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1861

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

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

Births on May 20

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

Deaths on May 20

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

Holidays and observances on May 20

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

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

On This Day

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

On This Day /
  • 639 – Ashina Jiesheshuai and his tribesmen assaulted Emperor Taizong at Jiucheng Palace.
  • 715 – Pope Gregory II is elected.
  • 1051 – Henry I of France marries the Russian princess, Anne of Kiev.
  • 1445 – John II of Castile defeats the Infantes of Aragon at the First Battle of Olmedo.
  • 1499 – Catherine of Aragon is married by proxy to Arthur, Prince of Wales. Catherine is 13 and Arthur is 12.
  • 1535 – French explorer Jacques Cartier sets sail on his second voyage to North America with three ships, 110 men, and Chief Donnacona’s two sons (whom Cartier had kidnapped during his first voyage).
  • 1536 – Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII of England, is beheaded for adultery, treason, and incest.
  • 1542 – The Prome Kingdom falls to the Taungoo Dynasty in present-day Myanmar.
  • 1568 – Queen Elizabeth I of England orders the arrest of Mary, Queen of Scots.
  • 1643 – Thirty Years’ War: French forces under the duc d’Enghien decisively defeat Spanish forces at the Battle of Rocroi, marking the symbolic end of Spain as a dominant land power.
  • 1649 – An Act of Parliament declaring England a Commonwealth is passed by the Long Parliament. England would be a republic for the next eleven years.
  • 1655 – The Invasion of Jamaica begins during the Anglo-Spanish War.
  • 1743 – Jean-Pierre Christin developed the centigrade temperature scale.
  • 1749 – King George II of Great Britain grants the Ohio Company a charter of land around the forks of the Ohio River.
  • 1776 – American Revolutionary War: A Continental Army garrison surrenders in the Battle of The Cedars.
  • 1780 – New England’s Dark Day, an unusual darkening of the day sky, was observed over the New England states and parts of Canada.
  • 1802 – Napoleon Bonaparte founds the Legion of Honour.
  • 1828 – U.S. President John Quincy Adams signs the Tariff of 1828 into law, protecting wool manufacturers in the United States.
  • 1845 – Captain Sir John Franklin and his ill-fated Arctic expedition depart from Greenhithe, England.
  • 1848 – Mexican–American War: Mexico ratifies the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo thus ending the war and ceding California, Nevada, Utah and parts of four other modern-day U.S. states to the United States for US$15 million.
  • 1911 – Parks Canada, the world’s first national park service, is established as the Dominion Parks Branch under the Department of the Interior.
  • 1917 – The Norwegian football club Rosenborg BK is founded.
  • 1919 – Mustafa Kemal Atatürk lands at Samsun on the Anatolian Black Sea coast, initiating what is later termed the Turkish War of Independence.
  • 1921 – The United States Congress passes the Emergency Quota Act establishing national quotas on immigration.
  • 1922 – The Young Pioneer Organization of the Soviet Union is established.
  • 1934 – Zveno and the Bulgarian Army engineer a coup d’état and install Kimon Georgiev as the new Prime Minister of Bulgaria.
  • 1942 – World War II: In the aftermath of the Battle of the Coral Sea, Task Force 16 heads to Pearl Harbor.
  • 1950 – A barge containing munitions destined for Pakistan explodes in the harbor at South Amboy, New Jersey, devastating the city.
  • 1950 – Egypt announces that the Suez Canal is closed to Israeli ships and commerce.
  • 1959 – The North Vietnamese Army establishes Group 559, whose responsibility is to determine how to maintain supply lines to South Vietnam; the resulting route is the Ho Chi Minh trail.
  • 1961 – Venera program: Venera 1 becomes the first man-made object to fly by another planet by passing Venus (the probe had lost contact with Earth a month earlier and did not send back any data).
  • 1961 – At Silchar Railway Station, Assam, 11 Bengalis die when police open fire on protesters demanding state recognition of Bengali language in the Bengali Language Movement.
  • 1962 – A birthday salute to U.S. President John F. Kennedy takes place at Madison Square Garden, New York City. The highlight is Marilyn Monroe’s rendition of “Happy Birthday”.
  • 1963 – The New York Post Sunday Magazine publishes Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter from Birmingham Jail.
  • 1971 – Mars probe program: Mars 2 is launched by the Soviet Union.
  • 1986 – The Firearm Owners Protection Act is signed into law by U.S. President Ronald Reagan.
  • 1991 – Croatians vote for independence in a referendum.
  • 1997 – The Sierra Gorda biosphere, the most ecologically diverse region in Mexico, is established as a result of grassroots efforts.
  • 2007 – President of Romania Traian Băsescu survives an impeachment referendum and returns to office from suspension.
  • 2010 – The Royal Thai Armed Forces concludes its crackdown on protests by forcing the surrender of United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship leaders.
  • 2012 – Three gas cylinder bombs explode in front of a vocational school in the Italian city of Brindisi, killing one person and injuring five others.
  • 2012 – A car bomb explodes near a military complex in the Syrian city of Deir ez-Zor, killing nine people.
  • 2015 – The Refugio oil spill deposited 142,800 U.S. gallons (3,400 barrels) of crude oil onto an area in California considered one of the most biologically diverse coastlines of the west coast.
  • 2016 – EgyptAir Flight 804 crashes into the Mediterranean Sea while traveling from Paris to Cairo, killing all on board.
  • 2018 – The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle is held at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, with an estimated global audience of 1.9 billion.

Births on May 19

  • 1400 – John Stourton, 1st Baron Stourton, English soldier and politician (d. 1462)
  • 1462 – Baccio D’Agnolo, Italian woodcarver, sculptor and architect (d. 1543)
  • 1476 (or 1474) – Helena of Moscow, Grand Duchess consort of Lithuania and Queen consort of Poland (d. 1513)
  • 1593 – Claude Vignon, French painter (d. 1670)
  • 1616 – Johann Jakob Froberger, German organist and composer (d. 1667)
  • 1639 – Charles Weston, 3rd Earl of Portland, English soldier and noble (d. 1665)
  • 1700 – José de Escandón, 1st Count of Sierra Gorda, Spanish sergeant and politician (d. 1770)
  • 1724 – Augustus Hervey, 3rd Earl of Bristol, English admiral and politician, Chief Secretary for Ireland (d. 1779)
  • 1744 – Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, German-born Queen to George III of the United Kingdom (d. 1818)
  • 1762 – Johann Gottlieb Fichte, German philosopher and academic (d. 1814)
  • 1773 – Arthur Aikin, English chemist and mineralogist (d. 1854)
  • 1795 – Johns Hopkins, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 1873)
  • 1827 – Paul-Armand Challemel-Lacour, French academic and politician, French Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 1896)
  • 1832 – James Watney, Jr., English politician, brewer and cricketer (d. 1886)
  • 1857 – John Jacob Abel, American biochemist and pharmacologist (d. 1938)
  • 1861 – Nellie Melba, Australian soprano and actress (d. 1931)
  • 1871 – Walter Russell, American painter, sculptor, and author (d. 1963)
  • 1874 – Gilbert Jessop, English cricketer and soldier (d. 1955)
  • 1878 – Alfred Laliberté, Canadian sculptor and painter (d. 1953)
  • 1879 – Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor, American-English politician (d. 1964)
  • 1880 – Albert Richardson, English architect and educator, designed the Manchester Opera House (d. 1964)
  • 1881 – Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (official birthday), Turkish field marshal and statesman, 1st President of Turkey (d. 1938)
  • 1884 – David Munson, American runner (d. 1953)
  • 1886 – Francis Biddle, American lawyer and judge, 58th United States Attorney General (d. 1968)
  • 1887 – Ion Jalea, Romanian soldier and sculptor (d. 1983)
  • 1889 – Tản Đà, Vietnamese poet and author (d. 1939)
  • 1889 – Henry B. Richardson, American archer (d. 1963)
  • 1890 – Eveline Adelheid von Maydell, German-American illustrator (d. 1962)
  • 1890 – Ho Chi Minh, Vietnamese politician, 1st President of Vietnam (d. 1969)
  • 1891 – Oswald Boelcke, German captain and pilot (d. 1916)
  • 1893 – H. Bonciu, Romanian author, poet, and journalist (d. 1950)
  • 1897 – Frank Luke, American lieutenant and pilot, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1918)
  • 1898 – Julius Evola, Italian philosopher and painter (d. 1974)
  • 1899 – Lothar Rădăceanu, Romanian journalist, linguist, and politician (d. 1955)
  • 1902 – Lubka Kolessa, Ukrainian-Canadian pianist and educator (d. 1997)
  • 1903 – Ruth Ella Moore, American scientist (d. 1994)
  • 1906 – Bruce Bennett, American shot putter and actor (d. 2007)
  • 1908 – Manik Bandopadhyay, Indian author, poet, and playwright (d. 1956)
  • 1908 – Merriam Modell, American author (d. 1994)
  • 1908 – Percy Williams, Canadian sprinter (d. 1982)
  • 1909 – Nicholas Winton, English banker and humanitarian (d. 2015)
  • 1910 – Alan Melville, South African cricketer (d. 1983)
  • 1913 – Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, Indian lawyer and politician, 6th President of India (d. 1996)
  • 1914 – Max Perutz, Austrian-English biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2002)
  • 1914 – Alex Shibicky, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2005)
  • 1914 – John Vachon, American photographer and journalist (d. 1975)
  • 1915 – Renée Asherson, English actress (d. 2014)
  • 1918 – Abraham Pais, Dutch-American physicist, historian, and academic (d. 2000)
  • 1919 – Georgie Auld, Canadian-American saxophonist, clarinet player, and bandleader (d. 1990)
  • 1919 – Mitja Ribičič, Italian-Slovenian soldier and politician, 25th Prime Minister of Yugoslavia (d. 2013)
  • 1920 – Tina Strobos, Dutch psychiatrist known for rescuing Jews during World War II (d. 2012)
  • 1921 – Leslie Broderick, English lieutenant and pilot (d. 2013)
  • 1921 – Harry W. Brown, American colonel and pilot (d. 1991)
  • 1921 – Daniel Gélin, French actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2002)
  • 1921 – Yuri Kochiyama, American activist (d. 2014)
  • 1921 – Karel van het Reve, Dutch historian and author (d. 1999)
  • 1922 – Arthur Gorrie, Australian hobby shop proprietor (d. 1992)
  • 1924 – Sandy Wilson, English composer and songwriter (d. 2014)
  • 1925 – Pol Pot, Cambodian general and politician, 29th Prime Minister of Cambodia (d. 1998)
  • 1925 – Malcolm X, American minister and activist (d. 1965)
  • 1926 – Edward Parkes, English engineer and academic (d. 2019)
  • 1926 – Peter Zadek, German director and screenwriter (d. 2009)
  • 1927 – Serge Lang, French-American mathematician, author and academic (d. 2005)
  • 1928 – Colin Chapman, English engineer and businessman, founded Lotus Cars (d. 1982)
  • 1928 – Thomas Kennedy, English air marshal (d. 2013)
  • 1928 – Gil McDougald, American baseball player and coach (d. 2010)
  • 1928 – Dolph Schayes, American basketball player and coach (d. 2015)
  • 1929 – Helmut Braunlich, German-American violinist and composer (d. 2013)
  • 1929 – Richard Larter, Australian painter (d. 2014)
  • 1929 – John Stroger, American politician (d. 2008)
  • 1930 – Eugene Genovese, American historian and author (d. 2012)
  • 1930 – Lorraine Hansberry, American playwright and director (d. 1965)
  • 1931 – Bob Anderson, English race car driver (d. 1967)
  • 1931 – Trevor Peacock, English actor, screenwriter and songwriter
  • 1932 – Alma Cogan, English singer (d. 1966)
  • 1932 – Paul Erdman, American economist and author (d. 2007)
  • 1932 – Bill Fitch, American basketball player and coach
  • 1932 – Elena Poniatowska, Mexican intellectual and journalist
  • 1933 – Edward de Bono, Maltese physician, author, and academic
  • 1934 – Ruskin Bond, Indian author and poet
  • 1934 – Jim Lehrer, American journalist and author (d. 2020)
  • 1935 – David Hartman, American journalist and television personality
  • 1937 – Pat Roach, English wrestler (d. 2004)
  • 1938 – Moisés da Costa Amaral, East Timorese politician (d. 1989)
  • 1938 – Herbie Flowers, English musician
  • 1938 – Igor Ter-Ovanesyan, Ukrainian long jumper and coach
  • 1939 – Livio Berruti, Italian sprinter
  • 1939 – James Fox, English actor
  • 1939 – Nancy Kwan, Hong Kong-American actress and makeup artist
  • 1939 – Jānis Lūsis, Latvian javelin thrower and coach (d. 2020)
  • 1939 – Dick Scobee, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (d. 1986)
  • 1940 – Jan Janssen, Dutch cyclist
  • 1940 – Mickey Newbury, American country/pop singer-songwriter (d. 2002)
  • 1941 – Nora Ephron, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2012)
  • 1941 – Igor Judge, Baron Judge, Maltese-English lawyer and judge, Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales
  • 1942 – Gary Kildall, American computer scientist, founded Digital Research Inc. (d. 1994)
  • 1942 – Robert Kilroy-Silk, English television host and politician
  • 1943 – Eddie May, English footballer and manager (d. 2012)
  • 1943 – Shirrel Rhoades, American author, publisher, and academic
  • 1944 – Peter Mayhew, English-American actor (d. 2019)
  • 1945 – Pete Townshend, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1946 – Claude Lelièvre, Belgian activist
  • 1946 – Michele Placido, Italian actor and director
  • 1946 – André the Giant, French-American wrestler and actor (d. 1993)
  • 1947 – Paul Brady, Irish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1947 – Christopher Chope, English lawyer and politician
  • 1947 – David Helfgott, Australian pianist
  • 1948 – Grace Jones, Jamaican-American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
  • 1949 – Dusty Hill, American singer-songwriter and bass player
  • 1949 – Philip Hunt, Baron Hunt of Kings Heath, English politician
  • 1949 – Archie Manning, American football player
  • 1950 – Tadeusz Ślusarski, Polish pole vaulter (d. 1998)
  • 1951 – Joey Ramone, American singer-songwriter (d. 2001)
  • 1951 – Dick Slater, American wrestler
  • 1952 – Charlie Spedding, English runner
  • 1952 – Bert van Marwijk, Dutch footballer, coach, and manager
  • 1953 – Patrick Hodge, Lord Hodge, Scottish lawyer and judge
  • 1953 – Shavarsh Karapetyan, Armenian finswimmer
  • 1953 – Florin Marin, Romanian footballer and manager
  • 1953 – Victoria Wood, English actress, singer, director, and screenwriter (d. 2016)
  • 1954 – Rick Cerone, American baseball player and sportscaster
  • 1954 – Hōchū Ōtsuka, Japanese voice actor
  • 1954 – Phil Rudd, Australian-New Zealand drummer
  • 1955 – James Gosling, Canadian-American computer scientist, created Java
  • 1956 – Oliver Letwin, English philosopher and politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
  • 1956 – Martyn Ware, English keyboard player, songwriter, and producer
  • 1957 – Bill Laimbeer, American basketball player and coach
  • 1957 – James Reyne, Nigerian-Australian singer-songwriter
  • 1961 – Vadim Cojocaru, Moldovan politician
  • 1961 – Gregory Poirier, American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1961 – Wayne Van Dorp, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1963 – Filippo Galli, Italian footballer and manager
  • 1964 – Peter Jackson, Australian rugby league player and sportscaster (d. 1997)
  • 1964 – John Lee, South Korean-American football player
  • 1964 – Miloslav Mečíř, Slovak tennis player
  • 1965 – Maile Flanagan, American actress, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1966 – Marc Bureau, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
  • 1966 – Jodi Picoult, American author and educator
  • 1966 – Polly Walker, English actress
  • 1967 – Alexia, Italian singer
  • 1967 – Geraldine Somerville, Irish-born English actress
  • 1968 – Kyle Eastwood, American actor and bass player
  • 1970 – Stuart Cable, Welsh drummer (d. 2010)
  • 1970 – K. J. Choi, South Korean golfer
  • 1970 – Regina Narva, Estonian chess player
  • 1970 – Nia Zulkarnaen, Indonesian actress, singer and producer
  • 1971 – Ross Katz, American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1971 – Andres Salumets, Estonian biologist, biochemist, and educator
  • 1972 – Jenny Berggren, Swedish singer-songwriter
  • 1972 – Claudia Karvan, Australian actress, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1973 – Dario Franchitti, Scottish race car driver
  • 1974 – Andrew Johns, Australian rugby league player, coach, and sportscaster
  • 1974 – Emma Shapplin, French soprano
  • 1974 – Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Indian actor
  • 1975 – Pretinha, Brazilian footballer
  • 1975 – London Fletcher, American football player
  • 1975 – Josh Paul, American baseball player and manager
  • 1975 – Jonas Renkse, Swedish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1976 – Ed Cota, American basketball player
  • 1976 – Kevin Garnett, American basketball player
  • 1977 – Manuel Almunia, Spanish footballer
  • 1977 – Wouter Hamel, Dutch singer and guitarist
  • 1977 – Brandon Inge, American baseball player
  • 1977 – Natalia Oreiro, Uruguayan singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1978 – Marcus Bent, English footballer
  • 1978 – Dave Bus, Dutch footballer
  • 1979 – Andrea Pirlo, Italian footballer
  • 1979 – Diego Forlan, Uruguayan footballer
  • 1980 – Tony Hackworth, English footballer
  • 1981 – Luciano Figueroa, Argentinian footballer
  • 1981 – Yo Gotti, American rapper
  • 1981 – Michael Leighton, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1981 – Sina Schielke, German sprinter
  • 1981 – Klaas-Erik Zwering, Dutch swimmer
  • 1982 – Kevin Amankwaah, English footballer
  • 1982 – Pål Steffen Andresen, Norwegian footballer
  • 1982 – Klaas Vantornout, Belgian cyclist
  • 1983 – Michael Che, American comedian
  • 1983 – Jessica Fox, English actress
  • 1984 – Marcedes Lewis, American football player
  • 1985 – Aleister Black, Dutch professional wrestler
  • 1986 – Mario Chalmers, American basketball player
  • 1987 – Michael Angelakos, American singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1987 – David Edgar, Canadian soccer player
  • 1987 – Mariano Torres, Argentinian footballer
  • 1987 – Jayne Wisener, Northern Irish actress
  • 1991 – Jordan Pruitt, American singer-songwriter
  • 1992 – Marshmello, American electronic music producer and DJ
  • 1992 – Michele Camporese, Italian footballer
  • 1992 – Ola John, Dutch footballer
  • 1992 – Felise Kaufusi, New Zealand-Tongan rugby league player
  • 1992 – Evgeny Kuznetsov, Russian ice hockey player
  • 1992 – Sam Smith, English singer-songwriter
  • 1994 – Carlos Guzmán, Mexican footballer
  • 1995 – Taane Milne, New Zealand rugby league player

