1867

April 26 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

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  • 1336 – Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch) ascends Mont Ventoux.
  • 1478 – The Pazzi family attack Lorenzo de’ Medici and kill his brother Giuliano during High Mass in Florence Cathedral.
  • 1564 – Playwright William Shakespeare is baptized in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England (date of actual birth is unknown).
  • 1607 – English colonists make landfall at Cape Henry, Virginia.
  • 1721 – A massive earthquake devastates the Iranian city of Tabriz.
  • 1777 – Sybil Ludington, aged 16, rode 40 miles (64 km) to alert American colonial forces to the approach of the British regular forces
  • 1794 – Battle of Beaumont during the Flanders Campaign of the War of the First Coalition.
  • 1802 – Napoleon Bonaparte signs a general amnesty to allow all but about one thousand of the most notorious émigrés of the French Revolution to return to France.
  • 1803 – Thousands of meteor fragments fall from the skies of L’Aigle, France; the event convinces European scientists that meteors exist.
  • 1805 – First Barbary War: United States Marines captured Derne under the command of First Lieutenant Presley O’Bannon.
  • 1865 – American Civil War: Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston surrenders his army to General William Tecumseh Sherman at the Bennett Place near Durham, North Carolina. Also the date of Confederate Memorial Day for two states.
  • 1865 – Union cavalry troopers corner and shoot dead John Wilkes Booth, assassin of President Abraham Lincoln, in Virginia.
  • 1903 – Atlético Madrid Association football club is founded
  • 1923 – The Duke of York weds Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon at Westminster Abbey.
  • 1925 – Paul von Hindenburg defeats Wilhelm Marx in the second round of the German presidential election to become the first directly elected head of state of the Weimar Republic.
  • 1933 – The Gestapo, the official secret police force of Nazi Germany, is established.
  • 1937 – Spanish Civil War: Guernica, Spain, is bombed by German Luftwaffe.
  • 1942 – Benxihu Colliery accident in Manchukuo leaves 1549 Chinese miners dead.
  • 1943 – The Easter Riots break out in Uppsala, Sweden.
  • 1944 – Georgios Papandreou becomes head of the Greek government-in-exile based in Egypt.
  • 1944 – Heinrich Kreipe is captured by Allied commandos in occupied Crete.
  • 1945 – World War II: Battle of Bautzen: Last successful German tank-offensive of the war and last noteworthy victory of the Wehrmacht.
  • 1945 – World War II: Filipino troops of the 66th Infantry Regiment, Philippine Commonwealth Army, USAFIP-NL and the American troops of the 33rd and 37th Infantry Division, United States Army are liberated in Baguio City and they fight against the Japanese forces under General Tomoyuki Yamashita.
  • 1954 – The Geneva Conference, an effort to restore peace in Indochina and Korea, begins.
  • 1956 – SS Ideal X, the world’s first successful container ship, leaves Port Newark, New Jersey, for Houston, Texas.
  • 1958 – Final run of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad’s Royal Blue from Washington, D.C., to New York City after 68 years, the first U.S. passenger train to use electric locomotives.
  • 1960 – Forced out by the April Revolution, President of South Korea Syngman Rhee resigns after 12 years of dictatorial rule.
  • 1962 – NASA’s Ranger 4 spacecraft crashes into the Moon.
  • 1963 – In Libya, amendments to the constitution transform Libya (United Kingdom of Libya) into one national unity (Kingdom of Libya) and allows for female participation in elections.
  • 1964 – Tanganyika and Zanzibar merge to form Tanzania.
  • 1966 – The magnitude 5.1 Tashkent earthquake affects the largest city in Soviet Central Asia with a maximum MSK intensity of VII (Very strong). Tashkent is mostly destroyed and 15–200 are killed.
  • 1966 – A new government is formed in the Republic of the Congo, led by Ambroise Noumazalaye.
  • 1970 – The Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization enters into force.
  • 1981 – Dr. Michael R. Harrison of the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center performs the world’s first human open fetal surgery.
  • 1982 – Fifty-seven people are killed by former police officer Woo Bum-kon in a shooting spree in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea.
  • 1986 – A nuclear reactor accident occurs at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic in the Soviet Union, creating the world’s worst nuclear disaster.
  • 1989 – The deadliest known tornado strikes Central Bangladesh, killing upwards of 1,300, injuring 12,000, and leaving as many as 80,000 homeless.
  • 1989 – People’s Daily publishes the April 26 Editorial which inflames the nascent Tiananmen Square protests.
  • 1991 – Seventy tornadoes break out in the central United States. Before the outbreak’s end, Andover, Kansas, would record the year’s only F5 tornado.
  • 1994 – China Airlines Flight 140 crashes at Nagoya Airport in Japan, killing 264 of the 271 people on board.
  • 2002 – Robert Steinhäuser kills 16 at Gutenberg-Gymnasium in Erfurt, Germany before dying of a self-inflicted gunshot.
  • 2005 – Under international pressure, Syria withdraws the last of its 14,000 troop military garrison in Lebanon, ending its 29-year military domination of that country (Syrian occupation of Lebanon).
  • 2018 – American comedian Bill Cosby is found guilty of sexual assault.

Births on April 26

  • 121 – Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor (d. 180)
  • 757 – Hisham I of Córdoba (d. 796)
  • 764 – Al-Hadi, Iranian caliph (d. 786)
  • 1284 – Alice de Toeni, Countess of Warwick (d. 1324)
  • 1319 – King John II of France (d. 1364)
  • 1538 – Gian Paolo Lomazzo, Italian painter and academic (d. 1600)
  • 1575 – Marie de’ Medici, queen of Henry IV of France (d. 1642)
  • 1647 – William Ashhurst, English banker, Sheriff of London, Lord Mayor of London and politician (d. 1720)
  • 1648 – Peter II of Portugal (d. 1706)
  • 1697 – Adam Falckenhagen, German lute player and composer (d. 1754)
  • 1710 – Thomas Reid, Scottish philosopher and academic (d. 1796)
  • 1718 – Esek Hopkins, American commander (d. 1802)
  • 1774 – Christian Leopold von Buch, German geologist and paleontologist (d. 1853)
  • 1782 – Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily (d. 1866)
  • 1785 – John James Audubon, French-American ornithologist and painter (d. 1851)
  • 1787 – Ludwig Uhland, German poet, philologist, and historian (d. 1862)
  • 1798 – Eugène Delacroix, French painter and lithographer (d. 1863)
  • 1801 – Ambrose Dudley Mann, American politician and diplomat, 1st United States Assistant Secretary of State (d. 1889)
  • 1804 – Charles Goodyear, American banker, lawyer, and politician (d. 1876)
  • 1822 – Frederick Law Olmsted, American journalist and designer, co-designed Central Park (d. 1903)
  • 1834 – Charles Farrar Browne, American author (d. 1867)
  • 1856 – Joseph Ward, Australian-New Zealand businessman and politician, 17th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1930)
  • 1862 – Edmund C. Tarbell, American painter and educator (d. 1938)
  • 1876 – Ernst Felle, German rower (d. 1959)
  • 1877 – James Dooley, Irish-Australian politician, 21st Premier of New South Wales (d. 1950)
  • 1878 – Rafael Guízar y Valencia, Mexican bishop and saint (d. 1938)
  • 1879 – Eric Campbell, British actor (d. 1917)
  • 1879 – Owen Willans Richardson, English physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1959)
  • 1886 – Ma Rainey, American singer (d. 1939)
  • 1886 – Ğabdulla Tuqay, Russian poet and publicist (d. 1913)
  • 1889 – Anita Loos, American author, playwright, and screenwriter (d. 1981)
  • 1889 – Ludwig Wittgenstein, Austrian-English philosopher and academic (d. 1951)
  • 1894 – Rudolf Hess, Egyptian-German politician (d. 1987)
  • 1896 – Ruut Tarmo, Estonian actor and director (d. 1967)
  • 1896 – Ernst Udet, German colonel and pilot (d. 1941)
  • 1897 – Eddie Eagan, American boxer and bobsledder (d. 1967)
  • 1897 – Douglas Sirk, German-American director and screenwriter (d. 1987)
  • 1898 – Vicente Aleixandre, Spanish poet and author, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1984)
  • 1898 – John Grierson, Scottish director and producer (d. 1972)
  • 1899 – Oscar Rabin, Latvian-English saxophonist and bandleader (d. 1958)
  • 1900 – Eva Aschoff, German bookbinder and calligrapher (d. 1969)
  • 1900 – Charles Francis Richter, American seismologist and physicist (d. 1985)
  • 1900 – Hack Wilson, American baseball player (d. 1948)
  • 1904 – Paul-Émile Léger, Canadian cardinal (d. 1991)
  • 1904 – Xenophon Zolotas, Greek economist and politician, 177th Prime Minister of Greece (d. 2004)
  • 1905 – Jean Vigo, French director and screenwriter (d. 1934)
  • 1907 – Ilias Tsirimokos, Greek politician, Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1968)
  • 1909 – Marianne Hoppe, German actress (d. 2002)
  • 1910 – Tomoyuki Tanaka, Japanese screenwriter and producer (d. 1997)
  • 1911 – Paul Verner, German soldier and politician (d. 1986)
  • 1912 – A. E. van Vogt, Canadian-American author (d. 2000)
  • 1914 – Bernard Malamud, Jewish American novelist and short story writer (d. 1986)
  • 1914 – James Rouse, American real estate developer (d. 1996)
  • 1916 – Eyvind Earle, American artist, author, and illustrator (d. 2000)
  • 1916 – Ken Wallis, English commander, engineer, and pilot (d. 2013)
  • 1916 – Morris West, Australian author and playwright (d. 1999)
  • 1917 – Sal Maglie, American baseball player and coach (d. 1992)
  • 1917 – I. M. Pei, Chinese-American architect, designed the National Gallery of Art and Bank of China Tower (d. 2019)
  • 1917 – Virgil Trucks, American baseball player and coach (d. 2013)
  • 1918 – Fanny Blankers-Koen, Dutch sprinter and long jumper (d. 2004)
  • 1921 – Jimmy Giuffre, American clarinet player, saxophonist, and composer (d. 2008)
  • 1922 – J. C. Holt, English historian and academic (d. 2014)
  • 1922 – Jeanne Sauvé, Canadian journalist and politician, 23rd Governor General of Canada (d. 1993)
  • 1922 – Margaret Scott, South African-Australian ballerina and choreographer (d. 2019)
  • 1924 – Browning Ross, American runner and soldier (d. 1998)
  • 1925 – Vladimir Boltyansky, Russian mathematician, educator and author (d. 2019)
  • 1925 – Gerard Cafesjian, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 2013)
  • 1925 – Michele Ferrero, Italian entrepreneur (d. 2015)
  • 1925 – Frank Hahn, British economist (d. 2013)
  • 1926 – Michael Mathias Prechtl, German soldier and illustrator (d. 2003)
  • 1927 – Jack Douglas, English actor (d. 2008)
  • 1927 – Harry Gallatin, American basketball player and coach (d. 2015)
  • 1927 – Granny Hamner, American baseball player (d. 1993)
  • 1929 – Richard Mitchell, American author and educator (d. 2002)
  • 1930 – Roger Moens, Belgian runner and sportscaster
  • 1931 – Paul Almond, Canadian director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2015)
  • 1931 – Bernie Brillstein, American talent agent and producer (d. 2008)
  • 1931 – John Cain Jr., Australian politician, 41st Premier of Victoria (d. 2019)
  • 1932 – Israr Ahmed, Indian-Pakistani theologian, philosopher, and scholar (d. 2010)
  • 1932 – Shirley Cawley, English long jumper
  • 1932 – Frank D’Rone, American singer and guitarist (d. 2013)
  • 1932 – Francis Lai, French accordion player and composer (d. 2018)
  • 1932 – Michael Smith, English-Canadian biochemist and geneticist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2000)
  • 1933 – Carol Burnett, American actress, singer, and producer
  • 1933 – Filiberto Ojeda Ríos, Puerto Rican-American general (d. 2005)
  • 1933 – Arno Allan Penzias, German-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1935 – Patricia Reilly Giff, American author and educator
  • 1937 – Jean-Pierre Beltoise, French race car driver and motorcycle racer (d. 2015)
  • 1938 – Duane Eddy, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
  • 1938 – Maurice Williams, American doo-wop/R&B singer-songwriter
  • 1940 – Molvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari, Indian cleric and politician (d. 2014)
  • 1940 – Giorgio Moroder, Italian singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1940 – Cliff Watson, English rugby league player (d. 2018)
  • 1941 – Claudine Auger, French model and actress (d. 2019)
  • 1942 – Svyatoslav Belza, Russian journalist, author, and critic (d. 2014)
  • 1942 – Sharon Carstairs, Canadian lawyer and politician, Leader of the Government in the Senate
  • 1942 – Michael Kergin, Canadian diplomat, Canadian Ambassador to the United States
  • 1942 – Bobby Rydell, American singer and actor
  • 1942 – Jadwiga Staniszkis, Polish sociologist, political scientist, and academic
  • 1943 – Gary Wright, American singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer
  • 1943 – Peter Zumthor, Swiss architect and academic, designed the Therme Vals
  • 1944 – Richard Bradshaw, English conductor (d. 2007)
  • 1945 – Howard Davies, English director and producer (d. 2016)
  • 1945 – Dick Johnson, Australian race car driver
  • 1945 – Sylvain Simard, Canadian academic and politician
  • 1946 – Ralph Coates, English international footballer (d. 2010)
  • 1946 – Marilyn Nelson, American poet and author
  • 1946 – Alberto Quintano, Chilean footballer
  • 1949 – Carlos Bianchi, Argentinian footballer and manager
  • 1949 – Jerry Blackwell, American wrestler (d. 1995)
  • 1951 – John Battle, English politician
  • 1954 – Tatyana Fomina, Estonian chess player
  • 1954 – Alan Hinkes, English mountaineer and explorer
  • 1955 – Kurt Bodewig, German politician
  • 1956 – Koo Stark, American actress and photographer
  • 1958 – John Crichton-Stuart, 7th Marquess of Bute, Scottish race car driver
  • 1958 – Giancarlo Esposito, American actor, director, and producer
  • 1958 – Georgios Kostikos, Greek footballer, coach, and manager
  • 1959 – John Corabi, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1960 – Steve Lombardozzi, American baseball player and coach
  • 1960 – Roger Taylor, English drummer
  • 1961 – Joan Chen, Chinese-American actress, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1961 – Chris Mars, American artist
  • 1962 – Colin Anderson, English footballer
  • 1962 – Debra Wilson, American actress and comedian
  • 1963 – Jet Li, Chinese-Singaporean martial artist, actor, and producer
  • 1963 – Colin Scotts, Australian-American football player
  • 1963 – Cornelia Ullrich, German hurdler
  • 1963 – Bill Wennington, Canadian basketball player
  • 1965 – Susannah Harker, English actress
  • 1965 – Kevin James, American actor and comedian
  • 1967 – Glenn Thomas Jacobs, American professional wrestler, actor, businessman and politician
  • 1967 – Marianne Jean-Baptiste, English actress and singer-songwriter
  • 1967 – Toomas Tõniste, Estonian sailor and politician
  • 1970 – Dean Austin, English footballer and manager
  • 1970 – Melania Trump, Slovene-American model; 47th First Lady of the United States
  • 1970 – Kristen R. Ghodsee, American ethnographer and academic
  • 1970 – Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress
  • 1971 – Jay DeMarcus, American bass player, songwriter, and producer
  • 1972 – Jason Bargwanna, Australian race car driver
  • 1972 – Kiko, Spanish footballer
  • 1972 – Natrone Means, American football player and coach
  • 1972 – Avi Nimni, Israeli footballer and manager
  • 1973 – Geoff Blum, American baseball player and sportscaster
  • 1973 – Jules Naudet, French-American director and producer
  • 1973 – Chris Perry, English footballer
  • 1973 – Óscar García Junyent, Spanish footballer and coach
  • 1975 – Joey Jordison, American musician, songwriter, record producer
  • 1975 – Rahul Verma, Indian social worker and activist
  • 1976 – Luigi Panarelli, Italian footballer
  • 1976 – Václav Varaďa, Czech ice hockey player
  • 1977 – Samantha Cristoforetti, Italian astronaut
  • 1977 – Kosuke Fukudome, Japanese baseball player
  • 1977 – Roxana Saberi, American journalist and author
  • 1977 – Tom Welling, American actor
  • 1978 – Joe Crede, American baseball player
  • 1978 – Stana Katic, Canadian actress
  • 1978 – Peter Madsen, Danish footballer
  • 1980 – Jordana Brewster, Panamanian-American actress
  • 1980 – Marlon King, English footballer
  • 1980 – Anna Mucha, Polish actress and journalist
  • 1980 – Channing Tatum, American actor and producer
  • 1981 – Caro Emerald, Dutch pop and jazz singer
  • 1981 – Ms. Dynamite, English rapper and producer
  • 1981 – Sandra Schmitt, German skier (d. 2000)
  • 1982 – Novlene Williams-Mills, Jamaican sprinter
  • 1983 – José María López, Argentinian race car driver
  • 1983 – Jessica Lynch, American soldier
  • 1984 – Emily Wickersham, American actress
  • 1985 – John Isner, American tennis player
  • 1985 – Andrea Koch Benvenuto, Chilean tennis player
  • 1986 – Lior Refaelov, Israeli footballer
  • 1986 – Sean Evans, American YouTuber and producer
  • 1986 – Yuliya Zaripova, Russian runner
  • 1987 – Jorge Andújar Moreno, Spanish footballer
  • 1988 – Ben Spina, Australian rugby league player
  • 1988 – Manuel Viniegra, Mexican footballer
  • 1988 – Gareth Evans, English footballer
  • 1989 – Melvin Ingram, American football player
  • 1990 – Mitch Rein, Australian rugby league player
  • 1990 – Nevin Spence, Northern Irish rugby player (d. 2012)
  • 1991 – Lazaros Fotias, Greek footballer
  • 1991 – Peter Handscomb, Australian cricketer
  • 1991 – Will Heard, British singer and songwriter
  • 1991 – Isaac Liu, New Zealand rugby league player
  • 1991 – Ignacio Lores Varela, Uruguayan footballer
  • 1991 – Srdjan Pejicic, Canadian/Bosnian basketball player
  • 1991 – Wojciech Pszczolarski, Polish bicycle racer
  • 1992 – Aaron Judge, American baseball player
  • 1994 – Daniil Kvyat, Russian race car driver

Deaths on  April 26

  • 499 – Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei (b. 467)
  • 645 – Richarius, Frankish monk and saint (b. 560)
  • 680 – Muawiyah I, Umayyad caliph (b. 602)
  • 757 – Pope Stephen II (b. 715)
  • 893 – Chen Jingxuan, general of the Tang Dynasty
  • 962 – Adalbero I, bishop of Metz
  • 1192 – Emperor Go-Shirakawa of Japan (b. 1127)
  • 1366 – Simon Islip, Archbishop of Canterbury
  • 1392 – Jeong Mong-ju, Korean civil minister, diplomat and scholar (b. 1338)
  • 1444 – Robert Campin, Flemish painter (b. 1378)
  • 1478 – Giuliano de’ Medici, Italian ruler (b. 1453)
  • 1489 – Ashikaga Yoshihisa, Japanese shōgun (b. 1465)
  • 1558 – Jean Fernel, French physician (b. 1497)
  • 1686 – Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie, Swedish statesman and military man (b. 1622)
  • 1716 – John Somers, 1st Baron Somers, English jurist and politician, Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain (b. 1651)
  • 1784 – Nano Nagle, Irish nun and educator, founded the Presentation Sisters (b. 1718)
  • 1789 – Petr Ivanovich Panin, Russian general (b. 1721)
  • 1809 – Bernhard Schott, German music publisher (b. 1748)
  • 1865 – John Wilkes Booth, American actor, assassin of Abraham Lincoln (b. 1838)
  • 1881 – Ludwig Freiherr von und zu der Tann-Rathsamhausen, German general (b. 1815)
  • 1895 – Eric Stenbock, Estonian-English author and poet (b. 1860)
  • 1910 – Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Norwegian-French author, poet, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1832)
  • 1915 – John Bunny, American actor (b. 1863)
  • 1920 – Srinivasa Ramanujan, Indian mathematician and theorist (b. 1887)
  • 1932 – William Lockwood, English cricketer (b. 1868)
  • 1934 – Arturs Alberings, Latvian politician, former Prime Minister of Latvia (b. 1876)
  • 1940 – Carl Bosch, German chemist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1874)
  • 1944 – Violette Morris, French footballer, shot putter, and discus thrower (b. 1893)
  • 1945 – Sigmund Rascher, German physician (b. 1909)
  • 1945 – Pavlo Skoropadskyi, German-Ukrainian general and politician, Hetman of Ukraine (b. 1871)
  • 1946 – James Larkin White, American miner, explorer, and park ranger (b. 1882)
  • 1950 – George Murray Hulbert, American lawyer, judge, and politician (b. 1881)
  • 1951 – Arnold Sommerfeld, German physicist and academic (b. 1868)
  • 1956 – Edward Arnold, American actor (b. 1890)
  • 1957 – Gichin Funakoshi, Japanese martial artist, founded Shotokan (b. 1868)
  • 1964 – E. J. Pratt, Canadian poet and author (b. 1882)
  • 1968 – John Heartfield, German illustrator and photographer (b. 1891)
  • 1969 – Morihei Ueshiba, Japanese martial artist, founded aikido (b. 1883)
  • 1970 – Erik Bergman, Swedish minister and author (b. 1886)
  • 1970 – Gypsy Rose Lee, American actress, striptease dancer, and writer (b. 1911)
  • 1973 – Irene Ryan, American actress and philanthropist (b. 1902)
  • 1976 – Sidney Franklin, American bullfighter (b. 1903)
  • 1976 – Sid James, South African-English actor (b. 1913)
  • 1976 – Armstrong Sperry, American author and illustrator (b. 1897)
  • 1980 – Cicely Courtneidge, Australian-born British actress, comedian and singer (b. 1893)
  • 1981 – Jim Davis, American actor (b. 1909)
  • 1984 – Count Basie, American pianist, composer, and bandleader (b. 1904)
  • 1986 – Broderick Crawford, American actor (b. 1911)
  • 1986 – Bessie Love, American actress (b. 1898)
  • 1986 – Dechko Uzunov, Bulgarian painter (b. 1899)
  • 1987 – Shankar, Indian composer and conductor (b. 1922)
  • 1987 – John Silkin, English lawyer and politician, Shadow Leader of the House of Commons (b. 1923)
  • 1989 – Lucille Ball, American model, actress, comedian, and producer (b. 1911)
  • 1991 – Leo Arnaud, French-American composer and conductor (b. 1904)
  • 1991 – Carmine Coppola, American composer and conductor (b. 1910)
  • 1991 – A. B. Guthrie, Jr., American novelist and historian, (b. 1901)
  • 1991 – Richard Hatfield, Canadian lawyer and politician, 26th Premier of New Brunswick (b. 1931)
  • 1994 – Masutatsu Ōyama, Japanese martial artist, founded Kyokushin kaikan (b. 1923)
  • 1996 – Stirling Silliphant, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1918)
  • 1999 – Adrian Borland, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1957)
  • 1999 – Jill Dando, English journalist and television personality (b. 1961)
  • 2003 – Rosemary Brown, Jamaican-Canadian academic and politician (b. 1930)
  • 2003 – Yun Hyon-seok, South Korean poet and author (b. 1984)
  • 2003 – Edward Max Nicholson, Irish environmentalist, co-founded the World Wide Fund for Nature (b. 1904)
  • 2004 – Hubert Selby, Jr., American author, poet, and screenwriter (b. 1928)
  • 2005 – Mason Adams, American actor (b. 1919)
  • 2005 – Elisabeth Domitien, Prime Minister of the Central African Republic (b. 1925)
  • 2005 – Maria Schell, Austrian-Swiss actress (b. 1926)
  • 2005 – Augusto Roa Bastos, Paraguayan journalist, author, and academic (b. 1917)
  • 2007 – Jack Valenti, American businessman, created the MPAA film rating system (b. 1921)
  • 2009 – Hans Holzer, Austrian-American paranormal investigator and author (b. 1920)
  • 2010 – Mariam A. Aleem, Egyptian graphic designer and academic (b. 1930)
  • 2010 – Urs Felber, Swiss engineer and businessman (b. 1942)
  • 2011 – Phoebe Snow, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1950)
  • 2012 – Terence Spinks, English boxer and trainer (b. 1938)
  • 2013 – Jacqueline Brookes, American actress and educator (b. 1930)
  • 2013 – George Jones, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1931)
  • 2014 – Gerald Guralnik, American physicist and academic (b. 1936)
  • 2014 – Paul Robeson, Jr., American historian and author (b. 1927)
  • 2014 – DJ Rashad, American electronic musician, producer and DJ (b. 1979)
  • 2015 – Jayne Meadows, American actress (b. 1919)
  • 2015 – Marcel Pronovost, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1930)
  • 2016 – Harry Wu, Chinese human rights activist (b. 1937)
  • 2017 – Jonathan Demme, American filmmaker, producer and screenwriter (b. 1944)

Holidays and observances on April 26

  • Chernobyl disaster related observances:
    • Day of Remembrance of the Chernobyl tragedy (Belarus)
    • Memorial Day of Radiation Accidents and Catastrophes (Russia)
  • Christian feast day:
    • Aldobrandesca (or Alda)
    • Franca Visalta
    • Lucidius of Verona
    • Our Lady of Good Counsel
    • Pope Anacletus and Marcellinus
    • Riquier
    • Paschasius Radbertus
    • Peter of Rates (or of Braga)
    • Robert Hunt (Episcopal Church (USA))
    • Stephen of Perm, see also Old Permic Alphabet Day
    • Trudpert
    • April 26 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Confederate Memorial Day (Florida, United States)
  • Union Day (Tanzania)
  • World Intellectual Property Day

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

by
  • 215 BC – A temple is built on the Capitoline Hill dedicated to Venus Erycina to commemorate the Roman defeat at Lake Trasimene.
  • 599 – Maya king Uneh Chan of Calakmul attacks rival city-state Palenque in southern Mexico, defeating queen Yohl Ik’nal and sacking the city.
  • 711 – Dagobert III succeeds his father King Childebert III as King of the Franks.
  • 1014 – Battle of Clontarf: High King of Ireland Brian Boru defeats Viking invaders, but is killed in battle.
  • 1016 – Edmund Ironside succeeds his father Æthelred the Unready as King of England.
  • 1343 – St. George’s Night Uprising commences in the Duchy of Estonia.
  • 1348 – The founding of the Order of the Garter by King Edward III is announced on St. George’s Day.
  • 1516 – The Munich Reinheitsgebot (regarding the ingredients of beer) takes effect in all of Bavaria.
  • 1521 – Battle of Villalar: King Charles I of Spain defeats the Comuneros.
  • 1635 – The first public school in the United States, Boston Latin School, is founded in Boston.
  • 1655 – The Siege of Santo Domingo begins during the Anglo-Spanish War, and fails seven days later.
  • 1660 – Treaty of Oliva is established between Sweden and Poland.
  • 1661 – King Charles II of England, Scotland and Ireland is crowned in Westminster Abbey.
  • 1815 – The Second Serbian Uprising: A second phase of the national revolution of the Serbs against the Ottoman Empire, erupts shortly after the annexation of the country to the Ottoman Empire.
  • 1879 – Fire burns down the second main building and dome of the University of Notre Dame, which prompts the construction of the third, and current, Main Building with its golden dome.
  • 1914 – First baseball game at Wrigley Field, then known as Weeghman Park, in Chicago.
  • 1918 – World War I: The British Royal Navy makes a raid in an attempt to neutralise the Belgian port of Bruges-Zeebrugge.
  • 1920 – The Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) is founded in Ankara. The assembly denounces the government of Sultan Mehmed VI and announces the preparation of a temporary constitution.
  • 1927 – Cardiff City defeat Arsenal in the FA Cup Final, the only time it has been won by a team not based in England.
  • 1935 – The Polish Constitution of 1935 is adopted.
  • 1940 – The Rhythm Club fire at a dance hall in Natchez, Mississippi, kills 198 people.
  • 1941 – World War II: The Greek government and King George II evacuate Athens before the invading Wehrmacht.
  • 1942 – World War II: Baedeker Blitz: German bombers hit Exeter, Bath and York in retaliation for the British raid on Lübeck.
  • 1945 – World War II: Adolf Hitler’s designated successor, Hermann Göring, sends him a telegram asking permission to take leadership of the Third Reich. Martin Bormann and Joseph Goebbels advise Hitler that the telegram is treasonous.
  • 1946 – Manuel Roxas is elected the last President of the Commonwealth of the Philippines.
  • 1949 – Chinese Civil War: Establishment of the People’s Liberation Army Navy.
  • 1951 – Cold War: American journalist William N. Oatis is arrested for espionage by the Communist government of Czechoslovakia.
  • 1961 – Algiers putsch by French generals.
  • 1967 – Soviet space program: Soyuz 1 (Russian: Союз 1, Union 1) a manned spaceflight carrying cosmonaut Colonel Vladimir Komarov is launched into orbit.
  • 1968 – Vietnam War: Student protesters at Columbia University in New York City take over administration buildings and shut down the university.
  • 1971 – Bangladesh Liberation War: The Pakistan Army and Razakars massacre approximately 3,000 Hindu emigrants in the Jathibhanga area of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).
  • 1985 – Coca-Cola changes its formula and releases New Coke. The response is overwhelmingly negative, and the original formula is back on the market in less than three months.
  • 1990 – Namibia becomes the 160th member of the United Nations and the 50th member of the Commonwealth of Nations.
  • 1993 – Eritreans vote overwhelmingly for independence from Ethiopia in a United Nations-monitored referendum.
  • 1993 – Sri Lankan politician Lalith Athulathmudali is assassinated while addressing a gathering, approximately four weeks ahead of the Provincial Council elections for the Western Province.
  • 1999 – NATO bombs the headquarters of Radio Television of Serbia, as part of their aerial campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
  • 2005 – The first ever YouTube video, titled “Me at the zoo”, was published by co-founder Jawed Karim.
  • 2013 – At least 28 people are killed and more than 70 are injured as violence breaks out in Hawija, Iraq.
  • 2018 – A vehicle-ramming attack kills 10 people and injures 16 in Toronto. A 25-year-old suspect, Alek Minassian, is arrested.
  • 2019 – The 2019 Hpakant jade mine collapse in Myanmar kills four miners and two rescuers.

Births on April 23

  • 1141 (probable) – Malcolm IV of Scotland (d. 1165)
  • 1185 – Afonso II of Portugal (d. 1223)
  • 1408 – John de Vere, 12th Earl of Oxford (d. 1462)
  • 1420 – George of Poděbrady, King of Bohemia (d. 1471)
  • 1464 – Joan of France, Duchess of Berry (d. 1505)
  • 1464 – Robert Fayrfax, English Renaissance composer (d. 1521)
  • 1484 – Julius Caesar Scaliger, Italian physician and scholar (d. 1558)
  • 1500 – Alexander Ales, Scottish theologian and academic (d. 1565)
  • 1500 – Johann Stumpf, Swiss writer (d. 1576)
  • 1512 – Henry FitzAlan, 19th Earl of Arundel, Chancellor of the University of Oxford (d. 1580)
  • 1516 – Georg Fabricius, German poet, historian, and archaeologist (d. 1571)
  • 1598 – Maarten Tromp, Dutch admiral (d. 1653)
  • 1621 – William Penn, English admiral and politician (d. 1670)
  • 1628 – Johannes Hudde, Dutch mathematician and politician (d. 1704)
  • 1661 – Issachar Berend Lehmann, German-Jewish banker, merchant and diplomat (d. 1730)
  • 1715 – Johann Friedrich Doles, German composer and conductor (d. 1797)
  • 1720 – Vilna Gaon, Lithuanian rabbi and author (d. 1797)
  • 1744 – Princess Charlotte Amalie Wilhelmine of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön (d. 1770)
  • 1748 – Félix Vicq-d’Azyr, French physician and anatomist (d. 1794)
  • 1791 – James Buchanan, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 15th President of the United States (d. 1868)
  • 1792 – Thomas Romney Robinson, Irish astronomer and physicist (d. 1882)
  • 1794 – Wei Yuan, Chinese scholar and author (d. 1856)
  • 1805 – Johann Karl Friedrich Rosenkranz, German philosopher and academic (d. 1879)
  • 1812 – Frederick Whitaker, English-New Zealand lawyer and politician, 5th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1891)
  • 1813 – Stephen A. Douglas, American educator and politician, 7th Illinois Secretary of State (d. 1861)
  • 1813 – Frédéric Ozanam, Italian-French historian and scholar (d. 1853)
  • 1818 – James Anthony Froude, English historian, novelist, biographer and editor (d. 1894)
  • 1819 – Edward Stafford, Scottish-New Zealand educator and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1901)
  • 1853 – Winthrop M. Crane, American businessman and politician, 40th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1920)
  • 1856 – Granville Woods, American inventor and engineer (d. 1910)
  • 1857 – Ruggero Leoncavallo, Italian composer (d. 1919)
  • 1858 – Max Planck, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1947)
  • 1860 – Justinian Oxenham, Australian public servant (d. 1932)
  • 1861 – Edmund Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby, English field marshal and diplomat, British High Commissioner in Egypt (d. 1936)
  • 1861 – John Peltz, American baseball player and manager (d. 1906)
  • 1865 – Ali-Agha Shikhlinski, Russian-Azerbaijani general (d. 1943)
  • 1867 – Johannes Fibiger, Danish physician and pathologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1928)
  • 1876 – Arthur Moeller van den Bruck, German historian and author (d. 1925)
  • 1880 – Michel Fokine, Russian dancer and choreographer (d. 1942)
  • 1882 – Albert Coates, English composer and conductor (d. 1953)
  • 1888 – Georges Vanier, Canadian general and politician, 19th Governor General of Canada (d. 1967)
  • 1889 – Karel Doorman, Dutch admiral (d. 1942)
  • 1893 – Frank Borzage, American actor and director (d. 1952)
  • 1895 – Ngaio Marsh, New Zealand author and director (d. 1982)
  • 1897 – Folke Jansson, American general (d. 1965)
  • 1897 – Lester B. Pearson, Canadian historian and politician, 14th Prime Minister of Canada, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1972)
  • 1898 – Lucius D. Clay, American general (d. 1978)
  • 1899 – Bertil Ohlin, Swedish economist and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1979)
  • 1899 – Minoru Shirota, Japanese physician and microbiologist, invented Yakult (d. 1982)
  • 1900 – Jim Bottomley, American baseball player and sportscaster (d. 1959)
  • 1900 – Joseph Green, Polish-American actor and director (d. 1996)
  • 1901 – E. B. Ford, English biologist and geneticist (d. 1988)
  • 1902 – Halldór Laxness, Icelandic author and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1998)
  • 1903 – Guy Simonds, English-Canadian general (d. 1974)
  • 1904 – Clifford Bricker, Canadian long-distance runner (d. 1980)
  • 1904 – Louis Muhlstock, Polish-Canadian painter (d. 2001)
  • 1904 – Duncan Renaldo, American actor (d. 1985)
  • 1907 – Lee Miller, American model and photographer (d. 1977)
  • 1907 – Fritz Wotruba, Austrian sculptor, designed the Wotruba Church (d. 1975)
  • 1908 – Myron Waldman, American animator and director (d. 2006)
  • 1910 – Sheila Scott Macintyre, Scottish mathematician (d. 1960)
  • 1910 – Simone Simon, French actress (d. 2005)
  • 1911 – Ronald Neame, English-American director, cinematographer, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2010)
  • 1913 – Diosa Costello, Puerto Rican-American entertainer, producer and club owner (d. 2013)
  • 1915 – Arnold Alexander Hall, English engineer, academic, and businessman (d. 2000)
  • 1916 – Yiannis Moralis, Greek painter and educator (d. 2009)
  • 1916 – Sinah Estelle Kelley, American chemist (d. 1982)
  • 1917 – Dorian Leigh, American model (d. 2008)
  • 1917 – Tony Lupien, American baseball player and coach (d. 2004)
  • 1918 – Maurice Druon, French author and screenwriter (d. 2009)
  • 1919 – Oleg Penkovsky, Russian colonel (d. 1963)
  • 1920 – Eric Grant Yarrow, 3rd Baronet, English businessman (d. 2018)
  • 1921 – Judy Agnew, Second Lady of the United States (d. 2012)
  • 1921 – Cleto Bellucci, Italian archbishop (d. 2013)
  • 1921 – Janet Blair, American actress and singer (d. 2007)
  • 1921 – Warren Spahn, American baseball player and coach (d. 2003)
  • 1923 – Dolph Briscoe, American lieutenant and politician, 41st Governor of Texas (d. 2010)
  • 1923 – Avram Davidson, American soldier and author (d. 1993)
  • 1924 – Chuck Harmon, American baseball player and scout (d. 2019)
  • 1924 – Bobby Rosengarden, American drummer and bandleader (d. 2007)
  • 1926 – J.P. Donleavy, American-Irish novelist and playwright (d. 2017)
  • 1926 – Rifaat el-Mahgoub, Egyptian politician (d. 1990)
  • 1928 – Shirley Temple, American actress, singer, dancer, and diplomat (d. 2014)
  • 1929 – George Steiner, French-American philosopher, author, and critic (d. 2020)
  • 1932 – Halston, American fashion designer (d. 1990)
  • 1932 – Jim Fixx, American runner and author (d. 1984)
  • 1933 – Annie Easley, American computer scientist, mathematician, and engineer (d. 2011)
  • 1934 – George Canseco, Filipino composer and producer (d. 2004)
  • 1936 – Roy Orbison, American singer-songwriter (d. 1988)
  • 1937 – Victoria Glendinning, English author and critic
  • 1937 – David Mills, English cricketer (d. 2013)
  • 1937 – Barry Shepherd, Australian cricketer (d. 2001)
  • 1939 – Jorge Fons, Mexican director and screenwriter
  • 1939 – Bill Hagerty, English journalist
  • 1939 – Lee Majors, American actor
  • 1939 – Ray Peterson, American pop singer (d. 2005)
  • 1940 – Michael Copps, American academic and politician
  • 1940 – Dale Houston, American singer-songwriter (d. 2007)
  • 1940 – Michael Kadosh, Israeli footballer and manager (d. 2014)
  • 1941 – Jacqueline Boyer, French singer and actress
  • 1941 – Arie den Hartog, Dutch road bicycle racer (d. 2018)
  • 1941 – Paavo Lipponen, Finnish journalist and politician, 38th Prime Minister of Finland
  • 1941 – Michael Lynne, American film producer, co-founded New Line Cinema
  • 1941 – Ed Stewart, English radio and television host (d. 2016)
  • 1941 – Ray Tomlinson, American computer programmer and engineer (d. 2016)
  • 1942 – Sandra Dee, American model and actress (d. 2005)
  • 1943 – Gail Goodrich, American basketball player and coach
  • 1943 – Tony Esposito, Canadian-American ice hockey player, coach, and manager
  • 1943 – Frans Koppelaar, Dutch painter
  • 1943 – Hervé Villechaize, French actor (d. 1993)
  • 1944 – Jean-François Stévenin, French actor and director
  • 1946 – Blair Brown, American actress
  • 1946 – Carlton Sherwood, American soldier and journalist (d. 2014)
  • 1947 – Robert Burgess, English sociologist and academic
  • 1947 – Glenn Cornick, English bass player (d. 2014)
  • 1947 – Bernadette Devlin McAliskey, Irish civil rights leader and politician
  • 1948 – Pascal Quignard, French author and screenwriter
  • 1948 – Serge Thériault, Canadian actor
  • 1949 – Paul Collier, English economist and academic
  • 1949 – David Cross, English violinist
  • 1949 – John Miles, British rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist
  • 1950 – Rowley Leigh, English chef and journalist
  • 1950 – Barbara McIlvaine Smith, Sac and Fox Nation Native American politician
  • 1951 – Martin Bayerle, American treasure hunter
  • 1952 – Narada Michael Walden, American singer-songwriter, drummer, and producer
  • 1953 – James Russo, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1954 – Stephen Dalton, English air marshal
  • 1954 – Michael Moore, American director, producer, and activist
  • 1955 – Judy Davis, Australian actress
  • 1955 – Tony Miles, English chess player (d. 2001)
  • 1955 – Urmas Ott, Estonian journalist and author (d. 2008)
  • 1957 – Neville Brody, English graphic designer, typographer, and art director
  • 1957 – Jan Hooks, American actress and comedian (d. 2014)
  • 1958 – Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson, Icelandic composer and producer
  • 1958 – Ryan Walter, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1959 – Unity Dow, Botswanan judge, author, and rights activist
  • 1960 – Valerie Bertinelli, American actress
  • 1960 – Steve Clark, English guitarist and songwriter (d. 1991)
  • 1960 – Barry Douglas, Irish pianist and conductor
  • 1960 – Léo Jaime, Brazilian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
  • 1960 – Claude Julien, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1961 – George Lopez, American comedian, actor, and talk show host
  • 1961 – Pierluigi Martini, Italian race car driver
  • 1962 – John Hannah, Scottish actor and producer
  • 1962 – Shaun Spiers, English businessman and politician
  • 1963 – Paul Belmondo, French race car driver
  • 1963 – Robby Naish, American windsurfer
  • 1964 – Gianandrea Noseda, Italian pianist and conductor
  • 1965 – Leni Robredo, Filipina human rights lawyer, 14th Vice President of the Philippines
  • 1966 – Jörg Deisinger, German bass player
  • 1966 – Matt Freeman, American bass player
  • 1966 – Lembit Oll, Estonian chess Grandmaster (d. 1999)
  • 1967 – Rheal Cormier, Canadian baseball player
  • 1967 – Melina Kanakaredes, American actress
  • 1968 – Bas Haring, Dutch philosopher, writer, television presenter and professor.
  • 1968 – Ken McRae, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1968 – Timothy McVeigh, American terrorist, Oklahoma City bombing co-perpetrator (d. 2001)
  • 1969 – Martín López-Zubero, American-Spanish swimmer and coach
  • 1969 – Yelena Shushunova, Russian gymnast
  • 1970 – Egemen Bağış, Turkish politician, 1st Minister of European Union Affairs
  • 1970 – Dennis Culp, American singer-songwriter and trombonist
  • 1970 – Andrew Gee, Australian rugby league player and manager
  • 1970 – Hans Välimäki, Finnish chef and author
  • 1970 – Tayfur Havutçu, Turkish international footballer and manager
  • 1971 – Uli Herzner, German-American fashion designer
  • 1972 – Pierre Labrie, Canadian poet and playwright
  • 1972 – Peter Dench, English photographer and journalist
  • 1972 – Amira Medunjanin, singer from Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • 1973 – Patrick Poulin, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1974 – Carlos Dengler, American bass player
  • 1974 – Michael Kerr, New Zealand-German rugby player
  • 1975 – Bobby Shaw, American football player
  • 1976 – Aaron Dessner, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
  • 1977 – John Cena, American professional wrestler and actor
  • 1977 – David Kidwell, New Zealand rugby league player and coach
  • 1977 – Willie Mitchell, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1977 – John Oliver, English comedian, actor, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1977 – Kal Penn, Indian-American actor
  • 1977 – Bram Schmitz, Dutch cyclist
  • 1977 – Lee Young-pyo, South Korean international footballer
  • 1978 – Gezahegne Abera, Ethiopian runner
  • 1979 – Barry Hawkins, English snooker player
  • 1979 – Jaime King, American actress and model
  • 1979 – Joanna Krupa, Polish-American model and television personality
  • 1979 – Samppa Lajunen, Finnish skier
  • 1982 – Tony Sunshine, American singer-songwriter
  • 1983 – Leon Andreasen, Danish international footballer
  • 1983 – Daniela Hantuchová, Slovak tennis player
  • 1983 – Ian Henderson, English rugby league player
  • 1984 – Alexandra Kosteniuk, Russian chess player
  • 1984 – Jesse Lee Soffer, American actor
  • 1985 – Angel Locsin, Filipino actress, producer, and fashion designer
  • 1986 – Sven Kramer, Dutch speed skater
  • 1986 – Alysia Montaño, American runner
  • 1986 – Rafael Fernandes, Brazilian baseball player
  • 1987 – Michael Arroyo, Ecuadorian footballer
  • 1987 – John Boye, Ghanaian footballer
  • 1987 – Emily Fox, American basketball player
  • 1988 – Victor Anichebe, Nigerian footballer
  • 1988 – Alistair Brownlee, English triathlete
  • 1988 – Signe Ronka, Canadian figure skater
  • 1988 – Lenka Wienerová, Slovak tennis player
  • 1989 – Nicole Vaidišová, Czech tennis player
  • 1990 – Rui Fonte, Portuguese footballer, winger
  • 1990 – Dev Patel, English actor
  • 1991 – Nathan Baker, English footballer
  • 1991 – Caleb Johnson, American singer-songwriter
  • 1991 – Paul Vaughan, Australian-Italian rugby league player
  • 1994 – Patrick Olsen, Danish footballer
  • 1994 – Song Kang, South Korean actor
  • 1995 – Gigi Hadid, American fashion model and television personality
  • 1997 – Zach Apple, American swimmer

