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June 4 in History
- 1411 – King Charles VI granted a monopoly for the ripening of Roquefort cheese to the people of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon as they had been doing for centuries.
- 1561 – The steeple of St Paul’s, the medieval cathedral of London, is destroyed in a fire caused by lightning and is never rebuilt.
- 1615 – Siege of Osaka: Forces under Tokugawa Ieyasu take Osaka Castle in Japan.
- 1745 – Battle of Hohenfriedberg: Frederick the Great’s Prussian army decisively defeated an Austrian army under Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine during the War of the Austrian Succession.
- 1760 – Great Upheaval: New England planters arrive to claim land in Nova Scotia, Canada, taken from the Acadians.
- 1783 – The Montgolfier brothers publicly demonstrate their montgolfière (hot air balloon).
- 1784 – Élisabeth Thible becomes the first woman to fly in an untethered hot air balloon. Her flight covers four kilometres in 45 minutes, and reached 1,500 metres altitude (estimated).
- 1792 – Captain George Vancouver claims Puget Sound for the Kingdom of Great Britain.
- 1802 – King Charles Emmanuel IV of Sardinia abdicates his throne in favor of his brother, Victor Emmanuel.
- 1812 – Following Louisiana’s admittance as a U.S. state, the Louisiana Territory is renamed the Missouri Territory.
- 1825 – General Lafayette, a French officer in the American Revolutionary War, speaks at what would become Lafayette Square, Buffalo, during his visit to the United States.
- 1855 – Major Henry C. Wayne departs New York aboard the USS Supply to procure camels to establish the U.S. Camel Corps.
- 1859 – Italian Independence wars: In the Battle of Magenta, the French army, under Louis-Napoleon, defeat the Austrian army.
- 1862 – American Civil War: Confederate troops evacuate Fort Pillow on the Mississippi River, leaving the way clear for Union troops to take Memphis, Tennessee.
- 1876 – An express train called the Transcontinental Express arrives in San Francisco, via the First Transcontinental Railroad only 83 hours and 39 minutes after leaving New York City.
- 1878 – Cyprus Convention: The Ottoman Empire cedes Cyprus to the United Kingdom but retains nominal title.
- 1896 – Henry Ford completes the Ford Quadricycle, his first gasoline-powered automobile, and gives it a successful test run.
- 1912 – Massachusetts becomes the first state of the United States to set a minimum wage.
- 1913 – Emily Davison, a suffragette, runs out in front of King George V’s horse at The Derby. She is trampled, never regains consciousness, and dies four days later.
- 1916 – World War I: Russia opens the Brusilov Offensive with an artillery barrage of Austro-Hungarian lines in Galicia.
- 1917 – The first Pulitzer Prizes are awarded: Laura E. Richards, Maude H. Elliott, and Florence Hall receive the first Pulitzer for biography (for Julia Ward Howe). Jean Jules Jusserand receives the first Pulitzer for history for his work With Americans of Past and Present Days. Herbert B. Swope receives the first Pulitzer for journalism for his work for the New York World.
- 1919 – Women’s rights: The U.S. Congress approves the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which guarantees suffrage to women, and sends it to the U.S. states for ratification.
- 1920 – Hungary loses 71% of its territory and 63% of its population when the Treaty of Trianon is signed in Paris.
- 1928 – The President of the Republic of China, Zhang Zuolin, is assassinated by Japanese agents.
- 1932 – Marmaduke Grove and other Chilean military officers lead a coup d’état establishing the short-lived Socialist Republic of Chile.
- 1939 – The Holocaust: The MS St. Louis, a ship carrying 963 Jewish refugees, is denied permission to land in Florida, in the United States, after already being turned away from Cuba. Forced to return to Europe, more than 200 of its passengers later die in Nazi concentration camps.
- 1940 – World War II: The Dunkirk evacuation ends: British forces complete evacuation of 338,000 troops from Dunkirk in France. To rally the morale of the country, Winston Churchill delivers, only to the House of Commons, his famous “We shall fight on the beaches” speech.
- 1942 – World War II: The Battle of Midway begins. The Japanese Admiral Chūichi Nagumo orders a strike on Midway Island by much of the Imperial Japanese Navy.
- 1943 – A military coup in Argentina ousts Ramón Castillo.
- 1944 – World War II: A hunter-killer group of the United States Navy captures the German submarine U-505: The first time a U.S. Navy vessel had captured an enemy vessel at sea since the 19th century.
- 1944 – World War II: The United States Fifth Army captures Rome, although much of the German Fourteenth Army is able to withdraw to the north.
- 1961 – Cold War: In the Vienna summit, the Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev sparks the Berlin Crisis by threatening to sign a separate peace treaty with East Germany and ending American, British and French access to East Berlin.
- 1967 – Seventy-two people are killed when a Canadair C-4 Argonaut crashes at Stockport in England.
- 1970 – Tonga gains independence from the United Kingdom.
- 1975 – The Governor of California Jerry Brown signs the California Agricultural Labor Relations Act into law, the first law in the U.S. giving farmworkers collective bargaining rights.
- 1979 – Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings takes power in Ghana after a military coup in which General Fred Akuffo is overthrown.
- 1983 – Gordon Kahl, who killed two US Marshals in Medina, North Dakota on February 13, is killed in a shootout in Smithville, Arkansas, along with a local sheriff, after a four-month manhunt.
- 1986 – Jonathan Pollard pleads guilty to espionage for selling top secret United States military intelligence to Israel.
- 1988 – Three cars on a train carrying hexogen to Kazakhstan explode in Arzamas, Gorky Oblast, USSR, killing 91 and injuring about 1,500.
- 1989 – Ali Khamenei is elected as the new Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran by the Assembly of Experts after the death and funeral of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
- 1989 – The Tiananmen Square protests are suppressed in Beijing by the People’s Liberation Army, with between 241 and 1,000 dead (an unofficial estimate).
- 1989 – Solidarity’s victory in the first (somewhat) free parliamentary elections in post-war Poland sparks off a succession of peaceful anti-communist revolutions in Eastern Europe, leads to the creation of the so-called Contract Sejm and begins the Autumn of Nations.
- 1989 – Ufa train disaster: A natural gas explosion near Ufa, Russia, kills 575 as two trains passing each other throw sparks near a leaky pipeline.
- 1996 – The first flight of Ariane 5 explodes after roughly 37 seconds. It was a Cluster mission.
- 1998 – Terry Nichols is sentenced to life in prison for his role in the Oklahoma City bombing.
- 2010 – Falcon 9 Flight 1 is the maiden flight of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, which launches from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex 40.
Births on June 4
- 1394 – Philippa of England, Queen of Denmark, Norway and Sweden (d. 1430)
- 1489 – Antoine, Duke of Lorraine (d. 1544)
- 1563 – George Heriot, Scottish goldsmith (d. 1624)
- 1604 – Claudia de’ Medici, Italian daughter of Christina of Lorraine (d. 1648)
- 1665 – Zacharie Robutel de La Noue, Canadian captain (d. 1733)
- 1694 – François Quesnay, French economist and physician (d. 1774)
- 1704 – Benjamin Huntsman, English inventor and businessman (d. 1776)
- 1738 – George III of the United Kingdom (d. 1820)
- 1744 – Patrick Ferguson, Scottish soldier, designed the Ferguson rifle (d. 1780)
- 1754 – Miguel de Azcuénaga, Argentinian soldier (d. 1833)
- 1754 – Franz Xaver von Zach, Slovak astronomer and academic (d. 1832)
- 1787 – Constant Prévost, French geologist and academic (d. 1856)
- 1801 – James Pennethorne, English architect, designed Victoria Park (d. 1871)
- 1821 – Apollon Maykov, Russian poet and playwright (d. 1897)
- 1829 – Jinmaku Kyūgorō, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 12th Yokozuna (d. 1903)
- 1854 – Solko van den Bergh, Dutch target shooter (d. 1916)
- 1860 – Alexis Lapointe, Canadian runner (d. 1924)
- 1861 – William Propsting, Australian politician, 20th Premier of Tasmania (d. 1937)
- 1866 – Miina Sillanpää, Finnish journalist and politician (d. 1952)
- 1867 – Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, Finnish general and politician, 6th President of Finland (d. 1951)
- 1873 – Nictzin Dyalhis, American author (d.1942)
- 1877 – Heinrich Otto Wieland, German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1957)
- 1879 – Mabel Lucie Attwell, English author and illustrator (d. 1964)
- 1880 – Clara Blandick, American actress (d. 1962)
- 1885 – Arturo Rawson, Argentinian general and politician, 26th President of Argentina (d. 1952)
- 1887 – Tom Longboat, Canadian runner and soldier (d. 1949)
- 1889 – Beno Gutenberg, German-American seismologist (d. 1960)
- 1903 – Yevgeny Mravinsky, Russian conductor (d. 1988)
- 1904 – Bhagat Puran Singh, Indian publisher, environmentalist, and philanthropist (d. 1992)
- 1907 – Jacques Roumain, Haitian journalist and politician (d. 1944)
- 1907 – Rosalind Russell, American actress (d. 1976)
- 1907 – Patience Strong, English poet and journalist (d. 1990)
- 1910 – Christopher Cockerell, English engineer, invented the hovercraft (d. 1999)
- 1912 – Robert Jacobsen, Danish sculptor and painter (d. 1993)
- 1915 – Walter Hadlee, New Zealand cricketer (d. 2006)
- 1915 – Modibo Keïta, Malian educator and politician, 1st President of Mali (d. 1977)
- 1915 – Nils Kihlberg, Swedish actor, singer, and director (d. 1965)
- 1916 – Robert F. Furchgott, American biochemist and pharmacologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2009)
- 1916 – Fernand Leduc, Canadian painter (d. 2014)
- 1917 – Robert Merrill, American actor and singer (d. 2004)
- 1921 – Milan Komar, Slovenian-Argentinian philosopher and academic (d. 2006)
- 1921 – Bobby Wanzer, American basketball player and coach (d. 2016)
- 1923 – Elizabeth Jolley, English-Australian author and academic (d. 2007)
- 1923 – Masutatsu Ōyama, Japanese karateka (d. 1994)
- 1924 – Tofilau Eti Alesana, Samoan politician, 5th Prime Minister of Samoa (d. 1999)
- 1924 – Dennis Weaver, American actor and director (d. 2006)
- 1925 – Antonio Puchades, Spanish footballer (d. 2013)
- 1926 – Robert Earl Hughes, American who was the heaviest human being recorded in the history of the world during his lifetime (d. 1958)
- 1926 – Ain Kaalep, Estonian poet, playwright, and critic (d. 2020)
- 1926 – Judith Malina, German-American actress and director, co-founded The Living Theatre (d. 2015)
- 1927 – Henning Carlsen, Danish director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2014)
- 1927 – Geoffrey Palmer, English actor
- 1928 – Ruth Westheimer, German-American therapist and author
- 1929 – Karolos Papoulias, Greek lawyer and politician, 5th President of Greece
- 1930 – George Chesworth, English air marshal and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Moray (d. 2017)
- 1930 – Morgana King, American singer and actress (d. 2018)
- 1930 – Viktor Tikhonov, Russian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2014)
- 1931 – Gustav Nossal, Austrian-Australian biologist and academic
- 1932 – John Drew Barrymore, American actor (d. 2004)
- 1932 – Oliver Nelson, American saxophonist and composer (d. 1975)
- 1932 – Maurice Shadbolt, New Zealand author and playwright (d. 2004)
- 1934 – Monica Dacon, Vincentian educator and politician, 6th Governor-General of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- 1934 – Daphne Sheldrick, Kenyan-British conservationist and author (d. 2018)
- 1935 – Colette Boky, Canadian soprano and actress
- 1935 – Berhanu Dinka, Ethiopian economist and diplomat (d. 2013)
- 1936 – Vince Camuto, American fashion designer and businessman, co-founded Nine West (d. 2015)
- 1936 – Bruce Dern, American actor
- 1937 – Freddy Fender, American singer and guitarist (d. 2006)
- 1937 – Mortimer Zuckerman, Canadian-American businessman and publisher, founded Boston Properties
- 1938 – John Harvard, Canadian journalist and politician, 23rd Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba (d. 2016)
- 1938 – Art Mahaffey, American baseball player
- 1939 – Jeremy Browne, 11th Marquess of Sligo, Anglo-Irish peer (d. 2014)
- 1939 – Denis de Belleval, Canadian civil servant and politician
- 1939 – Henri Pachard, American director and producer (d. 2008)
- 1939 – George Reid, Scottish journalist and politician, 2nd Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament
- 1940 – Ludwig Schwarz, Slovak-Austrian bishop
- 1941 – Kenneth G. Ross, Australian playwright and screenwriter
- 1942 – Louis Reichardt, American mountaineer
- 1942 – Bill Rowe, Canadian lawyer and politician
- 1943 – John Burgess, Australian radio and television host
- 1943 – Sandra Haynie, American golfer
- 1943 – Tom Jaine, English author
- 1944 – Roger Ball, Scottish saxophonist and songwriter
- 1944 – Michelle Phillips, American singer-songwriter and actress
- 1945 – Anthony Braxton, American saxophonist, clarinet player, and composer
- 1945 – Daniel Topolski, English rower and coach (d. 2015)
