924

  • July 18- History, Events, Births, Deaths Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 477 BC – Battle of the Cremera as part of the Roman–Etruscan Wars. Veii ambushes and defeats the Roman army.
    • 387 BC– Roman-Gaulish Wars: Battle of the Allia: A Roman army is defeated by raiding Gauls, leading to the subsequent sacking of Rome.
    • 362 – Roman–Persian Wars: Emperor Julian arrives at Antioch with a Roman expeditionary force (60,000 men) and stays there for nine months to launch a campaign against the Persian Empire.
    • 452 – Sack of Aquileia: After an earlier defeat on the Catalaunian Plains, Attila lays siege to the metropolis of Aquileia and eventually destroys it.
    • 645 – Chinese forces under general Li Shiji besiege the strategic fortress city of Anshi (Liaoning) during the Goguryeo–Tang War.
    • 1195 – Battle of Alarcos: Almohad forces defeat the Castilian army of Alfonso VIII and force its retreat to Toledo.
    • 1290 – King Edward I of England issues the Edict of Expulsion, banishing all Jews (numbering about 16,000) from England; this was Tisha B’Av on the Hebrew calendar, a day that commemorates many Jewish calamities.
    • 1334 – The bishop of Florence blesses the first foundation stone for the new campanile (bell tower) of the Florence Cathedral, designed by the artist Giotto di Bondone.
    • 1389 – France and England agree to the Truce of Leulinghem, inaugurating a 13-year peace, the longest period of sustained peace during the Hundred Years’ War.
    • 1391 – Tokhtamysh–Timur war: Battle of the Kondurcha River: Timur defeats Tokhtamysh of the Golden Horde in present-day southeast Russia.
    • 1507 – In Brussels, Prince Charles I, is crowned Duke of Burgundy and Count of Flanders, a year after inheriting the title.
    • 1555 – The College of Arms is reincorporated by Royal charter signed by Queen Mary I of England and King Philip II of Spain.
    • 1806 – A gunpowder magazine explosion in Birgu, Malta, kills around 200 people.
    • 1812 – The Treaties of Orebro end both the Anglo-Russian and Anglo-Swedish Wars.
    • 1841 – Coronation of Emperor Pedro II of Brazil.
    • 1857 – Louis Faidherbe, French governor of Senegal, arrives to relieve French forces at Kayes, effectively ending El Hajj Umar Tall’s war against the French.
    • 1862 – First ascent of Dent Blanche, one of the highest summits in the Alps.
    • 1863 – American Civil War: Second Battle of Fort Wagner: One of the first formal African American military units, the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, supported by several white regiments, attempts an unsuccessful assault on Confederate-held Battery Wagner.
    • 1870 – The First Vatican Council decrees the dogma of papal infallibility.
    • 1872 – The Ballot Act 1872 in the United Kingdom introduced the requirement that parliamentary and local government elections be held by secret ballot.
    • 1914 – The U.S. Congress forms the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps, giving official status to aircraft within the U.S. Army for the first time.
    • 1925 – Adolf Hitler publishes Mein Kampf.
    • 1936 – On the Spanish mainland, a faction of the army supported by fascists, rises up against the Second Spanish Republic in a coup d’etat starting the 3-year-long Civil War, resulting in the longest dictatorship in modern European history.
    • 1942 – World War II: During the Beisfjord massacre in Norway, 15 Norwegian paramilitary guards help members of the SS to kill 288 political prisoners from Yugoslavia.
    • 1942 – The Germans test fly the Messerschmitt Me 262 using its jet engines for the first time.
    • 1944 – World War II: Hideki Tōjō resigns as Prime Minister of Japan because of numerous setbacks in the war effort.
    • 1966 – Human spaceflight: Gemini 10 is launched from Cape Kennedy on a 70-hour mission that includes docking with an orbiting Agena target vehicle.
    • 1966 – A racially charged incident in a bar sparks the six-day Hough riots in Cleveland, Ohio; 1,700 Ohio National Guard troops intervene to restore order.
    • 1968 – Intel is founded in Mountain View, California.
    • 1976 – Nadia Comăneci becomes the first person in Olympic Games history to score a perfect 10 in gymnastics at the 1976 Summer Olympics.
    • 1982 – Two hundred sixty-eight Guatemalan campesinos (“peasants” or “country people”) are slain in the Plan de Sánchez massacre.
    • 1984 – McDonald’s massacre in San Ysidro, California: In a fast-food restaurant, James Oliver Huberty opens fire, killing 21 people and injuring 19 others before being shot dead by police.
    • 1992 – A picture of Les Horribles Cernettes was taken, which became the first ever photo posted to the World Wide Web.
    • 1994 – The bombing of the Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina (Argentine Jewish Community Center) in Buenos Aires kills 85 people (mostly Jewish) and injures 300.
    • 1994 – Rwandan genocide: The Rwandan Patriotic Front takes control of Gisenyi and north western Rwanda, forcing the interim government into Zaire and ending the genocide.
    • 1995 – On the Caribbean island of Montserrat, the Soufrière Hills volcano erupts. Over the course of several years, it devastates the island, destroying the capital, forcing most of the population to flee.
    • 1996 – Storms provoke severe flooding on the Saguenay River, beginning one of Quebec’s costliest natural disasters ever.
    • 1996 – Battle of Mullaitivu: The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam capture the Sri Lanka Army’s base, killing over 1200 soldiers.
    • 2012 – At least seven people are killed and 32 others are injured after a bomb explodes on an Israeli tour bus at Burgas Airport, Bulgaria.
    • 2013 – The Government of Detroit, with up to $20 billion in debt, files for the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history.
    • 2019 – A man sets fire to an anime studio in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Japan, killing at 35 people and injuring dozens of others.

    Births on July 18

    • 1013 – Hermann of Reichenau, German composer, mathematician, and astronomer (b. 1013)
    • 1501 – Isabella of Austria, queen of Denmark (d. 1526)
    • 1504 – Heinrich Bullinger, Swiss pastor and reformer (d. 1575)
    • 1534 – Zacharius Ursinus, German theologian (d. 1583)
    • 1552 – Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1612)
    • 1634 – Johannes Camphuys, Dutch politician, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (d. 1695)
    • 1659 – Hyacinthe Rigaud, French painter (d. 1743)
    • 1670 – Giovanni Bononcini, Italian cellist and composer (d. 1747)
    • 1702 – Maria Clementina Sobieska, Polish noble (d. 1735)
    • 1718 – Saverio Bettinelli, Italian poet, playwright, and critic (d. 1808)
    • 1720 – Gilbert White, English ornithologist and ecologist (d. 1793)
    • 1724 – Maria Antonia of Bavaria, Electress of Saxony (d. 1780)
    • 1750 – Frederick Adolf, duke of Östergötland (d. 1803)
    • 1796 – Immanuel Hermann Fichte, German philosopher and academic (d. 1879)
    • 1811 – William Makepeace Thackeray, English author and poet (d. 1863)
    • 1818 – Louis Gerhard De Geer, Swedish lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Sweden (d. 1896)
    • 1821 – Pauline Viardot, French soprano and composer (d. 1910)
    • 1837 – Vasil Levski, Bulgarian priest and activist (d. 1873)
    • 1843 – Virgil Earp, American marshal (d. 1905)
    • 1845 – Tristan Corbière, French poet (d. 1875)
    • 1848 – W. G. Grace, English cricketer and physician (d. 1915)
    • 1853 – Hendrik Lorentz, Dutch physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1928)
    • 1861 – Kadambini Ganguly, Indian physician, one of the first Indian women to obtain a degree (d. 1923)
    • 1864 – Philip Snowden, 1st Viscount Snowden, English politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (d. 1937)
    • 1867 – Margaret Brown, American philanthropist and activist (d. 1932)
    • 1871 – Giacomo Balla, Italian painter (d.1958)
    • 1871 – Sada Yacco, Japanese actress and dancer (d. 1946)
    • 1881 – Larry McLean, Canadian-American baseball player (d. 1921)
    • 1884 – Alberto di Jorio, Italian cardinal (d. 1979)
    • 1886 – Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr., American general (d. 1945)
    • 1887 – Vidkun Quisling, Norwegian military officer and politician, Minister President of Norway (d. 1945)
    • 1889 – Kōichi Kido, Japanese politician, 13th Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal of Japan (d. 1977)
    • 1890 – Frank Forde, Australian educator and politician, 15th Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1983)
    • 1892 – Arthur Friedenreich, Brazilian footballer (d. 1969)
    • 1893 – David Ogilvy, 12th Earl of Airlie, Scottish peer, soldier and courtier (d. 1968)
    • 1895 – Olga Spessivtseva, Russian-American ballerina (d. 1991)
    • 1895 – Machine Gun Kelly, American gangster (d. 1954)
    • 1897 – Ernest Eldridge, English race car driver and engineer (d. 1935)
    • 1898 – John Stuart, Scottish-English actor (d. 1979)
    • 1899 – Ernst Scheller, German soldier and politician, 8th Mayor of Marburg (d. 1942)
    • 1900 – Nathalie Sarraute, French lawyer and author (d. 1999)
    • 1902 – Jessamyn West, American author (d. 1984)
    • 1902 – Chill Wills, American actor (d. 1978)
    • 1905 – Robert Elton Brooker, American business executive (d. 2000)
    • 1906 – S. I. Hayakawa, Canadian-American academic and politician (d. 1992)
    • 1906 – Clifford Odets, American director, playwright, and screenwriter (d. 1963)
    • 1908 – Peace Pilgrim, American mystic and activist (d. 1981)
    • 1908 – Lupe Vélez, Mexican-American actress and dancer (d. 1944)
    • 1908 – Beatrice Aitchison, American mathematician, statistician, and transportation economist (d. 1997)
    • 1909 – Bishnu Dey, Indian poet, critic, and academic (d. 1982)
    • 1909 – Andrei Gromyko, Belarusian-Russian economist and politician, Soviet Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 1989)
    • 1909 – Mohammed Daoud Khan, Afghan commander and politician, 1st President of Afghanistan (d. 1978)
    • 1909 – Harriet Nelson, American singer and actress (d. 1994)
    • 1910 – Diptendu Pramanick, Indian businessman (d. 1989)
    • 1910 – Mamadou Dia, Senegalese politician; 1st Prime Minister of Senegal (d. 2009)
    • 1911 – Hume Cronyn, Canadian-American actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2003)
    • 1913 – Red Skelton, American actor and comedian (d. 1997)
    • 1914 – Gino Bartali, Italian cyclist (d. 2000)
    • 1914 – Oscar Heisserer, French footballer (d. 2004)
    • 1915 – Carequinha, Brazilian clown and actor (d. 2006)
    • 1915 – Roxana Cannon Arsht, American judge (d. 2003)
    • 1915 – Louis Le Bailly, British Royal Navy officer (d. 2010)
    • 1916 – Charles Kittel, American physicist (d. 2019)
    • 1917 – Henri Salvador, French singer and guitarist (d. 2008)
    • 1917 – Paul Streeten, Austrian-born British economics professor (d. 2019)
    • 1918 – Nelson Mandela, South African lawyer and politician, 1st President of South Africa, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2013)
    • 1919 – Lilia Dale, Italian actress
    • 1920 – Eric Brandon, English race car driver and businessman (d. 1982)
    • 1921 – Peter Austin, English brewer, founded Ringwood Brewery (d. 2014)
    • 1921 – Aaron T. Beck, American psychiatrist and academic
    • 1921 – John Glenn, American colonel, astronaut, and politician (d. 2016)
    • 1921 – Richard Leacock, English-French director and producer (d. 2011)
    • 1921 – Heinz Bennent, German actor (d. 2011)
    • 1922 – Thomas Kuhn, American physicist, historian, and philosopher (d. 1996)
    • 1923 – Jerome H. Lemelson, American engineer and businessman (d. 1997)
    • 1923 – Michael Medwin, English actor (d. 2020)
    • 1924 – Inge Sørensen, Danish swimmer (d. 2011)
    • 1924 – Tullio Altamura, Italian actor
    • 1925 – Shirley Strickland, Australian runner and hurdler (d. 2004)
    • 1925 – Friedrich Zimmermann, German lawyer and politician, German Federal Minister of the Interior (d. 2012)
    • 1925 – Raymond Jones, Australian Modernist architect
    • 1925 – Windy McCall, American baseball relief pitcher (d. 2015)
    • 1926 – Margaret Laurence, Canadian author and academic (d. 1987)
    • 1926 – Nita Bieber, American actress (d. 2019)
    • 1926 – Bernard Pons, French politician and medical doctor
    • 1926 – Maunu Kurkvaara, Finnish film director and screenwriter
    • 1927 – Mehdi Hassan, Pakistani ghazal singer and playback singer (d. 2012)
    • 1927 – Kurt Masur, German conductor and educator (d. 2015)
    • 1927 – Antonio García-Trevijano, Spanish republican, political activist, and author (d. 2018)
    • 1927 – Keith MacDonald, Canadian politician
    • 1927 – Anthony Mirra, American gangster, member of the Bonanno Crime Family (d. 1982)
    • 1928 – Andrea Gallo, Italian priest and author (d. 2013)
    • 1928 – Baddiewinkle, American internet personality
    • 1929 – Dick Button, American figure skater and actor
    • 1929 – Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, American R&B singer-songwriter, musician, and actor (d. 2000)
    • 1932 – Robert Ellis Miller, American director and screenwriter (d. 2017)
    • 1933 – Jean Yanne, French actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2003)
    • 1933 – Yevgeny Yevtushenko, Russian poet and playwright (d. 2017)
    • 1934 – Edward Bond, English director, playwright, and screenwriter
    • 1934 – Darlene Conley, American actress (d. 2007)
    • 1935 – Tenley Albright, American figure skater and physician
    • 1935 – Jayendra Saraswathi, Indian guru, 69th Shankaracharya
    • 1937 – Roald Hoffmann, Polish chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1937 – Hunter S. Thompson, American journalist and author (d. 2005)
    • 1938 – John Connelly, English footballer (d. 2012)
    • 1938 – Ian Stewart, Scottish keyboard player and manager (d. 1985)
    • 1938 – Paul Verhoeven, Dutch director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1939 – Brian Auger, English rock and jazz keyboard player
    • 1939 – Dion DiMucci, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1939 – Jerry Moore, American football player and coach
    • 1940 – James Brolin, American actor
    • 1940 – Joe Torre, American baseball player and manager
    • 1941 – Frank Farian, German songwriter and producer
    • 1941 – Lonnie Mack, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2016)
    • 1941 – Martha Reeves, American singer and politician
    • 1942 – Giacinto Facchetti, Italian footballer (d. 2006)
    • 1942 – Adolf Ogi, Swiss politician, 84th President of the Swiss Confederation
    • 1943 – Joseph J. Ellis, American historian and author
    • 1944 – David Hemery, English hurdler and author
    • 1945 – Pat Doherty, Irish Republican politician
    • 1946 – Kalpana Mohan, Indian actress
    • 1946 – John Naughton, Scottish-Irish journalist, author, and academic
    • 1947 – Steve Forbes, American publisher and politician
    • 1948 – Carlos Colón Sr., Puerto Rican-American wrestler and promoter
    • 1948 – Jeanne Córdova, American journalist and activist (d. 2016)
    • 1948 – Graham Spanier, 16th President of Pennsylvania State University
    • 1948 – Hartmut Michel, German biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1949 – Dennis Lillee, Australian cricketer and coach
    • 1950 – Richard Branson, English businessman, founded Virgin Group
    • 1950 – Jack Dongarra, American computer scientist and academic
    • 1950 – Kostas Eleftherakis, Greek footballer
    • 1950 – Glenn Hughes, American disco singer (Village People) and actor (d. 2001)
    • 1950 – Jack Layton, Canadian political scientist, academic, and politician (d. 2011)
    • 1950 – Mark Udall, American educator and politician
    • 1951 – Elio Di Rupo, Belgian chemist, academic, and politician, 68th Prime Minister of Belgium
    • 1951 – Margo Martindale, American actress
    • 1954 – Ricky Skaggs, American singer-songwriter, mandolin player, and producer
    • 1955 – Bernd Fasching, Austrian painter and sculptor
    • 1957 – Nick Faldo, English golfer and sportscaster
    • 1957 – Keith Levene, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer
    • 1960 – Simon Heffer, English journalist and author
    • 1961 – Elizabeth McGovern, American actress
    • 1961 – Alan Pardew, English footballer and manager
    • 1961 – Pasi Rautiainen, Finnish footballer, coach, and manager
    • 1962 – Shaun Micallef, Australian comedian, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1963 – Marc Girardelli, Austrian-Luxembourgian skier
    • 1963 – Martín Torrijos, Panamanian economist and politician, 35th President of Panama
    • 1964 – Wendy Williams, American talk show host
    • 1965 – Vesselina Kasarova, Bulgarian soprano
    • 1966 – Dan O’Brien, American decathlete and coach
    • 1967 – Vin Diesel, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter1968 – Grant Bowler, New Zealand-Australian actor
    • 1968 – Scott Gourley, Australian rugby player
    • 1969 – Elizabeth Gilbert, American author
    • 1969 – The Great Sasuke, Japanese wrestler and politician
    • 1971 – Penny Hardaway, American basketball player and coach
    • 1971 – Sukhwinder Singh, Indian singer-songwriter and actor
    • 1974 – Alan Morrison, British poet
    • 1975 – Torii Hunter, American baseball player
    • 1975 – Daron Malakian, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1975 – M.I.A., English rapper and producer5
    • 1976 – Elsa Pataky, Spanish actress
    • 1976 – Go Soo-hee, South Korean actress
    • 1977 – Alexander Morozevich, Russian chess player and author
    • 1978 – Adabel Guerrero, Argentinian actress, singer, and dancer
    • 1978 – Shane Horgan, Irish rugby player and sportscaster
    • 1978 – Crystal Mangum, American murderer responsible for making false rape allegations in the Duke lacrosse case
    • 1978 – Joo Sang-wook, South Korean actor
    • 1978 – Ben Sheets, American baseball player and coach
    • 1978 – Mélissa Theuriau, French journalist
    • 1979 – Deion Branch, American football player
    • 1979 – Joey Mercury, American wrestler and producer
    • 1980 – Kristen Bell, American actress
    • 1981 – Dennis Seidenberg, German ice hockey player
    • 1982 – Ryan Cabrera, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1982 – Priyanka Chopra, Indian actress, singer, and film producer
    • 1982 – Carlo Costly, Honduran footballer
    • 1983 – Carlos Diogo, Uruguayan footballer
    • 1983 – Aaron Gillespie, American singer-songwriter and drummer
    • 1983 – Mikk Pahapill, Estonian decathlete
    • 1983 – Jan Schlaudraff, German footballer
    • 1985 – Chace Crawford, American actor
    • 1985 – Panagiotis Lagos, Greek footballer
    • 1985 – James Norton, English actor
    • 1986 – Natalia Mikhailova, Russian ice dancer
    • 1987 – Tontowi Ahmad, Indonesian badminton player
    • 1988 – Änis Ben-Hatira, German-Tunisian footballer
    • 1988 – César Villaluz, Mexican footballer
    • 1989 – Jamie Benn, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1989 – Sebastian Mielitz, German footballer
    • 1989 – Yohan Mollo, French footballer
    • 1993 – Lee Tae-min, South Korean singer and actor
    • 1993 – Michael Lichaa, Australian rugby league player
    • 1994 – Nilo Soares, East Timorese footballer
    • 1997 – Noah Lyles, American sprinter
    • 2001 – Agustina Roth, Argentine BMX rider

