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March 29 in History
- 845 – Paris is sacked by Viking raiders, probably under Ragnar Lodbrok, who collects a huge ransom in exchange for leaving.
- 1430 – The Ottoman Empire under Murad II captures Thessalonica from the Republic of Venice.
- 1461 – Battle of Towton: Edward of York defeats Queen Margaret to become King Edward IV of England, bringing a temporary stop to the Wars of the Roses.
- 1500 – Cesare Borgia is given the title of Captain-General and Gonfalonier by his father Rodrigo Borgia after returning from his conquests in the Romagna.
- 1549 – The city of Salvador da Bahia, the first capital of Brazil, is founded.
- 1632 – Treaty of Saint-Germain is signed returning Quebec to French control after the English had seized it in 1629.
- 1792 – King Gustav III of Sweden dies after being shot in the back at a midnight masquerade ball at Stockholm’s Royal Opera 13 days earlier. He is succeeded by Gustav IV Adolf.
- 1806 – Construction is authorized of the Great National Pike, better known as the Cumberland Road, becoming the first United States federal highway.
- 1809 – King Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden abdicates after a coup d’état. At the Diet of Porvoo, Finland’s four Estates pledge allegiance to Alexander I of Russia, commencing the secession of the Grand Duchy of Finland from Sweden.
- 1831 – Great Bosnian uprising: Bosniaks rebel against Turkey.
- 1847 – Mexican–American War: United States forces led by General Winfield Scott take Veracruz after a siege.
- 1849 – The United Kingdom annexes the Punjab.
- 1857 – Sepoy Mangal Pandey of the 34th Regiment, Bengal Native Infantry mutinies against the East India Company’s rule in India and inspires the protracted Indian Rebellion of 1857, also known as the Sepoy Mutiny.
- 1865 – American Civil War: Federal forces under Major General Philip Sheridan move to flank Confederate forces under Robert E. Lee as the Appomattox Campaign begins.
- 1867 – Queen Victoria gives Royal Assent to the British North America Act which establishes Canada on July 1.
- 1871 – Royal Albert Hall is opened by Queen Victoria.
- 1879 – Anglo-Zulu War: Battle of Kambula: British forces defeat 20,000 Zulus.
- 1882 – The Knights of Columbus is established.
- 1886 – John Pemberton brews the first batch of Coca-Cola in a backyard in Atlanta.
- 1911 – The M1911 .45 ACP pistol becomes the official U.S. Army side arm.
- 1927 – Sunbeam 1000hp breaks the land speed record at Daytona Beach, Florida.
- 1930 – Heinrich Brüning is appointed German Reichskanzler.
- 1936 – Adolf Hitler receives 99% of the votes in the 1936 German parliamentary election and referendum.
- 1941 – The North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement goes into effect at 03:00 local time.
- 1941 – World War II: British Royal Navy and Royal Australian Navy forces defeat those of the Italian Regia Marina off the Peloponnesian coast of Greece in the Battle of Cape Matapan.
- 1942 – The Bombing of Lübeck in World War II is the first major success for the RAF Bomber Command against Germany and a German city.
- 1945 – World War II: Last day of V-1 flying bomb attacks on England.
- 1945 – World War II: The German 4th Army is almost destroyed by the Soviet Red Army.
- 1946 – Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México, one of Mexico’s leading universities, is founded.
- 1947 – Malagasy Uprising against French colonial rule in Madagascar.
- 1951 – Ethel and Julius Rosenberg are convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage.
- 1957 – The New York, Ontario and Western Railway makes its final run, the first major U.S. railroad to be abandoned in its entirety.
- 1961 – The Twenty-third Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, allowing residents of Washington, D.C., to vote in presidential elections.
- 1962 – Arturo Frondizi, the president of Argentina, is overthrown in a military coup by Argentina’s armed forces, ending an 111⁄2 day constitutional crisis.
- 1971 – My Lai Massacre: Lieutenant William Calley is convicted of premeditated murder and sentenced to life in prison.
- 1973 – Vietnam War: The last United States combat soldiers leave South Vietnam.
- 1973 – Operation Barrel Roll, a covert American bombing campaign in Laos to stop communist infiltration of South Vietnam, ends.
- 1974 – NASA’s Mariner 10 becomes the first space probe to fly by Mercury.
- 1974 – Terracotta Army was discovered in Shaanxi province, China.
- 1982 – The Canada Act 1982 receives the Royal Assent from Queen Elizabeth II, setting the stage for the Queen of Canada to proclaim the Constitution Act, 1982.
- 1984 – The Baltimore Colts load its possessions onto fifteen Mayflower moving trucks in the early morning hours and transfer its operations to Indianapolis.
- 1990 – The Czechoslovak parliament is unable to reach an agreement on what to call the country after the fall of Communism, sparking the so-called Hyphen War.
- 1993 – Catherine Callbeck becomes premier of Prince Edward Island and the first woman to be elected in a general election as premier of a Canadian province.
- 1999 – The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above the 10,000 mark (10,006.78) for the first time, during the height of the dot-com bubble.
- 1999 – A magnitude 6.8 earthquake in India strikes the Chamoli district in Uttar Pradesh, killing 103.
- 2002 – In reaction to the Passover massacre two days prior, Israel launches Operation Defensive Shield against Palestinian militants, its largest military operation in the West Bank since the 1967 Six-Day War.
- 2004 – Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia join NATO as full members.
- 2010 – Two suicide bombers hit the Moscow Metro system at the peak of the morning rush hour, killing 40.
- 2013 – At least 36 people are killed when a 16-floor building collapses in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
- 2014 – The first same-sex marriages in England and Wales are performed.
