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May 1 in History
- 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):
- International Sunflower Guerrilla Gardening Day
- Lei Day (Hawaii)
- International Workers’ Day or Labour Day (International), and its related observances:
- Earliest day on which Labour Day can fall, while May 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Monday of May. (Barbados, Dominica)
- Law Day (United States), formerly intended to counterbalance the celebration of Labour Day. (United States)
- Loyalty Day, formerly intended to counterbalance the celebration of Labour Day. (United States)
- May Day (beginning of Summer) observances in the Northern hemisphere (see April 30):
- Beltane (Ireland, Scotland, Isle of Man, Celtic neopagans and Wiccans in the Northern hemisphere)
- Earliest day on which Beltane can fall, while May 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Monday in May. (Ireland, Scotland)
- Calan Mai (Wales)
- Samhain (Celtic neopagans and Wiccans in the Southern Hemisphere)
-
April 25 in History
- 404 BC – Admiral Lysander and King Pausanias of Sparta blockade Athens and bring the Peloponnesian War to a successful conclusion.
- 775 – The Battle of Bagrevand puts an end to an Armenian rebellion against the Abbasid Caliphate. Muslim control over Transcaucasia is solidified and its Islamization begins, while several major Armenian nakharar families lose power and their remnants flee to the Byzantine Empire.
- 799 – After mistreatment and disfigurement by the citizens of Rome, pope Leo III flees to the Frankish court of king Charlemagne at Paderborn for protection.
- 1134 – The name Zagreb was mentioned for the first time in the Felician Charter relating to the establishment of the Zagreb Bishopric around 1094.
- 1607 – Eighty Years’ War: The Dutch fleet destroys the anchored Spanish fleet at Gibraltar.
- 1644 – The Chongzhen Emperor, the last Emperor of Ming dynasty China, commits suicide during a peasant rebellion led by Li Zicheng.
- 1707 – A coalition of Britain, the Netherlands and Portugal is defeated by a Franco-Spanish army at Almansa (Spain) in the War of the Spanish Succession.
- 1792 – Highwayman Nicolas J. Pelletier becomes the first person executed by guillotine.
- 1792 – “La Marseillaise” (the French national anthem) is composed by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle.
- 1804 – The western Georgian kingdom of Imereti accepts the suzerainty of the Russian Empire.
- 1829 – Charles Fremantle arrives in HMS Challenger off the coast of modern-day Western Australia prior to declaring the Swan River Colony for the United Kingdom.
- 1846 – Thornton Affair: Open conflict begins over the disputed border of Texas, triggering the Mexican–American War.
- 1849 – The Governor General of Canada, Lord Elgin, signs the Rebellion Losses Bill, outraging Montreal’s English population and triggering the Montreal Riots.
- 1859 – British and French engineers break ground for the Suez Canal.
- 1862 – American Civil War: Forces under U.S. Admiral David Farragut demand the surrender of the Confederate city of New Orleans, Louisiana.
- 1864 – American Civil War: The Battle of Marks’ Mills.
- 1882 – French and Vietnamese troops clashed in Tonkin, when Commandant Henri Rivière seized the citadel of Hanoi with a small force of marine infantry.
- 1898 – Spanish–American War: The United States declares war on Spain.
- 1901 – New York becomes the first U.S. state to require automobile license plates.
- 1915 – World War I: The Battle of Gallipoli begins: The invasion of the Turkish Gallipoli Peninsula by British, French, Indian, Newfoundland, Australian and New Zealand troops, begins with landings at Anzac Cove and Cape Helles.
- 1916 – Anzac Day is commemorated for the first time on the first anniversary of the landing at ANZAC Cove.
- 1920 – At the San Remo conference, the principal Allied Powers of World War I adopt a resolution to determine the allocation of Class “A” League of Nations mandates for administration of the former Ottoman-ruled lands of the Middle East.
- 1938 – U.S. Supreme Court delivers its opinion in Erie Railroad Co. v. Tompkins and overturns a century of federal common law.
- 1940 – Merkið, the flag of the Faroe Islands is approved by the British occupation government.
- 1944 – The United Negro College Fund is incorporated.
- 1945 – Elbe Day: United States and Soviet troops meet in Torgau along the River Elbe, cutting the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany in two.
- 1945 – Liberation Day (Italy): The Nazi occupation army surrenders and leaves Northern Italy after a general partisan insurrection by the Italian resistance movement; the puppet fascist regime dissolves and Benito Mussolini is captured after trying to escape. This day was set as a public holiday to celebrate the Liberation of Italy.
- 1945 – United Nations Conference on International Organization: Founding negotiations for the United Nations begin in San Francisco.
- 1945 – The last German troops retreat from Finland’s soil in Lapland, ending the Lapland War. Military acts of Second World War end in Finland.
- 1951 – Korean War: Assaulting Chinese forces are forced to withdraw after heavy fighting with UN forces, primarily made up of Australian and Canadian troops, at the Battle of Kapyong.
- 1953 – Francis Crick and James Watson publish “Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids: A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid” describing the double helix structure of DNA.
- 1954 – The first practical solar cell is publicly demonstrated by Bell Telephone Laboratories.
- 1959 – The Saint Lawrence Seaway, linking the North American Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean, officially opens to shipping.
- 1960 – The United States Navy submarine USS Triton completes the first submerged circumnavigation of the globe.
- 1961 – Robert Noyce is granted a patent for an integrated circuit.
- 1972 – Vietnam War: Nguyen Hue Offensive: The North Vietnamese 320th Division forces 5,000 South Vietnamese troops to retreat and traps about 2,500 others northwest of Kontum.
- 1974 – Carnation Revolution: A leftist military coup in Portugal overthrows the authoritarian-conservative Estado Novo regime and establishes a democratic government.
- 1975 – As North Vietnamese forces close in on the South Vietnamese capital Saigon, the Australian Embassy is closed and evacuated, almost ten years to the day since the first Australian troop commitment to South Vietnam.
- 1981 – More than 100 workers are exposed to radiation during repairs of at the Tsuruga Nuclear Power Plant in Japan.
- 1982 – Israel completes its withdrawal from the Sinai Peninsula per the Camp David Accords.
- 1983 – Cold War: American schoolgirl Samantha Smith is invited to visit the Soviet Union by its leader Yuri Andropov after he read her letter in which she expressed fears about nuclear war.
- 1983 – Pioneer 10 travels beyond Pluto’s orbit.
- 1986 – Mswati III is crowned King of Swaziland, succeeding his father Sobhuza II.
- 1988 – In Israel, John Demjanjuk is sentenced to death for war crimes committed in World War II.
- 1990 – Violeta Chamorro takes office as the President of Nicaragua, the first woman to hold the position.
- 2001 – Michele Alboreto is killed while testing an Audi R8 at the Lausitzring in Germany.
- 2004 – The March for Women’s Lives brings between 500,000 and 800,000 protesters, mostly pro-choice, to Washington D.C. to protest the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003, and other restrictions on abortion.
- 2005 – The final piece of the Obelisk of Axum is returned to Ethiopia after being stolen by the invading Italian army in 1937.
- 2005 – Bulgaria and Romania sign accession treaties to join the European Union.
- 2007 – Boris Yeltsin’s funeral: The first to be sanctioned by the Russian Orthodox Church for a head of state since the funeral of Emperor Alexander III in 1894.
- 2015 – Nearly 9,100 are killed after a massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake strikes Nepal.
Births on April 25
- 1214 – Louis IX of France (d. 1270)
- 1228 – Conrad IV of Germany (d. 1254)
- 1284 – Edward II of England (d. 1327)
- 1287 – Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (d. 1330)
- 1502 – Georg Major, German theologian and academic (d. 1574)
- 1529 – Francesco Patrizi, Italian philosopher and scientist (d. 1597)
- 1599 – Oliver Cromwell, English general and politician, Lord Protector of Great Britain (d. 1658)
- 1621 – Roger Boyle, 1st Earl of Orrery, English soldier and politician (d. 1679)
- 1666 – Johann Heinrich Buttstett, German organist and composer (d. 1727)
- 1694 – Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington, English architect and politician, Lord High Treasurer of Ireland (d. 1753)
- 1710 – James Ferguson, Scottish astronomer and author (d. 1776)
- 1723 – Giovanni Marco Rutini, Italian composer (d. 1797)
- 1725 – Augustus Keppel, 1st Viscount Keppel, English admiral and politician (d. 1786)
- 1767 – Nicolas Oudinot, French general (d. 1847)
- 1770 – Georg Sverdrup, Norwegian philologist and academic (d. 1850)
- 1776 – Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh (d. 1857)
- 1843 – Princess Alice of the United Kingdom (d. 1878)
- 1849 – Felix Klein, German mathematician and academic (d. 1925)
- 1850 – Luise Adolpha Le Beau, German composer and educator (d. 1927)
- 1851 – Leopoldo Alas, Spanish author, critic, and academic (d. 1901)
- 1854 – Charles Sumner Tainter, American engineer and inventor (d. 1940)
- 1862 – Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon, English ornithologist and politician, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (d. 1933)
- 1868 – John Moisant, American pilot and engineer (d. 1910)
- 1871 – Lorne Currie, French-English sailor (d. 1926)
- 1872 – C. B. Fry, English cricketer, footballer, educator, and politician (d. 1956)
- 1873 – Walter de la Mare, English poet, short story writer, and novelist (d. 1956)
- 1873 – Howard Garis, American author, creator of the Uncle Wiggily series of children’s stories (d. 1962)
- 1874 – Guglielmo Marconi, Italian businessman and inventor, developed Marconi’s law, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1937)
- 1874 – Ernest Webb, English-Canadian race walker (d. 1937)
- 1876 – Jacob Nicol, Canadian publisher, lawyer, and politician (d. 1958)
- 1878 – William Merz, American gymnast and triathlete (d. 1946)
- 1882 – Fred McLeod, Scottish golfer (d. 1976)
- 1887 – Kojo Tovalou Houénou, Beninese lawyer and critic (d. 1936)
- 1892 – Maud Hart Lovelace, American author (d. 1980)
- 1896 – Fred Haney, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 1977)
- 1897 – Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood (d. 1965)
- 1900 – Gladwyn Jebb, English politician and diplomat, Secretary-General of the United Nations (d. 1996)
- 1900 – Wolfgang Pauli, Austrian-Swiss-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1958)
- 1902 – Werner Heyde, German psychiatrist and academic (d. 1964)
- 1902 – Mary Miles Minter, American actress (d. 1984)
- 1903 – Andrey Kolmogorov, Russian mathematician and academic (d. 1987)
- 1905 – George Nepia, New Zealand rugby player and referee (d. 1986)
- 1906 – William J. Brennan Jr., American colonel and Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court (d. 1997)
- 1908 – Edward R. Murrow, American journalist (d. 1965)
- 1909 – William Pereira, American architect, designed the Transamerica Pyramid (d. 1985)
- 1910 – Arapeta Awatere, New Zealand interpreter, military leader, politician, and murderer (d. 1976)
- 1911 – Connie Marrero, Cuban baseball player and coach (d. 2014)
- 1912 – Earl Bostic, African-American saxophonist (d. 1965)
- 1913 – Nikolaos Roussen, Greek captain (d. 1944)
- 1914 – Ross Lockridge Jr., American author and academic (d. 1948)
- 1915 – Mort Weisinger, American journalist and author (d. 1978)
- 1916 – Jerry Barber, American golfer (d. 1994)
- 1917 – Ella Fitzgerald, American singer (d. 1996)
- 1917 – Jean Lucas, French racing driver (d. 2003)
- 1918 – Graham Payn, South African-born English actor and singer (d. 2005)
- 1918 – Gérard de Vaucouleurs, French-American astronomer and academic (d. 1995)
- 1918 – Astrid Varnay, Swedish-American soprano and actress (d. 2006)
- 1919 – Finn Helgesen, Norwegian speed skater (d. 2011)
- 1921 – Karel Appel, Dutch painter and sculptor (d. 2006)
- 1923 – Francis Graham-Smith, English astronomer and academic
- 1923 – Melissa Hayden, Canadian ballerina (d. 2006)
- 1923 – Albert King, African-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 1992)
- 1924 – Ingemar Johansson, Swedish race walker (d. 2009)
- 1924 – Franco Mannino, Italian pianist, composer, director, and playwright (d. 2005)
- 1924 – Paulo Vanzolini, Brazilian singer-songwriter and zoologist (d. 2013)
- 1925 – Tony Christopher, Baron Christopher, English trade union leader and businessman
- 1925 – Sammy Drechsel, German comedian and journalist (d. 1986)
- 1925 – Louis O’Neil, Canadian academic and politician (d. 2018)
- 1926 – Johnny Craig, American author and illustrator (d. 2001)
- 1926 – Gertrude Fröhlich-Sandner, Austrian politician (d. 2008)
- 1926 – Patricia Castell, Argentine actress (d. 2013)
- 1927 – Corín Tellado, Spanish author (d. 2009)
- 1927 – Albert Uderzo, French author and illustrator (d. 2020)
- 1928 – Cy Twombly, American-Italian painter and sculptor (d. 2011)
- 1929 – Yvette Williams, New Zealand long jumper, shot putter, and discus thrower (d. 2019)
- 1930 – Paul Mazursky, American actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2014)
- 1930 – Godfrey Milton-Thompson, English admiral and surgeon (d. 2012)
- 1930 – Peter Schulz, German lawyer and politician, Mayor of Hamburg (d. 2013)
- 1931 – Felix Berezin, Russian mathematician and physicist (d. 1980)
- 1931 – David Shepherd, English painter and author (d. 2017)
- 1932 – Nikolai Kardashev, Russian astrophysicist (d. 2019)
- 1932 – Meadowlark Lemon, African-American basketball player and minister (d. 2015)
- 1932 – Lia Manoliu, Romanian discus thrower and politician (d. 1998)
- 1933 – Jerry Leiber, American songwriter and producer (d. 2011)
- 1933 – Joyce Ricketts, American baseball player (d. 1992)
- 1934 – Peter McParland, Northern Irish footballer and manager
- 1935 – Bob Gutowski, American pole vaulter (d. 1960)
- 1935 – Reinier Kreijermaat, Dutch footballer (d. 2018)
- 1936 – Henck Arron, Surinamese banker and politician, 1st Prime Minister of the Republic of Suriname (d. 2000)
- 1938 – Roger Boisjoly, American aerodynamicist and engineer (d. 2012)
- 1938 – Ton Schulten, Dutch painter and graphic designer
- 1939 – Tarcisio Burgnich, Italian footballer and manager
- 1939 – Michael Llewellyn-Smith, English academic and diplomat
- 1939 – Robert Skidelsky, Baron Skidelsky, English historian and academic
- 1939 – Veronica Sutherland, English academic and British diplomat
- 1940 – Al Pacino, American actor and director
- 1941 – Bertrand Tavernier, French actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1942 – Jon Kyl, American lawyer and politician
- 1943 – Tony Christie, English singer-songwriter and actor
- 1944 – Len Goodman, English dancer
- 1944 – Mike Kogel, German singer-songwriter
- 1944 – Stephen Nickell, English economist and academic
- 1944 – Bruce Ponder, English geneticist and cancer researcher
- 1945 – Stu Cook, American bass player, songwriter, and producer
- 1945 – Richard C. Hoagland, American theorist and author
- 1945 – Björn Ulvaeus, Swedish singer-songwriter and producer
- 1946 – Talia Shire, American actress
- 1946 – Peter Sutherland, Irish lawyer and politician, Attorney General of Ireland
- 1946 – Vladimir Zhirinovsky, Russian colonel, lawyer, and politician
- 1947 – Johan Cruyff, Dutch footballer and manager (d. 2016)
- 1947 – Jeffrey DeMunn, American actor
- 1948 – Mike Selvey, English cricketer and sportscaster
- 1948 – Yu Shyi-kun, Taiwanese politician, 39th Premier of the Republic of China
- 1949 – Vicente Pernía, Argentinian footballer and race car driver
- 1949 – Dominique Strauss-Kahn, French economist, lawyer, and politician, French Minister of Finance
- 1949 – James Fenton, English poet, journalist and literary critic
- 1950 – Donnell Deeny, Northern Irish lawyer and judge
- 1950 – Steve Ferrone, English drummer
- 1950 – Peter Hintze, German politician (d. 2016)
- 1950 – Valentyna Kozyr, Ukrainian high jumper
- 1951 – Ian McCartney, Scottish politician, Minister of State for Trade
- 1952 – Ketil Bjørnstad, Norwegian pianist and composer
- 1952 – Vladislav Tretiak, Russian ice hockey player and coach
- 1952 – Jacques Santini, French footballer and coach
- 1953 – Ron Clements, American animator, producer, and screenwriter
- 1953 – Gary Cosier, Australian cricketer
- 1953 – Anthony Venables, English economist, author, and academic
- 1954 – Melvin Burgess, English author
- 1954 – Randy Cross, American football player and sportscaster
- 1954 – Róisín Shortall, Irish educator and politician
- 1955 – Américo Gallego, Argentinian footballer and coach
- 1955 – Parviz Parastui, Iranian actor and singer
- 1955 – Zev Siegl, American businessman, co-founded Starbucks
- 1956 – Dominique Blanc, French actress, director, and screenwriter
- 1956 – Abdalla Uba Adamu, Nigerian professor, media scholar
- 1957 – Theo de Rooij, Dutch cyclist and manager
- 1958 – Fish, Scottish singer-songwriter
- 1958 – Misha Glenny, British journalist
- 1959 – Paul Madden, English diplomat, British High Commissioner to Australia
- 1959 – Daniel Kash, Canadian actor and director
- 1959 – Tony Phillips, American baseball player (d. 2016)
- 1960 – Paul Baloff, American singer (d. 2002)
- 1960 – Robert Peston, English journalist
- 1960 – Bruce Redman, Australian director, producer, and critic
- 1961 – Dinesh D’Souza, Indian-American journalist and author
- 1961 – Miran Tepeš, Slovenian ski jumper
- 1962 – Foeke Booy, Dutch footballer and manager
- 1963 – Joy Covey, American businesswoman (d. 2013)
- 1963 – Dave Martin, English footballer
- 1963 – David Moyes, Scottish footballer and manager
- 1963 – Bernd Müller, German footballer and manager
- 1963 – Paul Wassif, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1964 – Hank Azaria, American actor, voice artist, comedian and producer
- 1964 – Andy Bell, English singer-songwriter
- 1965 – Eric Avery, American bass player and songwriter
- 1965 – Mark Bryant, American basketball player and coach
- 1965 – John Henson, American puppeteer and voice actor (d. 2014)
- 1966 – Diego Domínguez, Argentinian-Italian rugby player
- 1966 – Femke Halsema, Dutch sociologist, academic, and politician
- 1966 – Darren Holmes, American baseball player and coach
- 1966 – Erik Pappas, American baseball player and coach
- 1967 – Angel Martino, American swimmer
- 1968 – Vitaliy Kyrylenko, Ukrainian long jumper
- 1968 – Thomas Strunz, German footballer
- 1969 – Joe Buck, American sportscaster
- 1969 – Martin Koolhoven, Dutch director and screenwriter
- 1969 – Jon Olsen, American swimmer
- 1969 – Darren Woodson, American football player and sportscaster
- 1969 – Renée Zellweger, American actress and producer
- 1970 – Jason Lee, American skateboarder, actor, comedian and producer
- 1971 – Sara Baras, Spanish dancer
- 1971 – Brad Clontz, American baseball player
- 1973 – Carlota Castrejana, Spanish triple jumper
- 1973 – Fredrik Larzon, Swedish drummer
- 1973 – Barbara Rittner, German tennis player
- 1975 – Jacque Jones, American baseball player and coach
- 1976 – Gilberto da Silva Melo, Brazilian footballer
- 1976 – Tim Duncan, American basketball player
- 1976 – Breyton Paulse, South African rugby player
- 1976 – Rainer Schüttler, German tennis player and coach
- 1977 – Constantinos Christoforou, Cypriot singer-songwriter
- 1977 – Ilias Kotsios, Greek footballer
- 1977 – Marguerite Moreau, American actress and producer
- 1977 – Matthew West, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
- 1978 – Matt Walker, English swimmer
- 1980 – Ben Johnston, Scottish drummer and songwriter
- 1980 – James Johnston, Scottish bass player and songwriter
- 1980 – Daniel MacPherson, Australian actor and television host
- 1980 – Bruce Martin, New Zealand cricketer
- 1980 – Kazuhito Tadano, Japanese baseball player
- 1980 – Alejandro Valverde, Spanish cyclist
- 1981 – Dwone Hicks, American football player
- 1981 – Felipe Massa, Brazilian racing driver
- 1981 – John McFall, English sprinter
- 1981 – Anja Pärson, Swedish skier
- 1982 – Brian Barton, American baseball player
- 1982 – Monty Panesar, English cricketer
- 1982 – Marco Russo, Italian footballer
- 1983 – Johnathan Thurston, Australian rugby league player
- 1983 – DeAngelo Williams, American football player
- 1984 – Robert Andino, American baseball player
- 1984 – Isaac Kiprono Songok, Kenyan runner
- 1985 – Giedo van der Garde, Dutch racing driver
- 1986 – Alexei Emelin, Russian ice hockey player
- 1986 – Thin Seng Hon, Cambodian Paralympic athlete
- 1986 – Gwen Jorgensen, American triathlete
- 1986 – Claudia Rath, German heptathlete
- 1987 – Razak Boukari, Togolese footballer
- 1987 – Jay Park, American-South Korean singer-songwriter and dancer
- 1987 – Johann Smith, American soccer player
- 1988 – James Sheppard, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1989 – Marie-Michèle Gagnon, Canadian skier
- 1989 – Michael van Gerwen, Dutch darts player
- 1989 – Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the 11th Panchen Lama, one of the highest-ranking spiritual leaders in Tibet
- 1990 – Jean-Éric Vergne, French racing driver
- 1990 – Taylor Walker, Australian footballer
- 1991 – Alex Shibutani, American ice dancer
- 1993 – Alex Bowman, American race car driver
- 1993 – Daniel Norris, American baseball player
- 1994 – Omar McLeod, Jamaican hurdler
- 1995 – Lewis Baker, English footballer
- 1996 – Mack Horton, Australian swimmer
- 1997 – Julius Ertlthaler, Austrian footballer
Deaths on April 25
- 501 – Rusticus, saint and archbishop of Lyon (b. 455)
- 775 – Smbat VII Bagratuni, Armenian prince
- 775 – Mushegh VI Mamikonian, Armenian prince
- 908 – Zhang Wenwei, Chinese chancellor
- 1074 – Herman I, Margrave of Baden
- 1077 – Géza I of Hungary (b. 1040)
- 1185 – Emperor Antoku of Japan (b. 1178)
- 1217 – Hermann I, Landgrave of Thuringia
- 1228 – Queen Isabella II of Jerusalem (b. 1212)
- 1243 – Boniface of Valperga, Bishop of Aosta
- 1264 – Roger de Quincy, 2nd Earl of Winchester, medieval English nobleman; Earl of Winchester (b. 1195)
- 1295 – Sancho IV of Castile (b. 1258)
- 1342 – Pope Benedict XII (b. 1285)
- 1397 – Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent, English nobleman
- 1472 – Leon Battista Alberti, Italian author, poet, and philosopher (b. 1404)
- 1516 – John Yonge, English diplomat (b. 1467)
- 1566 – Louise Labé, French poet and author (b. 1520)
- 1566 – Diane de Poitiers, mistress of King Henry II of France (b. 1499)
- 1595 – Torquato Tasso, Italian poet and songwriter (b. 1544)
- 1605 – Naresuan, Siamese King of Ayutthaya Kingdom (b. c. 1555)
- 1644 – Chongzhen Emperor of China (b. 1611)
- 1660 – Henry Hammond, English cleric and theologian (b. 1605)
- 1690 – David Teniers the Younger, Flemish painter and educator (b. 1610)
- 1744 – Anders Celsius, Swedish astronomer, physicist, and mathematician (b. 1701)
- 1770 – Jean-Antoine Nollet, French minister, physicist, and academic (b. 1700)
- 1800 – William Cowper, English poet (b. 1731)
- 1840 – Siméon Denis Poisson, French mathematician and physicist (b. 1781)
- 1873 – Fyodor Petrovich Tolstoy, Russian painter and sculptor (b. 1783)
- 1875 – 12th Dalai Lama (b. 1857)
- 1878 – Anna Sewell, English author (b. 1820)
- 1890 – Crowfoot, Canadian tribal chief (b. 1830)
- 1891 – Nathaniel Woodard, English priest and educator (b. 1811)
- 1892 – Henri Duveyrier, French explorer (b. 1840)
- 1892 – Karl von Ditmar, Estonian-German geologist and explorer (b. 1822)
- 1906 – John Knowles Paine, American composer and educator (b. 1839)
- 1911 – Emilio Salgari, Italian journalist and author (b. 1862)
- 1913 – Joseph-Alfred Archambeault, Canadian bishop (b. 1859)
- 1915 – Frederick W. Seward, American journalist, lawyer, and politician, 6th United States Assistant Secretary of State (b. 1830)
- 1919 – Augustus D. Juilliard, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1836)
- 1923 – Louis-Olivier Taillon, Canadian lawyer and politician, 8th Premier of Quebec (b. 1840)
- 1928 – Pyotr Nikolayevich Wrangel, Russian general (b. 1878)
- 1941 – Salih Bozok, Turkish commander and politician (b. 1881)
- 1943 – Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko, Russian director, producer, and playwright (b. 1858)
- 1944 – George Herriman, American cartoonist (b. 1880)
- 1944 – Tony Mullane, Irish-American baseball player (b. 1859)
- 1944 – William Stephens, American engineer and politician, 24th Governor of California (b. 1859)
- 1945 – Huldreich Georg Früh, Swiss composer (b. 1903)
- 1961 – Robert Garrett, American discus thrower and shot putter (b. 1875)
- 1970 – Anita Louise, American actress (b. 1915)
- 1972 – George Sanders, English actor (b. 1906)
- 1973 – Olga Grey, Hungarian-American actress (b. 1896)
- 1974 – Gustavo R. Vincenti, Maltese architect and developer (b. 1888)
- 1975 – Mike Brant, Israeli singer and songwriter (b.1947)
- 1976 – Carol Reed, English director and producer (b. 1906)
- 1976 – Markus Reiner, Israeli engineer and educator (b. 1886)
- 1982 – John Cody, American cardinal (b. 1907)
- 1983 – William S. Bowdern, American priest and author (b. 1897)
- 1988 – Carolyn Franklin, American singer-songwriter (b. 1944)
- 1988 – Clifford D. Simak, American journalist and author (b. 1904)
- 1990 – Dexter Gordon, American saxophonist, composer, and actor (b. 1923)
- 1992 – Yutaka Ozaki, Japanese singer-songwriter (b. 1965)
- 1995 – Art Fleming, American game show host (b. 1925)
- 1995 – Ginger Rogers, American actress, singer, and dancer (b. 1911)
- 1995 – Lev Shankovsky, Ukrainian military historian (b. 1903)
- 1996 – Saul Bass, American graphic designer and director (b. 1920)
- 1998 – Wright Morris, American author and photographer (b. 1910)
- 1999 – Michael Morris, 3rd Baron Killanin, Irish journalist and author (b. 1914)
- 1999 – Roger Troutman, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1951)
- 2000 – Lucien Le Cam, French mathematician and statistician (b. 1924)
- 2000 – David Merrick, American director and producer (b. 1911)
- 2001 – Michele Alboreto, Italian racing driver (b. 1956)
- 2002 – Lisa Lopes, American rapper and dancer (b. 1971)
- 2003 – Samson Kitur, Kenyan runner (b. 1966)
- 2004 – Thom Gunn, English-American poet and academic (b. 1929)
- 2005 – Jim Barker, American politician (b. 1935)
- 2005 – Swami Ranganathananda, Indian monk and educator (b. 1908)
- 2006 – Jane Jacobs, American-Canadian journalist, author, and activist (b. 1916)
- 2006 – Peter Law, Welsh politician and independent member of parliament (b. 1948)
- 2007 – Alan Ball Jr., English footballer and manager (b. 1945)
- 2007 – Arthur Milton, English footballer and cricketer (b. 1928)
- 2007 – Bobby Pickett, American singer-songwriter (b. 1938)
- 2008 – Humphrey Lyttelton, English trumpet player, composer, and radio host (b. 1921)
- 2009 – Bea Arthur, American actress and singer (b. 1922)
- 2010 – Dorothy Provine, American actress and singer (b. 1935)
- 2010 – Alan Sillitoe, English novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet (b. 1928)
- 2011 – Poly Styrene, British musician (b. 1957)
- 2012 – Gerry Bahen, Australian footballer (b. 1929)
- 2012 – Denny Jones, American rancher and politician (b. 1910)
- 2012 – Moscelyne Larkin, American ballerina and educator (b. 1925)
- 2012 – Louis le Brocquy, Irish painter and illustrator (b. 1916)
- 2013 – Brian Adam, Scottish biochemist and politician (b. 1948)
- 2013 – Jacob Avshalomov, American composer and conductor (b. 1919)
- 2013 – György Berencsi, Hungarian virologist and academic (b. 1941)
- 2013 – Rick Camp, American baseball player (b. 1953)
- 2014 – Dan Heap, Canadian priest and politician (b. 1925)
- 2014 – William Judson Holloway Jr., American soldier, lawyer, and judge (b. 1923)
- 2014 – Earl Morrall, American football player and coach (b. 1934)
- 2014 – Tito Vilanova, Spanish footballer and manager (b. 1968)
- 2014 – Stefanie Zweig, German journalist and author (b. 1932)
- 2015 – Jim Fanning, American-Canadian baseball player and manager (b. 1927)
- 2015 – Matthias Kuhle, German geographer and academic (b. 1948)
- 2015 – Don Mankiewicz, American screenwriter and novelist (b. 1922)
- 2015 – Mike Phillips, American basketball player (b. 1956)
- 2016 – Tom Lewis, Australian politician, 33rd Premier of New South Wales (b. 1922)
- 2018 – Madeeha Gauhar, Pakistani actress, playwright and director of social theater, and women’s rights activist (b. 1956)
- 2019 – John Havlicek, American basketball player (b. 1940)
Holidays and observances on April 25
- Anniversary of the First Cabinet of Kurdish Government (Iraqi Kurdistan)
- Anzac Day (Australia, New Zealand)
- Arbor Day (Germany)
- Christian feast day:
- Giovanni Battista Piamarta
- Major Rogation (Western Christianity)
- Mark the Evangelist
- Maughold
- Philo and Agathopodes
- Anianus of Alexandria
- April 25 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- DNA Day
- Flag Day (Faroe Islands)
- Freedom Day (Portugal)
- Liberation Day (Italy)
- Liberation Day (South Georgia)
- Military Foundation Day (North Korea)
- Parental Alienation Awareness Day
- Red Hat Society Day
- Sinai Liberation Day (Egypt)
- World Malaria Day
-
April 18 in History
- 796 – King Æthelred I of Northumbria is murdered in Corbridge by a group led by his ealdormen, Ealdred and Wada. The patrician Osbald is crowned, but abdicates within 27 days.
- 1506 – The cornerstone of the current St. Peter’s Basilica is laid.
- 1518 – Bona Sforza is crowned as queen consort of Poland.
- 1521 – Trial of Martin Luther begins its second day during the assembly of the Diet of Worms. He refuses to recant his teachings despite the risk of excommunication.
- 1689 – Bostonians rise up in rebellion against Sir Edmund Andros.
- 1738 – Real Academia de la Historia (“Royal Academy of History”) is founded in Madrid.
- 1775 – American Revolution: The British advancement by sea begins; Paul Revere and other riders warn the countryside of the troop movements.
- 1783 – Three-Fifths Compromise: the first instance of black slaves in the United States of America being counted as three fifths of persons (for the purpose of taxation), in a resolution of the Congress of the Confederation. This was later adopted in the 1787 Constitution.
- 1831 – The University of Alabama is founded in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
- 1847 – American victory at the battle of Cerro Gordo opens the way for invasion of Mexico.
- 1857 – “The Spirits Book” by Allan Kardec is published, marking the birth of Spiritualism in France.
- 1864 – Battle of Dybbøl: A Prussian-Austrian army defeats Denmark and gains control of Schleswig. Denmark surrenders the province in the following peace settlement.
- 1897 – The Greco-Turkish War is declared between Greece and the Ottoman Empire.
- 1899 – The St. Andrew’s Ambulance Association is granted a royal charter by Queen Victoria.
- 1902 – The 7.5 Mw Guatemala earthquake shakes Guatemala with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe), killing between 800–2,000.
- 1906 – An earthquake and fire destroy much of San Francisco, California.
- 1909 – Joan of Arc is beatified in Rome.
- 1912 – The Cunard liner RMS Carpathia brings 705 survivors from the RMS Titanic to New York City.
- 1915 – French pilot Roland Garros is shot down and glides to a landing on the German side of the lines during World War I.
- 1923 – Yankee Stadium: “The House that Ruth Built” opens.
- 1925 – The International Amateur Radio Union is formed in Paris.
- 1930 – The British Broadcasting Corporation announced that “there is no news” in their evening report.
- 1939 – Robert Menzies, who became Australia’s longest-serving prime minister, is elected as leader of the United Australia Party after the death of Prime Minister Joseph Lyons.
- 1942 – World War II: The Doolittle Raid on Japan: Tokyo, Yokohama, Kobe and Nagoya are bombed.
- 1942 – Pierre Laval becomes Prime Minister of Vichy France.
- 1943 – World War II: Operation Vengeance, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto is killed when his aircraft is shot down by U.S. fighters over Bougainville Island.
- 1945 – Over 1,000 bombers attack the small island of Heligoland, Germany.
- 1946 – The International Court of Justice holds its inaugural meeting in The Hague, Netherlands.
- 1949 – The Republic of Ireland Act comes into effect.
- 1949 – The keel for the aircraft carrier USS United States is laid down at Newport News Drydock and Shipbuilding. However, construction is canceled five days later, resulting in the Revolt of the Admirals.
- 1954 – Gamal Abdel Nasser seizes power in Egypt.
- 1955 – Twenty-nine nations meet at Bandung, Indonesia, for the first Asian-African Conference.
- 1980 – The Republic of Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) comes into being, with Canaan Banana as the country’s first President. The Zimbabwean dollar replaces the Rhodesian dollar as the official currency.
- 1983 – A suicide bomber in Lebanon destroys the United States embassy in Beirut, killing 63 people.
