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1844

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

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

Births on May 24

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

Deaths on May 24

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

Holidays and observances on May 24

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

May 24 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

May 23 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 1430 – Joan of Arc is captured by the Burgundians while leading an army to raise the Siege of Compiègne.
  • 1498 – Girolamo Savonarola is burned at the stake in Florence, Italy.
  • 1533 – The marriage of King Henry VIII to Catherine of Aragon is declared null and void.
  • 1568 – Dutch rebels led by Louis of Nassau, defeat Jean de Ligne, Duke of Arenberg, and his loyalist troops in the Battle of Heiligerlee, opening the Eighty Years’ War.
  • 1609 – Official ratification of the Second Virginia Charter takes place.
  • 1618 – The Second Defenestration of Prague precipitates the Thirty Years’ War.
  • 1701 – After being convicted of piracy and of murdering William Moore, Captain William Kidd is hanged in London.
  • 1706 – John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, defeats a French army under Marshal François de Neufville, duc de Villeroy at the Battle of Ramillies.
  • 1788 – South Carolina ratifies the United States Constitution as the eighth American state.
  • 1793 – Battle of Famars during the Flanders Campaign of the War of the First Coalition.
  • 1829 – Accordion patent granted to Cyrill Demian in Vienna, Austrian Empire.
  • 1844 – Declaration of the Báb the evening before the 23rd: A merchant of Shiraz announces that he is a Prophet and founds a religious movement that would later be brutally crushed by the Persian government. He is considered to be a forerunner of the Bahá’í Faith; Bahá’ís celebrate the day as a holy day.
  • 1846 – Mexican–American War: President Mariano Paredes of Mexico unofficially declares war on the United States.
  • 1863 – The General German Workers’ Association, a precursor of the modern Social Democratic Party of Germany, is founded in Leipzig, Kingdom of Saxony.
  • 1873 – The Canadian Parliament establishes the North-West Mounted Police, the forerunner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
  • 1900 – American Civil War: Sergeant William Harvey Carney is awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism in the Assault on the Battery Wagner in 1863.
  • 1907 – The unicameral Parliament of Finland gathers for its first plenary session.
  • 1911 – The New York Public Library is dedicated.
  • 1915 – World War I: Italy joins the Allies, fulfilling its part of the Treaty of London.
  • 1932 – In Brazil, four students are shot and killed during a manifestation against the Brazilian dictator Getúlio Vargas, which resulted in the outbreak of the Constitutionalist Revolution several weeks later.
  • 1934 – Infamous American bank robbers Bonnie and Clyde are ambushed by police and killed in Bienville Parish, Louisiana.
  • 1934 – The Auto-Lite strike culminates in the “Battle of Toledo”, a five-day melée between 1,300 troops of the Ohio National Guard and 6,000 picketers.
  • 1939 – The U.S. Navy submarine USS Squalus sinks off the coast of New Hampshire during a test dive, causing the death of 24 sailors and two civilian technicians. The remaining 32 sailors and one civilian naval architect are rescued the following day.
  • 1945 – World War II: Heinrich Himmler, head of the Schutzstaffel, commits suicide while in Allied custody.
  • 1945 – World War II: Germany’s Flensburg Government under Karl Dönitz is dissolved when its members are arrested by British forces.
  • 1948 – Thomas C. Wasson, the US Consul-General, is assassinated in Jerusalem, Israel.
  • 1949 – Cold War: The Western occupying powers approve the Basic Law and establish a new German state, the Federal Republic of Germany.
  • 1951 – Tibetans sign the Seventeen Point Agreement with China.
  • 1960 – A tsunami caused by an earthquake in Chile the previous day kills 61 people in Hilo, Hawaii.
  • 1992 – Italy’s most prominent anti-mafia judge Giovanni Falcone, his wife and three body guards are killed by the Corleonesi clan with a half-ton bomb near Capaci, Sicily. His friend and colleague Paolo Borsellino will be assassinated less than two months later, making 1992 a turning point in the history of Italian Mafia prosecutions.
  • 1995 – The first version of the Java programming language is released.
  • 1998 – The Good Friday Agreement is accepted in a referendum in Northern Ireland with roughly 75% voting yes.
  • 2002 – The “55 parties” clause of the Kyoto Protocol is reached after its ratification by Iceland.
  • 2006 – Alaskan stratovolcano Mount Cleveland erupts.
  • 2008 – The International Court of Justice (ICJ) awards Middle Rocks to Malaysia and Pedra Branca (Pulau Batu Puteh) to Singapore, ending a 29-year territorial dispute between the two countries.
  • 2013 – A freeway bridge carrying Interstate 5 over the Skagit River collapses in Mount Vernon, Washington.
  • 2014 – Seven people, including the perpetrator, are killed and another 14 injured in a killing spree near the campus of University of California, Santa Barbara.
  • 2015 – At least 46 people are killed as a result of floods caused by a tornado in Texas and Oklahoma.
  • 2016 – Two suicide bombings, conducted by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, killed at least 45 potential army recruits in Aden, Yemen.
  • 2016 – Eight bombings were carried out by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria in Jableh and Tartus, coastline cities in Syria. One hundred eighty-four people were killed and at least 200 people injured.
  • 2017 – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law in Mindanao, following the Maute’s attack in Marawi.

Births on May 23

  • 635 – K’inich Kan Bahlam II, Mayan king (d. 702)
  • 675 – Perumbidugu Mutharaiyar II, King of Mutharaiyar dynasty, Tamil Nadu, India
  • 1052 – Philip I of France (d. 1108)
  • 1100 – Emperor Qinzong of Song (d. 1161)
  • 1127 – Uijong of Goryeo, Korean monarch of the Goryeo dynasty (d. 1173)
  • 1330 – Gongmin of Goryeo, Korean ruler (d. 1374)
  • 1586 – Paul Siefert, German composer and organist (d. 1666)
  • 1606 – Juan Caramuel y Lobkowitz, Spanish mathematician and philosopher (d. 1682)
  • 1614 – Bertholet Flemalle, Flemish Baroque painter (d. 1675)
  • 1617 – Elias Ashmole, English astrologer and politician (d. 1692)
  • 1629 – William VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel, noble of Hesse-Kassel (d. 1663)
  • 1707 – Carl Linnaeus, Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist (d. 1778)
  • 1718 – William Hunter, Scottish-English anatomist and physician (d. 1783)
  • 1729 – Giuseppe Parini, Italian poet and educator (d. 1799)
  • 1730 – Prince Augustus Ferdinand of Prussia, Prussian prince and general (d. 1813)
  • 1734 – Franz Mesmer, German physician and astrologer (d. 1815)
  • 1741 – Andrea Luchesi, Italian organist and composer (d. 1801)
  • 1789 – Franz Schlik, Austrian earl and general (d. 1862)
  • 1790 – Jules Dumont d’Urville, French admiral and explorer (d. 1842)
  • 1790 – James Pradier, French neoclassical sculptor (d. 1852)
  • 1794 – Ignaz Moscheles, Czech pianist and composer (d. 1870)
  • 1795 – Charles Barry, English architect, designed the Upper Brook Street Chapel and Halifax Town Hall (d. 1860)
  • 1800 – Rómulo Díaz de la Vega, Mexican general and president (1855) (d. 1877)
  • 1810 – Margaret Fuller, American journalist and critic (d. 1850)
  • 1817 – Manuel Robles Pezuela, Unconstitutional Mexican interim president (d. 1862)
  • 1820 – James Buchanan Eads, American engineer, designed the Eads Bridge (d. 1887)
  • 1820 – Lorenzo Sawyer, American lawyer and judge (d. 1891)
  • 1824 – Ambrose Burnside, American general and politician, 30th Governor of Rhode Island (d. 1881)
  • 1834 – Jānis Frīdrihs Baumanis, Latvian architect (d. 1891)
  • 1834 – Carl Bloch, Danish painter and academic (d. 1890)
  • 1837 – Anatole Mallet, Swiss mechanical engineer and inventor (d. 1919)
  • 1837 – Józef Wieniawski, Polish pianist and composer (d. 1912)
  • 1838 – Amaldus Nielsen, Norwegian painter (d. 1932)
  • 1840 – George Throssell, Irish-Australian politician, 2nd Premier of Western Australia (d. 1910)
  • 1844 – `Abdu’l-Bahá, Iranian religious leader (d. 1921)
  • 1848 – Otto Lilienthal, German pilot and engineer (d. 1896)
  • 1855 – Isabella Ford, English author and activist (d. 1924)
  • 1861 – József Rippl-Rónai, Hungarian painter (d. 1927)
  • 1863 – Władysław Horodecki, Polish architect (d. 1930)
  • 1864 – William O’Connor, American fencer (d. 1939)
  • 1865 – Epitácio Pessoa, Brazilian jurist and politician, 11th President of Brazil (d. 1942)
  • 1875 – Alfred P. Sloan, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 1966)
  • 1882 – William Halpenny, Canadian pole vaulter (d. 1960)
  • 1883 – Douglas Fairbanks, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1939)
  • 1884 – Corrado Gini, Italian sociologist and demographer (d. 1965)
  • 1887 – Thoralf Skolem, Norwegian mathematician and theorist (d. 1963)
  • 1887 – Nikolai Vekšin, Estonian-Russian sailor and captain (d. 1951)
  • 1888 – Adriaan Roland Holst, Dutch writer (d. 1976)
  • 1888 – Zack Wheat, American baseball player and police officer (d. 1972)
  • 1889 – Ernst Niekisch, German educator and politician (d. 1967)
  • 1890 – Herbert Marshall, English-American actor and singer (d. 1966)
  • 1891 – Pär Lagerkvist, Swedish novelist, playwright, and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1974)
  • 1892 – Albert Spencer, 7th Earl Spencer, British peer and grandfather of Diana Spencer (d. 1975)
  • 1896 – Felix Steiner, Russian-German SS officer (d. 1966)
  • 1897 – Jimmie Guthrie, Scottish motorcycle racer (d. 1937)
  • 1898 – Scott O’Dell, American soldier, journalist, and author (d. 1989)
  • 1898 – Josef Terboven, German soldier and politician (d. 1945)
  • 1899 – Jeralean Talley, American super-centenarian (d. 2015)
  • 1900 – Hans Frank, German lawyer and politician (d. 1946)
  • 1900 – Franz Leopold Neumann, German lawyer and theorist (d. 1954)
  • 1908 – John Bardeen, American physicist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1991)
  • 1908 – Hélène Boucher, French pilot (d. 1934)
  • 1910 – Margaret Wise Brown, American author and educator (d. 1952)
  • 1910 – Hugh Casson, English architect and academic (d. 1999)
  • 1910 – Scatman Crothers, American actor and comedian (d. 1986)
  • 1910 – Franz Kline, American painter and academic (d. 1962)
  • 1910 – Artie Shaw, American clarinet player, composer, and bandleader (d. 2004)
  • 1911 – Lou Brouillard, Canadian boxer (d. 1984)
  • 1911 – Paul Augustin Mayer, German cardinal (d. 2010)
  • 1911 – Betty Nuthall, English tennis player (d. 1983)
  • 1912 – Jean Françaix, French pianist and composer (d. 1997)
  • 1912 – John Payne, American actor (d. 1989)
  • 1914 – Harold Hitchcock, English visionary landscape artist (d. 2009)
  • 1914 – Celestine Sibley, American journalist and author (d. 1999)
  • 1914 – Barbara Ward, Baroness Jackson of Lodsworth, English economist, journalist, and prominent Catholic layperson (d. 1981)
  • 1915 – S. Donald Stookey, American physicist and chemist, invented CorningWare (d. 2014)
  • 1917 – Edward Norton Lorenz, American mathematician and meteorologist (d. 2008)
  • 1918 – Denis Compton, English cricketer and sportscaster (d. 1997)
  • 1919 – Robert Bernstein, American author and playwright (d. 1988)
  • 1919 – Ruth Fernández, Puerto Rican contralto and a member of the Puerto Rican Senate (d. 2012)
  • 1919 – Betty Garrett, American actress, singer, and dancer (d. 2011)
  • 1920 – Helen O’Connell, American singer (d. 1993)
  • 1923 – Alicia de Larrocha, Catalan-Spanish pianist (d. 2009)
  • 1923 – Irving Millman, American virologist and microbiologist (d. 2012)
  • 1924 – Karlheinz Deschner, German author and activist (d. 2014)
  • 1925 – Joshua Lederberg, American biologist and geneticist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2008)
  • 1926 – Basil Salvadore D’Souza, Indian bishop (d. 1996)
  • 1926 – Joe Slovo, Lithuanian-South African activist and politician (d. 1995)
  • 1928 – Rosemary Clooney, American singer and actress (d. 2002)
  • 1928 – Nigel Davenport, English actor (d. 2013)
  • 1928 – Nina Otkalenko, Russian runner (d. 2015)
  • 1929 – Ulla Jacobsson, Swedish-Austrian actress (d. 1982)
  • 1930 – Friedrich Achleitner, German poet and critic (d. 2019)
  • 1931 – Barbara Barrie, American actress
  • 1932 – Kevork Ajemian, Syrian-French journalist and author (d. 1998)
  • 1933 – Joan Collins, English actress
  • 1933 – Ove Fundin, Swedish motorcycle racer
  • 1934 – Robert Moog, electronic engineer and inventor of the Moog synthesizer (d. 2005)
  • 1935 – Lasse Strömstedt, Swedish author (d. 2009)
  • 1936 – Ingeborg Hallstein, German soprano and actress
  • 1936 – Charles Kimbrough, American actor
  • 1939 – Michel Colombier, French-American composer and conductor (d. 2004)
  • 1939 – Reinhard Hauff, German director and screenwriter
  • 1940 – Bjorn Johansen, Norwegian saxophonist (d. 2002)
  • 1940 – Gérard Larrousse, French race car driver
  • 1940 – Cora Sadosky, Argentinian mathematician and academic (d. 2010)
  • 1941 – Zalman King, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2012)
  • 1941 – Rod Thorn, American basketball player, coach, and executive
  • 1942 – Gabriel Liiceanu, Romanian philosopher, author, and academic
  • 1942 – Kovelamudi Raghavendra Rao, Indian director, screenwriter, and choreographer
  • 1943 – Peter Kenilorea, Solomon Islands politician, 1st Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands (d. 2016)
  • 1944 – John Newcombe, Australian tennis player and sportscaster
  • 1945 – Padmarajan, Indian director, screenwriter, and author (d. 1991)
  • 1946 – David Graham, Australian golfer
  • 1947 – Jane Kenyon, American poet and translator (d. 1995)
  • 1948 – Myriam Boyer, French actress, director, and producer
  • 1949 – Daniel DiNardo, American cardinal
  • 1949 – Alan García, Peruvian lawyer and politician, 61st and 64th President of Peru (d. 2019)
  • 1950 – Martin McGuinness, Irish republican and Sinn Féin politician, Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland (d. 2017)
  • 1951 – Anatoly Karpov, Russian chess player
  • 1951 – Antonis Samaras, Greek economist and politician, 185th Prime Minister of Greece
  • 1952 – Martin Parr, English photographer and journalist
  • 1954 – Gerry Armstrong, Northern Irish international footballer, striker
  • 1954 – Marvelous Marvin Hagler, American boxer and actor
  • 1955 – Luka Bloom, Irish singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1956 – Andrea Pazienza, Italian illustrator and painter (d. 1988)
  • 1956 – Ursula Plassnik, Austrian politician and diplomat, Foreign Minister of Austria
  • 1956 – Buck Showalter, American baseball player, coach, and manager
  • 1958 – Mitch Albom, American journalist, author, and screenwriter
  • 1958 – Drew Carey, American actor, game show host, and entrepreneur
  • 1958 – Lea DeLaria, American actress and singer
  • 1959 – Marcella Mesker, Dutch tennis player and sportscaster
  • 1960 – Linden Ashby, American actor
  • 1961 – Daniele Massaro, Italian footballer and manager
  • 1961 – Norrie May-Welby, Scottish Australian gender activist
  • 1962 – Karen Duffy, American actress
  • 1963 – Viviane Baladi, Swiss mathematician
  • 1964 – Ruth Metzler, Swiss lawyer and politician
  • 1965 – Manuel Sanchís Hontiyuelo, Spanish footballer
  • 1965 – Tom Tykwer, German director, producer, screenwriter, and composer
  • 1965 – Melissa McBride, American actress
  • 1965 – Paul Sironen, Australian rugby league player
  • 1966 – Graeme Hick, Zimbabwean-English cricketer and coach
  • 1966 – Gary Roberts, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1967 – Luís Roberto Alves, Mexican footballer
  • 1967 – Anna Ibrisagic, Swedish politician
  • 1968 – Guinevere Turner, American actress and screenwriter
  • 1970 – Bryan Herta, American race car driver and businessman, co-founded Bryan Herta Autosport
  • 1971 – George Osborne, English journalist and politician, former Chancellor of the Exchequer
  • 1972 – Rubens Barrichello, Brazilian race car driver
  • 1972 – Martin Saggers, English cricketer and umpire
  • 1973 – Maxwell, American singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1974 – Jewel, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, actress, and poet
  • 1974 – Manuela Schwesig, German politician, German Federal Minister of Family Affairs
  • 1976 – Ricardinho, Brazilian footballer and manager
  • 1977 – Ilia Kulik, Russian figure skater
  • 1978 – Scott Raynor, American drummer
  • 1979 – Rasual Butler, American basketball player (d. 2018)
  • 1979 – Brian Campbell, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1980 – Theofanis Gekas, Greek footballer
  • 1980 – Ben Ross, Australian rugby league player
  • 1983 – Silvio Proto, Belgian-Italian footballer
  • 1984 – Hugo Almeida, Portuguese footballer
  • 1985 – Sebastián Fernández, Uruguayan footballer
  • 1985 – Teymuraz Gabashvili, Russian tennis player
  • 1985 – Wim Stroetinga, Dutch cyclist
  • 1985 – Ross Wallace, Scottish footballer
  • 1986 – Ryan Coogler, American film director and screenwriter
  • 1986 – Alexei Sitnikov, Russian-Azerbaijani figure skater
  • 1986 – Alice Tait, Australian swimmer
  • 1986 – Ruben Zadkovich, Australian footballer
  • 1987 – Gracie Otto, Australian actress, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1987 – Bray Wyatt, American wrestler
  • 1988 – Rosanna Crawford, Canadian biathlete
  • 1988 – Angelo Ogbonna, Italian footballer
  • 1988 – Morgan Pressel, American golfer
  • 1989 – Ezequiel Schelotto, Italian footballer
  • 1990 – Dan Evans, British tennis player
  • 1990 – Kristina Kucova, Slovakian tennis player
  • 1990 – Oliver Venno, Estonian volleyball player
  • 1991 – Aaron Donald, American football player
  • 1991 – Lena Meyer-Landrut, German singer-songwriter
  • 1991 – César Pinares, Chilean footballer
  • 1996 – Katharina Althaus, German ski jumper
  • 1996 – Emmanuel Boateng, Ghanaian footballer
  • 1996 – Razvan Marin, Romanian footballer
  • 1997 – Pedro Chirivella, Spanish footballer
  • 1997 – Coy Craft, American footballer
  • 1997 – Joe Gomez, English footballer
  • 1997 – Gustaf Nilsson, Swedish footballer
  • 1997 – Sam Timmins, New Zealand basketball player
  • 1998 – Sérgio Sette Câmara, Brazilian race car driver
  • 1998 – Ross Cunningham, Scottish footballer
  • 1998 – Salwa Eid Naser, Bahraini track and field sprinter
  • 1998 – Luca De La Torre, American footballer
  • 1998 – Steve Lacy, American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer
  • 2000 – Felipe Drugovich, Brazilian race car driver
  • 2000 – Jaxson Hayes, American basketball player

