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- 48 BC – Pompey is assassinated by order of King Ptolemy upon arriving in Egypt.
- 235 – Pope Pontian resigns. He is exiled to the mines of Sardinia, along with Hippolytus of Rome.
- 351 – Constantius II defeats the usurper Magnentius.
- 365 – Roman usurper Procopius bribes two legions passing by Constantinople, and proclaims himself emperor.
- 935 – Duke Wenceslaus I of Bohemia is murdered by a group of nobles led by his brother Boleslaus I, who succeeds him.
- 995 – Boleslaus II, Duke of Bohemia, kills most members of the rival Slavník dynasty.
- 1066 – William the Conqueror lands in England, beginning the Norman conquest.
- 1106 – King Henry I of England defeats his brother, Robert Curthose.
- 1238 – King James I of Aragon conquers Valencia from the Moors. Shortly thereafter, he proclaims himself king of Valencia.
- 1322 – Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor, defeats Frederick I of Austria in the Battle of Mühldorf.
- 1538 – Ottoman–Venetian War: The Ottoman Navy scores a decisive victory over a Holy League fleet in the Battle of Preveza.
- 1542 – Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo of Portugal arrives at what is now San Diego, California.
- 1779 – American Revolution: Samuel Huntington is elected President of the Continental Congress, succeeding John Jay.
- 1781 – American Revolution: American forces backed by a French fleet begin the siege of Yorktown.
- 1787 – The Congress of the Confederation votes to send the newly-written United States Constitution to the state legislatures for approval.
- 1821 – The Declaration of Independence of the Mexican Empire is drafted. It will be made public on 13 October.
- 1844 – Oscar I of Sweden–Norway is crowned king of Sweden.
- 1867 – Toronto becomes the capital of Ontario, having also been the capital of Ontario’s predecessors since 1796.
- 1868 – The Battle of Alcolea causes Queen Isabella II of Spain to flee to France.
- 1871 – The Brazilian Parliament passes a law that frees all children thereafter born to slaves, and all government-owned slaves.
- 1889 – The General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) defines the length of a meter.
- 1892 – The first night game for American football takes place in a contest between Wyoming Seminary and Mansfield State Normal.
- 1893 – Foundation of the Portuguese football club FC Porto.
- 1901 – Philippine–American War: Filipino guerrillas kill more than forty American soldiers while losing 28 of their own.
- 1912 – The Ulster Covenant is signed by some 500,000 Ulster Protestant Unionists in opposition to the Third Irish Home Rule Bill.
- 1912 – Corporal Frank S. Scott of the United States Army becomes the first enlisted man to die in an airplane crash.
- 1918 – World War I: The Fifth Battle of Ypres begins.
- 1919 – Race riots begin in Omaha, Nebraska.
- 1924 – The first aerial circumnavigation is completed by a team from the US Army.
- 1928 – Alexander Fleming notices a bacteria-killing mold growing in his laboratory, discovering what later became known as penicillin.
- 1939 – World War II: Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union agree on a division of Poland.
- 1939 – World War II: The siege of Warsaw comes to an end.
- 1941 – World War II: The Drama uprising against the Bulgarian occupation in northern Greece begins.
- 1941 – Ted Williams achieves a .406 batting average for the season, and becomes the last major league baseball player to bat .400 or better.
- 1944 – World War II: Soviet Army troops liberate Klooga concentration camp in Estonia.
- 1951 – CBS makes the first color televisions available for sale to the general public, but the product is discontinued less than a month later.
- 1961 – A military coup in Damascus effectively ends the United Arab Republic, the union between Egypt and Syria.
- 1970 – Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser dies of a heart attack in Cairo.
- 1971 – The Parliament of the UK passes the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, banning the medicinal use of cannabis.
- 1973 – The ITT Building in New York City is bombed in protest at ITT’s alleged involvement in the coup d’état in Chile.
- 1975 – The Spaghetti House siege, in which nine people are taken hostage, takes place in London.
- 1986 – The Democratic Progressive Party becomes the first opposition party in Taiwan.
- 1991 – The Strategic Air Command stands down from alert all ICBMs scheduled for deactivation under START I, as well as its strategic bomber force.
- 1992 – A Pakistan International Airlines flight crashes into a hill in Nepal, killing all 167 passengers and crew.
- 1994 – The cruise ferry MS Estonia sinks in the Baltic Sea, killing 852 people.
- 1995 – Bob Denard and a group of mercenaries take the islands of the Comoros in a coup.
- 1995 – Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat sign the Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
- 2000 – Al-Aqsa Intifada: Ariel Sharon visits Al-Aqsa Mosque known to Jews as the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
- 2008 – Falcon 1 becomes the first privately developed liquid-fuel ground-launched vehicle to put a payload into orbit.
- 2009 – The military junta leading Guinea attacks a protest rally, killing or wounding 1400 people.
- 2012 – Somali and African Union forces launch a coordinated assault on the Somali port of Kismayo to take back the city from al-Shabaab militants.
- 2014 – The 2014 Hong Kong protests begin in response to restrictive political reforms imposed by the NPC in Beijing.
- 2016 – The 2016 South Australian blackout occurs, lasting up to three days in some areas.
- 2018 – The 7.5 Mw 2018 Sulawesi earthquake, which triggered a large tsunami, leaves 4,340 dead and 10,679 injured.
- 2018 – On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War, the international project Tree of Peace was established (September, 28). One of the trees was planted personally by Zuzana Čaputová, President of the Slovak Republic.
Births on September 28
- 551 BC – Confucius, Chinese teacher, editor, politician, and philosopher of the Spring and Autumn period of Chinese history. (d. 479 BC)
- 616 – Javanshir, King of Caucasian Albania (d. 680)
- 1494 – Agnolo Firenzuola, Italian poet and playwright (d. 1545)
- 1555 – Henri de La Tour d’Auvergne, Marshal of France (d. 1623)
- 1573 – Théodore de Mayerne, Swiss physician (d. 1654)
- 1605 – Ismaël Bullialdus, French astronomer and mathematician (d. 1694)
- 1681 – Johann Mattheson, German composer, lexicographer, and diplomat (d. 1764)
- 1705 – Henry Fox, 1st Baron Holland, English politician, Secretary of State for the Southern Department (d. 1774)
- 1705 – Johann Peter Kellner, German organist and composer (d. 1772)
- 1735 – Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton, English academic and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1811)
- 1746 – William Jones, English-Welsh philologist and scholar (d. 1794)
- 1765 – Frederick Christian II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg (d. 1814)
- 1803 – Prosper Mérimée, French archaeologist, historian, and author (d. 1870)
- 1809 – Alvan Wentworth Chapman, American physician and botanist (d. 1899)
- 1819 – Narcís Monturiol, Spanish engineer and publisher (d. 1885)
- 1821 – Jonathan Clarkson Gibbs, American minister and politician (d. 1874)
- 1823 – Alexandre Cabanel, French painter and educator (d. 1889)
- 1824 – Francis Turner Palgrave, English poet and critic (d. 1897)
- 1836 – Thomas Crapper, English plumber, invented the ballcock (d. 1910)
- 1838 – Sai Baba of Shirdi, Indian national saint (d. 1918)
- 1841 – Georges Clemenceau, French journalist, physician, and politician, 85th Prime Minister of France (d. 1929)
- 1844 – Robert Stout, Scottish-New Zealand lawyer and politician, 13th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1930)
- 1852 – Henri Moissan, French chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1907)
- 1852 – Isis Pogson, British astronomer and meteorologist (d. 1945)
- 1856 – Kate Douglas Wiggin, American author and educator (d. 1923)
- 1860 – Paul Ulrich Villard, French chemist and physicist (d. 1934)
- 1861 – Amélie of Orléans, queen consort of Portugal (d. 1951)
- 1867 – Hiranuma Kiichirō, Japanese lawyer and politician, 35th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1952)
- 1867 – James Edwin Campbell, American poet, editor, short story writer and educator (d. 1896)
- 1868 – Evelyn Beatrice Hall, English writer best known for her biography of Voltaire, and wrote under the pseudonym S. G. Tallentyre (d. 1956)
- 1877 – Albert Young, American boxer and promoter (d. 1940)
- 1878 – Joseph Ruddy, American swimmer and water polo player (d. 1962)
- 1870 – Florent Schmitt, French composer and critic (d. 1958)
- 1881 – Pedro de Cordoba, American actor (d. 1950)
- 1882 – Mart Saar, Estonian organist and composer (d. 1963)
- 1885 – Emil Väre, Finnish wrestler, coach, and referee (d. 1974)
- 1887 – Avery Brundage, American businessman, 5th President of the International Olympic Committee (d. 1975)
- 1889 – Jack Fournier, American baseball player and coach (d. 1973)
- 1890 – Florence Violet McKenzie, Australian electrical engineer (d. 1982)
- 1892 – Elmer Rice, American playwright (d. 1967)
- 1893 – Hilda Geiringer, Austrian mathematician (d. 1973)
- 1893 – Giannis Skarimpas, Greek author, poet, and playwright (d. 1984)
- 1898 – Carl Clauberg, German Nazi physician (d. 1957)
- 1900 – Isabel Pell, American socialite, fought as part of the French Resistance during WWII (d. 1951)
- 1901 – William S. Paley, American broadcaster, founded CBS (d. 1990)
- 1901 – Ed Sullivan, American television host (d. 1974)
- 1903 – Haywood S. Hansell, American general (d. 1988)
- 1905 – Max Schmeling, German boxer (d. 2005)
- 1907 – Heikki Savolainen, Finnish gymnast and physician (d. 1997)
- 1907 – Bhagat Singh, Indian activist (d. 1931)
- 1909 – Al Capp, American author and illustrator (d. 1979)
- 1910 – Diosdado Macapagal, Filipino lawyer and politician, 9th President of the Philippines (d. 1997)
- 1910 – Wenceslao Vinzons, Filipino lawyer and politician (d. 1942)
- 1913 – Warja Honegger-Lavater, Swiss illustrator (d. 2007)
- 1913 – Alice Marble, American tennis player (d. 1990)
- 1914 – Maria Franziska von Trapp, Austrian-American refugee and singer (d. 2014)
- 1915 – Ethel Rosenberg, American spy (d. 1953)
- 1916 – Peter Finch, English-Australian actor (d. 1977)
- 1916 – Olga Lepeshinskaya, Ukrainian-Russian ballerina and educator (d. 2008)
- 1918 – Ángel Labruna, Argentinian footballer and manager (d. 1983)
- 1918 – Arnold Stang, American actor (d. 2009)
- 1919 – Doris Singleton, American actress (d. 2012)
- 1922 – Larry Munson, American sportscaster (d. 2011)
- 1923 – Tuli Kupferberg, American singer, poet, and writer (d. 2010)
- 1923 – John Scott, 9th Duke of Buccleuch, Scottish captain and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Selkirkshire (d. 2007)
- 1923 – William Windom, American actor (d. 2012)
- 1924 – Rudolf Barshai, Russian-Swiss viola player and conductor (d. 2010)
- 1924 – Marcello Mastroianni, Italian-French actor and singer (d. 1996)
- 1925 – Seymour Cray, American computer scientist, founded the CRAY Computer Company (d. 1996)
- 1925 – Cromwell Everson, South African composer (d. 1991)
- 1925 – Martin David Kruskal, American physicist and mathematician (d. 2006)
- 1926 – Jerry Clower, American soldier, comedian, and author (d. 1998)
- 1928 – Koko Taylor, American singer (d. 2009)
- 1929 – Lata Mangeshkar, Indian playback singer and composer
- 1930 – Tommy Collins, American country music singer-songwriter (d. 2000)
- 1930 – Immanuel Wallerstein, American sociologist, author, and academic (d. 2019)
- 1932 – Jeremy Isaacs, Scottish screenwriter and producer
- 1932 – Víctor Jara, Chilean singer-songwriter, poet, and director (d. 1973)
- 1933 – Joe Benton, English soldier and politician
- 1933 – Miguel Ortiz Berrocal, Spanish sculptor and educator (d. 2006)
- 1933 – Johnny “Country” Mathis, American singer-songwriter (d. 2011)
- 1934 – Brigitte Bardot, French actress
- 1935 – Bruce Crampton, Australian golfer
- 1935 – David Hannay, Baron Hannay of Chiswick, English diplomat, British Permanent Representative to the United Nations
- 1935 – Ronald Lacey, English actor (d. 1991)
- 1936 – Emmett Chapman, American guitarist, invented the Chapman Stick
- 1936 – Eddie Lumsden, Australian rugby league player (d. 2019)
- 1936 – Robert Wolders, Dutch television actor (d. 2018)
- 1937 – Alice Mahon, English trade union leader and politician
- 1937 – Glenn Sutton, American country music songwriter and record producer (d. 2007)
- 1938 – Ben E. King, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2015)
- 1939 – Stuart Kauffman, American biologist and academic
- 1941 – David Lewis, American philosopher and academic (d. 2001)
- 1941 – Edmund Stoiber, German lawyer and politician, Minister President of Bavaria
- 1942 – Pierre Clémenti, French actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1999)
- 1942 – Edward “Little Buster” Forehand, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2006)
- 1943 – Warren Lieberfarb, American businessman
- 1943 – George W. S. Trow, American novelist, playwright, and critic (d. 2006)
- 1943 – Nick St. Nicholas, German-Canadian bass player
- 1944 – Richie Karl, American golfer
- 1944 – Marcia Muller, American journalist and author
- 1945 – Marielle Goitschel, French skier
- 1945 – Manolis Rasoulis, Greek singer-songwriter and journalist (d. 2011)
- 1945 – Fusako Shigenobu, Japanese activist, founded the Japanese Red Army
- 1946 – Tom Bower, English journalist and author
- 1946 – Majid Khan, Indian-Pakistani cricketer
- 1947 – Bob Carr, Australian journalist and politician, 37th Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs
- 1947 – Sheikh Hasina, Bangladeshi politician, 10th Prime Minister of Bangladesh
- 1947 – Jon Snow, English journalist and academic
- 1947 – Rhonda Hughes, American mathematician and academic
- 1949 – Jim Henshaw, Canadian actor, producer, and screenwriter
- 1950 – Paul Burgess, English drummer
- 1950 – Christina Hoff Sommers, American author and philosopher
- 1950 – John Sayles, American novelist, director, and screenwriter
- 1951 – Jim Diamond, Scottish singer-songwriter and musician (d. 2015)
- 1952 – Christopher Buckley, American satirical novelist
- 1952 – Efthimis Kioumourtzoglou, Greek basketball player and coach
- 1952 – Sylvia Kristel, Dutch model and actress (d. 2012)
- 1952 – Andy Ward, English drummer
- 1953 – Otmar Hasler, Liechtensteiner educator and politician, 11th Prime Minister of Liechtenstein
- 1954 – Steve Largent, American football player and politician
- 1954 – George Lynch, American guitarist and songwriter
- 1954 – John Scott, English rugby player
- 1954 – Margot Wallström, Swedish politician and diplomat, 42nd Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs
- 1955 – Stéphane Dion, Canadian sociologist and politician, 15th Canadian Minister of the Environment
- 1955 – Mercy Manci, Xhosa sangoma and HIV activist from South Africa
- 1955 – Kenny Kirkland, American pianist (d. 1998)
- 1956 – Martha Isabel Fandiño Pinilla, Colombian-Italian mathematician and author
- 1957 – Bill Cassidy, American politician and physician
- 1959 – Ron Fellows, Canadian race car driver
- 1959 – Laura Bruce, American artist
- 1960 – Gary Ayres, Australian footballer and coach
- 1960 – Tom Byrum, American golfer
- 1960 – Frank Hammerschlag, German footballer and manager
- 1960 – Gus Logie, Trinidadian cricketer
- 1960 – Kamlesh Patel, Baron Patel of Bradford, English politician
- 1960 – Jennifer Rush, American singer-songwriter
- 1960 – Socrates Villegas, Filipino archbishop
- 1961 – Helen Grant, English lawyer and politician, Minister for Sport and the Olympics
- 1961 – Gregory Jbara, American actor and singer
- 1961 – Quentin Kawānanakoa, American lawyer and politician
- 1961 – Anne White, American tennis player
- 1962 – Grant Fuhr, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1962 – Laurie Rinker, American golfer
- 1962 – Dietmar Schacht, German footballer and manager
- 1962 – Chuck Taylor, American journalist
- 1963 – Steve Blackman, American wrestler and martial artist
- 1963 – Érik Comas, French race car driver
- 1963 – Greg Weisman, American voice actor, producer, and screenwriter
- 1964 – Claudio Borghi, Argentinian footballer and manager
- 1964 – Gregor Fisken, Scottish race car driver
- 1964 – Janeane Garofalo, American comedian, actress, and screenwriter
- 1964 – Paul Jewell, English footballer and manager
- 1964 – Mārtiņš Roze, Latvian lawyer and politician (d. 2012)
- 1966 – Scott Adams, American football player (d. 2013)
- 1966 – Maria Canals-Barrera, Cuban-American actress
- 1966 – Puri Jagannadh, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1967 – Mira Sorvino, American actress
- 1967 – Moon Zappa, American actress and author
- 1968 – Francois Botha, South African boxer and mixed martial artist
- 1968 – Mika Häkkinen, Finnish race car driver
- 1968 – Trish Keenan, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2011)
- 1968 – Sean Levert, American R&B singer-songwriter and actor (d. 2008)
- 1968 – Rob Moroso, American race car driver (d. 1990)
- 1968 – Naomi Watts, English-Australian actress and producer
- 1969 – Kerri Chandler, electronic music producer and DJ
- 1969 – Marcel Dost, Dutch decathlete
- 1969 – Ben Greenman, American journalist and author
- 1969 – Piper Kerman, American author and memoirist
- 1969 – Éric Lapointe, Canadian singer-songwriter and keyboard player
- 1969 – Sascha Maassen, German race car driver
- 1969 – Angus Robertson, Scottish politician
- 1969 – Nico Vaesen, Belgian footballer
- 1970 – Kimiko Date-Krumm, Japanese tennis player
- 1970 – Mike DeJean, American baseball player
- 1970 – Gualter Salles, Brazilian race car driver
- 1971 – Joseph Arthur, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1971 – George Eustice, English lawyer and politician
- 1971 – Braam van Straaten, South African rugby player
- 1971 – Alan Wright, English footballer and manager
- 1972 – Dita Von Teese, American model and dancer
- 1973 – Brian Rafalski, American ice hockey player
- 1974 – Marco Di Loreto, Italian footballer and manager