- 1945 – Gordon Waller, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2009)
- 1947 – Viktor Klima, Austrian businessman and politician, 25th Chancellor of Austria
- 1948 – Bob Champion, English jockey
- 1948 – Sandra Post, Canadian golfer and sportscaster
- 1948 – Jürgen Sparwasser, German footballer and manager
- 1949 – Gabriel Arcand, Canadian actor
- 1949 – Mark B. Cohen, American lawyer and politician
- 1950 – Raymond Dumais, Canadian bishop (d. 2012)
- 1951 – Leigh Kennedy, American author
- 1951 – Bronisław Malinowski, Polish runner (d. 1981)
- 1951 – Melanie Phillips, English journalist and author
- 1951 – Wendy Pini, American author and illustrator
- 1951 – David Yip, English actor and playwright
- 1952 – Bronisław Komorowski, Polish historian and politician, 5th President of Poland
- 1952 – Dambudzo Marechera, Zimbabwean author and poet (d. 1987)
- 1953 – Linda Lingle, American journalist and politician, 6th Governor of Hawaii
- 1953 – Jimmy McCulloch, Scottish musician and songwriter (d. 1979)
- 1953 – Susumu Ojima, Japanese businessman, founded Huser
- 1953 – Paul Samson, English guitarist and producer (d. 2002)
- 1954 – Raphael Ravenscroft, English saxophonist and composer (d. 2014)
- 1954 – Kazuhiro Yamaji, Japanese actor and voice actor
- 1955 – Val McDermid, Scottish author
- 1955 – Mary Testa, American singer and actress
- 1956 – Keith David, American actor
- 1956 – John Hockenberry, American journalist and author
- 1956 – Terry Kennedy, American baseball player and manager
- 1956 – Joyce Sidman, American author and poet
- 1957 – Neil McNab, Scottish footballer
- 1959 – Juan Camacho, Bolivian runner
- 1959 – Georgios Voulgarakis, Greek politician, 21st Greek Minister for Culture
- 1960 – Miloš Đelmaš, Serbian footballer and manager
- 1960 – Kristine Kathryn Rusch, American author
- 1960 – Paul Taylor, American guitarist and keyboard player
- 1960 – Bradley Walsh, English television presenter, comedian, singer and former footballer
- 1961 – El DeBarge, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1961 – Ferenc Gyurcsány, Hungarian businessman and politician, 6th Prime Minister of Hungary
- 1962 – Krzysztof Hołowczyc, Polish race car driver
- 1962 – Zenon Jaskuła, Polish cyclist
- 1962 – John P. Kee, American singer-songwriter and pastor
- 1962 – Junius Ho, Hong Kong solicitor and politician
- 1963 – Sean Fitzpatrick, New Zealand rugby union player
- 1963 – Jim Lachey, American football player and sportscaster
- 1963 – Xavier McDaniel, American basketball player and coach
- 1964 – Sean Pertwee, English actor
- 1964 – Kōji Yamamura, Japanese animator, producer, and screenwriter
- 1965 – Mick Doohan, Australian motorcycle racer
- 1965 – Andrea Jaeger, American tennis player and preacher
- 1966 – Cecilia Bartoli, Italian soprano and actress
- 1966 – Vladimir Voevodsky, Russian mathematician and academic (d. 2017)
- 1966 – Bill Wiggin, English politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Wales
- 1967 – Robert S. Kimbrough, American colonel and astronaut
- 1968 – Roger Lim, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1968 – Niurka Montalvo, Cuban-Spanish long jumper
- 1968 – Al B. Sure!, American R&B singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer
- 1968 – Scott Wolf, American actor
- 1969 – Horatio Sanz, Chilean-American actor and comedian
- 1970 – Deborah Compagnoni, Italian skier
- 1970 – Richie Hawtin, English-Canadian DJ and producer
- 1970 – Dave Pybus, English bass player and songwriter
- 1970 – Izabella Scorupco, Polish-Swedish actress and model
- 1971 – Joseph Kabila, Congolese soldier and politician, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- 1971 – Mike Lee, American lawyer and politician
- 1971 – Shoji Meguro, Japanese director and composer
- 1971 – Karl Martin Sinijärv, Estonian journalist and poet
- 1971 – Noah Wyle, American actor and producer
- 1972 – Derian Hatcher, American ice hockey defenseman
- 1972 – Rob Huebel, American comedian, actor, producer, and screenwriter
- 1973 – Mikey Whipwreck, American wrestler and trainer
- 1974 – Jacob Sahaya Kumar Aruni, Indian chef (d. 2012)
- 1974 – Darin Erstad, American baseball player and coach
- 1974 – Andrew Gwynne, English lawyer and politician
- 1974 – Janette Husárová, Slovak tennis player
- 1974 – Buddy Wakefield, American poet and author
- 1975 – Russell Brand, English comedian and actor
- 1975 – Henry Burris, American football player
- 1975 – Angelina Jolie, American actress, filmmaker, humanitarian, and activist
- 1975 – Dinanath Ramnarine, Trinidadian cricketer
- 1975 – Alex Wharf, English cricketer
- 1976 – Kasey Chambers, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1976 – Alexei Navalny, Russian lawyer and politician
- 1976 – Nenad Zimonjić, Serbian tennis player
- 1977 – Dionisis Chiotis, Greek footballer
- 1977 – Alex Manninger, Austrian footballer
- 1977 – Roman Miroshnichenko, Ukrainian guitarist and composer
- 1977 – Roland G. Fryer Jr., American economist and professor
- 1978 – Robin Lord Taylor, American actor
- 1979 – Naohiro Takahara, Japanese footballer
- 1979 – Daniel Vickerman, South African-Australian rugby player (d. 2017)
- 1980 – François Beauchemin, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1981 – Jennifer Carroll, Canadian swimmer
- 1981 – Giourkas Seitaridis, Greek footballer
- 1981 – Natalia Vodopyanova, Russian basketball player
- 1982 – Abel Kirui, Kenyan runner
- 1982 – Ronnie Prude, American-Canadian football player
- 1983 – Romaric, Ivorian footballer
- 1983 – Emmanuel Eboué, Ivorian footballer
- 1983 – Olha Saladuha, Ukrainian triple jumper
- 1984 – Enrico Rossi Chauvenet, Italian footballer
- 1984 – Rainie Yang, Taiwanese actress
- 1984 – Ian White, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1985 – Leon Botha, South African painter and DJ (d. 2011)
- 1985 – Anna-Lena Grönefeld, German tennis player
- 1985 – Evan Lysacek, American figure skater
- 1985 – Lukas Podolski, German footballer
- 1985 – Oddvar Reiakvam, Norwegian politician
- 1987 – Luisa Zissman, English businesswoman
- 1987 – Mollie King, English singer-songwriter and model
- 1988 – Matt Bartkowski, American ice hockey defenseman
- 1988 – Kimberley Busteed, Australian model
- 1989 – Federico Erba, Italian footballer
- 1989 – Paweł Fajdek, Polish hammer thrower
- 1990 – Zac Farro, American singer and drummer
- 1990 – Evan Spiegel, American Internet entrepreneur
- 1991 – Lorenzo Insigne, Italian footballer
- 1991 – Matt McIlwrick, New Zealand rugby league player
- 1991 – Ben Stokes, New Zealand-English cricketer
- 1993 – Jonathan Huberdeau, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1995 – Shiori Tamai, Japanese singer
- 1999 – Kim So-hyun, South Korean actress
- 2004 – Mackenzie Ziegler, American dancer, singer, actress and model
Deaths on June 4
- 756 – Shōmu, Japanese emperor (b. 701)
- 863 – Charles, archbishop of Mainz
- 895 – Li Xi, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty
- 946 – Guaimar II (Gybbosus), Lombard prince
- 956 – Muhammad III of Shirvan, Muslim ruler
- 1039 – Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 990)
- 1102 – Władysław I Herman, Polish nobleman (b. c. 1044)
- 1134 – Magnus I of Sweden (b. 1106)
- 1135 – Emperor Huizong of Song (b. 1082)
- 1206 – Adela of Champagne (b. 1140)
- 1246 – Isabella of Angoulême (b. 1188)
- 1257 – Przemysł I of Greater Poland (b. 1221)
- 1394 – Mary de Bohun, wife of Henry IV of England (b.c. 1368)
- 1453 – Andronikos Palaiologos Kantakouzenos, Byzantine commander
- 1463 – Flavio Biondo, Italian historian and author (b. 1392)
- 1472 – Nezahualcoyotl, Aztec poet (b. 1402)
- 1585 – Muretus, French philosopher and author (b. 1526)
- 1608 – Francis Caracciolo, Italian Catholic priest (b. 1563)
- 1622 – Péter Révay, Hungarian soldier and historian (b. 1568)
- 1647 – Canonicus, Grand Chief Sachem of the Narragansett (b. 1565)
- 1663 – William Juxon, English archbishop and academic (b. 1582)
- 1798 – Giacomo Casanova, Italian adventurer and author (b. 1725)
- 1801 – Frederick Muhlenberg, American minister and politician, 1st Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (b. 1750)
- 1809 – Nicolai Abildgaard, Danish neoclassical and history painter, sculptor and architect (b. 1743)
- 1830 – Antonio José de Sucre, Venezuelan general and politician, 2nd President of Bolivia (b. 1795)
- 1872 – Johan Rudolph Thorbecke, Dutch historian, jurist, and politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (b. 1798)
- 1875 – Eduard Mörike, German pastor and poet (b. 1804)
- 1876 – Abdülaziz of the Ottoman Empire, 32nd Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (b. 1830)
- 1922 – W. H. R. Rivers, English anthropologist, neurologist, ethnologist, and psychiatrist (b. 1864)
- 1925 – Margaret Murray Washington, American Academic (b. 1865)
- 1926 – Fred Spofforth, Australian-English cricketer and coach (b. 1853)
- 1928 – Zhang Zuolin, Chinese warlord (b. 1873)
- 1929 – Harry Frazee, American director, producer, and agent (b. 1881)
- 1931 – Hussein bin Ali, Sharif of Mecca, Sharif and Emir of Mecca, King of the Hejaz (b. 1853/54)
- 1933 – Ahmet Haşim, Turkish poet and author (b. 1884)
- 1939 – Tommy Ladnier, American trumpet player (b. 1900)
- 1941 – Wilhelm II, German Emperor (b. 1859)
- 1942 – Reinhard Heydrich, German SS officer and politician (b. 1904)
- 1951 – Serge Koussevitzky, Russian-American bassist, composer, and conductor (b. 1874)
- 1956 – Katherine MacDonald, American actress and producer (b. 1881)
- 1962 – Clem McCarthy, American sportscaster (b. 1882)
- 1967 – Linda Eenpalu, Estonian lawyer and politician (b. 1890)
- 1968 – Dorothy Gish, American actress (b. 1898)
- 1970 – Sonny Tufts, American actor (b. 1911)
- 1971 – György Lukács, Hungarian historian and philosopher (b. 1885)
- 1973 – Maurice René Fréchet, French mathematician and academic (b. 1878)
- 1973 – Murry Wilson, American songwriter, producer, and manager (b. 1917)
- 1981 – Leslie Averill, New Zealand doctor and soldier (b. 1897)
- 1989 – Dik Browne, American cartoonist (b. 1917)
- 1990 – Stiv Bators, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1949)
- 1992 – Carl Stotz, American businessman, founded Little League Baseball (b. 1910)
- 1993 – Bernard Evslin, American writer (b. 1922)
- 1994 – Derek Leckenby, English musician (b. 1943)
- 1997 – Ronnie Lane, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1946)
- 1998 – Josephine Hutchinson, American actress (b. 1903)
- 2002 – Fernando Belaúnde Terry, Peruvian architect and politician, 42nd President of Peru (b. 1912)
- 2004 – Steve Lacy, American saxophonist and composer (b. 1934)
- 2004 – Nino Manfredi, Italian actor (b. 1921)
- 2007 – Clete Boyer, American baseball player and manager (b. 1937)
- 2007 – Bill France, Jr., American businessman (b. 1933)
- 2007 – Craig L. Thomas, American captain and politician (b. 1933)
- 2010 – John Wooden, American basketball player and coach (b. 1910)
- 2011 – Juan Francisco Luis, Virgin Islander sergeant and politician, 23rd Governor of the United States Virgin Islands (b. 1940)
- 2011 – Andreas P. Nielsen, Danish author and composer (b. 1953)
- 2012 – Peter Beaven, New Zealand architect, designed the Lyttelton Road Tunnel Administration Building (b. 1925)
- 2012 – Pedro Borbón, Dominican-American baseball player (b. 1946)
- 2012 – Rodolfo Quezada Toruño, Guatemalan cardinal (b. 1932)
- 2012 – Herb Reed, American violinist (b. 1929)
- 2013 – Walt Arfons, American race car driver (b. 1916)
- 2013 – Joey Covington, American drummer (b. 1945)
- 2013 – Hermann Gunnarsson, Icelandic footballer, handball player, and sportscaster (b. 1946)
- 2013 – Will Wynn, American football player (b. 1949)
- 2014 – George Ho, American-Hong Kong businessman (b. 1919)
- 2014 – Nathan Shamuyarira, Zimbabwean journalist and politician, Zimbabwean Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1928)
- 2014 – Sydney Templeman, Baron Templeman, English lawyer and judge (b. 1920)
- 2014 – Don Zimmer, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1931)
- 2015 – Marguerite Patten, English economist and author (b. 1915)
- 2015 – Leonid Plyushch, Ukrainian mathematician and academic (b. 1938)
- 2015 – Jabe Thomas, American race car driver (b. 1930)
- 2015 – Anne Warburton, British academic and diplomat, British Ambassador to Denmark (b. 1927)
- 2016 – Carmen Pereira, Bissau-Guinean politician (b. 1937)
- 2017 – Juan Goytisolo, Spanish essayist, poet and novelist (b. 1931)
Holidays and observances on June 4
- Birthday of Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim & Flag Day celebration of the Finnish Defence Forces (Finland)
- Christian feast day:
- Filippo Smaldone
- Francis Caracciolo
- Optatus
- Petroc of Cornwall
- Quirinus of Sescia
- Saturnina
- June 4 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Emancipation Day or Independence Day, commemorates the abolition of serfdom in Tonga by King George Tupou in 1862, and the independence of Tonga from the British protectorate in 1970. (Tonga)
- Flag Day (Estonia)
- International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression (International)
- National Unity Day (Hungary)
- Tiananmen Square Protests of 1989 Memorial Day (International)
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May 16 in History
- 946 – Emperor Suzaku abdicates the throne in favor of his brother Murakami who becomes the 62nd emperor of Japan.
