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May 30 in History
- AD 70 – Siege of Jerusalem: Titus and his Roman legions breach the Second Wall of Jerusalem. Jewish defenders retreat to the First Wall. The Romans build a circumvallation, cutting down all trees within fifteen kilometers.
- 1381 – Beginning of the Peasants’ Revolt in England.
- 1416 – The Council of Constance, called by Emperor Sigismund, a supporter of Antipope John XXIII, burns Jerome of Prague following a trial for heresy.
- 1431 – Hundred Years’ War: In Rouen, France, the 19-year-old Joan of Arc is burned at the stake by an English-dominated tribunal. The Roman Catholic Church remembers this day as the celebration of Saint Joan of Arc.
- 1434 – Hussite Wars: Battle of Lipany: Effectively ending the war, Utraquist forces led by Diviš Bořek of Miletínek defeat and almost annihilate Taborite forces led by Prokop the Great.
- 1510 – During the reign of the Zhengde Emperor, Ming dynasty rebel leader Zhu Zhifan is defeated by commander Qiu Yue, ending the Prince of Anhua rebellion.
- 1536 – King Henry VIII of England marries Jane Seymour, a lady-in-waiting to his first two wives.
- 1539 – In Florida, Hernando de Soto lands at Tampa Bay with 600 soldiers with the goal of finding gold.
- 1574 – Henry III becomes King of France.
- 1588 – The last ship of the Spanish Armada sets sail from Lisbon heading for the English Channel.
- 1631 – Publication of Gazette de France, the first French newspaper.
- 1635 – Thirty Years’ War: The Peace of Prague is signed.
- 1642 – From this date all honors granted by Charles I of England are retroactively annulled by Parliament.
- 1806 – Future U.S. President Andrew Jackson kills Charles Dickinson in a duel.
- 1814 – The First Treaty of Paris is signed, returning the French frontiers to their 1792 extent, and restoring the House of Bourbon to power.
- 1815 – The East Indiaman Arniston is wrecked during a storm at Waenhuiskrans, near Cape Agulhas, in present-day South Africa, with the loss of 372 lives.
- 1834 – Minister of Justice Joaquim António de Aguiar issues a law seizing “all convents, monasteries, colleges, hospices and any other houses” from the Catholic religious orders in Portugal, earning him the nickname of “The Friar-Killer”.
- 1842 – John Francis attempts to murder Queen Victoria as she drives down Constitution Hill in London with Prince Albert.
- 1845 – The Fatel Razack coming from India, lands in the Gulf of Paria in Trinidad and Tobago carrying the first Indians to the country.
- 1854 – The Kansas–Nebraska Act becomes law establishing the US territories of Kansas and Nebraska.
- 1868 – Decoration Day (the predecessor of the modern “Memorial Day”) is observed in the United States for the first time after a proclamation by John A. Logan, head of the Grand Army of the Republic (a veterans group).
- 1876 – Ottoman sultan Abdülaziz is deposed and succeeded by his nephew Murad V.
- 1883 – In New York City, a stampede on the recently opened Brooklyn Bridge killed twelve people.
- 1899 – Pearl Hart, a female outlaw of the Old West, robs a stage coach 30 miles southeast of Globe, Arizona.
- 1911 – At the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the first Indianapolis 500 ends with Ray Harroun in his Marmon Wasp becoming the first winner of the 500-mile auto race.
- 1913 – The Treaty of London is signed, ending the First Balkan War; Albania becomes an independent nation.
- 1914 – The new, and then the largest, Cunard ocean liner RMS Aquitania, 45,647 tons, sets sails on her maiden voyage from Liverpool, England, to New York City.
- 1922 – The Lincoln Memorial is dedicated in Washington, D.C..
- 1925 – May Thirtieth Movement: Shanghai Municipal Police Force shoot and kill 13 protesting workers.
- 1937 – Memorial Day massacre: Chicago police shoot and kill ten labor demonstrators.
- 1941 – World War II: Manolis Glezos and Apostolos Santas climb the Athenian Acropolis and tear down the German flag.
- 1942 – World War II: One thousand British bombers launch a 90-minute attack on Cologne, Germany.
- 1943 – The Holocaust: Josef Mengele becomes chief medical officer of the Zigeunerfamilienlager (Romani family camp) at Auschwitz concentration camp.
- 1948 – A dike along the flooding Columbia River breaks, obliterating Vanport, Oregon within minutes. Fifteen people die and tens of thousands are left homeless.
- 1958 – Memorial Day: The remains of two unidentified American servicemen, killed in action during World War II and the Korean War respectively, are buried at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery.
- 1959 – The Auckland Harbour Bridge, crossing the Waitematā Harbour in Auckland, New Zealand, is officially opened by Governor-General Charles Lyttelton, 10th Viscount Cobham.
- 1961 – The long-time Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo is assassinated in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
- 1963 – A protest against pro-Catholic discrimination during the Buddhist crisis is held outside South Vietnam’s National Assembly, the first open demonstration during the eight-year rule of Ngo Dinh Diem.
- 1966 – Former Congolese Prime Minister, Évariste Kimba, and several other politicians are publicly executed in Kinshasa on the orders of President Joseph Mobutu.
- 1967 – The Nigerian Eastern Region declares independence as the Republic of Biafra, sparking a civil war.
- 1968 – Charles de Gaulle reappears publicly after his flight to Baden-Baden, Germany, and dissolves the French National Assembly by a radio appeal. Immediately after, less than one million of his supporters march on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. This is the turning point of May 1968 events in France.
- 1971 – Mariner program: Mariner 9 is launched to map 70% of the surface, and to study temporal changes in the atmosphere and surface, of Mars.
- 1972 – The Angry Brigade goes on trial over a series of 25 bombings throughout the United Kingdom.
- 1972 – In Ben Gurion Airport (at the time: Lod Airport), Israel, members of the Japanese Red Army carry out the Lod Airport massacre, killing 24 people and injuring 78 others.
- 1974 – The Airbus A300 passenger aircraft first enters service.
- 1979 – Downeast Flight 46 crashes on approach to Knox County Regional Airport in Rockland, Maine, killing 17.
- 1975 – European Space Agency is established.
- 1982 – Cold War: Spain joins NATO.
- 1989 – Tiananmen Square protests of 1989: The 10-metre high “Goddess of Democracy” statue is unveiled in Tiananmen Square by student demonstrators.
- 1990 – Croatian Parliament is constituted after the first free, multi-party elections, today celebrated as the National Day of Croatia.
- 1998 – The 6.5 Mw Afghanistan earthquake shook the Takhar Province of northern Afghanistan with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VII (Very strong), killing around 4,000–4,500.
- 1998 – Nuclear Testing: Pakistan conducts an underground test in the Kharan Desert. It is reported to be a plutonium device with yield of 20kt TNT equivalent.
- 2003 – Depayin massacre: At least 70 people associated with the National League for Democracy are killed by government-sponsored mob in Burma. Aung San Suu Kyi flees the scene, but is arrested soon afterwards.
- 2008 – Convention on Cluster Munitions is adopted.
- 2008 – TACA Flight 390 overshoots the runway at Toncontín International Airport, killing five people.
- 2012 – Former Liberian president Charles Taylor is sentenced to 50 years in prison for his role in atrocities committed during the Sierra Leone Civil War.
- 2013 – Nigeria passes a law banning same-sex marriage.
- 2020 – The Crew Dragon Demo-2 launches from the Kennedy Space Center, becoming the first crewed rocket to launch from the United States since 2011.
