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1860

June 16 – History, Events, Births, Deaths Holidays and Observances On This Day

  • 363 – Emperor Julian marches back up the Tigris and burns his fleet of supply ships. During the withdrawal, Roman forces suffer several attacks from the Persians.
  • 632 – Yazdegerd III ascends the throne as king (shah) of the Persian Empire. He becomes the last ruler of the Sasanian dynasty (modern Iran).
  • 1407 – Ming–Hồ War: Retired King Hồ Quý Ly and his son King Hồ Hán Thương of Hồ dynasty are captured by the Ming armies.
  • 1487 – Battle of Stoke Field: King Henry VII of England defeats the leaders of a Yorkist rebellion in the final engagement of the Wars of the Roses.
  • 1586 – Mary, Queen of Scots, recognizes Philip II of Spain as her heir and successor.
  • 1745 – War of the Austrian Succession: New England colonial troops under the command of William Pepperrell capture the Fortress of Louisbourg in Louisbourg, New France (Old Style date).
  • 1746 – War of the Austrian Succession: Austria and Sardinia defeat a Franco-Spanish army at the Battle of Piacenza.
  • 1755 – French and Indian War: The French surrender Fort Beauséjour to the British, leading to the expulsion of the Acadians.
  • 1779 – Spain declares war on the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Great Siege of Gibraltar begins.
  • 1795 – French Revolutionary Wars: In what became known as Cornwallis’s Retreat, a British Royal Navy squadron led by Vice Admiral William Cornwallis strongly resists a much larger French Navy force and withdraws largely intact, setting up the French Navy defeat at the Battle of Groix six days later.
  • 1811 – Survivors of an attack the previous day by Tla-o-qui-aht on board the Pacific Fur Company’s ship Tonquin, intentionally detonate a powder magazine on the ship, destroying it and killing about 100 attackers.
  • 1815 – Battle of Ligny and Battle of Quatre Bras, two days before the Battle of Waterloo.
  • 1819 – A major earthquake strikes the Kutch district of western India, killing over 1,543 people and raising a 6 m high, 6 km wide, ridge, extending for at least 80 km, that was known as the Allah Bund (“Dam of God”).
  • 1836 – The formation of the London Working Men’s Association gives rise to the Chartist Movement.
  • 1846 – The Papal conclave of 1846 elects Pope Pius IX, beginning the longest reign in the history of the papacy.
  • 1858 – Abraham Lincoln delivers his House Divided speech in Springfield, Illinois.
  • 1871 – The Universities Tests Act 1871 allows students to enter the universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Durham without religious tests (except for those intending to study theology).
  • 1883 – The Victoria Hall theatre panic in Sunderland, England, kills 183 children.
  • 1884 – The first purpose-built roller coaster, LaMarcus Adna Thompson’s “Switchback Railway”, opens in New York’s Coney Island amusement park.
  • 1897 – A treaty annexing the Republic of Hawaii to the United States is signed; the Republic would not be dissolved until a year later.
  • 1903 – The Ford Motor Company is incorporated.
  • 1903 – Roald Amundsen leaves Oslo, Norway, to commence the first east-west navigation of the Northwest Passage.
  • 1904 – Eugen Schauman assassinates Nikolay Bobrikov, Governor-General of Finland.
  • 1904 – Irish author James Joyce begins a relationship with Nora Barnacle and subsequently uses the date to set the actions for his novel Ulysses; this date is now traditionally called “Bloomsday”.
  • 1911 – IBM founded as the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company in Endicott, New York.
  • 1922 – General election in the Irish Free State: The pro-Treaty Sinn Féin party wins a large majority.
  • 1925 – The most famous Young Pioneer camp of the Soviet Union, Artek, is established.
  • 1930 – Sovnarkom establishes decree time in the USSR.
  • 1933 – The National Industrial Recovery Act is passed in the United States, allowing businesses to avoid antitrust prosecution if they establish voluntary wage, price, and working condition regulations on an industry-wide basis.
  • 1940 – World War II: Marshal Henri Philippe Pétain becomes Chief of State of Vichy France (Chef de l’État Français).
  • 1940 – A Communist government is installed in Lithuania.
  • 1944 – In a gross miscarriage of justice, George Junius Stinney Jr., age 14, becomes the youngest person executed in the United States in the 20th century after being convicted in a two-hour trial for the rape and murder of two teenage white girls.
  • 1948 – Members of the Malayan Communist Party kill three British plantation managers in Sungai Siput; in response, British Malaya declares a state of emergency.
  • 1955 – In a futile effort to topple Argentine President Juan Perón, rogue aircraft pilots of the Argentine Navy drop several bombs upon an unarmed crowd demonstrating in favor of Perón in Buenos Aires, killing 364 and injuring at least 800. At the same time on the ground, some soldiers attempt to stage a coup but are suppressed by loyal forces.
  • 1958 – Imre Nagy, Pál Maléter and other leaders of the 1956 Hungarian Uprising are executed.
  • 1961 – While on tour with the Kirov Ballet in Paris, Rudolf Nureyev defects from the Soviet Union.
  • 1963 – Soviet Space Program: Vostok 6 mission: Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova becomes the first woman in space.
  • 1972 – The largest single-site hydroelectric power project in Canada is inaugurated at Churchill Falls Generating Station.
  • 1976 – Soweto uprising: A non-violent march by 15,000 students in Soweto, South Africa, turns into days of rioting when police open fire on the crowd.
  • 1977 – Oracle Corporation is incorporated in Redwood Shores, California, as Software Development Laboratories (SDL), by Larry Ellison, Bob Miner and Ed Oates.
  • 1981 – US President Ronald Reagan awards the Congressional Gold Medal to Ken Taylor, Canada’s former ambassador to Iran, for helping six Americans escape from Iran during the hostage crisis of 1979–81; he is the first foreign citizen bestowed the honor.
  • 1989 – Revolutions of 1989: Imre Nagy, the former Hungarian prime minister, is reburied in Budapest following the collapse of Communism in Hungary.
  • 1997 – Fifty people are killed in the Daïat Labguer (M’sila) massacre in Algeria.
  • 2000 – The Secretary-General of the UN reports that Israel has complied with United Nations Security Council Resolution 425, 22 years after its issuance, and completely withdrew from Lebanon. The Resolution does not encompass the Shebaa farms, which is claimed by Israel, Syria and Lebanon.
  • 2010 – Bhutan becomes the first country to institute a total ban on tobacco.
  • 2012 – China successfully launches its Shenzhou 9 spacecraft, carrying three astronauts, including the first female Chinese astronaut Liu Yang, to the Tiangong-1 orbital module.
  • 2012 – The United States Air Force’s robotic Boeing X-37B spaceplane returns to Earth after a classified 469-day orbital mission
  • 2013 – A multi-day cloudburst, centered on the North Indian state of Uttarakhand, causes devastating floods and landslides, becoming the country’s worst natural disaster since the 2004 tsunami.
  • 2016 – Shanghai Disneyland Park, the first Disney Park in Mainland China, opens to the public.
  • 2019 – Upwards of 2,000,000 people participate in the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests, the largest in Hong Kong’s history.

Births on June 16

  • 1139 – Emperor Konoe of Japan (d. 1155)
  • 1332 – Isabella de Coucy, English daughter of Edward III of England (d. 1379)
  • 1454 – Joanna of Aragon, Queen of Naples (d. 1517)
  • 1514 – John Cheke, English academic and politician, English Secretary of State (d. 1557)
  • 1516 – Yang Jisheng, Ming dynasty official and Confucian martyr (d. 1555)
  • 1583 – Axel Oxenstierna, Swedish politician, Lord High Chancellor of Sweden (d. 1654)
  • 1591 – Joseph Solomon Delmedigo, Greek-Italian physician, mathematician, and theorist (d. 1655)
  • 1606 – Arthur Chichester, 1st Earl of Donegall, Irish soldier and politician (d. 1675)
  • 1613 – John Cleveland, English poet and educator (d. 1658)
  • 1625 – Samuel Chappuzeau, French scholar (d. 1701)
  • 1633 – Jean de Thévenot, French linguist and botanist (d. 1667)
  • 1644 – Henrietta Anne Stuart, Princess of Scotland, England and Ireland (d. 1670)
  • 1653 – James Bertie, 1st Earl of Abingdon, English nobleman (d. 1699)
  • 1713 – Meshech Weare, American farmer, lawyer, and politician, 1st Governor of New Hampshire (d. 1786)
  • 1723 – Adam Smith, Scottish philosopher and economist (d. 1790)
  • 1738 – Mary Katherine Goddard, American publisher (d. 1816)
  • 1754 – Salawat Yulayev, Russian poet (d. 1800)
  • 1792 – John Linnell, English painter and engraver (d. 1882)
  • 1801 – Julius Plücker, German mathematician and physicist (d. 1868)
  • 1806 – Edward Davy, English physician and chemist (d. 1885)
  • 1813 – Otto Jahn, German archaeologist and philologist (d. 1869)
  • 1820 – Athanase Josué Coquerel, Dutch-French preacher and theologian (d. 1875)
  • 1821 – Old Tom Morris, Scottish golfer and architect (d. 1908)
  • 1826 – Constantin von Ettingshausen, Austrian geologist and botanist (d. 1897)
  • 1829 – Geronimo, American tribal leader (d. 1909)
  • 1836 – Wesley Merritt, American general and politician, Military Governor of the Philippines (d. 1910)
  • 1837 – Ernst Laas, German philosopher and academic (d. 1885)
  • 1838 – Frederic Archer, English organist, composer, and conductor (d. 1901)
  • 1838 – Cushman Kellogg Davis, American lieutenant and politician, 7th Governor of Minnesota (d. 1900)
  • 1840 – Ernst Otto Schlick, German engineer and author (d. 1913)
  • 1850 – Max Delbrück, German chemist and academic (d. 1919)
  • 1857 – Arthur Arz von Straußenburg, Austrian-Hungarian general (d. 1935)
  • 1858 – Gustaf V of Sweden (d. 1950)
  • 1863 – Francisco León de la Barra, Mexican politician and diplomat (d. 1939)
  • 1866 – Germanos Karavangelis, Greek-Austrian metropolitan (d. 1935)
  • 1874 – Arthur Meighen, Canadian lawyer and politician, 9th Prime Minister of Canada (d. 1960)
  • 1880 – Otto Eisenschiml, Austrian-American chemist and author (d. 1963)
  • 1882 – Mohammad Mosaddegh, Iranian educator and politician, 60th Prime Minister of Iran (d. 1967)
  • 1885 – Erich Jacoby, Estonian-Polish architect (d. 1941)
  • 1888 – Alexander Friedmann, Russian physicist and mathematician (d. 1925)
  • 1888 – Peter Stoner, American mathematician and astronomer (d. 1980)
  • 1890 – Stan Laurel, English actor and comedian (d. 1965)
  • 1896 – Murray Leinster, American author and screenwriter (d. 1976)
  • 1897 – Georg Wittig, German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1987)
  • 1899 – Helen Traubel, American operatic soprano (d. 1972)
  • 1902 – Barbara McClintock, American geneticist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1992)
  • 1902 – George Gaylord Simpson, American paleontologist and author (d. 1984)
  • 1906 – Alan Fairfax, Australian cricketer (d. 1955)
  • 1907 – Jack Albertson, American actor (d. 1981)
  • 1909 – Archie Carr, American ecologist and zoologist (d. 1987)
  • 1910 – Juan Velasco Alvarado, Peruvian general and politician, 1st President of Peru (d. 1977)
  • 1912 – Albert Chartier, Canadian illustrator (d. 2004)
  • 1912 – Enoch Powell, English soldier and politician, Secretary of State for Health (d. 1998)
  • 1914 – Eleanor Sokoloff, American pianist and teacher
  • 1915 – John Tukey, American mathematician and academic (d. 2000)
  • 1915 – Marga Faulstich, German glass chemist (d. 1998)
  • 1917 – Phaedon Gizikis, Greek general and politician, President of Greece (d. 1999)
  • 1917 – Katharine Graham, American publisher (d. 2001)
  • 1917 – Aurelio Lampredi, Italian automobile and aircraft engine designer (d. 1989)
  • 1917 – Irving Penn, American photographer (d. 2009)
  • 1920 – Isabelle Holland, Swiss-American author (d. 2002)
  • 1920 – Raymond Lemieux, Canadian chemist and academic (d. 2002)
  • 1920 – José López Portillo, Mexican lawyer and politician, 31st President of Mexico (d. 2004)
  • 1920 – Hemanta Mukharjee, Indian singer and music director
  • 1922 – Ilmar Kullam, Estonian basketball player and coach (d. 2011)
  • 1923 – Ron Flockhart, Scottish race car driver (d. 1962)
  • 1924 – Faith Domergue, American actress (d. 1999)
  • 1925 – Jean d’Ormesson, French journalist and author (d. 2017)
  • 1925 – Otto Muehl, Austrian-Portuguese painter and director (d. 2013)
  • 1926 – Efraín Ríos Montt, Guatemalan general and politician, 26th President of Guatemala (d. 2018)
  • 1927 – Tom Graveney, English cricketer and sportscaster (d. 2015)
  • 1927 – Herbert Lichtenfeld, German author and screenwriter (d. 2001)
  • 1927 – Ariano Suassuna, Brazilian author and playwright (d. 2014)
  • 1929 – Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait
  • 1930 – Vilmos Zsigmond, Hungarian-American cinematographer and producer (d. 2016)
  • 1934 – Eileen Atkins, English actress and screenwriter
  • 1934 – Roger Neilson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2003)
  • 1935 – Jim Dine, American painter and illustrator
  • 1937 – Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Bulgarian politician, 48th Prime Minister of Bulgaria
  • 1937 – Erich Segal, American author and screenwriter (d. 2010)
  • 1938 – Thomas Boyd-Carpenter, English general
  • 1938 – Torgny Lindgren, Swedish author and poet (d. 2017)
  • 1938 – Joyce Carol Oates, American novelist, short story writer, critic, and poet
  • 1939 – Billy “Crash” Craddock, American singer-songwriter
  • 1940 – Māris Čaklais, Latvian poet, writer, and journalist (d. 2003)
  • 1940 – Neil Goldschmidt, American lawyer and politician, 33rd Governor of Oregon
  • 1941 – Rosalind Baker, Australian author
  • 1941 – Lamont Dozier, American songwriter and producer
  • 1941 – Tommy Horton, English golfer (d. 2017)
  • 1941 – Mumtaz Hamid Rao, Pakistani journalist (d. 2011)
  • 1942 – Giacomo Agostini, Italian motorcycle racer and manager
  • 1942 – Eddie Levert, American R&B/soul singer-songwriter, musician, and actor
  • 1944 – Henri Richelet, French painter and etcher
  • 1945 – Claire Alexander, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1945 – Lucienne Robillard, Canadian social worker and politician, 59th Secretary of State for Canada
  • 1946 – Rick Adelman, American basketball player and coach
  • 1946 – John Astor, 3rd Baron Astor of Hever, English businessman and politician
  • 1946 – Karen Dunnell, English statistician and academic
  • 1946 – Tom Harrell, American trumpet player and composer
  • 1946 – Neil MacGregor, Scottish historian and curator
  • 1946 – Iain Matthews, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1946 – Jodi Rell, American politician, 87th Governor of Connecticut
  • 1946 – Mark Ritts, American actor, puppeteer, and producer (d. 2009)
  • 1946 – Derek Sanderson, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
  • 1946 – Simon Williams, English actor and playwright
  • 1947 – Tom Malone, American trombonist, composer, and producer
  • 1947 – Buddy Roberts, American wrestler (d. 2012)
  • 1947 – Al Cowlings, American ex-NFL player and close friend of O.J. Simpson and Nicole Brown Simpson
  • 1947 – Tom Wyner, English-American voice actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1948 – Ron LeFlore, American baseball player and manager
  • 1949 – Paulo Cézar Caju, Brazilian footballer
  • 1949 – Ralph Mann, American hurdler and author
  • 1950 – Mithun Chakraborty, Indian actor and politician
  • 1950 – Michel Clair, Canadian lawyer and politician
  • 1950 – Jerry Petrowski, American politician and farmer
  • 1951 – Charlie Dominici, American singer and guitarist
  • 1951 – Roberto Durán, Panamanian boxer
  • 1952 – George Papandreou, Greek sociologist and politician, 182nd Prime Minister of Greece
  • 1952 – Gino Vannelli, Canadian singer-songwriter
  • 1953 – Valerie Mahaffey, American actress
  • 1953 – Ian Mosley, English drummer
  • 1954 – Matthew Saad Muhammad, American boxer and trainer (d. 2014)
  • 1954 – Garry Roberts, Irish guitarist
  • 1955 – Grete Faremo, Norwegian politician, Norwegian Minister of Defence
  • 1955 – Laurie Metcalf, American actress
  • 1955 – Artemy Troitsky, Russian journalist and critic
  • 1957 – Ian Buchanan, Scottish-American actor
  • 1957 – Leeona Dorrian, Lady Dorrian, Scottish lawyer and judge
  • 1958 – Darrell Griffith, American basketball player
  • 1958 – Ulrike Tauber, German swimmer
  • 1958 – Warren Rodwell, Australian soldier, educator and musician
  • 1959 – The Ultimate Warrior, American wrestler (d. 2014)
  • 1960 – Peter Sterling, Australian rugby league player and sportscaster
  • 1961 – Can Dündar, Turkish journalist and author
  • 1961 – Robbie Kerr, Australian cricketer
  • 1961 – Steve Larmer, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1961 – Margus Metstak, Estonian basketball player and coach
  • 1962 – Wally Joyner, American baseball player and coach
  • 1962 – Arnold Vosloo, South African-American actor
  • 1962 – Anthony Wong, Hong Kong singer
  • 1963 – The Sandman, American wrestler
  • 1964 – Danny Burstein, American actor and singer
  • 1965 – Michael Richard Lynch, Irish computer scientist and entrepreneur; co-founded HP Autonomy
  • 1965 – Richard Madaleno, American politician
  • 1966 – Mark Occhilupo, Australian surfer
  • 1966 – Olivier Roumat, French rugby player
  • 1966 – Phil Vischer, American voice actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, co-created VeggieTales
  • 1966 – Jan Železný, Czech javelin thrower and coach
  • 1967 – Charalambos Andreou, Cypriot footballer
  • 1967 – Jürgen Klopp, German footballer and manager
  • 1968 – Adam Schmitt, American singer-songwriter, musician, and producer
  • 1969 – Shami Chakrabarti, English lawyer and academic
  • 1969 – Mark Crossley, English-Welsh footballer and manager
  • 1970 – Younus AlGohar, Pakistani poet and academic, co-founded Messiah Foundation International
  • 1970 – Clifton Collins Jr., American actor
  • 1970 – Cobi Jones, American soccer player and manager
  • 1970 – Phil Mickelson, American golfer
  • 1971 – Tupac Shakur, American rapper and producer (d. 1996)
  • 1972 – Kiko Loureiro, Brazilian guitarist
  • 1973 – Eddie Cibrian, American actor
  • 1974 – Glenicia James, Saint Lucian cricketer
  • 1975 – Anthony Carter, American basketball player and coach
  • 1977 – Craig Fitzgibbon, Australian rugby league player and coach
  • 1977 – Duncan Hames, English accountant and politician
  • 1977 – Kerry Wood, American baseball player
  • 1978 – Daniel Brühl, Spanish-German actor
  • 1978 – Dainius Zubrus, Lithuanian ice hockey player
  • 1978 – Fish Leong, Malaysian singer
  • 1980 – Brandon Armstrong, American basketball player
  • 1980 – Phil Christophers, German-English rugby player
  • 1980 – Henry Perenara, New Zealand rugby league player and referee
  • 1980 – Martin Stranzl, Austrian footballer
  • 1980 – Joey Yung, Hong Kong singer
  • 1981 – Benjamin Becker, German tennis player
  • 1981 – Kevin Bieksa, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1981 – Alexandre Giroux, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1981 – Ola Kvernberg, Norwegian violinist
  • 1981 – Miguel Villalta, Peruvian footballer
  • 1982 – May Andersen, Danish model and actress
  • 1982 – Missy Peregrym, Canadian model and actress
  • 1983 – Armend Dallku, Albanian footballer
  • 1984 – Rick Nash, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1984 – Dan Ryckert, American writer and entertainer
  • 1984 – Steven Whittaker, Scottish footballer
  • 1986 – Rodrigo Defendi, Brazilian footballer
  • 1986 – Urby Emanuelson, Dutch footballer
  • 1986 – Fernando Muslera, Uruguayan footballer
  • 1987 – Diana DeGarmo, American singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1987 – Per Ciljan Skjelbred, Norwegian footballer
  • 1987 – Christian Tshimanga Kabeya, Belgian footballer
  • 1988 – Keshia Chante, Canadian singer
  • 1988 – Jermaine Gresham, American football player
  • 1990 – John Newman, English musician, singer, songwriter and record producer
  • 1991 – Joe McElderry, English singer-songwriter
  • 1991 – Siya Kolisi, South African rugby player
  • 1991 – Matt Moylan, Australian rugby league player
  • 1992 – Vladimir Morozov, Russian swimmer
  • 1993 – Park Bo-gum, South Korean actor
  • 1993 – Gnash, American singer, songwriter, rapper, DJ and record producer
  • 1994 – Grete-Lilijane Küppas, Estonian footballer
  • 1994 – Rezar, Albanian professional wrestler
  • 1995 – Euan Aitken, Australian rugby league player
  • 1995 – Joseph Schooling, Singaporean swimmer
  • 1995 – Akira Ioane, New Zealand rugby Union player
  • 2000 – Bianca Andreescu, Canadian tennis player

Deaths on June 16

  • 840 – Rorgon I, Frankish nobleman (or 839)
  • 924 – Li Cunshen, general of Later Tang (b. 862)
  • 956 – Hugh the Great, Frankish nobleman (b. 898)
  • 1185 – Richeza of Poland, queen of León (b. c. 1140)
  • 1286 – Hugh de Balsham, English bishop
  • 1332 – Adam de Brome, founder of Oriel College, Oxford
  • 1361 – Johannes Tauler, German mystic theologian
  • 1397 – Philip of Artois, Count of Eu, French soldier (b. 1358)
  • 1424 – Johannes Ambundii, archbishop of Riga
  • 1468 – Jean Le Fèvre de Saint-Remy, Burgundian historian and author (b. 1395)
  • 1487 – John de la Pole, 1st Earl of Lincoln (b. c. 1463)
  • 1540 – Konrad von Thüngen, German nobleman (b. c. 1466)
  • 1622 – Alexander Seton, 1st Earl of Dunfermline, Scottish lawyer, judge, and politician, Lord Chancellor of Scotland (b. 1555)
  • 1626 – Christian, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg-Wolfenbüttel, German Protestant military leader (b. 1599)
  • 1666 – Sir Richard Fanshawe, 1st Baronet, English poet and diplomat, English Ambassador to Spain (b. 1608)
  • 1722 – John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire (b. 1650)
  • 1743 – Louise-Françoise de Bourbon, eldest daughter of King Louis XIV of France (b. 1673)
  • 1752 – Joseph Butler, English bishop and philosopher (b. 1692)
  • 1762 – Anne Russell, Countess of Jersey (formerly Duchess of Bedford) (b. c.1705)
  • 1777 – Jean-Baptiste-Louis Gresset, French poet and playwright (b. 1709)
  • 1779 – Sir Francis Bernard, 1st Baronet, English lawyer and politician, Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay (b. 1712)
  • 1804 – Johann Adam Hiller, German composer and conductor (b. 1728)
  • 1824 – Charles-François Lebrun, duc de Plaisance, French lawyer and politician (b. 1739)
  • 1849 – Wilhelm Martin Leberecht de Wette, German theologian and scholar (b. 1780)
  • 1850 – William Lawson, English-Australian explorer and politician (b. 1774)
  • 1858 – John Snow, English epidemiologist and physician (b. 1813)
  • 1862 – Hidenoyama Raigorō, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 9th Yokozuna (b. 1808)
  • 1869 – Charles Sturt, Indian-English botanist and explorer (b. 1795)
  • 1872 – Norman MacLeod, Scottish minister and author (b. 1812)
  • 1878 – Crawford Long, American surgeon and pharmacist (b. 1815)
  • 1878 – Kikuchi Yōsai, Japanese painter (b. 1781)
  • 1881 – Josiah Mason, English businessman and philanthropist (b. 1795)
  • 1885 – Wilhelm Camphausen, German painter and academic (b. 1818)
  • 1886 – Alexander Stuart, Scottish-Australian politician, 9th Premier of New South Wales (b. 1824)
  • 1902 – Ernst Schröder, German mathematician and academic (b. 1841)
  • 1918 – Bazil Assan, Romanian engineer and explorer (b. 1860)
  • 1925 – Chittaranjan Das, Indian lawyer and politician (b. 1870)
  • 1929 – Bramwell Booth, English 2nd General of The Salvation Army (b. 1856)
  • 1929 – Vernon Louis Parrington, American historian and scholar (b. 1871)
  • 1930 – Ezra Fitch, American lawyer and businessman, co-founded Abercrombie & Fitch (b. 1866)
  • 1930 – Elmer Ambrose Sperry, American inventor, co-invented the gyrocompass (b. 1860)
  • 1939 – Chick Webb, American drummer and bandleader (b. 1905)
  • 1940 – DuBose Heyward, American author (b. 1885)
  • 1944 – Marc Bloch, French historian and academic (b. 1886)
  • 1945 – Aris Velouchiotis, Greek general (b. 1905)
  • 1946 – Gordon Brewster, Irish cartoonist (b 1889)
  • 1952 – Andrew Lawson, Scottish-American geologist and academic (b. 1861)
  • 1953 – Margaret Bondfield, English politician, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (b. 1873)
  • 1955 – Ozias Leduc, Canadian painter (b. 1864)
  • 1958 – Pál Maléter, Hungarian general and politician, Minister of Defence of Hungary (b. 1917)
  • 1958 – Imre Nagy, Hungarian politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Hungary (b. 1895)
  • 1959 – George Reeves, American actor and director (b. 1914)
  • 1961 – Marcel Junod, Swiss physician and anesthesiologist (b. 1904)
  • 1967 – Reginald Denny, English actor (b. 1891)
  • 1969 – Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis, English field marshal and politician, 17th Governor General of Canada (b. 1891)
  • 1970 – Sydney Chapman, English mathematician and geophysicist (b. 1888)
  • 1970 – Brian Piccolo, American football player (b. 1943)
  • 1971 – John Reith, 1st Baron Reith, Scottish broadcaster, co-founded BBC (b. 1889)
  • 1974 – Amalie Sara Colquhoun, Australian landscape and portrait painter (b. 1894)
  • 1977 – Wernher von Braun, German-American physicist and engineer (b. 1912)
  • 1979 – Ignatius Kutu Acheampong, Ghanaian general and politician, 6th Head of state of Ghana (b. 1931)
  • 1979 – Nicholas Ray, American actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1911)
  • 1981 – Thomas Playford IV, Australian politician, 33rd Premier of South Australia (b. 1896)
  • 1982 – James Honeyman-Scott, English guitarist and songwriter (b. 1956)
  • 1984 – Lew Andreas, American football player and coach (b. 1895)
  • 1984 – Erni Krusten, Estonian author and poet (b. 1900)
  • 1986 – Maurice Duruflé, French organist and composer (b. 1902)
  • 1987 – Marguerite de Angeli, American author and illustrator (b. 1889)
  • 1988 – Miguel Piñero, Puerto Rican-American actor and playwright (b. 1946)
  • 1993 – Lindsay Hassett, Australian cricketer and soldier (b. 1913)
  • 1994 – Kristen Pfaff, American bass player and songwriter (b. 1967)
  • 1996 – Mel Allen, American sportscaster and game show host (b. 1913)
  • 1997 – Dal Stivens, Australian soldier and author (b. 1911)
  • 1998 – Fred Wacker, American race car driver and engineer (b. 1918)
  • 1999 – Screaming Lord Sutch, English singer and activist (b. 1940)
  • 2003 – Pierre Bourgault, Canadian journalist and politician (b. 1934)
  • 2003 – Georg Henrik von Wright, Finnish–Swedish philosopher and author (b. 1916)
  • 2004 – Thanom Kittikachorn, Thai field marshal and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Thailand (b. 1911)
  • 2004 – Jacques Miquelon, Canadian lawyer and judge (b. 1911)
  • 2005 – Enrique Laguerre, Puerto Rican-American author and critic (b. 1906)
  • 2008 – Mario Rigoni Stern, Italian soldier and author (b. 1921)
  • 2010 – Marc Bazin, Haitian lawyer and politician, 49th President of Haiti (b. 1932)
  • 2010 – Maureen Forrester, Canadian singer and academic (b. 1930)
  • 2010 – Ronald Neame, English director, producer, cinematographer, and screenwriter (b. 1911)
  • 2011 – Östen Mäkitalo, Swedish engineer and academic (b. 1938)
  • 2012 – Nils Karlsson, Swedish skier (b. 1917)
  • 2012 – Jorge Lankenau, Mexican banker and businessman (b. 1944)
  • 2012 – Sławomir Petelicki, Polish general (b. 1946)
  • 2012 – Susan Tyrrell, American actress (b. 1945)
  • 2013 – Sam Farber, American businessman, co-founded OXO (b. 1924)
  • 2013 – Hans Hass, Austrian biologist and diver (b. 1919)
  • 2013 – Khondakar Ashraf Hossain, Bangladesh poet and academic (b. 1950)
  • 2013 – Norman Ian MacKenzie, English journalist and author (b. 1921)
  • 2013 – Ottmar Walter, German footballer (b. 1924)
  • 2014 – Tony Gwynn, American baseball player and coach (b. 1960)
  • 2014 – Cándido Muatetema Rivas (b. 1960), Equatoguinean politician and diplomat, Prime Minister of Equatorial Guinea
  • 2015 – Charles Correa, Indian architect and urban planner (b. 1930)
  • 2015 – Jean Vautrin, French director, screenwriter, and critic (b. 1933)
  • 2016 – Jo Cox, English political activist and MP (b. 1974)
  • 2017 – Helmut Kohl, German politician, 6th Chancellor of Germany (b. 1930)
  • 2020 – Eduardo Cojuangco Jr. (b. 1935), Filipino businessman and politician

