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 May 1 in History
- 475 BC – Roman consul Publius Valerius Poplicola celebrates a Roman triumph for his victory over Veii and the Sabines.
- 305 – Diocletian and Maximian retire from the office of Roman emperor.
- 524 – King Sigismund of Burgundy is executed at Orléans after an eight-year reign and is succeeded by his brother Godomar.
- 880 – The Nea Ekklesia is inaugurated in Constantinople, setting the model for all later cross-in-square Orthodox churches.
- 1169 – Norman mercenaries land at Bannow Bay in Leinster, marking the beginning of the Norman invasion of Ireland.
- 1328 – Wars of Scottish Independence end: By the Treaty of Edinburgh–Northampton, England recognises Scotland as an independent state.
- 1455 – Battle of Arkinholm, Royal forces end the Black Douglas hegemony in Scotland.
- 1576 – Stephen Báthory, the reigning Prince of Transylvania, marries Anna Jagiellon and they become co-rulers of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
- 1707 – The Act of Union joining England and Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain takes effect.
- 1753 – Publication of Species Plantarum by Linnaeus, and the formal start date of plant taxonomy adopted by the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature.
- 1759 – Josiah Wedgwood founds the Wedgwood pottery company in Great Britain
- 1776 – Establishment of the Illuminati in Ingolstadt, Upper Bavaria, by Jesuit-taught Adam Weishaupt.
- 1778 – American Revolution: The Battle of Crooked Billet begins in Hatboro, Pennsylvania.
- 1786 – In Vienna, Austria, Mozart’s opera The Marriage of Figaro is performed for the first time.
- 1794 – War of the Pyrenees: The Battle of Boulou ends, in which French forces defeat the Spanish and regain nearly all the land they lost to Spain in 1793.
- 1820 – Execution of the Cato Street Conspirators, who plotted to kill the British Cabinet and Prime Minister Lord Liverpool.
- 1840 – The Penny Black, the first official adhesive postage stamp, is issued in the United Kingdom.
- 1844 – Hong Kong Police Force, the world’s second modern police force and Asia’s first, is established.
- 1846 – The few remaining Mormons left in Nauvoo, Illinois, formally dedicate the Nauvoo Temple.
- 1851 – Queen Victoria opens The Great Exhibition at The Crystal Palace in London.
- 1856 – The Province of Isabela was created in the Philippines in honor of Queen Isabela II.
- 1862 – American Civil War: The Union Army completes its capture of New Orleans.
- 1863 – American Civil War: The Battle of Chancellorsville begins.
- 1865 – The Empire of Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay sign the Treaty of the Triple Alliance.
- 1866 – The Memphis Race Riots begin. In three days time, 46 blacks and two whites were killed. Reports of the atrocities influenced passage of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
- 1875 – Alexandra Palace reopens after being burned down in a fire in 1873.
- 1884 – The Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions demands the eight-hour work day in the United States.
- 1884 – Moses Fleetwood Walker becomes the first black person to play in a professional baseball game in the United States.
- 1885 – The original Chicago Board of Trade Building opens for business.
- 1886 – Rallies are held throughout the United States demanding the eight-hour work day, culminating in the Haymarket affair in Chicago, in commemoration of which May 1 is celebrated as International Workers’ Day in many countries.
- 1893 – The World’s Columbian Exposition opens in Chicago.
- 1894 – Coxey’s Army, the first significant American protest march, arrives in Washington, D.C.
- 1898 – Spanish–American War: Battle of Manila Bay: The Asiatic Squadron of the United States Navy destroys the Pacific Squadron of the Spanish Navy after a seven-hour battle. Spain loses all seven of its ships, and 381 Spanish sailors die. There are no American vessel losses or combat deaths.
- 1900 – The Scofield Mine disaster kills over 200 men in Scofield, Utah in what is to date the fifth-worst mining accident in United States history.
- 1915 – The RMS Lusitania departs from New York City on her 202nd, and final, crossing of the North Atlantic. Six days later, the ship is torpedoed off the coast of Ireland with the loss of 1,198 lives.
- 1919 – German troops enter Munich to suppress the Bavarian Soviet Republic.
- 1925 – The All-China Federation of Trade Unions is officially founded. Today it is the largest trade union in the world, with 134 million members.
- 1927 – The Union Labor Life Insurance Company is founded by the American Federation of Labor.
- 1929 – The 7.2 Mw  Kopet Dag earthquake shakes the Iran–Turkmenistan border region with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent), killing up to 3,800 and injuring 1,121.
- 1930 – “Pluto” is officially proposed for the name of the newly-discovered dwarf planet Pluto by Vesto Slipher in the Lowell Observatory Observation Circular. The name quickly catches on.
- 1931 – The Empire State Building is dedicated in New York City.
- 1941 – World War II: German forces launch a major attack during the siege of Tobruk.
- 1944 – World War II: Two hundred Communist prisoners are shot by the Germans at Kaisariani, Athens in reprisal for the killing of General Franz Krech by partisans at Molaoi.
- 1945 – World War II: A German newsreader officially announces that Adolf Hitler has “fallen at his command post in the Reich Chancellery fighting to the last breath against Bolshevism and for Germany”. The Soviet flag is raised over the Reich Chancellery, by order of Stalin.
- 1945 – World War II: Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels and his wife Magda commit suicide in the Reich Garden outside the Führerbunker. Their children are also killed by having cyanide pills inserted into their mouths by their mother, Magda.
- 1945 – World War II: Forces of the Soviet Red Army liberate Allied prisoners of war imprisoned at Stalag Luft I near Barth, Germany.
- 1945 – World War II: Up to 2,500 people die in a mass suicide in Demmin following the advance of the Red Army.
- 1945 – World War II: Yugoslav Partisans liberate Trieste.
- 1946 – Start of three-year Pilbara strike of Indigenous Australians.
- 1946 – The Paris Peace Conference concludes that the islands of the Dodecanese should be returned to Greece by Italy.
- 1947 – Portella della Ginestra massacre against May Day celebrations in Sicily by the bandit and separatist leader Salvatore Giuliano where 11 persons are killed and 33 wounded.
- 1956 – The polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk is made available to the public.
- 1956 – A doctor in Japan reports an “epidemic of an unknown disease of the central nervous system”, marking the official discovery of Minamata disease.
- 1957 – Thirty-four people are killed when a Vickers Viking airliner crashes in Hampshire, England.
- 1960 – Formation of the western Indian states of Gujarat and Maharashtra; also known as “Maharashtra Day”.
- 1960 – Cold War: U-2 incident: Francis Gary Powers, in a Lockheed U-2 spyplane, is shot down over the Sverdlovsk Oblast, Soviet Union, sparking a diplomatic crisis.
- 1961 – The Prime Minister of Cuba, Fidel Castro, proclaims Cuba a socialist nation and abolishes elections.
- 1965 – Cross-Strait relations: Battle of Dong-Yin, a naval conflict between the Republic of China and the People’s Republic of China, takes place.
- 1967 – Elvis Presley and Priscilla Beaulieu are married in Las Vegas.
- 1970 – Vietnam War: Protests erupt following the announcement by Richard Nixon that the U.S. and South Vietnamese forces would attack Vietnamese communists in a Cambodian Campaign.
- 1971 – Amtrak (the National Railroad Passenger Corporation) takes over operation of U.S. passenger rail service.
- 1974 – The Argentine terrorist organization Montoneros is expelled from Plaza de Mayo by president Juan Perón.
- 1977 – Thirty-six people are killed in Taksim Square, Istanbul, during the Labour Day celebrations.
- 1978 – Japan’s Naomi Uemura, travelling by dog sled, becomes the first person to reach the North Pole alone.
- 1982 – Operation Black Buck: The Royal Air Force attacks the Argentine Air Force during Falklands War.
- 1983 – The Sydney Entertainment Centre is opened.
- 1987 – Pope John Paul II beatifies Edith Stein, a Jewish-born Carmelite nun who was gassed in the Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz.
- 1989 – Disney-MGM Studios opens at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida, United States.
- 1990 – The former Philippine Episcopal Church (supervised by the Episcopal Church of the United States of America) is granted full autonomy and raised to the status of an Autocephalous Anglican Province and renamed the Episcopal Church in the Philippines.
- 1993 – Dingiri Banda Wijetunga became president of Sri Lanka automatically after killing of R Premadasa in LTTE bomb explosion.
- 1994 – Three-time Formula One world champion Ayrton Senna is killed in an accident whilst leading the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola.
- 1995 – Croatian War of Independence: Croatian forces launch Operation Flash.
- 1999 – The body of British climber George Mallory is found on Mount Everest, 75 years after his disappearance in 1924
- 1999 – SpongeBob SquarePants premieres on Nickelodeon.
- 2001 – Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declares the existence of “a state of rebellion”, hours after thousands of supporters of her arrested predecessor, Joseph Estrada, storm towards the presidential palace at the height of the EDSA III rebellion.
- 2002 – OpenOffice.org released version 1.0, the first stable version of the software.
- 2003 – Invasion of Iraq: In what becomes known as the “Mission Accomplished” speech, on board the USS Abraham Lincoln (off the coast of California), U.S. President George W. Bush declares that “major combat operations in Iraq have ended”.
- 2004 – Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia join the European Union, celebrated at the residence of the Irish President in Dublin.
- 2009 – Same-sex marriage is legalized in Sweden.
- 2011 – Pope John Paul II is beatified by his successor, Pope Benedict XVI.
- 2019 – Naxalite attack in Gadchiroli district of India: Sixteen army soldiers, including a driver, killed in an IED blast. Naxals targeted an anti-Naxal operations team.