- 1204 – Having been elected on May 9, Baldwin IX, Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire.
- 1426 – Gov. Thado of Mohnyin becomes king of Ava.
- 1527 – The Florentines drive out the Medici for a second time and Florence re-establishes itself as a republic.
- 1532 – Sir Thomas More resigns as Lord Chancellor of England.
- 1568 – Mary, Queen of Scots, flees to England.
- 1584 – Santiago de Vera becomes sixth Governor-General of the Spanish colony of the Philippines.
- 1739 – The Battle of Vasai concludes as the Marathas defeat the Portuguese army.
- 1770 – The 14-year-old Marie Antoinette marries 15-year-old Louis-Auguste, who later becomes king of France.
- 1771 – The Battle of Alamance, a pre-American Revolutionary War battle between local militia and a group of rebels called The “Regulators”, occurs in present-day Alamance County, North Carolina.
- 1811 – Peninsular War: The allies Spain, Portugal and United Kingdom, defeat the French at the Battle of Albuera.
- 1812 – Imperial Russia signs the Treaty of Bucharest, ending the Russo-Turkish War. The Ottoman Empire cedes Bessarabia to Russia.
- 1822 – Greek War of Independence: The Turks capture the Greek town of Souli.
- 1832 – Juan Godoy discovers the rich silver outcrops of Chañarcillo sparking the Chilean silver rush.
- 1834 – The Battle of Asseiceira is fought, the last and decisive engagement of the Liberal Wars in Portugal.
- 1842 – The first major wagon train heading for the Pacific Northwest sets out on the Oregon Trail from Elm Grove, Missouri, with 100 pioneers.
- 1866 – The United States Congress establishes the nickel.
- 1868 – The United States Senate fails to convict President Andrew Johnson by one vote.
- 1874 – A flood on the Mill River in Massachusetts destroys much of four villages and kills 139 people.
- 1877 – The 16 May 1877 crisis occurs in France, ending with the dissolution of the National Assembly 22 June and affirming the interpretation of the Constitution of 1875 as a parliamentary rather than presidential system. The elections held in October 1877 led to the defeat of the royalists as a formal political movement in France.
- 1888 – Nikola Tesla delivers a lecture describing the equipment which will allow efficient generation and use of alternating currents to transmit electric power over long distances.
- 1891 – The International Electrotechnical Exhibition opens in Frankfurt, Germany, and will feature the world’s first long-distance transmission of high-power, three-phase electric current (the most common form today).
- 1916 – The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the French Third Republic sign the secret wartime Sykes-Picot Agreement partitioning former Ottoman territories such as Iraq and Syria.
- 1918 – The Sedition Act of 1918 is passed by the U.S. Congress, making criticism of the government during wartime an imprisonable offense. It will be repealed less than two years later.
- 1919 – A naval Curtiss NC-4 aircraft commanded by Albert Cushing Read leaves Trepassey, Newfoundland, for Lisbon via the Azores on the first transatlantic flight.
- 1920 – In Rome, Pope Benedict XV canonizes Joan of Arc.
- 1929 – In Hollywood, the first Academy Awards ceremony takes place.
- 1943 – The Holocaust: The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising ends.
- 1951 – The first regularly scheduled transatlantic flights begin between Idlewild Airport (now John F Kennedy International Airport) in New York City and Heathrow Airport in London, operated by El Al Israel Airlines.
- 1959 – The Triton Fountain in Valletta, Malta is turned on for the first time.
- 1960 – Theodore Maiman operates the first optical laser (a ruby laser), at Hughes Research Laboratories in Malibu, California.
- 1961 – Park Chung-hee leads a coup d’état to overthrow the Second Republic of South Korea.
- 1966 – The Communist Party of China issues the “May 16 Notice”, marking the beginning of the Cultural Revolution.
- 1969 – Venera program: Venera 5, a Soviet space probe, lands on Venus.
- 1974 – Josip Broz Tito is elected president for life of Yugoslavia.
- 1988 – A report by the Surgeon General of the United States C. Everett Koop states that the addictive properties of nicotine are similar to those of heroin and cocaine.
- 1991 – Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom addresses a joint session of the United States Congress. She is the first British monarch to address the U.S. Congress.
- 1997 – Mobutu Sese Seko, the President of Zaire, flees the country.
- 2003 – In Morocco, 33 civilians are killed and more than 100 people are injured in the Casablanca terrorist attacks.
- 2005 – Kuwait permits women’s suffrage in a 35–23 National Assembly vote.
- 2011 – STS-134 (ISS assembly flight ULF6), launched from the Kennedy Space Center on the 25th and final flight for Space Shuttle Endeavour.
- 2014 – Twelve people are killed in two explosions in the Gikomba market area of Nairobi, Kenya.
Births on May 16
- 1418 – John II of Cyprus, King of Cyprus and Armenia and also titular King of Jerusalem from 1432 to 1458 (probable; d. 1458)
- 1455 – Wolfgang I of Oettingen, German count (d. 1522)
- 1542 – Anna Sibylle of Hanau-Lichtenberg, German noblewoman (d. 1580)
- 1606 – John Bulwer, British doctor (d. 1656)
- 1611 – Pope Innocent XI (d. 1689)
- 1641 – Dudley North, English economist and politician (d. 1691)
- 1710 – William Talbot, 1st Earl Talbot, English politician, Lord Steward of the Household (d. 1782)
- 1718 – Maria Gaetana Agnesi, Italian mathematician and philosopher (d. 1799)
- 1763 – Louis Nicolas Vauquelin, French pharmacist and chemist (d. 1829)
- 1788 – Friedrich Rückert, German poet and translator (d. 1866)
- 1801 – William H. Seward, American lawyer and politician, 24th United States Secretary of State (d. 1872)
- 1804 – Elizabeth Palmer Peabody, American educator who founded the first U.S. kindergarten (d. 1894)
- 1819 – Johann Voldemar Jannsen, Estonian journalist and poet (d. 1890)
- 1821 – Pafnuty Chebyshev, Russian mathematician and statistician (d. 1894)
- 1824 – Levi P. Morton, American banker and politician, 22nd United States Vice President (d. 1920)
- 1824 – Edmund Kirby Smith, American general (d. 1893)
- 1827 – Pierre Cuypers, Dutch architect, designed the Amsterdam Centraal railway station and Rijksmuseum (d. 1921)
- 1831 – David Edward Hughes, Welsh-American physicist, co-invented the microphone (d. 1900)
- 1862 – Margaret Fountaine, English lepidopterist and diarist (d.1940)
- 1876 – Fred Conrad Koch, American biochemist and endocrinologist (d. 1948)
- 1879 – Pierre Gilliard, Swiss author and academic (d. 1962)
- 1882 – Simeon Price, American golfer (d. 1945)
- 1883 – Celâl Bayar, Turkish politician, 3rd President of Turkey (d. 1986)
- 1888 – Royal Rife, American microbiologist and instrument maker (d. 1971)
- 1890 – Edith Grace White, American ichthyologist (d. 1975)
- 1892 – Osgood Perkins, American actor (d. 1937)
- 1894 – Walter Yust, American journalist and writer (d. 1960)
- 1897 – Zvi Sliternik, Israeli entomologist and academic (d. 1994)
- 1898 – Tamara de Lempicka, Polish-American painter (d. 1980)
- 1898 – Desanka Maksimović, Serbian poet and academic (d. 1993)
- 1898 – Kenji Mizoguchi, Japanese director and screenwriter (d. 1956)
- 1903 – Charles F. Brannock, American inventor and manufacturer (d. 1992)
- 1905 – Henry Fonda, American actor (d. 1982)
- 1906 – Ernie McCormick, Australian cricketer (d. 1991)
- 1906 – Alfred Pellan, Canadian painter and educator (d. 1988)
- 1906 – Arturo Uslar Pietri, Venezuelan lawyer, journalist, and author (d. 2001)
- 1906 – Margret Rey, German author and illustrator (d. 1996)
- 1907 – Bob Tisdall, Irish hurdler (d. 2004)
- 1909 – Margaret Sullavan, American actress and singer (d. 1960)
- 1909 – Luigi Villoresi, Italian race car driver (d. 1997)
- 1910 – Olga Bergholz, Russian poet and author (d. 1975)
- 1910 – Higashifushimi Kunihide, Japanese monk and educator (d. 2014)
- 1910 – Aleksandr Ivanovich Laktionov, Russian painter and educator (d. 1972)
- 1912 – Studs Terkel, American historian and author (d. 2008)
- 1913 – Gordon Chalk, Australian politician, 30th Premier of Queensland (d. 1991)
- 1913 – Woody Herman, American singer, saxophonist, and clarinet player (d. 1987)
- 1914 – Edward T. Hall, American anthropologist and author (d. 2009)
- 1915 – Mario Monicelli, Italian director and screenwriter (d. 2010)
- 1916 – Ephraim Katzir, Israeli biophysicist and politician, 4th President of Israel (d. 2009)
- 1917 – Ben Kuroki, American sergeant and pilot (d. 2015)
- 1917 – James C. Murray, American lawyer and politician (d. 1999)
- 1917 – Juan Rulfo, Mexican author and photographer (d. 1986)
- 1918 – Wilf Mannion, English footballer and manager (d. 2000)
- 1919 – Liberace, American pianist and entertainer (d. 1987)
- 1919 – Ramon Margalef, Spanish ecologist and biologist (d. 2004)
- 1920 – Martine Carol, French actress (d. 1967)
- 1921 – Harry Carey, Jr., American actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2012)
- 1923 – Victoria Fromkin, American linguist and academic (d. 2000)
- 1923 – Merton Miller, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2000)
- 1923 – Peter Underwood, English parapsychologist and author (d. 2014)
- 1924 – Dawda Jawara, 1st President of the Gambia (d. 2019)
- 1925 – Nancy Roman, American astronomer (d. 2018)
- 1925 – Ola Vincent, Nigerian banker and economist (d. 2012)
- 1925 – Nílton Santos, Brazilian footballer (d. 2013)
- 1928 – Billy Martin, American baseball player and coach (d. 1989)
- 1929 – Betty Carter, American singer-songwriter (d. 1998)
- 1929 – John Conyers, American lawyer and politician (d. 2019)
- 1929 – Claude Morin, Canadian academic and politician
- 1929 – Adrienne Rich, American poet, essayist, and feminist (d. 2012)
- 1930 – Friedrich Gulda, Austrian pianist and composer (d. 2000)
- 1931 – Vujadin Boškov, Serbian footballer, coach, and manager (d. 2014)
- 1931 – Hana Brady, Jewish-Czech Holocaust victim (d.1944)
- 1931 – K. Natwar Singh, Indian scholar and politician, Indian Minister of External Affairs
- 1931 – Lowell P. Weicker, Jr., American soldier and politician, 85th Governor of Connecticut
- 1934 – Kenneth O. Morgan, Welsh historian and author
- 1934 – Antony Walker, English general
- 1935 – Floyd Smith, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1936 – Karl Lehmann, German cardinal (d. 2018)
- 1937 – Yvonne Craig, American ballet dancer and actress (d. 2015)
- 1938 – Stuart Bell, English lawyer and politician (d. 2012)
- 1938 – Ivan Sutherland, American computer scientist and academic
- 1938 – Marco Aurelio Denegri, Peruvian television host and sexologist (d. 2018)
- 1941 – Denis Hart, Australian archbishop
- 1942 – David Penry-Davey, English lawyer and judge (d. 2015)
- 1943 – Kay Andrews, Baroness Andrews, English politician
- 1943 – Dan Coats, American politician and diplomat, 29th United States Ambassador to Germany
- 1943 – Wieteke van Dort, Dutch actress, comedian, singer, writer and artist
- 1944 – Billy Cobham, Panamanian-American drummer, composer, and bandleader
- 1944 – Antal Nagy, Hungarian footballer
- 1944 – Danny Trejo, American actor
- 1946 – John Law, English sociologist and academic
- 1946 – Robert Fripp, English guitarist, songwriter and producer
- 1947 – Cheryl Clarke, American writer
- 1947 – Darrell Sweet, Scottish drummer (d. 1999)
- 1947 – Roch Thériault, Canadian religious leader (d. 2011)
- 1948 – Jesper Christensen, Danish actor, director, and producer
- 1948 – Judy Finnigan, English talk show host and author
- 1948 – Enrico Fumia, Italian automobile and product designer
- 1948 – Emma Georgina Rothschild, English historian and academic
- 1948 – Staf Van Roosbroeck, Belgian cyclist
- 1949 – Rick Reuschel, American baseball player
- 1950 – Georg Bednorz, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1950 – Ray Condo, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2004)
- 1950 – Bruce Coville, American author
- 1951 – Christian Lacroix, French fashion designer
- 1951 – Jonathan Richman, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1951 – Janet Soskice, Canadian philosopher and theologian
- 1952 – James Herndon, American psychologist and academic
- 1953 – Pierce Brosnan, Irish-American actor and producer
