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May 28 in History
- 585 BC – A solar eclipse occurs, as predicted by the Greek philosopher and scientist Thales, while Alyattes is battling Cyaxares in the Battle of Halys, leading to a truce. This is one of the cardinal dates from which other dates can be calculated.
- 621 – Battle of Hulao: Li Shimin, the son of the Chinese emperor Gaozu, defeats the numerically superior forces of Dou Jiande near the Hulao Pass (Henan). This victory decides the outcome of the civil war that followed the Sui dynasty’s collapse in favour of the Tang dynasty.
- 1533 – The Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, declares the marriage of King Henry VIII of England to Anne Boleyn valid.
- 1588 – The Spanish Armada, with 130 ships and 30,000 men, sets sail from Lisbon, Portugal, heading for the English Channel. (It will take until May 30 for all ships to leave port.)
- 1644 – English Civil War: Bolton Massacre by Royalist troops under the command of James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby.
- 1754 – French and Indian War: In the first engagement of the war, Virginia militia under the 22-year-old Lieutenant colonel George Washington defeat a French reconnaissance party in the Battle of Jumonville Glen in what is now Fayette County in southwestern Pennsylvania.
- 1802 – In Guadeloupe, 400 rebellious slaves, led by Louis Delgrès, blow themselves up rather than submit to Napoleon’s troops.
- 1830 – U.S. President Andrew Jackson signs the Indian Removal Act which denies Native Americans their land rights and forcibly relocates them.
- 1871 – The Paris Commune falls after two months.
- 1892 – In San Francisco, John Muir organizes the Sierra Club.
- 1905 – Russo-Japanese War: The Battle of Tsushima ends with the destruction of the Russian Baltic Fleet by Admiral Tōgō Heihachirō and the Imperial Japanese Navy.
- 1907 – The first Isle of Man TT race was held.
- 1918 – The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and the First Republic of Armenia declare their independence.
- 1926 – The 28 May 1926 coup d’état: Ditadura Nacional is established in Portugal to suppress the unrest of the First Republic.
- 1932 – In the Netherlands, construction of the Afsluitdijk is completed and the Zuiderzee bay is converted to the freshwater IJsselmeer.
- 1934 – Near Callander, Ontario, Canada, the Dionne quintuplets are born to Oliva and Elzire Dionne; they will be the first quintuplets to survive infancy.
- 1936 – Alan Turing submits On Computable Numbers for publication.
- 1937 – Volkswagen, the German automobile manufacturer is founded.
- 1940 – World War II: Belgium surrenders to Nazi Germany to end the Battle of Belgium.
- 1940 – World War II: Norwegian, French, Polish and British forces recapture Narvik in Norway. This is the first allied infantry victory of the War.
- 1948 – Daniel François Malan is elected as Prime Minister of South Africa. He later goes on to implement Apartheid.
- 1958 – Cuban Revolution: Fidel Castro’s 26th of July Movement, heavily reinforced by Frank Pais Militia, overwhelm an army post in El Uvero.
- 1961 – Peter Benenson’s article The Forgotten Prisoners is published in several internationally read newspapers. This will later be thought of as the founding of the human rights organization Amnesty International.
- 1974 – Northern Ireland’s power-sharing Sunningdale Agreement collapses following a general strike by loyalists.
- 1975 – Fifteen West African countries sign the Treaty of Lagos, creating the Economic Community of West African States.
- 1977 – In Southgate, Kentucky, the Beverly Hills Supper Club is engulfed in fire, killing 165 people inside.
- 1979 – Konstantinos Karamanlis signs the full treaty of the accession of Greece with the European Economic Community.
- 1987 – A West German pilot, Mathias Rust, who was 18 years old, evades Soviet Union air defences and lands a private plane in the Red Square in Moscow, Russia.
- 1991 – The capital city of Addis Ababa falls to the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front, ending both the Derg regime in Ethiopia and the Ethiopian Civil War.
- 1995 – The 7.0 Mw Neftegorsk earthquake shook the former Russian settlement of Neftegorsk with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). Total damage was $64.1–300 million, with 1,989 deaths and 750 injured. The settlement was not rebuilt.
- 1996 – U.S. President Bill Clinton’s former business partners in the Whitewater land deal, Jim McDougal and Susan McDougal, and the Governor of Arkansas Jim Guy Tucker, are convicted of fraud.
- 1998 – Nuclear testing: Pakistan responds to a series of nuclear tests by India with five of its own codenamed Chagai-I, prompting the United States, Japan, and other nations to impose economic sanctions. Pakistan celebrates Youm-e-Takbir annually.
- 1999 – In Milan, Italy, after 22 years of restoration work, Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece The Last Supper is put back on display.
- 2002 – The last steel girder is removed from the original World Trade Center site. Cleanup duties officially end with closing ceremonies at Ground Zero in Manhattan, New York City.
- 2003 – Peter Hollingworth resigns as Governor-General of Australia following criticism of his handling of child sexual abuse allegations during his tenure as Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane.
- 2004 – The Iraqi Governing Council chooses Ayad Allawi, a longtime anti-Saddam Hussein exile, as prime minister of Iraq’s interim government.
- 2008 – The first meeting of the Constituent Assembly of Nepal formally declares Nepal a republic, ending the 240-year reign of the Shah dynasty.
- 2010 – In West Bengal, India, the Jnaneswari Express train derailment and subsequent collision kills 148 passengers.
- 2011 – Malta votes on the introduction of divorce; the proposal was approved by 53% of voters, resulting in a law allowing divorce under certain conditions being enacted later in the year.
Births on May 28
- 1140 – Xin Qiji, Chinese poet, general, and politician (d. 1207)
- 1371 – John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy (d. 1419)
- 1524 – Selim II, Ottoman sultan (d. 1574)
- 1588 – Pierre Séguier, French politician, Lord Chancellor of France (d. 1672)
- 1589 – Robert Arnauld d’Andilly, French writer (d. 1674)
- 1663 – António Manoel de Vilhena, Grand Master of the Order of Saint John (d. 1736)
- 1676 – Jacopo Riccati, Italian mathematician and academic (d. 1754)
- 1692 – Geminiano Giacomelli, Italian composer (d. 1740)
- 1738 – Joseph-Ignace Guillotin, French physician (d. 1814)
- 1759 – William Pitt the Younger, English lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1806)
- 1763 – Manuel Alberti, Argentinian priest and journalist (d. 1811)
- 1764 – Edward Livingston, American jurist and politician, 11th United States Secretary of State (d. 1836)
- 1779 – Thomas Moore, Irish poet and composer (d. 1852)
- 1807 – Louis Agassiz, Swiss-American paleontologist and geologist (d. 1873)
- 1818 – P. G. T. Beauregard, American general (d. 1893)
- 1836 – Friedrich Baumfelder, German pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1916)
- 1836 – Alexander Mitscherlich, German chemist and academic (d. 1918)
- 1837 – George Ashlin, Irish architect, co-designed St Colman’s Cathedral (d. 1921)
- 1837 – Tony Pastor, American impresario, variety performer and theatre owner (d. 1908)
- 1841 – Sakaigawa Namiemon, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 14th Yokozuna (d. 1887)
- 1853 – Carl Larsson, Swedish painter and author (d. 1919)
- 1858 – Carl Richard Nyberg, Swedish inventor and businessman, developed the blow torch (d. 1939)
- 1872 – Marian Smoluchowski, Polish physicist and mountaineer (d. 1917)
- 1878 – Paul Pelliot, French sinologist and explorer (d. 1945)
- 1879 – Milutin Milanković, Serbian mathematician, astronomer, and geophysicist (d. 1958)
- 1883 – Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Indian poet and politician (d. 1966)
- 1883 – Clough Williams-Ellis, English-Welsh architect, designed the Portmeirion Village (d. 1978)
- 1884 – Edvard Beneš, Czech academic and politician, 2nd President of Czechoslovakia (d. 1948)
- 1886 – Santo Trafficante, Sr., Italian-American mobster (d. 1954)
- 1888 – Kaarel Eenpalu, Estonian journalist and politician, 6th Prime Minister of Estonia (d. 1942)
- 1888 – Vivienne Haigh-Wood Eliot, English author and educator (d. 1947)
- 1888 – Jim Thorpe, American decathlete, football player, and coach (d. 1953)
- 1889 – Richard Réti, Slovak-Czech chess player and author (d. 1929)
- 1892 – Minna Gombell, American actress (d. 1973)
- 1900 – Tommy Ladnier, American trumpet player (d. 1939)
- 1903 – S. L. Kirloskar, Indian businessman, founded Kirloskar Group (d. 1994)
- 1906 – Henry Thambiah, Sri Lankan lawyer, judge, and diplomat, Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Canada (d. 1997)
- 1908 – Léo Cadieux, Canadian journalist and politician, 17th Canadian Minister of National Defence (d. 2005)
- 1908 – Ian Fleming, English journalist and author, created James Bond (d. 1964)
- 1909 – Red Horner, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2005)
- 1910 – Georg Gaßmann, German politician, Mayor of Marburg (d. 1987)
- 1910 – Rachel Kempson, English actress (d. 2003)
- 1910 – T-Bone Walker, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1975)
- 1911 – Bob Crisp, South African cricketer (d. 1994)
- 1911 – Thora Hird, English actress (d. 2003)
- 1911 – Fritz Hochwälder, Austrian playwright (d. 1986)
- 1912 – Herman Johannes, Indonesian scientist, academic, and politician (d. 1992)
- 1912 – Ruby Payne-Scott, Australian physicist and astronomer (d. 1981)
- 1912 – Patrick White, Australian novelist, poet, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1990)
- 1914 – W. G. G. Duncan Smith, English captain and pilot (d. 1996)
- 1915 – Joseph Greenberg, American linguist and academic (d. 2001)
- 1916 – Walker Percy, American novelist and essayist (d. 1990)
- 1917 – Barry Commoner, American biologist, academic, and politician (d. 2012)
- 1918 – Johnny Wayne, Canadian comedian (d. 1990)
- 1921 – D. V. Paluskar, Indian Hindustani classical musician (d. 1955)
- 1921 – Heinz G. Konsalik, German journalist and author (d. 1999)
- 1921 – Tom Uren, Australian soldier, boxer, and politician (d. 2015)
- 1922 – Lou Duva, American boxer, trainer, and manager (d. 2017)
- 1922 – Roger Fisher, American author and academic (d. 2012)
- 1922 – Tuomas Gerdt, Finnish soldier
- 1923 – György Ligeti, Hungarian-Austrian composer and educator (d. 2006)
- 1923 – N. T. Rama Rao, Indian actor, director, producer, and politician, 10th Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh (d. 1996)
- 1924 – Edward du Cann, English naval officer and politician (d. 2017)
- 1924 – Paul Hébert, Canadian actor (d. 2017)
- 1925 – Bülent Ecevit, Turkish journalist, scholar, and politician, 16th Prime Minister of Turkey (d. 2006)
- 1925 – Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, German opera singer and conductor (d. 2012)
- 1928 – Sally Forrest, American actress and dancer (d. 2015)
- 1929 – Patrick McNair-Wilson, English politician
- 1930 – Edward Seaga, American-Jamaican academic and politician, 5th Prime Minister of Jamaica (d. 2019)
- 1931 – Carroll Baker, American actress
- 1931 – Gordon Willis, American cinematographer (d. 2014)
- 1932 – Tim Renton, Baron Renton of Mount Harry, English politician, Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries
- 1933 – John Karlen, American actor
- 1933 – Zelda Rubinstein, American actress and activist (d. 2010)
- 1936 – Claude Forget, Canadian academic and politician
- 1936 – Ole K. Sara, Norwegian politician (d. 2013)
- 1936 – Betty Shabazz, American educator and activist (d. 1997)
- 1938 – Jerry West, American basketball player, coach, and executive
- 1939 – Maeve Binchy, Irish novelist (d. 2012)
- 1940 – David William Brewer, English politician, Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London
- 1940 – Shlomo Riskin, American rabbi and academic, founded the Lincoln Square Synagogue
- 1941 – Beth Howland, American actress and singer (d. 2015)
- 1942 – Stanley B. Prusiner, American neurologist and biochemist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1943 – Terry Crisp, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1944 – Faith Brown, English actress and singer
- 1944 – Rudy Giuliani, American lawyer and politician, 107th mayor of New York City