Deaths on May 23

  • 230 – Urban I, pope of the Catholic Church
  • 922 – Li Sizhao, Chinese general and governor
  • 962 – Guibert of Gembloux, Frankish abbot (b. 892)
  • 1125 – Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1081)
  • 1304 – Jehan de Lescurel, French poet and composer
  • 1338 – Alice de Warenne, Countess of Arundel, English noble (b. 1287)
  • 1370 – Toghon Temür, Mongol emperor (b. 1320)
  • 1423 – Antipope Benedict XIII (b. 1328)
  • 1498 – Girolamo Savonarola, Italian friar and preacher (b. 1452)
  • 1523 – Ashikaga Yoshitane, Japanese shōgun (b. 1466)
  • 1524 – Ismail I, First Emperor of Safavid Empire (b. 1487)
  • 1591 – John Blitheman, English organist and composer (b. 1525)
  • 1662 – John Gauden, English bishop (b. 1605)
  • 1670 – Ferdinando II de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (b. 1610)
  • 1691 – Adrien Auzout, French astronomer and instrument maker (b. 1622)
  • 1701 – William Kidd, Scottish pirate (b. 1645)
  • 1749 – Abraham ben Abraham, Polish martyr (b. 1700)
  • 1752 – William Bradford, English-American printer (b. 1663)
  • 1754 – John Wood, the Elder, English architect, designed The Circus and Queen Square (b. 1704)
  • 1783 – James Otis, Jr., American lawyer and politician (b. 1725)
  • 1813 – Géraud Duroc, French general and diplomat (b. 1772)
  • 1815 – Gotthilf Heinrich Ernst Muhlenberg, American clergyman and botanist (b. 1753)
  • 1841 – Franz Xaver von Baader, German philosopher and theologian (b. 1765)
  • 1855 – Charles Robert Malden, English lieutenant and explorer (b. 1797)
  • 1857 – Augustin-Louis Cauchy, French mathematician and academic (b. 1789)
  • 1868 – Kit Carson, American general (b. 1809)
  • 1886 – Leopold von Ranke, German historian and academic (b. 1795)
  • 1893 – Anton von Schmerling, Austrian politician (b. 1805)
  • 1895 – Franz Ernst Neumann, German mineralogist, physicist, and mathematician (b. 1798)
  • 1906 – Henrik Ibsen, Norwegian director, playwright, and poet (b. 1828)
  • 1908 – François Coppée, French poet and author (b. 1842)
  • 1920 – Svetozar Boroević, Croatian-Austrian field marshal (b. 1856)
  • 1921 – August Nilsson, Swedish shot putter and tug of war competitor (b. 1872)
  • 1934 – Clyde Barrow, American criminal (b. 1909)
  • 1934 – Mihkel Martna, Estonian journalist and politician (b. 1860)
  • 1934 – Bonnie Parker, American criminal (b. 1910)
  • 1937 – John D. Rockefeller, American businessman and philanthropist, founded the Standard Oil Company and Rockefeller University (b. 1839)
  • 1938 – Frederick Ruple, Swiss-American painter (b. 1871)
  • 1942 – Panagiotis Toundas, Greek composer and conductor (b. 1886)
  • 1945 – Heinrich Himmler, German commander and politician, Reich Minister of the Interior (b. 1900)
  • 1947 – Charles-Ferdinand Ramuz, Swiss author and poet (b. 1878)
  • 1949 – Jan Frans De Boever, Belgian painter and illustrator (b. 1872)
  • 1956 – Gustav Suits, Latvian-Estonian poet and politician (b. 1883)
  • 1960 – Georges Claude, French engineer and inventor, created Neon lighting (b. 1870)
  • 1962 – Louis Coatalen, French engineer (b. 1879)
  • 1963 – August Jakobson, Estonian author and politician (b. 1904)
  • 1965 – David Smith, American sculptor (b. 1906)
  • 1975 – Moms Mabley, American comedian and actor (b. 1894)
  • 1979 – S. Selvanayagam, Sri Lankan geographer and academic (b. 1932)
  • 1981 – Gene Green, American baseball player (b. 1933)
  • 1981 – Rayner Heppenstall, English author and poet (b. 1911)
  • 1981 – George Jessel, American actor, singer, and producer (b. 1898)
  • 1981 – David Lewis, Belarusian-Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1909)
  • 1986 – Sterling Hayden, American actor (b. 1916)
  • 1989 – Georgy Tovstonogov, Russian director and producer (b. 1915)
  • 1989 – Karl Koch, German computer hacker (b. 1965)
  • 1991 – Wilhelm Kempff, German pianist and composer (b. 1895)
  • 1991 – Jean Van Houtte, Belgian academic and politician, 50th Prime Minister of Belgium (b. 1907)
  • 1991 – Fletcher Markle, Canadian director, screenwriter, and producer (b. 1921)
  • 1992 – Kostas Davourlis, Greek footballer (b. 1948)
  • 1992 – Giovanni Falcone, Italian lawyer and judge (b. 1939)
  • 1994 – Olav Hauge, Norwegian poet (b. 1908)
  • 1996 – Kronid Lyubarsky, Russian journalist and activist (b. 1934)
  • 1998 – Telford Taylor, American general and lawyer (b. 1908)
  • 1999 – Owen Hart, Canadian-American wrestler (b. 1965)
  • 2002 – Sam Snead, American golfer and journalist (b. 1912)
  • 2006 – Lloyd Bentsen, American colonel and politician, 69th United States Secretary of the Treasury (b. 1921)
  • 2006 – Kazimierz Górski, Polish footballer and manager (b. 1921)
  • 2008 – Iñaki Ochoa de Olza, Spanish mountaineer (b. 1967)
  • 2008 – Utah Phillips, American singer-songwriter and poet (b. 1935)
  • 2009 – Roh Moo-hyun, South Korean soldier and politician, 9th President of South Korea (b. 1946)
  • 2010 – José Lima, Dominican-American baseball player (b. 1972)
  • 2010 – Simon Monjack, English director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1970)
  • 2011 – Xavier Tondo, Spanish cyclist (b. 1978)
  • 2012 – Paul Fussell, American historian, author, and academic (b. 1924)
  • 2013 – Epy Guerrero, Dominican baseball player, coach, and scout (b. 1942)
  • 2013 – Hayri Kozakçıoğlu, Turkish police officer and politician, 15th Governor of Istanbul Province (b. 1938)
  • 2013 – Georges Moustaki, Egyptian-French singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1934)
  • 2013 – Flynn Robinson, American basketball player (b. 1941)
  • 2014 – Mikhail Egorovich Alekseev, Russian linguist and academic (b. 1949)
  • 2014 – Madhav Mantri, Indian cricketer (b. 1921)
  • 2015 – Anne Meara, American actress, comedian and playwright (b. 1929)
  • 2015 – Aleksey Mozgovoy, Ukrainian sergeant (b. 1975)
  • 2015 – Alicia Nash, Salvadoran-American physicist and engineer (b. 1933)
  • 2015 – John Forbes Nash, Jr., American mathematician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1928)
  • 2017 – Roger Moore, English actor (b. 1927)
  • 2020 – Hana Kimura, Japanese professional wrestler (b. 1997)

Holidays and observances on May 23

  • Christian feast day:
    • Aaron the Illustrious (Syriac Orthodox Church)
    • Desiderius of Vienne
    • Giovanni Battista de’ Rossi
    • Julia of Corsica
    • Nicolaus Copernicus and Johannes Kepler (Episcopal Church (USA))
    • Quintian, Lucius and Julian
    • William of Perth
    • May 23 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Constitution Day (Germany)
  • Earliest day on which Declaration of the Báb can fall, while May 24 is the latest; observed on ‘Aẓamat 8 (Bahá’í Faith)
  • Earliest day on which National Heroes’ Day can fall, while May 31 is the latest; celebrated on last Monday of May. (Turks and Caicos Islands)
  • Labour Day (Jamaica)
  • Students’ Day (Mexico)
  • World Turtle Day

May 23 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

May 22 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 192 – Dong Zhuo is assassinated by his adopted son Lü Bu.
  • 760 – Fourteenth recorded perihelion passage of Halley’s Comet.
  • 853 – A Byzantine fleet sacks and destroys undefended Damietta in Egypt.
  • 1176 – The Hashshashin (Assassins) attempt to assassinate Saladin near Aleppo.
  • 1200 – King John of England and King Philip II of France sign the Treaty of Le Goulet.
  • 1246 – Henry Raspe is elected anti-king of the Kingdom of Germany in opposition to Conrad IV.
  • 1254 – Serbian King Stefan Uroš I and the Republic of Venice sign a peace treaty.
  • 1370 – Brussels massacre: Hundreds of Jews are murdered and the rest of the Jewish community is banished from Brussels, Belgium, for allegedly desecrating consecrated Host.
  • 1377 – Pope Gregory XI issues five papal bulls to denounce the doctrines of English theologian John Wycliffe.
  • 1455 – Start of the Wars of the Roses: At the First Battle of St Albans, Richard, Duke of York, defeats and captures King Henry VI of England.
  • 1520 – The massacre at the festival of Tóxcatl takes place during the Fall of Tenochtitlan, resulting in turning the Aztecs against the Spanish.
  • 1629 – Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II and Danish King Christian IV sign the Treaty of Lübeck ending Danish intervention in the Thirty Years’ War.
  • 1762 – Sweden and Prussia sign the Treaty of Hamburg.
  • 1762 – Trevi Fountain is officially completed and inaugurated in Rome.
  • 1766 – A large earthquake causes heavy damage and loss of life in Istanbul and the Marmara region.
  • 1804 – The Lewis and Clark Expedition officially begins as the Corps of Discovery departs from St. Charles, Missouri.
  • 1807 – A grand jury indicts former Vice President of the United States Aaron Burr on a charge of treason.
  • 1809 – On the second and last day of the Battle of Aspern-Essling (near Vienna, Austria), Napoleon I is repelled by an enemy army for the first time.
  • 1816 – A mob in Littleport, Cambridgeshire, England, riots over high unemployment and rising grain costs, and the riots spread to Ely the next day.
  • 1819 – SS Savannah leaves port at Savannah, Georgia, United States, on a voyage to become the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean.
  • 1826 – HMS Beagle departs on its first voyage.
  • 1840 – The penal transportation of British convicts to the New South Wales colony is abolished.
  • 1848 – Slavery is abolished in Martinique.
  • 1849 – Future U.S. President Abraham Lincoln is issued a patent for an invention to lift boats, making him the only U.S. president to ever hold a patent.
  • 1856 – Congressman Preston Brooks of South Carolina severely beats Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts with a cane in the hall of the United States Senate for a speech Sumner had made regarding Southerners and slavery.
  • 1863 – American Civil War: Union forces begin the Siege of Port Hudson which lasts 48 days, the longest siege in U.S. military history.
  • 1864 – American Civil War: After ten weeks, the Union Army’s Red River Campaign ends in failure.
  • 1872 – Reconstruction Era: President Ulysses S. Grant signs the Amnesty Act into law, restoring full civil and political rights to all but about 500 Confederate sympathizers.
  • 1900 – The Associated Press is formed in New York City as a non-profit news cooperative.
  • 1906 – The Wright brothers are granted U.S. patent number 821,393 for their “Flying-Machine”.
  • 1915 – Lassen Peak erupts with a powerful force, the only volcano besides Mount St. Helens to erupt in the contiguous U.S. during the 20th century.
  • 1915 – Three trains collide in the Quintinshill rail disaster near Gretna Green, Scotland, killing 227 people and injuring 246.
  • 1926 – Chiang Kai-shek replaces the communists in Kuomintang China.
  • 1927 – Near Xining, China, an 8.3 magnitude earthquake causes 200,000 deaths in one of the world’s most destructive earthquakes.
  • 1939 – World War II: Germany and Italy sign the Pact of Steel.
  • 1941 – During the Anglo-Iraqi War, British troops take Fallujah.
  • 1942 – Mexico enters the Second World War on the side of the Allies.
  • 1943 – Joseph Stalin disbands the Comintern.
  • 1947 – Cold War: The Truman Doctrine goes into effect, aiding Turkey and Greece.
  • 1957 – South Africa’s government approves of racial separation in universities.
  • 1958 – The 1958 riots in Ceylon become a watershed in the race relations of various ethnic communities of Sri Lanka. The total deaths is estimated at 300, mostly Tamils.
  • 1960 – The Great Chilean earthquake, measuring 9.5 on the moment magnitude scale, hits southern Chile, becoming the most powerful earthquake ever recorded.
  • 1962 – Continental Airlines Flight 11 crashes after bombs explode on board.
  • 1963 – Greek left-wing politician Grigoris Lambrakis is shot in an assassination attempt, and dies five days later.
  • 1964 – Lyndon B. Johnson launches the Great Society.
  • 1967 – Egypt closes the Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping.
  • 1967 – L’Innovation department store in Brussels, Belgium, burns down, resulting in 323 dead or missing and 150 injured, the most devastating fire in Belgian history.
  • 1968 – The nuclear-powered submarine USS Scorpion sinks with 99 men aboard, 400 miles southwest of the Azores.
  • 1969 – Apollo 10’s lunar module flies within 8.4 nautical miles (16 km) of the moon’s surface.
  • 1972 – Ceylon adopts a new constitution, becoming a republic and changing its name to Sri Lanka, and joins the Commonwealth of Nations.
  • 1972 – Over 400 women in Derry, Northern Ireland attack the offices of Sinn Féin following the shooting by the Irish Republican Army of a young British soldier on leave.
  • 1987 – Hashimpura massacre occurs in Meerut, India.
  • 1987 – First ever Rugby World Cup kicks off with New Zealand playing Italy at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand.
  • 1990 – North and South Yemen are unified to create the Republic of Yemen.
  • 1992 – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Slovenia join the United Nations.
  • 1994 – A worldwide trade embargo against Haiti goes into effect to punish its military rulers for not reinstating the country’s ousted elected leader, Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
  • 1996 – The Burmese military regime jails 71 supporters of Aung San Suu Kyi in a bid to block a pro-democracy meeting.
  • 1998 – A U.S. federal judge rules that U.S. Secret Service agents can be compelled to testify before a grand jury concerning the Lewinsky scandal involving President Bill Clinton.
  • 2000 – In Sri Lanka, over 150 Tamil rebels are killed over two days of fighting for control in Jaffna.
  • 2002 – Civil rights movement: A jury in Birmingham, Alabama, convicts former Ku Klux Klan member Bobby Frank Cherry of the 1963 murder of four girls in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing.
  • 2010 – Air India Express Boeing 737 crashes over a cliff upon landing at Mangalore, India, killing 158 of 166 people on board, becoming the deadliest crash involving a Boeing 737.
  • 2010 – Inter Milan beat Bayern Munich 2–0 in the Uefa Champions League final in Madrid, Spain to become the first, and so far only, Italian team to win the historic treble (Serie A, Coppa Italia, Champions League).
  • 2011 – An EF5 tornado strikes Joplin, Missouri, killing 158 people and wreaking $2.8 billion in damages, the costliest and seventh-deadliest single tornado in U.S. history.
  • 2012 – Tokyo Skytree opens to the public. It is the tallest tower in the world (634 m), and the second tallest man-made structure on Earth after Burj Khalifa (829.8 m).
  • 2014 – General Prayut Chan-o-cha becomes interim leader of Thailand in a military coup d’état, following six months of political turmoil.
  • 2014 – An explosion occurs in Ürümqi, capital of China’s far-western Xinjiang region, resulting in at least 43 deaths and 91 injuries.
  • 2015 – The Republic of Ireland becomes the first nation in the world to legalize gay marriage in a public referendum.
  • 2017 – Twenty-two people are killed at an Ariana Grande concert in the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing.
  • 2017 – United States President Donald Trump visits the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and becomes the first sitting U.S. president to visit the Western Wall.

