26th

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    September 30 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    It is the last day of the third quarter, the midway point of the second half of the year.

    • 489 – The Ostrogoths under Theoderic the Great defeat the forces of Odoacer for the second time.
    • 737 – The Turgesh drive back an Umayyad invasion of Khuttal, follow them south of the Oxus, and capture their baggage train.
    • 1399 – Henry IV is proclaimed king of England.
    • 1520 – Suleiman the Magnificent is proclaimed sultan of the Ottoman Empire.
    • 1541 – Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto and his forces enter Tula territory in present-day western Arkansas, encountering fierce resistance.
    • 1551 – A coup by the military establishment of Japan’s Ōuchi clan forces their lord to commit suicide, and their city is burned.
    • 1744 – War of the Austrian Succession: France and Spain defeat Sardinia at the Battle of Madonna dell’Olmo, but soon have to withdraw from Sardinia anyway.
    • 1791 – The first performance of Mozart’s opera The Magic Flute takes place two months before his death.
    • 1791 – France’s National Constituent Assembly is dissolved, to be replaced the next day by the National Legislative Assembly
    • 1882 – Thomas Edison’s first commercial hydroelectric power plant (later known as Appleton Edison Light Company) begins operation.
    • 1888 – Jack the Ripper kills his third and fourth victims, Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes.
    • 1906 – The Royal Galician Academy, the Galician language’s biggest linguistic authority, starts working in La Coruña, Spain.
    • 1907 – The McKinley National Memorial, the final resting place of assassinated U.S. President William McKinley and his family, is dedicated in Canton, Ohio.
    • 1909 – The Cunard Line’s RMS Mauretania makes a record-breaking westbound crossing of the Atlantic, that will not be bettered for 20 years.
    • 1915 – World War I: Radoje Ljutovac becomes the first soldier in history to shoot down an enemy aircraft with ground-to-air fire.
    • 1922 – The University of Alabama opens the American football season with a 110–0 victory over the Marion Military Institute, which still stands as Alabama’s record for largest margin of victory and as their only 100 point game.
    • 1927 – Babe Ruth becomes the first baseball player to hit 60 home runs in a season.
    • 1931 – Start of “Die Voortrekkers” youth movement for Afrikaners in Bloemfontein, South Africa.
    • 1935 – The Hoover Dam, astride the border between the U.S. states of Arizona and Nevada, is dedicated.
    • 1938 – Britain, France, Germany and Italy sign the Munich Agreement, whereby Germany annexes the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia.
    • 1938 – The League of Nations unanimously outlaws “intentional bombings of civilian populations”.
    • 1939 – World War II: General Władysław Sikorski becomes prime minister of the Polish government-in-exile.
    • 1939 – NBC broadcasts the first televised American football game.
    • 1941 – World War II: The Babi Yar massacre comes to an end.
    • 1943 – The United States Merchant Marine Academy is dedicated by President Roosevelt.
    • 1945 – The Bourne End rail crash, in Hertfordshire, England, kills 43
    • 1947 – The 1947 World Series is the first to be televised, to include an African-American player, to exceed $2 million in receipts, to see a pinch-hit home run, and to have six umpires on the field.
    • 1947 – Pakistan joins the United Nations.
    • 1949 – The Berlin Airlift ends.
    • 1954 – The U.S. Navy submarine USS Nautilus is commissioned as the world’s first nuclear-powered vessel.
    • 1962 – Mexican-American labor leader César Chávez founds the National Farm Workers Association.
    • 1962 – James Meredith enters the University of Mississippi, defying racial segregation rules.
    • 1965 – The Lockheed L-100, the civilian version of the C-130 Hercules, is introduced.
    • 1965 – In Indonesia, a coup by the 30 September Movement is crushed, leading to a mass anti-communist purge, with over 500,000 people killed.
    • 1966 – Bechuanaland declares its independence, and becomes the Republic of Botswana.
    • 1967 – The BBC Light Programme, Third Programme and Home Service are replaced with BBC Radio 2, 3 and 4 Respectively, BBC Radio 1 is also launched.
    • 1968 – The Boeing 747 is rolled out and shown to the public for the first time.
    • 1970 – Jordan makes a deal with the PFLP for the release of the remaining hostages from the Dawson’s Field hijackings.
    • 1972 – Roberto Clemente records the 3,000th and final hit of his career.
    • 1975 – The AH-64 Apache makes its first flight. Eight years later, the first production model rolled out of the assembly line.
    • 1977 – Because of NASA budget cuts and dwindling power reserves, the Apollo program’s ALSEP experiment packages left on the Moon are shut down.
    • 1980 – Ethernet specifications are published by Xerox working with Intel and Digital Equipment Corporation.
    • 1990 – The Dalai Lama unveils the Canadian Tribute to Human Rights in Canada’s capital city of Ottawa.
    • 1993 – The 6.2 Mw  Latur earthquake shakes Maharashtra, India with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe) killing 9,748 and injuring 30,000.
    • 1994 – Aldwych tube station (originally Strand Station) of the London Underground closes after eighty-eight years in service.
    • 1994 – Ongar railway station, the furthest London Underground from central London, closes.
    • 1999 – The Tokaimura nuclear accident causes the deaths of two technicians in Japan’s second-worst nuclear accident.
    • 2000 – Israeli-Palestinian conflict: 12-year-old Muhammad al-Durrah is shot and killed on the second day of the Second Intifada.
    • 2004 – The AIM-54 Phoenix, the primary missile for the F-14 Tomcat, is retired from service. Almost two years later, the Tomcat itself is retired.
    • 2005 – Controversial drawings of Muhammad are printed in a Danish newspaper.
    • 2009 – The 7.6 Mw  Sumatra earthquake leaves 1,115 people dead.
    • 2016 – Hurricane Matthew becomes a Category 5 hurricane, making it the strongest hurricane to form in the Caribbean Sea since 2007.
    • 2016 – Two paintings with a combined value of $100 million are recovered after having been stolen from the Van Gogh Museum in 2002.