Deaths on May 19

  • 804 – Alcuin, English monk and scholar (b. 735)
  • 956 – Robert, archbishop of Trier
  • 988 – Dunstan, English archbishop and saint (b. 909)
  • 1102 – Stephen, Count of Blois (b. 1045)
  • 1125 – Vladimir II Monomakh, Grand Duke of Kiev
  • 1164 – Saint Bashnouna, Egyptian saint and martyr
  • 1218 – Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor
  • 1296 – Pope Celestine V (b. 1215)
  • 1303 – Saint Ivo of Kermartin, French canon lawyer (b. 1253)
  • 1319 – Louis, Count of Évreux (b. 1276)
  • 1389 – Dmitry Donskoy, Grand Prince of Muscovy (b. 1350)
  • 1396 – John I of Aragon (b. 1350)
  • 1526 – Emperor Go-Kashiwabara of Japan (b. 1464)
  • 1531 – Jan Łaski, Polish archbishop and diplomat (b. 1456)
  • 1536 – Anne Boleyn, Queen of England (1533–1536); second wife of Henry VIII of England (b. c. 1501)
  • 1601 – Costanzo Porta, Italian composer (b. 1528)
  • 1609 – García Hurtado de Mendoza, 5th Marquis of Cañete (b. 1535)
  • 1610 – Thomas Sanchez, Spanish priest and theologian (b. 1550)
  • 1623 – Mariam-uz-Zamani, Empress of the Mughal Empire (b. 1542)
  • 1637 – Isaac Beeckman, Dutch scientist and philosopher (b. 1588)
  • 1715 – Charles Montagu, 1st Earl of Halifax, English poet and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (b. 1661)
  • 1786 – John Stanley, English organist and composer (b. 1712)
  • 1795 – Josiah Bartlett, American physician and politician, 4th Governor of New Hampshire (b. 1729)
  • 1795 – James Boswell, Scottish biographer (b. 1740)
  • 1798 – William Byron, 5th Baron Byron, English lieutenant and politician (b. 1722)
  • 1821 – Camille Jordan, French lawyer and politician (b. 1771)
  • 1825 – Claude Henri de Rouvroy, comte de Saint-Simon, French philosopher and theorist (b. 1760)
  • 1831 – Johann Friedrich von Eschscholtz, Estonian-German physician, botanist, and entomologist (b. 1793)
  • 1864 – Nathaniel Hawthorne, American novelist and short story writer (b. 1804)
  • 1865 – Sengge Rinchen, Mongolian general (b. 1811)
  • 1872 – John Baker, English-Australian politician, 2nd Premier of South Australia (b. 1813)
  • 1876 – Guillaume Groen van Prinsterer, Dutch historian and politician (b. 1801)
  • 1885 – Peter W. Barlow, English engineer (b. 1809)
  • 1895 – José Martí, Cuban journalist, poet, and philosopher (b. 1853)
  • 1898 – William Ewart Gladstone, English lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1809)
  • 1901 – Marthinus Wessel Pretorius, South African general and politician, 1st President of the South African Republic (b. 1819)
  • 1903 – Arthur Shrewsbury, English cricketer (b. 1856)
  • 1904 – Auguste Molinier, French librarian and historian (b. 1851)
  • 1904 – Jamsetji Tata, Indian businessman, founded Tata Group (b. 1839)
  • 1906 – Gabriel Dumont, Canadian Métis leader (b. 1837)
  • 1907 – Benjamin Baker, English engineer, designed the Forth Bridge (b. 1840)
  • 1912 – Bolesław Prus, Polish journalist and author (b. 1847)
  • 1915 – John Simpson Kirkpatrick, English-Australian soldier (b. 1892)
  • 1918 – Gervais Raoul Lufbery, French-American soldier and pilot (b. 1885)
  • 1935 – T. E. Lawrence, British colonel and archaeologist (b. 1888)
  • 1936 – Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall, British Islamic scholar (b. 1875)
  • 1939 – Ahmet Ağaoğlu, Azerbaijani-Turkish journalist and publicist (b. 1869)
  • 1943 – Kristjan Raud, Estonian painter and illustrator (b. 1865)
  • 1945 – Philipp Bouhler, German soldier and politician (b. 1889)
  • 1946 – Booth Tarkington, American novelist and dramatist (b. 1869)
  • 1950 – Daniel Ciugureanu, Romanian physician and politician, Prime Minister of Moldova (b. 1884)
  • 1954 – Charles Ives, American composer and educator (b. 1874)
  • 1958 – Jadunath Sarkar, Indian historian (b. 1870)
  • 1958 – Archie Scott Brown, Scottish race car driver (b. 1927)
  • 1958 – Ronald Colman, English actor (b. 1891)
  • 1963 – Walter Russell, American painter, sculptor, and author (b. 1871)
  • 1969 – Coleman Hawkins, American saxophonist and clarinet player (b. 1901)
  • 1971 – Ogden Nash, American poet (b. 1902)
  • 1978 – Albert Kivikas, Estonian-Swedish journalist and author (b. 1898)
  • 1980 – Joseph Schull, Canadian playwright and historian (b. 1906)
  • 1983 – Jean Rey, Belgian lawyer and politician, 2nd President of the European Commission (b. 1902)
  • 1984 – John Betjeman, English poet and academic (b. 1906)
  • 1986 – Jimmy Lyons, American saxophonist (b. 1931)
  • 1987 – James Tiptree, Jr., American psychologist and author (b. 1915)
  • 1989 – Yiannis Papaioannou, Greek composer and educator (b. 1910)
  • 1994 – Jacques Ellul, French sociologist, philosopher, and academic (b. 1912)
  • 1994 – Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, American journalist, 37th First Lady of the United States (b. 1929)
  • 1994 – Luis Ocaña, Spanish cyclist (b. 1945)
  • 1996 – John Beradino, American baseball player and actor (b. 1917)
  • 1998 – Sōsuke Uno, Japanese soldier and politician, 75th Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1922)
  • 2001 – Alexey Maresyev, Russian soldier and pilot (b. 1916)
  • 2001 – Susannah McCorkle, American singer (b. 1946)
  • 2002 – John Gorton, Australian lieutenant and politician, 19th Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1911)
  • 2002 – Walter Lord, American historian and author (b. 1917)
  • 2004 – Mary Dresselhuys, Dutch actress and screenwriter (b. 1907)
  • 2007 – Bernard Blaut, Polish footballer and coach (b. 1940)
  • 2007 – Dean Eyre, New Zealand politician (b. 1914)
  • 2008 – Vijay Tendulkar, Indian playwright and screenwriter (b. 1928)
  • 2009 – Robert F. Furchgott, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1916)
  • 2009 – Nicholas Maw, English composer and academic (b. 1935)
  • 2009 – Clint Smith, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1913)
  • 2011 – Garret FitzGerald, Irish lawyer and politician, 8th Taoiseach of Ireland (b. 1926)
  • 2011 – Jeffrey Catherine Jones, American artist (b.1944)
  • 2012 – Bob Boozer, American basketball player (b. 1937)
  • 2012 – Tamara Brooks, American conductor and educator (b. 1941)
  • 2012 – Ian Burgess, English race car driver (b. 1930)
  • 2012 – Gerhard Hetz, German-Mexican swimmer (b. 1942)
  • 2012 – Phil Lamason, New Zealand soldier and pilot (b. 1918)
  • 2013 – G. Sarsfield Ford, American lawyer and jurist (b. 1933)
  • 2013 – Robin Harrison, English-Canadian pianist and composer (b. 1932)
  • 2013 – Neil Reynolds, Canadian journalist and politician (b. 1940)
  • 2014 – Simon Andrews, English motorcycle racer (b. 1982)
  • 2014 – Jack Brabham, Australian race car driver (b. 1926)
  • 2014 – Terry W. Gee, American businessman and politician (b. 1940)
  • 2014 – Sam Greenlee, American author and poet (b. 1930)
  • 2014 – Vincent Harding, American historian and scholar (b. 1931)
  • 2014 – Gabriel Kolko, American historian and author (b. 1932)
  • 2014 – Zbigniew Pietrzykowski, Polish boxer (b. 1934)
  • 2015 – Bruce Lundvall, American businessman (b. 1935)
  • 2015 – Ted McWhinney, Australian-Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1924)
  • 2015 – Happy Rockefeller, American philanthropist, socialite; 31st Second Lady of the United States (b. 1926)
  • 2015 – Robert S. Wistrich, English historian, author, and academic (b. 1945)
  • 2016 – Alan Young, English-born Canadian-American actor (b. 1919)
  • 2016 – Morley Safer, Canadian-born American journalist (b. 1931)
  • 2017 – Nawshirwan Mustafa, General coordinator of the Movement for Change (Gorran) (b. 1944)
  • 2018 – Zhengzhang Shangfang, Chinese linguist (b. 1933)

Holidays and observances on May 19

  • Christian feast day:
    • Calocerus (Eastern Orthodox Church)
    • Crispin of Viterbo
    • Dunstan (Roman Catholic Church, Orthodox Church; commemoration, Anglicanism)
    • Ivo of Kermartin
    • Joaquina Vedruna de Mas
    • Maria Bernarda Bütler
    • Peter Celestine
    • Pudentiana (Roman Catholic Church, Orthodox Church)
    • May 19 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day (Turkey, Northern Cyprus)
  • Greek Genocide Remembrance Day (Greece)
  • Hồ Chí Minh’s Birthday (Vietnam)
  • Malcolm X Day (United States of America)
  • National Asian & Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (United States)
  • Hepatitis Testing Day (United States)
  • Mother’s Day (Kyrgyzstan)

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

On This Day

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

On This Day /
  • 946 – Emperor Suzaku abdicates the throne in favor of his brother Murakami who becomes the 62nd emperor of Japan.
  • 1204 – Having been elected on May 9, Baldwin IX, Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire.
  • 1426 – Gov. Thado of Mohnyin becomes king of Ava.
  • 1527 – The Florentines drive out the Medici for a second time and Florence re-establishes itself as a republic.
  • 1532 – Sir Thomas More resigns as Lord Chancellor of England.
  • 1568 – Mary, Queen of Scots, flees to England.
  • 1584 – Santiago de Vera becomes sixth Governor-General of the Spanish colony of the Philippines.
  • 1739 – The Battle of Vasai concludes as the Marathas defeat the Portuguese army.
  • 1770 – The 14-year-old Marie Antoinette marries 15-year-old Louis-Auguste, who later becomes king of France.
  • 1771 – The Battle of Alamance, a pre-American Revolutionary War battle between local militia and a group of rebels called The “Regulators”, occurs in present-day Alamance County, North Carolina.
  • 1811 – Peninsular War: The allies Spain, Portugal and United Kingdom, defeat the French at the Battle of Albuera.
  • 1812 – Imperial Russia signs the Treaty of Bucharest, ending the Russo-Turkish War. The Ottoman Empire cedes Bessarabia to Russia.
  • 1822 – Greek War of Independence: The Turks capture the Greek town of Souli.
  • 1832 – Juan Godoy discovers the rich silver outcrops of Chañarcillo sparking the Chilean silver rush.
  • 1834 – The Battle of Asseiceira is fought, the last and decisive engagement of the Liberal Wars in Portugal.
  • 1842 – The first major wagon train heading for the Pacific Northwest sets out on the Oregon Trail from Elm Grove, Missouri, with 100 pioneers.
  • 1866 – The United States Congress establishes the nickel.
  • 1868 – The United States Senate fails to convict President Andrew Johnson by one vote.
  • 1874 – A flood on the Mill River in Massachusetts destroys much of four villages and kills 139 people.
  • 1877 – The 16 May 1877 crisis occurs in France, ending with the dissolution of the National Assembly 22 June and affirming the interpretation of the Constitution of 1875 as a parliamentary rather than presidential system. The elections held in October 1877 led to the defeat of the royalists as a formal political movement in France.
  • 1888 – Nikola Tesla delivers a lecture describing the equipment which will allow efficient generation and use of alternating currents to transmit electric power over long distances.
  • 1891 – The International Electrotechnical Exhibition opens in Frankfurt, Germany, and will feature the world’s first long-distance transmission of high-power, three-phase electric current (the most common form today).
  • 1916 – The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the French Third Republic sign the secret wartime Sykes-Picot Agreement partitioning former Ottoman territories such as Iraq and Syria.
  • 1918 – The Sedition Act of 1918 is passed by the U.S. Congress, making criticism of the government during wartime an imprisonable offense. It will be repealed less than two years later.
  • 1919 – A naval Curtiss NC-4 aircraft commanded by Albert Cushing Read leaves Trepassey, Newfoundland, for Lisbon via the Azores on the first transatlantic flight.
  • 1920 – In Rome, Pope Benedict XV canonizes Joan of Arc.
  • 1929 – In Hollywood, the first Academy Awards ceremony takes place.
  • 1943 – The Holocaust: The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising ends.
  • 1951 – The first regularly scheduled transatlantic flights begin between Idlewild Airport (now John F Kennedy International Airport) in New York City and Heathrow Airport in London, operated by El Al Israel Airlines.
  • 1959 – The Triton Fountain in Valletta, Malta is turned on for the first time.
  • 1960 – Theodore Maiman operates the first optical laser (a ruby laser), at Hughes Research Laboratories in Malibu, California.
  • 1961 – Park Chung-hee leads a coup d’état to overthrow the Second Republic of South Korea.
  • 1966 – The Communist Party of China issues the “May 16 Notice”, marking the beginning of the Cultural Revolution.
  • 1969 – Venera program: Venera 5, a Soviet space probe, lands on Venus.
  • 1974 – Josip Broz Tito is elected president for life of Yugoslavia.
  • 1988 – A report by the Surgeon General of the United States C. Everett Koop states that the addictive properties of nicotine are similar to those of heroin and cocaine.
  • 1991 – Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom addresses a joint session of the United States Congress. She is the first British monarch to address the U.S. Congress.
  • 1997 – Mobutu Sese Seko, the President of Zaire, flees the country.
  • 2003 – In Morocco, 33 civilians are killed and more than 100 people are injured in the Casablanca terrorist attacks.
  • 2005 – Kuwait permits women’s suffrage in a 35–23 National Assembly vote.
  • 2011 – STS-134 (ISS assembly flight ULF6), launched from the Kennedy Space Center on the 25th and final flight for Space Shuttle Endeavour.
  • 2014 – Twelve people are killed in two explosions in the Gikomba market area of Nairobi, Kenya.

Births on May 16

  • 1418 – John II of Cyprus, King of Cyprus and Armenia and also titular King of Jerusalem from 1432 to 1458 (probable; d. 1458)
  • 1455 – Wolfgang I of Oettingen, German count (d. 1522)
  • 1542 – Anna Sibylle of Hanau-Lichtenberg, German noblewoman (d. 1580)
  • 1606 – John Bulwer, British doctor (d. 1656)
  • 1611 – Pope Innocent XI (d. 1689)
  • 1641 – Dudley North, English economist and politician (d. 1691)
  • 1710 – William Talbot, 1st Earl Talbot, English politician, Lord Steward of the Household (d. 1782)
  • 1718 – Maria Gaetana Agnesi, Italian mathematician and philosopher (d. 1799)
  • 1763 – Louis Nicolas Vauquelin, French pharmacist and chemist (d. 1829)
  • 1788 – Friedrich Rückert, German poet and translator (d. 1866)
  • 1801 – William H. Seward, American lawyer and politician, 24th United States Secretary of State (d. 1872)
  • 1804 – Elizabeth Palmer Peabody, American educator who founded the first U.S. kindergarten (d. 1894)
  • 1819 – Johann Voldemar Jannsen, Estonian journalist and poet (d. 1890)
  • 1821 – Pafnuty Chebyshev, Russian mathematician and statistician (d. 1894)
  • 1824 – Levi P. Morton, American banker and politician, 22nd United States Vice President (d. 1920)
  • 1824 – Edmund Kirby Smith, American general (d. 1893)
  • 1827 – Pierre Cuypers, Dutch architect, designed the Amsterdam Centraal railway station and Rijksmuseum (d. 1921)
  • 1831 – David Edward Hughes, Welsh-American physicist, co-invented the microphone (d. 1900)
  • 1862 – Margaret Fountaine, English lepidopterist and diarist (d.1940)
  • 1876 – Fred Conrad Koch, American biochemist and endocrinologist (d. 1948)
  • 1879 – Pierre Gilliard, Swiss author and academic (d. 1962)
  • 1882 – Simeon Price, American golfer (d. 1945)
  • 1883 – Celâl Bayar, Turkish politician, 3rd President of Turkey (d. 1986)
  • 1888 – Royal Rife, American microbiologist and instrument maker (d. 1971)
  • 1890 – Edith Grace White, American ichthyologist (d. 1975)
  • 1892 – Osgood Perkins, American actor (d. 1937)
  • 1894 – Walter Yust, American journalist and writer (d. 1960)
  • 1897 – Zvi Sliternik, Israeli entomologist and academic (d. 1994)
  • 1898 – Tamara de Lempicka, Polish-American painter (d. 1980)
  • 1898 – Desanka Maksimović, Serbian poet and academic (d. 1993)
  • 1898 – Kenji Mizoguchi, Japanese director and screenwriter (d. 1956)
  • 1903 – Charles F. Brannock, American inventor and manufacturer (d. 1992)
  • 1905 – Henry Fonda, American actor (d. 1982)
  • 1906 – Ernie McCormick, Australian cricketer (d. 1991)
  • 1906 – Alfred Pellan, Canadian painter and educator (d. 1988)
  • 1906 – Arturo Uslar Pietri, Venezuelan lawyer, journalist, and author (d. 2001)
  • 1906 – Margret Rey, German author and illustrator (d. 1996)
  • 1907 – Bob Tisdall, Irish hurdler (d. 2004)
  • 1909 – Margaret Sullavan, American actress and singer (d. 1960)
  • 1909 – Luigi Villoresi, Italian race car driver (d. 1997)
  • 1910 – Olga Bergholz, Russian poet and author (d. 1975)
  • 1910 – Higashifushimi Kunihide, Japanese monk and educator (d. 2014)
  • 1910 – Aleksandr Ivanovich Laktionov, Russian painter and educator (d. 1972)
  • 1912 – Studs Terkel, American historian and author (d. 2008)
  • 1913 – Gordon Chalk, Australian politician, 30th Premier of Queensland (d. 1991)
  • 1913 – Woody Herman, American singer, saxophonist, and clarinet player (d. 1987)
  • 1914 – Edward T. Hall, American anthropologist and author (d. 2009)
  • 1915 – Mario Monicelli, Italian director and screenwriter (d. 2010)
  • 1916 – Ephraim Katzir, Israeli biophysicist and politician, 4th President of Israel (d. 2009)
  • 1917 – Ben Kuroki, American sergeant and pilot (d. 2015)
  • 1917 – James C. Murray, American lawyer and politician (d. 1999)
  • 1917 – Juan Rulfo, Mexican author and photographer (d. 1986)
  • 1918 – Wilf Mannion, English footballer and manager (d. 2000)
  • 1919 – Liberace, American pianist and entertainer (d. 1987)
  • 1919 – Ramon Margalef, Spanish ecologist and biologist (d. 2004)
  • 1920 – Martine Carol, French actress (d. 1967)
  • 1921 – Harry Carey, Jr., American actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2012)
  • 1923 – Victoria Fromkin, American linguist and academic (d. 2000)
  • 1923 – Merton Miller, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2000)
  • 1923 – Peter Underwood, English parapsychologist and author (d. 2014)
  • 1924 – Dawda Jawara, 1st President of the Gambia (d. 2019)
  • 1925 – Nancy Roman, American astronomer (d. 2018)
  • 1925 – Ola Vincent, Nigerian banker and economist (d. 2012)
  • 1925 – Nílton Santos, Brazilian footballer (d. 2013)
  • 1928 – Billy Martin, American baseball player and coach (d. 1989)
  • 1929 – Betty Carter, American singer-songwriter (d. 1998)
  • 1929 – John Conyers, American lawyer and politician (d. 2019)
  • 1929 – Claude Morin, Canadian academic and politician
  • 1929 – Adrienne Rich, American poet, essayist, and feminist (d. 2012)
  • 1930 – Friedrich Gulda, Austrian pianist and composer (d. 2000)
  • 1931 – Vujadin Boškov, Serbian footballer, coach, and manager (d. 2014)
  • 1931 – Hana Brady, Jewish-Czech Holocaust victim (d.1944)
  • 1931 – K. Natwar Singh, Indian scholar and politician, Indian Minister of External Affairs
  • 1931 – Lowell P. Weicker, Jr., American soldier and politician, 85th Governor of Connecticut
  • 1934 – Kenneth O. Morgan, Welsh historian and author
  • 1934 – Antony Walker, English general
  • 1935 – Floyd Smith, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1936 – Karl Lehmann, German cardinal (d. 2018)
  • 1937 – Yvonne Craig, American ballet dancer and actress (d. 2015)
  • 1938 – Stuart Bell, English lawyer and politician (d. 2012)
  • 1938 – Ivan Sutherland, American computer scientist and academic
  • 1938 – Marco Aurelio Denegri, Peruvian television host and sexologist (d. 2018)
  • 1941 – Denis Hart, Australian archbishop
  • 1942 – David Penry-Davey, English lawyer and judge (d. 2015)
  • 1943 – Kay Andrews, Baroness Andrews, English politician
  • 1943 – Dan Coats, American politician and diplomat, 29th United States Ambassador to Germany
  • 1943 – Wieteke van Dort, Dutch actress, comedian, singer, writer and artist
  • 1944 – Billy Cobham, Panamanian-American drummer, composer, and bandleader
  • 1944 – Antal Nagy, Hungarian footballer
  • 1944 – Danny Trejo, American actor
  • 1946 – John Law, English sociologist and academic
  • 1946 – Robert Fripp, English guitarist, songwriter and producer
  • 1947 – Cheryl Clarke, American writer
  • 1947 – Darrell Sweet, Scottish drummer (d. 1999)
  • 1947 – Roch Thériault, Canadian religious leader (d. 2011)
  • 1948 – Jesper Christensen, Danish actor, director, and producer
  • 1948 – Judy Finnigan, English talk show host and author
  • 1948 – Enrico Fumia, Italian automobile and product designer
  • 1948 – Emma Georgina Rothschild, English historian and academic
  • 1948 – Staf Van Roosbroeck, Belgian cyclist
  • 1949 – Rick Reuschel, American baseball player
  • 1950 – Georg Bednorz, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1950 – Ray Condo, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2004)
  • 1950 – Bruce Coville, American author
  • 1951 – Christian Lacroix, French fashion designer
  • 1951 – Jonathan Richman, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1951 – Janet Soskice, Canadian philosopher and theologian
  • 1952 – James Herndon, American psychologist and academic
  • 1953 – Pierce Brosnan, Irish-American actor and producer
  • 1953 – Peter Onorati, American actor
  • 1953 – Richard Page, American singer-songwriter and bass player
  • 1953 – Kitanoumi Toshimitsu, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 55th Yokozuna (d. 2015)
  • 1953 – David Maclean, Scottish politician
  • 1953 – Stephen Woolman, Lord Woolman, Scottish judge and academic
  • 1954 – Dafydd Williams, Canadian physician and astronaut
  • 1955 – Olga Korbut, Soviet gymnast
  • 1955 – Jack Morris, American baseball player and sportscaster
  • 1955 – Hazel O’Connor, English-born Irish singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1955 – Páidí Ó Sé, Irish footballer and manager (d. 2012)
  • 1955 – Debra Winger, American actress
  • 1956 – Loretta Schrijver, Dutch television host, news anchor
  • 1957 – Joan Benoit, American runner
  • 1957 – Benjamin Mancroft, 3rd Baron Mancroft, English politician
  • 1957 – Yuri Shevchuk, Russian singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1957 – Anthony St John, 22nd Baron St John of Bletso, English lawyer and businessman
  • 1957 – Bob Suter, American ice hockey player and coach (d. 2014)
  • 1959 – Mitch Webster, American baseball player
  • 1959 – Mare Winningham, American actress and singer-songwriter
  • 1960 – Landon Deireragea, Nauruan politician, Nauruan Speaker of Parliament
  • 1960 – S. Shanmuganathan, Sri Lankan commander and politician (d. 1998)
  • 1961 – Kevin McDonald, Canadian actor and screenwriter
  • 1961 – Charles Wright, American wrestler
  • 1962 – Jimmy Hood, Scottish engineer and politician (d. 2017)
  • 1962 – Helga Radtke, German long jumper
  • 1963 – Rachel Griffith, Anglo-American economist
  • 1963 – David Wilkinson, English theologian and academic
  • 1964 – John Salley, American basketball player and actor
  • 1964 – Boyd Tinsley, American singer-songwriter and violinist
  • 1964 – Milton Jones, English comedian, actor, and screenwriter
  • 1965 – Krist Novoselic, American bass player, songwriter, author, and activist
  • 1965 – Tanel Tammet, Estonian computer scientist, engineer, and academic
  • 1966 – Janet Jackson, American singer-songwriter, producer, dancer, and actress
  • 1966 – Scott Reeves, American singer-songwriter and actor
  • 1966 – Thurman Thomas, American football player
  • 1967 – Doug Brocail, American baseball player and coach
  • 1967 – Susan Williams, Baroness Williams of Trafford, British politician
  • 1968 – Ralph Tresvant, American singer and producer
  • 1969 – David Boreanaz, American actor
  • 1969 – Tucker Carlson, American journalist, co-founded The Daily Caller
  • 1969 – Steve Lewis, American sprinter
  • 1970 – Gabriela Sabatini, Argentinian tennis player
  • 1970 – Danielle Spencer, Australian singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1971 – Phil Clarke, English rugby league player and sportscaster
  • 1971 – Rachel Goswell, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1972 – Christian Califano, French rugby player
  • 1972 – Matthew Hart, New Zealand cricketer
  • 1973 – Tori Spelling, American actress, reality television personality, and author
  • 1974 – Laura Pausini, Italian singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1974 – Sonny Sandoval, American singer-songwriter and rapper
  • 1975 – Tony Kakko, Finnish musician, composer, and vocalist
  • 1975 – Simon Whitfield, Canadian triathlete
  • 1976 – Dirk Nannes, Australian-Dutch cricketer
  • 1977 – Melanie Lynskey, New Zealand actress
  • 1977 – Emilíana Torrini, Icelandic singer-songwriter
  • 1978 – Scott Nicholls, English motorcycle racer
  • 1978 – Lionel Scaloni, Argentinian footballer
  • 1980 – Nuria Llagostera Vives, Spanish tennis player
  • 1981 – Ricardo Costa, Portuguese footballer
  • 1982 – Łukasz Kubot, Polish tennis player
  • 1983 – Daniel Kerr, Australian footballer
  • 1983 – Kyle Wellwood, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1984 – Darío Cvitanich, Argentinian footballer
  • 1984 – Tomáš Fleischmann, Czech ice hockey player
  • 1984 – Jensen Lewis, American baseball player
  • 1984 – Rick Rypien, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2011)
  • 1985 – Anja Mittag, German footballer
  • 1985 – Rodrigo Peters Marques, Brazilian footballer
  • 1985 – Corey Perry, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1986 – Megan Fox, American actress
  • 1986 – Andy Keogh, Irish footballer
  • 1986 – Shamcey Supsup, Filipino model and architect
  • 1987 – Tom Onslow-Cole, English race car driver
  • 1988 – Jesús Castillo, Mexican footballer
  • 1988 – Martynas Gecevičius, Lithuanian basketball player
  • 1988 – Jaak Põldma, Estonian tennis player
  • 1989 – Behati Prinsloo, Namibian model
  • 1990 – Amanda Carreras, Gibraltarian tennis player
  • 1990 – Thomas Brodie-Sangster, English actor
  • 1990 – Darko Šarović, Serbian sprinter
  • 1990 – Omar Strong, American basketball player
  • 1991 – Grigor Dimitrov, Bulgarian tennis player
  • 1991 – Joey Graceffa, American internet celebrity
  • 1991 – Ashley Wagner, American figure skater
  • 1992 – Jeff Skinner, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1992 – Kirstin Maldonado, American singer and songwriter
  • 1993 – Johannes Thingnes Bø, Norwegian biathlete
  • 1993 – Karol Mets, Estonian footballer
  • 1993 – IU, Korean singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1995 – Elizabeth Ralston, Australian footballer
  • 1996 – Louisa Chirico, an American tennis player