Births on May 22

  • 626 – Itzam K’an Ahk I, Mayan king (d. 686)
  • 1009 – Su Xun, Chinese writer (d. 1066)
  • 1408 – Annamacharya, Hindu saint (d. 1503)
  • 1539 – Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford (d. 1621)
  • 1622 – Louis de Buade de Frontenac, French soldier and governor (d. 1698)
  • 1644 – Gabriël Grupello, Flemish Baroque sculptor (d. 1730)
  • 1650 – Richard Brakenburgh, Dutch Golden Age painter (d. 1702)
  • 1694 – Daniel Gran, Austrian painter (d. 1757)
  • 1715 – François-Joachim de Pierre de Bernis, French cardinal and diplomat (d. 1794)
  • 1733 – Hubert Robert, French painter (d. 1808)
  • 1752 – Louis Legendre, French butcher and politician (d. 1797)
  • 1762 – Henry Bathurst, 3rd Earl Bathurst, English politician (d. 1834)
  • 1770 – Princess Elizabeth of the United Kingdom (d. 1840)
  • 1772 – Ram Mohan Roy, Indian philosopher and reformer (d. 1833)
  • 1782 – Hirose Tansō, Japanese neo-Confucian scholar, teacher, writer (d. 1856)
  • 1783 – William Sturgeon, English physicist and inventor, invented the electromagnet and electric motor (d. 1850)
  • 1808 – Gérard de Nerval, French poet and translator (d. 1855)
  • 1811 – Giulia Grisi, Italian soprano (d. 1869)
  • 1811 – Henry Pelham-Clinton, 5th Duke of Newcastle, English politician (d. 1864)
  • 1813 – Richard Wagner, German composer (d. 1883)
  • 1814 – Amalia Lindegren, Swedish painter (d. 1891)
  • 1820 – Worthington Whittredge, American painter (d. 1910)
  • 1828 – Albrecht von Graefe, German ophthalmologist and academic (d. 1870)
  • 1831 – Henry Vandyke Carter, English anatomist and surgeon (d. 1897)
  • 1833 – Félix Bracquemond, French painter and etcher (d. 1914)
  • 1833 – Manuel Ruiz Zorrilla, Spanish politician, Prime Minister of Spain (d. 1895)
  • 1841 – Catulle Mendès, French poet, author, and playwright (d. 1909)
  • 1844 – Mary Cassatt, American painter and educator (d. 1926)
  • 1846 – Rita Cetina Gutiérrez, Mexican poet, educator, and activist (d. 1908)
  • 1848 – Fritz von Uhde, German painter and educator (d. 1911)
  • 1849 – Aston Webb, English architect and academic (d. 1930)
  • 1858 – Belmiro de Almeida, Brazilian painter, illustrator, sculptor (d. 1935)
  • 1859 – Arthur Conan Doyle, British writer (d. 1930)
  • 1859 – Tsubouchi Shōyō, Japanese author, playwright, and educator (d. 1935)
  • 1864 – Willy Stöwer, German author and illustrator (d. 1931)
  • 1868 – Augusto Pestana, Brazilian engineer and politician (d. 1934)
  • 1874 – Daniel François Malan, South African clergyman and politician, 5th Prime Minister of South Africa (d. 1959)
  • 1876 – Julius Klinger, Austrian painter and illustrator (d. 1942)
  • 1879 – Warwick Armstrong, Australian cricketer and journalist (d. 1947)
  • 1879 – Jean Cras, French admiral and composer (d. 1932)
  • 1879 – Symon Petliura, Ukrainian statesman and independence leader (d. 1926)
  • 1880 – Francis de Miomandre, French author and translator (d. 1959)
  • 1885 – Giacomo Matteotti, Italian lawyer and politician (d. 1924)
  • 1885 – Soemu Toyoda, Japanese admiral (d. 1957)
  • 1887 – A. W. Sandberg, Danish film director and screenwriter (d. 1938)
  • 1891 – Johannes R. Becher, German politician, novelist, and poet (d. 1958)
  • 1894 – Friedrich Pollock, German sociologist and philosopher (d. 1970)
  • 1897 – Robert Neumann, German and English-speaking author (d. 1975)
  • 1900 – Juan Arvizu, Mexican lyric opera tenor and bolero vocalist (d.1985)
  • 1901 – Maurice J. Tobin, American politician, 6th United States Secretary of Labor (d. 1953)
  • 1902 – Jack Lambert, English footballer and manager (d. 1940)
  • 1902 – Al Simmons, American baseball player and coach (d. 1956)
  • 1904 – Uno Lamm, Swedish electrical engineer and inventor (d. 1989)
  • 1905 – Bodo von Borries, German physicist and academic, co-invented the electron microscope (d. 1956)
  • 1905 – Tom Driberg, British politician (d. 1976)
  • 1907 – Hergé, Belgian author and illustrator (d. 1983)
  • 1907 – Laurence Olivier, English actor, director, and producer (d. 1989)
  • 1908 – Horton Smith, American golfer and captain (d. 1963)
  • 1909 – Margaret Mee, English illustrator and educator (d. 1988)
  • 1912 – Herbert C. Brown, English-American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2004)
  • 1913 – Rafael Gil, Spanish director and screenwriter (d. 1986)
  • 1913 – Dominique Rolin, Belgian author (d. 2012)
  • 1914 – Max Kohnstamm, Dutch historian and diplomat (d. 2010)
  • 1914 – Sun Ra, American pianist, composer, bandleader, poet (d. 1993)
  • 1917 – George Aratani, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 2013)
  • 1917 – Jean-Louis Curtis, French author (d. 1995)
  • 1919 – Paul Vanden Boeynants, Belgian businessman and politician, 55th Prime Minister of Belgium (d. 2001)
  • 1920 – Thomas Gold, Austrian-American astrophysicist and academic (d. 2004)
  • 1921 – George S. Hammond, American scientist (d. 2005)
  • 1922 – Quinn Martin, American screenwriter and producer (d. 1987)
  • 1924 – Charles Aznavour, French-Armenian singer-songwriter and actor (d. 2018)
  • 1925 – Jean Tinguely, Swiss painter and sculptor (d. 1991)
  • 1927 – Michael Constantine, American actor
  • 1927 – Peter Matthiessen, American novelist, short story writer, editor, co-founded The Paris Review (d. 2014)
  • 1927 – George Andrew Olah, Hungarian-American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2017)
  • 1928 – Serge Doubrovsky, French theorist and author (d. 2017)
  • 1928 – John Mackenzie, Scottish director and producer (d. 2011)
  • 1928 – T. Boone Pickens, American businessman (d. 2019)
  • 1928 – Hiroshi Sano, Japanese novelist (d. 2013)
  • 1929 – Ahmed Fouad Negm, Egyptian poet (d. 2013)
  • 1930 – Kenny Ball, English jazz trumpet player, vocalist, and bandleader (d. 2013)
  • 1930 – Marisol Escobar, French-American sculptor (d. 2016)
  • 1930 – Harvey Milk, American lieutenant and politician (d. 1978)
  • 1932 – Robert Spitzer, American psychiatrist and academic (d. 2015)
  • 1933 – Chen Jingrun, Chinese mathematician and academic (d. 1996)
  • 1934 – Peter Nero, American pianist and conductor
  • 1936 – George H. Heilmeier, American engineer (d. 2014)
  • 1937 – Facundo Cabral, Argentinian singer-songwriter (d. 2011)
  • 1938 – Richard Benjamin, American actor and director
  • 1938 – Susan Strasberg, American actress (d. 1999)
  • 1939 – Paul Winfield, American actor (d. 2004)
  • 1940 – Kieth Merrill, American filmmaker
  • 1940 – Michael Sarrazin, Canadian actor (d. 2011)
  • 1940 – Bernard Shaw, American journalist
  • 1940 – Mick Tingelhoff, American Pro Football Hall of Famer
  • 1941 – Menzies Campbell, Scottish sprinter and politician
  • 1942 – Roger Brown, American basketball player (d. 1997)
  • 1942 – Ted Kaczynski, American academic and mathematician turned anarchist and serial murderer (Unabomber)
  • 1942 – Barbara Parkins, Canadian actress
  • 1942 – Richard Oakes, Native American civil rights activist (d. 1972)
  • 1943 – Betty Williams, Northern Irish peace activist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2020)
  • 1943 – Tommy John, American baseball player
  • 1944 – John Flanagan, Australian fantasy author
  • 1945 – Bob Katter, Australian politician
  • 1946 – George Best, Northern Irish footballer and manager (d. 2005)
  • 1946 – Michael Green, English physicist and academic
  • 1946 – Howard Kendall, English footballer and manager (d. 2015)
  • 1946 – Andrei Marga, Romanian philosopher, political scientist, politician
  • 1946 – Lyudmila Zhuravleva, Russian-Ukrainian astronomer
  • 1948 – Tomás Sánchez, Cuban painter and engraver
  • 1948 – Nedumudi Venu, Indian actor and screenwriter
  • 1949 – Cheryl Campbell, English actress
  • 1949 – Valentin Inzko, Austrian diplomat
  • 1950 – Bernie Taupin, English singer-songwriter and poet
  • 1953 – François Bon, French writer
  • 1953 – Cha Bum-kun, South Korean footballer and manager
  • 1953 – Paul Mariner, English footballer, coach, and manager
  • 1954 – Barbara May Cameron, Native American human rights activist (d. 2002)
  • 1954 – Shuji Nakamura, Japanese-American physicist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1956 – Lucie Brock-Broido, American poet (d. 2018)
  • 1957 – Lisa Murkowski, American lawyer and politician
  • 1959 – David Blatt, Israeli-American basketball player and coach
  • 1959 – Morrissey, English singer-songwriter and performer
  • 1959 – Kwak Jae-yong, South Korean director and screenwriter
  • 1959 – Mehbooba Mufti, Indian politician
  • 1960 – Hideaki Anno, Japanese animator, director, and screenwriter
  • 1962 – Brian Pillman, American football player and wrestler (d. 1997)
  • 1963 – Claude Closky, French contemporary artist
  • 1965 – Jay Carney, American journalist, 29th White House Press Secretary
  • 1966 – Johnny Gill, American singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1966 – Wang Xiaoshuai, Chinese director and screenwriter
  • 1968 – Graham Linehan, Irish comedian, actor, and author
  • 1969 – Cathy McMorris Rodgers, American lawyer and politician
  • 1970 – Naomi Campbell, English model
  • 1970 – Brody Stevens, American comedian and actor (d. 2019)
  • 1972 – Max Brooks, American author and screenwriter
  • 1973 – Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Danish actor
  • 1974 – Garba Lawal, Nigerian footballer
  • 1974 – Henrietta Ónodi, Hungarian Olympic gymnast
  • 1974 – Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Ukrainian politician
  • 1975 – Salva Ballesta, Spanish footballer and manager
  • 1976 – Christian Vande Velde, American cyclist
  • 1978 – Ginnifer Goodwin, American actress
  • 1978 – Katie Price, English television personality and glamour model
  • 1979 – Maggie Q, American actress
  • 1979 – Nazanin Boniadi, Iranian-American actress
  • 1980 – Sharice Davids, American politician
  • 1980 – Lucy Gordon, British actress and model (d. 2009)
  • 1981 – Daniel Bryan, American wrestler
  • 1981 – Bassel Khartabil, Syrian computer programmer and engineer (d. 2015)
  • 1981 – Jürgen Melzer, Austrian tennis player
  • 1982 – Erin McNaught, Australian model and actress
  • 1982 – Apolo Ohno, American speed skater
  • 1982 – Hong Yong-jo, North Korean footballer
  • 1983 – Natasha Kai, American soccer player and Olympic medalist
  • 1984 – Karoline Herfurth, German actress
  • 1984 – Didier Ya Konan, Ivorian footballer
  • 1984 – Dustin Moskovitz, American entrepreneur, co-founder of Facebook
  • 1985 – Tranquillo Barnetta, Swiss footballer
  • 1985 – Tao Okamoto, Japanese model and actress
  • 1986 – Julian Edelman, American football player
  • 1986 – Matt Jarvis, English footballer
  • 1986 – Tatiana Volosozhar, Russian figure skater
  • 1987 – Novak Djokovic, Serbian tennis player
  • 1987 – Arturo Vidal, Chilean footballer
  • 1988 – Heida Reed, Icelandic-British actress
  • 1989 – Corey Dickerson, American baseball player
  • 1990 – Wyatt Roy, Australian politician
  • 1991 – Joel Obi, Nigerian footballer
  • 1991 – Suho, South Korean singer and actor
  • 1992 – Anna Baryshnikov, American actress
  • 1994 – Florian Luger, Austrian male model
  • 1998 – Samile Bermannelli, Brazilian fashion model
  • 1999 – Camren Bicondova, American actress
  • 1999 – Femke Huijzer, Dutch model

Deaths on May 22

  • 192 – Dong Zhuo, Chinese warlord and politician (b. 138)
  • 337 – Constantine the Great, Roman emperor (b. 272)
  • 748 – Empress Genshō of Japan (b. 683)
  • 1067 – Constantine X, Byzantine Emperor (b. 1006)
  • 1068 – Emperor Go-Reizei of Japan (b. 1025)
  • 1310 – Saint Humility, founder of the Vallumbrosan religious order of nuns (b. c.1226)
  • 1409 – Blanche of England, sister of King Henry V (b. 1392)
  • 1455 – Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset, English commander (b. 1406)
  • 1455 – Thomas Clifford, 8th Baron de Clifford, Lancastrian commander (b. 1414)
  • 1455 – Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland, English commander (b. 1393)
  • 1457 – Rita of Cascia, Italian nun and saint (b. 1381)
  • 1490 – Edmund Grey, 1st Earl of Kent, English administrator, nobleman and magnate (b. 1416)
  • 1538 – John Forest, English friar and martyr (b. 1471)
  • 1540 – Francesco Guicciardini, Italian historian and politician (b. 1483)
  • 1545 – Sher Shah Suri, Indian ruler (b. 1486)
  • 1553 – Giovanni Bernardi, Italian sculptor and engraver (b. 1495)
  • 1602 – Renata of Lorraine (b. 1544)
  • 1609 – Pieter Willemsz. Verhoeff, Dutch captain (b. 1573)
  • 1666 – Gaspar Schott, German physicist and mathematician (b. 1608)
  • 1667 – Pope Alexander VII (b. 1599)
  • 1745 – François-Marie, 1st duc de Broglie, French general (b. 1671)
  • 1760 – Baal Shem Tov, Polish rabbi and author (b. 1700)
  • 1772 – Durastante Natalucci, Italian historian and academic (b. 1687)
  • 1795 – Ewald Friedrich von Hertzberg, Prussian politician, Foreign Minister of Prussia (b. 1725)
  • 1802 – Martha Washington, First, First Lady of the United States (b. 1731)
  • 1851 – Mordecai Manuel Noah, American journalist and diplomat (b. 1755)
  • 1859 – Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies (b. 1810)
  • 1861 – Thornsbury Bailey Brown, American soldier (b. 1829)
  • 1868 – Julius Plücker, German mathematician and physicist (b. 1801)
  • 1885 – Victor Hugo, French novelist, poet, and playwright (b. 1802)
  • 1901 – Gaetano Bresci, Italian-American anarchist, assassin of Umberto I of Italy (b. 1869)
  • 1910 – Jules Renard, French author and playwright (b. 1864)
  • 1932 – Augusta, Lady Gregory, Anglo-Irish activist, landlord, and playwright, co-founded the Abbey Theatre (b. 1852)
  • 1933 – Tsengeltiin Jigjidjav, Mongolian politician, 10th Prime Minister of Mongolia (b. 1894)
  • 1938 – William Glackens, American painter and illustrator (b. 1870)
  • 1939 – Ernst Toller, German playwright and author (b. 1893)
  • 1939 – Jiří Mahen, Czech author and playwright (b. 1882)
  • 1954 – Chief Bender, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1884)
  • 1965 – Christopher Stone, English radio host (b. 1882)
  • 1966 – Tom Goddard, English cricketer (b. 1900)
  • 1967 – Langston Hughes, American poet, social activist, novelist, and playwright (b. 1902)
  • 1967 – Charlotte Serber, American Librarian of the Manhattan Project’s Los Alamos site (b. 1911)
  • 1972 – Cecil Day-Lewis, Anglo-Irish poet and author (b. 1904)
  • 1972 – Margaret Rutherford, English actress (b. 1892)
  • 1974 – Irmgard Flügge-Lotz, German-American mathematician and aerospace engineer (b. 1903)
  • 1975 – Lefty Grove, American baseball player (b. 1900)
  • 1982 – Cevdet Sunay, Turkish general and politician, 5th President of Turkey (b. 1899)
  • 1983 – Albert Claude, Belgian biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1899)
  • 1985 – Wolfgang Reitherman, German-American animator, director, and producer (b. 1909)
  • 1988 – Giorgio Almirante, Italian journalist and politician (b. 1914)
  • 1989 – Steven De Groote, South African pianist and educator (b. 1953)
  • 1990 – Rocky Graziano, American boxer (b. 1922)
  • 1991 – Shripad Amrit Dange, Indian lawyer and politician (b. 1899)
  • 1991 – Stan Mortensen, English footballer and manager (b. 1921)
  • 1992 – Zellig Harris, American linguist and academic (b. 1909)
  • 1993 – Mieczysław Horszowski, Polish-American pianist and composer (b. 1892)
  • 1997 – Alziro Bergonzo, Italian architect and painter (b. 1906)
  • 1997 – Alfred Hershey, American biochemist and geneticist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1908)
  • 1998 – John Derek, American actor, director, and photographer (b. 1926)
  • 1998 – José Enrique Moyal, Israeli physicist and engineer (b. 1910)
  • 2000 – Davie Fulton, Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician (b. 1916)
  • 2004 – Richard Biggs, American actor (b. 1960)
  • 2004 – Mikhail Voronin, Russian gymnast (b. 1945)
  • 2005 – Charilaos Florakis, Greek politician (b. 1914)
  • 2005 – Thurl Ravenscroft, American voice actor and singer (b. 1914)
  • 2006 – Lee Jong-wook, South Korean physician and diplomat (b. 1945)
  • 2007 – Pemba Doma Sherpa, Nepalese mountaineer (b. 1970)
  • 2008 – Robert Asprin, American soldier and author (b. 1946)
  • 2010 – Martin Gardner, American mathematician, cryptographer, and author (b. 1914)
  • 2011 – Joseph Brooks, American director, producer, screenwriter, and composer (b. 1938)
  • 2012 – Muzafar Bhutto, Pakistani politician (b. 1970)
  • 2012 – Wesley A. Brown, American lieutenant and engineer (b. 1927)
  • 2013 – Sigurd Ottovich Schmidt, Russian historian and ethnographer (b. 1922)
  • 2015 – Marques Haynes, American basketball player and coach (b. 1926)
  • 2015 – Vladimir Katriuk, Ukrainian-Canadian SS officer (b. 1921)
  • 2016 – Velimir “Bata” Živojinović, Serbian actor and politician (b. 1933)
  • 2017 – Nicky Hayden, American motorcycle racer (b. 1981)
  • 2019 – Judith Kerr, German-born British writer and illustrator (b. 1923)
  • 2020 – Denise Cronenberg, Canadian costume designer (b. 1938)

Holidays and observances on May 22

  • Abolition Day (Martinique)
  • Christian feast day:
    • Castus and Emilius
    • Fulk
    • Humilita
    • Michael Hồ Đình Hy (one of Vietnamese Martyrs)
    • Quiteria
    • Rita of Cascia
    • Romanus of Subiaco
    • May 22 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Harvey Milk Day (California)
  • International Day for Biological Diversity (International)
  • United States National Maritime Day
  • National Sovereignty Day (Haiti)
  • Republic Day (Sri Lanka)
  • Translation of the Relics of Saint Nicholas from Myra to Bari (Ukraine)
  • Unity Day (Yemen), celebrates the unification of North and South Yemen into the Republic of Yemen in 1990.
  • World Goth Day

