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43 BC

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

On This Day, Uncategorized /
  • 33 BC – Lucius Marcius Philippus, step-brother to the future emperor Augustus, celebrates a triumph for his victories while serving as governor in one of the provinces of Hispania.
  • 395 – Emperor Arcadius marries Aelia Eudoxia, daughter of the Frankish general Flavius Bauto. She becomes one of the more powerful Roman empresses of Late Antiquity.
  • 629 – Shahrbaraz is crowned as king of the Sasanian Empire.
  • 711 – Islamic conquest of Hispania: Moorish troops led by Tariq ibn Ziyad land at Gibraltar to begin their invasion of the Iberian Peninsula (Al-Andalus).
  • 1296 – First War of Scottish Independence: John Balliol’s Scottish army is defeated by an English army commanded by John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey at the Battle of Dunbar.
  • 1509 – Pope Julius II places the Italian state of Venice under interdict.
  • 1521 – Battle of Mactan: Explorer Ferdinand Magellan is killed by natives in the Philippines led by chief Lapu-Lapu.
  • 1522 – Combined forces of Spain and the Papal States defeat a French and Venetian army at the Battle of Bicocca.
  • 1539 – Re-founding of the city of Bogotá, New Granada (now Colombia), by Nikolaus Federmann and Sebastián de Belalcázar.
  • 1565 – Cebu is established becoming the first Spanish settlement in the Philippines.
  • 1578 – Duel of the Mignons claims the lives of two favourites of Henry III of France and two favorites of Henry I, Duke of Guise.
  • 1595 – The relics of Saint Sava are incinerated in Belgrade on the Vračar plateau by Ottoman Grand Vizier Sinan Pasha; the site of the incineration is now the location of the Church of Saint Sava, one of the largest Orthodox churches in the world.
  • 1650 – The Battle of Carbisdale: A Royalist army from Orkney invades mainland Scotland but is defeated by a Covenanter army.
  • 1667 – Blind and impoverished, John Milton sells Paradise Lost to a printer for £10, so that it could be entered into the Stationers’ Register.
  • 1777 – American Revolutionary War: The Battle of Ridgefield: A British invasion force engages and defeats Continental Army regulars and militia irregulars at Ridgefield, Connecticut.
  • 1805 – First Barbary War: United States Marines and Berbers attack the Tripolitan city of Derna (The “shores of Tripoli” part of the Marines’ Hymn).
  • 1813 – War of 1812: American troops capture York, the capital of Upper Canada, in the Battle of York.
  • 1861 – American President Abraham Lincoln suspends the writ of habeas corpus.
  • 1865 – The New York State Senate creates Cornell University as the state’s land grant institution.
  • 1906 – The State Duma of the Russian Empire meets for the first time.
  • 1909 – Sultan of Ottoman Empire Abdul Hamid II is overthrown, and is succeeded by his brother, Mehmed V.
  • 1911 – Following the resignation and death of William P. Frye, a compromise is reached to rotate the office of President pro tempore of the United States Senate.
  • 1927 – Carabineros de Chile (Chilean national police force and gendarmerie) are created.
  • 1936 – The United Auto Workers (UAW) gains autonomy from the American Federation of Labor.
  • 1941 – World War II: German troops enter Athens.
  • 1941 – World War II: The Communist Party of Slovenia, the Slovene Christian Socialists, the left-wing Slovene Sokols (also known as “National Democrats”) and a group of progressive intellectuals establish the Liberation Front of the Slovene Nation.
  • 1945 – World War II: The last German formations withdraw from Finland to Norway. The Lapland War and thus, World War II in Finland, comes to an end and the Raising the Flag on the Three-Country Cairn photograph is taken.
  • 1945 – World War II: Benito Mussolini is arrested by Italian partisans in Dongo, while attempting escape disguised as a German soldier.
  • 1953 – Operation Moolah offers $50,000 to any pilot who defected with a fully mission-capable Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 to South Korea. The first pilot was to receive $100,000.
  • 1960 – Togo gains independence from French-administered UN trusteeship.
  • 1961 – Sierra Leone is granted its independence from the United Kingdom, with Milton Margai as the first Prime Minister.
  • 1967 – Expo 67 officially opens in Montreal, Quebec, Canada with a large opening ceremony broadcast around the world. It opens to the public the next day.
  • 1974 – Ten thousand march in Washington, D.C., calling for the impeachment of U.S. President Richard Nixon.
  • 1978 – Former United States President Nixon aide John D. Ehrlichman is released from an Arizona prison after serving 18 months for Watergate-related crimes.
  • 1978 – The Saur Revolution begins in Afghanistan, ending the following morning with the murder of Afghan President Mohammed Daoud Khan and the establishment of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan.
  • 1981 – Xerox PARC introduces the computer mouse.
  • 1986 – The city of Pripyat and surrounding areas are evacuated due to Chernobyl disaster.
  • 1987 – The U.S. Department of Justice bars Austrian President Kurt Waldheim (and his wife, Elisabeth, who had also been a Nazi) from entering the US, charging that he had aided in the deportations and executions of thousands of Jews and others as a German Army officer during World War II.
  • 1989 – The April 27 demonstrations, student-led protests responding to the April 26 Editorial, during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989.
  • 1992 – The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, comprising Serbia and Montenegro, is proclaimed.
  • 1992 – Betty Boothroyd becomes the first woman to be elected Speaker of the British House of Commons in its 700-year history.
  • 1992 – The Russian Federation and 12 other former Soviet republics become members of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
  • 1993 – Most of the Zambia national football team lose their lives in a plane crash off Libreville, Gabon en route to Dakar, Senegal to play a 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Senegal.
  • 1994 – South African general election: The first democratic general election in South Africa, in which black citizens could vote. The Interim Constitution comes into force.
  • 2005 – Airbus A380 aircraft had its maiden test flight.
  • 2006 – Construction begins on the Freedom Tower (later renamed One World Trade Center) in New York City.
  • 2007 – Estonian authorities remove the Bronze Soldier, a Soviet Red Army war memorial in Tallinn, amid political controversy with Russia.
  • 2007 – Israeli archaeologists discover the tomb of Herod the Great south of Jerusalem.
  • 2011 – The 2011 Super Outbreak devastates parts of the Southeastern United States, especially the states of Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, and Tennessee. 205 tornadoes touched down on April 27 alone, killing more than 300 and injuring hundreds more.
  • 2012 – At least four explosions hit the Ukrainian city of Dnipropetrovsk with at least 27 people injured.
  • 2018 – The Panmunjom Declaration is signed between North and South Korea, officially declaring their intentions to end the Korean conflict.

Births on April 27

  • 85 BC – Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus, Roman politician and general (d. 43 BC)
  • 1468 – Frederick Jagiellon, Primate of Poland (d. 1503)
  • 1564 – Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland (d. 1632)
  • 1556 – François Béroalde de Verville, French writer (d. 1626)
  • 1593 – Mumtaz Mahal, Mughal empress buried at the Taj Mahal (d. 1631)
  • 1650 – Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel, Queen Consort of Denmark (1670-1699) (d. 1714)
  • 1654 – Charles Blount, English deist and philosopher (d. 1693)
  • 1701 – Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia (d. 1773)
  • 1718 – Thomas Lewis, Irish-born American surveyor and lawyer (d. 1790)
  • 1748 – Adamantios Korais, Greek-French philosopher and scholar (d. 1833)
  • 1755 – Marc-Antoine Parseval, French mathematician and theorist (d. 1836)
  • 1759 – Mary Wollstonecraft, English philosopher, historian, and novelist (d. 1797)
  • 1788 – Charles Robert Cockerell, English architect, archaeologist, and writer (d. 1863)
  • 1791 – Samuel Morse, American painter and inventor, co-invented the Morse code (d. 1872)
  • 1812 – William W. Snow, American lawyer and politician (d. 1886)
  • 1812 – Friedrich von Flotow, German composer (d. 1883)
  • 1820 – Herbert Spencer, English biologist, anthropologist, sociologist, and philosopher (d. 1903)
  • 1822 – Ulysses S. Grant, American general and politician, 18th President of the United States (d. 1885)
  • 1840 – Edward Whymper, English-French mountaineer, explorer, author, and illustrator (d. 1911)
  • 1848 – Otto of Bavaria (d. 1916)
  • 1850 – Hans Hartwig von Beseler, German general and politician (d. 1921)
  • 1853 – Jules Lemaître, French playwright and critic (d. 1914)
  • 1857 – Theodor Kittelsen, Norwegian painter and illustrator (d. 1914)
  • 1861 – William Arms Fisher, American composer and music historian (d. 1948)
  • 1866 – Maurice Raoul-Duval, French polo player (d. 1916)
  • 1875 – Frederick Fane, Irish-born, English cricketer (d. 1960)
  • 1880 – Mihkel Lüdig, Estonian organist, composer, and conductor (d. 1958)
  • 1882 – Jessie Redmon Fauset, American author and poet (d. 1961)
  • 1887 – Warren Wood, American golfer (d. 1926)
  • 1888 – Florence La Badie, Canadian actress (d. 1917)
  • 1891 – Sergei Prokofiev, Russian pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1953)
  • 1893 – Draža Mihailović, Serbian general (d. 1946)
  • 1893 – Allen Sothoron, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 1939)
  • 1894 – George Petty, American painter and illustrator (d. 1975)
  • 1894 – Nicolas Slonimsky, Russian pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1995)
  • 1896 – Rogers Hornsby, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 1963)
  • 1896 – William Hudson, New Zealand-Australian engineer (d. 1978)
  • 1896 – Wallace Carothers, American chemist and inventor of nylon (d. 1937)
  • 1898 – Ludwig Bemelmans, Italian-American author and illustrator (d. 1962)
  • 1899 – Walter Lantz, American animator, producer, screenwriter, and actor (d. 1994)
  • 1900 – August Koern, Estonian politician and diplomat, Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs in exile (d. 1989)
  • 1902 – Tiemoko Garan Kouyaté, Malian educator and activist (d. 1942)
  • 1904 – Cecil Day-Lewis, Anglo-Irish poet and author (d. 1972)
  • 1904 – Nikos Zachariadis, Greek politician (d. 1973)
  • 1905 – John Kuck, American javelin thrower and shot putter (d. 1986)
  • 1906 – Yiorgos Theotokas, Greek author and playwright (d. 1966)
  • 1910 – Chiang Ching-kuo, Chinese politician, 3rd President of the Republic of China (d. 1988)
  • 1911 – Bruno Beger, German anthropologist and ethnologist (d. 2009)
  • 1911 – Chris Berger, Dutch sprinter and footballer (d. 1965)
  • 1912 – Jacques de Bourbon-Busset, French author and politician (d. 2001)
  • 1912 – Zohra Sehgal, Indian actress, dancer, and choreographer (d. 2014)
  • 1913 – Philip Abelson, American physicist and author (d. 2004)
  • 1913 – Irving Adler, American mathematician, author, and academic (d. 2012)
  • 1913 – Luz Long, German long jumper and soldier (d. 1943)
  • 1916 – Robert Hugh McWilliams, Jr., American sergeant, lawyer, and judge (d. 2013)
  • 1916 – Enos Slaughter, American baseball player and manager (d. 2002)
  • 1917 – Roman Matsov, Estonian violinist, pianist, and conductor (d. 2001)
  • 1918 – Sten Rudholm, Swedish lawyer and jurist (d. 2008)
  • 1920 – Guido Cantelli, Italian conductor (d. 1956)
  • 1920 – Mark Krasnosel’skii, Ukrainian mathematician and academic (d. 1997)
  • 1920 – James Robert Mann, American colonel, lawyer, and politician (d. 2010)
  • 1920 – Edwin Morgan, Scottish poet and translator (d. 2010)
  • 1921 – Robert Dhéry, French actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2004)
  • 1922 – Jack Klugman, American actor (d. 2012)
  • 1922 – Sheila Scott, English nurse and pilot (d. 1988)
  • 1923 – Betty Mae Tiger Jumper, Seminole chief (d. 2011)
  • 1924 – Vernon B. Romney, American lawyer and politician, 14th Attorney General of Utah (d. 2013)
  • 1925 – Derek Chinnery, English broadcaster (d. 2015)
  • 1926 – Tim LaHaye, American minister, activist, and author (d. 2016)
  • 1926 – Basil A. Paterson, American lawyer and politician, 59th Secretary of State of New York (d. 2014)
  • 1926 – Alan Reynolds, English painter and educator (d. 2014)
  • 1927 – Coretta Scott King, African-American activist and author (d. 2006)
  • 1927 – Joe Moakley, American soldier, lawyer, and politician (d. 2001)
  • 1929 – Nina Ponomaryova, Russian discus thrower and coach (d. 2016)
  • 1931 – Igor Oistrakh, Ukrainian violinist and educator
  • 1932 – Anouk Aimée, French actress
  • 1932 – Pik Botha, South African lawyer, politician, and diplomat, 8th South African Ambassador to the United States (d. 2018)
  • 1932 – Casey Kasem, American disc jockey, music historian, radio celebrity, and voice actor; co-created American Top 40 (d. 2014)
  • 1932 – Chuck Knox, American football coach (d. 2018)
  • 1932 – Derek Minter, English motorcycle racer (d. 2015)
  • 1932 – Gian-Carlo Rota, Italian-American mathematician and philosopher (d. 1999)
  • 1933 – Peter Imbert, Baron Imbert, English police officer and politician, Lord Lieutenant for Greater London (d. 2017)
  • 1935 – Theodoros Angelopoulos, Greek director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2012)
  • 1935 – Ron Morris, American pole vaulter and coach
  • 1936 – Geoffrey Shovelton, English singer and illustrator (d. 2016)
  • 1937 – Sandy Dennis, American actress (d. 1992)
  • 1937 – Robin Eames, Irish Anglican archbishop
  • 1937 – Richard Perham, English biologist and academic (d. 2015)
  • 1938 – Earl Anthony, American bowler and sportscaster (d. 2001)
  • 1938 – Alain Caron, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1986)
  • 1939 – Judy Carne, English actress and comedian (d. 2015)
  • 1939 – Stanisław Dziwisz, Polish cardinal
  • 1941 – Fethullah Gülen, Turkish preacher and theologian
  • 1941 – Dilip Kumar Chakrabarti, Indian archaeologist
  • 1941 – Lee Roy Jordan, American football player
  • 1942 – Ruth Glick, American author
  • 1942 – Jim Keltner, American drummer
  • 1943 – Helmut Marko, Austrian race car driver and manager
  • 1944 – Michael Fish, English meteorologist and journalist
  • 1944 – Cuba Gooding Sr., American singer (d. 2017)
  • 1944 – Herb Pedersen, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1945 – Martin Chivers, English footballer and manager
  • 1945 – Jack Deverell, English general
  • 1945 – Helen Hodgman, Scottish-Australian author
  • 1945 – Terry Willesee, Australian journalist and television host
  • 1945 – August Wilson, American author and playwright (d. 2005)
  • 1946 – Franz Roth, German footballer
  • 1947 – G. K. Butterfield, African-American soldier, lawyer, and politician
  • 1947 – Nick Greiner, Hungarian-Australian politician, 37th Premier of New South Wales
  • 1947 – Pete Ham, Welsh singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1975)
  • 1947 – Keith Magnuson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2003)
  • 1947 – Ann Peebles, American soul singer-songwriter
  • 1948 – Frank Abagnale Jr., American security consultant and criminal
  • 1948 – Josef Hickersberger, Austrian footballer, coach, and manager
  • 1948 – Kate Pierson, American singer-songwriter and bass player
  • 1949 – Grant Chapman, Australian businessman and politician
  • 1950 – Jaime Fresnedi, Filipino politician
  • 1950 – Paul Lockyer, Australian journalist (d. 2011)
  • 1951 – Ace Frehley, American guitarist and songwriter
  • 1952 – Larry Elder, American lawyer and talk show host
  • 1952 – George Gervin, American basketball player
  • 1952 – Ari Vatanen, Finnish race car driver and politician
  • 1953 – Arielle Dombasle, French-American actress and model
  • 1954 – Frank Bainimarama, Fijian commander and politician, 8th Prime Minister of Fiji
  • 1954 – Herman Edwards, American football player, coach, and sportscaster
  • 1954 – Mark Holden, Australian singer, actor, and lawyer
  • 1955 – Gudrun Berend, German hurdler (d. 2011)
  • 1955 – Eric Schmidt, American engineer and businessman
  • 1956 – Bryan Harvey, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2006)
  • 1956 – Jeff Probyn, English rugby player, coach, and manager
  • 1957 – Willie Upshaw, American baseball player and manager
  • 1959 – Sheena Easton, Scottish-American singer-songwriter, actress, and producer
  • 1959 – Marco Pirroni, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1960 – Mike Krushelnyski, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1961 – Andrew Schlafly, American lawyer and activist, founded Conservapedia
  • 1962 – Ángel Comizzo, Argentinian footballer and manager
  • 1962 – Seppo Räty, Finnish javelin thrower and coach
  • 1962 – Im Sang-soo, South Korean director and screenwriter
  • 1962 – Andrew Selous, English soldier and politician
  • 1963 – Russell T Davies, Welsh screenwriter and producer
  • 1965 – Anna Chancellor, English actress
  • 1966 – Peter McIntyre, Australian cricketer
  • 1966 – Yoshihiro Togashi, Japanese illustrator
  • 1967 – Willem-Alexander, King of the Netherlands
  • 1967 – Tommy Smith, Scottish saxophonist, composer, and educator
  • 1967 – Erik Thomson, Scottish-New Zealand actor
  • 1967 – Jason Whitlock, American football player and journalist
  • 1968 – Dana Milbank, American journalist and author
  • 1969 – Cory Booker, African-American lawyer and politician
  • 1969 – Darcey Bussell, English ballerina
  • 1971 – Olari Elts, Estonian conductor
  • 1972 – Nigel Barker, English photographer and author
  • 1972 – Almedin Civa, Bosnian footballer and coach
  • 1973 – Duško Adamović, Serbian footballer
  • 1973 – Sharlee D’Angelo, Swedish bass player and songwriter
  • 1973 – Sébastien Lareau, Canadian tennis player
  • 1974 – Frank Catalanotto, American baseball player
  • 1974 – Richard Johnson, Australian footballer
  • 1975 – Rabih Abdullah, American football player
  • 1975 – Chris Carpenter, American baseball player and manager
  • 1975 – Pedro Feliz, Dominican baseball player
  • 1975 – Kazuyoshi Funaki, Japanese ski jumper
  • 1976 – Isobel Campbell, Scottish singer-songwriter and cellist
  • 1976 – Sally Hawkins, English actress
  • 1976 – Walter Pandiani, Uruguayan footballer
  • 1976 – Faisal Saif, Indian director, screenwriter, and critic
  • 1979 – Will Boyd, American bass player
  • 1979 – Natasha Chokljat, Australian netball player
  • 1979 – Vladimir Kozlov, Ukrainian wrestler
  • 1980 – Sybille Bammer, Austrian tennis player
  • 1980 – Talitha Cummins, Australian journalist
  • 1980 – Christian Lara, Ecuadorian footballer
  • 1981 – Joey Gathright, American baseball player
  • 1981 – Patrik Gerrbrand, Swedish footballer
  • 1982 – François Parisien, Canadian cyclist
  • 1982 – Alexander Widiker, German rugby player
  • 1983 – Ari Graynor, American actress and producer
  • 1983 – Martin Viiask, Estonian basketball player
  • 1984 – Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1984 – Daniel Holdsworth, Australian rugby league player
  • 1984 – Patrick Stump, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1985 – José António de Miranda da Silva Júnior, Brazilian footballer
  • 1985 – Meselech Melkamu, Ethiopian runner
  • 1986 – Jenna Coleman, English actress
  • 1986 – Hayley Mulheron, Scottish netball player
  • 1986 – Dinara Safina, Russian tennis player
  • 1987 – Taylor Chorney, American ice hockey player
  • 1987 – Elliott Shriane, Australian speed skater
  • 1987 – William Moseley, English actor
  • 1987 – Wang Feifei, Chinese singer and actress
  • 1988 – Joeri Dequevy, Belgian footballer
  • 1988 – Kris Thackray, English footballer
  • 1988 – Semyon Varlamov, Russian ice hockey player
  • 1988 – Lizzo, American singer and rapper
  • 1989 – Lars Bender, German footballer
  • 1989 – Sven Bender, German footballer
  • 1989 – Tim Glasby, Australian rugby league player
  • 1989 – Dmytro Kozban, Ukrainian footballer
  • 1990 – Trude Raad, Norwegian deaf track and field athlete
  • 1991 – Isaac Cuenca, Spanish footballer
  • 1991 – Eric Fukusaki, Peruvian singer
  • 1991 – Lara Gut, Swiss skier
  • 1992 – Keenan Allen, American football player
  • 1994 – Corey Seager, American baseball player
  • 1995 – Nick Kyrgios, Australian tennis player
  • 1997 – Josh Onomah, English footballer