    Deaths on July 18

    • 707 – Emperor Monmu of Japan (b. 683)
    • 715 – Muhammad bin Qasim, Umayyad general (b. 695)
    • 912 – Zhu Wen, Chinese emperor (b. 852)
    • 924 – Abu’l-Hasan Ali ibn al-Furat, Abbasid vizier (b. 855)
    • 928 – Stephen II, patriarch of Constantinople
    • 984 – Dietrich I, bishop of Metz
    • 1100 – Godfrey of Bouillon, Frankish knight (b. 1016)
    • 1185 – Stefan, first Archbishop of Uppsala (b. before 1143)
    • 1194 – Guy of Lusignan, king consort of Jerusalem (b. c. 1150)
    • 1232 – John de Braose, Marcher Lord of Bramber and Gower
    • 1270 – Boniface of Savoy, Archbishop of Canterbury
    • 1300 – Gerard Segarelli, Italian religious leader, founded the Apostolic Brethren (b. 1240)
    • 1450 – Francis I, Duke of Brittany (b. 1414)
    • 1488 – Alvise Cadamosto, Italian explorer (b. 1432)
    • 1566 – Bartolomé de las Casas, Spanish bishop and historian (b. 1484)
    • 1591 – Jacobus Gallus, Slovenian composer (b. 1550)
    • 1608 – Joachim Frederick, Elector of Brandenburg (b. 1546)
    • 1610 – Caravaggio, Italian painter (b. 1571)
    • 1639 – Bernard of Saxe-Weimar, German general (b. 1604)
    • 1650 – Robert Levinz, English Royalist, hanged in London by Parliamentary forces as a spy (b. 1615)
    • 1695 – Johannes Camphuys, Dutch politician, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (b. 1634)
    • 1698 – Johann Heinrich Heidegger, Swiss theologian and author (b. 1633)
    • 1721 – Jean-Antoine Watteau, French painter (b. 1684)
    • 1730 – François de Neufville, duc de Villeroy, French general (b. 1644)
    • 1756 – Pieter Langendijk, Dutch poet and playwright (b. 1683)
    • 1792 – John Paul Jones, Scottish-American admiral and diplomat (b. 1747)
    • 1817 – Jane Austen, English novelist (b. 1775)
    • 1837 – Vincenzo Borg, Maltese merchant and rebel leader (b. 1777)
    • 1863 – Robert Gould Shaw, American colonel (b. 1837)
    • 1872 – Benito Juárez, Mexican lawyer and politician, 26th President of Mexico (b. 1806)
    • 1884 – Ferdinand von Hochstetter, Austrian geologist and academic (b. 1829)
    • 1887 – Dorothea Dix, American social reformer and activist (b. 1802)
    • 1890 – Lydia Becker, English journalist, author, and activist, co-founded the Women’s Suffrage Journal (b. 1827)
    • 1892 – Thomas Cook, English travel agent, founded the Thomas Cook Group (b. 1808)
    • 1899 – Horatio Alger, American novelist and journalist (b. 1832)
    • 1916 – Benjamin C. Truman, American journalist and author (b. 1835)
    • 1925 – Louis-Nazaire Bégin, Canadian cardinal (b. 1840)
    • 1932 – Jean Jules Jusserand, French author and diplomat, French Ambassador to the United States (b. 1855)
    • 1937 – Julian Bell, English poet and academic (b. 1908)
    • 1938 – Marie of Romania (b. 1875)
    • 1944 – Thomas Sturge Moore, English author, poet, and playwright (b. 1870)
    • 1947 – Evald Tipner, Estonian footballer and ice hockey player (b. 1906)
    • 1948 – Herman Gummerus, Finnish historian, academic, and politician (b. 1877)
    • 1949 – Vítězslav Novák, Czech composer and educator (b. 1870)
    • 1949 – Francisco Javier Arana, Guatemalan Army colonel and briefly Guatemalan head of state (b.1905)
    • 1950 – Carl Clinton Van Doren, American critic and biographer (b. 1885)
    • 1952 – Paul Saintenoy, Belgian architect and historian (b. 1862)
    • 1954 – Machine Gun Kelly, American gangster (b. 1895)
    • 1966 – Bobby Fuller, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1942)
    • 1968 – Corneille Heymans, Belgian physiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1892)
    • 1969 – Mary Jo Kopechne, American educator and secretary (b. 1940)
    • 1973 – Jack Hawkins, English actor (b. 1910)
    • 1975 – Vaughn Bodē, American illustrator (b. 1941)
    • 1981 – Sonja Branting-Westerståhl, Swedish lawyer (b. 1890)
    • 1982 – Roman Jakobson, Russian–American linguist and theorist (b. 1896)
    • 1984 – Lally Bowers, English actress (b. 1914)
    • 1984 – Grigori Kromanov, Estonian director and screenwriter (b. 1926)
    • 1987 – Gilberto Freyre, Brazilian sociologist, anthropologist, historian, writer, painter, journalist and congressman (b. 1907)
    • 1988 – Nico, German singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and actress (b. 1938)
    • 1988 – Joly Braga Santos, Portuguese composer and conductor (b. 1924)
    • 1989 – Donnie Moore, American baseball player (b. 1954)
    • 1989 – Rebecca Schaeffer, American model and actress (b.1967)
    • 1990 – Karl Menninger, American psychiatrist and author (b. 1896)
    • 1990 – Yun Posun, South Korean politician, 2nd President of South Korea (b. 1897)
    • 2001 – Mimi Fariña, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1945)
    • 2002 – Metin Toker, Turkish journalist and author (b. 1924)
    • 2004 – André Castelot, Belgian-French historian and author (b. 1911)
    • 2004 – Émile Peynaud, French wine maker (b. 1912)
    • 2005 – Amy Gillett, Australian cyclist and rower (b. 1976)
    • 2005 – William Westmoreland, American general (b. 1914)
    • 2006 – Henry Hewes, American theater writer (b. 1917)
    • 2007 – Jerry Hadley, American tenor (b. 1952)
    • 2007 – Kenji Miyamoto, Japanese politician (b. 1908)
    • 2009 – Henry Allingham, English soldier (b. 1896)
    • 2009 – Jill Balcon, English actress (b. 1925)
    • 2012 – Yosef Shalom Eliashiv, Lithuanian-Israeli rabbi and author (b. 1910)
    • 2012 – Jean François-Poncet, French politician and diplomat, French Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1928)
    • 2012 – Dawoud Rajiha, Syrian general and politician, Syrian Minister of Defense (b. 1947)
    • 2012 – Assef Shawkat, Syrian general and politician (b. 1950)
    • 2012 – Hasan Turkmani, Syrian general and politician, Syrian Minister of Defense (b. 1935)
    • 2012 – Rajesh Khanna, Indian actor (b. 1942)
    • 2013 – Vaali, Indian poet, songwriter, and actor (b. 1931)
    • 2013 – Olivier Ameisen, French-American cardiologist and academic (b. 1953)
    • 2014 – Andreas Biermann, German footballer (b. 1980)
    • 2014 – João Ubaldo Ribeiro, Brazilian journalist, author, and academic (b. 1941)
    • 2014 – Dietmar Schönherr, Austrian-Spanish actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1926)
    • 2015 – Alex Rocco, American actor (b. 1936)
    • 2018 – Jonathan Gold, American food critic (b. 1960)
    • 2018 – Adrian Cronauer, American Radio personality (b. 1938)

    Holidays and observances on July 18

    • Christian feast day:
      • Arnulf of Metz
      • Bartolomé de las Casas (Episcopal Church (USA))
      • Bruno of Segni
      • Camillus de Lellis (optional memorial, United States only)
      • Eadburh (or Edburga) of Bicester
      • Elizabeth Ferard (Church of England)
      • Frederick of Utrecht
      • Goneri of Brittany
      • Gundenis
      • Marina of Aguas Santas
      • Maternus of Milan
      • Minnborinus of Cologne
      • Pambo
      • Philastrius (or Filaster)
      • Symphorosa
      • Teneu (or Theneva)
      • Theodosia of Constantinople
      • July 18 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Constitution Day (Uruguay)
    • Nelson Mandela International Day

  • July 17 – History, Events, Births, Deaths Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 180 – Twelve inhabitants of Scillium (near Kasserine, modern-day Tunisia) in North Africa are executed for being Christians. This is the earliest record of Christianity in that part of the world.
    • 1048 – Damasus II is elected pope.
    • 1203 – The Fourth Crusade captures Constantinople by assault. The Byzantine emperor Alexios III Angelos flees from his capital into exile.
    • 1402 – Zhu Di, better known by his era name as the Yongle Emperor, assumes the throne over the Ming dynasty of China.
    • 1429 – Hundred Years’ War: Charles VII of France is crowned the King of France in the Reims Cathedral after a successful campaign by Joan of Arc.
    • 1453 – Battle of Castillon: The last battle of Hundred Years’ War, the French under Jean Bureau defeat the English under the Earl of Shrewsbury, who is killed in the battle in Gascony.
    • 1717 – King George I of Great Britain sails down the River Thames with a barge of 50 musicians, where George Frideric Handel’s Water Music is premiered.
    • 1762 – Catherine II becomes tsar of Russia upon the murder of Peter III of Russia.
    • 1771 – Bloody Falls massacre: Chipewyan chief Matonabbee, traveling as the guide to Samuel Hearne on his Arctic overland journey, massacres a group of unsuspecting Inuit.
    • 1791 – Members of the French National Guard under the command of General Lafayette open fire on a crowd of radical Jacobins at the Champ de Mars, Paris, during the French Revolution, killing scores of people.
    • 1794 – The 16 Carmelite Martyrs of Compiègne are executed ten days prior to the end of the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror.
    • 1867 – Harvard School of Dental Medicine is established in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the first dental school in the U.S. that is affiliated with a university.
    • 1821: The Kingdom of Spain cedes the territory of Florida to the United States.
    • 1899 – NEC Corporation is organized as the first Japanese joint venture with foreign capital.
    • 1902 – Willis Carrier creates the first air conditioner in Buffalo, New York.
    • 1917 – King George V issues a Proclamation stating that the male line descendants of the British Royal Family will bear the surname Windsor.
    • 1918 – Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and his immediate family and retainers are executed by Bolshevik Chekists at the Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg, Russia.
    • 1918 – The RMS Carpathia, the ship that rescued the 705 survivors from the RMS Titanic, is sunk off Ireland by the German SM U-55; five lives are lost.
    • 1932 – Altona Bloody Sunday: A riot between the Nazi Party paramilitary forces, the SS and SA, and the German Communist Party ensues.
    • 1936 – Spanish Civil War: An Armed Forces rebellion against the recently elected leftist Popular Front government of Spain starts the civil war.
    • 1938 – Douglas Corrigan takes off from Brooklyn to fly the “wrong way” to Ireland and becomes known as “Wrong Way” Corrigan.
    • 1944 – Port Chicago disaster: Near the San Francisco Bay, two ships laden with ammunition for the war explode in Port Chicago, California, killing 320.
    • 1944 – World War II: At Sainte-Foy-de-Montgommery. in Normandy Field Marshal Erwin Rommel was strafed by allied aircraft while returning to his headquarters.
    • 1945 – World War II: The main three leaders of the Allied nations, Winston Churchill, Harry S. Truman and Joseph Stalin, meet in the German city of Potsdam to decide the future of a defeated Germany.
    • 1953 – The largest number of United States midshipman casualties in a single event results from an aircraft crash in Florida, killing 44.
    • 1955 – Disneyland is dedicated and opened by Walt Disney in Anaheim, California.
    • 1962 – Nuclear weapons testing: The “Small Boy” test shot Little Feller I becomes the last atmospheric test detonation at the Nevada National Security Site.
    • 1968 – Abdul Rahman Arif is overthrown and the Ba’ath Party is installed as the governing power in Iraq with Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr as the new Iraqi President.
    • 1973 – King Mohammed Zahir Shah of Afghanistan, while having surgery in Italy, is deposed by his cousin Mohammed Daoud Khan.
    • 1975 – Apollo–Soyuz Test Project: An American Apollo and a Soviet Soyuz spacecraft dock with each other in orbit marking the first such link-up between spacecraft from the two nations.
    • 1976 – East Timor is annexed, and becomes the 27th province of Indonesia.
    • 1976 – The opening of the Summer Olympics in Montreal is marred by 25 African teams boycotting the games because of New Zealand’s participation. Contrary to rulings by other international sports organizations, the IOC had declined to exclude New Zealand because of their participation in South African sporting events during apartheid.
    • 1979 – Nicaraguan dictator General Anastasio Somoza Debayle resigns and flees to Miami, Florida, United States.
    • 1981 – A structural failure leads to the collapse of a walkway at the Hyatt Regency in Kansas City, Missouri, killing 114 people and injuring more than 200.
    • 1984 – The national drinking age in the United States was changed from 18 to 21.
    • 1985 – Founding of the EUREKA Network by former head of states François Mitterrand (France) and Helmut Kohl (Germany).
    • 1989 – First flight of the B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber.
    • 1989 – Holy See–Poland relations are restored.
    • 1996 – TWA Flight 800: Off the coast of Long Island, New York, a Paris-bound TWA Boeing 747 explodes, killing all 230 on board.
    • 1998 – The 7.0 Mw  Papua New Guinea earthquake triggers a tsunami that destroys ten villages in Papua New Guinea, killing up to 2,700 people, and leaving several thousand injured.
    • 1998 – A diplomatic conference adopts the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, establishing a permanent international court to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression.
    • 2000 – During approach to Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Airport, Alliance Air Flight 7412 suddenly crashes into a residential neighborhood in Patna, killing 60 people.
    • 2001 – Concorde is brought back into service nearly a year after the July 2000 crash.
    • 2006 – The 7.7 Mw  Pangandaran tsunami earthquake severely affects the Indonesian island of Java, killing 668 people, and leaving more than 9,000 injured.
    • 2007 – TAM Airlines Flight 3054, an Airbus A320, crashes into a warehouse after landing too fast and missing the end of the São Paulo–Congonhas Airport runway, killing 199 people.
    • 2014 – Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, a Boeing 777, crashes near the border of Ukraine and Russia after being shot down. All 298 people on board are killed.
    • 2014 – A French regional train on the Pau-Bayonne line crashes into a high-speed train near the town of Denguin, resulting in at least 25 injuries.
    • 2015 – At least 120 people are killed and 130 injured by a suicide bombing in Diyala Governorate, Iraq.
    • 2018 – 12 new moons are discovered orbiting. Jupiter

    Births on July 17

    • 1487 – Ismail I of Iran (d. 1524)
    • 1499 – Maria Salviati, Italian noblewoman (d. 1543)
    • 1531 – Antoine de Créqui Canaples, Roman Catholic cardinal (d. 1574)
    • 1674 – Isaac Watts, English hymnwriter and theologian (d. 1748)
    • 1695 – Christian Karl Reinhard of Leiningen-Dachsburg-Falkenburg-Heidesheim (d. 1766)
    • 1698 – Pierre Louis Maupertuis, French mathematician and philosopher (d. 1759)
    • 1708 – Frederick Christian, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth (d. 1769)
    • 1714 – Alexander Gottlieb Baumgarten, German philosopher and academic (d. 1762)
    • 1744 – Elbridge Gerry, American merchant and politician, 5th Vice President of the United States (d. 1814)
    • 1763 – John Jacob Astor, German-American businessman and philanthropist (d. 1848)
    • 1774 – John Wilbur, American minister and theologian (d. 1856)
    • 1797 – Paul Delaroche, French painter and academic (d. 1856)
    • 1823 – Leander Clark, American businessman, judge, and politician (d. 1910)
    • 1831 – Xianfeng Emperor of China (d. 1861)
    • 1837 – Joseph-Alfred Mousseau, Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician, 7th Secretary of State for Canada (d. 1886)
    • 1839 – Ephraim Shay, American engineer, invented the Shay locomotive (d. 1916)
    • 1853 – Alexius Meinong, Ukrainian-Austrian philosopher and academic (d. 1920)
    • 1868 – Henri Nathansen, Danish director and playwright (d. 1944)
    • 1870 – Charles Davidson Dunbar, Scottish soldier and bagpipe player (d. 1939)
    • 1871 – Lyonel Feininger, German-American painter and illustrator (d. 1956)
    • 1879 – Jack Laviolette, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager (d. 1960)
    • 1882 – James Somerville, English admiral and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Somerset (d. 1949)
    • 1888 – Shmuel Yosef Agnon, Ukrainian-Israeli novelist, short story writer, and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1970)
    • 1889 – Erle Stanley Gardner, American lawyer and author (d. 1970)
    • 1894 – Georges Lemaître, Belgian priest, astronomer, and cosmologist (d. 1966)
    • 1896 – Rupert Atkinson, English RAF officer (d. 1919)
    • 1898 – Berenice Abbott, American photographer (d. 1991)
    • 1898 – Osmond Borradaile, Canadian soldier and cinematographer (d. 1999)
    • 1899 – James Cagney, American actor and dancer (d. 1986)
    • 1900 – Marcel Dalio, French actor (d. 1983)
    • 1901 – Luigi Chinetti, Italian-American race car driver (d. 1994)
    • 1901 – Bruno Jasieński, Polish poet and author (d. 1938)
    • 1901 – Patrick Smith, Irish farmer and politician, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (d. 1982)
    • 1902 – Christina Stead, Australian author and academic (d. 1983)
    • 1905 – William Gargan, American actor (d. 1979)
    • 1910 – James Coyne, Canadian lawyer and banker, 2nd Governor of the Bank of Canada (d. 2012)
    • 1910 – Frank Olson, American chemist and microbiologist (d. 1953)
    • 1911 – Lionel Ferbos, American trumpet player (d. 2014)
    • 1911 – Heinz Lehmann, German-Canadian psychiatrist and academic (d. 1999)
    • 1912 – Erwin Bauer, German race car driver (d. 1958)
    • 1912 – Art Linkletter, Canadian-American radio and television host (d. 2010)
    • 1913 – Bertrand Goldberg, American architect, designed the Marina City Building (d. 1997)
    • 1914 – Eleanor Steber, American soprano and educator (d. 1990)
    • 1915 – Bijon Bhattacharya, Indian actor, singer, and screenwriter (d. 1978)
    • 1915 – Arthur Rothstein, American photographer and educator (d. 1985)
    • 1917 – Lou Boudreau, American baseball player and manager (d. 2001)
    • 1917 – Phyllis Diller, American actress, comedian, and voice artist (d. 2012)
    • 1917 – Kenan Evren, Turkish general and politician, 7th President of Turkey (d. 2015)
    • 1917 – Christiane Rochefort, French author (d. 1998)
    • 1918 – Carlos Manuel Arana Osorio, Guatemalan soldier and politician, President of Guatemala (d. 2003)
    • 1918 – Red Sovine, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1980)
    • 1920 – Gordon Gould, American physicist and academic, invented the laser (d. 2005)
    • 1920 – Juan Antonio Samaranch, Spanish businessman, 7th President of the International Olympic Committee (d. 2010)
    • 1921 – George Barnes, American guitarist, producer, and songwriter (d. 1977)
    • 1921 – Louis Lachenal, French mountaineer (d. 1955)
    • 1921 – Mary Osborne, American guitarist (d. 1992)
    • 1921 – Toni Stone, American baseball player (d. 1996)
    • 1921 – František Zvarík, Slovak actor (d. 2008)
    • 1923 – Jeanne Block, American psychologist (d. 1981)
    • 1923 – John Cooper, English car designer, co-founded the Cooper Car Company (d. 2000)
    • 1924 – Garde Gardom, Canadian lawyer and politician, 26th Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia (d. 2013)
    • 1925 – Jimmy Scott, American singer and actor (d. 2014)
    • 1925 – Mohammad Hasan Sharq, Afghan politician
    • 1926 – Édouard Carpentier, French-Canadian wrestler (d. 2010)
    • 1926 – Willis Carto, American activist and theorist (d. 2015)
    • 1928 – Vince Guaraldi, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 1976)
    • 1929 – Sergei K. Godunov, Russian mathematician and academic
    • 1932 – Niccolò Castiglioni, Italian composer (d. 1996)
    • 1932 – Red Kerr, American basketball player and coach (d. 2009)
    • 1932 – Wojciech Kilar, Polish pianist and composer (d. 2013)
    • 1932 – Karla Kuskin, American author and illustrator (d. 2009)
    • 1932 – Slick Leonard, American basketball player and coach
    • 1932 – Quino, Spanish-Argentinian cartoonist
    • 1932 – Hal Riney, American businessman, founded Publicis & Hal Riney (d. 2008)
    • 1933 – Keiko Awaji, Japanese actress (d. 2014)
    • 1933 – Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici, Maltese politician, 9th Prime Minister of Malta
    • 1933 – Tony Pithey, Zimbabwean-South African cricketer (d. 2006)
    • 1934 – Lucio Tan, Chinese-Filipino billionaire businessman and educator
    • 1935 – Diahann Carroll, American actress and singer (d. 2019)
    • 1935 – Peter Schickele, American composer and educator
    • 1935 – Donald Sutherland, Canadian actor and producer
    • 1938 – Hermann Huppen, Belgian author and illustrator
    • 1939 – Andrée Champagne, Canadian actress and politician
    • 1939 – Spencer Davis, Welsh singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1939 – Ali Khamenei, Iranian cleric and politician, 2nd Supreme Leader of Iran
    • 1940 – Tim Brooke-Taylor, English actor and screenwriter (d. 2020)
    • 1941 – Daryle Lamonica, American football player
    • 1941 – Bob Taylor, English cricketer
    • 1941 – Achim Warmbold, German race car driver and manager
    • 1942 – Don Kessinger, American baseball player and manager
    • 1942 – Gale Garnett, New Zealand–born Canadian singer
    • 1942 – Connie Hawkins, American basketball player (d. 2017)
    • 1942 – Zoot Money, English singer-songwriter and keyboard player
    • 1943 – LaVyrle Spencer, American author and educator
    • 1944 – Mark Burgess, New Zealand cricketer and footballer
    • 1944 – Catherine Schell, Hungarian-English actress
    • 1944 – Carlos Alberto Torres, Brazilian footballer and manager (d. 2016)
    • 1945 – Alexander, Crown Prince of Yugoslavia
    • 1945 – John Patten, Baron Patten, English politician, Secretary of State for Education
    • 1946 – Chris Crutcher, American novelist and short story writer
    • 1946 – Ted Sampley, American POW/MIA activist (d. 2009)
    • 1947 – Joyce Anelay, Baroness Anelay of St John’s, English educator and politician
    • 1947 – Robert Begerau, German footballer and manager
    • 1947 – Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall
    • 1947 – Wolfgang Flür, German musician (Kraftwerk)
    • 1947 – Mick Tucker, English rock drummer (Sweet) (d. 2002)
    • 1948 – Ron Asheton, American guitarist and songwriter (d. 2009)
    • 1948 – Luc Bondy, Swiss director and producer (d. 2015)
    • 1949 – Geezer Butler, English bass player and songwriter
    • 1949 – Charley Steiner, American journalist and sportscaster
    • 1950 – Phoebe Snow, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2011)
    • 1950 – Tengku Sulaiman Shah, Malaysian corporate figure
    • 1950 – Sadhan Chandra Majumder, Bangladeshi politician
    • 1951 – Lucie Arnaz, American actress and singer
    • 1951 – Mark Bowden, American journalist and author
    • 1951 – Andrew Robathan, English soldier and politician, Minister of State for the Armed Forces
    • 1952 – David Hasselhoff, American actor, singer, and producer
    • 1952 – Nicolette Larson, American singer-songwriter (d. 1997)
    • 1952 – Thé Lau, Dutch singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2015)
    • 1952 – Robert R. McCammon, American author
    • 1954 – António Costa, Prime Minister of Portugal
    • 1954 – Angela Merkel, German chemist and politician, 8th Chancellor of Germany
    • 1954 – Edward Natapei, Vanuatuan politician, 6th Prime Minister of Vanuatu (d. 2015)
    • 1954 – J. Michael Straczynski, American author, screenwriter, and producer
    • 1955 – Sylvie Léonard, Canadian actress and screenwriter
    • 1955 – Paul Stamets, American mycologist and author
    • 1956 – Julie Bishop, Australian lawyer and politician, 38th Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs
    • 1956 – Bryan Trottier, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach
    • 1957 – Bruce Crump, American drummer and songwriter (d. 2015)
    • 1957 – Wendy Freedman, Canadian-American cosmologist and astronomer
    • 1958 – Wong Kar-wai, Chinese director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1958 – Suzanne Moore, English journalist
    • 1958 – Susan Silver, American music manager
    • 1958 – Thérèse Rein, Australian businesswoman, founded Ingeus
    • 1959 – Pola Uddin, Baroness Uddin, Bangladeshi-English politician
    • 1960 – Kim Barnett, English cricketer and coach
    • 1960 – Mark Burnett, English-American screenwriter and producer
    • 1960 – Nancy Giles, American journalist and actress
    • 1960 – Robin Shou, Hong Kong martial artist and actor
    • 1960 – Dawn Upshaw, American soprano
    • 1960 – Jan Wouters, Dutch footballer and manager
    • 1961 – António Costa, Portuguese politician, 119th Prime Minister of Portugal
    • 1961 – Jeremy Hardy, English comedian and actor (d. 2019)
    • 1963 – Regina Belle, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
    • 1963 – Letsie III of Lesotho
    • 1963 – Matti Nykänen, Finnish ski jumper and singer (d. 2019)
    • 1965 – Craig Morgan, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1965 – Alex Winter, English-American actor, film director and screenwriter
    • 1966 – Lou Barlow, American guitarist and songwriter
    • 1966 – Sten Tolgfors, Swedish lawyer and politician, 30th Swedish Minister of Defence
    • 1969 – Scott Johnson, American cartoonist
    • 1969 – Jaan Kirsipuu, Estonian cyclist
    • 1971 – Calbert Cheaney, American basketball player and coach
    • 1971 – Cory Doctorow, Canadian author and activist
    • 1971 – Nico Mattan, Belgian cyclist
    • 1972 – Elizabeth Cook, American singer and guitarist
    • 1972 – Donny Marshall, American basketball player and sportscaster
    • 1972 – Jason Rullo, American drummer
    • 1972 – Jaap Stam, Dutch footballer and manager
    • 1972 – Eric Williams, American basketball player
    • 1973 – Eric Moulds, American football player
    • 1974 – Claudio López, Argentine footballer
    • 1975 – Andre Adams, New Zealand cricketer
    • 1975 – Elena Anaya, Spanish actress
    • 1975 – Darude, Finnish DJ and producer
    • 1975 – Harlette, Australian-English fashion designer
    • 1975 – Loretta Harrop, Australian triathlete
    • 1976 – Luke Bryan, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1976 – Gino D’Acampo, Italian chef and author
    • 1976 – Dagmara Domińczyk, Polish-American actress
    • 1976 – Marcos Senna, Brazilian-Spanish footballer
    • 1976 – Anders Svensson, Swedish footballer and sportscaster
    • 1977 – Andrew Downton, Australian cricketer
    • 1977 – Leif Hoste, Belgian cyclist
    • 1977 – Marc Savard, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1978 – Ricardo Arona, Brazilian mixed martial artist
    • 1978 – Panda Bear, American musician and songwriter
    • 1978 – Jason Jennings, American baseball player
    • 1979 – Mike Vogel, American actor
    • 1980 – Javier Camuñas, Spanish footballer
    • 1980 – Ryan Miller, American ice hockey player
    • 1981 – Hely Ollarves, Venezuelan runner
    • 1982 – Omari Banks, Anguillan cricketer
    • 1982 – Natasha Hamilton, English singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress
    • 1983 – Ryan Guettler, Australian motocross racer
    • 1983 – Adam Lind, American baseball player
    • 1985 – Loui Eriksson, Swedish ice hockey player
    • 1985 – Tom Fletcher, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1985 – Neil McGregor, Scottish footballer
    • 1986 – DeAngelo Smith, American football player
    • 1986 – Lacey Von Erich, American wrestler
    • 1987 – Darius Boyd, Australian rugby league player
    • 1987 – Jan Charouz, Czech race car driver
    • 1987 – Jeremih, American singer, songwriter, and record producer
    • 1994 – Benjamin Mendy, French footballer
    • 1994 – Kali Uchis, American singer-songwriter
    • 1998 – Rosana Serrano, Cuban rower

