Second Balkan War: The Greeks defeat the Bulgarians in the Battle of Doiran.
- 1914 – Mexican Revolution: Pancho Villa takes Zacatecas from Victoriano Huerta.
- 1917 – In a game against the Washington Senators, Boston Red Sox pitcher Ernie Shore retires 26 batters in a row after replacing Babe Ruth, who had been ejected for punching the umpire.
- 1919 – Estonian War of Independence: The decisive defeat of the Baltische Landeswehr in the Battle of Cēsis; this date is celebrated as Victory Day in Estonia.
- 1926 – The College Board administers the first SAT exam.
- 1931 – Wiley Post and Harold Gatty take off from Roosevelt Field, Long Island in an attempt to circumnavigate the world in a single-engine plane.
- 1938 – The Civil Aeronautics Act is signed into law, forming the Civil Aeronautics Authority in the United States.
- 1940 – Adolf Hitler goes on a three-hour tour of the architecture of Paris with architect Albert Speer and sculptor Arno Breker in his only visit to the city.
- 1940 – Henry Larsen begins the first successful west-to-east navigation of Northwest Passage from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
- 1941 – The Lithuanian Activist Front declares independence from the Soviet Union and forms the Provisional Government of Lithuania; it lasts only briefly as the Nazis will occupy Lithuania a few weeks later.
- 1942 – World War II: Germany’s latest fighter aircraft, a Focke-Wulf Fw 190, is captured intact when it mistakenly lands at RAF Pembrey in Wales.
- 1946 – The 1946 Vancouver Island earthquake strikes Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.
- 1947 – The United States Senate follows the United States House of Representatives in overriding U.S. President Harry S. Truman’s veto of the Taft–Hartley Act.
- 1951 – The ocean liner SS United States is christened and launched.
- 1956 – The French National Assembly takes the first step in creating the French Community by passing the Loi Cadre, transferring a number of powers from Paris to elected territorial governments in French West Africa.
- 1959 – Convicted Manhattan Project spy Klaus Fuchs is released after only nine years in prison and allowed to emigrate to Dresden, East Germany where he resumes a scientific career.
- 1960 – The United States Food and Drug Administration declares Enovid to be the first officially approved combined oral contraceptive pill in the world.
- 1961 – The Antarctic Treaty System, which sets aside Antarctica as a scientific preserve and limits military activity on the continent, its islands and ice shelves, comes into force.
- 1967 – Cold War: U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson meets with Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin in Glassboro, New Jersey for the three-day Glassboro Summit Conference.
- 1969 – Warren E. Burger is sworn in as Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court by retiring Chief Justice Earl Warren.
- 1969 – IBM announces that effective January 1970 it will price its software and services separately from hardware thus creating the modern software industry.
- 1972 – Watergate scandal: U.S. President Richard M. Nixon and White House Chief of Staff H. R. Haldeman are taped talking about using the Central Intelligence Agency to obstruct the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s investigation into the Watergate break-ins.
- 1972 – Title IX of the United States Civil Rights Act of 1964 is amended to prohibit sexual discrimination to any educational program receiving federal funds.
- 1973 – A fire at a house in Hull, England, which kills a six-year-old boy is passed off as an accident; it later emerges as the first of 26 deaths by fire caused over the next seven years by serial arsonist Peter Dinsdale.
- 1985 – A terrorist bomb explodes at Narita International Airport near Tokyo. An hour later, the same group detonates a second bomb aboard Air India Flight 182, bringing the Boeing 747 down off the coast of Ireland killing all 329 aboard.
- 1994 – NASA’s Space Station Processing Facility, a new state-of-the-art manufacturing building for the International Space Station, officially opens at Kennedy Space Center.
- 2001 – The 8.4 Mw southern Peru earthquake shakes coastal Peru with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). A destructive tsunami followed, leaving at least 74 people dead, and 2,687 injured.
- 2012 – Ashton Eaton breaks the decathlon world record at the United States Olympic Trials.
- 2013 – Nik Wallenda becomes the first man to successfully walk across the Grand Canyon on a tight rope.
- 2013 – Militants stormed a high-altitude mountaineering base camp near Nanga Parbat in Gilgit–Baltistan, Pakistan killing ten climbers, and a local guide.
- 2014 – The last of Syria’s declared chemical weapons are shipped out for destruction.
- 2016 – The United Kingdom votes in a referendum to leave the European Union, by 52% to 48%.
- 2017 – A series of terrorist attacks took place in Pakistan resulting in 96 deaths and wounded 200 others.
Births on June 23
- 47 BC – Caesarion, Egyptian king (d. 30 BC)
- 1385 – Stefan, Count Palatine of Simmern-Zweibrücken (d. 1459)
- 1433 – Francis II, Duke of Brittany (d. 1488)
- 1456 – Margaret of Denmark, Queen of Scotland (d. 1486)
- 1489 – Charles II, Duke of Savoy, Italian nobleman (d. 1496)
- 1534 – Oda Nobunaga, Japanese warlord (d. 1582)
- 1596 – Johan Banér, Swedish field marshal (d. 1641)
- 1616 – Shah Shuja, Mughal prince (d. 1661)
- 1625 – John Fell, English churchman and influential academic (d. 1686)
- 1668 – Giambattista Vico, Italian jurist, historian, and philosopher (d. 1744)
- 1683 – Étienne Fourmont, French orientalist and sinologist (d. 1745)
- 1711 – Giovanni Battista Guadagnini, Italian instrument maker (d. 1786)
- 1716 – Fletcher Norton, 1st Baron Grantley, English lawyer and politician, Solicitor General for England and Wales (d. 1789)
- 1750 – Déodat Gratet de Dolomieu, French geologist and academic (d. 1801)
- 1763 – Joséphine de Beauharnais, French wife of Napoleon I (d. 1814)
- 1799 – John Milton Bernhisel, American physician and politician (d. 1881)
- 1800 – Karol Marcinkowski, Polish physician and activist (d. 1846)
- 1824 – Carl Reinecke, German pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1910)
- 1843 – Paul Heinrich von Groth, German scientist (d. 1927)
- 1860 – Albert Giraud, Belgian poet and librarian (d. 1929)
- 1863 – Sándor Bródy, Hungarian author and journalist (d. 1924)
- 1877 – Norman Pritchard, Indian-English hurdler and actor (d. 1929)
- 1879 – Huda Sha’arawi, Egyptian feminist and journalist (d. 1947)
- 1884 – Cyclone Taylor, Canadian ice hockey player and politician (d. 1979)
- 1888 – Bronson M. Cutting, American publisher and politician (d. 1935)
- 1889 – Anna Akhmatova, Ukrainian-Russian poet and author (d. 1966)
- 1889 – Verena Holmes, English engineer (d. 1964)
- 1894 – Harold Barrowclough, New Zealand military leader, lawyer and Chief Justice (d. 1972)
- 1894 – Alfred Kinsey, American entomologist and sexologist (d. 1956)
- 1894 – Edward VIII, King of the United Kingdom (d. 1972)
- 1899 – Amédée Gordini, Italian-born French race car driver and sports car manufacturer (d. 1979)
- 1900 – Blanche Noyes, American aviator, winner of the 1936 Bendix Trophy Race (d. 1981)
- 1901 – Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar, Turkish author, poet, and scholar (d. 1962)
- 1903 – Paul Martin Sr., Canadian lawyer and politician (d. 1992)
- 1904 – Quintin McMillan, South African cricketer (d. 1938)
- 1905 – Jack Pickersgill, Canadian civil servant and politician, 35th Secretary of State for Canada (d. 1997)
- 1906 – Tribhuvan of Nepal (d. 1955)
- 1907 – Dercy Gonçalves, Brazilian actress and singer (d. 2008)
- 1907 – James Meade, English economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1995)
- 1909 – David Lewis, Russian-Canadian lawyer and politician (d. 1981)
- 1909 – Georges Rouquier, French actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1989)
- 1910 – Jean Anouilh, French playwright and screenwriter (d. 1987)
- 1910 – Gordon B. Hinckley, American religious leader, 15th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (d. 2008)
- 1910 – Milt Hinton, American bassist and photographer (d. 2000)
- 1910 – Bill King, English commander and author (d. 2012)
- 1910 – Lawson Little, American golfer (d. 1968)
- 1912 – Alan Turing, English mathematician and computer scientist (d. 1954)
- 1913 – William P. Rogers, American commander, lawyer, and politician, 55th United States Secretary of State (d. 2001)
- 1915 – Frances Gabe, American artist and inventor (d. 2016)
- 1916 – Len Hutton, English cricketer and soldier (d. 1990)
- 1916 – Irene Worth, American actress (d. 2002)
- 1916 – Al G. Wright, American bandleader and conductor
- 1919 – Mohamed Boudiaf, Algerian politician, President of Algeria (d. 1992)
- 1920 – Saleh Ajeery, Kuwaiti astronomer
- 1921 – Paul Findley, American politician (d. 2019)
- 1922 – Morris R. Jeppson, American lieutenant and physicist (d. 2010)
- 1922 – Hal Laycoe, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 1998)
- 1923 – Peter Corr, Irish-English footballer and manager (d. 2001)
- 1923 – Elroy Schwartz, American screenwriter and producer (d. 2013)
- 1923 – Doris Johnson, American politician
- 1923 – Jerry Rullo, American professional basketball player (d. 2016)
- 1923 – Giuseppina Tuissi, Italian communist and Partisan (d. 1945)
- 1924 – Frank Bolle, American comic-strip artist, comic-book artist, and illustrator (d. 2020)
- 1925 – Miriam Karlin, English actress (d. 2011)
- 1925 – Art Modell, American businessman (d. 2012)
- 1925 – Anna Chennault, Chinese widow of Lieutenant General Claire Lee Chennault (d. 2018)
- 1926 – Lawson Soulsby, Baron Soulsby of Swaffham Prior, English microbiologist and parasitologist (d. 2017)
- 1926 – Magda Herzberger, Romanian author, poet and composer, a survivor of the Holocaust
- 1926 – Annette Mbaye d’Erneville, Senegalese writer
- 1926 – Arnaldo Pomodoro, Italian sculptor
- 1927 – Bob Fosse, American actor, dancer, choreographer, and director (d. 1987)
- 1927 – John Habgood, Baron Habgood, English archbishop (d. 2019)
- 1928 – Jean Cione, American baseball player (d. 2010)
- 1928 – Klaus von Dohnányi, German politician
- 1928 – Michael Shaara, American author and academic (d. 1988)
- 1929 – June Carter Cash, American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress (d. 2003)
- 1929 – Mario Ghella, Italian racing cyclist
- 1930 – Donn F. Eisele, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (d. 1987)
- 1930 – John Elliott, English historian and academic
- 1930 – Francis Newall, 2nd Baron Newall, English businessman and politician
- 1930 – Anthony Thwaite, English poet, critic, and academic
- 1930 – Marie-Thérèse Houphouët-Boigny, former First Lady of Ivory Coast
- 1931 – Gunnar Uusi, Estonian chess player (d. 1981)
- 1931 – Ola Ullsten, Swedish politician and diplomat (d. 2018)
- 1932 – Peter Millett, Baron Millett, English lawyer and judge
- 1934 – Keith Sutton, English bishop (d. 2017)
- 1934 – Bill Torrey, Canadian businessman (d. 2018)
- 1934 – Virbhadra Singh, Indian politician
- 1935 – Maurice Ferré, Puerto Rican-American politician, 32nd Mayor of Miami
- 1935 – Keith Burkinshaw, English footballer and manager
- 1936 – Richard Bach, American novelist and essayist
- 1936 – Costas Simitis, Greek economist, lawyer, and politician, 180th Prime Minister of Greece
- 1937 – Martti Ahtisaari, Finnish captain and politician, 10th President of Finland, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1937 – Alan Haselhurst, English academic and politician
- 1937 – Niki Sullivan, American guitarist and songwriter (d. 2004)
- 1939 – Scott Burton, American sculptor (d. 1989)
- 1940 – Adam Faith, English singer (d. 2003)
- 1940 – George Feigley, American sex cult leader and two-time prison escapee (d. 2009)
- 1940 – Derry Irvine, Baron Irvine of Lairg, Scottish lawyer, judge, and politician, Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain
- 1940 – Wilma Rudolph, American runner (d. 1994)
- 1940 – Mike Shrimpton, New Zealand cricketer and coach (d. 2015)
- 1940 – Stuart Sutcliffe, Scottish painter and musician (d. 1962)
- 1940 – Diana Trask, Australian singer-songwriter
- 1941 – Robert Hunter, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2019)
- 1941 – Roger McDonald, Australian author and screenwriter
- 1941 – Keith Newton, English footballer (d. 1998)
- 1942 – Martin Rees, Baron Rees of Ludlow, English cosmologist and astrophysicist
- 1943 – Patrick Bokanowski, French filmmaker
- 1943 – Ellyn Kaschak, American psychologist and academic
- 1943 – James Levine, American pianist and conductor
- 1945 – Kjell Albin Abrahamson, Swedish journalist and author
- 1945 – John Garang, Sudanese colonel and politician, President of Southern Sudan (d. 2005)
- 1946 – Julian Hipwood, English polo player and coach
- 1946 – Ted Shackelford, American actor
- 1947 – Bryan Brown, Australian actor and producer
- 1948 – Clarence Thomas, American lawyer and judge, United States Supreme Court Justice
- 1949 – Gordon Bray, Australian journalist and sportscaster
- 1949 – Sheila Noakes, Baroness Noakes, English accountant and politician
- 1951 – Angelo Falcón, Puerto Rican-American political scientist, activist, and academic, founded the National Institute for Latino Policy
- 1951 – Michèle Mouton, French race car driver and manager
- 1951 – Raj Babbar, Indian actor and politician
- 1953 – Armen Sarkissian, Armenian physicist, politician and current President of Armenia
- 1955 – Pierre Corbeil, Canadian dentist and politician
- 1955 – Glenn Danzig, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1955 – Jean Tigana, French footballer and manager
- 1956 – Daniel J. Drucker, Canadian academic and educator
- 1956 – Tony Hill, American football player and sportscaster
- 1956 – Randy Jackson, American bass player and producer
- 1957 – Dave Houghton, Zimbabwean cricketer and coach
- 1957 – Frances McDormand, American actress, winner of the Triple Crown of Acting
- 1958 – John Hayes, English politician, Minister of State at the Department of Energy and Climate Change
- 1960 – Donald Harrison, American saxophonist, composer, and producer
- 1960 – Tatsuya Uemura, Japanese composer and programmer
- 1961 – Richard Arnold, English lawyer and judge
- 1961 – Zoran Janjetov, Serbian singer and illustrator
- 1961 – LaSalle Thompson, American basketball player, coach, and manager
- 1962 – Chuck Billy, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1963 – Colin Montgomerie, Scottish golfer
- 1964 – Nicolas Marceau, Canadian economist and politician
- 1964 – Tara Morice, Australian actress and singer
- 1964 – Joss Whedon, American director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1964 – Lou Yun, Chinese gymnast
- 1965 – Paul Arthurs, English guitarist
- 1965 – Sylvia Mathews Burwell, American government and non-profit executive
- 1965 – Peter O’Malley, Australian golfer
- 1966 – Chico DeBarge, American singer and pianist
- 1969 – Martin Klebba, American actor, producer, and stuntman
- 1970 – Robert Brooks, American football player
- 1970 – Martin Deschamps, Canadian singer-songwriter
- 1970 – Yann Tiersen, French singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1971 – Fred Ewanuick, Canadian actor and producer
- 1971 – Félix Potvin, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1972 – Selma Blair, American actress
- 1972 – Louis Van Amstel, Dutch dancer and choreographer
- 1972 – Zinedine Zidane, French footballer and manager
- 1974 – Joel Edgerton, Australian actor
- 1974 – Mark Hendrickson, American basketball and baseball player
- 1975 – Kevin Dyson, American football player and coach
- 1975 – David Howell, English golfer
- 1975 – Mike James, American basketball player
- 1975 – KT Tunstall, Scottish singer-songwriter and musician
- 1976 – Wade Barrett, American soccer player and manager
- 1976 – Joe Becker, American guitarist and composer
- 1976 – Savvas Poursaitidis, Greek-Cypriot footballer and scout
- 1976 – Brandon Stokley, American football player
- 1976 – Paola Suárez, Argentinian tennis player
- 1976 – Emmanuelle Vaugier, Canadian actress and singer
- 1976 – Patrick Vieira, French footballer and manager
- 1977 – Miguel Ángel Angulo, Spanish footballer
- 1977 – Hayden Foxe, Australian footballer and manager
- 1977 – Jaan Jüris, Estonian ski jumper
- 1977 – Jason Mraz, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1977 – Shaun O’Hara, American football player and sportscaster
- 1978 – Memphis Bleek, American rapper, producer, and actor
- 1978 – Frederic Leclercq, French heavy metal musician
- 1978 – Matt Light, American football player and sportscaster
- 1979 – LaDainian Tomlinson, American football player
- 1980 – Becky Cloonan, American author and illustrator
- 1980 – Melissa Rauch, American actress
- 1980 – Ramnaresh Sarwan, Guyanese cricketer
- 1980 – Francesca Schiavone, Italian tennis player
- 1981 – Antony Costa, English singer-songwriter
- 1981 – Rolf Wacha, German rugby player
- 1982 – Derek Boogaard, Canadian-American ice hockey player (d. 2011)
- 1983 – Brooks Laich, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1983 – José Manuel Rojas, Chilean footballer
- 1984 – Duffy, Welsh singer-songwriter and actress
- 1984 – Takeshi Matsuda, Japanese swimmer
- 1984 – Levern Spencer, Saint Lucian high jumper
- 1985 – Marcel Reece, American football player
- 1986 – Christy Altomare, American actress and singer songwriter
- 1987 – Alessia Filippi, Italian swimmer
- 1988 – Chet Faker, Australian singer-songwriter
- 1988 – Chellsie Memmel, American gymnast
- 1989 – Lisa Carrington, New Zealand flatwater canoeist
- 1989 – Jordan Nolan, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1990 – Clevid Dikamona, French footballer
- 1990 – Vasek Pospisil, Canadian tennis player
- 1990 – Laura Ràfols, Spanish footballer
- 1991 – Katie Armiger, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1992 – Luiza Galiulina, Uzbekistani gymnast
- 1992 – Nampalys Mendy, French footballer
- 1993 – Tim Anderson, American baseball player
- 1993 – Marvin Grumann, German footballer
- 2004 – Alexandra Trusova, Russian figure skater
Deaths on June 23
- AD 79 – Vespasian, Roman emperor (b. AD 9)
- 679 – Æthelthryth, English saint (b. 636)
- 947 – Li Congyi, prince of Later Tang (b. 931)
- 947 – Wang, imperial consort of Later Tang
- 960 – Feng Yanji, chancellor of Southern Tang (b. 903)
- 994 – Lothair Udo I, count of Stade (b. 950)
- 1018 – Henry I, margrave of Austria
- 1137 – Adalbert of Mainz, German archbishop
- 1222 – Constance of Aragon, Hungarian queen (b. 1179)
- 1290 – Henryk IV Probus, duke of Wrocław and high duke of Kraków (b. c. 1258)
- 1314 – Henry de Bohun, English knight
- 1324 – Aymer de Valence, 2nd Earl of Pembroke (b. 1270)
- 1343 – Giacomo Gaetani Stefaneschi, Italian cardinal (b. c. 1270)
- 1356 – Margaret II, Holy Roman Empress (b. 1311)
- 1537 – Pedro de Mendoza, Spanish conquistador (b. 1487)
- 1565 – Dragut, Ottoman admiral (b. 1485)
- 1582 – Shimizu Muneharu, Japanese commander (b. 1537)
- 1615 – Mashita Nagamori, Japanese daimyō (b. 1545)
- 1677 – William Louis, duke of Württemberg (b. 1647)
- 1686 – William Coventry, English politician (b. 1628)
- 1707 – John Mill, English theologian and author (b. 1645)
- 1733 – Johann Jakob Scheuchzer, Swiss paleontologist and scholar (b. 1672)
- 1770 – Mark Akenside, English poet and physician (b. 1721)
- 1775 – Karl Ludwig von Pöllnitz, German adventurer and author (b. 1692)
- 1779 – Mikael Sehul, Ethiopian warlord (b. 1691)
- 1806 – Mathurin Jacques Brisson, French zoologist and philosopher (b. 1723)
- 1811 – Nicolau Tolentino de Almeida, Portuguese poet and author (b. 1740)
- 1832 – Sir James Hall, 4th Baronet, Scottish geologist and geophysicist (b. 1761)
- 1836 – James Mill, Scottish economist, historian, and philosopher (b. 1773)
- 1848 – Maria Leopoldine of Austria-Este, Electress of Bavaria (b. 1776)
- 1856 – Ivan Kireyevsky, Russian philosopher and critic (b. 1806)
- 1881 – Matthias Jakob Schleiden, German botanist and academic (b. 1804)
- 1891 – Wilhelm Eduard Weber, German physicist and academic (b. 1804)
- 1891 – Samuel Newitt Wood, American lawyer and politician (b. 1825)
- 1893 – William Fox, English-New Zealand lawyer and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1812)
- 1893 – Theophilus Shepstone, English-South African politician (b. 1817)
- 1914 – Bhaktivinoda Thakur, Indian guru and philosopher (b. 1838)
- 1945 – Giuseppina Tuissi, Italian journalist and activist (b. 1923)
- 1953 – Albert Gleizes, French painter (b. 1881)
- 1954 – Salih Omurtak, Turkish general (b. 1889)
- 1956 – Reinhold Glière, Russian composer and educator (b. 1875)
- 1959 – Boris Vian, French author, poet, and playwright (b. 1920)
- 1959 – Hidir Lutfi, Iraqi poet. (b. 1880)
- 1969 – Volmari Iso-Hollo, Finnish runner (b. 1907)
- 1970 – Roscoe Turner, American soldier and pilot (b. 1895)
- 1973 – Gerry Birrell, Scottish race car driver (b. 1944)
- 1980 – Sanjay Gandhi, Indian engineer and politician (b. 1946)
- 1980 – Clyfford Still, American painter and academic (b. 1904)
- 1989 – Werner Best, German police officer and jurist (b. 1903)
- 1990 – Harindranath Chattopadhyay, Indian poet, actor, and politician (b. 1898)
- 1992 – Eric Andolsek, American football player (b. 1966)
- 1995 – Roger Grimsby, American journalist (b. 1928)
- 1995 – Jonas Salk, American biologist and physician (b. 1914)
- 1995 – Anatoli Tarasov, Russian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1918)
- 1996 – Andreas Papandreou, Greek economist and politician, 174th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1919)
- 1996 – Ray Lindwall, Australian cricketer and rugby player (b. 1921)
- 1997 – Betty Shabazz, American educator and activist (b. 1936)
- 1998 – Maureen O’Sullivan, Irish-American actress (b. 1911)
- 2000 – Peter Dubovský, Slovak footballer (b. 1972)
- 2002 – Pedro Alcázar, Panamanian boxer (b. 1975)
- 2005 – Shana Alexander, American journalist and author (b. 1926)
- 2005 – Manolis Anagnostakis, Greek poet and critic (b. 1925)
- 2006 – Aaron Spelling, American actor, producer, and screenwriter, founded Spelling Television (b. 1923)
- 2007 – Rod Beck, American baseball player (b. 1968)
- 2008 – Claudio Capone, Italian-Scottish actor (b. 1952)
- 2008 – Arthur Chung, Guyanese surveyor and politician, 1st President of Guyana (b. 1918)
- 2008 – Marian Glinka, Polish actor and bodybuilder (b. 1943)
- 2009 – Raymond Berthiaume, Canadian singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1931)
- 2009 – Ed McMahon, American game show host and announcer (b. 1923)
- 2009 – Jerri Nielsen, American physician and explorer (b. 1952)
- 2010 – John Burton, Australian public servant and diplomat (b. 1915)
- 2011 – Peter Falk, American actor (b. 1927)
- 2011 – Dennis Marshall, Costa Rican footballer (b. 1985)
- 2011 – Fred Steiner, American composer and conductor (b. 1923)
- 2012 – James Durbin, English economist and statistician (b. 1923)
- 2012 – Brigitte Engerer, French pianist and educator (b. 1952)
- 2012 – Alan McDonald, Northern Ireland footballer and manager (b. 1963)
- 2012 – Frank Chee Willeto, American soldier and politician, 4th Vice President of the Navajo Nation (b. 1925)
- 2012 – Walter J. Zable, American football player and businessman, founded the Cubic Corporation (b. 1915)
- 2013 – Bobby Bland, American singer-songwriter (b. 1930)
- 2013 – Gary David Goldberg, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1944)
- 2013 – Frank Kelso, American admiral and politician, United States Secretary of the Navy (b. 1933)
- 2013 – Kurt Leichtweiss, German mathematician and academic (b. 1927)
- 2013 – Richard Matheson, American author and screenwriter (b. 1926)
- 2013 – Darryl Read, English singer-songwriter, drummer, and actor (b. 1951)
- 2013 – Sharon Stouder, American swimmer (b. 1948)
- 2014 – Nancy Garden, American author (b. 1938)
- 2014 – Euros Lewis, Welsh cricketer (b. 1942)
- 2014 – Paula Kent Meehan, American businesswoman, co-founded Redken (b. 1931)
- 2015 – Miguel Facussé Barjum, Honduran businessman (b. 1924)
- 2015 – Nirmala Joshi, Indian nun, lawyer, and social worker (b. 1934)
- 2015 – Dick Van Patten, American actor (b. 1928)
- 2016 – Ralph Stanley, American singer and banjo player (b. 1927)
Holidays and observances on June 23
- Christian feast day:
- Æthelthryth
- Marie of Oignies
- Joseph Cafasso
- June 23 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Earliest day on which Feast of Raḥmat can fall, while June 24 is the latest. (Bahá’í Faith)
- Father’s Day (Nicaragua, Poland)
- Grand Duke’s Official Birthday (Luxembourg)
- International Widows Day (international)
- National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism (Canada)
- Okinawa Memorial Day (Okinawa Prefecture)
- St John’s Eve and the first day of the Midsummer celebrations [although this is not the real summer solstice; see June 20] (Roman Catholic Church, Europe):
- Bonfires of Saint John (Spain)
- First night of Festa de São João do Porto (Porto)
- First day of Golowan Festival (Cornwall)
- Jaaniõhtu (Estonia)
- Jāņi (Latvia)
- Kupala Night (Belarus, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Ukraine)
- Last day of Drăgaica fair (Buzău, Romania)
- United Nations Public Service Day (International)
- Victory Day (Estonia)
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June 16 in History
- 363 – Emperor Julian marches back up the Tigris and burns his fleet of supply ships. During the withdrawal, Roman forces suffer several attacks from the Persians.
- 632 – Yazdegerd III ascends the throne as king (shah) of the Persian Empire. He becomes the last ruler of the Sasanian dynasty (modern Iran).
- 1407 – Ming–Hồ War: Retired King Hồ Quý Ly and his son King Hồ Hán Thương of Hồ dynasty are captured by the Ming armies.
- 1487 – Battle of Stoke Field: King Henry VII of England defeats the leaders of a Yorkist rebellion in the final engagement of the Wars of the Roses.
- 1586 – Mary, Queen of Scots, recognizes Philip II of Spain as her heir and successor.
- 1745 – War of the Austrian Succession: New England colonial troops under the command of William Pepperrell capture the Fortress of Louisbourg in Louisbourg, New France (Old Style date).
- 1746 – War of the Austrian Succession: Austria and Sardinia defeat a Franco-Spanish army at the Battle of Piacenza.
- 1755 – French and Indian War: The French surrender Fort Beauséjour to the British, leading to the expulsion of the Acadians.
- 1779 – Spain declares war on the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Great Siege of Gibraltar begins.
- 1795 – French Revolutionary Wars: In what became known as Cornwallis’s Retreat, a British Royal Navy squadron led by Vice Admiral William Cornwallis strongly resists a much larger French Navy force and withdraws largely intact, setting up the French Navy defeat at the Battle of Groix six days later.
- 1811 – Survivors of an attack the previous day by Tla-o-qui-aht on board the Pacific Fur Company’s ship Tonquin, intentionally detonate a powder magazine on the ship, destroying it and killing about 100 attackers.