    Births on September 30

    • 1207 – Rumi, Persian mystic and poet (d. 1273)
    • 1227 – Pope Nicholas IV (d. 1292)
    • 1530 – Girolamo Mercuriale, Italian philologist and physician (d. 1606)
    • 1550 – Michael Maestlin, German astronomer and mathematician (d. 1631)
    • 1622 – Johann Sebastiani, German composer (d. 1683)
    • 1689 – Jacques Aubert, French violinist and composer (d. 1753)
    • 1700 – Stanisław Konarski, Polish monk, poet, and playwright (d. 1773)
    • 1710 – John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford, English politician, Lord President of the Council (d. 1771)
    • 1714 – Étienne Bonnot de Condillac, French epistemologist and philosopher (d. 1780)
    • 1732 – Jacques Necker, Swiss-French politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 1804)
    • 1743 – Christian Ehregott Weinlig, German cantor and composer (d. 1813)
    • 1765 – José María Morelos, Mexican priest and general (d. 1815)
    • 1800 – Decimus Burton, English architect, designed the Pharos Lighthouse (d. 1881)
    • 1813 – John Rae, Scottish physician and explorer (d. 1893)
    • 1814 – Lucinda Hinsdale Stone, American feminist, educator, and philanthropist (d. 1900)
    • 1827 – Ellis H. Roberts, American journalist and politician, 20th Treasurer of the United States (d. 1918)
    • 1832 – Ann Jarvis, American activist, co-founded Mother’s Day (d. 1905)
    • 1836 – Remigio Morales Bermúdez, Peruvian politician, 56th President of Peru (d. 1894)
    • 1852 – Charles Villiers Stanford, Irish composer, conductor, and educator (d. 1924)
    • 1861 – William Wrigley, Jr., American businessman, founded Wrigley Company (d. 1932)
    • 1863 – Reinhard Scheer, German admiral (d. 1928)
    • 1870 – Thomas W. Lamont, American banker and philanthropist (d. 1948)
    • 1870 – Jean Baptiste Perrin, French-American physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1942)
    • 1882 – Hans Geiger, German physicist and academic (d. 1945)
    • 1883 – Bernhard Rust, German educator and politician (d. 1945)
    • 1883 – Nora Stanton Blatch Barney, American civil engineer, architect, and suffragist (d. 1971)
    • 1887 – Lil Dagover, Indonesian-German actress (d. 1980)
    • 1893 – Lansdale Ghiselin Sasscer, American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician (d. 1964)
    • 1895 – Lewis Milestone, Moldovan-American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1980)
    • 1897 – Gaspar Cassadó, Spanish cellist and composer (d. 1966)
    • 1897 – Alfred Wintle, Russian-English soldier and politician (d. 1966)
    • 1897 – Charlotte Wolff, German-English physician and psychotherapist (d. 1986)
    • 1898 – Renée Adorée, French-American actress (d. 1933)
    • 1898 – Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois (d. 1977)
    • 1898 – Edgar Parin d’Aulaire, German-American author and illustrator (d. 1986)
    • 1901 – Thelma Terry, American bassist and bandleader (d. 1966)
    • 1904 – Waldo Williams, Welsh poet and academic (d. 1971)
    • 1905 – Nevill Francis Mott, English physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1996)
    • 1905 – Michael Powell, English director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1990)
    • 1906 – Mireille Hartuch, French singer-songwriter and actress (d. 1996)
    • 1908 – David Oistrakh, Ukrainian-Russian violinist and educator (d. 1974)
    • 1910 – Jussi Kekkonen, Finnish captain (d. 1962)
    • 1911 – Gustave Gilbert, American psychologist (d. 1977)
    • 1912 – Kenny Baker, American singer and actor (d. 1985)
    • 1913 – Bill Walsh, American screenwriter and producer (d. 1975)
    • 1915 – Lester Maddox, American businessman and politician, 75th Governor of Georgia (d. 2003)
    • 1917 – Yuri Lyubimov, Russian actor and director (d. 2014)
    • 1917 – Buddy Rich, American drummer, bandleader, and actor (d. 1987)
    • 1918 – Lewis Nixon, U.S. Army captain (d. 1995)
    • 1918 – René Rémond, French historian and economist (d. 2007)
    • 1919 – Roberto Bonomi, Argentinian race car driver (d. 1992)
    • 1919 – Elizabeth Gilels, Ukrainian-Russian violinist and educator (d. 2008)
    • 1919 – William L. Guy, American lieutenant and politician, 26th Governor of North Dakota (d. 2013)
    • 1919 – Patricia Neway, American soprano and actress (d. 2012)
    • 1921 – Deborah Kerr, Scottish-English actress (d. 2007)
    • 1921 – Aldo Parisot, Brazilian-American cellist and educator (d. 2018)
    • 1922 – Lamont Johnson, American actor, director, and producer (d. 2010)
    • 1922 – Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2006)
    • 1923 – Donald Swann, Welsh-English pianist and composer (d. 1994)
    • 1924 – Truman Capote, American novelist, playwright, and screenwriter (d. 1984)
    • 1925 – Arkady Ostashev, Russian engineer and educator (d. 1998)
    • 1926 – Heino Kruus, Estonian basketball player and coach (d. 2012)
    • 1926 – Robin Roberts, American baseball player, coach, and sportscaster (d. 2010)
    • 1927 – W. S. Merwin, American poet and translator (d. 2019)
    • 1928 – Elie Wiesel, Romanian-American author, academic, and activist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2016)
    • 1928 – Ray Willsey, Canadian-American football player and coach (d. 2013)
    • 1929 – Carol Fenner, American author and illustrator (d. 2002)
    • 1929 – Vassilis Papazachos, Greek seismologist and academic
    • 1929 – Leticia Ramos-Shahani, Filipino politician, diplomat and writer (d. 2017)
    • 1929 – Dorothee Sölle, German theologian and author (d. 2003)
    • 1931 – Angie Dickinson, American actress
    • 1931 – Teresa Gorman, English educator and politician (d. 2015)
    • 1932 – Shintaro Ishihara, Japanese author, playwright, and politician, Governor of Tokyo
    • 1932 – Johnny Podres, American baseball player and coach (d. 2008)
    • 1933 – Michel Aoun, Lebanese general and politician, President of Lebanon
    • 1933 – Cissy Houston, American singer
    • 1934 – Alan A’Court, English footballer and manager (d. 2009)
    • 1934 – Udo Jürgens, Austrian-Swiss singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 2014)
    • 1934 – Anna Kashfi, Indian-American actress (d. 2015)
    • 1935 – Johnny Mathis, American singer and actor
    • 1936 – Jim Sasser, American lawyer and politician, 6th United States Ambassador to China
    • 1936 – Sevgi Soysal, Turkish author (d. 1976)
    • 1937 – Jurek Becker, Polish-German author (d. 1997)
    • 1937 – Valentyn Sylvestrov, Ukrainian pianist and composer
    • 1937 – Gary Hocking, Rhodesian motorcycle racer (d. 1962)
    • 1938 – Alan Hacker, English clarinet player and educator (d. 2012)
    • 1939 – Len Cariou, Canadian actor
    • 1939 – Anthony Green, English painter and academic
    • 1939 – Jean-Marie Lehn, French chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1940 – Claudia Card, American philosopher and academic (d. 2015)
    • 1940 – Harry Jerome, Canadian sprinter (d. 1982)
    • 1940 – Dewey Martin, Canadian-American drummer (d. 2009)
