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  • July 20 – History, Events, Births, Deaths Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • AD 70 – Siege of Jerusalem: Titus, son of emperor Vespasian, storms the Fortress of Antonia north of the Temple Mount. The Roman army is drawn into street fights with the Zealots.
    • 792 – Kardam of Bulgaria defeats Byzantine Emperor Constantine VI at the Battle of Marcellae.
    • 911 – Rollo lays siege to Chartres.
    • 1189 – Richard I of England officially invested as Duke of Normandy.
    • 1225 – Treaty of San Germano is signed at San Germano between Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II and Pope Gregory IX. A Dominican named Guala is responsible for the negotiations.
    • 1398 – The Battle of Kellistown was fought on this day between the forces of the English led by Roger Mortimer, 4th Earl of March against the O’Byrnes and O’Tooles under the command of Art Óg mac Murchadha Caomhánach, the most powerful Chieftain in Leinster.
    • 1402 – Ottoman-Timurid Wars: Battle of Ankara: Timur, ruler of Timurid Empire, defeats forces of the Ottoman Empire sultan Bayezid I.
    • 1592 – During the first Japanese invasion of Korea, Japanese forces led by Toyotomi Hideyoshi captured Pyongyang, although they were ultimately unable to hold it.
    • 1715 – Seventh Ottoman–Venetian War: The Ottoman Empire captures Nauplia, the capital of the Republic of Venice’s “Kingdom of the Morea”, thereby opening the way to the swift Ottoman reconquest of the Morea.
    • 1738 – Canadian explorer Pierre Gaultier de Varennes et de La Vérendrye reaches the western shore of Lake Michigan.
    • 1799 – Tekle Giyorgis I begins his first of six reigns as Emperor of Ethiopia.
    • 1807 – Nicéphore Niépce is awarded a patent by Napoleon for the Pyréolophore, the world’s first internal combustion engine, after it successfully powered a boat upstream on the river Saône in France.
    • 1810 – Citizens of Bogotá, New Granada declare independence from Spain.
    • 1831 – Seneca and Shawnee people agree to relinquish their land in western Ohio for 60,000 acres west of the Mississippi River.
    • 1848 – The first Women’s Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, New York, a two-day event, concludes.
    • 1864 – American Civil War: Battle of Peachtree Creek: Near Atlanta, Georgia, Confederate forces led by General John Bell Hood unsuccessfully attack Union troops under General William T. Sherman.
    • 1866 – Austro-Prussian War: Battle of Lissa: The Austrian Navy, led by Admiral Wilhelm von Tegetthoff, defeats the Italian Navy near the island of Vis in the Adriatic Sea.
    • 1871 – British Columbia joins the confederation of Canada.
    • 1885 – The Football Association legalizes professionalism in association football under pressure from the British Football Association.
    • 1903 – The Ford Motor Company ships its first automobile.
    • 1917 – World War I: The Corfu Declaration, which leads to the creation of the post-war Kingdom of Yugoslavia, is signed by the Yugoslav Committee and Kingdom of Serbia.
    • 1920 – The Greek Army takes control of Silivri after Greece is awarded the city by the Paris Peace Conference; by 1923 Greece effectively lost control to the Turks.
    • 1922 – The League of Nations awards mandates of Togoland to France and Tanganyika to the United Kingdom.
    • 1932 – In the Preußenschlag (“Prussian coup”), German President Paul von Hindenburg dissolves the government of Prussia
    • 1934 – Labor unrest in the U.S.: Police in Minneapolis fire upon striking truck drivers, during the Minneapolis Teamsters Strike of 1934, killing two and wounding sixty-seven.
    • 1934 – West Coast waterfront strike: In Seattle, police fire tear gas on and club 2,000 striking longshoremen. The governor of Oregon calls out the National Guard to break a strike on the Portland docks.
    • 1935 – Switzerland: A Royal Dutch Airlines plane en route from Milan to Frankfurt crashes into a Swiss mountain, killing thirteen.
    • 1936 – The Montreux Convention is signed in Switzerland, authorizing Turkey to fortify the Dardanelles and Bosphorus but guaranteeing free passage to ships of all nations in peacetime.
    • 1938 – The United States Department of Justice files suit in New York City against the motion picture industry charging violations of the Sherman Antitrust Act in regards to the studio system. The case would eventually result in a break-up of the industry in 1948.
    • 1940 – Denmark leaves the League of Nations.
    • 1940 – California opens its first freeway, the Arroyo Seco Parkway.
    • 1941 – Soviet leader Joseph Stalin consolidates the Commissariats of Home Affairs and National Security to form the NKVD and names Lavrentiy Beria its chief.
    • 1944 – World War II: Adolf Hitler survives an assassination attempt led by German Army Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg.
    • 1949 – Israel and Syria sign a truce to end their nineteen-month war.
    • 1950 – Cold War: In Philadelphia, Harry Gold pleads guilty to spying for the Soviet Union by passing secrets from atomic scientist Klaus Fuchs.
    • 1951 – King Abdullah I of Jordan is assassinated by a Palestinian while attending Friday prayers in Jerusalem.
    • 1954 – Germany: Otto John, head of West Germany’s secret service, defects to East Germany.
    • 1960 – Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) elects Sirimavo Bandaranaike Prime Minister, the world’s first elected female head of government.
    • 1960 – The Polaris missile is successfully launched from a submarine, the USS George Washington, for the first time.
    • 1961 – French military forces break the Tunisian siege of Bizerte.
    • 1964 – Vietnam War: Viet Cong forces attack the capital of Định Tường Province, Cái Bè, killing 11 South Vietnamese military personnel and 40 civilians (30 of whom are children).
    • 1968 – The first International Special Olympics Summer Games are held at Soldier Field in Chicago, with about 1,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities.
    • 1969 – Apollo program: Apollo 11’s crew successfully makes the first manned landing on the Moon in the Sea of Tranquility. Americans Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin become the first humans to walk on the Moon six and a half hours later.
    • 1969 – A cease fire is announced between Honduras and El Salvador, six days after the beginning of the “Football War”.
    • 1974 – Turkish invasion of Cyprus: Forces from Turkey invade Cyprus after a coup d’état, organised by the dictator of Greece, against president Makarios.
    • 1976 – The American Viking 1 lander successfully lands on Mars.
    • 1977 – The Central Intelligence Agency releases documents under the Freedom of Information Act revealing it had engaged in mind-control experiments.
    • 1977 – The Johnstown flood of 1977 kills 84 people and causes millions of dollars in damages.
    • 1982 – Hyde Park and Regent’s Park bombings: The Provisional IRA detonates two bombs in Hyde Park and Regent’s Park in central London, killing eight soldiers, wounding forty-seven people, and leading to the deaths of seven horses.
    • 1985 – The government of Aruba passes legislation to secede from the Netherlands Antilles.
    • 1989 – Burma’s ruling junta puts opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest.
    • 1992 – Václav Havel resigns as president of Czechoslovakia.
    • 1997 – The fully restored USS Constitution (a.k.a. Old Ironsides) celebrates its 200th birthday by setting sail for the first time in 116 years.
    • 1999 – The Chinese Communist Party begins a persecution campaign against Falun Gong, arresting thousands nationwide.
    • 2005 – The Civil Marriage Act legalizes same-sex marriage in Canada.
    • 2012 – James Holmes opened fire at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, killing 12 and injuring 70 others.
    • 2013 – Seventeen government soldiers are killed in an attack by FARC revolutionaries in the Colombian department of Arauca.
    • 2015 – A huge explosion in the mostly Kurdish border town of Suruç, Turkey, targeting the Socialist Youth Associations Federation, kills at least 31 people and injures over 100.
    • 2015 – The United States and Cuba resume full diplomatic relations after five decades.
    • 2017 – O. J. Simpson is granted parole to be released from prison after serving nine years of a 33-year sentence after being convicted of armed robbery in Las Vegas.

    Births on July 20

    • 356 BC – Alexander the Great, Macedonian king (d. 323 BC)
    • 647 – Yazid I, Arabian caliph (d. 683)
    • 682 – Taichō, Japanese monk and scholar (d. 767)
    • 1304 – Petrarch, Italian poet and scholar (d. 1374)
    • 1313 – John Tiptoft, 2nd Baron Tibetot (d. 1367)
    • 1346 – Margaret, Countess of Pembroke, daughter of King Edward III of England (d. 1361)
    • 1470 – John Bourchier, 1st Earl of Bath, English noble (d. 1539)
    • 1519 – Pope Innocent IX (d. 1591)
    • 1537 – Arnaud d’Ossat, French cardinal (d. 1604)
    • 1583 – Alban Roe, English Benedictine martyr (d. 1642)
    • 1591 – Anne Hutchinson, English Puritan preacher (d. 1643)
    • 1592 – Johan Björnsson Printz, governor of New Sweden (d. 1663)
    • 1601 – Robert Wallop, English politician (d. 1667)
    • 1620 – Nikolaes Heinsius the Elder, Dutch poet and scholar (d. 1681)
    • 1649 – William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland (d. 1709)
    • 1754 – Antoine Destutt de Tracy, French philosopher and academic (d. 1836)
    • 1757 – Garsevan Chavchavadze, Georgian politician and diplomat (d. 1811)
    • 1762 – Jakob Haibel, Austrian tenor and composer (d. 1826)
    • 1774 – Auguste de Marmont, French general (d. 1852)
    • 1789 – Mahmud II, Ottoman sultan (d. 1839)
    • 1804 – Richard Owen, English biologist, anatomist, and paleontologist (d. 1892)
    • 1822 – Gregor Mendel, Austro-German monk, geneticist and botanist (d. 1884)
    • 1838 – Augustin Daly, American playwright and manager (d. 1899)
    • 1838 – William Paine Lord, American lawyer and politician, 9th Governor of Oregon (d. 1911)
    • 1838 – Sir George Trevelyan, 2nd Baronet, English civil servant and politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (d. 1928)
    • 1847 – Max Liebermann, German painter and academic (d. 1935)
    • 1849 – Robert Anderson Van Wyck, American lawyer and politician, 91st Mayor of New York City (d. 1918)
    • 1852 – Theo Heemskerk, Dutch lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (d. 1932)
    • 1854 – Philomène Belliveau, Canadian artist (d. 1940)
    • 1864 – Erik Axel Karlfeldt, Swedish poet, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1931)
    • 1864 – Ruggero Oddi, Italian physiologist and anatomist (d. 1913)
    • 1868 – Miron Cristea, Romanian cleric and politician, 38th Prime Minister of Romania (d. 1939)
    • 1873 – Alberto Santos-Dumont, Brazilian pilot (d. 1932)
    • 1876 – Otto Blumenthal, German mathematician and academic (d. 1944)
    • 1877 – Tom Crean, Irish sailor and explorer (d. 1938)
    • 1882 – Olga Hahn-Neurath, Austrian mathematician and philosopher (d. 1937)
    • 1889 – John Reith, 1st Baron Reith, Scottish broadcaster, co-founded BBC (d. 1971)
    • 1890 – Verna Felton, American actress (d. 1966)
    • 1890 – Julie Vinter Hansen, Danish-Swiss astronomer and academic (d. 1960)
    • 1890 – Giorgio Morandi, Italian painter (d. 1964)
    • 1893 – George Llewelyn Davies, English soldier (d. 1915)
    • 1895 – László Moholy-Nagy, Hungarian painter, photographer, and sculptor (d. 1946)
    • 1897 – Tadeusz Reichstein, Polish-Swiss chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1996)
    • 1900 – Maurice Leyland, English cricketer and coach (d. 1967)
    • 1901 – Vehbi Koç, Turkish businessman and philanthropist, founded Koç Holding (d. 1996)
    • 1901 – Eugenio Lopez Sr., Filipino businessman and founder of the Lopez Group of Companies (d. 1975)
    • 1901 – Heinie Manush, American baseball player and manager (d. 1971)
    • 1902 – Leonidas Berry, American gastroenterologist (d. 1995)
    • 1905 – Joseph Levis, American foil fencer (d. 2005)
    • 1909 – Eric Rowan, South African cricketer (d. 1993)
    • 1910 – Vilém Tauský, Czech-English conductor and composer (d. 2004)
    • 1911 – Baqa Jilani, Indian cricketer (d. 1941)
    • 1911 – José Zabala-Santos, Filipino author and illustrator (d. 1985)
    • 1912 – George Johnston, Australian journalist and author (d. 1970)
    • 1914 – Dobri Dobrev, Bulgarian philanthropist (d. 2018)
    • 1914 – Charilaos Florakis, Greek politician (d. 2005)
    • 1914 – Ersilio Tonini, Italian cardinal (d. 2013)
    • 1918 – Cindy Walker, American singer-songwriter and dancer (d. 2006)
    • 1919 – Edmund Hillary, New Zealand mountaineer and explorer (d. 2008)
    • 1919 – Jacquemine Charrott Lodwidge, English writer (d. 2012)
    • 1920 – Elliot Richardson, American lieutenant and politician, 11th United States Secretary of Defense (d. 1999)
    • 1921 – Henri Alleg, English-French journalist and author (d. 2013)
    • 1922 – Alan Stephenson Boyd, American lawyer and politician, 1st United States Secretary of Transportation
    • 1923 – Stanisław Albinowski, Polish economist and journalist (d. 2005)
    • 1924 – Lola Albright, American actress and singer (d. 2017)
    • 1924 – Thomas Berger, American author and playwright (d. 2014)
    • 1924 – Mort Garson, Canadian-American songwriter and composer (d. 2008)
    • 1925 – Jacques Delors, French economist and politician, 8th President of the European Commission
    • 1925 – Frantz Fanon, French–Algerian psychiatrist and philosopher (d. 1961)
    • 1927 – Barbara Bergmann, American economist and academic (d. 2015)
    • 1927 – Heather Chasen, English actress (d. 2020)
    • 1927 – Michael Gielen, Austrian conductor and composer (d. 2019)
    • 1927 – Ian P. Howard, English-Canadian psychologist and academic (d. 2013)
    • 1928 – Józef Czyrek, Polish economist and politician, Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 2013)
    • 1928 – Belaid Abdessalam, Prime Minister of Algeria
    • 1929 – Hazel Hawke, Australian social worker and pianist, 23rd Spouse of the Prime Minister of Australia (d. 2013)
    • 1929 – Mike Ilitch, American businessman, co-founded Little Caesars (d. 2017)
    • 1929 – Rajendra Kumar, Pakistani-Indian actor and producer (d. 1999)
    • 1929 – David Tonkin, Australian politician, 38th Premier of South Australia (d. 2000)
    • 1930 – Giannis Agouris, Greek journalist and author (d. 2006)
    • 1930 – Chuck Daly, American basketball player and coach (d. 2009)
    • 1930 – William H. Goetzmann, American historian and author (d. 2010)
    • 1930 – Sally Ann Howes, English-American singer and actress
    • 1931 – Tony Marsh, English race car driver (d. 2009)
    • 1932 – Nam June Paik, American artist (d. 2006)
    • 1932 – Otto Schily, German lawyer and politician, German Minister of the Interior
    • 1933 – Buddy Knox, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1999)
    • 1933 – Cormac McCarthy, American novelist, playwright, and screenwriter
    • 1933 – Rex Williams, English snooker player
    • 1935 – Peter Palumbo, Baron Palumbo, English businessman and art collector
    • 1935 – Sleepy LaBeef, American rockabilly singer and musician (d. 2019)
    • 1936 – Alistair MacLeod, Canadian novelist and short story writer (d. 2014)
    • 1936 – Barbara Mikulski, American social worker and politician
    • 1938 – Deniz Baykal, Turkish lawyer and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey
    • 1938 – Roger Hunt, English footballer
    • 1938 – Tony Oliva, Cuban-American baseball player and coach
    • 1938 – Diana Rigg, English actress
    • 1938 – Natalie Wood, American actress (d. 1981)
    • 1939 – Judy Chicago, American painter and sculptor
    • 1941 – Don Chuy, American football player (d. 2014)
    • 1941 – Periklis Korovesis, Greek author and journalist
    • 1941 – Kurt Raab, German actor, screenwriter, and production designer (d. 1988)
    • 1942 – Pete Hamilton, American race car driver
    • 1943 – Chris Amon, New Zealand race car driver (d. 2016)
    • 1943 – Bob McNab, English footballer
    • 1943 – Adrian Păunescu, Romanian poet, journalist, and politician (d. 2010)
    • 1943 – Wendy Richard, English actress (d. 2009)
    • 1944 – Mel Daniels, American basketball player and coach (d. 2015)
    • 1944 – W. Cary Edwards, American politician (d. 2010)
    • 1944 – Olivier de Kersauson, French sailor
    • 1944 – T. G. Sheppard, American country music singer-songwriter
    • 1945 – Kim Carnes, American singer-songwriter
    • 1945 – Larry Craig, American soldier and politician
    • 1945 – John Lodge, English singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer
    • 1945 – Bo Rein, American football player and coach (d. 1980)
    • 1946 – Randal Kleiser, American actor, director, and producer
    • 1947 – Gerd Binnig, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1947 – Carlos Santana, Mexican-American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1948 – Muse Watson, American actor and producer
    • 1950 – Edward Leigh, English lawyer and politician
    • 1950 – Lucille Lemay, Canadian archer
    • 1951 – Jeff Rawle, English actor and screenwriter
    • 1953 – Dave Evans, Welsh-Australian singer-songwriter
    • 1953 – Thomas Friedman, American journalist and author
    • 1953 – Marcia Hines, American-Australian singer and actress
    • 1954 – Moira Harris, American actress
    • 1954 – Jay Jay French, American guitarist and producer
    • 1955 – Desmond Douglas, Jamaican-English table tennis player
    • 1955 – René-Daniel Dubois, Canadian actor and playwright
    • 1955 – Jem Finer, English banjo player and songwriter
    • 1956 – Paul Cook, English drummer
    • 1956 – Thomas N’Kono, Cameroonian footballer
    • 1956 – Jim Prentice, Canadian lawyer and politician, 16th Premier of Alberta (d. 2016)
    • 1958 – Mick MacNeil, Scottish keyboard player and songwriter
    • 1959 – Radney Foster, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1960 – Claudio Langes, Italian race car driver
    • 1960 – Prvoslav Vujčić, Serbian-Canadian poet and philosopher
    • 1960 – Sudesh Berry, Indian actor
    • 1961 – Óscar Elías Biscet, Cuban physician and activist, founded the Lawton Foundation
    • 1962 – Carlos Alazraqui, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1962 – Giovanna Amati, Italian race car driver
    • 1962 – Julie Bindel, English journalist, author, and academic
    • 1963 – Frank Whaley, American actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1964 – Chris Cornell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2017)
    • 1964 – Terri Irwin, American-Australian zoologist and author
    • 1964 – Sebastiano Rossi, Italian footballer
    • 1964 – Bernd Schneider, German race car driver
    • 1965 – Jess Walter, American journalist and author
    • 1966 – Stone Gossard, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1966 – Enrique Peña Nieto, Mexican lawyer and politician, 57th President of Mexico
    • 1967 – Courtney Taylor-Taylor, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1968 – Jimmy Carson, American ice hockey player
    • 1968 – Hami Mandıralı, Turkish footballer and manager
    • 1968 – Kool G Rap, American hip-hop artist
    • 1969 – Josh Holloway, American actor
    • 1969 – Kreso Kovacec, Croatian-German footballer
    • 1969 – Giovanni Lombardi, Italian cyclist
    • 1969 – Joon Park, South Korean-American singer
    • 1969 – Tobi Vail, American singer and guitarist
    • 1971 – Charles Johnson, American baseball player
    • 1971 – Sandra Oh, Canadian actress
    • 1972 – Jamie Ainscough, Australian rugby league player
    • 1972 – Jozef Stümpel, Slovak ice hockey player
    • 1972 – Erik Ullenhag, Swedish jurist and politician
    • 1972 – Vitamin C, American singer-songwriter
    • 1973 – Omar Epps, American actor
    • 1973 – Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway
    • 1973 – Peter Forsberg, Swedish ice hockey player and manager
    • 1973 – Nixon McLean, Caribbean cricketer
    • 1973 – Roberto Orci, Mexican-American screenwriter and producer
    • 1973 – Claudio Reyna, American soccer player
    • 1975 – Ray Allen, American basketball player and actor
    • 1975 – Judy Greer, American actress and producer
    • 1975 – Erik Hagen, Norwegian footballer
    • 1975 – Birgitta Ohlsson, Swedish journalist and politician, 5th Swedish Minister for European Union Affairs
    • 1975 – Jason Raize, American singer and actor
    • 1975 – Yusuf Şimşek, Turkish footballer and manager
    • 1976 – Erica Hill, American journalist
    • 1976 – Debashish Mohanty, Indian cricketer and coach
    • 1976 – Andrew Stockdale, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1976 – Alex Yoong, Malaysian race car driver
    • 1977 – Kiki Musampa, Congolese footballer
    • 1977 – Yves Niaré, French shot putter (d. 2012)
    • 1977 – Alessandro Santos, Brazilian-Japanese footballer
    • 1978 – Pavel Datsyuk, Russian ice hockey player
    • 1978 – Will Solomon, American basketball player
    • 1978 – Elliott Yamin, American singer-songwriter
    • 1978 – Ieva Zunda, Latvian runner and hurdler
    • 1979 – Miklós Fehér, Hungarian footballer (d. 2004)
    • 1979 – Charlotte Hatherley, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1979 – David Ortega, Spanish swimmer
    • 1980 – Tesfaye Bramble, English-Montserratian footballer
    • 1980 – Gisele Bündchen, Brazilian model, fashionista, and businesswoman
    • 1981 – Viktoria Ladõnskaja, Estonian journalist and politician
    • 1982 – Antoine Vermette, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1984 – Alexi Casilla, Dominican baseball player
    • 1984 – Matt Gilroy, American ice hockey player
    • 1985 – John Francis Daley, American actor and screenwriter
    • 1985 – Harley Morenstein, Canadian actor and YouTube personality
    • 1985 – David Mundy, Australian footballer
    • 1986 – Osric Chau, Canadian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1987 – Nicola Benedetti, Scottish violinist
    • 1987 – Niall McGinn, Irish footballer
    • 1988 – Julianne Hough, American singer-songwriter, actress, and dancer
    • 1988 – Stephen Strasburg, American baseball player
    • 1988 – Shahram Mahmoudi, Iranian volleyball player
    • 1989 – Javier Cortés, Mexican footballer
    • 1989 – Cristian Pasquato, Italian footballer
    • 1990 – Lars Unnerstall, German footballer
    • 1991 – Chiyoshōma Fujio, Mongolian sumo wrestler
    • 1991 – Ryan James, Australian rugby league player
    • 1991 – Kira Kazantsev, Miss America 2015
    • 1991 – Philipp Reiter, German mountaineer and runner
    • 1993 – Steven Adams, New Zealand basketball player
    • 1995 – Moses Leota, New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1996 – Ben Simmons, Australian basketball player