Births on May 30
- 1010 – Ren Zong, Chinese emperor (d. 1063)
- 1201 – Theobald IV, count of Champagne (d. 1253)
- 1423 – Georg von Peuerbach, German mathematician and astronomer (d. 1461)
- 1464 – Barbara of Brandenburg, Bohemian queen (d. 1515)
- 1580 – Fadrique de Toledo, 1st Marquis of Villanueva de Valdueza (d. 1634)
- 1599 – Samuel Bochart, French Protestant biblical scholar (d. 1667)
- 1623 – John Egerton, 2nd Earl of Bridgewater, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire (d. 1686)
- 1686 – Antonina Houbraken, Dutch illustrator (d. 1736)
- 1718 – Wills Hill, 1st Marquess of Downshire, English politician, Secretary of State for the Colonies (d. 1793)
- 1719 – Roger Newdigate, English politician (d. 1806)
- 1757 – Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1844)
- 1768 – Étienne Marie Antoine Champion de Nansouty, French general (d. 1815)
- 1797 – Georg Amadeus Carl Friedrich Naumann, German mineralogist and geologist (d. 1873)
- 1800 – Henri-Marie-Gaston Boisnormand de Bonnechose, French cardinal (d. 1883)
- 1814 – Mikhail Bakunin, Russian philosopher and theorist (d. 1876)
- 1814 – Eugène Charles Catalan, Belgian-French mathematician and academic (d. 1894)
- 1819 – William McMurdo, English general (d. 1894)
- 1820 – Pierre-Joseph-Olivier Chauveau, Canadian lawyer and politician, 1st Premier of Quebec (d. 1890)
- 1835 – Alfred Austin, English author, poet, and playwright (d. 1913)
- 1844 – Félix Arnaudin, French poet and photographer (d. 1921)
- 1845 – Amadeo I, Spanish king (d. 1890)
- 1846 – Peter Carl Fabergé, Russian goldsmith and jeweler (d. 1920)
- 1862 – Mirza Alakbar Sabir, Azerbaijani philosopher and poet (d. 1911)
- 1869 – Grace Andrews, American mathematician (d. 1951)
- 1874 – Ernest Duchesne, French physician (d. 1912)
- 1875 – Giovanni Gentile, Italian philosopher and academic (d. 1944)
- 1879 – Colin Blythe, English cricketer and soldier (d. 1917)
- 1879 – Konstantin Ramul, Estonian psychologist and academic (d. 1975)
- 1881 – Georg von Küchler, German field marshal (d. 1968)
- 1882 – Wyndham Halswelle, English runner and soldier (d. 1915)
- 1883 – Sandy Pearce, Australian rugby league player (d. 1930)
- 1884 – Siegmund Glücksmann, German soldier and politician (d. 1942)
- 1885 – Villem Grünthal-Ridala, Estonian poet and linguist (d. 1942)
- 1886 – Laurent Barré, Canadian lawyer and politician (d. 1964)
- 1886 – Randolph Bourne, American theorist and author (d. 1918)
- 1887 – Alexander Archipenko, Ukrainian-American sculptor and illustrator (d. 1964)
- 1887 – Emil Reesen, Danish pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1964)
- 1890 – Roger Salengro, French soldier and politician, French Minister of the Interior (d. 1936)
- 1892 – Fernando Amorsolo, Filipino painter (d. 1972)
- 1894 – Hubertus van Mook, Dutch politician, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (d. 1965)
- 1895 – Maurice Tate, English cricketer (d. 1956)
- 1896 – Howard Hawks, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1977)
- 1897 – Frank Wise, Australian politician, 16th Premier of Western Australia (d. 1986)
- 1898 – John Gilroy, English artist and illustrator (d. 1985)
- 1899 – Irving Thalberg, American screenwriter and producer (d. 1936)
- 1901 – Alfred Karindi, Estonian pianist and composer (d. 1969)
- 1901 – Cornelia Otis Skinner, American actress and author (d. 1979)
- 1902 – Stepin Fetchit, American actor and dancer (d. 1985)
- 1903 – Countee Cullen, American poet and author (d. 1946)
- 1906 – Bruno Gröning, German mystic and author (d. 1959)
- 1907 – Germaine Tillion, French anthropologist and academic (d. 2008)
- 1908 – Hannes Alfvén, Swedish physicist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1995)
- 1908 – Mel Blanc, American voice actor (d. 1989)
- 1909 – Jacques Canetti, French music executive and talent agent (d. 1997)
- 1909 – Freddie Frith, English motorcycle road racer (d. 1988)
- 1909 – Benny Goodman, American clarinet player, songwriter, and bandleader (d. 1986)
- 1910 – Harry Bernstein, English-American journalist and author (d. 2011)
- 1912 – Julius Axelrod, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2004)
- 1912 – Erich Bagge, German physicist and academic (d. 1996)
- 1912 – Hugh Griffith, Welsh actor (d. 1980)
- 1912 – Millicent Selsam, American author and academic (d. 1996)
- 1912 – Joseph Stein, American playwright and author (d. 2010)
- 1914 – Akinoumi Setsuo, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 37th Yokozuna (d. 1979)
- 1915 – Len Carney, English footballer and soldier (d. 1996)
- 1916 – Justin Catayée, French soldier and politician (d. 1962)
- 1916 – Mort Meskin, American illustrator (d. 1995)
- 1918 – Pita Amor, Mexican poet and author (d. 2000)
- 1918 – Bob Evans, American businessman, founded Bob Evans Restaurants (d. 2007)
- 1919 – René Barrientos, Bolivian general and politician, 55th President of Bolivia (d. 1969)
- 1920 – Franklin J. Schaffner, Japanese-American director and producer (d. 1989)
- 1922 – Hal Clement, American author and educator (d. 2003)
- 1924 – Anthony Dryden Marshall, American CIA officer and diplomat (d. 2014)
- 1925 – John Henry Marks, English physician and author
- 1926 – Johnny Gimble, American country/western swing musician (Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys) (d. 2015)
- 1927 – Joan Birman, American mathematician
- 1927 – Clint Walker, American actor and singer (d. 2018)
- 1927 – Billy Wilson, Australian rugby league player and coach (d. 1993)
- 1928 – Pro Hart, Australian painter (d. 2006)
- 1928 – Agnès Varda, Belgian-French director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2019)
- 1929 – Georges Gilson, French archbishop
- 1930 – Mark Birley, English businessman, founded Annabel’s (d. 2007)
- 1930 – Robert Ryman, American painter (d. 2019)
- 1931 – Larry Silverstein, American real estate magnate
- 1932 – Ray Cooney, English actor and playwright
- 1932 – Pauline Oliveros, American accordion player and composer (d. 2016)
- 1932 – Ivor Richard, Baron Richard, Welsh politician and diplomat, British Ambassador to the United Nations (d. 2018)
- 1934 – Alexei Leonov, Russian general, pilot, and cosmonaut (d. 2019)
- 1934 – Alketas Panagoulias, Greek footballer and manager (d. 2012)
- 1935 – Ruta Lee, Canadian-American actress and dancer
- 1935 – Guy Tardif, Canadian academic and politician (d. 2005)
- 1936 – Keir Dullea, American actor
- 1937 – Christopher Haskins, Anglo-Irish businessman, life peer, and British politician
- 1937 – Rick Mather, American-English architect (d. 2013)
- 1938 – Billie Letts, American author and educator (d. 2014)
- 1939 – Michael J. Pollard, American actor (d. 2019)
- 1939 – Dieter Quester, Austrian race car driver
- 1939 – Tim Waterstone, Scottish businessman, founded Waterstones
- 1940 – Jagmohan Dalmiya, Indian cricket administrator (d. 2015)
- 1940 – Gilles Villemure, Canadian-American ice hockey player
- 1942 – John Gladwin, English bishop
- 1942 – Carole Stone, English journalist and author
- 1943 – Anders Michanek, Swedish motorcycle racer
- 1943 – Gale Sayers, American football player and philanthropist
- 1944 – Lenny Davidson, English guitarist and songwriter (The Dave Clark Five)
- 1944 – Meredith MacRae, American actress (d. 2000)
- 1944 – Stav Prodromou, Greek-American engineer and businessman
- 1945 – Gladys Horton, American singer (d. 2011)
- 1946 – Allan Chapman, English historian and author
- 1946 – Dragan Džajić, Serbian and Yugoslav footballer