- 1974 – Mariya Kiselyova, Russian swimmer
- 1974 – Joonas Kolkka, Finnish footballer and coach
- 1974 – Shane Webcke, Australian rugby league player and coach
- 1975 – Stuart Clark, Australian cricketer and manager
- 1975 – Isamu Jordan, American journalist and academic (d. 2013)
- 1975 – Lenny Krayzelburg, Russian-American swimmer
- 1976 – Fedor Emelianenko, Russian mixed martial artist and politician
- 1977 – Ireneusz Marcinkowski, Polish footballer
- 1977 – Pak Se-ri, South Korean golfer
- 1977 – Young Jeezy, American rapper
- 1978 – Ben Edmondson, Australian cricketer
- 1979 – Bam Margera, American skateboarder, actor, and stuntman
- 1979 – Taki Tsan, American-Greek rapper and producer
- 1980 – Marlon Parmer, American basketball player
- 1981 – Greg Anderson, American pianist and composer
- 1981 – Willy Caballero, Argentine footballer
- 1981 – José Calderón, Spanish basketball player
- 1981 – Jorge Guagua, Ecuadorian footballer
- 1981 – Iracema Trevisan, Brazilian bass player
- 1982 – Aleksandr Anyukov, Russian footballer
- 1982 – Abhinav Bindra, Indian target shooter
- 1982 – Ray Emery, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2018)
- 1982 – Ranbir Kapoor, Indian actor and director
- 1982 – Nolwenn Leroy, French singer-songwriter and actress
- 1982 – Emeka Okafor, American basketball player
- 1982 – Dustin Penner, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1982 – Aivar Rehemaa, Estonian skier
- 1982 – Anderson Varejão, Brazilian basketball player
- 1982 – St. Vincent, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1983 – Stefan Moore, English footballer
- 1983 – John Schwalger, New Zealand rugby player
- 1984 – Jenny Omnichord, Canadian singer-songwriter
- 1984 – Luke Pomersbach, Australian cricketer
- 1984 – Naim Terbunja, Kosovan-Swedish boxer
- 1984 – Melody Thornton, American singer-songwriter and dancer
- 1984 – Mathieu Valbuena, French footballer
- 1984 – Ryan Zimmerman, American baseball player
- 1985 – Shindong, South Korean singer-songwriter and dancer
- 1985 – Alina Ibragimova, Russian-English violinist
- 1986 – Andrés Guardado, Mexican footballer
- 1986 – Meskerem Legesse, Ethiopian runner (d. 2013)
- 1986 – Dominic Waters, American basketball player
- 1987 – Pierre Becken, German footballer
- 1987 – Gary Deegan, Irish footballer
- 1987 – Hilary Duff, American singer-songwriter and actress
- 1987 – Chloë Hanslip, English violinist
- 1987 – Viktoria Leks, Estonian high jumper
- 1988 – Marin Čilić, Croatian tennis player
- 1988 – Esmée Denters, Dutch singer-songwriter
- 1988 – Aleks Vrteski, Australian footballer
- 1988 – Worakls, French DJ and electronic musician
- 1989 – Çağla Büyükakçay, Turkish tennis player
- 1989 – Darius Johnson-Odom, American basketball player
- 1989 – Mark Randall, English footballer
- 1990 – Phoenix Battye, Australian rugby player
- 1992 – Khem Birch, Canadian professional basketball player
- 1992 – Adam Thompson, English-Northern Irish footballer
- 1992 – Kōko Tsurumi, Japanese gymnast
- 1993 – Jodie Williams, English sprinter
- 1995 – Jason Williams, English footballer
Deaths on September 28
- 48 BC – Pompey, Roman general and politician (b. 106 BC)
- 782 – Leoba, Anglo-Saxon nun
- 935 – Wenceslaus I, duke of Bohemia
- 980 – Minamoto no Hiromasa, Japanese nobleman (b. 918)
- 1197 – Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1165)
- 1213 – Gertrude of Merania, queen consort of Hungaria (b. 1185)
- 1330 – Elizabeth of Bohemia, queen consort of Bohemia (b. 1292)
- 1429 – Cymburgis of Masovia, duchess consort of Austria (b. 1394)
- 1582 – George Buchanan, Scottish historian and scholar (b. 1506)
- 1596 – Margaret Clifford, countess of Derby (b. 1540)
- 1618 – Josuah Sylvester, English poet and translator (b. 1563)
- 1687 – Francis Turretin, Swiss-Italian theologian and academic (b. 1623)
- 1694 – Gabriel Mouton, French mathematician and theologian (b. 1618)
- 1702 – Robert Spencer, 2nd Earl of Sunderland, French-English lawyer and politician, Lord President of the Council (b. 1640)
- 1742 – Jean Baptiste Massillon, French bishop (b. 1663)
- 1829 – Nikolay Raevsky, Russian general and politician (b. 1771)
- 1844 – Pyotr Aleksandrovich Tolstoy, Russian general and politician (b. 1769)
- 1859 – Carl Ritter, German geographer and academic (b. 1779)
- 1873 – Émile Gaboriau, French journalist and author (b. 1832)
- 1891 – Herman Melville, American author and poet (b. 1819)
- 1895 – Louis Pasteur, French chemist and microbiologist (b. 1822)
- 1899 – Giovanni Segantini, Austrian painter (b. 1858)
- 1914 – Richard Warren Sears, American businessman, co-founded Sears (b. 1863)
- 1915 – Saitō Hajime, Japanese samurai (b. 1844)
- 1918 – Georg Simmel, German sociologist and philosopher (b. 1858)
- 1918 – Freddie Stowers, American soldier, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1896)
- 1925 – Paul Vermoyal, French actor (b. 1888)
- 1935 – William Kennedy Dickson, French-Scottish actor, director, and producer, invented the Kinetoscope (b. 1860)
- 1938 – Charles Duryea, American engineer and businessman, founded the Duryea Motor Wagon Company (b. 1861)
- 1943 – Sam Ruben, American chemist and academic (b. 1913)
- 1943 – Filippo Illuminato, Italian partisan, Gold Medal of Military Valour (b. 1930)
- 1949 – Archbishop Chrysanthus of Athens (b. 1881)
- 1953 – Edwin Hubble, American astronomer and scholar (b. 1889)
- 1956 – William Boeing, American businessman, founded the Boeing Company (b. 1881)
- 1957 – Luis Cluzeau Mortet, Uruguayan violinist and composer (b. 1888)
- 1959 – Rudolf Caracciola, German race car driver (b. 1901)
- 1962 – Roger Nimier, French soldier and author (b. 1925)
- 1964 – Harpo Marx, American comedian, actor, and singer (b. 1888)
- 1966 – André Breton, French author and poet (b. 1896)
- 1970 – John Dos Passos, American novelist, poet, essayist, and playwright (b. 1896)
- 1970 – Gamal Abdel Nasser, Egyptian colonel and politician, 2nd President of Egypt (b. 1918)
- 1978 – Pope John Paul I (b. 1912)
- 1979 – John Herbert Chapman, Canadian physicist and engineer (b. 1921)
- 1981 – Rómulo Betancourt, Venezuelan journalist and politician, President of Venezuela (b. 1908)
- 1982 – Mabel Albertson, American actress (b. 1901)
- 1984 – Cihad Baban, Turkish journalist, author, and politician (b. 1911)
- 1989 – Ferdinand Marcos, Filipino lawyer and politician, 10th President of the Philippines (b. 1917)
- 1990 – Larry O’Brien, American businessman and politician, 57th United States Postmaster General (b. 1917)
- 1991 – Miles Davis, American trumpet player, composer, and bandleader (b. 1926)
- 1993 – Peter De Vries, American editor and novelist (b. 1910)
- 1993 – Alexander A. Drabik, American sergeant (b. 1910)
- 1994 – Urmas Alender, Estonian singer (b. 1953)
- 1994 – José Francisco Ruiz Massieu, Mexican lawyer and politician, 6th Governor of Guerrero (b. 1946)
- 1994 – Harry Saltzman, Canadian production manager and producer (b. 1915)
- 1994 – K. A. Thangavelu, Indian film actor and comedian (b. 1917)
- 1999 – Escott Reid, Canadian academic and diplomat (b. 1905)
- 2000 – Pierre Trudeau, Canadian journalist, lawyer, and politician, 15th Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1919)
- 2002 – Patsy Mink, American lawyer and politician (b. 1927)
- 2002 – Hartland Molson, Canadian captain and politician (b. 1907)
- 2003 – Althea Gibson, American tennis player and golfer (b. 1927)
- 2003 – Elia Kazan, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1909)
- 2003 – George Odlum, Saint Lucian politician and diplomat (b. 1934)
- 2004 – Geoffrey Beene, American fashion designer (b. 1924)
- 2005 – Constance Baker Motley, American lawyer, judge, and politician (b. 1921)
- 2007 – René Desmaison, French mountaineer (b. 1930)
- 2007 – Wally Parks, American businessman, founded the National Hot Rod Association (b. 1913)
- 2009 – Guillermo Endara, Panamanian lawyer and politician, 32nd President of Panama (b. 1936)
- 2009 – Ulf Larsson, Swedish actor and director (b. 1956)
- 2010 – Kurt Albert, German mountaineer and photographer (b. 1954)
- 2010 – Arthur Penn, American director and producer (b. 1922)
- 2010 – Dolores Wilson, American soprano and actress (b. 1928)
- 2012 – Avraham Adan, Israeli general (b. 1926)
- 2012 – Chris Economaki, American journalist and sportscaster (b. 1920)
- 2012 – Brajesh Mishra, Indian politician and diplomat, 1st Indian National Security Advisor (b. 1928)
- 2013 – James Emanuel, American-French poet and scholar (b. 1921)
- 2013 – Jonathan Fellows-Smith, South African cricketer and rugby player (b. 1932)
- 2013 – George Amon Webster, American singer and pianist (b. 1945)
- 2014 – Dannie Abse, Welsh physician, poet, and author (b. 1923)
- 2014 – Joseph H. Alexander, American colonel and historian (b. 1938)
- 2014 – Sheila Faith, English dentist and politician (b. 1928)
- 2014 – Tim Rawlings, English footballer and manager (b. 1932)
- 2014 – Petr Skoumal, Czech pianist and composer (b. 1938)
- 2015 – Alexander Faris, Irish composer and conductor (b. 1921)
- 2015 – Walter Dale Miller, American rancher and politician, 29th Governor of South Dakota (b. 1925)
- 2015 – Ignacio Zoco, Spanish footballer (b. 1939)
- 2016 – Agnes Nixon, American television writer and director (b. 1922)
- 2016 – Gary Glasberg, American television writer and producer (b. 1966)
- 2016 – Shimon Peres, Polish-Israeli statesman and politician, 9th President of Israel (b. 1923)
- 2016 – Gloria Naylor, American novelist (b. 1950)
- 2017 – Daniel Pe’er, Israeli television host and newsreader (b. 1943)
- 2018 – Predrag Ejdus, Serbian actor (b. 1947)
- 2019 – José José, 71, Mexican singer (El Principe de la Canción or The Prince of Song), pancreas cancer (b. 1948)
Holidays and observances on September 28
- Christian feast day:
- Aaron of Auxerre
- Annemund
- Conval
- Eustochium
- Exuperius
- Faustus of Riez
- John of Dukla
- Leoba
- Lorenzo Ruiz
- Paternus of Auch
- Richard Rolle, Walter Hilton and Margery Kempe (Episcopal Church (USA))
- Simón de Rojas
- Wenceslas
- September 28 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics).
- Czech Statehood Day (Czech Republic)
- Freedom from Hunger Day
- International Day for Universal Access to Information
- National Day of Awareness and Unity against Child Pornography (Philippines)
- Teachers’ Day (Taiwan and Chinese-Filipino schools in the Philippines), ceremonies dedicated to Confucius are also observed.
- World Rabies Day (International)
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July 6 in History
- 371 BC – The Battle of Leuctra shatters Sparta’s reputation of military invincibility.
- 640 – Battle of Heliopolis: The Muslim Arab army under ‘Amr ibn al-‘As defeat the Byzantine forces near Heliopolis (Egypt).
- 1253 – Mindaugas is crowned King of Lithuania.
- 1348 – Pope Clement VI issues a papal bull protecting the Jews accused of having caused the Black Death.
- 1411 – Ming China’s Admiral Zheng He returns to Nanjing after the third treasure voyage and presents the Sinhalese king, captured during the Ming–Kotte War, to the Yongle Emperor.
- 1415 – Jan Hus is condemned by the assembly of the council in the cathedral as a heretic and sentenced to be burned at the stake. (See Deaths section.)
- 1438 – A temporary compromise between the rebellious Transylvanian peasants and the noblemen is signed in Kolozsmonostor Abbey.
- 1483 – Richard III is crowned King of England.
- 1484 – Portuguese sea captain Diogo Cão finds the mouth of the Congo River.
- 1495 – First Italian War: Battle of Fornovo: Charles VIII defeats the Holy League.
- 1535 – Sir Thomas More is executed for treason against King Henry VIII of England.
- 1557 – King Philip II of Spain, consort of Queen Mary I of England, sets out from Dover to war with France, which eventually resulted in the loss of the City of Calais, the last English possession on the continent, and Mary I never seeing her husband again.
- 1560 – The Treaty of Edinburgh is signed by Scotland and England.
- 1573 – Córdoba, Argentina, is founded by Jerónimo Luis de Cabrera.
- 1573 – French Wars of Religion: Siege of La Rochelle ends.
- 1614 – Raid on Żejtun: The south east of Malta, and the town of Żejtun, suffer a raid from Ottoman forces. This was the last unsuccessful attempt by the Ottomans to conquer the island of Malta.
- 1630 – Thirty Years’ War: Four thousand Swedish troops under Gustavus Adolphus land in Pomerania, Germany.
- 1685 – Battle of Sedgemoor: Last battle of the Monmouth Rebellion. troops of King James II defeat troops of James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth.
- 1751 – Pope Benedict XIV suppresses the Patriarchate of Aquileia and establishes from its territory the Archdiocese of Udine and Gorizia.
- 1777 – American Revolutionary War: Siege of Fort Ticonderoga: After a bombardment by British artillery under General John Burgoyne, American forces retreat from Fort Ticonderoga, New York.
- 1779 – Battle of Grenada: The French defeat British naval forces during the American Revolutionary War.
- 1801 – First Battle of Algeciras: Outnumbered French Navy ships defeat the Royal Navy in the fortified Spanish port of Algeciras.
- 1809 – The second day of the Battle of Wagram; France defeats the Austrian army in the largest battle to date of the Napoleonic Wars.
- 1854 – In Jackson, Michigan, the first convention of the United States Republican Party is held.
- 1885 – Louis Pasteur successfully tests his vaccine against rabies on Joseph Meister, a boy who was bitten by a rabid dog.
- 1887 – David Kalākaua, monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaii, is forced to sign the Bayonet Constitution, which transfers much of the king’s authority to the Legislature of the Kingdom of Hawaii.
- 1892 – Three thousand eight hundred striking steelworkers engage in a day-long battle with Pinkerton agents during the Homestead Strike, leaving ten dead and dozens wounded.
- 1917 – World War I: Arabian troops led by T. E. Lawrence (“Lawrence of Arabia”) and Auda ibu Tayi capture Aqaba from the Ottoman Empire during the Arab Revolt.
- 1918 – The Left SR uprising in Russia starts with the assassination of German ambassador Wilhelm von Mirbach by Cheka members.
- 1919 – The British dirigible R34 lands in New York, completing the first crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by an airship.
- 1933 – The first Major League Baseball All-Star Game is played in Chicago’s Comiskey Park. The American League defeated the National League 4–2.
- 1936 – A major breach of the Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal in England sends millions of gallons of water cascading 200 feet (61 m) into the River Irwell.
- 1937 – Spanish Civil War: Battle of Brunete: The battle begins with Spanish Republican troops going on the offensive against the Nationalists to relieve pressure on Madrid.
- 1939 – Anti-Jewish legislation in prewar Nazi Germany closes the last remaining Jewish enterprises.
- 1940 – Story Bridge, a major landmark in Brisbane, as well as Australia’s longest cantilever bridge is formally opened.
- 1941 – The German army launches its offensive to encircle several Soviet armies near Smolensk.
- 1942 – Anne Frank and her family go into hiding in the “Secret Annexe” above her father’s office in an Amsterdam warehouse.
- 1944 – Jackie Robinson refuses to move to the back of a bus, leading to a court-martial.
- 1944 – The Hartford circus fire, one of America’s worst fire disasters, kills approximately 168 people and injures over 700 in Hartford, Connecticut.
- 1947 – Referendum held in Sylhet to decide its fate in the Partition of India.
- 1947 – The AK-47 goes into production in the Soviet Union.
- 1957 – Althea Gibson wins the Wimbledon championships, becoming the first black athlete to do so.
- 1957 – John Lennon and Paul McCartney meet for the first time, as teenagers at Woolton Fete, three years before forming the Beatles.
- 1962 – As a part of Operation Plowshare, the Sedan nuclear test takes place.
- 1962 – The Late Late Show, the world’s longest-running chat show by the same broadcaster, airs on RTÉ One for the first time.
- 1964 – Malawi declares its independence from the United Kingdom.
- 1966 – Malawi becomes a republic, with Hastings Banda as its first President.
- 1967 – Nigerian Civil War: Nigerian forces invade Biafra, beginning the war.
- 1975 – The Comoros declares independence from France.
- 1986 – Davis Phinney becomes the first American cyclist to win a road stage of the Tour de France.
- 1988 – The Piper Alpha drilling platform in the North Sea is destroyed by explosions and fires. One hundred sixty-seven oil workers are killed, making it the world’s worst offshore oil disaster in terms of direct loss of life.
- 1989 – The Tel Aviv–Jerusalem bus 405 suicide attack: Sixteen bus passengers are killed when a member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad took control of the bus and drove it over a cliff.
- 1990 – The Electronic Frontier Foundation is founded.
- 1995 – In the Bosnian War, under the command of General Ratko Mladić, Serbia begins its attack on the Bosnian town of Srebrenica.
- 1997 – The Troubles: In response to the Drumcree dispute, five days of mass protests, riots and gun battles begin in Irish nationalist districts of Northern Ireland.
- 1998 – Hong Kong International Airport opens in Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong, replacing Kai Tak Airport as the city’s international airport.
- 2003 – The 70-metre Yevpatoria Planetary Radar sends a METI message (Cosmic Call 2) to five stars: Hip 4872, HD 245409, 55 Cancri (HD 75732), HD 10307 and 47 Ursae Majoris (HD 95128). The messages will arrive to these stars in 2036, 2040, 2044, and 2049, respectively.
- 2006 – The Nathu La pass between India and China, sealed during the Sino-Indian War, re-opens for trade after 44 years.
- 2013 – At least 42 people are killed in a shooting at a school in Yobe State, Nigeria.
- 2013 – A Boeing 777 operating as Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crashes at San Francisco International Airport, killing three and injuring 181 of the 307 people on board.
- 2013 – A 73-car oil train derails in the town of Lac-Mégantic, Quebec and explodes into flames, killing at least 47 people and destroying more than 30 buildings in the town’s central area.