 Births on May 1
- 1218 – John I, Count of Hainaut (d. 1257)
- 1218 – Rudolf I of Germany (d. 1291)
- 1285 – Edmund FitzAlan, 9th Earl of Arundel, English politician (d. 1326)
- 1326 – Rinchinbal Khan, Mongolian emperor (d. 1332)
- 1488 – Sidonie of Bavaria, eldest daughter of Duke Albrecht IV of Bavaria-Munich (d. 1505)
- 1527 – Johannes Stadius, German astronomer, astrologer, mathematician (d. 1579)
- 1545 – Franciscus Junius, French theologian (d. 1602)
- 1579 – Wolphert Gerretse, Dutch-American farmer, co-founded New Netherland (d. 1662)
- 1582 – Marco da Gagliano, Italian composer (d. 1643)
- 1585 – Sophia Olelkovich Radziwill, Belarusian saint (d. 1612)
- 1591 – Johann Adam Schall von Bell, German missionary and astronomer (d. 1666)
- 1594 – John Haynes, English-American politician, 1st Governor of the Colony of Connecticut (d. 1653)
- 1602 – William Lilly, English astrologer (d. 1681)
- 1672 – Joseph Addison, English essayist, poet, playwright, and politician (d. 1719)
- 1730 – Joshua Rowley, English admiral (d. 1790)
- 1735 – Jan Hendrik van Kinsbergen, Dutch admiral and philanthropist (d. 1819)
- 1751 – Judith Sargent Murray, American poet and playwright (d. 1820)
- 1764 – Benjamin Henry Latrobe, English-American architect, designed the United States Capitol (d. 1820)
- 1769 – Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, Irish-English field marshal and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1852)
- 1783 – Phoebe Hinsdale Brown, American hymnwriter (d. 1861)
- 1803 – James Clarence Mangan, Irish poet and author (d. 1849)
- 1821 – Henry Ayers, English-Australian politician, 8th Premier of South Australia (d. 1897)
- 1824 – Alexander William Williamson, English chemist and academic (d. 1904)
- 1825 – Johann Jakob Balmer, Swiss mathematician and physicist (d. 1898)
- 1825 – George Inness, American painter and educator (d. 1894)
- 1827 – Jules Breton, French painter (d. 1906)
- 1829 – José de Alencar, Brazilian author and playwright (d. 1877)
- 1829 – Frederick Sandys, English painter and illustrator (d. 1904)
- 1830 – Guido Gezelle, Belgian priest and poet (d. 1899)
- 1831 – Emily Stowe, Canadian physician and activist (d. 1903)
- 1847 – Henry Demarest Lloyd, American journalist and politician (d. 1903)
- 1848 – Adelsteen Normann, Norwegian painter (d. 1919)
- 1850 – Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (d. 1942)
- 1851 – Laza Lazarević, Serbian psychiatrist and neurologist (d. 1891)
- 1852 – Calamity Jane, American frontierswoman and professional scout (d. 1903)
- 1852 – Santiago Ramón y Cajal, Spanish neuroscientist and pathologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1934)
- 1853 – Jacob Mikhailovich Gordin, Jewish Ukrainian-American journalist, actor, and playwright (d. 1909)
- 1855 – Cecilia Beaux, American painter and academic (d. 1942)
- 1857 – Theo van Gogh, Dutch art dealer (d. 1891)
- 1859 – Jacqueline Comerre-Paton, French painter and sculptor (d. 1955)
- 1862 – Marcel Prévost, French novelist and playwright (d. 1941)
- 1864 – Anna Jarvis, American founder of Mother’s Day (d. 1948)
- 1871 – Seakle Greijdanus, Dutch theologian and scholar (d. 1948)
- 1871 – Emiliano Chamorro Vargas, President of Nicaragua (d. 1966)
- 1872 – Hugo Alfvén, Swedish composer, conductor, violinist, and painter (d. 1960)
- 1872 – Sidónio Pais, Portuguese soldier and politician, 4th President of Portugal (d. 1918)
- 1874 – Romaine Brooks, American-French painter and illustrator (d. 1970)
- 1874 – Paul Van Asbroeck, Belgian target shooter (d. 1959)
- 1875 – Dave Hall, American runner (d. 1972)
- 1881 – Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, French priest, palaeontologist, and philosopher (d. 1955)
- 1884 – Francis Curzon, 5th Earl Howe, English race car driver and politician (d. 1964)
- 1885 – Clément Pansaers, Belgian poet (d. 1922)
- 1885 – Ralph Stackpole, American sculptor and painter (d. 1973)
- 1887 – Alan Cunningham, Anglo-Irish general and diplomat, High Commissioners for Palestine and Transjordan (d. 1983)
- 1890 – Clelia Lollini, Italian physician (d. 1963 or 1964)
- 1891 – Lillian Estelle Fisher, American historian of Spanish America (d. 1988)
- 1895 – Nikolai Yezhov, Soviet secret police official, head of the NKVD (d. 1940)
- 1895 – May Hollinworth, Australian theatre producer and director (d. 1968)
- 1896 – Herbert Backe, German agronomist and politician (d. 1947)
- 1896 – Mark W. Clark, American general (d. 1984)
- 1896 – J. Lawton Collins, American general (d. 1987)
- 1898 – Alfred Schmidt, Estonian weightlifter (d. 1972)
- 1900 – Ignazio Silone, Italian journalist and politician (d. 1978)
- 1900 – Aleksander Wat, Polish poet and writer (d. 1967)
- 1901 – Sterling Allen Brown, American poet, academic, and critic (d. 1989)
- 1901 – Heinz Eric Roemheld, American pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1985)
- 1901 – Antal Szerb, Hungarian scholar and author (d. 1945)
- 1905 – Henry Koster, German-American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1988)
- 1906 – Horst Schumann, German SS officer and physician (d. 1983)
- 1907 – Hayes Alvis, American bassist (d. 1972)
- 1907 – Kate Smith, American singer and actress (d. 1986)
- 1908 – Giovannino Guareschi, Italian journalist and author (d. 1968)
- 1908 – Morris Kline, American mathematician and academic (d. 1992)
- 1909 – Endel Puusepp, Estonian-Soviet military pilot and politician (d. 1996)
- 1909 – Yiannis Ritsos, Greek poet and playwright (d. 1990)
- 1910 – Behice Boran, Turkish sociologist and politician (d. 1987)
- 1910 – Raya Dunayevskaya, Ukrainian-American philosopher and activist (d. 1987)
- 1910 – Dirk Andries Flentrop, Dutch organ builder (d. 2003)
- 1910 – J. Allen Hynek, American astronomer and ufologist (d. 1986)
- 1910 – Nejdet Sançar, Turkish literature teacher (d. 1975)
- 1911 – Wilfred Watson, English-Canadian poet, playwright and educator (d. 1998)
- 1912 – Otto Kretschmer, German admiral (d. 1998)
- 1913 – Louis Nye, American actor (d. 2005)
- 1913 – Walter Susskind, Czech-English pianist, conductor, and educator (d. 1980)
- 1914 – Jaap van der Poll, Dutch javelin thrower (d. 2010)
- 1915 – Hanns Martin Schleyer, German businessman (d. 1977)
- 1916 – Antoni Bazaniak, Polish sprint canoeist (d. 1979)
- 1916 – Glenn Ford, Canadian-American actor and producer (d. 2006)
- 1917 – John Beradino, American baseball player and actor (d. 1996)
- 1917 – Ulric Cross, Trinidadian navigator, judge, and diplomat (d. 2013)
- 1917 – Danielle Darrieux, French actress and singer (d. 2017)
- 1917 – Ahron Soloveichik, Russian rabbi and scholar (d. 2001)
- 1918 – Gersh Budker, Ukrainian-Russian physicist and academic (d. 1977)
- 1918 – Jack Paar, American comedian, author and talk show host (d. 2004)
- 1919 – Manna Dey, Indian singer and composer (d. 2013)
- 1919 – Mohammed Karim Lamrani, Moroccan businessman and politician, 7th Prime Minister of Morocco (d. 2018)
- 1919 – Dan O’Herlihy, Irish-American actor (d. 2005)
- 1921 – Vladimir Colin, Romanian journalist and author (d. 1991)
- 1922 – Alastair Gillespie, Canadian scholar and politician (d. 2018)
- 1923 – Joseph Heller, American novelist, short story writer, and playwright (d. 1999)
- 1923 – Antônio Maria Mucciolo, Italian-Brazilian archbishop (d. 2012)
- 1923 – Marcel Rayman, Polish soldier (d. 1944)
- 1924 – Evelyn Boyd Granville, American mathematician, computer scientist, and academic
- 1924 – Karel Kachyňa, Czech director and screenwriter (d. 2004)
- 1924 – Terry Southern, American novelist, essayist, and screenwriter (d. 1995)
- 1925 – Chuck Bednarik, American lieutenant and football player (d. 2015)
- 1925 – Scott Carpenter, American commander, pilot, and astronaut (d. 2013)
- 1925 – Sardar Fazlul Karim, Bangladeshi philosopher, scholar, and academic (d. 2014)
- 1926 – Peter Lax, Hungarian-American mathematician and academic
- 1927 – Gary Bertini, Israeli conductor and composer (d. 2005)
- 1927 – Laura Betti, Italian actress (d. 2004)
- 1927 – Albert Zafy, Malagasy politician, 3rd President of Madagascar (d. 2017)
- 1927 – Bernard Vukas, Yugoslav-Croatian footballer (d. 1983)
- 1928 – Sonny James, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2016)
- 1928 – Delfim Netto, Brazilian economist
- 1929 – Ralf Dahrendorf, German-English sociologist and politician (d. 2009)
- 1929 – Sonny Ramadhin, Trinidadian cricketer
- 1930 – Ollie Matson, American sprinter and football player (d. 2011)
- 1930 – Richard Riordan, American lieutenant and politician, 39th Mayor of Los Angeles and publisher
- 1930 – Little Walter Jacobs, American blues harp player and singer (d. 1968)
- 1931 – Naim Attallah, Palestinian author
- 1932 – Sandy Woodward, English admiral (d. 2013)
- 1932 – Tabibar Rahman Sarder, Bangladeshi politician. (d. 2010)
- 1934 – Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas, Mexican politician
- 1934 – Tang Chang, Thai artist (d. 1990)
- 1934 – Shirley Horn, American singer and pianist (d. 2005)
- 1934 – Phillip King, Tunisian-English sculptor
- 1934 – John Meillon, Australian actor (d. 1989)
- 1936 – Danièle Huillet, French filmmaker (d. 2006)
- 1936 – Hans E. Wallman, Swedish director, producer, and composer (d. 2014)
- 1937 – Una Stubbs, English actress and dancer
- 1939 – Judy Collins, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1939 – Wilhelmina Cooper, Dutch model (d. 1980)
- 1939 – Victor Davies, Canadian pianist, composer, and conductor
- 1943 – Vassal Gadoengin, Nauruan politician (d. 2004)
- 1943 – Joe Walsh, Irish politician, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (d. 2014)
- 1945 – Rita Coolidge, American singer-songwriter
- 1945 – Carson Whitsett, American keyboard player, songwriter, and producer (d. 2007)
- 1946 – Joanna Lumley, English actress, voice-over artist, author, and activist
- 1946 – John Woo, Hong Kong director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1947 – Jacob Bekenstein, Mexican-born Israeli-American theoretical physicist (d. 2015)
- 1947 – Sergio Infante, Chilean-Swedish poet and author
- 1948 – Györgyi Balogh, Hungarian sprinter
- 1948 – Patricia Hill Collins, American sociologist and scholar
- 1949 – Jim Clench, Canadian bass player (d. 2010)
- 1949 – Tim Hodgkinson, English saxophonist, clarinet player, and composer
- 1949 – Paul Teutul, Sr., American motorcycle designer, co-founded Orange County Choppers
- 1950 – Dann Florek, American actor and director
- 1950 – Danny McGrain, Scottish footballer and coach
- 1951 – Gordon Greenidge, Barbadian cricketer and coach
- 1951 – Geoff Lees, English race car driver
- 1951 – Sally Mann, American photographer
- 1952 – Richard Blundell, English economist and academic
- 1952 – Kim Lewison, English lawyer and judge
- 1952 – Peter Smith, Malaysian-born English academic and judge
- 1953 – Glen Ballard, American songwriter and producer
- 1954 – Ray Parker, Jr., American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1954 – Joel Rosenberg, Canadian-American author and activist (d. 2011)
- 1955 – Alex Cunningham, Scottish politician
- 1955 – Martin O’Donnell, American composer
- 1955 – Ray Searage, American baseball player and coach
- 1956 – Catherine Frot, French actress
- 1956 – Phil Foglio, American illustrator
- 1957 – Rick Darling, Australian cricketer
- 1957 – Uberto Pasolini, Italian banker, director, and producer
- 1959 – Yasmina Reza, French actress and playwright
- 1959 – Lawrence Seeff, South African cricketer and basket weaver
- 1960 – Steve Cauthen, American jockey and sportscaster
- 1961 – Sultan Günal-Gezer, Dutch politician
- 1961 – Clint Malarchuk, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1961 – Marilyn Milian, American judge
- 1961 – Vasiliy Sidorenko, Russian hammer thrower
- 1962 – Maia Morgenstern, Romanian actress
- 1962 – Ted Sundquist, American football player, coach, and manager
- 1964 – Yvonne van Gennip, Dutch speed skater
- 1966 – Olaf Thon, German footballer and manager
- 1967 – Tim McGraw, American singer-songwriter and actor
- 1968 – Oliver Bierhoff, German footballer and manager
- 1968 – D’arcy Wretzky, American bass player and singer
- 1969 – Wes Anderson, American director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1969 – Mary Lou McDonald, Irish politician