- 1947 – Jocelyne Bourassa, Canadian golfer
- 1948 – Johan De Muynck, Belgian former professional road racing cyclist
- 1948 – Michael Piller, American screenwriter and producer (d. 2005)
- 1948 – David Thorpe, Australian rules footballer
- 1949 – P.J. Carlesimo, American basketball player and coach
- 1949 – Paul Coleridge, English lawyer and judge
- 1949 – Bob Willis, English cricketer and sportscaster (d. 2019)
- 1950 – Bertrand Delanoë, French politician, 14th Mayor of Paris
- 1950 – Paresh Rawal, Indian actor, producer, and politician
- 1950 – Joshua Rozenberg, English lawyer, journalist, and author
- 1951 – Zdravko Čolić, Bosnian Serb singer-songwriter
- 1951 – Fernando Lugo, Paraguayan bishop and politician, President of Paraguay
- 1951 – Stephen Tobolowsky, American actor, singer, and director
- 1952 – Daniel Grodnik, American screenwriter and producer
- 1952 – Kerry Fraser, Canadian ice hockey player, referee, and sportscaster
- 1953 – Jim Hunter, Canadian skier
- 1953 – Colm Meaney, Irish actor
- 1955 – Topper Headon, English drummer and songwriter (The Clash)
- 1955 – Jacqueline McGlade, English-Canadian biologist, ecologist, and academic
- 1955 – Caroline Swift, English lawyer and judge
- 1955 – Colm Tóibín, Irish novelist, poet, playwright, and critic
- 1956 – Tim Lucas, American author, screenwriter, and critic
- 1957 – Michael Clayton, Australian golfer
- 1958 – Eugene Belliveau, Canadian football player
- 1958 – Marie Fredriksson, Swedish singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 2019)
- 1958 – Steve Israel, American lawyer and politician
- 1958 – Michael López-Alegría, Spanish-American captain, pilot, and astronaut
- 1958 – Ted McGinley, American actor
- 1959 – Phil Brown, English footballer, coach, and manager
- 1959 – Randy Ferbey, Canadian curler
- 1959 – Frank Vanhecke, Belgian politician
- 1961 – Harry Enfield, English actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1961 – Bob Yari, Iranian-American director and producer
- 1962 – Kevin Eastman, American author and illustrator, co-created the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
- 1962 – Richard Fuller, English lawyer and politician
- 1962 – Tim Loughton, English businessman and politician
- 1962 – Tonya Pinkins, American actress and singer
- 1963 – Michel Langevin, Canadian drummer and songwriter
- 1963 – Élise Lucet, French journalist
- 1963 – Helen Sharman, English chemist and astronaut
- 1964 – Wynonna Judd, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress
- 1964 – Andrea Montermini, Italian race car driver
- 1964 – Tom Morello, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
- 1965 – Troy Coker, Australian rugby player
- 1965 – Billy Donovan, American basketball player and coach
- 1965 – Iginio Straffi, Italian animator and producer, founded Rainbow S.r.l.
- 1966 – Thomas Häßler, German footballer and manager
- 1966 – Stephen Malkmus, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1967 – Tim Burgess, English singer-songwriter
- 1967 – Rechelle Hawkes, Australian hockey player
- 1967 – Sven Pipien, German-American bass player
- 1968 – Jason Kenney, Canadian lawyer and politician, 40th Canadian Minister of National Defence
- 1968 – Zacarias Moussaoui, French citizen, sentenced to life in prison related to September 11 attacks
- 1969 – Naomi Kawase, Japanese director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1969 – Ryuhei Kitamura, Japanese director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1971 – Paul Grayson, English rugby player and coach
- 1971 – Duncan Jones, English director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1971 – Idina Menzel, American singer-songwriter and actress
- 1971 – Jiří Šlégr, Czech ice hockey player and politician
- 1971 – Adrian Vowles, Australian rugby league player and sportscaster
- 1972 – Manny Ramirez, Dominican-American baseball player and coach
- 1974 – Big L, American rapper (d. 1999)
- 1974 – Kostas Chalkias, Greek footballer
- 1974 – CeeLo Green, American singer-songwriter, pianist, producer, and actor
- 1974 – David Wilkie, American ice hockey player and coach
- 1975 – Evan Eschmeyer, American basketball player
- 1975 – Brian Fair, American singer-songwriter
- 1975 – Andy Farrell, English rugby player and coach
- 1975 – Marissa Mayer, American computer scientist and businesswoman
- 1976 – Radoslav Nesterović, Slovenian-Greek basketball player
- 1976 – Magnus Norman, Swedish tennis player and coach
- 1976 – Margaret Okayo, Kenyan runner
- 1977 – Rachael Stirling, English actress
- 1977 – Federico Vilar, Argentinian-Italian footballer
- 1979 – Mike Bishai, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1979 – Clint Bowyer, American race car driver
- 1979 – Francis Lessard, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1980 – Steven Gerrard, English international footballer, midfielder and manager
- 1980 – Ilona Korstin, Russian basketball player
- 1980 – Ryōgo Narita, Japanese author
- 1981 – Devendra Banhart, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1981 – Gianmaria Bruni, Italian race car driver
- 1981 – Ahmad Elrich, Australian footballer
- 1981 – Remy Ma, American rapper
- 1981 – Lars Møller Madsen, Danish handball player
- 1981 – Hisanori Takada, Japanese footballer
- 1982 – Eddie Griffin, American basketball player (d. 2007)
- 1982 – James Simpson-Daniel, English rugby player
- 1984 – Sham Kwok Fai, Hong Kong footballer
- 1984 – Matt Maguire, Australian footballer
- 1984 – Alexander Sulzer, German ice hockey player
- 1985 – Igor Kurnosov, Russian chess player (d. 2013)
- 1985 – Igor Lewczuk, Polish footballer
- 1985 – Aaron Volpatti, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1986 – Nikolay Bodurov, Bulgarian international footballer, centre-back
- 1989 – Ailee, Korean-American singer and songwriter
- 1989 – Lesia Tsurenko, Ukrainian tennis player
- 1990 – Andrei Loktionov, Russian ice hockey player
- 1991 – Jonathan Fox, English swimmer
- 1992 – Harrison Barnes, American basketball player
- 1992 – Danielle Harold, English actress
- 1994 – Scott Laughton, Canadian ice hockey player
Deaths on May 30
- 531 – Xiao Tong, prince of the Liang Dynasty (b. 501)
- 727 – Hubertus, bishop Liège
- 947 – Ma Xifan, king of Chu (b. 899)
- 1035 – Baldwin IV, count of Flanders (b. 980)
- 1159 – Władysław II the Exile, High Duke of Poland and Duke of Silesia (b. 1105)
- 1252 – Ferdinand III, king of Castile and León (b. 1199)
- 1347 – John Darcy, 1st Baron Darcy de Knayth, English peer (b. 1290)
- 1376 – Joan of Ponthieu, Dame of Epernon, French noblewoman
- 1416 – Jerome of Prague, Czech martyr and theologian (b. 1379)
- 1431 – Joan of Arc, French martyr and saint (b. 1412)
- 1434 – Prokop the Great, Czech general (b. 1380)
- 1469 – Lope de Barrientos, Castilian bishop (b. 1389)
- 1472 – Jacquetta of Luxembourg, daughter of Pierre de Luxembourg (b. 1416)
- 1574 – Charles IX of France (b. 1550)
- 1593 – Christopher Marlowe, English poet and playwright (b. 1564)
- 1606 – Guru Arjan Dev, fifth of the Sikh gurus (executed) (b. 1563)
- 1640 – Peter Paul Rubens, German-Belgian painter (b. 1577)
- 1696 – Henry Capell, 1st Baron Capell of Tewkesbury, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (b. 1638)
- 1670 – John Davenport, English minister, co-founded the New Haven Colony (b. 1597)
- 1712 – Andrea Lanzani, Italian painter (b. 1645)
- 1718 – Arnold van Keppel, 1st Earl of Albemarle, Dutch-English general (b. 1670)
