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1825

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

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

Births on June 4

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

Deaths on June 4

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

Holidays and observances on June 4

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

June 4 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

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

  • 350 – The Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, proclaims himself Roman emperor, entering Rome at the head of a group of gladiators.
  • 713 – The Byzantine emperor Philippicus is blinded, deposed and sent into exile by conspirators of the Opsikion army in Thrace. He is succeeded by Anastasios II, who begins the reorganization of the Byzantine army.
  • 1140 – The French scholar Peter Abelard is found guilty of heresy.
  • 1326 – The Treaty of Novgorod delineates borders between Russia and Norway in Finnmark.
  • 1539 – Hernando de Soto claims Florida for Spain.
  • 1608 – Samuel de Champlain completes his third voyage to New France at Tadoussac, Quebec.
  • 1621 – The Dutch West India Company receives a charter for New Netherland.
  • 1658 – Pope Alexander VII appoints François de Laval vicar apostolic in New France.
  • 1665 – James Stuart, Duke of York (later to become King James II of England), defeats the Dutch fleet off the coast of Lowestoft.
  • 1781 – Jack Jouett begins his midnight ride to warn Thomas Jefferson and the Virginia legislature of an impending raid by Banastre Tarleton.
  • 1839 – In Humen, China, Lin Tse-hsü destroys 1.2 million kilograms of opium confiscated from British merchants, providing Britain with a casus belli to open hostilities, resulting in the First Opium War.
  • 1861 – American Civil War: Battle of Philippi (also called the Philippi Races): Union forces rout Confederate troops in Barbour County, Virginia, now West Virginia.
  • 1864 – American Civil War: Battle of Cold Harbor: Union forces attack Confederate troops in Hanover County, Virginia.
  • 1866 – The Fenians are driven out of Fort Erie, Ontario back into the United States.
  • 1885 – In the last military engagement fought on Canadian soil, the Cree leader, Big Bear, escapes the North-West Mounted Police.
  • 1889 – The first long-distance electric power transmission line in the United States is completed, running 14 miles (23 km) between a generator at Willamette Falls and downtown Portland, Oregon.
  • 1916 – The National Defense Act is signed into law, increasing the size of the United States National Guard by 450,000 men.
  • 1935 – One thousand unemployed Canadian workers board freight cars in Vancouver, beginning a protest trek to Ottawa.
  • 1937 – The Duke of Windsor marries Wallis Simpson.
  • 1940 – World War II: The Luftwaffe bombs Paris.
  • 1940 – World War II: The Battle of Dunkirk ends with a German victory and with Allied forces in full retreat.
  • 1940 – Franz Rademacher proposes plans to make Madagascar the “Jewish homeland”, an idea that had first been considered by 19th century journalist Theodor Herzl.
  • 1941 – World War II: The Wehrmacht razes the Greek village of Kandanos to the ground and murders 180 of its inhabitants.
  • 1942 – World War II: Japan begins the Aleutian Islands Campaign by bombing Unalaska Island.
  • 1943 – In Los Angeles, California, white U.S. Navy sailors and Marines clash with Latino youths in the Zoot Suit Riots.
  • 1950 – Herzog and Lachenal of the French Annapurna expedition become the first climbers to reach the summit of an 8,000-metre peak.
  • 1962 – At Paris Orly Airport, Air France Flight 007 overruns the runway and explodes when the crew attempts to abort takeoff, killing 130.
  • 1963 – Soldiers of the South Vietnamese Army attack protesting Buddhists in Huế with liquid chemicals from tear-gas grenades, causing 67 people to be hospitalized for blistering of the skin and respiratory ailments.
  • 1965 – The launch of Gemini 4, the first multi-day space mission by a NASA crew. Ed White, a crew member, performs the first American spacewalk.
  • 1969 – Melbourne–Evans collision: off the coast of South Vietnam, the Australian aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne cuts the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Frank E. Evans in half.
  • 1973 – A Soviet supersonic Tupolev Tu-144 crashes near Goussainville, France, killing 14, the first crash of a supersonic passenger aircraft.
  • 1979 – A blowout at the Ixtoc I oil well in the southern Gulf of Mexico causes at least 3,000,000 barrels (480,000 m3) of oil to be spilled into the waters, the second-worst accidental oil spill ever recorded.
  • 1980 – An explosive device is detonated at the Statue of Liberty. The FBI suspects Croatian nationalists.
  • 1980 – The 1980 Grand Island tornado outbreak hits Nebraska, causing five deaths and $300 million (equivalent to $931 million in 2019) worth of damage.
  • 1982 – The Israeli ambassador to the United Kingdom, Shlomo Argov, is shot on a London street; he survives but is left paralysed.
  • 1984 – Operation Blue Star, a military offensive, is launched by the Indian government at Harmandir Sahib, also known as the Golden Temple, the holiest shrine for Sikhs, in Amritsar. The operation continues until June 6, with casualties, most of them civilians, in excess of 5,000.
  • 1989 – The government of China sends troops to force protesters out of Tiananmen Square after seven weeks of occupation.
  • 1991 – Mount Unzen erupts in Kyūshū, Japan, killing 43 people, all of them either researchers or journalists.
  • 1992 – Aboriginal land rights are granted in Australia in Mabo v Queensland (No 2), a case brought by Eddie Mabo.
  • 1998 – After suffering a mechanical failure, a high speed train derails at Eschede, Germany, killing 101 people.
  • 2006 – The union of Serbia and Montenegro comes to an end with Montenegro’s formal declaration of independence.
  • 2012 – A plane carrying 153 people on board crashes in a residential neighborhood in Lagos, Nigeria, killing everyone on board and 10 people on the ground.
  • 2012 – The pageant for the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II takes place on the River Thames.
  • 2013 – The trial of United States Army private Chelsea Manning for leaking classified material to WikiLeaks begins in Fort Meade, Maryland.
  • 2013 – At least 119 people are killed in a fire at a poultry farm in Jilin Province in northeastern China.
  • 2015 – An explosion at a gasoline station in Accra, Ghana, killing more than 200 people.
  • 2017 – London Bridge attack: Eight people are murdered and dozens of civilians are wounded by Islamist terrorists. Three of the attackers are shot dead by the police.
  • 2019 – Khartoum massacre: In Sudan, over 100 people are killed when security forces accompanied by Janjaweed militiamen storm and open fire on a sit-in protest.

Births on June 3

  • 20 BC – Sejanus, Roman soldier and bodyguard (d. 31 AD)
  • 1139 – Conon of Naso, Basilian abbot (d. 1236)
  • 1421 – Giovanni di Cosimo de’ Medici, Italian noble (d. 1463)
  • 1454 – Bogislaw X, Duke of Pomerania (1474–1523) (d. 1523)
  • 1537 – João Manuel, Prince of Portugal (d. 1554)
  • 1540 – Charles II, Archduke of Austria (d. 1590)
  • 1554 – Pietro de’ Medici, Italian noble (d. 1604)
  • 1576 – Giovanni Diodati, Swiss-Italian minister, theologian, and academic (d. 1649)
  • 1594 – César, Duke of Vendôme, French nobleman (d. 1665)
  • 1603 – Pietro Paolini, Italian painter (d. 1681)
  • 1635 – Philippe Quinault, French playwright and composer (d. 1688)
  • 1636 – John Hale, American minister (d. 1700)
  • 1659 – David Gregory, Scottish-English mathematician and astronomer (d. 1708)
  • 1662 – Willem van Mieris, Dutch painter (d. 1747)
  • 1723 – Giovanni Antonio Scopoli, Italian physician, geologist, and botanist (d. 1788)
  • 1726 – James Hutton, Scottish geologist and physician (d. 1797)
  • 1736 – Ignaz Fränzl, German violinist and composer (d. 1811)
  • 1770 – Manuel Belgrano, Argentinian economist, lawyer, and politician (d. 1820)
  • 1808 – Jefferson Davis, American colonel and politician, President of the Confederate States of America (d. 1889)
  • 1818 – Louis Faidherbe, French general and politician, Governor of Senegal (d. 1889)
  • 1819 – Anton Anderledy, Swiss religious leader, 23rd Superior General of the Society of Jesus (d. 1892)
  • 1819 – Johan Jongkind, Dutch painter (d. 1891)
  • 1832 – Charles Lecocq, French pianist and composer (d. 1918)
  • 1843 – Frederick VIII of Denmark (d. 1912)
  • 1844 – Garret Hobart, American lawyer and politician, 24th Vice President of the United States (d. 1899)
  • 1844 – Detlev von Liliencron, German poet and author (d. 1909)
  • 1852 – Theodore Robinson, American painter and academic (d. 1896)
  • 1853 – Flinders Petrie, English archaeologist and academic (d. 1942)
  • 1864 – Otto Erich Hartleben, German poet and playwright (d. 1905)
  • 1864 – Ransom E. Olds, American businessman, founded Oldsmobile and REO Motor Car Company (d. 1950)
  • 1865 – George V of the United Kingdom (d. 1936)
  • 1866 – George Howells Broadhurst, English-American director and manager (d. 1952)
  • 1873 – Otto Loewi, German-American pharmacologist and psychobiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1961)
  • 1877 – Raoul Dufy, French painter and illustrator (d. 1953)
  • 1879 – Alla Nazimova, Ukrainian-American actress, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1945)
  • 1879 – Raymond Pearl, American biologist and botanist (d. 1940)
  • 1879 – Vivian Woodward, English footballer and soldier (d. 1954)
  • 1881 – Mikhail Larionov, Russian painter and set designer (d. 1964)
  • 1890 – Baburao Painter, Indian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1954)
  • 1897 – Memphis Minnie, American singer-songwriter (d. 1973)
  • 1899 – Georg von Békésy, Hungarian-American biophysicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1972)
  • 1900 – Adelaide Ames, American astronomer and academic (d. 1932)
  • 1900 – Leo Picard, German-Israeli geologist and academic (d. 1997)
  • 1901 – Maurice Evans, English actor (d. 1989)
  • 1901 – Zhang Xueliang, Chinese general and warlord (d. 2001)
  • 1903 – Eddie Acuff, American actor (d. 1956)
  • 1904 – Charles R. Drew, American physician and surgeon (d. 1950)
  • 1904 – Jan Peerce, American tenor and actor (d. 1984)
  • 1905 – Martin Gottfried Weiss, German SS officer (d. 1946)
  • 1906 – R. G. D. Allen, English economist, mathematician, and statistician (d. 1983)
  • 1906 – Josephine Baker, French actress, singer, and dancer; French Resistance operative (d. 1975)
  • 1906 – Walter Robins, English cricketer and footballer (d. 1968)
  • 1907 – Paul Rotha, English director and producer (d. 1984)
  • 1910 – Paulette Goddard, American actress and model (d. 1990)
  • 1911 – Ellen Corby, American actress and screenwriter (d. 1999)
  • 1913 – Pedro Mir, Dominican poet and author (d. 2000)
  • 1914 – Ignacio Ponseti, Spanish physician and orthopedist (d. 2009)
  • 1917 – Leo Gorcey, American actor (d. 1969)
  • 1918 – Patrick Cargill, English actor and producer (d. 1996)
  • 1918 – Lili St. Cyr, American dancer (d. 1999)
  • 1921 – Forbes Carlile, Australian pentathlete and coach (d. 2016)
  • 1921 – Jean Dréjac, French singer and composer (d. 2003)
  • 1922 – Alain Resnais, French director, cinematographer, and screenwriter (d. 2014)
  • 1923 – Igor Shafarevich, Russian mathematician and theorist (d. 2017)
  • 1924 – Karunanidhi, Indian screenwriter and politician, 3rd Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu (d. 2018)
  • 1924 – Colleen Dewhurst, Canadian-American actress (d. 1991)
  • 1924 – Bernard Glasser, American director and producer (d. 2014)
  • 1924 – Jimmy Rogers, American singer and guitarist (d. 1997)
  • 1924 – Torsten Wiesel, Swedish neurophysiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1925 – Tony Curtis, American actor (d. 2010)
  • 1925 – Thomas Winning, Scottish cardinal (d. 2001)
  • 1926 – Allen Ginsberg, American poet (d. 1997)
  • 1926 – Flora MacDonald, Canadian banker and politician, 10th Canadian Minister of Communications (d. 2015)
  • 1927 – Boots Randolph, American saxophonist and composer (d. 2007)
  • 1928 – Donald Judd, American sculptor and painter (d. 1994)
  • 1928 – John Richard Reid, New Zealand cricketer
  • 1929 – Werner Arber, Swiss microbiologist and geneticist, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1929 – Chuck Barris, American game show host and producer (d. 2017)
  • 1930 – Marion Zimmer Bradley, American author and poet (d. 1999)
  • 1930 – George Fernandes, Indian journalist and politician, Minister of Defence for India (d. 2019)
  • 1930 – Dakota Staton, American singer (d. 2007)
  • 1930 – Abbas Zandi, Iranian wrestler (d. 2017)
  • 1930 – Ben Wada, Japanese director and producer (d. 2011)
  • 1930 – Joe Coulombe, founder of Trader Joe’s (d. 2020)
  • 1931 – Françoise Arnoul, Algerian-French actress
  • 1931 – Raúl Castro, Cuban commander and politician, 18th President of Cuba
  • 1931 – John Norman, American philosopher and author
  • 1931 – Lindy Remigino, American runner and coach (d. 2018)
  • 1933 – Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Bahranian king (d. 1999)
  • 1936 – Larry McMurtry, American novelist and screenwriter
  • 1936 – Colin Meads, New Zealand rugby player and coach (d. 2017)
  • 1937 – Jean-Pierre Jaussaud, French race car driver
  • 1939 – Frank Blevins, English-Australian lawyer and politician, 7th Deputy Premier of South Australia (d. 2013)
  • 1939 – Steve Dalkowski, American baseball player (d. 2020)
  • 1939 – Ian Hunter, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1942 – Curtis Mayfield, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 1999)
  • 1943 – Billy Cunningham, American basketball player and coach
  • 1944 – Thomas Burns, British bishop
  • 1944 – Edith McGuire, American sprinter and educator
  • 1944 – Eddy Ottoz, Italian hurdler and coach
  • 1945 – Hale Irwin, American golfer and architect
  • 1945 – Ramon Jacinto, Filipino singer, guitarist, and businessman, founded the Rajah Broadcasting Network
  • 1945 – Bill Paterson, Scottish actor
  • 1946 – Michael Clarke, American drummer (d. 1993)
  • 1946 – Eddie Holman, American pop/R&B/gospel singer
  • 1946 – Penelope Wilton, English actress
  • 1947 – John Dykstra, American special effects artist and producer
  • 1947 – Mickey Finn, English drummer (d. 2003)
  • 1948 – Jan Reker, Dutch footballer and manager
  • 1950 – Frédéric François, Belgian-Italian singer-songwriter
  • 1950 – Melissa Mathison, American screenwriter and producer (d. 2015)
  • 1950 – Juan José Muñoz, Argentinian businessman (d. 2013)
  • 1950 – Larry Probst, American businessman
  • 1950 – Suzi Quatro, American-English singer-songwriter, bass player, producer, and actress
  • 1950 – Christos Verelis, Greek politician, Greek Minister of Transport and Communications
  • 1950 – Deniece Williams, American singer-songwriter
  • 1952 – Billy Powell, American keyboard player and songwriter (d. 2009)
  • 1952 – David Richards, Welsh entrepreneur and businessman
  • 1954 – Dan Hill, Canadian singer-songwriter
  • 1954 – Susan Landau, American mathematician and engineer
  • 1956 – George Burley, Scottish footballer and manager
  • 1956 – Danny Wilde, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1957 – Horst-Ulrich Hänel, German field hockey player
  • 1959 – Imbi Paju, Estonian-Finnish journalist and author
  • 1960 – Catherine Davani, first female Papua New Guinean judge (d. 2016)
  • 1960 – Tracy Grimshaw, Australian television host
  • 1960 – Carl Rackemann, Australian cricketer and sportscaster
  • 1961 – Lawrence Lessig, American lawyer, academic, and author, founded the Creative Commons
  • 1961 – Peter Vidmar, American gymnast
  • 1961 – Ed Wynne, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer
  • 1962 – Susannah Constantine, English fashion designer, journalist, and author
  • 1962 – Dagmar Neubauer, German sprinter
  • 1963 – Rudy Demotte, Belgian politician, 8th Minister-President of the Walloon Region
  • 1963 – Toshiaki Karasawa, Japanese actor
  • 1964 – André Bellavance, Canadian politician
  • 1964 – Kerry King, American guitarist and songwriter
  • 1964 – James Purefoy, English actor
  • 1965 – Hans Kroes, Dutch swimmer
  • 1965 – Michael Moore, British accountant and politician, Secretary of State for Scotland
  • 1966 – Wasim Akram, Pakistani cricketer, coach, and sportscaster
  • 1967 – Anderson Cooper, American journalist and author
  • 1967 – Tamás Darnyi, Hungarian swimmer
  • 1969 – Takako Minekawa, Japanese singer-songwriter
  • 1969 – Dean Pay, Australian rugby league player and coach
  • 1971 – Luigi Di Biagio, Italian footballer and manager
  • 1971 – Mary Grigson, Australian cross-country mountain biker
  • 1972 – Julie Gayet, French actress
  • 1974 – Kelly Jones, Welsh singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1974 – Serhiy Rebrov, Ukrainian international footballer and manager
  • 1975 – Jose Molina, Puerto Rican-American baseball player
  • 1976 – Nikos Chatzis, Greek basketball player
  • 1976 – Jamie McMurray, American race car driver
  • 1977 – Cris, Brazilian footballer
  • 1978 – Lyfe Jennings, American singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1979 – Luis Fernando López, Colombian race walker
  • 1979 – Christian Malcolm, Welsh sprinter
  • 1980 – Amauri, Brazilian-Italian footballer
  • 1981 – Sosene Anesi, New Zealand rugby player
  • 1982 – Yelena Isinbayeva, Russian pole vaulter
  • 1982 – Manfred Mölgg, Italian skier
  • 1983 – Pasquale Foggia, Italian footballer
  • 1984 – Todd Reid, Australian tennis player (d. 2018)
  • 1985 – Papiss Cissé, Senegalese footballer
  • 1985 – Łukasz Piszczek, Polish footballer
  • 1986 – Al Horford, Dominican basketball player
  • 1986 – Micah Kogo, Kenyan runner
  • 1986 – Rafael Nadal, Spanish tennis player
  • 1986 – Adrián Vallés, Spanish race car driver
  • 1986 – Tomáš Verner, Czech ice skater
  • 1987 – Masami Nagasawa, Japanese actress
  • 1989 – Katie Hoff, American swimmer
  • 1991 – Lukasz Teodorczyk, Polish footballer
  • 1991 – Sami Vatanen, Finnish ice hockey defenceman
  • 1991 – Yordano Ventura, Dominican baseball player (d. 2017)
  • 1992 – Mario Götze, German footballer