Deaths on May 16

  • 290 – Emperor Wu of Jin, Chinese emperor (b. 236)
  • 895 – Qian Kuan, Chinese nobleman
  • 934 – Meng Hanqiong, eunuch official of Later Tang
  • 995 – Fujiwara no Michitaka, Japanese nobleman (b. 953)
  • 1182 – John Komnenos Vatatzes, Byzantine general (b. 1132)
  • 1265 – Simon Stock, English-French saint (b. 1165)
  • 1375 – Liu Bowen, Chinese military strategist, officer, statesman and poet (b. 1311)
  • 1412 – Gian Maria Visconti, Duke of Milan (b. 1388)
  • 1561 – Jan Tarnowski, Polish noble and statesman (b. 1488)
  • 1620 – William Adams, English sailor and navigator (b. 1564)
  • 1657 – Andrew Bobola, Polish missionary and martyr (b. 1591)
  • 1667 – Thomas Wriothesley, 4th Earl of Southampton, English politician, Lord High Treasurer (b. 1607)
  • 1669 – Pietro da Cortona, Italian painter and architect, designed the Santi Luca e Martina (b. 1596)
  • 1691 – Jacob Leisler, German-American politician, 8th Colonial Governor of New York (b. 1640)
  • 1696 – Mariana of Austria, Queen consort of Spain (b. 1634)
  • 1703 – Charles Perrault, French author and academic (b. 1628)
  • 1778 – Robert Darcy, 4th Earl of Holderness, English politician, Secretary of State for the Southern Department (b. 1718)
  • 1790 – Philip Yorke, 2nd Earl of Hardwicke, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire (b. 1720)
  • 1818 – Matthew Lewis, English author and playwright (b. 1775)
  • 1823 – Grace Elliott, Scottish courtesan and spy (b. c.1754)
  • 1830 – Joseph Fourier, French mathematician and physicist (b. 1768)
  • 1862 – Edward Gibbon Wakefield, English politician (b. 1796)
  • 1882 – Reuben Chapman, American lawyer and politician, 13th Governor of Alabama (b. 1799)
  • 1890 – Mihkel Veske, Estonian poet, linguist and theologist (b. 1843)
  • 1891 – Ion C. Brătianu, Romanian politician, 14th Prime Minister of Romania (b. 1821)
  • 1910 – Henri-Edmond Cross, French Neo-Impressionist painter (b. 1856)
  • 1913 – Louis Perrier, Swiss architect and politician (b. 1849)
  • 1920 – Levi P. Morton, American politician, 22nd United States Vice President (b. 1824)
  • 1926 – Mehmed VI, Ottoman sultan (b. 1861)
  • 1936 – Leonidas Paraskevopoulos, Greek general and politician (b. 1860)
  • 1938 – Joseph Strauss, American engineer, co designed The Golden Gate Bridge (b. 1870)
  • 1943 – Alfred Hoche, German psychiatrist and academic (b. 1865)
  • 1944 – George Ade, American journalist, author, and playwright (b. 1866)
  • 1946 – Bruno Tesch, German chemist and businessman (b. 1890)
  • 1947 – Frederick Gowland Hopkins, English biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1861)
  • 1947 – Zhang Lingfu, Chinese general (b. 1903)
  • 1953 – Django Reinhardt, Belgian guitarist and composer (b. 1910)
  • 1954 – Clemens Krauss, Austrian conductor and manager (b. 1893)
  • 1955 – James Agee, American novelist, screenwriter, and critic(b. 1909)
  • 1955 – Manny Ayulo, American race car driver (b. 1921)
  • 1956 – H. B. Reese, American candy-maker and businessman, created Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (b. 1876)
  • 1957 – Eliot Ness, American federal agent (b. 1903)
  • 1961 – George A. Malcolm, American lawyer and jurist (b. 1881)
  • 1973 – Jacques Lipchitz, Lithuanian-American sculptor (b. 1891)
  • 1977 – Modibo Keïta, Malian politician, 1st President of Mali (b. 1915)
  • 1979 – A. Philip Randolph, American union leader and activist (b. 1889)
  • 1981 – Ernie Freeman, American pianist, composer, and bandleader (b. 1922)
  • 1981 – Willy Hartner, German physician and academic (b. 1905)
  • 1984 – Andy Kaufman, American actor, comedian, and screenwriter (b. 1949)
  • 1984 – Irwin Shaw, American playwright, screenwriter, novelist, and short story writer (b. 1913)
  • 1985 – Margaret Hamilton, American actress (b. 1902)
  • 1989 – Leila Kasra, Iranian poet and songwriter (b. 1939)
  • 1990 – Sammy Davis Jr., American singer, dancer, and actor (b. 1925)
  • 1990 – Jim Henson, American puppeteer, director, producer, and screenwriter, created The Muppets (b. 1936)
  • 1993 – Marv Johnson, American singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1938)
  • 1994 – Alain Cuny, French actor (b. 1908)
  • 1996 – Jeremy Michael Boorda, American admiral (b. 1939)
  • 1997 – Elbridge Durbrow, American diplomat (b. 1903)
  • 2002 – Alec Campbell, Australian soldier (b. 1899)
  • 2003 – Mark McCormack, American lawyer and sports agent, founded IMG (b. 1930)
  • 2005 – Andrew Goodpaster, American general (b. 1915)
  • 2008 – Robert Mondavi, American winemaker, co-founded the Opus One Winery (b. 1913)
  • 2010 – Ronnie James Dio, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1942)
  • 2010 – Hank Jones, American pianist, composer, and bandleader (b. 1918)
  • 2011 – Ralph Barker, English author (b. 1917)
  • 2011 – Bob Davis, Australian footballer and coach (b. 1928)
  • 2011 – Edward Hardwicke, English actor (b. 1932)
  • 2011 – Kiyoshi Kodama, Japanese actor (b. 1934)
  • 2012 – Patricia Aakhus, American author and academic (b. 1952)
  • 2012 – James Abdnor, American soldier and politician, 30th Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota (b. 1923)
  • 2012 – Chuck Brown, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1936)
  • 2012 – Ernie Chan, Filipino-American illustrator (b. 1940)
  • 2012 – Kevin Hickey, American baseball player (b. 1956)
  • 2013 – Angelo Errichetti, American politician (b. 1928)
  • 2013 – Bryan Illerbrun, Canadian football player (b. 1957)
  • 2013 – Frankie Librán, Puerto Rican-American baseball player (b. 1948)
  • 2013 – Heinrich Rohrer, Swiss physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1933)
  • 2013 – Dick Trickle, American race car driver (b. 1941)
  • 2013 – Bernard Waber, American author and illustrator (b. 1921)
  • 2014 – Chris Duckworth, Zimbabwean-South African cricketer (b. 1933)
  • 2014 – Vito Favero, Italian cyclist (b. 1932)
  • 2014 – Bud Hollowell, American baseball player and manager (b. 1943)
  • 2014 – Clyde Snow, American anthropologist and author (b. 1928)
  • 2015 – Prashant Bhargava, American director and producer (b. 1973)
  • 2015 – Moshe Levinger, Israeli rabbi and author (b. 1935)
  • 2015 – Flora MacNeil, Scottish Gaelic singer (b. 1928)
  • 2019 – Piet Blauw, Dutch politician (b. 1937)
  • 2019 – Bob Hawke, Australian politician, 23rd Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1929)
  • 2019 – I. M. Pei, Chinese-American architect (b. 1917)

Holidays and observances on May 16

  • Christian feast day:
    • Aaron (Coptic Church)
    • Abda and Abdjesus, and companions:
      • Abdas of Susa
    • Andrew Bobola
    • Brendan the Navigator (Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Communion, Eastern Orthodox Church)
    • Caroline Chisholm (Church of England)
    • Gemma Galgani (Passionists Calendar)
    • Germerius
    • Honoratus of Amiens
    • John of Nepomuk
    • Margaret of Cortona
    • Peregrine of Auxerre
    • Simon Stock
    • Ubald (see Saint Ubaldo Day)
  • Martyrs of Sudan (Episcopal Church (USA))
  • Mass Graves Day (Iraq)
  • National Day, declared by Salva Kiir Mayardit (South Sudan)
  • Teachers’ Day (Malaysia)

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

On This Day

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

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

Births on May 14

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

Deaths on May 14

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

Holidays and observances on May 14

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

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

On This Day

May 13 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 1373 – Julian of Norwich has visions of Jesus while suffering from a life-threatening illness, visions which are later described and interpreted in her book Revelations of Divine Love.
  • 1515 – Mary Tudor, Queen of France, and Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, are officially married at Greenwich.
  • 1568 – Battle of Langside: The forces of Mary, Queen of Scots, are defeated by a confederacy of Scottish Protestants under James Stewart, Earl of Moray, her half-brother.
  • 1619 – Dutch statesman Johan van Oldenbarnevelt is executed in The Hague after being convicted of treason.
  • 1779 – War of the Bavarian Succession: Russian and French mediators at the Congress of Teschen negotiate an end to the war. In the agreement Austria receives the part of its territory that was taken from it (the Innviertel).
  • 1780 – The Cumberland Compact is signed by leaders of the settlers in the Cumberland River area of what would become the U.S. state of Tennessee, providing for democratic government and a formal system of justice.
  • 1787 – Captain Arthur Phillip leaves Portsmouth, England, with eleven ships full of convicts (the “First Fleet”) to establish a penal colony in Australia.
  • 1804 – Forces sent by Yusuf Karamanli of Tripoli to retake Derna from the Americans attack the city.
  • 1830 – Ecuador gains its independence from Gran Colombia.
  • 1846 – Mexican–American War: The United States declares war on the Federal Republic of Mexico following a dispute over the American annexation of the Republic of Texas and a Mexican military incursion.
  • 1861 – American Civil War: Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom issues a “proclamation of neutrality” which recognizes the Confederacy as having belligerent rights.
  • 1861 – The Great Comet of 1861 is discovered by John Tebbutt of Windsor, New South Wales, Australia.
  • 1861 – Pakistan’s (then a part of British India) first railway line opens, from Karachi to Kotri.
  • 1862 – The USS Planter, a steamer and gunship, steals through Confederate lines and is passed to the Union, by a southern slave, Robert Smalls, who later was officially appointed as captain, becoming the first black man to command a United States ship.
  • 1864 – American Civil War: Battle of Resaca: The battle begins with Union General Sherman fighting toward Atlanta.
  • 1865 – American Civil War: Battle of Palmito Ranch: In far south Texas, the last land battle of the Civil War ends with a Confederate victory.
  • 1880 – In Menlo Park, New Jersey, Thomas Edison performs the first test of his electric railway.
  • 1888 – With the passage of the Lei Áurea (“Golden Law”), Empire of Brazil abolishes slavery.
  • 1909 – The first Giro d’Italia starts from Milan. Italian cyclist Luigi Ganna will be the winner.
  • 1912 – The Royal Flying Corps, the forerunner of the Royal Air Force, is established in the United Kingdom.
  • 1917 – Three children report the first apparition of Our Lady of Fátima in Fátima, Portugal.
  • 1940 – World War II: Germany’s conquest of France begins as the German army crosses the Meuse. Winston Churchill makes his “blood, toil, tears, and sweat” speech to the House of Commons.
  • 1940 – Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands flees her country to Great Britain after the German invasion. Princess Juliana takes her children to Canada for their safety.
  • 1941 – World War II: Yugoslav royal colonel Dragoljub Mihailović starts fighting against German occupation troops, beginning the Serbian resistance.
  • 1943 – World War II: Operations Vulcan and Strike force the surrender of the last Axis troops in Tunisia.
  • 1948 – Arab–Israeli War: The Kfar Etzion massacre is committed by Arab irregulars, the day before the declaration of independence of the state of Israel on May 14.
  • 1950 – The first round of the Formula One World Championship is held at Silverstone.
  • 1951 – The 400th anniversary of the founding of the National University of San Marcos is commemorated by the opening of the first large-capacity stadium in Peru.
  • 1952 – The Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Parliament of India, holds its first sitting.
  • 1954 – The anti-National Service Riots, by Chinese middle school students in Singapore, take place.
  • 1954 – The original Broadway production of The Pajama Game opens and runs for another 1,063 performances. Later received three Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical, and Best Choreography.
  • 1958 – During a visit to Caracas, Venezuela, Vice President Richard Nixon’s car is attacked by anti-American demonstrators.
  • 1958 – May 1958 crisis: A group of French military officers lead a coup in Algiers demanding that a government of national unity be formed with Charles de Gaulle at its head in order to defend French control of Algeria.
  • 1958 – Ben Carlin becomes the first (and only) person to circumnavigate the world by amphibious vehicle, having travelled over 17,000 kilometres (11,000 mi) by sea and 62,000 kilometres (39,000 mi) by land during a ten-year journey.
  • 1960 – Hundreds of University of California, Berkeley students congregate for the first day of protest against a visit by the House Committee on Un-American Activities.
  • 1967 – Dr. Zakir Husain becomes the third President of India. He is the first Muslim President of the Indian Union. He holds this position until August 24, 1969.
  • 1969 – May 13 Incident involving sectarian violence in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
  • 1971 – Over 900 unarmed Bengali Hindus are murdered in the Demra massacre.
  • 1972 – Faulty electrical wiring ignites a fire underneath the Playtown Cabaret in Osaka, Japan. Blocked exits and non-functional elevators lead to 118 fatalities, with many victims leaping to their deaths.
  • 1972 – The Troubles: A car bombing outside a crowded pub in Belfast sparks a two-day gun battle involving the Provisional IRA, Ulster Volunteer Force and British Army. Seven people are killed and over 66 injured.
  • 1980 – An F3 tornado hits Kalamazoo County, Michigan. President Jimmy Carter declares it a federal disaster area.
  • 1981 – Mehmet Ali Ağca attempts to assassinate Pope John Paul II in St. Peter’s Square in Rome. The Pope is rushed to the Agostino Gemelli University Polyclinic to undergo emergency surgery and survives.
  • 1985 – Police bombed MOVE headquarters in Philadelphia to end a stand-off, killing six adults and five children, and destroying the homes of 250 city residents.
  • 1989 – Large groups of students occupy Tiananmen Square and begin a hunger strike.
  • 1990 – The Dinamo–Red Star riot took place at Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb, Croatia between the Bad Blue Boys (fans of Dinamo Zagreb) and the Delije (fans of Red Star Belgrade).
  • 1992 – Li Hongzhi gives the first public lecture on Falun Gong in Changchun, People’s Republic of China.
  • 1995 – Alison Hargreaves, a 33-year-old British mother, becomes the first woman to conquer Everest without oxygen or the help of sherpas.
  • 1996 – Severe thunderstorms and a tornado in Bangladesh kill 600 people.
  • 1998 – Race riots break out in Jakarta, Indonesia, where shops owned by Indonesians of Chinese descent are looted and women raped.
  • 1998 – India carries out two nuclear weapon tests at Pokhran, following the three conducted on May 11. The United States and Japan impose economic sanctions on India.
  • 2005 – Andijan uprising, Uzbekistan; Troops open fire on crowds of protestors after a prison break; at least 187 people were killed according to official estimates.
  • 2006 – São Paulo violence: Rebellions occur in several prisons in Brazil.
  • 2011 – Two bombs explode in the Charsadda District of Pakistan killing 98 people and wounding 140 others.
  • 2012 – Forty-nine dismembered bodies are discovered by Mexican authorities on Mexican Federal Highway 40.
  • 2013 – American physician Kermit Gosnell is found guilty in Pennsylvania of murdering three infants born alive during attempted abortions, involuntary manslaughter of a woman during an abortion procedure, and other charges.
  • 2014 – An explosion at an underground coal mine in southwest Turkey kills 301 miners.

