1925 Archives - Page 10 of 23 -

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

On This Day / admin

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

Births on May 14

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

Deaths on May 14

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

Holidays and observances on May 14

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

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

On This Day

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

On This Day / admin

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

Births on May 13

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

Deaths on May 13

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

Holidays and observances on May 13

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

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

On This Day

May 12 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day / admin

254 – Pope Stephen I succeeds Pope Lucius I, becoming the 23rd pope of the Catholic Church.
907 – Zhu Wen forces Emperor Ai into abdicating, ending the Tang dynasty after nearly three hundred years of rule.
1191 – Richard I of England marries Berengaria of Navarre in Cyprus; she is crowned Queen consort of England the same day.
1328 – Antipope Nicholas V, a claimant to the papacy, is consecrated in Rome by the Bishop of Venice.
1364 – Jagiellonian University, the oldest university in Poland, is founded in Kraków.
1510 – The Prince of Anhua rebellion begins when Zhu Zhifan kills all the officials invited to a banquet and declares his intent on ousting the powerful Ming dynasty eunuch Liu Jin during the reign of the Zhengde Emperor.
1551 – National University of San Marcos, the oldest university in the Americas, is founded in Lima, Peru.
1588 – French Wars of Religion: Henry III of France flees Paris after Henry I, Duke of Guise, enters the city and a spontaneous uprising occurs.
1593 – London playwright Thomas Kyd is arrested and tortured by the Privy Council for libel.
1743 – Maria Theresa of Austria is crowned Queen of Bohemia after defeating her rival, Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor.
1778 – Heinrich XI, count of the Principality of Reuss-Greiz, is elevated to Prince by Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor.
1780 – American Revolutionary War: In the largest defeat of the Continental Army, Charleston, South Carolina is taken by British forces.
1797 – War of the First Coalition: Napoleon I of France conquers Venice.
1821 – The first major battle of the Greek War of Independence against the Turks is fought in Valtetsi.
1846 – The Donner Party of pioneers departs Independence, Missouri for California, on what will become a year-long journey of hardship and cannibalism.
1862 – American Civil War: U.S. federal troops occupy Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
1863 – American Civil War: Battle of Raymond: Two divisions of James B. McPherson’s XVII Corps turn the left wing of Confederate General John C. Pemberton’s defensive line on Fourteen Mile Creek, opening up the interior of Mississippi to the Union Army during the Vicksburg Campaign.
1864 – American Civil War: The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House: Union troops assault a Confederate salient known as the “Mule Shoe”, with the fiercest fighting of the war, much of it hand-to-hand combat, occurring at “the Bloody Angle” on the northwest.
1865 – American Civil War: The Battle of Palmito Ranch: The first day of the last major land action to take place during the Civil War, resulting in a Confederate victory.
1870 – The Manitoba Act is given the Royal Assent, paving the way for Manitoba to become a province of Canada on July 15.
1881 – In North Africa, Tunisia becomes a French protectorate.
1885 – North-West Rebellion: The four-day Battle of Batoche, pitting rebel Métis against the Canadian government, comes to an end with a decisive rebel defeat.
1888 – In Southeast Asia, the North Borneo Chartered Company’s territories become the British protectorate of North Borneo.
1926 – The Italian-built airship Norge becomes the first vessel to fly over the North Pole.
1932 – Ten weeks after his abduction, Charles Jr., the infant son of Charles Lindbergh, is found dead near Hopewell, New Jersey, just a few miles from the Lindberghs’ home.
1933 – The Agricultural Adjustment Act, which restricts agricultural production through government purchase of livestock for slaughter and paying subsidies to farmers when they remove land from planting, is signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
1937 – The Duke and Duchess of York are crowned as King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Westminster Abbey.
1941 – Konrad Zuse presents the Z3, the world’s first working programmable, fully automatic computer, in Berlin.
1942 – World War II: Second Battle of Kharkov: In eastern Ukraine, Red Army forces under Marshal Semyon Timoshenko launch a major offensive from the Izium bridgehead, only to be encircled and destroyed by the troops of Army Group South two weeks later.
1942 – World War II: The U.S. tanker SS Virginia is torpedoed in the mouth of the Mississippi River by the German submarine U-507.
1948 – Wilhelmina, Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, cedes the throne.
1949 – Cold War: The Soviet Union lifts its blockade of Berlin.
1965 – The Soviet spacecraft Luna 5 crashes on the Moon.
1968 – Vietnam War: North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces attack Australian troops defending Fire Support Base Coral.
1978 – In Zaire, rebels occupy the city of Kolwezi, the mining center of the province of Shaba (now known as Katanga); the local government asks the US, France and Belgium to restore order.
1981 – Francis Hughes, Provisional IRA hunger striker, dies in the Maze Prison, Northern Ireland.
1982 – During a procession outside the shrine of the Virgin Mary in Fátima, Portugal, security guards overpower Juan María Fernández y Krohn before he can attack Pope John Paul II with a bayonet.
1989 – The San Bernardino train disaster kills four people. A week later an underground gasoline pipeline explodes killing two more people.
1998 – Four students are shot at Trisakti University, leading to widespread riots and the fall of Suharto.
2002 – Former US President Jimmy Carter arrives in Cuba for a five-day visit with Fidel Castro, becoming the first President of the United States, in or out of office, to visit the island since Castro’s 1959 revolution.
2003 – The Riyadh compound bombings, carried out by al-Qaeda, kill 26 people.
2006 – Mass unrest by the Primeiro Comando da Capital begins in São Paulo (Brazil), leaving at least 150 dead.
2006 – Iranian Azeris interpret a cartoon published in an Iranian magazine as insulting, resulting in massive riots throughout the country.
2008 – An earthquake (measuring around 8.0 magnitude) occurs in Sichuan, China, killing over 69,000 people.
2008 – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducts the largest-ever raid of a workplace in Postville, Iowa, arresting nearly 400 immigrants for identity theft and document fraud.
2010 – Afriqiyah Airways Flight 771 crashes on final approach to Tripoli International Airport in Tripoli, Libya, killing 103 out of the 104 people on board.
2015 – A train derailment in Philadelphia kills eight people and injures more than 200.
2015 – Massive Nepal earthquake kills 218 people and injures more than 3500.
2017 – The WannaCry ransomware attack impacts over 400 thousand computers worldwide, targeting computers of the United Kingdom’s National Health Services and Telefónica computers.
2018 – Paris knife attack: A man was fatally shot by police in Paris after killing one and injuring several others.

Births on May 13

1401 – Emperor Shōkō of Japan (d. 1428)