Births on July 6
- 1387 – Queen Blanche I of Navarre (d. 1441)
- 1423 – Antonio Manetti, Italian mathematician and architect (d. 1497)
- 1580 – Johann Stobäus, German lute player and composer (d. 1646)
- 1623 – Jacopo Melani, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1676)
- 1678 – Nicola Francesco Haym, Italian cellist and composer (d. 1729)
- 1686 – Antoine de Jussieu, French biologist and academic (d. 1758)
- 1701 – Mary, Countess of Harold, English aristocrat and philanthropist (d. 1785)
- 1736 – Daniel Morgan, American general and politician (d. 1802)
- 1747 – John Paul Jones, Scottish-American captain (d. 1792)
- 1766 – Alexander Wilson, Scottish-American poet, ornithologist, and illustrator (d. 1813)
- 1781 – Stamford Raffles, English politician, founded Singapore (d. 1826)
- 1782 – Maria Luisa of Spain (d. 1824)
- 1785 – William Hooker, English botanist and academic (d. 1865)
- 1789 – María Isabella of Spain (d. 1846)
- 1796 – Nicholas I of Russia (d. 1855)
- 1797 – Henry Paget, 2nd Marquess of Anglesey (d. 1869)
- 1799 – Louisa Caroline Huggins Tuthill, American author (d. 1879)
- 1817 – Albert von Kölliker, Swiss anatomist and physiologist (d. 1905)
- 1818 – Adolf Anderssen, German chess player (d. 1879)
- 1823 – Sophie Adlersparre, Swedish publisher, writer, and women’s rights activist (d. 1895)
- 1829 – Frederick VIII, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein (d. 1880)
- 1831 – Sylvester Pennoyer, American lawyer and politician, 8th Governor of Oregon (d. 1902)
- 1832 – Maximilian I of Mexico (d. 1867)
- 1837 – R. G. Bhandarkar, Indian orientalist and scholar (d. 1925)
- 1838 – Vatroslav Jagić, Croatian philologist and scholar (d. 1923)
- 1840 – José María Velasco Gómez, Mexican painter and academic (d. 1912)
- 1843 – John Downer, Australian politician, 16th Premier of South Australia (d. 1915)
- 1856 – George Howard Earle, Jr., American lawyer and businessman (d. 1928)
- 1858 – William Irvine, Irish-Australian politician, 21st Premier of Victoria (d. 1943)
- 1865 – Émile Jaques-Dalcroze, Swiss composer and educator (d. 1950)
- 1868 – Princess Victoria of the United Kingdom (d. 1935)
- 1873 – Dimitrios Maximos, Greek banker and politician, 140th Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1955)
- 1877 – Arnaud Massy, French golfer (d. 1950)
- 1878 – Eino Leino, Finnish poet and journalist (d. 1926)
- 1883 – Godfrey Huggins, Prime Minister of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland (d. 1971)
- 1884 – Harold Stirling Vanderbilt, American businessman and sailor (d. 1970)
- 1885 – Ernst Busch, German field marshal (d. 1945)
- 1886 – Marc Bloch, French historian and academic (d. 1944)
- 1887 – Marc Chagall, Belarusian-French painter and poet (d. 1985)
- 1887 – Annette Kellerman, Australian swimmer and actress (d. 1975)
- 1890 – Dhan Gopal Mukerji, Indian-American author and scholar (d. 1936)
- 1892 – Will James, American author and illustrator (d. 1942)
- 1897 – Richard Krautheimer, German-American historian and scholar (d. 1994)
- 1898 – Hanns Eisler, German-Austrian soldier and composer (d. 1962)
- 1899 – Susannah Mushatt Jones, American supercentarian (d. 2016)
- 1900 – Frederica Sagor Maas, American author and screenwriter (d. 2012)
- 1900 – Elfriede Wever, German Olympic runner (d. 1941)
- 1903 – Hugo Theorell, Swedish biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1982)
- 1904 – Robert Whitney, American conductor and composer (d. 1986)
- 1904 – Erik Wickberg, Swedish 9th General of The Salvation Army (d. 1996)
- 1905 – Juan O’Gorman, Mexican painter and architect (d. 1982)
- 1907 – Frida Kahlo, Mexican painter and educator (d. 1954)
- 1907 – George Stanley, Canadian soldier, historian, and author, designed the flag of Canada (d. 2002)
- 1908 – Anton Muttukumaru, Sri Lankan general and diplomat (d. 2001)
- 1909 – Eric Reece, Australian politician, 32nd Premier of Tasmania (d. 1999)
- 1910 – René Le Grèves, French cyclist (d. 1946)
- 1911 – June Gale, American actress (d. 1996)
- 1912 – Heinrich Harrer, Austrian geographer and mountaineer (d. 2006)
- 1912 – Molly Yard, American feminist (d. 2005)
- 1913 – Vance Trimble, American journalist and author
- 1914 – Vince McMahon Sr., American wrestling promoter, founded WWE (d. 1984)
- 1914 – Ernest Kirkendall, American chemist and metallurgist (d. 2005)
- 1915 – Leonard Birchall, Royal Canadian Air Force pilot (d. 2004)
- 1916 – Harold Norse, American poet and author (d. 2009)
- 1916 – Don R. Christensen, American animator, cartoonist, illustrator, writer and inventor (d. 2006)
- 1917 – Arthur Lydiard, New Zealand runner and coach (d. 2004)
- 1918 – Sebastian Cabot, English-Canadian actor (d. 1977)
- 1918 – Herm Fuetsch, American professional basketball player (d. 2010)
- 1918 – Francisco Moncion, Dominican-American ballet dancer, charter member of the New York City Ballet (d.1995)
- 1919 – Ernst Haefliger, Swiss tenor and educator (d. 2007)
- 1919 – Edward Kenna, Australian Second World War recipient of the Victoria Cross (d. 2009)
- 1919 – Ray Dowker, New Zealand cricketer (d. 2004)
- 1921 – Allan MacEachen, Canadian economist and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Canada (d. 2017)
- 1921 – Billy Mauch, American actor (d. 2006)
- 1921 – Bobby Mauch, American actor (d. 2007)
- 1921 – Nancy Reagan, American actress and activist, 42nd First Lady of the United States (d. 2016)
- 1922 – William Schallert, American actor; president (1979–81) of the Screen Actors Guild (d. 2016)
- 1923 – Wojciech Jaruzelski, Polish general and politician, 1st President of Poland (d. 2014)
- 1924 – Mahim Bora, Indian writer and educationist, recipients of the Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian honour (d. 2016)
- 1924 – Louie Bellson, American drummer, composer, and bandleader (d. 2009)
- 1925 – Merv Griffin, American actor, singer, and producer, created Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! (d. 2007)
- 1925 – Bill Haley, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1981)
- 1925 – Gazi Yaşargil, Turkish neurosurgeon and academic
- 1926 – Sulev Vahtre, Estonian historian and academic (d. 2007)
- 1926 – Armando Silvestre, Mexican-American actor
- 1927 – Jan Hein Donner, Dutch chess player and journalist (d. 1988)
- 1927 – Janet Leigh, American actress and author (d. 2004)
- 1928 – Bernard Malgrange, French mathematician
- 1929 – Hélène Carrère d’Encausse, French politician historian
- 1930 – George Armstrong, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1930 – Ian Burgess, English racing driver (d. 2012)
- 1931 – Della Reese, American actress and singer (d. 2017)
- 1931 – László Tábori, Hungarian runner and coach (d. 2018)
- 1932 – Herman Hertzberger, Dutch architect and academic
- 1935 – Candy Barr, American model, dancer, and actress (d. 2005)
- 1935 – Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
- 1936 – Dave Allen, Irish comedian, actor, and screenwriter (d. 2005)
- 1937 – Vladimir Ashkenazy, Russian-Icelandic pianist and conductor
- 1937 – Ned Beatty, American actor
- 1937 – Gene Chandler, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1937 – Bessie Head, Botswanan writer
- 1937 – Michael Sata, Zambian police officer and politician, 5th President of Zambia (d. 2014)
- 1939 – Jet Harris, English bass player (d. 2011)
- 1939 – Mary Peters, English-Irish pentathlete and shot putter
- 1939 – Bruce Hunter, American swimmer (d. 2018)
- 1940 – Jeannie Seely, Grammy Award-winning country music singer-songwriter and Grand Ole Opry member
- 1940 – Nursultan Nazarbayev, Kazakh politician, 1st President of Kazakhstan
- 1941 – David Crystal, British linguist, author, and academic
- 1941 – Reinhard Roder, German footballer and manager
- 1943 – Tamara Sinyavskaya, Russian soprano
- 1944 – Gunhild Hoffmeister, German runner
- 1946 – George W. Bush, American businessman and politician, 43rd President of the United States
- 1946 – Fred Dryer, American football player and actor
- 1946 – Peter Singer, Australian philosopher and academic
- 1946 – Sylvester Stallone, American actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1947 – Roy Señeres, Filipino diplomat and politician (d. 2016)
- 1948 – Nathalie Baye, French actress
- 1948 – Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Canadian academic and politician, 26th Canadian Minister of Veterans Affairs
- 1948 – Brad Park, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach
- 1949 – Noli de Castro, Filipino journalist and politician, 14th Vice President of the Philippines
- 1949 – Phyllis Hyman, American singer-songwriter and actress (d. 1995)
- 1949 – Michael Shrieve, American composer, drummer, and percussionist
- 1950 – John Byrne, English-American author and illustrator
- 1951 – Lorna Golding, Former First Lady of Jamaica
- 1951 – Geoffrey Rush, Australian actor and producer
- 1952 – Hilary Mantel, English author and critic
- 1953 – Nanci Griffith, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1953 – Kaiser Kalambo, Zambian footballer and manager (d. 2014)
- 1953 – Robert Ménard, French politician and former journalist
- 1954 – Allyce Beasley, American actress
- 1954 – Willie Randolph, American baseball player and manager
- 1958 – Jennifer Saunders, English actress, comedian and screenwriter
- 1959 – Richard Dacoury, French basketball player
- 1960 – Maria Wasiak, Polish businesswoman and politician, Polish Minister of Infrastructure and Development
- 1961 – Robin Antin, American dancer, choreographer, and businesswoman
- 1962 – Todd Bennett, English runner and coach (d. 2013)
- 1962 – Peter Hedges, American author, screenwriter, and director
- 1967 – Heather Nova, Bermudian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1970 – Inspectah Deck, American rapper and producer
- 1970 – Martin Smith, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1972 – Daniel Andrews, Australian politician, 48th Premier of Victoria
- 1972 – Laurent Gaudé, French author and playwright
- 1972 – Greg Norton, American baseball player and coach
- 1972 – Zhanna Pintusevich-Block, Ukrainian sprinter
- 1974 – Zé Roberto, Brazilian footballer
- 1975 – 50 Cent, American rapper, producer, and actor
- 1975 – Sebastián Rulli, Argentine-Mexican actor and model
- 1975 – Amir-Abbas Fakhravar, Iranian journalist and activist
- 1976 – Rory Delap, English-Irish footballer
- 1976 – Ioana Dumitriu, Romanian-American mathematician and academic
- 1977 – Max Mirnyi, Belarusian tennis player
- 1977 – Makhaya Ntini, South African cricketer
- 1978 – Adam Busch, American actor, director, and producer
- 1978 – Tamera Mowry, American actress and producer
- 1978 – Tia Mowry, American actress and producer
- 1978 – Kevin Senio, New Zealand rugby player
- 1979 – Nic Cester, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1979 – Kevin Hart, American comedian, actor, producer, and screenwriter
- 1980 – Joell Ortiz, American rapper
- 1980 – Eva Green, French actress and model
- 1981 – Nnamdi Asomugha, American football player
- 1981 – Roman Shirokov, Russian footballer
- 1982 – Brandon Jacobs, American football player
- 1982 – Misty Upham, American actress (d. 2014)
- 1983 – Gregory Smith, Canadian actor, director, and producer
- 1984 – Zhang Hao, Chinese figure skater
- 1985 – Ranveer Singh, Indian film actor
- 1986 – David Karp, American businessman, founded Tumblr
- 1987 – Sophie Auster, American singer-songwriter and actress
- 1987 – Manteo Mitchell, American runner
- 1987 – Kate Nash, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress
- 1987 – Caroline Trentini, Brazilian model
- 1988 – Kevin Fickentscher, Swiss footballer
- 1990 – Magaye Gueye, French footballer
- 1992 – Manny Machado, Dominican-American baseball player
Deaths on July 6
- 371 BC – Cleombrotus I, Spartan king
- 649 – Goar of Aquitaine, French bishop
- 887 – Wang Chongrong, Chinese warlord
- 918 – William I, duke of Aquitaine (b. 875)
- 1017 – Genshin, Japanese scholar (b. 942)
- 1070 – Godelieve, Flemish saint (b. 1049)
- 1189 – Henry II, king of England (b. 1133)
- 1218 – Odo III, duke of Burgundy (b. 1166)
- 1249 – Alexander II, king of Scotland (b. 1198)
- 1415 – Jan Hus, Czech priest, philosopher, and reformer (b. 1369)
- 1476 – Regiomontanus, German mathematician and astrologer (b. 1436)
- 1480 – Antonio Squarcialupi, Italian composer (b. 1416)
- 1533 – Ludovico Ariosto, Italian poet and playwright (b. 1474)
- 1535 – Thomas More, English lawyer and politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (b. 1478)
- 1553 – Edward VI, king of England and Ireland (b. 1537)
- 1583 – Edmund Grindal, English archbishop (b. 1519)
- 1585 – Thomas Aufield, English priest and martyr (b. 1552)
- 1614 – Man Singh I, Rajput Raja of Amer (b. 1550)
- 1684 – Peter Gunning, English bishop (b. 1614)
- 1758 – George Howe, 3rd Viscount Howe, English general and politician (b. 1725)
- 1768 – Conrad Beissel, German-American religious leader (b. 1690)
- 1802 – Daniel Morgan, American general and politician (b. 1736)
- 1809 – Antoine Charles Louis de Lasalle, French general (b. 1775)
- 1813 – Granville Sharp, English activist (b. 1735)
- 1815 – Samuel Whitbread, English politician (b. 1764)
- 1835 – John Marshall, American captain and politician, 4th United States Secretary of State (b. 1755)
- 1854 – Georg Ohm, German physicist and mathematician (b. 1789)
- 1868 – Harada Sanosuke, Japanese captain (b. 1840)
- 1893 – Guy de Maupassant, French short story writer, novelist, and poet (b. 1850)
- 1901 – Chlodwig Carl Viktor, German prince and chancellor (b. 1819)
- 1902 – Maria Goretti, Italian martyr and saint (b. 1890)
- 1904 – Abai Qunanbaiuly, Kazakh poet and philosopher (b. 1845)
- 1907 – August Johann Gottfried Bielenstein, German linguist and theologian (b. 1826)
- 1916 – Odilon Redon, French painter and illustrator (b. 1840)
- 1918 – Wilhelm von Mirbach, German diplomat (b. 1871)
- 1922 – Maria Teresia Ledóchowska, Polish-Austrian nun and missionary (b. 1863)
- 1932 – Kenneth Grahame, Scottish-English author (b. 1859)
- 1934 – Nestor Makhno, Ukrainian commander (b. 1888)
- 1946 – Horace Pippin, American painter (b. 1888)
- 1947 – Adolfo Müller-Ury, Swiss-American painter (b. 1862)
- 1952 – Louis-Alexandre Taschereau, Canadian lawyer and politician, 14th Premier of Quebec (b. 1867)
- 1959 – George Grosz, German painter and illustrator (b. 1893)
- 1960 – Aneurin Bevan, Welsh-English politician, Secretary of State for Health (b. 1897)
- 1961 – Scott LaFaro, American bassist (b. 1936)
- 1961 – Woodall Rodgers, American lawyer and politician, Mayor of Dallas (b. 1890)
- 1962 – Paul Boffa, Maltese soldier and politician, 5th Prime Minister of Malta (b. 1890)
- 1962 – William Faulkner, American novelist and short story writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1897)
- 1962 – Joseph August, archduke of Austria (b. 1872)
- 1963 – George, duke of Mecklenburg (b. 1899)
- 1964 – Claude V. Ricketts, American admiral (b. 1906)
- 1966 – Sad Sam Jones, American baseball player and manager (b. 1892)
- 1967 – Hilda Taba, Estonian architect and educator (b. 1902)
- 1971 – Louis Armstrong, American singer and trumpet player (b. 1901)
- 1973 – Otto Klemperer, German-American conductor and composer (b. 1885)
- 1975 – Reşat Ekrem Koçu, Turkish historian, scholar, and poet (b. 1905)
- 1976 – Zhu De, Chinese general and politician, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (b. 1886)
- 1976 – Fritz Lenz, German geneticist and physician (b. 1887)
- 1977 – Ödön Pártos, Hungarian-Israeli viola player and composer (b. 1907)
- 1978 – Babe Paley, American socialite and fashion style icon (b. 1915)
- 1979 – Van McCoy, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1940)
- 1986 – Jagjivan Ram, Indian lawyer and politician, 4th Deputy Prime Minister of India (b. 1908)
- 1989 – János Kádár, Hungarian mechanic and politician, Hungarian Minister of the Interior (b. 1912)
- 1991 – Mudashiru Lawal, Nigerian footballer (b. 1954)
- 1992 – Marsha P. Johnson, American drag queen performer and activist (b. 1945)
- 1994 – Ahmet Haxhiu, Kosovan activist (b. 1932)
- 1995 – Aziz Nesin, Turkish author and poet (b. 1915)
- 1997 – Chetan Anand, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1921)
- 1998 – Roy Rogers, American cowboy, actor, and singer (b. 1911)
- 1999 – Joaquín Rodrigo, Spanish pianist and composer (b. 1901)
- 2000 – Władysław Szpilman, Polish pianist and composer (b. 1911)
- 2002 – Dhirubhai Ambani, Indian businessman, founded Reliance Industries (b. 1932)
- 2002 – John Frankenheimer, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1930)
- 2003 – Buddy Ebsen, American actor, singer, and dancer (b. 1908)
- 2003 – Çelik Gülersoy, Turkish lawyer, historical preservationist, writer and poet (b. 1930)
- 2004 – Thomas Klestil, Austrian politician, 10th President of Austria (b. 1932)
- 2004 – Syreeta Wright, American singer-songwriter (b. 1946)
- 2005 – Ed McBain, American author and screenwriter (b. 1926)
- 2005 – Claude Simon, Malagasy-French novelist and critic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1913)
- 2006 – Kasey Rogers, American actress (b. 1925)
- 2007 – Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, American author (b. 1939)
- 2009 – Vasily Aksyonov, Russian author and academic (b. 1932)
- 2009 – Robert McNamara, American businessman and politician, 8th United States Secretary of Defense (b. 1916)
- 2010 – Harvey Fuqua, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1929)
- 2011 – Carly Hibberd, Australian road racing cyclist (b. 1985)
- 2012 – Hani al-Hassan, Palestinian engineer and politician (b. 1939)
- 2013 – Lo Hsing Han, Burmese businessman, co-founded Asia World (b. 1935)
- 2014 – Alan J. Dixon, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 34th Illinois Secretary of State (b. 1927)
- 2015 – Jerry Weintraub, American film producer, and talent agent (b. 1937)
- 2018 – Shoko Asahara, founder of Japanese cult group Aum Shinrikyo (b. 1955)
- 2019 – João Gilberto, Brazilian singer-songwriter and guitarist, pioneer of bossa nova music style (b. 1931)
- 2020 – Charlie Daniels, American singer-songwriter, fiddle-player and guitarist (b. 1936)
- 2020 – Ennio Morricone, Italian composer, orchestrator, conductor, and trumpet player (b. 1928)
Holidays and observances on July 6
- The first day of San Fermín, which lasts until July 14. (Pamplona)
- Christian feast day:
- Maria Goretti
- Romulus of Fiesole
- July 6 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Constitution Day (Cayman Islands)
- Day of the Capital (Kazakhstan)
- Independence Day (Comoros), celebrates the independence of the Comoros from France in 1975.
- Independence Day (Malawi), celebrates the independence of Malawi from United Kingdom in 1964.
- International Kissing Day (informally observed)
- Jan Hus Day (Czech Republic)
- Kupala Night (Poland, Russia, Belarus and Ukraine)
- National Fried Chicken Day (United States)
- Statehood Day (Lithuania)
- Teachers’ Day (Peru)
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June 12 in History
- 910 – Battle of Augsburg: The Hungarians defeat the East Frankish army under King Louis the Child, using the famous feigned retreat tactic of the nomadic warriors.
- 1240 – At the instigation of Louis IX of France, an inter-faith debate, known as the Disputation of Paris, starts between a Christian monk and four rabbis.
- 1381 – Peasants’ Revolt: In England, rebels assemble at Blackheath, just outside London.
- 1418 – Armagnac–Burgundian Civil War: Parisians slaughter Bernard VII, Count of Armagnac and his suspected sympathizers, along with all prisoners, foreign bankers, and students and faculty of the College of Navarre.
- 1429 – Hundred Years’ War: On the second day of the Battle of Jargeau, Joan of Arc leads the French army in their capture of the city and the English commander, William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk.
- 1550 – The city of Helsinki, Finland (belonging to Sweden at the time) is founded by King Gustav I of Sweden.
- 1653 – First Anglo-Dutch War: The Battle of the Gabbard begins, lasting until the following day.
- 1665 – Thomas Willett is appointed the first mayor of New York City.
- 1758 – French and Indian War: Siege of Louisbourg: James Wolfe’s attack at Louisbourg, Nova Scotia, commences
- 1772 – French explorer Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne and 25 of his men killed by Māori in New Zealand.
- 1775 – American Revolution: British general Thomas Gage declares martial law in Massachusetts. The British offer a pardon to all colonists who lay down their arms. There would be only two exceptions to the amnesty: Samuel Adams and John Hancock, if captured, were to be hanged.
- 1776 – The Virginia Declaration of Rights is adopted.
- 1798 – Irish Rebellion of 1798: Battle of Ballynahinch.
- 1817 – The earliest form of bicycle, the dandy horse, is driven by Karl von Drais.
- 1821 – Badi VII, king of Sennar, surrenders his throne and realm to Isma’il Pasha, general of the Ottoman Empire, ending the existence of that Sudanese kingdom.
- 1830 – Beginning of the Invasion of Algiers: Thiry-four thousand French soldiers land 27 kilometers west of Algiers, at Sidi Ferruch.
- 1864 – American Civil War, Overland Campaign: Battle of Cold Harbor: Ulysses S. Grant gives the Confederate forces under Robert E. Lee a victory when he pulls his Union troops from their position at Cold Harbor, Virginia and moves south.
- 1898 – Philippine Declaration of Independence: General Emilio Aguinaldo declares the Philippines’ independence from Spain.
- 1899 – New Richmond tornado: The eighth deadliest tornado in U.S. history kills 117 people and injures around 200.
- 1914 – Massacre of Phocaea: Turkish irregulars slaughter 50 to 100 Greeks and expel thousands of others in an ethnic cleansing operation in the Ottoman Empire.
