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July 12 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

by
  • AD 70 – The armies of Titus attack the walls of Jerusalem after a six-month siege. Three days later they breach the walls, which enables the army to destroy the Second Temple.
  • 927 – King Constantine II of Scotland, King Hywel Dda of Deheubarth, Ealdred of Bamburgh and King Owain of the Cumbrians accepted the overlordship of King Æthelstan of England, leading to seven years of peace in the north.
  • 1191 – Third Crusade: Saladin’s garrison surrenders to Philip Augustus, ending the two-year siege of Acre.
  • 1470 – The Ottomans capture Euboea.
  • 1493 – Hartmann Schedel’s Nuremberg Chronicle, one of the best-documented early printed books, is published.
  • 1527 – Lê Cung Hoàng ceded the throne to Mạc Đăng Dung, ending the Lê dynasty and starting the Mạc dynasty.
  • 1543 – King Henry VIII of England marries his sixth and last wife, Catherine Parr, at Hampton Court Palace.
  • 1562 – Fray Diego de Landa, acting Bishop of Yucatán, burns the sacred books of the Maya.
  • 1576 – Mughal Empire annexes Bengal after defeating the Bengal Sultanate at the Battle of Raj Mahal.
  • 1580 – The Ostrog Bible, one of the early printed Bibles in a Slavic language, is published.
  • 1691 – Battle of Aughrim (Julian calendar): The decisive victory of William III of England’s forces in Ireland.
  • 1776 – Captain James Cook begins his third voyage.
  • 1789 – In response to the dismissal of the French finance minister Jacques Necker, the radical journalist Camille Desmoulins gives a speech which results in the storming of the Bastille two days later.
  • 1790 – The Civil Constitution of the Clergy is passed in France by the National Constituent Assembly.
  • 1799 – Ranjit Singh conquers Lahore and becomes Maharaja of the Punjab (Sikh Empire).
  • 1801 – British ships inflict heavy damage on Spanish and French ships in the Second Battle of Algeciras.
  • 1806 – At the insistence of Napoleon, Bavaria, Baden, Württemberg and thirteen minor principalities leave the Holy Roman Empire and form the Confederation of the Rhine.
  • 1812 – The American Army of the Northwest briefly occupies the Upper Canadian settlement at what is now at Windsor, Ontario.
  • 1862 – The Medal of Honor is authorized by the United States Congress.
  • 1913 – Serbian forces begin their siege of the Bulgarian city of Vidin; the siege is later called off when the war ends.
  • 1917 – The Bisbee Deportation occurs as vigilantes kidnap and deport nearly 1,300 striking miners and others from Bisbee, Arizona.
  • 1918 – The Imperial Japanese Navy battleship Kawachi blows up at Shunan, western Honshu, Japan, killing at least 621.
  • 1920 – The Soviet–Lithuanian Peace Treaty is signed, by which Soviet Russia recognizes the independence of Lithuania.
  • 1943 – German and Soviet forces engage in one of the largest armored engagements of all time.
  • 1948 – Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion orders the expulsion of Palestinians from the towns of Lod and Ramla.
  • 1960 – Orlyonok, the main Young Pioneer camp of the Russian SFSR, is founded.
  • 1961 – Indian city Pune floods due to failure of the Khadakwasla and Panshet dams, killing at least two thousand people.
  • 1962 – The Rolling Stones perform their first concert, at London’s Marquee Club.
  • 1963 – Pauline Reade, 16, disappears in Gorton, England, the first victim in the Moors murders.
  • 1967 – Riots begin in Newark, New Jersey.
  • 1971 – The Australian Aboriginal Flag is flown for the first time.
  • 1973 – A fire destroys the entire sixth floor of the National Personnel Records Center of the United States.
  • 1975 – São Tomé and Príncipe declare independence from Portugal.
  • 1979 – The island nation of Kiribati becomes independent from the United Kingdom.
  • 1998 – The Ulster Volunteer Force attacked a house in Ballymoney, County Antrim, Northern Ireland with a petrol bomb, killing the Quinn brothers.
  • 2006 – The 2006 Lebanon War begins.
  • 2007 – U.S. Army Apache helicopters engage in airstrikes against civilians in Baghdad, Iraq; footage from the cockpit is later leaked to the Internet.
  • 2012 – Syrian Civil War: Government forces target the homes of rebels and activists in Tremseh and kill anywhere between 68 and 150 people.
  • 2012 – A tank truck explosion kills more than 100 people in Okobie, Nigeria.
  • 2013 – Six people are killed and 200 injured in a French passenger train derailment in Brétigny-sur-Orge.