Births on March 29
- 1001 – Sokkate, king of the Pagan dynasty of Burma (d. 1044)
- 1187 – Arthur I, Duke of Brittany (d. 1203)
- 1373 – Marie d’Alençon, French princess (d. 1417)
- 1517 – Carlo Carafa, Italian cardinal (d. 1561)
- 1553 – Vitsentzos Kornaros, Greek poet and playwright (d. 1614)
- 1561 – Santorio Santorio, Italian biologist (d. 1636)
- 1584 – Ferdinando Fairfax, 2nd Lord Fairfax of Cameron, English general and politician (d. 1648)
- 1602 – John Lightfoot, English priest, scholar, and academic (d. 1675)
- 1620 – Edward Digges, English barrister and colonist
- 1629 – Alexis of Russia, Tsar of Russia (d. 1676)
- 1713 – John Ponsonby, Irish politician (d. 1789)
- 1735 – Johann Karl August Musäus, German author (d. 1787)
- 1747 – Johann Wilhelm Hässler, German pianist and composer (d. 1822)
- 1769 – Nicolas Jean-de-Dieu Soult, French general and politician, 12th Prime Minister of France (d. 1851)
- 1780 – Jørgen Jørgensen, Danish adventurer (d. 1841)
- 1790 – John Tyler, American lawyer and politician, 10th President of the United States (d. 1862)
- 1799 – Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1869)
- 1802 – Johann Moritz Rugendas, German landscape painter of Spanish America (d. 1858)
- 1816 – 10th Dalai Lama (d. 1837)
- 1824 – Ludwig Büchner, German physiologist, physician, and philosopher (d. 1899)
- 1826 – Wilhelm Liebknecht, German journalist and politician (d. 1900)
- 1862 – Adolfo Müller-Ury, Swiss-American painter (d. 1947)
- 1863 – Walter James, Australian politician, 5th Premier of Western Australia (d. 1943)
- 1867 – Cy Young, American baseball player and manager (d. 1955)
- 1869 – Aleš Hrdlička, Czech-American anthropologist and scholar (d. 1943)
- 1869 – Sir Edwin Lutyens, British architect (d. 1944)
- 1870 – Pavlos Melas, French-Greek captain (d. 1904)
- 1871 – Tom Hayward, English cricketer (d. 1939)
- 1872 – Hal Colebatch, English-Australian politician, 12th Premier of Western Australia (d. 1953)
- 1873 – Tullio Levi-Civita, Jewish-Italian mathematician and academic (d. 1941)
- 1874 – Lou Henry Hoover, American wife of Herbert Hoover, 33rd First Lady of the United States (d. 1944)
- 1876 – Friedrich Traun, German sprinter and tennis player (d. 1908)
- 1884 – Ed Archibald, Canadian pole vaulter (d. 1965)
- 1885 – Dezső Kosztolányi, Hungarian author and poet (d. 1936)
- 1888 – Enea Bossi, Sr., Italian-American engineer, designed the Budd BB-1 Pioneer and Bossi-Bonomi Pedaliante (d. 1963)
- 1889 – Warner Baxter, American actor (d. 1951)
- 1889 – Howard Lindsay, American producer, playwright, librettist, director and actor (d. 1968)
- 1890 – Bert Bliss, English international footballer, inside forward (d. 1968)
- 1891 – Yvan Goll, French-German poet and playwright (d. 1950)
- 1891 – Alfred Neubauer, Austrian race car driver and manager (d. 1980)
- 1892 – József Mindszenty, Hungarian cardinal (d. 1975)
- 1893 – Astrid Holm, Danish actress (d. 1961)
- 1895 – Ernst Jünger, German philosopher and author (d. 1998)
- 1896 – Wilhelm Ackermann, German mathematician (d. 1962)
- 1899 – Lavrentiy Beria, Georgian-Russian general and politician (d. 1953)
- 1900 – Bill Aston, English race car driver (d. 1974)
- 1900 – John McEwen, Australian farmer and politician, 18th Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1980)
- 1902 – Marcel Aymé, French author, playwright, and screenwriter (d. 1967)
- 1902 – Don Miller, American football player and coach (d. 1979)
- 1902 – William Walton, English composer (d. 1983)
- 1903 – Douglas Harkness, Canadian colonel and politician, 14th Canadian Minister of National Defence (d. 1999)
- 1906 – James Bausch, American decathlete and football player (d. 1974)
- 1907 – Braguinha, Brazilian singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2006)
- 1908 – Arthur O’Connell, American actor (d. 1981)
- 1908 – Dennis O’Keefe, American actor and screenwriter (d. 1968)
- 1909 – Moon Mullican, American country and western singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 1967)
- 1912 – Hanna Reitsch, German soldier and pilot (d. 1979)
- 1914 – Phil Foster, American actor (d. 1985)
- 1914 – Chapman Pincher, Indian-English historian, journalist, and author (d. 2014)
- 1916 – Peter Geach, English philosopher and academic (d. 2013)
- 1916 – Eugene McCarthy, American poet and politician (d. 2005)
- 1917 – Tommy Holmes, American baseball player (d. 2008)
- 1918 – Pearl Bailey, American actress and singer (d. 1990)
- 1918 – Lê Văn Thiêm, Vietnamese mathematician and academic (d. 1991)
- 1918 – Sam Walton, American businessman, founded Walmart and Sam’s Club (d. 1992)
- 1919 – Eileen Heckart, American actress (d. 2001)
- 1920 – John M. Belk, American businessman and politician (d. 2007)
- 1920 – Clarke Fraser, American-Canadian geneticist and academic (d. 2014)
- 1920 – Pierre Moinot, French author (d. 2007)
- 1920 – Theodore Trautwein, American lawyer and judge (d. 2000)
- 1921 – Sam Loxton, Australian cricketer, footballer, and politician (d. 2011)
- 1923 – Geoff Duke, English-Manx motorcycle racer (d. 2015)
- 1923 – Betty Binns Fletcher, American lawyer and judge (d. 2012)
- 1923 – Bob Haymes, American singer-songwriter, and actor (d. 1989)
- 1926 – Moshe Sanbar, Hungarian-Israeli banker and economist (d. 2012)
- 1927 – John McLaughlin, American journalist and producer (d. 2016)
- 1927 – John Vane, English pharmacologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2004)
- 1928 – Romesh Bhandari, Pakistani-Indian politician, 13th Foreign Secretary of India (d. 2013)
- 1928 – Keith Botsford, Belgian-American journalist, author, and academic (d. 2018)
- 1928 – Vincent Gigante, American boxer and mobster (d. 2005)
- 1929 – Sheila Kitzinger, English activist, author, and academic (d. 2015)
- 1929 – Richard Lewontin, American biologist, geneticist, and academic
- 1929 – Lennart Meri, Estonian director and politician, 2nd President of Estonia (d. 2006)
- 1929 – Utpal Dutt, Indian Bengali actor, director and playwright (d. 1993)
- 1930 – Anerood Jugnauth, Mauritian lawyer and politician, 4th President of Mauritius
- 1931 – Ștefan Andrei, Romanian politician, 87th Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 2014)
- 1931 – Sopubek Begaliev, Kyrgyzstani economist and politician (d. 2002)
- 1931 – Aleksei Gubarev, Russian general, pilot, and astronaut (d. 2015)
- 1931 – Norman Tebbit, English journalist and politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
- 1933 – Jacques Brault, Canadian poet and academic
- 1934 – Shahryar Khan, Indian-Pakistani politician and diplomat, 20th Foreign Secretary of Pakistan
- 1936 – Richard Rodney Bennett, English-American composer and educator (d. 2012)
- 1936 – Mogens Camre, Danish politician (d. 2016)
- 1936 – John A. Durkin, American lawyer and politician (d. 2012)
- 1936 – Judith Guest, American author and screenwriter
- 1936 – Joseph P. Teasdale, American lawyer and politician, 48th Governor of Missouri (d. 2014)
- 1937 – Roberto Chabet, Filipino painter and sculptor (d. 2013)
- 1937 – Smarck Michel, Haitian businessman and politician, 6th Prime Minister of Haiti (d. 2012)
- 1937 – Gordon Milne, English footballer
- 1938 – Bert de Vries, Dutch politician