Deaths on June 3

  • 628 – Liang Shidu, Chinese rebel leader
  • 800 – Staurakios, Byzantine general
  • 1052 – Prince Guaimar IV of Salerno
  • 1395 – Ivan Shishman of Bulgaria (b. 1350)
  • 1397 – William de Montagu, 2nd Earl of Salisbury, English commander (b. 1328)
  • 1411 – Leopold IV, Duke of Austria (b. 1371)
  • 1453 – Loukas Notaras, last megas doux of the Byzantine Empire
  • 1511 – Ahmad ibn Abi Jum’ah, Islamic scholar, author of the Oran fatwa
  • 1548 – Juan de Zumárraga, Spanish-Mexican archbishop (b. 1468)
  • 1553 – Wolf Huber, Austrian painter, printmaker and architect (b. 1485)
  • 1594 – John Aylmer, English bishop and scholar (b. 1521)
  • 1605 – Jan Zamoyski, Polish nobleman (b. 1542)
  • 1615 – Sanada Yukimura, Japanese samurai (b. 1567)
  • 1640 – Theophilus Howard, 2nd Earl of Suffolk, English politician, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports (b. 1584)
  • 1649 – Manuel de Faria e Sousa, Portuguese historian and poet (b. 1590)
  • 1657 – William Harvey, English physician and academic (b. 1578)
  • 1659 – Morgan Llwyd, Welsh minister and poet (b. 1619)
  • 1665 – Charles Weston, 3rd Earl of Portland, English noble (b. 1639)
  • 1780 – Thomas Hutchinson, American businessman and politician, Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay (b. 1711)
  • 1826 – Nikolay Karamzin, Russian historian and poet (b. 1766)
  • 1858 – Julius Reubke, German pianist and composer (b. 1834)
  • 1861 – Stephen A. Douglas, American lawyer and politician, 7th Secretary of State of Illinois (b. 1813)
  • 1865 – Okada Izō, Japanese samurai (b. 1838)
  • 1875 – Georges Bizet, French pianist and composer (b. 1838)
  • 1877 – Ludwig Ritter von Köchel, Austrian botanist, composer, and publisher (b. 1800)
  • 1882 – Christian Wilberg, German painter and illustrator (b. 1839)
  • 1894 – Karl Eduard Zachariae von Lingenthal, German lawyer and jurist (b. 1812)
  • 1899 – Johann Strauss II, Austrian composer and educator (b. 1825)
  • 1900 – Mary Kingsley, English explorer and author (b. 1862)
  • 1902 – Vital-Justin Grandin, French-Canadian bishop and missionary (b. 1829)
  • 1906 – John Maxwell, American golfer (b. 1871)
  • 1921 – Coenraad Hiebendaal, Dutch rower and physician (b. 1879)
  • 1924 – Franz Kafka, Czech-Austrian lawyer and author (b. 1883)
  • 1928 – Li Yuanhong, Chinese general and politician, 2nd President of the Republic of China (b. 1864)
  • 1933 – William Muldoon, American wrestler (b. 1852)
  • 1938 – John Flanagan, Irish-American hammer thrower and tug of war competitor (b. 1873)
  • 1946 – Mikhail Kalinin, Russian civil servant and politician (b. 1875)
  • 1963 – Edmond Decottignies, French weightlifter (b. 1893)
  • 1963 – Pope John XXIII (b. 1881)
  • 1963 – Nâzım Hikmet Ran, Turkish poet, author, and playwright (b. 1902)
  • 1964 – Kâzım Orbay, Turkish general and politician, 9th Turkish Speaker of the Parliament (b. 1887)
  • 1964 – Frans Eemil Sillanpää, Finnish author and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1888)
  • 1969 – George Edwin Cooke, American soccer player (b. 1883)
  • 1970 – Hjalmar Schacht, Danish-German economist, banker, and politician (b. 1877)
  • 1971 – Heinz Hopf, German-Swiss mathematician and academic (b. 1894)
  • 1973 – Jean Batmale, French footballer and manager (b. 1895)
  • 1975 – Ozzie Nelson, American actor and bandleader (b. 1906)
  • 1975 – Eisaku Satō, Japanese lawyer and politician, 39th Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1901)
  • 1977 – Archibald Hill, English physiologist and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1886)
  • 1977 – Roberto Rossellini, Italian director and screenwriter (b. 1906)
  • 1981 – Carleton S. Coon, American anthropologist and academic (b. 1904)
  • 1986 – Anna Neagle, English actress and singer (b. 1904)
  • 1987 – Will Sampson, American actor and painter (b. 1933)
  • 1989 – Ruhollah Khomeini, Iranian religious leader and politician, 1st Supreme Leader of Iran (b. 1902)
  • 1990 – Robert Noyce, American physicist and businessman, co-founded the Intel Corporation (b. 1927)
  • 1991 – Brian Bevan, Australian rugby league player (b. 1924)
  • 1991 – Katia Krafft, French volcanologist and geologist (b. 1942)
  • 1991 – Maurice Krafft, French volcanologist and geologist (b. 1946)
  • 1991 – Lê Văn Thiêm, Vietnamese mathematician and academic (b. 1918)
  • 1992 – Robert Morley, English actor and screenwriter (b. 1908)
  • 1994 – Puig Aubert, German-French rugby player and coach (b. 1925)
  • 1997 – Dennis James, American actor and game show host (b. 1917)
  • 2001 – Anthony Quinn, Mexican-American actor and producer (b. 1915)
  • 2002 – Lew Wasserman, American talent agent and manager (b. 1913)
  • 2003 – Felix de Weldon, Austrian-American sculptor, designed the Marine Corps War Memorial (b. 1907)
  • 2005 – Harold Cardinal, Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1945)
  • 2009 – David Carradine, American actor (b. 1936)
  • 2009 – Koko Taylor, American singer (b. 1928)
  • 2010 – John Hedgecoe, English photographer and author (b. 1932)
  • 2010 – Rue McClanahan, American actress (b. 1934)
  • 2011 – James Arness, American actor and producer (b. 1923)
  • 2011 – Andrew Gold, American singer, songwriter, musician and arranger (b. 1951)
  • 2011 – Bhajan Lal, Indian politician, 6th Chief Minister of Haryana (b. 1930)
  • 2011 – Jack Kevorkian, American pathologist, author, and activist (b. 1928)
  • 2011 – Jan van Roessel, Dutch footballer (b. 1925)
  • 2012 – Carol Ann Abrams, American producer, author, and academic (b. 1942)
  • 2012 – Rajsoomer Lallah, Mauritian lawyer and judge (b. 1933)
  • 2012 – Roy Salvadori, English race car driver and manager (b. 1922)
  • 2012 – Brian Talboys, New Zealand journalist and politician, 7th Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1921)
  • 2013 – Atul Chitnis, German-Indian technologist and journalist (b. 1962)
  • 2013 – Józef Czyrek, Polish economist and politician, Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1928)
  • 2013 – Frank Lautenberg, American soldier and politician (b. 1924)
  • 2014 – Svyatoslav Belza, Russian journalist, author, and critic (b. 1942)
  • 2014 – Gopinath Munde, Indian politician, 3rd Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra (b. 1949)
  • 2015 – Avi Beker, Israeli political scientist and academic (b. 1951)
  • 2016 – Muhammad Ali, American boxer (b. 1942)

Holidays and observances on June 3

  • Christian feast day:
    • Charles Lwanga and Companions (Roman Catholic Church), and its related observances:
      • Martyrs’ Day (Uganda)
    • Clotilde
    • Kevin of Glendalough
    • Ovidius
    • Vladimirskaya (Russian Orthodox)
    • June 3 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Confederate Memorial Day (Kentucky, Louisiana, and Tennessee, United States)
  • Economist day (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
  • Mabo Day (Australia)
  • Opium Suppression Movement Day (Taiwan)
  • World Bicycle Day

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

On This Day

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

  • 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)

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

On This Day

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

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

Births on May 27

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

Deaths on May 27

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

Holidays and observances on May 27

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

May 27 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

May 20 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

  • 325 – The First Council of Nicaea is formally opened, starting the first ecumenical council of the Christian Church.
  • 491 – Empress Ariadne marries Anastasius I. The widowed Augusta is able to choose her successor for the Byzantine throne, after Zeno (late emperor) dies of dysentery.
  • 685 – The Battle of Dun Nechtain is fought between a Pictish army under King Bridei III and the invading Northumbrians under King Ecgfrith, who are decisively defeated.
  • 794 – While visiting the royal Mercian court at Sutton Walls with a view to marrying princess Ælfthryth, King Æthelberht II of East Anglia is taken captive and beheaded.
  • 1217 – The Second Battle of Lincoln is fought near Lincoln, England, resulting in the defeat of Prince Louis of France by William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke.
  • 1293 – King Sancho IV of Castile creates the Estudio de Escuelas de Generales in Alcalá de Henares.
  • 1449 – The Battle of Alfarrobeira is fought, establishing the House of Braganza as a principal royal family of Portugal.
  • 1497 – John Cabot sets sail from Bristol, England, on his ship Matthew looking for a route to the west (other documents give a May 2 date).
  • 1498 – Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama discovers the sea route to India when he arrives at Kozhikode (previously known as Calicut), India.
  • 1521 – Ignatius of Loyola is seriously wounded in the Battle of Pampeluna.
  • 1570 – Cartographer Abraham Ortelius issues Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, the first modern atlas.
  • 1609 – Shakespeare’s sonnets are first published in London, perhaps illicitly, by the publisher Thomas Thorpe.
  • 1631 – The city of Magdeburg in Germany is seized by forces of the Holy Roman Empire and most of its inhabitants massacred, in one of the bloodiest incidents of the Thirty Years’ War.
  • 1645 – Yangzhou massacre: The ten day massacre of 800,000 residents of the city of Yangzhou, part of the Transition from Ming to Qing.
  • 1741 – The Battle of Cartagena de Indias ends in a Spanish victory and the British begin withdrawal towards Jamaica with substantial losses.
  • 1775 – The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence is allegedly signed in Charlotte, North Carolina.
  • 1802 – By the Law of 20 May 1802, Napoleon Bonaparte reinstates slavery in the French colonies, revoking its abolition in the French Revolution.
  • 1813 – Napoleon Bonaparte leads his French troops into the Battle of Bautzen in Saxony, Germany, against the combined armies of Russia and Prussia. The battle ends the next day with a French victory.
  • 1840 – York Minster is badly damaged by fire.
  • 1861 – American Civil War: The state of Kentucky proclaims its neutrality, which will last until September 3 when Confederate forces enter the state. Meanwhile, the State of North Carolina secedes from the Union.
  • 1862 – U.S. President Abraham Lincoln signs the Homestead Act into law, opening 84 million acres of public land to settlers.
  • 1864 – American Civil War: Battle of Ware Bottom Church: In the Virginia Bermuda Hundred campaign, 10,000 troops fight in this Confederate victory.
  • 1873 – Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis receive a U.S. patent for blue jeans with copper rivets.
  • 1875 – Signing of the Metre Convention by 17 nations leading to the establishment of the International System of Units.
  • 1882 – The Triple Alliance between the German Empire, Austria-Hungary and the Kingdom of Italy is formed.
  • 1883 – Krakatoa begins to erupt; the volcano explodes three months later, killing more than 36,000 people.
  • 1891 – History of cinema: The first public display of Thomas Edison’s prototype kinetoscope.
  • 1902 – Cuba gains independence from the United States. Tomás Estrada Palma becomes the country’s first President.
  • 1927 – Treaty of Jeddah: The United Kingdom recognizes the sovereignty of King Ibn Saud in the Kingdoms of Hejaz and Nejd, which later merge to become the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
  • 1932 – Amelia Earhart takes off from Newfoundland to begin the world’s first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean by a female pilot, landing in Ireland the next day.
  • 1940 – The Holocaust: The first prisoners arrive at a new concentration camp at Auschwitz.
  • 1941 – World War II: Battle of Crete: German paratroops invade Crete.
  • 1948 – Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek wins the 1948 Republic of China presidential election and is sworn in as the first President of the Republic of China at Nanjing.
  • 1949 – In the United States, the Armed Forces Security Agency, the predecessor to the National Security Agency, is established.
  • 1956 – In Operation Redwing, the first United States airborne hydrogen bomb is dropped over Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean.
  • 1964 – Discovery of the cosmic microwave background radiation by Robert Woodrow Wilson and Arno Penzias.
  • 1967 – The Popular Movement of the Revolution political party is established in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
  • 1969 – The Battle of Hamburger Hill in Vietnam ends.
  • 1971 – In the Chuknagar massacre, Pakistani forces massacre thousands, mostly Bengali Hindus.
  • 1980 – In a referendum in Quebec, the population rejects, by 60% of the vote, a government proposal to move towards independence from Canada.
  • 1983 – First publications of the discovery of the HIV virus that causes AIDS in the journal Science by Luc Montagnier.
  • 1983 – Church Street bombing: A car bomb planted by Umkhonto we Sizwe explodes on Church Street in South Africa’s capital, Pretoria, killing 19 people and injuring 217 others.
  • 1985 – Radio Martí, part of the Voice of America service, begins broadcasting to Cuba.
  • 1989 – The Chinese authorities declare martial law in the face of pro-democracy demonstrations, setting the scene for the Tiananmen Square massacre.
  • 1990 – The first post-Communist presidential and parliamentary elections are held in Romania.
  • 1996 – Civil rights: The Supreme Court of the United States rules in Romer v. Evans against a law that would have prevented any city, town or county in the state of Colorado from taking any legislative, executive, or judicial action to protect the rights of gays and lesbians.
  • 2002 – The independence of East Timor is recognized by Portugal, formally ending 23 years of Indonesian rule and three years of provisional UN administration (Portugal itself is the former colonizer of East Timor until 1976).
  • 2012 – At least 27 people are killed and 50 others injured when a 6.0-magnitude earthquake strikes northern Italy.
  • 2013 – An EF5 tornado strikes the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore, killing 24 people and injuring 377 others.
  • 2019 – The International System of Units (SI): The base units are redefined, making the international prototype of the kilogram obsolete.

Births on May 20

  • 1315 – Bonne of Luxembourg, first wife of John II of France (d. 1349)
  • 1470 – Pietro Bembo, Italian cardinal, poet, and scholar (d. 1547)
  • 1505 – Levinus Lemnius, Dutch writer (d. 1568)
  • 1531 – Thado Minsaw of Ava, Viceroy of Ava (d. 1584)
  • 1537 – Hieronymus Fabricius, Italian anatomist (d. 1619)
  • 1575 – Robert Heath, English judge and politician (d. 1649)
  • 1664 – Andreas Schlüter, German sculptor and architect (d. 1714)
  • 1726 – Francis Cotes, English painter and academic (d. 1770)
  • 1743 – Toussaint Louverture, Haitian revolutionary, general, and president (d. 1803)
  • 1759 – William Thornton, Virgin Islander-American architect, designed the United States Capitol (d. 1828)
  • 1769 – Andreas Vokos Miaoulis, Greek admiral and politician (d. 1835)
  • 1772 – Sir William Congreve, 2nd Baronet, English inventor and politician, developed Congreve rockets (d. 1828)
  • 1776 – Simon Fraser, American-Canadian fur trader and explorer (d. 1862)
  • 1795 – Pedro María de Anaya, Mexican soldier. President (1847-1848) (d. 1854)
  • 1799 – Honoré de Balzac, French novelist and playwright (d. 1850)
  • 1806 – John Stuart Mill, English economist, civil servant, and philosopher (d. 1873)
  • 1811 – Alfred Domett, English-New Zealand poet and politician, 4th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1887)
  • 1818 – William Fargo, American businessman and politician, co-founded Wells Fargo and American Express (d. 1881)
  • 1822 – Frédéric Passy, French economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1912)
  • 1824 – Cadmus M. Wilcox, Confederate States Army general (d. 1890)
  • 1825 – Antoinette Brown Blackwell, the first woman to be ordained as a mainstream Protestant minister in the U.S. (d. 1921)
  • 1830 – Hector Malot, French author (d. 1907)
  • 1838 – Jules Méline, French lawyer and politician, 65th Prime Minister of France (d. 1925)
  • 1851 – Emile Berliner, German-American inventor, invented the Gramophone record (d. 1929)
  • 1854 – George Prendergast, Australian politician, 28th Premier of Victoria (d. 1937)
  • 1856 – Henri-Edmond Cross, French Neo-Impressionist painter (d. 1910)
  • 1860 – Eduard Buchner, German chemist, zymologist, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1917)
  • 1875 – Hendrik Offerhaus, Dutch rower (d. 1953)
  • 1877 – Pat Leahy, Irish-American jumper (d. 1927)
  • 1879 – Hans Meerwein, German chemist (d. 1965)
  • 1882 – Sigrid Undset, Danish-Norwegian novelist, essayist, and translator, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1949)
  • 1883 – Faisal I of Iraq (d. 1933)
  • 1886 – Ali Sami Yen, Turkish footballer and manager, founded the Galatasaray Sports Club (d. 1951)
  • 1894 – Chandrashekarendra Saraswati, Indian guru and scholar (d. 1994)
  • 1895 – R. J. Mitchell, English engineer, designed the Supermarine Spitfire and Supermarine S.6B (d. 1937)
  • 1897 – Diego Abad de Santillán, Spanish economist and author (d. 1983)
  • 1897 – Malcolm Nokes, English hammer and discus thrower (d. 1986)
  • 1898 – Eduard Ole, Estonian painter (d. 1995)
  • 1899 – Aleksandr Deyneka, Russian painter and sculptor (d. 1969)
  • 1899 – John Marshall Harlan II, American lawyer and jurist (d. 1971)
  • 1900 – Sumitranandan Pant, Indian poet and author (d. 1977)
  • 1901 – Max Euwe, Dutch chess player, mathematician, and author (d. 1981)
  • 1901 – Doris Fleeson, American journalist (d. 1970)
  • 1904 – Margery Allingham, English author of detective fiction (d. 1966)
  • 1906 – Giuseppe Siri, Italian cardinal (d. 1989)
  • 1907 – Carl Mydans, American photographer and journalist (d. 2004)
  • 1908 – Henry Bolte, Australian politician, 38th Premier of Victoria (d. 1990)
  • 1908 – Louis Daquin, French actor and director (d. 1980)
  • 1908 – Francis Raymond Fosberg, American botanist and author (d. 1993)
  • 1908 – James Stewart, American actor (d. 1997)
  • 1911 – Gardner Fox, American author (d. 1986)
  • 1911 – Annie M. G. Schmidt, Dutch author and playwright (d. 1995)
  • 1913 – Teodoro Fernández, Peruvian footballer (d. 1996)
  • 1913 – William Redington Hewlett, American engineer, co-founded Hewlett-Packard (d. 2001)
  • 1915 – Peter Copley, English actor (d. 2008)
  • 1915 – Moshe Dayan, Israeli general and politician, 5th Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 1981)
  • 1915 – Joff Ellen, Australian comedian and actor (d. 1999)
  • 1916 – Owen Chadwick, English rugby player, historian, and academic (d. 2015)
  • 1916 – Alexey Maresyev, Russian soldier and pilot (d. 2001)
  • 1916 – Ondina Valla, Italian sprinter and hurdler (d. 2006)
  • 1917 – Tony Cliff, Israeli-English author and activist (d. 2000)
  • 1917 – Guy Favreau, Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician, 28th Canadian Minister of Justice (d. 1967)
  • 1918 – Alexandra Boyko, Russian tank commander (d. 1996)
  • 1918 – Edward B. Lewis, American biologist, geneticist, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2004)
  • 1919 – George Gobel, American comedian (d. 1991)
  • 1920 – John Cruickshank, Scottish lieutenant and banker, Victoria Cross recipient
  • 1921 – Wolfgang Borchert, German author and playwright (d. 1947)
  • 1921 – Hal Newhouser, American baseball player and scout (d. 1998)
  • 1921 – Hao Wang, Chinese-American logician, philosopher, and mathematician (d. 1995)
  • 1922 – Ted Hinton, Northern Irish international footballer (d. 1988)
  • 1923 – Edith Fellows, American actress (d. 2011)
  • 1923 – Sam Selvon, Trinidad-born writer (d. 1994)
  • 1924 – David Chavchavadze, English-American CIA officer and author (d. 2014)
  • 1924 – Zelmar Michelini, Uruguayan journalist and politician (d. 1976)
  • 1925 – Alexei Tupolev, Russian engineer, designed the Tupolev Tu-144 (d. 2001)
  • 1926 – Bob Sweikert, American race car driver (d. 1956)
  • 1927 – Bud Grant, American football player and coach
  • 1927 – David Hedison, American actor (d. 2019)
  • 1927 – Franciszek Macharski, Polish cardinal (d. 2016)
  • 1929 – Gilles Loiselle, Canadian politician and diplomat, 33rd Canadian Minister of Finance
  • 1930 – Sam Etcheverry, American football player and coach (d. 2009)
  • 1931 – Ken Boyer, American baseball player and manager (d. 1982)
  • 1931 – Louis Smith, American trumpeter (d. 2016)
  • 1933 – Constance Towers, American actress and singer
  • 1935 – José Mujica, Uruguayan guerrilla leader and politician, 40th President of Uruguay
  • 1936 – Anthony Zerbe, American actor
  • 1937 – Dave Hill, American golfer (d. 2011)
  • 1937 – Derek Lampe, English footballer
  • 1939 – Balu Mahendra, Sri Lankan-Indian director, cinematographer, and screenwriter (d. 2014)
  • 1940 – Shorty Long, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 1969)
  • 1940 – Stan Mikita, Slovak-Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster (d. 2018)
  • 1940 – Sadaharu Oh, Japanese-Taiwanese baseball player and manager
  • 1941 – Goh Chok Tong, Singaporean politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Singapore
  • 1941 – John Strasberg, American actor and teacher
  • 1942 – Raymond Chrétien, Canadian lawyer and diplomat, Canadian Ambassador to the United States
  • 1942 – Lynn Davies, Welsh sprinter and long jumper
  • 1942 – Carlos Hathcock, American sergeant and sniper (d. 1999)
  • 1942 – Frew McMillan, South African tennis player
  • 1943 – Albano Carrisi, Italian singer, actor, and winemaker
  • 1943 – Deryck Murray, Trinidadian cricketer
  • 1944 – Joe Cocker, English singer-songwriter (d. 2014)
  • 1944 – Boudewijn de Groot, Indonesian-Dutch singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1944 – Keith Fletcher, English cricketer and manager
  • 1944 – Dietrich Mateschitz, Austrian businessman, co-founded Red Bull GmbH
  • 1945 – Vladimiro Montesinos, Peruvian intelligence officer
  • 1946 – Cher, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
  • 1946 – Bobby Murcer, American baseball player, coach, manager, and sportscaster (d. 2008)
  • 1947 – Steve Currie, English bass player (d. 1981)
  • 1947 – Greg Dyke, English journalist and academic
  • 1949 – Robert Morin, Canadian director, cinematographer, and screenwriter
  • 1949 – Michèle Roberts, English author and poet
  • 1949 – Dave Thomas, Canadian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1950 – Andy Johns, English-American engineer and producer (d. 2013)
  • 1950 – Reinaldo Merlo, Argentinian footballer and coach
  • 1951 – Thomas Akers, American colonel, engineer, and astronaut
  • 1951 – Christie Blatchford, Canadian newspaper columnist, journalist and broadcaster (d. 2020)
  • 1951 – Mike Crapo, American lawyer and politician
  • 1952 – Roger Milla, Cameroonian footballer and manager
  • 1952 – Michael Wills, English politician, British Minister of Justice
  • 1953 – Robert Doyle, Australian educator and politician, 103rd Lord Mayor of Melbourne
  • 1954 – David Paterson, American lawyer and politician, 55th Governor of New York
  • 1954 – Colin Sutherland, Lord Carloway, Scottish lawyer and judge
  • 1955 – Steve George, American keyboard player and songwriter
  • 1955 – Zbigniew Preisner, Polish composer and producer
  • 1956 – Ingvar Ambjørnsen, Norwegian-German author and critic
  • 1956 – Gerry Peyton, English born Irish international footballer and coach
  • 1956 – Douglas Preston, American journalist and author
  • 1957 – Yoshihiko Noda, Japanese lawyer and politician, 62nd Prime Minister of Japan
  • 1958 – Ron Reagan, American journalist and radio host
  • 1958 – Jane Wiedlin, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress
  • 1959 – Susan Cowsill, American singer-songwriter
  • 1960 – Tony Goldwyn, American actor and director
  • 1961 – Clive Allen, English international footballer and manager
  • 1961 – Nick Heyward, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1963 – David Wells, American baseball player and sportscaster
  • 1964 – Kōichirō Genba, Japanese politician, 80th Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs
  • 1964 – Edin Osmanović, Slovenian footballer, coach, and manager
  • 1964 – Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer, English journalist and author
  • 1965 – Ted Allen, American television host and author
  • 1965 – Stu Grimson, Canadian ice hockey player, sportscaster, and lawyer
  • 1966 – Dan Abrams, American journalist and author
  • 1967 – Graham Brady, English politician
  • 1967 – Gabriele Muccino, Italian director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1968 – Timothy Olyphant, American actor and producer
  • 1969 – Road Dogg, American wrestler, producer, and soldier
  • 1970 – Terrell Brandon, American basketball player
  • 1970 – Louis Theroux, Singaporean-English journalist and producer
  • 1971 – Šárka Kašpárková, Czech triple jumper and coach
  • 1971 – Tony Stewart, American race car driver
  • 1972 – Michael Diamond, Australian shooter
  • 1972 – Christophe Dominici, French rugby player
  • 1972 – Busta Rhymes, American rapper, producer, and actor
  • 1973 – Nathan Long, Australian rugby league player
  • 1974 – Allison Amend, American novelist and short story writer
  • 1974 – Shiboprosad Mukherjee, Indian film director, writer and actor
  • 1975 – Juan Minujín, Argentinian actor, director, and screenwriter
  • 1976 – Ramón Hernández, Venezuelan-American baseball player
  • 1976 – Tomoya Satozaki, Japanese baseball player
  • 1977 – Matt Czuchry, American actor
  • 1977 – Leo Franco, Argentinian footballer
  • 1977 – Angela Goethals, American actress
  • 1977 – Stirling Mortlock, Australian rugby player
  • 1977 – Vesa Toskala, Finnish ice hockey player
  • 1978 – Hristos Banikas, Greek chess player
  • 1978 – Pavla Hamáčková-Rybová, Czech pole vaulter
  • 1978 – Nils Schumann, German runner
  • 1979 – Andrew Scheer, Canadian politician, 28th Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada
  • 1979 – Jayson Werth, American baseball player
  • 1980 – Austin Kearns, American baseball player
  • 1980 – Kassim Osgood, American football player
  • 1981 – Iker Casillas, Spanish footballer
  • 1981 – Rachel Platten, American singer and songwriter
  • 1981 – Lindsay Taylor, American basketball player
  • 1981 – Mark Winterbottom, Australian race car driver
  • 1982 – Petr Čech, Czech footballer
  • 1982 – Imran Farhat, Pakistani cricketer
  • 1982 – Jessica Raine, English actress
  • 1982 – Daniel Ribeiro, Brazilian director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1983 – Óscar Cardozo, Paraguayan footballer
  • 1983 – Matt Langridge, English rower
  • 1984 – Mauro Rafael da Silva, Brazilian footballer
  • 1984 – Patrick Ewing, Jr., American basketball player
  • 1984 – Keith Grennan, American football player
  • 1985 – Chris Froome, Kenyan-English cyclist
  • 1985 – Brendon Goddard, Australian footballer
  • 1986 – Dexter Blackstock, English footballer
  • 1986 – Stéphane Mbia, Cameroonian footballer
  • 1986 – Jiřina Svobodová, Czech pole vaulter
  • 1987 – Mike Havenaar, Japanese footballer
  • 1987 – Julian Wright, American basketball player
  • 1988 – Joel Moon, Australian rugby league player
  • 1989 – Siosia Vave, Australian-Tongan rugby league player
  • 1991 – Bastian Baker, Swiss singer, songwriter, and performer
  • 1991 – Emre Colak, Turkish footballer
  • 1992 – Cate Campbell, Malawian-Australian swimmer
  • 1992 – Jack Gleeson, Irish actor
  • 1992 – Enes Kanter, Turkish basketball player
  • 1993 – Caroline Zhang, American figure skater
  • 1996 – Brian Kelly, Australian rugby league player
  • 1998 – Jamie Chadwick, English race car driver
  • 1998 – Nam Nguyen, Canadian figure skater