Holidays and observances on June 16

  • Juneteenth (United States)
  • Birthday of Leonard P. Howell (Rastafari)
  • Bloomsday (Dublin, Ireland)
  • Christian feast days:
    • Aurelianus of Arles
    • Aureus of Mainz (and his sister Justina)
    • Benno
    • Cettin of Oran
    • Curig of Llanbadarn
    • Ferreolus and Ferrutio
    • George Berkeley and Joseph Butler (Episcopal Church)
    • Lutgardis
    • Quriaqos and Julietta
    • June 16 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Engineer’s Day (Argentina)
  • Father’s Day (Seychelles)
  • International Day of the African Child (Organisation of African Unity)
  • Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev (Sikhism)
  • Sussex Day (Sussex)
  • Youth Day (South Africa)

June 16 – History, Events, Births, Deaths Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

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

  • 1158 – Munich is founded by Henry the Lion on the banks of the river Isar.
  • 1216 – First Barons’ War: Prince Louis of France captures the city of Winchester and soon conquers over half of the Kingdom of England.
  • 1276 – While taking exile in Fuzhou, away from the advancing Mongol invaders, the remnants of the Song dynasty court hold the coronation ceremony for Emperor Duanzong.
  • 1285 – Second Mongol invasion of Vietnam: Forces led by Prince Trần Quang Khải of the Trần dynasty destroy most of the invading Mongol naval fleet in a battle at Chuong Duong.
  • 1287 – Kublai Khan defeats the force of Nayan and other traditionalist Borjigin princes in East Mongolia and Manchuria.
  • 1381 – Richard II of England meets leaders of Peasants’ Revolt at Mile End. The Tower of London is stormed by rebels who enter without resistance.
  • 1404 – Welsh rebel leader Owain Glyndŵr, having declared himself Prince of Wales, allies himself with the French against King Henry IV of England.
  • 1618 – Joris Veseler prints the first Dutch newspaper Courante uyt Italien, Duytslandt, &c. in Amsterdam (approximate date).
  • 1645 – English Civil War: Battle of Naseby: Twelve thousand Royalist forces are beaten by 15,000 Parliamentarian soldiers.
  • 1667 – The Raid on the Medway by the Dutch fleet in the Second Anglo-Dutch War ends. It had lasted for five days and resulted in the worst ever defeat of the Royal Navy.
  • 1690 – King William III of England (William of Orange) lands in Ireland to confront the former King James II.
  • 1775 – American Revolutionary War: the Continental Army is established by the Continental Congress, marking the birth of the United States Army.
  • 1777 – The Second Continental Congress passes the Flag Act of 1777 adopting the Stars and Stripes as the Flag of the United States.
  • 1789 – Mutiny on the Bounty: HMS Bounty mutiny survivors including Captain William Bligh and 18 others reach Timor after a nearly 7,400 km (4,600 mi) journey in an open boat.
  • 1800 – The French Army of First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte defeats the Austrians at the Battle of Marengo in Northern Italy and re-conquers Italy.
  • 1807 – Emperor Napoleon’s French Grande Armée defeats the Russian Army at the Battle of Friedland in Poland (modern Russian Kaliningrad Oblast) ending the War of the Fourth Coalition.
  • 1821 – Badi VII, king of Sennar, surrenders his throne and realm to Ismail Pasha, general of the Ottoman Empire, bringing the 300 year old Sudanese kingdom to an end.
  • 1822 – Charles Babbage proposes a difference engine in a paper to the Royal Astronomical Society.
  • 1830 – Beginning of the French colonization of Algeria: Thirty-four thousand French soldiers begin their invasion of Algiers, landing 27 kilometers west at Sidi Fredj.
  • 1839 – Henley Royal Regatta: the village of Henley-on-Thames, on the River Thames in Oxfordshire, stages its first regatta.
  • 1846 – Bear Flag Revolt begins: Anglo settlers in Sonoma, California, start a rebellion against Mexico and proclaim the California Republic.
  • 1863 – American Civil War: Second Battle of Winchester: A Union garrison is defeated by the Army of Northern Virginia in the Shenandoah Valley town of Winchester, Virginia.
  • 1863 – Second Assault on the Confederate works at the Siege of Port Hudson during the American Civil War.
  • 1872 – Trade unions are legalized in Canada.
  • 1881 – The White Rajahs territories become the British protectorate of Sarawak.
  • 1900 – Hawaii becomes a United States territory.
  • 1900 – The second German Naval Law calls for the Imperial German Navy to be doubled in size.
  • 1907 – The National Association for Women’s Suffrage succeeds in getting Norwegian women the right to vote in parliamentary elections.
  • 1919 – John Alcock and Arthur Whitten Brown depart from St. John’s, Newfoundland on the first nonstop transatlantic flight.
  • 1926 – Brazil leaves the League of Nations.
  • 1937 – Pennsylvania becomes the first (and only) state of the United States to celebrate Flag Day officially as a state holiday.
  • 1937 – U.S. House of Representatives passes the Marihuana Tax Act.
  • 1940 – World War II: The German occupation of Paris begins.
  • 1940 – The Soviet Union presents an ultimatum to Lithuania resulting in Lithuanian loss of independence.
  • 1940 – Seven hundred twenty-eight Polish political prisoners from Tarnów become the first inmates of the Auschwitz concentration camp.
  • 1941 – June deportation: the first major wave of Soviet mass deportations and murder of Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians, begins.
  • 1944 – World War II: After several failed attempts, the British Army abandons Operation Perch, its plan to capture the German-occupied town of Caen.
  • 1945 – World War II: Filipino troops of the Philippine Commonwealth Army liberate the captured in Ilocos Sur and start the Battle of Bessang Pass in Northern Luzon.
  • 1949 – Albert II, a rhesus monkey, rides a V-2 rocket to an altitude of 134 km (83 mi), thereby becoming the first monkey in space.
  • 1951 – UNIVAC I is dedicated by the U.S. Census Bureau.
  • 1954 – U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs a bill into law that places the words “under God” into the United States Pledge of Allegiance.
  • 1955 – Chile becomes a signatory to the Buenos Aires copyright treaty.
  • 1959 – Disneyland Monorail System, the first daily operating monorail system in the Western Hemisphere, opens to the public in Anaheim, California.
  • 1959 – Dominican exiles depart from Cuba and land in the Dominican Republic to overthrow the totalitarian government of Rafael Trujillo. All but four are killed or executed.
  • 1962 – The European Space Research Organisation is established in Paris – later becoming the European Space Agency.
  • 1966 – The Vatican announces the abolition of the Index Librorum Prohibitorum (“index of prohibited books”), which was originally instituted in 1557.
  • 1967 – Mariner program: Mariner 5 is launched towards Venus.
  • 1982 – Falklands War: Argentine forces in the capital Stanley conditionally surrender to British forces.
  • 1986 – The Mindbender derails and kills three riders at the Fantasyland (known today as Galaxyland) indoor amusement park in Edmonton, Alberta.
  • 1994 – The 1994 Vancouver Stanley Cup riot occurs after the New York Rangers win the Stanley Cup from Vancouver, causing an estimated C$1.1 million, leading to 200 arrests and injuries.
  • 2002 – Near-Earth asteroid 2002 MN misses the Earth by 75,000 miles (121,000 km), about one-third of the distance between the Earth and the Moon.
  • 2014 – A Ukraine military Ilyushin Il-76 airlifter is shot down, killing all 49 people on board.
  • 2017 – London: A fire in a high-rise apartment building in North Kensington leaves 72 people dead and another 74 injured.
  • 2017 – In Alexandria, Virginia, Republican member of Congress and House Majority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana is shot while practicing for charity baseball.

Births on June 14

  • 1444 – Nilakantha Somayaji, Indian astronomer and mathematician (d. 1544)
  • 1463 – Henry IV, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (d. 1514)
  • 1479 – Giglio Gregorio Giraldi, Italian poet and scholar (d. 1552)
  • 1529 – Ferdinand II, Archduke of Austria (d. 1595)
  • 1627 – Johann Abraham Ihle, German astronomer (d. 1699)
  • 1691 – Jan Francisci, Slovak organist and composer (d. 1758)
  • 1726 – Thomas Pennant, Welsh ornithologist and historian (d. 1798)
  • 1730 – Antonio Sacchini, Italian composer and educator (d. 1786)
  • 1736 – Charles-Augustin de Coulomb, French physicist and engineer (d. 1806)
  • 1763 – Simon Mayr, German composer and educator (d. 1845)
  • 1780 – Henry Salt, English historian and diplomat, British Consul-General in Egypt (d. 1827)
  • 1796 – Nikolai Brashman, Czech-Russian mathematician and academic (d. 1866)
  • 1798 – František Palacký, Czech historian and politician (d. 1876)
  • 1801 – Heber C. Kimball, American religious leader (d. 1868)
  • 1811 – Harriet Beecher Stowe, American author and activist (d. 1896)
  • 1812 – Fernando Wood, American merchant and politician, 73rd Mayor of New York City (d. 1881)
  • 1819 – Henry Gardner, American merchant and politician, 23rd Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1892)
  • 1820 – John Bartlett, American author and publisher (d. 1905)
  • 1829 – Bernard Petitjean, French Roman Catholic missionary to Japan (d. 1884)
  • 1838 – Yamagata Aritomo, Japanese Field Marshal and politician, 3rd and 9th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1922)
  • 1840 – William F. Nast, American businessman (d. 1893)
  • 1848 – Bernard Bosanquet, English philosopher and theorist (d. 1923)
  • 1848 – Max Erdmannsdörfer, German conductor and composer (d. 1905)
  • 1855 – Robert M. La Follette, American lawyer and politician, 20th Governor of Wisconsin (d. 1925)
  • 1856 – Andrey Markov, Russian mathematician and theorist (d. 1922)
  • 1862 – John Ulric Nef, Swiss-American chemist and academic (d. 1915)
  • 1864 – Alois Alzheimer, German psychiatrist and neuropathologist (d. 1915)
  • 1868 – Karl Landsteiner, Austrian biologist and physician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1943)
  • 1868 – Anna B. Eckstein, German peace activist (d. 1947)
  • 1870 – Sophia of Prussia (d. 1932)
  • 1871 – Hermanus Brockmann, Dutch rower (d. 1936)
  • 1871 – Jacob Ellehammer, Danish mechanic and engineer (d. 1946)
  • 1872 – János Szlepecz, Slovene priest and author (d. 1936)
  • 1877 – Jane Bathori, French soprano (d. 1970)
  • 1877 – Ida MacLean, British biochemist, the first woman admitted to the London Chemical Society (d. 1944)
  • 1878 – Léon Thiébaut, French fencer (d. 1943)
  • 1879 – Arthur Duffey, American sprinter and coach (d. 1955)
  • 1884 – John McCormack, Irish tenor and actor (d. 1945)
  • 1884 – Georg Zacharias, German swimmer (d. 1953)
  • 1890 – May Allison, American actress (d. 1989)
  • 1894 – Marie-Adélaïde, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg (d. 1924)
  • 1894 – José Carlos Mariátegui (d. 1930)
  • 1894 – W. W. E. Ross, Canadian geophysicist and poet (d. 1966)
  • 1895 – Jack Adams, Canadian-American ice hockey player, coach, and manager (d. 1968)
  • 1900 – Ruth Nanda Anshen, American writer, editor, and philosopher (d. 2003)
  • 1900 – June Walker, American stage and film actress (d. 1966)
  • 1903 – Alonzo Church, American mathematician and logician (d. 1995)
  • 1903 – Rose Rand, Austrian-American logician and philosopher from the Vienna Circle (d. 1980)
  • 1904 – Margaret Bourke-White, American photographer and journalist (d. 1971)
  • 1905 – Steve Broidy, American businessman (d. 1991)
  • 1905 – Arthur Davis, American animator and director (d. 2000)
  • 1907 – Nicolas Bentley, English author and illustrator (d. 1978)
  • 1907 – René Char, French poet and author (d. 1988)
  • 1909 – Burl Ives, American actor and singer (d. 1995)
  • 1910 – Rudolf Kempe, German pianist and conductor (d. 1976)
  • 1913 – Joe Morris, English-Canadian lieutenant and trade union leader (d. 1996)
  • 1916 – Dorothy McGuire, American actress (d. 2001)
  • 1917 – Lise Nørgaard, Danish journalist, author, and screenwriter
  • 1917 – Gilbert Prouteau, French poet and director (d. 2012)
  • 1917 – Atle Selberg, Norwegian-American mathematician and academic (d. 2007)
  • 1918 – Fred Baur, American chemist and founder of Pringles (d. 2008)
  • 1919 – Gene Barry, American actor (d. 2009)
  • 1919 – Sam Wanamaker, American actor and director (d. 1993)
  • 1921 – Martha Greenhouse, American actress (d. 2013)
  • 1923 – Judith Kerr, German-English author and illustrator (d. 2019)
  • 1923 – Green Wix Unthank, American soldier, lawyer, and judge (d. 2013)
  • 1924 – James Black, Scottish pharmacologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2010)
  • 1925 – Pierre Salinger, American journalist and politician, 11th White House Press Secretary (d. 2004)
  • 1926 – Don Newcombe, American baseball player (d. 2019)
  • 1928 – Ernesto “Che” Guevara, Argentinian-Cuban physician, author, guerrilla leader and politician (d. 1967)
  • 1929 – Cy Coleman, American pianist and composer (d. 2004)
  • 1929 – Alan Davidson, Australian cricketer
  • 1929 – Johnny Wilson, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach (d. 2011)
  • 1931 – Marla Gibbs, American actress and comedian
  • 1931 – Ross Higgins, Australian actor (d. 2016)
  • 1931 – Junior Walker, American saxophonist (d. 1995)
  • 1933 – Jerzy Kosiński, Polish-American novelist and screenwriter (d. 1991)
  • 1933 – Vladislav Rastorotsky, Russian gymnast and coach
  • 1936 – Renaldo Benson, American singer-songwriter (d. 2005)
  • 1936 – Irmelin Sandman Lilius, Finnish author, poet, and translator
  • 1938 – Julie Felix, American-English singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2020)
  • 1939 – Steny Hoyer, American lawyer and politician
  • 1939 – Peter Mayle, English author and screenwriter (d. 2018)
  • 1939 – Colin Thubron, English journalist and author
  • 1942 – Jonathan Raban, English author and academic
  • 1942 – Roberto García-Calvo Montiel, Spanish judge (d. 2008)
  • 1943 – Barry Burman, English painter and academic (d. 2001)
  • 1943 – Jennifer Gretton, Baroness Gretton, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire
  • 1943 – John Miles, English racing driver and journalist
  • 1943 – Harold Wheeler, American composer, conductor, and producer
  • 1944 – Laurie Colwin, American novelist and short story writer (d. 1992)
  • 1945 – Rod Argent, English singer-songwriter and keyboard player
  • 1945 – Carlos Reichenbach, Brazilian director and producer (d. 2012)
  • 1945 – Richard Stebbins, American sprinter and educator
  • 1946 – Robert Louis-Dreyfus, French-Swiss businessman (d. 2009)
  • 1946 – Tõnu Sepp, Estonian instrument maker and educator
  • 1946 – Donald Trump, American businessman, television personality and 45th President of the United States
  • 1947 – Roger Liddle, Baron Liddle, English politician
  • 1947 – Barry Melton, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1947 – Paul Rudolph, Canadian singer, guitarist, and cyclist
  • 1948 – Laurence Yep, American author and playwright
  • 1949 – Jim Lea, English singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer
  • 1949 – Roger Powell, English-Australian scientist and academic
  • 1949 – Antony Sher, South African-British actor, director, and screenwriter
  • 1949 – Harry Turtledove, American historian and author
  • 1949 – Alan White, English drummer and songwriter
  • 1950 – Rowan Williams, Welsh archbishop and theologian
  • 1951 – Paul Boateng, English lawyer and politician, British High Commissioner to South Africa
  • 1951 – Danny Edwards, American golfer
  • 1952 – Robert Lepikson, Estonian racing driver and politician, Estonian Minister of the Interior (d. 2006)
  • 1952 – Pat Summitt, American basketball player and coach (d. 2016)
  • 1952 – Leon Wieseltier, American philosopher, journalist, and critic
  • 1953 – Janet Mackey, New Zealand lawyer and politician
  • 1954 – Will Patton, American actor
  • 1955 – Michael D. Duvall, American businessman and politician
  • 1955 – Paul O’Grady, English television host, producer, and drag performer
  • 1955 – Kirron Kher, Indian theatre, film & television actress, TV talk show host, politician and Member of Parliament
  • 1956 – Fred Funk, American golfer and coach
  • 1956 – King Diamond (Kim Bendix Petersen), heavy metal musician
  • 1957 – Suzanne Nora Johnson, American lawyer and businesswoman
  • 1957 – Mona Simpson, American novelist
  • 1958 – Pamela Geller, American activist and blogger
  • 1959 – Marcus Miller, American bass player, composer, and producer
  • 1960 – Tonie Campbell, American hurdler
  • 1960 – Mike Laga, American baseball player
  • 1961 – Boy George, English singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1961 – Dušan Kojić, Serbian singer-songwriter and bass player
  • 1961 – Sam Perkins, American basketball player
  • 1963 – Grant Kenny, Australian iron man and canoeist
  • 1964 – Peter Gilliver, English lexicographer and academic
  • 1967 – Dedrick Dodge, American football player and coach
  • 1968 – Campbell Brown, American journalist
  • 1968 – Faizon Love, Cuban-American actor and screenwriter
  • 1969 – Éric Desjardins, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1969 – Steffi Graf, German tennis player
  • 1970 – Heather McDonald, American comedian, actress, and author
  • 1971 – Bruce Bowen, American basketball player and sportscaster
  • 1971 – Ramon Vega, Swiss footballer
  • 1972 – Rick Brunson, American basketball player and coach
  • 1972 – Matthias Ettrich, German computer scientist and engineer, founded KDE
  • 1972 – Dominic Brown, English guitarist and songwriter
  • 1972 – Claude Henderson, South African cricketer
  • 1972 – Danny McFarlane, Jamaican hurdler and sprinter
  • 1973 – Sami Kapanen, Finnish-American ice hockey player and manager
  • 1976 – Alan Carr, English comedian, actor, and screenwriter
  • 1976 – Massimo Oddo, Italian footballer and manager
  • 1977 – Boeta Dippenaar, South African cricketer
  • 1977 – Chris McAlister, American football player
  • 1977 – Joe Worsley, English rugby player and coach
  • 1978 – Steve Bégin, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1978 – Diablo Cody, American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1978 – Annia Hatch, Cuban-American gymnast and coach
  • 1978 – Nikola Vujčić, Croatian former professional basketball player
  • 1979 – Shannon Hegarty, Australian rugby league player
  • 1981 – Elano, Brazilian footballer and manager
  • 1982 – Jamie Green, English racing driver
  • 1982 – Nicole Irving, Australian swimmer
  • 1982 – Lang Lang, Chinese pianist
  • 1983 – Trevor Barry, Bahamian high jumper
  • 1983 – Louis Garrel, French actor, director, and screenwriter
  • 1984 – Lorenzo Booker, American football player
  • 1984 – Mark Cosgrove, Australian cricketer
  • 1984 – Siobhán Donaghy, English singer-songwriter
  • 1984 – Yury Prilukov, Russian swimmer
  • 1985 – Oleg Medvedev. Russian luger
  • 1985 – Andy Soucek, Spanish racing driver
  • 1986 – Matt Read, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1987 – Andrew Cogliano, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1987 – Mohamed Diamé, Senegalese footballer
  • 1988 – Adrián Aldrete, Mexican footballer
  • 1988 – Kevin McHale, American actor, singer, dancer and radio personality
  • 1989 – Lucy Hale, American actress and singer-songwriter
  • 1989 – Brad Takairangi, Australian-Cook Islands rugby league player
  • 1990 – Patrice Cormier, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1990 – Stephen McLaughlin, Irish footballer
  • 1991 – Kostas Manolas, Greek footballer
  • 1991 – Jesy Nelson, English singer
  • 1992 – Devante Smith-Pelly, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1993 – Gunna, American rapper
  • 1993 – Ryan McCartan, American actor and singer
  • 1999 – Tzuyu, Taiwanese singer

Deaths on June 14

  • 809 – Ōtomo no Otomaro, Japanese general (b. 731)
  • 847 – Methodius I, patriarch of Constantinople
  • 957 – Guadamir, bishop of Vic (Spain)
  • 976 – Aron, Bulgarian nobleman
  • 1161 – Emperor Qinzong of the Song dynasty (b. 1100)
  • 1205 – Walter III, Count of Brienne
  • 1349 – Günther von Schwarzburg, German king (b. 1304)
  • 1381 – Simon Sudbury, English archbishop (b. 1316)
  • 1497 – Giovanni Borgia, 2nd Duke of Gandía, Italian son of Pope Alexander VI (b. 1474)
  • 1516 – John III of Navarre (b. 1469)
  • 1544 – Antoine, Duke of Lorraine (b. 1489)
  • 1548 – Carpentras, French composer (b. 1470)
  • 1583 – Shibata Katsuie, Japanese samurai (b. 1522)
  • 1594 – Jacob Kroger, German goldsmith, hanged in Edinburgh for stealing the jewels of Anne of Denmark.
  • 1594 – Orlande de Lassus, Flemish composer and educator (b. 1532)
  • 1662 – Henry Vane the Younger, English-American politician, Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony (b. 1613)
  • 1674 – Marin le Roy de Gomberville, French author and poet (b. 1600)
  • 1679 – Guillaume Courtois, French painter and illustrator (b. 1628)
  • 1746 – Colin Maclaurin, Scottish mathematician (b. 1698)
  • 1794 – Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Marquess of Hertford, English courtier and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (b. 1718)
  • 1800 – Louis Desaix, French general (b. 1768)
  • 1800 – Jean-Baptiste Kléber, French general (b. 1753)
  • 1801 – Benedict Arnold, American general during the American Revolution later turned British spy (b. 1741)
  • 1825 – Pierre Charles L’Enfant, French-American architect and engineer, designed Washington, D.C. (b. 1754)
  • 1837 – Giacomo Leopardi, Italian poet and philosopher (b. 1798)
  • 1864 – Leonidas Polk, American general and bishop (b. 1806)
  • 1887 – Mary Carpenter, English educational and social reformer (b. 1807)
  • 1883 – Edward FitzGerald, English poet and author (b. 1809)
  • 1886 – Alexander Ostrovsky, Russian director and playwright (b. 1823)
  • 1907 – William Le Baron Jenney, American architect and engineer, designed the Home Insurance Building (b. 1832)
  • 1907 – Bartolomé Masó, Cuban soldier and politician (b. 1830)
  • 1908 – Frederick Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby, English captain and politician, 6th Governor General of Canada (b. 1841)
  • 1914 – Adlai Stevenson I, American lawyer and politician, 23rd Vice President of the United States (b. 1835)
  • 1916 – João Simões Lopes Neto, Brazilian author (b. 1865)
  • 1920 – Max Weber, German sociologist and economist (b. 1864)
  • 1923 – Isabelle Bogelot, French philanthropist (b. 1838)
  • 1926 – Mary Cassatt, American-French painter (b. 1843)
  • 1927 – Ottavio Bottecchia, Italian cyclist (b. 1894)
  • 1927 – Jerome K. Jerome, English author (b. 1859)
  • 1928 – Emmeline Pankhurst, English activist and academic (b. 1857)
  • 1932 – Dorimène Roy Desjardins, Canadian businesswoman, co-founded Desjardins Group (b. 1858)
  • 1933 – Justinien de Clary, French target shooter (b. 1860)
  • 1936 – G. K. Chesterton, English essayist, poet, playwright, and novelist (b. 1874)
  • 1936 – Hans Poelzig, German architect, painter, and designer, designed the IG Farben Building (b. 1869)
  • 1946 – John Logie Baird, Scottish-English physicist and engineer (b. 1888)
  • 1946 – Jorge Ubico, 21st President of Guatemala (b. 1878)
  • 1953 – Tom Cole, Welsh-American racing driver (b. 1922)
  • 1968 – Salvatore Quasimodo, Italian novelist and poet, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1901)
  • 1972 – Dündar Taşer, Turkish soldier and politician (b. 1925)
  • 1977 – Robert Middleton, American actor (b. 1911)
  • 1977 – Alan Reed, American actor, original voice of Fred Flintstone (b.1907)
  • 1979 – Ahmad Zahir, Afghan singer-songwriter (b. 1946)
  • 1980 – Charles Miller, American saxophonist and flute player (b. 1939)
  • 1986 – Jorge Luis Borges, Argentine short-story writer, essayist, poet and translator (b. 1899)
  • 1986 – Alan Jay Lerner, American composer and songwriter (b. 1918)
  • 1987 – Stanisław Bareja, Polish actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1929)
  • 1990 – Erna Berger, German soprano and actress (b. 1900)
  • 1991 – Peggy Ashcroft, English actress (b. 1907)
  • 1994 – Lionel Grigson, English pianist, composer, and educator (b. 1942)
  • 1994 – Henry Mancini, American composer and conductor (b. 1924)
  • 1994 – Marcel Mouloudji, French singer and actor (b. 1922)
  • 1995 – Els Aarne, Ukrainian-Estonian pianist, composer, and educator (b. 1917)
  • 1995 – Rory Gallagher, Irish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1949)
  • 1995 – Roger Zelazny, American author and poet (b. 1937)
  • 1996 – Noemí Gerstein, Argentinian sculptor and illustrator (b. 1908)
  • 1997 – Richard Jaeckel, American actor (b. 1926)
  • 1999 – Bernie Faloney, American-Canadian football player and sportscaster (b. 1932)
  • 2000 – Attilio Bertolucci, Italian poet and author (b. 1911)
  • 2002 – June Jordan, American author and activist (b. 1936)
  • 2003 – Dale Whittington, American race car driver (b. 1959)
  • 2004 – Ulrich Inderbinen, Swiss mountaineer and guide (b. 1900)
  • 2005 – Carlo Maria Giulini, Italian conductor and director (b. 1914)
  • 2005 – Mimi Parent, Canadian-Swiss painter (b. 1924)
  • 2006 – Monty Berman, English director, producer, and cinematographer (b. 1905)
  • 2006 – Jean Roba, Belgian author and illustrator (b. 1930)
  • 2007 – Ruth Graham, Chinese-American author, poet, and painter (b. 1920)
  • 2007 – Robin Olds, American general and pilot (b. 1922)
  • 2007 – Kurt Waldheim, Secretary-General of the United Nations, Austrian politician, 9th President of Austria (b. 1918)
  • 2009 – Bob Bogle, American musician (The Ventures) (b. 1934)
  • 2009 – William McIntyre, Canadian soldier, lawyer, and judge (b. 1918)
  • 2012 – Peter Archer, Baron Archer of Sandwell, English lawyer and politician, Solicitor General for England and Wales (b. 1926)
  • 2012 – Bob Chappuis, American football player and soldier (b. 1923)
  • 2012 – Margie Hyams, American pianist and vibraphone player (b. 1920)
  • 2012 – Karl-Heinz Kämmerling, German pianist and academic (b. 1930)
  • 2012 – Carlos Reichenbach, Brazilian director and producer (b. 1945)
  • 2012 – Gitta Sereny, Austrian-English historian, journalist, and author (b. 1921)
  • 2013 – Elroy Schwartz, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1923)
  • 2014 – Alberto Cañas Escalante, Costa Rican journalist and politician (b. 1920)
  • 2014 – Isabelle Collin Dufresne, French actress (b. 1935)
  • 2014 – Robert Lebeck, German photographer and journalist (b. 1929)
  • 2014 – James E. Rogers, American lawyer, businessman, and academic (b. 1938)
  • 2015 – Richard Cotton, Australian geneticist and academic (b. 1940)
  • 2015 – Anne Nicol Gaylor, American activist, co-founded the Freedom From Religion Foundation (b. 1926)
  • 2015 – Qiao Shi, Chinese politician (b. 1924)
  • 2016 – Ann Morgan Guilbert, American actress and singer (b. 1928)
  • 2016 – Gilles Lamontagne, Canadian politician, Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (b. 1919)
  • 2020 – Sushant Singh Rajput, Indian film actor (b. 1986)