Deaths on April 23

  • 303 – Saint George, Roman soldier and martyr (b. 275)
  • 711 – Childebert III, Frankish king (b. 670)
  • 725 – Wihtred of Kent (b. 670)
  • 871 – Æthelred of Wessex (b. 837)
  • 915 – Yang Shihou, Chinese general
  • 944 – Wichmann the Elder, Saxon nobleman
  • 990 – Ekkehard II, Swiss monk and abbot
  • 997 – Adalbert of Prague, Czech bishop, missionary, and saint (b. 956)
  • 1014 – Brian Boru, Irish king (b. 941)
  • 1014 – Domnall mac Eimín, Mormaer of Mar
  • 1016 – Æthelred the Unready, English son of Edgar the Peaceful (b. 968)
  • 1124 – Alexander I of Scotland (b. 1078)
  • 1151 – Adeliza of Louvain (b. 1103)
  • 1170 – Minamoto no Tametomo, Japanese samurai (b. 1139)
  • 1196 – Béla III of Hungary (b. c.1148)
  • 1200 – Zhu Xi, Chinese philosopher (b. 1130)
  • 1217 – Inge II of Norway (b. 1185)
  • 1262 – Aegidius of Assisi, companion of Saint Francis of Assisi
  • 1307 – Joan of Acre (b. 1272)
  • 1400 – Aubrey de Vere, 10th Earl of Oxford, English politician and nobleman (b. c. 1338)
  • 1407 – Olivier de Clisson, French soldier (b. 1326)
  • 1501 – Domenico della Rovere, Catholic cardinal (b. 1442)
  • 1554 – Gaspara Stampa, Italian poet (b. 1523)
  • 1605 – Boris Godunov, Russian ruler (b. 1551)
  • 1616 – William Shakespeare, English playwright and poet (b. 1564)
  • 1625 – Maurice, Prince of Orange (b. 1567)
  • 1695 – Henry Vaughan, Welsh poet and author (b. 1621)
  • 1702 – Margaret Fell, English religious leader, founded the Religious Society of Friends (b. 1614)
  • 1781 – James Abercrombie, Scottish general and politician (b. 1706)
  • 1784 – Solomon I of Imereti (b. 1735)
  • 1792 – Karl Friedrich Bahrdt, German theologian and author (b. 1741)
  • 1794 – Guillaume-Chrétien de Lamoignon de Malesherbes, French lawyer and politician (b. 1721)
  • 1827 – Georgios Karaiskakis, Greek general (b. 1780)
  • 1839 – Jacques Félix Emmanuel Hamelin, French admiral and explorer (b. 1768)
  • 1850 – William Wordsworth, English poet and author (b. 1770)
  • 1889 – Jules Amédée Barbey d’Aurevilly, French author and critic (b. 1808)
  • 1895 – Carl Ludwig, German physician and physiologist (b. 1815)
  • 1905 – Gédéon Ouimet, Canadian politician, 2nd Premier of Quebec (b. 1823)
  • 1907 – Alferd Packer, American prospector (b. 1842)
  • 1915 – Rupert Brooke, English poet (b. 1887)
  • 1936 – Teresa de la Parra, French-Venezuelan author (b. 1889)
  • 1951 – Jules Berry, French actor and director (b. 1883)
  • 1951 – Charles G. Dawes, American banker and politician, 30th Vice President of the United States, Nobel Peace Prize laureate (b. 1865)
  • 1959 – Bak Jungyang, Korean politician
  • 1965 – George Adamski, Polish-American ufologist and author (b. 1891)
  • 1966 – George Ohsawa, Japanese founder of the Macrobiotic diet (b. 1893)
  • 1981 – Josep Pla, Catalan journalist and author (b. 1897)
  • 1983 – Buster Crabbe, American swimmer and actor (b. 1908)
  • 1984 – Red Garland, American pianist (b. 1923)
  • 1985 – Sam Ervin, American lawyer and politician (b. 1896)
  • 1985 – Frank Farrell, Australian rugby league player and policeman (b. 1916)
  • 1986 – Harold Arlen, American composer (b. 1905)
  • 1986 – Jim Laker, English cricketer and sportscaster (b. 1922)
  • 1986 – Otto Preminger, Ukrainian-American actor, director, and producer (b. 1906)
  • 1990 – Paulette Goddard, American actress (b. 1910)
  • 1991 – Johnny Thunders, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1952)
  • 1992 – Satyajit Ray, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1921)
  • 1992 – Tanka Prasad Acharya, Nepalese politician, 27th Prime Minister of Nepal (b. 1912)
  • 1993 – Cesar Chavez, American activist, co-founded the United Farm Workers (b. 1927)
  • 1995 – Douglas Lloyd Campbell, Canadian farmer and politician, 13th Premier of Manitoba (b. 1895)
  • 1995 – Howard Cosell, American lawyer and journalist (b. 1918)
  • 1995 – Riho Lahi, Estonian journalist (b. 1904)
  • 1995 – John C. Stennis, American lawyer and politician (b. 1904)
  • 1996 – Jean Victor Allard, Canadian general (b. 1913)
  • 1996 – P. L. Travers, Australian-English author and actress (b. 1899)
  • 1997 – Denis Compton, English cricketer and footballer (b. 1918)
  • 1998 – Konstantinos Karamanlis, Greek lawyer and politician, 172nd Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1907)
  • 1998 – James Earl Ray, American assassin of Martin Luther King, Jr. (b. 1928)
  • 1998 – Thanassis Skordalos, Greek singer-songwriter and lyra player (b. 1920)
  • 2003 – Fernand Fonssagrives, French-American photographer (b. 1910)
  • 2004 – Herman Veenstra, Dutch water polo player (b. 1911)
  • 2005 – Joh Bjelke-Petersen, New Zealand-Australian politician, 31st Premier of Queensland (b. 1911)
  • 2005 – Robert Farnon, Canadian-English trumpet player, composer and conductor (b. 1917)
  • 2005 – Al Grassby, Australian journalist and politician (b. 1928)
  • 2005 – John Mills, English actor (b. 1908)
  • 2005 – Romano Scarpa, Italian author and illustrator (b. 1927)
  • 2005 – Earl Wilson, American baseball player, coach and educator (b. 1934)
  • 2006 – Phil Walden, American record producer and manager, co-founder of Capricorn Records (b. 1940)
  • 2007 – Paul Erdman, Canadian-American economist and author (b. 1932)
  • 2007 – David Halberstam, American journalist, historian and author (b. 1934)
  • 2007 – Peter Randall, English sergeant (b. 1930)
  • 2007 – Boris Yeltsin, Russian politician, 1st President of Russia (b. 1931)
  • 2010 – Peter Porter, Australian-born British poet (b. 1929)
  • 2011 – James Casey, English comedian, radio scriptwriter and producer (b. 1922)
  • 2011 – Tom King, American guitarist and songwriter (b. 1943)
  • 2011 – Geoffrey Russell, 4th Baron Ampthill, English businessman and politician (b. 1921)
  • 2011 – Max van der Stoel, Dutch politician and Minister of State (b. 1924)
  • 2011 – John Sullivan, English screenwriter and producer (b. 1946)
  • 2012 – Lillemor Arvidsson, Swedish trade union leader and politician, 34th Governor of Gotland (b. 1943)
  • 2012 – Billy Bryans, Canadian drummer, songwriter and producer (b. 1947)
  • 2012 – Chris Ethridge, American bass player and songwriter (b. 1947)
  • 2012 – Raymond Thorsteinsson, Canadian geologist and paleontologist (b. 1921)
  • 2012 – LeRoy T. Walker, American football player and coach (b. 1918)
  • 2013 – Bob Brozman, American guitarist (b. 1954)
  • 2013 – Robert W. Edgar, American educator and politician (b. 1943)
  • 2013 – Tony Grealish, English footballer (b. 1956)
  • 2013 – Antonio Maccanico, Italian banker and politician (b. 1924)
  • 2013 – Frank W. J. Olver, English-American mathematician and academic (b. 1924)
  • 2013 – Kathryn Wasserman Davis, American philanthropist and scholar (b. 1907)
  • 2014 – Benjamín Brea, Spanish-Venezuelan saxophonist, clarinet player, and conductor (b. 1946)
  • 2014 – Michael Glawogger, Austrian director, screenwriter, and cinematographer (b. 1959)
  • 2014 – Jaap Havekotte, Dutch speed skater and producer of ice skates (b. 1912)
  • 2014 – Connie Marrero, Cuban baseball player and coach (b. 1911)
  • 2014 – F. Michael Rogers, American general (b. 1921)
  • 2014 – Mark Shand, English conservationist and author (b. 1951)
  • 2014 – Patric Standford, English composer and educator (b. 1939)
  • 2015 – Richard Corliss, American journalist and critic (b. 1944)
  • 2015 – Ray Jackson, Australian activist (b. 1941)
  • 2015 – Pierre Claude Nolin, Canadian lawyer and politician, Speaker of the Canadian Senate (b. 1950)
  • 2015 – Jim Steffen, American football player (b. 1936)
  • 2015 – Francis Tsai, American author and illustrator (b. 1967)
  • 2016 – Inge King, German-born Australian sculptor (b. 1915)
  • 2016 – Banharn Silpa-archa, Thai politician, Prime Minister from 1995–1996 (b. 1932)
  • 2019 – Charity Sunshine Tillemann-Dick, American soprano singer and presenter (b.1983)

Holidays and observances on April 23

  • Castile and León Day (Castile and León)
  • Christian feast day:
    • Adalbert of Prague
    • Felix, Fortunatus, and Achilleus
    • George
    • Blessed Giles of Assisi
    • Gerard of Toul
    • Ibar of Beggerin (Meath)
    • Toyohiko Kagawa (Episcopal and Lutheran Church)
    • April 23 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Earliest day on which the first day of Children’s Day can fall, while April 29 is the latest; celebrated on the last Saturday of April. (Colombia)
  • Independence Day (Conch Republic, Key West, Florida)
  • International Pixel-Stained Technopeasant Day
  • Khongjom Day (Manipur)
  • National Sovereignty and Children’s Day (Turkey and Northern Cyprus)
  • Navy Day (China)
  • St George’s Day (England) and its related observances:
    • Canada Book Day (Canada)
    • La Diada de Sant Jordi (Catalonia, Spain)
    • World Book Day
  • UN English Language Day (United Nations)

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

by
  • 238 – Year of the Six Emperors: The Roman Senate outlaws emperor Maximinus Thrax for his bloodthirsty proscriptions in Rome and nominates two of its members, Pupienus and Balbinus, to the throne.
  • 1500 – Portuguese navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral lands in Brazil.
  • 1519 – Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés establishes a settlement at Veracruz, Mexico.
  • 1529 – Treaty of Zaragoza divides the eastern hemisphere between Spain and Portugal along a line 297.5 leagues (1,250 kilometres (780 mi)) east of the Moluccas.
  • 1622 – The Capture of Ormuz by the East India Company ends Portuguese control of Hormuz Island.
  • 1809 – The second day of the Battle of Eckmühl: The Austrian army is defeated by the First French Empire army led by Napoleon and driven over the Danube in Regensburg.
  • 1836 – Texas Revolution: A day after the Battle of San Jacinto, forces under Texas General Sam Houston identify Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna among the captives of the battle when some of his fellow soldiers mistakenly give away his identity.
  • 1864 – The U.S. Congress passes the Coinage Act of 1864 that mandates that the inscription In God We Trust be placed on all coins minted as United States currency.
  • 1876 – The first game in the history of the National League was played at the Jefferson Street Grounds in Philadelphia. This game is often pointed to as the beginning of Major League Baseball.
  • 1889 – At noon, thousands rush to claim land in the Land Rush of 1889. Within hours the cities of Oklahoma City and Guthrie are formed with populations of at least 10,000.
  • 1898 – Spanish–American War: The USS Nashville captures a Spanish merchant ship.
  • 1906 – The 1906 Intercalated Games, now recognized as part of the official Olympic Games, open in Athens.
  • 1915 – The use of poison gas in World War I escalates when chlorine gas is released as a chemical weapon in the Second Battle of Ypres.
  • 1930 – The United Kingdom, Japan and the United States sign the London Naval Treaty regulating submarine warfare and limiting shipbuilding.
  • 1944 – The 1st Air Commando Group using Sikorsky R-4 helicopters stage the first use of helicopters in combat with combat search and rescue operations in the China Burma India Theater.
  • 1944 – World War II: Operation Persecution is initiated: Allied forces land in the Hollandia (currently known as Jayapura) area of New Guinea.
  • 1944 – World War II: In Greenland, the Allied Sledge Patrol attack the German Bassgeiger weather station.
  • 1945 – World War II: Prisoners at the Jasenovac concentration camp revolt. Five hundred twenty are killed and around eighty escape.
  • 1948 – Arab–Israeli War: The port city of Haifa is captured by Jewish forces.
  • 1951 – Korean War: The Chinese People’s Volunteer Army begin assaulting positions defended by the Royal Australian Regiment and the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry at the Battle of Kapyong.
  • 1954 – Red Scare: Witnesses begin testifying and live television coverage of the Army–McCarthy hearings begins.
  • 1969 – British yachtsman Sir Robin Knox-Johnston wins the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race and completes the first solo non-stop circumnavigation of the world.
  • 1969 – The formation of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) is announced at a mass rally in Calcutta.
  • 1970 – The first Earth Day is celebrated.
  • 1972 – Increased American bombing in Vietnam prompts anti-war protests in Los Angeles, New York City, and San Francisco.
  • 1977 – Optical fiber is first used to carry live telephone traffic.
  • 1983 – The German magazine Stern claims the “Hitler Diaries” had been found in wreckage in East Germany; the diaries are subsequently revealed to be forgeries.
  • 1992 – In a series of explosions in Guadalajara, Mexico, 206 people are killed, nearly 500 injured and 15,000 left homeless.
  • 1993 – Eighteen-year-old Stephen Lawrence is murdered in a racially motivated attack while waiting for a bus in Well Hall, Eltham.
  • 1997 – Haouch Khemisti massacre in Algeria where 93 villagers are killed.
  • 2000 – In a pre-dawn raid, federal agents seize six-year-old Elián González from his relatives’ home in Miami.
  • 2004 – Two fuel trains collide in Ryongchon, North Korea, killing up to 150 people.
  • 2005 – Japan’s Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi apologizes for Japan’s war record.
  • 2008 – The United States Air Force retires the remaining F-117 Nighthawk aircraft in service.
  • 2013 – The Royal Canadian Mounted Police arrest and charge two men with plotting to disrupt a Toronto area train service in a plot claimed to be backed by Al-Qaeda elements.
  • 2014 – More than 60 people are killed and 80 are seriously injured in a train crash in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Katanga Province.
  • 2016 – The Paris Agreement is signed, an agreement to help fight global warming.
  • 2019 – The 2019 Luzon earthquake kills at least 18 people in the Philippines.

Births on April 22

  • 1412 – Reinhard III, Count of Hanau (1451–1452) (d. 1452)
  • 1444 – Elizabeth of York, Duchess of Suffolk (d. 1503)
  • 1451 – Isabella I of Castile (d. 1504)
  • 1518 – Antoine of Navarre (d. 1562)
  • 1592 – Wilhelm Schickard, German astronomer and mathematician (d. 1635)
  • 1610 – Pope Alexander VIII (d. 1691)
  • 1658 – Giuseppe Torelli, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1709)
  • 1690 – John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville, English politician, Lord President of the Council (d. 1763)
  • 1707 – Henry Fielding, English novelist and playwright (d. 1754)
  • 1711 – Paul II Anton, Prince Esterházy, Austrian soldier (d. 1762)
  • 1724 – Immanuel Kant, German anthropologist, philosopher, and academic (d. 1804)
  • 1732 – John Johnson, English architect and surveyor (d. 1814)
  • 1744 – James Sullivan, American lawyer and politician, 7th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1808)
  • 1757 – Alessandro Rolla, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1841)
  • 1766 – Germaine de Staël, French author and political philosopher (d. 1817)
  • 1812 – Solomon Caesar Malan, Swiss-English orientalist (d. 1894)
  • 1816 – Charles-Denis Bourbaki, French general (d. 1897)
  • 1830 – Emily Davies, British suffragist and educator, co-founder and an early Mistress of Girton College, Cambridge University
  • 1832 – Julius Sterling Morton, American journalist and politician, 3rd United States Secretary of Agriculture (d. 1902)
  • 1844 – Lewis Powell, American soldier, attempted assassin of William H. Seward (d. 1865)
  • 1852 – William IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (d. 1912)
  • 1858 – Ethel Smyth, English composer (d. 1944)
  • 1854 – Henri La Fontaine, Belgian lawyer and author, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1943)
  • 1860 – Ada Rehan, Irish-American actress (d. 1916)
  • 1870 – Vladimir Lenin, Russian revolutionary and founder of Soviet Russia (d. 1924)
  • 1872 – Princess Margaret of Prussia (d. 1954)
  • 1873 – Ellen Glasgow, American author (d. 1945)
  • 1876 – Róbert Bárány, Austrian-Swedish otologist and physician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1936)
  • 1876 – Georg Lurich, Estonian wrestler and strongman (d. 1920)
  • 1879 – Bernhard Gregory, Estonian-German chess player (d. 1939)
  • 1884 – Otto Rank, Austrian-American psychologist and academic (d. 1939)
  • 1886 – Izidor Cankar, Slovenian historian, author, and diplomat (d. 1958)
  • 1889 – Richard Glücks, German SS officer (d. 1945)
  • 1891 – Laura Gilpin, American photographer (d. 1979)
  • 1891 – Vittorio Jano, Italian engineer (d. 1965)
  • 1891 – Harold Jeffreys, English mathematician, geophysicist, and astronomer (d. 1989)
  • 1891 – Nicola Sacco, Italian-American anarchist (d. 1927)
  • 1892 – Vernon Johns, African-American minister and activist (d. 1965)
  • 1899 – Vladimir Nabokov, Russian-born novelist and critic (d. 1977)
  • 1900 – Nellie Beer, British politician, Lord Mayor of Manchester from 1966–67 (d. 1988)
  • 1904 – J. Robert Oppenheimer, American physicist and academic (d. 1967)
  • 1905 – Robert Choquette, American-Canadian author, poet, and diplomat (d. 1991)
  • 1906 – Eric Fenby, English composer and educator (d. 1997)
  • 1906 – Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten (d. 1947)
  • 1908 – Ivan Yefremov, Russian paleontologist and author (d. 1972)
  • 1909 – Rita Levi-Montalcini, Sephardic Jewish-Italian neurologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2012)
  • 1909 – Indro Montanelli, Italian journalist and historian (d. 2001)
  • 1909 – Spyros Markezinis, Greek politician, Prime Minister of Greece (d. 2000)
  • 1910 – Norman Steenrod, American mathematician and academic (d. 1971)
  • 1912 – Kathleen Ferrier, English operatic singer (d. 1953)
  • 1912 – Kaneto Shindo, Japanese director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2012)
  • 1914 – Baldev Raj Chopra, Indian director and producer (d. 2008)
  • 1914 – Jan de Hartog, Dutch-American author and playwright (d. 2002)
  • 1914 – José Quiñones Gonzales, Peruvian soldier and pilot (d. 1941)
  • 1914 – Michael Wittmann, German SS officer (d. 1944)
  • 1916 – Hanfried Lenz, German mathematician and academic (d. 2013)
  • 1916 – Yehudi Menuhin, American-Swiss violinist and conductor (d. 1999)
  • 1917 – Yvette Chauviré, French ballerina (d. 2016)
  • 1917 – Sidney Nolan, Australian painter (d. 1992)
  • 1918 – William Jay Smith, American poet and academic (d. 2015)
  • 1918 – Mickey Vernon, American baseball player and coach (d. 2008)
  • 1919 – Donald J. Cram, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2001)
  • 1919 – Carl Lindner, Jr., American businessman and philanthropist (d. 2011)
  • 1922 – Richard Diebenkorn, American soldier and painter (d. 1993)
  • 1922 – Charles Mingus, American bassist, composer, and bandleader (d. 1979)
  • 1922 – Wolf V. Vishniac, American microbiologist and academic (d. 1973)
  • 1923 – Peter Kane Dufault, American soldier, pilot, and poet (d. 2013)
  • 1923 – Bettie Page, American model and actress (d. 2008)
  • 1923 – Aaron Spelling, American actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2006)
  • 1924 – Nam Duck-woo, South Korean politician, 12th Prime Minister of South Korea (d. 2013)
  • 1926 – Charlotte Rae, American actress and singer (d. 2018)
  • 1926 – James Stirling, Scottish architect, designed the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart and Seeley Historical Library (d. 1992)
  • 1927 – Laurel Aitken, Cuban-Jamaican singer (d. 2005)
  • 1929 – Michael Atiyah, English-Lebanese mathematician and academic (d. 2019)
  • 1929 – Robert Wade-Gery, English diplomat, British High Commissioner to India (d. 2015)
  • 1930 – Enno Penno, Estonian politician, Prime Minister of Estonia in exile (d. 2016)
  • 1931 – John Buchanan, Canadian lawyer and politician, 20th Premier of Nova Scotia (d. 2019)
  • 1931 – Ronald Hynd, English dancer and choreographer
  • 1933 – Anthony Llewellyn, Welsh-American chemist and astronaut (d. 2013)
  • 1935 – Christopher Ball, English linguist and academic
  • 1935 – Paul Chambers, African-American bassist and composer (d. 1969)
  • 1935 – Bhama Srinivasan, Indian-American mathematician and academic
  • 1936 – Glen Campbell, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (d. 2017)
  • 1936 – Pierre Hétu, Canadian pianist and conductor (d. 1998)
  • 1937 – Jack Nicholson, American actor and producer
  • 1937 – Jack Nitzsche, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and conductor (d. 2000)
  • 1938 – Alan Bond, English-Australian businessman (d. 2015)
  • 1938 – Gani Fawehinmi, Nigerian lawyer and activist (d. 2009)
  • 1938 – Issey Miyake, Japanese fashion designer
  • 1938 – Adam Raphael, English journalist and author
  • 1939 – Mel Carter, American singer and actor
  • 1939 – John Foley, English general and politician, Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey
  • 1939 – Ray Guy, Canadian journalist and author (d. 2013)
  • 1939 – Jason Miller, American actor and playwright (d. 2001)
  • 1939 – Theodor Waigel, German lawyer and politician, German Federal Minister of Finance
  • 1941 – Greville Howard, Baron Howard of Rising, English politician
  • 1942 – Giorgio Agamben, Italian philosopher and academic
  • 1942 – Mary Prior, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Bristol
  • 1943 – Keith Crisco, American businessman and politician (d. 2014)
  • 1943 – Janet Evanovich, American author
  • 1943 – Louise Glück, American poet
  • 1943 – John Maples, Baron Maples, English lawyer and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Defence (d. 2012)
  • 1943 – Scott W. Williams, American mathematician and professor
  • 1944 – Steve Fossett, American businessman, pilot, and sailor (d. 2007)
  • 1944 – Doug Jarrett, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2014)
  • 1944 – Joshua Rifkin, American conductor and musicologist
  • 1945 – Gopalkrishna Gandhi, Indian civil servant and politician, 22nd Governor of West Bengal
  • 1945 – Demetrio Stratos, Egyptian-Italian singer-songwriter (d. 1979)
  • 1946 – Steven L. Bennett, American captain and pilot, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1972)
  • 1946 – Paul Davies, English physicist and author
  • 1946 – Louise Harel, Canadian lawyer and politician
  • 1946 – Archy Kirkwood, Baron Kirkwood of Kirkhope, Scottish lawyer and politician
  • 1946 – Nicholas Stern, Baron Stern of Brentford, English economist and academic
  • 1946 – John Waters, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1948 – John Pritchard, English bishop
  • 1949 – Spencer Haywood, American basketball player
  • 1950 – Peter Frampton, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1950 – Jancis Robinson, English journalist and critic
  • 1951 – Paul Carrack, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1951 – Aivars Kalējs, Latvian organist, composer, and pianist
  • 1951 – Ana María Shua, Argentinian author and poet
  • 1952 – François Berléand, French actor
  • 1952 – Dave Loveridge, New Zealand rugby player
  • 1952 – Phil Smith, American basketball player (d. 2002)
  • 1953 – Valeri Bondarenko, Estonian footballer and coach
  • 1953 – Richard Broadbent, English businessman
  • 1955 – David Collier, English businessman
  • 1957 – Donald Tusk, Polish journalist and politician, 14th Prime Minister of Poland
  • 1959 – Keith Boanas, English footballer and manager
  • 1959 – Terry Francona, American baseball player, coach, and manager
  • 1959 – Catherine Mary Stewart, Canadian actress
  • 1959 – Ryan Stiles, American-Canadian actor and producer
  • 1960 – Lloyd Honeyghan, Jamaican-English boxer
  • 1960 – Mart Laar, Estonian historian and politician, 9th Prime Minister of Estonia
  • 1960 – Randall L. Stephenson, American businessman
  • 1961 – Alo Mattiisen, Estonian composer (d. 1996)
  • 1961 – Ann McKechin, Scottish lawyer and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland
  • 1961 – Dewey Nicks, American photographer and director
  • 1962 – Danièle Sauvageau, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1963 – Rosalind Gill, English sociologist and academic
  • 1963 – Magnús Ver Magnússon, Icelandic weightlifter and strongman
  • 1964 – Paul Baxter, English footballer
  • 1965 – Miguel Leal, Portuguese footballer and manager
  • 1965 – Peter Zezel, Canadian ice hockey and soccer player (d. 2009)
  • 1966 – Mickey Morandini, American baseball player and manager
  • 1966 – Jeffrey Dean Morgan, American actor
  • 1967 – David J. C. MacKay, English physicist, engineer, and academic
  • 1967 – Sherri Shepherd, American actress and talk show panelist
  • 1967 – Harvey Williams, American football player
  • 1968 – Jo Angel, Australian cricketer
  • 1968 – Bimbo Coles, American basketball player and coach
  • 1968 – Zarley Zalapski, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1969 – Dion Dublin, English footballer and sportscaster
  • 1970 – Erkki Bahovski, Estonian journalist
  • 1971 – Eric Mabius, American actor
  • 1971 – Spencer Prior, English footballer
  • 1972 – Sabine Appelmans, Belgian tennis player
  • 1972 – Owen Finegan, Australian rugby player and coach
  • 1972 – Milka Duno, Venezuelan race car driver and engineer
  • 1972 – Sergei Hohlov-Simson, Estonian footballer and manager
  • 1972 – Willie Robertson, American hunter and businessman
  • 1973 – Adem Poric, English-Australian footballer
  • 1973 – Ofer Talker, Israeli footballer and manager
  • 1974 – Shavo Odadjian, Armenian-American bass player, songwriter, and producer
  • 1975 – Greg Moore, Canadian race car driver (d. 1999)
  • 1975 – Carlos Sastre, Spanish cyclist
  • 1975 – Anders Nyström, Swedish guitarist and songwriter
  • 1976 – Dan Cloutier, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1976 – Paul Henderson, Australian footballer
  • 1976 – Michał Żewłakow, Polish footballer
  • 1977 – Mark van Bommel, Dutch footballer
  • 1978 – Paul Malakwen Kosgei, Kenyan runner and coach
  • 1978 – David Masters, English cricketer
  • 1978 – Matt Orford, Australian rugby league player
  • 1978 – Jason Stollsteimer, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1978 – Esteban Tuero, Argentinian race car driver
  • 1979 – Zoltán Gera, Hungarian international footballer and manager
  • 1979 – Daniel Johns, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1980 – Igor Budan, Croatian footballer
  • 1980 – Clarke Dermody, New Zealand rugby player
  • 1980 – Nicolas Douchez, French footballer
  • 1980 – Courtney Friel, American journalist
  • 1980 – Carlos Hernández, Venezuelan baseball player
  • 1980 – Quincy Timberlake, Kenyan-Australian activist, engineer, and politician
  • 1980 – Rutledge Wood, American racing analyst and television personality
  • 1981 – Madis Kallas, Estonian decathlete and activist
  • 1981 – Rafael Sperafico, Brazilian race car driver (d. 2007)
  • 1981 – Jonathan Trott, South African-English cricketer
  • 1982 – Kaká, Brazilian footballer
  • 1982 – Cassidy Freeman, American actress and musician
  • 1982 – Joel Monaghan, Australian rugby league player
  • 1982 – David Purcey, American baseball player
  • 1982 – Aidas Reklys, Lithuanian figure skater
  • 1982 – Aleksander Saharov, Estonian footballer
  • 1982 – Noriko Shitaya, Japanese voice actress
  • 1983 – Remi Ayodele, American football player
  • 1983 – Sam W. Heads, English-American entomologist and palaeontologist
  • 1983 – Jos Hooiveld, Dutch footballer
  • 1983 – Matt Jones, American football player
  • 1983 – Vangelis Mantzios, Greek footballer
  • 1984 – Amelle Berrabah, English singer-songwriter
  • 1985 – Kristin Fairlie, Canadian actress
  • 1986 – Amber Heard, American actress and producer
  • 1986 – Marshawn Lynch, American football player
  • 1986 – Dušan Šakota, Serbian-Greek basketball player
  • 1987 – David Luiz, Brazilian footballer
  • 1987 – David Mateos, Spanish footballer
  • 1988 – Dee Gordon, American baseball player
  • 1989 – DeJuan Blair, American basketball player
  • 1989 – Jasper Cillessen, Dutch footballer
  • 1989 – Aron Gunnarsson, Icelandic footballer
  • 1990 – Óscar González, Mexican boxer (d. 2014)
  • 1990 – Machine Gun Kelly, American rapper and actor
  • 1991 – Jordi Murphy, Irish international rugby player
  • 1991 – Braydon Smith, Australian boxer (d. 2015)
  • 1992 – Kenny Stills, American football player
  • 1992 – Joonas Vaino, Estonian basketball player
  • 1993 – Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti, Australian footballer
  • 1993 – Ngani Laumape, New Zealand rugby player
  • 1993 – Marcel Ritzmaier, Austrian footballer