    Deaths on July 20

    • 518 – Amantius, Byzantine grand chamberlain and Monophysite martyr
    • 833 – Ansegisus, Frankish abbot and saint
    • 985 – Boniface VII, antipope of Rome
    • 1031 – Robert II, king of France (b. 972)
    • 1156 – Toba, emperor of Japan (b. 1103)
    • 1320 – Oshin, king of Armenia (b. 1282)
    • 1332 – Thomas Randolph, 1st Earl of Moray, regent of Scotland
    • 1387 – Robert IV, French nobleman (b. 1356)
    • 1398 – Roger Mortimer, 4th Earl of March, Welsh nobleman (b. 1374)
    • 1453 – Enguerrand de Monstrelet, French historian and author (b. 1400)
    • 1454 – John II, king of Castile and León (b. 1405)
    • 1514 – György Dózsa, Transylvanian peasant revolt leader (b. 1470)
    • 1524 – Claude, queen consort of France (b. 1499)
    • 1526 – García Jofre de Loaísa, Spanish explorer (b. 1490)
    • 1600 – William More, English courtier (b. 1520)
    • 1616 – Hugh O’Neill, Earl of Tyrone, Irish nobleman and rebel soldier (b. 1550)
    • 1704 – Peregrine White, English-American farmer and soldier (b. 1620)
    • 1752 – Johann Christoph Pepusch, German-English composer and theorist (b. 1667)
    • 1816 – Gavrila Derzhavin, Russian poet and politician (b. 1743)
    • 1866 – Bernhard Riemann, German mathematician and academic (b. 1826)
    • 1897 – Jean Ingelow, English poet and author (b. 1820)
    • 1901 – William Cosmo Monkhouse, English poet and critic (b. 1840)
    • 1903 – Leo XIII, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 1810)
    • 1908 – Demetrius Vikelas, Greek businessman and author (b. 1835)
    • 1908 – Karl Bernhard Zoeppritz, German geophysicist and seismologist (b. 1881)
    • 1910 – Anderson Dawson, Australian politician, 14th Premier of Queensland (b. 1863)
    • 1922 – Andrey Markov, Russian mathematician and theorist (b. 1856)
    • 1923 – Pancho Villa, Mexican general and politician, Governor of Chihuahua (b. 1878)
    • 1926 – Felix Dzerzhinsky, Russian educator and politician (b. 1877)
    • 1927 – Ferdinand I, king of Romania (b. 1865)
    • 1928 – Kostas Karyotakis, Greek poet and author (b. 1896)
    • 1932 – René Bazin, French author and academic (b. 1853)
    • 1937 – Olga Hahn-Neurath, Austrian mathematician and philosopher from the Vienna Circle (b. 1882)
    • 1937 – Guglielmo Marconi, Italian physicist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1874)
    • 1941 – Lew Fields, American actor and producer (b. 1867)
    • 1944 – Ludwig Beck, German general (b. 1880)
    • 1945 – Paul Valéry, French author and poet (b. 1871)
    • 1951 – Abdullah I, king of Jordan (b. 1882)
    • 1953 – Dumarsais Estimé, Haitian lawyer and politician, 33rd President of Haiti (b. 1900)
    • 1953 – Jan Struther, English author and hymn-writer (b. 1901)
    • 1955 – Calouste Gulbenkian, Armenian businessman and philanthropist (b. 1869)
    • 1956 – James Alexander Calder, Canadian educator and politician, Canadian Minister of Militia and Defence (b. 1868)
    • 1959 – William D. Leahy, American admiral and diplomat, United States Ambassador to France (b. 1875)
    • 1965 – Batukeshwar Dutt, Indian activist (b. 1910)
    • 1968 – Bray Hammond, American historian and author (b. 1886)
    • 1970 – Iain Macleod, English journalist and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (b. 1913)
    • 1972 – Geeta Dutt, Indian singer and actress (b. 1930)
    • 1973 – Bruce Lee, American actor and martial artist (b. 1940)
    • 1973 – Robert Smithson, American photographer and sculptor (b. 1938)
    • 1974 – Allen Jenkins, American actor and singer (b. 1900)
    • 1974 – Kamal Dasgupta, Bengali music director, composer and folk artist. (b. 1912)
    • 1976 – Joseph Rochefort, American captain and cryptanalyst (b. 1900)
    • 1977 – Gary Kellgren, American record producer, co-founded Record Plant (b. 1939)
    • 1980 – Maria Martinez, San Ildefonso Pueblo (Native American) potter (b. 1887)
    • 1981 – Kostas Choumis, Greek-Romanian footballer (b. 1913)
    • 1983 – Frank Reynolds, American soldier and journalist (b. 1923)
    • 1987 – Richard Egan, American soldier and actor (b. 1921)
    • 1989 – Forrest H. Anderson, American judge and politician, 17th Governor of Montana (b. 1913)
    • 1990 – Herbert Turner Jenkins, American police officer (b. 1907)
    • 1993 – Vince Foster, American lawyer and political figure (b. 1945)
    • 1994 – Paul Delvaux, Belgian painter (b. 1897)
    • 1997 – M. E. H. Maharoof, Sri Lankan politician (b. 1939)
    • 1998 – June Byers, American wrestler (b. 1922)
    • 1999 – Sandra Gould, American actress (b. 1916)
    • 2002 – Michalis Kritikopoulos, Greek footballer (b. 1946)
    • 2003 – Nicolas Freeling, English author (b. 1927)
    • 2004 – Lala Mara, Fijian politician (b. 1931)
    • 2004 – Valdemaras Martinkėnas, Lithuanian footballer and coach (b. 1965)
    • 2005 – James Doohan, Canadian-American actor (b. 1920)
    • 2005 – Finn Gustavsen, Norwegian journalist and politician (b. 1926)
    • 2005 – Kayo Hatta, American director and cinematographer (b. 1958)
    • 2006 – Ted Grant, South African-English theorist and activist (b. 1913)
    • 2006 – Gérard Oury, French actor, director, and producer (b. 1919)
    • 2007 – Tammy Faye Messner, American Christian evangelist and talk show host (b. 1942)
    • 2008 – Artie Traum, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer (b. 1943)
    • 2008 – Dinko Šakić, Croatian concentration camp commander (b. 1921)
    • 2009 – Vedat Okyar, Turkish footballer (b. 1945)
    • 2009 – Mark Rosenzweig, American psychologist and academic (b. 1922)
    • 2011 – Lucian Freud, German-English painter and illustrator (b. 1922)
    • 2012 – Alastair Burnet, English journalist (b. 1928)
    • 2012 – Jack Davis, American hurdler (b. 1930)
    • 2012 – José Hermano Saraiva, Portuguese historian, jurist, and politician, Portuguese Minister of Education (b. 1919)
    • 2013 – Pierre Fabre, French pharmacist and businessman, founded Laboratoires Pierre Fabre (b. 1926)
    • 2013 – Khurshed Alam Khan, Indian politician, 2nd Governor of Goa (b. 1919)
    • 2013 – Augustus Rowe, Canadian physician and politician (b. 1920)
    • 2013 – Helen Thomas, American journalist and author (b. 1920)
    • 2014 – Victor G. Atiyeh, American businessman and politician, 32nd Governor of Oregon (b. 1923)
    • 2014 – Constantin Lucaci, Romanian sculptor and educator (b. 1923)
    • 2014 – Bob McNamara, American football player (b. 1931)
    • 2014 – Klaus Schmidt, German archaeologist and academic (b. 1953)
    • 2015 – Wayne Carson, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1943)
    • 2015 – Fred Else, English footballer and manager (b. 1933)
    • 2015 – Dieter Moebius, Swiss-German keyboard player and producer (b. 1944)
    • 2016 – Radu Beligan, Romanian actor, director, and essayist (b. 1918)
    • 2017 – Chester Bennington, American singer (b. 1976)

    Holidays and observances on July 20

    • Birthday of Crown Prince Haakon Magnus (Norway)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Ansegisus
      • Apollinaris of Ravenna
      • Aurelius
      • Ealhswith (or Elswith)
      • Elijah
      • Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Amelia Bloomer, Sojourner Truth, and Harriet Ross Tubman (Episcopal Church (USA))
      • John Baptist Yi (one of The Korean Martyrs)
      • Margaret the Virgin
      • Thorlac (relic translation)
      • Wilgefortis (cult suppressed)
      • July 20 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Día del Amigo (Argentina, Brazil)
    • Engineer’s Day (Costa Rica)
    • Independence Day, celebrates the independence declaration of Colombia from Spain in 1810.
    • International Chess Day
    • Lempira Day (Honduras)
    • Tree Planting Day (Central African Republic)

  • June 28 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 1098 – Fighters of the First Crusade defeat Kerbogha of Mosul.
    • 1360 – Muhammed VI becomes the tenth Nasrid king of Granada after killing his brother-in-law Ismail II.
    • 1461 – Edward, Earl of March, is crowned King Edward IV of England.
    • 1519 – Charles V is elected Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.
    • 1575 – Sengoku period of Japan: The combined forces of Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu are victorious in the Battle of Nagashino.
    • 1635 – Guadeloupe becomes a French colony.
    • 1651 – The Battle of Berestechko between Poland and Ukraine starts.
    • 1709 – Peter the Great defeats Charles XII of Sweden at the Battle of Poltava.
    • 1745 – A New England colonial army captures the French fortifications at Louisbourg (New Style).
    • 1776 – American Revolutionary War: The Battle of Sullivan’s Island ends with the American victory, leading to the commemoration of Carolina Day.
    • 1776 – American Revolutionary War: Thomas Hickey, Continental Army private and bodyguard to General George Washington, is hanged for mutiny and sedition.
    • 1778 – American Revolutionary War: The American Continentals engage the British in the Battle of Monmouth Courthouse resulting in standstill and British withdrawal under cover of darkness.
    • 1797 – French troops disembark in Corfu, beginning the French rule in the Ionian Islands.
    • 1807 – Second British invasion of the Río de la Plata; John Whitelocke lands at Ensenada on an attempt to recapture Buenos Aires and is defeated by the locals.
    • 1838 – Coronation of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.
    • 1841 – The Paris Opera Ballet premieres Giselle in the Salle Le Peletier.
    • 1846 – Adolphe Sax patents the saxophone.
    • 1855 – Sigma Chi fraternity is founded in North America.
    • 1859 – The first conformation dog show is held in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.
    • 1865 – The Army of the Potomac is disbanded.
    • 1880 – Australian bushranger Ned Kelly is captured at Glenrowan.
    • 1881 – The Austro–Serbian Alliance of 1881 is secretly signed.
    • 1882 – The Anglo-French Convention of 1882 marks the territorial boundaries between Guinea and Sierra Leone.
    • 1894 – Labor Day becomes an official US holiday.
    • 1895 – The United States Court of Private Land Claims rules James Reavis’s claim to Barony of Arizona is “wholly fictitious and fraudulent.”
    • 1896 – An explosion in the Newton Coal Company’s Twin Shaft Mine in Pittston, Pennsylvania results in a massive cave-in that kills 58 miners.
    • 1902 – The U.S. Congress passes the Spooner Act, authorizing President Theodore Roosevelt to acquire rights from Colombia for the Panama Canal.
    • 1904 – The SS Norge runs aground on Hasselwood Rock in the North Atlantic 430 kilometres (270 mi) northwest of Ireland. More than 635 people die during the sinking.
    • 1911 – The Nakhla meteorite, the first one to suggest signs of aqueous processes on Mars, falls to Earth, landing in Egypt.
    • 1914 – Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophie are assassinated in Sarajevo; this is the casus belli of World War I.
    • 1917 – World War I: Greece joins the Allied powers.
    • 1919 – The Treaty of Versailles is signed, ending the state of war between Germany and the Allies of World War I.
    • 1921 – Serbian King Alexander I proclaims the new constitution of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, known thereafter as the Vidovdan Constitution.
    • 1922 – The Irish Civil War begins with the shelling of the Four Courts in Dublin by Free State forces.
    • 1926 – Mercedes-Benz is formed by Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz merging their two companies.
    • 1936 – The Japanese puppet state of Mengjiang is formed in northern China.
    • 1940 – Romania cedes Bessarabia (current-day Moldova) to the Soviet Union after facing an ultimatum.
    • 1942 – World War II: Nazi Germany starts its strategic summer offensive against the Soviet Union, codenamed Case Blue.
    • 1945 – Poland’s Soviet-allied Provisional Government of National Unity is formed over a month after V-E Day.
    • 1948 – Cold War: The Tito–Stalin Split results in the expulsion of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia from the Cominform.
    • 1948 – Boxer Dick Turpin beats Vince Hawkins at Villa Park in Birmingham to become the first black British boxing champion in the modern era.
    • 1950 – Korean War: Suspected communist sympathizers (between 60,000 to 200,000) are executed in the Bodo League massacre.
    • 1950 – Korean War: Packed with its own refugees fleeing Seoul and leaving their 5th Division stranded, South Korean forces blow up the Hangang Bridge in an attempt to slow North Korea’s offensive. The city falls later that day.
    • 1950 – Korean War: North Korean Army conducts the Seoul National University Hospital massacre.
    • 1956 – in Poznań, workers from HCP factory go to the streets, sparking one of the first major protests against communist government both in Poland and Europe.
    • 1964 – Malcolm X forms the Organization of Afro-American Unity.
    • 1969 – Stonewall riots begin in New York City, marking the start of the Gay Rights Movement.
    • 1973 – Elections are held for the Northern Ireland Assembly, which will lead to power-sharing between unionists and nationalists in Northern Ireland for the first time.
    • 1976 – The Angolan court sentences US and UK mercenaries to death sentences and prison terms in the Luanda Trial.
    • 1978 – The United States Supreme Court, in Regents of the University of California v. Bakke bars quota systems in college admissions.
    • 1981 – A powerful bomb explodes in Tehran, killing 73 officials of the Islamic Republican Party.
    • 1987 – For the first time in military history, a civilian population is targeted for chemical attack when Iraqi warplanes bombed the Iranian town of Sardasht.
    • 1989 – On the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Kosovo, Slobodan Milošević delivers the Gazimestan speech at the site of the historic battle.
    • 1997 – Holyfield–Tyson II: Mike Tyson is disqualified in the third round for biting a piece off Evander Holyfield’s ear.
    • 2001 – Slobodan Milošević is extradited to the ICTY in The Hague to stand trial.
    • 2004 – Iraq War: Sovereign power is handed to the interim government of Iraq by the Coalition Provisional Authority, ending the U.S.-led rule of that nation.
    • 2009 – Honduran president Manuel Zelaya is ousted by a local military coup following a failed request to hold a referendum to rewrite the Honduran Constitution. This was the start of the 2009 Honduran constitutional crisis.
    • 2016 – A terrorist attack in Turkey’s Istanbul Atatürk Airport kills 42 people and injures more than 230 others.