1479 – Pompeo Colonna, Catholic cardinal (d. 1532)
1496 – Gustav I of Sweden (d. 1560)
1590 – Cosimo II de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (d. 1621)
1606 – Joachim von Sandrart, German art-historian and painter (d. 1688)
1622 – Louis de Buade de Frontenac, French-Canadian soldier and politician, 3rd Governor General of New France (d. 1698)
1626 – Louis Hennepin, Flemish priest and missionary (d. 1705)
1670 – Augustus II the Strong, Polish king (d. 1733)
1700 – Luigi Vanvitelli, Italian architect and engineer, designed the Palace of Caserta and Royal Palace of Milan (d. 1773)
1725 – Louis Philippe I, Duke of Orléans (d. 1785)
1739 – Johann Baptist Wanhal, Czech-Austrian organist and composer (d. 1813)
1754 – Franz Anton Hoffmeister, German composer and publisher (d. 1812)
1755 – Giovanni Battista Viotti, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1824)
1767 – Manuel Godoy, Spanish field marshal and politician, Prime Minister of Spain (d. 1851)
1774 – Ellis Cunliffe Lister, English politician (d. 1853)
1777 – Mary Reibey, Australian businesswoman (d. 1855)
1803 – Justus von Liebig, German chemist and academic (d. 1873)
1804 – Robert Baldwin, Canadian lawyer and politician, 3rd Premier of West Canada (d. 1858)
1806 – Johan Vilhelm Snellman, Finnish philosopher and politician (d. 1881)
1812 – Edward Lear, English poet and illustrator (d. 1888)
1814 – Adolf von Henselt, German pianist and composer (d. 1889)
1820 – Florence Nightingale, Italian-English nurse, social reformer, and statistician (d. 1910)
1825 – Orélie-Antoine de Tounens, French lawyer and explorer (d. 1878)
1828 – Dante Gabriel Rossetti, English poet and painter (d. 1882)
1829 – Pavlos Carrer, Greek composer and educator (d. 1896)
1839 – Tôn Thất Thuyết, Vietnamese mandarin (d. 1913)
1840 – Alejandro Gorostiaga, Chilean colonel (d. 1912)
1842 – Jules Massenet, French composer (d. 1912)
1845 – Gabriel Fauré, French pianist, composer, and educator (d. 1924)
1850 – Henry Cabot Lodge, American historian and politician (d. 1924)
1850 – Frederick Holder, Australian politician, 19th Premier of South Australia (d. 1909)
1859 – William Alden Smith, American lawyer and politician (d. 1932)
1859 – Frank Wilson, English-Australian politician, 9th Premier of Western Australia (d. 1918)
1863 – Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury, Bengali writer, painter, violin player and composer, technologist and entrepreneur. (d. 1915)
1867 – Hugh Trumble, Australian cricketer and accountant (d. 1938)
1869 – Carl Schuhmann, German gymnast, wrestler, and weightlifter (d. 1946)
1872 – Anton Korošec, Slovenian priest and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Yugoslavia (d. 1940)
1873 – J. E. H. MacDonald, English-Canadian painter (d. 1932)
1874 – Clemens von Pirquet, Austrian pediatrician and immunologist (d. 1929)
1875 – Charles Holden, English architect, designed the Bristol Central Library (d. 1960)
1880 – Lincoln Ellsworth, American explorer (d. 1951)
1885 – Paltiel Daykan, Lithuanian-Israeli lawyer and jurist (d. 1969)
1885 – Saneatsu Mushanokōji, Japanese author (d. 1976)
1886 – Ernst A. Lehmann, German captain and pilot (d. 1937)
1899 – Abelardo L. Rodríguez, substitute president of Mexico (d. 1967)
1889 – Otto Frank, German-Swiss businessman and Holocaust survivor; father of diarist Anne Frank (d. 1980)
1892 – Fritz Kortner, Austrian-German actor and director (d. 1970)
1895 – William Giauque, Canadian-American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1982)
1895 – Jiddu Krishnamurti, Indian-American philosopher and author (d. 1986)
1900 – Helene Weigel, Austrian-German actress (d. 1971)
1901 – The Duke of Paducah, American country comedian, radio host and banjo player (d. 1986)
1903 – Faith Bennett, British actress and ATA pilot during WWII (d. 1969)
1903 – Wilfrid Hyde-White, English actor (d. 1991)
1905 – Édouard Rinfret, Canadian lawyer and politician, Postmaster General of Canada (d. 1994)
1907 – Leslie Charteris, English author and screenwriter (d. 1993)
1907 – Katharine Hepburn, American actress (d. 2003)
1908 – Nicholas Kaldor, Hungarian-English economist (d. 1986)
1910 – James Dudley, American baseball player, wrestling manager and executive (d. 2004)
1910 – Johan Ferrier, Surinamese educator and politician, 1st President of Suriname (d. 2010)
1910 – Dorothy Hodgkin, English biochemist, crystallographer, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1994)
1910 – Gordon Jenkins, American pianist and composer (d. 1984)
1911 – Charles Biro, American author and illustrator (d. 1972)
1912 – Henry Jonsson, Swedish runner (d. 2001)
1912 – Marshal Royal, American saxophonist and clarinet player (d. 1995)
1914 – Bertus Aafjes, Dutch poet and author (d. 1993)
1914 – Howard K. Smith, American journalist and actor (d. 2002)
1915 – Tony Strobl, American comics artist and animator (d. 1991)
1916 – Albert Murray, American author and critic (d. 2013)
1918 – Mary Kay Ash, American businesswoman, founded Mary Kay Cosmetics (d. 2001)
1918 – Julius Rosenberg, American spy (d. 1953)
1921 – Joseph Beuys, German sculptor and illustrator (d. 1986)
1921 – Farley Mowat, Canadian environmentalist and author (d. 2014)
1922 – Marco Denevi, Argentinian lawyer and author (d. 1998)
1922 – Murray Gershenz, American actor and businessman (d. 2013)
1922 – Bob Goldham, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster (d. 1991)
1922 – Roy Salvadori, English race car driver and manager (d. 2012)
1924 – Maxine Cooper, American actress and photographer (d. 2009)
1924 – Alexander Esenin-Volpin, Russian-American mathematician and poet (d. 2016)
1924 – Tony Hancock, English actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1968)
1925 – Yogi Berra, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 2015)
1926 – Paulette Poujol-Oriol, Hatian educator and writer (d. 2011)
1926 – Viren J. Shah, Indian politician, 21st Governor of West Bengal (d. 2013)
1928 – Burt Bacharach, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer
1929 – Sam Nujoma, Namibian politician, 1st President of Namibia
1929 – Dollard St. Laurent, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2015)
1930 – Jesús Franco, Spanish director and screenwriter (d. 2013)
1932 – Joel Joffe, Baron Joffe, South African-English lawyer and politician (d. 2017)
1933 – Andrei Voznesensky, Russian poet (d. 2010)
1935 – Felipe Alou, Dominican-American baseball player, coach, and manager
1935 – Johnny Bucyk, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
1936 – Guillermo Endara, Panamanian lawyer and politician, 32nd President of Panama (d. 2009)
1936 – Tom Snyder, American journalist and talk show host (d. 2007)
1936 – Frank Stella, American painter and sculptor
1937 – Beryl Burton, English cyclist (d. 1996)
1937 – George Carlin, American comedian, actor, and author (d. 2008)
1937 – Susan Hampshire, English actress
1937 – Miriam Stoppard, English physician and author
1938 – Millie Perkins, American actress
1939 – Cyril Chantler, English pediatrician and academic
1939 – Jalal Dabagh, Kurdish journalist and politician
1939 – Miltiadis Evert, Greek minister and politician, 69th Mayor of Athens (d. 2011)
1939 – Reg Gasnier, Australian rugby league player, coach, and sportscaster (d. 2014)
1939 – Ron Ziegler, American politician, White House Press Secretary (d. 2003)
1940 – Lill Lindfors, Swedish singer
1940 – Norman Whitfield, American songwriter and producer (d. 2008)
1941 – Ruud de Wolff, Dutch singer (d. 2000)
1942 – Ian Dury, English singer-songwriter (d. 2000)
1942 – Michel Fugain, French singer-songwriter
1942 – Billy Swan, American country singer-songwriter
1942 – Dragoljub Velimirović, Serbian chess player and theoretician (d. 2014)
1944 – Chris Patten, English academic and politician, 28th Governor of Hong Kong
1945 – Alan Ball, Jr., English footballer and manager (d. 2007)
1945 – Ian McLagan, English keyboard player and songwriter (d. 2014)
1945 – Patrick Ricard, French businessman (d. 2012)
1946 – Daniel Libeskind, American architect, designed the Imperial War Museum North and Jewish Museum
1947 – Michael Ignatieff, Canadian journalist and politician
1948 – Lindsay Crouse, American actress
1948 – Dave Heineman, American captain and politician, 39th Governor of Nebraska
1948 – Richard Riehle, American actor
1948 – Steve Winwood, English singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist
1949 – Ross Bleckner, American painter
1950 – Bruce Boxleitner, American actor and author
1950 – Gabriel Byrne, Irish actor, director, and producer
1950 – Helena Kennedy, Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws, Scottish lawyer, academic, and politician
1950 – Billy Squier, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1951 – George Karl, American basketball player and coach
1955 – Kix Brooks, American country music singer-songwriter and musician
1956 – Bernie Federko, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager
1956 – Sergio Marchi, Argentinean-Canadian urban planner and politician, 10th Canadian Minister of International Trade
1956 – Greg Phillinganes, American keyboardist
1956 – Asad Rauf, Pakistani cricketer and umpire
1957 – Ziya Onis, Turkish economist and academic
1958 – Kim Greist, American actress
1958 – Andreas Petroulakis, Greek cartoonist
1958 – Dries van Noten, Belgian fashion designer
1959 – Dave Christian, American ice hockey player
1959 – Ray Gillen, American rock singer-songwriter (d. 1993)
1959 – Ving Rhames, American actor
1960 – Lisa Martin, Australian runner
1961 – Thomas Dooley, German-American soccer player and manager
1961 – Billy Duffy, English rock guitarist and songwriter
1961 – Bruce McCulloch, Canadian actor and comedian
1962 – Emilio Estevez, American actor
1962 – Brett Gurewitz, American guitarist and songwriter
1962 – Gregory H. Johnson, English-born American astronaut
1963 – Panagiotis Fasoulas, Greek basketball player and politician
1963 – Gavin Hood, South African actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
1963 – Stefano Modena, Italian race car driver
1963 – Vanessa A. Williams, American actress and producer
1964 – Pierre Morel, French director and cinematographer
1965 – Renée Simonsen, Danish model and writer
1965 – Stacy Wilson, Canadian ice hockey player
1966 – Stephen Baldwin, American actor
1966 – Bebel Gilberto, American-Brazilian singer-songwriter
1966 – Deborah Kara Unger, Canadian actress
1967 – Mireille Bousquet-Mélou, French mathematician
1967 – Bill Shorten, Australian politician
1968 – Tony Hawk, American skateboarder and actor
1968 – Catherine Tate, English actress and screenwriter
1969 – Suzanne Clément, Canadian actress
1969 – Kim Fields, American actress
1970 – Mark Foster, English swimmer
1970 – Jim Furyk, American golfer
1970 – Samantha Mathis, American actress
1970 – Mike Weir, Canadian golfer
1970 – David A. R. White, American actor and producer
1971 – Doug Basham, American wrestler
1971 – Jamie Luner, American actress
1972 – Christian Campbell, Canadian-American actor, writer and photographer
1973 – Mackenzie Astin, American actor
1973 – Lutz Pfannenstiel, German footballer and manager
1975 – Jonah Lomu, New Zealand rugby player (d. 2015)
1975 – Ricky Ortiz, American professional wrestler and football player
1976 – Kardinal Offishall, Canadian rap musician and producer
1977 – Graeme Dott, Scottish snooker player and coach
1977 – Maryam Mirzakhani, Iranian mathematician (d. 2017)
1977 – Onur Saylak, Turkish actor, filmmaker and director
1977 – Rachel Wilson, Canadian actress and voice actress
1978 – Aaron Abrams, Canadian actor
1978 – Malin Åkerman, Swedish-Canadian model, actress, and singer
1978 – Jason Biggs, American actor and comedian
1978 – Aya Ishiguro, Japanese singer and fashion designer
1979 – Adrian Serioux,Canadian soccer player
1979 – Aaron Yoo, American actor
1980 – Keith Bogans, American basketball player
1981 – Rami Malek, American actor
1981 – Kentaro Sato, Japanese-American composer and conductor
1981 – Dennis Trillo, Filipino actor and singer
1982 – Donnie Nietes, Filipino boxer
1983 – Domhnall Gleeson, Irish actor
1983 – Alina Kabaeva, Russian gymnast and politician
1983 – Yujiro Kushida, Japanese wrestler and mixed martial artist
1983 – Charilaos Pappas, Greek footballer
1983 – Virginie Razzano, French tennis player
1983 – Francisco Javier Torres, Mexican footballer
1984 – Clare Bowen, Australian actress and singer
1985 – Paolo Goltz, Argentinian footballer
1985 – Andrew Howe, Italian long jumper and sprinter
1985 – Jeroen Simaeys, Belgian footballer
1986 – Jonathan Orozco, Mexican footballer
1986 – Emily VanCamp, Canadian actress
1987 – Kieron Pollard, Trinidadian cricketer
1988 – Marcelo, Brazilian footballer
1989 – Eleftheria Eleftheriou, Greek Cypriot singer, musician, and actress
1990 – Florent Amodio, French figure skater
1992 – Volha Khudzenka, Belarusian kayaker
1995 – Luke Benward, American actor and singer
1995 – Irina Khromacheva, Russian tennis player
1997 – Morgan Lake, English athlete