- 1944 – Gladys Knight, American singer-songwriter and actress
- 1944 – Rita MacNeil, Canadian singer and actress (d. 2013)
- 1944 – Gary Stewart, American singer-songwriter (d. 2003)
- 1944 – Billy Vera, American singer-songwriter and actor
- 1945 – Patch Adams, American physician and author, founded the Gesundheit! Institute
- 1945 – John N. Bambacus, American military veteran (USMC) and politician
- 1945 – John Fogerty, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1945 – Jean Perrault, Canadian politician, Mayor of Sherbrooke, Quebec
- 1945 – Helena Shovelton, English physician
- 1946 – Bruce Alexander, English actor
- 1946 – Skip Jutze, American baseball player
- 1946 – Janet Paraskeva, Welsh politician
- 1946 – K. Satchidanandan, Indian poet and critic
- 1946 – William Shawcross, English journalist and author
- 1947 – Zahi Hawass, Egyptian archaeologist and academic
- 1947 – Lynn Johnston, Canadian author and illustrator
- 1947 – Leland Sklar, American singer-songwriter and bass player
- 1948 – Michael Field, Australian politician, 38th Premier of Tasmania
- 1948 – Pierre Rapsat, Belgian singer and songwriter (d. 2002)
- 1949 – Martin Kelner, English journalist, author, comedian, singer, actor and radio presenter
- 1949 – Wendy O. Williams, American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress (d. 1998)
- 1952 – Roger Briggs, American pianist, composer, conductor, and educator
- 1953 – Pierre Gauthier, Canadian ice hockey player and manager
- 1954 – João Carlos de Oliveira, Brazilian jumper (d. 1999)
- 1954 – Youri Egorov, Russian pianist and composer (d. 1988)
- 1954 – Charles Saumarez Smith, English historian and academic
- 1954 – Péter Szilágyi, Hungarian conductor and politician (d. 2013)
- 1954 – John Tory, Canadian lawyer and politician, 65th Mayor of Toronto
- 1955 – Laura Amy Schlitz, American author and librarian
- 1955 – Mark Howe, American ice hockey player and coach
- 1956 – Jerry Douglas, American guitarist and producer
- 1956 – Jeff Dujon, Jamaican cricketer
- 1956 – Markus Höttinger, Austrian racing driver (d. 1980)
- 1956 – Peter Wilkinson, English admiral
- 1957 – Colin Barnes, English footballer
- 1957 – Kirk Gibson, American baseball player and manager
- 1957 – Ben Howland, American basketball player and coach
- 1959 – Risto Mannisenmäki, Finnish racing driver
- 1960 – Mark Sanford, American military veteran (USAF) and politician, 115th Governor of South Carolina
- 1960 – Mary Portas, English journalist and author
- 1963 – Houman Younessi, Australian-American biologist and academic
- 1964 – Jeff Fenech, Australian boxer and trainer
- 1964 – Armen Gilliam, American basketball player and coach (d. 2011)
- 1964 – Zsa Zsa Padilla, Filipino singer and actress
- 1964 – Phil Vassar, American singer-songwriter
- 1965 – Chris Ballew, American singer-songwriter and bass player
- 1965 – Mary Coughlan, Irish politician
- 1966 – Roger Kumble, American director, screenwriter, and playwright
- 1966 – Miljenko Jergović, Bosnian novelist and journalist
- 1966 – Gavin Robertson, Australian cricketer
- 1967 – Glen Rice, American basketball player
- 1968 – Kylie Minogue, Australian singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
- 1969 – Mike DiFelice, American baseball player and manager
- 1969 – Rob Ford, Canadian politician, 64th Mayor of Toronto (d. 2016)
- 1970 – Glenn Quinn, American actor (d. 2002)
- 1971 – Isabelle Carré, French actress and singer
- 1971 – Ekaterina Gordeeva, Russian figure skater and sportscaster
- 1971 – Marco Rubio, American lawyer and politician
- 1972 – Doriva, Brazilian footballer and manager
- 1972 – Michael Boogerd, Dutch cyclist and manager
- 1973 – Marco Paulo Faria Lemos, Portuguese footballer and manager
- 1974 – Hans-Jörg Butt, German footballer
- 1974 – Misbah-ul-Haq, Pakistani cricketer
- 1975 – Maura Johnston, American journalist, critic, and academic
- 1976 – Steven Bell, Australian rugby league player
- 1976 – Zaza Enden, Georgian-Turkish wrestler, basketball player, and coach
- 1976 – Roberto Goretti, Italian footballer
- 1976 – Glenn Morrison, Australian rugby league player and coach
- 1977 – Elisabeth Hasselbeck, American talk show host and author
- 1978 – Jake Johnson, American actor
- 1979 – Abdulaziz al-Omari, Saudi Arabian terrorist, hijacker of American Airlines Flight 11 (d. 2001)
- 1979 – Ronald Curry, American football player and coach
- 1980 – Miguel Pérez, Spanish footballer
- 1980 – Lucy Shuker, English tennis player
- 1981 – Daniel Cabrera, Dominican-American baseball player
- 1981 – Eric Ghiaciuc, American football player
- 1981 – Adam Green, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1982 – Alexa Davalos, French-American actress
- 1982 – Jhonny Peralta, Dominican-American baseball player
- 1983 – Steve Cronin, American soccer player
- 1983 – Humberto Sánchez, Dominican-American baseball player
- 1983 – Roman Atwood, American YouTube star
- 1985 – Colbie Caillat, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1985 – Pablo Andrés González, Argentinian footballer
- 1985 – Kostas Mendrinos, Greek footballer
- 1985 – Carey Mulligan, English actress and singer
- 1986 – Berrick Barnes, Australian rugby player
- 1986 – Seth Rollins, American wrestler
- 1986 – Ingmar Vos, Dutch decathlete
- 1987 – T.J. Yates, American football player
- 1988 – NaVorro Bowman, American football player
- 1988 – Percy Harvin, American football player
- 1988 – Craig Kimbrel, American baseball player
- 1990 – Kyle Walker, English international footballer, right-back
- 1991 – Sharrif Floyd, American football player
- 1991 – Alexandre Lacazette, French footballer
- 1991 – Kail Piho, Estonian skier
- 1992 – Tom Carroll, English footballer
- 1993 – Daniel Alvaro, Australian rugby league player
- 1993 – Bárbara Luz, Portuguese tennis player
- 1994 – John Stones, English footballer
- 1994 – Son Yeon-jae, South Korean gymnast
- 1998 – Dahyun, Korean singer
- 1999 – Cameron Boyce, American actor (d. 2019)
- 2000 – Phil Foden, English footballer
Deaths on May 28
- 576 – Germain of Paris, French bishop and saint (b. 496)
- 741 – Ucha’an K’in B’alam, Mayan king
- 926 – Kong Qian, official of Later Tang
- 926 – Li Jiji, prince of Later Tang
- 1023 – Wulfstan, English archbishop
- 1279 – William Wishart, English bishop
- 1327 – Robert Baldock, Lord Privy Seal and Lord Chancellor of England
- 1357 – Afonso IV of Portugal (b. 1291)
- 1427 – Henry IV, Count of Holstein-Rendsburg (b. 1397)
- 1556 – Saitō Dōsan, Japanese samurai (b. 1494)
- 1626 – Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk (b. 1561)
- 1651 – Henry Grey, 10th Earl of Kent, English politician (b. 1594)
- 1672 – John Trevor, Welsh politician, Secretary of State for the Northern Department (b. 1626)
- 1747 – Luc de Clapiers, marquis de Vauvenargues, French author (b. 1715)
- 1750 – Emperor Sakuramachi of Japan (b. 1720)
- 1787 – Leopold Mozart, Austrian violinist, composer, and conductor (b. 1719)
- 1805 – Luigi Boccherini, Italian cellist and composer (b. 1743)
- 1808 – Richard Hurd, English bishop (b. 1720)
- 1811 – Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville, Scottish lawyer and politician, Secretary of State for War (b. 1742)
- 1831 – William Carnegie, 7th Earl of Northesk, Scottish-English admiral (b. 1756)
- 1843 – Noah Webster, American lexicographer (b. 1758)
- 1849 – Anne Brontë, English novelist and poet (b. 1820)
- 1864 – Simion Bărnuțiu, Romanian historian and politician (b. 1808)
- 1878 – John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1792)
- 1904 – Kicking Bear, Native American tribal leader (b. 1846)
- 1916 – Ivan Franko, Ukrainian economist, journalist, and poet (b. 1856)
- 1927 – Boris Kustodiev, Russian painter and stage designer (b. 1878)
- 1937 – Alfred Adler, Austrian-Scottish ophthalmologist and psychologist (b. 1870)
- 1946 – Carter Glass, American publisher and politician, 47th United States Secretary of the Treasury (b. 1858)
- 1947 – August Eigruber, Austrian-German politician (b. 1907)
- 1952 – Philippe Desranleau, Canadian archbishop (b. 1882)
- 1953 – Tatsuo Hori, Japanese author and poet (b. 1904)
- 1964 – Terry Dillon, American football player (b. 1941)
- 1968 – Fyodor Okhlopkov, Russian sergeant and sniper (b. 1908)
- 1971 – Audie Murphy, American soldier and actor, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1925)
- 1972 – Edward VIII of the United Kingdom (b. 1894)
- 1975 – Ezzard Charles, American boxer (b. 1921)
- 1976 – Zainul Abedin, Bangladeshi painter and sculptor (b. 1914)
- 1980 – Rolf Nevanlinna, Finnish mathematician and academic (b. 1895)
- 1981 – Mary Lou Williams, American pianist and composer (b. 1910)
- 1981 – Stefan Wyszyński, Polish cardinal (b. 1901)
- 1982 – H. Jones, English colonel, Victoria Cross recipient (b. 1940)
- 1983 – Erastus Corning 2nd, American soldier and politician, 72nd Mayor of Albany (b. 1909)
- 1984 – Eric Morecambe, English actor and comedian (b. 1926)
- 1986 – Edip Cansever, Turkish poet and author (b. 1928)
- 1988 – Sy Oliver, American trumpet player, composer, and bandleader (b. 1910)
- 1990 – Julius Eastman, American composer (b. 1940)
- 1994 – Julius Boros, American golfer (b. 1920)
- 1994 – Ely Jacques Kahn, Jr., American author and academic (b. 1916)
- 1998 – Phil Hartman, Canadian-American actor and comedian (b. 1948)
- 1999 – Michael Barkai, Israeli commander (b. 1935)
- 1999 – B. Vittalacharya, Indian director and producer (b. 1920)
- 2000 – George Irving Bell, American physicist, biologist, and mountaineer (b. 1926)
- 2001 – Joe Moakley, American lawyer and politician (b. 1927)
- 2001 – Francisco Varela, Chilean biologist and philosopher (b. 1946)
- 2002 – Mildred Benson, American journalist and author (b. 1905)
- 2003 – Oleg Grigoryevich Makarov, Russian engineer and astronaut (b. 1933)
- 2003 – Ilya Prigogine, Russian-Belgian chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1917)
- 2003 – Martha Scott, American actress (b. 1912)
- 2004 – Umberto Agnelli, Swiss-Italian businessman and politician (b. 1934)
- 2004 – Michael Buonauro, American author and illustrator (b. 1979)
- 2004 – John Tolos, Greek-Canadian wrestler (b. 1930)
- 2006 – Thorleif Schjelderup, Norwegian ski jumper and author (b. 1920)
- 2007 – Jörg Immendorff, German painter, sculptor, and academic (b. 1945)
- 2007 – Toshikatsu Matsuoka, Japanese politician, Japanese Minister of Agriculture (b. 1945)
- 2008 – Beryl Cook, English painter and illustrator (b. 1926)
- 2010 – Gary Coleman, American actor (b. 1968)
- 2011 – Gino Valenzano, Italian racing driver (b. 1920)
- 2012 – Bob Edwards, English journalist (b. 1925)
- 2012 – Yuri Susloparov, Ukrainian-Russian footballer and manager (b. 1958)
- 2013 – Viktor Kulikov, Russian commander (b. 1921)
- 2013 – Eddie Romero, Filipino director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1924)
- 2013 – Gerd Schmückle, German general (b. 1917)
- 2014 – Maya Angelou, American memoirist and poet (b. 1928)
- 2014 – Stan Crowther, English footballer (b. 1935)
- 2014 – Oscar Dystel, American publisher (b. 1912)
- 2014 – Malcolm Glazer, American businessman (b. 1928)
- 2014 – Bob Houbregs, Canadian-American basketball player and manager (b. 1932)
- 2014 – Isaac Kungwane, South African footballer (b. 1971)
- 2015 – Steven Gerber, American pianist and composer (b. 1948)
- 2015 – Johnny Keating, Scottish trombonist, composer, and producer (b. 1927)
- 2015 – Reynaldo Rey, American actor and screenwriter (b. 1940)
- 2018 – Neale Cooper, Scottish footballer (b. 1963)
- 2018 – Jens Christian Skou, Danish medical doctor and Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1918)
- 2018 – Cornelia Frances, English-Australian actress (b. 1941)
Holidays and observances on May 28
- Armed Forces Day (Croatia)
- Christian feast day:
- Bernard of Menthon
- Germain of Paris
- John Calvin (Episcopal Church)
- Lanfranc
- Margaret Pole
- William of Gellone
- May 28 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Downfall of the Derg Day (Ethiopia)
- Flag Day (Philippines)
- Menstrual Hygiene Day
- Republic Day (Nepal)
- TDFR Republic Day, celebrates the declaration of independence of the First Republic of Armenia and the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic from the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic in 1918. (Azerbaijan and Armenia)
- Youm-e-Takbir (Pakistan)
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April 13 in History
- 1111 – Henry V is crowned Holy Roman Emperor.