- 1815 – Battle of Ligny and Battle of Quatre Bras, two days before the Battle of Waterloo.
- 1819 – A major earthquake strikes the Kutch district of western India, killing over 1,543 people and raising a 6 m high, 6 km wide, ridge, extending for at least 80 km, that was known as the Allah Bund (“Dam of God”).
- 1836 – The formation of the London Working Men’s Association gives rise to the Chartist Movement.
- 1846 – The Papal conclave of 1846 elects Pope Pius IX, beginning the longest reign in the history of the papacy.
- 1858 – Abraham Lincoln delivers his House Divided speech in Springfield, Illinois.
- 1871 – The Universities Tests Act 1871 allows students to enter the universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Durham without religious tests (except for those intending to study theology).
- 1883 – The Victoria Hall theatre panic in Sunderland, England, kills 183 children.
- 1884 – The first purpose-built roller coaster, LaMarcus Adna Thompson’s “Switchback Railway”, opens in New York’s Coney Island amusement park.
- 1897 – A treaty annexing the Republic of Hawaii to the United States is signed; the Republic would not be dissolved until a year later.
- 1903 – The Ford Motor Company is incorporated.
- 1903 – Roald Amundsen leaves Oslo, Norway, to commence the first east-west navigation of the Northwest Passage.
- 1904 – Eugen Schauman assassinates Nikolay Bobrikov, Governor-General of Finland.
- 1904 – Irish author James Joyce begins a relationship with Nora Barnacle and subsequently uses the date to set the actions for his novel Ulysses; this date is now traditionally called “Bloomsday”.
- 1911 – IBM founded as the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company in Endicott, New York.
- 1922 – General election in the Irish Free State: The pro-Treaty Sinn Féin party wins a large majority.
- 1925 – The most famous Young Pioneer camp of the Soviet Union, Artek, is established.
- 1930 – Sovnarkom establishes decree time in the USSR.
- 1933 – The National Industrial Recovery Act is passed in the United States, allowing businesses to avoid antitrust prosecution if they establish voluntary wage, price, and working condition regulations on an industry-wide basis.
- 1940 – World War II: Marshal Henri Philippe Pétain becomes Chief of State of Vichy France (Chef de l’État Français).
- 1940 – A Communist government is installed in Lithuania.
- 1944 – In a gross miscarriage of justice, George Junius Stinney Jr., age 14, becomes the youngest person executed in the United States in the 20th century after being convicted in a two-hour trial for the rape and murder of two teenage white girls.
- 1948 – Members of the Malayan Communist Party kill three British plantation managers in Sungai Siput; in response, British Malaya declares a state of emergency.
- 1955 – In a futile effort to topple Argentine President Juan Perón, rogue aircraft pilots of the Argentine Navy drop several bombs upon an unarmed crowd demonstrating in favor of Perón in Buenos Aires, killing 364 and injuring at least 800. At the same time on the ground, some soldiers attempt to stage a coup but are suppressed by loyal forces.
- 1958 – Imre Nagy, Pál Maléter and other leaders of the 1956 Hungarian Uprising are executed.
- 1961 – While on tour with the Kirov Ballet in Paris, Rudolf Nureyev defects from the Soviet Union.
- 1963 – Soviet Space Program: Vostok 6 mission: Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova becomes the first woman in space.
- 1972 – The largest single-site hydroelectric power project in Canada is inaugurated at Churchill Falls Generating Station.
- 1976 – Soweto uprising: A non-violent march by 15,000 students in Soweto, South Africa, turns into days of rioting when police open fire on the crowd.
- 1977 – Oracle Corporation is incorporated in Redwood Shores, California, as Software Development Laboratories (SDL), by Larry Ellison, Bob Miner and Ed Oates.
- 1981 – US President Ronald Reagan awards the Congressional Gold Medal to Ken Taylor, Canada’s former ambassador to Iran, for helping six Americans escape from Iran during the hostage crisis of 1979–81; he is the first foreign citizen bestowed the honor.
- 1989 – Revolutions of 1989: Imre Nagy, the former Hungarian prime minister, is reburied in Budapest following the collapse of Communism in Hungary.
- 1997 – Fifty people are killed in the Daïat Labguer (M’sila) massacre in Algeria.
- 2000 – The Secretary-General of the UN reports that Israel has complied with United Nations Security Council Resolution 425, 22 years after its issuance, and completely withdrew from Lebanon. The Resolution does not encompass the Shebaa farms, which is claimed by Israel, Syria and Lebanon.
- 2010 – Bhutan becomes the first country to institute a total ban on tobacco.
- 2012 – China successfully launches its Shenzhou 9 spacecraft, carrying three astronauts, including the first female Chinese astronaut Liu Yang, to the Tiangong-1 orbital module.
- 2012 – The United States Air Force’s robotic Boeing X-37B spaceplane returns to Earth after a classified 469-day orbital mission
- 2013 – A multi-day cloudburst, centered on the North Indian state of Uttarakhand, causes devastating floods and landslides, becoming the country’s worst natural disaster since the 2004 tsunami.
- 2016 – Shanghai Disneyland Park, the first Disney Park in Mainland China, opens to the public.
- 2019 – Upwards of 2,000,000 people participate in the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests, the largest in Hong Kong’s history.
Births on June 16
- 1139 – Emperor Konoe of Japan (d. 1155)
- 1332 – Isabella de Coucy, English daughter of Edward III of England (d. 1379)
- 1454 – Joanna of Aragon, Queen of Naples (d. 1517)
- 1514 – John Cheke, English academic and politician, English Secretary of State (d. 1557)
- 1516 – Yang Jisheng, Ming dynasty official and Confucian martyr (d. 1555)
- 1583 – Axel Oxenstierna, Swedish politician, Lord High Chancellor of Sweden (d. 1654)
- 1591 – Joseph Solomon Delmedigo, Greek-Italian physician, mathematician, and theorist (d. 1655)
- 1606 – Arthur Chichester, 1st Earl of Donegall, Irish soldier and politician (d. 1675)
- 1613 – John Cleveland, English poet and educator (d. 1658)
- 1625 – Samuel Chappuzeau, French scholar (d. 1701)
- 1633 – Jean de Thévenot, French linguist and botanist (d. 1667)
- 1644 – Henrietta Anne Stuart, Princess of Scotland, England and Ireland (d. 1670)
- 1653 – James Bertie, 1st Earl of Abingdon, English nobleman (d. 1699)
- 1713 – Meshech Weare, American farmer, lawyer, and politician, 1st Governor of New Hampshire (d. 1786)
- 1723 – Adam Smith, Scottish philosopher and economist (d. 1790)
- 1738 – Mary Katherine Goddard, American publisher (d. 1816)
- 1754 – Salawat Yulayev, Russian poet (d. 1800)
- 1792 – John Linnell, English painter and engraver (d. 1882)
- 1801 – Julius Plücker, German mathematician and physicist (d. 1868)
- 1806 – Edward Davy, English physician and chemist (d. 1885)
- 1813 – Otto Jahn, German archaeologist and philologist (d. 1869)
- 1820 – Athanase Josué Coquerel, Dutch-French preacher and theologian (d. 1875)
- 1821 – Old Tom Morris, Scottish golfer and architect (d. 1908)
- 1826 – Constantin von Ettingshausen, Austrian geologist and botanist (d. 1897)
- 1829 – Geronimo, American tribal leader (d. 1909)
- 1836 – Wesley Merritt, American general and politician, Military Governor of the Philippines (d. 1910)
- 1837 – Ernst Laas, German philosopher and academic (d. 1885)
- 1838 – Frederic Archer, English organist, composer, and conductor (d. 1901)
- 1838 – Cushman Kellogg Davis, American lieutenant and politician, 7th Governor of Minnesota (d. 1900)
- 1840 – Ernst Otto Schlick, German engineer and author (d. 1913)
- 1850 – Max Delbrück, German chemist and academic (d. 1919)
- 1857 – Arthur Arz von Straußenburg, Austrian-Hungarian general (d. 1935)
- 1858 – Gustaf V of Sweden (d. 1950)
- 1863 – Francisco León de la Barra, Mexican politician and diplomat (d. 1939)
- 1866 – Germanos Karavangelis, Greek-Austrian metropolitan (d. 1935)
- 1874 – Arthur Meighen, Canadian lawyer and politician, 9th Prime Minister of Canada (d. 1960)
- 1880 – Otto Eisenschiml, Austrian-American chemist and author (d. 1963)
- 1882 – Mohammad Mosaddegh, Iranian educator and politician, 60th Prime Minister of Iran (d. 1967)
- 1885 – Erich Jacoby, Estonian-Polish architect (d. 1941)
- 1888 – Alexander Friedmann, Russian physicist and mathematician (d. 1925)
- 1888 – Peter Stoner, American mathematician and astronomer (d. 1980)
- 1890 – Stan Laurel, English actor and comedian (d. 1965)
- 1896 – Murray Leinster, American author and screenwriter (d. 1976)
- 1897 – Georg Wittig, German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1987)
- 1899 – Helen Traubel, American operatic soprano (d. 1972)
- 1902 – Barbara McClintock, American geneticist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1992)
- 1902 – George Gaylord Simpson, American paleontologist and author (d. 1984)
- 1906 – Alan Fairfax, Australian cricketer (d. 1955)
- 1907 – Jack Albertson, American actor (d. 1981)
- 1909 – Archie Carr, American ecologist and zoologist (d. 1987)
- 1910 – Juan Velasco Alvarado, Peruvian general and politician, 1st President of Peru (d. 1977)
- 1912 – Albert Chartier, Canadian illustrator (d. 2004)
- 1912 – Enoch Powell, English soldier and politician, Secretary of State for Health (d. 1998)
- 1914 – Eleanor Sokoloff, American pianist and teacher
- 1915 – John Tukey, American mathematician and academic (d. 2000)
- 1915 – Marga Faulstich, German glass chemist (d. 1998)
- 1917 – Phaedon Gizikis, Greek general and politician, President of Greece (d. 1999)
- 1917 – Katharine Graham, American publisher (d. 2001)
- 1917 – Aurelio Lampredi, Italian automobile and aircraft engine designer (d. 1989)
- 1917 – Irving Penn, American photographer (d. 2009)
- 1920 – Isabelle Holland, Swiss-American author (d. 2002)
- 1920 – Raymond Lemieux, Canadian chemist and academic (d. 2002)
- 1920 – José López Portillo, Mexican lawyer and politician, 31st President of Mexico (d. 2004)
- 1920 – Hemanta Mukharjee, Indian singer and music director
- 1922 – Ilmar Kullam, Estonian basketball player and coach (d. 2011)
- 1923 – Ron Flockhart, Scottish race car driver (d. 1962)
- 1924 – Faith Domergue, American actress (d. 1999)
- 1925 – Jean d’Ormesson, French journalist and author (d. 2017)
- 1925 – Otto Muehl, Austrian-Portuguese painter and director (d. 2013)
- 1926 – Efraín Ríos Montt, Guatemalan general and politician, 26th President of Guatemala (d. 2018)
- 1927 – Tom Graveney, English cricketer and sportscaster (d. 2015)
- 1927 – Herbert Lichtenfeld, German author and screenwriter (d. 2001)
- 1927 – Ariano Suassuna, Brazilian author and playwright (d. 2014)
- 1929 – Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait
- 1930 – Vilmos Zsigmond, Hungarian-American cinematographer and producer (d. 2016)
- 1934 – Eileen Atkins, English actress and screenwriter
- 1934 – Roger Neilson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2003)
- 1935 – Jim Dine, American painter and illustrator
- 1937 – Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Bulgarian politician, 48th Prime Minister of Bulgaria
- 1937 – Erich Segal, American author and screenwriter (d. 2010)
- 1938 – Thomas Boyd-Carpenter, English general
- 1938 – Torgny Lindgren, Swedish author and poet (d. 2017)
- 1938 – Joyce Carol Oates, American novelist, short story writer, critic, and poet
- 1939 – Billy “Crash” Craddock, American singer-songwriter
- 1940 – Māris Čaklais, Latvian poet, writer, and journalist (d. 2003)
- 1940 – Neil Goldschmidt, American lawyer and politician, 33rd Governor of Oregon
- 1941 – Rosalind Baker, Australian author
- 1941 – Lamont Dozier, American songwriter and producer
- 1941 – Tommy Horton, English golfer (d. 2017)
- 1941 – Mumtaz Hamid Rao, Pakistani journalist (d. 2011)
- 1942 – Giacomo Agostini, Italian motorcycle racer and manager
- 1942 – Eddie Levert, American R&B/soul singer-songwriter, musician, and actor
- 1944 – Henri Richelet, French painter and etcher
- 1945 – Claire Alexander, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1945 – Lucienne Robillard, Canadian social worker and politician, 59th Secretary of State for Canada
- 1946 – Rick Adelman, American basketball player and coach
- 1946 – John Astor, 3rd Baron Astor of Hever, English businessman and politician
- 1946 – Karen Dunnell, English statistician and academic
- 1946 – Tom Harrell, American trumpet player and composer
- 1946 – Neil MacGregor, Scottish historian and curator
- 1946 – Iain Matthews, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1946 – Jodi Rell, American politician, 87th Governor of Connecticut
- 1946 – Mark Ritts, American actor, puppeteer, and producer (d. 2009)
- 1946 – Derek Sanderson, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
- 1946 – Simon Williams, English actor and playwright
- 1947 – Tom Malone, American trombonist, composer, and producer
- 1947 – Buddy Roberts, American wrestler (d. 2012)
- 1947 – Al Cowlings, American ex-NFL player and close friend of O.J. Simpson and Nicole Brown Simpson
- 1947 – Tom Wyner, English-American voice actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1948 – Ron LeFlore, American baseball player and manager
- 1949 – Paulo Cézar Caju, Brazilian footballer
- 1949 – Ralph Mann, American hurdler and author
- 1950 – Mithun Chakraborty, Indian actor and politician
- 1950 – Michel Clair, Canadian lawyer and politician
- 1950 – Jerry Petrowski, American politician and farmer
- 1951 – Charlie Dominici, American singer and guitarist
- 1951 – Roberto Durán, Panamanian boxer
- 1952 – George Papandreou, Greek sociologist and politician, 182nd Prime Minister of Greece
- 1952 – Gino Vannelli, Canadian singer-songwriter
- 1953 – Valerie Mahaffey, American actress
- 1953 – Ian Mosley, English drummer
- 1954 – Matthew Saad Muhammad, American boxer and trainer (d. 2014)
- 1954 – Garry Roberts, Irish guitarist
- 1955 – Grete Faremo, Norwegian politician, Norwegian Minister of Defence
- 1955 – Laurie Metcalf, American actress
- 1955 – Artemy Troitsky, Russian journalist and critic
- 1957 – Ian Buchanan, Scottish-American actor
- 1957 – Leeona Dorrian, Lady Dorrian, Scottish lawyer and judge
- 1958 – Darrell Griffith, American basketball player
- 1958 – Ulrike Tauber, German swimmer
- 1958 – Warren Rodwell, Australian soldier, educator and musician
- 1959 – The Ultimate Warrior, American wrestler (d. 2014)
- 1960 – Peter Sterling, Australian rugby league player and sportscaster
- 1961 – Can Dündar, Turkish journalist and author
- 1961 – Robbie Kerr, Australian cricketer
- 1961 – Steve Larmer, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1961 – Margus Metstak, Estonian basketball player and coach
- 1962 – Wally Joyner, American baseball player and coach
- 1962 – Arnold Vosloo, South African-American actor
- 1962 – Anthony Wong, Hong Kong singer
- 1963 – The Sandman, American wrestler
- 1964 – Danny Burstein, American actor and singer
- 1965 – Michael Richard Lynch, Irish computer scientist and entrepreneur; co-founded HP Autonomy
- 1965 – Richard Madaleno, American politician
- 1966 – Mark Occhilupo, Australian surfer
- 1966 – Olivier Roumat, French rugby player
- 1966 – Phil Vischer, American voice actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, co-created VeggieTales
- 1966 – Jan Železný, Czech javelin thrower and coach
- 1967 – Charalambos Andreou, Cypriot footballer
- 1967 – Jürgen Klopp, German footballer and manager
- 1968 – Adam Schmitt, American singer-songwriter, musician, and producer
- 1969 – Shami Chakrabarti, English lawyer and academic
- 1969 – Mark Crossley, English-Welsh footballer and manager
- 1970 – Younus AlGohar, Pakistani poet and academic, co-founded Messiah Foundation International
- 1970 – Clifton Collins Jr., American actor
- 1970 – Cobi Jones, American soccer player and manager
- 1970 – Phil Mickelson, American golfer
- 1971 – Tupac Shakur, American rapper and producer (d. 1996)
- 1972 – Kiko Loureiro, Brazilian guitarist
- 1973 – Eddie Cibrian, American actor
- 1974 – Glenicia James, Saint Lucian cricketer
- 1975 – Anthony Carter, American basketball player and coach
- 1977 – Craig Fitzgibbon, Australian rugby league player and coach
- 1977 – Duncan Hames, English accountant and politician
- 1977 – Kerry Wood, American baseball player
- 1978 – Daniel Brühl, Spanish-German actor
- 1978 – Dainius Zubrus, Lithuanian ice hockey player
- 1978 – Fish Leong, Malaysian singer
- 1980 – Brandon Armstrong, American basketball player
- 1980 – Phil Christophers, German-English rugby player
- 1980 – Henry Perenara, New Zealand rugby league player and referee
- 1980 – Martin Stranzl, Austrian footballer
- 1980 – Joey Yung, Hong Kong singer
- 1981 – Benjamin Becker, German tennis player
- 1981 – Kevin Bieksa, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1981 – Alexandre Giroux, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1981 – Ola Kvernberg, Norwegian violinist
- 1981 – Miguel Villalta, Peruvian footballer
- 1982 – May Andersen, Danish model and actress
- 1982 – Missy Peregrym, Canadian model and actress
- 1983 – Armend Dallku, Albanian footballer
- 1984 – Rick Nash, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1984 – Dan Ryckert, American writer and entertainer
- 1984 – Steven Whittaker, Scottish footballer
- 1986 – Rodrigo Defendi, Brazilian footballer
- 1986 – Urby Emanuelson, Dutch footballer
- 1986 – Fernando Muslera, Uruguayan footballer
- 1987 – Diana DeGarmo, American singer-songwriter and actress
- 1987 – Per Ciljan Skjelbred, Norwegian footballer
- 1987 – Christian Tshimanga Kabeya, Belgian footballer
- 1988 – Keshia Chante, Canadian singer
- 1988 – Jermaine Gresham, American football player
- 1990 – John Newman, English musician, singer, songwriter and record producer
- 1991 – Joe McElderry, English singer-songwriter
- 1991 – Siya Kolisi, South African rugby player
- 1991 – Matt Moylan, Australian rugby league player
- 1992 – Vladimir Morozov, Russian swimmer
- 1993 – Park Bo-gum, South Korean actor
- 1993 – Gnash, American singer, songwriter, rapper, DJ and record producer
- 1994 – Grete-Lilijane Küppas, Estonian footballer
- 1994 – Rezar, Albanian professional wrestler
- 1995 – Euan Aitken, Australian rugby league player
- 1995 – Joseph Schooling, Singaporean swimmer
- 1995 – Akira Ioane, New Zealand rugby Union player
- 2000 – Bianca Andreescu, Canadian tennis player
Deaths on June 16
- 840 – Rorgon I, Frankish nobleman (or 839)
- 924 – Li Cunshen, general of Later Tang (b. 862)
- 956 – Hugh the Great, Frankish nobleman (b. 898)
- 1185 – Richeza of Poland, queen of León (b. c. 1140)
- 1286 – Hugh de Balsham, English bishop
- 1332 – Adam de Brome, founder of Oriel College, Oxford
- 1361 – Johannes Tauler, German mystic theologian
- 1397 – Philip of Artois, Count of Eu, French soldier (b. 1358)
- 1424 – Johannes Ambundii, archbishop of Riga
- 1468 – Jean Le Fèvre de Saint-Remy, Burgundian historian and author (b. 1395)
- 1487 – John de la Pole, 1st Earl of Lincoln (b. c. 1463)
- 1540 – Konrad von Thüngen, German nobleman (b. c. 1466)
- 1622 – Alexander Seton, 1st Earl of Dunfermline, Scottish lawyer, judge, and politician, Lord Chancellor of Scotland (b. 1555)
- 1626 – Christian, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg-Wolfenbüttel, German Protestant military leader (b. 1599)
- 1666 – Sir Richard Fanshawe, 1st Baronet, English poet and diplomat, English Ambassador to Spain (b. 1608)
- 1722 – John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire (b. 1650)
- 1743 – Louise-Françoise de Bourbon, eldest daughter of King Louis XIV of France (b. 1673)
- 1752 – Joseph Butler, English bishop and philosopher (b. 1692)
- 1762 – Anne Russell, Countess of Jersey (formerly Duchess of Bedford) (b. c.1705)
- 1777 – Jean-Baptiste-Louis Gresset, French poet and playwright (b. 1709)
- 1779 – Sir Francis Bernard, 1st Baronet, English lawyer and politician, Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay (b. 1712)
- 1804 – Johann Adam Hiller, German composer and conductor (b. 1728)
- 1824 – Charles-François Lebrun, duc de Plaisance, French lawyer and politician (b. 1739)
- 1849 – Wilhelm Martin Leberecht de Wette, German theologian and scholar (b. 1780)
- 1850 – William Lawson, English-Australian explorer and politician (b. 1774)
- 1858 – John Snow, English epidemiologist and physician (b. 1813)
- 1862 – Hidenoyama Raigorō, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 9th Yokozuna (b. 1808)
- 1869 – Charles Sturt, Indian-English botanist and explorer (b. 1795)
- 1872 – Norman MacLeod, Scottish minister and author (b. 1812)
- 1878 – Crawford Long, American surgeon and pharmacist (b. 1815)
- 1878 – Kikuchi Yōsai, Japanese painter (b. 1781)
- 1881 – Josiah Mason, English businessman and philanthropist (b. 1795)
- 1885 – Wilhelm Camphausen, German painter and academic (b. 1818)
- 1886 – Alexander Stuart, Scottish-Australian politician, 9th Premier of New South Wales (b. 1824)
- 1902 – Ernst Schröder, German mathematician and academic (b. 1841)
- 1918 – Bazil Assan, Romanian engineer and explorer (b. 1860)
- 1925 – Chittaranjan Das, Indian lawyer and politician (b. 1870)
- 1929 – Bramwell Booth, English 2nd General of The Salvation Army (b. 1856)
- 1929 – Vernon Louis Parrington, American historian and scholar (b. 1871)
- 1930 – Ezra Fitch, American lawyer and businessman, co-founded Abercrombie & Fitch (b. 1866)
- 1930 – Elmer Ambrose Sperry, American inventor, co-invented the gyrocompass (b. 1860)
- 1939 – Chick Webb, American drummer and bandleader (b. 1905)
- 1940 – DuBose Heyward, American author (b. 1885)
- 1944 – Marc Bloch, French historian and academic (b. 1886)
- 1945 – Aris Velouchiotis, Greek general (b. 1905)
- 1946 – Gordon Brewster, Irish cartoonist (b 1889)
- 1952 – Andrew Lawson, Scottish-American geologist and academic (b. 1861)
- 1953 – Margaret Bondfield, English politician, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (b. 1873)
- 1955 – Ozias Leduc, Canadian painter (b. 1864)
- 1958 – Pál Maléter, Hungarian general and politician, Minister of Defence of Hungary (b. 1917)
- 1958 – Imre Nagy, Hungarian politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Hungary (b. 1895)
- 1959 – George Reeves, American actor and director (b. 1914)
- 1961 – Marcel Junod, Swiss physician and anesthesiologist (b. 1904)
- 1967 – Reginald Denny, English actor (b. 1891)
- 1969 – Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis, English field marshal and politician, 17th Governor General of Canada (b. 1891)
- 1970 – Sydney Chapman, English mathematician and geophysicist (b. 1888)
- 1970 – Brian Piccolo, American football player (b. 1943)
- 1971 – John Reith, 1st Baron Reith, Scottish broadcaster, co-founded BBC (b. 1889)
- 1974 – Amalie Sara Colquhoun, Australian landscape and portrait painter (b. 1894)
- 1977 – Wernher von Braun, German-American physicist and engineer (b. 1912)
- 1979 – Ignatius Kutu Acheampong, Ghanaian general and politician, 6th Head of state of Ghana (b. 1931)
- 1979 – Nicholas Ray, American actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1911)
- 1981 – Thomas Playford IV, Australian politician, 33rd Premier of South Australia (b. 1896)
- 1982 – James Honeyman-Scott, English guitarist and songwriter (b. 1956)
- 1984 – Lew Andreas, American football player and coach (b. 1895)
- 1984 – Erni Krusten, Estonian author and poet (b. 1900)
- 1986 – Maurice Duruflé, French organist and composer (b. 1902)
- 1987 – Marguerite de Angeli, American author and illustrator (b. 1889)
- 1988 – Miguel Piñero, Puerto Rican-American actor and playwright (b. 1946)
- 1993 – Lindsay Hassett, Australian cricketer and soldier (b. 1913)
- 1994 – Kristen Pfaff, American bass player and songwriter (b. 1967)
- 1996 – Mel Allen, American sportscaster and game show host (b. 1913)
- 1997 – Dal Stivens, Australian soldier and author (b. 1911)
- 1998 – Fred Wacker, American race car driver and engineer (b. 1918)
- 1999 – Screaming Lord Sutch, English singer and activist (b. 1940)
- 2003 – Pierre Bourgault, Canadian journalist and politician (b. 1934)
- 2003 – Georg Henrik von Wright, Finnish–Swedish philosopher and author (b. 1916)
- 2004 – Thanom Kittikachorn, Thai field marshal and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Thailand (b. 1911)
- 2004 – Jacques Miquelon, Canadian lawyer and judge (b. 1911)
- 2005 – Enrique Laguerre, Puerto Rican-American author and critic (b. 1906)
- 2008 – Mario Rigoni Stern, Italian soldier and author (b. 1921)
- 2010 – Marc Bazin, Haitian lawyer and politician, 49th President of Haiti (b. 1932)
- 2010 – Maureen Forrester, Canadian singer and academic (b. 1930)
- 2010 – Ronald Neame, English director, producer, cinematographer, and screenwriter (b. 1911)
- 2011 – Östen Mäkitalo, Swedish engineer and academic (b. 1938)
- 2012 – Nils Karlsson, Swedish skier (b. 1917)
- 2012 – Jorge Lankenau, Mexican banker and businessman (b. 1944)
- 2012 – Sławomir Petelicki, Polish general (b. 1946)
- 2012 – Susan Tyrrell, American actress (b. 1945)
- 2013 – Sam Farber, American businessman, co-founded OXO (b. 1924)
- 2013 – Hans Hass, Austrian biologist and diver (b. 1919)
- 2013 – Khondakar Ashraf Hossain, Bangladesh poet and academic (b. 1950)
- 2013 – Norman Ian MacKenzie, English journalist and author (b. 1921)
- 2013 – Ottmar Walter, German footballer (b. 1924)
- 2014 – Tony Gwynn, American baseball player and coach (b. 1960)
- 2014 – Cándido Muatetema Rivas (b. 1960), Equatoguinean politician and diplomat, Prime Minister of Equatorial Guinea
- 2015 – Charles Correa, Indian architect and urban planner (b. 1930)
- 2015 – Jean Vautrin, French director, screenwriter, and critic (b. 1933)
- 2016 – Jo Cox, English political activist and MP (b. 1974)
- 2017 – Helmut Kohl, German politician, 6th Chancellor of Germany (b. 1930)
- 2020 – Eduardo Cojuangco Jr. (b. 1935), Filipino businessman and politician
Holidays and observances on June 16
- Juneteenth (United States)
- Birthday of Leonard P. Howell (Rastafari)
- Bloomsday (Dublin, Ireland)
- Christian feast days:
- Aurelianus of Arles
- Aureus of Mainz (and his sister Justina)
- Benno
- Cettin of Oran
- Curig of Llanbadarn
- Ferreolus and Ferrutio
- George Berkeley and Joseph Butler (Episcopal Church)
- Lutgardis
- Quriaqos and Julietta
- June 16 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Engineer’s Day (Argentina)
- Father’s Day (Seychelles)
- International Day of the African Child (Organisation of African Unity)
- Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev (Sikhism)
- Sussex Day (Sussex)
- Youth Day (South Africa)
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June 7 in History
- 421 – Emperor Theodosius II marries Aelia Eudocia at Constantinople (Byzantine Empire).