    • 1941 – Samuel F. Pickering, Jr., American author and educator
    • 1941 – Kamalesh Sharma, Indian academic and diplomat, 5th Commonwealth Secretary General
    • 1941 – Reine Wisell, Swedish race car driver
    • 1942 – Gus Dudgeon, English record producer (d. 2002)
    • 1942 – Frankie Lymon, American singer-songwriter (d. 1968)
    • 1943 – Johann Deisenhofer, German-American biochemist and biophysicist, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1943 – Marilyn McCoo, American singer
    • 1943 – Philip Moore, English organist and composer
    • 1943 – Ian Ogilvy, English-American actor, playwright, and author
    • 1944 – Diane Dufresne, Canadian singer and painter
    • 1944 – Jimmy Johnstone, Scottish footballer (d. 2006)
    • 1944 – Red Robbins, American basketball player (d. 2009)
    • 1945 – Richard Edwin Hills, English astronomer and academic
    • 1945 – Ehud Olmert, Israeli lawyer and politician, 12th Prime Minister of Israel
    • 1946 – Fran Brill, American actress, singer, and puppeteer
    • 1946 – Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 7th Marquess of Salisbury, English academic and politician, Leader of the House of Lords
    • 1946 – Héctor Lavoe, Puerto Rican-American singer-songwriter (d. 1993)
    • 1946 – Jochen Mass, German race car driver
    • 1946 – Paul Sheahan, Australian cricketer and educator
    • 1946 – Claude Vorilhon, French journalist, founded Raëlism
    • 1947 – Marc Bolan, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1977)
    • 1947 – Rula Lenska, English actress
    • 1948 – Craig Kusick, American baseball player and coach (d. 2006)
    • 1950 – Laura Esquivel, Mexican author and screenwriter
    • 1950 – Victoria Tennant, English actress and dancer
    • 1951 – John Lloyd, English screenwriter and producer
    • 1951 – Barry Marshall, Australian physician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1951 – Simon White, English astrophysicist and academic
    • 1952 – John Lombardo, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1953 – Matt Abts, American drummer
    • 1953 – Deborah Allen, American country music singer-songwriter, author, and actress
    • 1954 – Basia, Polish singer-songwriter and record producer
    • 1954 – Scott Fields, American guitarist and composer
    • 1954 – Patrice Rushen, American singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1955 – Andy Bechtolsheim, German engineer, co-founded Sun Microsystems
    • 1955 – Frankie Kennedy, Northern Irish flute player (d. 1994)
    • 1956 – Trevor Morgan, English footballer and manager
    • 1957 – Fran Drescher, American actress, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1958 – Marty Stuart, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1959 – Ettore Messina, Italian basketball player and coach
    • 1960 – Julia Adamson, Canadian-English keyboard player, composer, and producer
    • 1960 – Nicola Griffith, English-American author
    • 1960 – Miki Howard, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
    • 1960 – Blanche Lincoln, American politician
    • 1961 – Gary Coyne, Australian rugby league player
    • 1961 – Eric Stoltz, American actor, director, and producer
    • 1961 – Mel Stride, English politician
    • 1961 – Eric van de Poele, Belgian race car driver
    • 1963 – David Barbe, American bass player and producer
    • 1964 – Trey Anastasio, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and composer
    • 1964 – Monica Bellucci, Italian actress and fashion model
    • 1965 – Omid Djalili, English comedian, actor, and producer
    • 1966 – Gary Armstrong, Scottish rugby player
    • 1966 – Markus Burger, German pianist, composer, and educator
    • 1967 – Emmanuelle Houdart, Swiss-French author and illustrator
    • 1969 – Gintaras Einikis, Lithuanian basketball player
    • 1969 – Chris von Erich, American wrestler (d. 1991)
    • 1970 – Tony Hale, American actor and producer
    • 1970 – Damian Mori, Australian footballer and manager
    • 1971 – Jenna Elfman, American actress and producer
    • 1972 – Jamal Anderson, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1972 – Ari Behn, Danish-Norwegian author and playwright (d. 2019)
    • 1972 – John Campbell, American bass player and songwriter
    • 1972 – Mayumi Kojima, Japanese singer-songwriter
    • 1972 – José Lima, Dominican-American baseball player (d. 2010)
    • 1974 – Jeremy Giambi, American baseball player
    • 1974 – Tom Greatrex, English politician
    • 1974 – Ben Phillips, English cricketer
    • 1974 – Daniel Wu, American–born Hong Kong actor, director, and producer
    • 1975 – Jay Asher, American author
    • 1975 – Marion Cotillard, French-American actress and singer
    • 1975 – Carlos Guillén, Venezuelan baseball player
    • 1975 – Laure Pequegnot, French skier
    • 1975 – Christopher Jackson, American actor, singer, musician, and composer
    • 1976 – Georgie Bingham, British radio and television presenter
    • 1977 – Roy Carroll, Northern Irish goalkeeper and manager
    • 1977 – Nick Curran, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 2012)
    • 1978 – Małgorzata Glinka-Mogentale, Polish female volleyball player
    • 1979 – Cameron Bruce, Australian footballer and coach
    • 1979 – Andy van der Meyde, Dutch footballer
    • 1980 – Martina Hingis, Czechoslovakia-born Swiss tennis player
    • 1980 – Milagros Sequera, Venezuelan tennis player
    • 1981 – Cecelia Ahern, Irish author
    • 1981 – Dominique Moceanu, American gymnast
    • 1982 – Lacey Chabert, American actress
    • 1982 – Ryane Clowe, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1982 – Yan Stastny, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1982 – Dmytro Boyko, Ukrainian footballer
    • 1983 – Boniek Forbes, Guinea-Bissau footballer
    • 1983 – Andreea Răducan, Romanian gymnast
    • 1984 – Georgios Eleftheriou, Greek footballer
    • 1985 – Adam Cooney, Australian footballer
    • 1985 – David Gower, Australian rugby league player
    • 1985 – Téa Obreht, Serbian-American author
    • 1985 – Cristian Rodríguez, Uruguayan footballer
    • 1985 – T-Pain, American rapper, producer, and actor
    • 1986 – Olivier Giroud, French footballer
    • 1986 – Martin Guptill, New Zealand cricketer
    • 1986 – Ben Lovett, Welsh musician and songwriter
    • 1986 – Cristián Zapata, Colombian footballer
    • 1987 – Aida Garifullina, Russian operatic soprano
    • 1988 – Eglė Staišiūnaitė, Lithuanian hurdler
    • 1989 – André Weis, German footballer
    • 1991 – Thomas Röhler, German javelin thrower
    • 1992 – Ezra Miller, American actor and singer
    • 1994 – Aliya Mustafina, Russian gymnast
    • 1996 – Jacob Host, Australian rugby league player
    • 1997 – Yana Kudryavtseva, Russian gymnast
    • 1997 – Max Verstappen, Dutch Formula One driver
    • 1998 – Trevor Moran, American youtuber and singer
    • 2002 – Maddie Ziegler, American dancer and actress
    • 2002 – Levi Miller, Australian actor and model