Births on  May 13

  • 1024 – Hugh of Cluny, French abbot and saint (d. 1109)
  • 1179 – Theobald III, Count of Champagne (d. 1201)
  • 1221 – Alexander Nevsky, Russian prince and saint (d. 1263)
  • 1254 – Marie of Brabant, Queen of France (d. 1321)
  • 1453 – Mary Stewart, Countess of Arran, Scottish princess (d. 1488)
  • 1588 – Ole Worm, Danish physician and historian (d. 1654)
  • 1597 – Cornelis Schut, Flemish painter, draughtsman and engraver (d. 1655)
  • 1638 – Richard Simon, French priest and scholar (d. 1712)
  • 1699 – Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, 1st Marquis of Pombal, Portuguese politician, Prime Minister of Portugal (d. 1782)
  • 1712 – Count Johann Hartwig Ernst von Bernstorff, Danish politician and diplomat (d. 1772)
  • 1713 – Alexis Clairaut, French mathematician, astronomer, and geophysicist (d. 1765)
  • 1717 – Maria Theresa, Archduchess, Queen, and Empress; Austrian wife of Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1780)
  • 1730 – Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1782)
  • 1735 – Horace Coignet, French violinist and composer (d. 1821)
  • 1742 – Maria Christina, Duchess of Teschen (d. 1798)
  • 1753 – Lazare Carnot, French general, mathematician, and politician, French Minister of the Interior (d. 1823)
  • 1792 – Pope Pius IX (d. 1878)
  • 1794 – Louis Léopold Robert, French painter (d. 1835)
  • 1795 – Gérard Paul Deshayes, French geologist and chronologist (d. 1875)
  • 1811 – Juan Bautista Ceballos, President of Mexico (1853) (b. 1859)
  • 1822 – Francis, Duke of Cádiz (d. 1902)
  • 1830 – Zebulon Baird Vance, American colonel, lawyer, and politician, 37th Governor of North Carolina (d. 1894)
  • 1832 – Juris Alunāns, Latvian philologist and author (d. 1864)
  • 1840 – Alphonse Daudet, French author, poet, and playwright (d. 1897)
  • 1842 – Arthur Sullivan, English composer (d. 1900)
  • 1853 – Vaiben Louis Solomon, Australian politician, 21st Premier of South Australia (d. 1908)
  • 1856 – Tom O’Rourke, American boxer and manager (d. 1938)
  • 1857 – Ronald Ross, Indian-English physician and mathematician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1932)
  • 1868 – Sumner Paine, American target shooter (d. 1904)
  • 1869 – Mehmet Emin Yurdakul, Turkish writer (d. 1944)
  • 1877 – Robert Hamilton, Scottish international footballer (d. 1948)
  • 1881 – Lima Barreto, Brazilian journalist and author (d. 1922)
  • 1881 – Joe Forshaw, American runner (d. 1964)
  • 1882 – Georges Braque, French painter and sculptor (d. 1963)
  • 1883 – Georgios Papanikolaou, Greek-American pathologist, invented the pap smear (d. 1962)
  • 1884 – Oskar Rosenfeld, Jewish-Austrian writer and Holocaust victim (d.1944)
  • 1885 – Mikiel Gonzi, Maltese archbishop (d. 1984)
  • 1887 – Lorna Hodgkinson, Australian educator and educational psychologist (d. 1951)
  • 1888 – Inge Lehmann, Danish seismologist and geophysicist (d. 1993)
  • 1894 – Ásgeir Ásgeirsson, Icelandic politician, 2nd President of Iceland (d. 1972)
  • 1895 – Nandor Fodor, Hungarian-American psychologist, parapsychologist, and author (d. 1964)
  • 1901 – Murilo Mendes, Brazilian poet and telegrapher (d. 1975)
  • 1904 – Louis Duffus, Australian-South African cricketer and journalist (d. 1984)
  • 1905 – Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, Indian lawyer and politician, 5th President of India (d. 1977)
  • 1907 – Daphne du Maurier, English novelist and playwright (d. 1989)
  • 1908 – Eugen Kapp, Estonian composer and educator (d. 1996)
  • 1909 – Ken Darby, American composer and conductor (d. 1992)
  • 1911 – Robert Middleton, American actor (d. 1977)
  • 1911 – Maxine Sullivan, American singer and actress (d. 1987)
  • 1912 – Gil Evans, Canadian-American pianist, composer, and bandleader (d. 1988)
  • 1912 – Judah Nadich, American colonel and rabbi (d. 2007)
  • 1913 – Robert Dorning, English actor, singer, and dancer (d. 1989)
  • 1913 – Theo Helfrich, German racing driver (d. 1978)
  • 1913 – William R. Tolbert, Jr., Liberian politician, 20th President of Liberia (d. 1980)
  • 1914 – Joe Louis, American boxer (d. 1981)
  • 1914 – Johnnie Wright, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2011)
  • 1914 – Antonia Ferrín Moreiras, Spanish mathematician, academic, and astronomer (d. 2009)
  • 1916 – Sachidananda Routray, Indian Oriya-language poet (d. 2004)
  • 1918 – Balasaraswati, Indian dancer and instructor (d. 1984)
  • 1918 – Gwyn Howells, Australian public servant (d. 1997)
  • 1920 – Gareth Morris, English flute player (d. 2007)
  • 1922 – Michael Ainsworth, English cricketer (d. 1978)
  • 1922 – Otl Aicher, German graphic designer and typographer (d. 1991)
  • 1922 – Bea Arthur, American actress and singer (d. 2009)
  • 1923 – Ruth Adler Schnee, German-American textile designer and interior designer
  • 1924 – Theodore Mann, American director and producer (d. 2012)
  • 1924 – Harry Schwarz, South African anti-apartheid leader, lawyer, and Ambassador (d. 2010)
  • 1927 – Archie Scott Brown, Scottish race car driver (d. 1958)
  • 1927 – Fred Hellerman, American folk singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 2016)
  • 1927 – Herbert Ross, American actor, director, and producer (d. 2001)
  • 1928 – Enrique Bolaños, Nicaraguan politician, President of Nicaragua
  • 1928 – Édouard Molinaro, French actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2013)
  • 1929 – John Galvin, American general (d. 2015)
  • 1930 – Mike Gravel, American lieutenant and politician
  • 1930 – José Jiménez Lozano, Spanish journalist and author
  • 1930 – Vernon Shaw, Dominican politician, 5th President of Dominica (d. 2013)
  • 1931 – Jim Jones, American cult leader, founder of the Peoples Temple (d. 1978)
  • 1931 – Sydney Lipworth, South African-English lawyer, businessman, and philanthropist
  • 1933 – John Roseboro, American baseball player and coach (d. 2002)
  • 1934 – Ehud Netzer, Israeli archaeologist, architect, and academic (d. 2010)
  • 1934 – Leon Wagner, American baseball player and actor (d. 2004)
  • 1935 – Dominic Cossa, American opera singer
  • 1935 – Jan Saudek, Czech photographer and painter
  • 1935 – Kája Saudek, Czech author and illustrator (d. 2015)
  • 1936 – Bill Rompkey, Canadian educator and politician (d. 2017)
  • 1937 – Trevor Baylis, English inventor, invented the wind-up radio (d. 2018)
  • 1937 – Roch Carrier, Canadian librarian and author
  • 1937 – Zohra Lampert, American actress
  • 1937 – Beverley Owen, American actress (d. 2019)
  • 1937 – Roger Zelazny, American author and poet (d. 1995)
  • 1938 – Giuliano Amato, Italian academic and politician, 48th Prime Minister of Italy
  • 1938 – Laurent Beaudoin, Canadian businessman
  • 1938 – Anna Cropper, British actress (d. 2007)
  • 1938 – Francine Pascal, American author and playwright
  • 1938 – Buck Taylor, American actor
  • 1939 – Hildrun Claus, German long jumper
  • 1939 – Peter Frenkel, German race walker and coach
  • 1939 – Harvey Keitel, American actor
  • 1940 – Bruce Chatwin, English author (d. 1989)
  • 1940 – Kōkichi Tsuburaya, Japanese runner (d. 1968)
  • 1941 – Senta Berger, Austrian actress
  • 1941 – Joe Brown, English singer and musician
  • 1941 – Jody Conradt, American basketball player and coach
  • 1941 – Ritchie Valens, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1959)
  • 1942 – Leighton Gage, American author (d. 2013)
  • 1942 – Roger Young, American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1943 – Anthony Clarke, Baron Clarke of Stone-cum-Ebony, English lawyer and judge
  • 1943 – Kurt Trampedach, Danish painter and sculptor (d. 2013)
  • 1943 – Mary Wells, American singer-songwriter (d. 1992)
  • 1944 – Sir Crispin Agnew, 11th Baronet, Scottish explorer, lawyer, and judge
  • 1944 – Robert L. Crawford Jr., American actor
  • 1944 – Carolyn Franklin, American R&B singer-songwriter (d. 1988)
  • 1944 – Armistead Maupin, American author, screenwriter, and actor
  • 1945 – Lasse Berghagen, Swedish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
  • 1945 – Magic Dick, American blues-rock harmonica, trumpet, and saxophone player
  • 1945 – Lou Marini, American saxophonist and composer
  • 1946 – Tim Pigott-Smith, English actor and author (d. 2017)
  • 1946 – Jean Rondeau, French race car driver and constructor (d. 1985)
  • 1946 – Marv Wolfman, American author
  • 1947 – Charles Baxter, American novelist, essayist, and poet
  • 1947 – Edgar Burcksen, Dutch-American film editor
  • 1948 – Sheila Jeffreys, English-Australian political scientist, author, and academic
  • 1948 – Dean Meminger, American basketball player and coach (d. 2013)
  • 1949 – Jane Glover, English conductor and scholar
  • 1949 – Zoë Wanamaker, American-British actress
  • 1949 – Philip Kruse, Norwegian trumpeter and orchestra leader
  • 1950 – Andy Cunningham, English actor (d. 2011)
  • 1950 – Danny Kirwan, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2018)
  • 1950 – Joe Johnston, American film director and effects artist
  • 1950 – Manning Marable, American author and academic (d. 2011)
  • 1950 – Bobby Valentine, American baseball player and manager
  • 1950 – Stevie Wonder, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer
  • 1951 – Rosie Boycott, English journalist and author
  • 1951 – Sharon Sayles Belton, American politician, 45th Mayor of Minneapolis
  • 1951 – Anand Modak, Indian composer and director (d. 2014)
  • 1951 – Herman Philipse, Dutch philosopher and academic
  • 1951 – Selina Scott, English journalist, producer, and author
  • 1951 – Paul Thompson, English drummer
  • 1952 – John Kasich, American politician, 69th Governor of Ohio
  • 1952 – Mary Walsh, Canadian actress, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1952 – Londa Schiebinger, American academic and author
  • 1953 – Zlatko Burić, Croat-Danish actor
  • 1953 – Gerry Sutcliffe, English politician, Vice-Chamberlain of the Household
  • 1953 – David Voelker, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 2013)
  • 1953 – Harm Wiersma, Dutch draughts player and politician
  • 1953 – Ruth A. David, American electrical engineer
  • 1954 – Johnny Logan, Australian-Irish singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1956 – Richard Madeley, English journalist and author
  • 1956 – Fred Melamed, American actor
  • 1956 – Kailash Vijayvargiya, National General Secretary of Bhartiya Janta Party
  • 1957 – Alan Ball, American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1957 – Frances Barber, English actress
  • 1957 – Mark Heap, English actor
  • 1957 – David Hill, English organist and conductor
  • 1957 – Mar Roxas, Filipino economist and politician, 24th Filipino Secretary of the Interior
  • 1957 – Koji Suzuki, Japanese author and screenwriter
  • 1958 – Anthony Ray Parker, American actor
  • 1961 – Siobhan Fallon Hogan, American actress
  • 1961 – Dennis Rodman, American basketball player, wrestler, and actor
  • 1962 – Paul Burstow, English politician
  • 1962 – Nick Hurd, English businessman and politician, Minister for Civil Society
  • 1963 – Andrea Leadsom, English politician
  • 1963 – Wally Masur, Australian tennis player, coach, and sportscaster
  • 1964 – Stephen Colbert, American comedian and talk show host
  • 1964 – Chris Maitland, English drummer
  • 1964 – Tom Verica, American actor, television director, and producer
  • 1965 – José Antonio Delgado, Venezuelan mountaineer (d. 2006)
  • 1965 – Tasmin Little, English violinist and educator
  • 1965 – János Marozsán, Hungarian footballer
  • 1965 – Hikari Ōta, Japanese comedian and actor
  • 1965 – José Rijo, Dominican baseball player
  • 1965 – Lari White, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress (d. 2018)
  • 1966 – Alison Goldfrapp, English singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1966 – Darius Rucker, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1967 – Tish Cyrus, American actress and film producer
  • 1967 – Shon Greenblatt, American actor
  • 1967 – Tommy Gunn, pornographic actor
  • 1967 – Chuck Schuldiner, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2001)
  • 1967 – Melanie Thornton, American-German singer (d. 2001)
  • 1968 – Miguel Ángel Blanco, Spanish politician (d. 1997)
  • 1968 – Susan Floyd, American actress
  • 1968 – Scott Morrison, Australian politician, 30th Prime Minister of Australia
  • 1968 – PMD, American rapper
  • 1968 – Dmitriy Shevchenko, Russian discus thrower and coach
  • 1969 – Buckethead, American guitarist and songwriter
  • 1969 – Nikos Aliagas, French-Greek journalist and television host
  • 1970 – Doug Evans, American football player
  • 1970 – Robert Maćkowiak, Polish sprinter
  • 1971 – Imogen Boorman, English actress and martial artist
  • 1971 – Rob Fredrickson, American football player
  • 1971 – Espen Lind, Norwegian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1971 – Tom Nalen, American football player and sportscaster
  • 1972 – Stefaan Maene, Belgian swimmer
  • 1972 – Darryl Sydor, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1972 – Pieta van Dishoeck, Dutch rower
  • 1973 – Eric Lewis, American pianist
  • 1973 – Bridgett Riley, American boxer and stuntwoman
  • 1975 – Jamie Allison, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1975 – Cristian Bezzi, Italian rugby player and coach
  • 1975 – Brian Geraghty, American actor
  • 1976 – Mark Delaney, Welsh footballer and manager
  • 1976 – Trajan Langdon, American basketball player and scout
  • 1976 – Ana Popović, Serbian-American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1976 – Magdalena Walach, Polish actress
  • 1977 – Ilse DeLange, Dutch singer-songwriter
  • 1977 – Anthony Q. Farrell, Canadian-American actor and screenwriter
  • 1977 – Robby Hammock, American baseball player and coach
  • 1977 – Neil Hopkins, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1977 – James Middlebrook, English cricketer
  • 1977 – Samantha Morton, English actress and director
  • 1977 – Brian Thomas Smith, American actor and producer
  • 1977 – Pusha T, American rapper
  • 1978 – Brooke Anderson, American journalist
  • 1978 – Mike Bibby, American basketball player and coach
  • 1978 – Ryan Bukvich, American baseball player
  • 1978 – Germán Magariños, Argentinian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1978 – Dilshan Vitharana, Sri Lankan cricketer
  • 1978 – Barry Zito, American baseball player
  • 1978 – Nuwan Zoysa, Sri Lankan cricketer
  • 1979 – Prince Carl Philip, Duke of Värmland
  • 1979 – Steve Mildenhall, English footballer
  • 1979 – Vyacheslav Shevchuk, Ukrainian footballer
  • 1980 – L. J. Smith, American football player
  • 1981 – Luciana Berger, English politician
  • 1981 – Nicolas Jeanjean, French rugby player
  • 1981 – Sunny Leone, Canadian American actress, model, and pornstar
  • 1981 – Michael Mantenuto, American actor (d. 2017)
  • 1981 – Shaun Phillips, American football player
  • 1981 – Ryan Piers Williams, American actor and film director
  • 1982 – Albert Crusat, Spanish footballer
  • 1982 – Larry Fonacier, Filipino basketball player
  • 1982 – Oguchi Onyewu, American soccer player
  • 1983 – Natalie Cassidy, English actress and singer
  • 1983 – Anita Görbicz, Hungarian handball player
  • 1983 – Johnny Hoogerland, Dutch cyclist
  • 1983 – Grégory Lemarchal, French singer (d. 2007)
  • 1983 – Jacob Reynolds, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1983 – Yaya Touré, Ivorian footballer
  • 1984 – J. B. Cox, American baseball player
  • 1984 – Benny Dayal, Indian singer
  • 1984 – Dawn Harper, American hurdler
  • 1984 – Caroline Rotich, Kenyan runner
  • 1985 – Javier Balboa, Spanish-Equatoguinean footballer
  • 1985 – Jaroslav Halák, Slovak ice hockey player
  • 1985 – David Hernandez, American baseball player
  • 1985 – Carolina Luján, Argentine chess player
  • 1985 – Iwan Rheon, Welsh actor and singer
  • 1985 – Travis Zajac, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1986 – Lena Dunham, American actress, director, and screenwriter
  • 1986 – Eun-Hee Ji, South Korean golfer
  • 1986 – Robert Pattinson, English actor
  • 1986 – Alexander Rybak, Belarusian-Norwegian singer-songwriter, violinist, and actor
  • 1986 – Scott Sutter, English footballer
  • 1986 – Nino Schurter, Swiss cyclist
  • 1986 – Kris Versteeg, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1987 – Antonio Adán, Spanish footballer
  • 1987 – Hugo Becker, French actor
  • 1987 – Matt Doyle, American actor and singer
  • 1987 – Laura Izibor, Irish singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer
  • 1987 – Candice King, American singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1987 – Sandro Mareco, Argentine chess player
  • 1987 – Hunter Parrish, American actor and singer
  • 1987 – Marianne Vos, Dutch cyclist
  • 1987 – Charlotte Wessels, Dutch singer-songwriter
  • 1987 – Bobby Shuttleworth, American soccer player
  • 1988 – Paulo Avelino, Filipino actor and singer
  • 1988 – Didier Cohen, Australian DJ, producer and media personality
  • 1988 – Casey Donovan, Australian singer-songwriter
  • 1989 – P. K. Subban, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1990 – Mychal Givens, American baseball player
  • 1991 – Jennifer Beattie, Scottish footballer
  • 1991 – Anders Fannemel, Norwegian ski jumper
  • 1992 – Bill Arnold, American ice hockey player
  • 1992 – Willson Contreras, Venezuelan baseball player
  • 1992 – Josh Papalii, New Zealand-Australian rugby league player
  • 1992 – Georgina García Pérez, Spanish tennis player
  • 1993 – Stefan Kraft, Austrian ski jumper
  • 1993 – Debby Ryan, American actress and singer
  • 1993 – Romelu Lukaku, Belgian footballer
  • 1993 – Siim-Tanel Sammelselg, Estonian ski jumper
  • 1993 – Tones and I, Australian singer-songwriter
  • 1994 – Łukasz Moneta, Polish footballer
  • 1997 – Reimis Smith, Australian rugby league player