- 1204 – Constantinople falls to the Crusaders of the Fourth Crusade, temporarily ending the Byzantine Empire.
- 1612 – Miyamoto Musashi defeats Sasaki Kojirō at Funajima island.
- 1613 – Samuel Argall, having captured Native American princess Pocahontas in Passapatanzy, Virginia, sets off with her to Jamestown with the intention of exchanging her for English prisoners held by her father.
- 1742 – George Frideric Handel’s oratorio Messiah makes its world-premiere in Dublin, Ireland.
- 1777 – American Revolutionary War: American forces are ambushed and defeated in the Battle of Bound Brook, New Jersey.
- 1829 – The Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829 gives Roman Catholics in the United Kingdom the right to vote and to sit in Parliament.
- 1849 – Lajos Kossuth presents the Hungarian Declaration of Independence in a closed session of the National Assembly.
- 1861 – American Civil War: Fort Sumter surrenders to Confederate forces.
- 1865 – American Civil War: Raleigh, North Carolina is occupied by Union Forces.
- 1870 – The New York City Metropolitan Museum of Art is founded.
- 1873 – The Colfax massacre, in which more than 60 black men are murdered, takes place.
- 1909 – The military of the Ottoman Empire reverses the Ottoman countercoup of 1909 to force the overthrow of Sultan Abdul Hamid II.
- 1919 – Jallianwala Bagh massacre: British Indian Army troops lead by Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer killed approx 379-1000 unarmed demonstrators including men and women in Amritsar, India; and approximately 1,500 injured.
- 1941 – A pact of neutrality between the USSR and Japan is signed.
- 1943 – World War II: The discovery of mass graves of Polish prisoners of war killed by Soviet forces in the Katyń Forest Massacre is announced, causing a diplomatic rift between the Polish government-in-exile in London and the Soviet Union, which denies responsibility.
- 1943 – The Jefferson Memorial is dedicated in Washington, D.C., on the 200th anniversary of President Thomas Jefferson’s birth.
- 1944 – Relations between New Zealand and the Soviet Union are established.
- 1945 – World War II: German troops kill more than 1,000 political and military prisoners in Gardelegen, Germany.
- 1945 – World War II: Soviet and Bulgarian forces capture Vienna.
- 1948 – In an ambush, 78 Jewish doctors, nurses and medical students from Hadassah Hospital, and a British soldier, are massacred by Arabs in Sheikh Jarrah. This event came to be known as the Hadassah medical convoy massacre.
- 1953 – CIA director Allen Dulles launches the mind-control program Project MKUltra.
- 1958 – American pianist Van Cliburn is awarded first prize at the inaugural International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow.
- 1960 – The United States launches Transit 1-B, the world’s first satellite navigation system.
- 1964 – At the Academy Awards, Sidney Poitier becomes the first African-American male to win the Best Actor award for the 1963 film Lilies of the Field.
- 1970 – An oxygen tank aboard the Apollo 13 Service Module explodes, putting the crew in great danger and causing major damage to the Apollo command and service module (codenamed “Odyssey“) while en route to the Moon.
- 1972 – The Universal Postal Union decides to recognize the People’s Republic of China as the only legitimate Chinese representative, effectively expelling the Republic of China administering Taiwan.
- 1972 – Vietnam War: The Battle of An Lộc begins.
- 1975 – An attack by the Phalangist resistance kills 26 militia members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, marking the start of the 15-year Lebanese Civil War.
- 1976 – The United States Treasury Department reintroduces the two-dollar bill as a Federal Reserve Note on Thomas Jefferson’s 233rd birthday as part of the United States Bicentennial celebration.
- 1976 – Forty workers die in an explosion at the Lapua ammunition factory, the deadliest accidental disaster in modern history in Finland.
- 1992 – Basements throughout the Chicago Loop are flooded, forcing the Chicago Board of Trade Building and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange to close.
- 1997 – Tiger Woods becomes the youngest golfer to win the Masters Tournament.
- 2003 – A bus near the Vale of Tempe, Greece was involved in a major vehicle accident with a truck and multiple cars, leaving 21 students in the tenth grade of Makrochori, Imathia High School dead and nine injured during their return to their homes from a trip to Athens.
- 2017 – The US drops the largest ever non-nuclear weapon on Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan.
Births on April 13
- 1229 – Louis II, Duke of Bavaria (d. 1294)
- 1350 – Margaret III, Countess of Flanders (d. 1405)
- 1506 – Peter Faber, French priest and theologian, co-founded the Society of Jesus (d. 1546)
- 1519 – Catherine de’ Medici, Italian-French wife of Henry II of France (d. 1589)
- 1570 – Guy Fawkes, English soldier, planned the Gunpowder Plot (probable; d. 1606)
- 1573 – Christina of Holstein-Gottorp (d. 1625)
- 1593 – Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford, English soldier and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (d. 1641)
- 1618 – Roger de Rabutin, Comte de Bussy, French author (d. 1693)
- 1636 – Hendrik van Rheede, Dutch botanist (d. 1691)
- 1648 – Jeanne Marie Bouvier de la Motte Guyon, French mystic (d. 1717)
- 1713 – Pierre Jélyotte, French tenor (d. 1797)
- 1729 – Thomas Percy, Irish bishop and poet (d. 1811)
- 1732 – Frederick North, Lord North, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1792)
- 1735 – Isaac Low, American merchant and politician, founded the New York Chamber of Commerce (d. 1791)
- 1743 – Thomas Jefferson, American lawyer and politician, 3rd President of the United States (d. 1826)
- 1747 – Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans (d. 1793)
- 1764 – Laurent de Gouvion Saint-Cyr, French general and politician, French Minister of War (d. 1830)
- 1769 – Thomas Lawrence, English painter and educator (d. 1830)
- 1771 – Richard Trevithick, Cornish-English engineer and explorer (d. 1833)
- 1780 – Alexander Mitchell, Irish engineer, invented the Screw-pile lighthouse (d. 1868)
- 1784 – Friedrich Graf von Wrangel, Prussian field marshal (d. 1877)
- 1787 – John Robertson, American lawyer and politician (d. 1873)
- 1794 – Jean Pierre Flourens, French physiologist and academic (d. 1867)
- 1802 – Leopold Fitzinger, Austrian zoologist and herpetologist (d. 1884)
- 1808 – Antonio Meucci, Italian-American engineer (d. 1889)
- 1810 – Félicien David, French composer (d. 1876)
- 1824 – William Alexander, Irish archbishop, poet, and theologian (d. 1911)
- 1825 – Thomas D’Arcy McGee, Irish-Canadian journalist and politician (d. 1868)
- 1828 – Josephine Butler, English feminist and social reformer (d. 1906)
- 1828 – Joseph Lightfoot, English bishop and theologian (d. 1889)
- 1832 – Juan Montalvo, Ecuadorian author and diplomat (d. 1889)
- 1841 – Louis-Ernest Barrias, French sculptor and academic (d. 1905)
- 1850 – Arthur Matthew Weld Downing, Irish astronomer (d. 1917)
- 1851 – Robert Abbe, American surgeon and radiologist (d. 1928)
- 1851 – William Quan Judge, Irish occultist and theosophist (d. 1896)
- 1852 – Frank Winfield Woolworth, American businessman, founded the F. W. Woolworth Company (d. 1919)
- 1854 – Lucy Craft Laney, Founder of the Haines Normal and Industrial School, Augusta, Georgia (d. 1933)
- 1860 – James Ensor, English-Belgian painter (d. 1949)
- 1866 – Butch Cassidy, American criminal (d. 1908)
- 1872 – John Cameron, Scottish international footballer and manager (d. 1935)
- 1872 – Alexander Roda Roda, Austrian-Croatian journalist and author (d. 1945)
- 1873 – John W. Davis, American lawyer and politician, 14th United States Solicitor General (d. 1955)
- 1875 – Ray Lyman Wilbur, American physician, academic, and politician, 31st United States Secretary of the Interior (d. 1949)
- 1879 – Edward Bruce, American lawyer and painter (d. 1943)
- 1879 – Oswald Bruce Cooper, American type designer, lettering artist, graphic designer, and educator (d. 1940)
- 1880 – Charles Christie, Canadian-American businessman, co-founded the Christie Film Company (d. 1955)
- 1885 – Vean Gregg, American baseball player (d. 1964)
- 1885 – Juhan Kukk, Estonian politician, Head of State of Estonia (d. 1942)
- 1885 – György Lukács, Hungarian philosopher and critic (d. 1971)
- 1885 – Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy, Dutch politician (d. 1961)
- 1887 – Gordon S. Fahrni, Canadian physician and golfer (d. 1995)
- 1889 – Herbert Yardley, American cryptologist and author (d. 1958)
- 1890 – Frank Murphy, American jurist and politician, 56th United States Attorney General (d. 1949)
- 1890 – Dadasaheb Torne, Indian director and producer (d. 1960)
- 1891 – Maurice Buckley, Australian sergeant, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 1921)
- 1891 – Nella Larsen, Danish/African-American nurse, librarian, and author (d. 1964)
- 1891 – Robert Scholl, German accountant and politician (d. 1973)
- 1892 – Sir Arthur Harris, 1st Baronet, English air marshal (d. 1984)
- 1892 – Robert Watson-Watt, Scottish engineer, invented Radar (d. 1973)
- 1894 – Arthur Fadden, Australian accountant and politician, 13th Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1973)
- 1894 – Joie Ray, American runner (d. 1978)
- 1896 – Fred Barnett, English footballer (d. 1982)
- 1897 – Werner Voss, German lieutenant and pilot (d. 1917)
- 1899 – Alfred Mosher Butts, American architect and game designer, created Scrabble (d. 1993)
- 1899 – Harold Osborn, American high jumper and decathlete (d. 1975)
- 1900 – Sorcha Boru, American potter and ceramic sculptor (d. 2006)
- 1900 – Pierre Molinier, French painter and photographer (d. 1976)
- 1901 – Jacques Lacan, French psychiatrist and psychoanalyst (d. 1981)
- 1901 – Alan Watt, Australian public servant and diplomat, Australian Ambassador to Japan (d. 1988)
- 1902 – Philippe de Rothschild, French Grand Prix driver, playwright, and producer (d. 1988)
- 1902 – Marguerite Henry, American author (d. 1997)
- 1904 – David Robinson, English businessman and philanthropist (d. 1987)
- 1905 – Rae Johnstone, Australian jockey (d. 1964)
- 1906 – Samuel Beckett, Irish novelist, poet, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1989)
- 1906 – Bud Freeman, American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader (d. 1991)
- 1907 – Harold Stassen, American lawyer and politician, 25th Governor of Minnesota (d. 2001)
- 1909 – Eudora Welty, American short story writer and novelist (d. 2001)
