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- 48 BC – Pompey is assassinated by order of King Ptolemy upon arriving in Egypt.
- 235 – Pope Pontian resigns. He is exiled to the mines of Sardinia, along with Hippolytus of Rome.
- 351 – Constantius II defeats the usurper Magnentius.
- 365 – Roman usurper Procopius bribes two legions passing by Constantinople, and proclaims himself emperor.
- 935 – Duke Wenceslaus I of Bohemia is murdered by a group of nobles led by his brother Boleslaus I, who succeeds him.
- 995 – Boleslaus II, Duke of Bohemia, kills most members of the rival Slavník dynasty.
- 1066 – William the Conqueror lands in England, beginning the Norman conquest.
- 1106 – King Henry I of England defeats his brother, Robert Curthose.
- 1238 – King James I of Aragon conquers Valencia from the Moors. Shortly thereafter, he proclaims himself king of Valencia.
- 1322 – Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor, defeats Frederick I of Austria in the Battle of Mühldorf.
- 1538 – Ottoman–Venetian War: The Ottoman Navy scores a decisive victory over a Holy League fleet in the Battle of Preveza.
- 1542 – Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo of Portugal arrives at what is now San Diego, California.
- 1779 – American Revolution: Samuel Huntington is elected President of the Continental Congress, succeeding John Jay.
- 1781 – American Revolution: American forces backed by a French fleet begin the siege of Yorktown.
- 1787 – The Congress of the Confederation votes to send the newly-written United States Constitution to the state legislatures for approval.
- 1821 – The Declaration of Independence of the Mexican Empire is drafted. It will be made public on 13 October.
- 1844 – Oscar I of Sweden–Norway is crowned king of Sweden.
- 1867 – Toronto becomes the capital of Ontario, having also been the capital of Ontario’s predecessors since 1796.
- 1868 – The Battle of Alcolea causes Queen Isabella II of Spain to flee to France.
- 1871 – The Brazilian Parliament passes a law that frees all children thereafter born to slaves, and all government-owned slaves.
- 1889 – The General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) defines the length of a meter.
- 1892 – The first night game for American football takes place in a contest between Wyoming Seminary and Mansfield State Normal.
- 1893 – Foundation of the Portuguese football club FC Porto.
- 1901 – Philippine–American War: Filipino guerrillas kill more than forty American soldiers while losing 28 of their own.
- 1912 – The Ulster Covenant is signed by some 500,000 Ulster Protestant Unionists in opposition to the Third Irish Home Rule Bill.
- 1912 – Corporal Frank S. Scott of the United States Army becomes the first enlisted man to die in an airplane crash.
- 1918 – World War I: The Fifth Battle of Ypres begins.
- 1919 – Race riots begin in Omaha, Nebraska.
- 1924 – The first aerial circumnavigation is completed by a team from the US Army.
- 1928 – Alexander Fleming notices a bacteria-killing mold growing in his laboratory, discovering what later became known as penicillin.
- 1939 – World War II: Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union agree on a division of Poland.
- 1939 – World War II: The siege of Warsaw comes to an end.
- 1941 – World War II: The Drama uprising against the Bulgarian occupation in northern Greece begins.
- 1941 – Ted Williams achieves a .406 batting average for the season, and becomes the last major league baseball player to bat .400 or better.
- 1944 – World War II: Soviet Army troops liberate Klooga concentration camp in Estonia.
- 1951 – CBS makes the first color televisions available for sale to the general public, but the product is discontinued less than a month later.
- 1961 – A military coup in Damascus effectively ends the United Arab Republic, the union between Egypt and Syria.
- 1970 – Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser dies of a heart attack in Cairo.
- 1971 – The Parliament of the UK passes the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, banning the medicinal use of cannabis.
- 1973 – The ITT Building in New York City is bombed in protest at ITT’s alleged involvement in the coup d’état in Chile.
- 1975 – The Spaghetti House siege, in which nine people are taken hostage, takes place in London.
- 1986 – The Democratic Progressive Party becomes the first opposition party in Taiwan.
- 1991 – The Strategic Air Command stands down from alert all ICBMs scheduled for deactivation under START I, as well as its strategic bomber force.
- 1992 – A Pakistan International Airlines flight crashes into a hill in Nepal, killing all 167 passengers and crew.
- 1994 – The cruise ferry MS Estonia sinks in the Baltic Sea, killing 852 people.
- 1995 – Bob Denard and a group of mercenaries take the islands of the Comoros in a coup.
- 1995 – Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat sign the Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
- 2000 – Al-Aqsa Intifada: Ariel Sharon visits Al-Aqsa Mosque known to Jews as the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
- 2008 – Falcon 1 becomes the first privately developed liquid-fuel ground-launched vehicle to put a payload into orbit.
- 2009 – The military junta leading Guinea attacks a protest rally, killing or wounding 1400 people.
- 2012 – Somali and African Union forces launch a coordinated assault on the Somali port of Kismayo to take back the city from al-Shabaab militants.
- 2014 – The 2014 Hong Kong protests begin in response to restrictive political reforms imposed by the NPC in Beijing.
- 2016 – The 2016 South Australian blackout occurs, lasting up to three days in some areas.
- 2018 – The 7.5 Mw 2018 Sulawesi earthquake, which triggered a large tsunami, leaves 4,340 dead and 10,679 injured.
- 2018 – On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War, the international project Tree of Peace was established (September, 28). One of the trees was planted personally by Zuzana Čaputová, President of the Slovak Republic.
Births on September 28
- 551 BC – Confucius, Chinese teacher, editor, politician, and philosopher of the Spring and Autumn period of Chinese history. (d. 479 BC)
- 616 – Javanshir, King of Caucasian Albania (d. 680)
- 1494 – Agnolo Firenzuola, Italian poet and playwright (d. 1545)
- 1555 – Henri de La Tour d’Auvergne, Marshal of France (d. 1623)
- 1573 – Théodore de Mayerne, Swiss physician (d. 1654)
- 1605 – Ismaël Bullialdus, French astronomer and mathematician (d. 1694)
- 1681 – Johann Mattheson, German composer, lexicographer, and diplomat (d. 1764)
- 1705 – Henry Fox, 1st Baron Holland, English politician, Secretary of State for the Southern Department (d. 1774)
- 1705 – Johann Peter Kellner, German organist and composer (d. 1772)
- 1735 – Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton, English academic and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1811)
- 1746 – William Jones, English-Welsh philologist and scholar (d. 1794)
- 1765 – Frederick Christian II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg (d. 1814)
- 1803 – Prosper Mérimée, French archaeologist, historian, and author (d. 1870)
- 1809 – Alvan Wentworth Chapman, American physician and botanist (d. 1899)
- 1819 – Narcís Monturiol, Spanish engineer and publisher (d. 1885)
- 1821 – Jonathan Clarkson Gibbs, American minister and politician (d. 1874)
- 1823 – Alexandre Cabanel, French painter and educator (d. 1889)
- 1824 – Francis Turner Palgrave, English poet and critic (d. 1897)
- 1836 – Thomas Crapper, English plumber, invented the ballcock (d. 1910)
- 1838 – Sai Baba of Shirdi, Indian national saint (d. 1918)
- 1841 – Georges Clemenceau, French journalist, physician, and politician, 85th Prime Minister of France (d. 1929)
- 1844 – Robert Stout, Scottish-New Zealand lawyer and politician, 13th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1930)
- 1852 – Henri Moissan, French chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1907)
- 1852 – Isis Pogson, British astronomer and meteorologist (d. 1945)
- 1856 – Kate Douglas Wiggin, American author and educator (d. 1923)
- 1860 – Paul Ulrich Villard, French chemist and physicist (d. 1934)
- 1861 – Amélie of Orléans, queen consort of Portugal (d. 1951)
- 1867 – Hiranuma Kiichirō, Japanese lawyer and politician, 35th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1952)
- 1867 – James Edwin Campbell, American poet, editor, short story writer and educator (d. 1896)
- 1868 – Evelyn Beatrice Hall, English writer best known for her biography of Voltaire, and wrote under the pseudonym S. G. Tallentyre (d. 1956)
- 1877 – Albert Young, American boxer and promoter (d. 1940)
- 1878 – Joseph Ruddy, American swimmer and water polo player (d. 1962)
- 1870 – Florent Schmitt, French composer and critic (d. 1958)
- 1881 – Pedro de Cordoba, American actor (d. 1950)
- 1882 – Mart Saar, Estonian organist and composer (d. 1963)
- 1885 – Emil Väre, Finnish wrestler, coach, and referee (d. 1974)
- 1887 – Avery Brundage, American businessman, 5th President of the International Olympic Committee (d. 1975)
- 1889 – Jack Fournier, American baseball player and coach (d. 1973)
- 1890 – Florence Violet McKenzie, Australian electrical engineer (d. 1982)
- 1892 – Elmer Rice, American playwright (d. 1967)
- 1893 – Hilda Geiringer, Austrian mathematician (d. 1973)
- 1893 – Giannis Skarimpas, Greek author, poet, and playwright (d. 1984)
- 1898 – Carl Clauberg, German Nazi physician (d. 1957)
- 1900 – Isabel Pell, American socialite, fought as part of the French Resistance during WWII (d. 1951)
- 1901 – William S. Paley, American broadcaster, founded CBS (d. 1990)
- 1901 – Ed Sullivan, American television host (d. 1974)
- 1903 – Haywood S. Hansell, American general (d. 1988)
- 1905 – Max Schmeling, German boxer (d. 2005)
- 1907 – Heikki Savolainen, Finnish gymnast and physician (d. 1997)
- 1907 – Bhagat Singh, Indian activist (d. 1931)
- 1909 – Al Capp, American author and illustrator (d. 1979)
- 1910 – Diosdado Macapagal, Filipino lawyer and politician, 9th President of the Philippines (d. 1997)
- 1910 – Wenceslao Vinzons, Filipino lawyer and politician (d. 1942)
- 1913 – Warja Honegger-Lavater, Swiss illustrator (d. 2007)
- 1913 – Alice Marble, American tennis player (d. 1990)
- 1914 – Maria Franziska von Trapp, Austrian-American refugee and singer (d. 2014)
- 1915 – Ethel Rosenberg, American spy (d. 1953)
- 1916 – Peter Finch, English-Australian actor (d. 1977)
- 1916 – Olga Lepeshinskaya, Ukrainian-Russian ballerina and educator (d. 2008)
- 1918 – Ángel Labruna, Argentinian footballer and manager (d. 1983)
- 1918 – Arnold Stang, American actor (d. 2009)
- 1919 – Doris Singleton, American actress (d. 2012)
- 1922 – Larry Munson, American sportscaster (d. 2011)
- 1923 – Tuli Kupferberg, American singer, poet, and writer (d. 2010)
- 1923 – John Scott, 9th Duke of Buccleuch, Scottish captain and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Selkirkshire (d. 2007)
- 1923 – William Windom, American actor (d. 2012)
- 1924 – Rudolf Barshai, Russian-Swiss viola player and conductor (d. 2010)
- 1924 – Marcello Mastroianni, Italian-French actor and singer (d. 1996)
- 1925 – Seymour Cray, American computer scientist, founded the CRAY Computer Company (d. 1996)
- 1925 – Cromwell Everson, South African composer (d. 1991)
- 1925 – Martin David Kruskal, American physicist and mathematician (d. 2006)
- 1926 – Jerry Clower, American soldier, comedian, and author (d. 1998)
- 1928 – Koko Taylor, American singer (d. 2009)
- 1929 – Lata Mangeshkar, Indian playback singer and composer
- 1930 – Tommy Collins, American country music singer-songwriter (d. 2000)
- 1930 – Immanuel Wallerstein, American sociologist, author, and academic (d. 2019)
- 1932 – Jeremy Isaacs, Scottish screenwriter and producer
- 1932 – Víctor Jara, Chilean singer-songwriter, poet, and director (d. 1973)
- 1933 – Joe Benton, English soldier and politician
- 1933 – Miguel Ortiz Berrocal, Spanish sculptor and educator (d. 2006)
- 1933 – Johnny “Country” Mathis, American singer-songwriter (d. 2011)
- 1934 – Brigitte Bardot, French actress
- 1935 – Bruce Crampton, Australian golfer
- 1935 – David Hannay, Baron Hannay of Chiswick, English diplomat, British Permanent Representative to the United Nations
- 1935 – Ronald Lacey, English actor (d. 1991)
- 1936 – Emmett Chapman, American guitarist, invented the Chapman Stick
- 1936 – Eddie Lumsden, Australian rugby league player (d. 2019)
- 1936 – Robert Wolders, Dutch television actor (d. 2018)
- 1937 – Alice Mahon, English trade union leader and politician
- 1937 – Glenn Sutton, American country music songwriter and record producer (d. 2007)
- 1938 – Ben E. King, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2015)
- 1939 – Stuart Kauffman, American biologist and academic
- 1941 – David Lewis, American philosopher and academic (d. 2001)
- 1941 – Edmund Stoiber, German lawyer and politician, Minister President of Bavaria
- 1942 – Pierre Clémenti, French actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1999)
- 1942 – Edward “Little Buster” Forehand, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2006)
- 1943 – Warren Lieberfarb, American businessman
- 1943 – George W. S. Trow, American novelist, playwright, and critic (d. 2006)
- 1943 – Nick St. Nicholas, German-Canadian bass player
- 1944 – Richie Karl, American golfer
- 1944 – Marcia Muller, American journalist and author
- 1945 – Marielle Goitschel, French skier
- 1945 – Manolis Rasoulis, Greek singer-songwriter and journalist (d. 2011)
- 1945 – Fusako Shigenobu, Japanese activist, founded the Japanese Red Army
- 1946 – Tom Bower, English journalist and author
- 1946 – Majid Khan, Indian-Pakistani cricketer
- 1947 – Bob Carr, Australian journalist and politician, 37th Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs
- 1947 – Sheikh Hasina, Bangladeshi politician, 10th Prime Minister of Bangladesh
- 1947 – Jon Snow, English journalist and academic
- 1947 – Rhonda Hughes, American mathematician and academic
- 1949 – Jim Henshaw, Canadian actor, producer, and screenwriter
- 1950 – Paul Burgess, English drummer
- 1950 – Christina Hoff Sommers, American author and philosopher
- 1950 – John Sayles, American novelist, director, and screenwriter
- 1951 – Jim Diamond, Scottish singer-songwriter and musician (d. 2015)
- 1952 – Christopher Buckley, American satirical novelist
- 1952 – Efthimis Kioumourtzoglou, Greek basketball player and coach
- 1952 – Sylvia Kristel, Dutch model and actress (d. 2012)
- 1952 – Andy Ward, English drummer
- 1953 – Otmar Hasler, Liechtensteiner educator and politician, 11th Prime Minister of Liechtenstein
- 1954 – Steve Largent, American football player and politician
- 1954 – George Lynch, American guitarist and songwriter
- 1954 – John Scott, English rugby player
- 1954 – Margot Wallström, Swedish politician and diplomat, 42nd Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs
- 1955 – Stéphane Dion, Canadian sociologist and politician, 15th Canadian Minister of the Environment
- 1955 – Mercy Manci, Xhosa sangoma and HIV activist from South Africa
- 1955 – Kenny Kirkland, American pianist (d. 1998)
- 1956 – Martha Isabel Fandiño Pinilla, Colombian-Italian mathematician and author
- 1957 – Bill Cassidy, American politician and physician
- 1959 – Ron Fellows, Canadian race car driver
- 1959 – Laura Bruce, American artist
- 1960 – Gary Ayres, Australian footballer and coach
- 1960 – Tom Byrum, American golfer
- 1960 – Frank Hammerschlag, German footballer and manager
- 1960 – Gus Logie, Trinidadian cricketer
- 1960 – Kamlesh Patel, Baron Patel of Bradford, English politician
- 1960 – Jennifer Rush, American singer-songwriter
- 1960 – Socrates Villegas, Filipino archbishop
- 1961 – Helen Grant, English lawyer and politician, Minister for Sport and the Olympics
- 1961 – Gregory Jbara, American actor and singer
- 1961 – Quentin Kawānanakoa, American lawyer and politician
- 1961 – Anne White, American tennis player
- 1962 – Grant Fuhr, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1962 – Laurie Rinker, American golfer