Holidays and observances on June 14

  • Christian feast day:
    • Burchard of Meissen
    • Caomhán of Inisheer
    • Elisha (Roman Catholic and Lutheran)
    • Fortunatus of Naples (Roman Catholic)
    • Blessed Francisca de Paula de Jesus (Nhá Chica)
    • Joseph the Hymnographer (Roman Catholic: Orthodox April 3)
    • Methodios I of Constantinople
    • Quintian of Rodez (Rodez)
    • Richard Baxter (Church of England)
    • Valerius and Rufinus
    • June 14 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Commemoration of the Soviet Deportation related observances:
    • Baltic Freedom Day (United States)
    • Mourning and Commemoration Day or Leinapäev (Estonia)
    • Mourning and Hope Day (Lithuania)
  • Day of Memory for Repressed People (Armenia)
  • Flag Day (United States)
  • Freedom Day (Malawi)
  • Liberation Day (Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands)
  • World Blood Donor Day

June 14 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

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

  • 218 – Battle of Antioch: With the support of the Syrian legions, Elagabalus defeats the forces of emperor Macrinus. He flees but is captured near Chalcedon and later executed in Cappadocia.
  • 793 – Vikings raid the abbey at Lindisfarne in Northumbria, commonly accepted as the beginning of Norse activity in the British Isles.
  • 1042 – Edward the Confessor becomes King of England – the country’s penultimate Anglo-Saxon king.
  • 1191 – Richard I arrives in Acre, beginning his crusade.
  • 1663 – Portuguese victory at the Battle of Ameixial ensures Portugal’s independence from Spain.
  • 1776 – American Revolutionary War: American attackers are driven back at the Battle of Trois-Rivières.
  • 1783 – Laki, a volcano in Iceland, begins an eight-month eruption which kills over 9,000 people and starts a seven-year famine.
  • 1789 – James Madison introduces twelve proposed amendments to the United States Constitution in Congress.
  • 1794 – Robespierre inaugurates the French Revolution’s new state religion, the Cult of the Supreme Being, with large organized festivals all across France.
  • 1856 – A group of 194 Pitcairn Islanders, descendants of the mutineers of HMS Bounty, arrives at Norfolk Island, commencing the Third Settlement of the Island.
  • 1861 – American Civil War: Tennessee secedes from the Union.
  • 1862 – American Civil War: Battle of Cross Keys: Confederate forces under General Stonewall Jackson save the Army of Northern Virginia from a Union assault on the James Peninsula led by General George B. McClellan.
  • 1867 – Coronation of Franz Joseph as King of Hungary following the Austro-Hungarian compromise (Ausgleich).
  • 1887 – Herman Hollerith applies for US patent #395,781 for the ‘Art of Compiling Statistics’, which was his punched card calculator.
  • 1906 – Theodore Roosevelt signs the Antiquities Act into law, authorizing the President to restrict the use of certain parcels of public land with historical or conservation value.
  • 1912 – Carl Laemmle incorporates Universal Pictures.
  • 1918 – A solar eclipse is observed at Baker City, Oregon by scientists and an artist hired by the United States Navy.
  • 1928 – Second Northern Expedition: The National Revolutionary Army captures Peking, whose name is changed to Beijing (“Northern Capital”).
  • 1929 – Margaret Bondfield is appointed Minister of Labour. She is the first woman appointed to the Cabinet of the United Kingdom.
  • 1940 – World War II: The completion of Operation Alphabet, the evacuation of Allied forces from Narvik at the end of the Norwegian Campaign.
  • 1941 – World War II: The Allies commence the Syria–Lebanon Campaign against the possessions of Vichy France in the Levant.
  • 1942 – World War II: The Japanese imperial submarines I-21 and I-24 shell the Australian cities of Sydney and Newcastle.
  • 1949 – Helen Keller, Dorothy Parker, Danny Kaye, Fredric March, John Garfield, Paul Muni and Edward G. Robinson are named in an FBI report as Communist Party members.
  • 1949 – George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four is published.
  • 1953 – An F5 tornado hits Beecher, Michigan, killing 116, injuring 844, and destroying 340 homes.
  • 1953 – The United States Supreme Court rules in District of Columbia v. John R. Thompson Co. that restaurants in Washington, D.C., cannot refuse to serve black patrons.
  • 1959 – USS Barbero and the United States Postal Service attempt the delivery of mail via Missile Mail.
  • 1966 – An F-104 Starfighter collides with XB-70 Valkyrie prototype no. 2, destroying both aircraft during a photo shoot near Edwards Air Force Base. Joseph A. Walker, a NASA test pilot, and Carl Cross, a United States Air Force test pilot, are both killed.
  • 1966 – Topeka, Kansas, is devastated by a tornado that registers as an “F5” on the Fujita scale: The first to exceed US$100 million in damages. Sixteen people are killed, hundreds more injured, and thousands of homes damaged or destroyed.
  • 1966 – The National Football League and American Football League announced a merger effective in 1970.
  • 1967 – Six-Day War: The USS Liberty incident occurs, killing 34 and wounding 171.
  • 1972 – Vietnam War: Nine-year-old Phan Thị Kim Phúc is burned by napalm, an event captured by Associated Press photographer Nick Ut moments later while the young girl is seen running down a road, in what would become an iconic, Pulitzer Prize-winning photo.
  • 1982 – Bluff Cove Air Attacks during the Falklands War: Fifty-six British servicemen are killed by an Argentine air attack on two landing ships, RFA Sir Galahad and RFA Sir Tristram.
  • 1984 – Homosexuality is declared legal in the Australian state of New South Wales.
  • 1987 – New Zealand’s Labour government establishes a national nuclear-free zone under the New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament, and Arms Control Act 1987.
  • 1992 – The first World Oceans Day is celebrated, coinciding with the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
  • 1995 – Downed U.S. Air Force pilot Captain Scott O’Grady is rescued by U.S. Marines in Bosnia.
  • 2001 – Mamoru Takuma kills eight and injures 15 in a mass stabbing at an elementary school in the Osaka Prefecture of Japan.
  • 2004 – The first Venus Transit in well over a century takes place, the previous one being in 1882.
  • 2007 – Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, is hit by the State’s worst storms and flooding in 30 years resulting in the death of nine people and the grounding of a trade ship, the MV Pasha Bulker.
  • 2008 – At least 37 miners go missing after an explosion in a Ukrainian coal mine causes it to collapse.
  • 2008 – At least seven people are killed and ten injured in a stabbing spree in Tokyo, Japan.
  • 2009 – Two American journalists are found guilty of illegally entering North Korea and sentenced to 12 years of penal labour.
  • 2014 – At least 28 people are killed in an attack at Jinnah International Airport, Karachi, Pakistan.

Births on June 8

  • 862 – Emperor Xizong of Tang (d. 888)
  • 1508 – Primož Trubar, Slovenian Protestant reformer (d. 1586)
  • 1552 – Gabriello Chiabrera, Italian poet and author (d. 1638)
  • 1593 – George I Rákóczi, prince of Transylvania (d. 1648)
  • 1625 – Giovanni Domenico Cassini, Italian-French mathematician and astronomer (d. 1712)
  • 1671 – Tomaso Albinoni, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1751)
  • 1717 – John Collins, American lawyer and politician, 3rd Governor of Rhode Island (d. 1795)
  • 1724 – John Smeaton, English engineer, designed the Coldstream Bridge and Perth Bridge (d. 1794)
  • 1745 – Caspar Wessel, Norwegian-Danish mathematician and cartographer (d. 1818)
  • 1757 – Ercole Consalvi, Italian cardinal (d. 1824)
  • 1788 – Charles A. Wickliffe, American politician, 14th Governor of Kentucky (d. 1869)
  • 1810 – Robert Schumann, German composer and critic (d. 1856)
  • 1829 – John Everett Millais, English painter and illustrator (d. 1896)
  • 1831 – Thomas J. Higgins, Canadian-American sergeant, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1917)
  • 1842 – John Q. A. Brackett, American lawyer and politician, 36th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1918)
  • 1851 – Jacques-Arsène d’Arsonval, French physician and physicist (d. 1940)
  • 1852 – Guido Banti, Italian physician and pathologist (d. 1925)
  • 1854 – Douglas Cameron, Canadian politician, 8th Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba (d. 1921)
  • 1855 – George Charles Haité, English painter and illustrator (d. 1924)
  • 1858 – Charlotte Scott, English mathematician (d. 1931)
  • 1859 – Smith Wigglesworth, English evangelist (d. 1947)
  • 1860 – Alicia Boole Stott, Irish-English mathematician and theorist (d. 1940)
  • 1867 – Frank Lloyd Wright, American architect, designed the Price Tower and Fallingwater (d. 1959)
  • 1868 – Robert Robinson Taylor, American architect (d. 1942)
  • 1872 – Jan Frans De Boever, Belgian painter and illustrator (d. 1949)
  • 1875 – Ernst Enno, Estonian poet and author (d. 1934)
  • 1876 – Alexandre Tuffère, Greek-French triple jumper (d. 1958)
  • 1885 – Karl Genzken, German physician (d. 1957)
  • 1891 – William Funnell, Australian public servant (d. 1962)
  • 1893 – Ernst Marcus, German zoologist (d. 1968)
  • 1893 – Gaby Morlay, French actress (d. 1964)
  • 1894 – Erwin Schulhoff, Czech composer and pianist (d. 1942)
  • 1895 – Santiago Bernabéu Yeste, Spanish footballer and manager (d. 1978)
  • 1897 – John G. Bennett, English mathematician and technologist (d. 1974)
  • 1899 – Eugène Lapierre, Canadian organist, composer and arts administrator (d. 1970)
  • 1899 – Ernst-Robert Grawitz, German physician (d. 1945)
  • 1900 – Lena Baker, African-American maid executed for capital murder, later pardoned posthumously (d. 1945)
  • 1903 – Ralph Yarborough, American colonel and politician (d. 1996)
  • 1903 – Marguerite Yourcenar, Belgian-French author and poet (d. 1987)
  • 1910 – C. C. Beck, American illustrator (d. 1989)
  • 1910 – John W. Campbell, American journalist and author (d. 1971)
  • 1910 – Fernand Fonssagrives, French-American photographer, sculptor, and painter (d. 2003)
  • 1911 – Edmundo Rivero, Argentinian singer-songwriter (d. 1986)
  • 1912 – Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, British abstract painter (d. 2004)
  • 1912 – Maurice Bellemare, Canadian lawyer and politician (d. 1989)
  • 1912 – Harry Holtzman, American painter (d. 1987)
  • 1915 – Kayyar Kinhanna Rai, Indian journalist, author, and poet (d. 2015)
  • 1916 – Francis Crick, English biologist, biophysicist, and neuroscientist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2004)
  • 1916 – Luigi Comencini, Italian director and screenwriter (d. 2007)
  • 1916 – Richard Pousette-Dart, American painter and educator (d. 1992)
  • 1917 – Byron White, American football player and judge (d. 2002)
  • 1918 – George Edward Hughes, Irish-New Zealand philosopher and logician (d. 1994)
  • 1918 – Robert Preston, American captain, actor, and singer (d. 1987)
  • 1918 – John D. Roberts, American chemist and academic (d. 2016)
  • 1918 – John H. Ross, American captain and pilot (d. 2013)
  • 1919 – John R. Deane, Jr., American general (d. 2013)
  • 1920 – Gwen Harwood, Australian poet and playwright (d. 1995)
  • 1921 – Gordon McLendon, American broadcaster and businessman (d. 1986)
  • 1921 – Olga Nardone, American actress (d. 2010)
  • 1921 – LeRoy Neiman, American soldier and painter (d. 2012)
  • 1921 – Alexis Smith, Canadian-born American actress and singer (d. 1993)
  • 1921 – Suharto, Indonesian soldier and politician, 2nd President of Indonesia (d. 2008)
  • 1924 – Billie Dawe, Canadian ice hockey player and manager (d. 2013)
  • 1924 – Kenneth Waltz, American political scientist and academic (d. 2013)
  • 1925 – Barbara Bush, American wife of George H. W. Bush, 41st First Lady of the United States (d. 2018)
  • 1927 – Jerry Stiller, American actor, comedian and producer (d. 2020)
  • 1929 – Nada Inada, Japanese psychiatrist and author (d. 2013)
  • 1930 – Robert Aumann, German-American mathematician and economist, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1930 – Marcel Léger, Canadian lawyer and politician (d. 1993)
  • 1931 – James Goldstone, American director and screenwriter (d. 1999)
  • 1931 – Dana Wynter, British actress (d. 2011)
  • 1932 – Ray Illingworth, English cricketer and sportscaster
  • 1932 – Ian Kirkwood, Lord Kirkwood, Scottish lawyer and judge (d. 2017)
  • 1933 – Rommie Loudd, American football player and coach (d. 1998)
  • 1933 – Joan Rivers, American comedian, actress, and television host (d. 2014)
  • 1933 – Robert Stevens, English lawyer and academic
  • 1934 – Millicent Martin, English actress and singer
  • 1935 – Molade Okoya-Thomas, Nigerian businessman and philanthropist (d. 2015)
  • 1936 – James Darren, American actor
  • 1936 – Kenneth G. Wilson, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2013)
  • 1937 – Gillian Clarke, Welsh poet and playwright
  • 1938 – Angelo Amato, Italian cardinal
  • 1939 – Herb Adderley, American football player
  • 1940 – Nancy Sinatra, American singer and actress
  • 1941 – Robert Bradford, Northern Irish politician and activist (d. 1981)
  • 1941 – George Pell, Australian cardinal
  • 1942 – Nikos Konstantopoulos, Greek politician, Greek Minister of the Interior
  • 1942 – Doug Mountjoy, Welsh snooker player
  • 1943 – Colin Baker, English actor
  • 1943 – William Calley, American lieutenant
  • 1943 – Willie Davenport, American colonel and hurdler (d. 2002)
  • 1943 – Peter Eggert, German footballer and manager
  • 1943 – Pierre-André Fournier, Roman Catholic archbishop (d. 2015)
  • 1944 – Mark Belanger, American baseball player (d. 1998)
  • 1944 – Marc Ouellet, Canadian cardinal
  • 1944 – Boz Scaggs, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1945 – Steven Fromholz, American singer-songwriter, producer, and poet (d. 2014)
  • 1945 – Derek Underwood, English cricketer
  • 1946 – Graham Henry, New Zealand rugby player and coach
  • 1947 – Annie Haslam, English singer-songwriter and painter
  • 1947 – Sara Paretsky, American author
  • 1947 – Eric F. Wieschaus, American biologist, geneticist, and academic Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1949 – Emanuel Ax, Polish-American pianist and educator
  • 1949 – Hildegard Falck, German runner
  • 1950 – Kathy Baker, American actress
  • 1950 – Sônia Braga, Brazilian actress and producer
  • 1951 – Tony Rice, American guitarist and songwriter
  • 1951 – Bonnie Tyler, Welsh singer-songwriter
  • 1953 – Billy Hayes, English union leader
  • 1953 – Sandy Nairne, English historian and curator
  • 1953 – Ivo Sanader, Croatian historian and politician, 8th Prime Minister of Croatia
  • 1953 – Olav Stedje, Norwegian singer-songwriter
  • 1954 – Greg Ginn, American punk rock guitarist, singer, and songwriter (Black Flag)
  • 1954 – Kiril of Varna, Bulgarian metropolitan (d. 2013)
  • 1954 – Sergei Storchak, Ukrainian-Russian politician
  • 1955 – Tim Berners-Lee, English computer scientist, best known as the inventor of the World Wide Web
  • 1955 – José Antonio Camacho, Spanish footballer and manager
  • 1955 – Griffin Dunne, American actor, director, and producer
  • 1956 – Udo Bullmann, German politician
  • 1956 – Jonathan Potter, English psychologist, sociolinguist, and academic
  • 1957 – Scott Adams, American author and illustrator
  • 1957 – Don Robinson, American baseball player and politician
  • 1957 – Sonja Vectomov, Czech/Finnish sculptor
  • 1958 – Louise Richardson, Irish political scientist and academic
  • 1958 – Keenen Ivory Wayans, American actor, director, and screenwriter
  • 1959 – Mohsen Kadivar, Iranian philosopher
  • 1960 – Mick Hucknall, English singer-songwriter
  • 1960 – Terje Gewelt, Norwegian bassist
  • 1960 – Thomas Steen, Swedish ice hockey player and coach
  • 1961 – Mary Bonauto, American lawyer and gay rights activist
  • 1962 – John Gibbons, American baseball player and manager
  • 1962 – Andreas Keim, German footballer
  • 1962 – Nick Rhodes, English keyboard player and producer
  • 1963 – Karen Kingsbury, American journalist and author
  • 1963 – Antoaneta Todorova, Bulgarian javelin thrower
  • 1964 – Butch Reynolds, American runner and coach
  • 1965 – Kevin Farley, American screenwriter
  • 1965 – Rob Pilatus, German model, dancer and singer (Milli Vanilli) (d. 1998)
  • 1966 – Julianna Margulies, American actress
  • 1966 – Doris Pearson, English singer-songwriter and choreographer
  • 1967 – Dan Futterman, American actor, screenwriter and producer
  • 1967 – Russell E. Morris, Professor of Materials Chemistry at the University of St Andrews
  • 1968 – Rob Ray, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
  • 1969 – David Barnhill, Australian rugby league player and coach
  • 1969 – J. P. Manoux, American actor
  • 1969 – Marcos Siega, American director and producer
  • 1970 – Gabrielle Giffords, American businesswoman, politician and activist
  • 1970 – Kwame Kilpatrick, American educator and politician, 68th Mayor of Detroit
  • 1970 – Steve Renouf, Australian rugby league player and sportscaster
  • 1970 – Troy Vincent, American football player
  • 1971 – Mark Feuerstein, American actor, director, and producer
  • 1972 – Christian Mayrleb, Austrian footballer
  • 1973 – Lexa Doig, Canadian model and actress
  • 1973 – Bryant Reeves, American basketball player
  • 1974 – Pål Arne Fagernes, Norwegian javelin thrower (d. 2003)
  • 1974 – Lauren Burns, Australian taekwondo practitioner
  • 1974 – Alma Lepina, Latvian figure skater
  • 1975 – Emm Gryner, Canadian singer-songwriter
  • 1975 – Bryan McCabe, Canadian-American ice hockey player
  • 1975 – Mark Ricciuto, Australian footballer and sportscaster
  • 1975 – Shilpa Shetty, Indian actress and producer
  • 1976 – Eion Bailey, American actor
  • 1976 – Kenji Johjima, Japanese baseball player
  • 1976 – Catherine McKinnell, English lawyer and politician
  • 1977 – Kanye West, American rapper, producer, director, and fashion designer
  • 1978 – Eun Ji-won, South Korean rapper, dancer, and producer
  • 1978 – Maria Menounos, American television journalist
  • 1979 – Alexei Kozlov, Estonian figure skater
  • 1979 – Pete Orr, Canadian-American baseball player
  • 1979 – Adine Wilson, New Zealand netball player
  • 1979 – İpek Şenoğlu, Turkish tennis player
  • 1980 – Gustavo Manduca, Brazilian footballer
  • 1980 – Jamie Spencer, Irish jockey
  • 1981 – Alex Band, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1981 – Rachel Held Evans, American Christian author
  • 1981 – Matteo Meneghello, Italian race car driver
  • 1981 – Sara Watkins, American singer-songwriter and fiddler
  • 1982 – Matteo Barbini, Italian rugby player
  • 1982 – Michael Cammalleri, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1982 – Dickson Etuhu, Nigerian footballer
  • 1982 – Irina Lăzăreanu, Romanian-Canadian model and singer
  • 1982 – Nadia Petrova, Russian tennis player
  • 1983 – Gaines Adams, American football player (d. 2010)
  • 1983 – Kim Clijsters, Belgian tennis player
  • 1983 – Pantelis Kapetanos, Greek footballer
  • 1983 – Coby Karl, American basketball player
  • 1984 – Javier Mascherano, Argentinian footballer
  • 1985 – Alexandre Despatie, Canadian diver
  • 1985 – Rosanna Pansino, American actress, writer and TV personality
  • 1986 – Patrick Kaleta, American ice hockey player
  • 1986 – Andrej Sekera, Slovak ice hockey player
  • 1987 – Coralie Balmy, French swimmer
  • 1987 – Issiar Dia, Senegalese footballer
  • 1989 – Timea Bacsinszky, Swiss tennis player
  • 1989 – Mitchell Schwartz, American football player
  • 1990 – Todd Barclay, New Zealand politician
  • 1990 – Mickey Bushell, English wheelchair racer
  • 1992 – Sebá, Brazilian footballer
  • 1996 – Doğanay Kılıç, Turkish footballer
  • 1997 – Jeļena Ostapenko, Latvian tennis player

Deaths on June 8

  • 632 – Muhammad, the central figure of Islam, widely regarded as its founder (b. 570/571)
  • 696 – Chlodulf, bishop of Metz (or 697)
  • 951 – Zhao Ying, Chinese chancellor (b. 885)
  • 1042 – Harthacnut, English-Danish king (b. 1018)
  • 1154 – William of York, English archbishop and saint
  • 1290 – Beatrice Portinari, object of Dante Alighieri’s adoration (b. 1266)
  • 1376 – Edward, the Black Prince, English son of Edward III of England (b. 1330)
  • 1383 – Thomas de Ros, 4th Baron de Ros, English politician (b. 1338)
  • 1384 – Kan’ami, Japanese actor and playwright (b. 1333)
  • 1405 – Richard le Scrope, Archbishop of York (b. c.1350)
  • 1405 – Thomas de Mowbray, 4th Earl of Norfolk (b. 1385)
  • 1476 – George Neville, English archbishop and academic (b. 1432)
  • 1492 – Elizabeth Woodville, Queen consort of England (b. 1437)
  • 1501 – George Gordon, 2nd Earl of Huntly, Earl of Huntly and Lord Chancellor of Scotland (b. 1440)
  • 1505 – Hongzhi Emperor of China (b. 1470)
  • 1600 – Edward Fortunatus, German nobleman (b. 1565)
  • 1611 – Jean Bertaut, French bishop and poet (b. 1552)
  • 1612 – Hans Leo Hassler, German organist and composer (b. 1562)
  • 1621 – Anne de Xainctonge, French saint, founded the Society of the Sisters of Saint Ursula of the Blessed Virgin (b. 1567)
  • 1628 – Rudolph Goclenius, German lexicographer and philosopher (b. 1547)
  • 1651 – Tokugawa Iemitsu, Japanese shōgun (b. 1604)
  • 1714 – Sophia of Hanover (b. 1630)
  • 1716 – Johann Wilhelm, Elector Palatine, German son of Landgravine Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt (b. 1658)
  • 1727 – August Hermann Francke, German-Lutheran pietist, philanthropist, and scholar (b. 1663)
  • 1768 – Johann Joachim Winckelmann, German archaeologist and scholar (b. 1717)
  • 1771 – George Montagu-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (b. 1716)
  • 1795 – Louis XVII of France (b. 1785)
  • 1809 – Thomas Paine, English-American theorist and author (b. 1737)
  • 1831 – Sarah Siddons, Welsh actress (b. 1755)
  • 1835 – Gian Domenico Romagnosi, Italian economist and jurist (b. 1761)
  • 1845 – Andrew Jackson, American general, judge, and politician, 7th President of the United States (b. 1767)
  • 1846 – Rodolphe Töpffer, Swiss teacher, author, painter, cartoonist, and caricaturist (b. 1799)
  • 1857 – Douglas William Jerrold, English journalist and playwright (b. 1803)
  • 1874 – Cochise, American tribal chief (b. 1805)
  • 1876 – George Sand, French author and playwright (b. 1804)
  • 1885 – Ignace Bourget, Canadian bishop (b. 1799)
  • 1889 – Gerard Manley Hopkins, English poet (b. 1844)
  • 1899 – Mary of the Divine Heart, German nun and saint (b. 1863)
  • 1924 – Andrew Irvine, English mountaineer and explorer (b. 1902)
  • 1924 – George Mallory, English lieutenant and mountaineer (b. 1886)
  • 1929 – Bliss Carman, Canadian-American poet and playwright (b. 1861)
  • 1945 – Karl Hanke, Polish-German soldier and politician (b. 1903)
  • 1951 – Eugène Fiset, Canadian physician, general, and politician, 18th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (b. 1874)
  • 1951 – Oswald Pohl, German SS officer (b. 1892)
  • 1956 – Marie Laurencin, French painter and sculptor (b. 1883)
  • 1959 – Leslie Johnson, English race car driver (b. 1912)
  • 1965 – Edmondo Rossoni, Italian politician (b. 1884)
  • 1966 – Anton Melik, Slovenian geographer and academic (b. 1890)
  • 1968 – Elizabeth Enright, American author and illustrator (b. 1909)
  • 1968 – Ludovico Scarfiotti, Italian race car driver (b. 1933)
  • 1969 – Arunachalam Mahadeva, Sri Lankan politician and diplomat (b. 1885)
  • 1969 – Robert Taylor, American actor and singer (b. 1911)
  • 1970 – Abraham Maslow, American psychologist and academic (b. 1908)
  • 1971 – J.I. Rodale, American author and playwright (b. 1898)
  • 1976 – Thorleif Schjelderup-Ebbe, Norwegian zoologist and psychologist (b. 1894)
  • 1982 – Satchel Paige, American baseball player and coach (b. 1906)
  • 1984 – Gordon Jacob, English composer and academic (b. 1895)
  • 1987 – Alexander Iolas, Egyptian-American art collector (b. 1907)
  • 1997 – George Turner, Australian author and critic (b. 1916)
  • 1997 – Karen Wetterhahn, American chemist and academic (b. 1948)
  • 1998 – Sani Abacha, Nigerian general and politician, 10th President of Nigeria (b. 1943)
  • 1998 – Maria Reiche, German mathematician and archaeologist (b. 1903)
  • 2000 – Jeff MacNelly, American cartoonist (b. 1948)
  • 2001 – Alex de Renzy, American director and producer (b. 1935)
  • 2004 – Charles Hyder, American astrophysicist and academic (b. 1930)
  • 2004 – Mack Jones, American baseball player (b. 1938)
  • 2006 – Jaxon, American illustrator and publisher, co-founded Rip Off Press (b. 1941)
  • 2006 – Matta El Meskeen, Egyptian monk, theologian, and author (b. 1919)
  • 2008 – Šaban Bajramović, Serbian singer-songwriter (b. 1936)
  • 2009 – Omar Bongo, Gabonese captain and politician, President of Gabon (b. 1935)
  • 2010 – Crispian St. Peters, English singer-songwriter (b. 1939)
  • 2012 – Pete Brennan, American basketball player (b. 1936)
  • 2012 – Charles E. M. Pearce, New Zealand-Australian mathematician and academic (b. 1940)
  • 2012 – Ghassan Tueni, Lebanese journalist, academic, and politician (b. 1926)
  • 2013 – Paul Cellucci, American soldier and politician, 69th Governor of Massachusetts (b. 1948)
  • 2013 – Yoram Kaniuk, Israeli painter, journalist, and critic (b. 1930)
  • 2013 – Taufiq Kiemas, Indonesian politician, 5th First Spouse of Indonesia (b. 1942)
  • 2014 – Alexander Imich, Polish-American chemist, parapsychologist, and academic (b. 1903)
  • 2014 – Yoshihito, Prince Katsura of Japan (b. 1948)
  • 2015 – Chea Sim, Cambodian commander and politician (b. 1932)
  • 2017 – Sam Panopoulos, Greek cook (b. 1934)