- 879 – Pope John VIII recognizes the Duchy of Croatia under Duke Branimir as an independent state.
- 1002 – Henry II, a cousin of Emperor Otto III, is elected and crowned King of Germany.
- 1099 – First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins.
- 1420 – Troops of the Republic of Venice capture Udine, ending the independence of the Patria del Friuli.
- 1494 – Spain and Portugal sign the Treaty of Tordesillas which divides the New World between the two countries.
- 1628 – The Petition of Right, a major English constitutional document, is granted the Royal Assent by Charles I and becomes law.
- 1654 – Louis XIV is crowned King of France.
- 1692 – Port Royal, Jamaica, is hit by a catastrophic earthquake; in just three minutes, 1,600 people are killed and 3,000 are seriously injured.
- 1776 – Richard Henry Lee presents the “Lee Resolution” to the Continental Congress. The motion is seconded by John Adams and will lead to the United States Declaration of Independence.
- 1788 – French Revolution: Day of the Tiles: Civilians in Grenoble toss roof tiles and various objects down upon royal troops.
- 1800 – David Thompson reaches the mouth of the Saskatchewan River in Manitoba.
- 1810 – The newspaper Gazeta de Buenos Ayres is first published in Argentina.
- 1832 – The Great Reform Act of England and Wales receives royal assent.
- 1832 – Asian cholera reaches Quebec, brought by Irish immigrants, and kills about 6,000 people in Lower Canada.
- 1862 – The United States and the United Kingdom agree in the Lyons–Seward Treaty to suppress the African slave trade.
- 1863 – During the French intervention in Mexico, Mexico City is captured by French troops.
- 1866 – One thousand eight hundred Fenian raiders are repelled back to the United States after looting and plundering the Saint-Armand and Frelighsburg areas of Canada East.
- 1880 – War of the Pacific: The Battle of Arica, the assault and capture of Morro de Arica (Arica Cape), ends the Campaña del Desierto (Desert Campaign).
- 1892 – Homer Plessy is arrested for refusing to leave his seat in the “whites-only” car of a train; he lost the resulting court case, Plessy v. Ferguson.
- 1899 – American Temperance crusader Carrie Nation begins her campaign of vandalizing alcohol-serving establishments by destroying the inventory in a saloon in Kiowa, Kansas.
- 1905 – Norway’s parliament dissolves its union with Sweden. The vote was confirmed by a national plebiscite on August 13 of that year.
- 1906 – Cunard Line’s RMS Lusitania is launched from the John Brown Shipyard, Glasgow (Clydebank), Scotland.
- 1917 – World War I: Battle of Messines: Allied soldiers detonate a series of mines underneath German trenches at Messines Ridge, killing 10,000 German troops.
- 1919 – Sette Giugno: Nationalist riots break out in Valletta, the capital of Malta. British soldiers fire into the crowd, killing four people.
- 1929 – The Lateran Treaty is ratified, bringing Vatican City into existence.
- 1938 – The Douglas DC-4E makes its first test flight.
- 1938 – Second Sino-Japanese War: The Chinese Nationalist government creates the 1938 Yellow River flood to halt Japanese forces. Five hundred to nine hundred thousand civilians are killed.
- 1940 – King Haakon VII, Crown Prince Olav and the Norwegian government leave Tromsø and go into exile in London. They return exactly five years later.
- 1942 – World War II: The Battle of Midway ends in American victory.
- 1942 – World War II: Aleutian Islands Campaign: Imperial Japanese soldiers begin occupying the American islands of Attu and Kiska, in the Aleutian Islands off Alaska.
- 1944 – World War II: The steamer Danae, carrying 350 Cretan Jews and 250 Cretan partisans, is sunk without survivors off the shore of Santorini.
- 1944 – World War II: Battle of Normandy: At Ardenne Abbey, members of the SS Division Hitlerjugend massacre 23 Canadian prisoners of war.
- 1945 – King Haakon VII of Norway returns from exactly five years in exile during World War II.
- 1946 – The United Kingdom’s BBC returns to broadcasting its television service, which has been off air for seven years because of the Second World War.
- 1948 – Anti-Jewish riots in Oujda and Jerada take place.
- 1948 – Edvard Beneš resigns as President of Czechoslovakia rather than signing the Ninth-of-May Constitution, making his nation a Communist state.
- 1955 – Lux Radio Theatre signs off the air permanently. The show launched in New York in 1934, and featured radio adaptations of Broadway shows and popular films.
- 1962 – The Organisation Armée Secrète (OAS) sets fire to the University of Algiers library building, destroying about 500,000 books.
- 1965 – The Supreme Court of the United States hands down its decision in Griswold v. Connecticut, prohibiting the states from criminalizing the use of contraception by married couples.
- 1967 – Six-Day War: Israeli soldiers enter Jerusalem.
- 1971 – The United States Supreme Court overturns the conviction of Paul Cohen for disturbing the peace, setting the precedent that vulgar writing is protected under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.
- 1971 – The Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms Division of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service raids the home of Ken Ballew for illegal possession of hand grenades.
- 1977 – Five hundred million people watch the high day of the Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II begin on television.
- 1981 – The Israeli Air Force destroys Iraq’s Osiraq nuclear reactor during Operation Opera.
- 1982 – Priscilla Presley opens Graceland to the public; the bathroom where Elvis Presley died five years earlier is kept off-limits.
- 1989 – Surinam Airways Flight 764 crashes on approach to Paramaribo-Zanderij International Airport in Suriname because of pilot error, killing 176 of 187 aboard.
- 1991 – Mount Pinatubo erupts, generating an ash column 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) high.
- 2000 – The United Nations defines the Blue Line as the border between Israel and Lebanon.
- 2013 – A bus catches fire in the Chinese city of Xiamen, killing at least 47 people and injuring more than 34 others.
- 2013 – A gunman opens fire at Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, California, after setting a house on fire nearby, killing six people, including the suspect.
- 2014 – At least 37 people are killed in an attack in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s South Kivu province.
Births on June 7
- 1003 – Emperor Jingzong of Western Xia (d. 1048)
- 1402 – Ichijō Kaneyoshi, Japanese noble (d. 1481)
- 1422 – Federico da Montefeltro, Italian condottiero (d. 1482)
- 1502 – John III of Portugal (d. 1557)
- 1529 – Étienne Pasquier, French lawyer and jurist (d. 1615)
- 1687 – Gaetano Berenstadt, Italian actor and singer (d. 1734)
- 1702 – Louis George, Margrave of Baden-Baden (d. 1761)
- 1757 – Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (d. 1806)
- 1761 – John Rennie the Elder, Scottish engineer (d. 1821)
- 1770 – Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1828)
- 1778 – Beau Brummell, English cricketer and fashion designer (d. 1840)
- 1811 – James Young Simpson, Scottish obstetrician (d. 1870)
- 1831 – Amelia Edwards, English journalist and author (d. 1892)
- 1837 – Alois Hitler, Austrian civil servant (d. 1903)
- 1840 – Carlota of Mexico (d. 1927)
- 1845 – Leopold Auer, Hungarian violinist, composer, and conductor (d. 1930)
- 1847 – George Washington Ball, American legislator from Iowa (d. 1915)
- 1848 – Paul Gauguin, French painter and sculptor (d. 1903)
- 1851 – Ture Malmgren, Swedish journalist and politician (d. 1922)
- 1861 – Robina Nicol, New Zealand photographer and suffragist (d. 1942)
- 1862 – Philipp Lenard, Slovak-German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1947)
- 1863 – Bones Ely, American baseball player and manager (d. 1952)
- 1868 – Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Scottish painter and architect (d. 1928)
- 1877 – Roelof Klein, Dutch-American rower and engineer (d. 1960)
- 1879 – Knud Rasmussen, Danish anthropologist and explorer (d. 1933)
- 1879 – Joan Voûte, Dutch astronomer and academic (d. 1963)
- 1884 – Ester Claesson, Swedish landscape architect (d. 1931)
- 1883 – Sylvanus Morley, American archaeologist and scholar (d. 1948)
- 1886 – Henri Coandă, Romanian engineer, designed the Coandă-1910 (d. 1972)
- 1888 – Clarence DeMar, American runner and educator (d. 1958)
- 1892 – Leo Reise, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1975)
- 1893 – Gillis Grafström, Swedish figure skater and architect (d. 1938)
- 1894 – Alexander P. de Seversky, Georgian-American pilot and engineer, co-designed the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt (d. 1974)
- 1896 – Douglas Campbell, American lieutenant and pilot (d. 1990)
- 1896 – Robert S. Mulliken, American physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1986)
- 1896 – Imre Nagy, Hungarian soldier and politician, 44th Prime Minister of Hungary (d. 1958)
- 1897 – George Szell, Hungarian-American conductor and composer (d. 1970)
- 1899 – Elizabeth Bowen, Anglo-Irish author and critic (d. 1973)
- 1902 – Georges Van Parys, French composer (d. 1971)
- 1902 – Herman B Wells, American banker, author, and academic (d. 2000)
- 1905 – James J. Braddock, American lieutenant and boxer (d. 1974)
- 1906 – Glen Gray, American saxophonist and bandleader (d. 1963)
- 1907 – Sigvard Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg (d. 2002)
- 1909 – Virginia Apgar, American anesthesiologist and pediatrician, developed the Apgar test (d. 1974)
- 1909 – Peter W. Rodino, American captain, lawyer, and politician (d. 2005)
- 1909 – Jessica Tandy, English-American actress (d. 1994)
- 1910 – Arthur Gardner, American actor and producer (d. 2014)
- 1910 – Mike Sebastian, American football player and coach (d. 1989)
- 1910 – Bradford Washburn, American mountaineer, photographer, and cartographer (d. 2007)
- 1910 – Marion Post Wolcott, American photographer (d. 1990)
- 1911 – Brooks Stevens, American engineer and designer, designed the Wienermobile (d. 1995)
- 1912 – Jacques Hélian, French bandleader (d. 1986)
- 1917 – Gwendolyn Brooks, American poet (d. 2000)
- 1917 – Dean Martin, American singer, actor, and producer (d. 1995)
- 1920 – Georges Marchais, French mechanic and politician (d. 1997)
- 1921 – Myrtle Edwards, Australian cricketer and softball player (d. 2010)
- 1921 – Brian Talboys, New Zealand politician, 7th Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 2012)
- 1922 – Leo Reise, Jr., Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2015)
- 1923 – Jules Deschênes, Canadian lawyer and judge (d. 2000)
- 1925 – Ernestina Herrera de Noble, Argentine publisher and executive (d. 2017)
- 1926 – Jean-Noël Tremblay, Canadian lawyer and politician (d. 2020)
- 1927 – Charles de Tornaco, Belgian race car driver (d. 1953)
- 1927 – Paul Salamunovich, American conductor and educator (d. 2014)
- 1928 – Dave Bowen, Welsh footballer and manager (d. 1995)
- 1928 – James Ivory, American director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1928 – Randolph Turpin, English boxer (d. 1966)
- 1929 – Ernie Roth, American wrestling manager (d. 1983)
- 1929 – John Turner, Canadian lawyer and politician, 17th Prime Minister of Canada
- 1931 – Virginia McKenna, English actress and author
- 1932 – Per Maurseth, Norwegian historian, academic, and politician (d. 2013)
- 1933 – Romeo Galán, Argentine athlete
- 1935 – Harry Crews, American novelist, playwright, short story writer, and essayist (d. 2012)
- 1935 – Shyama, Indian actress (d. 2017)
- 1936 – Bert Sugar, American author and boxing historian (d. 2012)
- 1938 – Ian St John, Scottish international footballer, forward and manager
- 1939 – Yuli Turovsky, Russian-Canadian cellist, conductor and educator (d. 2013)
- 1940 – Tom Jones, Welsh singer and actor
- 1940 – Ronald Pickup, English actor
- 1944 – Annette Lu, Taiwanese lawyer and politician, 8th Vice President of the Republic of China
- 1944 – Clarence White, American guitarist and singer (d. 1973)
- 1945 – Gilles Marotte, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2005)
- 1945 – John Olsen, Australian politician, 42nd Premier of South Australia
- 1945 – Wolfgang Schüssel, Austrian lawyer and politician, 26th Chancellor of Austria
- 1947 – Don Money, American baseball player and coach
- 1947 – Thurman Munson, American baseball player (d. 1979)
- 1948 – Jim Walton, American businessman
- 1952 – Liam Neeson, Irish-American actor
- 1952 – Orhan Pamuk, Turkish-American novelist, screenwriter, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1953 – Johnny Clegg, English- born South African singer-songwriter, guitarist and anthropologist (d. 2019)
- 1954 – Louise Erdrich, American novelist and poet
- 1955 – William Forsythe, American actor and producer
- 1955 – Tim Richmond, American race car driver (d. 1989)
- 1956 – L.A. Reid, American songwriter and producer, co-founded LaFace Records
- 1957 – Juan Luis Guerra, Dominican singer-songwriter and producer
- 1957 – Paddy McAloon, English singer-songwriter
- 1958 – Prince, American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and actor (d. 2016)
- 1958 – Surakiart Sathirathai, Thai politician and diplomat
- 1959 – Mike Pence, 48th Vice President of the United States, 50th Governor of Indiana
- 1960 – Hirohiko Araki, Japanese manga artist and creator of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure
- 1960 – Bill Prady, American screenwriter and producer
- 1961 – Dave Catching, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
- 1962 – Thierry Hazard, French singer-songwriter
- 1962 – Takuya Kurosawa, Japanese race car driver
- 1963 – Gordon Gano, American musician
- 1964 – Gia Carides, Australian actress
- 1964 – Graeme Labrooy, Sri Lankan cricketer
- 1965 – Mick Foley, American wrestler, actor, and author
- 1965 – Jean-Pierre François, French footballer and singer
- 1965 – Damien Hirst, English painter and art collector
- 1966 – Eric Kretz, American drummer, songwriter, and producer
- 1966 – Tom McCarthy, American director, screenwriter and actor
- 1966 – Stéphane Richer, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1967 – Dave Navarro, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1970 – Helen Baxendale, English actress
- 1970 – Cafu, Brazilian footballer
- 1970 – Andrei Kovalenko, Russian ice hockey player
- 1970 – Mike Modano, American ice hockey player
- 1972 – Karl Urban, New Zealand actor
- 1974 – Bear Grylls, English adventurer, author, and television host
- 1975 – Allen Iverson, American basketball player
- 1976 – Necro, American rapper, producer, and director
- 1976 – Mirsad Türkcan, Turkish basketball player
- 1977 – Marcin Baszczyński, Polish footballer
- 1978 – Mini Andén, Swedish-American model, actress, and producer
- 1978 – Bill Hader, Two-time Emmy winning American actor, comedian, and screenwriter
- 1979 – Kevin Hofland, Dutch footballer
- 1979 – Anna Torv, Australian actress
- 1980 – Ed Moses, American swimmer
- 1981 – Stephen Bywater, English footballer
- 1981 – Anna Kournikova, Russian tennis player
- 1981 – Kevin Kyle, Scottish footballer
- 1983 – Milan Jurčina, Slovak ice hockey player
- 1983 – Piotr Małachowski, Polish discus thrower
- 1984 – Ari Koivunen, Finnish singer-songwriter
- 1984 – Eri Yanetani, Japanese snowboarder
- 1985 – Arkadiusz Piech, Polish footballer
- 1985 – Charlie Simpson, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1985 – Richard Thompson, Trinidadian sprinter
- 1986 – Keegan Bradley, American golfer
- 1988 – Michael Cera, Canadian actor
- 1988 – Milan Lucic, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1990 – Iggy Azalea, Australian rapper
- 1990 – T. J. Brodie, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1990 – Allison Schmitt, American swimmer
- 1991 – Cenk Tosun, Turkish professional footballer
- 1991 – Fetty Wap, American rapper
- 1992 – Sara Niemietz, American singer-songwriter and actress
- 1992 – Mathias Gehrt, Danish professional footballer
- 1992 – Alípio, Brazilian footballer
- 1993 – George Ezra, English singer, songwriter and guitarist
Deaths on June 7
- 555 – Vigilius, Pope of the Catholic Church (b. 500)
- 862 – Al-Muntasir, Abbasid caliph (b. 837)
- 929 – Ælfthryth, Countess of Flanders (b. 877)
- 940 – Qian Hongzun, heir apparent of Wuyue (b. 925)
- 951 – Lu Wenji, Chinese chancellor (b. 876)
- 1329 – Robert the Bruce, Scottish king (b. 1274)
- 1337 – William I, Count of Hainaut (b. 1286)
- 1341 – An-Nasir Muhammad, Egyptian sultan (b. 1285)
- 1358 – Ashikaga Takauji, Japanese shōgun (b. 1305)
- 1394 – Anne of Bohemia, English queen (b. 1366)
- 1492 – Casimir IV Jagiellon, Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1440 and King of Poland from 1447 (b. 1427)
- 1594 – Rodrigo Lopez, physician of Queen Elizabeth (b. 1525)
- 1618 – Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, English politician, Colonial Governor of Virginia (b. 1577)
- 1660 – George II Rákóczi, Prince of Transylvania (b. 1621)
- 1711 – Henry Dodwell, Irish scholar and theologian (b. 1641)
- 1779 – William Warburton, English bishop and critic (b. 1698)
- 1792 – Benjamin Tupper, American general and surveyor (b. 1738)
- 1810 – Luigi Schiavonetti, Italian engraver and etcher (b. 1765)
- 1826 – Joseph von Fraunhofer, German optician, physicist, and astronomer (b. 1787)
- 1840 – Frederick William III of Prussia (b. 1770)
- 1843 – Friedrich Hölderlin, German lyric poet (b. 1770)
- 1853 – Norbert Provencher, Canadian missionary and bishop (b. 1787)
- 1854 – Charles Baudin, French admiral (b. 1792)
- 1859 – David Cox, English painter (b. 1783)
- 1861 – Patrick Brontë, Anglo-Irish priest and author (b. 1777)
- 1863 – Antonio Valero de Bernabé, Latin American liberator (b. 1790)
- 1866 – Chief Seattle, American tribal chief (b. 1780)
- 1879 – William Tilbury Fox, English dermatologist and academic (b. 1836)
- 1896 – Pavlos Carrer, Greek composer (b. 1829)
- 1911 – Maurice Rouvier, French politician, Prime Minister of France (b. 1842)
- 1915 – Charles Reed Bishop, American banker and politician, founded the First Hawaiian Bank (b. 1822)
- 1916 – Émile Faguet, French author and critic (b. 1847)
- 1927 – Archie Birkin, English motorcycle racer (b. 1905)
- 1927 – Edmund James Flynn, Canadian lawyer and politician, 10th Premier of Quebec (b. 1847)
- 1932 – John Verran, English-Australian politician, 26th Premier of South Australia (b. 1856)
- 1933 – Dragutin Domjanić, Croatian lawyer, judge, and poet (b. 1875)
- 1936 – Stjepan Seljan, Croatian explorer (b. 1875)
- 1937 – Jean Harlow, American actress and singer (b. 1911)
- 1942 – Alan Blumlein, English engineer (b. 1903)
- 1945 – Kitaro Nishida, Japanese philosopher and academic (b. 1870)
- 1954 – Alan Turing, English mathematician and computer scientist (b. 1912)
- 1956 – John Willcock, Australian politician, 15th Premier of Western Australia (b. 1879)
- 1961 – Reginald Fletcher, 1st Baron Winster, English navy officer and politician, Secretary of State for Transport (b. 1885)
- 1963 – ZaSu Pitts, American actress (b. 1894)
- 1965 – Judy Holliday, American actress and singer (b. 1921)
- 1966 – Jean Arp, German-French sculptor, painter, and poet (b. 1886)
- 1967 – Anatoly Maltsev, Russian mathematician and academic (b. 1909)
- 1967 – Dorothy Parker, American poet, short story writer, critic, and satirist (b. 1893)
- 1968 – Dan Duryea, American actor and singer (b. 1907)
- 1970 – E. M. Forster, English novelist, short story writer, essayist (b. 1879)
- 1978 – Charles Moran, American race car driver (b. 1906)
- 1978 – Ronald George Wreyford Norrish, English chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1897)
- 1979 – Asa Earl Carter, American Ku Klux Klan leader (b. 1925)
- 1980 – Elizabeth Craig, Scottish journalist and economist (b. 1883)
- 1980 – Philip Guston, Canadian-American painter and educator (b. 1913)
- 1980 – Henry Miller, American novelist and essayist (b. 1891)
- 1985 – Klaudia Taev, Estonian opera singer and educator (b. 1906)
- 1987 – Cahit Zarifoğlu, Turkish poet and author (b. 1940)
- 1988 – Martin Sommer, German SS officer (b. 1915)
- 1989 – Chico Landi, Brazilian race car driver (b. 1907)
- 1989 – William McLean Hamilton, Canadian politician, Postmaster General of Canada (b. 1919)
- 1992 – Bill France Sr., American race car driver and businessman, co-founded NASCAR (b. 1909)
- 1993 – Dražen Petrović, Croatian basketball player, Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer 2002 (b. 1964)
- 1995 – Hsuan Hua, Chinese monk and educator (b. 1918)
- 1995 – Charles Ritchie, Canadian diplomat, High Commission of Canada to the United Kingdom (b. 1906)
- 1996 – Max Factor, Jr., American businessman (b. 1904)
- 1997 – Jacques Canetti, French music executive and talent agent (b. 1909)
- 2001 – Víctor Paz Estenssoro, Bolivian politician, 52nd President of Bolivia (b. 1907)
- 2001 – Carole Fredericks, French singer (Fredericks Goldman Jones) (b. 1952)
- 2001 – Betty Neels, English nurse and author (b. 1910)
- 2002 – Signe Hasso, Swedish-American actress (b. 1915)
- 2002 – B. D. Jatti, Indian lawyer and politician, 5th Vice President of India (b. 1912)
- 2002 – Lilian, Princess of Réthy (b. 1916)
- 2004 – Quorthon, Swedish musician (b. 1966)
- 2008 – Rudy Fernandez, Filipino actor and producer (b. 1953)
- 2008 – Jim McKay, American journalist and sportscaster (b. 1921)
- 2008 – Dino Risi, Italian director and screenwriter (b. 1916)
- 2009 – Hugh Hopper, English bass player and songwriter (b. 1945)
- 2011 – Paul Dickson, American football player and coach (b. 1937)
- 2012 – Phillip V. Tobias, South African paleontologist and academic (b. 1925)
- 2012 – Bob Welch, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1945)
- 2013 – Pierre Mauroy, French educator and politician, Prime Minister of France (b. 1928)
- 2014 – Fernandão, Brazilian footballer and manager (b. 1978)
- 2014 – Dora Akunyili, Nigerian academic and politician (b. 1954)
- 2014 – Epainette Mbeki, South African activist (b. 1916)
- 2015 – Christopher Lee, English actor (b. 1922)
- 2015 – Sheikh Razzak Ali, Bangladeshi journalist and politician (b. 1928)
Holidays and observances on June 7
- Anniversary of the Memorandum of the Slovak Nation (Slovakia)
- Birthday of Prince Joachim (Denmark)
- Christian feast day:
- Antonio Maria Gianelli
- Colmán of Dromore
- Landulf of Yariglia (Asti)
- Meriasek
- Paul I of Constantinople
- Robert of Newminster
- Chief Seattle (Lutheran Church)
- Blessed Marie-Thérèse de Soubiran La Louvière
- June 7 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Commemoration Day of St John the Forerunner (Armenian Apostolic Church)
- Pioneers of the Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil (Episcopal Church (USA))
- Battle of Arica Day (Arica y Parinacota Region, Chile)
- Flag Day (Peru)
- Journalist Day (Argentina)
- Sette Giugno (Malta)
- Union Dissolution Day (Independence Day of Norway)
-
June 1 in History
- 1215 – Zhongdu (now Beijing), then under the control of the Jurchen ruler Emperor Xuanzong of Jin, is captured by the Mongols under Genghis Khan, ending the Battle of Zhongdu.
- 1252 – Alfonso X is proclaimed king of Castile and León.
- 1298 – Residents of Riga and Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeated the Livonian Order in the Battle of Turaida.
- 1495 – A monk, John Cor, records the first known batch of Scotch whisky
- 1533 – Anne Boleyn is crowned Queen of England.
- 1535 – Combined forces loyal to Charles V attack and expel the Ottomans from Tunis during the Conquest of Tunis.
- 1648 – The Roundheads defeat the Cavaliers at the Battle of Maidstone in the Second English Civil War.
- 1649 – Start of the Sumuroy Revolt: Filipinos in Northern Samar led by Agustin Sumuroy revolt against Spanish colonial authorities.
- 1670 – In Dover, England, Charles II of England and Louis XIV of France sign the Secret Treaty of Dover, which will force England into the Third Anglo-Dutch War.
- 1676 – Battle of Öland: allied Danish-Dutch forces defeat the Swedish navy in the Baltic Sea, during the Scanian War (1675–79).
- 1679 – The Scottish Covenanters defeat John Graham of Claverhouse at the Battle of Drumclog.
- 1773 – Wolraad Woltemade rescues 14 sailors at the Cape of Good Hope from the sinking ship De Jonge Thomas by riding his horse into the sea seven times. He drowned on his eighth attempt.
- 1779 – The court-martial for malfeasance of Benedict Arnold, a general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, begins.
- 1792 – Kentucky is admitted as the 15th state of the United States.
- 1794 – The battle of the Glorious First of June is fought, the first naval engagement between Britain and France during the French Revolutionary Wars.
- 1796 – Tennessee is admitted as the 16th state of the United States.
- 1812 – War of 1812: U.S. President James Madison asks the Congress to declare war on the United Kingdom.
- 1813 – Capture of USS Chesapeake.
- 1815 – Napoleon promulgates a revised Constitution after it passes a plebiscite.
- 1831 – James Clark Ross becomes the first European at the North Magnetic Pole.
- 1849 – Territorial Governor Alexander Ramsey declared the Territory of Minnesota officially established.
- 1855 – The American adventurer William Walker conquers Nicaragua.
- 1857 – Charles Baudelaire’s Les Fleurs du mal is published.
- 1861 – American Civil War: The Battle of Fairfax Court House is fought.
- 1862 – American Civil War: Peninsula Campaign: The Battle of Seven Pines (or the Battle of Fair Oaks) ends inconclusively, with both sides claiming victory.
- 1868 – The Treaty of Bosque Redondo is signed, allowing the Navajo to return to their lands in Arizona and New Mexico.
- 1879 – Napoléon Eugène, the last dynastic Bonaparte, is killed in the Anglo-Zulu War.
- 1890 – The United States Census Bureau begins using Herman Hollerith’s tabulating machine to count census returns.
- 1913 – The Greek–Serbian Treaty of Alliance is signed, paving the way for the Second Balkan War.
- 1916 – Louis Brandeis becomes the first Jew appointed to the United States Supreme Court.
- 1918 – World War I: Western Front: Battle of Belleau Wood: Allied Forces under John J. Pershing and James Harbord engage Imperial German Forces under Wilhelm, German Crown Prince.
- 1922 – The Royal Ulster Constabulary is founded.
- 1929 – The 1st Conference of the Communist Parties of Latin America is held in Buenos Aires.
- 1930 – The Deccan Queen is introduced as first intercity train between Bombay VT (Now Mumbai CST) and Poona (Pune) to run on electric locomotives.
- 1939 – First flight of the German Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighter aircraft.
- 1941 – World War II: The Battle of Crete ends as Crete capitulates to Germany.
- 1941 – The Farhud, a massive pogrom in Iraq, starts and as a result, many Iraqi Jews are forced to leave their homes.
- 1943 – BOAC Flight 777 is shot down over the Bay of Biscay by German Junkers Ju 88s, killing British actor Leslie Howard and leading to speculation that it was actually an attempt to kill British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
- 1946 – Ion Antonescu, “Conducator” (“Leader”) of Romania during World War II, is executed.