Deaths on April 27

  • 630 – Ardashir III of Persia (b. 621)
  • 1160 – Rudolf I, Count of Bregenz (b. 1081)
  • 1272 – Zita, Italian saint (b. 1212)
  • 1321 – Nicolò Albertini, Italian cardinal statesman (b. c. 1250)
  • 1353 – Simeon of Moscow, Grand Prince of Moscow and Vladimir
  • 1403 – Maria of Bosnia, Countess of Helfenstein (b. 1335)
  • 1404 – Philip II, Duke of Burgundy (b. 1342)
  • 1463 – Isidore of Kiev (b. 1385)
  • 1521 – Ferdinand Magellan, Portuguese sailor and explorer (b. 1480)
  • 1599 – Maeda Toshiie, Japanese general (b. 1538)
  • 1605 – Pope Leo XI (b. 1535)
  • 1607 – Edward Cromwell, 3rd Baron Cromwell, Governor of Lecale (b. 1560)
  • 1613 – Robert Abercromby, Scottish priest and missionary (b. 1532)
  • 1656 – Jan van Goyen, Dutch painter and illustrator (b. 1596)
  • 1694 – John George IV, Elector of Saxony (b. 1668)
  • 1695 – John Trenchard, English politician, Secretary of State for the Northern Department (b. 1640)
  • 1702 – Jean Bart, French admiral (b. 1651)
  • 1782 – William Talbot, 1st Earl Talbot, English politician, Lord Steward of the Household (b. 1710)
  • 1813 – Zebulon Pike, American general and explorer (b. 1779)
  • 1873 – William Macready, English actor and manager (b. 1793)
  • 1882 – Ralph Waldo Emerson, American poet and philosopher (b. 1803)
  • 1893 – John Ballance, Irish-born New Zealand journalist and politician, 14th Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1839)
  • 1896 – Henry Parkes, English-Australian businessman and politician, 7th Premier of New South Wales (b. 1815)
  • 1915 – John Labatt, Canadian businessman (b. 1838)
  • 1915 – Alexander Scriabin, Russian pianist and composer (b. 1872)
  • 1932 – Hart Crane, American poet (b. 1899)
  • 1936 – Karl Pearson, English mathematician and academic (b. 1857)
  • 1937 – Antonio Gramsci, Italian sociologist, linguist, and politician (b. 1891)
  • 1938 – Edmund Husserl, Czech mathematician and philosopher (b. 1859)
  • 1952 – Guido Castelnuovo, Italian mathematician and statistician (b. 1865)
  • 1961 – Roy Del Ruth, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1893)
  • 1962 – A. K. Fazlul Huq, Bangladeshi-Pakistani lawyer and politician, Pakistani Minister of the Interior (b. 1873)
  • 1965 – Edward R. Murrow, American journalist (b. 1908)
  • 1967 – William Douglas Cook, New Zealand farmer, founded the Eastwoodhill Arboretum (b. 1884)
  • 1969 – René Barrientos, Bolivian soldier, pilot, and politician, 55th President of Bolivia (b. 1919)
  • 1970 – Arthur Shields, Irish rebel and actor (b. 1896)
  • 1972 – Kwame Nkrumah, Ghanaian politician, 1st President of Ghana (b. 1909)
  • 1973 – Carlos Menditeguy, Argentinian race car driver and polo player (b. 1914)
  • 1977 – Stanley Adams, American actor and screenwriter (b. 1915)
  • 1988 – Fred Bear, American hunter and author (b. 1902)
  • 1989 – Konosuke Matsushita, Japanese businessman, founded Panasonic (b. 1894)
  • 1992 – Olivier Messiaen, French organist and composer (b. 1908)
  • 1992 – Gerard K. O’Neill, American physicist and astronomer (b. 1927)
  • 1995 – Katherine DeMille, Canadian-American actress (b. 1911)
  • 1995 – Willem Frederik Hermans, Dutch author, poet, and playwright (b. 1921)
  • 1996 – William Colby, American diplomat, 10th Director of Central Intelligence (b. 1920)
  • 1996 – Gilles Grangier, French director and screenwriter (b. 1911)
  • 1998 – John Bassett, Canadian journalist and politician (b. 1915)
  • 1998 – Carlos Castaneda, Peruvian-American anthropologist and author (b. 1925)
  • 1998 – Anne Desclos, French journalist and author (b. 1907)
  • 1998 – Browning Ross, American runner and soldier (b. 1924)
  • 1999 – Al Hirt, American trumpet player and bandleader (b. 1922)
  • 1999 – Dale C. Thomson, Canadian historian, author, and academic (b. 1923)
  • 1999 – Cyril Washbrook, English cricketer (b. 1914)
  • 2002 – George Alec Effinger, American author (b. 1947)
  • 2002 – Ruth Handler, American inventor and businesswoman, created the Barbie doll (b. 1916)
  • 2005 – Red Horner, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1909)
  • 2006 – Julia Thorne, American author (b. 1944)
  • 2007 – Mstislav Rostropovich, Russian cellist and conductor (b. 1927)
  • 2009 – Frankie Manning, American dancer and choreographer (b. 1914)
  • 2009 – Woo Seung-yeon, South Korean model and actress (b. 1983)
  • 2009 – Feroz Khan (actor), Indian Actor, Film Director & Producer (b. 1939)
  • 2011 – Marian Mercer, American actress and singer (b. 1935)
  • 2012 – Daniel E. Boatwright, American soldier and politician (b. 1930)
  • 2012 – Bill Skowron, American baseball player (b. 1930)
  • 2013 – Aída Bortnik, Argentinian screenwriter (b. 1938)
  • 2013 – Lorraine Copeland, Scottish archaeologist (b. 1921)
  • 2013 – Antonio Díaz Jurado, Spanish footballer (b. 1969)
  • 2013 – Jérôme Louis Heldring, Dutch journalist and author (b. 1917)
  • 2013 – Aloysius Jin Luxian, Chinese bishop (b. 1916)
  • 2013 – Mutula Kilonzo, Kenyan lawyer and politician, Kenyan Minister of Justice (b. 1948)
  • 2014 – Yigal Arnon, Israeli lawyer (b. 1929)
  • 2014 – Vujadin Boškov, Serbian footballer, coach, and manager (b. 1931)
  • 2014 – Daniel Colchico, American football player and coach (b. 1935)
  • 2014 – Harry Firth, Australian race car driver and manager (b. 1918)
  • 2015 – Gene Fullmer, American boxer (b. 1931)
  • 2015 – Verne Gagne, American football player, wrestler, and trainer (b. 1926)
  • 2015 – Alexander Rich, American biologist, biophysicist, and academic (b. 1924)
  • 2017 – Vinod Khanna, Indian actor, producer and politician (b. 1946)
  • 2017 – Sadanoyama Shinmatsu, Japanese sumo wrestler (b. 1938)

Holidays and observances on April 27

  • Christian feast days:
    • Anthimus of Nicomedia
    • Assicus
    • Floribert of Liège
    • John of Constantinople
    • Liberalis of Treviso
    • Pollio
    • Rafael Arnáiz Barón
    • Virgin of Montserrat
    • Zita
    • April 27 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Day of Russian Parliamentarism (Russia)
  • Day of the Uprising Against the Occupying Forces (Slovenia)
  • Flag Day (Moldova)
  • Freedom Day (South Africa)
    • UnFreedom Day (South Africa, unofficial)
  • Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Sierra Leone from United Kingdom in 1961.
  • Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Togo from France in 1960.
  • King’s Day (Netherlands, Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten) (celebrated on April 26 if April 27 falls on a Sunday)
  • National Veterans’ Day (Finla

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

On This Day, Uncategorized

April 21 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 753 BC – Romulus founds Rome (traditional date).
  • 43 BC – Battle of Mutina: Mark Antony is again defeated in battle by Aulus Hirtius, who is killed. Antony fails to capture Mutina and Decimus Brutus is murdered shortly after.
  • 900 – The Laguna Copperplate Inscription (the earliest known written document found in what is now the Philippines): the Commander-in-Chief of the Kingdom of Tondo, as represented by the Honourable Jayadewa, Lord Minister of Pailah, pardons from all debt the Honourable Namwaran and his relations.
  • 1092 – The Diocese of Pisa is elevated to the rank of metropolitan archdiocese by Pope Urban II
  • 1506 – The three-day Lisbon Massacre comes to an end with the slaughter of over 1,900 suspected Jews by Portuguese Catholics.
  • 1509 – Henry VIII ascends the throne of England on the death of his father, Henry VII.
  • 1526 – The last ruler of the Lodi dynasty, Ibrahim Lodi is defeated and killed by Babur in the First Battle of Panipat.
  • 1615 – The Wignacourt Aqueduct is inaugurated in Malta.
  • 1782 – The city of Rattanakosin, now known internationally as Bangkok, is founded on the eastern bank of the Chao Phraya River by King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke.
  • 1789 – George Washington’s reception at Trenton is hosted by the Ladies of Trenton as he journeys to New York City for his first inauguration.
  • 1792 – Tiradentes, a revolutionary leading a movement for Brazil’s independence, is hanged, drawn and quartered.
  • 1802 – Twelve thousand Wahhabis under Abdul-Aziz bin Muhammad, invaded city of Karbala, killed over three thousand inhabitants, and sacked the city.
  • 1806 – Action of 21 April 1806: A French frigate escapes British forces off the coast of South Africa.
  • 1809 – Two Austrian army corps are driven from Landshut by a First French Empire army led by Napoleon as two French corps to the north hold off the main Austrian army on the first day of the Battle of Eckmühl.
  • 1821 – Benderli Ali Pasha arrives in Constantinople as the new Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire; he remains in power for only nine days before being sent into exile.
  • 1836 – Texas Revolution: The Battle of San Jacinto: Republic of Texas forces under Sam Houston defeat troops under Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna.
  • 1856 – Australian labour movement: Stonemasons and building workers on building sites around Melbourne march from the University of Melbourne to Parliament House to achieve an eight-hour day.
  • 1894 – Norway formally adopts the Krag–Jørgensen bolt-action rifle as the main arm of its armed forces, a weapon that would remain in service for almost 50 years.
  • 1898 – Spanish–American War: The United States Navy begins a blockade of Cuban ports. When the U.S. Congress issued a declaration of war on April 25, it declared that a state of war had existed from this date.
  • 1914 – Ypiranga incident: A German arms shipment to Mexico is intercepted by the U.S. Navy near Veracruz.
  • 1918 – World War I: German fighter ace Manfred von Richthofen, better known as “The Red Baron”, is shot down and killed over Vaux-sur-Somme in France.
  • 1926 – Al-Baqi cemetery, former site of the mausoleum of four Shi’a Imams, is leveled to the ground by Wahhabis.
  • 1934 – The “Surgeon’s Photograph”, the most famous photo allegedly showing the Loch Ness Monster, is published in the Daily Mail (in 1999, it is revealed to be a hoax).
  • 1945 – World War II: Soviet forces south of Berlin at Zossen attack the German High Command headquarters.
  • 1948 – United Nations Security Council Resolution 47 relating to Kashmir conflict is adopted.
  • 1952 – Secretary’s Day (now Administrative Professionals’ Day) is first celebrated.
  • 1958 – United Airlines Flight 736 collides into a United States Air Force fighter jet near Arden, Nevada in what is now Enterprise, Nevada.
  • 1960 – Brasília, Brazil’s capital, is officially inaugurated. At 09:30, the Three Powers of the Republic are simultaneously transferred from the old capital, Rio de Janeiro.
  • 1962 – The Seattle World’s Fair (Century 21 Exposition) opens. It is the first World’s Fair in the United States since World War II.
  • 1963 – The first election of the Universal House of Justice is held, marking its establishment as the supreme governing institution of the Bahá’í Faith.
  • 1964 – A Transit-5bn satellite fails to reach orbit after launch; as it re-enters the atmosphere, 2.1 pounds (0.95 kg) of radioactive plutonium in its SNAP RTG power source is widely dispersed.
  • 1965 – The 1964–1965 New York World’s Fair opens for its second and final season.
  • 1966 – Rastafari movement: Haile Selassie of Ethiopia visits Jamaica, an event now celebrated as Grounation Day.
  • 1967 – A few days before the general election in Greece, Colonel George Papadopoulos leads a coup d’état, establishing a military regime that lasts for seven years.
  • 1975 – Vietnam War: President of South Vietnam Nguyễn Văn Thiệu flees Saigon, as Xuân Lộc, the last South Vietnamese outpost blocking a direct North Vietnamese assault on Saigon, falls.
  • 1977 – Annie opens on Broadway.
  • 1982 – Baseball: Rollie Fingers of the Milwaukee Brewers becomes the first pitcher to record 300 saves.
  • 1985 – The compound of the militant group The Covenant, The Sword, and the Arm of the Lord surrenders to federal authorities in Arkansas after a two-day government siege.
  • 1987 – The Tamil Tigers are blamed for a car bomb that detonates in the Sri Lankan capital city of Colombo, killing 106 people.
  • 1989 – Tiananmen Square protests of 1989: In Beijing, around 100,000 students gather in Tiananmen Square to commemorate Chinese reform leader Hu Yaobang.
  • 1993 – The Supreme Court in La Paz, Bolivia, sentences former dictator Luis García Meza to 30 years in jail without parole for murder, theft, fraud and violating the constitution.
  • 2004 – Five suicide car bombers target police stations in and around Basra, killing 74 people and wounding 160.
  • 2010 – The controversial Kharkiv Pact (Russian Ukrainian Naval Base for Gas Treaty) is signed in Kharkiv, Ukraine, by Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev; it was unilaterally terminated by Russia on March 31, 2014.
  • 2012 – Two trains are involved in a head-on collision near Sloterdijk, Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, injuring 116 people.
  • 2014 – The American city of Flint, Michigan switches its water source to the Flint River, beginning the ongoing Flint water crisis which has caused lead poisoning in up to 12,000 people, and 15 deaths from Legionnaires disease, ultimately leading to criminal indictments against 15 people, five of whom have been charged with involuntary manslaughter.
  • 2019 – Eight bombs explode at churches, hotels, and other locations in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday; more than 200 people are killed.