- 1744 – Alexander Pope, English poet, essayist, and translator (b. 1688)
- 1770 – François Boucher, French painter and set designer (b. 1703)
- 1778 – Voltaire, French philosopher and author (b. 1694)
- 1778 – José de la Borda, French/Spanish mining magnate in colonial Mexico (b. ca. 1700)
- 1829 – Philibert Jean-Baptiste Curial, French general (b. 1774)
- 1832 – James Mackintosh, Scottish historian, jurist, and politician (b. 1765)
- 1855 – Mary Reibey, Australian businesswoman, (b. 1777)
- 1892 – Mary Hannah Gray Clarke, American author, correspondent, and poet (b. 1835)
- 1865 – John Catron, American lawyer and judge (b. 1786)
- 1901 – Victor D’Hondt, Belgian mathematician, lawyer, and jurist (b. 1841)
- 1911 – Milton Bradley, American businessman, founded the Milton Bradley Company (b. 1836)
- 1912 – Wilbur Wright, American pilot and businessman, co-founded the Wright Company (b. 1867)
- 1918 – Georgi Plekhanov, Russian philosopher and theorist (b. 1856)
- 1925 – Arthur Moeller van den Bruck, German historian and author (b. 1876)
- 1926 – Vladimir Steklov, Russian mathematician and physicist (b. 1864)
- 1934 – Tōgō Heihachirō, Japanese admiral (b. 1848)
- 1939 – Floyd Roberts, American race car driver (b. 1904)
- 1941 – Prajadhipok, Thai king (b. 1893)
- 1946 – Louis Slotin, Canadian physicist and chemist (b. 1910)
- 1947 – Georg von Trapp, Austrian captain (b. 1880)
- 1948 – József Klekl, Slovene-Hungarian priest and politician (b. 1874)
- 1949 – Emmanuel Célestin Suhard, French cardinal (b. 1874)
- 1951 – Hermann Broch, Austrian-American author (b. 1886)
- 1953 – Dooley Wilson, American actor and singer (b. 1886)
- 1955 – Bill Vukovich, American race car driver (b. 1918)
- 1957 – Piero Carini, Italian race car driver (b. 1921)
- 1960 – Boris Pasternak, Russian poet, novelist, and literary translator, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1890)
- 1961 – Rafael Trujillo, Dominican soldier and politician, 36th President of the Dominican Republic (b. 1891)
- 1964 – Isaac Babalola Akinyele, Nigerian king (b. 1882)
- 1964 – Eddie Sachs, American race car driver (b. 1927)
- 1964 – Leó Szilárd, Hungarian-American physicist and engineer (b. 1898)
- 1965 – Louis Hjelmslev, Danish linguist and academic (b. 1899)
- 1967 – Claude Rains, English-American actor (b. 1889)
- 1967 – Georg Wilhelm Pabst, Austrian director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1885)
- 1971 – Marcel Dupré, French organist and composer (b. 1886)
- 1975 – Steve Prefontaine, American runner (b. 1951)
- 1975 – Tatsuo Shimabuku, Japanese martial artist, founded Isshin-ryū (b. 1908)
- 1975 – Michel Simon, Swiss-born French actor (b. 1895)
- 1976 – Max Carey, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1890)
- 1976 – Mitsuo Fuchida, Japanese captain (b. 1902)
- 1978 – Jean Deslauriers, Canadian violinist, composer, and conductor (b. 1909)
- 1980 – Carl Radle, American bass player and producer (b. 1942)
- 1981 – Don Ashby, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1955)
- 1981 – Ziaur Rahman, Bangladeshi general and politician, 7th President of Bangladesh (b. 1936)
- 1982 – Albert Norden, German journalist and politician (b. 1904)
- 1986 – Perry Ellis, American fashion designer, founded his own eponymous fashion brand (b. 1940)
- 1993 – Sun Ra, American pianist, composer, and bandleader (b. 1914)
- 1994 – Ezra Taft Benson, American religious leader, 13th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (b. 1899)
- 1994 – Marcel Bich, Italian-French businessman, co-founded Société Bic (b. 1914)
- 1994 – Agostino Di Bartolomei, Italian footballer (b. 1955)
- 1995 – Ted Drake, English footballer and manager (b. 1912)
- 1995 – Lofty England, English-Austrian engineer (b. 1911)
- 1995 – Bobby Stokes, English footballer (b. 1951)
- 1996 – Léon-Étienne Duval, French cardinal (b. 1903)
- 1996 – Alo Mattiisen, Estonian composer (b. 1961)
- 1999 – Kalju Lepik, Estonian poet and author (b. 1920)
- 2000 – Tex Beneke, American saxophonist and bandleader (b. 1914)
- 2001 – Denis Whitaker, Canadian general and historian (b. 1915)
- 2005 – Gérald Leblanc, Acadian poet (b. 1945)
- 2005 – Tomasz Pacyński, Polish journalist and author (b. 1958)
- 2005 – Alma Ziegler, American baseball player and stenographer (b. 1918)
- 2006 – Shohei Imamura, Japanese director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1926)
- 2006 – David Lloyd, New Zealand biologist and academic (b. 1938)
- 2006 – Robert Sterling, American actor (b. 1917)
- 2007 – Jean-Claude Brialy, Algerian-French actor and director (b. 1933)
- 2007 – Birgit Dalland, Norwegian politician (b. 1907)
- 2007 – Gunturu Seshendra Sarma, Indian poet and critic (b. 1927)
- 2009 – Torsten Andersson, Swedish painter and illustrator (b. 1926)
- 2009 – Susanna Haapoja, Finnish politician (b. 1966)
- 2009 – Ephraim Katzir, Israeli biophysicist and politician, 4th President of Israel (b. 1916)
- 2010 – Yuri Chesnokov, Russian volleyball player and coach (b. 1933)
- 2010 – Dufferin Roblin, Canadian commander and politician, 14th Premier of Manitoba (b. 1917)
- 2011 – Isikia Savua, Fijian police officer and diplomat (b. 1952)
- 2011 – Saleem Shahzad, Pakistani journalist (b. 1970)
- 2011 – Marek Siemek, Polish philosopher and historian (b. 1942)
- 2011 – Clarice Taylor, American actress (b. 1917)
- 2011 – Rosalyn Sussman Yalow, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1921)
- 2012 – John Fox, American comedian, actor, and screenwriter (b. 1957)
- 2012 – Andrew Huxley, English physiologist and biophysicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1917)
- 2012 – Gerhard Pohl, German economist and politician (b. 1937)
- 2012 – Jack Twyman, American basketball player and sportscaster (b. 1934)
- 2013 – Jayalath Jayawardena, Sri Lankan physician and politician (b. 1953)
- 2013 – Larry Jones, American football player and coach (b. 1933)
- 2014 – Hienadz Buraukin, Belarusian poet, journalist, and diplomat (b. 1936)
- 2014 – Henning Carlsen, Danish director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1927)
- 2014 – Joan Lorring, British actress (b. 1926)
- 2014 – Leonidas Vasilikopoulos, Greek admiral (b. 1932)
- 2015 – Beau Biden, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 44th Attorney General of Delaware (b. 1969)
- 2015 – Joël Champetier, Canadian author and screenwriter (b. 1957)
- 2015 – L. Tom Perry, American religious leader and member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (b. 1922)
- 2016 – Tom Lysiak, Polish-Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1953)
- 2016 – Rick MacLeish, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1950)
- 2019 – Jason Marcano, Trinidadian footballer (b. 1983)
Holidays and observances on May 30
- Anguilla Day, commemorates the beginning of the Anguillian Revolution in 1967. (Anguilla)
- Canary Islands Day (Spain)
- Christian feast day:
- Earliest day on which Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary can fall, while July 3 is the latest; celebrated 20 days after Pentecost. (Catholic Church)
- Ferdinand III of Castile
- Isaac of Dalmatia
- Joan of Arc
- Joseph Marello
- May 30 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Indian Arrival Day (Trinidad and Tobago)
- Lod Massacre Remembrance Day (Puerto Rico)
- Mother’s Day (Nicaragua)
- Statehood Day (Croatia)
-
April 19 in History
- AD 65 – The freedman Milichus betrays Piso’s plot to kill Emperor Nero and all the conspirators are arrested.