Deaths on May 12

805 – Æthelhard, archbishop of Canterbury
940 – Eutychius, patriarch of Alexandria (b. 877)
1003 – Sylvester II, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 946)
1012 – Sergius IV, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 970)
1090 – Liutold of Eppenstein, duke of Carinthia
1161 – Fergus of Galloway, Scottish nobleman
1182 – Valdemar I, king of Denmark (b. 1131)
1331 – Engelbert of Admont, Benedictine abbot and scholar
1382 – Joanna I, queen of Naples (b. 1328)
1465 – Thomas Palaiologos, Despot of Morea (b. 1409)
1490 – Joanna, Portuguese princess and regent (b. 1452)
1529 – Cecily Bonville, 7th Baroness Harington, English noblewoman (b. 1460)
1599 – Murad Mirza, Mughal prince (b. 1570)
1634 – George Chapman, English poet and playwright (b. 1559)
1641 – Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford, English soldier and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (b. 1593)
1684 – Edme Mariotte, French physicist and priest (b. 1620)
1699 – Lucas Achtschellinck, Flemish painter (b. 1626)
1700 – John Dryden, English poet, playwright, and critic (b. 1631)
1708 – Adolphus Frederick II, duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (b. 1658)
1748 – Thomas Lowndes, English astronomer and academic (b. 1692)
1759 – Lambert-Sigisbert Adam, French sculptor (b. 1700)
1784 – Abraham Trembley, Swiss zoologist and academic (b. 1710)
1792 – Charles Simon Favart, French playwright and composer (b. 1710)
1796 – Johann Uz, German poet and author (b. 1720)
1801 – Nicholas Repnin, Russian general and politician, Governor-General of Baltic provinces (b. 1734)
1842 – Walenty Wańkowicz, Belarusian-Polish painter (b. 1799)
1845 – János Batsányi, Hungarian poet and academic (b. 1763)
1856 – Jacques Philippe Marie Binet, French mathematician, physicist, and astronomer (b. 1786)
1859 – Sergey Aksakov, Russian author and academic (b. 1791)
1860 – Charles Barry, English architect, designed Upper Brook Street Chapel and the Palace of Westminster (b. 1795)
1864 – J. E. B. Stuart, American general (b. 1833)
1867 – Friedrich Wilhelm Eduard Gerhard, German archaeologist and academic (b. 1795)
1878 – Anselme Payen, French chemist and academic (b. 1795)
1876 – Georgi Benkovski, Bulgarian activist (b. 1843)
1884 – Bedřich Smetana, Czech composer and educator (b. 1824)
1907 – Joris-Karl Huysmans, French author and critic (b. 1848)
1916 – James Connolly, Scottish-born Irish socialist and rebel leader (b. 1868)
1925 – Amy Lowell, American poet and critic (b. 1874)
1931 – Eugène Ysaÿe, Belgian violinist, composer, and conductor (b. 1858)
1935 – Józef Piłsudski, Polish field marshal and politician, 15th Prime Minister of Poland (b. 1867)
1944 – Max Brand, American journalist and author (b. 1892)
1944 – Arthur Quiller-Couch, English author, poet, and critic (b. 1863)
1956 – Louis Calhern, American actor and singer (b. 1895)
1957 – Alfonso de Portago, Spanish bobsledder and race car driver (b. 1928)
1957 – Erich von Stroheim, Austrian-American actor, director, and producer (b. 1885)
1963 – Richard Girulatis, German footballer and manager (b. 1878)
1963 – Robert Kerr, Irish-Canadian sprinter and coach (b. 1882)
1964 – Agnes Forbes Blackadder, Scottish medical doctor (b. 1875)
1966 – Felix Steiner, Russian-German SS officer (b. 1896)
1967 – John Masefield, English poet and author (b. 1878)
1970 – Nelly Sachs, German poet and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1891)
1971 – Heinie Manush, American baseball player and coach (b. 1901)
1973 – Frances Marion, American screenwriter, novelist and journalist (b. 1888)
1973 – Art Pollard, American race car driver (b. 1927)
1974 – Wayne Maki, Canadian National Hockey League player (b. 1944)
1980 – Lillian Roth, American actress 9b. 1910)
1985 – Jean Dubuffet, French painter and sculptor (b. 1901)
1986 – Elisabeth Bergner, German actress (b. 1897)
1992 – Nikos Gatsos, Greek poet and songwriter (b. 1911)
1992 – Robert Reed, American actor (b. 1932)
1993 – Zeno Colò, Italian Olympic alpine skier (b.1920)
1994 – Erik Erikson, German-American psychologist and psychoanalyst (b. 1902)
1994 – John Smith, Scottish-English lawyer and politician, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer (b. 1938)
1995 – Ștefan Kovács, Romanian football player and coach (b. 1920)
1999 – Saul Steinberg, Romanian-American illustrator (b. 1914)
2000 – Adam Petty, American race car driver (b. 1980)
2001 – Perry Como, American singer and television host (b. 1912)
2001 – Alexei Tupolev, Russian engineer, designed the Tupolev Tu-144 (b. 1925)
2003 – Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, French-American diplomat (b. 1933)
2005 – Ömer Kavur, Turkish director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1944)
2005 – Martin Lings, English author and scholar (b. 1909)
2005 – Monica Zetterlund, Swedish actress (b. 1937)
2006 – Hussein Maziq, Libyan politician, Prime Minister of Libya (b. 1918)
2008 – Robert Rauschenberg, American painter and illustrator (b. 1925)
2008 – Irena Sendler, Polish nurse and humanitarian (b. 1910)
2009 – Antonio Vega, Spanish singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1957)
2012 – Jan Bens, Dutch footballer and coach (b. 1921)
2012 – Eddy Paape, Belgian illustrator (b. 1920)
2013 – Gerd Langguth, German political scientist, author, and academic (b. 1946)
2014 – Cornell Borchers, Lithuanian-German actress and singer (b. 1925)
2014 – Marco Cé, Italian cardinal (b. 1925)
2014 – H. R. Giger, Swiss painter, sculptor, and set designer (b. 1940)
2014 – Sarat Pujari, Indian actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1934)
2014 – Lorenzo Zambrano, Mexican businessman and philanthropist (b. 1944)
2015 – Peter Gay, German-American historian, author, and academic (b. 1923)
2015 – William Zinsser American journalist and critic (b. 1922)
2016 – Mike Agostini, Trinidadian sprinter (b. 1935)
2017 – Mauno Koivisto, Finnish banker and politician, 9th President of Finland (b. 1923)
2018 – Dennis Nilsen, Scottish serial killer (b. 1945)

Holidays and observances on May 12

2nd Amendment Day (Pennsylvania, United States)
Christian feast day:
- Blessed Imelda
- Blessed Joan of Portugal
- Crispoldus
- Dominic de la Calzada
- Epiphanius of Salamis
- Gregory Dix (Church of England)
- Modoald
- Nereus, Achilleus, Domitilla, and Pancras
- Patriarch Germanus I of Constantinople (Eastern Church)
- Philip of Agira
- May 12 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Day of the Finnish Identity (Finland)
International Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Awareness Day
International Nurses Day
Saint Andrea the First Day (Georgia)

May 12 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

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

On This Day / admin

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

Births on May 11

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

Deaths on May 11

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

Holidays and observances on May 11

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

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

On This Day

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

On This Day / admin

453 BC – Spring and Autumn period: The house of Zhao defeats the house of Zhi, ending the Battle of Jinyang, a military conflict between the elite families of the State of Jin.
413 – Emperor Honorius signs an edict providing tax relief for the Italian provinces Tuscia, Campania, Picenum, Samnium, Apulia, Lucania and Calabria, which were plundered by the Visigoths.
589 – Reccared I opens the Third Council of Toledo, marking the entry of Visigothic Spain into the Catholic Church.
1429 – Joan of Arc lifts the Siege of Orléans, turning the tide of the Hundred Years’ War.
1450 – Kentishmen revolt against King Henry VI.
1516 – A group of imperial guards, led by Trịnh Duy Sản, murdered Emperor Lê Tương Dực and fled, leaving the capital Thăng Long undefended.
1541 – Hernando de Soto stops near present-day Walls, Mississippi, and sees the Mississippi River(then known by the Spanish as Río de Espíritu Santo, the name given to it by Alonso Álvarez de Pineda in 1519).
1788 – King Louis XVI of France attempts to impose the reforms of Étienne Charles de Loménie de Brienne by abolishing the parlements.
1794 – Branded a traitor during the Reign of Terror, French chemist Antoine Lavoisier, who was also a tax collector with the Ferme générale, is tried, convicted and guillotined in one day in Paris.
1821 – Greek War of Independence: The Greeks defeat the Turks at the Battle of Gravia Inn.
1842 – A train derails and catches fire in Paris, killing between 52 and 200 people.
1846 – Mexican–American War: American forces led by Zachary Taylor defeat a Mexican force north of the Rio Grande in the first major battle of the war.
1877 – At Gilmore’s Gardens in New York City, the first Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show opens.
1886 – Pharmacist John Pemberton first sells a carbonated beverage named “Coca-Cola” as a patent medicine.
1898 – The first games of the Italian football league system are played.
1899 – The Irish Literary Theatre in Dublin produced its first play.
1902 – In Martinique, Mount Pelée erupts, destroying the town of Saint-Pierre and killing over 30,000 people. Only a handful of residents survive the blast.
1912 – Paramount Pictures is founded.
1919 – Edward George Honey proposes the idea of a moment of silence to commemorate the Armistice of 11 November 1918 which ended World War I.
1921 – The creation of the Communist Party of Romania.
1924 – The Klaipėda Convention is signed formally incorporating Klaipėda Region (Memel Territory) into Lithuania.
1927 – Attempting to make the first non-stop transatlantic flight from Paris to New York, French war heroes Charles Nungesser and François Coli disappear after taking off aboard The White Bird biplane.
1933 – Mohandas Gandhi begins a 21-day fast of self-purification and launched a one-year campaign to help the Harijan movement.
1941 – World War II: The German Luftwaffe launches a bombing raid on Nottingham and Derby.
1942 – World War II: The German 11th Army begins Operation Trappenjagd (Bustard Hunt) and destroys the bridgehead of the three Soviet armies defending the Kerch Peninsula.
1942 – World War II: The Battle of the Coral Sea comes to an end with Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft carrier aircraft attacking and sinking the United States Navy aircraft carrier USS Lexington.
1942 – World War II: Gunners of the Ceylon Garrison Artillery on Horsburgh Island in the Cocos Islands rebel in the Cocos Islands Mutiny. Their mutiny is crushed and three of them are executed, the only British Commonwealth soldiers to be executed for mutiny during the Second World War.
1945 – World War II: The German Instrument of Surrender signed at Reims comes into effect.
1945 – End of the Prague uprising, celebrated now as a national holiday in the Czech Republic.
1945 – Hundreds of Algerian civilians are killed by French Army soldiers in the Sétif massacre.
1945 – The Halifax riot starts when thousands of civilians and servicemen rampage through Halifax, Nova Scotia.
1946 – Estonian schoolgirls Aili Jõgi and Ageeda Paavel blow up the Soviet memorial which preceded the Bronze Soldier of Tallinn.
1963 – South Vietnamese soldiers under the Roman Catholic President Ngo Dinh Diem open fire on Buddhists defying a ban on the flying of the Buddhist flag on Vesak, killing nine and sparking the Buddhist crisis.
1967 – The Philippine province of Davao is split into three: Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, and Davao Oriental.
1972 – Vietnam War: U.S. President Richard Nixon announces his order to place naval mines in major North Vietnamese ports in order to stem the flow of weapons and other goods to that nation.
1973 – A 71-day standoff between federal authorities and the American Indian Movement members occupying the Pine Ridge Reservation at Wounded Knee, South Dakota ends with the surrender of the militants.
1976 – The rollercoaster The New Revolution, the first steel coaster with a vertical loop, opens at Six Flags Magic Mountain.
1978 – The first ascent of Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen, by Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler.
1980 – The World Health Organization confirms the eradication of smallpox.
1984 – Corporal Denis Lortie enters the Quebec National Assembly and opens fire, killing three people and wounding 13. René Jalbert, Sergeant-at-Arms of the Assembly, succeeds in calming him, for which he will later receive the Cross of Valour.
1984 – The Thames Barrier is officially opened, preventing the floodplain of most of Greater London from being flooded except under extreme circumstances.
1987 – The SAS kills eight Provisional Irish Republican Army volunteers and a civilian during an ambush in Loughgall, Northern Ireland.
1988 – A fire at Illinois Bell’s Hinsdale Central Office triggers an extended 1AESS network outage once considered to be the “worst telecommunications disaster in US telephone industry history”.
1997 – China Southern Airlines Flight 3456 crashes on approach into Bao’an International Airport, killing 35 people.
2019 – British 17-year-old Isabelle Holdaway is reported to be the first patient ever to receive a genetically modified phage therapy to treat a drug-resistant infection.