- 1921 – Mikhail Tukhachevsky orders the use of chemical weapons against the Tambov Rebellion, bringing an end to the peasant uprising.
- 1935 – A ceasefire is negotiated between Bolivia and Paraguay, ending the Chaco War.
- 1939 – Shooting begins on Paramount Pictures’ Dr. Cyclops, the first horror film photographed in three-strip Technicolor.
- 1939 – The Baseball Hall of Fame opens in Cooperstown, New York.
- 1940 – World War II: Thirteen thousand British and French troops surrender to Major General Erwin Rommel at Saint-Valery-en-Caux.
- 1942 – Anne Frank receives a diary for her thirteenth birthday.
- 1943 – The Holocaust: Germany liquidates the Jewish Ghetto in Brzeżany, Poland (now Berezhany, Ukraine). Around 1,180 Jews are led to the city’s old Jewish graveyard and shot.
- 1944 – World War II: Operation Overlord: American paratroopers of the 101st Airborne Division secure the town of Carentan, Normandy, France.
- 1954 – Pope Pius XII canonises Dominic Savio, who was 14 years old at the time of his death, as a saint, making him at the time the youngest unmartyred saint in the Roman Catholic Church. In 2017, Francisco and Jacinta Marto, aged ten and nine at the time of their deaths, are declared saints.
- 1963 – NAACP field secretary Medgar Evers is murdered in front of his home in Jackson, Mississippi by Ku Klux Klan member Byron De La Beckwith during the civil rights movement.
- 1964 – Anti-apartheid activist and ANC leader Nelson Mandela is sentenced to life in prison for sabotage in South Africa.
- 1967 – The United States Supreme Court in Loving v. Virginia declares all U.S. state laws which prohibit interracial marriage to be unconstitutional.
- 1975 – India, Judge Jagmohanlal Sinha of the city of Allahabad ruled that India’s Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had used corrupt practices to win her seat in the Indian Parliament, and that she should be banned from holding any public office. Mrs. Gandhi sent word that she refused to resign.
- 1979 – Bryan Allen wins the second Kremer prize for a man powered flight across the English Channel in the Gossamer Albatross.
- 1987 – The Central African Republic’s former emperor Jean-Bédel Bokassa is sentenced to death for crimes he had committed during his 13-year rule.
- 1987 – Cold War: At the Brandenburg Gate, U.S. President Ronald Reagan publicly challenges Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall.
- 1988 – Austral Líneas Aéreas Flight 46, a McDonnell Douglas MD-81, crashes short of the runway at Libertador General José de San Martín Airport, killing all 22 people on board.
- 1990 – Russia Day: The parliament of the Russian Federation formally declares its sovereignty.
- 1991 – Russians first democratically elected Boris Yeltsin as the President of Russia.
- 1991 – Kokkadichcholai massacre: The Sri Lankan Army massacres 152 minority Tamil civilians in the village of Kokkadichcholai near the eastern province town of Batticaloa.
- 1993 – An election takes place in Nigeria and is won by Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola. Its results are later annulled by the military Government of Ibrahim Babangida.
- 1994 – Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman are murdered outside Simpson’s home in Los Angeles. Her estranged husband, O.J. Simpson is later charged with the murders, but is acquitted by a jury.
- 1997 – Queen Elizabeth II reopens the Globe Theatre in London.
- 1999 – Kosovo War: Operation Joint Guardian begins when a NATO-led United Nations peacekeeping force (KFor) enters the province of Kosovo in Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
- 2009 – Analog television stations (excluding low-powered stations) switch to digital television following the DTV Delay Act.
- 2009 – A disputed presidential election in Iran leads to wide-ranging local and international protests.
- 2016 – Forty-nine civilians are killed and 58 others injured in an attack on a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida; the gunman, Omar Mateen, is killed in a gunfight with police.
- 2017 – American student Otto Warmbier returns home in a coma after spending 17 months in a North Korean prison and dies a week later.
- 2018 – United States President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un of North Korea held the first meeting between leaders of their two countries in Singapore.
Births on June 12
- 950 – Reizei, Japanese emperor (d. 1011)
- 1107 – Gao Zong, Chinese emperor (d. 1187)
- 1161 – Constance, Duchess of Brittany (d. 1201)
- 1519 – Cosimo I de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (d. 1574)
- 1561 – Anna of Württemberg, German princess (d. 1616)
- 1564 – John Casimir, Duke of Saxe-Coburg (d. 1633)
- 1573 – Robert Radclyffe, 5th Earl of Sussex, soldier (d. 1629)
- 1577 – Paul Guldin, Swiss astronomer and mathematician (d. 1643)
- 1580 – Adriaen van Stalbemt, Flemish painter (d. 1662)
- 1653 – Maria Amalia of Courland, Landgravine of Hesse-Kassel (d. 1711)
- 1686 – Marie-Catherine Homassel Hecquet, French writer (d. 1764)
- 1711 – Louis Legrand, French priest and theologian (d. 1780)
- 1760 – Jean-Baptiste Louvet de Couvrai, French author, playwright, journalist, and politician (d. 1797)
- 1771 – Patrick Gass, American sergeant (Lewis and Clark Expedition) and author (d. 1870)
- 1775 – Karl Freiherr von Müffling, Prussian field marshal (d. 1851)
- 1777 – Robert Clark, American physician and politician (d. 1837)
- 1795 – John Marston, American sailor (d. 1885)
- 1798 – Samuel Cooper, American general (d. 1876)
- 1800 – Samuel Wright Mardis, American politician (d. 1836)
- 1802 – Harriet Martineau, English sociologist and author (d. 1876)
- 1806 – John A. Roebling, German-American engineer, designed the Brooklyn Bridge (d. 1869)
- 1807 – Ante Kuzmanić, Croatian physician and journalist (d. 1879)
- 1812 – Edmond Hébert, French geologist and academic (d. 1890)
- 1819 – Charles Kingsley, English priest, historian, and author (d. 1875)
- 1827 – Johanna Spyri, Swiss author, best known for Heidi (d. 1901)
- 1831 – Robert Herbert, English-Australian politician, 1st Premier of Queensland (d. 1905)
- 1841 – Watson Fothergill, English architect, designed the Woodborough Road Baptist Church (d. 1928)
- 1843 – David Gill, Scottish-English astronomer and author (d. 1914)
- 1851 – Oliver Lodge, English physicist and academic (d. 1940)
- 1857 – Maurice Perrault, Canadian architect, engineer, and politician, 15th Mayor of Longueuil (d. 1909)
- 1858 – Harry Johnston, English botanist and explorer (d. 1927)
- 1858 – Henry Scott Tuke, English painter and photographer (d. 1929)
- 1861 – William Attewell, English cricketer and umpire (d. 1927)
- 1864 – Frank Chapman, American ornithologist, photographer, and author (d. 1945)
- 1877 – Thomas C. Hart, American admiral and politician (d. 1971)
- 1883 – Fernand Gonder, French pole vaulter (d. 1969)
- 1883 – Robert Lowie, Austrian-American anthropologist and academic (d. 1957)
- 1888 – Zygmunt Janiszewski, Polish mathematician and academic (d. 1920)
- 1890 – Egon Schiele, Austrian soldier and painter (d. 1918)
- 1892 – Djuna Barnes, American novelist, journalist, and playwright (d. 1982)
- 1895 – Eugénie Brazier, French chef (d. 1977)
- 1897 – Anthony Eden, English soldier and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1977)
- 1899 – Fritz Albert Lipmann, German-American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1986)
- 1899 – Weegee, Ukrainian-American photographer and journalist (d. 1968)
- 1902 – Hendrik Elias, Belgian lawyer and politician, Mayor of Ghent (d. 1973)
- 1905 – Ray Barbuti, American sprinter and football player (d. 1988)
- 1906 – Sandro Penna, Italian poet (d. 1977)
- 1908 – Alphonse Ouimet, Canadian broadcaster (d. 1988)
- 1908 – Marina Semyonova, Russian ballerina and educator (d. 2010)
- 1908 – Otto Skorzeny, German SS officer (d. 1975)
- 1910 – Bill Naughton, Irish-English playwright and author (d. 1992)
- 1912 – Bill Cowley, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 1993)
- 1912 – Carl Hovland, American psychologist and academic (d. 1961)
- 1913 – Jean Victor Allard, Canadian general (d. 1996)
- 1913 – Desmond Piers, Canadian admiral (d. 2005)
- 1914 – William Lundigan, American actor (d. 1975)
- 1914 – Go Seigen, Chinese-Japanese Go player (d. 2014)
- 1915 – Priscilla Lane, American actress (d. 1995)
- 1915 – Christopher Mayhew, English soldier and politician (d. 1997)
- 1915 – David Rockefeller, American banker and businessman (d. 2017)
- 1916 – Irwin Allen, American director and producer (d. 1991)
- 1916 – Raúl Héctor Castro, Mexican-American politician and diplomat, 14th Governor of Arizona (d. 2015)
- 1918 – Samuel Z. Arkoff, American film producer (d. 2001)
- 1918 – Georgia Louise Harris Brown, American architect (d. 1999)
- 1918 – Christie Jayaratnam Eliezer, Sri Lankan-Australian mathematician and academic (d. 2001)
- 1919 – Uta Hagen, German-American actress and educator (d. 2004)
- 1920 – Dave Berg, American soldier and cartoonist (d. 2002)
- 1920 – Peter Jones, English actor and screenwriter (d. 2000)
- 1921 – Luis García Berlanga, Spanish director and screenwriter (d. 2010)
- 1921 – Christopher Derrick, English author, critic, and academic (d. 2007)
- 1921 – James Archibald Houston, Canadian author and illustrator (d. 2005)
- 1922 – Margherita Hack, Italian astrophysicist and author (d. 2013)
- 1924 – George H. W. Bush, American lieutenant and politician, 41st President of the United States (d. 2018)
- 1924 – Grete Dollitz, German-American guitarist and radio host (d. 2013)
- 1928 – Vic Damone, American singer-songwriter and actor (d. 2018)
- 1928 – Petros Molyviatis, Greek politician and diplomat, Greek Minister for Foreign Affairs
- 1928 – Richard M. Sherman, American composer and director
- 1929 – Brigid Brophy, English author and critic (d. 1995)
- 1929 – Anne Frank, German-Dutch diarist; victim of the Holocaust (d. 1945)
- 1929 – Jameel Jalibi, Pakistani linguist and academic
- 1929 – John McCluskey, Baron McCluskey, Scottish lawyer, judge, and politician, Solicitor General for Scotland (d. 2017)
- 1930 – Jim Burke, Australian cricketer (d. 1979)
- 1930 – Donald Byrne, American chess player (d. 1976)
- 1930 – Innes Ireland, Scottish race car driver and engineer (d. 1993)
- 1930 – Jim Nabors, American actor and singer (d. 2017)
- 1931 – Trevanian, American author and scholar (d. 2005)
- 1931 – Rona Jaffe, American novelist (d. 2005)
- 1932 – Mimi Coertse, South African soprano and producer
- 1932 – Mamo Wolde, Ethiopian runner (d. 2002)
- 1933 – Eddie Adams, American photographer and journalist (d. 2004)
- 1934 – John A. Alonzo, American actor and cinematographer (d. 2001)
- 1934 – Kevin Billington, English director and producer
- 1935 – Ian Craig, Australian cricketer (d. 2014)
- 1935 – Paul Kennedy, English lawyer and judge
- 1937 – Vladimir Arnold, Russian-French mathematician and academic (d. 2010)
- 1937 – Klaus Basikow, German footballer and manager (d. 2015)
- 1937 – Antal Festetics, Hungarian-Austrian biologist and zoologist
- 1937 – Chips Moman, American record producer, guitarist, and songwriter (d. 2016)
- 1938 – Jean-Marie Doré, Guinean lawyer and politician, 11th Prime Minister of Guinea (d. 2016)
- 1938 – Tom Oliver, English-Australian actor
- 1939 – Ron Lynch, Australian rugby league player and coach
- 1939 – Frank McCloskey, American sergeant and politician (d. 2003)
- 1940 – Jacques Brassard, Canadian educator and politician
- 1941 – Marv Albert, American sportscaster
- 1941 – Chick Corea, American pianist and composer
- 1941 – Roy Harper, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
- 1941 – Reg Presley, English singer-songwriter (d. 2013)
- 1941 – Lucille Roybal-Allard, American politician
- 1942 – Len Barry, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1942 – Bert Sakmann, German physiologist and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1945 – Pat Jennings, Irish footballer and coach
- 1946 – Michel Bergeron, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1946 – Bobby Gould, English footballer and manager
- 1946 – Catherine Bréchignac, French physicist and academic
- 1948 – Hans Binder, Austrian race car driver
- 1948 – Herbert Meyer, German footballer
- 1948 – Len Wein, American comic book writer and editor (d. 2017)
- 1949 – Jens Böhrnsen, German judge and politician
- 1949 – Marc Tardif, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1949 – John Wetton, English singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer (d. 2017)
- 1950 – Oğuz Abadan, Turkish singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1950 – Michael Fabricant, English politician
- 1950 – Sonia Manzano, American actress of Puerto Rican descent, noted for playing Maria on Sesame Street
- 1950 – Bun E. Carlos, American drummer
- 1951 – Brad Delp, American musician and singer (d. 2007)
- 1951 – Andranik Margaryan, Armenian engineer and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Armenia (d. 2007)
- 1952 – Spencer Abraham, American academic and politician, 10th United States Secretary of Energy
- 1952 – Junior Brown, American country music singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1952 – Pete Farndon, English bass player and songwriter (d. 1983)
- 1953 – Rocky Burnette, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1954 – Tim Razzall, Baron Razzall, English lawyer and politician
- 1956 – Terry Alderman, Australian cricketer and sportscaster
- 1957 – Timothy Busfield, American actor, director, and producer
- 1957 – Javed Miandad, Pakistani cricketer and coach
- 1958 – Meredith Brooks, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1959 – John Linnell, American singer-songwriter and musician
- 1959 – Scott Thompson, Canadian actor and comedian
- 1960 – Joe Kopicki, American basketball player and coach
- 1962 – Jordan Peterson, Canadian psychologist, professor and cultural critic
- 1963 – Philippe Bugalski, French race car driver (d. 2012)
- 1963 – Warwick Capper, Australian footballer, coach, and actor
- 1963 – Tim DeKay, American actor
- 1963 – Jerry Lynn, American wrestler
- 1964 – Derek Higgins, Irish race car driver
- 1964 – Kent Jones, American journalist
- 1964 – Paula Marshall, American actress
- 1964 – Peter Such, Scottish-born, English cricketer
- 1965 – Adrian Toole, Australian rugby league player
- 1965 – Gwen Torrence, American sprinter
- 1965 – Cathy Tyson, English actress
- 1966 – Marc Glanville, Australian rugby league player
- 1966 – Tom Misteli, Swiss cell biologist
- 1967 – Aivar Kuusmaa, Estonian basketball player and coach
- 1967 – Frances O’Connor, English-Australian actress
- 1968 – Scott Aldred, American baseball player and coach
- 1968 – Htay Kywe, Burmese activist
- 1968 – Bobby Sheehan, American bass player and songwriter (d. 1999)
- 1969 – Zsolt Daczi, Hungarian guitarist (d. 2007)
- 1969 – Héctor Garza, Mexican wrestler (d. 2013)
- 1969 – Mathieu Schneider, American ice hockey player
- 1969 – Heinz-Christian Strache, Austrian politician
- 1971 – Mark Henry, American weightlifter and wrestler
- 1971 – Ryan Klesko, American baseball player
- 1971 – Jérôme Romain, Caribbean-Dominican triple jumper and coach
- 1973 – Jason Caffey, American basketball player and coach
- 1973 – Darryl White, Australian footballer
- 1974 – Flávio Conceição, Brazilian footballer
- 1974 – Hideki Matsui, Japanese baseball player
- 1974 – Jason Mewes, American actor and producer
- 1974 – Kerry Kittles, American basketball player
- 1975 – Bryan Alvarez, American wrestler and journalist
- 1975 – Stéphanie Szostak, French-American actress
- 1976 – Antawn Jamison, American basketball player and sportscaster
- 1976 – Ray Price, Zimbabwean cricketer
- 1976 – Thomas Sørensen, Danish footballer
- 1977 – Wade Redden, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1977 – Kenny Wayne Shepherd, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1978 – Lewis Moody, English rugby player
- 1979 – Dallas Clark, American football player
- 1979 – Martine Dugrenier, Canadian wrestler
- 1979 – Diego Milito, Argentine footballer
- 1979 – Robyn, Swedish singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer
- 1979 – Earl Watson, American basketball player and coach
- 1980 – Marco Bortolami, Italian rugby player
- 1980 – Larry Foote, American football player
- 1980 – Ifet Taljević, German footballer
- 1981 – Raitis Grafs, Latvian basketball player
- 1981 – Paul Hasleby, Australian footballer
- 1981 – Adriana Lima, Brazilian model and actress
- 1982 – Ben Blackwell, American drummer
- 1982 – Diem Brown, German-American journalist and activist (d. 2014)
- 1982 – Jason David, American football player
- 1982 – Shailaja Pujari, Indian weightlifter
- 1982 – James Tomlinson, English cricketer
- 1983 – Bryan Habana, South African rugby player
- 1983 – Alexander Pipa, German rugby player
- 1983 – Christine Sinclair, Canadian soccer player
- 1984 – James Kwalia, Kenyan-Qatari runner
- 1984 – Bruno Soriano, Spanish footballer
- 1985 – Blake Ross, American computer programmer, co-created Mozilla Firefox
- 1985 – Sam Thaiday, Australian rugby league player
- 1985 – Kendra Wilkinson, American model, actress, and author
- 1985 – Chris Young, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1986 – Salim Mehajer, Australian politician
- 1986 – Harry Taylor, Australian footballer
- 1987 – Seyi Ajirotutu, American football player
- 1987 – Antonio Barragán, Spanish footballer
- 1988 – Artūrs Bērziņš, Latvian basketball player
- 1988 – Eren Derdiyok, Swiss footballer
- 1988 – Mauricio Isla, Chilean footballer
- 1988 – Dave Melillo, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1988 – Dakota Morton, Canadian actor and radio host
- 1989 – Emma Eliasson, Swedish ice hockey player
- 1989 – Ibrahim Jeilan, Ethiopian runner
- 1990 – Jrue Holiday, American basketball player
- 1990 – Kevin López, Spanish runner
- 1990 – David Worrall, English footballer
- 1991 – Avisail García, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1992 – Philippe Coutinho, Brazilian footballer
Deaths on June 12
- 796 – Hisham I, Muslim emir (b. 757)
- 816 – Pope Leo III (b. 750)
- 918 – Æthelflæd, Mercian daughter of Alfred the Great (b. 870)
- 1020 – Lyfing, English archbishop (b. 999)
- 1036 – Tedald, Italian bishop (b. 990)
- 1144 – Al-Zamakhshari, Persian theologian (b. 1075)
- 1152 – Henry of Scotland, 3rd Earl of Huntingdon (b. 1114)
- 1266 – Henry II, Prince of Anhalt-Aschersleben (b. 1215)
- 1294 – John I of Brienne, Count of Eu
- 1418 – Bernard VII, Count of Armagnac (b. 1360)
- 1435 – John FitzAlan, 14th Earl of Arundel, English commander (b. 1408)
- 1478 – Ludovico III Gonzaga, Marquis of Mantua (b. 1412)
- 1524 – Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar, Spanish conquistador (b. 1465)
- 1560 – Ii Naomori, Japanese warrior (b. 1506)
- 1560 – Imagawa Yoshimoto, Japanese daimyō (b. 1519)
- 1565 – Adrianus Turnebus, French philologist and scholar (b. 1512)
- 1567 – Richard Rich, 1st Baron Rich, English politician, Lord Chancellor of England (b. 1490)
- 1647 – Thomas Farnaby, English scholar and educator (b. 1575)
- 1668 – Charles Berkeley, 2nd Viscount Fitzhardinge, English politician (b. 1599)
- 1675 – Charles Emmanuel II, Duke of Savoy (b. 1634)
- 1734 – James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick, French-English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire (b. 1670)