- 1939 – Roland Arnall, French-American businessman and diplomat, 63rd United States Ambassador to the Netherlands (d. 2008)
- 1939 – Terence Hill, Italian actor, director, and producer
- 1939 – Hanumant Singh, Indian cricketer (d. 2006)
- 1940 – Ray Davis, American bass singer (d. 2005)
- 1940 – Astrud Gilberto, Brazilian singer-songwriter
- 1940 – John Suchet, English journalist and game show host
- 1941 – Joseph Hooton Taylor Jr., American astrophysicist and astronomer, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1942 – Bob Lurtsema, American football player
- 1942 – Scott Wilson, American actor (d. 2018)
- 1943 – Vangelis, Greek keyboard player and songwriter
- 1943 – Chad Allan, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1943 – Eric Idle, English actor and comedian
- 1943 – John Major, English banker and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
- 1944 – Terry Jacks, Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1944 – Denny McLain, American baseball player and sportscaster
- 1944 – Lynne Segal, Australian-British feminist academic and activist
- 1945 – Walt Frazier, American basketball player and sportscaster
- 1945 – Speedy Keen, English singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer (d. 2002)
- 1946 – Billy Thorpe, English-Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 2007)
- 1946 – Segun Bucknor, Nigerian musician and journalist (d. 2017)
- 1947 – Inge Bödding, German sprinter
- 1947 – Robert Gordon, American singer and actor
- 1947 – Bobby Kimball, American singer-songwriter
- 1948 – Bud Cort, American actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1948 – Piet Souer, Dutch record producer, songwriter and arranger
- 1949 – Michael Brecker, American saxophonist and composer (d. 2007)
- 1949 – Dave Greenfield, English musician (d. 2020)
- 1949 – Pauline Marois, Canadian social worker and politician, 30th Premier of Quebec
- 1949 – Keith Simpson, English historian and politician
- 1951 – William Clarke, American harmonica player (d. 1996)
- 1951 – Geoff Howarth, New Zealand cricketer
- 1951 – Tina Monzon-Palma, Filipino journalist
- 1952 – Rainer Bonhof, German footballer
- 1952 – Russell Fairfax, Australian rugby player and coach
- 1952 – John Hendricks, American businessman, founded Discovery Communications
- 1952 – Teófilo Stevenson, Cuban boxer and engineer (d. 2012)
- 1953 – Tõnis Palts, Estonian politician, 39th Mayor of Tallinn
- 1955 – Earl Campbell, American football player
- 1955 – Brendan Gleeson, Irish actor
- 1955 – Marina Sirtis, British-American actress
- 1956 – Patty Donahue, American singer (d. 1996)
- 1957 – Elizabeth Hand, American author
- 1957 – Christopher Lambert, American-born French actor
- 1958 – Pedro Bial, Brazilian journalist and producer
- 1958 – Travis Childers, American businessman and politician
- 1958 – Nouriel Roubini, Turkish-American economist and academic
- 1958 – Victor Salva, American director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1958 – Marc Silvestri, American publisher, founded Top Cow Productions
- 1959 – Barry Blanchard, Canadian mountaineer
- 1959 – Perry Farrell, American singer-songwriter
- 1959 – Brad McCrimmon, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2011)
- 1960 – Wayne Pearce, Australian rugby league player, coach, and sportscaster
- 1961 – Gary Brabham, English-Australian race car driver
- 1961 – Mike Kingery, American baseball player
- 1961 – Amy Sedaris, American actress and comedian
- 1961 – Michael Winterbottom, English director and producer
- 1962 – Billy Beane, American baseball player and manager
- 1962 – Ted Failon, Filipino journalist and politician
- 1962 – Kirk Triplett, American golfer
- 1964 – Catherine Cortez Masto, American attorney and politician
- 1964 – Jill Goodacre, American model and actress
- 1964 – Elle Macpherson, Australian model and actress
- 1964 – Ming Tsai, American chef and television host
- 1965 – Emilios T. Harlaftis, Greek astrophysicist, astronomer, and academic (d. 2005)
- 1965 – William Oefelein, American commander, pilot, and astronaut
- 1965 – Voula Patoulidou, Greek hurdler, long jumper, and politician
- 1966 – Krasimir Balakov, Bulgarian footballer and manager
- 1966 – Jeroen Dijsselbloem, Dutch politician
- 1966 – Eric Gunderson, American baseball player
- 1966 – Sigrid Kirchmann, Austrian high jumper
- 1967 – Ainars Bagatskis, Latvian basketball player and coach
- 1967 – Michel Hazanavicius, French director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1967 – Brian Jordan, American baseball player and sportscaster
- 1968 – Lucy Lawless, New Zealand actress
- 1969 – Kim Batten, American hurdler
- 1969 – Shinichi Mochizuki, Japanese mathematician
- 1969 – Jimmy Spencer, American football player and coach
- 1971 – Robert Gibbs, American political adviser, 28th White House Press Secretary
- 1971 – Lara Logan, South African television and radio journalist and war correspondent
- 1971 – Hidetoshi Nishijima, Japanese actor
- 1972 – Rui Costa, Portuguese footballer
- 1972 – Piet-Hein Geeris, Dutch field hockey player
- 1972 – Alex Ochoa, Cuban-American baseball player and coach
- 1972 – Priti Patel, British Indian politician, Secretary of State for the Home Department
- 1973 – Marc Overmars, Dutch footballer and coach
- 1973 – Sebastiano Siviglia, Italian footballer
- 1973 – Steve Smith, English high jumper
- 1974 – Miguel Gómez, Colombian-American photographer and educator
- 1976 – Igor Astarloa, Spanish cyclist
- 1976 – Jennifer Capriati, American tennis player
- 1978 – Aaron Persico, New Zealand-Italian rugby player
- 1980 – Bill Demong, American skier
- 1980 – Bruno Silva, Uruguayan footballer
- 1981 – Jlloyd Samuel, Trinidadian footballer (d. 2018)
- 1982 – Jēkabs Rēdlihs, Latvian ice hockey player
- 1983 – Darius Draudvila, Lithuanian decathlete
- 1984 – Juan Mónaco, Argentinian tennis player
- 1985 – Fernando Amorebieta, Venezuelan international footballer, central defender
- 1985 – Maxim Lapierre, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1985 – Mickey Pimentel, American football player
- 1986 – Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, English footballer
- 1986 – Ivan Ukhov, Russian high jumper
- 1987 – Gianluca Freddi, Italian footballer
- 1987 – Dimitri Payet, French footballer
- 1987 – Romain Hamouma, French footballer
- 1988 – Esther Cremer, German runner
- 1988 – Jesús Molina, Mexican footballer
- 1988 – Jürgen Zopp, Estonian tennis player
- 1989 – James Tomkins, English footballer
- 1990 – Carlos Peña, Mexican footballer
- 1990 – Teemu Pukki, Finnish footballer
- 1990 – Lyle Taylor, English footballer
- 1991 – Irene, South Korean idol, actress and television host
- 1991 – Fabio Borini, Italian footballer
- 1991 – N’Golo Kanté, French footballer
- 1993 – Thorgan Hazard, Belgian footballer
Deaths on March 29
- 87 BC – Emperor Wu of Han of China (b. 157 BC)
- AD 57 – Emperor Guangwu of Han (b. 5 BC)
- 500 – Gwynllyw, Welsh king and religious figure
- 1058 – Pope Stephen IX (b. 1020)
- 1075 – Ottokar I of Styria, German noble
- 1368 – Emperor Go-Murakami of Japan (b. 1328)
- 1461 – Henry Percy, 3rd Earl of Northumberland, English politician (b. 1421)
- 1461 – Lionel de Welles, 6th Baron Welles