Births on April 21

  • 1132 – Sancho VI, king of Navarre (d. 1194)
  • 1488 – Ulrich von Hutten, German religious reformer (d. 1523)
  • 1523 – Marco Antonio Bragadin, Venetian lawyer and military officer (d. 1571)
  • 1555 – Ludovico Carracci, Italian painter and etcher (d. 1619)
  • 1619 – Jan van Riebeeck, Dutch founder of Cape Town (d. 1677)
  • 1630 – Pieter Gerritsz van Roestraten, Dutch-English painter (d. 1700)
  • 1631 – Francesco Maidalchini, Catholic cardinal (d. 1700)
  • 1642 – Simon de la Loubère, French mathematician, poet, and diplomat (d. 1729)
  • 1651 – Joseph Vaz, Sri Lankan priest, missionary, and saint (d. 1711)
  • 1652 – Michel Rolle, French mathematician and academic (d. 1719)
  • 1671 – John Law, Scottish economist (d. 1729)
  • 1673 – Wilhelmine Amalia of Brunswick-Lüneburg (d. 1742)
  • 1713 – Louis de Noailles, French general (d. 1793)
  • 1730 – Antonín Kammel, Czech violinist and composer (d. 1788)
  • 1752 – Pierre-Alexandre-Laurent Forfait, French engineer, hydrographer, and politician, French Minister of Marine and the Colonies (d. 1807)
  • 1752 – Humphry Repton, English gardener and author (d. 1818)
  • 1774 – Jean-Baptiste Biot, French physicist, astronomer, and mathematician (d. 1862)
  • 1775 – Alexander Anderson, Scottish-American illustrator and engraver (d. 1870)
  • 1790 – Manuel Blanco Encalada, Spanish-Chilean admiral and politician, 1st President of Chile (d. 1876)
  • 1810 – John Putnam Chapin, American politician, 10th Mayor of Chicago (d. 1864)
  • 1811 – Alson Sherman, American merchant and politician, 8th Mayor of Chicago (d. 1903)
  • 1814 – Angela Burdett-Coutts, 1st Baroness Burdett-Coutts, English art collector and philanthropist (d. 1906)
  • 1816 – Charlotte Brontë, Cornish-English novelist and poet (d. 1855)
  • 1837 – Fredrik Bajer, Danish lieutenant and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1922)
  • 1838 – John Muir, Scottish-American environmentalist and author (d. 1914)
  • 1851 – Charles Barrois, French geologist and palaeontologist (d. 1939)
  • 1854 – William Stang, German-American bishop (d. 1907)
  • 1864 – Max Weber, German economist and sociologist (d. 1920)
  • 1868 – Alfred Henry Maurer, American painter (d. 1932)
  • 1870 – Edwin Stanton Porter, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1941)
  • 1874 – Vincent Scotto, French actor and composer (d. 1952)
  • 1882 – Percy Williams Bridgman, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1961)
  • 1885 – Tatu Kolehmainen, Finnish runner (d. 1967)
  • 1887 – Joe McCarthy, American baseball manager (d. 1978)
  • 1889 – Marcel Boussac, French businessman (d. 1980)
  • 1889 – Paul Karrer, Russian-Swiss chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1971)
  • 1889 – Efrem Zimbalist, Sr., Russian-American violinist, composer, and conductor (d. 1985)
  • 1892 – Freddie Dixon, English motorcycle racer and racing driver (d. 1956)
  • 1893 – Romeo Bertini, Italian runner (d. 1973)
  • 1898 – Maurice Wilson, English soldier, pilot, and mountaineer (d. 1934)
  • 1899 – Randall Thompson, American composer and academic (d. 1984)
  • 1903 – Luis Saslavsky, Argentinian director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1995)
  • 1904 – Jean Hélion, French painter (d. 1987)
  • 1904 – Odilo Globocnik, Italian-Austrian SS officer (d. 1945)
  • 1905 – Pat Brown, American lawyer and politician, 32nd Governor of California (d. 1996)
  • 1911 – Ivan Combe, American businessman, developed Clearasil (d. 2000)
  • 1911 – Kemal Satır, Turkish physician and politician (d. 1991)
  • 1912 – Eve Arnold, Russian-American photojournalist (d. 2012)
  • 1912 – Marcel Camus, French director and screenwriter (d. 1982)
  • 1913 – Norman Parkinson, English photographer (d. 1990)
  • 1914 – Angelo Savoldi, Italian-American wrestler and promoter, co-founded International World Class Championship Wrestling (d. 2013)
  • 1915 – Garrett Hardin, American ecologist, author, and academic (d. 2003)
  • 1915 – Anthony Quinn, Mexican-American actor (d. 2001)
  • 1916 – Estella B. Diggs, American businesswoman and politician (d. 2013)
  • 1918 – Eddy Christiani, Dutch singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2016)
  • 1919 – Don Cornell, American singer (d. 2004)
  • 1919 – Roger Doucet, Canadian tenor (d. 1981)
  • 1919 – Licio Gelli, Italian financer (d. 2015)
  • 1920 – Edmund Adamkiewicz, German footballer (d. 1991)
  • 1922 – Alistair MacLean, Scottish novelist and screenwriter (d. 1987)
  • 1922 – Allan Watkins, Welsh-English cricketer (d. 2011)
  • 1923 – John Mortimer, English lawyer and author (d. 2009)
  • 1924 – Ira Louvin, American singer-songwriter and mandolin player (d. 1965)
  • 1925 – Anthony Mason, Australian soldier and judge, 9th Chief Justice of Australia
  • 1925 – John Swinton of Kimmerghame, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Berwickshire (d. 2018)
  • 1926 – Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and her other realms
  • 1926 – Arthur Rowley, English footballer, manager and cricketer (d. 2002)
  • 1927 – Ahmed Arif, Turkish poet and author (d. 1991)
  • 1928 – Jack Evans, Welsh-Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 1996)
  • 1930 – Hilda Hilst, Brazilian author, poet, and playwright (d. 2004)
  • 1930 – Silvana Mangano, Italian actress (d. 1989)
  • 1930 – Dieter Roth, German-Swiss illustrator and sculptor (d. 1998)
  • 1930 – Jack Taylor, English footballer and referee (d. 2012)
  • 1931 – Morgan Wootten, American high school basketball coach (d. 2020)
  • 1932 – Slide Hampton, African-American trombonist and composer
  • 1932 – Elaine May, American actress, comedian, director, and screenwriter
  • 1932 – Angela Mortimer, English tennis player
  • 1933 – Edelmiro Amante, Filipino lawyer and politician (d. 2013)
  • 1933 – Easley Blackwood, Jr., American pianist, composer, and educator
  • 1933 – Ignatius Zakka I Iwas, Iraqi patriarch (d. 2014)
  • 1935 – Charles Grodin, American actor and talk show host
  • 1935 – Thomas Kean, American academic and politician, 48th Governor of New Jersey
  • 1936 – James Dobson, American evangelist, psychologist, and author, founded Focus on the Family
  • 1936 – Reg Fleming, Canadian-American ice hockey player (d. 2009)
  • 1937 – Gary Peters, American baseball player
  • 1937 – Ben Zinn, Israeli-born American academic and former international soccer player
  • 1939 – John McCabe, English pianist and composer (d. 2015)
  • 1939 – Sister Helen Prejean, American nun, activist, and author
  • 1939 – Reni Santoni, American actor
  • 1940 – Jacques Caron, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1940 – Souleymane Cissé, Malian director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1941 – David L. Boren, American lawyer and politician, 21st Governor of Oklahoma
  • 1942 – Geoffrey Palmer, New Zealand politician, 33rd Prime Minister of New Zealand
  • 1945 – Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan, Indian cricketer and umpire
  • 1945 – Mark Wainberg, Canadian researcher and HIV/AIDS activist (d. 2017)
  • 1945 – Diana Darvey, English actress, singer and dancer (d. 2000)
  • 1947 – Al Bumbry, American baseball player
  • 1947 – Iggy Pop, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
  • 1947 – John Weider, English bass player
  • 1948 – Gary Condit, American businessman and politician
  • 1948 – Paul Davis, American singer-songwriter and musician (d. 2008)
  • 1948 – Josef Flammer, Swiss ophthalmologist
  • 1948 – Dieter Fromm, German runner
  • 1949 – Patti LuPone, American actress and singer
  • 1950 – Shivaji Satam, Indian actor
  • 1951 – Tony Danza, American actor and producer
  • 1951 – Michael Freedman, American mathematician and academic
  • 1951 – Bob Varsha, American sportscaster
  • 1951 – Steve Vickers, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1952 – Gerald Early, American author and academic
  • 1952 – Cheryl Gillan, British businesswoman and politician, Secretary of State for Wales
  • 1953 – John Brumby, Australian politician, 45th Premier of Victoria
  • 1954 – Ebiet G. Ade, Indonesian singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1954 – James Morrison, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1955 – Murathan Mungan, Turkish author, poet, and playwright
  • 1955 – Doug Soetaert, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1956 – Peter Kosminsky, English director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1956 – Phillip Longman, German-American demographer and journalist
  • 1957 – Hervé Le Tellier, French linguist and author
  • 1957 – Jesse Orosco, American baseball player
  • 1957 – Herbert Wetterauer, German painter, sculptor, and author
  • 1958 – Andie MacDowell, American model, actress, and producer
  • 1958 – Yoshito Usui, Japanese illustrator (d. 2009)
  • 1958 – Michael Zarnock, American author
  • 1959 – Tim Jacobus, American illustrator and painter
  • 1959 – Olga Kuragina, Russian pentathlete
  • 1959 – Arno Pijpers, Dutch footballer and coach
  • 1959 – Robert Smith, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1960 – Michel Goulet, Canadian ice hockey player and scout
  • 1960 – Julius Korir, Kenyan runner
  • 1961 – Cathy Cavadini, American voice actress
  • 1961 – Carey Hayes, American screenwriter and producer
  • 1961 – Chad Hayes, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1961 – Neale Marmon, English-German footballer, coach, and manager
  • 1961 – David Servan-Schreiber, French physician, neuroscientist, and author (d. 2011)
  • 1962 – Les Lancaster, American baseball player and coach
  • 1962 – Craig Robinson, American basketball player and coach
  • 1962 – Aavo Sarap, Estonian footballer and coach
  • 1963 – Ken Caminiti, American baseball player (d. 2004)
  • 1963 – Roy Dupuis, Canadian actor
  • 1963 – John Cameron Mitchell, American actor, director, and screenwriter
  • 1964 – Alex Baumann, Czech-Canadian swimmer
  • 1964 – Ludmila Engquist, Russian-Swedish hurdler
  • 1965 – Ed Belfour, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1965 – Karen Foster, American model and actress
  • 1965 – Gary Grant, American basketball player
  • 1965 – Thomas Helmer, German footballer
  • 1965 – Fiona Kelleghan, American academic, critic and librarian
  • 1967 – Emilio Valle, Cuban hurdler
  • 1968 – Peter van Vossen, Dutch footballer and coach
  • 1969 – John Kibowen, Kenyan runner
  • 1969 – Toby Stephens, English actor
  • 1970 – Jeff Anderson, American actor, director, and screenwriter
  • 1970 – Glen Hansard, Irish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
  • 1970 – Rob Riggle, American actor and comedian
  • 1970 – Nicole Sullivan, American actress, comedian, and screenwriter
  • 1971 – Axl Rotten, American wrestler (d. 2016)
  • 1971 – Michael Turner, American author and illustrator (d. 2008)
  • 1972 – Richard Chelimo, Kenyan runner (d. 2001)
  • 1972 – Gwendal Peizerat, French ice dancer
  • 1973 – Steve Backshall, English naturalist, writer, and television presenter
  • 1973 – Jonathan Nsenga, Belgian hurdler and coach
  • 1974 – Maksim Gruznov, Estonian footballer
  • 1974 – Orlando Jordan, American wrestler
  • 1974 – David Peachey, Australian rugby league player
  • 1975 – Danyon Loader, New Zealand swimmer
  • 1976 – Rommel Adducul, Filipino basketball player
  • 1976 – Petero Civoniceva, Fijian-Australian rugby league player
  • 1977 – Gyula Koi, Hungarian scholar and educator
  • 1977 – Jamie Salé, Canadian figure skater
  • 1978 – Jacob Burns, Australian footballer
  • 1978 – Jukka Nevalainen, Finnish drummer
  • 1978 – Yuliya Pechonkina, Russian hurdler
  • 1979 – Virginie Basselot, French chef
  • 1979 – Tobias Linderoth, French-Swedish footballer and coach
  • 1979 – James McAvoy, Scottish actor
  • 1980 – Jeff Keppinger, American baseball player
  • 1980 – Vincent Lecavalier, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1980 – Tony Romo, American football player
  • 1981 – Mads Junker, Danish footballer
  • 1982 – Khalif Barnes, American football player
  • 1982 – Micheal Luck, Australian rugby league player
  • 1982 – Carnell Williams, American football player
  • 1983 – Paweł Brożek, Polish footballer
  • 1983 – Marco Donadel, Italian footballer
  • 1983 – Tarvaris Jackson, American football player (d. 2020)
  • 1984 – Shayna Fox, American voice actress
  • 1986 – Audra Cohen, American tennis player
  • 1986 – Alexander Edler, Swedish ice hockey player
  • 1986 – Rodney Stuckey, American basketball player
  • 1986 – Mirko Valdifiori, Italian footballer
  • 1987 – Nadif Chowdhury, Bangladeshi cricketer
  • 1987 – Eric Devendorf, American basketball player
  • 1987 – Leroy George, Dutch footballer
  • 1987 – Anastasia Prikhodko, Ukrainian singer
  • 1988 – Ricky Berens, American swimmer
  • 1988 – Jencarlos Canela, American singer-songwriter and actor
  • 1988 – Pedro Mosquera, Spanish footballer
  • 1988 – Adam Rooney, Irish footballer
  • 1989 – Tatyana McFadden, Russian-American sprinter and skier
  • 1989 – Carlos Muñoz, Chilean footballer
  • 1990 – Aleksandar Prijović, Swiss-born Serbian footballer
  • 1992 – Isco, Spanish footballer
  • 1992 – Rene Santos, Brazilian footballer
  • 1992 – Joc Pederson, American baseball player
  • 1994 – Mitchell Weiser, German footballer

Deaths on April 21

  • 234 – Emperor Xian of Han, Chinese emperor (b. 181)
  • 586 – Liuvigild, king of the Visigoths
  • 847 – Odgar, Frankish archbishop of Mainz
  • 866 – Bardas, de facto regent of the Byzantine Empire
  • 941 – Bajkam, de facto regent of the Abbasid Caliphate
  • 1073 – Pope Alexander II
  • 1109 – Anselm of Canterbury, Italian-English archbishop and saint (b. 1033)
  • 1136 – Stephen, Count of Tréguier Breton noblemen (b. c. 1058/62)
  • 1142 – Peter Abelard, French philosopher and theologian (b. 1079)
  • 1213 – Maria of Montpellier, Lady of Montpellier, Queen of Aragon (b. 1182)
  • 1329 – Frederick IV, Duke of Lorraine (b. 1282)
  • 1400 – John Wittlebury, English politician (b. 1333)
  • 1509 – Henry VII of England (b. 1457)
  • 1557 – Petrus Apianus, German mathematician and astronomer (b. 1495)
  • 1574 – Cosimo I de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (b. 1519)
  • 1591 – Sen no Rikyū, Japanese exponent of the tea ceremony (b. 1522)
  • 1650 – Yagyū Jūbei Mitsuyoshi, Japanese samurai (b. 1607)
  • 1668 – Jan Boeckhorst, Flemish painter (b. c. 1604)
  • 1699 – Jean Racine, French playwright and poet (b. 1639)
  • 1719 – Philippe de La Hire, French mathematician and astronomer (b. 1640)
  • 1720 – Antoine Hamilton, Irish-French soldier and author (b. 1646)
  • 1722 – Robert Beverley, Jr., English historian and author (b. 1673)
  • 1736 – Prince Eugene of Savoy (b. 1663)
  • 1740 – Thomas Tickell, English poet and author (b. 1685)
  • 1758 – Francesco Zerafa, Maltese architect (b. 1679)
  • 1815 – Joseph Winston, American soldier and politician (b. 1746)
  • 1825 – Johann Friedrich Pfaff, German mathematician and academic (b. 1765)
  • 1852 – Ivan Nabokov, Russian general (b. 1787)
  • 1863 – Sir Robert Bateson, 1st Baronet, Irish politician (b. 1782)
  • 1900 – Vikramatji Khimojiraj, Indian ruler (b. 1819)
  • 1910 – Mark Twain, American novelist, humorist, and critic (b. 1835)
  • 1918 – Manfred von Richthofen, German captain and pilot (b. 1892)
  • 1924 – Eleonora Duse, Italian actress (b. 1858)
  • 1930 – Robert Bridges, English poet and author (b. 1844)
  • 1932 – Friedrich Gustav Piffl, Bohemian cardinal (b. 1864)
  • 1938 – Muhammad Iqbal, Indian-Pakistani philosopher and poet (b. 1877)
  • 1941 – Fritz Manteuffel, German gymnast (b. 1875)
  • 1945 – Walter Model, German field marshal (b. 1891)
  • 1946 – John Maynard Keynes, English economist and philosopher (b. 1883)
  • 1948 – Aldo Leopold, American ecologist and author (b. 1887)
  • 1952 – Leslie Banks, American actor, director and producer (b. 1890)
  • 1954 – Emil Leon Post, Polish-American mathematician and logician (b. 1897)
  • 1956 – Charles MacArthur, American playwright and screenwriter (b. 1895)
  • 1965 – Edward Victor Appleton, English-Scottish physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1892)
  • 1971 – François Duvalier, Haitian physician and politician, 40th President of Haiti (b. 1907)
  • 1973 – Arthur Fadden, Australian accountant and politician, 13th Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1894)
  • 1973 – Kemal Tahir, Turkish journalist and author (b. 1910)
  • 1974 – Chic Harley, American football player (b. 1894)
  • 1977 – Gummo Marx, American vaudevillian and talent agent (b. 1893)
  • 1978 – Sandy Denny, English singer-songwriter (b.1947)
  • 1978 – Thomas Wyatt Turner, American biologist and academic (b. 1877)
  • 1980 – Alexander Oparin, Russian biochemist and academic (b. 1894)
  • 1980 – Sohrab Sepehri, Iranian poet and painter (b. 1928)
  • 1983 – Walter Slezak, Austrian-American actor and singer (b. 1902)
  • 1984 – Marcel Janco, Romanian-Israeli artist (b. 1895)
  • 1984 – Hristo Prodanov, Bulgarian engineer and mountaineer (b. 1943)
  • 1985 – Rudi Gernreich, Austrian-American fashion designer, created the monokini (b. 1922)
  • 1985 – Tancredo Neves, Brazilian banker and politician, Prime Minister of Brazil (b. 1910)
  • 1986 – Marjorie Eaton, American painter and actress (b. 1901)
  • 1986 – Salah Jahin, Egyptian poet, playwright, and composer (b. 1930)
  • 1987 – Gustav Bergmann, Austrian-American philosopher from the Vienna Circle (b. 1906)
  • 1989 – James Kirkwood, Jr., American actor, playwright, and author (b. 1924)
  • 1990 – Erté, Russian-French illustrator (b. 1892)
  • 1991 – Willi Boskovsky, Austrian violinist and conductor (b. 1909)
  • 1996 – Zora Arkus-Duntov, Belgian-born American engineer and race car driver (b. 1909)
  • 1996 – Dzhokhar Dudayev, Chechen general and politician, 1st President of Ichkeria (b. 1944)
  • 1996 – Abdul Hafeez Kardar, Pakistani cricketer (b. 1925)
  • 1996 – Jimmy Snyder, American sportscaster (b. 1919)
  • 1998 – Jean-François Lyotard, French sociologist and philosopher (b. 1924)
  • 1999 – Buddy Rogers, American actor (b. 1904)
  • 2003 – Nina Simone, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and activist (b. 1933)
  • 2004 – Mary McGrory, American journalist (b. 1918)
  • 2005 – Gerry Marshall, English race car driver and journalist (b. 1941)
  • 2006 – Johnny Checketts, New Zealand commander and pilot (b. 1912)
  • 2006 – T. K. Ramakrishnan, Indian politician (b. 1922)
  • 2006 – Telê Santana, Brazilian footballer and manager (b. 1931)
  • 2007 – Lobby Loyde, Australian guitarist, songwriter, and producer (b. 1941)
  • 2009 – Vivian Maier, American photographer (b. 1926)
  • 2010 – Gustav Lorentzen, Norwegian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1947)
  • 2010 – Juan Antonio Samaranch, Spanish businessman, seventh President of the International Olympic Committee (b. 1920)
  • 2010 – Kanagaratnam Sriskandan, Sri Lankan-English engineer and civil servant (b. 1930)
  • 2011 – Catharina Halkes, Dutch theologian and academic (b. 1920)
  • 2012 – Doris Betts, American author and academic (b. 1932)
  • 2012 – Charles Colson, American lawyer and activist, founded Prison Fellowship (b. 1931)
  • 2012 – Albert Falco, French captain and diver (b. 1927)
  • 2012 – Charles Higham, English-American author and poet (b. 1931)
  • 2012 – Jerry Toppazzini, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1931)
  • 2013 – Chrissy Amphlett, Australian singer-songwriter and actress (b. 1959)
  • 2013 – Shakuntala Devi, Indian mathematician and astrologer (b. 1929)
  • 2013 – Leopold Engleitner, Austrian Holocaust survivor, author, and educator (b. 1905)
  • 2013 – Gordon D. Gayle, American general and historian (b. 1917)
  • 2014 – Herb Gray, Canadian lawyer and politician, 7th Deputy Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1931)
  • 2014 – Janet Gray Hayes, American politician, 60th Mayor of San Jose (b. 1926)
  • 2014 – George H. Heilmeier, American engineer (b. 1936)
  • 2014 – Win Tin, Burmese journalist and politician, co-founded the National League for Democracy (b. 1930)
  • 2015 – M. H. Abrams, American author, critic, and academic (b. 1912)
  • 2015 – Steve Byrnes, American sportscaster and producer (b. 1959)
  • 2015 – John Moshoeu, South African footballer and manager (b. 1965)
  • 2015 – Janaki Ballabh Patnaik, Indian politician, Governor of Assam (b. 1927)
  • 2015 – Sydney Valpy Radley-Walters, Canadian general (b. 1920)
  • 2015 – Betsy von Furstenberg, German-American actress (b. 1931)
  • 2016 – Prince, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor (b. 1958)
  • 2017 – Ugo Ehiogu, English footballer (b. 1972)
  • 2018 – Verne Troyer, American actor (b. 1969)
  • 2018 – Nabi Tajima, Japanese supercentenarian, oldest Japanese and Asian person ever, last verified person born in the 19th century (b. 1900)
  • 2019 – Polly Higgins, Scottish barrister, author and environmental lobbyist, (b. 1968)