- 1950 – The Chinchaga fire ignites. By September, it would become the largest single fire on record in North America.
- 1958 – Charles de Gaulle comes out of retirement to lead France by decree for six months.
- 1961 – The Canadian Bank of Commerce and Imperial Bank of Canada merge to form the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, the largest bank merger in Canadian history.
- 1962 – Adolf Eichmann is hanged in Israel.
- 1964 – Kenya becomes a republic with Jomo Kenyatta (1897 – 22 August 1978) as its first President (1964 to 1978).
- 1974 – The Heimlich maneuver for rescuing choking victims is published in the journal Emergency Medicine.
- 1975 – The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan was founded by Jalal Talabani, Nawshirwan Mustafa, Fuad Masum and others.
- 1978 – The first international applications under the Patent Cooperation Treaty are filed.
- 1979 – The first black-led government of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in 90 years takes power.
- 1980 – Cable News Network (CNN) begins broadcasting.
- 1988 – European Central Bank is founded in Brussels.
- 1988 – The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty comes into effect.
- 1990 – Cold War: George H. W. Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev sign a treaty to end chemical weapon production.
- 1993 – Dobrinja mortar attack: Thirteen are killed and 133 wounded when Serb mortar shells are fired at a soccer game in Dobrinja, west of Sarajevo.
- 1994 – Republic of South Africa becomes a Commonwealth republic.
- 1999 – American Airlines Flight 1420 slides and crashes while landing at Little Rock National Airport, killing 11 people on a flight from Dallas to Little Rock.
- 2001 – Nepalese royal massacre: Crown Prince Dipendra of Nepal shoots and kills several members of his family including his father and mother.
- 2001 – Dolphinarium discotheque massacre: A Hamas suicide bomber kills 21 at a disco in Tel Aviv.
- 2004 – Oklahoma City bombing co-conspirator Terry Nichols is sentenced to 161 consecutive life terms without the possibility of a parole, breaking a Guinness World Record.
- 2008 – A fire on the back lot of Universal Studios breaks out, destroying the attraction King Kong Encounter and a large archive of master tapes for music and film, the full extent of which was not revealed until 2019.
- 2009 – Air France Flight 447 crashes into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Brazil on a flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. All 228 passengers and crew are killed.
- 2009 – General Motors files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. It is the fourth largest United States bankruptcy in history.
- 2011 – A rare tornado outbreak occurs in New England; a strong EF3 tornado strikes Springfield, Massachusetts, during the event, killing four people.
- 2011 – Space Shuttle Endeavour makes its final landing after 25 flights.
- 2015 – A ship carrying 458 people capsizes on Yangtze river in China’s Hubei province, killing 400 people.
Births on June 1
- 1134 – Geoffrey, Count of Nantes (d. 1158)
- 1300 – Thomas of Brotherton, 1st Earl of Norfolk, English politician, Lord Marshal of England (d. 1338)
- 1451 – Giles Daubeney, 1st Baron Daubeney (d. 1508)
- 1460 – Enno I, Count of East Frisia, German noble (d. 1491)
- 1480 – Tiedemann Giese, Polish bishop (d. 1550)
- 1498 – Maarten van Heemskerck, Dutch painter (d. 1574)
- 1522 – Dirck Volckertszoon Coornhert, Dutch writer and scholar (d. 1590)
- 1563 – Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, English politician, Secretary of State for England (d. 1612)
- 1612 – Frans Post, Dutch painter (d. 1680)
- 1633 – Geminiano Montanari, Italian astronomer and academic (d. 1687)
- 1637 – Jacques Marquette, French missionary and explorer (d. 1675)
- 1653 – Georg Muffat, French organist and composer (d. 1704)
- 1675 – Francesco Scipione, marchese di Maffei, Italian archaeologist and playwright (d. 1755)
- 1762 – Edmund Ignatius Rice, Irish priest and missionary, founded the Irish Christian Brothers (d. 1844)
- 1765 – Christiane Vulpius, mistress and wife of Johann Wolfgang Goethe (d. 1816)
- 1770 – Friedrich Laun, German author (d. 1849)
- 1790 – Ferdinand Raimund, Austrian actor and playwright (d. 1836)
- 1796 – Nicolas Léonard Sadi Carnot, French physicist and engineer (d. 1832)
- 1800 – Edward Deas Thomson, Australian educator and politician, Chief Secretary of New South Wales (d. 1879)
- 1801 – Brigham Young, American religious leader, 2nd President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (d. 1877)
- 1804 – Mikhail Glinka, Russian composer (d. 1857)
- 1808 – Henry Parker, English-Australian politician, 3rd Premier of New South Wales (d. 1881)
- 1815 – Otto of Greece (d. 1862)
- 1819 – Francis V, Duke of Modena (d. 1875)
- 1822 – Clementina Maude, Viscountess Hawarden, English portrait photographer (d. 1865)
- 1825 – John Hunt Morgan, American general (d. 1864)
- 1831 – John Bell Hood, American general (d. 1879)
- 1833 – John Marshall Harlan, American lawyer, judge, and politician, Attorney General of Kentucky (d. 1911)
- 1843 – Henry Faulds, Scottish physician and missionary, developed fingerprinting (d. 1930)
- 1844 – John J. Toffey, American lieutenant, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1911)
- 1869 – Richard Wünsch, German philologist (d. 1915)
- 1873 – Elena Alistar, Bessarabian politician (d. 1955)
- 1874 – Yury Nikolaevich Voronov, Russian botanist (d. 1931)
- 1878 – John Masefield, English author and poet (d. 1967)
- 1879 – Max Emmerich, American triathlete and gymnast (d. 1956)
- 1882 – Nicolae Bivol, Moldovan businessman and politician, Mayor of Chișinău (d. 1940)
- 1887 – Clive Brook, English actor (d. 1974)
- 1889 – James Daugherty, American author, illustrator, and painter (d. 1974)
- 1889 – Charles Kay Ogden, English linguist and philosopher (d. 1957)
- 1890 – Frank Morgan, American actor (d. 1949)
- 1892 – Amanullah Khan, sovereign of the Kingdom of Afghanistan, (d. 1960)
- 1899 – Edward Charles Titchmarsh, English mathematician and academic (d. 1963)
- 1901 – Hap Day, Canadian ice hockey player, referee, and manager (d. 1990)
- 1901 – Tom Gorman, Australian rugby league player (d. 1978)
- 1901 – John Van Druten, English-American playwright and director (d. 1957)
- 1903 – Vasyl Velychkovsky, Ukrainian-Canadian bishop and martyr (d. 1973)
- 1903 – Hans Vogt, Norwegian linguist and academic (d. 1986)
- 1905 – Robert Newton, English-American actor (d. 1956)
- 1907 – Jan Patočka, Czech philosopher (d. 1977)
- 1907 – Frank Whittle, English airman and engineer, developed the jet engine (d. 1996)
- 1908 – Julie Campbell Tatham, American author (d. 1999)
- 1909 – Yechezkel Kutscher, Slovakian-Israeli philologist and linguist (d. 1971)
- 1910 – Gyula Kállai, Hungarian communist leader, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the People’s Republic of Hungary (d. 1996)
- 1912 – Herbert Tichy, Austrian geologist, author, and mountaineer (d. 1987)
- 1913 – Bill Deedes, English journalist and politician (d. 2007)
- 1915 – John Randolph, American actor (d. 2004)
- 1916 – Jean Jérôme Hamer, Belgian Cardinal (d. 1996)
- 1917 – William Standish Knowles, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2012)
- 1920 – Robert Clarke, American actor and producer (d. 2005)
- 1921 – Nelson Riddle, American composer and bandleader (d. 1985)
- 1922 – Joan Caulfield, American model and actress (d. 1991)
- 1922 – Povel Ramel, Swedish singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 2007)
- 1924 – William Sloane Coffin, American minister and activist (d. 2006)
- 1925 – Dilia Díaz Cisneros, Venezuelan teacher (d. 2017)
- 1926 – Johnny Berry, English footballer (d. 1994)
- 1926 – Andy Griffith, American actor, singer, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2012)
- 1926 – Marilyn Monroe, American model and actress (d. 1962)
- 1926 – George Robb, English international footballer and teacher (d. 2011)
- 1926 – Richard Schweiker, American soldier and politician, 14th United States Secretary of Health and Human Services (d. 2015)
- 1928 – Georgy Dobrovolsky, Ukrainian pilot and astronaut (d. 1971)
- 1928 – Steve Dodd, Australian actor and composer (d. 2014)
- 1928 – Bob Monkhouse, English actor and screenwriter (d. 2003)
- 1929 – Nargis, Indian actress (d. 1981)<ref”>Dilip Kumar (28 July 2014). Dilip Kumar: The Substance and the Shadow. Hay House, Inc. p. 137. ISBN 978-93-81398-96-8.</ref>
- 1929 – James H. Billington, American academic and Thirteenth Librarian of Congress (d. 2018)
- 1930 – John Lemmon, English logician and philosopher (d. 1966)
- 1930 – Richard Levins, American ecologist and geneticist (d. 2016)
- 1930 – Matt Poore, New Zealand cricketer (d. 2020)
- 1930 – Edward Woodward, English actor (d. 2009)
- 1931 – Walter Horak, Austrian footballer (d. 2019)
- 1932 – Frank Cameron, New Zealand cricketer
- 1932 – Christopher Lasch, American historian and critic (d. 1994)
- 1933 – Haruo Remeliik, Palauan politician, 1st President of Palau (d. 1985)
- 1933 – Charles Wilson, American lieutenant and politician (d. 2010)
- 1934 – Pat Boone, American singer-songwriter and actor
- 1934 – Peter Masterson, American actor, director, producer and screenwriter (d. 2018)
- 1934 – Doris Buchanan Smith, American author (d. 2002)
- 1935 – Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank, English architect, founded Foster and Partners
- 1935 – Reverend Ike, American minister and television host (d. 2009)
- 1935 – Jack Kralick, American baseball player (d. 2012)
- 1935 – Percy Adlon, German director, screenwriter and producer
- 1935 – John C. Reynolds, American computer scientist and academic (d. 2013)
- 1936 – Anatoly Albul, Soviet and Russian wrestler (d. 2013)
- 1936 – André Bourbeau, Canadian politician (d. 2018)
- 1936 – Bekim Fehmiu, Bosnian actor (d. 2010)
- 1936 – Gerald Scarfe, English illustrator and animator
- 1937 – Morgan Freeman, American actor and producer
- 1937 – Rosaleen Linehan, Irish actress
- 1937 – Colleen McCullough, Australian neuroscientist and author (d. 2015)
- 1939 – Cleavon Little, American actor and comedian (d. 1992)
- 1940 – René Auberjonois, American actor (d. 2019)
- 1940 – Katerina Gogou, Greek writer and actress (d. 1993)
- 1940 – Kip Thorne, American physicist, astronomer, and academic
- 1941 – Dean Chance, American baseball player and manager (d. 2015)
- 1941 – Toyo Ito, Japanese architect, designed the Torre Realia BCN and Hotel Porta Fira
- 1941 – Alexander V. Zakharov, Russian physicist and astronomer
- 1942 – Parveen Kumar, Pakistani-English physician and academic
- 1943 – Orietta Berti, Italian singer and actress
- 1943 – Richard Goode, American pianist
- 1943 – Lorrie Wilmot, South African cricketer (d. 2004)
- 1944 – Colin Blakemore, British neurobiologist
- 1944 – Robert Powell, English actor
- 1945 – Jim McCarty, American blues rock guitarist
- 1945 – Linda Scott, American singer
- 1945 – Lydia Shum, Chinese-Hong Kong actress (d. 2008)
- 1945 – Kerry Vincent, Australian chef and author
- 1945 – Frederica von Stade, American soprano and actress
- 1946 – Brian Cox, Scottish actor
- 1947 – Ron Dennis, English businessman, founded the McLaren Group
- 1947 – Jonathan Pryce, Welsh actor and singer
- 1947 – Ronnie Wood, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer
- 1948 – Powers Boothe, American actor (d. 2017)
- 1948 – Tomáš Halík, Czech Roman Catholic priest, philosopher, theologian and scholar
- 1948 – Michel Plasse, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2006)
- 1948 – Juhan Viiding, Estonian poet and actor (d. 1995)
- 1950 – Perrin Beatty, Canadian businessman and politician
- 1950 – Charlene, American singer-songwriter
- 1950 – Jean Lambert, English educator and politician
- 1950 – Michael McDowell, American author and screenwriter (d. 1999)
- 1952 – Şenol Güneş, Turkish footballer and manager
- 1952 – David Lan, South African-English director and playwright
- 1952 – Mihaela Loghin, Romanian shot putter
- 1953 – Ronnie Dunn, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1953 – Ted Field, American entrepreneur and race car driver
- 1954 – Jill Black, English lawyer and judge
- 1955 – Chiyonofuji Mitsugu, Japanese sumo wrestler (d. 2016)
- 1955 – Lorraine Moller, New Zealand runner
- 1955 – Tony Snow, American journalist, 26th White House Press Secretary (d. 2008)
- 1956 – Patrick Besson, French writer and journalist
- 1956 – Lisa Hartman Black, American actress
- 1956 – Petra Morsbach, German author
- 1958 – Nambaryn Enkhbayar, Mongolian lawyer and politician, 3rd President of Mongolia
- 1958 – Gennadiy Valyukevich, Belarusian triple jumper (d. 2019)
- 1959 – Martin Brundle, English racing driver and sportscaster
- 1959 – Alan Wilder, English singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer
- 1960 – Simon Gallup, English musician (The Cure)
- 1960 – Vladimir Krutov, Russian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2012)
- 1960 – Sergey Kuznetsov, Russian footballer and manager
- 1960 – Giorgos Lillikas, Cypriot politician, 8th Cypriot Minister of Foreign Affairs
- 1960 – Elena Mukhina, Russian gymnast (d. 2006)
- 1961 – Paul Coffey, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1961 – Mark Curry, American actor
- 1961 – Werner Günthör, Swiss shot putter and bobsledder
- 1961 – John Huston, American golfer
- 1961 – Peter Machajdík, Slovakian-German pianist and composer
- 1963 – Vital Borkelmans, Belgian footballer
- 1963 – Miles J. Padgett, Scottish physicist and academic
- 1963 – David Westhead, English actor and producer
- 1965 – Larisa Lazutina, Russian skier
- 1965 – Olga Nazarova, Russian sprinter
- 1965 – Nigel Short, English chess player and journalist
- 1966 – Greg Schiano, American football player and coach
- 1968 – Jason Donovan, Australian actor and singer
- 1968 – Jeff Hackett, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1968 – Mathias Rust, German aviator
- 1969 – Luis García Postigo, former Mexican footballer
- 1969 – Teri Polo, American actress
- 1970 – Georgie Gardner, Australian journalist and television host
- 1970 – Alexi Lalas, American soccer player, manager, and sportscaster
- 1971 – Mario Cimarro, Cuban-American actor and singer
- 1973 – Frédérik Deburghgraeve, Belgian swimmer
- 1973 – Adam Garcia, Australian actor
- 1973 – Derek Lowe, American baseball player
- 1973 – Heidi Klum, German-American model, fashion designer, and producer
- 1974 – Alanis Morissette, Canadian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actress
- 1974 – Michael Rasmussen, Danish cyclist
- 1974 – Sarah Teather, English politician
- 1974 – Akis Zikos, Greek footballer and coach
- 1975 – Michal Grošek, Czech-Swiss ice hockey player and coach
- 1975 – Frauke Petry, German politician
- 1975 – Ēriks Rags, Latvian javelin thrower
- 1976 – Marlon Devonish, English sprinter and coach
- 1976 – Kōhei Murakami, Japanese actor
- 1977 – Andrea Bogart, American actress
- 1977 – Arsen Gitinov, Russian and Kyrgyzstani freestyle wrestler
- 1977 – Danielle Harris, American actress
- 1977 – Brad Wilkerson, American baseball player and coach
- 1977 – Sarah Wayne Callies, American actress
- 1978 – Antonietta Di Martino, Italian high jumper
- 1978 – Matthew Hittinger, American poet and author
- 1979 – Santana Moss, American football player
- 1979 – Markus Persson, Swedish game designer, founded Mojang
- 1981 – Brandi Carlile, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1981 – Amy Schumer, American actress
- 1981 – Carlos Zambrano, Venezuelan-American baseball player
- 1981 – Aleksei Mikhailovich Uvarov, Russian footballer
- 1982 – Justine Henin, Belgian tennis player
- 1983 – Tetyana Hamera-Shmyrko, Ukrainian runner
- 1983 – Tõnis Sahk, Estonian long jumper
- 1984 – Jean Beausejour, Chilean footballer
- 1984 – Olivier Tielemans, Dutch racing driver
- 1985 – Tirunesh Dibaba, Ethiopian runner
- 1985 – Mário Hipólito, Angolan footballer
- 1985 – Dinesh Karthik, Indian cricketer
- 1985 – Nick Young, American basketball player
- 1985 – Sam Young, American basketball player
- 1986 – Moses Ndiema Masai, Kenyan runner
- 1986 – Chinedu Obasi, Nigerian footballer
- 1986 – Ben Smith, New Zealand rugby player
- 1987 – Zoltán Harsányi, Slovakian footballer
- 1987 – Jerel McNeal, American basketball player
- 1987 – Yarisley Silva, Cuban pole vaulter
- 1988 – Javier Hernández, Mexican footballer
- 1989 – Nataliya Goncharova, Ukrainian/Russian volleyball player
- 1989 – Sammy Alex Mutahi, Kenyan runner
- 1990 – Miller Bolaños, Ecuadoran footballer
- 1990 – Kennie Chopart, Danish footballer
- 1990 – Carlota Ciganda, Spanish golfer
- 1990 – Martin Pembleton, English footballer
- 1990 – Bianca Perie, Romanian hammer thrower
- 1991 – Tyrone Roberts, Australian rugby league player
- 1993 – Sam Anas, American ice hockey player
- 1994 – Kagayaki Taishi, Japanese sumo wrestler
- 1996 – Edvinas Gertmonas, Lithuanian footballer
- 1996 – Tom Holland, English actor
- 1999 – Dmitri Aliev, Russian figure skater
Deaths on June 1
- 195 BC – Emperor Gaozu of Han (b. 256 BC)
- 193 – Didius Julianus, Roman Emperor (b. 133)
- 352 – Ran Min, “Heavenly Prince” (Tian Wang) during the Sixteen Kingdoms
- 654 – Pyrrhus, patriarch of Constantinople
- 829 – Li Tongjie, general of the Tang Dynasty
- 847 – Xiao, empress of the Tang Dynasty
- 896 – Theodosius Romanus, Syriac Orthodox patriarch of Antioch
- 932 – Thietmar, duke of Saxony
- 1146 – Ermengarde of Anjou, Duchess regent of Brittany (b. 1068)
- 1186 – Minamoto no Yukiie, Japanese warlord
- 1220 – Henry de Bohun, 1st Earl of Hereford (b. 1176)
- 1310 – Marguerite Porete, French mystic
- 1354 – Kitabatake Chikafusa (b. 1293)
- 1434 – King Wladislaus II of Poland
- 1571 – John Story, English martyr (b. 1504)
- 1616 – Tokugawa Ieyasu, Japanese shogun (b. 1543)
- 1625 – Honoré d’Urfé, French author and poet (b. 1568)
- 1639 – Melchior Franck, German composer (b. 1579)
- 1660 – Mary Dyer, English-American martyr (b. 1611)
- 1662 – Zhu Youlang, Chinese emperor (b. 1623)
- 1681 – Cornelis Saftleven, Dutch genre painter (b. 1607)
- 1710 – David Mitchell, Scottish admiral and politician (b. 1642)
- 1740 – Samuel Werenfels, Swiss theologian (b. 1657)
- 1769 – Edward Holyoke, American pastor and academic (b. 1689)
- 1773 – Wolraad Woltemade, South African folk hero (b. 1708)
- 1795 – Pierre-Joseph Desault, French anatomist and surgeon (b. 1744)
- 1815 – Louis-Alexandre Berthier, French general and politician, French Minister of War (b. 1753)
- 1823 – Louis-Nicolas Davout, French general and politician, French Minister of War (b. 1770)
- 1826 – J. F. Oberlin, French pastor and philanthropist (b. 1740)
- 1830 – Swaminarayan, Indian religious leader (b. 1781)
- 1833 – Oliver Wolcott Jr., American lawyer and politician, 2nd United States Secretary of the Treasury, 24th Governor of Connecticut (b. 1760)
- 1841 – David Wilkie, Scottish painter and academic (b. 1785)
- 1846 – Pope Gregory XVI (b. 1765)
- 1861 – John Quincy Marr, American captain (b. 1825)
- 1864 – Hong Xiuquan, Chinese rebel, led the Taiping Rebellion (b. 1812)
- 1868 – James Buchanan, American lawyer and politician, 15th President of the United States (b. 1791)
- 1872 – James Gordon Bennett, Sr., American publisher, founded the New York Herald (b. 1795)
- 1873 – Joseph Howe, Canadian journalist and politician, 5th Premier of Nova Scotia (b. 1804)
- 1876 – Hristo Botev, Bulgarian poet and journalist (b. 1848)
- 1879 – Napoléon, Prince Imperial of France (b. 1856)
- 1908 – Allen Butler Talcott, American painter (b. 1867)
- 1927 – Lizzie Borden, American accused murderer (b. 1860)
- 1927 – J. B. Bury, Irish historian, philologist, and scholar (b. 1861)
- 1934 – Sir Alfred Rawlinson, 3rd Baronet, English colonel and polo player (b. 1867)
- 1935 – Arthur Arz von Straußenburg, Romanian-Hungarian general (d. 1857)
- 1938 – Ödön von Horváth, Croatian-French author and playwright (b. 1901)
- 1941 – Hans Berger, German neurologist and academic (b. 1873)
- 1941 – Hugh Walpole, New Zealand-English author (b. 1884)
- 1943 – Leslie Howard, English actor, director, and producer (b. 1893)
- 1943 – Wilfrid Israel, English-German businessman and philanthropist (b. 1899)
- 1946 – Ion Antonescu, Romanian marshal and politician, 43rd Prime Minister of Romania (b. 1882)
- 1948 – Alex Gard, Russian-American cartoonist (b. 1900)
- 1952 – John Dewey, American psychologist and philosopher (b. 1859)
- 1953 – Emanuel Vidović, Croatian painter and illustrator (b. 1870)
- 1954 – Martin Andersen Nexø, Danish-German journalist and author (b. 1869)
- 1960 – Lester Patrick, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1883)
- 1960 – Paula Hitler, German-Austrian sister of Adolf Hitler (b. 1896)
- 1962 – Adolf Eichmann, a German Nazi SS-Obersturmbannführer (b. 1906)
- 1963 – Walter Lee, Australian politician, 24th Premier of Tasmania (b. 1874)
- 1965 – Curly Lambeau, American football player and coach, founded the Green Bay Packers (b. 1898)
- 1966 – Papa Jack Laine, American drummer and bandleader (b. 1873)
- 1968 – Helen Keller, American author and activist (b. 1880)
- 1968 – André Laurendeau, Canadian playwright, journalist, and politician (b. 1912)
- 1969 – Ivar Ballangrud, Norwegian speed skater (b. 1904)
- 1971 – Reinhold Niebuhr, American theologian and academic (b. 1892)
- 1979 – Werner Forssmann, German physician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1904)
- 1980 – Arthur Nielsen, American businessman, founded the ACNielsen company (b. 1897)
- 1981 – Carl Vinson, American lawyer and politician (b. 1883)
- 1983 – Prince Charles, Count of Flanders (b. 1903)
- 1985 – Richard Greene, English actor and soldier (b. 1918)
- 1986 – Jo Gartner, Austrian racing driver (b. 1958)
- 1987 – Rashid Karami, Lebanese lawyer and politician, 32nd Prime Minister of Lebanon (b. 1921)
- 1988 – Herbert Feigl, Austrian philosopher from the Vienna Circle (b. 1902)
- 1989 – Aurelio Lampredi, Italian engineer, designed the Ferrari Lampredi engine (b. 1917)
- 1991 – David Ruffin, American singer-songwriter (b. 1941)
- 1996 – Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, Indian politician, 6th President of India (b. 1913)
- 1999 – Christopher Cockerell, English engineer, invented the hovercraft (b. 1910)
- 2000 – Tito Puente, American drummer, composer, and producer (b. 1923)
- 2001 – Hank Ketcham, American cartoonist, created Dennis the Menace (b. 1920)
- 2001 – notable victims of the Nepalese royal massacre
- Aishwarya of Nepal (b. 1949)
- Birendra of Nepal (b. 1945)
- Dhirendra of Nepal (b. 1950)
- Prince Nirajan of Nepal (b. 1978)
- Princess Shruti of Nepal (b. 1976)
- 2002 – Hansie Cronje, South African cricketer (b. 1969)
- 2004 – William Manchester, American historian and author (b. 1922)
- 2005 – Hilda Crosby Standish, American physician (b. 1902)
- 2005 – George Mikan, American basketball player and coach (b. 1924)
- 2006 – Rocío Jurado, Spanish singer and actress (b. 1944)
- 2007 – Tony Thompson, American singer and songwriter (Hi-Five) (b. 1975)
- 2008 – Tommy Lapid, Israeli journalist and politician, 17th Justice Minister of Israel (b. 1931)
- 2008 – Yves Saint Laurent, French fashion designer, founded Saint Laurent Paris (b. 1936)
- 2009 – Bob Christie, American race car driver (b. 1924)
- 2009 – Vincent O’Brien, Irish horse trainer (b. 1917)
- 2010 – Kazuo Ohno, Japanese dancer (b. 1906)
- 2010 – Andrei Voznesensky, Russian poet (b. 1933)
- 2011 – Haleh Sahabi, Iranian humanitarian and activist (b. 1957)
- 2012 – Faruq Z. Bey, American saxophonist and composer (b. 1942)
- 2012 – Pádraig Faulkner, Irish educator and politician, 19th Irish Minister of Defence (b. 1918)
- 2012 – Milan Gaľa, Slovak politician (b. 1953)
- 2013 – James Kelleher, Canadian lawyer and politician, 33rd Solicitor General of Canada (b. 1930)
- 2014 – Ann B. Davis, American actress (b. 1926)
- 2014 – Valentin Mankin, Ukrainian sailor (b. 1938)
- 2015 – Charles Kennedy, Scottish journalist and politician (b. 1959)
- 2015 – Joan Kirner, Australian educator and politician, 42nd Premier of Victoria (b. 1938)
- 2015 – Nicholas Liverpool, Dominican lawyer and politician, 6th President of Dominica (b. 1934)
- 2015 – Jacques Parizeau, Canadian economist and politician, 26th Premier of Quebec (b. 1930)
- 2015 – Jean Ritchie, American singer-songwriter (b. 1922)
- 2018 – Sinan Sakić, Serbian pop-folk singer (b. 1956)
- 2019 – Ani Yudhoyono, Indonesian politician, 6th First Lady of Indonesia. (b. 1952)
Holidays and observances on June 1
- Children’s Day (International), and its related observances:
- The Day of Protection of Children Rights (Armenia)
- Mothers’ and Children’s Day (Mongolia)
- Christian feast day:
- Annibale Maria di Francia
- Crescentinus
- Fortunatus of Spoleto
- Herculanus of Piegaro
- Íñigo of Oña
- Justin Martyr (Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran)
- Ronan of Locronan
- June 1 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Earliest day on which Canadian Forces Day can fall, while June 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Sunday in June. (Canada)
- Earliest day on which Father’s Day can fall, while June 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Sunday in June. (Lithuania)
- Earliest day on which June Holiday can fall, while June 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Monday in June. (Ireland)
- Earliest day on which Labour Day can fall, while June 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Friday in June. (The Bahamas)
- Earliest day on which Teacher’s Day can fall, while June 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Sunday in June. (Hungary)
- Earliest day on which the Queen’s Birthday can fall, while June 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Monday in June. (New Zealand, Cook Islands, Fiji)
- Earliest day on which Seamen’s Day can fall, while June 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Sunday in June. (Iceland)
- Earliest day on which Western Australia Day can fall, while June 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Sunday in June. (Western Australia)
- Global Day of Parents (International)
- Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Samoa from New Zealand in 1962.