- 1758 – Prince Augustus William of Prussia (b. 1722)
- 1772 – Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne, French explorer (b. 1724)
- 1778 – Philip Livingston, American merchant and politician (b. 1716)
- 1816 – Pierre Augereau, French general (b. 1757)
- 1818 – Egwale Seyon, Ethiopian emperor
- 1841 – Konstantinos Nikolopoulos, Greek composer, archaeologist, and philologist (b. 1786)
- 1900 – Lucretia Peabody Hale, American journalist and author (b. 1820)
- 1904 – Camille of Renesse-Breidbach (b. 1836)
- 1912 – Frédéric Passy, French economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1822)
- 1917 – Teresa Carreño, Venezuelan-American singer-songwriter, pianist, and conductor (b. 1853)
- 1932 – Theo Heemskerk, Dutch lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (b. 1852)
- 1937 – Mikhail Tukhachevsky, Russian general (b. 1893)
- 1944 – Erich Marcks, German general (b. 1891)
- 1946 – Médéric Martin, Canadian politician, mayor of Montreal (b. 1869)
- 1952 – Harry Lawson, Australian politician, 27th Premier of Victoria (b. 1875)
- 1957 – Jimmy Dorsey, American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader (The Dorsey Brothers and The California Ramblers) (b. 1904)
- 1962 – John Ireland, English composer and educator (b. 1879)
- 1963 – Medgar Evers, American soldier and activist (b. 1925)
- 1966 – Hermann Scherchen, German viola player and conductor (b. 1891)
- 1968 – Herbert Read, English poet and critic (b. 1893)
- 1969 – Aleksandr Deyneka, Ukrainian-Russian painter and sculptor (b. 1899)
- 1972 – Edmund Wilson, American critic, essayist, and editor (b. 1895)
- 1972 – Dinanath Gopal Tendulkar, Indian writer and documentary filmmaker (b. 1909)
- 1976 – Gopinath Kaviraj, Indian philosopher and scholar (b. 1887)
- 1978 – Guo Moruo, Chinese historian, author, and poet (b. 1892)
- 1978 – Georg Siimenson, Estonian footballer (b. 1912)
- 1980 – Billy Butlin, South African-English businessman, founded the Butlins Company (b. 1899)
- 1980 – Masayoshi Ōhira, Japanese politician, 68th Prime minister of Japan (b. 1910)
- 1980 – Milburn Stone, American actor (b. 1904)
- 1982 – Ian McKay, English sergeant, Victoria Cross recipient (b. 1953)
- 1982 – Karl von Frisch, Austrian-German ethologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1886)
- 1983 – Norma Shearer, Canadian-American actress (b. 1902)
- 1989 – Bruce Hamilton, Australian public servant (b. 1911)
- 1990 – Terence O’Neill, Baron O’Neill of the Maine, English captain and politician, 4th Prime Minister of Northern Ireland (b. 1914)
- 1994 – Menachem Mendel Schneerson, Russian-French rabbi and author (b. 1902)
- 1995 – Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, Italian pianist (b. 1920)
- 1995 – Pierre Russell, American basketball player (b. 1949)
- 1997 – Bulat Okudzhava, Russian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1924)
- 1998 – Leo Buscaglia, American author and educator (b. 1924)
- 1998 – Theresa Merritt, American actress and singer (b. 1922)
- 1999 – J. F. Powers, American novelist and short story writer (b. 1917)
- 2000 – Purushottam Laxman Deshpande, Indian actor, director, and producer (b. 1919)
- 2000 – Sandro Rosa do Nascimento, Brazilian criminal (b. 1978)
- 2002 – Bill Blass, American fashion designer, founded Bill Blass Limited (b. 1922)
- 2002 – Zena Sutherland, American reviewer of children’s literature (b. 1915)
- 2003 – Gregory Peck, American actor and political activist (b. 1916)
- 2005 – Scott Young, Canadian journalist and author (b. 1918)
- 2006 – Nicky Barr, Australian rugby player and fighter pilot (b. 1915)
- 2006 – György Ligeti, Romanian-Hungarian composer and educator (b. 1923)
- 2006 – Kenneth Thomson, 2nd Baron Thomson of Fleet, Canadian businessman and art collector (b. 1923)
- 2008 – Miroslav Dvořák, Czech ice hockey player (b. 1951)
- 2008 – Derek Tapscott, Welsh footballer and manager (b. 1932)
- 2010 – Al Williamson, American illustrator (b. 1931)
- 2011 – René Audet, Canadian bishop (b. 1920)
- 2011 – Carl Gardner, American singer (The Coasters) (b. 1928)
- 2012 – Hector Bianciotti, Argentinian-French journalist and author (b. 1930)
- 2012 – Henry Hill, American mobster (b. 1943)
- 2012 – Margarete Mitscherlich-Nielsen, Danish-German psychoanalyst and author (b. 1917)
- 2012 – Medin Zhega, Albanian footballer and manager (b. 1946)
- 2012 – Elinor Ostrom, American political scientist and economist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1933)
- 2012 – Pahiño, Spanish footballer (b. 1923)
- 2012 – Frank Walker, Australian judge and politician, 41st Attorney General of New South Wales (b. 1942)
- 2013 – Teresita Barajuen, Spanish nun (b. 1908)
- 2013 – Jason Leffler, American race car driver (b. 1975)
- 2013 – Joseph A. Unanue, American sergeant and businessman (b. 1925)
- 2014 – Nabil Hemani, Algerian footballer (b. 1979)
- 2014 – Dan Jacobson, South African-English author and critic (b. 1929)
- 2014 – Frank Schirrmacher, German journalist (b. 1959)
- 2015 – Fernando Brant, Brazilian journalist, poet, and composer (b. 1946)
- 2015 – Frederick Pei Li, Chinese-American physician and academic (b. 1940)
- 2015 – Patrick Lennox Tierney, American historian and academic (b. 1914)
- 2016 – Omar Mateen, American mass murderer (b. 1986)
- 2016 – George Voinovich, American politician (b. 1936)
- 2016 – Janet Waldo, American actress and voice artist (b. 1920)
Holidays and observances on June 12
- Chaco Armistice Day (Paraguay)
- Christian feast day:
- 108 Martyrs of World War II
- Basilides, Cyrinus, Nabor and Nazarius
- Blessed Hildegard Burjan
- Enmegahbowh (Episcopal Church)
- Eskil
- First Ecumenical Council (Lutheran)
- Gaspar Bertoni
- John of Sahagún
- Onuphrius
- Pope Leo III
- Ternan
- June 12 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Dia dos Namorados (Brazil)
- Helsinki Day (Finland)
- Independence Day, celebrates the independence of the Philippines from Spain in 1898.
- June 12 Commemoration (Lagos State)
- Loving Day (United States)
- Russia Day (Russia)
- World Day Against Child Labour, and its related observances:
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March 22 in History
- 106 – Start of the Bostran era, the calendar of the province of Arabia Petraea.
- 238 – Gordian I and his son Gordian II are proclaimed Roman emperors.
- 871 – Æthelred of Wessex is defeated by a Danish invasion army at the Battle of Marton.
- 1508 – Ferdinand II of Aragon commissions Amerigo Vespucci chief navigator of the Spanish Empire.
- 1621 – The Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony sign a peace treaty with Massasoit of the Wampanoags.
- 1622 – Jamestown massacre: Algonquians kill 347 English settlers around Jamestown, Virginia, a third of the colony’s population, during the Second Anglo-Powhatan War.
- 1630 – The Massachusetts Bay Colony outlaws the possession of cards, dice, and gaming tables.
- 1638 – Anne Hutchinson is expelled from Massachusetts Bay Colony for religious dissent.
- 1713 – The Tuscarora War comes to an end with the fall of Fort Neoheroka, effectively opening up the interior of North Carolina to European colonization.
- 1739 – Nader Shah occupies Delhi in India and sacks the city, stealing the jewels of the Peacock Throne.
- 1765 – The British Parliament passes the Stamp Act that introduces a tax to be levied directly on its American colonies.
- 1784 – The Emerald Buddha is moved with great ceremony to its current location in Wat Phra Kaew, Thailand.
- 1829 – In the London Protocol, the three protecting powers (United Kingdom, France and Russia) establish the borders of Greece.
- 1849 – The Austrians defeat the Piedmontese at the Battle of Novara.
- 1871 – In North Carolina, William Woods Holden becomes the first governor of a U.S. state to be removed from office by impeachment.
- 1872 – Illinois becomes the first state to require gender equality in employment.
- 1873 – The Spanish National Assembly abolishes slavery in Puerto Rico.
- 1894 – The first playoff game for the Stanley Cup starts.
- 1906 – The first England vs France rugby union match is played at Parc des Princes in Paris
- 1920 – Azeri and Turkish army soldiers with participation of Kurdish gangs attacked the Armenian inhabitants of Shushi (Nagorno Karabakh).
- 1933 – Cullen–Harrison Act: President Franklin Roosevelt signs an amendment to the Volstead Act, legalizing the manufacture and sale of “3.2 beer” (3.2% alcohol by weight, approximately 4% alcohol by volume) and light wines.
- 1939 – Germany takes Memel from Lithuania.
- 1942 – World War II: In the Mediterranean Sea, the Royal Navy confronts Italy’s Regia Marina in the Second Battle of Sirte.
- 1943 – World War II: The entire village of Khatyn (in what is the present-day Republic of Belarus) is burnt alive by Schutzmannschaft Battalion 118.
- 1945 – World War II: The city of Hildesheim, Germany heavily damaged in a British air raid, though it had little military significance and Germany was on the verge of final defeat.
- 1945 – The Arab League is founded when a charter is adopted in Cairo, Egypt.
- 1960 – Arthur Leonard Schawlow and Charles Hard Townes receive the first patent for a laser.
- 1972 – The United States Congress sends the Equal Rights Amendment to the states for ratification.
- 1972 – In Eisenstadt v. Baird, the United States Supreme Court decides that unmarried persons have the right to possess contraceptives.
- 1975 – A fire at the Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant in Decatur, Alabama causes a dangerous reduction in cooling water levels.
- 1978 – Karl Wallenda of The Flying Wallendas dies after falling off a tight-rope suspended between two hotels in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
- 1982 – NASA’s Space Shuttle Columbia is launched from the Kennedy Space Center on its third mission, STS-3.
- 1992 – USAir Flight 405 crashes shortly after takeoff from New York City’s LaGuardia Airport, leading to a number of studies into the effect that ice has on aircraft.
- 1992 – Fall of communism in Albania: The Democratic Party of Albania wins a decisive majority in the parliamentary election.
- 1993 – The Intel Corporation ships the first Pentium chips (80586), featuring a 60 MHz clock speed, 100+ MIPS, and a 64 bit data path.
- 1995 – Cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov returns to earth after setting a record of 438 days in space.
- 1997 – Tara Lipinski, aged 14 years and nine months, becomes the youngest women’s World Figure Skating Champion.
- 2004 – Ahmed Yassin, co-founder and leader of the Palestinian Sunni Islamist group Hamas, two bodyguards, and nine civilian bystanders are killed in the Gaza Strip when hit by Israeli Air Force Hellfire missiles.
- 2006 – Three Christian Peacemaker Team (CPT) hostages are freed by British forces in Baghdad after 118 days of captivity and the murder of their colleague from the U.S., Tom Fox.
- 2013 – At least 37 people are killed and 200 are injured after a fire destroys a camp containing Burmese refugees near Ban Mae, Thailand.
- 2016 – Three suicide bombers kill 32 people and injure 316 in the 2016 Brussels bombings at the airport and at the Maelbeek/Maalbeek metro station.
- 2017 – A terrorist attack in London near the Houses of Parliament leaves four people dead and at least 20 injured.
- 2019 – Robert S. Mueller III delivers his report on the Russian government’s influence on the election of Donald Trump in the 2016 United States presidential election.
- 2019 – Two buses crashes in Kitampo, a town north of Ghana’s capital Accra, killing at least 50 people.
- 2020 – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announces the country’s largest ever self-imposed curfew, in an effort to fight the spread of COVID-19.
Births on March 22
- 841 – Bernard Plantapilosa, Frankish son of Bernard of Septimania (d. 885)
- 875 – William I, Duke of Aquitaine (d. 918)
- 1212 – Emperor Go-Horikawa of Japan (d. 1235)
- 1367 – Thomas de Mowbray, 1st Duke of Norfolk, English politician, Earl Marshal of the United Kingdom (probable; d. 1399)
- 1394 – Ulugh Beg, Persian astronomer and mathematician (d. 1449)
- 1459 – Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1519)
- 1499 – Johann Carion, German astrologer and chronicler (d. 1537)
- 1503 – Antonio Francesco Grazzini, Italian author and educator (d. 1583)
- 1517 – Gioseffo Zarlino, Italian composer (d. 1590)
- 1519 – Catherine Brandon, Duchess of Suffolk, English noblewoman (d. 1580)
- 1582 – John Williams, Archbishop of York (d. 1650)
- 1599 – Anthony van Dyck, Flemish-English painter and etcher (d. 1641)
- 1609 – John II Casimir Vasa, Polish king (d. 1672)
- 1615 – Katherine Jones, Viscountess Ranelagh, British scientist (d. 1691)
- 1663 – August Hermann Francke, German clergyman, philanthropist, and scholar (d. 1727)
- 1684 – William Pulteney, 1st Earl of Bath, English politician, Secretary at War (d. 1764)
- 1712 – Edward Moore, English poet and playwright (d. 1757)
- 1720 – Nicolas-Henri Jardin, French architect, designed the Yellow Palace and Bernstorff Palace (d. 1799)
- 1723 – Charles Carroll, American lawyer and politician (d. 1783)
- 1728 – Anton Raphael Mengs, German painter and theorist (d. 1779)
- 1785 – Adam Sedgwick, English scientist (d. 1873)
- 1797 – William I, German Emperor (d. 1888)
- 1808 – Caroline Norton, English feminist, social reformer, and author (d. 1877)
- 1808 – David Swinson Maynard, American physician and lawyer (d. 1873)
- 1812 – Stephen Pearl Andrews, American author and activist (d. 1886)
- 1814 – Thomas Crawford, American sculptor, designed the Statue of Freedom (d. 1857)
- 1817 – Braxton Bragg, American general (d. 1876)
- 1818 – John Ainsworth Horrocks, English-Australian explorer, founded Penwortham (d. 1846)
- 1822 – Ahmed Cevdet Pasha, Ottoman sociologist, historian, scholar, statesman and jurist (d. 1895)
- 1842 – Mykola Lysenko, Ukrainian pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1912)
- 1846 – Randolph Caldecott, English illustrator and painter (d. 1886)
- 1846 – James Timberlake, American lieutenant, police officer, and farmer (d. 1891)
- 1852 – Otakar Ševčík, Czech violinist and educator (d. 1934)
- 1852 – Hector Sévin, French cardinal (d. 1916)
- 1855 – Dorothy Tennant, British painter (d. 1926)
- 1857 – Paul Doumer, French mathematician, journalist, and politician, 14th President of France (d. 1932)
- 1866 – Jack Boyle, American baseball player and umpire (d. 1913)
- 1868 – Robert Andrews Millikan, American colonel and physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1953)
- 1869 – Tom McInnes, Scottish-English footballer (d. 1939)
- 1873 – Ernest Lawson, Canadian-American painter (d. 1939)
- 1880 – Ernest C. Quigley, Canadian-American football player and coach (d. 1960)
- 1884 – Arthur H. Vandenberg, American journalist and politician (d. 1951)
- 1884 – Lyda Borelli, Italian actress (d. 1959)
- 1885 – Aryeh Levin, Polish-Lithuanian rabbi and educator (d. 1969)
- 1886 – August Rei, Estonian lawyer and politician, Head of State of Estonia (d. 1963)
- 1887 – Chico Marx, American actor (d. 1961)
- 1890 – George Clark, American race car driver (d. 1978)
- 1892 – Charlie Poole, American country banjo player (d. 1931)
- 1892 – Johannes Semper, Estonian poet and scholar (d. 1970)
- 1896 – He Long, Chinese general and politician, 1st Vice Premier of the People’s Republic of China (d. 1969)
- 1896 – Joseph Schildkraut, Austrian-American actor (d. 1964)
- 1899 – Ruth Page, American ballerina and choreographer (d. 1991)
- 1901 – Greta Kempton, Austrian-American painter (d. 1991)
- 1902 – Johannes Brinkman, Dutch architect, designed the Van Nelle Factory (d. 1949)
- 1902 – Madeleine Milhaud, French actress and composer (d. 2008)
- 1903 – Bill Holman, American cartoonist (d. 1987)
- 1907 – James M. Gavin, American general and diplomat, United States Ambassador to France (d. 1990)
- 1908 – Jack Crawford, Australian tennis player (d. 1991)
- 1908 – Louis L’Amour, American novelist and short story writer (d. 1988)
- 1909 – Gabrielle Roy, Canadian author and educator (d. 1983)
- 1910 – Nicholas Monsarrat, English sailor and author (d. 1979)
- 1912 – Wilfrid Brambell, Irish actor and performer (d. 1985)
- 1912 – Karl Malden, American actor (d. 2009)
- 1912 – Agnes Martin, Canadian-American painter and educator (d. 2004)
- 1912 – Leslie Johnson, English race car driver (d. 1959)
- 1913 – Tom McCall, American journalist and politician, 30th Governor of Oregon (d. 1983)
- 1913 – Lew Wasserman, American businessman and talent agent (d. 2002)
- 1913 – James Westerfield, American actor (d. 1971)
- 1914 – John Stanley, American author and illustrator (d. 1993)
- 1914 – Donald Stokes, Baron Stokes, English businessman (d. 2008)
- 1917 – Virginia Grey, American actress (d. 2004)
- 1917 – Irving Kaplansky, Canadian-American mathematician and academic (d. 2006)
- 1917 – Paul Rogers, English actor (d. 2013)
- 1918 – Cheddi Jagan, Guyanese politician, 4th President of Guyana (d. 1997)
- 1919 – Bernard Krigstein, American illustrator (d. 1990)
- 1920 – James Brown, American actor and singer (d. 1992)
- 1920 – Werner Klemperer, German-American actor (d. 2000)
- 1920 – Lloyd MacPhail, Canadian businessman and politician, 23rd Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island (d. 1995)
- 1920 – Fanny Waterman, English pianist and educator, founded the Leeds International Pianoforte Competition
- 1920 – Katsuko Saruhashi, Japanese geochemist (d. 2007)
- 1920 – Ross Martin, American actor (d. 1981)
- 1921 – Nino Manfredi, Italian actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2004)
- 1922 – John J. Gilligan, American lieutenant and politician, 62nd Governor of Ohio (d. 2013)
- 1922 – Stewart Stern, American screenwriter (d. 2015)
- 1923 – Marcel Marceau, French mime and actor (d. 2007)
- 1924 – Al Neuharth, American journalist and author, founded USA Today (d. 2013)
- 1924 – Yevgeny Ostashev, Russian test pilot, participant in the launch of the first artificial Earth satellite (d. 1960)
- 1924 – Osman F. Seden, Turkish director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1998)
- 1924 – Bill Wendell, American television announcer (d. 1999)
- 1927 – Marty Blake, American basketball player and manager (d. 2013)
- 1927 – Nicolas Tikhomiroff, Russian photographer (d. 2016)
- 1928 – Carrie Donovan, American journalist (d. 2001)
- 1928 – E. D. Hirsch, American author, critic, and academic
- 1928 – Ed Macauley, American basketball player, coach, and priest (d. 2011)
- 1929 – Yayoi Kusama, Japanese artist
- 1929 – P. Ramlee, Malaysian actor, director, singer, songwriter, composer, and producer. (d. 1973)
- 1930 – Derek Bok, American lawyer and academic
- 1930 – Pat Robertson, American minister and broadcaster, founded the Christian Broadcasting Network
- 1930 – Stephen Sondheim, American composer and songwriter
- 1931 – Burton Richter, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2018)
- 1931 – William Shatner, Canadian actor
- 1931 – Leslie Thomas, Welsh journalist and author (d. 2014)
- 1932 – Els Borst, Dutch physician and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands (d. 2014)
- 1932 – Larry Evans, American chess player and journalist (d. 2010)
- 1933 – Abolhassan Banisadr, Iranian economist and politician, 1st President of Iran