Births on May 8

1326 – Joan I, Countess of Auvergne (d. 1360)
1427 – John Tiptoft, 1st Earl of Worcester, Lord High Treasurer (d. 1470)
1460 – Frederick I, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach (d. 1536)
1492 – Andrea Alciato, Italian jurist and writer (d. 1550)
1508 – Charles Wriothesley, English Officer of Arms (d. 1562)
1521 – Peter Canisius, Dutch-Swiss priest and saint (d. 1597)
1551 – Thomas Drury, English government informer and swindler (d. 1603)
1587 – Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy (d. 1637)
1622 – Claes Rålamb, Swedish politician (d. 1698)
1628 – Angelo Italia, Sicilian Jesuit and architect (d. 1700)
1629 – Niels Juel, Norwegian-Danish admiral (d. 1697)
1632 – Heino Heinrich Graf von Flemming, German field marshal and politician (d. 1706)
1639 – Giovanni Battista Gaulli, Italian artist (d. 1709)
1641 – Nicolaes Witsen, Mayor of Amsterdam, Netherlands (d. 1717)
1653 – Claude Louis Hector de Villars, French general and politician, French Minister of Defence (d. 1734)
1670 – Charles Beauclerk, 1st Duke of St Albans, English soldier and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire (d. 1726)
1698 – Henry Baker, English naturalist (d. 1774)
1720 – William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1764)
1735 – Nathaniel Dance-Holland, English painter and politician (d. 1811)
1737 – Edward Gibbon, English historian and politician (d. 1794)
1745 – Carl Stamitz, German violinist and composer (d. 1801)
1753 – Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, Mexican priest and rebel leader (d. 1811)
1786 – John Vianney, French priest and saint (d. 1859)
1815 – Edward Tompkins, American lawyer and politician (d. 1872)
1818 – Samuel Leonard Tilley, Canadian pharmacist and politician, 3rd Premier of New Brunswick (d. 1896)
1821 – William Henry Vanderbilt, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 1885)
1824 – William Walker, American physician, lawyer, journalist and mercenary (d. 1860)
1825 – George Bruce Malleson, English-Indian colonel and author (d. 1898)
1828 – Henry Dunant, Swiss businessman and activist, co-founded the Red Cross, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1910)
1828 – Charbel Makhluf, Lebanese monk and saint (d. 1898)
1829 – Louis Moreau Gottschalk, American pianist and composer (d. 1869)
1835 – Bertalan Székely, Hungarian painter and academic (d. 1910)
1839 – Adolphe-Basile Routhier, Canadian judge, author, and songwriter (d. 1920)
1842 – Emil Christian Hansen, Danish physiologist and mycologist (d. 1909)
1846 – Oscar Hammerstein I, American businessman and composer (d. 1919)
1850 – Ross Barnes, American baseball player and manager (d. 1915)
1853 – Dan Brouthers, American baseball player and manager (d. 1932)
1856 – Pedro Lascuráin, Mexican politician, president for 45 minutes on February 13, 1913. (d. 1952)
1858 – Heinrich Berté, Slovak-Austrian composer (d. 1924)
1858 – J. Meade Falkner, English author and poet (d. 1932)
1859 – Johan Jensen, Danish mathematician and engineer (d. 1925)
1867 – Margarete Böhme, German novelist (d. 1939)
1879 – Wesley Coe, American shot putter, discus thrower, and tug of war competitor (d. 1926)
1884 – Harry S. Truman, American colonel and politician, 33rd President of the United States (d. 1972)
1885 – Thomas B. Costain, Canadian journalist and author (d. 1965)
1892 – Adriaan Pelt, Dutch journalist and diplomat (d. 1981)
1893 – Francis Ouimet, American golfer (d. 1967)
1893 – Edd Roush, American baseball player and coach (d. 1988)
1893 – Teddy Wakelam, English rugby player and sportscaster (d. 1963)
1895 – James H. Kindelberger, American businessman (d. 1962)
1895 – Fulton J. Sheen, American archbishop (d. 1979)
1895 – Edmund Wilson, American critic, essayist, and editor (d. 1972)
1898 – Aloysius Stepinac, Croatian cardinal (d. 1960)
1899 – Arthur Q. Bryan, American actor, voice actor, comedian and radio personality (d. 1959)
1899 – Friedrich Hayek, Austrian economist and philosopher, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1992)
1899 – Jacques Heim, French fashion designer (d. 1967)
1901 – Turkey Stearnes, American baseball player (d. 1979)
1902 – André Michel Lwoff, French microbiologist and physician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1994)
1903 – Fernandel, French actor and singer (d. 1971)
1903 – Mary Stewart, Baroness Stewart of Alvechurch, British politician and educator (d. 1984)
1904 – John Snagge, English journalist (d. 1996)
1905 – Red Nichols, American cornet player, composer, and bandleader (d. 1965)
1906 – Roberto Rossellini, Italian director and screenwriter (d. 1977)
1910 – George Male, English footballer (d. 1998)
1910 – Andrew E. Svenson, American author and publisher (d. 1975)
1910 – Mary Lou Williams, American pianist and composer (d. 1981)
1911 – Wilhelm Friedrich de Gaay Fortman, Dutch jurist and politician, Dutch Minister of The Interior (d. 1997)
1911 – Robert Johnson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1938)
1912 – George Woodcock, Canadian author and poet (d. 1995)
1913 – Bob Clampett, American animator, director, and producer (d. 1984)
1913 – Sid James, South African-English actor and singer (d. 1976)
1915 – Milton Meltzer, American historian and author (d. 2009)
1916 – João Havelange, Brazilian water polo player, lawyer, and businessman (d. 2016)
1916 – Chinmayananda Saraswati, Indian spiritual leader and educator (d. 1993)
1916 – Ramananda Sengupta, Indian cinematographer (d. 2017)
1917 – John Anderson, Jr., American lawyer and politician, 36th Governor of Kansas (d. 2014)
1919 – Lex Barker, American actor (d. 1973)
1920 – Saul Bass, American graphic designer and director (d. 1996)
1920 – Tom of Finland, Finnish illustrator (d. 1991)
1920 – Sloan Wilson, American author and poet (d. 2003)
1920 – Gordon McClymont, Australian ecologist and academic (d. 2000)
1922 – Mary Q. Steele, American naturalist and author (d. 1992)
1924 – S. Vithiananthan, Sri Lankan author and academic (d. 1989)
1925 – Ali Hassan Mwinyi, Tanzanian politician, 2nd President of Tanzania
1926 – David Attenborough, English environmentalist and television host
1926 – David Hurst, German actor (d. 2019)
1926 – Don Rickles, American comedian and actor (d. 2017)
1927 – Chumy Chúmez, Spanish actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2003)
1927 – László Paskai, Hungarian cardinal (d. 2015)
1928 – Robert Conley, American journalist (d. 2013)
1928 – Ted Sorensen, American lawyer, 8th White House Counsel (d. 2010)
1929 – Ethel D. Allen, American physician and politician (d. 1981)
1929 – Girija Devi, Indian classical singer (d. 2017)
1929 – Claude Castonguay, Canadian banker and politician
1929 – Miyoshi Umeki, Japanese-American actress and singer (d. 2007)
1930 – Heather Harper, Northern Irish soprano (d. 2019)
1930 – Doug Atkins, American football player (d. 2015)
1930 – René Maltête, French photographer and poet (d. 2000)
1930 – Gary Snyder, American poet, essayist, and translator
1932 – Julieta Campos, Cuban-Mexican author and translator (d. 2007)
1932 – Phyllida Law, Scottish actress
1932 – Harry Wells, Australian rugby league player
1934 – Leonard Hoffmann, Baron Hoffmann, South African-English lawyer and judge
1934 – Maurice Norman, English footballer
1934 – David Williamson, Baron Williamson of Horton, English soldier and politician (d. 2015)
1935 – Lucius Cary, 15th Viscount Falkland, Scottish politician
1935 – Princess Elisabeth of Denmark (d. 2018)
1935 – Jack Charlton, English footballer and manager
1936 – Kazuo Koike, Japanese author
1936 – Haljand Udam, Estonian orientalist and academic (d. 2005)
1937 – Bernard Cleary, Canadian journalist, academic, and politician
1937 – Mike Cuellar, Cuban-American baseball player (d. 2010)
1937 – Carlos Gaviria Díaz, Colombian lawyer and politician (d. 2015)
1937 – Thomas Pynchon, American novelist
1938 – Javed Burki, Indian-Pakistani cricketer
1938 – Jean Giraud, French author and illustrator (d. 2012)
1939 – Paul Drayton, American sprinter (d. 2010)
1940 – Peter Benchley, American author and screenwriter (d. 2006)
1940 – James Blyth, Baron Blyth of Rowington, English businessman and academic
1940 – Irwin Cotler, Canadian lawyer and politician, 47th Canadian Minister of Justice
1940 – Emilio Delgado, Mexican-American actor, “Sesame Street”
1940 – Ricky Nelson, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (d. 1985)
1940 – Toni Tennille, American singer-songwriter and keyboard player
1941 – John Fred, American singer-songwriter (d. 2005)
1941 – Bill Lockyer, American academic and politician, 30th Attorney General of California
1941 – James Traficant, American lawyer and politician (d. 2014)
1942 – Martin Dobkin, Canadian doctor and politician, 2nd Mayor of Mississauga
1942 – Robin Hobbs, English cricketer
1942 – Norman Lamont, Scottish banker and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer
1942 – Pierre Morency, Canadian poet and playwright
1942 – Terry Neill, Irish footballer and manager
1943 – Pat Barker, English author
1943 – Johnny Greaves, Australian rugby league player
1943 – Jon Mark, English-New Zealand singer-songwriter and guitarist
1943 – Paul Samwell-Smith, English bass player and producer
1943 – Danny Whitten, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1972)
1944 – Gary Glitter, English singer-songwriter
1944 – Bill Legend, English drummer
1945 – Arthur Docters van Leeuwen, Dutch jurist and politician
1945 – Mike German, Baron German, Welsh educator and politician, Deputy First Minister for Wales
1945 – Janine Haines, Australian politician (d. 2004)
1945 – Keith Jarrett, American pianist and composer
1946 – André Boulerice, Canadian politician
1946 – Jonathan Dancy, English philosopher, author, and academic
1947 – H. Robert Horvitz, American biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
1947 – Felicity Lott, English soprano
1947 – John Reid, Baron Reid of Cardowan, Scottish historian and politician, Secretary of State for Defence
1948 – Steve Braun, American baseball player and coach
1948 – Stephen Stohn, American-Canadian lawyer and producer
1949 – David Vines, Australian economist and academic
1950 – Robert Mugge, American director and producer
1950 – Lepo Sumera, Estonian composer and educator (d. 2000)
1951 – Philip Bailey, American singer-songwriter, drummer, and actor
1951 – Mike D’Antoni, American basketball player and coach
1951 – Chris Frantz, American drummer and producer
1952 – Peter McNab, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
1953 – Billy Burnette, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
1953 – Alex Van Halen, Dutch-American drummer
1954 – Pam Arciero, American puppeteer and voice actress
1954 – David Keith, American actor and director
1954 – John Michael Talbot, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1955 – Stephen Furst, American actor and director (d. 2017)
1955 – Mladen Markač, Croatian general
1955 – Keith Osgood, English footballer
1956 – Jeff Wincott, Canadian actor and martial artist
1957 – Bill Cowher, American football player and coach
1957 – Rino Katase, Japanese actress
1957 – Gary Lunn, Canadian lawyer and politician, 6th Canadian Minister of Natural Resources
1958 – Roddy Doyle, Irish novelist, playwright, and screenwriter
1958 – Simone Kleinsma, Dutch actress and singer
1958 – Brooks Newmark, American-English businessman and politician, Lord of the Treasury
1958 – Lovie Smith, American football player and coach
1959 – Ronnie Lott, American football player and sportscaster
1959 – David Manners, 11th Duke of Rutland, English politician
1959 – Ikue Sakakibara, Japanese actress and singer
1960 – Franco Baresi, Italian footballer and coach
1960 – Eric Brittingham, American bass player
1961 – Bill de Blasio, American politician, 109th Mayor of New York City
1961 – Gert Kruys, Dutch footballer and manager
1961 – Vallo Reimaa, Estonian academic and politician
1961 – David Winning, Canadian-American director, producer, and screenwriter
1962 – Natalia Molchanova, Russian diver (d. 2015)
1962 – David Sole, Scottish rugby player
1963 – Sylvain Cossette, Canadian singer-songwriter
1963 – Anthony Field, Australian guitarist, songwriter, producer, and actor
1963 – Michel Gondry, French director and screenwriter
1963 – Izabela Kloc, Polish politician
1963 – Aleksandr Kovalenko, Belarusian triple jumper
1963 – Rick Zombo, American ice hockey player and coach
1964 – Päivi Alafrantti, Finnish javelin thrower
1964 – Melissa Gilbert, American actress and director
1964 – Bobby Labonte, American race car driver
1964 – Nathalie Roy, Canadian lawyer and politician
1964 – Dave Rowntree, English drummer and animator
1964 – Metin Tekin, Turkish footballer, manager, and journalist
1966 – Cláudio Taffarel, Brazilian footballer and coach
1967 – Viviana Durante, Italian ballerina and actress
1967 – Angus Scott, British sports television presenter
1968 – Teet Kask, Estonian ballet dancer and choreographer
1968 – Nathalie Normandeau, Canadian politician, Deputy Premier of Quebec
1968 – Johan Pehrson, Swedish lawyer and politician
1969 – Jonny Searle, English rower
1969 – Akebono Tarō, American-Japanese sumo wrestler, the 64th Yokozuna
1969 – John Timu, New Zealand rugby player
1970 – Michael Bevan, Australian cricketer and coach
1970 – Naomi Klein, Canadian author and activist
1970 – Luis Enrique, Spanish footballer and manager
1971 – Chuck Huber, American voice actor, director, and screenwriter
1971 – Candice Night, American singer-songwriter
1972 – Darren Hayes, Australian singer-songwriter
1972 – Ray Whitney, Canadian ice hockey player
1973 – Hiromu Arakawa, Japanese author and illustrator
1973 – Jesús Arellano, Mexican footballer
1973 – Marcus Brigstocke, English comedian, actor, and screenwriter
1974 – Marge Kõrkjas, Estonian swimmer
1974 – Korey Stringer, American football player (d. 2001)
1974 – Christian XXX, American pornographic star
1975 – Enrique Iglesias, Spanish-American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
1975 – Jussi Markkanen, Finnish ice hockey player
1975 – Gastón Mazzacane, Argentinian race car driver
1975 – Dmitri Ustritski, Estonian footballer
1976 – Gonçalo Abecasis, Portuguese-American biochemist and academic
1976 – Martha Wainwright, Canadian-American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1977 – Joe Bonamassa, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1977 – Bad News Brown, Canadian rapper, harmonica player, and actor (d. 2011)
1977 – Theodoros Papaloukas, Greek basketball player
1977 – Kathrin Bringmann, German mathematician and academic
1978 – Lúcio, Brazilian footballer
1978 – Jang Woo-hyuk, South Korean rapper and dancer
1979 – Ole Morten Vågan, Norwegian bassist
1980 – Keyon Dooling, American basketball player
1980 – Panagiotis Kafkis, Greek basketball player
1980 – Evgeny Lebedev, Russian-English publisher and philanthropist
1980 – Michelle McManus, Scottish singer-songwriter and actress
1980 – Benny Yau, Hong Kong-Canadian actor and singer
1981 – Stephen Amell, Canadian actor
1981 – Andrea Barzagli, Italian footballer
1981 – Tatyana Dektyareva, Russian hurdler
1981 – Björn Dixgård, Swedish singer-songwriter and guitarist
1981 – Manny Gamburyan, Armenian-American mixed martial artist
1981 – John Maine, American baseball player
1982 – Buakaw Banchamek, Thai kick-boxer
1982 – Christina Cole, English actress
1982 – Adrián González, American baseball player
1982 – Uğur Yıldırım, Turkish-Dutch footballer
1983 – Juan Martin Goity, Argentinian-German rugby player
1983 – Bershawn Jackson, American hurdler
1983 – Lawrence Vickers, American football player
1983 – Vicky McClure, English actress
1984 – David King, English figure skater
1985 – Tommaso Ciampa, American wrestler
1985 – Silvia Stroescu, Romanian gymnast
1985 – Sarah Vaillancourt, Canadian ice hockey player
1985 – Usama Young, American football player
1986 – Pemra Özgen, Turkish tennis player
1986 – Galen Rupp, American runner
1986 – Marvell Wynne, American soccer player
1987 – Felix Jones, American football player
1987 – Aarne Nirk, Estonian hurdler
1987 – Mark Noble, English footballer
1987 – Kurt Tippett, Australian footballer
1988 – Tanel Kurbas, Estonian basketball player
1988 – Maicon Pereira de Oliveira, Brazilian footballer (d. 2014)
1989 – Liam Bridcutt, English footballer
1989 – Lars Eller, Danish ice hockey player
1989 – Dinesh Patel, Indian baseball player
1990 – Kemba Walker, American basketball player
1991 – Ethan Gage, Canadian soccer player
1991 – Valentijn Lietmeijer, Dutch basketball player
1991 – Anamaria Tămârjan, Romanian gymnast
1992 – Kevin Hayes, American ice hockey player
1993 – Pat Cummins, Australian cricketer
1996 – 6ix9ine, American rapper
2001 – Jordyn Huitema, Canadian soccer player
2003 – Moulay Hassan, Crown Prince of Morocco