May 22 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

May 21 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 293 – Roman Emperors Diocletian and Maximian appoint Galerius as Caesar to Diocletian, beginning the period of four rulers known as the Tetrarchy.
  • 878 – Syracuse, Sicily, is captured by the Muslim Aghlabids after a nine-month siege.
  • 879 – Pope John VIII gives blessings to Branimir of Croatia and to the Croatian people, considered to be international recognition of the Croatian state.
  • 996 – Sixteen-year-old Otto III is crowned Holy Roman Emperor.
  • 1349 – Dušan’s Code, the constitution of the Serbian Empire, is enacted by Dušan the Mighty.
  • 1403 – Henry III of Castile sends Ruy González de Clavijo as ambassador to Timur to discuss the possibility of an alliance between Timur and Castile against the Ottoman Empire.
  • 1554 – Queen Mary I grants a royal charter to Derby School, as a grammar school for boys in Derby, England.
  • 1659 – In the Concert of The Hague, the Dutch Republic, the Commonwealth of England and the Kingdom of France set out their views on how the Second Northern War should end.
  • 1660 – The Battle of Long Sault concludes after five days in which French colonial militia, with their Huron and Algonquin allies, are defeated by the Iroquois Confederacy.
  • 1674 – The nobility elect John Sobieski King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania.
  • 1703 – Daniel Defoe is imprisoned on charges of seditious libel.
  • 1725 – The Order of St. Alexander Nevsky is instituted in Russia by Empress Catherine I. It would later be discontinued and then reinstated by the Soviet government in 1942 as the Order of Alexander Nevsky.
  • 1758 – Ten-year-old Mary Campbell is abducted in Pennsylvania by Lenape during the French and Indian War. She is returned six and a half years later.
  • 1792 – A lava dome collapses on Mount Unzen, near the city of Shimbara on the Japanese island of Kyūshū, creating a deadly tsunami that kills nearly 15,000 people.
  • 1809 – The first day of the Battle of Aspern-Essling between the Austrian army led by Archduke Charles and the French army led by Napoleon I of France sees the French attack across the Danube held.
  • 1851 – Slavery in Colombia is abolished.
  • 1856 – Lawrence, Kansas is captured and burned by pro-slavery forces.
  • 1863 – American Civil War: The Union Army succeeds in closing off the last escape route from Port Hudson, Louisiana, in preparation for the coming siege.
  • 1864 – Russia declares an end to the Russo-Circassian War and many Circassians are forced into exile. The day is designated the Circassian Day of Mourning.
  • 1864 – American Civil War: The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House ends.
  • 1864 – The Ionian Islands reunite with Greece.
  • 1871 – French troops invade the Paris Commune and engage its residents in street fighting. By the close of “Bloody Week”, some 20,000 communards have been killed and 38,000 arrested.
  • 1871 – Opening of the first rack railway in Europe, the Rigi Bahnen on Mount Rigi.
  • 1879 – War of the Pacific: Two Chilean ships blocking the harbor of Iquique (then belonging to Peru) battle two Peruvian vessels in the Battle of Iquique.
  • 1881 – The American Red Cross is established by Clara Barton in Washington, D.C.
  • 1894 – The Manchester Ship Canal in the United Kingdom is officially opened by Queen Victoria, who later knights its designer Sir Edward Leader Williams.
  • 1904 – The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) is founded in Paris.
  • 1911 – President of Mexico Porfirio Díaz and the revolutionary Francisco Madero sign the Treaty of Ciudad Juárez to put an end to the fighting between the forces of both men, concluding the initial phase of the Mexican Revolution.
  • 1917 – The Imperial War Graves Commission is established through royal charter to mark, record, and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of the British Empire’s military forces.
  • 1917 – The Great Atlanta fire of 1917 causes $5.5 million in damages, destroying some 300 acres including 2,000 homes, businesses and churches, displacing about 10,000 people but leading to only one fatality (due to heart attack).
  • 1924 – University of Chicago students Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold, Jr. murder 14-year-old Bobby Franks in a “thrill killing”.
  • 1927 – Charles Lindbergh touches down at Le Bourget Field in Paris, completing the world’s first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean.
  • 1932 – Bad weather forces Amelia Earhart to land in a pasture in Derry, Northern Ireland, and she thereby becomes the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
  • 1934 – Oskaloosa, Iowa, becomes the first municipality in the United States to fingerprint all of its citizens.
  • 1936 – Sada Abe is arrested after wandering the streets of Tokyo for days with her dead lover’s severed genitals in her handbag. Her story soon becomes one of Japan’s most notorious scandals.
  • 1937 – A Soviet station, North Pole-1, becomes the first scientific research settlement to operate on the drift ice of the Arctic Ocean.
  • 1939 – The Canadian National War Memorial is unveiled by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
  • 1946 – Physicist Louis Slotin is fatally irradiated in a criticality incident during an experiment with the demon core at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
  • 1951 – The opening of the Ninth Street Show, otherwise known as the 9th Street Art Exhibition: A gathering of a number of notable artists, and the stepping-out of the post war New York avant-garde, collectively known as the New York School.
  • 1961 – American civil rights movement: Alabama Governor John Malcolm Patterson declares martial law in an attempt to restore order after race riots break out.
  • 1966 – The Ulster Volunteer Force declares war on the Irish Republican Army in Northern Ireland.
  • 1969 – Civil unrest in Rosario, Argentina, known as Rosariazo, following the death of a 15-year-old student.
  • 1972 – Michelangelo’s Pietà in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome is damaged by a vandal, the mentally disturbed Hungarian geologist Laszlo Toth.
  • 1976 – Twenty-nine people are killed in the Yuba City bus disaster in Martinez, California.
  • 1979 – White Night riots in San Francisco following the manslaughter conviction of Dan White for the assassinations of George Moscone and Harvey Milk.
  • 1981 – The Italian government releases the membership list of Propaganda Due, an illegal pseudo-Masonic lodge that was implicated in numerous Italian crimes and mysteries.
  • 1981 – Transamerica Corporation agrees to sell United Artists to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer for $380 million after the box office failure of the 1980 film Heaven’s Gate.
  • 1982 – Falklands War: A British amphibious assault during Operation Sutton leads to the Battle of San Carlos.
  • 1991 – Former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi is assassinated by a female suicide bomber near Madras.
  • 1991 – Mengistu Haile Mariam, president of the People’s Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, flees Ethiopia, effectively bringing the Ethiopian Civil War to an end.
  • 1992 – After 30 seasons Johnny Carson hosted his penultimate episode and last featuring guests (Robin Williams and Bette Midler) of The Tonight Show.
  • 1994 – The Democratic Republic of Yemen unsuccessfully attempts to secede from the Republic of Yemen; a war breaks out.
  • 1996 – The ferry MV Bukoba sinks in Tanzanian waters on Lake Victoria, killing nearly 1,000.
  • 1998 – In Miami, five abortion clinics are attacked by a butyric acid attacker.
  • 1998 – President Suharto of Indonesia resigns following the killing of students from Trisakti University earlier that week by security forces and growing mass protests in Jakarta against his ongoing corrupt rule.
  • 2001 – French Taubira law is enacted, officially recognizing the Atlantic slave trade and slavery as crimes against humanity.
  • 2003 – The 6.8 Mw  Boumerdès earthquake shakes northern Algeria with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme). More than 2,200 people were killed and a moderate tsunami sank boats at the Balearic Islands.
  • 2005 – The tallest roller coaster in the world, Kingda Ka opens at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township, New Jersey.
  • 2006 – The Republic of Montenegro holds a referendum proposing independence from the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro; 55% of Montenegrins vote for independence.
  • 2010 – JAXA, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, launches the solar-sail spacecraft IKAROS aboard an H-IIA rocket. The vessel would make a Venus flyby late in the year.
  • 2011 – Radio broadcaster Harold Camping predicted that the world would end on this date.
  • 2012 – A bus accident near Himara, Albania kills 13 people and injures 21 others.
  • 2012 – A suicide bombing kills more than 120 people in Sana’a, Yemen.
  • 2017 – Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus performed their final show at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

Births on May 21

  • 1471 – Albrecht Dürer, German painter, engraver, and mathematician (d. 1528)
  • 1497 – Al-Hattab, Muslim jurist (d. 1547)
  • 1527 – Philip II of Spain (d. 1598)
  • 1653 – Eleonore of Austria, Queen of Poland (d. 1697)
  • 1688 – Alexander Pope, English poet, essayist, and translator (d. 1744)
  • 1755 – Alfred Moore, American lawyer and judge (d. 1810)
  • 1756 – William Babington, Irish-born, English physician and mineralogist (d. 1833)
  • 1763 – Joseph Fouché, French lawyer and politician (d. 1820)
  • 1775 – Lucien Bonaparte, French soldier and politician (d. 1840)
  • 1780 – Elizabeth Fry, English prison reformer, philanthropist and Quaker (d. 1845)
  • 1790 – William Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire, English politician, Lord Chamberlain of the Household (d. 1858)
  • 1792 – Gaspard-Gustave de Coriolis, French mathematician and engineer (d. 1843)
  • 1799 – Mary Anning, English paleontologist (d. 1847)
  • 1801 – Princess Sophie of Sweden, Swedish princess (d. 1865)
  • 1806 – Harriet Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland, English duchess (d. 1868)
  • 1808 – David de Jahacob Lopez Cardozo, Dutch Talmudist (d. 1890)
  • 1827 – William P. Sprague, American banker and politician (d. 1899)
  • 1828 – Rudolf Koller, Swiss painter (d. 1905)
  • 1835 – František Chvostek, Czech-Austrian physician and academic (d. 1884)
  • 1837 – Itagaki Taisuke, Japanese soldier and politician (d. 1919)
  • 1843 – Charles Albert Gobat, Swiss lawyer and politician, and Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1914)
  • 1843 – Louis Renault, French jurist, educator, and Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1918)
  • 1844 – Henri Rousseau, French painter (d. 1910)
  • 1850 – Giuseppe Mercalli, Italian priest and volcanologist (d. 1914)
  • 1851 – Léon Bourgeois, French police officer and politician, 64th Prime Minister of France, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1925)
  • 1853 – Jacques Marie Eugène Godefroy Cavaignac, French politician (d. 1905)
  • 1856 – José Batlle y Ordóñez, Uruguayan journalist and politician, President of Uruguay (d. 1929)
  • 1860 – Willem Einthoven, Indonesian-Dutch physician, physiologist, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1927)
  • 1861 – Abel Ayerza, Argentinian physician and academic (d. 1918)
  • 1863 – Archduke Eugen of Austria (d. 1954)
  • 1864 – Princess Stéphanie of Belgium (d. 1945)
  • 1873 – Hans Berger, German neurologist and academic (d. 1941)
  • 1878 – Glenn Curtiss, American cyclist and engineer (d. 1930)
  • 1880 – Tudor Arghezi, Romanian journalist, author, and poet (d. 1967)
  • 1884 – Manuel Pérez y Curis, Uruguayan poet and publisher (d. 1920)
  • 1885 – Princess Sophie of Albania, (Princess Sophie of Schönburg-Waldenburg) (d. 1936)
  • 1893 – Arthur Carr, English cricketer (d. 1963)
  • 1893 – Giles Chippindall, Australian public servant (d. 1969)
  • 1895 – Lázaro Cárdenas, Mexican general, president (1934–1940) and father of Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas (d. 1970)
  • 1898 – Armand Hammer, American physician and businessman, founded Occidental Petroleum (d. 1990)
  • 1898 – Charles Léon Hammes, Luxembourgian lawyer and judge (d. 1967)
  • 1898 – Carl Johnson, American long jumper (d. 1932)
  • 1898 – John McLaughlin, American painter and translator (d. 1976)
  • 1901 – Regina M. Anderson, Multiracial playwright and librarian (d. 1993)
  • 1901 – Horace Heidt, American pianist, bandleader, and radio host (d. 1986)
  • 1901 – Sam Jaffe, American film producer and agent (d. 2000)
  • 1901 – Suzanne Lilar, Belgian author and playwright (d. 1992)
  • 1902 – Earl Averill, American baseball player (d. 1983)
  • 1902 – Marcel Breuer, Hungarian-American architect and academic, designed the Ameritrust Tower (d. 1981)
  • 1902 – Anatole Litvak, Ukrainian-American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1974)
  • 1903 – Manly Wade Wellman, American author (d. 1986)
  • 1904 – Robert Montgomery, American actor and director (d. 1981)
  • 1904 – Fats Waller, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 1943)
  • 1907 – John C. Allen, American roller coaster designer (d. 1979)
  • 1912 – Chen Dayu, Chinese painter and calligrapher (d. 2001)
  • 1912 – John Curtis Gowan, American psychologist and academic (d. 1986)
  • 1912 – Monty Stratton, American baseball player and coach (d. 1982)
  • 1913 – Gina Bachauer, Greek pianist and composer (d. 1976)
  • 1915 – Cathleen Cordell, American actress (d. 1997)
  • 1915 – Chakravarthi V. Narasimhan, Indian Civil Service Officer and former Under Secretary-General of the UN (d. 2003)
  • 1916 – Dennis Day, American singer and actor (d. 1988)
  • 1916 – Tinus Osendarp, Dutch sprinter and police officer (d. 2002)
  • 1916 – Harold Robbins, American author and screenwriter (d. 1997)
  • 1917 – Raymond Burr, Canadian-American actor and director (d. 1993)
  • 1918 – Anthony Steel, English actor and singer (d. 2001)
  • 1919 – George P. Mitchell, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 2013)
  • 1920 – Bill Barber, American tuba player and educator (d. 2007)
  • 1920 – Forrest White, American businessman, co-founded the Music Man Company (d. 1994)
  • 1921 – Sandy Douglas, English computer scientist and academic, designed OXO (d. 2010)
  • 1921 – Andrei Sakharov, Russian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1989)
  • 1923 – Vernon Biever, American photographer (d. 2010)
  • 1923 – Armand Borel, Swiss-American mathematician and academic (d. 2003)
  • 1923 – Ara Parseghian, American football player and coach (d. 2017)
  • 1923 – Dorothy Hewett, Australian feminist poet, novelist and playwright (d. 2002)
  • 1923 – Evelyn Ward, American actress (d. 2012)
  • 1924 – Peggy Cass, American actress, comedian, and game show panelist (d. 1999)
  • 1926 – Robert Creeley, American novelist, essayist, and poet (d. 2005)
  • 1927 – Kay Kendall, English actress and comedian (d. 1959)
  • 1927 – Péter Zwack, Hungarian businessman and diplomat (d. 2012)
  • 1928 – Tom Donahue, American radio host and producer (d. 1975)
  • 1928 – Alice Drummond, American actress (d. 2016)
  • 1929 – Larance Marable, American drummer (d. 2012)
  • 1929 – Robert Welch, English silversmith and industrial designer (d. 2000)
  • 1930 – Tommy Bryant, American bassist (d. 1982)
  • 1930 – Keith Davis, New Zealand rugby player (d. 2019)
  • 1930 – Malcolm Fraser, Australian politician, 22nd Prime Minister of Australia (d. 2015)
  • 1932 – Inese Jaunzeme, Latvian javelin thrower and surgeon (d. 2011)
  • 1932 – Leonidas Vasilikopoulos, Greek admiral and intelligence chief (d. 2014)
  • 1933 – Maurice André, French trumpet player (d. 2012)
  • 1933 – Yevgeny Minayev, Russian weightlifter (d. 1993)
  • 1934 – Jocasta Innes, Chinese-English journalist and author (d. 2013)
  • 1934 – Bob Northern, American horn player and bandleader
  • 1934 – Bengt I. Samuelsson, Swedish biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1935 – Terry Lightfoot, English clarinet player and bandleader (d. 2013)
  • 1936 – Günter Blobel, Polish-American biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2018)
  • 1938 – Lee “Shot” Williams, American singer (d. 2011)
  • 1939 – Heinz Holliger, Swiss oboist, composer, and conductor
  • 1940 – Tony Sheridan, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2013)
  • 1941 – Martin Carthy, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1941 – Bobby Cox, American baseball player and manager
  • 1941 – Ambrose Greenway, 4th Baron Greenway, English photographer and politician
  • 1941 – Ronald Isley, American singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1942 – David Hunt, Baron Hunt of Wirral, English politician, Secretary of State for Wales
  • 1942 – John Konrads, Australian swimmer
  • 1942 – Danny Ongais, American race car driver
  • 1943 – Vincent Crane, English pianist and composer (d. 1989)
  • 1943 – John Dalton, English bass player
  • 1943 – Hilton Valentine, English guitarist and songwriter
  • 1944 – Haleh Afshar, Baroness Afshar, Iranian-English academic and politician
  • 1944 – Marcie Blane, American singer
  • 1944 – Janet Dailey, American author and entrepreneur (d. 2013)
  • 1944 – Mary Robinson, Irish lawyer and politician, 7th President of Ireland
  • 1945 – Ernst Messerschmid, German physicist and astronaut
  • 1945 – Richard Hatch, American actor, writer, and producer (d. 2017)
  • 1946 – Allan McKeown, English-American screenwriter and producer (d. 2013)
  • 1946 – Wayne Roycroft, Australian equestrian rider and coach
  • 1947 – Bill Champlin, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1947 – Linda Laubenstein, American physician and academic (d. 1992)
  • 1947 – İlber Ortaylı, Turkish historian and academic
  • 1948 – Elizabeth Buchan, English author and critic
  • 1948 – Joe Camilleri, Maltese-Australian singer-songwriter and saxophonist
  • 1948 – Jonathan Hyde, Australian-English actor
  • 1948 – Denis MacShane, Scottish journalist and politician, UK Minister of State for Europe
  • 1948 – Leo Sayer, English-Australian singer-songwriter and musician
  • 1949 – Andrew Neil, Scottish journalist and academic
  • 1949 – Denis O’Connor, British police officer
  • 1949 – Rosalind Plowright, English soprano
  • 1950 – Will Hutton, English economist and journalist
  • 1951 – Al Franken, American actor, screenwriter, and politician
  • 1951 – Adrian Hardiman, Irish lawyer and judge (d. 2016)
  • 1952 – Mr. T, American actor and wrestler
  • 1953 – Nora Aunor, Filipino actress and recording artist
  • 1954 – D. B. S. Jeyaraj, Sri Lankan-Canadian journalist and blogger
  • 1954 – Janice Karman, American film producer, record producer, singer, and voice actress
  • 1954 – Marc Ribot, American guitarist and composer
  • 1955 – Paul Barber, English field hockey player
  • 1955 – Stan Lynch, American drummer, songwriter, and producer
  • 1957 – James Bailey, American basketball player
  • 1957 – Nadine Dorries, English nurse and politician
  • 1957 – Judge Reinhold, American actor and producer
  • 1957 – Renée Soutendijk, Dutch actress
  • 1958 – Christian Audigier, French fashion designer (d. 2015)
  • 1958 – Muffy Calder, Canadian-Scottish computer scientist and academic
  • 1958 – Michael Crick, English journalist and author
  • 1958 – Naeem Khan, Indian-American fashion designer
  • 1958 – Jefery Levy, American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1959 – Nick Cassavetes, American actor, director, and screenwriter
  • 1959 – Abdulla Yameen, Maldivian politician, 6th President of the Maldives
  • 1960 – Jeffrey Dahmer, American serial killer (d. 1994)
  • 1960 – Kent Hrbek, American baseball player and sportscaster
  • 1960 – Mohanlal, Indian actor
  • 1960 – Mark Ridgway, Australian cricketer
  • 1960 – Vladimir Salnikov, Russian swimmer
  • 1962 – David Crumb, American composer and educator
  • 1963 – Richard Appel, American screenwriter and producer
  • 1963 – Patrick Grant, American musician and producer
  • 1963 – David Lonsdale, English actor
  • 1964 – Pete Sandoval, Salvadoran-American drummer
  • 1963 – Kevin Shields, American-Irish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1963 – Dave Specter, American guitarist
  • 1963 – Laurie Spina, Australian rugby league player and sportscaster
  • 1964 – Danny Bailey, English footballer and coach
  • 1965 – Josh Richman, American actor and producer
  • 1966 – Lisa Edelstein, American actress and playwright
  • 1966 – Tatyana Ledovskaya, Belarusian hurdler
  • 1967 – Chris Benoit, Canadian professional wrestler (d. 2007)
  • 1968 – Ilmar Raag, Estonian director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1968 – Matthias Ungemach, German-Australian rower
  • 1968 – Julie Vega, Filipino actress and singer (d. 1985)
  • 1969 – Pierluigi Brivio, Italian footballer
  • 1969 – Georgiy Gongadze, Georgian-Ukrainian journalist and director (d. 2000)
  • 1969 – Masayo Kurata, Japanese voice actress and singer
  • 1969 – George LeMieux, American lawyer and politician
  • 1969 – Brian Statham, Rhodesian born English footballer, defender and manager
  • 1970 – Brigita Bukovec, Slovenian hurdler
  • 1970 – Dorsey Levens, American football player and sportscaster
  • 1970 – Pauline Menczer, Australian surfer
  • 1970 – Carl Veart, Australian footballer and coach
  • 1972 – The Notorious B.I.G., American rapper (d. 1997)
  • 1973 – Stewart Cink, American golfer
  • 1973 – Noel Fielding, English comedian, musician and television presenter
  • 1974 – Brad Arthur, Australian rugby league coach
  • 1974 – Fairuza Balk, American actress
  • 1974 – Aditi Gowitrikar, Indian model, actress, and physician, Mrs. World 2001
  • 1974 – Havoc, American rapper and producer
  • 1975 – Anthony Mundine, Australian rugby league player and boxer
  • 1976 – Stuart Bingham, English snooker player
  • 1976 – Abderrahim Goumri, Moroccan runner (d. 2013)
  • 1976 – Deron Miller, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1977 – Quinton Fortune, South African international footballer midfielder and coach
  • 1977 – Michael Fuß, German footballer
  • 1977 – Ricky Williams, American football player and coach
  • 1978 – Max B, American rapper and songwriter
  • 1978 – Briana Banks, German-American porn actress and model
  • 1978 – Jamaal Magloire, Canadian basketball player and coach
  • 1979 – Damián Ariel Álvarez, Argentinian-Mexican footballer
  • 1979 – Jamie Hepburn, Scottish politician, Minister for Sport, Health Improvement and Mental Health
  • 1979 – James Clancy Phelan, Australian author and academic
  • 1979 – Scott Smith, American mixed martial artist
  • 1979 – Sonja Vectomov, Czech musician/composer
  • 1980 – Gotye, Belgian-Australian singer-songwriter
  • 1981 – Craig Anderson, American ice hockey player
  • 1981 – Edson Buddle, American soccer player
  • 1981 – Josh Hamilton, American baseball player
  • 1981 – Maximilian Mutzke, German singer-songwriter
  • 1981 – Anna Rogowska, Polish pole vaulter
  • 1983 – Līga Dekmeijere, Latvian tennis player
  • 1983 – Deidson Araújo Maia, Brazilian footballer
  • 1983 – Kaori Shimizu, Japanese voice actress and singer
  • 1984 – Brandon Fields, American football player
  • 1984 – Sara Goller, German volleyball player
  • 1984 – Syamsul Yusof, Malaysian actor, film director, scriptwriter, film producer, rapper and singer
  • 1985 – Mutya Buena, English singer-songwriter
  • 1985 – Alison Carroll, English gymnast, model, and actress
  • 1985 – Mark Cavendish, Manx cyclist
  • 1985 – Alexander Dale Oen, Norwegian swimmer (d. 2012)
  • 1985 – Isa Guha, English cricketer
  • 1985 – Lucie Hradecká, Czech tennis player
  • 1985 – Kano, English rapper, producer, and actor
  • 1985 – Dušan Kuciak, Slovak footballer
  • 1985 – Heath L’Estrange, Australian rugby league player
  • 1985 – Andrew Miller, American baseball player
  • 1986 – Mario Mandžukić, Croatian footballer
  • 1986 – Myra, American singer and actress
  • 1986 – Eder Sánchez, Mexican race walker
  • 1986 – Park Sojin, South Korean singer-songwriter and dancer
  • 1986 – Greg Stewart, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1987 – Beau Falloon, Australian rugby league player
  • 1988 – Claire Cashmore, English Paralympic swimmer
  • 1988 – Park Gyu-ri, South Korean singer
  • 1988 – Jonny Howson, English footballer
  • 1988 – Kaire Leibak, Estonian triple jumper
  • 1989 – Emily Robins, New Zealand actress and singer
  • 1989 – Hal Robson-Kanu, English footballer
  • 1990 – Kierre Beckles, Barbadian athlete
  • 1990 – Rene Krhin, Slovenian footballer
  • 1991 – Guilherme, Brazilian footballer
  • 1992 – Hutch Dano, American actor
  • 1992 – Lisa Evans, Scottish footballer
  • 1992 – Philipp Grüneberg, German footballer
  • 1992 – Olivia Olson, American singer and actress
  • 1993 – Grete Gaim, Estonian biathlete
  • 1993 – Luke Garbutt, English footballer, left-back
  • 1994 – Tom Daley, English diver
  • 1995 – Katharina Andresen, Norwegian heiress and equestrian
  • 1995 – Diego Loyzaga, Filipino actor
  • 1996 – Josh Allen, American footballer
  • 1996 – Indy de Vroome, Dutch tennis player
  • 1996 – Karen Khachanov, Russian tennis player
  • 1997 – Ivan De Santis, Italian footballer
  • 1997 – Sisca Folkertsma, Dutch footballer
  • 1997 – Viktoria Petryk, Ukrainian singer-songwriter