- 1987 – The New York Islanders defeat the Washington Capitals 3–2 in Game 7 of their Patrick Division Semifinal series.
- 1988 – The United States launches Operation Praying Mantis against Iranian naval forces in the largest naval battle since World War II.
- 1996 – In Lebanon, at least 106 civilians are killed when the Israel Defense Forces shell the United Nations compound at Qana where more than 800 civilians had taken refuge.
- 1997 – The Red River flood begins and soon overwhelms the city of Grand Forks, North Dakota. Fire breaks out and spreads in downtown Grand Forks, but high water levels hamper efforts to reach the fire, leading to the destruction of 11 buildings.
- 1999 – Wayne Gretzky, the National Hockey League’s all-time points scorer, plays his final game at Madison Square Garden as a teammate of the New York Rangers in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Gretzky recorded his final career point, an assist, bringing his career point total to 2,857.
- 2007 – A series of bombings, two of them being suicides, occur in Baghdad, killing 198 and injuring 251.
- 2013 – A suicide bombing in a Baghdad cafe kills 27 people and injures another 65.
- 2018 – King Mswati III of Swaziland announces that his country’s name will change to Eswatini.
- 2019 – A redacted version of the Mueller Report is released to the United States Congress and the public.
- 2020 – Coronavirus Pandemic: Europe surpasses 100,000 COVID-19 deaths.
Births on April 18
- 359 – Gratian, Roman emperor (d. 383)
- 588 – K’an II, Mayan ruler (d. 658)
- 812 – Al-Wathiq, Abbasid caliph (d. 847)
- 1446 – Ippolita Maria Sforza, Italian noble (d. 1484)
- 1480 – Lucrezia Borgia, daughter of Pope Alexander VI
- 1503 – Henry II of Navarre, (d. 1555)
- 1534 – William Harrison, English clergyman (d. 1593)
- 1580 – Thomas Middleton, English Jacobean playwright and poet (d. 1627)
- 1590 – Ahmed I, Ottoman Emperor (d. 1617)
- 1605 – Giacomo Carissimi, Italian priest and composer (d. 1674)
- 1666 – Jean-Féry Rebel, French violinist and composer (d. 1747)
- 1740 – Sir Francis Baring, 1st Baronet, English banker and politician (d. 1810)
- 1759 – Jacques Widerkehr, French cellist and composer (d. 1823)
- 1771 – Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg (d. 1820)
- 1772 – David Ricardo, British economist and politician (d. 1823)
- 1794 – William Debenham, English founder of Debenhams (d. 1863)
- 1797 – Adolphe Thiers, French historian and politician, 2nd President of France (d. 1877)
- 1813 – James McCune Smith, African-American physician, apothecary, abolitionist, and author (d. 1865)
- 1819 – Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, Cuban lawyer and activist (d. 1874)
- 1819 – Franz von Suppé, Austrian composer and conductor (d. 1895)
- 1838 – Paul-Émile Lecoq de Boisbaudran, French chemist and academic (d. 1912)
- 1854 – Ludwig Levy, German architect (d. 1907)
- 1857 – Clarence Darrow, American lawyer (d. 1938)
- 1858 – Dhondo Keshav Karve, Indian educator and activist, Bharat Ratna Awardee (d. 1962)
- 1858 – Alexander Shirvanzade, Armenian playwright and author (d. 1935)
- 1863 – Count Leopold Berchtold, Austrian-Hungarian politician and diplomat, Joint Foreign Minister of Austria-Hungary (d. 1942)
- 1863 – Linton Hope, English sailor and architect (d. 1920)
- 1864 – Richard Harding Davis, American journalist and author (d. 1916)
- 1874 – Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić, Croatian author and poet (d. 1938)
- 1877 – Vicente Sotto, Filipino lawyer and politician (d. 1950)
- 1879 – Korneli Kekelidze, Georgian philologist and scholar (d. 1962)
- 1880 – Sam Crawford, American baseball player, coach, and umpire (d. 1968)
- 1882 – Isaac Babalola Akinyele, Nigerian ruler (d. 1964)
- 1882 – Leopold Stokowski, English conductor (d. 1977)
- 1884 – Jaan Anvelt, Estonian educator and politician (d. 1937)
- 1888 – Duffy Lewis, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 1979)
- 1889 – Jessie Street, Australian activist (d. 1970)
- 1892 – Eugene Houdry, French-American mechanical engineer and inventor (d. 1962)
- 1893 – Violette Morris, French shot putter and discus thrower (d. 1944)
- 1897 – Ardito Desio, Italian geologist and cartographer (d. 2001)
- 1897 – Per-Erik Hedlund, Swedish skier (d. 1975)
- 1898 – Patrick Hennessy, Irish soldier and businessman (d. 1981)
- 1900 – Bertha Isaacs, Bahamian teacher, tennis player, politician and women’s rights activist (d. 1997)
- 1901 – Al Lewis, American songwriter (d. 1967)
- 1901 – László Németh, Hungarian dentist, author, and playwright (d. 1975)
- 1902 – Waldemar Hammenhög, Swedish author (d. 1972)
- 1902 – Giuseppe Pella, Italian politician, 32nd Prime Minister of Italy (d. 1981)
- 1904 – Pigmeat Markham, African-American comedian, singer, and dancer (d. 1981)
- 1905 – Sydney Halter, Canadian lawyer and businessman (d. 1990)
- 1905 – George H. Hitchings, American physician and pharmacologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1998)
- 1907 – Miklós Rózsa, Hungarian-American composer and conductor (d. 1995)
- 1911 – Ilario Bandini, Italian businessman and racing driver (d. 1992)
- 1911 – Maurice Goldhaber, Ukrainian Jewish-American physicist and academic (d. 2011)
- 1914 – Claire Martin, Canadian author (d. 2014)
- 1915 – Joy Davidman, Polish-Ukrainian Jewish American poet and author (d. 1960)
- 1916 – Carl Burgos, American illustrator (d. 1984)
- 1916 – Doug Peden, Canadian basketball player (d. 2005)
- 1917 – Ty LaForest, Canadian-American baseball player (d. 1947)
- 1918 – Gabriel Axel, Danish-French actor, director, and producer (d. 2014)
- 1918 – André Bazin, French critic and theorist (d. 1958)
- 1918 – Shinobu Hashimoto, Japanese director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2018)
- 1918 – Clifton Hillegass, American publisher, founded CliffsNotes (d. 2001)
- 1918 – Tony Mottola, American guitarist and composer (d. 2004)
- 1919 – Virginia O’Brien, American actress and singer (d. 2001)
- 1919 – Esther Afua Ocloo, Ghanaian entrepreneur and pioneer of microlending (d. 2002)
- 1920 – John F. Wiley, American football player and coach (d. 2013)
- 1921 – Jean Richard, French actor and singer (d. 2001)
- 1922 – Barbara Hale, American actress (d. 2017)
- 1922 – Lord Kitchener, Trinidadian singer (d. 2000)
- 1923 – Alfred Bieler, Swiss ice hockey player (d. 2013)
- 1923 – Beryl Platt, Baroness Platt of Writtle, English engineer and politician (d. 2015)
- 1924 – Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2005)
- 1924 – Henry Hyde, American commander, lawyer, and politician (d. 2007)
- 1924 – Roy Mason, English miner and politician, Secretary of State for Defence (d. 2015)
- 1925 – Marcus Schmuck, Austrian mountaineer and author (d. 2005)
- 1926 – Doug Insole, English cricketer (d. 2017)
- 1927 – Samuel P. Huntington, American political scientist, author, and academic (d. 2008)
- 1927 – Tadeusz Mazowiecki, Polish journalist and politician, Prime Minister of Poland (d. 2013)
- 1927 – Charles Pasqua, French businessman and politician, French Minister of the Interior (d. 2015)
- 1928 – Karl Josef Becker, German cardinal and theologian (d. 2015)
- 1928 – Otto Piene, German sculptor and academic (d. 2014)
- 1929 – Peter Hordern, English soldier and politician
- 1930 – Clive Revill, New Zealand actor and singer
- 1931 – Bill Miles, American director and producer (d. 2013)
- 1934 – James Drury, American actor (d. 2020)
- 1934 – George Shirley, African-American tenor and educator
- 1935 – Brian Clay, Australian rugby league player (d. 1987)
- 1935 – Costas Ferris, Egyptian-Greek actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1936 – Roger Graef, American-English criminologist, director, and producer
- 1936 – Vladimir Hütt, Estonian physicist and philosopher (d. 1997)
- 1936 – “TV” Tommy Ivo, American actor and drag racer
- 1937 – Jan Kaplický, Czech architect, designed the Selfridges Building (d. 2009)
- 1937 – Tatyana Shchelkanova, Russian long jumper and heptathlete (d. 2011)
- 1937 – Teddy Taylor, Scottish journalist and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland
- 1939 – Glen Hardin, American pianist and arranger
- 1939 – Thomas J. Moyer, American lawyer and judge (d. 2010)
- 1940 – Joseph L. Goldstein, American biochemist and geneticist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1940 – Mike Vickers, English guitarist, saxophonist, and songwriter
- 1941 – Michael D. Higgins, Irish sociologist and politician, 9th President of Ireland
- 1942 – Michael Beloff, English lawyer and academic
- 1942 – Steve Blass, American baseball player and sportscaster
- 1942 – Robert Christgau, American journalist and critic
- 1942 – Jochen Rindt, German-Austrian racing driver (d. 1970)
- 1944 – Kathy Acker, American author and poet (d. 1997)
- 1944 – Frances D’Souza, Baroness D’Souza, English academic and politician
- 1944 – Robert Hanssen, American FBI agent and double agent
- 1944 – Philip Jackson, Scottish sculptor and photographer
- 1945 – Bernard Arcand, Canadian anthropologist and author (d. 2009)
- 1945 – Richard Bausch, American novelist and short story writer
- 1945 – Robert Bausch, American novelist and short story writer
- 1946 – Hayley Mills, English actress
- 1946 – Tommy Shannon, American bass guitarist
- 1947 – Moses Blah, Liberian general and politician, 23rd President of Liberia (d. 2013)
- 1947 – Dorothy Lyman, American actress
- 1947 – Cindy Pickett, American actress
- 1947 – Jerzy Stuhr, Polish actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1947 – James Woods, American actor and producer
- 1948 – Régis Wargnier, French director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1949 – Geoff Bodine, American race car driver
- 1950 – Paul Callery, Australian footballer
- 1950 – Tina Chow, American model and jewelry designer (d. 1992)
- 1950 – Kenny Ortega, American director, producer, and choreographer
- 1950 – Grigory Sokolov, Russian pianist and composer
- 1951 – Ricardo Fortaleza, Australian-Filipino boxer and coach
- 1951 – Pierre Pettigrew, Canadian businessman and politician, 5th Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs
- 1953 – Rick Moranis, Canadian-American actor, comedian, singer and screenwriter
- 1954 – Robert Greenberg, American pianist and composer
- 1956 – Chris Jones, English footballer
- 1956 – Eric Roberts, American actor
- 1957 – Ian Campbell, Australian jumper
- 1958 – Gabi Delgado-López, Spanish-German singer, co-founder of D.A.F.
- 1958 – Malcolm Marshall, Barbadian cricketer and coach (d. 1999)
- 1959 – Susan Faludi, American journalist and author
- 1959 – Frank Mulholland, Lord Mulholland, Scottish judge, former Solicitor General for Scotland and Lord Advocate
- 1960 – John Chiedozie, Nigerian international footballer
- 1960 – Yelena Zhupiyeva-Vyazova, Ukrainian runner
- 1961 – Kelly Hansen, American singer-songwriter
- 1961 – Jane Leeves, English actress and dancer
- 1961 – John Podhoretz, American journalist and author
- 1962 – Jeff Dunham, American comedian and ventriloquist
- 1962 – Nick Farr-Jones, Australian rugby player and sportscaster
- 1963 – Eric McCormack, Canadian-American actor and producer
- 1963 – Conan O’Brien, American actor, producer, screenwriter, and talk show host
- 1963 – Phil Simmons, Trinidadian cricketer
- 1963 – Peter Van Loan, Canadian lawyer and politician, 16th Canadian Minister of International Trade
- 1964 – Niall Ferguson, Scottish historian and academic
- 1964 – Rithy Panh, Cambodian director and screenwriter
- 1966 – Valeri Kamensky, Russian ice hockey player
- 1967 – Maria Bello, American actress and writer
- 1969 – Keith DeCandido, American author
- 1969 – Stefan Schwarz, Swedish footballer and manager
- 1969 – Robert Změlík, Czech decathlete
- 1970 – Rico Brogna, American baseball player and coach
- 1970 – Greg Eklund, American drummer and guitarist
- 1970 – Saad Hariri, Saudi Arabian-Lebanese businessman and politician, 33rd Prime Minister of Lebanon
- 1970 – François Leroux, Canadian ice hockey player and radio host
- 1970 – Tatiana Stefanidou, Greek journalist and talk show host
- 1971 – Oleg Petrov, Russian ice hockey player
- 1971 – Graham Rowntree, English rugby player
- 1971 – David Tennant, Scottish actor
- 1972 – Rosa Clemente, American journalist and activist
- 1972 – Eli Roth, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1972 – Michael Rutter, English motorcycle racer
- 1973 – Derrick Brooks, American football player
- 1973 – Brady Clark, American baseball player
- 1973 – Haile Gebrselassie, Ethiopian runner
- 1974 – Millie Corretjer, Puerto Rican-American actress and singer
- 1974 – Mark Tremonti, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1976 – Gavin Creel, American actor and singer
- 1976 – Melissa Joan Hart, American actress, director, and producer
- 1976 – Andrew Ilie, Romanian-Australian tennis player
- 1976 – Justin Ross, American politician
- 1976 – Staffan Strand, Swedish high jumper
- 1977 – Dan LaCouture, American ice hockey player
- 1977 – Cindy Taylor, Paraguayan model and actress
- 1979 – Michael Bradley, American basketball player and coach
- 1979 – Ethan Cohn, American actor
- 1979 – Matt Cooper, Australian rugby league player
- 1979 – Anthony Davidson, English racing driver
- 1979 – Kourtney Kardashian, American model and businesswoman
- 1980 – Rabiu Afolabi, Nigerian footballer and manager
- 1980 – Justin Levens, American mixed martial artist (d. 2008)
- 1981 – Brian Buscher, American baseball player
- 1981 – Milan Jovanović, Serbian footballer
- 1981 – Aldo Ramírez, Colombian footballer
- 1981 – Audrey Tang, Taiwanese computer scientist and academic
- 1982 – Ibrahim al-Asiri, Saudi Arabian terrorist
- 1982 – Greg Camarillo, American football player
- 1982 – Ricardo Colclough, Canadian-American football player
- 1982 – Simone Farina, Italian footballer
- 1982 – Scott Hartnell, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1982 – Blair Late, American singer-songwriter and journalist
- 1982 – Darren Sutherland, Irish boxer (d. 2009)
- 1982 – Marie-Élaine Thibert, Canadian singer
- 1983 – Miguel Cabrera, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1983 – Reeve Carney, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
- 1984 – Red Bryant, American football player
- 1984 – America Ferrera, American actress and producer
- 1985 – Łukasz Fabiański, Polish footballer
- 1986 – Billy Butler, American baseball player
- 1986 – Maurice Edu, American soccer player
- 1986 – Taylor Griffin, American basketball player
- 1986 – Conrad Logan, Irish footballer
- 1986 – Efraín Velarde, Mexican footballer
- 1987 – Brett Deledio, Australian footballer
- 1987 – Danny Guthrie, English footballer
- 1987 – Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, English model and actress
- 1987 – Samantha Jade, Australian singer-songwriter and actress
- 1987 – Ivan Tričkovski, Macedonian footballer
- 1988 – Andre Frolov, Estonian footballer
- 1988 – Alexander Hauck, South African-German rugby player
- 1989 – Jessica Jung, Korean American singer, songwriter, actress, and fashion designer
- 1990 – Henderson Álvarez, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1990 – Anna van der Breggen, Dutch cyclist
- 1990 – Jake Howells, English footballer
- 1990 – Wojciech Szczęsny, Polish footballer
- 1990 – Junior Torunarigha, Nigerian footballer
- 1993 – Matt Salisbury, English cricketer
- 1993 – Nathan Sykes, English singer-songwriter
- 1995 – Divock Origi, Belgian footballer
- 1996 – Mariah Bell, American figure skater
- 1996 – Ioana Ducu, Romanian tennis player
- 1997 – Matthias Blübaum, German chess grandmaster
- 1997 – Donny van de Beek, Dutch footballer
Deaths on April 18
- 727 – Agallianos Kontoskeles, Byzantine commander and rebel leader
- 850 – Perfectus, Spanish monk and martyr
- 909 – Dionysius II, Syriac Orthodox patriarch of Antioch
- 943 – Fujiwara no Atsutada, Japanese nobleman and poet (b. 906)
- 963 – Stephen Lekapenos, co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire
- 1161 – Theobald of Bec, French-English archbishop (b. 1090)
- 1176 – Galdino della Sala, Italian archdeacon and saint
- 1552 – John Leland, English poet and historian (b. 1502)
- 1555 – Polydore Vergil, English historian (b. 1470)
- 1556 – Luigi Alamanni, Italian poet and politician (b. 1495)
- 1567 – Wilhelm von Grumbach, German adventurer (b. 1503)
- 1587 – John Foxe, English historian and author (b. 1516)
- 1636 – Julius Caesar, English judge and politician (b. 1557)
- 1650 – Simonds d’Ewes, English lawyer and politician (b. 1602)
- 1674 – John Graunt, English demographer and statistician (b. 1620)
- 1689 – George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreys, Welsh judge and politician, Lord Chancellor of Great Britain (b. 1648)
- 1732 – Louis Feuillée, French astronomer, geographer, and botanist (b. 1660)
- 1742 – Arvid Horn, Swedish general and politician (b. 1664)
- 1763 – Marie-Josephte Corriveau, Canadian murderer (b. 1733)
- 1794 – Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden, English lawyer, judge, and politician, Lord Chancellor of Great Britain (b. 1714)
- 1796 – Johan Wilcke, Swedish physicist and academic (b. 1732)
- 1802 – Erasmus Darwin, English physician and botanist (b. 1731)
- 1832 – Jeanne-Elisabeth Chaudet, French painter (b. 1761)
- 1859 – Tatya Tope, Indian general (b. 1814)
- 1864 – Juris Alunāns, Latvian philologist and linguist (b. 1832)
- 1873 – Justus von Liebig, German chemist and academic (b. 1803)
- 1898 – Gustave Moreau, French painter and academic (b. 1826)
- 1906 – Luis Martín, Spanish religious leader, 24th Superior-General of the Society of Jesus (b. 1846)
- 1912 – Martha Ripley, American physician (b. 1843)
- 1917 – Vladimir Serbsky, Russian psychiatrist and academic (b. 1858)
- 1923 – Savina Petrilli, Italian religious leader (b. 1851)
- 1936 – Milton Brown, American singer and bandleader (b. 1903)
- 1936 – Ottorino Respighi, Italian composer and conductor (b. 1879)
- 1938 – George Bryant, American archer (b. 1878)
- 1942 – Aleksander Mitt, Estonian speed skater (b. 1903)
- 1942 – Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, American heiress, sculptor and art collector, founded the Whitney Museum of American Art (b. 1875)
- 1943 – Isoroku Yamamoto, Japanese admiral (b. 1884)
- 1945 – John Ambrose Fleming, English physicist and engineer, invented the vacuum tube (b. 1849)
- 1945 – Ernie Pyle, American journalist and soldier (b. 1900)
- 1947 – Jozef Tiso, Slovak priest and politician, President of Slovakia (b. 1887)
- 1951 – Óscar Carmona, Portuguese field marshal and politician, 11th President of Portugal (b. 1869)
- 1955 – Albert Einstein, German-American physicist, engineer, and academic (b. 1879)
- 1958 – Maurice Gamelin, Belgian-French general (b. 1872)
- 1959 – Irving Cummings, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1888)
- 1959 – Percy Smith, English footballer and manager (b. 1880)
- 1963 – Meyer Jacobstein, American academic and politician (b. 1880)
- 1964 – Ben Hecht, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1894)
- 1965 – Guillermo González Camarena, Mexican engineer (b. 1917)
- 1967 – Karl Miller, German footballer (b. 1913)
- 1974 – Marcel Pagnol, French author, playwright, and director (b. 1895)
- 1986 – Marcel Dassault, French businessman, founded Dassault Aviation (b. 1892)
- 1988 – Pierre Desproges, French journalist and actor (b. 1939)
- 1988 – Oktay Rıfat Horozcu, Turkish poet and playwright (b. 1914)
- 1995 – Arturo Frondizi, Argentinian lawyer and politician, 32nd President of Argentina (b. 1908)
- 1996 – Brook Berringer, American football player (b. 1973)
- 1996 – Bernard Edwards, American bass player and producer (b. 1952)
- 1997 – Edward Barker, English cartoonist (b. 1950)
- 1998 – Terry Sanford, American lieutenant and politician, 65th Governor of North Carolina (b. 1917)
- 2002 – Thor Heyerdahl, Norwegian ethnographer and explorer (b. 1914)
- 2002 – Wahoo McDaniel, American football player and wrestler (b. 1938)
- 2003 – Edgar F. Codd, English-American soldier, pilot, and computer scientist (b. 1923)
- 2004 – Kamisese Mara, Fijian politician, 2nd President of Fiji (b. 1920)
- 2005 – Sam Mills, American football player and coach (b. 1959)
- 2006 – Mercedes Palomino, Spanish-born Quebec actor and theatre director (b. 1913)
- 2007 – Iccho Itoh, Japanese politician (b. 1945)
- 2008 – Germaine Tillion, French ethnologist and anthropologist (b. 1907)
- 2012 – Dick Clark, American television host and producer, founded Dick Clark Productions (b. 1929)
- 2012 – René Lépine, Canadian businessman and philanthropist (b. 1929)
- 2012 – K. D. Wentworth, American author (b. 1951)
- 2013 – Cordell Mosson, American bass player (b. 1952)
- 2013 – Steuart Pringle, English general (b. 1928)
- 2013 – Goran Švob, Croatian philosopher and author (b. 1947)
- 2013 – Anne Williams, English activist (b. 1951)
- 2014 – Guru Dhanapal, Indian director and producer (b. 1959)
- 2014 – Sanford Jay Frank, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1954)
- 2014 – Eduard Kosolapov, Russian footballer (b. 1976)
- 2014 – David McClarty, Northern Irish politician (b. 1951)
- 2014 – Brian Priestman, English conductor and academic (b. 1927)
- 2014 – Dylan Tombides, Australian footballer (b. 1994)
- 2015 – Roger Lobo, Macanese-Hong Kong businessman and politician (b. 1923)
- 2015 – Erwin Waldner, German footballer (b. 1933)
- 2016 – Aleah Stanbridge, Swedish singer (b. 1977)
- 2017 – Vic Albury, Major League pitcher (b. 1947)
- 2018 – Bruno Sammartino, Italian professional wrestler (b. 1935)
- 2018 – Dale Winton, British television presenter (b. 1955)
- 2019 – Lorraine Warren, American paranormal investigator. (b. 1927)
Holidays and observances on April 18
- Christian feast day:
- Apollonius the Apologist
- Corebus
- Cyril VI of Constantinople (Eastern Orthodox Church)
- Eleutherius and Antia
- Galdino della Sala
- Molaise of Leighlin
- Perfectus
- Plato of Sakkoudion
- April 18 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Army Day (Iran)
- Coma Patients’ Day (Poland)
- Friend’s Day (Brazil)
- Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Zimbabwe from the United Kingdom in 1980.
- International Day For Monuments and Sites
- Invention Day (Japan)
- Victory over the Teutonic Knights in the Battle of the Ice (Russia)
-
April 17 in History
- 1080 – Harald III of Denmark dies and is succeeded by Canute IV, who would later be the first Dane to be canonized.
- 1349 – The rule of the Bavand dynasty in Mazandaran is brought to an end by the murder of Hasan II.
- 1362 – Kaunas Castle falls to the Teutonic Order after a month-long siege.
- 1492 – Spain and Christopher Columbus sign the Capitulations of Santa Fe for his voyage to Asia to acquire spices.
- 1521 – Trial of Martin Luther over his teachings begins during the assembly of the Diet of Worms. Initially intimidated, he asks for time to reflect before answering and is given a stay of one day.
- 1524 – Giovanni da Verrazzano reaches New York harbor.
- 1797 – Sir Ralph Abercromby attacks San Juan, Puerto Rico, in what would be one of the largest invasions of the Spanish territories in the Americas.
- 1797 – Citizens of Verona begin an unsuccessful eight-day rebellion against the French occupying forces.
- 1861 – The state of Virginia’s secession convention votes to secede from the United States, later becoming the eighth state to join the Confederate States of America.
- 1863 – American Civil War: Grierson’s Raid begins: Troops under Union Army Colonel Benjamin Grierson attack central Mississippi.
- 1864 – American Civil War: The Battle of Plymouth begins: Confederate forces attack Plymouth, North Carolina.
- 1869 – Morelos is admitted as the 27th state of Mexico.
- 1876 – Catalpa rescue: The rescue of six Fenian prisoners from Fremantle Prison in Western Australia.
- 1895 – The Treaty of Shimonoseki between China and Japan is signed. This marks the end of the First Sino-Japanese War, and the defeated Qing Empire is forced to renounce its claims on Korea and to concede the southern portion of the Fengtien province, Taiwan and the Pescadores Islands to Japan.
- 1905 – The Supreme Court of the United States decides Lochner v. New York, which holds that the “right to free contract” is implicit in the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
- 1907 – The Ellis Island immigration center processes 11,747 people, more than on any other day.
- 1912 – Russian troops open fire on striking goldfield workers in northeast Siberia, killing at least 150.
- 1941 – World War II: The Kingdom of Yugoslavia surrenders to Germany.
- 1942 – French prisoner of war General Henri Giraud escapes from his castle prison in Königstein Fortress.
- 1944 – Forces of the Communist-controlled Greek People’s Liberation Army attack the smaller National and Social Liberation resistance group, which surrenders. Its leader Dimitrios Psarros is murdered.
- 1945 – World War II: Montese, Italy, is liberated from Nazi forces.
- 1946 – The last French troops are withdrawn from Syria.
- 1951 – The Peak District becomes the United Kingdom’s first National Park.
- 1961 – Bay of Pigs Invasion: A group of Cuban exiles financed and trained by the CIA lands at the Bay of Pigs in Cuba with the aim of ousting Fidel Castro.
- 1969 – Sirhan Sirhan is convicted of assassinating Robert F. Kennedy.
- 1969 – Communist Party of Czechoslovakia chairman Alexander Dubček is deposed.
- 1970 – Apollo program: The ill-fated Apollo 13 spacecraft returns to Earth safely.
- 1971 – The Provisional Government of Bangladesh is formed.
- 1975 – The Cambodian Civil War ends. The Khmer Rouge captures the capital Phnom Penh and Cambodian government forces surrender.
- 1978 – Mir Akbar Khyber is assassinated, provoking a communist coup d’état in Afghanistan.
- 1982 – Constitution Act, 1982 Patriation of the Canadian constitution in Ottawa by Proclamation of Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada.
- 1992 – The Katina P is deliberately run aground off of Maputo, Mozambique and 60,000 tons of crude oil spill into the ocean.
- 2006 – A Palestinian suicide bomber detonates an explosive device in a Tel Aviv restaurant, killing 11 people and injuring 70.
- 2013 – An explosion at a fertilizer plant in the city of West, Texas, kills 15 people and injures 160 others.
- 2014 – NASA’s Kepler space telescope confirms the discovery of the first Earth-size planet in the habitable zone of another star.