Holidays and observances April 21

  • Christian feast day:
    • Abdecalas
    • Anastasius Sinaita
    • Anselm of Canterbury
    • Beuno
    • Conrad of Parzham
    • Holy Infant of Good Health
    • Shemon Bar Sabbae
    • Wolbodo
    • April 21 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Civil Service Day (India)
  • Grounation Day (Rastafari movement)
  • Heroic Defense of Veracruz (Mexico)
  • Kang Pan-sok’s Birthday (North Korea)
  • Kartini Day (Indonesia)
  • Local Self Government Day (Russia)
  • National Tea Day (United Kingdom)
  • National Tree Planting Day (Kenya)
  • San Jacinto Day (Texas)
  • Queen’s Official Birthday (Falkland Islands)
  • Tiradentes’ Day (Brazil)
  • Vietnam Book Day (Vietnam)

April 21 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

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

On This Day /
  • 43 BC – Battle of Forum Gallorum: Mark Antony, besieging Caesar’s assassin Decimus Brutus in Mutina, defeats the forces of the consul Pansa, but is then immediately defeated by the army of the other consul, Aulus Hirtius.
  • AD 69 – Vitellius, commander of the Rhine armies, defeats Emperor Otho in the Battle of Bedriacum to take power over Rome.
  • AD 70 – Siege of Jerusalem: Titus, son of emperor Vespasian, surrounds the Jewish capital with four Roman legions.
  • 193 – Septimius Severus is proclaimed Roman emperor by the army in Illyricum (in the Balkans).
  • 966 – After his marriage to the Christian Doubravka of Bohemia, the pagan ruler of the Polans, Mieszko I, converts to Christianity, an event considered to be the founding of the Polish state.
  • 972 – Co-Emperor Otto II, a son of Otto I (the Great), marries the Byzantine princess Theophanu. She is crowned empress by Pope John XIII at Rome.
  • 1028 – Henry III, son of Conrad, is elected King of Germany.
  • 1205 – Battle of Adrianople between Bulgarians and Crusaders.
  • 1294 – Temür, grandson of Kublai, is elected Khagan of the Mongols and Emperor of the Yuan dynasty with the reigning titles Oljeitu and Chengzong.
  • 1341 – Sack of Saluzzo (Italy) by Italian-Angevine troops under Manfred V, Marquess of Saluzzo.
  • 1434 – The foundation stone of Nantes Cathedral, France is laid.
  • 1471 – In England, the Yorkists under Edward IV defeat the Lancastrians under the Earl of Warwick at the Battle of Barnet; the Earl is killed and Edward IV resumes the throne.
  • 1561 – A celestial phenomenon is reported over Nuremberg, described as an aerial battle.
  • 1639 – Imperial forces are defeated by the Swedes at the Battle of Chemnitz. The Swedish victory prolongs the Thirty Years’ War and allows them to advance into Bohemia.
  • 1699 – Khalsa: The Sikh religion was formalised as the Khalsa – the brotherhood of Warrior-Saints – by Guru Gobind Singh in northern India, in accordance with the Nanakshahi calendar.
  • 1775 – The first abolition society in North America is established. The Society for the Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage is organized in Philadelphia by Benjamin Franklin and Benjamin Rush.
  • 1816 – Bussa, a slave in British-ruled Barbados, leads a slave rebellion and is killed. For this, he is remembered as the first national hero of Barbados.
  • 1828 – Noah Webster copyrights the first edition of his dictionary.
  • 1849 – Hungary declares itself independent of Austria with Lajos Kossuth as its leader.
  • 1865 – U.S. President Abraham Lincoln is shot in Ford’s Theatre by John Wilkes Booth; Lincoln died the next day.
  • 1865 – U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward and his family are attacked at home by Lewis Powell.
  • 1881 – The Four Dead in Five Seconds Gunfight is fought in El Paso, Texas.
  • 1890 – The Pan-American Union is founded by the First International Conference of American States in Washington, D.C.
  • 1894 – The first ever commercial motion picture house opened in New York City using ten Kinetoscopes, a device for peep-show viewing of films.
  • 1900 – The Exposition Universelle begins.
  • 1902 – James Cash Penney opens his first store in Kemmerer, Wyoming.
  • 1906 – The Azusa Street Revival opens and will launch Pentecostalism as a worldwide movement.
  • 1908 – Hauser Dam, a steel dam on the Missouri River in Montana, U.S., fails, sending a surge of water 25 to 30 feet (7.6 to 9.1 m) high downstream.
  • 1909 – A massacre is organized by the Ottoman Empire against the Armenian population of Cilicia.
  • 1912 – The British passenger liner RMS Titanic hits an iceberg in the North Atlantic at 23:40 (sinks morning of April 15th).
  • 1927 – The first Volvo car premieres in Gothenburg, Sweden.
  • 1928 – The Bremen, a German Junkers W 33 type aircraft, reaches Greenly Island, Canada – the first successful transatlantic aeroplane flight from east to west.
  • 1931 – The Spanish Cortes deposes King Alfonso XIII and proclaims the Second Spanish Republic.
  • 1935 – The Black Sunday dust storm, considered one of the worst storms of the Dust Bowl, swept across the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles and neighboring areas.
  • 1939 – The Grapes of Wrath, by American author John Steinbeck is first published by the Viking Press.
  • 1940 – World War II: Royal Marines land in Namsos, Norway in preparation for a larger force to arrive two days later.
  • 1941 – World War II: German general Erwin Rommel attacks Tobruk.
  • 1944 – Bombay explosion: A massive explosion in Bombay harbor kills 300 and causes economic damage valued then at 20 million pounds.
  • 1945 – Razing of Friesoythe: The 4th Canadian (Armoured) Division deliberately destroyed the German town of Friesoythe on the orders of Major General Christopher Vokes.
  • 1958 – The Soviet satellite Sputnik 2 falls from orbit after a mission duration of 162 days. This was the first spacecraft to carry a living animal, a female dog named Laika, who likely lived only a few hours.
  • 1967 – Gnassingbé Eyadéma overthrows President of Togo Nicolas Grunitzky and installs himself as the new president, a title he would hold for the next 38 years.
  • 1978 – Tbilisi Demonstrations: Thousands of Georgians demonstrate against Soviet attempts to change the constitutional status of the Georgian language.
  • 1981 – STS-1: The first operational Space Shuttle, Columbia completes its first test flight.
  • 1986 – The heaviest hailstones ever recorded (1 kilogram (2.2 lb)) fall on the Gopalganj district of Bangladesh, killing 92.
  • 1988 – The USS Samuel B. Roberts strikes a mine in the Persian Gulf during Operation Earnest Will.
  • 1988 – In a United Nations ceremony in Geneva, Switzerland, the Soviet Union signs an agreement pledging to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan.
  • 1991 – The Republic of Georgia introduces the post of President after its declaration of independence from the Soviet Union.
  • 1994 – In a U.S. friendly fire incident during Operation Provide Comfort in northern Iraq, two United States Air Force aircraft mistakenly shoot-down two United States Army helicopters, killing 26 people.
  • 1999 – NATO mistakenly bombs a convoy of ethnic Albanian refugees. Yugoslav officials say 75 people were killed.
  • 1999 – A severe hailstorm strikes Sydney, Australia causing A$2.3 billion in insured damages, the most costly natural disaster in Australian history.
  • 2002 – Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez returns to office two days after being ousted and arrested by the country’s military.
  • 2003 – The Human Genome Project is completed with 99% of the human genome sequenced to an accuracy of 99.99%.
  • 2003 – U.S. troops in Baghdad capture Abu Abbas, leader of the Palestinian group that killed an American on the hijacked cruise liner the MS Achille Lauro in 1985.
  • 2005 – The Oregon Supreme Court nullifies marriage licenses issued to same-sex couples a year earlier by Multnomah County.
  • 2006 – Twin blasts triggered by crude bombs during Asr prayer in Jama Masjid, Delhi injure 13 people.
  • 2010 – Nearly 2,700 are killed in a magnitude 6.9 earthquake in the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture.
  • 2014 – Twin bomb blasts in Abuja, Nigeria, kill at least 75 people and injures 141 others.
  • 2014 – Two hundred seventy-six schoolgirls are abducted by Boko Haram in Chibok, Nigeria.
  • 2016 – In Japan, the foreshock of Kumamoto earthquakes occurs.

Births on April 14

  • 1126 – Averroes, Spanish physician and philosopher (d. 1198)
  • 1204 – Henry I, king of Castile (d. 1217)
  • 1331 – Jeanne-Marie de Maille, French Roman Catholic saint (d. 1414)
  • 1527 – Abraham Ortelius, Flemish cartographer and geographer (d. 1598)
  • 1572 – Adam Tanner, Austrian mathematician, philosopher, and academic (d. 1632)
  • 1578 – Philip III of Spain (d. 1621)
  • 1629 – Christiaan Huygens, Dutch mathematician, astronomer, and physicist (d. 1695)
  • 1668 – Magnus Julius De la Gardie, Swedish general and politician (d. 1741)
  • 1678 – Abraham Darby I, English iron master (d. 1717)
  • 1709 – Charles Collé, French playwright and songwriter (d. 1783)
  • 1714 – Adam Gib, Scottish minister and author (d. 1788)
  • 1738 – William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1809)
  • 1741 – Emperor Momozono of Japan (d. 1762)
  • 1769 – Barthélemy Catherine Joubert, French general (d. 1799)
  • 1773 – Jean-Baptiste de Villèle, French politician, 6th Prime Minister of France (d. 1854)
  • 1788 – David G. Burnet, American politician, 2nd Vice-President of Texas (d. 1870)
  • 1800 – John Appold, English engineer (d. 1865)
  • 1812 – George Grey, Portuguese-New Zealand soldier, explorer, and politician, 11th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1898)
  • 1814 – Dimitri Kipiani, Georgian publicist and author (d. 1887)
  • 1819 – Harriett Ellen Grannis Arey, American educator, author, editor, and publisher (d. 1901)
  • 1827 – Augustus Pitt Rivers, English general, ethnologist, and archaeologist (d. 1900)
  • 1852 – Alexander Greenlaw Hamilton, Australian biologist (d. 1941)
  • 1854 – Martin Lipp, Estonian pastor and poet (d. 1923)
  • 1857 – Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom (d. 1944)
  • 1865 – Alfred Hoare Powell, English architect, and designer and painter of pottery (d. 1960)
  • 1866 – Anne Sullivan, American educator (d. 1936)
  • 1868 – Peter Behrens, German architect, designed the AEG turbine factory (d. 1940)
  • 1870 – Victor Borisov-Musatov, Russian painter and educator (d. 1905)
  • 1870 – Syd Gregory, Australian cricketer and coach (d. 1929)
  • 1872 – Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Indian-English scholar and translator (d. 1953)
  • 1876 – Cecil Chubb, English barrister and one time owner of Stonehenge (d. 1934)
  • 1881 – Husain Salaahuddin, Maldivian poet and scholar (d. 1948)
  • 1882 – Moritz Schlick, German-Austrian physicist and philosopher (d. 1936)
  • 1886 – Ernst Robert Curtius, German philologist and scholar (d. 1956)
  • 1886 – Árpád Tóth, Hungarian poet and translator (d. 1928)
  • 1889 – Arnold J. Toynbee, English historian and academic (d. 1975)
  • 1891 – B. R. Ambedkar, Indian economist, jurist, and politician, 1st Indian Minister of Law and Justice (d. 1956)
  • 1891 – Otto Lasanen, Finnish wrestler (d. 1958)
  • 1892 – Juan Belmonte, Spanish bullfighter (d. 1962)
  • 1892 – V. Gordon Childe, Australian archaeologist and philologist (d. 1957)
  • 1892 – Claire Windsor, American actress (d. 1972)
  • 1902 – Sylvio Mantha, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and referee (d. 1974)
  • 1903 – Henry Corbin, French philosopher and academic (d. 1978)
  • 1903 – Ruth Svedberg, Swedish discus thrower and triathlete (d. 2002)
  • 1904 – John Gielgud, English actor, director, and producer (d. 2000)
  • 1905 – Elizabeth Huckaby, American author and educator (d. 1999)
  • 1905 – Georg Lammers, German sprinter (d. 1987)
  • 1905 – Jean Pierre-Bloch, French author and activist (d. 1999)
  • 1906 – Faisal of Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabian king (d. 1975)
  • 1907 – François Duvalier, Haitian physician and politician, 40th President of Haiti (d. 1971)
  • 1912 – Robert Doisneau, French photographer and journalist (d. 1994)
  • 1912 – Georg Siimenson, Estonian footballer (d. 1978)
  • 1913 – Jean Fournet, French conductor (d. 2008)
  • 1916 – Don Willesee, Australian telegraphist and politician, 29th Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs (d. 2003)
  • 1917 – Valerie Hobson, English actress (d. 1998)
  • 1917 – Marvin Miller, American baseball executive (d. 2012)
  • 1918 – Mary Healy, American actress and singer (d. 2015)
  • 1919 – Shamshad Begum, Pakistani-Indian singer (d. 2013)
  • 1919 – K. Saraswathi Amma, Indian author and playwright (d. 1975)
  • 1920 – Ivor Forbes Guest, English lawyer, historian, and author (d. 2018)
  • 1921 – Thomas Schelling, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2016)
  • 1922 – Audrey Long, American actress (d. 2014)
  • 1923 – Roberto De Vicenzo, Argentinian golfer (d. 2017)
  • 1924 – Shorty Rogers, American trumpet player and composer (d. 1994)
  • 1924 – Joseph Ruskin, American actor and producer (d. 2013)
  • 1924 – Mary Warnock, Baroness Warnock, English philosopher, and academic (d. 2019)
  • 1925 – Abel Muzorewa, Zimbabwean minister and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Zimbabwe Rhodesia (d. 2010)
  • 1925 – Rod Steiger, American soldier and actor (d. 2002)
  • 1926 – Barbara Anderson, New Zealand author (d. 2013)
  • 1926 – Frank Daniel, Czech director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1996)
  • 1926 – Gloria Jean, American actress and singer (d. 2018)
  • 1926 – Liz Renay, American actress and author (d. 2007)
  • 1927 – Alan MacDiarmid, New Zealand chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2007)
  • 1927 – Dany Robin, French actress and singer (d. 1995)
  • 1929 – Gerry Anderson, English director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2012)
  • 1929 – Inez Andrews, African-American singer-songwriter (d. 2012)
  • 1930 – Martin Adolf Bormann, German priest and theologian (d. 2013)
  • 1930 – Arnold Burns, American lawyer and politician, 21st United States Deputy Attorney General (d. 2013)
  • 1930 – René Desmaison, French mountaineer (d. 2007)
  • 1930 – Bradford Dillman, American actor and author (d. 2018)
  • 1931 – Geoffrey Dalton, English admiral
  • 1931 – Paul Masnick, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1932 – Bill Bennett, Canadian lawyer and politician, 27th Premier of British Columbia (d. 2015)
  • 1932 – Atef Ebeid, Egyptian academic and politician, 47th Prime Minister of Egypt (d. 2014)
  • 1932 – Loretta Lynn, American singer-songwriter and musician
  • 1932 – Cameron Parker, Scottish businessman and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Renfrewshire
  • 1933 – Paddy Hopkirk, Northern Irish racing driver
  • 1933 – Boris Strugatsky, Russian author (d. 2012)
  • 1933 – Yuri Oganessian, Armenian-Russian nuclear physicist
  • 1934 – Fredric Jameson, American philosopher and theorist
  • 1935 – Susan Cunliffe-Lister, Baroness Masham of Ilton, English table tennis player, swimmer, and politician
  • 1935 – John Oliver, English bishop
  • 1935 – Erich von Däniken, Swiss historian and author
  • 1936 – Arlene Martel, American actress and singer (d. 2014)
  • 1936 – Bobby Nichols, American golfer
  • 1936 – Frank Serpico, American-Italian soldier, police officer and lecturer
  • 1937 – Efi Arazi, Israeli businessman, founded the Scailex Corporation (d. 2013)
  • 1937 – Sepp Mayerl, Austrian mountaineer (d. 2012)
  • 1938 – Mahmud Esad Coşan, Turkish author and academic (d. 2001)
  • 1940 – Julie Christie, English actress and activist
  • 1940 – David Hope, Baron Hope of Thornes, English archbishop and academic
  • 1940 – Richard Thompson, English physician and academic
  • 1941 – Pete Rose, American baseball player and manager
  • 1942 – Valeriy Brumel, Soviet high jumper (d. 2003)
  • 1942 – Valentin Lebedev, Russian engineer and astronaut
  • 1942 – Björn Rosengren, Swedish politician, Swedish Minister of Enterprise and Innovation
  • 1944 – John Sergeant, English journalist
  • 1945 – Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi, Samoan economist and politician, 8th Prime Minister of Samoa
  • 1945 – Ritchie Blackmore, English guitarist and songwriter
  • 1945 – Roger Frappier, Canadian producer, director and screenwriter
  • 1946 – Mireille Guiliano, French-American author
  • 1946 – Michael Sarris, Cypriot economist and politician, Cypriot Minister of Finance
  • 1946 – Knut Kristiansen, Norwegian pianist and orchestra leader
  • 1947 – Dominique Baudis, French journalist and politician (d. 2014)
  • 1947 – Bob Massie, Australian cricketer
  • 1948 – Berry Berenson, American model, actress, and photographer (d. 2001)
  • 1948 – Anastasios Papaligouras, Greek lawyer and politician, Greek Minister of Justice
  • 1949 – Dave Gibbons, English author and illustrator
  • 1949 – DeAnne Julius, American-British economist and academic
  • 1949 – Chris Langham, English actor and screenwriter
  • 1949 – Chas Mortimer, English motorcycle racer
  • 1949 – John Shea, American actor and director
  • 1950 – Francis Collins, American physician and geneticist
  • 1950 – Péter Esterházy, Hungarian author (d. 2016)
  • 1951 – Milija Aleksic, English footballer (d. 2012)
  • 1951 – José Eduardo González Navas, Spanish politician
  • 1951 – Julian Lloyd Webber, English cellist, conductor, and educator
  • 1951 – Elizabeth Symons, Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean, English politician
  • 1952 – Kenny Aaronson, American bass player
  • 1952 – Mickey O’Sullivan, Irish footballer and manager
  • 1952 – David Urquhart, Scottish bishop
  • 1954 – Sue Hill, English pathologist and civil servant
  • 1954 – Katsuhiro Otomo, Japanese director, screenwriter, and illustrator
  • 1956 – Boris Šprem, Croatian lawyer and politician, 8th President of Croatian Parliament (d. 2012)
  • 1957 – Lothaire Bluteau, Canadian actor
  • 1957 – Mikhail Pletnev, Russian pianist, composer, and conductor
  • 1958 – Peter Capaldi, Scottish actor
  • 1959 – Steve Byrnes, American sportscaster and producer (d. 2015)
  • 1959 – Marie-Thérèse Fortin, Canadian actress
  • 1960 – Brad Garrett, American actor and comedian
  • 1960 – Myoma Myint Kywe, Burmese historian and journalist
  • 1960 – Osamu Sato, Japanese graphic artist, programmer, and composer
  • 1960 – Tina Rosenberg, American journalist and author
  • 1960 – Pat Symcox, South African cricketer
  • 1961 – Robert Carlyle, Scottish actor and director
  • 1961 – Daniel Clowes, American cartoonist and screenwriter
  • 1962 – Guillaume Leblanc, Canadian athlete
  • 1964 – Brian Adams, American wrestler (d. 2007)
  • 1964 – Jeff Andretti, American race car driver
  • 1964 – Greg Battle, American-Canadian football player
  • 1964 – Stuart Duncan, American bluegrass musician
  • 1964 – Jeff Hopkins, Welsh international footballer and manager
  • 1964 – Gina McKee, English actress
  • 1965 – Tom Dey, American director and producer
  • 1965 – Alexandre Jardin, French author
  • 1965 – Craig McDermott, Australian cricketer and coach
  • 1966 – André Boisclair, Canadian lawyer and politician
  • 1966 – Jan Boklöv, Swedish ski jumper
  • 1966 – David Justice, American baseball player and sportscaster
  • 1966 – Greg Maddux, American baseball player, coach, and manager
  • 1967 – Nicola Berti, Italian international footballer
  • 1967 – Steve Chiasson, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1999)
  • 1967 – Alain Côté, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1967 – Barrett Martin, American drummer, songwriter, and producer
  • 1967 – Julia Zemiro, French-Australian actress, comedian, singer and writer
  • 1968 – Anthony Michael Hall, American actor
  • 1969 – Brad Ausmus, American baseball player and manager
  • 1969 – Martyn LeNoble, Dutch-American bass player
  • 1969 – Vebjørn Selbekk, Norwegian journalist
  • 1970 – Steve Avery, American baseball player
  • 1970 – Shizuka Kudō, Japanese singer and actress
  • 1971 – Miguel Calero, Colombian footballer and manager (d. 2012)
  • 1971 – Carlos Pérez, Dominican-American baseball player
  • 1971 – Gregg Zaun, American baseball player and sportscaster
  • 1972 – Paul Devlin, English-Scottish footballer and manager
  • 1972 – Roberto Mejía, Dominican baseball player
  • 1972 – Dean Potter, American rock climber and BASE jumper (d. 2015)
  • 1973 – Roberto Ayala, Argentinian footballer
  • 1973 – Adrien Brody, American actor
  • 1973 – Hidetaka Suehiro, Japanese video game director and writer
  • 1973 – David Miller, American tenor
  • 1974 – Da Brat, American rapper
  • 1975 – Lita, American wrestler
  • 1975 – Luciano Almeida, Brazilian footballer
  • 1975 – Avner Dorman, Israeli-American composer and academic
  • 1975 – Anderson Silva, Brazilian mixed martial artist and boxer
  • 1976 – Christian Älvestam, Swedish singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1976 – Georgina Chapman, English model, actress, and fashion designer, co-founded Marchesa
  • 1976 – Anna DeForge, American basketball player
  • 1976 – Kyle Farnsworth, American baseball player
  • 1976 – Nadine Faustin-Parker, Hatian hurdler
  • 1976 – Jason Wiemer, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1977 – Nate Fox, American basketball player (d. 2014)
  • 1977 – Martin Kaalma, Estonian footballer
  • 1977 – Sarah Michelle Gellar, American actress and producer
  • 1977 – Rob McElhenney, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1978 – Roland Lessing, Estonian biathlete
  • 1979 – Iain Balshaw, English rugby player
  • 1979 – Rebecca DiPietro, American wrestler and model
  • 1979 – Marios Elia, Cypriot footballer
  • 1979 – Ross Filipo, New Zealand rugby player
  • 1979 – Noé Pamarot, French footballer
  • 1979 – Patrick Somerville, American novelist and short story writer
  • 1979 – Kerem Tunçeri, Turkish basketball player
  • 1980 – Win Butler, American-Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1980 – Jeremy Smith, New Zealand rugby league player
  • 1981 – Mustafa Güngör, German rugby player
  • 1981 – Amy Leach, English director and producer
  • 1982 – Uğur Boral, Turkish footballer
  • 1982 – Larissa França, Brazilian volleyball player
  • 1983 – Simona La Mantia, Italian triple jumper
  • 1983 – James McFadden, Scottish footballer
  • 1983 – William Obeng, Ghanaian-American football player
  • 1983 – Nikoloz Tskitishvili, Georgian basketball player
  • 1984 – Blake Costanzo, American football player
  • 1984 – Charles Hamelin, Canadian speed skater
  • 1984 – Harumafuji Kōhei, Mongolian sumo wrestler, the 70th Yokozuna
  • 1984 – Adán Sánchez, American-Mexican musician (d. 2004)
  • 1984 – Tyler Thigpen, American football player
  • 1985 – Grant Clitsome, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1986 – Matt Derbyshire, English footballer
  • 1986 – Goran Gogić, Serbian footballer (d. 2015)
  • 1987 – Michael Baze, American jockey (d. 2011)
  • 1987 – Erwin Hoffer, Austrian footballer
  • 1987 – Wilson Kiprop, Kenyan runner
  • 1987 – Korina Perkovic, German tennis player
  • 1988 – Roberto Bautista Agut, Spanish tennis player
  • 1988 – Eric Gryba, Canadian ice hockey defenseman
  • 1988 – Eliška Klučinová, Czech heptathlete
  • 1988 – Vasileios Pliatsikas, Greek footballer
  • 1988 – Brad Sinopoli, Canadian football player
  • 1989 – Joe Haden, American football player
  • 1990 – Markus Smarzoch, German footballer
  • 1992 – Frederik Sørensen, Danish footballer
  • 1996 – Abigail Breslin, American actress