    Deaths on July 17

    • 521 – Magnus Felix Ennodius, Gallo-Roman bishop
    • 855 – Leo IV, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 790)
    • 924 – Edward the Elder, English king (b. 877)
    • 952 – Wu Hanyue, Chinese noblewoman (b. 913)
    • 961 – Du, empress dowager of the Song Dynasty
    • 1070 – Baldwin VI, count of Flanders (b. 1030)
    • 1085 – Robert Guiscard, Norman adventurer
    • 1119 – Baldwin VII, count of Flanders (b. 1093)
    • 1210 – Sverker II, king of Sweden (b. 1210)
    • 1304 – Edmund Mortimer, 2nd Baron Mortimer (b. 1251)
    • 1399 – Jadwiga, queen of Poland (b. 1374)
    • 1453 – Dmitry Shemyaka, Grand Prince of Moscow
    • 1453 – John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury, English commander and politician (b. 1387)
    • 1531 – Hosokawa Takakuni, Japanese commander (b. 1484)
    • 1571 – Georg Fabricius, German poet and historian (b. 1516)
    • 1588 – Mimar Sinan, Ottoman architect and engineer, designed the Sokollu Mehmet Pasha Mosque and Süleymaniye Mosque (b. 1489)
    • 1603 – Mózes Székely, Hungarian noble (b. 1553)
    • 1645 – Robert Carr, 1st Earl of Somerset, English-Scottish politician, Lord Chamberlain of the United Kingdom (b. 1587)
    • 1704 – Pierre-Charles Le Sueur, French fur trader and explorer (b. 1657)
    • 1709 – Robert Bolling, English planter and merchant (b. 1646)
    • 1725 – Thomas King, English and British soldier, MP for Queenborough, lieutenant-governor of Sheerness (b. before 1660?).
    • 1762 – Peter III of Russia (b. 1728)
    • 1790 – Adam Smith, Scottish economist and philosopher (b. 1723)
    • 1791 – Martin Dobrizhoffer, Austrian missionary and author (b. 1717)
    • 1793 – Charlotte Corday, French murderer (b. 1768)
    • 1794 – John Roebuck, English chemist and businessman (b. 1718)
    • 1845 – Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1764)
    • 1871 – Karl Tausig, Polish virtuoso pianist, arranger and composer (b. 1841)
    • 1878 – Aleardo Aleardi, Italian poet and politician (b. 1812)
    • 1879 – Maurycy Gottlieb, Ukrainian-Polish painter (b. 1856)
    • 1881 – Jim Bridger, American scout and explorer (b. 1804)
    • 1883 – Tự Đức, Vietnamese emperor (b. 1829)
    • 1885 – Jean-Charles Chapais, Canadian farmer and politician, 1st Canadian Minister of Agriculture (b. 1811)
    • 1887 – Dorothea Dix, American nurse and activist (b. 1802)
    • 1893 – Frederick A. Johnson, American banker and politician (b. 1833)
    • 1894 – Leconte de Lisle, French poet and translator (b. 1818)
    • 1894 – Josef Hyrtl, Austrian anatomist and biologist (b. 1810)
    • 1900 – Thomas McIlwraith, Scottish-Australian politician, 8th Premier of Queensland (b. 1835)
    • 1907 – Hector Malot, French author and critic (b. 1830)
    • 1912 – Henri Poincaré, French mathematician, physicist, and engineer (b. 1854)
    • 1918 – Victims of the Shooting of the Romanov family
      • Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia (b. 1901)
      • Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia (b. 1899)
      • Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna of Russia (b. 1895)
      • Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna of Russia (b. 1897)
      • Alexandra Fyodorovna of Russia (b. 1872)
      • Aleksei Nikolaevich, Tsarevich of Russia (b. 1904)
      • Nikolai II of Russia (b. 1868)
      • Anna Demidova (b. 1878)
      • Ivan Kharitonov (b. 1872)
      • Alexei Trupp (b. 1858)
      • Yevgeny Botkin (b. 1865)
    • 1925 – Lovis Corinth, German painter (b. 1858)
    • 1928 – Giovanni Giolitti, Italian politician, 13th Prime Minister of Italy (b. 1842)
    • 1928 – Álvaro Obregón, Mexican general and politician, 39th President of Mexico (b. 1880)
    • 1932 – Rasmus Rasmussen, Norwegian actor, singer, and director (b. 1862)
    • 1935 – George William Russell, Irish poet and painter (b. 1867)
    • 1942 – Robina Nicol, New Zealand photographer and suffragist (b. 1861)
    • 1944 – William James Sidis, American mathematician and anthropologist (b. 1898)
    • 1945 – Ernst Busch, German field marshal (b. 1885)
    • 1946 – Florence Fuller, South African-born Australian artist (b. 1867)
    • 1946 – Draža Mihailović, Serbian general (b. 1893)
    • 1950 – Evangeline Booth, English 4th General of The Salvation Army (b. 1865)
    • 1950 – Antonie Nedošinská, Czech actress (b. 1885)
    • 1959 – Billie Holiday, American singer (b. 1915)
    • 1959 – Eugene Meyer, American businessman and publisher (b. 1875)
    • 1960 – Maud Menten, Canadian physician and biochemist (b. 1879)
    • 1961 – Ty Cobb, American baseball player and manager (b. 1886)
    • 1961 – Emin Halid Onat, Turkish architect and academic (b. 1908)
    • 1967 – John Coltrane, American saxophonist and composer (b. 1926)
    • 1974 – Dizzy Dean, American baseball player and sportscaster (b. 1910)
    • 1975 – Konstantine Gamsakhurdia, Georgian author (b. 1893)
    • 1980 – Don “Red” Barry, American actor and screenwriter (b. 1912)
    • 1980 – Boris Delaunay, Russian mathematician and academic (b. 1890)
    • 1988 – Bruiser Brody, American football player and wrestler (b. 1946)
    • 1989 – Itubwa Amram, Nauruan pastor and politician (b. 1922)
    • 1991 – John Patrick Spiegel, American psychiatrist and academic (b. 1911)
    • 1994 – Jean Borotra, French tennis player (b. 1898)
    • 1995 – Juan Manuel Fangio, Argentinian race car driver (b. 1911)
    • 1996 – Victims of TWA Flight 800
      • Michel Breistroff, French ice hockey player (b. 1971)
      • Marcel Dadi, Tunisian-French guitarist (b. 1951)
      • David Hogan, American composer (b. 1949)
      • Jed Johnson, American interior designer and director (b. 1948)
    • 1996 – Chas Chandler, American bass player and producer (b. 1938)
    • 1998 – Lillian Hoban, American author and illustrator (b. 1925)
    • 2001 – Katharine Graham, American publisher (b. 1917)
    • 2002 – Joseph Luns, Dutch politician and Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1911)
    • 2003 – David Kelly, Welsh weapons inspector (b. 1944)
    • 2003 – Rosalyn Tureck, American pianist and harpsichord player (b. 1914)
    • 2003 – Walter Zapp, Latvian-Swiss inventor, invented the Minox (b. 1905)
    • 2005 – Geraldine Fitzgerald, Irish-American actress (b. 1913)
    • 2005 – Edward Heath, English colonel and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1916)
    • 2005 – Joe Vialls, Australian journalist and theorist (b. 1944)
    • 2006 – Sam Myers, American singer-songwriter (b. 1936)
    • 2006 – Mickey Spillane, American crime novelist (b. 1918)
    • 2007 – Grant Forsberg, American actor and businessman (b. 1959)
    • 2007 – Júlio Redecker, Brazilian politician (b. 1956)
    • 2007 – Paulo Rogério Amoretty Souza, Brazilian lawyer and businessman (b. 1945)
    • 2009 – Walter Cronkite, American journalist and actor (b. 1916)
    • 2009 – Leszek Kołakowski, Polish historian and philosopher (b. 1927)
    • 2010 – Larry Keith, American actor (b. 1931)
    • 2011 – David Ngoombujarra, Australian actor (b. 1967)
    • 2012 – Richard Evatt, English boxer (b. 1973)
    • 2012 – Forrest S. McCartney, American general (b. 1931)
    • 2012 – İlhan Mimaroğlu, Turkish-American composer and producer (b. 1926)
    • 2012 – William Raspberry, American journalist and academic (b. 1935)
    • 2012 – Marsha Singh, Indian-English politician (b. 1954)
    • 2013 – Henri Alleg, English-French journalist and author (b. 1921)
    • 2013 – Peter Appleyard, English-Canadian vibraphone player and composer (b. 1928)
    • 2013 – Vincenzo Cerami, Italian screenwriter and producer (b. 1940)
    • 2013 – Don Flye, American tennis player (b. 1933)
    • 2013 – Ian Gourlay, English general (b. 1920)
    • 2013 – David White, Scottish footballer and manager (b. 1933)[18]
    • 2014 – Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 victims:
      • Liam Davison, Australian author and critic (b. 1957)
      • Shuba Jay, Malaysian actress (b. 1976)
      • Joep Lange, Dutch physician and academic (b. 1954)
      • Willem Witteveen, Dutch scholar and politician (b. 1952)
    • 2014 – Henry Hartsfield, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1933)
    • 2014 – Otto Piene, German sculptor and academic (b. 1928)
    • 2014 – Elaine Stritch, American actress and singer (b. 1925)
    • 2015 – Bill Arnsparger, American football player and coach (b. 1926)
    • 2015 – Jules Bianchi, French race car driver (b. 1989)
    • 2015 – Owen Chadwick, English rugby player, historian, and academic (b. 1916)
    • 2015 – Van Miller, American sportscaster (b. 1927)
    • 2015 – John Taylor, English pianist and educator (b. 1942)

    Holidays and observances on July 17

    • Christian feast day:
      • Alexius of Rome (Western Church)
      • Andrew Zorard
      • Cynehelm
      • Cynllo
      • Inácio de Azevedo
      • Jadwiga of Poland
      • Magnus Felix Ennodius
      • Marcellina
      • Martyrs of Compiègne
      • Blessed Pavel Peter Gojdič (Greek Catholic Church)
      • Pope Leo IV
      • Romanov sainthood (Russian Orthodox Church)
      • Speratus and companions
      • William White (Episcopal Church))
      • July 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Constitution Day (South Korea)
    • Gion Matsuri (Yasaka Shrine, Kyoto)
    • Independence Day (Slovakia)
    • International Firgun Day (international)
    • King’s Birthday (Lesotho)
    • U Tirot Sing Day (Meghalaya, India)
    • World Day for International Justice (International)
    • World Emoji Day (International)

  • June 16 – History, Events, Births, Deaths Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 363 – Emperor Julian marches back up the Tigris and burns his fleet of supply ships. During the withdrawal, Roman forces suffer several attacks from the Persians.
    • 632 – Yazdegerd III ascends the throne as king (shah) of the Persian Empire. He becomes the last ruler of the Sasanian dynasty (modern Iran).
    • 1407 – Ming–Hồ War: Retired King Hồ Quý Ly and his son King Hồ Hán Thương of Hồ dynasty are captured by the Ming armies.
    • 1487 – Battle of Stoke Field: King Henry VII of England defeats the leaders of a Yorkist rebellion in the final engagement of the Wars of the Roses.
    • 1586 – Mary, Queen of Scots, recognizes Philip II of Spain as her heir and successor.
    • 1745 – War of the Austrian Succession: New England colonial troops under the command of William Pepperrell capture the Fortress of Louisbourg in Louisbourg, New France (Old Style date).
    • 1746 – War of the Austrian Succession: Austria and Sardinia defeat a Franco-Spanish army at the Battle of Piacenza.
    • 1755 – French and Indian War: The French surrender Fort Beauséjour to the British, leading to the expulsion of the Acadians.
    • 1779 – Spain declares war on the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Great Siege of Gibraltar begins.
    • 1795 – French Revolutionary Wars: In what became known as Cornwallis’s Retreat, a British Royal Navy squadron led by Vice Admiral William Cornwallis strongly resists a much larger French Navy force and withdraws largely intact, setting up the French Navy defeat at the Battle of Groix six days later.
    • 1811 – Survivors of an attack the previous day by Tla-o-qui-aht on board the Pacific Fur Company’s ship Tonquin, intentionally detonate a powder magazine on the ship, destroying it and killing about 100 attackers.
    • 1815 – Battle of Ligny and Battle of Quatre Bras, two days before the Battle of Waterloo.
    • 1819 – A major earthquake strikes the Kutch district of western India, killing over 1,543 people and raising a 6 m high, 6 km wide, ridge, extending for at least 80 km, that was known as the Allah Bund (“Dam of God”).
    • 1836 – The formation of the London Working Men’s Association gives rise to the Chartist Movement.
    • 1846 – The Papal conclave of 1846 elects Pope Pius IX, beginning the longest reign in the history of the papacy.
    • 1858 – Abraham Lincoln delivers his House Divided speech in Springfield, Illinois.
    • 1871 – The Universities Tests Act 1871 allows students to enter the universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Durham without religious tests (except for those intending to study theology).
    • 1883 – The Victoria Hall theatre panic in Sunderland, England, kills 183 children.
    • 1884 – The first purpose-built roller coaster, LaMarcus Adna Thompson’s “Switchback Railway”, opens in New York’s Coney Island amusement park.
    • 1897 – A treaty annexing the Republic of Hawaii to the United States is signed; the Republic would not be dissolved until a year later.
    • 1903 – The Ford Motor Company is incorporated.
    • 1903 – Roald Amundsen leaves Oslo, Norway, to commence the first east-west navigation of the Northwest Passage.
    • 1904 – Eugen Schauman assassinates Nikolay Bobrikov, Governor-General of Finland.
    • 1904 – Irish author James Joyce begins a relationship with Nora Barnacle and subsequently uses the date to set the actions for his novel Ulysses; this date is now traditionally called “Bloomsday”.
    • 1911 – IBM founded as the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company in Endicott, New York.
    • 1922 – General election in the Irish Free State: The pro-Treaty Sinn Féin party wins a large majority.
    • 1925 – The most famous Young Pioneer camp of the Soviet Union, Artek, is established.
    • 1930 – Sovnarkom establishes decree time in the USSR.
    • 1933 – The National Industrial Recovery Act is passed in the United States, allowing businesses to avoid antitrust prosecution if they establish voluntary wage, price, and working condition regulations on an industry-wide basis.
    • 1940 – World War II: Marshal Henri Philippe Pétain becomes Chief of State of Vichy France (Chef de l’État Français).
    • 1940 – A Communist government is installed in Lithuania.
    • 1944 – In a gross miscarriage of justice, George Junius Stinney Jr., age 14, becomes the youngest person executed in the United States in the 20th century after being convicted in a two-hour trial for the rape and murder of two teenage white girls.
    • 1948 – Members of the Malayan Communist Party kill three British plantation managers in Sungai Siput; in response, British Malaya declares a state of emergency.
    • 1955 – In a futile effort to topple Argentine President Juan Perón, rogue aircraft pilots of the Argentine Navy drop several bombs upon an unarmed crowd demonstrating in favor of Perón in Buenos Aires, killing 364 and injuring at least 800. At the same time on the ground, some soldiers attempt to stage a coup but are suppressed by loyal forces.
    • 1958 – Imre Nagy, Pál Maléter and other leaders of the 1956 Hungarian Uprising are executed.
    • 1961 – While on tour with the Kirov Ballet in Paris, Rudolf Nureyev defects from the Soviet Union.
    • 1963 – Soviet Space Program: Vostok 6 mission: Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova becomes the first woman in space.
    • 1972 – The largest single-site hydroelectric power project in Canada is inaugurated at Churchill Falls Generating Station.
    • 1976 – Soweto uprising: A non-violent march by 15,000 students in Soweto, South Africa, turns into days of rioting when police open fire on the crowd.
    • 1977 – Oracle Corporation is incorporated in Redwood Shores, California, as Software Development Laboratories (SDL), by Larry Ellison, Bob Miner and Ed Oates.
    • 1981 – US President Ronald Reagan awards the Congressional Gold Medal to Ken Taylor, Canada’s former ambassador to Iran, for helping six Americans escape from Iran during the hostage crisis of 1979–81; he is the first foreign citizen bestowed the honor.
    • 1989 – Revolutions of 1989: Imre Nagy, the former Hungarian prime minister, is reburied in Budapest following the collapse of Communism in Hungary.
    • 1997 – Fifty people are killed in the Daïat Labguer (M’sila) massacre in Algeria.
    • 2000 – The Secretary-General of the UN reports that Israel has complied with United Nations Security Council Resolution 425, 22 years after its issuance, and completely withdrew from Lebanon. The Resolution does not encompass the Shebaa farms, which is claimed by Israel, Syria and Lebanon.
    • 2010 – Bhutan becomes the first country to institute a total ban on tobacco.
    • 2012 – China successfully launches its Shenzhou 9 spacecraft, carrying three astronauts, including the first female Chinese astronaut Liu Yang, to the Tiangong-1 orbital module.
    • 2012 – The United States Air Force’s robotic Boeing X-37B spaceplane returns to Earth after a classified 469-day orbital mission
    • 2013 – A multi-day cloudburst, centered on the North Indian state of Uttarakhand, causes devastating floods and landslides, becoming the country’s worst natural disaster since the 2004 tsunami.
    • 2016 – Shanghai Disneyland Park, the first Disney Park in Mainland China, opens to the public.
    • 2019 – Upwards of 2,000,000 people participate in the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests, the largest in Hong Kong’s history.