    Births on June 28

    • 751 – Carloman I, king of the Franks (d. 771)
    • 1243 – Emperor Go-Fukakusa of Japan (d. 1304)
    • 1444 – Charlotte, Queen of Cyprus (d. 1487)
    • 1476 – Pope Paul IV (d. 1559)
    • 1490 – Albert of Brandenburg, German archbishop (d. 1545)
    • 1491 – Henry VIII of England (d. 1547)
    • 1503 – Giovanni della Casa, Italian author and poet (d. 1556)
    • 1547 – Cristofano Malvezzi, Italian organist and composer (d. 1599)
    • 1557 – Philip Howard, 20th Earl of Arundel, English nobleman (d. 1595)
    • 1560 – Giovanni Paolo Lascaris, Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller (d. 1657)
    • 1573 – Henry Danvers, 1st Earl of Danby, English noble (d. 1644)
    • 1577 – Peter Paul Rubens, Flemish painter and diplomat (d. 1640)
    • 1582 – William Fiennes, 1st Viscount Saye and Sele, English politician (d. 1662)
    • 1604 – Heinrich Albert, German composer and poet (d. 1651)
    • 1641 – Marie Casimire Louise de La Grange d’Arquien, consort to King John III Sobieski (d. 1716)
    • 1653 – Muhammad Azam Shah, Mughal emperor (d. 1707)
    • 1703 – John Wesley, English cleric and theologian (d. 1791)
    • 1712 – Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Swiss philosopher and polymath (d. 1778)
    • 1719 – Étienne François, duc de Choiseul, French general and politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 1785)
    • 1734 – Jean-Jacques Beauvarlet-Charpentier, French organist and composer (d. 1794)
    • 1742 – William Hooper, American physician, lawyer, and politician (d. 1790)
    • 1824 – Paul Broca, French physician, anatomist, and anthropologist (d. 1880)
    • 1825 – Emil Erlenmeyer, German chemist (d. 1909)
    • 1831 – Joseph Joachim, Austrian violinist, composer, and conductor (d. 1907)
    • 1836 – Emmanuel Rhoides, Greek journalist and author (d. 1904)
    • 1844 – John Boyle O’Reilly, Irish-born poet, journalist and fiction writer (d. 1890)
    • 1852 – Charles Cruft, English showman, founded Crufts Dog Show (d. 1938)
    • 1867 – Luigi Pirandello, Italian dramatist, novelist, and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1936)
    • 1873 – Alexis Carrel, French surgeon and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1944)
    • 1875 – Henri Lebesgue, French mathematician and academic (d. 1941)
    • 1879 – Wilhelm Steinkopf, German chemist (d. 1949)
    • 1880 – John Meyers, American swimmer and water polo player (d. 1971)
    • 1883 – Pierre Laval, French soldier and politician, 101st Prime Minister of France (d. 1945)
    • 1884 – Lamina Sankoh, Sierra Leonean banker and politician (d. 1964)
    • 1888 – George Challenor, Barbadian cricketer (d. 1947)
    • 1888 – Stefi Geyer, Hungarian violinist and educator (d. 1956)
    • 1891 – Esther Forbes, American historian and author (d. 1968)
    • 1891 – Carl Spaatz, American general (d. 1974)
    • 1892 – Carl Panzram, American serial killer (d. 1930)
    • 1893 – August Zamoyski, Polish-French sculptor (d. 1970)
    • 1894 – Francis Hunter, American tennis player (d. 1981)
    • 1902 – Richard Rodgers, American playwright and composer (d. 1979)
    • 1906 – Maria Goeppert Mayer, Polish-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1972)
    • 1907 – Jimmy Mundy, American saxophonist and composer (d. 1983)
    • 1907 – Yvonne Sylvain, First female Haitian physician (d. 1989)
    • 1909 – Eric Ambler, English author and screenwriter (d. 1998)
    • 1912 – Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker, German physicist and philosopher (d. 2007)
    • 1913 – Franz Antel, Austrian director and producer (d. 2007)
    • 1913 – George Lloyd, English soldier and composer (d. 1998)
    • 1913 – Walter Oesau, German colonel and pilot (d. 1944)
    • 1914 – Aribert Heim, Austrian SS physician and Nazi war criminal (d. 1992)
    • 1917 – A. E. Hotchner, American author and playwright (d. 2020)
    • 1918 – William Whitelaw, 1st Viscount Whitelaw, Scottish-English politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1999)
    • 1919 – Joseph P. Lordi, American government official (d. 1983)
    • 1920 – Clarissa Eden, Spouse of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
    • 1921 – P. V. Narasimha Rao, Indian lawyer and politician, 9th Prime Minister of India (d. 2004)
    • 1922 – Hans Frauenfelder, American physicist and biophysicist
    • 1923 – Pete Candoli, American trumpet player (d. 2008)
    • 1923 – Adolfo Schwelm Cruz, Argentinian racing driver (d. 2012)
    • 1923 – Gaye Stewart, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2010)
    • 1926 – George Booth, American cartoonist
    • 1926 – Mel Brooks, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1926 – Robert Ledley, American academic and inventor (d. 2012)
    • 1927 – Correlli Barnett, English historian and author
    • 1927 – Frank Sherwood Rowland, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2012)
    • 1928 – Hans Blix, Swedish politician and diplomat, 33rd Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs
    • 1928 – Patrick Hemingway, American writer
    • 1928 – Harold Evans, English-American historian and journalist
    • 1928 – Peter Heine, South African cricketer (d. 2005)
    • 1928 – Cyril Smith, English politician (d. 2010)
    • 1929 – Alfred Miodowicz, Polish politician
    • 1930 – William C. Campbell, Irish-American biologist and parasitologist, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1930 – Itamar Franco, Brazilian engineer and politician, 33rd President of Brazil (d. 2011)
    • 1930 – Jack Gold, English director and producer (d. 2015)
    • 1931 – Hans Alfredson, Swedish actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1931 – Junior Johnson, American race car driver (d. 2019)
    • 1931 – Lucien Victor, Belgian cyclist (d. 1995)
    • 1932 – Pat Morita, American actor (d. 2005)
    • 1933 – Gusty Spence, Northern Irish loyalist and politician (d. 2011)
    • 1934 – Robert Carswell, Baron Carswell, Northern Irish lawyer and judge, Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland
    • 1934 – Roy Gilchrist, Jamaican cricketer (d. 2001)
    • 1934 – Bette Greene, American journalist and author
    • 1934 – Carl Levin, American lawyer and politician
    • 1934 – Georges Wolinski, Tunisian-French journalist and cartoonist (d. 2015)
    • 1935 – John Inman, English actor (d. 2007)
    • 1936 – Chuck Howley, American football player
    • 1937 – George Knudson, Canadian golfer (d. 1989)
    • 1937 – Fernand Labrie, Canadian endocrinologist and academic
    • 1937 – Ron Luciano, American baseball player and umpire (d. 1995)
    • 1938 – John Byner, American actor and comedian
    • 1938 – Leon Panetta, American lawyer and politician, 23rd United States Secretary of Defense
    • 1938 – S. Sivamaharajah, Sri Lankan Tamil newspaper publisher and politician (d. 2006)
    • 1938 – Simon Douglas-Pennant, 7th Baron Penrhyn, British baron
    • 1939 – Klaus Schmiegel, German chemist
    • 1940 – Karpal Singh, Malaysian lawyer and politician (d. 2014)
    • 1940 – Muhammad Yunus, Bangladeshi economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1941 – Al Downing, American baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1941 – Joseph Goguen, American computer scientist and academic, developed the OBJ language (d. 2006)
    • 1941 – David Johnston, Canadian academic, lawyer, and politician, 28th Governor General of Canada
    • 1942 – Chris Hani, South African politician (d. 1993)
    • 1942 – Hans-Joachim Walde, German decathlete (d. 2013)
    • 1942 – Frank Zane, American professional bodybuilder and author
    • 1943 – Jens Birkemose, Danish painter
    • 1943 – Donald Johanson, American paleontologist and academic
    • 1943 – Klaus von Klitzing, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1945 – Ken Buchanan, Scottish boxer
    • 1945 – David Knights, English bass player and producer
    • 1945 – Raul Seixas, Brazilian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 1989)
    • 1945 – Türkan Şoray, Turkish actress, director, and screenwriter
    • 1946 – Robert Asprin, American soldier and author (d. 2008)
    • 1946 – Bruce Davison, American actor and director
    • 1946 – David Duckham, English rugby player
    • 1946 – Robert Xavier Rodríguez, American classical composer
    • 1946 – Jaime Guzmán, Chilean lawyer and politician (d. 1991)
    • 1946 – Gilda Radner, American actress and comedian (d. 1989)
    • 1947 – Mark Helprin, American novelist and journalist
    • 1947 – Laura Tyson, American economist and academic
    • 1948 – Kathy Bates, American actress
    • 1948 – Sergei Bodrov, Russian-American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1948 – Deborah Moggach, English author and screenwriter
    • 1948 – Daniel Wegner, Canadian-American psychologist and academic (d. 2013)
    • 1949 – Don Baylor, American baseball player and coach (d. 2017)
    • 1950 – Philip Fowke, English pianist and educator
    • 1950 – Mauricio Rojas, Chilean-Swedish economist and politician
    • 1950 – Chris Speier, American baseball player and coach
    • 1951 – Mick Cronin, Australian rugby league player and coach
    • 1951 – Mark Shand, English conservationist and author (d. 2014)
    • 1951 – Lalla Ward, English actress and author
    • 1952 – Enis Batur, Turkish poet and author
    • 1952 – Pietro Mennea, Italian sprinter and politician (d. 2013)
    • 1952 – Jean-Christophe Rufin, French physician and author
    • 1954 – A. A. Gill, Scottish author and critic (d. 2016)
    • 1954 – Alice Krige, South African actress
    • 1955 – Shirley Cheriton, British actress
    • 1956 – Amira Hass, Israeli journalist and author
    • 1956 – Noel Mugavin, Australian footballer and coach
    • 1957 – Lance Nethery, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1957 – Georgi Parvanov, Bulgarian historian and politician, 4th President of Bulgaria
    • 1957 – Mike Skinner, American race car driver
    • 1957 – Jim Spanarkel, American basketball player and sportscaster
    • 1958 – Donna Edwards, American lawyer and politician
    • 1958 – Félix Gray, Tunisian-French singer-songwriter
    • 1959 – Clint Boon, English singer and keyboard player
    • 1959 – John Shelley, British illustrator
    • 1960 – John Elway, American football player and manager
    • 1960 – Roland Melanson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1961 – Jeff Malone, American basketball player and coach
    • 1962 – Anișoara Cușmir-Stanciu, Romanian long jumper
    • 1962 – Artur Hajzer, Polish mountaineer (d. 2013)
    • 1962 – Ann-Louise Skoglund, Swedish hurdler
    • 1963 – Peter Baynham, Welsh actor, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1963 – Charlie Clouser, American keyboard player, songwriter, and producer
    • 1964 – Christina Ashcroft, Canadian sport shooter
    • 1964 – Mark Grace, American baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1964 – Bernie McCahill, New Zealand rugby player
    • 1964 – Dan Stains, Australian rugby league player and coach
    • 1964 – Steve Williamson, English saxophonist and composer
    • 1965 – Jessica Hecht, American actress
    • 1965 – Tiaan Strauss, South African rugby player
    • 1966 – Peeter Allik, Estonian painter and illustrator (d. 2019)
    • 1966 – Bobby Bare Jr., American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1966 – John Cusack, American actor and screenwriter
    • 1966 – Mary Stuart Masterson, American actress
    • 1967 – Leona Aglukkaq, Canadian politician, 7th Canadian Minister of Health
    • 1967 – Gil Bellows, Canadian actor and producer
    • 1967 – Zhong Huandi, Chinese runner
    • 1967 – Lars Riedel, German discus thrower
    • 1968 – Chayanne, Puerto Rican-American singer-songwriter and actor
    • 1969 – Tichina Arnold, American actress and singer
    • 1969 – Stéphane Chapuisat, Swiss footballer
    • 1969 – Fabrizio Mori, Italian hurdler
    • 1970 – Mushtaq Ahmed, Pakistani cricketer and coach
    • 1970 – Tom Merritt, American journalist
    • 1970 – Mike White, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1971 – Lorenzo Amoruso, Italian footballer
    • 1971 – Fabien Barthez, French footballer
    • 1971 – Bobby Hurley, American basketball player and coach
    • 1971 – Ron Mahay, American baseball player and scout
    • 1971 – Elon Musk, South African-born American businessman
    • 1971 – Aileen Quinn, American actress and singer
    • 1972 – Ngô Bảo Châu, Vietnamese-French mathematician and academic
    • 1972 – Chris Leslie, English politician, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
    • 1972 – Geeta Tripathee, Nepali poet, lyricist and literary critic
    • 1972 – Alessandro Nivola, American actor
    • 1973 – Adrián Annus, Hungarian hammer thrower
    • 1973 – Corey Koskie, Canadian baseball player
    • 1974 – Rob Dyrdek, American skateboarder, entrepreneur, and reality television star
    • 1975 – Jon Nödtveidt, Swedish singer-songwriter, and guitarist (d. 2006)
    • 1976 – Shinobu Asagoe, Japanese tennis player
    • 1976 – Seth Wescott, American snowboarder
    • 1977 – Chris Spurling, American baseball player
    • 1977 – Mark Stoermer, American bass player, songwriter, and producer
    • 1977 – Harun Tekin, Turkish singer and guitarist
    • 1978 – Simon Larose, Canadian tennis player
    • 1979 – Randy McMichael, American football player
    • 1979 – Neil Shanahan, Irish racing driver (d. 1999)
    • 1979 – Florian Zeller, French author and playwright
    • 1980 – Jevgeni Novikov, Estonian footballer
    • 1981 – Savage, New Zealand rapper
    • 1981 – Michael Crafter, Australian singer-songwriter
    • 1981 – Guillermo Martínez, Cuban javelin thrower
    • 1981 – Brandon Phillips, American baseball player
    • 1982 – Ibrahim Camejo, Cuban long jumper
    • 1985 – Phil Bardsley, English footballer
    • 1985 – Colt Hynes, American baseball player
    • 1986 – Kellie Pickler, American singer-songwriter
    • 1987 – Sonata Tamošaitytė, Lithuanian hurdler
    • 1987 – Terrence Williams, American basketball player
    • 1989 – Jason Clark, Australian rugby league player
    • 1989 – Andrew Fifita, Australian rugby league player
    • 1989 – David Fifita, Australian rugby league player
    • 1989 – Julia Zlobina, Russian-Azerbaijani figure skater
    • 1989 – Markiplier, American internet personality
    • 1989 – Nicole Rottmann, Austrian tennis player
    • 1991 – Seohyun, South Korean singer, dancer, and actress
    • 1991 – Kevin De Bruyne, Belgian footballer
    • 1991 – Kang Min-hyuk, South Korean singer, drummer, and actor
    • 1992 – Oscar Hiljemark, Swedish footballer
    • 1992 – Elaine Thompson, Jamaican sprinter
    • 1993 – Bradley Beal, American basketball player
    • 1994 – Hussein, Crown Prince of Jordan
    • 1994 – Emily Blue, American singer-songwriter
    • 1996 – Donna Vekić, Croatian tennis player
    • 1996 – Larissa Werbicki, Canadian rower
    • 1999 – Markéta Vondroušová, Czech tennis player
    • 2002 – Marta Kostyuk, Ukrainian tennis player

    Deaths on June 28

    • 202 – Yuan Shao, Chinese warlord
    • 548 – Theodora I, Byzantine empress
    • 572 – Alboin, King of the Lombards
    • 683 – Leo II, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 611)
    • 767 – Paul I, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 700)
    • 928 – Louis the Blind, Holy Roman emperor (b. 880)
    • 975 – Cyneweard, bishop of Wells
    • 1031 – Taira no Tadatsune, Japanese governor
    • 1061 – Floris I, count of Holland
    • 1175 – Andrey Bogolyubsky, Russian Grand Prince (b. 1111)
    • 1189 – Matilda of England, Duchess of Saxony, (b. 1156)
    • 1194 – Xiao Zong, Chinese emperor (b. 1127)
    • 1385 – Andronikos IV, Byzantine emperor (b. 1348)
    • 1497 – James Tuchet, 7th Baron Audley, English rebel leader (b. c. 1463)
    • 1575 – Yonekura Shigetsugu, Japanese samurai
    • 1586 – Primož Trubar, Slovenian author and reformer (b. 1508)
    • 1598 – Abraham Ortelius, Flemish cartographer and geographer (b. 1527)
    • 1607 – Domenico Fontana, Italian architect (b. 1543)
    • 1716 – George FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Northumberland, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire (b. 1665)
    • 1757 – Sophia Dorothea of Hanover, queen consort of Frederick William I (b. 1687)
    • 1798 – John Henry Colclough, Irish revolutionary (b. c. 1769)
    • 1813 – Gerhard von Scharnhorst, Prussian general and politician, Prussian Minister of War (b. 1755)
    • 1834 – Joseph Bové, Russian architect, designed the Triumphal Arch of Moscow (b. 1784)
    • 1836 – James Madison, American academic and politician, 4th President of the United States (b. 1751)
    • 1880 – Texas Jack Omohundro, American soldier and hunter (b. 1846)
    • 1881 – Jules Armand Dufaure, French politician, 33rd Prime Minister of France (b. 1798)
    • 1889 – Maria Mitchell, American astronomer and academic (b. 1818)
    • 1892 – Alexandros Rizos Rangavis, Greek poet and politician, Greek Foreign Minister (b. 1810)
    • 1913 – Manuel Ferraz de Campos Sales, Brazilian lawyer and politician, 4th President of Brazil (b. 1841)
    • 1914 – Sophie, duchess of Hohenberg (b. 1868)
    • 1914 – Franz Ferdinand, archduke of Austria (b. 1863)
    • 1915 – Victor Trumper, Australian cricketer (b. 1877)
    • 1917 – Ștefan Luchian, Romanian painter and educator (b. 1868)
    • 1922 – Velimir Khlebnikov, Russian poet and playwright (b. 1885)
    • 1929 – Edward Carpenter, English poet and philosopher (b. 1844)
    • 1936 – Alexander Berkman, American author and activist (d. 1870)
    • 1939 – Douglas H. Johnston, governor of the Chickasaw Nation (b. 1856)
    • 1940 – Italo Balbo, Italian air marshal and politician (b. 1896)
    • 1944 – Friedrich Dollmann, German general (b. 1882)
    • 1945 – Yunus Nadi Abalıoğlu, Turkish journalist (b. 1879)
    • 1947 – Stanislav Kostka Neumann, Czech writer, poet and journalist (b. 1875)
    • 1960 – Jake Swirbul, American businessman, co-founded the Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation (b. 1898)
    • 1962 – Mickey Cochrane, American baseball player and manager (b. 1903)
    • 1962 – Cy Morgan, American baseball player (b. 1878)
    • 1965 – Red Nichols, American cornet player, bandleader, and composer (b. 1905)
    • 1966 – Mehmet Fuat Köprülü, Turkish historian and politician, 21st Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey (b. 1890)
    • 1971 – Franz Stangl, Austrian SS officer (b. 1908)
    • 1974 – Vannevar Bush, American engineer and academic (b. 1890)
    • 1975 – Constantinos Apostolou Doxiadis, Greek architect (b. 1913)
    • 1975 – Rod Serling, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1924)
    • 1978 – Clifford Dupont, English-Rhodesian lawyer and politician, 1st President of Rhodesia (b. 1905)
    • 1980 – José Iturbi, Spanish pianist and conductor (b. 1895)
    • 1981 – Terry Fox, Canadian runner and activist (b. 1958)
    • 1983 – Alf Francis, German-English motor racing mechanic and racing car constructor (b. 1918)
    • 1984 – Yigael Yadin, Israeli archaeologist, general, and politician (b. 1917)
    • 1985 – Lynd Ward, American author and illustrator (b. 1905)
    • 1989 – Joris Ivens, Dutch journalist, director, and producer (b. 1898)
    • 1992 – Guy Nève, Belgian racing driver (b. 1955)
    • 1992 – Mikhail Tal, Latvian chess player (b. 1936)
    • 1995 – Petri Walli, Finnish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1969)
    • 2000 – Jane Birdwood, Baroness Birdwood, Canadian-English publisher and politician (b. 1913)
    • 2000 – Nils Poppe, Swedish actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1908)
    • 2001 – Mortimer J. Adler, American philosopher and author (b. 1902)
    • 2003 – Joan Lowery Nixon, American journalist and author (b. 1927)
    • 2004 – Anthony Buckeridge, English author (b. 1912)
    • 2005 – Brenda Howard, American activist (b. 1946)
    • 2005 – Michael P. Murphy, American lieutenant, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1976)
    • 2006 – Jim Baen, American publisher, founded Baen Books (b. 1943)
    • 2006 – Peter Rawlinson, Baron Rawlinson of Ewell, English lawyer and politician, Attorney General for England and Wales (b. 1919)
    • 2006 – George Unwin, English pilot and commander (b. 1913)
    • 2007 – Eugene B. Fluckey, American admiral, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1913)
    • 2007 – Kiichi Miyazawa, Japanese lawyer and politician, 78th Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1919)
    • 2009 – A. K. Lohithadas, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1955)
    • 2009 – Billy Mays, American TV personality (b. 1958)
    • 2010 – Robert Byrd, American lawyer and politician (b. 1917)
    • 2012 – Richard Isay, American psychiatrist and author (b. 1934)
    • 2012 – Leontine T. Kelly, American bishop (b. 1920)
    • 2012 – Robert Sabatier, French author and poet (b. 1923)
    • 2012 – Doris Sams, American baseball player (b. 1927)
    • 2013 – Ted Hood, American sailor and architect (b. 1927)
    • 2013 – Tamás Katona, Hungarian historian and politician (b. 1932)
    • 2013 – Kenneth Minogue, New Zealand-Australian political scientist and academic (b. 1930)
    • 2013 – F. D. Reeve, American author and academic (b. 1928)
    • 2013 – David Rubitsky, American sergeant (b. 1917)
    • 2014 – Seymour Barab, American cellist and composer (b. 1921)
    • 2014 – Jim Brosnan, American baseball player (b. 1929)
    • 2014 – On Kawara, Japanese painter (b. 1933)
    • 2014 – Meshach Taylor, American actor (b. 1947)
    • 2015 – Jack Carter, American actor and comedian (b. 1922)
    • 2015 – Jope Seniloli, Fijian politician, Vice-President of Fiji (b. 1939)
    • 2015 – Wally Stanowski, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1919)
    • 2016 – Scotty Moore, American guitarist (b. 1931)
    • 2016 – Pat Summitt, American women’s college basketball head coach (b. 1952)
    • 2016 – Buddy Ryan, American football coach (b. 1931)
    • 2018 – Harlan Ellison, American writer (b. 1934)

    Holidays and observances on June 28

    • Christian feast day:
      • Basilides and Potamiana
      • Irenaeus of Lyon (Western Christianity)
      • Heimerad
      • Blessed Maria Pia Mastena
      • Paulus I
      • Vincenza Gerosa
      • June 28 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Constitution Day (Ukraine)
    • Earliest day on which Vardavar can fall, while August 1 is the latest; celebrated on the 14th weeks after Easter (Armenia)
    • Family Day (Vietnam)
    • Poznań Remembrance Day (Poland)
    • Vidovdan, celebrating St. Vitus and an important day in Serbian history. (Eastern Orthodox Church)
    • Tau Day, a day similar to Pi Day celebrating the number Tau, which is equivalent to 2*Pi.