Deaths on April 14

  • 911 – Pope Sergius III, pope of the Roman Catholic Church
  • 1070 – Gerard, Duke of Lorraine (b. c. 1030)
  • 1099 – Conrad, Bishop of Utrecht (b. before 1040)
  • 1132 – Mstislav I of Kiev (b. 1076)
  • 1279 – Bolesław the Pious, Duke of Greater Poland (b. 1224)
  • 1322 – Bartholomew de Badlesmere, 1st Baron Badlesmere, English soldier and politician, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports (b. 1275)
  • 1345 – Richard de Bury, English bishop and politician, Lord Chancellor of The United Kingdom (b. 1287)
  • 1424 – Lucia Visconti, English countess (b. 1372)
  • 1433 – Lidwina, Dutch saint (b. 1380)
  • 1471 – Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, English commander and politician (b. 1428)
  • 1471 – John Neville, 1st Marquess of Montagu (b. 1431)
  • 1480 – Thomas de Spens, Scottish statesman and prelate (b. c. 1415)
  • 1488 – Girolamo Riario, Lord of Imola and Forli (b. 1443)
  • 1574 – Louis of Nassau (b. 1538)
  • 1578 – James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, English husband of Mary, Queen of Scots (b. 1534)
  • 1587 – Edward Manners, 3rd Earl of Rutland (b. 1548)
  • 1599 – Henry Wallop, English politician (b. 1540)
  • 1609 – Gasparo da Salò, Italian violin maker (b. 1540)
  • 1662 – William Fiennes, 1st Viscount Saye and Sele, English politician (b. 1582)
  • 1682 – Avvakum, Russian priest and saint (b. 1620)
  • 1721 – Michel Chamillart, French politician, Controller-General of Finances (b. 1652)
  • 1740 – Lady Catherine Jones, English philanthropist (b.1672)
  • 1759 – George Frideric Handel, German-English organist and composer (b. 1685)
  • 1785 – William Whitehead, English poet and playwright (b. 1715)
  • 1792 – Maximilian Hell, Slovak-Hungarian astronomer and priest (b. 1720)
  • 1843 – Joseph Lanner, Austrian violinist and composer (b. 1801)
  • 1864 – Charles Lot Church, American-Canadian politician (b. 1777)
  • 1888 – Emil Czyrniański, Polish chemist (b. 1824)
  • 1910 – Mikhail Vrubel, Russian painter and sculptor (b. 1856)
  • 1911 – Addie Joss, American baseball player and journalist (b. 1880)
  • 1911 – Henri Elzéar Taschereau, Canadian lawyer and jurist, 4th Chief Justice of Canada (b. 1836)
  • 1912 – Henri Brisson, French politician, 50th Prime Minister of France (b. 1835)
  • 1914 – Hubert Bland, English activist, co-founded the Fabian Society (b. 1855)
  • 1916 – Gina Krog, Norwegian suffragist and women’s rights activist (b. 1847)
  • 1917 – L. L. Zamenhof, Polish physician and linguist, created Esperanto (b. 1859)
  • 1919 – Auguste-Réal Angers, Canadian judge and politician, 6th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (b. 1837)
  • 1925 – John Singer Sargent, American painter (b. 1856)
  • 1930 – Vladimir Mayakovsky, Georgian-Russian actor, playwright, and poet (b. 1893)
  • 1931 – Richard Armstedt, German philologist, historian, and educator (b. 1851)
  • 1935 – Emmy Noether, German-American mathematician and academic (b. 1882)
  • 1938 – Gillis Grafström, Swedish figure skater and architect (b. 1893)
  • 1943 – Yakov Dzhugashvili, Georgian-Russian lieutenant (b. 1907)
  • 1950 – Ramana Maharshi, Indian guru and philosopher (b. 1879)
  • 1951 – Al Christie, Canadian-American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1881)
  • 1962 – M. Visvesvaraya, Indian engineer and scholar (b. 1860)
  • 1963 – Rahul Sankrityayan, Indian monk and historian (b. 1893)
  • 1964 – Tatyana Afanasyeva, Russian-Dutch mathematician and theorist (b. 1876)
  • 1964 – Rachel Carson, American biologist and author (b. 1907)
  • 1968 – Al Benton, American baseball player (b. 1911)
  • 1969 – Matilde Muñoz Sampedro, Spanish actress (b. 1900)
  • 1975 – Günter Dyhrenfurth, German-Swiss mountaineer, geologist, and explorer (b. 1886)
  • 1975 – Fredric March, American actor (b. 1897)
  • 1976 – José Revueltas, Mexican author and activist (b. 1914)
  • 1978 – Joe Gordon, American baseball player and manager (b. 1915)
  • 1978 – F. R. Leavis, English educator and critic (b. 1895)
  • 1983 – Pete Farndon, English bassist (The Pretenders) (b. 1952)
  • 1983 – Gianni Rodari, Italian journalist and author (b. 1920)
  • 1986 – Simone de Beauvoir, French novelist and philosopher (b. 1908)
  • 1990 – Thurston Harris, American singer (b. 1931)
  • 1990 – Olabisi Onabanjo, Nigerian politician, 3rd Governor of Ogun State (b. 1927)
  • 1992 – Irene Greenwood, Australian radio broadcaster and feminist and peace activist (b. 1898)
  • 1994 – Salimuzzaman Siddiqui, Pakistani chemist and scholar (b. 1897)
  • 1995 – Burl Ives, American actor, folk singer, and writer (b. 1909)
  • 1999 – Ellen Corby, American actress and screenwriter (b. 1911)
  • 1999 – Anthony Newley, English singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1931)
  • 1999 – Bill Wendell, American television announcer (b. 1924)
  • 2000 – Phil Katz, American computer programmer, co-created the zip file format (b. 1962)
  • 2000 – August R. Lindt, Swiss lawyer and politician (b. 1905)
  • 2000 – Wilf Mannion, English footballer (b. 1918)
  • 2001 – Jim Baxter, Scottish footballer (b. 1939)
  • 2001 – Hiroshi Teshigahara, Japanese director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1927)
  • 2003 – Jyrki Otila, Finnish politician (b. 1941)
  • 2004 – Micheline Charest, English-Canadian television producer, co-founded the Cookie Jar Group (b. 1953)
  • 2006 – Mahmut Bakalli, Kosovo politician (b. 1936)
  • 2007 – June Callwood, Canadian journalist, author, and activist (b. 1924)
  • 2007 – Don Ho, American singer and ukulele player (b. 1930)
  • 2007 – René Rémond, French historian and economist (b. 1918)
  • 2008 – Tommy Holmes, American baseball player and manager (b. 1917)
  • 2008 – Ollie Johnston, American animator and voice actor (b. 1912)
  • 2009 – Maurice Druon, French author (b. 1918)
  • 2010 – Israr Ahmed, Pakistani theologian and scholar (b. 1932)
  • 2010 – Alice Miller, Polish-French psychologist and author (b. 1923)
  • 2010 – Peter Steele, American singer-songwriter and bass player (b. 1962)
  • 2011 – Jean Gratton, Canadian Roman Catholic bishop (b. 1924)
  • 2012 – Émile Bouchard, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1919)
  • 2012 – Jonathan Frid, Canadian actor (b. 1924)
  • 2012 – Piermario Morosini, Italian footballer (b. 1986)
  • 2013 – Efi Arazi, Israeli businessman, founded the Scailex Corporation (b. 1937)
  • 2013 – Colin Davis, English conductor and educator (b. 1927)
  • 2013 – R. P. Goenka, Indian businessman, founded RPG Group (b. 1930)
  • 2013 – George Jackson, American singer-songwriter (b. 1945)
  • 2013 – Armando Villanueva, Peruvian politician, 121st Prime Minister of Peru (b. 1915)
  • 2013 – Charlie Wilson, American politician (b. 1943)
  • 2014 – Nina Cassian, Romanian poet and critic (b. 1924)
  • 2014 – Crad Kilodney, American-Canadian author (b. 1948)
  • 2014 – Wally Olins, English businessman and academic (b. 1930)
  • 2014 – Mick Staton, American soldier and politician (b. 1940)
  • 2015 – Klaus Bednarz, German journalist and author (b. 1942)
  • 2015 – Mark Reeds, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach (b. 1960)
  • 2015 – Percy Sledge, American singer (b. 1940)
  • 2015 – Roberto Tucci, Italian cardinal and theologian (b. 1921)
  • 2019 – Bibi Andersson, Swedish actress (b.1935)

Holidays and observances on April 14

  • Ambedkar Jayanti (India)
  • Black Day (South Korea)
  • Christian feast day:
    • Anthony, John, and Eustathius
    • Bénézet
    • Henry Beard Delany (Episcopal Church (USA))
    • Domnina of Terni
    • Lidwina
    • Peter González
    • Tiburtius, Valerian, and Maximus
    • April 14 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Commemoration of Anfal Genocide Against the Kurds (Iraqi Kurdistan)
  • Day of Mologa (Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia)
  • Day of the Georgian language (Georgia)
  • Dhivehi Language Day (Maldives)
  • N’Ko Alphabet Day (Mande speakers)
  • Pan American Day (several countries in The Americas)
  • South and Southeast Asian New Year, celebrated on the sidereal vernal equinox. (see April 13):
    • Assamese New Year, or Bohag Bihu (India’s Assam Valley)
    • Bengali New Year, or Pohela Boishakh (Bangladesh and India’s West Bengal state)
    • Burmese New Year, or Thingyan (Myanmar)
    • Hindu and Sikh New Year, or Vaisakhi (Punjab region)
    • Khmer New Year, or Chol Chnam Thmey (Cambodia)
    • Lao New Year, or Pi Mai Lao (Laos)
    • Mahl New Year, or Alathu Aharudhuvas (Maldives and India’s Lakshadweep and Kerala state)
    • Maithili New Year, or Jude Sheetal (Mithila region)
    • Malayali New Year, or Vishu (India’s Kerala state)
    • Nepali New Year, or Navabarsha / Vaishak Ek (Nepal)
    • Oriya/Odia New Year, or Pana Sankranti (India’s Odisha state)
    • Sinhalese New Year, or Aluth Avurudhu (Sri Lanka)
    • Tamil New Year, or Puthandu (India’s Tamil Nadu state)
    • Thai New Year, or Songkran, celebrated from 13 to 15 April (Thailand)
    • Tuluva New Year, or Bisu (India’s Karnataka state)
  • The first day of Takayama Spring Festival (Takayama, Gifu, Japan)
  • Youth Day (Angola)

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

On This Day

March 20- History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /

Typically the March equinox falls on March 20, marking the vernal point in the Northern Hemisphere and the autumnal point in the Southern Hemisphere.