Holidays and observances on June 8

  • Christian feast day:
    • Blessed Mariam Thresia Chiramel Mankidiyan
    • Blessed Mary of the Divine Heart (Droste zu Vischering)
    • Chlodulf of Metz
    • Jacques Berthieu, S.J.
    • Jadwiga (Hedwig) of Poland
    • Medard
    • Melania the Elder
    • Roland Allen (Episcopal Church (USA))
    • Thomas Ken (Church of England)
    • William of York
    • June 8 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Earliest day on which Queen’s Birthday can fall, while June 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Monday in June. (Australia, except Western Australia and Queensland)
  • Bounty Day (Norfolk Island)
  • Caribbean American HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
  • Engineer’s Day (Peru)
  • Pranav Sivakumar Day (Illinois, United States)
  • Primož Trubar Day (Slovenia)
  • World Brain Tumor Day
  • World Oceans Day

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

On This Day

June 6- History, Events, Births, Deaths Holidays and Observances On This Day

  • 913 – The 8-year-old illegitimate son of Leo VI the Wise, Constantine VII, becomes nominal ruler of the Byzantine Empire, under the regency of a seven-man council headed by Patriarch Nicholas Mystikos, appointed by Constantine’s uncle Alexander III on his deathbed.
  • 1513 – Italian Wars: Battle of Novara. Swiss troops defeat the French under Louis II de la Trémoille, forcing the French to abandon Milan. Duke Massimiliano Sforza is restored.
  • 1523 – Gustav Vasa, the Swedish regent, is elected King of Sweden, marking a symbolic end to the Kalmar Union. This is the Swedish national day.
  • 1586 – Francis Drake’s forces raid St. Augustine in Spanish Florida.
  • 1674 – Shivaji, founder of the Maratha Empire, is crowned.
  • 1749 – The Conspiracy of the Slaves in Malta is discovered.
  • 1762 – Seven Years’ War: British forces begin a siege of Havana, Cuba, and temporarily capture the city in the Battle of Havana.
  • 1808 – Napoleon’s brother, Joseph Bonaparte, is crowned King of Spain.
  • 1809 – Sweden promulgates a new Constitution, which restores political power to the Riksdag of the Estates after 20 years of enlightened absolutism. At the same time, Charles XIII is elected to succeed Gustav IV Adolf as King of Sweden.
  • 1813 – War of 1812: Battle of Stoney Creek: A British force of 700 under John Vincent defeats an American force twice its size under William Winder and John Chandler.
  • 1822 – Alexis St. Martin is accidentally shot in the stomach, leading to William Beaumont’s studies on digestion.
  • 1832 – The June Rebellion in Paris is put down by the National Guard.
  • 1844 – The Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) is founded in London.
  • 1844 – The Glaciarium, the world’s first mechanically frozen ice rink, opens.
  • 1857 – Sophia of Nassau marries the future King Oscar II of Sweden–Norway.
  • 1859 – Australia: Queensland is established as a separate colony from New South Wales (Queensland Day).
  • 1862 – American Civil War: Battle of Memphis: Union forces capture Memphis, Tennessee, from the Confederates.
  • 1882 – The Shewan forces of Menelik II of Ethiopia defeat the Gojjame army in the Battle of Embabo. The Shewans capture Negus Tekle Haymanot of Gojjam, and their victory leads to a Shewan hegemony over the territories south of the Abay River.
  • 1889 – The Great Seattle Fire destroys all of downtown Seattle.
  • 1892 – The Chicago “L” elevated rail system begins operation.
  • 1894 – Governor Davis H. Waite orders the Colorado state militia to protect and support the miners engaged in the Cripple Creek miners’ strike.
  • 1909 – French troops capture Abéché (in modern-day Chad) and install a puppet sultan in the Ouaddai Empire.
  • 1912 – The eruption of Novarupta in Alaska begins. It is the largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century.
  • 1916 – The death of Yuan Shikai marks the beginning of China’s Warlord Era.
  • 1918 – World War I: Battle of Belleau Wood: The U.S. Marine Corps suffers its worst single day’s casualties while attempting to recapture the wood at Château-Thierry.
  • 1919 – After eight days of existence, the Republic of Prekmurje is conquered by the Hungarian Soviet Republic.
  • 1921 – Southwark Bridge in London is opened to traffic by King George V and Queen Mary.
  • 1932 – The Revenue Act of 1932 is enacted, creating the first gas tax in the United States, at a rate of 1 cent per US gallon (​14¢/L) sold.
  • 1933 – The first drive-in theater opens in Camden, New Jersey, United States.
  • 1934 – New Deal: The U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 into law, establishing the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
  • 1939 – Judge Joseph Force Crater, known as the “Missingest Man in New York”, is declared legally dead.
  • 1942 – World War II: Battle of Midway. U.S. Navy dive bombers sink the Japanese cruiser Mikuma and four Japanese carriers.
  • 1944 – World War II: The Allied invasion of Normandy—codenamed Operation Overlord—begins with the execution of Operation Neptune (commonly referred to as D-Day), the landing of 155,000 Allied troops on the beaches of Normandy in France. The Allied soldiers quickly break through the Atlantic Wall and push inland in the largest amphibious military operation in history.
  • 1946 – The Basketball Association of America is founded in New York City; the BAA was the precursor to the modern National Basketball Association.
  • 1954 – The grand opening of the sculpture of Yuriy Dolgorukiy took place in Moscow. This statue is one of the main monuments of Moscow.
  • 1964 – Under a temporary order, the rocket launches at Cuxhaven, Germany are terminated. They never resume.
  • 1971 – Soyuz program: Soyuz 11 is launched.
  • 1971 – A midair collision between a Hughes Airwest Douglas DC-9 jetliner and a United States Marine Corps McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II jet fighter near Duarte, California, claims 50 lives.
  • 1971 – Vietnam War: The Battle of Long Khanh between Australian and Vietnamese communist forces begins.
  • 1974 – A new Instrument of Government is promulgated making Sweden a parliamentary monarchy.
  • 1981 – Bihar train disaster: A passenger train travelling between Mansi and Saharsa, India, jumps the tracks at a bridge crossing the Bagmati River. The government places the official death toll at 268 plus another 300 missing; however, it is generally believed that the death toll is closer to 1,000.
  • 1982 – The Lebanon War begins. Forces under Israeli Defense Minister Ariel Sharon invade southern Lebanon during Operation Peace for the Galilee, eventually reaching as far north as the capital Beirut.
  • 1985 – The grave of “Wolfgang Gerhard” is opened in Embu, Brazil; the exhumed remains are later proven to be those of Josef Mengele, Auschwitz’s “Angel of Death”; Mengele is thought to have drowned while swimming in February 1979.
  • 1993 – Punsalmaagiin Ochirbat wins the first presidential election in Mongolia.
  • 1994 – China Northwest Airlines Flight 2303 crashes near Xi’an, China, killing all 160 people on board.
  • 2002 – Eastern Mediterranean event. A near-Earth asteroid estimated at ten meters in diameter explodes over the Mediterranean Sea between Greece and Libya. The explosion is estimated to have a force of 26 kilotons, slightly more powerful than the Nagasaki atomic bomb.
  • 2004 – Tamil is established as a “classical language” by the President of India, Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, in a joint sitting of the two houses of the Indian Parliament.
  • 2005 – In Gonzales v. Raich, the United States Supreme Court upholds a federal law banning cannabis, including medical marijuana.

Births on June 6

pre-19th century

  • 1236 – Wen Tianxiang, Chinese general and scholar (d. 1283)
  • 1243 – Alix of Brittany, Dame de Pontarcy, Breton noble (d. 1288)
  • 1296 – Władysław of Legnica (d. 1352)
  • 1436 – Regiomontanus, German mathematician, astronomer, and bishop (d. 1476)
  • 1519 – Andrea Cesalpino, Italian philosopher, physician, and botanist (d. 1603)
  • 1539 – Catherine Vasa, Regent of East Frisia (d. 1610)
  • 1553 – Bernardino Baldi, Italian mathematician and author (d. 1617)
  • 1556 – Edward la Zouche, 11th Baron Zouche, English politician and diplomat (d. 1625)
  • 1580 – Godefroy Wendelin, Belgian astronomer and author (d. 1667)
  • 1584 – Yuan Chonghuan, politician, military general and writer (d. 1630)
  • 1599 – Diego Velázquez, Spanish painter and educator (d. 1660)
  • 1606 – Pierre Corneille, French playwright and producer (d. 1684)
  • 1622 – Claude-Jean Allouez, French-American missionary and explorer (d. 1689)
  • 1646 – Hortense Mancini, favourite Italian niece of Cardinal Mazarin (d. 1699)
  • 1661 – Giacomo Antonio Perti, Italian composer and educator (d. 1756)
  • 1699 – Johann Georg Estor, German historian and theorist (d. 1773)
  • 1714 – Joseph I of Portugal (d. 1777)
  • 1735 – Anton Schweitzer, German composer (d. 1787)
  • 1755 – Nathan Hale, American soldier (d. 1776)
  • 1756 – John Trumbull, American soldier and painter (d. 1843)
  • 1772 – Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily (d. 1807)
  • 1799 – Alexander Pushkin, Russian author and poet (d. 1837)

19th century

  • 1807 – Thiệu Trị, Vietnamese emperor (d. 1847)
  • 1810 – Friedrich Wilhelm Schneidewin, German philologist and scholar (d. 1856)
  • 1829 – Honinbo Shusaku, Japanese Go player (d. 1862)
  • 1841 – Eliza Orzeszkowa, Polish author and publisher (d. 1910)
  • 1844 – Konstantin Savitsky, Russian painter and academic (d. 1905)
  • 1850 – Karl Ferdinand Braun, German-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1918)
  • 1857 – Aleksandr Lyapunov, Russian mathematician and physicist (d. 1918)
  • 1862 – Henry Newbolt, English historian, author, and poet (d. 1938)
  • 1867 – David T. Abercrombie, American surveyor and businessman, founded Abercrombie & Fitch (d. 1931)
  • 1868 – Robert Falcon Scott, English sailor and explorer (d. 1912)
  • 1872 – Alix of Hesse, German princess and Russian empress (d.1918)
  • 1875 – Thomas Mann, German author and critic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1955)
  • 1878 – Vincent de Moro-Giafferi, French lawyer and politician (d. 1956)
  • 1884 – Jock Hutchison, Scottish-American golfer (d. 1977)
  • 1890 – Ted Lewis, American singer, clarinet player, and bandleader (d. 1971)
  • 1891 – Masti Venkatesha Iyengar, Indian author and academic (d. 1986)
  • 1891 – Erich Marcks, German general (d. 1944)
  • 1896 – Henry Allingham, English World War I soldier and supercentenarian (d. 2009).
  • 1896 – Italo Balbo, Italian air marshal and politician (d. 1940)
  • 1898 – Walter Abel, American actor (d. 1987)
  • 1898 – Jacobus Johannes Fouché, South African politician, 2nd State President of South Africa (d. 1980)
  • 1898 – Ninette de Valois, English ballerina, choreographer, and director (d. 2001)
  • 1900 – Manfred Sakel, Ukrainian-American psychiatrist and physician (d. 1957)

1901–1930

  • 1901 – Jan Struther, English author and hymnwriter (d. 1953)
  • 1901 – Sukarno, Indonesian engineer and politician, 1st President of Indonesia (d. 1970)
  • 1902 – Jimmie Lunceford, American saxophonist and bandleader (d. 1947)
  • 1903 – Aram Khachaturian, Armenian composer and conductor (d. 1978)
  • 1903 – Bakht Singh, Indian evangelist, well-known bible teacher and preacher (d. 2000)
  • 1906 – Max August Zorn, German mathematician and academic (d. 1993)
  • 1907 – Bill Dickey, American baseball player and manager (d. 1993)
  • 1907 – Robin Humphreys, British scholar of Latin America (d. 1999)
  • 1908 – Giovanni Bracco, Italian race car driver (d. 1968)
  • 1909 – Isaiah Berlin, Latvian-English historian and philosopher (d. 1997)
  • 1913 – Carlo L. Golino, Italian-American author, critic, and academic (d. 1991)
  • 1915 – Vincent Persichetti, American pianist and composer (d. 1987)
  • 1916 – Hamani Diori, Nigerien academic and politician, 1st President of Niger (d. 1989)
  • 1917 – Kirk Kerkorian, American businessman, founded the Tracinda Corporation (d. 2015)
  • 1918 – Edwin G. Krebs, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2009)
  • 1919 – Peter Carington, 6th Baron Carrington, English army officer and politician, 6th Secretary General of NATO (d. 2018)
  • 1923 – V. C. Andrews, American author, illustrator, and painter (d. 1986)
  • 1923 – Jean Pouliot, Canadian broadcaster (d. 2004)
  • 1925 – Maxine Kumin, American poet and author (d. 2014)
  • 1925 – Frank Chee Willeto, American soldier and politician, 4th Vice President of the Navajo Nation (d. 2013)
  • 1926 – Torsten Andersson, Swedish painter and illustrator (d. 2009)
  • 1926 – Erdal İnönü, Turkish physicist and politician, Prime Minister of Turkey (d. 2007)
  • 1926 – Klaus Tennstedt, German conductor (d. 1998)
  • 1929 – Sunil Dutt, Indian actor, director, producer, and politician (d. 2005)
  • 1930 – Frank Tyson, English-Australian cricketer, coach and journalist (d. 2015)

1931–1945

Tommie Smith, born 6 June 1944, at the 1968 Olympic medal ceremony where he and John Carlos (behind) protested against racism.

  • 1932 – David Scott, American colonel, engineer, and astronaut
  • 1932 – Billie Whitelaw, English actress (d. 2014)
  • 1933 – Eli Broad, American businessman and philanthropist, co-founded KB Home
  • 1933 – Heinrich Rohrer, Swiss physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2013)
  • 1934 – Albert II of Belgium
  • 1935 – Jon Henricks, Australian swimmer; winner of two Olympic gold medals in 1956.
  • 1936 – Mompati Merafhe, Botswana general and politician, Vice-President of Botswana (d. 2015)
  • 1936 – D. Ramanaidu, Indian actor, director, and producer, founded Suresh Productions (d. 2015)
  • 1936 – Levi Stubbs, American singer (d. 2008)
  • 1938 – Prince Luiz of Orléans-Braganza
  • 1938 – Ryuchi Matsuda, Japanese martial artist and author (d. 2013)
  • 1939 – Louis Andriessen, Dutch pianist and composer
  • 1939 – Gary U.S. Bonds, American singer-songwriter
  • 1939 – Eddie Giacomin, Canadian-American ice hockey player, coach, and sportscaster
  • 1940 – Kumar Bhattacharyya, Baron Bhattacharyya, Indian-English engineer and academic (d. 2019)
  • 1940 – Willie John McBride, Northern Irish rugby player, coach, and manager
  • 1941 – Alexander Cockburn, Scottish-American journalist and author (d. 2012)
  • 1943 – José de Jesús Gudiño Pelayo, Mexican lawyer and jurist (d. 2010)
  • 1943 – Richard Smalley, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2005)
  • 1943 – Joe Stampley, American country music singer-songwriter
  • 1944 – Monty Alexander, Jamaican jazz pianist.
  • 1944 – Phillip Allen Sharp, American molecular biologist; 1993 Nobel Prize laureate (Physiology or Medicine).
  • 1944 – Tommie Smith, American sprinter and football player; winner of 1968 Olympic 200m gold medal in a world record time.

1946–2000

  • 1946 – Tony Levin, American bass player and songwriter.[
  • 1947 – David Blunkett, British Labour politician; Home Secretary 2001–2004.
  • 1947 – Robert Englund, American actor; best known for Nightmare on Elm Street.
  • 1947 – Ada Kok, Dutch butterfly stroke swimmer; winner of three Olympic medals including gold in 1968.
  • 1948 – Arlene Harris, American entrepreneur, inventor, investor and policy advocate.
  • 1949 – Holly Near, American folk singer and songwriter.
  • 1954 – Harvey Fierstein, American actor and playwright; twice a winner at the Tony Awards.
  • 1954 – Wladyslaw Zmuda, Polish footballer and manager; 91 caps for Poland and voted Best Young Player at the 1974 FIFA World Cup.
  • 1955 – Sam Simon, American director, producer and screenwriter; co-developer of The Simpsons (d. 2015).
  • 1956 – Björn Borg, Swedish tennis player; winner of eleven Grand Slam singles titles including five consecutive Wimbledons.
  • 1972 – Natalie Morales, American television journalist and NBC News anchor.

Deaths

  • 184 – Qiao Xuan, Chinese official (b. c. 110).
  • 863 – Abu Musa Utamish, vizier to the Abbasid Caliphate.
  • 913 – Alexander III, Byzantine emperor (b. 870).
  • 1097 – Agnes of Aquitaine, Queen of Aragon and Navarre
  • 1134 – Norbert of Xanten, German bishop and saint (b. 1060)
  • 1217 – Henry I, King of Castile and Toledo (b. 1204)
  • 1237 – John of Scotland, Earl of Huntingdon
  • 1251 – William III of Dampierre, Count of Flanders
  • 1252 – Robert Passelewe, Bishop of Chichester
  • 1333 – William Donn de Burgh, 3rd Earl of Ulster (b. 1312)
  • 1393 – Emperor Go-En’yū of Japan (b. 1359)
  • 1480 – Vecchietta, Italian painter, sculptor, and architect (b. 1412)
  • 1548 – João de Castro, Portuguese soldier and politician, Governor of Portuguese India (b. 1500)
  • 1561 – Ridolfo Ghirlandaio, Italian painter (b. 1483)
  • 1583 – Nakagawa Kiyohide, Japanese daimyō (b. 1556)
  • 1659 – Nadira Banu Begum, Mughal princess (b. 1618)
  • 1661 – Martino Martini, Italian Jesuit missionary (b. 1614)
  • 1730 – Alain Emmanuel de Coëtlogon, French general (b. 1646)
  • 1740 – Alexander Spotswood, Moroccan-American colonial and politician, Lieutenant Governor of Virginia (b. 1676)
  • 1784 – Joan van der Capellen tot den Pol, Dutch politician (b. 1741)
  • 1799 – Patrick Henry, American lawyer and politician, 1st Governor of Virginia (b. 1736)
  • 1813 – Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart, French architect, designed the Hôtel de Mademoiselle de Condé (b. 1739)
  • 1813 – Antonio Cachia, Maltese architect, engineer and archaeologist (b. 1739)
  • 1832 – Jeremy Bentham, English jurist and philosopher (b. 1748)
  • 1840 – Marcellin Champagnat, French priest and saint, founded the Marist Brothers (b. 1789)
  • 1843 – Friedrich Hölderlin, German poet and author (b. 1770)
  • 1861 – Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour, Italian politician, 1st Prime Minister of Italy (b. 1810)
  • 1862 – Turner Ashby, American colonel (b. 1828)
  • 1865 – William Quantrill, American captain (b. 1837)
  • 1878 – Robert Stirling, Scottish minister and engineer, invented the stirling engine (b. 1790)
  • 1881 – Henri Vieuxtemps, Belgian violinist and composer (b. 1820)
  • 1883 – Ciprian Porumbescu, Romanian composer and poet (b. 1853)
  • 1891 – John A. Macdonald, Scottish-Canadian lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1815)
  • 1916 – Yuan Shikai, Chinese general and politician, 2nd President of the Republic of China (b. 1859)
  • 1922 – Lillian Russell, American actress and singer (b. 1860)
  • 1924 – William Pirrie, 1st Viscount Pirrie, Irish businessman and politician, Lord Mayor of Belfast (b. 1847)
  • 1934 – Julije Kempf, Croatian historian and author (b. 1864)
  • 1935 – Julian Byng, 1st Viscount Byng of Vimy, English field marshal and politician, 12th Governor-General of Canada (b. 1862)
  • 1941 – Louis Chevrolet, Swiss-American race car driver and businessman, founded Chevrolet and Frontenac Motor Corporation (b. 1878)
  • 1943 – Pandelis Pouliopoulos, Greek politician (b. 1900)
  • 1946 – Gerhart Hauptmann, German novelist, poet, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1862)
  • 1947 – James Agate, English author and critic (b. 1877)
  • 1948 – Louis Lumière, French director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1864)
  • 1951 – Olive Tell, American actress (b. 1894)
  • 1954 – Fritz Kasparek, Austrian mountaineer and author (b. 1910)
  • 1955 – Max Meldrum, Scottish-Australian painter and educator (b. 1875)
  • 1961 – Carl Jung, Swiss psychiatrist and psychotherapist (b. 1875)
  • 1962 – Yves Klein, French painter (b. 1928)
  • 1962 – Tom Phillis, Australian motorcycle racer (b. 1934)
  • 1963 – William Baziotes, American painter and academic (b. 1912)
  • 1968 – Randolph Churchill, English journalist and politician (b. 1911)
  • 1968 – Robert F. Kennedy, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 64th United States Attorney General (b. 1925)
  • 1968 – Kâzım Özalp, Turkish general and politician, 3rd Turkish Minister of National Defence (b. 1880)
  • 1975 – Larry Blyden, American actor (b. 1925)
  • 1976 – J. Paul Getty, American businessman, founded the Getty Oil Company (b. 1892)
  • 1979 – Jack Haley, American actor (b. 1897)
  • 1980 – Ruth Aarons, American table tennis player and manager (b. 1918)
  • 1982 – Kenneth Rexroth, American poet and academic (b. 1905)
  • 1983 – Hans Leip, German author, poet, and playwright (b. 1893)
  • 1984 – A. Bertram Chandler, English-Australian soldier and author (b. 1912)
  • 1991 – Stan Getz, American saxophonist (b. 1927)
  • 1994 – Barry Sullivan, American actor (b. 1912)
  • 1996 – George Davis Snell, American geneticist and immunologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1903)
  • 1997 – Magda Gabor, Hungarian-American actress and socialite (b. 1915)
  • 2000 – Frédéric Dard, French author and screenwriter (b. 1921)
  • 2001 – Suzanne Schiffman, French screenwriter and director (b. 1939)
  • 2003 – Ken Grimwood, American author (b. 1944)
  • 2003 – Dave Rowberry, English singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1940)
  • 2005 – Anne Bancroft, American actress (b. 1931)
  • 2005 – Dana Elcar, American actor (b. 1927)
  • 2006 – Arnold Newman, American photographer and educator (b. 1918)
  • 2006 – Billy Preston, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and actor (b. 1946)
  • 2006 – Camille Sandorfy, Hungarian-Canadian chemist and academic (b. 1920)
  • 2009 – Jean Dausset, French-Spanish immunologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1916)
  • 2009 – Jim Owens, American football player and coach (b. 1927)
  • 2010 – Marvin Isley, American singer-songwriter and bass player (b. 1953)
  • 2012 – Vladimir Krutov, Russian ice hockey player (b. 1960)
  • 2012 – Manuel Preciado Rebolledo, Spanish footballer and coach (b. 1957)
  • 2012 – Mykola Volosyanko, Ukrainian footballer and manager (b. 1972)
  • 2013 – Jerome Karle, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1918)
  • 2013 – Eugen Merzbacher, German-American physicist and academic (b. 1921)
  • 2013 – Tom Sharpe, English-Spanish author and academic (b. 1928)
  • 2013 – Esther Williams, American swimmer and actress (b. 1921)
  • 2014 – Ado Bayero, Nigerian politician and diplomat (b. 1930)
  • 2014 – Eric Hill, English-American author and illustrator (b. 1927)
  • 2014 – Lorna Wing, English psychiatrist and physician (b. 1928)
  • 2015 – Pierre Brice, French actor (b. 1929)
  • 2015 – Vincent Bugliosi, American lawyer and author (b. 1934)
  • 2015 – Ronnie Gilbert, American singer-songwriter (b. 1926)
  • 2015 – Ludvík Vaculík, Czech journalist and author (b. 1926)
  • 2016 – Viktor Korchnoi, Russian chess player (b. 1931)
  • 2016 – Peter Shaffer, English playwright and screenwriter (b. 1926)
  • 2018 – Ralph Santolla, American guitarist (b. 1969)

Holidays and observances on June 6

  • Christian feast day:
    • Claude the Thaumaturge
    • Gottschalk
    • Ini Kopuria (Church of England, Episcopal Church, Anglican Church of Melanesia)
    • Marcellin Champagnat
    • Norbert of Xanten
    • June 6 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Engineer’s Day (Taiwan)
  • Korean Children’s Union Foundation Day (North Korea)
  • Memorial Day (South Korea)
  • National Day, marks the end of the Danish-ruled Kalmar Union. (Sweden)
  • National Huntington’s Disease Awareness Day (United States)
  • Normandy landings of the Allied Expeditionary Forces (D-Day), a.k.a. Operation Neptune, part of Operation Overlord (1944)
  • Queensland Day (Queensland)
  • Teachers’ Day (Bolivia)
  • UN Russian Language Day (United Nations)

June 6- History, Events, Births, Deaths Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

June 5 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

  • 1257 – Kraków, in Poland, receives city rights.
  • 1283 – Battle of the Gulf of Naples: Roger of Lauria, admiral to King Peter III of Aragon, destroys the Neapolitan fleet and captures Charles of Salerno.
  • 1288 – The Battle of Worringen ends the War of the Limburg Succession, with John I, Duke of Brabant, being one of the more important victors.
  • 1610 – The masque Tethys’ Festival is performed at Whitehall Palace to celebrate the investiture of Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales.
  • 1644 – The Qing dynasty Manchu forces led by the Shunzhi Emperor take Beijing during the collapse of the Ming dynasty.
  • 1798 – The Battle of New Ross: The attempt to spread the United Irish Rebellion into Munster is defeated.
  • 1817 – The first Great Lakes steamer, the Frontenac, is launched.
  • 1829 – HMS Pickle captures the armed slave ship Voladora off the coast of Cuba.
  • 1832 – The June Rebellion breaks out in Paris in an attempt to overthrow the monarchy of Louis Philippe.
  • 1837 – Houston is incorporated by the Republic of Texas.
  • 1849 – Denmark becomes a constitutional monarchy by the signing of a new constitution.
  • 1851 – Harriet Beecher Stowe’s anti-slavery serial, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, or Life Among the Lowly, starts a ten-month run in the National Era abolitionist newspaper.
  • 1862 – As the Treaty of Saigon is signed, ceding parts of southern Vietnam to France, the guerrilla leader Trương Định decides to defy Emperor Tự Đức of Vietnam and fight on against the Europeans.
  • 1864 – American Civil War: Battle of Piedmont: Union forces under General David Hunter defeat a Confederate army at Piedmont, Virginia, taking nearly 1,000 prisoners.
  • 1873 – Sultan Barghash bin Said of Zanzibar closes the great slave market under the terms of a treaty with Great Britain.
  • 1883 – The first regularly scheduled Orient Express departs Paris.
  • 1888 – The Rio de la Plata earthquake takes place.
  • 1893 – The trial of Lizzie Borden for the murder of her father and step-mother begins in New Bedford, Massachusetts.
  • 1900 – Second Boer War: British soldiers take Pretoria.
  • 1915 – Denmark amends its constitution to allow women’s suffrage.
  • 1916 – Louis Brandeis is sworn in as a Justice of the United States Supreme Court; he is the first American Jew to hold such a position.
  • 1916 – World War I: The Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire breaks out.
  • 1917 – World War I: Conscription begins in the United States as “Army registration day”.
  • 1940 – World War II: After a brief lull in the Battle of France, the Germans renew the offensive against the remaining French divisions south of the River Somme in Operation Fall Rot (“Case Red”).
  • 1941 – World War II: Four thousand Chongqing residents are asphyxiated in a bomb shelter during the Bombing of Chongqing.
  • 1942 – World War II: The United States declares war on Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania.
  • 1944 – World War II: More than 1,000 British bombers drop 5,000 tons of bombs on German gun batteries on the Normandy coast in preparation for D-Day.
  • 1945 – The Allied Control Council, the military occupation governing body of Germany, formally takes power.
  • 1946 – A fire in the La Salle Hotel in Chicago, Illinois, kills 61 people.
  • 1947 – Cold War: Marshall Plan: In a speech at Harvard University, the United States Secretary of State George Marshall calls for economic aid to war-torn Europe.
  • 1949 – Thailand elects Orapin Chaiyakan, the first female member of Thailand’s Parliament.
  • 1956 – Elvis Presley introduces his new single, “Hound Dog”, on The Milton Berle Show, scandalizing the audience with his suggestive hip movements.
  • 1959 – The first government of Singapore is sworn in.
  • 1963 – The British Secretary of State for War, John Profumo, resigns in a sex scandal known as the “Profumo affair”.
  • 1963 – Movement of 15 Khordad: Protests against the arrest of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini by the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. In several cities, masses of angry demonstrators are confronted by tanks and paratroopers.
  • 1964 – DSV Alvin is commissioned.
  • 1967 – The Six-Day War begins: Israel launches surprise strikes against Egyptian air-fields in response to the mobilisation of Egyptian forces on the Israeli border.
  • 1968 – Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy is assassinated by Sirhan Sirhan.
  • 1975 – The Suez Canal opens for the first time since the Six-Day War.
  • 1975 – The United Kingdom holds its first country-wide referendum on membership of the European Economic Community (EEC).
  • 1976 – The Teton Dam in Idaho, United States, collapses.
  • 1981 – The “Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report” of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that five people in Los Angeles, California, have a rare form of pneumonia seen only in patients with weakened immune systems, in what turns out to be the first recognized cases of AIDS.
  • 1983 – More than 100 people are killed when the Russian river cruise ship Aleksandr Suvorov collides with a girder of the Ulyanovsk Railway Bridge. The collision caused a freight train to derail, further damaging the vessel yet the ship remained afloat and was eventually restored and returned to service.
  • 1984 – Operation Blue Star: Under orders from India’s prime minister, Indira Gandhi, the Indian Army begins an invasion of the Golden Temple, the holiest site of the Sikh religion.
  • 1989 – The Tank Man halts the progress of a column of advancing tanks for over half an hour after the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989.
  • 1993 – Portions of the Holbeck Hall Hotel in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, UK, fall into the sea following a landslide.
  • 1995 – The Bose–Einstein condensate is first created.
  • 1997 – The Second Republic of the Congo Civil War begins.
  • 1998 – A strike begins at the General Motors parts factory in Flint, Michigan, that quickly spreads to five other assembly plants. The strike lasts seven weeks.
  • 2000 – The Six-Day War in Kisangani begins in Kisangani, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, between Ugandan and Rwandan forces. A large part of the city is destroyed.
  • 2001 – Tropical Storm Allison makes landfall on the upper-Texas coastline as a strong tropical storm and dumps large amounts of rain over Houston. The storm causes $5.5 billion in damages, making Allison the second costliest tropical storm in U.S. history.
  • 2003 – A severe heat wave across Pakistan and India reaches its peak, as temperatures exceed 50 °C (122 °F) in the region.
  • 2004 – Noël Mamère, Mayor of Bègles, celebrates marriage for two men for the first time in France.
  • 2006 – Serbia declares independence from the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro.
  • 2009 – After 65 straight days of civil disobedience, at least 31 people are killed in clashes between security forces and indigenous people near Bagua, Peru.
  • 2013 – A building collapse in Philadelphia kills six and wounds 14 other people.
  • 2015 – An earthquake with a moment magnitude of 6.0 struck Ranau, Sabah, Malaysia killing 18 people, including hikers and mountain guides on Mount Kinabalu, after mass landslides that occurred during the earthquake. This is the strongest earthquake to strike Malaysia since 1975.
  • 2017 – Montenegro becomes the 29th member of the NATO.
  • 2017 – Six Arab countries—Bahrain, Egypt, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and the United Arab Emirates—cut diplomatic ties with Qatar, accusing it of destabilising the region.