Births on July 12

  • 100 BC – Julius Caesar, Roman politician and general (d. 44 BC)
  • 1394 – Ashikaga Yoshinori, Japanese shōgun (d. 1441)
  • 1468 – Juan del Encina, Spanish poet, playwright, and composer (probable; d. 1530)
  • 1477 – Jacopo Sadoleto, Italian cardinal (d. 1547)
  • 1549 – Edward Manners, 3rd Earl of Rutland (d. 1587)
  • 1628 – Henry Howard, 6th Duke of Norfolk (d. 1684)
  • 1651 – Margaret Theresa of Spain (d. 1673)
  • 1675 – Evaristo Felice Dall’Abaco, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1742)
  • 1712 – Sir Francis Bernard, 1st Baronet, Colonial governor of New Jersey and Massachusetts Bay (d. 1779)
  • 1730 – Josiah Wedgwood, English potter, founded the Wedgwood Company (d. 1795)
  • 1803 – Peter Chanel, French priest and saint (d. 1841)
  • 1807 – Thomas Hawksley, English engineer and academic (d. 1893)
  • 1813 – Claude Bernard, French physiologist and academic (d. 1878)
  • 1817 – Henry David Thoreau, American essayist, poet, and philosopher (d. 1862)
  • 1817 – Alvin Saunders, Territorial Governor and Senator from Nebraska (d. 1899)
  • 1821 – D. H. Hill, American general and academic (d. 1889)
  • 1824 – Eugène Boudin, French painter (d. 1898)
  • 1828 – Nikolay Chernyshevsky, Russian philosopher and critic (d. 1889)
  • 1849 – William Osler, Canadian physician and author (d. 1919)
  • 1850 – Otto Schoetensack, German anthropologist and academic (d. 1912)
  • 1852 – Hipólito Yrigoyen, Argentinian lawyer and politician, 19th President of Argentina (d. 1933)
  • 1854 – George Eastman, American businessman, founded Eastman Kodak (d. 1933)
  • 1855 – Ned Hanlan, Canadian rower, academic, and businessman (d. 1908)
  • 1857 – George E. Ohr, American potter (d. 1918)
  • 1861 – Anton Arensky, Russian pianist, composer, and educator (d. 1906)
  • 1863 – Albert Calmette, French physician, bacteriologist, and immunologist (d. 1933)
  • 1863 – Paul Drude, German physicist and academic (d. 1906)
  • 1868 – Stefan George, German poet and translator (d. 1933)
  • 1870 – Louis II, Prince of Monaco (d. 1949)
  • 1872 – Emil Hácha, Czech lawyer and politician, 3rd President of Czechoslovakia (d. 1945)
  • 1876 – Max Jacob, French poet, painter, and critic (d. 1944)
  • 1876 – Alphaeus Philemon Cole, American artist, engraver and etcher (d. 1988)
  • 1878 – Peeter Põld, Estonian scientist and politician, 1st Estonian Minister of Education (d. 1930)
  • 1879 – Margherita Piazzola Beloch, Italian mathematician (d. 1976)
  • 1879 – Han Yong-un, Korean poet (d. 1944)
  • 1880 – Tod Browning, American actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1962)
  • 1884 – Louis B. Mayer, Russian-born American film producer, co-founded Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (d. 1957)
  • 1884 – Amedeo Modigliani, Italian painter and sculptor (d. 1920)
  • 1886 – Jean Hersholt, Danish-American actor and director (d. 1956)
  • 1892 – Bruno Schulz, Ukrainian-Polish author and painter (d. 1942)
  • 1895 – Kirsten Flagstad, Norwegian soprano (d. 1962)
  • 1895 – Buckminster Fuller, American architect and engineer, designed the Montreal Biosphère (d. 1983)
  • 1895 – Oscar Hammerstein II, American director, producer, and songwriter (d. 1960)
  • 1899 – E.D. Nixon, American civil rights leader (d. 1987)
  • 1902 – Günther Anders, German philosopher and journalist (d. 1992)
  • 1902 – Tony Lovink, Dutch politician; Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (d. 1995)
  • 1902 – Vic Armbruster, Australian rugby league player (d. 1984)
  • 1904 – Pablo Neruda, Chilean poet and diplomat, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1973)
  • 1907 – Weary Dunlop, Australian colonel and surgeon (d. 1993)
  • 1908 – Milton Berle, American comedian and actor (d. 2002)
  • 1908 – Alain Cuny, French actor (d. 1994)
  • 1908 – Paul Runyan, American golfer and sportscaster (d. 2002)
  • 1909 – Joe DeRita, American actor (d. 1993)
  • 1909 – Motoichi Kumagai, Japanese photographer and illustrator (d. 2010)
  • 1909 – Fritz Leonhardt, German engineer, designed Fernsehturm Stuttgart (d. 1999)
  • 1909 – Herbert Zim, American naturalist, author, and educator (d. 1994)
  • 1911 – Evald Mikson, Estonian footballer (d. 1993)
  • 1913 – Willis Lamb, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2008)
  • 1914 – Mohammad Moin, Iranian linguist and lexicographer (d. 1971)
  • 1915 – Emanuel Papper, American anesthesiologist, professor, and author (d. 2002)
  • 1915 – Princess Catherine Ivanovna of Russia, (d. 2007)
  • 1916 – Lyudmila Pavlichenko, Ukrainian-Russian soldier and sniper (d. 1974)
  • 1917 – Luigi Gorrini, Italian soldier and pilot (d. 2014)
  • 1917 – Satyendra Narayan Sinha, Indian statesman (d. 2006)
  • 1917 – Andrew Wyeth, American artist (d. 2009)
  • 1918 – Mary Glen-Haig, English fencer (d. 2014)
  • 1918 – Vivian Mason, American actress (d. 2009)
  • 1918 – Doris Grumbach, American novelist, memoirist, biographer, literary critic, and essayist
  • 1918 – Rusty Dedrick, American swing and bebop jazz trumpeter (d. 2009)
  • 1920 – Pierre Berton, Canadian journalist and author (d. 2004)
  • 1920 – Bob Fillion, Canadian ice hockey player and manager (d. 2015)
  • 1920 – Paul Gonsalves, American saxophonist (d. 1974)
  • 1920 – Randolph Quirk, Manx linguist and academic (d. 2017)
  • 1920 – Beah Richards, American actress (d. 2000)
  • 1922 – Mark Hatfield, American soldier and politician, 29th Governor of Oregon (d. 2011)
  • 1923 – James E. Gunn, American science fiction author
  • 1924 – Faidon Matthaiou, Greek basketball player and coach (d. 2011)
  • 1925 – Albert Lance, Australian-French tenor (d. 2013)
  • 1925 – Roger Smith, American businessman (d. 2007)
  • 1927 – Françoys Bernier, Canadian pianist, conductor, and educator (d. 1993)
  • 1927 – Conte Candoli, American trumpet player (d. 2001)
  • 1927 – Jack Harshman, American baseball player (d. 2013)
  • 1927 – Harley Hotchkiss, Canadian businessman (d. 2011)
  • 1928 – Alastair Burnet, English journalist (d. 2012)
  • 1928 – Elias James Corey, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1928 – Imero Fiorentino, American lighting designer (d. 2013)
  • 1930 – Gordon Pinsent, Canadian actor, director, and screenwriter
  • 1930 – Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali, wife of the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad
  • 1931 – Eric Ives, English historian and academic (d. 2012)
  • 1931 – Geeto Mongol, Canadian-American wrestler and trainer (d. 2013)
  • 1932 – Rene Goulet, Canadian retired professional wrestler (d. 2019)
  • 1932 – Monte Hellman, American director and producer
  • 1932 – Otis Davis, American sprinter
  • 1933 – Victor Poor, American engineer, developed the Datapoint 2200 (d. 2012)
  • 1933 – Donald E. Westlake, American author and screenwriter (d. 2008)
  • 1934 – Thomas Charlton, American competition rower and Olympic champion
  • 1934 – Van Cliburn, American pianist and composer (d. 2013)
  • 1935 – Satoshi Ōmura, Japanese biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1936 – Jan Němec, Czech director and screenwriter (d. 2016)
  • 1937 – Bill Cosby, American actor, comedian, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1937 – Mickey Edwards, American lawyer and politician
  • 1937 – Lionel Jospin, French civil servant and politician, 165th Prime Minister of France
  • 1937 – Robert McFarlane, American colonel and diplomat, 13th United States National Security Advisor
  • 1937 – Guy Woolfenden, English composer and conductor (d. 2016)
  • 1938 – Ron Fairly, American baseball player and sportscaster
  • 1938 – Wieger Mensonides, Dutch swimmer