Deaths on May 21

  • 252 – Sun Quan, Chinese emperor of Eastern Wu (b. 182)
  • 954 – Feng Dao, Chinese prince and chancellor (b. 882)
  • 987 – Louis V, king of West Francia (b. c. 966)
  • 1075 – Richeza of Poland, queen of Hungary (b. 1013)
  • 1086 – Wang Anshi, Chinese statesman and poet (b. 1021)
  • 1237 – Olaf the Black, Manx son of Godred II Olafsson
  • 1254 – Conrad IV, king of Germany (b. 1228)
  • 1416 – Anna of Celje, queen consort of Poland (b. 1386)
  • 1471 – Henry VI, king of England (b. 1421)
  • 1481 – Christian I, king of Denmark (b. 1426)
  • 1512 – Pandolfo Petrucci, Italian ruler (b. 1452)
  • 1524 – Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk, English soldier and politician, Lord High Treasurer (b. 1443)
  • 1542 – Hernando de Soto, Spanish-American explorer (b. 1496)
  • 1563 – Martynas Mažvydas, Lithuanian writer (b. 1510)
  • 1607 – John Rainolds, English scholar and academic (b. 1549)
  • 1619 – Hieronymus Fabricius, Italian anatomist (b. 1537)
  • 1639 – Tommaso Campanella, Italian astrologer, theologian, and poet (b. 1568)
  • 1647 – Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft, Dutch poet and playwright (b. 1581)
  • 1650 – James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose, Scottish general and politician (b. 1612)
  • 1664 – Elizabeth Poole, English settler, founded Taunton, Massachusetts (b. 1588)
  • 1670 – Niccolò Zucchi, Italian astronomer and physicist (b. 1586)
  • 1686 – Otto von Guericke, German physicist and inventor of the Magdeburg Hemispheres (b. 1602)
  • 1690 – John Eliot, English-American minister and missionary (b. 1604)
  • 1719 – Pierre Poiret, French mystic and philosopher (b. 1646)
  • 1724 – Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer, English politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (b. 1661)
  • 1742 – Lars Roberg, Swedish physician and academic (b. 1664)
  • 1762 – Alexander Joseph Sulkowski, Polish and Saxon general (b. 1695)
  • 1771 – Christopher Smart, English actor, playwright, and poet (b. 1722)
  • 1786 – Carl Wilhelm Scheele, German-Swedish chemist and pharmacist (b. 1742)
  • 1790 – Thomas Warton, English poet and critic (b. 1728)
  • 1810 – Chevalier d’Eon, French diplomat and spy (b. 1728)
  • 1844 – Giuseppe Baini, Italian priest and composer (b. 1775)
  • 1858 – José de la Riva Agüero, Peruvian soldier and politician, 1st President of Peru and 2nd President of North Peru (b. 1783)
  • 1862 – John Drew, Irish-American actor and manager (b. 1827)
  • 1879 – Arturo Prat, Chilean lawyer and commander (b. 1848)
  • 1894 – Émile Henry, French anarchist (b. 1872)
  • 1894 – August Kundt, German physicist and academic (b. 1839)
  • 1895 – Franz von Suppé, Austrian composer and conductor (b. 1819)
  • 1901 – Joseph Olivier, French rugby player (b. 1874)
  • 1911 – Williamina Fleming, Scottish-American astronomer and academic (b. 1857)
  • 1915 – Leonid Gobyato, Russian general and engineer (b. 1875)
  • 1919 – Evgraf Fedorov, Russian mathematician, crystallographer, and mineralogist (b. 1853)
  • 1920 – Venustiano Carranza, Mexican politician, 54th President of Mexico (b. 1859)
  • 1925 – Hidesaburō Ueno, Japanese agriculturalist, guardian of Hachikō (b. 1871)
  • 1926 – Ronald Firbank, English-Italian author (b. 1886)
  • 1929 – Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1847)
  • 1932 – Marcel Boulenger, French fencer and author (b. 1873)
  • 1935 – Jane Addams, American activist and author, co-founded Hull House, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1860)
  • 1935 – Hugo de Vries, Dutch botanist and geneticist (b. 1848)
  • 1940 – Billy Minter, English footballer and manager (b. 1888)
  • 1949 – Klaus Mann, German-American novelist, playwright, and critic (b. 1906)
  • 1952 – John Garfield, American actor (b. 1913)
  • 1956 – Harry Bensley, English businessman and adventurer (b. 1877)
  • 1957 – Alexander Vertinsky, Ukrainian-Russian singer-songwriter, actor, and poet (b. 1889)
  • 1964 – James Franck, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1882)
  • 1965 – Marguerite Bise, French chef (b. 1898)
  • 1965 – Geoffrey de Havilland, English pilot and engineer, designed the de Havilland Mosquito (b. 1882)
  • 1968 – Doris Lloyd, English actress (b. 1896)
  • 1970 – E. L. Grant Watson, English-Australian biologist and author (b. 1885)
  • 1973 – Vaughn Monroe, American singer, trumpet player, bandleader, and actor (b. 1911)
  • 1973 – Ivan Konev, Soviet Marshal and general (b. 1897)
  • 1981 – Raymond McCreesh, PIRA volunteer (b. 1957)
  • 1981 – Patsy O’Hara, INLA volunteer (b. 1957)
  • 1983 – Kenneth Clark, English historian and author (b. 1903)
  • 1984 – Ann Little, American actress (b. 1891)
  • 1988 – Sammy Davis Sr., American actor and dancer (b. 1900)
  • 1991 – Lino Brocka, Filipino director and screenwriter (b. 1939)
  • 1991 – Rajiv Gandhi, Indian politician, 6th Prime Minister of India (b. 1944)
  • 1995 – Les Aspin, American captain and politician, 18th United States Secretary of Defense (b. 1938)
  • 1996 – Paul Delph, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1957)
  • 1996 – Lash LaRue, American actor and producer (b. 1917)
  • 1996 – Villem Raam, Estonian art historian, art critic and conservator (b. 1910)
  • 1998 – Robert Gist, American actor and director (b. 1917)
  • 2000 – Barbara Cartland, English author (b. 1901)
  • 2000 – John Gielgud, English actor (b. 1904)
  • 2000 – Mark R. Hughes, American businessman, founded Herbalife (b. 1956)
  • 2002 – Niki de Saint Phalle, French-American sculptor and painter (b. 1930)
  • 2003 – Alejandro de Tomaso, Argentinian-Italian race car driver and businessman, founded De Tomaso (b. 1928)
  • 2003 – Frank D. White, American captain, banker, and politician, 41st Governor of Arkansas (b. 1933)
  • 2005 – Deborah Berger, American outsider artist (b. 1956)
  • 2005 – Stephen Elliott, American actor (b. 1918)
  • 2005 – Howard Morris, American actor and director (b. 1919)
  • 2006 – Spencer Clark, American race car driver (b. 1987)
  • 2006 – Katherine Dunham, American dancer, choreographer, and author (b. 1909)
  • 2006 – Cherd Songsri, Thai director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1931)
  • 2006 – Billy Walker, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1929)
  • 2012 – Eddie Blazonczyk, American singer-songwriter (b. 1941)
  • 2012 – Otis Clark, American butler and preacher, survivor of the Tulsa race riot (b. 1903)
  • 2012 – Constantine of Irinoupolis, Metropolitan of Irinoupolis and Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA (b. 1936)
  • 2012 – Roman Dumbadze, Georgian commander (b. 1964)
  • 2012 – Douglas Rodríguez, Cuban boxer (b. 1950)
  • 2012 – Bill Stewart, American football player and coach (b. 1952)
  • 2012 – Alan Thorne, Australian anthropologist and academic (b. 1939)
  • 2013 – Count Christian of Rosenborg, member of the Danish royal family (b. 1942)
  • 2013 – Frank Comstock, American trombonist, composer, and conductor (b. 1922)
  • 2013 – Cot Deal, American baseball player and coach (b. 1923)
  • 2013 – Mohammad Khaled Hossain, Bangladeshi mountaineer (b. 1979)
  • 2013 – Leonard Marsh, American businessman, co-founded Snapple (b. 1933)
  • 2013 – Bob Thompson, American pianist and composer (b. 1924)
  • 2013 – Dominique Venner, French journalist and historian (b. 1935)
  • 2013 – David Voelker, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1953)
  • 2014 – Tunku Annuar, Malaysian son of Badlishah of Kedah (b. 1939)
  • 2014 – Evelyn Blackmon, American businesswoman and politician (b. 1924)
  • 2014 – Johnny Gray, American baseball player (b. 1926)
  • 2014 – Jaime Lusinchi, Venezuelan physician and politician, President of Venezuela (b. 1924)
  • 2014 – Alireza Soleimani, Iranian wrestler (b. 1956)
  • 2015 – Annarita Sidoti, Italian race walker (b. 1969)
  • 2015 – Twinkle, English singer-songwriter (b. 1948)
  • 2015 – Jassem Al-Kharafi, Kuwaiti businessman and politician, 8th Kuwaiti Speaker of the National Assembly (b. 1940)
  • 2015 – Fred Gladding, American baseball player and coach (b. 1936)
  • 2015 – Louis Johnson, American bass player and producer (b. 1955)
  • 2016 – Nick Menza, American drummer and songwriter (b. 1964)
  • 2019 – Rik Kuypers, Belgian film director (b. 1925)
  • 2019 – Binyavanga Wainaina, Kenyan writer (b. 1971)
  • 2020 – Alan Merten, fifth President of George Mason University (b. 1941)

Holidays and observances on May 21

  • Afro-Colombian Day (Colombia)
  • Christian feast day:
    • Arcangelo Tadini
    • Blessed Adílio Daronch and Manuel Gómez González
    • Blessed Franz Jägerstätter
    • Earliest day on which Corpus Christi can fall, while June 24 is the latest; held on Thursday after Trinity Sunday (often locally moved to Sunday). (Roman Catholic Church)
    • Emperor Constantine I
    • Eugène de Mazenod
    • Helena of Constantinople, also known as “Feast of the Holy Great Sovereigns Constantine and Helen, Equal-to-the-Apostles.” (Eastern Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion)
    • John Elliot (Episcopal Church)
    • Saints of the Cristero War, including Christopher Magallanes
    • May 21 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Circassian Day of Mourning (Circassians)
  • Day of Patriots and Military (Hungary)
  • Independence Day, celebrates the Montenegrin independence referendum in 2006, celebrated until the next day. (Montenegro)
  • Navy Day (Chile)
  • Saint Helena Day, celebrates the discovery of Saint Helena in 1502. (Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha)
  • World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development (International)
  • International Tea Day (International)

May 21 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

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

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

Births on May 18

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

Deaths on May 18

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

Holidays and observances on May 18

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

May 18 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

May 14 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 1097 – The Siege of Nicaea begins during the First Crusade.
  • 1264 – Battle of Lewes: Henry III of England is captured and forced to sign the Mise of Lewes, making Simon de Montfort the effective ruler of England.
  • 1509 – Battle of Agnadello: In northern Italy, French forces defeat the Republic of Venice.
  • 1607 – Jamestown, Virginia is settled as an English colony.
  • 1608 – The Protestant Union, a coalition of Protestant German states, is founded to defend the rights, land and safety of each member against the Catholic Church and Catholic German states.
  • 1610 – Henry IV of France is assassinated by Catholic zealot François Ravaillac, and Louis XIII ascends the throne.
  • 1643 – Four-year-old Louis XIV becomes King of France upon the death of his father, Louis XIII.
  • 1747 – War of the Austrian Succession: A British fleet under Admiral George Anson defeats the French at the First Battle of Cape Finisterre.
  • 1796 – Edward Jenner administers the first smallpox inoculation.
  • 1800 – The 6th United States Congress recesses, and the process of moving the U.S. Government from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C., begins the following day.
  • 1804 – William Clark and 42 men depart from Camp Dubois to join Meriwether Lewis at St. Charles, Missouri, marking the beginning of the Lewis and Clark Expedition‘s historic journey up the Missouri River.
  • 1811 – Paraguay: Pedro Juan Caballero, Fulgencio Yegros and José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia start actions to depose the Spanish governor.
  • 1836 – The Treaties of Velasco are signed in Velasco, Texas.
  • 1863 – American Civil War: The Battle of Jackson takes place.
  • 1868 – Boshin War: The Battle of Utsunomiya Castle ends as former Tokugawa shogunate forces withdraw northward.
  • 1870 – The first game of rugby in New Zealand is played in Nelson between Nelson College and the Nelson Rugby Football Club.
  • 1878 – The last witchcraft trial held in the United States begins in Salem, Massachusetts, after Lucretia Brown, an adherent of Christian Science, accused Daniel Spofford of attempting to harm her through his mental powers.
  • 1879 – The first group of 463 Indian indentured laborers arrives in Fiji aboard the Leonidas.
  • 1913 – Governor of New York William Sulzer approves the charter for the Rockefeller Foundation, which begins operations with a $100 million donation from John D. Rockefeller.
  • 1918 – Cape Town Mayor, Sir Harry Hands, inaugurates the Two-minute silence.
  • 1925 – Virginia Woolf’s novel Mrs Dalloway is published.
  • 1931 – Five unarmed civilians are killed in the Ådalen shootings, as the Swedish military is called in to deal with protesting workers.
  • 1935 – The Constitution of the Philippines is ratified by a popular vote.
  • 1939 – Lina Medina becomes the youngest confirmed mother in medical history at the age of five.
  • 1940 – World War II: Rotterdam, Netherlands is bombed by the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany despite a ceasefire, killing about 900 people and destroying the historic city center.
  • 1943 – World War II: A Japanese submarine sinks AHS Centaur off the coast of Queensland.
  • 1948 – Israel is declared to be an independent state and a provisional government is established. Immediately after the declaration, Israel is attacked by the neighboring Arab states, triggering the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.
  • 1951 – Trains run on the Talyllyn Railway in Wales for the first time since preservation, making it the first railway in the world to be operated by volunteers.
  • 1955 – Cold War: Eight Communist bloc countries, including the Soviet Union, sign a mutual defense treaty called the Warsaw Pact.
  • 1961 – Civil rights movement: A white mob twice attacks a Freedom Riders bus near Anniston, Alabama, before fire-bombing the bus and attacking the civil rights protesters who flee the burning vehicle.
  • 1970 – Andreas Baader is freed from custody by Ulrike Meinhof, Gudrun Ensslin and others, a pivotal moment in the formation of the Red Army Faction.
  • 1973 – Skylab, the United States’ first space station, is launched.
  • 1977 – A Dan-Air Boeing 707 leased to IAS Cargo Airlines crashes on approach to Lusaka International Airport (now Kenneth Kaunda International Airport) in Lusaka, Zambia, killing six people.
  • 1980 – Salvadoran Civil War: the Sumpul River massacre occurs in Chalatenango, El Salvador.
  • 1988 – Carrollton bus collision: A drunk driver traveling the wrong way on Interstate 71 near Carrollton, Kentucky hits a converted school bus carrying a church youth group. Twenty-seven die in the crash and ensuing fire.
  • 2004 – The Constitutional Court of South Korea overturns the impeachment of President Roh Moo-hyun.
  • 2004 – Rico Linhas Aéreas Flight 4815 crashes into the Amazon rainforest during approach to Eduardo Gomes International Airport in Manaus, Brazil, killing 33 people.
  • 2010 – Space Shuttle Atlantis launches on the STS-132 mission to deliver the first shuttle-launched Russian ISS component — Rassvet. This was originally slated to be the final launch of Atlantis, before Congress approved STS-135.
  • 2012 – Agni Air Flight CHT crashes in Nepal after a failed go-around, killing 15 people.