Births on June 5

  • 1341 – Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, son of King Edward III of England and Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports (d. 1402)
  • 1412 – Ludovico III Gonzaga, Marquis of Mantua, Italian ruler (d. 1478)
  • 1493 – Justus Jonas, German priest and academic (d. 1555)
  • 1523 – Margaret of France, Duchess of Berry (d. 1573)
  • 1554 – Benedetto Giustiniani, Italian clergyman (d. 1621)
  • 1587 – Robert Rich, 2nd Earl of Warwick, English colonial administrator and admiral (d. 1658)
  • 1596 – Peter Wtewael, Dutch Golden Age painter (d. 1660)
  • 1640 – Pu Songling, Chinese author (d. 1715)
  • 1646 – Elena Cornaro Piscopia, Italian mathematician and philosopher (d. 1684)
  • 1660 – Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough (d. 1744)
  • 1757 – Pierre Jean George Cabanis, French physiologist and philosopher (d. 1808)
  • 1760 – Johan Gadolin, Finnish chemist, physicist, and mineralogist (d. 1852)
  • 1771 – Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover (d. 1851)
  • 1781 – Christian Lobeck, German scholar and academic (d. 1860)
  • 1801 – William Scamp, English architect and engineer (d. 1872)
  • 1819 – John Couch Adams, English mathematician and astronomer (d. 1892)
  • 1830 – Carmine Crocco, Italian soldier (d. 1905)
  • 1850 – Pat Garrett, American sheriff (d. 1908)
  • 1862 – Allvar Gullstrand, Swedish ophthalmologist and optician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1930)
  • 1868 – James Connolly, Scottish-born Irish rebel leader (d. 1916)
  • 1870 – Bernard de Pourtalès, Swiss captain and sailor (d. 1935)
  • 1876 – Isaac Heinemann, German-Israeli scholar and academic (d. 1957)
  • 1877 – Willard Miller, Canadian-American sailor, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1959)
  • 1878 – Pancho Villa, Mexican general and politician, Governor of Chihuahua (d. 1923)
  • 1879 – Robert Mayer, German-English businessman and philanthropist (d. 1985)
  • 1883 – John Maynard Keynes, English economist, philosopher, and academic (d. 1946)
  • 1884 – Ralph Benatzky, Czech-Swiss composer (d. 1957)
  • 1884 – Ivy Compton-Burnett, English author (d. 1969)
  • 1884 – Frederick Lorz, American runner (d. 1914)
  • 1892 – Jaan Kikkas, Estonian weightlifter (d. 1944)
  • 1894 – Roy Thomson, 1st Baron Thomson of Fleet, Canadian-English publisher and academic (d. 1976)
  • 1895 – William Boyd, American actor and producer (d. 1972)
  • 1895 – William Roberts, English soldier and painter (d. 1980)
  • 1898 – Salvatore Ferragamo, Italian shoe designer, founded Salvatore Ferragamo S.p.A. (d. 1960)
  • 1898 – Federico García Lorca, Spanish poet, playwright, and director (d. 1936)
  • 1899 – Otis Barton, American diver, engineer, and actor, designed the bathysphere (d. 1992)
  • 1899 – Theippan Maung Wa, Burmese writer (d. 1942)
  • 1900 – Dennis Gabor, Hungarian-English physicist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1979)
  • 1902 – Arthur Powell Davies, American minister, author, and activist (d. 1957)
  • 1905 – Wayne Boring, American illustrator (d. 1987)
  • 1912 – Dean Amadon, American ornithologist and author (d. 2003)
  • 1912 – Eric Hollies, English cricketer (d. 1981)
  • 1913 – Conrad Marca-Relli, American-Italian painter and academic (d. 2000)
  • 1914 – Beatrice de Cardi, English archaeologist and academic (d. 2016)
  • 1916 – Sid Barnes, Australian cricketer (d. 1973)
  • 1916 – Eddie Joost, American baseball player and manager (d. 2011)
  • 1919 – Richard Scarry, American-Swiss author and illustrator (d. 1994)
  • 1920 – Marion Motley, American football player and coach (d. 1999)
  • 1920 – Cornelius Ryan, Irish-American journalist and author (d. 1974)
  • 1922 – Paul Couvret, Dutch-Australian soldier, pilot, and politician (d. 2013)
  • 1922 – Sheila Sim, English actress (d. 2016)
  • 1923 – Jorge Daponte, Argentinian racing driver (d. 1963)
  • 1923 – Roger Lebel, Canadian actor (d. 1994)
  • 1923 – Daniel Pinkham, American organist and composer (d. 2006)
  • 1924 – Lou Brissie, American baseball player and scout (d. 2013)
  • 1924 – Art Donovan, American football player and radio host (d. 2013)
  • 1925 – Bill Hayes, American actor and singer
  • 1926 – Paul Soros, Hungarian-American engineer and businessman (d. 2013)
  • 1928 – Robert Lansing, American actor (d. 1994)
  • 1928 – Umberto Maglioli, Italian racing driver (d. 1999)
  • 1928 – Tony Richardson, English-American director and producer (d. 1991)
  • 1930 – Alifa Rifaat, Egyptian author (d. 1996)
  • 1931 – Yves Blais, Canadian businessman and politician (d. 1998)
  • 1931 – Jacques Demy, French actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1990)
  • 1931 – Jerzy Prokopiuk, Polish anthropologist and philosopher
  • 1932 – Christy Brown, Irish painter and author (d. 1981)
  • 1932 – Dave Gold, American businessman, founded the 99 Cents Only Stores (d. 2013)
  • 1933 – Bata Živojinović, Serbian actor and politician (d. 2016)
  • 1934 – Vilhjálmur Einarsson, Icelandic triple jumper, painter, and educator (d. 2019)
  • 1934 – Bill Moyers, American journalist, 13th White House Press Secretary
  • 1937 – Hélène Cixous, French author, poet, and critic
  • 1938 – Moira Anderson, Scottish singer
  • 1938 – Karin Balzer, German hurdler (d. 2019)
  • 1938 – Roy Higgins, Australian jockey (d. 2014)
  • 1939 – Joe Clark, Canadian journalist and politician, 16th Prime Minister of Canada
  • 1939 – Margaret Drabble, English novelist, biographer, and critic
  • 1941 – Martha Argerich, Argentinian pianist
  • 1941 – Erasmo Carlos, Brazilian singer-songwriter
  • 1941 – Spalding Gray, American writer, actor, and monologist (d. 2004)
  • 1941 – Robert Kraft, American businessman, founded The Kraft Group
  • 1941 – Jeff Rooker, Baron Rooker, English academic and politician, Minister of State for Immigration
  • 1941 – Gudrun Sjödén, Swedish designer
  • 1942 – Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, Equatoguinean lieutenant and politician, 2nd President of Equatorial Guinea
  • 1943 – Abraham Viruthakulangara, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Nagpur, Maharashtra, India (d. 2018)
  • 1944 – Whitfield Diffie, American cryptographer and academic
  • 1945 – John Carlos, American runner and football player
  • 1945 – André Lacroix, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach
  • 1946 – John Du Cann, English guitarist (d. 2001)
  • 1946 – Bob Grant, Australian rugby league player
  • 1946 – Patrick Head, English engineer and businessman, co-founded Williams F1
  • 1946 – Wanderléa, Brazilian singer and television host
  • 1947 – Laurie Anderson, American singer-songwriter and violinist
  • 1947 – Tom Evans, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1983)
  • 1947 – David Hare, English director, playwright, and screenwriter
  • 1947 – Freddie Stone, American singer, guitarist, and pastor
  • 1949 – Ken Follett, Welsh author
  • 1949 – Elizabeth Gloster, English lawyer and judge
  • 1949 – Alexander Scrymgeour, 12th Earl of Dundee, Scottish politician
  • 1950 – Ronnie Dyson, American singer and actor (d. 1990)
  • 1950 – Abraham Sarmiento, Jr., Filipino journalist and activist (d. 1977)
  • 1951 – Suze Orman, American financial adviser, author, and television host
  • 1952 – Pierre Bruneau, Canadian journalist and news anchor
  • 1952 – Carole Fredericks, American singer (d. 2001)
  • 1952 – Nicko McBrain, English drummer and songwriter
  • 1953 – Kathleen Kennedy, American film producer, co-founded Amblin Entertainment
  • 1954 – Alberto Malesani, Italian footballer and manager
  • 1954 – Phil Neale, English cricketer, coach, and manager
  • 1954 – Nancy Stafford, American model and actress
  • 1955 – Edino Nazareth Filho, Brazilian footballer and manager
  • 1956 – Richard Butler, English singer-songwriter
  • 1956 – Kenny G, American saxophonist, songwriter, and producer
  • 1957 – Charles Nolan, American fashion designer (d. 2011)
  • 1958 – Avigdor Lieberman, Moldavian-Israeli soldier and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Israel
  • 1958 – Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi, Comorian businessman and politician, President of Comoros
  • 1959 – Mark Ella, Australian rugby player
  • 1959 – Werner Schildhauer, German runner
  • 1960 – Boris Dugan, Estonian footballer and coach
  • 1960 – Claire Fox, English author and academic
  • 1961 – Anke Behmer, German heptathlete
  • 1961 – Mary Kay Bergman, American voice actress (d. 1999)
  • 1961 – Anthony Burger, American singer and pianist (d. 2006)
  • 1961 – Aldo Costa, Italian engineer
  • 1961 – Ramesh Krishnan, Indian tennis player and coach
  • 1962 – Jeff Garlin, American actor, comedian, director, and screenwriter
  • 1962 – Tõnis Lukas, Estonian historian and politician, 34th Estonian Minister of Education
  • 1964 – Lisa Cholodenko, American director and screenwriter
  • 1964 – Karl Sanders, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1965 – Michael E. Brown, American astronomer and author
  • 1965 – Sandrine Piau, French soprano
  • 1965 – Alfie Turcotte, American ice hockey player
  • 1967 – Matt Bullard, American basketball player and sportscaster
  • 1967 – Joe DeLoach, American sprinter
  • 1967 – Ray Lankford, American baseball player
  • 1967 – Ron Livingston, American actor
  • 1968 – Ed Vaizey, English lawyer and politician, Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries
  • 1969 – Brian McKnight, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
  • 1970 – Martin Gélinas, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1971 – Susan Lynch, Northern Irish actress
  • 1971 – Alex Mooney, American politician
  • 1971 – Takaya Tsubobayashi, Japanese racing driver
  • 1971 – Mark Wahlberg, American model, actor, producer, and rapper
  • 1972 – Yogi Adityanath, Indian priest and politician
  • 1972 – Paweł Kotla, Polish conductor and academic
  • 1973 – Lamon Brewster, American boxer
  • 1973 – Gella Vandecaveye, Belgian martial artist
  • 1974 – Mervyn Dillon, Trinidadian cricketer
  • 1974 – Scott Draper, Australian tennis player and golfer
  • 1974 – Russ Ortiz, American baseball player
  • 1975 – Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Lithuanian-American basketball player
  • 1975 – Duncan Patterson, English drummer and keyboard player
  • 1975 – Sandra Stals, Belgian runner
  • 1976 – Giannis Giannoulis, Canadian basketball player
  • 1976 – Torry Holt, American football player and sportscaster
  • 1977 – Liza Weil, American actress
  • 1978 – Fernando Meira, Portuguese footballer
  • 1979 – Stefanos Kotsolis, Greek footballer
  • 1979 – Matthew Scarlett, Australian footballer
  • 1979 – Pete Wentz, American singer-songwriter, bass player, actor, and fashion designer
  • 1979 – Jason White, American race car driver
  • 1980 – Mike Fisher, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1980 – Antonio García, Spanish racing driver
  • 1981 – Serhat Akın, Turkish footballer
  • 1981 – Sébastien Lefebvre, Canadian singer and guitarist
  • 1982 – Ryan Dallas Cook, American trombonist (d. 2005)
  • 1983 – Marques Colston, American football player
  • 1984 – Robert Barbieri, Canadian-Italian rugby player
  • 1984 – Eric Traoré, Senegalese footballer
  • 1985 – Jeremy Abbott, American figure skater
  • 1985 – Ekaterina Bychkova, Russian tennis player
  • 1986 – Dave Bolland, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1986 – Vernon Gholston, American football player
  • 1987 – Marcus Thornton, American basketball player
  • 1988 – Alessandro Salvi, Italian footballer
  • 1989 – Cam Atkinson, American ice hockey player
  • 1989 – Megumi Nakajima, Japanese voice actress and singer
  • 1990 – Radko Gudas, Czech ice hockey defenceman
  • 1991 – Sören Bertram, German footballer
  • 1992 – Joazhiño Arroe, Peruvian footballer
  • 1992 – Emily Seebohm, Australian swimmer
  • 1993 – Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Samoan-New Zealand rugby league player
  • 1995 – Troye Sivan, South African–born Australian singer-songwriter, actor, and YouTuber
  • 1995 – Ross Wilson, English table tennis player
  • 1997 – Sam Darnold, American football player
  • 1998 – Yulia Lipnitskaya, Russian figure skater

Deaths on June 5

  • 301 – Sima Lun, Chinese emperor (b. 249)
  • 535 – Epiphanius, patriarch of Constantinople
  • 567 – Theodosius I, patriarch of Alexandria
  • 708 – Jacob of Edessa, Syrian bishop (b. 640)
  • 754 – Eoban, bishop of Utrecht
  • 754 – Boniface, English missionary and martyr (b. 675)
  • 879 – Ya’qub ibn al-Layth, Persian emir (b. 840)
  • 928 – Louis the Blind, king of Provence
  • 1017 – Sanjō, emperor of Japan (b. 976)
  • 1118 – Robert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Leicester, Norman nobleman and politician (b. 1049)
  • 1296 – Edmund Crouchback, English politician, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports (b. 1245)
  • 1310 – Amalric, prince of Tyre
  • 1316 – Louis X, king of France (b. 1289)
  • 1383 – Dmitry of Suzdal, Russian grand prince (b. 1324)
  • 1400 – Frederick I, duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
  • 1424 – Braccio da Montone, Italian nobleman (b. 1368)
  • 1434 – Yuri IV, Russian grand prince (b. 1374)
  • 1443 – Ferdinand, Portuguese prince (b. 1402)
  • 1445 – Leonel Power, English composer
  • 1530 – Mercurino Gattinara, Italian statesman and jurist (b. 1465)
  • 1568 – Lamoral, Count of Egmont (b. 1522)
  • 1625 – Orlando Gibbons, English organist and composer (b. 1583)
  • 1667 – Francesco Sforza Pallavicino, Italian cardinal and historian (b. 1607)
  • 1716 – Roger Cotes, English mathematician and academic (b. 1682)
  • 1722 – Johann Kuhnau, German organist and composer (b. 1660)
  • 1738 – Isaac de Beausobre, French pastor and theologian (b. 1659)
  • 1740 – Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Kent, English politician and courtier (b. 1671)
  • 1791 – Frederick Haldimand, Swiss-Canadian general and politician, 22nd Governor of Quebec (b. 1718)
  • 1816 – Giovanni Paisiello, Italian composer and educator (b. 1741)
  • 1825 – Odysseas Androutsos, Greek soldier (b. 1788)
  • 1826 – Carl Maria von Weber, German pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1786)
  • 1866 – John McDouall Stuart, Scottish explorer and surveyor (b. 1815)
  • 1899 – Antonio Luna, Filipino general (b. 1866)
  • 1900 – Stephen Crane, American poet, novelist, and short story writer (b. 1871)
  • 1906 – Karl Robert Eduard von Hartmann, German philosopher and author (b. 1842)
  • 1910 – O. Henry, American short story writer (b. 1862)
  • 1913 – Chris von der Ahe, German-American businessman (b. 1851)
  • 1916 – Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener, Irish-born British field marshal and politician, Secretary of State for War (b. 1850)
  • 1920 – Rhoda Broughton, Welsh-English author (b. 1840)
  • 1921 – Will Crooks, English trade unionist and politician (b. 1852)
  • 1921 – Georges Feydeau, French playwright (b. 1862)
  • 1930 – Eric Lemming, Swedish athlete (b. 1880)
  • 1930 – Pascin, Bulgarian-French painter and illustrator (b. 1885)
  • 1934 – Emily Dobson, Australian philanthropist (b. 1842)
  • 1934 – William Holman, English-Australian politician, 19th Premier of New South Wales (b. 1871)
  • 1947 – Nils Olaf Chrisander, Swedish-American actor and director (b. 1884)
  • 1967 – Arthur Biram, Israeli philologist, philosopher, and academic (b. 1878)
  • 1967 – Harry Brown, Australian public servant (b. 1878)
  • 1993 – Conway Twitty, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1933)
  • 1996 – Acharya Kuber Nath Rai, Indian poet and scholar (b. 1933)
  • 1997 – J. Anthony Lukas, American journalist and author (b. 1933)
  • 1998 – Jeanette Nolan, American actress (b. 1911)
  • 1998 – Sam Yorty, American soldier and politician, 37th Mayor of Los Angeles (b. 1909)
  • 1999 – Mel Tormé, American singer-songwriter (b. 1925)
  • 2000 – Don Liddle, American baseball player (b. 1925)
  • 2002 – Dee Dee Ramone, American singer-songwriter and bass player (b. 1951)
  • 2003 – Jürgen Möllemann, German soldier and politician, 10th Vice-Chancellor of Germany (b. 1945)
  • 2003 – Manuel Rosenthal, French composer and conductor (b. 1904)
  • 2004 – Iona Brown, English violinist and conductor (b. 1941)
  • 2004 – Ronald Reagan, American actor and politician, 40th President of the United States (b. 1911)
  • 2005 – Adolfo Aguilar Zínser, Mexican scholar and politician (b. 1949)
  • 2006 – Frederick Franck, Dutch-American painter, sculptor, and author (b. 1909)
  • 2006 – Edward L. Moyers, American businessman (b. 1928)
  • 2009 – Jeff Hanson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1978)
  • 2012 – Ray Bradbury, American science fiction writer and screenwriter (b. 1920)
  • 2012 – Hal Keller, American baseball player and manager (b. 1928)
  • 2012 – Mihai Pătrașcu, Romanian-American computer scientist (b. 1982)
  • 2012 – Charlie Sutton, Australian footballer and coach (b. 1924)
  • 2013 – Helen McElhone, Scottish politician (b. 1933)
  • 2013 – Stanisław Nagy, Polish cardinal (b. 1921)
  • 2013 – Ruairí Ó Brádaigh, Irish republican activist and politician (b. 1932)
  • 2013 – Michel Ostyn, Belgian physiologist and physician (b. 1924)
  • 2014 – Abu Abdulrahman al-Bilawi, Iraqi commander (b. 1971)
  • 2014 – Don Davis, American songwriter and producer (b. 1938)
  • 2014 – Reiulf Steen, Norwegian journalist and politician, Norwegian Minister of Transport and Communications (b. 1933)
  • 2015 – Tariq Aziz, Iraqi journalist and politician, Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1936)
  • 2015 – Alan Bond, English-Australian businessman (b. 1938)
  • 2015 – Richard Johnson, English actor (b. 1927)
  • 2015 – Roger Vergé, French chef and author (b. 1930)
  • 2016 – Jerome Bruner, American psychologist (b. 1915)
  • 2017 – Andy Cunningham, English actor (b. 1950)
  • 2017 – Cheick Tioté, Ivorian footballer (b. 1986)
  • 2018 – Kate Spade, American fashion designer (b. 1962)

Holidays and observances on June 5

  • Arbor Day (New Zealand)
  • Christian feast day:
    • Boniface (Roman Catholic Church)
    • Dorotheus of Tyre
    • Genesius, Count of Clermont
    • Blessed Meinwerk
    • June 5 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Constitution Day (Denmark)
  • Father’s Day (Denmark)
  • Feast of Núr, the first day of the fifth month of the Bahá’í calendar (Bahá’í Faith) (only if Bahá’í Naw-Rúz falls on March 21)
  • Indian Arrival Day (Suriname)
  • Khordad Movement Anniversary (Iran) (Only if March equinox falls on March 20)
  • Liberation Day (Seychelles)
  • President’s Day (Equatorial Guinea)
  • Reclamation Day (Azerbaijan)
  • World Day Against Speciesism (International)
  • World Environment Day (International)

June 5 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

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

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

Births on June 4

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

Deaths on June 4

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

Holidays and observances on June 4

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

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

On This Day

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

  • 1215 – Zhongdu (now Beijing), then under the control of the Jurchen ruler Emperor Xuanzong of Jin, is captured by the Mongols under Genghis Khan, ending the Battle of Zhongdu.
  • 1252 – Alfonso X is proclaimed king of Castile and León.
  • 1298 – Residents of Riga and Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeated the Livonian Order in the Battle of Turaida.
  • 1495 – A monk, John Cor, records the first known batch of Scotch whisky
  • 1533 – Anne Boleyn is crowned Queen of England.
  • 1535 – Combined forces loyal to Charles V attack and expel the Ottomans from Tunis during the Conquest of Tunis.
  • 1648 – The Roundheads defeat the Cavaliers at the Battle of Maidstone in the Second English Civil War.
  • 1649 – Start of the Sumuroy Revolt: Filipinos in Northern Samar led by Agustin Sumuroy revolt against Spanish colonial authorities.
  • 1670 – In Dover, England, Charles II of England and Louis XIV of France sign the Secret Treaty of Dover, which will force England into the Third Anglo-Dutch War.
  • 1676 – Battle of Öland: allied Danish-Dutch forces defeat the Swedish navy in the Baltic Sea, during the Scanian War (1675–79).
  • 1679 – The Scottish Covenanters defeat John Graham of Claverhouse at the Battle of Drumclog.
  • 1773 – Wolraad Woltemade rescues 14 sailors at the Cape of Good Hope from the sinking ship De Jonge Thomas by riding his horse into the sea seven times. He drowned on his eighth attempt.
  • 1779 – The court-martial for malfeasance of Benedict Arnold, a general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, begins.
  • 1792 – Kentucky is admitted as the 15th state of the United States.
  • 1794 – The battle of the Glorious First of June is fought, the first naval engagement between Britain and France during the French Revolutionary Wars.
  • 1796 – Tennessee is admitted as the 16th state of the United States.
  • 1812 – War of 1812: U.S. President James Madison asks the Congress to declare war on the United Kingdom.
  • 1813 – Capture of USS Chesapeake.
  • 1815 – Napoleon promulgates a revised Constitution after it passes a plebiscite.
  • 1831 – James Clark Ross becomes the first European at the North Magnetic Pole.
  • 1849 – Territorial Governor Alexander Ramsey declared the Territory of Minnesota officially established.
  • 1855 – The American adventurer William Walker conquers Nicaragua.
  • 1857 – Charles Baudelaire’s Les Fleurs du mal is published.
  • 1861 – American Civil War: The Battle of Fairfax Court House is fought.
  • 1862 – American Civil War: Peninsula Campaign: The Battle of Seven Pines (or the Battle of Fair Oaks) ends inconclusively, with both sides claiming victory.
  • 1868 – The Treaty of Bosque Redondo is signed, allowing the Navajo to return to their lands in Arizona and New Mexico.
  • 1879 – Napoléon Eugène, the last dynastic Bonaparte, is killed in the Anglo-Zulu War.
  • 1890 – The United States Census Bureau begins using Herman Hollerith’s tabulating machine to count census returns.
  • 1913 – The Greek–Serbian Treaty of Alliance is signed, paving the way for the Second Balkan War.
  • 1916 – Louis Brandeis becomes the first Jew appointed to the United States Supreme Court.
  • 1918 – World War I: Western Front: Battle of Belleau Wood: Allied Forces under John J. Pershing and James Harbord engage Imperial German Forces under Wilhelm, German Crown Prince.
  • 1922 – The Royal Ulster Constabulary is founded.
  • 1929 – The 1st Conference of the Communist Parties of Latin America is held in Buenos Aires.
  • 1930 – The Deccan Queen is introduced as first intercity train between Bombay VT (Now Mumbai CST) and Poona (Pune) to run on electric locomotives.
  • 1939 – First flight of the German Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighter aircraft.
  • 1941 – World War II: The Battle of Crete ends as Crete capitulates to Germany.
  • 1941 – The Farhud, a massive pogrom in Iraq, starts and as a result, many Iraqi Jews are forced to leave their homes.
  • 1943 – BOAC Flight 777 is shot down over the Bay of Biscay by German Junkers Ju 88s, killing British actor Leslie Howard and leading to speculation that it was actually an attempt to kill British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
  • 1946 – Ion Antonescu, “Conducator” (“Leader”) of Romania during World War II, is executed.
  • 1950 – The Chinchaga fire ignites. By September, it would become the largest single fire on record in North America.
  • 1958 – Charles de Gaulle comes out of retirement to lead France by decree for six months.
  • 1961 – The Canadian Bank of Commerce and Imperial Bank of Canada merge to form the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, the largest bank merger in Canadian history.
  • 1962 – Adolf Eichmann is hanged in Israel.
  • 1964 – Kenya becomes a republic with Jomo Kenyatta (1897 – 22 August 1978) as its first President (1964 to 1978).
  • 1974 – The Heimlich maneuver for rescuing choking victims is published in the journal Emergency Medicine.
  • 1975 – The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan was founded by Jalal Talabani, Nawshirwan Mustafa, Fuad Masum and others.
  • 1978 – The first international applications under the Patent Cooperation Treaty are filed.
  • 1979 – The first black-led government of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in 90 years takes power.
  • 1980 – Cable News Network (CNN) begins broadcasting.
  • 1988 – European Central Bank is founded in Brussels.
  • 1988 – The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty comes into effect.
  • 1990 – Cold War: George H. W. Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev sign a treaty to end chemical weapon production.
  • 1993 – Dobrinja mortar attack: Thirteen are killed and 133 wounded when Serb mortar shells are fired at a soccer game in Dobrinja, west of Sarajevo.
  • 1994 – Republic of South Africa becomes a Commonwealth republic.
  • 1999 – American Airlines Flight 1420 slides and crashes while landing at Little Rock National Airport, killing 11 people on a flight from Dallas to Little Rock.
  • 2001 – Nepalese royal massacre: Crown Prince Dipendra of Nepal shoots and kills several members of his family including his father and mother.
  • 2001 – Dolphinarium discotheque massacre: A Hamas suicide bomber kills 21 at a disco in Tel Aviv.
  • 2004 – Oklahoma City bombing co-conspirator Terry Nichols is sentenced to 161 consecutive life terms without the possibility of a parole, breaking a Guinness World Record.
  • 2008 – A fire on the back lot of Universal Studios breaks out, destroying the attraction King Kong Encounter and a large archive of master tapes for music and film, the full extent of which was not revealed until 2019.
  • 2009 – Air France Flight 447 crashes into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Brazil on a flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. All 228 passengers and crew are killed.
  • 2009 – General Motors files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. It is the fourth largest United States bankruptcy in history.
  • 2011 – A rare tornado outbreak occurs in New England; a strong EF3 tornado strikes Springfield, Massachusetts, during the event, killing four people.
  • 2011 – Space Shuttle Endeavour makes its final landing after 25 flights.
  • 2015 – A ship carrying 458 people capsizes on Yangtze river in China’s Hubei province, killing 400 people.