    Deaths on September 30

    • 420 – Jerome, Roman priest, theologian, and saint (b. 347)
    • 653 – Honorius of Canterbury, Italian archbishop and saint
    • 940 – Fan Yanguang, Chinese general
    • 954 – Louis IV of France (b. 920)
    • 1101 – Anselm IV, Italian archbishop
    • 1246 – Yaroslav II of Vladimir (b. 1191)
    • 1288 – Leszek II the Black, Polish prince, Duke of Łęczyca, Sieradz, Kraków, Sandomierz (b. 1241)
    • 1440 – Reginald Grey, 3rd Baron Grey de Ruthyn, Welsh soldier and politician (b. 1362)
    • 1487 – John Sutton, 1st Baron Dudley, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (b. 1400)
    • 1551 – Ōuchi Yoshitaka, Japanese daimyō (b. 1507)
    • 1560 – Melchior Cano, Spanish theologian (b. 1525)
    • 1572 – Francis Borgia, 4th Duke of Gandía, Spanish priest and saint, 3rd Superior General of the Society of Jesus (b. 1510)
    • 1581 – Hubert Languet, French diplomat and reformer (b. 1518)
    • 1626 – Nurhaci, Chinese emperor (b. 1559)
    • 1628 – Fulke Greville, 1st Baron Brooke, English poet and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (b. 1554)
    • 1770 – Thomas Robinson, 1st Baron Grantham, English politician and diplomat, Secretary of State for the Southern Department (b. 1695)
    • 1770 – George Whitefield, English-American priest and theologian (b. 1714)
    • 1865 – Samuel David Luzzatto, Italian poet and scholar (b. 1800)
    • 1891 – Georges Ernest Boulanger, French general and politician, French Minister of War (b. 1837)
    • 1897 – Thérèse of Lisieux, French nun and saint (b. 1873)
    • 1910 – Maurice Lévy, French mathematician and engineer (b. 1838)
    • 1942 – Hans-Joachim Marseille, German captain and pilot (b. 1919)
    • 1943 – Franz Oppenheimer, German-American sociologist and economist (b. 1864)
    • 1946 – Takashi Sakai, Japanese general and politician, Governor of Hong Kong (b. 1887)
    • 1955 – James Dean, American actor (b. 1931)
    • 1959 – Henry Barwell, Australian politician, 28th Premier of South Australia (b. 1877)
    • 1961 – Onésime Gagnon, Canadian scholar and politician, 20th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (b. 1888)
    • 1973 – Peter Pitseolak, Canadian photographer and author (b. 1902)
    • 1974 – Carlos Prats, Chilean general and politician, Chilean Minister of Defense (b. 1915)
    • 1977 – Mary Ford, American singer and guitarist (b. 1924)
    • 1978 – Edgar Bergen, American actor and ventriloquist (b. 1903)
    • 1985 – Charles Francis Richter, American seismologist and physicist (b. 1900)
    • 1985 – Simone Signoret, French actress (b. 1921)
    • 1986 – Nicholas Kaldor, Hungarian-British economist (b. 1908)
    • 1987 – Alfred Bester, American author and screenwriter (b. 1913)
    • 1988 – Al Holbert, American race car driver (b. 1946)
    • 1989 – Virgil Thomson, American composer and critic (b. 1896)
    • 1990 – Rob Moroso, American race car driver (b. 1968)
    • 1990 – Alice Parizeau, Polish-Canadian journalist and author (b. 1930)
    • 1990 – Patrick White, Australian novelist, poet, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1912)
    • 1991 – Toma Zdravković, Serbian singer-songwriter (b. 1938)
    • 1994 – André Michel Lwoff, French microbiologist and virologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1902)
    • 1998 – Marius Goring, English actor (b. 1912)
    • 1998 – Dan Quisenberry, American baseball player and poet (b. 1953)
    • 1998 – Robert Lewis Taylor, American soldier and author (b. 1912)
    • 2002 – Göran Kropp, Swedish race car driver and mountaineer (b. 1966)
    • 2002 – Hans-Peter Tschudi, Swiss lawyer and politician, 63rd President of the Swiss Confederation (b. 1913)
    • 2003 – Yusuf Bey, American activist, founded Your Black Muslim Bakery (b. 1935)
    • 2003 – Ronnie Dawson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1939)
    • 2003 – Robert Kardashian, American lawyer and businessman (b. 1944)
    • 2004 – Gamini Fonseka, Sri Lankan actor, director, and politician (b. 1936)
    • 2004 – Jacques Levy, American director and songwriter (b. 1935)
    • 2004 – Michael Relph, English director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1915)
    • 2008 – J. B. Jeyaretnam, Singaporean lawyer and politician (b. 1926)
    • 2010 – Stephen J. Cannell, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1941)
    • 2011 – Anwar al-Awlaki, American-Yemeni terrorist (b. 1971)
    • 2011 – Ralph M. Steinman, Canadian-American immunologist and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1943)
    • 2012 – Turhan Bey, Austrian actor and producer (b. 1922)
    • 2012 – Barry Commoner, American biologist, academic, and politician (b. 1917)
    • 2012 – Bobby Jaggers, American wrestler and engineer (b. 1948)
    • 2012 – Clara Stanton Jones, American librarian (b. 1913)
    • 2012 – Barbara Ann Scott, Canadian-American figure skater (b. 1928)
    • 2012 – Boris Šprem, Croatian lawyer and politician, 8th Speaker of the Croatian Parliament (b. 1956)
    • 2013 – Janet Powell, Australian educator and politician (b. 1942)
    • 2014 – Molvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari, Indian cleric and politician (b. 1940)
    • 2014 – Martin Lewis Perl, American physicist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1927)
    • 2015 – Guido Altarelli, Italian-Swiss physicist and academic (b. 1941)
    • 2015 – Claude Dauphin, French businessman (b. 1951)
    • 2015 – Göran Hägg, Swedish author and critic (b. 1947)
    • 2017 – Monty Hall, American game show host (b. 1921)
    • 2018 – Kim Larsen, Danish rock musician (b. 1945)
    • 2018 – Geoffrey Hayes, British television presenter and actor (b. 1942)
    • 2018 – Sonia Orbuch, Polish resistance fighter during the Second World War and Holocaust educator. (b. 1925)
    • 2019 – Victoria Braithwaite, British research scientist who proved fish feel pain (b. 1967)

    Holidays and observances on September 30

    • Agricultural Reform (Nationalization) Day (São Tomé and Príncipe)
    • Birth of Morelos (Mexico)
    • Boy’s Day (Poland)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Gregory the Illuminator
      • Honorius of Canterbury
      • Jerome
      • September 30 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Independence Day (Botswana) or Botswana Day, celebrates the independence of Botswana from United Kingdom in 1966.
    • International Translation Day (International Federation of Translators)
    • Orange Shirt Day (Canada)

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

    “Mordad 5th”—day 129th in the Iranian official calendar (236 days – 237 days in leap years – till the end of the year)