- 1969 – Billy Owens, American basketball player
- 1970 – Bernard Butler, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1971 – Ethan Albright, American football player
- 1971 – Stuart Appleby, Australian golfer
- 1971 – Kim Grant, South African tennis player
- 1971 – Artur Kohutek, Polish hurdler and soldier
- 1971 – Ajith Kumar, Indian film actor in Tamil cinema and race car driver
- 1972 – Ramzi bin al-Shibh, Yemeni terrorist
- 1972 – Julie Benz, American actress
- 1972 – Yoon Hae-young, South Korean actress
- 1973 – Peter Baah, English footballer and manager
- 1973 – Mike Jesse, German footballer
- 1973 – Curtis Martin, American football player
- 1973 – Oliver Neuville, German footballer
- 1975 – Austin Croshere, American basketball player and sportscaster
- 1975 – Marc-Vivien Foé, Cameroonian footballer (d. 2003)
- 1975 – Nina Hossain, English journalist
- 1975 – Alexey Smertin, Russian international footballer
- 1976 – Patricia Stokkers, Dutch swimmer
- 1977 – Vera Lischka, Austrian swimmer and politician
- 1978 – James Badge Dale, American actor
- 1979 – Mauro Bergamasco, Italian rugby player
- 1979 – Roman Lyashenko, Russian ice hockey player (d. 2003)
- 1980 – Marvin Cabrera, Mexican footballer
- 1980 – Rob Davison, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1980 – Inês Henriques, Portuguese race walker
- 1980 – Jan Heylen, Belgian race car driver
- 1980 – Jay Reatard, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2010)
- 1980 – Yuliya Tabakova, Russian athlete
- 1981 – Manny Acosta, Panamanian baseball player
- 1981 – Derek Asamoah, Ghanaian footballer
- 1981 – Alexander Hleb, Belarusian footballer
- 1981 – Wes Welker, American football player
- 1982 – Beto, Portuguese footballer
- 1982 – Jamie Dornan, Northern Irish model and actor
- 1982 – Mark Farren, Irish footballer (d. 2016)
- 1982 – Katya Zamolodchikova, American drag queen
- 1982 – Tommy Robredo, Spanish tennis player
- 1982 – Darijo Srna, Croatian footballer
- 1983 – Alain Bernard, French swimmer
- 1983 – Human Tornado, American wrestler
- 1983 – Park Hae-jin, South Korean actor
- 1984 – David Backes, American ice hockey player
- 1984 – Mišo Brečko, Slovenian footballer
- 1984 – Patrick Eaves, American ice hockey player
- 1984 – Alexander Farnerud, Swedish footballer
- 1984 – Farah Fath, American actress
- 1984 – Keiichiro Koyama, Japanese singer and actor
- 1984 – Víctor Montaño, Colombian footballer
- 1984 – Mark Seaby, Australian footballer
- 1985 – Shahriar Nafees, Bangladeshi cricketer
- 1986 – Christian Benítez, Ecuadorian footballer (d. 2013)
- 1986 – Adam Casey, Australian footballer
- 1986 – Cassie Jaye, American actress and film director
- 1986 – Jesse Klaver, Dutch politician
- 1986 – Lee Chang-min, South Korean singer
- 1986 – Brent Stanton, Australian footballer
- 1987 – Leonardo Bonucci, Italian footballer
- 1987 – Glen Coffee, American football player
- 1987 – Iván DeJesús Jr., Puerto Rican baseball player
- 1987 – Marcus Drum, Australian footballer
- 1987 – Amir Johnson, American basketball player
- 1987 – Ryan Mathews, American football player
- 1987 – Saidi Ntibazonkiza, Burundian footballer
- 1987 – Shahar Pe’er, Israeli tennis player
- 1988 – Maria Balaba, Latvian figure skater
- 1988 – Maxim Gustik, Belarusian freestyle skier
- 1988 – Teodor Peterson, Swedish cross-country skier
- 1989 – Alejandro Arribas, Spanish footballer
- 1989 – Poļina Jeļizarova, Latvian runner
- 1990 – Uriel Álvarez, Mexican footballer
- 1990 – Caitlin Stasey, Australian actress
- 1990 – Diego Contento, German footballer
- 1990 – Scooter Gennett, American baseball player
- 1991 – Marcus Stroman, American baseball player
- 1991 – Daniel Talbot, British sprinter
- 1992 – Trevor Philp, Canadian alpine skier
- 1992 – Bradley Roby, American football player
- 1993 – Jean-Christophe Bahebeck, French footballer
- 1993 – Ifeoma Nwoye, Nigerian wrestler
- 1994 – Wallace Oliveira, Brazilian footballer
- 1995 – Collin Seedorf, Dutch footballer
- 1996 – Christopher J. Alexis Jr., Grenadian road cyclist
- 1996 – Daniel Saifiti, Australian-Fijian rugby league player
- 1996 – Jacob Saifiti, Australian-Fijian rugby league player
- 1996 – Michael Seaton, Jamaican footballer
- 2004 – Charli D’Amelio, American social media influencer and dancer
 Deaths on May 1
- 408 – Arcadius, Byzantine emperor (b. 377)
- 558 – Marcouf, missionary and saint
- 908 – Wang Zongji, Chinese prince and pretender
- 1118 – Matilda of Scotland (b. 1080)
- 1171 – Diarmait Mac Murchada, King of Leinster (b. 1110)
- 1187 – Roger de Moulins, Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller
- 1255 – Walter de Gray, English prelate and statesman
- 1277 – Stefan Uroš I of Serbia (b. 1223)
- 1278 – William II of Villehardouin
- 1308 – Albert I of Germany (b. 1255)
- 1312 – Paul I Šubić of Bribir
- 1539 – Isabella of Portugal (b. 1503)
- 1555 – Pope Marcellus II (b. 1501)
- 1572 – Pope Pius V (b. 1504)
- 1668 – Frans Luycx, Flemish painter (b. 1604)
- 1730 – François de Troy, French painter and engraver (b. 1645)
- 1731 – Johann Ludwig Bach, German violinist and composer (b. 1677)
- 1738 – Charles Howard, 3rd Earl of Carlisle, English politician, First Lord of the Treasury (b. 1669)
- 1772 – Gottfried Achenwall, Polish-German historian, economist, and jurist (b. 1719)
- 1813 – Jean-Baptiste Bessières, French general (b. 1768)
- 1838 – Antoine Louis Dugès, French obstetrician and naturalist (b. 1797)
- 1856 – John Wilbur, American minister and theologian (b. 1774)
- 1873 – David Livingstone, Scottish-English missionary and explorer (b. 1813)
- 1899 – Ludwig Büchner, German physiologist and physician (b. 1824)
- 1904 – Antonín Dvořák, Czech composer and academic (b. 1841)
- 1913 – John Barclay Armstrong, American lieutenant (b. 1850)
- 1920 – Princess Margaret of Connaught (b. 1882)
- 1935 – Henri Pélissier, French cyclist (b. 1889)
- 1943 – Johan Oscar Smith, Norwegian religious leader, founded the Brunstad Christian Church (b. 1871)
- 1945 – Joseph Goebbels, German lawyer and politician, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1897)
- 1945 – Magda Goebbels, German wife of Joseph Goebbels (b. 1901)
- 1953 – Everett Shinn, American painter and illustrator (b. 1876)
- 1956 – LeRoy Samse, American pole vaulter (b. 1883)
- 1960 – Charles Holden, English architect, designed the Bristol Central Library (b. 1875)
- 1963 – Lope K. Santos, Filipino lawyer and politician (b. 1879)
- 1965 – Spike Jones, American singer and bandleader (b. 1911)
- 1968 – Jack Adams, Canadian-American ice hockey player, coach, and manager (b. 1895)
- 1968 – Harold Nicolson, English author and politician (b. 1886)
- 1970 – Yi Un, Korean prince (b. 1897)
- 1973 – Asger Jorn, Danish painter and sculptor (b. 1914)
- 1976 – T. R. M. Howard, American surgeon and activist (b. 1908)
- 1976 – Alexandros Panagoulis, Greek poet and politician (b. 1939)
- 1978 – Aram Khachaturian, Armenian composer and conductor (b. 1903)
- 1982 – William Primrose, Scottish viola player and educator (b. 1903)
- 1984 – Jüri Lossmann, Estonian-Swedish runner (b. 1891)
- 1985 – Denise Robins, English journalist and author (b. 1897)
- 1986 – Hylda Baker, English comedian, actress and music hall performer (b. 1905)
- 1986 – Hugo Peretti, American songwriter and producer (b. 1916)
- 1988 – Ben Lexcen, Australian sailor and architect (b. 1936)
- 1989 – Sally Kirkland, American journalist (b. 1912)
- 1989 – V. M. Panchalingam, Sri Lankan civil servant (b. 1930)
- 1989 – Patrice Tardif, Canadian farmer and politician (b. 1904)
- 1990 – Sergio Franchi, Italian-American tenor and actor (b. 1926)
- 1991 – Richard Thorpe, American director and screenwriter (b. 1896)
- 1993 – Pierre Bérégovoy, French metallurgist and politician, Prime Minister of France (b. 1925)
- 1993 – Ranasinghe Premadasa, Sri Lankan politician, 3rd President of Sri Lanka (b. 1924)
- 1994 – Ayrton Senna, Brazilian race car driver (b. 1960)
- 1995 – Antonio Salemme, Italian-American painter (b. 1892)
- 1997 – Fernand Dumont, Canadian sociologist, philosopher, and poet (b. 1927)
- 1998 – Eldridge Cleaver, American author and activist (b. 1935)
- 2000 – Steve Reeves, American bodybuilder and actor (b. 1926)
- 2002 – Ebrahim Al-Arrayedh, Indian poet and author (b. 1908)
- 2003 – Miss Elizabeth, American wrestler and manager (b. 1960)
- 2003 – Wim van Est, Dutch cyclist (b. 1923)
- 2005 – Kenneth Clark, American psychologist and academic (b. 1914)
- 2008 – Anthony Mamo, Maltese judge and politician, 1st President of Malta (b. 1909)
- 2008 – Philipp von Boeselager, German soldier and economist (b. 1917)
- 2010 – Helen Wagner, American actress (b. 1918)
- 2011 – Henry Cooper, English boxer (b. 1934)
- 2011 – Ted Lowe, English sportscaster (b. 1920)
- 2012 – James Kinley, Canadian engineer and politician, 29th Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia (b. 1925)
- 2012 – Mordechai Virshubski, German-Israeli lawyer and politician (b. 1930)
- 2013 – Chris Kelly, American rapper (b. 1978)
- 2013 – Pierre Pleimelding, French footballer and manager (b. 1952)
- 2014 – Adamu Atta, Nigerian lawyer and politician, 5th Governor of Kwara State (b. 1927)
- 2014 – Radhia Cousot, Tunisian-American computer scientist and academic (b. 1947)
- 2014 – Assi Dayan, Israeli actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1945)
- 2014 – Juan de Dios Castillo, Mexican footballer and coach (b. 1951)
- 2015 – Geoff Duke, English-Manx motorcycle racer (b. 1923)
- 2015 – Vafa Guluzade, Azerbaijani political scientist, academic, and diplomat (b. 1940)
- 2015 – María Elena Velasco, Mexican actress, singer, director, and screenwriter (b. 1940)
- 2015 – Grace Lee Whitney, American actress (b. 1930)
 Holidays and observances on May 1
- Christian feast day:
- Andeolus
- Augustin Schoeffler, Jean-Louis Bonnard (part of Vietnamese Martyrs)
- Benedict of Szkalka
- Brioc
- James the Less (Anglican Communion)
- Joseph the Worker (Roman Catholic)
- Blessed Klymentiy Sheptytsky (Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
- Marcouf
- Philip the Apostle (Anglican Communion, Lutheran Church)
- Richard Pampuri
- Sigismund of Burgundy
- Ultan
- May 1 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
 
- Earliest day on which Mother’s Day can fall, while May 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Monday in May. (Samoa)
- Earliest day on which Mother’s Day can fall, while May 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Sunday in May. (Hong Kong, Hungary, Lithuania, Mozambique, Portugal, Spain, Romania)
- Earliest day on which National Day of Prayer can fall, while May 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Thursday in May. (United States)
- Earliest day on which World Asthma Day can fall, while May 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Tuesday in May. (International)
- Armed Forces Day (Mauritania)
- Constitution Day (Argentina, Latvia, Marshall Islands)
- Commemoration of the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat following the foundation of Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti (India):
- International Sunflower Guerrilla Gardening Day
- Lei Day (Hawaii)
- International Workers’ Day or Labour Day (International), and its related observances:
- Earliest day on which Labour Day can fall, while May 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Monday of May. (Barbados, Dominica)
- Law Day (United States), formerly intended to counterbalance the celebration of Labour Day. (United States)
- Loyalty Day, formerly intended to counterbalance the celebration of Labour Day. (United States)
 
- May Day (beginning of Summer) observances in the Northern hemisphere (see April 30):
- Beltane (Ireland, Scotland, Isle of Man, Celtic neopagans and Wiccans in the Northern hemisphere)
- Earliest day on which Beltane can fall, while May 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Monday in May. (Ireland, Scotland)
- Calan Mai (Wales)
 
- Samhain (Celtic neopagans and Wiccans in the Southern Hemisphere)
 
 
 
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 April 30 in history
- 311 – The Diocletianic Persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire ends.