- 1467 – Matthew Palaiologos Asen, Byzantine aristocrat and official
- 1578 – Louis I, Cardinal of Guise (b. 1527)
- 1578 – Arthur Champernowne, English admiral and politician (b. 1524)
- 1628 – Tobias Matthew, English archbishop and academic (b. 1546)
- 1629 – Jacob de Gheyn II, Dutch painter and engraver (b. 1565)
- 1692 – Nicolaus Bruhns, Danish-German organist, violinist, and composer (b. 1665)
- 1703 – George Frederick II, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach, (b. 1678)
- 1751 – Thomas Coram, English captain and philanthropist, founded Foundling Hospital (b. 1668)
- 1772 – Emanuel Swedenborg, Swedish astronomer, philosopher, and theologian (b. 1688)
- 1788 – Charles Wesley, English missionary and poet (b. 1707)
- 1792 – Gustav III of Sweden (b. 1746)
- 1800 – Marc René, marquis de Montalembert, French general and engineer (b. 1714)
- 1803 – Gottfried van Swieten, Dutch-Austrian librarian and diplomat (b. 1733)
- 1826 – Johann Heinrich Voss, German poet, translator, and academic (b. 1751)
- 1829 – Cornelio Saavedra, Argentinian general and politician (b. 1759)
- 1848 – John Jacob Astor, German-American businessman (b. 1763)
- 1855 – Henri Druey, Swiss politician, 2nd President of the Swiss Confederation (b. 1799)
- 1873 – Francesco Zantedeschi, Italian priest and physicist (b. 1797)
- 1877 – Inazuma Raigorō, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 7th Yokozuna (b. 1802)
- 1888 – Charles-Valentin Alkan, French pianist and composer (b. 1813)
- 1891 – John Plankinton, American businessman and industrialist, also noted for philanthropy (b. 1820)
- 1891 – Georges Seurat, French painter (b. 1859)
- 1900 – Cyrus K. Holliday, American businessman (b. 1826)
- 1905 – William Plankinton, American businessman, industrialist and banker (b. 1843)
- 1906 – Slava Raškaj, Croatian painter (b. 1878)
- 1911 – Alexandre Guilmant, French organist and composer (b. 1837)
- 1912 – Henry Robertson Bowers, Scottish lieutenant and explorer (b. 1883)
- 1912 – Robert Falcon Scott, English lieutenant and explorer (b. 1868)
- 1912 – Edward Adrian Wilson, English physician and explorer (b. 1872)
- 1924 – Charles Villiers Stanford, Irish composer and conductor (b. 1852)
- 1934 – Otto Hermann Kahn, German-American banker and philanthropist (b. 1867)
- 1937 – Karol Szymanowski, Polish pianist and composer (b. 1882)
- 1940 – Alexander Obolensky, Russian-English rugby player and soldier (b. 1916)
- 1948 – Harry Price, English parapsychologist and author (b. 1881)
- 1957 – Joyce Cary, Anglo-Irish novelist (b. 1888)
- 1959 – Barthélemy Boganda, African priest and politician, 1st Prime Minister of the Central African Republic (b. 1910)
- 1963 – Gaspard Fauteux, Canadian dentist and politician, 19th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (b. 1898)
- 1963 – August Rei, Estonian soldier, journalist, and politician, 12th Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1886)
- 1970 – Anna Louise Strong, American journalist and author (b. 1885)
- 1971 – Dhirendranath Datta, Pakistani lawyer and politician (b. 1886)
- 1972 – J. Arthur Rank, English businessman, founded Rank Organisation (b. 1888)
- 1980 – Mantovani, Italian-English conductor and composer (b. 1905)
- 1981 – Eric Williams, Trinidadian historian and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago (b. 1911)
- 1982 – Walter Hallstein, German academic and politician, 1st President of the European Commission (b. 1901)
- 1982 – Carl Orff, German composer and educator (b. 1895)
- 1982 – Nathan Farragut Twining, American general (b. 1897)
- 1985 – Luther Terry, American physician and academic, 9th Surgeon General of the United States (b. 1911)
- 1988 – Maurice Blackburn, Canadian composer and conductor (b. 1914)
- 1988 – Ted Kluszewski, American baseball player and coach (b. 1924)
- 1991 – Guy Bourdin, French photographer (b. 1928)
- 1992 – Paul Henreid, American actor (b. 1908)
- 1994 – Bill Travers, English actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1922)
- 1995 – Mort Meskin, American illustrator (b. 1916)
- 1995 – Terry Moore, American baseball player and coach (b. 1912)
- 1996 – Frank Daniel, Czech-American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1926)
- 1996 – Bill Goldsworthy, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1944)
- 1997 – Hans-Walter Eigenbrodt, German footballer and coach (b. 1935)
- 1999 – Gyula Zsengellér, Hungarian footballer (b. 1915)
- 1999 – Joe Williams, American jazz singer (b. 1918)
- 2001 – Helge Ingstad, Norwegian lawyer, academic, and explorer (b. 1899)
- 2001 – John Lewis, American pianist and composer (b. 1920)
- 2003 – Carlo Urbani, Italian physician and microbiologist (b. 1956)
- 2004 – Lise de Baissac, Mauritian-born SOE agent, war hero (b. 1905)
- 2004 – Joel Feinberg, American philosopher and academic (b. 1926)
- 2005 – Miltos Sachtouris, Greek poet and author (b. 1919)
- 2006 – Salvador Elizondo, Mexican author and poet (b. 1932)
- 2007 – Larry L’Estrange, English rugby player and soldier (b. 1934)
- 2009 – Vladimir Fedotov, Russian footballer and manager (b. 1943)
- 2009 – Andy Hallett, American actor and singer (b. 1975)
- 2011 – Ângelo de Sousa, Portuguese painter and sculptor (b. 1938)
- 2011 – Iakovos Kambanellis, Greek author, poet, playwright, and screenwriter (b. 1921)
- 2012 – Pap Cheyassin Secka, Gambian lawyer and politician (b. 1942)
- 2012 – Bill Jenkins, American race car driver and engineer (b. 1930)
- 2013 – Reginald Gray, Irish-French painter (b. 1930)
- 2013 – Brian Huggins, English-Canadian journalist and actor (b. 1931)
- 2013 – Liu Kang, Chinese footballer and manager (b. 1961)
- 2013 – Ralph Klein, Canadian journalist and politician, 12th Premier of Alberta (b. 1942)
- 2013 – Art Phillips, Canadian businessman and politician, 32nd Mayor of Vancouver (b. 1930)
- 2014 – Marc Platt, American actor and dancer (b. 1913)
- 2014 – Ruth A. M. Schmidt, American geologist and paleontologist (b. 1916)
- 2015 – William Delafield Cook, Australian-English painter (b. 1926)
- 2015 – Gerry Hardstaff, English cricketer (b. 1940)
- 2016 – Patty Duke, American actress (b. 1946)
- 2017 – Alexei Alexeyevich Abrikosov, Russian physicist (b. 1928)
- 2019 – Agnès Varda, French film director (b. 1928)
Holidays and observances on March 29
- Christian feast day:
- Berthold
- Eustace of Luxeuil
- Gwladys
- Gwynllyw
- Hans Nielsen Hauge (Lutheran)
- John Keble (commemoration, Anglicanism)
- March 29 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Earliest day on which the Octave Day of Easter can fall, while May 2 is the latest; observed on the Sunday after Easter. (Christianity)
- Boganda Day (Central African Republic)
- Commemoration of the 1947 Rebellion (Madagascar)
- National Vietnam War Veterans Day (United States of America)
- Day of the Young Combatant (Chile)
- Youth Day (Taiwan)
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January 13 in History
- 532 – The Nika riots break out, during the racing season at the Hippodrome in Constantinople, as a result of discontent with the rule of the Emperor Justinian I.
- 1435 – Sicut Dudum, forbidding the enslavement of the Guanche natives in Canary Islands by the Spanish, is promulgated by Pope Eugene IV.