- 1911 – Ico Hitrec, Croatian footballer and manager (d. 1946)
- 1911 – Jean-Louis Lévesque, Canadian businessman and philanthropist (d. 1994)
- 1911 – Nino Sanzogno, Italian conductor and composer (d. 1983)
- 1913 – Dave Albritton, American high jumper and coach (d. 1994)
- 1913 – Kermit Tyler, American lieutenant and pilot (d. 2010)
- 1914 – Orhan Veli Kanık, Turkish poet and author (d. 1950)
- 1916 – Phyllis Fraser, Welsh-American actress, journalist, and publisher, co-founded Beginner Books (d. 2006)
- 1917 – Robert Orville Anderson, American businessman, founded Atlantic Richfield Oil Co. (d. 2007)
- 1917 – Bill Clements, American soldier, engineer, and politician, 15th United States Deputy Secretary of Defense (d. 2011)
- 1919 – Roland Gaucher, French journalist and politician (d. 2007)
- 1919 – Howard Keel, American actor and singer (d. 2004)
- 1919 – Madalyn Murray O’Hair, American activist, founded American Atheists (d. 1995)
- 1920 – Roberto Calvi, Italian banker (d. 1982)
- 1920 – Claude Cheysson, French lieutenant and politician, French Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 2012)
- 1920 – Liam Cosgrave, Irish lawyer and politician, 6th Taoiseach of Ireland (d. 2017)
- 1920 – Theodore L. Thomas, American chemical engineer, Patent attorney and writer (d. 2005)
- 1922 – Heinz Baas, German footballer and manager (d. 1994)
- 1922 – John Braine, English librarian and author (d. 1986)
- 1922 – Julius Nyerere, Tanzanian politician and teacher, 1st President of Tanzania (d. 1999)
- 1922 – Valve Pormeister, Estonian architect (d. 2002)
- 1923 – Don Adams, American actor and director (d. 2005)
- 1923 – A. H. Halsey, English sociologist and academic (d. 2014)
- 1923 – Stanley Tanger, American businessman and philanthropist, founded the Tanger Factory Outlet Centers (d. 2010)
- 1924 – John T. Biggers, American painter (d. 2001)
- 1924 – Jack T. Chick, American author, illustrator, and publisher (d. 2016)
- 1924 – Stanley Donen, American film director and choreographer (d. 2019)
- 1926 – Ellie Lambeti, Greek actress (d. 1983)
- 1926 – John Spencer-Churchill, 11th Duke of Marlborough, English businessman (d. 2014)
- 1927 – Rosemary Haughton, English philosopher, theologian, and author
- 1927 – Antonino Rocca, Italian-American wrestler (d. 1977)
- 1927 – Maurice Ronet, French actor and director (d. 1983)
- 1928 – Alan Clark, English historian and politician, Minister of State for Trade (d. 1999)
- 1928 – Gianni Marzotto, Italian racing driver and businessman (d. 2012)
- 1929 – Marilynn Smith, American golfer (d. 2019)
- 1931 – Anita Cerquetti, Italian soprano (d. 2014)
- 1931 – Robert Enrico, French director and screenwriter (d. 2001)
- 1931 – Dan Gurney, American race car driver and engineer (d. 2018)
- 1931 – Jon Stone, American composer, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1997)
- 1932 – Orlando Letelier, Chilean-American economist and politician, Chilean Minister of National Defense (d. 1976)
- 1933 – Ben Nighthorse Campbell, American soldier and politician
- 1934 – John Muckler, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager
- 1936 – Pierre Rosenberg, French historian and academic
- 1937 – Col Joye, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1937 – Edward Fox, English actor
- 1937 – Lanford Wilson, American playwright, co-founded the Circle Repertory Company (d. 2011)
- 1938 – Klaus Lehnertz, German pole vaulter
- 1938 – John Weston, English poet and diplomat
- 1939 – Seamus Heaney, Irish poet and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2013)
- 1939 – Paul Sorvino, American actor and singer
- 1940 – Mike Beuttler, Egyptian-English racing driver (d. 1988)
- 1940 – Lester Chambers, American singer and musician
- 1940 – J. M. G. Le Clézio, Breton French-Mauritian author and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1940 – Vladimir Cosma, French composer, conductor and violinist
- 1940 – Jim McNab, Scottish footballer (d. 2006)
- 1940 – Max Mosley, English racing driver and engineer, co-founded March Engineering, former president of the FIA
- 1940 – Ruby Puryear Hearn, African-American biophysicist
- 1941 – Michael Stuart Brown, American geneticist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1941 – Jean-Marc Reiser, French author and illustrator (d. 1983)
- 1942 – Bill Conti, American composer and conductor
- 1943 – Alan Jones, Australian rugby coach, radio host, and educator
- 1943 – Billy Kidd, American skier
- 1943 – Tim Krabbé, Dutch journalist and author
- 1943 – Philip Norman, English journalist, author, and playwright
- 1944 – Franco Arese, Italian runner
- 1944 – Charles Burnett, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1944 – Jack Casady, American bass guitarist
- 1944 – Susan Davis, Russian-American social worker and politician
- 1945 – Ed Caruthers, American high jumper
- 1945 – Tony Dow, American actor
- 1945 – Lowell George, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 1979)
- 1945 – Bob Kalsu, American football player and lieutenant (d. 1970)
- 1945 – Judy Nunn, Australian actress and author
- 1946 – Al Green, American singer-songwriter, producer, and pastor
- 1947 – Rae Armantrout, American poet and academic
- 1947 – Mike Chapman, Australian-English songwriter and producer
- 1947 – Jean-Jacques Laffont, French economist and academic (d. 2004)
- 1947 – Yves Landry, Canadian cyclist
- 1948 – Nam Hae-il, South Korean admiral
- 1948 – Drago Jančar, Slovenian author and playwright
- 1948 – Mikhail Shufutinsky, Soviet and Russian singer, actor, TV presenter
- 1949 – Len Cook, New Zealand-English mathematician and statistician
- 1949 – Frank Doran, Scottish lawyer and politician (d. 2017)
- 1949 – Christopher Hitchens, English-American essayist, literary critic, and journalist (d. 2011)
- 1949 – Ricardo Zunino, Argentinian racing driver
- 1950 – Ron Perlman, American actor
- 1950 – Tommy Raudonikis, Australian rugby league player and coach
- 1951 – Leszek Borysiewicz, Welsh immunologist and academic
- 1951 – Peabo Bryson, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1951 – Peter Davison, English actor
- 1951 – Joachim Streich, German footballer and manager
- 1951 – Max Weinberg, American drummer
- 1952 – Sam Bush, American mandolin player
- 1952 – David Drew, English lawyer and politician
- 1952 – Gabrielle Gourdeau, Canadian writer (d. 2006)
- 1952 – Jonjo O’Neill, Irish jockey and trainer
- 1953 – Stephen Byers, English politician
- 1953 – Dany Laferrière, Haitian-Canadian journalist and author
- 1954 – Jimmy Destri, American keyboard player and songwriter
- 1954 – Niels Olsen, Danish singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1954 – Barbara Roche, English lawyer and politician
- 1955 – Steve Camp, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1955 – Muwenda Mutebi II, current King of Buganda Kingdom
- 1955 – Louis Johnson, American bass player and producer (d. 2015)
- 1955 – Lupe Pintor, Mexican boxer
- 1955 – Ole von Beust, German lawyer and politician, 1st Mayor of Hamburg
- 1956 – Possum Bourne, New Zealand racing driver (d. 2003)
- 1956 – Alan Devonshire, English footballer and manager
- 1956 – Edward Forbes Smiley III, American art thief and map dealer
- 1957 – Amy Goodman, American journalist and author
- 1957 – Saundra Santiago, American actress
- 1960 – Lyn Brown, English social worker and politician
- 1960 – Bob Casey, Jr., American lawyer and politician, senior senator of Pennsylvania
- 1960 – Olaf Ludwig, German cyclist and manager
- 1960 – Rudi Völler, German footballer and manager
- 1961 – Hiro Yamamoto, American bass player and songwriter
- 1962 – Hillel Slovak, Israeli-American guitarist (d. 1988)
- 1963 – Garry Kasparov, Russian chess player and author
- 1964 – Davis Love III, American golfer and sportscaster
- 1964 – Caroline Rhea, Canadian actress and comedian
- 1964 – John Swinney, Scottish businessman and politician, Deputy First Minister of Scotland
- 1965 – Patricio Pouchulu, Argentinian architect and educator
- 1966 – Ali Boumnijel, Tunisian footballer
- 1966 – Marc Ford, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
- 1967 – Dana Barros, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster
- 1967 – Michael Eisen, American biologist and academic
- 1967 – Olga Tañón, Puerto Rican-American singer-songwriter
- 1968 – Ted Washington, American football player
- 1969 – Dirk Muschiol, German footballer
- 1970 – Monty Brown, American football player and wrestler
- 1970 – Gerry Creaney, Scottish footballer and manager
- 1970 – Nick Garrett, English singer
- 1970 – Szilveszter Csollány, Hungarian gymnast
- 1970 – Ricardo Rincón, Mexican-American baseball player
- 1970 – Ricky Schroder, American actor
- 1971 – Franck Esposito, French swimmer
- 1971 – Danie Mellor, Australian painter and sculptor
- 1971 – Bo Outlaw, American basketball player
- 1971 – Valensia, Dutch singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1972 – Mariusz Czerkawski, Polish ice hockey player and golfer
- 1972 – Aaron Lewis, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1974 – Valentina Cervi, Italian actress
- 1974 – Sergei Gonchar, Russian ice hockey player
- 1974 – Darren Turner, English racing driver
- 1974 – David Zdrilic, Australian footballer and manager
- 1975 – Jasey-Jay Anderson, Canadian snowboarder
- 1975 – Lou Bega, German singer-songwriter
- 1975 – Bruce Dyer, English footballer
- 1975 – Tatiana Navka, Russian ice dancer
- 1976 – Jonathan Brandis, American actor (d. 2003)
- 1976 – Patrik Eliáš, Czech-American ice hockey player
- 1976 – Glenn Howerton, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
- 1977 – Margus Tsahkna, Estonian lawyer and politician
- 1978 – Arron Asham, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1978 – Carles Puyol, Spanish footballer
- 1978 – Raemon Sluiter, Dutch tennis player
- 1978 – Keydrick Vincent, American football player
- 1979 – Gréta Arn, Hungarian tennis player
- 1979 – Baron Davis, American basketball player
- 1979 – Tony Lundon, Irish singer-songwriter, producer, and dancer
- 1979 – Meghann Shaughnessy, American tennis player
- 1980 – Colleen Clinkenbeard, American voice actress, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1980 – Jason Maguire, Irish jockey
- 1980 – Alan Melikdjanian, American independent filmmaker and YouTuber
- 1980 – Quentin Richardson, American basketball player
- 1981 – Nat Borchers, American soccer player
- 1981 – Gemma Doyle, Scottish politician
- 1982 – Nellie McKay, British-American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress
- 1983 – Claudio Bravo, Chilean footballer