Deaths on May 20

  • 685 – Ecgfrith of Northumbria (b. 645)
  • 794 – Æthelberht II, king of East Anglia
  • 965 – Gero the Great, Saxon ruler (b.c. 900)
  • 1062 – Bao Zheng, Chinese magistrate and mayor of Kaifeng (b. 999)
  • 1277 – Pope John XXI (b. 1215)
  • 1285 – John II of Jerusalem (b. 1259)
  • 1291 – Sufi Saint Sayyid Jalaluddin Surkh-Posh Bukhari
  • 1366 – Maria of Calabria, Empress of Constantinople (b. 1329)
  • 1444 – Bernardino of Siena, Italian-Spanish missionary and saint (b. 1380)
  • 1449 – Álvaro Vaz de Almada, 1st Count of Avranches
  • 1449 – Infante Pedro, Duke of Coimbra (b. 1392)
  • 1501 – Columba of Rieti, Italian Dominican tertiary Religious Sister (b. 1467)
  • 1503 – Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de’ Medici, Italian banker and politician (b. 1463)
  • 1506 – Christopher Columbus, Italian explorer, discovered the Americas (b. 1451)
  • 1550 – Ashikaga Yoshiharu, Japanese shōgun (b. 1510)
  • 1579 – Isabella Markham, English courtier (b. 1527)
  • 1622 – Osman II, Ottoman sultan (b. 1604)
  • 1645 – Shi Kefa, Chinese general and calligrapher (b. 1601)
  • 1648 – Władysław IV Vasa, Polish son of Sigismund III Vasa (b. 1595)
  • 1677 – George Digby, 2nd Earl of Bristol, Spanish-English politician, English Secretary of State (b. 1612)
  • 1713 – Thomas Sprat, English bishop (b. 1635)
  • 1717 – John Trevor, Welsh lawyer and politician, 102nd Speaker of the House of Commons (b. 1637)
  • 1722 – Sébastien Vaillant, French botanist and mycologist (b. 1669)
  • 1732 – Thomas Boston, Scottish author and educator (b. 1676)
  • 1782 – William Emerson, English mathematician and academic (b. 1701)
  • 1793 – Charles Bonnet, Swiss botanist and biologist (b. 1720)
  • 1812 – Count Hieronymus von Colloredo, Austrian archbishop (b. 1732)
  • 1834 – Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, French general (b. 1757)
  • 1841 – Joseph Blanco White, Spanish poet and theologian (b. 1775)
  • 1864 – John Clare, English poet (b. 1793)
  • 1873 – George-Étienne Cartier, Canadian soldier, lawyer, and politician, 9th Premier of East Canada (b. 1814)
  • 1880 – Ana Néri, Brazilian nurse and philanthropist (b. 1814)
  • 1896 – Clara Schumann, German pianist and composer (b. 1819)
  • 1909 – Ernest Hogan, American actor and composer (b. 1859)
  • 1917 – Valentine Fleming, Scottish soldier and politician (b. 1887)
  • 1917 – Philipp von Ferrary, Italian stamp collector (b. 1850)
  • 1924 – Bogd Khan, Mongolian ruler (c. 1869)
  • 1925 – Joseph Howard, Maltese politician, 1st Prime Minister of Malta (b. 1862)
  • 1931 – Ernest Noel, Scottish businessman and politician (b. 1831)
  • 1940 – Verner von Heidenstam, Swedish author and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1859)
  • 1942 – Hector Guimard, French Architect (b. 1867)
  • 1946 – Jacob Ellehammer, Danish pilot and engineer (b. 1871)
  • 1947 – Philipp Lenard, Slovak-German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1862)
  • 1947 – Georgios Siantos, Greek sergeant and politician (b. 1890)
  • 1949 – Damaskinos of Athens, Greek archbishop and politician, 137th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1891)
  • 1956 – Max Beerbohm, English essayist, parodist, and caricaturist (b. 1872)
  • 1956 – Zoltán Halmay, Hungarian swimmer and trainer (b. 1881)
  • 1961 – Josef Priller, German colonel and pilot (b. 1915)
  • 1964 – Rudy Lewis, American singer (b. 1936)
  • 1971 – Waldo Williams, Welsh poet and academic (b. 1904)
  • 1973 – Renzo Pasolini, Italian motorcycle racer (b. 1938)
  • 1973 – Jarno Saarinen, Finnish motorcycle racer (b. 1945)
  • 1975 – Barbara Hepworth, English sculptor and lithographer (b. 1903)
  • 1976 – Syd Howe, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1911)
  • 1976 – Zelmar Michelini, Uruguayan journalist and politician (b. 1924)
  • 1976 – Héctor Gutiérrez Ruiz, Uruguayan politician (b. 1934)
  • 1989 – John Hicks, English economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1904)
  • 1989 – Gilda Radner, American actress and comedian (b. 1946)
  • 1995 – Les Cowie, Australian rugby league player (b. 1925)
  • 1996 – Jon Pertwee, English actor, portrayed the Third Doctor (b. 1919)
  • 1998 – Robert Normann, Norwegian guitarist (b. 1916)
  • 2000 – Jean-Pierre Rampal, French flute player (b. 1922)
  • 2000 – Malik Sealy, American basketball player and actor (b. 1970)
  • 2000 – Yevgeny Khrunov, Russian colonel, engineer, and astronaut (b. 1933)
  • 2001 – Renato Carosone, Italian singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1920)
  • 2002 – Stephen Jay Gould, American paleontologist, biologist, and academic (b. 1941)
  • 2005 – Paul Ricœur, French philosopher and academic (b. 1913)
  • 2005 – William Seawell, American general (b. 1918)
  • 2007 – Norman Von Nida, Australian golfer (b. 1914)
  • 2008 – Hamilton Jordan, American politician, 8th White House Chief of Staff (b. 1944)
  • 2009 – Arthur Erickson, Canadian architect and urban planner, designed Roy Thomson Hall (b. 1924)
  • 2009 – Lucy Gordon, American actress and model (b. 1980)
  • 2009 – Pierre Gamarra, French author, poet, and critic (b. 1919)
  • 2011 – Randy Savage, American wrestler and actor (b. 1952)
  • 2012 – Leela Dube, Indian anthropologist and scholar (b. 1923)
  • 2012 – Robin Gibb, Manx-English singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1949)
  • 2012 – David Littman, English-Swiss historian, author, and academic (b. 1933)
  • 2012 – Ken Lyons, American bass guitarist (b. 1953)
  • 2012 – Eugene Polley, American engineer, invented the remote control (b. 1915)
  • 2012 – Andrew B. Steinberg, American lawyer (b. 1958)
  • 2013 – Flavio Costantini, Italian painter and illustrator (b. 1926)
  • 2013 – Billie Dawe, Canadian ice hockey player and manager (b. 1924)
  • 2013 – Anders Eliasson, Swedish composer (b. 1947)
  • 2013 – Miloslav Kříž, Czech basketball player and coach (b. 1924)
  • 2013 – Ray Manzarek, American singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer (b. 1939)
  • 2013 – Denys Roberts, English judge and politician (b. 1923)
  • 2013 – Zach Sobiech, American singer-songwriter (b. 1995)
  • 2014 – Sandra Bem, American psychologist and academic (b. 1944)
  • 2014 – Ross Brown, New Zealand rugby player (b. 1934)
  • 2014 – Robyn Denny, English-French painter (b. 1930)
  • 2014 – Arthur Gelb, American journalist, author, and critic (b. 1924)
  • 2014 – Prince Rupert Loewenstein, Spanish-English businessman (b. 1933)
  • 2014 – Barbara Murray, English actress (b. 1929)
  • 2015 – Bob Belden, American saxophonist, composer, and producer (b. 1956)
  • 2015 – Femi Robinson, Nigerian actor and playwright (b. 1940)

Holidays and observances on May 20

  • Christian feast day:
    • Abercius and Helena
    • Alcuin of York
    • Aurea of Ostia
    • Austregisilus
    • Baudilus
    • Bernardino of Siena
    • Ivo of Chartres
    • Lucifer of Cagliari
    • Sanctan
    • May 20 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Day of Remembrance (Cambodia)
  • Emancipation Day (Florida)
  • European Maritime Day (European Council)
  • Independence Restoration Day, celebrates the independence of East Timor from Indonesia in 2002.
  • Josephine Baker Day (NAACP)
  • National Awakening Day (Indonesia), and its related observances:
    • Indonesian Doctor Day (Indonesia)
  • National Day (Cameroon)
  • World Bee Day
  • World Metrology Day

May 20 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

May 19 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

  • 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 19 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

May 12 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

  • 254 – Pope Stephen I succeeds Pope Lucius I, becoming the 23rd pope of the Catholic Church.
  • 907 – Zhu Wen forces Emperor Ai into abdicating, ending the Tang dynasty after nearly three hundred years of rule.
  • 1191 – Richard I of England marries Berengaria of Navarre in Cyprus; she is crowned Queen consort of England the same day.
  • 1328 – Antipope Nicholas V, a claimant to the papacy, is consecrated in Rome by the Bishop of Venice.
  • 1364 – Jagiellonian University, the oldest university in Poland, is founded in Kraków.
  • 1510 – The Prince of Anhua rebellion begins when Zhu Zhifan kills all the officials invited to a banquet and declares his intent on ousting the powerful Ming dynasty eunuch Liu Jin during the reign of the Zhengde Emperor.
  • 1551 – National University of San Marcos, the oldest university in the Americas, is founded in Lima, Peru.
  • 1588 – French Wars of Religion: Henry III of France flees Paris after Henry I, Duke of Guise, enters the city and a spontaneous uprising occurs.
  • 1593 – London playwright Thomas Kyd is arrested and tortured by the Privy Council for libel.
  • 1743 – Maria Theresa of Austria is crowned Queen of Bohemia after defeating her rival, Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor.
  • 1778 – Heinrich XI, count of the Principality of Reuss-Greiz, is elevated to Prince by Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor.
  • 1780 – American Revolutionary War: In the largest defeat of the Continental Army, Charleston, South Carolina is taken by British forces.
  • 1797 – War of the First Coalition: Napoleon I of France conquers Venice.
  • 1821 – The first major battle of the Greek War of Independence against the Turks is fought in Valtetsi.
  • 1846 – The Donner Party of pioneers departs Independence, Missouri for California, on what will become a year-long journey of hardship and cannibalism.
  • 1862 – American Civil War: U.S. federal troops occupy Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
  • 1863 – American Civil War: Battle of Raymond: Two divisions of James B. McPherson’s XVII Corps turn the left wing of Confederate General John C. Pemberton’s defensive line on Fourteen Mile Creek, opening up the interior of Mississippi to the Union Army during the Vicksburg Campaign.
  • 1864 – American Civil War: The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House: Union troops assault a Confederate salient known as the “Mule Shoe”, with the fiercest fighting of the war, much of it hand-to-hand combat, occurring at “the Bloody Angle” on the northwest.
  • 1865 – American Civil War: The Battle of Palmito Ranch: The first day of the last major land action to take place during the Civil War, resulting in a Confederate victory.
  • 1870 – The Manitoba Act is given the Royal Assent, paving the way for Manitoba to become a province of Canada on July 15.
  • 1881 – In North Africa, Tunisia becomes a French protectorate.
  • 1885 – North-West Rebellion: The four-day Battle of Batoche, pitting rebel Métis against the Canadian government, comes to an end with a decisive rebel defeat.
  • 1888 – In Southeast Asia, the North Borneo Chartered Company’s territories become the British protectorate of North Borneo.
  • 1926 – The Italian-built airship Norge becomes the first vessel to fly over the North Pole.
  • 1932 – Ten weeks after his abduction, Charles Jr., the infant son of Charles Lindbergh, is found dead near Hopewell, New Jersey, just a few miles from the Lindberghs’ home.
  • 1933 – The Agricultural Adjustment Act, which restricts agricultural production through government purchase of livestock for slaughter and paying subsidies to farmers when they remove land from planting, is signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
  • 1937 – The Duke and Duchess of York are crowned as King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Westminster Abbey.
  • 1941 – Konrad Zuse presents the Z3, the world’s first working programmable, fully automatic computer, in Berlin.
  • 1942 – World War II: Second Battle of Kharkov: In eastern Ukraine, Red Army forces under Marshal Semyon Timoshenko launch a major offensive from the Izium bridgehead, only to be encircled and destroyed by the troops of Army Group South two weeks later.
  • 1942 – World War II: The U.S. tanker SS Virginia is torpedoed in the mouth of the Mississippi River by the German submarine U-507.
  • 1948 – Wilhelmina, Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, cedes the throne.
  • 1949 – Cold War: The Soviet Union lifts its blockade of Berlin.
  • 1965 – The Soviet spacecraft Luna 5 crashes on the Moon.
  • 1968 – Vietnam War: North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces attack Australian troops defending Fire Support Base Coral.
  • 1978 – In Zaire, rebels occupy the city of Kolwezi, the mining center of the province of Shaba (now known as Katanga); the local government asks the US, France and Belgium to restore order.
  • 1981 – Francis Hughes, Provisional IRA hunger striker, dies in the Maze Prison, Northern Ireland.
  • 1982 – During a procession outside the shrine of the Virgin Mary in Fátima, Portugal, security guards overpower Juan María Fernández y Krohn before he can attack Pope John Paul II with a bayonet.
  • 1989 – The San Bernardino train disaster kills four people. A week later an underground gasoline pipeline explodes killing two more people.
  • 1998 – Four students are shot at Trisakti University, leading to widespread riots and the fall of Suharto.
  • 2002 – Former US President Jimmy Carter arrives in Cuba for a five-day visit with Fidel Castro, becoming the first President of the United States, in or out of office, to visit the island since Castro’s 1959 revolution.
  • 2003 – The Riyadh compound bombings, carried out by al-Qaeda, kill 26 people.
  • 2006 – Mass unrest by the Primeiro Comando da Capital begins in São Paulo (Brazil), leaving at least 150 dead.
  • 2006 – Iranian Azeris interpret a cartoon published in an Iranian magazine as insulting, resulting in massive riots throughout the country.
  • 2008 – An earthquake (measuring around 8.0 magnitude) occurs in Sichuan, China, killing over 69,000 people.
  • 2008 – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducts the largest-ever raid of a workplace in Postville, Iowa, arresting nearly 400 immigrants for identity theft and document fraud.
  • 2010 – Afriqiyah Airways Flight 771 crashes on final approach to Tripoli International Airport in Tripoli, Libya, killing 103 out of the 104 people on board.
  • 2015 – A train derailment in Philadelphia kills eight people and injures more than 200.
  • 2015 – Massive Nepal earthquake kills 218 people and injures more than 3500.
  • 2017 – The WannaCry ransomware attack impacts over 400 thousand computers worldwide, targeting computers of the United Kingdom’s National Health Services and Telefónica computers.
  • 2018 – Paris knife attack: A man was fatally shot by police in Paris after killing one and injuring several others.

Births on May 13

1401 – Emperor Shōkō of Japan (d. 1428)