Births on May 14

  • 1316 – Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1378)
  • 1553 – Margaret of Valois (d. 1615)
  • 1574 – Francesco Rasi, Italian singer-songwriter, theorbo player, and poet (d. 1621)
  • 1592 – Alice Barnham, wife of statesman Francis Bacon (d. 1650)
  • 1630 – Katakura Kagenaga, Japanese samurai (d. 1681)
  • 1652 – Johann Philipp Förtsch, German composer (d. 1732)
  • 1657 – Sambhaji, Indian emperor (d. 1689)
  • 1666 – Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia (d. 1732)
  • 1679 – Peder Horrebow, Danish astronomer and mathematician (d. 1764)
  • 1699 – Hans Joachim von Zieten, Prussian general (d. 1786)
  • 1701 – William Emerson, English mathematician and academic (d. 1782)
  • 1710 – Adolf Frederick, King of Sweden (d. 1771)
  • 1725 – Ludovico Manin, the last Doge of Venice (d. 1802)
  • 1727 – Thomas Gainsborough, English painter (d. 1788)
  • 1737 – George Macartney, 1st Earl Macartney, Irish-English politician and diplomat, Governor of Grenada (d. 1806)
  • 1752 – Timothy Dwight IV, American minister, theologian, and academic (d. 1817)
  • 1752 – Albrecht Thaer, German agronomist and author (d. 1828)
  • 1761 – Samuel Dexter, American lawyer and politician, 4th United States Secretary of War, 3rd United States Secretary of the Treasury (d. 1816)
  • 1771 – Robert Owen, Welsh businessman and social reformer (d. 1858)
  • 1771 – Thomas Wedgwood, English photographer (d. 1805)
  • 1781 – Friedrich Ludwig Georg von Raumer, German historian and academic (d. 1873)
  • 1794 – Fanny Imlay, daughter of British feminist Mary Wollstonecraft (d. 1816)
  • 1814 – Charles Beyer, German-English engineer, co-founded Beyer, Peacock and Company (d. 1876)
  • 1817 – Alexander Kaufmann, German poet and educator (d. 1893)
  • 1820 – James Martin, Irish-Australian politician, 6th Premier of New South Wales (d. 1886)
  • 1830 – Antonio Annetto Caruana, Maltese archaeologist and author (d. 1905)
  • 1832 – Rudolf Lipschitz, German mathematician and academic (d. 1903)
  • 1851 – Anna Laurens Dawes, American author and suffragist (d. 1938)
  • 1852 – Henri Julien, Canadian illustrator (d. 1908)
  • 1863 – John Charles Fields, Canadian mathematician, founder of the Fields Medal (d. 1932)
  • 1867 – Kurt Eisner, German journalist and politician, Prime Minister of Bavaria (d. 1919)
  • 1868 – Magnus Hirschfeld, German physician and sexologist (d. 1935)
  • 1869 – Arthur Rostron, English captain (d. 1940)
  • 1872 – Elia Dalla Costa, Italian cardinal (d. 1961)
  • 1878 – J. L. Wilkinson, American baseball player and manager (d. 1964)
  • 1879 – Fred Englehardt, American jumper (d. 1942)
  • 1880 – Wilhelm List, German field marshal (d. 1971)
  • 1881 – Lionel Hill, Australian politician, 30th Premier of South Australia (d. 1963)
  • 1881 – George Murray Hulbert, American judge and politician (d. 1950)
  • 1885 – Otto Klemperer, German composer and conductor (d. 1973)
  • 1887 – Ants Kurvits, Estonian general and politician, 10th Estonian Minister of War (d. 1943)
  • 1888 – Archie Alexander, American mathematician and engineer (d. 1958)
  • 1893 – Louis Verneuil, French actor and playwright (d. 1952)
  • 1897 – Sidney Bechet, American saxophonist, clarinet player, and composer (d. 1959)
  • 1897 – Ed Ricketts, American biologist and ecologist (d. 1948)
  • 1899 – Charlotte Auerbach, German-Jewish Scottish folklorist, geneticist, and zoologist. (d.1994)
  • 1899 – Pierre Victor Auger, French physicist and academic (d. 1993)
  • 1899 – Earle Combs, American baseball player and coach (d. 1976)
  • 1900 – Hal Borland, American journalist and author (d. 1978)
  • 1900 – Walter Rehberg, Swiss pianist and composer (d. 1957)
  • 1900 – Cai Chang, Chinese first leader of All-China Women’s Federation (d. 1990)
  • 1900 – Leo Smit, Dutch pianist and composer (d. 1943)
  • 1900 – Edgar Wind, German-English historian, author, and academic (d. 1971)
  • 1901 – Robert Ritter, German psychologist and physician (d. 1951)
  • 1903 – Billie Dove, American actress (d. 1997)
  • 1904 – Hans Albert Einstein, Swiss-American engineer and educator (d. 1973)
  • 1904 – Marcel Junod, Swiss physician and anesthesiologist (d. 1961)
  • 1905 – Jean Daniélou, French cardinal and theologian (d. 1974)
  • 1905 – Herbert Morrison, American soldier and journalist (d. 1989)
  • 1905 – Antonio Berni, Argentinian painter, illustrator, and engraver (d. 1981)
  • 1907 – Ayub Khan, Pakistani general and politician, 2nd President of Pakistan (d. 1974)
  • 1907 – Hans von der Groeben, German journalist and diplomat (d. 2005)
  • 1908 – Betty Jeffrey, Australian nurse and author (d. 2000)
  • 1909 – Godfrey Rampling, English sprinter and colonel (d. 2009)
  • 1910 – Ken Viljoen, South African cricketer (d. 1974)
  • 1910 – Ne Win, Prime Minister and President of Burma (d. 2002)
  • 1914 – Gul Khan Nasir, Pakistani journalist, poet, and politician (d. 1983)
  • 1914 – William Thomas Tutte, British codebreaker and mathematician (d. 2002)
  • 1916 – Robert F. Christy, Canadian-American physicist and astronomer (d. 2012)
  • 1916 – Lance Dossor, English-Australian pianist and educator (d. 2005)
  • 1916 – Marco Zanuso, Italian architect and designer (d. 2001)
  • 1917 – Lou Harrison, American composer and critic (d. 2003)
  • 1917 – Norman Luboff, American composer and conductor (d. 1987)
  • 1919 – Solange Chaput-Rolland, Canadian journalist and politician (d. 2001)
  • 1919 – John Hope, American soldier and meteorologist (d. 2002)
  • 1921 – Richard Deacon, American actor (d. 1984)
  • 1922 – Franjo Tuđman, Yugoslav historian; later 1st President of Croatia (d. 1999)
  • 1923 – Adnan Pachachi, Iraqi politician, Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 2019)
  • 1923 – Mrinal Sen, Bangladeshi-Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2018)
  • 1925 – Sophie Kurys, American baseball player (d. 2013)
  • 1925 – Patrice Munsel, American soprano and actress (d. 2016)
  • 1925 – Boris Parsadanian, Armenian-Estonian violinist and composer (d. 1997)
  • 1925 – Al Porcino, American trumpet player (d. 2013)
  • 1925 – Ninian Sanderson, Scottish race car driver (d. 1985)
  • 1926 – Eric Morecambe, English comedian and actor (d. 1984)
  • 1927 – Herbert W. Franke, Austrian scientist and author
  • 1928 – Dub Jones, American R&B bass singer (d. 2000)
  • 1928 – Frederik H. Kreuger, Dutch engineer, author, and academic (d. 2015)
  • 1928 – Brian Macdonald, Canadian dancer and choreographer (d. 2014)
  • 1929 – Barbara Branden, Canadian-American author (d. 2013)
  • 1929 – Henry McGee, English actor and singer (d. 2006)
  • 1929 – Gump Worsley, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2007)
  • 1930 – William James, Australian general and physician (d. 2015)
  • 1931 – Alvin Lucier, American composer and academic
  • 1932 – Robert Bechtle, American lithographer and painter
  • 1933 – Siân Phillips, Welsh actress and singer
  • 1935 – Ethel Johnson, American professional wrestler (d. 2018)
  • 1935 – Rudi Šeligo, Slovenian playwright and politician (d. 2004)
  • 1936 – Bobby Darin, American singer-songwriter and actor (d. 1973)
  • 1936 – Dick Howser, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 1987)
  • 1938 – Robert Boyd, English pediatrician and academic
  • 1939 – Rupert Neudeck, German journalist and humanitarian (d. 2016)
  • 1939 – Troy Shondell, American singer-songwriter (d. 2016)
  • 1940 – Chay Blyth, Scottish sailor and rower
  • 1940 – H. Jones, English colonel, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 1982)
  • 1940 – George Mathewson, Scottish banker and businessman
  • 1941 – Ada den Haan, Dutch swimmer
  • 1942 – Valeriy Brumel, Russian high jumper (d. 2003)
  • 1942 – Byron Dorgan, American lawyer and politician
  • 1942 – Alistair McAlpine, Baron McAlpine of West Green, English businessman and politician (d. 2014)
  • 1942 – Tony Pérez, Cuban-American baseball player and manager
  • 1942 – Malise Ruthven, Irish author and academic
  • 1943 – Jack Bruce, Scottish-English singer-songwriter and bass player (d. 2014)
  • 1943 – L. Denis Desautels, Canadian accountant and civil servant
  • 1943 – Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, Icelandic academic and politician, 5th President of Iceland
  • 1943 – Derek Leckenby, English pop-rock guitarist (d. 1994)
  • 1943 – Richard Peto, English statistician and epidemiologist
  • 1944 – Gene Cornish, Canadian-American guitarist
  • 1944 – George Lucas, American director, producer, and screenwriter, founded Lucasfilm
  • 1944 – David Kelly, Welsh scientist (d. 2003)
  • 1945 – Francesca Annis, English actress
  • 1945 – George Nicholls, English rugby player
  • 1945 – Yochanan Vollach, Israeli footballer
  • 1946 – Sarah Hogg, Viscountess Hailsham, English economist and journalist
  • 1947 – Al Ciner, American pop-rock guitarist
  • 1947 – Ana Martín, Mexican actress, singer producer and former model (Miss Mexico 1963)
  • 1948 – Timothy Stevenson, English lawyer and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire
  • 1948 – Bob Woolmer, Indian-English cricketer and coach (d. 2007)
  • 1949 – Sverre Årnes, Norwegian author, screenwriter, and director
  • 1949 – Walter Day, American game designer and businessman, founded Twin Galaxies
  • 1949 – Johan Schans, Dutch swimmer
  • 1949 – Klaus-Peter Thaler, German cyclist
  • 1951 – Jay Beckenstein, American saxophonist
  • 1952 – David Byrne, Scottish singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
  • 1952 – Michael Fallon, Scottish politician, Secretary of State for Defence
  • 1952 – Orna Grumberg, Israeli computer scientist and academic
  • 1952 – Raul Mälk, Estonian politician, 22nd Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs
  • 1952 – Wim Mertens, Belgian composer, countertenor vocalist, pianist, guitarist, and musicologist.
  • 1952 – Donald R. McMonagle, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut
  • 1952 – Robert Zemeckis, American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1953 – Tom Cochrane, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1953 – Hywel Williams, Welsh politician
  • 1955 – Marie Chouinard, Canadian dancer and choreographer
  • 1955 – Alasdair Fraser, Scottish fiddler
  • 1955 – Peter Kirsten, South African cricketer and rugby player
  • 1955 – Dennis Martínez, Nicaraguan baseball player and coach
  • 1955 – Jens Sparschuh, German author and playwright
  • 1956 – Hazel Blears, English lawyer and politician, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
  • 1956 – Steve Hogarth, English singer-songwriter and keyboardist
  • 1958 – Christine Brennan, American journalist and author
  • 1958 – Chris Evans, English-Australian politician, 26th Australian Minister for Employment
  • 1958 – Rudy Pérez, Cuban-born American composer and music producer
  • 1958 – Wilma Rusman, Dutch runner
  • 1959 – Carlisle Best, Barbadian cricketer
  • 1959 – Patrick Bruel, French actor, singer, and poker player
  • 1959 – Markus Büchel, Liechtensteiner politician, 9th Prime Minister of Liechtenstein (d. 2013)
  • 1959 – Robert Greene, American author and translator
  • 1959 – John Holt, American football player (d. 2013)
  • 1959 – Rick Vaive, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1959 – Heather Wheeler, English politician
  • 1960 – Anne Clark, English singer-songwriter and poet
  • 1960 – Alec Dankworth, English bassist and composer
  • 1960 – Frank Nobilo, New Zealand golfer
  • 1960 – Ronan Tynan, Irish tenor
  • 1961 – David Quantick, English journalist and critic
  • 1961 – Tommy Rogers, American wrestler (d. 2015)
  • 1961 – Tim Roth, English actor and director
  • 1961 – Alain Vigneault, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1962 – Ian Astbury, English-Canadian singer-songwriter
  • 1962 – C.C. DeVille, American guitarist, songwriter, and actor
  • 1962 – Danny Huston, Italian-American actor and director
  • 1963 – Pat Borders, American baseball player and coach
  • 1963 – David Yelland, English journalist and author
  • 1964 – James M. Kelly, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut
  • 1964 – Suzy Kolber, American sportscaster and producer
  • 1964 – Alan McIndoe, Australian rugby league player
  • 1964 – Eric Peterson, American guitarist and songwriter
  • 1965 – Eoin Colfer, Irish author
  • 1966 – Marianne Denicourt, French actress, director, and screenwriter
  • 1966 – Mike Inez, American rock bass player and songwriter
  • 1966 – Fab Morvan, French singer-songwriter, dancer and model
  • 1966 – Raphael Saadiq, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1967 – Natasha Kaiser-Brown, American sprinter and coach
  • 1967 – Tony Siragusa, American football player and journalist
  • 1968 – Mary DePiero, Canadian diver
  • 1969 – Cate Blanchett, Australian actress
  • 1969 – Sabine Schmitz, German race car driver and sportscaster
  • 1969 – Henry Smith, English politician
  • 1969 – Danny Wood, American singer-songwriter, record producer, and choreographer
  • 1971 – Deanne Bray, American actress
  • 1971 – Sofia Coppola, American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1971 – Martin Reim, Estonian footballer and manager
  • 1972 – Kirstjen Nielsen, American attorney, 6th United States Secretary of Homeland Security
  • 1973 – Natalie Appleton, Canadian singer and actress
  • 1973 – Voshon Lenard, American basketball player
  • 1973 – Fraser Nelson, Scottish journalist
  • 1973 – Hakan Ünsal, Turkish footballer and sportscaster
  • 1973 – Julian White, English rugby player
  • 1974 – Anu Välba, Estonian journalist
  • 1975 – Nicki Sørensen, Danish cyclist
  • 1976 – Hunter Burgan, American bass player
  • 1976 – Brian Lawrence, American baseball player and coach
  • 1976 – Martine McCutcheon, English actress and singer
  • 1977 – Sophie Anderton, English model and actress
  • 1977 – Roy Halladay, American baseball player (d. 2017)
  • 1977 – Ada Nicodemou, Cypriot-Australian actress
  • 1978 – Brent Harvey, Australian footballer
  • 1978 – Eddie House, American basketball player
  • 1978 – André Macanga, Angolan footballer and manager
  • 1978 – Gustavo Varela, Uruguayan footballer
  • 1979 – Dan Auerbach, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1979 – Edwige Lawson-Wade, French basketball player
  • 1979 – Clinton Morrison, English-Irish footballer
  • 1979 – Carlos Tenorio, Ecuadorian footballer
  • 1980 – Zdeněk Grygera, Czech footballer
  • 1980 – Pavel Londak, Estonian footballer
  • 1980 – Eugene Martineau, Dutch decathlete
  • 1980 – Júlia Sebestyén, Hungarian figure skater
  • 1980 – Hugo Southwell, English-Scottish rugby player
  • 1980 – Joe van Niekerk, South African rugby player
  • 1981 – Pranav Mistry, Indian computer scientist, invented SixthSense
  • 1983 – Anahí, Mexican singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
  • 1983 – Keeley Donovan, English journalist
  • 1983 – Frank Gore, American football player
  • 1983 – Uroš Slokar, Slovenian basketball player
  • 1983 – Tatenda Taibu, Zimbabwean cricketer
  • 1983 – Amber Tamblyn, American actress, author, model, director
  • 1984 – Gary Ablett, Jr., Australian footballer
  • 1984 – Luke Gregerson, American baseball player
  • 1984 – Olly Murs, English singer-songwriter
  • 1984 – Michael Rensing, German footballer
  • 1984 – Indrek Siska, Estonian footballer
  • 1984 – Mark Zuckerberg, American computer programmer and businessman, co-founded Facebook
  • 1985 – Dustin Lynch, American singer-songwriter
  • 1985 – Sam Perrett, New Zealand rugby league player
  • 1985 – Simona Peycheva, Bulgarian gymnast
  • 1985 – Zack Ryder, American wrestler
  • 1986 – Andrea Bovo, Italian footballer
  • 1986 – Clay Matthews III, American football player
  • 1986 – Marco Motta, Italian footballer
  • 1987 – Jeong Min-hyeong, South Korean footballer (d. 2012)
  • 1987 – Franck Songo’o, Cameroonian footballer
  • 1987 – François Steyn, South African rugby player
  • 1988 – Jayne Appel, American basketball player
  • 1989 – Rob Gronkowski, American football player
  • 1989 – Alina Talay, Belorussian hurdler
  • 1993 – Miranda Cosgrove, American actress and singer
  • 1993 – Kristina Mladenovic, French tennis player
  • 1993 – Bence Rakaczki, Hungarian footballer (d. 2014)
  • 1994 – Marcos Aoás Corrêa, Brazilian footballer
  • 1994 – Pernille Blume, Danish swimmer
  • 1994 – Bronte Campbell, Australian swimmer
  • 1994 – Dennis Praet, Belgian footballer
  • 1995 – Bernardo Fernandes da Silva Junior, Brazilian footballer
  • 1995 – Jonah Placid, Australian rugby player
  • 1996 – Martin Garrix, Dutch DJ
  • 2001 – Jack Hughes, American hockey player