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

    • 4 AD – Augustus adopts Tiberius.
    • 221 – Roman emperor Elagabalus adopts his cousin Alexander Severus as his heir and receives the title of Caesar.
    • 363 – Roman emperor Julian is killed during the retreat from the Sasanian Empire.
    • 684 – Pope Benedict II is chosen.
    • 699 – En no Ozuno, a Japanese mystic and apothecary who will later be regarded as the founder of a folk religion Shugendō, is banished to Izu Ōshima.
    • 1243 – Mongols defeat the Seljuk Turks at the Battle of Köse Dağ.
    • 1295 – Przemysł II crowned king of Poland, following Ducal period. The white eagle is added to the Polish coat of arms.
    • 1407 – Ulrich von Jungingen becomes Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights.
    • 1409 – Western Schism: The Roman Catholic Church is led into a double schism as Petros Philargos is crowned Pope Alexander V after the Council of Pisa, joining Pope Gregory XII in Rome and Pope Benedict XII in Avignon.
    • 1460 – Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, and Edward, Earl of March, land in England with a rebel army and march on London.
    • 1483 – Richard III becomes King of England.
    • 1522 – Ottomans begin the second Siege of Rhodes.
    • 1541 – Francisco Pizarro is assassinated in Lima by the son of his former companion and later antagonist, Diego de Almagro the younger. Almagro is later caught and executed.
    • 1579 – Livonian campaign of Stephen Báthory begins.
    • 1718 – Alexei Petrovich, Tsarevich of Russia, Peter the Great’s son, mysteriously dies after being sentenced to death by his father for plotting against him.
    • 1723 – After a siege and bombardment by cannon, Baku surrenders to the Russians.
    • 1740 – A combined force of Spanish, free blacks and allied Indians defeat a British garrison at the Siege of Fort Mose near St. Augustine during the War of Jenkins’ Ear.
    • 1794 – French Revolutionary Wars: Battle of Fleurus marked the first successful military use of aircraft.
    • 1830 – William IV becomes king of Britain and Hanover.
    • 1843 – Treaty of Nanking comes into effect, Hong Kong Island is ceded to the British “in perpetuity”.
    • 1848 – End of the June Days Uprising in Paris.
    • 1857 – The first investiture of the Victoria Cross in Hyde Park, London.
    • 1870 – The Christian holiday of Christmas is declared a federal holiday in the United States.
    • 1886 – Henri Moissan isolated elemental Fluorine for the first time.
    • 1889 – Bangui is founded by Albert Dolisie and Alfred Uzac in what was then the upper reaches of the French Congo.
    • 1906 – The first Grand Prix motor race is held at Le Mans.
    • 1909 – The Science Museum in London comes into existence as an independent entity.
    • 1917 – World War I: The American Expeditionary Forces begin to arrive in France. They will first enter combat four months later.
    • 1918 – World War I: Allied forces under John J. Pershing and James Harbord defeat Imperial German forces under Wilhelm, German Crown Prince in the Battle of Belleau Wood.
    • 1924 – The American occupation of the Dominican Republic ends after eight years.
    • 1927 – The Cyclone roller coaster opens on Coney Island.
    • 1934 – United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Federal Credit Union Act, which establishes credit unions.
    • 1936 – Initial flight of the Focke-Wulf Fw 61, the first practical helicopter.
    • 1940 – World War II: Under the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, the Soviet Union presents an ultimatum to Romania requiring it to cede Bessarabia and the northern part of Bukovina.
    • 1941 – World War II: Soviet planes bomb Kassa, Hungary (now Košice, Slovakia), giving Hungary the impetus to declare war the next day.
    • 1942 – The first flight of the Grumman F6F Hellcat.
    • 1944 – World War II: San Marino, a neutral state, is mistakenly bombed by the RAF based on faulty information, leading to 35 civilian deaths.
    • 1944 – World War II: The Battle of Osuchy in Osuchy, Poland, one of the largest battles between Nazi Germany and Polish resistance forces, ends with the defeat of the latter.
    • 1945 – The United Nations Charter is signed by 50 Allied nations in San Francisco, California.
    • 1948 – Cold War: The first supply flights are made in response to the Berlin Blockade.
    • 1948 – William Shockley files the original patent for the grown-junction transistor, the first bipolar junction transistor.
    • 1948 – Shirley Jackson’s short story The Lottery is published in The New Yorker magazine.
    • 1952 – The Pan-Malayan Labour Party is founded in Malaya, as a union of statewide labour parties.
    • 1953 – Lavrentiy Beria, head of MVD, is arrested by Nikita Khrushchev and other members of the Politburo.
    • 1955 – The South African Congress Alliance adopts the Freedom Charter at the Congress of the People in Kliptown.
    • 1959 – Swedish boxer Ingemar Johansson becomes world champion of heavy weight boxing, by defeating American Floyd Patterson on technical knockout after two minutes and three seconds in the third round at Yankee Stadium.
    • 1960 – The former British Protectorate of British Somaliland gains its independence as Somaliland.
    • 1960 – Madagascar gains its independence from France.
    • 1963 – Cold War: U.S. President John F. Kennedy gave his “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech, underlining the support of the United States for democratic West Germany shortly after Soviet-supported East Germany erected the Berlin Wall.
    • 1967 – Karol Wojtyła (later John Paul II) made a cardinal by Pope Paul VI.
    • 1974 – The Universal Product Code is scanned for the first time to sell a package of Wrigley’s chewing gum at the Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio.
    • 1975 – Two FBI agents and a member of the American Indian Movement are killed in a shootout on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota; Leonard Peltier is later convicted of the murders in a controversial trial.
    • 1977 – Elvis Presley held his final concert in Indianapolis, Indiana at Market Square Arena.
    • 1978 – Air Canada Flight 189, flying to Toronto, overruns the runway and crashes into the Etobicoke Creek ravine. Two of the 107 passengers on board perish.
    • 1991 – Yugoslav Wars: The Yugoslav People’s Army begins the Ten-Day War in Slovenia.
    • 1995 – Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani deposes his father Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, in a bloodless coup d’état.
    • 1997 – The U.S. Supreme Court rules that the Communications Decency Act violates the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.
    • 2000 – The Human Genome Project announces the completion of a “rough draft” sequence.
    • 2003 – The U.S. Supreme Court rules in Lawrence v. Texas that gender-based sodomy laws are unconstitutional.
    • 2006 – Mari Alkatiri, the first Prime Minister of East Timor, resigns after weeks of political unrest.
    • 2007 – Pope Benedict XVI reinstates the traditional laws of papal election in which a successful candidate must receive two-thirds of the votes.
    • 2008 – A suicide bomber dressed as an Iraqi policeman detonates an explosive vest, killing 25 people.
    • 2012 – The Waldo Canyon fire descends into the Mountain Shadows neighborhood in Colorado Springs burning 347 homes in a matter of hours and killing two people.
    • 2013 – Riots in China’s Xinjiang region kill at least 36 people and injure 21 others.
    • 2013 – The U.S. Supreme Court ruled, 5–4, that Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional and in violation of the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
    • 2015 – Five different terrorist attacks in France, Tunisia, Somalia, Kuwait, and Syria occurred on what was dubbed Bloody Friday by international media. Upwards of 750 people were either killed or injured in these uncoordinated attacks.
    • 2015 – The U.S. Supreme Court ruled, 5–4, that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marriage under the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution.

    Births on June 26

    • 12 BC – Agrippa Postumus, Roman son of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and Julia the Elder (d. 14)
    • 1399 – John, Count of Angoulême (d. 1467)
    • 1575 – Anne Catherine of Brandenburg (d. 1612)
    • 1581 – San Pedro Claver, Spanish Jesuit saint (d. 1654)
    • 1600 – Juan de Palafox y Mendoza, Spanish-born bishop and viceroy of New Spain (d. 1659)
    • 1681 – Hedvig Sophia of Sweden (d. 1708)
    • 1689 – Edward Holyoke, American pastor and academic (d. 1769)
    • 1694 – Georg Brandt, Swedish chemist and mineralogist (d. 1768)
    • 1699 – Marie Thérèse Rodet Geoffrin, French businesswoman (d. 1777)
    • 1702 – Philip Doddridge, English hymn-writer and educator (d. 1751)
    • 1703 – Thomas Clap, American minister and academic (d. 1767)
    • 1726 – Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia (d. 1796)
    • 1730 – Charles Messier, French astronomer and academic (d. 1817)
    • 1764 – Jan Paweł Łuszczewski, Polish politician (d. 1812)
    • 1796 – Jan Paweł Lelewel, Polish painter and engineer (d. 1847)
    • 1798 – Wolfgang Menzel, German poet and critic (d. 1873)
    • 1817 – Branwell Brontë, English painter and poet (d. 1848)
    • 1819 – Abner Doubleday, American general (d. 1893)
    • 1821 – Bartolomé Mitre, Argentinian soldier, journalist, and politician, 6th President of Argentina (d. 1906)
    • 1824 – William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin, Irish-Scottish physicist and engineer (d. 1907)
    • 1835 – Thomas W. Knox, American journalist and author (d. 1896)
    • 1839 – Sam Watkins, American soldier and author (d. 1901)
    • 1852 – Daoud Corm, Lebanese painter (d. 1930)
    • 1854 – Robert Laird Borden, Canadian lawyer and politician, 8th Prime Minister of Canada (d. 1937)
    • 1865 – Bernard Berenson, Lithuanian-American historian and author (d. 1959)
    • 1866 – George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon, English archaeologist and banker (d. 1923)
    • 1869 – Martin Andersen Nexø, Danish journalist and author (d. 1954)
    • 1878 – Leopold Löwenheim, German mathematician and logician (d. 1957)
    • 1880 – Mitchell Lewis, American actor (d. 1956)
    • 1881 – Ya’akov Cohen, Israeli linguist, poet, and playwright (d. 1960)
    • 1892 – Pearl S. Buck, American novelist, essayist, short story writer Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1973)
    • 1893 – Dorothy Fuldheim, American journalist and news anchor(d. 1989)
    • 1895 – George Hainsworth, Canadian ice hockey player and politician (d. 1950)
    • 1898 – Willy Messerschmitt, German engineer and businessman (d. 1978)
    • 1898 – Chesty Puller, US general (d. 1971)
    • 1899 – Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia (d. 1918)
    • 1901 – Stuart Symington, American lieutenant and politician, 1st United States Secretary of the Air Force (d. 1988)
    • 1902 – Hugues Cuénod, Swiss tenor and educator (d. 2010)
    • 1903 – Big Bill Broonzy, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1958)
    • 1904 – Frank Scott Hogg, Canadian astronomer and academic (d. 1951)
    • 1904 – Peter Lorre, Slovak-American actor and singer (d. 1964)
    • 1905 – Lynd Ward, American author and illustrator (d. 1985)
    • 1906 – Alberto Rabagliati, Italian singer (d. 1974)
    • 1906 – Viktor Schreckengost, American sculptor and educator (d. 2008)
    • 1907 – Debs Garms, American baseball player (d. 1984)
    • 1908 – Salvador Allende, Chilean physician and politician, 29th President of Chile (d. 1973)
    • 1909 – Colonel Tom Parker, Dutch-American talent manager (d. 1997)
    • 1909 – Wolfgang Reitherman, German-American animator, director, and producer (d. 1985)
    • 1911 – Babe Didrikson Zaharias, American golfer and basketball player (d. 1956)
    • 1911 – Bronisław Żurakowski, Polish pilot and engineer (d. 2009)
    • 1913 – Aimé Césaire, French poet, author, and politician (d. 2008)
    • 1913 – Maurice Wilkes, English computer scientist and physicist (d. 2010)
    • 1914 – Laurie Lee, English author and poet (d. 1997)
    • 1914 – Princess Sophie of Greece and Denmark, European royalty (d. 2001)
    • 1915 – Paul Castellano, American gangster (d. 1985)
    • 1915 – George Haigh, English professional footballer (d. 2019)
    • 1915 – Charlotte Zolotow, American author and poet (d. 2013)
    • 1916 – Virginia Satir, American psychotherapist and author (d. 1988)
    • 1916 – Giuseppe Taddei, Italian actor and singer (d. 2010)
    • 1917 – Idriz Ajeti, Albanian albanologist (d. 2019)
    • 1918 – Leo Rosner, Polish-born Austrian Jewish musician (d. 2008)
    • 1918 – Raleigh Rhodes, American combat fighter pilot (d. 2007)
    • 1918 – J. B. Fuqua, American entrepreneur and philanthropist (d. 2006)
    • 1919 – Richard Neustadt, American political scientist and academic (d. 2003)
    • 1919 – Jimmy Newberry, American pitcher (d. 1983)
    • 1919 – George Athan Billias, American historian (d. 2018)
    • 1919 – Donald M. Ashton, English art director (d. 2004)
    • 1920 – Jean-Pierre Roy, Canadian-American baseball player, manager, and sportscaster (d. 2014)
    • 1921 – Violette Szabo, French-British secret agent (d. 1945)
    • 1921 – Robert Everett, American computer scientist (d. 2018)
    • 1922 – Walter Farley, American author (d. 1989)
    • 1922 – Eleanor Parker, American actress (d. 2013)
    • 1922 – Enzo Apicella, English artist, cartoonist, designer, and restaurateur (d. 2018)
    • 1923 – Franz-Paul Decker, German conductor (d. 2014)
    • 1923 – Ed Bearss, American veteran of World War II
    • 1924 – Kostas Axelos, Greek-French philosopher and author (d. 2010)
    • 1924 – James W. McCord Jr., CIA officer (d. 2017)
    • 1925 – Pavel Belyayev, Russian soldier, pilot, and astronaut (d. 1970)
    • 1925 – Wolfgang Unzicker, German chess player (d. 2006)
    • 1925 – Jean Frydman, French resistant and businessman
    • 1926 – Kenny Baker, American fiddler (d.2011)
    • 1926 – Mahendra Bhatnagar, Indian poet
    • 1926 – Fernando Mönckeberg Barros, Chilean surgeon
    • 1926 – Dinu Zamfirescu, Romanian politician
    • 1927 – Robert Kroetsch, Canadian author and poet (d. 2011)
    • 1928 – Jacob Druckman, American composer and academic (d. 1996)
    • 1928 – Yoshiro Nakamatsu, Japanese inventor
    • 1928 – Bill Sheffield, American politician; 5th Governor of Alaska
    • 1928 – Samuel Belzberg, Canadian businessman and philanthropist (d. 2018)
    • 1929 – June Bronhill, Australian soprano and actress (d. 2005)
    • 1929 – Fred Bruemmer, Latvian-Canadian photographer and author (d. 2013)
    • 1929 – Milton Glaser, American illustrator and graphic designer
    • 1930 – Jackie Fargo, American wrestler and trainer (d. 2013)
    • 1930 – Wolfgang Schwanitz, East German secret police
    • 1931 – Colin Wilson, English philosopher and author (d. 2013)
    • 1931 – Robert Colbert, American actor
    • 1932 – Dame Marguerite Pindling, Bahamian politician; Governor-General of the Bahamas
    • 1932 – Don Valentine, American venture capitalist (d. 2019)
    • 1933 – Claudio Abbado, Italian conductor (d. 2014)
    • 1933 – Gene Green, American baseball player (d. 1981)
    • 1933 – David Winnick, English politician
    • 1934 – Dave Grusin, American pianist and composer
    • 1934 – Toru Goto, Japanese swimmer
    • 1935 – Carlo Facetti, Italian race car driver
    • 1935 – Sandro Riminucci, Italian basketball player
    • 1935 – Dwight York, American singer
    • 1936 – Benjamin Adekunle, Nigerian general (d. 2014)
    • 1936 – Hal Greer, American basketball player (d. 2018)
    • 1936 – Robert Maclennan, Baron Maclennan of Rogart, Scottish politician (d. 2020)
    • 1936 – Edith Pearlman, American short story writer
    • 1936 – Jean-Claude Turcotte, Canadian cardinal (d. 2015)
    • 1936 – Nancy Willard, American author and poet (d. 2017)
    • 1937 – Robert Coleman Richardson, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2013)
    • 1937 – Reggie Workman, American bassist and composer
    • 1938 – Neil Abercrombie, American sociologist and politician, 7th Governor of Hawaii
    • 1938 – Billy Davis Jr., American pop-soul singer
    • 1938 – Gerald North, American climatologist and academic
    • 1939 – Chuck Robb, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 64th Governor of Virginia
    • 1939 – Zainuddin Maidin, Malaysian politician (d. 2018)
    • 1941 – Yves Beauchemin, Canadian author and academic
    • 1942 – J.J. Dillon, American wrestler and manager
    • 1942 – Gilberto Gil, Brazilian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and politician, Brazilian Minister of Culture
    • 1943 – Georgie Fame, English singer, pianist, and keyboard player
    • 1943 – Warren Farrell, American author and educator
    • 1944 – Gennady Zyuganov, Russian colonel and politician
    • 1946 – Candace Pert, American neuroscientist and pharmacologist (d. 2013)
    • 1949 – Fredric Brandt, American dermatologist and author (d. 2015)
    • 1949 – Adrian Gurvitz, English singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1949 – Mary Styles Harris, American biologist and geneticist
    • 1951 – Gary Gilmour, Australian cricketer and manager (d. 2014)
    • 1952 – Gordon McQueen, Scottish footballer and manager
    • 1952 – Olive Morris, Jamaican-English civil rights activist (d. 1979)
    • 1954 – Luis Arconada, Spanish footballer
    • 1955 – Mick Jones, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1955 – Gedde Watanabe, American actor
    • 1956 – Chris Isaak, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
    • 1956 – Catherine Samba-Panza, interim president of the Central African Republic
    • 1956 – Patrick Mercer, English colonel and politician
    • 1957 – Al Hunter Ashton, English actor and screenwriter (d. 2007)
    • 1957 – Philippe Couillard, Canadian surgeon and politician, 31st Premier of Quebec
    • 1957 – Patty Smyth, American singer-songwriter and musician
    • 1959 – Mark McKinney, Canadian actor and screenwriter
    • 1960 – Mark Durkan, Irish politician
    • 1961 – Greg LeMond, American cyclist
    • 1961 – Terri Nunn, American singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1962 – Jerome Kersey, American basketball player and coach (d. 2015)
    • 1963 – Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Russian-Swiss businessman and philanthropist
    • 1963 – Mark McClellan, American economist and politician
    • 1963 – Harriet Wheeler, English singer-songwriter
    • 1964 – Tommi Mäkinen, Finnish race car driver
    • 1966 – Dany Boon, French actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1966 – Kirk McLean, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1966 – Jürgen Reil, American drummer
    • 1967 – Inha Babakova, Ukrainian high jumper
    • 1967 – Olivier Dahan, French director and screenwriter
    • 1968 – Guðni Th. Jóhannesson, Icelandic lecturer and politician, 6th President of Iceland
    • 1968 – Paolo Maldini, Italian footballer
    • 1968 – Shannon Sharpe, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1969 – Colin Greenwood, English bass player and songwriter
    • 1969 – Ingrid Lempereur, Belgian swimmer
    • 1969 – Geir Moen, Norwegian sprinter
    • 1969 – Mike Myers, American baseball player
    • 1970 – Paul Thomas Anderson, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1970 – Paul Bitok, Kenyan runner
    • 1970 – Irv Gotti, American record producer, co-founded Murder Inc Records
    • 1970 – Sean Hayes, American actor
    • 1970 – Adam Ndlovu, Zimbabwean footballer
    • 1970 – Chris O’Donnell, American actor
    • 1970 – Nick Offerman, American actor
    • 1971 – Max Biaggi, Italian motorcycle racer
    • 1972 – Jai Taurima, Australian long jumper and police officer
    • 1973 – Gretchen Wilson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1974 – Derek Jeter, American baseball player
    • 1974 – Jason Kendall, American baseball player
    • 1975 – Chris Armstrong, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1975 – Terry Skiverton, English footballer and manager
    • 1976 – Ed Jovanovski, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1976 – Pommie Mbangwa, Zimbabwean cricketer and sportscaster
    • 1976 – Chad Pennington, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1976 – Dave Rubin, American political commentator
    • 1977 – Quincy Lewis, American basketball player
    • 1979 – Ryō Fukuda, Japanese race car driver
    • 1979 – Walter Herrmann, Argentinian basketball player
    • 1979 – Ryan Tedder, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer
    • 1980 – Hamílton Hênio Ferreira Calheiros, Togolese footballer
    • 1980 – Michael Jackson, English footballer
    • 1980 – Jason Schwartzman, American singer-songwriter, drummer, and actor
    • 1980 – Chris Shelton, American baseball player
    • 1980 – Michael Vick, American football player
    • 1981 – Natalya Antyukh, Russian sprinter and hurdler
    • 1981 – Paolo Cannavaro, Italian footballer
    • 1981 – Kanako Kondō, Japanese voice actress and singer
    • 1981 – Takashi Toritani, Japanese baseball player
    • 1982 – Zuzana Kučová, Slovak tennis player
    • 1983 – Vinícius Rodrigues Almeida, Brazilian footballer
    • 1983 – Nick Compton, South African-English cricketer
    • 1983 – Toyonoshima Daiki, Japanese sumo wrestler
    • 1983 – Felipe Melo, Brazilian footballer
    • 1983 – Antonio Rosati, Italian footballer
    • 1984 – Indila, French singer
    • 1984 – José Juan Barea, Puerto Rican-American basketball player
    • 1984 – Yankuba Ceesay, Gambian footballer
    • 1984 – Elijah Dukes, American baseball player
    • 1984 – Raymond Felton, American basketball player
    • 1984 – Priscah Jeptoo, Kenyan runner
    • 1984 – Jūlija Tepliha, Latvian figure skater
    • 1984 – Deron Williams, American basketball player
    • 1984 – Preslava, Bulgarian singer
    • 1985 – Ogyen Trinley Dorje, Tibetan spiritual leader, 17th Karmapa Lama
    • 1986 – Duvier Riascos, Colombian footballer
    • 1987 – Carlos Iaconelli, Brazilian race car driver
    • 1987 – Samir Nasri, French footballer
    • 1988 – Oliver Stang, German footballer
    • 1990 – Belaynesh Oljira, Ethiopian runner
    • 1990 – Igor Subbotin, Estonian footballer
    • 1991 – Houssem Chemali, French footballer
    • 1991 – Diego Falcinelli, Italian footballer
    • 1991 – Dustin Martin, Australian rules footballer
    • 1992 – Joel Campbell, Costa Rican footballer
    • 1992 – Rudy Gobert, French basketball player
    • 1992 – Jennette McCurdy, American actress and singer-songwriter
    • 1993 – Ariana Grande, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress
    • 1994 – Hollie Arnold, English javelin thrower
    • 1994 – Leonard Carow, German actor
    • 1997 – Baek Ye-rin, South Korean singer
    • 1997 – Callum Taylor, English cricketer
    • 2002 – Chandler Smith, American racing driver
    • 2009 – Yesha Camile, Filipino child actress