- 1953 – Peter Onorati, American actor
- 1953 – Richard Page, American singer-songwriter and bass player
- 1953 – Kitanoumi Toshimitsu, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 55th Yokozuna (d. 2015)
- 1953 – David Maclean, Scottish politician
- 1953 – Stephen Woolman, Lord Woolman, Scottish judge and academic
- 1954 – Dafydd Williams, Canadian physician and astronaut
- 1955 – Olga Korbut, Soviet gymnast
- 1955 – Jack Morris, American baseball player and sportscaster
- 1955 – Hazel O’Connor, English-born Irish singer-songwriter and actress
- 1955 – Páidí Ó Sé, Irish footballer and manager (d. 2012)
- 1955 – Debra Winger, American actress
- 1956 – Loretta Schrijver, Dutch television host, news anchor
- 1957 – Joan Benoit, American runner
- 1957 – Benjamin Mancroft, 3rd Baron Mancroft, English politician
- 1957 – Yuri Shevchuk, Russian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1957 – Anthony St John, 22nd Baron St John of Bletso, English lawyer and businessman
- 1957 – Bob Suter, American ice hockey player and coach (d. 2014)
- 1959 – Mitch Webster, American baseball player
- 1959 – Mare Winningham, American actress and singer-songwriter
- 1960 – Landon Deireragea, Nauruan politician, Nauruan Speaker of Parliament
- 1960 – S. Shanmuganathan, Sri Lankan commander and politician (d. 1998)
- 1961 – Kevin McDonald, Canadian actor and screenwriter
- 1961 – Charles Wright, American wrestler
- 1962 – Jimmy Hood, Scottish engineer and politician (d. 2017)
- 1962 – Helga Radtke, German long jumper
- 1963 – Rachel Griffith, Anglo-American economist
- 1963 – David Wilkinson, English theologian and academic
- 1964 – John Salley, American basketball player and actor
- 1964 – Boyd Tinsley, American singer-songwriter and violinist
- 1964 – Milton Jones, English comedian, actor, and screenwriter
- 1965 – Krist Novoselic, American bass player, songwriter, author, and activist
- 1965 – Tanel Tammet, Estonian computer scientist, engineer, and academic
- 1966 – Janet Jackson, American singer-songwriter, producer, dancer, and actress
- 1966 – Scott Reeves, American singer-songwriter and actor
- 1966 – Thurman Thomas, American football player
- 1967 – Doug Brocail, American baseball player and coach
- 1967 – Susan Williams, Baroness Williams of Trafford, British politician
- 1968 – Ralph Tresvant, American singer and producer
- 1969 – David Boreanaz, American actor
- 1969 – Tucker Carlson, American journalist, co-founded The Daily Caller
- 1969 – Steve Lewis, American sprinter
- 1970 – Gabriela Sabatini, Argentinian tennis player
- 1970 – Danielle Spencer, Australian singer-songwriter and actress
- 1971 – Phil Clarke, English rugby league player and sportscaster
- 1971 – Rachel Goswell, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1972 – Christian Califano, French rugby player
- 1972 – Matthew Hart, New Zealand cricketer
- 1973 – Tori Spelling, American actress, reality television personality, and author
- 1974 – Laura Pausini, Italian singer-songwriter and producer
- 1974 – Sonny Sandoval, American singer-songwriter and rapper
- 1975 – Tony Kakko, Finnish musician, composer, and vocalist
- 1975 – Simon Whitfield, Canadian triathlete
- 1976 – Dirk Nannes, Australian-Dutch cricketer
- 1977 – Melanie Lynskey, New Zealand actress
- 1977 – Emilíana Torrini, Icelandic singer-songwriter
- 1978 – Scott Nicholls, English motorcycle racer
- 1978 – Lionel Scaloni, Argentinian footballer
- 1980 – Nuria Llagostera Vives, Spanish tennis player
- 1981 – Ricardo Costa, Portuguese footballer
- 1982 – Łukasz Kubot, Polish tennis player
- 1983 – Daniel Kerr, Australian footballer
- 1983 – Kyle Wellwood, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1984 – Darío Cvitanich, Argentinian footballer
- 1984 – Tomáš Fleischmann, Czech ice hockey player
- 1984 – Jensen Lewis, American baseball player
- 1984 – Rick Rypien, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2011)
- 1985 – Anja Mittag, German footballer
- 1985 – Rodrigo Peters Marques, Brazilian footballer
- 1985 – Corey Perry, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1986 – Megan Fox, American actress
- 1986 – Andy Keogh, Irish footballer
- 1986 – Shamcey Supsup, Filipino model and architect
- 1987 – Tom Onslow-Cole, English race car driver
- 1988 – Jesús Castillo, Mexican footballer
- 1988 – Martynas Gecevičius, Lithuanian basketball player
- 1988 – Jaak Põldma, Estonian tennis player
- 1989 – Behati Prinsloo, Namibian model
- 1990 – Amanda Carreras, Gibraltarian tennis player
- 1990 – Thomas Brodie-Sangster, English actor
- 1990 – Darko Šarović, Serbian sprinter
- 1990 – Omar Strong, American basketball player
- 1991 – Grigor Dimitrov, Bulgarian tennis player
- 1991 – Joey Graceffa, American internet celebrity
- 1991 – Ashley Wagner, American figure skater
- 1992 – Jeff Skinner, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1992 – Kirstin Maldonado, American singer and songwriter
- 1993 – Johannes Thingnes Bø, Norwegian biathlete
- 1993 – Karol Mets, Estonian footballer
- 1993 – IU, Korean singer-songwriter and actress
- 1995 – Elizabeth Ralston, Australian footballer
- 1996 – Louisa Chirico, an American tennis player
Deaths on May 16
- 290 – Emperor Wu of Jin, Chinese emperor (b. 236)
- 895 – Qian Kuan, Chinese nobleman
- 934 – Meng Hanqiong, eunuch official of Later Tang
- 995 – Fujiwara no Michitaka, Japanese nobleman (b. 953)
- 1182 – John Komnenos Vatatzes, Byzantine general (b. 1132)
- 1265 – Simon Stock, English-French saint (b. 1165)
- 1375 – Liu Bowen, Chinese military strategist, officer, statesman and poet (b. 1311)
- 1412 – Gian Maria Visconti, Duke of Milan (b. 1388)
- 1561 – Jan Tarnowski, Polish noble and statesman (b. 1488)
- 1620 – William Adams, English sailor and navigator (b. 1564)
- 1657 – Andrew Bobola, Polish missionary and martyr (b. 1591)
- 1667 – Thomas Wriothesley, 4th Earl of Southampton, English politician, Lord High Treasurer (b. 1607)
- 1669 – Pietro da Cortona, Italian painter and architect, designed the Santi Luca e Martina (b. 1596)
- 1691 – Jacob Leisler, German-American politician, 8th Colonial Governor of New York (b. 1640)
- 1696 – Mariana of Austria, Queen consort of Spain (b. 1634)
- 1703 – Charles Perrault, French author and academic (b. 1628)
- 1778 – Robert Darcy, 4th Earl of Holderness, English politician, Secretary of State for the Southern Department (b. 1718)
- 1790 – Philip Yorke, 2nd Earl of Hardwicke, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire (b. 1720)
- 1818 – Matthew Lewis, English author and playwright (b. 1775)
- 1823 – Grace Elliott, Scottish courtesan and spy (b. c.1754)
- 1830 – Joseph Fourier, French mathematician and physicist (b. 1768)
- 1862 – Edward Gibbon Wakefield, English politician (b. 1796)
- 1882 – Reuben Chapman, American lawyer and politician, 13th Governor of Alabama (b. 1799)
- 1890 – Mihkel Veske, Estonian poet, linguist and theologist (b. 1843)
- 1891 – Ion C. Brătianu, Romanian politician, 14th Prime Minister of Romania (b. 1821)
- 1910 – Henri-Edmond Cross, French Neo-Impressionist painter (b. 1856)
- 1913 – Louis Perrier, Swiss architect and politician (b. 1849)
- 1920 – Levi P. Morton, American politician, 22nd United States Vice President (b. 1824)
- 1926 – Mehmed VI, Ottoman sultan (b. 1861)
- 1936 – Leonidas Paraskevopoulos, Greek general and politician (b. 1860)
- 1938 – Joseph Strauss, American engineer, co designed The Golden Gate Bridge (b. 1870)
- 1943 – Alfred Hoche, German psychiatrist and academic (b. 1865)
- 1944 – George Ade, American journalist, author, and playwright (b. 1866)
- 1946 – Bruno Tesch, German chemist and businessman (b. 1890)
- 1947 – Frederick Gowland Hopkins, English biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1861)
- 1947 – Zhang Lingfu, Chinese general (b. 1903)
- 1953 – Django Reinhardt, Belgian guitarist and composer (b. 1910)
- 1954 – Clemens Krauss, Austrian conductor and manager (b. 1893)
- 1955 – James Agee, American novelist, screenwriter, and critic(b. 1909)
- 1955 – Manny Ayulo, American race car driver (b. 1921)
- 1956 – H. B. Reese, American candy-maker and businessman, created Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (b. 1876)
- 1957 – Eliot Ness, American federal agent (b. 1903)
- 1961 – George A. Malcolm, American lawyer and jurist (b. 1881)
- 1973 – Jacques Lipchitz, Lithuanian-American sculptor (b. 1891)
- 1977 – Modibo Keïta, Malian politician, 1st President of Mali (b. 1915)
- 1979 – A. Philip Randolph, American union leader and activist (b. 1889)
- 1981 – Ernie Freeman, American pianist, composer, and bandleader (b. 1922)
- 1981 – Willy Hartner, German physician and academic (b. 1905)
- 1984 – Andy Kaufman, American actor, comedian, and screenwriter (b. 1949)
- 1984 – Irwin Shaw, American playwright, screenwriter, novelist, and short story writer (b. 1913)
- 1985 – Margaret Hamilton, American actress (b. 1902)
- 1989 – Leila Kasra, Iranian poet and songwriter (b. 1939)
- 1990 – Sammy Davis Jr., American singer, dancer, and actor (b. 1925)
- 1990 – Jim Henson, American puppeteer, director, producer, and screenwriter, created The Muppets (b. 1936)
- 1993 – Marv Johnson, American singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1938)
- 1994 – Alain Cuny, French actor (b. 1908)
- 1996 – Jeremy Michael Boorda, American admiral (b. 1939)
- 1997 – Elbridge Durbrow, American diplomat (b. 1903)
- 2002 – Alec Campbell, Australian soldier (b. 1899)
- 2003 – Mark McCormack, American lawyer and sports agent, founded IMG (b. 1930)
- 2005 – Andrew Goodpaster, American general (b. 1915)
- 2008 – Robert Mondavi, American winemaker, co-founded the Opus One Winery (b. 1913)
- 2010 – Ronnie James Dio, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1942)
- 2010 – Hank Jones, American pianist, composer, and bandleader (b. 1918)
- 2011 – Ralph Barker, English author (b. 1917)
- 2011 – Bob Davis, Australian footballer and coach (b. 1928)
- 2011 – Edward Hardwicke, English actor (b. 1932)
- 2011 – Kiyoshi Kodama, Japanese actor (b. 1934)
- 2012 – Patricia Aakhus, American author and academic (b. 1952)
- 2012 – James Abdnor, American soldier and politician, 30th Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota (b. 1923)
- 2012 – Chuck Brown, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1936)
- 2012 – Ernie Chan, Filipino-American illustrator (b. 1940)
- 2012 – Kevin Hickey, American baseball player (b. 1956)
- 2013 – Angelo Errichetti, American politician (b. 1928)
- 2013 – Bryan Illerbrun, Canadian football player (b. 1957)
- 2013 – Frankie Librán, Puerto Rican-American baseball player (b. 1948)
- 2013 – Heinrich Rohrer, Swiss physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1933)
- 2013 – Dick Trickle, American race car driver (b. 1941)
- 2013 – Bernard Waber, American author and illustrator (b. 1921)
- 2014 – Chris Duckworth, Zimbabwean-South African cricketer (b. 1933)
- 2014 – Vito Favero, Italian cyclist (b. 1932)
- 2014 – Bud Hollowell, American baseball player and manager (b. 1943)
- 2014 – Clyde Snow, American anthropologist and author (b. 1928)
- 2015 – Prashant Bhargava, American director and producer (b. 1973)
- 2015 – Moshe Levinger, Israeli rabbi and author (b. 1935)
- 2015 – Flora MacNeil, Scottish Gaelic singer (b. 1928)
- 2019 – Piet Blauw, Dutch politician (b. 1937)
- 2019 – Bob Hawke, Australian politician, 23rd Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1929)
- 2019 – I. M. Pei, Chinese-American architect (b. 1917)
Holidays and observances on May 16
- Christian feast day:
- Aaron (Coptic Church)
- Abda and Abdjesus, and companions:
- Andrew Bobola
- Brendan the Navigator (Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Communion, Eastern Orthodox Church)
- Caroline Chisholm (Church of England)
- Gemma Galgani (Passionists Calendar)
- Germerius
- Honoratus of Amiens
- John of Nepomuk
- Margaret of Cortona
- Peregrine of Auxerre
- Simon Stock
- Ubald (see Saint Ubaldo Day)
- Martyrs of Sudan (Episcopal Church (USA))
- Mass Graves Day (Iraq)
- National Day, declared by Salva Kiir Mayardit (South Sudan)
- Teachers’ Day (Malaysia)
-
March 10 in History
- 241 BC – First Punic War: Battle of the Aegates: The Romans sink the Carthaginian fleet bringing the First Punic War to an end.