- 1934 – May Britt, Swedish actress
- 1934 – Sheila Cameron, English lawyer and judge
- 1934 – Orrin Hatch, American lawyer and politician
- 1935 – Lea Pericoli, Italian tennis player and journalist
- 1935 – Frank Pulli, American baseball player and umpire (d. 2013)
- 1935 – M. Emmet Walsh, American actor
- 1936 – Ron Carey, American trade union leader (d. 2008)
- 1936 – Roger Whittaker, Kenyan-English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1936 – Erol Büyükburç, Turkish singer-songwriter, pop music composer, and actor (d. 2015)
- 1937 – Angelo Badalamenti, American pianist and composer
- 1937 – Armin Hary, German sprinter
- 1937 – Jon Hassell, American trumpet player and composer
- 1938 – Rein Etruk, Estonian chess player (d. 2012)
- 1940 – Dave Keon, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1940 – Haing S. Ngor, Cambodian-American physician and author (d. 1996)
- 1940 – George Edward Alcorn, Jr. American physicist and inventor
- 1941 – Billy Collins, American poet
- 1941 – Jeremy Clyde, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1941 – Bruno Ganz, Swiss actor (d. 2019)
- 1941 – Cassam Uteem, Mauritian politician, 2nd President of Mauritius
- 1942 – Jorge Ben Jor, Brazilian singer-songwriter
- 1942 – Dick Pound, Canadian lawyer and academic
- 1943 – George Benson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1943 – Nazem Ganjapour, Iranian footballer and manager (d. 2013)
- 1943 – Keith Relf, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 1976)
- 1945 – Eric Roth, American screenwriter and producer
- 1946 – Don Chaney, American basketball player and coach
- 1946 – Rivka Golani, Israeli viola player and composer
- 1946 – Rudy Rucker, American mathematician, computer scientist, and author
- 1946 – Harry Vanda, Dutch-Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1947 – George Ferguson, English architect and politician, 1st Mayor of Bristol
- 1947 – James Patterson, American author and producer
- 1947 – Maarten van Gent, Dutch basketball player and coach
- 1948 – Andrew Lloyd Webber, English composer and director
- 1949 – Fanny Ardant, French actress, director, and screenwriter
- 1949 – Brian Hanrahan, English journalist (d. 2010)
- 1952 – Des Browne, Scottish lawyer and politician, Secretary of State for Scotland
- 1953 – Kenneth Rogoff, American economist and chess grandmaster
- 1955 – Lena Olin, Swedish actress
- 1955 – Pete Sessions, American politician
- 1955 – Valdis Zatlers, Latvian physician and politician, 7th President of Latvia
- 1956 – Maria Teresa, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg (born María Teresa Mestre y Batista)
- 1957 – Jürgen Bucher, German footballer
- 1957 – Stephanie Mills, American actress and singer
- 1959 – Matthew Modine, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1960 – Tarmo Laht, Estonian architect
- 1960 – Lauri Vahtre, Estonian historian and politician
- 1961 – Simon Furman, British comic book writer
- 1963 – Deborah Bull, English ballerina
- 1963 – Susan Ann Sulley, English pop singer (The Human League)
- 1963 – Martin Vizcarra, Peruvian engineer and politician, 67th President of Peru
- 1964 – David Gillespie, Australian rugby league player
- 1966 – Pia Cayetano, Filipino lawyer and politician
- 1966 – Todd Ewen, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2015)
- 1966 – Artis Pabriks, Latvian academic and politician, 11th Minister for Defence of Latvia
- 1966 – António Pinto, Portuguese runner
- 1966 – Brian Shaw, American basketball player and coach
- 1967 – Mario Cipollini, Italian cyclist
- 1967 – Bernie Gallacher, Scottish-English footballer (d. 2011)
- 1970 – Andreas Johnson, Swedish singer-songwriter
- 1970 – Leontien van Moorsel, Dutch cyclist
- 1970 – Hwang Young-cho, South Korean runner
- 1971 – Keegan-Michael Key, American actor, comedian, and writer
- 1972 – Shawn Bradley, German-American basketball player, coach, and actor
- 1972 – Cory Lidle, American baseball player (d. 2006)
- 1972 – Elvis Stojko, Canadian figure skater and sportscaster
- 1973 – Beverley Knight, English singer-songwriter and producer
- 1974 – Marcus Camby, American basketball player
- 1974 – Philippe Clement, Belgian footballer
- 1974 – Geo Meneses, Mexican producer and singer
- 1975 – Cole Hauser, American actor and producer
- 1975 – Jiří Novák, Czech-Monegasque tennis player
- 1976 – Teun de Nooijer, Dutch field hockey player
- 1976 – Kathryn Jean Lopez, American journalist
- 1976 – Asako Toki, Japanese singer-songwriter
- 1976 – Kellie Shanygne Williams, American actress
- 1976 – Reese Witherspoon, American actress and producer
- 1977 – Joey Porter, American football player and coach
- 1977 – Tom Poti, American ice hockey player
- 1979 – Aaron North, American guitarist
- 1979 – Juan Uribe, Dominican baseball player
- 1981 – Arne Gabius, German runner
- 1982 – Piá, Brazilian footballer
- 1982 – Enrico Gasparotto, Italian cyclist
- 1982 – Michael Janyk, Canadian skier
- 1984 – Piotr Trochowski, German footballer
- 1985 – Mayola Biboko, Belgian footballer
- 1985 – Jakob Fuglsang, Danish cyclist
- 1985 – Mike Jenkins, American football player
- 1985 – Justin Masterson, American baseball player
- 1985 – Kelli Waite, Australian swimmer
- 1986 – David Choi, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1986 – Dexter Fowler, American baseball player
- 1987 – Ike Davis, American baseball player
- 1987 – Jairo Mora Sandoval, Costa Rican environmentalist (d. 2013)
- 1987 – Liam Doran, British rally cross driver
- 1989 – Ruben Popa, Romanian footballer
- 1989 – J. J. Watt, American football player
- 1989 – Tyler Oakley, American internet celebrity
Deaths on March 22
- 880 – Carloman of Bavaria, Frankish king
- 1144 – William of Norwich, child murder victim
- 1322 – Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster, English politician, Lord High Steward of England (b. 1278)
- 1418 – Dietrich of Nieheim, German bishop and historian (b. 1345)
- 1421 – Thomas of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Clarence, English soldier and politician, Lord High Steward of England (b. 1388)
- 1454 – John Kemp, Archbishop of Canterbury
- 1471 – George of Poděbrady (b. 1420)
- 1544 – Johannes Magnus, Swedish archbishop and theologian (b. 1488)
- 1602 – Agostino Carracci, Italian painter and educator (b. 1557)
- 1685 – Emperor Go-Sai of Japan (b. 1638)
- 1687 – Jean-Baptiste Lully, Italian-French composer and conductor (b. 1632)
- 1758 – Jonathan Edwards, English minister, theologian, and philosopher (b. 1703)
- 1772 – John Canton, English physicist and academic (b. 1718)
- 1820 – Stephen Decatur, American commander (b. 1779)
- 1832 – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German novelist, poet, playwright, and diplomat (b. 1749)
- 1840 – Étienne Bobillier, French mathematician and academic (b. 1798)
- 1864 – Konstanty Kalinowski, writer, journalist, lawyer and revolutionary (b. 1838)
- 1881 – Samuel Courtauld, English businessman (b. 1793)
- 1896 – Thomas Hughes, English lawyer and politician (b. 1822)
- 1913 – Song Jiaoren, Chinese educator and politician (b. 1882)
- 1913 – Ruggero Oddi, Italian physiologist and anatomist (b.1864)
- 1924 – William Macewen, Scottish surgeon and neuroscientist (b. 1848)
- 1931 – James Campbell, 1st Baron Glenavy, Irish lawyer and politician (b. 1851)
- 1942 – Frederick Cuming, English cricketer (b. 1875)
- 1942 – William Donne, English captain and cricketer (b. 1875)
- 1945 – John Hessin Clarke, American lawyer and judge (b. 1857)
- 1952 – D. S. Senanayake, 1st Prime Minister of Sri Lanka (b. 1883)
- 1955 – Ivan Šubašić, Croatian lawyer and politician, 23rd Prime Minister of Yugoslavia (b. 1892)
- 1958 – Mike Todd, American film producer (b. 1909)
- 1960 – José Antonio Aguirre, Spanish lawyer and politician, 1st President of the Basque Country (b. 1904)
- 1966 – John Harlin, American mountaineer and pilot (b. 1935)
- 1971 – Johannes Villemson, Estonian-American runner (b. 1893)
- 1971 – Nella Walker, American actress and vaudevillian (b. 1886)
- 1974 – Peter Revson, American race car driver (b. 1939)
- 1974 – Orazio Satta Puliga, Italian automobile designer (b. 1910)
- 1976 – John Dwyer McLaughlin, American painter (b. 1898)
- 1977 – A. K. Gopalan, Indian educator and politician (b. 1904)
- 1978 – Karl Wallenda, German-American acrobat and tightrope walker, founded The Flying Wallendas (b. 1905)
- 1979 – Ben Lyon, American actor and studio executive (b. 1901)
- 1981 – James Elliott, American runner and coach (b. 1915)
- 1981 – Gil Puyat, Filipino businessman and politician, 13th President of the Senate of the Philippines (b. 1907)
- 1986 – Olive Deering, American actress (b. 1918)
- 1986 – Mark Dinning, American singer (b. 1933)
- 1987 – Odysseas Angelis, Greek general and politician (b. 1912)
- 1989 – Peta Taylor, English cricketer (b. 1912)
- 1990 – Gerald Bull, Canadian engineer and academic (b. 1928)
- 1991 – Léon Balcer, Canadian lawyer and politician, 19th Solicitor General of Canada (b. 1917)
- 1991 – Paul Engle, American novelist, poet, playwright, and critic (b. 1908)
- 1991 – Dave Guard, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1934)
- 1991 – Gloria Holden, English-American actress (b. 1908)
- 1993 – Steve Olin, American baseball player (b. 1965)
- 1994 – Dan Hartman, American singer-songwriter, and producer (b. 1950)
- 1994 – Walter Lantz, American animator, director, and producer (b. 1899)
- 1996 – Don Murray, American drummer (b. 1945)
- 1996 – Robert F. Overmyer, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1936)
- 1996 – Billy Williamson, American guitarist (b. 1925)
- 1999 – Max Beloff, Baron Beloff, English historian and academic (b. 1913)
- 1999 – David Strickland, American actor (b. 1969)
- 2000 – Carlo Parola, Italian footballer and manager (b. 1921)
- 2001 – Stepas Butautas, Lithuanian basketball player and coach (b. 1925)
- 2001 – Sabiha Gökçen, Turkish soldier and pilot (b. 1913)
- 2001 – William Hanna, American animator, director, producer, and voice actor, co-founded Hanna-Barbera (b. 1910)
- 2001 – Robert Fletcher Shaw, Canadian businessman, academic, and civil servant (b. 1910)
- 2002 – Rudolf Baumgartner, Swiss violinist and conductor (b. 1917)
- 2003 – Terry Lloyd, English journalist (b. 1952)
- 2004 – Janet Akyüz Mattei, Turkish-American astronomer and academic (b. 1943)
- 2004 – Ahmed Yassin, Co-founded Hamas (b. 1937)
- 2004 – V. M. Tarkunde, Indian lawyer and civil rights activist (b. 1909)
- 2005 – Rod Price, English guitarist and songwriter (b. 1947)
- 2005 – Gemini Ganesan, Indian film actor (b. 1920)
- 2005 – Kenzō Tange, Japanese architect, designed the Yoyogi National Gymnasium and Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum (b. 1913)
- 2006 – Pierre Clostermann, French soldier, pilot, and politician (b. 1921)
- 2006 – Pío Leyva, Cuban singer and author (b. 1917)
- 2006 – Kurt von Trojan, Austrian-Australian journalist and author (b. 1937)
- 2007 – U. G. Krishnamurti, Indian-Italian philosopher and educator (b. 1918)
- 2008 – Cachao López, Cuban-American bassist and composer (b. 1918)
- 2010 – James Black, Scottish biologist and pharmacologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1924)
- 2010 – Özhan Canaydın, Turkish basketball player and businessman (b. 1943)
- 2011 – Artur Agostinho, Portuguese journalist (b. 1920)
- 2011 – Victor Bouchard, Canadian pianist and composer (b. 1926)
- 2012 – Joe Blanchard, American football player and wrestler (b. 1928)
- 2012 – John Payton, American lawyer and activist (b. 1946)
- 2012 – Matthew White Ridley, 4th Viscount Ridley, English academic and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Northumberland (b. 1925)
- 2012 – Mickey Sullivan, American baseball player and coach (b. 1932)
- 2012 – David Waltz, American computer scientist and academic (b. 1943)
- 2012 – Neil L. Whitehead, English anthropologist and author (b. 1956)
- 2013 – Vladimír Čech, Czech actor and politician (b. 1951)
- 2013 – James Nabrit, American lawyer and academic (b. 1932)
- 2013 – Bebo Valdés, Cuban-Swedish pianist and composer (b. 1918)
- 2013 – Derek Watkins, English trumpet player and composer (b. 1945)
- 2013 – Ray Williams, American basketball player and coach (b. 1954)
- 2014 – Yashwant Vithoba Chittal, Indian author (b. 1928)
- 2014 – Mickey Duff, Polish-English boxer and manager (b. 1929)
- 2014 – Thor Listau, Norwegian soldier and politician (b. 1938)
- 2014 – Tasos Mitsopoulos, Cypriot politician, Cypriot Minister of Defence (b. 1965)
- 2015 – Arkady Arkanov, Ukrainian-Russian actor and playwright (b. 1933)
- 2015 – Horst Buhtz, German footballer and manager (b. 1923)
- 2015 – George Neel, Jr., American businessman (b. 1930)
- 2015 – Norman Scribner, American pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1936)
- 2016 – Phife Dawg, American rapper (b. 1970)
- 2016 – Rob Ford, Canadian businessman and politician, 64th Mayor of Toronto (b. 1969)
- 2016 – Rita Gam, American actress (b. 1927)
- 2018 – Johan van Hulst, Dutch politician, academic and author, Yad Vashem recipient (b. 1911)
Holidays and observances on March 22
- Bihar Day (Bihar, India)
- Christian feast day:
- Basil of Ancyra
- Blessed Clemens August Graf von Galen
- Darerca of Ireland
- Epaphroditus
- Jonathan Edwards (Lutheranism)
- Lea of Rome
- Nicholas Owen
- Paul of Narbonne
- March 22 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Earliest day on which Easter Sunday can fall (last in 1818, will not happen again until 2285), while April 25 is the latest. (Christianity)
- Emancipation Day or Día de la Abolición de la Esclavitud (Puerto Rico)
- World Water Day (International)
-
January 21 in History
- 763 – Following the Battle of Bakhamra between Alids and Abbasids near Kufa, the Alid rebellion ends with the death of Ibrahim, brother of Isa ibn Musa.
- 1525 – The Swiss Anabaptist Movement is founded when Conrad Grebel, Felix Manz, George Blaurock, and about a dozen others baptize each other in the home of Manz’s mother in Zürich, breaking a thousand-year tradition of church-state union.
- 1535 – Following the Affair of the Placards, the French king leads an anti-Protestant procession through Paris.
- 1720 – Sweden and Prussia sign the Treaty of Stockholm.
- 1749 – The Teatro Filarmonico in Verona is destroyed by fire, as a result of a torch being left behind in the box of a nobleman after a performance. It is rebuilt in 1754.
- 1774 – Abdul Hamid I becomes Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and Caliph of Islam.
- 1789 – The first American novel, The Power of Sympathy or the Triumph of Nature Founded in Truth by William Hill Brown, is printed in Boston.
- 1793 – After being found guilty of treason by the French National Convention, Louis XVI of France is executed by guillotine.
- 1854 – The RMS Tayleur sinks off Lambay Island on her maiden voyage from Liverpool to Australia with great loss of life.
- 1861 – American Civil War: Jefferson Davis resigns from the United States Senate.
- 1893 – The Tati Concessions Land, formerly part of Matabeleland, is formally annexed to the Bechuanaland Protectorate, now Botswana.
- 1908 – New York City passes the Sullivan Ordinance, making it illegal for women to smoke in public, only to have the measure vetoed by the mayor.
- 1911 – The first Monte Carlo Rally takes place.
- 1915 – Kiwanis International is founded in Detroit.
- 1919 – A revolutionary Irish parliament is founded and declares the independence of the Irish Republic. One of the first engagements of the Irish War of Independence takes place.
- 1925 – Albania declares itself a republic.
- 1931 – Sir Isaac Isaacs is sworn in as the first Australian-born Governor-General of Australia.
- 1941 – Sparked by the murder of a German officer in Bucharest, Romania the day before, members of the Iron Guard engaged in a rebellion and pogrom killing 125 Jews.
- 1948 – The Flag of Quebec is adopted and flown for the first time over the National Assembly of Quebec. The day is marked annually as Québec Flag Day.
- 1950 – American lawyer and government official Alger Hiss is convicted of perjury.
- 1954 – The first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus, is launched in Groton, Connecticut by Mamie Eisenhower, the First Lady of the United States.
- 1960 – Little Joe 1B, a Mercury spacecraft, lifts off from Wallops Island, Virginia with Miss Sam, a female rhesus monkey on board.
- 1960 – Avianca Flight 671 crashes at Montego Bay, Jamaica airport, killing 37 people.
- 1960 – A coal mine collapses at Holly Country, South Africa, killing 435 miners.
- 1968 – Vietnam War: Battle of Khe Sanh: One of the most publicized and controversial battles of the war begins.
- 1968 – A B-52 bomber crashes near Thule Air Base, contaminating the area after its nuclear payload ruptures. One of the four bombs remains unaccounted for after the cleanup operation is complete.
- 1971 – The current Emley Moor transmitting station, the tallest free-standing structure in the United Kingdom, begins transmitting UHF broadcasts.
- 1976 – Commercial service of Concorde begins with the London-Bahrain and Paris-Rio routes.
- 1980 – Iran Air Flight 291 crashes in the Alborz Mountains while on approach to Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran, Iran, killing 128 people.
- 1981 – Production of the iconic DeLorean sports car begins in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom.
- 1985 – Galaxy Airlines Flight 203 crashes near Reno–Tahoe International Airport in Reno, Nevada, killing 70 people.
- 1997 – The U.S. House of Representatives votes 395–28 to reprimand Newt Gingrich for ethics violations, making him the first Speaker of the House to be so disciplined.
- 1999 – War on Drugs: In one of the largest drug busts in American history, the United States Coast Guard intercepts a ship with over 4,300 kilograms (9,500 lb) of cocaine on board.
- 2000 – Ecuador: After the Ecuadorian Congress is seized by indigenous organizations, Col. Lucio Gutiérrez, Carlos Solorzano and Antonio Vargas depose President Jamil Mahuad. Gutierrez is later replaced by Gen. Carlos Mendoza, who resigns and allows Vice-President Gustavo Noboa to succeed Mahuad.
- 2003 – A 7.6 magnitude earthquake strikes the Mexican state of Colima, killing 29 and leaving approximately 10,000 people homeless.
- 2004 – NASA’s MER-A (the Mars Rover Spirit) ceases communication with mission control. The problem lies in the management of its flash memory and is fixed remotely from Earth on February 6.
- 2005 – In Belmopan, Belize, the unrest over the government’s new taxes erupts into riots.
- 2009 – Israel withdraws from the Gaza Strip, officially ending a three-week war it had with Hamas. However, intermittent fire by both sides continues in the weeks to follow.
- 2011 – Anti government demonstrations take place in Tirana, Albania. Five people lose their lives from gunshots, allegedly fired from armed police protecting the Prime Minister’s office. To date, no one has been held accountable for the deaths.
- 2017 – Over 400 cities across America and 160+ countries worldwide participate in a large-scale women’s march, on Donald Trump’s first full day as President of the United States.
- 2018 – Rocket Lab’s Electron becomes the first rocket to reach orbit using an electric pump-fed engine and deploys three CubeSats.