Deaths on May 13

  • 189 – Emperor Ling of Han, Chinese emperor (b. 156)
  • 1112 – Ulric II, Margrave of Carniola
  • 1176 – Matthias I, Duke of Lorraine (b. 1119)
  • 1285 – Robert de Ros, 1st Baron de Ros
  • 1312 – Theobald II, Duke of Lorraine (b. 1263)
  • 1573 – Takeda Shingen, Japanese daimyō (b. 1521)
  • 1619 – Johan van Oldenbarnevelt, Dutch politician (b. 1547)
  • 1704 – Louis Bourdaloue, French preacher and author (b. 1632)
  • 1726 – Francesco Antonio Pistocchi, Italian singer (b. 1659)
  • 1782 – Daniel Solander, Swedish-English botanist and phycologist (b. 1736)
  • 1807 – Eliphalet Dyer, American colonel, lawyer, and politician (b. 1721)
  • 1809 – Beilby Porteus, English bishop (b. 1731)
  • 1832 – Georges Cuvier, French zoologist and academic (b. 1769)
  • 1835 – John Nash, English architect, designed the Royal Pavilion (b. 1752)
  • 1866 – Nikolai Brashman, Czech-Russian mathematician and academic (b. 1796)
  • 1878 – Joseph Henry, American physicist and academic (b. 1797)
  • 1884 – Cyrus McCormick, American businessman, co-founded the International Harvester Company (b. 1809)
  • 1885 – Friedrich Gustav Jakob Henle, German physician, pathologist, and anatomist (b. 1809)
  • 1903 – Apolinario Mabini, Filipino lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of the Philippines (b. 1864)
  • 1916 – Sholem Aleichem, Ukrainian-American author and playwright (b. 1859)
  • 1921 – Jean Aicard, French author, poet, and playwright (b. 1848)
  • 1926 – Libert H. Boeynaems, Belgian-American bishop (b. 1857)
  • 1929 – Arthur Scherbius, German electrical engineer, invented the Enigma machine (b. 1878)
  • 1930 – Fridtjof Nansen, Norwegian scientist, explorer, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1861)
  • 1938 – Charles Édouard Guillaume, Swiss-French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1861)
  • 1941 – Frederick Christian, English cricketer (b. 1877)
  • 1941 – Ōnishiki Uichirō, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 26th Yokozuna (b. 1891)
  • 1945 – Tubby Hall, American drummer (b. 1895)
  • 1946 – Zara DuPont, American suffragist (b. 1869)
  • 1947 – Sukanta Bhattacharya, Indian poet and playwright (b. 1926)
  • 1948 – Kathleen Cavendish, Marchioness of Hartington (b. 1920)
  • 1957 – Michael Fekete, Hungarian-Israeli mathematician and academic (b. 1886)
  • 1961 – Gary Cooper, American actor (b. 1901)
  • 1962 – Henry Trendley Dean, American dentist (b. 1893)
  • 1962 – Franz Kline, American painter and academic (b. 1910)
  • 1963 – Alois Hudal, Austrian-Italian bishop (b. 1885)
  • 1972 – Dan Blocker, American actor (b. 1928)
  • 1974 – Jaime Torres Bodet, Mexican poet and diplomat (b. 1902)
  • 1974 – Arthur J. Burks, American colonel and author (b. 1898)
  • 1975 – Bob Wills, American singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1905)
  • 1977 – Mickey Spillane, American mobster (b. 1934)
  • 1985 – Leatrice Joy, American actress (b. 1893)
  • 1985 – Richard Ellmann, American literary critic and biographer (b. 1918)
  • 1988 – Chet Baker, American singer and trumpet player (b. 1929)
  • 1992 – F. E. McWilliam, Irish sculptor (b. 1909)
  • 1994 – Duncan Hamilton, Irish-English race car driver (b. 1920)
  • 1994 – John Swainson, Canadian-American jurist and politician, 42nd Governor of Michigan (b. 1925)
  • 1995 – Hao Wang, Chinese-American logician, philosopher, and mathematician (b. 1921)
  • 1999 – Abd al-Aziz ibn Baz, Saudi Arabian scholar and academic (b. 1910)
  • 1999 – Gene Sarazen, American golfer and journalist (b. 1902)
  • 2000 – Paul Bartel, American actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1938)
  • 2000 – Jumbo Tsuruta, Japanese wrestler (b. 1951)
  • 2001 – Jason Miller, American actor and playwright (b. 1939)
  • 2002 – Ruth Cracknell, Australian actress and author (b. 1925)
  • 2002 – Valeriy Lobanovskyi, Ukrainian footballer and manager (b. 1939)
  • 2005 – Eddie Barclay, French record producer, founded Barclay Records (b. 1921)
  • 2005 – George Dantzig, American mathematician and academic (b. 1914)
  • 2006 – Jaroslav Pelikan, American historian and scholar (b. 1923)
  • 2006 – Johnnie Wilder, Jr., American singer (b. 1949)
  • 2008 – Saad Al-Salim Al-Sabah, Kuwaiti ruler, Emir of Kuwait (b. 1930)
  • 2008 – Ron Stone, American journalist and author (b. 1936)
  • 2009 – Frank Aletter, American actor (b. 1926)
  • 2009 – Meir Brandsdorfer, Belgian rabbi (b. 1934)
  • 2009 – Achille Compagnoni, Italian skier and mountaineer (b. 1914)
  • 2011 – Derek Boogaard, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1982)
  • 2011 – Stephen De Staebler, American sculptor and educator (b. 1933)
  • 2011 – Wallace McCain, Canadian businessman, co-founded McCain Foods (b. 1930)
  • 2011 – Bruce Ricker, American director and producer (b. 1942)
  • 2012 – Arsala Rahmani Daulat, Afghan politician (b. 1937)
  • 2012 – Donald “Duck” Dunn, American bass player, songwriter, and producer (b. 1941)
  • 2012 – Ada Maria Isasi-Diaz, Cuban-American theologian, author, and academic (b. 1943)
  • 2012 – Lee Richardson, English speedway rider (b. 1979)
  • 2012 – Don Ritchie, Australian humanitarian (b. 1925)
  • 2012 – Nguyễn Văn Thiện, Vietnamese bishop (b. 1906)
  • 2013 – Joyce Brothers, American psychologist, author, and actress (b. 1927)
  • 2013 – Otto Herrigel, Namibian lawyer and politician (b. 1937)
  • 2013 – Jagdish Mali, Indian photographer (b. 1954)
  • 2013 – Chuck Muncie, American football player (b. 1953)
  • 2013 – Fyodor Tuvin, Russian footballer (b. 1973)
  • 2013 – Lynne Woolstencroft, Canadian politician (b. 1943)
  • 2014 – David Malet Armstrong, Australian philosopher and author (b. 1926)
  • 2014 – Malik Bendjelloul, Swedish director and producer (b. 1977)
  • 2014 – J. F. Coleman, American soldier and pilot (b. 1918)
  • 2014 – Ron Stevens, Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1949)
  • 2014 – Morning Glory Zell-Ravenheart, American occultist and author (b. 1948)
  • 2015 – Earl Averill, Jr., American baseball player (b. 1931)
  • 2015 – Robert Drasnin, American clarinet player and composer (b. 1927)
  • 2015 – Nina Otkalenko, Russian runner (b. 1928)
  • 2015 – David Sackett, American-Canadian physician and academic (b. 1934)
  • 2015 – Gainan Saidkhuzhin, Russian cyclist (b. 1937)
  • 2018 – Margot Kidder, Canadian-American actress (b. 1948)
  • 2019 – Doris Day, American singer and actress (b. 1922)
  • 2019 – Unita Blackwell, American civil rights activist, and politician (b. 1933)

Holidays and observances on May 13

  • Abbotsbury Garland Day (Dorset, England)
  • Christian feast day:
    • Our Lady of Fátima
    • Gerard of Villamagna
    • Glyceria
    • John the Silent (Roman Catholic)
    • Julian of Norwich (Roman Catholic)
    • Frances Perkins (Episcopal Church (USA))
    • Servatius
    • May 13 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Rotuma Day (Rotuma)

May 13 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

May 11 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 330 – Constantinople is consecrated.
  • 868 – A copy of the Diamond Sutra is printed in China, making it the oldest known dated printed book.
  • 912 – Alexander becomes Emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
  • 1745 – War of the Austrian Succession: French forces defeat an Anglo-Dutch–Hanoverian army.
  • 1792 – Robert Gray commands the first expedition to sail into the Columbia River.
  • 1812 – Prime Minister Spencer Perceval is assassinated by John Bellingham in the lobby of the British House of Commons.
  • 1813 – William Lawson, Gregory Blaxland and William Wentworth discover a route across the Blue Mountains, opening up inland Australia to settlement.
  • 1833 – The Lady of the Lake strikes an iceberg off Newfoundland and sinks with the loss of up to 265 passengers and crew.
  • 1846 – President James K. Polk asked for a Declaration of War against Mexico, starting the Mexican–American War.
  • 1857 – Indian Rebellion of 1857: Indian rebels seize Delhi from the British.
  • 1858 – Minnesota is admitted as the 32nd state of the United States.
  • 1880 – Seven people are killed in the Mussel Slough Tragedy, a gun battle in California.
  • 1889 – An attack upon a U.S. Army paymaster and escort results in the theft of over $28,000 and the award of two Medals of Honor.
  • 1894 – Four thousand Pullman Palace Car Company workers go on a wildcat strike.
  • 1910 – An act of the U.S. Congress establishes Glacier National Park in Montana.
  • 1943 – World War II: American troops invade Attu Island in the Aleutian Islands in an attempt to expel occupying Japanese forces.
  • 1945 – World War II: Off the coast of Okinawa, the aircraft carrier USS Bunker Hill is hit by two kamikazes.
  • 1960 – Adolf Eichmann is captured by the Mossad in Argentina.
  • 1963 – Racist bombings in Birmingham, Alabama, disrupt nonviolence in the Birmingham campaign and precipitate a crisis involving federal troops.
  • 1970 – The 1970 Lubbock tornado kills 26 and causes $250 million in damage.
  • 1973 – Citing government misconduct, Daniel Ellsberg’s charges for his involvement in releasing the Pentagon Papers to The New York Times are dismissed.
  • 1985 – Fifty-six spectators die and more than 200 are injured in the Bradford City stadium fire.
  • 1987 – Klaus Barbie goes on trial in Lyon for war crimes committed during World War II.
  • 1996 – After the aircraft’s departure from Miami, a fire started by improperly handled chemical oxygen generators in the cargo hold of Atlanta-bound ValuJet Flight 592 causes the Douglas DC-9 to crash in the Florida Everglades, killing all 110 on board.
  • 1997 – Deep Blue, a chess-playing supercomputer, defeats Garry Kasparov in the last game of the rematch, becoming the first computer to beat a world-champion chess player in a classic match format.
  • 1998 – India conducts three underground atomic tests in Pokhran.
  • 2000 – Second Chechen War: Chechen separatists ambush Russian paramilitary forces in the Republic of Ingushetia.
  • 2010 – David Cameron takes office as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom as the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats form the country’s first coalition government since the Second World War.
  • 2011 – An earthquake of magnitude 5.1 hits Lorca, Spain.
  • 2013 – Fifty-two people are killed in a bombing in Reyhanlı, Turkey.
  • 2014 – Fifteen people are killed and 46 injured in Kinshasa in a stampede caused by tear gas being thrown into soccer stands by police officers.
  • 2016 – One hundred and ten people are killed in an ISIL bombing in Baghdad.

Births on May 11

  • 1571 – Niwa Nagashige, Japanese daimyō (d. 1637)
  • 1715 – Johann Gottfried Bernhard Bach, German organist (d. 1739)
  • 1752 – Johann Friedrich Blumenbach, German physician, physiologist, and anthropologist (d. 1840)
  • 1797 – José Mariano Salas, Mexican general and politician (d. 1867)
  • 1811 – Jean-Jacques Challet-Venel, Swiss politician (d. 1893)
  • 1852 – Charles W. Fairbanks, American journalist and politician, 26th United States Vice President (d. 1918)
  • 1854 – Jack Blackham, Australian cricketer (d. 1932)
  • 1869 – Archibald Warden, English tennis player (d. 1943)
  • 1871 – Frank Schlesinger, American astronomer and author (d. 1943)
  • 1875 – Harriet Quimby, American pilot and screenwriter (d. 1912)
  • 1881 – Al Cabrera, Spanish-Cuban baseball player and manager (d. 1964)
  • 1881 – Jan van Gilse, Dutch composer and conductor (d. 1944)
  • 1881 – Theodore von Kármán, Hungarian-American mathematician, physicist, and engineer (d. 1963)
  • 1888 – Irving Berlin, Belarusian-American pianist and composer (d. 1989)
  • 1888 – Willis Augustus Lee, American admiral (d. 1945)
  • 1889 – Paul Nash, British painter (d. 1946)
  • 1890 – Willie Applegarth, English-American sprinter (d. 1958)
  • 1890 – Helge Løvland, Norwegian decathlete (d. 1984)
  • 1894 – Martha Graham, American dancer and choreographer (d. 1991)
  • 1895 – Jacques Brugnon, French tennis player (d. 1978)
  • 1895 – William Grant Still, American composer and conductor (d. 1978)
  • 1896 – Josip Štolcer-Slavenski, Croatian composer and academic (d. 1955)
  • 1897 – Robert E. Gross, American businessman (d. 1961)
  • 1901 – Rose Ausländer, Ukrainian-English poet and author (d. 1988):7
  • 1901 – Gladys Rockmore Davis, American painter (d. 1967)
  • 1902 – Edna Ernestine Kramer, American mathematician (d. 1984)
  • 1903 – Charlie Gehringer, American baseball player and manager (d. 1993)
  • 1904 – Salvador Dalí, Spanish artist (d. 1989)
  • 1905 – Lise de Baissac, Mauritian-born SOE agent, war hero (d. 2004)
  • 1905 – Catherine Bauer Wurster, American architect and public housing advocate (d. 1964)
  • 1907 – Rip Sewell, American baseball player and coach (d. 1989
  • 1911 – Mitchell Sharp, Canadian economist and politician, 23rd Canadian Minister of Finance (d. 2004)
  • 1911 – Phil Silvers, American actor and comedian (d. 1985)
  • 1912 – Saadat Hasan Manto, Indian-Pakistani author and screenwriter (d. 1955)
  • 1916 – Camilo José Cela, Spanish author and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2002)
  • 1918 – Richard Feynman, American physicist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1988)
  • 1921 – Robin Barbour, Scottish minister and author (d. 2014)
  • 1921 – Hildegard Hamm-Brücher, German politician (d. 2016)
  • 1924 – Antony Hewish, English astronomer and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1925 – Edward J. King, American football player and politician, 66th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 2006)
  • 1927 – Bernard Fox, British actor (d. 2016)
  • 1927 – Gene Savoy, American explorer, author, and scholar (d. 2007)
  • 1930 – Edsger W. Dijkstra, Dutch computer scientist and academic (d. 2002)
  • 1930 – Stanley Elkin, American novelist, short story writer, and essayist (d. 1995)
  • 1932 – Valentino Garavani, Italian fashion designer
  • 1933 – Louis Farrakhan, American religious leader
  • 1934 – Jim Jeffords, American captain, lawyer, and politician (d. 2014)
  • 1934 – Jack Twyman, American basketball player (d. 2012)
  • 1935 – Francisco Umbral, Spanish journalist and author (d. 2007)
  • 1937 – Ildikó Újlaky-Rejtő, Hungarian Olympic and world champion foil fencer
  • 1938 – Narendra Patel, Baron Patel, Tanzanian-English obstetrician, academic, and politician
  • 1941 – Eric Burdon, English musician
  • 1941 – Ian Redpath, Australian cricketer and coach
  • 1943 – Nancy Greene, Canadian skier and politician
  • 1944 – John Benaud, Australian cricketer
  • 1948 – Jack Cantoni, French rugby player (d. 2013)
  • 1948 – Nirj Deva, Sri Lankan-English politician
  • 1950 – Jeremy Paxman, English journalist and author
  • 1950 – Sadashiv Amrapurkar, Indian actor (d. 2014)
  • 1951 – Ed Stelmach, Canadian farmer and politician, 13th Premier of Alberta
  • 1954 – John Gregory, English footballer and manager
  • 1955 – John DeStefano, Jr., American politician, 49th Mayor of New Haven
  • 1957 – Mike Nesbitt, Northern Irish journalist and politician
  • 1962 – Steve Bono, American football player
  • 1964 – Bobby Witt, American baseball player
  • 1964 – Floyd Youmans, American baseball player, coach, and manager
  • 1967 – Alberto García Aspe, Mexican footballer and manager
  • 1969 – Mitch Healey, Australian rugby league player and coach
  • 1969 – Simon Vroemen, Dutch runner
  • 1970 – Harold Ford, Jr., American lawyer and politician
  • 1970 – Jason Queally, English cyclist
  • 1972 – Tomáš Dvořák, Czech decathlete and coach
  • 1973 – Tsuyoshi Ogata, Japanese runner
  • 1974 – Darren Ward, English-Welsh footballer and coach
  • 1974 – Tony Warner, English born Trinidadian international footballer and coach
  • 1975 – Francisco Cordero, Dominican-American baseball player
  • 1976 – Kardinal Offishall, American rapper and record producer/executive
  • 1977 – Pablo Gabriel García, Uruguayan footballer
  • 1977 – Victor Matfield, South African rugby player, coach, and sportscaster
  • 1977 – Bobby Roode, Canadian professional wrestler
  • 1978 – Laetitia Casta, French model and actress
  • 1982 – Cory Monteith, Canadian actor and singer (d. 2013)
  • 1983 – Matt Leinart, American football player
  • 1983 – Steven Sotloff, American-Israeli journalist (d. 2014)
  • 1983 – Holly Valance, Australian actress, singer and model
  • 1984 – Andrés Iniesta, Spanish footballer
  • 1986 – Abou Diaby, French footballer
  • 1986 – Miguel Veloso, Portuguese footballer
  • 1987 – Lim Seul-ong, South Korean singer and actor
  • 1987 – Monica Roșu, Romanian gymnast
  • 1988 – Jeremy Maclin, American football player
  • 1988 – Brad Marchand, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1989 – Alyssa Brown, Canadian artistic gymnast
  • 1989 – Giovani dos Santos, Mexican international footballer
  • 1989 – Cam Newton, American football player
  • 1992 – Thibaut Courtois, Belgian footballer
  • 1992 – Pablo Sarabia, Spanish footballer
  • 1993 – Maurice Harkless, American-Puerto Rican basketball player
  • 1994 – Hagos Gebrhiwet, Ethiopian runner
  • 1995 – Gelson Martins, Portuguese footballer
  • 1999 – Sabrina Carpenter, American singer and actress
  • 1999 – Kaitlyn Dias, American actress and voice artist