    Births on June 16

    • 1139 – Emperor Konoe of Japan (d. 1155)
    • 1332 – Isabella de Coucy, English daughter of Edward III of England (d. 1379)
    • 1454 – Joanna of Aragon, Queen of Naples (d. 1517)
    • 1514 – John Cheke, English academic and politician, English Secretary of State (d. 1557)
    • 1516 – Yang Jisheng, Ming dynasty official and Confucian martyr (d. 1555)
    • 1583 – Axel Oxenstierna, Swedish politician, Lord High Chancellor of Sweden (d. 1654)
    • 1591 – Joseph Solomon Delmedigo, Greek-Italian physician, mathematician, and theorist (d. 1655)
    • 1606 – Arthur Chichester, 1st Earl of Donegall, Irish soldier and politician (d. 1675)
    • 1613 – John Cleveland, English poet and educator (d. 1658)
    • 1625 – Samuel Chappuzeau, French scholar (d. 1701)
    • 1633 – Jean de Thévenot, French linguist and botanist (d. 1667)
    • 1644 – Henrietta Anne Stuart, Princess of Scotland, England and Ireland (d. 1670)
    • 1653 – James Bertie, 1st Earl of Abingdon, English nobleman (d. 1699)
    • 1713 – Meshech Weare, American farmer, lawyer, and politician, 1st Governor of New Hampshire (d. 1786)
    • 1723 – Adam Smith, Scottish philosopher and economist (d. 1790)
    • 1738 – Mary Katherine Goddard, American publisher (d. 1816)
    • 1754 – Salawat Yulayev, Russian poet (d. 1800)
    • 1792 – John Linnell, English painter and engraver (d. 1882)
    • 1801 – Julius Plücker, German mathematician and physicist (d. 1868)
    • 1806 – Edward Davy, English physician and chemist (d. 1885)
    • 1813 – Otto Jahn, German archaeologist and philologist (d. 1869)
    • 1820 – Athanase Josué Coquerel, Dutch-French preacher and theologian (d. 1875)
    • 1821 – Old Tom Morris, Scottish golfer and architect (d. 1908)
    • 1826 – Constantin von Ettingshausen, Austrian geologist and botanist (d. 1897)
    • 1829 – Geronimo, American tribal leader (d. 1909)
    • 1836 – Wesley Merritt, American general and politician, Military Governor of the Philippines (d. 1910)
    • 1837 – Ernst Laas, German philosopher and academic (d. 1885)
    • 1838 – Frederic Archer, English organist, composer, and conductor (d. 1901)
    • 1838 – Cushman Kellogg Davis, American lieutenant and politician, 7th Governor of Minnesota (d. 1900)
    • 1840 – Ernst Otto Schlick, German engineer and author (d. 1913)
    • 1850 – Max Delbrück, German chemist and academic (d. 1919)
    • 1857 – Arthur Arz von Straußenburg, Austrian-Hungarian general (d. 1935)
    • 1858 – Gustaf V of Sweden (d. 1950)
    • 1863 – Francisco León de la Barra, Mexican politician and diplomat (d. 1939)
    • 1866 – Germanos Karavangelis, Greek-Austrian metropolitan (d. 1935)
    • 1874 – Arthur Meighen, Canadian lawyer and politician, 9th Prime Minister of Canada (d. 1960)
    • 1880 – Otto Eisenschiml, Austrian-American chemist and author (d. 1963)
    • 1882 – Mohammad Mosaddegh, Iranian educator and politician, 60th Prime Minister of Iran (d. 1967)
    • 1885 – Erich Jacoby, Estonian-Polish architect (d. 1941)
    • 1888 – Alexander Friedmann, Russian physicist and mathematician (d. 1925)
    • 1888 – Peter Stoner, American mathematician and astronomer (d. 1980)
    • 1890 – Stan Laurel, English actor and comedian (d. 1965)
    • 1896 – Murray Leinster, American author and screenwriter (d. 1976)
    • 1897 – Georg Wittig, German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1987)
    • 1899 – Helen Traubel, American operatic soprano (d. 1972)
    • 1902 – Barbara McClintock, American geneticist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1992)
    • 1902 – George Gaylord Simpson, American paleontologist and author (d. 1984)
    • 1906 – Alan Fairfax, Australian cricketer (d. 1955)
    • 1907 – Jack Albertson, American actor (d. 1981)
    • 1909 – Archie Carr, American ecologist and zoologist (d. 1987)
    • 1910 – Juan Velasco Alvarado, Peruvian general and politician, 1st President of Peru (d. 1977)
    • 1912 – Albert Chartier, Canadian illustrator (d. 2004)
    • 1912 – Enoch Powell, English soldier and politician, Secretary of State for Health (d. 1998)
    • 1914 – Eleanor Sokoloff, American pianist and teacher
    • 1915 – John Tukey, American mathematician and academic (d. 2000)
    • 1915 – Marga Faulstich, German glass chemist (d. 1998)
    • 1917 – Phaedon Gizikis, Greek general and politician, President of Greece (d. 1999)
    • 1917 – Katharine Graham, American publisher (d. 2001)
    • 1917 – Aurelio Lampredi, Italian automobile and aircraft engine designer (d. 1989)
    • 1917 – Irving Penn, American photographer (d. 2009)
    • 1920 – Isabelle Holland, Swiss-American author (d. 2002)
    • 1920 – Raymond Lemieux, Canadian chemist and academic (d. 2002)
    • 1920 – José López Portillo, Mexican lawyer and politician, 31st President of Mexico (d. 2004)
    • 1920 – Hemanta Mukharjee, Indian singer and music director
    • 1922 – Ilmar Kullam, Estonian basketball player and coach (d. 2011)
    • 1923 – Ron Flockhart, Scottish race car driver (d. 1962)
    • 1924 – Faith Domergue, American actress (d. 1999)
    • 1925 – Jean d’Ormesson, French journalist and author (d. 2017)
    • 1925 – Otto Muehl, Austrian-Portuguese painter and director (d. 2013)
    • 1926 – Efraín Ríos Montt, Guatemalan general and politician, 26th President of Guatemala (d. 2018)
    • 1927 – Tom Graveney, English cricketer and sportscaster (d. 2015)
    • 1927 – Herbert Lichtenfeld, German author and screenwriter (d. 2001)
    • 1927 – Ariano Suassuna, Brazilian author and playwright (d. 2014)
    • 1929 – Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait
    • 1930 – Vilmos Zsigmond, Hungarian-American cinematographer and producer (d. 2016)
    • 1934 – Eileen Atkins, English actress and screenwriter
    • 1934 – Roger Neilson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2003)
    • 1935 – Jim Dine, American painter and illustrator
    • 1937 – Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Bulgarian politician, 48th Prime Minister of Bulgaria
    • 1937 – Erich Segal, American author and screenwriter (d. 2010)
    • 1938 – Thomas Boyd-Carpenter, English general
    • 1938 – Torgny Lindgren, Swedish author and poet (d. 2017)
    • 1938 – Joyce Carol Oates, American novelist, short story writer, critic, and poet
    • 1939 – Billy “Crash” Craddock, American singer-songwriter
    • 1940 – Māris Čaklais, Latvian poet, writer, and journalist (d. 2003)
    • 1940 – Neil Goldschmidt, American lawyer and politician, 33rd Governor of Oregon
    • 1941 – Rosalind Baker, Australian author
    • 1941 – Lamont Dozier, American songwriter and producer
    • 1941 – Tommy Horton, English golfer (d. 2017)
    • 1941 – Mumtaz Hamid Rao, Pakistani journalist (d. 2011)
    • 1942 – Giacomo Agostini, Italian motorcycle racer and manager
    • 1942 – Eddie Levert, American R&B/soul singer-songwriter, musician, and actor
    • 1944 – Henri Richelet, French painter and etcher
    • 1945 – Claire Alexander, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1945 – Lucienne Robillard, Canadian social worker and politician, 59th Secretary of State for Canada
    • 1946 – Rick Adelman, American basketball player and coach
    • 1946 – John Astor, 3rd Baron Astor of Hever, English businessman and politician
    • 1946 – Karen Dunnell, English statistician and academic
    • 1946 – Tom Harrell, American trumpet player and composer
    • 1946 – Neil MacGregor, Scottish historian and curator
    • 1946 – Iain Matthews, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1946 – Jodi Rell, American politician, 87th Governor of Connecticut
    • 1946 – Mark Ritts, American actor, puppeteer, and producer (d. 2009)
    • 1946 – Derek Sanderson, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
    • 1946 – Simon Williams, English actor and playwright
    • 1947 – Tom Malone, American trombonist, composer, and producer
    • 1947 – Buddy Roberts, American wrestler (d. 2012)
    • 1947 – Al Cowlings, American ex-NFL player and close friend of O.J. Simpson and Nicole Brown Simpson
    • 1947 – Tom Wyner, English-American voice actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1948 – Ron LeFlore, American baseball player and manager
    • 1949 – Paulo Cézar Caju, Brazilian footballer
    • 1949 – Ralph Mann, American hurdler and author
    • 1950 – Mithun Chakraborty, Indian actor and politician
    • 1950 – Michel Clair, Canadian lawyer and politician
    • 1950 – Jerry Petrowski, American politician and farmer
    • 1951 – Charlie Dominici, American singer and guitarist
    • 1951 – Roberto Durán, Panamanian boxer
    • 1952 – George Papandreou, Greek sociologist and politician, 182nd Prime Minister of Greece
    • 1952 – Gino Vannelli, Canadian singer-songwriter
    • 1953 – Valerie Mahaffey, American actress
    • 1953 – Ian Mosley, English drummer
    • 1954 – Matthew Saad Muhammad, American boxer and trainer (d. 2014)
    • 1954 – Garry Roberts, Irish guitarist
    • 1955 – Grete Faremo, Norwegian politician, Norwegian Minister of Defence
    • 1955 – Laurie Metcalf, American actress
    • 1955 – Artemy Troitsky, Russian journalist and critic
    • 1957 – Ian Buchanan, Scottish-American actor
    • 1957 – Leeona Dorrian, Lady Dorrian, Scottish lawyer and judge
    • 1958 – Darrell Griffith, American basketball player
    • 1958 – Ulrike Tauber, German swimmer
    • 1958 – Warren Rodwell, Australian soldier, educator and musician
    • 1959 – The Ultimate Warrior, American wrestler (d. 2014)
    • 1960 – Peter Sterling, Australian rugby league player and sportscaster
    • 1961 – Can Dündar, Turkish journalist and author
    • 1961 – Robbie Kerr, Australian cricketer
    • 1961 – Steve Larmer, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1961 – Margus Metstak, Estonian basketball player and coach
    • 1962 – Wally Joyner, American baseball player and coach
    • 1962 – Arnold Vosloo, South African-American actor
    • 1962 – Anthony Wong, Hong Kong singer
    • 1963 – The Sandman, American wrestler
    • 1964 – Danny Burstein, American actor and singer
    • 1965 – Michael Richard Lynch, Irish computer scientist and entrepreneur; co-founded HP Autonomy
    • 1965 – Richard Madaleno, American politician
    • 1966 – Mark Occhilupo, Australian surfer
    • 1966 – Olivier Roumat, French rugby player
    • 1966 – Phil Vischer, American voice actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, co-created VeggieTales
    • 1966 – Jan Železný, Czech javelin thrower and coach
    • 1967 – Charalambos Andreou, Cypriot footballer
    • 1967 – Jürgen Klopp, German footballer and manager
    • 1968 – Adam Schmitt, American singer-songwriter, musician, and producer
    • 1969 – Shami Chakrabarti, English lawyer and academic
    • 1969 – Mark Crossley, English-Welsh footballer and manager
    • 1970 – Younus AlGohar, Pakistani poet and academic, co-founded Messiah Foundation International
    • 1970 – Clifton Collins Jr., American actor
    • 1970 – Cobi Jones, American soccer player and manager
    • 1970 – Phil Mickelson, American golfer
    • 1971 – Tupac Shakur, American rapper and producer (d. 1996)
    • 1972 – Kiko Loureiro, Brazilian guitarist
    • 1973 – Eddie Cibrian, American actor
    • 1974 – Glenicia James, Saint Lucian cricketer
    • 1975 – Anthony Carter, American basketball player and coach
    • 1977 – Craig Fitzgibbon, Australian rugby league player and coach
    • 1977 – Duncan Hames, English accountant and politician
    • 1977 – Kerry Wood, American baseball player
    • 1978 – Daniel Brühl, Spanish-German actor
    • 1978 – Dainius Zubrus, Lithuanian ice hockey player
    • 1978 – Fish Leong, Malaysian singer
    • 1980 – Brandon Armstrong, American basketball player
    • 1980 – Phil Christophers, German-English rugby player
    • 1980 – Henry Perenara, New Zealand rugby league player and referee
    • 1980 – Martin Stranzl, Austrian footballer
    • 1980 – Joey Yung, Hong Kong singer
    • 1981 – Benjamin Becker, German tennis player
    • 1981 – Kevin Bieksa, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1981 – Alexandre Giroux, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1981 – Ola Kvernberg, Norwegian violinist
    • 1981 – Miguel Villalta, Peruvian footballer
    • 1982 – May Andersen, Danish model and actress
    • 1982 – Missy Peregrym, Canadian model and actress
    • 1983 – Armend Dallku, Albanian footballer
    • 1984 – Rick Nash, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1984 – Dan Ryckert, American writer and entertainer
    • 1984 – Steven Whittaker, Scottish footballer
    • 1986 – Rodrigo Defendi, Brazilian footballer
    • 1986 – Urby Emanuelson, Dutch footballer
    • 1986 – Fernando Muslera, Uruguayan footballer
    • 1987 – Diana DeGarmo, American singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1987 – Per Ciljan Skjelbred, Norwegian footballer
    • 1987 – Christian Tshimanga Kabeya, Belgian footballer
    • 1988 – Keshia Chante, Canadian singer
    • 1988 – Jermaine Gresham, American football player
    • 1990 – John Newman, English musician, singer, songwriter and record producer
    • 1991 – Joe McElderry, English singer-songwriter
    • 1991 – Siya Kolisi, South African rugby player
    • 1991 – Matt Moylan, Australian rugby league player
    • 1992 – Vladimir Morozov, Russian swimmer
    • 1993 – Park Bo-gum, South Korean actor
    • 1993 – Gnash, American singer, songwriter, rapper, DJ and record producer
    • 1994 – Grete-Lilijane Küppas, Estonian footballer
    • 1994 – Rezar, Albanian professional wrestler
    • 1995 – Euan Aitken, Australian rugby league player
    • 1995 – Joseph Schooling, Singaporean swimmer
    • 1995 – Akira Ioane, New Zealand rugby Union player
    • 2000 – Bianca Andreescu, Canadian tennis player

    Deaths on June 16

    • 840 – Rorgon I, Frankish nobleman (or 839)
    • 924 – Li Cunshen, general of Later Tang (b. 862)
    • 956 – Hugh the Great, Frankish nobleman (b. 898)
    • 1185 – Richeza of Poland, queen of León (b. c. 1140)
    • 1286 – Hugh de Balsham, English bishop
    • 1332 – Adam de Brome, founder of Oriel College, Oxford
    • 1361 – Johannes Tauler, German mystic theologian
    • 1397 – Philip of Artois, Count of Eu, French soldier (b. 1358)
    • 1424 – Johannes Ambundii, archbishop of Riga
    • 1468 – Jean Le Fèvre de Saint-Remy, Burgundian historian and author (b. 1395)
    • 1487 – John de la Pole, 1st Earl of Lincoln (b. c. 1463)
    • 1540 – Konrad von Thüngen, German nobleman (b. c. 1466)
    • 1622 – Alexander Seton, 1st Earl of Dunfermline, Scottish lawyer, judge, and politician, Lord Chancellor of Scotland (b. 1555)
    • 1626 – Christian, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg-Wolfenbüttel, German Protestant military leader (b. 1599)
    • 1666 – Sir Richard Fanshawe, 1st Baronet, English poet and diplomat, English Ambassador to Spain (b. 1608)
    • 1722 – John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire (b. 1650)
    • 1743 – Louise-Françoise de Bourbon, eldest daughter of King Louis XIV of France (b. 1673)
    • 1752 – Joseph Butler, English bishop and philosopher (b. 1692)
    • 1762 – Anne Russell, Countess of Jersey (formerly Duchess of Bedford) (b. c.1705)
    • 1777 – Jean-Baptiste-Louis Gresset, French poet and playwright (b. 1709)
    • 1779 – Sir Francis Bernard, 1st Baronet, English lawyer and politician, Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay (b. 1712)
    • 1804 – Johann Adam Hiller, German composer and conductor (b. 1728)
    • 1824 – Charles-François Lebrun, duc de Plaisance, French lawyer and politician (b. 1739)
    • 1849 – Wilhelm Martin Leberecht de Wette, German theologian and scholar (b. 1780)
    • 1850 – William Lawson, English-Australian explorer and politician (b. 1774)
    • 1858 – John Snow, English epidemiologist and physician (b. 1813)
    • 1862 – Hidenoyama Raigorō, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 9th Yokozuna (b. 1808)
    • 1869 – Charles Sturt, Indian-English botanist and explorer (b. 1795)
    • 1872 – Norman MacLeod, Scottish minister and author (b. 1812)
    • 1878 – Crawford Long, American surgeon and pharmacist (b. 1815)
    • 1878 – Kikuchi Yōsai, Japanese painter (b. 1781)
    • 1881 – Josiah Mason, English businessman and philanthropist (b. 1795)
    • 1885 – Wilhelm Camphausen, German painter and academic (b. 1818)
    • 1886 – Alexander Stuart, Scottish-Australian politician, 9th Premier of New South Wales (b. 1824)
    • 1902 – Ernst Schröder, German mathematician and academic (b. 1841)
    • 1918 – Bazil Assan, Romanian engineer and explorer (b. 1860)
    • 1925 – Chittaranjan Das, Indian lawyer and politician (b. 1870)
    • 1929 – Bramwell Booth, English 2nd General of The Salvation Army (b. 1856)
    • 1929 – Vernon Louis Parrington, American historian and scholar (b. 1871)
    • 1930 – Ezra Fitch, American lawyer and businessman, co-founded Abercrombie & Fitch (b. 1866)
    • 1930 – Elmer Ambrose Sperry, American inventor, co-invented the gyrocompass (b. 1860)
    • 1939 – Chick Webb, American drummer and bandleader (b. 1905)
    • 1940 – DuBose Heyward, American author (b. 1885)
    • 1944 – Marc Bloch, French historian and academic (b. 1886)
    • 1945 – Aris Velouchiotis, Greek general (b. 1905)
    • 1946 – Gordon Brewster, Irish cartoonist (b 1889)
    • 1952 – Andrew Lawson, Scottish-American geologist and academic (b. 1861)
    • 1953 – Margaret Bondfield, English politician, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (b. 1873)
    • 1955 – Ozias Leduc, Canadian painter (b. 1864)
    • 1958 – Pál Maléter, Hungarian general and politician, Minister of Defence of Hungary (b. 1917)
    • 1958 – Imre Nagy, Hungarian politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Hungary (b. 1895)
    • 1959 – George Reeves, American actor and director (b. 1914)
    • 1961 – Marcel Junod, Swiss physician and anesthesiologist (b. 1904)
    • 1967 – Reginald Denny, English actor (b. 1891)
    • 1969 – Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis, English field marshal and politician, 17th Governor General of Canada (b. 1891)
    • 1970 – Sydney Chapman, English mathematician and geophysicist (b. 1888)
    • 1970 – Brian Piccolo, American football player (b. 1943)
    • 1971 – John Reith, 1st Baron Reith, Scottish broadcaster, co-founded BBC (b. 1889)
    • 1974 – Amalie Sara Colquhoun, Australian landscape and portrait painter (b. 1894)
    • 1977 – Wernher von Braun, German-American physicist and engineer (b. 1912)
    • 1979 – Ignatius Kutu Acheampong, Ghanaian general and politician, 6th Head of state of Ghana (b. 1931)
    • 1979 – Nicholas Ray, American actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1911)
    • 1981 – Thomas Playford IV, Australian politician, 33rd Premier of South Australia (b. 1896)
    • 1982 – James Honeyman-Scott, English guitarist and songwriter (b. 1956)
    • 1984 – Lew Andreas, American football player and coach (b. 1895)
    • 1984 – Erni Krusten, Estonian author and poet (b. 1900)
    • 1986 – Maurice Duruflé, French organist and composer (b. 1902)
    • 1987 – Marguerite de Angeli, American author and illustrator (b. 1889)
    • 1988 – Miguel Piñero, Puerto Rican-American actor and playwright (b. 1946)
    • 1993 – Lindsay Hassett, Australian cricketer and soldier (b. 1913)
    • 1994 – Kristen Pfaff, American bass player and songwriter (b. 1967)
    • 1996 – Mel Allen, American sportscaster and game show host (b. 1913)
    • 1997 – Dal Stivens, Australian soldier and author (b. 1911)
    • 1998 – Fred Wacker, American race car driver and engineer (b. 1918)
    • 1999 – Screaming Lord Sutch, English singer and activist (b. 1940)
    • 2003 – Pierre Bourgault, Canadian journalist and politician (b. 1934)
    • 2003 – Georg Henrik von Wright, Finnish–Swedish philosopher and author (b. 1916)
    • 2004 – Thanom Kittikachorn, Thai field marshal and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Thailand (b. 1911)
    • 2004 – Jacques Miquelon, Canadian lawyer and judge (b. 1911)
    • 2005 – Enrique Laguerre, Puerto Rican-American author and critic (b. 1906)
    • 2008 – Mario Rigoni Stern, Italian soldier and author (b. 1921)
    • 2010 – Marc Bazin, Haitian lawyer and politician, 49th President of Haiti (b. 1932)
    • 2010 – Maureen Forrester, Canadian singer and academic (b. 1930)
    • 2010 – Ronald Neame, English director, producer, cinematographer, and screenwriter (b. 1911)
    • 2011 – Östen Mäkitalo, Swedish engineer and academic (b. 1938)
    • 2012 – Nils Karlsson, Swedish skier (b. 1917)
    • 2012 – Jorge Lankenau, Mexican banker and businessman (b. 1944)
    • 2012 – Sławomir Petelicki, Polish general (b. 1946)
    • 2012 – Susan Tyrrell, American actress (b. 1945)
    • 2013 – Sam Farber, American businessman, co-founded OXO (b. 1924)
    • 2013 – Hans Hass, Austrian biologist and diver (b. 1919)
    • 2013 – Khondakar Ashraf Hossain, Bangladesh poet and academic (b. 1950)
    • 2013 – Norman Ian MacKenzie, English journalist and author (b. 1921)
    • 2013 – Ottmar Walter, German footballer (b. 1924)
    • 2014 – Tony Gwynn, American baseball player and coach (b. 1960)
    • 2014 – Cándido Muatetema Rivas (b. 1960), Equatoguinean politician and diplomat, Prime Minister of Equatorial Guinea
    • 2015 – Charles Correa, Indian architect and urban planner (b. 1930)
    • 2015 – Jean Vautrin, French director, screenwriter, and critic (b. 1933)
    • 2016 – Jo Cox, English political activist and MP (b. 1974)
    • 2017 – Helmut Kohl, German politician, 6th Chancellor of Germany (b. 1930)
    • 2020 – Eduardo Cojuangco Jr. (b. 1935), Filipino businessman and politician

    Holidays and observances on June 16

    • Juneteenth (United States)
    • Birthday of Leonard P. Howell (Rastafari)
    • Bloomsday (Dublin, Ireland)
    • Christian feast days:
      • Aurelianus of Arles
      • Aureus of Mainz (and his sister Justina)
      • Benno
      • Cettin of Oran
      • Curig of Llanbadarn
      • Ferreolus and Ferrutio
      • George Berkeley and Joseph Butler (Episcopal Church)
      • Lutgardis
      • Quriaqos and Julietta
      • June 16 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Engineer’s Day (Argentina)
    • Father’s Day (Seychelles)
    • International Day of the African Child (Organisation of African Unity)
    • Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev (Sikhism)
    • Sussex Day (Sussex)
    • Youth Day (South Africa)

  • May 17 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 1395 – Battle of Rovine: The Wallachians defeat an invading Ottoman army.
    • 1536 – George Boleyn, 2nd Viscount Rochford and four other men are executed for treason.
    • 1536 – Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn’s marriage is annulled.
    • 1590 – Anne of Denmark is crowned Queen of Scotland.
    • 1642 – Paul de Chomedey, Sieur de Maisonneuve (1612–1676) founds the Ville Marie de Montréal.
    • 1673 – Louis Jolliet and Jacques Marquette begin exploring the Mississippi River.
    • 1792 – The New York Stock Exchange is formed under the Buttonwood Agreement.
    • 1805 – Muhammad Ali becomes Wāli of Egypt.
    • 1809 – Emperor Napoleon I orders the annexation of the Papal States to the French Empire.
    • 1814 – Occupation of Monaco changes from French to Austrian.
    • 1814 – The Constitution of Norway is signed and Crown Prince Christian Frederick of Denmark is elected King of Norway by the Norwegian Constituent Assembly.
    • 1859 – Members of the Melbourne Football Club codified the first rules of Australian rules football.
    • 1863 – Rosalía de Castro publishes Cantares Gallegos, the first book in the Galician language.
    • 1865 – The International Telegraph Union (later the International Telecommunication Union) is established in Paris.
    • 1875 – Aristides wins the first Kentucky Derby with the jockey Oliver Lewis (2:37.75)
    • 1900 – Second Boer War: British troops relieve Mafeking.
    • 1900 – The children’s novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum, is first published in the United States. The first copy is given to the author’s sister.
    • 1902 – Greek archaeologist Valerios Stais discovers the Antikythera mechanism, an ancient mechanical analog computer.
    • 1914 – The Protocol of Corfu is signed, recognising full autonomy to Northern Epirus under nominal Albanian sovereignty.
    • 1915 – The last British Liberal Party government (led by H. H. Asquith) falls.
    • 1933 – Vidkun Quisling and Johan Bernhard Hjort form Nasjonal Samling — the national-socialist party of Norway.
    • 1939 – The Columbia Lions and the Princeton Tigers play in the United States’ first televised sporting event, a collegiate baseball game in New York City.
    • 1940 – World War II: Germany occupies Brussels, Belgium.
    • 1943 – World War II: Dambuster Raids commence by No. 617 Squadron RAF.
    • 1954 – The United States Supreme Court hands down a unanimous decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, outlawing racial segregation in public schools.
    • 1967 – Six-Day War: President Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt demands dismantling of the peace-keeping UN Emergency Force in Egypt.
    • 1969 – Venera program: Soviet Venera 6 begins its descent into the atmosphere of Venus, sending back atmospheric data before being crushed by pressure.
    • 1973 – Watergate scandal: Televised hearings begin in the United States Senate.
    • 1974 – The Troubles: Thirty-three civilians are killed and 300 injured when the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) detonates four car bombs in Dublin and Monaghan, Republic of Ireland.
    • 1974 – Police in Los Angeles raid the Symbionese Liberation Army’s headquarters, killing six members, including Camilla Hall.
    • 1977 – Nolan Bushnell opened the first Chuck E. Cheese’s in San Jose, California.
    • 1980 – General Chun Doo-hwan of South Korea seizes control of the government and declares martial law in order to suppress student demonstrations.
    • 1980 – On the eve of presidential elections, Maoist guerrilla group Shining Path attacks a polling location in Chuschi (a town in Ayacucho), starting the Internal conflict in Peru.
    • 1983 – The U.S. Department of Energy declassifies documents showing world’s largest mercury pollution event in Oak Ridge, Tennessee (ultimately found to be 4.2 million pounds , in response to the Appalachian Observer’s Freedom of Information Act request.
    • 1983 – Lebanon, Israel, and the United States sign an agreement on Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon.
    • 1984 – Prince Charles calls a proposed addition to the National Gallery, London, a “monstrous carbuncle on the face of a much-loved and elegant friend”, sparking controversies on the proper role of the Royal Family and the course of modern architecture.
    • 1987 – Iran–Iraq War: An Iraqi Dassault Mirage F1 fighter jet fires two missiles into the U.S. Navy warship USS Stark, killing 37 and injuring 21 of her crew.
    • 1990 – The General Assembly of the World Health Organization (WHO) eliminates homosexuality from the list of psychiatric diseases.
    • 1992 – Three days of popular protests against the government of Prime Minister of Thailand Suchinda Kraprayoon begin in Bangkok, leading to a military crackdown that results in 52 officially confirmed deaths, hundreds of injuries, many disappearances, and more than 3,500 arrests.
    • 1994 – Malawi holds its first multi-party elections.
    • 1995 – Shawn Nelson steals an M60 tank from the California Army National Guard Armory in San Diego and proceeds to go on a rampage.
    • 1997 – Troops of Laurent Kabila march into Kinshasa. Zaire is officially renamed Democratic Republic of the Congo.
    • 2000 – Arsenal and Galatasaray fans clash in the 2000 UEFA Cup Final riots in Copenhagen
    • 2004 – The first legal same-sex marriages in the U.S. are performed in the state of Massachusetts.
    • 2006 – The aircraft carrier USS Oriskany is sunk in the Gulf of Mexico as an artificial reef.
    • 2007 – Trains from North and South Korea cross the 38th Parallel in a test-run agreed by both governments. This is the first time that trains have crossed the Demilitarized Zone since 1953.
    • 2014 – A plane crash in northern Laos kills 17 people.