  • 235 – Maximinus Thrax is proclaimed emperor.
  • 673 – Emperor Tenmu of Japan assumes the Chrysanthemum Throne at the Palace of Kiyomihara in Asuka.
  • 1206 – Michael IV Autoreianos is appointed Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.
  • 1600 – The Linköping Bloodbath takes place on Maundy Thursday in Linköping, Sweden: five Swedish noblemen are publicly beheaded in the aftermath of the War against Sigismund (1598–1599).
  • 1602 – The Dutch East India Company is established.
  • 1616 – Sir Walter Raleigh is freed from the Tower of London after 13 years of imprisonment.
  • 1760 – The Great Boston Fire of 1760 destroys 349 buildings.
  • 1815 – After escaping from Elba, Napoleon enters Paris with a regular army of 140,000 and a volunteer force of around 200,000, beginning his “Hundred Days” rule.
  • 1848 – German revolutions of 1848–49: King Ludwig I of Bavaria abdicates.
  • 1852 – Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin is published.
  • 1854 – The Republican Party of the United States is organized in Ripon, Wisconsin, US.
  • 1861 – An earthquake destroys Mendoza, Argentina.
  • 1883 – The Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property is signed.
  • 1888 – The premiere of the very first Romani language operetta is staged in Moscow, Russia.
  • 1890 – Prime Minister of the German Empire Otto von Bismarck is dismissed by Emperor Wilhelm II.
  • 1896 – With the approval of Emperor Guangxu, the Qing dynasty post office is opened, marking the beginning of a postal service in China.
  • 1913 – Sung Chiao-jen, a founder of the Chinese Nationalist Party, is wounded in an assassination attempt and dies 2 days later.
  • 1915 – Albert Einstein publishes his general theory of relativity.
  • 1921 – The Upper Silesia plebiscite was a plebiscite mandated by the Versailles Treaty to determine a section of the border between Weimar Germany and Poland.
  • 1922 – The USS Langley is commissioned as the first United States Navy aircraft carrier.
  • 1923 – The Arts Club of Chicago hosts the opening of Pablo Picasso’s first United States showing, entitled Original Drawings by Pablo Picasso, becoming an early proponent of modern art in the United States.
  • 1933 – Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler ordered the creation of Dachau concentration camp as Chief of Police of Munich and appointed Theodor Eicke as the camp commandant.
  • 1942 – World War II: General Douglas MacArthur, at Terowie, South Australia, makes his famous speech regarding the fall of the Philippines, in which he says: “I came out of Bataan and I shall return”.
  • 1948 – With a Musicians Union ban lifted, the first telecasts of classical music in the United States, under Eugene Ormandy and Arturo Toscanini, are given on CBS and NBC.
  • 1951 – Fujiyoshida, a city located in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan, in the center of the Japanese main island of Honshū is founded.
  • 1952 – The US Senate ratifies the Security Treaty Between the United States and Japan.
  • 1956 – Tunisia gains independence from France.
  • 1964 – The precursor of the European Space Agency, ESRO (European Space Research Organisation) is established per an agreement signed on June 14, 1962.
  • 1972 – The Troubles: The first Provisional IRA car bombing in Belfast kills seven people and injures 148 others in Northern Ireland.
  • 1985 – Libby Riddles becomes the first woman to win the 1,135-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.
  • 1985 – Canadian paraplegic athlete and humanitarian Rick Hansen begins his circumnavigation of the globe in a wheelchair in the name of spinal cord injury medical research.
  • 1987 – The Food and Drug Administration approves the anti-AIDS drug, AZT.
  • 1988 – Eritrean War of Independence: Having defeated the Nadew Command, the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front enters the town of Afabet, victoriously concluding the Battle of Afabet.
  • 1990 – Ferdinand Marcos’s widow, Imelda Marcos, goes on trial for bribery, embezzlement, and racketeering.
  • 1993 – The Troubles: A Provisional IRA bomb kills two children in Warrington, England. It leads to mass protests in both Britain and Ireland.
  • 1995 – The Japanese cult Aum Shinrikyo carries out a sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway, killing 13 and wounding over 6,200 people.
  • 1999 – Legoland California, the first Legoland outside of Europe, opens in Carlsbad, California, US.
  • 2000 – Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, a former Black Panther once known as H. Rap Brown, is captured after murdering Georgia sheriff’s deputy Ricky Kinchen and critically wounding Deputy Aldranon English.
  • 2003 – Invasion of Iraq: In the early hours of the morning, the United States and three other countries (the UK, Australia and Poland) begin military operations in Iraq.
  • 2006 – Over 150 Chadian soldiers are killed in eastern Chad by members of the rebel UFDC. The rebel movement sought to overthrow Chadian president Idriss Déby.
  • 2012 – At least 52 people are killed and more than 250 injured in a wave of terror attacks across ten cities in Iraq.
  • 2014 – Four suspected Taliban members attack the Kabul Serena Hotel, killing at least nine people.
  • 2015 – A Solar eclipse, equinox, and a supermoon all occur on the same day.

Births on March 20

  • 43 BC – Ovid, Roman poet (d. 17)
  • 1253 – Magadu, renamed Wareru, founder of Ramanya Kingdom, renamed Hanthawady Kingdom of Pegu (b. a commoner; d. on a Saturday in January 1307)
  • 1319 – Laurence Hastings, 1st Earl of Pembroke (d. 1348)
  • 1469 – Cecily of York (d. 1507)
  • 1477 – Jerome Emser, German theologian and scholar (d. 1527)
  • 1479 – Ippolito d’Este, Italian cardinal (d. 1520)
  • 1502 – Pierino Belli, Italian soldier and jurist (d. 1575)
  • 1532 – Juan de Ribera, Roman Catholic archbishop (d. 1611)
  • 1612 – Anne Bradstreet, Puritan American poet (d. 1672)
  • 1615 – Dara Shikoh, Indian prince (d. 1659)
  • 1639 – Ivan Mazepa, Ukrainian diplomat, Hetman of Ukraine (d. 1709)
  • 1725 – Abdul Hamid I, Ottoman sultan (d. 1789)
  • 1737 – Rama I, Thai king (d. 1809)
  • 1771 – Heinrich Clauren, German author (d. 1854)
  • 1796 – Edward Gibbon Wakefield, English politician (d. 1862)
  • 1799 – Karl August Nicander, Swedish poet and author (d. 1839)
  • 1800 – Braulio Carrillo Colina, Costa Rican lawyer and politician, President of Costa Rica (d. 1845)
  • 1805 – Thomas Cooper, British poet (d. 1892)
  • 1811 – Napoleon II, French emperor (d. 1832)
  • 1811 – George Caleb Bingham, American painter and politician, State Treasurer of Missouri (d. 1879)
  • 1821 – Ned Buntline, American journalist, author, and publisher (d. 1886)
  • 1824 – Theodor von Heuglin, German explorer and ornithologist (d. 1876)
  • 1828 – Henrik Ibsen, Norwegian poet, playwright, and director (d. 1906)
  • 1831 – Patrick Jennings, Northern Irish-Australian politician, 11th Premier of New South Wales (d. 1897)
  • 1831 – Solomon L. Spink, American lawyer and politician (d. 1881)
  • 1834 – Charles William Eliot, American mathematician and academic (d. 1926)
  • 1836 – Ferris Jacobs, Jr., American general, lawyer, and politician (d. 1886)
  • 1836 – Edward Poynter, English painter, illustrator, and curator (d. 1919)
  • 1840 – Illarion Pryanishnikov, Russian painter (d. 1894)
  • 1851 – Ismail Gasprinski, Ukrainian educator, publisher, and politician (d. 1914)
  • 1856 – John Lavery, Irish painter (d. 1941)
  • 1856 – Frederick Winslow Taylor, American tennis player and engineer (d. 1915)
  • 1870 – Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck, German general (d. 1964)
  • 1874 – Börries von Münchhausen, German poet and activist (d. 1945)
  • 1876 – Payne Whitney, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 1927)
  • 1879 – Maud Menten, Canadian physician and biochemist (d. 1960)
  • 1882 – René Coty, French lawyer and politician, 17th President of France (d. 1962)
  • 1882 – Harold Weber, American golfer (d. 1933)
  • 1884 – Philipp Frank, Austrian-American physicist, mathematician, and philosopher (d. 1966)
  • 1884 – John Jensen, Australian public servant (d. 1970)
  • 1885 – Vernon Ransford, Australian cricketer (d. 1958)
  • 1888 – Amanda Clement, American baseball player, umpire, and educator (d. 1971)
  • 1890 – Lauritz Melchior, Danish-American tenor and actor (d. 1973)
  • 1894 – Amalie Sara Colquhoun, Australian landscape and portrait painter (d. 1974)
  • 1895 – Fredric Wertham, German-American psychologist and author (d. 1981)
  • 1898 – Eduard Wiiralt, Estonian artist (d. 1954)
  • 1900 – Amelia Chopitea Villa, Bolivia’s first female physician (d. 1942)
  • 1903 – Edgar Buchanan, American actor (d. 1979)
  • 1904 – B. F. Skinner, American psychologist and author (d. 1990)
  • 1905 – Jean Galia, French rugby player and boxer (d. 1949)
  • 1906 – Abraham Beame, American accountant and politician, 104th Mayor of New York City (d. 2001)
  • 1906 – Ozzie Nelson, American actor and bandleader (d. 1975)
  • 1907 – Hugh MacLennan, Canadian author and educator (d. 1990)
  • 1908 – Michael Redgrave, English actor and director (d. 1985)
  • 1910 – Erwin Blask, German hammer thrower (d. 1999)
  • 1911 – Alfonso García Robles, Mexican lawyer and diplomat, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1991)
  • 1912 – Ralph Hauenstein, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 2016)
  • 1913 – Nikolai Stepulov, Russian-Estonian boxer (d. 1968)
  • 1914 – Wendell Corey, American actor and politician (d. 1968)
  • 1915 – Rudolf Kirchschläger, Austrian judge and politician, 8th President of Austria (d. 2000)
  • 1915 – Sviatoslav Richter, Ukrainian pianist and composer (d. 1997)
  • 1915 – Sister Rosetta Tharpe, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1973)
  • 1916 – Pierre Messmer, French lieutenant and politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 2007)
  • 1917 – Vera Lynn, English singer, songwriter and actress (d. 2020)
  • 1917 – Yigael Yadin, Israeli archaeologist, general, and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Israel (d. 1984)
  • 1918 – Jack Barry, American game show host and producer, co-founded Barry & Enright Productions (d. 1984)
  • 1918 – Donald Featherstone, English soldier and author (d. 2013)
  • 1918 – Marian McPartland, English-American pianist and composer (d. 2013)
  • 1918 – Bernd Alois Zimmermann, German composer (d. 1970)
  • 1919 – Gerhard Barkhorn, German fighter ace (d. 1983)
  • 1920 – Pamela Harriman, English-American diplomat, 58th United States Ambassador to France (d. 1997)
  • 1920 – Rosemary Timperley, English author and screenwriter (d. 1988)
  • 1921 – Usmar Ismail, Indonesian filmmaker (d. 1971)
  • 1921 – Dušan Pirjevec, Slovenian historian and philosopher (d. 1977)
  • 1921 – Alfréd Rényi, Hungarian mathematician and theorist (d. 1970)
  • 1922 – Larry Elgart, American saxophonist and bandleader (d. 2017)
  • 1922 – Ray Goulding, American actor and screenwriter (d. 1990)
  • 1922 – Carl Reiner, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2020)
  • 1923 – Con Martin, Irish footballer and manager (d. 2013)
  • 1923 – Shaukat Siddiqui, Pakistani journalist, author, and activist (d. 2006)
  • 1925 – John Ehrlichman, American lawyer, 12th White House Counsel (d. 1999)
  • 1927 – John Joubert, South African-English composer and academic (d. 2019)
  • 1928 – Jerome Biffle, American long jumper and coach (d. 2002)
  • 1928 – James P. Gordon, American physicist and engineer (d. 2013)
  • 1928 – Fred Rogers, American television host and producer (d. 2003)
  • 1929 – William Andrew MacKay, Canadian lawyer and judge (d. 2013)
  • 1929 – Germán Robles, Spanish-Mexican actor and director (d. 2015)
  • 1930 – S. Arasaratnam, Sri Lankan historian, author, and academic (d. 1998)
  • 1931 – Hal Linden, American actor, singer, and director
  • 1931 – Rein Raamat, Estonian director and screenwriter
  • 1933 – Lateef Adegbite, Nigerian lawyer and politician (d. 2012)
  • 1933 – George Altman, American baseball player
  • 1933 – Ian Walsh, Australian rugby league player and coach (d. 2013)
  • 1934 – Willie Brown, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 41st Mayor of San Francisco
  • 1934 – David Malouf, Australian author and playwright
  • 1935 – Ted Bessell, American actor and director (d. 1996)
  • 1935 – Bettye Washington Greene, American chemist (d. 1995)
  • 1936 – Lee “Scratch” Perry, Jamaican singer, songwriter, music producer, and inventor
  • 1936 – Mark Saville, Baron Saville of Newdigate, English lieutenant, lawyer, and judge
  • 1937 – Lois Lowry, American author
  • 1937 – Jerry Reed, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (d. 2008)
  • 1938 – Sergei Novikov, Russian mathematician and academic
  • 1939 – Gerald Curran, American lawyer and politician (d. 2013)
  • 1939 – Don Edwards, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1939 – Walter Jakob Gehring, Swiss biologist and academic (d. 2014)
  • 1939 – Brian Mulroney, Canadian lawyer and politician, 18th Prime Minister of Canada
  • 1940 – Stathis Chaitas, Greek footballer and manager
  • 1940 – Mary Ellen Mark, American photographer and journalist (d. 2015)
  • 1940 – Giampiero Moretti, Italian race car driver and businessman, founded the Momo company (d. 2012)
  • 1941 – Pat Corrales, American baseball player and manager
  • 1941 – Kenji Kimihara, Japanese runner
  • 1943 – Gerard Malanga, American poet and photographer
  • 1943 – Douglas Tompkins, American businessman, co-founded The North Face and Esprit Holdings (d. 2015)
  • 1943 – Paul Junger Witt, American director and producer (d. 2018)
  • 1944 – John Cameron, English composer and conductor
  • 1944 – Camille Cosby, American author, producer, and philanthropist
  • 1944 – Alan Harper, English-Irish archbishop
  • 1945 – Henry Bartholomay, American soldier and pilot (d. 2015)
  • 1945 – Jay Ingram, Canadian television host and author
  • 1945 – Pat Riley, American basketball player and coach
  • 1945 – Tim Yeo, English politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Health
  • 1946 – Douglas B. Green, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1946 – Malcolm Simmons, English motorcycle racer (d. 2014)
  • 1947 – John Boswell, American historian, philologist, and academic (d. 1994)
  • 1948 – John de Lancie, American actor
  • 1948 – Bobby Orr, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1948 – Nikos Papazoglou, Greek singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2011)
  • 1949 – Marcia Ball, American blues singer-songwriter and pianist
  • 1949 – Richard Dowden, English journalist and educator
  • 1950 – William Hurt, American actor
  • 1950 – Carl Palmer, English drummer, percussionist, and songwriter
  • 1951 – Jimmie Vaughan, American blues-rock singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1952 – Geoff Brabham, Australian race car driver
  • 1952 – David Greenaway, English economist and academic
  • 1953 – Phil Judd, New Zealand singer-songwriter, guitarist and painter
  • 1954 – Mike Francesa, American radio talk show host and television commentator
  • 1954 – Liana Kanelli, Greek journalist and politician
  • 1954 – Paul Mirabella, American baseball player
  • 1955 – Nina Kiriki Hoffman, American author
  • 1955 – Ian Moss, Australian guitarist and singer-songwriter
  • 1955 – Mariya Takeuchi, Japanese singer-songwriter
  • 1956 – Catherine Ashton, English politician, Vice-President of the European Commission
  • 1956 – Anne Donahue, American lawyer and politician
  • 1956 – Naoto Takenaka, Japanese actor, comedian, singer, and director
  • 1957 – Vanessa Bell Calloway, American actress
  • 1957 – David Foster, Australian woodchopper
  • 1957 – Spike Lee, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1957 – Theresa Russell, American actress
  • 1957 – Chris Wedge, American animator, producer, screenwriter, and voice actor
  • 1958 – Holly Hunter, American actress and producer
  • 1958 – Rickey Jackson, American football player
  • 1958 – Joe Reaiche, Australian rugby player
  • 1959 – Dave Beasant, English footballer and coach
  • 1959 – Mary Roach, American author
  • 1959 – Sting, American wrestler
  • 1959 – Peter Truscott, Baron Truscott, British Labour Party politician and peer
  • 1960 – Norm Magnusson, American painter and sculptor
  • 1960 – Norbert Pohlmann, German computer scientist and academic
  • 1960 – Yuri Shargin, Russian colonel, engineer, and astronaut
  • 1961 – Ingrid Arndt-Brauer, German politician
  • 1961 – Jesper Olsen, Danish footballer and manager
  • 1961 – Sara Wheeler, English author and journalist
  • 1962 – Stephen Sommers, American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1963 – Paul Annacone, American tennis player and coach
  • 1963 – Kathy Ireland, American model, actress, and furniture designer
  • 1963 – Yelena Romanova, Russian runner (d. 2007)
  • 1963 – David Thewlis, English-French actor, director, and screenwriter
  • 1964 – Natacha Atlas, Belgian singer-songwriter
  • 1965 – William Dalrymple, Scottish historian and author
  • 1967 – Xavier Beauvois, French actor, director, and screenwriter
  • 1967 – Mookie Blaylock, American basketball player
  • 1968 – Carlos Almeida, Cape Verdean runner
  • 1968 – A. J. Jacobs, American journalist and author
  • 1968 – Paul Merson, English footballer and manager
  • 1968 – Ultra Naté, American singer, songwriter, record producer, DJ, and promoter
  • 1969 – Yvette Cooper, English economist and politician, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
  • 1969 – Fabien Galthie, French rugby player
  • 1970 – Edoardo Ballerini, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1970 – Josephine Medina, Filipino Paralympic table tennis player
  • 1970 – sj Miller, American academic, public speaker, and social justice activist
  • 1970 – Michael Rapaport, American actor, podcast host, and director
  • 1971 – Manny Alexander, Dominican baseball player
  • 1971 – Touré, American journalist and author
  • 1972 – Chilly Gonzales, Canadian-German singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer
  • 1972 – Alex Kapranos, English-Scottish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1972 – Greg Searle, English rower
  • 1972 – Marco Sejna, German footballer
  • 1972 – Cristel Vahtra, Estonian skier
  • 1973 – Nicky Boje, South African cricketer
  • 1973 – Natalya Khrushcheleva, Russian runner
  • 1973 – Talal Khalifa Aljeri, Kuwaiti businessman
  • 1974 – Carsten Ramelow, German footballer
  • 1975 – Ramin Bahrani, American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1975 – Isolde Kostner, Italian skier
  • 1976 – Chester Bennington, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor (d. 2017)
  • 1978 – Kevin Betsy, English born Seychelles international footballer, midfielder and manager
  • 1978 – Brent Sherwin, Australian rugby league player
  • 1979 – Shinnosuke Abe, Japanese baseball player
  • 1979 – Freema Agyeman, English actress
  • 1979 – Keven Mealamu, New Zealand rugby player
  • 1980 – Jamal Crawford, American basketball player
  • 1980 – Robertas Javtokas, Lithuanian basketball player
  • 1981 – Ian Murray, Scottish footballer
  • 1981 – Carl Webb, Australian rugby league player
  • 1982 – Terrence Duffin, Zimbabwean cricketer
  • 1982 – Tomasz Kuszczak, Polish footballer
  • 1982 – José Moreira, Portuguese footballer
  • 1983 – Carolina Padrón, Venezuelan journalist
  • 1983 – Jenni Vartiainen, Finnish singer
  • 1984 – Vikram Banerjee, English cricketer
  • 1984 – Christy Carlson Romano, American actress and singer
  • 1984 – Fernando Torres, Spanish footballer
  • 1985 – Morgan Amalfitano, French footballer
  • 1985 – Ronnie Brewer, American basketball player
  • 1985 – Nicolas Lombaerts, Belgian footballer
  • 1986 – Dean Geyer, South African-Australian singer-songwriter and actor
  • 1986 – Julián Magallanes, Argentinian footballer
  • 1986 – Ruby Rose, Australian actress and model
  • 1986 – Román Torres, Panamanian footballer
  • 1987 – Daniel Maa Boumsong, Cameroonian footballer
  • 1987 – Jô, Brazilian footballer
  • 1987 – Pedro Ken, Brazilian footballer
  • 1987 – Sergei Kostitsyn, Belarusian ice hockey player
  • 1989 – Xavier Dolan, Canadian actor and director
  • 1989 – Tamim Iqbal, Bangladeshi Cricketer
  • 1990 – Blake Ferguson, Australian rugby league player
  • 1990 – Marcos Rojo, Argentine footballer
  • 1991 – Mattia Destro, Italian footballer
  • 1991 – Michał Kucharczyk, Polish footballer
  • 1991 – Ethan Lowe, Australian rugby league player
  • 1993 – Sloane Stephens, American tennis player
  • 1995 – Jack Bird, Australian rugby league player