Births on April 17
- 44 – Pope Evaristus (d. 107)
- 1277 – Michael IX Palaiologos, Byzantine emperor (d. 1320)
- 1455 – Andrea Gritti, Doge of Venice (d. 1538)
- 1497 – Pedro de Valdivia, Spanish conquistador, conquered northern Chile (d. 1553)
- 1573 – Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria (d. 1651)
- 1586 – John Ford, English poet and playwright (d. 1639)
- 1598 – Giovanni Battista Riccioli, Italian priest and astronomer (d. 1671)
- 1620 – Marguerite Bourgeoys, French-Canadian nun and saint, founded the Congregation of Notre Dame of Montreal (d. 1700)
- 1635 – Edward Stillingfleet, British theologian and scholar (d. 1699)
- 1676 – Frederick I of Sweden (d. 1751)
- 1683 – Johann David Heinichen, German composer and theorist (d. 1729)
- 1710 – Henry Erskine, 10th Earl of Buchan, Scottish politician (d. 1767)
- 1734 – Taksin, King of Thailand (d. 1782)
- 1741 – Samuel Chase, American lawyer and jurist (d. 1811)
- 1750 – François de Neufchâteau, French academic and politician, French Minister of the Interior (d. 1828)
- 1756 – Dheeran Chinnamalai, Indian commander (d. 1805)
- 1766 – Collin McKinney, American surveyor, merchant, and politician (d. 1861)
- 1794 – Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius, German botanist and explorer (d. 1868)
- 1798 – Étienne Bobillier, French mathematician and academic (d. 1840)
- 1814 – Josif Pančić, Serbian botanist and academic (d. 1888)
- 1816 – Thomas Hazlehurst, English architect and philanthropist (d. 1876)
- 1820 – Alexander Cartwright, American firefighter and inventor of baseball (d. 1892)
- 1833 – Jean-Baptiste Accolay, Belgian violinist, composer, and conductor (d. 1900)
- 1837 – J. P. Morgan, American banker and financier, founded J.P. Morgan & Co. (d. 1913)
- 1842 – Maurice Rouvier, French businessman and politician, 53rd Prime Minister of France (d. 1911)
- 1849 – William R. Day, American jurist and politician, 36th United States Secretary of State (d. 1923)
- 1852 – Cap Anson, American baseball player and manager (d. 1922)
- 1863 – Augustus Edward Hough Love, English mathematician and theorist (d. 1940)
- 1865 – Ursula Ledóchowska, Polish-Austrian nun and saint, founded the Congregation of the Ursulines of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus (d. 1939)
- 1866 – Ernest Starling, English physiologist and academic (d. 1927)
- 1875 – Aleksander Tõnisson, Estonian general and politician, 5th Estonian Minister of War (d. 1941)
- 1877 – Matsudaira Tsuneo, Japanese diplomat (d. 1949)
- 1878 – Emil Fuchs, German-American lawyer and businessman (d. 1961)
- 1878 – Demetrios Petrokokkinos, Greek tennis player (d. 1942)
- 1879 – Henri Tauzin, French hurdler (d. 1918)
- 1882 – Artur Schnabel, Jewish-Polish pianist and composer (d. 1951)
- 1888 – Herms Niel, German soldier, trombonist, and composer (d. 1954)
- 1891 – George Adamski, Polish-American ufologist and author (d. 1965)
- 1895 – Robert Dean Frisbie, American soldier and author (d. 1948)
- 1896 – Señor Wences, Spanish-American ventriloquist (d. 1999)
- 1897 – Nisargadatta Maharaj, Indian philosopher and educator (d. 1981)
- 1897 – Thornton Wilder, American novelist and playwright (d. 1975)
- 1897 – Edouard Wyss-Dunant, Swiss physician and mountaineer (d. 1983)
- 1899 – Aleksander Klumberg, Estonian decathlete and coach (d. 1958)
- 1903 – Nicolas Nabokov, Russian-American composer and educator (d. 1978)
- 1903 – Gregor Piatigorsky, Ukrainian-American cellist and educator (d. 1976)
- 1903 – Morgan Taylor, American hurdler and coach (d. 1975)
- 1905 – Louis Jean Heydt, American journalist and actor (d. 1960)
- 1905 – Arthur Lake, American actor (d. 1987)
- 1906 – Sidney Garfield, American physician, co-founded Kaiser Permanente (d. 1984)
- 1909 – Alain Poher, French politician, President of France (d. 1996)
- 1910 – Evangelos Averoff, Greek historian and politician, Greek Minister of Defence (d. 1990)
- 1910 – Ivan Goff, Australian screenwriter and producer (d. 1999)
- 1910 – Helenio Herrera, French footballer and manager (d. 1997)
- 1911 – Hervé Bazin, French author and poet (d. 1996)
- 1911 – Lester Rodney, American soldier and journalist (d. 2009)
- 1912 – Marta Eggerth, Jewish-Hungarian-American actress and singer (d. 2013)
- 1914 – George Davis, American art director (d. 1984)
- 1914 – Mac Raboy, American illustrator (d. 1967)
- 1915 – Martin Clemens, Scottish soldier (d. 2009)
- 1915 – Joe Foss, American general and politician, 20th Governor of South Dakota (d. 2003)
- 1915 – Regina Ghazaryan, Armenian painter (d. 1999)
- 1916 – Win Maung, 3rd President of Union of Myanmar (d. 1989)
- 1916 – A. Thiagarajah, Sri Lankan educator and politician (d. 1981)
- 1916 – Sirimavo Bandaranaike, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, world’s first female prime minister (d. 2000)
- 1918 – William Holden, American actor (d. 1981)
- 1919 – Gilles Lamontagne, Canadian lieutenant and politician, 24th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (d. 2016)
- 1919 – Chavela Vargas, Costa Rican-Mexican singer-songwriter and actress (d. 2012)
- 1920 – Edmonde Charles-Roux, French journalist and author (d. 2016)
- 1923 – Lindsay Anderson, English actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1994)
- 1923 – Solly Hemus, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 2017)
- 1923 – Neville McNamara, Australian air marshal (d. 2014)
- 1923 – Gianni Raimondi, Italian lyric tenor (d. 2008)
- 1923 – Harry Reasoner, American soldier and journalist (d. 1991)
- 1924 – Kenneth Norman Jones, Australian public servant
- 1924 – Donald Richie, American-Japanese author and critic (d. 2013)
- 1925 – René Moawad, Lebanese lawyer and politician, 13th President of Lebanon (d. 1989)
- 1926 – Joan Lorring, British actress (d. 2014)
- 1926 – Gerry McNeil, Canadian ice hockey player and manager (d. 2004)
- 1927 – Margot Honecker, East German politician and First Lady (d. 2016)
- 1928 – Victor Lownes, American businessman (d. 2017)
- 1928 – Cynthia Ozick, American short story writer, novelist, and essayist
- 1928 – Heinz Putzl, Austrian fencer
- 1928 – Fabien Roy, Canadian accountant and politician
- 1929 – James Last, German-American bassist, composer, and bandleader (d. 2015)
- 1930 – Chris Barber, English trombonist and bandleader
- 1931 – John Barrett, English tennis player and sportscaster
- 1931 – Malcolm Browne, American journalist and photographer (d. 2012)
- 1934 – Don Kirshner, American songwriter and producer (d. 2011)
- 1934 – Peter Morris, Australian-English surgeon and academic
- 1935 – Bud Paxson, American broadcaster, founded Home Shopping Network and Pax TV (d. 2015)
- 1937 – Ronald Hamowy, Canadian historian and academic (d. 2012)
- 1937 – Ferdinand Piëch, Austrian-German engineer and businessman (d. 2019)
- 1938 – Ben Barnes, American businessman and politician, 36th Lieutenant Governor of Texas
- 1938 – Doug Lewis, Canadian lawyer and politician, 41st Canadian Minister of Justice
- 1938 – Ronald H. Miller, American theologian, author, and academic (d. 2011)
- 1938 – Kerry Wendell Thornley, American theorist and author (d. 1988)
- 1939 – Robert Miller, American art dealer (d. 2011)
- 1940 – Eric Dancer, English businessman and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Devon
- 1940 – Billy Fury, English singer-songwriter (d. 1983)
- 1940 – John McCririck, English journalist (d. 2019)
- 1940 – Chuck Menville, American animator and screenwriter (d. 1992)
- 1940 – Anja Silja, German soprano and actress
- 1940 – Agostino Vallini, Italian cardinal and vicar general of Rome
- 1941 – Lagle Parek, Estonian architect and politician, Estonian Minister of the Interior
- 1942 – Buster Williams, American jazz bassist
- 1943 – Richard Allen Epstein, American lawyer, author, and academic
- 1946 – Clare Francis, English sailor and author
- 1947 – Nigel Emslie, Lord Emslie, Scottish lawyer and judge
- 1947 – Richard Field, English lawyer and judge
- 1947 – Sherrie Levine, American photographer
- 1947 – Tsutomu Wakamatsu, Japanese baseball player, coach, and manager
- 1948 – Jan Hammer, Czech pianist, composer, and producer
- 1948 – Alice Harden, American educator and politician (d. 2012)
- 1948 – Pekka Vasala, Finnish runner
- 1951 – Olivia Hussey, Argentinian-English actress
- 1951 – Börje Salming, Swedish ice hockey player and businessman
- 1952 – Joe Alaskey, American voice actor (d. 2016)
- 1952 – Pierre Guité, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1952 – John McColl, English general and politician, Lieutenant Governor of Jersey
- 1952 – Željko Ražnatović, Serbian commander (d. 2000)
- 1952 – John Robertson, Scottish businessman and politician
- 1954 – Riccardo Patrese, Italian race car driver
- 1954 – Roddy Piper, Canadian professional wrestler and actor (d. 2015)
- 1954 – Michael Sembello, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1955 – Todd Lickliter, American basketball player and coach
- 1955 – Pete Shelley, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2018)
- 1955 – Mike Stroud, English physician and explorer
- 1956 – Colin Tyre, Lord Tyre, Scottish lawyer and judge
- 1957 – Teri Austin, Canadian actress
- 1957 – Afrika Bambaataa, American disc jockey
- 1957 – Nick Hornby, English novelist, essayist, lyricist, and screenwriter
- 1957 – Julia Macur, English lawyer and judge
- 1957 – Frank McDonough, British historian
- 1958 – Laslo Babits, Canadian javelin thrower (d. 2013)
- 1959 – Sean Bean, English actor
- 1959 – Jimmy Mann, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1959 – Li Meisu, Chinese shot putter
- 1960 – Vladimir Polyakov, Russian pole vaulter
- 1961 – Frank J. Christensen, American labor union leader
- 1961 – Norman Cowans, Jamaican-English cricketer
- 1961 – Boomer Esiason, American football player and sportscaster
- 1961 – Bella Freud, English fashion designer
- 1962 – Paul Nicholls, English jockey and trainer
- 1964 – Ken Daneyko, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
- 1964 – Maynard James Keenan, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1964 – Rachel Notley, Canadian politician
- 1964 – Lela Rochon, American actress
- 1966 – Vikram, Indian actor and singer
- 1967 – Kimberly Elise, American actress
- 1967 – Marquis Grissom, American baseball player and coach
- 1967 – Ian Jones, New Zealand rugby player
- 1967 – Barnaby Joyce, Australian politician, 17th Deputy Prime Minister of Australia
- 1967 – Liz Phair, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1968 – Julie Fagerholt, Danish fashion designer
- 1968 – Phil Henderson, American basketball player and coach (d. 2013)
- 1968 – Eric Lamaze, Canadian jockey
- 1968 – Roger Twose, New Zealand cricketer
- 1968 – Richie Woodhall, English boxer and trainer
- 1970 – Redman, American rapper, producer, and actor
- 1971 – Claire Sweeney, English actress
- 1972 – Gary Bennett, American baseball player
- 1972 – Tony Boselli, American football player and sportscaster
- 1972 – Jennifer Garner, American actress
- 1972 – Muttiah Muralitharan, Sri Lankan cricketer
- 1972 – Yuichi Nishimura, Japanese footballer and referee
- 1972 – Terran Sandwith, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1973 – Katrin Koov, Estonian architect
- 1973 – Brett Maher, Australian basketball player and sportscaster
- 1973 – Theo Ratliff, American basketball player
- 1974 – Mikael Åkerfeldt, Swedish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1974 – Victoria Beckham, English singer and fashion designer
- 1975 – Heidi Alexander, English politician
- 1975 – Travis Roy, American ice hockey player
- 1976 – Maurice Wignall, Jamaican hurdler and long jumper
- 1977 – Chad Hedrick, American speed skater
- 1977 – Frederik Magle, Danish composer, organist, and pianist
- 1978 – Monika Bergmann-Schmuderer, German skier
- 1978 – Lindsay Hartley, American actress
- 1978 – Jason White, Scottish rugby player
- 1979 – Eric Brewer, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1979 – Marija Šestak, Serbian-Slovenian triple jumper
- 1980 – Fabián Vargas, Colombian footballer
- 1980 – Curtis Woodhouse, English footballer, boxer, and manager
- 1981 – Jenny Meadows, English runner
- 1981 – Hanna Pakarinen, Finnish singer-songwriter
- 1981 – Ryan Raburn, American baseball player
- 1981 – Chris Thompson, English runner
- 1981 – Zhang Yaokun, Chinese footballer
- 1982 – Brad Boyes, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1982 – Chuck Kobasew, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1983 – Stanislav Chistov, Russian ice hockey player
- 1983 – Roberto Jiménez, Peruvian footballer
- 1983 – Andrea Marcato, Italian rugby player
- 1984 – Pablo Sebastián Álvarez, Argentinian footballer
- 1984 – Jed Lowrie, American baseball player
- 1984 – Raffaele Palladino, Italian footballer
- 1985 – Rooney Mara, American actress
- 1985 – Luke Mitchell, Australian actor and model
- 1985 – Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, French tennis player
- 1986 – Romain Grosjean, French race car driver
- 1988 – Takahiro Moriuchi, Japanese singer-songwriter
- 1989 – Paraskevi Papachristou, Greek triple jumper
- 1989 – Avi Kaplan, singer and songwriter
- 1990 – Jonathan Brown, Welsh footballer
- 1992 – Lachlan Maranta, Australian rugby league footballer
- 1994 – Alanna Goldie, Canadian fencer
- 1996 – Lorna Fitzgerald, British actress
Deaths on April 17
- 485 – Proclus, Greek mathematician and philosopher (b. 412)
- 617 – Donnán of Eigg, Irish priest and saint
- 648 – Xiao, empress of the Sui Dynasty
- 744 – Al-Walid II, Umayyad caliph (b. 706)
- 818 – Bernard of Italy, Frankish king (b. 797)
- 858 – Benedict III, pope of the Catholic Church
- 1071 – Manuel Komnenos, Byzantine military commander (b. c. 1045)
- 1080 – Harald III of Denmark (b. 1041)
- 1111 – Robert of Molesme, Christian saint and abbot (b. 1027)
- 1298 – Árni Þorláksson, Icelandic bishop (b. 1237)
- 1321 – Infanta Branca of Portugal, daughter of King Afonso III of Portugal (b. 1259)
- 1331 – Robert de Vere, 6th Earl of Oxford, English nobleman (b. 1257)
- 1344 – Constantine II, King of Armenia
- 1355 – Marin Falier, Doge of Venice (b. 1285)
- 1427 – John IV, Duke of Brabant (b. 1403)
- 1539 – George, Duke of Saxony (b. 1471)
- 1574 – Joachim Camerarius, German scholar and translator (b. 1500)
- 1669 – Antonio Bertali, Italian violinist and composer (b. 1605)
- 1680 – Kateri Tekakwitha, Mohawk-born Native American saint (b. 1656)
- 1695 – Juana Inés de la Cruz, Mexican poet and scholar (b. 1651)
- 1696 – Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, marquise de Sévigné, French author (b. 1626)
- 1711 – Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1678)
- 1713 – David Hollatz, Polish pastor and theologian (b. 1648)
- 1764 – Johann Mattheson, German lexicographer and composer (b. 1681)
- 1790 – Benjamin Franklin, American inventor, publisher, and politician, 6th President of Pennsylvania (b. 1706)
- 1799 – Richard Jupp, English surveyor and architect (b. 1728)
- 1840 – Hannah Webster Foster, American journalist and author (b. 1758)
- 1843 – Samuel Morey, American engineer (b. 1762)
- 1882 – George Jennings, English engineer and plumber, invented the Flush toilet (b. 1810)
- 1888 – E. G. Squier, American archaeologist and journalist (b. 1821)
- 1892 – Alexander Mackenzie, Scottish-Canadian journalist and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1822)
- 1921 – Manwel Dimech, Maltese journalist, author, and philosopher (b. 1860)
- 1923 – Laurence Ginnell, Irish lawyer and politician (b. 1852)
- 1930 – Alexander Golovin, Russian painter and stage designer (b. 1863)
- 1933 – Kote Marjanishvili, Georgian director and playwright (b. 1872)
- 1936 – Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck, Dutch lawyer and politician, 28th Prime Minister of the Netherlands (b. 1873)
- 1942 – Jean Baptiste Perrin, French-American physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1870)
- 1944 – J. T. Hearne, English cricketer and coach (b. 1867)
- 1944 – Dimitrios Psarros, Greek lieutenant, founded the National and Social Liberation (b. 1893)
- 1946 – Juan Bautista Sacasa, Nicaraguan medical doctor, politician and 20th President of Nicaragua (b. 1874)
- 1948 – Suzuki Kantarō, Japanese admiral and politician, 42nd Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1868)
- 1954 – Lucrețiu Pătrășcanu, Romanian lawyer and politician, Romanian Minister of Justice (b. 1900)
- 1960 – Eddie Cochran, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1938)
- 1961 – Elda Anderson, American physicist and health researcher (b. 1899)
- 1967 – Red Allen, American singer and trumpet player (b. 1908)
- 1975 – Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Indian philosopher and politician, 2nd President of India (b. 1888)
- 1976 – Henrik Dam, Danish biochemist and physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1895)
- 1977 – William Conway, Irish cardinal (b. 1913)
- 1983 – Felix Pappalardi, American singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer (b. 1939)
- 1984 – Claude Provost, Canadian-American ice hockey player (b. 1933)
- 1987 – Cecil Harmsworth King, English publisher (b. 1901)
- 1987 – Dick Shawn, American actor (b. 1923)
- 1988 – Louise Nevelson, Ukrainian-American sculptor and educator (b. 1900)
- 1990 – Ralph Abernathy, American minister and activist (b. 1936)
- 1993 – Turgut Özal, Turkish engineer and politician, 8th president of Turkey (b. 1927)
- 1994 – Roger Wolcott Sperry, American psychologist and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1913)
- 1995 – Frank E. Resnik, American sergeant and businessman (b. 1928)
- 1996 – Piet Hein, Danish poet and mathematician (b. 1905)
- 1997 – Chaim Herzog, Israeli general, lawyer, and politician, 6th President of Israel (b. 1918)
- 1998 – Linda McCartney, American photographer, activist, and musician (b. 1941)
- 2003 – Robert Atkins, American physician and cardiologist, created the Atkins diet (b. 1930)
- 2003 – H. B. Bailey, American race car driver (b. 1936)
- 2003 – John Paul Getty, Jr., American-English philanthropist (b. 1932)
- 2003 – Earl King, American blues singer, guitarist and songwriter (b. 1934)
- 2003 – Yiannis Latsis, Greek businessman (b. 1910)
- 2004 – Edmond Pidoux, Swiss author and poet (b. 1908)
- 2006 – Jean Bernard, French physician and haematologist (b. 1907)
- 2006 – Scott Brazil, American director and producer (b. 1955)
- 2006 – Henderson Forsythe, American actor (b. 1917)
- 2007 – Kitty Carlisle, American actress, singer, socialite and game show panelist (b. 1910)
- 2008 – Aimé Césaire, Caribbean-French poet and politician (b. 1913)
- 2008 – Danny Federici, American organist and accordion player (b. 1950)
- 2011 – Eric Gross, Austrian-Australian pianist and composer (b. 1926)
- 2011 – Michael Sarrazin, Canadian actor (b. 1940)
- 2011 – Robert Vickrey, American artist and author (b. 1926)
- 2012 – Leila Berg, English journalist and author (b. 1917)
- 2012 – J. Quinn Brisben, American educator and politician (b. 1934)
- 2012 – Dimitris Mitropanos, Greek singer (b. 1948)
- 2012 – Nityananda Mohapatra, Indian journalist, poet, and politician (b. 1912)
- 2012 – Jonathan V. Plaut, American rabbi and author (b. 1942)
- 2012 – Stanley Rogers Resor, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 9th United States Secretary of the Army (b. 1917)
- 2013 – Carlos Graça, São Toméan politician, Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe (b. 1931)
- 2013 – Bi Kidude, Tanzanian Taarab singer (b. ≈1910)
- 2013 – Yngve Moe, Norwegian bass player and songwriter (b. 1957)
- 2013 – V. S. Ramadevi, Indian politician, 13th Governor of Karnataka (b. 1934)
- 2014 – Gabriel García Márquez, Colombian journalist and author, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1927)
- 2014 – Bernat Klein, Serbian-Scottish fashion designer and painter (b. 1922)
- 2014 – Wojciech Leśnikowski, Polish–American architect and academic (b. 1938)
- 2014 – Karpal Singh, Malaysian lawyer and politician (b. 1940)
- 2015 – Robert P. Griffin, American soldier, lawyer, and politician (b. 1923)
- 2015 – Scotty Probasco, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1928)
- 2015 – Jeremiah J. Rodell, American general (b. 1921)
- 2015 – A. Alfred Taubman, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1924)
- 2016 – Chyna, American wrestler (b. 1969)
- 2016 – Doris Roberts, American actress (b. 1925)
- 2018 – Barbara Bush, former First Lady of the United States (b. 1925)
- 2018 – Carl Kasell, American radio personality (b. 1934)
- 2019 – Alan García, Peruvian lawyer and politician, 61st and 64th President of Peru (b. 1949)
Holidays and observances on April 17
- Christian feast day:
- Kateri Tekakwitha (Canada)
- Stephen Harding
- April 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Earliest day on which Store Bededag or General Prayer Day can fall, while May 13 is the latest; observed on the 4th Friday after Easter. (Denmark)
- Evacuation Day (Syria), celebrates the recognition of the independence of Syria from France in 1946.
- FAO Day (Iraq)
- Flag Day (American Samoa)
- Malbec World Day
- Women’s Day (Gabon)
- World Hemophilia Day
-
April 15 in History
- 769 – The Lateran Council condemned the Council of Hieria and anathematized its iconoclastic rulings.
- 1071 – Bari, the last Byzantine possession in southern Italy, is surrendered to Robert Guiscard.
- 1395 – Timur defeats Tokhtamysh of the Golden Horde at the Battle of the Terek River. The Golden Horde capital city, Sarai, is razed to the ground and Timur installs a puppet ruler on the throne.
- 1450 – Battle of Formigny: Toward the end of the Hundred Years’ War, the French attack and nearly annihilate English forces, ending English domination in Northern France.
- 1632 – Battle of Rain: Swedes under Gustavus Adolphus defeat the Holy Roman Empire during the Thirty Years’ War.
- 1642 – Irish Confederate Wars: A Confederate Irish militia is routed in the Battle of Kilrush when it attempts to halt the progress of a Royalist Army.
- 1715 – The Pocotaligo Massacre triggers the start of the Yamasee War in colonial South Carolina.
- 1736 – Foundation of the Kingdom of Corsica.
- 1738 – Serse, an Italian opera by George Frideric Handel receives its premiere performance in London, England.
- 1755 – Samuel Johnson’s A Dictionary of the English Language is published in London.
- 1783 – Preliminary articles of peace ending the American Revolutionary War (or American War of Independence) are ratified.
- 1817 – Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc founded the American School for the Deaf, the first American school for deaf students, in Hartford, Connecticut.
- 1861 – President Abraham Lincoln calls for 75,000 Volunteers to quell the insurrection that soon became the American Civil War.
- 1865 – President Abraham Lincoln dies after being shot the previous evening by actor John Wilkes Booth. Vice President Andrew Johnson becomes President upon Lincoln’s death.
- 1892 – The General Electric Company is formed.
- 1896 – Closing ceremony of the Games of the I Olympiad in Athens, Greece.
- 1900 – Philippine–American War: Filipino guerrillas launch a surprise attack on U.S. infantry and begin a four-day siege of Catubig, Philippines.
- 1907 – Triangle Fraternity is founded at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.
- 1912 – The British passenger liner RMS Titanic sinks in the North Atlantic at 2:20 a.m., two hours and forty minutes after hitting an iceberg. Only 710 of 2,227 passengers and crew on board survive.
- 1920 – Two security guards are murdered during a robbery in South Braintree, Massachusetts. Anarchists Sacco and Vanzetti would be convicted of and executed for the crime, amid much controversy.
- 1922 – U.S. Senator John B. Kendrick of Wyoming introduces a resolution calling for an investigation of a secret land deal, which leads to the discovery of the Teapot Dome scandal.
- 1923 – Insulin becomes generally available for use by people with diabetes.
- 1924 – Rand McNally publishes its first road atlas.
- 1936 – First day of the Arab revolt in Mandatory Palestine.
- 1941 – In the Belfast Blitz, two-hundred bombers of the German Luftwaffe attack Belfast, killing around one thousand people.
- 1942 – The George Cross is awarded “to the island fortress of Malta” by King George VI.
- 1945 – Bergen-Belsen concentration camp is liberated.
- 1947 – Jackie Robinson debuts for the Brooklyn Dodgers, breaking baseball’s color line.
- 1952 – First flight of the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress.
- 1955 – McDonald’s restaurant dates its founding to the opening of a franchised restaurant by Ray Kroc, in Des Plaines, Illinois.
- 1960 – At Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina, Ella Baker leads a conference that results in the creation of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, one of the principal organizations of the civil rights movement in the 1960s.
- 1969 – The EC-121 shootdown incident: North Korea shoots down a United States Navy aircraft over the Sea of Japan, killing all 31 onboard.
- 1970 – During the Cambodian Civil War, massacre of the Vietnamese minority results in 800 bodies flowing down the Mekong river into South Vietnam.
- 1986 – The United States launches Operation El Dorado Canyon, its bombing raids against Libyan targets in response to a discotheque bombing in West Germany that killed two U.S. servicemen.
- 1989 – Hillsborough disaster: A human crush occurs at Hillsborough Stadium, home of Sheffield Wednesday, in the FA Cup Semi-final, resulting in the deaths of 96 Liverpool fans.
- 1989 – Upon Hu Yaobang’s death, the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 begin in China.
- 1994 – Marrakesh Agreement relating to foundation of World Trade Organization is adopted.
- 2013 – Two bombs explode near the finish line at the Boston Marathon in Boston, Massachusetts, killing three people and injuring 264 others.
- 2013 – A wave of bombings across Iraq kills at least 75 people.
- 2014 – In the worst massacre of the South Sudanese Civil War, at least 200 civilians were gunned down after seeking refuge in houses of worship as well as hospitals.
- 2019 – The cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris in France is seriously damaged by a large fire.
Births on April 15
- 68 BC – Gaius Maecenas, Roman politician (d. 8 BC)
- 1282 – Frederick IV, Duke of Lorraine (d. 1329)
- 1367 – Henry IV of England (d. 1413)
- 1442 – John Paston, English noble (d. 1479)
- 1452 – Leonardo da Vinci, Italian painter, sculptor, and architect (d. 1519)
- 1469 – Guru Nanak, the first Sikh guru (d. 1539)
- 1552 – Pietro Cataldi, Italian mathematician and astronomer (d. 1626)
- 1563 – Guru Arjan Dev, fifth Sikh leader (d. 1606)
- 1588 – Claudius Salmasius, French author and scholar (d. 1653)
- 1592 – Francesco Maria Brancaccio, Catholic cardinal (d. 1675)
- 1641 – Robert Sibbald, Scottish physician and geographer (d. 1722)
- 1642 – Suleiman II, Ottoman sultan (d. 1691)
- 1646 – Christian V of Denmark (d. 1699)
- 1684 – Catherine I of Russia (d. 1727)
- 1688 – Johann Friedrich Fasch, German violinist and composer (d. 1758)
- 1707 – Leonhard Euler, Swiss mathematician and physicist (d. 1783)
- 1710 – William Cullen, Scottish physician and chemist (d. 1790)
- 1741 – Charles Willson Peale, American painter and soldier (d. 1827)
- 1771 – Nicolas Chopin, French-Polish educator (d. 1844)
- 1772 – Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, French biologist and zoologist (d. 1844)
- 1793 – Friedrich Georg Wilhelm von Struve, German astronomer and academic (d. 1864)
- 1795 – Maria Schicklgruber, mother of Alois Hitler and the paternal grandmother of Adolf Hitler (d.1847)
- 1800 – James Clark Ross, English captain and explorer (d. 1862)
- 1808 – William Champ, English-Australian politician, 1st Premier of Tasmania (d. 1892)
- 1809 – Hermann Grassmann, German linguist and mathematician (d. 1877)
- 1817 – William Crowther, Dutch-Australian politician, 14th Premier of Tasmania (d. 1885)
- 1828 – Jean Danjou, French captain (d. 1863)
- 1832 – Wilhelm Busch, German poet, painter, and illustrator (d. 1908)
- 1841 – Mary Grant Roberts, Australian zoo owner (d. 1921)
- 1841 – Joseph E. Seagram, Canadian businessman and politician, founded the Seagram Company Ltd (d. 1919)
- 1843 – Henry James, American novelist, short story writer, and critic (d. 1916)
- 1856 – Jean Moréas, Greek poet and critic (d. 1910)
- 1858 – Émile Durkheim, French sociologist, psychologist, and philosopher (d. 1917)
- 1861 – Bliss Carman, Canadian-British poet and playwright (d. 1929)
- 1863 – Ida Freund, Austrian-born chemist and educator (d. 1914)
- 1874 – George Harrison Shull, American botanist and geneticist (d. 1954)
- 1874 – Johannes Stark, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1957)
- 1875 – James J. Jeffries, American boxer and promoter (d. 1953)
- 1877 – Georg Kolbe, German sculptor (d. 1947)
- 1878 – Robert Walser, Swiss author and playwright (d. 1956)
- 1879 – Melville Henry Cane, American lawyer and poet (d. 1980)
- 1883 – Stanley Bruce, Australian captain and politician, 8th Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1967)
- 1885 – Tadeusz Kutrzeba, Polish general (d. 1947)
- 1886 – Nikolay Gumilyov, Russian poet and critic (d. 1921)
- 1887 – William Forgan Smith, Scottish-Australian politician, 24th Premier of Queensland (d. 1953)
- 1888 – Maximilian Kronberger, German poet and author (d. 1904)
- 1889 – Thomas Hart Benton, American painter and educator (d. 1975)
- 1889 – A. Philip Randolph, American activist (d. 1979)
- 1890 – Percy Shaw, English businessman, invented the cat’s eye (d. 1976)
- 1892 – Theo Osterkamp, German general and pilot (d. 1975)
- 1892 – Corrie ten Boom, Dutch-American clocksmith, Nazi resister, and author (d. 1983)
- 1894 – Nikita Khrushchev, Russian general and politician, 7th Premier of the Soviet Union (d. 1971)
- 1894 – Bessie Smith, African-American singer and actress (d. 1937)
- 1895 – Clark McConachy, New Zealand snooker player (d. 1980)
- 1895 – Abigail Mejia, Dominican feminist activist, nationalist, literary critic and educator (d. 1941)
- 1896 – Nikolay Semyonov, Russian physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1986)
- 1898 – Harry Edward, Guyanese-English sprinter (d. 1973)
- 1901 – Joe Davis, English snooker player (d. 1978)
- 1901 – Ajoy Mukherjee, Indian politician, Chief Minister of West Bengal (d. 1986)
- 1901 – René Pleven, French businessman and politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 1993)
- 1902 – Fernando Pessa, Portuguese journalist (d. 2002)
- 1903 – John Williams, English-American actor (d. 1983)
- 1904 – Arshile Gorky, Armenian-American painter and illustrator (d. 1948)
- 1907 – Nikolaas Tinbergen, Dutch-English ethologist and ornithologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1988)
- 1908 – eden ahbez, Scottish-American songwriter and recording artist (d. 1995)
- 1908 – Lita Grey, American actress (d. 1995)
- 1910 – Sulo Bärlund, Finnish shot putter (d. 1986)
- 1910 – Miguel Najdorf, Polish-Argentinian chess player and theoretician (d. 1997)
- 1912 – William Congdon, American-Italian painter and sculptor (d. 1998)
- 1912 – Kim Il-sung, North Korean general and politician, 1st Supreme Leader of North Korea (d. 1994)
- 1915 – Elizabeth Catlett, African-American sculptor and illustrator (d. 2012)
- 1916 – Alfred S. Bloomingdale, American businessman (d. 1982)
- 1916 – Helene Hanff, American author and screenwriter (d. 1997)
- 1917 – Hans Conried, American actor (d. 1982)
- 1917 – Elmer Gedeon, American baseball player and bomber pilot (d. 1944)
- 1917 – James Kee, American lawyer and politician (d. 1989)
- 1918 – Hans Billian, German film director, screenwriter, and actor (d. 2007)
- 1919 – Alberto Breccia, Uruguayan-Argentinian author and illustrator (d. 1993)
- 1920 – Godfrey Stafford, English-South African physicist and academic (d. 2013)
- 1920 – Thomas Szasz, Hungarian-American psychiatrist and academic (d. 2012)
- 1920 – Richard von Weizsäcker, German soldier and politician, 6th President of Germany (d. 2015)
- 1921 – Georgy Beregovoy, Ukrainian-Russian general, pilot, and astronaut (d. 1995)
- 1921 – Angelo DiGeorge, American physician and endocrinologist (d. 2009)
- 1922 – Michael Ansara, Syrian-American actor (d. 2013)
- 1922 – Hasrat Jaipuri, Indian poet and songwriter (d. 1999)
- 1922 – Harold Washington, American lawyer and politician, 51st Mayor of Chicago (d. 1987)
- 1922 – Graham Whitehead, English racing driver (d. 1981)
- 1923 – Artur Alliksaar, Estonian poet and author (d. 1966)
- 1923 – Robert DePugh, American activist, founded the Minutemen (an anti-Communist organization) (d. 2009)
- 1924 – M. Canagaratnam, Sri Lankan politician (d. 1980)
- 1924 – Rikki Fulton, Scottish comedian (d. 2004)
- 1924 – Neville Marriner, English violinist and conductor (d. 2016)
- 1927 – Robert Mills, American physicist and academic (d. 1999)
- 1929 – Gérald Beaudoin, Canadian lawyer and politician (d. 2008)
- 1929 – Adrian Cadbury, English rower and businessman (d. 2015)
- 1930 – Georges Descrières, French actor (d. 2013)
- 1930 – Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, Icelandic educator and politician, 4th President of Iceland
- 1931 – Kenneth Bloomfield, Northern Irish civil servant
- 1931 – Tomas Tranströmer, Swedish poet, translator, and psychologist Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2015)
- 1933 – Roy Clark, American musician and television personality (d. 2018)
- 1933 – David Hamilton, English-French photographer and director (d. 2016)
- 1933 – Elizabeth Montgomery, American actress and producer (d. 1995)
- 1935 – Stavros Paravas, Greek actor and producer (d. 2008)
- 1936 – Raymond Poulidor, French cyclist
- 1937 – Bob Luman, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1978)
- 1938 – Claudia Cardinale, Italian actress
- 1938 – Hso Khan Pha, Burmese-Canadian geologist and politician (d. 2016)
- 1939 – Marty Wilde, English singer-songwriter and actor
- 1939 – Desiré Ecaré, Ivorian filmmaker (d. 2009)
- 1940 – Jeffrey Archer, English author, playwright, and politician
- 1940 – Penelope Coelen, South African actress, model, beauty queen and 1958 Miss World
- 1940 – Willie Davis, American baseball player and actor (d. 2010)
- 1940 – Robert Lacroix, Canadian economist and academic
- 1941 – Howard Berman, American lawyer and politician
- 1942 – Francis X. DiLorenzo, American bishop (d. 2017)
- 1942 – Walt Hazzard, American basketball player and coach (d. 2011)
- 1942 – Kenneth Lay, American businessman (d. 2006)
- 1942 – Tim Lankester, English economist and academic
- 1943 – Pınar Kür, Turkish author, playwright, and academic
- 1943 – Robert Lefkowitz, American physician and biochemist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1943 – Veronica Linklater, Baroness Linklater, English politician
- 1943 – Hugh Thompson, Jr., American soldier and pilot (d. 2006)
- 1944 – Dzhokhar Dudayev, Russian-Chechen general and politician, 1st President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (d. 1996)
- 1944 – Dave Edmunds, Welsh singer, guitarist, and producer
- 1946 – John Lloyd, Scottish journalist and author
- 1946 – Pete Rouse, American politician, White House Chief of Staff
- 1947 – Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, American screenwriter and producer
- 1947 – Martin Broughton, English businessman
- 1947 – Lois Chiles, American model and actress
- 1947 – David Omand, English civil servant and academic
- 1947 – Cristina Husmark Pehrsson, Swedish nurse and politician, Swedish Minister for Social Security
- 1947 – Woolly Wolstenholme, English singer and keyboard player (d. 2010)
- 1948 – Christopher Brown, English historian, curator, and academic
- 1948 – Michael Kamen, American composer and conductor (d. 2003)
- 1948 – Phil Mogg, English singer-songwriter and musician
- 1949 – Alla Pugacheva, Russian singer-songwriter and actress
- 1949 – Craig Zadan, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2018)
- 1950 – Josiane Balasko, French actress, director, and screenwriter
- 1950 – Amy Wright, American actress
- 1950 – Karel Kroupa, Czech football player
- 1951 – Heloise, American journalist and author
- 1951 – John L. Phillips, American captain and astronaut
- 1951 – Stuart Prebble, English journalist and producer
- 1951 – Marsha Ivins, American engineer and astronaut
- 1952 – Kym Gyngell, Australian actor, comedian, and screenwriter
- 1952 – Brian Muir, English sculptor and set designer
- 1952 – Avital Ronell, Czech-American philosopher and academic
- 1955 – Dodi Fayed, Egyptian film producer (d. 1997)
- 1955 – Joice Mujuru, Zimbabwean politician
- 1956 – Michael Cooper, American basketball player and coach
- 1957 – Evelyn Ashford, American runner and coach
- 1958 – Keith Acton, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1958 – John Bracewell, New Zealand cricketer
- 1958 – Memos Ioannou, Greek basketball player and coach
- 1958 – Benjamin Zephaniah, English actor, author, poet, and playwright
- 1959 – Fruit Chan, Chinese director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1959 – Kevin Lowe, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager
- 1959 – Emma Thompson, English actress, comedian, author, activist and screenwriter
- 1960 – Pierre Aubry, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1960 – Susanne Bier, Danish director and screenwriter
- 1960 – Pedro Delgado, Spanish cyclist and sportscaster
- 1960 – Tony Jones, English snooker player
- 1961 – Neil Carmichael, English academic and politician
- 1961 – Carol W. Greider, American molecular biologist
- 1961 – Dawn Wright, American geographer and oceanographer
- 1962 – Nawal El Moutawakel, Moroccan athlete and politician
- 1962 – Tom Kane, American voice actor
- 1963 – Alex Crawford, Nigerian-South African journalist
- 1963 – Manzoor Elahi, Pakistani cricketer
- 1963 – Manoj Prabhakar, Indian cricketer and sportscaster
- 1964 – Andre Joubert, South African rugby player
- 1964 – Lee Kernaghan, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1965 – Linda Perry, American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer
- 1965 – Kevin Stevens, American ice hockey player
- 1966 – Samantha Fox, English singer-songwriter and actress
- 1966 – Mott Green, American businessman (d. 2013)
- 1967 – Frankie Poullain, Scottish bass player and songwriter
- 1967 – Dara Torres, American swimmer and journalist
- 1968 – Ben Clarke, English rugby player and coach
- 1968 – Brahim Lahlafi, Moroccan-French runner
- 1968 – Ed O’Brien, English guitarist
- 1969 – Jeromy Burnitz, American baseball player
- 1969 – Kaisa Roose, Estonian pianist and conductor
- 1969 – Jimmy Waite, Canadian-German ice hockey player and coach
- 1970 – Chris Huffins, American decathlete and coach
- 1971 – Philippe Carbonneau, French rugby player
- 1971 – Finidi George, Nigerian footballer
- 1971 – Jason Sehorn, American football player
- 1971 – Josia Thugwane, South African runner
- 1971 – Karl Turner, English lawyer and politician
- 1972 – Arturo Gatti, Italian-Canadian boxer (d. 2009)
- 1972 – Lou Romano, American animator and voice actor
- 1974 – Kim Min-kyo, South Korean actor and director
- 1974 – Danny Pino, American actor and screenwriter
- 1974 – Mike Quinn, American football player
- 1974 – Douglas Spain, American actor, director, and producer
- 1974 – Tim Thomas, American ice hockey player
- 1975 – Sarah Teichmann, German-American biophysicist and immunologist
- 1976 – Jason Bonsignore, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1976 – Darius Regelskis, Lithuanian footballer
- 1976 – Kęstutis Šeštokas, Lithuanian basketball player
- 1976 – Steve Williams, English rower
- 1977 – Sudarsan Pattnaik, Indian sculptor
- 1977 – Brian Pothier, American ice hockey player
- 1978 – Milton Bradley, American baseball player
- 1978 – Tim Corcoran, American baseball player
- 1978 – Luis Fonsi, Puerto Rican-American singer-songwriter and dancer
- 1978 – Chris Stapleton, American country singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1980 – Patrick Carney, American drummer, musician, and producer
- 1980 – James Foster, English cricketer
- 1980 – Raül López, Spanish basketball player
- 1980 – Willie Mason, New Zealand-Australian rugby league player
- 1980 – Aida Mollenkamp, American chef and author
- 1980 – Billy Yates, American football player
- 1981 – Andrés D’Alessandro, Argentinian footballer