  • 1479 – Pompeo Colonna, Catholic cardinal (d. 1532)
  • 1496 – Gustav I of Sweden (d. 1560)
  • 1590 – Cosimo II de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (d. 1621)
  • 1606 – Joachim von Sandrart, German art-historian and painter (d. 1688)
  • 1622 – Louis de Buade de Frontenac, French-Canadian soldier and politician, 3rd Governor General of New France (d. 1698)
  • 1626 – Louis Hennepin, Flemish priest and missionary (d. 1705)
  • 1670 – Augustus II the Strong, Polish king (d. 1733)
  • 1700 – Luigi Vanvitelli, Italian architect and engineer, designed the Palace of Caserta and Royal Palace of Milan (d. 1773)
  • 1725 – Louis Philippe I, Duke of Orléans (d. 1785)
  • 1739 – Johann Baptist Wanhal, Czech-Austrian organist and composer (d. 1813)
  • 1754 – Franz Anton Hoffmeister, German composer and publisher (d. 1812)
  • 1755 – Giovanni Battista Viotti, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1824)
  • 1767 – Manuel Godoy, Spanish field marshal and politician, Prime Minister of Spain (d. 1851)
  • 1774 – Ellis Cunliffe Lister, English politician (d. 1853)
  • 1777 – Mary Reibey, Australian businesswoman (d. 1855)
  • 1803 – Justus von Liebig, German chemist and academic (d. 1873)
  • 1804 – Robert Baldwin, Canadian lawyer and politician, 3rd Premier of West Canada (d. 1858)
  • 1806 – Johan Vilhelm Snellman, Finnish philosopher and politician (d. 1881)
  • 1812 – Edward Lear, English poet and illustrator (d. 1888)
  • 1814 – Adolf von Henselt, German pianist and composer (d. 1889)
  • 1820 – Florence Nightingale, Italian-English nurse, social reformer, and statistician (d. 1910)
  • 1825 – Orélie-Antoine de Tounens, French lawyer and explorer (d. 1878)
  • 1828 – Dante Gabriel Rossetti, English poet and painter (d. 1882)
  • 1829 – Pavlos Carrer, Greek composer and educator (d. 1896)
  • 1839 – Tôn Thất Thuyết, Vietnamese mandarin (d. 1913)
  • 1840 – Alejandro Gorostiaga, Chilean colonel (d. 1912)
  • 1842 – Jules Massenet, French composer (d. 1912)
  • 1845 – Gabriel Fauré, French pianist, composer, and educator (d. 1924)
  • 1850 – Henry Cabot Lodge, American historian and politician (d. 1924)
  • 1850 – Frederick Holder, Australian politician, 19th Premier of South Australia (d. 1909)
  • 1859 – William Alden Smith, American lawyer and politician (d. 1932)
  • 1859 – Frank Wilson, English-Australian politician, 9th Premier of Western Australia (d. 1918)
  • 1863 – Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury, Bengali writer, painter, violin player and composer, technologist and entrepreneur. (d. 1915)
  • 1867 – Hugh Trumble, Australian cricketer and accountant (d. 1938)
  • 1869 – Carl Schuhmann, German gymnast, wrestler, and weightlifter (d. 1946)
  • 1872 – Anton Korošec, Slovenian priest and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Yugoslavia (d. 1940)
  • 1873 – J. E. H. MacDonald, English-Canadian painter (d. 1932)
  • 1874 – Clemens von Pirquet, Austrian pediatrician and immunologist (d. 1929)
  • 1875 – Charles Holden, English architect, designed the Bristol Central Library (d. 1960)
  • 1880 – Lincoln Ellsworth, American explorer (d. 1951)
  • 1885 – Paltiel Daykan, Lithuanian-Israeli lawyer and jurist (d. 1969)
  • 1885 – Saneatsu Mushanokōji, Japanese author (d. 1976)
  • 1886 – Ernst A. Lehmann, German captain and pilot (d. 1937)
  • 1899 – Abelardo L. Rodríguez, substitute president of Mexico (d. 1967)
  • 1889 – Otto Frank, German-Swiss businessman and Holocaust survivor; father of diarist Anne Frank (d. 1980)
  • 1892 – Fritz Kortner, Austrian-German actor and director (d. 1970)
  • 1895 – William Giauque, Canadian-American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1982)
  • 1895 – Jiddu Krishnamurti, Indian-American philosopher and author (d. 1986)
  • 1900 – Helene Weigel, Austrian-German actress (d. 1971)
  • 1901 – The Duke of Paducah, American country comedian, radio host and banjo player (d. 1986)
  • 1903 – Faith Bennett, British actress and ATA pilot during WWII (d. 1969)
  • 1903 – Wilfrid Hyde-White, English actor (d. 1991)
  • 1905 – Édouard Rinfret, Canadian lawyer and politician, Postmaster General of Canada (d. 1994)
  • 1907 – Leslie Charteris, English author and screenwriter (d. 1993)
  • 1907 – Katharine Hepburn, American actress (d. 2003)
  • 1908 – Nicholas Kaldor, Hungarian-English economist (d. 1986)
  • 1910 – James Dudley, American baseball player, wrestling manager and executive (d. 2004)
  • 1910 – Johan Ferrier, Surinamese educator and politician, 1st President of Suriname (d. 2010)
  • 1910 – Dorothy Hodgkin, English biochemist, crystallographer, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1994)
  • 1910 – Gordon Jenkins, American pianist and composer (d. 1984)
  • 1911 – Charles Biro, American author and illustrator (d. 1972)
  • 1912 – Henry Jonsson, Swedish runner (d. 2001)
  • 1912 – Marshal Royal, American saxophonist and clarinet player (d. 1995)
  • 1914 – Bertus Aafjes, Dutch poet and author (d. 1993)
  • 1914 – Howard K. Smith, American journalist and actor (d. 2002)
  • 1915 – Tony Strobl, American comics artist and animator (d. 1991)
  • 1916 – Albert Murray, American author and critic (d. 2013)
  • 1918 – Mary Kay Ash, American businesswoman, founded Mary Kay Cosmetics (d. 2001)
  • 1918 – Julius Rosenberg, American spy (d. 1953)
  • 1921 – Joseph Beuys, German sculptor and illustrator (d. 1986)
  • 1921 – Farley Mowat, Canadian environmentalist and author (d. 2014)
  • 1922 – Marco Denevi, Argentinian lawyer and author (d. 1998)
  • 1922 – Murray Gershenz, American actor and businessman (d. 2013)
  • 1922 – Bob Goldham, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster (d. 1991)
  • 1922 – Roy Salvadori, English race car driver and manager (d. 2012)
  • 1924 – Maxine Cooper, American actress and photographer (d. 2009)
  • 1924 – Alexander Esenin-Volpin, Russian-American mathematician and poet (d. 2016)
  • 1924 – Tony Hancock, English actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1968)
  • 1925 – Yogi Berra, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 2015)
  • 1926 – Paulette Poujol-Oriol, Hatian educator and writer (d. 2011)
  • 1926 – Viren J. Shah, Indian politician, 21st Governor of West Bengal (d. 2013)
  • 1928 – Burt Bacharach, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer
  • 1929 – Sam Nujoma, Namibian politician, 1st President of Namibia
  • 1929 – Dollard St. Laurent, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2015)
  • 1930 – Jesús Franco, Spanish director and screenwriter (d. 2013)
  • 1932 – Joel Joffe, Baron Joffe, South African-English lawyer and politician (d. 2017)
  • 1933 – Andrei Voznesensky, Russian poet (d. 2010)
  • 1935 – Felipe Alou, Dominican-American baseball player, coach, and manager
  • 1935 – Johnny Bucyk, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
  • 1936 – Guillermo Endara, Panamanian lawyer and politician, 32nd President of Panama (d. 2009)
  • 1936 – Tom Snyder, American journalist and talk show host (d. 2007)
  • 1936 – Frank Stella, American painter and sculptor
  • 1937 – Beryl Burton, English cyclist (d. 1996)
  • 1937 – George Carlin, American comedian, actor, and author (d. 2008)
  • 1937 – Susan Hampshire, English actress
  • 1937 – Miriam Stoppard, English physician and author
  • 1938 – Millie Perkins, American actress
  • 1939 – Cyril Chantler, English pediatrician and academic
  • 1939 – Jalal Dabagh, Kurdish journalist and politician
  • 1939 – Miltiadis Evert, Greek minister and politician, 69th Mayor of Athens (d. 2011)
  • 1939 – Reg Gasnier, Australian rugby league player, coach, and sportscaster (d. 2014)
  • 1939 – Ron Ziegler, American politician, White House Press Secretary (d. 2003)
  • 1940 – Lill Lindfors, Swedish singer
  • 1940 – Norman Whitfield, American songwriter and producer (d. 2008)
  • 1941 – Ruud de Wolff, Dutch singer (d. 2000)
  • 1942 – Ian Dury, English singer-songwriter (d. 2000)
  • 1942 – Michel Fugain, French singer-songwriter
  • 1942 – Billy Swan, American country singer-songwriter
  • 1942 – Dragoljub Velimirović, Serbian chess player and theoretician (d. 2014)
  • 1944 – Chris Patten, English academic and politician, 28th Governor of Hong Kong
  • 1945 – Alan Ball, Jr., English footballer and manager (d. 2007)
  • 1945 – Ian McLagan, English keyboard player and songwriter (d. 2014)
  • 1945 – Patrick Ricard, French businessman (d. 2012)
  • 1946 – Daniel Libeskind, American architect, designed the Imperial War Museum North and Jewish Museum
  • 1947 – Michael Ignatieff, Canadian journalist and politician
  • 1948 – Lindsay Crouse, American actress
  • 1948 – Dave Heineman, American captain and politician, 39th Governor of Nebraska
  • 1948 – Richard Riehle, American actor
  • 1948 – Steve Winwood, English singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist
  • 1949 – Ross Bleckner, American painter
  • 1950 – Bruce Boxleitner, American actor and author
  • 1950 – Gabriel Byrne, Irish actor, director, and producer
  • 1950 – Helena Kennedy, Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws, Scottish lawyer, academic, and politician
  • 1950 – Billy Squier, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1951 – George Karl, American basketball player and coach
  • 1955 – Kix Brooks, American country music singer-songwriter and musician
  • 1956 – Bernie Federko, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager
  • 1956 – Sergio Marchi, Argentinean-Canadian urban planner and politician, 10th Canadian Minister of International Trade
  • 1956 – Greg Phillinganes, American keyboardist
  • 1956 – Asad Rauf, Pakistani cricketer and umpire
  • 1957 – Ziya Onis, Turkish economist and academic
  • 1958 – Kim Greist, American actress
  • 1958 – Andreas Petroulakis, Greek cartoonist
  • 1958 – Dries van Noten, Belgian fashion designer
  • 1959 – Dave Christian, American ice hockey player
  • 1959 – Ray Gillen, American rock singer-songwriter (d. 1993)
  • 1959 – Ving Rhames, American actor
  • 1960 – Lisa Martin, Australian runner
  • 1961 – Thomas Dooley, German-American soccer player and manager
  • 1961 – Billy Duffy, English rock guitarist and songwriter
  • 1961 – Bruce McCulloch, Canadian actor and comedian
  • 1962 – Emilio Estevez, American actor
  • 1962 – Brett Gurewitz, American guitarist and songwriter
  • 1962 – Gregory H. Johnson, English-born American astronaut
  • 1963 – Panagiotis Fasoulas, Greek basketball player and politician
  • 1963 – Gavin Hood, South African actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1963 – Stefano Modena, Italian race car driver
  • 1963 – Vanessa A. Williams, American actress and producer
  • 1964 – Pierre Morel, French director and cinematographer
  • 1965 – Renée Simonsen, Danish model and writer
  • 1965 – Stacy Wilson, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1966 – Stephen Baldwin, American actor
  • 1966 – Bebel Gilberto, American-Brazilian singer-songwriter
  • 1966 – Deborah Kara Unger, Canadian actress
  • 1967 – Mireille Bousquet-Mélou, French mathematician
  • 1967 – Bill Shorten, Australian politician
  • 1968 – Tony Hawk, American skateboarder and actor
  • 1968 – Catherine Tate, English actress and screenwriter
  • 1969 – Suzanne Clément, Canadian actress
  • 1969 – Kim Fields, American actress
  • 1970 – Mark Foster, English swimmer
  • 1970 – Jim Furyk, American golfer
  • 1970 – Samantha Mathis, American actress
  • 1970 – Mike Weir, Canadian golfer
  • 1970 – David A. R. White, American actor and producer
  • 1971 – Doug Basham, American wrestler
  • 1971 – Jamie Luner, American actress
  • 1972 – Christian Campbell, Canadian-American actor, writer and photographer
  • 1973 – Mackenzie Astin, American actor
  • 1973 – Lutz Pfannenstiel, German footballer and manager
  • 1975 – Jonah Lomu, New Zealand rugby player (d. 2015)
  • 1975 – Ricky Ortiz, American professional wrestler and football player
  • 1976 – Kardinal Offishall, Canadian rap musician and producer
  • 1977 – Graeme Dott, Scottish snooker player and coach
  • 1977 – Maryam Mirzakhani, Iranian mathematician (d. 2017)
  • 1977 – Onur Saylak, Turkish actor, filmmaker and director
  • 1977 – Rachel Wilson, Canadian actress and voice actress
  • 1978 – Aaron Abrams, Canadian actor
  • 1978 – Malin Åkerman, Swedish-Canadian model, actress, and singer
  • 1978 – Jason Biggs, American actor and comedian
  • 1978 – Aya Ishiguro, Japanese singer and fashion designer
  • 1979 – Adrian Serioux,Canadian soccer player
  • 1979 – Aaron Yoo, American actor
  • 1980 – Keith Bogans, American basketball player
  • 1981 – Rami Malek, American actor
  • 1981 – Kentaro Sato, Japanese-American composer and conductor
  • 1981 – Dennis Trillo, Filipino actor and singer
  • 1982 – Donnie Nietes, Filipino boxer
  • 1983 – Domhnall Gleeson, Irish actor
  • 1983 – Alina Kabaeva, Russian gymnast and politician
  • 1983 – Yujiro Kushida, Japanese wrestler and mixed martial artist
  • 1983 – Charilaos Pappas, Greek footballer
  • 1983 – Virginie Razzano, French tennis player
  • 1983 – Francisco Javier Torres, Mexican footballer
  • 1984 – Clare Bowen, Australian actress and singer
  • 1985 – Paolo Goltz, Argentinian footballer
  • 1985 – Andrew Howe, Italian long jumper and sprinter
  • 1985 – Jeroen Simaeys, Belgian footballer
  • 1986 – Jonathan Orozco, Mexican footballer
  • 1986 – Emily VanCamp, Canadian actress
  • 1987 – Kieron Pollard, Trinidadian cricketer
  • 1988 – Marcelo, Brazilian footballer
  • 1989 – Eleftheria Eleftheriou, Greek Cypriot singer, musician, and actress
  • 1990 – Florent Amodio, French figure skater
  • 1992 – Volha Khudzenka, Belarusian kayaker
  • 1995 – Luke Benward, American actor and singer
  • 1995 – Irina Khromacheva, Russian tennis player
  • 1997 – Morgan Lake, English athlete

Deaths on May 12

  • 805 – Æthelhard, archbishop of Canterbury
  • 940 – Eutychius, patriarch of Alexandria (b. 877)
  • 1003 – Sylvester II, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 946)
  • 1012 – Sergius IV, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 970)
  • 1090 – Liutold of Eppenstein, duke of Carinthia
  • 1161 – Fergus of Galloway, Scottish nobleman
  • 1182 – Valdemar I, king of Denmark (b. 1131)
  • 1331 – Engelbert of Admont, Benedictine abbot and scholar
  • 1382 – Joanna I, queen of Naples (b. 1328)
  • 1465 – Thomas Palaiologos, Despot of Morea (b. 1409)
  • 1490 – Joanna, Portuguese princess and regent (b. 1452)
  • 1529 – Cecily Bonville, 7th Baroness Harington, English noblewoman (b. 1460)
  • 1599 – Murad Mirza, Mughal prince (b. 1570)
  • 1634 – George Chapman, English poet and playwright (b. 1559)
  • 1641 – Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford, English soldier and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (b. 1593)
  • 1684 – Edme Mariotte, French physicist and priest (b. 1620)
  • 1699 – Lucas Achtschellinck, Flemish painter (b. 1626)
  • 1700 – John Dryden, English poet, playwright, and critic (b. 1631)
  • 1708 – Adolphus Frederick II, duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (b. 1658)
  • 1748 – Thomas Lowndes, English astronomer and academic (b. 1692)
  • 1759 – Lambert-Sigisbert Adam, French sculptor (b. 1700)
  • 1784 – Abraham Trembley, Swiss zoologist and academic (b. 1710)
  • 1792 – Charles Simon Favart, French playwright and composer (b. 1710)
  • 1796 – Johann Uz, German poet and author (b. 1720)
  • 1801 – Nicholas Repnin, Russian general and politician, Governor-General of Baltic provinces (b. 1734)
  • 1842 – Walenty Wańkowicz, Belarusian-Polish painter (b. 1799)
  • 1845 – János Batsányi, Hungarian poet and academic (b. 1763)
  • 1856 – Jacques Philippe Marie Binet, French mathematician, physicist, and astronomer (b. 1786)
  • 1859 – Sergey Aksakov, Russian author and academic (b. 1791)
  • 1860 – Charles Barry, English architect, designed Upper Brook Street Chapel and the Palace of Westminster (b. 1795)
  • 1864 – J. E. B. Stuart, American general (b. 1833)
  • 1867 – Friedrich Wilhelm Eduard Gerhard, German archaeologist and academic (b. 1795)
  • 1878 – Anselme Payen, French chemist and academic (b. 1795)
  • 1876 – Georgi Benkovski, Bulgarian activist (b. 1843)
  • 1884 – Bedřich Smetana, Czech composer and educator (b. 1824)
  • 1907 – Joris-Karl Huysmans, French author and critic (b. 1848)
  • 1916 – James Connolly, Scottish-born Irish socialist and rebel leader (b. 1868)
  • 1925 – Amy Lowell, American poet and critic (b. 1874)
  • 1931 – Eugène Ysaÿe, Belgian violinist, composer, and conductor (b. 1858)
  • 1935 – Józef Piłsudski, Polish field marshal and politician, 15th Prime Minister of Poland (b. 1867)
  • 1944 – Max Brand, American journalist and author (b. 1892)
  • 1944 – Arthur Quiller-Couch, English author, poet, and critic (b. 1863)
  • 1956 – Louis Calhern, American actor and singer (b. 1895)
  • 1957 – Alfonso de Portago, Spanish bobsledder and race car driver (b. 1928)
  • 1957 – Erich von Stroheim, Austrian-American actor, director, and producer (b. 1885)
  • 1963 – Richard Girulatis, German footballer and manager (b. 1878)
  • 1963 – Robert Kerr, Irish-Canadian sprinter and coach (b. 1882)
  • 1964 – Agnes Forbes Blackadder, Scottish medical doctor (b. 1875)
  • 1966 – Felix Steiner, Russian-German SS officer (b. 1896)
  • 1967 – John Masefield, English poet and author (b. 1878)
  • 1970 – Nelly Sachs, German poet and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1891)
  • 1971 – Heinie Manush, American baseball player and coach (b. 1901)
  • 1973 – Frances Marion, American screenwriter, novelist and journalist (b. 1888)
  • 1973 – Art Pollard, American race car driver (b. 1927)
  • 1974 – Wayne Maki, Canadian National Hockey League player (b. 1944)
  • 1980 – Lillian Roth, American actress 9b. 1910)
  • 1985 – Jean Dubuffet, French painter and sculptor (b. 1901)
  • 1986 – Elisabeth Bergner, German actress (b. 1897)
  • 1992 – Nikos Gatsos, Greek poet and songwriter (b. 1911)
  • 1992 – Robert Reed, American actor (b. 1932)
  • 1993 – Zeno Colò, Italian Olympic alpine skier (b.1920)
  • 1994 – Erik Erikson, German-American psychologist and psychoanalyst (b. 1902)
  • 1994 – John Smith, Scottish-English lawyer and politician, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer (b. 1938)
  • 1995 – Ștefan Kovács, Romanian football player and coach (b. 1920)
  • 1999 – Saul Steinberg, Romanian-American illustrator (b. 1914)
  • 2000 – Adam Petty, American race car driver (b. 1980)
  • 2001 – Perry Como, American singer and television host (b. 1912)
  • 2001 – Alexei Tupolev, Russian engineer, designed the Tupolev Tu-144 (b. 1925)
  • 2003 – Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, French-American diplomat (b. 1933)
  • 2005 – Ömer Kavur, Turkish director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1944)
  • 2005 – Martin Lings, English author and scholar (b. 1909)
  • 2005 – Monica Zetterlund, Swedish actress (b. 1937)
  • 2006 – Hussein Maziq, Libyan politician, Prime Minister of Libya (b. 1918)
  • 2008 – Robert Rauschenberg, American painter and illustrator (b. 1925)
  • 2008 – Irena Sendler, Polish nurse and humanitarian (b. 1910)
  • 2009 – Antonio Vega, Spanish singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1957)
  • 2012 – Jan Bens, Dutch footballer and coach (b. 1921)
  • 2012 – Eddy Paape, Belgian illustrator (b. 1920)
  • 2013 – Gerd Langguth, German political scientist, author, and academic (b. 1946)
  • 2014 – Cornell Borchers, Lithuanian-German actress and singer (b. 1925)
  • 2014 – Marco Cé, Italian cardinal (b. 1925)
  • 2014 – H. R. Giger, Swiss painter, sculptor, and set designer (b. 1940)
  • 2014 – Sarat Pujari, Indian actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1934)
  • 2014 – Lorenzo Zambrano, Mexican businessman and philanthropist (b. 1944)
  • 2015 – Peter Gay, German-American historian, author, and academic (b. 1923)
  • 2015 – William Zinsser American journalist and critic (b. 1922)
  • 2016 – Mike Agostini, Trinidadian sprinter (b. 1935)
  • 2017 – Mauno Koivisto, Finnish banker and politician, 9th President of Finland (b. 1923)
  • 2018 – Dennis Nilsen, Scottish serial killer (b. 1945)

Holidays and observances on May 12

  • 2nd Amendment Day (Pennsylvania, United States)
  • Christian feast day:
    • Blessed Imelda
    • Blessed Joan of Portugal
    • Crispoldus
    • Dominic de la Calzada
    • Epiphanius of Salamis
    • Gregory Dix (Church of England)
    • Modoald
    • Nereus, Achilleus, Domitilla, and Pancras
    • Patriarch Germanus I of Constantinople (Eastern Church)
    • Philip of Agira
    • May 12 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Day of the Finnish Identity (Finland)
  • International Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Awareness Day
  • International Nurses Day
  • Saint Andrea the First Day (Georgia)

May 12 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

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

  • 1009 – Lombard Revolt: Lombard forces led by Melus revolt in Bari against the Byzantine Catepanate of Italy.
  • 1271 – Ninth Crusade, Edward I of England disembarks at Acre.
  • 1386 – England and Portugal formally ratify their alliance with the signing of the Treaty of Windsor, making it the oldest diplomatic alliance in the world which is still in force.
  • 1450 – ‘Abd al-Latif (Timurid monarch) is assassinated.
  • 1540 – Hernando de Alarcón sets sail on an expedition to the Gulf of California.
  • 1662 – The figure who later became Mr. Punch makes his first recorded appearance in England.
  • 1671 – Thomas Blood, disguised as a clergyman, attempts to steal England’s Crown Jewels from the Tower of London.
  • 1726 – Five men arrested during a raid on Mother Clap’s molly house in London are executed at Tyburn.
  • 1763 – The Siege of Fort Detroit begins during Pontiac’s War against British forces.
  • 1864 – Second Schleswig War: The Danish navy defeats the Austrian and Prussian fleets in the Battle of Heligoland.
  • 1865 – American Civil War: Nathan Bedford Forrest surrenders his forces at Gainesville, Alabama.
  • 1865 – American Civil War: President Andrew Johnson issues a proclamation ending belligerent rights of the rebels and enjoining foreign nations to intern or expel Confederate ships.
  • 1873 – Der Krach: Vienna stock market crash heralds the Long Depression.
  • 1874 – The first horsebus makes its début in the city of Mumbai, traveling two routes.
  • 1877 – Mihail Kogălniceanu reads, in the Chamber of Deputies, the Declaration of Independence of Romania. This day became the Independence Day of Romania.
  • 1877 – A magnitude 8.8 earthquake off the coast of Peru kills 2,541, including some as far away as Hawaii and Japan.
  • 1887 – Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show opens in London.
  • 1901 – Australia opens its first national parliament in Melbourne.
  • 1904 – The steam locomotive City of Truro becomes the first steam engine in Europe to exceed 100 mph (160 km/h).
  • 1911 – The works of Gabriele D’Annunzio are placed in the Index of Forbidden Books by the Vatican.
  • 1915 – World War I: Second Battle of Artois between German and French forces.
  • 1918 – World War I: Germany repels Britain’s second attempt to blockade the port of Ostend, Belgium.
  • 1920 – Polish–Soviet War: The Polish army under General Edward Rydz-Śmigły celebrates its capture of Kiev with a victory parade on Khreshchatyk.
  • 1926 – Admiral Richard E. Byrd and Floyd Bennett claim to have flown over the North Pole (later discovery of Byrd’s diary appears to cast some doubt on the claim.)
  • 1927 – Old Parliament House, Canberra officially opens.
  • 1936 – Italy formally annexes Ethiopia after taking the capital Addis Ababa on May 5.
  • 1940 – World War II: The German submarine U-9 sinks the French coastal submarine Doris near Den Helder.
  • 1941 – World War II: The German submarine U-110 is captured by the Royal Navy. On board is the latest Enigma machine which Allied cryptographers later use to break coded German messages.
  • 1942 – Holocaust: The SS executes 588 Jewish residents of the Podolian town of Zinkiv (Khmelnytska oblast, Ukraine). The Zoludek Ghetto (in Belarus) is destroyed and all its inhabitants executed or deported.
  • 1945 – World War II: The final German Instrument of Surrender is signed at the Soviet headquarters in Berlin-Karlshorst.
  • 1945 – World War II: The German occupation of the Channel Islands comes to an end.
  • 1946 – King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy abdicates and is succeeded by Umberto II.
  • 1948 – Czechoslovakia’s Ninth-of-May Constitution comes into effect.
  • 1949 – Rainier III becomes Prince of Monaco.
  • 1950 – Robert Schuman presents his proposal on the creation of an organized Europe, which according to him was indispensable to the maintenance of peaceful relations. This proposal, known as the “Schuman Declaration”, is considered by some people to be the beginning of the creation of what is now the European Union.
  • 1955 – Cold War: West Germany joins NATO.
  • 1958 – Alfred Hitchcock’s film Vertigo has world premiere in San Francisco.
  • 1960 – The Food and Drug Administration announces it will approve birth control as an additional indication for Searle’s Enovid, making Enovid the world’s first approved oral contraceptive pill.
  • 1961 – FCC Chairman Newton N. Minow gives his Wasteland Speech.
  • 1964 – Ngô Đình Cẩn, de facto ruler of central Vietnam under his brother President Ngô Đình Diệm before the family’s toppling, is executed.
  • 1969 – Carlos Lamarca leads the first urban guerrilla action against the military dictatorship of Brazil in São Paulo, by robbing two banks.
  • 1970 – Vietnam War: In Washington, D.C., 75,000 to 100,000 war protesters demonstrate in front of the White House.
  • 1974 – Watergate scandal: The United States House Committee on the Judiciary opens formal and public impeachment hearings against President Richard Nixon.
  • 1977 – Hotel Polen fire: A disastrous fire burns down the Hotel Polen in Amsterdam causing 33 deaths and 21 severe injuries.
  • 1979 – Iranian Jewish businessman Habib Elghanian is executed by firing squad in Tehran, prompting the mass exodus of the once 100,000-strong Jewish community of Iran.
  • 1980 – In Florida, Liberian freighter MV Summit Venture collides with the Sunshine Skyway Bridge over Tampa Bay, making a 1,400-ft. section of the southbound span collapse. Thirty-five people in six cars and a Greyhound bus fall 150 ft. into the water and die.
  • 1980 – In Norco, California, five masked gunmen hold up a Security Pacific bank, leading to a violent shoot-out and one of the largest pursuits in California history. Two of the gunmen and one police officer are killed and thirty-three police and civilian vehicles are destroyed in the chase.
  • 1987 – LOT Flight 5055 Tadeusz Kościuszko crashes after takeoff in Warsaw, Poland, killing all 183 people on board.
  • 1988 – New Parliament House, Canberra officially opens.
  • 1992 – Armenian forces capture Shusha, marking a major turning point in the Nagorno-Karabakh War.
  • 1992 – Westray Mine disaster kills 26 workers in Nova Scotia, Canada.
  • 1994 – Disappearance of Cleashindra Hall in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.
  • 2001 – In Ghana, 129 football fans die in what became known as the Accra Sports Stadium disaster. The deaths are caused by a stampede (caused by the firing of tear gas by police personnel at the stadium) that followed a controversial decision by the referee.
  • 2002 – The 38-day stand-off in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem comes to an end when the Palestinians inside agree to have 13 suspected terrorists among them deported to several different countries.
  • 2012 – A Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft crashes into Mount Salak in West Java, Indonesia, killing 45 people.
  • 2015 – An Airbus A400M Atlas military transport aircraft crashes near the Spanish city of Seville with three people on board killed.
  • 2015 – Russia stages its biggest ever military parade in Moscow’s Red Square to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Victory Day.
  • 2018 – The historic defeat for Barisan Nasional, the governing coalition of Malaysia since the country’s independence in 1957 in 2018 Malaysian general election.
  • 2018 – At the height of the 2018 East Africa floods, the Patel dam breaks in Solai, Kenya, killing 48 people and displacing another 2000.