    Births on May 17

    • 1155 – Jien, Japanese monk, poet, and historian (d. 1225)
    • 1443 – Edmund, Earl of Rutland (d. 1460)
    • 1451 – Engelbert II of Nassau, Count of Nassau-Vianden and Lord of Breda (1475–1504) (d. 1504)
    • 1490 – Albert, Duke of Prussia, last Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights (d. 1568)
    • 1500 – Federico II Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua (d. 1540)
    • 1551 – Martin Delrio, Belgian occultist and theologian (d. 1601)
    • 1568 – Anna Vasa of Sweden, Swedish princess (d. 1625)
    • 1610 – Stefano della Bella, Italian engraver and etcher (d. 1664)
    • 1628 – Ferdinand Charles, Archduke of Austria (d. 1662)
    • 1636 – Edward Colman, English Catholic courtier under Charles II (d. 1678)
    • 1682 – Bartholomew Roberts, Welsh pirate (d. 1722)
    • 1698 – Gio Nicola Buhagiar, Maltese painter (d. 1752)
    • 1706 – Andreas Felix von Oefele, German historian and librarian (d. 1780)
    • 1718 – Robert Darcy, 4th Earl of Holderness, English politician and diplomat, Secretary of State for the Southern Department (d. 1778)
    • 1732 – Francesco Pasquale Ricci, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1817)
    • 1743 – Seth Warner, American colonel (d. 1784)
    • 1749 – Edward Jenner, English physician and microbiologist (d. 1823)
    • 1758 – Sir John St Aubyn, 5th Baronet, English politician (d. 1839)
    • 1768 – Caroline of Brunswick (d. 1821)
    • 1768 – Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (d. 1854)
    • 1794 – Anna Brownell Jameson, Irish-English author (d. 1860)
    • 1818 – Ezra Otis Kendall, American professor, astronomer and mathematician (d. 1899)
    • 1821 – Sebastian Kneipp, German priest and therapist (d. 1897)
    • 1835 – Thomas McIlwraith, Scottish-Australian politician, 8th Premier of Queensland (d. 1900)
    • 1836 – Virginie Loveling, Belgian author and poet (d. 1923)
    • 1836 – Wilhelm Steinitz, Austrian-American chess player (d. 1900)
    • 1845 – Jacint Verdaguer, Catalan priest and poet (d. 1902)
    • 1860 – Martin Kukučín, Slovak author and playwright (d. 1928)
    • 1860 – Charlotte Barnum, American mathematician and social activist (d. 1934)
    • 1863 – Léon Gérin, Canadian lawyer, sociologist, and civil servant (d. 1951)
    • 1864 – Louis Richardet, Swiss target shooter (d. 1923)
    • 1864 – Ante Trumbić, Croatian lawyer and politician, 27th Mayor of Split (d. 1938)
    • 1866 – Erik Satie, French pianist and composer (d. 1925)
    • 1868 – Horace Elgin Dodge, American businessman, co-founded Dodge (d. 1920)
    • 1868 – Panagis Tsaldaris, Greek politician, Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1936)
    • 1870 – Newton Moore, Australian politician, 8th Premier of Western Australia (d. 1936)
    • 1873 – Henri Barbusse, French author and journalist (d. 1935)
    • 1873 – Dorothy Richardson, English author and journalist (d. 1957)
    • 1874 – George Sheldon, American diver (d. 1907)
    • 1882 – Karl Burman, Estonian architect and painter (d. 1965)
    • 1886 – Alfonso XIII of Spain, Spanish monarch (d. 1941)
    • 1888 – Tich Freeman, English cricketer (d. 1965)
    • 1889 – Dorothy Gibson, American actress and singer (d. 1946)
    • 1889 – Alfonso Reyes, Mexican author (d. 1959)
    • 1891 – Napoleon Zervas, Greek general and politician (d. 1957)
    • 1893 – Frederick McKinley Jones, American inventor and entrepreneur (d. 1961)
    • 1895 – Saul Adler, Belarusian-English captain and parasitologist (d. 1966)
    • 1895 – Reinhold Saulmann, Estonian sprinter and bandy player (d. 1936)
    • 1897 – Odd Hassel, Norwegian chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1981)
    • 1898 – A. J. Casson, Canadian painter (d. 1992)
    • 1899 – Carmen de Icaza, Spanish writer (d. 1979)
    • 1901 – Werner Egk, German pianist and composer (d. 1983)
    • 1903 – Cool Papa Bell, American baseball player and manager (d. 1991)
    • 1904 – Marie-Anne Desmarest, French author (d. 1973)
    • 1906 – Zinka Milanov, Croatian-American soprano and educator (d. 1989)
    • 1909 – Julius Sumner Miller, American physicist and academic (d. 1987)
    • 1911 – Lisa Fonssagrives, Swedish-American model (d. 1992)
    • 1911 – Maureen O’Sullivan, Irish-American actress (d. 1998)
    • 1912 – Archibald Cox, American lawyer and politician, 31st United States Solicitor General (d. 2004)
    • 1912 – Ace Parker, American baseball and football player (d. 2013)
    • 1912 – Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner, American inventor (d. 2006)
    • 1913 – Hans Ruesch, Swiss racing driver and author (d. 2007)
    • 1914 – Robert N. Thompson, American-Canadian chiropractor and politician (d. 1997)
    • 1918 – Joan Benham, English actress (d. 1981)
    • 1918 – Birgit Nilsson, Swedish operatic soprano (d. 2005)
    • 1919 – Antonio Aguilar, Mexican singer-songwriter, producer, actor, and screenwriter (d. 2007)
    • 1919 – Merle Miller, American author and screenwriter (d. 1986)
    • 1919 – Gustav Naan, Russian-Estonian physicist and philosopher (d. 1994)
    • 1920 – Harry Männil, Estonian-Venezuelan businessman, co-founded ACO Group (d. 2010)
    • 1921 – Dennis Brain, English composer (d. 1957)
    • 1921 – Bob Merrill, American composer and screenwriter (d. 1998)
    • 1922 – Jean Rédélé, French racing driver, founded Alpine (d. 2007)
    • 1923 – Michael Beetham, English commander and pilot (d. 2015)
    • 1924 – Roy Bentley, English footballer (d. 2018)
    • 1924 – Francis Tombs, Baron Tombs, English engineer and politician (d. 2020)
    • 1926 – David Ogilvy, 13th Earl of Airlie, English-Scottish soldier and politician
    • 1926 – Dietmar Schönherr, Austrian-Spanish actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2014)
    • 1926 – Franz Sondheimer, German-English chemist and academic (d. 1981)
    • 1929 – Branko Zebec, Yugoslav football player and coach (d. 1988)
    • 1931 – Marshall Applewhite, American cult leader, founded Heaven’s Gate (d. 1997)
    • 1931 – Dewey Redman, American saxophonist (d. 2006)
    • 1932 – Rodric Braithwaite, English soldier and diplomat, British Ambassador to Russia
    • 1932 – Peter Burge, Australian cricketer (d. 2001)
    • 1933 – Yelena Gorchakova, Russian javelin thrower (d. 2002)
    • 1934 – Friedrich-Wilhelm Kiel, German educator and politician
    • 1934 – Earl Morrall, American football player and coach (d. 2014)
    • 1934 – Ronald Wayne, American computer scientist, co-founded Apple Inc.
    • 1935 – Dennis Potter, English voice actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1994)
    • 1936 – Dennis Hopper, American actor and director (d. 2010)
    • 1937 – Hazel R. O’Leary, American lawyer and politician, 7th United States Secretary of Energy
    • 1938 – Jason Bernard, American actor (d. 1996)
    • 1938 – Marcia Freedman, Israeli activist
    • 1938 – Pervis Jackson, American R&B bass singer (d. 2008)
    • 1939 – Hugh Dykes, Baron Dykes, English politician
    • 1939 – Gary Paulsen, American author
    • 1940 – Alan Kay, American computer scientist and academic
    • 1940 – Reynato Puno, Filipino lawyer and jurist, 22nd Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
    • 1941 – David Cope, American composer and author
    • 1941 – Ben Nelson, American lawyer and politician, 37th Governor of Nebraska
    • 1942 – Taj Mahal, American blues singer-songwriter and musician
    • 1943 – Sirajuddin of Perlis, Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia
    • 1943 – Johnny Warren, Australian footballer, coach, and sportscaster (d. 2004)
    • 1944 – Jesse Winchester, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 2014)
    • 1945 – B.S. Chandrasekhar, Indian cricketer
    • 1945 – Tony Roche, Australian tennis player and coach
    • 1946 – Udo Lindenberg, German singer-songwriter and drummer
    • 1947 – Stephen Platten, English bishop
    • 1948 – Dick Gaughan, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1949 – Bill Bruford, English drummer, songwriter, and producer
    • 1949 – Keith, American pop singer
    • 1950 – Howard Ashman, American playwright and composer (d. 1991)
    • 1950 – Keith Bradley, Baron Bradley, English accountant and politician
    • 1950 – Janez Drnovšek, Slovenian economist and politician, 2nd President of Slovenia (d. 2008)
    • 1950 – Alan Johnson, English politician, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
    • 1950 – Valeriya Novodvorskaya, Russian journalist and politician (d. 2014)
    • 1951 – Simon Hughes, English lawyer and politician
    • 1952 – Howard Hampton, Canadian lawyer and politician
    • 1954 – Michael Roberts, South African-English jockey
    • 1955 – Bill Paxton, American actor and director (d. 2017)
    • 1955 – David Townsend, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2005)
    • 1956 – Sugar Ray Leonard, American boxer
    • 1956 – Annise Parker, American politician
    • 1956 – Bob Saget, American comedian, actor, and television host
    • 1956 – Dave Sim, Canadian cartoonist and author
    • 1957 – Pascual Pérez, Dominican baseball player (d. 2012)
    • 1958 – Paul Di’Anno, English rock singer-songwriter
    • 1959 – Marcelo Loffreda, Argentine rugby player and coach
    • 1960 – Lou DiBella, American boxing promoter, actor, and producer
    • 1960 – Simon Fuller, English talent manager and producer, created the Idols series
    • 1961 – Enya, Irish singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1961 – Jamil Azzaoui, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1961 – Justin King, English businessman
    • 1962 – Lise Lyng Falkenberg, Danish journalist and author
    • 1962 – Andrew Farrar, Australian rugby league player and coach
    • 1962 – Craig Ferguson, Scottish-American comedian, actor, and talk show host
    • 1962 – Jane Moore, English journalist and author
    • 1962 – Rosalind Picard, American computer scientist and engineer, co-founded Affectiva
    • 1963 – Jon Koncak, American basketball player
    • 1963 – Page McConnell, American keyboard player and songwriter
    • 1964 – Stratos Apostolakis, Greek footballer and coach
    • 1964 – Mauro Martini, Italian race car driver
    • 1964 – Menno Oosting, Dutch tennis player (d. 1999)
    • 1965 – Trent Reznor, American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer
    • 1965 – Jeremy Vine, English journalist and author
    • 1966 – Qusay Hussein, Iraqi soldier and politician (d. 2003)
    • 1966 – Mark Kratzmann, Australian tennis player and coach
    • 1966 – Danny Manning, American basketball player and coach
    • 1966 – Gilles Quénéhervé, French sprinter
    • 1967 – Nancy Benoit, American professional wrestling valet and model (d. 2007)
    • 1967 – Mohamed Nasheed, Maldivian lawyer and politician 4th President of the Maldives
    • 1967 – Patrick Ortlieb, Austrian skier
    • 1968 – Dave Abbruzzese, American rock drummer and songwriter
    • 1969 – Keith Hill, English footballer and manager
    • 1970 – Hubert Davis, American basketball player and coach
    • 1970 – Jordan Knight, American singer-songwriter and actor
    • 1970 – Matt Lindland, American mixed martial artist, wrestler, and politician
    • 1970 – Jodie Rogers, Australian diver
    • 1970 – René Vilbre, Estonian director and screenwriter
    • 1971 – Mark Connors, Australian rugby player
    • 1971 – Shaun Hart, Australian footballer, coach, and sportscaster
    • 1971 – Stella Jongmans, Dutch athlete
    • 1971 – Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, Dutch royal
    • 1971 – Gina Raimondo, Governor of Rhode Island
    • 1972 – Barry Hayles, English born Jamaican international footballer
    • 1973 – Josh Homme, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1974 – Andrea Corr, Irish singer-songwriter, pianist, and actress
    • 1974 – Wiki González, Venezuelan baseball player
    • 1974 – Eddie Lewis, American international soccer player
    • 1975 – Marcelinho Paraíba, Brazilian footballer
    • 1975 – Alex Wright, German wrestler
    • 1976 – Kandi Burruss, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
    • 1976 – Shayne Dunley, Australian rugby league player
    • 1976 – José Guillén, Dominican-American baseball player
    • 1976 – Daniel Komen, Kenyan runner
    • 1976 – Wang Leehom, American-Taiwanese singer-songwriter, producer, actor, and director
    • 1976 – Mayte Martínez, Spanish runner
    • 1976 – Kirsten Vlieghuis, Dutch freestyle swimmer
    • 1978 – John Foster, American baseball player and coach
    • 1978 – Paddy Kenny, English footballer
    • 1978 – Carlos Peña, Dominican-American baseball player
    • 1978 – Magdalena Zděnovcová, Czech tennis player
    • 1979 – David Jarolím, Czech footballer
    • 1979 – Wayne Thomas, English footballer
    • 1980 – Davor Džalto, Bosnian historian and philosopher
    • 1980 – Fredrik Kessiakoff, Swedish cyclist
    • 1980 – Alistair Overeem, Dutch mixed martial artist and kickboxer
    • 1980 – Ariën van Weesenbeek, Dutch drummer
    • 1981 – Beñat Albizuri, Spanish cyclist
    • 1981 – Leon Osman, English footballer
    • 1981 – Lim Jeong-hee, South Korean singer
    • 1981 – Chris Skidmore, English historian and politician
    • 1981 – Giannis Taralidis, Greek footballer
    • 1982 – Matt Cassel, American football player
    • 1982 – Dan Hardy, English mixed martial artist
    • 1982 – Reiko Nakamura, Japanese swimmer
    • 1982 – Tony Parker, French-American basketball player
    • 1982 – Chloe Smith, English politician
    • 1983 – Channing Frye, American basketball player
    • 1983 – Chris Henry, American football player (d. 2009)
    • 1983 – Nicky Hofs, Dutch footballer
    • 1983 – Kevin Kingston, Australian rugby league player
    • 1983 – Jeremy Sowers, American baseball player
    • 1984 – Christian Bolaños, Costa Rican footballer
    • 1984 – Christine Ohuruogu, English runner
    • 1984 – Christine Robinson, Canadian water polo player
    • 1984 – Passenger, English singer-songwriter and musician
    • 1985 – Teófilo Gutiérrez, Colombian footballer
    • 1985 – Derek Hough, American actor, singer, and dancer
    • 1985 – Christine Nesbitt, Canadian speed skater
    • 1985 – Todd Redmond, American baseball player
    • 1985 – Matt Ryan, American football player
    • 1986 – Marius Činikas, Lithuanian footballer
    • 1986 – Timo Simonlatser, Estonian skier
    • 1986 – Jodie Taylor, English footballer
    • 1987 – Edvald Boasson Hagen, Norwegian cyclist
    • 1987 – Aleandro Rosi, Italian footballer
    • 1988 – Nikki Reed, American actress, singer, and screenwriter
    • 1988 – Jennison Myrie-Williams, English footballer
    • 1989 – Mose Masoe, New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1989 – Rain Raadik, Estonian basketball player
    • 1989 – Tessa Virtue, Canadian ice dancer
    • 1990 – Fabian Giefer, German footballer
    • 1990 – Charlie Gubb, New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1990 – Katrina Hart, English runner
    • 1990 – Guido Pella, Argentine tennis player
    • 1991 – Johanna Konta, Australian-English tennis player
    • 1991 – Adil Omar, Pakistani rapper and music producer
    • 1991 – Abigail Raye, Canadian field hockey player