- 531 – Battle of Callinicum: A Byzantine army under Belisarius is defeated by the Persians at Raqqa (northern Syria).
- 797 – Empress Irene organizes a conspiracy against her son, the Byzantine emperor Constantine VI. He is deposed and blinded. Shortly after, Constantine dies of his wounds; Irene proclaims herself basileus.
- 1506 – The Lisbon Massacre begins, in which accused Jews are being slaughtered by Portuguese Catholics.
- 1529 – Beginning of the Protestant Reformation: After the Second Diet of Speyer bans Lutheranism, a group of rulers (German: Fürst) and independent cities protests the reinstatement of the Edict of Worms.
- 1539 – The Treaty of Frankfurt between Protestants and the Holy Roman Emperor is signed.
- 1608 – In Ireland: O’Doherty’s Rebellion is launched by the Burning of Derry.
- 1677 – The French army captures the town of Cambrai held by Spanish troops.
- 1713 – With no living male heirs, Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor, issues the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713 to ensure that Habsburg lands and the Austrian throne would be inheritable by a female; his daughter and successor, Maria Theresa was not born until 1717.
- 1770 – Captain James Cook, still holding the rank of lieutenant, sights the eastern coast of what is now Australia.
- 1770 – Marie Antoinette marries Louis XVI of France in a proxy wedding.
- 1775 – American Revolutionary War: The war begins with an American victory in Concord during the battles of Lexington and Concord.
- 1782 – John Adams secures the Dutch Republic’s recognition of the United States as an independent government. The house which he had purchased in The Hague, Netherlands becomes the first American embassy.
- 1809 – An Austrian corps is defeated by the forces of the Duchy of Warsaw in the Battle of Raszyn, part of the struggles of the Fifth Coalition. On the same day the Austrian main army is defeated by a First French Empire Corps led by Louis-Nicolas Davout at the Battle of Teugen-Hausen in Bavaria, part of a four-day campaign that ended in a French victory.
- 1810 – Venezuela achieves home rule: Vicente Emparán, Governor of the Captaincy General is removed by the people of Caracas and a junta is installed.
- 1818 – French physicist Augustin Fresnel signs his preliminary “Note on the Theory of Diffraction” (deposited on the following day). The document ends with what we now call the Fresnel integrals.
- 1839 – The Treaty of London establishes Belgium as a kingdom and guarantees its neutrality.
- 1861 – American Civil War: Baltimore riot of 1861: A pro-Secession mob in Baltimore attacks United States Army troops marching through the city.
- 1903 – The Kishinev pogrom in Kishinev (Bessarabia) begins, forcing tens of thousands of Jews to later seek refuge in Palestine and the Western world.
- 1927 – Mae West is sentenced to ten days in jail for obscenity for her play Sex.
- 1942 – World War II: In Poland, the Majdan-Tatarski ghetto is established, situated between the Lublin Ghetto and a Majdanek subcamp.
- 1943 – World War II: In Poland, the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising begins, after German troops enter the Warsaw Ghetto to round up the remaining Jews.
- 1943 – Albert Hofmann deliberately doses himself with LSD for the first time, three days after having discovered its effects on April 16.
- 1956 – Actress Grace Kelly marries Prince Rainier of Monaco.
- 1960 – Students in South Korea hold a nationwide pro-democracy protest against president Syngman Rhee, eventually forcing him to resign.
- 1971 – Sierra Leone becomes a republic, and Siaka Stevens the president.
- 1971 – Launch of Salyut 1, the first space station.
- 1971 – Charles Manson is sentenced to death (later commuted to life imprisonment) for conspiracy in the Tate–LaBianca murders.
- 1973 – The Portuguese Socialist Party is founded in the German town of Bad Münstereifel.
- 1975 – India’s first satellite Aryabhata launched in orbit from Kapustin Yar, Russia.
- 1984 – Advance Australia Fair is proclaimed as Australia’s national anthem, and green and gold as the national colours.
- 1985 – Two hundred ATF and FBI agents lay siege to the compound of the white supremacist survivalist group The Covenant, The Sword, and the Arm of the Lord in Arkansas; the CSA surrenders two days later.
- 1987 – The Simpsons first appear as a series of shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show, first starting with Good Night.
- 1989 – A gun turret explodes on the USS Iowa, killing 47 sailors.
- 1993 – The 51-day FBI siege of the Branch Davidian building in Waco, Texas, USA, ends when a fire breaks out. 76 Davidians, including eighteen children under the age of ten, died in the fire.
- 1995 – Oklahoma City bombing: The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, USA, is bombed, killing 168 people including 19 children under the age of six.
- 1999 – The German Bundestag returns to Berlin.
- 2000 – Air Philippines Flight 541 crashes in Samal, Davao del Norte, killing all 131 people on board.
- 2005 – Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger is elected to the papacy and becomes Pope Benedict XVI.
- 2011 – Fidel Castro resigns as First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba after holding the title since July 1961.
- 2013 – Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev is killed in a shootout with police. His brother Dzhokhar is later captured hiding in a boat inside a backyard in the suburb of Watertown.
- 2020 – A killing spree in Nova Scotia, Canada, leaves 22 people and the perpetrator dead, making it the deadliest rampage in the country’s history.