- 1982 – Michael Aubrey, American baseball player
- 1982 – Anthony Green, American singer-songwriter
- 1982 – Seth Rogen, Canadian-American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1983 – Alice Braga, Brazilian actress
- 1983 – Matt Cardle, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1983 – Dudu Cearense, Brazilian footballer
- 1983 – Andreas Fransson, Swedish skier (d. 2014)
- 1983 – Ilya Kovalchuk, Russian ice hockey player
- 1983 – Martin Pedersen, Danish cyclist
- 1984 – Antonio Cromartie, American football player
- 1984 – Cam Janssen, American ice hockey player
- 1984 – Daniel Paille, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1985 – Ryan Hamilton, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1986 – Tom Heaton, English footballer
- 1986 – Sylvain Marveaux, French footballer
- 1988 – Blake Ayshford, Australian rugby league player
- 1988 – Steven Defour, Belgian footballer
- 1988 – Chris Tillman, American baseball pitcher
- 1989 – Darren Nicholls, Australian rugby league player
- 1990 – Emma Watson, English actress
- 1991 – Daiki Arioka, Japanese idol, singer, and actor
- 1991 – Javier Fernández López, Spanish figure skater
- 1992 – Jeremy McGovern, Australian rules football player
- 1994 – Brodie Grundy, Australian rules football player
- 1994 – Shaunae Miller-Uibo, Bahamian sprinter
- 1995 – Leander Dendoncker, Belgian footballer
- 1999 – Denis Shapovalov, Canadian tennis player
- 2001 – Shanti Dope, Filipino rapper
Deaths on April 15
- 628 – Suiko, emperor of Japan (b. 554)
- 943 – Liu Bin, emperor of Southern Han (b. 920)
- 956 – Lin Yanyu, Chinese court official and eunuch
- 1053 – Godwin, Earl of Wessex (b. 1001)
- 1136 – Richard Fitz Gilbert de Clare (b. 1094)
- 1220 – Adolf of Altena, German archbishop (b. 1157)
- 1237 – Richard Poore, English ecclesiastic
- 1415 – Manuel Chrysoloras, Greek philosopher and translator (b. 1355)
- 1446 – Filippo Brunelleschi, Italian sculptor and architect (b. 1377)
- 1502 – John IV of Chalon-Arlay, Prince of Orange (b. 1443)
- 1558 – Roxelana, wife of Suleiman the Magnificent (b. c. 1500)
- 1610 – Robert Persons, English Jesuit priest, insurrectionist, and author (b. 1546)
- 1632 – George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore, English politician, English Secretary of State (b. 1580)
- 1652 – Patriarch Joseph of Moscow, Russian patriarch
- 1659 – Simon Dach, German poet and hymnwriter (b. 1605)
- 1719 – Françoise d’Aubigné, Marquise de Maintenon, French wife of Louis XIV of France (b. 1635)
- 1754 – Jacopo Riccati, Italian mathematician and academic (b. 1676)
- 1761 – Archibald Campbell, 3rd Duke of Argyll, Scottish lawyer and politician, Lord President of the Court of Session (b. 1682)
- 1761 – William Oldys, English historian and author (b. 1696)
- 1764 – Peder Horrebow, Danish astronomer and mathematician (b. 1679)
- 1765 – Mikhail Lomonosov, Russian chemist and physicist (b. 1711)
- 1788 – Giuseppe Bonno, Austrian composer (b. 1711)
- 1793 – Ignacije Szentmartony, Croatian priest, mathematician, and astronomer (b. 1718)
- 1854 – Arthur Aikin, English chemist and mineralogist (b. 1773)
- 1861 – Sylvester Jordan, Austrian-German lawyer and politician (b. 1792)
- 1865 – Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States (b. 1809)
- 1888 – Matthew Arnold, English poet and critic (b. 1822)
- 1889 – Father Damien, Belgian priest and saint (b. 1840)
- 1898 – Te Keepa Te Rangihiwinui, New Zealand commander and politician
- 1912 – Victims of the Titanic disaster:
- Thomas Andrews, Irish shipbuilder (b. 1873)
- John Jacob Astor IV, American colonel, businessman, and author (b. 1864)
- Archibald Butt, American general and journalist (b. 1865)
- Jacques Futrelle, American journalist and author (b. 1875)
- Benjamin Guggenheim, American businessman (b. 1865)
- Henry B. Harris, American producer and manager (b. 1866)
- Wallace Hartley, English violinist and bandleader (b. 1878)
- James Paul Moody, English Sixth Officer (b. 1887)
- William McMaster Murdoch, Scottish First Officer (b. 1873)
- Jack Phillips, English telegraphist (b. 1887)
- Edward Smith, English Captain (b. 1850)
- William Thomas Stead, English journalist (b. 1849)
- Ida Straus, German-American businesswoman (b. 1849)
- Isidor Straus, German-American businessman and politician (b. 1845)
- John B. Thayer, American business and sportsman (b. 1862)
- Henry Tingle Wilde, English chief officer (b. 1872)
- 1917 – János Murkovics, Slovene author, poet, and educator (b. 1839)
- 1927 – Gaston Leroux, French journalist and author (b. 1868)
- 1938 – César Vallejo, Peruvian journalist, poet, and playwright (b. 1892)
- 1942 – Robert Musil, Austrian-Swiss author and playwright (b. 1880)
- 1943 – Aristarkh Lentulov, Russian painter and set designer (b. 1882)
- 1944 – Nikolai Fyodorovich Vatutin, Russian general (b. 1901)
- 1945 – Hermann Florstedt, German SS officer (b. 1895)
- 1948 – Radola Gajda, Montenegrin-Czech general and politician (b. 1892)
- 1949 – Wallace Beery, American actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1885)
- 1962 – Clara Blandick, American actress (b. 1880)
- 1962 – Arsenio Lacson, Filipino journalist and politician, Mayor of Manila (b. 1912)
- 1963 – Edward Greeves, Jr., Australian footballer (b. 1903)
- 1966 – Habibullah Bahar Chowdhury, Bengali politician, writer, journalist, first health minister of East Pakistan
- 1967 – Totò, Italian comedian (b. 1898)
- 1971 – Gurgen Boryan, Armenian poet and playwright (b. 1915)
- 1971 – Friedebert Tuglas, Estonian author and critic (b. 1886)
- 1979 – David Brand, Australian politician, 19th Premier of Western Australia (b. 1912)
- 1980 – Raymond Bailey, American actor and soldier (b. 1904)
- 1980 – Jean-Paul Sartre, French philosopher and author, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1905)
- 1982 – Arthur Lowe, English actor (b. 1915)
- 1984 – Tommy Cooper, Welsh comedian and magician (b. 1921)
- 1986 – Jean Genet, French novelist, poet, and playwright (b. 1910)
- 1988 – Kenneth Williams, English actor and screenwriter (b. 1926)
- 1989 – Hu Yaobang, Chinese soldier and politician, former General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (b. 1915)
- 1990 – Greta Garbo, Swedish-American actress (b. 1905)
- 1993 – Leslie Charteris, English author and screenwriter (b. 1907)
- 1993 – John Tuzo Wilson, Canadian geophysicist and geologist (b. 1908)
- 1998 – William Congdon, American-Italian painter and sculptor (b. 1912)
- 1998 – Pol Pot, Cambodian general and politician, 29th Prime Minister of Cambodia (b. 1925)
- 1999 – Harvey Postlethwaite, English engineer (b. 1944)
- 2000 – Edward Gorey, American poet and illustrator (b. 1925)
- 2001 – Joey Ramone, American singer-songwriter (b. 1951)
- 2002 – Damon Knight, American author and critic (b. 1922)
- 2002 – Byron White, American football player, lawyer, and jurist, 4th United States Deputy Attorney General (b. 1917)
- 2004 – Mitsuteru Yokoyama, Japanese illustrator (b. 1934)
- 2007 – Brant Parker, American illustrator (b. 1920)
- 2008 – Krister Stendahl, Swedish bishop, theologian, and scholar (b. 1921)
- 2009 – Clement Freud, German-English journalist, academic, and politician (b. 1924)
- 2009 – László Tisza, Hungarian-American physicist and academic (b. 1907)
- 2009 – Salih Neftçi, Turkish economist and author (b. 1947)
- 2010 – Jack Herer, American author and activist (b. 1939)
- 2010 – Michael Pataki, American actor and director (b. 1938)
- 2011 – Vittorio Arrigoni, Italian journalist, author, and activist (b. 1975)
- 2012 – Paul Bogart, American director and producer (b. 1919)
- 2012 – Dwayne Schintzius, American basketball player (b. 1968)
- 2013 – Benjamin Fain, Ukrainian-Israeli physicist and academic (b. 1930)
- 2013 – Richard LeParmentier, American-English actor and screenwriter (b. 1946)
- 2013 – Jean-François Paillard, French conductor (b. 1928)
- 2014 – John Houbolt, American engineer and academic (b. 1919)
- 2014 – Eliseo Verón, Argentinian sociologist and academic (b. 1935)
- 2015 – Jonathan Crombie, Canadian-American actor and screenwriter (b. 1966)
- 2015 – Surya Bahadur Thapa, Nepalese politician, 24th Prime Minister of Nepal (b. 1928)
- 2017 – Clifton James, American actor (b. 1920)
- 2017 – Emma Morano, Italian supercentenarian, last person verified born in the 1800s (b. 1899)
- 2018 – R. Lee Ermey, American actor (b. 1944)
- 2018 – Vittorio Taviani, Italian film director and screenwriter (b. 1929)
Holidays and observances on April 15
- Christian feast day:
- Abbo II of Metz
- Father Damien (The Episcopal Church)
- Hunna
- Paternus of Avranches
- April 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Day of the Sun (North Korea)
- Earliest day on which Sechseläuten can fall, while April 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Monday in April. (Zürich)
- Father Damien Day (Hawaii)
- Hillsborough Disaster Memorial (Liverpool, England)
- Jackie Robinson Day (United States)
- National American Sign Language Day (United States)
- One Boston Day (United States)
- Poila Boishakh (Bengali New Year)
- Tax Day, the official deadline for filing an individual tax return (or requesting an extension). (United States, Philippines)
- Universal Day of Culture
- World Art Day
-
April 14 in History
- 43 BC – Battle of Forum Gallorum: Mark Antony, besieging Caesar’s assassin Decimus Brutus in Mutina, defeats the forces of the consul Pansa, but is then immediately defeated by the army of the other consul, Aulus Hirtius.
- AD 69 – Vitellius, commander of the Rhine armies, defeats Emperor Otho in the Battle of Bedriacum to take power over Rome.
- AD 70 – Siege of Jerusalem: Titus, son of emperor Vespasian, surrounds the Jewish capital with four Roman legions.
- 193 – Septimius Severus is proclaimed Roman emperor by the army in Illyricum (in the Balkans).
- 966 – After his marriage to the Christian Doubravka of Bohemia, the pagan ruler of the Polans, Mieszko I, converts to Christianity, an event considered to be the founding of the Polish state.
- 972 – Co-Emperor Otto II, a son of Otto I (the Great), marries the Byzantine princess Theophanu. She is crowned empress by Pope John XIII at Rome.
- 1028 – Henry III, son of Conrad, is elected King of Germany.
- 1205 – Battle of Adrianople between Bulgarians and Crusaders.
- 1294 – Temür, grandson of Kublai, is elected Khagan of the Mongols and Emperor of the Yuan dynasty with the reigning titles Oljeitu and Chengzong.
- 1341 – Sack of Saluzzo (Italy) by Italian-Angevine troops under Manfred V, Marquess of Saluzzo.
- 1434 – The foundation stone of Nantes Cathedral, France is laid.
- 1471 – In England, the Yorkists under Edward IV defeat the Lancastrians under the Earl of Warwick at the Battle of Barnet; the Earl is killed and Edward IV resumes the throne.
- 1561 – A celestial phenomenon is reported over Nuremberg, described as an aerial battle.
- 1639 – Imperial forces are defeated by the Swedes at the Battle of Chemnitz. The Swedish victory prolongs the Thirty Years’ War and allows them to advance into Bohemia.
- 1699 – Khalsa: The Sikh religion was formalised as the Khalsa – the brotherhood of Warrior-Saints – by Guru Gobind Singh in northern India, in accordance with the Nanakshahi calendar.
- 1775 – The first abolition society in North America is established. The Society for the Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage is organized in Philadelphia by Benjamin Franklin and Benjamin Rush.
- 1816 – Bussa, a slave in British-ruled Barbados, leads a slave rebellion and is killed. For this, he is remembered as the first national hero of Barbados.
- 1828 – Noah Webster copyrights the first edition of his dictionary.
- 1849 – Hungary declares itself independent of Austria with Lajos Kossuth as its leader.
- 1865 – U.S. President Abraham Lincoln is shot in Ford’s Theatre by John Wilkes Booth; Lincoln died the next day.
- 1865 – U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward and his family are attacked at home by Lewis Powell.
- 1881 – The Four Dead in Five Seconds Gunfight is fought in El Paso, Texas.
- 1890 – The Pan-American Union is founded by the First International Conference of American States in Washington, D.C.
- 1894 – The first ever commercial motion picture house opened in New York City using ten Kinetoscopes, a device for peep-show viewing of films.
- 1900 – The Exposition Universelle begins.
- 1902 – James Cash Penney opens his first store in Kemmerer, Wyoming.
- 1906 – The Azusa Street Revival opens and will launch Pentecostalism as a worldwide movement.
- 1908 – Hauser Dam, a steel dam on the Missouri River in Montana, U.S., fails, sending a surge of water 25 to 30 feet (7.6 to 9.1 m) high downstream.
- 1909 – A massacre is organized by the Ottoman Empire against the Armenian population of Cilicia.
- 1912 – The British passenger liner RMS Titanic hits an iceberg in the North Atlantic at 23:40 (sinks morning of April 15th).
- 1927 – The first Volvo car premieres in Gothenburg, Sweden.
- 1928 – The Bremen, a German Junkers W 33 type aircraft, reaches Greenly Island, Canada – the first successful transatlantic aeroplane flight from east to west.
- 1931 – The Spanish Cortes deposes King Alfonso XIII and proclaims the Second Spanish Republic.
- 1935 – The Black Sunday dust storm, considered one of the worst storms of the Dust Bowl, swept across the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles and neighboring areas.
- 1939 – The Grapes of Wrath, by American author John Steinbeck is first published by the Viking Press.
- 1940 – World War II: Royal Marines land in Namsos, Norway in preparation for a larger force to arrive two days later.
- 1941 – World War II: German general Erwin Rommel attacks Tobruk.
- 1944 – Bombay explosion: A massive explosion in Bombay harbor kills 300 and causes economic damage valued then at 20 million pounds.
- 1945 – Razing of Friesoythe: The 4th Canadian (Armoured) Division deliberately destroyed the German town of Friesoythe on the orders of Major General Christopher Vokes.
- 1958 – The Soviet satellite Sputnik 2 falls from orbit after a mission duration of 162 days. This was the first spacecraft to carry a living animal, a female dog named Laika, who likely lived only a few hours.
- 1967 – Gnassingbé Eyadéma overthrows President of Togo Nicolas Grunitzky and installs himself as the new president, a title he would hold for the next 38 years.
- 1978 – Tbilisi Demonstrations: Thousands of Georgians demonstrate against Soviet attempts to change the constitutional status of the Georgian language.
- 1981 – STS-1: The first operational Space Shuttle, Columbia completes its first test flight.
- 1986 – The heaviest hailstones ever recorded (1 kilogram (2.2 lb)) fall on the Gopalganj district of Bangladesh, killing 92.
- 1988 – The USS Samuel B. Roberts strikes a mine in the Persian Gulf during Operation Earnest Will.
- 1988 – In a United Nations ceremony in Geneva, Switzerland, the Soviet Union signs an agreement pledging to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan.
- 1991 – The Republic of Georgia introduces the post of President after its declaration of independence from the Soviet Union.
- 1994 – In a U.S. friendly fire incident during Operation Provide Comfort in northern Iraq, two United States Air Force aircraft mistakenly shoot-down two United States Army helicopters, killing 26 people.
- 1999 – NATO mistakenly bombs a convoy of ethnic Albanian refugees. Yugoslav officials say 75 people were killed.
- 1999 – A severe hailstorm strikes Sydney, Australia causing A$2.3 billion in insured damages, the most costly natural disaster in Australian history.
- 2002 – Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez returns to office two days after being ousted and arrested by the country’s military.
- 2003 – The Human Genome Project is completed with 99% of the human genome sequenced to an accuracy of 99.99%.
- 2003 – U.S. troops in Baghdad capture Abu Abbas, leader of the Palestinian group that killed an American on the hijacked cruise liner the MS Achille Lauro in 1985.
- 2005 – The Oregon Supreme Court nullifies marriage licenses issued to same-sex couples a year earlier by Multnomah County.
- 2006 – Twin blasts triggered by crude bombs during Asr prayer in Jama Masjid, Delhi injure 13 people.
- 2010 – Nearly 2,700 are killed in a magnitude 6.9 earthquake in the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture.
- 2014 – Twin bomb blasts in Abuja, Nigeria, kill at least 75 people and injures 141 others.
- 2014 – Two hundred seventy-six schoolgirls are abducted by Boko Haram in Chibok, Nigeria.
- 2016 – In Japan, the foreshock of Kumamoto earthquakes occurs.
Births on April 14
- 1126 – Averroes, Spanish physician and philosopher (d. 1198)
- 1204 – Henry I, king of Castile (d. 1217)
- 1331 – Jeanne-Marie de Maille, French Roman Catholic saint (d. 1414)
- 1527 – Abraham Ortelius, Flemish cartographer and geographer (d. 1598)
- 1572 – Adam Tanner, Austrian mathematician, philosopher, and academic (d. 1632)
- 1578 – Philip III of Spain (d. 1621)
- 1629 – Christiaan Huygens, Dutch mathematician, astronomer, and physicist (d. 1695)
- 1668 – Magnus Julius De la Gardie, Swedish general and politician (d. 1741)
- 1678 – Abraham Darby I, English iron master (d. 1717)
- 1709 – Charles Collé, French playwright and songwriter (d. 1783)
- 1714 – Adam Gib, Scottish minister and author (d. 1788)
- 1738 – William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1809)
- 1741 – Emperor Momozono of Japan (d. 1762)
- 1769 – Barthélemy Catherine Joubert, French general (d. 1799)
- 1773 – Jean-Baptiste de Villèle, French politician, 6th Prime Minister of France (d. 1854)
- 1788 – David G. Burnet, American politician, 2nd Vice-President of Texas (d. 1870)
- 1800 – John Appold, English engineer (d. 1865)
- 1812 – George Grey, Portuguese-New Zealand soldier, explorer, and politician, 11th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1898)
- 1814 – Dimitri Kipiani, Georgian publicist and author (d. 1887)
- 1819 – Harriett Ellen Grannis Arey, American educator, author, editor, and publisher (d. 1901)
- 1827 – Augustus Pitt Rivers, English general, ethnologist, and archaeologist (d. 1900)
- 1852 – Alexander Greenlaw Hamilton, Australian biologist (d. 1941)
- 1854 – Martin Lipp, Estonian pastor and poet (d. 1923)
- 1857 – Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom (d. 1944)
- 1865 – Alfred Hoare Powell, English architect, and designer and painter of pottery (d. 1960)
- 1866 – Anne Sullivan, American educator (d. 1936)
- 1868 – Peter Behrens, German architect, designed the AEG turbine factory (d. 1940)
- 1870 – Victor Borisov-Musatov, Russian painter and educator (d. 1905)
- 1870 – Syd Gregory, Australian cricketer and coach (d. 1929)
- 1872 – Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Indian-English scholar and translator (d. 1953)
- 1876 – Cecil Chubb, English barrister and one time owner of Stonehenge (d. 1934)
- 1881 – Husain Salaahuddin, Maldivian poet and scholar (d. 1948)
- 1882 – Moritz Schlick, German-Austrian physicist and philosopher (d. 1936)
- 1886 – Ernst Robert Curtius, German philologist and scholar (d. 1956)
- 1886 – Árpád Tóth, Hungarian poet and translator (d. 1928)
- 1889 – Arnold J. Toynbee, English historian and academic (d. 1975)
- 1891 – B. R. Ambedkar, Indian economist, jurist, and politician, 1st Indian Minister of Law and Justice (d. 1956)
- 1891 – Otto Lasanen, Finnish wrestler (d. 1958)
- 1892 – Juan Belmonte, Spanish bullfighter (d. 1962)
- 1892 – V. Gordon Childe, Australian archaeologist and philologist (d. 1957)
- 1892 – Claire Windsor, American actress (d. 1972)
- 1902 – Sylvio Mantha, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and referee (d. 1974)
- 1903 – Henry Corbin, French philosopher and academic (d. 1978)
- 1903 – Ruth Svedberg, Swedish discus thrower and triathlete (d. 2002)
- 1904 – John Gielgud, English actor, director, and producer (d. 2000)
- 1905 – Elizabeth Huckaby, American author and educator (d. 1999)
- 1905 – Georg Lammers, German sprinter (d. 1987)
- 1905 – Jean Pierre-Bloch, French author and activist (d. 1999)
- 1906 – Faisal of Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabian king (d. 1975)
- 1907 – François Duvalier, Haitian physician and politician, 40th President of Haiti (d. 1971)
- 1912 – Robert Doisneau, French photographer and journalist (d. 1994)
- 1912 – Georg Siimenson, Estonian footballer (d. 1978)
- 1913 – Jean Fournet, French conductor (d. 2008)
- 1916 – Don Willesee, Australian telegraphist and politician, 29th Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs (d. 2003)
- 1917 – Valerie Hobson, English actress (d. 1998)
- 1917 – Marvin Miller, American baseball executive (d. 2012)
- 1918 – Mary Healy, American actress and singer (d. 2015)
- 1919 – Shamshad Begum, Pakistani-Indian singer (d. 2013)
- 1919 – K. Saraswathi Amma, Indian author and playwright (d. 1975)
- 1920 – Ivor Forbes Guest, English lawyer, historian, and author (d. 2018)
- 1921 – Thomas Schelling, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2016)
- 1922 – Audrey Long, American actress (d. 2014)
- 1923 – Roberto De Vicenzo, Argentinian golfer (d. 2017)
- 1924 – Shorty Rogers, American trumpet player and composer (d. 1994)
- 1924 – Joseph Ruskin, American actor and producer (d. 2013)
- 1924 – Mary Warnock, Baroness Warnock, English philosopher, and academic (d. 2019)
- 1925 – Abel Muzorewa, Zimbabwean minister and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Zimbabwe Rhodesia (d. 2010)
- 1925 – Rod Steiger, American soldier and actor (d. 2002)
- 1926 – Barbara Anderson, New Zealand author (d. 2013)
- 1926 – Frank Daniel, Czech director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1996)
- 1926 – Gloria Jean, American actress and singer (d. 2018)
- 1926 – Liz Renay, American actress and author (d. 2007)
- 1927 – Alan MacDiarmid, New Zealand chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2007)
- 1927 – Dany Robin, French actress and singer (d. 1995)
- 1929 – Gerry Anderson, English director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2012)
- 1929 – Inez Andrews, African-American singer-songwriter (d. 2012)
- 1930 – Martin Adolf Bormann, German priest and theologian (d. 2013)
- 1930 – Arnold Burns, American lawyer and politician, 21st United States Deputy Attorney General (d. 2013)
- 1930 – René Desmaison, French mountaineer (d. 2007)
- 1930 – Bradford Dillman, American actor and author (d. 2018)
- 1931 – Geoffrey Dalton, English admiral
- 1931 – Paul Masnick, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1932 – Bill Bennett, Canadian lawyer and politician, 27th Premier of British Columbia (d. 2015)
- 1932 – Atef Ebeid, Egyptian academic and politician, 47th Prime Minister of Egypt (d. 2014)
- 1932 – Loretta Lynn, American singer-songwriter and musician
- 1932 – Cameron Parker, Scottish businessman and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Renfrewshire
- 1933 – Paddy Hopkirk, Northern Irish racing driver
- 1933 – Boris Strugatsky, Russian author (d. 2012)
- 1933 – Yuri Oganessian, Armenian-Russian nuclear physicist
- 1934 – Fredric Jameson, American philosopher and theorist
- 1935 – Susan Cunliffe-Lister, Baroness Masham of Ilton, English table tennis player, swimmer, and politician
- 1935 – John Oliver, English bishop
- 1935 – Erich von Däniken, Swiss historian and author
- 1936 – Arlene Martel, American actress and singer (d. 2014)
- 1936 – Bobby Nichols, American golfer
- 1936 – Frank Serpico, American-Italian soldier, police officer and lecturer
- 1937 – Efi Arazi, Israeli businessman, founded the Scailex Corporation (d. 2013)
- 1937 – Sepp Mayerl, Austrian mountaineer (d. 2012)
- 1938 – Mahmud Esad Coşan, Turkish author and academic (d. 2001)
- 1940 – Julie Christie, English actress and activist
- 1940 – David Hope, Baron Hope of Thornes, English archbishop and academic
- 1940 – Richard Thompson, English physician and academic
- 1941 – Pete Rose, American baseball player and manager
- 1942 – Valeriy Brumel, Soviet high jumper (d. 2003)
- 1942 – Valentin Lebedev, Russian engineer and astronaut
- 1942 – Björn Rosengren, Swedish politician, Swedish Minister of Enterprise and Innovation
- 1944 – John Sergeant, English journalist
- 1945 – Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi, Samoan economist and politician, 8th Prime Minister of Samoa
- 1945 – Ritchie Blackmore, English guitarist and songwriter
- 1945 – Roger Frappier, Canadian producer, director and screenwriter
- 1946 – Mireille Guiliano, French-American author
- 1946 – Michael Sarris, Cypriot economist and politician, Cypriot Minister of Finance
- 1946 – Knut Kristiansen, Norwegian pianist and orchestra leader
- 1947 – Dominique Baudis, French journalist and politician (d. 2014)
- 1947 – Bob Massie, Australian cricketer
- 1948 – Berry Berenson, American model, actress, and photographer (d. 2001)
- 1948 – Anastasios Papaligouras, Greek lawyer and politician, Greek Minister of Justice
- 1949 – Dave Gibbons, English author and illustrator
- 1949 – DeAnne Julius, American-British economist and academic
- 1949 – Chris Langham, English actor and screenwriter
- 1949 – Chas Mortimer, English motorcycle racer
- 1949 – John Shea, American actor and director
- 1950 – Francis Collins, American physician and geneticist
- 1950 – Péter Esterházy, Hungarian author (d. 2016)
- 1951 – Milija Aleksic, English footballer (d. 2012)
- 1951 – José Eduardo González Navas, Spanish politician
- 1951 – Julian Lloyd Webber, English cellist, conductor, and educator
- 1951 – Elizabeth Symons, Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean, English politician
- 1952 – Kenny Aaronson, American bass player
- 1952 – Mickey O’Sullivan, Irish footballer and manager
- 1952 – David Urquhart, Scottish bishop
- 1954 – Sue Hill, English pathologist and civil servant
- 1954 – Katsuhiro Otomo, Japanese director, screenwriter, and illustrator
- 1956 – Boris Šprem, Croatian lawyer and politician, 8th President of Croatian Parliament (d. 2012)
- 1957 – Lothaire Bluteau, Canadian actor
- 1957 – Mikhail Pletnev, Russian pianist, composer, and conductor
- 1958 – Peter Capaldi, Scottish actor
- 1959 – Steve Byrnes, American sportscaster and producer (d. 2015)
- 1959 – Marie-Thérèse Fortin, Canadian actress
- 1960 – Brad Garrett, American actor and comedian
- 1960 – Myoma Myint Kywe, Burmese historian and journalist
- 1960 – Osamu Sato, Japanese graphic artist, programmer, and composer
- 1960 – Tina Rosenberg, American journalist and author
- 1960 – Pat Symcox, South African cricketer
- 1961 – Robert Carlyle, Scottish actor and director
- 1961 – Daniel Clowes, American cartoonist and screenwriter
- 1962 – Guillaume Leblanc, Canadian athlete
- 1964 – Brian Adams, American wrestler (d. 2007)
- 1964 – Jeff Andretti, American race car driver
- 1964 – Greg Battle, American-Canadian football player
- 1964 – Stuart Duncan, American bluegrass musician
- 1964 – Jeff Hopkins, Welsh international footballer and manager
- 1964 – Gina McKee, English actress
- 1965 – Tom Dey, American director and producer
- 1965 – Alexandre Jardin, French author
- 1965 – Craig McDermott, Australian cricketer and coach
- 1966 – André Boisclair, Canadian lawyer and politician
- 1966 – Jan Boklöv, Swedish ski jumper
- 1966 – David Justice, American baseball player and sportscaster
- 1966 – Greg Maddux, American baseball player, coach, and manager
- 1967 – Nicola Berti, Italian international footballer
- 1967 – Steve Chiasson, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1999)
- 1967 – Alain Côté, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1967 – Barrett Martin, American drummer, songwriter, and producer
- 1967 – Julia Zemiro, French-Australian actress, comedian, singer and writer
- 1968 – Anthony Michael Hall, American actor
- 1969 – Brad Ausmus, American baseball player and manager
- 1969 – Martyn LeNoble, Dutch-American bass player
- 1969 – Vebjørn Selbekk, Norwegian journalist
- 1970 – Steve Avery, American baseball player
- 1970 – Shizuka Kudō, Japanese singer and actress
- 1971 – Miguel Calero, Colombian footballer and manager (d. 2012)
- 1971 – Carlos Pérez, Dominican-American baseball player
- 1971 – Gregg Zaun, American baseball player and sportscaster
- 1972 – Paul Devlin, English-Scottish footballer and manager
- 1972 – Roberto Mejía, Dominican baseball player
- 1972 – Dean Potter, American rock climber and BASE jumper (d. 2015)
- 1973 – Roberto Ayala, Argentinian footballer
- 1973 – Adrien Brody, American actor
- 1973 – Hidetaka Suehiro, Japanese video game director and writer
- 1973 – David Miller, American tenor
- 1974 – Da Brat, American rapper
- 1975 – Lita, American wrestler
- 1975 – Luciano Almeida, Brazilian footballer
- 1975 – Avner Dorman, Israeli-American composer and academic
- 1975 – Anderson Silva, Brazilian mixed martial artist and boxer
- 1976 – Christian Älvestam, Swedish singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1976 – Georgina Chapman, English model, actress, and fashion designer, co-founded Marchesa
- 1976 – Anna DeForge, American basketball player
- 1976 – Kyle Farnsworth, American baseball player
- 1976 – Nadine Faustin-Parker, Hatian hurdler
- 1976 – Jason Wiemer, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1977 – Nate Fox, American basketball player (d. 2014)
- 1977 – Martin Kaalma, Estonian footballer
- 1977 – Sarah Michelle Gellar, American actress and producer
- 1977 – Rob McElhenney, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
- 1978 – Roland Lessing, Estonian biathlete
- 1979 – Iain Balshaw, English rugby player
- 1979 – Rebecca DiPietro, American wrestler and model
- 1979 – Marios Elia, Cypriot footballer
- 1979 – Ross Filipo, New Zealand rugby player
- 1979 – Noé Pamarot, French footballer
- 1979 – Patrick Somerville, American novelist and short story writer
- 1979 – Kerem Tunçeri, Turkish basketball player
- 1980 – Win Butler, American-Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1980 – Jeremy Smith, New Zealand rugby league player
- 1981 – Mustafa Güngör, German rugby player
- 1981 – Amy Leach, English director and producer
- 1982 – Uğur Boral, Turkish footballer
- 1982 – Larissa França, Brazilian volleyball player
- 1983 – Simona La Mantia, Italian triple jumper
- 1983 – James McFadden, Scottish footballer
- 1983 – William Obeng, Ghanaian-American football player
- 1983 – Nikoloz Tskitishvili, Georgian basketball player
- 1984 – Blake Costanzo, American football player
- 1984 – Charles Hamelin, Canadian speed skater
- 1984 – Harumafuji Kōhei, Mongolian sumo wrestler, the 70th Yokozuna
- 1984 – Adán Sánchez, American-Mexican musician (d. 2004)
- 1984 – Tyler Thigpen, American football player
- 1985 – Grant Clitsome, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1986 – Matt Derbyshire, English footballer
- 1986 – Goran Gogić, Serbian footballer (d. 2015)
- 1987 – Michael Baze, American jockey (d. 2011)
- 1987 – Erwin Hoffer, Austrian footballer
- 1987 – Wilson Kiprop, Kenyan runner
- 1987 – Korina Perkovic, German tennis player
- 1988 – Roberto Bautista Agut, Spanish tennis player
- 1988 – Eric Gryba, Canadian ice hockey defenseman
- 1988 – Eliška Klučinová, Czech heptathlete
- 1988 – Vasileios Pliatsikas, Greek footballer
- 1988 – Brad Sinopoli, Canadian football player
- 1989 – Joe Haden, American football player
- 1990 – Markus Smarzoch, German footballer
- 1992 – Frederik Sørensen, Danish footballer
- 1996 – Abigail Breslin, American actress
Deaths on April 14
- 911 – Pope Sergius III, pope of the Roman Catholic Church
- 1070 – Gerard, Duke of Lorraine (b. c. 1030)
- 1099 – Conrad, Bishop of Utrecht (b. before 1040)
- 1132 – Mstislav I of Kiev (b. 1076)
- 1279 – Bolesław the Pious, Duke of Greater Poland (b. 1224)
- 1322 – Bartholomew de Badlesmere, 1st Baron Badlesmere, English soldier and politician, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports (b. 1275)
- 1345 – Richard de Bury, English bishop and politician, Lord Chancellor of The United Kingdom (b. 1287)
- 1424 – Lucia Visconti, English countess (b. 1372)
- 1433 – Lidwina, Dutch saint (b. 1380)
- 1471 – Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, English commander and politician (b. 1428)
- 1471 – John Neville, 1st Marquess of Montagu (b. 1431)
- 1480 – Thomas de Spens, Scottish statesman and prelate (b. c. 1415)
- 1488 – Girolamo Riario, Lord of Imola and Forli (b. 1443)
- 1574 – Louis of Nassau (b. 1538)
- 1578 – James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, English husband of Mary, Queen of Scots (b. 1534)
- 1587 – Edward Manners, 3rd Earl of Rutland (b. 1548)
- 1599 – Henry Wallop, English politician (b. 1540)
- 1609 – Gasparo da Salò, Italian violin maker (b. 1540)
- 1662 – William Fiennes, 1st Viscount Saye and Sele, English politician (b. 1582)
- 1682 – Avvakum, Russian priest and saint (b. 1620)
- 1721 – Michel Chamillart, French politician, Controller-General of Finances (b. 1652)
- 1740 – Lady Catherine Jones, English philanthropist (b.1672)
- 1759 – George Frideric Handel, German-English organist and composer (b. 1685)
- 1785 – William Whitehead, English poet and playwright (b. 1715)
- 1792 – Maximilian Hell, Slovak-Hungarian astronomer and priest (b. 1720)
- 1843 – Joseph Lanner, Austrian violinist and composer (b. 1801)
- 1864 – Charles Lot Church, American-Canadian politician (b. 1777)
- 1888 – Emil Czyrniański, Polish chemist (b. 1824)
- 1910 – Mikhail Vrubel, Russian painter and sculptor (b. 1856)
- 1911 – Addie Joss, American baseball player and journalist (b. 1880)
- 1911 – Henri Elzéar Taschereau, Canadian lawyer and jurist, 4th Chief Justice of Canada (b. 1836)
- 1912 – Henri Brisson, French politician, 50th Prime Minister of France (b. 1835)
- 1914 – Hubert Bland, English activist, co-founded the Fabian Society (b. 1855)
- 1916 – Gina Krog, Norwegian suffragist and women’s rights activist (b. 1847)
- 1917 – L. L. Zamenhof, Polish physician and linguist, created Esperanto (b. 1859)
- 1919 – Auguste-Réal Angers, Canadian judge and politician, 6th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (b. 1837)
- 1925 – John Singer Sargent, American painter (b. 1856)
- 1930 – Vladimir Mayakovsky, Georgian-Russian actor, playwright, and poet (b. 1893)
- 1931 – Richard Armstedt, German philologist, historian, and educator (b. 1851)
- 1935 – Emmy Noether, German-American mathematician and academic (b. 1882)
- 1938 – Gillis Grafström, Swedish figure skater and architect (b. 1893)
- 1943 – Yakov Dzhugashvili, Georgian-Russian lieutenant (b. 1907)
- 1950 – Ramana Maharshi, Indian guru and philosopher (b. 1879)
- 1951 – Al Christie, Canadian-American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1881)
- 1962 – M. Visvesvaraya, Indian engineer and scholar (b. 1860)
- 1963 – Rahul Sankrityayan, Indian monk and historian (b. 1893)
- 1964 – Tatyana Afanasyeva, Russian-Dutch mathematician and theorist (b. 1876)
- 1964 – Rachel Carson, American biologist and author (b. 1907)
- 1968 – Al Benton, American baseball player (b. 1911)
- 1969 – Matilde Muñoz Sampedro, Spanish actress (b. 1900)
- 1975 – Günter Dyhrenfurth, German-Swiss mountaineer, geologist, and explorer (b. 1886)
- 1975 – Fredric March, American actor (b. 1897)
- 1976 – José Revueltas, Mexican author and activist (b. 1914)
- 1978 – Joe Gordon, American baseball player and manager (b. 1915)
- 1978 – F. R. Leavis, English educator and critic (b. 1895)
- 1983 – Pete Farndon, English bassist (The Pretenders) (b. 1952)
- 1983 – Gianni Rodari, Italian journalist and author (b. 1920)
- 1986 – Simone de Beauvoir, French novelist and philosopher (b. 1908)
- 1990 – Thurston Harris, American singer (b. 1931)
- 1990 – Olabisi Onabanjo, Nigerian politician, 3rd Governor of Ogun State (b. 1927)
- 1992 – Irene Greenwood, Australian radio broadcaster and feminist and peace activist (b. 1898)
- 1994 – Salimuzzaman Siddiqui, Pakistani chemist and scholar (b. 1897)
- 1995 – Burl Ives, American actor, folk singer, and writer (b. 1909)
- 1999 – Ellen Corby, American actress and screenwriter (b. 1911)
- 1999 – Anthony Newley, English singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1931)
- 1999 – Bill Wendell, American television announcer (b. 1924)
- 2000 – Phil Katz, American computer programmer, co-created the zip file format (b. 1962)
- 2000 – August R. Lindt, Swiss lawyer and politician (b. 1905)
- 2000 – Wilf Mannion, English footballer (b. 1918)
- 2001 – Jim Baxter, Scottish footballer (b. 1939)
- 2001 – Hiroshi Teshigahara, Japanese director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1927)
- 2003 – Jyrki Otila, Finnish politician (b. 1941)
- 2004 – Micheline Charest, English-Canadian television producer, co-founded the Cookie Jar Group (b. 1953)
- 2006 – Mahmut Bakalli, Kosovo politician (b. 1936)
- 2007 – June Callwood, Canadian journalist, author, and activist (b. 1924)
- 2007 – Don Ho, American singer and ukulele player (b. 1930)
- 2007 – René Rémond, French historian and economist (b. 1918)
- 2008 – Tommy Holmes, American baseball player and manager (b. 1917)
- 2008 – Ollie Johnston, American animator and voice actor (b. 1912)
- 2009 – Maurice Druon, French author (b. 1918)
- 2010 – Israr Ahmed, Pakistani theologian and scholar (b. 1932)
- 2010 – Alice Miller, Polish-French psychologist and author (b. 1923)
- 2010 – Peter Steele, American singer-songwriter and bass player (b. 1962)
- 2011 – Jean Gratton, Canadian Roman Catholic bishop (b. 1924)
- 2012 – Émile Bouchard, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1919)
- 2012 – Jonathan Frid, Canadian actor (b. 1924)
- 2012 – Piermario Morosini, Italian footballer (b. 1986)
- 2013 – Efi Arazi, Israeli businessman, founded the Scailex Corporation (b. 1937)
- 2013 – Colin Davis, English conductor and educator (b. 1927)
- 2013 – R. P. Goenka, Indian businessman, founded RPG Group (b. 1930)
- 2013 – George Jackson, American singer-songwriter (b. 1945)
- 2013 – Armando Villanueva, Peruvian politician, 121st Prime Minister of Peru (b. 1915)
- 2013 – Charlie Wilson, American politician (b. 1943)
- 2014 – Nina Cassian, Romanian poet and critic (b. 1924)
- 2014 – Crad Kilodney, American-Canadian author (b. 1948)
- 2014 – Wally Olins, English businessman and academic (b. 1930)
- 2014 – Mick Staton, American soldier and politician (b. 1940)
- 2015 – Klaus Bednarz, German journalist and author (b. 1942)
- 2015 – Mark Reeds, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach (b. 1960)
- 2015 – Percy Sledge, American singer (b. 1940)
- 2015 – Roberto Tucci, Italian cardinal and theologian (b. 1921)
- 2019 – Bibi Andersson, Swedish actress (b.1935)
Holidays and observances on April 14
- Ambedkar Jayanti (India)
- Black Day (South Korea)
- Christian feast day:
- Anthony, John, and Eustathius
- Bénézet
- Henry Beard Delany (Episcopal Church (USA))
- Domnina of Terni
- Lidwina
- Peter González
- Tiburtius, Valerian, and Maximus
- April 14 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Commemoration of Anfal Genocide Against the Kurds (Iraqi Kurdistan)
- Day of Mologa (Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia)
- Day of the Georgian language (Georgia)
- Dhivehi Language Day (Maldives)
- N’Ko Alphabet Day (Mande speakers)
- Pan American Day (several countries in The Americas)
- South and Southeast Asian New Year, celebrated on the sidereal vernal equinox. (see April 13):
- Assamese New Year, or Bohag Bihu (India’s Assam Valley)
- Bengali New Year, or Pohela Boishakh (Bangladesh and India’s West Bengal state)
- Burmese New Year, or Thingyan (Myanmar)
- Hindu and Sikh New Year, or Vaisakhi (Punjab region)
- Khmer New Year, or Chol Chnam Thmey (Cambodia)
- Lao New Year, or Pi Mai Lao (Laos)
- Mahl New Year, or Alathu Aharudhuvas (Maldives and India’s Lakshadweep and Kerala state)
- Maithili New Year, or Jude Sheetal (Mithila region)
- Malayali New Year, or Vishu (India’s Kerala state)
- Nepali New Year, or Navabarsha / Vaishak Ek (Nepal)
- Oriya/Odia New Year, or Pana Sankranti (India’s Odisha state)
- Sinhalese New Year, or Aluth Avurudhu (Sri Lanka)
- Tamil New Year, or Puthandu (India’s Tamil Nadu state)
- Thai New Year, or Songkran, celebrated from 13 to 15 April (Thailand)
- Tuluva New Year, or Bisu (India’s Karnataka state)
- The first day of Takayama Spring Festival (Takayama, Gifu, Japan)
- Youth Day (Angola)
-
April 13 in History
- 1111 – Henry V is crowned Holy Roman Emperor.