    July 26 in History

    • 657 – First Fitna: In the Battle of Siffin, troops led by Ali ibn Abu Talib clash with those led by Muawiyah I.
    • 811 – Battle of Pliska: Byzantine Emperor Nikephoros I is killed and his heir Staurakios is seriously wounded.
    • 920 – Rout of an alliance of Christian troops from Navarre and Léon against the Muslims at the Battle of Valdejunquera.
    • 1309 – Henry VII is recognized King of the Romans by Pope Clement V.
    • 1469 – Wars of the Roses: The Battle of Edgecote Moor, pitting the forces of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick against those of Edward IV of England, takes place.
    • 1509 – The Emperor Krishnadevaraya ascends to the throne, marking the beginning of the regeneration of the Vijayanagara Empire.
    • 1529 – Francisco Pizarro González, Spanish conquistador, is appointed governor of Peru.
    • 1581 – Plakkaat van Verlatinghe (Act of Abjuration): The northern Low Countries declare their independence from the Spanish king, Philip II.
    • 1703 – During the Bavarian Rummel the rural population of Tyrol drove the Bavarian Prince-Elector Maximilian II Emanuel out of North Tyrol with a victory at the Pontlatzer Bridge and thus prevented the Bavarian Army, which was allied with France, from marching as planned on Vienna during the War of the Spanish Succession.
    • 1745 – The first recorded women’s cricket match takes place near Guildford, England.
    • 1758 – French and Indian War: The Siege of Louisbourg ends with British forces defeating the French and taking control of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence.
    • 1775 – The office that would later become the United States Post Office Department is established by the Second Continental Congress. Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania takes office as Postmaster General.
    • 1788 – New York ratifies the United States Constitution and becomes the 11th state of the United States.
    • 1803 – The Surrey Iron Railway, arguably the world’s first public railway, opens in south London, United Kingdom.
    • 1814 – The Swedish–Norwegian War begins.
    • 1822 – José de San Martín arrives in Guayaquil, Ecuador, to meet with Simón Bolívar.
    • 1822 – First day of the three-day Battle of Dervenakia, between the Ottoman Empire force led by Mahmud Dramali Pasha and the Greek Revolutionary force led by Theodoros Kolokotronis.
    • 1847 – Liberia declares its independence.
    • 1861 – American Civil War: George B. McClellan assumes command of the Army of the Potomac following a disastrous Union defeat at the First Battle of Bull Run.
    • 1863 – American Civil War: Morgan’s Raid ends; At Salineville, Ohio, Confederate cavalry leader John Hunt Morgan and 360 of his volunteers are captured by Union forces.
    • 1882 – Premiere of Richard Wagner’s opera Parsifal at Bayreuth.
    • 1882 – The Republic of Stellaland is founded in Southern Africa.
    • 1887 – Publication of the Unua Libro, founding the Esperanto movement.
    • 1890 – In Buenos Aires, Argentina the Revolución del Parque takes place, forcing President Miguel Ángel Juárez Celman’s resignation.
    • 1891 – France annexes Tahiti.
    • 1892 – Dadabhai Naoroji is elected as the first Indian Member of Parliament in Britain.
    • 1897 – Anglo-Afghan War: The Pashtun fakir Saidullah leads an army of more than 10,000 to begin a siege of the British garrison in the Malakand Agency of the North West Frontier Province of India.
    • 1899 – Ulises Heureaux, the 27th President of the Dominican Republic, is assassinated.
    • 1908 – United States Attorney General Charles Joseph Bonaparte issues an order to immediately staff the Office of the Chief Examiner (later renamed the Federal Bureau of Investigation).
    • 1918 – Emmy Noether’s paper, which became known as Noether’s theorem was presented at Göttingen, Germany, from which conservation laws are deduced for symmetries of angular momentum, linear momentum, and energy.
    • 1936 – Spanish Civil War: Germany and Italy decide to intervene in the war in support for Francisco Franco and the Nationalist faction.
    • 1936 – King Edward VIII, in one of his few official duties before he abdicates the throne, officially unveils the Canadian National Vimy Memorial.
    • 1937 – Spanish Civil War: End of the Battle of Brunete with the Nationalist victory.
    • 1941 – World War II: In response to the Japanese occupation of French Indochina, the United States, Britain and the Netherlands freeze all Japanese assets and cut off oil shipments.
    • 1944 – World War II: The Red Army enters Lviv, a major city in western Ukraine, capturing it from the Nazis. Only 300 Jews survive out of 160,000 living in Lviv prior to occupation.
    • 1945 – The Labour Party wins the United Kingdom general election of July 5 by a landslide, removing Winston Churchill from power.
    • 1945 – World War II: The Potsdam Declaration is signed in Potsdam, Germany.
    • 1945 – World War II: HMS Vestal is the last British Royal Navy ship to be sunk in the war.
    • 1945 – World War II: The USS Indianapolis arrives at Tinian with components and enriched uranium for the Little Boy nuclear bomb.
    • 1946 – Aloha Airlines begins service from Honolulu International Airport.
    • 1947 – Cold War: U.S. President Harry S. Truman signs the National Security Act of 1947 into United States law creating the Central Intelligence Agency, United States Department of Defense, United States Air Force, Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the United States National Security Council.
    • 1948 – U.S. President Harry S. Truman signs Executive Order 9981, desegregating the military of the United States.
    • 1951 – Walt Disney’s 13th animated film, Alice in Wonderland, premieres in London, England, United Kingdom.
    • 1952 – King Farouk of Egypt abdicates in favor of his son Fuad.
    • 1953 – Cold War: Fidel Castro leads an unsuccessful attack on the Moncada Barracks, thus beginning the Cuban Revolution. The movement took the name of the date: 26th of July Movement
    • 1953 – Arizona Governor John Howard Pyle orders an anti-polygamy law enforcement crackdown on residents of Short Creek, Arizona, which becomes known as the Short Creek raid.
    • 1953 – Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment repel a number of Chinese assaults against a key position known as The Hook during the Battle of the Samichon River, just hours before the Armistice Agreement is signed, ending the Korean War.
    • 1956 – Following the World Bank’s refusal to fund building the Aswan Dam, Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalizes the Suez Canal, sparking international condemnation.
    • 1957 – Carlos Castillo Armas, dictator of Guatemala, is assassinated.
    • 1958 – Explorer program: Explorer 4 is launched.
    • 1963 – Syncom 2, the world’s first geosynchronous satellite, is launched from Cape Canaveral on a Delta B booster.
    • 1963 – An earthquake in Skopje, Yugoslavia (present-day North Macedonia) leaves 1,100 dead.
    • 1963 – The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development votes to admit Japan.
    • 1968 – Vietnam War: South Vietnamese opposition leader Trương Đình Dzu is sentenced to five years hard labor for advocating the formation of a coalition government as a way to move toward an end to the war.
    • 1971 – Apollo program: Launch of Apollo 15 on the first Apollo “J-Mission”, and first use of a Lunar Roving Vehicle.
    • 1974 – Greek Prime Minister Konstantinos Karamanlis forms the country’s first civil government after seven years of military rule.
    • 1977 – The National Assembly of Quebec imposes the use of French as the official language of the provincial government.
    • 1979 (1358 SH) – Holding the first Friday Prayer in Iran led by Ayatollah Mahmoud Taleghani
    • 1986 (1365 SH) – Aerial bombardment of citizens of Arak by Ba’athist Iraq regime at 9:13 a.m. (local time):
    • 1988 (1367 SH) – Mersad Operation part of Iran-Iraq war
    • 1989 – A federal grand jury indicts Cornell University student Robert T. Morris, Jr. for releasing the Morris worm, thus becoming the first person to be prosecuted under the 1986 Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.
    • 1990 – The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 is signed into law by President George H.W. Bush.
    • 1993 – Asiana Airlines Flight 733 crashes into a ridge on Mt. Ungeo on its third attempt to land at Mokpo Airport, South Korea. Sixty-eight of the 116 people onboard are killed.
    • 1999 – Celebrated as Kargil Vijay Diwas. Kargil conflict officially comes to an end. The Indian Army announces the complete eviction of Pakistani intruders.
    • 2005 – Space Shuttle program: STS-114 Mission: Launch of Discovery, NASA’s first scheduled flight mission after the Columbia Disaster in 2003.
    • 2005 – Mumbai, India receives 99.5cm of rain (39.17 inches) within 24 hours, resulting in floods killing over 5,000 people.
    • 2008 – Fifty-six people are killed and over 200 people are injured, in the Ahmedabad bombings in India.
    • 2009 – The militant Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram attacks a police station in Bauchi, leading to reprisals by the Nigeria Police Force and four days of violence across multiple cities.
    • 2016 – The Sagamihara stabbings occur in Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan. Nineteen people are killed.
    • 2016 – Hillary Clinton becomes the first female nominee for President of the United States by a major political party at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.
    • 2016 – Solar Impulse 2 becomes the first solar-powered aircraft to circumnavigate the Earth.