Deaths on April 22

  • 296 – Pope Caius
  • 536 – Pope Agapetus I
  • 591 – Peter III of Raqqa
  • 613 – Saint Theodore of Sykeon
  • 846 – Wuzong, Chinese emperor (b. 814)
  • 1208 – Philip of Poitou, Prince-Bishop of Durham
  • 1322 – Francis of Fabriano, Italian writer (b. 1251)
  • 1355 – Eleanor of Woodstock, countess regent of Guelders, eldest daughter of King Edward II of England (b. 1318)
  • 1585 – Henry of Saxe-Lauenburg, Prince-Archbishop of Bremen, Prince-Bishop of Osnabrück and Paderborn (b. 1550)
  • 1616 – Miguel de Cervantes, Spanish novelist, poet, and playwright (b. 1547)
  • 1672 – Georg Stiernhielm, Swedish linguist and poet (b. 1598)
  • 1699 – Hans Erasmus Aßmann, German poet (b. 1646)
  • 1758 – Antoine de Jussieu, French botanist and physician (b. 1686)
  • 1778 – James Hargreaves, British inventor (b. 1720)
  • 1806 – Pierre-Charles Villeneuve, French admiral (b. 1763)
  • 1821 – Gregory V of Constantinople, Greek patriarch and saint (b. 1746)
  • 1833 – Richard Trevithick, English engineer and explorer (b. 1771)
  • 1850 – Friedrich Robert Faehlmann, Estonian philologist and physician (b. 1798)
  • 1854 – Nicolás Bravo, Mexican general and politician, 11th President of Mexico (b. 1786)
  • 1871 – Martín Carrera, Mexican general and president (1855) (b. 1806)
  • 1877 – James P. Kirkwood, Scottish-American engineer (b. 1807)
  • 1892 – Édouard Lalo, French violinist and composer (b. 1823)
  • 1893 – Chaim Aronson, Lithuanian businessman and author (b. 1825)
  • 1894 – Kostas Krystallis, Greek author and poet (b. 1868)
  • 1896 – Thomas Meik, English engineer, founded Halcrow Group (b. 1812)
  • 1908 – Henry Campbell-Bannerman, Scottish-English merchant and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1836)
  • 1925 – André Caplet, French composer and conductor (b. 1878)
  • 1929 – Henry Lerolle, French painter and art collector (b. 1848)
  • 1932 – Ferenc Oslay, Hungarian-Slovene historian and author (b. 1883)
  • 1933 – Henry Royce, English engineer and businessman, co-founded Rolls-Royce Limited (b. 1863)
  • 1944 – Nikolaos Roussen, Greek captain (b. 1913)
  • 1945 – Wilhelm Cauer, German mathematician and academic (b. 1900)
  • 1945 – Käthe Kollwitz, German painter and sculptor (b. 1867)
  • 1946 – Lionel Atwill, English-American actor (b. 1885)
  • 1946 – Harlan F. Stone, American lawyer and jurist, 12th Chief Justice of the United States (b. 1872)
  • 1949 – Charles Middleton, American actor (b. 1874)
  • 1950 – Charles Hamilton Houston, American lawyer and academic (b. 1895)
  • 1951 – Horace Donisthorpe, English myrmecologist and coleopterist (b. 1870)
  • 1956 – Walt Faulkner, American race car driver (b. 1918)
  • 1968 – Stephen H. Sholes, American record producer (b. 1911)
  • 1978 – Will Geer, American actor (b. 1902)
  • 1980 – Jane Froman, American actress and singer (b. 1907)
  • 1980 – Fritz Strassmann, German chemist and physicist (b. 1902)
  • 1983 – Earl Hines, American pianist and bandleader (b. 1903)
  • 1984 – Ansel Adams, American photographer and environmentalist (b. 1902)
  • 1985 – Paul Hugh Emmett, American chemist and academic (b. 1900)
  • 1985 – Jacques Ferron, Canadian physician and author (b. 1921)
  • 1986 – Mircea Eliade, Romanian historian and author (b. 1907)
  • 1987 – Erika Nõva, Estonian architect (b. 1905)
  • 1988 – Grigori Kuzmin, Russian-Estonian astronomer and academic (b. 1917)
  • 1988 – Irene Rich, American actress (b. 1891)
  • 1989 – Emilio G. Segrè, Italian-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1905)
  • 1990 – Albert Salmi, American actor (b. 1928)
  • 1994 – Richard Nixon, American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician, 37th President of the United States (b. 1913)
  • 1995 – Jane Kenyon, American poet and author (b. 1947)
  • 1996 – Erma Bombeck, American journalist and author (b. 1927)
  • 1996 – Jug McSpaden, American golfer and architect (b. 1908)
  • 1998 – Kitch Christie, South African rugby player and coach (b. 1940)
  • 1999 – Chan Canasta, Polish-English magician (b. 1920)
  • 1999 – Munir Ahmad Khan, Pakistani nuclear engineer (b. 1926)
  • 2002 – Linda Lovelace, American porn actress and activist (b. 1949)
  • 2003 – Felice Bryant, American songwriter (b. 1925)
  • 2003 – James H. Critchfield, American CIA officer (b. 1917)
  • 2003 – Martha Griffiths, American lawyer, judge, and politician, 58th Lieutenant Governor of Michigan (b. 1912)
  • 2003 – Mike Larrabee, American runner (b. 1933)
  • 2004 – Jason Dunham, American soldier, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1981)
  • 2004 – Pat Tillman, American football player and soldier (b. 1976)
  • 2005 – Erika Fuchs, German translator (b. 1906)
  • 2005 – Philip Morrison, American physicist and academic (b. 1915)
  • 2005 – Eduardo Paolozzi, Scottish sculptor and artist (b. 1924)
  • 2006 – Henriette Avram, American computer scientist and academic (b. 1919)
  • 2006 – D’Iberville Fortier, Canadian diplomat (b. 1926)
  • 2006 – Alida Valli, Italian actress (b. 1921)
  • 2007 – Juanita Millender-McDonald, American educator and politician (b. 1938)
  • 2008 – Cameron Argetsinger, American race car driver and lawyer (b. 1921)
  • 2008 – Ed Chynoweth, Canadian businessman (b. 1941)
  • 2009 – Jack Cardiff, British cinematographer, director and photographer (b. 1914)
  • 2010 – Richard Barrett, American lawyer and activist (b. 1943)
  • 2011 – Hazel Dickens, American singer-songwriter, bassist and guitarist (b. 1935)
  • 2012 – John Amabile, American football player and coach (b. 1939)
  • 2012 – Bill Granger, American author (b. 1941)
  • 2012 – Buzz Potamkin, American director and producer (b. 1945)
  • 2012 – George Rathmann, American chemist, biologist, and businessman (b. 1927)
  • 2013 – Dave Gold, American businessman, founded 99 Cents Only Stores (b. 1932)
  • 2013 – George Stanley Gordon, American businessman (b. 1926)
  • 2013 – Richie Havens, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1941)
  • 2013 – Lalgudi Jayaraman, Indian violinist and composer (b. 1930)
  • 2013 – Mike Smith, English footballer (b. 1935)
  • 2013 – Robert Suderburg, American pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1936)
  • 2013 – J. S. Verma, Indian judge, 27th Chief Justice of India (b. 1933)
  • 2014 – Allen Jacobs, American football player and coach (b. 1941)
  • 2014 – Jovan Krkobabić, Serbian politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia (b. 1930)
  • 2014 – Mohammad Naseem, Pakistani-English activist (b. 1924)
  • 2014 – Werner Potzernheim, German cyclist (b. 1927)
  • 2014 – Oswaldo Vigas, Venezuelan painter (b. 1926)
  • 2015 – Dick Balharry, Scottish environmentalist and photographer (b. 1937)
  • 2015 – Gennadi Vengerov, Belarusian-Russian actor (b. 1959)
  • 2017 – Erin Moran, American actress (b. 1960)
  • 2017 – Donna Leanne Williams, Australian writer, artist, activist (b. 1963)

Holidays and observances on April 22

  • Christian feast day:
    • Acepsimas of Hnaita and companions (Catholic Church)
    • Arwald
    • Epipodius and Alexander
    • Hudson Stuck (Episcopal Church)
    • John Muir (Episcopal Church)
    • Opportuna of Montreuil
    • Pope Caius
    • Pope Soter
    • St Senorina
    • April 22 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Discovery Day (Brazil)
  • Earth Day (International observance) and its related observance:
    • International Mother Earth Day
  • Holocaust Remembrance Day (Serbia)
  • From 2018 onwards, a national day of commemoration for the murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence (United Kingdom)

April 17 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

by
  • 1080 – Harald III of Denmark dies and is succeeded by Canute IV, who would later be the first Dane to be canonized.
  • 1349 – The rule of the Bavand dynasty in Mazandaran is brought to an end by the murder of Hasan II.
  • 1362 – Kaunas Castle falls to the Teutonic Order after a month-long siege.
  • 1492 – Spain and Christopher Columbus sign the Capitulations of Santa Fe for his voyage to Asia to acquire spices.
  • 1521 – Trial of Martin Luther over his teachings begins during the assembly of the Diet of Worms. Initially intimidated, he asks for time to reflect before answering and is given a stay of one day.
  • 1524 – Giovanni da Verrazzano reaches New York harbor.
  • 1797 – Sir Ralph Abercromby attacks San Juan, Puerto Rico, in what would be one of the largest invasions of the Spanish territories in the Americas.
  • 1797 – Citizens of Verona begin an unsuccessful eight-day rebellion against the French occupying forces.
  • 1861 – The state of Virginia’s secession convention votes to secede from the United States, later becoming the eighth state to join the Confederate States of America.
  • 1863 – American Civil War: Grierson’s Raid begins: Troops under Union Army Colonel Benjamin Grierson attack central Mississippi.
  • 1864 – American Civil War: The Battle of Plymouth begins: Confederate forces attack Plymouth, North Carolina.
  • 1869 – Morelos is admitted as the 27th state of Mexico.
  • 1876 – Catalpa rescue: The rescue of six Fenian prisoners from Fremantle Prison in Western Australia.
  • 1895 – The Treaty of Shimonoseki between China and Japan is signed. This marks the end of the First Sino-Japanese War, and the defeated Qing Empire is forced to renounce its claims on Korea and to concede the southern portion of the Fengtien province, Taiwan and the Pescadores Islands to Japan.
  • 1905 – The Supreme Court of the United States decides Lochner v. New York, which holds that the “right to free contract” is implicit in the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
  • 1907 – The Ellis Island immigration center processes 11,747 people, more than on any other day.
  • 1912 – Russian troops open fire on striking goldfield workers in northeast Siberia, killing at least 150.
  • 1941 – World War II: The Kingdom of Yugoslavia surrenders to Germany.
  • 1942 – French prisoner of war General Henri Giraud escapes from his castle prison in Königstein Fortress.
  • 1944 – Forces of the Communist-controlled Greek People’s Liberation Army attack the smaller National and Social Liberation resistance group, which surrenders. Its leader Dimitrios Psarros is murdered.
  • 1945 – World War II: Montese, Italy, is liberated from Nazi forces.
  • 1946 – The last French troops are withdrawn from Syria.
  • 1951 – The Peak District becomes the United Kingdom’s first National Park.
  • 1961 – Bay of Pigs Invasion: A group of Cuban exiles financed and trained by the CIA lands at the Bay of Pigs in Cuba with the aim of ousting Fidel Castro.
  • 1969 – Sirhan Sirhan is convicted of assassinating Robert F. Kennedy.
  • 1969 – Communist Party of Czechoslovakia chairman Alexander Dubček is deposed.
  • 1970 – Apollo program: The ill-fated Apollo 13 spacecraft returns to Earth safely.
  • 1971 – The Provisional Government of Bangladesh is formed.
  • 1975 – The Cambodian Civil War ends. The Khmer Rouge captures the capital Phnom Penh and Cambodian government forces surrender.
  • 1978 – Mir Akbar Khyber is assassinated, provoking a communist coup d’état in Afghanistan.
  • 1982 – Constitution Act, 1982 Patriation of the Canadian constitution in Ottawa by Proclamation of Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada.
  • 1992 – The Katina P is deliberately run aground off of Maputo, Mozambique and 60,000 tons of crude oil spill into the ocean.
  • 2006 – A Palestinian suicide bomber detonates an explosive device in a Tel Aviv restaurant, killing 11 people and injuring 70.
  • 2013 – An explosion at a fertilizer plant in the city of West, Texas, kills 15 people and injures 160 others.
  • 2014 – NASA’s Kepler space telescope confirms the discovery of the first Earth-size planet in the habitable zone of another star.

Births on April 17

  • 44 – Pope Evaristus (d. 107)
  • 1277 – Michael IX Palaiologos, Byzantine emperor (d. 1320)
  • 1455 – Andrea Gritti, Doge of Venice (d. 1538)
  • 1497 – Pedro de Valdivia, Spanish conquistador, conquered northern Chile (d. 1553)
  • 1573 – Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria (d. 1651)
  • 1586 – John Ford, English poet and playwright (d. 1639)
  • 1598 – Giovanni Battista Riccioli, Italian priest and astronomer (d. 1671)
  • 1620 – Marguerite Bourgeoys, French-Canadian nun and saint, founded the Congregation of Notre Dame of Montreal (d. 1700)
  • 1635 – Edward Stillingfleet, British theologian and scholar (d. 1699)
  • 1676 – Frederick I of Sweden (d. 1751)
  • 1683 – Johann David Heinichen, German composer and theorist (d. 1729)
  • 1710 – Henry Erskine, 10th Earl of Buchan, Scottish politician (d. 1767)
  • 1734 – Taksin, King of Thailand (d. 1782)
  • 1741 – Samuel Chase, American lawyer and jurist (d. 1811)
  • 1750 – François de Neufchâteau, French academic and politician, French Minister of the Interior (d. 1828)
  • 1756 – Dheeran Chinnamalai, Indian commander (d. 1805)
  • 1766 – Collin McKinney, American surveyor, merchant, and politician (d. 1861)
  • 1794 – Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius, German botanist and explorer (d. 1868)
  • 1798 – Étienne Bobillier, French mathematician and academic (d. 1840)
  • 1814 – Josif Pančić, Serbian botanist and academic (d. 1888)
  • 1816 – Thomas Hazlehurst, English architect and philanthropist (d. 1876)
  • 1820 – Alexander Cartwright, American firefighter and inventor of baseball (d. 1892)
  • 1833 – Jean-Baptiste Accolay, Belgian violinist, composer, and conductor (d. 1900)
  • 1837 – J. P. Morgan, American banker and financier, founded J.P. Morgan & Co. (d. 1913)
  • 1842 – Maurice Rouvier, French businessman and politician, 53rd Prime Minister of France (d. 1911)
  • 1849 – William R. Day, American jurist and politician, 36th United States Secretary of State (d. 1923)
  • 1852 – Cap Anson, American baseball player and manager (d. 1922)
  • 1863 – Augustus Edward Hough Love, English mathematician and theorist (d. 1940)
  • 1865 – Ursula Ledóchowska, Polish-Austrian nun and saint, founded the Congregation of the Ursulines of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus (d. 1939)
  • 1866 – Ernest Starling, English physiologist and academic (d. 1927)
  • 1875 – Aleksander Tõnisson, Estonian general and politician, 5th Estonian Minister of War (d. 1941)
  • 1877 – Matsudaira Tsuneo, Japanese diplomat (d. 1949)
  • 1878 – Emil Fuchs, German-American lawyer and businessman (d. 1961)
  • 1878 – Demetrios Petrokokkinos, Greek tennis player (d. 1942)
  • 1879 – Henri Tauzin, French hurdler (d. 1918)
  • 1882 – Artur Schnabel, Jewish-Polish pianist and composer (d. 1951)
  • 1888 – Herms Niel, German soldier, trombonist, and composer (d. 1954)
  • 1891 – George Adamski, Polish-American ufologist and author (d. 1965)
  • 1895 – Robert Dean Frisbie, American soldier and author (d. 1948)
  • 1896 – Señor Wences, Spanish-American ventriloquist (d. 1999)
  • 1897 – Nisargadatta Maharaj, Indian philosopher and educator (d. 1981)
  • 1897 – Thornton Wilder, American novelist and playwright (d. 1975)
  • 1897 – Edouard Wyss-Dunant, Swiss physician and mountaineer (d. 1983)
  • 1899 – Aleksander Klumberg, Estonian decathlete and coach (d. 1958)
  • 1903 – Nicolas Nabokov, Russian-American composer and educator (d. 1978)
  • 1903 – Gregor Piatigorsky, Ukrainian-American cellist and educator (d. 1976)
  • 1903 – Morgan Taylor, American hurdler and coach (d. 1975)
  • 1905 – Louis Jean Heydt, American journalist and actor (d. 1960)
  • 1905 – Arthur Lake, American actor (d. 1987)
  • 1906 – Sidney Garfield, American physician, co-founded Kaiser Permanente (d. 1984)
  • 1909 – Alain Poher, French politician, President of France (d. 1996)
  • 1910 – Evangelos Averoff, Greek historian and politician, Greek Minister of Defence (d. 1990)
  • 1910 – Ivan Goff, Australian screenwriter and producer (d. 1999)
  • 1910 – Helenio Herrera, French footballer and manager (d. 1997)
  • 1911 – Hervé Bazin, French author and poet (d. 1996)
  • 1911 – Lester Rodney, American soldier and journalist (d. 2009)
  • 1912 – Marta Eggerth, Jewish-Hungarian-American actress and singer (d. 2013)
  • 1914 – George Davis, American art director (d. 1984)
  • 1914 – Mac Raboy, American illustrator (d. 1967)
  • 1915 – Martin Clemens, Scottish soldier (d. 2009)
  • 1915 – Joe Foss, American general and politician, 20th Governor of South Dakota (d. 2003)
  • 1915 – Regina Ghazaryan, Armenian painter (d. 1999)
  • 1916 – Win Maung, 3rd President of Union of Myanmar (d. 1989)
  • 1916 – A. Thiagarajah, Sri Lankan educator and politician (d. 1981)
  • 1916 – Sirimavo Bandaranaike, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, world’s first female prime minister (d. 2000)
  • 1918 – William Holden, American actor (d. 1981)
  • 1919 – Gilles Lamontagne, Canadian lieutenant and politician, 24th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (d. 2016)
  • 1919 – Chavela Vargas, Costa Rican-Mexican singer-songwriter and actress (d. 2012)
  • 1920 – Edmonde Charles-Roux, French journalist and author (d. 2016)
  • 1923 – Lindsay Anderson, English actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1994)
  • 1923 – Solly Hemus, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 2017)
  • 1923 – Neville McNamara, Australian air marshal (d. 2014)
  • 1923 – Gianni Raimondi, Italian lyric tenor (d. 2008)
  • 1923 – Harry Reasoner, American soldier and journalist (d. 1991)
  • 1924 – Kenneth Norman Jones, Australian public servant
  • 1924 – Donald Richie, American-Japanese author and critic (d. 2013)
  • 1925 – René Moawad, Lebanese lawyer and politician, 13th President of Lebanon (d. 1989)
  • 1926 – Joan Lorring, British actress (d. 2014)
  • 1926 – Gerry McNeil, Canadian ice hockey player and manager (d. 2004)
  • 1927 – Margot Honecker, East German politician and First Lady (d. 2016)
  • 1928 – Victor Lownes, American businessman (d. 2017)
  • 1928 – Cynthia Ozick, American short story writer, novelist, and essayist
  • 1928 – Heinz Putzl, Austrian fencer
  • 1928 – Fabien Roy, Canadian accountant and politician
  • 1929 – James Last, German-American bassist, composer, and bandleader (d. 2015)
  • 1930 – Chris Barber, English trombonist and bandleader
  • 1931 – John Barrett, English tennis player and sportscaster
  • 1931 – Malcolm Browne, American journalist and photographer (d. 2012)
  • 1934 – Don Kirshner, American songwriter and producer (d. 2011)
  • 1934 – Peter Morris, Australian-English surgeon and academic
  • 1935 – Bud Paxson, American broadcaster, founded Home Shopping Network and Pax TV (d. 2015)
  • 1937 – Ronald Hamowy, Canadian historian and academic (d. 2012)
  • 1937 – Ferdinand Piëch, Austrian-German engineer and businessman (d. 2019)
  • 1938 – Ben Barnes, American businessman and politician, 36th Lieutenant Governor of Texas
  • 1938 – Doug Lewis, Canadian lawyer and politician, 41st Canadian Minister of Justice
  • 1938 – Ronald H. Miller, American theologian, author, and academic (d. 2011)
  • 1938 – Kerry Wendell Thornley, American theorist and author (d. 1988)
  • 1939 – Robert Miller, American art dealer (d. 2011)
  • 1940 – Eric Dancer, English businessman and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Devon
  • 1940 – Billy Fury, English singer-songwriter (d. 1983)
  • 1940 – John McCririck, English journalist (d. 2019)
  • 1940 – Chuck Menville, American animator and screenwriter (d. 1992)
  • 1940 – Anja Silja, German soprano and actress
  • 1940 – Agostino Vallini, Italian cardinal and vicar general of Rome
  • 1941 – Lagle Parek, Estonian architect and politician, Estonian Minister of the Interior
  • 1942 – Buster Williams, American jazz bassist
  • 1943 – Richard Allen Epstein, American lawyer, author, and academic
  • 1946 – Clare Francis, English sailor and author
  • 1947 – Nigel Emslie, Lord Emslie, Scottish lawyer and judge
  • 1947 – Richard Field, English lawyer and judge
  • 1947 – Sherrie Levine, American photographer
  • 1947 – Tsutomu Wakamatsu, Japanese baseball player, coach, and manager
  • 1948 – Jan Hammer, Czech pianist, composer, and producer
  • 1948 – Alice Harden, American educator and politician (d. 2012)
  • 1948 – Pekka Vasala, Finnish runner
  • 1951 – Olivia Hussey, Argentinian-English actress
  • 1951 – Börje Salming, Swedish ice hockey player and businessman
  • 1952 – Joe Alaskey, American voice actor (d. 2016)
  • 1952 – Pierre Guité, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1952 – John McColl, English general and politician, Lieutenant Governor of Jersey
  • 1952 – Željko Ražnatović, Serbian commander (d. 2000)
  • 1952 – John Robertson, Scottish businessman and politician
  • 1954 – Riccardo Patrese, Italian race car driver
  • 1954 – Roddy Piper, Canadian professional wrestler and actor (d. 2015)
  • 1954 – Michael Sembello, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1955 – Todd Lickliter, American basketball player and coach
  • 1955 – Pete Shelley, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2018)
  • 1955 – Mike Stroud, English physician and explorer
  • 1956 – Colin Tyre, Lord Tyre, Scottish lawyer and judge
  • 1957 – Teri Austin, Canadian actress
  • 1957 – Afrika Bambaataa, American disc jockey
  • 1957 – Nick Hornby, English novelist, essayist, lyricist, and screenwriter
  • 1957 – Julia Macur, English lawyer and judge
  • 1957 – Frank McDonough, British historian
  • 1958 – Laslo Babits, Canadian javelin thrower (d. 2013)
  • 1959 – Sean Bean, English actor
  • 1959 – Jimmy Mann, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1959 – Li Meisu, Chinese shot putter
  • 1960 – Vladimir Polyakov, Russian pole vaulter
  • 1961 – Frank J. Christensen, American labor union leader
  • 1961 – Norman Cowans, Jamaican-English cricketer
  • 1961 – Boomer Esiason, American football player and sportscaster
  • 1961 – Bella Freud, English fashion designer
  • 1962 – Paul Nicholls, English jockey and trainer
  • 1964 – Ken Daneyko, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
  • 1964 – Maynard James Keenan, American singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1964 – Rachel Notley, Canadian politician
  • 1964 – Lela Rochon, American actress
  • 1966 – Vikram, Indian actor and singer
  • 1967 – Kimberly Elise, American actress
  • 1967 – Marquis Grissom, American baseball player and coach
  • 1967 – Ian Jones, New Zealand rugby player
  • 1967 – Barnaby Joyce, Australian politician, 17th Deputy Prime Minister of Australia
  • 1967 – Liz Phair, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1968 – Julie Fagerholt, Danish fashion designer
  • 1968 – Phil Henderson, American basketball player and coach (d. 2013)
  • 1968 – Eric Lamaze, Canadian jockey
  • 1968 – Roger Twose, New Zealand cricketer
  • 1968 – Richie Woodhall, English boxer and trainer
  • 1970 – Redman, American rapper, producer, and actor
  • 1971 – Claire Sweeney, English actress
  • 1972 – Gary Bennett, American baseball player
  • 1972 – Tony Boselli, American football player and sportscaster
  • 1972 – Jennifer Garner, American actress
  • 1972 – Muttiah Muralitharan, Sri Lankan cricketer
  • 1972 – Yuichi Nishimura, Japanese footballer and referee
  • 1972 – Terran Sandwith, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1973 – Katrin Koov, Estonian architect
  • 1973 – Brett Maher, Australian basketball player and sportscaster
  • 1973 – Theo Ratliff, American basketball player
  • 1974 – Mikael Åkerfeldt, Swedish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1974 – Victoria Beckham, English singer and fashion designer
  • 1975 – Heidi Alexander, English politician
  • 1975 – Travis Roy, American ice hockey player
  • 1976 – Maurice Wignall, Jamaican hurdler and long jumper
  • 1977 – Chad Hedrick, American speed skater
  • 1977 – Frederik Magle, Danish composer, organist, and pianist
  • 1978 – Monika Bergmann-Schmuderer, German skier
  • 1978 – Lindsay Hartley, American actress
  • 1978 – Jason White, Scottish rugby player
  • 1979 – Eric Brewer, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1979 – Marija Šestak, Serbian-Slovenian triple jumper
  • 1980 – Fabián Vargas, Colombian footballer
  • 1980 – Curtis Woodhouse, English footballer, boxer, and manager
  • 1981 – Jenny Meadows, English runner
  • 1981 – Hanna Pakarinen, Finnish singer-songwriter
  • 1981 – Ryan Raburn, American baseball player
  • 1981 – Chris Thompson, English runner
  • 1981 – Zhang Yaokun, Chinese footballer
  • 1982 – Brad Boyes, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1982 – Chuck Kobasew, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1983 – Stanislav Chistov, Russian ice hockey player
  • 1983 – Roberto Jiménez, Peruvian footballer
  • 1983 – Andrea Marcato, Italian rugby player
  • 1984 – Pablo Sebastián Álvarez, Argentinian footballer
  • 1984 – Jed Lowrie, American baseball player
  • 1984 – Raffaele Palladino, Italian footballer
  • 1985 – Rooney Mara, American actress
  • 1985 – Luke Mitchell, Australian actor and model
  • 1985 – Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, French tennis player
  • 1986 – Romain Grosjean, French race car driver
  • 1988 – Takahiro Moriuchi, Japanese singer-songwriter
  • 1989 – Paraskevi Papachristou, Greek triple jumper
  • 1989 – Avi Kaplan, singer and songwriter
  • 1990 – Jonathan Brown, Welsh footballer
  • 1992 – Lachlan Maranta, Australian rugby league footballer
  • 1994 – Alanna Goldie, Canadian fencer
  • 1996 – Lorna Fitzgerald, British actress

Deaths on April 17

  • 485 – Proclus, Greek mathematician and philosopher (b. 412)
  • 617 – Donnán of Eigg, Irish priest and saint
  • 648 – Xiao, empress of the Sui Dynasty
  • 744 – Al-Walid II, Umayyad caliph (b. 706)
  • 818 – Bernard of Italy, Frankish king (b. 797)
  • 858 – Benedict III, pope of the Catholic Church
  • 1071 – Manuel Komnenos, Byzantine military commander (b. c. 1045)
  • 1080 – Harald III of Denmark (b. 1041)
  • 1111 – Robert of Molesme, Christian saint and abbot (b. 1027)
  • 1298 – Árni Þorláksson, Icelandic bishop (b. 1237)
  • 1321 – Infanta Branca of Portugal, daughter of King Afonso III of Portugal (b. 1259)
  • 1331 – Robert de Vere, 6th Earl of Oxford, English nobleman (b. 1257)
  • 1344 – Constantine II, King of Armenia
  • 1355 – Marin Falier, Doge of Venice (b. 1285)
  • 1427 – John IV, Duke of Brabant (b. 1403)
  • 1539 – George, Duke of Saxony (b. 1471)
  • 1574 – Joachim Camerarius, German scholar and translator (b. 1500)
  • 1669 – Antonio Bertali, Italian violinist and composer (b. 1605)
  • 1680 – Kateri Tekakwitha, Mohawk-born Native American saint (b. 1656)
  • 1695 – Juana Inés de la Cruz, Mexican poet and scholar (b. 1651)
  • 1696 – Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, marquise de Sévigné, French author (b. 1626)
  • 1711 – Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1678)
  • 1713 – David Hollatz, Polish pastor and theologian (b. 1648)
  • 1764 – Johann Mattheson, German lexicographer and composer (b. 1681)
  • 1790 – Benjamin Franklin, American inventor, publisher, and politician, 6th President of Pennsylvania (b. 1706)
  • 1799 – Richard Jupp, English surveyor and architect (b. 1728)
  • 1840 – Hannah Webster Foster, American journalist and author (b. 1758)
  • 1843 – Samuel Morey, American engineer (b. 1762)
  • 1882 – George Jennings, English engineer and plumber, invented the Flush toilet (b. 1810)
  • 1888 – E. G. Squier, American archaeologist and journalist (b. 1821)
  • 1892 – Alexander Mackenzie, Scottish-Canadian journalist and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1822)
  • 1921 – Manwel Dimech, Maltese journalist, author, and philosopher (b. 1860)
  • 1923 – Laurence Ginnell, Irish lawyer and politician (b. 1852)
  • 1930 – Alexander Golovin, Russian painter and stage designer (b. 1863)
  • 1933 – Kote Marjanishvili, Georgian director and playwright (b. 1872)
  • 1936 – Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck, Dutch lawyer and politician, 28th Prime Minister of the Netherlands (b. 1873)
  • 1942 – Jean Baptiste Perrin, French-American physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1870)
  • 1944 – J. T. Hearne, English cricketer and coach (b. 1867)
  • 1944 – Dimitrios Psarros, Greek lieutenant, founded the National and Social Liberation (b. 1893)
  • 1946 – Juan Bautista Sacasa, Nicaraguan medical doctor, politician and 20th President of Nicaragua (b. 1874)
  • 1948 – Suzuki Kantarō, Japanese admiral and politician, 42nd Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1868)
  • 1954 – Lucrețiu Pătrășcanu, Romanian lawyer and politician, Romanian Minister of Justice (b. 1900)
  • 1960 – Eddie Cochran, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1938)
  • 1961 – Elda Anderson, American physicist and health researcher (b. 1899)
  • 1967 – Red Allen, American singer and trumpet player (b. 1908)
  • 1975 – Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Indian philosopher and politician, 2nd President of India (b. 1888)
  • 1976 – Henrik Dam, Danish biochemist and physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1895)
  • 1977 – William Conway, Irish cardinal (b. 1913)
  • 1983 – Felix Pappalardi, American singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer (b. 1939)
  • 1984 – Claude Provost, Canadian-American ice hockey player (b. 1933)
  • 1987 – Cecil Harmsworth King, English publisher (b. 1901)
  • 1987 – Dick Shawn, American actor (b. 1923)
  • 1988 – Louise Nevelson, Ukrainian-American sculptor and educator (b. 1900)
  • 1990 – Ralph Abernathy, American minister and activist (b. 1936)
  • 1993 – Turgut Özal, Turkish engineer and politician, 8th president of Turkey (b. 1927)
  • 1994 – Roger Wolcott Sperry, American psychologist and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1913)
  • 1995 – Frank E. Resnik, American sergeant and businessman (b. 1928)
  • 1996 – Piet Hein, Danish poet and mathematician (b. 1905)
  • 1997 – Chaim Herzog, Israeli general, lawyer, and politician, 6th President of Israel (b. 1918)
  • 1998 – Linda McCartney, American photographer, activist, and musician (b. 1941)
  • 2003 – Robert Atkins, American physician and cardiologist, created the Atkins diet (b. 1930)
  • 2003 – H. B. Bailey, American race car driver (b. 1936)
  • 2003 – John Paul Getty, Jr., American-English philanthropist (b. 1932)
  • 2003 – Earl King, American blues singer, guitarist and songwriter (b. 1934)
  • 2003 – Yiannis Latsis, Greek businessman (b. 1910)
  • 2004 – Edmond Pidoux, Swiss author and poet (b. 1908)
  • 2006 – Jean Bernard, French physician and haematologist (b. 1907)
  • 2006 – Scott Brazil, American director and producer (b. 1955)
  • 2006 – Henderson Forsythe, American actor (b. 1917)
  • 2007 – Kitty Carlisle, American actress, singer, socialite and game show panelist (b. 1910)
  • 2008 – Aimé Césaire, Caribbean-French poet and politician (b. 1913)
  • 2008 – Danny Federici, American organist and accordion player (b. 1950)
  • 2011 – Eric Gross, Austrian-Australian pianist and composer (b. 1926)
  • 2011 – Michael Sarrazin, Canadian actor (b. 1940)
  • 2011 – Robert Vickrey, American artist and author (b. 1926)
  • 2012 – Leila Berg, English journalist and author (b. 1917)
  • 2012 – J. Quinn Brisben, American educator and politician (b. 1934)
  • 2012 – Dimitris Mitropanos, Greek singer (b. 1948)
  • 2012 – Nityananda Mohapatra, Indian journalist, poet, and politician (b. 1912)
  • 2012 – Jonathan V. Plaut, American rabbi and author (b. 1942)
  • 2012 – Stanley Rogers Resor, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 9th United States Secretary of the Army (b. 1917)
  • 2013 – Carlos Graça, São Toméan politician, Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe (b. 1931)
  • 2013 – Bi Kidude, Tanzanian Taarab singer (b. ≈1910)
  • 2013 – Yngve Moe, Norwegian bass player and songwriter (b. 1957)
  • 2013 – V. S. Ramadevi, Indian politician, 13th Governor of Karnataka (b. 1934)
  • 2014 – Gabriel García Márquez, Colombian journalist and author, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1927)
  • 2014 – Bernat Klein, Serbian-Scottish fashion designer and painter (b. 1922)
  • 2014 – Wojciech Leśnikowski, Polish–American architect and academic (b. 1938)
  • 2014 – Karpal Singh, Malaysian lawyer and politician (b. 1940)
  • 2015 – Robert P. Griffin, American soldier, lawyer, and politician (b. 1923)
  • 2015 – Scotty Probasco, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1928)
  • 2015 – Jeremiah J. Rodell, American general (b. 1921)
  • 2015 – A. Alfred Taubman, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1924)
  • 2016 – Chyna, American wrestler (b. 1969)
  • 2016 – Doris Roberts, American actress (b. 1925)
  • 2018 – Barbara Bush, former First Lady of the United States (b. 1925)
  • 2018 – Carl Kasell, American radio personality (b. 1934)
  • 2019 – Alan García, Peruvian lawyer and politician, 61st and 64th President of Peru (b. 1949)

Holidays and observances on April 17

  • Christian feast day:
    • Kateri Tekakwitha (Canada)
    • Stephen Harding
    • April 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Earliest day on which Store Bededag or General Prayer Day can fall, while May 13 is the latest; observed on the 4th Friday after Easter. (Denmark)
  • Evacuation Day (Syria), celebrates the recognition of the independence of Syria from France in 1946.
  • FAO Day (Iraq)
  • Flag Day (American Samoa)
  • Malbec World Day
  • Women’s Day (Gabon)
  • World Hemophilia Day

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

by
  • AD 73 – Masada, a Jewish fortress, falls to the Romans after several months of siege, ending the First Jewish–Roman War.
  • 1346 – Stefan Dušan, “the Mighty”, is crowned Emperor of the Serbs at Skopje, his empire occupying much of the Balkans.
  • 1520 – The Revolt of the Comuneros begins in Spain against the rule of Charles V.
  • 1582 – Spanish conquistador Hernando de Lerma founds the settlement of Salta, Argentina.
  • 1746 – The Battle of Culloden is fought between the French-supported Jacobites and the British Hanoverian forces commanded by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, in Scotland.After the battle many highland traditions were banned and the Highlands of Scotland were cleared of inhabitants.
  • 1780 – Franz Friedrich Wilhelm von Fürstenberg founds the University of Münster.
  • 1799 – French Revolutionary Wars: The Battle of Mount Tabor: Napoleon drives Ottoman Turks across the River Jordan near Acre.
  • 1818 – The United States Senate ratifies the Rush–Bagot Treaty, limiting naval armaments on the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain.
  • 1847 – Shooting of a Māori by an English sailor results in the opening of the Wanganui Campaign of the New Zealand Wars.
  • 1853 – The Great Indian Peninsula Railway opens the first passenger rail in India, from Bori Bunder to Thane.
  • 1858 – The Wernerian Natural History Society, a former Scottish learned society, is wound up.
  • 1862 – American Civil War: Battle at Lee’s Mills in Virginia.
  • 1862 – American Civil War: The District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act, a bill ending slavery in the District of Columbia, becomes law.
  • 1863 – American Civil War: During the Vicksburg Campaign, gunboats commanded by acting Rear Admiral David Dixon Porter run downriver past Confederate artillery batteries at Vicksburg.
  • 1881 – In Dodge City, Kansas, Bat Masterson fights his last gun battle.
  • 1908 – Natural Bridges National Monument is established in Utah.
  • 1910 – The oldest existing indoor ice hockey arena still used for the sport in the 21st century, Boston Arena, opens for the first time.
  • 1912 – Harriet Quimby becomes the first woman to fly an airplane across the English Channel.
  • 1917 – Vladimir Lenin returns to Petrograd, Russia, from exile in Switzerland.
  • 1919 – Mohandas Gandhi organizes a day of “prayer and fasting” in response to the killing of Indian protesters in the Jallianwala Bagh massacre by the British colonial troops three days earlier.
  • 1919 – Polish–Soviet War: The Polish army launches the Vilna offensive to capture Vilnius in modern Lithuania.
  • 1922 – The Treaty of Rapallo, pursuant to which Germany and the Soviet Union re-establish diplomatic relations, is signed.
  • 1925 – During the Communist St Nedelya Church assault in Sofia, Bulgaria, 150 are killed and 500 are wounded.
  • 1941 – World War II: The Italian-German Tarigo convoy is attacked and destroyed by British ships.
  • 1941 – World War II: The Nazi-affiliated Ustaše is put in charge of the Independent State of Croatia by the Axis powers after Operation 25 is effected.
  • 1943 – Albert Hofmann accidentally discovers the hallucinogenic effects of the research drug LSD. He intentionally takes the drug three days later on April 19.
  • 1944 – World War II: Allied forces start bombing Belgrade, killing about 1,100 people. This bombing fell on the Orthodox Christian Easter.
  • 1945 – World War II: The Red Army begins the final assault on German forces around Berlin, with nearly one million troops fighting in the Battle of the Seelow Heights.
  • 1945 – The United States Army liberates Nazi Sonderlager (high security) prisoner-of-war camp Oflag IV-C (better known as Colditz).
  • 1945 – More than 7,000 die when the German refugee ship Goya is sunk by a Soviet submarine.
  • 1947 – An explosion on board a freighter in port causes the city of Texas City, Texas, to catch fire, killing almost 600.
  • 1947 – Bernard Baruch first applies the term “Cold War” to describe the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union.
  • 1961 – In a nationally broadcast speech, Cuban leader Fidel Castro declares that he is a Marxist–Leninist and that Cuba is going to adopt Communism.
  • 1963 – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. pens his Letter from Birmingham Jail while incarcerated in Birmingham, Alabama for protesting against segregation.
  • 1972 – Apollo program: The launch of Apollo 16 from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
  • 1990 – “Doctor Death”, Jack Kevorkian, participates in his first assisted suicide.
  • 2001 – India and Bangladesh begin a five-day border conflict, but are unable to resolve the disputes about their border.
  • 2003 – The Treaty of Accession is signed in Athens admitting ten new member states to the European Union.
  • 2007 – Virginia Tech shooting: Seung-Hui Cho guns down 32 people and injures 17 before committing suicide.
  • 2012 – The trial for Anders Behring Breivik, the perpetrator of the 2011 Norway attacks, begins in Oslo, Norway.
  • 2012 – The Pulitzer Prize winners were announced, it was the first time since 1977 that no book won the Fiction Prize.
  • 2013 – A 7.8-magnitude earthquake strikes Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran, killing at least 35 people and injuring 117 others.
  • 2013 – The 2013 Baga massacre is started when Boko Haram militants engage government soldiers in Baga.
  • 2014 – The South Korean ferry MV Sewol capsizes and sinks near Jindo Island, killing 304 passengers and crew and leading to widespread criticism of the South Korean government, media, and shipping authorities.