- 1983 – Schalk Burger, South African rugby player
- 1983 – Nicole Cooke, Welsh cyclist
- 1983 – Hunter Pence, American baseball player
- 1984 – Jarmo Ahjupera, Estonian footballer
- 1984 – Anders Lindegaard, Danish footballer
- 1985 – Anna Jennings-Edquist, Australian actress, director, and playwright
- 1985 – Algo Kärp, Estonian skier
- 1985 – Cody Nickson, American reality television personality
- 1986 – Michael Bingham, American-English sprinter
- 1986 – Lorenzo Cain, American baseball player
- 1987 – Brandon Hardesty, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1987 – Massimiliano Pesenti, Italian footballer
- 1987 – Allison Weiss, American singer-songwriter
- 1988 – Anderson, Brazilian footballer
- 1988 – Petteri Koponen, Finnish basketball player
- 1988 – Allison Williams, American actress and singer
- 1989 – Ryan Bailey, American sprinter
- 1989 – Dong Dong, Chinese trampolinist
- 1989 – Nastassia Mironchyk-Ivanova, Belarusian long jumper
- 1989 – Josh Reynolds, Australian rugby league player
- 1989 – Vladislav Yegin, Russian ice hockey player
- 1990 – Anastasija Sevastova, a professional tennis player from Latvia
- 1991 – Akeem Adams, Trinidadian footballer (d. 2013)
- 1991 – Ulises Dávila, Mexican footballer
- 1991 – Josh Gordon, American football player
- 1992 – Denis Kudryavtsev, Russian hurdler
- 1992 – Jordan Silk, Australian cricketer
- 1993 – Tony Wroten, American basketball player
- 1994 – Ángelo Henríquez, Chilean footballer
- 1994 – Elvis Merzļikins, Latvian ice hockey player
- 1997 – Kyle Walker-Peters, English footballer
Deaths on April 13
- 548 – Lý Nam Đế, Vietnamese emperor (b. 503)
- 585 – Hermenegild, Visigothic prince and saint
- 799 – Paul the Deacon, Italian monk and historian (b. 720)
- 814 – Krum, khan of the Bulgarian Khanate
- 862 – Donald I, king of the Picts (b. 812)
- 989 – Bardas Phokas, Byzantine general
- 1035 – Herbert I, Count of Maine
- 1093 – Vsevolod I of Kiev (b. 1030)
- 1113 – Ida of Lorraine, saint and noblewoman (b. c. 1040)
- 1138 – Simon I, Duke of Lorraine (b. 1076)
- 1213 – Guy of Thouars, regent of Brittany
- 1275 – Eleanor of England (b. 1215)
- 1367 – John Tiptoft, 2nd Baron Tibetot (b. 1313)
- 1592 – Bartolomeo Ammannati, Italian architect and sculptor (b. 1511)
- 1605 – Boris Godunov, Tsar of Russia (b. 1551)
- 1612 – Sasaki Kojirō, Japanese samurai (b. 1585)
- 1635 – Fakhr-al-Din II, Ottoman prince (b. 1572)
- 1638 – Henri, Duke of Rohan (b. 1579)
- 1641 – Richard Montagu, English bishop (b. 1577)
- 1695 – Jean de La Fontaine, French author and poet (b. 1621)
- 1716 – Arthur Herbert, 1st Earl of Torrington, English admiral and politician (b. 1648)
- 1722 – Charles Leslie, Irish priest and theologian (b. 1650)
- 1793 – Pierre Gaspard Chaumette, French botanist, lawyer, and politician (b. 1763)
- 1794 – Nicolas Chamfort, French playwright and poet (b. 1741)
- 1826 – Franz Danzi, German cellist, composer, and conductor (b. 1763)
- 1853 – Leopold Gmelin, German chemist and academic (b. 1788)
- 1853 – James Iredell, Jr., American lawyer and politician, 23rd Governor of North Carolina (b. 1788)
- 1855 – Henry De la Beche, English geologist and palaeontologist (b. 1796)
- 1868 – Tewodros II of Ethiopia (b. 1818)
- 1880 – Robert Fortune, Scottish botanist and author (b. 1813)
- 1882 – Bruno Bauer, German historian and philosopher (b. 1809)
- 1886 – John Humphrey Noyes, American religious leader, founded the Oneida Community (b. 1811)
- 1890 – Samuel J. Randall, American captain, lawyer, and politician, 33rd Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (b. 1828)
- 1899 – James Service, Scottish-Australian politician, 12th Premier of Victoria (b. 1823)
- 1909 – Whitley Stokes, Anglo-Irish lawyer and scholar (b. 1830)
- 1910 – William Quiller Orchardson, Scottish-English painter and educator (b. 1835)
- 1911 – John McLane, Scottish-American politician, 50th Governor of New Hampshire (b. 1852)
- 1911 – George Washington Glick, American lawyer and politician, 9th Governor of Kansas (b. 1827)
- 1912 – Takuboku Ishikawa, Japanese poet and author (b. 1886)
- 1917 – Diamond Jim Brady, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1856)
- 1918 – Lavr Kornilov, Russian general (b. 1870)
- 1927 – Georg Voigt, German politician, Mayor of Frankfurt (b. 1866)
- 1936 – Konstantinos Demertzis, Greek politician 129th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1876)
- 1938 – Grey Owl, English-Canadian environmentalist and author (b. 1888)
- 1941 – Annie Jump Cannon, American astronomer and academic (b. 1863)
- 1941 – William Twaits, Canadian soccer player (b. 1879)
- 1942 – Henk Sneevliet, Dutch politician (b. 1883)
- 1942 – Anton Uesson, Estonian engineer and politician, 17th Mayor of Tallinn (b. 1879)
- 1944 – Cécile Chaminade, French pianist and composer (b. 1857)
- 1945 – Ernst Cassirer, Polish-American philosopher and academic (b. 1874)
- 1954 – Samuel Jones, American high jumper (b. 1880)
- 1954 – Angus Lewis Macdonald, Canadian lawyer and politician, 12th Premier of Nova Scotia (b. 1890)
- 1956 – Emil Nolde, Danish-German painter and educator (b. 1867)
- 1959 – Eduard van Beinum, Dutch pianist, violinist, and conductor (b. 1901)
- 1961 – John A. Bennett, American soldier (b. 1935)
- 1962 – Culbert Olson, American lawyer and politician, 29th Governor of California (b. 1876)
- 1966 – Abdul Salam Arif, Iraqi colonel and politician, 2nd President of Iraq (b. 1921)
- 1966 – Carlo Carrà, Italian painter (b. 1881)
- 1966 – Georges Duhamel, French soldier and author (b. 1884)
- 1967 – Nicole Berger, French actress (b. 1934)
- 1969 – Alfred Karindi, Estonian pianist and composer (b. 1901)
- 1971 – Michel Brière, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1949)
- 1971 – Juhan Smuul, Estonian author, poet, and screenwriter (b. 1921)
- 1975 – Larry Parks, American actor and singer (b. 1914)
- 1975 – François Tombalbaye, Chadian soldier, academic, and politician, 1st President of Chad (b. 1918)
- 1978 – Jack Chambers, Canadian painter and director (b. 1931)
- 1978 – Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, Nigerian educator and women’s rights activist (b. 1900)
- 1980 – Markus Höttinger, Austrian racing driver (b. 1956)
- 1983 – Gerry Hitchens, English footballer (b. 1934)
- 1983 – Theodore Stephanides, Greek physician, author, and poet (b. 1896)
- 1984 – Ralph Kirkpatrick, American harp player and musicologist (b. 1911)
- 1988 – Jean Gascon, Canadian actor and director (b. 1920)
- 1992 – Maurice Sauvé, Canadian economist and politician (b. 1923)
- 1992 – Feza Gürsey, Turkish mathematician and physicist (b. 1921)
- 1992 – Daniel Pollock, Australian actor (b. 1968)
- 1993 – Wallace Stegner, American novelist, short story writer, and essayist (b. 1909)
- 1996 – Leila Mackinlay, English author and educator (b. 1910)
- 1997 – Bryant Bowles, American soldier and activist, founded the National Association for the Advancement of White People (b. 1920)
- 1997 – Alan Cooley, Australian public servant (b. 1920)
- 1997 – Dorothy Frooks, American author and actress (b. 1896)
- 1997 – Voldemar Väli, Estonian wrestler (b. 1903)
- 1998 – Patrick de Gayardon, French skydiver and base jumper (b. 1960)
- 1999 – Ortvin Sarapu, Estonian-New Zealand chess player and author (b. 1924)
- 1999 – Willi Stoph, German engineer and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of East Germany (b. 1914)
- 2000 – Giorgio Bassani, Italian author and poet (b. 1916)
- 2000 – Frenchy Bordagaray, American baseball player and manager (b. 1910)
- 2004 – Caron Keating, Northern Irish television host (b. 1962)
- 2005 – Don Blasingame, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1932)
- 2005 – Johnnie Johnson, American pianist and songwriter (b. 1924)
- 2005 – Phillip Pavia, American painter and sculptor (b. 1912)
- 2005 – Philippe Volter, Belgian actor and director (b. 1959)
- 2006 – Bill Baker, American baseball player, coach, and umpire (b. 1911)
- 2006 – Muriel Spark, Scottish novelist, poet, and critic (b. 1918)
- 2008 – John Archibald Wheeler, American physicist and academic (b. 1911)
- 2009 – Mark Fidrych, American baseball player (b. 1954)
- 2009 – Bruce Snyder, American football player and coach (b. 1940)
- 2009 – George Feigley, American sex cult leader, convicted rapist and two-time prison escapee (b. 1940)
- 2012 – William B. Buffum, American soldier and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Lebanon (b. 1921)
- 2012 – Cecil Chaudhry, Pakistani pilot, academic, and activist (b. 1941)
- 2012 – Shūichi Higurashi, Japanese illustrator (b. 1936)
- 2012 – David S. Smith, American diplomat, United States Ambassador to Sweden (b. 1918)
- 2012 – Robert Wigmore, Cook Islander politician, 14th Deputy Prime Minister of the Cook Islands (b. 1949)
- 2013 – Chi Cheng, American bass player (b. 1970)
- 2013 – Stephen Dodgson, English composer and educator (b. 1924)
- 2013 – Dean Drummond, American composer and conductor (b. 1949)
- 2013 – Vincent Montana, Jr., American drummer and composer (b. 1928)
- 2013 – Lin Yang-kang, Taiwanese politician, 29th Vice Premier of the Republic of China (b. 1927)
- 2014 – Fred Enke, American football player (b. 1924)
- 2014 – Ernesto Laclau, Argentinian-Spanish philosopher and theorist (b. 1935)
- 2014 – Michael Ruppert, American journalist and author (b. 1951)
- 2014 – Rafał Sznajder, Polish fencer (b. 1972)
- 2015 – Gerald Calabrese, American basketball player and politician (b. 1925)
- 2015 – Ronnie Carroll, Irish singer and politician (b. 1934)
- 2015 – Thelma Coyne Long, Australian tennis player and captain (b. 1918)
- 2015 – Eduardo Galeano, Uruguayan journalist and author (b. 1940)
- 2015 – Günter Grass, German novelist, poet, playwright, and illustrator, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1927)
- 2015 – Herb Trimpe, American author and illustrator (b. 1939)
- 2016 – Nera White, American basketball player (b. 1935)
- 2017 – Dan Rooney, American football executive and former United States Ambassador to Ireland (b. 1932)
- 2018 – Art Bell, American broadcaster and author (b. 1945)
- 2019 – Neus Català, Anti-fascist activist (b. 1915)
- 2019 – Yvette Williams, New Zealand athlete (b. 1929)
Holidays and observances on April 13
- Christian feast day:
- Hermenegild
- Blessed Ida of Louvain
- Pope Martin I
- April 13 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Jefferson’s Birthday (United States)
- Katyn Memorial Day (Poland)
- South and Southeast Asian New Year. (see April 14)
- Teacher’s Day (Ecuador)
- Unfairly Prosecuted Persons Day (Slovakia)
-
April 9 in History
- 190 – Dong Zhuo has his troops evacuate the capital Luoyang and burn it to the ground.