- 1962 – Dietmar Schacht, German footballer and manager
- 1962 – Chuck Taylor, American journalist
- 1963 – Steve Blackman, American wrestler and martial artist
- 1963 – Érik Comas, French race car driver
- 1963 – Greg Weisman, American voice actor, producer, and screenwriter
- 1964 – Claudio Borghi, Argentinian footballer and manager
- 1964 – Gregor Fisken, Scottish race car driver
- 1964 – Janeane Garofalo, American comedian, actress, and screenwriter
- 1964 – Paul Jewell, English footballer and manager
- 1964 – Mārtiņš Roze, Latvian lawyer and politician (d. 2012)
- 1966 – Scott Adams, American football player (d. 2013)
- 1966 – Maria Canals-Barrera, Cuban-American actress
- 1966 – Puri Jagannadh, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1967 – Mira Sorvino, American actress
- 1967 – Moon Zappa, American actress and author
- 1968 – Francois Botha, South African boxer and mixed martial artist
- 1968 – Mika Häkkinen, Finnish race car driver
- 1968 – Trish Keenan, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2011)
- 1968 – Sean Levert, American R&B singer-songwriter and actor (d. 2008)
- 1968 – Rob Moroso, American race car driver (d. 1990)
- 1968 – Naomi Watts, English-Australian actress and producer
- 1969 – Kerri Chandler, electronic music producer and DJ
- 1969 – Marcel Dost, Dutch decathlete
- 1969 – Ben Greenman, American journalist and author
- 1969 – Piper Kerman, American author and memoirist
- 1969 – Éric Lapointe, Canadian singer-songwriter and keyboard player
- 1969 – Sascha Maassen, German race car driver
- 1969 – Angus Robertson, Scottish politician
- 1969 – Nico Vaesen, Belgian footballer
- 1970 – Kimiko Date-Krumm, Japanese tennis player
- 1970 – Mike DeJean, American baseball player
- 1970 – Gualter Salles, Brazilian race car driver
- 1971 – Joseph Arthur, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1971 – George Eustice, English lawyer and politician
- 1971 – Braam van Straaten, South African rugby player
- 1971 – Alan Wright, English footballer and manager
- 1972 – Dita Von Teese, American model and dancer
- 1973 – Brian Rafalski, American ice hockey player
- 1974 – Marco Di Loreto, Italian footballer and manager
- 1974 – Mariya Kiselyova, Russian swimmer
- 1974 – Joonas Kolkka, Finnish footballer and coach
- 1974 – Shane Webcke, Australian rugby league player and coach
- 1975 – Stuart Clark, Australian cricketer and manager
- 1975 – Isamu Jordan, American journalist and academic (d. 2013)
- 1975 – Lenny Krayzelburg, Russian-American swimmer
- 1976 – Fedor Emelianenko, Russian mixed martial artist and politician
- 1977 – Ireneusz Marcinkowski, Polish footballer
- 1977 – Pak Se-ri, South Korean golfer
- 1977 – Young Jeezy, American rapper
- 1978 – Ben Edmondson, Australian cricketer
- 1979 – Bam Margera, American skateboarder, actor, and stuntman
- 1979 – Taki Tsan, American-Greek rapper and producer
- 1980 – Marlon Parmer, American basketball player
- 1981 – Greg Anderson, American pianist and composer
- 1981 – Willy Caballero, Argentine footballer
- 1981 – José Calderón, Spanish basketball player
- 1981 – Jorge Guagua, Ecuadorian footballer
- 1981 – Iracema Trevisan, Brazilian bass player
- 1982 – Aleksandr Anyukov, Russian footballer
- 1982 – Abhinav Bindra, Indian target shooter
- 1982 – Ray Emery, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2018)
- 1982 – Ranbir Kapoor, Indian actor and director
- 1982 – Nolwenn Leroy, French singer-songwriter and actress
- 1982 – Emeka Okafor, American basketball player
- 1982 – Dustin Penner, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1982 – Aivar Rehemaa, Estonian skier
- 1982 – Anderson Varejão, Brazilian basketball player
- 1982 – St. Vincent, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1983 – Stefan Moore, English footballer
- 1983 – John Schwalger, New Zealand rugby player
- 1984 – Jenny Omnichord, Canadian singer-songwriter
- 1984 – Luke Pomersbach, Australian cricketer
- 1984 – Naim Terbunja, Kosovan-Swedish boxer
- 1984 – Melody Thornton, American singer-songwriter and dancer
- 1984 – Mathieu Valbuena, French footballer
- 1984 – Ryan Zimmerman, American baseball player
- 1985 – Shindong, South Korean singer-songwriter and dancer
- 1985 – Alina Ibragimova, Russian-English violinist
- 1986 – Andrés Guardado, Mexican footballer
- 1986 – Meskerem Legesse, Ethiopian runner (d. 2013)
- 1986 – Dominic Waters, American basketball player
- 1987 – Pierre Becken, German footballer
- 1987 – Gary Deegan, Irish footballer
- 1987 – Hilary Duff, American singer-songwriter and actress
- 1987 – Chloë Hanslip, English violinist
- 1987 – Viktoria Leks, Estonian high jumper
- 1988 – Marin Čilić, Croatian tennis player
- 1988 – Esmée Denters, Dutch singer-songwriter
- 1988 – Aleks Vrteski, Australian footballer
- 1988 – Worakls, French DJ and electronic musician
- 1989 – Çağla Büyükakçay, Turkish tennis player
- 1989 – Darius Johnson-Odom, American basketball player
- 1989 – Mark Randall, English footballer
- 1990 – Phoenix Battye, Australian rugby player
- 1992 – Khem Birch, Canadian professional basketball player
- 1992 – Adam Thompson, English-Northern Irish footballer
- 1992 – Kōko Tsurumi, Japanese gymnast
- 1993 – Jodie Williams, English sprinter
- 1995 – Jason Williams, English footballer
Deaths on September 28
- 48 BC – Pompey, Roman general and politician (b. 106 BC)
- 782 – Leoba, Anglo-Saxon nun
- 935 – Wenceslaus I, duke of Bohemia
- 980 – Minamoto no Hiromasa, Japanese nobleman (b. 918)
- 1197 – Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1165)
- 1213 – Gertrude of Merania, queen consort of Hungaria (b. 1185)
- 1330 – Elizabeth of Bohemia, queen consort of Bohemia (b. 1292)
- 1429 – Cymburgis of Masovia, duchess consort of Austria (b. 1394)
- 1582 – George Buchanan, Scottish historian and scholar (b. 1506)
- 1596 – Margaret Clifford, countess of Derby (b. 1540)
- 1618 – Josuah Sylvester, English poet and translator (b. 1563)
- 1687 – Francis Turretin, Swiss-Italian theologian and academic (b. 1623)
- 1694 – Gabriel Mouton, French mathematician and theologian (b. 1618)
- 1702 – Robert Spencer, 2nd Earl of Sunderland, French-English lawyer and politician, Lord President of the Council (b. 1640)
- 1742 – Jean Baptiste Massillon, French bishop (b. 1663)
- 1829 – Nikolay Raevsky, Russian general and politician (b. 1771)
- 1844 – Pyotr Aleksandrovich Tolstoy, Russian general and politician (b. 1769)
- 1859 – Carl Ritter, German geographer and academic (b. 1779)
- 1873 – Émile Gaboriau, French journalist and author (b. 1832)
- 1891 – Herman Melville, American author and poet (b. 1819)
- 1895 – Louis Pasteur, French chemist and microbiologist (b. 1822)
- 1899 – Giovanni Segantini, Austrian painter (b. 1858)
- 1914 – Richard Warren Sears, American businessman, co-founded Sears (b. 1863)
- 1915 – Saitō Hajime, Japanese samurai (b. 1844)
- 1918 – Georg Simmel, German sociologist and philosopher (b. 1858)
- 1918 – Freddie Stowers, American soldier, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1896)
- 1925 – Paul Vermoyal, French actor (b. 1888)
- 1935 – William Kennedy Dickson, French-Scottish actor, director, and producer, invented the Kinetoscope (b. 1860)
- 1938 – Charles Duryea, American engineer and businessman, founded the Duryea Motor Wagon Company (b. 1861)
- 1943 – Sam Ruben, American chemist and academic (b. 1913)
- 1943 – Filippo Illuminato, Italian partisan, Gold Medal of Military Valour (b. 1930)
- 1949 – Archbishop Chrysanthus of Athens (b. 1881)
- 1953 – Edwin Hubble, American astronomer and scholar (b. 1889)
- 1956 – William Boeing, American businessman, founded the Boeing Company (b. 1881)
- 1957 – Luis Cluzeau Mortet, Uruguayan violinist and composer (b. 1888)
- 1959 – Rudolf Caracciola, German race car driver (b. 1901)
- 1962 – Roger Nimier, French soldier and author (b. 1925)
- 1964 – Harpo Marx, American comedian, actor, and singer (b. 1888)
- 1966 – André Breton, French author and poet (b. 1896)
- 1970 – John Dos Passos, American novelist, poet, essayist, and playwright (b. 1896)
- 1970 – Gamal Abdel Nasser, Egyptian colonel and politician, 2nd President of Egypt (b. 1918)
- 1978 – Pope John Paul I (b. 1912)
- 1979 – John Herbert Chapman, Canadian physicist and engineer (b. 1921)
- 1981 – Rómulo Betancourt, Venezuelan journalist and politician, President of Venezuela (b. 1908)
- 1982 – Mabel Albertson, American actress (b. 1901)
- 1984 – Cihad Baban, Turkish journalist, author, and politician (b. 1911)
- 1989 – Ferdinand Marcos, Filipino lawyer and politician, 10th President of the Philippines (b. 1917)
- 1990 – Larry O’Brien, American businessman and politician, 57th United States Postmaster General (b. 1917)
- 1991 – Miles Davis, American trumpet player, composer, and bandleader (b. 1926)
- 1993 – Peter De Vries, American editor and novelist (b. 1910)
- 1993 – Alexander A. Drabik, American sergeant (b. 1910)
- 1994 – Urmas Alender, Estonian singer (b. 1953)
- 1994 – José Francisco Ruiz Massieu, Mexican lawyer and politician, 6th Governor of Guerrero (b. 1946)
- 1994 – Harry Saltzman, Canadian production manager and producer (b. 1915)
- 1994 – K. A. Thangavelu, Indian film actor and comedian (b. 1917)
- 1999 – Escott Reid, Canadian academic and diplomat (b. 1905)
- 2000 – Pierre Trudeau, Canadian journalist, lawyer, and politician, 15th Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1919)
- 2002 – Patsy Mink, American lawyer and politician (b. 1927)
- 2002 – Hartland Molson, Canadian captain and politician (b. 1907)
- 2003 – Althea Gibson, American tennis player and golfer (b. 1927)
- 2003 – Elia Kazan, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1909)
- 2003 – George Odlum, Saint Lucian politician and diplomat (b. 1934)
- 2004 – Geoffrey Beene, American fashion designer (b. 1924)
- 2005 – Constance Baker Motley, American lawyer, judge, and politician (b. 1921)
- 2007 – René Desmaison, French mountaineer (b. 1930)
- 2007 – Wally Parks, American businessman, founded the National Hot Rod Association (b. 1913)
- 2009 – Guillermo Endara, Panamanian lawyer and politician, 32nd President of Panama (b. 1936)
- 2009 – Ulf Larsson, Swedish actor and director (b. 1956)
- 2010 – Kurt Albert, German mountaineer and photographer (b. 1954)
- 2010 – Arthur Penn, American director and producer (b. 1922)
- 2010 – Dolores Wilson, American soprano and actress (b. 1928)
- 2012 – Avraham Adan, Israeli general (b. 1926)
- 2012 – Chris Economaki, American journalist and sportscaster (b. 1920)
- 2012 – Brajesh Mishra, Indian politician and diplomat, 1st Indian National Security Advisor (b. 1928)
- 2013 – James Emanuel, American-French poet and scholar (b. 1921)
- 2013 – Jonathan Fellows-Smith, South African cricketer and rugby player (b. 1932)
- 2013 – George Amon Webster, American singer and pianist (b. 1945)
- 2014 – Dannie Abse, Welsh physician, poet, and author (b. 1923)
- 2014 – Joseph H. Alexander, American colonel and historian (b. 1938)
- 2014 – Sheila Faith, English dentist and politician (b. 1928)
- 2014 – Tim Rawlings, English footballer and manager (b. 1932)
- 2014 – Petr Skoumal, Czech pianist and composer (b. 1938)
- 2015 – Alexander Faris, Irish composer and conductor (b. 1921)
- 2015 – Walter Dale Miller, American rancher and politician, 29th Governor of South Dakota (b. 1925)
- 2015 – Ignacio Zoco, Spanish footballer (b. 1939)
- 2016 – Agnes Nixon, American television writer and director (b. 1922)
- 2016 – Gary Glasberg, American television writer and producer (b. 1966)
- 2016 – Shimon Peres, Polish-Israeli statesman and politician, 9th President of Israel (b. 1923)
- 2016 – Gloria Naylor, American novelist (b. 1950)
- 2017 – Daniel Pe’er, Israeli television host and newsreader (b. 1943)
- 2018 – Predrag Ejdus, Serbian actor (b. 1947)
- 2019 – José José, 71, Mexican singer (El Principe de la Canción or The Prince of Song), pancreas cancer (b. 1948)
Holidays and observances on September 28
- Christian feast day:
- Aaron of Auxerre
- Annemund
- Conval
- Eustochium
- Exuperius
- Faustus of Riez
- John of Dukla
- Leoba
- Lorenzo Ruiz
- Paternus of Auch
- Richard Rolle, Walter Hilton and Margery Kempe (Episcopal Church (USA))
- Simón de Rojas
- Wenceslas
- September 28 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics).
- Czech Statehood Day (Czech Republic)
- Freedom from Hunger Day
- International Day for Universal Access to Information
- National Day of Awareness and Unity against Child Pornography (Philippines)
- Teachers’ Day (Taiwan and Chinese-Filipino schools in the Philippines), ceremonies dedicated to Confucius are also observed.
- World Rabies Day (International)
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July 18 in history
- 477 BC – Battle of the Cremera as part of the Roman–Etruscan Wars. Veii ambushes and defeats the Roman army.
- 387 BC– Roman-Gaulish Wars: Battle of the Allia: A Roman army is defeated by raiding Gauls, leading to the subsequent sacking of Rome.
- 362 – Roman–Persian Wars: Emperor Julian arrives at Antioch with a Roman expeditionary force (60,000 men) and stays there for nine months to launch a campaign against the Persian Empire.
- 452 – Sack of Aquileia: After an earlier defeat on the Catalaunian Plains, Attila lays siege to the metropolis of Aquileia and eventually destroys it.
- 645 – Chinese forces under general Li Shiji besiege the strategic fortress city of Anshi (Liaoning) during the Goguryeo–Tang War.
- 1195 – Battle of Alarcos: Almohad forces defeat the Castilian army of Alfonso VIII and force its retreat to Toledo.
- 1290 – King Edward I of England issues the Edict of Expulsion, banishing all Jews (numbering about 16,000) from England; this was Tisha B’Av on the Hebrew calendar, a day that commemorates many Jewish calamities.
- 1334 – The bishop of Florence blesses the first foundation stone for the new campanile (bell tower) of the Florence Cathedral, designed by the artist Giotto di Bondone.
- 1389 – France and England agree to the Truce of Leulinghem, inaugurating a 13-year peace, the longest period of sustained peace during the Hundred Years’ War.
- 1391 – Tokhtamysh–Timur war: Battle of the Kondurcha River: Timur defeats Tokhtamysh of the Golden Horde in present-day southeast Russia.
- 1507 – In Brussels, Prince Charles I, is crowned Duke of Burgundy and Count of Flanders, a year after inheriting the title.
- 1555 – The College of Arms is reincorporated by Royal charter signed by Queen Mary I of England and King Philip II of Spain.
- 1806 – A gunpowder magazine explosion in Birgu, Malta, kills around 200 people.
- 1812 – The Treaties of Orebro end both the Anglo-Russian and Anglo-Swedish Wars.
- 1841 – Coronation of Emperor Pedro II of Brazil.
- 1857 – Louis Faidherbe, French governor of Senegal, arrives to relieve French forces at Kayes, effectively ending El Hajj Umar Tall’s war against the French.
- 1862 – First ascent of Dent Blanche, one of the highest summits in the Alps.
- 1863 – American Civil War: Second Battle of Fort Wagner: One of the first formal African American military units, the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, supported by several white regiments, attempts an unsuccessful assault on Confederate-held Battery Wagner.
- 1870 – The First Vatican Council decrees the dogma of papal infallibility.
- 1872 – The Ballot Act 1872 in the United Kingdom introduced the requirement that parliamentary and local government elections be held by secret ballot.
- 1914 – The U.S. Congress forms the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps, giving official status to aircraft within the U.S. Army for the first time.
- 1925 – Adolf Hitler publishes Mein Kampf.
- 1936 – On the Spanish mainland, a faction of the army supported by fascists, rises up against the Second Spanish Republic in a coup d’etat starting the 3-year-long Civil War, resulting in the longest dictatorship in modern European history.
- 1942 – World War II: During the Beisfjord massacre in Norway, 15 Norwegian paramilitary guards help members of the SS to kill 288 political prisoners from Yugoslavia.
- 1942 – The Germans test fly the Messerschmitt Me 262 using its jet engines for the first time.