Births on April 16

  • 1435 – Jan II the Mad, Duke of Żagań (1439–1449 and 1461–1468 and again in 1472) (d. 1504)
  • 1488 – Jungjong of Joseon (d. 1544)
  • 1495 – Petrus Apianus, German mathematician and astronomer (d. 1557)
  • 1516 – Tabinshwehti, Burmese king (d. 1550)
  • 1569 – John Davies, English poet and lawyer (d. 1626)
  • 1635 – Frans van Mieris the Elder, Dutch painter (d. 1681)
  • 1646 – Jules Hardouin-Mansart, French architect, designed the Château de Dampierre and Grand Trianon (d. 1708)
  • 1660 – Hans Sloane, Irish-English physician and academic (d. 1753)
  • 1661 – Charles Montagu, 1st Earl of Halifax, English poet and politician, First Lord of the Treasury (d. 1715)
  • 1682 – John Hadley, English mathematician, invented the octant (d. 1744)
  • 1697 – Johann Gottlieb Görner, German organist and composer (d. 1778)
  • 1728 – Joseph Black, French-Scottish physician and chemist (d. 1799)
  • 1730 – Henry Clinton, English general and politician (d. 1795)
  • 1755 – Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, French painter (d. 1842)
  • 1786 – John Franklin, English admiral and politician, 4th Lieutenant Governor of Van Diemen’s Land (d. 1847)
  • 1800 – George Bingham, 3rd Earl of Lucan, English field marshal and politician (d. 1888)
  • 1808 – Caleb Blood Smith, American journalist, lawyer, and politician, 6th United States Secretary of the Interior (d. 1864)
  • 1821 – Ford Madox Brown, French-English soldier and painter (d. 1893)
  • 1823 – Gotthold Eisenstein, German mathematician and academic (d. 1852)
  • 1826 – Sir James Corry, 1st Baronet, British politician (d. 1891)
  • 1827 – Octave Crémazie, Canadian poet and bookseller (d. 1879)
  • 1839 – Antonio Starabba, Marchese di Rudinì, Italian politician, 12th Prime Minister of Italy (d. 1908)
  • 1834 – Charles Lennox Richardson, English merchant (d. 1862)
  • 1844 – Anatole France, French journalist, novelist, and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1924)
  • 1847 – Hans Auer, Swiss-Austrian architect, designed the Federal Palace of Switzerland (d. 1906)
  • 1848 – Kandukuri Veeresalingam, Indian author and activist (d. 1919)
  • 1851 – Ponnambalam Ramanathan, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician, 3rd Solicitor General of Sri Lanka (d. 1930)
  • 1864 – Rose Talbot Bullard, American medical doctor and professor (d. 1915)
  • 1865 – Harry Chauvel, Australian general (d. 1945)
  • 1866 – José de Diego, Puerto Rican journalist, lawyer, and politician (d. 1918)
  • 1867 – Wilbur Wright, American inventor (d. 1912)
  • 1871 – John Millington Synge, Irish author, poet, and playwright (d. 1909)
  • 1874 – Jōtarō Watanabe, Japanese general (d. 1936)
  • 1878 – R. E. Foster, English cricketer and footballer (d. 1914)
  • 1882 – Seth Bingham, American organist and composer (d. 1972)
  • 1884 – Ronald Barnes, 3rd Baron Gorell, English cricketer, journalist, and politician (d. 1963)
  • 1885 – Leó Weiner, Hungarian composer and educator (d. 1960)
  • 1886 – Michalis Dorizas, Greek-American football player and javelin thrower (d. 1957)
  • 1886 – Ernst Thälmann, German politician (d. 1944)
  • 1888 – Billy Minter, English footballer and manager (d. 1940)
  • 1889 – Charlie Chaplin, English actor, director, producer, screenwriter, and composer (d. 1977)
  • 1890 – Fred Root, English cricketer and umpire (d. 1954)
  • 1890 – Gertrude Chandler Warner, American author and educator (d. 1979)
  • 1891 – Dorothy P. Lathrop, American author and illustrator (d. 1980)
  • 1892 – Howard Mumford Jones, American author, critic, and academic (d. 1980)
  • 1893 – Germaine Guèvremont, Canadian journalist and author (d. 1968)
  • 1893 – John Norton, American hurdler (d. 1979)
  • 1895 – Ove Arup, English-Danish engineer and businessman, founded Arup (d. 1988)
  • 1896 – Robert Henry Best, American journalist (d. 1952)
  • 1896 – Árpád Weisz, Hungarian footballer (d. 1944)
  • 1899 – Osman Achmatowicz, Polish chemist and academic (d. 1988)
  • 1900 – Polly Adler, Russian-American madam and author (d. 1962)
  • 1903 – Paul Waner, American baseball player and manager (d. 1965)
  • 1904 – Fifi D’Orsay, Canadian-American vaudevillian, actress, and singer (d. 1983)
  • 1905 – Frits Philips, Dutch businessman (d. 2005)
  • 1907 – Joseph-Armand Bombardier, Canadian inventor and businessman, founded Bombardier Inc. (d. 1964)
  • 1907 – August Eigruber, Austrian-German politician (d. 1947)
  • 1908 – Ellis Marsalis, Sr., American businessman and activist (d. 2004)
  • 1908 – Ray Ventura, French jazz bandleader (d. 1979)
  • 1910 – Berton Roueché, American journalist and author (d. 1994)
  • 1911 – Guy Burgess, English-Russian spy (d. 1963)
  • 1913 – Les Tremayne, English actor (d. 2003)
  • 1914 – John Hodiak, American actor (d. 1955)
  • 1915 – Robert Speck, Canadian politician, 1st Mayor of Mississauga (d. 1972)
  • 1916 – Behçet Necatigil, Turkish author, poet, and translator (d. 1979)
  • 1917 – Victoria Eugenia Fernández de Córdoba, 18th Duchess of Medinaceli (d. 2013)
  • 1917 – Barry Nelson, American actor (d. 2007)
  • 1918 – Dick Gibson, English racing driver (d. 2010)
  • 1918 – Hsuan Hua, Chinese-American monk and author (d. 1995)
  • 1918 – Juozas Kazickas, Lithuanian-American businessman and philanthropist (d. 2014)
  • 1918 – Spike Milligan, Irish actor, comedian, and writer (d. 2002)
  • 1919 – Merce Cunningham, American dancer and choreographer (d. 2009)
  • 1919 – Nilla Pizzi, Italian singer (d. 2011)
  • 1919 – Pedro Ramírez Vázquez, Mexican architect, designed the Tijuana Cultural Center and National Museum of Anthropology (d. 2013)
  • 1919 – Thomas Willmore, English geometer and academic (d. 2005)
  • 1920 – Ananda Dassanayake, Sri Lankan politician (d. 2012)
  • 1920 – Prince George Valdemar of Denmark (d. 1986)
  • 1921 – Arlin M. Adams, American lawyer and judge (d. 2015)
  • 1921 – Wolfgang Leonhard, German historian and author (d. 2014)
  • 1921 – Peter Ustinov, English actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2004)
  • 1922 – Kingsley Amis, English novelist, poet, and critic (d. 1995)
  • 1922 – John Christopher, English author (d. 2012)
  • 1922 – Lawrence N. Guarino, American colonel (d. 2014)
  • 1922 – Leo Tindemans, Belgian politician, 43rd Prime Minister of Belgium (d. 2014)
  • 1923 – Warren Barker, American composer (d. 2006)
  • 1923 – Arch A. Moore Jr., American sergeant, lawyer, and politician, 28th Governor of West Virginia (d. 2015)
  • 1924 – John Harvey-Jones, English academic and businessman (d. 2008)
  • 1924 – Henry Mancini, American composer and conductor (d. 1994)
  • 1924 – Rudy Pompilli, American saxophonist (d. 1976)
  • 1924 – Madanjeet Singh, Indian diplomat, author, and philanthropist (d. 2013)
  • 1926 – Pierre Fabre, French pharmacist, founded Laboratoires Pierre Fabre (d. 2013)
  • 1927 – Edie Adams, American actress and singer (d. 2008)
  • 1927 – Pope Benedict XVI
  • 1927 – Rolf Schult, German actor (d. 2013)
  • 1928 – Dick Lane, American football player and soldier (d. 2002)
  • 1929 – Roy Hamilton, American singer (d. 1969)
  • 1929 – Ralph Slatyer, Australian biologist and ecologist (d. 2012)
  • 1929 – Ed Townsend, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2003)
  • 1930 – Doug Beasy, Australian footballer and educator (d. 2013)
  • 1930 – Herbie Mann, American flute player and composer (d. 2003)
  • 1932 – Maury Meyers, American lawyer and politician (d. 2014)
  • 1933 – Marcos Alonso Imaz, Spanish footballer (d. 2012)
  • 1933 – Joan Bakewell, English journalist and author
  • 1933 – Perry Botkin Jr., American composer, arranger and musician
  • 1933 – Vera Krepkina, Russian long jumper
  • 1933 – Ike Pappas, American journalist and actor (d. 2008)
  • 1934 – Vince Hill, English singer-songwriter
  • 1934 – Robert Stigwood, Australian producer and manager (d. 2016)
  • 1934 – Barrie Unsworth, Australian politician, 36th Premier of New South Wales
  • 1934 – Vicar, Chilean cartoonist (d. 2012)
  • 1935 – Marcel Carrière, Canadian director and screenwriter
  • 1935 – Sarah Kirsch, German poet and author (d. 2013)
  • 1935 – Lennart Risberg, Swedish boxer (d. 2013)
  • 1935 – Dominique Venner, French journalist and historian (d. 2013)
  • 1935 – Bobby Vinton, American singer
  • 1936 – Vadim Kuzmin, Russian physicist and academic (d. 2015)
  • 1937 – Gert Potgieter, South African hurdler and coach
  • 1938 – Rich Rollins, American baseball player
  • 1938 – Gordon Wilson, Scottish lawyer and politician (d. 2017)
  • 1939 – John Amabile, American football player and coach (d. 2012)
  • 1939 – Dusty Springfield, English singer and record producer (d. 1999)
  • 1940 – Benoît Bouchard, Canadian academic and politician, 18th Canadian Minister of Transport
  • 1940 – David Holford, Barbadian cricketer
  • 1940 – Queen Margrethe II of Denmark
  • 1940 – Joan Snyder, American painter
  • 1940 – Thomas Stonor, 7th Baron Camoys, English banker and politician, Lord Chamberlain of the United Kingdom
  • 1941 – Allan Segal, American director and producer (d. 2012)
  • 1942 – Jim Lonborg, American baseball pitcher
  • 1942 – Sir Frank Williams, English businessman, founded the Williams F1 Racing Team
  • 1943 – Lonesome Dave Peverett, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2000)
  • 1943 – Petro Tyschtschenko, Austrian-German businessman
  • 1943 – John Watkins, Australian cricketer
  • 1945 – Tom Allen, American lawyer and politician
  • 1946 – Margot Adler, American journalist and author (d. 2014)
  • 1946 – Ernst Bakker, Dutch politician (d. 2014)
  • 1946 – Johnnie Lewis, Liberian lawyer and politician, 18th Chief Justice of Liberia (d. 2015)
  • 1946 – R. Carlos Nakai, American flute player
  • 1947 – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, American basketball player and coach
  • 1947 – Gerry Rafferty, Scottish singer-songwriter (d. 2011)
  • 1948 – Reg Alcock, Canadian businessman and politician, 17th Canadian President of the Treasury Board (d. 2011)
  • 1950 – David Graf, American actor (d. 2001)
  • 1950 – Colleen Hewett, Australian singer and actress
  • 1951 – Ioan Mihai Cochinescu, Romanian author and photographer
  • 1951 – David Nutt, English psychiatrist and academic
  • 1952 – Bill Belichick, American football player and coach
  • 1952 – Michel Blanc, French actor and director
  • 1952 – Esther Roth-Shahamorov, Israeli sprinter and hurdler
  • 1952 – Billy West, American voice actor, singer-songwriter, and comedian
  • 1953 – Peter Garrett, Australian singer-songwriter and politician
  • 1953 – Jay O. Sanders, American actor
  • 1954 – Ellen Barkin, American actress
  • 1954 – John Bowe, Australian racing driver
  • 1954 – Mike Zuke, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1955 – Bruce Bochy, American baseball player and manager
  • 1955 – Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg
  • 1956 – David M. Brown, American captain, pilot, and astronaut (d. 2003)
  • 1956 – T Lavitz, American keyboard player, composer, and producer (d. 2010)
  • 1956 – Lise-Marie Morerod, Swiss skier
  • 1957 – Patricia De Martelaere, Belgian philosopher, author, and academic (d. 2009)
  • 1958 – Tim Flach, English photographer and director
  • 1958 – Ulf Wakenius, Swedish guitarist
  • 1959 – Alison Ramsay, English-Scottish field hockey player and lawyer
  • 1960 – Wahab Akbar, Filipino politician (d. 2007)
  • 1960 – Rafael Benítez, Spanish footballer and manager
  • 1960 – Pierre Littbarski, German footballer and manager
  • 1961 – Jarbom Gamlin, Indian lawyer and politician, 7th Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh (d. 2014)
  • 1961 – Linda Ruth Williams, British film studies academic
  • 1962 – Anna Dello Russo, Italian journalist
  • 1962 – Douglas Elmendorf, American economist and politician
  • 1962 – Ian MacKaye, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1963 – Saleem Malik, Pakistani cricketer
  • 1963 – Jimmy Osmond, American singer
  • 1964 – David Kohan, American screenwriter and producer
  • 1964 – Dave Pirner, American singer, songwriter and producer
  • 1964 – Esbjörn Svensson, Swedish pianist (d. 2008)
  • 1965 – Yves-François Blanchet, Canadian politician
  • 1965 – Jon Cryer, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1965 – Martin Lawrence, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1966 – Jarle Vespestad, Norwegian drummer
  • 1966 – Jeff Varner, American newscaster and reality television personality
  • 1968 – Vickie Guerrero, American wrestler and manager
  • 1968 – Rüdiger Stenzel, German runner
  • 1969 – Patrik Järbyn, Swedish skier
  • 1969 – Fernando Viña, American baseball player and sportscaster
  • 1970 – Dero Goi, German singer-songwriter and drummer
  • 1970 – Walt Williams, American basketball player
  • 1971 – Cameron Blades, Australian rugby player
  • 1971 – Selena, American singer-songwriter, actress, and fashion designer (d. 1995)
  • 1971 – Seigo Yamamoto, Japanese racing driver
  • 1971 – Natasha Zvereva, Belarusian tennis player
  • 1972 – Conchita Martínez, Spanish-American tennis player
  • 1972 – Tracy K. Smith, American poet and educator
  • 1973 – Akon, Senegalese-American singer, rapper and songwriter
  • 1973 – Charlotta Sörenstam, Swedish golfer
  • 1973 – Teddy Cobeña, Spanish-Ecuadorian expressionist and representational sculptor
  • 1975 – Keon Clark, American basketball player
  • 1976 – Lukas Haas, American actor and musician
  • 1976 – Kelli O’Hara, American actress and singer
  • 1977 – Freddie Ljungberg, Swedish footballer
  • 1979 – Christijan Albers, Dutch racing driver
  • 1979 – Lars Börgeling, German pole vaulter
  • 1979 – Daniel Browne, New Zealand rugby player
  • 1981 – Anestis Agritis, Greek footballer
  • 1981 – Maya Dunietz, Israeli singer-songwriter and pianist
  • 1981 – Matthieu Proulx, Canadian football player
  • 1982 – Gina Carano, American mixed martial artist and actress
  • 1982 – Boris Diaw, French basketball player
  • 1982 – Jonathan Vilma, American football player
  • 1983 – Marié Digby, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress
  • 1983 – Cat Osterman, American softball player
  • 1984 – Teddy Blass, American composer and producer
  • 1984 – Claire Foy, English actress
  • 1984 – Tucker Fredricks, American speed skater
  • 1984 – Paweł Kieszek, Polish footballer
  • 1984 – Kerron Stewart, Jamaican sprinter
  • 1985 – Luol Deng, Sudanese-English basketball player
  • 1985 – Brendon Leonard, New Zealand rugby player
  • 1985 – Benjamín Rojas, Argentinian singer-songwriter and actor
  • 1985 – Taye Taiwo, Nigerian footballer
  • 1986 – Paul di Resta, Scottish racing driver
  • 1986 – Shinji Okazaki, Japanese footballer
  • 1986 – Peter Regin, Danish ice hockey player
  • 1986 – Epke Zonderland, Dutch gymnast
  • 1987 – Cenk Akyol, Turkish basketball player
  • 1987 – Aaron Lennon, English international footballer
  • 1988 – Kyle Okposo, American ice hockey player
  • 1990 – Reggie Jackson, American basketball player
  • 1990 – Vangelis Mantzaris, Greek basketball player
  • 1990 – Tony McQuay, American sprinter
  • 1990 – Travis Shaw, American baseball player
  • 1991 – Nolan Arenado, American baseball player
  • 1991 – Kim Kyung-jung, South Korean footballer
  • 1993 – Mirai Nagasu, American figure skater
  • 1993 – Chance the Rapper, American rapper
  • 1994 – Albert Almora, American baseball player
  • 1994 – Will Fuller, American football player
  • 2002 – Sadie Sink, American actress

Deaths on April 16

  • AD 69 – Otho, Roman emperor (b. AD 32)
  • 665 – Fructuosus of Braga, French archbishop and saint
  • 1090 – Sikelgaita, duchess of Apulia (b. c. 1040)
  • 1113 – Sviatopolk II of Kiev (b. 1050)
  • 1118 – Adelaide del Vasto, regent of Sicily, mother of Roger II of Sicily, queen of Baldwin I of Jerusalem
  • 1198 – Frederick I, Duke of Austria (b. 1175)
  • 1234 – Richard Marshal, 3rd Earl of Pembroke (b. 1191)
  • 1375 – John Hastings, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, English nobleman and soldier (b. 1347)
  • 1496 – Charles II, Duke of Savoy (b. 1489)
  • 1587 – Anne Seymour, Duchess of Somerset (b. 1497)
  • 1640 – Countess Charlotte Flandrina of Nassau (b. 1579)
  • 1645 – Tobias Hume, Scottish soldier, viol player, and composer (b. 1569)
  • 1687 – George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, English poet and politician, Lord Lieutenant of the West Riding of Yorkshire (b. 1628)
  • 1689 – Aphra Behn, English author and playwright (b. 1640)
  • 1742 – Stefano Benedetto Pallavicino, Italian poet and translator (b. 1672)
  • 1756 – Jacques Cassini, French astronomer (b. 1677)
  • 1783 – Christian Mayer, Czech astronomer and educator (b. 1719)
  • 1788 – Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon, French mathematician, cosmologist, and author (b. 1707)
  • 1828 – Francisco Goya, Spanish-French painter and illustrator (b. 1746)
  • 1846 – Domenico Dragonetti, Italian bassist and composer (b. 1763)
  • 1850 – Marie Tussaud, French-English sculptor, founded the Madame Tussauds Wax Museum (b. 1761)
  • 1859 – Alexis de Tocqueville, French historian and philosopher, French Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1805)
  • 1879 – Bernadette Soubirous, French nun and saint (b. 1844)
  • 1888 – Zygmunt Florenty Wróblewski, Polish physicist and chemist (b. 1845)
  • 1899 – Emilio Jacinto, Filipino journalist and activist (b. 1875)
  • 1904 – Maximilian Kronberger, German poet and author (b. 1888)
  • 1904 – Samuel Smiles, Scottish-English author (b. 1812)
  • 1914 – George William Hill, American astronomer and mathematician (b. 1838)
  • 1915 – Nelson W. Aldrich, American businessman and politician (b. 1841)
  • 1925 – Stefan Nerezov, Bulgarian general (b. 1867)
  • 1928 – Henry Birks, Canadian businessman, founded Henry Birks and Sons (b. 1840)
  • 1928 – Roman Steinberg, Estonian wrestler (b. 1900)
  • 1930 – José Carlos Mariátegui, Peruvian journalist, philosopher, and activist (b. 1894)
  • 1935 – Panait Istrati, Romanian journalist and author (b. 1884)
  • 1937 – Jay Johnson Morrow, American military engineer and politician, 3rd Governor of the Panama Canal Zone (b. 1870)
  • 1938 – Steve Bloomer, English footballer and manager (b. 1874)
  • 1941 – Josiah Stamp, 1st Baron Stamp, English economist and civil servant (b. 1880)
  • 1942 – Princess Alexandra of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (b. 1878)
  • 1942 – Denis St. George Daly, Irish polo player (b. 1862)
  • 1946 – Arthur Chevrolet, Swiss-American race car driver and engineer (b. 1884)
  • 1947 – Rudolf Höss, German SS officer (b. 1900)
  • 1950 – Eduard Oja, Estonian composer, conductor, and critic (b. 1905)
  • 1950 – Anders Peter Nielsen, Danish target shooter (b. 1867)
  • 1955 – David Kirkwood, Scottish engineer and politician (b. 1872)
  • 1958 – Rosalind Franklin, English biophysicist and academic (b. 1920)
  • 1960 – Mihály Fekete, Hungarian actor, screenwriter and film director (b. 1884)
  • 1961 – Carl Hovland, American psychologist and academic (b. 1912)
  • 1965 – Francis Balfour, English soldier and colonial administrator (b. 1884)
  • 1965 – Sydney Chaplin, English actor, comedian, brother of Charlie Chaplin (b. 1885)
  • 1966 – Eric Lambert, Australian author (b. 1918)
  • 1968 – Fay Bainter, American actress (b. 1893)
  • 1968 – Edna Ferber, American novelist, short story writer, and playwright (b. 1885)
  • 1969 – Hem Vejakorn, Thai illustrator and painter (b. 1904)
  • 1970 – Richard Neutra, Austrian-American architect, designed the Los Angeles County Hall of Records (b. 1892)
  • 1970 – Péter Veres, Hungarian politician, Hungarian Minister of Defence (b. 1897)
  • 1972 – Yasunari Kawabata, Japanese novelist and short story writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1899)
  • 1972 – Frank O’Connor, Australian public servant (b. 1894)
  • 1973 – István Kertész, Hungarian conductor and educator (b. 1929)
  • 1978 – Lucius D. Clay, American officer and military governor in occupied Germany (b. 1898)
  • 1980 – Morris Stoloff, American composer (b. 1898)
  • 1985 – Scott Brady, American actor (b. 1924)
  • 1988 – Khalil al-Wazir, Palestinian commander, founded Fatah (b. 1935)
  • 1988 – Youri Egorov, Russian pianist (b. 1954)
  • 1989 – Jocko Conlan, American baseball player and umpire (b. 1899)
  • 1989 – Kaoru Ishikawa Japanese author and educator (b. 1915)
  • 1989 – Miles Lawrence, English cricketer (b. 1940)
  • 1989 – Hakkı Yeten, Turkish footballer and manager (b. 1910)
  • 1991 – David Lean, English director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1908)
  • 1992 – Neville Brand, American actor (b. 1920)
  • 1992 – Alexandru Nicolschi, Romanian spy and activist (b. 1915)
  • 1992 – Andy Russell, American singer and actor (b. 1919)
  • 1994 – Paul-Émilien Dalpé, Canadian labor unionist (b. 1919)
  • 1994 – Ralph Ellison, American novelist and critic (b. 1913)
  • 1996 – Lucille Bremer, American actress and dancer (b. 1917)
  • 1996 – Stavros Niarchos, Greek-Swiss businessman (b. 1909)
  • 1997 – Esmeralda Arboleda Cadavid, Colombian politician (b. 1921)
  • 1997 – Roland Topor, French actor, director, and painter (b. 1938)
  • 1998 – Alberto Calderón, Argentinian-American mathematician and academic (b. 1920)
  • 1998 – Fred Davis, English snooker player (b. 1913)
  • 1998 – Marie-Louise Meilleur, Canadian super-centenarian (b. 1880)
  • 1999 – Skip Spence, Canadian-American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1946)
  • 2001 – Robert Osterloh, American actor (b. 1918)
  • 2001 – Michael Ritchie, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1938)
  • 2001 – Alec Stock, English footballer and manager (b. 1917)
  • 2002 – Billy Ayre, English footballer and manager (b. 1952)
  • 2002 – Ruth Fertel, American businesswoman, founded Ruth’s Chris Steak House (b. 1927)
  • 2002 – Robert Urich, American actor (b. 1946)
  • 2003 – Graham Jarvis, Canadian actor (b. 1930)
  • 2003 – Graham Stuart Thomas, English horticulturalist and author (b. 1909)
  • 2005 – Kay Walsh, English actress, singer, and dancer (b. 1911)
  • 2007 – Frank Bateson, New Zealand astronomer (b. 1909)
  • 2007 – Gaétan Duchesne, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1962)
  • 2007 – Maria Lenk, Brazilian swimmer (b. 1915)
  • 2007 – Chandrabose Suthaharan, Sri Lankan journalist
  • 2008 – Edward Norton Lorenz, American mathematician and meteorologist (b. 1917)
  • 2010 – Rasim Delić, Bosnian general and convicted war criminal (b. 1949)
  • 2010 – Daryl Gates, American police officer, created the D.A.R.E. Program (b. 1926)
  • 2011 – Gerry Alexander, Jamaican cricketer and veterinarian (b. 1928)
  • 2011 – Allan Blakeney, Canadian scholar and politician, 10th Premier of Saskatchewan (b. 1925)
  • 2011 – Sol Saks, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1910)
  • 2012 – Sári Barabás, Hungarian soprano (b. 1914)
  • 2012 – Marian Biskup, Polish author and academic (b. 1922)
  • 2012 – Alan Hacker, English clarinet player and conductor (b. 1938)
  • 2012 – George Kunda, Zambian lawyer and politician, 11th Vice-President of Zambia (b. 1956)
  • 2012 – Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller, Danish businessman (b. 1913)
  • 2012 – Carlo Petrini, Italian footballer and coach (b. 1948)
  • 2013 – Charles Bruzon, Gibraltarian politician (b. 1938)
  • 2013 – Ali Kafi, Algerian colonel and politician (b. 1928)
  • 2013 – Siegfried Ludwig, Austrian politician, 18th Governor of Lower Austria (b. 1926)
  • 2013 – Pentti Lund, Finnish-Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1925)
  • 2013 – George Beverly Shea, Canadian-American singer-songwriter (b. 1909)
  • 2013 – Pat Summerall, American football player and sportscaster (b. 1930)
  • 2013 – Pedro Ramírez Vázquez, Mexican architect, designed the Tijuana Cultural Center and National Museum of Anthropology (b. 1919)
  • 2014 – Gyude Bryant, Liberian businessman and politician (b. 1949)
  • 2014 – Aulis Rytkönen, Finnish footballer and manager (b. 1929)
  • 2014 – Ernst Florian Winter, Austrian-American historian and political scientist (b. 1923)
  • 2015 – Valery Belousov, Russian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1948)
  • 2015 – Attaphol Buspakom, Thai footballer and manager (b. 1962)
  • 2015 – Oles Buzina, Ukrainian journalist and author (b. 1969)
  • 2015 – Stanislav Gross, Czech lawyer and politician, 5th Prime Minister of the Czech Republic (b. 1969)
  • 2016 – Charlie Hodge, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1933)
  • 2018 – Harry Anderson, American actor and magician (b. 1952)
  • 2018 – Jim Caine, British jazz pianist (b. 1926)

Holidays and observances on April 16

  • Christian feast day:
    • Benedict Joseph Labre
    • Bernadette Soubirous
    • Drogo
    • Fructuosus of Braga
    • Isabella Gilmore (Church of England)
    • Martyrs of Zaragoza
    • Molly Brant (Konwatsijayenni) (Anglican Church of Canada, Episcopal Church)
    • Turibius of Astorga
    • April 16 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Birthday of José de Diego (Puerto Rico, United States)
  • Birthday of Queen Margrethe II (Denmark)
  • Emancipation Day (Washington, D.C., United States)
  • Foursquare Day (International observance)
  • Memorial Day for the Victims of the Holocaust (Hungary)
  • National Healthcare Decisions Day (United States)
  • Remembrance of Chemical Attack on Balisan and Sheikh Wasan (Iraqi Kurdistan)
  • World Voice Day

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

by
  • 1111 – Henry V is crowned Holy Roman Emperor.
  • 1204 – Constantinople falls to the Crusaders of the Fourth Crusade, temporarily ending the Byzantine Empire.
  • 1612 – Miyamoto Musashi defeats Sasaki Kojirō at Funajima island.
  • 1613 – Samuel Argall, having captured Native American princess Pocahontas in Passapatanzy, Virginia, sets off with her to Jamestown with the intention of exchanging her for English prisoners held by her father.
  • 1742 – George Frideric Handel’s oratorio Messiah makes its world-premiere in Dublin, Ireland.
  • 1777 – American Revolutionary War: American forces are ambushed and defeated in the Battle of Bound Brook, New Jersey.
  • 1829 – The Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829 gives Roman Catholics in the United Kingdom the right to vote and to sit in Parliament.
  • 1849 – Lajos Kossuth presents the Hungarian Declaration of Independence in a closed session of the National Assembly.
  • 1861 – American Civil War: Fort Sumter surrenders to Confederate forces.
  • 1865 – American Civil War: Raleigh, North Carolina is occupied by Union Forces.
  • 1870 – The New York City Metropolitan Museum of Art is founded.
  • 1873 – The Colfax massacre, in which more than 60 black men are murdered, takes place.
  • 1909 – The military of the Ottoman Empire reverses the Ottoman countercoup of 1909 to force the overthrow of Sultan Abdul Hamid II.
  • 1919 – Jallianwala Bagh massacre: British Indian Army troops lead by Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer killed approx 379-1000 unarmed demonstrators including men and women in Amritsar, India; and approximately 1,500 injured.
  • 1941 – A pact of neutrality between the USSR and Japan is signed.
  • 1943 – World War II: The discovery of mass graves of Polish prisoners of war killed by Soviet forces in the Katyń Forest Massacre is announced, causing a diplomatic rift between the Polish government-in-exile in London and the Soviet Union, which denies responsibility.
  • 1943 – The Jefferson Memorial is dedicated in Washington, D.C., on the 200th anniversary of President Thomas Jefferson’s birth.
  • 1944 – Relations between New Zealand and the Soviet Union are established.
  • 1945 – World War II: German troops kill more than 1,000 political and military prisoners in Gardelegen, Germany.
  • 1945 – World War II: Soviet and Bulgarian forces capture Vienna.
  • 1948 – In an ambush, 78 Jewish doctors, nurses and medical students from Hadassah Hospital, and a British soldier, are massacred by Arabs in Sheikh Jarrah. This event came to be known as the Hadassah medical convoy massacre.
  • 1953 – CIA director Allen Dulles launches the mind-control program Project MKUltra.
  • 1958 – American pianist Van Cliburn is awarded first prize at the inaugural International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow.
  • 1960 – The United States launches Transit 1-B, the world’s first satellite navigation system.
  • 1964 – At the Academy Awards, Sidney Poitier becomes the first African-American male to win the Best Actor award for the 1963 film Lilies of the Field.
  • 1970 – An oxygen tank aboard the Apollo 13 Service Module explodes, putting the crew in great danger and causing major damage to the Apollo command and service module (codenamed “Odyssey“) while en route to the Moon.
  • 1972 – The Universal Postal Union decides to recognize the People’s Republic of China as the only legitimate Chinese representative, effectively expelling the Republic of China administering Taiwan.
  • 1972 – Vietnam War: The Battle of An Lộc begins.
  • 1975 – An attack by the Phalangist resistance kills 26 militia members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, marking the start of the 15-year Lebanese Civil War.
  • 1976 – The United States Treasury Department reintroduces the two-dollar bill as a Federal Reserve Note on Thomas Jefferson’s 233rd birthday as part of the United States Bicentennial celebration.
  • 1976 – Forty workers die in an explosion at the Lapua ammunition factory, the deadliest accidental disaster in modern history in Finland.
  • 1992 – Basements throughout the Chicago Loop are flooded, forcing the Chicago Board of Trade Building and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange to close.
  • 1997 – Tiger Woods becomes the youngest golfer to win the Masters Tournament.
  • 2003 – A bus near the Vale of Tempe, Greece was involved in a major vehicle accident with a truck and multiple cars, leaving 21 students in the tenth grade of Makrochori, Imathia High School dead and nine injured during their return to their homes from a trip to Athens.
  • 2017 – The US drops the largest ever non-nuclear weapon on Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan.