- 475 – Byzantine Emperor Basiliscus issues a circular letter (Enkyklikon) to the bishops of his empire, supporting the Monophysite Christological position.
- 537 – Siege of Rome: The Byzantine general Belisarius receives his promised reinforcements, 1,600 cavalry, mostly of Hunnic or Slavic origin and expert bowmen. He starts, despite shortages, raids against the Gothic camps and Vitiges is forced into a stalemate.
- 1241 – Battle of Liegnitz: Mongol forces defeat the Polish and German armies.
- 1288 – Mongol invasions of Vietnam: Yuan forces are defeated by Trần forces in the Battle of Bach Dang in present-day northern Vietnam.
- 1388 – Despite being outnumbered 16 to 1, forces of the Old Swiss Confederacy are victorious over the Archduchy of Austria in the Battle of Näfels.
- 1413 – Henry V is crowned King of England.
- 1440 – Christopher of Bavaria is appointed King of Denmark.
- 1454 – The Treaty of Lodi is signed, establishing a balance of power among northern Italian city-states for almost 50 years.
- 1511 – St John’s College, Cambridge, England, founded by Lady Margaret Beaufort, receives its charter.
- 1585 – The expedition organised by Sir Walter Raleigh departs England for Roanoke Island (now in North Carolina) to establish the Roanoke Colony.
- 1609 – Eighty Years’ War: Spain and the Dutch Republic sign the Treaty of Antwerp to initiate twelve years of truce.
- 1609 – Philip III of Spain issues the decree of the “Expulsion of the Moriscos”.
- 1682 – Robert Cavelier de La Salle discovers the mouth of the Mississippi River, claims it for France and names it Louisiana.
- 1782 – American Revolutionary War: Battle of the Saintes begins.
- 1784 – The Treaty of Paris, ratified by the United States Congress on January 14, 1784, is ratified by King George III of the Kingdom of Great Britain, ending the American Revolutionary War. Copies of the ratified documents are exchanged on May 12, 1784.
- 1860 – On his phonautograph machine, Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville makes the oldest known recording of an audible human voice.
- 1865 – American Civil War: Robert E. Lee surrenders the Army of Northern Virginia (26,765 troops) to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, effectively ending the war.
- 1909 – The U.S. Congress passes the Payne–Aldrich Tariff Act.
- 1914 – Mexican Revolution: One of the world’s first naval/air skirmishes takes place off the coast of western Mexico.
- 1916 – World War I: The Battle of Verdun: German forces launch their third offensive of the battle.
- 1917 – World War I: The Battle of Arras: The battle begins with Canadian Corps executing a massive assault on Vimy Ridge.
- 1918 – World War I: The Battle of the Lys: The Portuguese Expeditionary Corps is crushed by the German forces during what is called the Spring Offensive on the Belgian region of Flanders.
- 1937 – The Kamikaze arrives at Croydon Airport in London. It is the first Japanese-built aircraft to fly to Europe.
- 1939 – African-American singer Marian Anderson gives a concert at the Lincoln Memorial after being denied the use of Constitution Hall by the Daughters of the American Revolution.
- 1940 – World War II: Operation Weserübung: Germany invades Denmark and Norway.
- 1940 – Vidkun Quisling seizes power in Norway.
- 1942 – World War II: The Battle of Bataan ends. An Indian Ocean raid by Japan’s 1st Air Fleet sinks the British aircraft carrier HMS Hermes and the Australian destroyer HMAS Vampire.
- 1945 – Execution of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, anti-Nazi dissident and spy, by the Nazi regime.
- 1945 – World War II: The German heavy cruiser Admiral Scheer is sunk by the Royal Air Force.
- 1945 – World War II: The Battle of Königsberg, in East Prussia, ends.
- 1945 – The United States Atomic Energy Commission is formed.
- 1947 – The Glazier–Higgins–Woodward tornadoes kill 181 and injure 970 in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas.
- 1947 – The Journey of Reconciliation, the first interracial Freedom Ride begins through the upper South in violation of Jim Crow laws. The riders wanted enforcement of the United States Supreme Court’s 1946 Irene Morgan decision that banned racial segregation in interstate travel.
- 1947 – United Nations Security Council Resolution 22 relating to Corfu Channel incident is adopted.
- 1948 – Jorge Eliécer Gaitán’s assassination provokes a violent riot in Bogotá (the Bogotazo), and a further ten years of violence in Colombia.
- 1948 – Fighters from the Irgun and Lehi Zionist paramilitary groups attacked Deir Yassin near Jerusalem, killing over 100.
- 1952 – Hugo Ballivián’s government is overthrown by the Bolivian National Revolution, starting a period of agrarian reform, universal suffrage and the nationalization of tin mines
- 1957 – The Suez Canal in Egypt is cleared and opens to shipping following the Suez Crisis.
- 1959 – Project Mercury: NASA announces the selection of the United States’ first seven astronauts, whom the news media quickly dub the “Mercury Seven”.
- 1960 – Dr Hendrik Verwoerd, Prime Minister of South Africa and architect of apartheid, narrowly survives an assassination attempt by a white farmer, David Pratt in Johannesburg.
- 1961 – The Pacific Electric Railway in Los Angeles, once the largest electric railway in the world, ends operations.
- 1965 – Astrodome opens. First indoor baseball game is played.
- 1967 – The first Boeing 737 (a 100 series) makes its maiden flight.
- 1969 – The first British-built Concorde 002 makes its maiden flight from Filton to RAF Fairford.
- 1975 – The first game of the Philippine Basketball Association, the second oldest professional basketball league in the world.
- 1976 – The EMD F40PH diesel locomotive enters revenue service with Amtrak.
- 1980 – The Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein kills philosopher Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr and his sister Bint al-Huda after three days of torture.
- 1981 – The U.S. Navy nuclear submarine USS George Washington accidentally collides with the Nissho Maru, a Japanese cargo ship, sinking it.
- 1989 – Tbilisi massacre: an anti-Soviet peaceful demonstration and hunger strike in Tbilisi, demanding restoration of Georgian independence, is dispersed by the Soviet Army, resulting in 20 deaths and hundreds of injuries.
- 1990 – An IRA bombing in County Down, Northern Ireland, kills three members of the UDR.
- 1990 – Thirteen thousand members of the Dene and Métis tribes sign a land claim agreement for 180,000 square kilometres (69,000 sq mi) in the Mackenzie Valley of the western Arctic.
- 1991 – Georgia declares independence from the Soviet Union.
- 1992 – A U.S. Federal Court finds former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega guilty of drug and racketeering charges. He is sentenced to 30 years in prison.
- 1999 – Kosovo War: The Battle of Košare begins.
- 2003 – Iraq War: Baghdad falls to American forces.
- 2005 – Charles, Prince of Wales marries Camilla Parker Bowles in a civil ceremony at Windsor’s Guildhall.
- 2009 – In Tbilisi, Georgia, up to 60,000 people protest against the government of Mikheil Saakashvili.
- 2013 – A 6.1–magnitude earthquake strikes Iran killing 32 people and injuring over 850 people.
- 2013 – At least 13 people are killed and another three injured after a man goes on a spree shooting in the Serbian village of Velika Ivanča.
- 2014 – A student stabs 20 people at Franklin Regional High School in Murrysville, Pennsylvania.
- 2017 – The Palm Sunday church bombings at Coptic churches in Tanta and Alexandria, Egypt, take place.
- 2017 – After refusing to give up his seat on an overbooked United Airlines flight, Dr. David Dao Duy Anh is forcibly dragged off the flight by aviation security officers, leading to major criticism of United Airlines.
Births on April 9
- 1285 – Ayurbarwada Buyantu Khan, Emperor Renzong of Yuan (d. 1320)
- 1458 – Camilla Battista da Varano, Italian saint (d. 1524)
- 1498 – Jean, Cardinal of Lorraine (d. 1550)
- 1586 – Julius Henry, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg (d. 1665)
- 1597 – John Davenport, English minister, co-founded the New Haven Colony (d. 1670)
- 1598 – Johann Crüger, Sorbian-German composer and theorist (d. 1662)
- 1624 – Henrik Rysensteen, Dutch military engineer (d. 1679)
- 1627 – Johann Caspar Kerll, German organist and composer (d. 1693)
- 1634 – Countess Albertine Agnes of Nassau (d. 1696)
- 1648 – Henri de Massue, Earl of Galway, French soldier and diplomat (d. 1720)
- 1649 – James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Staffordshire (d. 1685)
- 1654 – Samuel Fritz, Czech Jesuit missionary to South America (d. 1725?)