- Madaraka Day (Kenya)
- National Maritime Day (Mexico)
- National Tree Planting Day (Cambodia)
- Pancasila Day (Indonesia)
- President’s Day (Palau)
- The beginning of Crop over, celebrated until the first Monday of August. (Barbados)
- Victory Day (Tunisia)
- World Milk Day (International)
-
May 31 in History
- 455 – Emperor Petronius Maximus is stoned to death by an angry mob while fleeing Rome.
- 1223 – Mongol invasion of the Cumans: Battle of the Kalka River: Mongol armies of Genghis Khan led by Subutai defeat Kievan Rus’ and Cumans.
- 1293 – Mongol invasion of Java was a punitive expedition against King Kertanegara of Singhasari, who had refused to pay tribute to the Yuan and maimed one of its ministers. However, it ended with failure for the Mongols. Regarded as establish City of Surabaya
- 1578 – King Henry III lays the first stone of the Pont Neuf (New Bridge), the oldest bridge of Paris, France.
- 1669 – Citing poor eyesight as a reason, Samuel Pepys records the last event in his diary.
- 1775 – American Revolution: The Mecklenburg Resolves are adopted in the Province of North Carolina.
- 1790 – Manuel Quimper explores the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
- 1790 – The United States enacts its first copyright statute, the Copyright Act of 1790.
- 1795 – French Revolution: The Revolutionary Tribunal is suppressed.
- 1805 – French and Spanish forces begin the assault against British forces occupying Diamond Rock.
- 1813 – In Australia, William Lawson, Gregory Blaxland and William Wentworth reach Mount Blaxland, effectively marking the end of a route across the Blue Mountains.
- 1859 – The clock tower at the Houses of Parliament, which houses Big Ben, starts keeping time.
- 1862 – American Civil War: Peninsula Campaign: Confederate forces under Joseph E. Johnston and G.W. Smith engage Union forces under George B. McClellan outside Richmond, Virginia.
- 1864 – American Civil War: Overland Campaign: Battle of Cold Harbor: The Army of Northern Virginia engages the Army of the Potomac.
- 1879 – Gilmore’s Garden in New York City is renamed Madison Square Garden by William Henry Vanderbilt and is opened to the public at 26th Street and Madison Avenue.
- 1884 – The arrival at Plymouth of Tāwhiao, King of Maoris, to claim the protection of Queen Victoria.
- 1889 – Johnstown Flood: Over 2,200 people die after a dam fails and sends a 60-foot (18-meter) wall of water over the town of Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
- 1902 – Second Boer War: The Treaty of Vereeniging ends the war and ensures British control of South Africa.
- 1909 – The National Negro Committee, forerunner to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), convenes for the first time.
- 1910 – The South Africa Act comes into force, establishing the Union of South Africa.
- 1911 – The RMS Titanic is launched in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
- 1911 – The President of Mexico Porfirio Díaz flees the country during the Mexican Revolution.
- 1916 – World War I: Battle of Jutland: The British Grand Fleet engages the High Seas Fleet in the largest naval battle of the war, which proves indecisive.
- 1921 – The Tulsa race massacre kills at least 39, but other estimates of black fatalities vary from 55 to about 300.
- 1935 – A 7.7 Mw earthquake destroys Quetta in modern-day Pakistan killing 40,000.
- 1941 – Anglo-Iraqi War: The United Kingdom completes the re-occupation of Iraq and returns ‘Abd al-Ilah to power as regent for Faisal II.
- 1942 – World War II: Imperial Japanese Navy midget submarines begin a series of attacks on Sydney, Australia.
- 1947 – Ferenc Nagy, the democratically elected Prime Minister of Hungary, resigns from office after blackmail from the Hungarian Communist Party accusing him of being part of a plot against the state. This grants the Communists effective control of the Hungarian government.
- 1961 – The South African Constitution of 1961 becomes effective, thus creating the Republic of South Africa, which remains outside the Commonwealth of Nations until 1 June 1994, when South Africa is returned to Commonwealth membership.
- 1961 – In Moscow City Court, the Rokotov–Faibishenko show trial begins, despite the Khrushchev Thaw to reverse Stalinist elements in Soviet society.
- 1962 – The West Indies Federation dissolves.
- 1970 – The 7.9 Mw Ancash earthquake shakes Peru with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe) and a landslide buries the town of Yungay, Peru. Between 66,794–70,000 were killed and 50,000 were injured.
- 1971 – In accordance with the Uniform Monday Holiday Act passed by the U.S. Congress in 1968, observation of Memorial Day occurs on the last Monday in May for the first time, rather than on the traditional Memorial Day of May 30.
- 1973 – The United States Senate votes to cut off funding for the bombing of Khmer Rouge targets within Cambodia, hastening the end of the Cambodian Civil War.
- 1977 – The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System is completed.
- 1985 – United States–Canada tornado outbreak: Forty-one tornadoes hit Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Ontario, leaving 76 dead.
- 1991 – Bicesse Accords in Angola lay out a transition to multi-party democracy under the supervision of the United Nations’ UNAVEM II mission.
- 2005 – Vanity Fair reveals that Mark Felt was “Deep Throat”.
- 2008 – Usain Bolt breaks the world record in the 100m sprint, with a wind-legal (+1.7 m/s) 9.72 seconds
- 2010 – Israeli Shayetet 13 commandos boarded the Gaza Freedom Flotilla while still in international waters trying to break the ongoing blockade of the Gaza Strip; nine Turkish citizens on the flotilla were killed in the ensuing violent affray.
- 2013 – The asteroid 1998 QE2 and its moon make their closest approach to Earth for the next two centuries.
- 2013 – A record breaking 2.6 mile wide tornado strikes El Reno, Oklahoma, United States, causing eight fatalities and over 150 injuries.
- 2017 – A car bomb explodes in a crowded intersection in Kabul near the German embassy during rush hour, killing over 90 and injuring 463.
- 2017 – U.S. President Donald Trump tweets the word “covfefe” and quickly becomes a worldwide viral phenomenon.
- 2019 – A shooting occurs inside a municipal building at Virginia Beach, Virginia, leaving 13 people dead, including the shooter, and four others injured.
Births on May 31
- 1443 (or 1441) – Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond and Derby (d. 1509)
- 1462 – Philipp II, Count of Hanau-Lichtenberg (d. 1504)
- 1469 – Manuel I of Portugal (d. 1521)
- 1535 – Alessandro Allori, Italian painter (d. 1607)
- 1556 – Jerzy Radziwiłł, Catholic cardinal (d. 1600)
- 1577 – Nur Jahan, Empress consort of the Mughal Empire (d. 1645)
- 1613 – John George II, Elector of Saxony (d. 1680)
- 1640 – Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki, King of Poland (d. 1673)
- 1641 – Patriarch Dositheos II of Jerusalem (d. 1707)
- 1725 – Ahilyabai Holkar, Queen of the Malwa Kingdom under the Maratha Empire (d. 1795)
- 1732 – Count Hieronymus von Colloredo, Austrian archbishop (d. 1812)
- 1753 – Pierre Victurnien Vergniaud, French lawyer and politician (d. 1793)
- 1754 – Andrea Appiani, Italian painter and educator (d. 1817)
- 1773 – Ludwig Tieck, German poet, author, and critic (d. 1853)
- 1801 – Johann Georg Baiter, Swiss philologist and scholar (d. 1887)
- 1815 – Adye Douglas, English-Australian cricketer and politician, 15th Premier of Tasmania (d. 1906)
- 1818 – John Albion Andrew, American lawyer and politician, 25th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1867)
- 1819 – Walt Whitman, American poet, essayist, and journalist (d. 1892)
- 1827 – Kusumoto Ine, first Japanese female doctor of Western medicine (d. 1903)
- 1835 – Hijikata Toshizō, Japanese commander (d. 1869)
- 1838 – Henry Sidgwick, English economist and philosopher (d. 1900)
- 1842 – John Cox Bray, Australian politician, 15th Premier of South Australia (d. 1894)
- 1847 – William Pirrie, 1st Viscount Pirrie, Canadian-Irish businessman and politician, Lord Mayor of Belfast (d. 1924)
- 1852 – Francisco Moreno, Argentinian explorer and academic (d. 1919)
- 1852 – Julius Richard Petri, German microbiologist, invented the Petri dish (d. 1921)
- 1857 – Pope Pius XI (d. 1939)
- 1858 – Graham Wallas, English socialist, social psychologist, and educationalist (d. 1932)
- 1860 – Walter Sickert, English painter (d. 1942)
- 1863 – Francis Younghusband, Indian-English captain and explorer (d. 1942)
- 1866 – John Ringling, American entrepreneur; one of the founders of the Ringling Brothers Circus (d. 1936)
- 1875 – Rosa May Billinghurst, British suffragette and women’s rights activist (d.1953)
- 1879 – Frances Alda, New Zealand-Australian soprano (d. 1952)
- 1882 – Sándor Festetics, Hungarian politician, Hungarian Minister of War (d. 1956)
- 1883 – Lauri Kristian Relander, Finnish politician, 2nd President of Finland (d. 1942)
- 1885 – Robert Richards, Australian politician, 32nd Premier of South Australia (d. 1967)
- 1887 – Saint-John Perse, French poet and diplomat, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1975)
- 1892 – Michel Kikoine, Belarusian-French painter (d. 1968)
- 1892 – Erich Neumann, German lieutenant and politician (d. 1951)
- 1892 – Konstantin Paustovsky, Russian poet and author (d. 1968)
- 1892 – Gregor Strasser, German lieutenant and politician (d. 1934)
- 1894 – Fred Allen, American comedian, radio host, game show panelist, and author (d. 1956)
- 1898 – Norman Vincent Peale, American minister and author (d. 1993)
- 1900 – Lucile Godbold, American Olympic athlete (d. 1981)
- 1901 – Alfredo Antonini, Italian-American conductor and composer (d. 1983)
- 1908 – Don Ameche, American actor (d. 1993)
- 1909 – Art Coulter, Canadian-American ice hockey player (d. 2000)
- 1911 – Maurice Allais, French economist and physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2010)
- 1912 – Chien-Shiung Wu, Chinese-American experimental physicist (d. 1997)
- 1914 – Akira Ifukube, Japanese composer and educator (d. 2006)
- 1916 – Bert Haanstra, Dutch director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1997)
- 1918 – Robert Osterloh, American actor (d. 2001)
- 1918 – Lloyd Quarterman, African American chemist (d. 1982)
- 1919 – Robie Macauley, American editor, novelist and critic (d. 1995)
- 1921 – Edna Doré, English actress (d. 2014)
- 1921 – Andrew Grima, Anglo-Italian jewellery designer (d. 2007)
- 1921 – Howard Reig, American radio and television announcer (d. 2008)
- 1921 – Alida Valli, Austrian-Italian actress and singer (d. 2006)
- 1922 – Denholm Elliott, English-Spanish actor (d. 1992)
- 1923 – Ellsworth Kelly, American painter and sculptor (d. 2015)
- 1923 – Rainier III, Prince of Monaco (d. 2005)
- 1925 – Julian Beck, American actor and director (d. 1986)
- 1927 – James Eberle, English admiral (d. 2018)
- 1927 – Michael Sandberg, Baron Sandberg, English lieutenant and banker (d. 2017)
- 1928 – Pankaj Roy, Indian cricketer (d. 2001)
- 1929 – Menahem Golan, Israeli director and producer (d. 2014)
- 1930 – Clint Eastwood, American actor, director, musician, and producer
- 1931 – John Robert Schrieffer, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2019)
- 1931 – Shirley Verrett, American soprano and actress (d. 2010)
- 1932 – Ed Lincoln, Brazilian pianist, bassist, and composer (d. 2012)
- 1932 – Jay Miner, American computer scientist and engineer (d. 1994)
- 1933 – Henry B. Eyring, American religious leader, educator, and author
- 1934 – Jim Hutton, American actor (d. 1979)
- 1935 – Jim Bolger, New Zealand businessman and politician, 35th Prime Minister of New Zealand
- 1938 – Johnny Paycheck, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2003)
- 1938 – John Prescott, British sailor and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
- 1938 – Peter Yarrow, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1939 – Terry Waite, English humanitarian and author
- 1940 – Anatoliy Bondarchuk, Ukrainian hammer thrower and coach
- 1940 – Augie Meyers, American musician and singer-songwriter
- 1940 – Gilbert Shelton, American illustrator
- 1941 – June Clark, Welsh nurse and educator
- 1941 – Louis Ignarro, American pharmacologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1941 – William Nordhaus, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1943 – Sharon Gless, American actress
- 1943 – Joe Namath, American football player, sportscaster, and actor
- 1945 – Rainer Werner Fassbinder, German actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1982)
- 1945 – Laurent Gbagbo, Ivorian academic and politician, 4th President of Côte d’Ivoire
- 1945 – Bernard Goldberg, American journalist and author
- 1946 – Ted Baehr, American publisher and critic
- 1946 – Steve Bucknor, Jamaican cricketer and umpire
- 1946 – Krista Kilvet, Estonian journalist, politician, and diplomat (d. 2009)
- 1946 – Debbie Moore, English model and businesswoman
- 1947 – Junior Campbell, Scottish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1947 – Gabriele Hinzmann, German discus thrower
- 1948 – Svetlana Alexievich, Belarusian journalist and author, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1948 – John Bonham, English musician, songwriter and drummer (d. 1980)
- 1948 – Martin Hannett, English bass player, guitarist, and record producer (d. 1991)
- 1948 – Duncan Hunter, American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician
- 1949 – Tom Berenger, American actor, film producer and television writer
- 1950 – Jean Chalopin, French director, producer, and screenwriter, founded DIC Entertainment
- 1950 – Gregory Harrison, American actor
- 1950 – Edgar Savisaar, Estonian politician, Estonian Minister of the Interior
- 1951 – Karl-Hans Riehm, German hammer thrower
- 1952 – Karl Bartos, German singer-songwriter and keyboard player
- 1953 – Pirkka-Pekka Petelius, Finnish actor and screenwriter
- 1954 – Thomas Mavros, Greek footballer
- 1954 – Vicki Sue Robinson, American actress and singer (d. 2000)
- 1955 – Tommy Emmanuel, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1955 – Susie Essman, American actress, comedian, and screenwriter
- 1956 – Fritz Hilpert, German drummer and composer
- 1956 – John Young, English singer-songwriter and keyboard player
- 1957 – Jim Craig, American ice hockey player
- 1959 – Andrea de Cesaris, Italian racing driver (d. 2014)
- 1959 – Phil Wilson, English politician
- 1960 – Greg Adams, Canadian ice hockey player and businessman
- 1960 – Chris Elliott, American actor, comedian, and screenwriter
- 1960 – Peter Winterbottom, English rugby player
- 1961 – Ray Cote, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1961 – Justin Madden, Australian footballer and politician
- 1961 – Lea Thompson, American actress, director, and producer
- 1962 – Corey Hart, Canadian singer-songwriter and producer
- 1963 – David Leigh, holder of the Sir Samuel Hall Chair of Chemistry at the University of Manchester
- 1963 – Viktor Orbán, Hungarian politician, 38th Prime Minister of Hungary
- 1963 – Wesley Willis, American singer-songwriter and keyboard player (d. 2003)
- 1964 – Leonard Asper, Canadian lawyer and businessman
- 1964 – Stéphane Caristan, French hurdler and coach
- 1964 – Yukio Edano, Japanese politician, Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs
- 1964 – Darryl “D.M.C.” McDaniels, American rapper and producer
- 1965 – Brooke Shields, American model, actress, and producer
- 1966 – Roshan Mahanama, Sri Lankan cricketer and referee
- 1967 – Phil Keoghan, New Zealand television host and producer
- 1967 – Kenny Lofton, American baseball player, coach, and sportscaster
- 1971 – Arun Luthra, Indo-Anglo-American saxophonist, konnakol artist, composer, and arranger
- 1972 – Christian McBride, American bassist and record producer
- 1972 – Archie Panjabi, Indo-British actress
- 1972 – Frode Estil, Norwegian skier
- 1972 – Antti Niemi, Finnish international footballer, goalkeeper and coach
- 1972 – Dave Roberts, American baseball player and coach
- 1974 – Hiroiki Ariyoshi, Japanese comedian and singer
- 1974 – Chad Campbell, American golfer
- 1975 – Mac Suzuki, Japanese baseball player
- 1976 – Colin Farrell, Irish actor
- 1976 – Matt Harpring, American basketball player and sportscaster
- 1977 – Theodoros Baev, Bulgarian-Greek volleyball player
- 1977 – Domenico Fioravanti, Italian swimmer
- 1977 – Eric Christian Olsen, American actor
- 1977 – Moses Sichone, Zambian footballer
- 1977 – Petr Tenkrát, Czech ice hockey player
- 1979 – Jean-François Gillet, Belgian footballer
- 1981 – Mikael Antonsson, Swedish footballer
- 1981 – Daniele Bonera, Italian footballer
- 1981 – Jake Peavy, American baseball player
- 1981 – Marlies Schild, Austrian skier
- 1984 – Andrew Bailey, American baseball player
- 1984 – Milorad Čavić, Serbian swimmer
- 1984 – Nate Robinson, American basketball player
- 1985 – Jordy Nelson, American football player
- 1986 – Robert Gesink, Dutch cyclist
- 1989 – Marco Reus, German footballer
- 1990 – Erik Karlsson, Swedish ice hockey player
- 1992 – Michaël Bournival, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1992 – Laura Ikauniece, Latvian heptathlete
- 1996 – Normani Korde, American singer
- 1998 – Santino Ferrucci, American race car driver
Deaths on May 31
- 455 – Petronius Maximus, Roman emperor (b. 396)
- 930 – Liu Hua, princess of Southern Han (b. 896)
- 960 – Fujiwara no Morosuke, Japanese statesman (b. 909)
- 1076 – Waltheof, Earl of Northumbria, English politician (b. 1050)
- 1089 – Sigwin von Are, archbishop of Cologne
- 1162 – Géza II, king of Hungary (b. 1130)
- 1321 – Birger, king of Sweden (b. 1280)
- 1326 – Maurice de Berkeley, 2nd Baron Berkeley (b. 1271)
- 1329 – Albertino Mussato, Italian statesman and writer (b. 1261)
- 1349 – Thomas Wake, English politician (b. 1297)
- 1370 – Vitalis of Assisi, Italian hermit and monk (b. 1295)
- 1408 – Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, Japanese shōgun (b. 1358)
- 1410 – Martin of Aragon, Spanish king (b. 1356)
- 1504 – Engelbert II of Nassau (b. 1451)
- 1558 – Philip Hoby, English general and diplomat (b. 1505)
- 1567 – Guido de Bres, Belgian pastor and theologian (b. 1522)
- 1594 – Tintoretto, Italian painter and educator (b. 1518)
- 1601 – Gebhard Truchsess von Waldburg, Archbishop-Elector of Cologne (b. 1547)
- 1640 – Zeynab Begum, Safavid princess (date of birth unknown)
- 1665 – Pieter Jansz. Saenredam, Dutch painter (b. 1597)
- 1680 – Joachim Neander, German theologian and educator (b. 1650)
- 1740 – Frederick William I of Prussia (b. 1688)
- 1747 – Andrey Osterman, German-Russian politician, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1686)
- 1809 – Joseph Haydn, Austrian pianist and composer (b. 1732)
- 1809 – Jean Lannes, French general (b. 1769)
- 1831 – Samuel Bentham, English architect and engineer (b. 1757)
- 1832 – Évariste Galois, French mathematician and theorist (b. 1811)
- 1837 – Joseph Grimaldi, English actor, comedian and dancer, (b. 1779)
- 1846 – Philip Marheineke, German pastor and philosopher (b. 1780)
- 1847 – Thomas Chalmers, Scottish minister and economist (b. 1780)
- 1848 – Eugénie de Guérin, French author (b. 1805)
- 1899 – Stefanos Koumanoudis, Greek archaeologist, teacher and writer (b. 1818)
- 1908 – Louis-Honoré Fréchette, Canadian author, poet, and politician (b. 1839)
- 1909 – Thomas Price, Welsh-Australian politician, 24th Premier of South Australia (b. 1852)
- 1910 – Elizabeth Blackwell, English-American physician and educator (b. 1821)
- 1931 – Felix-Raymond-Marie Rouleau, Canadian cardinal (b. 1866)
- 1931 – Willy Stöwer, German author and illustrator (b. 1864)
- 1945 – Odilo Globocnik, Italian-Austrian SS officer (b. 1904)
- 1954 – Antonis Benakis, Greek art collector and philanthropist, founded the Benaki Museum (b. 1873)
- 1957 – Stefanos Sarafis, Greek general and politician (b. 1890)
- 1957 – Leopold Staff, Polish poet and academic (b. 1878)
- 1960 – Willem Elsschot, Flemish author and poet (b. 1882)
- 1960 – Walther Funk, German economist, journalist, and politician, German Minister of Economics (b. 1890)
- 1962 – Henry F. Ashurst, American lawyer and politician (b. 1874)
- 1967 – Billy Strayhorn, American pianist and composer (b. 1915)
- 1970 – Terry Sawchuk, Canadian-American ice hockey player (b. 1929)
- 1976 – Jacques Monod, French biologist and geneticist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1910)
- 1977 – William Castle, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1914)
- 1978 – József Bozsik, Hungarian footballer and manager (b. 1925)
- 1981 – Barbara Ward, Baroness Jackson of Lodsworth, English economist and journalist (b. 1914)
- 1982 – Carlo Mauri, Italian mountaineer and explorer (b. 1930)
- 1983 – Jack Dempsey, American boxer and lieutenant (b. 1895)
- 1985 – Gaston Rébuffat, French mountaineer and author (b. 1921)
- 1986 – Jane Frank, American painter and sculptor (b. 1918)
- 1986 – James Rainwater, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1917)
- 1987 – John Abraham, Indian director and screenwriter (b. 1937)
- 1989 – Owen Lattimore, American author and academic (b. 1900)
- 1989 – C. L. R. James, Trinidadian journalist and historian (b. 1901)
- 1993 – Honey Tree Evil Eye, or, Spud Mackenzie, a Bull Terrier, dies of kidney failure.
- 1994 – Uzay Heparı, Turkish actor, producer, and composer (b. 1969)
- 1994 – Herva Nelli, Italian-American soprano (b. 1909)
- 1995 – Stanley Elkin, American novelist, short story writer, and essayist (b. 1930)
- 1996 – Timothy Leary, American psychologist and author (b. 1920)
- 1998 – Charles Van Acker, Belgian-American race car driver (b. 1912)
- 2000 – Petar Mladenov, Bulgarian diplomat, 1st President of Bulgaria (b. 1936)
- 2000 – Tito Puente, American jazz musician (b. 1923)
- 2000 – A. Jeyaratnam Wilson, Sri Lankan historian, author, and academic (b. 1928)
- 2001 – Arlene Francis, American actress, talk show host, game show panelist, and television personality (b. 1907)
- 2002 – Subhash Gupte, Indian cricketer (b. 1929)
- 2004 – Aiyathurai Nadesan, Sri Lankan journalist (b. 1954)
- 2004 – Robert Quine, American guitarist (b. 1941)
- 2004 – Étienne Roda-Gil, French screenwriter and composer (b. 1941)
- 2006 – Miguel Ortiz Berrocal, Spanish sculptor (b. 1933)
- 2006 – Raymond Davis, Jr., American physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1914)
- 2009 – Danny La Rue, Irish-British drag queen performer and singer (b. 1927)
- 2009 – George Tiller, American physician (b. 1941)
- 2010 – Louise Bourgeois, French-American sculptor and painter (b. 1911)
- 2010 – Brian Duffy, English photographer and producer (b. 1933)
- 2010 – William A. Fraker, American director, producer, and cinematographer (b. 1923)
- 2010 – Rubén Juárez, Argentinian singer-songwriter and bandoneón player (b. 1947)
- 2010 – Merata Mita, New Zealand director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1942)
- 2011 – Pauline Betz, American tennis player (b. 1919)
- 2011 – Jonas Bevacqua, American fashion designer, co-founded the Lifted Research Group (b. 1977)
- 2011 – Derek Hodge, Virgin Islander lawyer and politician, Lieutenant Governor of the United States Virgin Islands (b. 1941)
- 2011 – Hans Keilson, German-Dutch psychoanalyst and author (b. 1909)
- 2011 – John Martin, English admiral and politician, Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey (b. 1918)
- 2011 – Andy Robustelli, American football player and manager (b. 1925)
- 2012 – Christopher Challis, English cinematographer (b. 1919)
- 2012 – Randall B. Kester, American lawyer and judge (b. 1916)
- 2012 – Paul Pietsch, German racing driver and publisher (b. 1911)
- 2012 – Orlando Woolridge, American basketball player and coach (b. 1959)
- 2013 – Gerald E. Brown, American physicist and academic (b. 1926)
- 2013 – Frederic Lindsay, Scottish author and educator (b. 1933)
- 2013 – Miguel Méndez, American author and poet (b. 1930)
- 2013 – Tim Samaras, American engineer and storm chaser (b. 1957)
- 2013 – Jairo Mora Sandoval, Costa Rican environmentalist (b. 1987)
- 2013 – Jean Stapleton, American actress (b. 1923)
- 2014 – Marilyn Beck, American journalist (b. 1928)
- 2014 – Marinho Chagas, Brazilian footballer and coach (b. 1952)
- 2014 – Hoss Ellington, American race car driver (b. 1935)
- 2014 – Martha Hyer, American actress (b. 1924)
- 2014 – Lewis Katz, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1942)
- 2014 – Mary Soames, Baroness Soames, English author (b. 1922)
- 2015 – Gladys Taylor, Canadian author and publisher (b. 1917)
- 2016 – Mohamed Abdelaziz, President of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (1976–2016) (b. 1947)
- 2016 – Jan Crouch, American televangelist, co-founder of the Trinity Broadcasting Network (b. 1938)
- 2016 – Carla Lane, English television writer (b. 1928)
- 2016 – Rupert Neudeck, German journalist and humanitarian (b. 1939)
Holidays and observances on May 31
- Anniversary of Royal Brunei Malay Regiment (Brunei)
- Christian feast day:
- Camilla Battista da Varano
- Hermias
- Petronella
- Visitation of Mary (Western Christianity)
- May 31 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- The beginning of Gawai Dayak (Dayaks in Sarawak, Malaysia and West Kalimantan, Indonesia)
- World No Tobacco Day (International)
-
May 28 in History
- 585 BC – A solar eclipse occurs, as predicted by the Greek philosopher and scientist Thales, while Alyattes is battling Cyaxares in the Battle of Halys, leading to a truce. This is one of the cardinal dates from which other dates can be calculated.
- 621 – Battle of Hulao: Li Shimin, the son of the Chinese emperor Gaozu, defeats the numerically superior forces of Dou Jiande near the Hulao Pass (Henan). This victory decides the outcome of the civil war that followed the Sui dynasty’s collapse in favour of the Tang dynasty.
- 1533 – The Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, declares the marriage of King Henry VIII of England to Anne Boleyn valid.
- 1588 – The Spanish Armada, with 130 ships and 30,000 men, sets sail from Lisbon, Portugal, heading for the English Channel. (It will take until May 30 for all ships to leave port.)
- 1644 – English Civil War: Bolton Massacre by Royalist troops under the command of James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby.
- 1754 – French and Indian War: In the first engagement of the war, Virginia militia under the 22-year-old Lieutenant colonel George Washington defeat a French reconnaissance party in the Battle of Jumonville Glen in what is now Fayette County in southwestern Pennsylvania.
- 1802 – In Guadeloupe, 400 rebellious slaves, led by Louis Delgrès, blow themselves up rather than submit to Napoleon’s troops.
- 1830 – U.S. President Andrew Jackson signs the Indian Removal Act which denies Native Americans their land rights and forcibly relocates them.
- 1871 – The Paris Commune falls after two months.
- 1892 – In San Francisco, John Muir organizes the Sierra Club.
- 1905 – Russo-Japanese War: The Battle of Tsushima ends with the destruction of the Russian Baltic Fleet by Admiral Tōgō Heihachirō and the Imperial Japanese Navy.
- 1907 – The first Isle of Man TT race was held.
- 1918 – The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and the First Republic of Armenia declare their independence.