- 1944 – World War II: Hideki Tōjō resigns as Prime Minister of Japan because of numerous setbacks in the war effort.
- 1966 – Human spaceflight: Gemini 10 is launched from Cape Kennedy on a 70-hour mission that includes docking with an orbiting Agena target vehicle.
- 1966 – A racially charged incident in a bar sparks the six-day Hough riots in Cleveland, Ohio; 1,700 Ohio National Guard troops intervene to restore order.
- 1968 – Intel is founded in Mountain View, California.
- 1976 – Nadia Comăneci becomes the first person in Olympic Games history to score a perfect 10 in gymnastics at the 1976 Summer Olympics.
- 1982 – Two hundred sixty-eight Guatemalan campesinos (“peasants” or “country people”) are slain in the Plan de Sánchez massacre.
- 1984 – McDonald’s massacre in San Ysidro, California: In a fast-food restaurant, James Oliver Huberty opens fire, killing 21 people and injuring 19 others before being shot dead by police.
- 1992 – A picture of Les Horribles Cernettes was taken, which became the first ever photo posted to the World Wide Web.
- 1994 – The bombing of the Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina (Argentine Jewish Community Center) in Buenos Aires kills 85 people (mostly Jewish) and injures 300.
- 1994 – Rwandan genocide: The Rwandan Patriotic Front takes control of Gisenyi and north western Rwanda, forcing the interim government into Zaire and ending the genocide.
- 1995 – On the Caribbean island of Montserrat, the Soufrière Hills volcano erupts. Over the course of several years, it devastates the island, destroying the capital, forcing most of the population to flee.
- 1996 – Storms provoke severe flooding on the Saguenay River, beginning one of Quebec’s costliest natural disasters ever.
- 1996 – Battle of Mullaitivu: The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam capture the Sri Lanka Army’s base, killing over 1200 soldiers.
- 2012 – At least seven people are killed and 32 others are injured after a bomb explodes on an Israeli tour bus at Burgas Airport, Bulgaria.
- 2013 – The Government of Detroit, with up to $20 billion in debt, files for the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history.
- 2019 – A man sets fire to an anime studio in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Japan, killing at 35 people and injuring dozens of others.
Births on July 18
- 1013 – Hermann of Reichenau, German composer, mathematician, and astronomer (b. 1013)
- 1501 – Isabella of Austria, queen of Denmark (d. 1526)
- 1504 – Heinrich Bullinger, Swiss pastor and reformer (d. 1575)
- 1534 – Zacharius Ursinus, German theologian (d. 1583)
- 1552 – Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1612)
- 1634 – Johannes Camphuys, Dutch politician, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (d. 1695)
- 1659 – Hyacinthe Rigaud, French painter (d. 1743)
- 1670 – Giovanni Bononcini, Italian cellist and composer (d. 1747)
- 1702 – Maria Clementina Sobieska, Polish noble (d. 1735)
- 1718 – Saverio Bettinelli, Italian poet, playwright, and critic (d. 1808)
- 1720 – Gilbert White, English ornithologist and ecologist (d. 1793)
- 1724 – Maria Antonia of Bavaria, Electress of Saxony (d. 1780)
- 1750 – Frederick Adolf, duke of Östergötland (d. 1803)
- 1796 – Immanuel Hermann Fichte, German philosopher and academic (d. 1879)
- 1811 – William Makepeace Thackeray, English author and poet (d. 1863)
- 1818 – Louis Gerhard De Geer, Swedish lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Sweden (d. 1896)
- 1821 – Pauline Viardot, French soprano and composer (d. 1910)
- 1837 – Vasil Levski, Bulgarian priest and activist (d. 1873)
- 1843 – Virgil Earp, American marshal (d. 1905)
- 1845 – Tristan Corbière, French poet (d. 1875)
- 1848 – W. G. Grace, English cricketer and physician (d. 1915)
- 1853 – Hendrik Lorentz, Dutch physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1928)
- 1861 – Kadambini Ganguly, Indian physician, one of the first Indian women to obtain a degree (d. 1923)
- 1864 – Philip Snowden, 1st Viscount Snowden, English politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (d. 1937)
- 1867 – Margaret Brown, American philanthropist and activist (d. 1932)
- 1871 – Giacomo Balla, Italian painter (d.1958)
- 1871 – Sada Yacco, Japanese actress and dancer (d. 1946)
- 1881 – Larry McLean, Canadian-American baseball player (d. 1921)
- 1884 – Alberto di Jorio, Italian cardinal (d. 1979)
- 1886 – Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr., American general (d. 1945)
- 1887 – Vidkun Quisling, Norwegian military officer and politician, Minister President of Norway (d. 1945)
- 1889 – Kōichi Kido, Japanese politician, 13th Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal of Japan (d. 1977)
- 1890 – Frank Forde, Australian educator and politician, 15th Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1983)
- 1892 – Arthur Friedenreich, Brazilian footballer (d. 1969)
- 1893 – David Ogilvy, 12th Earl of Airlie, Scottish peer, soldier and courtier (d. 1968)
- 1895 – Olga Spessivtseva, Russian-American ballerina (d. 1991)
- 1895 – Machine Gun Kelly, American gangster (d. 1954)
- 1897 – Ernest Eldridge, English race car driver and engineer (d. 1935)
- 1898 – John Stuart, Scottish-English actor (d. 1979)
- 1899 – Ernst Scheller, German soldier and politician, 8th Mayor of Marburg (d. 1942)
- 1900 – Nathalie Sarraute, French lawyer and author (d. 1999)
- 1902 – Jessamyn West, American author (d. 1984)
- 1902 – Chill Wills, American actor (d. 1978)
- 1905 – Robert Elton Brooker, American business executive (d. 2000)
- 1906 – S. I. Hayakawa, Canadian-American academic and politician (d. 1992)
- 1906 – Clifford Odets, American director, playwright, and screenwriter (d. 1963)
- 1908 – Peace Pilgrim, American mystic and activist (d. 1981)
- 1908 – Lupe Vélez, Mexican-American actress and dancer (d. 1944)
- 1908 – Beatrice Aitchison, American mathematician, statistician, and transportation economist (d. 1997)
- 1909 – Bishnu Dey, Indian poet, critic, and academic (d. 1982)
- 1909 – Andrei Gromyko, Belarusian-Russian economist and politician, Soviet Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 1989)
- 1909 – Mohammed Daoud Khan, Afghan commander and politician, 1st President of Afghanistan (d. 1978)
- 1909 – Harriet Nelson, American singer and actress (d. 1994)
- 1910 – Diptendu Pramanick, Indian businessman (d. 1989)
- 1910 – Mamadou Dia, Senegalese politician; 1st Prime Minister of Senegal (d. 2009)
- 1911 – Hume Cronyn, Canadian-American actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2003)
- 1913 – Red Skelton, American actor and comedian (d. 1997)
- 1914 – Gino Bartali, Italian cyclist (d. 2000)
- 1914 – Oscar Heisserer, French footballer (d. 2004)
- 1915 – Carequinha, Brazilian clown and actor (d. 2006)
- 1915 – Roxana Cannon Arsht, American judge (d. 2003)
- 1915 – Louis Le Bailly, British Royal Navy officer (d. 2010)
- 1916 – Charles Kittel, American physicist (d. 2019)
- 1917 – Henri Salvador, French singer and guitarist (d. 2008)
- 1917 – Paul Streeten, Austrian-born British economics professor (d. 2019)
- 1918 – Nelson Mandela, South African lawyer and politician, 1st President of South Africa, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2013)
- 1919 – Lilia Dale, Italian actress
- 1920 – Eric Brandon, English race car driver and businessman (d. 1982)
- 1921 – Peter Austin, English brewer, founded Ringwood Brewery (d. 2014)
- 1921 – Aaron T. Beck, American psychiatrist and academic
- 1921 – John Glenn, American colonel, astronaut, and politician (d. 2016)
- 1921 – Richard Leacock, English-French director and producer (d. 2011)
- 1921 – Heinz Bennent, German actor (d. 2011)
- 1922 – Thomas Kuhn, American physicist, historian, and philosopher (d. 1996)
- 1923 – Jerome H. Lemelson, American engineer and businessman (d. 1997)
- 1923 – Michael Medwin, English actor (d. 2020)
- 1924 – Inge Sørensen, Danish swimmer (d. 2011)
- 1924 – Tullio Altamura, Italian actor
- 1925 – Shirley Strickland, Australian runner and hurdler (d. 2004)
- 1925 – Friedrich Zimmermann, German lawyer and politician, German Federal Minister of the Interior (d. 2012)
- 1925 – Raymond Jones, Australian Modernist architect
- 1925 – Windy McCall, American baseball relief pitcher (d. 2015)
- 1926 – Margaret Laurence, Canadian author and academic (d. 1987)
- 1926 – Nita Bieber, American actress (d. 2019)
- 1926 – Bernard Pons, French politician and medical doctor
- 1926 – Maunu Kurkvaara, Finnish film director and screenwriter
- 1927 – Mehdi Hassan, Pakistani ghazal singer and playback singer (d. 2012)
- 1927 – Kurt Masur, German conductor and educator (d. 2015)
- 1927 – Antonio García-Trevijano, Spanish republican, political activist, and author (d. 2018)
- 1927 – Keith MacDonald, Canadian politician
- 1927 – Anthony Mirra, American gangster, member of the Bonanno Crime Family (d. 1982)
- 1928 – Andrea Gallo, Italian priest and author (d. 2013)
- 1928 – Baddiewinkle, American internet personality
- 1929 – Dick Button, American figure skater and actor
- 1929 – Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, American R&B singer-songwriter, musician, and actor (d. 2000)
- 1932 – Robert Ellis Miller, American director and screenwriter (d. 2017)
- 1933 – Jean Yanne, French actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2003)
- 1933 – Yevgeny Yevtushenko, Russian poet and playwright (d. 2017)
- 1934 – Edward Bond, English director, playwright, and screenwriter
- 1934 – Darlene Conley, American actress (d. 2007)
- 1935 – Tenley Albright, American figure skater and physician
- 1935 – Jayendra Saraswathi, Indian guru, 69th Shankaracharya
- 1937 – Roald Hoffmann, Polish chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1937 – Hunter S. Thompson, American journalist and author (d. 2005)
- 1938 – John Connelly, English footballer (d. 2012)
- 1938 – Ian Stewart, Scottish keyboard player and manager (d. 1985)
- 1938 – Paul Verhoeven, Dutch director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1939 – Brian Auger, English rock and jazz keyboard player
- 1939 – Dion DiMucci, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1939 – Jerry Moore, American football player and coach
- 1940 – James Brolin, American actor
- 1940 – Joe Torre, American baseball player and manager
- 1941 – Frank Farian, German songwriter and producer
- 1941 – Lonnie Mack, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2016)
- 1941 – Martha Reeves, American singer and politician
- 1942 – Giacinto Facchetti, Italian footballer (d. 2006)
- 1942 – Adolf Ogi, Swiss politician, 84th President of the Swiss Confederation
- 1943 – Joseph J. Ellis, American historian and author
- 1944 – David Hemery, English hurdler and author
- 1945 – Pat Doherty, Irish Republican politician
- 1946 – Kalpana Mohan, Indian actress
- 1946 – John Naughton, Scottish-Irish journalist, author, and academic
- 1947 – Steve Forbes, American publisher and politician
- 1948 – Carlos Colón Sr., Puerto Rican-American wrestler and promoter
- 1948 – Jeanne Córdova, American journalist and activist (d. 2016)
- 1948 – Graham Spanier, 16th President of Pennsylvania State University
- 1948 – Hartmut Michel, German biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1949 – Dennis Lillee, Australian cricketer and coach
- 1950 – Richard Branson, English businessman, founded Virgin Group
- 1950 – Jack Dongarra, American computer scientist and academic
- 1950 – Kostas Eleftherakis, Greek footballer
- 1950 – Glenn Hughes, American disco singer (Village People) and actor (d. 2001)
- 1950 – Jack Layton, Canadian political scientist, academic, and politician (d. 2011)
- 1950 – Mark Udall, American educator and politician
- 1951 – Elio Di Rupo, Belgian chemist, academic, and politician, 68th Prime Minister of Belgium
- 1951 – Margo Martindale, American actress
- 1954 – Ricky Skaggs, American singer-songwriter, mandolin player, and producer
- 1955 – Bernd Fasching, Austrian painter and sculptor
- 1957 – Nick Faldo, English golfer and sportscaster
- 1957 – Keith Levene, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer
- 1960 – Simon Heffer, English journalist and author
- 1961 – Elizabeth McGovern, American actress
- 1961 – Alan Pardew, English footballer and manager
- 1961 – Pasi Rautiainen, Finnish footballer, coach, and manager
- 1962 – Shaun Micallef, Australian comedian, producer, and screenwriter
- 1963 – Marc Girardelli, Austrian-Luxembourgian skier
- 1963 – Martín Torrijos, Panamanian economist and politician, 35th President of Panama
- 1964 – Wendy Williams, American talk show host
- 1965 – Vesselina Kasarova, Bulgarian soprano
- 1966 – Dan O’Brien, American decathlete and coach
- 1967 – Vin Diesel, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter1968 – Grant Bowler, New Zealand-Australian actor
- 1968 – Scott Gourley, Australian rugby player
- 1969 – Elizabeth Gilbert, American author
- 1969 – The Great Sasuke, Japanese wrestler and politician
- 1971 – Penny Hardaway, American basketball player and coach
- 1971 – Sukhwinder Singh, Indian singer-songwriter and actor
- 1974 – Alan Morrison, British poet
- 1975 – Torii Hunter, American baseball player
- 1975 – Daron Malakian, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1975 – M.I.A., English rapper and producer5
- 1976 – Elsa Pataky, Spanish actress
- 1976 – Go Soo-hee, South Korean actress
- 1977 – Alexander Morozevich, Russian chess player and author
- 1978 – Adabel Guerrero, Argentinian actress, singer, and dancer
- 1978 – Shane Horgan, Irish rugby player and sportscaster
- 1978 – Crystal Mangum, American murderer responsible for making false rape allegations in the Duke lacrosse case
- 1978 – Joo Sang-wook, South Korean actor
- 1978 – Ben Sheets, American baseball player and coach
- 1978 – Mélissa Theuriau, French journalist
- 1979 – Deion Branch, American football player
- 1979 – Joey Mercury, American wrestler and producer
- 1980 – Kristen Bell, American actress
- 1981 – Dennis Seidenberg, German ice hockey player
- 1982 – Ryan Cabrera, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1982 – Priyanka Chopra, Indian actress, singer, and film producer