- 1680 – Philippe Néricault Destouches, French playwright (d. 1754)
- 1686 – James Craggs the Younger, English politician, Secretary of State for the Southern Department (d. 1721)
- 1691 – Johann Matthias Gesner, German scholar and academic (d. 1761)
- 1717 – Georg Matthias Monn, Austrian organist, composer, and educator (d. 1750)
- 1770 – Thomas Johann Seebeck, German physicist and academic (d. 1831)
- 1773 – Étienne Aignan, French author and academic (d. 1824)
- 1794 – Theobald Boehm, German flute player and composer (d. 1881)
- 1802 – Elias Lönnrot, Finnish physician and philologist (d. 1884)
- 1806 – Isambard Kingdom Brunel, English engineer, designed the Clifton Suspension Bridge (d. 1859)
- 1807 – James Bannerman, Scottish theologian and academic (d. 1868)
- 1821 – Charles Baudelaire, French poet and critic (d. 1867)
- 1830 – Eadweard Muybridge, English photographer and cinematographer (d. 1904)
- 1835 – Leopold II of Belgium (d. 1909)
- 1835 – Somerset Lowry-Corry, 4th Earl Belmore (d. 1913)
- 1846 – Paolo Tosti, Italian-English composer and educator (d. 1916)
- 1848 – Ezequiél Moreno y Díaz, Spanish Augustinian Recollect priest and saint (d. 1906)
- 1865 – Erich Ludendorff, German general and politician (d. 1937)
- 1865 – Charles Proteus Steinmetz, Polish-American mathematician and engineer (d. 1923)
- 1867 – Chris Watson, Chilean-Australian journalist and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1941)
- 1867 – Charles Winckler, Danish tug of war competitor, discus thrower, and shot putter (d. 1932)
- 1872 – Léon Blum, French lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 1950)
- 1875 – Jacques Futrelle, American journalist and author (d. 1912)
- 1880 – Jan Letzel, Czech architect (d. 1925)
- 1882 – Frederick Francis IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (d. 1946)
- 1882 – Otz Tollen, German actor (d. 1965)
- 1883 – Frank King, American cartoonist (d. 1969)
- 1887 – Konrad Tom, Polish actor, writer, singer, and director (d. 1957)
- 1888 – Sol Hurok, Ukrainian-American talent manager (d. 1974)
- 1893 – Charles E. Burchfield, American painter (d.1967)
- 1893 – Victor Gollancz, English publisher, founded Victor Gollancz Ltd (d. 1967)
- 1893 – Rahul Sankrityayan, Indian linguist, author, and scholar (d. 1963)
- 1895 – Mance Lipscomb, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1976)
- 1895 – Michel Simon, Swiss-French actor (d. 1975)
- 1897 – John B. Gambling, American radio host (d. 1974)
- 1898 – Curly Lambeau, American football player and coach (d. 1965)
- 1898 – Paul Robeson, American singer, actor, and activist (d. 1976)
- 1900 – Allen Jenkins, American actor and singer (d. 1974)
- 1901 – Jean Bruchési, Canadian historian and author (d. 1979)
- 1901 – Paul Willis, American actor and director (d. 1960)
- 1902 – Théodore Monod, French explorer and scholar (d. 2000)
- 1903 – Ward Bond, American actor (d. 1960)
- 1904 – Sharkey Bonano, American singer, trumpet player, and bandleader (d. 1972)
- 1905 – J. William Fulbright, American lawyer and politician (d. 1995)
- 1906 – Rafaela Aparicio, Spanish actress (d. 1996)
- 1906 – Antal Doráti, Hungarian-American conductor and composer (d. 1988)
- 1906 – Hugh Gaitskell, British politician and leader of the Labour Party (d. 1963)
- 1906 – Victor Vasarely, Hungarian-French painter (d. 1997)
- 1908 – Joseph Krumgold, American author and screenwriter (d. 1980)
- 1909 – Robert Helpmann, Australian dancer, actor, and choreographer (d. 1986)
- 1910 – Abraham A. Ribicoff, American lawyer and politician, 4th United States Secretary of Health and Human Services (d. 1998)
- 1912 – Lev Kopelev, Ukrainian-German author and academic (d. 1997)
- 1915 – Daniel Johnson Sr., Canadian lawyer and politician, 20th Premier of Quebec (d. 1968)
- 1916 – Julian Dash, American swing music jazz tenor saxophonist (d. 1974)
- 1916 – Heinz Meyer, German Fallschirmjäger (paratrooper) during World War II (d. 1987)
- 1916 – Bill Leonard, American journalist (d. 1994)
- 1917 – Johannes Bobrowski, German songwriter and poet (d. 1965)
- 1917 – Ronnie Burgess, Welsh international footballer left-half and manager (d. 2005)
- 1917 – Brad Dexter, American actor (d. 2002)
- 1917 – Henry Hewes, American theater writer (d. 2006)
- 1918 – Jørn Utzon, Danish architect, designed the Sydney Opera House (d. 2008)
- 1919 – J. Presper Eckert, American engineer, invented the ENIAC (d. 1995)
- 1921 – Jean-Marie Balestre, French businessman (d. 2008)
- 1921 – Yitzhak Navon, Israeli politician (d. 2015)
- 1921 – Frankie Thomas, American actor (d. 2006)
- 1921 – Mary Jackson, African-American mathematician and aerospace engineer (d. 2005)
- 1922 – Carl Amery, German author and activist (d. 2005)
- 1923 – Leonard Levy, American historian and author (d. 2006)
- 1924 – Arthur Shaw, English professional footballer (d. 2015)
- 1925 – Virginia Gibson, American actress, singer, and dancer (d. 2013)
- 1925 – Art Kane, American photographer (d. 1995)
- 1926 – Gerry Fitt, Northern Irish soldier and politician; British life peer (d. 2005)
- 1926 – Hugh Hefner, American publisher, founded Playboy Enterprises (d. 2017)
- 1926 – Harris Wofford, American politician, author and civil rights activist (d. 2019)
- 1927 – Tiny Hill, New Zealand rugby player (d. 2019)
- 1928 – Paul Arizin, American basketball player (d. 2006)
- 1928 – Tom Lehrer, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and mathematician
- 1929 – Sharan Rani Backliwal, Indian sarod player and scholar (d. 2008)
- 1929 – Fred Hollows, New Zealand-Australian ophthalmologist (d. 1993)
- 1929 – Paule Marshall, American author and academic (d. 2019)
- 1930 – Nathaniel Branden, Canadian-American psychotherapist and author (d. 2014)
- 1930 – F. Albert Cotton, American chemist and academic (d. 2007)
- 1930 – Jim Fowler, American zoologist and television host (d. 2019)
- 1930 – Wallace McCain, Canadian businessman, founded McCain Foods (d. 2011)
- 1931 – Richard Hatfield, Canadian lawyer and politician, 26th Premier of New Brunswick (d. 1991)
- 1932 – Armin Jordan, Swiss conductor (d. 2006)
- 1932 – Peter Moores, English businessman and philanthropist (d. 2016)
- 1932 – Carl Perkins, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1998)
- 1933 – Jean-Paul Belmondo, French actor and producer
- 1933 – René Burri, Swiss photographer and journalist (d. 2014)
- 1933 – Fern Michaels, American author
- 1933 – Richard Rose, American political scientist and academic
- 1933 – Gian Maria Volonté, Italian actor (d. 1994)
- 1934 – Bill Birch, New Zealand surveyor and politician, 38th New Zealand Minister of Finance
- 1934 – Tom Phillis, Australian motorcycle racer (d. 1962)
- 1934 – Mariya Pisareva, Russian high jumper
- 1935 – Aulis Sallinen, Finnish composer and academic
- 1935 – Avery Schreiber, American actor and comedian (d. 2002)
- 1936 – Jerzy Maksymiuk, Polish pianist, composer, and conductor
- 1936 – Valerie Solanas, American radical feminist author, attempted murderer (d. 1988)
- 1937 – Simon Brown, Baron Brown of Eaton-under-Heywood, English lieutenant, lawyer, and judge
- 1937 – Marty Krofft, Canadian screenwriter and producer
- 1937 – Valerie Singleton, English television and radio host
- 1938 – Viktor Chernomyrdin, Russian businessman and politician, 30th Prime Minister of Russia (d. 2010)
- 1939 – Michael Learned, American actress
- 1940 – Hans-Joachim Reske, German sprinter
- 1940 – Jim Roberts, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach (d. 2015)
- 1941 – Kay Adams, American singer-songwriter
- 1942 – Brandon deWilde, American actor (d. 1972)
- 1942 – Margo Smith, American singer-songwriter
- 1943 – Leila Khaled, Palestinian activist
- 1943 – Terry Knight, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2004)
- 1944 – Joe Brinkman, American baseball player and umpire
- 1944 – Heinz-Joachim Rothenburg, German shot putter
- 1945 – Steve Gadd, American drummer and percussionist[9]
- 1946 – Nate Colbert, American baseball player[10]
- 1946 – Alan Knott, English cricketer[11]
- 1946 – Sara Parkin, Scottish activist and politician[12]
- 1946 – David Webb, English footballer, coach, and manager
- 1947 – Giovanni Andrea Cornia, Italian economist and academic
- 1948 – Jaya Bachchan, Indian actress and politician
- 1948 – Michel Parizeau, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1948 – Patty Pravo, Italian singer
- 1949 – Tony Cragg, English sculptor
- 1952 – Robert Clark, American author
- 1952 – Bruce Robertson, New Zealand rugby player
- 1952 – Tania Tsanaklidou, Greek singer and actress
- 1953 – John Howard, English singer-songwriter and pianist
- 1953 – Hal Ketchum, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1953 – Stephen Paddock, American mass murderer responsible for the 2017 Las Vegas shooting (d. 2017)
- 1954 – Ken Kalfus, American journalist and author
- 1954 – Dennis Quaid, American actor
- 1954 – Iain Duncan Smith, British soldier and politician, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
- 1955 – Yamina Benguigui, Algerian-French director and politician
- 1955 – Joolz Denby, English poet and author
- 1956 – Miguel Ángel Russo, Argentinian footballer and coach
- 1956 – Nigel Shadbolt, English computer scientist and academic
- 1956 – Vahur Sova, Estonian architect
- 1956 – Marina Zoueva, Russian ice dancer and coach
- 1957 – Seve Ballesteros, Spanish golfer and architect (d. 2011)
- 1957 – Martin Margiela, Belgian fashion designer
- 1957 – Jamie Redfern, English-born Australian television presenter, and pop singer
- 1958 – Tony Sibson, English boxer
- 1958 – Nigel Slater, English food writer and author
- 1959 – Bernard Jenkin, English businessman and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
- 1960 – Jaak Aab, Estonian educator and politician, Minister of Social Affairs of Estonia
- 1961 – Mark Kelly, Irish keyboard player
- 1961 – Kirk McCaskill, Canadian-American baseball and hockey player
- 1962 – John Eaves, American production designer and illustrator
- 1962 – Ihor Podolchak, Ukrainian director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1962 – Imran Sherwani, English field hockey player
- 1962 – Jeff Turner, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster
- 1963 – Marc Jacobs, American-French fashion designer
- 1963 – Joe Scarborough, American journalist, lawyer, and politician
- 1964 – Rob Awalt, German-American football player
- 1964 – Juliet Cuthbert, Jamaican sprinter
- 1964 – Peter Penashue, Canadian businessman and politician, 9th Canadian Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs
- 1964 – Margaret Peterson Haddix, American author
- 1964 – Rick Tocchet, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach
- 1965 – Helen Alfredsson, Swedish golfer
- 1965 – Paulina Porizkova, Czech-born Swedish-American model and actress
- 1965 – Jeff Zucker, American businessman
- 1966 – John Hammond, English weather forecaster
- 1966 – Cynthia Nixon, American actress
- 1967 – Natascha Engel, German-English translator and politician
- 1967 – Sam Harris, American author, philosopher, and neuroscientist
- 1968 – Jay Chandrasekhar, American actor, comedian, writer and director