Births on May 9

  • 1147 – Minamoto no Yoritomo, Japanese shōgun (d. 1199)
  • 1170 – Valdemar II of Denmark (d. 1241)
  • 1540 – Maharana Pratap, Indian ruler (d. 1597)
  • 1555 – Jerónima de la Asunción, Spanish Catholic nun and founder of the first monastery in Manila (d. 1630)
  • 1594 – Louis Henry, Prince of Nassau-Dillenburg, military leader in the Thirty Years’ War (d. 1662)
  • 1617 – Frederick, Landgrave of Hesse-Eschwege (d. 1655)
  • 1740 – Giovanni Paisiello, Italian composer and educator (probable; d. 1816)
  • 1746 – Gaspard Monge, French mathematician and engineer (d. 1818)
  • 1763 – János Batsányi, Hungarian-Austrian poet and author (d. 1845)
  • 1800 – John Brown, American activist (d. 1859)
  • 1801 – Peter Hesketh-Fleetwood, English politician, founded the town of Fleetwood (d. 1866)
  • 1814 – John Brougham, Irish-American actor and playwright (d. 1880)
  • 1823 – Frederick Weld, English-New Zealand politician, 6th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1891)
  • 1824 – Jacob ben Moses Bachrach, Polish apologist and author (d. 1896)
  • 1825 – James Collinson, Victorian painter (d. 1881)
  • 1836 – Ferdinand Monoyer, French ophthalmologist, invented the Monoyer chart (d. 1912)
  • 1837 – Adam Opel, German engineer, founded the Opel Company (d. 1895)
  • 1845 – Gustaf de Laval, Swedish engineer and businessman (d. 1913)
  • 1850 – Edward Weston, English-American chemist (d. 1936)
  • 1855 – Julius Röntgen, German-Dutch composer (d. 1932)
  • 1860 – J. M. Barrie, Scottish novelist and playwright (d. 1937)
  • 1866 – Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Indian economist and politician (d. 1915)
  • 1870 – Harry Vardon, British golfer (d. 1937)
  • 1873 – Anton Cermak, Czech-American captain and politician, 44th Mayor of Chicago (d. 1933)
  • 1874 – Howard Carter, English archaeologist and historian (d. 1939)
  • 1882 – George Barker, American painter (d. 1965)
  • 1882 – Henry J. Kaiser, American shipbuilder and businessman, founded Kaiser Shipyards (d. 1967)
  • 1883 – José Ortega y Gasset, Spanish philosopher, author, and critic (d. 1955)
  • 1884 – Valdemar Psilander, Danish actor (d. 1917)
  • 1885 – Gianni Vella, Maltese artist (d. 1977)
  • 1888 – Francesco Baracca, Italian fighter pilot (d. 1918)
  • 1888 – Rolf de Maré, Swedish art collector (d. 1964)
  • 1892 – Zita of Bourbon-Parma, last Empress of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (d. 1989)
  • 1893 – William Moulton Marston, American psychologist and author (d. 1947)
  • 1895 – Richard Barthelmess, American actor (d. 1963)
  • 1895 – Lucian Blaga, Romanian poet, playwright, and philosopher (d. 1961)
  • 1895 – Frank Foss, American pole vaulter (d. 1989)
  • 1896 – Richard Day, Canadian-American art director and set decorator (d. 1972)
  • 1900 – Maria Malicka, Polish stage and film actress (d. 1992)
  • 1904 – Conrad Bernier, Canadian-American organist, composer, and educator (d. 1988)
  • 1905 – Lilí Álvarez, Spanish tennis player, author, and feminist (d. 1998)
  • 1906 – Eleanor Estes, American librarian, author, and illustrator (d. 1988)
  • 1907 – Jackie Grant, Trinidadian cricketer (d. 1978)
  • 1907 – Kathryn Kuhlman, American evangelist and author (d. 1976)
  • 1907 – Baldur von Schirach, German politician (d. 1974)
  • 1909 – Don Messer, Canadian violinist (d. 1973)
  • 1909 – Gordon Bunshaft, American architect, designed the Solow Building (d. 1990)
  • 1911 – Harry Simeone, American music arranger, conductor, and composer (d. 2005)
  • 1912 – Pedro Armendáriz, Mexican-American actor (d. 1963)
  • 1912 – Per Imerslund, Norwegian-German soldier and author (d. 1943)
  • 1912 – Géza Ottlik, Hungarian mathematician and theorist (d. 1990)
  • 1914 – Patricia Swift Blalock, American librarian (d.2011)
  • 1914 – Denham Fouts, American prostitute (d. 1948)
  • 1914 – Thanat Khoman, Thai politician and diplomat (d. 2016)
  • 1914 – Carlo Maria Giulini, Italian conductor and director (d. 2005)
  • 1914 – Hank Snow, American country music singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1999)
  • 1916 – William Pène du Bois, American author and illustrator (d. 1993)
  • 1917 – Fay Kanin, American screenwriter and producer (d. 2013)
  • 1918 – Moisis Michail Bourlas, Greek soldier and educator (d. 2011)
  • 1918 – Orville Freeman, American soldier and politician, 16th United States Secretary of Agriculture (d. 2003)
  • 1918 – Mike Wallace, American journalist, media personality and one-time game show host (d. 2012)
  • 1919 – Clifford Chadderton, Canadian soldier and journalist (d. 2013)
  • 1920 – William Tenn, English-American author and academic (d. 2010)
  • 1920 – Richard Adams, English novelist (d. 2016)
  • 1921 – Daniel Berrigan, American priest, poet, and activist (d. 2016)
  • 1921 – Sophie Scholl, German activist (d. 1943)
  • 1921 – Mona Van Duyn, American poet and academic (d. 2004)
  • 1923 – Johnny Grant, American radio host and producer (d. 2008)
  • 1924 – Bulat Okudzhava, Russian singer, poet, and author (d. 1997)
  • 1926 – John Middleton Murry, Jr., English soldier, pilot, and author (d. 2002)
  • 1927 – Manfred Eigen, German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2019)
  • 1928 – Ralph Goings, American painter (d. 2016)
  • 1928 – Pancho Gonzales, American tennis player (d. 1995)
  • 1928 – Barbara Ann Scott, Canadian figure skater (d. 2012)
  • 1930 – Joan Sims, English actress (d. 2001)
  • 1930 – Kalifa Tillisi, Libyan historian and linguist (d. 2010)
  • 1931 – Vance D. Brand, American pilot, engineer, and astronaut
  • 1932 – Conrad Hunte, Barbadian cricketer (d. 1999)
  • 1934 – Alan Bennett, English screenwriter, playwright, and novelist
  • 1935 – Nokie Edwards, American guitarist (d. 2018)
  • 1935 – Roger Hargreaves, English author and illustrator (d. 1988)
  • 1936 – Terry Downes, British boxer and former world middle-weight champion (d. 2017)
  • 1936 – Albert Finney, English actor (d. 2019)
  • 1936 – Glenda Jackson, English actress and politician
  • 1937 – Sonny Curtis, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1937 – Rafael Moneo, Spanish architect, designed the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels and Valladolid Science Museum
  • 1937 – Dave Prater, American singer (d. 1988)
  • 1938 – Charles Simić, Serbian-American poet and editor
  • 1939 – Ralph Boston, American long jumper
  • 1939 – Ion Țiriac, Romanian tennis player and manager
  • 1939 – Ken Warby, Australian motorboat racer
  • 1939 – Giorgio Zancanaro, Italian baritone
  • 1939 – John Ogbu, Nigerian-American anthropologist and professor (d. 2003)
  • 1940 – James L. Brooks, American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1941 – Dorothy Hyman, English sprinter
  • 1941 – Danny Rapp, American musician (d. 1983)
  • 1942 – John Ashcroft, American lawyer and politician, 79th United States Attorney General
  • 1942 – Tommy Roe, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1943 – Vince Cable, English economist and politician, former Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills
  • 1943 – Anders Isaksson, Swedish historian and journalist (d. 2009)
  • 1943 – Colin Pillinger, English astronomer, chemist, and academic (d. 2014)
  • 1944 – Richie Furay, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1945 – Gamal El-Ghitani, Egyptian journalist and author (d. 2015)
  • 1945 – Jupp Heynckes, German footballer and manager
  • 1945 – Steve Katz, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
  • 1946 – Candice Bergen, American actress and producer
  • 1946 – Ayşe Nur Zarakolu, Turkish author and activist (d. 2002)
  • 1947 – Yukiya Amano, Japanese diplomat (d. 2019)
  • 1948 – Hans Georg Bock, German mathematician, computer scientist, and academic
  • 1948 – John Mahaffey, American golfer
  • 1948 – Steven W. Mosher, American social scientist and author
  • 1948 – Calvin Murphy, American basketball player and radio host
  • 1949 – Billy Joel, American singer-songwriter and pianist
  • 1949 – Richard S. Williamson, American lawyer and diplomat, 17th Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs (d. 2013)
  • 1951 – Alley Mills, American actress
  • 1953 – Bruno Brokken, Belgian high jumper
  • 1955 – Meles Zenawi, Prime Minister of Ethiopia (d. 2012)
  • 1955 – Anne Sofie von Otter, Swedish soprano and actress
  • 1956 – Wendy Crewson, Canadian actress and producer
  • 1956 – Jana Wendt, Australian television host
  • 1958 – Graham Smith, Canadian swimmer
  • 1959 – Andrew Jones, New Zealand cricketer
  • 1960 – Tony Gwynn, American baseball player and coach (d. 2014)
  • 1961 – Sean Altman, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1961 – John Corbett, American actor
  • 1962 – Dave Gahan, English singer-songwriter
  • 1962 – Paul Heaton, English singer-songwriter
  • 1963 – Joe Cirella, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1965 – Ken Nomura, Japanese race car driver and sportscaster
  • 1965 – Steve Yzerman, Canadian ice hockey player and manager
  • 1966 – Mark Tinordi, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1968 – Masahiko Harada, Japanese ski jumper
  • 1968 – Graham Harman, American philosopher and academic
  • 1968 – Ruth Kelly, British economist and politician, Secretary of State for Transport
  • 1968 – Marie-José Pérec, French sprinter
  • 1968 – Neil Ruddock, English international footballer and television personality
  • 1970 – Doug Christie, American basketball player
  • 1970 – Hao Haidong, Chinese footballer & all time top scorer for Chinese national team
  • 1970 – Ghostface Killah, American rapper and actor
  • 1971 – Jason Lee, English footballer and manager
  • 1971 – Dan Chiasson, American poet and critic
  • 1972 – Megumi Odaka, Japanese actress and singer
  • 1973 – Tegla Loroupe, Kenyan runner
  • 1973 – Leonard Myles-Mills, Ghanaian sprinter
  • 1975 – Tamia, Canadian singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
  • 1975 – Brian Deegan, American motocross rider
  • 1977 – Averno, Mexican wrestler
  • 1977 – Marek Jankulovski, Czech footballer
  • 1977 – Svein Tuft, Canadian cyclist
  • 1978 – Leandro Cufré, Argentinian footballer
  • 1978 – Santiago Dellapè, Argentinian-Italian rugby player
  • 1978 – Aaron Harang, American baseball player
  • 1978 – Marwan al-Shehhi, Emirati terrorist (d. 2001)
  • 1979 – Pierre Bouvier, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1979 – Rosario Dawson, American actress
  • 1979 – Andrew W.K., American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, motivational speaker, and music producer
  • 1980 – Grant Hackett, Australian swimmer
  • 1980 – Angela Nikodinov, American figure skater
  • 1980 – Tony Schmidt, German race car driver
  • 1980 – Jo Hyun-jae, South Korean actor
  • 1981 – Bill Murphy, American baseball player
  • 1981 – Evangelos Tsiolis, Greek footballer
  • 1983 – Giacomo Brichetto, Italian footballer
  • 1983 – Alan Campbell, British sculler
  • 1983 – Christos Marangos, Cypriot footballer
  • 1983 – Ryuhei Matsuda, Japanese actor
  • 1983 – Gilles Müller, Luxembourgian tennis player
  • 1983 – Tyler Lumsden, American baseball player
  • 1983 – Leandro Rinaudo, Italian footballer
  • 1984 – Prince Fielder, American baseball player
  • 1984 – Chase Headley, American baseball player
  • 1985 – Jake Long, American football player
  • 1985 – Henrique Andrade Silva, Brazilian footballer
  • 1987 – Scott Bolton, Australian rugby league player
  • 1987 – Kevin Gameiro, French footballer
  • 1987 – Vitaliy Pushkar, Ukrainian race car driver
  • 1988 – J. R. Fitzpatrick, Canadian race car driver
  • 1989 – Ellen White, English footballer
  • 1991 – Majlinda Kelmendi, Kosovar judoka
  • 1992 – Dan Burn, English footballer
  • 1996 – Saron Läänmäe, Estonian footballer
  • 1996 – Grace Reid, Scottish diver

Deaths on May 9

  • 729 – Osric, king of Northumbria
  • 893 – Shi Pu, warlord of the Tang Dynasty
  • 909 – Adalgar, archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen
  • 934 – Wang Sitong, Chinese general and governor (b. 892)
  • 1280 – Magnus VI of Norway
  • 1315 – Hugh V, Duke of Burgundy (b. 1282)
  • 1329 – John Drokensford, Bishop of Bath and Wells
  • 1443 – Niccolò Albergati, Italian Cardinal and diplomat (b. 1373)
  • 1446 – Mary of Enghien (b. 1368)
  • 1590 – Charles de Bourbon French cardinal and pretender to the throne (b. 1523)
  • 1657 – William Bradford, English-American politician, 2nd Governor of Plymouth Colony (b. 1590)
  • 1707 – Dieterich Buxtehude, German-Danish organist and composer (b. 1637)
  • 1736 – Diogo de Mendonça Corte-Real, Portuguese judge and politician (b. 1658)
  • 1745 – Tomaso Antonio Vitali, Italian violinist and composer (b. 1663)
  • 1747 – John Dalrymple, 2nd Earl of Stair, Scottish field marshal and diplomat, British Ambassador to France (b. 1673)
  • 1760 – Nicolaus Zinzendorf, German bishop and saint (b. 1700)
  • 1789 – Jean-Baptiste Vaquette de Gribeauval, French general and engineer (b. 1715)
  • 1790 – William Clingan, American politician (b. 1721)
  • 1791 – Francis Hopkinson, American judge and politician (b. 1737)
  • 1805 – Friedrich Schiller, German poet, playwright, and historian (b. 1759)
  • 1850 – Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac, French chemist and physicist (b. 1778)
  • 1850 – Garlieb Merkel, Estonian author and activist (b. 1769)
  • 1861 – Peter Ernst von Lasaulx, German philologist and politician (b. 1805)
  • 1864 – John Sedgwick, American general and educator (b. 1813)
  • 1889 – William S. Harney, American general (b. 1800)
  • 1906 – Oscar von Gebhardt, German theologian and academic (b. 1844)
  • 1914 – C. W. Post, American businessman, founded Post Foods (b. 1854)
  • 1915 – François Faber, Luxembourgian-French cyclist and soldier (b. 1887)
  • 1915 – Anthony Wilding, New Zealand tennis player and cricketer (b. 1883)
  • 1918 – George Coșbuc, Romanian journalist and poet (b. 1866)
  • 1931 – Albert Abraham Michelson, German-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1852)
  • 1933 – John Arthur Jarvis, English swimmer (b. 1872)
  • 1935 – Ernst Bresslau, German zoologist (b. 1877)
  • 1938 – Thomas B. Thrige, Danish businessman (b. 1866)
  • 1942 – Józef Cebula, Polish priest and saint (b. 1902)
  • 1944 – Han Yong-un, Korean poet and social reformer (b. 1879)
  • 1949 – Louis II, Prince of Monaco (b. 1870)
  • 1950 – Esteban Terradas i Illa, Spanish mathematician and engineer (b. 1883)
  • 1957 – Ernest de Silva, Sri Lankan banker and businessman (b. 1887)
  • 1957 – Ezio Pinza, Italian actor and singer (b. 1892)
  • 1959 – Bhaurao Patil, Indian activist and educator (b. 1887)
  • 1965 – Leopold Figl, Austrian engineer and politician, 18th Chancellor of Austria (b. 1902)
  • 1968 – Mercedes de Acosta, American author, poet, and playwright (b. 1893)
  • 1968 – Harold Gray, American cartoonist, created Little Orphan Annie (b. 1894)
  • 1968 – Marion Lorne, American actress (b. 1883)
  • 1968 – Finlay Currie, British actor (b. 1878)
  • 1970 – Walter Reuther, American union leader (b. 1907)
  • 1976 – Jens Bjørneboe, Norwegian author, poet, and playwright (b. 1920)
  • 1976 – Ulrike Meinhof, German militant, co-founded the Red Army Faction (b. 1934)
  • 1977 – James Jones, American novelist (b. 1921)
  • 1978 – Giuseppe Impastato, Italian journalist and activist (b. 1948)
  • 1978 – Aldo Moro, Italian lawyer and politician, 38th Prime Minister of Italy (b. 1916)
  • 1979 – Cyrus S. Eaton, Canadian-American banker, businessman, and philanthropist (b. 1883)
  • 1979 – Eddie Jefferson, American singer and lyricist (b. 1918)
  • 1980 – Kate Molale, South African activist (b. 1928)
  • 1981 – Nelson Algren, American novelist and short story writer (b. 1909)
  • 1983 – Henry Bachtold, Australian soldier and railway engineer (b. 1891)
  • 1985 – Edmond O’Brien, American actor and director (b. 1915)
  • 1986 – Tenzing Norgay, Nepalese mountaineer (b. 1914)
  • 1987 – Obafemi Awolowo, Nigerian lawyer and politician (b. 1909)
  • 1993 – Penelope Gilliatt, English novelist, short story writer, and critic (b. 1932)
  • 1994 – Elias Motsoaledi, South African activist (b. 1924)
  • 1997 – Rawya Ateya, Egyptian captain and politician (b. 1926)
  • 1997 – Marco Ferreri, Italian actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1928)
  • 1998 – Alice Faye, American actress and singer (b. 1915)
  • 1998 – Talat Mahmood, Indian singer and actor (b. 1924)
  • 2003 – Russell B. Long, American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician (b. 1918)
  • 2004 – Akhmad Kadyrov, Chechen cleric and politician, 1st President of the Chechen Republic (b. 1951)
  • 2004 – Alan King, American actor, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1927)
  • 2004 – Brenda Fassie, South African singer (b. 1964)
  • 2007 – Dwight Wilson, Canadian soldier (b. 1901)
  • 2008 – Jack Gibson, Australian rugby league player, coach, and sportscaster (b. 1929)
  • 2008 – Baptiste Manzini, American football player (b. 1920)
  • 2008 – Nuala O’Faolain, Irish journalist and producer (b. 1942)
  • 2008 – Pascal Sevran, French singer, television host, and author (b. 1945)
  • 2009 – Chuck Daly, American basketball player and coach (b. 1930)
  • 2010 – Lena Horne, American singer, actress, and activist (b. 1917)
  • 2010 – Otakar Motejl, Czech lawyer and politician (b. 1932)
  • 2011 – Wouter Weylandt, Belgian cyclist (b. 1984)
  • 2012 – Bertram Cohler, American psychologist, psychoanalyst, and academic (b. 1938)
  • 2012 – Geoffrey Henry, Cook Islander lawyer and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of the Cook Islands (b. 1940)
  • 2012 – Vidal Sassoon, English-American hairdresser and businessman (b. 1928)
  • 2013 – Ramón Blanco Rodríguez, Spanish footballer and manager (b. 1952)
  • 2013 – George M. Leader, American soldier and politician, 36th Governor of Pennsylvania (b. 1918)
  • 2013 – Humberto Lugo Gil, Mexican lawyer and politician, 23rd Governor of Hidalgo (b. 1933)
  • 2013 – Ottavio Missoni, Italian hurdler and fashion designer, founded Missoni (b. 1921)
  • 2014 – Giacomo Bini, Italian priest and missionary (b. 1938)
  • 2014 – Harlan Mathews, American lawyer and politician (b. 1927)
  • 2014 – Nedurumalli Janardhana Reddy, Indian politician, 12th Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh (b. 1935)
  • 2014 – Mary Stewart, English-Scottish author and poet (b. 1916)
  • 2015 – Edward W. Estlow, American football player and journalist (b. 1920)
  • 2015 – Kenan Evren, Turkish general and politician, 7th President of Turkey (b. 1917)
  • 2015 – Elizabeth Wilson, American actress (b. 1921)
  • 2017 – Robert Miles, a Swiss-born Italian record producer, composer, musician and DJ (b. 1969)
  • 2018 – Per Kirkeby, Danish painter, poet, film maker and sculptor (b. 1938)
  • 2019 – Freddie Starr, English comedian, impressionist, singer and actor (1943)
  • 2020 – Little Richard, American singer, songwriter, and pianist (b. 1932)