  • 1938 – Eiko Ishioka, Japanese art director and graphic designer (d. 2012)
  • 1939 – Phillip Adams, Australian journalist and producer
  • 1939 – Arlen Ness, American motorcycle designer and entrepreneur
  • 1941 – Benny Parsons, American race car driver and sportscaster (d. 2007)
  • 1942 – Swamp Dogg, American R&B singer-songwriter and musician
  • 1942 – Roy Palmer, English cricketer and umpire
  • 1942 – Billy Smith, Australian rugby league player and coach
  • 1942 – Steve Young, American country singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2016)
  • 1943 – Christine McVie, English singer-songwriter and keyboard player
  • 1943 – Paul Silas, American basketball player and coach
  • 1944 – Simon Blackburn, English philosopher and academic
  • 1944 – Delia Ephron, American author, playwright, and screenwriter
  • 1944 – Pat Woodell, American actress and singer (d. 2015)
  • 1945 – Butch Hancock, American country-folk singer-songwriter and musician
  • 1947 – Gareth Edwards, Welsh rugby player and sportscaster
  • 1947 – Wilko Johnson, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
  • 1947 – Richard C. McCarty, American psychologist and academic
  • 1948 – Ben Burtt, American director, screenwriter, and sound designer
  • 1948 – Walter Egan, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1948 – Richard Simmons, American fitness trainer and actor
  • 1949 – Simon Fox, English drummer
  • 1949 – Rick Hendrick, American businessman, founded Hendrick Motorsports
  • 1950 – Eric Carr, American drummer and songwriter (d. 1991)
  • 1950 – Gilles Meloche, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1951 – Joan Bauer, American author
  • 1951 – Brian Grazer, American screenwriter and producer, founded Imagine Entertainment
  • 1951 – Cheryl Ladd, American actress
  • 1951 – Piotr Pustelnik, Polish mountaineer
  • 1951 – Jamey Sheridan, American actor
  • 1952 – Voja Antonić, Serbian computer scientist and journalist, designed the Galaksija computer
  • 1952 – Irina Bokova, Bulgarian politician, Bulgarian Minister of Foreign Affairs
  • 1952 – Philip Taylor Kramer, American bass player (d. 1995)
  • 1954 – Eric Adams, American singer-songwriter
  • 1954 – Robert Carl, American pianist and composer
  • 1954 – Wolfgang Dremmler, German footballer and coach
  • 1955 – Timothy Garton Ash, English historian and author
  • 1955 – Jimmy LaFave, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2017)
  • 1956 – Mel Harris, American actress
  • 1956 – Sandi Patty, American singer and pianist
  • 1956 – Mario Soto, Dominican baseball player
  • 1957 – Rick Husband, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (d. 2003)
  • 1957 – Dave Semenko, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster (d. 2017)
  • 1958 – J. D. Hayworth, American politician and radio host
  • 1958 – Tonya Lee Williams, English-Canadian actress and producer
  • 1959 – David Brown, Australian meteorologist
  • 1959 – Tupou VI, King of Tonga
  • 1959 – Karl J. Friston, English psychiatrist and neuroscientist
  • 1959 – Charlie Murphy, American actor and comedian (d. 2017)
  • 1961 – Heikko Glöde, German footballer and manager
  • 1961 – Shiva Rajkumar, Indian actor, singer, and producer
  • 1962 – Julio César Chávez, Mexican boxer
  • 1962 – Luc De Vos, Belgian singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2014)
  • 1962 – Joanna Shields, American-English businesswoman
  • 1962 – Dean Wilkins, English footballer and manager
  • 1964 – Gaby Roslin, English television host and actress
  • 1965 – Sanjay Manjrekar, Indian cricketer and sportscaster
  • 1965 – Robin Wilson, American singer and guitarist
  • 1966 – Jeff Bucknum, American race car driver
  • 1966 – Annabel Croft, English tennis player and sportscaster
  • 1966 – Taiji, Japanese bass player and songwriter (d. 2011)
  • 1967 – Richard Herring, English comedian and screenwriter
  • 1967 – Mac McCaughan, American singer and guitarist
  • 1967 – John Petrucci, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1967 – Bruny Surin, Canadian sprinter
  • 1968 – Catherine Plewinski, French swimmer
  • 1969 – Lisa Nicole Carson, American actress
  • 1969 – Chantal Jouanno, French politician, French Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports
  • 1969 – Alan Mullally, English cricketer and sportscaster
  • 1969 – Anne-Sophie Pic, French chef
  • 1969 – Jesse Pintado, Mexican-American guitarist (d. 2006)
  • 1970 – Aure Atika, Portuguese-French actress, director, and screenwriter
  • 1970 – Lee Byung-hun, South Korean actor, singer, and dancer
  • 1971 – Joel Casamayor, Cuban American former professional boxer
  • 1971 – Andriy Kovalenco, Ukrainian-Spanish rugby player
  • 1971 – Loni Love, American comedian, actress, and talk show host
  • 1971 – Kristi Yamaguchi, American figure skater
  • 1972 – Travis Best, American basketball player
  • 1972 – Jake Wood, English actor
  • 1973 – Christian Vieri, Italian footballer
  • 1974 – Sharon den Adel, Dutch singer-songwriter
  • 1974 – Stelios Giannakopoulos, Greek footballer and manager
  • 1974 – Gregory Shane Helms, American professional wrestler
  • 1975 – Phil Lord, American filmmaker
  • 1976 – Dan Boyle, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1976 – Anna Friel, English actress
  • 1976 – Tracie Spencer, American singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1977 – Neil Harris, English footballer and manager
  • 1977 – Steve Howey, American actor
  • 1977 – Brock Lesnar, American mixed martial artist and wrestler
  • 1977 – Francesca Lubiani, Italian tennis player
  • 1978 – Topher Grace, American actor
  • 1978 – Michelle Rodriguez, American actress
  • 1979 – Brooke Baldwin, American journalist and television news anchor
  • 1979 – Nikos Barlos, Greek basketball player
  • 1979 – Maya Kobayashi, Japanese journalist
  • 1980 – Kristen Connolly, American actress
  • 1981 – Adrienne Camp, South African singer-songwriter
  • 1981 – Pradeepan Raveendran, Sri Lankan director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1982 – Antonio Cassano, Italian footballer
  • 1984 – Gareth Gates, English singer-songwriter
  • 1984 – Jonathan Lewis, American football player
  • 1984 – Natalie Martinez, American actress
  • 1984 – Michael McGovern, Irish footballer
  • 1984 – Sami Zayn, Canadian professional wrestler
  • 1985 – Paulo Vitor Barreto, Brazilian footballer
  • 1985 – Gianluca Curci, Italian footballer
  • 1985 – Keven Lacombe, Canadian cyclist
  • 1985 – Ismael Londt, Surinamese-Dutch kickboxer
  • 1986 – 360, Australian rapper
  • 1986 – Didier Digard, French footballer
  • 1986 – Hannaliis Jaadla, Estonian footballer
  • 1986 – JP Pietersen, South African rugby player
  • 1986 – Simone Laudehr, German footballer
  • 1988 – LeSean McCoy, American football player
  • 1988 – Inbee Park, South Korean golfer
  • 1989 – Nick Palmieri, American ice hockey player
  • 1990 – Bebé, Portuguese footballer
  • 1990 – Rachel Brosnahan, American actress
  • 1990 – Chasen Shreve, American baseball player
  • 1991 – Salih Dursun, Turkish footballer
  • 1991 – James Rodríguez, Colombian footballer
  • 1992 – Bartosz Bereszyński, Polish footballer
  • 1993 – Kurt Capewell, Australian rugby league player
  • 1994 – Kanako Momota, Japanese singer-songwriter
  • 1995 – Luke Shaw, English footballer
  • 1995 – Jordyn Wieber, American gymnast
  • 1996 – Moussa Dembélé, French footballer
  • 1996 – Jordan Romero, American mountaineer
  • 1997 – Daniel Lawrence, English cricketer
  • 1997 – Malala Yousafzai, Pakistani-English activist, Nobel Prize laureate