Deaths on May 11

  • 1610 – Matteo Ricci, Italian priest and mathematician (b. 1552)
  • 1686 – Otto von Guericke, German physicist and politician (b. 1602)
  • 1778 – William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, English soldier and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1708)
  • 1779 – John Hart, American lawyer and politician (b. 1711)
  • 1812 – Spencer Perceval, English lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1762)
  • 1848 – Tom Cribb, English boxer (b. 1781)
  • 1849 – Juliette Récamier, French businesswoman (b. 1777)
  • 1882 – Frederick Innes, Scottish-Australian politician, 9th Premier of Tasmania (b. 1816)
  • 1889 – John Cadbury, English businessman and philanthropist, founded the Cadbury Company (b. 1801)
  • 1908 – Charles Kingston, Australian politician, 20th Premier of South Australia (b. 1850)
  • 1916 – Karl Schwarzschild, German astronomer and physicist (b. 1873):xix
  • 1918 – George Elmslie, Australian politician, 25th Premier of Victoria (b. 1861)
  • 1920 – James Colosimo, Italian-American mob boss (b. 1878)
  • 1920 – William Dean Howells, American novelist, literary critic, and playwright (b. 1837)
  • 1927 – Juan Gris, Spanish painter and sculptor (b. 1887)
  • 1929 – Jozef Murgaš, Slovak-American priest, architect, botanist, and painter (b. 1864)
  • 1938 – George Lyon, Canadian golfer and cricketer (b. 1858)
  • 1955 – Gilbert Jessop, English cricketer (b. 1874)
  • 1960 – John D. Rockefeller Jr., American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1874)
  • 1963 – Herbert Spencer Gasser, American physiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1888):169
  • 1967 – James E. Brewton, American painter (b. 1930)
  • 1979 – Lester Flatt, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1914)
  • 1981 – Odd Hassel, Norwegian chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1897)
  • 1981 – Bob Marley, Jamaican singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1945)
  • 1983 – Zenna Henderson, American writer (b. 1917)
  • 1985 – Chester Gould, American cartoonist, created Dick Tracy (b. 1900)
  • 1986 – Fritz Pollard, American football player and coach (b. 1894)
  • 1988 – Kim Philby, British-Soviet double agent (b. 1912)
  • 1994 – Timothy Carey, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1928)
  • 2001 – Douglas Adams, English novelist and screenwriter (b. 1952)
  • 2002 – Renaude Lapointe, Canadian journalist and politician (b. 1912)
  • 2002 – Bill Peet, American animator and screenwriter (b. 1915)
  • 2003 – Noel Redding, English bass player (b. 1945)
  • 2005 – Léo Cadieux, Canadian politician, 17th Canadian Minister of National Defence (b. 1908)
  • 2006 – Floyd Patterson, American boxer and actor (b. 1935)
  • 2007 – Malietoa Tanumafili II, Samoan ruler (b. 1913)
  • 2008 – John Rutsey, Canadian drummer (b. 1953)
  • 2009 – Abel Goumba, Central African physician and politician, Prime Minister of the Central African Republic (b. 1926)
  • 2009 – Claudio Huepe, Chilean economist and politician, Chilean Minister Secretary-General of Government (b. 1939)
  • 2009 – Sardarilal Mathradas Nanda, Indian admiral (b. 1915)
  • 2010 – Doris Eaton Travis, American dancer and vaudevillian (b. 1904)
  • 2011 – Robert Traylor, American basketball player (b. 1977)

Holidays and observances on May 11

  • Christian feast day:
    • Anthimus of Rome
    • Gangulphus of Burgundy
    • Majolus of Cluny
    • Mamertus, the first of the Ice Saints
    • May 11 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • National Technology Day (India)
  • Statehood Day (Minnesota)
  • Vietnam Human Rights Day (Vietnam)

May 11 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

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

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

Births on May 9

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

Deaths on May 9

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

Holidays and observances on May 9

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

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

On This Day

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

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

Births on May 7

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

Deaths on May 7

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

Holidays and observances on May 7

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

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

On This Day

May 6 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 1527 – Spanish and German troops sack Rome; many scholars consider this the end of the Renaissance.
  • 1536 – The Siege of Cuzco commences, in which Incan forces attempt to retake the city of Cuzco from the Spanish.
  • 1536 – King Henry VIII orders English-language Bibles be placed in every church. In 1539 the Great Bible would be provided for this purpose.
  • 1542 – Francis Xavier reaches Old Goa, the capital of Portuguese India at the time.
  • 1659 – English Restoration: A faction of the British Army removes Richard Cromwell as Lord Protector of the Commonwealth and reinstalls the Rump Parliament.
  • 1682 – Louis XIV of France moves his court to the Palace of Versailles.
  • 1757 – Battle of Prague: A Prussian army fights an Austrian army in Prague during the Seven Years’ War.
  • 1757 – The end of Konbaung–Hanthawaddy War, and the end of Burmese Civil War (1740–1757).
  • 1757 – English poet Christopher Smart is admitted into St Luke’s Hospital for Lunatics in London, beginning his six-year confinement to mental asylums.
  • 1782 – Construction begins on the Grand Palace, the royal residence of the King of Siam in Bangkok, at the command of King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke.
  • 1801 – Captain Thomas Cochrane in the 14-gun HMS Speedy captures the 32-gun Spanish frigate El Gamo.
  • 1835 – James Gordon Bennett, Sr. publishes the first issue of the New York Herald.
  • 1840 – The Penny Black postage stamp becomes valid for use in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
  • 1857 – The East India Company disbands the 34th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry whose sepoy Mangal Pandey had earlier revolted against the British in the lead up to the War of Indian Independence.
  • 1861 – American Civil War: Arkansas secedes from the Union.
  • 1863 – American Civil War: The Battle of Chancellorsville ends with the defeat of the Army of the Potomac by the Army of Northern Virginia.
  • 1877 – Chief Crazy Horse of the Oglala Lakota surrenders to United States troops in Nebraska.
  • 1882 – Thomas Henry Burke and Lord Frederick Cavendish are stabbed to death by Fenian assassins in Phoenix Park, Dublin.
  • 1882 – The United States Congress passes the Chinese Exclusion Act.
  • 1889 – The Eiffel Tower is officially opened to the public at the Universal Exposition in Paris.
  • 1906 – The Russian Constitution of 1906 is adopted (on April 23 by the Julian calendar).
  • 1910 – George V becomes King of Great Britain, Ireland, and many overseas territories, on the death of his father, Edward VII.
  • 1915 – Babe Ruth, then a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, hits his first major league home run.
  • 1916 – Twenty-one Lebanese nationalists are executed in Martyrs’ Square, Beirut by Djemal Pasha.
  • 1916 – Vietnamese Emperor Duy Tân is captured while calling upon the people to rise up against the French, and is later deposed and exiled to Réunion island.
  • 1933 – The Deutsche Studentenschaft attacked Magnus Hirschfeld’s Institut für Sexualwissenschaft, later burning many of its books.
  • 1935 – New Deal: Under the authority of the newly-enacted Federal Emergency Relief Administration, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issues Executive Order 7034 to create the Works Progress Administration.
  • 1937 – Hindenburg disaster: The German zeppelin Hindenburg catches fire and is destroyed within a minute while attempting to dock at Lakehurst, New Jersey. Thirty-six people are killed.
  • 1940 – John Steinbeck is awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his novel The Grapes of Wrath.
  • 1941 – At California’s March Field, Bob Hope performs his first USO show.
  • 1941 – The first flight of the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt.
  • 1942 – World War II: On Corregidor, the last American forces in the Philippines surrender to the Japanese.
  • 1945 – World War II: Axis Sally delivers her last propaganda broadcast to Allied troops.
  • 1945 – World War II: The Prague Offensive, the last major battle of the Eastern Front, begins.
  • 1949 – EDSAC, the first practical electronic digital stored-program computer, runs its first operation.
  • 1954 – Roger Bannister becomes the first person to run the mile in under four minutes.
  • 1960 – More than 20 million viewers watch the first televised royal wedding when Princess Margaret marries Anthony Armstrong-Jones at Westminster Abbey.
  • 1966 – Myra Hindley and Ian Brady are sentenced to life imprisonment for the Moors murders in England.
  • 1972 – Deniz Gezmiş, Yusuf Aslan and Hüseyin İnan are executed in Ankara after being convicted of attempting to overthrow the Constitutional order.
  • 1975 – During a lull in fighting, 100,000 Armenians gather in Beirut for the 60th anniversary commemorations of the Armenian Genocide.
  • 1976 – The 6.5 Mw  Friuli earthquake affected Northern Italy with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme), leaving 900–978 dead and 1,700–2,400 injured.
  • 1983 – The Hitler Diaries are revealed as a hoax after being examined by new experts.
  • 1984 – One hundred three Korean Martyrs are canonized by Pope John Paul II in Seoul.
  • 1988 – All thirty-six passengers and crew were killed when Widerøe Flight 710 crashed into Mt. Torghatten in Brønnøy.
  • 1994 – Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and French President François Mitterrand officiate at the opening of the Channel Tunnel.
  • 1996 – The body of former CIA director William Colby is found washed up on a riverbank in southern Maryland, eight days after he disappeared.
  • 1997 – The Bank of England is given independence from political control, the most significant change in the bank’s 300-year history.
  • 1998 – Kerry Wood strikes out 20 Houston Astros to tie the major league record held by Roger Clemens. He threw a one-hitter and did not walk a batter in his fifth career start.
  • 1998 – Steve Jobs of Apple Inc. unveils the first iMac.
  • 1999 – The first elections to the devolved Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly are held.
  • 2001 – During a trip to Syria, Pope John Paul II becomes the first pope to enter a mosque.
  • 2002 – Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn is assassinated following a radio-interview at the Mediapark in Hilversum.
  • 2010 – In just 36 minutes, the Dow-Jones average plunged nearly 1000 points in what is known as the 2010 Flash Crash.
  • 2013 – Three women, kidnapped and missing for more than a decade, are found alive in Cleveland, Ohio, in the United States.

Births on May 6

  • 973 – Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1024)
  • 1464 – Sophia Jagiellon, Margravine of Brandenburg-Ansbach, Polish princess (d. 1512)
  • 1493 – Girolamo Seripando, Italian theologian and cardinal (d. 1563)
  • 1501 – Marcellus II, pope of the Catholic Church (d. 1555)
  • 1574 – Innocent X, pope of the Catholic Church (d. 1655)
  • 1580 – Charles Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua and Montferrat, French noble (d. 1637)
  • 1635 – Johann Joachim Becher, German physician and alchemist (d. 1682)
  • 1668 – Alain-René Lesage, French author and playwright (d. 1747)
  • 1680 – Jean-Baptiste Stuck, Italian-French cellist and composer (d. 1755)
  • 1713 – Charles Batteux, French philosopher and academic (d. 1780)
  • 1714 – Anton Raaff, German tenor (d. 1797)
  • 1742 – Jean Senebier, Swiss pastor and physiologist (d. 1809)
  • 1758 – André Masséna, French general (d. 1817)
  • 1758 – Maximilien Robespierre, French lawyer and politician (d. 1794)
  • 1769 – Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany (d. 1824)
  • 1769 – Jean Nicolas Pierre Hachette, French mathematician and academic (d. 1834)
  • 1781 – Karl Christian Friedrich Krause, German philosopher and author (d. 1832)
  • 1797 – Joseph Brackett, American religious leader and composer (d. 1882)
  • 1800 – Roman Sanguszko, Polish general (d. 1881)
  • 1827 – Hermann Raster, German-American journalist and politician (d. 1891)
  • 1836 – Max Eyth, German engineer and author (d. 1906)
  • 1843 – Grove Karl Gilbert, American geologist and academic (d. 1918)
  • 1848 – Henry Edward Armstrong, English chemist and academic (d. 1937)
  • 1851 – Aristide Bruant, French singer and actor (d. 1925)
  • 1856 – Sigmund Freud, Austrian neurologist and psychoanalyst (d. 1939)
  • 1856 – Robert Peary, American admiral and explorer (d. 1920)
  • 1861 – Motilal Nehru, Indian lawyer and politician, President of the Indian National Congress (d. 1931)
  • 1868 – Gaston Leroux, French journalist and author (d. 1927)
  • 1869 – Junnosuke Inoue, Japanese businessman and central banker, 8th and 11th Governor of the Bank of Japan (d. 1932)
  • 1870 – Walter Rutherford, Scottish golfer (d. 1936)
  • 1871 – Victor Grignard, French chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1935)
  • 1871 – Christian Morgenstern, German author and poet (d. 1914)
  • 1872 – Willem de Sitter, Dutch mathematician, physicist, and astronomer (d. 1934)
  • 1872 – Djemal Pasha, Ottoman general (d. 1922)
  • 1879 – Bedřich Hrozný, Czech orientalist and linguist (d. 1952)
  • 1879 – Hendrik van Heuckelum, Dutch footballer (d. 1929)
  • 1880 – Winifred Brunton, English-South African painter and illustrator (d. 1959)
  • 1880 – Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, German-Swiss painter (d. 1938)
  • 1883 – Alberto Collo, Italian actor (d. 1955)
  • 1895 – Júlio César de Mello e Souza, Brazilian mathematician and author (d. 1974)
  • 1895 – Fidél Pálffy, Hungarian soldier and politician, Hungarian Minister of Agriculture (d. 1946)
  • 1895 – Rudolph Valentino, Italian actor (d. 1926)
  • 1896 – Rolf Maximilian Sievert, Swedish physicist and academic (d. 1966)
  • 1897 – Paul Alverdes, German author and poet (d. 1979)
  • 1898 – Konrad Henlein, Czech soldier and politician (d. 1945)
  • 1902 – Harry Golden, Ukrainian-American journalist and author (d. 1981)
  • 1902 – Max Ophüls, German-American director and screenwriter (d. 1957)
  • 1903 – Toots Shor, American businessman, founded Toots Shor’s Restaurant (d. 1977)
  • 1904 – Moshé Feldenkrais, Ukrainian-Israeli physicist and academic (d. 1984)
  • 1904 – Catherine Lacey, English actress (d. 1979)
  • 1904 – Harry Martinson, Swedish novelist, essayist, and poet Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1978)
  • 1905 – Philip N. Krasne, American lawyer and producer (d. 1999)
  • 1906 – André Weil, French mathematician and academic (d. 1998)
  • 1907 – Weeb Ewbank, American football player and coach (d. 1998)
  • 1911 – Guy des Cars, French journalist and author (d. 1993)
  • 1913 – Carmen Cavallaro, American pianist (d. 1989)
  • 1913 – Stewart Granger, English-American actor (d. 1993)
  • 1915 – Orson Welles, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1985)
  • 1915 – Theodore H. White, American historian, journalist, and author (d. 1986)
  • 1916 – Robert H. Dicke, American physicist and astronomer (d. 1997)
  • 1917 – Kal Mann, American songwriter (d. 2001)
  • 1918 – Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, emir of Abu Dhabi and first president of the United Arab Emirates (d. 2004)
  • 1919 – André Guelfi, French race car driver (d. 2016)
  • 1920 – Kamisese Mara, Fijian politician, 1st Prime Minister of Fiji (d. 2004)
  • 1920 – Marguerite Piazza, American soprano and actress (d. 2012)
  • 1921 – Erich Fried, Austrian-German author, poet, and translator (d. 1988)
  • 1922 – Camille Laurin, Canadian psychiatrist and politician, 7th Deputy Premier of Quebec (d. 1999)
  • 1923 – Harry Watson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2002)
  • 1924 – Nestor Basterretxea, Spanish painter and sculptor (d. 2014)
  • 1924 – Patricia Helen Kennedy, American socialite, activist, and author (d. 2006)
  • 1924 – Denny Wright, English guitarist, composer, and producer (d. 1992)
  • 1926 – Gilles Grégoire, Canadian politician, co-founded the Parti Québécois (d. 2006)
  • 1929 – Rosemary Cramp, English archaeologist and academic
  • 1929 – Paul Lauterbur, American chemist and biophysicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2007)
  • 1929 – John Taylor, English bishop and theologian (d. 2016)
  • 1931 – Willie Mays, American baseball player and coach
  • 1931 – Louis Gambaccini, American government official (d. 2018)
  • 1932 – Ahmet Haxhiu, Kosovan activist (d. 1994)
  • 1932 – Alexander Thynn, 7th Marquess of Bath, English lieutenant and politician (d. 2020)
  • 1934 – Richard Shelby, American lawyer and politician
  • 1937 – Rubin Carter, American-Canadian boxer (d. 2014)
  • 1938 – Jean Garon, Canadian economist, lawyer, and politician (d. 2014)
  • 1939 – Eddie C. Campbell, American singer and guitarist (d. 2018)
  • 1939 – Chet Allen, American child actor (d. 1984)
  • 1942 – Ariel Dorfman, Argentinian author, playwright, and academic
  • 1943 – Andreas Baader, German terrorist, co-founded the Red Army Faction (d. 1977)
  • 1943 – Milton William Cooper, American theorist and author (d. 2001)
  • 1943 – Wolfgang Reinhardt, German pole vaulter (d. 2011)
  • 1943 – James Turrell, American sculptor and illustrator
  • 1944 – Anton Furst, English-American production designer and art director (d. 1991)
  • 1944 – Masanori Murakami, Japanese baseball player and coach
  • 1945 – Jimmie Dale Gilmore, American country singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor, and producer
  • 1945 – Bob Seger, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1947 – Alan Dale, New Zealand actor
  • 1947 – Martha Nussbaum, American philosopher and author
  • 1947 – Ljubomir Vračarević, Serbian martial artist, founded Real Aikido (d. 2013)
  • 1948 – Frankie Librán, Puerto Rican-American baseball player (d. 2013)
  • 1950 – Jeffery Deaver, American journalist and author
  • 1951 – Samuel Doe, Liberian sergeant and politician, 21st President of Liberia (d. 1990)
  • 1952 – Gerrit Zalm, Dutch economist and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands
  • 1953 – Alexander Akimov, Ukrainian Chernobyl worker (d. 1986)
  • 1953 – Tony Blair, British politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
  • 1953 – Michelle Courchesne, Canadian urban planner and politician, Deputy Premier of Quebec
  • 1953 – Ülle Rajasalu, Estonian politician
  • 1953 – Graeme Souness, Scottish international footballer and manager
  • 1953 – Lynn Whitfield, American actress and producer
  • 1954 – Tom Abernethy, American basketball player
  • 1954 – Dora Bakoyannis, Greek politician, 120th Greek Minister for Foreign Affairs
  • 1954 – Angela Hernández Nuñez, Dominican author and poet
  • 1954 – Ain Lutsepp, Estonian actor and politician
  • 1955 – Nicholas Alexander, 7th Earl of Caledon, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Armagh
  • 1955 – Tom Bergeron, American television host
  • 1955 – John Hutton, Baron Hutton of Furness, English academic and politician, Secretary of State for Defence
  • 1956 – Lakis Lazopoulos, Greek actor and screenwriter
  • 1956 – Cindy Lovell, American educator and writer
  • 1956 – Roland Wieser, German race walker and coach
  • 1958 – Randall Stout, American architect, designed the Taubman Museum of Art (d. 2014)
  • 1959 – Andreas Busse, German runner
  • 1959 – Charles Hendry, English politician
  • 1960 – Lyudmila Andonova, Bulgarian high jumper
  • 1960 – Keith Dowding, English political scientist, philosopher, and academic
  • 1960 – Roma Downey, Irish-American actress and producer
  • 1960 – John Flansburgh, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1960 – Aleksei Lotman, Estonian biologist and politician
  • 1960 – Anne Parillaud, French actress
  • 1961 – Oleksandr Apaychev, Ukrainian decathlete and coach
  • 1961 – George Clooney, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1961 – Tom Hunter, Scottish businessman and philanthropist
  • 1961 – Gina Riley, Australian actress, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1961 – Frans Timmermans, Dutch politician and diplomat, First Vice President of the European Commission
  • 1962 – Tom Brake, English politician
  • 1962 – Brad Izzard, Australian rugby league player
  • 1963 – Alessandra Ferri, Italian ballerina
  • 1965 – Leslie Hope, Canadian actress, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1968 – Worku Bikila, Ethiopian runner
  • 1968 – Lætitia Sadier, French singer and keyboard player
  • 1969 – Jim Magilton, Northern Irish footballer and manager
  • 1970 – Roland Kun, Nauruan politician
  • 1970 – Kavan Smith, Canadian actor
  • 1971 – Chris Shiflett, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1972 – Martin Brodeur, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1972 – Naoko Takahashi, Japanese runner
  • 1974 – Bernard Barmasai, Kenyan runner
  • 1974 – Daniela Bártová, Czech pole vaulter and gymnast
  • 1975 – Alan Richardson, English cricketer and coach
  • 1976 – Dean Chandler, English footballer
  • 1976 – Iván de la Peña, Spanish footballer
  • 1977 – Christophe Brandt, Belgian cyclist
  • 1977 – Marc Chouinard, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1977 – Mark Eaton, American ice hockey player and coach
  • 1977 – Chantelle Newbery, Australian diver
  • 1978 – John Abraham, American football player
  • 1978 – Tony Estanguet, French slalom canoeist
  • 1978 – Fredrick Federley, Swedish journalist and politician
  • 1978 – Alexandr Fedorov, Russian bodybuilder
  • 1979 – Gerd Kanter, Estonian discus thrower
  • 1979 – Jan Erik Mikalsen, Norwegian composer
  • 1979 – Jon Montgomery, Canadian skeleton racer and television host
  • 1980 – Brooke Bennett, American swimmer
  • 1980 – Dimitris Diamantidis, Greek professional basketball player
  • 1980 – Ricardo Oliveira, Brazilian footballer
  • 1980 – Matthew Whiley, English cricketer
  • 1982 – Jason Witten, American football player
  • 1983 – Dani Alves, Brazilian footballer
  • 1983 – Ingrid Jonach, Australian author
  • 1983 – Gabourey Sidibe, American actress
  • 1983 – Trinley Thaye Dorje, Tibetan religious leader, the 17th Karmapa Lama
  • 1983 – Fredrik Sjöström, Swedish ice hockey player
  • 1984 – Anton Babchuk, Ukrainian ice hockey player
  • 1984 – Juan Pablo Carrizo, Argentinian footballer
  • 1985 – Chris Paul, American basketball player
  • 1986 – Goran Dragic, Slovenian basketball player
  • 1987 – Dries Mertens, Belgian footballer
  • 1987 – Meek Mill, American rapper
  • 1987 – Adrienne Warren, American actress
  • 1988 – Ryan Anderson, American basketball player
  • 1988 – Dakota Kai, New Zealander profesional wrestler
  • 1989 – Dominika Cibulková, Slovak tennis player
  • 1989 – Jesse Hughes, Canadian DJ and producer
  • 1990 – José Altuve, Venezuelan baseball player
  • 1992 – Brendan Gallagher, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1992 – Byun Baekhyun, South Korean musician and actor
  • 1992 – Jonas Valančiūnas, Lithuanian professional basketball player
  • 1993 – Gustavo Gómez, Paraguayan footballer
  • 1994 – Mateo Kovačić, Austrian-Croatian footballer
  • 1997 – Duncan Scott, Scottish swimmer
  • 2019 – Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, British royal