Holidays and observances on May 9

  • Anniversary of Dianetics (Church of Scientology)
  • Christian feast day:
    • Beatus of Lungern
    • Beatus of Vendome
    • Christopher (Eastern Orthodox Church)
    • George Preca
    • Gerontius of Cervia
    • Gregory of Nazianzen (The Episcopal Church (US) and traditional Roman Catholic calendar)
    • Nicolaus Zinzendorf (Lutheran)
    • Pachomius the Great
    • Tudy of Landevennec
    • May 9 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Commemoration of the end of the German occupation of the Channel Islands related observances:
    • Liberation Day, commemorating the end of the German occupation of the Channel Islands during World War II. (Guernsey and Jersey)
    • National Day (Alderney)
  • Europe Day, commemorating the Schuman Declaration. (European Union)
  • Victory Day observances, celebration of the Soviet Union victory over Nazi Germany (Soviet Union, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Serbia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan)
    • Victory and Peace Day, marks the capture of Shusha (1992) in the Nagorno-Karabakh War, and the end of World War II. (Armenia)
    • Victory Day over Nazism in World War II (Ukraine)

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

On This Day

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

  • 453 BC – Spring and Autumn period: The house of Zhao defeats the house of Zhi, ending the Battle of Jinyang, a military conflict between the elite families of the State of Jin.
  • 413 – Emperor Honorius signs an edict providing tax relief for the Italian provinces Tuscia, Campania, Picenum, Samnium, Apulia, Lucania and Calabria, which were plundered by the Visigoths.
  • 589 – Reccared I opens the Third Council of Toledo, marking the entry of Visigothic Spain into the Catholic Church.
  • 1429 – Joan of Arc lifts the Siege of Orléans, turning the tide of the Hundred Years’ War.
  • 1450 – Kentishmen revolt against King Henry VI.
  • 1516 – A group of imperial guards, led by Trịnh Duy Sản, murdered Emperor Lê Tương Dực and fled, leaving the capital Thăng Long undefended.
  • 1541 – Hernando de Soto stops near present-day Walls, Mississippi, and sees the Mississippi River(then known by the Spanish as Río de Espíritu Santo, the name given to it by Alonso Álvarez de Pineda in 1519).
  • 1788 – King Louis XVI of France attempts to impose the reforms of Étienne Charles de Loménie de Brienne by abolishing the parlements.
  • 1794 – Branded a traitor during the Reign of Terror, French chemist Antoine Lavoisier, who was also a tax collector with the Ferme générale, is tried, convicted and guillotined in one day in Paris.
  • 1821 – Greek War of Independence: The Greeks defeat the Turks at the Battle of Gravia Inn.
  • 1842 – A train derails and catches fire in Paris, killing between 52 and 200 people.
  • 1846 – Mexican–American War: American forces led by Zachary Taylor defeat a Mexican force north of the Rio Grande in the first major battle of the war.
  • 1877 – At Gilmore’s Gardens in New York City, the first Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show opens.
  • 1886 – Pharmacist John Pemberton first sells a carbonated beverage named “Coca-Cola” as a patent medicine.
  • 1898 – The first games of the Italian football league system are played.
  • 1899 – The Irish Literary Theatre in Dublin produced its first play.
  • 1902 – In Martinique, Mount Pelée erupts, destroying the town of Saint-Pierre and killing over 30,000 people. Only a handful of residents survive the blast.
  • 1912 – Paramount Pictures is founded.
  • 1919 – Edward George Honey proposes the idea of a moment of silence to commemorate the Armistice of 11 November 1918 which ended World War I.
  • 1921 – The creation of the Communist Party of Romania.
  • 1924 – The Klaipėda Convention is signed formally incorporating Klaipėda Region (Memel Territory) into Lithuania.
  • 1927 – Attempting to make the first non-stop transatlantic flight from Paris to New York, French war heroes Charles Nungesser and François Coli disappear after taking off aboard The White Bird biplane.
  • 1933 – Mohandas Gandhi begins a 21-day fast of self-purification and launched a one-year campaign to help the Harijan movement.
  • 1941 – World War II: The German Luftwaffe launches a bombing raid on Nottingham and Derby.
  • 1942 – World War II: The German 11th Army begins Operation Trappenjagd (Bustard Hunt) and destroys the bridgehead of the three Soviet armies defending the Kerch Peninsula.
  • 1942 – World War II: The Battle of the Coral Sea comes to an end with Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft carrier aircraft attacking and sinking the United States Navy aircraft carrier USS Lexington.
  • 1942 – World War II: Gunners of the Ceylon Garrison Artillery on Horsburgh Island in the Cocos Islands rebel in the Cocos Islands Mutiny. Their mutiny is crushed and three of them are executed, the only British Commonwealth soldiers to be executed for mutiny during the Second World War.
  • 1945 – World War II: The German Instrument of Surrender signed at Reims comes into effect.
  • 1945 – End of the Prague uprising, celebrated now as a national holiday in the Czech Republic.
  • 1945 – Hundreds of Algerian civilians are killed by French Army soldiers in the Sétif massacre.
  • 1945 – The Halifax riot starts when thousands of civilians and servicemen rampage through Halifax, Nova Scotia.
  • 1946 – Estonian schoolgirls Aili Jõgi and Ageeda Paavel blow up the Soviet memorial which preceded the Bronze Soldier of Tallinn.
  • 1963 – South Vietnamese soldiers under the Roman Catholic President Ngo Dinh Diem open fire on Buddhists defying a ban on the flying of the Buddhist flag on Vesak, killing nine and sparking the Buddhist crisis.
  • 1967 – The Philippine province of Davao is split into three: Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, and Davao Oriental.
  • 1972 – Vietnam War: U.S. President Richard Nixon announces his order to place naval mines in major North Vietnamese ports in order to stem the flow of weapons and other goods to that nation.
  • 1973 – A 71-day standoff between federal authorities and the American Indian Movement members occupying the Pine Ridge Reservation at Wounded Knee, South Dakota ends with the surrender of the militants.
  • 1976 – The rollercoaster The New Revolution, the first steel coaster with a vertical loop, opens at Six Flags Magic Mountain.
  • 1978 – The first ascent of Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen, by Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler.
  • 1980 – The World Health Organization confirms the eradication of smallpox.
  • 1984 – Corporal Denis Lortie enters the Quebec National Assembly and opens fire, killing three people and wounding 13. René Jalbert, Sergeant-at-Arms of the Assembly, succeeds in calming him, for which he will later receive the Cross of Valour.
  • 1984 – The Thames Barrier is officially opened, preventing the floodplain of most of Greater London from being flooded except under extreme circumstances.
  • 1987 – The SAS kills eight Provisional Irish Republican Army volunteers and a civilian during an ambush in Loughgall, Northern Ireland.
  • 1988 – A fire at Illinois Bell’s Hinsdale Central Office triggers an extended 1AESS network outage once considered to be the “worst telecommunications disaster in US telephone industry history”.
  • 1997 – China Southern Airlines Flight 3456 crashes on approach into Bao’an International Airport, killing 35 people.
  • 2019 – British 17-year-old Isabelle Holdaway is reported to be the first patient ever to receive a genetically modified phage therapy to treat a drug-resistant infection.

Births on May 8

  • 1326 – Joan I, Countess of Auvergne (d. 1360)
  • 1427 – John Tiptoft, 1st Earl of Worcester, Lord High Treasurer (d. 1470)
  • 1460 – Frederick I, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach (d. 1536)
  • 1492 – Andrea Alciato, Italian jurist and writer (d. 1550)
  • 1508 – Charles Wriothesley, English Officer of Arms (d. 1562)
  • 1521 – Peter Canisius, Dutch-Swiss priest and saint (d. 1597)
  • 1551 – Thomas Drury, English government informer and swindler (d. 1603)
  • 1587 – Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy (d. 1637)
  • 1622 – Claes Rålamb, Swedish politician (d. 1698)
  • 1628 – Angelo Italia, Sicilian Jesuit and architect (d. 1700)
  • 1629 – Niels Juel, Norwegian-Danish admiral (d. 1697)
  • 1632 – Heino Heinrich Graf von Flemming, German field marshal and politician (d. 1706)
  • 1639 – Giovanni Battista Gaulli, Italian artist (d. 1709)
  • 1641 – Nicolaes Witsen, Mayor of Amsterdam, Netherlands (d. 1717)
  • 1653 – Claude Louis Hector de Villars, French general and politician, French Minister of Defence (d. 1734)
  • 1670 – Charles Beauclerk, 1st Duke of St Albans, English soldier and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire (d. 1726)
  • 1698 – Henry Baker, English naturalist (d. 1774)
  • 1720 – William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1764)
  • 1735 – Nathaniel Dance-Holland, English painter and politician (d. 1811)
  • 1737 – Edward Gibbon, English historian and politician (d. 1794)
  • 1745 – Carl Stamitz, German violinist and composer (d. 1801)
  • 1753 – Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, Mexican priest and rebel leader (d. 1811)
  • 1786 – John Vianney, French priest and saint (d. 1859)
  • 1815 – Edward Tompkins, American lawyer and politician (d. 1872)
  • 1818 – Samuel Leonard Tilley, Canadian pharmacist and politician, 3rd Premier of New Brunswick (d. 1896)
  • 1821 – William Henry Vanderbilt, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 1885)
  • 1824 – William Walker, American physician, lawyer, journalist and mercenary (d. 1860)
  • 1825 – George Bruce Malleson, English-Indian colonel and author (d. 1898)
  • 1828 – Henry Dunant, Swiss businessman and activist, co-founded the Red Cross, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1910)
  • 1828 – Charbel Makhluf, Lebanese monk and saint (d. 1898)
  • 1829 – Louis Moreau Gottschalk, American pianist and composer (d. 1869)
  • 1835 – Bertalan Székely, Hungarian painter and academic (d. 1910)
  • 1839 – Adolphe-Basile Routhier, Canadian judge, author, and songwriter (d. 1920)
  • 1842 – Emil Christian Hansen, Danish physiologist and mycologist (d. 1909)
  • 1846 – Oscar Hammerstein I, American businessman and composer (d. 1919)
  • 1850 – Ross Barnes, American baseball player and manager (d. 1915)
  • 1853 – Dan Brouthers, American baseball player and manager (d. 1932)
  • 1856 – Pedro Lascuráin, Mexican politician, president for 45 minutes on February 13, 1913. (d. 1952)
  • 1858 – Heinrich Berté, Slovak-Austrian composer (d. 1924)
  • 1858 – J. Meade Falkner, English author and poet (d. 1932)
  • 1859 – Johan Jensen, Danish mathematician and engineer (d. 1925)
  • 1867 – Margarete Böhme, German novelist (d. 1939)
  • 1879 – Wesley Coe, American shot putter, discus thrower, and tug of war competitor (d. 1926)
  • 1884 – Harry S. Truman, American colonel and politician, 33rd President of the United States (d. 1972)
  • 1885 – Thomas B. Costain, Canadian journalist and author (d. 1965)
  • 1892 – Adriaan Pelt, Dutch journalist and diplomat (d. 1981)
  • 1893 – Francis Ouimet, American golfer (d. 1967)
  • 1893 – Edd Roush, American baseball player and coach (d. 1988)
  • 1893 – Teddy Wakelam, English rugby player and sportscaster (d. 1963)
  • 1895 – James H. Kindelberger, American businessman (d. 1962)
  • 1895 – Fulton J. Sheen, American archbishop (d. 1979)
  • 1895 – Edmund Wilson, American critic, essayist, and editor (d. 1972)
  • 1898 – Aloysius Stepinac, Croatian cardinal (d. 1960)
  • 1899 – Arthur Q. Bryan, American actor, voice actor, comedian and radio personality (d. 1959)
  • 1899 – Friedrich Hayek, Austrian economist and philosopher, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1992)
  • 1899 – Jacques Heim, French fashion designer (d. 1967)
  • 1901 – Turkey Stearnes, American baseball player (d. 1979)
  • 1902 – André Michel Lwoff, French microbiologist and physician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1994)
  • 1903 – Fernandel, French actor and singer (d. 1971)
  • 1903 – Mary Stewart, Baroness Stewart of Alvechurch, British politician and educator (d. 1984)
  • 1904 – John Snagge, English journalist (d. 1996)
  • 1905 – Red Nichols, American cornet player, composer, and bandleader (d. 1965)
  • 1906 – Roberto Rossellini, Italian director and screenwriter (d. 1977)
  • 1910 – George Male, English footballer (d. 1998)
  • 1910 – Andrew E. Svenson, American author and publisher (d. 1975)
  • 1910 – Mary Lou Williams, American pianist and composer (d. 1981)
  • 1911 – Wilhelm Friedrich de Gaay Fortman, Dutch jurist and politician, Dutch Minister of The Interior (d. 1997)
  • 1911 – Robert Johnson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1938)
  • 1912 – George Woodcock, Canadian author and poet (d. 1995)
  • 1913 – Bob Clampett, American animator, director, and producer (d. 1984)
  • 1913 – Sid James, South African-English actor and singer (d. 1976)
  • 1915 – Milton Meltzer, American historian and author (d. 2009)
  • 1916 – João Havelange, Brazilian water polo player, lawyer, and businessman (d. 2016)
  • 1916 – Chinmayananda Saraswati, Indian spiritual leader and educator (d. 1993)
  • 1916 – Ramananda Sengupta, Indian cinematographer (d. 2017)
  • 1917 – John Anderson, Jr., American lawyer and politician, 36th Governor of Kansas (d. 2014)
  • 1919 – Lex Barker, American actor (d. 1973)
  • 1920 – Saul Bass, American graphic designer and director (d. 1996)
  • 1920 – Tom of Finland, Finnish illustrator (d. 1991)
  • 1920 – Sloan Wilson, American author and poet (d. 2003)
  • 1920 – Gordon McClymont, Australian ecologist and academic (d. 2000)
  • 1922 – Mary Q. Steele, American naturalist and author (d. 1992)
  • 1924 – S. Vithiananthan, Sri Lankan author and academic (d. 1989)
  • 1925 – Ali Hassan Mwinyi, Tanzanian politician, 2nd President of Tanzania
  • 1926 – David Attenborough, English environmentalist and television host
  • 1926 – David Hurst, German actor (d. 2019)
  • 1926 – Don Rickles, American comedian and actor (d. 2017)
  • 1927 – Chumy Chúmez, Spanish actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2003)
  • 1927 – László Paskai, Hungarian cardinal (d. 2015)
  • 1928 – Robert Conley, American journalist (d. 2013)
  • 1928 – Ted Sorensen, American lawyer, 8th White House Counsel (d. 2010)
  • 1929 – Ethel D. Allen, American physician and politician (d. 1981)
  • 1929 – Girija Devi, Indian classical singer (d. 2017)
  • 1929 – Claude Castonguay, Canadian banker and politician
  • 1929 – Miyoshi Umeki, Japanese-American actress and singer (d. 2007)
  • 1930 – Heather Harper, Northern Irish soprano (d. 2019)
  • 1930 – Doug Atkins, American football player (d. 2015)
  • 1930 – René Maltête, French photographer and poet (d. 2000)
  • 1930 – Gary Snyder, American poet, essayist, and translator
  • 1932 – Julieta Campos, Cuban-Mexican author and translator (d. 2007)
  • 1932 – Phyllida Law, Scottish actress
  • 1932 – Harry Wells, Australian rugby league player
  • 1934 – Leonard Hoffmann, Baron Hoffmann, South African-English lawyer and judge
  • 1934 – Maurice Norman, English footballer
  • 1934 – David Williamson, Baron Williamson of Horton, English soldier and politician (d. 2015)
  • 1935 – Lucius Cary, 15th Viscount Falkland, Scottish politician
  • 1935 – Princess Elisabeth of Denmark (d. 2018)
  • 1935 – Jack Charlton, English footballer and manager
  • 1936 – Kazuo Koike, Japanese author
  • 1936 – Haljand Udam, Estonian orientalist and academic (d. 2005)
  • 1937 – Bernard Cleary, Canadian journalist, academic, and politician
  • 1937 – Mike Cuellar, Cuban-American baseball player (d. 2010)
  • 1937 – Carlos Gaviria Díaz, Colombian lawyer and politician (d. 2015)
  • 1937 – Thomas Pynchon, American novelist
  • 1938 – Javed Burki, Indian-Pakistani cricketer
  • 1938 – Jean Giraud, French author and illustrator (d. 2012)
  • 1939 – Paul Drayton, American sprinter (d. 2010)
  • 1940 – Peter Benchley, American author and screenwriter (d. 2006)
  • 1940 – James Blyth, Baron Blyth of Rowington, English businessman and academic
  • 1940 – Irwin Cotler, Canadian lawyer and politician, 47th Canadian Minister of Justice
  • 1940 – Emilio Delgado, Mexican-American actor, “Sesame Street”
  • 1940 – Ricky Nelson, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (d. 1985)
  • 1940 – Toni Tennille, American singer-songwriter and keyboard player
  • 1941 – John Fred, American singer-songwriter (d. 2005)
  • 1941 – Bill Lockyer, American academic and politician, 30th Attorney General of California
  • 1941 – James Traficant, American lawyer and politician (d. 2014)
  • 1942 – Martin Dobkin, Canadian doctor and politician, 2nd Mayor of Mississauga
  • 1942 – Robin Hobbs, English cricketer
  • 1942 – Norman Lamont, Scottish banker and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer
  • 1942 – Pierre Morency, Canadian poet and playwright
  • 1942 – Terry Neill, Irish footballer and manager
  • 1943 – Pat Barker, English author
  • 1943 – Johnny Greaves, Australian rugby league player
  • 1943 – Jon Mark, English-New Zealand singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1943 – Paul Samwell-Smith, English bass player and producer
  • 1943 – Danny Whitten, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1972)
  • 1944 – Gary Glitter, English singer-songwriter
  • 1944 – Bill Legend, English drummer
  • 1945 – Arthur Docters van Leeuwen, Dutch jurist and politician
  • 1945 – Mike German, Baron German, Welsh educator and politician, Deputy First Minister for Wales
  • 1945 – Janine Haines, Australian politician (d. 2004)
  • 1945 – Keith Jarrett, American pianist and composer
  • 1946 – André Boulerice, Canadian politician
  • 1946 – Jonathan Dancy, English philosopher, author, and academic
  • 1947 – H. Robert Horvitz, American biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1947 – Felicity Lott, English soprano
  • 1947 – John Reid, Baron Reid of Cardowan, Scottish historian and politician, Secretary of State for Defence
  • 1948 – Steve Braun, American baseball player and coach
  • 1948 – Stephen Stohn, American-Canadian lawyer and producer
  • 1949 – David Vines, Australian economist and academic
  • 1950 – Robert Mugge, American director and producer
  • 1950 – Lepo Sumera, Estonian composer and educator (d. 2000)
  • 1951 – Philip Bailey, American singer-songwriter, drummer, and actor
  • 1951 – Mike D’Antoni, American basketball player and coach
  • 1951 – Chris Frantz, American drummer and producer
  • 1952 – Peter McNab, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
  • 1953 – Billy Burnette, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
  • 1953 – Alex Van Halen, Dutch-American drummer
  • 1954 – Pam Arciero, American puppeteer and voice actress
  • 1954 – David Keith, American actor and director
  • 1954 – John Michael Talbot, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1955 – Stephen Furst, American actor and director (d. 2017)
  • 1955 – Mladen Markač, Croatian general
  • 1955 – Keith Osgood, English footballer
  • 1956 – Jeff Wincott, Canadian actor and martial artist
  • 1957 – Bill Cowher, American football player and coach
  • 1957 – Rino Katase, Japanese actress
  • 1957 – Gary Lunn, Canadian lawyer and politician, 6th Canadian Minister of Natural Resources
  • 1958 – Roddy Doyle, Irish novelist, playwright, and screenwriter
  • 1958 – Simone Kleinsma, Dutch actress and singer
  • 1958 – Brooks Newmark, American-English businessman and politician, Lord of the Treasury
  • 1958 – Lovie Smith, American football player and coach
  • 1959 – Ronnie Lott, American football player and sportscaster
  • 1959 – David Manners, 11th Duke of Rutland, English politician
  • 1959 – Ikue Sakakibara, Japanese actress and singer
  • 1960 – Franco Baresi, Italian footballer and coach
  • 1960 – Eric Brittingham, American bass player
  • 1961 – Bill de Blasio, American politician, 109th Mayor of New York City
  • 1961 – Gert Kruys, Dutch footballer and manager
  • 1961 – Vallo Reimaa, Estonian academic and politician
  • 1961 – David Winning, Canadian-American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1962 – Natalia Molchanova, Russian diver (d. 2015)
  • 1962 – David Sole, Scottish rugby player
  • 1963 – Sylvain Cossette, Canadian singer-songwriter
  • 1963 – Anthony Field, Australian guitarist, songwriter, producer, and actor
  • 1963 – Michel Gondry, French director and screenwriter
  • 1963 – Izabela Kloc, Polish politician
  • 1963 – Aleksandr Kovalenko, Belarusian triple jumper
  • 1963 – Rick Zombo, American ice hockey player and coach
  • 1964 – Päivi Alafrantti, Finnish javelin thrower
  • 1964 – Melissa Gilbert, American actress and director
  • 1964 – Bobby Labonte, American race car driver
  • 1964 – Nathalie Roy, Canadian lawyer and politician
  • 1964 – Dave Rowntree, English drummer and animator
  • 1964 – Metin Tekin, Turkish footballer, manager, and journalist
  • 1966 – Cláudio Taffarel, Brazilian footballer and coach
  • 1967 – Viviana Durante, Italian ballerina and actress
  • 1967 – Angus Scott, British sports television presenter
  • 1968 – Teet Kask, Estonian ballet dancer and choreographer
  • 1968 – Nathalie Normandeau, Canadian politician, Deputy Premier of Quebec
  • 1968 – Johan Pehrson, Swedish lawyer and politician
  • 1969 – Jonny Searle, English rower
  • 1969 – Akebono Tarō, American-Japanese sumo wrestler, the 64th Yokozuna
  • 1969 – John Timu, New Zealand rugby player
  • 1970 – Michael Bevan, Australian cricketer and coach
  • 1970 – Naomi Klein, Canadian author and activist
  • 1970 – Luis Enrique, Spanish footballer and manager
  • 1971 – Chuck Huber, American voice actor, director, and screenwriter
  • 1971 – Candice Night, American singer-songwriter
  • 1972 – Darren Hayes, Australian singer-songwriter
  • 1972 – Ray Whitney, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1973 – Hiromu Arakawa, Japanese author and illustrator
  • 1973 – Jesús Arellano, Mexican footballer
  • 1973 – Marcus Brigstocke, English comedian, actor, and screenwriter
  • 1974 – Marge Kõrkjas, Estonian swimmer
  • 1974 – Korey Stringer, American football player (d. 2001)
  • 1974 – Christian XXX, American pornographic star
  • 1975 – Enrique Iglesias, Spanish-American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
  • 1975 – Jussi Markkanen, Finnish ice hockey player
  • 1975 – Gastón Mazzacane, Argentinian race car driver
  • 1975 – Dmitri Ustritski, Estonian footballer
  • 1976 – Gonçalo Abecasis, Portuguese-American biochemist and academic
  • 1976 – Martha Wainwright, Canadian-American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1977 – Joe Bonamassa, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1977 – Bad News Brown, Canadian rapper, harmonica player, and actor (d. 2011)
  • 1977 – Theodoros Papaloukas, Greek basketball player
  • 1977 – Kathrin Bringmann, German mathematician and academic
  • 1978 – Lúcio, Brazilian footballer
  • 1978 – Jang Woo-hyuk, South Korean rapper and dancer
  • 1979 – Ole Morten Vågan, Norwegian bassist
  • 1980 – Keyon Dooling, American basketball player
  • 1980 – Panagiotis Kafkis, Greek basketball player
  • 1980 – Evgeny Lebedev, Russian-English publisher and philanthropist
  • 1980 – Michelle McManus, Scottish singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1980 – Benny Yau, Hong Kong-Canadian actor and singer
  • 1981 – Stephen Amell, Canadian actor
  • 1981 – Andrea Barzagli, Italian footballer
  • 1981 – Tatyana Dektyareva, Russian hurdler
  • 1981 – Björn Dixgård, Swedish singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1981 – Manny Gamburyan, Armenian-American mixed martial artist
  • 1981 – John Maine, American baseball player
  • 1982 – Buakaw Banchamek, Thai kick-boxer
  • 1982 – Christina Cole, English actress
  • 1982 – Adrián González, American baseball player
  • 1982 – Uğur Yıldırım, Turkish-Dutch footballer
  • 1983 – Juan Martin Goity, Argentinian-German rugby player
  • 1983 – Bershawn Jackson, American hurdler
  • 1983 – Lawrence Vickers, American football player
  • 1983 – Vicky McClure, English actress
  • 1984 – David King, English figure skater
  • 1985 – Tommaso Ciampa, American wrestler
  • 1985 – Silvia Stroescu, Romanian gymnast
  • 1985 – Sarah Vaillancourt, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1985 – Usama Young, American football player
  • 1986 – Pemra Özgen, Turkish tennis player
  • 1986 – Galen Rupp, American runner
  • 1986 – Marvell Wynne, American soccer player
  • 1987 – Felix Jones, American football player
  • 1987 – Aarne Nirk, Estonian hurdler
  • 1987 – Mark Noble, English footballer
  • 1987 – Kurt Tippett, Australian footballer
  • 1988 – Tanel Kurbas, Estonian basketball player
  • 1988 – Maicon Pereira de Oliveira, Brazilian footballer (d. 2014)
  • 1989 – Liam Bridcutt, English footballer
  • 1989 – Lars Eller, Danish ice hockey player
  • 1989 – Dinesh Patel, Indian baseball player
  • 1990 – Kemba Walker, American basketball player
  • 1991 – Ethan Gage, Canadian soccer player
  • 1991 – Valentijn Lietmeijer, Dutch basketball player
  • 1991 – Anamaria Tămârjan, Romanian gymnast
  • 1992 – Kevin Hayes, American ice hockey player
  • 1993 – Pat Cummins, Australian cricketer
  • 1996 – 6ix9ine, American rapper
  • 2001 – Jordyn Huitema, Canadian soccer player
  • 2003 – Moulay Hassan, Crown Prince of Morocco