Births on April 19
- 1452 – Frederick IV, King of Naples (d. 1504)
- 1593 – Sir John Hobart, 2nd Baronet, English politician (d. 1647)
- 1603 – Michel Le Tellier, French politician, French Minister of Defence (d. 1685)
- 1613 – Christoph Bach, German musician (d. 1661)
- 1633 – Willem Drost, Dutch painter (d. 1659)
- 1655 – George St Lo(e), Royal Navy officer and administrator (d. 1718)
- 1658 – Johann Wilhelm, Elector Palatine, German husband of Archduchess Maria Anna Josepha of Austria (d. 1716)
- 1665 – Jacques Lelong, French author (d. 1721)
- 1686 – Vasily Tatishchev, Russian ethnographer and politician (d. 1750)
- 1715 – James Nares, English organist and composer (d. 1783)
- 1721 – Roger Sherman, American lawyer and politician (d. 1793)
- 1734 – Karl von Ordóñez, Austrian violinist and composer (d. 1786)
- 1757 – Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth, English admiral and politician (d. 1833)
- 1758 – William Carnegie, 7th Earl of Northesk, Scottish admiral (d. 1831)
- 1785 – Alexandre Pierre François Boëly, French pianist and composer (d. 1858)
- 1787 – Deaf Smith, American soldier (d. 1837)
- 1793 – Ferdinand I of Austria (d. 1875)
- 1806 – Sarah Bagley, American labor organizer (d. 1889)
- 1814 – Louis Amédée Achard, French journalist and author (d. 1875)
- 1832 – José Echegaray, Spanish poet and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1916)
- 1835 – Julius Krohn, Finnish poet and journalist (d. 1888)
- 1863 – Hemmo Kallio, Finnish actor (d. 1940)
- 1872 – Alice Salomon, German social reformer (d. 1948)
- 1873 – Sydney Barnes, English cricketer (d. 1967)
- 1874 – Ernst Rüdin, Swiss psychiatrist, geneticist, and eugenicist (d. 1952)
- 1877 – Ole Evinrude, Norwegian-American engineer, invented the outboard motor (d. 1934)
- 1879 – Arthur Robertson, Scottish runner (d. 1957)
- 1882 – Getúlio Vargas, Brazilian lawyer and politician, 14th President of Brazil (d. 1954)
- 1883 – Henry Jameson, American soccer player (d. 1938)
- 1883 – Richard von Mises, Austrian-American mathematician and physicist (d. 1953)
- 1885 – Karl Tarvas, Estonian architect (d. 1975)
- 1889 – Otto Georg Thierack, German jurist and politician (d. 1946)
- 1891 – Françoise Rosay, French actress (d. 1974)
- 1892 – Germaine Tailleferre, French composer and educator (d. 1983)
- 1894 – Elizabeth Dilling, American author and activist (d. 1966)
- 1897 – Peter de Noronha, Indian businessman and philanthropist (d. 1970)
- 1897 – Jiroemon Kimura, Japanese super-centenarian, oldest verified man ever (d. 2013)
- 1898 – Constance Talmadge, American actress and producer (d. 1973)
- 1899 – George O’Brien, American actor (d. 1985)
- 1899 – Cemal Tollu, Turkish lieutenant and painter (d. 1968)
- 1900 – Iracema de Alencar, Brazilian film actress (d. 1978)
- 1900 – Richard Hughes, English author, poet, and playwright (d. 1976)
- 1900 – Roland Michener, Canadian lawyer and politician, 20th Governor General of Canada (d. 1991)
- 1900 – Rhea Silberta, Yiddish songwriter and singing teacher (d. 1959)
- 1902 – Veniamin Kaverin, Russian author and screenwriter (d. 1989)
- 1903 – Eliot Ness, American law enforcement agent (d. 1957)
- 1907 – Alan Wheatley, English actor (d. 1991)
- 1908 – Irena Eichlerówna, Polish actress (d. 1990)
- 1912 – Glenn T. Seaborg, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1999)
- 1913 – Ken Carpenter, American discus thrower and coach (d. 1984)
- 1917 – Sven Hassel, Danish-German soldier and author (d. 2012)
- 1919 – Sol Kaplan, American pianist and composer (d. 1990)
- 1920 – Gene Leis, American guitarist, composer, and producer (d. 1993)
- 1920 – Marvin Mandel, American lawyer and politician, 56th Governor of Maryland (d. 2015)
- 1920 – John O’Neil, American baseball player and manager (d. 2012)
- 1920 – Julien Ries, Belgian cardinal (d. 2013)
- 1920 – Marian Winters, American actress (d. 1978)
- 1921 – Anna Lee Aldred, American jockey (d. 2006)
- 1921 – Leon Henkin, American logician (d. 2006)
- 1921 – Roberto Tucci, Italian Jesuit leader, cardinal, and theologian (d. 2015)
- 1922 – Erich Hartmann, German colonel and pilot (d. 1993)
- 1922 – David Smith, politician in Rhodesia and Zimbabwe (d. 1996)
- 1925 – John Kraaijkamp, Sr., Dutch actor (d. 2011)
- 1925 – Hugh O’Brian, American actor (d. 2016)
- 1926 – Rawya Ateya, Egyptian captain and politician (d. 1997)
- 1928 – John Horlock, English engineer and academic (d. 2015)
- 1928 – Azlan Shah of Perak, Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia (d. 2014)
- 1931 – Walter Stewart, Canadian journalist and author (d. 2004)
- 1932 – Fernando Botero, Colombian painter and sculptor
- 1933 – Dickie Bird, English cricketer and umpire
- 1933 – Jayne Mansfield, American model and actress (d. 1967)
- 1933 – Philip Lavallin Wroughton, English captain and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire
- 1934 – Dickie Goodman, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 1989)
- 1935 – Dudley Moore, English actor, comedian, and pianist (d. 2002)
- 1935 – Justin Francis Rigali, American cardinal
- 1936 – Wilfried Martens, Belgian politician, 60th Prime Minister of Belgium (d. 2013)
- 1936 – Jack Pardee, American football player and coach (d. 2013)
- 1937 – Antonio Carluccio, Italian-English chef and author (d. 2017)
- 1937 – Elinor Donahue, American actress
- 1937 – Joseph Estrada, Filipino politician, 13th President of the Philippines
- 1938 – Stanley Fish, American theorist, author, and scholar
- 1939 – E. Clay Shaw, Jr., American accountant, judge, and politician (d. 2013)
- 1941 – Roberto Carlos, Brazilian singer-songwriter
- 1941 – Clark Dimond, American musician and author
- 1941 – Michel Roux, French-English chef and author (d. 2020)
- 1941 – Bobby Russell, American singer-songwriter (d. 1992)
- 1942 – Bas Jan Ader, Dutch-American photographer and director (d. 1975)
- 1942 – Alan Price, English keyboard player, singer, and composer
- 1942 – Jack Roush, American businessman, founded Roush Fenway Racing
- 1942 – Maarten van den Bergh, American-Dutch businessman
- 1943 – Margo MacDonald, Scottish journalist and politician (d. 2014)[28]
- 1943 – Lorenzo Sanz, Spanish businessman
- 1944 – Keith Erickson, American basketball player and sportscaster
- 1944 – James Heckman, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1944 – Bernie Worrell, American keyboard player and songwriter (d. 2016)[29]
- 1946 – Duygu Asena, Turkish journalist, author, and activist (d. 2006)
- 1946 – Tim Curry, English actor[30]
- 1947 – Murray Perahia, American pianist and conductor
- 1947 – Wilfrid Stevenson, Baron Stevenson of Balmacara, English civil servant
- 1947 – Yan Pascal Tortelier, French violinist and conductor
- 1947 – Mark Volman, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1948 – Stuart McLean, Canadian radio host and author (d. 2017)
- 1948 – Rick Miller, American baseball player and manager
- 1949 – Paloma Picasso, French-Spanish fashion designer
- 1949 – Larry Walters, American truck driver and pilot (d. 1993)
- 1950 – Julia Cleverdon, English businesswoman and philanthropist
- 1951 – Barry Brown, American actor and playwright (d. 1978)