- 1547 – Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, is sentenced to death for treason, on the grounds of having quartered his arms to make them similar to those of the King, Henry VIII of England.
- 1793 – Nicolas Jean Hugon de Bassville, representative of Revolutionary France, lynched by a mob in Rome
- 1797 – French Revolutionary Wars: A naval battle between a French ship of the line and two British frigates off the coast of Brittany ends with the French vessel running aground, resulting in over 900 deaths.
- 1815 – War of 1812: British troops capture Fort Peter in St. Marys, Georgia, the only battle of the war to take place in the state.
- 1822 – The design of the Greek flag is adopted by the First National Assembly at Epidaurus.
- 1833 – United States President Andrew Jackson writes to Vice President Martin Van Buren expressing his opposition to South Carolina’s defiance of federal authority in the Nullification Crisis.
- 1840 – The steamship Lexington burns and sinks four miles off the coast of Long Island with the loss of 139 lives.
- 1842 – Dr. William Brydon, an assistant surgeon in the British East India Company Army during the First Anglo-Afghan War, becomes famous for being the sole survivor of an army of 4,500 men and 12,000 camp followers when he reaches the safety of a garrison in Jalalabad, Afghanistan.
- 1847 – The Treaty of Cahuenga ends the Mexican–American War in California.
- 1849 – Establishment of the Colony of Vancouver Island.
- 1849 – Second Anglo-Sikh War – Battle of Chillianwala: British forces retreat from the Sikhs.
- 1879 – In Mozart Gardens Brooklyn Ada Anderson completed a great feat of pedestrianism – 2700 quarter miles in 2700 quarter hours, earning her $8000.
- 1888 – The National Geographic Society is founded in Washington, D.C.
- 1893 – The Independent Labour Party of the United Kingdom holds its first meeting.
- 1893 – U.S. Marines land in Honolulu, Hawaii from the USS Boston to prevent the queen from abrogating the Bayonet Constitution.
- 1895 – First Italo-Ethiopian War: the war’s opening battle, the Battle of Coatit, occurs; it is an Italian victory.
- 1898 – Émile Zola’s J’accuse…! exposes the Dreyfus affair.
- 1908 – The Rhoads Opera House fire in Boyertown, Pennsylvania kills 171 people.
- 1910 – The first public radio broadcast takes place; a live performance of the operas Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci are sent out over the airwaves from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York.
- 1915 – The 6.7 Mw Avezzano earthquake shakes the Province of L’Aquila in Italy with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), killing between 29,978–32,610.
- 1920 – The Reichstag Bloodbath of January 13, 1920, the bloodiest demonstration in German history.
- 1935 – A plebiscite in Saarland shows that 90.3% of those voting wish to join Nazi Germany.
- 1939 – The Black Friday bushfires burn 20,000 square kilometers of land in Australia, claiming the lives of 71 people.
- 1942 – Henry Ford patents a plastic automobile, which is 30% lighter than a regular car.
- 1942 – World War II: First use of an aircraft ejection seat by a German test pilot in a Heinkel He 280 jet fighter.
- 1950 – British submarine HMS Truculent collides with an oil tanker in the Thames Estuary, killing 64 men.
- 1950 – Finland forms diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China.
- 1951 – First Indochina War: The Battle of Vĩnh Yên begins.
- 1953 – An article appears in Pravda accusing some of the most prestigious and prominent doctors, mostly Jews, in the Soviet Union of taking part in a vast plot to poison members of the top Soviet political and military leadership.
- 1958 – The Moroccan Army of Liberation ambushes a Spanish patrol in the Battle of Edchera.
- 1963 – Coup d’état in Togo results in the assassination of president Sylvanus Olympio.
- 1964 – Anti-Muslim riots break out in Calcutta, resulting in 100 deaths.
- 1964 – In Manchester, New Hampshire, fourteen-year-old Pamela Mason is murdered. Edward Coolidge is tried and convicted of the crime, but the conviction is set aside by the landmark Fourth Amendment case Coolidge v. New Hampshire (1971).
- 1966 – Robert C. Weaver becomes the first African American Cabinet member when he is appointed United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
- 1968 – Johnny Cash performs live at Folsom State Prison.
- 1972 – Prime Minister Kofi Abrefa Busia and President Edward Akufo-Addo of Ghana are ousted in a bloodless military coup by Colonel Ignatius Kutu Acheampong.
- 1978 – United States Food and Drug Administration requires all blood donations to be labeled “paid” or “volunteer” donors.
- 1982 – Shortly after takeoff, Air Florida Flight 90, a Boeing 737 jet, crashes into Washington, D.C.’s 14th Street Bridge and falls into the Potomac River, killing 78 including four motorists.
- 1985 – A passenger train plunges into a ravine in Ethiopia, killing 428 in the worst railroad disaster in Africa.
- 1986 – A month-long violent struggle begins in Aden, South Yemen between supporters of Ali Nasir Muhammad and Abdul Fattah Ismail, resulting in thousands of casualties.
- 1988 – Lee Teng-hui becomes the first native Taiwanese President of the Republic of China.
- 1990 – Douglas Wilder becomes the first elected African American governor as he takes office as Governor of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia.
- 1991 – Soviet Union troops attack Lithuanian independence supporters in Vilnius, killing 14 people and wounding around 1000 others.
- 1993 – Space Shuttle program: Endeavour heads for space for the third time as STS-54 launches from the Kennedy Space Center.
- 1993 – The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) is signed.
- 1998 – Alfredo Ormando sets himself on fire in St. Peter’s Square, protesting against homophobia.
- 2001 – An earthquake hits El Salvador, killing more than 800.
- 2012 – The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia sinks off the coast of Italy due to the captain Francesco Schettino’s negligence and irresponsibility. There are 32 confirmed deaths.
- 2018 – A false emergency alert warning of an impending missile strike in Hawaii caused widespread panic in the state.
- 2020 – Taal Volcano in the Philippines spews lava fountains while erupting in the crater.