    Deaths on May 17

    • 528 – Empress Dowager Hu of Northern Wei
    • 528 – Yuan Yong, imperial prince of Northern Wei
    • 528 – Yuan Zhao, emperor of Northern Wei (b. 526)
    • 896 – Liu Jianfeng, Chinese warlord
    • 924 – Li Maozhen, Chinese warlord and king (b. 856)
    • 946 – Al-Qa’im bi-Amr Allah, Fatimid caliph (b. 893)
    • 1299 – Daumantas of Pskov, Lithuanian prince (b. c. 1240)
    • 1336 – Go-Fushimi, emperor of Japan (b. 1288)
    • 1365 – Louis II, Elector of Brandenburg (b. 1328)
    • 1395 – Konstantin Dejanović/Constantine Dragaš, Serbian ruler (b. 1355)
    • 1464 – Thomas de Ros, 9th Baron de Ros, English politician (b. 1427)
    • 1510 – Sandro Botticelli, Italian painter (b. 1445)
    • 1521 – Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, Welsh politician, Lord High Constable of England (b. 1478)
    • 1536 – George Boleyn, 2nd Viscount Rochford, English courtier and diplomat, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports (b. 1504)
    • 1536 – William Brereton, English courtier (b. 1487)
    • 1536 – Henry Norris, English courtier (b. 1482)
    • 1546 – Philipp von Hutten, German explorer (b. 1511)
    • 1551 – Shin Saimdang, South Korean poet and calligraphist (b. 1504)
    • 1558 – Francisco de Sá de Miranda, Portuguese poet (b. 1485)
    • 1575 – Matthew Parker, English archbishop and academic (b. 1504)
    • 1606 – False Dmitriy I, pretender to the Russian throne (b. 1582)
    • 1607 – Anna d’Este, French princess (b. 1531)
    • 1626 – Joan Pau Pujol, Catalan organist and composer (b. 1570)
    • 1643 – Giovanni Picchi, Italian organist and composer (b. 1571)
    • 1727 – Catherine I of Russia (b. 1684)
    • 1729 – Samuel Clarke, English clergyman and philosopher (b. 1675)
    • 1765 – Alexis Clairaut, French mathematician, astronomer, and geophysicist (b. 1713)
    • 1797 – Michel-Jean Sedaine, French playwright and composer (b. 1719)
    • 1801 – William Heberden, English physician and scholar (b. 1710)
    • 1807 – John Gunby, American general (b. 1745)
    • 1809 – Leopold Auenbrugger, Austrian physician (b. 1722)
    • 1822 – Armand-Emmanuel de Vignerot du Plessis, Duc de Richelieu, French general and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of France (b. 1766)
    • 1829 – John Jay, American politician and diplomat, 1st Chief Justice of the United States (b. 1745)
    • 1838 – René Caillié, French explorer and author (b. 1799)
    • 1838 – Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, French bishop and politician, Prime Minister of France (b. 1754)
    • 1839 – Archibald Alison, Scottish priest and author (b. 1757)
    • 1868 – Kondō Isami, Japanese commander (b. 1834)
    • 1875 – John C. Breckinridge, American lawyer and politician, 14th Vice President of the United States, Confederate States general (b. 1821)
    • 1879 – Asa Packer, American businessman, founded Lehigh University (b. 1805)
    • 1880 – Ziya Pasha, Greek author and translator (b. 1826)
    • 1886 – John Deere, American blacksmith and businessman, founded the Deere & Company (b. 1804)
    • 1888 – Giacomo Zanella, Italian priest and poet (b. 1820)
    • 1911 – Frederick August Otto Schwarz, German-American businessman, founded FAO Schwarz (b. 1836)
    • 1916 – Boris Borisovich Golitsyn, Russian physicist and seismologist (b. 1862)
    • 1917 – Clara Ayres, American nurse (b. 1880)
    • 1917 – Charles Brooke, Rajah of Sarawak (b. 1829)
    • 1919 – Guido von List, Austrian-German journalist, author, and poet (b. 1848)
    • 1921 – Karl Mantzius, Danish actor and director (b. 1860)
    • 1922 – Dorothy Levitt, English racing driver and journalist (b. 1882)
    • 1927 – Harold Geiger, American pilot and lieutenant (b. 1884)
    • 1934 – Cass Gilbert, American architect (b. 1859)
    • 1935 – Paul Dukas, French composer, critic, and educator (b. 1865)
    • 1936 – Panagis Tsaldaris, Greek lawyer and politician, 124th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1868)
    • 1938 – Jakob Ehrlich, Czech-Austrian academic and politician (b. 1877)
    • 1943 – Johanna Elberskirchen, German author and activist (b. 1864)
    • 1947 – George Forbes, New Zealand farmer and politician, 22nd Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1869)
    • 1951 – William Birdwood, Anglo-Indian field marshal (b. 1865)
    • 1960 – Jules Supervielle, Uruguayan-French poet and author (b. 1884)
    • 1963 – John Wilce, American football player, coach, and physician (b. 1888)
    • 1964 – Nandor Fodor, Hungarian-American psychologist and parapsychologist (b. 1895)
    • 1974 – Ernest Nash, German-American photographer and scholar (b. 1898)
    • 1977 – Charles E. Rosendahl, American admiral and pilot (b. 1892)
    • 1980 – Gündüz Kılıç, Turkish football player and coach (b. 1918)
    • 1985 – Abe Burrows, American director, composer, and author (b. 1910)
    • 1987 – Gunnar Myrdal, Swedish economist, sociologist, and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1898)
    • 1992 – Lawrence Welk, American accordion player and bandleader (b. 1903)
    • 1995 – Toe Blake, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1912)
    • 1996 – Kevin Gilbert, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1966)
    • 1999 – Bruce Fairbairn, Canadian trumpet player and producer (b. 1949)
    • 1999 – Lembit Oll, Estonian chess Grandmaster (b. 1966)
    • 2000 – Donald Coggan, English archbishop (b. 1909)
    • 2001 – Jacques-Louis Lions, French mathematician (b. 1928)
    • 2001 – Frank G. Slaughter, American physician and author (b. 1908)
    • 2002 – László Kubala, Hungarian-Spanish footballer, coach, and manager (b. 1927)
    • 2002 – Aşık Mahzuni Şerif, Turkish poet and composer (b. 1940)
    • 2004 – Jørgen Nash, Danish poet and painter (b. 1920)
    • 2004 – Tony Randall, American actor (b. 1920)
    • 2004 – Ezzedine Salim, Iraqi politician (b. 1943)
    • 2005 – Frank Gorshin, American actor (b. 1934)
    • 2006 – Cy Feuer, American director, producer, and composer (b. 1911)
    • 2007 – Lloyd Alexander, American soldier and author (b. 1924)
    • 2007 – T. K. Doraiswamy, Indian poet and author (b. 1921)
    • 2009 – Mario Benedetti, Uruguayan journalist, author, and poet (b. 1920)
    • 2009 – Jung Seung-hye, South Korean journalist and producer (b. 1965)
    • 2010 – Yvonne Loriod, French pianist, composer, and educator (b. 1924)
    • 2010 – Walasse Ting, Chinese-American painter and poet (b. 1929)
    • 2011 – Harmon Killebrew, American baseball player and sportscaster (b. 1936)
    • 2012 – Gideon Ezra, Israeli geographer and politician, Israeli Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office (b. 1937)
    • 2012 – Patrick Mafisango, Congolese-Rwandan footballer (b. 1980)
    • 2012 – Donna Summer, American singer-songwriter (b. 1948)
    • 2013 – Philippe Gaumont, French cyclist (b. 1973)
    • 2013 – Peter Schulz, German politician, Mayor of Hamburg (b. 1930)
    • 2013 – Ken Venturi, American golfer and sportscaster (b. 1931)
    • 2013 – Jorge Rafael Videla, Argentine general and politician, 42nd President of Argentina (b. 1925)
    • 2014 – Gerald Edelman, American biologist and immunologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1929)
    • 2014 – C. P. Krishnan Nair, Indian businessman, founded The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts (b. 1922)
    • 2014 – Douangchay Phichit, Laotian politician (b. 1944)
    • 2014 – Thongbanh Sengaphone, Laotian politician (b. 1953)
    • 2017 – Todor Veselinović, Serbian football player and manager (b. 1930)
    • 2019 – Herman Wouk, American author (b. 1915)
    • 2020 – Lucky Peterson, American blues singer, keyboardist and guitarist (b. 1964)

    Holidays and observances on May 17

    • Birthday of the Raja (Perlis)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Giulia Salzano
      • Paschal Baylon
      • William Hobart Hare (Episcopal Church (USA))
      • Restituta
      • May 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Children’s Day (Norway)
    • Constitution Day (Nauru)
    • Norwegian Constitution Day
    • The earliest date on which Trinity Sunday can fall, while June 20 is the latest; celebrated on the first Sunday after Pentecost. (Western Christianity)
    • Feast of ‘Aẓamat (Bahá’í Faith, day shifts with March Equinox, see List of observances set by the Baháʼí calendar)
    • Galician Literature Day or Día das Letras Galegas (Galicia)
    • National Day Against Homophobia (Canada)
    • International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia also known as IDAHOT
    • Liberation Day (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
    • Navy Day (Argentina)
    • World Hypertension Day
    • World Information Society Day (International)

  • April 11 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 491 – Flavius Anastasius becomes Byzantine emperor, with the name of Anastasius I.
    • 1241 – Batu Khan defeats Béla IV of Hungary at the Battle of Mohi.
    • 1512 – War of the League of Cambrai: French forces led by Gaston de Foix win the Battle of Ravenna.
    • 1544 – Italian War of 1542–46: A French army defeats Habsburg forces at the Battle of Ceresole, but fails to exploit its victory.
    • 1689 – William III and Mary II are crowned as joint sovereigns of Great Britain.
    • 1713 – War of the Spanish Succession (Queen Anne’s War): Treaty of Utrecht.
    • 1727 – Premiere of Johann Sebastian Bach’s St Matthew Passion BWV 244b at the St. Thomas Church, Leipzig
    • 1809 – An incomplete British victory over the French fleet at the Battle of the Basque Roads results in the court-martial of James, Lord Gambier.
    • 1814 – The Treaty of Fontainebleau ends the War of the Sixth Coalition against Napoleon Bonaparte, and forces him to abdicate unconditionally for the first time.
    • 1856 – Second Battle of Rivas: Juan Santamaría burns down the hostel where William Walker’s filibusters are holed up.
    • 1868 – Former shōgun Tokugawa Yoshinobu surrenders Edo Castle to Imperial forces, marking the end of the Tokugawa shogunate.
    • 1876 – The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks is organized.
    • 1881 – Spelman College is founded in Atlanta, Georgia as the Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary, an institute of higher education for African-American women.
    • 1908 – SMS Blücher, the last armored cruiser to be built by the Imperial German Navy, is launched.
    • 1909 – The city of Tel Aviv is founded.
    • 1921 – Emir Abdullah establishes the first centralised government in the newly created British protectorate of Transjordan.
    • 1945 – World War II: American forces liberate the Buchenwald concentration camp.
    • 1951 – Korean War: President Harry Truman relieves General of the Army Douglas MacArthur of overall command in Korea.
    • 1951 – The Stone of Scone, the stone upon which Scottish monarchs were traditionally crowned, is found on the site of the altar of Arbroath Abbey. It had been taken by Scottish nationalist students from its place in Westminster Abbey.
    • 1955 – The Air India Kashmir Princess is bombed and crashes in a failed assassination attempt on Zhou Enlai by the Kuomintang.
    • 1957 – United Kingdom agrees to Singaporean self-rule.
    • 1961 – The trial of Adolf Eichmann begins in Jerusalem.
    • 1963 – Pope John XXIII issues Pacem in terris, the first encyclical addressed to all Christians instead of only Catholics, and which described the conditions for world peace in human terms.
    • 1964 – Brazilian Marshal Humberto de Alencar Castelo Branco is elected President by the National Congress.
    • 1965 – The Palm Sunday tornado outbreak of 1965: Fifty-one tornadoes hit in six Midwestern states, killing 256 people.
    • 1968 – President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1968, prohibiting discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of housing.
    • 1968 – Assassination attempt on Rudi Dutschke, leader of the German student movement.
    • 1970 – Apollo 13 is launched.
    • 1976 – The Apple I is created.
    • 1977 – London Transport’s Silver Jubilee AEC Routemaster buses are launched.
    • 1979 – Ugandan dictator Idi Amin is deposed.
    • 1981 – A massive riot in Brixton, south London results in almost 300 police injuries and 65 serious civilian injuries.
    • 1986 – FBI Miami Shootout: A gun battle in broad daylight in Dade County, Florida between two bank/armored car robbers and pursuing FBI agents. During the firefight, FBI agents Jerry L. Dove and Benjamin P. Grogan were killed, while five other agents were wounded. As a result, the popular .40 S&W cartridge was developed.
    • 1987 – The London Agreement is secretly signed between Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Shimon Peres and King Hussein of Jordan.
    • 1990 – Customs officers in Middlesbrough, England, seize what they believe to be the barrel of a massive gun on a ship bound for Iraq.
    • 1993 – Four hundred fifty prisoners rioted at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville, Ohio, and continued to do so for ten days, citing grievances related to prison conditions, as well as the forced vaccination of Nation of Islam prisoners (for tuberculosis) against their religious beliefs.
    • 2001 – The detained crew of a United States EP-3E aircraft that landed in Hainan, China after a collision with a J-8 fighter, is released.
    • 2002 – The Ghriba synagogue bombing by al-Qaeda kills 21 in Tunisia.
    • 2002 – Over two hundred thousand people march in Caracas towards the Presidential palace to demand the resignation of President Hugo Chávez. Nineteen protesters are killed.
    • 2006 – Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announces Iran’s claim to have successfully enriched uranium.
    • 2007 – Algiers bombings: Two bombings in Algiers kill 33 people and wound a further 222 others.
    • 2011 – An explosion in the Minsk Metro, Belarus kills 15 people and injures 204 others.
    • 2012 – A pair of great earthquakes occur in the Wharton Basin west of Sumatra in Indonesia. The maximum Mercalli intensity of this strike-slip doublet earthquake was VII (Very strong). Ten were killed, twelve were injured, and a non-destructive tsunami was observed on the island of Nias.
    • 2018 – An Ilyushin Il-76 which was owned and operated by the Algerian Air Force crashes near Boufarik, Algeria, killing 257.

    Births on April 11

    • 145 – Septimius Severus, Roman emperor (probable; d. 211)
    • 1184 – William of Winchester, Lord of Lüneburg (d. 1213)
    • 1348 – Andronikos IV Palaiologos, Byzantine Emperor (d. 1385)
    • 1357 – John I of Portugal (d. 1433)
    • 1370 – Frederick I, Elector of Saxony (d. 1428)
    • 1374 – Roger Mortimer, 4th Earl of March, heir to the throne of England (d. 1398)
    • 1493 – George I, Duke of Pomerania (d. 1531)
    • 1591 – Bartholomeus Strobel, Silezian painter (d. 1650)
    • 1592 – John Eliot, English lawyer and politician (d. 1632)
    • 1644 – Marie Jeanne Baptiste of Savoy-Nemours, Duchess of Savoy (d. 1724)
    • 1658 – James Hamilton, 4th Duke of Hamilton, Scottish peer (d. 1712)
    • 1683 – Jean-Joseph Mouret, French composer and conductor (d. 1738)
    • 1715 – John Alcock, English organist and composer (d. 1806)
    • 1721 – David Zeisberger, Czech-American clergyman and missionary (d. 1808)
    • 1722 – Christopher Smart, English actor, playwright, and poet (d. 1771)
    • 1749 – Adélaïde Labille-Guiard, French miniaturist and portrait painter (d. 1803)
    • 1755 – James Parkinson, English surgeon, geologist, and paleontologist (d. 1824)
    • 1770 – George Canning, Irish-English lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1827)
    • 1794 – Edward Everett, English-American educator and politician, 15th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1865)
    • 1798 – Macedonio Melloni, Italian physicist and academic (d. 1854)
    • 1819 – Charles Hallé, German-English pianist and conductor (d. 1895)
    • 1825 – Ferdinand Lassalle, German philosopher and jurist (d. 1864)
    • 1827 – Jyotirao Phule, Indian scholar, philosopher, and activist (d. 1890)
    • 1854 – Hugh Massie, Australian cricketer (d. 1938)
    • 1856 – Arthur Shrewsbury, English cricketer and rugby player (d. 1903)
    • 1859 – Stefanos Thomopoulos, Greek historian and author (d. 1939)
    • 1862 – William Wallace Campbell, American astronomer and academic (d. 1938)
    • 1862 – Charles Evans Hughes, American lawyer and politician, 44th United States Secretary of State (d. 1948)
    • 1864 – Johanna Elberskirchen, German author and activist (d. 1943)
    • 1866 – Bernard O’Dowd, Australian journalist, author, and poet (d. 1953)
    • 1867 – Mark Keppel, American educator (d. 1928)
    • 1869 – Gustav Vigeland, Norwegian sculptor, designed the Nobel Peace Prize medal (d. 1943)
    • 1871 – Gyula Kellner, Hungarian runner (d. 1940)
    • 1873 – Edward Lawson, English soldier, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 1955)
    • 1876 – Paul Henry, Irish painter (d. 1958)
    • 1876 – Ivane Javakhishvili, Georgian historian and academic (d. 1940)
    • 1879 – Bernhard Schmidt, Estonian-German astronomer and optician (d. 1935)
    • 1887 – Jamini Roy, Indian painter (d. 1972)
    • 1893 – Dean Acheson, American lawyer and politician, 51st United States Secretary of State (d. 1971)
    • 1896 – Léo-Paul Desrosiers, Canadian journalist and author (d. 1967)
    • 1899 – Percy Lavon Julian, African-American chemist and academic (d. 1975)
    • 1900 – Sándor Márai, Hungarian journalist and author (d. 1989)
    • 1903 – Misuzu Kaneko, Japanese poet (d. 1930)
    • 1904 – K. L. Saigal, Indian singer and actor (d. 1947)
    • 1905 – Attila József, Hungarian poet and educator (d. 1937)
    • 1906 – Dale Messick, American author and illustrator (d. 2005)
    • 1907 – Paul Douglas, American actor (d. 1959)
    • 1908 – Jane Bolin, American lawyer and judge (d. 2007)
    • 1908 – Masaru Ibuka, Japanese businessman, co-founded Sony (d. 1997)
    • 1908 – Dan Maskell, English tennis player and sportscaster (d. 1992)
    • 1908 – Leo Rosten, Polish-American author and academic (d. 1997)
    • 1910 – António de Spínola, Portuguese general and politician, 14th President of Portugal (d. 1996)
    • 1912 – John Levy, American bassist and businessman (d. 2012)
    • 1913 – Oleg Cassini, French-American fashion designer (d. 2006)
    • 1914 – Norman McLaren, Scottish-Canadian animator, director, and producer (d. 1987)
    • 1914 – Robert Stanfield, Canadian economist, lawyer, and politician, 17th Premier of Nova Scotia (d. 2003)
    • 1914 – Dorothy Lewis Bernstein, American mathematician (d. 1988)
    • 1916 – Alberto Ginastera, Argentinian-Swiss pianist and composer (d. 1983)
    • 1916 – Howard W. Koch, American director and producer (d. 2001)
    • 1917 – David Westheimer, American soldier, journalist, and author (d. 2005)
    • 1918 – Richard Wainwright, English soldier and politician (d. 2003)
    • 1919 – Raymond Carr, English historian and academic (d. 2015)
    • 1920 – Emilio Colombo, Italian lawyer and politician, 40th Prime Minister of Italy (d. 2013)
    • 1920 – William Royer, American soldier and politician (d. 2013)
    • 1921 – Jim Hearn, American baseball player (d. 1998)
    • 1921 – Jack Rayner, Australian rugby league player and coach (d. 2008)
    • 1922 – Arved Viirlaid, Estonian-Canadian soldier and author (d. 2015)
    • 1923 – George J. Maloof, Sr., American businessman (d. 1980)
    • 1924 – Mohammad Naseem, Pakistani-English activist and politician (d. 2014)
    • 1925 – Yuriy Lituyev, Russian hurdler and commander (d. 2000)
    • 1925 – Viola Liuzzo, American civil rights activist (d. 1965)
    • 1925 – Viktor Masing, Estonian botanist and ecologist (d. 2001)
    • 1925 – Pierre Péladeau, Canadian businessman, founded Quebecor (d. 1997)
    • 1926 – David Manker Abshire, American commander and diplomat, United States Permanent Representative to NATO (d. 2014)
    • 1926 – Victor Bouchard, Canadian pianist and composer (d. 2011)
    • 1926 – Karl Rebane, Estonian physicist and academic (d. 2007)
    • 1927 – Lokesh Chandra, Indian historian
    • 1928 – Ethel Kennedy, American philanthropist
    • 1928 – Edwin Pope, American journalist and author (d. 2017)
    • 1928 – Tommy Tycho, Hungarian-Australian pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 2013)
    • 1930 – Nicholas F. Brady, American businessman and politician, 68th United States Secretary of the Treasury
    • 1930 – Walter Krüger, German javelin thrower (d. 2018)
    • 1930 – Anton LaVey, American occultist, founded the Church of Satan (d. 1997)
    • 1931 – Lewis Jones, Welsh rugby player and coach
    • 1932 – Joel Grey, American actor, singer, and dancer
    • 1933 – Tony Brown, American journalist and academic
    • 1934 – Mark Strand, Canadian-born American poet, essayist, and translator (d. 2014)
    • 1934 – Ron Pember, English actor, director and playwright
    • 1935 – Richard Berry, American singer-songwriter (d. 1997)
    • 1936 – Brian Noble, English bishop (d. 2019)
    • 1937 – Jill Gascoine, English actress and author
    • 1938 – Gerry Baker, American soccer player and manager (d. 2013)
    • 1938 – Michael Deaver, American politician, Deputy White House Chief of Staff (d. 2007)
    • 1938 – Reatha King, American chemist and businesswoman
    • 1939 – Luther Johnson, American singer and guitarist
    • 1939 – Louise Lasser, American actress
    • 1940 – Col Firmin, Australian politician (d. 2013)
    • 1940 – Thomas Harris, American author and screenwriter
    • 1940 – Władysław Komar, Polish shot putter and actor (d. 1998)
    • 1941 – Ellen Goodman, American journalist and author
    • 1941 – Shirley Stelfox, English actress (d. 2015)
    • 1942 – Anatoly Berezovoy, Russian colonel, pilot, and astronaut (d. 2014)
    • 1942 – Hattie Gossett, American writer
    • 1942 – James Underwood, English pathologist and academic
    • 1943 – John Montagu, 11th Earl of Sandwich, English businessman and politician
    • 1943 – Harley Race, American wrestler and trainer (d. 2019)
    • 1944 – Peter Barfuß, German footballer
    • 1944 – John Milius, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1945 – John Krebs, Baron Krebs, English zoologist and academic
    • 1946 – Chris Burden, American sculptor, illustrator, and academic (d. 2015)
    • 1946 – Bob Harris, English journalist and radio host
    • 1947 – Lev Bulat, Ukrainian-Russian physicist and academic (d. 2016)
    • 1947 – Uli Edel, German director and screenwriter
    • 1947 – Frank Mantooth, American pianist and composer (d. 2004)
    • 1947 – Peter Riegert, American actor, screenwriter and film director
    • 1947 – Michael T. Wright, English engineer and academic (d. 2015)
    • 1949 – Bernd Eichinger, German director and producer (d. 2011)
    • 1950 – Bill Irwin, American actor and clown
    • 1951 – Paul Fox, English singer and guitarist (d. 2007)
    • 1952 – Nancy Honeytree, American singer and guitarist
    • 1952 – Indira Samarasekera, Sri Lankan engineer and academic
    • 1952 – Peter Windsor, English-Australian journalist and sportscaster
    • 1953 – Guy Verhofstadt, Belgian politician, 47th Prime Minister of Belgium
    • 1953 – Andrew Wiles, English mathematician and academic
    • 1954 – Abdullah Atalar, Turkish engineer and academic
    • 1954 – Aleksandr Averin, Azerbaijani cyclist and coach
    • 1954 – Francis Lickerish, English guitarist and composer
    • 1954 – David Perrett, Scottish psychologist and academic
    • 1954 – Ian Redmond, English biologist and conservationist
    • 1954 – Willie Royster, American baseball player (d. 2015)
    • 1955 – Kevin Brady, American lawyer and politician
    • 1955 – Michael Callen, American singer-songwriter and AIDS activist (d. 1993)
    • 1955 – Micheal Ray Richardson, American basketball player and coach
    • 1958 – Stuart Adamson, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2001)
    • 1958 – Lyudmila Kondratyeva, Russian sprinter
    • 1959 – Pierre Lacroix, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1959 – Ana María Polo, Cuban-American lawyer and judge
    • 1959 – Zahid Maleque, Bangladeshi politician
    • 1960 – Jeremy Clarkson, English journalist and television presenter
    • 1961 – Vincent Gallo, American actor, director, producer, and musician
    • 1961 – Doug Hopkins, American guitarist and songwriter (d. 1993)
    • 1961 – Nobuaki Kakuda, Japanese martial artist
    • 1962 – Franck Ducheix, French fencer
    • 1962 – Mark Lawson, English journalist and author
    • 1963 – Billy Bowden, New Zealand cricketer and umpire
    • 1963 – Waldemar Fornalik, Polish footballer and manager
    • 1963 – Elizabeth Smylie, Australian tennis player
    • 1964 – Steve Azar, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1964 – John Cryer, English journalist and politician
    • 1964 – Johann Sebastian Paetsch, American cellist
    • 1964 – Bret Saberhagen, American baseball player and coach
    • 1964 – Patrick Sang, Kenyan runner
    • 1966 – Steve Scarsone, American baseball player and manager
    • 1966 – Shin Seung-hun, South Korean singer-songwriter
    • 1966 – Lisa Stansfield, English singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1968 – Sergei Lukyanenko, Kazakh-Russian journalist and author
    • 1969 – Cerys Matthews, Welsh singer-songwriter
    • 1969 – Michael von Grünigen, Swiss skier
    • 1970 – Trevor Linden, Canadian ice hockey player and manager
    • 1970 – Delroy Pearson, English singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1971 – John Leech, English politician
    • 1971 – Oliver Riedel, German bass player
    • 1972 – Balls Mahoney, American wrestler (d. 2016)
    • 1972 – Allan Théo, French singer
    • 1972 – Jason Varitek, American baseball player and manager
    • 1973 – Jennifer Esposito, American actress
    • 1973 – Olivier Magne, French rugby player
    • 1974 – Àlex Corretja, Spanish tennis player and coach
    • 1974 – Ashot Danielyan, Armenian weightlifter
    • 1974 – David Jassy, Swedish singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1974 – Zöe Lucker, English actress
    • 1974 – Tom Thacker, Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1974 – Trot Nixon, American baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1975 – Olga Hostáková, Czech tennis player
    • 1975 – Walid Soliman, Tunisian author and translator
    • 1976 – Kelvim Escobar, Venezuelan baseball player
    • 1977 – Ivonne Teichmann, German runner
    • 1978 – Josh Hancock, American baseball player (d. 2007)
    • 1979 – Malcolm Christie, English footballer
    • 1979 – Sebastien Grainger, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1979 – Michel Riesen, Swiss ice hockey player
    • 1979 – Josh Server, American actor
    • 1980 – Keiji Tamada, Japanese footballer
    • 1980 – Mark Teixeira, American baseball player
    • 1981 – Alessandra Ambrosio, Brazilian model
    • 1981 – Alexandre Burrows, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1981 – Veronica Pyke, Australian cricketer
    • 1982 – Ian Bell, English cricketer
    • 1982 – Peeter Kümmel, Estonian skier
    • 1983 – Jennifer Heil, Canadian skier
    • 1983 – Rubén Palazuelos, Spanish footballer
    • 1983 – Nicky Pastorelli, Dutch race car driver
    • 1984 – Kelli Garner, American actress
    • 1984 – Nikola Karabatić, French handball player
    • 1985 – Pablo Hernández Domínguez, Spanish footballer
    • 1985 – Will Minson, Australian footballer
    • 1986 – Sarodj Bertin, Haitian model and human rights lawyer
    • 1986 – Dai Greene, Welsh hurdler
    • 1986 – Lena Schöneborn, German pentathlete
    • 1987 – Joss Stone, English singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1987 – Lights, Canadian singer-songwriter
    • 1988 – Leland Irving, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1989 – Torrin Lawrence, American sprinter (d. 2014)
    • 1989 – Zola Jesus, American singer
    • 1990 – Dimitrios Anastasopoulos, Greek footballer
    • 1990 – Thulani Serero, South African footballer
    • 1991 – Thiago Alcântara, Spanish footballer
    • 1991 – Brennan Poole, American racing driver
    • 1996 – Dele Alli, English international footballer
    • 1997 – Georgia Bohl, Australian swimmer
    • 1997 – Miriam Kolodziejová, a Czech tennis player