Deaths on July 12

  • 524 – Viventiolus, archbishop of Lyon (b. 460)
  • 783 – Bertrada of Laon, Frankish queen (b. 720)
  • 965 – Meng Chang, emperor of Later Shu (b. 919)
  • 981 – Xue Juzheng, Chinese scholar-official and historian
  • 1067 – John Komnenos, Byzantine general
  • 1441 – Ashikaga Yoshinori, Japanese shōgun (b. 1394)
  • 1441 – Kyōgoku Takakazu, Japanese nobleman
  • 1489 – Bahlul Lodi, sultan of Delhi
  • 1536 – Desiderius Erasmus, Dutch priest and philosopher (b. 1466)
  • 1584 – Steven Borough, English navigator and explorer (b. 1525)
  • 1623 – William Bourchier, 3rd Earl of Bath (b. 1557)
  • 1664 – Stefano della Bella, Italian illustrator and engraver (b. 1610)
  • 1682 – Jean Picard, French priest and astronomer (b. 1620)
  • 1691 – Marquis de St Ruth, French general
  • 1693 – John Ashby, English admiral (b. 1640)
  • 1712 – Richard Cromwell, English academic and politician (b. 1626)
  • 1742 – Evaristo Felice Dall’Abaco, Italian violinist and composer (b. 1675)
  • 1749 – Charles de la Boische, Marquis de Beauharnois, French navy officer and politician, Governor General of New France (b. 1671)
  • 1773 – Johann Joachim Quantz, German flute player and composer (b. 1697)
  • 1804 – Alexander Hamilton, American general, economist, and politician, 1st United States Secretary of the Treasury (b. 1755)
  • 1845 – Henrik Wergeland, Norwegian linguist, poet, and playwright (b. 1808)
  • 1850 – Robert Stevenson, Scottish engineer (b. 1772)
  • 1855 – Pavel Nakhimov, Russian admiral (b. 1802)
  • 1870 – John A. Dahlgren, American admiral (b. 1809)
  • 1892 – Alexander Cartwright, American firefighter, invented baseball (b. 1820)
  • 1910 – Charles Rolls, English engineer and businessman, co-founded Rolls-Royce Limited (b. 1887)
  • 1926 – Gertrude Bell, English archaeologist and spy (b. 1868)
  • 1926 – Charles Wood Irish composer (b. 1866)
  • 1929 – Robert Henri, American painter and educator (b. 1865)
  • 1931 – Nathan Söderblom, Swedish archbishop, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1866)
  • 1934 – Ole Evinrude, Norwegian-American inventor and businessman, invented the outboard motor (b. 1877)
  • 1935 – Alfred Dreyfus, French colonel (b. 1859)
  • 1944 – Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., American general and politician, Governor of Puerto Rico (b. 1887)
  • 1945 – Boris Galerkin, Russian mathematician and engineer (b. 1871)
  • 1945 – Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen, German field marshal (b. 1895)
  • 1946 – Ray Stannard Baker, American journalist and author (b. 1870)
  • 1947 – Jimmie Lunceford, American saxophonist and bandleader (b. 1902)
  • 1949 – Douglas Hyde, Irish scholar and politician, 1st President of Ireland (b. 1860)
  • 1950 – Elsie de Wolfe, American actress, author, and interior decorator (b. 1865)
  • 1956 – John Hayes, Australian politician, 25th Premier of Tasmania (b. 1868)
  • 1961 – Mazo de la Roche, Canadian author and playwright (b. 1879)
  • 1962 – Roger Wolfe Kahn, American composer and bandleader (b. 1907)
  • 1965 – Christfried Burmeister, Estonian speed skater (b. 1898)
  • 1966 – D. T. Suzuki, Japanese philosopher and author (b. 1870)
  • 1969 – Henry George Lamond, Australian farmer and author (b. 1885)
  • 1971 – Yvon Robert, Canadian wrestler (b. 1914)
  • 1973 – Lon Chaney, Jr., American actor (b. 1906)
  • 1975 – James Ormsbee Chapin, American painter and illustrator (b. 1887)
  • 1979 – Olive Morris, Jamaican-English civil rights activist (d. 1979)
  • 1979 – Minnie Riperton, American singer-songwriter (b. 1947)
  • 1982 – Kenneth More, English actor (b. 1914)
  • 1983 – Chris Wood, English saxophonist (b. 1944)
  • 1990 – João Saldanha, Brazilian footballer, manager, and journalist (b. 1917)
  • 1992 – Caroline Pafford Miller, American journalist and author (b. 1903)
  • 1993 – Dan Eldon, English photographer and journalist (b. 1970)
  • 1994 – Eila Campbell, English geographer and cartographer (b. 1915)
  • 1996 – John Chancellor, American journalist (b. 1927)
  • 1997 – François Furet, French historian and author (b. 1927)
  • 1998 – Jimmy Driftwood, American singer-songwriter and banjo player (b. 1907)
  • 1998 – Arkady Ostashev, Soviet/Russian scientist and engineer (b. 1925)
  • 1998 – Serge Lemoyne, Canadian painter (b. 1941)
  • 1999 – Rajendra Kumar, Bollywood actor, (b. 1921)
  • 2000 – Charles Merritt, Canadian colonel and politician, Victoria Cross recipient (b. 1908)
  • 2001 – Fred Marcellino, American author and illustrator (b. 1939)
  • 2003 – Benny Carter, American trumpet player, saxophonist, and composer (b. 1907)
  • 2003 – Mark Lovell, English race car driver (b. 1960)
  • 2004 – Betty Oliphant, English-Canadian ballerina, co-founded the National Ballet School of Canada (b. 1918)
  • 2005 – John King, Baron King of Wartnaby, English businessman (b. 1917)
  • 2007 – Robert Burås, Norwegian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1975)
  • 2007 – Stan Zemanek, Australian radio and television host (b. 1947)
  • 2008 – Bobby Murcer, American baseball player, coach, and sportscaster (b. 1946)
  • 2008 – Tony Snow, American journalist, 26th White House Press Secretary (b. 1955)
  • 2010 – Olga Guillot, Cuban-American singer (b. 1922)
  • 2010 – James P. Hogan, English-American author (b. 1941)
  • 2010 – Paulo Moura, Brazilian clarinetist and saxophonist (b. 1932)
  • 2010 – Pius Njawé, Cameroonian journalist (b. 1957)
  • 2010 – Harvey Pekar, American author and critic (b. 1939)
  • 2011 – Sherwood Schwartz, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1916)
  • 2012 – Alimuddin, Pakistani cricketer (b. 1930)
  • 2012 – Dara Singh, Indian wrestler, actor, and politician (b. 1928)
  • 2012 – Eddy Brown, English footballer and manager (b. 1926)
  • 2012 – Else Holmelund Minarik, Danish-American author and illustrator (b. 1920)
  • 2012 – Roger Payne, English mountaineer (b. 1956)
  • 2012 – Hamid Samandarian, Iranian director and playwright (b. 1931)
  • 2012 – George C. Stoney, American director and producer (b. 1916)
  • 2013 – Amar Bose, American businessman, founded the Bose Corporation (b. 1929)
  • 2013 – Takako Takahashi, Japanese author (b. 1932)
  • 2013 – Elaine Morgan, Welsh writer (b. 1920)
  • 2013 – Alan Whicker, Egyptian-English journalist (b. 1925)
  • 2014 – Jamil Ahmad, Pakistani author (b. 1931)
  • 2014 – Nestor Basterretxea, Spanish painter and sculptor (b. 1924)
  • 2014 – Emil Bobu, Romanian politician (b. 1927)
  • 2014 – Alfred de Grazia, American political scientist and author (b. 1919)
  • 2014 – Kenneth J. Gray, American soldier and politician (b. 1924)
  • 2014 – Valeriya Novodvorskaya, Russian journalist and politician (b. 1950)
  • 2015 – D’Army Bailey, American lawyer, judge, and actor (b. 1941)
  • 2015 – Chenjerai Hove, Zimbabwean journalist, author, and poet (b. 1956)
  • 2015 – Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, Tibetan monk and activist (b. 1950)
  • 2015 – Cheng Siwei, Chinese engineer, economist, and politician (b. 1935)
  • 2016 – Goran Hadžić, Serbian politician (b. 1958)
  • 2018 – Dada J. P. Vaswani, Indian spiritual leader (b. 1918)