Births on June 1

  • 1134 – Geoffrey, Count of Nantes (d. 1158)
  • 1300 – Thomas of Brotherton, 1st Earl of Norfolk, English politician, Lord Marshal of England (d. 1338)
  • 1451 – Giles Daubeney, 1st Baron Daubeney (d. 1508)
  • 1460 – Enno I, Count of East Frisia, German noble (d. 1491)
  • 1480 – Tiedemann Giese, Polish bishop (d. 1550)
  • 1498 – Maarten van Heemskerck, Dutch painter (d. 1574)
  • 1522 – Dirck Volckertszoon Coornhert, Dutch writer and scholar (d. 1590)
  • 1563 – Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, English politician, Secretary of State for England (d. 1612)
  • 1612 – Frans Post, Dutch painter (d. 1680)
  • 1633 – Geminiano Montanari, Italian astronomer and academic (d. 1687)
  • 1637 – Jacques Marquette, French missionary and explorer (d. 1675)
  • 1653 – Georg Muffat, French organist and composer (d. 1704)
  • 1675 – Francesco Scipione, marchese di Maffei, Italian archaeologist and playwright (d. 1755)
  • 1762 – Edmund Ignatius Rice, Irish priest and missionary, founded the Irish Christian Brothers (d. 1844)
  • 1765 – Christiane Vulpius, mistress and wife of Johann Wolfgang Goethe (d. 1816)
  • 1770 – Friedrich Laun, German author (d. 1849)
  • 1790 – Ferdinand Raimund, Austrian actor and playwright (d. 1836)
  • 1796 – Nicolas Léonard Sadi Carnot, French physicist and engineer (d. 1832)
  • 1800 – Edward Deas Thomson, Australian educator and politician, Chief Secretary of New South Wales (d. 1879)
  • 1801 – Brigham Young, American religious leader, 2nd President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (d. 1877)
  • 1804 – Mikhail Glinka, Russian composer (d. 1857)
  • 1808 – Henry Parker, English-Australian politician, 3rd Premier of New South Wales (d. 1881)
  • 1815 – Otto of Greece (d. 1862)
  • 1819 – Francis V, Duke of Modena (d. 1875)
  • 1822 – Clementina Maude, Viscountess Hawarden, English portrait photographer (d. 1865)
  • 1825 – John Hunt Morgan, American general (d. 1864)
  • 1831 – John Bell Hood, American general (d. 1879)
  • 1833 – John Marshall Harlan, American lawyer, judge, and politician, Attorney General of Kentucky (d. 1911)
  • 1843 – Henry Faulds, Scottish physician and missionary, developed fingerprinting (d. 1930)
  • 1844 – John J. Toffey, American lieutenant, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1911)
  • 1869 – Richard Wünsch, German philologist (d. 1915)
  • 1873 – Elena Alistar, Bessarabian politician (d. 1955)
  • 1874 – Yury Nikolaevich Voronov, Russian botanist (d. 1931)
  • 1878 – John Masefield, English author and poet (d. 1967)
  • 1879 – Max Emmerich, American triathlete and gymnast (d. 1956)
  • 1882 – Nicolae Bivol, Moldovan businessman and politician, Mayor of Chișinău (d. 1940)
  • 1887 – Clive Brook, English actor (d. 1974)
  • 1889 – James Daugherty, American author, illustrator, and painter (d. 1974)
  • 1889 – Charles Kay Ogden, English linguist and philosopher (d. 1957)
  • 1890 – Frank Morgan, American actor (d. 1949)
  • 1892 – Amanullah Khan, sovereign of the Kingdom of Afghanistan, (d. 1960)
  • 1899 – Edward Charles Titchmarsh, English mathematician and academic (d. 1963)
  • 1901 – Hap Day, Canadian ice hockey player, referee, and manager (d. 1990)
  • 1901 – Tom Gorman, Australian rugby league player (d. 1978)
  • 1901 – John Van Druten, English-American playwright and director (d. 1957)
  • 1903 – Vasyl Velychkovsky, Ukrainian-Canadian bishop and martyr (d. 1973)
  • 1903 – Hans Vogt, Norwegian linguist and academic (d. 1986)
  • 1905 – Robert Newton, English-American actor (d. 1956)
  • 1907 – Jan Patočka, Czech philosopher (d. 1977)
  • 1907 – Frank Whittle, English airman and engineer, developed the jet engine (d. 1996)
  • 1908 – Julie Campbell Tatham, American author (d. 1999)
  • 1909 – Yechezkel Kutscher, Slovakian-Israeli philologist and linguist (d. 1971)
  • 1910 – Gyula Kállai, Hungarian communist leader, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the People’s Republic of Hungary (d. 1996)
  • 1912 – Herbert Tichy, Austrian geologist, author, and mountaineer (d. 1987)
  • 1913 – Bill Deedes, English journalist and politician (d. 2007)
  • 1915 – John Randolph, American actor (d. 2004)
  • 1916 – Jean Jérôme Hamer, Belgian Cardinal (d. 1996)
  • 1917 – William Standish Knowles, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2012)
  • 1920 – Robert Clarke, American actor and producer (d. 2005)
  • 1921 – Nelson Riddle, American composer and bandleader (d. 1985)
  • 1922 – Joan Caulfield, American model and actress (d. 1991)
  • 1922 – Povel Ramel, Swedish singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 2007)
  • 1924 – William Sloane Coffin, American minister and activist (d. 2006)
  • 1925 – Dilia Díaz Cisneros, Venezuelan teacher (d. 2017)
  • 1926 – Johnny Berry, English footballer (d. 1994)
  • 1926 – Andy Griffith, American actor, singer, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2012)
  • 1926 – Marilyn Monroe, American model and actress (d. 1962)
  • 1926 – George Robb, English international footballer and teacher (d. 2011)
  • 1926 – Richard Schweiker, American soldier and politician, 14th United States Secretary of Health and Human Services (d. 2015)
  • 1928 – Georgy Dobrovolsky, Ukrainian pilot and astronaut (d. 1971)
  • 1928 – Steve Dodd, Australian actor and composer (d. 2014)
  • 1928 – Bob Monkhouse, English actor and screenwriter (d. 2003)
  • 1929 – Nargis, Indian actress (d. 1981)<ref”>Dilip Kumar (28 July 2014). Dilip Kumar: The Substance and the Shadow. Hay House, Inc. p. 137. ISBN 978-93-81398-96-8.</ref>
  • 1929 – James H. Billington, American academic and Thirteenth Librarian of Congress (d. 2018)
  • 1930 – John Lemmon, English logician and philosopher (d. 1966)
  • 1930 – Richard Levins, American ecologist and geneticist (d. 2016)
  • 1930 – Matt Poore, New Zealand cricketer (d. 2020)
  • 1930 – Edward Woodward, English actor (d. 2009)
  • 1931 – Walter Horak, Austrian footballer (d. 2019)
  • 1932 – Frank Cameron, New Zealand cricketer
  • 1932 – Christopher Lasch, American historian and critic (d. 1994)
  • 1933 – Haruo Remeliik, Palauan politician, 1st President of Palau (d. 1985)
  • 1933 – Charles Wilson, American lieutenant and politician (d. 2010)
  • 1934 – Pat Boone, American singer-songwriter and actor
  • 1934 – Peter Masterson, American actor, director, producer and screenwriter (d. 2018)
  • 1934 – Doris Buchanan Smith, American author (d. 2002)
  • 1935 – Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank, English architect, founded Foster and Partners
  • 1935 – Reverend Ike, American minister and television host (d. 2009)
  • 1935 – Jack Kralick, American baseball player (d. 2012)
  • 1935 – Percy Adlon, German director, screenwriter and producer
  • 1935 – John C. Reynolds, American computer scientist and academic (d. 2013)
  • 1936 – Anatoly Albul, Soviet and Russian wrestler (d. 2013)
  • 1936 – André Bourbeau, Canadian politician (d. 2018)
  • 1936 – Bekim Fehmiu, Bosnian actor (d. 2010)
  • 1936 – Gerald Scarfe, English illustrator and animator
  • 1937 – Morgan Freeman, American actor and producer
  • 1937 – Rosaleen Linehan, Irish actress
  • 1937 – Colleen McCullough, Australian neuroscientist and author (d. 2015)
  • 1939 – Cleavon Little, American actor and comedian (d. 1992)
  • 1940 – René Auberjonois, American actor (d. 2019)
  • 1940 – Katerina Gogou, Greek writer and actress (d. 1993)
  • 1940 – Kip Thorne, American physicist, astronomer, and academic
  • 1941 – Dean Chance, American baseball player and manager (d. 2015)
  • 1941 – Toyo Ito, Japanese architect, designed the Torre Realia BCN and Hotel Porta Fira
  • 1941 – Alexander V. Zakharov, Russian physicist and astronomer
  • 1942 – Parveen Kumar, Pakistani-English physician and academic
  • 1943 – Orietta Berti, Italian singer and actress
  • 1943 – Richard Goode, American pianist
  • 1943 – Lorrie Wilmot, South African cricketer (d. 2004)
  • 1944 – Colin Blakemore, British neurobiologist
  • 1944 – Robert Powell, English actor
  • 1945 – Jim McCarty, American blues rock guitarist
  • 1945 – Linda Scott, American singer
  • 1945 – Lydia Shum, Chinese-Hong Kong actress (d. 2008)
  • 1945 – Kerry Vincent, Australian chef and author
  • 1945 – Frederica von Stade, American soprano and actress
  • 1946 – Brian Cox, Scottish actor
  • 1947 – Ron Dennis, English businessman, founded the McLaren Group
  • 1947 – Jonathan Pryce, Welsh actor and singer
  • 1947 – Ronnie Wood, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer
  • 1948 – Powers Boothe, American actor (d. 2017)
  • 1948 – Tomáš Halík, Czech Roman Catholic priest, philosopher, theologian and scholar
  • 1948 – Michel Plasse, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2006)
  • 1948 – Juhan Viiding, Estonian poet and actor (d. 1995)
  • 1950 – Perrin Beatty, Canadian businessman and politician
  • 1950 – Charlene, American singer-songwriter
  • 1950 – Jean Lambert, English educator and politician
  • 1950 – Michael McDowell, American author and screenwriter (d. 1999)
  • 1952 – Şenol Güneş, Turkish footballer and manager
  • 1952 – David Lan, South African-English director and playwright
  • 1952 – Mihaela Loghin, Romanian shot putter
  • 1953 – Ronnie Dunn, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1953 – Ted Field, American entrepreneur and race car driver
  • 1954 – Jill Black, English lawyer and judge
  • 1955 – Chiyonofuji Mitsugu, Japanese sumo wrestler (d. 2016)
  • 1955 – Lorraine Moller, New Zealand runner
  • 1955 – Tony Snow, American journalist, 26th White House Press Secretary (d. 2008)
  • 1956 – Patrick Besson, French writer and journalist
  • 1956 – Lisa Hartman Black, American actress
  • 1956 – Petra Morsbach, German author
  • 1958 – Nambaryn Enkhbayar, Mongolian lawyer and politician, 3rd President of Mongolia
  • 1958 – Gennadiy Valyukevich, Belarusian triple jumper (d. 2019)
  • 1959 – Martin Brundle, English racing driver and sportscaster
  • 1959 – Alan Wilder, English singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer
  • 1960 – Simon Gallup, English musician (The Cure)
  • 1960 – Vladimir Krutov, Russian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2012)
  • 1960 – Sergey Kuznetsov, Russian footballer and manager
  • 1960 – Giorgos Lillikas, Cypriot politician, 8th Cypriot Minister of Foreign Affairs
  • 1960 – Elena Mukhina, Russian gymnast (d. 2006)
  • 1961 – Paul Coffey, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1961 – Mark Curry, American actor
  • 1961 – Werner Günthör, Swiss shot putter and bobsledder
  • 1961 – John Huston, American golfer
  • 1961 – Peter Machajdík, Slovakian-German pianist and composer
  • 1963 – Vital Borkelmans, Belgian footballer
  • 1963 – Miles J. Padgett, Scottish physicist and academic
  • 1963 – David Westhead, English actor and producer
  • 1965 – Larisa Lazutina, Russian skier
  • 1965 – Olga Nazarova, Russian sprinter
  • 1965 – Nigel Short, English chess player and journalist
  • 1966 – Greg Schiano, American football player and coach
  • 1968 – Jason Donovan, Australian actor and singer
  • 1968 – Jeff Hackett, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1968 – Mathias Rust, German aviator
  • 1969 – Luis García Postigo, former Mexican footballer
  • 1969 – Teri Polo, American actress
  • 1970 – Georgie Gardner, Australian journalist and television host
  • 1970 – Alexi Lalas, American soccer player, manager, and sportscaster
  • 1971 – Mario Cimarro, Cuban-American actor and singer
  • 1973 – Frédérik Deburghgraeve, Belgian swimmer
  • 1973 – Adam Garcia, Australian actor
  • 1973 – Derek Lowe, American baseball player
  • 1973 – Heidi Klum, German-American model, fashion designer, and producer
  • 1974 – Alanis Morissette, Canadian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actress
  • 1974 – Michael Rasmussen, Danish cyclist
  • 1974 – Sarah Teather, English politician
  • 1974 – Akis Zikos, Greek footballer and coach
  • 1975 – Michal Grošek, Czech-Swiss ice hockey player and coach
  • 1975 – Frauke Petry, German politician
  • 1975 – Ēriks Rags, Latvian javelin thrower
  • 1976 – Marlon Devonish, English sprinter and coach
  • 1976 – Kōhei Murakami, Japanese actor
  • 1977 – Andrea Bogart, American actress
  • 1977 – Arsen Gitinov, Russian and Kyrgyzstani freestyle wrestler
  • 1977 – Danielle Harris, American actress
  • 1977 – Brad Wilkerson, American baseball player and coach
  • 1977 – Sarah Wayne Callies, American actress
  • 1978 – Antonietta Di Martino, Italian high jumper
  • 1978 – Matthew Hittinger, American poet and author
  • 1979 – Santana Moss, American football player
  • 1979 – Markus Persson, Swedish game designer, founded Mojang
  • 1981 – Brandi Carlile, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1981 – Amy Schumer, American actress
  • 1981 – Carlos Zambrano, Venezuelan-American baseball player
  • 1981 – Aleksei Mikhailovich Uvarov, Russian footballer
  • 1982 – Justine Henin, Belgian tennis player
  • 1983 – Tetyana Hamera-Shmyrko, Ukrainian runner
  • 1983 – Tõnis Sahk, Estonian long jumper
  • 1984 – Jean Beausejour, Chilean footballer
  • 1984 – Olivier Tielemans, Dutch racing driver
  • 1985 – Tirunesh Dibaba, Ethiopian runner
  • 1985 – Mário Hipólito, Angolan footballer
  • 1985 – Dinesh Karthik, Indian cricketer
  • 1985 – Nick Young, American basketball player
  • 1985 – Sam Young, American basketball player
  • 1986 – Moses Ndiema Masai, Kenyan runner
  • 1986 – Chinedu Obasi, Nigerian footballer
  • 1986 – Ben Smith, New Zealand rugby player
  • 1987 – Zoltán Harsányi, Slovakian footballer
  • 1987 – Jerel McNeal, American basketball player
  • 1987 – Yarisley Silva, Cuban pole vaulter
  • 1988 – Javier Hernández, Mexican footballer
  • 1989 – Nataliya Goncharova, Ukrainian/Russian volleyball player
  • 1989 – Sammy Alex Mutahi, Kenyan runner
  • 1990 – Miller Bolaños, Ecuadoran footballer
  • 1990 – Kennie Chopart, Danish footballer
  • 1990 – Carlota Ciganda, Spanish golfer
  • 1990 – Martin Pembleton, English footballer
  • 1990 – Bianca Perie, Romanian hammer thrower
  • 1991 – Tyrone Roberts, Australian rugby league player
  • 1993 – Sam Anas, American ice hockey player
  • 1994 – Kagayaki Taishi, Japanese sumo wrestler
  • 1996 – Edvinas Gertmonas, Lithuanian footballer
  • 1996 – Tom Holland, English actor
  • 1999 – Dmitri Aliev, Russian figure skater

Deaths on June 1

  • 195 BC – Emperor Gaozu of Han (b. 256 BC)
  • 193 – Didius Julianus, Roman Emperor (b. 133)
  • 352 – Ran Min, “Heavenly Prince” (Tian Wang) during the Sixteen Kingdoms
  • 654 – Pyrrhus, patriarch of Constantinople
  • 829 – Li Tongjie, general of the Tang Dynasty
  • 847 – Xiao, empress of the Tang Dynasty
  • 896 – Theodosius Romanus, Syriac Orthodox patriarch of Antioch
  • 932 – Thietmar, duke of Saxony
  • 1146 – Ermengarde of Anjou, Duchess regent of Brittany (b. 1068)
  • 1186 – Minamoto no Yukiie, Japanese warlord
  • 1220 – Henry de Bohun, 1st Earl of Hereford (b. 1176)
  • 1310 – Marguerite Porete, French mystic
  • 1354 – Kitabatake Chikafusa (b. 1293)
  • 1434 – King Wladislaus II of Poland
  • 1571 – John Story, English martyr (b. 1504)
  • 1616 – Tokugawa Ieyasu, Japanese shogun (b. 1543)
  • 1625 – Honoré d’Urfé, French author and poet (b. 1568)
  • 1639 – Melchior Franck, German composer (b. 1579)
  • 1660 – Mary Dyer, English-American martyr (b. 1611)
  • 1662 – Zhu Youlang, Chinese emperor (b. 1623)
  • 1681 – Cornelis Saftleven, Dutch genre painter (b. 1607)
  • 1710 – David Mitchell, Scottish admiral and politician (b. 1642)
  • 1740 – Samuel Werenfels, Swiss theologian (b. 1657)
  • 1769 – Edward Holyoke, American pastor and academic (b. 1689)
  • 1773 – Wolraad Woltemade, South African folk hero (b. 1708)
  • 1795 – Pierre-Joseph Desault, French anatomist and surgeon (b. 1744)
  • 1815 – Louis-Alexandre Berthier, French general and politician, French Minister of War (b. 1753)
  • 1823 – Louis-Nicolas Davout, French general and politician, French Minister of War (b. 1770)
  • 1826 – J. F. Oberlin, French pastor and philanthropist (b. 1740)
  • 1830 – Swaminarayan, Indian religious leader (b. 1781)
  • 1833 – Oliver Wolcott Jr., American lawyer and politician, 2nd United States Secretary of the Treasury, 24th Governor of Connecticut (b. 1760)
  • 1841 – David Wilkie, Scottish painter and academic (b. 1785)
  • 1846 – Pope Gregory XVI (b. 1765)
  • 1861 – John Quincy Marr, American captain (b. 1825)
  • 1864 – Hong Xiuquan, Chinese rebel, led the Taiping Rebellion (b. 1812)
  • 1868 – James Buchanan, American lawyer and politician, 15th President of the United States (b. 1791)
  • 1872 – James Gordon Bennett, Sr., American publisher, founded the New York Herald (b. 1795)
  • 1873 – Joseph Howe, Canadian journalist and politician, 5th Premier of Nova Scotia (b. 1804)
  • 1876 – Hristo Botev, Bulgarian poet and journalist (b. 1848)
  • 1879 – Napoléon, Prince Imperial of France (b. 1856)
  • 1908 – Allen Butler Talcott, American painter (b. 1867)
  • 1927 – Lizzie Borden, American accused murderer (b. 1860)
  • 1927 – J. B. Bury, Irish historian, philologist, and scholar (b. 1861)
  • 1934 – Sir Alfred Rawlinson, 3rd Baronet, English colonel and polo player (b. 1867)
  • 1935 – Arthur Arz von Straußenburg, Romanian-Hungarian general (d. 1857)
  • 1938 – Ödön von Horváth, Croatian-French author and playwright (b. 1901)
  • 1941 – Hans Berger, German neurologist and academic (b. 1873)
  • 1941 – Hugh Walpole, New Zealand-English author (b. 1884)
  • 1943 – Leslie Howard, English actor, director, and producer (b. 1893)
  • 1943 – Wilfrid Israel, English-German businessman and philanthropist (b. 1899)
  • 1946 – Ion Antonescu, Romanian marshal and politician, 43rd Prime Minister of Romania (b. 1882)
  • 1948 – Alex Gard, Russian-American cartoonist (b. 1900)
  • 1952 – John Dewey, American psychologist and philosopher (b. 1859)
  • 1953 – Emanuel Vidović, Croatian painter and illustrator (b. 1870)
  • 1954 – Martin Andersen Nexø, Danish-German journalist and author (b. 1869)
  • 1960 – Lester Patrick, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1883)
  • 1960 – Paula Hitler, German-Austrian sister of Adolf Hitler (b. 1896)
  • 1962 – Adolf Eichmann, a German Nazi SS-Obersturmbannführer (b. 1906)
  • 1963 – Walter Lee, Australian politician, 24th Premier of Tasmania (b. 1874)
  • 1965 – Curly Lambeau, American football player and coach, founded the Green Bay Packers (b. 1898)
  • 1966 – Papa Jack Laine, American drummer and bandleader (b. 1873)
  • 1968 – Helen Keller, American author and activist (b. 1880)
  • 1968 – André Laurendeau, Canadian playwright, journalist, and politician (b. 1912)
  • 1969 – Ivar Ballangrud, Norwegian speed skater (b. 1904)
  • 1971 – Reinhold Niebuhr, American theologian and academic (b. 1892)
  • 1979 – Werner Forssmann, German physician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1904)
  • 1980 – Arthur Nielsen, American businessman, founded the ACNielsen company (b. 1897)
  • 1981 – Carl Vinson, American lawyer and politician (b. 1883)
  • 1983 – Prince Charles, Count of Flanders (b. 1903)
  • 1985 – Richard Greene, English actor and soldier (b. 1918)
  • 1986 – Jo Gartner, Austrian racing driver (b. 1958)
  • 1987 – Rashid Karami, Lebanese lawyer and politician, 32nd Prime Minister of Lebanon (b. 1921)
  • 1988 – Herbert Feigl, Austrian philosopher from the Vienna Circle (b. 1902)
  • 1989 – Aurelio Lampredi, Italian engineer, designed the Ferrari Lampredi engine (b. 1917)
  • 1991 – David Ruffin, American singer-songwriter (b. 1941)
  • 1996 – Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, Indian politician, 6th President of India (b. 1913)
  • 1999 – Christopher Cockerell, English engineer, invented the hovercraft (b. 1910)
  • 2000 – Tito Puente, American drummer, composer, and producer (b. 1923)
  • 2001 – Hank Ketcham, American cartoonist, created Dennis the Menace (b. 1920)
  • 2001 – notable victims of the Nepalese royal massacre
    • Aishwarya of Nepal (b. 1949)
    • Birendra of Nepal (b. 1945)
    • Dhirendra of Nepal (b. 1950)
    • Prince Nirajan of Nepal (b. 1978)
    • Princess Shruti of Nepal (b. 1976)
  • 2002 – Hansie Cronje, South African cricketer (b. 1969)
  • 2004 – William Manchester, American historian and author (b. 1922)
  • 2005 – Hilda Crosby Standish, American physician (b. 1902)
  • 2005 – George Mikan, American basketball player and coach (b. 1924)
  • 2006 – Rocío Jurado, Spanish singer and actress (b. 1944)
  • 2007 – Tony Thompson, American singer and songwriter (Hi-Five) (b. 1975)
  • 2008 – Tommy Lapid, Israeli journalist and politician, 17th Justice Minister of Israel (b. 1931)
  • 2008 – Yves Saint Laurent, French fashion designer, founded Saint Laurent Paris (b. 1936)
  • 2009 – Bob Christie, American race car driver (b. 1924)
  • 2009 – Vincent O’Brien, Irish horse trainer (b. 1917)
  • 2010 – Kazuo Ohno, Japanese dancer (b. 1906)
  • 2010 – Andrei Voznesensky, Russian poet (b. 1933)
  • 2011 – Haleh Sahabi, Iranian humanitarian and activist (b. 1957)
  • 2012 – Faruq Z. Bey, American saxophonist and composer (b. 1942)
  • 2012 – Pádraig Faulkner, Irish educator and politician, 19th Irish Minister of Defence (b. 1918)
  • 2012 – Milan Gaľa, Slovak politician (b. 1953)
  • 2013 – James Kelleher, Canadian lawyer and politician, 33rd Solicitor General of Canada (b. 1930)
  • 2014 – Ann B. Davis, American actress (b. 1926)
  • 2014 – Valentin Mankin, Ukrainian sailor (b. 1938)
  • 2015 – Charles Kennedy, Scottish journalist and politician (b. 1959)
  • 2015 – Joan Kirner, Australian educator and politician, 42nd Premier of Victoria (b. 1938)
  • 2015 – Nicholas Liverpool, Dominican lawyer and politician, 6th President of Dominica (b. 1934)
  • 2015 – Jacques Parizeau, Canadian economist and politician, 26th Premier of Quebec (b. 1930)
  • 2015 – Jean Ritchie, American singer-songwriter (b. 1922)
  • 2018 – Sinan Sakić, Serbian pop-folk singer (b. 1956)
  • 2019 – Ani Yudhoyono, Indonesian politician, 6th First Lady of Indonesia. (b. 1952)

Holidays and observances on June 1

  • Children’s Day (International), and its related observances:
    • The Day of Protection of Children Rights (Armenia)
    • Mothers’ and Children’s Day (Mongolia)
  • Christian feast day:
    • Annibale Maria di Francia
    • Crescentinus
    • Fortunatus of Spoleto
    • Herculanus of Piegaro
    • Íñigo of Oña
    • Justin Martyr (Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran)
    • Ronan of Locronan
    • June 1 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Earliest day on which Canadian Forces Day can fall, while June 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Sunday in June. (Canada)
  • Earliest day on which Father’s Day can fall, while June 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Sunday in June. (Lithuania)
  • Earliest day on which June Holiday can fall, while June 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Monday in June. (Ireland)
  • Earliest day on which Labour Day can fall, while June 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Friday in June. (The Bahamas)
  • Earliest day on which Teacher’s Day can fall, while June 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Sunday in June. (Hungary)
  • Earliest day on which the Queen’s Birthday can fall, while June 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Monday in June. (New Zealand, Cook Islands, Fiji)
  • Earliest day on which Seamen’s Day can fall, while June 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Sunday in June. (Iceland)
  • Earliest day on which Western Australia Day can fall, while June 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Sunday in June. (Western Australia)
  • Global Day of Parents (International)
  • Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Samoa from New Zealand in 1962.
  • Madaraka Day (Kenya)
  • National Maritime Day (Mexico)
  • National Tree Planting Day (Cambodia)
  • Pancasila Day (Indonesia)
  • President’s Day (Palau)
  • The beginning of Crop over, celebrated until the first Monday of August. (Barbados)
  • Victory Day (Tunisia)
  • World Milk Day (International)