    Births on July 26

    • 1030 – Stanislaus of Szczepanów, Polish bishop and saint (d. 1079)
    • 1400 – Isabel le Despenser, Countess of Worcester, English noble (d. 1439)
    • 1502 – Christian Egenolff, German printer (d. 1555)
    • 1612 – Murad IV, Ottoman sultan (d. 1640)
    • 1678 – Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1711)
    • 1711 – Lorenz Christoph Mizler, German physician, mathematician, and historian (d. 1778)
    • 1739 – George Clinton, American general and politician, 4th Vice President of the United States (d. 1812)
    • 1782 – John Field, Irish pianist and composer (d. 1837)
    • 1791 – Franz Xaver Wolfgang Mozart, Austrian pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1844)
    • 1796 – George Catlin, American painter, author, and traveler (d. 1872)
    • 1802 – Mariano Arista, Mexican general and politician, 42nd President of Mexico (d. 1855)
    • 1819 – Justin Holland, American guitarist and educator (d. 1887)
    • 1829 – Auguste Beernaert, Belgian politician, 14th Prime Minister of Belgium, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1912)
    • 1841 – Carl Robert Jakobson, Estonian journalist and politician (d. 1882)
    • 1842 – Alfred Marshall, English economist and academic (d. 1924)
    • 1844 – Stefan Drzewiecki, Ukrainian-Polish engineer and journalist (d. 1938)
    • 1854 – Philippe Gaucher, French dermatologist and academic (d. 1918)
    • 1855 – Ferdinand Tönnies, German sociologist and philosopher (d. 1936)
    • 1856 – George Bernard Shaw, Irish playwright and critic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1950)
    • 1858 – Tom Garrett, Australian cricketer and lawyer (d. 1943)
    • 1863 – Jāzeps Vītols, Latvian composer (d. 1948)
    • 1865 – Philipp Scheidemann, German journalist and politician, 10th Chancellor of Germany (d. 1939)
    • 1865 – Rajanikanta Sen, Indian poet and composer (d. 1910)
    • 1874 – Serge Koussevitzky, Russian-American bassist, composer, and conductor (d. 1951)
    • 1875 – Carl Jung, Swiss psychiatrist and psychotherapist (d. 1961)
    • 1875 – Antonio Machado, Spanish poet and academic (d. 1939)
    • 1877 – Jesse Lauriston Livermore, American investor and security analyst, “Great Bear of Wall Street” (d. 1940)
    • 1878 – Ernst Hoppenberg, German swimmer and water polo player (d. 1937)
    • 1879 – Shunroku Hata, Japanese field marshal and politician, 48th Japanese Minister of War (d. 1962)
    • 1880 – Volodymyr Vynnychenko, Ukrainian playwright and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Ukrainian People’s Republic (d. 1951)
    • 1882 – Albert Dunstan, Australian politician, 33rd Premier of Victoria (d. 1950)
    • 1885 – Roy Castleton, Major League Baseball player (d.1967)
    • 1885 – André Maurois, French soldier and author (d. 1967)
    • 1886 – Lars Hanson, Swedish actor (d. 1965)
    • 1888 – Reginald Hands, South African cricketer and rugby player (d. 1918)
    • 1890 – Daniel J. Callaghan, American admiral, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1942)
    • 1892 – Sad Sam Jones, American baseball player and manager (d. 1966)
    • 1893 – George Grosz, German painter and illustrator (d. 1959)
    • 1894 – Aldous Huxley, English novelist and philosopher (d. 1963)
    • 1895 – Gracie Allen, American actress and comedian (d. 1964)
    • 1896 – Tim Birkin, English soldier and race car driver (d. 1933)
    • 1897 – Harold D. Cooley, American lawyer and politician (d. 1974)
    • 1897 – Paul Gallico, American journalist and author (d. 1976)
    • 1900 – Sarah Kafrit, Israeli politician and teacher (d. 1983)
    • 1903 – Estes Kefauver, American lawyer and politician (d. 1963)
    • 1904 – Edwin Albert Link, American industrialist and entrepreneur, invented the flight simulator (d. 1981)
    • 1906 – Irena Iłłakowicz, German-Polish lieutenant (d. 1943)
    • 1908 – Lucien Wercollier, Luxembourger sculptor (d. 2002)
    • 1909 – Peter Thorneycroft, Baron Thorneycroft, English lawyer and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (d. 1994)
    • 1909 – Vivian Vance, American actress and singer (d. 1979)
    • 1913 – Kan Yuet-keung, Hong Kong banker, lawyer, and politician (d. 2012)
    • 1914 – C. Farris Bryant, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 34th Governor of Florida (d. 2002)
    • 1914 – Erskine Hawkins, American trumpet player and bandleader (d. 1993)
    • 1914 – Ellis Kinder, American baseball player (d. 1968)
    • 1916 – Dean Brooks, American physician and actor (d. 2013)
    • 1916 – Jaime Luiz Coelho, Brazilian archbishop (d. 2013)
    • 1918 – Marjorie Lord, American actress (d. 2015)
    • 1919 – Virginia Gilmore, American actress (d. 1986)
    • 1919 – James Lovelock, English biologist and chemist
    • 1920 – Bob Waterfield, American football player and coach (d. 1983)
    • 1921 – Tom Saffell, American baseball player and manager (d. 2012)
    • 1921 – Jean Shepherd, American radio host, actor, and screenwriter (d. 1999)
    • 1922 – Blake Edwards, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2010)
    • 1922 – Jim Foglesong, American record producer (d. 2013)
    • 1922 – Jason Robards, American actor (d. 2000)
    • 1923 – Jan Berenstain, American author and illustrator (d. 2012)
    • 1923 – Hoyt Wilhelm, American baseball player and coach (d. 2002)
    • 1925 – Jerzy Einhorn, Polish-Swedish physician and politician (d. 2000)
    • 1925 – Joseph Engelberger, American physicist and engineer (d. 2015)
    • 1925 – Gene Gutowski, Polish-American producer (d. 2016)
    • 1925 – Ana María Matute, Spanish author and academic (d. 2014)
    • 1926 – James Best, American actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2015)
    • 1926 (1305 SH) – Sadeq Khalkhali, Shia cleric and a religious ruler in the Islamic Republic of Iran (d. 2003)
    • 1926 – Dorothy E. Smith, Canadian sociologist
    • 1927 – Gulabrai Ramchand, Indian cricketer (d. 2003)
    • 1928 – Don Beauman, English race car driver (d. 1955)
    • 1928 – Francesco Cossiga, Italian academic and politician, 8th President of Italy (d. 2010)
    • 1928 – Elliott Erwitt, French-American photographer and director
    • 1928 – Ibn-e-Safi, Indian-Pakistani author and poet (d. 1980)
    • 1928 – Joe Jackson, American talent manager, father of Michael Jackson (d. 2018)
    • 1928 – Stanley Kubrick, American director, producer, screenwriter, and cinematographer (d. 1999)
    • 1928 – Peter Lougheed, Canadian lawyer and politician, 10th Premier of Alberta (d. 2012)
    • 1928 – Sally Oppenheim-Barnes, Baroness Oppenheim-Barnes, Irish-born English politician
    • 1928 – Bernice Rubens, Welsh author (d. 2004)
    • 1929 – Marc Lalonde, Canadian lawyer and politician, 34th Canadian Minister of Justice
    • 1929 – Alexis Weissenberg, Bulgarian-French pianist and educator (d. 2012)
    • 1930 – Plínio de Arruda Sampaio, Brazilian lawyer and politician (d. 2014)
    • 1930 – Barbara Jefford, English actress
    • 1931 – Telê Santana, Brazilian footballer and manager (d. 2006)
    • 1934 – Tommy McDonald, American football player (d. 2018)
    • 1936 – Tsutomu Koyama, Japanese volleyball player and coach (d. 2012)
    • 1936 – Lawrie McMenemy, English footballer and manager
    • 1938 – Bobby Hebb, American singer-songwriter (d. 2010)