Births on January 13
- 5 BC – Guangwu of Han, Chinese emperor (d. 57)
- 101 – Lucius Aelius, Roman adopted son of Hadrian (d. 138)
- 915 – Al-Hakam II, Umayyad caliph (d. 976)
- 1334 – Henry II, king of Castile and León (d. 1379)
- 1338 – Jeong Mong-ju, Korean civil minister, diplomat and scholar (d. 1392)
- 1400 – Infante John, Constable of Portugal (d. 1442)
- 1477 – Henry Percy, 5th Earl of Northumberland (d. 1527)
- 1505 – Joachim II Hector, Elector of Brandenburg (d. 1571)
- 1562 – Mark Alexander Boyd, Scottish poet and soldier (d. 1601)
- 1596 – Jan van Goyen, Dutch painter and illustrator (d. 1656)
- 1610 – Maria Anna of Bavaria, archduchess of Austria (d. 1665)
- 1616 – Antoinette Bourignon, French-Flemish mystic and author (d. 1680)
- 1651 – Henry Booth, 1st Earl of Warrington, English soldier and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (d. 1694)
- 1683 – Christoph Graupner, German harpsichord player and composer (d. 1760)
- 1720 – Richard Hurd, English bishop (d. 1808)
- 1749 – Maler Müller, German poet, painter, and playwright (d. 1825)
- 1787 – John Davis, American lawyer and politician, 14th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1854)
- 1804 – Paul Gavarni, French illustrator (d. 1866)
- 1805 – Thomas Dyer, American lawyer and politician, 18th Mayor of Chicago (d. 1862)
- 1808 – Salmon P. Chase, American jurist and politician, 6th Chief Justice of the United States (d. 1873)
- 1810 – Ernestine Rose, American suffragist, abolitionist, and freethinker (d. 1892)
- 1812 – Victor de Laprade, French poet and critic (d. 1883)
- 1832 – Horatio Alger, Jr., American novelist and journalist (d. 1899)
- 1845 – Félix Tisserand, French astronomer and academic (d. 1896)
- 1858 – Oskar Minkowski, Lithuanian-German biologist and academic (d. 1931)
- 1859 – Kostis Palamas, Greek poet and playwright (d. 1943)
- 1861 – Max Nonne, German neurologist and academic (d. 1959)
- 1864 – Wilhelm Wien, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1928)
- 1865 – Princess Marie of Orléans (d. 1908)
- 1866 – Vasily Kalinnikov, Russian bassoon player and composer (d. 1901)
- 1866 – George Gurdjieff, Russian-French mystic and philosopher (d. 1949)
- 1869 – Prince Emanuele Filiberto, Duke of Aosta (d. 1931)
- 1870 – Ross Granville Harrison, American biologist and anatomist (d. 1959)
- 1878 – Lionel Groulx, Canadian priest and historian (d. 1967)
- 1881 – Essington Lewis, Australian engineer and businessman (d. 1961)
- 1883 – Nathaniel Cartmell, American runner and coach (d. 1967)
- 1885 – Alfred Fuller, Canadian-American businessman, founded the Fuller Brush Company (d. 1973)
- 1886 – Art Ross, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach (d. 1964)
- 1887 – Sophie Tucker, Russian-born American singer and actress (d. 1966)
- 1890 – Jüri Uluots, Estonian journalist, lawyer, and politician, 7th Prime Minister of Estonia (d. 1945)
- 1892 – Ermanno Aebi, Italian-Swiss footballer (d. 1976)
- 1893 – Charles Arnison, English lieutenant and pilot (d. 1974)
- 1893 – Roy Cazaly, Australian footballer and coach (d. 1963)
- 1893 – Clark Ashton Smith, American poet, sculptor, painter, and author (d. 1961)
- 1893 – Chaim Soutine, Belarusian-French painter (d. 1943)
- 1900 – Shimizugawa Motokichi, Japanese sumo wrestler (d. 1967)
- 1900 – Gertrude Mary Cox, American mathematician (d. 1978)
- 1901 – A. B. Guthrie, Jr., American novelist, screenwriter, historian (d. 1991)
- 1901 – Mieczysław Żywczyński, Polish priest and historian (d. 1978)
- 1902 – Karl Menger, Austrian-American mathematician from the Vienna Circle (d. 1985)
- 1904 – Richard Addinsell, English composer (d. 1977)
- 1904 – Nathan Milstein, Ukrainian-American violinist and composer (d. 1992)
- 1904 – Dick Rowley, Irish footballer, centre forward (d. 1984)
- 1905 – Kay Francis, American actress (d. 1968)
- 1905 – Jack London, English sprinter and pianist (d. 1966)
- 1906 – Zhou Youguang, Chinese linguist, sinologist, and academic (d. 2017)
- 1909 – Helm Glöckler, German race car driver (d. 1993)
- 1910 – Yannis Tsarouchis, Greek painter and illustrator (d. 1989)
- 1911 – Joh Bjelke-Petersen, New Zealand-Australian farmer and politician, 31st Premier of Queensland (d. 2005)
- 1914 – Osa Massen, Danish-American actress (d. 2006)
- 1914 – Ted Willis, Baron Willis, English author, playwright, and screenwriter (d. 1992)
- 1919 – Robert Stack, American actor (d. 2003)
- 1921 – Necati Cumalı, Greek-Turkish author and poet (d. 2001)
- 1921 – Dachine Rainer, American-English author and poet (d. 2000)
- 1921 – Arthur Stevens, English footballer, outside right (d. 2007}
- 1922 – Albert Lamorisse, French director and producer (d. 1970)
- 1923 – Daniil Shafran, Russian cellist (d. 1997)
- 1923 – Willem Slijkhuis, Dutch runner (d. 2003)
- 1924 – Paul Feyerabend, Austrian-Swiss philosopher and academic (d. 1994)
- 1924 – Roland Petit, French dancer and choreographer (d. 2011)
- 1925 – Rosemary Murphy, American actress (d. 2014)
- 1925 – Vanita Smythe, American singer and actress (d. 1994)
- 1925 – Ron Tauranac, Australian engineer and businessman
- 1925 – Gwen Verdon, American actress and dancer (d. 2000)
- 1926 – Michael Bond, English soldier and author, created Paddington Bear (d. 2017)
- 1926 – Carolyn Gold Heilbrun, American author and academic (d. 2003)
- 1926 – Melba Liston, American trombonist and composer (d. 1999)
- 1927 – Brock Adams, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 5th United States Secretary of Transportation (d. 2004)
- 1927 – Liz Anderson, American singer-songwriter (d. 2011)
- 1927 – Sydney Brenner, South African biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2019)
- 1929 – Joe Pass, American guitarist and composer (d. 1994)
- 1930 – Frances Sternhagen, American actress
- 1931 – Ian Hendry, English actor (d. 1984)
- 1931 – Charles Nelson Reilly, American actor, comedian, director, game show panelist, and television personality (d. 2007)
- 1932 – Barry Bishop, American mountaineer, photographer, and scholar (d. 1994)
- 1933 – Tom Gola, American basketball player, coach, and politician (d. 2014)
- 1935 – Rip Taylor, American actor and comedian (d. 2019)
- 1936 – Renato Bruson, Italian opera singer
- 1937 – Guy Dodson, New Zealand-English biochemist and academic (d. 2012)
- 1938 – Cabu, French cartoonist (d. 2015)
- 1938 – Daevid Allen, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2015)
- 1938 – Richard Anthony, Egyptian-French singer-songwriter (d. 2015)
- 1938 – Dave Edwards, American captain and politician (d. 2013)
- 1938 – Tord Grip, Swedish footballer and manager
- 1938 – Anna Home, English screenwriter and producer
- 1939 – Edgardo Cozarinsky, Argentinian author, screenwriter, and director
- 1939 – Jacek Gmoch, Polish footballer and coach
- 1939 – Cesare Maniago, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1940 – Edmund White, American novelist, memoirist, and essayist
- 1941 – Pasqual Maragall, Spanish academic and politician, 127th President of the Generalitat de Catalunya