Births on January 21
- 1264 – Alexander, Prince of Scotland (d. 1284)
- 1277 – Galeazzo I Visconti, lord of Milan
- 1338 – Charles V of France (d. 1380)
- 1493 – Giovanni Poggio, Italian cardinal and diplomat (d. 1556)
- 1598 – Matsudaira Tadamasa, Japanese samurai and daimyō (d. 1645)
- 1612 – Henry Casimir I of Nassau-Dietz, count of Nassau-Dietz (d. 1640)
- 1636 – Melchiorre Cafà, Maltese Baroque sculptor (baptised; d. 1667)
- 1655 – Antonio Molinari, Italian painter (d. 1704)
- 1659 – Adriaen van der Werff, Dutch painter (d. 1722)
- 1675 – Duchess Sibylle of Saxe-Lauenburg, Margravine of Baden-Baden (d. 1733)
- 1714 – Anna Morandi Manzolini, Spanish anatomist (d. 1774)
- 1717 – Antonio María de Bucareli y Ursúa, Spanish military officer and governor of Cuba (d. 1779)
- 1721 – James Murray, Scottish-English general and politician, Governor of Minorca (d. 1794)
- 1724 – Louis-Jean-François Lagrenée, French rococo painter (d. 1805)
- 1732 – Frederick II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg, son of Karl Alexander, Duke of Württemberg, and Princess Maria Augusta of Thurn and Taxis (d. 1797)
- 1738 – Ethan Allen, American general (d. 1789)
- 1741 – Chaim of Volozhin, Orthodox rabbi (d. 1821)
- 1763 – Augustin Robespierre, younger brother of French Revolutionary leader Maximilien Robespierre (d. 1794)
- 1775 – Manuel Garcia, Spanish opera singer and composer (d. 1832)
- 1784 – Peter De Wint, English painter (d. 1849)
- 1788 – William Henry Smyth, Royal Navy officer, hydrographer, astronomer and numismatist
- 1796 – Princess Marie of Hesse-Kassel, consort of George, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (d. 1880)
- 1797 – Joseph Méry, French author and journalist (d. 1866)
- 1800 – Theodor Fliedner, German Lutheran minister (d. 1864)
- 1801 – John Batman, Australian entrepreneur and explorer (d. 1839)
- 1804 – Moritz von Schwind, Austrian painter (d. 1871)
- 1808 – Juan Crisóstomo Torrico, 16th President of Peru (d. 1875)
- 1810 – Pierre Louis Charles de Failly, French general (d. 1892)
- 1811 – James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Abercorn, British statesman (d. 1885)
- 1813 – John C. Frémont, American general, explorer, and politician, 5th Territorial Governor of Arizona (d. 1890)
- 1813 – Giuseppe Montanelli, Italian statesman and author (d. 1862)
- 1814 – Johann Georg Theodor Grässe, German bibliographer and historian (d. 1885)
- 1815 – Horace Wells, American dentist (d. 1848)
- 1820 – Joseph Wolf, German ornithologist and illustrator (d. 1899)
- 1820 – Egide Walschaerts, Belgian mechanical engineer (d. 1901)
- 1824 – Stonewall Jackson, American general (d. 1863)
- 1827 – Ivan Mikheevich Pervushin, Russian mathematician and theorist (d. 1900)
- 1829 – Oscar II of Sweden (d. 1907)
- 1839 – Caterina Volpicelli, Italian Roman Catholic nun (d. 1894)
- 1840 – Sophia Jex-Blake, English physician and feminist (d. 1912)
- 1841 – Édouard Schuré, French philosopher and author (d. 1929)
- 1843 – Émile Levassor, French engineer (d. 1897)
- 1845 – Harriet Backer, Norwegian painter (d. 1932)
- 1846 – Pieter Hendrik Schoute, Dutch mathematician and academic (d. 1923)
- 1846 – Albert Lavignac, French music scholar (d. 1916)
- 1847 – Joseph Achille Le Bel, French chemist (d. 1930)
- 1848 – Henri Duparc, French soldier and composer (d. 1933)
- 1851 – Giuseppe Allamano, Italian Roman Catholic priest (d. 1926)
- 1854 – Karl Julius Beloch, German classical and economic historian (d. 1929)
- 1854 – Eusapia Palladino, Italian Spiritualist (d. 1918)
- 1855 – Princess Maria Luisa of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, the youngest daughter of King Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies (d. 1874)
- 1860 – Karl Staaff, Swedish lawyer and politician, 11th Prime Minister of Sweden (d. 1915)
- 1864 – Israel Zangwill, British author (d. 1926)
- 1865 – Heinrich Albers-Schonberg, German gynecologist and radiologist (d. 1921)
- 1867 – Ludwig Thoma, German paramedic and author (d. 1921)
- 1867 – Maxime Weygand, Belgian-French general (d. 1965)
- 1868 – Felix Hoffmann, German chemist (d. 1946)
- 1869 – Grigori Rasputin, Russian Mystic (d. 1916)
- 1871 – Olga Preobrajenska, Russian ballerina (d. 1962)
- 1873 – Arturo Labriola, Italian revolutionary syndicalist (d. 1959)
- 1874 – René-Louis Baire, French mathematician (d. 1932)
- 1875 – Paul E. Kahle, German orientalist (d. 1964)
- 1877 – Baldassarre Negroni, Italian director and screenwriter (d. 1948)
- 1878 – Vahan Tekeyan, Armenian poet and activist (d. 1948)
- 1879 – Joseph Roffo, French rugby player and tug of war competitor (d. 1933)
- 1880 – George Van Biesbroeck, Belgian–American astronomer (d. 1974)
- 1881 – Ernst Fast, Swedish runner (d. 1959)
- 1881 – André Godard, French archaeologist, architect and historian (d. 1965)
- 1881 – Ivan Ribar, Yugoslav politician (d. 1968)
- 1882 – Pavel Florensky, Russian mathematician and theologian (d. 1937)
- 1882 – Francis Gailey, Australian-American swimmer (d. 1972)
- 1883 – Olav Aukrust, Norwegian poet and educator (d. 1929)
- 1883 – Mathias Hynes, British tug of war competitor (d. 1926)
- 1885 – Duncan Grant, British painter and designer (d. 1978)
- 1885 – Umberto Nobile, Italian engineer and explorer (d. 1978)
- 1885 – Harold A. Wilson, English runner (d. 1932)
- 1886 – John M. Stahl, American director and producer (d. 1950)
- 1887 – Wolfgang Köhler, German psychologist and phenomenologist (d. 1967)
- 1887 – Ernest Holmes, American New Thought writer (d. 1960)
- 1887 – Georges Vézina, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1926)
- 1889 – Pitirim Sorokin, American sociologist and political activist (d. 1968)
- 1891 – Albert Battel, German Army lieutenant and lawyer (d. 1952)
- 1891 – Francisco Lázaro, Portuguese marathon runner (d. 1912)
- 1895 – Cristóbal Balenciaga, Spanish fashion designer, founded Balenciaga (d. 1972)
- 1895 – Daniel Chalonge, French astrophysicist and astronomer (d. 1977)
- 1895 – Noe Itō, Japanese anarchist, author and feminist (d. 1923)
- 1896 – Guy Gilpatric, American pilot and journalist (d. 1950)
- 1896 – Paula Hitler, younger sister of Adolf Hitler (d. 1960)
- 1896 – J. Carrol Naish, American actor (d. 1973)
- 1896 – Masa Perttilä, Finnish wrestler (d. 1968)
- 1897 – René Iché, French sculptor (d. 1954)
- 1898 – Rudolph Maté, Polish-Hungarian-American cinematographer, producer and director (d. 1964)
- 1898 – Ahmad Shah Qajar, Shah of Persia (d. 1930)
- 1898 – Eduard Zintl, German chemist (d. 1941)
- 1899 – John Bodkin Adams, British general practitioner and convict (d. 1983)
- 1899 – Gyula Mándi, Hungarian footballer and manager (d. 1969)
- 1899 – Edith Tolkien, wife and muse of J. R. R. Tolkien (d. 1971)
- 1899 – Alexander Tcherepnin, Russian-American pianist and composer (d. 1977)
- 1900 – Elof Ahrle, Swedish actor and director (d. 1965)
- 1900 – Anselm Franz, Austrian engineer (d. 1994)
- 1900 – Bernhard Rensch, German evolutionary biologist (d. 1990)
- 1900 – Fernando Quiroga Palacios, Spanish Cardinal (d. 1971)
- 1901 – Ricardo Zamora, Spanish footballer and manager (d. 1978)
- 1903 – William Lyon, American film editor (d. 1974)
- 1903 – Raymond Suvigny, French weightlifter (d. 1945)
- 1904 – Puck van Heel, Dutch footballer (d. 1984)
- 1904 – John Porter, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1997)
- 1905 – Christian Dior, French fashion designer, founded Christian Dior S.A. (d. 1957)
- 1905 – Karl Wallenda, German-American acrobat and tightrope walker, founded The Flying Wallendas (d. 1978)
- 1906 – Leo Halle, Dutch footballer (d. 1992)
- 1906 – Igor Moiseyev, Russian choreographer (d. 2007)
- 1907 – Carlo Cavagnoli, Italian boxer (d. 1991)
- 1907 – Jānis Mendriks, Latvian Catholic priest (d. 1953)
- 1909 – Todor Skalovski, Macedonian composer and conductor (d. 2004)
- 1909 – Teofilo Spasojević, Serbian footballer (d. 1970)
- 1910 – Hideo Shinojima, Japanese footballer (d. 1975)
- 1910 – Albert Rosellini, American lawyer and politician, 15th Governor of Washington (d. 2011)
- 1910 – Rosa Kellner, German athlete (d. 1984)
- 1910 – Károly Takács, Hungarian shooter (d. 1976)
- 1911 – Dick Garrard, Australian wrestler (d. 2003)
- 1911 – Lee Yoo-hyung, Korean footballer and manager (d. 2003)
- 1912 – Konrad Emil Bloch, German-American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2000)
- 1915 – André Lichnerowicz, French mathematician (d. 1998)
- 1915 – Orazio Mariani, Italian sprinter (d. 1981)
- 1916 – Pietro Rava, Italian footballer (d. 2006)
- 1916 – Zypora Spaisman, Polish midwife; American and Yiddish-language actress; producer of the Yiddish stage (d. 2002)
- 1917 – Erling Persson, H&M founder (d. 2002)
- 1918 – Jimmy Hagan, English footballer (d. 1998)
- 1918 – Richard Winters, American soldier (d. 2011)
- 1918 – Antonio Janigro, Italian cellist and conductor (d. 1989)
- 1919 – Eric Brown, Scottish-English captain and pilot (d. 2016)
- 1920 – Errol Barrow, first Prime Minister of Barbados (d. 1987)
- 1921 – Lincoln Alexander, Canadian lawyer and politician, 23rd Canadian Minister of Labour (d. 2012)
- 1922 – Telly Savalas, American actor (d. 1994)
- 1922 – Paul Scofield, English actor (d. 2008)
- 1922 – Predrag Vranicki, Croatian Marxist Humanist, and member of the Praxis school in the 1960s in Yugoslavia (d. 2002)
- 1923 – Lola Flores, Spanish singer, dancer, and actress (d. 1995)
- 1923 – Alberto de Mendoza, Argentine actor (d. 2011)
- 1923 – Pahiño, Spanish footballer (d. 2012)
- 1924 – Benny Hill, English actor, singer, and screenwriter (d. 1992)
- 1925 – Charles Aidman, American actor (d. 1993)
- 1925 – Alex Forbes, Scottish footballer (d. 2014)
- 1925 – Eva Ibbotson, Austrian-English author (d. 2010)
- 1925 – Arnold Skaaland, American wrestler and manager (d. 2007)
- 1926 – Clive Donner, British director (d. 2010)
- 1926 – Franco Evangelisti, Italian composer (d. 1980)
- 1926 – Steve Reeves, American bodybuilder (d. 2000)
- 1926 – Roger Taillibert, French architect (d. 2019)
- 1926 – Robert J. White, American neurosurgeon (d. 2010)
- 1927 – Rudolf Kraus, German footballer (d. 2003)
- 1928 – Gene Sharp, American political scientist and academic, founded the Albert Einstein Institution (d. 2018)
- 1928 – Reynaldo Bignone, Argentinian general and politician, 41st President of Argentina (d. 2018)
- 1929 – Radley Metzger, American filmmaker (d. 2017)
- 1930 – Mainza Chona, Zambian lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Zambia (d. 2001)
- 1931 – Yoshiko Kuga, Japanese actress
- 1933 – Habib Thiam, Senegalese politician (d. 2017)
- 1933 – Tony Marchi, English footballer, wing half
- 1934 – Audrey Dalton, Irish actress
- 1934 – Antonio Karmany, Spanish cyclist
- 1934 – Alfonso Portugal, Mexican footballer (d. 2016)
- 1934 – Ann Wedgeworth, American actress (d. 2017)
- 1936 – Dick Davies, American basketball player (d. 2012)
- 1937 – Judit Ágoston-Mendelényi, Hungarian fencer (d. 2013)
- 1937 – Prince Max, Duke in Bavaria, the youngest son of Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria
- 1938 – Sandy Barr, American wrestler and referee (d. 2007)
- 1938 – Romano Fogli, Italian footballer
- 1938 – Wolfman Jack, American radio host (d. 1995)
- 1938 – Nicholas Phillips, Baron Phillips of Worth Matravers, English lawyer and judge, Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales
- 1939 – Paul Genevay, French sprinter
- 1939 – Friedel Lutz, German footballer
- 1939 – Steve Paxton, American dancer and choreographer
- 1939 – Viacheslav Platonov, Russian volleyball player and coach (d. 2005)
- 1940 – Jack Nicklaus, American golfer and sportscaster
- 1940 – Patrick Robinson, British novelist
- 1941 – Sattam bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Arabian prince (d. 2013)
- 1941 – Plácido Domingo, Spanish tenor and conductor
- 1941 – Richie Havens, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2013)
- 1941 – Mike Medavoy, Chinese-American film producer, co-founded Orion Pictures
- 1941 – Ivan Putski, Polish-American wrestler and bodybuilder
- 1941 – Elaine Showalter, American author and critic
- 1942 – Freddy Breck, German singer, producer, and news anchor (d. 2008)
- 1942 – Eugène Camara, Prime Minister of Guinea (d. 2019)
- 1942 – Han Pil-hwa, North Korean speed skater
- 1942 – Mac Davis, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
- 1942 – Edwin Starr, American singer-songwriter (d. 2003)
- 1942 – Michael G. Wilson, American producer and screenwriter
- 1943 – Zdravko Hebel, Croatian water polo player (d. 2017)
- 1943 – Arnar Jónsson, Icelandic actor
- 1943 – Alfons Peeters, Belgian footballer (d. 2015)
- 1943 – Kenzo Yokoyama, Japanese footballer
- 1944 – Uto Ughi, Italian violinist
- 1945 – Pete Kircher, English drummer
- 1945 – Martin Shaw, English actor and producer
- 1946 – Ichiro Hosotani, Japanese footballer
- 1946 – Nella Martinetti, Swiss singer (d. 2011)
- 1946 – Tomás Pineda, El Salvadoran footballer
- 1946 – Miguel Reina, Spanish footballer
- 1947 – Jill Eikenberry, American actress
- 1947 – Andrzej Bachleda, Polish former alpine skier
- 1947 – Dorian M. Goldfeld, American mathematician
- 1947 – Pye Hastings, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1947 – Michel Jonasz, French singer-songwriter and actor
- 1947 – Joseph Nicolosi, American clinical psychologist (d. 2017)
- 1947 – Giuseppe Savoldi, Italian footballer
- 1947 – Roberto Zywica, Argentine footballer
- 1948 – Zygmunt Kukla, Polish footballer (d. 2016)
- 1948 – Hugo Tocalli, Argentine footballer
- 1949 – Trương Tấn Sang, Vietnamese politician and 7th President of Vietnam
- 1949 – Clifford Ray, American basketball coach and player
- 1950 – Marion Becker, German javelin thrower
- 1950 – Gary Locke, American politician and diplomat, 36th United States Secretary of Commerce
- 1950 – José Marín, Spanish racewalker
- 1950 – Billy Ocean, Trinidadian-English singer-songwriter
- 1950 – Agnes van Ardenne, Dutch politician and diplomat, Dutch Minister for Development Cooperation
- 1951 – Eric Holder, American lawyer, judge, and politician, 82nd United States Attorney General
- 1952 – Marco Camenisch, Swiss activist and murderer
- 1952 – Werner Grissmann, Austrian alpine skier
- 1952 – Mikhail Umansky, Russian chess player (d. 2010)
- 1953 – Paul Allen, American businessman and philanthropist, co-founded Microsoft (d. 2018)
- 1953 – Felipe Yáñez, Spanish cyclist
- 1954 – Thomas de Maizière, German politician of the Christian Democratic Union
- 1954 – Idrissa Ouedraogo, Burkinabé director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2018)
- 1954 – Phil Thompson, English footballer and coach
- 1955 – Peter Fleming, American tennis player
- 1955 – Jeff Koons, American painter and sculptor
- 1955 – Nello Musumeci, Italian politician and President of Sicily
- 1956 – Robby Benson, American actor and director
- 1956 – Geena Davis, American actress and producer
- 1958 – Matt Salmon, American politician
- 1958 – Hussein Saeed, Iraqi footballer
- 1958 – Sergei Walter, Ukrainian politician (d. 2015)
- 1958 – Michael Wincott, Canadian actor
- 1959 – Sergei Alifirenko, Russian pistol shooter
- 1959 – Alex McLeish, Scottish footballer and manager
- 1960 – Sidney Lowe, American basketball player
- 1960 – Mike Terrana, American hard rock and heavy metal drummer
- 1961 – Kevin Cramer, American politician
- 1961 – Cornelia Pröll, Austrian alpine skier
- 1961 – Ivo Pukanić Croatian journalist (d. 2008)
- 1961 – Gary Shaw, English footballer
- 1961 – Piotr Ugrumov, Russian cyclist
- 1962 – Tyler Cowen, American economist and academic
- 1962 – Isabelle Nanty, French actress, director and screenwriter
- 1962 – Gabriele Pin, Italian footballer and coach
- 1962 – Zoran Thaler, Slovenian politician
- 1962 – Erik Verlinde, Dutch theoretical physicist
- 1962 – Marie Trintignant, French actress (d. 2003)
- 1963 – Hakeem Olajuwon, Nigerian-American basketball player
- 1963 – Detlef Schrempf, German basketball player and coach
- 1964 – Andreas Bauer, German ski jumper
- 1964 – Tony Dolan, English musician and actor
- 1964 – Gérald Passi, French footballer
- 1964 – Ricardo Serna, Spanish footballer
- 1964 – Aleksandar Šoštar, Serbian water polo player
- 1964 – Danny Wallace, English footballer
- 1965 – Robert Del Naja, British artist, musician and singer
- 1965 – Jam Master Jay, American DJ, rapper, and producer (d. 2002)
- 1965 – Masahiro Wada, Japanese footballer
- 1967 – Artashes Minasian, Armenian chess player
- 1967 – Alfred Jermaniš, Slovenian footballer
- 1967 – Gorō Miyazaki, Japanese film director and landscaper
- 1968 – Dmitry Fomin, Soviet and Russian volleyball player
- 1968 – Ilya Smirin, Israeli chess Grandmaster
- 1968 – Artur Dmitriev, Soviet and Russian ice skater
- 1968 – Sébastien Lifshitz, French director
- 1968 – Charlotte Ross, American actress
- 1969 – John Ducey, American actor
- 1969 – Eduard Hämäläinen, Finnish-Belarusian decathlete
- 1969 – Karina Lombard, French-American actress and singer
- 1969 – Tsubaki Nekoi, Japanese comic artist
- 1970 – Alen Bokšić, former Croatian footballer
- 1970 – Marina Foïs, French actress
- 1970 – Ken Leung, American actor
- 1970 – Oren Peli, Israeli-American director, producer and screenwriter
- 1971 – Uni Arge, Faroese footballer and entertainer
- 1971 – Rafael Berges, Spanish footballer
- 1971 – Doug Edwards, American basketball player
- 1971 – Dmitri Khlestov, Russian footballer
- 1971 – Dylan Kussman, American actor
- 1971 – Sergey Klevchenya, Russian speed skater
- 1971 – Doug Weight, American ice hockey player and coach