Deaths on May 8

  • 535 – Pope John II
  • 615 – Pope Boniface IV (b. 550)
  • 685 – Pope Benedict II
  • 997 – Tai Zong, Chinese emperor (b. 939)
  • 1157 – Ahmed Sanjar, Seljuk sultan (b. 1086)
  • 1192 – Ottokar IV, duke of Styria (b. 1163)
  • 1220 – Richeza of Denmark, queen of Sweden
  • 1278 – Duan Zong, Chinese emperor (b. 1269)
  • 1319 – Haakon V, king of Norway (b. 1270)
  • 1473 – John Stafford, 1st Earl of Wiltshire, English politician (b. 1420)
  • 1538 – Edward Foxe, English bishop and academic (b. 1496)
  • 1551 – Barbara Radziwiłł, queen of Poland (b. 1520)
  • 1668 – Catherine of St. Augustine, French-Canadian nun and saint (b. 1632)
  • 1766 – Samuel Chandler, English minister and author (b. 1693)
  • 1773 – Ali Bey al-Kabir, Egyptian sultan (b. 1728)
  • 1781 – Richard Jago, English priest and poet (b. 1715)
  • 1782 – Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, 1st Marquis of Pombal, Portuguese politician, Prime Minister of Portugal (b. 1699)
  • 1785 – Étienne François, duc de Choiseul, French general and politician, Prime Minister of France (b. 1719)
  • 1785 – Pietro Longhi, Italian painter (b. 1701)
  • 1788 – Giovanni Antonio Scopoli, Italian physician and botanist (b. 1723)
  • 1794 – Antoine Lavoisier, French chemist and biologist (b. 1743)
  • 1819 – Kamehameha I, king of the Hawaiian Islands
  • 1822 – John Stark, American general (b. 1728)
  • 1828 – Mauro Giuliani, Italian guitarist, cellist, and composer (b. 1781)
  • 1837 – Alexander Balashov, Russian general and politician, Russian Minister of Police (b. 1770)
  • 1842 – Jules Dumont d’Urville, French admiral and explorer (b. 1790)
  • 1853 – Jan Roothaan, Dutch priest, 21st Superior General of the Society of Jesus (b. 1785)
  • 1880 – Gustave Flaubert, French novelist (b. 1821)
  • 1891 – Helena Blavatsky, Russian-English mystic and author (b. 1831)
  • 1891 – John Robertson, English-Australian politician, 5th Premier of New South Wales (b. 1816)
  • 1893 – Manuel González Flores, Mexican general and president, 1880–1884 (b. 1833)
  • 1903 – Paul Gauguin, French painter and sculptor (b. 1848)
  • 1907 – Edmund G. Ross, American soldier and politician, 13th Governor of New Mexico Territory (b. 1826)
  • 1925 – John Beresford, Irish polo player (b. 1847)
  • 1936 – Oswald Spengler, German historian and philosopher (b. 1880)
  • 1941 – Natalie, queen consort of Serbia (b. 1859)
  • 1941 – Tore Svennberg, Swedish actor and director (b. 1858)
  • 1942 – Nikolai Reek, Estonian general and politician, 11th Estonian Minister of War (b. 1890)
  • 1943 – Mordechai Anielewicz, Polish commander (b. 1919)
  • 1944 – Themistoklis Diakidis, Greek high jumper (b. 1882)
  • 1945 – Frank Bourne, British soldier, last survivor of the Battle of Rorke’s Drift (b. 1854)
  • 1945 – Wilhelm Rediess, German SS officer (b. 1900)
  • 1945 – Bernhard Rust, German lieutenant and politician (b. 1883)
  • 1945 – Josef Terboven, German lieutenant and politician (b. 1898)
  • 1947 – Harry Gordon Selfridge, American-English businessman, founded Selfridges (b. 1858)
  • 1948 – U Saw, Burmese politician, Prime Minister of Burma (b. 1900)
  • 1950 – Vital Brazil, Brazilian physician and immunologist (b. 1865)
  • 1952 – William Fox, Austrian businessman, founded Fox Theatres (b. 1879)
  • 1959 – John Fraser, Canadian soccer player (b. 1881)
  • 1960 – J. H. C. Whitehead, Indian-English mathematician and academic (b. 1904)
  • 1965 – Wally Hardinge, English cricketer and footballer (b. 1886)
  • 1969 – Remington Kellogg, American zoologist and paleontologist (b. 1892)
  • 1972 – Pandurang Vaman Kane, Indologist and Sanskrit scholar, Bharat Ratna awardee (b. 1880)
  • 1972 – Beatrice Helen Worsley, Mexican-Canadian computer scientist (b. 1921)
  • 1975 – Avery Brundage, American businessman and art collector (b. 1887)
  • 1980 – Geoffrey Baker, English Field Marshal and Chief of the General Staff of the British Army (b. 1920)
  • 1981 – Uri Zvi Greenberg, Israeli poet and journalist (b. 1896)
  • 1982 – Neil Bogart, American record producer, co-founded Casablanca Records (b. 1943)
  • 1982 – Gilles Villeneuve, Canadian race car driver (b. 1950)
  • 1983 – John Fante, American author and screenwriter (b. 1909)
  • 1984 – Lila Bell Wallace, American publisher, co-founded Reader’s Digest (b. 1890)
  • 1984 – Gino Bianco, Italian-Brazilian race car driver (b. 1916)
  • 1985 – Karl Marx, German conductor and composer (b. 1897)
  • 1985 – Theodore Sturgeon, American author and critic (b. 1918)
  • 1985 – Dolph Sweet, American actor (b. 1920)
  • 1986 – Ernle Bradford, English historian and author (b. 1922)
  • 1987 – Doris Stokes, English psychic and author (b. 1920)
  • 1988 – Robert A. Heinlein, American science fiction writer and screenwriter (b. 1907)
  • 1990 – Luigi Nono, Italian composer and educator (b. 1924)
  • 1991 – Jean Langlais, French pianist and composer (b. 1907)
  • 1991 – Rudolf Serkin, Czech-Austrian pianist and educator (b. 1903)
  • 1992 – Joyce Ricketts, American baseball player (b. 1933)
  • 1993 – Avram Davidson, American soldier and author (b. 1923)
  • 1994 – George Peppard, American actor and producer (b. 1928)
  • 1995 – Teresa Teng, Taiwanese singer (b. 1953)
  • 1996 – Beryl Burton, English cyclist (b. 1937)
  • 1996 – Luis Miguel Dominguín, Spanish bullfighter (b. 1926)
  • 1996 – Larry Levis, American poet, author, and critic (b. 1946)
  • 1996 – Garth Williams, American illustrator (b. 1912)
  • 1998 – Johannes Kotkas, Estonian wrestler (b. 1915)
  • 1998 – Charles Rebozo, American banker and businessman (b. 1912)
  • 1999 – Dirk Bogarde, English actor and screenwriter (b. 1921)
  • 1999 – Ed Gilbert, American actor (b. 1931)
  • 1999 – Dana Plato, American actress (b. 1964)
  • 1999 – Soeman Hs, Indonesian author and educator (b. 1904)
  • 2000 – Pita Amor, Mexican poet and author (b. 1918)
  • 2000 – Dédé Fortin, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1962)
  • 2000 – Henry Nicols, American activist (b. 1973)
  • 2003 – Elvira Pagã, Brazilian vedette, singer, and artist (b. 1920)
  • 2005 – Jean Carrière, French author (b. 1928)
  • 2005 – Nicolás Vuyovich, Argentinian race car driver (b. 1981)
  • 2006 – Iain Macmillan, Scottish photographer and author (b. 1938)
  • 2007 – Philip R. Craig, American author and poet (b. 1933)
  • 2007 – Carson Whitsett, American keyboard player, songwriter, and producer (b. 1945)
  • 2008 – Eddy Arnold, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (b. 1918)
  • 2008 – François Sterchele, Belgian footballer (b. 1982)
  • 2009 – Dom DiMaggio, American baseball player (b. 1917)
  • 2009 – Bud Shrake, American journalist and author (b. 1931)
  • 2011 – Lionel Rose, Australian boxer (b. 1948)
  • 2012 – Everett Lilly, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1924)
  • 2012 – Jerry McMorris, American businessman (b. 1941)
  • 2012 – Stacy Robinson, American football player (b. 1962)
  • 2012 – Maurice Sendak, American author and illustrator (b. 1928)
  • 2012 – Ampon Tangnoppakul, Thai criminal (b. 1948)
  • 2012 – Roman Totenberg, Polish-American violinist and educator (b. 1911)
  • 2013 – Jeanne Cooper, American actress (b. 1928)
  • 2013 – Bryan Forbes, English actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1926)
  • 2013 – Juan José Muñoz, Argentinian businessman (b. 1950)
  • 2013 – Hugh J. Silverman, American philosopher and theorist (b. 1945)
  • 2013 – Ken Whaley, Austrian-English bass player (b. 1946)
  • 2014 – Roger L. Easton, American scientist, co-invented the GPS (b. 1921)
  • 2014 – Nancy Malone, American actress, director, and producer (b. 1935)
  • 2014 – Yago Lamela, Spanish long jumper (b. 1977)
  • 2014 – Jair Rodrigues, Brazilian singer (b. 1939)
  • 2014 – R. Douglas Stuart Jr., American businessman and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Norway (b. 1916)
  • 2014 – Joseph P. Teasdale, American lawyer and politician, 48th Governor of Missouri (b. 1936)
  • 2015 – Zeki Alasya, Turkish actor and director (b. 1943)
  • 2015 – Mwepu Ilunga, Congolese footballer (b. 1949)
  • 2015 – Menashe Kadishman, Israeli sculptor and painter (b. 1932)
  • 2015 – Juan Schwanner, Hungarian-Chilean footballer and manager (b. 1921)
  • 2015 – Atanas Semerdzhiev, Bulgarian soldier and politician, 1st Vice President of Bulgaria (b. 1924)
  • 2016 – Tom M. Apostol, American analytic number theorist (b. 1923)
  • 2016 – William Schallert, American actor; president (1979–81) of the Screen Actors Guild (b. 1922)
  • 2018 – Big Bully Busick, American professional wrestler (b. 1954)
  • 2018 – Anne V. Coates, British film editor (Lawrence of ArabiaThe Elephant ManErin Brockovich), Oscar winner (1963) (b. 1925)
  • 2019 – Sprent Dabwido, President of Nauru from 2011 to 2013 (b. 1972)

Holidays and observances on May 8

  • Christian feast day:
    • Amato Ronconi
    • Apparition of Saint Michael
    • Arsenius the Great
    • Desideratus
    • Blessed Catherine of St. Augustine
    • Julian of Norwich (Anglican, Lutheran)
    • Magdalene of Canossa
    • Our Lady of Luján
    • Peter of Tarentaise
    • Blessed Teresa Demjanovich (Ruthenian Catholic Church)
    • May 8 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Earliest day on which Father’s Day can fall, while May 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Sunday of May. (Romania)
  • Earliest day on which Mother’s Day can fall, while May 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Sunday of May. (United States and others)
  • Earliest day on which State Flag and State Emblem Day can fall, while May 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Sunday of May. (Belarus)
  • Earliest day on which World Fair Trade Day can fall, while May 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Saturday of May (site of the WFTO) (International)
  • Emancipation Day (Columbus, Mississippi)
  • Furry Dance (Helston, UK)
  • Liberation Day (Czech Republic)
  • Miguel Hidalgo’s birthday (Mexico)
  • Parents’ Day (South Korea)
  • Truman Day (Missouri)
  • Veterans Day (Norway)
  • Victory in Europe Day, and its related observances (Europe):
    • Time of Remembrance and Reconciliation for Those Who Lost Their Lives during the Second World War, continues to May 9
  • White Lotus Day (Theosophy)
  • World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day (International)

May 8 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

May 7 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

  • 351 – The Jewish revolt against Constantius Gallus breaks out after his arrival at Antioch.
  • 558 – In Constantinople, the dome of the Hagia Sophia collapses, twenty years after its construction. Justinian I immediately orders that the dome be rebuilt.
  • 1274 – In France, the Second Council of Lyon opens to regulate the election of the Pope.
  • 1487 – The Siege of Málaga commences during the Spanish Reconquista.
  • 1544 – The Burning of Edinburgh by an English army is the first action of the Rough Wooing.
  • 1664 – Louis XIV of France begins construction of the Palace of Versailles.
  • 1685 – Battle of Vrtijeljka between rebels and Ottoman forces.
  • 1697 – Stockholm’s royal castle (dating back to medieval times) is destroyed by fire. It is replaced in the 18th century by the current Royal Palace.
  • 1718 – The city of New Orleans is founded by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville.
  • 1763 – Pontiac’s War begins with Pontiac’s attempt to seize Fort Detroit from the British.
  • 1794 – French Revolution: Robespierre introduces the Cult of the Supreme Being in the National Convention as the new state religion of the French First Republic.
  • 1824 – World premiere of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in Vienna, Austria. The performance is conducted by Michael Umlauf under the composer’s supervision.
  • 1832 – Greece’s independence is recognized by the Treaty of London.
  • 1840 – The Great Natchez Tornado strikes Natchez, Mississippi killing 317 people. It is the second deadliest tornado in United States history.
  • 1846 – The Cambridge Chronicle, America’s oldest surviving weekly newspaper, is published for the first time in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
  • 1864 – American Civil War: The Army of the Potomac, under General Ulysses S. Grant, breaks off from the Battle of the Wilderness and moves southwards.
  • 1864 – The world’s oldest surviving clipper ship, the City of Adelaide is launched by William Pile, Hay and Co. in Sunderland, England, for transporting passengers and goods between Britain and Australia.
  • 1895 – In Saint Petersburg, Russian scientist Alexander Stepanovich Popov demonstrates to the Russian Physical and Chemical Society his invention, the Popov lightning detector—a primitive radio receiver. In some parts of the former Soviet Union the anniversary of this day is celebrated as Radio Day.
  • 1915 – World War I: German submarine U-20 sinks RMS Lusitania, killing 1,198 people, including 128 Americans. Public reaction to the sinking turns many former pro-Germans in the United States against the German Empire.
  • 1915 – The Republic of China accedes to 13 of the 21 Demands, extending the Empire of Japan‘s control over Manchuria and the Chinese economy.
  • 1920 – Kiev Offensive: Polish troops led by Józef Piłsudski and Edward Rydz-Śmigły and assisted by a symbolic Ukrainian force capture Kiev only to be driven out by the Red Army counter-offensive a month later.
  • 1920 – Treaty of Moscow: Soviet Russia recognizes the independence of the Democratic Republic of Georgia only to invade the country six months later.
  • 1920 – Morecambe Football Club was founded during a meeting at the West View Hotel on the town’s promenade.
  • 1930 – The 7.1 Mw  Salmas earthquake shakes northwestern Iran and southeastern Turkey with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). Up to three-thousand people were killed.
  • 1931 – The stand-off between criminal Francis Crowley and 300 members of the New York Police Department takes place in his fifth-floor apartment on West 91st Street, New York City.
  • 1937 – Spanish Civil War: The German Condor Legion, equipped with Heinkel He 51 biplanes, arrives in Spain to assist Francisco Franco’s forces.
  • 1940 – World War II: The Norway Debate in the British House of Commons begins, and leads to the replacement of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain with Winston Churchill three days later.
  • 1942 – World War II: During the Battle of the Coral Sea, United States Navy aircraft carrier aircraft attack and sink the Imperial Japanese Navy light aircraft carrier Shōhō; the battle marks the first time in naval history that two enemy fleets fight without visual contact between warring ships.
  • 1945 – World War II: Last German U boat attack of the war, two freighters are sunk off the Firth of Forth, Scotland.
  • 1945 – World War II: General Alfred Jodl signs unconditional surrender terms at Reims, France, ending Germany’s participation in the war. The document takes effect the next day.
  • 1946 – Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering (later renamed Sony) is founded
  • 1948 – The Council of Europe is founded during the Hague Congress.
  • 1952 – The concept of the integrated circuit, the basis for all modern computers, is first published by Geoffrey Dummer.
  • 1954 – Indochina War: The Battle of Dien Bien Phu ends in a French defeat and a Viet Minh victory (the battle began on March 13).
  • 1960 – Cold War: U-2 Crisis of 1960: Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev announces that his nation is holding American U-2 pilot Gary Powers.
  • 1976 – The Honda Accord is officially launched.
  • 1986 – Canadian Patrick Morrow becomes the first person to climb each of the Seven Summits.
  • 1992 – Michigan ratifies a 203-year-old proposed amendment to the United States Constitution making the 27th Amendment law. This amendment bars the U.S. Congress from giving itself a mid-term pay raise.
  • 1992 – Space Shuttle program: The Space Shuttle Endeavour is launched on its first mission, STS-49.
  • 1992 – Three employees at a McDonald’s Restaurant in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada, are brutally murdered and a fourth permanently disabled after a botched robbery. It is the first “fast-food murder” in Canada.
  • 1994 – Edvard Munch’s painting The Scream is recovered undamaged after being stolen from the National Gallery of Norway in February.
  • 1998 – Mercedes-Benz buys Chrysler for US$40 billion and forms DaimlerChrysler in the largest industrial merger in history.
  • 1999 – Pope John Paul II travels to Romania, becoming the first pope to visit a predominantly Eastern Orthodox country since the Great Schism in 1054.
  • 1999 – Kosovo War: Three Chinese citizens are killed and 20 wounded when a NATO aircraft apparently inadvertently bombs the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, Serbia.
  • 1999 – In Guinea-Bissau, President João Bernardo Vieira is ousted in a military coup.
  • 2000 – Vladimir Putin is inaugurated as president of Russia.
  • 2002 – An EgyptAir Boeing 737-500 crashes on approach to Tunis–Carthage International Airport, killing 14 people.
  • 2002 – A China Northern Airlines MD-82 plunges into the Yellow Sea, killing 112 people.
  • 2004 – American businessman Nick Berg is beheaded by Islamic militants. The act is recorded on videotape and released on the Internet.