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

On This Day

May 31- History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

  • 455 – Emperor Petronius Maximus is stoned to death by an angry mob while fleeing Rome.
  • 1223 – Mongol invasion of the Cumans: Battle of the Kalka River: Mongol armies of Genghis Khan led by Subutai defeat Kievan Rus’ and Cumans.
  • 1293 – Mongol invasion of Java was a punitive expedition against King Kertanegara of Singhasari, who had refused to pay tribute to the Yuan and maimed one of its ministers. However, it ended with failure for the Mongols. Regarded as establish City of Surabaya
  • 1578 – King Henry III lays the first stone of the Pont Neuf (New Bridge), the oldest bridge of Paris, France.
  • 1669 – Citing poor eyesight as a reason, Samuel Pepys records the last event in his diary.
  • 1775 – American Revolution: The Mecklenburg Resolves are adopted in the Province of North Carolina.
  • 1790 – Manuel Quimper explores the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
  • 1790 – The United States enacts its first copyright statute, the Copyright Act of 1790.
  • 1795 – French Revolution: The Revolutionary Tribunal is suppressed.
  • 1805 – French and Spanish forces begin the assault against British forces occupying Diamond Rock.
  • 1813 – In Australia, William Lawson, Gregory Blaxland and William Wentworth reach Mount Blaxland, effectively marking the end of a route across the Blue Mountains.
  • 1859 – The clock tower at the Houses of Parliament, which houses Big Ben, starts keeping time.
  • 1862 – American Civil War: Peninsula Campaign: Confederate forces under Joseph E. Johnston and G.W. Smith engage Union forces under George B. McClellan outside Richmond, Virginia.
  • 1864 – American Civil War: Overland Campaign: Battle of Cold Harbor: The Army of Northern Virginia engages the Army of the Potomac.
  • 1879 – Gilmore’s Garden in New York City is renamed Madison Square Garden by William Henry Vanderbilt and is opened to the public at 26th Street and Madison Avenue.
  • 1884 – The arrival at Plymouth of Tāwhiao, King of Maoris, to claim the protection of Queen Victoria.
  • 1889 – Johnstown Flood: Over 2,200 people die after a dam fails and sends a 60-foot (18-meter) wall of water over the town of Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
  • 1902 – Second Boer War: The Treaty of Vereeniging ends the war and ensures British control of South Africa.
  • 1909 – The National Negro Committee, forerunner to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), convenes for the first time.
  • 1910 – The South Africa Act comes into force, establishing the Union of South Africa.
  • 1911 – The RMS Titanic is launched in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
  • 1911 – The President of Mexico Porfirio Díaz flees the country during the Mexican Revolution.
  • 1916 – World War I: Battle of Jutland: The British Grand Fleet engages the High Seas Fleet in the largest naval battle of the war, which proves indecisive.
  • 1921 – The Tulsa race massacre kills at least 39, but other estimates of black fatalities vary from 55 to about 300.
  • 1935 – A 7.7 Mw  earthquake destroys Quetta in modern-day Pakistan killing 40,000.
  • 1941 – Anglo-Iraqi War: The United Kingdom completes the re-occupation of Iraq and returns ‘Abd al-Ilah to power as regent for Faisal II.
  • 1942 – World War II: Imperial Japanese Navy midget submarines begin a series of attacks on Sydney, Australia.
  • 1947 – Ferenc Nagy, the democratically elected Prime Minister of Hungary, resigns from office after blackmail from the Hungarian Communist Party accusing him of being part of a plot against the state. This grants the Communists effective control of the Hungarian government.
  • 1961 – The South African Constitution of 1961 becomes effective, thus creating the Republic of South Africa, which remains outside the Commonwealth of Nations until 1 June 1994, when South Africa is returned to Commonwealth membership.
  • 1961 – In Moscow City Court, the Rokotov–Faibishenko show trial begins, despite the Khrushchev Thaw to reverse Stalinist elements in Soviet society.
  • 1962 – The West Indies Federation dissolves.
  • 1970 – The 7.9 Mw  Ancash earthquake shakes Peru with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe) and a landslide buries the town of Yungay, Peru. Between 66,794–70,000 were killed and 50,000 were injured.
  • 1971 – In accordance with the Uniform Monday Holiday Act passed by the U.S. Congress in 1968, observation of Memorial Day occurs on the last Monday in May for the first time, rather than on the traditional Memorial Day of May 30.
  • 1973 – The United States Senate votes to cut off funding for the bombing of Khmer Rouge targets within Cambodia, hastening the end of the Cambodian Civil War.
  • 1977 – The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System is completed.
  • 1985 – United States–Canada tornado outbreak: Forty-one tornadoes hit Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Ontario, leaving 76 dead.
  • 1991 – Bicesse Accords in Angola lay out a transition to multi-party democracy under the supervision of the United Nations’ UNAVEM II mission.
  • 2005 – Vanity Fair reveals that Mark Felt was “Deep Throat”.
  • 2008 – Usain Bolt breaks the world record in the 100m sprint, with a wind-legal (+1.7 m/s) 9.72 seconds
  • 2010 – Israeli Shayetet 13 commandos boarded the Gaza Freedom Flotilla while still in international waters trying to break the ongoing blockade of the Gaza Strip; nine Turkish citizens on the flotilla were killed in the ensuing violent affray.
  • 2013 – The asteroid 1998 QE2 and its moon make their closest approach to Earth for the next two centuries.
  • 2013 – A record breaking 2.6 mile wide tornado strikes El Reno, Oklahoma, United States, causing eight fatalities and over 150 injuries.
  • 2017 – A car bomb explodes in a crowded intersection in Kabul near the German embassy during rush hour, killing over 90 and injuring 463.
  • 2017 – U.S. President Donald Trump tweets the word “covfefe” and quickly becomes a worldwide viral phenomenon.
  • 2019 – A shooting occurs inside a municipal building at Virginia Beach, Virginia, leaving 13 people dead, including the shooter, and four others injured.

Births on May 31

  • 1443 (or 1441) – Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond and Derby (d. 1509)
  • 1462 – Philipp II, Count of Hanau-Lichtenberg (d. 1504)
  • 1469 – Manuel I of Portugal (d. 1521)
  • 1535 – Alessandro Allori, Italian painter (d. 1607)
  • 1556 – Jerzy Radziwiłł, Catholic cardinal (d. 1600)
  • 1577 – Nur Jahan, Empress consort of the Mughal Empire (d. 1645)
  • 1613 – John George II, Elector of Saxony (d. 1680)
  • 1640 – Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki, King of Poland (d. 1673)
  • 1641 – Patriarch Dositheos II of Jerusalem (d. 1707)
  • 1725 – Ahilyabai Holkar, Queen of the Malwa Kingdom under the Maratha Empire (d. 1795)
  • 1732 – Count Hieronymus von Colloredo, Austrian archbishop (d. 1812)
  • 1753 – Pierre Victurnien Vergniaud, French lawyer and politician (d. 1793)
  • 1754 – Andrea Appiani, Italian painter and educator (d. 1817)
  • 1773 – Ludwig Tieck, German poet, author, and critic (d. 1853)
  • 1801 – Johann Georg Baiter, Swiss philologist and scholar (d. 1887)
  • 1815 – Adye Douglas, English-Australian cricketer and politician, 15th Premier of Tasmania (d. 1906)
  • 1818 – John Albion Andrew, American lawyer and politician, 25th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1867)
  • 1819 – Walt Whitman, American poet, essayist, and journalist (d. 1892)
  • 1827 – Kusumoto Ine, first Japanese female doctor of Western medicine (d. 1903)
  • 1835 – Hijikata Toshizō, Japanese commander (d. 1869)
  • 1838 – Henry Sidgwick, English economist and philosopher (d. 1900)
  • 1842 – John Cox Bray, Australian politician, 15th Premier of South Australia (d. 1894)
  • 1847 – William Pirrie, 1st Viscount Pirrie, Canadian-Irish businessman and politician, Lord Mayor of Belfast (d. 1924)
  • 1852 – Francisco Moreno, Argentinian explorer and academic (d. 1919)
  • 1852 – Julius Richard Petri, German microbiologist, invented the Petri dish (d. 1921)
  • 1857 – Pope Pius XI (d. 1939)
  • 1858 – Graham Wallas, English socialist, social psychologist, and educationalist (d. 1932)
  • 1860 – Walter Sickert, English painter (d. 1942)
  • 1863 – Francis Younghusband, Indian-English captain and explorer (d. 1942)
  • 1866 – John Ringling, American entrepreneur; one of the founders of the Ringling Brothers Circus (d. 1936)
  • 1875 – Rosa May Billinghurst, British suffragette and women’s rights activist (d.1953)
  • 1879 – Frances Alda, New Zealand-Australian soprano (d. 1952)
  • 1882 – Sándor Festetics, Hungarian politician, Hungarian Minister of War (d. 1956)
  • 1883 – Lauri Kristian Relander, Finnish politician, 2nd President of Finland (d. 1942)
  • 1885 – Robert Richards, Australian politician, 32nd Premier of South Australia (d. 1967)
  • 1887 – Saint-John Perse, French poet and diplomat, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1975)
  • 1892 – Michel Kikoine, Belarusian-French painter (d. 1968)
  • 1892 – Erich Neumann, German lieutenant and politician (d. 1951)
  • 1892 – Konstantin Paustovsky, Russian poet and author (d. 1968)
  • 1892 – Gregor Strasser, German lieutenant and politician (d. 1934)
  • 1894 – Fred Allen, American comedian, radio host, game show panelist, and author (d. 1956)
  • 1898 – Norman Vincent Peale, American minister and author (d. 1993)
  • 1900 – Lucile Godbold, American Olympic athlete (d. 1981)
  • 1901 – Alfredo Antonini, Italian-American conductor and composer (d. 1983)
  • 1908 – Don Ameche, American actor (d. 1993)
  • 1909 – Art Coulter, Canadian-American ice hockey player (d. 2000)
  • 1911 – Maurice Allais, French economist and physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2010)
  • 1912 – Chien-Shiung Wu, Chinese-American experimental physicist (d. 1997)
  • 1914 – Akira Ifukube, Japanese composer and educator (d. 2006)
  • 1916 – Bert Haanstra, Dutch director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1997)
  • 1918 – Robert Osterloh, American actor (d. 2001)
  • 1918 – Lloyd Quarterman, African American chemist (d. 1982)
  • 1919 – Robie Macauley, American editor, novelist and critic (d. 1995)
  • 1921 – Edna Doré, English actress (d. 2014)
  • 1921 – Andrew Grima, Anglo-Italian jewellery designer (d. 2007)
  • 1921 – Howard Reig, American radio and television announcer (d. 2008)
  • 1921 – Alida Valli, Austrian-Italian actress and singer (d. 2006)
  • 1922 – Denholm Elliott, English-Spanish actor (d. 1992)
  • 1923 – Ellsworth Kelly, American painter and sculptor (d. 2015)
  • 1923 – Rainier III, Prince of Monaco (d. 2005)
  • 1925 – Julian Beck, American actor and director (d. 1986)
  • 1927 – James Eberle, English admiral (d. 2018)
  • 1927 – Michael Sandberg, Baron Sandberg, English lieutenant and banker (d. 2017)
  • 1928 – Pankaj Roy, Indian cricketer (d. 2001)
  • 1929 – Menahem Golan, Israeli director and producer (d. 2014)
  • 1930 – Clint Eastwood, American actor, director, musician, and producer
  • 1931 – John Robert Schrieffer, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2019)
  • 1931 – Shirley Verrett, American soprano and actress (d. 2010)
  • 1932 – Ed Lincoln, Brazilian pianist, bassist, and composer (d. 2012)
  • 1932 – Jay Miner, American computer scientist and engineer (d. 1994)
  • 1933 – Henry B. Eyring, American religious leader, educator, and author
  • 1934 – Jim Hutton, American actor (d. 1979)
  • 1935 – Jim Bolger, New Zealand businessman and politician, 35th Prime Minister of New Zealand
  • 1938 – Johnny Paycheck, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2003)
  • 1938 – John Prescott, British sailor and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
  • 1938 – Peter Yarrow, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1939 – Terry Waite, English humanitarian and author
  • 1940 – Anatoliy Bondarchuk, Ukrainian hammer thrower and coach
  • 1940 – Augie Meyers, American musician and singer-songwriter
  • 1940 – Gilbert Shelton, American illustrator
  • 1941 – June Clark, Welsh nurse and educator
  • 1941 – Louis Ignarro, American pharmacologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1941 – William Nordhaus, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1943 – Sharon Gless, American actress
  • 1943 – Joe Namath, American football player, sportscaster, and actor
  • 1945 – Rainer Werner Fassbinder, German actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1982)
  • 1945 – Laurent Gbagbo, Ivorian academic and politician, 4th President of Côte d’Ivoire
  • 1945 – Bernard Goldberg, American journalist and author
  • 1946 – Ted Baehr, American publisher and critic
  • 1946 – Steve Bucknor, Jamaican cricketer and umpire
  • 1946 – Krista Kilvet, Estonian journalist, politician, and diplomat (d. 2009)
  • 1946 – Debbie Moore, English model and businesswoman
  • 1947 – Junior Campbell, Scottish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1947 – Gabriele Hinzmann, German discus thrower
  • 1948 – Svetlana Alexievich, Belarusian journalist and author, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1948 – John Bonham, English musician, songwriter and drummer (d. 1980)
  • 1948 – Martin Hannett, English bass player, guitarist, and record producer (d. 1991)
  • 1948 – Duncan Hunter, American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician
  • 1949 – Tom Berenger, American actor, film producer and television writer
  • 1950 – Jean Chalopin, French director, producer, and screenwriter, founded DIC Entertainment
  • 1950 – Gregory Harrison, American actor
  • 1950 – Edgar Savisaar, Estonian politician, Estonian Minister of the Interior
  • 1951 – Karl-Hans Riehm, German hammer thrower
  • 1952 – Karl Bartos, German singer-songwriter and keyboard player
  • 1953 – Pirkka-Pekka Petelius, Finnish actor and screenwriter
  • 1954 – Thomas Mavros, Greek footballer
  • 1954 – Vicki Sue Robinson, American actress and singer (d. 2000)
  • 1955 – Tommy Emmanuel, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1955 – Susie Essman, American actress, comedian, and screenwriter
  • 1956 – Fritz Hilpert, German drummer and composer
  • 1956 – John Young, English singer-songwriter and keyboard player
  • 1957 – Jim Craig, American ice hockey player
  • 1959 – Andrea de Cesaris, Italian racing driver (d. 2014)
  • 1959 – Phil Wilson, English politician
  • 1960 – Greg Adams, Canadian ice hockey player and businessman
  • 1960 – Chris Elliott, American actor, comedian, and screenwriter
  • 1960 – Peter Winterbottom, English rugby player
  • 1961 – Ray Cote, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1961 – Justin Madden, Australian footballer and politician
  • 1961 – Lea Thompson, American actress, director, and producer
  • 1962 – Corey Hart, Canadian singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1963 – David Leigh, holder of the Sir Samuel Hall Chair of Chemistry at the University of Manchester
  • 1963 – Viktor Orbán, Hungarian politician, 38th Prime Minister of Hungary
  • 1963 – Wesley Willis, American singer-songwriter and keyboard player (d. 2003)
  • 1964 – Leonard Asper, Canadian lawyer and businessman
  • 1964 – Stéphane Caristan, French hurdler and coach
  • 1964 – Yukio Edano, Japanese politician, Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs
  • 1964 – Darryl “D.M.C.” McDaniels, American rapper and producer
  • 1965 – Brooke Shields, American model, actress, and producer
  • 1966 – Roshan Mahanama, Sri Lankan cricketer and referee
  • 1967 – Phil Keoghan, New Zealand television host and producer
  • 1967 – Kenny Lofton, American baseball player, coach, and sportscaster
  • 1971 – Arun Luthra, Indo-Anglo-American saxophonist, konnakol artist, composer, and arranger
  • 1972 – Christian McBride, American bassist and record producer
  • 1972 – Archie Panjabi, Indo-British actress
  • 1972 – Frode Estil, Norwegian skier
  • 1972 – Antti Niemi, Finnish international footballer, goalkeeper and coach
  • 1972 – Dave Roberts, American baseball player and coach
  • 1974 – Hiroiki Ariyoshi, Japanese comedian and singer
  • 1974 – Chad Campbell, American golfer
  • 1975 – Mac Suzuki, Japanese baseball player
  • 1976 – Colin Farrell, Irish actor
  • 1976 – Matt Harpring, American basketball player and sportscaster
  • 1977 – Theodoros Baev, Bulgarian-Greek volleyball player
  • 1977 – Domenico Fioravanti, Italian swimmer
  • 1977 – Eric Christian Olsen, American actor
  • 1977 – Moses Sichone, Zambian footballer
  • 1977 – Petr Tenkrát, Czech ice hockey player
  • 1979 – Jean-François Gillet, Belgian footballer
  • 1981 – Mikael Antonsson, Swedish footballer
  • 1981 – Daniele Bonera, Italian footballer
  • 1981 – Jake Peavy, American baseball player
  • 1981 – Marlies Schild, Austrian skier
  • 1984 – Andrew Bailey, American baseball player
  • 1984 – Milorad Čavić, Serbian swimmer
  • 1984 – Nate Robinson, American basketball player
  • 1985 – Jordy Nelson, American football player
  • 1986 – Robert Gesink, Dutch cyclist
  • 1989 – Marco Reus, German footballer
  • 1990 – Erik Karlsson, Swedish ice hockey player
  • 1992 – Michaël Bournival, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1992 – Laura Ikauniece, Latvian heptathlete
  • 1996 – Normani Korde, American singer
  • 1998 – Santino Ferrucci, American race car driver

Deaths on May 31

  • 455 – Petronius Maximus, Roman emperor (b. 396)
  • 930 – Liu Hua, princess of Southern Han (b. 896)
  • 960 – Fujiwara no Morosuke, Japanese statesman (b. 909)
  • 1076 – Waltheof, Earl of Northumbria, English politician (b. 1050)
  • 1089 – Sigwin von Are, archbishop of Cologne
  • 1162 – Géza II, king of Hungary (b. 1130)
  • 1321 – Birger, king of Sweden (b. 1280)
  • 1326 – Maurice de Berkeley, 2nd Baron Berkeley (b. 1271)
  • 1329 – Albertino Mussato, Italian statesman and writer (b. 1261)
  • 1349 – Thomas Wake, English politician (b. 1297)
  • 1370 – Vitalis of Assisi, Italian hermit and monk (b. 1295)
  • 1408 – Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, Japanese shōgun (b. 1358)
  • 1410 – Martin of Aragon, Spanish king (b. 1356)
  • 1504 – Engelbert II of Nassau (b. 1451)
  • 1558 – Philip Hoby, English general and diplomat (b. 1505)
  • 1567 – Guido de Bres, Belgian pastor and theologian (b. 1522)
  • 1594 – Tintoretto, Italian painter and educator (b. 1518)
  • 1601 – Gebhard Truchsess von Waldburg, Archbishop-Elector of Cologne (b. 1547)
  • 1640 – Zeynab Begum, Safavid princess (date of birth unknown)
  • 1665 – Pieter Jansz. Saenredam, Dutch painter (b. 1597)
  • 1680 – Joachim Neander, German theologian and educator (b. 1650)
  • 1740 – Frederick William I of Prussia (b. 1688)
  • 1747 – Andrey Osterman, German-Russian politician, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1686)
  • 1809 – Joseph Haydn, Austrian pianist and composer (b. 1732)
  • 1809 – Jean Lannes, French general (b. 1769)
  • 1831 – Samuel Bentham, English architect and engineer (b. 1757)
  • 1832 – Évariste Galois, French mathematician and theorist (b. 1811)
  • 1837 – Joseph Grimaldi, English actor, comedian and dancer, (b. 1779)
  • 1846 – Philip Marheineke, German pastor and philosopher (b. 1780)
  • 1847 – Thomas Chalmers, Scottish minister and economist (b. 1780)
  • 1848 – Eugénie de Guérin, French author (b. 1805)
  • 1899 – Stefanos Koumanoudis, Greek archaeologist, teacher and writer (b. 1818)
  • 1908 – Louis-Honoré Fréchette, Canadian author, poet, and politician (b. 1839)
  • 1909 – Thomas Price, Welsh-Australian politician, 24th Premier of South Australia (b. 1852)
  • 1910 – Elizabeth Blackwell, English-American physician and educator (b. 1821)
  • 1931 – Felix-Raymond-Marie Rouleau, Canadian cardinal (b. 1866)
  • 1931 – Willy Stöwer, German author and illustrator (b. 1864)
  • 1945 – Odilo Globocnik, Italian-Austrian SS officer (b. 1904)
  • 1954 – Antonis Benakis, Greek art collector and philanthropist, founded the Benaki Museum (b. 1873)
  • 1957 – Stefanos Sarafis, Greek general and politician (b. 1890)
  • 1957 – Leopold Staff, Polish poet and academic (b. 1878)
  • 1960 – Willem Elsschot, Flemish author and poet (b. 1882)
  • 1960 – Walther Funk, German economist, journalist, and politician, German Minister of Economics (b. 1890)
  • 1962 – Henry F. Ashurst, American lawyer and politician (b. 1874)
  • 1967 – Billy Strayhorn, American pianist and composer (b. 1915)
  • 1970 – Terry Sawchuk, Canadian-American ice hockey player (b. 1929)
  • 1976 – Jacques Monod, French biologist and geneticist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1910)
  • 1977 – William Castle, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1914)
  • 1978 – József Bozsik, Hungarian footballer and manager (b. 1925)
  • 1981 – Barbara Ward, Baroness Jackson of Lodsworth, English economist and journalist (b. 1914)
  • 1982 – Carlo Mauri, Italian mountaineer and explorer (b. 1930)
  • 1983 – Jack Dempsey, American boxer and lieutenant (b. 1895)
  • 1985 – Gaston Rébuffat, French mountaineer and author (b. 1921)
  • 1986 – Jane Frank, American painter and sculptor (b. 1918)
  • 1986 – James Rainwater, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1917)
  • 1987 – John Abraham, Indian director and screenwriter (b. 1937)
  • 1989 – Owen Lattimore, American author and academic (b. 1900)
  • 1989 – C. L. R. James, Trinidadian journalist and historian (b. 1901)
  • 1993 – Honey Tree Evil Eye, or, Spud Mackenzie, a Bull Terrier, dies of kidney failure.
  • 1994 – Uzay Heparı, Turkish actor, producer, and composer (b. 1969)
  • 1994 – Herva Nelli, Italian-American soprano (b. 1909)
  • 1995 – Stanley Elkin, American novelist, short story writer, and essayist (b. 1930)
  • 1996 – Timothy Leary, American psychologist and author (b. 1920)
  • 1998 – Charles Van Acker, Belgian-American race car driver (b. 1912)
  • 2000 – Petar Mladenov, Bulgarian diplomat, 1st President of Bulgaria (b. 1936)
  • 2000 – Tito Puente, American jazz musician (b. 1923)
  • 2000 – A. Jeyaratnam Wilson, Sri Lankan historian, author, and academic (b. 1928)
  • 2001 – Arlene Francis, American actress, talk show host, game show panelist, and television personality (b. 1907)
  • 2002 – Subhash Gupte, Indian cricketer (b. 1929)
  • 2004 – Aiyathurai Nadesan, Sri Lankan journalist (b. 1954)
  • 2004 – Robert Quine, American guitarist (b. 1941)
  • 2004 – Étienne Roda-Gil, French screenwriter and composer (b. 1941)
  • 2006 – Miguel Ortiz Berrocal, Spanish sculptor (b. 1933)
  • 2006 – Raymond Davis, Jr., American physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1914)
  • 2009 – Danny La Rue, Irish-British drag queen performer and singer (b. 1927)
  • 2009 – George Tiller, American physician (b. 1941)
  • 2010 – Louise Bourgeois, French-American sculptor and painter (b. 1911)
  • 2010 – Brian Duffy, English photographer and producer (b. 1933)
  • 2010 – William A. Fraker, American director, producer, and cinematographer (b. 1923)
  • 2010 – Rubén Juárez, Argentinian singer-songwriter and bandoneón player (b. 1947)
  • 2010 – Merata Mita, New Zealand director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1942)
  • 2011 – Pauline Betz, American tennis player (b. 1919)
  • 2011 – Jonas Bevacqua, American fashion designer, co-founded the Lifted Research Group (b. 1977)
  • 2011 – Derek Hodge, Virgin Islander lawyer and politician, Lieutenant Governor of the United States Virgin Islands (b. 1941)
  • 2011 – Hans Keilson, German-Dutch psychoanalyst and author (b. 1909)
  • 2011 – John Martin, English admiral and politician, Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey (b. 1918)
  • 2011 – Andy Robustelli, American football player and manager (b. 1925)
  • 2012 – Christopher Challis, English cinematographer (b. 1919)
  • 2012 – Randall B. Kester, American lawyer and judge (b. 1916)
  • 2012 – Paul Pietsch, German racing driver and publisher (b. 1911)
  • 2012 – Orlando Woolridge, American basketball player and coach (b. 1959)
  • 2013 – Gerald E. Brown, American physicist and academic (b. 1926)
  • 2013 – Frederic Lindsay, Scottish author and educator (b. 1933)
  • 2013 – Miguel Méndez, American author and poet (b. 1930)
  • 2013 – Tim Samaras, American engineer and storm chaser (b. 1957)
  • 2013 – Jairo Mora Sandoval, Costa Rican environmentalist (b. 1987)
  • 2013 – Jean Stapleton, American actress (b. 1923)
  • 2014 – Marilyn Beck, American journalist (b. 1928)
  • 2014 – Marinho Chagas, Brazilian footballer and coach (b. 1952)
  • 2014 – Hoss Ellington, American race car driver (b. 1935)
  • 2014 – Martha Hyer, American actress (b. 1924)
  • 2014 – Lewis Katz, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1942)
  • 2014 – Mary Soames, Baroness Soames, English author (b. 1922)
  • 2015 – Gladys Taylor, Canadian author and publisher (b. 1917)
  • 2016 – Mohamed Abdelaziz, President of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (1976–2016) (b. 1947)
  • 2016 – Jan Crouch, American televangelist, co-founder of the Trinity Broadcasting Network (b. 1938)
  • 2016 – Carla Lane, English television writer (b. 1928)
  • 2016 – Rupert Neudeck, German journalist and humanitarian (b. 1939)

Holidays and observances on May 31

  • Anniversary of Royal Brunei Malay Regiment (Brunei)
  • Christian feast day:
    • Camilla Battista da Varano
    • Hermias
    • Petronella
    • Visitation of Mary (Western Christianity)
    • May 31 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • The beginning of Gawai Dayak (Dayaks in Sarawak, Malaysia and West Kalimantan, Indonesia)
  • World No Tobacco Day (International)

May 31- History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day, Uncategorized