Holidays and observances on July 12

  • Birthday of the Heir to the Crown of Tonga (Tonga)
  • Christian feast day:
    • Feast of Saints Peter and Paul (Eastern Orthodox)
    • Hermagoras and Fortunatus
    • Jason of Thessalonica (Catholic Church)
    • John Gualbert
    • Louis Martin and Marie-Azélie Guérin
    • Nabor and Felix
    • Nathan Söderblom (Lutheran, Episcopal Church (USA))
    • Veronica
    • Viventiolus
    • July 12 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Kiribati from the United Kingdom in 1979.
  • Independence Day, celebrates the independence of São Tomé and Príncipe from Portugal in 1975.
  • The second day of Naadam (Mongolia)
  • The Twelfth, also known as Orangemen’s Day (Northern Ireland, Scotland, Newfoundland and Labrador)

April 30 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

by
  • 311 – The Diocletianic Persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire ends.
  • 313 – Battle of Tzirallum: Emperor Licinius defeats Maximinus II and unifies the Eastern Roman Empire.
  • 642 – Chindasuinth is proclaimed king by the Visigothic nobility and bishops.
  • 1315 – Enguerrand de Marigny is hanged at the instigation of Charles, Count of Valois.
  • 1492 – Spain gives Christopher Columbus his commission of exploration.
  • 1513 – Edmund de la Pole, Yorkist pretender to the English throne, is executed on the orders of Henry VIII.
  • 1557 – Mapuche leader Lautaro is killed by Spanish forces at the Battle of Mataquito in Chile.
  • 1598 – Juan de Oñate begins the conquest of Santa Fe de Nuevo México.
  • 1598 – Henry IV of France issues the Edict of Nantes, allowing freedom of religion to the Huguenots.
  • 1636 – Eighty Years’ War: Dutch Republic forces recapture a strategically important fort from Spain after a nine-month siege.
  • 1671 – Petar Zrinski, the Croatian Ban from the Zrinski family, is executed.
  • 1789 – On the balcony of Federal Hall on Wall Street in New York City, George Washington takes the oath of office to become the first elected President of the United States.
  • 1803 – Louisiana Purchase: The United States purchases the Louisiana Territory from France for $15 million, more than doubling the size of the young nation.
  • 1812 – The Territory of Orleans becomes the 18th U.S. state under the name Louisiana.
  • 1838 – Nicaragua declares independence from the Central American Federation.
  • 1863 – A 65-man French Foreign Legion infantry patrol fights a force of nearly 2,000 Mexican soldiers to nearly the last man in Hacienda Camarón, Mexico.
  • 1871 – The Camp Grant massacre takes place in Arizona Territory.
  • 1885 – Governor of New York David B. Hill signs legislation creating the Niagara Reservation, New York’s first state park, ensuring that Niagara Falls will not be devoted solely to industrial and commercial use.
  • 1897 – J. J. Thomson of the Cavendish Laboratory announces his discovery of the electron as a subatomic particle, over 1,800 times smaller than a proton (in the atomic nucleus), at a lecture at the Royal Institution in London.
  • 1900 – Hawaii becomes a territory of the United States, with Sanford B. Dole as governor.
  • 1904 – The Louisiana Purchase Exposition World’s Fair opens in St. Louis, Missouri.
  • 1905 – Albert Einstein completes his doctoral thesis at the University of Zurich.
  • 1925 – Automaker Dodge Brothers, Inc is sold to Dillon, Read & Co. for US$146 million plus $50 million for charity.
  • 1927 – The Federal Industrial Institute for Women opens in Alderson, West Virginia, as the first women’s federal prison in the United States.
  • 1927 – Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford become the first celebrities to leave their footprints in concrete at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.
  • 1937 – The Commonwealth of the Philippines holds a plebiscite for Filipino women on whether they should be extended the right to suffrage; over 90% would vote in the affirmative.
  • 1938 – The animated cartoon short Porky’s Hare Hunt debuts in movie theaters, introducing Happy Rabbit, an early version of Bugs Bunny.
  • 1939 – The 1939–40 New York World’s Fair opens.
  • 1939 – NBC inaugurates its regularly scheduled television service in New York City, broadcasting President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s N.Y. World’s Fair opening day ceremonial address.
  • 1943 – World War II: The British submarine HMS Seraph surfaces near Huelva to cast adrift a dead man dressed as a courier and carrying false invasion plans.
  • 1945 – World War II: Führerbunker: Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun commit suicide after being married for less than 40 hours. Soviet soldiers raise the Victory Banner over the Reichstag building.
  • 1945 – World War II: Stalag Luft I prisoner-of-war camp near Barth, Germany is liberated by Soviet soldiers, freeing nearly 9000 American and British airmen.
  • 1947 – In Nevada, Boulder Dam is renamed Hoover Dam.
  • 1948 – In Bogotá, Colombia, the Organization of American States is established.
  • 1956 – Former Vice President and Democratic Senator Alben Barkley dies during a speech in Virginia.
  • 1957 – Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery entered into force.
  • 1961 – K-19, the first Soviet nuclear submarine equipped with nuclear missiles, is commissioned.
  • 1963 – The Bristol Bus Boycott is held in Bristol to protest the Bristol Omnibus Company’s refusal to employ Black or Asian bus crews, drawing national attention to racial discrimination in the United Kingdom.
  • 1966 – The Church of Satan is formed in The Black House, San Francisco.
  • 1973 – Watergate scandal: U.S. President Richard Nixon announces that White House Counsel John Dean has been fired and that other top aides, most notably H. R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman, have resigned.
  • 1975 – Fall of Saigon: Communist forces gain control of Saigon. The Vietnam War formally ends with the unconditional surrender of South Vietnamese president Dương Văn Minh.
  • 1980 – Beatrix is inaugurated as Queen of the Netherlands following the abdication of Juliana.
  • 1980 – The Iranian Embassy siege begins in London.
  • 1982 – The Bijon Setu massacre occurs in Calcutta, India.
  • 1993 – CERN announces World Wide Web protocols will be free.
  • 1994 – Formula One racing driver Roland Ratzenberger is killed in a crash during the qualifying session of the San Marino Grand Prix run at Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari outside Imola, Italy.
  • 2000 – Canonization of Faustina Kowalska in the presence of 200,000 people and the first Divine Mercy Sunday celebrated worldwide.
  • 2004 – U.S. media release graphic photos of American soldiers abusing and sexually humiliating Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison.
  • 2008 – Two skeletal remains found near Yekaterinburg, Russia are confirmed by Russian scientists to be the remains of Alexei and Anastasia, two of the children of the last Tsar of Russia, whose entire family was executed at Yekaterinburg by the Bolsheviks.
  • 2009 – Chrysler files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
  • 2009 – Seven civilians and the perpetrator are killed and another ten injured at a Queen’s Day parade in Apeldoorn, Netherlands in an attempted assassination on Queen Beatrix.
  • 2012 – An overloaded ferry capsizes on the Brahmaputra River in India killing at least 103 people.
  • 2013 – Willem-Alexander is inaugurated as King of the Netherlands following the abdication of Beatrix.
  • 2014 – A bomb blast in Ürümqi, China kills three people and injures 79 others.