Deaths on May 8

535 – Pope John II
615 – Pope Boniface IV (b. 550)
685 – Pope Benedict II
997 – Tai Zong, Chinese emperor (b. 939)
1157 – Ahmed Sanjar, Seljuk sultan (b. 1086)
1192 – Ottokar IV, duke of Styria (b. 1163)
1220 – Richeza of Denmark, queen of Sweden
1278 – Duan Zong, Chinese emperor (b. 1269)
1319 – Haakon V, king of Norway (b. 1270)
1473 – John Stafford, 1st Earl of Wiltshire, English politician (b. 1420)
1538 – Edward Foxe, English bishop and academic (b. 1496)
1551 – Barbara Radziwiłł, queen of Poland (b. 1520)
1668 – Catherine of St. Augustine, French-Canadian nun and saint (b. 1632)
1766 – Samuel Chandler, English minister and author (b. 1693)
1773 – Ali Bey al-Kabir, Egyptian sultan (b. 1728)
1781 – Richard Jago, English priest and poet (b. 1715)
1782 – Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, 1st Marquis of Pombal, Portuguese politician, Prime Minister of Portugal (b. 1699)
1785 – Étienne François, duc de Choiseul, French general and politician, Prime Minister of France (b. 1719)
1785 – Pietro Longhi, Italian painter (b. 1701)
1788 – Giovanni Antonio Scopoli, Italian physician and botanist (b. 1723)
1794 – Antoine Lavoisier, French chemist and biologist (b. 1743)
1819 – Kamehameha I, king of the Hawaiian Islands
1822 – John Stark, American general (b. 1728)
1828 – Mauro Giuliani, Italian guitarist, cellist, and composer (b. 1781)
1837 – Alexander Balashov, Russian general and politician, Russian Minister of Police (b. 1770)
1842 – Jules Dumont d’Urville, French admiral and explorer (b. 1790)
1853 – Jan Roothaan, Dutch priest, 21st Superior General of the Society of Jesus (b. 1785)
1880 – Gustave Flaubert, French novelist (b. 1821)
1891 – Helena Blavatsky, Russian-English mystic and author (b. 1831)
1891 – John Robertson, English-Australian politician, 5th Premier of New South Wales (b. 1816)
1893 – Manuel González Flores, Mexican general and president, 1880–1884 (b. 1833)
1903 – Paul Gauguin, French painter and sculptor (b. 1848)
1907 – Edmund G. Ross, American soldier and politician, 13th Governor of New Mexico Territory (b. 1826)
1925 – John Beresford, Irish polo player (b. 1847)
1936 – Oswald Spengler, German historian and philosopher (b. 1880)
1941 – Natalie, queen consort of Serbia (b. 1859)
1941 – Tore Svennberg, Swedish actor and director (b. 1858)
1942 – Nikolai Reek, Estonian general and politician, 11th Estonian Minister of War (b. 1890)
1943 – Mordechai Anielewicz, Polish commander (b. 1919)
1944 – Themistoklis Diakidis, Greek high jumper (b. 1882)
1945 – Frank Bourne, British soldier, last survivor of the Battle of Rorke’s Drift (b. 1854)
1945 – Wilhelm Rediess, German SS officer (b. 1900)
1945 – Bernhard Rust, German lieutenant and politician (b. 1883)
1945 – Josef Terboven, German lieutenant and politician (b. 1898)
1947 – Harry Gordon Selfridge, American-English businessman, founded Selfridges (b. 1858)
1948 – U Saw, Burmese politician, Prime Minister of Burma (b. 1900)
1950 – Vital Brazil, Brazilian physician and immunologist (b. 1865)
1952 – William Fox, Austrian businessman, founded Fox Theatres (b. 1879)
1959 – John Fraser, Canadian soccer player (b. 1881)
1960 – J. H. C. Whitehead, Indian-English mathematician and academic (b. 1904)
1965 – Wally Hardinge, English cricketer and footballer (b. 1886)
1969 – Remington Kellogg, American zoologist and paleontologist (b. 1892)
1972 – Pandurang Vaman Kane, Indologist and Sanskrit scholar, Bharat Ratna awardee (b. 1880)
1972 – Beatrice Helen Worsley, Mexican-Canadian computer scientist (b. 1921)
1975 – Avery Brundage, American businessman and art collector (b. 1887)
1980 – Geoffrey Baker, English Field Marshal and Chief of the General Staff of the British Army (b. 1920)
1981 – Uri Zvi Greenberg, Israeli poet and journalist (b. 1896)
1982 – Neil Bogart, American record producer, co-founded Casablanca Records (b. 1943)
1982 – Gilles Villeneuve, Canadian race car driver (b. 1950)
1983 – John Fante, American author and screenwriter (b. 1909)
1984 – Lila Bell Wallace, American publisher, co-founded Reader’s Digest (b. 1890)
1984 – Gino Bianco, Italian-Brazilian race car driver (b. 1916)
1985 – Karl Marx, German conductor and composer (b. 1897)
1985 – Theodore Sturgeon, American author and critic (b. 1918)
1985 – Dolph Sweet, American actor (b. 1920)
1986 – Ernle Bradford, English historian and author (b. 1922)
1987 – Doris Stokes, English psychic and author (b. 1920)
1988 – Robert A. Heinlein, American science fiction writer and screenwriter (b. 1907)
1990 – Luigi Nono, Italian composer and educator (b. 1924)
1991 – Jean Langlais, French pianist and composer (b. 1907)
1991 – Rudolf Serkin, Czech-Austrian pianist and educator (b. 1903)
1992 – Joyce Ricketts, American baseball player (b. 1933)
1993 – Avram Davidson, American soldier and author (b. 1923)
1994 – George Peppard, American actor and producer (b. 1928)
1995 – Teresa Teng, Taiwanese singer (b. 1953)
1996 – Beryl Burton, English cyclist (b. 1937)
1996 – Luis Miguel Dominguín, Spanish bullfighter (b. 1926)
1996 – Larry Levis, American poet, author, and critic (b. 1946)
1996 – Garth Williams, American illustrator (b. 1912)
1998 – Johannes Kotkas, Estonian wrestler (b. 1915)
1998 – Charles Rebozo, American banker and businessman (b. 1912)
1999 – Dirk Bogarde, English actor and screenwriter (b. 1921)
1999 – Ed Gilbert, American actor (b. 1931)
1999 – Dana Plato, American actress (b. 1964)
1999 – Soeman Hs, Indonesian author and educator (b. 1904)
2000 – Pita Amor, Mexican poet and author (b. 1918)
2000 – Dédé Fortin, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1962)
2000 – Henry Nicols, American activist (b. 1973)
2003 – Elvira Pagã, Brazilian vedette, singer, and artist (b. 1920)
2005 – Jean Carrière, French author (b. 1928)
2005 – Nicolás Vuyovich, Argentinian race car driver (b. 1981)
2006 – Iain Macmillan, Scottish photographer and author (b. 1938)
2007 – Philip R. Craig, American author and poet (b. 1933)
2007 – Carson Whitsett, American keyboard player, songwriter, and producer (b. 1945)
2008 – Eddy Arnold, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (b. 1918)
2008 – François Sterchele, Belgian footballer (b. 1982)
2009 – Dom DiMaggio, American baseball player (b. 1917)
2009 – Bud Shrake, American journalist and author (b. 1931)
2011 – Lionel Rose, Australian boxer (b. 1948)
2012 – Everett Lilly, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1924)
2012 – Jerry McMorris, American businessman (b. 1941)
2012 – Stacy Robinson, American football player (b. 1962)
2012 – Maurice Sendak, American author and illustrator (b. 1928)
2012 – Ampon Tangnoppakul, Thai criminal (b. 1948)
2012 – Roman Totenberg, Polish-American violinist and educator (b. 1911)
2013 – Jeanne Cooper, American actress (b. 1928)
2013 – Bryan Forbes, English actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1926)
2013 – Juan José Muñoz, Argentinian businessman (b. 1950)
2013 – Hugh J. Silverman, American philosopher and theorist (b. 1945)
2013 – Ken Whaley, Austrian-English bass player (b. 1946)
2014 – Roger L. Easton, American scientist, co-invented the GPS (b. 1921)
2014 – Nancy Malone, American actress, director, and producer (b. 1935)
2014 – Yago Lamela, Spanish long jumper (b. 1977)
2014 – Jair Rodrigues, Brazilian singer (b. 1939)
2014 – R. Douglas Stuart Jr., American businessman and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Norway (b. 1916)
2014 – Joseph P. Teasdale, American lawyer and politician, 48th Governor of Missouri (b. 1936)
2015 – Zeki Alasya, Turkish actor and director (b. 1943)
2015 – Mwepu Ilunga, Congolese footballer (b. 1949)
2015 – Menashe Kadishman, Israeli sculptor and painter (b. 1932)
2015 – Juan Schwanner, Hungarian-Chilean footballer and manager (b. 1921)
2015 – Atanas Semerdzhiev, Bulgarian soldier and politician, 1st Vice President of Bulgaria (b. 1924)
2016 – Tom M. Apostol, American analytic number theorist (b. 1923)
2016 – William Schallert, American actor; president (1979–81) of the Screen Actors Guild (b. 1922)
2018 – Big Bully Busick, American professional wrestler (b. 1954)
2018 – Anne V. Coates, British film editor (Lawrence of Arabia, The Elephant Man, Erin Brockovich), Oscar winner (1963) (b. 1925)
2019 – Sprent Dabwido, President of Nauru from 2011 to 2013 (b. 1972)

Holidays and observances on May 8

Christian feast day:
- Amato Ronconi
- Apparition of Saint Michael
- Arsenius the Great
- Desideratus
- Blessed Catherine of St. Augustine
- Julian of Norwich (Anglican, Lutheran)
- Magdalene of Canossa
- Our Lady of Luján
- Peter of Tarentaise
- Blessed Teresa Demjanovich (Ruthenian Catholic Church)
- May 8 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Earliest day on which Father’s Day can fall, while May 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Sunday of May. (Romania)
Earliest day on which Mother’s Day can fall, while May 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Sunday of May. (United States and others)
Earliest day on which State Flag and State Emblem Day can fall, while May 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Sunday of May. (Belarus)
Earliest day on which World Fair Trade Day can fall, while May 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Saturday of May (site of the WFTO) (International)
Emancipation Day (Columbus, Mississippi)
Furry Dance (Helston, UK)