- 1926 – The 28 May 1926 coup d’état: Ditadura Nacional is established in Portugal to suppress the unrest of the First Republic.
- 1932 – In the Netherlands, construction of the Afsluitdijk is completed and the Zuiderzee bay is converted to the freshwater IJsselmeer.
- 1934 – Near Callander, Ontario, Canada, the Dionne quintuplets are born to Oliva and Elzire Dionne; they will be the first quintuplets to survive infancy.
- 1936 – Alan Turing submits On Computable Numbers for publication.
- 1937 – Volkswagen, the German automobile manufacturer is founded.
- 1940 – World War II: Belgium surrenders to Nazi Germany to end the Battle of Belgium.
- 1940 – World War II: Norwegian, French, Polish and British forces recapture Narvik in Norway. This is the first allied infantry victory of the War.
- 1948 – Daniel François Malan is elected as Prime Minister of South Africa. He later goes on to implement Apartheid.
- 1958 – Cuban Revolution: Fidel Castro’s 26th of July Movement, heavily reinforced by Frank Pais Militia, overwhelm an army post in El Uvero.
- 1961 – Peter Benenson’s article The Forgotten Prisoners is published in several internationally read newspapers. This will later be thought of as the founding of the human rights organization Amnesty International.
- 1974 – Northern Ireland’s power-sharing Sunningdale Agreement collapses following a general strike by loyalists.
- 1975 – Fifteen West African countries sign the Treaty of Lagos, creating the Economic Community of West African States.
- 1977 – In Southgate, Kentucky, the Beverly Hills Supper Club is engulfed in fire, killing 165 people inside.
- 1979 – Konstantinos Karamanlis signs the full treaty of the accession of Greece with the European Economic Community.
- 1987 – A West German pilot, Mathias Rust, who was 18 years old, evades Soviet Union air defences and lands a private plane in the Red Square in Moscow, Russia.
- 1991 – The capital city of Addis Ababa falls to the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front, ending both the Derg regime in Ethiopia and the Ethiopian Civil War.
- 1995 – The 7.0 Mw Neftegorsk earthquake shook the former Russian settlement of Neftegorsk with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). Total damage was $64.1–300 million, with 1,989 deaths and 750 injured. The settlement was not rebuilt.
- 1996 – U.S. President Bill Clinton’s former business partners in the Whitewater land deal, Jim McDougal and Susan McDougal, and the Governor of Arkansas Jim Guy Tucker, are convicted of fraud.
- 1998 – Nuclear testing: Pakistan responds to a series of nuclear tests by India with five of its own codenamed Chagai-I, prompting the United States, Japan, and other nations to impose economic sanctions. Pakistan celebrates Youm-e-Takbir annually.
- 1999 – In Milan, Italy, after 22 years of restoration work, Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece The Last Supper is put back on display.
- 2002 – The last steel girder is removed from the original World Trade Center site. Cleanup duties officially end with closing ceremonies at Ground Zero in Manhattan, New York City.
- 2003 – Peter Hollingworth resigns as Governor-General of Australia following criticism of his handling of child sexual abuse allegations during his tenure as Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane.
- 2004 – The Iraqi Governing Council chooses Ayad Allawi, a longtime anti-Saddam Hussein exile, as prime minister of Iraq’s interim government.
- 2008 – The first meeting of the Constituent Assembly of Nepal formally declares Nepal a republic, ending the 240-year reign of the Shah dynasty.
- 2010 – In West Bengal, India, the Jnaneswari Express train derailment and subsequent collision kills 148 passengers.
- 2011 – Malta votes on the introduction of divorce; the proposal was approved by 53% of voters, resulting in a law allowing divorce under certain conditions being enacted later in the year.
Births on May 28
- 1140 – Xin Qiji, Chinese poet, general, and politician (d. 1207)
- 1371 – John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy (d. 1419)
- 1524 – Selim II, Ottoman sultan (d. 1574)
- 1588 – Pierre Séguier, French politician, Lord Chancellor of France (d. 1672)
- 1589 – Robert Arnauld d’Andilly, French writer (d. 1674)
- 1663 – António Manoel de Vilhena, Grand Master of the Order of Saint John (d. 1736)
- 1676 – Jacopo Riccati, Italian mathematician and academic (d. 1754)
- 1692 – Geminiano Giacomelli, Italian composer (d. 1740)
- 1738 – Joseph-Ignace Guillotin, French physician (d. 1814)
- 1759 – William Pitt the Younger, English lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1806)
- 1763 – Manuel Alberti, Argentinian priest and journalist (d. 1811)
- 1764 – Edward Livingston, American jurist and politician, 11th United States Secretary of State (d. 1836)
- 1779 – Thomas Moore, Irish poet and composer (d. 1852)
- 1807 – Louis Agassiz, Swiss-American paleontologist and geologist (d. 1873)
- 1818 – P. G. T. Beauregard, American general (d. 1893)
- 1836 – Friedrich Baumfelder, German pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1916)
- 1836 – Alexander Mitscherlich, German chemist and academic (d. 1918)
- 1837 – George Ashlin, Irish architect, co-designed St Colman’s Cathedral (d. 1921)
- 1837 – Tony Pastor, American impresario, variety performer and theatre owner (d. 1908)
- 1841 – Sakaigawa Namiemon, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 14th Yokozuna (d. 1887)
- 1853 – Carl Larsson, Swedish painter and author (d. 1919)
- 1858 – Carl Richard Nyberg, Swedish inventor and businessman, developed the blow torch (d. 1939)
- 1872 – Marian Smoluchowski, Polish physicist and mountaineer (d. 1917)
- 1878 – Paul Pelliot, French sinologist and explorer (d. 1945)
- 1879 – Milutin Milanković, Serbian mathematician, astronomer, and geophysicist (d. 1958)
- 1883 – Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Indian poet and politician (d. 1966)
- 1883 – Clough Williams-Ellis, English-Welsh architect, designed the Portmeirion Village (d. 1978)
- 1884 – Edvard Beneš, Czech academic and politician, 2nd President of Czechoslovakia (d. 1948)
- 1886 – Santo Trafficante, Sr., Italian-American mobster (d. 1954)
- 1888 – Kaarel Eenpalu, Estonian journalist and politician, 6th Prime Minister of Estonia (d. 1942)
- 1888 – Vivienne Haigh-Wood Eliot, English author and educator (d. 1947)
- 1888 – Jim Thorpe, American decathlete, football player, and coach (d. 1953)
- 1889 – Richard Réti, Slovak-Czech chess player and author (d. 1929)
- 1892 – Minna Gombell, American actress (d. 1973)
- 1900 – Tommy Ladnier, American trumpet player (d. 1939)
- 1903 – S. L. Kirloskar, Indian businessman, founded Kirloskar Group (d. 1994)
- 1906 – Henry Thambiah, Sri Lankan lawyer, judge, and diplomat, Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Canada (d. 1997)
- 1908 – Léo Cadieux, Canadian journalist and politician, 17th Canadian Minister of National Defence (d. 2005)
- 1908 – Ian Fleming, English journalist and author, created James Bond (d. 1964)
- 1909 – Red Horner, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2005)
- 1910 – Georg Gaßmann, German politician, Mayor of Marburg (d. 1987)
- 1910 – Rachel Kempson, English actress (d. 2003)
- 1910 – T-Bone Walker, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1975)
- 1911 – Bob Crisp, South African cricketer (d. 1994)
- 1911 – Thora Hird, English actress (d. 2003)
- 1911 – Fritz Hochwälder, Austrian playwright (d. 1986)
- 1912 – Herman Johannes, Indonesian scientist, academic, and politician (d. 1992)
- 1912 – Ruby Payne-Scott, Australian physicist and astronomer (d. 1981)
- 1912 – Patrick White, Australian novelist, poet, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1990)
- 1914 – W. G. G. Duncan Smith, English captain and pilot (d. 1996)
- 1915 – Joseph Greenberg, American linguist and academic (d. 2001)
- 1916 – Walker Percy, American novelist and essayist (d. 1990)
- 1917 – Barry Commoner, American biologist, academic, and politician (d. 2012)
- 1918 – Johnny Wayne, Canadian comedian (d. 1990)
- 1921 – D. V. Paluskar, Indian Hindustani classical musician (d. 1955)
- 1921 – Heinz G. Konsalik, German journalist and author (d. 1999)
- 1921 – Tom Uren, Australian soldier, boxer, and politician (d. 2015)
- 1922 – Lou Duva, American boxer, trainer, and manager (d. 2017)
- 1922 – Roger Fisher, American author and academic (d. 2012)
- 1922 – Tuomas Gerdt, Finnish soldier
- 1923 – György Ligeti, Hungarian-Austrian composer and educator (d. 2006)
- 1923 – N. T. Rama Rao, Indian actor, director, producer, and politician, 10th Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh (d. 1996)
- 1924 – Edward du Cann, English naval officer and politician (d. 2017)
- 1924 – Paul Hébert, Canadian actor (d. 2017)
- 1925 – Bülent Ecevit, Turkish journalist, scholar, and politician, 16th Prime Minister of Turkey (d. 2006)
- 1925 – Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, German opera singer and conductor (d. 2012)
- 1928 – Sally Forrest, American actress and dancer (d. 2015)
- 1929 – Patrick McNair-Wilson, English politician
- 1930 – Edward Seaga, American-Jamaican academic and politician, 5th Prime Minister of Jamaica (d. 2019)
- 1931 – Carroll Baker, American actress
- 1931 – Gordon Willis, American cinematographer (d. 2014)
- 1932 – Tim Renton, Baron Renton of Mount Harry, English politician, Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries
- 1933 – John Karlen, American actor
- 1933 – Zelda Rubinstein, American actress and activist (d. 2010)
- 1936 – Claude Forget, Canadian academic and politician
- 1936 – Ole K. Sara, Norwegian politician (d. 2013)
- 1936 – Betty Shabazz, American educator and activist (d. 1997)
- 1938 – Jerry West, American basketball player, coach, and executive
- 1939 – Maeve Binchy, Irish novelist (d. 2012)
- 1940 – David William Brewer, English politician, Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London
- 1940 – Shlomo Riskin, American rabbi and academic, founded the Lincoln Square Synagogue
- 1941 – Beth Howland, American actress and singer (d. 2015)
- 1942 – Stanley B. Prusiner, American neurologist and biochemist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1943 – Terry Crisp, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1944 – Faith Brown, English actress and singer
- 1944 – Rudy Giuliani, American lawyer and politician, 107th mayor of New York City
- 1944 – Gladys Knight, American singer-songwriter and actress
- 1944 – Rita MacNeil, Canadian singer and actress (d. 2013)
- 1944 – Gary Stewart, American singer-songwriter (d. 2003)
- 1944 – Billy Vera, American singer-songwriter and actor
- 1945 – Patch Adams, American physician and author, founded the Gesundheit! Institute
- 1945 – John N. Bambacus, American military veteran (USMC) and politician
- 1945 – John Fogerty, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1945 – Jean Perrault, Canadian politician, Mayor of Sherbrooke, Quebec
- 1945 – Helena Shovelton, English physician
- 1946 – Bruce Alexander, English actor
- 1946 – Skip Jutze, American baseball player
- 1946 – Janet Paraskeva, Welsh politician
- 1946 – K. Satchidanandan, Indian poet and critic
- 1946 – William Shawcross, English journalist and author
- 1947 – Zahi Hawass, Egyptian archaeologist and academic
- 1947 – Lynn Johnston, Canadian author and illustrator
- 1947 – Leland Sklar, American singer-songwriter and bass player
- 1948 – Michael Field, Australian politician, 38th Premier of Tasmania
- 1948 – Pierre Rapsat, Belgian singer and songwriter (d. 2002)
- 1949 – Martin Kelner, English journalist, author, comedian, singer, actor and radio presenter
- 1949 – Wendy O. Williams, American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress (d. 1998)
- 1952 – Roger Briggs, American pianist, composer, conductor, and educator
- 1953 – Pierre Gauthier, Canadian ice hockey player and manager
- 1954 – João Carlos de Oliveira, Brazilian jumper (d. 1999)
- 1954 – Youri Egorov, Russian pianist and composer (d. 1988)
- 1954 – Charles Saumarez Smith, English historian and academic
- 1954 – Péter Szilágyi, Hungarian conductor and politician (d. 2013)
- 1954 – John Tory, Canadian lawyer and politician, 65th Mayor of Toronto
- 1955 – Laura Amy Schlitz, American author and librarian
- 1955 – Mark Howe, American ice hockey player and coach
- 1956 – Jerry Douglas, American guitarist and producer
- 1956 – Jeff Dujon, Jamaican cricketer
- 1956 – Markus Höttinger, Austrian racing driver (d. 1980)
- 1956 – Peter Wilkinson, English admiral
- 1957 – Colin Barnes, English footballer
- 1957 – Kirk Gibson, American baseball player and manager
- 1957 – Ben Howland, American basketball player and coach
- 1959 – Risto Mannisenmäki, Finnish racing driver
- 1960 – Mark Sanford, American military veteran (USAF) and politician, 115th Governor of South Carolina
- 1960 – Mary Portas, English journalist and author
- 1963 – Houman Younessi, Australian-American biologist and academic
- 1964 – Jeff Fenech, Australian boxer and trainer
- 1964 – Armen Gilliam, American basketball player and coach (d. 2011)
- 1964 – Zsa Zsa Padilla, Filipino singer and actress
- 1964 – Phil Vassar, American singer-songwriter
- 1965 – Chris Ballew, American singer-songwriter and bass player
- 1965 – Mary Coughlan, Irish politician
- 1966 – Roger Kumble, American director, screenwriter, and playwright
- 1966 – Miljenko Jergović, Bosnian novelist and journalist
- 1966 – Gavin Robertson, Australian cricketer
- 1967 – Glen Rice, American basketball player
- 1968 – Kylie Minogue, Australian singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
- 1969 – Mike DiFelice, American baseball player and manager
- 1969 – Rob Ford, Canadian politician, 64th Mayor of Toronto (d. 2016)
- 1970 – Glenn Quinn, American actor (d. 2002)
- 1971 – Isabelle Carré, French actress and singer
- 1971 – Ekaterina Gordeeva, Russian figure skater and sportscaster
- 1971 – Marco Rubio, American lawyer and politician
- 1972 – Doriva, Brazilian footballer and manager
- 1972 – Michael Boogerd, Dutch cyclist and manager
- 1973 – Marco Paulo Faria Lemos, Portuguese footballer and manager
- 1974 – Hans-Jörg Butt, German footballer
- 1974 – Misbah-ul-Haq, Pakistani cricketer
- 1975 – Maura Johnston, American journalist, critic, and academic
- 1976 – Steven Bell, Australian rugby league player
- 1976 – Zaza Enden, Georgian-Turkish wrestler, basketball player, and coach
- 1976 – Roberto Goretti, Italian footballer
- 1976 – Glenn Morrison, Australian rugby league player and coach
- 1977 – Elisabeth Hasselbeck, American talk show host and author
- 1978 – Jake Johnson, American actor
- 1979 – Abdulaziz al-Omari, Saudi Arabian terrorist, hijacker of American Airlines Flight 11 (d. 2001)
- 1979 – Ronald Curry, American football player and coach
- 1980 – Miguel Pérez, Spanish footballer
- 1980 – Lucy Shuker, English tennis player
- 1981 – Daniel Cabrera, Dominican-American baseball player
- 1981 – Eric Ghiaciuc, American football player
- 1981 – Adam Green, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1982 – Alexa Davalos, French-American actress
- 1982 – Jhonny Peralta, Dominican-American baseball player
- 1983 – Steve Cronin, American soccer player
- 1983 – Humberto Sánchez, Dominican-American baseball player
- 1983 – Roman Atwood, American YouTube star
- 1985 – Colbie Caillat, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1985 – Pablo Andrés González, Argentinian footballer
- 1985 – Kostas Mendrinos, Greek footballer
- 1985 – Carey Mulligan, English actress and singer
- 1986 – Berrick Barnes, Australian rugby player
- 1986 – Seth Rollins, American wrestler
- 1986 – Ingmar Vos, Dutch decathlete
- 1987 – T.J. Yates, American football player
- 1988 – NaVorro Bowman, American football player
- 1988 – Percy Harvin, American football player
- 1988 – Craig Kimbrel, American baseball player
- 1990 – Kyle Walker, English international footballer, right-back
- 1991 – Sharrif Floyd, American football player
- 1991 – Alexandre Lacazette, French footballer
- 1991 – Kail Piho, Estonian skier
- 1992 – Tom Carroll, English footballer
- 1993 – Daniel Alvaro, Australian rugby league player
- 1993 – Bárbara Luz, Portuguese tennis player
- 1994 – John Stones, English footballer
- 1994 – Son Yeon-jae, South Korean gymnast
- 1998 – Dahyun, Korean singer
- 1999 – Cameron Boyce, American actor (d. 2019)
- 2000 – Phil Foden, English footballer
Deaths on May 28
- 576 – Germain of Paris, French bishop and saint (b. 496)
- 741 – Ucha’an K’in B’alam, Mayan king
- 926 – Kong Qian, official of Later Tang
- 926 – Li Jiji, prince of Later Tang
- 1023 – Wulfstan, English archbishop
- 1279 – William Wishart, English bishop
- 1327 – Robert Baldock, Lord Privy Seal and Lord Chancellor of England
- 1357 – Afonso IV of Portugal (b. 1291)
- 1427 – Henry IV, Count of Holstein-Rendsburg (b. 1397)
- 1556 – Saitō Dōsan, Japanese samurai (b. 1494)
- 1626 – Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk (b. 1561)
- 1651 – Henry Grey, 10th Earl of Kent, English politician (b. 1594)
- 1672 – John Trevor, Welsh politician, Secretary of State for the Northern Department (b. 1626)
- 1747 – Luc de Clapiers, marquis de Vauvenargues, French author (b. 1715)
- 1750 – Emperor Sakuramachi of Japan (b. 1720)
- 1787 – Leopold Mozart, Austrian violinist, composer, and conductor (b. 1719)
- 1805 – Luigi Boccherini, Italian cellist and composer (b. 1743)
- 1808 – Richard Hurd, English bishop (b. 1720)
- 1811 – Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville, Scottish lawyer and politician, Secretary of State for War (b. 1742)
- 1831 – William Carnegie, 7th Earl of Northesk, Scottish-English admiral (b. 1756)
- 1843 – Noah Webster, American lexicographer (b. 1758)
- 1849 – Anne Brontë, English novelist and poet (b. 1820)
- 1864 – Simion Bărnuțiu, Romanian historian and politician (b. 1808)
- 1878 – John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1792)
- 1904 – Kicking Bear, Native American tribal leader (b. 1846)
- 1916 – Ivan Franko, Ukrainian economist, journalist, and poet (b. 1856)
- 1927 – Boris Kustodiev, Russian painter and stage designer (b. 1878)
- 1937 – Alfred Adler, Austrian-Scottish ophthalmologist and psychologist (b. 1870)
- 1946 – Carter Glass, American publisher and politician, 47th United States Secretary of the Treasury (b. 1858)
- 1947 – August Eigruber, Austrian-German politician (b. 1907)
- 1952 – Philippe Desranleau, Canadian archbishop (b. 1882)
- 1953 – Tatsuo Hori, Japanese author and poet (b. 1904)
- 1964 – Terry Dillon, American football player (b. 1941)
- 1968 – Fyodor Okhlopkov, Russian sergeant and sniper (b. 1908)
- 1971 – Audie Murphy, American soldier and actor, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1925)
- 1972 – Edward VIII of the United Kingdom (b. 1894)
- 1975 – Ezzard Charles, American boxer (b. 1921)
- 1976 – Zainul Abedin, Bangladeshi painter and sculptor (b. 1914)
- 1980 – Rolf Nevanlinna, Finnish mathematician and academic (b. 1895)
- 1981 – Mary Lou Williams, American pianist and composer (b. 1910)
- 1981 – Stefan Wyszyński, Polish cardinal (b. 1901)
- 1982 – H. Jones, English colonel, Victoria Cross recipient (b. 1940)
- 1983 – Erastus Corning 2nd, American soldier and politician, 72nd Mayor of Albany (b. 1909)
- 1984 – Eric Morecambe, English actor and comedian (b. 1926)
- 1986 – Edip Cansever, Turkish poet and author (b. 1928)
- 1988 – Sy Oliver, American trumpet player, composer, and bandleader (b. 1910)
- 1990 – Julius Eastman, American composer (b. 1940)
- 1994 – Julius Boros, American golfer (b. 1920)
- 1994 – Ely Jacques Kahn, Jr., American author and academic (b. 1916)
- 1998 – Phil Hartman, Canadian-American actor and comedian (b. 1948)
- 1999 – Michael Barkai, Israeli commander (b. 1935)
- 1999 – B. Vittalacharya, Indian director and producer (b. 1920)
- 2000 – George Irving Bell, American physicist, biologist, and mountaineer (b. 1926)
- 2001 – Joe Moakley, American lawyer and politician (b. 1927)
- 2001 – Francisco Varela, Chilean biologist and philosopher (b. 1946)
- 2002 – Mildred Benson, American journalist and author (b. 1905)
- 2003 – Oleg Grigoryevich Makarov, Russian engineer and astronaut (b. 1933)
- 2003 – Ilya Prigogine, Russian-Belgian chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1917)
- 2003 – Martha Scott, American actress (b. 1912)
- 2004 – Umberto Agnelli, Swiss-Italian businessman and politician (b. 1934)
- 2004 – Michael Buonauro, American author and illustrator (b. 1979)
- 2004 – John Tolos, Greek-Canadian wrestler (b. 1930)
- 2006 – Thorleif Schjelderup, Norwegian ski jumper and author (b. 1920)
- 2007 – Jörg Immendorff, German painter, sculptor, and academic (b. 1945)
- 2007 – Toshikatsu Matsuoka, Japanese politician, Japanese Minister of Agriculture (b. 1945)
- 2008 – Beryl Cook, English painter and illustrator (b. 1926)
- 2010 – Gary Coleman, American actor (b. 1968)
- 2011 – Gino Valenzano, Italian racing driver (b. 1920)
- 2012 – Bob Edwards, English journalist (b. 1925)
- 2012 – Yuri Susloparov, Ukrainian-Russian footballer and manager (b. 1958)
- 2013 – Viktor Kulikov, Russian commander (b. 1921)
- 2013 – Eddie Romero, Filipino director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1924)
- 2013 – Gerd Schmückle, German general (b. 1917)
- 2014 – Maya Angelou, American memoirist and poet (b. 1928)
- 2014 – Stan Crowther, English footballer (b. 1935)
- 2014 – Oscar Dystel, American publisher (b. 1912)
- 2014 – Malcolm Glazer, American businessman (b. 1928)
- 2014 – Bob Houbregs, Canadian-American basketball player and manager (b. 1932)
- 2014 – Isaac Kungwane, South African footballer (b. 1971)
- 2015 – Steven Gerber, American pianist and composer (b. 1948)
- 2015 – Johnny Keating, Scottish trombonist, composer, and producer (b. 1927)
- 2015 – Reynaldo Rey, American actor and screenwriter (b. 1940)
- 2018 – Neale Cooper, Scottish footballer (b. 1963)
- 2018 – Jens Christian Skou, Danish medical doctor and Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1918)
- 2018 – Cornelia Frances, English-Australian actress (b. 1941)
Holidays and observances on May 28
- Armed Forces Day (Croatia)
- Christian feast day:
- Bernard of Menthon
- Germain of Paris
- John Calvin (Episcopal Church)
- Lanfranc
- Margaret Pole
- William of Gellone
- May 28 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Downfall of the Derg Day (Ethiopia)
- Flag Day (Philippines)
- Menstrual Hygiene Day
- Republic Day (Nepal)
- TDFR Republic Day, celebrates the declaration of independence of the First Republic of Armenia and the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic from the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic in 1918. (Azerbaijan and Armenia)
- Youm-e-Takbir (Pakistan)
-
May 19 in History
- 639 – Ashina Jiesheshuai and his tribesmen assaulted Emperor Taizong at Jiucheng Palace.
- 715 – Pope Gregory II is elected.
- 1051 – Henry I of France marries the Russian princess, Anne of Kiev.
- 1445 – John II of Castile defeats the Infantes of Aragon at the First Battle of Olmedo.
- 1499 – Catherine of Aragon is married by proxy to Arthur, Prince of Wales. Catherine is 13 and Arthur is 12.
- 1535 – French explorer Jacques Cartier sets sail on his second voyage to North America with three ships, 110 men, and Chief Donnacona’s two sons (whom Cartier had kidnapped during his first voyage).
- 1536 – Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII of England, is beheaded for adultery, treason, and incest.
- 1542 – The Prome Kingdom falls to the Taungoo Dynasty in present-day Myanmar.
- 1568 – Queen Elizabeth I of England orders the arrest of Mary, Queen of Scots.
- 1643 – Thirty Years’ War: French forces under the duc d’Enghien decisively defeat Spanish forces at the Battle of Rocroi, marking the symbolic end of Spain as a dominant land power.
- 1649 – An Act of Parliament declaring England a Commonwealth is passed by the Long Parliament. England would be a republic for the next eleven years.
- 1655 – The Invasion of Jamaica begins during the Anglo-Spanish War.
- 1743 – Jean-Pierre Christin developed the centigrade temperature scale.
- 1749 – King George II of Great Britain grants the Ohio Company a charter of land around the forks of the Ohio River.
- 1776 – American Revolutionary War: A Continental Army garrison surrenders in the Battle of The Cedars.
- 1780 – New England’s Dark Day, an unusual darkening of the day sky, was observed over the New England states and parts of Canada.
- 1802 – Napoleon Bonaparte founds the Legion of Honour.
- 1828 – U.S. President John Quincy Adams signs the Tariff of 1828 into law, protecting wool manufacturers in the United States.
- 1845 – Captain Sir John Franklin and his ill-fated Arctic expedition depart from Greenhithe, England.
- 1848 – Mexican–American War: Mexico ratifies the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo thus ending the war and ceding California, Nevada, Utah and parts of four other modern-day U.S. states to the United States for US$15 million.
- 1911 – Parks Canada, the world’s first national park service, is established as the Dominion Parks Branch under the Department of the Interior.
- 1917 – The Norwegian football club Rosenborg BK is founded.
- 1919 – Mustafa Kemal Atatürk lands at Samsun on the Anatolian Black Sea coast, initiating what is later termed the Turkish War of Independence.
- 1921 – The United States Congress passes the Emergency Quota Act establishing national quotas on immigration.
- 1922 – The Young Pioneer Organization of the Soviet Union is established.
- 1934 – Zveno and the Bulgarian Army engineer a coup d’état and install Kimon Georgiev as the new Prime Minister of Bulgaria.
- 1942 – World War II: In the aftermath of the Battle of the Coral Sea, Task Force 16 heads to Pearl Harbor.
- 1950 – A barge containing munitions destined for Pakistan explodes in the harbor at South Amboy, New Jersey, devastating the city.
- 1950 – Egypt announces that the Suez Canal is closed to Israeli ships and commerce.
- 1959 – The North Vietnamese Army establishes Group 559, whose responsibility is to determine how to maintain supply lines to South Vietnam; the resulting route is the Ho Chi Minh trail.
- 1961 – Venera program: Venera 1 becomes the first man-made object to fly by another planet by passing Venus (the probe had lost contact with Earth a month earlier and did not send back any data).
- 1961 – At Silchar Railway Station, Assam, 11 Bengalis die when police open fire on protesters demanding state recognition of Bengali language in the Bengali Language Movement.
- 1962 – A birthday salute to U.S. President John F. Kennedy takes place at Madison Square Garden, New York City. The highlight is Marilyn Monroe’s rendition of “Happy Birthday”.
- 1963 – The New York Post Sunday Magazine publishes Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter from Birmingham Jail.
- 1971 – Mars probe program: Mars 2 is launched by the Soviet Union.
- 1986 – The Firearm Owners Protection Act is signed into law by U.S. President Ronald Reagan.
- 1991 – Croatians vote for independence in a referendum.
- 1997 – The Sierra Gorda biosphere, the most ecologically diverse region in Mexico, is established as a result of grassroots efforts.
- 2007 – President of Romania Traian Băsescu survives an impeachment referendum and returns to office from suspension.