    Deaths on June 26

    • 116 BC – Ptolemy VIII, king of Egypt
    • 363 – Julian the Apostate, Roman emperor (b. 332)
    • 405 – Vigilius, bishop of Trent (b. 353)
    • 822 – Saichō, Japanese Buddhist monk (b. 767)
    • 969 – George El Mozahem, Egyptian martyr (b. 940)
    • 985 – Ramiro III, king of León
    • 1090 – Jaromír, bishop of Prague
    • 1095 – Robert, bishop of Hereford
    • 1265 – Anne of Bohemia, duchess of Silesia (b. 1203 or 1204)
    • 1274 – Nasir al-Din al-Tusi, Persian scientist and writer (b. 1201)
    • 1487 – John Argyropoulos, Byzantine philosopher and scholar (b. 1415)
    • 1541 – Francisco Pizarro, Spanish explorer and politician, Governor of New Castile (b. c. 1471)
    • 1574 – Gabriel, comte de Montgomery, captain of the Scottish Guard of Henry II of France (b. 1530)
    • 1688 – Ralph Cudworth, English philosopher and academic (b. 1617)
    • 1752 – Giulio Alberoni, Spanish cardinal (b. 1664)
    • 1757 – Maximilian Ulysses Browne, Austrian field marshal (b. 1705)
    • 1784 – Caesar Rodney, American lawyer and politician, 4th Governor of Delaware (b. 1728)
    • 1793 – James Dickey, Irish revolutionary (b. 1776)
    • 1793 – Gilbert White, English ornithologist and ecologist (b. 1720)
    • 1795 – Johannes Jährig, German linguist and translator (b. 1747)
    • 1808 – Ludwik Tyszkiewicz, Polish poet and politician (b. 1748)
    • 1810 – Joseph-Michel Montgolfier, French inventor, co-invented the hot air balloon (b. 1740)
    • 1830 – George IV of the United Kingdom (b. 1762)
    • 1836 – Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle, French soldier and composer (b. 1760)
    • 1856 – Max Stirner, German philosopher and author (b. 1806)
    • 1870 – Armand Barbès, French lawyer and politician (b. 1809)
    • 1878 – Mercedes of Orléans (b. 1860)
    • 1879 – Richard H. Anderson, American general (b. 1821)
    • 1883 – Edward Sabine, Irish-English astronomer, geophysicist, and ornithologist (b. 1788)
    • 1918 – Peter Rosegger, Austrian poet and author (b. 1843)
    • 1922 – Albert I, Prince of Monaco (b. 1848)
    • 1927 – Armand Guillaumin, French painter (b. 1841)
    • 1932 – Adelaide Ames, American astronomer and academic (b. 1900)
    • 1932 – William Murray McPherson, Australian politician, 31st Premier of Victoria (b. 1865)
    • 1938 – James Weldon Johnson, American poet, lawyer and politician (b. 1871)
    • 1938 – Daria Pratt, American golfer (b. 1859)
    • 1939 – Ford Madox Ford, English novelist, poet, and critic (b. 1873)
    • 1943 – Karl Landsteiner, Austrian biologist and physician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1868)
    • 1945 – Emil Hácha, Czech lawyer and politician, 3rd President of Czechoslovakia (b. 1872)
    • 1946 – Max Kögel, German SS officer (b. 1895)
    • 1946 – Yōsuke Matsuoka, Japanese politician, Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1880)
    • 1947 – R. B. Bennett, Canadian lawyer and politician, 11th Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1870)
    • 1949 – Kim Koo, South Korean educator and politician, 13th President of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea (b. 1876)
    • 1955 – Engelbert Zaschka, German engineer (b. 1895)
    • 1956 – Clifford Brown, American trumpet player and composer (b. 1930)
    • 1956 – Richie Powell, American pianist (b. 1931)
    • 1957 – Alfred Döblin, Polish-German physician and author (b. 1878)
    • 1957 – Malcolm Lowry, English novelist and poet (b. 1909)
    • 1958 – George Orton, Canadian runner and hurdler (b. 1873)
    • 1958 – Andrija Štampar, Croatian physician and scholar (b. 1888)
    • 1964 – Léo Dandurand, American-Canadian businessman (b. 1889)
    • 1967 – Françoise Dorléac, French actress and singer (b. 1942)
    • 1975 – Josemaría Escrivá, Spanish priest and saint (b. 1902)
    • 1979 – Akwasi Afrifa, Ghanaian soldier and politician, 3rd Head of State of Ghana (b. 1936)
    • 1989 – Howard Charles Green, Canadian lawyer and politician, 27th Canadian Minister of Public Works (b. 1895)
    • 1990 – Anni Blomqvist, Finnish author (b. 1909)
    • 1992 – Buddy Rogers, American wrestler (b. 1921)
    • 1993 – Roy Campanella, American baseball player and coach (b. 1921)
    • 1993 – William H. Riker, American political scientist and academic (b. 1920)
    • 1994 – Jahanara Imam, Bangladeshi author and activist (b. 1929)
    • 1996 – Veronica Guerin, Irish journalist (b. 1958)
    • 1996 – Necmettin Hacıeminoğlu, Turkish linguist and academic (b. 1932)
    • 1997 – Don Hutson, American football player and coach (b. 1913)
    • 1998 – Hacı Sabancı, Turkish businessman and philanthropist (b. 1935)
    • 2002 – Jay Berwanger, American football player (b. 1914)
    • 2002 – Arnold Brown, English-Canadian 11th General of The Salvation Army (b. 1913)
    • 2003 – Marc-Vivien Foé, Cameroon footballer (b. 1975)
    • 2003 – Denis Thatcher, English soldier and businessman (b. 1915)
    • 2003 – Strom Thurmond, American general, lawyer, and politician, 103rd Governor of South Carolina (b. 1902)
    • 2004 – Ott Arder, Estonian poet and translator (b. 1950)
    • 2004 – Yash Johar, Indian film producer, founded Dharma Productions (b. 1929)
    • 2004 – Naomi Shemer, Israeli singer-songwriter (b. 1930)
    • 2005 – Tõnno Lepmets, Estonian basketball player (b. 1938)
    • 2005 – Richard Whiteley, English journalist and game show host (b. 1943)
    • 2006 – Tommy Wonder, Dutch magician (b. 1953)
    • 2007 – Liz Claiborne, Belgian-American fashion designer, founded Liz Claiborne (b. 1929)
    • 2007 – Joey Sadler, New Zealand rugby player (b. 1914)
    • 2010 – Algirdas Brazauskas, Lithuanian engineer and politician, 2nd President of Lithuania (b. 1932)
    • 2010 – Harald Keres, Estonian physicist and academic (b. 1912)
    • 2011 – Edith Fellows, American actress (b. 1923)
    • 2011 – Jan van Beveren, Dutch footballer and coach (b. 1948)
    • 2012 – Sverker Åström, Swedish diplomat, Swedish Permanent Representative to the United Nations (b. 1915)
    • 2012 – Pat Cummings, American basketball player (b. 1956)
    • 2012 – Nora Ephron, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1941)
    • 2012 – Mario O’Hara, Filipino director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1944)
    • 2012 – Doris Singleton, American actress (b. 1919)
    • 2012 – Risley C. Triche, American lawyer and politician (b. 1927)
    • 2013 – Henrik Otto Donner, Finnish trumpet player and composer (b. 1939)
    • 2013 – Edward Huggins Johnstone, Brazilian-American sergeant and judge (b. 1922)
    • 2013 – Byron Looper, American politician (b. 1964)
    • 2013 – Justin Miller, American baseball player (b. 1977)
    • 2013 – Marc Rich, Belgian-American businessman (b. 1934)
    • 2014 – Howard Baker, American lawyer, politician, and diplomat, 12th White House Chief of Staff (b. 1925)
    • 2014 – Bill Frank, American-Canadian football player (b. 1938)
    • 2014 – Rollin King, American businessman, co-founded Southwest Airlines (b. 1931)
    • 2014 – Bob Mischak, American football player and coach (b. 1932)
    • 2014 – Julius Rudel, Austrian-American conductor (b. 1921)
    • 2014 – Mary Rodgers, American composer and author (b. 1931)
    • 2015 – Yevgeny Primakov, Ukrainian-Russian journalist and politician, 32nd Prime Minister of Russia (b. 1929)
    • 2015 – Chris Thompson, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1952)

    Holidays and observances on June 26

    • Day of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan
    • Christian feast day:
      • Anthelm of Belley
      • David the Dendrite
      • Hermogius
      • Isabel Florence Hapgood (Episcopal Church)
      • Jeremiah (Lutheran)
      • John and Paul
      • José María Robles Hurtado (one of Saints of the Cristero War)
      • Josemaría Escrivá
      • Mar Abhai (Syriac Orthodox Church)
      • Pelagius of Córdoba
      • Vigilius of Trent
      • June 26 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Flag Day (Romania)
    • Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Madagascar from France in 1960. (Madagascar)
    • Independence Day, celebrates the independence of British Somaliland from the British in 1960. (Somalia)
    • International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking (International)
    • International Day in Support of Victims of Torture (International)
    • Ratcatcher’s Day (Hamelin, Germany)
    • Sunthorn Phu Day (Thailand)
    • World Refrigeration Day (International)

  • April 20 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    April 20 in History

    • 1303 – The Sapienza University of Rome is instituted by a bull of Pope Boniface VIII.
    • 1453 – Three Genoese galleys and a Byzantine blockade runner fight their way through an Ottoman blockading fleet a few weeks before the fall of Constantinople.
    • 1534 – Jacques Cartier begins his first voyage to what is today the east coast of Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador.
    • 1535 – The sun dog phenomenon is observed over Stockholm, as later depicted in the famous painting Vädersolstavlan.
    • 1653 – Oliver Cromwell dissolves the Rump Parliament.
    • 1657 – Admiral Robert Blake destroys a Spanish silver fleet under heavy fire at the Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
    • 1657 – Freedom of religion is granted to the Jews of New Amsterdam (later New York City).
    • 1689 – Deposed monarch James II of England lays siege to Derry.
    • 1752 – Start of Konbaung–Hanthawaddy War, a new phase in the Burmese Civil War (1740–57).
    • 1770 – The Georgian king, Erekle II, abandoned by his Russian ally Count Totleben, wins a victory over Ottoman forces at Aspindza.
    • 1775 – American Revolutionary War: The Siege of Boston begins, following the battles at Lexington and Concord.
    • 1789 – George Washington arrives at Grays Ferry, Philadelphia while en route to Manhattan for his inauguration.
    • 1792 – France declares war against the “King of Hungary and Bohemia”, the beginning of French Revolutionary Wars.
    • 1800 – The Septinsular Republic is established.
    • 1809 – Two Austrian army corps in Bavaria are defeated by a First French Empire army led by Napoleon at the Battle of Abensberg on the second day of a four-day campaign that ended in a French victory.
    • 1810 – The governor of Caracas, Venezuela declares independence from Spain.
    • 1818 – The case of Ashford v Thornton ends, with Abraham Thornton allowed to go free rather than face a retrial for murder, after his demand for trial by battle is upheld.
    • 1828 – René Caillié becomes the second non-Muslim to enter (and the first to return from) Timbuktu, following Major Gordon Laing.
    • 1836 – U.S. Congress passes an act creating the Wisconsin Territory.
    • 1861 – American Civil War: Robert E. Lee resigns his commission in the United States Army in order to command the forces of the state of Virginia.
    • 1862 – Louis Pasteur and Claude Bernard complete the experiment disproving the theory of spontaneous generation.
    • 1865 – Astronomer Angelo Secchi demonstrates the Secchi disk, which measures water clarity, aboard Pope Pius IX’s yacht, the L’Immaculata Concezion.
    • 1876 – The April Uprising begins. Its suppression shocks European opinion, and Bulgarian independence becomes a condition for ending the Russo-Turkish War.
    • 1884 – Pope Leo XIII publishes the encyclical Humanum genus.
    • 1898 – U.S. President William McKinley signed a joint resolution to Congress for declaration of war against Spain, beginning the Spanish–American War.
    • 1902 – Pierre and Marie Curie refine radium chloride.
    • 1908 – Opening day of competition in the New South Wales Rugby League.
    • 1912 – Opening day for baseball’s Tiger Stadium in Detroit, and Fenway Park in Boston.
    • 1914 – Nineteen men, women, and children die in the Ludlow Massacre during a Colorado coal-miners’ strike.
    • 1916 – The Chicago Cubs play their first game at Weeghman Park (currently Wrigley Field), defeating the Cincinnati Reds 7–6 in 11 innings.
    • 1918 – Manfred von Richthofen, a.k.a. The Red Baron, shoots down his 79th and 80th victims, his final victories before his death the following day.
    • 1922 – The Soviet government creates South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast within Georgian SSR.
    • 1939 – Adolf Hitler’s 50th birthday’s celebrations in Germany
    • 1945 – World War II: U.S. troops capture Leipzig, Germany, only to later cede the city to the Soviet Union.
    • 1945 – World War II: Führerbunker: On his 56th birthday Adolf Hitler makes his last trip to the surface to award Iron Crosses to boy soldiers of the Hitler Youth.
    • 1945 – Twenty Jewish children used in medical experiments at Neuengamme are killed in the basement of the Bullenhuser Damm school.
    • 1946 – The League of Nations officially dissolves, giving most of its power to the United Nations.
    • 1961 – Cold War: Failure of the Bay of Pigs Invasion of US-backed Cuban exiles against Cuba.
    • 1968 – English politician Enoch Powell makes his controversial “Rivers of Blood” speech.
    • 1972 – Apollo program: Apollo 16 lunar module, commanded by John Young and piloted by Charles Duke, lands on the moon.
    • 1998 – Air France Flight 422 crashes after taking off from El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá, Colombia, killing all 53 people on board.
    • 1999 – Columbine High School massacre: Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold kill 13 people and injure 24 others before committing suicide at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado.
    • 2007 – Johnson Space Center shooting: William Phillips with a handgun barricade himself in NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas before killing a male hostage and himself.
    • 2008 – Danica Patrick wins the Indy Japan 300 becoming the first female driver in history to win an Indy car race.
    • 2010 – The Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explodes in the Gulf of Mexico, killing eleven workers and beginning an oil spill that would last six months.
    • 2012 – One hundred twenty-seven people are killed when a plane crashes in a residential area near the Benazir Bhutto International Airport near Islamabad, Pakistan.
    • 2013 – A 6.6-magnitude earthquake strikes Lushan County, Ya’an, in China’s Sichuan province, killing more than 150 people and injuring thousands.
    • 2015 – Ten people are killed in a bomb attack on a convoy carrying food supplies to a United Nations compound in Garowe in the Somali region of Puntland.

    Births on April 20

    • 1494 – Johannes Agricola, German theologian and reformer (d. 1566)
    • 1544 – Renata of Lorraine, Duchess consort of Bavaria (d. 1602)
    • 1586 – Rose of Lima, Peruvian mystic and saint (d. 1617)
    • 1633 – Emperor Go-Kōmyō of Japan (d. 1654)
    • 1646 – Charles Plumier, French botanist and author (d. 1704)
    • 1650 – William Bedloe, English spy (d. 1680)
    • 1718 – David Brainerd, American missionary (d. 1747)
    • 1723 – Cornelius Harnett, American merchant, farmer, and politician (d. 1781)
    • 1727 – Florimond Claude, Comte de Mercy-Argenteau, Belgian-Austrian minister and diplomat (d. 1794)
    • 1745 – Philippe Pinel, French physician and psychiatrist (d. 1826)
    • 1748 – Georg Michael Telemann, German composer and theologian (d. 1831)
    • 1772 – William Lawless, Irish revolutionary and French general (d. 1824)
    • 1808 – Napoleon III, French politician, 1st President of France (d. 1873)
    • 1816 – Bogoslav Šulek, Croatian philologist, historian, and lexicographer (d. 1895)
    • 1818 – Heinrich Göbel, German-American mechanic and engineer (d. 1893)
    • 1826 – Dinah Craik, English author and poet (d. 1887)
    • 1836 – Eli Whitney Blake, Jr., American scientist and academic (d. 1895)
    • 1839 – Carol I of Romania, King of Romania (d. 1914)
    • 1840 – Odilon Redon, French painter and illustrator (d. 1916)
    • 1850 – Daniel Chester French, American sculptor, designed the Lincoln statue (d. 1931)
    • 1851 – Alexander Dianin, Russian chemist (d. 1918)
    • 1851 – Siegmund Lubin, Polish-American businessman, founded the Lubin Manufacturing Company (d. 1923)
    • 1860 – Justinien de Clary, French target shooter (d. 1933)
    • 1871 – Sydney Chapman, English economist and civil servant (d. 1951)
    • 1873 – James Harcourt, English character actor (d. 1951)
    • 1875 – Vladimir Vidrić, Croatian poet and lawyer (d. 1909)
    • 1879 – Paul Poiret, French fashion designer (d. 1944)
    • 1882 – Holland Smith, American general (d. 1967)
    • 1884 – Princess Beatrice of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (d. 1966)
    • 1884 – Oliver Kirk, American boxer (d. 1960)
    • 1884 – Daniel Varoujan, Armenian poet and educator (d. 1915)
    • 1889 – Albert Jean Amateau, Turkish rabbi, lawyer, and activist (d. 1996)
    • 1889 – Prince Erik, Duke of Västmanland (d. 1918)
    • 1889 – Marie-Antoinette de Geuser, French mystic (d. 1918)
    • 1889 – Adolf Hitler, Austrian born German politician, Führer of Nazi Germany (d. 1945)
    • 1889 – Tonny Kessler, Dutch footballer (d. 1960)
    • 1890 – Maurice Duplessis, Canadian lawyer and politician, 16th Premier of Quebec (d. 1959)
    • 1890 – Adolf Schärf, Austrian soldier and politician, 6th President of Austria (d. 1965)
    • 1891 – Dave Bancroft, American baseball player and manager (d. 1972)
    • 1893 – Harold Lloyd, American actor, comedian, and producer (d. 1971)
    • 1893 – Joan Miró, Spanish painter and sculptor (d. 1983)
    • 1895 – Emile Christian, American trombonist and composer (d. 1973)
    • 1895 – Henry de Montherlant, French essayist, novelist, and dramatist (d. 1972)
    • 1896 – Wop May, Canadian captain and pilot (d. 1952)
    • 1899 – Alan Arnett McLeod, Canadian lieutenant, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 1918)
    • 1904 – Bruce Cabot, American actor (d. 1972)
    • 1907 – Miran Bux, Pakistani cricketer (d. 1991)
    • 1907 – Augoustinos Kantiotes, Greek bishop (d. 2010)
    • 1908 – Lionel Hampton, American vibraphone player, pianist, bandleader, and actor (d. 2002)
    • 1910 – Fatin Rüştü Zorlu, Turkish diplomat and politician (d. 1961)
    • 1913 – Mimis Fotopoulos, Greek actor and poet (d. 1986)
    • 1913 – Willi Hennig, German biologist and entomologist (d. 1976)
    • 1913 – Roger Rochard, French runner (d. 1993)
    • 1914 – Betty Lou Gerson, American actress (d. 1999)
    • 1915 – Joseph Wolpe, South African psychotherapist and physician (d. 1997)
    • 1916 – Nasiba Zeynalova, Azerbaijani actress (d. 2004)
    • 1918 – Kai Siegbahn, Swedish physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2007)
    • 1919 – Richard Hillary, Australian lieutenant and pilot (d. 1943)
    • 1920 – Frances Ames, South African neurologist, psychiatrist, and human rights activist (d. 2002)
    • 1920 – Clement Isong, Nigerian banker and politician, Governor of Cross River State (d. 2000)
    • 1920 – Ronald Speirs, American colonel (d. 2007)
    • 1920 – John Paul Stevens, American lawyer and jurist, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (d. 2019)
    • 1923 – Mother Angelica, American nun and broadcaster, founded Eternal Word Television Network (d. 2016)
    • 1923 – Irene Lieblich, Polish-American painter and illustrator (d. 2008)
    • 1923 – Tito Puente, American drummer and producer (d. 2000)
    • 1924 – Nina Foch, Dutch-American actress (d. 2008)
    • 1924 – Leslie Phillips, English actor and producer
    • 1924 – Guy Rocher, Canadian sociologist and academic
    • 1925 – Ernie Stautner, German-American football player and coach (d. 2006)
    • 1925 – Elena Verdugo, American actress (d. 2017)
    • 1927 – Bud Cullen, Canadian judge and politician, 1st Canadian Minister of Employment and Immigration (d. 2005)
    • 1927 – Phil Hill, American race car driver (d. 2008)
    • 1927 – K. Alex Müller, Swiss physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1928 – Robert Byrne, American chess player and author (d. 2013)
    • 1928 – Johnny Gavin, Irish international footballer (d. 2007)
    • 1929 – Harry Agganis, American baseball and football player (d. 1955)
    • 1929 – Bobby Hollander, American film director, actor, and magazine publisher (d. 2002)
    • 1930 – Dwight Gustafson, American composer and conductor (d. 2014)
    • 1930 – Antony Jay, English director and screenwriter (d. 2016)
    • 1931 – Michael Allenby, 3rd Viscount Allenby, English lieutenant and politician (d. 2014)
    • 1931 – John Eccles, 2nd Viscount Eccles, English businessman and politician
    • 1932 – Myriam Bru, French actress
    • 1933 – Kristaq Dhamo, Albanian actor and film director
    • 1936 – Lisa Davis, English and American former child and adult actress
    • 1936 – Pauli Ellefsen, Faroese technician, surveyor, and politician, 6th Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands (d. 2012)
    • 1936 – Pat Roberts, American captain, journalist, and politician
    • 1936 – Christopher Robinson, English organist and conductor
    • 1937 – Jiří Dienstbier, Czech journalist and politician, Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 2011)
    • 1937 – Antonios Kounadis, Greek discus thrower
    • 1937 – Harvey Quaytman, American painter and educator (d. 2002)
    • 1937 – George Takei, American actor
    • 1938 – Betty Cuthbert, Australian sprinter
    • 1938 – Manfred Kinder, German runner
    • 1938 – Peter Snow, British historian and journalist
    • 1938 – Eszter Tamási, Hungarian actress (d. 1991)
    • 1939 – Elspeth Ballantyne, Australian actress
    • 1939 – Peter S. Beagle, American author and screenwriter
    • 1939 – Gro Harlem Brundtland, Norwegian physician and politician, 22nd Prime Minister of Norway
    • 1939 – Johnny Tillotson, American singer-songwriter
    • 1940 – James Gammon, American actor (d. 2010)
    • 1941 – Ryan O’Neal, American actor
    • 1942 – Giles Henderson, English lawyer and academic
    • 1942 – Arto Paasilinna, Finnish journalist and author
    • 1943 – Alan Beith, English academic and politician
    • 1943 – John Eliot Gardiner, English conductor and director
    • 1943 – Edie Sedgwick, American model and actress (d. 1971)
    • 1944 – Toivo Aare, Estonian journalist and author (d. 1999)
    • 1945 – Michael Brandon, American actor and director
    • 1945 – Olga Karlatos, Greek actress and Bermudian lawyer
    • 1945 – Thein Sein, Burmese general and politician, 8th President of Burma
    • 1945 – Naftali Temu, Kenyan runner (d. 2003)
    • 1945 – Steve Spurrier, American football player and head coach, 1966 Heisman Trophy winner
    • 1946 – Sandro Chia, Italian painter and sculptor
    • 1946 – Julien Poulin, Canadian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1946 – Gordon Smiley, American race car driver (d. 1982)
    • 1947 – Rita Dionne-Marsolais, Canadian economist and politician
    • 1947 – David Leland, English actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1947 – Viktor Suvorov, Russian intelligence officer, historian, and author
    • 1948 – Gregory Itzin, American actor
    • 1948 – Matthias Kuhle, German geographer and academic (d. 2015)
    • 1949 – Veronica Cartwright, English-American actress
    • 1949 – Toller Cranston, Canadian-Mexican figure skater and painter (d. 2015)
    • 1949 – Massimo D’Alema, Italian journalist and politician, 76th Prime Minister of Italy
    • 1949 – Jessica Lange, American actress
    • 1950 – Steve Erickson, American author and critic
    • 1950 – Alexander Lebed, Russian general and politician (d. 2002)
    • 1950 – N. Chandrababu Naidu, Indian politician, 13th Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
    • 1951 – Louise Jameson, English actress
    • 1951 – Luther Vandross, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2005)
    • 1952 – Louka Katseli, Greek economist and politician
    • 1952 – Božidar Maljković, Serbian basketball player and coach
    • 1952 – Eric Pickles, English politician, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
    • 1953 – Sebastian Faulks, English journalist and author
    • 1955 – Donald Pettit, American engineer and astronaut
    • 1956 – Beatrice Ask, Swedish politician, Swedish Minister for Justice
    • 1956 – Peter Chelsom, English film director, writer, and actor
    • 1956 – Kakha Bendukidze, Georgian economist and politician
    • 1956 – Georgie Glen, Scottish actress
    • 1958 – Viacheslav Fetisov, Russian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1959 – Perry Haddock, Australian rugby league player
    • 1960 – Debbie Flintoff-King, Australian hurdler and coach
    • 1961 – Don Mattingly, American baseball player, coach, and manager
    • 1961 – Konstantin Lavronenko, Russian actor
    • 1961 – Nicholas Lyndhurst, English actor
    • 1961 – Paul Usher, English actor
    • 1963 – Maurício Gugelmin, Brazilian race car driver
    • 1963 – Rachel Whiteread, English sculptor
    • 1964 – Crispin Glover, American actor
    • 1964 – Andy Serkis, English actor and director
    • 1964 – Rosalynn Sumners, American figure skater
    • 1965 – Kostis Chatzidakis, Greek politician, Ministry of Economy, Infrastructure, Shipping and Tourism
    • 1965 – Léa Fazer, Swiss film director, screenwriter and actress
    • 1965 – Adrián Fernández, Mexican race car driver
    • 1965 – Rebecca Lacey, English actress
    • 1966 – David Chalmers, Australian philosopher and academic
    • 1966 – David Filo, American businessman, co-founded Yahoo!
    • 1966 – Vincent Riendeau, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1967 – Mike Portnoy, American drummer and songwriter
    • 1967 – Raymond van Barneveld, Dutch darts player
    • 1968 – Julia Morris, Australian entertainer
    • 1968 – Yelena Välbe, Russian skier and manager
    • 1968 – Roman Virastyuk, Ukrainian shot putter
    • 1969 – Felix Baumgartner, Austrian skydiver and BASE jumper
    • 1969 – Will Hodgman, Australian politician, 45th Premier of Tasmania
    • 1970 – Sarantuya, Mongolian soprano
    • 1970 – Avishai Cohen, Israeli singer-songwriter and bassist
    • 1970 – Shemar Moore, American actor
    • 1971 – Carla Geurts, Dutch swimmer, physiologist, and academic
    • 1971 – Allan Houston, American basketball player and manager
    • 1971 – Nikos Kyzeridis, Greek footballer
    • 1972 – Lê Huỳnh Đức, Vietnamese footballer, coach, and manager
    • 1972 – Carmen Electra, American model and actress
    • 1972 – Željko Joksimović, Serbian singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1972 – Stephen Marley, American singer, guitarist, and producer
    • 1972 – Julia Peng, Taiwanese singer
    • 1973 – Isabel dos Santos, Angolan businesswoman and first African woman billionaire
    • 1973 – Lamond Murray, American basketball player
    • 1974 – Adrian Ilie, Romanian footballer
    • 1974 – Julie Fernandez, English actress and model
    • 1974 – Urmas Paet, Estonian journalist and politician, 26th Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs
    • 1975 – Killer Mike, American rapper and activist
    • 1976 – Aldo Bobadilla, Paraguayan footballer
    • 1976 – Shay Given, Irish footballer and manager
    • 1976 – Chris Mason, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1976 – Ismail Rasheed, Maldivian actor
    • 1976 – Georgina Rylance, English actress
    • 1979 – Stian Barsnes-Simonsen, Norwegian actor and television host
    • 1979 – Ludovic Magnin, Swiss footballer and coach
    • 1979 – Nate Marquardt, American mixed martial artist
    • 1980 – Gunta Baško, Latvian basketball player
    • 1980 – Sunaina Sunaina, Indian weightlifter
    • 1980 – Jasmin Wagner, German singer and actress
    • 1982 – Jacqueline Govaert, Dutch singer-songwriter and pianist
    • 1982 – Dario Knežević, Croatian footballer
    • 1983 – Danny Granger, American basketball player
    • 1983 – Miranda Kerr, Australian model
    • 1983 – Joanne King, Irish actress
    • 1984 – Nelson Évora, Ivorian-Portuguese triple jumper
    • 1984 – Bárbara Lennie, Spanish actress
    • 1984 – Edixon Perea, Colombian footballer
    • 1984 – Jenna Shoemaker, American triathlete
    • 1985 – Curt Hawkins, American wrestler
    • 1985 – Brent Seabrook, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1987 – Chun Woo-hee, South Korean actress
    • 1988 – Brandon Belt, American baseball player
    • 1989 – Cally-Jo, English fine artist and tattoo artist
    • 1989 – Nina Davuluri, Miss America 2014
    • 1989 – Carlos Valdes, Colombian-American actor and singer
    • 1990 – Luhan, Chinese singer and actor
    • 1990 – Abby Mavers, English actress
    • 1992 – Kristian Álvarez, Mexican footballer
    • 1992 – Marko Meerits, Estonian footballer
    • 1995 – Damian McKenzie, New Zealand rugby union player
    • 1995 – Jean Marie Dongou, Cameroonian footballer
    • 1997 – Alexander “Sascha” Zverev, German tennis player
    • 1998 – Zachary Claman DeMelo, Canadian racing driver