- 298 – Roman Emperor Maximian concludes his campaign in North Africa and makes a triumphal entry into Carthage.
- 947 – The Later Han is founded by Liu Zhiyuan. He declares himself emperor.
- 1607 – Susenyos I defeats the combined armies of Yaqob and Abuna Petros II at the Battle of Gol in Gojjam, making him Emperor of Ethiopia.
- 1629 – Charles I dissolves the Parliament of England, beginning the eleven-year period known as the Personal Rule.
- 1735 – An agreement between Nader Shah and Russia is signed near Ganja, Azerbaijan and Russian troops are withdrawn from occupied territories.
- 1762 – French Huguenot Jean Calas, who had been wrongly convicted of killing his son, dies after being tortured by authorities; the event inspired Voltaire to begin a campaign for religious tolerance and legal reform.
- 1814 – Emperor Napoleon I is defeated at the Battle of Laon in France.
- 1830 – The Royal Netherlands East Indies Army is created.
- 1848 – The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is ratified by the United States Senate, ending the Mexican–American War.
- 1861 – El Hadj Umar Tall seizes the city of Ségou, destroying the Bamana Empire of Mali.
- 1873 – The first Azerbaijani play “The Adventures of the Vizier of the Khan of Lenkaran” prepared by Akhundov was performed by Hassan-bey Zardabi and dramatist and Najaf-bey Vezirov.
- 1876 – The first successful test of a telephone is made by Alexander Graham Bell.
- 1891 – Almon Strowger patents the Strowger switch, a device which led to the automation of telephone circuit switching.
- 1906 – The Courrières mine disaster, Europe’s worst ever, kills 1099 miners in northern France.
- 1909 – By signing the Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909, Thailand relinquishes its sovereignty over the Malay states of Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis and Terengganu, which become British protectorates.
- 1922 – Mahatma Gandhi is arrested in India, tried for sedition, and sentenced to six years in prison, only to be released after nearly two years for an appendicitis operation.
- 1933 – The Long Beach earthquake affects the Greater Los Angeles Area leaving around 108 people dead.
- 1944 – Greek Civil War: The Political Committee of National Liberation is established in Greece by the National Liberation Front.
- 1945 – World War II: The U.S. Army Air Force firebombs Tokyo, and the resulting conflagration kills more than 100,000 people, mostly civilians.
- 1949 – Mildred Gillars (“Axis Sally”) is convicted of treason.
- 1952 – Fulgencio Batista leads a successful coup in Cuba.
- 1959 – Tibetan uprising: Fearing an abduction attempt by China, thousands of Tibetans surround the Dalai Lama’s palace to prevent his removal.
- 1966 – Military Prime Minister of South Vietnam Nguyễn Cao Kỳ sacked rival General Nguyễn Chánh Thi, precipitating large-scale civil and military dissension in parts of the nation.
- 1969 – In Memphis, Tennessee, James Earl Ray pleads guilty to assassinating Martin Luther King, Jr. He later unsuccessfully attempts to recant.
- 1970 – Vietnam War: Captain Ernest Medina is charged by the U.S. military with My Lai war crimes.
- 1975 – Vietnam War: Ho Chi Minh Campaign: North Vietnamese troops attack Ban Mê Thuột in the South on their way to capturing Saigon in the final push for victory over South Vietnam.
- 1977 – Astronomers discover the rings of Uranus.
- 1990 – In Haiti, Prosper Avril is ousted 18 months after seizing power in a coup.
- 2006 – The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter arrives at Mars.
- 2017 – The impeachment of President Park Geun-hye of South Korea in response to a major political scandal is unanimously upheld by the country’s Constitutional Court, ending her presidency.
- 2019 – Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, a Boeing 737 MAX, crashes, leading to all 737 MAX aircraft being grounded worldwide.
Births on March 10
- 1452 – Ferdinand II, king of Castile and León (d. 1516)
- 1503 – Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1564)
- 1536 – Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk, English politician, Earl Marshal of the United Kingdom (d. 1572)
- 1604 – Johann Rudolf Glauber, German-Dutch alchemist and chemist (d. 1670)
- 1628 – François Girardon, French sculptor (d. 1715)
- 1628 – Marcello Malpighi, Italian physician and biologist (d. 1694)
- 1656 – Giacomo Serpotta, Italian Rococo sculptor (d. 1732)
- 1653 – John Benbow, Royal Navy admiral (d. 1702)
- 1709 – Georg Wilhelm Steller, German botanist, zoologist, physician, and explorer (d. 1746)
- 1749 – Lorenzo Da Ponte, Italian-American priest and poet (d. 1838)
- 1769 – Joseph Williamson, English businessman and philanthropist (d. 1840)
- 1772 – Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel, German poet and critic (d. 1829)
- 1777 – Louis Hersent, French painter (d. 1860)
- 1787 – Francisco de Paula Martínez de la Rosa y Berdejo, Spanish playwright and politician, Prime Minister of Spain (d. 1862)
- 1787 – William Etty, English painter and academic (d. 1849)
- 1788 – Joseph Freiherr von Eichendorff, German author, poet, playwright, and critic (d. 1857)
- 1788 – Edward Hodges Baily, English sculptor (d. 1867)
- 1789 – Manuel de la Peña y Peña, Mexican lawyer and 20th President (1847) (d. 1850)
- 1795 – Joseph Légaré, Canadian painter and glazier, artist, seigneur and political figure (d. 1855)
- 1810 – Samuel Ferguson, Irish poet and lawyer (d. 1886)
- 1844 – Pablo de Sarasate, Spanish violinist and composer (d. 1908)
- 1844 – Marie Euphrosyne Spartali, British Pre-Raphaelite painter (d. 1927)
- 1845 – Alexander III of Russia (d. 1894)
- 1846 – Edward Baker Lincoln, American son of Abraham Lincoln (d. 1850)
- 1849 – Hallie Quinn Brown, African-American educator, writer and activist (d. 1949)
- 1850 – Spencer Gore, English tennis player and cricketer (d. 1906)
- 1853 – Thomas Mackenzie, Scottish-New Zealand cartographer and politician, 18th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1930)
- 1867 – Hector Guimard, French-American architect (d. 1942)
- 1867 – Lillian Wald, American nurse, humanitarian, and author, founded the Henry Street Settlement (d. 1940)
- 1870 – David Riazanov, Russian theorist and politician (d. 1938)
- 1873 – Jakob Wassermann, German-Austrian soldier and author (d. 1934)
- 1876 – Anna Hyatt Huntington, American sculptor (d. 1973)
- 1877 – Pascual Ortiz Rubio, Mexican diplomat and president (1930-1932) (d. 1963)
- 1881 – Jessie Boswell, English painter (d. 1956)
- 1888 – Barry Fitzgerald, Irish actor (d. 1961)
- 1890 – Albert Ogilvie, Australian politician, 28th Premier of Tasmania (d. 1939)
- 1892 – Arthur Honegger, French composer and educator (d. 1955)
- 1892 – Gregory La Cava, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1952)
- 1896 – Frederick Coulton Waugh, British cartoonist, painter, teacher and author (d. 1973)
- 1900 – Violet Brown, Jamaican supercentenarian, oldest Jamaican ever (d. 2017)
- 1900 – Pandelis Pouliopoulos, Greek lawyer and politician (d. 1943)
- 1901 – Michel Seuphor, Belgian painter (d. 1999)
- 1903 – Bix Beiderbecke, American cornet player, pianist, and composer (d. 1931)
- 1903 – Clare Boothe Luce, American playwright, journalist, and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Italy (d. 1987)
- 1903 – Edward Bawden, British artist and illustrator (d. 1989)
- 1914 – Chandler Harper, American golfer (d. 2004)
- 1914 – K. P. Ratnam, Sri Lankan academic and politician (d. 2010)
- 1915 – Harry Bertoia, Italian-American sculptor and furniture designer (d. 1978)
- 1915 – Joža Horvat, Croatian writer (d. 2012)
- 1916 – Davie Fulton, Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician (d. 2000)
- 1917 – David Hare, American Surrealist artist, sculptor, photographer and painter (d. 1992)
- 1918 – Günther Rall, German general and pilot (d. 2009)
- 1919 – Marion Hutton, American singer and actress (d. 1987)
- 1920 – Alfred Peet, Dutch-American businessman, founded Peet’s Coffee & Tea (d. 2007)
- 1920 – Boris Vian, French author and playwright (d. 1959)
- 1922 – Kiyoshi Yamashita, Japanese painter (d. 1971)
- 1923 – Val Logsdon Fitch, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2015)
- 1924 – Judith Jones, American literary and cookbook editor (d. 2017)
- 1925 – Bob Lanier, American lawyer, banker, and politician, 58th Mayor of Houston (d. 2014)
- 1926 – Marques Haynes, American basketball player (d. 2015)
- 1927 – Claude Laydu, Belgian-French actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2011)
- 1927 – Paul Wunderlich, German painter, sculptor and graphic artist (d. 2010)
- 1928 – Sara Montiel, Spanish actress (d. 2013)
- 1928 – James Earl Ray, American criminal; assassin of Martin Luther King Jr. (d. 1998)
- 1929 – Sam Steiger, American journalist and politician (d. 2012)
- 1930 – Sándor Iharos, Hungarian runner (d. 1996)
- 1931 – Georges Dor, Canadian author, playwright, and composer (d. 2001)
- 1932 – Marcia Falkender, Baroness Falkender, English politician (d. 2019)
- 1932 – Udupi Ramachandra Rao, Indian physicist and engineer (d. 2017)
- 1933 – Perunchithiranar, Tamil poet (d. 1995)
- 1933 – Elizabeth Azcona Cranwell, Argentinian poet and translator (d. 2004)
- 1934 – Gergely Kulcsár, Hungarian javelin thrower and coach
- 1935 – Graham Farmer, Australian footballer and coach (d. 2019)
- 1936 – Sepp Blatter, Swiss businessman
- 1936 – Alfredo Zitarrosa, Uruguayan singer-songwriter and journalist (d. 1989)
- 1938 – Norman Blake, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1938 – Ieronymos II of Athens, Greek archbishop
- 1939 – Asghar Ali Engineer, Indian activist and author (d. 2013)
- 1939 – Hugh Johnson, English author and critic
- 1939 – Irina Press, Ukrainian-Russian hurdler and pentathlete (d. 2004)
- 1940 – Chuck Norris, American actor, producer, and martial artist
- 1940 – David Rabe, American playwright and screenwriter
- 1943 – Peter Berresford Ellis, English historian and author
- 1944 – Gail North-Saunders, Bahamian historian, archivist, and author who established the Bahamian National Archives
- 1945 – Katharine Houghton, American actress and playwright
- 1945 – Madhavrao Scindia, Indian politician, Indian Minister of Railways (d. 2001)