    Deaths on April 11

    • 618 – Yang Guang, Chinese emperor of the Sui Dynasty (b. 569)
    • 678 – Donus, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 610)
    • 924 – Herman I, chancellor and archbishop of Cologne
    • 1034 – Romanos III Argyros, Byzantine emperor (b. 968)
    • 1077 – Anawrahta, king of Burma and founder of the Pagan Empire (b. 1014)
    • 1079 – Stanislaus of Szczepanów, bishop of Kraków (b. 1030)
    • 1165 – Stephen IV, king of Hungary and Croatia
    • 1240 – Llywelyn the Great, Welsh prince (b. 1172)
    • 1447 – Henry Beaufort, Cardinal, Lord Chancellor of England (b. 1377)
    • 1512 – Gaston de Foix, French military commander (b. 1489)
    • 1554 – Thomas Wyatt the Younger, English rebel leader (b. 1521)
    • 1587 – Thomas Bromley, English lord chancellor (b. 1530)
    • 1609 – John Lumley, 1st Baron Lumley, English noble (b. 1533)
    • 1612 – Emanuel van Meteren, Flemish historian and author (b. 1535)
    • 1612 – Edward Wightman, English minister and martyr (b. 1566)
    • 1626 – Marino Ghetaldi, Ragusan mathematician and physicist (b. 1568)
    • 1712 – Richard Simon, French priest and critic (b. 1638)
    • 1723 – John Robinson, English bishop and diplomat (b. 1650)
    • 1783 – Nikita Ivanovich Panin, Polish-Russian politician, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1718)
    • 1798 – Karl Wilhelm Ramler, German poet and academic (b. 1725)
    • 1856 – Juan Santamaría, Costa Rican soldier (b. 1831)
    • 1861 – Francisco González Bocanegra, Mexican poet and composer (b. 1824)
    • 1873 – Edward Canby, American general (b. 1817)
    • 1890 – David de Jahacob Lopez Cardozo, Dutch Talmudist (b. 1808)
    • 1890 – Joseph Merrick, English man with severe deformities (b. 1862)
    • 1894 – Constantin Lipsius, German architect and theorist (b. 1832)
    • 1895 – Julius Lothar Meyer, German chemist (b. 1830)
    • 1902 – Wade Hampton III, American general and politician, 77th Governor of South Carolina (b. 1818)
    • 1903 – Gemma Galgani, Italian mystic and saint (b. 1878)
    • 1906 – James Anthony Bailey, American businessman, co-founded Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus (b. 1847)
    • 1906 – Francis Pharcellus Church, American journalist and publisher, co-founded Armed Forces Journal and The Galaxy Magazine (b. 1839)
    • 1908 – Henry Bird, English chess player and author (b. 1829)
    • 1916 – Richard Harding Davis, American journalist and author (b. 1864)
    • 1918 – Otto Wagner, Austrian architect and urban planner (b. 1841)
    • 1926 – Luther Burbank, American botanist and academic (b. 1849)
    • 1939 – Kurtdereli Mehmet, Turkish wrestler (b. 1864)
    • 1953 – Kid Nichols, American baseball player and manager (b. 1869)
    • 1954 – Paul Specht, American violinist and bandleader (b. 1895)
    • 1958 – Konstantin Yuon, Russian painter and educator (b. 1875)
    • 1960 – Rosa Grünberg, Swedish actress (b. 1878)
    • 1962 – Ukichiro Nakaya, Japanese physicist and academic (b. 1900)
    • 1962 – George Poage, American hurdler and educator (b. 1880)
    • 1967 – Thomas Farrell, American general (b. 1891)
    • 1967 – Donald Sangster, Jamaican lawyer and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Jamaica (b. 1911)
    • 1970 – Cathy O’Donnell, American actress (b. 1923)
    • 1970 – John O’Hara, American novelist and short story writer (b. 1905)
    • 1974 – Ernst Ziegler, German actor (b. 1894)
    • 1977 – Jacques Prévert, French poet and screenwriter (b. 1900)
    • 1977 – Phanishwar Nath ‘Renu’, Indian author and activist (b. 1921)
    • 1980 – Ümit Kaftancıoğlu, Turkish journalist and producer (b. 1935)
    • 1981 – Caroline Gordon, American author and critic (b. 1895)
    • 1983 – Dolores del Río, Mexican actress (b. 1904)
    • 1984 – Edgar V. Saks, Estonian historian and politician, Estonian Minister of Education (b. 1910)
    • 1985 – Bunny Ahearne, Irish-born English businessman (b. 1900)
    • 1985 – John Gilroy, English artist and illustrator (b. 1898)
    • 1985 – Enver Hoxha, Albanian educator and politician, 21st Prime Minister of Albania (b. 1908)
    • 1987 – Erskine Caldwell, American novelist and short story writer (b. 1903)
    • 1987 – Primo Levi, Italian chemist and author (b. 1919)
    • 1990 – Harold Ballard, Canadian businessman (b. 1903)
    • 1991 – Walker Cooper, American baseball player and manager (b. 1915)
    • 1991 – Bruno Hoffmann. German glass harp player (b. 1913)
    • 1992 – James Brown, American actor and singer (b. 1920)
    • 1992 – Eve Merriam, American author and poet (b. 1916)
    • 1992 – Alejandro Obregón, Colombian painter, sculptor, and engraver (b. 1920)
    • 1996 – Jessica Dubroff, American pilot (b. 1988)
    • 1997 – Muriel McQueen Fergusson, Canadian lawyer and politician, Canadian Speaker of the Senate (b. 1899)
    • 1997 – Wang Xiaobo, contemporary Chinese novelist and essayist (b. 1952)
    • 1999 – William H. Armstrong, American author and educator (b. 1911)
    • 2000 – Diana Darvey, English actress, singer and dancer (b. 1945)
    • 2001 – Harry Secombe, Welsh-English actor (b. 1921)
    • 2003 – Cecil Howard Green, English-American geophysicist and businessman, founded Texas Instruments (b. 1900)
    • 2005 – André François, Romanian-French cartoonist, painter, and sculptor (b. 1915)
    • 2005 – Lucien Laurent, French footballer and coach (b. 1907)
    • 2006 – June Pointer, American singer (b. 1953)
    • 2006 – DeShaun Holton, American rapper and actor (b. 1973)
    • 2007 – Roscoe Lee Browne, American actor and director (b. 1922)
    • 2007 – Loïc Leferme, French diver (b. 1970)
    • 2007 – Janet McDonald, American lawyer and author (b. 1954)
    • 2007 – Ronald Speirs, Scottish-American colonel (b. 1920)
    • 2007 – Kurt Vonnegut, American novelist, short story writer, and playwright (b. 1922)
    • 2008 – Merlin German, American sergeant (b. 1985)
    • 2009 – Gerda Gilboe, Danish actress and singer (b. 1914)
    • 2009 – Vishnu Prabhakar, Indian author and playwright (b. 1912)
    • 2009 – Corín Tellado, Spanish author (b. 1927)
    • 2010 – Julia Tsenova, Bulgarian pianist and composer (b. 1948)
    • 2011 – Larry Sweeney, American wrestler and manager (b. 1981)
    • 2012 – Ahmed Ben Bella, Algerian soldier and politician, 1st President of Algeria (b. 1916)
    • 2012 – Roger Caron, Canadian criminal and author (b. 1938)
    • 2012 – Tippy Dye, American basketball player and coach (b. 1915)
    • 2012 – Hal McKusick, American saxophonist, clarinet player, and flute player (b. 1924)
    • 2012 – Agustin Roman, American bishop (b. 1928)
    • 2013 – Don Blackman, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer (b. 1953)
    • 2013 – Grady Hatton, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1922)
    • 2013 – Thomas Hemsley, English actor and singer (b. 1927)
    • 2013 – Hilary Koprowski, Polish-American virologist and immunologist (b. 1916)
    • 2013 – Gilles Marchal, French singer-songwriter (b. 1944)
    • 2013 – Maria Tallchief, American ballerina (b. 1925)
    • 2013 – Clorindo Testa, Italian-Argentinian architect (b. 1923)
    • 2013 – Jonathan Winters, American comedian, actor and screenwriter (b. 1925)
    • 2014 – Rolf Brem, Swiss sculptor and illustrator (b. 1926)
    • 2014 – Edna Doré, English actress (b. 1921)
    • 2014 – Bill Henry, American baseball player (b. 1927)
    • 2014 – Lou Hudson, American basketball player and sportscaster (b. 1944)
    • 2014 – Myer S. Kripke, American rabbi and scholar (b. 1914)
    • 2014 – Sergey Nepobedimy, Russian engineer (b. 1921)
    • 2014 – Jesse Winchester, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1944)
    • 2015 – Jimmy Gunn, American football player (b. 1948)
    • 2015 – Muhammad Kamaruzzaman, Bangladeshi journalist and politician (b. 1952)
    • 2015 – François Maspero, French journalist and author (b. 1932)
    • 2015 – Hanut Singh, Indian general (b. 1933)
    • 2015 – Tekena Tamuno, Nigerian historian and academic (b. 1932)
    • 2017 – J. Geils, American singer and guitarist (b. 1946)
    • 2017 – Mark Wainberg, Canadian researcher and HIV/AIDS activist (b. 1945)
    • 2020 – John Horton Conway, English mathematician (b. 1937)

    Holidays and observances on April 11

    • Christian feast day:
      • Antipas of Pergamum (Greek Orthodox Church)
      • Gemma Galgani
      • Godeberta
      • Guthlac of Crowland
      • George Selwyn (Anglicanism)
      • Stanislaus of Szczepanów
      • April 11 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Juan Santamaría Day, anniversary of his death in the Second Battle of Rivas. (Costa Rica)
    • International Louie Louie Day
    • World Parkinson’s Day

  • April 7 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 451 – Attila the Hun sacks the town of Metz and attacks other cities in Gaul.
    • 529 – First draft of the Corpus Juris Civilis (a fundamental work in jurisprudence) is issued by Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian I.
    • 611 – Maya king Uneh Chan of Calakmul sacks rival city-state Palenque in southern Mexico.
    • 1141 – Empress Matilda became the first female ruler of England, adopting the title ‘Lady of the English’.
    • 1348 – Charles University is founded in Prague.
    • 1521 – Ferdinand Magellan arrives at Cebu.
    • 1541 – Francis Xavier leaves Lisbon on a mission to the Portuguese East Indies.
    • 1724 – Premiere performance of Johann Sebastian Bach’s St John Passion, BWV 245, at St. Nicholas Church, Leipzig.
    • 1767 – End of Burmese–Siamese War (1765–67).
    • 1776 – Captain John Barry and the USS Lexington captures the Edward.
    • 1788 – American pioneers to the Northwest Territory establish Marietta, Ohio as the first permanent American settlement in the Northwest Territory.
    • 1789 – Selim III became Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and Caliph of Islam.
    • 1798 – The Mississippi Territory is organized from disputed territory claimed by both the United States and Spain. It is expanded in 1804 and again in 1812.
    • 1805 – Lewis and Clark Expedition: The Corps of Discovery breaks camp among the Mandan tribe and resumes its journey West along the Missouri River.
    • 1805 – German composer Ludwig van Beethoven premiered his Third Symphony, at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna.
    • 1827 – John Walker, an English chemist, sells the first friction match that he had invented the previous year.
    • 1829 – Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, commences translation of the Book of Mormon, with Oliver Cowdery as his scribe.
    • 1831 – Emperor Pedro I of Brazil resigns. He goes to his native Portugal to become King Pedro IV.
    • 1862 – American Civil War: The Union’s Army of the Tennessee and the Army of the Ohio defeat the Confederate Army of Mississippi near Shiloh, Tennessee.
    • 1868 – Thomas D’Arcy McGee, one of the Canadian Fathers of Confederation, is assassinated by a Fenian activist.
    • 1890 – Completion of the first Lake Biwa Canal.
    • 1906 – Mount Vesuvius erupts and devastates Naples.
    • 1906 – The Algeciras Conference gives France and Spain control over Morocco.
    • 1922 – The United States Secretary of the Interior leases federal petroleum reserves to private oil companies on excessively generous terms.
    • 1927 – The first long-distance public television broadcast (from Washington, D.C., to New York City, displaying the image of Commerce Secretary Herbert Hoover).
    • 1933 – Prohibition in the United States is repealed for beer of no more than 3.2% alcohol by weight, eight months before the ratification of the XXI amendment. (Now celebrated as National Beer Day in the United States.)
    • 1940 – Booker T. Washington becomes the first African American to be depicted on a United States postage stamp.
    • 1943 – The Holocaust in Ukraine: In Terebovlia, Germans order 1,100 Jews to undress and march through the city to the nearby village of Plebanivka, where they are shot and buried in ditches.
    • 1943 – Ioannis Rallis becomes collaborationist Prime Minister of Greece during the Axis Occupation.
    • 1945 – World War II: The battleship Yamato, one of the two largest ever constructed, is sunk by American aircraft during Operation Ten-Go.
    • 1945 – World War II: Visoko is liberated by the 7th, 9th, and 17th Krajina brigades from the Tenth division of Yugoslav Partisan forces.
    • 1948 – The World Health Organization is established by the United Nations.
    • 1949 – The Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific opened on Broadway; it would run for 1,925 performances and win ten Tony Awards.
    • 1954 – United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower gives his “domino theory” speech during a news conference.
    • 1955 – Winston Churchill resigns as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom amid indications of failing health.
    • 1964 – IBM announces the System/360.
    • 1964 – A bulldozer kills Rev. Bruce W. Klunder, a civil rights activist, during a school segregation protest in Cleveland, Ohio, sparking a riot.
    • 1965 – Representatives of the National Congress of American Indians testify before members of the US Senate against the termination of the Colville tribe in Washington DC.
    • 1968 – Motor racing world champion Jim Clark is killed in an accident during a Formula Two race at Hockenheim.
    • 1969 – The Internet’s symbolic birth date: Publication of RFC 1.
    • 1971 – President Richard Nixon announces his decision to quicken the pace of Vietnamization.
    • 1976 – Member of Parliament and suspected spy John Stonehouse resigns from the Labour Party (UK) after being arrested for faking his own death.
    • 1977 – German Federal prosecutor Siegfried Buback and his driver are shot by two Red Army Faction members while waiting at a red light.
    • 1978 – Development of the neutron bomb is canceled by President Jimmy Carter.
    • 1980 – During the Iran hostage crisis, the United States severs relations with Iran.
    • 1983 – During STS-6, astronauts Story Musgrave and Don Peterson perform the first Space Shuttle spacewalk.
    • 1989 – Soviet submarine Komsomolets sinks in the Barents Sea off the coast of Norway killing 42 sailors.
    • 1990 – Iran–Contra affair: John Poindexter is found guilty of five charges for his part in the scandal (the conviction is later reversed on appeal).
    • 1990 – A fire breaks out on the passenger ferry Scandinavian Star, killing 159 people.
    • 1994 – Rwandan genocide: Massacres of Tutsis begin in Kigali, Rwanda.
    • 1994 – Auburn Calloway attempts to destroy Federal Express Flight 705 in order to allow his family to benefit from his life insurance policy.
    • 1995 – First Chechen War: Russian paramilitary troops begin a massacre of civilians in Samashki, Chechnya.
    • 1999 – The World Trade Organization rules in favor of the United States in its long-running trade dispute with the European Union over bananas.
    • 2001 – Mars Odyssey is launched.
    • 2003 – U.S. troops capture Baghdad; Saddam Hussein’s regime falls two days later.
    • 2009 – Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori is sentenced to 25 years in prison for ordering killings and kidnappings by security forces.
    • 2009 – Mass protests begin across Moldova under the belief that results from the parliamentary election are fraudulent.
    • 2017 – A man deliberately drives a hijacked truck into a crowd of people, killing five people and injuring fifteen others.