Births on May 7

  • Before 160 – Julia Maesa, Roman noblewoman (d. 224)
  • 1488 – John III of the Palatinate, archbishop of Regensburg (d. 1538)
  • 1530 – Louis, Prince of Condé (d. 1569)
  • 1553 – Albert Frederick, Duke of Prussia (d. 1618)
  • 1605 – Patriarch Nikon of Moscow (d. 1681)
  • 1643 – Stephanus Van Cortlandt, American politician, 10th Mayor of New York City (d. 1700)
  • 1700 – Gerard van Swieten, Dutch-Austrian physician (d. 1772)
  • 1701 – Carl Heinrich Graun, German tenor and composer (d. 1759)
  • 1711 – David Hume, Scottish economist, historian, and philosopher (d. 1776)
  • 1724 – Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser, French-Austrian field marshal (d. 1797)
  • 1740 – Nikolai Arkharov, Russian police officer and general (d. 1814)
  • 1748 – Olympe de Gouges, French playwright and philosopher (d. 1793)
  • 1763 – Józef Poniatowski, Polish general (d. 1813)
  • 1767 – Princess Frederica Charlotte of Prussia (d. 1820)
  • 1774 – William Bainbridge, American commodore (d. 1833)
  • 1787 – Jacques Viger, Canadian archaeologist and politician, 1st mayor of Montreal (d. 1858)
  • 1812 – Robert Browning, English poet and playwright (d. 1889)
  • 1833 – Johannes Brahms, German pianist and composer (d. 1897)
  • 1836 – Joseph Gurney Cannon, American lawyer and politician, 40th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (d. 1926)
  • 1837 – Karl Mauch, German geographer and explorer (d. 1875)
  • 1840 – Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Russian composer and educator (d. 1893)
  • 1845 – Mary Eliza Mahoney, American nurse and activist (d. 1926)
  • 1847 – Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1929)
  • 1857 – William A. MacCorkle, American lawyer and politician, 9th Governor of West Virginia (d. 1930)
  • 1860 – Tom Norman, English businessman (d. 1930)
  • 1861 – Rabindranath Tagore, Indian author and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1941)
  • 1867 – Władysław Reymont, Polish novelist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1925)
  • 1875 – Bill Hoyt, American pole vaulter (d. 1951)
  • 1880 – Pandurang Vaman Kane, Indologist and Sanskrit scholar, Bharat Ratna awardee (d. 1972)
  • 1881 – George E. Wiley, American cyclist (d. 1954)
  • 1882 – Willem Elsschot, Belgian author and poet (d. 1960)
  • 1885 – George “Gabby” Hayes, American actor (d. 1969)
  • 1889 – Viktor Puskar, Estonian colonel (d. 1943)
  • 1891 – Harry McShane, Scottish engineer and activist (d. 1988)
  • 1892 – Archibald MacLeish, American poet, playwright, and lawyer (d. 1982)
  • 1892 – Josip Broz Tito, Yugoslav field marshal and politician, 1st President of Yugoslavia (d. 1980)
  • 1893 – Frank J. Selke, Canadian ice hockey coach and manager (d. 1985)
  • 1896 – Kathleen McKane Godfree, English tennis and badminton player (d. 1992)
  • 1899 – Alfred Gerrard, English sculptor and academic (d. 1998)
  • 1901 – Gary Cooper, American actor (d. 1961)
  • 1903 – Jimmy Ball, Canadian sprinter (d. 1988)
  • 1904 – Kurt Weitzmann, German-American historian and author (d. 1993)
  • 1906 – Eric Krenz, American discus thrower and shot putter (d. 1931)
  • 1909 – Edwin H. Land, American scientist and inventor, co-founded the Polaroid Corporation (d. 1991)
  • 1909 – Dorothy Sunrise Lorentino, Native American teacher (d. 2005)
  • 1911 – Ishirō Honda, Japanese director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1993)
  • 1911 – Rıfat Ilgaz, Turkish author, poet, and educator (d. 1993)
  • 1912 – Pannalal Patel, Indian author (d. 1989)
  • 1913 – John Spencer Hardy, American general (d. 2012)
  • 1913 – Simon Ramo, American physicist and engineer (d. 2016)
  • 1914 – Arthur Snelling, English civil servant and diplomat. British Ambassador to South Africa (d. 1996)
  • 1916 – Huw Wheldon, Welsh-English broadcaster (d. 1986)
  • 1916 – W. B. Young, Scottish rugby player and physician (d. 2013)
  • 1917 – Domenico Bartolucci, Italian cardinal and composer (d. 2013)
  • 1917 – Lenox Hewitt, Australian public servant (d. 2020)
  • 1917 – David Tomlinson, English actor (d. 2000)
  • 1919 – Eva Perón, Argentinian actress, 25th First Lady of Argentina (d. 1952)
  • 1920 – Rendra Karno, Indonesian actor (d. 1985)
  • 1921 – Asa Briggs, Baron Briggs, English historian and academic (d. 2016)
  • 1921 – Gaston Rébuffat, French mountaineer and author (d. 1985)
  • 1922 – Darren McGavin, American actor and director (d. 2006)
  • 1922 – Joe O’Donnell, American photographer and journalist (d. 2007)
  • 1923 – Anne Baxter, American actress (d. 1985)
  • 1923 – Jim Lowe, American singer-songwriter, disc jockey, and radio host (d. 2016)
  • 1923 – Bülent Ulusu, Turkish admiral and politician, 18th Prime Minister of Turkey (d. 2015)
  • 1924 – Albert Band, French-American director and producer (d. 2002)
  • 1925 – Lauri Vaska, Estonian-American chemist and academic (d. 2015)
  • 1927 – Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, German-American author and screenwriter (d. 2013)
  • 1929 – Dick Williams, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 2011)
  • 1930 – Totie Fields, American comedian and author (d. 1978)
  • 1930 – Babe Parilli, American football player and coach (d. 2017)
  • 1930 – John Smith, Baron Kirkhill, English politician
  • 1931 – Teresa Brewer, American singer (d. 2007)
  • 1931 – Gene Wolfe, American author (d. 2019)
  • 1932 – Jordi Bonet, Spanish-Canadian painter and sculptor (d. 1979)
  • 1932 – Alan Cuthbert, English pharmacologist and academic (d. 2016)
  • 1932 – Pete Domenici, American lawyer and politician, 37th Mayor of Albuquerque (d. 2017)
  • 1932 – Derek Taylor, English journalist and author (d. 1997)
  • 1933 – Johnny Unitas, American football player and sportscaster (d. 2002)
  • 1935 – Avraham Heffner, Israeli actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2014)
  • 1935 – Michael Hopkins, English architect
  • 1936 – Robin Hanbury-Tenison, English explorer and author
  • 1936 – Tony O’Reilly, Irish rugby player and businessman
  • 1936 – Jimmy Ruffin, American soul singer (d. 2014)
  • 1937 – Eddie Clayton, English footballer
  • 1937 – Claude Raymond, Canadian baseball player and coach
  • 1939 – Sidney Altman, Canadian-American biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1939 – Ruggero Deodato, Italian actor, director, and screenwriter
  • 1939 – Ruud Lubbers, Dutch economist and politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (d. 2018)
  • 1939 – Johnny Maestro, American pop/doo-wop singer (d. 2010)
  • 1939 – Clive Soley, Baron Soley, English politician
  • 1940 – Angela Carter, English novelist and short story writer (d. 1992)
  • 1940 – Dave Chambers, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1941 – Lawrence Collins, Baron Collins of Mapesbury, English lawyer and judge
  • 1943 – Terry Allen, American singer and painter
  • 1943 – Harvey Andrews, English singer-songwriter and poet
  • 1943 – John Bannon, Australian academic and politician, 39th Premier of South Australia (d. 2015)
  • 1943 – Peter Carey, Australian novelist and short story writer
  • 1945 – Christy Moore, Irish singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1945 – Robin Strasser, American actress
  • 1946 – Thelma Houston, American R&B/disco singer and actress
  • 1946 – Marv Hubbard, American football player (d. 2015)
  • 1946 – Bill Kreutzmann, American drummer
  • 1946 – Michael Rosen, English author and poet
  • 1946 – Brian Turner, English chef and television host
  • 1949 – Kathy Ahern, American golfer (d. 1996)
  • 1949 – Deborah Butterfield, American sculptor
  • 1950 – John Dowling Coates, Australian lawyer, sports administrator and businessman
  • 1950 – Randall “Tex” Cobb, American boxer and actor
  • 1950 – Tim Russert, American television journalist and lawyer (d. 2008)
  • 1953 – Pat McInally, American football player and coach
  • 1953 – Ian McKay, English sergeant, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 1982)
  • 1954 – Philippe Geluck, Belgian cartoonist
  • 1954 – Joanna Haigh, English meteorologist and physicist
  • 1954 – Amy Heckerling, American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1955 – Clément Gignac, Canadian politician
  • 1955 – Ben Poquette, American basketball player
  • 1955 – Axel Zwingenberger, German pianist and songwriter
  • 1956 – Jan Peter Balkenende, Dutch jurist and politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands
  • 1956 – Anne Dudley, English pianist and composer
  • 1956 – Nicholas Hytner, English director and producer
  • 1956 – Jean Lapierre, Canadian talk show host and politician
  • 1956 – Calum MacDonald, Scottish journalist and politician
  • 1957 – Kristina M. Johnson, American business executive, engineer, academic and government official
  • 1958 – Mikhail Biryukov, Russian footballer and manager
  • 1958 – Mark G. Kuzyk, American physicist and academic
  • 1958 – Anne Marie Rafferty, English nurse and academic
  • 1959 – Michael E. Knight, American actor
  • 1959 – Tony Sealy, English footballer, forward and manager
  • 1959 – Heiki Valk, Estonian archeologist and academic
  • 1960 – Adam Bernstein, American director and screenwriter
  • 1960 – Ara Darzi, Baron Darzi of Denham, Iraqi-English surgeon and academic
  • 1960 – Almudena Grandes, Spanish author
  • 1961 – Hans-Peter Bartels, German politician
  • 1961 – Sue Black, Scottish anthropologist and academic
  • 1961 – Ivar Must, Estonian composer and producer
  • 1962 – Tony Campbell, American basketball player and coach
  • 1962 – Judith Donath, American computer scientist and academic
  • 1963 – Johnny Lee Middleton, American bass player and songwriter
  • 1964 – Ronnie Harmon, American football player
  • 1964 – Denis Mandarino, Brazilian guitarist, composer, and painter
  • 1964 – Leslie O’Neal, American football player
  • 1965 – Reuben Davis, American football player
  • 1965 – Owen Hart, Canadian wrestler (d. 1999)
  • 1965 – Norman Whiteside, Northern Irish footballer and manager
  • 1965 – Huang Zhihong, Chinese shot putter
  • 1967 – Martin Bryant, Australian mass murderer
  • 1967 – Adam Price, Danish chef and screenwriter
  • 1967 – Joe Rice, American colonel and politician
  • 1968 – Traci Lords, American actress and singer
  • 1968 – Lisa Raitt, Canadian lawyer and politician, 30th Canadian Minister of Transport
  • 1969 – Eagle-Eye Cherry, Swedish singer-songwriter
  • 1969 – Jun Falkenstein, American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1969 – Katerina Maleeva, Bulgarian tennis player
  • 1971 – Reidar Horghagen, Norwegian drummer
  • 1971 – Dave Karpa, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1971 – Thomas Piketty, French economist
  • 1972 – Peter Dubovský, Czech-Slovak footballer (d. 2000)
  • 1972 – Frank Trigg, American mixed martial artist and wrestler
  • 1973 – Kristian Lundin, Swedish songwriter and producer
  • 1973 – Paolo Savoldelli, Italian cyclist
  • 1974 – Ian Pearce, English footballer and assistant manager
  • 1973 – Lawrence Johnson, American pole vaulter
  • 1975 – Ashley Cowan, English cricketer
  • 1976 – Calvin Booth, American basketball player
  • 1976 – Berke Hatipoğlu, Turkish guitarist and songwriter
  • 1976 – Stacey Jones, New Zealand rugby league player
  • 1976 – Andrea Lo Cicero, Italian rugby player
  • 1976 – Michael P. Murphy, American lieutenant, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 2005)
  • 1976 – Ayelet Shaked, Israeli Minister of Justice (2015-2019)
  • 1977 – Elton Flatley, Australian rugby player
  • 1978 – Stian Arnesen, Norwegian guitarist, drummer, and songwriter
  • 1978 – James Carter, American hurdler
  • 1978 – Shawn Marion, American basketball player
  • 1979 – Katie Douglas, American basketball player
  • 1983 – Phionah Atuhebwe, Ugandan vaccinologist and immunization expert
  • 1984 – James Loney, American baseball player
  • 1984 – Alex Smith, American football player
  • 1984 – Kevin Owens, Canadian wrestler
  • 1985 – Jarrad Hickey, Australian rugby league player
  • 1985 – Drew Neitzel, American basketball player
  • 1986 – Matt Helders, English drummer
  • 1987 – Asami Konno, Japanese singer
  • 1987 – Michael Maidens, English footballer (d. 2007)
  • 1987 – Mark Reynolds, Scottish footballer
  • 1987 – David Schlemko, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1988 – Eino Puri, Estonian footballer
  • 1988 – Sander Puri, Estonian footballer
  • 1989 – Earl Thomas, American football player
  • 1995 – Seko Fofana, French born Ivorian international footballer
  • 1997 – Daria Kasatkina, Russian tennis player
  • 1998 – Jesse Puljujärvi, Finnish ice hockey player

Deaths on May 7

  • 721 – John of Beverley, bishop of York
  • 833 – Ibn Hisham, Egyptian Muslim historian
  • 973 – Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 912)
  • 1014 – Bagrat III, 1st King of Georgia (b. 960)
  • 1092 – Remigius de Fécamp, English monk and bishop
  • 1166 – William I of Sicily
  • 1202 – Hamelin de Warenne, Earl of Surrey
  • 1205 – Ladislaus III of Hungary (b. 1201)
  • 1234 – Otto I, Duke of Merania (b. c. 1180)
  • 1243 – Hugh d’Aubigny, 5th Earl of Arundel
  • 1427 – Thomas la Warr, 5th Baron De La Warr, English priest (b. 1352)
  • 1494 – Eskender, Emperor of Ethiopia (b. 1471)
  • 1523 – Franz von Sickingen, German knight (b. 1481)
  • 1539 – Ottaviano Petrucci, Italian printer (b. 1466)
  • 1617 – David Fabricius, German astronomer and theologian (b. 1564)
  • 1667 – Johann Jakob Froberger, German organist and composer (b. 1616)
  • 1682 – Feodor III of Russia (b. 1661)
  • 1685 – Bajo Pivljanin (b. 1630)
  • 1718 – Mary of Modena (b. 1658)
  • 1793 – Pietro Nardini, Italian violinist and composer (b. 1722)
  • 1800 – Niccolò Piccinni, Italian composer (b. 1728)
  • 1805 – William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne, Irish-English general and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1737)
  • 1815 – Jabez Bowen, American colonel and politician, 45th Deputy Governor of Rhode Island (b. 1739)
  • 1825 – Antonio Salieri, Italian composer and conductor (b. 1750)
  • 1840 – Caspar David Friedrich, German painter and educator (b. 1774)
  • 1868 – Henry Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux, Scottish lawyer and politician, Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain (b. 1778)
  • 1872 – Alexander Loyd, American carpenter and politician, 4th Mayor of Chicago (b. 1805)
  • 1876 – William Buell Sprague, American clergyman, historian, and author (b. 1795)
  • 1887 – C. F. W. Walther, German-American religious leader and theologian (b. 1811)
  • 1896 – H. H. Holmes, American serial killer (b. 1861)
  • 1902 – Agostino Roscelli, Italian priest and saint (b. 1818)
  • 1917 – Albert Ball, English fighter pilot (b. 1896)
  • 1922 – Max Wagenknecht, German pianist and composer (b. 1857)
  • 1924 – Alluri Sitarama Raju, Indian activist (b. 1897/1898)
  • 1925 – William Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme, English businessman and politician (b. 1851)
  • 1937 – Ernst A. Lehmann, German captain and author (b. 1886)
  • 1938 – Octavian Goga, Romanian politician, former Prime Minister (b. 1881)
  • 1940 – George Lansbury, English journalist and politician (b. 1859)
  • 1941 – James George Frazer, Scottish-English anthropologist and academic (b. 1854)
  • 1942 – Felix Weingartner, Croatian pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1863)
  • 1943 – Fethi Okyar, Turkish colonel and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Turkey (b. 1880)
  • 1946 – Herbert Macaulay, Nigerian journalist and politician (b. 1864)
  • 1951 – Warner Baxter, American actor (b. 1889)
  • 1967 – Margaret Larkin, American writer and poet (b. 1899)
  • 1958 – Mihkel Lüdig, Estonian organist, composer, and conductor (b. 1880)
  • 1976 – Alison Uttley, English children’s book writer (b. 1884)
  • 1978 – Mort Weisinger, American journalist and author (b. 1915)
  • 1986 – Haldun Taner, Turkish playwright and author (b. 1915)
  • 1987 – Colin Blakely, Northern Irish actor (b. 1930)
  • 1987 – Paul Popham, American soldier and activist, co-founded Gay Men’s Health Crisis (b. 1941)
  • 1990 – Sam Tambimuttu, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician (b. 1932)
  • 1994 – Clement Greenberg, American art critic (b. 1909)
  • 1995 – Ray McKinley, American drummer, singer, and bandleader (Glenn Miller Orchestra) (b. 1910)
  • 1998 – Allan McLeod Cormack, South African-English physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1924)
  • 1998 – Eddie Rabbitt, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1941)
  • 2000 – Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., American captain, actor, and producer (b. 1909)
  • 2001 – Jacques de Bourbon-Busset, French author and politician (b. 1912)
  • 2004 – Waldemar Milewicz, Polish journalist (b. 1956)
  • 2005 – Tristan Egolf, American author and activist (b. 1971)
  • 2005 – Peter Rodino, American captain and politician (b. 1909)
  • 2005 – Otilino Tenorio, Ecuadorian footballer (b. 1980)
  • 2006 – Richard Carleton, Australian journalist (b. 1943)
  • 2006 – Joan C. Edwards, American singer and philanthropist (b. 1918)
  • 2007 – Isabella Blow, English magazine editor (b. 1958)
  • 2007 – Diego Corrales, American boxer (b. 1977)
  • 2007 – Octavian Paler, Romanian journalist and politician (b. 1926)
  • 2007 – Yahweh ben Yahweh, American cult leader, founded the Nation of Yahweh (b. 1935)
  • 2009 – David Mellor, English designer (b. 1930)
  • 2009 – Danny Ozark, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1923)
  • 2011 – Seve Ballesteros, Spanish golfer (b. 1957)
  • 2011 – Willard Boyle, Canadian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1924)
  • 2011 – Big George, English songwriter, producer, and radio host (b. 1957)
  • 2012 – Sammy Barr, Scottish trade union leader (b. 1931)
  • 2012 – Ferenc Bartha, Hungarian economist and politician (b. 1943)
  • 2012 – Dennis E. Fitch, American captain and pilot (b. 1942)
  • 2013 – Ferruccio Mazzola, Italian footballer and manager (b. 1948)
  • 2013 – George Sauer, Jr., American football player (b. 1943)
  • 2014 – Neville McNamara, Australian air marshal (b. 1923)
  • 2014 – Colin Pillinger, English astronomer, chemist, and academic (b. 1943)
  • 2014 – Dick Welteroth, American baseball player (b. 1927)
  • 2015 – Frank DiPascali, American businessman (b. 1956)
  • 2015 – John Dixon, Australian-American author, and illustrator (b. 1929)

Holidays and observances on May 7

  • Christian feast day:
    • Agathius of Byzantium
    • Agostino Roscelli
    • Pope Benedict II
    • Flavia Domitilla
    • Gisela of Hungary
    • Harriet Starr Cannon (Episcopal Church (USA))
    • John of Beverley
    • Rose Venerini
    • Stanislaus (Roman Martyrology)
    • May 7 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Defender of the Fatherland Day (Kazakhstan)
  • Dien Bien Phu Victory Day (Vietnam)
  • Radio Day, commemorating the work of Alexander Popov (Russia, Bulgaria)

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