- 1946 – Gérard Garouste, French contemporary artist
- 1946 – Mike Hollands, Australian animator and director, founded Act3animation
- 1946 – Jim Valvano, American basketball player and coach (d. 1993)
- 1947 – Kim Campbell, Canadian lawyer and politician, 19th Prime Minister of Canada
- 1947 – Tom Scholz, American rock musician (Boston), songwriter, inventor, and engineer
- 1948 – Austin Carr, American basketball player and sportscaster
- 1949 – Bill Buxton, Canadian computer scientist and academic
- 1949 – Barbara Corcoran, American businesswoman and television personality
- 1950 – Catherine Pugh, American politician, 50th mayor of Baltimore
- 1952 – Morgan Tsvangirai, Zimbabwean politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Zimbabwe (d. 2018)
- 1953 – Paul Haggis, Canadian director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1954 – Didier Barbelivien, French singer-songwriter
- 1955 – Toshio Suzuki, Japanese race car driver
- 1956 – Robert Llewellyn, English actor, producer, and screenwriter
- 1956 – Larry Myricks, American long jumper and sprinter
- 1957 – Osama bin Laden, Saudi Arabian terrorist, founded al-Qaeda (d. 2011)
- 1958 – Garth Crooks, English footballer forward and sportscaster
- 1958 – Steve Howe, American baseball player (d. 2006)
- 1958 – Sharon Stone, American actress and producer
- 1961 – Laurel Clark, American captain, physician, and astronaut (d. 2003)
- 1961 – Bobby Petrino, American football player and coach
- 1962 – Jasmine Guy, American actress, singer, and director
- 1962 – Seiko Matsuda, Japanese singer-songwriter and actress
- 1963 – Jeff Ament, American bass player and songwriter
- 1963 – Felipe Ramos, Mexican footballer and referee
- 1963 – Rick Rubin, American record producer, founded Def Jam Recordings
- 1964 – Neneh Cherry, Swedish singer-songwriter
- 1964 – Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
- 1964 – Jojo Lastimosa, Filipino basketball player and coach
- 1964 – Nikola Mladenov, Macedonian journalist (d. 2013)
- 1964 – Toni Polster, Austrian footballer and manager
- 1965 – Jillian Richardson, Canadian sprinter
- 1965 – Rod Woodson, American football player, coach, and sportscaster
- 1966 – Edie Brickell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1966 – Mike Timlin, American baseball player
- 1968 – Thio Li-ann, Singaporean lawyer and academic
- 1968 – Pavel Srníček, Czech footballer and coach (d. 2015)
- 1971 – Jon Hamm, American actor and director
- 1972 – Timbaland, American rapper and producer
- 1973 – Jason Croker, Australian rugby league player and coach
- 1973 – Chris Sutton, English footballer
- 1973 – Mauricio Taricco, Argentinian footballer, full back and assistant manager
- 1976 – Barbara Schett, Austrian tennis player
- 1978 – Camille, French singer-songwriter and actress
- 1978 – Benjamin Burnley, American musician
- 1981 – Samuel Eto’o, Cameroonian footballer
- 1981 – Steven Reid, English-Irish footballer
- 1982 – Kwame Brown, American basketball player
- 1983 – Étienne Boulay, Canadian football player
- 1983 – Rafe Spall, English actor
- 1983 – Janet Mock, American journalist, author, and activist
- 1983 – Carrie Underwood, American singer-songwriter and actress
- 1984 – Ben May, English footballer
- 1987 – Martellus Bennett, American football player
- 1987 – Greg Eastwood, New Zealand rugby league player
- 1987 – Māris Štrombergs, Latvian BMX racer
- 1988 – Josh Hoffman, Australian-New Zealand rugby league player
- 1988 – Ivan Rakitić, Croatian football player
- 1992 – Neeskens Kebano, French-born Congolese international footballer
- 1993 – Jack Butland, English footballer
- 1995 – DaeSean Hamilton, American football player
- 1995 – Zach LaVine, American basketball player
- 1995 – Sergey Mozgov, Russian ice dancer
- 1997 – Belinda Bencic, Swiss tennis player
Deaths on March 10
- 483 – Pope Simplicius
- 933 – Li Renfu, Chinese warlord and governor
- 948 – Liu Zhiyuan, Shatuo founder of the Later Han dynasty (b. 895)
- 1039 – Eudes, Duke of Gascony
- 1222 – Johan Sverkersson, king of Sweden since 1216 (b. 1201)
- 1289 – Maud de Lacy, Countess of Hertford and Gloucester, English noble (b. 1223)
- 1291 – Arghun, Mongol ruler in Persia
- 1315 – Agnes Blannbekin, Austrian mystic (b. c.1244)
- 1391 – Tvrtko I of Bosnia (b. 1338)
- 1476 – Richard West, 7th Baron De La Warr (b. 1430)
- 1510 – Johann Geiler von Kaisersberg, Swiss priest and theologian (b. 1445)
- 1513 – John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford, English commander and politician, Lord High Constable of England (b. 1443)
- 1527 – Nam Gon, Korean writer and prime minister (b. 1471)
- 1528 – Balthasar Hübmaier, influential German/Moravian Anabaptist leader (b. 1480)
- 1572 – William Paulet, 1st Marquess of Winchester (b. c. 1483)
- 1585 – Rembert Dodoens, Flemish physician and botanist (b. 1517)
- 1588 – Theodor Zwinger, Swiss physician and scholar (b. 1533)
- 1670 – Johann Rudolf Glauber, German-Dutch chemist and engineer (b. 1604)
- 1682 – Jacob van Ruisdael, Dutch painter and etcher (b. 1628)
- 1724 – Urban Hjärne, Swedish chemist, geologist, and physician (b. 1641)
- 1776 – Élie Catherine Fréron, French author and critic (b. 1719)
- 1792 – John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute, Scottish politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1713)
- 1823 – George Elphinstone, 1st Viscount Keith, Scottish admiral and politician (b. 1746)
- 1826 – John Pinkerton, Scottish antiquarian, cartographer, author, numismatist and historian (b. 1758)
- 1832 – Muzio Clementi, Italian pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1752)
- 1861 – Taras Shevchenko, Ukrainian poet, playwright, and ethnographer (b. 1814)
- 1872 – Giuseppe Mazzini, Italian journalist and politician (b. 1805)
- 1898 – Marie-Eugénie de Jésus, French nun and saint, founded the Religious of the Assumption (b. 1817)
- 1895 – Charles Frederick Worth, English-French fashion designer, founded the House of Worth (b. 1826)
- 1897 – Savitribai Phule, Indian poet and activist (b. 1831)
- 1910 – Karl Lueger, Austrian lawyer and politician Mayor of Vienna (b. 1844)
- 1910 – Carl Reinecke, German pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1824)
- 1913 – Harriet Tubman, American nurse and activist (b. c.1820)
- 1925 – Myer Prinstein, Polish-American jumper and lawyer (b. 1878)
- 1930 – Misuzu Kaneko, Japanese poet and songwriter (b. 1903)
- 1937 – Yevgeny Zamyatin, Russian journalist and author (b. 1884)
- 1940 – Mikhail Bulgakov, Russian novelist and playwright (b. 1891)
- 1942 – Wilbur Scoville, American pharmacist and chemist (b. 1865)
- 1948 – Zelda Fitzgerald, American author, poet, and dancer (b. 1900)
- 1948 – Jan Masaryk, Czech soldier and politician (b. 1886)
- 1951 – Kijūrō Shidehara, Japanese lawyer and politician, 44th Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1872)
- 1965 – Archibald Frazer-Nash, English engineer, founded Frazer Nash (b. 1889)
- 1966 – Frits Zernike, Dutch physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1888)
- 1966 – Frank O’Connor, Irish short story writer, novelist, and poet (b. 1903)
- 1977 – E. Power Biggs, English-American organist and composer (b. 1906)
- 1982 – Minoru Shirota, Japanese physician and microbiologist, invented Yakult (b. 1899)
- 1985 – Konstantin Chernenko, Russian soldier and politician, 8th Head of State of The Soviet Union (b. 1911)
- 1985 – Bob Nieman, American baseball player and scout (b. 1927)
- 1986 – Ray Milland, Welsh-American actor and director (b. 1905)
- 1988 – Andy Gibb, Manx-Australian singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1958)
- 1989 – Kermit Beahan, American colonel and pilot (b. 1918)
- 1990 – Pat McDonald, Australian actress (b. 1921)
- 1992 – Giorgos Zampetas, Greek bouzouki player and composer (b. 1925)
- 1995 – Agepê, Brazilian singer/composer (b. 1942)
- 1996 – Ross Hunter, American film producer (b. 1926)
- 1997 – LaVern Baker, American singer and actress (b. 1929)
- 1998 – Lloyd Bridges, American actor and director (b. 1913)
- 1999 – Oswaldo Guayasamín, Ecuadorian painter and sculptor (b. 1919)
- 2001 – Massimo Morsello, Italian singer-songwriter (b. 1958)
- 2004 – Renos Apostolidis, Greek philologist, author, and critic (b. 1924)
- 2005 – Dave Allen, Irish-English comedian, actor, and screenwriter (b. 1936)
- 2006 – Anna Moffo, American soprano (b. 1932)
- 2007 – Ernie Ladd, American football player and wrestler (b. 1938)
- 2010 – Muhammad Sayyid Tantawy, Egyptian scholar and academic (b. 1928)
- 2010 – Corey Haim, Canadian actor (b. 1971)
- 2011 – Bill Blackbeard, American author and illustrator (b. 1926)
- 2012 – Bert R. Bulkin, American engineer (b. 1929)
- 2012 – Jean Giraud, French author and illustrator (b. 1938)
- 2012 – Mykola Plaviuk, Ukrainian politician, President Ukrainian People’s Republic in Exile (b. 1925)
- 2012 – Frank Sherwood Rowland, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1927)
- 2012 – Tan Boon Teik, Malaysian-Singaporean lawyer and politician, Attorney-General of Singapore (b. 1929)
- 2015 – Richard Glatzer, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1952)
- 2016 – Ken Adam, German-English production designer and art director (b. 1921)
- 2016 – Roberto Perfumo, Argentinian footballer and sportscaster (b. 1942)
- 2016 – Jovito Salonga, Filipino lawyer and politician, 14th President of the Senate of the Philippines (b. 1920)
- 2016 – Anita Brookner, English novelist and art historian (b. 1928)
Holidays and observances on March 10
- Christian feast day
- Attala
- Harriet Tubman (Lutheran)
- John Ogilvie
- Macarius of Jerusalem
- Marie-Eugénie de Jésus
- Pope Simplicius
- Sojourner Truth (Lutheran)
- March 10 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Harriet Tubman Day (United States of America)
- Holocaust Remembrance Day (Bulgaria)
- National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (United States)
- Tibetan Uprising Day (Tibetan independence movement)
-
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)
-
February 15 in History
- 590 – Khosrau II is crowned king of Persia.
- 706 – Byzantine emperor Justinian II has his predecessors Leontios and Tiberios III publicly executed in the Hippodrome of Constantinople.