- 1951 – Jóannes Eidesgaard, Faroese educator and politician, Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands
- 1952 – Alexis Argüello, Nicaraguan boxer and politician (d. 2009)
- 1952 – Tony Plana, Cuban-American actor and director
- 1952 – Michael Trend, English journalist and politician
- 1953 – Rod Morgenstein, American drummer
- 1953 – Sara Simeoni, Italian high jumper
- 1953 – Ruby Wax, British-based American comedian, actress, and screenwriter
- 1954 – Trevor Francis, English footballer and manager
- 1954 – Bob Rock, Canadian guitarist, songwriter, and producer
- 1956 – Sue Barker, English tennis player and journalist
- 1956 – Randy Carlyle, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1956 – Anne Glover, Scottish biologist and academic
- 1957 – Tony Martin, English singer-songwriter
- 1957 – Mukesh Ambani, Indian businessman, chairman of Reliance Industries and currently the richest man in Asia[31][32]
- 1958 – Steve Antin, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1958 – Stevie B, American singer-songwriter and record producer
- 1958 – Denis O’Brien, Irish businessman, founded BT Ireland
- 1958 – Vytautas Šapranauskas, Lithuanian actor (d. 2013)
- 1958 – Keith Shine, British academic and educator
- 1959 – Jane Campbell, Baroness Campbell of Surbiton, English activist
- 1959 – Teofisto Guingona III, Filipino lawyer and politician
- 1959 – Donald Markwell, Australian sociologist and academic
- 1960 – Nicoletta Braschi, Italian actress and producer
- 1960 – Ara Gevorgyan, Armenian pianist, composer, and producer
- 1960 – Roger Merrett, Australian footballer and coach
- 1960 – John Schweitz, American basketball player and coach
- 1960 – Frank Viola, American baseball player and coach[33]
- 1961 – Alan Kirschenbaum, American producer and writer (d. 2012)
- 1961 – Albert Martinez, Filipino actor, director, and producer
- 1961 – Spike Owen, American baseball player and coach
- 1962 – Al Unser Jr., American race car driver
- 1964 – Gordon Marshall, Scottish footballer and coach
- 1964 – Kim Weaver, American astrophysicist, astronomer, and academic
- 1965 – Natalie Dessay, French soprano and actress
- 1965 – Suge Knight, American record producer, co-founded Death Row Records
- 1966 – Véronique Gens, French soprano and actress
- 1966 – David La Haye, Canadian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1966 – Paul Reiffel, Australian cricketer and umpire
- 1966 – El Samurai, Japanese wrestler
- 1967 – Philippe Saint-André, French rugby player and coach
- 1968 – Ashley Judd, American actress and activist
- 1968 – Arshad Warsi, Indian film actor and producer
- 1969 – Andrew Carnie, Canadian-American linguist, author, and academic
- 1969 – Susan Polgar, Hungarian-American chess player
- 1970 – Luis Miguel, Mexican singer-songwriter and producer
- 1970 – Kelly Holmes, English runner
- 1970 – Abelardo Fernández, Spanish footballer and manager
- 1971 – Brendon Burns, Australian comedian, podcaster, writer and author
- 1971 – Scott McCord, Canadian voice actor
- 1972 – Rivaldo, Brazilian footballer
- 1972 – Jeff Wilkins, American football player
- 1973 – George Gregan, Zambian-Australian rugby player and coach
- 1973 – Alessio Scarpi, Italian footballer
- 1975 – Jason Gillespie, Australian cricketer and coach
- 1975 – Jussi Jääskeläinen, Finnish footballer
- 1976 – Ruud Jolie, Dutch guitarist
- 1976 – Scott Padgett, American basketball player, coach, and radio host
- 1976 – Kim Young-oh, South Korean author and illustrator
- 1977 – Joe Beimel, American baseball player
- 1977 – Anju Bobby George, Indian long jumper
- 1977 – Lucien Mettomo, Cameroonian footballer
- 1977 – Dennys Reyes, Mexican baseball player
- 1977 – Jonny Storm, English wrestler and trainer
- 1978 – James Franco, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1978 – Gabriel Heinze, Argentinian footballer
- 1978 – Amanda Sage, American-Austrian painter and educator
- 1979 – Rocky Bernard, American football player
- 1979 – Kate Hudson, American actress
- 1979 – Zhao Junzhe, Chinese footballer
- 1980 – Jason Blaine, Canadian singer-songwriter
- 1980 – Robyn Regehr, Brazilian-Canadian ice hockey player
- 1981 – Hayden Christensen, Canadian actor and producer
- 1981 – Ryuta Hara, Japanese footballer
- 1981 – Martin Havlát, Czech ice hockey player
- 1981 – James Hibberd, English cricketer
- 1981 – Troy Polamalu, American football player
- 1981 – Catalina Sandino Moreno, Colombian actress
- 1982 – Joseph Hagerty, American gymnast
- 1982 – Filip Jícha, Czech handball player
- 1982 – Samuel C. Morrison, Jr., Liberian-American journalist, producer, and screenwriter
- 1982 – Rocco Sabato, Italian footballer
- 1982 – Ignacio Serricchio, Argentinian-American actor
- 1982 – Sitiveni Sivivatu, New Zealand rugby player
- 1983 – Alberto Callaspo, Venezuelan-American baseball player
- 1983 – Zach Duke, American baseball player
- 1983 – Joe Mauer, American baseball player
- 1983 – Patrick Platins, German footballer
- 1983 – Curtis Thigpen, American baseball player
- 1984 – Christopher Pearce, English cricketer
- 1985 – Valon Behrami, Swiss footballer
- 1985 – David Cavazos, Mexican singer-songwriter
- 1985 – Sabrina Jalees, Canadian comedian, dancer, actress, presenter, and writer
- 1985 – Jan Zimmermann, German footballer
- 1986 – Pascal Angan, Beninese footballer
- 1986 – Candace Parker, American basketball player
- 1986 – Gabe Pruitt, American basketball player
- 1986 – Will Thursfield, English-Australian footballer
- 1987 – Luigi Giorgi, Italian footballer
- 1987 – Joe Hart, English footballer
- 1987 – Daniel Schuhmacher, German singer-songwriter
- 1987 – Maria Sharapova, Russian tennis player
- 1987 – Lauren Wilson, Canadian figure skater
- 1988 – Enrique Esqueda, Mexican footballer
- 1989 – Dominik Mader, German footballer
- 1989 – Daisuke Watabe, Japanese footballer
- 1989 – Genoveva Añonma, Equatoguinean footballer
- 1990 – Jackie Bradley, Jr., American baseball player
- 1990 – Kim Chiu, Filipino actress, singer, and dancer[34]
- 1990 – Héctor Herrera, Mexican footballer
- 1990 – Ayaka Takahashi, Japanese badminton player
- 1991 – Steve Cook, English footballer
Deaths April 19
- 843 – Judith of Bavaria, Frankish empress
- 1012 – Ælfheah of Canterbury, English archbishop and saint (b. 954)
- 1013 – Hisham II, Umayyad caliph of Córdoba (b. 966)
- 1044 – Gothelo I, duke of Lorraine
- 1054 – Leo IX, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 1002)
- 1321 – Gerasimus I, patriarch of Constantinople
- 1390 – Robert II, king of Scotland (b. 1316)
- 1405 – Thomas West, 1st Baron West, English nobleman (b. 1335)[35]
- 1431 – Adolph III, count of Waldeck (b. 1362)
- 1560 – Philip Melanchthon, German theologian and reformer (b. 1497)
- 1567 – Michael Stifel, German monk and mathematician (b. 1487)
- 1578 – Uesugi Kenshin, Japanese samurai and warlord (b. 1530)
- 1588 – Paolo Veronese, Italian painter (b. 1528)
- 1608 – Thomas Sackville, 1st Earl of Dorset, English poet, playwright, and politician, Lord High Treasurer (b. 1536)
- 1618 – Thomas Bastard, English priest and author (b. 1566)
- 1619 – Jagat Gosain, Mughal empress (b. 1573)[36]