    Births on April 7

    • 1206 – Otto II Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria (d. 1253)
    • 1330 – John, 3rd Earl of Kent, English nobleman (d. 1352)
    • 1470 – Edward Stafford, 2nd Earl of Wiltshire (d. 1498)
    • 1506 – Francis Xavier, Spanish missionary and saint, co-founded the Society of Jesus (d. 1552)
    • 1539 – Tobias Stimmer, Swiss painter and illustrator (d. 1584)
    • 1613 – Gerrit Dou, Dutch painter (d. 1675)
    • 1644 – François de Neufville, duc de Villeroy, French general (d. 1730)
    • 1648 – John Sheffield, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby, English poet and politician, Lord President of the Council (d. 1721)
    • 1652 – Pope Clement XII (d. 1740)
    • 1713 – Nicola Sala, Italian composer and theorist (d. 1801)
    • 1718 – Hugh Blair, Scottish minister and author (d. 1800)
    • 1727 – Michel Adanson, French botanist, entomologist, and mycologist (d. 1806)
    • 1763 – Domenico Dragonetti, Italian bassist and composer (d. 1846)
    • 1770 – William Wordsworth, English poet (d. 1850)
    • 1772 – Charles Fourier, French philosopher and author (d. 1837)
    • 1780 – William Ellery Channing, American preacher and theologian (d. 1842)
    • 1803 – James Curtiss, American journalist and politician, 11th Mayor of Chicago (d. 1859)
    • 1803 – Flora Tristan, French author and activist (d. 1844)
    • 1811 – Hasan Tahsini, Albanian astronomer, mathematician, and philosopher (d. 1881)
    • 1817 – Francesco Selmi, Italian chemist and patriot (d. 1881)
    • 1848 – Randall Davidson, Scottish archbishop (d. 1930)
    • 1859 – Walter Camp, American football player and coach (d. 1925)
    • 1860 – Will Keith Kellogg, American businessman, founded the Kellogg Company (d. 1951)
    • 1867 – Holger Pedersen, Danish linguist and academic (d. 1953)
    • 1870 – Gustav Landauer, Jewish-German theorist and activist (d. 1919)
    • 1871 – Epifanio de los Santos, Filipino jurist, historian, and scholar (d. 1927)
    • 1873 – John McGraw, American baseball player and manager (d. 1934)
    • 1874 – Frederick Carl Frieseke, German-American painter (d. 1939)
    • 1876 – Fay Moulton, American sprinter, football player, coach, and lawyer (d. 1945)
    • 1882 – Bert Ironmonger, Australian cricketer (d. 1971)
    • 1882 – Kurt von Schleicher, German general and politician, 23rd Chancellor of Germany (d. 1934)
    • 1883 – Gino Severini, Italian-French painter and author (d. 1966)
    • 1884 – Clement Smoot, American golfer (d. 1963)
    • 1886 – Ed Lafitte, American baseball player and soldier (d. 1971)
    • 1889 – Gabriela Mistral, Chilean poet and educator, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1957)
    • 1890 – Paul Berth, Danish footballer (d. 1969)
    • 1890 – Marjory Stoneman Douglas, American journalist and activist (d. 1998)
    • 1891 – Ole Kirk Christiansen, Danish businessman, founded the Lego Group (d. 1958)
    • 1893 – Allen Dulles, American lawyer and diplomat, 5th Director of Central Intelligence (d. 1969)
    • 1895 – John Flannagan, American soldier and sculptor (d. 1942)
    • 1895 – Margarete Schön, German actress (d. 1985)
    • 1896 – Frits Peutz, Dutch architect, designed the Glaspaleis (d. 1974)
    • 1897 – Erich Löwenhardt, Polish-German lieutenant and pilot (d. 1918)
    • 1897 – Walter Winchell, American journalist and radio host (d. 1972)
    • 1899 – Robert Casadesus, French pianist and composer (d. 1972)
    • 1900 – Adolf Dymsza, Polish actor (d. 1975)
    • 1900 – Tebbs Lloyd Johnson, English race walker (d. 1984)
    • 1902 – Eduard Eelma, Estonian footballer (d. 1941)
    • 1903 – M. Balasundaram, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician (d. 1965)
    • 1903 – Edwin T. Layton, American admiral (d. 1984)
    • 1904 – Roland Wilson, Australian economist and statistician (d. 1996)
    • 1908 – Percy Faith, Canadian composer, conductor, and bandleader (d. 1976)
    • 1908 – Pete Zaremba, American hammer thrower (d. 1994)
    • 1909 – Robert Charroux, French author and critic (d. 1978)
    • 1913 – Louise Currie, American actress (d. 2013)
    • 1913 – Charles Vanik, American soldier, judge, and politician (d. 2007)
    • 1914 – Ralph Flanagan, American pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1995)
    • 1915 – Stanley Adams, American actor and screenwriter (d. 1977)
    • 1915 – Billie Holiday, American singer-songwriter and actress (d. 1959)
    • 1915 – Henry Kuttner, American author (d. 1958)
    • 1916 – Anthony Caruso, American actor (d. 2003)
    • 1917 – R. G. Armstrong, American actor and playwright (d. 2012)
    • 1918 – Bobby Doerr, American baseball player and coach (d. 2017)
    • 1919 – Roger Lemelin, Canadian author and screenwriter (d. 1992)
    • 1919 – Edoardo Mangiarotti, Italian fencer (d. 2012)
    • 1920 – Ravi Shankar, Indian-American sitar player and composer (d. 2012)
    • 1921 – Feza Gürsey, Turkish mathematician and physicist (d. 1992)
    • 1922 – Mongo Santamaría, Cuban-American drummer (d. 2003)
    • 1924 – Johannes Mario Simmel, Austrian-English author and screenwriter (d. 2009)
    • 1925 – Chaturanan Mishra, Indian trade union leader and politician (d. 2011)
    • 1925 – Jan van Roessel, Dutch footballer (d. 2011)
    • 1927 – Babatunde Olatunji, Nigerian-American drummer, educator, and activist (d. 2003)
    • 1927 – Leonid Shcherbakov, Russian triple jumper
    • 1928 – James Garner, American actor, singer, and producer (d. 2014)
    • 1928 – Alan J. Pakula, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1998)
    • 1928 – James White, Northern Irish author and educator (d. 1999)
    • 1929 – Bob Denard, French soldier (d. 2007)
    • 1929 – Joe Gallo, American gangster (d. 1972)
    • 1930 – Jane Priestman, English interior designer
    • 1930 – Yves Rocher, French businessman, founded the Yves Rocher Company (d. 2009)
    • 1930 – Andrew Sachs, German-English actor and screenwriter (d. 2016)
    • 1930 – Roger Vergé, French chef and restaurateur (d. 2015)
    • 1931 – Donald Barthelme, American short story writer and novelist (d. 1989)
    • 1931 – Daniel Ellsberg, American activist and author
    • 1932 – Cal Smith, American singer and guitarist (d. 2013)
    • 1933 – Wayne Rogers, American actor, investor, and producer (d. 2015)
    • 1933 – Sakıp Sabancı, Turkish businessman and philanthropist (d. 2004)
    • 1934 – Ian Richardson, Scottish-English actor (d. 2007)
    • 1935 – Bobby Bare, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1935 – Hodding Carter III, American journalist and politician, Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs
    • 1937 – Charlie Thomas, American singer
    • 1938 – Jerry Brown, American lawyer and politician, 34th and 39th Governor of California
    • 1938 – Spencer Dryden, American drummer (d. 2005)
    • 1938 – Freddie Hubbard, American trumpet player and composer (d. 2008)
    • 1938 – Iris Johansen, American author
    • 1939 – Francis Ford Coppola, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1939 – David Frost, English journalist and game show host (d. 2013)
    • 1939 – Gary Kellgren, American record producer, co-founded Record Plant (d. 1977)
    • 1939 – Brett Whiteley, Australian painter (d. 1992)
    • 1940 – Marju Lauristin, Estonian academic and politician, 1st Estonian Minister of Social Affairs
    • 1941 – James Di Pasquale, American composer
    • 1941 – Peter Fluck, English puppet maker and illustrator
    • 1941 – Cornelia Frances, English-Australian actress (d. 2018)
    • 1941 – Gorden Kaye, English actor (d. 2017)
    • 1942 – Jeetendra, Indian actor, TV and film producer
    • 1943 – Mick Abrahams, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1943 – Dennis Amiss, English cricketer and manager
    • 1944 – Shel Bachrach, American insurance broker, investor, businessman and philanthropist
    • 1944 – Warner Fusselle, American sportscaster (d. 2012)
    • 1944 – Oshik Levi, Israeli singer and actor
    • 1944 – Julia Phillips, American film producer and author (d. 2002)
    • 1944 – Gerhard Schröder, German lawyer and politician, 7th Chancellor of Germany
    • 1944 – Bill Stoneman, American baseball player and manager
    • 1945 – Megas, Icelandic singer-songwriter
    • 1945 – Gerry Cottle, English businessman
    • 1945 – Marilyn Friedman, American philosopher and academic
    • 1945 – Martyn Lewis, Welsh journalist and author
    • 1945 – Joël Robuchon, French chef and author (d. 2018)
    • 1945 – Werner Schroeter, German director and screenwriter (d. 2010)
    • 1945 – Hans van Hemert, Dutch songwriter and producer
    • 1946 – Zaid Abdul-Aziz, American basketball player
    • 1946 – Colette Besson, French runner and educator (d. 2005)
    • 1946 – Herménégilde Chiasson, Canadian poet, playwright, and politician, 29th Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick
    • 1946 – Dimitrij Rupel, Slovenian politician and diplomate
    • 1946 – Stan Winston, American special effects designer and makeup artist (d. 2008)
    • 1947 – Patricia Bennett, American singer
    • 1947 – Florian Schneider, German singer and drummer (d. 2020)
    • 1947 – Michèle Torr, French singer and author
    • 1948 – John Oates, American singer-songwriter guitarist, and producer
    • 1949 – Mitch Daniels, American academic and politician, 49th Governor of Indiana
    • 1950 – Brian J. Doyle, American press secretary
    • 1951 – Bruce Gary, American drummer (d. 2006)
    • 1951 – Janis Ian, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1952 – David Baulcombe, English geneticist and academic
    • 1952 – Jane Frederick, American hurdler and heptathlete
    • 1952 – Gilles Valiquette, Canadian actor, singer, and producer
    • 1952 – Dennis Hayden, American actor
    • 1953 – Santa Barraza, American mixed media artist
    • 1953 – Douglas Kell, English biochemist and academic
    • 1954 – Jackie Chan, Hong Kong martial artist, actor, stuntman, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1954 – Tony Dorsett, American football player
    • 1955 – Tim Cochran, American mathematician and academic (d. 2014)
    • 1955 – Gregg Jarrett, American lawyer and journalist
    • 1956 – Annika Billström, Swedish businesswoman and politician, 16th Mayor of Stockholm
    • 1956 – Christopher Darden, American lawyer and author
    • 1956 – Georg Werthner, Austrian decathlete
    • 1957 – Kim Kap-soo, South Korean actor
    • 1957 – Thelma Walker, British politician
    • 1958 – Brian Haner, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1958 – Hindrek Kesler, Estonian architect
    • 1960 – Buster Douglas, American boxer and actor
    • 1960 – Sandy Powell, English costume designer
    • 1961 – Thurl Bailey, American basketball player and actor
    • 1961 – Pascal Olmeta, French footballer
    • 1961 – Brigitte van der Burg, Tanzanian-Dutch geographer and politician
    • 1962 – Jon Cruddas, English lawyer and politician
    • 1962 – Andrew Hampsten, American cyclist
    • 1963 – Jaime de Marichalar, Spanish businessman
    • 1963 – Nick Herbert, English businessman and politician, Minister for Policing
    • 1963 – Dave Johnson, American decathlete and educator
    • 1964 – Jace Alexander, American actor and director
    • 1964 – Russell Crowe, New Zealand-Australian actor
    • 1964 – Steve Graves, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1965 – Bill Bellamy, American comedian, actor, and producer
    • 1965 – Rozalie Hirs, Dutch composer and poet
    • 1965 – Alison Lapper, English painter and photographer
    • 1965 – Nenad Vučinić, Serbian-New Zealand basketball player and coach
    • 1966 – Richard Gomez, Filipino actor and politician
    • 1966 – Zvika Hadar, Israeli entertainer
    • 1966 – Béla Mavrák, Hungarian tenor singer
    • 1966 – Gary Wilkinson, English snooker player
    • 1967 – Artemis Gounaki, Greek-German singer-songwriter
    • 1967 – Bodo Illgner, German footballer
    • 1967 – Simone Schilder, Dutch tennis player
    • 1968 – Duncan Armstrong, Australian swimmer and sportscaster
    • 1968 – Jennifer Lynch, American actress, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1968 – Jože Možina, Slovenian historian, sociologist and journalist
    • 1968 – Vasiliy Sokov, Russian triple jumper
    • 1969 – Ricky Watters, American football player
    • 1970 – Leif Ove Andsnes, Norwegian pianist and educator
    • 1971 – Guillaume Depardieu, French actor (d. 2008)
    • 1971 – Victor Kraatz, German-Canadian figure skater
    • 1972 – Tim Peake, British astronaut
    • 1973 – Marco Delvecchio, Italian footballer
    • 1973 – Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, Dutch lawyer and politician, Dutch Minister of Defence
    • 1973 – Carole Montillet, French skier
    • 1973 – Christian O’Connell, British radio DJ and presenter
    • 1973 – Brett Tomko, American baseball player
    • 1975 – Karin Dreijer Andersson, Swedish singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1975 – Ronde Barber, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1975 – Tiki Barber, American football player and journalist
    • 1975 – Ronnie Belliard, American baseball player
    • 1975 – John Cooper, American singer-songwriter and bass player
    • 1975 – Simon Woolford, Australian rugby league player
    • 1976 – Kevin Alejandro, American actor and producer
    • 1976 – Martin Buß, German high jumper
    • 1976 – Jessica Lee, English lawyer and politician
    • 1976 – Aaron Lohr, American actor
    • 1976 – Barbara Jane Reams, American actress
    • 1976 – Gang Qiang, Chinese anchor
    • 1978 – Jo Appleby, English soprano
    • 1978 – Duncan James, English singer-songwriter and actor
    • 1978 – Lilia Osterloh, American tennis player
    • 1979 – Adrián Beltré, Dominican-American baseball player
    • 1979 – Patrick Crayton, American football player
    • 1979 – Pascal Dupuis, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1979 – Danny Sandoval, Venezuelan-American baseball player
    • 1980 – Dragan Bogavac, Montenegrin footballer
    • 1980 – Tetsuji Tamayama, Japanese actor
    • 1981 – Hitoe Arakaki, Japanese singer
    • 1981 – Kazuki Watanabe, Japanese songwriter and guitarist (d. 2000)
    • 1981 – Vanessa Olivarez, American singer-songwriter, and actress
    • 1981 – Suzann Pettersen, Norwegian golfer
    • 1982 – Silvana Arias, Peruvian actress
    • 1982 – Sonjay Dutt, American wrestler
    • 1982 – Kelli Young, English singer
    • 1983 – Hamish Davidson, Australian musician
    • 1983 – Franck Ribéry, French footballer
    • 1983 – Jon Stead, English footballer
    • 1983 – Jakub Smrž, Czech motorcycle rider
    • 1983 – Janar Talts, Estonian basketball player
    • 1984 – Hiroko Shimabukuro, Japanese singer
    • 1985 – KC Concepcion, Filipino actress and singer
    • 1985 – Humza Yousaf, Scottish politician
    • 1986 – Brooke Brodack, American comedian
    • 1986 – Jack Duarte, Mexican actor, singer, and guitarist
    • 1986 – Andi Fraggs, English singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1986 – Christian Fuchs, Austrian footballer
    • 1987 – Martín Cáceres, Uruguayan footballer
    • 1987 – Eelco Sintnicolaas, Dutch decathlete
    • 1987 – Jamar Smith, American football player
    • 1988 – Antonio Piccolo, Italian footballer
    • 1988 – Ed Speleers, English actor and producer
    • 1989 – Alexa Demara, American actress, model and writer
    • 1989 – Franco Di Santo, Argentinian footballer
    • 1989 – Mitchell Pearce, Australian rugby league player
    • 1989 – Teddy Riner, French judoka
    • 1990 – Nickel Ashmeade, Jamaican sprinter
    • 1990 – Anna Bogomazova, Russian-American kick-boxer, martial artist, and wrestler
    • 1990 – Sorana Cîrstea, Romanian tennis player
    • 1990 – Trent Cotchin, Australian footballer
    • 1991 – Luka Milivojević, Serbian footballer
    • 1991 – Anne-Marie, English singer-songwriter
    • 1992 – Andreea Acatrinei, Romanian gymnast
    • 1992 – Guilherme Negueba, Brazilian footballer
    • 1993 – Ichinojō Takashi, Mongolian sumo wrestler
    • 1994 – Johanna Allik, Estonian figure skater
    • 1994 – Aaron Gray, Australian rugby league player
    • 1996 – Emerson Hyndman, American international soccer player[5]
    • 1997 – Rafaela Gómez, Ecuadorian tennis player

    Deaths on April 7

    • AD 30 – Jesus Christ, (possible date of the crucifixion) (b. circa 4 BC)
    • 821 – George the Standard-Bearer, archbishop of Mytilene (b. c. 776)
    • 924 – Berengar I of Italy (b. 845)
    • 1206 – Frederick I, Duke of Lorraine
    • 1340 – Bolesław Jerzy II of Mazovia (b. 1308)
    • 1498 – Charles VIII of France (b. 1470)
    • 1499 – Galeotto I Pico, Duke of Mirandola (b. 1442)
    • 1501 – Minkhaung II, king of Ava (b. 1446)
    • 1606 – Edward Oldcorne, English martyr (b. 1561)
    • 1614 – El Greco, Greek-Spanish painter and sculptor (b. 1541)
    • 1638 – Shimazu Tadatsune, Japanese daimyō (b. 1576)
    • 1651 – Lennart Torstensson, Swedish field marshal and engineer (b. 1603)
    • 1658 – Juan Eusebio Nieremberg, Spanish mystic and philosopher (b. 1595)
    • 1661 – Sir William Brereton, 1st Baronet, English commander and politician (b. 1604)
    • 1663 – Francis Cooke, English-American settler (b. 1583)
    • 1668 – William Davenant, English poet and playwright (b. 1606)
    • 1719 – Jean-Baptiste de La Salle, French priest and saint, founded the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools (b. 1651)
    • 1739 – Dick Turpin, English criminal (b. 1705)
    • 1747 – Leopold I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau (b. 1676)
    • 1761 – Thomas Bayes, English minister and mathematician (b. 1701)
    • 1766 – Tiberius Hemsterhuis, Dutch philologist and critic (b. 1685)
    • 1767 – Franz Sparry, Austrian composer and director (b. 1715)
    • 1782 – Taksin, Thai king (b. 1734)
    • 1789 – Abdul Hamid I, Ottoman sultan (b. 1725)
    • 1789 – Petrus Camper, Dutch physician, anatomist, and physiologist (b. 1722)
    • 1801 – Noël François de Wailly, French lexicographer and author (b. 1724)
    • 1804 – Toussaint Louverture, Haitian general (b. 1743)
    • 1811 – Garsevan Chavchavadze, Georgian diplomat and politician (b. 1757)
    • 1823 – Jacques Charles, French physicist and mathematician (b. 1746)
    • 1833 – Antoni Radziwiłł, Lithuanian composer and politician (b. 1775)
    • 1836 – William Godwin, English journalist and author (b. 1756)
    • 1849 – Pedro Ignacio de Castro Barros, Argentinian priest and politician (b. 1777)
    • 1850 – William Lisle Bowles, English poet and critic (b. 1762)
    • 1858 – Anton Diabelli, Austrian composer and publisher (b. 1781)
    • 1868 – Thomas D’Arcy McGee, Irish-Canadian journalist, activist, and politician (b. 1825)
    • 1879 – Begum Hazrat Mahal, Begum of Awadh, was the second wife of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah (b. 1820)
    • 1885 – Karl Theodor Ernst von Siebold, German physiologist and zoologist (b. 1804)
    • 1889 – Youssef Bey Karam, Lebanese soldier and politician (b. 1823)
    • 1889 – Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada, Mexican politician and president, 1872-1876 (b. 1823)
    • 1891 – P. T. Barnum, American businessman and politician, co-founded The Barnum & Bailey Circus (b. 1810)
    • 1917 – Spyridon Samaras, Greek composer and playwright (b. 1861)
    • 1918 – David Kolehmainen, Finnish wrestler (b. 1885)
    • 1918 – George E. Ohr, American potter (b. 1857)
    • 1920 – Karl Binding, German lawyer and jurist (b. 1841)
    • 1922 – James McGowen, Australian politician, 18th Premier of New South Wales (b. 1855)
    • 1928 – Alexander Bogdanov, Russian physician, philosopher, and author (b. 1873)
    • 1932 – Grigore Constantinescu, Romanian priest and journalist (b. 1875)
    • 1938 – Suzanne Valadon, French painter (b. 1865)
    • 1939 – Joseph Lyons, Australian educator and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1879)
    • 1943 – Jovan Dučić, Serbian-American poet and diplomat (b. 1871)
    • 1943 – Alexandre Millerand, French lawyer and politician, 12th President of France (b. 1859)
    • 1947 – Henry Ford, American engineer and businessman, founded the Ford Motor Company (b. 1863)
    • 1949 – John Gourlay, Canadian soccer player (b. 1872)
    • 1950 – Walter Huston, Canadian-American actor and singer (b. 1883)
    • 1955 – Theda Bara, American actress (b. 1885)
    • 1956 – Fred Appleby, English runner (b. 1879)
    • 1960 – Henri Guisan, Swiss general (b. 1874)
    • 1965 – Roger Leger, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1919)
    • 1966 – Walt Hansgen, American race car driver (b. 1919)
    • 1968 – Edwin Baker, Canadian co-founder of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) (b. 1893)
    • 1968 – Jim Clark, Scottish race car driver (b. 1936)
    • 1972 – Joe Gallo, American gangster (b. 1929)
    • 1972 – Abeid Karume, Tanzanian politician, 1st President of Zanzibar (b. 1905)
    • 1981 – Kit Lambert, English record producer and manager (b. 1935)
    • 1981 – Norman Taurog, American director and screenwriter (b. 1899)
    • 1982 – Harald Ertl, Austrian race car driver and journalist (b. 1948)
    • 1984 – Frank Church, American soldier, lawyer, and politician (b. 1924)
    • 1985 – Carl Schmitt, German philosopher and jurist (b. 1888)
    • 1986 – Leonid Kantorovich, Russian mathematician and economist (b. 1912)
    • 1990 – Ronald Evans, American captain, engineer, and astronaut (b. 1933)
    • 1991 – Memduh Ünlütürk, Turkish general (b. 1913)
    • 1992 – Ace Bailey, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1903)
    • 1992 – Antonis Tritsis, Greek high jumper and politician, 71st Mayor of Athens (b. 1937)
    • 1994 – Lee Brilleaux, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1952)
    • 1994 – Albert Guðmundsson, Icelandic footballer, manager, and politician (b. 1923)
    • 1994 – Golo Mann, German historian and author (b. 1909)
    • 1994 – Agathe Uwilingiyimana, Rwandan chemist, academic, and politician, Prime Minister of Rwanda (b. 1953)
    • 1995 – Philip Jebb, English architect and politician (b. 1927)
    • 1997 – Luis Aloma, Cuban-American baseball player (b. 1923)
    • 1997 – Georgy Shonin, Ukrainian-Russian general, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1935)
    • 1998 – Alex Schomburg, Puerto Rican-American painter and illustrator (b. 1905)
    • 1999 – Heinz Lehmann, German-Canadian psychiatrist and academic (b. 1911)
    • 2001 – David Graf, American actor (b. 1950)
    • 2001 – Beatrice Straight, American actress (b. 1914)
    • 2002 – John Agar, American actor (b. 1921)
    • 2003 – Cecile de Brunhoff, French pianist and author (b. 1903)
    • 2003 – David Greene, English-American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1921)
    • 2004 – Victor Argo, American actor (b. 1934)
    • 2004 – Konstantinos Kallias, Greek politician (b. 1901)
    • 2005 – Cliff Allison, English race car driver (b. 1932)
    • 2005 – Grigoris Bithikotsis, Greek singer-songwriter (b. 1922)
    • 2005 – Bob Kennedy, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1920)
    • 2005 – Melih Kibar, Turkish composer and educator (b. 1951)
    • 2007 – Johnny Hart, American author and illustrator (b. 1931)
    • 2007 – Barry Nelson, American actor (b. 1917)
    • 2008 – Ludu Daw Amar, Burmese journalist and author (b. 1915)
    • 2009 – Dave Arneson, American game designer, co-created Dungeons & Dragons (b. 1947)
    • 2011 – Pierre Gauvreau, Canadian painter (b. 1922)
    • 2012 – Steven Kanumba, Tanzanian actor and director (b. 1984)
    • 2012 – Satsue Mito, Japanese zoologist and academic (b. 1914)
    • 2012 – Ignatius Moses I Daoud, Syrian cardinal (b. 1930)
    • 2012 – David E. Pergrin, American colonel and engineer (b. 1917)
    • 2012 – Bashir Ahmed Qureshi, Pakistani politician (b. 1959)
    • 2012 – Mike Wallace, American television news journalist (b. 1918)
    • 2013 – Marty Blake, American businessman (b. 1927)
    • 2013 – Les Blank, American director and producer (b. 1935)
    • 2013 – Andy Johns, English-American record producer (b. 1950)
    • 2013 – Lilly Pulitzer, American fashion designer (b. 1931)
    • 2013 – Irma Ravinale, Italian composer and educator (b. 1937)
    • 2013 – Mickey Rose, American screenwriter (b. 1935)
    • 2013 – Carl Williams, American boxer (b. 1959)
    • 2014 – George Dureau, American painter and photographer (b. 1930)
    • 2014 – James Alexander Green, American-English mathematician and academic (b. 1926)
    • 2014 – V. K. Murthy, Indian cinematographer (b. 1923)
    • 2014 – Zeituni Onyango, Kenyan-American computer programmer (b. 1952)
    • 2014 – John Shirley-Quirk, English opera singer (b. 1931)
    • 2014 – George Shuffler, American guitarist (b. 1925)
    • 2014 – Josep Maria Subirachs, Spanish sculptor and painter (b. 1927)
    • 2014 – Royce Waltman, American basketball player and coach (b. 1942)
    • 2015 – Tim Babcock, American soldier and politician, 16th Governor of Montana (b. 1919)
    • 2015 – José Capellán, Dominican-American baseball player (b. 1981)
    • 2015 – Stan Freberg, American puppeteer, voice actor, and singer (b. 1926)
    • 2015 – Richard Henyekane, South African footballer (b. 1983)
    • 2015 – Geoffrey Lewis, American actor (b. 1935)
    • 2016 – Blackjack Mulligan, American professional wrestler (b. 1942)
    • 2019 – Seymour Cassel, American actor (b. 1935)

    Holidays and observances on April 7

    • Christian feast days:
      • Aibert of Crespin
      • Blessed Alexander Rawlins
      • Blessed Edward Oldcorne and Blessed Ralph Ashley
      • Blessed Notker the Stammerer
      • Brynach
      • Hegesippus
      • Henry Walpole
      • Hermann Joseph
      • Jean-Baptiste de La Salle
      • Patriarch Tikhon of Moscow (Eastern Orthodox Church, Episcopal Church (USA))
      • April 7 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Flag Day (Slovenia)
    • Genocide Memorial Day (Rwanda), and its related observance:
      • International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Rwanda Genocide (United Nations)
    • Motherhood and Beauty Day (Armenia)
    • National Beer Day (United States)
    • Sheikh Abeid Amani Karume Day (Tanzania)
    • Women’s Day (Mozambique)
    • World Health Day (International observance)

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

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

    Births on January 20

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

    Deaths on January 20

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

    Holidays and observances on January 20

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