- 1969 – Barnaby Kay, English actor
- 1969 – Linda Kisabaka, German runner
- 1970 – Chorão, Brazilian singer-songwriter (d. 2013)
- 1971 – Peter Canavan, Irish footballer and manager
- 1971 – Leo Fortune-West, English footballer and manager
- 1971 – Austin Peck, American actor
- 1971 – Jacques Villeneuve, Canadian race car driver
- 1972 – Bernard Ackah, German-Japanese martial artist and kick-boxer
- 1972 – Siiri Vallner, Estonian architect
- 1974 – Megan Connolly, Australian actress (d. 2001)
- 1974 – Jenna Jameson, American actress and pornographic performer
- 1975 – Robbie Fowler, English footballer and manager
- 1975 – David Gordon Green, American director and screenwriter
- 1976 – Kyle Peterson, American baseball player and sportscaster
- 1977 – Gerard Way, American singer-songwriter and comic book writer
- 1978 – Kousei Amano, Japanese actor
- 1978 – Jorge Andrade, Portuguese footballer
- 1978 – Rachel Stevens, English singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress
- 1979 – Jeff Reed, American football player
- 1979 – Keshia Knight Pulliam, American actress
- 1980 – Sarah Ayton, English sailor
- 1980 – Luciano Galletti, Argentinian footballer
- 1980 – Albert Hammond Jr., American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1981 – Milan Bartovič, Slovak ice hockey player
- 1981 – A. J. Ellis, American baseball player
- 1981 – Ireneusz Jeleń, Polish footballer
- 1981 – Dennis Sarfate, American baseball player
- 1981 – Eric Harris, American mass murderer, responsible for the Columbine High School massacre (d. 1999)
- 1982 – Jay Baruchel, Canadian actor
- 1982 – Carlos Hernández, Costa Rican footballer
- 1982 – Kathleen Munroe, Canadian-American actress
- 1983 – Ryan Clark, Australian actor
- 1984 – Habiba Ghribi, Tunisian runner[13]
- 1984 – Adam Loewen, Canadian baseball player
- 1984 – Óscar Razo, Mexican footballer
- 1985 – Antonio Nocerino, Italian footballer
- 1985 – David Robertson, American baseball player
- 1986 – Mike Hart, American football player
- 1986 – Leighton Meester, American actress
- 1987 – Kassim Abdallah, French-Comorian footballer
- 1987 – Graham Gano, American football player
- 1987 – Craig Mabbitt, American singer
- 1987 – Jesse McCartney, American singer-songwriter and actor
- 1987 – Jarrod Mullen, Australian rugby league player
- 1987 – Jazmine Sullivan, American singer-songwriter
- 1988 – Michel Alves Baroni, Brazilian footballer
- 1988 – Jeremy Metcalfe, English racing driver
- 1989 – Danielle Kahle, American figure skater
- 1990 – Kristen Stewart, American actress
- 1990 – Ryan Williams, American football player
- 1991 – Ryan Kelly, American basketball player
- 1991 – Mary Killman, American synchronized swimmer
- 1992 – Joshua Ledet, American singer
- 1994 – Joey Pollari, American actor
- 1995 – Domagoj Bošnjak, Croatian basketball player
- 1995 – Robert Bauer, German-Kazakhstani footballer
- 1996 – Jayden Brailey, Australian rugby league player[14]
- 1996 – Giovani Lo Celso, Argentinian international footballer, midfielder[15]
- 1998 – Elle Fanning, American actress[16]
- 1999 – Montero Lamar Hill, American rapper[17]
- 2000 – Jackie Evancho, American singer[18]
Deaths on April 9
- 585 BC – Jimmu, emperor of Japan (b. 711 BC)
- AD 93 – Yuan An, Chinese scholar and politician
- 436 – Tan Daoji, Chinese general and politician
- 491 – Zeno, emperor of the Byzantine Empire (b. 425)
- 682 – Maslama ibn Mukhallad al-Ansari, Egyptian politician, Governor of Egypt (b. 616)
- 715 – Constantine, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 664)
- 1024 – Benedict VIII, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 980)
- 1137 – William X, duke of Aquitaine (b. 1099)
- 1241 – Henry II, High Duke of Poland (b. 1196)
- 1283 – Margaret of Scotland, queen of Norway (b. 1261)
- 1327 – Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland, Scottish nobleman (ca. 1296)
- 1483 – Edward IV, king of England (b. 1442)
- 1484 – Edward of Middleheim, prince of Wales (b. 1473)
- 1550 – Alqas Mirza, Safavid prince (b. 1516)[19]
- 1553 – François Rabelais, French monk and scholar (b. 1494)
- 1557 – Mikael Agricola, Finnish priest and scholar (b. 1510)
- 1626 – Francis Bacon, English jurist and politician, Attorney General for England and Wales (b. 1561)
- 1654 – Matei Basarab, Romanian prince (b. 1588)
- 1693 – Roger de Rabutin, Comte de Bussy, French author (b. 1618)
- 1747 – Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat, Scottish soldier and politician (b. 1667)
- 1754 – Christian Wolff, German philosopher and academic (b. 1679)
- 1761 – William Law, English priest and theologian (b. 1686)
- 1768 – Sarah Fielding, English author (b. 1710)
- 1804 – Jacques Necker, Swiss-French politician, Chief Minister to the French Monarch (b. 1732)
- 1806 – William V, stadtholder of the Dutch Republic (b. 1748)
- 1872 – Erastus Corning, American businessman and politician (b. 1794)
- 1876 – Charles Goodyear, American lawyer, judge, and politician (b. 1804)
- 1882 – Dante Gabriel Rossetti, English poet and painter (b. 1828)
- 1889 – Michel Eugène Chevreul, French chemist and academic (b. 1786)
- 1909 – Helena Modjeska, Polish-American actress (b. 1840)
- 1915 – Raymond Whittindale, English rugby player (b. 1883)
- 1917 – James Hope Moulton, English philologist and scholar (b. 1863)
- 1922 – Hans Fruhstorfer, German entomologist and explorer (b. 1866)
- 1926 – Zip the Pinhead, American freak show performer (b. 1857)
- 1936 – Ferdinand Tönnies, German sociologist and philosopher (b. 1855)
- 1940 – Mrs Patrick Campbell, English actress (b. 1865)
- 1944 – Yevgeniya Rudneva, Ukrainian lieutenant and pilot (b. 1920)
- 1945 – Dietrich Bonhoeffer, German pastor and theologian (b. 1906)
- 1945 – Wilhelm Canaris, German admiral (b. 1887)
- 1945 – Johann Georg Elser, German carpenter (b. 1903)
- 1945 – Hans Oster, German general (b. 1887)
- 1945 – Karl Sack, German lawyer and jurist (b. 1896)
- 1945 – Hans von Dohnányi, Austrian-German lawyer and jurist (b. 1902)
- 1948 – George Carpenter, Australian 5th General of The Salvation Army (b. 1872)
- 1948 – Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, Colombian lawyer and politician, 16th Colombian Minister of National Education (b. 1903)
- 1951 – Vilhelm Bjerknes, Norwegian physicist and meteorologist (b. 1862)
- 1953 – Eddie Cochems, American football player and coach (b. 1877)
- 1953 – C. E. M. Joad, English philosopher and television host (b. 1891)
- 1953 – Hans Reichenbach, German philosopher from the Vienna Circle (b. 1891)
- 1959 – Frank Lloyd Wright, American architect, designed the Price Tower and Fallingwater (b. 1867)
- 1961 – Zog I of Albania (b. 1895)
- 1963 – Eddie Edwards, American trombonist (b. 1891)
- 1963 – Xul Solar, Argentinian painter and sculptor (b. 1887)
- 1970 – Gustaf Tenggren, Swedish-American illustrator and animator (b. 1896)
- 1976 – Dagmar Nordstrom, American singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1903)
- 1976 – Phil Ochs, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1940)
- 1976 – Renato Petronio, Italian rower (b. 1891)
- 1978 – Clough Williams-Ellis, English-Welsh architect, designed Portmeirion (b. 1883)
- 1980 – Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr, Iraqi cleric and philosopher (b. 1935)
- 1982 – Wilfrid Pelletier, Canadian pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1896)
- 1988 – Brook Benton, American singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1931)
- 1988 – Hans Berndt, German footballer (b. 1913)
- 1988 – Dave Prater, American singer (b. 1937)
- 1991 – Forrest Towns, American hurdler and coach (b. 1914)
- 1993 – Joseph B. Soloveitchik, American rabbi and philosopher (b. 1903)
- 1996 – Richard Condon, American author and publicist (b. 1915)
- 1997 – Mae Boren Axton, American singer-songwriter (b. 1914)
- 1997 – Helene Hanff, American author and screenwriter (b. 1916)
- 1998 – Tom Cora, American cellist and composer (b. 1953)
- 1999 – Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara, Nigerien general and politician, President of Niger (b. 1949)
- 2001 – Willie Stargell, American baseball player and coach (b. 1940)
- 2002 – Pat Flaherty, American race car driver (b. 1926)
- 2002 – Leopold Vietoris, Austrian soldier, mathematician, and academic (b. 1891)
- 2003 – Jerry Bittle, American cartoonist (b. 1949)
- 2006 – Billy Hitchcock, American baseball player, coach, manager (b. 1916)
- 2006 – Vilgot Sjöman, Swedish director and screenwriter (b. 1924)
- 2007 – Egon Bondy, Czech philosopher and poet (b. 1930)
- 2007 – Dorrit Hoffleit, American astronomer and academic (b. 1907)
- 2009 – Nick Adenhart, American baseball player (b. 1986)
- 2010 – Zoltán Varga, Hungarian footballer and manager (b. 1945)
- 2011 – Zakariya Rashid Hassan al-Ashiri, Bahraini journalist (b. 1971)
- 2011 – Sidney Lumet, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1924)
- 2012 – Malcolm Thomas, Welsh rugby player and cricketer (b. 1929)
- 2013 – David Hayes, American sculptor and painter (b. 1931)
- 2013 – Greg McCrary, American football player (b. 1952)
- 2013 – Mordechai Mishani, Israeli lawyer and politician (b. 1945)
- 2013 – McCandlish Phillips, American journalist and author (b. 1927)
- 2013 – Paolo Soleri, Italian-American architect, designed the Cosanti (b. 1919)
- 2014 – Gil Askey, American trumpet player, composer, and producer (b. 1925)
- 2014 – Chris Banks, American football player (b. 1973)
- 2014 – Rory Ellinger, American lawyer and politician (b. 1941)
- 2014 – Norman Girvan, Jamaican economist, academic, and politician (b. 1941)
- 2014 – Aelay Narendra, Indian politician (b. 1946)
- 2014 – A. N. R. Robinson, Trinbagonian politician, 3rd President of Trinidad and Tobago (b. 1926)
- 2014 – Svetlana Velmar-Janković, Serbian author (b. 1933)
- 2015 – Paul Almond, Canadian-American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1931)
- 2015 – Margaret Rule, British marine archaeologist (b. 1928)
- 2015 – Nina Companeez, French director and screenwriter (b. 1937)
- 2015 – Alexander Dalgarno, English physicist and academic (b. 1928)
- 2015 – Ivan Doig, American journalist and author (b. 1939)
- 2015 – Tsien Tsuen-hsuin, Chinese-American academic (b. 1909)
- 2016 – Duane Clarridge, American spy (b. 1932)
- 2016 – Will Smith, American football player (b. 1981)
- 2017 – John Clarke, New Zealand-Australian comedian, writer, and satirist (b. 1948)
Holidays and observances on April 9
- Christian feast day:
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Anglicanism, Lutheranism)
- Gaucherius
- Materiana
- Waltrude
- April 9 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Anniversary of the German Invasion of Denmark (Denmark)
- Baghdad Liberation Day (Iraqi Kurdistan)
- Bataan Day or Araw ng Kagitingan (Philippines)
- Constitution Day (Kosovo)
- Day of National Unity (Georgia)
- Day of the Finnish Language (Finland)
- Feast of the Second Day of the Writing of the Book of the Law (Thelema)
- Martyr’s Day (Tunisia)
- National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day (United States)
- Remembrance for Haakon Sigurdsson (The Troth)
- Vimy Ridge Day (Canada)