- 1204 – Constantinople falls to the Crusaders of the Fourth Crusade, temporarily ending the Byzantine Empire.
- 1612 – Miyamoto Musashi defeats Sasaki Kojirō at Funajima island.
- 1613 – Samuel Argall, having captured Native American princess Pocahontas in Passapatanzy, Virginia, sets off with her to Jamestown with the intention of exchanging her for English prisoners held by her father.
- 1742 – George Frideric Handel’s oratorio Messiah makes its world-premiere in Dublin, Ireland.
- 1777 – American Revolutionary War: American forces are ambushed and defeated in the Battle of Bound Brook, New Jersey.
- 1829 – The Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829 gives Roman Catholics in the United Kingdom the right to vote and to sit in Parliament.
- 1849 – Lajos Kossuth presents the Hungarian Declaration of Independence in a closed session of the National Assembly.
- 1861 – American Civil War: Fort Sumter surrenders to Confederate forces.
- 1865 – American Civil War: Raleigh, North Carolina is occupied by Union Forces.
- 1870 – The New York City Metropolitan Museum of Art is founded.
- 1873 – The Colfax massacre, in which more than 60 black men are murdered, takes place.
- 1909 – The military of the Ottoman Empire reverses the Ottoman countercoup of 1909 to force the overthrow of Sultan Abdul Hamid II.
- 1919 – Jallianwala Bagh massacre: British Indian Army troops lead by Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer killed approx 379-1000 unarmed demonstrators including men and women in Amritsar, India; and approximately 1,500 injured.
- 1941 – A pact of neutrality between the USSR and Japan is signed.
- 1943 – World War II: The discovery of mass graves of Polish prisoners of war killed by Soviet forces in the Katyń Forest Massacre is announced, causing a diplomatic rift between the Polish government-in-exile in London and the Soviet Union, which denies responsibility.
- 1943 – The Jefferson Memorial is dedicated in Washington, D.C., on the 200th anniversary of President Thomas Jefferson’s birth.
- 1944 – Relations between New Zealand and the Soviet Union are established.
- 1945 – World War II: German troops kill more than 1,000 political and military prisoners in Gardelegen, Germany.
- 1945 – World War II: Soviet and Bulgarian forces capture Vienna.
- 1948 – In an ambush, 78 Jewish doctors, nurses and medical students from Hadassah Hospital, and a British soldier, are massacred by Arabs in Sheikh Jarrah. This event came to be known as the Hadassah medical convoy massacre.
- 1953 – CIA director Allen Dulles launches the mind-control program Project MKUltra.
- 1958 – American pianist Van Cliburn is awarded first prize at the inaugural International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow.
- 1960 – The United States launches Transit 1-B, the world’s first satellite navigation system.
- 1964 – At the Academy Awards, Sidney Poitier becomes the first African-American male to win the Best Actor award for the 1963 film Lilies of the Field.
- 1970 – An oxygen tank aboard the Apollo 13 Service Module explodes, putting the crew in great danger and causing major damage to the Apollo command and service module (codenamed “Odyssey“) while en route to the Moon.
- 1972 – The Universal Postal Union decides to recognize the People’s Republic of China as the only legitimate Chinese representative, effectively expelling the Republic of China administering Taiwan.
- 1972 – Vietnam War: The Battle of An Lộc begins.
- 1975 – An attack by the Phalangist resistance kills 26 militia members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, marking the start of the 15-year Lebanese Civil War.
- 1976 – The United States Treasury Department reintroduces the two-dollar bill as a Federal Reserve Note on Thomas Jefferson’s 233rd birthday as part of the United States Bicentennial celebration.
- 1976 – Forty workers die in an explosion at the Lapua ammunition factory, the deadliest accidental disaster in modern history in Finland.
- 1992 – Basements throughout the Chicago Loop are flooded, forcing the Chicago Board of Trade Building and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange to close.
- 1997 – Tiger Woods becomes the youngest golfer to win the Masters Tournament.
- 2003 – A bus near the Vale of Tempe, Greece was involved in a major vehicle accident with a truck and multiple cars, leaving 21 students in the tenth grade of Makrochori, Imathia High School dead and nine injured during their return to their homes from a trip to Athens.
- 2017 – The US drops the largest ever non-nuclear weapon on Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan.
Births on April 13
- 1229 – Louis II, Duke of Bavaria (d. 1294)
- 1350 – Margaret III, Countess of Flanders (d. 1405)
- 1506 – Peter Faber, French priest and theologian, co-founded the Society of Jesus (d. 1546)
- 1519 – Catherine de’ Medici, Italian-French wife of Henry II of France (d. 1589)
- 1570 – Guy Fawkes, English soldier, planned the Gunpowder Plot (probable; d. 1606)
- 1573 – Christina of Holstein-Gottorp (d. 1625)
- 1593 – Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford, English soldier and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (d. 1641)
- 1618 – Roger de Rabutin, Comte de Bussy, French author (d. 1693)
- 1636 – Hendrik van Rheede, Dutch botanist (d. 1691)
- 1648 – Jeanne Marie Bouvier de la Motte Guyon, French mystic (d. 1717)
- 1713 – Pierre Jélyotte, French tenor (d. 1797)
- 1729 – Thomas Percy, Irish bishop and poet (d. 1811)
- 1732 – Frederick North, Lord North, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1792)
- 1735 – Isaac Low, American merchant and politician, founded the New York Chamber of Commerce (d. 1791)
- 1743 – Thomas Jefferson, American lawyer and politician, 3rd President of the United States (d. 1826)
- 1747 – Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans (d. 1793)
- 1764 – Laurent de Gouvion Saint-Cyr, French general and politician, French Minister of War (d. 1830)
- 1769 – Thomas Lawrence, English painter and educator (d. 1830)
- 1771 – Richard Trevithick, Cornish-English engineer and explorer (d. 1833)
- 1780 – Alexander Mitchell, Irish engineer, invented the Screw-pile lighthouse (d. 1868)
- 1784 – Friedrich Graf von Wrangel, Prussian field marshal (d. 1877)
- 1787 – John Robertson, American lawyer and politician (d. 1873)
- 1794 – Jean Pierre Flourens, French physiologist and academic (d. 1867)
- 1802 – Leopold Fitzinger, Austrian zoologist and herpetologist (d. 1884)
- 1808 – Antonio Meucci, Italian-American engineer (d. 1889)
- 1810 – Félicien David, French composer (d. 1876)
- 1824 – William Alexander, Irish archbishop, poet, and theologian (d. 1911)
- 1825 – Thomas D’Arcy McGee, Irish-Canadian journalist and politician (d. 1868)
- 1828 – Josephine Butler, English feminist and social reformer (d. 1906)
- 1828 – Joseph Lightfoot, English bishop and theologian (d. 1889)
- 1832 – Juan Montalvo, Ecuadorian author and diplomat (d. 1889)
- 1841 – Louis-Ernest Barrias, French sculptor and academic (d. 1905)
- 1850 – Arthur Matthew Weld Downing, Irish astronomer (d. 1917)
- 1851 – Robert Abbe, American surgeon and radiologist (d. 1928)
- 1851 – William Quan Judge, Irish occultist and theosophist (d. 1896)
- 1852 – Frank Winfield Woolworth, American businessman, founded the F. W. Woolworth Company (d. 1919)
- 1854 – Lucy Craft Laney, Founder of the Haines Normal and Industrial School, Augusta, Georgia (d. 1933)
- 1860 – James Ensor, English-Belgian painter (d. 1949)
- 1866 – Butch Cassidy, American criminal (d. 1908)
- 1872 – John Cameron, Scottish international footballer and manager (d. 1935)
- 1872 – Alexander Roda Roda, Austrian-Croatian journalist and author (d. 1945)
- 1873 – John W. Davis, American lawyer and politician, 14th United States Solicitor General (d. 1955)
- 1875 – Ray Lyman Wilbur, American physician, academic, and politician, 31st United States Secretary of the Interior (d. 1949)
- 1879 – Edward Bruce, American lawyer and painter (d. 1943)
- 1879 – Oswald Bruce Cooper, American type designer, lettering artist, graphic designer, and educator (d. 1940)
- 1880 – Charles Christie, Canadian-American businessman, co-founded the Christie Film Company (d. 1955)
- 1885 – Vean Gregg, American baseball player (d. 1964)
- 1885 – Juhan Kukk, Estonian politician, Head of State of Estonia (d. 1942)
- 1885 – György Lukács, Hungarian philosopher and critic (d. 1971)
- 1885 – Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy, Dutch politician (d. 1961)
- 1887 – Gordon S. Fahrni, Canadian physician and golfer (d. 1995)
- 1889 – Herbert Yardley, American cryptologist and author (d. 1958)
- 1890 – Frank Murphy, American jurist and politician, 56th United States Attorney General (d. 1949)
- 1890 – Dadasaheb Torne, Indian director and producer (d. 1960)
- 1891 – Maurice Buckley, Australian sergeant, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 1921)
- 1891 – Nella Larsen, Danish/African-American nurse, librarian, and author (d. 1964)
- 1891 – Robert Scholl, German accountant and politician (d. 1973)
- 1892 – Sir Arthur Harris, 1st Baronet, English air marshal (d. 1984)
- 1892 – Robert Watson-Watt, Scottish engineer, invented Radar (d. 1973)
- 1894 – Arthur Fadden, Australian accountant and politician, 13th Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1973)
- 1894 – Joie Ray, American runner (d. 1978)
- 1896 – Fred Barnett, English footballer (d. 1982)
- 1897 – Werner Voss, German lieutenant and pilot (d. 1917)
- 1899 – Alfred Mosher Butts, American architect and game designer, created Scrabble (d. 1993)
- 1899 – Harold Osborn, American high jumper and decathlete (d. 1975)
- 1900 – Sorcha Boru, American potter and ceramic sculptor (d. 2006)
- 1900 – Pierre Molinier, French painter and photographer (d. 1976)
- 1901 – Jacques Lacan, French psychiatrist and psychoanalyst (d. 1981)
- 1901 – Alan Watt, Australian public servant and diplomat, Australian Ambassador to Japan (d. 1988)
- 1902 – Philippe de Rothschild, French Grand Prix driver, playwright, and producer (d. 1988)
- 1902 – Marguerite Henry, American author (d. 1997)
- 1904 – David Robinson, English businessman and philanthropist (d. 1987)
- 1905 – Rae Johnstone, Australian jockey (d. 1964)
- 1906 – Samuel Beckett, Irish novelist, poet, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1989)
- 1906 – Bud Freeman, American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader (d. 1991)
- 1907 – Harold Stassen, American lawyer and politician, 25th Governor of Minnesota (d. 2001)
- 1909 – Eudora Welty, American short story writer and novelist (d. 2001)
- 1911 – Ico Hitrec, Croatian footballer and manager (d. 1946)
- 1911 – Jean-Louis Lévesque, Canadian businessman and philanthropist (d. 1994)
- 1911 – Nino Sanzogno, Italian conductor and composer (d. 1983)
- 1913 – Dave Albritton, American high jumper and coach (d. 1994)
- 1913 – Kermit Tyler, American lieutenant and pilot (d. 2010)
- 1914 – Orhan Veli Kanık, Turkish poet and author (d. 1950)
- 1916 – Phyllis Fraser, Welsh-American actress, journalist, and publisher, co-founded Beginner Books (d. 2006)
- 1917 – Robert Orville Anderson, American businessman, founded Atlantic Richfield Oil Co. (d. 2007)
- 1917 – Bill Clements, American soldier, engineer, and politician, 15th United States Deputy Secretary of Defense (d. 2011)
- 1919 – Roland Gaucher, French journalist and politician (d. 2007)
- 1919 – Howard Keel, American actor and singer (d. 2004)
- 1919 – Madalyn Murray O’Hair, American activist, founded American Atheists (d. 1995)
- 1920 – Roberto Calvi, Italian banker (d. 1982)
- 1920 – Claude Cheysson, French lieutenant and politician, French Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 2012)
- 1920 – Liam Cosgrave, Irish lawyer and politician, 6th Taoiseach of Ireland (d. 2017)
- 1920 – Theodore L. Thomas, American chemical engineer, Patent attorney and writer (d. 2005)
- 1922 – Heinz Baas, German footballer and manager (d. 1994)
- 1922 – John Braine, English librarian and author (d. 1986)
- 1922 – Julius Nyerere, Tanzanian politician and teacher, 1st President of Tanzania (d. 1999)
- 1922 – Valve Pormeister, Estonian architect (d. 2002)
- 1923 – Don Adams, American actor and director (d. 2005)
- 1923 – A. H. Halsey, English sociologist and academic (d. 2014)
- 1923 – Stanley Tanger, American businessman and philanthropist, founded the Tanger Factory Outlet Centers (d. 2010)
- 1924 – John T. Biggers, American painter (d. 2001)
- 1924 – Jack T. Chick, American author, illustrator, and publisher (d. 2016)
- 1924 – Stanley Donen, American film director and choreographer (d. 2019)
- 1926 – Ellie Lambeti, Greek actress (d. 1983)
- 1926 – John Spencer-Churchill, 11th Duke of Marlborough, English businessman (d. 2014)
- 1927 – Rosemary Haughton, English philosopher, theologian, and author
- 1927 – Antonino Rocca, Italian-American wrestler (d. 1977)
- 1927 – Maurice Ronet, French actor and director (d. 1983)
- 1928 – Alan Clark, English historian and politician, Minister of State for Trade (d. 1999)
- 1928 – Gianni Marzotto, Italian racing driver and businessman (d. 2012)
- 1929 – Marilynn Smith, American golfer (d. 2019)
- 1931 – Anita Cerquetti, Italian soprano (d. 2014)
- 1931 – Robert Enrico, French director and screenwriter (d. 2001)
- 1931 – Dan Gurney, American race car driver and engineer (d. 2018)
- 1931 – Jon Stone, American composer, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1997)
- 1932 – Orlando Letelier, Chilean-American economist and politician, Chilean Minister of National Defense (d. 1976)
- 1933 – Ben Nighthorse Campbell, American soldier and politician
- 1934 – John Muckler, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager
- 1936 – Pierre Rosenberg, French historian and academic
- 1937 – Col Joye, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1937 – Edward Fox, English actor
- 1937 – Lanford Wilson, American playwright, co-founded the Circle Repertory Company (d. 2011)
- 1938 – Klaus Lehnertz, German pole vaulter
- 1938 – John Weston, English poet and diplomat
- 1939 – Seamus Heaney, Irish poet and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2013)
- 1939 – Paul Sorvino, American actor and singer
- 1940 – Mike Beuttler, Egyptian-English racing driver (d. 1988)
- 1940 – Lester Chambers, American singer and musician
- 1940 – J. M. G. Le Clézio, Breton French-Mauritian author and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1940 – Vladimir Cosma, French composer, conductor and violinist
- 1940 – Jim McNab, Scottish footballer (d. 2006)
- 1940 – Max Mosley, English racing driver and engineer, co-founded March Engineering, former president of the FIA
- 1940 – Ruby Puryear Hearn, African-American biophysicist
- 1941 – Michael Stuart Brown, American geneticist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1941 – Jean-Marc Reiser, French author and illustrator (d. 1983)
- 1942 – Bill Conti, American composer and conductor
- 1943 – Alan Jones, Australian rugby coach, radio host, and educator
- 1943 – Billy Kidd, American skier
- 1943 – Tim Krabbé, Dutch journalist and author
- 1943 – Philip Norman, English journalist, author, and playwright
- 1944 – Franco Arese, Italian runner
- 1944 – Charles Burnett, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1944 – Jack Casady, American bass guitarist
- 1944 – Susan Davis, Russian-American social worker and politician
- 1945 – Ed Caruthers, American high jumper
- 1945 – Tony Dow, American actor
- 1945 – Lowell George, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 1979)
- 1945 – Bob Kalsu, American football player and lieutenant (d. 1970)
- 1945 – Judy Nunn, Australian actress and author
- 1946 – Al Green, American singer-songwriter, producer, and pastor
- 1947 – Rae Armantrout, American poet and academic
- 1947 – Mike Chapman, Australian-English songwriter and producer
- 1947 – Jean-Jacques Laffont, French economist and academic (d. 2004)
- 1947 – Yves Landry, Canadian cyclist
- 1948 – Nam Hae-il, South Korean admiral
- 1948 – Drago Jančar, Slovenian author and playwright
- 1948 – Mikhail Shufutinsky, Soviet and Russian singer, actor, TV presenter
- 1949 – Len Cook, New Zealand-English mathematician and statistician
- 1949 – Frank Doran, Scottish lawyer and politician (d. 2017)
- 1949 – Christopher Hitchens, English-American essayist, literary critic, and journalist (d. 2011)
- 1949 – Ricardo Zunino, Argentinian racing driver
- 1950 – Ron Perlman, American actor
- 1950 – Tommy Raudonikis, Australian rugby league player and coach
- 1951 – Leszek Borysiewicz, Welsh immunologist and academic
- 1951 – Peabo Bryson, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1951 – Peter Davison, English actor
- 1951 – Joachim Streich, German footballer and manager
- 1951 – Max Weinberg, American drummer
- 1952 – Sam Bush, American mandolin player
- 1952 – David Drew, English lawyer and politician
- 1952 – Gabrielle Gourdeau, Canadian writer (d. 2006)
- 1952 – Jonjo O’Neill, Irish jockey and trainer
- 1953 – Stephen Byers, English politician
- 1953 – Dany Laferrière, Haitian-Canadian journalist and author
- 1954 – Jimmy Destri, American keyboard player and songwriter
- 1954 – Niels Olsen, Danish singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1954 – Barbara Roche, English lawyer and politician
- 1955 – Steve Camp, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1955 – Muwenda Mutebi II, current King of Buganda Kingdom
- 1955 – Louis Johnson, American bass player and producer (d. 2015)
- 1955 – Lupe Pintor, Mexican boxer
- 1955 – Ole von Beust, German lawyer and politician, 1st Mayor of Hamburg
- 1956 – Possum Bourne, New Zealand racing driver (d. 2003)
- 1956 – Alan Devonshire, English footballer and manager
- 1956 – Edward Forbes Smiley III, American art thief and map dealer
- 1957 – Amy Goodman, American journalist and author
- 1957 – Saundra Santiago, American actress
- 1960 – Lyn Brown, English social worker and politician
- 1960 – Bob Casey, Jr., American lawyer and politician, senior senator of Pennsylvania
- 1960 – Olaf Ludwig, German cyclist and manager
- 1960 – Rudi Völler, German footballer and manager
- 1961 – Hiro Yamamoto, American bass player and songwriter
- 1962 – Hillel Slovak, Israeli-American guitarist (d. 1988)
- 1963 – Garry Kasparov, Russian chess player and author
- 1964 – Davis Love III, American golfer and sportscaster
- 1964 – Caroline Rhea, Canadian actress and comedian
- 1964 – John Swinney, Scottish businessman and politician, Deputy First Minister of Scotland
- 1965 – Patricio Pouchulu, Argentinian architect and educator
- 1966 – Ali Boumnijel, Tunisian footballer
- 1966 – Marc Ford, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
- 1967 – Dana Barros, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster
- 1967 – Michael Eisen, American biologist and academic
- 1967 – Olga Tañón, Puerto Rican-American singer-songwriter
- 1968 – Ted Washington, American football player
- 1969 – Dirk Muschiol, German footballer
- 1970 – Monty Brown, American football player and wrestler
- 1970 – Gerry Creaney, Scottish footballer and manager
- 1970 – Nick Garrett, English singer
- 1970 – Szilveszter Csollány, Hungarian gymnast
- 1970 – Ricardo Rincón, Mexican-American baseball player
- 1970 – Ricky Schroder, American actor
- 1971 – Franck Esposito, French swimmer
- 1971 – Danie Mellor, Australian painter and sculptor
- 1971 – Bo Outlaw, American basketball player
- 1971 – Valensia, Dutch singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1972 – Mariusz Czerkawski, Polish ice hockey player and golfer
- 1972 – Aaron Lewis, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1974 – Valentina Cervi, Italian actress
- 1974 – Sergei Gonchar, Russian ice hockey player
- 1974 – Darren Turner, English racing driver
- 1974 – David Zdrilic, Australian footballer and manager
- 1975 – Jasey-Jay Anderson, Canadian snowboarder
- 1975 – Lou Bega, German singer-songwriter
- 1975 – Bruce Dyer, English footballer
- 1975 – Tatiana Navka, Russian ice dancer
- 1976 – Jonathan Brandis, American actor (d. 2003)
- 1976 – Patrik Eliáš, Czech-American ice hockey player
- 1976 – Glenn Howerton, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
- 1977 – Margus Tsahkna, Estonian lawyer and politician
- 1978 – Arron Asham, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1978 – Carles Puyol, Spanish footballer
- 1978 – Raemon Sluiter, Dutch tennis player
- 1978 – Keydrick Vincent, American football player
- 1979 – Gréta Arn, Hungarian tennis player
- 1979 – Baron Davis, American basketball player
- 1979 – Tony Lundon, Irish singer-songwriter, producer, and dancer
- 1979 – Meghann Shaughnessy, American tennis player
- 1980 – Colleen Clinkenbeard, American voice actress, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1980 – Jason Maguire, Irish jockey
- 1980 – Alan Melikdjanian, American independent filmmaker and YouTuber
- 1980 – Quentin Richardson, American basketball player
- 1981 – Nat Borchers, American soccer player
- 1981 – Gemma Doyle, Scottish politician
- 1982 – Nellie McKay, British-American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress
- 1983 – Claudio Bravo, Chilean footballer
- 1983 – Schalk Burger, South African rugby player
- 1983 – Nicole Cooke, Welsh cyclist
- 1983 – Hunter Pence, American baseball player
- 1984 – Jarmo Ahjupera, Estonian footballer
- 1984 – Anders Lindegaard, Danish footballer
- 1985 – Anna Jennings-Edquist, Australian actress, director, and playwright
- 1985 – Algo Kärp, Estonian skier
- 1985 – Cody Nickson, American reality television personality
- 1986 – Michael Bingham, American-English sprinter
- 1986 – Lorenzo Cain, American baseball player
- 1987 – Brandon Hardesty, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1987 – Massimiliano Pesenti, Italian footballer
- 1987 – Allison Weiss, American singer-songwriter
- 1988 – Anderson, Brazilian footballer
- 1988 – Petteri Koponen, Finnish basketball player
- 1988 – Allison Williams, American actress and singer
- 1989 – Ryan Bailey, American sprinter
- 1989 – Dong Dong, Chinese trampolinist
- 1989 – Nastassia Mironchyk-Ivanova, Belarusian long jumper
- 1989 – Josh Reynolds, Australian rugby league player
- 1989 – Vladislav Yegin, Russian ice hockey player
- 1990 – Anastasija Sevastova, a professional tennis player from Latvia
- 1991 – Akeem Adams, Trinidadian footballer (d. 2013)
- 1991 – Ulises Dávila, Mexican footballer
- 1991 – Josh Gordon, American football player
- 1992 – Denis Kudryavtsev, Russian hurdler
- 1992 – Jordan Silk, Australian cricketer
- 1993 – Tony Wroten, American basketball player
- 1994 – Ángelo Henríquez, Chilean footballer
- 1994 – Elvis Merzļikins, Latvian ice hockey player
- 1997 – Kyle Walker-Peters, English footballer
Deaths on April 13
- 548 – Lý Nam Đế, Vietnamese emperor (b. 503)
- 585 – Hermenegild, Visigothic prince and saint
- 799 – Paul the Deacon, Italian monk and historian (b. 720)
- 814 – Krum, khan of the Bulgarian Khanate
- 862 – Donald I, king of the Picts (b. 812)
- 989 – Bardas Phokas, Byzantine general
- 1035 – Herbert I, Count of Maine
- 1093 – Vsevolod I of Kiev (b. 1030)
- 1113 – Ida of Lorraine, saint and noblewoman (b. c. 1040)
- 1138 – Simon I, Duke of Lorraine (b. 1076)
- 1213 – Guy of Thouars, regent of Brittany
- 1275 – Eleanor of England (b. 1215)
- 1367 – John Tiptoft, 2nd Baron Tibetot (b. 1313)
- 1592 – Bartolomeo Ammannati, Italian architect and sculptor (b. 1511)
- 1605 – Boris Godunov, Tsar of Russia (b. 1551)
- 1612 – Sasaki Kojirō, Japanese samurai (b. 1585)
- 1635 – Fakhr-al-Din II, Ottoman prince (b. 1572)
- 1638 – Henri, Duke of Rohan (b. 1579)
- 1641 – Richard Montagu, English bishop (b. 1577)
- 1695 – Jean de La Fontaine, French author and poet (b. 1621)
- 1716 – Arthur Herbert, 1st Earl of Torrington, English admiral and politician (b. 1648)
- 1722 – Charles Leslie, Irish priest and theologian (b. 1650)
- 1793 – Pierre Gaspard Chaumette, French botanist, lawyer, and politician (b. 1763)
- 1794 – Nicolas Chamfort, French playwright and poet (b. 1741)
- 1826 – Franz Danzi, German cellist, composer, and conductor (b. 1763)
- 1853 – Leopold Gmelin, German chemist and academic (b. 1788)
- 1853 – James Iredell, Jr., American lawyer and politician, 23rd Governor of North Carolina (b. 1788)
- 1855 – Henry De la Beche, English geologist and palaeontologist (b. 1796)
- 1868 – Tewodros II of Ethiopia (b. 1818)
- 1880 – Robert Fortune, Scottish botanist and author (b. 1813)
- 1882 – Bruno Bauer, German historian and philosopher (b. 1809)
- 1886 – John Humphrey Noyes, American religious leader, founded the Oneida Community (b. 1811)
- 1890 – Samuel J. Randall, American captain, lawyer, and politician, 33rd Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (b. 1828)
- 1899 – James Service, Scottish-Australian politician, 12th Premier of Victoria (b. 1823)
- 1909 – Whitley Stokes, Anglo-Irish lawyer and scholar (b. 1830)
- 1910 – William Quiller Orchardson, Scottish-English painter and educator (b. 1835)
- 1911 – John McLane, Scottish-American politician, 50th Governor of New Hampshire (b. 1852)
- 1911 – George Washington Glick, American lawyer and politician, 9th Governor of Kansas (b. 1827)
- 1912 – Takuboku Ishikawa, Japanese poet and author (b. 1886)
- 1917 – Diamond Jim Brady, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1856)
- 1918 – Lavr Kornilov, Russian general (b. 1870)
- 1927 – Georg Voigt, German politician, Mayor of Frankfurt (b. 1866)
- 1936 – Konstantinos Demertzis, Greek politician 129th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1876)
- 1938 – Grey Owl, English-Canadian environmentalist and author (b. 1888)
- 1941 – Annie Jump Cannon, American astronomer and academic (b. 1863)
- 1941 – William Twaits, Canadian soccer player (b. 1879)
- 1942 – Henk Sneevliet, Dutch politician (b. 1883)
- 1942 – Anton Uesson, Estonian engineer and politician, 17th Mayor of Tallinn (b. 1879)
- 1944 – Cécile Chaminade, French pianist and composer (b. 1857)
- 1945 – Ernst Cassirer, Polish-American philosopher and academic (b. 1874)
- 1954 – Samuel Jones, American high jumper (b. 1880)
- 1954 – Angus Lewis Macdonald, Canadian lawyer and politician, 12th Premier of Nova Scotia (b. 1890)
- 1956 – Emil Nolde, Danish-German painter and educator (b. 1867)
- 1959 – Eduard van Beinum, Dutch pianist, violinist, and conductor (b. 1901)
- 1961 – John A. Bennett, American soldier (b. 1935)
- 1962 – Culbert Olson, American lawyer and politician, 29th Governor of California (b. 1876)
- 1966 – Abdul Salam Arif, Iraqi colonel and politician, 2nd President of Iraq (b. 1921)
- 1966 – Carlo Carrà, Italian painter (b. 1881)
- 1966 – Georges Duhamel, French soldier and author (b. 1884)
- 1967 – Nicole Berger, French actress (b. 1934)
- 1969 – Alfred Karindi, Estonian pianist and composer (b. 1901)
- 1971 – Michel Brière, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1949)
- 1971 – Juhan Smuul, Estonian author, poet, and screenwriter (b. 1921)
- 1975 – Larry Parks, American actor and singer (b. 1914)
- 1975 – François Tombalbaye, Chadian soldier, academic, and politician, 1st President of Chad (b. 1918)
- 1978 – Jack Chambers, Canadian painter and director (b. 1931)
- 1978 – Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, Nigerian educator and women’s rights activist (b. 1900)
- 1980 – Markus Höttinger, Austrian racing driver (b. 1956)
- 1983 – Gerry Hitchens, English footballer (b. 1934)
- 1983 – Theodore Stephanides, Greek physician, author, and poet (b. 1896)
- 1984 – Ralph Kirkpatrick, American harp player and musicologist (b. 1911)
- 1988 – Jean Gascon, Canadian actor and director (b. 1920)
- 1992 – Maurice Sauvé, Canadian economist and politician (b. 1923)
- 1992 – Feza Gürsey, Turkish mathematician and physicist (b. 1921)
- 1992 – Daniel Pollock, Australian actor (b. 1968)
- 1993 – Wallace Stegner, American novelist, short story writer, and essayist (b. 1909)
- 1996 – Leila Mackinlay, English author and educator (b. 1910)
- 1997 – Bryant Bowles, American soldier and activist, founded the National Association for the Advancement of White People (b. 1920)
- 1997 – Alan Cooley, Australian public servant (b. 1920)
- 1997 – Dorothy Frooks, American author and actress (b. 1896)
- 1997 – Voldemar Väli, Estonian wrestler (b. 1903)
- 1998 – Patrick de Gayardon, French skydiver and base jumper (b. 1960)
- 1999 – Ortvin Sarapu, Estonian-New Zealand chess player and author (b. 1924)
- 1999 – Willi Stoph, German engineer and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of East Germany (b. 1914)
- 2000 – Giorgio Bassani, Italian author and poet (b. 1916)
- 2000 – Frenchy Bordagaray, American baseball player and manager (b. 1910)
- 2004 – Caron Keating, Northern Irish television host (b. 1962)
- 2005 – Don Blasingame, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1932)
- 2005 – Johnnie Johnson, American pianist and songwriter (b. 1924)
- 2005 – Phillip Pavia, American painter and sculptor (b. 1912)
- 2005 – Philippe Volter, Belgian actor and director (b. 1959)
- 2006 – Bill Baker, American baseball player, coach, and umpire (b. 1911)
- 2006 – Muriel Spark, Scottish novelist, poet, and critic (b. 1918)
- 2008 – John Archibald Wheeler, American physicist and academic (b. 1911)
- 2009 – Mark Fidrych, American baseball player (b. 1954)
- 2009 – Bruce Snyder, American football player and coach (b. 1940)
- 2009 – George Feigley, American sex cult leader, convicted rapist and two-time prison escapee (b. 1940)
- 2012 – William B. Buffum, American soldier and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Lebanon (b. 1921)
- 2012 – Cecil Chaudhry, Pakistani pilot, academic, and activist (b. 1941)
- 2012 – Shūichi Higurashi, Japanese illustrator (b. 1936)
- 2012 – David S. Smith, American diplomat, United States Ambassador to Sweden (b. 1918)
- 2012 – Robert Wigmore, Cook Islander politician, 14th Deputy Prime Minister of the Cook Islands (b. 1949)
- 2013 – Chi Cheng, American bass player (b. 1970)
- 2013 – Stephen Dodgson, English composer and educator (b. 1924)
- 2013 – Dean Drummond, American composer and conductor (b. 1949)
- 2013 – Vincent Montana, Jr., American drummer and composer (b. 1928)
- 2013 – Lin Yang-kang, Taiwanese politician, 29th Vice Premier of the Republic of China (b. 1927)
- 2014 – Fred Enke, American football player (b. 1924)
- 2014 – Ernesto Laclau, Argentinian-Spanish philosopher and theorist (b. 1935)
- 2014 – Michael Ruppert, American journalist and author (b. 1951)
- 2014 – Rafał Sznajder, Polish fencer (b. 1972)
- 2015 – Gerald Calabrese, American basketball player and politician (b. 1925)
- 2015 – Ronnie Carroll, Irish singer and politician (b. 1934)
- 2015 – Thelma Coyne Long, Australian tennis player and captain (b. 1918)
- 2015 – Eduardo Galeano, Uruguayan journalist and author (b. 1940)
- 2015 – Günter Grass, German novelist, poet, playwright, and illustrator, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1927)
- 2015 – Herb Trimpe, American author and illustrator (b. 1939)
- 2016 – Nera White, American basketball player (b. 1935)
- 2017 – Dan Rooney, American football executive and former United States Ambassador to Ireland (b. 1932)
- 2018 – Art Bell, American broadcaster and author (b. 1945)
- 2019 – Neus Català, Anti-fascist activist (b. 1915)
- 2019 – Yvette Williams, New Zealand athlete (b. 1929)
Holidays and observances on April 13
- Christian feast day:
- Hermenegild
- Blessed Ida of Louvain
- Pope Martin I
- April 13 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Jefferson’s Birthday (United States)
- Katyn Memorial Day (Poland)
- South and Southeast Asian New Year. (see April 14)
- Teacher’s Day (Ecuador)
- Unfairly Prosecuted Persons Day (Slovakia)
-
April 11 in History
- 491 – Flavius Anastasius becomes Byzantine emperor, with the name of Anastasius I.