    • 1938 – Keith Peters, Welsh physician and academic
    • 1939 – Jun Henmi, Japanese author and poet (d. 2011)
    • 1939 – John Howard, Australian lawyer and politician, 25th Prime Minister of Australia
    • 1939 – Bob Lilly, American football player and photographer
    • 1939 – Richard Marlow, English organist and conductor (d. 2013)
    • 1940 – Dobie Gray, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2011)
    • 1940 – Brian Mawhinney, Baron Mawhinney, Northern Irish-British academic and politician, Secretary of State for Transport
    • 1940 – Bobby Rousseau, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1941 – Jean Baubérot, French historian and sociologist
    • 1941 – Darlene Love, American singer and actress
    • 1941 – Brenton Wood, American R&B singer-songwriter and keyboard player
    • 1942 – Vladimír Mečiar, Slovak politician, 1st Prime Minister of Slovakia
    • 1942 (1321 SH) – Bahman Mofid, Iranian actor
    • 1942 – Teddy Pilette, Belgian race car driver
    • 1943 – Peter Hyams, American director, screenwriter, and cinematographer
    • 1943 – Mick Jagger, English singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
    • 1944 (1323 SH) – Dariush Arjmand, Iranian actor
    • 1945 – Betty Davis, American singer-songwriter
    • 1945 – Helen Mirren, English actress
    • 1946 – Emilio de Villota, Spanish race car driver
    • 1948 – Luboš Andršt, Czech guitarist and songwriter
    • 1948 – Herbert Wiesinger, German figure skater
    • 1949 – Thaksin Shinawatra, Thai businessman and politician, 23rd Prime Minister of Thailand
    • 1949 – Roger Taylor, English singer-songwriter, drummer, and producer
    • 1950 – Nelinho, Brazilian footballer and manager
    • 1950 – Nicholas Evans, English journalist, screenwriter, and producer
    • 1950 – Susan George, English actress and producer
    • 1950 – Anne Rafferty, English lawyer and judge
    • 1950 – Rich Vogler, American race car driver (d. 1990)
    • 1951 – Rick Martin, Canadian-American ice hockey player (d. 2011)
    • 1952 – Glynis Breakwell, English psychologist and academic
    • 1953 – Felix Magath, German footballer and manager
    • 1953 – Robert Phillips, American guitarist
    • 1953 – Henk Bleker, Dutch politician
    • 1953 – Earl Tatum, American professional basketball player
    • 1954 – Vitas Gerulaitis, American tennis player and coach (d. 1994)
    • 1955 – Aleksandrs Starkovs, Latvian footballer and coach
    • 1955 – Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistani businessman and politician, 11th President of Pakistan
    • 1956 – Peter Fincham, English screenwriter and producer
    • 1956 – Dorothy Hamill, American figure skater
    • 1956 – Tommy Rich, American wrestler
    • 1956 – Tim Tremlett, English cricketer and coach
    • 1957 – Norman Baker, Scottish politician
    • 1957 – Nana Visitor, American actress
    • 1958 – Monti Davis, American basketball player (d. 2013)
    • 1958 – Angela Hewitt, Canadian-English pianist
    • 1959 – Rick Bragg, American author and journalist
    • 1959 – Kevin Spacey, American actor and director
    • 1960 (1339 SH) – Mohsen Vezvaei, Iranian commander killed in Iran-Iraq war
    • 1961 – Gary Cherone, American singer-songwriter
    • 1961 – Andy Connell, English keyboard player and songwriter
    • 1961 – Felix Dexter, Caribbean-English comedian and actor (d. 2013)
    • 1963 – Jeff Stoughton, Canadian curler
    • 1964 – Sandra Bullock, American actress and producer
    • 1964 – Ralf Metzenmacher, German painter and designer
    • 1964 – Anne Provoost, Belgian author
    • 1965 – Jeremy Piven, American actor and producer
    • 1965 – Jim Lindberg, American singer and guitarist
    • 1966 – Angelo di Livio, Italian footballer
    • 1967 – Martin Baker, English organist and conductor
    • 1967 – Tim Schafer, American video game designer, founded Double Fine Productions
    • 1967 – Jason Statham, English actor
    • 1968 – Frédéric Diefenthal, French actor and director
    • 1968 – Jim Naismith, Scottish biologist and academic
    • 1968 – Olivia Williams, English actress
    • 1969 – Greg Colbrunn, American baseball player and coach
    • 1969 – Tanni Grey-Thompson, Welsh baroness and wheelchair racer
    • 1971 – Khaled Mahmud, Bangladeshi cricketer and coach
    • 1971 – Chris Harrison, America television personality
    • 1972 – Nathan Buckley, Australian footballer and coach
    • 1973 – Kate Beckinsale, English actress
    • 1973 – Mariano Raffo, Argentinian director and producer
    • 1974 – Iron & Wine, American singer-songwriter
    • 1974 – Kees Meeuws, New Zealand rugby player and coach
    • 1974 – Dean Sturridge, English footballer and sportscaster
    • 1975 – Ingo Schultz, German sprinter
    • 1975 – Joe Smith, American basketball player
    • 1975 – Elizabeth Truss, English accountant and politician, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
    • 1976 – Elena Kustarova, Russian ice dancer and coach
    • 1976 – Darius Labanauskas, Lithuanian darts player
    • 1977 – Joaquín Benoit, Dominican baseball player
    • 1977 – Martin Laursen, Danish footballer and manager
    • 1977 – Tanja Szewczenko, German figure skater
    • 1979 – Friedrich Michau, German rugby player
    • 1979 – Derek Paravicini, English pianist
    • 1979 – Peter Sarno, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1979 – Erik Westrum, American ice hockey player
    • 1979 – Juliet Rylance, English actress
    • 1980 – Jacinda Ardern, 40th Prime Minister of New Zealand
    • 1980 – Dave Baksh, Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1980 – Robert Gallery, American football player
    • 1981 – Abe Forsythe, Australian actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1981 (1360 SH) Mehdi Seyed-Salehi, Iranian soccer player
    • 1981 – Maicon Sisenando, Brazilian footballer
    • 1982 – Gilad Hochman, Israeli composer
    • 1982 – Christopher Kane, Scottish fashion designer
    • 1983 – Kelly Clark, American snowboarder
    • 1983 – Stephen Makinwa, Nigerian footballer
    • 1983 – Roderick Strong, American wrestler
    • 1983 – Naomi van As, Dutch field hockey player
    • 1983 – Ken Wallace, Australian kayaker
    • 1983 – Delonte West, American basketball player
    • 1984 – Kyriakos Ioannou, Cypriot high jumper
    • 1984 – Benjamin Kayser, French rugby player
    • 1984 – Sabri Sarıoğlu, Turkish footballer
    • 1985 – Marcus Benard, American football player
    • 1985 – Gaël Clichy, French footballer
    • 1985 – Audrey De Montigny, Canadian singer-songwriter
    • 1985 – Mat Gamel, American baseball player
    • 1986 – Leonardo Ulloa, Argentinian footballer
    • 1986 – John White, English footballer
    • 1987 – Panagiotis Kone, Greek footballer
    • 1987 – Jordie Benn, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1987 – Fredy Montero, Colombian footballer
    • 1988 – Yurie Omi, Japanese female announcer
    • 1988 – Sayaka Akimoto, Filipino–Japanese actress and singer
    • 1991 – Tyson Barrie, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1992 – Marika Koroibete, Fijian rugby player
    • 1993 – Raymond Faitala-Mariner, New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1994 – Ella Leivo, Finnish tennis player
    • 1996 – Olivia Breen, British sprinter