- 313 – Battle of Tzirallum: Emperor Licinius defeats Maximinus II and unifies the Eastern Roman Empire.
- 642 – Chindasuinth is proclaimed king by the Visigothic nobility and bishops.
- 1315 – Enguerrand de Marigny is hanged at the instigation of Charles, Count of Valois.
- 1492 – Spain gives Christopher Columbus his commission of exploration.
- 1513 – Edmund de la Pole, Yorkist pretender to the English throne, is executed on the orders of Henry VIII.
- 1557 – Mapuche leader Lautaro is killed by Spanish forces at the Battle of Mataquito in Chile.
- 1598 – Juan de Oñate begins the conquest of Santa Fe de Nuevo México.
- 1598 – Henry IV of France issues the Edict of Nantes, allowing freedom of religion to the Huguenots.
- 1636 – Eighty Years’ War: Dutch Republic forces recapture a strategically important fort from Spain after a nine-month siege.
- 1671 – Petar Zrinski, the Croatian Ban from the Zrinski family, is executed.
- 1789 – On the balcony of Federal Hall on Wall Street in New York City, George Washington takes the oath of office to become the first elected President of the United States.
- 1803 – Louisiana Purchase: The United States purchases the Louisiana Territory from France for $15 million, more than doubling the size of the young nation.
- 1812 – The Territory of Orleans becomes the 18th U.S. state under the name Louisiana.
- 1838 – Nicaragua declares independence from the Central American Federation.
- 1863 – A 65-man French Foreign Legion infantry patrol fights a force of nearly 2,000 Mexican soldiers to nearly the last man in Hacienda Camarón, Mexico.
- 1871 – The Camp Grant massacre takes place in Arizona Territory.
- 1885 – Governor of New York David B. Hill signs legislation creating the Niagara Reservation, New York’s first state park, ensuring that Niagara Falls will not be devoted solely to industrial and commercial use.
- 1897 – J. J. Thomson of the Cavendish Laboratory announces his discovery of the electron as a subatomic particle, over 1,800 times smaller than a proton (in the atomic nucleus), at a lecture at the Royal Institution in London.
- 1900 – Hawaii becomes a territory of the United States, with Sanford B. Dole as governor.
- 1904 – The Louisiana Purchase Exposition World’s Fair opens in St. Louis, Missouri.
- 1905 – Albert Einstein completes his doctoral thesis at the University of Zurich.
- 1925 – Automaker Dodge Brothers, Inc is sold to Dillon, Read & Co. for US$146 million plus $50 million for charity.
- 1927 – The Federal Industrial Institute for Women opens in Alderson, West Virginia, as the first women’s federal prison in the United States.
- 1927 – Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford become the first celebrities to leave their footprints in concrete at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.
- 1937 – The Commonwealth of the Philippines holds a plebiscite for Filipino women on whether they should be extended the right to suffrage; over 90% would vote in the affirmative.
- 1938 – The animated cartoon short Porky’s Hare Hunt debuts in movie theaters, introducing Happy Rabbit, an early version of Bugs Bunny.
- 1939 – The 1939–40 New York World’s Fair opens.
- 1939 – NBC inaugurates its regularly scheduled television service in New York City, broadcasting President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s N.Y. World’s Fair opening day ceremonial address.
- 1943 – World War II: The British submarine HMS Seraph surfaces near Huelva to cast adrift a dead man dressed as a courier and carrying false invasion plans.
- 1945 – World War II: Führerbunker: Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun commit suicide after being married for less than 40 hours. Soviet soldiers raise the Victory Banner over the Reichstag building.
- 1945 – World War II: Stalag Luft I prisoner-of-war camp near Barth, Germany is liberated by Soviet soldiers, freeing nearly 9000 American and British airmen.
- 1947 – In Nevada, Boulder Dam is renamed Hoover Dam.
- 1948 – In Bogotá, Colombia, the Organization of American States is established.
- 1956 – Former Vice President and Democratic Senator Alben Barkley dies during a speech in Virginia.
- 1957 – Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery entered into force.
- 1961 – K-19, the first Soviet nuclear submarine equipped with nuclear missiles, is commissioned.
- 1963 – The Bristol Bus Boycott is held in Bristol to protest the Bristol Omnibus Company’s refusal to employ Black or Asian bus crews, drawing national attention to racial discrimination in the United Kingdom.
- 1966 – The Church of Satan is formed in The Black House, San Francisco.
- 1973 – Watergate scandal: U.S. President Richard Nixon announces that White House Counsel John Dean has been fired and that other top aides, most notably H. R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman, have resigned.
- 1975 – Fall of Saigon: Communist forces gain control of Saigon. The Vietnam War formally ends with the unconditional surrender of South Vietnamese president Dương Văn Minh.
- 1980 – Beatrix is inaugurated as Queen of the Netherlands following the abdication of Juliana.
- 1980 – The Iranian Embassy siege begins in London.
- 1982 – The Bijon Setu massacre occurs in Calcutta, India.
- 1993 – CERN announces World Wide Web protocols will be free.
- 1994 – Formula One racing driver Roland Ratzenberger is killed in a crash during the qualifying session of the San Marino Grand Prix run at Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari outside Imola, Italy.
- 2000 – Canonization of Faustina Kowalska in the presence of 200,000 people and the first Divine Mercy Sunday celebrated worldwide.
- 2004 – U.S. media release graphic photos of American soldiers abusing and sexually humiliating Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison.
- 2008 – Two skeletal remains found near Yekaterinburg, Russia are confirmed by Russian scientists to be the remains of Alexei and Anastasia, two of the children of the last Tsar of Russia, whose entire family was executed at Yekaterinburg by the Bolsheviks.
- 2009 – Chrysler files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
- 2009 – Seven civilians and the perpetrator are killed and another ten injured at a Queen’s Day parade in Apeldoorn, Netherlands in an attempted assassination on Queen Beatrix.
- 2012 – An overloaded ferry capsizes on the Brahmaputra River in India killing at least 103 people.
- 2013 – Willem-Alexander is inaugurated as King of the Netherlands following the abdication of Beatrix.
- 2014 – A bomb blast in Ürümqi, China kills three people and injures 79 others.