Deaths on May 6

  • 698 – Eadberht, bishop of Lindisfarne
  • 850 – Ninmyō, Japanese emperor (b. 808)
  • 932 – Qian Liu, Chinese warlord and king (b. 852)
  • 988 – Dirk II, count of Frisia and Holland
  • 1002 – Ealdwulf, Archbishop of York, Abbot of Peterborough and Bishop of Worcester
  • 1187 – Ruben III, Prince of Armenia (b. 1145)
  • 1236 – Roger of Wendover, Benedictine monk and chronicler
  • 1471 – Edmund Beaufort, English commander (b. 1438)
  • 1471 – Thomas Tresham, Speaker of the House of Commons
  • 1475 – Dieric Bouts, Flemish painter (b. 1415)
  • 1483 – Queen Jeonghui, Korean regent (b. 1418)
  • 1502 – James Tyrrell, English knight (b. 1450)
  • 1527 – Charles III, Duke of Bourbon, Count of Montpensier and Dauphin of Auvergne (b.1490)
  • 1540 – Juan Luís Vives, Spanish scholar (b. 1492)
  • 1596 – Giaches de Wert, Flemish-Italian composer (b. 1535)
  • 1631 – Sir Robert Cotton, 1st Baronet, of Connington, English historian and politician, founded the Cotton library (b. 1570)
  • 1638 – Cornelius Jansen, Dutch-French bishop and theologian (b. 1585)
  • 1708 – François de Laval, French-Canadian bishop (b. 1623)
  • 1757 – Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (b. 1683)
  • 1757 – Kurt Christoph Graf von Schwerin, Prussian field marshal (b. 1684)
  • 1782 – Christine Kirch, German astronomer and academic (b. 1696)
  • 1840 – Francisco de Paula Santander, Colombian general and politician, 4th President of the Republic of the New Granada (b. 1792)
  • 1859 – Alexander von Humboldt, German geographer and explorer (b. 1769)
  • 1862 – Henry David Thoreau, American essayist, poet, and philosopher (b. 1817)
  • 1877 – Johan Ludvig Runeberg, Swedish-Finnish poet and hymn-writer (b. 1804)
  • 1882 – Thomas Henry Burke, Irish civil servant (b. 1829)
  • 1882 – Lord Frederick Cavendish, British politician, Chief Secretary for Ireland (b. 1836)
  • 1902 – Bret Harte, American author and poet (b. 1836)
  • 1905 – Robert Herbert, English-Australian politician, 1st Premier of Queensland (b. 1831)
  • 1907 – Emanuele Luigi Galizia, Maltese architect and civil engineer (b. 1830)
  • 1910 – Edward VII of the United Kingdom (b. 1841)
  • 1919 – L. Frank Baum, American novelist (b. 1856)
  • 1939 – Konstantin Somov, Russian-French painter and illustrator (b. 1869)
  • 1949 – Maurice Maeterlinck, Belgian-French poet and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1862)
  • 1951 – Élie Cartan, French mathematician and physicist (b. 1869)
  • 1952 – Maria Montessori, Italian-Dutch physician and educator (b. 1870)
  • 1959 – Maria Dulęba, Polish actress (b. 1881)
  • 1959 – Ragnar Nurkse, Estonian-American economist and academic (b. 1907)
  • 1961 – Lucian Blaga, Romanian poet, playwright, and philosopher (b. 1895)
  • 1963 – Theodore von Kármán, Hungarian-American mathematician, physicist, and engineer (b. 1881)
  • 1963 – Ted Weems, American violinist, trombonist, and bandleader (b. 1901)
  • 1963 – Monty Woolley, American raconteur, actor, and director (b. 1888)
  • 1967 – Zhou Zuoren, Chinese author and translator (b. 1885)
  • 1970 – Alexander Rodzyanko, Russian general (b. 1879)
  • 1973 – Ernest MacMillan, Canadian conductor and composer (b. 1893)
  • 1975 – József Mindszenty, Hungarian cardinal (b. 1892)
  • 1980 – María Luisa Bombal, Chilean writer (b. 1910)
  • 1983 – Ezra Jack Keats, American author and illustrator (b. 1916)
  • 1983 – Kai Winding, Danish-American trombonist and composer (b. 1922)
  • 1984 – Mary Cain, American journalist and politician (b. 1904)
  • 1984 – Bonner Pink, English politician (b. 1912)
  • 1987 – William J. Casey, American politician, 13th Director of Central Intelligence (b. 1913)
  • 1989 – Earl Blaik, American football player and coach (b. 1897)
  • 1990 – Charles Farrell, American actor (b. 1901)
  • 1991 – Wilfrid Hyde-White, English actor (b. 1903)
  • 1992 – Marlene Dietrich, German-American actress and singer (b. 1901)
  • 1993 – Ann Todd, English actress and producer (b. 1909)
  • 1995 – Noel Brotherston, Northern Irish footballer (b. 1956)
  • 2000 – Gordon McClymont, Australian ecologist and academic (b. 1920)
  • 2002 – Murray Adaskin, Canadian violinist, composer, conductor, and educator (b. 1906)
  • 2002 – Otis Blackwell, American singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1932)
  • 2002 – Pim Fortuyn, Dutch sociologist, academic, and politician (b. 1948)
  • 2002 – Bjørn Johansen, Norwegian saxophonist (b. 1940)
  • 2003 – Art Houtteman, American baseball player and journalist (b. 1927)
  • 2004 – Virginia Capers, American actress and singer (b. 1925)
  • 2004 – Philip Kapleau, American monk and educator (b. 1912)
  • 2004 – Barney Kessel, American guitarist and composer (b. 1923)
  • 2006 – Grant McLennan, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1958)
  • 2006 – Lorne Saxberg, Canadian journalist (b. 1958)
  • 2007 – Enéas Carneiro, Brazilian physician and politician (b. 1938)
  • 2007 – Curtis Harrington, American actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1926)
  • 2009 – Kevin Grubb, American race car driver (b. 1978)
  • 2010 – Robin Roberts, American baseball player, coach, and sportscaster (b. 1926)
  • 2012 – James R. Browning, American lieutenant, lawyer, and judge (b. 1918)
  • 2012 – James Isaac, American director and producer (b. 1960)
  • 2012 – Jean Laplanche, French psychoanalyst and author (b. 1924)
  • 2013 – Giulio Andreotti, Italian journalist and politician, 41st Prime Minister of Italy (b. 1919)
  • 2013 – Severo Aparicio Quispe, Peruvian bishop (b. 1923)
  • 2013 – Michelangelo Spensieri, Italian-Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1949)
  • 2014 – Wil Albeda, Dutch economist and politician, Dutch Minister of Social Affairs (b. 1925)
  • 2014 – William H. Dana, American pilot, engineer, and astronaut (b. 1930)
  • 2014 – Jimmy Ellis, American boxer (b. 1940)
  • 2014 – Billy Harrell, American baseball player and scout (b. 1928)
  • 2014 – Antony Hopkins, English pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1921)
  • 2014 – Maria Lassnig, Austrian painter and academic (b. 1919)
  • 2014 – Farley Mowat, Canadian environmentalist and author (b. 1921)
  • 2015 – Novera Ahmed, Bangladeshi sculptor (b. 1930)
  • 2015 – Denise McCluggage, American race car driver and journalist (b. 1927)
  • 2015 – Jim Wright, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 56th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (b. 1922)
  • 2016 – Patrick Ekeng, Cameroonian footballer (b. 1990)
  • 2016 – Reg Grundy, Australian businessman (b. 1923)

Holidays and observances on May 6

  • Christian Feast Day:
    • Dominic Savio
    • Evodius of Antioch (Roman Catholic Church)
    • François de Laval
    • Gerard of Lunel
    • Lucius of Cyrene
    • Petronax of Monte Cassino
    • St George’s Day related observances (Eastern Orthodox Church):
      • Day of Bravery, also known as Gergyovden (Bulgaria)
      • Đurđevdan (Gorani, Roma)
      • Police Day (Georgia)
      • Yuri’s Day in the Spring (Russian Orthodox Church)
    • St John before the Latin Gate
    • May 6 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Earliest day on which Military Spouse Day can fall, while May 12 is the latest; celebrated on Friday before Mother’s Day (United States)
  • International No Diet Day
  • Martyrs’ Day (Gabon)
  • Martyrs’ Day (Lebanon and Syria)
  • Teachers’ Day (Jamaica)
  • The first day of Hıdırellez (Turkey)

May 6 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

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

On This Day /
  • 1256 – The Augustinian monastic order is constituted at the Lecceto Monastery when Pope Alexander IV issues a papal bull Licet ecclesiae catholicae.
  • 1415 – Religious reformers John Wycliffe and Jan Hus are condemned as heretics at the Council of Constance.
  • 1436 – Assassination of the Swedish rebel (later national hero) Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson
  • 1471 – Wars of the Roses: The Battle of Tewkesbury: Edward IV defeats a Lancastrian Army and kills Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales.
  • 1493 – Pope Alexander VI divides the New World between Spain and Portugal along the Line of Demarcation.
  • 1626 – Dutch explorer Peter Minuit arrives in New Netherland (present day Manhattan Island) aboard the See Meeuw.
  • 1686 – The Municipality of Ilagan is founded in the Philippines.
  • 1776 – Rhode Island becomes the first American colony to renounce allegiance to King George III.
  • 1799 – Fourth Anglo-Mysore War: The Battle of Seringapatam: The siege of Seringapatam ends when the city is invaded and Tipu Sultan killed by the besieging British army, under the command of General George Harris.
  • 1814 – Emperor Napoleon arrives at Portoferraio on the island of Elba to begin his exile.
  • 1814 – King Ferdinand VII abolishes the Spanish Constitution of 1812, returning Spain to absolutism.
  • 1836 – Formation of Ancient Order of Hibernians
  • 1859 – The Cornwall Railway opens across the Royal Albert Bridge linking Devon and Cornwall in England.
  • 1869 – The Naval Battle of Hakodate is fought in Japan.
  • 1871 – The National Association, the first professional baseball league, opens its first season in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
  • 1886 – Haymarket affair: A bomb is thrown at policemen trying to break up a labor rally in Chicago, United States, killing eight and wounding 60. The police fire into the crowd.
  • 1904 – The United States begins construction of the Panama Canal.
  • 1910 – The Royal Canadian Navy is created.
  • 1912 – Italy occupies the Greek island of Rhodes.
  • 1919 – May Fourth Movement: Student demonstrations take place in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China, protesting the Treaty of Versailles, which transferred Chinese territory to Japan.
  • 1926 – The United Kingdom general strike begins.
  • 1927 – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is incorporated.
  • 1932 – In Atlanta, mobster Al Capone begins serving an eleven-year prison sentence for tax evasion.
  • 1942 – World War II: The Battle of the Coral Sea begins with an attack by aircraft from the United States aircraft carrier USS Yorktown on Japanese naval forces at Tulagi Island in the Solomon Islands. The Japanese forces had invaded Tulagi the day before.
  • 1945 – World War II: Neuengamme concentration camp near Hamburg is liberated by the British Army.
  • 1945 – World War II: The German surrender at Lüneburg Heath is signed, coming into effect the following day. It encompasses all Wehrmacht units in the Netherlands, Denmark and northwest Germany.
  • 1946 – In San Francisco Bay, U.S. Marines from the nearby Treasure Island Naval Base stop a two-day riot at Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary. Five people are killed in the riot.
  • 1949 – The entire Torino football team (except for two players who did not take the trip: Sauro Tomà, due to an injury and Renato Gandolfi, because of coach request) is killed in a plane crash.
  • 1953 – Ernest Hemingway wins the Pulitzer Prize for The Old Man and the Sea.
  • 1959 – The 1st Annual Grammy Awards are held.
  • 1961 – American civil rights movement: The “Freedom Riders” begin a bus trip through the South.
  • 1961 – Malcolm Ross and Victor Prather attain a new altitude record for manned balloon flight ascending in the Strato-Lab V open gondola to 113,740 feet (34.67 km).
  • 1970 – Vietnam War: Kent State shootings: The Ohio National Guard, sent to Kent State University after disturbances in the city of Kent the weekend before, opens fire killing four unarmed students and wounding nine others. The students were protesting the Cambodian Campaign of the United States and South Vietnam.
  • 1972 – The Don’t Make A Wave Committee, a fledgling environmental organization founded in Canada in 1971, officially changes its name to “Greenpeace Foundation”.
  • 1978 – The South African Defence Force attacks a SWAPO base at Cassinga in southern Angola, killing about 600 people.
  • 1979 – Margaret Thatcher becomes the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
  • 1982 – Twenty sailors are killed when the British Type 42 destroyer HMS Sheffield is hit by an Argentinian Exocet missile during the Falklands War.
  • 1988 – The PEPCON disaster rocks Henderson, Nevada, as tons of Space Shuttle fuel detonate during a fire.
  • 1989 – Iran–Contra affair: Former White House aide Oliver North is convicted of three crimes and acquitted of nine other charges; the convictions are later overturned on appeal.
  • 1990 – Latvia proclaims the renewal of its independence after the Soviet occupation.
  • 1994 – Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO leader Yasser Arafat sign a peace accord, granting self-rule in the Gaza Strip and Jericho.
  • 1998 – A federal judge in Sacramento, California, gives “Unabomber” Theodore Kaczynski four life sentences plus 30 years after Kaczynski accepts a plea agreement sparing him from the death penalty.
  • 2000 – Ken Livingstone becomes the first Mayor of London (an office separate from that of the Lord Mayor of London).
  • 2007 – Greensburg, Kansas is almost completely destroyed by a 1.7-mile wide EF5 tornado. It was the first-ever tornado to be rated as such with the new Enhanced Fujita scale.
  • 2014 – Three people are killed and 62 injured in a pair of bombings on buses in Nairobi, Kenya.