- 1982 – Carlo Costly, Honduran footballer
- 1983 – Carlos Diogo, Uruguayan footballer
- 1983 – Aaron Gillespie, American singer-songwriter and drummer
- 1983 – Mikk Pahapill, Estonian decathlete
- 1983 – Jan Schlaudraff, German footballer
- 1985 – Chace Crawford, American actor
- 1985 – Panagiotis Lagos, Greek footballer
- 1985 – James Norton, English actor
- 1986 – Natalia Mikhailova, Russian ice dancer
- 1987 – Tontowi Ahmad, Indonesian badminton player
- 1988 – Änis Ben-Hatira, German-Tunisian footballer
- 1988 – César Villaluz, Mexican footballer
- 1989 – Jamie Benn, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1989 – Sebastian Mielitz, German footballer
- 1989 – Yohan Mollo, French footballer
- 1993 – Lee Tae-min, South Korean singer and actor
- 1993 – Michael Lichaa, Australian rugby league player
- 1994 – Nilo Soares, East Timorese footballer
- 1997 – Noah Lyles, American sprinter
- 2001 – Agustina Roth, Argentine BMX rider
Deaths on July 18
- 707 – Emperor Monmu of Japan (b. 683)
- 715 – Muhammad bin Qasim, Umayyad general (b. 695)
- 912 – Zhu Wen, Chinese emperor (b. 852)
- 924 – Abu’l-Hasan Ali ibn al-Furat, Abbasid vizier (b. 855)
- 928 – Stephen II, patriarch of Constantinople
- 984 – Dietrich I, bishop of Metz
- 1100 – Godfrey of Bouillon, Frankish knight (b. 1016)
- 1185 – Stefan, first Archbishop of Uppsala (b. before 1143)
- 1194 – Guy of Lusignan, king consort of Jerusalem (b. c. 1150)
- 1232 – John de Braose, Marcher Lord of Bramber and Gower
- 1270 – Boniface of Savoy, Archbishop of Canterbury
- 1300 – Gerard Segarelli, Italian religious leader, founded the Apostolic Brethren (b. 1240)
- 1450 – Francis I, Duke of Brittany (b. 1414)
- 1488 – Alvise Cadamosto, Italian explorer (b. 1432)
- 1566 – Bartolomé de las Casas, Spanish bishop and historian (b. 1484)
- 1591 – Jacobus Gallus, Slovenian composer (b. 1550)
- 1608 – Joachim Frederick, Elector of Brandenburg (b. 1546)
- 1610 – Caravaggio, Italian painter (b. 1571)
- 1639 – Bernard of Saxe-Weimar, German general (b. 1604)
- 1650 – Robert Levinz, English Royalist, hanged in London by Parliamentary forces as a spy (b. 1615)
- 1695 – Johannes Camphuys, Dutch politician, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (b. 1634)
- 1698 – Johann Heinrich Heidegger, Swiss theologian and author (b. 1633)
- 1721 – Jean-Antoine Watteau, French painter (b. 1684)
- 1730 – François de Neufville, duc de Villeroy, French general (b. 1644)
- 1756 – Pieter Langendijk, Dutch poet and playwright (b. 1683)
- 1792 – John Paul Jones, Scottish-American admiral and diplomat (b. 1747)
- 1817 – Jane Austen, English novelist (b. 1775)
- 1837 – Vincenzo Borg, Maltese merchant and rebel leader (b. 1777)
- 1863 – Robert Gould Shaw, American colonel (b. 1837)
- 1872 – Benito Juárez, Mexican lawyer and politician, 26th President of Mexico (b. 1806)
- 1884 – Ferdinand von Hochstetter, Austrian geologist and academic (b. 1829)
- 1887 – Dorothea Dix, American social reformer and activist (b. 1802)
- 1890 – Lydia Becker, English journalist, author, and activist, co-founded the Women’s Suffrage Journal (b. 1827)
- 1892 – Thomas Cook, English travel agent, founded the Thomas Cook Group (b. 1808)
- 1899 – Horatio Alger, American novelist and journalist (b. 1832)
- 1916 – Benjamin C. Truman, American journalist and author (b. 1835)
- 1925 – Louis-Nazaire Bégin, Canadian cardinal (b. 1840)
- 1932 – Jean Jules Jusserand, French author and diplomat, French Ambassador to the United States (b. 1855)
- 1937 – Julian Bell, English poet and academic (b. 1908)
- 1938 – Marie of Romania (b. 1875)
- 1944 – Thomas Sturge Moore, English author, poet, and playwright (b. 1870)
- 1947 – Evald Tipner, Estonian footballer and ice hockey player (b. 1906)
- 1948 – Herman Gummerus, Finnish historian, academic, and politician (b. 1877)
- 1949 – Vítězslav Novák, Czech composer and educator (b. 1870)
- 1949 – Francisco Javier Arana, Guatemalan Army colonel and briefly Guatemalan head of state (b.1905)
- 1950 – Carl Clinton Van Doren, American critic and biographer (b. 1885)
- 1952 – Paul Saintenoy, Belgian architect and historian (b. 1862)
- 1954 – Machine Gun Kelly, American gangster (b. 1895)
- 1966 – Bobby Fuller, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1942)
- 1968 – Corneille Heymans, Belgian physiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1892)
- 1969 – Mary Jo Kopechne, American educator and secretary (b. 1940)
- 1973 – Jack Hawkins, English actor (b. 1910)
- 1975 – Vaughn Bodē, American illustrator (b. 1941)
- 1981 – Sonja Branting-Westerståhl, Swedish lawyer (b. 1890)
- 1982 – Roman Jakobson, Russian–American linguist and theorist (b. 1896)
- 1984 – Lally Bowers, English actress (b. 1914)
- 1984 – Grigori Kromanov, Estonian director and screenwriter (b. 1926)
- 1987 – Gilberto Freyre, Brazilian sociologist, anthropologist, historian, writer, painter, journalist and congressman (b. 1907)
- 1988 – Nico, German singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and actress (b. 1938)
- 1988 – Joly Braga Santos, Portuguese composer and conductor (b. 1924)
- 1989 – Donnie Moore, American baseball player (b. 1954)
- 1989 – Rebecca Schaeffer, American model and actress (b.1967)
- 1990 – Karl Menninger, American psychiatrist and author (b. 1896)
- 1990 – Yun Posun, South Korean politician, 2nd President of South Korea (b. 1897)
- 2001 – Mimi Fariña, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1945)
- 2002 – Metin Toker, Turkish journalist and author (b. 1924)
- 2004 – André Castelot, Belgian-French historian and author (b. 1911)
- 2004 – Émile Peynaud, French wine maker (b. 1912)
- 2005 – Amy Gillett, Australian cyclist and rower (b. 1976)
- 2005 – William Westmoreland, American general (b. 1914)
- 2006 – Henry Hewes, American theater writer (b. 1917)
- 2007 – Jerry Hadley, American tenor (b. 1952)
- 2007 – Kenji Miyamoto, Japanese politician (b. 1908)
- 2009 – Henry Allingham, English soldier (b. 1896)
- 2009 – Jill Balcon, English actress (b. 1925)
- 2012 – Yosef Shalom Eliashiv, Lithuanian-Israeli rabbi and author (b. 1910)
- 2012 – Jean François-Poncet, French politician and diplomat, French Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1928)
- 2012 – Dawoud Rajiha, Syrian general and politician, Syrian Minister of Defense (b. 1947)
- 2012 – Assef Shawkat, Syrian general and politician (b. 1950)
- 2012 – Hasan Turkmani, Syrian general and politician, Syrian Minister of Defense (b. 1935)
- 2012 – Rajesh Khanna, Indian actor (b. 1942)
- 2013 – Vaali, Indian poet, songwriter, and actor (b. 1931)
- 2013 – Olivier Ameisen, French-American cardiologist and academic (b. 1953)
- 2014 – Andreas Biermann, German footballer (b. 1980)
- 2014 – João Ubaldo Ribeiro, Brazilian journalist, author, and academic (b. 1941)
- 2014 – Dietmar Schönherr, Austrian-Spanish actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1926)
- 2015 – Alex Rocco, American actor (b. 1936)
- 2018 – Jonathan Gold, American food critic (b. 1960)
- 2018 – Adrian Cronauer, American Radio personality (b. 1938)
Holidays and observances on July 18
- Christian feast day:
- Arnulf of Metz
- Bartolomé de las Casas (Episcopal Church (USA))
- Bruno of Segni
- Camillus de Lellis (optional memorial, United States only)
- Eadburh (or Edburga) of Bicester
- Elizabeth Ferard (Church of England)
- Frederick of Utrecht
- Goneri of Brittany
- Gundenis
- Marina of Aguas Santas
- Maternus of Milan
- Minnborinus of Cologne
- Pambo
- Philastrius (or Filaster)
- Symphorosa
- Teneu (or Theneva)
- Theodosia of Constantinople
- July 18 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Constitution Day (Uruguay)
- Nelson Mandela International Day
-
May 6 in History
- 1527 – Spanish and German troops sack Rome; many scholars consider this the end of the Renaissance.
- 1536 – The Siege of Cuzco commences, in which Incan forces attempt to retake the city of Cuzco from the Spanish.
- 1536 – King Henry VIII orders English-language Bibles be placed in every church. In 1539 the Great Bible would be provided for this purpose.
- 1542 – Francis Xavier reaches Old Goa, the capital of Portuguese India at the time.
- 1659 – English Restoration: A faction of the British Army removes Richard Cromwell as Lord Protector of the Commonwealth and reinstalls the Rump Parliament.
- 1682 – Louis XIV of France moves his court to the Palace of Versailles.
- 1757 – Battle of Prague: A Prussian army fights an Austrian army in Prague during the Seven Years’ War.
- 1757 – The end of Konbaung–Hanthawaddy War, and the end of Burmese Civil War (1740–1757).
- 1757 – English poet Christopher Smart is admitted into St Luke’s Hospital for Lunatics in London, beginning his six-year confinement to mental asylums.
- 1782 – Construction begins on the Grand Palace, the royal residence of the King of Siam in Bangkok, at the command of King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke.
- 1801 – Captain Thomas Cochrane in the 14-gun HMS Speedy captures the 32-gun Spanish frigate El Gamo.
- 1835 – James Gordon Bennett, Sr. publishes the first issue of the New York Herald.
- 1840 – The Penny Black postage stamp becomes valid for use in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
- 1857 – The East India Company disbands the 34th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry whose sepoy Mangal Pandey had earlier revolted against the British in the lead up to the War of Indian Independence.
- 1861 – American Civil War: Arkansas secedes from the Union.
- 1863 – American Civil War: The Battle of Chancellorsville ends with the defeat of the Army of the Potomac by the Army of Northern Virginia.
- 1877 – Chief Crazy Horse of the Oglala Lakota surrenders to United States troops in Nebraska.
- 1882 – Thomas Henry Burke and Lord Frederick Cavendish are stabbed to death by Fenian assassins in Phoenix Park, Dublin.
- 1882 – The United States Congress passes the Chinese Exclusion Act.
- 1889 – The Eiffel Tower is officially opened to the public at the Universal Exposition in Paris.
- 1906 – The Russian Constitution of 1906 is adopted (on April 23 by the Julian calendar).
- 1910 – George V becomes King of Great Britain, Ireland, and many overseas territories, on the death of his father, Edward VII.
- 1915 – Babe Ruth, then a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, hits his first major league home run.
- 1916 – Twenty-one Lebanese nationalists are executed in Martyrs’ Square, Beirut by Djemal Pasha.
- 1916 – Vietnamese Emperor Duy Tân is captured while calling upon the people to rise up against the French, and is later deposed and exiled to Réunion island.
- 1933 – The Deutsche Studentenschaft attacked Magnus Hirschfeld’s Institut für Sexualwissenschaft, later burning many of its books.
- 1935 – New Deal: Under the authority of the newly-enacted Federal Emergency Relief Administration, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issues Executive Order 7034 to create the Works Progress Administration.
- 1937 – Hindenburg disaster: The German zeppelin Hindenburg catches fire and is destroyed within a minute while attempting to dock at Lakehurst, New Jersey. Thirty-six people are killed.
- 1940 – John Steinbeck is awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his novel The Grapes of Wrath.
- 1941 – At California’s March Field, Bob Hope performs his first USO show.
- 1941 – The first flight of the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt.
- 1942 – World War II: On Corregidor, the last American forces in the Philippines surrender to the Japanese.
- 1945 – World War II: Axis Sally delivers her last propaganda broadcast to Allied troops.
- 1945 – World War II: The Prague Offensive, the last major battle of the Eastern Front, begins.
- 1949 – EDSAC, the first practical electronic digital stored-program computer, runs its first operation.
- 1954 – Roger Bannister becomes the first person to run the mile in under four minutes.
- 1960 – More than 20 million viewers watch the first televised royal wedding when Princess Margaret marries Anthony Armstrong-Jones at Westminster Abbey.
- 1966 – Myra Hindley and Ian Brady are sentenced to life imprisonment for the Moors murders in England.
- 1972 – Deniz Gezmiş, Yusuf Aslan and Hüseyin İnan are executed in Ankara after being convicted of attempting to overthrow the Constitutional order.
- 1975 – During a lull in fighting, 100,000 Armenians gather in Beirut for the 60th anniversary commemorations of the Armenian Genocide.
- 1976 – The 6.5 Mw Friuli earthquake affected Northern Italy with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme), leaving 900–978 dead and 1,700–2,400 injured.
- 1983 – The Hitler Diaries are revealed as a hoax after being examined by new experts.
- 1984 – One hundred three Korean Martyrs are canonized by Pope John Paul II in Seoul.
- 1988 – All thirty-six passengers and crew were killed when Widerøe Flight 710 crashed into Mt. Torghatten in Brønnøy.
- 1994 – Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and French President François Mitterrand officiate at the opening of the Channel Tunnel.
- 1996 – The body of former CIA director William Colby is found washed up on a riverbank in southern Maryland, eight days after he disappeared.
- 1997 – The Bank of England is given independence from political control, the most significant change in the bank’s 300-year history.
- 1998 – Kerry Wood strikes out 20 Houston Astros to tie the major league record held by Roger Clemens. He threw a one-hitter and did not walk a batter in his fifth career start.
- 1998 – Steve Jobs of Apple Inc. unveils the first iMac.
- 1999 – The first elections to the devolved Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly are held.
- 2001 – During a trip to Syria, Pope John Paul II becomes the first pope to enter a mosque.
- 2002 – Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn is assassinated following a radio-interview at the Mediapark in Hilversum.
- 2010 – In just 36 minutes, the Dow-Jones average plunged nearly 1000 points in what is known as the 2010 Flash Crash.
- 2013 – Three women, kidnapped and missing for more than a decade, are found alive in Cleveland, Ohio, in the United States.