 Births on April 30
- 1245 – Philip III of France (d. 1285)
- 1310 – King Casimir III of Poland (d. 1368)
- 1331 – Gaston III, Count of Foix (d. 1391)
- 1383 – Anne of Gloucester, English countess, granddaughter of King Edward III of England (d. 1438)
- 1425 – William III, Landgrave of Thuringia (d. 1482)
- 1504 – Francesco Primaticcio, Italian painter (d. 1570)
- 1553 – Louise of Lorraine (d. 1601)
- 1623 – François de Laval, French-Canadian bishop and saint (d. 1708)
- 1651 – Jean-Baptiste de La Salle, French priest and saint (d. 1719)
- 1662 – Mary II of England (d. 1694)
- 1664 – François Louis, Prince of Conti (d. 1709)
- 1710 – Johann Kaspar Basselet von La Rosée, Bavarian general (d. 1795)
- 1723 – Mathurin Jacques Brisson, French zoologist and philosopher (d. 1806)
- 1758 – Emmanuel Vitale, Maltese commander and politician (d. 1802)
- 1770 – David Thompson, English-Canadian cartographer and explorer (d. 1857)
- 1777 – Carl Friedrich Gauss, German mathematician and physicist (d. 1855)
- 1803 – Albrecht von Roon, Prussian soldier and politician, 10th Minister President of Prussia (d. 1879)
- 1829 – Ferdinand von Hochstetter, Austrian geologist and academic (d. 1884)
- 1857 – Eugen Bleuler, Swiss psychiatrist and eugenicist (d. 1940)
- 1857 – Walter Simon, German banker and philanthropist (d. 1920)
- 1865 – Max Nettlau, German historian and academic (d. 1944)
- 1866 – Mary Haviland Stilwell Kuesel, American pioneer dentist (d. 1936)
- 1869 – Hans Poelzig, German architect, designed the IG Farben Building and Großes Schauspielhaus (d. 1936)
- 1870 – Franz Lehár, Hungarian composer (d. 1948)
- 1870 – Dadasaheb Phalke, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1944)
- 1874 – Cyriel Verschaeve, Flemish priest and author (d. 1949)
- 1876 – Orso Mario Corbino, Italian physicist and politician (d. 1937)
- 1877 – Léon Flameng, French cyclist (d. 1917)
- 1877 – Alice B. Toklas, American memoirist (d. 1967)
- 1878 – Władysław Witwicki, Polish psychologist, philosopher, translator, historian (of philosophy and art) and artist (d. 1948)
- 1880 – Charles Exeter Devereux Crombie, Scottish cartoonist (d. 1967)
- 1883 – Jaroslav Hašek, Czech soldier and author (d. 1923)
- 1883 – Luigi Russolo, Italian painter and composer (d. 1947)
- 1884 – Olof Sandborg, Swedish actor (d. 1965)
- 1888 – John Crowe Ransom, American poet, critic, and academic (d. 1974)
- 1893 – Harold Breen, Australian public servant (d. 1966)
- 1893 – Joachim von Ribbentrop, German soldier and politician, 14th German Reich Minister for Foreign Affairs (d. 1946)
- 1895 – Philippe Panneton, Canadian physician, academic, and diplomat (d. 1960)
- 1896 – Reverend Gary Davis, American singer and guitarist (d. 1972)
- 1896 – Hans List, Austrian scientist and businessman, founded the AVL Engineering Company (d. 1996)
- 1897 – Humberto Mauro, Brazilian director and screenwriter (d. 1983)
- 1900 – Erni Krusten, Estonian author and poet (d. 1984)
- 1901 – Simon Kuznets, Belarusian-American economist, statistician, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1985)
- 1902 – Theodore Schultz, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1998)
- 1905 – Sergey Nikolsky, Russian mathematician and academic (d. 2012)
- 1908 – Eve Arden, American actress (d. 1990)
- 1908 – Bjarni Benediktsson, Icelandic professor of law and politician, 13th Prime Minister of Iceland (d. 1970)
- 1908 – Frank Robert Miller, Canadian air marshal and politician (d. 1997)
- 1909 – F. E. McWilliam, Irish sculptor and educator (d. 1992)
- 1909 – Juliana of the Netherlands (d. 2004)
- 1910 – Levi Celerio, Filipino pianist, violinist, and composer (d. 2002)
- 1914 – Charles Beetham, American middle-distance runner (d. 1997)
- 1914 – Dorival Caymmi, Brazilian singer-songwriter, actor, and painter (d. 2008)
- 1916 – Paul Kuusberg, Estonian journalist and author (d. 2003)
- 1916 – Claude Shannon, American mathematician and engineer (d. 2001)
- 1916 – Robert Shaw, American conductor (d. 1999)
- 1917 – Bea Wain, American singer (d. 2017)
- 1920 – Duncan Hamilton, Irish-English race car driver and pilot (d. 1994)
- 1920 – Tom Moore, British army officer and fundraiser
- 1921 – Roger L. Easton, American scientist, co-invented the GPS (d. 2014)
- 1922 – Anton Murray, South African cricketer (d. 1995)
- 1923 – Percy Heath, American bassist (d. 2005)
- 1923 – Kagamisato Kiyoji, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 42nd Yokozuna (d. 2004)
- 1924 – Uno Laht, Estonian KGB officer and author (d. 2008)
- 1925 – Corinne Calvet, French actress (d. 2001)
- 1925 – Johnny Horton, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1960)
- 1926 – Shrinivas Khale, Indian composer (d. 2011)
- 1926 – Cloris Leachman, American actress and comedian
- 1928 – Hugh Hood, Canadian author and academic (d. 2000)
- 1928 – Orlando Sirola, Italian tennis player (d. 1995)
- 1930 – Félix Guattari, French psychotherapist and philosopher (d. 1992)
- 1933 – Charles Sanderson, Baron Sanderson of Bowden, English politician
- 1934 – Jerry Lordan, English singer-songwriter (d. 1995)
- 1934 – Don McKenney, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1937 – Tony Harrison, English poet and playwright
- 1938 – Gary Collins, American actor and talk show host (d. 2012)
- 1938 – Juraj Jakubisko, Slovak director and screenwriter
- 1938 – Larry Niven, American author and screenwriter
- 1940 – Jeroen Brouwers, Dutch journalist and writer
- 1940 – Michael Cleary, Australian rugby player and politician
- 1941 – Stavros Dimas, Greek lawyer and politician, Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs
- 1941 – Max Merritt, New Zealand-Australian singer-songwriter
- 1942 – Sallehuddin of Kedah, Sultan of Kedah
- 1943 – Frederick Chiluba, Zambian politician, 2nd President of Zambia (d. 2011)
- 1943 – Bobby Vee, American pop singer-songwriter (d. 2016)
- 1944 – Jon Bing, Norwegian author, scholar, and academic (d. 2014)
- 1944 – Jill Clayburgh, American actress (d. 2010)
- 1945 – J. Michael Brady, British radiologist
- 1945 – Annie Dillard, American novelist, essayist, and poet
- 1945 – Mimi Fariña, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and activist (d. 2001)
- 1945 – Michael J. Smith, American captain, pilot, and astronaut (d. 1986)
- 1946 – King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
- 1946 – Bill Plympton, American animator, producer, and screenwriter
- 1946 – Don Schollander, American swimmer
- 1947 – Paul Fiddes, English theologian and academic
- 1947 – Finn Kalvik, Norwegian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1947 – Tom Køhlert, Danish footballer and manager
- 1947 – Mats Odell, Swedish economist and politician, Swedish Minister for Financial Markets
- 1948 – Wayne Kramer, American guitarist and singer-songwriter
- 1948 – Pierre Pagé, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1948 – Margit Papp, Hungarian athlete
- 1949 – Phil Garner, American baseball player and manager
- 1949 – António Guterres, Portuguese academic and politician, 114th Prime Minister of Portugal and 9th Secretary-General of the United Nations
- 1949 – Karl Meiler, German tennis player (d. 2014)
- 1952 – Jacques Audiard, French director and screenwriter
- 1952 – Jack Middelburg, Dutch motorcycle racer (d. 1984)
- 1953 – Merrill Osmond, American singer and bass player
- 1954 – Jane Campion, New Zealand director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1954 – Kim Darroch, English diplomat, UK Permanent Representative to the European Union
- 1954 – Frank-Michael Marczewski, German footballer
- 1955 – Nicolas Hulot, French journalist and environmentalist
- 1955 – David Kitchin, English lawyer and judge
- 1955 – Zlatko Topčić, Bosnian writer and screenwriter
- 1956 – Lars von Trier, Danish director and screenwriter
- 1957 – Wonder Mike, American rapper and songwriter
- 1958 – Charles Berling, French actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1959 – Stephen Harper, Canadian economist and politician, 22nd Prime Minister of Canada
- 1960 – Geoffrey Cox, English lawyer and politician
- 1960 – Kerry Healey, American academic and politician, 70th Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts
- 1961 – Arnór Guðjohnsen, Icelandic footballer
- 1961 – Isiah Thomas, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster
- 1963 – Andrew Carwood, English tenor and conductor
- 1963 – Michael Waltrip, American race car driver and sportscaster
- 1964 – Tony Fernandes, Malaysian-Indian businessman, co-founded Tune Group
- 1964 – Ian Healy, Australian cricketer, coach, and sportscaster
- 1964 – Lorenzo Staelens, Belgian footballer and manager
- 1964 – Abhishek Chatterjee, Indian actor
- 1965 – Daniela Costian, Romanian-Australian discus thrower
- 1965 – Adrian Pasdar, American actor
- 1966 – Jeff Brown, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1966 – Dave Meggett, American football player and coach
- 1967 – Phil Chang, Taiwanese singer-songwriter and actor
- 1969 – Warren Defever, American bass player and producer
- 1969 – Justine Greening, English accountant and politician, Secretary of State for International Development
- 1969 – Paulo Jr., Brazilian bass player
- 1972 – Takako Tokiwa, Japanese actress
- 1973 – Leigh Francis, English comedian and actor
- 1974 – Christian Tamminga, Dutch athlete
- 1975 – Johnny Galecki, American actor
- 1976 – Davian Clarke, Jamaican sprinter
- 1976 – Amanda Palmer, American singer-songwriter and pianist
- 1976 – Daniel Wagon, Australian rugby league player
- 1977 – Jeannie Haddaway, American politician
- 1977 – Meredith L. Patterson, American technologist, journalist, and author
- 1978 – Liljay, Taiwanese singer
- 1979 – Gerardo Torrado, Mexican footballer
- 1980 – Luis Scola, Argentinian basketball player
- 1980 – Jeroen Verhoeven, Dutch footballer
- 1981 – Nicole Kaczmarski, American basketball player
- 1981 – John O’Shea, Irish footballer
- 1981 – Kunal Nayyar, British-Indian actor
- 1981 – Justin Vernon, American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer
- 1982 – Kirsten Dunst, American actress
- 1982 – Drew Seeley, Canadian-American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actor
- 1983 – Chris Carr, American football player
- 1983 – Tatjana Hüfner, German luger
- 1983 – Marina Tomić, Slovenian hurdler
- 1983 – Troy Williamson, American football player
- 1984 – Seimone Augustus, American basketball player
- 1984 – Shawn Daivari, American wrestler and manager
- 1984 – Risto Mätas, Estonian javelin thrower
- 1984 – Lee Roache, English footballer
- 1985 – Brandon Bass, American basketball player
- 1985 – Gal Gadot, Israeli actress and model
- 1985 – Ashley Alexandra Dupré, American journalist, singer, and prostitute
- 1986 – Dianna Agron, American actress and singer
- 1986 – Martten Kaldvee, Estonian biathlete
- 1987 – Alipate Carlile, Australian footballer
- 1987 – Chris Morris, South African cricketer
- 1987 – Rohit Sharma, Indian cricketer
- 1988 – Andy Allen, Australian chef
- 1988 – Sander Baart, Dutch field hockey player
- 1988 – Liu Xijun, Chinese singer
- 1988 – Oh Hye-ri, South Korean taekwondo athlete
- 1989 – Jang Wooyoung, South Korean singer and actor
- 1990 – Jonny Brownlee, English triathlete
- 1990 – Mac DeMarco, Canadian singer-songwriter
- 1990 – Kaarel Kiidron, Estonian footballer
- 1991 – Chris Kreider, American ice hockey player
- 1992 – Travis Scott, American rapper and producer
- 1992 – Marc-André ter Stegen, German footballer
- 1993 – Dion Dreesens, Dutch swimmer
- 1993 – Martin Fuksa, Czech canoeist
- 1994 – Chae Seo-jin, South Korean actress
- 1994 – Wang Yafan, Chinese tennis player
- 1996 – Luke Friend, English singer
- 1997 – Adam Ryczkowski, Polish footballer
- 1999 – Jorden van Foreest, Dutch chess grandmaster
- 2000 – Yui Hiwatashi, Japanese singer
- 2003 – Jung Yun-Seok, South Korean actor
 Deaths on April 30
- AD 65 – Lucan, Roman poet (b. 39)
- 125 – An, Chinese emperor (b. 94)
- 535 – Amalasuntha, Ostrogothic queen and regent
- 783 – Hildegard of the Vinzgau, Frankish queen
- 1002 – Eckard I, German nobleman
- 1030 – Mahmud of Ghazni, Ghaznavid emir (b. 971)
- 1063 – Ren Zong, Chinese emperor (b. 1010)
- 1131 – Adjutor, French knight and saint
- 1305 – Roger de Flor, Italian military adventurer (b. 1267)
- 1341 – John III, duke of Brittany (b. 1286)
- 1439 – Richard de Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick, English commander (b. 1382)
- 1524 – Pierre Terrail, seigneur de Bayard, French soldier (b. 1473)