- 2010 – The Royal Thai Armed Forces concludes its crackdown on protests by forcing the surrender of United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship leaders.
- 2012 – Three gas cylinder bombs explode in front of a vocational school in the Italian city of Brindisi, killing one person and injuring five others.
- 2012 – A car bomb explodes near a military complex in the Syrian city of Deir ez-Zor, killing nine people.
- 2015 – The Refugio oil spill deposited 142,800 U.S. gallons (3,400 barrels) of crude oil onto an area in California considered one of the most biologically diverse coastlines of the west coast.
- 2016 – EgyptAir Flight 804 crashes into the Mediterranean Sea while traveling from Paris to Cairo, killing all on board.
- 2018 – The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle is held at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, with an estimated global audience of 1.9 billion.
Births on May 19
- 1400 – John Stourton, 1st Baron Stourton, English soldier and politician (d. 1462)
- 1462 – Baccio D’Agnolo, Italian woodcarver, sculptor and architect (d. 1543)
- 1476 (or 1474) – Helena of Moscow, Grand Duchess consort of Lithuania and Queen consort of Poland (d. 1513)
- 1593 – Claude Vignon, French painter (d. 1670)
- 1616 – Johann Jakob Froberger, German organist and composer (d. 1667)
- 1639 – Charles Weston, 3rd Earl of Portland, English soldier and noble (d. 1665)
- 1700 – José de Escandón, 1st Count of Sierra Gorda, Spanish sergeant and politician (d. 1770)
- 1724 – Augustus Hervey, 3rd Earl of Bristol, English admiral and politician, Chief Secretary for Ireland (d. 1779)
- 1744 – Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, German-born Queen to George III of the United Kingdom (d. 1818)
- 1762 – Johann Gottlieb Fichte, German philosopher and academic (d. 1814)
- 1773 – Arthur Aikin, English chemist and mineralogist (d. 1854)
- 1795 – Johns Hopkins, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 1873)
- 1827 – Paul-Armand Challemel-Lacour, French academic and politician, French Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 1896)
- 1832 – James Watney, Jr., English politician, brewer and cricketer (d. 1886)
- 1857 – John Jacob Abel, American biochemist and pharmacologist (d. 1938)
- 1861 – Nellie Melba, Australian soprano and actress (d. 1931)
- 1871 – Walter Russell, American painter, sculptor, and author (d. 1963)
- 1874 – Gilbert Jessop, English cricketer and soldier (d. 1955)
- 1878 – Alfred Laliberté, Canadian sculptor and painter (d. 1953)
- 1879 – Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor, American-English politician (d. 1964)
- 1880 – Albert Richardson, English architect and educator, designed the Manchester Opera House (d. 1964)
- 1881 – Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (official birthday), Turkish field marshal and statesman, 1st President of Turkey (d. 1938)
- 1884 – David Munson, American runner (d. 1953)
- 1886 – Francis Biddle, American lawyer and judge, 58th United States Attorney General (d. 1968)
- 1887 – Ion Jalea, Romanian soldier and sculptor (d. 1983)
- 1889 – Tản Đà, Vietnamese poet and author (d. 1939)
- 1889 – Henry B. Richardson, American archer (d. 1963)
- 1890 – Eveline Adelheid von Maydell, German-American illustrator (d. 1962)
- 1890 – Ho Chi Minh, Vietnamese politician, 1st President of Vietnam (d. 1969)
- 1891 – Oswald Boelcke, German captain and pilot (d. 1916)
- 1893 – H. Bonciu, Romanian author, poet, and journalist (d. 1950)
- 1897 – Frank Luke, American lieutenant and pilot, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1918)
- 1898 – Julius Evola, Italian philosopher and painter (d. 1974)
- 1899 – Lothar Rădăceanu, Romanian journalist, linguist, and politician (d. 1955)
- 1902 – Lubka Kolessa, Ukrainian-Canadian pianist and educator (d. 1997)
- 1903 – Ruth Ella Moore, American scientist (d. 1994)
- 1906 – Bruce Bennett, American shot putter and actor (d. 2007)
- 1908 – Manik Bandopadhyay, Indian author, poet, and playwright (d. 1956)
- 1908 – Merriam Modell, American author (d. 1994)
- 1908 – Percy Williams, Canadian sprinter (d. 1982)
- 1909 – Nicholas Winton, English banker and humanitarian (d. 2015)
- 1910 – Alan Melville, South African cricketer (d. 1983)
- 1913 – Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, Indian lawyer and politician, 6th President of India (d. 1996)
- 1914 – Max Perutz, Austrian-English biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2002)
- 1914 – Alex Shibicky, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2005)
- 1914 – John Vachon, American photographer and journalist (d. 1975)
- 1915 – Renée Asherson, English actress (d. 2014)
- 1918 – Abraham Pais, Dutch-American physicist, historian, and academic (d. 2000)
- 1919 – Georgie Auld, Canadian-American saxophonist, clarinet player, and bandleader (d. 1990)
- 1919 – Mitja Ribičič, Italian-Slovenian soldier and politician, 25th Prime Minister of Yugoslavia (d. 2013)
- 1920 – Tina Strobos, Dutch psychiatrist known for rescuing Jews during World War II (d. 2012)
- 1921 – Leslie Broderick, English lieutenant and pilot (d. 2013)
- 1921 – Harry W. Brown, American colonel and pilot (d. 1991)
- 1921 – Daniel Gélin, French actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2002)
- 1921 – Yuri Kochiyama, American activist (d. 2014)
- 1921 – Karel van het Reve, Dutch historian and author (d. 1999)
- 1922 – Arthur Gorrie, Australian hobby shop proprietor (d. 1992)
- 1924 – Sandy Wilson, English composer and songwriter (d. 2014)
- 1925 – Pol Pot, Cambodian general and politician, 29th Prime Minister of Cambodia (d. 1998)
- 1925 – Malcolm X, American minister and activist (d. 1965)
- 1926 – Edward Parkes, English engineer and academic (d. 2019)
- 1926 – Peter Zadek, German director and screenwriter (d. 2009)
- 1927 – Serge Lang, French-American mathematician, author and academic (d. 2005)
- 1928 – Colin Chapman, English engineer and businessman, founded Lotus Cars (d. 1982)
- 1928 – Thomas Kennedy, English air marshal (d. 2013)
- 1928 – Gil McDougald, American baseball player and coach (d. 2010)
- 1928 – Dolph Schayes, American basketball player and coach (d. 2015)
- 1929 – Helmut Braunlich, German-American violinist and composer (d. 2013)
- 1929 – Richard Larter, Australian painter (d. 2014)
- 1929 – John Stroger, American politician (d. 2008)
- 1930 – Eugene Genovese, American historian and author (d. 2012)
- 1930 – Lorraine Hansberry, American playwright and director (d. 1965)
- 1931 – Bob Anderson, English race car driver (d. 1967)
- 1931 – Trevor Peacock, English actor, screenwriter and songwriter
- 1932 – Alma Cogan, English singer (d. 1966)
- 1932 – Paul Erdman, American economist and author (d. 2007)
- 1932 – Bill Fitch, American basketball player and coach
- 1932 – Elena Poniatowska, Mexican intellectual and journalist
- 1933 – Edward de Bono, Maltese physician, author, and academic
- 1934 – Ruskin Bond, Indian author and poet
- 1934 – Jim Lehrer, American journalist and author (d. 2020)
- 1935 – David Hartman, American journalist and television personality
- 1937 – Pat Roach, English wrestler (d. 2004)
- 1938 – Moisés da Costa Amaral, East Timorese politician (d. 1989)
- 1938 – Herbie Flowers, English musician
- 1938 – Igor Ter-Ovanesyan, Ukrainian long jumper and coach
- 1939 – Livio Berruti, Italian sprinter
- 1939 – James Fox, English actor
- 1939 – Nancy Kwan, Hong Kong-American actress and makeup artist
- 1939 – Jānis Lūsis, Latvian javelin thrower and coach (d. 2020)
- 1939 – Dick Scobee, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (d. 1986)
- 1940 – Jan Janssen, Dutch cyclist
- 1940 – Mickey Newbury, American country/pop singer-songwriter (d. 2002)
- 1941 – Nora Ephron, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2012)
- 1941 – Igor Judge, Baron Judge, Maltese-English lawyer and judge, Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales
- 1942 – Gary Kildall, American computer scientist, founded Digital Research Inc. (d. 1994)
- 1942 – Robert Kilroy-Silk, English television host and politician
- 1943 – Eddie May, English footballer and manager (d. 2012)
- 1943 – Shirrel Rhoades, American author, publisher, and academic
- 1944 – Peter Mayhew, English-American actor (d. 2019)
- 1945 – Pete Townshend, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1946 – Claude Lelièvre, Belgian activist
- 1946 – Michele Placido, Italian actor and director
- 1946 – André the Giant, French-American wrestler and actor (d. 1993)
- 1947 – Paul Brady, Irish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1947 – Christopher Chope, English lawyer and politician
- 1947 – David Helfgott, Australian pianist
- 1948 – Grace Jones, Jamaican-American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
- 1949 – Dusty Hill, American singer-songwriter and bass player
- 1949 – Philip Hunt, Baron Hunt of Kings Heath, English politician
- 1949 – Archie Manning, American football player
- 1950 – Tadeusz Ślusarski, Polish pole vaulter (d. 1998)
- 1951 – Joey Ramone, American singer-songwriter (d. 2001)
- 1951 – Dick Slater, American wrestler
- 1952 – Charlie Spedding, English runner
- 1952 – Bert van Marwijk, Dutch footballer, coach, and manager
- 1953 – Patrick Hodge, Lord Hodge, Scottish lawyer and judge
- 1953 – Shavarsh Karapetyan, Armenian finswimmer
- 1953 – Florin Marin, Romanian footballer and manager
- 1953 – Victoria Wood, English actress, singer, director, and screenwriter (d. 2016)
- 1954 – Rick Cerone, American baseball player and sportscaster
- 1954 – Hōchū Ōtsuka, Japanese voice actor
- 1954 – Phil Rudd, Australian-New Zealand drummer
- 1955 – James Gosling, Canadian-American computer scientist, created Java
- 1956 – Oliver Letwin, English philosopher and politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
- 1956 – Martyn Ware, English keyboard player, songwriter, and producer
- 1957 – Bill Laimbeer, American basketball player and coach
- 1957 – James Reyne, Nigerian-Australian singer-songwriter
- 1961 – Vadim Cojocaru, Moldovan politician
- 1961 – Gregory Poirier, American director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1961 – Wayne Van Dorp, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1963 – Filippo Galli, Italian footballer and manager
- 1964 – Peter Jackson, Australian rugby league player and sportscaster (d. 1997)
- 1964 – John Lee, South Korean-American football player
- 1964 – Miloslav Mečíř, Slovak tennis player
- 1965 – Maile Flanagan, American actress, producer, and screenwriter
- 1966 – Marc Bureau, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
- 1966 – Jodi Picoult, American author and educator
- 1966 – Polly Walker, English actress
- 1967 – Alexia, Italian singer
- 1967 – Geraldine Somerville, Irish-born English actress
- 1968 – Kyle Eastwood, American actor and bass player
- 1970 – Stuart Cable, Welsh drummer (d. 2010)
- 1970 – K. J. Choi, South Korean golfer
- 1970 – Regina Narva, Estonian chess player
- 1970 – Nia Zulkarnaen, Indonesian actress, singer and producer
- 1971 – Ross Katz, American director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1971 – Andres Salumets, Estonian biologist, biochemist, and educator
- 1972 – Jenny Berggren, Swedish singer-songwriter
- 1972 – Claudia Karvan, Australian actress, producer, and screenwriter
- 1973 – Dario Franchitti, Scottish race car driver
- 1974 – Andrew Johns, Australian rugby league player, coach, and sportscaster
- 1974 – Emma Shapplin, French soprano
- 1974 – Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Indian actor
- 1975 – Pretinha, Brazilian footballer
- 1975 – London Fletcher, American football player
- 1975 – Josh Paul, American baseball player and manager
- 1975 – Jonas Renkse, Swedish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1976 – Ed Cota, American basketball player
- 1976 – Kevin Garnett, American basketball player
- 1977 – Manuel Almunia, Spanish footballer
- 1977 – Wouter Hamel, Dutch singer and guitarist
- 1977 – Brandon Inge, American baseball player
- 1977 – Natalia Oreiro, Uruguayan singer-songwriter and actress
- 1978 – Marcus Bent, English footballer
- 1978 – Dave Bus, Dutch footballer
- 1979 – Andrea Pirlo, Italian footballer
- 1979 – Diego Forlan, Uruguayan footballer
- 1980 – Tony Hackworth, English footballer
- 1981 – Luciano Figueroa, Argentinian footballer
- 1981 – Yo Gotti, American rapper
- 1981 – Michael Leighton, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1981 – Sina Schielke, German sprinter
- 1981 – Klaas-Erik Zwering, Dutch swimmer
- 1982 – Kevin Amankwaah, English footballer
- 1982 – Pål Steffen Andresen, Norwegian footballer
- 1982 – Klaas Vantornout, Belgian cyclist
- 1983 – Michael Che, American comedian
- 1983 – Jessica Fox, English actress
- 1984 – Marcedes Lewis, American football player
- 1985 – Aleister Black, Dutch professional wrestler
- 1986 – Mario Chalmers, American basketball player
- 1987 – Michael Angelakos, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1987 – David Edgar, Canadian soccer player
- 1987 – Mariano Torres, Argentinian footballer
- 1987 – Jayne Wisener, Northern Irish actress
- 1991 – Jordan Pruitt, American singer-songwriter
- 1992 – Marshmello, American electronic music producer and DJ
- 1992 – Michele Camporese, Italian footballer
- 1992 – Ola John, Dutch footballer
- 1992 – Felise Kaufusi, New Zealand-Tongan rugby league player
- 1992 – Evgeny Kuznetsov, Russian ice hockey player
- 1992 – Sam Smith, English singer-songwriter
- 1994 – Carlos Guzmán, Mexican footballer
- 1995 – Taane Milne, New Zealand rugby league player
Deaths on May 19
- 804 – Alcuin, English monk and scholar (b. 735)
- 956 – Robert, archbishop of Trier
- 988 – Dunstan, English archbishop and saint (b. 909)
- 1102 – Stephen, Count of Blois (b. 1045)
- 1125 – Vladimir II Monomakh, Grand Duke of Kiev
- 1164 – Saint Bashnouna, Egyptian saint and martyr
- 1218 – Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor
- 1296 – Pope Celestine V (b. 1215)
- 1303 – Saint Ivo of Kermartin, French canon lawyer (b. 1253)
- 1319 – Louis, Count of Évreux (b. 1276)
- 1389 – Dmitry Donskoy, Grand Prince of Muscovy (b. 1350)
- 1396 – John I of Aragon (b. 1350)
- 1526 – Emperor Go-Kashiwabara of Japan (b. 1464)
- 1531 – Jan Łaski, Polish archbishop and diplomat (b. 1456)
- 1536 – Anne Boleyn, Queen of England (1533–1536); second wife of Henry VIII of England (b. c. 1501)
- 1601 – Costanzo Porta, Italian composer (b. 1528)
- 1609 – García Hurtado de Mendoza, 5th Marquis of Cañete (b. 1535)
- 1610 – Thomas Sanchez, Spanish priest and theologian (b. 1550)
- 1623 – Mariam-uz-Zamani, Empress of the Mughal Empire (b. 1542)
- 1637 – Isaac Beeckman, Dutch scientist and philosopher (b. 1588)
- 1715 – Charles Montagu, 1st Earl of Halifax, English poet and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (b. 1661)
- 1786 – John Stanley, English organist and composer (b. 1712)
- 1795 – Josiah Bartlett, American physician and politician, 4th Governor of New Hampshire (b. 1729)
- 1795 – James Boswell, Scottish biographer (b. 1740)
- 1798 – William Byron, 5th Baron Byron, English lieutenant and politician (b. 1722)
- 1821 – Camille Jordan, French lawyer and politician (b. 1771)
- 1825 – Claude Henri de Rouvroy, comte de Saint-Simon, French philosopher and theorist (b. 1760)
- 1831 – Johann Friedrich von Eschscholtz, Estonian-German physician, botanist, and entomologist (b. 1793)
- 1864 – Nathaniel Hawthorne, American novelist and short story writer (b. 1804)
- 1865 – Sengge Rinchen, Mongolian general (b. 1811)
- 1872 – John Baker, English-Australian politician, 2nd Premier of South Australia (b. 1813)
- 1876 – Guillaume Groen van Prinsterer, Dutch historian and politician (b. 1801)
- 1885 – Peter W. Barlow, English engineer (b. 1809)
- 1895 – José Martí, Cuban journalist, poet, and philosopher (b. 1853)
- 1898 – William Ewart Gladstone, English lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1809)
- 1901 – Marthinus Wessel Pretorius, South African general and politician, 1st President of the South African Republic (b. 1819)
- 1903 – Arthur Shrewsbury, English cricketer (b. 1856)
- 1904 – Auguste Molinier, French librarian and historian (b. 1851)
- 1904 – Jamsetji Tata, Indian businessman, founded Tata Group (b. 1839)
- 1906 – Gabriel Dumont, Canadian Métis leader (b. 1837)
- 1907 – Benjamin Baker, English engineer, designed the Forth Bridge (b. 1840)
- 1912 – Bolesław Prus, Polish journalist and author (b. 1847)
- 1915 – John Simpson Kirkpatrick, English-Australian soldier (b. 1892)
- 1918 – Gervais Raoul Lufbery, French-American soldier and pilot (b. 1885)
- 1935 – T. E. Lawrence, British colonel and archaeologist (b. 1888)
- 1936 – Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall, British Islamic scholar (b. 1875)
- 1939 – Ahmet Ağaoğlu, Azerbaijani-Turkish journalist and publicist (b. 1869)
- 1943 – Kristjan Raud, Estonian painter and illustrator (b. 1865)
- 1945 – Philipp Bouhler, German soldier and politician (b. 1889)
- 1946 – Booth Tarkington, American novelist and dramatist (b. 1869)
- 1950 – Daniel Ciugureanu, Romanian physician and politician, Prime Minister of Moldova (b. 1884)
- 1954 – Charles Ives, American composer and educator (b. 1874)
- 1958 – Jadunath Sarkar, Indian historian (b. 1870)
- 1958 – Archie Scott Brown, Scottish race car driver (b. 1927)
- 1958 – Ronald Colman, English actor (b. 1891)
- 1963 – Walter Russell, American painter, sculptor, and author (b. 1871)
- 1969 – Coleman Hawkins, American saxophonist and clarinet player (b. 1901)
- 1971 – Ogden Nash, American poet (b. 1902)
- 1978 – Albert Kivikas, Estonian-Swedish journalist and author (b. 1898)
- 1980 – Joseph Schull, Canadian playwright and historian (b. 1906)
- 1983 – Jean Rey, Belgian lawyer and politician, 2nd President of the European Commission (b. 1902)
- 1984 – John Betjeman, English poet and academic (b. 1906)
- 1986 – Jimmy Lyons, American saxophonist (b. 1931)
- 1987 – James Tiptree, Jr., American psychologist and author (b. 1915)
- 1989 – Yiannis Papaioannou, Greek composer and educator (b. 1910)
- 1994 – Jacques Ellul, French sociologist, philosopher, and academic (b. 1912)
- 1994 – Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, American journalist, 37th First Lady of the United States (b. 1929)
- 1994 – Luis Ocaña, Spanish cyclist (b. 1945)
- 1996 – John Beradino, American baseball player and actor (b. 1917)
- 1998 – Sōsuke Uno, Japanese soldier and politician, 75th Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1922)
- 2001 – Alexey Maresyev, Russian soldier and pilot (b. 1916)
- 2001 – Susannah McCorkle, American singer (b. 1946)
- 2002 – John Gorton, Australian lieutenant and politician, 19th Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1911)
- 2002 – Walter Lord, American historian and author (b. 1917)
- 2004 – Mary Dresselhuys, Dutch actress and screenwriter (b. 1907)
- 2007 – Bernard Blaut, Polish footballer and coach (b. 1940)
- 2007 – Dean Eyre, New Zealand politician (b. 1914)
- 2008 – Vijay Tendulkar, Indian playwright and screenwriter (b. 1928)
- 2009 – Robert F. Furchgott, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1916)
- 2009 – Nicholas Maw, English composer and academic (b. 1935)
- 2009 – Clint Smith, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1913)
- 2011 – Garret FitzGerald, Irish lawyer and politician, 8th Taoiseach of Ireland (b. 1926)
- 2011 – Jeffrey Catherine Jones, American artist (b.1944)
- 2012 – Bob Boozer, American basketball player (b. 1937)
- 2012 – Tamara Brooks, American conductor and educator (b. 1941)
- 2012 – Ian Burgess, English race car driver (b. 1930)
- 2012 – Gerhard Hetz, German-Mexican swimmer (b. 1942)
- 2012 – Phil Lamason, New Zealand soldier and pilot (b. 1918)
- 2013 – G. Sarsfield Ford, American lawyer and jurist (b. 1933)
- 2013 – Robin Harrison, English-Canadian pianist and composer (b. 1932)
- 2013 – Neil Reynolds, Canadian journalist and politician (b. 1940)
- 2014 – Simon Andrews, English motorcycle racer (b. 1982)
- 2014 – Jack Brabham, Australian race car driver (b. 1926)
- 2014 – Terry W. Gee, American businessman and politician (b. 1940)
- 2014 – Sam Greenlee, American author and poet (b. 1930)
- 2014 – Vincent Harding, American historian and scholar (b. 1931)
- 2014 – Gabriel Kolko, American historian and author (b. 1932)
- 2014 – Zbigniew Pietrzykowski, Polish boxer (b. 1934)
- 2015 – Bruce Lundvall, American businessman (b. 1935)
- 2015 – Ted McWhinney, Australian-Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1924)
- 2015 – Happy Rockefeller, American philanthropist, socialite; 31st Second Lady of the United States (b. 1926)
- 2015 – Robert S. Wistrich, English historian, author, and academic (b. 1945)
- 2016 – Alan Young, English-born Canadian-American actor (b. 1919)
- 2016 – Morley Safer, Canadian-born American journalist (b. 1931)
- 2017 – Nawshirwan Mustafa, General coordinator of the Movement for Change (Gorran) (b. 1944)
- 2018 – Zhengzhang Shangfang, Chinese linguist (b. 1933)
Holidays and observances on May 19
- Christian feast day:
- Calocerus (Eastern Orthodox Church)
- Crispin of Viterbo
- Dunstan (Roman Catholic Church, Orthodox Church; commemoration, Anglicanism)
- Ivo of Kermartin
- Joaquina Vedruna de Mas
- Maria Bernarda Bütler
- Peter Celestine
- Pudentiana (Roman Catholic Church, Orthodox Church)
- May 19 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day (Turkey, Northern Cyprus)
- Greek Genocide Remembrance Day (Greece)
- Hồ Chí Minh’s Birthday (Vietnam)
- Malcolm X Day (United States of America)
- National Asian & Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (United States)
- Hepatitis Testing Day (United States)
- Mother’s Day (Kyrgyzstan)
-
May 13 in History
- 1373 – Julian of Norwich has visions of Jesus while suffering from a life-threatening illness, visions which are later described and interpreted in her book Revelations of Divine Love.
- 1515 – Mary Tudor, Queen of France, and Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, are officially married at Greenwich.
- 1568 – Battle of Langside: The forces of Mary, Queen of Scots, are defeated by a confederacy of Scottish Protestants under James Stewart, Earl of Moray, her half-brother.
- 1619 – Dutch statesman Johan van Oldenbarnevelt is executed in The Hague after being convicted of treason.
- 1779 – War of the Bavarian Succession: Russian and French mediators at the Congress of Teschen negotiate an end to the war. In the agreement Austria receives the part of its territory that was taken from it (the Innviertel).
- 1780 – The Cumberland Compact is signed by leaders of the settlers in the Cumberland River area of what would become the U.S. state of Tennessee, providing for democratic government and a formal system of justice.
- 1787 – Captain Arthur Phillip leaves Portsmouth, England, with eleven ships full of convicts (the “First Fleet”) to establish a penal colony in Australia.
- 1804 – Forces sent by Yusuf Karamanli of Tripoli to retake Derna from the Americans attack the city.
- 1830 – Ecuador gains its independence from Gran Colombia.
- 1846 – Mexican–American War: The United States declares war on the Federal Republic of Mexico following a dispute over the American annexation of the Republic of Texas and a Mexican military incursion.
- 1861 – American Civil War: Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom issues a “proclamation of neutrality” which recognizes the Confederacy as having belligerent rights.
- 1861 – The Great Comet of 1861 is discovered by John Tebbutt of Windsor, New South Wales, Australia.
- 1861 – Pakistan’s (then a part of British India) first railway line opens, from Karachi to Kotri.
- 1862 – The USS Planter, a steamer and gunship, steals through Confederate lines and is passed to the Union, by a southern slave, Robert Smalls, who later was officially appointed as captain, becoming the first black man to command a United States ship.
- 1864 – American Civil War: Battle of Resaca: The battle begins with Union General Sherman fighting toward Atlanta.
- 1865 – American Civil War: Battle of Palmito Ranch: In far south Texas, the last land battle of the Civil War ends with a Confederate victory.
- 1880 – In Menlo Park, New Jersey, Thomas Edison performs the first test of his electric railway.
- 1888 – With the passage of the Lei Áurea (“Golden Law”), Empire of Brazil abolishes slavery.
- 1909 – The first Giro d’Italia starts from Milan. Italian cyclist Luigi Ganna will be the winner.
- 1912 – The Royal Flying Corps, the forerunner of the Royal Air Force, is established in the United Kingdom.
- 1917 – Three children report the first apparition of Our Lady of Fátima in Fátima, Portugal.
- 1940 – World War II: Germany’s conquest of France begins as the German army crosses the Meuse. Winston Churchill makes his “blood, toil, tears, and sweat” speech to the House of Commons.
- 1940 – Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands flees her country to Great Britain after the German invasion. Princess Juliana takes her children to Canada for their safety.
- 1941 – World War II: Yugoslav royal colonel Dragoljub Mihailović starts fighting against German occupation troops, beginning the Serbian resistance.
- 1943 – World War II: Operations Vulcan and Strike force the surrender of the last Axis troops in Tunisia.
- 1948 – Arab–Israeli War: The Kfar Etzion massacre is committed by Arab irregulars, the day before the declaration of independence of the state of Israel on May 14.
- 1950 – The first round of the Formula One World Championship is held at Silverstone.
- 1951 – The 400th anniversary of the founding of the National University of San Marcos is commemorated by the opening of the first large-capacity stadium in Peru.
- 1952 – The Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Parliament of India, holds its first sitting.
- 1954 – The anti-National Service Riots, by Chinese middle school students in Singapore, take place.
- 1954 – The original Broadway production of The Pajama Game opens and runs for another 1,063 performances. Later received three Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical, and Best Choreography.
- 1958 – During a visit to Caracas, Venezuela, Vice President Richard Nixon’s car is attacked by anti-American demonstrators.
- 1958 – May 1958 crisis: A group of French military officers lead a coup in Algiers demanding that a government of national unity be formed with Charles de Gaulle at its head in order to defend French control of Algeria.
- 1958 – Ben Carlin becomes the first (and only) person to circumnavigate the world by amphibious vehicle, having travelled over 17,000 kilometres (11,000 mi) by sea and 62,000 kilometres (39,000 mi) by land during a ten-year journey.
- 1960 – Hundreds of University of California, Berkeley students congregate for the first day of protest against a visit by the House Committee on Un-American Activities.
- 1967 – Dr. Zakir Husain becomes the third President of India. He is the first Muslim President of the Indian Union. He holds this position until August 24, 1969.
- 1969 – May 13 Incident involving sectarian violence in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
- 1971 – Over 900 unarmed Bengali Hindus are murdered in the Demra massacre.
- 1972 – Faulty electrical wiring ignites a fire underneath the Playtown Cabaret in Osaka, Japan. Blocked exits and non-functional elevators lead to 118 fatalities, with many victims leaping to their deaths.
- 1972 – The Troubles: A car bombing outside a crowded pub in Belfast sparks a two-day gun battle involving the Provisional IRA, Ulster Volunteer Force and British Army. Seven people are killed and over 66 injured.