Births on April 13

  • 1229 – Louis II, Duke of Bavaria (d. 1294)
  • 1350 – Margaret III, Countess of Flanders (d. 1405)
  • 1506 – Peter Faber, French priest and theologian, co-founded the Society of Jesus (d. 1546)
  • 1519 – Catherine de’ Medici, Italian-French wife of Henry II of France (d. 1589)
  • 1570 – Guy Fawkes, English soldier, planned the Gunpowder Plot (probable; d. 1606)
  • 1573 – Christina of Holstein-Gottorp (d. 1625)
  • 1593 – Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford, English soldier and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (d. 1641)
  • 1618 – Roger de Rabutin, Comte de Bussy, French author (d. 1693)
  • 1636 – Hendrik van Rheede, Dutch botanist (d. 1691)
  • 1648 – Jeanne Marie Bouvier de la Motte Guyon, French mystic (d. 1717)
  • 1713 – Pierre Jélyotte, French tenor (d. 1797)
  • 1729 – Thomas Percy, Irish bishop and poet (d. 1811)
  • 1732 – Frederick North, Lord North, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1792)
  • 1735 – Isaac Low, American merchant and politician, founded the New York Chamber of Commerce (d. 1791)
  • 1743 – Thomas Jefferson, American lawyer and politician, 3rd President of the United States (d. 1826)
  • 1747 – Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans (d. 1793)
  • 1764 – Laurent de Gouvion Saint-Cyr, French general and politician, French Minister of War (d. 1830)
  • 1769 – Thomas Lawrence, English painter and educator (d. 1830)
  • 1771 – Richard Trevithick, Cornish-English engineer and explorer (d. 1833)
  • 1780 – Alexander Mitchell, Irish engineer, invented the Screw-pile lighthouse (d. 1868)
  • 1784 – Friedrich Graf von Wrangel, Prussian field marshal (d. 1877)
  • 1787 – John Robertson, American lawyer and politician (d. 1873)
  • 1794 – Jean Pierre Flourens, French physiologist and academic (d. 1867)
  • 1802 – Leopold Fitzinger, Austrian zoologist and herpetologist (d. 1884)
  • 1808 – Antonio Meucci, Italian-American engineer (d. 1889)
  • 1810 – Félicien David, French composer (d. 1876)
  • 1824 – William Alexander, Irish archbishop, poet, and theologian (d. 1911)
  • 1825 – Thomas D’Arcy McGee, Irish-Canadian journalist and politician (d. 1868)
  • 1828 – Josephine Butler, English feminist and social reformer (d. 1906)
  • 1828 – Joseph Lightfoot, English bishop and theologian (d. 1889)
  • 1832 – Juan Montalvo, Ecuadorian author and diplomat (d. 1889)
  • 1841 – Louis-Ernest Barrias, French sculptor and academic (d. 1905)
  • 1850 – Arthur Matthew Weld Downing, Irish astronomer (d. 1917)
  • 1851 – Robert Abbe, American surgeon and radiologist (d. 1928)
  • 1851 – William Quan Judge, Irish occultist and theosophist (d. 1896)
  • 1852 – Frank Winfield Woolworth, American businessman, founded the F. W. Woolworth Company (d. 1919)
  • 1854 – Lucy Craft Laney, Founder of the Haines Normal and Industrial School, Augusta, Georgia (d. 1933)
  • 1860 – James Ensor, English-Belgian painter (d. 1949)
  • 1866 – Butch Cassidy, American criminal (d. 1908)
  • 1872 – John Cameron, Scottish international footballer and manager (d. 1935)
  • 1872 – Alexander Roda Roda, Austrian-Croatian journalist and author (d. 1945)
  • 1873 – John W. Davis, American lawyer and politician, 14th United States Solicitor General (d. 1955)
  • 1875 – Ray Lyman Wilbur, American physician, academic, and politician, 31st United States Secretary of the Interior (d. 1949)
  • 1879 – Edward Bruce, American lawyer and painter (d. 1943)
  • 1879 – Oswald Bruce Cooper, American type designer, lettering artist, graphic designer, and educator (d. 1940)
  • 1880 – Charles Christie, Canadian-American businessman, co-founded the Christie Film Company (d. 1955)
  • 1885 – Vean Gregg, American baseball player (d. 1964)
  • 1885 – Juhan Kukk, Estonian politician, Head of State of Estonia (d. 1942)
  • 1885 – György Lukács, Hungarian philosopher and critic (d. 1971)
  • 1885 – Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy, Dutch politician (d. 1961)
  • 1887 – Gordon S. Fahrni, Canadian physician and golfer (d. 1995)
  • 1889 – Herbert Yardley, American cryptologist and author (d. 1958)
  • 1890 – Frank Murphy, American jurist and politician, 56th United States Attorney General (d. 1949)
  • 1890 – Dadasaheb Torne, Indian director and producer (d. 1960)
  • 1891 – Maurice Buckley, Australian sergeant, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 1921)
  • 1891 – Nella Larsen, Danish/African-American nurse, librarian, and author (d. 1964)
  • 1891 – Robert Scholl, German accountant and politician (d. 1973)
  • 1892 – Sir Arthur Harris, 1st Baronet, English air marshal (d. 1984)
  • 1892 – Robert Watson-Watt, Scottish engineer, invented Radar (d. 1973)
  • 1894 – Arthur Fadden, Australian accountant and politician, 13th Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1973)
  • 1894 – Joie Ray, American runner (d. 1978)
  • 1896 – Fred Barnett, English footballer (d. 1982)
  • 1897 – Werner Voss, German lieutenant and pilot (d. 1917)
  • 1899 – Alfred Mosher Butts, American architect and game designer, created Scrabble (d. 1993)
  • 1899 – Harold Osborn, American high jumper and decathlete (d. 1975)
  • 1900 – Sorcha Boru, American potter and ceramic sculptor (d. 2006)
  • 1900 – Pierre Molinier, French painter and photographer (d. 1976)
  • 1901 – Jacques Lacan, French psychiatrist and psychoanalyst (d. 1981)
  • 1901 – Alan Watt, Australian public servant and diplomat, Australian Ambassador to Japan (d. 1988)
  • 1902 – Philippe de Rothschild, French Grand Prix driver, playwright, and producer (d. 1988)
  • 1902 – Marguerite Henry, American author (d. 1997)
  • 1904 – David Robinson, English businessman and philanthropist (d. 1987)
  • 1905 – Rae Johnstone, Australian jockey (d. 1964)
  • 1906 – Samuel Beckett, Irish novelist, poet, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1989)
  • 1906 – Bud Freeman, American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader (d. 1991)
  • 1907 – Harold Stassen, American lawyer and politician, 25th Governor of Minnesota (d. 2001)
  • 1909 – Eudora Welty, American short story writer and novelist (d. 2001)
  • 1911 – Ico Hitrec, Croatian footballer and manager (d. 1946)
  • 1911 – Jean-Louis Lévesque, Canadian businessman and philanthropist (d. 1994)
  • 1911 – Nino Sanzogno, Italian conductor and composer (d. 1983)
  • 1913 – Dave Albritton, American high jumper and coach (d. 1994)
  • 1913 – Kermit Tyler, American lieutenant and pilot (d. 2010)
  • 1914 – Orhan Veli Kanık, Turkish poet and author (d. 1950)
  • 1916 – Phyllis Fraser, Welsh-American actress, journalist, and publisher, co-founded Beginner Books (d. 2006)
  • 1917 – Robert Orville Anderson, American businessman, founded Atlantic Richfield Oil Co. (d. 2007)
  • 1917 – Bill Clements, American soldier, engineer, and politician, 15th United States Deputy Secretary of Defense (d. 2011)
  • 1919 – Roland Gaucher, French journalist and politician (d. 2007)
  • 1919 – Howard Keel, American actor and singer (d. 2004)
  • 1919 – Madalyn Murray O’Hair, American activist, founded American Atheists (d. 1995)
  • 1920 – Roberto Calvi, Italian banker (d. 1982)
  • 1920 – Claude Cheysson, French lieutenant and politician, French Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 2012)
  • 1920 – Liam Cosgrave, Irish lawyer and politician, 6th Taoiseach of Ireland (d. 2017)
  • 1920 – Theodore L. Thomas, American chemical engineer, Patent attorney and writer (d. 2005)
  • 1922 – Heinz Baas, German footballer and manager (d. 1994)
  • 1922 – John Braine, English librarian and author (d. 1986)
  • 1922 – Julius Nyerere, Tanzanian politician and teacher, 1st President of Tanzania (d. 1999)
  • 1922 – Valve Pormeister, Estonian architect (d. 2002)
  • 1923 – Don Adams, American actor and director (d. 2005)
  • 1923 – A. H. Halsey, English sociologist and academic (d. 2014)
  • 1923 – Stanley Tanger, American businessman and philanthropist, founded the Tanger Factory Outlet Centers (d. 2010)
  • 1924 – John T. Biggers, American painter (d. 2001)
  • 1924 – Jack T. Chick, American author, illustrator, and publisher (d. 2016)
  • 1924 – Stanley Donen, American film director and choreographer (d. 2019)
  • 1926 – Ellie Lambeti, Greek actress (d. 1983)
  • 1926 – John Spencer-Churchill, 11th Duke of Marlborough, English businessman (d. 2014)
  • 1927 – Rosemary Haughton, English philosopher, theologian, and author
  • 1927 – Antonino Rocca, Italian-American wrestler (d. 1977)
  • 1927 – Maurice Ronet, French actor and director (d. 1983)
  • 1928 – Alan Clark, English historian and politician, Minister of State for Trade (d. 1999)
  • 1928 – Gianni Marzotto, Italian racing driver and businessman (d. 2012)
  • 1929 – Marilynn Smith, American golfer (d. 2019)
  • 1931 – Anita Cerquetti, Italian soprano (d. 2014)
  • 1931 – Robert Enrico, French director and screenwriter (d. 2001)
  • 1931 – Dan Gurney, American race car driver and engineer (d. 2018)
  • 1931 – Jon Stone, American composer, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1997)
  • 1932 – Orlando Letelier, Chilean-American economist and politician, Chilean Minister of National Defense (d. 1976)
  • 1933 – Ben Nighthorse Campbell, American soldier and politician
  • 1934 – John Muckler, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager
  • 1936 – Pierre Rosenberg, French historian and academic
  • 1937 – Col Joye, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1937 – Edward Fox, English actor
  • 1937 – Lanford Wilson, American playwright, co-founded the Circle Repertory Company (d. 2011)
  • 1938 – Klaus Lehnertz, German pole vaulter
  • 1938 – John Weston, English poet and diplomat
  • 1939 – Seamus Heaney, Irish poet and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2013)
  • 1939 – Paul Sorvino, American actor and singer
  • 1940 – Mike Beuttler, Egyptian-English racing driver (d. 1988)
  • 1940 – Lester Chambers, American singer and musician
  • 1940 – J. M. G. Le Clézio, Breton French-Mauritian author and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1940 – Vladimir Cosma, French composer, conductor and violinist
  • 1940 – Jim McNab, Scottish footballer (d. 2006)
  • 1940 – Max Mosley, English racing driver and engineer, co-founded March Engineering, former president of the FIA
  • 1940 – Ruby Puryear Hearn, African-American biophysicist
  • 1941 – Michael Stuart Brown, American geneticist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1941 – Jean-Marc Reiser, French author and illustrator (d. 1983)
  • 1942 – Bill Conti, American composer and conductor
  • 1943 – Alan Jones, Australian rugby coach, radio host, and educator
  • 1943 – Billy Kidd, American skier
  • 1943 – Tim Krabbé, Dutch journalist and author
  • 1943 – Philip Norman, English journalist, author, and playwright
  • 1944 – Franco Arese, Italian runner
  • 1944 – Charles Burnett, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1944 – Jack Casady, American bass guitarist
  • 1944 – Susan Davis, Russian-American social worker and politician
  • 1945 – Ed Caruthers, American high jumper
  • 1945 – Tony Dow, American actor
  • 1945 – Lowell George, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 1979)
  • 1945 – Bob Kalsu, American football player and lieutenant (d. 1970)
  • 1945 – Judy Nunn, Australian actress and author
  • 1946 – Al Green, American singer-songwriter, producer, and pastor
  • 1947 – Rae Armantrout, American poet and academic
  • 1947 – Mike Chapman, Australian-English songwriter and producer
  • 1947 – Jean-Jacques Laffont, French economist and academic (d. 2004)
  • 1947 – Yves Landry, Canadian cyclist
  • 1948 – Nam Hae-il, South Korean admiral
  • 1948 – Drago Jančar, Slovenian author and playwright
  • 1948 – Mikhail Shufutinsky, Soviet and Russian singer, actor, TV presenter
  • 1949 – Len Cook, New Zealand-English mathematician and statistician
  • 1949 – Frank Doran, Scottish lawyer and politician (d. 2017)
  • 1949 – Christopher Hitchens, English-American essayist, literary critic, and journalist (d. 2011)
  • 1949 – Ricardo Zunino, Argentinian racing driver
  • 1950 – Ron Perlman, American actor
  • 1950 – Tommy Raudonikis, Australian rugby league player and coach
  • 1951 – Leszek Borysiewicz, Welsh immunologist and academic
  • 1951 – Peabo Bryson, American singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1951 – Peter Davison, English actor
  • 1951 – Joachim Streich, German footballer and manager
  • 1951 – Max Weinberg, American drummer
  • 1952 – Sam Bush, American mandolin player
  • 1952 – David Drew, English lawyer and politician
  • 1952 – Gabrielle Gourdeau, Canadian writer (d. 2006)
  • 1952 – Jonjo O’Neill, Irish jockey and trainer
  • 1953 – Stephen Byers, English politician
  • 1953 – Dany Laferrière, Haitian-Canadian journalist and author
  • 1954 – Jimmy Destri, American keyboard player and songwriter
  • 1954 – Niels Olsen, Danish singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1954 – Barbara Roche, English lawyer and politician
  • 1955 – Steve Camp, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1955 – Muwenda Mutebi II, current King of Buganda Kingdom
  • 1955 – Louis Johnson, American bass player and producer (d. 2015)
  • 1955 – Lupe Pintor, Mexican boxer
  • 1955 – Ole von Beust, German lawyer and politician, 1st Mayor of Hamburg
  • 1956 – Possum Bourne, New Zealand racing driver (d. 2003)
  • 1956 – Alan Devonshire, English footballer and manager
  • 1956 – Edward Forbes Smiley III, American art thief and map dealer
  • 1957 – Amy Goodman, American journalist and author
  • 1957 – Saundra Santiago, American actress
  • 1960 – Lyn Brown, English social worker and politician
  • 1960 – Bob Casey, Jr., American lawyer and politician, senior senator of Pennsylvania
  • 1960 – Olaf Ludwig, German cyclist and manager
  • 1960 – Rudi Völler, German footballer and manager
  • 1961 – Hiro Yamamoto, American bass player and songwriter
  • 1962 – Hillel Slovak, Israeli-American guitarist (d. 1988)
  • 1963 – Garry Kasparov, Russian chess player and author
  • 1964 – Davis Love III, American golfer and sportscaster
  • 1964 – Caroline Rhea, Canadian actress and comedian
  • 1964 – John Swinney, Scottish businessman and politician, Deputy First Minister of Scotland
  • 1965 – Patricio Pouchulu, Argentinian architect and educator
  • 1966 – Ali Boumnijel, Tunisian footballer
  • 1966 – Marc Ford, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
  • 1967 – Dana Barros, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster
  • 1967 – Michael Eisen, American biologist and academic
  • 1967 – Olga Tañón, Puerto Rican-American singer-songwriter
  • 1968 – Ted Washington, American football player
  • 1969 – Dirk Muschiol, German footballer
  • 1970 – Monty Brown, American football player and wrestler
  • 1970 – Gerry Creaney, Scottish footballer and manager
  • 1970 – Nick Garrett, English singer
  • 1970 – Szilveszter Csollány, Hungarian gymnast
  • 1970 – Ricardo Rincón, Mexican-American baseball player
  • 1970 – Ricky Schroder, American actor
  • 1971 – Franck Esposito, French swimmer
  • 1971 – Danie Mellor, Australian painter and sculptor
  • 1971 – Bo Outlaw, American basketball player
  • 1971 – Valensia, Dutch singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1972 – Mariusz Czerkawski, Polish ice hockey player and golfer
  • 1972 – Aaron Lewis, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1974 – Valentina Cervi, Italian actress
  • 1974 – Sergei Gonchar, Russian ice hockey player
  • 1974 – Darren Turner, English racing driver
  • 1974 – David Zdrilic, Australian footballer and manager
  • 1975 – Jasey-Jay Anderson, Canadian snowboarder
  • 1975 – Lou Bega, German singer-songwriter
  • 1975 – Bruce Dyer, English footballer
  • 1975 – Tatiana Navka, Russian ice dancer
  • 1976 – Jonathan Brandis, American actor (d. 2003)
  • 1976 – Patrik Eliáš, Czech-American ice hockey player
  • 1976 – Glenn Howerton, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1977 – Margus Tsahkna, Estonian lawyer and politician
  • 1978 – Arron Asham, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1978 – Carles Puyol, Spanish footballer
  • 1978 – Raemon Sluiter, Dutch tennis player
  • 1978 – Keydrick Vincent, American football player
  • 1979 – Gréta Arn, Hungarian tennis player
  • 1979 – Baron Davis, American basketball player
  • 1979 – Tony Lundon, Irish singer-songwriter, producer, and dancer
  • 1979 – Meghann Shaughnessy, American tennis player
  • 1980 – Colleen Clinkenbeard, American voice actress, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1980 – Jason Maguire, Irish jockey
  • 1980 – Alan Melikdjanian, American independent filmmaker and YouTuber
  • 1980 – Quentin Richardson, American basketball player
  • 1981 – Nat Borchers, American soccer player
  • 1981 – Gemma Doyle, Scottish politician
  • 1982 – Nellie McKay, British-American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress
  • 1983 – Claudio Bravo, Chilean footballer
  • 1983 – Schalk Burger, South African rugby player
  • 1983 – Nicole Cooke, Welsh cyclist
  • 1983 – Hunter Pence, American baseball player
  • 1984 – Jarmo Ahjupera, Estonian footballer
  • 1984 – Anders Lindegaard, Danish footballer
  • 1985 – Anna Jennings-Edquist, Australian actress, director, and playwright
  • 1985 – Algo Kärp, Estonian skier
  • 1985 – Cody Nickson, American reality television personality
  • 1986 – Michael Bingham, American-English sprinter
  • 1986 – Lorenzo Cain, American baseball player
  • 1987 – Brandon Hardesty, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1987 – Massimiliano Pesenti, Italian footballer
  • 1987 – Allison Weiss, American singer-songwriter
  • 1988 – Anderson, Brazilian footballer
  • 1988 – Petteri Koponen, Finnish basketball player
  • 1988 – Allison Williams, American actress and singer
  • 1989 – Ryan Bailey, American sprinter
  • 1989 – Dong Dong, Chinese trampolinist
  • 1989 – Nastassia Mironchyk-Ivanova, Belarusian long jumper
  • 1989 – Josh Reynolds, Australian rugby league player
  • 1989 – Vladislav Yegin, Russian ice hockey player
  • 1990 – Anastasija Sevastova, a professional tennis player from Latvia
  • 1991 – Akeem Adams, Trinidadian footballer (d. 2013)
  • 1991 – Ulises Dávila, Mexican footballer
  • 1991 – Josh Gordon, American football player
  • 1992 – Denis Kudryavtsev, Russian hurdler
  • 1992 – Jordan Silk, Australian cricketer
  • 1993 – Tony Wroten, American basketball player
  • 1994 – Ángelo Henríquez, Chilean footballer
  • 1994 – Elvis Merzļikins, Latvian ice hockey player
  • 1997 – Kyle Walker-Peters, English footballer

Deaths on April 13

  • 548 – Lý Nam Đế, Vietnamese emperor (b. 503)
  • 585 – Hermenegild, Visigothic prince and saint
  • 799 – Paul the Deacon, Italian monk and historian (b. 720)
  • 814 – Krum, khan of the Bulgarian Khanate
  • 862 – Donald I, king of the Picts (b. 812)
  • 989 – Bardas Phokas, Byzantine general
  • 1035 – Herbert I, Count of Maine
  • 1093 – Vsevolod I of Kiev (b. 1030)
  • 1113 – Ida of Lorraine, saint and noblewoman (b. c. 1040)
  • 1138 – Simon I, Duke of Lorraine (b. 1076)
  • 1213 – Guy of Thouars, regent of Brittany
  • 1275 – Eleanor of England (b. 1215)
  • 1367 – John Tiptoft, 2nd Baron Tibetot (b. 1313)
  • 1592 – Bartolomeo Ammannati, Italian architect and sculptor (b. 1511)
  • 1605 – Boris Godunov, Tsar of Russia (b. 1551)
  • 1612 – Sasaki Kojirō, Japanese samurai (b. 1585)
  • 1635 – Fakhr-al-Din II, Ottoman prince (b. 1572)
  • 1638 – Henri, Duke of Rohan (b. 1579)
  • 1641 – Richard Montagu, English bishop (b. 1577)
  • 1695 – Jean de La Fontaine, French author and poet (b. 1621)
  • 1716 – Arthur Herbert, 1st Earl of Torrington, English admiral and politician (b. 1648)
  • 1722 – Charles Leslie, Irish priest and theologian (b. 1650)
  • 1793 – Pierre Gaspard Chaumette, French botanist, lawyer, and politician (b. 1763)
  • 1794 – Nicolas Chamfort, French playwright and poet (b. 1741)
  • 1826 – Franz Danzi, German cellist, composer, and conductor (b. 1763)
  • 1853 – Leopold Gmelin, German chemist and academic (b. 1788)
  • 1853 – James Iredell, Jr., American lawyer and politician, 23rd Governor of North Carolina (b. 1788)
  • 1855 – Henry De la Beche, English geologist and palaeontologist (b. 1796)
  • 1868 – Tewodros II of Ethiopia (b. 1818)
  • 1880 – Robert Fortune, Scottish botanist and author (b. 1813)
  • 1882 – Bruno Bauer, German historian and philosopher (b. 1809)
  • 1886 – John Humphrey Noyes, American religious leader, founded the Oneida Community (b. 1811)
  • 1890 – Samuel J. Randall, American captain, lawyer, and politician, 33rd Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (b. 1828)
  • 1899 – James Service, Scottish-Australian politician, 12th Premier of Victoria (b. 1823)
  • 1909 – Whitley Stokes, Anglo-Irish lawyer and scholar (b. 1830)
  • 1910 – William Quiller Orchardson, Scottish-English painter and educator (b. 1835)
  • 1911 – John McLane, Scottish-American politician, 50th Governor of New Hampshire (b. 1852)
  • 1911 – George Washington Glick, American lawyer and politician, 9th Governor of Kansas (b. 1827)
  • 1912 – Takuboku Ishikawa, Japanese poet and author (b. 1886)
  • 1917 – Diamond Jim Brady, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1856)
  • 1918 – Lavr Kornilov, Russian general (b. 1870)
  • 1927 – Georg Voigt, German politician, Mayor of Frankfurt (b. 1866)
  • 1936 – Konstantinos Demertzis, Greek politician 129th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1876)
  • 1938 – Grey Owl, English-Canadian environmentalist and author (b. 1888)
  • 1941 – Annie Jump Cannon, American astronomer and academic (b. 1863)
  • 1941 – William Twaits, Canadian soccer player (b. 1879)
  • 1942 – Henk Sneevliet, Dutch politician (b. 1883)
  • 1942 – Anton Uesson, Estonian engineer and politician, 17th Mayor of Tallinn (b. 1879)
  • 1944 – Cécile Chaminade, French pianist and composer (b. 1857)
  • 1945 – Ernst Cassirer, Polish-American philosopher and academic (b. 1874)
  • 1954 – Samuel Jones, American high jumper (b. 1880)
  • 1954 – Angus Lewis Macdonald, Canadian lawyer and politician, 12th Premier of Nova Scotia (b. 1890)
  • 1956 – Emil Nolde, Danish-German painter and educator (b. 1867)
  • 1959 – Eduard van Beinum, Dutch pianist, violinist, and conductor (b. 1901)
  • 1961 – John A. Bennett, American soldier (b. 1935)
  • 1962 – Culbert Olson, American lawyer and politician, 29th Governor of California (b. 1876)
  • 1966 – Abdul Salam Arif, Iraqi colonel and politician, 2nd President of Iraq (b. 1921)
  • 1966 – Carlo Carrà, Italian painter (b. 1881)
  • 1966 – Georges Duhamel, French soldier and author (b. 1884)
  • 1967 – Nicole Berger, French actress (b. 1934)
  • 1969 – Alfred Karindi, Estonian pianist and composer (b. 1901)
  • 1971 – Michel Brière, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1949)
  • 1971 – Juhan Smuul, Estonian author, poet, and screenwriter (b. 1921)
  • 1975 – Larry Parks, American actor and singer (b. 1914)
  • 1975 – François Tombalbaye, Chadian soldier, academic, and politician, 1st President of Chad (b. 1918)
  • 1978 – Jack Chambers, Canadian painter and director (b. 1931)
  • 1978 – Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, Nigerian educator and women’s rights activist (b. 1900)
  • 1980 – Markus Höttinger, Austrian racing driver (b. 1956)
  • 1983 – Gerry Hitchens, English footballer (b. 1934)
  • 1983 – Theodore Stephanides, Greek physician, author, and poet (b. 1896)
  • 1984 – Ralph Kirkpatrick, American harp player and musicologist (b. 1911)
  • 1988 – Jean Gascon, Canadian actor and director (b. 1920)
  • 1992 – Maurice Sauvé, Canadian economist and politician (b. 1923)
  • 1992 – Feza Gürsey, Turkish mathematician and physicist (b. 1921)
  • 1992 – Daniel Pollock, Australian actor (b. 1968)
  • 1993 – Wallace Stegner, American novelist, short story writer, and essayist (b. 1909)
  • 1996 – Leila Mackinlay, English author and educator (b. 1910)
  • 1997 – Bryant Bowles, American soldier and activist, founded the National Association for the Advancement of White People (b. 1920)
  • 1997 – Alan Cooley, Australian public servant (b. 1920)
  • 1997 – Dorothy Frooks, American author and actress (b. 1896)
  • 1997 – Voldemar Väli, Estonian wrestler (b. 1903)
  • 1998 – Patrick de Gayardon, French skydiver and base jumper (b. 1960)
  • 1999 – Ortvin Sarapu, Estonian-New Zealand chess player and author (b. 1924)
  • 1999 – Willi Stoph, German engineer and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of East Germany (b. 1914)
  • 2000 – Giorgio Bassani, Italian author and poet (b. 1916)
  • 2000 – Frenchy Bordagaray, American baseball player and manager (b. 1910)
  • 2004 – Caron Keating, Northern Irish television host (b. 1962)
  • 2005 – Don Blasingame, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1932)
  • 2005 – Johnnie Johnson, American pianist and songwriter (b. 1924)
  • 2005 – Phillip Pavia, American painter and sculptor (b. 1912)
  • 2005 – Philippe Volter, Belgian actor and director (b. 1959)
  • 2006 – Bill Baker, American baseball player, coach, and umpire (b. 1911)
  • 2006 – Muriel Spark, Scottish novelist, poet, and critic (b. 1918)
  • 2008 – John Archibald Wheeler, American physicist and academic (b. 1911)
  • 2009 – Mark Fidrych, American baseball player (b. 1954)
  • 2009 – Bruce Snyder, American football player and coach (b. 1940)
  • 2009 – George Feigley, American sex cult leader, convicted rapist and two-time prison escapee (b. 1940)
  • 2012 – William B. Buffum, American soldier and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Lebanon (b. 1921)
  • 2012 – Cecil Chaudhry, Pakistani pilot, academic, and activist (b. 1941)
  • 2012 – Shūichi Higurashi, Japanese illustrator (b. 1936)
  • 2012 – David S. Smith, American diplomat, United States Ambassador to Sweden (b. 1918)
  • 2012 – Robert Wigmore, Cook Islander politician, 14th Deputy Prime Minister of the Cook Islands (b. 1949)
  • 2013 – Chi Cheng, American bass player (b. 1970)
  • 2013 – Stephen Dodgson, English composer and educator (b. 1924)
  • 2013 – Dean Drummond, American composer and conductor (b. 1949)
  • 2013 – Vincent Montana, Jr., American drummer and composer (b. 1928)
  • 2013 – Lin Yang-kang, Taiwanese politician, 29th Vice Premier of the Republic of China (b. 1927)
  • 2014 – Fred Enke, American football player (b. 1924)
  • 2014 – Ernesto Laclau, Argentinian-Spanish philosopher and theorist (b. 1935)
  • 2014 – Michael Ruppert, American journalist and author (b. 1951)
  • 2014 – Rafał Sznajder, Polish fencer (b. 1972)
  • 2015 – Gerald Calabrese, American basketball player and politician (b. 1925)
  • 2015 – Ronnie Carroll, Irish singer and politician (b. 1934)
  • 2015 – Thelma Coyne Long, Australian tennis player and captain (b. 1918)
  • 2015 – Eduardo Galeano, Uruguayan journalist and author (b. 1940)
  • 2015 – Günter Grass, German novelist, poet, playwright, and illustrator, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1927)
  • 2015 – Herb Trimpe, American author and illustrator (b. 1939)
  • 2016 – Nera White, American basketball player (b. 1935)
  • 2017 – Dan Rooney, American football executive and former United States Ambassador to Ireland (b. 1932)
  • 2018 – Art Bell, American broadcaster and author (b. 1945)
  • 2019 – Neus Català, Anti-fascist activist (b. 1915)
  • 2019 – Yvette Williams, New Zealand athlete (b. 1929)

Holidays and observances on April 13

  • Christian feast day:
    • Hermenegild
    • Blessed Ida of Louvain
    • Pope Martin I
    • April 13 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Jefferson’s Birthday (United States)
  • Katyn Memorial Day (Poland)
  • South and Southeast Asian New Year. (see April 14)
  • Teacher’s Day (Ecuador)
  • Unfairly Prosecuted Persons Day (Slovakia)

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

by
  • 491 – Flavius Anastasius becomes Byzantine emperor, with the name of Anastasius I.
  • 1241 – Batu Khan defeats Béla IV of Hungary at the Battle of Mohi.
  • 1512 – War of the League of Cambrai: French forces led by Gaston de Foix win the Battle of Ravenna.
  • 1544 – Italian War of 1542–46: A French army defeats Habsburg forces at the Battle of Ceresole, but fails to exploit its victory.
  • 1689 – William III and Mary II are crowned as joint sovereigns of Great Britain.
  • 1713 – War of the Spanish Succession (Queen Anne’s War): Treaty of Utrecht.
  • 1727 – Premiere of Johann Sebastian Bach’s St Matthew Passion BWV 244b at the St. Thomas Church, Leipzig
  • 1809 – An incomplete British victory over the French fleet at the Battle of the Basque Roads results in the court-martial of James, Lord Gambier.
  • 1814 – The Treaty of Fontainebleau ends the War of the Sixth Coalition against Napoleon Bonaparte, and forces him to abdicate unconditionally for the first time.
  • 1856 – Second Battle of Rivas: Juan Santamaría burns down the hostel where William Walker’s filibusters are holed up.
  • 1868 – Former shōgun Tokugawa Yoshinobu surrenders Edo Castle to Imperial forces, marking the end of the Tokugawa shogunate.
  • 1876 – The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks is organized.
  • 1881 – Spelman College is founded in Atlanta, Georgia as the Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary, an institute of higher education for African-American women.
  • 1908 – SMS Blücher, the last armored cruiser to be built by the Imperial German Navy, is launched.
  • 1909 – The city of Tel Aviv is founded.
  • 1921 – Emir Abdullah establishes the first centralised government in the newly created British protectorate of Transjordan.
  • 1945 – World War II: American forces liberate the Buchenwald concentration camp.
  • 1951 – Korean War: President Harry Truman relieves General of the Army Douglas MacArthur of overall command in Korea.
  • 1951 – The Stone of Scone, the stone upon which Scottish monarchs were traditionally crowned, is found on the site of the altar of Arbroath Abbey. It had been taken by Scottish nationalist students from its place in Westminster Abbey.
  • 1955 – The Air India Kashmir Princess is bombed and crashes in a failed assassination attempt on Zhou Enlai by the Kuomintang.
  • 1957 – United Kingdom agrees to Singaporean self-rule.
  • 1961 – The trial of Adolf Eichmann begins in Jerusalem.
  • 1963 – Pope John XXIII issues Pacem in terris, the first encyclical addressed to all Christians instead of only Catholics, and which described the conditions for world peace in human terms.
  • 1964 – Brazilian Marshal Humberto de Alencar Castelo Branco is elected President by the National Congress.
  • 1965 – The Palm Sunday tornado outbreak of 1965: Fifty-one tornadoes hit in six Midwestern states, killing 256 people.
  • 1968 – President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1968, prohibiting discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of housing.
  • 1968 – Assassination attempt on Rudi Dutschke, leader of the German student movement.
  • 1970 – Apollo 13 is launched.
  • 1976 – The Apple I is created.
  • 1977 – London Transport’s Silver Jubilee AEC Routemaster buses are launched.
  • 1979 – Ugandan dictator Idi Amin is deposed.
  • 1981 – A massive riot in Brixton, south London results in almost 300 police injuries and 65 serious civilian injuries.
  • 1986 – FBI Miami Shootout: A gun battle in broad daylight in Dade County, Florida between two bank/armored car robbers and pursuing FBI agents. During the firefight, FBI agents Jerry L. Dove and Benjamin P. Grogan were killed, while five other agents were wounded. As a result, the popular .40 S&W cartridge was developed.
  • 1987 – The London Agreement is secretly signed between Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Shimon Peres and King Hussein of Jordan.
  • 1990 – Customs officers in Middlesbrough, England, seize what they believe to be the barrel of a massive gun on a ship bound for Iraq.
  • 1993 – Four hundred fifty prisoners rioted at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville, Ohio, and continued to do so for ten days, citing grievances related to prison conditions, as well as the forced vaccination of Nation of Islam prisoners (for tuberculosis) against their religious beliefs.
  • 2001 – The detained crew of a United States EP-3E aircraft that landed in Hainan, China after a collision with a J-8 fighter, is released.
  • 2002 – The Ghriba synagogue bombing by al-Qaeda kills 21 in Tunisia.
  • 2002 – Over two hundred thousand people march in Caracas towards the Presidential palace to demand the resignation of President Hugo Chávez. Nineteen protesters are killed.
  • 2006 – Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announces Iran’s claim to have successfully enriched uranium.
  • 2007 – Algiers bombings: Two bombings in Algiers kill 33 people and wound a further 222 others.
  • 2011 – An explosion in the Minsk Metro, Belarus kills 15 people and injures 204 others.
  • 2012 – A pair of great earthquakes occur in the Wharton Basin west of Sumatra in Indonesia. The maximum Mercalli intensity of this strike-slip doublet earthquake was VII (Very strong). Ten were killed, twelve were injured, and a non-destructive tsunami was observed on the island of Nias.
  • 2018 – An Ilyushin Il-76 which was owned and operated by the Algerian Air Force crashes near Boufarik, Algeria, killing 257.