- 1002 – At an assembly at Pavia of Lombard nobles, Arduin of Ivrea is restored to his domains and crowned King of Italy.
- 1113 – Pope Paschal II issues Pie Postulatio Voluntatis, recognizing the Order of Hospitallers.
- 1214 – During the Anglo-French War (1213–1214), an English invasion force led by John, King of England, lands at La Rochelle in France.
- 1493 – While on board the Niña, Christopher Columbus writes an open letter (widely distributed upon his return to Portugal) describing his discoveries and the unexpected items he came across in the New World.
- 1637 – Ferdinand III becomes Holy Roman Emperor.
- 1690 – Constantin Cantemir, Prince of Moldavia, and the Holy Roman Empire sign a secret treaty in Sibiu, stipulating that Moldavia would support the actions led by the House of Habsburg against the Ottoman Empire.
- 1764 – The city of St. Louis is established in Spanish Louisiana (now in Missouri, USA).
- 1798 – The Roman Republic is proclaimed after Louis-Alexandre Berthier, a general of Napoleon, had invaded the city of Rome five days earlier.
- 1835 – Serbia’s Sretenje Constitution briefly comes into effect.
- 1862 – American Civil War: Confederates commanded by Brig. Gen. John B. Floyd attack General Ulysses S. Grant’s Union forces Fort Donelson, Tennessee. Unable to break the fort’s encirclement, Lloyd surrenders the following day.
- 1870 – Stevens Institute of Technology is founded in New Jersey, USA and offers the first Bachelor of Engineering degree in Mechanical Engineering.
- 1879 – Women’s rights: US President Rutherford B. Hayes signs a bill allowing female attorneys to argue cases before the Supreme Court of the United States.
- 1891 – Allmänna Idrottsklubben (AIK) (Swedish Sports Club) is founded.
- 1898 – The battleship USS Maine explodes and sinks in Havana harbor in Cuba, killing 274. This event leads the United States to declare war on Spain.
- 1901 – The association football club Alianza Lima is founded in Lima, Peru, under the name Sport Alianza.
- 1909 – The Flores Theater fire in Acapulco, Mexico kills 250.
- 1921 – Kingdom of Romania establishes its legation in Helsinki.
- 1923 – Greece becomes the last European country to adopt the Gregorian calendar.
- 1925 – The 1925 serum run to Nome: The second delivery of serum arrives in Nome, Alaska.
- 1933 – In Miami, Giuseppe Zangara attempts to assassinate US President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt, but instead shoots Chicago mayor Anton J. Cermak, who dies of his wounds on March 6, 1933.
- 1942 – World War II: Fall of Singapore. Following an assault by Japanese forces, the British General Arthur Percival surrenders. About 80,000 Indian, United Kingdom and Australian soldiers become prisoners of war, the largest surrender of British-led military personnel in history.
- 1944 – World War II: The assault on Monte Cassino, Italy begins.
- 1944 – World War II: The Narva Offensive begins.
- 1945 – World War II: Third day of bombing in Dresden.
- 1946 – ENIAC, the first electronic general-purpose computer, is formally dedicated at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
- 1949 – Gerald Lankester Harding and Roland de Vaux begin excavations at Cave 1 of the Qumran Caves, where they will eventually discover the first seven Dead Sea Scrolls.
- 1952 – King George VI of the United Kingdom is buried in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.
- 1954 – Canada and the United States agree to construct the Distant Early Warning Line, a system of radar stations in the far northern Arctic regions of Canada and Alaska.
- 1961 – Sabena Flight 548 crashes in Belgium, killing 73, including the entire United States figure skating team along with several of their coaches and family members.
- 1965 – A new red-and-white maple leaf design is adopted as the flag of Canada, replacing the old Canadian Red Ensign banner.
- 1971 – The decimalisation of British coinage is completed on Decimal Day.
- 1972 – Sound recordings are granted U.S. federal copyright protection for the first time.
- 1972 – José María Velasco Ibarra, serving as President of Ecuador for the fifth time, is overthrown by the military for the fourth time.
- 1982 – The drilling rig Ocean Ranger sinks during a storm off the coast of Newfoundland, killing 84 workers.
- 1989 – Soviet–Afghan War: The Soviet Union officially announces that all of its troops have left Afghanistan.
- 1991 – The Visegrád Agreement, establishing cooperation to move toward free-market systems, is signed by the leaders of Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland.
- 1992 – Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer is sentenced in Milwaukee to life in prison.
- 1992 – Air Transport International Flight 805 crashes near Toledo Express Airport in Ohio, killing all four people on board.
- 1996 – At the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in China, a Long March 3 rocket, carrying an Intelsat 708, crashes into a rural village after liftoff, killing many people.
- 2001 – The first draft of the complete human genome is published in Nature.
- 2003 – Protests against the Iraq war take place in over 600 cities worldwide. It is estimated that between eight million to 30 million people participate, making this the largest peace demonstration in history.
- 2010 – Two trains collide in the Halle train collision in Halle, Belgium, killing 19 and injuring 171 people.
- 2012 – Three hundred sixty people die in a fire at a Honduran prison in the city of Comayagua.
- 2013 – A meteor explodes over Russia, injuring 1,500 people as a shock wave blows out windows and rocks buildings. This happens unexpectedly only hours before the expected closest ever approach of the larger and unrelated asteroid 2012 DA14.
Births on February 15
- 1377 – Ladislaus of Naples (d. 1414)
- 1458 – Ivan the Young, son of Ivan III of Russia (d. 1490)
- 1471 – Piero the Unfortunate, Italian ruler (d. 1503)
- 1506 – Juliana of Stolberg, German countess (d. 1580)
- 1519 – Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, first Spanish Governor of Florida (d. 1574)
- 1557 – Alfonso Fontanelli, Italian composer (d. 1622)
- 1564 – Galileo Galilei, Italian astronomer, physicist, and mathematician (d. 1642)
- 1571 – Michael Praetorius, German organist and composer (probable; d. 1621)
- 1612 – Paul de Chomedey, Sieur de Maisonneuve, French soldier, founded Montreal (d. 1676)
- 1627 – Charles Morton, Cornish nonconformist minister (d. 1698)
- 1638 – Zeb-un-Nissa, Mughal princess and poet (d. 1702)
- 1705 – Charles-André van Loo, French painter (d. 1765)
- 1710 – Louis XV of France (d. 1774)
- 1725 – Abraham Clark, American surveyor, lawyer, and politician (d. 1794)
- 1734 – William Stacy, American colonel (d. 1802)
- 1739 – Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart, French architect, designed the Paris Bourse (d. 1813)
- 1748 – Jeremy Bentham, English jurist and philosopher (d. 1832)
- 1759 – Friedrich August Wolf, German philologist and critic (d. 1824)
- 1760 – Jean-François Le Sueur, French composer and educator (d. 1837)
- 1797 – Henry E. Steinway, German-American businessman, founded Steinway & Sons (d. 1871)
- 1809 – André Dumont, Belgian geologist and academic (d. 1857)
- 1809 – Cyrus McCormick, American journalist and businessman, co-founded International Harvester (d. 1884)
- 1810 – Mary S. B. Shindler, American poet, writer, and editor (d. 1883)
- 1811 – Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, Argentinian journalist and politician, 7th President of Argentina (d. 1888)
- 1812 – Charles Lewis Tiffany, American businessman, founded Tiffany & Co. (d. 1902)
- 1820 – Susan B. Anthony, American suffragist and activist (d. 1906)
- 1825 – Carter Harrison, Sr., American lawyer and politician, 29th Mayor of Chicago (d. 1893)
- 1834 – V. A. Urechia, Moldavian-Romanian historian, author, and playwright (d. 1901)
- 1835 – Demetrius Vikelas, Greek businessman and philanthropist (d. 1908)
- 1840 – Titu Maiorescu, Romanian philosopher, academic, and politician, 23rd Prime Minister of Romania (d. 1917)
- 1841 – Manuel Ferraz de Campos Sales, Brazilian lawyer and politician, 4th President of Brazil (d. 1913)
- 1845 – Elihu Root, American lawyer and politician, 38th United States Secretary of State, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1937)
- 1847 – Robert Fuchs, Austrian composer and educator (d. 1927)
- 1849 – Rickman Godlee, English surgeon and academic (d. 1925)
- 1850 – Sophie Bryant, Irish mathematician, academic and activist (d. 1922)
- 1851 – Spiru Haret, Romanian mathematician, astronomer, and politician, 55th Romanian Minister of Internal Affairs (d. 1912)
- 1856 – Emil Kraepelin, German psychiatrist and academic (d. 1926)
- 1861 – Martin Burns, American wrestler and coach (d. 1937)
- 1861 – Charles Édouard Guillaume, Swiss-French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1938)
- 1861 – Alfred North Whitehead, English mathematician and philosopher (d. 1947)
- 1873 – Hans von Euler-Chelpin, German-Swedish biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1964)
- 1874 – Ernest Shackleton, Anglo-Irish captain and explorer (d. 1922)
- 1883 – Sax Rohmer, English-American author (d. 1959)
- 1890 – Robert Ley, German politician (d. 1945)
- 1892 – James Forrestal, American lieutenant and politician, 1st United States Secretary of Defense (d. 1949)
- 1892 – Roy Rene, Australian comedian (d. 1954)
- 1893 – Roman Najuch, Polish professional tennis player (d. 1967)
- 1896 – Arthur Shields, Irish republican and actor (d. 1970)
- 1897 – Gerrit Kleerekoper, Jewish-Dutch gymnast and coach (d. 1943)
- 1898 – Totò, Italian actor, singer, and screenwriter (d. 1967)
- 1899 – Georges Auric, French composer (d. 1983)
- 1899 – Gale Sondergaard, Danish-American actress (d. 1985)
- 1904 – Mary Adshead, English painter (d. 1995)
- 1904 – Antonin Magne, French cyclist and manager (d. 1983)
- 1905 – Harold Arlen, Jewish-American composer (d. 1986)
- 1907 – Jean Langlais, French organist and composer (d. 1991)
- 1907 – Cesar Romero, American actor (d. 1994)
- 1908 – Sarto Fournier, Canadian lawyer and politician, 38th Mayor of Montreal (d. 1980)
- 1909 – Miep Gies, Austrian-Dutch humanitarian, helped hide Anne Frank and her family (d. 2010)
- 1910 – Irena Sendler, Polish nurse and humanitarian, Righteous Gentile (d. 2008)
- 1912 – George Mikes, Jewish Hungarian-English journalist and author (d. 1987)
- 1913 – Erich Eliskases, Austrian chess player (d. 1997)
- 1914 – Hale Boggs, American lawyer and politician (d. 1972)
- 1914 – Kevin McCarthy, Jewish-Irish American actor (d. 2010)
- 1916 – Mary Jane Croft, American actress (d. 1999)
- 1918 – Allan Arbus, Jewish-American actor and photographer (d. 2013)
- 1918 – Hank Locklin, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2009)
- 1919 – Ducky Detweiler, American baseball player and manager (d. 2013)
- 1920 – Endicott Peabody, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 62nd Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1997)
- 1920 – Eio Sakata, Japanese Go player (d. 2010)
- 1922 – John B. Anderson, Swedish-American lawyer and politician (d. 2017)
- 1923 – Yelena Bonner, Jewish Soviet-Russian activist (d. 2011)
- 1924 – Robert Drew, American director and producer (d. 2014)
- 1925 – Angella D. Ferguson, American pediatrician
- 1927 – Frank Dunlop, English actor and director
- 1927 – Harvey Korman, American actor and comedian (d. 2008)
- 1927 – Yehoshua Neuwirth, Israeli rabbi and scholar (d. 2013)
- 1928 – Norman Bridwell, American author and illustrator, created Clifford the Big Red Dog (d. 2014)
- 1928 – Joseph Willcox Jenkins, American composer, conductor, and educator (d. 2014)
- 1929 – Graham Hill, English race car driver and businessman (d. 1975)
- 1929 – James R. Schlesinger, American economist and politician, 12th United States Secretary of Defense (d. 2014)
- 1930 – Bruce Dawe, Australian poet and academic
- 1931 – Claire Bloom, English actress
- 1931 – Jonathan Steele, English journalist and author
- 1934 – Jimmy Bloomfield, English footballer and manager (d. 1983)
- 1934 – Graham Kennedy, Australian television host and actor (d. 2005)
- 1934 – Niklaus Wirth, Swiss computer scientist, created the Pascal programming language