Births on May 6
- 973 – Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1024)
- 1464 – Sophia Jagiellon, Margravine of Brandenburg-Ansbach, Polish princess (d. 1512)
- 1493 – Girolamo Seripando, Italian theologian and cardinal (d. 1563)
- 1501 – Marcellus II, pope of the Catholic Church (d. 1555)
- 1574 – Innocent X, pope of the Catholic Church (d. 1655)
- 1580 – Charles Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua and Montferrat, French noble (d. 1637)
- 1635 – Johann Joachim Becher, German physician and alchemist (d. 1682)
- 1668 – Alain-René Lesage, French author and playwright (d. 1747)
- 1680 – Jean-Baptiste Stuck, Italian-French cellist and composer (d. 1755)
- 1713 – Charles Batteux, French philosopher and academic (d. 1780)
- 1714 – Anton Raaff, German tenor (d. 1797)
- 1742 – Jean Senebier, Swiss pastor and physiologist (d. 1809)
- 1758 – André Masséna, French general (d. 1817)
- 1758 – Maximilien Robespierre, French lawyer and politician (d. 1794)
- 1769 – Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany (d. 1824)
- 1769 – Jean Nicolas Pierre Hachette, French mathematician and academic (d. 1834)
- 1781 – Karl Christian Friedrich Krause, German philosopher and author (d. 1832)
- 1797 – Joseph Brackett, American religious leader and composer (d. 1882)
- 1800 – Roman Sanguszko, Polish general (d. 1881)
- 1827 – Hermann Raster, German-American journalist and politician (d. 1891)
- 1836 – Max Eyth, German engineer and author (d. 1906)
- 1843 – Grove Karl Gilbert, American geologist and academic (d. 1918)
- 1848 – Henry Edward Armstrong, English chemist and academic (d. 1937)
- 1851 – Aristide Bruant, French singer and actor (d. 1925)
- 1856 – Sigmund Freud, Austrian neurologist and psychoanalyst (d. 1939)
- 1856 – Robert Peary, American admiral and explorer (d. 1920)
- 1861 – Motilal Nehru, Indian lawyer and politician, President of the Indian National Congress (d. 1931)
- 1868 – Gaston Leroux, French journalist and author (d. 1927)
- 1869 – Junnosuke Inoue, Japanese businessman and central banker, 8th and 11th Governor of the Bank of Japan (d. 1932)
- 1870 – Walter Rutherford, Scottish golfer (d. 1936)
- 1871 – Victor Grignard, French chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1935)
- 1871 – Christian Morgenstern, German author and poet (d. 1914)
- 1872 – Willem de Sitter, Dutch mathematician, physicist, and astronomer (d. 1934)
- 1872 – Djemal Pasha, Ottoman general (d. 1922)
- 1879 – Bedřich Hrozný, Czech orientalist and linguist (d. 1952)
- 1879 – Hendrik van Heuckelum, Dutch footballer (d. 1929)
- 1880 – Winifred Brunton, English-South African painter and illustrator (d. 1959)
- 1880 – Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, German-Swiss painter (d. 1938)
- 1883 – Alberto Collo, Italian actor (d. 1955)
- 1895 – Júlio César de Mello e Souza, Brazilian mathematician and author (d. 1974)
- 1895 – Fidél Pálffy, Hungarian soldier and politician, Hungarian Minister of Agriculture (d. 1946)
- 1895 – Rudolph Valentino, Italian actor (d. 1926)
- 1896 – Rolf Maximilian Sievert, Swedish physicist and academic (d. 1966)
- 1897 – Paul Alverdes, German author and poet (d. 1979)
- 1898 – Konrad Henlein, Czech soldier and politician (d. 1945)
- 1902 – Harry Golden, Ukrainian-American journalist and author (d. 1981)
- 1902 – Max Ophüls, German-American director and screenwriter (d. 1957)
- 1903 – Toots Shor, American businessman, founded Toots Shor’s Restaurant (d. 1977)
- 1904 – Moshé Feldenkrais, Ukrainian-Israeli physicist and academic (d. 1984)
- 1904 – Catherine Lacey, English actress (d. 1979)
- 1904 – Harry Martinson, Swedish novelist, essayist, and poet Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1978)
- 1905 – Philip N. Krasne, American lawyer and producer (d. 1999)
- 1906 – André Weil, French mathematician and academic (d. 1998)
- 1907 – Weeb Ewbank, American football player and coach (d. 1998)
- 1911 – Guy des Cars, French journalist and author (d. 1993)
- 1913 – Carmen Cavallaro, American pianist (d. 1989)
- 1913 – Stewart Granger, English-American actor (d. 1993)
- 1915 – Orson Welles, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1985)
- 1915 – Theodore H. White, American historian, journalist, and author (d. 1986)
- 1916 – Robert H. Dicke, American physicist and astronomer (d. 1997)
- 1917 – Kal Mann, American songwriter (d. 2001)
- 1918 – Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, emir of Abu Dhabi and first president of the United Arab Emirates (d. 2004)
- 1919 – André Guelfi, French race car driver (d. 2016)
- 1920 – Kamisese Mara, Fijian politician, 1st Prime Minister of Fiji (d. 2004)
- 1920 – Marguerite Piazza, American soprano and actress (d. 2012)
- 1921 – Erich Fried, Austrian-German author, poet, and translator (d. 1988)
- 1922 – Camille Laurin, Canadian psychiatrist and politician, 7th Deputy Premier of Quebec (d. 1999)
- 1923 – Harry Watson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2002)
- 1924 – Nestor Basterretxea, Spanish painter and sculptor (d. 2014)
- 1924 – Patricia Helen Kennedy, American socialite, activist, and author (d. 2006)
- 1924 – Denny Wright, English guitarist, composer, and producer (d. 1992)
- 1926 – Gilles Grégoire, Canadian politician, co-founded the Parti Québécois (d. 2006)
- 1929 – Rosemary Cramp, English archaeologist and academic
- 1929 – Paul Lauterbur, American chemist and biophysicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2007)
- 1929 – John Taylor, English bishop and theologian (d. 2016)
- 1931 – Willie Mays, American baseball player and coach
- 1931 – Louis Gambaccini, American government official (d. 2018)
- 1932 – Ahmet Haxhiu, Kosovan activist (d. 1994)
- 1932 – Alexander Thynn, 7th Marquess of Bath, English lieutenant and politician (d. 2020)
- 1934 – Richard Shelby, American lawyer and politician
- 1937 – Rubin Carter, American-Canadian boxer (d. 2014)
- 1938 – Jean Garon, Canadian economist, lawyer, and politician (d. 2014)
- 1939 – Eddie C. Campbell, American singer and guitarist (d. 2018)
- 1939 – Chet Allen, American child actor (d. 1984)
- 1942 – Ariel Dorfman, Argentinian author, playwright, and academic
- 1943 – Andreas Baader, German terrorist, co-founded the Red Army Faction (d. 1977)
- 1943 – Milton William Cooper, American theorist and author (d. 2001)
- 1943 – Wolfgang Reinhardt, German pole vaulter (d. 2011)
- 1943 – James Turrell, American sculptor and illustrator
- 1944 – Anton Furst, English-American production designer and art director (d. 1991)
- 1944 – Masanori Murakami, Japanese baseball player and coach
- 1945 – Jimmie Dale Gilmore, American country singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor, and producer
- 1945 – Bob Seger, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1947 – Alan Dale, New Zealand actor
- 1947 – Martha Nussbaum, American philosopher and author
- 1947 – Ljubomir Vračarević, Serbian martial artist, founded Real Aikido (d. 2013)
- 1948 – Frankie Librán, Puerto Rican-American baseball player (d. 2013)
- 1950 – Jeffery Deaver, American journalist and author
- 1951 – Samuel Doe, Liberian sergeant and politician, 21st President of Liberia (d. 1990)
- 1952 – Gerrit Zalm, Dutch economist and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands
- 1953 – Alexander Akimov, Ukrainian Chernobyl worker (d. 1986)
- 1953 – Tony Blair, British politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
- 1953 – Michelle Courchesne, Canadian urban planner and politician, Deputy Premier of Quebec
- 1953 – Ülle Rajasalu, Estonian politician
- 1953 – Graeme Souness, Scottish international footballer and manager
- 1953 – Lynn Whitfield, American actress and producer
- 1954 – Tom Abernethy, American basketball player
- 1954 – Dora Bakoyannis, Greek politician, 120th Greek Minister for Foreign Affairs
- 1954 – Angela Hernández Nuñez, Dominican author and poet
- 1954 – Ain Lutsepp, Estonian actor and politician
- 1955 – Nicholas Alexander, 7th Earl of Caledon, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Armagh
- 1955 – Tom Bergeron, American television host
- 1955 – John Hutton, Baron Hutton of Furness, English academic and politician, Secretary of State for Defence
- 1956 – Lakis Lazopoulos, Greek actor and screenwriter
- 1956 – Cindy Lovell, American educator and writer
- 1956 – Roland Wieser, German race walker and coach
- 1958 – Randall Stout, American architect, designed the Taubman Museum of Art (d. 2014)
- 1959 – Andreas Busse, German runner
- 1959 – Charles Hendry, English politician
- 1960 – Lyudmila Andonova, Bulgarian high jumper
- 1960 – Keith Dowding, English political scientist, philosopher, and academic
- 1960 – Roma Downey, Irish-American actress and producer
- 1960 – John Flansburgh, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1960 – Aleksei Lotman, Estonian biologist and politician
- 1960 – Anne Parillaud, French actress
- 1961 – Oleksandr Apaychev, Ukrainian decathlete and coach
- 1961 – George Clooney, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1961 – Tom Hunter, Scottish businessman and philanthropist
- 1961 – Gina Riley, Australian actress, producer, and screenwriter
- 1961 – Frans Timmermans, Dutch politician and diplomat, First Vice President of the European Commission
- 1962 – Tom Brake, English politician
- 1962 – Brad Izzard, Australian rugby league player
- 1963 – Alessandra Ferri, Italian ballerina
- 1965 – Leslie Hope, Canadian actress, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1968 – Worku Bikila, Ethiopian runner
- 1968 – Lætitia Sadier, French singer and keyboard player
- 1969 – Jim Magilton, Northern Irish footballer and manager
- 1970 – Roland Kun, Nauruan politician
- 1970 – Kavan Smith, Canadian actor
- 1971 – Chris Shiflett, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1972 – Martin Brodeur, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1972 – Naoko Takahashi, Japanese runner
- 1974 – Bernard Barmasai, Kenyan runner
- 1974 – Daniela Bártová, Czech pole vaulter and gymnast
- 1975 – Alan Richardson, English cricketer and coach
- 1976 – Dean Chandler, English footballer
- 1976 – Iván de la Peña, Spanish footballer
- 1977 – Christophe Brandt, Belgian cyclist
- 1977 – Marc Chouinard, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1977 – Mark Eaton, American ice hockey player and coach
- 1977 – Chantelle Newbery, Australian diver
- 1978 – John Abraham, American football player
- 1978 – Tony Estanguet, French slalom canoeist
- 1978 – Fredrick Federley, Swedish journalist and politician
- 1978 – Alexandr Fedorov, Russian bodybuilder
- 1979 – Gerd Kanter, Estonian discus thrower
- 1979 – Jan Erik Mikalsen, Norwegian composer
- 1979 – Jon Montgomery, Canadian skeleton racer and television host
- 1980 – Brooke Bennett, American swimmer
- 1980 – Dimitris Diamantidis, Greek professional basketball player
- 1980 – Ricardo Oliveira, Brazilian footballer
- 1980 – Matthew Whiley, English cricketer
- 1982 – Jason Witten, American football player
- 1983 – Dani Alves, Brazilian footballer
- 1983 – Ingrid Jonach, Australian author
- 1983 – Gabourey Sidibe, American actress
- 1983 – Trinley Thaye Dorje, Tibetan religious leader, the 17th Karmapa Lama
- 1983 – Fredrik Sjöström, Swedish ice hockey player
- 1984 – Anton Babchuk, Ukrainian ice hockey player
- 1984 – Juan Pablo Carrizo, Argentinian footballer
- 1985 – Chris Paul, American basketball player
- 1986 – Goran Dragic, Slovenian basketball player
- 1987 – Dries Mertens, Belgian footballer
- 1987 – Meek Mill, American rapper
- 1987 – Adrienne Warren, American actress
- 1988 – Ryan Anderson, American basketball player
- 1988 – Dakota Kai, New Zealander profesional wrestler
- 1989 – Dominika Cibulková, Slovak tennis player
- 1989 – Jesse Hughes, Canadian DJ and producer
- 1990 – José Altuve, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1992 – Brendan Gallagher, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1992 – Byun Baekhyun, South Korean musician and actor
- 1992 – Jonas Valančiūnas, Lithuanian professional basketball player
- 1993 – Gustavo Gómez, Paraguayan footballer
- 1994 – Mateo Kovačić, Austrian-Croatian footballer
- 1997 – Duncan Scott, Scottish swimmer
- 2019 – Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, British royal
Deaths on May 6
- 698 – Eadberht, bishop of Lindisfarne
- 850 – Ninmyō, Japanese emperor (b. 808)
- 932 – Qian Liu, Chinese warlord and king (b. 852)
- 988 – Dirk II, count of Frisia and Holland
- 1002 – Ealdwulf, Archbishop of York, Abbot of Peterborough and Bishop of Worcester
- 1187 – Ruben III, Prince of Armenia (b. 1145)
- 1236 – Roger of Wendover, Benedictine monk and chronicler
- 1471 – Edmund Beaufort, English commander (b. 1438)
- 1471 – Thomas Tresham, Speaker of the House of Commons
- 1475 – Dieric Bouts, Flemish painter (b. 1415)
- 1483 – Queen Jeonghui, Korean regent (b. 1418)
- 1502 – James Tyrrell, English knight (b. 1450)
- 1527 – Charles III, Duke of Bourbon, Count of Montpensier and Dauphin of Auvergne (b.1490)
- 1540 – Juan Luís Vives, Spanish scholar (b. 1492)
- 1596 – Giaches de Wert, Flemish-Italian composer (b. 1535)
- 1631 – Sir Robert Cotton, 1st Baronet, of Connington, English historian and politician, founded the Cotton library (b. 1570)
- 1638 – Cornelius Jansen, Dutch-French bishop and theologian (b. 1585)
- 1708 – François de Laval, French-Canadian bishop (b. 1623)
- 1757 – Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (b. 1683)
- 1757 – Kurt Christoph Graf von Schwerin, Prussian field marshal (b. 1684)
- 1782 – Christine Kirch, German astronomer and academic (b. 1696)
- 1840 – Francisco de Paula Santander, Colombian general and politician, 4th President of the Republic of the New Granada (b. 1792)
- 1859 – Alexander von Humboldt, German geographer and explorer (b. 1769)
- 1862 – Henry David Thoreau, American essayist, poet, and philosopher (b. 1817)
- 1877 – Johan Ludvig Runeberg, Swedish-Finnish poet and hymn-writer (b. 1804)
- 1882 – Thomas Henry Burke, Irish civil servant (b. 1829)
- 1882 – Lord Frederick Cavendish, British politician, Chief Secretary for Ireland (b. 1836)
- 1902 – Bret Harte, American author and poet (b. 1836)
- 1905 – Robert Herbert, English-Australian politician, 1st Premier of Queensland (b. 1831)
- 1907 – Emanuele Luigi Galizia, Maltese architect and civil engineer (b. 1830)
- 1910 – Edward VII of the United Kingdom (b. 1841)
- 1919 – L. Frank Baum, American novelist (b. 1856)
- 1939 – Konstantin Somov, Russian-French painter and illustrator (b. 1869)
- 1949 – Maurice Maeterlinck, Belgian-French poet and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1862)
- 1951 – Élie Cartan, French mathematician and physicist (b. 1869)
- 1952 – Maria Montessori, Italian-Dutch physician and educator (b. 1870)
- 1959 – Maria Dulęba, Polish actress (b. 1881)
- 1959 – Ragnar Nurkse, Estonian-American economist and academic (b. 1907)
- 1961 – Lucian Blaga, Romanian poet, playwright, and philosopher (b. 1895)
- 1963 – Theodore von Kármán, Hungarian-American mathematician, physicist, and engineer (b. 1881)
- 1963 – Ted Weems, American violinist, trombonist, and bandleader (b. 1901)
- 1963 – Monty Woolley, American raconteur, actor, and director (b. 1888)
- 1967 – Zhou Zuoren, Chinese author and translator (b. 1885)
- 1970 – Alexander Rodzyanko, Russian general (b. 1879)
- 1973 – Ernest MacMillan, Canadian conductor and composer (b. 1893)
- 1975 – József Mindszenty, Hungarian cardinal (b. 1892)
- 1980 – María Luisa Bombal, Chilean writer (b. 1910)
- 1983 – Ezra Jack Keats, American author and illustrator (b. 1916)
- 1983 – Kai Winding, Danish-American trombonist and composer (b. 1922)
- 1984 – Mary Cain, American journalist and politician (b. 1904)
- 1984 – Bonner Pink, English politician (b. 1912)
- 1987 – William J. Casey, American politician, 13th Director of Central Intelligence (b. 1913)
- 1989 – Earl Blaik, American football player and coach (b. 1897)
- 1990 – Charles Farrell, American actor (b. 1901)
- 1991 – Wilfrid Hyde-White, English actor (b. 1903)
- 1992 – Marlene Dietrich, German-American actress and singer (b. 1901)
- 1993 – Ann Todd, English actress and producer (b. 1909)
- 1995 – Noel Brotherston, Northern Irish footballer (b. 1956)
- 2000 – Gordon McClymont, Australian ecologist and academic (b. 1920)
- 2002 – Murray Adaskin, Canadian violinist, composer, conductor, and educator (b. 1906)
- 2002 – Otis Blackwell, American singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1932)
- 2002 – Pim Fortuyn, Dutch sociologist, academic, and politician (b. 1948)
- 2002 – Bjørn Johansen, Norwegian saxophonist (b. 1940)
- 2003 – Art Houtteman, American baseball player and journalist (b. 1927)
- 2004 – Virginia Capers, American actress and singer (b. 1925)
- 2004 – Philip Kapleau, American monk and educator (b. 1912)
- 2004 – Barney Kessel, American guitarist and composer (b. 1923)
- 2006 – Grant McLennan, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1958)
- 2006 – Lorne Saxberg, Canadian journalist (b. 1958)
- 2007 – Enéas Carneiro, Brazilian physician and politician (b. 1938)
- 2007 – Curtis Harrington, American actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1926)
- 2009 – Kevin Grubb, American race car driver (b. 1978)
- 2010 – Robin Roberts, American baseball player, coach, and sportscaster (b. 1926)
- 2012 – James R. Browning, American lieutenant, lawyer, and judge (b. 1918)
- 2012 – James Isaac, American director and producer (b. 1960)
- 2012 – Jean Laplanche, French psychoanalyst and author (b. 1924)
- 2013 – Giulio Andreotti, Italian journalist and politician, 41st Prime Minister of Italy (b. 1919)
- 2013 – Severo Aparicio Quispe, Peruvian bishop (b. 1923)
- 2013 – Michelangelo Spensieri, Italian-Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1949)
- 2014 – Wil Albeda, Dutch economist and politician, Dutch Minister of Social Affairs (b. 1925)
- 2014 – William H. Dana, American pilot, engineer, and astronaut (b. 1930)
- 2014 – Jimmy Ellis, American boxer (b. 1940)
- 2014 – Billy Harrell, American baseball player and scout (b. 1928)
- 2014 – Antony Hopkins, English pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1921)
- 2014 – Maria Lassnig, Austrian painter and academic (b. 1919)
- 2014 – Farley Mowat, Canadian environmentalist and author (b. 1921)
- 2015 – Novera Ahmed, Bangladeshi sculptor (b. 1930)
- 2015 – Denise McCluggage, American race car driver and journalist (b. 1927)
- 2015 – Jim Wright, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 56th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (b. 1922)
- 2016 – Patrick Ekeng, Cameroonian footballer (b. 1990)
- 2016 – Reg Grundy, Australian businessman (b. 1923)
Holidays and observances on May 6
- Christian Feast Day:
- Dominic Savio
- Evodius of Antioch (Roman Catholic Church)
- François de Laval
- Gerard of Lunel
- Lucius of Cyrene
- Petronax of Monte Cassino
- St George’s Day related observances (Eastern Orthodox Church):
- Day of Bravery, also known as Gergyovden (Bulgaria)
- Đurđevdan (Gorani, Roma)
- Police Day (Georgia)
- Yuri’s Day in the Spring (Russian Orthodox Church)
- St John before the Latin Gate
- May 6 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Earliest day on which Military Spouse Day can fall, while May 12 is the latest; celebrated on Friday before Mother’s Day (United States)
- International No Diet Day
- Martyrs’ Day (Gabon)
- Martyrs’ Day (Lebanon and Syria)
- Teachers’ Day (Jamaica)
- The first day of Hıdırellez (Turkey)
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March 4 in History
- AD 51 – Nero, later to become Roman emperor, is given the title princeps iuventutis (head of the youth).