Births on April 11

  • 145 – Septimius Severus, Roman emperor (probable; d. 211)
  • 1184 – William of Winchester, Lord of Lüneburg (d. 1213)
  • 1348 – Andronikos IV Palaiologos, Byzantine Emperor (d. 1385)
  • 1357 – John I of Portugal (d. 1433)
  • 1370 – Frederick I, Elector of Saxony (d. 1428)
  • 1374 – Roger Mortimer, 4th Earl of March, heir to the throne of England (d. 1398)
  • 1493 – George I, Duke of Pomerania (d. 1531)
  • 1591 – Bartholomeus Strobel, Silezian painter (d. 1650)
  • 1592 – John Eliot, English lawyer and politician (d. 1632)
  • 1644 – Marie Jeanne Baptiste of Savoy-Nemours, Duchess of Savoy (d. 1724)
  • 1658 – James Hamilton, 4th Duke of Hamilton, Scottish peer (d. 1712)
  • 1683 – Jean-Joseph Mouret, French composer and conductor (d. 1738)
  • 1715 – John Alcock, English organist and composer (d. 1806)
  • 1721 – David Zeisberger, Czech-American clergyman and missionary (d. 1808)
  • 1722 – Christopher Smart, English actor, playwright, and poet (d. 1771)
  • 1749 – Adélaïde Labille-Guiard, French miniaturist and portrait painter (d. 1803)
  • 1755 – James Parkinson, English surgeon, geologist, and paleontologist (d. 1824)
  • 1770 – George Canning, Irish-English lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1827)
  • 1794 – Edward Everett, English-American educator and politician, 15th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1865)
  • 1798 – Macedonio Melloni, Italian physicist and academic (d. 1854)
  • 1819 – Charles Hallé, German-English pianist and conductor (d. 1895)
  • 1825 – Ferdinand Lassalle, German philosopher and jurist (d. 1864)
  • 1827 – Jyotirao Phule, Indian scholar, philosopher, and activist (d. 1890)
  • 1854 – Hugh Massie, Australian cricketer (d. 1938)
  • 1856 – Arthur Shrewsbury, English cricketer and rugby player (d. 1903)
  • 1859 – Stefanos Thomopoulos, Greek historian and author (d. 1939)
  • 1862 – William Wallace Campbell, American astronomer and academic (d. 1938)
  • 1862 – Charles Evans Hughes, American lawyer and politician, 44th United States Secretary of State (d. 1948)
  • 1864 – Johanna Elberskirchen, German author and activist (d. 1943)
  • 1866 – Bernard O’Dowd, Australian journalist, author, and poet (d. 1953)
  • 1867 – Mark Keppel, American educator (d. 1928)
  • 1869 – Gustav Vigeland, Norwegian sculptor, designed the Nobel Peace Prize medal (d. 1943)
  • 1871 – Gyula Kellner, Hungarian runner (d. 1940)
  • 1873 – Edward Lawson, English soldier, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 1955)
  • 1876 – Paul Henry, Irish painter (d. 1958)
  • 1876 – Ivane Javakhishvili, Georgian historian and academic (d. 1940)
  • 1879 – Bernhard Schmidt, Estonian-German astronomer and optician (d. 1935)
  • 1887 – Jamini Roy, Indian painter (d. 1972)
  • 1893 – Dean Acheson, American lawyer and politician, 51st United States Secretary of State (d. 1971)
  • 1896 – Léo-Paul Desrosiers, Canadian journalist and author (d. 1967)
  • 1899 – Percy Lavon Julian, African-American chemist and academic (d. 1975)
  • 1900 – Sándor Márai, Hungarian journalist and author (d. 1989)
  • 1903 – Misuzu Kaneko, Japanese poet (d. 1930)
  • 1904 – K. L. Saigal, Indian singer and actor (d. 1947)
  • 1905 – Attila József, Hungarian poet and educator (d. 1937)
  • 1906 – Dale Messick, American author and illustrator (d. 2005)
  • 1907 – Paul Douglas, American actor (d. 1959)
  • 1908 – Jane Bolin, American lawyer and judge (d. 2007)
  • 1908 – Masaru Ibuka, Japanese businessman, co-founded Sony (d. 1997)
  • 1908 – Dan Maskell, English tennis player and sportscaster (d. 1992)
  • 1908 – Leo Rosten, Polish-American author and academic (d. 1997)
  • 1910 – António de Spínola, Portuguese general and politician, 14th President of Portugal (d. 1996)
  • 1912 – John Levy, American bassist and businessman (d. 2012)
  • 1913 – Oleg Cassini, French-American fashion designer (d. 2006)
  • 1914 – Norman McLaren, Scottish-Canadian animator, director, and producer (d. 1987)
  • 1914 – Robert Stanfield, Canadian economist, lawyer, and politician, 17th Premier of Nova Scotia (d. 2003)
  • 1914 – Dorothy Lewis Bernstein, American mathematician (d. 1988)
  • 1916 – Alberto Ginastera, Argentinian-Swiss pianist and composer (d. 1983)
  • 1916 – Howard W. Koch, American director and producer (d. 2001)
  • 1917 – David Westheimer, American soldier, journalist, and author (d. 2005)
  • 1918 – Richard Wainwright, English soldier and politician (d. 2003)
  • 1919 – Raymond Carr, English historian and academic (d. 2015)
  • 1920 – Emilio Colombo, Italian lawyer and politician, 40th Prime Minister of Italy (d. 2013)
  • 1920 – William Royer, American soldier and politician (d. 2013)
  • 1921 – Jim Hearn, American baseball player (d. 1998)
  • 1921 – Jack Rayner, Australian rugby league player and coach (d. 2008)
  • 1922 – Arved Viirlaid, Estonian-Canadian soldier and author (d. 2015)
  • 1923 – George J. Maloof, Sr., American businessman (d. 1980)
  • 1924 – Mohammad Naseem, Pakistani-English activist and politician (d. 2014)
  • 1925 – Yuriy Lituyev, Russian hurdler and commander (d. 2000)
  • 1925 – Viola Liuzzo, American civil rights activist (d. 1965)
  • 1925 – Viktor Masing, Estonian botanist and ecologist (d. 2001)
  • 1925 – Pierre Péladeau, Canadian businessman, founded Quebecor (d. 1997)
  • 1926 – David Manker Abshire, American commander and diplomat, United States Permanent Representative to NATO (d. 2014)
  • 1926 – Victor Bouchard, Canadian pianist and composer (d. 2011)
  • 1926 – Karl Rebane, Estonian physicist and academic (d. 2007)
  • 1927 – Lokesh Chandra, Indian historian
  • 1928 – Ethel Kennedy, American philanthropist
  • 1928 – Edwin Pope, American journalist and author (d. 2017)
  • 1928 – Tommy Tycho, Hungarian-Australian pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 2013)
  • 1930 – Nicholas F. Brady, American businessman and politician, 68th United States Secretary of the Treasury
  • 1930 – Walter Krüger, German javelin thrower (d. 2018)
  • 1930 – Anton LaVey, American occultist, founded the Church of Satan (d. 1997)
  • 1931 – Lewis Jones, Welsh rugby player and coach
  • 1932 – Joel Grey, American actor, singer, and dancer
  • 1933 – Tony Brown, American journalist and academic
  • 1934 – Mark Strand, Canadian-born American poet, essayist, and translator (d. 2014)
  • 1934 – Ron Pember, English actor, director and playwright
  • 1935 – Richard Berry, American singer-songwriter (d. 1997)
  • 1936 – Brian Noble, English bishop (d. 2019)
  • 1937 – Jill Gascoine, English actress and author
  • 1938 – Gerry Baker, American soccer player and manager (d. 2013)
  • 1938 – Michael Deaver, American politician, Deputy White House Chief of Staff (d. 2007)
  • 1938 – Reatha King, American chemist and businesswoman
  • 1939 – Luther Johnson, American singer and guitarist
  • 1939 – Louise Lasser, American actress
  • 1940 – Col Firmin, Australian politician (d. 2013)
  • 1940 – Thomas Harris, American author and screenwriter
  • 1940 – Władysław Komar, Polish shot putter and actor (d. 1998)
  • 1941 – Ellen Goodman, American journalist and author
  • 1941 – Shirley Stelfox, English actress (d. 2015)
  • 1942 – Anatoly Berezovoy, Russian colonel, pilot, and astronaut (d. 2014)
  • 1942 – Hattie Gossett, American writer
  • 1942 – James Underwood, English pathologist and academic
  • 1943 – John Montagu, 11th Earl of Sandwich, English businessman and politician
  • 1943 – Harley Race, American wrestler and trainer (d. 2019)
  • 1944 – Peter Barfuß, German footballer
  • 1944 – John Milius, American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1945 – John Krebs, Baron Krebs, English zoologist and academic
  • 1946 – Chris Burden, American sculptor, illustrator, and academic (d. 2015)
  • 1946 – Bob Harris, English journalist and radio host
  • 1947 – Lev Bulat, Ukrainian-Russian physicist and academic (d. 2016)
  • 1947 – Uli Edel, German director and screenwriter
  • 1947 – Frank Mantooth, American pianist and composer (d. 2004)
  • 1947 – Peter Riegert, American actor, screenwriter and film director
  • 1947 – Michael T. Wright, English engineer and academic (d. 2015)
  • 1949 – Bernd Eichinger, German director and producer (d. 2011)
  • 1950 – Bill Irwin, American actor and clown
  • 1951 – Paul Fox, English singer and guitarist (d. 2007)
  • 1952 – Nancy Honeytree, American singer and guitarist
  • 1952 – Indira Samarasekera, Sri Lankan engineer and academic
  • 1952 – Peter Windsor, English-Australian journalist and sportscaster
  • 1953 – Guy Verhofstadt, Belgian politician, 47th Prime Minister of Belgium
  • 1953 – Andrew Wiles, English mathematician and academic
  • 1954 – Abdullah Atalar, Turkish engineer and academic
  • 1954 – Aleksandr Averin, Azerbaijani cyclist and coach
  • 1954 – Francis Lickerish, English guitarist and composer
  • 1954 – David Perrett, Scottish psychologist and academic
  • 1954 – Ian Redmond, English biologist and conservationist
  • 1954 – Willie Royster, American baseball player (d. 2015)
  • 1955 – Kevin Brady, American lawyer and politician
  • 1955 – Michael Callen, American singer-songwriter and AIDS activist (d. 1993)
  • 1955 – Micheal Ray Richardson, American basketball player and coach
  • 1958 – Stuart Adamson, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2001)
  • 1958 – Lyudmila Kondratyeva, Russian sprinter
  • 1959 – Pierre Lacroix, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1959 – Ana María Polo, Cuban-American lawyer and judge
  • 1959 – Zahid Maleque, Bangladeshi politician
  • 1960 – Jeremy Clarkson, English journalist and television presenter
  • 1961 – Vincent Gallo, American actor, director, producer, and musician
  • 1961 – Doug Hopkins, American guitarist and songwriter (d. 1993)
  • 1961 – Nobuaki Kakuda, Japanese martial artist
  • 1962 – Franck Ducheix, French fencer
  • 1962 – Mark Lawson, English journalist and author
  • 1963 – Billy Bowden, New Zealand cricketer and umpire
  • 1963 – Waldemar Fornalik, Polish footballer and manager
  • 1963 – Elizabeth Smylie, Australian tennis player
  • 1964 – Steve Azar, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1964 – John Cryer, English journalist and politician
  • 1964 – Johann Sebastian Paetsch, American cellist
  • 1964 – Bret Saberhagen, American baseball player and coach
  • 1964 – Patrick Sang, Kenyan runner
  • 1966 – Steve Scarsone, American baseball player and manager
  • 1966 – Shin Seung-hun, South Korean singer-songwriter
  • 1966 – Lisa Stansfield, English singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1968 – Sergei Lukyanenko, Kazakh-Russian journalist and author
  • 1969 – Cerys Matthews, Welsh singer-songwriter
  • 1969 – Michael von Grünigen, Swiss skier
  • 1970 – Trevor Linden, Canadian ice hockey player and manager
  • 1970 – Delroy Pearson, English singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1971 – John Leech, English politician
  • 1971 – Oliver Riedel, German bass player
  • 1972 – Balls Mahoney, American wrestler (d. 2016)
  • 1972 – Allan Théo, French singer
  • 1972 – Jason Varitek, American baseball player and manager
  • 1973 – Jennifer Esposito, American actress
  • 1973 – Olivier Magne, French rugby player
  • 1974 – Àlex Corretja, Spanish tennis player and coach
  • 1974 – Ashot Danielyan, Armenian weightlifter
  • 1974 – David Jassy, Swedish singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1974 – Zöe Lucker, English actress
  • 1974 – Tom Thacker, Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1974 – Trot Nixon, American baseball player and sportscaster
  • 1975 – Olga Hostáková, Czech tennis player
  • 1975 – Walid Soliman, Tunisian author and translator
  • 1976 – Kelvim Escobar, Venezuelan baseball player
  • 1977 – Ivonne Teichmann, German runner
  • 1978 – Josh Hancock, American baseball player (d. 2007)
  • 1979 – Malcolm Christie, English footballer
  • 1979 – Sebastien Grainger, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1979 – Michel Riesen, Swiss ice hockey player
  • 1979 – Josh Server, American actor
  • 1980 – Keiji Tamada, Japanese footballer
  • 1980 – Mark Teixeira, American baseball player
  • 1981 – Alessandra Ambrosio, Brazilian model
  • 1981 – Alexandre Burrows, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1981 – Veronica Pyke, Australian cricketer
  • 1982 – Ian Bell, English cricketer
  • 1982 – Peeter Kümmel, Estonian skier
  • 1983 – Jennifer Heil, Canadian skier
  • 1983 – Rubén Palazuelos, Spanish footballer
  • 1983 – Nicky Pastorelli, Dutch race car driver
  • 1984 – Kelli Garner, American actress
  • 1984 – Nikola Karabatić, French handball player
  • 1985 – Pablo Hernández Domínguez, Spanish footballer
  • 1985 – Will Minson, Australian footballer
  • 1986 – Sarodj Bertin, Haitian model and human rights lawyer
  • 1986 – Dai Greene, Welsh hurdler
  • 1986 – Lena Schöneborn, German pentathlete
  • 1987 – Joss Stone, English singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1987 – Lights, Canadian singer-songwriter
  • 1988 – Leland Irving, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1989 – Torrin Lawrence, American sprinter (d. 2014)
  • 1989 – Zola Jesus, American singer
  • 1990 – Dimitrios Anastasopoulos, Greek footballer
  • 1990 – Thulani Serero, South African footballer
  • 1991 – Thiago Alcântara, Spanish footballer
  • 1991 – Brennan Poole, American racing driver
  • 1996 – Dele Alli, English international footballer
  • 1997 – Georgia Bohl, Australian swimmer
  • 1997 – Miriam Kolodziejová, a Czech tennis player

Deaths on April 11

  • 618 – Yang Guang, Chinese emperor of the Sui Dynasty (b. 569)
  • 678 – Donus, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 610)
  • 924 – Herman I, chancellor and archbishop of Cologne
  • 1034 – Romanos III Argyros, Byzantine emperor (b. 968)
  • 1077 – Anawrahta, king of Burma and founder of the Pagan Empire (b. 1014)
  • 1079 – Stanislaus of Szczepanów, bishop of Kraków (b. 1030)
  • 1165 – Stephen IV, king of Hungary and Croatia
  • 1240 – Llywelyn the Great, Welsh prince (b. 1172)
  • 1447 – Henry Beaufort, Cardinal, Lord Chancellor of England (b. 1377)
  • 1512 – Gaston de Foix, French military commander (b. 1489)
  • 1554 – Thomas Wyatt the Younger, English rebel leader (b. 1521)
  • 1587 – Thomas Bromley, English lord chancellor (b. 1530)
  • 1609 – John Lumley, 1st Baron Lumley, English noble (b. 1533)
  • 1612 – Emanuel van Meteren, Flemish historian and author (b. 1535)
  • 1612 – Edward Wightman, English minister and martyr (b. 1566)
  • 1626 – Marino Ghetaldi, Ragusan mathematician and physicist (b. 1568)
  • 1712 – Richard Simon, French priest and critic (b. 1638)
  • 1723 – John Robinson, English bishop and diplomat (b. 1650)
  • 1783 – Nikita Ivanovich Panin, Polish-Russian politician, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1718)
  • 1798 – Karl Wilhelm Ramler, German poet and academic (b. 1725)
  • 1856 – Juan Santamaría, Costa Rican soldier (b. 1831)
  • 1861 – Francisco González Bocanegra, Mexican poet and composer (b. 1824)
  • 1873 – Edward Canby, American general (b. 1817)
  • 1890 – David de Jahacob Lopez Cardozo, Dutch Talmudist (b. 1808)
  • 1890 – Joseph Merrick, English man with severe deformities (b. 1862)
  • 1894 – Constantin Lipsius, German architect and theorist (b. 1832)
  • 1895 – Julius Lothar Meyer, German chemist (b. 1830)
  • 1902 – Wade Hampton III, American general and politician, 77th Governor of South Carolina (b. 1818)
  • 1903 – Gemma Galgani, Italian mystic and saint (b. 1878)
  • 1906 – James Anthony Bailey, American businessman, co-founded Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus (b. 1847)
  • 1906 – Francis Pharcellus Church, American journalist and publisher, co-founded Armed Forces Journal and The Galaxy Magazine (b. 1839)
  • 1908 – Henry Bird, English chess player and author (b. 1829)
  • 1916 – Richard Harding Davis, American journalist and author (b. 1864)
  • 1918 – Otto Wagner, Austrian architect and urban planner (b. 1841)
  • 1926 – Luther Burbank, American botanist and academic (b. 1849)
  • 1939 – Kurtdereli Mehmet, Turkish wrestler (b. 1864)
  • 1953 – Kid Nichols, American baseball player and manager (b. 1869)
  • 1954 – Paul Specht, American violinist and bandleader (b. 1895)
  • 1958 – Konstantin Yuon, Russian painter and educator (b. 1875)
  • 1960 – Rosa Grünberg, Swedish actress (b. 1878)
  • 1962 – Ukichiro Nakaya, Japanese physicist and academic (b. 1900)
  • 1962 – George Poage, American hurdler and educator (b. 1880)
  • 1967 – Thomas Farrell, American general (b. 1891)
  • 1967 – Donald Sangster, Jamaican lawyer and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Jamaica (b. 1911)
  • 1970 – Cathy O’Donnell, American actress (b. 1923)
  • 1970 – John O’Hara, American novelist and short story writer (b. 1905)
  • 1974 – Ernst Ziegler, German actor (b. 1894)
  • 1977 – Jacques Prévert, French poet and screenwriter (b. 1900)
  • 1977 – Phanishwar Nath ‘Renu’, Indian author and activist (b. 1921)
  • 1980 – Ümit Kaftancıoğlu, Turkish journalist and producer (b. 1935)
  • 1981 – Caroline Gordon, American author and critic (b. 1895)
  • 1983 – Dolores del Río, Mexican actress (b. 1904)
  • 1984 – Edgar V. Saks, Estonian historian and politician, Estonian Minister of Education (b. 1910)
  • 1985 – Bunny Ahearne, Irish-born English businessman (b. 1900)
  • 1985 – John Gilroy, English artist and illustrator (b. 1898)
  • 1985 – Enver Hoxha, Albanian educator and politician, 21st Prime Minister of Albania (b. 1908)
  • 1987 – Erskine Caldwell, American novelist and short story writer (b. 1903)
  • 1987 – Primo Levi, Italian chemist and author (b. 1919)
  • 1990 – Harold Ballard, Canadian businessman (b. 1903)
  • 1991 – Walker Cooper, American baseball player and manager (b. 1915)
  • 1991 – Bruno Hoffmann. German glass harp player (b. 1913)
  • 1992 – James Brown, American actor and singer (b. 1920)
  • 1992 – Eve Merriam, American author and poet (b. 1916)
  • 1992 – Alejandro Obregón, Colombian painter, sculptor, and engraver (b. 1920)
  • 1996 – Jessica Dubroff, American pilot (b. 1988)
  • 1997 – Muriel McQueen Fergusson, Canadian lawyer and politician, Canadian Speaker of the Senate (b. 1899)
  • 1997 – Wang Xiaobo, contemporary Chinese novelist and essayist (b. 1952)
  • 1999 – William H. Armstrong, American author and educator (b. 1911)
  • 2000 – Diana Darvey, English actress, singer and dancer (b. 1945)
  • 2001 – Harry Secombe, Welsh-English actor (b. 1921)
  • 2003 – Cecil Howard Green, English-American geophysicist and businessman, founded Texas Instruments (b. 1900)
  • 2005 – André François, Romanian-French cartoonist, painter, and sculptor (b. 1915)
  • 2005 – Lucien Laurent, French footballer and coach (b. 1907)
  • 2006 – June Pointer, American singer (b. 1953)
  • 2006 – DeShaun Holton, American rapper and actor (b. 1973)
  • 2007 – Roscoe Lee Browne, American actor and director (b. 1922)
  • 2007 – Loïc Leferme, French diver (b. 1970)
  • 2007 – Janet McDonald, American lawyer and author (b. 1954)
  • 2007 – Ronald Speirs, Scottish-American colonel (b. 1920)
  • 2007 – Kurt Vonnegut, American novelist, short story writer, and playwright (b. 1922)
  • 2008 – Merlin German, American sergeant (b. 1985)
  • 2009 – Gerda Gilboe, Danish actress and singer (b. 1914)
  • 2009 – Vishnu Prabhakar, Indian author and playwright (b. 1912)
  • 2009 – Corín Tellado, Spanish author (b. 1927)
  • 2010 – Julia Tsenova, Bulgarian pianist and composer (b. 1948)
  • 2011 – Larry Sweeney, American wrestler and manager (b. 1981)
  • 2012 – Ahmed Ben Bella, Algerian soldier and politician, 1st President of Algeria (b. 1916)
  • 2012 – Roger Caron, Canadian criminal and author (b. 1938)
  • 2012 – Tippy Dye, American basketball player and coach (b. 1915)
  • 2012 – Hal McKusick, American saxophonist, clarinet player, and flute player (b. 1924)
  • 2012 – Agustin Roman, American bishop (b. 1928)
  • 2013 – Don Blackman, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer (b. 1953)
  • 2013 – Grady Hatton, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1922)
  • 2013 – Thomas Hemsley, English actor and singer (b. 1927)
  • 2013 – Hilary Koprowski, Polish-American virologist and immunologist (b. 1916)
  • 2013 – Gilles Marchal, French singer-songwriter (b. 1944)
  • 2013 – Maria Tallchief, American ballerina (b. 1925)
  • 2013 – Clorindo Testa, Italian-Argentinian architect (b. 1923)
  • 2013 – Jonathan Winters, American comedian, actor and screenwriter (b. 1925)
  • 2014 – Rolf Brem, Swiss sculptor and illustrator (b. 1926)
  • 2014 – Edna Doré, English actress (b. 1921)
  • 2014 – Bill Henry, American baseball player (b. 1927)
  • 2014 – Lou Hudson, American basketball player and sportscaster (b. 1944)
  • 2014 – Myer S. Kripke, American rabbi and scholar (b. 1914)
  • 2014 – Sergey Nepobedimy, Russian engineer (b. 1921)
  • 2014 – Jesse Winchester, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1944)
  • 2015 – Jimmy Gunn, American football player (b. 1948)
  • 2015 – Muhammad Kamaruzzaman, Bangladeshi journalist and politician (b. 1952)
  • 2015 – François Maspero, French journalist and author (b. 1932)
  • 2015 – Hanut Singh, Indian general (b. 1933)
  • 2015 – Tekena Tamuno, Nigerian historian and academic (b. 1932)
  • 2017 – J. Geils, American singer and guitarist (b. 1946)
  • 2017 – Mark Wainberg, Canadian researcher and HIV/AIDS activist (b. 1945)
  • 2020 – John Horton Conway, English mathematician (b. 1937)

Holidays and observances on April 11

  • Christian feast day:
    • Antipas of Pergamum (Greek Orthodox Church)
    • Gemma Galgani
    • Godeberta
    • Guthlac of Crowland
    • George Selwyn (Anglicanism)
    • Stanislaus of Szczepanów
    • April 11 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Juan Santamaría Day, anniversary of his death in the Second Battle of Rivas. (Costa Rica)
  • International Louie Louie Day
  • World Parkinson’s Day

April 10 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

by
  • 428 – Nestorius becomes the Patriarch of Constantinople.
  • 837 – Halley’s Comet makes its closest approach to Earth at a distance equal to 0.0342 AU (5.1 million kilometres/3.2 million miles).
  • 1407 – Deshin Shekpa, 5th Karmapa Lama visits the Ming dynasty capital at Nanjing. He is awarded the title “Great Treasure Prince of Dharma”.
  • 1500 – Ludovico Sforza is captured by Swiss troops at Novara and is handed over to the French.
  • 1606 – The Virginia Company of London is established by royal charter by James I of England with the purpose of establishing colonial settlements in North America.
  • 1710 – The Statute of Anne, the first law regulating copyright, comes into force in Great Britain.
  • 1741 – War of the Austrian Succession: Prussia gains control of Silesia at the Battle of Mollwitz.
  • 1809 – Napoleonic Wars: The War of the Fifth Coalition begins when forces of the Austrian Empire invade Bavaria.
  • 1815 – The Mount Tambora volcano begins a three-month-long eruption, lasting until July 15. The eruption ultimately kills 71,000 people and affects Earth’s climate for the next two years.
  • 1816 – The Federal government of the United States approves the creation of the Second Bank of the United States.
  • 1821 – Patriarch Gregory V of Constantinople is hanged by the Ottoman government from the main gate of the Patriarchate and his body is thrown into the Bosphorus.
  • 1826 – The 10,500 inhabitants of the Greek town of Missolonghi begin leaving the town after a year’s siege by Turkish forces. Very few of them survive.
  • 1858 – After the original Big Ben, a 14.5 tonnes (32,000 lb) bell for the Palace of Westminster, had cracked during testing, it is recast into the current 13.76 tonnes (30,300 lb) bell by Whitechapel Bell Foundry.
  • 1864 – Archduke Maximilian of Habsburg is proclaimed emperor of Mexico during the French intervention in Mexico.
  • 1865 – American Civil War: A day after his surrender to Union forces, Confederate General Robert E. Lee addresses his troops for the last time.
  • 1866 – The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) is founded in New York City by Henry Bergh.
  • 1868 – At Arogee in Abyssinia, British and Indian forces defeat an army of Emperor Tewodros II. While 700 Ethiopians are killed and many more injured, only two British/Indian troops die.
  • 1872 – The first Arbor Day is celebrated in Nebraska.
  • 1875 – India: Arya Samaj is founded in Mumbai by Swami Dayananda Saraswati to propagate his goal of social reform.
  • 1887 – On Easter Sunday, Pope Leo XIII authorizes the establishment of the Catholic University of America.
  • 1912 – RMS Titanic sets sail from Southampton, England on her maiden and only voyage.
  • 1916 – The Professional Golfers’ Association of America (PGA) is created in New York City.
  • 1919 – Mexican Revolution leader Emiliano Zapata is ambushed and shot dead by government forces in Morelos.
  • 1925 – The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is first published in New York City, by Charles Scribner’s Sons.
  • 1938 – The 1938 German parliamentary election and referendum seeks approval for a single list of Nazi candidates and the recent annexation of Austria.
  • 1939 – Alcoholics Anonymous, A.A.’s “Big Book”, is first published.
  • 1941 – World War II: The Axis powers establish the Independent State of Croatia.
  • 1944 – Rudolf Vrba and Alfréd Wetzler escape from Birkenau death camp.
  • 1957 – The Suez Canal is reopened for all shipping after being closed for three months.
  • 1963 – One hundred twenty-nine American sailors die when the submarine USS Thresher sinks at sea.
  • 1968 – The TEV Wahine, a New Zealand ferry sinks in Wellington harbour due to a fierce storm – the strongest winds ever in Wellington. Out of the 734 people on board, fifty-three died.
  • 1970 – Paul McCartney announces that he is leaving The Beatles for personal and professional reasons.
  • 1971 – Ping-pong diplomacy: In an attempt to thaw relations with the United States, China hosts the U.S. table tennis team for a week-long visit.
  • 1972 – Tombs containing bamboo slips, among them Sun Tzu’s Art of War and Sun Bin’s lost military treatise, are accidentally discovered by construction workers in Shandong.
  • 1972 – Vietnam War: For the first time since November 1967, American B-52 bombers reportedly begin bombing North Vietnam.
  • 1973 – Invicta International Airlines Flight 435 crashes in a snowstorm on approach to Basel, Switzerland, killing 108 people.
  • 1979 – Red River Valley tornado outbreak: A tornado lands in Wichita Falls, Texas killing 42 people.
  • 1988 – The Ojhri Camp explosion kills or injures more than 1,000 people in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Pakistan.
  • 1991 – Italian ferry MS Moby Prince collides with an oil tanker in dense fog off Livorno, Italy, killing 140.
  • 1991 – A rare tropical storm develops in the South Atlantic Ocean near Angola; the first to be documented by satellites.
  • 1998 – The Good Friday Agreement is signed in Northern Ireland.
  • 2009 – President of Fiji Ratu Josefa Iloilo announces the abrogation of the constitution and assumes all governance in the country, creating a constitutional crisis.
  • 2010 – Polish Air Force Tu-154M crashes near Smolensk, Russia, killing 96 people, including Polish President Lech Kaczyński, his wife, and dozens of other senior officials and dignitaries.
  • 2016 – The Paravur temple accident in which a devastating fire caused by the explosion of firecrackers stored for Vishu, kills more than one hundred people out of the thousands gathered for seventh day of Bhadrakali worship.
  • 2016 – An earthquake of 6.6 magnitude strikes 39 km west-southwest of Ashkasham, shakes up India, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Srinagar and Pakistan.
  • 2019 – Scientists from the Event Horizon Telescope project announce the first ever image of a black hole, located in the centre of the M87 galaxy.

Births on April 10

  • 401 – Theodosius II, Roman emperor (d. 450)
  • 1018 – Nizam al-Mulk, Persian scholar and vizier (d. 1092)
  • 1472 – Margaret of York, English princess (d. 1472)
  • 1480 – Philibert II, duke of Savoy (d. 1504)
  • 1487 – William I, count of Nassau-Dillenburg (d. 1559)
  • 1512 – James V, king of Scotland (d. 1542)
  • 1579 – Augustus II, duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (d. 1666)
  • 1583 – Hugo Grotius, Dutch philosopher and jurist (d. 1645)
  • 1603 – Christian, Prince-Elect of Denmark (d. 1647)
  • 1651 – Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus, German mathematician, physicist, and physician (d. 1708)
  • 1656 – René Lepage de Sainte-Claire, French-Canadian settler, founded Rimouski (d. 1718)
  • 1704 – Benjamin Heath, English scholar and author (d. 1766)
  • 1707 – Michel Corrette, French organist, composer, and author (d. 1795)
  • 1713 – John Whitehurst, English geologist and clockmaker (d. 1788)
  • 1755 – Samuel Hahnemann, German-French physician and academic (d. 1843)
  • 1762 – Giovanni Aldini, Italian physicist and academic (d. 1834)
  • 1769 – Jean Lannes, French marshal (d. 1809)
  • 1778 – William Hazlitt, English essayist and critic (d. 1830)
  • 1794 – Matthew C. Perry, English-Scottish American commander (d. 1858)
  • 1806 – Juliette Drouet, French actress (d. 1883)
  • 1806 – Leonidas Polk, Scottish-American general and bishop (d. 1884)
  • 1827 – Lew Wallace, American general, lawyer, and politician, 11th Governor of New Mexico Territory (d. 1905)
  • 1829 – William Booth, English minister, founded The Salvation Army (d. 1912)
  • 1847 – Joseph Pulitzer, Hungarian-American journalist, publisher, and politician, founded Pulitzer, Inc. (d. 1911)
  • 1864 – Eugen d’Albert, Scottish-German pianist and composer (d. 1932)
  • 1865 – Jack Miner, American-Canadian farmer, hunter, and environmentalist (d. 1944)
  • 1867 – George William Russell, Irish author, poet, and painter (d. 1935)
  • 1868 – George Arliss, English actor and playwright (d. 1946)
  • 1868 – Asriel Günzig, Moravian rabbi (d. 1931)
  • 1873 – Kyösti Kallio, Finnish farmer, banker, and politician, 4th President of Finland (d. 1940)
  • 1875 – George Clawley, English footballer (d. 1920)
  • 1877 – Alfred Kubin, Austrian author and illustrator (d. 1959)
  • 1879 – Bernhard Gregory, Estonian-German chess player (d. 1939)
  • 1879 – Coenraad Hiebendaal, Dutch rower and physician (d. 1921)
  • 1880 – Frances Perkins, American sociologist, academic, and politician, 4th United States Secretary of Labor (d. 1965)
  • 1880 – Montague Summers, English clergyman and author (d. 1948)
  • 1886 – Johnny Hayes, American runner and trainer (d. 1965)
  • 1887 – Bernardo Houssay, Argentinian physiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1971)
  • 1889 – Louis Rougier, French philosopher from the Vienna Circle (d. 1982)
  • 1891 – Frank Barson, English footballer and coach (d. 1968)
  • 1893 – Otto Steinböck, Austrian zoologist (d. 1969)
  • 1894 – Ben Nicholson, British painter (d. 1982)
  • 1897 – Prafulla Chandra Sen, Indian accountant and politician, 3rd Chief Minister of West Bengal (d. 1990)
  • 1900 – Arnold Orville Beckman, American chemist, inventor, and philanthropist (d. 2004)
  • 1901 – Dhananjay Ramchandra Gadgil, Indian economist (d. 1971)
  • 1903 – Clare Turlay Newberry, American author and illustrator (d. 1970)
  • 1906 – Steve Anderson, American hurdler (d. 1988)
  • 1910 – Margaret Clapp, American scholar and academic (d. 1974)
  • 1910 – Helenio Herrera, Argentinian footballer and manager (d. 1997)
  • 1910 – Paul Sweezy, American economist and publisher, founded the Monthly Review (d. 2004)
  • 1911 – Martin Denny, American pianist and composer (d. 2005)
  • 1911 – Maurice Schumann, French journalist and politician, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs for France (d. 1998)
  • 1912 – Boris Kidrič, Austrian-Slovenian politician, 1st Prime Minister of Slovenia (d. 1953)
  • 1913 – Stefan Heym, German-American soldier and author (d. 2001)
  • 1914 – Jack Badcock, Australian cricketer (d. 1982)
  • 1915 – Harry Morgan, American actor and director (d. 2011)
  • 1915 – Leo Vroman, Dutch-American hematologist, poet, and illustrator (d. 2014)
  • 1916 – Lee Jung-seob, Korean painter (d. 1956)
  • 1917 – Jagjit Singh Lyallpuri, Indian politician (d. 2013)
  • 1917 – Robert Burns Woodward, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1979)
  • 1919 – John Houbolt, American engineer and academic (d. 2014)
  • 1921 – Chuck Connors, American baseball player and actor (d. 1992)
  • 1921 – Jake Warren, Canadian soldier and diplomat, Canadian Ambassador to the United States (d. 2008)
  • 1921 – Sheb Wooley, American singer-songwriter and actor (d. 2003)
  • 1923 – Roger Gaillard, Haitian historian and author (d. 2000)
  • 1923 – Jane Kean, American actress and singer (d. 2013)
  • 1923 – Floyd Simmons, American decathlete and actor (d. 2008)
  • 1923 – Sid Tickridge, English footballer (d. 1997)
  • 1923 – John Watkins, South African cricketer
  • 1924 – Kenneth Noland, American soldier and painter (d. 2010)
  • 1925 – Linda Goodman, American astrologer and author (d. 1995)
  • 1925 – Angelo Poffo, American wrestler and promoter (d. 2010)
  • 1926 – Jacques Castérède, French pianist and composer (d. 2014)
  • 1926 – Junior Samples, American comedian (d. 1983)
  • 1927 – Norma Candal, Puerto Rican-American actress (d. 2006)
  • 1927 – Marshall Warren Nirenberg, American biochemist and geneticist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2010)
  • 1929 – Mike Hawthorn, English race car driver (d. 1959)
  • 1929 – Liz Sheridan, American actress
  • 1929 – Max von Sydow, Swedish-French actor (d. 2020)
  • 1930 – Claude Bolling, French pianist, composer, and actor
  • 1930 – Dolores Huerta, American activist, co-founded the United Farm Workers
  • 1931 – Kishori Amonkar, Indian classical vocalist (d. 2017)
  • 1932 – Delphine Seyrig, Swiss/Alsatian French actress (d. 1990)
  • 1932 – Omar Sharif, Egyptian actor and screenwriter (d. 2015)
  • 1933 – Rokusuke Ei, Japanese composer and author (d. 2016)
  • 1933 – Helen McElhone, Scottish politician (d. 2013)
  • 1934 – David Halberstam, American journalist and author (d. 2007)
  • 1935 – John A. Bennett, American soldier (d. 1961)
  • 1935 – Patrick Garland, English actor and director (d. 2013)
  • 1935 – Peter Hollingworth, Australian bishop, 23rd Governor General of Australia
  • 1936 – John Howell, English long jumper
  • 1936 – John Madden, American football player, coach, and sportscaster
  • 1936 – Bobby Smith, American singer (d. 2013)
  • 1937 – Bella Akhmadulina, Soviet and Russian poet, short story writer, and translator (d. 2010)
  • 1938 – Don Meredith, American football player and sportscaster (d. 2010)
  • 1939 – Claudio Magris, Italian scholar, author, and translator
  • 1940 – Gloria Hunniford, British radio and television host
  • 1941 – Harold Long, Canadian politician (d. 2013)
  • 1941 – Paul Theroux, American novelist, short story writer, and travel writer
  • 1942 – Nick Auf der Maur, Canadian journalist and politician (d. 1998)
  • 1942 – Ian Callaghan, English footballer
  • 1942 – Stuart Dybek, American novelist, short story writer, and poet
  • 1943 – Andrzej Badeński, Polish-German sprinter (d. 2008)
  • 1943 – Margaret Pemberton, English author
  • 1945 – Kevin Berry, Australian swimmer (d. 2006)
  • 1946 – David Angell, American screenwriter and producer (d. 2001)
  • 1946 – Bob Watson, American baseball player and manager
  • 1946 – Adolf Winkelmann, German director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1947 – David A. Adler, American author and educator
  • 1947 – Bunny Wailer, Jamaican singer-songwriter and drummer
  • 1948 – Mel Blount, American football player
  • 1949 – Daniel Mangeas, French banker and sportscaster
  • 1949 – Eric Troyer, American singer-songwriter, keyboardist and guitarist
  • 1950 – Ken Griffey, Sr., American baseball player and manager
  • 1950 – Eddie Hazel, American guitarist (d. 1992)
  • 1951 – David Helvarg, American journalist and activist
  • 1952 – Narayan Rane, Indian politician, 16th Chief Minister of Maharashtra
  • 1952 – Masashi Sada, Japanese singer, lyricist, composer, novelist, actor, and producer
  • 1952 – Steven Seagal, American actor, producer, and martial artist
  • 1953 – David Moorcroft, English runner and businessman
  • 1953 – Pamela Wallin, Swedish-Canadian journalist, academic, and politician
  • 1954 – Paul Bearer, American wrestler and manager (d. 2013)
  • 1954 – Anne Lamott, American author and educator
  • 1954 – Peter MacNicol, American actor
  • 1954 – Juan Williams, Panamanian-American journalist and author
  • 1955 – Lesley Garrett, English soprano and actress
  • 1956 – Carol V. Robinson, English chemist and academic
  • 1957 – Aliko Dangote, Nigerian businessman, founded Dangote Group
  • 1957 – John M. Ford, American author and poet (d. 2006)
  • 1957 – Steve Gustafson, Spanish-American bass player
  • 1957 – Rosemary Hill, English historian and author
  • 1958 – Bob Bell, Northern Irish engineer
  • 1958 – Yefim Bronfman, Uzbek-American pianist
  • 1958 – Brigitte Holzapfel, German high jumper
  • 1959 – Babyface, American singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1959 – Yvan Loubier, Canadian economist and politician
  • 1959 – Brian Setzer, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1960 – Steve Bisciotti, American businessman, co-founded Allegis Group
  • 1960 – Katrina Leskanich, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1960 – Terry Teagle, American basketball player
  • 1961 – Nicky Campbell, Scottish broadcaster and journalist
  • 1961 – Joe Cole, American roadie and author (d. 1991)
  • 1961 – Carole Goble, English computer scientist and academic
  • 1961 – Mark Jones, American basketball player
  • 1962 – Steve Tasker, American football player and sportscaster
  • 1963 – Warren DeMartini, American guitarist and songwriter
  • 1963 – Jeff Gray, American baseball player and coach
  • 1963 – Doris Leuthard, Swiss lawyer and politician, 162nd President of the Swiss Confederation
  • 1965 – Tim Alexander, American drummer and songwriter
  • 1966 – Steve Claridge, English footballer, manager, and sportscaster
  • 1967 – Donald Dufresne, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1967 – David Rovics, American singer-songwriter
  • 1968 – Metin Göktepe, Turkish photographer and journalist (d. 1996)
  • 1968 – Orlando Jones, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1969 – Steve Glasson, Australian lawn bowler
  • 1969 – Ekaterini Koffa, Greek sprinter
  • 1970 – Enrico Ciccone, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1970 – Leonard Doroftei, Romanian-Canadian boxer
  • 1970 – Kenny Lattimore, American singer-songwriter
  • 1970 – Q-Tip, American rapper, producer, and actor
  • 1971 – Brad William Henke, American football player and actor
  • 1971 – Indro Olumets, Estonian footballer and coach
  • 1971 – Al Reyes, Dominican-American baseball player
  • 1972 – Ian Harvey, Australian cricketer
  • 1972 – Priit Kasesalu, Estonian computer programmer, co-created Skype
  • 1972 – Gordon Buchanan, Scottish film maker
  • 1973 – Guillaume Canet, French actor and director
  • 1973 – Roberto Carlos, Brazilian footballer and manager
  • 1973 – Aidan Moffat, Scottish singer-songwriter
  • 1973 – Christopher Simmons, Canadian-American graphic designer, author, and academic
  • 1974 – Eric Greitens, American soldier, author and politician
  • 1974 – Petros Passalis, Greek footballer
  • 1975 – Chris Carrabba, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1975 – Terrence Lewis, Indian dancer and choreographer
  • 1975 – David Harbour, American actor
  • 1976 – Clare Buckfield, English actress
  • 1976 – Yoshino Kimura, Japanese actress and singer
  • 1976 – Sara Renner, Canadian skier
  • 1977 – Stephanie Sheh, Taiwanese-American voice actress, director, and producer
  • 1978 – Sir Christus, Finnish guitarist
  • 1979 – Iván Alonso, Uruguayan footballer
  • 1979 – Kenyon Coleman, American football player
  • 1979 – Rachel Corrie, American author and activist (d. 2003)
  • 1979 – Tsuyoshi Domoto, Japanese singer-songwriter and actor
  • 1979 – Sophie Ellis-Bextor, English singer-songwriter
  • 1979 – Peter Kopteff, Finnish footballer
  • 1980 – Sean Avery, Canadian ice hockey player and model
  • 1980 – Charlie Hunnam, English actor
  • 1980 – Shao Jiayi, Chinese footballer
  • 1980 – Kasey Kahne, American race car driver
  • 1980 – Bryce Soderberg, American singer-songwriter and bass player
  • 1981 – Laura Bell Bundy, American actress and singer
  • 1981 – Liz McClarnon, English singer and dancer
  • 1981 – Michael Pitt, American actor, model and musician
  • 1981 – Alexei Semenov, Russian ice hockey player
  • 1982 – Andre Ethier, American baseball player
  • 1982 – Chyler Leigh, American actress and singer
  • 1983 – Jamie Chung, American actress
  • 1983 – Andrew Dost, American guitarist and songwriter
  • 1983 – Ryan Merriman, American actor
  • 1983 – Hannes Sigurðsson, Icelandic footballer
  • 1984 – Faustina Agolley, Australian television host
  • 1984 – Jeremy Barrett, American figure skater
  • 1984 – Mandy Moore, American singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1984 – David Obua, Ugandan footballer
  • 1984 – Damien Perquis, French-Polish footballer
  • 1984 – Gonzalo Javier Rodríguez, Argentinian footballer
  • 1985 – Barkhad Abdi, Somali-American actor and director
  • 1985 – Willo Flood, Irish footballer
  • 1985 – Jesús Gámez, Spanish footballer
  • 1985 – Dion Phaneuf, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1986 – Olivia Borlée, Belgian sprinter
  • 1986 – Fernando Gago, Argentine footballer
  • 1986 – Corey Kluber, American baseball pitcher
  • 1986 – Vincent Kompany, Belgian footballer
  • 1986 – Tore Reginiussen, Norwegian footballer
  • 1987 – Shay Mitchell, Canadian actress and model
  • 1987 – Hayley Westenra, New Zealand soprano
  • 1988 – Chris Heston, American baseball pitcher
  • 1988 – Kareem Jackson, American football player
  • 1988 – Haley Joel Osment, American actor
  • 1990 – Ben Amos, English footballer
  • 1990 – Andile Jali, South African footballer
  • 1990 – Ricky Leutele, Australian-Samoan rugby league player
  • 1990 – Maren Morris, American singer
  • 1990 – Alex Pettyfer, English actor
  • 1991 – AJ Michalka, American actress and singer
  • 1992 – Jack Buchanan, Australian rugby league player
  • 1992 – Sadio Mané, Senegalese footballer
  • 1992 – Daisy Ridley, English actress
  • 1993 – Sofia Carson, American singer and actress
  • 1994 – Siobhan Hunter, Scottish footballer
  • 1995 – Ian Nelson, American actor
  • 1996 – Thanasi Kokkinakis, Australian tennis player
  • 1996 – Audrey Whitby, American actress
  • 1998 – Anna Pogorilaya, Russian figure skater
  • 2001 – Ky Baldwin, Australian singer and actor
  • 2001 – Noa Kirel, Israeli singer