Births on April 30

  • 1245 – Philip III of France (d. 1285)
  • 1310 – King Casimir III of Poland (d. 1368)
  • 1331 – Gaston III, Count of Foix (d. 1391)
  • 1383 – Anne of Gloucester, English countess, granddaughter of King Edward III of England (d. 1438)
  • 1425 – William III, Landgrave of Thuringia (d. 1482)
  • 1504 – Francesco Primaticcio, Italian painter (d. 1570)
  • 1553 – Louise of Lorraine (d. 1601)
  • 1623 – François de Laval, French-Canadian bishop and saint (d. 1708)
  • 1651 – Jean-Baptiste de La Salle, French priest and saint (d. 1719)
  • 1662 – Mary II of England (d. 1694)
  • 1664 – François Louis, Prince of Conti (d. 1709)
  • 1710 – Johann Kaspar Basselet von La Rosée, Bavarian general (d. 1795)
  • 1723 – Mathurin Jacques Brisson, French zoologist and philosopher (d. 1806)
  • 1758 – Emmanuel Vitale, Maltese commander and politician (d. 1802)
  • 1770 – David Thompson, English-Canadian cartographer and explorer (d. 1857)
  • 1777 – Carl Friedrich Gauss, German mathematician and physicist (d. 1855)
  • 1803 – Albrecht von Roon, Prussian soldier and politician, 10th Minister President of Prussia (d. 1879)
  • 1829 – Ferdinand von Hochstetter, Austrian geologist and academic (d. 1884)
  • 1857 – Eugen Bleuler, Swiss psychiatrist and eugenicist (d. 1940)
  • 1857 – Walter Simon, German banker and philanthropist (d. 1920)
  • 1865 – Max Nettlau, German historian and academic (d. 1944)
  • 1866 – Mary Haviland Stilwell Kuesel, American pioneer dentist (d. 1936)
  • 1869 – Hans Poelzig, German architect, designed the IG Farben Building and Großes Schauspielhaus (d. 1936)
  • 1870 – Franz Lehár, Hungarian composer (d. 1948)
  • 1870 – Dadasaheb Phalke, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1944)
  • 1874 – Cyriel Verschaeve, Flemish priest and author (d. 1949)
  • 1876 – Orso Mario Corbino, Italian physicist and politician (d. 1937)
  • 1877 – Léon Flameng, French cyclist (d. 1917)
  • 1877 – Alice B. Toklas, American memoirist (d. 1967)
  • 1878 – Władysław Witwicki, Polish psychologist, philosopher, translator, historian (of philosophy and art) and artist (d. 1948)
  • 1880 – Charles Exeter Devereux Crombie, Scottish cartoonist (d. 1967)
  • 1883 – Jaroslav Hašek, Czech soldier and author (d. 1923)
  • 1883 – Luigi Russolo, Italian painter and composer (d. 1947)
  • 1884 – Olof Sandborg, Swedish actor (d. 1965)
  • 1888 – John Crowe Ransom, American poet, critic, and academic (d. 1974)
  • 1893 – Harold Breen, Australian public servant (d. 1966)
  • 1893 – Joachim von Ribbentrop, German soldier and politician, 14th German Reich Minister for Foreign Affairs (d. 1946)
  • 1895 – Philippe Panneton, Canadian physician, academic, and diplomat (d. 1960)
  • 1896 – Reverend Gary Davis, American singer and guitarist (d. 1972)
  • 1896 – Hans List, Austrian scientist and businessman, founded the AVL Engineering Company (d. 1996)
  • 1897 – Humberto Mauro, Brazilian director and screenwriter (d. 1983)
  • 1900 – Erni Krusten, Estonian author and poet (d. 1984)
  • 1901 – Simon Kuznets, Belarusian-American economist, statistician, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1985)
  • 1902 – Theodore Schultz, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1998)
  • 1905 – Sergey Nikolsky, Russian mathematician and academic (d. 2012)
  • 1908 – Eve Arden, American actress (d. 1990)
  • 1908 – Bjarni Benediktsson, Icelandic professor of law and politician, 13th Prime Minister of Iceland (d. 1970)
  • 1908 – Frank Robert Miller, Canadian air marshal and politician (d. 1997)
  • 1909 – F. E. McWilliam, Irish sculptor and educator (d. 1992)
  • 1909 – Juliana of the Netherlands (d. 2004)
  • 1910 – Levi Celerio, Filipino pianist, violinist, and composer (d. 2002)
  • 1914 – Charles Beetham, American middle-distance runner (d. 1997)
  • 1914 – Dorival Caymmi, Brazilian singer-songwriter, actor, and painter (d. 2008)
  • 1916 – Paul Kuusberg, Estonian journalist and author (d. 2003)
  • 1916 – Claude Shannon, American mathematician and engineer (d. 2001)
  • 1916 – Robert Shaw, American conductor (d. 1999)
  • 1917 – Bea Wain, American singer (d. 2017)
  • 1920 – Duncan Hamilton, Irish-English race car driver and pilot (d. 1994)
  • 1920 – Tom Moore, British army officer and fundraiser
  • 1921 – Roger L. Easton, American scientist, co-invented the GPS (d. 2014)
  • 1922 – Anton Murray, South African cricketer (d. 1995)
  • 1923 – Percy Heath, American bassist (d. 2005)
  • 1923 – Kagamisato Kiyoji, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 42nd Yokozuna (d. 2004)
  • 1924 – Uno Laht, Estonian KGB officer and author (d. 2008)
  • 1925 – Corinne Calvet, French actress (d. 2001)
  • 1925 – Johnny Horton, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1960)
  • 1926 – Shrinivas Khale, Indian composer (d. 2011)
  • 1926 – Cloris Leachman, American actress and comedian
  • 1928 – Hugh Hood, Canadian author and academic (d. 2000)
  • 1928 – Orlando Sirola, Italian tennis player (d. 1995)
  • 1930 – Félix Guattari, French psychotherapist and philosopher (d. 1992)
  • 1933 – Charles Sanderson, Baron Sanderson of Bowden, English politician
  • 1934 – Jerry Lordan, English singer-songwriter (d. 1995)
  • 1934 – Don McKenney, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1937 – Tony Harrison, English poet and playwright
  • 1938 – Gary Collins, American actor and talk show host (d. 2012)
  • 1938 – Juraj Jakubisko, Slovak director and screenwriter
  • 1938 – Larry Niven, American author and screenwriter
  • 1940 – Jeroen Brouwers, Dutch journalist and writer
  • 1940 – Michael Cleary, Australian rugby player and politician
  • 1941 – Stavros Dimas, Greek lawyer and politician, Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs
  • 1941 – Max Merritt, New Zealand-Australian singer-songwriter
  • 1942 – Sallehuddin of Kedah, Sultan of Kedah
  • 1943 – Frederick Chiluba, Zambian politician, 2nd President of Zambia (d. 2011)
  • 1943 – Bobby Vee, American pop singer-songwriter (d. 2016)
  • 1944 – Jon Bing, Norwegian author, scholar, and academic (d. 2014)