    Deaths on April 20

    • 689 – Cædwalla, king of Wessex (b. 659)
    • 767 – Taichō, Japanese monk (b. 682)
    • 888 – Xi Zong, Chinese emperor (b. 862)
    • 1099 – Peter Bartholomew (b. 1061)
    • 1164 – Antipope Victor IV
    • 1176 – Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, English-Irish politician, Lord Chief Justice of Ireland (b. 1130)
    • 1248 – Güyük Khan, Mongol ruler, 3rd Great Khan of the Mongol Empire (b. 1206)
    • 1284 – Hōjō Tokimune, regent of Japan (b. 1251)
    • 1314 – Pope Clement V (b. 1264)
    • 1322 – Simon Rinalducci, Italian Augustinian friar
    • 1521 – Zhengde, Chinese emperor (b. 1491)
    • 1534 – Elizabeth Barton, English nun and martyr (b. 1506)
    • 1558 – Johannes Bugenhagen, German priest and theologian (b. 1485)
    • 1643 – Christoph Demantius, German composer and poet (b. 1567)
    • 1703 – Lancelot Addison, English clergyman and educator (b. 1632)
    • 1769 – Chief Pontiac, American tribal leader (b. 1720)
    • 1831 – John Abernethy, English surgeon and anatomist (b. 1764)
    • 1873 – William Tite, English architect, designed the Royal Exchange (b. 1798)
    • 1874 – Alexander H. Bailey, American lawyer, judge, and politician (b. 1817)
    • 1881 – William Burges, English architect and designer (b. 1827)
    • 1886 – Charles-François-Frédéric, marquis de Montholon-Sémonville, French general and diplomat, French ambassador to the United States (b. 1814)
    • 1887 – Muhammad Sharif Pasha, Greek-Egyptian politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Egypt (b. 1826)
    • 1899 – Joseph Wolf, German ornithologist and illustrator (b. 1820)
    • 1902 – Joaquim de Sousa Andrade, Brazilian poet and educator (b. 1833)
    • 1912 – Bram Stoker, Anglo-Irish novelist and critic, created Count Dracula (b. 1847)
    • 1918 – Karl Ferdinand Braun, German-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1850)
    • 1927 – Enrique Simonet, Spanish painter and educator (b. 1866)
    • 1929 – Prince Henry of Prussia (b. 1862)
    • 1931 – Sir Cosmo Duff-Gordon, 5th Baronet, Scottish-English fencer and businessman (b. 1862)
    • 1932 – Giuseppe Peano, Italian mathematician and philosopher (b. 1858)
    • 1935 – John Cameron, Scottish footballer and manager (b. 1872)
    • 1935 – Lucy, Lady Duff-Gordon, English fashion designer (b. 1863)
    • 1942 – Jüri Jaakson, Estonian businessman and politician, 6th State Elder of Estonia (b. 1870)
    • 1944 – Elmer Gedeon, American baseball player and pilot (b. 1917)
    • 1945 – Erwin Bumke, Polish-German jurist and politician (b. 1874)
    • 1946 – Mae Busch, Australian actress (b. 1891)
    • 1947 – Christian X of Denmark (b. 1870)
    • 1951 – Ivanoe Bonomi, Italian politician, 25th Prime Minister of Italy (b. 1873)
    • 1961 – Ado Vabbe, Estonian painter (b. 1892)
    • 1967 – Léo-Paul Desrosiers, Canadian journalist and author (b. 1896)
    • 1968 – Rudolph Dirks, German-American illustrator (b. 1877)
    • 1969 – Vjekoslav Luburić, Croatian Ustaše official and concentration camp administrator (b. 1914)
    • 1980 – M. Canagaratnam, Sri Lankan politician (b. 1924)
    • 1982 – Archibald MacLeish, American poet, playwright, and lawyer (b. 1892)
    • 1986 – Sibte Hassan, Pakistani journalist, scholar, and activist (b. 1916)
    • 1991 – Steve Marriott, English singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1947)
    • 1991 – Don Siegel, American director and producer (b. 1912)
    • 1992 – Marjorie Gestring, American springboard diver (b. 1922)
    • 1992 – Benny Hill, English comedian, actor, and screenwriter (b. 1924)
    • 1993 – Cantinflas, Mexican actor, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1911)
    • 1995 – Milovan Đilas, Yugoslav communist, politician, theorist and author (b. 1911)
    • 1996 – Trần Văn Trà, Vietnamese general and politician (b. 1918)
    • 1999 – Casualties of the Columbine High School massacre:
      • Cassie Bernall, American student (b. 1981)
      • Eric Harris, American student and murderer (b. 1981)
      • Dylan Klebold, American student and murderer (b. 1981)
      • Rachel Scott, American student, inspired the Rachel’s Challenge (b. 1981)
    • 1999 – Rick Rude, American wrestler (b. 1958)
    • 2001 – Giuseppe Sinopoli, Italian conductor and composer (b. 1946)
    • 2002 – Alan Dale, American singer (b. 1925)
    • 2003 – Daijiro Kato, Japanese motorcycle racer (b. 1976)
    • 2003 – Bernard Katz, German-English biophysicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1911)
    • 2004 – Lizzy Mercier Descloux, French musician, singer-songwriter, composer, actress, writer and painter (b. 1956)
    • 2005 – Fumio Niwa, Japanese journalist and author (b. 1904)
    • 2007 – Andrew Hill, American pianist, composer, and bandleader (b. 1931)
    • 2007 – Michael Fu Tieshan, Chinese bishop (b. 1931)
    • 2008 – Monica Lovinescu, Romanian journalist and author (b. 1923)
    • 2010 – Dorothy Height, American educator and activist (b. 1912)
    • 2011 – Tim Hetherington, English photographer and journalist (b. 1970)
    • 2012 – Bert Weedon, English guitarist and songwriter (b. 1920)
    • 2014 – Mithat Bayrak, Turkish wrestler and trainer (b. 1929)
    • 2014 – Rubin Carter, American-Canadian boxer (b. 1937)
    • 2014 – Neville Wran, Australian lawyer and politician, 35th Premier of New South Wales (b. 1926)
    • 2016 – Victoria Wood, British comedian, actress and writer (b. 1953)
    • 2017 – Cuba Gooding Sr., American singer and actor (b. 1944)
    • 2018 – Avicii, Swedish DJ, and musician (b. 1989)
    • 2019 – Jacqueline Saburido, Venezuelan activist (b. 1978)

    Holidays and observances on April 20

    • 420 (cannabis culture) (International)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Agnes of Montepulciano
      • Beuno
      • Hugh of Anzy le Duc
      • Johannes Bugenhagen (Lutheran)
      • Marcellinus of Gaul (Embrun)
      • Blessed Oda of Brabant
      • Pope Anicetus
      • Theotimos
      • April 20 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • UN Chinese Language Day (United Nations)

  • February 23 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 303 – Roman emperor Diocletian orders the destruction of the Christian church in Nicomedia, beginning eight years of Diocletianic Persecution.
    • 532 – Byzantine emperor Justinian I orders the building of a new Orthodox Christian basilica in Constantinople – the Hagia Sophia.
    • 1455 – Traditional date for the publication of the Gutenberg Bible, the first Western book printed with movable type.
    • 1554 – Mapuche forces, under the leadership of Lautaro, score a victory over the Spanish at the Battle of Marihueñu in Chile.
    • 1653 – The Ballet Royal de la Nuit is first performed at the Salle du Petit-Bourbon in Paris
    • 1739 – At York Castle, the outlaw Dick Turpin is identified by his former schoolteacher. Turpin had been using the name Richard Palmer.
    • 1778 – American Revolutionary War: Baron von Steuben arrives at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania to help to train the Continental Army.
    • 1820 – Cato Street Conspiracy: A plot to murder all the British cabinet ministers is exposed.
    • 1836 – Texas Revolution: The Siege of the Alamo (prelude to the Battle of the Alamo) begins in San Antonio, Texas.
    • 1847 – Mexican–American War: Battle of Buena Vista: In Mexico, American troops under future president General Zachary Taylor defeat Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna.
    • 1854 – The official independence of the Orange Free State is declared.
    • 1861 – President-elect Abraham Lincoln arrives secretly in Washington, D.C., after the thwarting of an alleged assassination plot in Baltimore, Maryland.
    • 1870 – Reconstruction Era: Post-U.S. Civil War military control of Mississippi ends and it is readmitted to the Union.
    • 1883 – Alabama becomes the first U.S. state to enact an anti-trust law.
    • 1885 – Sino-French War: French Army gains an important victory in the Battle of Đồng Đăng in the Tonkin region of Vietnam.
    • 1886 – Charles Martin Hall produced the first samples of aluminium from the electrolysis of aluminium oxide, after several years of intensive work. He was assisted in this project by his older sister, Julia Brainerd Hall.
    • 1887 – The French Riviera is hit by a large earthquake, killing around 2,000.
    • 1898 – Émile Zola is imprisoned in France after writing J’Accuse…!, a letter accusing the French government of antisemitism and wrongfully imprisoning Captain Alfred Dreyfus.
    • 1900 – Second Boer War: During the Battle of the Tugela Heights, the first British attempt to take Hart’s Hill fails.
    • 1903 – Cuba leases Guantánamo Bay to the United States “in perpetuity”.
    • 1905 – Chicago attorney Paul Harris and three other businessmen meet for lunch to form the Rotary Club, the world’s first service club.
    • 1909 – The AEA Silver Dart makes the first powered flight in Canada and the British Empire.
    • 1917 – First demonstrations in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The beginning of the February Revolution (March 8 in the Gregorian calendar).
    • 1927 – U.S. President Calvin Coolidge signs a bill by Congress establishing the Federal Radio Commission (later replaced by the Federal Communications Commission) which was to regulate the use of radio frequencies in the United States.
    • 1927 – German theoretical physicist Werner Heisenberg writes a letter to fellow physicist Wolfgang Pauli, in which he describes his uncertainty principle for the first time.
    • 1934 – Leopold III becomes King of Belgium.
    • 1941 – Plutonium is first produced and isolated by Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg.
    • 1942 – World War II: Japanese submarines fire artillery shells at the coastline near Santa Barbara, California.
    • 1943 – A fire breaks out at Saint Joseph’s Orphanage, County Cavan, Ireland, killing 35 children and one adult.
    • 1943 – Greek Resistance: The United Panhellenic Organization of Youth is founded in Greece.
    • 1944 – The Soviet Union begins the forced deportation of the Chechen and Ingush people from the North Caucasus to Central Asia.
    • 1945 – World War II: During the Battle of Iwo Jima, a group of United States Marines reach the top of Mount Suribachi on the island and are photographed raising the American flag.
    • 1945 – World War II: The 11th Airborne Division, with Filipino guerrillas, free all 2,147 captives of the Los Baños internment camp, in what General Colin Powell later would refer to as “the textbook airborne operation for all ages and all armies.”
    • 1945 – World War II: The capital of the Philippines, Manila, is liberated by combined Filipino and American forces.
    • 1945 – World War II: Capitulation of German garrison in Poznań. The city is liberated by Soviet and Polish forces.
    • 1945 – World War II: The German town of Pforzheim is annihilated in a raid by 379 British bombers.
    • 1947 – International Organization for Standardization is founded.
    • 1954 – The first mass inoculation of children against polio with the Salk vaccine begins in Pittsburgh.
    • 1966 – In Syria, Ba’ath Party member Salah Jadid leads an intra-party military coup that replaces the previous government of General Amin al-Hafiz, also a Baathist.
    • 1974 – The Symbionese Liberation Army demands $4 million more to release kidnap victim Patty Hearst.
    • 1980 – Iran hostage crisis: Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini states that Iran’s parliament will decide the fate of the American embassy hostages.
    • 1981 – In Spain, Antonio Tejero attempts a coup d’état by capturing the Spanish Congress of Deputies.
    • 1983 – The United States Environmental Protection Agency announces its intent to buy out and evacuate the dioxin-contaminated community of Times Beach, Missouri.
    • 1987 – Supernova 1987a is seen in the Large Magellanic Cloud.
    • 1991 – In Thailand, General Sunthorn Kongsompong leads a bloodless coup d’état, deposing Prime Minister Chatichai Choonhavan.
    • 1998 – In the United States, tornadoes in central Florida destroy or damage 2,600 structures and kill 42 people.
    • 1999 – Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Öcalan is charged with treason in Ankara, Turkey.
    • 2007 – A train derails on an evening express service near Grayrigg, Cumbria, England, killing one person and injuring 88. This results in hundreds of points being checked over the UK after a few similar accidents.
    • 2008 – A United States Air Force B-2 Spirit bomber crashes on Guam, marking the first operational loss of a B-2.
    • 2010 – Unknown criminals pour more than 2​1⁄2 million liters of diesel oil and other hydrocarbons into the river Lambro, in northern Italy, sparking an environmental disaster.
    • 2012 – A series of attacks across Iraq leave at least 83 killed and more than 250 injured.
    • 2017 – The Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army captures Al-Bab from ISIL.
    • 2019 – Atlas Air Flight 3591, a Boeing 767 freighter, crashes into Trinity Bay near Anahuac, Texas, killing all three people on board.