Deaths on April 10

  • 879 – Louis the Stammerer, king of West Francia (b. 846)
  • 943 – Landulf I, prince of Benevento and Capua
  • 948 – Hugh of Arles, king of Italy
  • 1008 – Notker of Liège, French bishop (b. 940)
  • 1216 – Eric X, king of Sweden (b. 1180)
  • 1282 – Ahmad Fanakati, chief minister under Kublai Khan
  • 1309 – Elisabeth von Rapperswil, Swiss countess (b. 1261)
  • 1362 – Maud, English noblewoman (b. 1339)
  • 1500 – Michael Tarchaniota Marullus, Greek scholar and poet
  • 1533 – Frederick I, king of Denmark and Norway (b. 1471)
  • 1545 – Costanzo Festa, Italian composer
  • 1585 – Gregory XIII, Pope of the Catholic Church (b. 1502)
  • 1598 – Jacopo Mazzoni, Italian philosopher (b. 1548)
  • 1599 – Gabrielle d’Estrées, French mistress of Henry IV of France (b. 1571)
  • 1601 – Mark Alexander Boyd, Scottish soldier and poet (b. 1562)
  • 1619 – Thomas Jones, English-Irish archbishop and politician, Lord Chancellor of Ireland (b. 1550)
  • 1640 – Agostino Agazzari, Italian composer and theorist (b. 1578)
  • 1644 – William Brewster, English official and pilgrim leader (b. 1566)
  • 1646 – Santino Solari, Swiss architect and sculptor (b. 1576)
  • 1667 – Jan Marek Marci, Czech physician and author (b. 1595)
  • 1704 – William Egon of Fürstenberg, German cardinal (b. 1629)
  • 1756 – Giacomo Antonio Perti, Italian composer (b. 1661)
  • 1760 – Jean Lebeuf, French historian and author (b. 1687)
  • 1786 – John Byron, English admiral and politician, 24th Commodore Governor of Newfoundland (b. 1723)
  • 1806 – Horatio Gates, English-American general (b. 1727)
  • 1813 – Joseph-Louis Lagrange, Italian mathematician and astronomer (b. 1736)
  • 1823 – Karl Leonhard Reinhold, Austrian philosopher and academic (b. 1757)
  • 1871 – Lucio Norberto Mansilla, Argentinian general and politician (b. 1789)
  • 1904 – Isabella II, Spanish queen (b. 1830)
  • 1909 – Algernon Charles Swinburne, English poet, playwright, novelist, and critic (b. 1837)
  • 1919 – Emiliano Zapata, Mexican general (b. 1879)
  • 1920 – Moritz Cantor, German mathematician and historian (b. 1829)
  • 1931 – Kahlil Gibran, Lebanese-American poet, painter, and philosopher (b. 1883)
  • 1935 – Rosa Campbell Praed, Australian novelist (b. 1851)
  • 1938 – King Oliver, American cornet player and bandleader (b. 1885)
  • 1942 – Carl Schenstrøm, Danish actor and director (b. 1881)
  • 1943 – Andreas Faehlmann, Estonian-German sailor and engineer (b. 1898)
  • 1945 – Hendrik Nicolaas Werkman, Dutch printer and typographer (b. 1882)
  • 1947 – Charles Nordhoff, English-American lieutenant and author (b. 1887)
  • 1950 – Fevzi Çakmak, Turkish field marshal and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Turkey (b. 1876)
  • 1954 – Auguste Lumière, French director and producer (b. 1862)
  • 1954 – Oscar Mathisen, Norwegian speed skater (b. 1888)
  • 1955 – Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, French priest, theologian, and philosopher (b. 1881)
  • 1958 – Chuck Willis, American singer-songwriter (b. 1928)
  • 1960 – André Berthomieu, French director and screenwriter (b. 1903)
  • 1962 – Michael Curtiz, Hungarian-American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1886)
  • 1962 – Stuart Sutcliffe, Scottish artist and musician (b. 1940)
  • 1965 – Lloyd Casner, American race car driver, founded Casner Motor Racing Division (b. 1928)
  • 1965 – Linda Darnell, American actress (b. 1923)
  • 1966 – Evelyn Waugh, English soldier, novelist, journalist and critic (b. 1903)
  • 1968 – Gustavs Celmiņš, Latvian lieutenant and politician (b. 1899)
  • 1969 – Harley Earl, American businessman (b. 1893)
  • 1975 – Walker Evans, American photographer (b. 1903)
  • 1975 – Marjorie Main, American actress (b. 1890)
  • 1978 – Hjalmar Mäe, Estonian politician (b. 1901)
  • 1979 – Nino Rota, Italian pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1911)
  • 1980 – Kay Medford, American actress and singer (b. 1919)
  • 1981 – Howard Thurman, American author, philosopher and civil rights activist (b. 1899)
  • 1983 – Issam Sartawi, Palestinian activist (b. 1935)
  • 1985 – Zisis Verros, Greek chieftain of the Macedonian Struggle (b. 1880)
  • 1986 – Linda Creed, American singer-songwriter (b. 1948)
  • 1991 – Kevin Peter Hall, American actor (b. 1955)
  • 1991 – Martin Hannett, English guitarist and producer (b. 1948)
  • 1991 – Natalie Schafer, American actress (b. 1900)
  • 1992 – Sam Kinison, American comedian and actor (b. 1953)
  • 1993 – Chris Hani, South African activist and politician (b. 1942)
  • 1994 – Sam B. Hall, Jr., American lawyer, judge, and politician (b. 1924)
  • 1995 – Morarji Desai, Indian politician, 4th Prime Minister of India (b. 1896)
  • 1997 – Michael Dorris, American author and academic (b. 1945)
  • 1998 – Seraphim of Athens, Greek archbishop (b. 1913)
  • 1999 – Heinz Fraenkel-Conrat, German-American biochemist and physician (b. 1910)
  • 1999 – Jean Vander Pyl, American actress and voice artist (b. 1919)
  • 2000 – Peter Jones, English actor and screenwriter (b. 1920)
  • 2000 – Larry Linville, American actor (b. 1939)
  • 2003 – Little Eva, American singer (b. 1943)
  • 2004 – Jacek Kaczmarski, Polish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and poet (b. 1957)
  • 2004 – Sakıp Sabancı, Turkish businessman and philanthropist, founded Sabancı Holding (b. 1933)
  • 2005 – Norbert Brainin, Austrian violinist (b. 1923)
  • 2005 – Scott Gottlieb, American drummer (b. 1970)
  • 2005 – Archbishop Iakovos of America (b. 1911)
  • 2005 – Al Lucas, American football player (b. 1978)
  • 2005 – Wally Tax, Dutch singer-songwriter (b. 1948)
  • 2007 – Charles Philippe Leblond, French-Canadian biologist and academic (b. 1910)
  • 2007 – Dakota Staton, American singer (b. 1930)
  • 2009 – Deborah Digges, American poet and educator (b. 1950)
  • 2010 – Casualties in the 2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash included:
    • Ryszard Kaczorowski, Polish soldier and politician, 6th President of the Republic of Poland (b. 1919)
    • Maria Kaczyńska, Polish economist, First Lady of Poland (b. 1942)
    • Lech Kaczyński, Polish lawyer and politician, 4th President of Poland (b. 1949)
    • Anna Walentynowicz, Ukrainian-Polish journalist and activist (b. 1929)
  • 2010 – Dixie Carter, American actress and singer (b. 1939)
  • 2012 – Raymond Aubrac, French engineer and activist (b. 1914)
  • 2012 – Barbara Buchholz, German theremin player and composer (b. 1959)
  • 2012 – Lili Chookasian, Armenian-American operatic singer (b. 1921)
  • 2012 – Luis Aponte Martínez, Puerto Rican cardinal (b. 1922)
  • 2012 – Akin Omoboriowo, Nigerian lawyer and politician (b. 1932)
  • 2013 – Lorenzo Antonetti, Italian cardinal (b. 1922)
  • 2013 – Raymond Boudon, French sociologist and academic (b. 1934)
  • 2013 – Binod Bihari Chowdhury, Bangladeshi activist (b. 1911)
  • 2013 – Robert Edwards, English physiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1925)
  • 2013 – Olive Lewin, Jamaican anthropologist, musicologist, and author (b. 1927)
  • 2013 – Gordon Thomas, English cyclist (b. 1921)
  • 2013 – Angela Voigt, German long jumper (b. 1951)
  • 2014 – Dominique Baudis, French journalist and politician (b. 1947)
  • 2014 – Jim Flaherty, Canadian lawyer and politician, 37th Canadian Minister of Finance (b. 1949)
  • 2014 – Richard Hoggart, English author and academic (b. 1918)
  • 2014 – Sue Townsend, English author and playwright (b. 1946)
  • 2015 – Richie Benaud, Australian cricketer and sportscaster (b. 1930)
  • 2015 – Raúl Héctor Castro, Mexican-American politician and diplomat, 14th Governor of Arizona (b. 1916)
  • 2015 – Judith Malina, German-American actress and director, co-founded The Living Theatre (b. 1926)
  • 2015 – Rose Francine Rogombé, Gabonese lawyer and politician, President of Gabon (b. 1942)
  • 2015 – Peter Walsh, Australian farmer and politician, 6th Australian Minister for Finance (b. 1935)
  • 2016 – Howard Marks, Welsh cannabis smuggler, writer, and legalisation campaigner (b. 1945)

Holidays and observances on April 10

  • Christian feast day:
    • Fulbert of Chartres
    • James, Azadanus and Abdicius
    • Mikael Agricola (Lutheran)
    • Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (Episcopal Church)
    • William of Ockham (Anglicanism)
    • William Law (Anglicanism)
    • April 10 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Day of the Builder (Azerbaijan)
  • Feast of the Third Day of the Writing of the Book of the Law (Thelema)
  • Siblings Day (International observance)
  • World Homeopathy Day

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

by
  • 190 – Dong Zhuo has his troops evacuate the capital Luoyang and burn it to the ground.
  • 475 – Byzantine Emperor Basiliscus issues a circular letter (Enkyklikon) to the bishops of his empire, supporting the Monophysite Christological position.
  • 537 – Siege of Rome: The Byzantine general Belisarius receives his promised reinforcements, 1,600 cavalry, mostly of Hunnic or Slavic origin and expert bowmen. He starts, despite shortages, raids against the Gothic camps and Vitiges is forced into a stalemate.
  • 1241 – Battle of Liegnitz: Mongol forces defeat the Polish and German armies.
  • 1288 – Mongol invasions of Vietnam: Yuan forces are defeated by Trần forces in the Battle of Bach Dang in present-day northern Vietnam.
  • 1388 – Despite being outnumbered 16 to 1, forces of the Old Swiss Confederacy are victorious over the Archduchy of Austria in the Battle of Näfels.
  • 1413 – Henry V is crowned King of England.
  • 1440 – Christopher of Bavaria is appointed King of Denmark.
  • 1454 – The Treaty of Lodi is signed, establishing a balance of power among northern Italian city-states for almost 50 years.
  • 1511 – St John’s College, Cambridge, England, founded by Lady Margaret Beaufort, receives its charter.
  • 1585 – The expedition organised by Sir Walter Raleigh departs England for Roanoke Island (now in North Carolina) to establish the Roanoke Colony.
  • 1609 – Eighty Years’ War: Spain and the Dutch Republic sign the Treaty of Antwerp to initiate twelve years of truce.
  • 1609 – Philip III of Spain issues the decree of the “Expulsion of the Moriscos”.
  • 1682 – Robert Cavelier de La Salle discovers the mouth of the Mississippi River, claims it for France and names it Louisiana.
  • 1782 – American Revolutionary War: Battle of the Saintes begins.
  • 1784 – The Treaty of Paris, ratified by the United States Congress on January 14, 1784, is ratified by King George III of the Kingdom of Great Britain, ending the American Revolutionary War. Copies of the ratified documents are exchanged on May 12, 1784.
  • 1860 – On his phonautograph machine, Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville makes the oldest known recording of an audible human voice.
  • 1865 – American Civil War: Robert E. Lee surrenders the Army of Northern Virginia (26,765 troops) to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, effectively ending the war.
  • 1909 – The U.S. Congress passes the Payne–Aldrich Tariff Act.
  • 1914 – Mexican Revolution: One of the world’s first naval/air skirmishes takes place off the coast of western Mexico.
  • 1916 – World War I: The Battle of Verdun: German forces launch their third offensive of the battle.
  • 1917 – World War I: The Battle of Arras: The battle begins with Canadian Corps executing a massive assault on Vimy Ridge.
  • 1918 – World War I: The Battle of the Lys: The Portuguese Expeditionary Corps is crushed by the German forces during what is called the Spring Offensive on the Belgian region of Flanders.
  • 1937 – The Kamikaze arrives at Croydon Airport in London. It is the first Japanese-built aircraft to fly to Europe.
  • 1939 – African-American singer Marian Anderson gives a concert at the Lincoln Memorial after being denied the use of Constitution Hall by the Daughters of the American Revolution.
  • 1940 – World War II: Operation Weserübung: Germany invades Denmark and Norway.
  • 1940 – Vidkun Quisling seizes power in Norway.
  • 1942 – World War II: The Battle of Bataan ends. An Indian Ocean raid by Japan’s 1st Air Fleet sinks the British aircraft carrier HMS Hermes and the Australian destroyer HMAS Vampire.
  • 1945 – Execution of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, anti-Nazi dissident and spy, by the Nazi regime.
  • 1945 – World War II: The German heavy cruiser Admiral Scheer is sunk by the Royal Air Force.
  • 1945 – World War II: The Battle of Königsberg, in East Prussia, ends.
  • 1945 – The United States Atomic Energy Commission is formed.
  • 1947 – The Glazier–Higgins–Woodward tornadoes kill 181 and injure 970 in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas.
  • 1947 – The Journey of Reconciliation, the first interracial Freedom Ride begins through the upper South in violation of Jim Crow laws. The riders wanted enforcement of the United States Supreme Court’s 1946 Irene Morgan decision that banned racial segregation in interstate travel.
  • 1947 – United Nations Security Council Resolution 22 relating to Corfu Channel incident is adopted.
  • 1948 – Jorge Eliécer Gaitán’s assassination provokes a violent riot in Bogotá (the Bogotazo), and a further ten years of violence in Colombia.
  • 1948 – Fighters from the Irgun and Lehi Zionist paramilitary groups attacked Deir Yassin near Jerusalem, killing over 100.
  • 1952 – Hugo Ballivián’s government is overthrown by the Bolivian National Revolution, starting a period of agrarian reform, universal suffrage and the nationalization of tin mines
  • 1957 – The Suez Canal in Egypt is cleared and opens to shipping following the Suez Crisis.
  • 1959 – Project Mercury: NASA announces the selection of the United States’ first seven astronauts, whom the news media quickly dub the “Mercury Seven”.
  • 1960 – Dr Hendrik Verwoerd, Prime Minister of South Africa and architect of apartheid, narrowly survives an assassination attempt by a white farmer, David Pratt in Johannesburg.
  • 1961 – The Pacific Electric Railway in Los Angeles, once the largest electric railway in the world, ends operations.
  • 1965 – Astrodome opens. First indoor baseball game is played.
  • 1967 – The first Boeing 737 (a 100 series) makes its maiden flight.
  • 1969 – The first British-built Concorde 002 makes its maiden flight from Filton to RAF Fairford.
  • 1975 – The first game of the Philippine Basketball Association, the second oldest professional basketball league in the world.
  • 1976 – The EMD F40PH diesel locomotive enters revenue service with Amtrak.
  • 1980 – The Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein kills philosopher Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr and his sister Bint al-Huda after three days of torture.
  • 1981 – The U.S. Navy nuclear submarine USS George Washington accidentally collides with the Nissho Maru, a Japanese cargo ship, sinking it.
  • 1989 – Tbilisi massacre: an anti-Soviet peaceful demonstration and hunger strike in Tbilisi, demanding restoration of Georgian independence, is dispersed by the Soviet Army, resulting in 20 deaths and hundreds of injuries.
  • 1990 – An IRA bombing in County Down, Northern Ireland, kills three members of the UDR.
  • 1990 – Thirteen thousand members of the Dene and Métis tribes sign a land claim agreement for 180,000 square kilometres (69,000 sq mi) in the Mackenzie Valley of the western Arctic.
  • 1991 – Georgia declares independence from the Soviet Union.
  • 1992 – A U.S. Federal Court finds former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega guilty of drug and racketeering charges. He is sentenced to 30 years in prison.
  • 1999 – Kosovo War: The Battle of Košare begins.
  • 2003 – Iraq War: Baghdad falls to American forces.
  • 2005 – Charles, Prince of Wales marries Camilla Parker Bowles in a civil ceremony at Windsor’s Guildhall.
  • 2009 – In Tbilisi, Georgia, up to 60,000 people protest against the government of Mikheil Saakashvili.
  • 2013 – A 6.1–magnitude earthquake strikes Iran killing 32 people and injuring over 850 people.
  • 2013 – At least 13 people are killed and another three injured after a man goes on a spree shooting in the Serbian village of Velika Ivanča.
  • 2014 – A student stabs 20 people at Franklin Regional High School in Murrysville, Pennsylvania.
  • 2017 – The Palm Sunday church bombings at Coptic churches in Tanta and Alexandria, Egypt, take place.
  • 2017 – After refusing to give up his seat on an overbooked United Airlines flight, Dr. David Dao Duy Anh is forcibly dragged off the flight by aviation security officers, leading to major criticism of United Airlines.

Births on April 9

  • 1285 – Ayurbarwada Buyantu Khan, Emperor Renzong of Yuan (d. 1320)
  • 1458 – Camilla Battista da Varano, Italian saint (d. 1524)
  • 1498 – Jean, Cardinal of Lorraine (d. 1550)
  • 1586 – Julius Henry, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg (d. 1665)
  • 1597 – John Davenport, English minister, co-founded the New Haven Colony (d. 1670)
  • 1598 – Johann Crüger, Sorbian-German composer and theorist (d. 1662)
  • 1624 – Henrik Rysensteen, Dutch military engineer (d. 1679)
  • 1627 – Johann Caspar Kerll, German organist and composer (d. 1693)
  • 1634 – Countess Albertine Agnes of Nassau (d. 1696)
  • 1648 – Henri de Massue, Earl of Galway, French soldier and diplomat (d. 1720)
  • 1649 – James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Staffordshire (d. 1685)
  • 1654 – Samuel Fritz, Czech Jesuit missionary to South America (d. 1725?)
  • 1680 – Philippe Néricault Destouches, French playwright (d. 1754)
  • 1686 – James Craggs the Younger, English politician, Secretary of State for the Southern Department (d. 1721)
  • 1691 – Johann Matthias Gesner, German scholar and academic (d. 1761)
  • 1717 – Georg Matthias Monn, Austrian organist, composer, and educator (d. 1750)
  • 1770 – Thomas Johann Seebeck, German physicist and academic (d. 1831)
  • 1773 – Étienne Aignan, French author and academic (d. 1824)
  • 1794 – Theobald Boehm, German flute player and composer (d. 1881)
  • 1802 – Elias Lönnrot, Finnish physician and philologist (d. 1884)
  • 1806 – Isambard Kingdom Brunel, English engineer, designed the Clifton Suspension Bridge (d. 1859)
  • 1807 – James Bannerman, Scottish theologian and academic (d. 1868)
  • 1821 – Charles Baudelaire, French poet and critic (d. 1867)
  • 1830 – Eadweard Muybridge, English photographer and cinematographer (d. 1904)
  • 1835 – Leopold II of Belgium (d. 1909)
  • 1835 – Somerset Lowry-Corry, 4th Earl Belmore (d. 1913)
  • 1846 – Paolo Tosti, Italian-English composer and educator (d. 1916)
  • 1848 – Ezequiél Moreno y Díaz, Spanish Augustinian Recollect priest and saint (d. 1906)
  • 1865 – Erich Ludendorff, German general and politician (d. 1937)
  • 1865 – Charles Proteus Steinmetz, Polish-American mathematician and engineer (d. 1923)
  • 1867 – Chris Watson, Chilean-Australian journalist and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1941)
  • 1867 – Charles Winckler, Danish tug of war competitor, discus thrower, and shot putter (d. 1932)
  • 1872 – Léon Blum, French lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 1950)
  • 1875 – Jacques Futrelle, American journalist and author (d. 1912)
  • 1880 – Jan Letzel, Czech architect (d. 1925)
  • 1882 – Frederick Francis IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (d. 1946)
  • 1882 – Otz Tollen, German actor (d. 1965)
  • 1883 – Frank King, American cartoonist (d. 1969)
  • 1887 – Konrad Tom, Polish actor, writer, singer, and director (d. 1957)
  • 1888 – Sol Hurok, Ukrainian-American talent manager (d. 1974)
  • 1893 – Charles E. Burchfield, American painter (d.1967)
  • 1893 – Victor Gollancz, English publisher, founded Victor Gollancz Ltd (d. 1967)
  • 1893 – Rahul Sankrityayan, Indian linguist, author, and scholar (d. 1963)
  • 1895 – Mance Lipscomb, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1976)
  • 1895 – Michel Simon, Swiss-French actor (d. 1975)
  • 1897 – John B. Gambling, American radio host (d. 1974)
  • 1898 – Curly Lambeau, American football player and coach (d. 1965)
  • 1898 – Paul Robeson, American singer, actor, and activist (d. 1976)
  • 1900 – Allen Jenkins, American actor and singer (d. 1974)
  • 1901 – Jean Bruchési, Canadian historian and author (d. 1979)
  • 1901 – Paul Willis, American actor and director (d. 1960)
  • 1902 – Théodore Monod, French explorer and scholar (d. 2000)
  • 1903 – Ward Bond, American actor (d. 1960)
  • 1904 – Sharkey Bonano, American singer, trumpet player, and bandleader (d. 1972)
  • 1905 – J. William Fulbright, American lawyer and politician (d. 1995)
  • 1906 – Rafaela Aparicio, Spanish actress (d. 1996)
  • 1906 – Antal Doráti, Hungarian-American conductor and composer (d. 1988)
  • 1906 – Hugh Gaitskell, British politician and leader of the Labour Party (d. 1963)
  • 1906 – Victor Vasarely, Hungarian-French painter (d. 1997)
  • 1908 – Joseph Krumgold, American author and screenwriter (d. 1980)
  • 1909 – Robert Helpmann, Australian dancer, actor, and choreographer (d. 1986)
  • 1910 – Abraham A. Ribicoff, American lawyer and politician, 4th United States Secretary of Health and Human Services (d. 1998)
  • 1912 – Lev Kopelev, Ukrainian-German author and academic (d. 1997)
  • 1915 – Daniel Johnson Sr., Canadian lawyer and politician, 20th Premier of Quebec (d. 1968)
  • 1916 – Julian Dash, American swing music jazz tenor saxophonist (d. 1974)
  • 1916 – Heinz Meyer, German Fallschirmjäger (paratrooper) during World War II (d. 1987)
  • 1916 – Bill Leonard, American journalist (d. 1994)
  • 1917 – Johannes Bobrowski, German songwriter and poet (d. 1965)
  • 1917 – Ronnie Burgess, Welsh international footballer left-half and manager (d. 2005)
  • 1917 – Brad Dexter, American actor (d. 2002)
  • 1917 – Henry Hewes, American theater writer (d. 2006)
  • 1918 – Jørn Utzon, Danish architect, designed the Sydney Opera House (d. 2008)
  • 1919 – J. Presper Eckert, American engineer, invented the ENIAC (d. 1995)
  • 1921 – Jean-Marie Balestre, French businessman (d. 2008)
  • 1921 – Yitzhak Navon, Israeli politician (d. 2015)
  • 1921 – Frankie Thomas, American actor (d. 2006)
  • 1921 – Mary Jackson, African-American mathematician and aerospace engineer (d. 2005)
  • 1922 – Carl Amery, German author and activist (d. 2005)
  • 1923 – Leonard Levy, American historian and author (d. 2006)
  • 1924 – Arthur Shaw, English professional footballer (d. 2015)
  • 1925 – Virginia Gibson, American actress, singer, and dancer (d. 2013)
  • 1925 – Art Kane, American photographer (d. 1995)
  • 1926 – Gerry Fitt, Northern Irish soldier and politician; British life peer (d. 2005)
  • 1926 – Hugh Hefner, American publisher, founded Playboy Enterprises (d. 2017)
  • 1926 – Harris Wofford, American politician, author and civil rights activist (d. 2019)
  • 1927 – Tiny Hill, New Zealand rugby player (d. 2019)
  • 1928 – Paul Arizin, American basketball player (d. 2006)
  • 1928 – Tom Lehrer, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and mathematician
  • 1929 – Sharan Rani Backliwal, Indian sarod player and scholar (d. 2008)
  • 1929 – Fred Hollows, New Zealand-Australian ophthalmologist (d. 1993)
  • 1929 – Paule Marshall, American author and academic (d. 2019)
  • 1930 – Nathaniel Branden, Canadian-American psychotherapist and author (d. 2014)
  • 1930 – F. Albert Cotton, American chemist and academic (d. 2007)
  • 1930 – Jim Fowler, American zoologist and television host (d. 2019)
  • 1930 – Wallace McCain, Canadian businessman, founded McCain Foods (d. 2011)
  • 1931 – Richard Hatfield, Canadian lawyer and politician, 26th Premier of New Brunswick (d. 1991)
  • 1932 – Armin Jordan, Swiss conductor (d. 2006)
  • 1932 – Peter Moores, English businessman and philanthropist (d. 2016)
  • 1932 – Carl Perkins, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1998)
  • 1933 – Jean-Paul Belmondo, French actor and producer
  • 1933 – René Burri, Swiss photographer and journalist (d. 2014)
  • 1933 – Fern Michaels, American author
  • 1933 – Richard Rose, American political scientist and academic
  • 1933 – Gian Maria Volonté, Italian actor (d. 1994)
  • 1934 – Bill Birch, New Zealand surveyor and politician, 38th New Zealand Minister of Finance
  • 1934 – Tom Phillis, Australian motorcycle racer (d. 1962)
  • 1934 – Mariya Pisareva, Russian high jumper
  • 1935 – Aulis Sallinen, Finnish composer and academic
  • 1935 – Avery Schreiber, American actor and comedian (d. 2002)
  • 1936 – Jerzy Maksymiuk, Polish pianist, composer, and conductor
  • 1936 – Valerie Solanas, American radical feminist author, attempted murderer (d. 1988)
  • 1937 – Simon Brown, Baron Brown of Eaton-under-Heywood, English lieutenant, lawyer, and judge
  • 1937 – Marty Krofft, Canadian screenwriter and producer
  • 1937 – Valerie Singleton, English television and radio host
  • 1938 – Viktor Chernomyrdin, Russian businessman and politician, 30th Prime Minister of Russia (d. 2010)
  • 1939 – Michael Learned, American actress
  • 1940 – Hans-Joachim Reske, German sprinter
  • 1940 – Jim Roberts, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach (d. 2015)
  • 1941 – Kay Adams, American singer-songwriter
  • 1942 – Brandon deWilde, American actor (d. 1972)
  • 1942 – Margo Smith, American singer-songwriter
  • 1943 – Leila Khaled, Palestinian activist
  • 1943 – Terry Knight, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2004)
  • 1944 – Joe Brinkman, American baseball player and umpire
  • 1944 – Heinz-Joachim Rothenburg, German shot putter
  • 1945 – Steve Gadd, American drummer and percussionist[9]
  • 1946 – Nate Colbert, American baseball player[10]
  • 1946 – Alan Knott, English cricketer[11]
  • 1946 – Sara Parkin, Scottish activist and politician[12]
  • 1946 – David Webb, English footballer, coach, and manager
  • 1947 – Giovanni Andrea Cornia, Italian economist and academic
  • 1948 – Jaya Bachchan, Indian actress and politician
  • 1948 – Michel Parizeau, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1948 – Patty Pravo, Italian singer
  • 1949 – Tony Cragg, English sculptor
  • 1952 – Robert Clark, American author
  • 1952 – Bruce Robertson, New Zealand rugby player
  • 1952 – Tania Tsanaklidou, Greek singer and actress
  • 1953 – John Howard, English singer-songwriter and pianist
  • 1953 – Hal Ketchum, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1953 – Stephen Paddock, American mass murderer responsible for the 2017 Las Vegas shooting (d. 2017)
  • 1954 – Ken Kalfus, American journalist and author
  • 1954 – Dennis Quaid, American actor
  • 1954 – Iain Duncan Smith, British soldier and politician, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
  • 1955 – Yamina Benguigui, Algerian-French director and politician
  • 1955 – Joolz Denby, English poet and author
  • 1956 – Miguel Ángel Russo, Argentinian footballer and coach
  • 1956 – Nigel Shadbolt, English computer scientist and academic
  • 1956 – Vahur Sova, Estonian architect
  • 1956 – Marina Zoueva, Russian ice dancer and coach
  • 1957 – Seve Ballesteros, Spanish golfer and architect (d. 2011)
  • 1957 – Martin Margiela, Belgian fashion designer
  • 1957 – Jamie Redfern, English-born Australian television presenter, and pop singer
  • 1958 – Tony Sibson, English boxer
  • 1958 – Nigel Slater, English food writer and author
  • 1959 – Bernard Jenkin, English businessman and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
  • 1960 – Jaak Aab, Estonian educator and politician, Minister of Social Affairs of Estonia
  • 1961 – Mark Kelly, Irish keyboard player
  • 1961 – Kirk McCaskill, Canadian-American baseball and hockey player
  • 1962 – John Eaves, American production designer and illustrator
  • 1962 – Ihor Podolchak, Ukrainian director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1962 – Imran Sherwani, English field hockey player
  • 1962 – Jeff Turner, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster
  • 1963 – Marc Jacobs, American-French fashion designer
  • 1963 – Joe Scarborough, American journalist, lawyer, and politician
  • 1964 – Rob Awalt, German-American football player
  • 1964 – Juliet Cuthbert, Jamaican sprinter
  • 1964 – Peter Penashue, Canadian businessman and politician, 9th Canadian Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs
  • 1964 – Margaret Peterson Haddix, American author
  • 1964 – Rick Tocchet, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach
  • 1965 – Helen Alfredsson, Swedish golfer
  • 1965 – Paulina Porizkova, Czech-born Swedish-American model and actress
  • 1965 – Jeff Zucker, American businessman
  • 1966 – John Hammond, English weather forecaster
  • 1966 – Cynthia Nixon, American actress
  • 1967 – Natascha Engel, German-English translator and politician
  • 1967 – Sam Harris, American author, philosopher, and neuroscientist
  • 1968 – Jay Chandrasekhar, American actor, comedian, writer and director
  • 1969 – Barnaby Kay, English actor
  • 1969 – Linda Kisabaka, German runner
  • 1970 – Chorão, Brazilian singer-songwriter (d. 2013)
  • 1971 – Peter Canavan, Irish footballer and manager
  • 1971 – Leo Fortune-West, English footballer and manager
  • 1971 – Austin Peck, American actor
  • 1971 – Jacques Villeneuve, Canadian race car driver
  • 1972 – Bernard Ackah, German-Japanese martial artist and kick-boxer
  • 1972 – Siiri Vallner, Estonian architect
  • 1974 – Megan Connolly, Australian actress (d. 2001)
  • 1974 – Jenna Jameson, American actress and pornographic performer
  • 1975 – Robbie Fowler, English footballer and manager
  • 1975 – David Gordon Green, American director and screenwriter
  • 1976 – Kyle Peterson, American baseball player and sportscaster
  • 1977 – Gerard Way, American singer-songwriter and comic book writer
  • 1978 – Kousei Amano, Japanese actor
  • 1978 – Jorge Andrade, Portuguese footballer
  • 1978 – Rachel Stevens, English singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress
  • 1979 – Jeff Reed, American football player
  • 1979 – Keshia Knight Pulliam, American actress
  • 1980 – Sarah Ayton, English sailor
  • 1980 – Luciano Galletti, Argentinian footballer
  • 1980 – Albert Hammond Jr., American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1981 – Milan Bartovič, Slovak ice hockey player
  • 1981 – A. J. Ellis, American baseball player
  • 1981 – Ireneusz Jeleń, Polish footballer
  • 1981 – Dennis Sarfate, American baseball player
  • 1981 – Eric Harris, American mass murderer, responsible for the Columbine High School massacre (d. 1999)
  • 1982 – Jay Baruchel, Canadian actor
  • 1982 – Carlos Hernández, Costa Rican footballer
  • 1982 – Kathleen Munroe, Canadian-American actress
  • 1983 – Ryan Clark, Australian actor
  • 1984 – Habiba Ghribi, Tunisian runner[13]
  • 1984 – Adam Loewen, Canadian baseball player
  • 1984 – Óscar Razo, Mexican footballer
  • 1985 – Antonio Nocerino, Italian footballer
  • 1985 – David Robertson, American baseball player
  • 1986 – Mike Hart, American football player
  • 1986 – Leighton Meester, American actress
  • 1987 – Kassim Abdallah, French-Comorian footballer
  • 1987 – Graham Gano, American football player
  • 1987 – Craig Mabbitt, American singer
  • 1987 – Jesse McCartney, American singer-songwriter and actor
  • 1987 – Jarrod Mullen, Australian rugby league player
  • 1987 – Jazmine Sullivan, American singer-songwriter
  • 1988 – Michel Alves Baroni, Brazilian footballer
  • 1988 – Jeremy Metcalfe, English racing driver
  • 1989 – Danielle Kahle, American figure skater
  • 1990 – Kristen Stewart, American actress
  • 1990 – Ryan Williams, American football player
  • 1991 – Ryan Kelly, American basketball player
  • 1991 – Mary Killman, American synchronized swimmer
  • 1992 – Joshua Ledet, American singer
  • 1994 – Joey Pollari, American actor
  • 1995 – Domagoj Bošnjak, Croatian basketball player
  • 1995 – Robert Bauer, German-Kazakhstani footballer
  • 1996 – Jayden Brailey, Australian rugby league player[14]
  • 1996 – Giovani Lo Celso, Argentinian international footballer, midfielder[15]
  • 1998 – Elle Fanning, American actress[16]
  • 1999 – Montero Lamar Hill, American rapper[17]
  • 2000 – Jackie Evancho, American singer[18]