- 1544 – Thomas Audley, 1st Baron Audley of Walden, English lawyer and judge, Lord Chancellor of England (b. 1488)
- 1550 – Tabinshwehti, Burmese king (b. 1516)
- 1632 – Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly, Bavarian general (b. 1559)
- 1632 – Sigismund III Vasa, Swedish-Polish son of John III of Sweden (b. 1566)
- 1637 – Niwa Nagashige, Japanese daimyō (b. 1571)
- 1655 – Eustache Le Sueur, French painter (b. 1617)
- 1660 – Petrus Scriverius, Dutch historian and scholar (b. 1576)
- 1672 – Marie of the Incarnation, French-Canadian nun and saint, founded the Ursulines of Quebec (b. 1599)
- 1696 – Robert Plot, English chemist and academic (b. 1640)
- 1712 – Philipp van Limborch, Dutch theologian and author (b. 1633)
- 1736 – Johann Albert Fabricius, German scholar and author (b. 1668)
- 1758 – François d’Agincourt, French organist and composer (b. 1684)
- 1792 – John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, English politician, Secretary of State for the Northern Department (b. 1718)
- 1795 – Jean-Jacques Barthélemy, French archaeologist and author (b. 1716)
- 1806 – Onogawa Kisaburō, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 5th Yokozuna (b. 1758)
- 1841 – Peter Andreas Heiberg, Danish philologist and author (b. 1758)
- 1847 – Charles, Austrian commander and duke of Teschen (b. 1771)
- 1863 – Jean Danjou, French captain (b. 1828)
- 1865 – Robert FitzRoy, English admiral, meteorologist, and politician, 2nd Governor of New Zealand (b. 1805)
- 1870 – Thomas Cooke, Canadian bishop and missionary (b. 1792)
- 1875 – Jean-Frédéric Waldeck, French explorer, lithographer, and cartographer (b. 1766)
- 1879 – Emma Smith, American religious leader (b. 1804)
- 1883 – Édouard Manet, French painter (b. 1832)
- 1891 – Joseph Leidy, American paleontologist and author (b. 1823)
- 1900 – Casey Jones, American engineer (b. 1863)
- 1903 – Emily Stowe, Canadian physician and activist (b. 1831)
- 1910 – Jean Moréas, Greek poet and critic (b. 1856)
- 1936 – A. E. Housman, English poet and scholar (b. 1859)
- 1939 – Frank Haller, American boxer (b. 1883)
- 1943 – Otto Jespersen, Danish linguist and academic (b. 1860)
- 1943 – Beatrice Webb, English sociologist and economist (b. 1858)
- 1953 – Jacob Linzbach, Estonian linguist and author (b. 1874)
- 1956 – Alben W. Barkley, American lawyer and politician, 35th Vice President of the United States (b. 1877)
- 1970 – Jacques Presser, Dutch historian, writer and poet (b. 1899)
- 1970 – Inger Stevens, Swedish-American actress (b. 1934)
- 1972 – Gia Scala, English-American model and actress (b. 1934)
- 1973 – Václav Renč, Czech poet and playwright (b. 1911)
- 1974 – Agnes Moorehead, American actress (b. 1900)
- 1980 – Luis Muñoz Marín, Puerto Rican journalist and politician, 1st Governor of Puerto Rico (b. 1898)
- 1982 – Lester Bangs, American journalist and author (b. 1949)
- 1983 – George Balanchine, Russian dancer and choreographer (b. 1904)
- 1983 – Muddy Waters, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and bandleader (b. 1913)
- 1983 – Edouard Wyss-Dunant, Swiss physician and mountaineer (b. 1897)
- 1986 – Robert Stevenson, English director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1905)
- 1989 – Sergio Leone, Italian director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1929)
- 1993 – Tommy Caton, English footballer (b. 1962)
- 1994 – Roland Ratzenberger, Austrian race car driver (b. 1960)
- 1994 – Richard Scarry, American author and illustrator (b. 1919)
- 1995 – Maung Maung Kha, Burmese colonel and politician, 8th Prime Minister of Burma (b. 1920)
- 1998 – Nizar Qabbani, Syrian-English poet, publisher, and diplomat (b. 1926)
- 2000 – Poul Hartling, Danish politician, 36th Prime Minister of Denmark (b. 1914)
- 2002 – Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, German philanthropist, founded the Gründerzeit Museum (b. 1928)
- 2003 – Mark Berger, American economist and academic (b. 1955)
- 2003 – Possum Bourne, New Zealand race car driver (b. 1956)
- 2005 – Phil Rasmussen, American lieutenant and pilot (b. 1918)
- 2006 – Jean-François Revel, French philosopher (b. 1924)
- 2006 – Pramoedya Ananta Toer, Indonesian author and academic (b. 1925)
- 2007 – Kevin Mitchell, American football player (b. 1971)
- 2007 – Tom Poston, American actor, comedian, and game show panelist (b. 1921)
- 2007 – Gordon Scott, American film and television actor (b. 1926)
- 2008 – John Cargher, English-Australian journalist and author (b. 1919)
- 2008 – Juancho Evertsz, Dutch Antillean politician (b. 1923)
- 2009 – Henk Nijdam, Dutch cyclist (b. 1935)
- 2011 – Dorjee Khandu, Indian politician, 6th Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh (b. 1955)
- 2011 – Evald Okas, Estonian painter (b. 1915)
- 2011 – Ernesto Sabato, Argentinian physicist, author, and painter (b. 1911)
- 2012 – Tomás Borge, Nicaraguan poet and politician, co-founded the Sandinista National Liberation Front (b. 1930)
- 2012 – Alexander Dale Oen, Norwegian swimmer (b. 1985)
- 2012 – Giannis Gravanis, Greek footballer (b. 1958)
- 2012 – Benzion Netanyahu, Russian-Israeli historian and academic (b. 1910)
- 2012 – Sicelo Shiceka, South African politician (b. 1966)
- 2013 – Roberto Chabet, Filipino painter and sculptor (b. 1937)
- 2013 – Shirley Firth, Canadian skier (b. 1953)
- 2013 – Viviane Forrester, French author and critic (b. 1925)
- 2013 – Mike Gray, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1935)
- 2014 – Khaled Choudhury, Indian painter and set designer (b. 1919)
- 2014 – Julian Lewis, English biologist and academic (b. 1946)
- 2014 – Carl E. Moses, American businessman and politician (b. 1929)
- 2014 – Ian Ross, Australian journalist (b. 1940)
- 2015 – Lennart Bodström, Swedish politician (b. 1928)
- 2015 – Ben E. King, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1938)
- 2015 – Steven Goldmann, Canadian director and producer (b. 1961)
- 2016 – Daniel Berrigan, American priest and activist (b. 1921)
- 2016 – Harry Kroto, English chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1939)
- 2019 – Peter Mayhew, English-American actor (b. 1944)
- 2020 – Tony Allen, Nigerian drummer and composer (b. 1940)
 Holidays and observances on April 30
- Armed Forces Day (Georgia)
- Birthday of the King Carl XVI Gustaf, one of the official flag days of Sweden.
- Camarón Day (French Foreign Legion)
- Children’s Day (Mexico)
- Christian feast day:
- Adjutor
- Aimo
- Amator, Peter and Louis
- Donatus of Evorea
- Eutropius of Saintes
- Marie Guyart (Anglican Church of Canada)
- Marie of the Incarnation (Ursuline)
- Maximus of Rome
- Blessed Miles Gerard
- Pomponius of Naples
- Pope Pius V
- Quirinus of Neuss
- Sarah Josepha Hale (Episcopal Church)
- Suitbert the Younger
- April 30 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
 
- Consumer Protection Day (Thailand)
- Earliest day on which Ascension Day can fall, while June 3 is the latest; celebrated 40 days after Easter (Christianity), and its related observances:
- Festa della Sensa (Venice)
- Global Day of Prayer (Western Christianity)
- Sheep Festival (Cameroon)
 
- Honesty Day (United States)
- International Jazz Day (UNESCO)
- Martyrs’ Day (Pakistan)
- May Eve, the eve of the first day of summer in the Northern hemisphere (see May 1):
- Beltane begins at sunset in the Northern hemisphere, Samhain begins at sunset in the Southern hemisphere. (Neo-Druidic Wheel of the Year)
- Carodejnice (Czech Republic and Slovakia)
- Walpurgis Night (Central and Northern Europe)
 
- National Persian Gulf Day (Iran)
- Reunification Day (Vietnam)
- Russian State Fire Service Day (Russia)
- Teachers’ Day (Paraguay)
 
 
 
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 April 28 in history
- 224 – The Battle of Hormozdgan is fought. Ardashir I defeats and kills Artabanus V effectively ending the Parthian Empire.
- 357 – Emperor Constantius II enters Rome for the first time to celebrate his victory over Magnus Magnentius.
- 1192 – Assassination of Conrad of Montferrat (Conrad I), King of Jerusalem, in Tyre, two days after his title to the throne is confirmed by election. The killing is carried out by Hashshashin.
- 1253 – Nichiren, a Japanese Buddhist monk, propounds Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō for the very first time and declares it to be the essence of Buddhism, in effect founding Nichiren Buddhism.
- 1503 – The Battle of Cerignola is fought. It is noted as one of the first European battles in history won by small arms fire using gunpowder.
- 1611 – Establishment of the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, The Catholic University of the Philippines, the largest Catholic university in the world.
- 1758 – The Marathas defeat the Afghans in the Battle of Attock and capture the city.
- 1788 – Maryland becomes the seventh state to ratify the United States Constitution.
- 1789 – Mutiny on the Bounty: Lieutenant William Bligh and 18 sailors are set adrift and the rebel crew returns to Tahiti briefly and then sets sail for Pitcairn Island.
- 1792 – France invades the Austrian Netherlands (present day Belgium and Luxembourg), beginning the French Revolutionary Wars.
- 1794 – Sardinians, headed by Giovanni Maria Angioy, start a revolution against Savoy domination, expelling Viceroy Balbiano and his officials from Cagliari, the capital and largest city of the island.
- 1796 – The Armistice of Cherasco is signed by Napoleon Bonaparte and Vittorio Amedeo III, King of Sardinia, expanding French territory along the Mediterranean coast.
- 1869 – Chinese and Irish laborers for the Central Pacific Railroad working on the First Transcontinental Railroad lay ten miles of track in one day, a feat which has never been matched.
- 1881 – Billy the Kid escapes from the Lincoln County jail in Mesilla, New Mexico.
- 1887 – A week after being arrested by the Prussian Secret Police, French police inspector Guillaume Schnaebelé is released on order of William I, German Emperor, defusing a possible war.
- 1910 – Frenchman Louis Paulhan wins the 1910 London to Manchester air race, the first long-distance aeroplane race in England.
- 1920 – Azerbaijan is added to the Soviet Union.
- 1923 – Wembley Stadium is opened, named initially as the Empire Stadium.
- 1930 – The Independence Producers hosted the first night game in the history of Organized Baseball in Independence, Kansas.
- 1941 – The Ustaše massacre nearly 200 Serbs in the village of Gudovac, the first massacre of their genocidal campaign against Serbs of the Independent State of Croatia.
- 1944 – World War II: Nine German E-boats attacked US and UK units during Exercise Tiger, the rehearsal for the Normandy landings, killing 946.
- 1945 – Benito Mussolini and his mistress Clara Petacci are shot dead by Walter Audisio, a member of the Italian resistance movement.
- 1947 – Thor Heyerdahl and five crew mates set out from Peru on the Kon-Tiki to demonstrate that Peruvian natives could have settled Polynesia.
- 1948 – Igor Stravinsky conducted the premiere of his American ballet, Orpheus at the New York City Center.
- 1949 – The Hukbalahap are accused of assassinating former First Lady of the Philippines Aurora Quezon, while she is en route to dedicate a hospital in memory of her late husband; her daughter and ten others are also killed.
- 1952 – Dwight D. Eisenhower resigns as Supreme Allied Commander of NATO.
- 1952 – The Treaty of San Francisco comes into effect, restoring Japanese sovereignty and ending its state of war with most of the Allies of World War II.
- 1952 – The Sino-Japanese Peace Treaty (Treaty of Taipei) is signed in Taipei, Taiwan between Japan and the Republic of China to officially end the Second Sino-Japanese War.
- 1965 – United States occupation of the Dominican Republic: American troops land in the Dominican Republic to “forestall establishment of a Communist dictatorship” and to evacuate U.S. Army troops.
- 1967 – Vietnam War: Boxer Muhammad Ali refuses his induction into the United States Army and is subsequently stripped of his championship and license.
- 1969 – Charles de Gaulle resigns as President of France.
- 1970 – Vietnam War: U.S. President Richard Nixon formally authorizes American combat troops to take part in the Cambodian campaign.
- 1973 – The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd, recorded in Abbey Road Studios goes to number one on the US Billboard chart, beginning a record-breaking 741-week chart run.