- 306 – Martyrdom of Saint Adrian of Nicomedia.
- 852 – Croatian Knez Trpimir I issues a statute, a document with the first known written mention of the Croats name in Croatian sources.
- 938 – Translation of the relics of martyr Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia, Prince of the Czechs.
- 1152 – Frederick I Barbarossa is elected King of Germany.
- 1238 – The Battle of the Sit River is fought in the northern part of the present-day Yaroslavl Oblast of Russia between the Mongol hordes of Batu Khan and the Russians under Yuri II of Vladimir-Suzdal during the Mongol invasion of Rus’.
- 1351 – Ramathibodi becomes King of Siam.
- 1386 – Władysław II Jagiełło (Jogaila) is crowned King of Poland.
- 1461 – Wars of the Roses in England: Lancastrian King Henry VI is deposed by his House of York cousin, who then becomes King Edward IV.
- 1493 – Explorer Christopher Columbus arrives back in Lisbon, Portugal, aboard his ship Niña from his voyage to what are now The Bahamas and other islands in the Caribbean.
- 1519 – Hernán Cortés arrives in Mexico in search of the Aztec civilization and its wealth.
- 1628 – The Massachusetts Bay Colony is granted a Royal charter.
- 1665 – English King Charles II declares war on the Netherlands marking the start of the Second Anglo-Dutch War.
- 1675 – John Flamsteed is appointed the first Astronomer Royal of England.
- 1681 – Charles II grants a land charter to William Penn for the area that will later become Pennsylvania.
- 1776 – American Revolutionary War: The Continental Army fortifies Dorchester Heights with cannon, leading the British troops to abandon the Siege of Boston.
- 1789 – In New York City, the first Congress of the United States meets, putting the United States Constitution into effect. The United States Bill of Rights is written and proposed to Congress.
- 1790 – France is divided into 83 départements, cutting across the former provinces in an attempt to dislodge regional loyalties based on ownership of land by the nobility.
- 1791 – The Constitutional Act of 1791 is introduced by the British House of Commons in London which envisages the separation of Canada into Lower Canada (Quebec) and Upper Canada (Ontario).
- 1791 – Vermont is admitted to the United States as the fourteenth state.
- 1794 – The 11th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is passed by the U.S. Congress.
- 1797 – John Adams is inaugurated as the 2nd President of the United States of America, becoming the first President to begin his presidency on March 4.
- 1804 – Castle Hill Rebellion: Irish convicts rebel against British colonial authority in the Colony of New South Wales.
- 1813 – Cyril VI of Constantinople is elected Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.
- 1814 – Americans defeat British forces at the Battle of Longwoods between London, Ontario and Thamesville, near present-day Wardsville, Ontario.
- 1837 – The city of Chicago is incorporated.
- 1848 – Carlo Alberto di Savoia signs the Statuto Albertino that will later represent the first constitution of the Regno d’Italia.
- 1849 – President-Elect Zachary Taylor and Vice President-Elect Millard Fillmore did not take their respective oaths of office (they did so the following day), leading to the erroneous theory that outgoing President pro tempore of the United States Senate David Rice Atchison had assumed the role of acting president for one day.
- 1861 – The first national flag of the Confederate States of America (the “Stars and Bars”) is adopted.
- 1865 – The third and final national flag of the Confederate States of America is adopted by the Confederate Congress.
- 1882 – Britain’s first electric trams run in east London.
- 1890 – The longest bridge in Great Britain, the Forth Bridge in Scotland, measuring 1,710 feet (520 m) long, is opened by the Duke of Rothesay, later King Edward VII.
- 1899 – Cyclone Mahina sweeps in north of Cooktown, Queensland, with a 12 metres (39 ft) wave that reaches up to 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) inland, killing over 300.
- 1908 – The Collinwood school fire, Collinwood near Cleveland, Ohio, kills 174 people.
- 1909 – U.S. President William Taft used what became known as a Saxbe fix, a mechanism to avoid the restriction of the U.S. Constitution’s Ineligibility Clause, to appoint Philander C. Knox as U.S. Secretary of State.
- 1913 – First Balkan War: The Greek army engages the Turks at Bizani, resulting in victory two days later.
- 1913 – The United States Department of Labor is formed.
- 1917 – Jeannette Rankin of Montana becomes the first female member of the United States House of Representatives.
- 1933 – Franklin D. Roosevelt becomes the 32nd President of the United States.
- 1933 – Frances Perkins becomes United States Secretary of Labor, the first female member of the United States Cabinet.
- 1933 – The Parliament of Austria is suspended because of a quibble over procedure – Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss initiates an authoritarian rule by decree.
- 1941 – World War II: The United Kingdom launches Operation Claymore on the Lofoten Islands; the first large scale British Commando raid.
- 1943 – World War II: The Battle of the Bismarck Sea in the south-west Pacific comes to an end.
- 1943 – World War II: The Battle of Fardykambos, one of the first major battles between the Greek Resistance and the occupying Royal Italian Army, begins. It ends on 6 March with the surrender of an entire Italian battalion and the liberation of the town of Grevena.
- 1944 – World War II: After the success of Big Week, the USAAF begins a daylight bombing campaign of Berlin.
- 1957 – The S&P 500 stock market index is introduced, replacing the S&P 90.
- 1960 – The French freighter La Coubre explodes in Havana, Cuba, killing 100.
- 1962 – A Caledonian Airways Douglas DC-7 crashes shortly after takeoff from Cameroon, killing 111 – the worst crash of a DC-7.
- 1966 – A Canadian Pacific Air Lines DC-8-43 explodes on landing at Tokyo International Airport, killing 64 people.
- 1966 – In an interview in the London Evening Standard, The Beatles’ John Lennon declares that the band is “more popular than Jesus now”.
- 1970 – French submarine Eurydice explodes underwater, resulting in the loss of the entire 57-man crew.
- 1974 – People magazine is published for the first time in the United States as People Weekly.
- 1976 – The Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention is formally dissolved in Northern Ireland resulting in direct rule of Northern Ireland from London by the British parliament.
- 1977 – The 1977 Vrancea earthquake in eastern and southern Europe kills more than 1,500, mostly in Bucharest, Romania.
- 1980 – Nationalist leader Robert Mugabe wins a sweeping election victory to become Zimbabwe’s first black prime minister.
- 1985 – The Food and Drug Administration approves a blood test for AIDS infection, used since then for screening all blood donations in the United States.
- 1986 – The Soviet Vega 1 begins returning images of Halley’s Comet and the first images of its nucleus.
- 1990 – American basketball player Hank Gathers dies after collapsing during the semifinals of a West Coast Conference Tournament game.
- 1996 – A derailed train in Weyauwega, Wisconsin (USA) causes the emergency evacuation of 2,300 people for 16 days.
- 1998 – Gay rights: Oncale v. Sundowner Offshore Services, Inc.: The Supreme Court of the United States rules that federal laws banning on-the-job sexual harassment also apply when both parties are the same sex.
- 2001 – BBC bombing: A massive car bomb explodes in front of the BBC Television Centre in London, seriously injuring one person; the attack was attributed to the Real IRA.
- 2002 – Afghanistan: Seven American Special Operations Forces soldiers and 200 Al-Qaeda Fighters are killed as American forces attempt to infiltrate the Shah-i-Kot Valley on a low-flying helicopter reconnaissance mission.
- 2009 – The International Criminal Court (ICC) issues an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur. Al-Bashir is the first sitting head of state to be indicted by the ICC since its establishment in 2002.
- 2012 – A series of explosions is reported at a munitions dump in Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of the Congo, killing at least 250 people.
- 2015 – At least 34 miners die in a suspected gas explosion at the Zasyadko coal mine in the rebel-held Donetsk region of Ukraine.
- 2018 – Former MI6 spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter are poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent in Salisbury, England, causing a diplomatic uproar that results in mass-expulsions of diplomats from all countries involved.
- 2019 – The Indian Attack submarine was spotted by the Pakistan Navy.
- 2020 – Former Daredevil Nik Wallenda is the first person to walk over the Masaya Volcano in Nicaragua.
Births on March 4
- 895 – Liu Zhiyuan, founder of the Later Han Dynasty (d. 948)
- 977 – Al-Musabbihi, Fatimid historian and official (d. 1030)
- 1188 – Blanche of Castile, French queen consort (d. 1252)
- 1394 – Henry the Navigator, Portuguese explorer (d. 1460)
- 1484 – George, margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach (d. 1543)
- 1492 – Francesco de Layolle, Italian organist and composer (d. 1540)
- 1502 – Elisabeth of Hesse, princess of Saxony (d. 1557)
- 1519 – Hindal Mirza, Mughal emperor (d. 1551)
- 1526 – Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon (d. 1596)
- 1602 – Kanō Tan’yū, Japanese painter (d. 1674)
- 1634 – Kazimierz Łyszczyński, Polish philosopher (d. 1689)
- 1651 – John Somers, 1st Baron Somers, English lawyer, jurist, and politician, Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain (d. 1716)
- 1655 – Fra Galgario, Italian painter (d. 1743)
- 1665 – Philip Christoph von Königsmarck, Swedish soldier (d. 1694)
- 1678 – Antonio Vivaldi, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1741)
- 1702 – Jack Sheppard, English criminal (d. 1724)
- 1706 – Lauritz de Thurah, Danish architect, designed the Hermitage Hunting Lodge and Gammel Holtegård (d. 1759)
- 1715 – James Waldegrave, 2nd Earl Waldegrave, English historian and politician (d. 1763)
- 1719 – George Pigot, 1st Baron Pigot, English politician (d. 1777)
- 1729 – Anne d’Arpajon, French wife of Philippe de Noailles (d. 1794)
- 1745 – Charles Dibdin, English actor, playwright, and composer (d. 1814)
- 1745 – Casimir Pulaski, Polish-American general (d. 1779)
- 1756 – Henry Raeburn, Scottish painter and educator (d. 1823)
- 1760 – William Payne, English painter (d. 1830)
- 1760 – Hugh Ronalds, British nurseryman who cultivated and documented 300 varieties of apples (d. 1833)
- 1769 – Muhammad Ali, Ottoman military leader and pasha (d. 1849)
- 1770 – Joseph Jacotot, French philosopher and academic (d. 1840)
- 1778 – Robert Emmet, Irish commander (d. 1803)
- 1781 – Rebecca Gratz, American educator and philanthropist (d. 1869)
- 1782 – Johann Rudolf Wyss, Swiss philosopher, author, and academic (d. 1830)
- 1792 – Isaac Lea, American conchologist, geologist, and publisher (d. 1886)
- 1793 – Karl Lachmann, German philologist and critic (d. 1851)
- 1814 – Napoleon Collins, Rear Admiral of the United States Navy during the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War (d. 1875)
- 1817 – Edwards Pierrepont, American lawyer and politician, 34th United States Attorney General (d. 1892)
- 1820 – Francesco Bentivegna, Italian rebel leader (d. 1856)
- 1822 – Jules Antoine Lissajous, French mathematician and academic (d. 1880)
- 1823 – George Caron, Canadian businessman and politician (d. 1902)
- 1826 – August Johann Gottfried Bielenstein, German linguist, ethnographer, and theologian (d. 1907)
- 1826 – John Buford, American general (d. 1863)
- 1826 – Elme Marie Caro, French philosopher and academic (d. 1887)
- 1826 – Theodore Judah, American engineer, founded the Central Pacific Railroad (d. 1863)
- 1828 – Owen Wynne Jones, Welsh clergyman and poet (d. 1870)
- 1838 – Paul Lacôme, French pianist, cellist, and composer (d. 1920)
- 1847 – Carl Josef Bayer, Austrian chemist and academic (d. 1904)
- 1851 – Alexandros Papadiamantis, Greek author and poet (d. 1911)
- 1854 – Napier Shaw, English meteorologist and academic (d. 1945)
- 1856 – Alfred William Rich, English painter, author, and educator (d. 1921)
- 1861 – Arthur Cushman McGiffert, American theologian and author (d. 1933)
- 1862 – Jacob Robert Emden, Swiss astrophysicist and meteorologist (d. 1940)
- 1863 – R. I. Pocock, English zoologist and archaeologist (d. 1947)
- 1863 – John Henry Wigmore, American academic and jurist (d. 1943)
- 1864 – David W. Taylor, American admiral, architect, and engineer (d. 1940)
- 1866 – Eugène Cosserat, French mathematician and astronomer (d. 1931)
- 1867 – Jacob L. Beilhart, American activist, founded the Spirit Fruit Society (d. 1908)
- 1867 – Charles Pelot Summerall, senior United States Army officer (d. 1955)
- 1870 – Thomas Sturge Moore, English author and poet (d. 1944)
- 1871 – Boris Galerkin, Russian mathematician and engineer (d. 1945)
- 1873 – Guy Wetmore Carryl, American journalist and poet (d. 1904)
- 1873 – John H. Trumbull, American colonel and politician, 70th Governor of Connecticut (d. 1961)
- 1875 – Mihály Károlyi, Hungarian politician, President of the Hungary (d. 1955)
- 1875 – Enrique Larreta, Argentinian historian and author (d. 1961)
- 1876 – Léon-Paul Fargue, French poet and author (d. 1947)
- 1876 – Theodore Hardeen, Hungarian-American magician (d. 1945)
- 1877 – Alexander Goedicke, Russian pianist and composer (d. 1957)
- 1877 – Fritz Graebner, German geographer and ethnologist (d. 1934)
- 1877 – Garrett Morgan, African-American inventor (d. 1963)
- 1878 – Takeo Arishima, Japanese author and critic (d. 1923)
- 1878 – Egbert Van Alstyne, American pianist and songwriter (d. 1951)
- 1879 – Bernhard Kellermann, German author and poet (d. 1951)
- 1880 – Channing Pollock, American playwright and critic (d. 1946)
- 1881 – Todor Aleksandrov, Bulgarian educator and activist (d. 1924)
- 1881 – Thomas Sigismund Stribling, American lawyer and author (d. 1965)
- 1881 – Richard C. Tolman, American physicist and chemist (d. 1948)
- 1882 – Nicolae Titulescu, Romanian academic and politician, 61st Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 1941)
- 1883 – Maude Fealy, American actress and screenwriter (d. 1971)
- 1883 – Robert Emmett Keane, American actor (d. 1981)
- 1883 – Sam Langford, Canadian-American boxer (d. 1956)
- 1884 – Red Murray, American baseball player (d. 1958)
- 1884 – Lee Shumway, American actor (d. 1959)
- 1886 – Paul Bazelaire, French cellist and composer (d. 1958)
- 1888 – Rafaela Ottiano, Italian-American actress (d. 1942)
- 1888 – Jeff Pfeffer, American baseball player (d. 1972)
- 1888 – Emma Richter, German paleontologist (d. 1956)
- 1888 – Knute Rockne, American football player and coach (d. 1931)
- 1889 – Oscar Chisini, Italian mathematician and statistician (d. 1967)
- 1889 – Oren E. Long, American soldier and politician, 10th Territorial Governor of Hawaii (d. 1965)
- 1889 – Pearl White, American actress (d. 1938)
- 1889 – Robert William Wood, English-American painter (d. 1979)
- 1890 – Norman Bethune, Canadian soldier and physician (d. 1939)
- 1891 – Dazzy Vance, American baseball player (d. 1961)
- 1893 – Charles Herbert Colvin, American engineer, co-founded the Pioneer Instrument Company (d. 1985)
- 1893 – Adolph Lowe, German sociologist and economist (d. 1995)
- 1894 – Charles Corm, Lebanese businessman and philanthropist (d. 1963)
- 1895 – Milt Gross, American animator, director, and screenwriter (d. 1953)
- 1896 – Kai Holm, Danish actor and director (d. 1985)
- 1897 – Lefty O’Doul, American baseball player and manager (d. 1969)
- 1898 – Georges Dumézil, French philologist and academic (d. 1986)
- 1898 – Hans Krebs, German general (d. 1945)