- 1629 – Sigismondo d’India, Italian composer (b. 1582)
- 1632 – Sigismund III Vasa, king of Sweden and Poland (b. 1566)
- 1686 – Antonio de Solís y Ribadeneyra, Spanish historian and playwright (b. 1610)
- 1689 – Christina, queen of Sweden (b. 1626)
- 1733 – Elizabeth Hamilton, countess of Orkney (b. 1657)
- 1739 – Nicholas Saunderson, English mathematician and academic (b. 1682)
- 1768 – Canaletto, Italian painter and etcher (b. 1697)
- 1776 – Jacob Emden, German rabbi and author (b. 1697)
- 1791 – Richard Price, Welsh-English preacher and philosopher (b. 1723)
- 1813 – Benjamin Rush, American physician and educator (b. 1745)
- 1824 – Lord Byron, English-Scottish poet and playwright (b. 1788)
- 1831 – Johann Gottlieb Friedrich von Bohnenberger, German astronomer and mathematician (b. 1765)
- 1833 – James Gambier, 1st Baron Gambier, Bahamian-English admiral and politician, 36th Commodore Governor of Newfoundland (b. 1756)
- 1840 – Jean-Jacques Lartigue, Canadian bishop (b. 1777)
- 1854 – Robert Jameson, Scottish mineralogist and academic (b. 1774)
- 1881 – Benjamin Disraeli, English journalist and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1804)
- 1882 – Charles Darwin, English biologist and theorist (b. 1809)
- 1893 – Martin Körber, Estonian-German pastor, composer, and conductor (b. 1817)
- 1901 – Alfred Horatio Belo, American publisher, founded The Dallas Morning News (b. 1839)
- 1906 – Pierre Curie, French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1859)
- 1906 – Spencer Gore, English tennis player and cricketer (b. 1850)
- 1909 – Signe Rink, Greenland-born Danish writer and ethnologist (b. 1836)
- 1914 – Charles Sanders Peirce, American mathematician and philosopher (b. 1839)
- 1915 – Thomas Playford II, English-Australian politician, 17th Premier of South Australia (b. 1837)
- 1916 – Ephraim Shay, American engineer, designed the Shay locomotive (b. 1839)
- 1926 – Alexander Alexandrovich Chuprov, Russian-Swiss statistician and theorist (b. 1874)
- 1930 – Georges-Casimir Dessaulles, Canadian businessman and politician (b. 1827)
- 1937 – Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington, English cartographer and politician (b. 1856)
- 1937 – William Morton Wheeler, American entomologist and zoologist (b. 1865)
- 1941 – Johanna Müller-Hermann, Austrian composer (b. 1878)
- 1949 – Ulrich Salchow, Danish-Swedish figure skater (b. 1877)
- 1950 – Ernst Robert Curtius, French-German philologist and scholar (b. 1886)
- 1955 – Jim Corbett, British-Indian colonel, hunter, and author (b. 1875)
- 1960 – Beardsley Ruml, American economist and statistician (b. 1894)
- 1961 – Max Hainle, German swimmer (b. 1882)
- 1967 – Konrad Adenauer, German politician, 1st Chancellor of Germany (b. 1876)
- 1971 – Luigi Piotti, Italian race car driver (b. 1913)
- 1975 – Percy Lavon Julian, American chemist and academic (b. 1899)
- 1987 – Hugh Brannum, American vocalist, arranger, and composer (b. 1910)
- 1989 – Daphne du Maurier, English novelist and playwright (b. 1907)
- 1991 – Stanley Hawes, English-Australian director and producer (b. 1905)
- 1992 – Frankie Howerd, English actor and screenwriter (b. 1917)
- 1993 – David Koresh, American religious leader (b. 1959)
- 1993 – George S. Mickelson, American captain, lawyer, and politician, 28th Governor of South Dakota (b. 1941)
- 1998 – Octavio Paz, Mexican poet, philosopher, and academic Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1914)
- 1999 – Hermine Braunsteiner, Austrian-German SS officer (b. 1919)
- 2000 – Louis Applebaum, Canadian composer and conductor (b. 1918)
- 2001 – Meldrim Thomson, Jr.. American publisher and politician, 73rd Governor of New Hampshire (b. 1912)
- 2002 – Reginald Rose, American writer (b. 1920)
- 2003 – Mirza Tahir Ahmad, Indian-English caliph (b. 1928)
- 2004 – Norris McWhirter, English author and activist co-founded the Guinness World Records (b. 1925)
- 2004 – John Maynard Smith, English biologist and geneticist (b. 1920)
- 2004 – Jenny Pike, Canadian WWII servicewoman and photographer (b. 1922)[37]
- 2005 – George P. Cosmatos, Italian-Greek director and screenwriter (b. 1941)
- 2005 – Ruth Hussey, American actress (b. 1911)
- 2005 – Clement Meadmore, Australian-American sculptor and author (b. 1929)
- 2005 – Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Danish bassist and composer (b. 1946)
- 2006 – Albert Scott Crossfield, American engineer, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1921)
- 2007 – Jean-Pierre Cassel, French actor (b. 1932)
- 2008 – John Marzano, American baseball player and sportscaster (b. 1963)
- 2008 – Alfonso López Trujillo, Colombian cardinal (b. 1935)
- 2009 – J. G. Ballard, English novelist, short story writer, and essayist (b. 1930)
- 2011 – Elisabeth Sladen, English actress (b. 1946)[38]
- 2012 – Leopold David de Rothschild, English financier and philanthropist (b. 1927)
- 2012 – Greg Ham, Australian saxophonist, songwriter, and actor (b. 1953)
- 2012 – Levon Helm, American singer-songwriter, drummer, guitarist, instrumentalist, and actor (b. 1940)
- 2012 – Valeri Vasiliev, Russian ice hockey player (b. 1949)
- 2013 – Sivanthi Adithan, Indian businessman (b. 1936)
- 2013 – Allan Arbus, American actor and photographer (b. 1918)
- 2013 – Mike Denness, Scottish-English cricketer and referee (b. 1940)
- 2013 – François Jacob, French biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1920)
- 2013 – E. L. Konigsburg, American author and illustrator (b. 1930)
- 2013 – Al Neuharth, American journalist, author, and publisher, founded USA Today (b. 1924)
- 2014 – Lindy Berry, American football player (b. 1927)
- 2014 – Ian McIntyre, Scottish journalist and producer (b. 1930)
- 2014 – Frits Thors, Dutch journalist (b. 1909)
- 2015 – Raymond Carr, English historian and academic (b. 1919)
- 2015 – William Price Fox, American journalist and author (b. 1926)
- 2015 – Roy Mason, English miner and politician, Secretary of State for Defence (b. 1924)[39]
- 2015 – Tom McCabe, Scottish social worker and politician (b. 1954)[40]
- 2015 – Oktay Sinanoğlu, Italian-Turkish chemist and academic (b. 1935)
- 2016 – Patricio Aylwin, Chilean politician (b. 1918)[41]
- 2016 – Milt Pappas, American baseball player (b. 1939)[42]
- 2017 – Aaron Hernandez, American football player (b. 1989)[43]
Holidays and observances on April 19
- Christian feast day:
- Ælfheah of Canterbury (Anglican, Catholic)
- Conrad of Ascoli
- Emma of Lesum
- Expeditus
- George of Antioch
- Olaus and Laurentius Petri (Lutheran)
- Pope Leo IX
- Ursmar
- April 19 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Earliest day on which First Day of Summer or Sumardagurinn fyrsti can fall, while April 25 is the latest; celebrated on the first Thursday after April 18. (Iceland)
- Army Day (Brazil)
- Beginning of the Independence Movement (Venezuela)
- Bicycle Day[44]
- Dutch-American Friendship Day (United States)
- Holocaust Remembrance Day (Poland)
- Indian Day (Brazil)
- King Mswati III’s birthday (Eswatini)
- Landing of the 33 Patriots Day (Uruguay)
- Patriots’ Day (Massachusetts, Maine and Wisconsin, United States)