- 1980 – An F3 tornado hits Kalamazoo County, Michigan. President Jimmy Carter declares it a federal disaster area.
- 1981 – Mehmet Ali Ağca attempts to assassinate Pope John Paul II in St. Peter’s Square in Rome. The Pope is rushed to the Agostino Gemelli University Polyclinic to undergo emergency surgery and survives.
- 1985 – Police bombed MOVE headquarters in Philadelphia to end a stand-off, killing six adults and five children, and destroying the homes of 250 city residents.
- 1989 – Large groups of students occupy Tiananmen Square and begin a hunger strike.
- 1990 – The Dinamo–Red Star riot took place at Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb, Croatia between the Bad Blue Boys (fans of Dinamo Zagreb) and the Delije (fans of Red Star Belgrade).
- 1992 – Li Hongzhi gives the first public lecture on Falun Gong in Changchun, People’s Republic of China.
- 1995 – Alison Hargreaves, a 33-year-old British mother, becomes the first woman to conquer Everest without oxygen or the help of sherpas.
- 1996 – Severe thunderstorms and a tornado in Bangladesh kill 600 people.
- 1998 – Race riots break out in Jakarta, Indonesia, where shops owned by Indonesians of Chinese descent are looted and women raped.
- 1998 – India carries out two nuclear weapon tests at Pokhran, following the three conducted on May 11. The United States and Japan impose economic sanctions on India.
- 2005 – Andijan uprising, Uzbekistan; Troops open fire on crowds of protestors after a prison break; at least 187 people were killed according to official estimates.
- 2006 – São Paulo violence: Rebellions occur in several prisons in Brazil.
- 2011 – Two bombs explode in the Charsadda District of Pakistan killing 98 people and wounding 140 others.
- 2012 – Forty-nine dismembered bodies are discovered by Mexican authorities on Mexican Federal Highway 40.
- 2013 – American physician Kermit Gosnell is found guilty in Pennsylvania of murdering three infants born alive during attempted abortions, involuntary manslaughter of a woman during an abortion procedure, and other charges.
- 2014 – An explosion at an underground coal mine in southwest Turkey kills 301 miners.
Births on May 13
- 1024 – Hugh of Cluny, French abbot and saint (d. 1109)
- 1179 – Theobald III, Count of Champagne (d. 1201)
- 1221 – Alexander Nevsky, Russian prince and saint (d. 1263)
- 1254 – Marie of Brabant, Queen of France (d. 1321)
- 1453 – Mary Stewart, Countess of Arran, Scottish princess (d. 1488)
- 1588 – Ole Worm, Danish physician and historian (d. 1654)
- 1597 – Cornelis Schut, Flemish painter, draughtsman and engraver (d. 1655)
- 1638 – Richard Simon, French priest and scholar (d. 1712)
- 1699 – Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, 1st Marquis of Pombal, Portuguese politician, Prime Minister of Portugal (d. 1782)
- 1712 – Count Johann Hartwig Ernst von Bernstorff, Danish politician and diplomat (d. 1772)
- 1713 – Alexis Clairaut, French mathematician, astronomer, and geophysicist (d. 1765)
- 1717 – Maria Theresa, Archduchess, Queen, and Empress; Austrian wife of Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1780)
- 1730 – Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1782)
- 1735 – Horace Coignet, French violinist and composer (d. 1821)
- 1742 – Maria Christina, Duchess of Teschen (d. 1798)
- 1753 – Lazare Carnot, French general, mathematician, and politician, French Minister of the Interior (d. 1823)
- 1792 – Pope Pius IX (d. 1878)
- 1794 – Louis Léopold Robert, French painter (d. 1835)
- 1795 – Gérard Paul Deshayes, French geologist and chronologist (d. 1875)
- 1811 – Juan Bautista Ceballos, President of Mexico (1853) (b. 1859)
- 1822 – Francis, Duke of Cádiz (d. 1902)
- 1830 – Zebulon Baird Vance, American colonel, lawyer, and politician, 37th Governor of North Carolina (d. 1894)
- 1832 – Juris Alunāns, Latvian philologist and author (d. 1864)
- 1840 – Alphonse Daudet, French author, poet, and playwright (d. 1897)
- 1842 – Arthur Sullivan, English composer (d. 1900)
- 1853 – Vaiben Louis Solomon, Australian politician, 21st Premier of South Australia (d. 1908)
- 1856 – Tom O’Rourke, American boxer and manager (d. 1938)
- 1857 – Ronald Ross, Indian-English physician and mathematician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1932)
- 1868 – Sumner Paine, American target shooter (d. 1904)
- 1869 – Mehmet Emin Yurdakul, Turkish writer (d. 1944)
- 1877 – Robert Hamilton, Scottish international footballer (d. 1948)
- 1881 – Lima Barreto, Brazilian journalist and author (d. 1922)
- 1881 – Joe Forshaw, American runner (d. 1964)
- 1882 – Georges Braque, French painter and sculptor (d. 1963)
- 1883 – Georgios Papanikolaou, Greek-American pathologist, invented the pap smear (d. 1962)
- 1884 – Oskar Rosenfeld, Jewish-Austrian writer and Holocaust victim (d.1944)
- 1885 – Mikiel Gonzi, Maltese archbishop (d. 1984)
- 1887 – Lorna Hodgkinson, Australian educator and educational psychologist (d. 1951)
- 1888 – Inge Lehmann, Danish seismologist and geophysicist (d. 1993)
- 1894 – Ásgeir Ásgeirsson, Icelandic politician, 2nd President of Iceland (d. 1972)
- 1895 – Nandor Fodor, Hungarian-American psychologist, parapsychologist, and author (d. 1964)
- 1901 – Murilo Mendes, Brazilian poet and telegrapher (d. 1975)
- 1904 – Louis Duffus, Australian-South African cricketer and journalist (d. 1984)
- 1905 – Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, Indian lawyer and politician, 5th President of India (d. 1977)
- 1907 – Daphne du Maurier, English novelist and playwright (d. 1989)
- 1908 – Eugen Kapp, Estonian composer and educator (d. 1996)
- 1909 – Ken Darby, American composer and conductor (d. 1992)
- 1911 – Robert Middleton, American actor (d. 1977)
- 1911 – Maxine Sullivan, American singer and actress (d. 1987)
- 1912 – Gil Evans, Canadian-American pianist, composer, and bandleader (d. 1988)
- 1912 – Judah Nadich, American colonel and rabbi (d. 2007)
- 1913 – Robert Dorning, English actor, singer, and dancer (d. 1989)
- 1913 – Theo Helfrich, German racing driver (d. 1978)
- 1913 – William R. Tolbert, Jr., Liberian politician, 20th President of Liberia (d. 1980)
- 1914 – Joe Louis, American boxer (d. 1981)
- 1914 – Johnnie Wright, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2011)
- 1914 – Antonia Ferrín Moreiras, Spanish mathematician, academic, and astronomer (d. 2009)
- 1916 – Sachidananda Routray, Indian Oriya-language poet (d. 2004)
- 1918 – Balasaraswati, Indian dancer and instructor (d. 1984)
- 1918 – Gwyn Howells, Australian public servant (d. 1997)
- 1920 – Gareth Morris, English flute player (d. 2007)
- 1922 – Michael Ainsworth, English cricketer (d. 1978)
- 1922 – Otl Aicher, German graphic designer and typographer (d. 1991)
- 1922 – Bea Arthur, American actress and singer (d. 2009)
- 1923 – Ruth Adler Schnee, German-American textile designer and interior designer
- 1924 – Theodore Mann, American director and producer (d. 2012)
- 1924 – Harry Schwarz, South African anti-apartheid leader, lawyer, and Ambassador (d. 2010)
- 1927 – Archie Scott Brown, Scottish race car driver (d. 1958)
- 1927 – Fred Hellerman, American folk singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 2016)
- 1927 – Herbert Ross, American actor, director, and producer (d. 2001)
- 1928 – Enrique Bolaños, Nicaraguan politician, President of Nicaragua
- 1928 – Édouard Molinaro, French actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2013)
- 1929 – John Galvin, American general (d. 2015)
- 1930 – Mike Gravel, American lieutenant and politician
- 1930 – José Jiménez Lozano, Spanish journalist and author
- 1930 – Vernon Shaw, Dominican politician, 5th President of Dominica (d. 2013)
- 1931 – Jim Jones, American cult leader, founder of the Peoples Temple (d. 1978)
- 1931 – Sydney Lipworth, South African-English lawyer, businessman, and philanthropist
- 1933 – John Roseboro, American baseball player and coach (d. 2002)
- 1934 – Ehud Netzer, Israeli archaeologist, architect, and academic (d. 2010)
- 1934 – Leon Wagner, American baseball player and actor (d. 2004)
- 1935 – Dominic Cossa, American opera singer
- 1935 – Jan Saudek, Czech photographer and painter
- 1935 – Kája Saudek, Czech author and illustrator (d. 2015)
- 1936 – Bill Rompkey, Canadian educator and politician (d. 2017)
- 1937 – Trevor Baylis, English inventor, invented the wind-up radio (d. 2018)
- 1937 – Roch Carrier, Canadian librarian and author
- 1937 – Zohra Lampert, American actress
- 1937 – Beverley Owen, American actress (d. 2019)
- 1937 – Roger Zelazny, American author and poet (d. 1995)
- 1938 – Giuliano Amato, Italian academic and politician, 48th Prime Minister of Italy
- 1938 – Laurent Beaudoin, Canadian businessman
- 1938 – Anna Cropper, British actress (d. 2007)
- 1938 – Francine Pascal, American author and playwright
- 1938 – Buck Taylor, American actor
- 1939 – Hildrun Claus, German long jumper
- 1939 – Peter Frenkel, German race walker and coach
- 1939 – Harvey Keitel, American actor
- 1940 – Bruce Chatwin, English author (d. 1989)
- 1940 – Kōkichi Tsuburaya, Japanese runner (d. 1968)
- 1941 – Senta Berger, Austrian actress
- 1941 – Joe Brown, English singer and musician
- 1941 – Jody Conradt, American basketball player and coach
- 1941 – Ritchie Valens, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1959)
- 1942 – Leighton Gage, American author (d. 2013)
- 1942 – Roger Young, American director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1943 – Anthony Clarke, Baron Clarke of Stone-cum-Ebony, English lawyer and judge
- 1943 – Kurt Trampedach, Danish painter and sculptor (d. 2013)
- 1943 – Mary Wells, American singer-songwriter (d. 1992)
- 1944 – Sir Crispin Agnew, 11th Baronet, Scottish explorer, lawyer, and judge
- 1944 – Robert L. Crawford Jr., American actor
- 1944 – Carolyn Franklin, American R&B singer-songwriter (d. 1988)
- 1944 – Armistead Maupin, American author, screenwriter, and actor
- 1945 – Lasse Berghagen, Swedish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
- 1945 – Magic Dick, American blues-rock harmonica, trumpet, and saxophone player
- 1945 – Lou Marini, American saxophonist and composer
- 1946 – Tim Pigott-Smith, English actor and author (d. 2017)
- 1946 – Jean Rondeau, French race car driver and constructor (d. 1985)
- 1946 – Marv Wolfman, American author
- 1947 – Charles Baxter, American novelist, essayist, and poet
- 1947 – Edgar Burcksen, Dutch-American film editor
- 1948 – Sheila Jeffreys, English-Australian political scientist, author, and academic
- 1948 – Dean Meminger, American basketball player and coach (d. 2013)
- 1949 – Jane Glover, English conductor and scholar
- 1949 – Zoë Wanamaker, American-British actress
- 1949 – Philip Kruse, Norwegian trumpeter and orchestra leader
- 1950 – Andy Cunningham, English actor (d. 2011)
- 1950 – Danny Kirwan, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2018)
- 1950 – Joe Johnston, American film director and effects artist
- 1950 – Manning Marable, American author and academic (d. 2011)
- 1950 – Bobby Valentine, American baseball player and manager
- 1950 – Stevie Wonder, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer
- 1951 – Rosie Boycott, English journalist and author
- 1951 – Sharon Sayles Belton, American politician, 45th Mayor of Minneapolis
- 1951 – Anand Modak, Indian composer and director (d. 2014)
- 1951 – Herman Philipse, Dutch philosopher and academic
- 1951 – Selina Scott, English journalist, producer, and author
- 1951 – Paul Thompson, English drummer
- 1952 – John Kasich, American politician, 69th Governor of Ohio
- 1952 – Mary Walsh, Canadian actress, producer, and screenwriter
- 1952 – Londa Schiebinger, American academic and author
- 1953 – Zlatko Burić, Croat-Danish actor
- 1953 – Gerry Sutcliffe, English politician, Vice-Chamberlain of the Household
- 1953 – David Voelker, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 2013)
- 1953 – Harm Wiersma, Dutch draughts player and politician
- 1953 – Ruth A. David, American electrical engineer
- 1954 – Johnny Logan, Australian-Irish singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1956 – Richard Madeley, English journalist and author
- 1956 – Fred Melamed, American actor
- 1956 – Kailash Vijayvargiya, National General Secretary of Bhartiya Janta Party
- 1957 – Alan Ball, American director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1957 – Frances Barber, English actress
- 1957 – Mark Heap, English actor
- 1957 – David Hill, English organist and conductor
- 1957 – Mar Roxas, Filipino economist and politician, 24th Filipino Secretary of the Interior
- 1957 – Koji Suzuki, Japanese author and screenwriter
- 1958 – Anthony Ray Parker, American actor
- 1961 – Siobhan Fallon Hogan, American actress
- 1961 – Dennis Rodman, American basketball player, wrestler, and actor
- 1962 – Paul Burstow, English politician
- 1962 – Nick Hurd, English businessman and politician, Minister for Civil Society
- 1963 – Andrea Leadsom, English politician
- 1963 – Wally Masur, Australian tennis player, coach, and sportscaster
- 1964 – Stephen Colbert, American comedian and talk show host
- 1964 – Chris Maitland, English drummer
- 1964 – Tom Verica, American actor, television director, and producer
- 1965 – José Antonio Delgado, Venezuelan mountaineer (d. 2006)
- 1965 – Tasmin Little, English violinist and educator
- 1965 – János Marozsán, Hungarian footballer
- 1965 – Hikari Ōta, Japanese comedian and actor
- 1965 – José Rijo, Dominican baseball player
- 1965 – Lari White, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress (d. 2018)
- 1966 – Alison Goldfrapp, English singer-songwriter and producer
- 1966 – Darius Rucker, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1967 – Tish Cyrus, American actress and film producer
- 1967 – Shon Greenblatt, American actor
- 1967 – Tommy Gunn, pornographic actor
- 1967 – Chuck Schuldiner, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2001)
- 1967 – Melanie Thornton, American-German singer (d. 2001)
- 1968 – Miguel Ángel Blanco, Spanish politician (d. 1997)
- 1968 – Susan Floyd, American actress
- 1968 – Scott Morrison, Australian politician, 30th Prime Minister of Australia
- 1968 – PMD, American rapper
- 1968 – Dmitriy Shevchenko, Russian discus thrower and coach
- 1969 – Buckethead, American guitarist and songwriter
- 1969 – Nikos Aliagas, French-Greek journalist and television host
- 1970 – Doug Evans, American football player
- 1970 – Robert Maćkowiak, Polish sprinter
- 1971 – Imogen Boorman, English actress and martial artist
- 1971 – Rob Fredrickson, American football player
- 1971 – Espen Lind, Norwegian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1971 – Tom Nalen, American football player and sportscaster
- 1972 – Stefaan Maene, Belgian swimmer
- 1972 – Darryl Sydor, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1972 – Pieta van Dishoeck, Dutch rower
- 1973 – Eric Lewis, American pianist
- 1973 – Bridgett Riley, American boxer and stuntwoman
- 1975 – Jamie Allison, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1975 – Cristian Bezzi, Italian rugby player and coach
- 1975 – Brian Geraghty, American actor
- 1976 – Mark Delaney, Welsh footballer and manager
- 1976 – Trajan Langdon, American basketball player and scout
- 1976 – Ana Popović, Serbian-American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1976 – Magdalena Walach, Polish actress
- 1977 – Ilse DeLange, Dutch singer-songwriter
- 1977 – Anthony Q. Farrell, Canadian-American actor and screenwriter
- 1977 – Robby Hammock, American baseball player and coach
- 1977 – Neil Hopkins, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
- 1977 – James Middlebrook, English cricketer
- 1977 – Samantha Morton, English actress and director
- 1977 – Brian Thomas Smith, American actor and producer
- 1977 – Pusha T, American rapper
- 1978 – Brooke Anderson, American journalist
- 1978 – Mike Bibby, American basketball player and coach
- 1978 – Ryan Bukvich, American baseball player
- 1978 – Germán Magariños, Argentinian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1978 – Dilshan Vitharana, Sri Lankan cricketer
- 1978 – Barry Zito, American baseball player
- 1978 – Nuwan Zoysa, Sri Lankan cricketer
- 1979 – Prince Carl Philip, Duke of Värmland
- 1979 – Steve Mildenhall, English footballer
- 1979 – Vyacheslav Shevchuk, Ukrainian footballer
- 1980 – L. J. Smith, American football player
- 1981 – Luciana Berger, English politician
- 1981 – Nicolas Jeanjean, French rugby player
- 1981 – Sunny Leone, Canadian American actress, model, and pornstar
- 1981 – Michael Mantenuto, American actor (d. 2017)
- 1981 – Shaun Phillips, American football player
- 1981 – Ryan Piers Williams, American actor and film director
- 1982 – Albert Crusat, Spanish footballer
- 1982 – Larry Fonacier, Filipino basketball player
- 1982 – Oguchi Onyewu, American soccer player
- 1983 – Natalie Cassidy, English actress and singer
- 1983 – Anita Görbicz, Hungarian handball player
- 1983 – Johnny Hoogerland, Dutch cyclist
- 1983 – Grégory Lemarchal, French singer (d. 2007)
- 1983 – Jacob Reynolds, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
- 1983 – Yaya Touré, Ivorian footballer
- 1984 – J. B. Cox, American baseball player
- 1984 – Benny Dayal, Indian singer
- 1984 – Dawn Harper, American hurdler
- 1984 – Caroline Rotich, Kenyan runner
- 1985 – Javier Balboa, Spanish-Equatoguinean footballer
- 1985 – Jaroslav Halák, Slovak ice hockey player
- 1985 – David Hernandez, American baseball player
- 1985 – Carolina Luján, Argentine chess player
- 1985 – Iwan Rheon, Welsh actor and singer
- 1985 – Travis Zajac, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1986 – Lena Dunham, American actress, director, and screenwriter
- 1986 – Eun-Hee Ji, South Korean golfer
- 1986 – Robert Pattinson, English actor
- 1986 – Alexander Rybak, Belarusian-Norwegian singer-songwriter, violinist, and actor
- 1986 – Scott Sutter, English footballer
- 1986 – Nino Schurter, Swiss cyclist
- 1986 – Kris Versteeg, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1987 – Antonio Adán, Spanish footballer
- 1987 – Hugo Becker, French actor
- 1987 – Matt Doyle, American actor and singer
- 1987 – Laura Izibor, Irish singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer
- 1987 – Candice King, American singer-songwriter and actress
- 1987 – Sandro Mareco, Argentine chess player
- 1987 – Hunter Parrish, American actor and singer
- 1987 – Marianne Vos, Dutch cyclist
- 1987 – Charlotte Wessels, Dutch singer-songwriter
- 1987 – Bobby Shuttleworth, American soccer player
- 1988 – Paulo Avelino, Filipino actor and singer
- 1988 – Didier Cohen, Australian DJ, producer and media personality
- 1988 – Casey Donovan, Australian singer-songwriter
- 1989 – P. K. Subban, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1990 – Mychal Givens, American baseball player
- 1991 – Jennifer Beattie, Scottish footballer
- 1991 – Anders Fannemel, Norwegian ski jumper
- 1992 – Bill Arnold, American ice hockey player
- 1992 – Willson Contreras, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1992 – Josh Papalii, New Zealand-Australian rugby league player
- 1992 – Georgina García Pérez, Spanish tennis player
- 1993 – Stefan Kraft, Austrian ski jumper
- 1993 – Debby Ryan, American actress and singer
- 1993 – Romelu Lukaku, Belgian footballer
- 1993 – Siim-Tanel Sammelselg, Estonian ski jumper
- 1993 – Tones and I, Australian singer-songwriter
- 1994 – Łukasz Moneta, Polish footballer
- 1997 – Reimis Smith, Australian rugby league player
Deaths on May 13
- 189 – Emperor Ling of Han, Chinese emperor (b. 156)
- 1112 – Ulric II, Margrave of Carniola
- 1176 – Matthias I, Duke of Lorraine (b. 1119)
- 1285 – Robert de Ros, 1st Baron de Ros
- 1312 – Theobald II, Duke of Lorraine (b. 1263)
- 1573 – Takeda Shingen, Japanese daimyō (b. 1521)
- 1619 – Johan van Oldenbarnevelt, Dutch politician (b. 1547)
- 1704 – Louis Bourdaloue, French preacher and author (b. 1632)
- 1726 – Francesco Antonio Pistocchi, Italian singer (b. 1659)
- 1782 – Daniel Solander, Swedish-English botanist and phycologist (b. 1736)
- 1807 – Eliphalet Dyer, American colonel, lawyer, and politician (b. 1721)
- 1809 – Beilby Porteus, English bishop (b. 1731)
- 1832 – Georges Cuvier, French zoologist and academic (b. 1769)
- 1835 – John Nash, English architect, designed the Royal Pavilion (b. 1752)
- 1866 – Nikolai Brashman, Czech-Russian mathematician and academic (b. 1796)
- 1878 – Joseph Henry, American physicist and academic (b. 1797)
- 1884 – Cyrus McCormick, American businessman, co-founded the International Harvester Company (b. 1809)
- 1885 – Friedrich Gustav Jakob Henle, German physician, pathologist, and anatomist (b. 1809)
- 1903 – Apolinario Mabini, Filipino lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of the Philippines (b. 1864)
- 1916 – Sholem Aleichem, Ukrainian-American author and playwright (b. 1859)
- 1921 – Jean Aicard, French author, poet, and playwright (b. 1848)
- 1926 – Libert H. Boeynaems, Belgian-American bishop (b. 1857)
- 1929 – Arthur Scherbius, German electrical engineer, invented the Enigma machine (b. 1878)
- 1930 – Fridtjof Nansen, Norwegian scientist, explorer, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1861)
- 1938 – Charles Édouard Guillaume, Swiss-French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1861)
- 1941 – Frederick Christian, English cricketer (b. 1877)
- 1941 – Ōnishiki Uichirō, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 26th Yokozuna (b. 1891)
- 1945 – Tubby Hall, American drummer (b. 1895)
- 1946 – Zara DuPont, American suffragist (b. 1869)
- 1947 – Sukanta Bhattacharya, Indian poet and playwright (b. 1926)
- 1948 – Kathleen Cavendish, Marchioness of Hartington (b. 1920)
- 1957 – Michael Fekete, Hungarian-Israeli mathematician and academic (b. 1886)
- 1961 – Gary Cooper, American actor (b. 1901)
- 1962 – Henry Trendley Dean, American dentist (b. 1893)
- 1962 – Franz Kline, American painter and academic (b. 1910)
- 1963 – Alois Hudal, Austrian-Italian bishop (b. 1885)
- 1972 – Dan Blocker, American actor (b. 1928)
- 1974 – Jaime Torres Bodet, Mexican poet and diplomat (b. 1902)
- 1974 – Arthur J. Burks, American colonel and author (b. 1898)
- 1975 – Bob Wills, American singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1905)
- 1977 – Mickey Spillane, American mobster (b. 1934)
- 1985 – Leatrice Joy, American actress (b. 1893)
- 1985 – Richard Ellmann, American literary critic and biographer (b. 1918)
- 1988 – Chet Baker, American singer and trumpet player (b. 1929)
- 1992 – F. E. McWilliam, Irish sculptor (b. 1909)
- 1994 – Duncan Hamilton, Irish-English race car driver (b. 1920)
- 1994 – John Swainson, Canadian-American jurist and politician, 42nd Governor of Michigan (b. 1925)
- 1995 – Hao Wang, Chinese-American logician, philosopher, and mathematician (b. 1921)
- 1999 – Abd al-Aziz ibn Baz, Saudi Arabian scholar and academic (b. 1910)
- 1999 – Gene Sarazen, American golfer and journalist (b. 1902)
- 2000 – Paul Bartel, American actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1938)
- 2000 – Jumbo Tsuruta, Japanese wrestler (b. 1951)
- 2001 – Jason Miller, American actor and playwright (b. 1939)
- 2002 – Ruth Cracknell, Australian actress and author (b. 1925)
- 2002 – Valeriy Lobanovskyi, Ukrainian footballer and manager (b. 1939)
- 2005 – Eddie Barclay, French record producer, founded Barclay Records (b. 1921)
- 2005 – George Dantzig, American mathematician and academic (b. 1914)
- 2006 – Jaroslav Pelikan, American historian and scholar (b. 1923)
- 2006 – Johnnie Wilder, Jr., American singer (b. 1949)
- 2008 – Saad Al-Salim Al-Sabah, Kuwaiti ruler, Emir of Kuwait (b. 1930)
- 2008 – Ron Stone, American journalist and author (b. 1936)
- 2009 – Frank Aletter, American actor (b. 1926)
- 2009 – Meir Brandsdorfer, Belgian rabbi (b. 1934)
- 2009 – Achille Compagnoni, Italian skier and mountaineer (b. 1914)
- 2011 – Derek Boogaard, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1982)
- 2011 – Stephen De Staebler, American sculptor and educator (b. 1933)
- 2011 – Wallace McCain, Canadian businessman, co-founded McCain Foods (b. 1930)
- 2011 – Bruce Ricker, American director and producer (b. 1942)
- 2012 – Arsala Rahmani Daulat, Afghan politician (b. 1937)
- 2012 – Donald “Duck” Dunn, American bass player, songwriter, and producer (b. 1941)
- 2012 – Ada Maria Isasi-Diaz, Cuban-American theologian, author, and academic (b. 1943)
- 2012 – Lee Richardson, English speedway rider (b. 1979)
- 2012 – Don Ritchie, Australian humanitarian (b. 1925)
- 2012 – Nguyễn Văn Thiện, Vietnamese bishop (b. 1906)
- 2013 – Joyce Brothers, American psychologist, author, and actress (b. 1927)
- 2013 – Otto Herrigel, Namibian lawyer and politician (b. 1937)
- 2013 – Jagdish Mali, Indian photographer (b. 1954)
- 2013 – Chuck Muncie, American football player (b. 1953)
- 2013 – Fyodor Tuvin, Russian footballer (b. 1973)
- 2013 – Lynne Woolstencroft, Canadian politician (b. 1943)
- 2014 – David Malet Armstrong, Australian philosopher and author (b. 1926)
- 2014 – Malik Bendjelloul, Swedish director and producer (b. 1977)
- 2014 – J. F. Coleman, American soldier and pilot (b. 1918)
- 2014 – Ron Stevens, Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1949)
- 2014 – Morning Glory Zell-Ravenheart, American occultist and author (b. 1948)
- 2015 – Earl Averill, Jr., American baseball player (b. 1931)
- 2015 – Robert Drasnin, American clarinet player and composer (b. 1927)
- 2015 – Nina Otkalenko, Russian runner (b. 1928)
- 2015 – David Sackett, American-Canadian physician and academic (b. 1934)
- 2015 – Gainan Saidkhuzhin, Russian cyclist (b. 1937)
- 2018 – Margot Kidder, Canadian-American actress (b. 1948)
- 2019 – Doris Day, American singer and actress (b. 1922)
- 2019 – Unita Blackwell, American civil rights activist, and politician (b. 1933)
Holidays and observances on May 13
- Abbotsbury Garland Day (Dorset, England)
- Christian feast day:
- Our Lady of Fátima
- Gerard of Villamagna
- Glyceria
- John the Silent (Roman Catholic)
- Julian of Norwich (Roman Catholic)
- Frances Perkins (Episcopal Church (USA))
- Servatius
- May 13 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Rotuma Day (Rotuma)