Deaths on May 14

  • 649 – Pope Theodore I
  • 934 – Zhu Hongzhao, Chinese general and governor
  • 964 – Pope John XII (b. 927)
  • 1080 – William Walcher, Bishop of Durham
  • 1219 – William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke, English soldier and politician (b. 1147)
  • 1470 – Charles VIII of Sweden (b. 1409)
  • 1576 – Tahmasp I, Shah of Persia (b. 1514)
  • 1603 – Magnus II, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg (b. 1543)
  • 1608 – Charles III, Duke of Lorraine (b. 1543)
  • 1610 – Henry IV of France (b. 1553)
  • 1643 – Louis XIII of France (b. 1601)
  • 1649 – Friedrich Spanheim, Swiss theologian and academic (b. 1600)
  • 1667 – Georges de Scudéry, French author, poet, and playwright (b. 1601)
  • 1688 – Antoine Furetière, French scholar, lexicographer, and author (b. 1619)
  • 1754 – Pierre-Claude Nivelle de La Chaussée, French playwright and producer (b. 1692)
  • 1761 – Thomas Simpson, English mathematician and academic (b. 1710)
  • 1847 – Fanny Mendelssohn, German pianist and composer (b. 1805)
  • 1860 – Ludwig Bechstein, German author (b. 1801)
  • 1873 – Gideon Brecher, Austrian physician and author (b. 1797)
  • 1878 – Ōkubo Toshimichi, Japanese samurai and politician (b. 1830)
  • 1881 – Mary Seacole, Jamaican-English nurse and author (b. 1805)
  • 1889 – Volney Howard, American lawyer, jurist, and politician (b. 1809)
  • 1893 – Ernst Kummer, German mathematician and academic (b. 1810)
  • 1906 – Carl Schurz, German-American general, journalist, and politician, 13th United States Secretary of the Interior (b. 1829)
  • 1912 – Frederick VIII of Denmark (b. 1843)
  • 1912 – August Strindberg, Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist (b. 1849)
  • 1918 – James Gordon Bennett, Jr., American journalist and publisher (b. 1841)
  • 1919 – Henry J. Heinz, American businessman, founded the H. J. Heinz Company (b. 1844)
  • 1923 – N. G. Chandavarkar, Indian jurist and politician (b. 1855)
  • 1923 – Charles de Freycinet, French engineer and politician, 43rd Prime Minister of France (b. 1828)
  • 1931 – David Belasco, American director, producer, and playwright (b. 1853)
  • 1934 – Lou Criger, American baseball player and manager (b. 1872)
  • 1935 – Magnus Hirschfeld, German physician and sexologist (b. 1868)
  • 1936 – Edmund Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby, English field marshal and diplomat, British High Commissioner in Egypt (b. 1861)
  • 1940 – Emma Goldman, Lithuanian author and activist (b. 1869)
  • 1940 – Menno ter Braak, Dutch author (b. 1902)
  • 1943 – Henri La Fontaine, Belgian lawyer and author, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1854)
  • 1945 – Heber J. Grant, American religious leader, 7th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (b. 1856)
  • 1945 – Wolfgang Lüth, Latvian-German captain (b. 1913)
  • 1945 – Isis Pogson, English astronomer and meteorologist (b. 1852)
  • 1953 – Yasuo Kuniyoshi, American painter and photographer (b. 1893)
  • 1954 – Heinz Guderian, Prussian-German general (b. 1888)
  • 1956 – Joan Malleson, English physician (b. 1889)
  • 1957 – Marie Vassilieff, Russian-French painter (b. 1884)
  • 1959 – Sidney Bechet, American saxophonist, clarinet player, and composer (b. 1897)
  • 1959 – Infanta Maria Antonia of Portugal (b. 1862)
  • 1960 – Lucrezia Bori, Spanish soprano and actress (b. 1887)
  • 1962 – Florence Auer, American actress and screenwriter (b. 1880)
  • 1968 – Husband E. Kimmel, American admiral (b. 1882)
  • 1969 – Enid Bennett, Australian-American actress (b. 1893)
  • 1969 – Frederick Lane, Australian swimmer (b. 1888)
  • 1970 – Billie Burke, American actress and singer (b. 1884)
  • 1973 – Jean Gebser, German linguist, philosopher, and poet (b. 1905)
  • 1976 – Keith Relf, English singer-songwriter, harmonica player, and producer (b. 1943)
  • 1979 – Jean Rhys, Dominican-English novelist (b. 1890)
  • 1980 – Hugh Griffith, Welsh actor (b. 1912)
  • 1982 – Hugh Beaumont, American actor (b. 1909)
  • 1983 – Roger J. Traynor, American academic and jurist, 23rd Chief Justice of California (b. 1900)
  • 1983 – Miguel Alemán Valdés, Mexican politician, 46th President of Mexico (b. 1900)
  • 1984 – Ted Hicks, Australian public servant and diplomat, Australian High Commissioner to New Zealand (b. 1910)
  • 1984 – Walter Rauff, German SS officer (b. 1906)
  • 1987 – Rita Hayworth, American actress and dancer (b. 1918)
  • 1987 – Vitomil Zupan, Slovenian poet and playwright (b. 1914)
  • 1988 – Willem Drees, Dutch politician and historian, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (1948–1958) (b. 1886)
  • 1991 – Aladár Gerevich, Hungarian fencer (b. 1910)
  • 1992 – Nie Rongzhen, Chinese general and politician, Mayor of Beijing (b. 1899)
  • 1993 – William Randolph Hearst, Jr., American journalist and publisher (b. 1908)
  • 1994 – Cihat Arman, Turkish footballer and manager (b. 1915)
  • 1994 – W. Graham Claytor Jr., American businessman, lieutenant, and politician, 15th United States Secretary of the Navy (b. 1914)
  • 1995 – Christian B. Anfinsen, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1916)
  • 1997 – Harry Blackstone Jr., American magician and author (b. 1934)
  • 1997 – Boris Parsadanian, Armenian-Estonian violinist and composer (b. 1925)
  • 1998 – Marjory Stoneman Douglas, American journalist and environmentalist (b. 1890)
  • 1998 – Frank Sinatra, American singer and actor (b. 1915)
  • 2000 – Keizō Obuchi, Japanese politician, 84th Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1937)
  • 2001 – Paul Bénichou, French writer, intellectual, critic, and literary historian (b. 1908)
  • 2001 – Gil Langley, Australian cricketer, footballer, and politician (b. 1919)
  • 2003 – Dave DeBusschere, American basketball player and coach (b. 1940)
  • 2003 – Wendy Hiller, English actress (b. 1912)
  • 2003 – Robert Stack, American actor and producer (b. 1919)
  • 2004 – Anna Lee, English-American actress (b. 1913)
  • 2005 – Jimmy Martin, American musician (b. 1927)
  • 2006 – Lew Anderson, American actor and saxophonist (b. 1922)
  • 2006 – Stanley Kunitz, American poet and translator (b. 1905)
  • 2006 – Eva Norvind, Mexican actress, director, and producer (b. 1944)
  • 2007 – Mary Scheier, American sculptor and educator (b. 1908)
  • 2007 – Ülo Jõgi, Estonian historian and author (b. 1921)
  • 2010 – Frank J. Dodd, American businessman and politician, president of the New Jersey Senate (b. 1938)
  • 2010 – Norman Hand, American football player (b. 1972)
  • 2010 – Goh Keng Swee, Singaporean soldier and politician, 2nd Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore (b. 1918)
  • 2012 – Ernst Hinterberger, Austrian author and screenwriter (b. 1931)
  • 2012 – Mario Trejo, Argentinian poet, playwright, and journalist (b. 1926)
  • 2013 – Wayne Brown, American accountant and politician, 14th Mayor of Mesa (b. 1936)
  • 2013 – Arsen Chilingaryan, Armenian footballer and manager (b. 1962)
  • 2013 – Asghar Ali Engineer, Indian author and activist (b. 1939)
  • 2013 – Ray Guy, Canadian journalist (b. 1939)
  • 2014 – Jeffrey Kruger, English-American businessman (b. 1931)
  • 2014 – Emanuel Raymond Lewis, American librarian and author (b. 1928)
  • 2014 – Morvin Simon, New Zealand historian, composer, and conductor (b. 1944)
  • 2015 – B.B. King, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1925)
  • 2015 – Micheál O’Brien, Irish footballer and hurler (b. 1923)
  • 2015 – Stanton J. Peale, American astrophysicist and academic (b. 1937)
  • 2015 – Franz Wright, Austrian-American poet and translator (b. 1953)
  • 2016 – Darwyn Cooke, American comic book writer and artist (b. 1962)
  • 2017 – Powers Boothe, American actor (b. 1948)
  • 2018 – Tom Wolfe, American author (b. 1931)
  • 2019 – Tim Conway, American actor, writer (b. 1933)

Holidays and observances on May 14

  • Christian feast day:
    • Boniface of Tarsus
    • Engelmund of Velsen
    • Matthias the Apostle (Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Communion)
    • Michael Garicoïts
    • Mo Chutu of Lismore (Roman Catholic Church)
    • Victor and Corona
    • May 14 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Earliest day on which the first day of Sanja Matsuri can fall, while May 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third weekend of May. (Sensō-ji, Tokyo)
  • Flag Day (Paraguay)
  • Hastings Banda’s Birthday (Malawi)
  • National Unification Day (Liberia)
  • The first day of Izumo-taisha Shrine Grand Festival. (Izumo-taisha)

May 14 – 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

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

On This Day /
  • 752 – Mayan king Bird Jaguar IV of Yaxchilan in modern-day Chiapas, Mexico assumes the throne.
  • 1294 – John II becomes Duke of Brabant, Lothier and Limburg.
  • 1481 – The largest of three earthquakes strikes the island of Rhodes and causes an estimated 30,000 casualties.
  • 1491 – Kongo monarch Nkuwu Nzinga is baptized by Portuguese missionaries, adopting the baptismal name of João I.
  • 1616 – Treaty of Loudun ends French civil war.
  • 1715 – A total solar eclipse was visible across northern Europe, and northern Asia, as predicted by Edmond Halley to within 4 minutes accuracy.
  • 1791 – The Constitution of May 3 (the first modern constitution in Europe) is proclaimed by the Sejm of Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
  • 1802 – Washington, D.C. is incorporated as a city after Congress abolishes the Board of Commissioners, the District’s founding government. The “City of Washington” is given a mayor-council form of government.
  • 1808 – Finnish War: Sweden loses the fortress of Sveaborg to Russia.
  • 1808 – Peninsular War: The Madrid rebels who rose up on May 2 are executed near Príncipe Pío hill.
  • 1815 – Neapolitan War: Joachim Murat, King of Naples is defeated by the Austrians at the Battle of Tolentino, the decisive engagement of the war.
  • 1830 – The Canterbury and Whitstable Railway is opened; it is the first steam-hauled passenger railway to issue season tickets and include a tunnel.
  • 1837 – The University of Athens is founded in Athens, Greece.
  • 1848 – The boar-crested Anglo-Saxon Benty Grange helmet is discovered in a barrow on the Benty Grange farm in Derbyshire.
  • 1849 – The May Uprising in Dresden begins: The last of the German revolutions of 1848–49.
  • 1855 – American adventurer William Walker departs from San Francisco with about 60 men to conquer Nicaragua.
  • 1860 – Charles XV of Sweden–Norway is crowned king of Sweden.
  • 1867 – The Hudson’s Bay Company gives up all claims to Vancouver Island.
  • 1901 – The Great Fire of 1901 begins in Jacksonville, Florida.
  • 1913 – Raja Harishchandra, the first full-length Indian feature film, is released, marking the beginning of the Indian film industry.
  • 1920 – A Bolshevik coup fails in the Democratic Republic of Georgia.
  • 1921 – West Virginia becomes the first state to legislate a broad sales tax, but does not implement it until a number of years later due to enforcement issues.
  • 1921 – The Government of Ireland Act 1920 is passed, dividing Ireland into Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland.
  • 1928 – The Jinan incident begins with the deaths of twelve Japanese civilians by Chinese forces in Jinan, China, which leads to Japanese retaliation and the deaths of over 2,000 Chinese civilians in the following days.
  • 1939 – The All India Forward Bloc is formed by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.
  • 1942 – World War II: Japanese naval troops invade Tulagi Island in the Solomon Islands during the first part of Operation Mo that results in the Battle of the Coral Sea between Japanese forces and forces from the United States and Australia.
  • 1945 – World War II: Sinking of the prison ships Cap Arcona, Thielbek and Deutschland by the Royal Air Force in Lübeck Bay.
  • 1947 – New post-war Japanese constitution goes into effect.
  • 1948 – The U.S. Supreme Court rules in Shelley v. Kraemer that covenants prohibiting the sale of real estate to blacks and other minorities are legally unenforceable.
  • 1951 – London’s Royal Festival Hall opens with the Festival of Britain.
  • 1951 – The United States Senate Committee on Armed Services and United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations begin their closed door hearings into the relief of Douglas MacArthur by U.S. President Harry Truman.
  • 1952 – Lieutenant Colonels Joseph O. Fletcher and William P. Benedict of the United States land a plane at the North Pole.
  • 1952 – The Kentucky Derby is televised nationally for the first time, on the CBS network.
  • 1957 – Walter O’Malley, the owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers, agrees to move the team from Brooklyn to Los Angeles.
  • 1960 – The Off-Broadway musical comedy The Fantasticks opens in New York City’s Greenwich Village, eventually becoming the longest-running musical of all time.
  • 1960 – The Anne Frank House museum opens in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
  • 1963 – The police force in Birmingham, Alabama switches tactics and responds with violent force to stop the “Birmingham campaign” protesters. Images of the violent suppression are transmitted worldwide, bringing new-found attention to the civil rights movement.
  • 1971 – Erich Honecker becomes First Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany, remaining in power until 1989
  • 1973 – The 108-story Sears Tower in Chicago is topped out at 1,451 feet as the world’s tallest building.
  • 1978 – The first unsolicited bulk commercial email (which would later become known as “spam”) is sent by a Digital Equipment Corporation marketing representative to every ARPANET address on the west coast of the United States.
  • 1986 – Twenty-one people are killed and forty-one are injured after a bomb explodes on Air Lanka Flight 512 at Colombo airport in Sri Lanka.
  • 1987 – A crash by Bobby Allison at the Talladega Superspeedway, Alabama fencing at the start-finish line would lead NASCAR to develop the restrictor plate for the following season both at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega.
  • 1999 – The southwestern portion of Oklahoma City is devastated by an F5 tornado, killing forty-five people, injuring 665, and causing $1 billion in damage. The tornado is one of 66 from the 1999 Oklahoma tornado outbreak. This tornado also produces the highest wind speed ever recorded, measured at 301 +/- 20 mph (484 +/- 32 km/h).
  • 1999 – Infiltration of Pakistani soldiers on Indian side resulted into the kargil war.
  • 2000 – The sport of geocaching begins, with the first cache placed and the coordinates from a GPS posted on Usenet.
  • 2001 – The United States loses its seat on the U.N. Human Rights Commission for the first time since the commission was formed in 1947.
  • 2002 – An Indian Air Force MiG-21 crashes into a bank in Jalandhar, killing eight and injuring 17.
  • 2007 – The 3-year-old British girl Madeleine McCann disappears in Praia da Luz, Portugal, starting “the most heavily reported missing-person case in modern history”.
  • 2015 – Two gunmen launch an attempted attack on an anti-Islam event in Garland, Texas, which was held in response to the Charlie Hebdo shooting.
  • 2016 – Eighty-eight thousand people were evacuated from their homes in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada as a wildfire ripped through the community, destroying approximately 2,400 homes and buildings.