Deaths on March 20

  • 687 – Cuthbert, Northumbrian (English) monk, bishop, and saint (b. 634)
  • 703 – Wulfram, archbishop of Sens
  • 842 – Alfonso II, king of Asturias (Spain) (b. 759)
  • 851 – Ebbo, archbishop of Reims
  • 1181 – Taira no Kiyomori, Japanese general (b. 1118)
  • 1191 – Pope Clement III (b. 1130)
  • 1239 – Hermann von Salza, German knight and diplomat (b. 1179)
  • 1302 – Ralph Walpole, Bishop of Norwich
  • 1336 – Maurice Csák, Hungarian Dominican friar (b. 1270)
  • 1351 – Muhammad bin Tughluq, Sultan of Delhi
  • 1390 – Alexios III Megas Komnenos, Emperor of Trebizond (b. 1338)
  • 1413 – Henry IV of England (b. 1367)
  • 1440 – Sigismund I of Lithuania
  • 1475 – Georges Chastellain, Burgundian chronicler and poet
  • 1549 – Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley, English general and politician, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports (b. 1508)
  • 1568 – Albert, Duke of Prussia (b. 1490)
  • 1619 – Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1557)
  • 1673 – Augustyn Kordecki, Polish monk (b. 1603)
  • 1688 – Maria of Orange-Nassau, Dutch princess (b. 1642)
  • 1730 – Adrienne Lecouvreur, French actress (b. 1692)
  • 1746 – Nicolas de Largillière, French painter and academic (b. 1656)
  • 1780 – Benjamin Truman, English brewer and businessman (b. 1699)
  • 1793 – William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield, Scottish judge and politician, Attorney General for England and Wales (b. 1705)
  • 1835 – Louis Léopold Robert, French painter (b. 1794)
  • 1849 – James Justinian Morier, Turkish-English author and diplomat (b. 1780)
  • 1855 – Joseph Aspdin, English businessman (b. 1788)
  • 1865 – Yamanami Keisuke, Japanese samurai (b. 1833)
  • 1874 – Hans Christian Lumbye, Danish composer and conductor (b. 1810)
  • 1878 – Julius Robert von Mayer, German physician and physicist (b. 1814)
  • 1894 – Lajos Kossuth, Hungarian lawyer, journalist and politician (b. 1802)
  • 1897 – Apollon Maykov, Russian poet and playwright (b. 1821)
  • 1899 – Franz Ritter von Hauer, Austrian geologist and author (b. 1822)
  • 1909 – Friedrich Amelung, Estonian historian and businessman (b. 1842)
  • 1918 – Lewis A. Grant, American general and lawyer (b. 1828)
  • 1925 – George Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston, English politician, 35th Governor-General of India (b. 1859)
  • 1929 – Ferdinand Foch, French field marshal (b. 1851)
  • 1930 – Arthur F. Andrews, American cyclist (b. 1876)
  • 1931 – Hermann Müller, German journalist and politician, 12th Chancellor of Germany (b. 1876)
  • 1933 – Giuseppe Zangara, Italian-American assassin of Anton Cermak (b. 1900; executed)
  • 1940 – Alfred Ploetz, German physician, biologist, and eugenicist (b. 1860)
  • 1945 – Dorothy Campbell, Scottish-American golfer (b. 1883)
  • 1946 – Amadeus William Grabau, American-Chinese geologist, paleontologist, and academic (b. 1870)
  • 1947 – Sigurd Wallén, Swedish actor and director (b. 1884)
  • 1952 – Hjalmar Väre, Finnish cyclist (b. 1892)
  • 1958 – Adegoke Adelabu, Nigerian merchant, journalist, and politician (b. 1915)
  • 1964 – Brendan Behan, Irish republican and playwright (b. 1923)
  • 1965 – Daniel Frank, American long jumper (b. 1882)
  • 1966 – Johnny Morrison, American baseball player (b. 1895)
  • 1968 – Carl Theodor Dreyer, Danish director and screenwriter (b. 1889)
  • 1969 – Henri Longchambon, French politician (b. 1896)
  • 1971 – Falih Rıfkı Atay, Turkish journalist and politician (b. 1894)
  • 1972 – Marilyn Maxwell, American actress (b. 1921)
  • 1974 – Chet Huntley, American journalist (b. 1911)
  • 1977 – Charles Lyttelton, 10th Viscount Cobham, English politician, 9th Governor-General of New Zealand (b. 1909)
  • 1977 – Terukuni Manzō, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 38th Yokozuna (b. 1919)
  • 1978 – Jacques Brugnon, French tennis player (b. 1895)
  • 1981 – Gerry Bertier, American football player (b. 1953)
  • 1983 – Ivan Matveyevich Vinogradov, Russian mathematician and academic (b. 1891)
  • 1990 – Maurice Cloche, French director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1907)
  • 1990 – Lev Yashin, Russian footballer (b. 1929)
  • 1992 – Georges Delerue, French composer (b. 1925)
  • 1993 – Polykarp Kusch, German-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1911)
  • 1994 – Lewis Grizzard, American writer and humorist (b. 1946)
  • 1997 – V. S. Pritchett, English short story writer, essayist, and critic (b. 1900)
  • 1999 – Patrick Heron, British painter (b. 1920)
  • 2000 – Gene Eugene, Canadian-American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1961)
  • 2001 – Luis Alvarado, Puerto Rican-American baseball player (b. 1949)
  • 2004 – Juliana of the Netherlands (b. 1909)
  • 2004 – Pierre Sévigny, Canadian colonel and politician (b. 1917)
  • 2005 – Armand Lohikoski, American-Finnish director and screenwriter (b. 1912)
  • 2007 – Raynald Fréchette, Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician (b. 1933)
  • 2007 – Taha Yassin Ramadan, Iraqi politician, Vice President of Iraq (b. 1938)
  • 2007 – Hawa Yakubu, Ghanaian politician (b. 1948)
  • 2010 – Ai, American poet and academic (b. 1947)
  • 2010 – Girija Prasad Koirala, Indian-Nepalese politician, 30th Prime Minister of Nepal (b. 1924)
  • 2010 – Stewart Udall, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 37th United States Secretary of the Interior (b. 1920)
  • 2011 – Johnny Pearson, English pianist, conductor, and composer (b. 1925)
  • 2012 – Lincoln Hall, Australian mountaineer and author (b. 1955)
  • 2012 – Noboru Ishiguro, Japanese animator and director (b. 1938)
  • 2012 – Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg, Polish-Israeli rabbi and author (b. 1910)
  • 2012 – Jim Stynes, Irish-Australian footballer (b. 1966)
  • 2013 – James Herbert, English author (b. 1943)
  • 2013 – George Lowe, New Zealand-English mountaineer and explorer (b. 1924)
  • 2013 – Zillur Rahman, Bangladeshi lawyer and politician, 19th President of Bangladesh (b. 1929)
  • 2014 – Hennie Aucamp, South African poet, author, and academic (b. 1934)
  • 2014 – Hilderaldo Bellini, Brazilian footballer (b. 1930)
  • 2014 – Tonie Nathan, American politician (b. 1923)
  • 2014 – Khushwant Singh, Indian journalist and author (b. 1915)
  • 2015 – Eva Burrows, Australian 13th General of The Salvation Army (b. 1929)
  • 2015 – Malcolm Fraser, Australian politician, 22nd Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1930)
  • 2016 – Anker Jørgensen, Danish politician, Prime Minister of Denmark (b. 1922)
  • 2017 – David Rockefeller, American billionaire and philanthropist (b. 1915)
  • 2018 – C. K. Mann, a Ghanaian Highlife musician and producer (b. 1936)
  • 2019 – Mary Warnock, English philosopher & writer (b. 1924)
  • 2020 – Kenny Rogers, American singer (b. 1938)

Holidays and observances on March 20

  • Christian feast day:
    • Alexandra
    • Blessed John of Parma
    • Clement of Ireland
    • Cuthbert of Lindisfarne
    • Herbert of Derwentwater
    • John of Nepomuk
    • Józef Bilczewski
    • María Josefa Sancho de Guerra
    • Martin of Braga
    • Michele Carcano
    • Wulfram
    • March 20 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Earliest date for the vernal equinox in the Northern hemisphere:
    • Bahá’í Naw-Rúz, started at sunset on March 20. The end of the 19-day sunrise-to-sunset fast. (Bahá’í Faith)
    • Chunfen (China)
    • Earth Equinox Day
    • International Astrology Day
    • New Year (Thelema)
    • Nowruz (Persian, Gilaki, Kurdish, Zoroastrians, and other Iranian people and countries with an Iranian influence)
    • Ostara in the northern hemisphere, Mabon in the southern hemisphere. (Neo-Druidic Wheel of the Year)
    • Shunbun no Hi (Japan)
    • Sun-Earth Day (United States)
    • Vernal Equinox Day/Kōreisai (Japan)
    • World Storytelling Day
  • Earliest day on which Good Friday can fall, while April 23 is the latest; celebrated on Friday before Easter. (Christianity)
  • Great American Meatout (United States)
  • Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Tunisia from France in 1956.
  • International Day of Happiness (United Nations)
  • International Francophonie Day (Organisation internationale de la Francophonie), and its related observances:
    • UN French Language Day (United Nations)
  • National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (United States)
  • World Sparrow Day

March 20- History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

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

On This Day /
  • 250 – Emperor Decius orders everyone in the Roman Empire (except Jews) to make sacrifices to the Roman gods.
  • 1521 – Pope Leo X excommunicates Martin Luther in the papal bull Decet Romanum Pontificem.
  • 1653 – By the Coonan Cross Oath, the Eastern Church in India cuts itself off from colonial Portuguese tutelage.
  • 1749 – Benning Wentworth issues the first of the New Hampshire Grants, leading to the establishment of Vermont.
  • 1749 – The first issue of Berlingske, Denmark’s oldest continually operating newspaper, is published.
  • 1777 – American General George Washington defeats British General Lord Cornwallis at the Battle of Princeton.
  • 1815 – Austria, the United Kingdom, and France form a secret defensive alliance against Prussia and Russia.
  • 1833 – The United Kingdom claims sovereignty over the Falkland Islands.
  • 1848 – Joseph Jenkins Roberts is sworn in as the first president of Liberia.
  • 1861 – American Civil War: Delaware votes not to secede from the United States.
  • 1868 – Meiji Restoration in Japan: The Tokugawa shogunate is abolished; agents of Satsuma and Chōshū seize power.
  • 1870 – Construction work begins on the Brooklyn Bridge in New York, United States.
  • 1871 – In the Battle of Bapaume, an engagement in the Franco-Prussian War, General Louis Faidherbe’s forces bring about a Prussian retreat.
  • 1885 – Sino-French War: Beginning of the Battle of Núi Bop
  • 1911 – A magnitude 7.7 earthquake destroys the city of Almaty in Russian Turkestan.
  • 1911 – A gun battle in the East End of London left two dead and sparked a political row over the involvement of then-Home Secretary Winston Churchill.
  • 1913 – An Atlantic coast storm sets the lowest confirmed barometric pressure reading for a non-tropical system in the continental United States.
  • 1925 – Benito Mussolini announces he is taking dictatorial powers over Italy.
  • 1933 – Minnie D. Craig becomes the first woman elected as Speaker of the North Dakota House of Representatives, the first woman to hold a Speaker position anywhere in the United States.
  • 1938 – The March of Dimes is established as a foundation to combat infant polio by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
  • 1944 – World War II: Top Ace Major Greg “Pappy” Boyington is shot down in his Vought F4U Corsair by Captain Masajiro Kawato flying a Mitsubishi A6M Zero.
  • 1945 – World War II: Admiral Chester W. Nimitz is placed in command of all U.S. Naval forces in preparation for planned assaults against Iwo Jima and Okinawa in Japan.
  • 1946 – Popular Canadian American jockey George Woolf dies in a freak accident during a race; the annual George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award is created to honor him.
  • 1947 – Proceedings of the U.S. Congress are televised for the first time.
  • 1949 – The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the central bank of the Philippines, is established.
  • 1953 – Frances P. Bolton and her son, Oliver from Ohio, become the first mother and son to serve simultaneously in the U.S. Congress.
  • 1956 – A fire damages the top part of the Eiffel Tower.
  • 1957 – The Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch.
  • 1958 – The West Indies Federation is formed.
  • 1959 – Alaska is admitted as the 49th U.S. state.
  • 1961 – Cold War: The United States severs diplomatic relations with Cuba over the latter’s nationalization of American assets.
  • 1961 – The SL-1 nuclear reactor is destroyed by a steam explosion in the only reactor incident in the United States to cause immediate fatalities.
  • 1961 – A protest by agricultural workers in Baixa de Cassanje, Portuguese Angola, turns into a revolt, opening the Angolan War of Independence, the first of the Portuguese Colonial Wars.
  • 1962 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro.
  • 1976 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, comes into force.
  • 1977 – Apple Computer is incorporated.
  • 1990 – United States invasion of Panama: Manuel Noriega, former leader of Panama, surrenders to American forces.
  • 1993 – In Moscow, Russia, George H. W. Bush and Boris Yeltsin sign the second Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START).
  • 1994 – More than seven million people from the former apartheid Homelands receive South African citizenship.
  • 1994 – Baikal Airlines Flight 130 crashes near Irkutsk, Russia, resulting in 125 deaths.
  • 1999 – The Mars Polar Lander is launched by NASA.
  • 2000 – Final daily edition of the Peanuts comic strip.
  • 2002 – Israeli–Palestinian conflict: Israeli forces seize the Palestinian freighter Karine A in the Red Sea, finding 50 tons of weapons.
  • 2004 – Flash Airlines Flight 604 crashes into the Red Sea, resulting in 148 deaths, making it one of the deadliest aviation accidents in Egyptian history.
  • 2009 – The first block of the blockchain of the decentralized payment system Bitcoin, called the Genesis block, was established by the creator of the system, Satoshi Nakamoto.
  • 2015 – Boko Haram militants raze the entire town of Baga in north-east Nigeria, starting the Baga massacre and killing as many as 2,000 people.
  • 2016 – Following the fallout caused by the execution of Nimr al-Nimr, Iran ends its diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia.
  • 2019 – Chang’e 4 makes the first soft landing on the far side of the Moon, deploying the Yutu-2 lunar rover.
  • 2020 – Iranian General Qasem Soleimani is killed by an American airstrike near Baghdad International Airport.