Liberation Day (Czech Republic)
Miguel Hidalgo’s birthday (Mexico)
Parents’ Day (South Korea)
Truman Day (Missouri)
Veterans Day (Norway)
Victory in Europe Day, and its related observances (Europe):
- Time of Remembrance and Reconciliation for Those Who Lost Their Lives during the Second World War, continues to May 9
White Lotus Day (Theosophy)
World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day (International)

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

On This Day

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

On This Day / admin

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

Births on May 7

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

Deaths on May 7

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

Holidays and observances on May 7

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

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

On This Day

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

On This Day / admin

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

Births on May 6

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

Deaths on May 6

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

Holidays and observances on May 6

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

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

On This Day

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

On This Day / admin

This day marks the approximate midpoint of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and of autumn in the Southern Hemisphere (starting the season at the March equinox).

May 5 in History

553 – The Second Council of Constantinople begins
1215 – Rebel barons renounce their allegiance to King John of England — part of a chain of events leading to the signing of the Magna Carta.
1260 – Kublai Khan becomes ruler of the Mongol Empire.
1494 – Christopher Columbus lands on the island of Jamaica and claims it for Spain.
1640 – King Charles I of England dissolves the Short Parliament.
1654 – Cromwell’s Act of Grace, aimed at reconciliation with the Scots, proclaimed in Edinburgh.
1672 – In preparation for the Franco-Dutch War, Louis XIV of France personally inspects his troops at Charleroi in one of the most magnificent displays of military power in the seventeenth century.
1762 – Russia and Prussia sign the Treaty of St. Petersburg.
1789 – In France, the Estates-General convenes for the first time since 1614.
1809 – Mary Kies becomes the first woman awarded a U.S. patent, for a technique of weaving straw with silk and thread.
1809 – The Swiss canton of Aargau allows citizenship to Jews.
1811 – Peninsular War: In the Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro, the British-Portuguese Army repels an attempt by the French Army of Portugal to relieve the besieged city of Almeida.
1821 – Emperor Napoleon dies in exile on the island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean.
1835 – The first railway in continental Europe opens between Brussels and Mechelen.
1860 – Giuseppe Garibaldi sets sail from Genoa, leading the expedition of the Thousand to conquer the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and giving birth to the Kingdom of Italy.
1862 – Cinco de Mayo: Troops led by Ignacio Zaragoza halt a French invasion in the Battle of Puebla in Mexico.
1864 – American Civil War: The Battle of the Wilderness begins in Spotsylvania County.
1865 – American Civil War: The Confederate District of the Gulf surrenders about 4,000 men at Citronelle, Alabama.
1865 – American Civil War: The Confederate government was declared dissolved at Washington, Georgia.
1866 – Memorial Day first celebrated in United States at Waterloo, New York.
1877 – American Indian Wars: Sitting Bull leads his band of Lakota into Canada to avoid harassment by the United States Army under Colonel Nelson Miles.
1886 – The Bay View massacre: A militia fires into a crowd of protesters in Milwaukee, killing seven.
1891 – The Music Hall in New York City (later known as Carnegie Hall) has its grand opening and first public performance, with Tchaikovsky as the guest conductor.
1904 – Pitching against the Philadelphia Athletics at the Huntington Avenue Grounds, Cy Young of the Boston Americans throws the first perfect game in the modern era of baseball.
1905 – The trial in the Stratton Brothers case begins in London, England; it marks the first time that fingerprint evidence is used to gain a conviction for murder.
1912 – Pravda, the “voice” of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, begins publication in Saint Petersburg.
1920 – Authorities arrest Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti for alleged robbery and murder.
1925 – Scopes Trial: Serving of an arrest warrant on John T. Scopes for teaching evolution in violation of the Butler Act.
1927 – To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf is first published.
1936 – Italian troops occupy Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
1940 – World War II: Norwegian refugees form a government-in-exile in London.
1940 – World War II: Norwegian Campaign: Norwegian squads in Hegra Fortress and Vinjesvingen capitulate to German forces after all other Norwegian forces in southern Norway had laid down their arms.
1941 – Emperor Haile Selassie returns to Addis Ababa; the country commemorates the date as Liberation Day or Patriots’ Victory Day.
1945 – World War II: The German surrender at Lüneburg Heath becomes effective, encompassing all German armed forces opposing the 21st Army Group in northwestern Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands.
1945 – World War II: Dönitz gives Löhr permission to seek an armistice with the Western Allies to preserve a communist free Austria and recognising first, from a German standpoint, the separation of Austria from Germany undoing the Anschluss.
1945 – World War II: The Prague uprising begins as an attempt by the Czech resistance to free the city from German occupation.
1945 – World War II: A Fu-Go balloon bomb launched by the Japanese Army kills six people near Bly, Oregon.
1945 – World War II: Battle of Castle Itter, the only battle in which American and German troops fought cooperatively.
1946 – The International Military Tribunal for the Far East begins in Tokyo with twenty-eight Japanese military and government officials accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
1950 – Bhumibol Adulyadej is crowned as King of Thailand.
1955 – The General Treaty, by which France, Britain and the United States recognize the sovereignty of West Germany, comes into effect.
1961 – Alan Shepard becomes the first American to travel into outer space, on a sub-orbital flight.
1964 – The Council of Europe declares May 5 as Europe Day.
1972 – Alitalia Flight 112 crashes into Mount Longa near Palermo, Sicily, killing all 115 aboard, making it the deadliest single-aircraft disaster in Italy.
1973 – Secretariat wins the 1973 Kentucky Derby in 1:59²⁄₅, an as-yet unbeaten record.
1980 – Operation Nimrod: The British Special Air Service storms the Iranian embassy in London after a six-day siege.
1981 – Bobby Sands dies in the Long Kesh prison hospital after 66 days of hunger-striking, aged 27.
1985 – Ronald Reagan visits the military cemetery at Bitburg and the site of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where he makes a speech.
1987 – Iran–Contra affair: Start of Congressional televised hearings in the United States of America
1991 – A riot breaks out in the Mt. Pleasant section of Washington, D.C. after police shoot a Salvadoran man.
1992 – Armand Césari Stadium disaster in Bastia (Corsica): Eighteen people are killed and 2,300 are injured when one of the terraces collapses before a football match between SC Bastia and Olympique de Marseille.
1993 – Three eight-year-old boys are murdered in West Memphis, Arkansas, Ultimately leading to the conviction of the West Memphis Three.
1994 – The signing of the Bishkek Protocol between Armenia and Azerbaijan effectively freezes the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
1994 – American teenager Michael P. Fay is caned in Singapore for theft and vandalism.
1998 – A Peruvian Air Force Boeing 737 operating for Occidental Petroleum crashes on approach to Alférez FAP Alfredo Vladimir Sara Bauer Airport in Andoas, Peru, killing 75 people.
2006 – The government of Sudan signs an accord with the Sudan Liberation Army.
2007 – Kenya Airways Flight 507 crashes after takeoff from Douala International Airport in Douala, Cameroon, killing all 114 aboard, making it the deadliest aircraft disaster in Cameroon.
2010 – Mass protests in Greece erupt in response to austerity measures imposed by the government as a result of the Greek government-debt crisis.
2014 – Eleven people are missing after a Chinese cargo ship collides with a Marshall Islands registered container ship off the coast of Hong Kong.
2014 – Twenty-two people die after two boats carrying refugees collide in the Aegean Sea off the coast of Greece.
2019 – A Russian jet plane burst into flames while attempting an emergency landing at Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow killing at least 41 people.
2020 – The National Telecommunications Commission issued a Cease and desist order to ABS-CBN Corporation to stop the operation of it’s free TV and radio stations.