Births on May 3

  • 490 – K’an Joy Chitam I, ruler of Palenque (d. 565)
  • 612 – Constantine III, Byzantine emperor (d. 641)
  • 1238 – Emilia Bicchieri, Italian saint (d. 1314)
  • 1276 – Louis, Count of Évreux, son of King Philip III of France (d. 1319)
  • 1415 – Cecily Neville, Duchess of York (d. 1495)
  • 1428 – Pedro González de Mendoza, Spanish cardinal (d. 1495)
  • 1446 – Margaret of York (d. 1503)
  • 1461 – Raffaele Riario, Italian cardinal (d. 1521)
  • 1469 – Niccolò Machiavelli, Italian historian and philosopher (d. 1527)
  • 1479 – Henry V, Duke of Mecklenburg (d. 1552)
  • 1481 – Juana de la Cruz Vázquez Gutiérrez, Spanish abbess of the Franciscan Third Order Regular (d. 1534)
  • 1536 – Stephan Praetorius, German theologian (d. 1603)
  • 1632 – Catherine of St. Augustine, French-Canadian nurse and saint, founded the Hôtel-Dieu de Québec (d. 1668)
  • 1662 – Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann, German architect, designed the Pillnitz Castle (d. 1736)
  • 1678 – Amaro Pargo, Spanish corsair (d. 1747)
  • 1695 – Henri Pitot, French physicist and engineer, invented the Pitot tube (d. 1771)
  • 1729 – Florian Leopold Gassmann, Czech composer (d. 1774)
  • 1761 – August von Kotzebue, German playwright and author (d. 1819)
  • 1764 – Princess Élisabeth of France (d. 1794)
  • 1768 – Charles Tennant, Scottish chemist and businessman (d. 1838)
  • 1783 – José de la Riva Agüero, Peruvian soldier and politician, 1st President of Peru and 2nd President of North Peru (d. 1858)
  • 1814 – Adams George Archibald, Canadian lawyer and politician, 4th Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia (d. 1892)
  • 1826 – Charles XV of Sweden (d. 1872)
  • 1844 – Richard D’Oyly Carte, English talent agent and composer (d. 1901)
  • 1849 – Jacob Riis, Danish-American journalist and photographer (d. 1914)
  • 1849 – Bernhard von Bülow, German soldier and politician, Chancellor of Germany (d. 1929)
  • 1854 – George Gore, American baseball player and manager (d. 1933)
  • 1859 – August Herrmann, American executive in Major League Baseball (d.1931)
  • 1860 – Vito Volterra, Italian mathematician and physicist (d. 1940)
  • 1867 – Andy Bowen, American boxer (d. 1894)
  • 1867 – J. T. Hearne, English cricketer (d. 1944)
  • 1870 – Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein (d. 1948)
  • 1871 – Emmett Dalton, American criminal (d. 1937)
  • 1873 – Pavlo Skoropadskyi, German-Ukrainian general and politician, Hetman of Ukraine (d. 1945)
  • 1874 – François Coty, French businessman and publisher, founded Coty, Inc. (d. 1934)
  • 1874 – Vagn Walfrid Ekman, Swedish oceanographer and academic (d. 1954)
  • 1877 – Karl Abraham, German psychoanalyst and author (d. 1925)
  • 1879 – Fergus McMaster, Australian businessman and soldier, co-founded Qantas (d. 1950)
  • 1886 – Marcel Dupré, French organist and composer (d. 1971)
  • 1887 – Marika Kotopouli, Greek actress (d. 1954)
  • 1889 – Beulah Bondi, American actress (d. 1981)
  • 1889 – Gottfried Fuchs, German-Canadian Olympic soccer player (d. 1972)
  • 1891 – Tadeusz Peiper, Polish poet and critic (d. 1969)
  • 1891 – Eppa Rixey, American baseball pitcher (d. 1963)
  • 1892 – George Paget Thomson, English physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1975)
  • 1892 – Jacob Viner, Canadian-American economist and academic (d. 1970)
  • 1893 – Konstantine Gamsakhurdia, Georgian author (d. 1975)
  • 1895 – Cornelius Van Til, Dutch philosopher, theologian, and apologist (d. 1987)
  • 1896 – Karl Allmenröder, German soldier and pilot (d. 1917)
  • 1896 – V. K. Krishna Menon, Indian lawyer, jurist, and politician, Indian Minister of Defence (d. 1974)
  • 1896 – Dodie Smith, English author and playwright (d. 1990)
  • 1897 – William Joseph Browne, Canadian lawyer and politician, 20th Solicitor General of Canada (d. 1989)
  • 1898 – Septima Poinsette Clark, American educator and activist (d. 1987)
  • 1898 – Golda Meir, Ukrainian-Israeli educator and politician, 4th Prime Minister of Israel (d. 1978)
  • 1902 – Alfred Kastler, German-French physicist and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1984)
  • 1903 – Bing Crosby, American singer and actor (d. 1977)
  • 1905 – Edmund Black, American hammer thrower (d. 1996)
  • 1905 – Werner Fenchel, German-Danish mathematician and academic (d. 1988)
  • 1905 – Red Ruffing, American baseball pitcher and coach (d. 1986)
  • 1906 – Mary Astor, American actress (d. 1987)
  • 1906 – René Huyghe, French historian and author (d. 1997)
  • 1906 – Anna Roosevelt Halsted, American journalist and author (d. 1975)
  • 1906 – Enrique Laguerre, Puerto Rican journalist, author, and playwright (d. 2005)
  • 1910 – Norman Corwin, American screenwriter and producer (d. 2011)
  • 1912 – Virgil Fox, American organist and composer (d. 1980)
  • 1912 – May Sarton, American poet, novelist and memoirist (d. 1995)
  • 1913 – William Inge, American playwright and novelist (d. 1973)
  • 1914 – Georges-Emmanuel Clancier, French journalist, author, and poet (d. 2018)
  • 1915 – Stu Hart, Canadian wrestler and trainer, founded Stampede Wrestling (d. 2003)
  • 1915 – Richard Lippold, American sculptor and academic (d. 2002)
  • 1916 – Léopold Simoneau, Canadian tenor and actor (d. 2006)
  • 1917 – Betty Comden, American screenwriter and librettist (d. 2006)
  • 1917 – George Gaynes, Finnish-American actor (d. 2016)
  • 1918 – Ted Bates, English footballer and manager (d. 2003)
  • 1919 – John Cullen Murphy, American soldier and illustrator (d. 2004)
  • 1919 – Pete Seeger, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and activist (d. 2014)
  • 1920 – John Lewis, American pianist and composer (d. 2001)
  • 1921 – Sugar Ray Robinson, American boxer (d. 1989)
  • 1922 – Len Shackleton, English footballer and journalist (d. 2000)
  • 1923 – George Hadjinikos, Greek pianist, conductor, and educator (d. 2015)
  • 1923 – Ralph Hall, American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician (d. 2019)
  • 1924 – Yehuda Amichai, German-Israeli author and poet (d. 2000)
  • 1924 – Ken Tyrrell, English race car driver, founded Tyrrell Racing (d. 2001)
  • 1925 – Jean Séguy, French sociologist and author (d. 2007)
  • 1926 – Matt Baldwin, Canadian curler and engineer
  • 1928 – Dave Dudley, American singer-songwriter (d. 2003)
  • 1928 – Jacques-Louis Lions, French mathematician (d. 2001)
  • 1929 – Denise Lor, American singer and actress (d. 2015)
  • 1930 – Juan Gelman, Argentinian poet and author (d. 2014)
  • 1930 – David Harrison, English chemist and academic
  • 1931 – Vasily Rudenkov, Belarusian hammer thrower (d. 1982)
  • 1931 – Sait Maden, Turkish translator, poet, painter and graphic designer (d. 2013)
  • 1932 – Robert Osborne, American actor and historian (d. 2017)
  • 1933 – James Brown, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor (d. 2006)
  • 1933 – Steven Weinberg, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1934 – Henry Cooper, English boxer and sportscaster (d. 2011)
  • 1934 – Georges Moustaki, Egyptian-French singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2013)
  • 1934 – Frankie Valli, American singer and actor
  • 1935 – Ron Popeil, American businessman, founded the Ronco Company
  • 1937 – Nélida Piñon, Brazilian author and academic
  • 1938 – Omar Abdel-Rahman, Egyptian terrorist
  • 1938 – Chris Cannizzaro, American baseball player
  • 1938 – Napoleon XIV, American singer, songwriter and record producer
  • 1939 – Jonathan Harvey, English composer and educator (d. 2012)
  • 1940 – David Koch, American engineer, businessman, and philanthropist (d. 2019)
  • 1940 – Clemens Westerhof, Dutch footballer and manager
  • 1941 – Alexander Harley, English general
  • 1941 – Edward Malloy, American priest and academic
  • 1942 – Věra Čáslavská, Czech gymnast and coach (d. 2016)
  • 1942 – Dave Marash, American journalist and sportscaster
  • 1942 – Butch Otter, American soldier and politician, 32nd Governor of Idaho
  • 1943 – Yukio Hashi, Japanese singer and actor
  • 1943 – Jim Risch, American lawyer and politician, 31st Governor of Idaho
  • 1943 – Vicente Saldivar, Mexican boxer (d. 1985)
  • 1944 – Peter Doyle, English bishop
  • 1944 – Pete Staples, English bass player
  • 1945 – Jörg Drehmel, German triple jumper and coach
  • 1945 – Davey Lopes, American baseball player, coach, and manager
  • 1946 – Norm Chow, American football player and coach
  • 1946 – Silvino Francisco, South African snooker player
  • 1946 – Greg Gumbel, American sportscaster
  • 1947 – Doug Henning, Canadian magician (d. 2000)
  • 1948 – Denis Cosgrove, British-American academic and geographer (d. 2008)
  • 1948 – Chris Mulkey, American actor
  • 1949 – Liam Donaldson, English physician and academic
  • 1949 – Ruth Lister, Baroness Lister of Burtersett, English academic and politician
  • 1949 – Ron Wyden, American academic and politician
  • 1950 – Mary Hopkin, Welsh singer-songwriter
  • 1950 – Dag Arnesen, Norwegian pianist and composer
  • 1951 – Alan Clayson, English singer-songwriter and journalist
  • 1951 – Christopher Cross, American singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1951 – Ashok Gehlot, Indian politician, 21st Chief Minister of Rajasthan
  • 1951 – Tatyana Tolstaya, Russian author and publicist
  • 1952 – Chuck Baldwin, American pastor and politician
  • 1952 – Caitlin Clarke, American actress (d. 2004)
  • 1952 – Joseph W. Tobin, American cardinal
  • 1953 – Bruce Hall, American singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer
  • 1953 – Jake Hooker, Israeli-American guitarist and songwriter (d. 2014)
  • 1954 – Angela Bofill, American singer-songwriter
  • 1954 – Jean-Marc Roberts, French author and screenwriter (d. 2013)
  • 1955 – Stephen D. M. Brown, British geneticist
  • 1955 – Colin Deans, Scottish rugby player
  • 1955 – David Hookes, Australian cricketer, coach, and sportscaster (d. 2004)
  • 1955 – Seishirō Nishida, Japanese actor
  • 1956 – Marc Bellemare, Canadian lawyer and politician
  • 1957 – Alain Côté, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1957 – Rod Langway, Taiwanese-American ice hockey player and coach
  • 1958 – Bill Sienkiewicz, American author and illustrator
  • 1958 – Sandi Toksvig, Danish-English comedian, writer, and broadcaster
  • 1959 – David Ball, English keyboard player and producer
  • 1959 – Uma Bharti, Indian activist and politician, 16th Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh
  • 1959 – Ben Elton, English actor, director, and screenwriter
  • 1960 – Kathy Smallwood-Cook, English sprinter and educator
  • 1961 – Steve McClaren, English footballer and manager
  • 1961 – David Vitter, American lawyer and politician
  • 1961 – Leyla Zana, Kurdish activist and politician
  • 1962 – Anders Graneheim, Swedish bodybuilder
  • 1963 – Jeff Hornacek, American basketball player and coach
  • 1963 – Mona Siddiqui, Pakistani-Scottish journalist and academic
  • 1964 – Sterling Campbell, American drummer and songwriter
  • 1964 – Ron Hextall, Canadian-American ice hockey player and manager
  • 1965 – Ignatius Aphrem II, Syrian patriarch
  • 1965 – Mark Cousins, Northern Irish director, writer, cinematographer
  • 1965 – John Jensen, Danish footballer and coach
  • 1965 – Mikhail Prokhorov, Russian businessman
  • 1966 – Giorgos Agorogiannis, Greek footballer
  • 1966 – Frank Dietrich, German politician (d. 2011)
  • 1967 – Daniel Anderson, Australian rugby league coach and manager
  • 1967 – Kenneth Joel Hotz, Canadian producer, writer, director, actor, and comedian
  • 1968 – Viliami Ofahengaue, Tongan-Australian rugby player
  • 1971 – Douglas Carswell, British politician, the first elected MP for the UK Independence Party
  • 1972 – Stephen Barclay, English lawyer and politician
  • 1973 – Jamie Baulch, Welsh sprinter and television host
  • 1975 – Willie Geist, American television journalist and host
  • 1976 – Jeff Halpern, American ice hockey player
  • 1976 – Brad Scott, Australian footballer and coach
  • 1976 – Chris Scott, Australian footballer and coach
  • 1977 – Eric Church, American country music singer-songwriter
  • 1977 – Ryan Dempster, Canadian baseball player and sportscaster
  • 1977 – Tyronn Lue, American basketball player and coach
  • 1977 – Maryam Mirzakhani, Iranian mathematician (d. 2017)
  • 1977 – Ben Olsen, American soccer player and coach
  • 1978 – Christian Annan, Ghanaian-Hong Kong footballer
  • 1978 – Paul Banks, English-American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1978 – Dai Tamesue, Japanese hurdler
  • 1978 – Lawrence Tynes, American football player
  • 1979 – Steve Mack, American wrestler
  • 1979 – Anastasiya Shvedova, Belarusian pole vaulter
  • 1980 – Zuzana Ondrášková, Czech tennis player
  • 1982 – Igor Olshansky, Ukrainian-American football player
  • 1982 – Nick Stavinoha, American baseball player
  • 1983 – Joseph Addai, American football player
  • 1983 – Romeo Castelen, Dutch footballer
  • 1983 – Jérôme Clavier, French pole vaulter
  • 1983 – Márton Fülöp, Hungarian footballer (d. 2015)
  • 1985 – Ezequiel Lavezzi, Argentinian footballer
  • 1985 – Kadri Lehtla, Estonian biathlete
  • 1985 – Miko Mälberg, Estonian swimmer
  • 1986 – Moon Byung-woo, South Korean footballer
  • 1987 – Lina Grinčikaitė, Lithuanian sprinter
  • 1988 – Ben Revere, American baseball player
  • 1988 – Paddy Holohan, Irish mixed martial artist
  • 1989 – Jesse Bromwich, New Zealand rugby league player
  • 1989 – Katinka Hosszú, Hungarian swimmer
  • 1990 – Brooks Koepka, American golfer
  • 1991 – Samuel Seo, South Korean musician
  • 1992 – Aaron Whitchurch, Australian rugby league player
  • 1995 – Ivan Bukavshin, Russian chess player (d. 2016)
  • 1996 – Mary Cain, American runner
  • 1996 – Alex Iwobi, Nigerian football player
  • 1996 – Domantas Sabonis, Lithuanian basketball player
  • 1997 – Desiigner, American rapper
  • 1997 – Dwayne Haskins, American football player
  • 1997 – Ivana Jorović, Serbian tennis player

Deaths on May 3

  • 678 – Tōchi, Japanese princess
  • 738 – Uaxaclajuun Ub’aah K’awiil, Mayan ruler (ajaw)
  • 1152 – Matilda of Boulogne (b. 1105)
  • 1270 – Béla IV of Hungary (b. 1206)
  • 1294 – John I, Duke of Brabant (b. 1252)
  • 1330 – Alexios II Megas Komnenos, Emperor of Trebizond (b. 1282)
  • 1410 – Antipope Alexander V
  • 1481 – Mehmed the Conqueror, Ottoman sultan (b. 1432)
  • 1501 – John Devereux, 8th Baron Ferrers of Chartley, English Baron (b. 1463)
  • 1524 – Richard Grey, 3rd Earl of Kent, English peer (b. 1481)
  • 1534 – Juana de la Cruz Vazquez Gutierrez, Spanish Roman Catholic nun and venerable (b. 1481)
  • 1589 – Julius, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (b. 1528)
  • 1606 – Henry Garnet, English priest and author (b. 1555)
  • 1621 – Elizabeth Bacon, English Tudor gentlewoman (b. 1541)
  • 1679 – James Sharp, Scottish archbishop (b. 1613)
  • 1693 – Claude de Rouvroy, duc de Saint-Simon, French courtier (b. 1607)
  • 1704 – Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber, Czech-Austrian violinist and composer (b. 1644)
  • 1724 – John Leverett the Younger, American lawyer, academic, and politician (b. 1662)
  • 1750 – John Willison, Scottish minister and author (b. 1680)
  • 1752 – Samuel Ogle, English-American captain and politician, 5th Governor of Restored Proprietary Government (b. 1692)
  • 1758 – Pope Benedict XIV (b. 1675)
  • 1763 – George Psalmanazar, French-English author (b. 1679)
  • 1764 – Francesco Algarotti, Italian philosopher, poet, and critic (b. 1712)
  • 1779 – John Winthrop, American mathematician, physicist, and astronomer (b. 1714)
  • 1793 – Martin Gerbert, German historian and theologian (b. 1720)
  • 1839 – Ferdinando Paer, Italian composer (b. 1771)
  • 1856 – Adolphe Adam, French composer and critic (b. 1803)
  • 1856 – Louis-Étienne Saint-Denis, Arab-French servant to Napoleon I (b. 1788)
  • 1882 – Leonidas Smolents, Austrian–Greek general and army minister (b. 1806)
  • 1910 – Howard Taylor Ricketts, American pathologist (b. 1871)
  • 1916 – Tom Clarke, Irish rebel (b. 1858)
  • 1916 – Thomas MacDonagh, Irish poet and rebel (b. 1878)
  • 1916 – Patrick Pearse, Irish teacher and rebel leader (b. 1879)
  • 1918 – Charlie Soong, Chinese businessman and missionary (b. 1863)
  • 1919 – Elizabeth Almira Allen, American educator (b. 1854)
  • 1921 – Théodore Pilette, Belgian race car driver (b. 1883)
  • 1925 – Clément Ader, French engineer, designed the Ader Avion III (b. 1841)
  • 1932 – Charles Fort, American journalist and author (b. 1874)
  • 1935 – Jessie Willcox Smith, American illustrator (b. 1863)
  • 1939 – Madeleine Desroseaux, French author and poet (b. 1873)
  • 1942 – Thorvald Stauning, Danish politician, 24th Prime Minister of Denmark (b. 1873)
  • 1943 – Harry Miller, American engineer (b. 1875)
  • 1948 – Ernst Tandefelt, Finnish assassin of Heikki Ritavuori (b. 1876)
  • 1949 – Fanny Walden, English footballer and cricketer (b. 1888)
  • 1958 – Frank Foster, English cricketer (b. 1889)
  • 1969 – Zakir Husain, Indian academic and politician, 3rd President of India (b. 1897)
  • 1970 – Cemil Gürgen Erlertürk, Turkish footballer, coach, and pilot (b. 1918)
  • 1972 – Kenneth Bailey, Australian lawyer and diplomat, Australian High Commissioner to Canada (b. 1898)
  • 1972 – Emil Breitkreutz, American runner and coach (b. 1883)
  • 1972 – Bruce Cabot, American actor (b. 1904)
  • 1978 – Bill Downs, American journalist (b. 1914)
  • 1981 – Nargis, Indian actress (b. 1929)
  • 1986 – Robert Alda, American actor (b. 1914)
  • 1987 – Dalida, Italian singer, actress, dancer, and model (b. 1933)
  • 1988 – Lev Pontryagin, Russian mathematician and academic (b. 1908)
  • 1989 – Christine Jorgensen, American trans woman (b. 1926)
  • 1991 – Jerzy Kosiński, Polish-American novelist and screenwriter (b. 1933)
  • 1992 – George Murphy, American actor, dancer, and politician (b. 1902)
  • 1996 – Dimitri Fampas, Greek guitarist, composer, and educator (b. 1921)
  • 1996 – Alex Kellner, American baseball player (b. 1924)
  • 1996 – Jack Weston, American actor (b. 1924)
  • 1997 – Sébastien Enjolras, French race car driver (b. 1976)
  • 1997 – Narciso Yepes, Spanish guitarist and composer (b. 1927)
  • 1998 – Gene Raymond, American actor (b. 1908)
  • 1999 – Joe Adcock, American baseball player and manager (b. 1927)
  • 1999 – Steve Chiasson, Canadian-American ice hockey player (b. 1967)
  • 1999 – Godfrey Evans, English cricketer (b. 1920)
  • 2000 – Júlia Báthory, Hungarian glass designer (b. 1901)
  • 2000 – John Joseph O’Connor, American cardinal (b. 1920)
  • 2002 – Barbara Castle, Baroness Castle of Blackburn, English politician, First Secretary of State (b. 1910)
  • 2002 – Yevgeny Svetlanov, Russian pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1928)
  • 2003 – Suzy Parker, American model and actress (b. 1932)
  • 2004 – Ken Downing, English race car driver (b. 1917)
  • 2004 – Darrell Johnson, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1928)
  • 2006 – Karel Appel, Dutch painter, sculptor, and poet (b. 1921)
  • 2006 – Pramod Mahajan, Indian politician (b. 1949)
  • 2006 – Earl Woods, American colonel, baseball player, and author (b. 1932)
  • 2007 – Warja Honegger-Lavater, Swiss illustrator (b. 1913)
  • 2007 – Wally Schirra, American captain, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1923)
  • 2007 – Knock Yokoyama, Japanese politician (b. 1932)
  • 2008 – Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo, Spanish engineer and politician, Prime Minister of Spain (b. 1926)
  • 2009 – Renée Morisset, Canadian pianist (b. 1928)
  • 2009 – Ram Balkrushna Shewalkar, Indian author and critic (b. 1931)
  • 2010 – Roy Carrier, American accordion player (b. 1947)
  • 2010 – Peter O’Donnell, English soldier and author (b. 1920)
  • 2010 – Guenter Wendt, German-American engineer (b. 1923)
  • 2011 – Jackie Cooper, American actor, television director, producer and executive (b. 1922)
  • 2011 – Sergo Kotrikadze, Georgian footballer and manager (b. 1936)
  • 2011 – Thanasis Veggos, Greek actor and director (b. 1927)
  • 2012 – Jorge Illueca, Panamanian politician, 30th President of Panama (b. 1918)
  • 2012 – Felix Werder, German-Australian composer, conductor, and critic (b. 1922)
  • 2013 – Joe Astroth, American baseball player (b. 1922)
  • 2013 – Herbert Blau, American engineer and academic (b. 1926)
  • 2013 – Cedric Brooks, Jamaican-American saxophonist and flute player (b. 1943)
  • 2013 – Keith Carter, American swimmer and soldier (b. 1924)
  • 2013 – Brad Drewett, Australian tennis player and sportscaster (b. 1958)
  • 2013 – David Morris Kern, American pharmacist, co-invented Orajel (b. 1909)
  • 2013 – Curtis Rouse, American football player (b. 1960)
  • 2013 – Branko Vukelić, Croatian politician, 11th Minister of Defence for Croatia (b. 1958)
  • 2014 – Gary Becker, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1930)
  • 2014 – Francisco Icaza, Mexican painter (b. 1930)
  • 2014 – Jim Oberstar, American educator and politician (b. 1934)
  • 2015 – Revaz Chkheidze, Georgian director and screenwriter (b. 1926)
  • 2015 – Danny Jones, Welsh rugby player (b. 1986)
  • 2015 – Warren Smith, American golfer and coach (b. 1915)
  • 2016 – Ian Deans, Canadian politician (b. 1937)
  • 2016 – Jadranka Stojaković, Yugoslav singer-songwriter (b. 1950)
  • 2017 – Daliah Lavi, Israeli actress, singer and model (b. 1942)

Holidays and observances on May 3

  • Christian feast day:
    • Abhai (Syriac Orthodox Church)
    • Antonia and Alexander
    • Juvenal of Narni
    • Moura (Coptic Church)
    • Philip and James the Lesser
    • Pope Alexander I
    • Sarah the Martyr (Coptic Church)
    • The Most Holy Virgin Mary, Queen of Poland
    • Theodosius of Kiev (Eastern Orthodox Church)
    • May 3 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Constitution Memorial Day (Japan)
  • Constitution Day (Poland)
  • Finding of the Holy Cross-related observances:
    • Fiesta de las Cruces (Spain and Hispanic America)
    • Roodmas, or Feast of the Finding of the Holy Cross (Gallican Rite of the Catholic Church)
  • Sun Day (International)
  • World Press Freedom Day

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

On This Day

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

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

Births on May 1

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

Deaths on May 1

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

Holidays and observances on May 1

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

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

On This Day

April 29 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

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

Births on April 29

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

Deaths on April 29

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

Holidays and observances on April 29

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

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