- 1899 – Peter Illing, Austrian born, British film and television actor (d. 1966)
- 1899 – Emilio Prados, Spanish poet and author (d. 1962)
- 1900 – Herbert Biberman, American director and screenwriter (d. 1971)
- 1901 – Wilbur R. Franks, Canadian scientist, invented the g-suit (d. 1986)
- 1901 – Charles Goren, American bridge player and author (d. 1991)
- 1901 – Jean-Joseph Rabearivelo, Malagasy-French author, poet, and playwright (d. 1937)
- 1902 – Rachel Messerer, Lithuanian-Russian actress (d. 1993)
- 1902 – Russell Reeder, American soldier and author (d. 1998)
- 1903 – William C. Boyd, American immunologist and chemist (d. 1983)
- 1903 – Malcolm Dole, American chemist and academic (d. 1990)
- 1903 – Dorothy Mackaill, English-American actress and singer (d. 1990)
- 1903 – John Scarne, American magician and author (d. 1985)
- 1904 – Luis Carrero Blanco, Spanish admiral and politician, 69th President of the Government of Spain (d. 1973)
- 1904 – George Gamow, Ukrainian-American physicist and cosmologist (d. 1968)
- 1904 – Joseph Schmidt, Austrian-Hungarian tenor and actor (d. 1942)
- 1906 – Meindert DeJong, Dutch-American soldier and author (d. 1991)
- 1906 – Avery Fisher, American violinist and engineer, founded Fisher Electronics (d. 1994)
- 1906 – Georges Ronsse, Belgian cyclist and manager (d. 1969)
- 1907 – Edgar Barrier, American actor (d. 1964)
- 1908 – T. R. M. Howard, American surgeon and activist (d. 1976)
- 1908 – Thomas Shaw, American singer and guitarist (d. 1977)
- 1909 – Harry Helmsley, American businessman (d. 1997)
- 1909 – George Edward Holbrook, American chemist and engineer (d. 1987)
- 1910 – Tancredo Neves, Brazilian lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of Brazil (d. 1985)
- 1911 – Charles Greville, 7th Earl of Warwick, English actor (d. 1984)
- 1912 – Afro Basaldella, Italian painter and academic (d. 1976)
- 1912 – Ferdinand Leitner, German conductor and composer (d. 1996)
- 1912 – Carl Marzani, Italian-American activist and publisher (d. 1994)
- 1913 – Taos Amrouche, Algerian singer and author (d. 1976)
- 1913 – John Garfield, American actor and singer (d. 1952)
- 1914 – Barbara Newhall Follett, American author (d. 1939)
- 1914 – Ward Kimball, American animator, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2002)
- 1914 – Robert R. Wilson, American physicist, sculptor, and architect (d. 2000)
- 1915 – László Csatáry, Hungarian art dealer (d. 2013)
- 1915 – Frank Sleeman, Australian lieutenant and politician, Lord Mayor of Brisbane (d. 2000)
- 1915 – Carlos Surinach, Spanish-Catalan composer and conductor (d. 1997)
- 1916 – William Alland, American actor, director, and producer (d. 1997)
- 1916 – Giorgio Bassani, Italian author and poet (d. 2000)
- 1916 – Hans Eysenck, German-English psychologist and theorist (d. 1997)
- 1917 – Clyde McCullough, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 1982)
- 1918 – Kurt Dahlmann, German pilot, lawyer, and journalist (d. 2017)
- 1918 – Margaret Osborne duPont, American tennis player (d. 2012)
- 1919 – Buck Baker, American race car driver (d. 2002)
- 1919 – Tan Chee Khoon, Malaysian physician and politician (d. 1996)
- 1920 – Jean Lecanuet, French politician, French Minister of Justice (d. 1993)
- 1920 – Alan MacNaughtan, Scottish-English actor (d. 2002)
- 1921 – Halim El-Dabh, Egyptian-American composer and educator (d. 2017)
- 1921 – Joan Greenwood, English actress (d. 1987)
- 1921 – Dinny Pails, English-Australian tennis player (d. 1986)
- 1922 – Richard E. Cunha, American director and cinematographer (d. 2005)
- 1922 – Dina Pathak, Indian actor and director (d. 2002)
- 1923 – Russell Freeburg, American journalist and author
- 1923 – Francis King, English author and poet (d. 2011)
- 1923 – Patrick Moore, English astronomer and television host (d. 2012)
- 1924 – Kenneth O’Donnell, American soldier and politician (d. 1977)
- 1925 – Alan R. Battersby, English chemist and academic (d. 2018)
- 1925 – Paul Mauriat, French conductor and composer (d. 2006)
- 1926 – Henri de Contenson, French archaeologist and academic (d. 2019)
- 1926 – Prince Michel of Bourbon-Parma, French businessman, soldier and race car driver (d. 2018)
- 1926 – Richard DeVos, American businessman and philanthropist, co-founded Amway (d. 2018)
- 1926 – Pascual Pérez, Argentinian boxer (d. 1977)
- 1926 – Don Rendell, English saxophonist and flute player (d. 2015)
- 1927 – Phil Batt, American soldier and politician, 29th Governor of Idaho
- 1927 – Thayer David, American actor (d. 1978)
- 1927 – Jacques Dupin, French poet and critic (d. 2012)
- 1927 – Robert Orben, American magician and author
- 1927 – Dick Savitt, American tennis player and businessman
- 1928 – Samuel Adler, German-American composer and conductor
- 1928 – Alan Sillitoe, English novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet (d. 2010)
- 1929 – Bernard Haitink, Dutch violinist and conductor
- 1929 – Peter Swerling, American theoretician and engineer (d. 2000)
- 1931 – Wally Bruner, American journalist and television host (d. 1997)
- 1931 – Bob Johnson, American ice hockey player and coach (d. 1991)
- 1931 – William Henry Keeler, American cardinal (d. 2017)
- 1931 – Alice Rivlin, American economist and politician (d. 2019)
- 1932 – Sigurd Jansen, Norwegian pianist, composer, and conductor
- 1932 – Ryszard Kapuściński, Polish journalist, photographer, and poet (d. 2007)
- 1932 – Miriam Makeba, South African singer-songwriter and actress (d. 2008)
- 1932 – Ed Roth, American illustrator (d. 2001)
- 1932 – Frank Wells, American businessman (d. 1994)
- 1933 – Nino Vaccarella, Italian race car driver
- 1934 – Mario Davidovsky, Argentinian-American composer and academic (d. 2019)
- 1934 – John Duffey, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1996)
- 1934 – Anne Haney, American actress (d. 2001)
- 1934 – Barbara McNair, American singer and actress (d. 2007)
- 1934 – Sandra Reynolds, South African tennis player
- 1934 – Janez Strnad, Slovenian physicist and academic (d. 2015)
- 1935 – Edward Dębicki, Ukrainian-Polish poet and composer
- 1935 – Bent Larsen, Danish chess player and author (d. 2010)
- 1936 – Eric Allandale, Dominican trombonist and songwriter (d. 2001)
- 1936 – Jim Clark, Scottish race car driver (d. 1968)
- 1936 – Aribert Reimann, German pianist and composer
- 1937 – José Araquistáin, Spanish footballer
- 1937 – William Deverell, Canadian lawyer, author, and activist
- 1937 – Graham Dowling, New Zealand cricketer
- 1937 – Leslie H. Gelb, American journalist and author (d. 2019)
- 1937 – Yuri Senkevich, Russian physician and explorer (d. 2003)
- 1937 – Barney Wilen, French saxophonist and composer (d. 1996)
- 1937 – Richard B. Wright, Canadian journalist and author (d. 2017)
- 1938 – Anton Balasingham, Sri Lankan-English negotiator (d. 2006)
- 1938 – Alpha Condé, Guinean politician, President of Guinea
- 1938 – Allan Kornblum, American police officer and judge (d. 2010)
- 1938 – Angus MacLise, American drummer and composer (d. 1979)
- 1938 – Don Perkins, American football player and sportscaster
- 1938 – Paula Prentiss, American actress
- 1938 – Adam Daniel Rotfeld, Polish academic and politician, Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs
- 1939 – Jack Fisher, American baseball player
- 1939 – Robert Shaye, American film producer
- 1940 – Wolfgang Hoffmann-Riem, German scholar and judge
- 1940 – David Plante, American novelist
- 1941 – John Hancock, American film and television actor (d. 1992)
- 1941 – Adrian Lyne, English director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1941 – James Zagel, American lawyer and judge
- 1942 – Gloria Gaither, American singer-songwriter
- 1942 – Charles C. Krulak, American general
- 1942 – David Matthews, American keyboard player and composer
- 1942 – Lynn Sherr, American journalist and author
- 1942 – James Gustave Speth, American lawyer and politician
- 1942 – Zorán Sztevanovity, Serbian-Hungarian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1943 – Lucio Dalla, Italian singer-songwriter and actor (d. 2012)
- 1943 – Aldo Rico, Argentinian commander and politician
- 1944 – Harvey Postlethwaite, English engineer (d. 1999)
- 1944 – Anthony Ichiro Sanda, Japanese-American physicist and academic
- 1944 – Len Walker, English footballer and manager
- 1944 – Bobby Womack, American singer-songwriter (d. 2014)
- 1945 – Tommy Svensson, Swedish footballer and manager
- 1945 – Gary Williams, American basketball player and coach
- 1946 – Michael Ashcroft, English businessman and politician
- 1946 – Danny Frisella, American baseball player (d. 1977)
- 1946 – Haile Gerima, Ethiopian born US filmmaker
- 1946 – Patricia Kennealy-Morrison, American journalist and author
- 1947 – David Franzoni, American screenwriter and film producer
- 1947 – Jan Garbarek, Norwegian saxophonist and composer
- 1947 – Bob Lewis, American guitarist
- 1947 – Pēteris Plakidis, Latvian pianist and composer (d. 2017)
- 1948 – Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton, New Zealand-Australian author
- 1948 – James Ellroy, American writer
- 1948 – Tom Grieve, American baseball player, manager, and sportscaster
- 1948 – Mike Moran, English musician, songwriter and record producer
- 1948 – Jean O’Leary, American nun and activist (d. 2005)
- 1948 – Chris Squire, English singer-songwriter and bass guitarist (d. 2015)
- 1948 – Shakin’ Stevens, British singer-songwriter
- 1949 – Sergei Bagapsh, Abkhazian politician, 2nd President of Abkhazia (d. 2011)
- 1949 – Carroll Baker, Canadian singer-songwriter
- 1950 – Ofelia Medina, Mexican actress and screenwriter
- 1950 – Rick Perry, American captain and politician, 47th Governor of Texas
- 1950 – Safet Plakalo, Bosnian author and playwright (d. 2015)
- 1951 – Edelgard Bulmahn, German educator and politician, German Federal Minister of Education and Research
- 1951 – Theresa Hak Kyung Cha, South Korean-American author, director, and producer (d. 1982)
- 1951 – Kenny Dalglish, Scottish footballer and manager
- 1951 – Pete Haycock, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2013)
- 1951 – Peter O’Sullivan, Welsh international footballer, winger
- 1951 – Sam Perlozzo, American baseball player and manager
- 1951 – Chris Rea, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1951 – Glenis Willmott, English scientist and politician
- 1951 – Zoran Žižić, Montenegrin politician, 4th Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (d. 2013)
- 1952 – Peter Kuhfeld, English painter
- 1952 – Ronn Moss, American singer-songwriter and actor
- 1952 – Svend Robinson, American-Canadian lawyer and politician
- 1952 – Umberto Tozzi, Italian singer-songwriter and producer
- 1953 – John Edwards, Australian director and producer
- 1953 – Emilio Estefan, Cuban-American drummer and producer
- 1953 – Paweł Janas, Polish footballer and manager
- 1953 – Ray Price, Australian rugby player and sportscaster
- 1953 – Reinhold Roth, German motorcycle racer
- 1953 – Chris Smith, American lawyer and politician
- 1953 – Agustí Villaronga, Spanish actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1953 – Daniel Woodrell, American novelist and short story writer
- 1954 – Timur Apakidze, Russian general and pilot (d. 2001)
- 1954 – Theresa Hak Kyung Cha, Korean American author (d. 1982)
- 1954 – François Fillon, French lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of France
- 1954 – Peter Jacobsen, American golfer and sportscaster
- 1954 – Catherine O’Hara, Canadian-American actress and comedian
- 1954 – Irina Ratushinskaya, Russian poet and author (d. 2017)
- 1955 – Tim Costello, Australian minister and politician
- 1955 – Joey Jones, Welsh footballer and manager
- 1957 – Nicholas Coleridge, English journalist and businessman
- 1957 – Ron Fassler, American film and television actor and author
- 1957 – Mykelti Williamson, American actor and director
- 1958 – Patricia Heaton, American actress
- 1958 – Massimo Mascioletti, Italian rugby player and coach
- 1958 – Tina Smith, American politician, junior senator of Minnesota
- 1959 – Rick Ardon, Australian journalist
- 1959 – Plamen Getov, Bulgarian footballer
- 1960 – Chonda Pierce, American comedian
- 1961 – Ray Mancini, American boxer
- 1961 – Steven Weber, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
- 1961 – Roger Wessels, South African golfer and educator
- 1962 – Simon Bisley, English author and illustrator
- 1962 – Paul Canoville, English footballer
- 1962 – Stephan Reimertz, German historian and author
- 1963 – Jason Newsted, American heavy metal singer-songwriter and bass player
- 1964 – Dave Colclough, Welsh computer programmer and poker player (d. 2016)
- 1964 – Brian Crowley, Irish lawyer and politician
- 1964 – Tom Lampkin, American baseball player and sportscaster
- 1964 – Paolo Virzì, Italian director and screenwriter
- 1965 – Greg Alexander, Australian rugby league player and sportscaster
- 1965 – Paul W. S. Anderson, English director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1965 – Andrew Collins, English journalist and screenwriter
- 1965 – Khaled Hosseini, Afghan-born American novelist
- 1965 – Yury Lonchakov, Russian colonel, pilot, and astronaut
- 1965 – John Murphy British film composer
- 1966 – Emese Hunyady, Hungarian speed skater
- 1966 – Kevin Johnson, American basketball player and politician, 55th Mayor of Sacramento
- 1966 – Fiona Ma, American accountant and politician
- 1966 – Helmut Mayer, Austrian skier
- 1966 – Glen Nissen, Australian rugby league player
- 1966 – Dav Pilkey, American author and illustrator
- 1966 – Grand Puba, American rapper
- 1966 – Mike Small, American golfer and coach
- 1967 – Daryll Cullinan, South African cricketer and coach
- 1967 – Evan Dando, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1967 – Ivan Lewis, English lawyer and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
- 1967 – Terry Matterson, Australian rugby league player and coach
- 1967 – Dave Rayner, English cyclist (d. 1994)
- 1967 – Sam Taylor-Johnson, English filmmaker and photographer
- 1967 – Kubilay Türkyilmaz, Swiss footballer
- 1967 – Tim Vine, English comedian, actor, and author
- 1968 – Giovanni Carrara, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1968 – Jorge Celedón, Colombian singer
- 1968 – Patsy Kensit, English model and actress
- 1968 – Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Greek banker and politician, Prime Minister of Greece
- 1968 – Graham Westley, English footballer and manager
- 1969 – Pierluigi Casiraghi, Italian footballer and manager
- 1969 – Wayne Collins, English footballer, midfielder
- 1969 – Annie Yi, Taiwanese singer, actress, and writer
- 1970 – Àlex Crivillé, Spanish motorcycle racer
- 1970 – Will Keen, English actor
- 1970 – Caroline Vis, Dutch tennis player
- 1971 – Iain Baird, Canadian soccer player and manager
- 1971 – Claire Baker, Scottish politician
- 1971 – Emily Bazelon, American journalist
- 1971 – Jason Croot, English actor and director
- 1971 – Anders Kjølholm, Danish bass player
- 1971 – Satoshi Motoyama, Japanese race car driver
- 1971 – Geraldine O’Rawe, Northern Irish actress
- 1972 – Katherine Center, American journalist and author
- 1972 – Nocturno Culto, Norwegian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1972 – Robert Smith, American football player and sportscaster
- 1972 – Ivy Queen, Puerto Rican singer, songwriter, rapper, actress and record producer
- 1972 – Jos Verstappen, Dutch race car driver
- 1972 – Alison Wheeler, English singer-songwriter
- 1973 – Massimo Brambilla, Italian footballer and coach
- 1973 – Phillip Daniels, American football player and coach
- 1973 – Valery Kobelev, Russian ski jumper
- 1973 – Penny Mordaunt, English lieutenant and politician, Minister of State for the Armed Forces
- 1973 – Linus of Hollywood, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1973 – Len Wiseman, American director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1973 – Chandra Sekhar Yeleti, Indian director and screenwriter