  • 1944 – Jill Clayburgh, American actress (d. 2010)
  • 1945 – J. Michael Brady, British radiologist
  • 1945 – Annie Dillard, American novelist, essayist, and poet
  • 1945 – Mimi Fariña, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and activist (d. 2001)
  • 1945 – Michael J. Smith, American captain, pilot, and astronaut (d. 1986)
  • 1946 – King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
  • 1946 – Bill Plympton, American animator, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1946 – Don Schollander, American swimmer
  • 1947 – Paul Fiddes, English theologian and academic
  • 1947 – Finn Kalvik, Norwegian singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1947 – Tom Køhlert, Danish footballer and manager
  • 1947 – Mats Odell, Swedish economist and politician, Swedish Minister for Financial Markets
  • 1948 – Wayne Kramer, American guitarist and singer-songwriter
  • 1948 – Pierre Pagé, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1948 – Margit Papp, Hungarian athlete
  • 1949 – Phil Garner, American baseball player and manager
  • 1949 – António Guterres, Portuguese academic and politician, 114th Prime Minister of Portugal and 9th Secretary-General of the United Nations
  • 1949 – Karl Meiler, German tennis player (d. 2014)
  • 1952 – Jacques Audiard, French director and screenwriter
  • 1952 – Jack Middelburg, Dutch motorcycle racer (d. 1984)
  • 1953 – Merrill Osmond, American singer and bass player
  • 1954 – Jane Campion, New Zealand director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1954 – Kim Darroch, English diplomat, UK Permanent Representative to the European Union
  • 1954 – Frank-Michael Marczewski, German footballer
  • 1955 – Nicolas Hulot, French journalist and environmentalist
  • 1955 – David Kitchin, English lawyer and judge
  • 1955 – Zlatko Topčić, Bosnian writer and screenwriter
  • 1956 – Lars von Trier, Danish director and screenwriter
  • 1957 – Wonder Mike, American rapper and songwriter
  • 1958 – Charles Berling, French actor, director, and screenwriter
  • 1959 – Stephen Harper, Canadian economist and politician, 22nd Prime Minister of Canada
  • 1960 – Geoffrey Cox, English lawyer and politician
  • 1960 – Kerry Healey, American academic and politician, 70th Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts
  • 1961 – Arnór Guðjohnsen, Icelandic footballer
  • 1961 – Isiah Thomas, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster
  • 1963 – Andrew Carwood, English tenor and conductor
  • 1963 – Michael Waltrip, American race car driver and sportscaster
  • 1964 – Tony Fernandes, Malaysian-Indian businessman, co-founded Tune Group
  • 1964 – Ian Healy, Australian cricketer, coach, and sportscaster
  • 1964 – Lorenzo Staelens, Belgian footballer and manager
  • 1964 – Abhishek Chatterjee, Indian actor
  • 1965 – Daniela Costian, Romanian-Australian discus thrower
  • 1965 – Adrian Pasdar, American actor
  • 1966 – Jeff Brown, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1966 – Dave Meggett, American football player and coach
  • 1967 – Phil Chang, Taiwanese singer-songwriter and actor
  • 1969 – Warren Defever, American bass player and producer
  • 1969 – Justine Greening, English accountant and politician, Secretary of State for International Development
  • 1969 – Paulo Jr., Brazilian bass player
  • 1972 – Takako Tokiwa, Japanese actress
  • 1973 – Leigh Francis, English comedian and actor
  • 1974 – Christian Tamminga, Dutch athlete
  • 1975 – Johnny Galecki, American actor
  • 1976 – Davian Clarke, Jamaican sprinter
  • 1976 – Amanda Palmer, American singer-songwriter and pianist
  • 1976 – Daniel Wagon, Australian rugby league player
  • 1977 – Jeannie Haddaway, American politician
  • 1977 – Meredith L. Patterson, American technologist, journalist, and author
  • 1978 – Liljay, Taiwanese singer
  • 1979 – Gerardo Torrado, Mexican footballer
  • 1980 – Luis Scola, Argentinian basketball player
  • 1980 – Jeroen Verhoeven, Dutch footballer
  • 1981 – Nicole Kaczmarski, American basketball player
  • 1981 – John O’Shea, Irish footballer
  • 1981 – Kunal Nayyar, British-Indian actor
  • 1981 – Justin Vernon, American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer
  • 1982 – Kirsten Dunst, American actress
  • 1982 – Drew Seeley, Canadian-American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actor
  • 1983 – Chris Carr, American football player
  • 1983 – Tatjana Hüfner, German luger
  • 1983 – Marina Tomić, Slovenian hurdler
  • 1983 – Troy Williamson, American football player
  • 1984 – Seimone Augustus, American basketball player
  • 1984 – Shawn Daivari, American wrestler and manager
  • 1984 – Risto Mätas, Estonian javelin thrower
  • 1984 – Lee Roache, English footballer
  • 1985 – Brandon Bass, American basketball player
  • 1985 – Gal Gadot, Israeli actress and model
  • 1985 – Ashley Alexandra Dupré, American journalist, singer, and prostitute
  • 1986 – Dianna Agron, American actress and singer
  • 1986 – Martten Kaldvee, Estonian biathlete
  • 1987 – Alipate Carlile, Australian footballer
  • 1987 – Chris Morris, South African cricketer
  • 1987 – Rohit Sharma, Indian cricketer
  • 1988 – Andy Allen, Australian chef
  • 1988 – Sander Baart, Dutch field hockey player
  • 1988 – Liu Xijun, Chinese singer
  • 1988 – Oh Hye-ri, South Korean taekwondo athlete
  • 1989 – Jang Wooyoung, South Korean singer and actor
  • 1990 – Jonny Brownlee, English triathlete
  • 1990 – Mac DeMarco, Canadian singer-songwriter
  • 1990 – Kaarel Kiidron, Estonian footballer
  • 1991 – Chris Kreider, American ice hockey player
  • 1992 – Travis Scott, American rapper and producer
  • 1992 – Marc-André ter Stegen, German footballer
  • 1993 – Dion Dreesens, Dutch swimmer
  • 1993 – Martin Fuksa, Czech canoeist
  • 1994 – Chae Seo-jin, South Korean actress
  • 1994 – Wang Yafan, Chinese tennis player
  • 1996 – Luke Friend, English singer
  • 1997 – Adam Ryczkowski, Polish footballer
  • 1999 – Jorden van Foreest, Dutch chess grandmaster
  • 2000 – Yui Hiwatashi, Japanese singer
  • 2003 – Jung Yun-Seok, South Korean actor