- 1934 – Abe Woodson, American football player and minister (d. 2014)
- 1935 – Susan Brownmiller, American journalist and author
- 1935 – Roger B. Chaffee, American lieutenant, engineer, and astronaut (d. 1967)
- 1935 – Gene Hickerson, American football player (d. 2008)
- 1937 – Gregory Mcdonald, American author (d. 2008)
- 1937 – Coen Moulijn, Dutch footballer (d. 2011)
- 1940 – İsmail Cem İpekçi, Turkish journalist and politician, 45th Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 2007)
- 1940 – John Hadl, American football player and coach
- 1940 – Hamzah Haz, Indonesian journalist and politician, 9th Vice President of Indonesia
- 1940 – Vaino Vahing, Estonian psychiatrist, author, and playwright (d. 2008)
- 1941 – Florinda Bolkan, Brazilian actress
- 1941 – Brian Holland, American songwriter and producer
- 1944 – Mick Avory, English drummer
- 1945 – Jack Dann, American-Australian author and poet
- 1945 – John Helliwell, English saxophonist and keyboard player
- 1945 – Douglas Hofstadter, American author and academic
- 1946 – Clare Short, English civil servant and politician, Secretary of State for International Development
- 1947 – John Adams, American composer
- 1947 – Marisa Berenson, American model and actress
- 1948 – Art Spiegelman, Swedish-American cartoonist and critic
- 1949 – Ken Anderson, American football quarterback and coach
- 1951 – Markku Alén, Finnish race car driver
- 1951 – Melissa Manchester, American singer-songwriter and actress
- 1951 – Jane Seymour, English-American actress, producer, and jewelry designer
- 1952 – Tomislav Nikolić, Serbian politician, 4th President of Serbia
- 1952 – Nikolai Sorokin, Russian actor and director (d. 2013)
- 1953 – Tony Adams, Irish-American screenwriter and producer (d. 2005)
- 1953 – Ernie Howe, English footballer, defender and manager
- 1954 – Matt Groening, American animator, producer, and screenwriter
- 1955 – Janice Dickinson, American model, agent, and author
- 1955 – Christopher McDonald, American actor
- 1956 – Desmond Haynes, Barbadian cricketer and coach
- 1956 – Ann Westin, Swedish comedian
- 1957 – Jake E. Lee, American guitarist and songwriter
- 1957 – Jimmy Spencer, American race car driver and sportscaster
- 1958 – Chrystine Brouillet, Canadian author
- 1958 – Tony McKegney, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1958 – Matthew Ward, American singer-songwriter
- 1959 – Adam Boulton, English journalist
- 1959 – Ali Campbell, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1959 – Brian Propp, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
- 1959 – Martin Rowson, English author and illustrator
- 1959 – Hugo Savinovich, Ecuadorian wrestler and sportscaster
- 1960 – Darrell Green, American football player
- 1960 – Jock Hobbs, New Zealand rugby player (d. 2012)
- 1962 – Milo Đukanović, Montenegrin politician, 29th Prime Minister of Montenegro
- 1964 – Chris Farley, American comedian and actor (d. 1997)
- 1964 – Leland D. Melvin, American engineer and astronaut
- 1964 – Mark Price, American basketball player and coach
- 1965 – Craig Matthews, South African cricketer
- 1967 – Jane Child, Canadian singer-songwriter and producer
- 1967 – Syed Kamall, English academic and politician
- 1967 – Craig Simpson, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
- 1969 – Birdman, American rapper and producer
- 1970 – Shepard Fairey, American artist and activist
- 1971 – Alex Borstein, American actress, voice artist, producer, and screenwriter
- 1971 – Renee O’Connor, American actress, director, and producer
- 1972 – Jaromír Jágr, Czech ice hockey player
- 1973 – Kateřina Neumannová, Czech skier
- 1973 – Amy van Dyken, American swimmer
- 1974 – Miranda July, American actress, director, and screenwriter
- 1974 – Ugueth Urbina, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1974 – Alexander Wurz, Austrian race car driver and businessman
- 1975 – Serge Aubin, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1975 – Annemarie Kramer, Dutch sprinter
- 1975 – Brendon Small, American animator, producer, screenwriter, and actor
- 1976 – Brandon Boyd, American singer-songwriter
- 1976 – Óscar Freire, Spanish cyclist
- 1979 – Josh Low, English footballer
- 1979 – Hamish Marshall, New Zealand cricketer
- 1979 – James Marshall, New Zealand cricketer
- 1979 – Scott Severin, Scottish footballer
- 1979 – Gordon Shedden, Scottish race car driver
- 1980 – Conor Oberst, American singer-songwriter
- 1981 – Heurelho Gomes, Brazilian international footballer, goalkeeper
- 1981 – Matt Hoopes, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1981 – Rita Jeptoo, Kenyan runner
- 1981 – Diego Martínez, Mexican footballer
- 1981 – Vivek Shraya, Canadian singer and songwriter
- 1982 – Shameka Christon, American basketball player
- 1982 – James Yap, Filipino basketball player
- 1983 – Don Cowie, Scottish footballer
- 1983 – David Degen, Swiss footballer
- 1983 – Philipp Degen, Swiss footballer
- 1983 – Alan Didak, Australian footballer
- 1983 – Russell Martin, Canadian baseball player
- 1985 – Serkan Kırıntılı, Turkish footballer
- 1986 – Valeri Bojinov, Bulgarian footballer
- 1986 – Johnny Cueto, Dominican baseball player
- 1986 – Laura Sallés, Andorran judoka
- 1987 – Jarrod Sammut, Australian rugby league player
- 1988 – Jarryd Hayne, Australian rugby league player and football player
- 1988 – Hironori Kusano, Japanese singer and actor
- 1988 – Tim Mannah, Australian-born Lebanese rugby league player
- 1988 – Rui Patrício, Portuguese footballer
- 1990 – Charles Pic, French race car driver
- 1991 – Ángel Sepúlveda, Mexican footballer
- 1993 – Ravi, South Korean rapper
Deaths on February 15
- 670 – Oswiu, king of Northumbria (b. c. 612)
- 706 – Leontios, Byzantine emperor
- 706 – Tiberios III, Byzantine emperor
- 956 – Su Yugui, Chinese chancellor (b. 895)
- 1043 – Gisela of Swabia, Holy Roman Empress (b. 990)
- 1145 – Lucius II, pope of the Catholic Church
- 1152 – Conrad III, king of Germany (b. 1093)
- 1382 – William de Ufford, 2nd Earl of Suffolk (b. c. 1339)
- 1417 – Richard de Vere, 11th Earl of Oxford, English commander (b. 1385)
- 1508 – Giovanni II Bentivoglio, tyrant of Bologna (b. 1443)
- 1600 – José de Acosta, Spanish Jesuit missionary and naturalist (b. 1540)
- 1621 – Michael Praetorius, German organist and composer (b. 1571)
- 1637 – Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1578)
- 1738 – Matthias Braun, Czech sculptor (b. 1684)
- 1781 – Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, German philosopher, author, and critic (b. 1729)
- 1818 – Frederick Louis, Prince of Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen (b. 1746)
- 1835 – Henry Hunt, English farmer and politician (b. 1773)
- 1839 – François-Marie-Thomas Chevalier de Lorimier, Canadian rebel (b. 1803)
- 1842 – Archibald Menzies, Scottish surgeon and botanist (b. 1754)
- 1844 – Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1757)
- 1847 – Germinal Pierre Dandelin, Belgian mathematician and engineer (b. 1794)
- 1848 – Hermann von Boyen, Prussian general and politician, Prussian Minister of War (b. 1771)
- 1849 – Pierre François Verhulst, Belgian mathematician and theorist (b. 1804)
- 1857 – Mikhail Glinka, Russian composer (b. 1804)
- 1869 – Ghalib, Indian poet and educator (b. 1796)
- 1885 – Gregor von Helmersen, Estonian-Russian geologist and engineer (b. 1803)
- 1897 – Dimitrie Ghica, Romanian lawyer and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Romania (b. 1816)
- 1905 – Lew Wallace, American author, general, and politician, 11th Governor of New Mexico Territory (b. 1827)
- 1911 – Theodor Escherich, German-Austrian pediatrician and academic (b. 1859)
- 1924 – Lionel Monckton, English composer (b. 1861)
- 1928 – H. H. Asquith, English lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1852)
- 1932 – Minnie Maddern Fiske, American actress and playwright (b. 1865)
- 1933 – Pat Sullivan, Australian animator and producer, co-created Felix the Cat (b. 1887)
- 1935 – Basil Hall Chamberlain, English-Swiss historian, author, and academic (b. 1850)
- 1939 – Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin, Russian painter and author (b. 1878)
- 1956 – Vincent de Moro-Giafferi, French lawyer and politician (b. 1878)
- 1959 – Owen Willans Richardson, English physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1879)
- 1961 – Laurence Owen, American figure skater (b. 1944)
- 1965 – Nat King Cole, American singer and pianist (b. 1919)
- 1966 – Gerard Antoni Ciołek, Polish architect and historian (b. 1909)
- 1966 – Camilo Torres Restrepo, Colombian priest and theologian (b. 1929)
- 1967 – Antonio Moreno, Spanish-American actor and director (b. 1887)
- 1970 – Hugh Dowding, 1st Baron Dowding, Scottish air marshal (b. 1882)
- 1973 – Wally Cox, American actor (b. 1924)
- 1973 – Tim Holt, American actor (b. 1919)
- 1974 – Kurt Atterberg, Swedish composer and engineer (b. 1887)
- 1981 – Mike Bloomfield, American guitarist and songwriter (b. 1943)
- 1981 – Karl Richter, German organist and conductor (b. 1926)
- 1984 – Avon Long, American actor and singer (b. 1910)
- 1984 – Ethel Merman, American actress and singer (b. 1908)
- 1988 – Richard Feynman, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1918)
- 1992 – María Elena Moyano, Peruvian activist (b. 1960)
- 1992 – William Schuman, American composer and academic (b. 1910)
- 1996 – McLean Stevenson, American actor (b. 1929)
- 1998 – Martha Gellhorn, American journalist and author (b. 1908)
- 1999 – Henry Way Kendall, American physicist and mountaineer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1926)
- 1999 – Big L, American rapper (b. 1974)
- 2000 – Angus MacLean, Canadian commander and politician, 25th Premier of Prince Edward Island (b. 1914)
- 2002 – Howard K. Smith, American journalist and actor (b. 1914)
- 2002 – Kevin Smith, New Zealand actor (b. 1963)
- 2004 – Jens Evensen, Norwegian lawyer, judge, and politician, Norwegian Minister of Trade (b. 1917)
- 2005 – Pierre Bachelet, French singer-songwriter (b. 1944)
- 2005 – Samuel T. Francis, American historian and journalist (b. 1947)
- 2007 – Walker Edmiston, American actor (b. 1925)
- 2007 – Ray Evans, American songwriter (b. 1915)
- 2008 – Johnny Weaver, American wrestler and sportscaster (b. 1935)
- 2010 – Jeanne M. Holm, American general (b. 1921)
- 2012 – Cyril Domb, English-Israel physicist and academic (b. 1920)
- 2013 – Sanan Kachornprasart, Thai general and politician (b. 1935)
- 2013 – Ahmed Rajib Haider, Bangladeshi atheist blogger
- 2014 – Thelma Estrin, American computer scientist and engineer (b. 1924)
- 2014 – Christopher Malcolm, Scottish-Canadian actor, director, and producer (b. 1946)
- 2015 – Haron Amin, Afghan diplomat, Afghan Ambassador to Japan (b. 1969)
- 2015 – Arnaud de Borchgrave, American journalist and author (b. 1926)
- 2015 – Steve Montador, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1979)
- 2016 – George Gaynes, Finnish-American actor (b. 1917)
- 2016 – Vanity, Canadian-American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress (b. 1959)
- 2017 – Stuart McLean, Canadian radio broadcaster (b. 1948)
- 2019 – Lee Radziwill, American socialite (b. 1933)
- 2020 – Caroline Flack, English Actress and TV Presenter (b. 1979)
Holidays and observances on February 15
- Christian feast day:
- Blessed Michał Sopoćko
- Claude de la Colombière
- Faustinus and Jovita
- Oswiu
- Quinidius
- Sigfrid of Sweden
- Thomas Bray (Episcopal Church)
- Walfrid
- February 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Earliest day on which Family Day can fall, while February 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Monday in February. (parts of Canada)
- Earliest day on which Washington’s Birthday can fall, while February 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Monday in February. (United States)
- Traditionally the feast day for the ancient Roman fertility festival of Lupercalia
- International Duties Memorial Day (Russia, regional)
- John Frum Day (Vanuatu)
- Liberation Day (Afghanistan)
- National Flag of Canada Day (Canada)
- Parinirvana Day, also celebrated on February 8. (Mahayana Buddhism)
- Singles Awareness Day
- Statehood Day (Serbia)
- Susan B. Anthony Day (Florida, United States)
- The ENIAC Day (Philadelphia, United States)
- Total Defence Day (Singapore)