    Births on February 23

    • 1417 – Pope Paul II (d. 1471)
    • 1417 – Louis IX, Duke of Bavaria (d. 1479)
    • 1443 – Matthias Corvinus, Hungarian king (d. 1490)
    • 1529 – Onofrio Panvinio, Italian historian (d. 1568)
    • 1539 – Henry XI of Legnica, thrice Duke of Legnica (d. 1588)
    • 1539 – Salima Sultan Begum, Empress of the Mughal Empire (d. 1612)
    • 1583 – Jean-Baptiste Morin, French mathematician, astrologer, and astronomer (d. 1656)
    • 1592 – Balthazar Gerbier, Dutch painter (d. 1663)
    • 1633 – Samuel Pepys, English diarist and politician (d. 1703)
    • 1646 – Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, Japanese shōgun (d. 1709)
    • 1680 – Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville, Canadian politician, 2nd Colonial Governor of Louisiana (d. 1767)
    • 1685 – George Frideric Handel, German-English organist and composer (d. 1759)
    • 1723 – Richard Price, Welsh-English minister and philosopher (d. 1791)
    • 1744 – Mayer Amschel Rothschild, German banker and businessman (d. 1812)
    • 1792 – José Joaquín de Herrera, Mexican politician and general. President three times (1844–1854) (d. 1854)
    • 1831 – Hendrik Willem Mesdag, Dutch painter (d. 1915)
    • 1840 – Carl Menger, Austrian economist and educator (d. 1921)
    • 1842 – Karl Robert Eduard von Hartmann, German philosopher and author (d. 1906)
    • 1850 – César Ritz, Swiss businessman, founded The Ritz Hotel, London and Hôtel Ritz Paris (d. 1918)
    • 1868 – W. E. B. Du Bois, American sociologist, historian, and activist (d. 1963)
    • 1868 – Anna Hofman-Uddgren, Swedish actress, singer, and director (d. 1947)
    • 1873 – Liang Qichao, Chinese journalist, philosopher, and scholar (d. 1929)
    • 1874 – Konstantin Päts, Estonian lawyer and politician, 1st President of Estonia (d. 1956)
    • 1878 – Kazimir Malevich, Ukrainian painter and theorist (d. 1935)
    • 1883 – Karl Jaspers, German-Swiss psychiatrist and philosopher (d. 1969)
    • 1883 – Guy C. Wiggins, American painter (d. 1962)
    • 1889 – Musidora, French actress and director (d. 1957)
    • 1889 – Cyril Delevanti, English-American actor (d. 1975)
    • 1889 – Victor Fleming, American director, cinematographer, and producer (d. 1949)
    • 1889 – John Gilbert Winant, American captain, pilot, and politician, 60th Governor of New Hampshire (d. 1947)
    • 1892 – Kathleen Harrison, English actress (d. 1995)
    • 1892 – Agnes Smedley, American journalist and writer (d. 1950)
    • 1894 – Harold Horder, Australian rugby league player and coach (d. 1978)
    • 1899 – Erich Kästner, German author and poet (d. 1974)
    • 1899 – Norman Taurog, American director and screenwriter (d. 1981)
    • 1904 – Terence Fisher, English director and screenwriter (d. 1980)
    • 1904 – William L. Shirer, American journalist and historian (d. 1993)
    • 1908 – William McMahon, Australian lawyer and politician, 20th Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1988)
    • 1915 – Jon Hall, American actor and director (d. 1979)
    • 1915 – Paul Tibbets, American general and pilot (d. 2007)
    • 1919 – Johnny Carey, Irish footballer and manager (d. 1995)
    • 1920 – Paul Gérin-Lajoie, Canadian lawyer and politician (d. 2018)
    • 1923 – Rafael Addiego Bruno, Uruguayan jurist and politician, President of Uruguay (d. 2014)
    • 1923 – Harry Clarke, English international footballer, defender (d. 2000)
    • 1923 – Ioannis Grivas, Greek judge and politician, 176th Prime Minister of Greece (d. 2016)
    • 1923 – Dante Lavelli, American football player (d. 2009)
    • 1923 – Clarence D. Lester, African-American fighter pilot (d.1986)
    • 1923 – Mary Francis Shura, American author (d. 1991)
    • 1924 – Allan McLeod Cormack, South-African-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1998)
    • 1925 – Louis Stokes, American lawyer and politician (d. 2015)
    • 1927 – Régine Crespin, French soprano and actress (d. 2007)
    • 1928 – Hans Herrmann, German race car driver
    • 1928 – Vasily Lazarev, Russian colonel, physician, and astronaut (d. 1990)
    • 1929 – Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow (d. 2008)
    • 1929 – Elston Howard, American baseball player and coach (d. 1980)
    • 1930 – Paul West, English-American author, poet, and academic (d. 2015)
    • 1931 – Tom Wesselmann, American painter and sculptor (d. 2004)
    • 1932 – Majel Barrett, American actress and producer (d. 2008)
    • 1937 – Tom Osborne, American football player, coach, and politician
    • 1938 – Sylvia Chase, American broadcast journalist (d. 2019)
    • 1938 – Paul Morrissey, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1938 – Diane Varsi, American actress (d. 1992)
    • 1940 – Peter Fonda, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2019)
    • 1940 – Jackie Smith, American football player
    • 1941 – Ron Hunt, American baseball player
    • 1943 – Fred Biletnikoff, American football player and coach
    • 1943 – Bobby Mitchell, American golfer (d. 2018)
    • 1944 – Bernard Cornwell, English author and educator
    • 1944 – Florian Fricke, German keyboard player and composer (d. 2001)
    • 1944 – Johnny Winter, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 2014)
    • 1945 – Allan Boesak, South African cleric and politician
    • 1946 – Rusty Young, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1947 – Pia Kjærsgaard, Danish politician, Speaker of the Danish Parliament
    • 1947 – Anton Mosimann, Swiss chef and author
    • 1948 – Bill Alexander, English director and producer
    • 1948 – Trevor Cherry, English footballer (d. 2020)
    • 1948 – Steve Priest, English singer-songwriter and bass player
    • 1949 – César Aira, Argentinian author and translator
    • 1949 – Marc Garneau, Canadian engineer, astronaut, and politician
    • 1950 – Rebecca Goldstein, American philosopher and author
    • 1951 – Eddie Dibbs, American tennis player
    • 1951 – Debbie Friedman, American singer-songwriter of Jewish melodies (d. 2011)
    • 1951 – Ed “Too Tall” Jones, American football player and boxer
    • 1951 – Patricia Richardson, American actress
    • 1952 – Brad Whitford, American guitarist and songwriter
    • 1953 – Kenny Bee, Hong Kong singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
    • 1953 – Satoru Nakajima, Japanese race car driver
    • 1954 – Rajini Thiranagama, Sri Lankan physician and academic (d. 1989)
    • 1954 – Viktor Yushchenko, Ukrainian captain and politician, 3rd President of Ukraine
    • 1955 – Howard Jones, English singer-songwriter
    • 1955 – Flip Saunders, American basketball player and coach (d. 2015)
    • 1956 – Sandra Osborne, Scottish politician
    • 1958 – David Sylvian, English singer-songwriter
    • 1959 – Clayton Anderson, American engineer and astronaut
    • 1959 – Nick de Bois, English politician
    • 1959 – Ian Liddell-Grainger, Scottish soldier and politician
    • 1959 – Linda Nolan, Irish singer and actress
    • 1960 – Naruhito, Emperor of Japan
    • 1962 – Michael Wilton, American guitarist
    • 1963 – Bobby Bonilla, American baseball player
    • 1963 – Radosław Sikorski, Polish journalist and politician, 11th Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland
    • 1964 – John Norum, Norwegian guitarist and songwriter
    • 1965 – Michael Dell, American businessman
    • 1965 – Helena Suková, Czech-Monacan tennis player
    • 1967 – Steve Stricker, American golfer
    • 1967 – Chris Vrenna, American drummer, songwriter, and producer
    • 1969 – Michael Campbell, New Zealand golfer
    • 1969 – Martine Croxall, English journalist and television news presenter
    • 1969 – Daymond John, American fashion designer and businessman, founded FUBU
    • 1970 – Niecy Nash, American actress and producer
    • 1971 – Carin Koch, Swedish golfer
    • 1971 – Melinda Messenger, English model and television host
    • 1971 – Joe-Max Moore, American soccer player
    • 1972 – Alessandro Sturba, Italian footballer
    • 1972 – Rondell White, American baseball player
    • 1973 – Jeff Nordgaard, American-Polish basketball player
    • 1974 – Herschelle Gibbs, South African cricketer
    • 1974 – Robbi Kempson, South African rugby player
    • 1975 – Michael Cornacchia, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1975 – Ryan McCourt, Canadian artist
    • 1976 – Scott Elarton, American baseball player and coach
    • 1976 – Kelly Macdonald, Scottish actress
    • 1976 – Jeff O’Neill, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
    • 1977 – Kristina Šmigun-Vähi, Estonian skier
    • 1978 – Residente, Puerto Rican-American singer-songwriter
    • 1978 – Dan Snyder, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2003)
    • 1979 – S. E. Cupp, American journalist and author
    • 1981 – Gareth Barry, English footballer
    • 1981 – Josh Gad, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1981 – Charles Tillman, American football player
    • 1982 – Adam Hann-Byrd, American actor and screenwriter
    • 1983 – Mido, Egyptian footballer, striker, manager and sportscaster
    • 1983 – Aziz Ansari, American comedian, actor, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1983 – Emily Blunt, English actress
    • 1986 – Emerson Conceição, Brazilian footballer
    • 1986 – Skylar Grey, American singer-songwriter
    • 1986 – Kazuya Kamenashi, Japanese singer-songwriter and actor
    • 1986 – Jerod Mayo, American football player
    • 1986 – Ola Svensson, Swedish singer-songwriter
    • 1987 – Ab-Soul, American rapper
    • 1987 – Theophilus London, Trinidadian-American singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1987 – Zak Kirkup, Member of the Parliament of Western Australia
    • 1988 – Nicolás Gaitán, Argentinian footballer
    • 1989 – Evan Bates, American ice dancer
    • 1989 – Jérémy Pied, French footballer
    • 1990 – Kevin Connauton, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1990 – Terry Hawkridge, English footballer
    • 1990 – Marco Scandella, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1992 – Casemiro, Brazilian footballer
    • 1992 – Kyriakos Papadopoulos, Greek footballer
    • 1993 – Chris Grevsmuhl, Australian rugby league player
    • 1994 – Dakota Fanning, American actress
    • 1995 – Andrew Wiggins, Canadian basketball player
    • 1996 – D’Angelo Russell, American basketball player
    • 1997 – Jamal Murray, Canadian basketball player

    Deaths on February 23

    • 715 – Al-Walid I, Umayyad caliph (b. 668)
    • 908 – Li Keyong, Shatuo military governor during the Tang Dynasty in China (b. 856)
    • 943 – Herbert II, Count of Vermandois, (b. 884)
    • 943 – David I, prince of Tao-Klarjeti (Georgia)
    • 1011 – Willigis, German archbishop (b. 940)
    • 1100 – Emperor Zhezong of Song (b. 1076)
    • 1270 – Isabel of France (b. 1225)
    • 1447 – Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester (b. 1390)
    • 1447 – Pope Eugene IV (b. 1383)
    • 1464 – Emperor Yingzong of Ming (b. 1427)
    • 1473 – Arnold, Duke of Gelderland (b. 1410)
    • 1526 – Diego Colón, Spanish Viceroy of the Indies (b. c. 1479)
    • 1554 – Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire (b. 1515)
    • 1603 – Andrea Cesalpino, Italian philosopher, physician, and botanist (b. 1519)
    • 1603 – Franciscus Vieta, French mathematician (b. 1540)
    • 1620 – Nicholas Fuller, English politician (b. 1543)
    • 1704 – Georg Muffat, French organist and composer (b. 1653)
    • 1766 – Stanisław Leszczyński, Polish king (b. 1677)
    • 1781 – George Taylor, Irish-American blacksmith and politician (b. 1716)
    • 1792 – Joshua Reynolds, English painter and academic (b. 1723)
    • 1821 – John Keats, English poet (b. 1795)
    • 1848 – John Quincy Adams, American politician, 6th President of the United States (b. 1767)
    • 1855 – Carl Friedrich Gauss, German mathematician, astronomer, and physicist (b. 1777)
    • 1859 – Zygmunt Krasiński, Polish poet and playwright (b. 1812)
    • 1879 – Albrecht von Roon, Prussian soldier and politician, 10th Minister President of Prussia (b. 1803)
    • 1897 – Woldemar Bargiel, German composer and educator (b. 1828)
    • 1900 – Ernest Dowson, English poet, novelist, and short story writer (b. 1867)
    • 1908 – Friedrich von Esmarch, German surgeon and academic (b. 1823)
    • 1918 – Adolphus Frederick VI, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (b. 1882)
    • 1930 – Horst Wessel, German SA officer (b. 1907)
    • 1931 – Nellie Melba, Australian soprano and actress (b. 1861)
    • 1934 – Edward Elgar, English composer and academic (b. 1857)
    • 1944 – Leo Baekeland, Belgian-American chemist and engineer (b. 1863)
    • 1946 – Tomoyuki Yamashita, Japanese general (b. 1885)
    • 1948 – John Robert Gregg, Irish-American publisher and educator (b. 1866)
    • 1955 – Paul Claudel, French poet and playwright (b. 1868)
    • 1965 – Stan Laurel, English actor and comedian (b. 1890)
    • 1969 – Madhubala, Indian actress and producer (b. 1933)
    • 1969 – Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, 2nd King of Saudi Arabia (b. 1902)
    • 1973 – Dickinson W. Richards, American physician and physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1895)
    • 1974 – Harry Ruby, American composer and screenwriter (b. 1895)
    • 1976 – L. S. Lowry, English painter (b. 1887)
    • 1979 – W. A. C. Bennett, Canadian businessman and politician, 25th Premier of British Columbia (b. 1900)
    • 1983 – Herbert Howells, English organist and composer (b. 1892)
    • 1990 – José Napoleón Duarte, Salvadoran engineer and politician, President of El Salvador (b. 1925)
    • 1995 – James Herriot, English veterinarian and author (b. 1916)
    • 1997 – Tony Williams, American drummer, composer, and producer (b. 1945)
    • 1998 – Philip Abbott, American actor and director (b. 1924)
    • 1999 – The Renegade, American wrestler (b. 1965)
    • 2000 – Ofra Haza, Israeli singer-songwriter and actress (b. 1957)
    • 2000 – Stanley Matthews, English footballer and manager (b. 1915)
    • 2003 – Howie Epstein, American bass player, songwriter, and producer (b. 1955)
    • 2003 – Robert K. Merton, American sociologist and academic (b. 1910)
    • 2004 – Vijay Anand, Indian director, producer, screenwriter, and actor (b. 1934)
    • 2004 – Sikander Bakht, Indian politician, Indian Minister of External Affairs (b. 1918)
    • 2006 – Telmo Zarra, Spanish footballer (b. 1921)
    • 2007 – John Ritchie, English footballer (b. 1941)
    • 2008 – Janez Drnovšek, Slovenian economist and politician, 2nd President of Slovenia (b. 1950)
    • 2008 – Paul Frère, Belgian race car driver and journalist (b. 1917)
    • 2010 – Orlando Zapata, Cuban plumber and activist (b. 1967)
    • 2011 – Nirmala Srivastava, Indian religious leader, founded Sahaja Yoga (b. 1923)
    • 2012 – William Raggio, American lawyer and politician (b. 1926)
    • 2012 – David Sayre, American physicist and mathematician (b. 1924)
    • 2012 – Kazimierz Żygulski, Polish sociologist and activist (b. 1919)
    • 2013 – Eugene Bookhammer, American soldier and politician, 18th Lieutenant Governor of Delaware (b. 1918)
    • 2013 – Joseph Friedenson, Holocaust survivor, Holocaust historian, Yiddish writer, lecturer and editor (b. 1922)
    • 2013 – Julien Ries, Belgian cardinal (b. 1920)
    • 2013 – Lotika Sarkar, Indian lawyer and academic (b. 1945)
    • 2014 – Alice Herz-Sommer, Czech-English Holocaust survivor, pianist and educator (b. 1903)
    • 2014 – Roger Hilsman, American soldier, academic, and politician (b. 1919)
    • 2015 – James Aldridge, Australian-English journalist and author (b. 1918)
    • 2015 – Rana Bhagwandas, Pakistani lawyer and judge, Chief Justice of Pakistan (b. 1942)
    • 2015 – W. E. “Bill” Dykes, American soldier and politician (b. 1925)
    • 2016 – Peter Lustig, German television host and author (b. 1937)
    • 2016 – Jacqueline Mattson, American baseball player (b. 1928)
    • 2019 – Katherine Helmond, American actress (b. 1929)

    Holidays and observances on February 23

    • Christian feast day:
      • Polycarp of Smyrna
      • Serenus the Gardener
      • February 23 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • The Emperor’s Birthday, birthday of Naruhito, the current Emperor of Japan (Japan)
    • Mashramani-Republic Day (Guyana)
    • Meteņi (Latvia)
    • National Day (Brunei)
    • Red Army Day or Day of Soviet Army and Navy in the former Soviet Union, also held in various former Soviet republics:
      • Defender of the Fatherland Day (Russia)
      • Defender of the Fatherland and Armed Forces day (Belarus)
      • Armed Forces Day (Tajikistan) (Tajikistan)

  • January 20 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 250 – Pope Fabian is martyred during the Decian persecution.
    • 649 – King Chindasuinth, at the urging of bishop Braulio of Zaragoza, crowns his son Recceswinth as co-ruler of the Visigothic Kingdom.
    • 1265 – The first English parliament to include not only Lords but also representatives of the major towns holds its first meeting in the Palace of Westminster, now commonly known as the “Houses of Parliament”.
    • 1320 – Duke Wladyslaw Lokietek becomes king of Poland.
    • 1356 – Edward Balliol surrenders his claim to the Scottish throne to Edward III in exchange for an English pension.
    • 1523 – Christian II is forced to abdicate as King of Denmark and Norway.
    • 1567 – Battle of Rio de Janeiro: Portuguese forces under the command of Estácio de Sá definitively drive the French out of Rio de Janeiro.
    • 1576 – The Mexican city of León is founded by order of the viceroy Don Martín Enríquez de Almanza.
    • 1649 – The High Court of Justice for the trial of Charles I begins its proceedings.
    • 1783 – The Kingdom of Great Britain signed preliminary articles of peace with France, setting the stage to the official end of hostilities in the American Revolutionary War later that year.
    • 1785 – Invading Siamese forces attempt to exploit the political chaos in Vietnam, but are ambushed and annihilated at the Mekong river by the Tây Sơn in the Battle of Rạch Gầm-Xoài Mút.
    • 1788 – The third and main part of First Fleet arrives at Botany Bay. Arthur Phillip decides that Port Jackson is a more suitable location for a colony.
    • 1839 – In the Battle of Yungay, Chile defeats an alliance between Peru and Bolivia.
    • 1841 – Hong Kong Island is occupied by the British.
    • 1877 – The last day of the Constantinople Conference results in agreement for political reforms in the Balkans.
    • 1887 – The United States Senate allows the Navy to lease Pearl Harbor as a naval base.
    • 1921 – The British K-class submarine HMS K5 sinks in the English Channel; all 56 on board die.
    • 1921 – The first Constitution of Turkey is adopted, making fundamental changes in the source and exercise of sovereignty by consecrating the principle of national sovereignty.
    • 1929 – The first full-length talking motion picture filmed outdoors, In Old Arizona, is released.
    • 1936 – King George V of the United Kingdom dies. His eldest son succeeds to the throne, becoming Edward VIII. The title Prince of Wales is not used for another 22 years.
    • 1937 – Franklin D. Roosevelt and John Nance Garner are sworn in for their second terms as U.S. President and U.S. Vice President; it is the first time a Presidential Inauguration takes place on January 20 since the 20th Amendment changed the dates of presidential terms.
    • 1941 – A German officer is killed in Bucharest, Romania, sparking a rebellion and pogrom by the Iron Guard, killing 125 Jews and 30 soldiers.
    • 1942 – World War II: At the Wannsee Conference held in the Berlin suburb of Wannsee, senior Nazi German officials discuss the implementation of the “Final Solution to the Jewish question”.
    • 1945 – World War II: The provisional government of Béla Miklós in Hungary agrees to an armistice with the Allies.
    • 1945 – World War II: Germany begins the evacuation of 1.8 million people from East Prussia, a task which will take nearly two months.
    • 1949 – Point Four Program a program for economic aid to poor countries announced by United States President Harry S. Truman in his inaugural address for a full term as President.
    • 1953 – Dwight D. Eisenhower is inaugurated as the 34th President of the United States of America.
    • 1954 – In the United States, the National Negro Network is established with 40 charter member radio stations.
    • 1961 – John F. Kennedy is inaugurated the 35th President of the United States of America, becoming the second youngest man to take the office, and the first Catholic.
    • 1969 – Richard Nixon is inaugurated the 37th President of the United States of America.
    • 1972 – Pakistan launched its nuclear weapons program, a few weeks after its defeat in the Bangladesh Liberation War, as well as the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
    • 1977 – Jimmy Carter is inaugurated the 39th President of the United States of America.
    • 1981 – Ronald Reagan is inaugurated the 40th President of the United States of America. Twenty minutes later, Iran releases 52 American hostages.
    • 1986 – In the United States, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is celebrated as a federal holiday for the first time.
    • 1989 – George H. W. Bush is inaugurated the 41st President of the United States of America.
    • 1990 – Protests in Azerbaijan, part of the Dissolution of the Soviet Union.
    • 1991 – Sudan’s government imposes Islamic law nationwide, worsening the civil war between the country’s Muslim north and Christian south.
    • 1992 – Air Inter Flight 148, an Airbus A320-111, crashes into a mountain near Strasbourg, France killing 87 of the 96 people on board.
    • 1993 – Bill Clinton is inaugurated the 42nd President of the United States of America.
    • 2001 – George W. Bush is inaugurated the 43rd President of the United States of America.
    • 2001 – President of the Philippines Joseph Estrada is ousted in a nonviolent 4-day revolution, and is succeeded by Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
    • 2009 – Barack Obama is inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States of America, becoming the first African-American President of the United States.
    • 2009 – A protest movement in Iceland culminates as the 2009 Icelandic financial crisis protests start.
    • 2017 – Donald Trump is inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States of America, becoming the oldest person to assume the office.
    • 2018 – A group of four or five gunmen attack The Inter-Continental Hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan, sparking a 12-hour battle. The attack kills 40 people and injures many others.