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

  • 363 – The Roman emperor Julian defeats the Sasanian army in the Battle of Ctesiphon, under the walls of the Sasanian capital, but is unable to take the city.
  • 1108 – Battle of Uclés: Almoravid troops under the command of Tamim ibn Yusuf defeat a Castile and León alliance under the command of Prince Sancho Alfónsez.
  • 1167 – Battle of Monte Porzio: A Roman army supporting Pope Alexander III is defeated by Christian of Buch and Rainald of Dassel.
  • 1176 – Battle of Legnano: The Lombard League defeats Emperor Frederick I.
  • 1328 – Philip VI is crowned King of France.
  • 1416 – Battle of Gallipoli: The Venetians under Pietro Loredan defeat a much larger Ottoman fleet off Gallipoli.
  • 1453 – Fall of Constantinople: Ottoman armies under Sultan Mehmed II Fatih capture Constantinople after a 53-day siege, ending the Byzantine Empire.
  • 1658 – Battle of Samugarh: decisive battle in the struggle for the throne during the Mughal war of succession (1658–1659).
  • 1660 – English Restoration: Charles II is restored to the throne of England, Scotland and Ireland.
  • 1733 – The right of settlers in New France to enslave natives is upheld at Quebec City.
  • 1780 – American Revolutionary War: At the Battle of Waxhaws, the British continue attacking after the Continentals lay down their arms, killing 113 and critically wounding all but 53 that remained.
  • 1790 – Rhode Island becomes the last of North America’s original Thirteen Colonies to ratify the Constitution and become one of the United States.
  • 1798 – United Irishmen Rebellion: Between 300 and 500 United Irishmen are executed as rebels by the British Army in County Kildare, Ireland.
  • 1807 – Mustafa IV became Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and Caliph of Islam.
  • 1848 – Wisconsin is admitted as the 30th U.S. state.
  • 1852 – Jenny Lind leaves New York after her two-year American tour.
  • 1861 – The Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce is founded, in Hong Kong.
  • 1864 – Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico arrives in Mexico for the first time.
  • 1867 – The Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 (“the Compromise”) is born through Act 12, which establishes the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
  • 1868 – Mihailo Obrenović III, Prince of Serbia is assassinated.
  • 1886 – The pharmacist John Pemberton places his first advertisement for Coca-Cola, which appeared in The Atlanta Journal.
  • 1900 – N’Djamena is founded as Fort-Lamy by the French commander Émile Gentil.
  • 1903 – In the May Coup, Alexander I, King of Serbia, and Queen Draga, are assassinated in Belgrade by the Black Hand (Crna Ruka) organization.
  • 1913 – Igor Stravinsky’s ballet score The Rite of Spring receives its premiere performance in Paris, France, provoking a riot.
  • 1914 – The Ocean liner RMS Empress of Ireland sinks in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence with the loss of 1,012 lives.
  • 1918 – Armenia defeats the Ottoman Army in the Battle of Sardarabad.
  • 1919 – Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity is tested (later confirmed) by Arthur Eddington and Andrew Claude de la Cherois Crommelin
  • 1920 – The Louth flood of 1920 was a severe flash flooding in the Lincolnshire market town of Louth which occurred 29 May 1920, resulting in 23 fatalities in 20 minutes. It has been described as one of the most significant flood disasters in Britain during the 20th century.
  • 1931 – Michele Schirru, a citizen of the United States, is executed by Italian military firing squad for intent to kill Benito Mussolini.
  • 1932 – World War I veterans begin to assemble in Washington, D.C., in the Bonus Army to request cash bonuses promised to them to be paid in 1945.
  • 1935 – First flight of the Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter aeroplane.
  • 1945 – First combat mission of the Consolidated B-32 Dominator heavy bomber.
  • 1948 – United Nations Truce Supervision Organization is founded.
  • 1950 – The St. Roch, the first ship to circumnavigate North America, arrives in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
  • 1953 – Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay become the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest, on Tenzing Norgay’s (adopted) 39th birthday.
  • 1964 – The Arab League meets in East Jerusalem to discuss the Palestinian question, leading to the formation of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
  • 1973 – Tom Bradley is elected the first black mayor of Los Angeles, California.
  • 1982 – Pope John Paul II becomes the first pontiff to visit Canterbury Cathedral.
  • 1982 – Falklands War: British forces defeat the Argentines at the Battle of Goose Green.
  • 1985 – Heysel Stadium disaster: Thirty-nine association football fans die and hundreds are injured when a dilapidated retaining wall collapses.
  • 1985 – Amputee Steve Fonyo completes cross-Canada marathon at Victoria, British Columbia, after 14 months.
  • 1988 – The U.S. President Ronald Reagan begins his first visit to the Soviet Union when he arrives in Moscow for a superpower summit with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.
  • 1989 – Signing of an agreement between Egypt and the United States, allowing the manufacture of parts of the F-16 jet fighter plane in Egypt.
  • 1990 – The Russian parliament elects Boris Yeltsin as president of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic.
  • 1993 – The Miss Sarajevo beauty pageant is held in war-torn Sarajevo drawing global attention to the plight of its citizens.
  • 1999 – Olusegun Obasanjo takes office as President of Nigeria, the first elected and civilian head of state in Nigeria after 16 years of military rule.
  • 1999 – Space Shuttle Discovery completes the first docking with the International Space Station.
  • 2001 – The U.S. Supreme Court rules that the disabled golfer Casey Martin can use a cart to ride in tournaments.
  • 2004 – The National World War II Memorial is dedicated in Washington, D.C.
  • 2008 – A doublet earthquake, of combined magnitude 6.1, strikes Iceland near the town of Selfoss, injuring 30 people.
  • 2012 – A 5.8-magnitude earthquake hits northern Italy near Bologna, killing at least 24 people.
  • 2015 – One World Observatory at One World Trade Center opens.

Births on May 29

  • 1421 – Charles, Prince of Viana (d. 1461)
  • 1439 – Pope Pius III (d. 1503)
  • 1443 – Victor, Duke of Münsterberg, Reichsgraf, Duke of Münsterberg and Opava, Count of Glatz (d. 1500)
  • 1504 – Antun Vrančić, Croatian archbishop (d. 1573)
  • 1555 – George Carew, 1st Earl of Totnes, English Earl, general and administrator (d. 1629)
  • 1568 – Virginia de’ Medici, Italian princess (d. 1615)
  • 1594 – Gottfried Heinrich Graf zu Pappenheim, Bavarian field marshal (d. 1632)
  • 1627 – Anne, Duchess of Montpensier, French princess (d. 1693)
  • 1630 – Charles II of England (d. 1685)
  • 1675 – Humphry Ditton, English mathematician and philosopher (d. 1715)
  • 1716 – Louis-Jean-Marie Daubenton, French zoologist and mineralogist (d. 1800)
  • 1722 – James FitzGerald, 1st Duke of Leinster, Irish soldier and politician (d. 1773)
  • 1730 – Jackson of Exeter, English organist and composer (d. 1803)
  • 1736 – Patrick Henry, American lawyer and politician, 1st Governor of Virginia (d. 1799)
  • 1780 – Henri Braconnot, French chemist and pharmacist (d. 1855)
  • 1794 – Johann Heinrich von Mädler, German astronomer and selenographer (d. 1874)
  • 1797 – Louise-Adéone Drölling, French painter (d. 1836)
  • 1823 – John H. Balsley, American carpenter and inventor (d. 1895)
  • 1860 – Isaac Albéniz, Spanish pianist and composer (d. 1909)
  • 1871 – Clark Voorhees, American painter (d. 1933)
  • 1873 – Rudolf Tobias, Estonian organist and composer (d. 1918)
  • 1874 – G. K. Chesterton, English essayist, poet, and playwright (d. 1936)
  • 1880 – Oswald Spengler, German historian and philosopher (d. 1936)
  • 1892 – Alfonsina Storni, Swiss-Argentinian poet and author (d. 1938)
  • 1893 – Max Brand, American journalist and author (d. 1944)
  • 1894 – Beatrice Lillie, Canadian-English actress, singer and writer (d. 1989)
  • 1894 – Josef von Sternberg, Austrian-American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1969)
  • 1897 – Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Czech-American pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1957)
  • 1899 – Douglas Abbott, Canadian lawyer and politician, 10th Canadian Minister of Defence (d. 1987)
  • 1902 – Harry Kadwell, Australian rugby league player and coach (d. 1999)
  • 1903 – Bob Hope, English-American actor, singer, and producer (d. 2003)
  • 1904 – Hubert Opperman, Australian cyclist and politician (d. 1996)
  • 1905 – Sebastian Shaw, English actor, director, and playwright (d. 1994)
  • 1906 – T. H. White, Indian-English author (d. 1964)
  • 1907 – Hartland Molson, Canadian captain and politician (d. 2002)
  • 1908 – Diana Morgan, Welsh-English playwright and screenwriter (d. 1996)
  • 1910 – Ralph Metcalfe, American sprinter and politician (d. 1978)
  • 1913 – Tony Zale, American boxer (d. 1997)
  • 1914 – Stacy Keach Sr., American actor (d. 2003)
  • 1914 – Tenzing Norgay, Nepalese-Indian mountaineer (d. 1986)
  • 1915 – Karl Münchinger, German conductor and composer (d. 1990)
  • 1917 – John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States (d. 1963)
  • 1917 – Marcel Trudel, Canadian historian, author, and academic (d. 2011)
  • 1919 – Jacques Genest, Canadian physician and academic (d. 2018)
  • 1920 – John Harsanyi, Hungarian-American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2000)
  • 1920 – Clifton James, American actor (d. 2017)
  • 1921 – Norman Hetherington, Australian cartoonist and puppeteer (d. 2010)
  • 1922 – Joe Weatherly, American race car driver (d. 1964)
  • 1922 – Iannis Xenakis, Greek-French composer, engineer, and theorist (d. 2001)
  • 1923 – Bernard Clavel, French author (d. 2010)
  • 1923 – John Parker, 6th Earl of Morley, English colonel and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Devon (d. 2015)
  • 1923 – Eugene Wright, American jazz bassist
  • 1924 – Lars Bo, Danish author and illustrator (d. 1999)
  • 1924 – Miloslav Kříž, Czech basketball player and coach (d. 2013)
  • 1924 – Pepper Paire, American baseball player (d. 2013)
  • 1926 – Katie Boyle, Italian-English actress and television host (d. 2018)
  • 1926 – Halaevalu Mataʻaho ʻAhomeʻe, Queen Consort of Tonga (d. 2017)
  • 1926 – Abdoulaye Wade, Senegalese academic and politician, 3rd President of Senegal
  • 1927 – Jean Coutu, Canadian pharmacist and businessman, founded the Jean Coutu Group
  • 1929 – Harry Frankfurt, American philosopher and academic
  • 1929 – Peter Higgs, English-Scottish physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1929 – Roberto Vargas, Puerto Rican-American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 2014)
  • 1932 – Paul R. Ehrlich, American biologist and author
  • 1932 – Richie Guerin, American basketball player and coach
  • 1933 – Helmuth Rilling, German conductor and educator
  • 1933 – Tarquinio Provini, Italian motorcycle racer (d. 2005)
  • 1934 – Bill Vander Zalm, Dutch-Canadian businessman and politician, 28th Premier of British Columbia
  • 1935 – André Brink, South African author and playwright (d. 2015)
  • 1935 – Sylvia Robinson, American singer and producer (d. 2011)
  • 1937 – Charles W. Pickering, American lawyer and judge
  • 1937 – Irmin Schmidt, German keyboard player and composer
  • 1937 – Alwin Schockemöhle, German show-jumper
  • 1937 – Harry Statham, American basketball player and coach
  • 1938 – Christopher Bland, English businessman and politician (d. 2017)
  • 1938 – Fay Vincent, American lawyer and businessman
  • 1939 – Pete Smith, Australian radio and television announcer
  • 1939 – Al Unser, American race car driver
  • 1940 – Taihō Kōki, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 48th Yokozuna (d. 2013)
  • 1940 – Farooq Leghari, Pakistani politician, 8th President of Pakistan (d. 2010)
  • 1941 – Doug Scott, English mountaineer and author
  • 1941 – Bob Simon, American journalist (d. 2015)
  • 1942 – Pierre Bourque, Canadian businessman and politician, 40th Mayor of Montreal
  • 1942 – Kevin Conway, American actor and director (d. 2020)
  • 1943 – Robert W. Edgar, American educator and politician (d. 2013)
  • 1944 – Bob Benmosche, American businessman (d. 2015)
  • 1944 – Quentin Davies, English soldier and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
  • 1945 – Gary Brooker, English singer-songwriter and pianist
  • 1945 – Peter Fraser, Baron Fraser of Carmyllie, Scottish lawyer and politician, Solicitor General for Scotland (d. 2013)
  • 1945 – Julian Le Grand, English economist and author
  • 1945 – Martin Pipe, English jockey and trainer
  • 1945 – Joyce Tenneson, American photographer
  • 1945 – Jean-Pierre Van Rossem, Belgian scholar and author (d. 2018)
  • 1946 – Fernando Buesa, Spanish politician (d. 2000)
  • 1947 – Anthony Geary, American actor
  • 1948 – Michael Berkeley, English composer and radio host
  • 1948 – Keith Gull, English microbiologist and academic
  • 1949 – Robert Axelrod, American actor and screenwriter (d. 2019)
  • 1949 – Brian Kidd, English footballer and manager
  • 1949 – Francis Rossi, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1950 – Rebbie Jackson, American singer and actress
  • 1953 – Danny Elfman, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
  • 1954 – Robert Beaser, American composer and educator
  • 1954 – Jerry Moran, American lawyer and politician
  • 1955 – Frank Baumgartl, German runner (d. 2010)
  • 1955 – John Hinckley Jr., American attempted assassin of Ronald Reagan
  • 1955 – David Kirschner, American animator, producer, and author
  • 1955 – Gordon Rintoul, Scottish historian and curator
  • 1955 – Ken Schrader, American race car driver and sportscaster
  • 1956 – Mark Lyall Grant, English diplomat, British Ambassador to the United Nations
  • 1956 – La Toya Jackson, American singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1957 – Steven Croft, English bishop and theologian
  • 1957 – Jeb Hensarling, American lawyer and politician
  • 1957 – Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Iranian film director
  • 1958 – Annette Bening, American actress
  • 1958 – Juliano Mer-Khamis, Israeli actor, director, and activist (d. 2011)
  • 1958 – Uwe Rapolder, German footballer and coach
  • 1958 – Mike Stenhouse, American baseball player and sportscaster
  • 1959 – Rupert Everett, English actor and novelist
  • 1959 – Mel Gaynor, English drummer
  • 1959 – Steve Hanley, Irish-English bass player and songwriter
  • 1960 – Thomas Baumer, Swiss economist and academic
  • 1960 – Mike Freer, English politician
  • 1961 – Melissa Etheridge, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and activist
  • 1961 – John Miceli, American drummer
  • 1962 – Fandi Ahmad, Singaporean footballer, coach, and manager
  • 1962 – Eric Davis, American baseball player
  • 1962 – Carol Kirkwood, Scottish journalist
  • 1962 – Chloé Sainte-Marie, Canadian actress and singer
  • 1963 – Blaze Bayley, English singer-songwriter
  • 1963 – Zhu Jianhua, Chinese high jumper
  • 1963 – Ukyo Katayama, Japanese race car driver
  • 1963 – Claude Loiselle, Canadian ice hockey player and manager
  • 1964 – Howard Mills III, American academic and politician
  • 1964 – Oswaldo Negri Jr., Brazilian race car driver
  • 1966 – Natalie Nougayrède, French journalist
  • 1967 – Noel Gallagher, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1967 – Mike Keane, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1967 – Steven Levitt, American economist, author, and academic
  • 1968 – Torquhil Campbell, 13th Duke of Argyll, Scottish politician
  • 1968 – Tate George, American basketball player
  • 1968 – Jessica Morden, English politician
  • 1968 – Hida Viloria, American activist
  • 1970 – Natarsha Belling, Australian journalist
  • 1970 – Roberto Di Matteo, Italian footballer and manager
  • 1971 – Éric Lucas, Canadian boxer
  • 1971 – Bernd Mayländer, German race car driver
  • 1971 – Jo Beth Taylor, Australian television host and actress
  • 1971 – Rob Womack, English shot putter and discus thrower
  • 1972 – Bill Curley, American basketball player and coach
  • 1972 – Simon Jones, English singer and bass player
  • 1973 – Tomoko Kaneda, Japanese voice actress, singer, and radio personality
  • 1973 – Mark Lee, American guitarist and songwriter
  • 1973 – Alpay Özalan, Turkish footballer
  • 1974 – Steve Cardenas, American martial artist and retired actor
  • 1974 – Stephen Larkham, Australian rugby player and coach
  • 1974 – Aaron McGruder, American author and cartoonist
  • 1974 – Myf Warhurst, Australian radio and television host
  • 1974 – Jenny Willott, English politician
  • 1975 – Jason Allison, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1975 – Mel B, English singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress
  • 1975 – Sven Kubis, German footballer
  • 1975 – Sarah Millican, English comedian
  • 1975 – Anthony Wall, English golfer
  • 1975 – Daniel Tosh, American comedian, television host, actor, writer, and executive producer
  • 1976 – Caçapa, Brazilian footballer and manager
  • 1976 – Jerry Hairston Jr., American baseball player and sportscaster
  • 1976 – Raef LaFrentz, American basketball player
  • 1976 – Yegor Titov, Russian footballer
  • 1977 – Massimo Ambrosini, Italian footballer
  • 1977 – Marco Cassetti, Italian footballer
  • 1977 – António Lebo Lebo, Angolan footballer
  • 1978 – Pelle Almqvist, Swedish singer-songwriter
  • 1978 – Sébastien Grosjean, French tennis player
  • 1978 – Lorenzo Odone, Italian-American adrenoleukodystrophy patient who inspired the 1992 film, Lorenzo’s Oil (d. 2008)
  • 1978 – Adam Rickitt, English singer
  • 1979 – Arne Friedrich, German footballer
  • 1979 – Brian Kendrick, American wrestler
  • 1979 – John Rheinecker, American baseball player (d. 2017)
  • 1980 – Ernesto Farías, Argentinian footballer
  • 1981 – Andrey Arshavin, Russian footballer
  • 1982 – Nataliya Dobrynska, Ukrainian heptathlete
  • 1982 – Matt Macri, American baseball player
  • 1982 – Kim Tae-kyun, South Korean baseball player
  • 1984 – Carmelo Anthony, American basketball player
  • 1984 – Nia Jax, Australian-American professional wrestler
  • 1984 – Funmi Jimoh, American long jumper
  • 1984 – Andreas Schäffer, German footballer
  • 1984 – Ina Wroldsen, Norwegian singer and songwriter
  • 1985 – Nathan Horton, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1987 – Lina Andrijauskaitė, Lithuanian long jumper
  • 1987 – Issac Luke, New Zealand rugby league player
  • 1987 – Kelvin Maynard, Dutch footballer (d. 2019)
  • 1987 – Noah Reid, Canadian actor, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1987 – Rui Sampaio, Portuguese footballer
  • 1988 – Muath Al-Kasasbeh, Jordanian captain and pilot (d. 2015)
  • 1988 – Cheng Fei, Chinese gymnast
  • 1988 – Steve Mason, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1989 – Ezekiel Ansah, Ghanaian-American football player
  • 1989 – Diego Barisone, Argentinian footballer (d. 2015)
  • 1989 – Riley Keough, American model and actress
  • 1990 – Joe Biagini, American baseball pitcher
  • 1992 – Sarah Moundir, Swiss tennis player
  • 1993 – Jana Čepelová, Slovak tennis player
  • 1993 – Maika Monroe, American actress and kiteboarder
  • 1993 – Grete Šadeiko, Estonian heptathlete
  • 1998 – Markelle Fultz, American basketball player
  • 1999 – Park Ji-hoon, South Korean singer and actor

Deaths on May 29

  • 931 – Jimeno Garcés of Pamplona
  • 1040 – Renauld I, Count of Nevers
  • 1259 – Christopher I of Denmark (b. 1219)
  • 1311 – James II of Majorca (b. 1243)
  • 1320 – Pope John VIII of Alexandria, Coptic pope
  • 1327 – Jens Grand, Danish archbishop (b. c. 1260)
  • 1379 – Henry II of Castile (b. 1334)
  • 1405 – Philippe de Mézières, French soldier and author (b. 1327)
  • 1425 – Hongxi Emperor of China (b. 1378)
  • 1453 – Ulubatlı Hasan, Ottoman commander (b. 1428)
  • 1453 – Constantine XI Palaiologos, Byzantine emperor (b. 1404)
  • 1500 – Bartolomeu Dias, Portuguese explorer and navigator (b. 1451)
  • 1500 – Thomas Rotherham, English cleric and minister (b. 1423)
  • 1546 – David Beaton, Scottish cardinal and politician, Lord Chancellor of Scotland (b. 1494)
  • 1593 – John Penry, Welsh martyr (b. 1559)
  • 1660 – Frans van Schooten, Dutch mathematician and academic (b. 1615)
  • 1691 – Cornelis Tromp, Dutch admiral (b. 1629)
  • 1790 – Israel Putnam, American general (b. 1718)
  • 1796 – Carl Fredrik Pechlin, Swedish general and politician (b. 1720)
  • 1814 – Joséphine de Beauharnais, first wife of Napoleon Bonaparte (b. 1763)
  • 1829 – Humphry Davy, English-Swiss chemist and academic (b. 1778)
  • 1847 – Emmanuel de Grouchy, Marquis de Grouchy, French general (b. 1766)
  • 1862 – Franz Mirecki, Polish composer, music conductor, and music teacher (b. 1791)
  • 1866 – Winfield Scott, American general, lawyer, and politician (b. 1786)
  • 1873 – Prince Friedrich of Hesse and by Rhine (b. 1870)
  • 1892 – Bahá’u’lláh, Persian religious leader, founded the Bahá’í Faith (b. 1817)
  • 1896 – Gabriel Auguste Daubrée, French geologist and academic (b. 1814)
  • 1903 – Bruce Price, American architect, designed the Château Frontenac and American Surety Building (b. 1845)
  • 1910 – Mily Balakirev, Russian pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1837)
  • 1911 – W. S. Gilbert, English playwright and poet (b. 1836)
  • 1914 – Laurence Sydney Brodribb Irving, English author and playwright (b. 1871)
  • 1914 – Henry Seton-Karr, English explorer, hunter, and author (b. 1853)
  • 1917 – Kate Harrington, American poet and educator (b. 1831)
  • 1919 – Robert Bacon, American colonel and politician, 39th United States Secretary of State (b. 1860)
  • 1920 – Carlos Deltour, French rower (b. 1864)
  • 1921 – Abbott Handerson Thayer, American painter and educator (b. 1849)
  • 1935 – Josef Suk, Czech violinist and composer (b. 1874)
  • 1939 – Ursula Ledóchowska, Austrian-Polish nun and saint, founded the Congregation of the Ursulines of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus (b. 1865)
  • 1941 – Léo-Pol Morin, Canadian pianist, composer, and educator (b. 1892)
  • 1942 – John Barrymore, American actor (b. 1882)
  • 1946 – Martin Gottfried Weiss, German SS officer (b. 1905)
  • 1948 – May Whitty, English actress (b. 1865)
  • 1951 – Fanny Brice, American singer and comedian (b. 1891)
  • 1951 – Dimitrios Levidis, Greek-French soldier and composer (b. 1885)
  • 1953 – Morgan Russell, American painter and educator (b. 1886)
  • 1957 – James Whale, English director (b. 1889)
  • 1958 – Juan Ramón Jiménez, Spanish poet and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1881)
  • 1963 – Netta Muskett, English author (b. 1887)
  • 1966 – Ignace Lepp, Estonian-French priest and psychologist (b. 1909)
  • 1968 – Arnold Susi, Estonian lawyer and politician, Estonian Minister of Education (b. 1896)
  • 1970 – John Gunther, American journalist and author (b. 1901)
  • 1970 – Eva Hesse, American artist (b. 1936)
  • 1972 – Moe Berg, American baseball player, coach, and spy (b. 1902)
  • 1972 – Stephen Timoshenko, Ukrainian-American engineer and academic (b. 1878)
  • 1973 – George Harriman, English businessman (b. 1908)
  • 1977 – Ba Maw, Burmese politician, Prime Minister of Burma (b. 1893)
  • 1979 – Mary Pickford, Canadian-American actress, producer, and screenwriter, co-founded United Artists (b. 1892)
  • 1979 – John H. Wood Jr., American lawyer and judge (b. 1916)
  • 1982 – Romy Schneider, Austrian actress (b. 1938)
  • 1983 – Arvīds Pelše, Latvian-Russian historian and politician (b. 1899)
  • 1987 – Charan Singh, Indian politician, 5th Prime Minister of India (b. 1902)
  • 1988 – Salem bin Laden, Saudi Arabian businessman (b. 1946)
  • 1989 – George C. Homans, American sociologist and academic (b. 1910)
  • 1991 – Margaret Barr (choreographer), Australian choreographer and teacher of dance-drama (b. 1904)
  • 1993 – Billy Conn, American boxer (b. 1917)
  • 1994 – Erich Honecker, German lawyer and politician (b. 1912)
  • 1994- Lady May Abel Smith, member of the British Royal Family (b. 1906)
  • 1996 – Tamara Toumanova, American ballerina and actress (b. 1919)
  • 1997 – Jeff Buckley, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1966)
  • 1998 – Barry Goldwater, American general, activist, and politician (b. 1909)
  • 2003 – David Jefferies, English motorcycle racer (b. 1972)
  • 2004 – Archibald Cox, American lawyer and politician, 31st United States Solicitor General (b. 1912)
  • 2004 – Samuel Dash, American academic and politician (b. 1925)
  • 2005 – John D’Amico, Canadian ice hockey player and referee (b. 1937)
  • 2005 – Hamilton Naki, South African surgeon (b. 1926)
  • 2005 – George Rochberg, American soldier and composer (b. 1918)
  • 2006 – Jacques Bouchard, Canadian businessman (b. 1930)
  • 2007 – Dave Balon, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1938)
  • 2007 – Lois Browne-Evans, Bermudian lawyer and politician (b. 1927)
  • 2008 – Paula Gunn Allen, Native American writer (b. 1939)
  • 2008 – Luc Bourdon, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1987)
  • 2008 – Harvey Korman, American actor and comedian (b. 1927)
  • 2010 – Dennis Hopper, American actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1936)
  • 2011 – Sergei Bagapsh, Abkhazian politician, 2nd President of Abkhazia (b. 1949)
  • 2011 – Bill Clements, American soldier and politician, 42nd Governor of Texas (b. 1917)
  • 2011 – Ferenc Mádl, Hungarian academic and politician, 14th President of Hungary (b. 1931)
  • 2012 – Mark Minkov, Russian composer (b. 1944)
  • 2012 – Kaneto Shindo, Japanese director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1912)
  • 2012 – Doc Watson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1923)
  • 2013 – Richard Ballantine, American-English journalist and author (b. 1940)
  • 2013 – Françoise Blanchard, French actress (b. 1954)
  • 2013 – Andrew Greeley, American priest, sociologist, and author (b. 1928)
  • 2013 – Mulgrew Miller, American pianist and composer (b. 1955)
  • 2013 – Henry Morgentaler, Polish-Canadian physician and activist (b. 1923)
  • 2013 – Franca Rame, Italian actress and playwright (b. 1928)
  • 2013 – Ludwig G. Strauss, German physician and academic (b. 1949)
  • 2013 – Wali-ur-Rehman, Pakistani commander (b. 1970)
  • 2014 – Christine Charbonneau, Canadian singer-songwriter (b. 1943)
  • 2014 – Walter Jakob Gehring, Swiss biologist and academic (b. 1939)
  • 2014 – Peter Glaser, Czech-American scientist and engineer (b. 1923)
  • 2014 – Miljenko Prohaska, Croatian composer and conductor (b. 1925)
  • 2014 – William M. Roth, American businessman (b. 1916)
  • 2015 – Henry Carr, American football player and sprinter (b. 1942)
  • 2015 – Doris Hart, American tennis player (b. 1925)
  • 2015 – Betsy Palmer, American actress (b. 1926)
  • 2017 – Manuel Noriega, Panamanian general and politician, Military Leader of Panama (b. 1934)
  • 2017 – Mordechai Tzipori, Israeli Lieutenant General and minister (b. 1924)
  • 2017 – Konstantinos Mitsotakis, Greek politician and prime minister (b. 1918)
  • 2020 – Maikanti Baru, Nigerian engineer, former chief of state oil firm. (b. 1959)

Holidays and observances on May 29

  • Army Day (Argentina)
  • Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh (Bahá’í Faith) (Only if Bahá’í Naw-Rúz falls on March 21 of the Gregorian calendar)
  • Christian feast day:
    • Bona of Pisa
    • Hypomone (Eastern Orthodox Church)
    • Maximin of Trier
    • Pope Alexander of Alexandria (Eastern Orthodox Church)
    • Theodosia of Constantinople (Eastern Orthodox Church)
    • Ursula Ledóchowska
    • May 29 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Earliest day on which Feast of the Sacred Heart can fall, while July 2 is the latest; celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. (Catholic Church)
  • International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers (International)
  • National Elderly Day (Indonesia)
  • Oak Apple Day (England), and its related observance:
    • Castleton Garland Day (Castleton)
  • Statehood Day (Rhode Island and Wisconsin)
  • Veterans Day (Sweden)
  • World Digestive Health Day

May 29 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

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

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

Births on May 27

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

Deaths on May 27

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

Holidays and observances on May 27

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

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

On This Day