Deaths on April 30

  • AD 65 – Lucan, Roman poet (b. 39)
  • 125 – An, Chinese emperor (b. 94)
  • 535 – Amalasuntha, Ostrogothic queen and regent
  • 783 – Hildegard of the Vinzgau, Frankish queen
  • 1002 – Eckard I, German nobleman
  • 1030 – Mahmud of Ghazni, Ghaznavid emir (b. 971)
  • 1063 – Ren Zong, Chinese emperor (b. 1010)
  • 1131 – Adjutor, French knight and saint
  • 1305 – Roger de Flor, Italian military adventurer (b. 1267)
  • 1341 – John III, duke of Brittany (b. 1286)
  • 1439 – Richard de Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick, English commander (b. 1382)
  • 1524 – Pierre Terrail, seigneur de Bayard, French soldier (b. 1473)
  • 1544 – Thomas Audley, 1st Baron Audley of Walden, English lawyer and judge, Lord Chancellor of England (b. 1488)
  • 1550 – Tabinshwehti, Burmese king (b. 1516)
  • 1632 – Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly, Bavarian general (b. 1559)
  • 1632 – Sigismund III Vasa, Swedish-Polish son of John III of Sweden (b. 1566)
  • 1637 – Niwa Nagashige, Japanese daimyō (b. 1571)
  • 1655 – Eustache Le Sueur, French painter (b. 1617)
  • 1660 – Petrus Scriverius, Dutch historian and scholar (b. 1576)
  • 1672 – Marie of the Incarnation, French-Canadian nun and saint, founded the Ursulines of Quebec (b. 1599)
  • 1696 – Robert Plot, English chemist and academic (b. 1640)
  • 1712 – Philipp van Limborch, Dutch theologian and author (b. 1633)
  • 1736 – Johann Albert Fabricius, German scholar and author (b. 1668)
  • 1758 – François d’Agincourt, French organist and composer (b. 1684)
  • 1792 – John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, English politician, Secretary of State for the Northern Department (b. 1718)
  • 1795 – Jean-Jacques Barthélemy, French archaeologist and author (b. 1716)
  • 1806 – Onogawa Kisaburō, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 5th Yokozuna (b. 1758)
  • 1841 – Peter Andreas Heiberg, Danish philologist and author (b. 1758)
  • 1847 – Charles, Austrian commander and duke of Teschen (b. 1771)
  • 1863 – Jean Danjou, French captain (b. 1828)
  • 1865 – Robert FitzRoy, English admiral, meteorologist, and politician, 2nd Governor of New Zealand (b. 1805)
  • 1870 – Thomas Cooke, Canadian bishop and missionary (b. 1792)
  • 1875 – Jean-Frédéric Waldeck, French explorer, lithographer, and cartographer (b. 1766)
  • 1879 – Emma Smith, American religious leader (b. 1804)
  • 1883 – Édouard Manet, French painter (b. 1832)
  • 1891 – Joseph Leidy, American paleontologist and author (b. 1823)
  • 1900 – Casey Jones, American engineer (b. 1863)
  • 1903 – Emily Stowe, Canadian physician and activist (b. 1831)
  • 1910 – Jean Moréas, Greek poet and critic (b. 1856)
  • 1936 – A. E. Housman, English poet and scholar (b. 1859)
  • 1939 – Frank Haller, American boxer (b. 1883)
  • 1943 – Otto Jespersen, Danish linguist and academic (b. 1860)
  • 1943 – Beatrice Webb, English sociologist and economist (b. 1858)
  • 1953 – Jacob Linzbach, Estonian linguist and author (b. 1874)
  • 1956 – Alben W. Barkley, American lawyer and politician, 35th Vice President of the United States (b. 1877)
  • 1970 – Jacques Presser, Dutch historian, writer and poet (b. 1899)
  • 1970 – Inger Stevens, Swedish-American actress (b. 1934)
  • 1972 – Gia Scala, English-American model and actress (b. 1934)
  • 1973 – Václav Renč, Czech poet and playwright (b. 1911)
  • 1974 – Agnes Moorehead, American actress (b. 1900)
  • 1980 – Luis Muñoz Marín, Puerto Rican journalist and politician, 1st Governor of Puerto Rico (b. 1898)
  • 1982 – Lester Bangs, American journalist and author (b. 1949)
  • 1983 – George Balanchine, Russian dancer and choreographer (b. 1904)
  • 1983 – Muddy Waters, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and bandleader (b. 1913)
  • 1983 – Edouard Wyss-Dunant, Swiss physician and mountaineer (b. 1897)
  • 1986 – Robert Stevenson, English director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1905)
  • 1989 – Sergio Leone, Italian director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1929)
  • 1993 – Tommy Caton, English footballer (b. 1962)
  • 1994 – Roland Ratzenberger, Austrian race car driver (b. 1960)
  • 1994 – Richard Scarry, American author and illustrator (b. 1919)
  • 1995 – Maung Maung Kha, Burmese colonel and politician, 8th Prime Minister of Burma (b. 1920)
  • 1998 – Nizar Qabbani, Syrian-English poet, publisher, and diplomat (b. 1926)
  • 2000 – Poul Hartling, Danish politician, 36th Prime Minister of Denmark (b. 1914)
  • 2002 – Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, German philanthropist, founded the Gründerzeit Museum (b. 1928)
  • 2003 – Mark Berger, American economist and academic (b. 1955)
  • 2003 – Possum Bourne, New Zealand race car driver (b. 1956)
  • 2005 – Phil Rasmussen, American lieutenant and pilot (b. 1918)
  • 2006 – Jean-François Revel, French philosopher (b. 1924)
  • 2006 – Pramoedya Ananta Toer, Indonesian author and academic (b. 1925)
  • 2007 – Kevin Mitchell, American football player (b. 1971)
  • 2007 – Tom Poston, American actor, comedian, and game show panelist (b. 1921)
  • 2007 – Gordon Scott, American film and television actor (b. 1926)
  • 2008 – John Cargher, English-Australian journalist and author (b. 1919)
  • 2008 – Juancho Evertsz, Dutch Antillean politician (b. 1923)
  • 2009 – Henk Nijdam, Dutch cyclist (b. 1935)
  • 2011 – Dorjee Khandu, Indian politician, 6th Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh (b. 1955)
  • 2011 – Evald Okas, Estonian painter (b. 1915)
  • 2011 – Ernesto Sabato, Argentinian physicist, author, and painter (b. 1911)
  • 2012 – Tomás Borge, Nicaraguan poet and politician, co-founded the Sandinista National Liberation Front (b. 1930)
  • 2012 – Alexander Dale Oen, Norwegian swimmer (b. 1985)
  • 2012 – Giannis Gravanis, Greek footballer (b. 1958)
  • 2012 – Benzion Netanyahu, Russian-Israeli historian and academic (b. 1910)
  • 2012 – Sicelo Shiceka, South African politician (b. 1966)
  • 2013 – Roberto Chabet, Filipino painter and sculptor (b. 1937)
  • 2013 – Shirley Firth, Canadian skier (b. 1953)
  • 2013 – Viviane Forrester, French author and critic (b. 1925)
  • 2013 – Mike Gray, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1935)
  • 2014 – Khaled Choudhury, Indian painter and set designer (b. 1919)
  • 2014 – Julian Lewis, English biologist and academic (b. 1946)
  • 2014 – Carl E. Moses, American businessman and politician (b. 1929)
  • 2014 – Ian Ross, Australian journalist (b. 1940)
  • 2015 – Lennart Bodström, Swedish politician (b. 1928)
  • 2015 – Ben E. King, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1938)
  • 2015 – Steven Goldmann, Canadian director and producer (b. 1961)
  • 2016 – Daniel Berrigan, American priest and activist (b. 1921)
  • 2016 – Harry Kroto, English chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1939)
  • 2019 – Peter Mayhew, English-American actor (b. 1944)
  • 2020 – Tony Allen, Nigerian drummer and composer (b. 1940)

Holidays and observances on April 30

  • Armed Forces Day (Georgia)
  • Birthday of the King Carl XVI Gustaf, one of the official flag days of Sweden.
  • Camarón Day (French Foreign Legion)
  • Children’s Day (Mexico)
  • Christian feast day:
    • Adjutor
    • Aimo
    • Amator, Peter and Louis
    • Donatus of Evorea
    • Eutropius of Saintes
    • Marie Guyart (Anglican Church of Canada)
    • Marie of the Incarnation (Ursuline)
    • Maximus of Rome
    • Blessed Miles Gerard
    • Pomponius of Naples
    • Pope Pius V
    • Quirinus of Neuss
    • Sarah Josepha Hale (Episcopal Church)
    • Suitbert the Younger
    • April 30 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Consumer Protection Day (Thailand)
  • Earliest day on which Ascension Day can fall, while June 3 is the latest; celebrated 40 days after Easter (Christianity), and its related observances:
    • Festa della Sensa (Venice)
    • Global Day of Prayer (Western Christianity)
    • Sheep Festival (Cameroon)
  • Honesty Day (United States)
  • International Jazz Day (UNESCO)
  • Martyrs’ Day (Pakistan)
  • May Eve, the eve of the first day of summer in the Northern hemisphere (see May 1):
    • Beltane begins at sunset in the Northern hemisphere, Samhain begins at sunset in the Southern hemisphere. (Neo-Druidic Wheel of the Year)
    • Carodejnice (Czech Republic and Slovakia)
    • Walpurgis Night (Central and Northern Europe)
  • National Persian Gulf Day (Iran)
  • Reunification Day (Vietnam)
  • Russian State Fire Service Day (Russia)
  • Teachers’ Day (Paraguay)