Births on January 3

  • 106 BC – Cicero, Roman philosopher, lawyer, and politician (d. 43 BC)
  • 169 – Lü Bu, Chinese general and warlord (d. 199)
  • 1196 – Emperor Tsuchimikado of Japan (d. 1231)
  • 1509 – Gian Girolamo Albani, Italian cardinal (d. 1591)
  • 1611 – James Harrington, English political theorist (d. 1677)
  • 1698 – Pietro Metastasio, Italian poet and songwriter (d. 1782)
  • 1710 – Richard Gridley, American soldier and engineer (d. 1796)
  • 1722 – Fredrik Hasselqvist, Swedish biologist and explorer (d. 1752)
  • 1731 – Angelo Emo, Venetian admiral and statesman (d. 1792)
  • 1760 – Veerapandiya Kattabomman, Indian ruler (d. 1799)
  • 1775 – Francis Caulfeild, 2nd Earl of Charlemont (d. 1863)
  • 1778 – Antoni Melchior Fijałkowski, Polish archbishop (d. 1861)
  • 1793 – Lucretia Mott, American activist (d. 1880)
  • 1802 – Charles Pelham Villiers, English lawyer and politician (d. 1898)
  • 1803 – Douglas William Jerrold, English journalist and playwright (d. 1857)
  • 1806 – Henriette Sontag, German soprano and actress (d. 1854)
  • 1810 – Antoine Thomson d’Abbadie, French geographer, ethnologist, linguist, and astronomer (d. 1897)
  • 1816 – Samuel C. Pomeroy, American businessman and politician (d. 1891)
  • 1819 – Charles Piazzi Smyth, Italian-Scottish astronomer and academic (d. 1900)
  • 1821 – Karel Dežman, Slovenian archaeologist, botanist, and politician, Mayor of Ljubljana (d. 1889)
  • 1831 – Savitribai Phule, Indian poet, educator, and activist (d. 1897)
  • 1836 – Sakamoto Ryōma, Japanese samurai and rebel leader (d. 1867)
  • 1840 – Father Damien, Flemish priest and missionary (d. 1889)
  • 1847 – Ettore Marchiafava, Italian physician (d. 1935)
  • 1853 – Sophie Elkan, Swedish writer (d. 1921)
  • 1855 – Hubert Bland, English businessman (d. 1914)
  • 1861 – Ernest Renshaw, English tennis player (d. 1899)
  • 1861 – William Renshaw, English tennis player (d. 1904)
  • 1862 – Matthew Nathan, English soldier and politician, 13th Governor of Queensland (d. 1939)
  • 1865 – Henry Lytton, English actor (d. 1936)
  • 1870 – Henry Handel Richardson, Australian-English author (d. 1946)
  • 1873 – Ichizō Kobayashi, Japanese businessman and art collector, founded the Hankyu Hanshin Holdings (d. 1957)
  • 1875 – Alexandros Diomidis, Greek banker and politician, 145th Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1950)
  • 1876 – Wilhelm Pieck, German carpenter and politician, 1st President of the German Democratic Republic (d. 1960)
  • 1877 – Josephine Hull, American actress (d. 1957)
  • 1880 – Francis Browne, Irish Jesuit priest and photographer (d. 1960)
  • 1883 – Clement Attlee, English soldier, lawyer, and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1967)
  • 1883 – Duncan Gillis, Canadian discus thrower and hammer thrower (d. 1963)
  • 1884 – Raoul Koczalski, Polish pianist and composer (d. 1948)
  • 1885 – Harry Elkins Widener, American businessman (d. 1912)
  • 1886 – John Gould Fletcher, American poet and author (d. 1950)
  • 1886 – Arthur Mailey, Australian cricketer (d. 1967)
  • 1887 – August Macke, German-French painter (d. 1914)
  • 1892 – J.R.R. Tolkien, English writer, poet, and philologist (d. 1973)
  • 1894 – ZaSu Pitts, American actress (d. 1963)
  • 1897 – Marion Davies, American actress and comedian (d. 1961)
  • 1898 – Carolyn Haywood, American author and illustrator (d. 1990)
  • 1898 – Carlos Keller, Chilean historian, academic, and politician (d. 1974)
  • 1900 – Donald J. Russell, American businessman (d. 1985)
  • 1901 – Ngô Đình Diệm, Vietnamese lawyer and politician, 1st President of the Republic of Vietnam (d. 1963)
  • 1905 – Dante Giacosa, Italian engineer (d. 1996)
  • 1905 – Anna May Wong, American actress (d. 1961)
  • 1907 – Ray Milland, Welsh-American actor and director (d. 1986)
  • 1909 – Victor Borge, Danish-American pianist and conductor (d. 2000)
  • 1910 – Frenchy Bordagaray, American baseball player and manager (d. 2000)
  • 1911 – John Sturges, American director and producer (d. 1992)
  • 1912 – Federico Borrell García, Spanish soldier (d. 1936)
  • 1912 – Renaude Lapointe, Canadian journalist and politician (d. 2002)
  • 1912 – Armand Lohikoski, American-Finnish actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2005)
  • 1915 – Jack Levine, American painter and soldier (d. 2010)
  • 1916 – Betty Furness, American actress and television journalist (d. 1994)
  • 1916 – Fred Haas, American golfer (d. 2004)
  • 1917 – Albert Mol, Dutch author and actor (d. 2002)
  • 1917 – Vernon A. Walters, American general and diplomat, 17th United States Ambassador to the United Nations (d. 2002)
  • 1917 – Roger Williams Straus, Jr., American journalist and publisher, co-founded Farrar, Straus and Giroux (d. 2004)
  • 1919 – Herbie Nichols, American pianist and composer (d. 1963)
  • 1920 – Siegfried Buback, German lawyer and politician, Attorney General of Germany (d. 1977)
  • 1920 – Renato Carosone, Italian singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 2001)
  • 1921 – Chetan Anand, Indian director and screenwriter (d. 1997)
  • 1921 – Isabella Bashmakova, Russian historian of mathematics (d. 2005)
  • 1922 – Bill Travers, English actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1994)
  • 1923 – Hank Stram, American football coach and sportscaster (d. 2005)
  • 1924 – Otto Beisheim, German businessman and philanthropist, founded Metro AG (d. 2013)
  • 1924 – André Franquin, Belgian author and illustrator (d. 1997)
  • 1924 – Nell Rankin, American soprano and educator (d. 2005)
  • 1925 – Jill Balcon, English actress (d. 2009)
  • 1926 – W. Michael Blumenthal, American economist and politician, 64th United States Secretary of the Treasury
  • 1926 – George Martin, English composer, conductor, and producer (d. 2016)
  • 1928 – Abdul Rahman Ya’kub, Malaysian lawyer and politician, 3rd Chief Minister of Sarawak (d. 2015)
  • 1929 – Sergio Leone, Italian director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1989)
  • 1929 – Ernst Mahle, German-Brazilian composer and conductor
  • 1929 – Gordon Moore, American businessman, co-founder of Intel Corporation
  • 1930 – Robert Loggia, American actor and director (d. 2015)
  • 1932 – Dabney Coleman, American actor
  • 1932 – Eeles Landström, Finnish pole vaulter and politician
  • 1933 – Geoffrey Bindman, English lawyer
  • 1933 – Anne Stevenson, American-English poet and author
  • 1934 – Marpessa Dawn, American-French actress, singer, and dancer (d. 2008)
  • 1934 – Carla Anderson Hills, American lawyer and politician, 5th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
  • 1935 – Raymond Garneau, Canadian businessman and politician
  • 1937 – Glen A. Larson, American director, producer, and screenwriter, created Battlestar Galactica (d. 2014)
  • 1938 – Robin Butler, Baron Butler of Brockwell, English academic and politician
  • 1938 – K. Ganeshalingam, Sri Lankan accountant and politician, Mayor of Colombo (d. 2006)
  • 1939 – Arik Einstein, Israeli singer-songwriter and actor (d. 2013)
  • 1939 – Bobby Hull, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1940 – Leo de Berardinis, Italian actor and director (d. 2008)
  • 1940 – Bernard Blaut, Polish footballer and coach (d. 2007)
  • 1941 – Malcolm Dick, New Zealand rugby player
  • 1942 – John Marsden, Australian lawyer and activist (d. 2006)
  • 1942 – John Thaw, English actor and producer, played Inspector Morse (d. 2002)
  • 1943 – Van Dyke Parks, American singer-songwriter, musician, composer, author, and actor
  • 1944 – Blanche d’Alpuget, Australian author
  • 1945 – Stephen Stills, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1946 – John Paul Jones, English bass player, songwriter, and producer
  • 1946 – Michalis Kritikopoulos, Greek footballer (d. 2002)
  • 1947 – Fran Cotton, English rugby player
  • 1947 – Zulema, American singer-songwriter (d. 2013)
  • 1948 – Ian Nankervis, Australian footballer
  • 1950 – Victoria Principal, American actress and businesswoman
  • 1950 – Linda Steiner, American journalist and academic
  • 1950 – Vesna Vulović, Serbian plane crash survivor and Guinness World Record holder
  • 1951 – Linda Dobbs, English lawyer and judge
  • 1951 – Gary Nairn, Australian surveyor and politician, 14th Special Minister of State
  • 1952 – Esperanza Aguirre, Spanish civil servant and politician, 3rd President of the Community of Madrid
  • 1952 – Gianfranco Fini, Italian journalist and politician, Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs
  • 1952 – Jim Ross, American professional wrestling commentator
  • 1953 – Justin Fleming, Australian playwright and author
  • 1953 – Mohammed Waheed Hassan, Maldivian educator and politician, 5th President of the Maldives
  • 1953 – Peter Taylor, English football winger and manager
  • 1956 – Mel Gibson, American-Australian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1958 – Shim Hyung-rae, South Korean actor, director, and producer
  • 1960 – Russell Spence, English racing driver
  • 1962 – Darren Daulton, American baseball player (d. 2017)
  • 1962 – Gavin Hastings, Scottish rugby player
  • 1963 – Stewart Hosie, Scottish businessman and politician
  • 1963 – Aamer Malik, Pakistani cricketer
  • 1963 – Alex Wheatle, English author and playwright
  • 1964 – Bruce LaBruce, Canadian director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1964 – Cheryl Miller, American basketball player and coach
  • 1966 – Chetan Sharma, Indian cricketer
  • 1969 – Michael Caines, English chef
  • 1969 – Lorenzo Fertitta, American entrepreneur, casino executive and sports promoter
  • 1969 – Jarmo Lehtinen, Finnish racing driver
  • 1969 – Michael Schumacher, German racing driver
  • 1969 – Gerda Weissensteiner, Italian luger and bobsledder
  • 1971 – Cory Cross, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1971 – Lee Il-hwa, South Korean actress
  • 1973 – Dan Harmon, American screenwriter and producer
  • 1974 – Robert-Jan Derksen, Dutch golfer
  • 1974 – Alessandro Petacchi, Italian cyclist
  • 1975 – Jason Marsden, American actor
  • 1975 – Thomas Bangalter, French DJ, musician (Daft Punk), and producer
  • 1975 – Danica McKellar, American actress, writer, and mathematician
  • 1976 – Angelos Basinas, Greek footballer
  • 1976 – Nicholas Gonzalez, American actor and producer
  • 1977 – Lee Bowyer, English footballer and coach
  • 1977 – A. J. Burnett, American baseball player
  • 1977 – Mayumi Iizuka, Japanese voice actress and singer
  • 1978 – Dimitra Kalentzou, Greek basketball player
  • 1978 – Dominic Wood, English comedian and former magician
  • 1980 – Bryan Clay, American decathlete
  • 1980 – Angela Ruggiero, American ice hockey player
  • 1980 – David Tyree, American football player
  • 1980 – Kurt Vile, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1980 – Mary Wineberg, American sprinter
  • 1981 – Eli Manning, American football playe
  • 1982 – Peter Clarke, English footballer
  • 1982 – Lasse Nilsson, Swedish footballer
  • 1982 – Park Ji-yoon, South Korean singer and actress
  • 1984 – Billy Mehmet, English-Irish footballer
  • 1985 – Linas Kleiza, Lithuanian basketball player
  • 1985 – Evan Moore, American football player
  • 1986 – Dana Hussain, Iraqi sprinter
  • 1986 – Greg Nwokolo, Indonesian footballer
  • 1986 – Dmitry Starodubtsev, Russian pole vaulter
  • 1987 – Reto Berra, Swiss professional ice hockey goaltender
  • 1987 – Kim Ok-bin, South Korean actress and singer
  • 1988 – Ikechi Anya, Scottish-Nigerian footballer
  • 1988 – Matt Frattin, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1988 – J. R. Hildebrand, American racing driver
  • 1989 – Ben Matulino, New Zealand rugby league player
  • 1989 – Kōhei Uchimura, Japanese artistic gymnast
  • 1990 – Yoichiro Kakitani, Japanese footballer
  • 1991 – Jerson Cabral, Dutch footballer
  • 1991 – Özgür Çek, Turkish footballer
  • 1991 – Sébastien Faure, French footballer
  • 1991 – Dane Gagai, Australian rugby league player
  • 1994 – Isaquias Queiroz, Brazilian sprint canoeist
  • 1997 – Kyron McMaster, British Virgin Islands hurdler
  • 2003 – Greta Thunberg, Swedish environmental activist

Deaths on January 3

  • 236 – Anterus, the pope of the Catholic Church
  • 323 – Yuan of Yin, Chinese emperor (b. 276)
  • 1027 – Fujiwara no Yukinari, Japanese calligrapher (b. 972)
  • 1028 – Fujiwara no Michinaga, Japanese nobleman (b. 966)
  • 1098 – Walkelin, Norman bishop of Winchester
  • 1322 – Philip V, king of France (b. 1292)
  • 1437 – Catherine of Valois, queen consort of Henry V (b. 1401)
  • 1501 – Ali-Shir Nava’i, Turkic poet, linguist, and mystic (b. 1441)
  • 1543 – Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, Portuguese explorer and navigator (b. 1499)
  • 1571 – Joachim II Hector, Elector of Brandenburg (b. 1505)
  • 1641 – Jeremiah Horrocks, English astronomer and mathematician (b. 1618)
  • 1656 – Mathieu Molé, French politician (b. 1584)
  • 1670 – George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (b. 1608)
  • 1701 – Louis I, prince of Monaco (b. 1642)
  • 1705 – Luca Giordano, Italian painter and illustrator (b. 1634)
  • 1743 – Ferdinando Galli-Bibiena, Italian painter and architect (b. 1657)
  • 1777 – William Leslie, Scottish captain (b. 1751)
  • 1779 – Claude Bourgelat, French surgeon and lawyer (b. 1712)
  • 1785 – Baldassare Galuppi, Italian composer (b. 1706)
  • 1795 – Josiah Wedgwood, English potter, founded the Wedgwood Company (b. 1730)
  • 1826 – Louis-Gabriel Suchet, French general (b. 1770)
  • 1871 – Kuriakose Elias Chavara, Indian priest and saint (b. 1805)
  • 1875 – Pierre Larousse, French lexicographer and publisher (b. 1817)
  • 1882 – William Harrison Ainsworth, English author (b. 1805)
  • 1895 – James Merritt Ives, American lithographer and businessman, co-founded Currier and Ives (b. 1824)
  • 1903 – Alois Hitler, Austrian civil servant (b. 1837)
  • 1911 – Alexandros Papadiamantis, Greek author and poet (b. 1851)
  • 1915 – James Elroy Flecker, English poet, author, and playwright (b. 1884)
  • 1916 – Grenville M. Dodge, American general and politician (b. 1831)
  • 1922 – Wilhelm Voigt, German criminal (b. 1849)
  • 1923 – Jaroslav Hašek, Czech journalist and author (b. 1883)
  • 1927 – Carl David Tolmé Runge, German physicist and mathematician (b. 1856)
  • 1931 – Joseph Joffre, French general (b. 1852)
  • 1933 – Wilhelm Cuno, German lawyer and politician, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1876)
  • 1933 – Jack Pickford, Canadian-American actor, director, and producer (b. 1896)
  • 1943 – Walter James, Australian lawyer and politician, 5th Premier of Western Australia (b. 1863)
  • 1944 – Jurgis Baltrušaitis, Lithuanian poet, critic, and translator (b. 1873)
  • 1945 – Edgar Cayce, American psychic and author (b. 1877)
  • 1945 – Ferdynand Antoni Ossendowski, Polish journalist and explorer (b. 1879)
  • 1946 – William Joyce, American-British pro-Axis propaganda broadcaster (b. 1906)
  • 1956 – Alexander Gretchaninov, Russian-American pianist and composer (b. 1864)
  • 1956 – Dimitrios Vergos, Greek wrestler, weightlifter, and shot putter (b. 1886)
  • 1956 – Joseph Wirth, German educator and politician, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1876)
  • 1958 – Cafer Tayyar Eğilmez, Turkish general (b. 1877)
  • 1959 – Edwin Muir, Scottish poet, author, and translator (b. 1887)
  • 1960 – Eric P. Kelly, American journalist, author, and academic (b. 1884)
  • 1962 – Hermann Lux, German footballer and manager (b. 1893)
  • 1965 – Milton Avery, American painter (b. 1885)
  • 1966 – Sammy Younge Jr., American civil rights activist (b. 1944)
  • 1967 – Mary Garden, Scottish-American soprano and actress (b. 1874)
  • 1967 – Reginald Punnett, British scientist (b. 1875)
  • 1967 – Jack Ruby, American businessman and murderer (b. 1911)
  • 1969 – Jean Focas, Greek-French astronomer (b. 1909)
  • 1969 – Tzavalas Karousos, Greek-French actor (b. 1904)
  • 1970 – Gladys Aylward, English missionary and humanitarian (b. 1902)
  • 1972 – Mohan Rakesh, Indian author and playwright (b. 1925)
  • 1975 – Victor Kraft, Austrian philosopher from the Vienna Circle (b. 1880)
  • 1975 – James McCormack, American general (b. 1910)
  • 1977 – William Gropper, American lithographer, cartoonist, and painter (b. 1897)
  • 1979 – Conrad Hilton, American businessman, founded the Hilton Hotels & Resorts (b. 1887)
  • 1980 – Joy Adamson, Austrian-Kenyan author (b. 1910)
  • 1980 – George Sutherland Fraser, Scottish poet and academic (b. 1915)
  • 1981 – Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone (b. 1883)
  • 1988 – Rose Ausländer, Ukrainian-German poet and author (b. 1901)
  • 1989 – Sergei Sobolev, Russian mathematician and academic (b. 1909)
  • 1992 – Judith Anderson, British actress (b. 1897)
  • 2002 – Satish Dhawan, Indian engineer (b. 1920)
  • 2003 – Jimmy Stewart, Scottish racing driver (b. 1931)
  • 2005 – Koo Chen-fu, Taiwanese businessman and diplomat (b. 1917)
  • 2005 – Egidio Galea, Maltese Roman Catholic priest, missionary, and educator (b. 1918)
  • 2005 – Jyotindra Nath Dixit, Indian diplomat, 2nd Indian National Security Adviser (b. 1936)
  • 2006 – Steve Rogers, Australian rugby player and coach (b. 1954)
  • 2006 – Bill Skate, Papua New Guinean politician, 5th Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea (b. 1954)
  • 2007 – János Fürst, Hungarian violinist and conductor (b. 1935)
  • 2007 – William Verity, Jr., American businessman and politician, 27th United States Secretary of Commerce (b. 1917)
  • 2008 – Choi Yo-sam, South Korean boxer (b. 1972)
  • 2009 – Betty Freeman, American philanthropist and photographer (b. 1921)
  • 2009 – Pat Hingle, American actor (b. 1923)
  • 2009 – Hisayasu Nagata, Japanese politician (b. 1969)
  • 2010 – Gustavo Becerra-Schmidt, Chilean-German composer and academic (b. 1925)
  • 2010 – Mary Daly, American theologian and scholar (b. 1928)
  • 2012 – Vicar, Chilean cartoonist (b. 1934)
  • 2012 – Robert L. Carter, American lawyer and judge (b. 1917)
  • 2012 – Winifred Milius Lubell, American author and illustrator (b. 1914)
  • 2012 – Josef Škvorecký, Czech-Canadian author and publisher (b. 1924)
  • 2012 – Bob Weston, English guitarist and songwriter (b. 1947)
  • 2013 – Alfie Fripp, English soldier and pilot (b. 1913)
  • 2013 – Ivan Mackerle, Czech cryptozoologist, explorer, and author (b. 1942)
  • 2013 – William Maxson, American general (b. 1930)
  • 2013 – Sergiu Nicolaescu, Romanian actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1930)
  • 2014 – Phil Everly, American singer and guitarist (b. 1939)
  • 2014 – George Goodman, American economist and author (b. 1930)
  • 2014 – Saul Zaentz, American film producer (b. 1921)
  • 2015 – Martin Anderson, American economist and academic (b. 1936)
  • 2015 – Edward Brooke, American captain and politician, 47th Massachusetts Attorney General (b. 1919)
  • 2016 – Paul Bley, Canadian-American pianist and composer (b. 1932)
  • 2016 – Peter Naur, Danish computer scientist, astronomer, and academic (b. 1928)
  • 2016 – Bill Plager, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1945)
  • 2016 – Igor Sergun, Russian general and diplomat (b. 1957)
  • 2017 – H. S. Mahadeva Prasad, Indian politician (b. 1958)
  • 2018 – Colin Brumby, Australian composer (b. 1933)
  • 2019 – Herb Kelleher, American businessman, co-founder of Southwest Airlines (b. 1931)
  • 2020 – Qasem Soleimani, Iranian major general, commander of the Iranian Quds Force (b. 1957)

Holidays and observances on January 3

  • Anniversary of the 1966 Coup d’état (Burkina Faso)
  • Christian feast day:
    • Daniel of Padua
    • Genevieve
    • Holy Name of Jesus
    • Kuriakose Elias Chavara (Syro-Malabar Catholic Church)
    • Pope Anterus
    • William Passavant (Episcopal Church)
    • January 3 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Ministry of Religious Affairs Day (Indonesia)
  • Tamaseseri Festival (Hakozaki Shrine, Fukuoka, Japan)
  • The first day of Nakhatsenendyan toner, celebrated until January 5 (Armenia).
  • The tenth of the Twelve Days of Christmas (Western Christianity)

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