- 1974 – Crowbar, American wrestler
- 1974 – Mladen Krstajić, Serbian footballer and manager
- 1974 – Karol Kučera, Slovak tennis player
- 1974 – Ariel Ortega, Argentinian footballer
- 1974 – Tommy Phelps, South Korean-American baseball player and coach
- 1974 – ICS Vortex, Norwegian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1974 – David Wagner, American tennis player and educator
- 1974 – Bill Young, Australian rugby player
- 1975 – Mats Eilertsen, Norwegian bassist and composer
- 1975 – Patrick Femerling, German basketball player
- 1975 – Antti Aalto, Finnish ice hockey player
- 1975 – Kristi Harrower, Australian basketball player
- 1975 – Hawksley Workman, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1976 – Robbie Blake, English footballer
- 1976 – Tommy Jönsson, Swedish footballer
- 1977 – Nacho Figueras, Argentinian polo player and model
- 1977 – Traver Rains, American fashion designer and photographer
- 1978 – Pierre Dagenais, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1978 – Denis Dallan, Italian rugby player and singer
- 1978 – Jean-Marc Pelletier, American ice hockey player
- 1979 – Sarah Stock, Canadian wrestler and trainer
- 1980 – Rohan Bopanna, Indian tennis player
- 1980 – Omar Bravo, Mexican footballer
- 1980 – Suzanna Choffel, American singer-songwriter
- 1980 – Giedrius Gustas, Lithuanian basketball player
- 1980 – Scott Hamilton, New Zealand rugby player and coach
- 1980 – Jack Hannahan, American baseball player
- 1980 – Michael Henrich, American ice hockey player
- 1980 – Phil McGuire, Scottish footballer and manager
- 1980 – Aja Volkman, American singer-songwriter
- 1981 – Ariza Makukula, Portuguese footballer
- 1981 – Helen Wyman, English cyclist
- 1982 – Landon Donovan, American soccer player and coach
- 1982 – Cate Edwards, American lawyer and author
- 1982 – Ludmila Ezhova, Russian gymnast
- 1982 – Yasemin Mori, Turkish singer
- 1983 – Samuel Contesti, French-Italian figure skater
- 1983 – Adam Deacon, English film actor, rapper, writer and director
- 1983 – Jaque Fourie, South African rugby player
- 1983 – Drew Houston, American billionaire and Internet entrepreneur
- 1984 – Josh Bowman, English actor
- 1984 – Tamir Cohen, Israeli footballer
- 1984 – Anders Grøndal, Norwegian race car driver
- 1984 – Spencer Larsen, American football player
- 1984 – Jeremy Loops, South African singer-songwriter and record producer
- 1984 – Raven Quinn, American singer-songwriter
- 1984 – Zak Whitbread, American-English footballer
- 1985 – Jake Buxton, English footballer
- 1985 – Chinedum Ndukwe, American football player
- 1985 – Whitney Port, American fashion designer and author
- 1986 – Steven Burke, English road and track cyclist
- 1986 – Tom De Mul, Belgian footballer
- 1986 – Mike Krieger, Brazilian-American computer programmer and businessman, co-founded Instagram
- 1986 – Siim Roops, Estonian footballer
- 1986 – Bohdan Shust, Ukrainian footballer
- 1986 – Manu Vatuvei, New Zealand rugby league player
- 1986 – Margo Harshman, American actress
- 1987 – Ben McKinley, Australian footballer
- 1987 – Cameron Wood, Australian footballer
- 1987 – Tamzin Merchant, English actress
- 1988 – Gal Mekel, Israeli basketball player
- 1988 – Laura Siegemund, German tennis player
- 1988 – Adam Watts, English footballer
- 1989 – Benjamin Kiplagat, Ugandan long-distance runner
- 1990 – Andrea Bowen, American actress
- 1990 – Draymond Green, American basketball player
- 1990 – Paddy Madden, Irish footballer
- 1990 – Fran Mérida, Spanish footballer
- 1992 – Nick Castellanos, American baseball player
- 1992 – Erik Lamela, Argentinian international footballer, midfielder
- 1992 – Bernd Leno, German footballer
- 1992 – Karl Mööl, Estonian footballer
- 1993 – Bobbi Kristina Brown, American singer and actress (d. 2015)
- 1993 – Richard Peniket, English footballer
- 1994 – Callum Harriott, English footballer
- 1994 – AJ Tracey, British hip-hop artist and record producer
- 1995 – Chlöe Howl, British singer-songwriter
- 1995 – Bill Milner, English actor
- 1996 – Lukas Webb, Australian rules footballer
- 2002 – Jacob Hopkins, American actor
Deaths on March 4
- 306 – Adrian and Natalia of Nicomedia, Christian martyrs
- 480 – Landry of Sées, French bishop and saint
- 561 – Pelagius I, pope of the Catholic Church
- 934 – Abdullah al-Mahdi Billah, Fatimid caliph (b. 873)
- 1172 – Stephen III, king of Hungary (b. 1147)
- 1193 – Saladin, founder of the Ayyubid Sultanate (b. 1137)
- 1238 – Joan of England, queen of Scotland (b. 1210)
- 1238 – Yuri II, Russian Grand Prince (b. 1189)
- 1303 – Daniel of Moscow, Russian Grand Duke (b. 1261)
- 1314 – Jakub Świnka, Polish priest and archbishop
- 1371 – Jeanne d’Évreux, queen consort of France (b. 1310)
- 1388 – Thomas Usk, English author
- 1484 – Saint Casimir, Polish prince (b. 1458)
- 1496 – Sigismund, archduke of Austria (b. 1427)
- 1583 – Bernard Gilpin, English priest and theologian (b. 1517)
- 1604 – Fausto Sozzini, Italian theologian and educator (b. 1539)
- 1615 – Hans von Aachen, German painter and educator (b. 1552)
- 1710 – Louis III, duke of Bourbon (b. 1668)
- 1733 – Claude de Forbin, French admiral and politician (b. 1656)
- 1744 – John Anstis, English historian and politician (b. 1669)
- 1762 – Johannes Zick, German painter (b. 1702)
- 1793 – Louis Jean Marie de Bourbon, Duke of Penthièvre (b. 1725)
- 1795 – John Collins, American politician, 3rd Governor of Rhode Island (b. 1717)
- 1805 – Jean-Baptiste Greuze, French painter (b. 1725)
- 1807 – Abraham Baldwin, American minister, lawyer, and politician (b. 1754)
- 1811 – Mariano Moreno, Argentinian journalist, lawyer, and politician (b. 1778)
- 1832 – Jean-François Champollion, French philologist and scholar (b. 1790)
- 1851 – James Richardson, English explorer (b. 1809)
- 1852 – Nikolai Gogol, Ukrainian-Russian short story writer, novelist, and playwright (b. 1809)
- 1853 – Thomas Bladen Capel, English admiral (b. 1776)
- 1853 – Christian Leopold von Buch, German geologist and paleontologist (b. 1774)
- 1858 – Matthew C. Perry, American naval commander (b. 1794)
- 1864 – Thomas Starr King, American minister and politician (b. 1824)
- 1866 – Alexander Campbell, Irish-American minister and theologian (b. 1788)
- 1872 – Carsten Hauch, Danish poet and playwright (b. 1790)
- 1883 – Alexander H. Stephens, American lawyer and politician, Vice President of the Confederate States of America (b. 1812)
- 1888 – Amos Bronson Alcott, American philosopher and educator (b. 1799)
- 1903 – Joseph Henry Shorthouse, English author (b. 1834)
- 1906 – John Schofield, American general and politician, 28th United States Secretary of War (b. 1831)
- 1915 – William Willett, English inventor, founded British Summer Time (b. 1856)
- 1916 – Franz Marc, German painter (b. 1880)
- 1925 – Moritz Moszkowski, Polish-German pianist and composer (b. 1854)
- 1925 – James Ward, English psychologist and philosopher (b. 1843)
- 1925 – John Montgomery Ward, American baseball player and manager (b. 1860)
- 1927 – Ira Remsen, American chemist and academic (b. 1846)
- 1938 – George Foster Peabody, American banker and philanthropist (b. 1852)
- 1938 – Jack Taylor, American baseball player (b. 1874)
- 1940 – Hamlin Garland, American novelist, poet, essayist, and short story writer (b. 1860)
- 1941 – Ludwig Quidde, German activist and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1858)
- 1944 – Fannie Barrier Williams, American educator and activist (b. 1855)
- 1944 – Louis Buchalter, American mob boss (b. 1897)
- 1944 – Louis Capone, Italian-American gangster (b. 1896)
- 1944 – René Lefebvre, French businessman (b. 1879)
- 1945 – Lucille La Verne, American actress (b. 1872)
- 1945 – Mark Sandrich, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1900)
- 1948 – Antonin Artaud, French actor and director (b. 1896)
- 1949 – Clarence Kingsbury, English cyclist (b. 1882)
- 1952 – Charles Scott Sherrington, English neurophysiologist and pathologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1857)
- 1954 – Noel Gay, English composer and songwriter (b. 1898)
- 1960 – Herbert O’Conor, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 51st Governor of Maryland (b. 1896)
- 1963 – William Carlos Williams, American poet, short story writer, and essayist (b. 1883)
- 1969 – Nicholas Schenck, Russian-American businessman (b. 1881)
- 1972 – Harold Barrowclough, New Zealand general, lawyer, and politician, 8th Chief Justice of New Zealand (b. 1894)
- 1972 – Charles Biro, American author and illustrator (b. 1911)
- 1974 – Adolph Gottlieb, American painter and sculptor (b. 1903)
- 1976 – John Marvin Jones, American judge and politician (b. 1882)
- 1976 – Walter H. Schottky, Swiss-German physicist and engineer (b. 1886)
- 1977 – Anatol E. Baconsky, Romanian poet, author, and critic (b. 1925)
- 1977 – Nancy Tyson Burbidge, Australian botanist and curator (b. 1912)
- 1977 – Andrés Caicedo, Colombian author, poet, and playwright (b. 1951)
- 1977 – William Paul, American lawyer and politician (b. 1885)
- 1977 – Lutz Graf Schwerin von Krosigk, German jurist and politician, German Minister for Foreign Affairs (b. 1887)
- 1978 – Wesley Bolin, American businessman and politician, 15th Governor of Arizona (b. 1909)
- 1978 – Joe Marsala, American clarinet player and songwriter (b. 1907)
- 1979 – Willi Unsoeld, American mountaineer and educator (b. 1926)
- 1980 – Alan Hardaker, English lieutenant and businessman (b. 1912)
- 1981 – Torin Thatcher, American actor (b. 1905)
- 1981 – Karl-Jesko von Puttkamer, German admiral (b. 1900)
- 1986 – Albert L. Lehninger, American biochemist and academic (b. 1917)
- 1986 – Richard Manuel, Canadian singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1943)
- 1986 – Elizabeth Smart, Canadian poet and author (b. 1913)
- 1987 – Seibo Kitamura, Japanese sculptor (b. 1884)
- 1988 – Beatriz Guido, Argentine author and screenwriter (b. 1924)
- 1989 – Tiny Grimes, American guitarist (b. 1916)
- 1990 – Hank Gathers, American basketball player (b. 1967)
- 1991 – Godfrey Bryan, English cricketer (b. 1902)
- 1992 – Art Babbitt, American animator and director (b. 1907)
- 1992 – Pare Lorentz, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1905)
- 1993 – Art Hodes, Ukrainian-American pianist and composer (b. 1904)
- 1993 – Tomislav Ivčić, Croatian singer-songwriter and politician (b. 1953)
- 1993 – Izaak Kolthoff, Dutch chemist and academic (b. 1894)
- 1993 – Nicholas Ridley, Baron Ridley of Liddesdale, English lieutenant and politician, Secretary of State for the Environment (b. 1929)
- 1994 – John Candy, Canadian comedian and actor (b. 1950)
- 1994 – George Edward Hughes, Irish-Scottish philosopher and author (b. 1918)
- 1995 – Matt Urban, American colonel, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1919)
- 1996 – Minnie Pearl, American entertainer (b. 1912)
- 1996 – John Sauer, American football player, coach, and sportscaster (b. 1925)
- 1997 – Joe Baker-Cresswell, English captain (b. 1901)
- 1997 – Robert H. Dicke, American physicist and astronomer (b. 1916)
- 1998 – Ivan Dougherty, Australian general (b. 1907)
- 1999 – Harry Blackmun, American lawyer and judge (b. 1908)
- 1999 – Del Close, American actor and educator (b. 1934)
- 1999 – Miłosz Magin, Polish pianist and composer (b. 1929)
- 2000 – Hermann Brück, German-Scottish physicist and astronomer (b. 1905)
- 2000 – Michael Noonan, New Zealand-Australian author and screenwriter (b. 1921)
- 2000 – Ta-You Wu, Chinese physicist and academic (b. 1907)
- 2001 – Gerardo Barbero, Argentinian chess player (b. 1961)
- 2001 – Jean René Bazaine, French painter and author (b. 1904)
- 2001 – Fred Lasswell, American cartoonist (b. 1916)
- 2001 – Jim Rhodes, American businessman and politician, 61st Governor of Ohio (b. 1909)
- 2001 – Harold Stassen, American educator and politician, 25th Governor of Minnesota (b. 1907)
- 2002 – Ugnė Karvelis, Lithuanian author and translator (b. 1935)
- 2002 – Elyne Mitchell, Australian skier and author (b. 1913)
- 2002 – Velibor Vasović, Serbian footballer and manager (b. 1939)
- 2003 – Jaba Ioseliani, Georgian playwright, academic, and politician (b. 1926)
- 2003 – Sébastien Japrisot, French author, screenwriter, and director (b. 1931)
- 2004 – Claude Nougaro, French singer-songwriter (b. 1929)
- 2005 – Nicola Calipari, Italian general (b. 1953)
- 2005 – Yuriy Kravchenko, Ukrainian police officer and politician (b. 1951)
- 2005 – Carlos Sherman, Uruguayan-Belarusian author and activist (b. 1934)
- 2006 – John Reynolds Gardiner, American author and engineer (b. 1944)
- 2006 – Edgar Valter, Estonian author and illustrator (b. 1929)
- 2007 – Thomas Eagleton, American lawyer and politician, 38th Lieutenant Governor of Missouri (b. 1929)
- 2007 – Tadeusz Nalepa, Polish singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1934)
- 2007 – Ian Wooldridge, English journalist (b. 1932)
- 2008 – Gary Gygax, American game designer, co-created Dungeons & Dragons (b. 1938)
- 2008 – Leonard Rosenman, American composer and conductor (b. 1924)
- 2009 – Yvon Cormier, Canadian wrestler (b. 1938)
- 2009 – Horton Foote, American playwright and screenwriter (b. 1916)
- 2009 – George McAfee, American football player (b. 1918)
- 2010 – Raimund Abraham, Austrian architect and educator, designed the Austrian Cultural Forum New York (b. 1933)
- 2010 – Johnny Alf, Brazilian pianist and composer (b. 1929)
- 2010 – Vladislav Ardzinba, Abkhazian historian and politician, 1st President of Abkhazia (b. 1945)
- 2010 – Fred Wedlock, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1942)
- 2011 – Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, Nepalese journalist and politician, 29th Prime Minister of Nepal (b. 1924)
- 2011 – Vivienne Harris, English journalist and publisher, co-founded the Jewish Telegraph (b. 1921)
- 2011 – Ed Manning, American basketball player and coach (b. 1943)
- 2011 – Arjun Singh, Indian politician (b. 1930)
- 2011 – Alenush Terian, Iranian astronomer and physicist (b. 1920)
- 2011 – Simon van der Meer, Dutch-Swiss physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1925)
- 2012 – Paul McBride, Scottish lawyer and politician (b. 1965)
- 2012 – Don Mincher, American baseball player (b. 1938)
- 2013 – Lillian Cahn, Hungarian-American businesswoman, co-founded Coach, Inc. (b. 1923)
- 2013 – Mickey Moore, Canadian-American actor and director (b. 1914)
- 2013 – Toren Smith, Canadian businessman, founded Studio Proteus (b. 1960)
- 2014 – Mark Freidkin, Russian author and poet (b. 1953)
- 2014 – Elaine Kellett-Bowman, English lawyer and politician (b. 1923)
- 2014 – Jack Kinzler, American engineer (b. 1920)
- 2014 – Wu Tianming, Chinese director and producer (b. 1939)
- 2015 – Dušan Bilandžić, Croatian historian and politician (b. 1924)
- 2015 – Ray Hatton, English-American runner, author, and academic (b. 1932)
- 2016 – Bud Collins, American journalist and sportscaster (b. 1929)
- 2016 – Pat Conroy, American author (b. 1945)
- 2016 – P. A. Sangma, Indian lawyer and politician, Speaker of the Lok Sabha (b. 1947)
- 2016 – Zhou Xiaoyan, Chinese soprano and educator (b. 1917)
- 2017 – Clayton Yeutter, American politician (b. 1930)
- 2018 – Davide Astori, Italian soccer player (b. 1987)
- 2019 – Keith Flint, English singer (The Prodigy) (b. 1969)
- 2019 – Luke Perry, American actor (b. 1966)
- 2020 – Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, Peruvian politician and diplomat
Holidays and observances on March 4
- Christian feast day:
- Adrian of Nicomedia
- Casimir
- Felix of Rhuys
- Giovanni Antonio Farina (Catholic Church)
- Blessed Humbert III, Count of Savoy (Roman Catholic Church)
- Paul Cuffee (Episcopal Church)
- Peter of Pappacarbone
- Blessed Zoltán Meszlényi
- March 4 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- St Casimir’s Day (Poland and Lithuania)