Births on May 5

1210 – Afonso III of Portugal (d. 1279)
1282 – Juan Manuel, Prince of Villena (d. 1322)
1310 – Preczlaw of Pogarell, Cardinal and Bishop of Wrocław (d. 1376)
1352 – Rupert of Germany, Count Palatine of the Rhine (d. 1410)
1479 – Guru Amar Das, Indian 3rd Sikh Guru (d. 1574)
1504 – Stanislaus Hosius, Polish cardinal (d. 1579)
1530 – Gabriel, comte de Montgomery, French nobleman (d. 1574)
1542 – Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exeter, English soldier and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Northamptonshire (d. 1623)
1582 – John Frederick, Duke of Württemberg (d. 1628)
1684 – Françoise Charlotte d’Aubigné, French wife of Adrien Maurice de Noailles (d. 1739)
1747 – Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1792)
1749 – Jean-Frédéric Edelmann, French pianist and composer (d. 1794)
1764 – Robert Craufurd, Scottish general and politician (d. 1812)
1800 – Louis Christophe François Hachette, French publisher (d. 1864)
1813 – Søren Kierkegaard, Danish philosopher and author (d. 1855)
1818 – Karl Marx, German philosopher, sociologist, and journalist (d. 1883)
1826 – Eugénie de Montijo, French wife of Napoleon III (d. 1920)
1830 – John Batterson Stetson, American businessman, founded the John B. Stetson Company (d. 1906)
1832 – Hubert Howe Bancroft, American ethnologist and historian (d. 1918)
1833 – Ferdinand von Richthofen, German geographer and academic (d. 1905)
1834 – Viktor Hartmann, Russian painter and architect (d. 1873)
1843 – William George Beers, Canadian dentist and patriot (d. 1900)
1846 – Henryk Sienkiewicz, Polish journalist and author, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1916)
1858 – John L. Leal, American physician (d. 1914)
1859 – Charles B. Hanford, American Shakespearean actor (d. 1926)
1864 – Nellie Bly, American journalist and author (d. 1922)
1865 – Helen Maud Merrill, American litterateur and poet (d. 1943)
1866 – Thomas B. Thrige, Danish businessman (d. 1938)
1869 – Fabián de la Rosa, Filipino painter and educator (d. 1937)
1869 – Hans Pfitzner, German composer and conductor (d. 1949)
1874 – Thomas Bavin, New Zealand-Australian politician, 24th Premier of New South Wales (d. 1941)
1882 – Sylvia Pankhurst, English women’s suffrage movement leader and socialist activist (d. 1960)
1883 – Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell, English general and politician, 43rd Governor-General of India (d. 1950)
1883 – Anna Johnson Pell Wheeler, American mathematician (d. 1966)
1884 – Chief Bender, American baseball player and coach (d. 1954)
1885 – Kingsley Fairbridge, South African-Australian scholar and politician (d. 1924)
1887 – Mervyn S. Bennion, American captain, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1941)
1889 – Herbie Taylor, South African cricketer and soldier (d. 1973)
1890 – Christopher Morley, American journalist and author (d. 1957)
1892 – Dorothy Garrod, British archaeologist (d. 1968)
1898 – Elsie Eaves, American engineer (d. 1983)
1898 – Blind Willie McTell, American Piedmont blues singer and guitar player (d. 1959)
1899 – Freeman Gosden, American actor and screenwriter (d. 1982)
1900 – Helen Redfield, American geneticist (d. 1988)
1903 – James Beard, American chef and author (d. 1985)
1905 – Floyd Gottfredson, American author and illustrator (d. 1986)
1906 – Charles Exbrayat, French author and screenwriter (d. 1989)
1907 – Daryna Dmytrivna Polotniuk, Bukovinian (Ukrainian) journalist and author (d. 1982)
1908 – Kurt Böhme, German opera singer (d. 1989)
1909 – Miklós Radnóti, Hungarian poet and author (d. 1944)
1910 – Leo Lionni, American author and illustrator (d. 1999)
1911 – Gilles Grangier, French director and screenwriter (d. 1996)
1911 – Andor Lilienthal, Russian-Hungarian chess player (d. 2010)
1911 – Pritilata Waddedar, Indian educator and activist (d. 1932)
1913 – Duane Carter, American race car driver (d. 1993)
1914 – Tyrone Power, American actor (d. 1958)
1915 – Alice Faye, American actress and singer (d. 1998)
1916 – Zail Singh, Indian politician, 7th President of India (d. 1994)
1917 – Pío Leyva, Cuban singer-songwriter (d. 2006)
1918 – Egidio Galea, Maltese Roman Catholic priest (d. 2005)
1919 – Georgios Papadopoulos, Greek colonel and politician, 169th Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1999)
1921 – Arthur Leonard Schawlow, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1999)
1922 – Irene Gut Opdyke, Polish nurse and humanitarian (d. 2003)
1923 – William C. Campbell, American golfer (d. 2013)
1923 – James Gilbert, Scottish television producer and director (d. 2016)
1923 – Cathleen Synge Morawetz, Canadian mathematician (d. 2017)
1923 – Richard Wollheim, English philosopher and academic (d. 2003)
1925 – Leo Ryan, American soldier, educator, and politician (d. 1978)
1927 – Pat Carroll, American actress
1929 – Ilene Woods, American actress (d. 2010)
1930 – Hans Abramson, Swedish director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2012)
1931 – Greg, Belgian author and illustrator (d. 1999)
1932 – Stan Goldberg, American illustrator (d. 2014)
1932 – Bob Said, American race car driver and bobsled racer (d. 2002)
1933 – Igor Kashkarov, Russian high jumper
1933 – Collie Smith, Jamaican cricketer (d. 1959)
1934 – Henri Konan Bédié, Ivorian politician, 2nd President of Côte d’Ivoire
1934 – Victor Garland, Australian accountant and politician, 26th Australian Minister for Veterans’ Affairs
1935 – Eddie Linden, Scottish poet and magazine editor
1935 – Bernard Pivot, French journalist, talk show host, and producer
1935 – Robert Rehme, American film producer
1936 – Sandy Baron, American actor and comedian (d. 2001)
1936 – Patrick Gowers, English composer and educator (d. 2014)
1936 – Ervin Lázár, Hungarian author (d. 2006)
1937 – Delia Derbyshire, English musician, arranger and composer (d. 2001)
1938 – Michael Murphy, American actor
1938 – Barbara Wagner, Canadian figure skater and coach
1939 – Ray Gosling, English journalist, author, and activist (d. 2013)
1940 – Lance Henriksen, American actor
1940 – Michael Lindsay-Hogg, American director and producer
1941 – Alexander Ragulin, Russian ice hockey player (d. 2004)
1942 – István Bujtor, Hungarian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2009)
1942 – Jean Corston, Baroness Corston, English lawyer and politician
1942 – Hugh Courtenay, 18th Earl of Devon, English politician (d. 2015)
1942 – Tammy Wynette, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1998)
1943 – Michael Palin, English actor and screenwriter
1943 – Ignacio Ramonet, Spanish journalist and author
1944 – Bo Larsson, Swedish footballer
1944 – John Rhys-Davies, Welsh actor and screenwriter
1944 – Roger Rees, Welsh-American actor and director (d. 2015)
1945 – Kurt Loder, American journalist, author, and critic
1945 – Dianne Willcocks, English sociologist and academic
1946 – Jim Kelly, American actor, athlete, and martial artist
1946 – Aydın Menderes, Turkish politician (d. 2011)
1948 – Bella van der Spiegel-Hage, Dutch cyclist
1948 – Bill Ward, English drummer and songwriter
1949 – Eppie Bleeker, Dutch speed skater
1950 – Rex Caldwell, American golfer
1950 – Maggie MacNeal, Dutch singer
1951 – Rudolf Finsterer, German rugby player and coach
1951 – Toomas Vilosius, Estonian physician and politician, 2nd Minister of Social Affairs of Estonia
1952 – Ed Lee, American politician and attorney, 43rd Mayor of San Francisco (d. 2017)
1952 – Jorge Llopart, Spanish race walker
1952 – Willem Witteveen, Dutch scholar and politician (d. 2014)
1955 – Jon Butcher, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and freelance multimedia producer
1956 – Steve Scott, American runner and coach
1957 – Richard E. Grant, Swazi-English actor, director, and screenwriter
1957 – Peter Howitt, English actor, director, and screenwriter
1957 – Aad van Mil, Dutch water polo player
1958 – Ron Arad, Israeli colonel and pilot (d. 1986)
1958 – Robert DiPierdomenico, Australian footballer and sportscaster
1958 – Vanessa Downing, Australian actress
1958 – Jack Wishna, American businessman, co-founded Rockcityclub (d. 2012)
1959 – Bobby Ellsworth, American singer and bass player
1959 – Ian McCulloch, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
1959 – Steve Stevens, American guitarist and songwriter
1959 – Brian Williams, American journalist
1960 – Doug Hawkins, Australian footballer and sportscaster
1961 – Marg Downey, Australian actress
1961 – Hiroshi Hase, Japanese wrestler and politician
1961 – Rob Williams, American basketball player (d. 2014)
1962 – Kaoru Wada, Japanese composer and conductor
1963 – James LaBrie, Canadian singer-songwriter
1963 – Simon Rimmer, English chef and author
1963 – Scott Westerfeld, American author and composer
1964 – Jean-François Copé, French politician, French Minister of Budget
1964 – Heike Henkel, German high jumper
1964 – Don Payne, American screenwriter and producer (d. 2013)
1964 – Minami Takayama, Japanese voice actress and singer
1964 – Efrat Mishori, Israeli poet and filmmaker
1965 – Glenn Seton, Australian race car driver
1966 – Shawn Drover, Canadian drummer
1966 – Sergei Stanishev, Bulgarian politician, 46th Prime Minister of Bulgaria
1966 – Josh Weinstein, American screenwriter and producer
1967 – Adam Hughes, American author and illustrator
1967 – Alexis Sinduhije, Burundian journalist and politician
1969 – Pieter Muller, South African rugby player
1970 – Kyan Douglas, American television host and author
1970 – Todd Newton, American game show host
1971 – Harold Miner, American basketball player
1971 – Mike Redmond, American baseball player and manager
1972 – James Cracknell, English rower
1972 – Žigmund Pálffy, Slovakian ice hockey player
1972 – Mikael Renberg, Swedish ice hockey player
1975 – Meb Keflezighi, American runner
1976 – Dieter Brummer, Australian actor
1976 – Jean-François Dumoulin, Canadian race car driver
1976 – Anastasios Pantos, Greek footballer
1976 – Juan Pablo Sorín, Argentinian footballer and sportscaster
1978 – Morgan Pehme, American director, producer, and screenwriter
1979 – Vincent Kartheiser, American actor
1980 – Yossi Benayoun, Israeli footballer
1980 – Hank Green, American entrepreneur, educator, and vlogger
1980 – DerMarr Johnson, American basketball player
1981 – Craig David, English singer-songwriter, musician and producer
1981 – Danielle Fishel, American actress
1982 – Ferrie Bodde, Dutch footballer
1982 – Wouter D’Haene, Belgian sprinter
1982 – Randall Gay, American football player
1982 – Corey Parker, Australian rugby league footballer
1983 – James Anyon, English cricketer
1983 – Henry Cavill, English actor
1983 – Mabel Gay, Cuban triple jumper
1983 – Annie Villeneuve, Canadian singer-songwriter
1983 – Scott Ware, American football player
1984 – Johanna Hedva, Korean-American artist and genderqueer activist
1984 – Wade MacNeil, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
1984 – Christian Valdez, Mexican footballer
1985 – Shoko Nakagawa, Japanese actress and singer
1985 – Emanuele Giaccherini, Italian footballer
1985 – Tsepo Masilela, South African footballer
1985 – Marcos Rogério Oliveira Duarte, Brazilian footballer
1985 – Terrence Wheatley, American football player
1987 – Graham Dorrans, Scottish footballer
1988 – Adele, English singer-songwriter
1988 – Mervyn Westfield, English cricketer
1989 – Chris Brown, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actor
1991 – Xenofon Fetsis, Greek footballer
1991 – Raúl Jiménez, Mexican footballer
1992 – Loïck Landre, French footballer
1994 – Celeste, English singer
1998 – Aryna Sabalenka, Belarusian tennis player
1999 – Nathan Chen, American figure skater
1999 – Justin Kluivert, Dutch footballer