- 1941 – Meinhard Nehmer, German bobsledder
- 1943 – William Duckworth, American composer and author (d. 2012)
- 1943 – Richard Moll, American actor
- 1945 – Gordon McVie, English oncologist and author
- 1945 – Peter Simpson, English footballer
- 1946 – Ordal Demokan, Turkish physicist and academic (d. 2004)
- 1946 – Eero Koivistoinen, Finnish saxophonist, composer, and conductor
- 1947 – John Lees, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1947 – Jacek Majchrowski, Polish historian, lawyer, and politician
- 1947 – Carles Rexach, Spanish footballer and coach
- 1948 – Gaj Singh, Indian lawyer and politician
- 1949 – Rakesh Sharma, Indian commander, pilot, and astronaut
- 1949 – Brandon Tartikoff, American screenwriter and producer (d. 1997)
- 1950 – Clive Betts, English economist and politician
- 1950 – Bob Forsch, American baseball player (d. 2011)
- 1950 – Gholam Hossein Mazloumi, Iranian footballer and manager (d. 2014)
- 1952 – Stephen Glover, English journalist, co-founded The Independent
- 1953 – Silvana Gallardo, American actress and producer (d. 2012)
- 1954 – Richard Blackford, English composer
- 1954 – Trevor Rabin, South African-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1955 – Paul Kelly, Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1955 – Jay McInerney, American novelist and critic
- 1955 – Anne Pringle, English diplomat, British Ambassador to Russia
- 1957 – Claudia Emerson, American poet and academic (d. 2014)
- 1957 – Mary Glindon, English lawyer and politician
- 1957 – Mark O’Meara, American golfer
- 1957 – Lorrie Moore, American short story writer
- 1958 – Francisco Buyo, Spanish footballer and manager
- 1958 – Juan Pedro de Miguel, Spanish handball player (d. 2016)
- 1959 – Winnie Byanyima, Ugandan engineer, politician, and diplomat
- 1960 – Eric Betzig, American physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1960 – Matthew Bourne, English choreographer and director
- 1961 – Wayne Coyne, American singer-songwriter and musician
- 1961 – Kelly Hrudey, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
- 1961 – Julia Louis-Dreyfus, American actress, comedian, and producer
- 1962 – Trace Adkins, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1962 – Paul Higgins, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1964 – Penelope Ann Miller, American actress
- 1966 – Patrick Dempsey, American actor and race car driver
- 1966 – Leo Visser, Dutch speed skater and pilot
- 1968 – Mike Whitlow, English footballer and coach
- 1969 – Stefania Belmondo, Italian skier
- 1969 – Stephen Hendry, Scottish snooker player and journalist
- 1970 – Frank Kooiman, Dutch footballer
- 1970 – Marco Pantani, Italian cyclist (d. 2004)
- 1970 – Shonda Rhimes, American actress, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1972 – Mark Bosnich, Australian footballer and sportscaster
- 1972 – Nicole Eggert, American actress
- 1972 – Vitaly Scherbo, Belarusian gymnast
- 1973 – Nikolai Khabibulin, Russian ice hockey player
- 1973 – Gigi Galli, Italian race driver
- 1974 – Sergei Brylin, Russian ice hockey player and coach
- 1975 – Rune Eriksen, Norwegian guitarist and composer
- 1975 – Mailis Reps, Estonian academic and politician, 31st Estonian Minister of Education and Research
- 1975 – Andrew Yang, American entrepreneur, founder of Venture for America, and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate
- 1976 – Mario Yepes, Colombian footballer
- 1977 – Orlando Bloom, English actor and producer
- 1977 – Mi-Hyun Kim, South Korean golfer
- 1977 – Elliot Mason, English trombonist and keyboard player
- 1977 – James Posey, American basketball player and coach
- 1978 – Nate Silver, American journalist and statistician, developed PECOTA
- 1979 – Katy Brand, English actress and screenwriter
- 1980 – Krzysztof Czerwiński, Polish organist and conductor
- 1980 – Nils-Eric Johansson, Swedish footballer
- 1980 – Akira Kaji, Japanese footballer
- 1980 – Wolfgang Loitzl, Austrian ski jumper
- 1980 – Mirko Soltau, German footballer
- 1981 – Reggie Brown, American football player
- 1981 – Darrell Rasner, American baseball player
- 1981 – Yujiro Takahashi, Japanese wrestler
- 1982 – Kamran Akmal, Pakistan cricketer
- 1982 – Guillermo Coria, Argentinian tennis player
- 1982 – Constantinos Makrides, Cypriot footballer
- 1982 – Ruth Wilson, English actress
- 1983 – Ender Arslan, Turkish basketball player
- 1983 – Sebastian Kneißl, German footballer
- 1983 – Mauricio Martín Romero, Argentinian footballer
- 1984 – Matteo Cavagna, Italian footballer
- 1984 – Kamghe Gaba, German sprinter
- 1984 – Nick Mangold, American football player
- 1985 – Luke Robinson, American wrestler
- 1986 – Joannie Rochette, Canadian figure skater
- 1987 – Stefano Del Sante, Italian footballer
- 1987 – Jack Johnson, American ice hockey player
- 1987 – Florica Leonida, Romanian gymnast
- 1987 – Steven Michaels, Australian rugby league player
- 1987 – Daniel Oss, Italian cyclist
- 1987 – Marc Staal, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1987 – Sven Wetzel, German rugby player
- 1988 – Josh Freeman, American football player
- 1989 – Morgan Burnett, American football player
- 1989 – Doug Martin, American football player
- 1990 – Vincenzo Fiorillo, Italian footballer
- 1990 – Liam Hemsworth, Australian actor
- 1991 – Rob Kiernan, English-Irish footballer
- 1992 – Adam Matthews, Welsh footballer
- 1992 – Dinah Pfizenmaier, German tennis player
- 1993 – Max Whitlock, English artistic gymnast
- 1997 – Micah Hart, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1997 – Connor McDavid, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1997 – Ivan Provorov, Russian ice hockey player
Deaths on January 13
- 86 BC – Gaius Marius, Roman general and politician (b. 157 BC)
- 533 – Remigius, French bishop and saint (b. 437)
- 614 – Mungo, English-Scottish bishop and saint
- 703 – Jitō, Japanese emperor (b. 645)
- 858 – Æthelwulf, king of Wessex
- 888 – Charles the Fat, Frankish king and emperor (b. 839)
- 927 – Berno of Cluny, Frankish monk and abbot
- 1001 – Fujiwara no Teishi, Japanese empress (b. 977)
- 1147 – Robert de Craon, Grand Master of the Knights Templar
- 1151 – Suger, French historian and politician (b. 1081)
- 1177 – Henry II, count palatine and duke of Austria (b. 1107)
- 1321 – Bonacossa Borri, Italian noblewoman (b. 1254)
- 1330 – Frederick I, duke and king of Germany
- 1363 – Meinhard III, German nobleman (b. 1344)
- 1400 – Thomas le Despenser, 1st Earl of Gloucester, English politician (b. 1373)
- 1599 – Edmund Spenser, English poet, Chief Secretary for Ireland (b. 1552)
- 1612 – Jane Dormer, English lady-in-waiting (b. 1538)
- 1625 – Jan Brueghel the Elder, Flemish painter (b. 1568)
- 1684 – Henry Howard, 6th Duke of Norfolk, English nobleman (b. 1628)
- 1691 – George Fox, English religious leader, founded the Religious Society of Friends (b. 1624)
- 1717 – Maria Sibylla Merian, German entomologist and illustrator (b. 1647)
- 1775 – Johann Georg Walch, German theologian and author (b. 1693)