Deaths on April 9

  • 585 BC – Jimmu, emperor of Japan (b. 711 BC)
  • AD 93 – Yuan An, Chinese scholar and politician
  • 436 – Tan Daoji, Chinese general and politician
  • 491 – Zeno, emperor of the Byzantine Empire (b. 425)
  • 682 – Maslama ibn Mukhallad al-Ansari, Egyptian politician, Governor of Egypt (b. 616)
  • 715 – Constantine, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 664)
  • 1024 – Benedict VIII, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 980)
  • 1137 – William X, duke of Aquitaine (b. 1099)
  • 1241 – Henry II, High Duke of Poland (b. 1196)
  • 1283 – Margaret of Scotland, queen of Norway (b. 1261)
  • 1327 – Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland, Scottish nobleman (ca. 1296)
  • 1483 – Edward IV, king of England (b. 1442)
  • 1484 – Edward of Middleheim, prince of Wales (b. 1473)
  • 1550 – Alqas Mirza, Safavid prince (b. 1516)[19]
  • 1553 – François Rabelais, French monk and scholar (b. 1494)
  • 1557 – Mikael Agricola, Finnish priest and scholar (b. 1510)
  • 1626 – Francis Bacon, English jurist and politician, Attorney General for England and Wales (b. 1561)
  • 1654 – Matei Basarab, Romanian prince (b. 1588)
  • 1693 – Roger de Rabutin, Comte de Bussy, French author (b. 1618)
  • 1747 – Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat, Scottish soldier and politician (b. 1667)
  • 1754 – Christian Wolff, German philosopher and academic (b. 1679)
  • 1761 – William Law, English priest and theologian (b. 1686)
  • 1768 – Sarah Fielding, English author (b. 1710)
  • 1804 – Jacques Necker, Swiss-French politician, Chief Minister to the French Monarch (b. 1732)
  • 1806 – William V, stadtholder of the Dutch Republic (b. 1748)
  • 1872 – Erastus Corning, American businessman and politician (b. 1794)
  • 1876 – Charles Goodyear, American lawyer, judge, and politician (b. 1804)
  • 1882 – Dante Gabriel Rossetti, English poet and painter (b. 1828)
  • 1889 – Michel Eugène Chevreul, French chemist and academic (b. 1786)
  • 1909 – Helena Modjeska, Polish-American actress (b. 1840)
  • 1915 – Raymond Whittindale, English rugby player (b. 1883)
  • 1917 – James Hope Moulton, English philologist and scholar (b. 1863)
  • 1922 – Hans Fruhstorfer, German entomologist and explorer (b. 1866)
  • 1926 – Zip the Pinhead, American freak show performer (b. 1857)
  • 1936 – Ferdinand Tönnies, German sociologist and philosopher (b. 1855)
  • 1940 – Mrs Patrick Campbell, English actress (b. 1865)
  • 1944 – Yevgeniya Rudneva, Ukrainian lieutenant and pilot (b. 1920)
  • 1945 – Dietrich Bonhoeffer, German pastor and theologian (b. 1906)
  • 1945 – Wilhelm Canaris, German admiral (b. 1887)
  • 1945 – Johann Georg Elser, German carpenter (b. 1903)
  • 1945 – Hans Oster, German general (b. 1887)
  • 1945 – Karl Sack, German lawyer and jurist (b. 1896)
  • 1945 – Hans von Dohnányi, Austrian-German lawyer and jurist (b. 1902)
  • 1948 – George Carpenter, Australian 5th General of The Salvation Army (b. 1872)
  • 1948 – Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, Colombian lawyer and politician, 16th Colombian Minister of National Education (b. 1903)
  • 1951 – Vilhelm Bjerknes, Norwegian physicist and meteorologist (b. 1862)
  • 1953 – Eddie Cochems, American football player and coach (b. 1877)
  • 1953 – C. E. M. Joad, English philosopher and television host (b. 1891)
  • 1953 – Hans Reichenbach, German philosopher from the Vienna Circle (b. 1891)
  • 1959 – Frank Lloyd Wright, American architect, designed the Price Tower and Fallingwater (b. 1867)
  • 1961 – Zog I of Albania (b. 1895)
  • 1963 – Eddie Edwards, American trombonist (b. 1891)
  • 1963 – Xul Solar, Argentinian painter and sculptor (b. 1887)
  • 1970 – Gustaf Tenggren, Swedish-American illustrator and animator (b. 1896)
  • 1976 – Dagmar Nordstrom, American singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1903)
  • 1976 – Phil Ochs, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1940)
  • 1976 – Renato Petronio, Italian rower (b. 1891)
  • 1978 – Clough Williams-Ellis, English-Welsh architect, designed Portmeirion (b. 1883)
  • 1980 – Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr, Iraqi cleric and philosopher (b. 1935)
  • 1982 – Wilfrid Pelletier, Canadian pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1896)
  • 1988 – Brook Benton, American singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1931)
  • 1988 – Hans Berndt, German footballer (b. 1913)
  • 1988 – Dave Prater, American singer (b. 1937)
  • 1991 – Forrest Towns, American hurdler and coach (b. 1914)
  • 1993 – Joseph B. Soloveitchik, American rabbi and philosopher (b. 1903)
  • 1996 – Richard Condon, American author and publicist (b. 1915)
  • 1997 – Mae Boren Axton, American singer-songwriter (b. 1914)
  • 1997 – Helene Hanff, American author and screenwriter (b. 1916)
  • 1998 – Tom Cora, American cellist and composer (b. 1953)
  • 1999 – Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara, Nigerien general and politician, President of Niger (b. 1949)
  • 2001 – Willie Stargell, American baseball player and coach (b. 1940)
  • 2002 – Pat Flaherty, American race car driver (b. 1926)
  • 2002 – Leopold Vietoris, Austrian soldier, mathematician, and academic (b. 1891)
  • 2003 – Jerry Bittle, American cartoonist (b. 1949)
  • 2006 – Billy Hitchcock, American baseball player, coach, manager (b. 1916)
  • 2006 – Vilgot Sjöman, Swedish director and screenwriter (b. 1924)
  • 2007 – Egon Bondy, Czech philosopher and poet (b. 1930)
  • 2007 – Dorrit Hoffleit, American astronomer and academic (b. 1907)
  • 2009 – Nick Adenhart, American baseball player (b. 1986)
  • 2010 – Zoltán Varga, Hungarian footballer and manager (b. 1945)
  • 2011 – Zakariya Rashid Hassan al-Ashiri, Bahraini journalist (b. 1971)
  • 2011 – Sidney Lumet, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1924)
  • 2012 – Malcolm Thomas, Welsh rugby player and cricketer (b. 1929)
  • 2013 – David Hayes, American sculptor and painter (b. 1931)
  • 2013 – Greg McCrary, American football player (b. 1952)
  • 2013 – Mordechai Mishani, Israeli lawyer and politician (b. 1945)
  • 2013 – McCandlish Phillips, American journalist and author (b. 1927)
  • 2013 – Paolo Soleri, Italian-American architect, designed the Cosanti (b. 1919)
  • 2014 – Gil Askey, American trumpet player, composer, and producer (b. 1925)
  • 2014 – Chris Banks, American football player (b. 1973)
  • 2014 – Rory Ellinger, American lawyer and politician (b. 1941)
  • 2014 – Norman Girvan, Jamaican economist, academic, and politician (b. 1941)
  • 2014 – Aelay Narendra, Indian politician (b. 1946)
  • 2014 – A. N. R. Robinson, Trinbagonian politician, 3rd President of Trinidad and Tobago (b. 1926)
  • 2014 – Svetlana Velmar-Janković, Serbian author (b. 1933)
  • 2015 – Paul Almond, Canadian-American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1931)
  • 2015 – Margaret Rule, British marine archaeologist (b. 1928)
  • 2015 – Nina Companeez, French director and screenwriter (b. 1937)
  • 2015 – Alexander Dalgarno, English physicist and academic (b. 1928)
  • 2015 – Ivan Doig, American journalist and author (b. 1939)
  • 2015 – Tsien Tsuen-hsuin, Chinese-American academic (b. 1909)
  • 2016 – Duane Clarridge, American spy (b. 1932)
  • 2016 – Will Smith, American football player (b. 1981)
  • 2017 – John Clarke, New Zealand-Australian comedian, writer, and satirist (b. 1948)

Holidays and observances on April 9

  • Christian feast day:
    • Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Anglicanism, Lutheranism)
    • Gaucherius
    • Materiana
    • Waltrude
    • April 9 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Anniversary of the German Invasion of Denmark (Denmark)
  • Baghdad Liberation Day (Iraqi Kurdistan)
  • Bataan Day or Araw ng Kagitingan (Philippines)
  • Constitution Day (Kosovo)
  • Day of National Unity (Georgia)
  • Day of the Finnish Language (Finland)
  • Feast of the Second Day of the Writing of the Book of the Law (Thelema)
  • Martyr’s Day (Tunisia)
  • National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day (United States)
  • Remembrance for Haakon Sigurdsson (The Troth)
  • Vimy Ridge Day (Canada)

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

by
  • 217 – Roman Emperor Caracalla is assassinated. He is succeeded by his Praetorian Guard prefect, Marcus Opellius Macrinus.
  • 632 – King Charibert II is assassinated at Blaye (Gironde), along with his infant son Chilperic.
  • 876 – The Battle of Dayr al-‘Aqul saves Baghdad from the Saffarids.
  • 1093 – The new Winchester Cathedral is dedicated by Walkelin.
  • 1139 – Roger II of Sicily is excommunicated.
  • 1149 – Pope Eugene III takes refuge in the castle of Ptolemy II of Tusculum.
  • 1232 – Mongol–Jin War: The Mongols begin their siege on Kaifeng, the capital of the Jin dynasty.
  • 1271 – In Syria, sultan Baibars conquers the Krak des Chevaliers.
  • 1665 – English colonial patents are granted for the establishment of the Monmouth Tract, for what would eventually become Monmouth County in northeastern New Jersey.
  • 1730 – Shearith Israel, the first synagogue in New York City, is dedicated.
  • 1740 – War of Jenkins’ Ear: Three British ships capture the Spanish third-rate Princesa, taken into service as HMS Princess.
  • 1808 – The Roman Catholic Diocese of Baltimore is promoted to an archdiocese, with the founding of the dioceses of New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and Bardstown (now Louisville) by Pope Pius VII.
  • 1820 – The Venus de Milo is discovered on the Aegean island of Milos.
  • 1832 – Black Hawk War: Around three-hundred United States 6th Infantry troops leave St. Louis, Missouri to fight the Sauk Native Americans.
  • 1864 – American Civil War: Battle of Mansfield: Union forces are thwarted by the Confederate army at Mansfield, Louisiana.
  • 1866 – Italy and Prussia ally against the Austrian Empire.
  • 1886 – William Ewart Gladstone introduces the first Irish Home Rule Bill into the British House of Commons.
  • 1895 – In Pollock v. Farmers’ Loan & Trust Co. the Supreme Court of the United States declares unapportioned income tax to be unconstitutional.
  • 1904 – The French Third Republic and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland sign the Entente cordiale.
  • 1904 – Longacre Square in Midtown Manhattan is renamed Times Square after The New York Times.
  • 1906 – Auguste Deter, the first person to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, dies.
  • 1908 – H. H. Asquith of the Liberal Party takes office as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, succeeding Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman.
  • 1908 – Harvard University votes to establish the Harvard Business School.
  • 1911 – Dutch physicist Heike Kamerlingh Onnes discovers superconductivity.
  • 1913 – The 17th Amendment to the United States Constitution, requiring direct election of Senators, becomes law.
  • 1916 – In Corona, California, race car driver Bob Burman crashes, killing three (including himself), and badly injuring five spectators.
  • 1918 – World War I: Actors Douglas Fairbanks and Charlie Chaplin sell war bonds on the streets of New York City’s financial district.
  • 1924 – Sharia courts are abolished in Turkey, as part of Atatürk’s Reforms.
  • 1929 – Indian independence movement: At the Delhi Central Assembly, Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt throw handouts and bombs to court arrest.
  • 1935 – The Works Progress Administration is formed when the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act of 1935 becomes law.
  • 1942 – World War II: Siege of Leningrad: Soviet forces open a much-needed railway link to Leningrad.
  • 1942 – World War II: The Japanese take Bataan in the Philippines.
  • 1943 – U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in an attempt to check inflation, freezes wages and prices, prohibits workers from changing jobs unless the war effort would be aided thereby, and bars rate increases by common carriers and public utilities.
  • 1943 – Otto and Elise Hampel are executed in Berlin for their anti-Nazi activities.
  • 1945 – World War II: After an air raid accidentally destroys a train carrying about 4,000 Nazi concentration camp internees in Prussian Hanover, the survivors are massacred by Nazis.
  • 1946 – Électricité de France, the world’s largest utility company, is formed as a result of the nationalisation of a number of electricity producers, transporters and distributors.
  • 1950 – India and Pakistan sign the Liaquat–Nehru Pact.
  • 1952 – U.S. President Harry Truman calls for the seizure of all domestic steel mills in an attempt to prevent the 1952 steel strike.
  • 1953 – Mau Mau leader Jomo Kenyatta is convicted by British Kenya’s rulers.
  • 1954 – A Royal Canadian Air Force Canadair Harvard collides with a Trans-Canada Airlines Canadair North Star over Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, killing 37 people.
  • 1954 – South African Airways Flight 201 A de Havilland DH.106 Comet 1 crashes into the sea during night killing 21 people.
  • 1959 – A team of computer manufacturers, users, and university people led by Grace Hopper meets to discuss the creation of a new programming language that would be called COBOL.
  • 1959 – The Organization of American States drafts an agreement to create the Inter-American Development Bank.
  • 1960 – The Netherlands and West Germany sign an agreement to negotiate the return of German land annexed by the Dutch in return for 280 million German marks as Wiedergutmachung.
  • 1961 – A large explosion on board the MV Dara in the Persian Gulf kills 238.
  • 1964 – The Gemini 1 test flight is conducted.
  • 1968 – BOAC Flight 712 catches fire shortly after takeoff. As a result of her actions in the accident, Barbara Jane Harrison is awarded a posthumous George Cross, the only GC awarded to a woman in peacetime.
  • 1970 – Bahr El-Baqar primary school bombing: Israeli bombers strike an Egyptian school. Forty-six children are killed.
  • 1974 – At Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium, Hank Aaron hits his 715th career home run to surpass Babe Ruth’s 39-year-old record.
  • 1975 – Frank Robinson manages the Cleveland Indians in his first game as major league baseball’s first African American manager.
  • 1987 – Los Angeles Dodgers executive Al Campanis resigns amid controversy over racially charged remarks he had made while on Nightline.
  • 1992 – Retired tennis great Arthur Ashe announces that he has AIDS, acquired from blood transfusions during one of his two heart surgeries.
  • 1993 – The Republic of North Macedonia joins the United Nations.
  • 1999 – Haryana Gana Parishad, a political party in the Indian state of Haryana, merges with the Indian National Congress.
  • 2004 – War in Darfur: The Humanitarian Ceasefire Agreement is signed by the Sudanese government and two rebel groups.
  • 2006 – Shedden massacre: The bodies of eight men, all shot to death, are found in a field in Shedden, Elgin County, Ontario. The murders are soon linked to the Bandidos Motorcycle Club.
  • 2008 – The construction of the world’s first skyscraper to integrate wind turbines is completed in Bahrain.
  • 2013 – The Islamic State of Iraq enters the Syrian Civil War and begins by declaring a merger with the Al-Nusra Front under the name Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham.

Births on April 8

  • 1320 – Peter I of Portugal (d. 1367)
  • 1408 – Jadwiga of Lithuania, Polish princess (d. 1431)
  • 1435 – John Clifford, 9th Baron de Clifford, English noble (d. 1461)
  • 1533 – Claudio Merulo, Italian organist and composer (d. 1604)
  • 1536 – Barbara of Hesse (d. 1597)
  • 1541 – Michele Mercati, Italian physician and archaeologist (d. 1593)
  • 1580 – William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke, English noble, courtier and patron of the arts (d. 1630)
  • 1596 – Juan van der Hamen, Spanish artist (d. 1631)
  • 1605 – Philip IV of Spain (d. 1665)
  • 1605 – Mary Stuart, English-Scottish princess (d. 1607)
  • 1641 – Henry Sydney, 1st Earl of Romney, English general and politician, Secretary of State for the Northern Department (d. 1704)
  • 1692 – Giuseppe Tartini, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1770)
  • 1726 – Lewis Morris, American judge and politician (d. 1798)
  • 1732 – David Rittenhouse, American astronomer and mathematician (d. 1796)
  • 1761 – William Joseph Chaminade, French priest, founded the Society of Mary (d. 1850)
  • 1770 – John Thomas Campbell, Irish-Australian banker and politician (d. 1830)
  • 1798 – Dionysios Solomos, Greek poet and author (d. 1857)
  • 1818 – Christian IX of Denmark (d. 1906)
  • 1818 – August Wilhelm von Hofmann, German chemist and academic (d. 1892)
  • 1826 – Pancha Carrasco, Costa Rican soldier (d. 1890)
  • 1827 – Ramón Emeterio Betances, Puerto Rican ophthalmologist, journalist, and politician (d. 1898)
  • 1842 – Elizabeth Bacon Custer, American author and educator (d. 1933)
  • 1859 – Edmund Husserl, German Jewish-Austrian mathematician and philosopher (d. 1938)
  • 1864 – Carlos Deltour, French rower and rugby player (d. 1920)
  • 1867 – Allen Butler Talcott, American painter and educator (d. 1908)
  • 1869 – Harvey Cushing, American surgeon and academic (d. 1939)
  • 1871 – Clarence Hudson White, American photographer and educator (d. 1925)
  • 1874 – Manuel Díaz, Cuban fencer (d. 1929)
  • 1874 – Stanisław Taczak, Polish general (d. 1960)
  • 1875 – Albert I of Belgium (d. 1934)
  • 1882 (O.S. 27 March) – Dmytro Doroshenko, Lithuanian-Ukrainian historian and politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and Prime Minister of Ukraine (d. 1951)
  • 1883 – R. P. Keigwin, English cricketer and academic (d. 1972)
  • 1883 – Julius Seljamaa, Estonian journalist and politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia (d. 1936)
  • 1885 – Dimitrios Levidis, Greek-French soldier, composer, and educator (d. 1951)
  • 1886 – Margaret Ayer Barnes, American author and playwright (d. 1967)
  • 1888 – Dennis Chávez, American journalist and politician (d. 1962)
  • 1889 – Adrian Boult, English conductor (d. 1983)
  • 1892 – Richard Neutra, Austrian-American architect, designed the Los Angeles County Hall of Records (d. 1970)
  • 1892 – Mary Pickford, Canadian-American actress, producer, and screenwriter, co-founded United Artists (d. 1979)
  • 1896 – Yip Harburg, American composer (d. 1981)
  • 1900 – Marie Byles, Australian solicitor (d. 1979)
  • 1902 – Andrew Irvine, English mountaineer and explorer (d. 1924)
  • 1902 – Maria Maksakova Sr., Russian soprano (d. 1974)
  • 1904 – John Hicks, English economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1989)
  • 1904 – Hirsch Jacobs, American horse trainer (d. 1970)
  • 1905 – Joachim Büchner, German sprinter and graphic designer (d. 1978)
  • 1905 – Helen Joseph, English-South African activist (d. 1992)
  • 1905 – Erwin Keller, German field hockey player (d. 1971)
  • 1906 – Raoul Jobin, Canadian tenor and educator (d. 1974)
  • 1908 – Hugo Fregonese, Argentinian director and screenwriter (d. 1987)
  • 1909 – John Fante, American author and screenwriter (d. 1983)
  • 1910 – George Musso, American football player and police officer (d. 2000)
  • 1911 – Melvin Calvin, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1997)
  • 1911 – Emil Cioran, Romanian-French philosopher and academic (d. 1995)
  • 1912 – Alois Brunner, Austrian-German SS officer (d. 2001 or 2010)
  • 1912 – Sonja Henie, Norwegian-American figure skater and actress (d. 1969)
  • 1914 – María Félix, Yaqui/Basque-Mexican actress (d. 2002)
  • 1915 – Ivan Supek, Croatian physicist, philosopher and writer (d. 2007)
  • 1917 – Winifred Asprey, American mathematician and computer scientist (d. 2007)
  • 1917 – Lloyd Bott, Australian public servant (d. 2004)
  • 1917 – Hubertus Ernst, Dutch bishop (d. 2017)
  • 1917 – Grigori Kuzmin, Russian-Estonian astronomer (d. 1988)
  • 1918 – Betty Ford, American wife of Gerald Ford, 40th First Lady of the United States (d. 2011)
  • 1918 – Glendon Swarthout, American author and academic (d. 1992)
  • 1919 – Ian Smith, Zimbabwean lieutenant and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Rhodesia (d. 2007)
  • 1921 – Franco Corelli, Italian tenor and actor (d. 2003)
  • 1921 – Jan Novák, Czech composer (d. 1984)
  • 1921 – Herman van Raalte, Dutch footballer (d. 2013)
  • 1922 – Carmen McRae, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and actress (d. 1994)
  • 1923 – George Fisher, American cartoonist (d. 2003)
  • 1923 – Edward Mulhare, Irish-American actor (d. 1997)
  • 1924 – Frédéric Back, German-Canadian animator, director, and screenwriter (d. 2013)
  • 1924 – Anthony Farrar-Hockley, English general and historian (d. 2006)
  • 1924 – Kumar Gandharva, Hindustani classical singer (d. 1992)
  • 1924 – Sara Northrup Hollister, American occultist (d. 1997)
  • 1926 – Henry N. Cobb, American architect and academic, co-founded Pei Cobb Freed & Partners (d. 2020)
  • 1926 – Shecky Greene, American actor
  • 1926 – Jürgen Moltmann, German theologian and academic
  • 1927 – Tilly Armstrong, English author (d. 2010)
  • 1927 – Ollie Mitchell, American trumpet player and bandleader (d. 2013)
  • 1928 – Fred Ebb, American lyricist (d. 2004)
  • 1929 – Jacques Brel, Belgian singer-songwriter and actor (d. 1978)
  • 1929 – Renzo De Felice, Italian historian and author (d. 1996)
  • 1930 – Carlos Hugo, Duke of Parma (d. 2010)
  • 1931 – John Gavin, American actor and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Mexico (d. 2018)
  • 1932 – Iskandar of Johor (d. 2010)
  • 1933 – James Lockhart, American scholar of colonial Latin America, especially Nahua peoples (d. 2014)
  • 1934 – Kisho Kurokawa, Japanese architect, designed the Nakagin Capsule Tower and Singapore Flyer (d. 2007)
  • 1935 – Oscar Zeta Acosta, American lawyer and politician (d. 1974)
  • 1935 – Albert Bustamante, American soldier, educator, and politician
  • 1937 – Tony Barton, English footballer, outside right and manager (d. 1993)
  • 1937 – Seymour Hersh, American journalist and author
  • 1937 – Momo Kapor, Serbian author and painter (d. 2010)
  • 1938 – Kofi Annan, Ghanaian economist and diplomat, 7th Secretary-General of the United Nations (d. 2018)
  • 1938 – John Hamm, Canadian physician and politician, 25th Premier of Nova Scotia
  • 1938 – Mary W. Gray, American mathematician, statistician, and lawyer
  • 1939 – John Arbuthnott, Scottish microbiologist and academic
  • 1939 – Trina Schart Hyman, American author and illustrator (d. 2004)
  • 1940 – John Havlicek, American basketball player (d. 2019)
  • 1941 – J. J. Jackson, American soul/R&B singer, songwriter, and arranger
  • 1941 – Vivienne Westwood, English fashion designer
  • 1942 – Tony Banks, Baron Stratford, Northern Irish politician, Minister for Sport and the Olympics (d. 2006)
  • 1942 – Roger Chapman, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1942 – Douglas Trumbull, American director, producer, and special effects artist
  • 1943 – Michael Bennett, American dancer, choreographer, and director (d. 1987)
  • 1943 – Miller Farr, American football player
  • 1943 – James Herbert, English author and illustrator (d. 2013)
  • 1943 – Chris Orr, English painter and illustrator
  • 1944 – Hywel Bennett, Welsh actor (d. 2017)
  • 1944 – Odd Nerdrum, Swedish-Norwegian painter and illustrator
  • 1945 – Derrick Walker, Scottish businessman
  • 1945 – Jang Yong, South Korean actor
  • 1946 – Catfish Hunter, American baseball player (d. 1999)
  • 1946 – Tim Thomerson, American actor and producer
  • 1947 – Tom DeLay, American lawyer and politician
  • 1947 – Steve Howe, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer
  • 1947 – Robert Kiyosaki, American businessman, co-founded Cashflow Technologies
  • 1947 – Pascal Lamy, French businessman and politician, European Commissioner for Trade
  • 1947 – Larry Norman, American singer-songwriter, and producer (d. 2008)
  • 1948 – Barbara Young, Baroness Young of Old Scone, Scottish academic and politician
  • 1949 – K. C. Kamalasabayson, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician, 39th Attorney General of Sri Lanka (d. 2007)
  • 1949 – John Madden, English director and producer
  • 1949 – Brenda Russell, African-American-Canadian singer-songwriter and keyboard player
  • 1949 – John Scott, English sociologist and academic
  • 1950 – Grzegorz Lato, Polish footballer and coach
  • 1951 – Gerd Andres, German politician
  • 1951 – Geir Haarde, Icelandic economist, journalist, and politician, 23rd Prime Minister of Iceland
  • 1951 – Mel Schacher, American bass player
  • 1951 – Joan Sebastian, Mexican singer-songwriter and actor (d. 2015)
  • 1952 – Ahmet Piriştina, Turkish politician (d. 2004)
  • 1954 – Gary Carter, American baseball player and coach (d. 2012)
  • 1954 – Princess Lalla Amina of Morocco (d. 2012)
  • 1954 – G.V. Loganathan, Indian-American engineer and academic (d. 2007)
  • 1955 – Ricky Bell, American football player (d. 1984)
  • 1955 – Gerrie Coetzee, South African boxer
  • 1955 – Ron Johnson, American businessman and politician
  • 1955 – Barbara Kingsolver, American novelist, essayist and poet
  • 1955 – David Wu, Taiwanese-American lawyer and politician
  • 1956 – Michael Benton, Scottish-English paleontologist and academic
  • 1956 – Christine Boisson, French actress
  • 1956 – Roman Dragoun, Czech singer-songwriter and keyboard player
  • 1956 – Jim Piddock, English actor, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1957 – Fred Smerlas, American football player and radio host
  • 1958 – Detlef Bruckhoff, German footballer
  • 1958 – Tom Petranoff, American javelin thrower and coach
  • 1959 – Alain Bondue, French cyclist
  • 1960 – John Schneider, American actor and country singer
  • 1961 – Richard Hatch, American reality contestant
  • 1961 – Brian McDermott, English footballer and manager
  • 1962 – Paddy Lowe, English engineer
  • 1962 – Izzy Stradlin, American guitarist and songwriter
  • 1963 – Tine Asmundsen, Norwegian bassist
  • 1963 – Julian Lennon, English singer-songwriter
  • 1963 – Terry Porter, American basketball player and coach
  • 1963 – Donita Sparks, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1963 – Alec Stewart, English cricketer
  • 1963 – Seth Tobias, American businessman (d. 2007)
  • 1964 – Biz Markie, American rapper, producer, and actor
  • 1964 – John McGinlay, Scottish footballer and manager
  • 1965 – Steven Blaney, Canadian businessman and politician, 5th Canadian Minister of Public Safety
  • 1965 – Michael Jones, New Zealand rugby player and coach
  • 1966 – Iveta Bartošová, Czech singer and actress (d. 2014)
  • 1966 – Mark Blundell, English race car driver
  • 1966 – Andy Currier, English rugby league player
  • 1966 – Charlotte Dawson, New Zealand-Australian television host (d. 2014)
  • 1966 – Dalton Grant, English high jumper
  • 1966 – Mazinho, Brazilian footballer, coach, and manager
  • 1966 – Harri Rovanperä, Finnish race car driver
  • 1966 – Evripidis Stylianidis, Greek lawyer and politician, Greek Minister for the Interior
  • 1966 – Robin Wright, American actress, director, producer
  • 1967 – Kenny Benjamin, Antiguan cricketer
  • 1968 – Patricia Arquette, French-Canadian Russian/Polish Jewish-American actress and director
  • 1968 – Patricia Girard, French runner and hurdler
  • 1968 – Tracy Grammer, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1971 – Darren Jessee, American singer-songwriter and drummer
  • 1972 – Paul Gray, American bass player and songwriter (d. 2010)
  • 1972 – Sergei Magnitsky, Russian lawyer and accountant (d. 2009)
  • 1973 – Khaled Badra, Tunisian footballer
  • 1973 – Emma Caulfield, American actress
  • 1974 – Toutai Kefu, Tongan-Australian rugby player
  • 1974 – Nnedi Okorafor, Nigerian-American author and educator
  • 1975 – Anouk, Dutch singer
  • 1975 – Francesco Flachi, Italian footballer
  • 1975 – Timo Pérez, Dominican-American baseball player
  • 1975 – Funda Arar, Turkish singer
  • 1977 – Ana de la Reguera, Mexican actress
  • 1977 – Mehran Ghassemi, Iranian journalist and author (d. 2008)
  • 1977 – Mark Spencer, American computer programmer and engineer
  • 1978 – Daigo, Japanese singer-songwriter, actor, and voice actor
  • 1978 – Bernt Haas, Austrian-Swiss footballer
  • 1978 – Rachel Roberts, Canadian model and actress
  • 1978 – Jocelyn Robichaud, Canadian tennis player and coach
  • 1978 – Evans Rutto, Kenyan runner
  • 1979 – Alexi Laiho, Finnish singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1979 – Amit Trivedi, Indian singer-songwriter
  • 1980 – Manuel Ortega, Austrian singer
  • 1980 – Katee Sackhoff, American actress
  • 1980 – Mariko Seyama, Japanese announcer, photographer, and model
  • 1981 – Frédérick Bousquet, French swimmer
  • 1981 – Ofer Shechter, Israeli model, actor, and screenwriter
  • 1982 – Gennady Golovkin, Kazakhstani boxer
  • 1982 – Brett White, Australian rugby league player
  • 1983 – Tatyana Petrova Arkhipova, Russian runner
  • 1984 – Michelle Donelan, British politician
  • 1984 – Ezra Koenig, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1984 – Pablo Portillo, Mexican singer and actor
  • 1984 – Taran Noah Smith, American actor
  • 1985 – Patrick Schliwa, German rugby player
  • 1985 – Yemane Tsegay, Ethiopian runner
  • 1986 – Igor Akinfeev, Russian footballer
  • 1986 – Félix Hernández, Venezuelan-American baseball player
  • 1987 – Royston Drenthe, Dutch footballer
  • 1987 – Jeremy Hellickson, American baseball player
  • 1987 – Sam Rapira, New Zealand rugby league player
  • 1988 – Jenni Asserholt, Swedish ice hockey player
  • 1988 – Kim Myung-sung, South Korean baseball player
  • 1990 – Kim Jong-hyun, South Korean singer (d. 2017)
  • 1993 – Viktor Arvidsson, Swedish ice hockey player
  • 1993 – Zac Santo, Australian rugby league player
  • 1994 – Josh Chudleigh, Australian rugby league player
  • 1995 – Cedi Osman, Turkish professional basketball player
  • 1997 – Saygrace, Australian singer and songwriter
  • 1997 – Arno Verschueren, Belgian professional football player

Deaths on April 8

  • 217 – Caracalla, Roman emperor (b. 188)
  • 622 – Shōtoku, Japanese prince (b. 572)
  • 632 – Charibert II, Frankish king (b. 607)
  • 894 – Adalelm, Frankish nobleman
  • 944 – Wang Yanxi, Chinese emperor
  • 956 – Gilbert, Frankish nobleman
  • 967 – Mu’izz al-Dawla, Buyid emir (b. 915)
  • 1143 – John II Komnenos, Byzantine emperor (b. 1087)
  • 1150 – Gertrude of Babenberg , duchess of Bohemia (b. 1118)
  • 1321 – Thomas of Tolentino, Italian-Franciscan missionary (b. c. 1255)
  • 1338 – Stephen Gravesend, bishop of London
  • 1364 – John II, French king (b. 1319)
  • 1450 – Sejong the Great, Korean king (b. 1397)
  • 1461 – Georg von Peuerbach, German mathematician and astronomer (b. 1423)
  • 1492 – Lorenzo de’ Medici, Italian ruler (b. 1449)
  • 1551 – Oda Nobuhide, Japanese warlord (b. 1510)
  • 1586 – Martin Chemnitz, Lutheran theologian and reformer (b. 1522)
  • 1608 – Magdalen Dacre, English noble (b. 1538)
  • 1612 – Anne Catherine of Brandenburg (b. 1575)
  • 1691 – Carlo Rainaldi, Italian architect, designed the Santa Maria dei Miracoli and Santa Maria in Montesanto (b. 1611)
  • 1697 – Niels Juel, Norwegian-Danish admiral (b. 1629)
  • 1704 – Hiob Ludolf, German orientalist and philologist (b. 1624)
  • 1704 – Henry Sydney, 1st Earl of Romney, English colonel and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (b. 1641)
  • 1709 – Wolfgang Dietrich of Castell-Remlingen, German nobleman (b. 1641)
  • 1725 – John Wise, American minister (b. 1652)
  • 1735 – Francis II Rákóczi, Hungarian prince (b. 1676)
  • 1848 – Gaetano Donizetti, Italian composer (b. 1797)
  • 1860 – István Széchenyi, Hungarian statesman and reformer (b.1791)
  • 1861 – Elisha Otis, American businessman, founded the Otis Elevator Company (b. 1811)
  • 1870 – Charles Auguste de Bériot, Belgian violinist and composer (b. 1802)
  • 1894 – Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, Indian journalist, author, and poet (b. 1838)
  • 1906 – Auguste Deter, German woman, first person diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease (b. 1850)
  • 1919 – Loránd Eötvös, Hungarian physicist, academic, and politician, Hungarian Minister of Education (b. 1848)
  • 1920 – Charles Griffes, American pianist and composer (b. 1884)
  • 1931 – Erik Axel Karlfeldt, Swedish poet Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1864)
  • 1936 – Róbert Bárány, Austrian physician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1876)
  • 1936 – Božena Benešová, Czech poet and novelist (b. 1873)
  • 1941 – Marcel Prévost, French novelist and playwright (b. 1862)
  • 1942 – Kostas Skarvelis, Greek guitarist and composer (b. 1880)
  • 1947 – Olaf Frydenlund, Norwegian target shooter (b. 1862)
  • 1950 – Vaslav Nijinsky, Polish dancer and choreographer (b. 1890)
  • 1959 – Marios Makrionitis, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Athens (b. 1913)
  • 1961 – Joseph Carrodus, Australian public servant (b. 1885)
  • 1962 – Juan Belmonte, Spanish bullfighter (b. 1892)
  • 1965 – Lars Hanson, Swedish actor (b. 1886)
  • 1969 – Zinaida Aksentyeva, Ukrainian astronomer (b. 1900)
  • 1973 – Pablo Picasso, Spanish painter and sculptor (b. 1881)
  • 1974 – James Charles McGuigan, Canadian cardinal (b. 1894)
  • 1979 – Breece D’J Pancake, American short story writer (b. 1952)
  • 1981 – Omar Bradley, American general (b. 1893)
  • 1983 – Isamu Kosugi, Japanese actor and director (b. 1904)
  • 1984 – Pyotr Kapitsa, Russian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1894)
  • 1985 – John Frederick Coots, American pianist and composer (b. 1897)
  • 1990 – Ryan White, American activist, inspired the Ryan White Care Act (b. 1971)
  • 1991 – Per Ohlin, Swedish musician (b. 1969)
  • 1992 – Daniel Bovet, Swiss-Italian pharmacologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1907)
  • 1993 – Marian Anderson, American operatic singer (b. 1897)
  • 1994 – François Rozet, French-Canadian actor (b. 1899)
  • 1996 – Ben Johnson, American actor and stuntman (b. 1918)
  • 1996 – León Klimovsky, Argentinian-Spanish actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1906)
  • 1996 – Mick Young, Australian politician (b. 1936)
  • 1997 – Laura Nyro, American singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1947)
  • 2000 – František Šťastný, Czech motorcycle racer (b. 1927)
  • 2000 – Claire Trevor, American actress (b. 1910)
  • 2002 – María Félix, Mexican actress (b. 1914)
  • 2002 – Harvey Quaytman, American painter (b. 1937)
  • 2004 – Werner Schumacher, German actor (b. 1921)
  • 2005 – Onna White, Canadian choreographer and dancer (b. 1922)
  • 2006 – Gerard Reve, Dutch author and poet (b. 1923)
  • 2007 – Sol LeWitt, American painter and sculptor (b. 1928)
  • 2008 – Kazuo Shiraga, Japanese painter (b. 1924)
  • 2009 – Richard de Mille, American Scientologist, author, investigative journalist, and psychologist (b. 1922)
  • 2009 – Piotr Morawski, Polish mountaineer (b. 1976)
  • 2010 – Malcolm McLaren, English singer-songwriter (b. 1946)
  • 2010 – Teddy Scholten, Dutch singer (b. 1926)
  • 2011 – Hedda Sterne, Romanian-American painter and photographer (b. 1910)
  • 2012 – Blair Kiel, American football player and coach (b. 1961)
  • 2012 – Jack Tramiel, Polish-American businessman, founded Commodore International (b. 1928)
  • 2012 – Janusz K. Zawodny, Polish-American soldier, historian, and political scientist (b. 1921)
  • 2013 – Mikhail Beketov, Russian journalist (b. 1958)
  • 2013 – Annette Funicello, American actress and singer (b. 1942)
  • 2013 – Sara Montiel, Spanish-Mexican actress and singer (b. 1928)
  • 2013 – José Luis Sampedro, Spanish economist and author (b. 1917)
  • 2013 – Margaret Thatcher, English lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1925)
  • 2014 – Emmanuel III Delly, Iraqi patriarch (b. 1927)
  • 2014 – Karlheinz Deschner, German author and activist (b. 1924)
  • 2014 – Ivan Mercep, New Zealand architect, designed the Te Papa Tongarewa Museum (b. 1930)
  • 2015 – Jayakanthan, Indian journalist and author (b. 1934)
  • 2015 – Rayson Huang, Hong Kong chemist and academic (b. 1920)
  • 2015 – Sergei Lashchenko, Ukrainian kick-boxer (b. 1987)
  • 2015 – David Laventhol, American journalist and publisher (b. 1933)
  • 2015 – Jean-Claude Turcotte, Canadian cardinal (b. 1936)

Holidays and observances on April 8

  • Buddha’s Birthday, also known as Hana Matsuri, “Flower Festival” (Japan)
  • Christian feast day:
    • Anne Ayres (Episcopal Church (USA))
    • Constantina
    • Julie Billiart of Namur
    • Perpetuus
    • Walter of Pontoise
    • William Augustus Muhlenberg (Episcopal Church (USA))
    • April 8 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Earliest day on which Fast and Prayer Day can fall, while April 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Friday in April (Liberia)
  • International Romani Day