- 1975 – General Cao Văn Viên, chief of the South Vietnamese military, departs for the US as the North Vietnamese Army closed in on victory.
- 1977 – The Red Army Faction trial ends, with Andreas Baader, Gudrun Ensslin and Jan-Carl Raspe found guilty of four counts of murder and more than 30 counts of attempted murder.
- 1978 – President of Afghanistan, Mohammed Daoud Khan, is overthrown and assassinated in a coup led by pro-communist rebels.
- 1986 – The United States Navy aircraft carrier USS Enterprise becomes the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to transit the Suez Canal, navigating from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea to relieve the USS Coral Sea.
- 1986 – High levels of radiation resulting from the Chernobyl disaster are detected at a nuclear power plant in Sweden, leading Soviet authorities to publicly announce the accident.
- 1988 – Near Maui, Hawaii, flight attendant Clarabelle “C.B.” Lansing is blown out of Aloha Airlines Flight 243, a Boeing 737, and falls to her death when part of the plane’s fuselage rips open in mid-flight.
- 1993 – A Zambia Air Force DHC-5 Buffalo crashes off the coast of Libreville, Gabon, killing all 30 passengers, which included the entire Zambia national football team.
- 1994 – Former Central Intelligence Agency counterintelligence officer and analyst Aldrich Ames pleads guilty to giving U.S. secrets to the Soviet Union and later Russia.
- 1996 – Whitewater controversy: President Bill Clinton gives a 4½ hour videotaped testimony for the defense.
- 1996 – Port Arthur massacre, Tasmania: A gunman, Martin Bryant, opens fire at the Broad Arrow Cafe in Port Arthur, Tasmania, killing 35 people and wounding 23 others.
- 2004 – CBS News released evidence of the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse. The photographs show rape and abuse from the American troops over Iraqi detainees.
 Births on April 28
- AD 32 – Otho, Roman emperor (d. 69 AD)
- 1402 – Nezahualcoyotl, Acolhuan philosopher, warrior, poet and ruler (d. 1472)
- 1442 – Edward IV, king of England (d. 1483)
- 1545 – Yi Sun-sin, Korean commander (d. 1598)
- 1573 – Charles de Valois, Duke of Angoulême, son of Charles IX (d. 1650)
- 1604 – Joris Jansen Rapelje, Dutch settler in colonial North America (d. 1662)
- 1623 – Wilhelmus Beekman, Dutch politician (d. 1707)
- 1630 – Charles Cotton, English poet and author (d. 1687)
- 1676 – Frederick I, prince consort and king of Sweden (d. 1751)
- 1715 – Franz Sparry, Austrian composer and educator (d. 1767)
- 1758 – James Monroe, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 5th President of the United States (d. 1831)
- 1761 – Marie Harel, French cheesemaker (d. 1844)
- 1765 – Sylvestre François Lacroix, French mathematician and academic (d. 1834)
- 1819 – Ezra Abbot, American scholar and academic (d. 1884)
- 1827 – William Hall, Canadian soldier, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 1904)
- 1838 – Tobias Asser, Dutch lawyer and scholar, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1913)
- 1848 – Ludvig Schytte, Danish pianist, composer, and educator (d. 1909)
- 1854 – Hertha Marks Ayrton, Polish-British engineer, mathematician, and physicist. (d. 1923)
- 1855 – José Malhoa, Portuguese painter (d. 1933)
- 1863 – Josiah Thomas, English-Australian miner and politician, 7th Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs (d. 1933)
- 1863 – Nikolai von Meck, Russian engineer (d. 1929)
- 1865 – Charles W. Woodworth, American entomologist and academic (d. 1940)
- 1868 – Lucy Booth, English composer (d. 1953)
- 1868 – Georgy Voronoy, Ukrainian-Russian mathematician and academic (d. 1908)
- 1874 – Karl Kraus, Austrian journalist and author (d. 1936)
- 1874 – Sidney Toler, American actor and director (d. 1947)
- 1876 – Nicola Romeo, Italian engineer and businessman (d. 1938)
- 1878 – Lionel Barrymore, American actor and director (d. 1954)
- 1886 – Erich Salomon, German-born news photographer (d. 1944)
- 1886 – Art Shaw, American hurdler (d. 1955)
- 1888 – Walter Tull, English footballer and soldier (d. 1918)
- 1889 – António de Oliveira Salazar, Portuguese economist and politician, 100th Prime Minister of Portugal (d. 1970)
- 1896 – Na Hye-sok, South Korean journalist, poet, and painter (d. 1948)
- 1896 – Tristan Tzara, Romanian-French poet and critic (d. 1963)
- 1897 – Ye Jianying, Chinese general and politician, Head of State of the People’s Republic of China (d. 1986)
- 1900 – Alice Berry, Australian activist (d. 1978)
- 1900 – Heinrich Müller, German SS officer (d. 1945)
- 1900 – Jan Oort, Dutch astronomer and academic (d. 1992)
- 1901 – H. B. Stallard, English runner and surgeon (d. 1973)
- 1902 – Johan Borgen, Norwegian author and critic (d. 1979)
- 1906 – Kurt Gödel, Czech-American mathematician, philosopher, and academic (d. 1978)
- 1906 – Paul Sacher, Swiss conductor and philanthropist (d. 1999)
- 1908 – Ethel Catherwood, American-Canadian high jumper and javelin thrower (d. 1987)
- 1908 – Jack Fingleton, Australian cricketer, journalist, and sportscaster (d. 1981)
- 1908 – Oskar Schindler, Czech-German businessman (d. 1974)
- 1909 – Arthur Võõbus, Estonian-American theologist and orientalist (d. 1988)
- 1910 – Sam Merwin, Jr., American author (d. 1996)
- 1911 – Lee Falk, American director, producer, and playwright (d. 1999)
- 1912 – Odette Hallowes, French soldier and spy (d. 1995)
- 1912 – Kaneto Shindō, Japanese director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2012)
- 1913 – Rose Murphy, American singer (d. 1989)
- 1914 – Michel Mohrt, French author, historian (d. 2011)
- 1916 – Ferruccio Lamborghini, Italian businessman, created Lamborghini (d. 1993)
- 1917 – Robert Cornthwaite, American actor (d. 2006)
- 1921 – Rowland Evans, American soldier, journalist, and author (d. 2001)
- 1921 – Simin Daneshvar, Iranian author and academic (d. 2012)
- 1923 – Carolyn Cassady, American author (d. 2013)
- 1923 – William Guarnere, American sergeant (d. 2014)
- 1924 – Dick Ayers, American author and illustrator (d. 2014)
- 1924 – Blossom Dearie, American singer and pianist (d. 2009)
- 1924 – Kenneth Kaunda, Zambian educator and politician, 1st President of Zambia
- 1925 – T. John Lesinski, American judge and politician, 51st Lieutenant Governor of Michigan (d. 1996)
- 1925 – John Leonard Thorn, English lieutenant, author, and academic
- 1926 – James Bama, American artist and illustrator
- 1926 – Bill Blackbeard, American historian and author (d. 2011)
- 1926 – Harper Lee, American novelist (d. 2016)
- 1926 – Hulusi Sayın, Turkish general (d. 1991)
- 1928 – Yves Klein, French painter (d. 1962)
- 1928 – Eugene Merle Shoemaker, American geologist and astronomer (d. 1997)
- 1930 – James Baker, American lawyer and politician, 61st United States Secretary of State
- 1930 – Carolyn Jones, American actress (d. 1983)
- 1933 – Miodrag Radulovacki, Serbian-American neuropharmacologist and academic (d. 2014)
- 1934 – Lois Duncan, American journalist and author (d. 2016)
- 1935 – Pedro Ramos, Cuban baseball player
- 1935 – Jimmy Wray, Scottish boxer and politician (d. 2013)
- 1936 – Tariq Aziz, Iraqi journalist and politician, Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 2015)
- 1937 – Saddam Hussein, Iraqi general and politician, 5th President of Iraq (d. 2006)
- 1937 – Jean Redpath, Scottish singer-songwriter (d. 2014)
- 1937 – John White, Scottish international footballer(d. 1964)
- 1938 – Madge Sinclair, Jamaican-American actress (d. 1995)
- 1941 – Ann-Margret, Swedish-American actress, singer, and dancer
- 1941 – Lucien Aimar, French cyclist
- 1941 – John Madejski, English businessman and academic
- 1941 – Karl Barry Sharpless, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1941 – Iryna Zhylenko, Ukrainian poet and author (d. 2013)
- 1942 – Mike Brearley, English cricketer and psychoanalyst
- 1943 – Aryeh Bibi, Iraqi-born Israeli politician
- 1944 – Elizabeth LeCompte, American director and producer
- 1944 – Jean-Claude Van Cauwenberghe, Belgian politician, 10th Minister-President of the Walloon Region
- 1944 – Alice Waters, American chef and author
- 1946 – Nour El-Sherif, Egyptian actor and producer (d. 2015)
- 1946 – Ginette Reno, Canadian singer-songwriter and actress
- 1946 – Larissa Grunig, American theorist and activist
- 1947 – Christian Jacq, French historian and author
- 1947 – Nicola LeFanu, English composer and academic
- 1947 – Steve Khan, American jazz guitarist
- 1948 – Terry Pratchett, English journalist, author, and screenwriter (d. 2015)
- 1948 – Marcia Strassman, American actress and singer (d. 2014)
- 1949 – Jeremy Cooke, English lawyer and judge
- 1949 – Paul Guilfoyle, American actor
- 1949 – Bruno Kirby, American actor and director (d. 2006)
- 1950 – Willie Colón, Puerto Rican-American trombonist and producer
- 1950 – Jay Leno, American comedian, talk show host, and producer
- 1950 – Steve Rider, English journalist and sportscaster
- 1951 – Tim Congdon, English economist and politician
- 1951 – Larry Smith, Canadian football player and politician
- 1952 – Chuck Leavell, American singer-songwriter and keyboard player
- 1952 – Mary McDonnell, American actress
- 1953 – Roberto Bolaño, Chilean novelist, short-story writer, poet, and essayist (d. 2003)
- 1953 – Kim Gordon, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1953 – Brian Greenhoff, English footballer and coach (d. 2013)
- 1954 – Timothy Curley, American educator
- 1954 – Michael P. Jackson, American politician, 3rd Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security
- 1954 – Vic Sotto, Filipino actor-producer, singer-songwriter, comedian and television personality
- 1954 – Ron Zook, American football player and coach
- 1955 – Eddie Jobson, English keyboard player and violinist
- 1955 – Dieter Rubach, German bass player
- 1956 – Jimmy Barnes, Scottish-Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1957 – Wilma Landkroon, Dutch singer
- 1958 – Hal Sutton, American golfer
- 1960 – Tom Browning, American baseball player
- 1960 – Elena Kagan, American lawyer and jurist, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
- 1960 – Phil King, English bass player
- 1960 – Ian Rankin, Scottish author
- 1960 – Jón Páll Sigmarsson, Icelandic strongman and weightlifter (d. 1993)
- 1960 – Walter Zenga, Italian footballer and manager
- 1963 – Sandrine Dumas, French actress, director, and screenwriter