- 1790 – Luc Urbain de Bouëxic, French admiral (b. 1712)
- 1796 – John Anderson, Scottish philosopher and educator (b. 1726)
- 1832 – Thomas Lord, English cricketer, founded Lord’s Cricket Ground (b. 1755)
- 1838 – Ferdinand Ries, German pianist and composer (b. 1784)
- 1860 – William Mason, American surgeon and politician (b. 1786)
- 1864 – Stephen Foster, American composer and songwriter (b. 1826)
- 1872 – William Scamp, English architect and engineer (b. 1801)
- 1882 – Wilhelm Mauser, German engineer and businessman, co-founded the Mauser Company (b. 1834)
- 1885 – Schuyler Colfax, American journalist and politician, 17th Vice President of the United States (b. 1823)
- 1889 – Solomon Bundy, American lawyer and politician (b. 1823)
- 1905 – George Thorn, Australian farmer and politician, 6th Premier of Queensland (b. 1838)
- 1906 – Alexander Stepanovich Popov, Russian physicist and academic (b. 1859)
- 1907 – Jakob Hurt, Estonian theologist and linguist (b. 1839)
- 1915 – Mary Slessor, Scottish-Nigerian missionary (b. 1848)
- 1916 – Victoriano Huerta, Mexican military officer and president, 1913–1914 (b. 1850)
- 1923 – Alexandre Ribot, French academic and politician, Prime Minister of France (b. 1842)
- 1924 – Georg Hermann Quincke, German physicist and academic (b. 1834)
- 1929 – Wyatt Earp, American police officer (b. 1848)
- 1929 – H. B. Higgins, Irish-Australian judge and politician, 3rd Attorney-General for Australia (b. 1851)
- 1934 – Paul Ulrich Villard, French physicist and chemist (b. 1860)
- 1941 – James Joyce, Irish novelist, short story writer, and poet (b. 1882)
- 1943 – Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Swiss painter and sculptor (b. 1889)
- 1956 – Lyonel Feininger, German-American painter and illustrator (b. 1871)
- 1957 – A. E. Coppard English poet and short story writer (b. 1878)
- 1958 – Jesse L. Lasky, American film producer, co-founded Paramount Pictures (b. 1880)
- 1962 – Ernie Kovacs, American actor and game show host (b. 1919)
- 1963 – Sylvanus Olympio, Togolese businessman and politician, President of Togo (b. 1902)
- 1967 – Anatole de Grunwald, Russian-English screenwriter and producer (b. 1910)
- 1971 – Robert Still, English composer and educator (b. 1910)
- 1973 – Sabahattin Eyüboğlu, Turkish screenwriter and producer (b. 1908)
- 1974 – Raoul Jobin, Canadian tenor and educator (b. 1906)
- 1974 – Salvador Novo, Mexican playwright and poet (b. 1904)
- 1976 – Margaret Leighton, English actress (b. 1922)
- 1977 – Henri Langlois, Turkish-French historian, co-founded the Cinémathèque Française (b. 1914)
- 1978 – Hubert Humphrey, American pharmacist, academic, and politician, 38th Vice President of the United States (b. 1911)
- 1978 – Joe McCarthy, American baseball player and manager (b. 1887)
- 1979 – Donny Hathaway, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer (b. 1945)
- 1979 – Marjorie Lawrence, Australian-American soprano (b. 1907)
- 1980 – Andre Kostelanetz, Russian-American conductor (b. 1901)
- 1982 – Marcel Camus, French director and screenwriter (b. 1912)
- 1983 – René Bonnet, French race car driver and engineer (b. 1904)
- 1986 – Abdul Fattah Ismail, Yemeni educator and politician, 4th President of South Yemen (b. 1939)
- 1986 – Kevin Longbottom, Australian rugby league player (b. 1940)
- 1988 – Chiang Ching-kuo, Chinese politician, President of the Republic of China (b. 1910)
- 1993 – Camargo Guarnieri, Brazilian composer and conductor (b. 1907)
- 1995 – Max Harris, Australian journalist, poet, and author (b. 1921)
- 2002 – Frank Shuster, Canadian actor, comedian, and screenwriter (b. 1916)
- 2003 – Norman Panama, American director and screenwriter (b. 1914)
- 2004 – Arne Næss, Jr., Norwegian businessman and mountaineer (b. 1937)
- 2005 – Earl Cameron, Canadian journalist (b. 1915)
- 2005 – Nell Rankin, American soprano and actress (b. 1924)
- 2006 – Frank Fixaris, American journalist and sportscaster (b. 1934)
- 2006 – Marc Potvin, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach (b. 1967)
- 2007 – Michael Brecker, American saxophonist and composer (b. 1949)
- 2007 – Danny Oakes, American race car driver (b. 1911)
- 2008 – Johnny Podres, American baseball player and coach (b. 1932)
- 2009 – Dai Llewellyn, Welsh humanitarian activist and politician (b. 1946)
- 2009 – Patrick McGoohan, Irish-American actor, director, and producer (b. 1928)
- 2009 – Mansour Rahbani, Lebanese poet, composer, and producer (b. 1925)
- 2009 – W. D. Snodgrass, American poet (b. 1926)
- 2009 – Nancy Bird Walton, Australian pilot (b. 1915)
- 2010 – Teddy Pendergrass, American singer-songwriter (b. 1950)
- 2011 – Albert Heijn, Dutch businessman (b. 1927)
- 2012 – Rauf Denktaş, Turkish-Cypriot lawyer and politician, 1st President of Northern Cyprus (b. 1924)
- 2012 – Guido Dessauer, German physicist and engineer (b. 1915)
- 2012 – Miljan Miljanić, Serbian footballer and manager (b. 1930)
- 2013 – Diogenes Allen, American philosopher and theologian (b. 1932)
- 2013 – Rodney Mims Cook, Sr., American lieutenant and politician (b. 1924)
- 2013 – Chia-Chiao Lin, Chinese-American mathematician and academic (b. 1916)
- 2014 – Bobby Collins, Scottish footballer and manager (b. 1931)
- 2014 – Randal Tye Thomas, American journalist and politician (b. 1978)
- 2014 – Waldemar von Gazen, German general and lawyer (b. 1917)
- 2015 – Mark Juddery, Australian journalist and author (b. 1971)
- 2015 – Robert White, American soldier and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Paraguay (b. 1926)
- 2016 – Brian Bedford, English-American actor and director (b. 1935)
- 2016 – Giorgio Gomelsky, Georgian-American director, producer, songwriter, and manager (b. 1934)
- 2016 – Lawrence Phillips, American football player (b. 1975)
- 2017 – Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon, English photographer and sometime member of the British royal family (b. 1930)
- 2017 – Dick Gautier, American actor (b. 1931)
- 2017 – Magic Alex, Greek electronics engineer (b. 1942)
- 2019 – Phil Masinga, South African footballer (b. 1969)
Holidays and observances on January 13
- Christian feast day:
- Blessed Veronica of Milan
- Elian
- Hilary of Poitiers
- Mungo
- St. Knut’s Day or Tjugondag Knut, the last day of Christmas. (Sweden and Finland)
- January 13 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Constitution Day (Mongolia)
- Democracy Day (Cape Verde)
- Korean-American Day (Korean-American community, United States)
- Liberation Day (Togo)
- Old New Year’s Eve (Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Serbia, Montenegro, Republic of Srpska, North Macedonia), and its related observances:
- Malanka (Ukraine, Russia, Belarus)
- Sidereal winter solstice’s eve celebrations in South and Southeast Asian cultures; the last day of the six-month Dakshinayana period (see January 14):
- Bhogi (Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu)
- Lohri (Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh)
- Uruka (Assam)
- Stephen Foster Memorial Day (United States)
- Yennayer (Berbers)