- 1241 – Batu Khan defeats Béla IV of Hungary at the Battle of Mohi.
- 1512 – War of the League of Cambrai: French forces led by Gaston de Foix win the Battle of Ravenna.
- 1544 – Italian War of 1542–46: A French army defeats Habsburg forces at the Battle of Ceresole, but fails to exploit its victory.
- 1689 – William III and Mary II are crowned as joint sovereigns of Great Britain.
- 1713 – War of the Spanish Succession (Queen Anne’s War): Treaty of Utrecht.
- 1727 – Premiere of Johann Sebastian Bach’s St Matthew Passion BWV 244b at the St. Thomas Church, Leipzig
- 1809 – An incomplete British victory over the French fleet at the Battle of the Basque Roads results in the court-martial of James, Lord Gambier.
- 1814 – The Treaty of Fontainebleau ends the War of the Sixth Coalition against Napoleon Bonaparte, and forces him to abdicate unconditionally for the first time.
- 1856 – Second Battle of Rivas: Juan Santamaría burns down the hostel where William Walker’s filibusters are holed up.
- 1868 – Former shōgun Tokugawa Yoshinobu surrenders Edo Castle to Imperial forces, marking the end of the Tokugawa shogunate.
- 1876 – The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks is organized.
- 1881 – Spelman College is founded in Atlanta, Georgia as the Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary, an institute of higher education for African-American women.
- 1908 – SMS Blücher, the last armored cruiser to be built by the Imperial German Navy, is launched.
- 1909 – The city of Tel Aviv is founded.
- 1921 – Emir Abdullah establishes the first centralised government in the newly created British protectorate of Transjordan.
- 1945 – World War II: American forces liberate the Buchenwald concentration camp.
- 1951 – Korean War: President Harry Truman relieves General of the Army Douglas MacArthur of overall command in Korea.
- 1951 – The Stone of Scone, the stone upon which Scottish monarchs were traditionally crowned, is found on the site of the altar of Arbroath Abbey. It had been taken by Scottish nationalist students from its place in Westminster Abbey.
- 1955 – The Air India Kashmir Princess is bombed and crashes in a failed assassination attempt on Zhou Enlai by the Kuomintang.
- 1957 – United Kingdom agrees to Singaporean self-rule.
- 1961 – The trial of Adolf Eichmann begins in Jerusalem.
- 1963 – Pope John XXIII issues Pacem in terris, the first encyclical addressed to all Christians instead of only Catholics, and which described the conditions for world peace in human terms.
- 1964 – Brazilian Marshal Humberto de Alencar Castelo Branco is elected President by the National Congress.
- 1965 – The Palm Sunday tornado outbreak of 1965: Fifty-one tornadoes hit in six Midwestern states, killing 256 people.
- 1968 – President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1968, prohibiting discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of housing.
- 1968 – Assassination attempt on Rudi Dutschke, leader of the German student movement.
- 1970 – Apollo 13 is launched.
- 1976 – The Apple I is created.
- 1977 – London Transport’s Silver Jubilee AEC Routemaster buses are launched.
- 1979 – Ugandan dictator Idi Amin is deposed.
- 1981 – A massive riot in Brixton, south London results in almost 300 police injuries and 65 serious civilian injuries.
- 1986 – FBI Miami Shootout: A gun battle in broad daylight in Dade County, Florida between two bank/armored car robbers and pursuing FBI agents. During the firefight, FBI agents Jerry L. Dove and Benjamin P. Grogan were killed, while five other agents were wounded. As a result, the popular .40 S&W cartridge was developed.
- 1987 – The London Agreement is secretly signed between Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Shimon Peres and King Hussein of Jordan.
- 1990 – Customs officers in Middlesbrough, England, seize what they believe to be the barrel of a massive gun on a ship bound for Iraq.
- 1993 – Four hundred fifty prisoners rioted at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville, Ohio, and continued to do so for ten days, citing grievances related to prison conditions, as well as the forced vaccination of Nation of Islam prisoners (for tuberculosis) against their religious beliefs.
- 2001 – The detained crew of a United States EP-3E aircraft that landed in Hainan, China after a collision with a J-8 fighter, is released.
- 2002 – The Ghriba synagogue bombing by al-Qaeda kills 21 in Tunisia.
- 2002 – Over two hundred thousand people march in Caracas towards the Presidential palace to demand the resignation of President Hugo Chávez. Nineteen protesters are killed.
- 2006 – Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announces Iran’s claim to have successfully enriched uranium.
- 2007 – Algiers bombings: Two bombings in Algiers kill 33 people and wound a further 222 others.
- 2011 – An explosion in the Minsk Metro, Belarus kills 15 people and injures 204 others.
- 2012 – A pair of great earthquakes occur in the Wharton Basin west of Sumatra in Indonesia. The maximum Mercalli intensity of this strike-slip doublet earthquake was VII (Very strong). Ten were killed, twelve were injured, and a non-destructive tsunami was observed on the island of Nias.
- 2018 – An Ilyushin Il-76 which was owned and operated by the Algerian Air Force crashes near Boufarik, Algeria, killing 257.
Births on April 11
- 145 – Septimius Severus, Roman emperor (probable; d. 211)
- 1184 – William of Winchester, Lord of Lüneburg (d. 1213)
- 1348 – Andronikos IV Palaiologos, Byzantine Emperor (d. 1385)
- 1357 – John I of Portugal (d. 1433)
- 1370 – Frederick I, Elector of Saxony (d. 1428)
- 1374 – Roger Mortimer, 4th Earl of March, heir to the throne of England (d. 1398)
- 1493 – George I, Duke of Pomerania (d. 1531)
- 1591 – Bartholomeus Strobel, Silezian painter (d. 1650)
- 1592 – John Eliot, English lawyer and politician (d. 1632)
- 1644 – Marie Jeanne Baptiste of Savoy-Nemours, Duchess of Savoy (d. 1724)
- 1658 – James Hamilton, 4th Duke of Hamilton, Scottish peer (d. 1712)
- 1683 – Jean-Joseph Mouret, French composer and conductor (d. 1738)
- 1715 – John Alcock, English organist and composer (d. 1806)
- 1721 – David Zeisberger, Czech-American clergyman and missionary (d. 1808)
- 1722 – Christopher Smart, English actor, playwright, and poet (d. 1771)
- 1749 – Adélaïde Labille-Guiard, French miniaturist and portrait painter (d. 1803)
- 1755 – James Parkinson, English surgeon, geologist, and paleontologist (d. 1824)
- 1770 – George Canning, Irish-English lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1827)
- 1794 – Edward Everett, English-American educator and politician, 15th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1865)
- 1798 – Macedonio Melloni, Italian physicist and academic (d. 1854)
- 1819 – Charles Hallé, German-English pianist and conductor (d. 1895)
- 1825 – Ferdinand Lassalle, German philosopher and jurist (d. 1864)
- 1827 – Jyotirao Phule, Indian scholar, philosopher, and activist (d. 1890)
- 1854 – Hugh Massie, Australian cricketer (d. 1938)
- 1856 – Arthur Shrewsbury, English cricketer and rugby player (d. 1903)
- 1859 – Stefanos Thomopoulos, Greek historian and author (d. 1939)
- 1862 – William Wallace Campbell, American astronomer and academic (d. 1938)
- 1862 – Charles Evans Hughes, American lawyer and politician, 44th United States Secretary of State (d. 1948)
- 1864 – Johanna Elberskirchen, German author and activist (d. 1943)
- 1866 – Bernard O’Dowd, Australian journalist, author, and poet (d. 1953)
- 1867 – Mark Keppel, American educator (d. 1928)
- 1869 – Gustav Vigeland, Norwegian sculptor, designed the Nobel Peace Prize medal (d. 1943)
- 1871 – Gyula Kellner, Hungarian runner (d. 1940)
- 1873 – Edward Lawson, English soldier, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 1955)
- 1876 – Paul Henry, Irish painter (d. 1958)
- 1876 – Ivane Javakhishvili, Georgian historian and academic (d. 1940)
- 1879 – Bernhard Schmidt, Estonian-German astronomer and optician (d. 1935)
- 1887 – Jamini Roy, Indian painter (d. 1972)
- 1893 – Dean Acheson, American lawyer and politician, 51st United States Secretary of State (d. 1971)
- 1896 – Léo-Paul Desrosiers, Canadian journalist and author (d. 1967)
- 1899 – Percy Lavon Julian, African-American chemist and academic (d. 1975)
- 1900 – Sándor Márai, Hungarian journalist and author (d. 1989)
- 1903 – Misuzu Kaneko, Japanese poet (d. 1930)
- 1904 – K. L. Saigal, Indian singer and actor (d. 1947)
- 1905 – Attila József, Hungarian poet and educator (d. 1937)
- 1906 – Dale Messick, American author and illustrator (d. 2005)
- 1907 – Paul Douglas, American actor (d. 1959)
- 1908 – Jane Bolin, American lawyer and judge (d. 2007)
- 1908 – Masaru Ibuka, Japanese businessman, co-founded Sony (d. 1997)
- 1908 – Dan Maskell, English tennis player and sportscaster (d. 1992)
- 1908 – Leo Rosten, Polish-American author and academic (d. 1997)
- 1910 – António de Spínola, Portuguese general and politician, 14th President of Portugal (d. 1996)
- 1912 – John Levy, American bassist and businessman (d. 2012)
- 1913 – Oleg Cassini, French-American fashion designer (d. 2006)
- 1914 – Norman McLaren, Scottish-Canadian animator, director, and producer (d. 1987)
- 1914 – Robert Stanfield, Canadian economist, lawyer, and politician, 17th Premier of Nova Scotia (d. 2003)
- 1914 – Dorothy Lewis Bernstein, American mathematician (d. 1988)
- 1916 – Alberto Ginastera, Argentinian-Swiss pianist and composer (d. 1983)
- 1916 – Howard W. Koch, American director and producer (d. 2001)
- 1917 – David Westheimer, American soldier, journalist, and author (d. 2005)
- 1918 – Richard Wainwright, English soldier and politician (d. 2003)
- 1919 – Raymond Carr, English historian and academic (d. 2015)
- 1920 – Emilio Colombo, Italian lawyer and politician, 40th Prime Minister of Italy (d. 2013)
- 1920 – William Royer, American soldier and politician (d. 2013)
- 1921 – Jim Hearn, American baseball player (d. 1998)
- 1921 – Jack Rayner, Australian rugby league player and coach (d. 2008)
- 1922 – Arved Viirlaid, Estonian-Canadian soldier and author (d. 2015)
- 1923 – George J. Maloof, Sr., American businessman (d. 1980)
- 1924 – Mohammad Naseem, Pakistani-English activist and politician (d. 2014)
- 1925 – Yuriy Lituyev, Russian hurdler and commander (d. 2000)
- 1925 – Viola Liuzzo, American civil rights activist (d. 1965)
- 1925 – Viktor Masing, Estonian botanist and ecologist (d. 2001)
- 1925 – Pierre Péladeau, Canadian businessman, founded Quebecor (d. 1997)
- 1926 – David Manker Abshire, American commander and diplomat, United States Permanent Representative to NATO (d. 2014)
- 1926 – Victor Bouchard, Canadian pianist and composer (d. 2011)
- 1926 – Karl Rebane, Estonian physicist and academic (d. 2007)
- 1927 – Lokesh Chandra, Indian historian
- 1928 – Ethel Kennedy, American philanthropist
- 1928 – Edwin Pope, American journalist and author (d. 2017)
- 1928 – Tommy Tycho, Hungarian-Australian pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 2013)
- 1930 – Nicholas F. Brady, American businessman and politician, 68th United States Secretary of the Treasury
- 1930 – Walter Krüger, German javelin thrower (d. 2018)
- 1930 – Anton LaVey, American occultist, founded the Church of Satan (d. 1997)
- 1931 – Lewis Jones, Welsh rugby player and coach
- 1932 – Joel Grey, American actor, singer, and dancer
- 1933 – Tony Brown, American journalist and academic
- 1934 – Mark Strand, Canadian-born American poet, essayist, and translator (d. 2014)
- 1934 – Ron Pember, English actor, director and playwright
- 1935 – Richard Berry, American singer-songwriter (d. 1997)
- 1936 – Brian Noble, English bishop (d. 2019)
- 1937 – Jill Gascoine, English actress and author
- 1938 – Gerry Baker, American soccer player and manager (d. 2013)
- 1938 – Michael Deaver, American politician, Deputy White House Chief of Staff (d. 2007)
- 1938 – Reatha King, American chemist and businesswoman
- 1939 – Luther Johnson, American singer and guitarist
- 1939 – Louise Lasser, American actress
- 1940 – Col Firmin, Australian politician (d. 2013)
- 1940 – Thomas Harris, American author and screenwriter
- 1940 – Władysław Komar, Polish shot putter and actor (d. 1998)
- 1941 – Ellen Goodman, American journalist and author
- 1941 – Shirley Stelfox, English actress (d. 2015)
- 1942 – Anatoly Berezovoy, Russian colonel, pilot, and astronaut (d. 2014)
- 1942 – Hattie Gossett, American writer
- 1942 – James Underwood, English pathologist and academic
- 1943 – John Montagu, 11th Earl of Sandwich, English businessman and politician
- 1943 – Harley Race, American wrestler and trainer (d. 2019)
- 1944 – Peter Barfuß, German footballer
- 1944 – John Milius, American director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1945 – John Krebs, Baron Krebs, English zoologist and academic
- 1946 – Chris Burden, American sculptor, illustrator, and academic (d. 2015)
- 1946 – Bob Harris, English journalist and radio host
- 1947 – Lev Bulat, Ukrainian-Russian physicist and academic (d. 2016)
- 1947 – Uli Edel, German director and screenwriter
- 1947 – Frank Mantooth, American pianist and composer (d. 2004)
- 1947 – Peter Riegert, American actor, screenwriter and film director
- 1947 – Michael T. Wright, English engineer and academic (d. 2015)
- 1949 – Bernd Eichinger, German director and producer (d. 2011)
- 1950 – Bill Irwin, American actor and clown
- 1951 – Paul Fox, English singer and guitarist (d. 2007)
- 1952 – Nancy Honeytree, American singer and guitarist
- 1952 – Indira Samarasekera, Sri Lankan engineer and academic
- 1952 – Peter Windsor, English-Australian journalist and sportscaster
- 1953 – Guy Verhofstadt, Belgian politician, 47th Prime Minister of Belgium
- 1953 – Andrew Wiles, English mathematician and academic
- 1954 – Abdullah Atalar, Turkish engineer and academic
- 1954 – Aleksandr Averin, Azerbaijani cyclist and coach
- 1954 – Francis Lickerish, English guitarist and composer
- 1954 – David Perrett, Scottish psychologist and academic
- 1954 – Ian Redmond, English biologist and conservationist
- 1954 – Willie Royster, American baseball player (d. 2015)
- 1955 – Kevin Brady, American lawyer and politician
- 1955 – Michael Callen, American singer-songwriter and AIDS activist (d. 1993)
- 1955 – Micheal Ray Richardson, American basketball player and coach
- 1958 – Stuart Adamson, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2001)
- 1958 – Lyudmila Kondratyeva, Russian sprinter
- 1959 – Pierre Lacroix, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1959 – Ana María Polo, Cuban-American lawyer and judge
- 1959 – Zahid Maleque, Bangladeshi politician
- 1960 – Jeremy Clarkson, English journalist and television presenter
- 1961 – Vincent Gallo, American actor, director, producer, and musician
- 1961 – Doug Hopkins, American guitarist and songwriter (d. 1993)
- 1961 – Nobuaki Kakuda, Japanese martial artist
- 1962 – Franck Ducheix, French fencer
- 1962 – Mark Lawson, English journalist and author
- 1963 – Billy Bowden, New Zealand cricketer and umpire
- 1963 – Waldemar Fornalik, Polish footballer and manager
- 1963 – Elizabeth Smylie, Australian tennis player
- 1964 – Steve Azar, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1964 – John Cryer, English journalist and politician
- 1964 – Johann Sebastian Paetsch, American cellist
- 1964 – Bret Saberhagen, American baseball player and coach
- 1964 – Patrick Sang, Kenyan runner
- 1966 – Steve Scarsone, American baseball player and manager
- 1966 – Shin Seung-hun, South Korean singer-songwriter
- 1966 – Lisa Stansfield, English singer-songwriter and actress
- 1968 – Sergei Lukyanenko, Kazakh-Russian journalist and author
- 1969 – Cerys Matthews, Welsh singer-songwriter
- 1969 – Michael von Grünigen, Swiss skier
- 1970 – Trevor Linden, Canadian ice hockey player and manager
- 1970 – Delroy Pearson, English singer-songwriter and producer
- 1971 – John Leech, English politician
- 1971 – Oliver Riedel, German bass player
- 1972 – Balls Mahoney, American wrestler (d. 2016)
- 1972 – Allan Théo, French singer
- 1972 – Jason Varitek, American baseball player and manager
- 1973 – Jennifer Esposito, American actress
- 1973 – Olivier Magne, French rugby player
- 1974 – Àlex Corretja, Spanish tennis player and coach
- 1974 – Ashot Danielyan, Armenian weightlifter
- 1974 – David Jassy, Swedish singer-songwriter and producer
- 1974 – Zöe Lucker, English actress
- 1974 – Tom Thacker, Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1974 – Trot Nixon, American baseball player and sportscaster
- 1975 – Olga Hostáková, Czech tennis player
- 1975 – Walid Soliman, Tunisian author and translator
- 1976 – Kelvim Escobar, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1977 – Ivonne Teichmann, German runner
- 1978 – Josh Hancock, American baseball player (d. 2007)
- 1979 – Malcolm Christie, English footballer
- 1979 – Sebastien Grainger, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1979 – Michel Riesen, Swiss ice hockey player
- 1979 – Josh Server, American actor
- 1980 – Keiji Tamada, Japanese footballer
- 1980 – Mark Teixeira, American baseball player
- 1981 – Alessandra Ambrosio, Brazilian model
- 1981 – Alexandre Burrows, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1981 – Veronica Pyke, Australian cricketer
- 1982 – Ian Bell, English cricketer
- 1982 – Peeter Kümmel, Estonian skier
- 1983 – Jennifer Heil, Canadian skier
- 1983 – Rubén Palazuelos, Spanish footballer
- 1983 – Nicky Pastorelli, Dutch race car driver
- 1984 – Kelli Garner, American actress
- 1984 – Nikola Karabatić, French handball player
- 1985 – Pablo Hernández Domínguez, Spanish footballer
- 1985 – Will Minson, Australian footballer
- 1986 – Sarodj Bertin, Haitian model and human rights lawyer
- 1986 – Dai Greene, Welsh hurdler
- 1986 – Lena Schöneborn, German pentathlete
- 1987 – Joss Stone, English singer-songwriter and actress
- 1987 – Lights, Canadian singer-songwriter
- 1988 – Leland Irving, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1989 – Torrin Lawrence, American sprinter (d. 2014)
- 1989 – Zola Jesus, American singer
- 1990 – Dimitrios Anastasopoulos, Greek footballer
- 1990 – Thulani Serero, South African footballer
- 1991 – Thiago Alcântara, Spanish footballer
- 1991 – Brennan Poole, American racing driver
- 1996 – Dele Alli, English international footballer
- 1997 – Georgia Bohl, Australian swimmer
- 1997 – Miriam Kolodziejová, a Czech tennis player
Deaths on April 11
- 618 – Yang Guang, Chinese emperor of the Sui Dynasty (b. 569)
- 678 – Donus, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 610)
- 924 – Herman I, chancellor and archbishop of Cologne
- 1034 – Romanos III Argyros, Byzantine emperor (b. 968)
- 1077 – Anawrahta, king of Burma and founder of the Pagan Empire (b. 1014)
- 1079 – Stanislaus of Szczepanów, bishop of Kraków (b. 1030)
- 1165 – Stephen IV, king of Hungary and Croatia
- 1240 – Llywelyn the Great, Welsh prince (b. 1172)
- 1447 – Henry Beaufort, Cardinal, Lord Chancellor of England (b. 1377)
- 1512 – Gaston de Foix, French military commander (b. 1489)
- 1554 – Thomas Wyatt the Younger, English rebel leader (b. 1521)
- 1587 – Thomas Bromley, English lord chancellor (b. 1530)
- 1609 – John Lumley, 1st Baron Lumley, English noble (b. 1533)
- 1612 – Emanuel van Meteren, Flemish historian and author (b. 1535)
- 1612 – Edward Wightman, English minister and martyr (b. 1566)
- 1626 – Marino Ghetaldi, Ragusan mathematician and physicist (b. 1568)
- 1712 – Richard Simon, French priest and critic (b. 1638)
- 1723 – John Robinson, English bishop and diplomat (b. 1650)
- 1783 – Nikita Ivanovich Panin, Polish-Russian politician, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1718)
- 1798 – Karl Wilhelm Ramler, German poet and academic (b. 1725)
- 1856 – Juan Santamaría, Costa Rican soldier (b. 1831)
- 1861 – Francisco González Bocanegra, Mexican poet and composer (b. 1824)
- 1873 – Edward Canby, American general (b. 1817)
- 1890 – David de Jahacob Lopez Cardozo, Dutch Talmudist (b. 1808)
- 1890 – Joseph Merrick, English man with severe deformities (b. 1862)
- 1894 – Constantin Lipsius, German architect and theorist (b. 1832)
- 1895 – Julius Lothar Meyer, German chemist (b. 1830)
- 1902 – Wade Hampton III, American general and politician, 77th Governor of South Carolina (b. 1818)
- 1903 – Gemma Galgani, Italian mystic and saint (b. 1878)
- 1906 – James Anthony Bailey, American businessman, co-founded Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus (b. 1847)
- 1906 – Francis Pharcellus Church, American journalist and publisher, co-founded Armed Forces Journal and The Galaxy Magazine (b. 1839)
- 1908 – Henry Bird, English chess player and author (b. 1829)
- 1916 – Richard Harding Davis, American journalist and author (b. 1864)
- 1918 – Otto Wagner, Austrian architect and urban planner (b. 1841)
- 1926 – Luther Burbank, American botanist and academic (b. 1849)
- 1939 – Kurtdereli Mehmet, Turkish wrestler (b. 1864)
- 1953 – Kid Nichols, American baseball player and manager (b. 1869)
- 1954 – Paul Specht, American violinist and bandleader (b. 1895)
- 1958 – Konstantin Yuon, Russian painter and educator (b. 1875)
- 1960 – Rosa Grünberg, Swedish actress (b. 1878)
- 1962 – Ukichiro Nakaya, Japanese physicist and academic (b. 1900)
- 1962 – George Poage, American hurdler and educator (b. 1880)
- 1967 – Thomas Farrell, American general (b. 1891)
- 1967 – Donald Sangster, Jamaican lawyer and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Jamaica (b. 1911)
- 1970 – Cathy O’Donnell, American actress (b. 1923)
- 1970 – John O’Hara, American novelist and short story writer (b. 1905)
- 1974 – Ernst Ziegler, German actor (b. 1894)
- 1977 – Jacques Prévert, French poet and screenwriter (b. 1900)
- 1977 – Phanishwar Nath ‘Renu’, Indian author and activist (b. 1921)
- 1980 – Ümit Kaftancıoğlu, Turkish journalist and producer (b. 1935)
- 1981 – Caroline Gordon, American author and critic (b. 1895)
- 1983 – Dolores del Río, Mexican actress (b. 1904)
- 1984 – Edgar V. Saks, Estonian historian and politician, Estonian Minister of Education (b. 1910)
- 1985 – Bunny Ahearne, Irish-born English businessman (b. 1900)
- 1985 – John Gilroy, English artist and illustrator (b. 1898)
- 1985 – Enver Hoxha, Albanian educator and politician, 21st Prime Minister of Albania (b. 1908)
- 1987 – Erskine Caldwell, American novelist and short story writer (b. 1903)
- 1987 – Primo Levi, Italian chemist and author (b. 1919)
- 1990 – Harold Ballard, Canadian businessman (b. 1903)
- 1991 – Walker Cooper, American baseball player and manager (b. 1915)
- 1991 – Bruno Hoffmann. German glass harp player (b. 1913)
- 1992 – James Brown, American actor and singer (b. 1920)
- 1992 – Eve Merriam, American author and poet (b. 1916)
- 1992 – Alejandro Obregón, Colombian painter, sculptor, and engraver (b. 1920)
- 1996 – Jessica Dubroff, American pilot (b. 1988)
- 1997 – Muriel McQueen Fergusson, Canadian lawyer and politician, Canadian Speaker of the Senate (b. 1899)
- 1997 – Wang Xiaobo, contemporary Chinese novelist and essayist (b. 1952)
- 1999 – William H. Armstrong, American author and educator (b. 1911)
- 2000 – Diana Darvey, English actress, singer and dancer (b. 1945)
- 2001 – Harry Secombe, Welsh-English actor (b. 1921)
- 2003 – Cecil Howard Green, English-American geophysicist and businessman, founded Texas Instruments (b. 1900)
- 2005 – André François, Romanian-French cartoonist, painter, and sculptor (b. 1915)
- 2005 – Lucien Laurent, French footballer and coach (b. 1907)
- 2006 – June Pointer, American singer (b. 1953)
- 2006 – DeShaun Holton, American rapper and actor (b. 1973)
- 2007 – Roscoe Lee Browne, American actor and director (b. 1922)
- 2007 – Loïc Leferme, French diver (b. 1970)
- 2007 – Janet McDonald, American lawyer and author (b. 1954)
- 2007 – Ronald Speirs, Scottish-American colonel (b. 1920)
- 2007 – Kurt Vonnegut, American novelist, short story writer, and playwright (b. 1922)
- 2008 – Merlin German, American sergeant (b. 1985)
- 2009 – Gerda Gilboe, Danish actress and singer (b. 1914)
- 2009 – Vishnu Prabhakar, Indian author and playwright (b. 1912)
- 2009 – Corín Tellado, Spanish author (b. 1927)
- 2010 – Julia Tsenova, Bulgarian pianist and composer (b. 1948)
- 2011 – Larry Sweeney, American wrestler and manager (b. 1981)
- 2012 – Ahmed Ben Bella, Algerian soldier and politician, 1st President of Algeria (b. 1916)
- 2012 – Roger Caron, Canadian criminal and author (b. 1938)
- 2012 – Tippy Dye, American basketball player and coach (b. 1915)
- 2012 – Hal McKusick, American saxophonist, clarinet player, and flute player (b. 1924)
- 2012 – Agustin Roman, American bishop (b. 1928)
- 2013 – Don Blackman, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer (b. 1953)
- 2013 – Grady Hatton, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1922)
- 2013 – Thomas Hemsley, English actor and singer (b. 1927)
- 2013 – Hilary Koprowski, Polish-American virologist and immunologist (b. 1916)
- 2013 – Gilles Marchal, French singer-songwriter (b. 1944)
- 2013 – Maria Tallchief, American ballerina (b. 1925)
- 2013 – Clorindo Testa, Italian-Argentinian architect (b. 1923)
- 2013 – Jonathan Winters, American comedian, actor and screenwriter (b. 1925)
- 2014 – Rolf Brem, Swiss sculptor and illustrator (b. 1926)
- 2014 – Edna Doré, English actress (b. 1921)
- 2014 – Bill Henry, American baseball player (b. 1927)
- 2014 – Lou Hudson, American basketball player and sportscaster (b. 1944)
- 2014 – Myer S. Kripke, American rabbi and scholar (b. 1914)
- 2014 – Sergey Nepobedimy, Russian engineer (b. 1921)
- 2014 – Jesse Winchester, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1944)
- 2015 – Jimmy Gunn, American football player (b. 1948)
- 2015 – Muhammad Kamaruzzaman, Bangladeshi journalist and politician (b. 1952)
- 2015 – François Maspero, French journalist and author (b. 1932)
- 2015 – Hanut Singh, Indian general (b. 1933)
- 2015 – Tekena Tamuno, Nigerian historian and academic (b. 1932)
- 2017 – J. Geils, American singer and guitarist (b. 1946)
- 2017 – Mark Wainberg, Canadian researcher and HIV/AIDS activist (b. 1945)
- 2020 – John Horton Conway, English mathematician (b. 1937)
Holidays and observances on April 11
- Christian feast day:
- Antipas of Pergamum (Greek Orthodox Church)
- Gemma Galgani
- Godeberta
- Guthlac of Crowland
- George Selwyn (Anglicanism)
- Stanislaus of Szczepanów
- April 11 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Juan Santamaría Day, anniversary of his death in the Second Battle of Rivas. (Costa Rica)
- International Louie Louie Day
- World Parkinson’s Day
-
April 7 in History
- 451 – Attila the Hun sacks the town of Metz and attacks other cities in Gaul.