    Births on January 20

    • 225 – Gordian III, Roman emperor (d. 244)
    • 1029 – Alp Arslan, Seljuk sultan (probable; d. 1072)
    • 1292 – Elizabeth of Bohemia, queen consort of Bohemia (d. 1330)
    • 1436 – Ashikaga Yoshimasa, Japanese shōgun (d. 1490)
    • 1488 – John George, Marquess of Montferrat, Italian noble (d. 1533)
    • 1488 – Sebastian Münster, German scholar, cartographer, and cosmographer (d. 1552)
    • 1499 – Sebastian Franck, German humanist (probable; d. 1543)
    • 1502 – Sebastian de Aparicio, Spanish-Mexican rancher and missionary (d. 1600)
    • 1526 – Rafael Bombelli, Italian mathematician (d. 1572)
    • 1554 – Sebastian of Portugal (d. 1578)
    • 1569 – Heribert Rosweyde, Jesuit hagiographer (d. 1629)
    • 1573 – Simon Marius, German astronomer and academic (d. 1624)
    • 1586 – Johann Hermann Schein, German composer (d. 1630)
    • 1664 – Giovanni Vincenzo Gravina, Italian lawyer and jurist (d. 1718)
    • 1703 – Joseph-Hector Fiocco, Flemish violinist and composer (d. 1741)
    • 1716 – Jean-Jacques Barthélemy, French archaeologist and numismatist (d. 1795)
    • 1716 – Charles III of Spain (d. 1788)
    • 1732 – Richard Henry Lee, American lawyer and politician, President of the Continental Congress (d. 1794)
    • 1741 – Carl Linnaeus the Younger, Swedish botanist and author (d. 1783)
    • 1755 – Sir Albemarle Bertie, 1st Baronet, English admiral (d. 1824)
    • 1762 – Jérôme-Joseph de Momigny, Belgian-French composer and theorist (d. 1842)
    • 1775 – André-Marie Ampère, French physicist and mathematician (d. 1836)
    • 1781 – Joseph Hormayr, Baron zu Hortenburg, Austrian-German historian and politician (d. 1848)
    • 1783 – Friedrich Dotzauer, German cellist and composer (d. 1860)
    • 1799 – Anson Jones, American physician and politician, 5th President of the Republic of Texas (d. 1858)
    • 1804 – Eugène Sue, French author and politician (d. 1857)
    • 1812 – Thomas Meik, Scottish engineer (d. 1896)
    • 1814 – David Wilmot, American politician, sponsor of Wilmot Proviso (d. 1868)
    • 1834 – George D. Robinson, American lawyer and politician, 34th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1896)
    • 1855 – Ernest Chausson, French composer (d. 1899)
    • 1856 – Harriot Stanton Blatch, U.S. suffragist and organizer (d. 1940)
    • 1865 – Yvette Guilbert, French singer and actress (d. 1944)
    • 1870 – Guillaume Lekeu, Belgian pianist and composer (d. 1894)
    • 1873 – Johannes V. Jensen, Danish author, poet, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1950)
    • 1874 – Steve Bloomer, English footballer and coach (d. 1938)
    • 1876 – Josef Hofmann, Polish-American pianist and composer (d. 1957)
    • 1878 – Finlay Currie, Scottish-English actor (d. 1968)
    • 1879 – Ruth St. Denis, American dancer and educator (d. 1968)
    • 1880 – Walter W. Bacon, American accountant and politician, 60th Governor of Delaware (d. 1962)
    • 1882 – Johnny Torrio, Italian-American mob boss (d. 1957)
    • 1883 – Enoch L. Johnson, American mob boss (d. 1968)
    • 1883 – Forrest Wilson, American journalist and author (d. 1942)
    • 1888 – Lead Belly, American folk/blues musician and songwriter (d. 1949)
    • 1889 – Allan Haines Loughead, American engineer and businessman, founded the Alco Hydro-Aeroplane Company (d. 1969)
    • 1891 – Mischa Elman, Ukrainian-American violinist (d. 1967)
    • 1893 – Georg Åberg, Swedish triple jumper (d. 1946)
    • 1894 – Harold Gray, American cartoonist, created Little Orphan Annie (d. 1968)
    • 1894 – Walter Piston, American composer, theorist, and academic (d. 1976)
    • 1895 – Gábor Szegő, Hungarian mathematician and academic (d. 1985)
    • 1896 – George Burns, American actor, comedian, and producer (d. 1996)
    • 1898 – U Razak, Burmese educator and politician (d. 1947)
    • 1899 – Clarice Cliff, English potter (d. 1972)
    • 1899 – Kenjiro Takayanagi, Japanese engineer (d. 1990)
    • 1900 – Dorothy Annan, English painter, potter, and muralist (d. 1983)
    • 1900 – Colin Clive, English actor (d. 1937)
    • 1902 – Leon Ames, American actor (d. 1993)
    • 1902 – Kevin Barry, Irish Republican Army volunteer (d. 1920)
    • 1906 – Aristotle Onassis, Greek shipping magnate (d. 1975)
    • 1907 – Paula Wessely, Austrian actress and producer (d. 2000)
    • 1908 – Fleur Cowles, American author and illustrator (d. 2009)
    • 1909 – Gōgen Yamaguchi, Japanese martial artist (d. 1989)
    • 1910 – Joy Adamson, Austria-born Kenyan painter and author (d. 1980)
    • 1913 – W. Cleon Skousen, American author and academic (d. 2006)
    • 1915 – Ghulam Ishaq Khan, Pakistani businessman and politician, 7th President of Pakistan (d. 2006)
    • 1918 – Juan García Esquivel, Mexican pianist, composer, and bandleader (d. 2002)
    • 1918 – Nevin Scrimshaw, American scientist (d. 2013)
    • 1920 – Federico Fellini, Italian director and screenwriter (d. 1993)
    • 1920 – DeForest Kelley, American actor (d. 1999)
    • 1920 – Thorleif Schjelderup, Norwegian ski jumper and author (d. 2006)
    • 1921 – Telmo Zarra, Spanish footballer (d. 2006)
    • 1922 – Ray Anthony, American trumpet player, composer, bandleader, and actor
    • 1922 – Don Mankiewicz, American author and screenwriter (d. 2015)
    • 1923 – Slim Whitman, American country and western singer-songwriter and musician (d. 2013)
    • 1924 – Yvonne Loriod, French pianist and composer (d. 2010)
    • 1925 – Jamiluddin Aali, Pakistani poet, playwright, and critic (d. 2015)
    • 1925 – Ernesto Cardenal, Nicaraguan priest, poet, and politician (d. 2020)
    • 1926 – Patricia Neal, American actress (d. 2010)
    • 1926 – David Tudor, American pianist and composer (d. 1996)
    • 1927 – Qurratulain Hyder, Indian-Pakistani journalist and academic (d. 2007)
    • 1928 – Antonio de Almeida, French conductor and musicologist (d. 1997)
    • 1929 – Arte Johnson, American actor and comedian (d. 2019)
    • 1929 – Masaharu Kawakatsu, Japanese biologist
    • 1929 – Fireball Roberts, American race car driver (d. 1964)
    • 1930 – Buzz Aldrin, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut
    • 1931 – David Lee, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1931 – Hachidai Nakamura, Japanese pianist and composer (d. 1992)
    • 1932 – Lou Fontinato, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2016)
    • 1934 – Hennie Aucamp, South African poet, author, and academic (d. 2014)
    • 1934 – Tom Baker, English actor
    • 1935 – Dorothy Provine, American actress, singer, and dancer (d. 2010)
    • 1937 – Bailey Howell, American basketball player
    • 1938 – Derek Dougan, Irish-English footballer and journalist (d. 2007)
    • 1939 – Paul Coverdell, American captain and politician (d. 2000)
    • 1939 – Chandra Wickramasinghe, Sri Lankan-English mathematician, astronomer, and biologist
    • 1940 – Carol Heiss, American figure skater and actress
    • 1940 – Krishnam Raju, Indian actor and politician
    • 1940 – Mandé Sidibé, Malian economist and politician, Prime Minister of Mali (d. 2009)
    • 1942 – Linda Moulton Howe, American journalist and producer
    • 1944 – José Luis Garci, Spanish director and producer
    • 1944 – Farhad Mehrad, Iranian singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2002)
    • 1944 – Pat Parker, African American poet
    • 1945 – Christopher Martin-Jenkins, English journalist and sportscaster (d. 2013)
    • 1945 – Eric Stewart, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1946 – David Lynch, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1946 – Vladimír Merta, Czech singer-songwriter, guitarist, and journalist
    • 1947 – Cyrille Guimard, French cyclist and sportscaster
    • 1948 – Nancy Kress, American author and academic
    • 1948 – Natan Sharansky, Ukrainian-Israeli physicist and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Israel
    • 1949 – Göran Persson, Swedish lawyer and politician, 31st Prime Minister of Sweden
    • 1950 – Daniel Benzali, Brazilian-American actor
    • 1950 – William Mgimwa, Tanzanian banker and politician, 13th Tanzanian Minister of Finance (d. 2014)
    • 1950 – Mahamane Ousmane, Nigerien politician, President of Niger
    • 1951 – Iván Fischer, Hungarian conductor and composer
    • 1952 – Nikos Sideris, Greek psychiatrist and poet
    • 1952 – Paul Stanley, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1952 – John Witherow, South African-English journalist and author
    • 1953 – Jeffrey Epstein, American financier and convicted sex offender (d. 2019)
    • 1954 – Alison Seabeck, English lawyer and politician
    • 1955 – McKeeva Bush, Caymanian politician, Premier of the Cayman Islands
    • 1956 – Maria Larsson, Swedish educator and politician, Swedish Minister of Health and Social Affairs
    • 1956 – Bill Maher, American comedian, political commentator, media critic, television host, and producer
    • 1956 – John Naber, American swimmer
    • 1957 – Andy Sheppard, English saxophonist and composer
    • 1958 – Lorenzo Lamas, American actor, director, and producer
    • 1959 – Tami Hoag, American author
    • 1959 – R. A. Salvatore, American author
    • 1960 – Apa Sherpa, Nepalese-American mountaineer
    • 1960 – Scott Thunes, American bass player
    • 1960 – Will Wright, American video game designer, co-founded Maxis
    • 1963 – James Denton, American actor
    • 1963 – Mark Ryden, American painter and illustrator
    • 1964 – Ozzie Guillén, Venezuelan-American baseball player and manager
    • 1964 – Ron Harper, American basketball player and coach
    • 1964 – Jack Lewis, American soldier and author
    • 1964 – Kazushige Nojima, Japanese screenwriter and songwriter
    • 1964 – Aquilino Pimentel III, Filipino lawyer and politician
    • 1964 – Fareed Zakaria, Indian-American journalist and author
    • 1965 – Colin Calderwood, Scottish footballer defender and manager
    • 1965 – Sophie, Countess of Wessex
    • 1965 – Warren Joyce, English footballer and manager
    • 1965 – John Michael Montgomery, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1965 – Anton Weissenbacher, Romanian footballer
    • 1966 – Rainn Wilson, American actor
    • 1967 – Stacey Dash, American actress and television journalist
    • 1967 – Kellyanne Conway, American political strategist and pundit
    • 1968 – Nick Anderson, American basketball player and sportscaster
    • 1968 – Junior Murray, Grenadian cricketer
    • 1969 – Patrick K. Kroupa, American computer hacker and activist, co-founded MindVox
    • 1969 – Nicky Wire, Welsh singer-songwriter and bass player
    • 1970 – Edwin McCain, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1970 – Skeet Ulrich, American actor
    • 1971 – Derrick Green, American singer
    • 1971 – Gary Barlow, English singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer
    • 1971 – Ger McDonnell, Irish mountaineer and engineer (d. 2008)
    • 1971 – Jung Woong-in, South Korean actor
    • 1971 – Questlove, American drummer, DJ, and producer
    • 1971 – Wakanohana Masaru, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 66th Yokozuna
    • 1972 – Nikki Haley, American accountant and politician, 116th Governor of South Carolina
    • 1973 – Stephen Crabb, Scottish-Welsh politician, Secretary of State for Wales
    • 1973 – Queen Mathilde of Belgium
    • 1974 – David Dei, Italian footballer and coach
    • 1975 – Norberto Fontana, Argentinian racing driver
    • 1975 – Zac Goldsmith, English journalist and politician
    • 1976 – Kirsty Gallacher, Scottish journalist and sportscaster
    • 1976 – Michael Myers, American football player
    • 1976 – Gretha Smit, Dutch speed skater
    • 1977 – Paul Adams, South African cricketer and coach
    • 1978 – Salvatore Aronica, Italian footballer
    • 1978 – Sonja Kesselschläger, German heptathlete
    • 1978 – Allan Søgaard, Danish footballer
    • 1979 – Choo Ja-hyun, South Korean actress
    • 1979 – Will Young, English singer-songwriter and actor
    • 1980 – Karl Anderson, American wrestler
    • 1980 – Philippe Cousteau, Jr., American-French oceanographer and journalist
    • 1980 – Philippe Gagnon, Canadian swimmer
    • 1980 – Kim Jeong-hoon, South Korean singer and actor
    • 1980 – Petra Rampre, Slovenian tennis player
    • 1980 – Matthew Tuck, Welsh singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1981 – Freddy Guzmán, Dominican baseball player
    • 1981 – Owen Hargreaves, English footballer
    • 1981 – Jason Richardson, American basketball player
    • 1982 – Ruchi Sanghvi, Indian computer engineer
    • 1982 – Fredrik Strømstad, Norwegian footballer
    • 1983 – Geovany Soto, Puerto Rican-American baseball player
    • 1983 – Mari Yaguchi, Japanese singer and actress
    • 1984 – Malek Jaziri, Tunisian tennis player
    • 1985 – Marina Inoue, Japanese voice actress and singer
    • 1985 – Tanel Sokk, Estonian basketball player
    • 1987 – Janin Lindenberg, German sprinter
    • 1987 – Marco Simoncelli, Italian motorcycle racer (d. 2011)
    • 1988 – Uwa Elderson Echiéjilé, Nigerian footballer
    • 1988 – Jeffrén Suárez, Spanish footballer
    • 1989 – Nick Foles, American football player
    • 1989 – Washington Santana da Silva, Brazilian footballer
    • 1989 – Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1990 – Ray Thompson, Australian rugby league player
    • 1991 – Ciara Hanna, American actress and model
    • 1991 – Tom Cairney, Scottish footballer, midfielder
    • 1991 – Polona Hercog, Slovenian tennis player
    • 1991 – Jolyon Palmer, English racing driver
    • 1992 – Jorge Zárate, Mexican footballer
    • 1993 – Lorenzo Crisetig, Italian footballer
    • 1994 – Seán Kavanagh, Irish footballer, defender
    • 1994 – Lucas Piazon, Brazilian footballer
    • 1995 – Joey Badass, American rapper and actor
    • 1995 – Calum Chambers, English footballer, defender

    Deaths on January 20

    • 820 – Al-Shafi‘i, Arab scholar and jurist (b. 767)
    • 842 – Theophilos, Byzantine emperor (b. 813)
    • 882 – Louis the Younger, king of the East Frankish Kingdom
    • 924 – Li Jitao, Chinese general of Later Tang
    • 928 – Zhao Guangfeng, Chinese official and chancellor
    • 1029 – Heonae, Korean queen and regent (b. 964)
    • 1095 – Wulfstan, bishop of Worcester
    • 1156 – Henry, English bishop and saint
    • 1189 – Shi Zong, Chinese emperor of Jin (b. 1123)
    • 1191 – Frederick VI, duke of Swabia (b. 1167)
    • 1191 – Theobald V, count of Blois (b. 1130)
    • 1265 – John Maunsell, English Lord Chancellor
    • 1336 – John de Bohun, 5th Earl of Hereford (b. 1306)
    • 1343 – Robert, king of Naples (b. 1275)
    • 1479 – John II, king of Sicily (b. 1398)
    • 1568 – Myles Coverdale, English bishop and translator (b. 1488)
    • 1612 – Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1552)
    • 1663 – Isaac Ambrose, English minister and author (b. 1604)
    • 1666 – Anne of Austria, Queen and regent of France (b. 1601)
    • 1707 – Humphrey Hody, English scholar and theologian (b. 1659)
    • 1709 – François de la Chaise, French priest (b. 1624)
    • 1751 – John Hervey, 1st Earl of Bristol, English politician (b. 1665)
    • 1770 – Charles Yorke, English lawyer and politician, Lord Chancellor of Great Britain (b. 1722)
    • 1779 – David Garrick, English actor, producer, playwright, and manager (b. 1717)
    • 1810 – Benjamin Chew, American lawyer and judge (b. 1721)
    • 1819 – Charles IV, Spanish king (b. 1748)
    • 1837 – John Soane, English architect, designed the Bank of England (b. 1753)
    • 1841 – Jørgen Jørgensen, Danish explorer (b. 1780)
    • 1841 – Minh Mạng, Vietnamese emperor (b. 1791)
    • 1848 – Christian VIII, Danish king (b. 1786)
    • 1850 – Adam Oehlenschläger, Danish poet and playwright (b. 1779)
    • 1852 – Ōnomatsu Midorinosuke, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 6th Yokozuna (b. 1794)
    • 1873 – Basil Moreau, French priest, founded the Congregation of Holy Cross (b. 1799)
    • 1875 – Jean-François Millet, French painter and educator (b. 1814)
    • 1891 – Kalākaua, king of Hawaii (b. 1836)
    • 1900 – John Ruskin, English painter and critic (b. 1819)
    • 1901 – Zénobe Gramme, Belgian engineer, invented the Gramme machine (b. 1826)
    • 1907 – Agnes Mary Clerke, Irish astronomer and author (b. 1842)
    • 1908 – John Ordronaux, American surgeon and academic (b. 1830)
    • 1913 – José Guadalupe Posada, Mexican engraver and illustrator (b. 1852)
    • 1915 – Arthur Guinness, 1st Baron Ardilaun, Irish businessman, philanthropist, and politician (b. 1840)
    • 1920 – Georg Lurich, Estonian-Russian wrestler and strongman (b. 1876)
    • 1921 – Mary Watson Whitney, American astronomer and academic (b. 1847)
    • 1924 – Henry “Ivo” Crapp, Australian footballer and umpire (b. 1872)
    • 1936 – George V of the United Kingdom (b. 1865)
    • 1940 – Omar Bundy, American general (b. 1861)
    • 1944 – James McKeen Cattell, American psychologist and academic (b. 1860)
    • 1947 – Josh Gibson, American baseball player (b. 1911)
    • 1947 – Andrew Volstead, American member of the United States House of Representatives (b. 1860)
    • 1954 – Warren Bardsley, Australian cricketer (b. 1882)
    • 1954 – Fred Root, English cricketer and umpire (b. 1890)
    • 1955 – Robert P. T. Coffin, American author and poet (b. 1892)
    • 1962 – Robinson Jeffers, American poet and philosopher (b. 1887)
    • 1965 – Alan Freed, American radio host (b. 1922)
    • 1971 – Broncho Billy Anderson, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1880)
    • 1971 – Minanogawa Tōzō, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 34th Yokozuna (b. 1903)
    • 1973 – Lorenz Böhler, Austrian physician and surgeon (b. 1885)
    • 1973 – Amílcar Cabral, Guinea Bissauan-Cape Verdian engineer and politician (b. 1924)
    • 1977 – Dimitrios Kiousopoulos, Greek jurist and politician, 151st Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1892)
    • 1980 – William Roberts, English soldier and painter (b. 1895)
    • 1983 – Garrincha, Brazilian footballer (b. 1933)
    • 1984 – Johnny Weissmuller, American swimmer and actor (b. 1904)
    • 1988 – Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, Pakistani activist and politician (b. 1890)
    • 1988 – Dora Stratou, Greek dancer and choreographer (b. 1903)
    • 1989 – Alamgir Kabir, Bangladeshi director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1938)
    • 1990 – Barbara Stanwyck, American actress (b. 1907)
    • 1993 – Audrey Hepburn, British actress and humanitarian activist (b. 1929)
    • 1994 – Matt Busby, Scottish footballer and coach (b. 1909)
    • 1994 – Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, first Kenyan Vice-President (b. 1911)
    • 1996 – Gerry Mulligan, American saxophonist and composer (b. 1927)
    • 2002 – Carrie Hamilton, American actress and singer (b. 1963)
    • 2003 – Al Hirschfeld, American painter and illustrator (b. 1903)
    • 2003 – Nedra Volz, American actress (b. 1908)
    • 2004 – Alan Brown, English racing driver (b. 1919)
    • 2004 – T. Nadaraja, Sri Lankan lawyer and academic (b. 1917)
    • 2005 – Per Borten, Norwegian lawyer and politician, 18th Prime Minister of Norway (b. 1913)
    • 2005 – Jan Nowak-Jeziorański, Polish journalist and politician (b. 1913)
    • 2005 – Miriam Rothschild, English zoologist, entomologist, and author (b. 1908)
    • 2009 – Stéphanos II Ghattas, Egyptian patriarch (b. 1920)
    • 2012 – Etta James, American singer-songwriter (b. 1938)
    • 2012 – John Levy, American bassist and manager (b. 1912)
    • 2012 – Ioannis Kefalogiannis, Greek politician, Greek Minister of the Interior (b. 1933)
    • 2012 – Alejandro Rodriguez, Venezuelan-American pediatrician and psychiatrist (b. 1918)
    • 2013 – Pavlos Matesis, Greek author and playwright (b. 1933)
    • 2013 – Toyo Shibata, Japanese poet and author (b. 1911)
    • 2014 – Claudio Abbado, Italian conductor (b. 1933)
    • 2014 – Otis G. Pike, American judge and politician (b. 1921)
    • 2014 – Jonas Trinkūnas, Lithuanian ethnologist and academic (b. 1939)
    • 2015 – Edgar Froese, Russian-German keyboard player and songwriter (b. 1944)
    • 2016 – Mykolas Burokevičius, Lithuanian carpenter and politician (b. 1927)
    • 2016 – Edmonde Charles-Roux, French journalist and author (b. 1920)
    • 2018 – Paul Bocuse, French chef (b. 1926)
    • 2018 – Naomi Parker Fraley, American naval machiner (b. 1921)
    • 2020 – Jaroslav Kubera, Czech politician (b. 1947)
    • 2020 – Tom Fisher Railsback, American politician, member of the Illinois and U.S. House of Representatives

    Holidays and observances on January 20

    • Armed Forces Day (Mali)
    • Army Day (Laos)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Abadios
      • Blessed Basil Moreau
      • Eustochia Smeralda Calafato
      • Euthymius the Great
      • Fabian
      • Manchán of Lemanaghan
      • Maria Cristina of the Immaculate Conception Brando
      • Richard Rolle (Church of England)
      • Sebastian
      • Stephen Min Kuk-ka (one of The Korean Martyrs)
      • January 20 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Heroes’ Day (Cape Verde)
    • Inauguration Day, held every four years in odd-numbered years immediately following years divisible by 4, except for the public ceremony when January 20 falls on Sunday (the public ceremony is held the following day; however, the terms of offices still begin on the 20th) (United States of America, not a federal holiday for all government employees but only for those working in the Capital region)
    • Martyrs’ Day (Azerbaijan)