Births on May 4

  • 1006 – Khwaja Abdullah Ansari, Persian mystic and poet (d. 1088)
  • 1008 – Henry I, king of France (d. 1060)
  • 1559 – Alice Spencer, English noblewoman (d. 1637)
  • 1634 – Katherine Ferrers, English aristocrat and heiress (d. 1660)
  • 1649 – Chhatrasal, Indian ruler (d. 1731)
  • 1654 – Kangxi Emperor, Emperor of the Qing Dynasty
  • 1655 – Bartolomeo Cristofori, Italian instrument maker, invented the piano (d. 1731)
  • 1677 – Françoise-Marie de Bourbon, French noblewoman (d.1749)
  • 1715 – Richard Graves, English minister and author (d. 1804)
  • 1733 – Jean-Charles de Borda, French mathematician, physicist, and sailor (d. 1799)
  • 1752 – John Brooks, American soldier and politician, 11th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1825)
  • 1757 – Manuel Tolsá, Spanish sculptor and first director of the Academy of San Carlos in Mexico City (d. 1816)
  • 1767 – Tyagaraja, Indian composer (d. 1847)
  • 1770 – François Gérard, French painter (d. 1837)
  • 1772 – Friedrich Arnold Brockhaus, German publisher (d. 1823)
  • 1796 – Horace Mann, American educator and politician (d. 1859)
  • 1796 – William Pennington, American lawyer and politician, 13th Governor of New Jersey, 23rd Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (d. 1862)
  • 1796 – William H. Prescott, American historian and scholar (d. 1859)
  • 1820 – Julia Gardiner Tyler, American wife of John Tyler, 11th First Lady of the United States (d. 1889)
  • 1820 – John Whiteaker, American soldier, judge, and politician, 1st Governor of Oregon (d. 1902)
  • 1822 – Charles Boucher de Boucherville, Canadian physician and politician, 3rd Premier of Quebec (d. 1915)
  • 1825 – Thomas Henry Huxley, English biologist, anatomist, and academic (d. 1895)
  • 1825 – Augustus Le Plongeon, English-American historian, photographer, and academic (d. 1908)
  • 1826 – Frederic Edwin Church, American painter (d. 1900)
  • 1827 – John Hanning Speke, English soldier and explorer (d. 1864)
  • 1851 – Thomas Dewing, American painter (d. 1938)
  • 1852 – Alice Liddell, English model (d. 1934)
  • 1855 – Greyfriars Bobby, faithful dog (d. 1872)
  • 1883 – Wang Jingwei, Chinese politician (d. 1944)
  • 1884 – Richard Baggallay, English army officer and cricketer (d. 1975)
  • 1887 – Andrew Dasburg, French-American painter (d. 1979)
  • 1889 – Francis Spellman, American cardinal (d. 1967)
  • 1890 – Franklin Carmichael, Canadian painter (d. 1945)
  • 1902 – Ronnie Aird, English cricketer and administrator (d. 1986)
  • 1902 – Cola Debrot, Dutch physician, lawyer, and politician (d. 1981)
  • 1903 – Luther Adler, American actor (d. 1984)
  • 1903 – Paul Demel, Czech actor (d. 1951)
  • 1905 – Al Dexter, American country singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1984)
  • 1906 – Gustav Bergmann, Austrian-American philosopher from the Vienna Circle (d. 1987)
  • 1907 – Lincoln Kirstein, American soldier and playwright, co-founded the New York City Ballet (d. 1996)
  • 1907 – Walter Walsh, American target shooter and FBI agent (d. 2014)
  • 1908 – Wolrad Eberle, German decathlete (d. 1949)
  • 1911 – Evald Seepere, Estonian boxer (d. 1990)
  • 1913 – John Broome, American author (d. 1999)
  • 1913 – Princess Katherine of Greece and Denmark (d. 2007)
  • 1914 – Maedayama Eigorō, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 39th Yokozuna (d. 1971)
  • 1916 – Jane Jacobs, American-Canadian journalist, author, and activist (d. 2006)
  • 1916 – Richard Proenneke, American soldier, carpenter, and meteorologist (d. 2003)
  • 1917 – Edward T. Cone, American pianist and composer (d. 2004)
  • 1917 – Nick Joaquin, Filipino writer, journalist and historian (d. 2004)
  • 1918 – Tom Mead, Australian journalist and politician (d. 2004)
  • 1918 – Kakuei Tanaka, Japanese soldier and politician, 64th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1993)
  • 1919 – Dory Funk, American wrestler and trainer (d. 1973)
  • 1919 – Basil Yamey, South African-English economist and academic
  • 1921 – Patsy Garrett, American actress and singer (d. 2015)
  • 1921 – John van Kesteren, Dutch-American tenor and actor (d. 2008)
  • 1921 – Edo Murtić, Croatian painter, sculptor, and illustrator (d. 2005)
  • 1922 – Paul-Émile Charbonneau, Canadian archbishop (d. 2014)
  • 1922 – Eugenie Clark, American biologist and academic (d. 2015)
  • 1923 – Stanley Biber, American soldier and physician (d. 2006)
  • 1923 – Ed Cassidy, American jazz and rock drummer (d. 2012)
  • 1923 – Assi Rahbani, Lebanese composer and producer (d. 1986)
  • 1923 – Eric Sykes, British actor and comedian (d. 2012)
  • 1923 – John Toner, American football player and coach (d. 2014)
  • 1925 – Jenő Buzánszky, Hungarian footballer and coach (d. 2015)
  • 1925 – Maurice R. Greenberg, American businessman and philanthropist
  • 1926 – David Stoddart, Baron Stoddart of Swindon, English politician
  • 1928 – Maynard Ferguson, Canadian trumpet player and bandleader (d. 2006)
  • 1928 – Thomas Kinsella, Irish poet, translator, and publisher
  • 1928 – Hosni Mubarak, Egyptian air marshal and politician, 4th President of Egypt (d. 2020)
  • 1928 – Betsy Rawls, American golfer
  • 1928 – Wolfgang von Trips, German race car driver (d. 1961)
  • 1929 – Manuel Contreras, Chilean general (d. 2015)
  • 1929 – Audrey Hepburn, Belgian-British actress and humanitarian (d. 1993)
  • 1930 – Katherine Jackson, matriarch of the Jackson family
  • 1930 – Roberta Peters, American soprano (d. 2017)
  • 1931 – Jan Pesman, Dutch speed skater (d. 2014)
  • 1931 – Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Russian conductor and educator (d. 2018)
  • 1931 – Thomas Stuttaford, English physician, journalist, and politician (d. 2018)
  • 1932 – Harlon Hill, American football player and coach (d. 2013)
  • 1932 – Alexander MacAra, Scottish epidemiologist and academic (d. 2012)
  • 1933 – J. Fred Duckett, American journalist and educator (d. 2007)
  • 1936 – El Cordobés, Spanish bullfighter
  • 1936 – Med Hondo, Mauritanian filmmaker and actor (d. 2019)
  • 1937 – Ron Carter, American bassist and educator
  • 1937 – Dick Dale, American surf-rock guitarist, singer, and songwriter (d. 2019)
  • 1937 – Wim Verstappen, Dutch director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2004)
  • 1938 – Tyrone Davis, American blues and soul singer (d. 2005)
  • 1938 – Carlos Monsiváis, Mexican journalist, author, and critic (d. 2010)
  • 1938 – Gillian Tindall, English historian and author
  • 1939 – Neil Fox, English rugby league player and coach
  • 1939 – Amos Oz, Israeli journalist and author (d. 2018)
  • 1939 – Leon Rochefort, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1940 – Robin Cook, American physician and author
  • 1940 – Peter Gregg, American race car driver and businessman (d. 1980)
  • 1941 – George Will, American journalist and author
  • 1942 – Nickolas Ashford, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer (d. 2011)
  • 1943 – Georgi Asparuhov, Bulgarian footballer (d. 1971)
  • 1943 – Mihail Chemiakin, Russian painter and sculptor
  • 1943 – Prasanta Pattanaik, Indian economist and academic
  • 1944 – Steve Liebmann, Australian radio and television host
  • 1944 – Russi Taylor, American voice actress (d. 2019)
  • 1945 – Jan Mulder, Dutch footballer and journalist
  • 1946 – John Barnard, English car designer
  • 1946 – Gary Bauer, American political activist
  • 1946 – John Watson, British race car driver
  • 1947 – John Bosley, Canadian businessman and politician, 31st Canadian Speaker of the House of Commons
  • 1947 – Ronald Sørensen, Dutch historian and politician
  • 1947 – Trivimi Velliste, Estonian politician, 17th Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs
  • 1948 – Alison Britton, English sculptor and educator
  • 1948 – Hurley Haywood, American race car driver
  • 1948 – King George Tupou V of Tonga, (d. 2012)
  • 1949 – Graham Swift, English novelist and short story writer
  • 1950 – Darryl Hunt, English bass player
  • 1951 – Colin Bass, English bass player, songwriter, and producer
  • 1951 – Colleen Hanabusa, American lawyer and politician
  • 1951 – Jackie Jackson, American singer-songwriter and dancer
  • 1952 – Belinda Green, Australian beauty queen and 1972 Miss World
  • 1953 – Pia Zadora, American actress and singer
  • 1954 – Ryan Cayabyab, Filipino pianist, composer, and conductor
  • 1956 – Michael L. Gernhardt, American astronaut and engineer
  • 1956 – David Guterson, American novelist, short story writer, poet, and essayist
  • 1956 – Ken Oberkfell, American baseball player and coach
  • 1957 – Jaak Huimerind, Estonian architect
  • 1957 – Kathy Kreiner, Canadian skier
  • 1957 – Peter Sleep, Australian cricketer
  • 1957 – Marijke Vos, Dutch educator and politician
  • 1958 – Delbert Fowler, American football player
  • 1958 – Keith Haring, American painter (d. 1990)
  • 1958 – Jane Kennedy, English politician
  • 1958 – Caroline Spelman, English politician, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
  • 1959 – Valdemaras Chomičius, Lithuanian basketball player and coach
  • 1959 – Randy Travis, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
  • 1959 – Bob Tway, American golfer
  • 1960 – Werner Faymann, Austrian politician, 28th Chancellor of Austria
  • 1961 – Jay Aston, English singer-songwriter and dancer
  • 1964 – Silvia Costa, Cuban high jumper
  • 1966 – Gary Elkins, English footballer and manager
  • 1966 – Jane McGrath, English-Australian activist, co-founded the McGrath Foundation (d. 2008)
  • 1967 – Kate Garraway, English journalist
  • 1967 – Ana Gasteyer, American actress and singer
  • 1969 – Micah Aivazoff, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1969 – Franz Resch, Austrian footballer and manager
  • 1970 – Gregg Alexander, American singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1970 – Will Arnett, Canadian actor and producer
  • 1970 – Giovanni Mirabassi, Italian jazz musician
  • 1970 – Dawn Staley, American basketball player
  • 1970 – Paul Wiseman, New Zealand cricketer and coach
  • 1971 – Joe Borowski, American baseball player and sportscaster
  • 1971 – Miles Stewart, Australian triathlete
  • 1972 – Manny Aybar, Dominican baseball player
  • 1972 – Mike Dirnt, American bass player and songwriter
  • 1973 – Matthew Barnaby, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
  • 1973 – Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Argentinian footballer and coach
  • 1973 – John Madden, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1974 – Miguel Cairo, Venezuelan baseball player and coach
  • 1974 – Tony McCoy, Northern Irish jockey and sportscaster
  • 1976 – Ben Grieve, American baseball player
  • 1976 – Rory Hamill, Northern Irish international footballer
  • 1976 – Jason Michaels, American baseball player
  • 1976 – Indrek Visnapuu, Estonian basketball player and coach
  • 1977 – John Tripp, Canadian-German ice hockey player
  • 1978 – Erin Andrews, American sportscaster and journalist
  • 1978 – Igor Biscan, Croatian footballer
  • 1978 – Brett Burton, Australian footballer
  • 1978 – Vladimíra Uhlířová, Czech tennis player
  • 1979 – Lance Bass, American singer, dancer, and producer
  • 1979 – Kristin Harmel, American journalist and author
  • 1979 – Marie Poissonnier, French pole vaulter
  • 1979 – Lesley Vainikolo, Tongan rugby player
  • 1980 – Andrew Raycroft, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1981 – Eric Djemba-Djemba, Cameroon footballer
  • 1981 – Dallon Weekes, American singer-songwriter and musician
  • 1982 – Kleopas Giannou, Greek footballer
  • 1982 – Markus Rogan, Austrian swimmer
  • 1982 – Giorgos Tsiaras, Greek basketball player
  • 1983 – Dan Christian, Australian cricketer
  • 1983 – Derek Roy, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1983 – Robert Zwinkels, Dutch footballer
  • 1984 – Manjural Islam Rana, Bangladeshi cricketer (d. 2007)
  • 1984 – Brad Maddox, American wrestler and referee
  • 1984 – Sarah Meier, Swiss figure skater
  • 1984 – Montell Owens, American football player
  • 1984 – Kevin Slowey, American baseball player
  • 1985 – Ravi Bopara, English cricketer
  • 1985 – Anthony Fedorov, Ukrainian-born American singer and actor
  • 1985 – Fernandinho, Brazilian footballer
  • 1985 – Lester “Bo” McCalebb, American-Macedonian professional basketball player
  • 1985 – Jamie Adenuga, English MC and rapper
  • 1986 – Devan Dubnyk, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1986 – George Hill, American basketball player
  • 1987 – Cesc Fàbregas, Spanish footballer
  • 1987 – Jorge Lorenzo, Spanish motorcycle racer
  • 1988 – Radja Nainggolan, Belgian footballer
  • 1989 – Dániel Gyurta, Hungarian swimmer
  • 1989 – Henna Lindholm, Finnish figure skater
  • 1989 – Rory McIlroy, Northern Irish golfer
  • 1989 – Aris Tatarounis, Greek basketball player
  • 1989 – James van Riemsdyk, American ice hockey player
  • 1990 – Irina Falconi, American tennis player
  • 1990 – Ryan Morgan, Australian rugby league player
  • 1990 – Duvashen Padayachee, Australian race car driver
  • 1990 – Andrea Torres, Filipino actress and model
  • 1991 – Brianne Jenner, Canadian women’s ice hockey player
  • 1992 – Victor Oladipo, American basketball player
  • 1993 – Jānis Bērziņš, Latvian basketball player
  • 1994 – Abi Masatora, Japanese sumo wrestler
  • 1994 – Joseph Tapine, New Zealand rugby league player
  • 1996 – Pelayo Roza, Spanish sprint canoeist

Deaths on May 4

  • 408 – Venerius, archbishop of Milan
  • 784 – Arbeo, bishop of Freising
  • 1003 – Herman II, duke of Swabia
  • 1038 – Gotthard of Hildesheim, German bishop (b. 960)
  • 1406 – Coluccio Salutati, chancellor of Florence (b. 1331)
  • 1436 – Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson, Swedish rebel leader
  • 1471 – Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales, son and heir of Henry VI of England (b. 1453)
  • 1471 – Edmund Beaufort, 4th Duke of Somerset (b. 1438)
  • 1483 – George Neville, Duke of Bedford (b. 1457)
  • 1506 – Husayn Mirza Bayqara, Timurid ruler of Herat (b. 1438)
  • 1519 – Lorenzo de’ Medici, duke of Urbino (b. 1492)
  • 1535 – John Houghton, Carthusian monk and saint
  • 1562 – Lelio Sozzini, Italian Protestant theologian (b. 1525)
  • 1566 – Luca Ghini, Italian physician and botanist (b. 1490)
  • 1571 – Pierre Viret, Swiss theologian and reformer (b. 1511)
  • 1604 – Claudio Merulo, Italian organist and composer (b. 1533)
  • 1605 – Ulisse Aldrovandi, Italian naturalist (b. 1522)
  • 1615 – Adriaan van Roomen, Flemish priest and mathematician (b. 1561)
  • 1626 – Arthur Lake, English bishop and scholar (b. 1569)
  • 1677 – Isaac Barrow, English mathematician and theologian (b. 1630)
  • 1684 – John Nevison, English criminal (b. 1639)
  • 1729 – Louis Antoine de Noailles, French cardinal (b. 1651)
  • 1734 – James Thornhill, English painter and politician (b. 1675)
  • 1737 – Eustace Budgell, English journalist and politician (b. 1686)
  • 1774 – Anthony Ulrich of Brunswick, Prussian nobleman (b. 1714)
  • 1776 – Jacques Saly, French painter and sculptor (b. 1717)
  • 1790 – Matthew Tilghman, American politician (b. 1718)
  • 1799 – Tipu, ruler of Mysore (b. 1750)
  • 1811 – Nikolay Kamensky, Russian general (b. 1776)
  • 1816 – Samuel Dexter, American lawyer and politician, 4th United States Secretary of War, 3rd United States Secretary of the Treasury (b. 1761)
  • 1824 – Joseph Joubert, French author (b. 1754)
  • 1826 – Sebastián Kindelán y O’Regan, colonial governor of East Florida, Santo Domingo and Cuba (b. 1757)
  • 1839 – Denis Davydov, Russian general and poet (b. 1784)
  • 1858 – Aimé Bonpland, French botanist and explorer (b. 1773)
  • 1859 – Joseph Diaz Gergonne, French mathematician and philosopher (b. 1771)
  • 1880 – Edward Clark, American lawyer and politician, 8th Governor of Texas (b. 1815)
  • 1901 – John Jones Ross, Canadian lawyer and politician, 7th Premier of Quebec (b. 1831)
  • 1903 – Gotse Delchev, Macedonian Bulgarian revolutionary IMRO (b. 1872)
  • 1912 – Nettie Stevens, American geneticist credited with discovering sex chromosomes (b. 1861)
  • 1916 – Ned Daly, Irish rebel commander (Easter Rising) (b. 1891)
  • 1916 – John Murray, Australian politician, 23rd Premier of Victoria (b. 1851)
  • 1916 – Joseph Plunkett, Irish rebel and writer (b. 1887)
  • 1916 – Willie Pearse, Irish rebel (b. 1891)
  • 1919 – Milan Rastislav Štefánik, Slovak general and politician (b. 1880)
  • 1922 – Viktor Kingissepp, Estonian politician (b. 1888)
  • 1923 – Ralph McKittrick, American golfer and tennis player (b. 1877)
  • 1924 – E. Nesbit, English author and poet (b. 1858)
  • 1938 – Kanō Jigorō, Japanese founder of judo (b. 1860)
  • 1938 – Carl von Ossietzky, German journalist and activist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1889)
  • 1941 – Chris McKivat, Australian rugby player and coach (b. 1880)
  • 1945 – Fedor von Bock, German field marshal (b. 1880)
  • 1953 – Alexandre Pharamond, French rugby player (b. 1876)
  • 1955 – George Enescu, Romanian pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1881)
  • 1964 – Karl Robert Pusta, Estonian politician, 4th Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1883)
  • 1969 – Osbert Sitwell, English-Italian author and poet (b. 1892)
  • 1972 – Edward Calvin Kendall, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1886)
  • 1973 – Jane Bowles, American author and playwright (b. 1917)
  • 1975 – Moe Howard, American actor, singer, and screenwriter (b. 1897)
  • 1976 – Frank Strahan, Australian public servant (b. 1886)
  • 1980 – Josip Broz Tito, Yugoslav field marshal and politician, 1st President of Yugoslavia (b. 1892)
  • 1981 – C. Loganathan, Sri Lankan banker (b. 1913)
  • 1983 – Nino Sanzogno, Italian conductor and composer (b. 1911)
  • 1984 – Diana Dors, English actress (b. 1931)
  • 1985 – Fikri Sönmez, Turkish tailor and politician (b. 1938)
  • 1985 – Clarence Wiseman, English-Canadian 10th General of The Salvation Army (b. 1907)
  • 1987 – Paul Butterfield, American singer and harmonica player (b. 1942)
  • 1987 – Cathryn Damon, American actress (b. 1930)
  • 1988 – Lillian Estelle Fisher, American historian of Spanish America (b. 1891)
  • 1990 – Emily Remler, American guitarist (b. 1957)
  • 1991 – Mohammed Abdel Wahab, Egyptian singer-songwriter and mandolin player (b. 1902)
  • 1992 – Gregor Mackenzie, Scottish politician (b. 1927)
  • 1993 – France Štiglic, Slovenian film director and screenwriter (b. 1919)
  • 1995 – Connie Wisniewski, American baseball player (b. 1922)
  • 2000 – Hendrik Casimir, Dutch physicist and academic (b. 1909)
  • 2001 – Bonnie Lee Bakley, American model, wife of Robert Blake (b. 1956)
  • 2004 – David Reimer, Canadian victim of a botched circumcision and transgender reassignment surgery (b. 1965)
  • 2005 – David Hackworth, American colonel and journalist (b. 1930)
  • 2008 – Fred Baur, American chemist and founder of Pringles (b. 1918)
  • 2009 – Dom DeLuise, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1933)
  • 2011 – Sammy McCrory, Northern Irish footballer (b. 1924)
  • 2012 – Mort Lindsey, American pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1923)
  • 2012 – Bob Stewart, American television producer, founded Stewart Tele Enterprises (b. 1920)
  • 2012 – Adam Yauch, American rapper and director (b. 1964)
  • 2012 – Rashidi Yekini, Nigerian footballer (b. 1963)
  • 2013 – Otis R. Bowen, American physician and politician, 44th Governor of Indiana (b. 1918)
  • 2013 – Christian de Duve, English-Belgian cytologist and biochemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1917)
  • 2013 – Javier Diez Canseco, Peruvian sociologist and politician (b. 1948)
  • 2013 – Mario Machado, Chinese-American journalist and actor (b. 1935)
  • 2013 – Morgan Morgan-Giles, English admiral and politician (b. 1914)
  • 2013 – César Portillo de la Luz, Cuban guitarist and composer (b. 1922)
  • 2014 – Dick Ayers, American author and illustrator (b. 1924)
  • 2014 – Elena Baltacha, Ukrainian-Scottish tennis player (b. 1983)
  • 2014 – Edgar Cortright, American scientist and engineer (b. 1923)
  • 2014 – Helga Königsdorf, German physicist and author (b. 1938)
  • 2014 – Ross Lonsberry, Canadian-American ice hockey player (b. 1947)
  • 2014 – Jean-Paul Ngoupandé, Central African politician, Prime Minister of the Central African Republic (b. 1948)
  • 2015 – William Bast, American screenwriter and author (b. 1931)
  • 2015 – Ellen Albertini Dow, American actress (b. 1913)
  • 2015 – Marv Hubbard, American football player (b. 1946)
  • 2016 – Jean-Baptiste Bagaza, Burundian politician (b. 1946)
  • 2020 – Don Shula, American football player and coach (b. 1930)
  • 2020 – Greg Zanis, American carpenter and activist (b. 1950)

Holidays and observances on May 4

  • Anti-Bullying Day (United Nations)
  • Bird Day (United States)
  • Cassinga Day (Namibia)
  • Christian feast day:
    • Blessed Ceferino Giménez Malla
    • Blessed Michal Giedroyc
    • English Saints and Martyrs of the Reformation Era (Church of England)
    • F. C. D. Wyneken (Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod)
    • Florian
    • Gotthard of Hildesheim
    • José María Rubio
    • Judas Cyriacus
    • Monica of Hippo (1960 Roman Catholic Calendar)
    • Sacerdos of Limoges
    • Venerius of Milan
    • May 4 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Dave Brubeck Day
  • Death of Milan Rastislav Štefánik Day (Slovakia)
  • Greenery Day (Japan)
  • International Firefighters’ Day
  • May Fourth Movement commemorations:
    • Literary Day (Republic of China)
    • Youth Day (China)
  • Remembrance Day for Martyrs and Disabled (Afghanistan)
  • Remembrance of the Dead (Netherlands)
  • Restoration of Independence day (Latvia)
  • Star Wars Day (International observance)
  • World Give Day
  • World Naked Gardening Day
  • Youth Day (Fiji)

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