- 529 – First draft of the Corpus Juris Civilis (a fundamental work in jurisprudence) is issued by Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian I.
- 611 – Maya king Uneh Chan of Calakmul sacks rival city-state Palenque in southern Mexico.
- 1141 – Empress Matilda became the first female ruler of England, adopting the title ‘Lady of the English’.
- 1348 – Charles University is founded in Prague.
- 1521 – Ferdinand Magellan arrives at Cebu.
- 1541 – Francis Xavier leaves Lisbon on a mission to the Portuguese East Indies.
- 1724 – Premiere performance of Johann Sebastian Bach’s St John Passion, BWV 245, at St. Nicholas Church, Leipzig.
- 1767 – End of Burmese–Siamese War (1765–67).
- 1776 – Captain John Barry and the USS Lexington captures the Edward.
- 1788 – American pioneers to the Northwest Territory establish Marietta, Ohio as the first permanent American settlement in the Northwest Territory.
- 1789 – Selim III became Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and Caliph of Islam.
- 1798 – The Mississippi Territory is organized from disputed territory claimed by both the United States and Spain. It is expanded in 1804 and again in 1812.
- 1805 – Lewis and Clark Expedition: The Corps of Discovery breaks camp among the Mandan tribe and resumes its journey West along the Missouri River.
- 1805 – German composer Ludwig van Beethoven premiered his Third Symphony, at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna.
- 1827 – John Walker, an English chemist, sells the first friction match that he had invented the previous year.
- 1829 – Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, commences translation of the Book of Mormon, with Oliver Cowdery as his scribe.
- 1831 – Emperor Pedro I of Brazil resigns. He goes to his native Portugal to become King Pedro IV.
- 1862 – American Civil War: The Union’s Army of the Tennessee and the Army of the Ohio defeat the Confederate Army of Mississippi near Shiloh, Tennessee.
- 1868 – Thomas D’Arcy McGee, one of the Canadian Fathers of Confederation, is assassinated by a Fenian activist.
- 1890 – Completion of the first Lake Biwa Canal.
- 1906 – Mount Vesuvius erupts and devastates Naples.
- 1906 – The Algeciras Conference gives France and Spain control over Morocco.
- 1922 – The United States Secretary of the Interior leases federal petroleum reserves to private oil companies on excessively generous terms.
- 1927 – The first long-distance public television broadcast (from Washington, D.C., to New York City, displaying the image of Commerce Secretary Herbert Hoover).
- 1933 – Prohibition in the United States is repealed for beer of no more than 3.2% alcohol by weight, eight months before the ratification of the XXI amendment. (Now celebrated as National Beer Day in the United States.)
- 1940 – Booker T. Washington becomes the first African American to be depicted on a United States postage stamp.
- 1943 – The Holocaust in Ukraine: In Terebovlia, Germans order 1,100 Jews to undress and march through the city to the nearby village of Plebanivka, where they are shot and buried in ditches.
- 1943 – Ioannis Rallis becomes collaborationist Prime Minister of Greece during the Axis Occupation.
- 1945 – World War II: The battleship Yamato, one of the two largest ever constructed, is sunk by American aircraft during Operation Ten-Go.
- 1945 – World War II: Visoko is liberated by the 7th, 9th, and 17th Krajina brigades from the Tenth division of Yugoslav Partisan forces.
- 1948 – The World Health Organization is established by the United Nations.
- 1949 – The Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific opened on Broadway; it would run for 1,925 performances and win ten Tony Awards.
- 1954 – United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower gives his “domino theory” speech during a news conference.
- 1955 – Winston Churchill resigns as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom amid indications of failing health.
- 1964 – IBM announces the System/360.
- 1964 – A bulldozer kills Rev. Bruce W. Klunder, a civil rights activist, during a school segregation protest in Cleveland, Ohio, sparking a riot.
- 1965 – Representatives of the National Congress of American Indians testify before members of the US Senate against the termination of the Colville tribe in Washington DC.
- 1968 – Motor racing world champion Jim Clark is killed in an accident during a Formula Two race at Hockenheim.
- 1969 – The Internet’s symbolic birth date: Publication of RFC 1.
- 1971 – President Richard Nixon announces his decision to quicken the pace of Vietnamization.
- 1976 – Member of Parliament and suspected spy John Stonehouse resigns from the Labour Party (UK) after being arrested for faking his own death.
- 1977 – German Federal prosecutor Siegfried Buback and his driver are shot by two Red Army Faction members while waiting at a red light.
- 1978 – Development of the neutron bomb is canceled by President Jimmy Carter.
- 1980 – During the Iran hostage crisis, the United States severs relations with Iran.
- 1983 – During STS-6, astronauts Story Musgrave and Don Peterson perform the first Space Shuttle spacewalk.
- 1989 – Soviet submarine Komsomolets sinks in the Barents Sea off the coast of Norway killing 42 sailors.
- 1990 – Iran–Contra affair: John Poindexter is found guilty of five charges for his part in the scandal (the conviction is later reversed on appeal).
- 1990 – A fire breaks out on the passenger ferry Scandinavian Star, killing 159 people.
- 1994 – Rwandan genocide: Massacres of Tutsis begin in Kigali, Rwanda.
- 1994 – Auburn Calloway attempts to destroy Federal Express Flight 705 in order to allow his family to benefit from his life insurance policy.
- 1995 – First Chechen War: Russian paramilitary troops begin a massacre of civilians in Samashki, Chechnya.
- 1999 – The World Trade Organization rules in favor of the United States in its long-running trade dispute with the European Union over bananas.
- 2001 – Mars Odyssey is launched.
- 2003 – U.S. troops capture Baghdad; Saddam Hussein’s regime falls two days later.
- 2009 – Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori is sentenced to 25 years in prison for ordering killings and kidnappings by security forces.
- 2009 – Mass protests begin across Moldova under the belief that results from the parliamentary election are fraudulent.
- 2017 – A man deliberately drives a hijacked truck into a crowd of people, killing five people and injuring fifteen others.
Births on April 7
- 1206 – Otto II Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria (d. 1253)
- 1330 – John, 3rd Earl of Kent, English nobleman (d. 1352)
- 1470 – Edward Stafford, 2nd Earl of Wiltshire (d. 1498)
- 1506 – Francis Xavier, Spanish missionary and saint, co-founded the Society of Jesus (d. 1552)
- 1539 – Tobias Stimmer, Swiss painter and illustrator (d. 1584)
- 1613 – Gerrit Dou, Dutch painter (d. 1675)
- 1644 – François de Neufville, duc de Villeroy, French general (d. 1730)
- 1648 – John Sheffield, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby, English poet and politician, Lord President of the Council (d. 1721)
- 1652 – Pope Clement XII (d. 1740)
- 1713 – Nicola Sala, Italian composer and theorist (d. 1801)
- 1718 – Hugh Blair, Scottish minister and author (d. 1800)
- 1727 – Michel Adanson, French botanist, entomologist, and mycologist (d. 1806)
- 1763 – Domenico Dragonetti, Italian bassist and composer (d. 1846)
- 1770 – William Wordsworth, English poet (d. 1850)
- 1772 – Charles Fourier, French philosopher and author (d. 1837)
- 1780 – William Ellery Channing, American preacher and theologian (d. 1842)
- 1803 – James Curtiss, American journalist and politician, 11th Mayor of Chicago (d. 1859)
- 1803 – Flora Tristan, French author and activist (d. 1844)
- 1811 – Hasan Tahsini, Albanian astronomer, mathematician, and philosopher (d. 1881)
- 1817 – Francesco Selmi, Italian chemist and patriot (d. 1881)
- 1848 – Randall Davidson, Scottish archbishop (d. 1930)
- 1859 – Walter Camp, American football player and coach (d. 1925)
- 1860 – Will Keith Kellogg, American businessman, founded the Kellogg Company (d. 1951)
- 1867 – Holger Pedersen, Danish linguist and academic (d. 1953)
- 1870 – Gustav Landauer, Jewish-German theorist and activist (d. 1919)
- 1871 – Epifanio de los Santos, Filipino jurist, historian, and scholar (d. 1927)
- 1873 – John McGraw, American baseball player and manager (d. 1934)
- 1874 – Frederick Carl Frieseke, German-American painter (d. 1939)
- 1876 – Fay Moulton, American sprinter, football player, coach, and lawyer (d. 1945)
- 1882 – Bert Ironmonger, Australian cricketer (d. 1971)
- 1882 – Kurt von Schleicher, German general and politician, 23rd Chancellor of Germany (d. 1934)
- 1883 – Gino Severini, Italian-French painter and author (d. 1966)
- 1884 – Clement Smoot, American golfer (d. 1963)
- 1886 – Ed Lafitte, American baseball player and soldier (d. 1971)
- 1889 – Gabriela Mistral, Chilean poet and educator, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1957)
- 1890 – Paul Berth, Danish footballer (d. 1969)
- 1890 – Marjory Stoneman Douglas, American journalist and activist (d. 1998)
- 1891 – Ole Kirk Christiansen, Danish businessman, founded the Lego Group (d. 1958)
- 1893 – Allen Dulles, American lawyer and diplomat, 5th Director of Central Intelligence (d. 1969)
- 1895 – John Flannagan, American soldier and sculptor (d. 1942)
- 1895 – Margarete Schön, German actress (d. 1985)
- 1896 – Frits Peutz, Dutch architect, designed the Glaspaleis (d. 1974)
- 1897 – Erich Löwenhardt, Polish-German lieutenant and pilot (d. 1918)
- 1897 – Walter Winchell, American journalist and radio host (d. 1972)
- 1899 – Robert Casadesus, French pianist and composer (d. 1972)
- 1900 – Adolf Dymsza, Polish actor (d. 1975)
- 1900 – Tebbs Lloyd Johnson, English race walker (d. 1984)
- 1902 – Eduard Eelma, Estonian footballer (d. 1941)
- 1903 – M. Balasundaram, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician (d. 1965)
- 1903 – Edwin T. Layton, American admiral (d. 1984)
- 1904 – Roland Wilson, Australian economist and statistician (d. 1996)
- 1908 – Percy Faith, Canadian composer, conductor, and bandleader (d. 1976)
- 1908 – Pete Zaremba, American hammer thrower (d. 1994)
- 1909 – Robert Charroux, French author and critic (d. 1978)
- 1913 – Louise Currie, American actress (d. 2013)
- 1913 – Charles Vanik, American soldier, judge, and politician (d. 2007)
- 1914 – Ralph Flanagan, American pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1995)
- 1915 – Stanley Adams, American actor and screenwriter (d. 1977)
- 1915 – Billie Holiday, American singer-songwriter and actress (d. 1959)
- 1915 – Henry Kuttner, American author (d. 1958)
- 1916 – Anthony Caruso, American actor (d. 2003)
- 1917 – R. G. Armstrong, American actor and playwright (d. 2012)
- 1918 – Bobby Doerr, American baseball player and coach (d. 2017)
- 1919 – Roger Lemelin, Canadian author and screenwriter (d. 1992)
- 1919 – Edoardo Mangiarotti, Italian fencer (d. 2012)
- 1920 – Ravi Shankar, Indian-American sitar player and composer (d. 2012)
- 1921 – Feza Gürsey, Turkish mathematician and physicist (d. 1992)
- 1922 – Mongo Santamaría, Cuban-American drummer (d. 2003)
- 1924 – Johannes Mario Simmel, Austrian-English author and screenwriter (d. 2009)
- 1925 – Chaturanan Mishra, Indian trade union leader and politician (d. 2011)
- 1925 – Jan van Roessel, Dutch footballer (d. 2011)
- 1927 – Babatunde Olatunji, Nigerian-American drummer, educator, and activist (d. 2003)
- 1927 – Leonid Shcherbakov, Russian triple jumper
- 1928 – James Garner, American actor, singer, and producer (d. 2014)
- 1928 – Alan J. Pakula, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1998)
- 1928 – James White, Northern Irish author and educator (d. 1999)
- 1929 – Bob Denard, French soldier (d. 2007)
- 1929 – Joe Gallo, American gangster (d. 1972)
- 1930 – Jane Priestman, English interior designer
- 1930 – Yves Rocher, French businessman, founded the Yves Rocher Company (d. 2009)
- 1930 – Andrew Sachs, German-English actor and screenwriter (d. 2016)
- 1930 – Roger Vergé, French chef and restaurateur (d. 2015)
- 1931 – Donald Barthelme, American short story writer and novelist (d. 1989)
- 1931 – Daniel Ellsberg, American activist and author
- 1932 – Cal Smith, American singer and guitarist (d. 2013)
- 1933 – Wayne Rogers, American actor, investor, and producer (d. 2015)
- 1933 – Sakıp Sabancı, Turkish businessman and philanthropist (d. 2004)
- 1934 – Ian Richardson, Scottish-English actor (d. 2007)
- 1935 – Bobby Bare, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1935 – Hodding Carter III, American journalist and politician, Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs
- 1937 – Charlie Thomas, American singer
- 1938 – Jerry Brown, American lawyer and politician, 34th and 39th Governor of California
- 1938 – Spencer Dryden, American drummer (d. 2005)
- 1938 – Freddie Hubbard, American trumpet player and composer (d. 2008)
- 1938 – Iris Johansen, American author
- 1939 – Francis Ford Coppola, American director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1939 – David Frost, English journalist and game show host (d. 2013)
- 1939 – Gary Kellgren, American record producer, co-founded Record Plant (d. 1977)
- 1939 – Brett Whiteley, Australian painter (d. 1992)
- 1940 – Marju Lauristin, Estonian academic and politician, 1st Estonian Minister of Social Affairs
- 1941 – James Di Pasquale, American composer
- 1941 – Peter Fluck, English puppet maker and illustrator
- 1941 – Cornelia Frances, English-Australian actress (d. 2018)
- 1941 – Gorden Kaye, English actor (d. 2017)
- 1942 – Jeetendra, Indian actor, TV and film producer
- 1943 – Mick Abrahams, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1943 – Dennis Amiss, English cricketer and manager
- 1944 – Shel Bachrach, American insurance broker, investor, businessman and philanthropist
- 1944 – Warner Fusselle, American sportscaster (d. 2012)
- 1944 – Oshik Levi, Israeli singer and actor
- 1944 – Julia Phillips, American film producer and author (d. 2002)
- 1944 – Gerhard Schröder, German lawyer and politician, 7th Chancellor of Germany
- 1944 – Bill Stoneman, American baseball player and manager
- 1945 – Megas, Icelandic singer-songwriter
- 1945 – Gerry Cottle, English businessman
- 1945 – Marilyn Friedman, American philosopher and academic
- 1945 – Martyn Lewis, Welsh journalist and author
- 1945 – Joël Robuchon, French chef and author (d. 2018)
- 1945 – Werner Schroeter, German director and screenwriter (d. 2010)
- 1945 – Hans van Hemert, Dutch songwriter and producer
- 1946 – Zaid Abdul-Aziz, American basketball player
- 1946 – Colette Besson, French runner and educator (d. 2005)
- 1946 – Herménégilde Chiasson, Canadian poet, playwright, and politician, 29th Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick
- 1946 – Dimitrij Rupel, Slovenian politician and diplomate
- 1946 – Stan Winston, American special effects designer and makeup artist (d. 2008)
- 1947 – Patricia Bennett, American singer
- 1947 – Florian Schneider, German singer and drummer (d. 2020)
- 1947 – Michèle Torr, French singer and author
- 1948 – John Oates, American singer-songwriter guitarist, and producer
- 1949 – Mitch Daniels, American academic and politician, 49th Governor of Indiana
- 1950 – Brian J. Doyle, American press secretary
- 1951 – Bruce Gary, American drummer (d. 2006)
- 1951 – Janis Ian, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1952 – David Baulcombe, English geneticist and academic
- 1952 – Jane Frederick, American hurdler and heptathlete
- 1952 – Gilles Valiquette, Canadian actor, singer, and producer
- 1952 – Dennis Hayden, American actor
- 1953 – Santa Barraza, American mixed media artist
- 1953 – Douglas Kell, English biochemist and academic
- 1954 – Jackie Chan, Hong Kong martial artist, actor, stuntman, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1954 – Tony Dorsett, American football player
- 1955 – Tim Cochran, American mathematician and academic (d. 2014)
- 1955 – Gregg Jarrett, American lawyer and journalist
- 1956 – Annika Billström, Swedish businesswoman and politician, 16th Mayor of Stockholm
- 1956 – Christopher Darden, American lawyer and author
- 1956 – Georg Werthner, Austrian decathlete
- 1957 – Kim Kap-soo, South Korean actor
- 1957 – Thelma Walker, British politician
- 1958 – Brian Haner, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1958 – Hindrek Kesler, Estonian architect
- 1960 – Buster Douglas, American boxer and actor
- 1960 – Sandy Powell, English costume designer
- 1961 – Thurl Bailey, American basketball player and actor
- 1961 – Pascal Olmeta, French footballer
- 1961 – Brigitte van der Burg, Tanzanian-Dutch geographer and politician
- 1962 – Jon Cruddas, English lawyer and politician
- 1962 – Andrew Hampsten, American cyclist
- 1963 – Jaime de Marichalar, Spanish businessman
- 1963 – Nick Herbert, English businessman and politician, Minister for Policing
- 1963 – Dave Johnson, American decathlete and educator
- 1964 – Jace Alexander, American actor and director
- 1964 – Russell Crowe, New Zealand-Australian actor
- 1964 – Steve Graves, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1965 – Bill Bellamy, American comedian, actor, and producer
- 1965 – Rozalie Hirs, Dutch composer and poet
- 1965 – Alison Lapper, English painter and photographer
- 1965 – Nenad Vučinić, Serbian-New Zealand basketball player and coach
- 1966 – Richard Gomez, Filipino actor and politician
- 1966 – Zvika Hadar, Israeli entertainer
- 1966 – Béla Mavrák, Hungarian tenor singer
- 1966 – Gary Wilkinson, English snooker player
- 1967 – Artemis Gounaki, Greek-German singer-songwriter
- 1967 – Bodo Illgner, German footballer
- 1967 – Simone Schilder, Dutch tennis player
- 1968 – Duncan Armstrong, Australian swimmer and sportscaster
- 1968 – Jennifer Lynch, American actress, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1968 – Jože Možina, Slovenian historian, sociologist and journalist
- 1968 – Vasiliy Sokov, Russian triple jumper
- 1969 – Ricky Watters, American football player
- 1970 – Leif Ove Andsnes, Norwegian pianist and educator
- 1971 – Guillaume Depardieu, French actor (d. 2008)
- 1971 – Victor Kraatz, German-Canadian figure skater
- 1972 – Tim Peake, British astronaut
- 1973 – Marco Delvecchio, Italian footballer
- 1973 – Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, Dutch lawyer and politician, Dutch Minister of Defence
- 1973 – Carole Montillet, French skier
- 1973 – Christian O’Connell, British radio DJ and presenter
- 1973 – Brett Tomko, American baseball player
- 1975 – Karin Dreijer Andersson, Swedish singer-songwriter and producer
- 1975 – Ronde Barber, American football player and sportscaster
- 1975 – Tiki Barber, American football player and journalist
- 1975 – Ronnie Belliard, American baseball player
- 1975 – John Cooper, American singer-songwriter and bass player
- 1975 – Simon Woolford, Australian rugby league player
- 1976 – Kevin Alejandro, American actor and producer
- 1976 – Martin Buß, German high jumper
- 1976 – Jessica Lee, English lawyer and politician
- 1976 – Aaron Lohr, American actor
- 1976 – Barbara Jane Reams, American actress
- 1976 – Gang Qiang, Chinese anchor
- 1978 – Jo Appleby, English soprano
- 1978 – Duncan James, English singer-songwriter and actor
- 1978 – Lilia Osterloh, American tennis player
- 1979 – Adrián Beltré, Dominican-American baseball player
- 1979 – Patrick Crayton, American football player
- 1979 – Pascal Dupuis, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1979 – Danny Sandoval, Venezuelan-American baseball player
- 1980 – Dragan Bogavac, Montenegrin footballer
- 1980 – Tetsuji Tamayama, Japanese actor
- 1981 – Hitoe Arakaki, Japanese singer
- 1981 – Kazuki Watanabe, Japanese songwriter and guitarist (d. 2000)
- 1981 – Vanessa Olivarez, American singer-songwriter, and actress
- 1981 – Suzann Pettersen, Norwegian golfer
- 1982 – Silvana Arias, Peruvian actress
- 1982 – Sonjay Dutt, American wrestler
- 1982 – Kelli Young, English singer
- 1983 – Hamish Davidson, Australian musician
- 1983 – Franck Ribéry, French footballer
- 1983 – Jon Stead, English footballer
- 1983 – Jakub Smrž, Czech motorcycle rider
- 1983 – Janar Talts, Estonian basketball player
- 1984 – Hiroko Shimabukuro, Japanese singer
- 1985 – KC Concepcion, Filipino actress and singer
- 1985 – Humza Yousaf, Scottish politician
- 1986 – Brooke Brodack, American comedian
- 1986 – Jack Duarte, Mexican actor, singer, and guitarist
- 1986 – Andi Fraggs, English singer-songwriter and producer
- 1986 – Christian Fuchs, Austrian footballer
- 1987 – Martín Cáceres, Uruguayan footballer
- 1987 – Eelco Sintnicolaas, Dutch decathlete
- 1987 – Jamar Smith, American football player
- 1988 – Antonio Piccolo, Italian footballer
- 1988 – Ed Speleers, English actor and producer
- 1989 – Alexa Demara, American actress, model and writer
- 1989 – Franco Di Santo, Argentinian footballer
- 1989 – Mitchell Pearce, Australian rugby league player
- 1989 – Teddy Riner, French judoka
- 1990 – Nickel Ashmeade, Jamaican sprinter
- 1990 – Anna Bogomazova, Russian-American kick-boxer, martial artist, and wrestler
- 1990 – Sorana Cîrstea, Romanian tennis player
- 1990 – Trent Cotchin, Australian footballer
- 1991 – Luka Milivojević, Serbian footballer
- 1991 – Anne-Marie, English singer-songwriter
- 1992 – Andreea Acatrinei, Romanian gymnast
- 1992 – Guilherme Negueba, Brazilian footballer
- 1993 – Ichinojō Takashi, Mongolian sumo wrestler
- 1994 – Johanna Allik, Estonian figure skater
- 1994 – Aaron Gray, Australian rugby league player
- 1996 – Emerson Hyndman, American international soccer player[5]
- 1997 – Rafaela Gómez, Ecuadorian tennis player
Deaths on April 7
- AD 30 – Jesus Christ, (possible date of the crucifixion) (b. circa 4 BC)
- 821 – George the Standard-Bearer, archbishop of Mytilene (b. c. 776)
- 924 – Berengar I of Italy (b. 845)
- 1206 – Frederick I, Duke of Lorraine
- 1340 – Bolesław Jerzy II of Mazovia (b. 1308)
- 1498 – Charles VIII of France (b. 1470)
- 1499 – Galeotto I Pico, Duke of Mirandola (b. 1442)
- 1501 – Minkhaung II, king of Ava (b. 1446)
- 1606 – Edward Oldcorne, English martyr (b. 1561)
- 1614 – El Greco, Greek-Spanish painter and sculptor (b. 1541)
- 1638 – Shimazu Tadatsune, Japanese daimyō (b. 1576)
- 1651 – Lennart Torstensson, Swedish field marshal and engineer (b. 1603)
- 1658 – Juan Eusebio Nieremberg, Spanish mystic and philosopher (b. 1595)
- 1661 – Sir William Brereton, 1st Baronet, English commander and politician (b. 1604)
- 1663 – Francis Cooke, English-American settler (b. 1583)
- 1668 – William Davenant, English poet and playwright (b. 1606)
- 1719 – Jean-Baptiste de La Salle, French priest and saint, founded the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools (b. 1651)
- 1739 – Dick Turpin, English criminal (b. 1705)
- 1747 – Leopold I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau (b. 1676)
- 1761 – Thomas Bayes, English minister and mathematician (b. 1701)
- 1766 – Tiberius Hemsterhuis, Dutch philologist and critic (b. 1685)
- 1767 – Franz Sparry, Austrian composer and director (b. 1715)
- 1782 – Taksin, Thai king (b. 1734)
- 1789 – Abdul Hamid I, Ottoman sultan (b. 1725)
- 1789 – Petrus Camper, Dutch physician, anatomist, and physiologist (b. 1722)
- 1801 – Noël François de Wailly, French lexicographer and author (b. 1724)
- 1804 – Toussaint Louverture, Haitian general (b. 1743)
- 1811 – Garsevan Chavchavadze, Georgian diplomat and politician (b. 1757)
- 1823 – Jacques Charles, French physicist and mathematician (b. 1746)
- 1833 – Antoni Radziwiłł, Lithuanian composer and politician (b. 1775)
- 1836 – William Godwin, English journalist and author (b. 1756)
- 1849 – Pedro Ignacio de Castro Barros, Argentinian priest and politician (b. 1777)
- 1850 – William Lisle Bowles, English poet and critic (b. 1762)
- 1858 – Anton Diabelli, Austrian composer and publisher (b. 1781)
- 1868 – Thomas D’Arcy McGee, Irish-Canadian journalist, activist, and politician (b. 1825)
- 1879 – Begum Hazrat Mahal, Begum of Awadh, was the second wife of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah (b. 1820)
- 1885 – Karl Theodor Ernst von Siebold, German physiologist and zoologist (b. 1804)
- 1889 – Youssef Bey Karam, Lebanese soldier and politician (b. 1823)
- 1889 – Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada, Mexican politician and president, 1872-1876 (b. 1823)
- 1891 – P. T. Barnum, American businessman and politician, co-founded The Barnum & Bailey Circus (b. 1810)
- 1917 – Spyridon Samaras, Greek composer and playwright (b. 1861)
- 1918 – David Kolehmainen, Finnish wrestler (b. 1885)
- 1918 – George E. Ohr, American potter (b. 1857)
- 1920 – Karl Binding, German lawyer and jurist (b. 1841)
- 1922 – James McGowen, Australian politician, 18th Premier of New South Wales (b. 1855)
- 1928 – Alexander Bogdanov, Russian physician, philosopher, and author (b. 1873)
- 1932 – Grigore Constantinescu, Romanian priest and journalist (b. 1875)
- 1938 – Suzanne Valadon, French painter (b. 1865)
- 1939 – Joseph Lyons, Australian educator and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1879)
- 1943 – Jovan Dučić, Serbian-American poet and diplomat (b. 1871)
- 1943 – Alexandre Millerand, French lawyer and politician, 12th President of France (b. 1859)
- 1947 – Henry Ford, American engineer and businessman, founded the Ford Motor Company (b. 1863)
- 1949 – John Gourlay, Canadian soccer player (b. 1872)
- 1950 – Walter Huston, Canadian-American actor and singer (b. 1883)
- 1955 – Theda Bara, American actress (b. 1885)
- 1956 – Fred Appleby, English runner (b. 1879)
- 1960 – Henri Guisan, Swiss general (b. 1874)
- 1965 – Roger Leger, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1919)
- 1966 – Walt Hansgen, American race car driver (b. 1919)
- 1968 – Edwin Baker, Canadian co-founder of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) (b. 1893)
- 1968 – Jim Clark, Scottish race car driver (b. 1936)
- 1972 – Joe Gallo, American gangster (b. 1929)
- 1972 – Abeid Karume, Tanzanian politician, 1st President of Zanzibar (b. 1905)
- 1981 – Kit Lambert, English record producer and manager (b. 1935)
- 1981 – Norman Taurog, American director and screenwriter (b. 1899)
- 1982 – Harald Ertl, Austrian race car driver and journalist (b. 1948)
- 1984 – Frank Church, American soldier, lawyer, and politician (b. 1924)
- 1985 – Carl Schmitt, German philosopher and jurist (b. 1888)
- 1986 – Leonid Kantorovich, Russian mathematician and economist (b. 1912)
- 1990 – Ronald Evans, American captain, engineer, and astronaut (b. 1933)
- 1991 – Memduh Ünlütürk, Turkish general (b. 1913)
- 1992 – Ace Bailey, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1903)
- 1992 – Antonis Tritsis, Greek high jumper and politician, 71st Mayor of Athens (b. 1937)
- 1994 – Lee Brilleaux, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1952)
- 1994 – Albert Guðmundsson, Icelandic footballer, manager, and politician (b. 1923)
- 1994 – Golo Mann, German historian and author (b. 1909)
- 1994 – Agathe Uwilingiyimana, Rwandan chemist, academic, and politician, Prime Minister of Rwanda (b. 1953)
- 1995 – Philip Jebb, English architect and politician (b. 1927)
- 1997 – Luis Aloma, Cuban-American baseball player (b. 1923)
- 1997 – Georgy Shonin, Ukrainian-Russian general, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1935)
- 1998 – Alex Schomburg, Puerto Rican-American painter and illustrator (b. 1905)
- 1999 – Heinz Lehmann, German-Canadian psychiatrist and academic (b. 1911)
- 2001 – David Graf, American actor (b. 1950)
- 2001 – Beatrice Straight, American actress (b. 1914)
- 2002 – John Agar, American actor (b. 1921)
- 2003 – Cecile de Brunhoff, French pianist and author (b. 1903)
- 2003 – David Greene, English-American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1921)
- 2004 – Victor Argo, American actor (b. 1934)
- 2004 – Konstantinos Kallias, Greek politician (b. 1901)
- 2005 – Cliff Allison, English race car driver (b. 1932)
- 2005 – Grigoris Bithikotsis, Greek singer-songwriter (b. 1922)
- 2005 – Bob Kennedy, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1920)
- 2005 – Melih Kibar, Turkish composer and educator (b. 1951)
- 2007 – Johnny Hart, American author and illustrator (b. 1931)
- 2007 – Barry Nelson, American actor (b. 1917)
- 2008 – Ludu Daw Amar, Burmese journalist and author (b. 1915)
- 2009 – Dave Arneson, American game designer, co-created Dungeons & Dragons (b. 1947)
- 2011 – Pierre Gauvreau, Canadian painter (b. 1922)
- 2012 – Steven Kanumba, Tanzanian actor and director (b. 1984)
- 2012 – Satsue Mito, Japanese zoologist and academic (b. 1914)
- 2012 – Ignatius Moses I Daoud, Syrian cardinal (b. 1930)
- 2012 – David E. Pergrin, American colonel and engineer (b. 1917)
- 2012 – Bashir Ahmed Qureshi, Pakistani politician (b. 1959)
- 2012 – Mike Wallace, American television news journalist (b. 1918)
- 2013 – Marty Blake, American businessman (b. 1927)
- 2013 – Les Blank, American director and producer (b. 1935)
- 2013 – Andy Johns, English-American record producer (b. 1950)
- 2013 – Lilly Pulitzer, American fashion designer (b. 1931)
- 2013 – Irma Ravinale, Italian composer and educator (b. 1937)
- 2013 – Mickey Rose, American screenwriter (b. 1935)
- 2013 – Carl Williams, American boxer (b. 1959)
- 2014 – George Dureau, American painter and photographer (b. 1930)
- 2014 – James Alexander Green, American-English mathematician and academic (b. 1926)
- 2014 – V. K. Murthy, Indian cinematographer (b. 1923)
- 2014 – Zeituni Onyango, Kenyan-American computer programmer (b. 1952)
- 2014 – John Shirley-Quirk, English opera singer (b. 1931)
- 2014 – George Shuffler, American guitarist (b. 1925)
- 2014 – Josep Maria Subirachs, Spanish sculptor and painter (b. 1927)
- 2014 – Royce Waltman, American basketball player and coach (b. 1942)
- 2015 – Tim Babcock, American soldier and politician, 16th Governor of Montana (b. 1919)
- 2015 – José Capellán, Dominican-American baseball player (b. 1981)
- 2015 – Stan Freberg, American puppeteer, voice actor, and singer (b. 1926)
- 2015 – Richard Henyekane, South African footballer (b. 1983)
- 2015 – Geoffrey Lewis, American actor (b. 1935)
- 2016 – Blackjack Mulligan, American professional wrestler (b. 1942)
- 2019 – Seymour Cassel, American actor (b. 1935)
Holidays and observances on April 7
- Christian feast days:
- Aibert of Crespin
- Blessed Alexander Rawlins
- Blessed Edward Oldcorne and Blessed Ralph Ashley
- Blessed Notker the Stammerer
- Brynach
- Hegesippus
- Henry Walpole
- Hermann Joseph
- Jean-Baptiste de La Salle
- Patriarch Tikhon of Moscow (Eastern Orthodox Church, Episcopal Church (USA))
- April 7 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Flag Day (Slovenia)
- Genocide Memorial Day (Rwanda), and its related observance:
- International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Rwanda Genocide (United Nations)
- Motherhood and Beauty Day (Armenia)
- National Beer Day (United States)
- Sheikh Abeid Amani Karume Day (Tanzania)
- Women’s Day (Mozambique)
- World Health Day (International observance)
-
April 6 in History
- 46 BC – Julius Caesar defeats Caecilius Metellus Scipio and Marcus Porcius Cato (Cato the Younger) at the Battle of Thapsus.