- 1972 – Billel Dziri, Algerian footballer and manager
- 1972 – Rick Falkvinge, Swedish businessman and politician
- 1972 – Sead Kapetanović, Bosnian footballer
- 1972 – Yasunori Mitsuda, Japanese composer and producer
- 1972 – Cat Power, American singer, musician and actress
- 1972 – Shawn Rojeski, American curler
- 1972 – Sabina Valbusa, Italian cross-country skier
- 1973 – Rob Hayles, English cyclist
- 1973 – Chris Kilmore, American musician and DJ
- 1973 – Edvinas Krungolcas, Lithuanian modern pentathlete
- 1973 – Flavio Maestri, Peruvian footballer
- 1974 – Malena Alterio, Spanish actress
- 1974 – Maxwell Atoms, American animator, screenwriter and voice actor
- 1974 – Kim Dotcom, German-Finnish Internet entrepreneur and political activist
- 1974 – Arthémon Hatungimana, Burundian middle distance runner
- 1974 – Vincent Laresca, American actor
- 1974 – Ulrich Le Pen, French footballer
- 1974 – Marco Zanotti, Italian cyclist
- 1975 – Nicky Butt, English footballer and coach
- 1975 – Casey FitzRandolph, American speedskater
- 1975 – Yuji Ide, Japanese race car driver
- 1975 – Ito, Spanish footballer and manager
- 1975 – Willem Korsten, Dutch footballer, left winger
- 1975 – Jason Moran, American jazz pianist, composer and educator
- 1975 – Florin Șerban, Romanian director
- 1975 – Alyaksandr Yermakovich, Belarusian footballer and manager
- 1976 – Aivaras Abromavičius, Lithuanian-Ukrainian banker and politician; 15th Ukrainian Minister of Economic Development
- 1976 – Raivis Belohvoščiks, Latvian cyclist
- 1976 – Emma Bunton, English singer
- 1976 – Lars Eidinger, German actor
- 1976 – Giorgio Frezzolini, Italian footballer
- 1976 – Igors Stepanovs, Latvian footballer
- 1977 – Hussein Abdulghani, Saudi Arabian footballer
- 1977 – Bradley Carnell, South African footballer
- 1977 – John DeSantis, Canadian actor
- 1977 – Kirsten Klose, German hammer thrower
- 1977 – Denis Lunghi, Italian cyclist
- 1977 – Ulrike Maisch, German runner
- 1977 – Phil Neville, English footballer and manager
- 1977 – Michael Ruffin, American basketball player
- 1977 – Jerry Trainor, American actor, director, and producer
- 1978 – Faris Al-Sultan, German triathlete
- 1978 – Peter von Allmen, Swiss cross-country skier
- 1978 – Hernán Rodrigo López, Uruguayan footballer
- 1978 – Andrei Zyuzin, Russian ice hockey player
- 1979 – Quinton Jacobs, Namibian footballer
- 1979 – Byung-hyun Kim, South Korean baseball player
- 1979 – Spider Loc, American rapper and actor
- 1979 – Melendi, Spanish singer
- 1979 – Brian O’Driscoll, Irish rugby player
- 1979 – Sebastian Schindzielorz, German footballer
- 1980 – Troy Dumais, American diver
- 1980 – Karsten Forsterling, Australian rower
- 1980 – Dave Kitson, English footballer and manager
- 1980 – Lee Kyung-won, South Korean badminton player
- 1980 – Kevin McKenna, Canadian soccer player
- 1980 – Nana Mizuki, Japanese singer-songwriter and voice actress
- 1980 – Alexander Os, former Norwegian biathlete
- 1980 – Xavier Pons, Spanish rally diver
- 1980 – Mari Possa, El Salvadoran pornographic actress
- 1980 – Bratislav Ristić, Serbian footballer
- 1981 – Gillian Chung, Hong Kong singer-songwriter and actress
- 1981 – Ivan Ergić, Serbian footballer
- 1981 – Roberto Guana Italian footballer
- 1981 – Wu Hanxiong, Chinese fencer
- 1981 – Dany Heatley, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1981 – Andy Lee, South Korean singer and actor
- 1981 – Izabella Miko, Polish actress, dancer, and producer
- 1981 – Shawn Redhage, American-Australian basketball player
- 1981 – Michel Teló, Brazilian singer-songwriter
- 1981 – Jung Ryeo-won, South Korean actress
- 1981 – David F. Sandberg, Swedish filmmaker
- 1982 – Richard José Blanco, Venezuelan footballer
- 1982 – Adriano Ferreira Martins, Brazilian footballer
- 1982 – Nicolas Mahut, French tennis player
- 1982 – Sarah Ourahmoune, French boxer
- 1982 – Simon Rolfes, German footballer
- 1982 – Dean Whitehead, English footballer
- 1983 – Alex Acker, American basketball player
- 1983 – Monique Adamczak, Australian tennis player
- 1983 – Victor Leandro Bagy, Brazilian footballer
- 1983 – Ranko Despotović, Serbian footballer
- 1983 – Svetlana Khodchenkova, Russian actress
- 1983 – Marieke van den Ham, Dutch water polo player
- 1983 – Billy Mwanza, Zambian footballer
- 1983 – Maryse Ouellet, French-Canadian wrestler
- 1983 – Álvaro Quirós, Spanish golfer
- 1983 – Francesca Segat, Italian swimmer
- 1983 – Moritz Volz, German footballer, right back, football pundit and scout
- 1983 – Kelly VanderBeek, Canadian alpine skier
- 1984 – Leonardo Burián, Uruguayan footballer
- 1984 – Luke Grimes, American actor
- 1984 – Amy Hastings, American track and fielder
- 1984 – Alex Koslov, Moldovan-American wrestler
- 1984 – Dejan Milovanović, Serbian footballer
- 1984 – Wes Morgan, Jamaican footballer
- 1984 – Haloti Ngata, American footballer
- 1985 – Markus Berger, Austrian footballer
- 1985 – Artur Beterbiev, Russian boxer
- 1985 – Aura Dione, Danish singer and songwriter
- 1985 – Nick Gehlfuss, American actor
- 1985 – Salvatore Giunta, American sergeant, Medal of Honor recipient
- 1985 – Yumi Hara, Japanese voice actress and singer
- 1985 – Sasha Pivovarova, Russian model and actress
- 1985 – Rodrigo San Miguel, Spanish basketball player
- 1985 – Ri Se-gwang, North Korean artistic gymnast
- 1985 – Dmitri Sokolov, Russian basketball player
- 1985 – Ryan Suter, American ice hockey player
- 1986 – César Arzo, Spanish footballer
- 1986 – Edson Barboza, Brazilian mixed martial artist
- 1986 – João Gomes Júnior, Brazilian swimmer
- 1986 – Javi López, Spanish footballer
- 1986 – Gina Mambrú, volleyball player from Dominican Republic
- 1986 – Jonathan Quick, American ice hockey player
- 1986 – Mike Taylor, American basketball player
- 1986 – Óscar Vílchez, Peruvian footballer
- 1986 – Sushant Singh Rajput, Indian actor
- 1987 – Ioannis Athanasoulas, Greek basketball player
- 1987 – Andrei Cojocari, Moldovan footballer
- 1987 – Alexander Dercho, German footballer
- 1987 – Aida Hadzialic, Swedish politician
- 1987 – Shaun Keeling, South African rower
- 1987 – Augustine Kiprono Choge, Kenyan runner
- 1987 – Kevin Kratz, German footballer
- 1987 – Danny Munyao, Zambian footballer
- 1987 – Henrico Drost, Dutch footballer
- 1987 – Darren Helm, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1987 – Will Johnson, Canadian footballer
- 1987 – Mulopo Kudimbana, Congolese footballer
- 1987 – Nyasha Mushekwi, Zimbabwean footballer
- 1987 – Dominik Roels, German cyclist
- 1987 – Maša Zec Peškirič, Slovenian tennis player
- 1987 – Ikumi Yoshimatsu, Japanese actress
- 1988 – Glaiza de Castro, Filipino actress and singer
- 1988 – Ashton Eaton, American decathlete
- 1988 – Rolands Freimanis, Latvian basketball player
- 1988 – Vanessa Hessler, Italian-American model and actress
- 1988 – Aleksandar Lazevski, Macedonian footballer
- 1988 – Ángel Mena, Ecuadorian footballer
- 1988 – Valérie Tétreault, Canadian tennis player
- 1988 – Pieter Timmers, Belgian swimmer
- 1988 – Nemanja Tomić, Serbian footballer
- 1988 – Ben Turner, English footballer
- 1989 – Doğuş Balbay, Turkish basketball player
- 1989 – Kayla Banwarth, American indoor volleyball player
- 1989 – Férébory Doré, Congolese footballer
- 1989 – Sergey Fesikov, Russian swimmer
- 1989 – Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Armenian footballer
- 1989 – Matteo Pelucchi, Italian cyclist
- 1989 – Zhang Shuai, Chinese tennis player
- 1990 – Arash Afshin, Iranian footballer
- 1990 – Diogo Amado, Portuguese footballer
- 1990 – Andriy Bohdanov, Ukrainian footballer
- 1990 – Kelly Rohrbach, American model and actress
- 1990 – André Martins, Portuguese footballer
- 1990 – Knowledge Musona, Zimbabwean footballer
- 1990 – Jacob Smith, American actor
- 1990 – Doni Tata Pradita, Indonesian motorcycle racer
- 1991 – Ali Al-Busaidi, Omani footballer
- 1991 – Javier Calvo, Spanish actor and director
- 1991 – Mohammad Ghadir, Arab-Israeli footballer
- 1991 – Jan Hirt, Czech cyclist
- 1991 – Mateusz Mika, Polish volleyball player
- 1991 – Alfredo Ortuño, Spanish footballer
- 1991 – Marta Pagnini, Italian gymnast
- 1991 – Craig Roberts, Welsh actor and director
- 1991 – Luis Alfonso Rodríguez, Mexican footballer
- 1992 – Verónica Cepede Royg, Paraguayan tennis player
- 1992 – Sven Erik Bystrøm, Norwegian cyclist
- 1992 – James Duckworth, Australian tennis player
- 1992 – Kwame Karikari, Ghanaian footballer
- 1992 – Nicolás Mezquida, Uruguayan footballer
- 1992 – Roland Szolnoki, Hungarian footballer
- 1993 – Clément Mignon, French swimmer
- 1993 – Muralha, Brazilian footballer
- 1993 – Chiara Pierobon, Italian cyclist (d. 2015)
- 1994 – Amin Affane, Swedish footballer
- 1994 – Laura Robson, Australian-English tennis player
- 1994 – Kang Seung-yoon, South Korean singer-songwriter and actor
- 1994 – Nils Allen “Booboo” Stewart Jr., American actor
- 1994 – Lim Kim, South Korean singer and actress
- 1995 – Yulia Belorukova, Russian cross-country skier
- 1995 – Nguyễn Công Phượng, Vietnamese footballer
- 1995 – Marine Johannes, French basketball player
- 1995 – Alanna Kennedy, Australian footballer player
- 1996 – Marco Asensio, Spanish footballer
- 1996 – Aldo Kalulu, French footballer
- 1996 – Cristian Pavón, Argentine footballer
- 1997 – Jeremy Shada, American actor, musician and singer
- 1998 – Borna Sosa, Croatian footballer
- 1999 – Rubina Ali, Indian actress
- 2003 – Natalie Garcia, rhythmic gymnast
- 2004 – Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway, 2nd in line for the Norwegian throne
Deaths on January 21
- 420 – Yazdegerd I, king of the Sassanid Empire
- 496 – Epiphanius of Pavia, Italian bishop and saint (b. 438)
- 917 – Erchanger, Duke of Swabia (b. 880)
- 918 – Liu Zhijun, Chinese general
- 939 – Yang Pu, Chinese emperor (b. 900)
- 942 – An Chongrong, Chinese general (Five Dynasties)
- 945 – Yang Tan, Chinese general and governor
- 1118 – Pope Paschal II (b. 1050)
- 1203 – Agnes II, Abbess of Quedlinburg (b. 1139)
- 1320 – Árni Helgason, Icelandic bishop (b. c. 1260)
- 1527 – Juan de Grijalva, Spanish explorer (b. 1489)
- 1546 – Azai Sukemasa, Japanese daimyō (b. 1491)
- 1609 – Joseph Justus Scaliger, French historian and scholar (b. 1540)
- 1638 – Ignazio Donati, Italian composer (b. 1570)
- 1670 – Claude Duval, French highwayman (b. 1643)
- 1683 – Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury, English politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (b. 1621)
- 1699 – Obadiah Walker, English historian and academic (b. 1616)
- 1706 – Adrien Baillet, French scholar and critic (b. 1649)
- 1710 – Johann Georg Gichtel, German mystic and critic (b. 1638)
- 1722 – Charles Paulet, 2nd Duke of Bolton, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (b. 1661)
- 1731 – Ignjat Đurđević, Croatian poet and translator (b. 1675)
- 1773 – Alexis Piron, French playwright and author (b. 1689)
- 1774 – Mustafa III, Ottoman sultan (b. 1717)
- 1775 – Yemelyan Pugachev, Russian rebel (b. 1742)
- 1789 – Baron d’Holbach, French-German philosopher and author (b. 1723)
- 1793 – Louis XVI of France (b. 1754)
- 1795 – Samuel Wallis, English navigator and explorer (b. 1728)
- 1809 – Josiah Hornblower, American engineer and politician (b. 1729)
- 1814 – Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre, French botanist and author (b. 1737)
- 1823 – Cayetano José Rodríguez, Argentinian cleric, journalist, and poet (b. 1761)
- 1831 – Ludwig Achim von Arnim, German poet and author (b. 1781)
- 1851 – Albert Lortzing, German actor and composer (b. 1801)
- 1862 – Božena Němcová, Austrian-Czech author and poet (b. 1820)
- 1870 – Alexander Herzen, Russian philosopher and author (b. 1812)
- 1872 – Franz Grillparzer, Austrian playwright and poet (b. 1791)
- 1881 – Wilhelm Matthias Naeff, Swiss lawyer and politician (b. 1802)
- 1891 – Calixa Lavallée, Canadian-American lieutenant and composer (b. 1842)
- 1901 – Elisha Gray, American engineer, co-founded Western Electric (b. 1835)
- 1914 – Theodor Kittelsen, Norwegian painter and illustrator (b. 1857)
- 1918 – Jan Drozdowski, Polish pianist and music teacher (b. 1857)
- 1919 – Gojong of Korea (b. 1852)
- 1919 – Ahmed Muhtar Pasha, Ottoman general and politician, 277th Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire (b. 1839)
- 1924 – Vladimir Lenin, Russian lawyer and politician (b. 1870)
- 1926 – Camillo Golgi, Italian physician and pathologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1843)
- 1928 – George Washington Goethals, American general and engineer (b. 1858)
- 1931 – Felix Blumenfeld, Russian pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1863)
- 1932 – Lytton Strachey, English writer and critic (b. 1880)
- 1933 – George Moore, Irish author, poet, and critic (b. 1852)
- 1937 – Marie Prevost, Canadian-American actress and singer (b. 1898)
- 1938 – Georges Méliès, French actor, director, and producer (b. 1861)
- 1945 – Rash Behari Bose, Indian soldier and engineer (b. 1886)
- 1948 – Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari, Italian composer and educator (b. 1876)
- 1950 – George Orwell, British novelist, essayist, and critic (b. 1903)
- 1955 – Archie Hahn, German-American runner and coach (b. 1880)
- 1956 – Sam Langford, Canadian-American boxer (b. 1883)
- 1959 – Cecil B. DeMille, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1881)
- 1959 – Frances Gertrude McGill, pioneering Canadian forensic pathologist (b. 1882)
- 1959 – Carl Switzer, American child actor and hunting guide (b. 1927)
- 1960 – Matt Moore, Irish-American actor and director (b. 1888)
- 1961 – Blaise Cendrars, Swiss author and poet (b. 1887)
- 1963 – Acharya Shivpujan Sahay, Indian author, poet, and academic (b. 1893)
- 1963 – Spiros Xenos, Greek-Swedish painter (b. 1881)
- 1965 – Gwynne Evans, American swimmer and water polo player (b. 1880)
- 1967 – Ann Sheridan, American actress (b. 1915)
- 1968 – Will Lang, Jr., American journalist (b. 1914)
- 1977 – Sandro Penna, Italian poet and journalist (b. 1906)
- 1978 – Freda Utley, English scholar and author (b. 1898)
- 1983 – Lamar Williams, American bass player (b. 1949)
- 1984 – Giannis Skarimpas, Greek playwright and poet (b. 1893)
- 1984 – Jackie Wilson, American singer (b. 1934)
- 1985 – James Beard, American chef and author (b. 1903)
- 1985 – Eddie Graham, American wrestler and promoter (b. 1930)
- 1987 – Charles Goodell, American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician (b. 1926)
- 1988 – Vincent Lingiari, Australian Aboriginal rights activist (b. 1919)
- 1989 – Carl Furillo, American baseball player (b. 1922)
- 1989 – Billy Tipton, American pianist and saxophonist (b. 1914)
- 1993 – Charlie Gehringer, American baseball player and manager (b. 1903)
- 1994 – Bassel al-Assad, Son of the former President of the Syrian Arab Republic Hafez al-Assad (b. 1962)
- 1998 – Jack Lord, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1920)
- 1999 – Susan Strasberg, American actress (b. 1938)
- 2002 – Peggy Lee, American singer (b. 1920)
- 2003 – Paul Haines, American-Canadian poet and songwriter (b. 1933)
- 2003 – Paul Kuusberg, Estonian journalist and author (b. 1916)
- 2004 – Yordan Radichkov, Bulgarian author and playwright (b. 1929)
- 2005 – Theun de Vries, Dutch author and poet (b. 1907)
- 2005 – John L. Hess, American journalist and critic (b. 1917)
- 2005 – Kaljo Raid, Estonian cellist, composer, and pastor (b. 1921)
- 2006 – Ibrahim Rugova, Kosovo journalist and politician, 1st President of Kosovo (b. 1944)
- 2009 – Krista Kilvet, Estonian journalist, politician and diplomat (b. 1946)
- 2010 – Paul Quarrington, Canadian author, playwright, guitarist, and composer (b. 1953)
- 2011 – Theoni V. Aldredge, Greek-American costume designer (b. 1922)
- 2011 – Dennis Oppenheim, American sculptor and photographer (b. 1938)
- 2011 – E. V. V. Satyanarayana, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1958)
- 2013 – Ahmet Mete Işıkara, Turkish geophysicist and academic (b. 1941)
- 2013 – Chumpol Silpa-archa, Thai academic and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand (b. 1940)
- 2013 – Michael Winner, English director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1935)
- 2015 – Marcus Borg, American scholar, theologian, and author (b. 1942)
- 2015 – Leon Brittan, English lawyer and politician, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (b. 1939)
- 2015 – Johnnie Lewis, Liberian lawyer and politician, 18th Chief Justice of Liberia (b. 1946)
- 2016 – Bill Johnson, American skier (b. 1960)
- 2016 – Mrinalini Sarabhai, a 1992-Padma Bhushan award winner Indian classical dancer, choreographer and instructor. (b. 1918)
- 2019 – Kaye Ballard, American actress (b. 1925)
- 2019 – Henri, Count of Paris, Head of the House of Orléans (b. 1933)
- 2019 – Emiliano Sala, Argentine footballer (b. 1990)
- 2019 – Harris Wofford, American politician, author and civil rights activist (b. 1926)
- 2020 – Terry Jones, Welsh actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1942)
- 2020 – Morgan Wootten, American high school basketball coach (b. 1931)
Holidays and observances on January 21
- Babinden (Bulgaria, Serbia)
- Birthday of Princess Ingrid Alexandra (Norway)
- Christian feast day:
- Agnes
- Demiana (Coptic Church)
- Fructuosus
- John Yi Yun-il (one of The Korean Martyrs)
- Meinrad of Einsiedeln
- January 21 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Errol Barrow Day (Barbados)
- Flag Day (Quebec)
- Grandmother’s Day (Poland)
- Lady of Altagracia Day (Dominican Republic)
- Lincoln Alexander Day (Canada)