Deaths on May 5

465 – Gerontius, Archbishop of Milan
1194 – Casimir II the Just, Polish son of Bolesław III Wrymouth (b. 1138)
1243 – Hubert de Burgh, 1st Earl of Kent, English justiciar (b. c. 1160)
1306 – Constantine Palaiologos, Byzantine general (b. 1261)
1309 – Charles II of Naples (b. 1254)
1316 – Elizabeth of Rhuddlan, daughter of King Edward I of England (b. 1282)
1338 – Prince Tsunenaga, son of the Japanese Emperor (b. 1324)
1380 – Saint Philotheos, Coptic martyr
1432 – Francesco Bussone da Carmagnola, Italian adventurer
1525 – Frederick III, Elector of Saxony (b. 1463)
1582 – Charlotte of Bourbon, Princess consort of Orange, married to William I of Orange (b. 1547)
1586 – Henry Sidney, Irish politician, Lord Deputy of Ireland (b. 1529)
1671 – Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester, English general and politician, Lord Chamberlain of the United Kingdom (b. 1602)
1672 – Samuel Cooper, English painter and linguist (b. 1609)
1700 – Angelo Italia, Italian architect (b. 1628)
1705 – Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1640)
1760 – Laurence Shirley, 4th Earl Ferrers, English politician (b. 1720)
1766 – Jean Astruc, French physician and scholar (b. 1684)
1808 – Pierre Jean George Cabanis, French physiologist and philosopher (b. 1757)
1821 – Napoleon, French general and emperor (b. 1769)
1827 – Frederick Augustus I of Saxony (b. 1750)
1833 – Sophia Campbell, English-Australian painter (b. 1777)
1855 – Sir Robert Inglis, 2nd Baronet, English politician (b. 1786)
1859 – Peter Gustav Lejeune Dirichlet, German mathematician and academic (b. 1805)
1860 – Jean-Charles Prince, Canadian bishop (b. 1804)
1883 – John O’Shanassy, Irish-Australian politician, 2nd Premier of Victoria (b. 1818)
1892 – August Wilhelm von Hofmann, German chemist and academic (b. 1818)
1896 – Silas Adams, American lawyer and politician (b. 1839)
1902 – Bret Harte, American short story writer and poet (b. 1836)
1907 – Şeker Ahmed Pasha, Turkish soldier and painter (b. 1841)
1913 – Henry Moret, French painter (b. 1856)
1916 – John MacBride, Irish soldier and rebel (b. 1865)
1916 – Maurice Raoul-Duval, French polo player (b. 1866)
1921 – Alfred Hermann Fried, Austrian journalist and publicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1864)
1924 – A. Sabapathy, Sri Lankan journalist and politician (b. 1853)
1931 – Glen Kidston, English pilot and race car driver (b. 1899)
1942 – Qemal Stafa, Albanian politician (b. 1920)
1947 – Ty LaForest, Canadian-American baseball player (b. 1917)
1957 – Leopold Löwenheim, German mathematician and logician (b. 1878)
1959 – Carlos Saavedra Lamas, Argentinian academic and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1878)
1962 – Ernest Tyldesley, English cricketer (b. 1889)
1965 – Nikos Gounaris, Greek tenor and composer (b. 1915)
1965 – John Waters, American director and screenwriter (b. 1893)
1971 – Violet Jessop, Argentinean-English nurse (b. 1887)
1973 – Zekai Özger, Turkish poet and academic (b. 1948)
1977 – Ludwig Erhard, German economist and politician, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1897)
1981 – Bobby Sands, PIRA volunteer and hunger striker (b. 1954)
1983 – Horst Schumann, German physician (b. 1901)
1983 – John Williams, English-American actor (b. 1903)
1985 – Donald Bailey, English engineer, designed the Bailey bridge (b. 1901)
1988 – Michael Shaara, American author and academic (b. 1928)
1993 – Irving Howe, American literary and social critic (b. 1920)
1994 – Mário Quintana, Brazilian poet and translator (b. 1906)
1995 – Mikhail Botvinnik, Russian chess player and coach (b. 1911)
1999 – Vasilis Diamantopoulos, Greek actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1920)
2000 – Gino Bartali, Italian cyclist (b. 1914)
2000 – Bill Musselman, American basketball player and coach (b. 1940)
2001 – Morris Graves, American painter and educator (b. 1910)
2001 – Clifton Hillegass, American publisher, created CliffsNotes (b. 1918)
2002 – Hugo Banzer, Bolivian general and politician, 62nd President of Bolivia (b. 1926)
2002 – Paul Wilbur Klipsch, American engineer, founded Klipsch Audio Technologies (b. 1904)
2002 – George Sidney, American director and producer (b. 1916)
2003 – Sam Bockarie, Sierra Leonean commander (b. 1964)
2003 – Walter Sisulu, South African activist and politician (b. 1912)
2006 – Naushad Ali, Indian composer and producer (b. 1919)
2006 – Atıf Yılmaz, Turkish director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1925)
2007 – Theodore Harold Maiman, American-Canadian physicist and engineer, created the laser (b. 1927)
2008 – Irv Robbins, Canadian-American businessman, co-founded Baskin-Robbins (b. 1917)
2008 – Jerry Wallace, American singer and guitarist (b. 1928)
2010 – Giulietta Simionato, Italian soprano (b. 1910)
2010 – Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, Nigerian academic and politician, 13th President of Nigeria (b. 1951)
2011 – Claude Choules, English-Australian soldier (b. 1901)
2011 – Yosef Merimovich, Israeli footballer and manager (b. 1924)
2011 – Dana Wynter, British actress (b. 1931)
2012 – Surendranath, Indian cricketer (b. 1937)
2012 – Carl Johan Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg (b. 1916)
2012 – Aatos Erkko, Finnish journalist and publisher (b. 1932)
2012 – George Knobel, Dutch footballer, coach, and manager (b. 1922)
2012 – Roy Padayachie, South African lawyer and politician, South African Minister of Communications (b. 1950)
2013 – Sarah Kirsch, German poet and author (b. 1935)
2013 – Robert Ressler, American FBI agent and author (b. 1937)
2014 – Michael Otedola, Nigerian journalist and politician, 9th Governor of Lagos State (b. 1926)
2015 – Jobst Brandt, American cyclist, engineer, and author (b. 1935)
2015 – Hans Jansen, Dutch linguist, academic, and politician (b. 1942)
2017 – Binyamin Elon, Israeli Orthodox rabbi and politician (b. 1954)
2017 – Ely Ould Mohamed Vall, Mauritanian politician (b. 1953)

Holidays and observances on May 5

Children’s Day (Japan, South Korea)
Christian feast day:
- Angelus of Jerusalem
- Aventinus of Tours
- Blessed Edmund Ignatius Rice
- Frederick the Wise (Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod)
- Hilary of Arles
- Jutta of Kulmsee
- Stanisław Kazimierczyk
- May 5 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Cinco de Mayo (Mexico, United States)
Constitution Day (Kyrgyzstan)
Europe Day (Council of Europe)
Feast of al-Khadr or Saint George (Palestinian)
Indian Arrival Day (Guyana)
International Midwives’ Day (International)
Liberation Day (Denmark, Netherlands)
Lusophone Culture Day (Community of Portuguese Language Countries)
World Portuguese language day (International)
Martyrs’ Day (Albania)
Patriots’ Victory Day (Ethiopia)
Senior Citizens Day (Palau)
Tango no sekku (Japan)

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

On This Day

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

On This Day / admin

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

Births on May 4

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

Deaths on May 4

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

Holidays and observances on May 4

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

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

On This Day

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

On This Day / admin

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

Births on May 3

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

Deaths on May 3

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

Holidays and observances on May 3

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

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

On This Day