- 402 – Stilicho defeats the Visigoths under Alaric in the Battle of Pollentia.
- 1250 – Seventh Crusade: Ayyubids of Egypt capture King Louis IX of France in the Battle of Fariskur.
- 1320 – The Scots reaffirm their independence by signing the Declaration of Arbroath.
- 1327 – The poet Petrarch first sees his idealized love, Laura, in the church of Saint Clare in Avignon.
- 1385 – John, Master of the Order of Aviz, an illegitimate son of Peter I of Portugal, is made king John I of Portugal.
- 1453 – Mehmed II begins his siege of Constantinople (Istanbul), which falls on May 29.
- 1580 – One of the largest earthquakes recorded in the history of England, Flanders, or Northern France, takes place.
- 1652 – At the Cape of Good Hope, Dutch sailor Jan van Riebeeck establishes a resupply camp that eventually becomes Cape Town.
- 1712 – The New York Slave Revolt of 1712 begins near Broadway.
- 1776 – American Revolutionary War: Ships of the Continental Navy fail in their attempt to capture a Royal Navy dispatch boat.
- 1782 – King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke (Rama I) of Siam (modern day Thailand) establishes the Chakri dynasty.
- 1793 – During the French Revolution, the Committee of Public Safety becomes the executive organ of the republic.
- 1808 – John Jacob Astor incorporates the American Fur Company, that would eventually make him America’s first millionaire.
- 1812 – British forces under the command of the Duke of Wellington assault the fortress of Badajoz. This would be the turning point in the Peninsular War against Napoleon-led France.
- 1814 – Nominal beginning of the Bourbon Restoration; anniversary date that Napoleon abdicates and is exiled to Elba.
- 1830 – Church of Christ, the original church of the Latter Day Saint movement, is organized by Joseph Smith and others at either Fayette or Manchester, New York.
- 1841 – U.S. President John Tyler is sworn in, two days after having become President upon William Henry Harrison’s death.
- 1860 – The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, later renamed Community of Christ, is organized by Joseph Smith III and others at Amboy, Illinois.
- 1861 – First performance of Arthur Sullivan’s debut success, his suite of incidental music for The Tempest, leading to a career that included the famous Gilbert and Sullivan operas.
- 1862 – American Civil War: The Battle of Shiloh begins: In Tennessee, forces under Union General Ulysses S. Grant meet Confederate troops led by General Albert Sidney Johnston.
- 1865 – American Civil War: The Battle of Sailor’s Creek: Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia fights and loses its last major battle while in retreat from Richmond, Virginia during the Appomattox Campaign.
- 1866 – The Grand Army of the Republic, an American patriotic organization composed of Union veterans of the American Civil War, is founded. It lasts until 1956.
- 1869 – Celluloid is patented.
- 1888 – Thomas Green Clemson dies, bequeathing his estate to the State of South Carolina to establish Clemson Agricultural College.
- 1893 – Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is dedicated by Wilford Woodruff.
- 1895 – Oscar Wilde is arrested in the Cadogan Hotel, London, after losing a libel case against the Marquess of Queensberry.
- 1896 – In Athens, the opening of the first modern Olympic Games is celebrated, 1,500 years after the original games are banned by Roman emperor Theodosius I.
- 1909 – Robert Peary and Matthew Henson become the first people to reach the North Pole; Peary’s claim has been disputed because of failings in his navigational ability.
- 1911 – During the Battle of Deçiq, Dedë Gjon Luli Dedvukaj, leader of the Malësori Albanians, raises the Albanian flag in the town of Tuzi, Montenegro, for the first time after George Kastrioti (Skanderbeg).
- 1917 – World War I: The United States declares war on Germany (see President Woodrow Wilson’s address to Congress).
- 1926 – Varney Airlines makes its first commercial flight (Varney is the root company of United Airlines).
- 1929 – Huey P. Long, Governor of Louisiana, is impeached by the Louisiana House of Representatives.
- 1930 – At the end of the Salt March, Gandhi raises a lump of mud and salt and declares, “With this, I am shaking the foundations of the British Empire.”
- 1936 – Tupelo–Gainesville tornado outbreak: Another tornado from the same storm system as the Tupelo tornado hits Gainesville, Georgia, killing 203.
- 1941 – World War II: Nazi Germany launches Operation 25 (the invasion of Kingdom of Yugoslavia) and Operation Marita (the invasion of Greece).
- 1945 – World War II: Sarajevo is liberated from German and Croatian forces by the Yugoslav Partisans.
- 1945 – World War II: The Battle of Slater’s Knoll on Bougainville comes to an end.
- 1947 – The first Tony Awards are presented for theatrical achievement.
- 1957 – Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis buys the Hellenic National Airlines (TAE) and founds Olympic Airlines.
- 1965 – Launch of Early Bird, the first commercial communications satellite to be placed in geosynchronous orbit.
- 1968 – In Richmond, Indiana’s downtown district, a double explosion kills 41 and injures 150.
- 1968 – Pierre Elliott Trudeau wins the Liberal Leadership Election, and becomes Prime Minister of Canada soon after.
- 1970 – Newhall massacre: Four California Highway Patrol officers are killed in a shootout.
- 1972 – Vietnam War: Easter Offensive: American forces begin sustained air strikes and naval bombardments.
- 1973 – Launch of Pioneer 11 spacecraft.
- 1973 – The American League of Major League Baseball begins using the designated hitter.
- 1974 – The Swedish pop band ABBA wins the Eurovision Song Contest with the song “Waterloo”, launching their international career.
- 1979 – Student protests break out in Nepal.
- 1984 – Members of Cameroon’s Republican Guard unsuccessfully attempt to overthrow the government headed by Paul Biya.
- 1992 – The Bosnian War begins.
- 1994 – The Rwandan genocide begins when the aircraft carrying Rwandan president Juvénal Habyarimana and Burundian president Cyprien Ntaryamira is shot down.
- 1997 – In Greene County, Tennessee, the Lillelid murders occurs when a group of young people abduct and kidnap a religious family before shooting them dead on a rural suburban road.
- 1998 – Nuclear weapons testing: Pakistan tests medium-range missiles capable of reaching India.
- 1998 – Travelers Group announces an agreement to undertake the $76 billion merger between Travelers and Citicorp, and the merger is completed on October 8, of that year, forming Citibank.
- 2004 – Rolandas Paksas becomes the first president of Lithuania to be peacefully removed from office by impeachment.
- 2005 – Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani becomes Iraqi president; Shiite Arab Ibrahim al-Jaafari is named premier the next day.
- 2008 – The 2008 Egyptian general strike starts led by Egyptian workers later to be adopted by April 6 Youth Movement and Egyptian activists.
- 2009 – A 6.3 magnitude earthquake strikes near L’Aquila, Italy, killing 307.
- 2010 – Maoist rebels kill 76 CRPF officers in Dantewada district, India.
- 2011 – In San Fernando, Tamaulipas, Mexico, over 193 victims of Los Zetas were exhumed from several mass graves.
- 2012 – Azawad declares itself independent from the Republic of Mali.
- 2017 – U.S. military launches 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at an airbase in Syria. Russia describes the strikes as an “aggression”, adding they significantly damage US-Russia ties.
- 2018 – A bus carrying the Humboldt Broncos junior ice hockey team collides with a semi-truck in Saskatchewan, Canada, killing 16 people and injuring 13 others.
Births on April 6
- 1135 – Maimonides, Jewish philosopher, Torah scholar, physician and astronomer (March 30 also proposed, d. 1204)
- 1342 – Infanta Maria, Marchioness of Tortosa
- 1483 – Raphael, Italian painter and architect (d. 1520)
- 1573 – Margaret of Brunswick-Lüneburg, German noble (d. 1643)
- 1632 – Maria Leopoldine of Austria (d. 1649)
- 1651 – André Dacier, French scholar and academic (d. 1722)
- 1660 – Johann Kuhnau, German organist and composer (d. 1722)
- 1664 – Arvid Horn, Swedish general and politician, Governor of Västerbotten County (d. 1742)
- 1671 – Jean-Baptiste Rousseau, French poet and playwright (d. 1741)
- 1672 – André Cardinal Destouches, French composer (d. 1749)
- 1706 – Louis de Cahusac, French playwright and composer (d. 1759)
- 1708 – Johann Georg Reutter, Austrian organist and composer (d. 1772)
- 1725 – Pasquale Paoli, French soldier and politician (d. 1807)
- 1726 – Gerard Majella, Italian saint (d. 1755)
- 1741 – Nicolas Chamfort, French author and playwright (d. 1794)
- 1766 – Wilhelm von Kobell, German painter and educator (d. 1853)
- 1773 – James Mill, Scottish historian, economist, and philosopher (d. 1836)
- 1787 – Celestina Cordero, Puerto Rican educator (d. 1862)
- 1810 – Philip Henry Gosse, English biologist and academic (d. 1888)
- 1812 – Alexander Herzen, Russian philosopher and author (d. 1870)
- 1815 – Robert Volkmann, German organist, composer, and conductor (d. 1883)
- 1818 – Aasmund Olavsson Vinje, Norwegian journalist and poet (d. 1870)
- 1820 – Nadar, French photographer, journalist, and author (d. 1910)
- 1823 – Joseph Medill, Canadian-American publisher and politician, 26th Mayor of Chicago (d. 1899)
- 1824 – George Waterhouse, English-New Zealand politician, 7th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1906)
- 1826 – Gustave Moreau, French painter and academic (d. 1898)
- 1844 – William Lyne, Australian politician, 13th Premier of New South Wales (d. 1913)
- 1851 – Guillaume Bigourdan, French astronomer and academic (d. 1932)
- 1852 – Will Crooks, English trade unionist and politician (d. 1921)
- 1855 – Charles Huot, Canadian painter and illustrator (d. 1930)
- 1857 – Arthur Wesley Dow, American painter and photographer (d. 1922)
- 1860 – René Lalique, French sculptor and jewellery designer (d. 1945)
- 1861 – Stanislas de Guaita, French poet and author (d. 1897)
- 1864 – William Bate Hardy, English biologist and academic (d. 1934)
- 1866 – Felix-Raymond-Marie Rouleau, Canadian cardinal (d. 1931)
- 1869 – Levon Shant, Armenian author, poet, and playwright (d. 1951)
- 1878 – Erich Mühsam, German author, poet, and playwright (d. 1934)
- 1881 – Karl Staaf, Swedish pole vaulter and hammer thrower (d. 1953)
- 1884 – J. G. Parry-Thomas, Welsh race car driver and engineer (d. 1927)
- 1886 – Athenagoras I of Constantinople (d. 1972)
- 1886 – Walter Dandy, American physician and neurosurgeon (d. 1946)
- 1886 – Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII, Indian ruler (d. 1967)
- 1888 – Hans Richter, Swiss painter, illustrator, and director (d. 1976)
- 1888 – Gerhard Ritter, German historian and academic (d. 1967)
- 1890 – Anthony Fokker, Dutch engineer and businessman, founded Fokker Aircraft Manufacturer (d. 1939)
- 1892 – Donald Wills Douglas, Sr., American businessman, founded the Douglas Aircraft Company (d. 1981)
- 1892 – Lowell Thomas, American journalist and author (d. 1981)
- 1895 – Dudley Nichols, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1960)
- 1898 – Jeanne Hébuterne, French painter and author (d. 1920)
- 1900 – Leo Robin, American composer and songwriter (d. 1984)
- 1901 – Pier Giorgio Frassati, Italian activist (d. 1925)
- 1902 – Julien Torma, French author, poet, and playwright (d. 1933)
- 1903 – Mickey Cochrane, American baseball player and manager (d. 1962)
- 1903 – Harold Eugene Edgerton, American engineer and academic (d. 1990)
- 1904 – Kurt Georg Kiesinger, German lawyer, politician and Chancellor of Germany (d. 1988)
- 1904 – Erwin Komenda, Austrian car designer and engineer (d. 1966)
- 1908 – Marcel-Marie Desmarais, Canadian preacher, missionary, and author (d. 1994)
- 1909 – William M. Branham, American minister and theologian (d. 1965)
- 1909 – Hermann Lang, German race car driver (d. 1987)
- 1910 – Barys Kit, Belarusian-American rocket scientist (d. 2018)
- 1911 – Feodor Felix Konrad Lynen, German biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1979)
- 1913 – Shannon Boyd-Bailey McCune, American geographer and academic (d. 1993)
- 1915 – Tadeusz Kantor, Polish director, painter, and set designer (d. 1990)
- 1916 – Phil Leeds, American actor (d. 1998)
- 1916 – Vincent Ellis McKelvey, American geologist and author (d. 1987)
- 1917 – Leonora Carrington, English-Mexican painter and author (d. 2011)
- 1918 – Alfredo Ovando Candía, Bolivian general and politician, 56th President of Bolivia (d. 1982)
- 1919 – Georgios Mylonas, Greek politician, 11th Greek Minister of Culture (d. 1998)
- 1920 – Jack Cover, American pilot and physicist, invented the Taser gun (d. 2009)
- 1920 – Edmond H. Fischer, Swiss-American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1921 – Wilbur Thompson, American shot putter (d. 2013)
- 1922 – Gordon Chater, English-Australian comedian and actor (d. 1999)
- 1923 – Herb Thomas, American race car driver (d. 2000)
- 1926 – Sergio Franchi, Italian-American singer and actor (d. 1990)
- 1926 – Gil Kane, Latvian-American author and illustrator (d. 2000)
- 1926 – Ian Paisley, Northern Irish evangelical minister and politician, 2nd First Minister of Northern Ireland (d. 2014)
- 1926 – Randy Weston, American jazz pianist and composer (d. 2018)
- 1927 – Gerry Mulligan, American saxophonist, clarinet player, and composer (d. 1996)
- 1928 – James Watson, American biologist, geneticist, and zoologist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1929 – Willis Hall, English playwright and author (d. 2005)
- 1929 – Joi Lansing, American model, actress and nightclub singer (d. 1972)
- 1929 – André Previn, American pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 2019)
- 1931 – Ram Dass, American author and educator (d. 2019)
- 1931 – Ivan Dixon, American actor, director, and producer (d. 2008)
- 1932 – Connie Broden, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2013)
- 1932 – Helmut Griem, German actor and director (d. 2004)
- 1933 – Roy Goode, English lawyer and academic
- 1933 – Tom C. Korologos, American journalist and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Belgium
- 1933 – Eduardo Malapit, American lawyer and politician, Mayor of Kauai (d. 2007)
- 1934 – Enrique Álvarez Félix, Mexican actor (d. 1996)
- 1934 – Anton Geesink, Dutch martial artist and wrestler (d. 2010)
- 1934 – Guy Peellaert, Belgian painter, illustrator, and photographer (d. 2008)
- 1935 – Douglas Hill, Canadian author and critic (d. 2007)
- 1936 – Helen Berman, Dutch-Israeli painter and illustrator
- 1936 – Jean-Pierre Changeux, French neuroscientist, biologist, and academic
- 1937 – Merle Haggard, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2016)
- 1937 – Tom Veivers, Australian cricketer and politician
- 1937 – Billy Dee Williams, American actor, singer, and writer
- 1938 – Paul Daniels, English magician and television host (d. 2016)
- 1938 – Roy Thinnes, American television and film actor
- 1939 – André Ouellet, Canadian lawyer and politician, 1st Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs
- 1939 – John Sculley, American businessman, co-founded Zeta Interactive
- 1940 – Homero Aridjis, Mexican journalist, author, and poet
- 1940 – Pedro Armendáriz, Jr., Mexican-American actor and producer (d. 2011)
- 1941 – Christopher Allsopp, English economist and academic
- 1941 – Phil Austin, American comedian, actor, and screenwriter (d. 2015)
- 1941 – Hans W. Geißendörfer, German director and producer
- 1941 – Don Prudhomme, American race car driver and manager
- 1941 – Gheorghe Zamfir, Romanian flute player and composer
- 1942 – Barry Levinson, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1942 – Anita Pallenberg, Italian-English model, actress, and fashion designer (d. 2017)
- 1943 – Max Clifford, English journalist and publicist (d. 2017)
- 1943 – Roger Cook, New Zealand-English journalist and academic
- 1943 – Ian MacRae, New Zealand rugby player
- 1943 – Mitchell Melton, American lawyer and politician (d. 2013)
- 1944 – Felicity Palmer, English operatic soprano
- 1945 – Rodney Bickerstaffe, English trade union leader (d. 2017)
- 1945 – Peter Hill, English journalist
- 1946 – Paul Beresford, New Zealand-English dentist and politician
- 1947 – John Ratzenberger, American actor and director
- 1947 – André Weinfeld, French-American director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1947 – Mike Worboys, English mathematician and computer scientist
- 1949 – Alyson Bailes, English academic and diplomat (d. 2016)
- 1949 – Patrick Hernandez, French singer-songwriter
- 1949 – Ng Ser Miang, Singaporean athlete, entrepreneur and diplomat
- 1949 – Horst Ludwig Störmer, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1950 – Claire Morissette, Canadian cycling activist (d. 2007)
- 1950 – Cleo Odzer, American anthropologist and author (d. 2001)
- 1951 – Bert Blyleven, Dutch-American baseball player and sportscaster
- 1951 – Jean-Marc Boivin, French skier, mountaineer, and pilot (d. 1990)
- 1951 – Pascal Rogé, French pianist
- 1951 – Phil Schaap, American jazz disc jockey and historian
- 1952 – Udo Dirkschneider, German singer-songwriter
- 1952 – Marilu Henner, Greek-Polish American actress and author
- 1952 – Michel Larocque, Canadian ice hockey player and manager (d. 1992)
- 1953 – Patrick Doyle, Scottish actor and composer
- 1953 – Christopher Franke, German-American drummer and songwriter
- 1955 – Rob Epstein, American director and producer
- 1955 – Michael Rooker, American actor, director, and producer
- 1955 – Cathy Jones, Canadian actress, comedian, and writer
- 1956 – Michele Bachmann, American lawyer and politician
- 1956 – Normand Corbeil, Canadian composer (d. 2013)
- 1956 – Mudassar Nazar, Pakistani cricketer
- 1956 – Lee Scott, English politician
- 1956 – Sebastian Spreng, Argentinian-American painter and journalist
- 1956 – Dilip Vengsarkar, Indian cricketer and coach
- 1957 – Giorgio Damilano, Italian race walker and coach
- 1957 – Maurizio Damilano, Italian race walker and coach
- 1957 – Jaroslava Maxová, Czech soprano and educator
- 1957 – Paolo Nespoli, Italian soldier, engineer, and astronaut
- 1958 – Graeme Base, Australian author and illustrator
- 1959 – Gail Shea, Canadian politician
- 1960 – Warren Haynes, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1960 – Richard Loe, New Zealand rugby player
- 1960 – John Pizzarelli, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1961 – Rory Bremner, Scottish actor and screenwriter
- 1961 – Peter Jackson, English footballer and manager
- 1962 – Iris Häussler, German sculptor and academic
- 1962 – Marco Schällibaum, Swiss footballer, coach, and manager
- 1963 – Rafael Correa, Ecuadorian economist and politician, 54th President of Ecuador
- 1965 – Black Francis, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1965 – Sterling Sharpe, American football player and sportscaster
- 1966 – Vince Flynn, American author (d. 2013)
- 1966 – Young Man Kang, South Korean-American director and producer
- 1967 – Julian Anderson, English composer and educator
- 1967 – Kathleen Barr, Canadian voice actress and singer
- 1967 – Tanya Byron, English psychologist and academic
- 1967 – Jonathan Firth, English actor
- 1968 – Archon Fung, American political scientist, author, and academic
- 1968 – Affonso Giaffone, Brazilian race car driver
- 1969 – Bret Boone, American baseball player and manager
- 1969 – Bison Dele, American basketball player (d. 2002)
- 1969 – Philipp Peter, Austrian race car driver
- 1969 – Paul Rudd, American actor
- 1969 – Spencer Wells, American geneticist and anthropologist
- 1970 – Olaf Kölzig, South African-German ice hockey player and coach
- 1970 – Roy Mayorga, American drummer, songwriter, and producer
- 1970 – Huang Xiaomin, Chinese swimmer
- 1972 – Anders Thomas Jensen, Danish director and screenwriter
- 1972 – Dickey Simpkins, American basketball player and sportscaster
- 1973 – Donnie Edwards, American football player
- 1973 – Randall Godfrey, American football player
- 1973 – Rie Miyazawa, Japanese model and actress
- 1973 – Sun Wen, Chinese footballer
- 1975 – Zach Braff, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1975 – Hal Gill, American ice hockey player
- 1976 – Candace Cameron Bure, American actress and talk show panelist
- 1976 – James Fox, Welsh singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
- 1976 – Chris Hoke, American football player
- 1976 – Georg Hólm, Icelandic bass player
- 1976 – Hirotada Ototake, Japanese author and educator
- 1977 – Ville Nieminen, Finnish ice hockey player
- 1977 – Andy Phillips, American baseball player and coach
- 1978 – Imani Coppola, American singer-songwriter and violinist
- 1978 – Robert Glasper, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer
- 1978 – Tim Hasselbeck, American football player and sportscaster
- 1978 – Myleene Klass, Austrian/Filipino-English singer, pianist, and model
- 1978 – Martín Méndez, Uruguayan bass player and songwriter
- 1978 – Blaine Neal, American baseball player
- 1978 – Igor Semshov, Russian footballer
- 1979 – Lord Frederick Windsor, English journalist and financier
- 1979 – Clay Travis, American sports journalist, blogger, and broadcaster
- 1980 – Tommi Evilä, Finnish long jumper
- 1980 – Tanja Poutiainen, Finnish skier
- 1980 – Antonio Thomas, American wrestler
- 1981 – Robert Earnshaw, Welsh footballer
- 1981 – Jeff Faine, American football player
- 1981 – Alex Suarez, American bass player
- 1982 – Travis Moen, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1982 – Miguel Ángel Silvestre, Spanish actor
- 1983 – Mehdi Ballouchy, Moroccan footballer
- 1983 – Jerome Kaino, New Zealand rugby player
- 1983 – Mitsuru Nagata, Japanese footballer
- 1983 – Remi Nicole, English singer-songwriter and actress
- 1983 – James Wade, English darts player
- 1983 – Katie Weatherston, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1984 – Max Bemis, American singer-songwriter
- 1984 – Michaël Ciani, French footballer
- 1984 – Siboniso Gaxa, South African footballer
- 1984 – Diana Matheson, Canadian soccer player
- 1985 – Clarke MacArthur, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1985 – Frank Ongfiang, Cameroonian footballer
- 1985 – Sinqua Walls, American basketball player and actor
- 1986 – Nikolas Asprogenis, Cypriot footballer
- 1986 – Aaron Curry, American football player
- 1986 – Goeido Gotaro, Japanese sumo wrestler
- 1986 – Ryota Moriwaki, Japanese footballer
- 1987 – Benjamin Corgnet, French footballer
- 1987 – Heidi Mount, American model
- 1987 – Juan Adriel Ochoa, Mexican footballer
- 1987 – Levi Porter, English footballer
- 1987 – Hilary Rhoda, American model
- 1988 – Jucilei, Brazilian footballer
- 1988 – Leigh Adams, Australian footballer
- 1988 – Daniele Gasparetto, Italian footballer
- 1988 – Carlton Mitchell, American football player
- 1988 – Fabrice Muamba, Congolese-English footballer
- 1988 – Ivonne Orsini, Puerto Rican-American model and television host, Miss World Puerto Rico 2008
- 1990 – Lachlan Coote, Australian rugby league player
- 1990 – Charlie McDermott, American actor
- 1990 – Andrei Veis, Estonian footballer
- 1992 – Ken, South Korean singer
- 1992 – Julie Ertz, American soccer player
- 1994 – Adrián Alonso, Mexican actor
- 1995 – Darya Lebesheva, Belarusian tennis player
- 1998 – Peyton List, American actress and model
Deaths on April 6
- 861 – Prudentius, bishop of Troyes
- 885 – Saint Methodius, Byzantine missionary and saint (b. 815)
- 887 – Pei Che, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty
- 943 – Liu Churang, Chinese general and chief of staff (b. 881)
- 943 – Nasr II, ruler (amir) of the Samanid Empire (b. 906)
- 1147 – Frederick II, duke of Swabia (b. 1090)
- 1199 – Richard I, king of England (b. 1157)
- 1231 – William Marshal, 2nd Earl of Pembroke
- 1250 – Guillaume de Sonnac, Grand Master of the Knights Templar
- 1252 – Peter of Verona, Italian priest and saint (b. 1206)
- 1340 – Basil, emperor of Trebizond (Turkey)
- 1362 – James I, count of La Marche (b. 1319)
- 1376 – Preczlaw of Pogarell, Cardinal and Bishop of Wrocław (b. 1310)
- 1490 – Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary and Croatia from 1458 to 1490 (b. 1443)
- 1520 – Raphael, Italian painter and architect (b. 1483)
- 1523 – Henry Stafford, 1st Earl of Wiltshire, English nobleman (b. 1479)
- 1528 – Albrecht Dürer, German painter, engraver, and mathematician (b. 1471)
- 1551 – Joachim Vadian, Swiss scholar and politician (b. 1484)
- 1571 – John Hamilton, Scottish archbishop and academic (b. 1512)
- 1590 – Francis Walsingham, English politician and diplomat, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (b. 1532)
- 1593 – Henry Barrowe, English Puritan and separatist (b. 1550)
- 1605 – John Stow, English historian and author (b. 1525)
- 1621 – Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford (b. 1539)
- 1641 – Domenico Zampieri (Domenichino), Italian painter (b. 1581)
- 1655 – David Blondel, French minister, historian, and scholar (b. 1591)
- 1676 – John Winthrop the Younger, English politician, 1st Governor of Connecticut (b. 1606)
- 1686 – Arthur Annesley, 1st Earl of Anglesey, Irish-English politician (b. 1614)
- 1707 – Willem van de Velde the Younger, Dutch-English painter (b. 1633)
- 1755 – Richard Rawlinson, English minister and historian (b. 1690)
- 1790 – Louis IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt (b. 1719)
- 1825 – Vladimir Borovikovsky, Ukrainian-Russian painter and educator (b. 1757)
- 1829 – Niels Henrik Abel, Norwegian mathematician and theorist (b. 1802)
- 1833 – Adamantios Korais, Greek philosopher and scholar (b. 1748)
- 1838 – José Bonifácio de Andrada, Brazilian poet, academic, and politician (b. 1763)
- 1860 – James Kirke Paulding, American author and politician, 11th United States Secretary of the Navy (b. 1778)
- 1862 – Albert Sidney Johnston, American general (b. 1803)
- 1883 – Benjamin Wright Raymond, American merchant and politician, 3rd Mayor of Chicago (b. 1801)
- 1886 – William Edward Forster, English businessman, philanthropist, and politician, Chief Secretary for Ireland (b. 1818)
- 1899 – Alvan Wentworth Chapman, American physician and botanist (b. 1809)
- 1906 – Alexander Kielland, Norwegian author, playwright, and politician, 6th County Governor of Møre og Romsdal (b. 1849)
- 1913 – Somerset Lowry-Corry, 4th Earl Belmore (b. 1835)
- 1923 – Kabalega, King of Bunyoro (b.1853)
- 1927 – Florence Earle Coates, American poet (b. 1850)
- 1935 – Edwin Arlington Robinson, American poet and playwright (b. 1869)
- 1944 – Rose O’Neill, American cartoonist, illustrator, artist, and writer (b. 1874)
- 1947 – Herbert Backe, German agronomist and politician (b. 1896)
- 1950 – Louis Wilkins, American pole vaulter (b. 1882)
- 1953 – Idris Davies, Welsh poet and author (b. 1905)
- 1959 – Leo Aryeh Mayer, Polish-Israeli scholar and academic (b. 1895)
- 1961 – Jules Bordet, Belgian microbiologist and immunologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1870)
- 1963 – Otto Struve, Ukrainian-American astronomer and academic (b. 1897)
- 1970 – Maurice Stokes, American basketball player (b. 1933)
- 1971 – Igor Stravinsky, Russian-American pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1882)
- 1974 – Willem Marinus Dudok, Dutch architect (b. 1884)
- 1974 – Hudson Fysh, Australian pilot and businessman, co-founded Qantas Airways Limited (b. 1895)
- 1977 – Kōichi Kido, Japanese politician, 13th Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal of Japan (b. 1889)
- 1979 – Ivan Vasilyov, Bulgarian architect, designed the SS. Cyril and Methodius National Library (b. 1893)
- 1983 – Jayanto Nath Chaudhuri, Indian General who served as the Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army from 1962 to 1966 and the Military Governor of Hyderabad State from 1948 to 1949. (b. 1908)
- 1992 – Isaac Asimov, American science fiction writer (b. 1920)
- 1994 – Juvénal Habyarimana, Rwandan banker and politician, 3rd President of Rwanda (b. 1937)
- 1994 – Cyprien Ntaryamira, Burundian politician, 5th President of Burundi (b. 1955)
- 1995 – Ioannis Alevras, Greek banker and politician, President of Greece (b. 1912)
- 1996 – Greer Garson, English-American actress (b. 1904)
- 1998 – Norbert Schmitz, German footballer (b. 1958)
- 1998 – Tammy Wynette, American singer-songwriter (b. 1942)
- 1999 – Red Norvo, American vibraphone player and composer (b. 1908)
- 2000 – Habib Bourguiba, Tunisian politician, 1st President of Tunisia (b. 1903)
- 2001 – Charles Pettigrew, American singer-songwriter (b. 1963)
- 2003 – David Bloom, American journalist (b. 1963)
- 2003 – Anita Borg, American computer scientist and educator; founded Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology (b. 1949)
- 2003 – Gerald Emmett Carter, Canadian cardinal (b. 1912)
- 2003 – Babatunde Olatunji, Nigerian drummer, educator, and activist (b. 1927)
- 2004 – Lou Berberet, American baseball player (b. 1929)
- 2004 – Larisa Bogoraz, Russian linguist and activist (b. 1929)
- 2005 – Rainier III, Prince of Monaco (b. 1923)
- 2006 – Maggie Dixon, American basketball player and coach (b. 1977)
- 2006 – Francis L. Kellogg, American soldier and diplomat (b. 1917)
- 2006 – Stefanos Stratigos, Greek actor and director (b. 1926)
- 2007 – Luigi Comencini, Italian director and producer (b. 1916)
- 2009 – J. M. S. Careless, Canadian historian and academic (b. 1919)
- 2009 – Shawn Mackay, Australian rugby player and coach (b. 1982)
- 2010 – Wilma Mankiller, American tribal leader (b. 1945)
- 2010 – Corin Redgrave, English actor (b. 1939)
- 2011 – Gerald Finnerman, American director and cinematographer (b. 1931)
- 2012 – Roland Guilbault, American admiral (b. 1934)
- 2012 – Thomas Kinkade, American painter and illustrator (b. 1958)
- 2012 – Fang Lizhi, Chinese astrophysicist and academic (b. 1936)
- 2012 – Sheila Scotter, Australian fashion designer and journalist (b. 1920)
- 2012 – Reed Whittemore, American poet and critic (b. 1919)
- 2013 – Hilda Bynoe, Grenadian physician and politician, 2nd Governor of Grenada (b. 1921)
- 2013 – Bill Guttridge, English footballer and manager (b. 1931)
- 2013 – Bigas Luna, Spanish director and screenwriter (b. 1946)
- 2013 – Ottmar Schreiner, German lawyer and politician (b. 1946)
- 2014 – Mary Anderson, American actress (b. 1918)
- 2014 – Jacques Castérède, French pianist and composer (b. 1926)
- 2014 – Liv Dommersnes, Norwegian actress (b. 1922)
- 2014 – Mickey Rooney, American soldier, actor, and dancer (b. 1920)
- 2014 – Chuck Stone, American soldier, journalist, and academic (b. 1924)
- 2014 – Massimo Tamburini, Italian motorcycle designer, co-founded Bimota (b. 1943)
- 2015 – Giovanni Berlinguer, Italian lawyer and politician (b. 1924)
- 2015 – James Best, American actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1926)
- 2015 – Ray Charles, American singer-songwriter and conductor (b. 1918)
- 2015 – Dollard St. Laurent, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1929)
- 2016 – Merle Haggard, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1937)
- 2017 – Don Rickles, American actor and comedian (b. 1926)
- 2019 – Michael O’Donnell, British physician, journalist, author and broadcaster (b. 1928)
Holidays and observances on April 6
- Chakri Day, commemorating the establishment of the Chakri dynasty. (Thailand)
- Christian feast day:
- Albrecht Dürer and Lucas Cranach (Lutheran Church).
- Brychan
- Eutychius of Constantinople (Eastern Orthodox Church)
- Marcellinus of Carthage
- Pope Celestine I (Catholic Church)
- Pope Sixtus I
- April 6 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- International Day of Sport for Development and Peace
- National Fisherman Day (Indonesia)
- New Beer’s Eve (United States)
- Tartan Day (United States & Canada)