    Deaths on July 26

    • 342 – Cheng of Jin, emperor of the Jin Dynasty (b. 321)
    • 432 – Celestine I, pope of the Catholic Church
    • 811 – Nikephoros I, Byzantine emperor
    • 899 – Li Hanzhi, Chinese warlord (b. 842)
    • 943 – Motoyoshi, Japanese nobleman and poet (b. 890)
    • 990 – Fujiwara no Kaneie, Japanese statesman (b. 929)
    • 1380 – Kōmyō, emperor of Japan (b. 1322)
    • 1450 – Cecily Neville, duchess of Warwick (b. 1424)
    • 1471 – Paul II, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 1417)
    • 1533 – Atahualpa, Inca emperor abducted and murdered by Francisco Pizarro (b. ca. 1500)
    • 1592 – Armand de Gontant, French marshal (b. 1524)
    • 1605 – Miguel de Benavides, Spanish archbishop and sinologist (b. 1552)
    • 1611 – Horio Yoshiharu, Japanese daimyō (b. 1542)
    • 1630 – Charles Emmanual I, duke of Savoy (b. 1562)
    • 1659 – Mary Frith, English female criminal (b. 1584)
    • 1680 – John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester, English poet and courtier (b. 1647)
    • 1684 – Elena Cornaro Piscopia, Italian mathematician and philosopher (b. 1646)
    • 1693 – Ulrika Eleonora of Denmark, queen of Sweden (b. 1656)
    • 1712 – Thomas Osborne, 1st Duke of Leeds, English politician, Lord High Treasurer (b. 1631)
    • 1723 – Robert Bertie, 1st Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven, English politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (b. 1660)
    • 1801 – Maximilian Francis, archduke of Austria (b. 1756)
    • 1863 – Sam Houston, American general and politician, 7th Governor of Texas (b. 1793)
    • 1867 – Otto, king of Greece (b. 1815)
    • 1899 – Ulises Heureaux, 22nd, 26th, and 27th President of the Dominican Republic (b. 1845)
    • 1915 – James Murray, Scottish lexicographer and philologist (b. 1837)
    • 1919 – Edward Poynter, English painter and illustrator (b. 1836)
    • 1921 – Howard Vernon, Australian actor (b. 1848)
    • 1925 – Antonio Ascari, Italian race car driver (b. 1888)
    • 1925 – Gottlob Frege, German mathematician and philosopher (b. 1848)
    • 1925 – William Jennings Bryan, American lawyer and politician, 41st United States Secretary of State (b. 1860)
    • 1926 – Robert Todd Lincoln, American lawyer and politician, 35th United States Secretary of War, son of Abraham Lincoln (b. 1843)
    • 1930 – Pavlos Karolidis, Greek historian and academic (b. 1849)
    • 1932 – Fred Duesenberg, German-American businessman, co-founded the Duesenberg Company (b. 1876)
    • 1934 – Winsor McCay, American cartoonist, animator, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1871)
    • 1941 – Henri Lebesgue, French mathematician and academic (b. 1875)
    • 1942 – Roberto Arlt, Argentinian author and playwright (b. 1900)
    • 1951 – James Mitchell, Australian politician, 13th Premier of Western Australia (b. 1866)
    • 1952 – Eva Perón, Argentinian politician, 25th First Lady of Argentina (b. 1919)
    • 1953 – Nikolaos Plastiras, Greek general and politician, 135th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1883)
    • 1957 – Carlos Castillo Armas, Authoritarian ruler of Guatemala (1954-1957)
    • 1960 – Cedric Gibbons, British art director and production designer (b. 1893)
    • 1964 – Francis Curzon, 5th Earl Howe, English race car driver and politician (b. 1884)
    • 1968 – Cemal Tollu, Turkish lieutenant and painter (b. 1899)
    • 1970 – Robert Taschereau, Canadian lawyer and jurist, 11th Chief Justice of Canada (b. 1896)
    • 1971 – Diane Arbus, American photographer and academic (b. 1923)
    • 1980 (1359 SH) – Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the second shah (king) of Pahlavi dynasty
    • 1984 – George Gallup, American mathematician and statistician, founded the Gallup Company (b. 1901)
    • 1984 – Ed Gein, American serial killer (b. 1906)
    • 1986 – W. Averell Harriman, American politician and diplomat, 11th United States Secretary of Commerce (b. 1891)
    • 1988 – Fazlur Rahman Malik, Pakistani philosopher, scholar, and academic (b. 1919)
    • 1992 – Mary Wells, American singer-songwriter (b. 1943)
    • 1993 – Matthew Ridgway, American general (b. 1895)
    • 1994 – James Luther Adams, American theologian and academic (b. 1901)
    • 1995 – Laurindo Almeida, Brazilian-American guitarist and composer (b. 1917)
    • 1995 – Raymond Mailloux, Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1918)
    • 1995 – George W. Romney, American businessman and politician, 43rd Governor of Michigan (b. 1907)
    • 1996 – Max Winter, American businessman and sports executive (b. 1903)
    • 1999 – Walter Jackson Bate, American author and critic (b. 1918)
    • 1999 – Phaedon Gizikis, Greek general and politician, President of Greece (b. 1917)
    • 2000 – John Tukey, American mathematician and academic (b. 1915)
    • 2001 – Rex T. Barber, American colonel and pilot (b. 1917)
    • 2001 – Peter von Zahn, German journalist and author (b. 1913)
    • 2004 – William A. Mitchell, American chemist, created Pop Rocks and Cool Whip (b. 1911)
    • 2005 – Alexander Golitzen, Russian-born American production designer and art director (b. 1908)
    • 2005 – Jack Hirshleifer, American economist and academic (b. 1925)
    • 2005 – Gilles Marotte, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1945)
    • 2007 – Lars Forssell, Swedish author, poet, and playwright (b. 1928)
    • 2007 – Skip Prosser, American basketball player and coach (b. 1950)
    • 2009 – Merce Cunningham, American dancer and choreographer (b. 1919)
    • 2010 – Sivakant Tiwari, Indian-Singaporean politician (b. 1945)
    • 2011 – Joe Arroyo, Colombian singer-songwriter and composer (b. 1955)
    • 2011 – Richard Harris, American-Canadian football player and coach (b. 1948)
    • 2011 – Sakyo Komatsu, Japanese author and screenwriter (b. 1931)
    • 2011 – Margaret Olley, Australian painter and philanthropist (b. 1923)
    • 2012 – Don Bagley, American bassist and composer (b. 1927)
    • 2012 – Karl Benjamin, American painter and educator (b. 1925)
    • 2012 – Miriam Ben-Porat, Russian-Israeli lawyer and jurist (b. 1918)
    • 2012 – Lupe Ontiveros, American actress (b. 1942)
    • 2012 – James D. Watkins, American admiral and politician, 6th United States Secretary of Energy (b. 1927)
    • 2013 – Luther F. Cole, American lawyer and politician (b. 1925)
    • 2013 – Harley Flanders, American mathematician and academic (b. 1925)
    • 2013 – Sung Jae-gi, South Korean philosopher and activist (b. 1967)
    • 2013 – George P. Mitchell, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1919)
    • 2014 – Oleh Babayev, Ukrainian businessman and politician (b. 1965)
    • 2014 – Charles R. Larson, American admiral (b. 1936)
    • 2014 – Richard MacCormac, English architect, founded MJP Architects (b. 1938)
    • 2014 – Sergei O. Prokofieff, Russian anthropologist and author (b. 1954)
    • 2014 – Roland Verhavert, Belgian director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1927)
    • 2015 – Bijoy Krishna Handique, Indian lawyer and politician, Indian Minister of Mines (b. 1934)
    • 2015 – Flora MacDonald, Canadian banker and politician, 10th Canadian Minister of Communications (b. 1926)
    • 2015 – Leo Reise, Jr., Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1922)
    • 2015 – Ann Rule, American police officer and author (b. 1931)
    • 2017 – June Foray, American voice actress (b. 1917)
    • 2017 – Patti Deutsch, American voice artist and comedic actress (b. 1943)
    • 2017 – Ronald Phillips, American criminal (b. 1973)
    • 2018 – Adem Demaci, Kosovo Albanian politician and writer (b. 1936)
    • 2018 – John Kline, American basketball player (b. 1931)

    Holidays and observances on July 26

    • Christian feast day:
      • Andrew of Phú Yên
      • Anne (Western Christianity)
      • Bartolomea Capitanio
      • Blessed Maria Pierina
      • Joachim (Western Christianity)
      • Paraskevi of Rome (Eastern Orthodox Church)
      • Venera
      • July 26 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Day of National Significance (Barbados)
    • Day of the National Rebellion (Cuba)
    • Esperanto Day
    • Independence Day (Liberia), celebrates the independence of Liberia from the American Colonization Society in 1847.
    • Independence Day (Maldives), celebrates the independence of Maldives from the United Kingdom in 1965.
    • Kargil Victory Day or Kargil Vijay Diwas (India)
  • |

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

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

    Births on May 31

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

    Deaths on May 31

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

    Holidays and observances on May 31

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