- 1963 – Lloyd Eisler, Canadian figure skater and coach
- 1963 – Marc Lacroix, Belgian biochemist and academic
- 1964 – Stephen Ames, Trinidadian golfer
- 1964 – Noriyuki Iwadare, Japanese composer
- 1964 – Ajay Kakkar, Baron Kakkar, English surgeon and academic
- 1964 – Barry Larkin, American baseball player, manager, and sportscaster
- 1964 – L’Wren Scott, American model and fashion designer (d. 2014)
- 1965 – Jennifer Rardin, American author (d. 2010)
- 1966 – John Daly, American golfer
- 1966 – Too Short, American rapper, producer and actor
- 1967 – Chris White, English engineer and politician
- 1968 – Howard Donald, English singer-songwriter and producer
- 1968 – Andy Flower, South-African-Zimbabwean cricketer and coach
- 1969 – LeRon Perry Ellis, American basketball player
- 1970 – Richard Fromberg, Australian tennis player
- 1970 – Nicklas Lidström, Swedish ice hockey player and scout
- 1970 – Diego Simeone, Argentinian footballer and manager
- 1971 – Brad McEwan, Australian journalist
- 1972 – Violent J, American rapper
- 1972 – Helena Tulve, Estonian composer
- 1972 – Jean-Paul van Gastel, Dutch footballer and manager
- 1973 – Jorge Garcia, American actor and producer
- 1973 – Earl Holmes, American football player and coach
- 1973 – Andrew Mehrtens, South African-New Zealand rugby player
- 1974 – Penélope Cruz, Spanish actress and producer
- 1974 – Margo Dydek, Polish basketball player and coach (d. 2011)
- 1974 – Richel Hersisia, Dutch boxer
- 1974 – Vernon Kay, English radio and television host
- 1974 – Dominic Matteo, Scottish footballer and journalist
- 1975 – Michael Walchhofer, Austrian skier
- 1976 – Shane Jurgensen, Australian cricketer
- 1978 – Lauren Laverne, English singer and television host
- 1978 – Robert Oliveri, American actor
- 1978 – Nate Richert, American actor
- 1979 – Scott Fujita, American football player and sportscaster
- 1980 – Bradley Wiggins, English cyclist
- 1981 – Jessica Alba, American model and actress
- 1981 – Pietro Travagli, Italian rugby player
- 1982 – Nikki Grahame, English model and journalist
- 1982 – Chris Kaman, American basketball player
- 1983 – Josh Brookes, Australian motorcycle racer
- 1983 – David Freese, American baseball player
- 1983 – Roger Johnson, English footballer
- 1983 – Graham Wagg, English cricketer
- 1983 – Thomas Waldrom, New Zealand-English rugby player
- 1984 – Dmitri Torbinski, Russian footballer
- 1985 – Lucas Jakubczyk, German sprinter and long jumper
- 1985 – Deividas Stagniūnas, Lithuanian ice dancer
- 1986 – Roman Polák, Czech ice hockey player
- 1986 – Jenna Ushkowitz, Korean-American actress, singer, and dancer
- 1987 – Ryan Conroy, Scottish footballer
- 1987 – Samantha Akkineni, Indian actress and model
- 1987 – Bradley Johnson, English footballer
- 1987 – Zoran Tošić, Serbian footballer
- 1988 – Jonathan Biabiany, French footballer
- 1988 – Juan Manuel Mata, Spanish footballer
- 1988 – Katariina Tuohimaa, Finnish tennis player
- 1989 – Emil Salomonsson, Swedish footballer
- 1989 – Kim Sung-kyu, South Korean singer
- 1990 – Niels-Peter Mørck, Danish footballer
- 1992 – Blake Bortles, American football player
- 1992 – DeMarcus Lawrence, American football player
- 1993 – Craig Garvey, Australian rugby league player
- 1993 – Eva Samková, Czech snowboarder
- 1995 – Jonathan Benteke, Belgian footballer
- 1995 – Melanie Martinez, American singer
 Deaths on April 28
- 224 – Artabanus V of Parthia (b. 191)
- 948 – Hu Jinsi, Chinese general and prefect
- 988 – Adaldag, archbishop of Bremen
- 1109 – Abbot Hugh of Cluny (b. 1024)
- 1192 – Conrad of Montferrat (b. 1140)
- 1197 – Rhys ap Gruffydd, prince of Deheubarth (b. 1132)
- 1257 – Shajar al-Durr, sovereign sultana of Egypt
- 1260 – Luchesius Modestini, founding member of the Third Order of St. Francis
- 1400 – Baldus de Ubaldis, Italian jurist (b. 1327)
- 1489 – Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland, English politician (b. 1449)
- 1533 – Nicholas West, English bishop and diplomat (b. 1461)
- 1643 – Francisco de Lucena, Portuguese politician (b. 1578)
- 1710 – Thomas Betterton, English actor and manager (b. 1630)
- 1716 – Louis de Montfort, French priest and saint (b. 1673)
- 1726 – Thomas Pitt, English merchant and politician (b. 1653)
- 1741 – Magnus Julius De la Gardie, Swedish general and politician (b. 1668)
- 1772 – Johann Friedrich Struensee, German physician and politician (b. 1737)
- 1781 – Cornelius Harnett, American merchant, farmer, and politician (b. 1723)
- 1813 – Mikhail Kutuzov, Russian field marshal (b. 1745)
- 1816 – Johann Heinrich Abicht, German philosopher, author, and academic (b. 1762)
- 1841 – Peter Chanel, French priest, missionary, and martyr (b. 1803)
- 1853 – Ludwig Tieck, German author and poet (b. 1773)
- 1858 – Johannes Peter Müller, German physiologist and anatomist (b. 1801)
- 1865 – Samuel Cunard, Canadian-English businessman, founded Cunard Line (b. 1787)
- 1881 – Antoine Samuel Adam-Salomon, French sculptor and photographer (b. 1818)
- 1883 – John Russell, English hunter and dog breeder (b. 1795)
- 1902 – Cyprien Tanguay, Canadian priest and historian (b. 1819)
- 1903 – Josiah Willard Gibbs, American scientist (b. 1839)
- 1905 – Fitzhugh Lee, American general and politician, 40th Governor of Virginia (b. 1835)
- 1925 – Richard Butler, English-Australian politician, 23rd Premier of South Australia (b. 1850)
- 1928 – May Jordan McConnel, Australian trade unionist and suffragist (b. 1860)
- 1929 – Hendrik van Heuckelum, Dutch footballer (b. 1879)
- 1936 – Fuad I of Egypt (b. 1868)
- 1944 – Mohammed Alim Khan, Manghud ruler (b. 1880)
- 1944 – Frank Knox, American journalist and politician, 46th United States Secretary of the Navy (b. 1874)
- 1945 – Roberto Farinacci, Italian soldier and politician (b. 1892)
- 1945 – Hermann Fegelein, German general (b. 1906)
- 1945 – Benito Mussolini, Italian journalist and politician, 27th Prime Minister of Italy (b. 1883)
- 1946 – Louis Bachelier, French mathematician and academic (b. 1870)
- 1954 – Léon Jouhaux, French union leader, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1879)
- 1956 – Fred Marriott, American race car driver (b. 1872)
- 1957 – Heinrich Bär, German colonel and pilot (b. 1913)
- 1962 – Bennie Osler, South African rugby player (b. 1901)
- 1963 – Wilhelm Weber, German gymnast (b. 1880)
- 1970 – Ed Begley, American actor (b. 1901)
- 1973 – Clas Thunberg, Finnish speed skater (b. 1893)
- 1976 – Richard Hughes, American author and poet (b. 1900)
- 1977 – Ricardo Cortez, American actor (b. 1900)
- 1977 – Sepp Herberger, German footballer and coach (b. 1897)
- 1978 – Mohammed Daoud Khan, Afghan commander and politician, 1st President of Afghanistan (b. 1909)
- 1980 – Tommy Caldwell, American bass player (b. 1949)
- 1987 – Ben Linder, American engineer and activist (b. 1959)
- 1991 – Steve Broidy, American film producer (b. 1905)
- 1992 – Francis Bacon, Irish painter (b. 1909)
- 1993 – Diva Diniz Corrêa, Brazilian zoologist (b. 1918)
- 1993 – Jim Valvano, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster (b. 1946)
- 1994 – Berton Roueché, American journalist and author (b. 1910)
- 1996 – Lester Sumrall, American minister, founded LeSEA (b. 1913)
- 1997 – Ann Petry, American novelist (b. 1908)
- 1998 – Jerome Bixby, American author and screenwriter (b. 1923)
- 1999 – Rory Calhoun, American actor, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1922)
- 1999 – Rolf Landauer, German-American physicist and engineer (b. 1927)
- 1999 – Alf Ramsey, English footballer and manager (b. 1920)
- 1999 – Arthur Leonard Schawlow, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1921)
- 2000 – Jerzy Einhorn, Polish-Swedish physician and politician (b. 1925)
- 2000 – Penelope Fitzgerald, English author and poet (b. 1916)
- 2002 – Alexander Lebed, Russian general and politician (b. 1950)
- 2002 – Lou Thesz, American wrestler and trainer (b. 1916)
- 2005 – Percy Heath, American bassist (b. 1923)
- 2005 – Chris Candido, American wrestler (b. 1971)
- 2005 – Taraki Sivaram, Sri Lankan journalist and author (b. 1959)
- 2006 – Steve Howe, American baseball player (b. 1958)
- 2007 – Dabbs Greer, American actor (b. 1917)
- 2007 – René Mailhot, Canadian journalist (b. 1942)
- 2007 – Tommy Newsom, American saxophonist and bandleader (b. 1929)
- 2007 – Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker, German physicist and philosopher (b. 1912)
- 2007 – Bertha Wilson, Scottish-Canadian lawyer and jurist (b. 1923)
- 2009 – Ekaterina Maximova, Russian ballerina and actress (b. 1939)
- 2009 – Richard Pratt, Polish-Australian businessman (b. 1934)
- 2011 – Erhard Loretan, Swiss mountaineer (b. 1959)
- 2012 – Fred Allen, New Zealand rugby player and coach (b. 1920)
- 2012 – Matilde Camus, Spanish poet and author (b. 1919)
- 2012 – Al Ecuyer, American football player (b. 1937)
- 2012 – Patricia Medina, English actress (b. 1919)
- 2012 – Milan N. Popović, Serbian psychiatrist and author (b. 1924)
- 2012 – Aberdeen Shikoyi, Kenyan rugby player (b. 1985)
- 2013 – Brad Lesley, American baseball player (b. 1958)
- 2013 – Fredrick McKissack, American author (b. 1939)
- 2013 – John C. Reynolds, American computer scientist and academic (b. 1935)
- 2013 – Jack Shea, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1928)
- 2013 – János Starker, Hungarian-American cellist and educator (b. 1924)
- 2013 – Paulo Vanzolini, Brazilian singer-songwriter and zoologist (b. 1924)
- 2013 – Bernie Wood, New Zealand journalist and author (b. 1939)
- 2014 – Barbara Fiske Calhoun, American cartoonist and painter (b. 1919)
- 2014 – William Honan, American journalist and author (b. 1930)
- 2014 – Dennis Kamakahi, American guitarist and composer (b. 1953)
- 2014 – Edgar Laprade, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1919)
- 2014 – Jack Ramsay, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster (b. 1925)
- 2014 – Idris Sardi, Indonesian violinist and composer (b. 1938)
- 2014 – Frederic Schwartz, American architect, co-designed Empty Sky (b. 1951)
- 2014 – Ryan Tandy, Australian rugby player (b. 1981)
- 2015 – Antônio Abujamra, Brazilian actor and director (b. 1932)
- 2015 – Marcia Brown, American author and illustrator (b. 1918)
- 2015 – Michael J. Ingelido, American general (b. 1916)
- 2016 – Jenny Diski, English author and screenwriter (b. 1947)
- 2017 – Mariano Gagnon, American Catholic priest and author (b. 1929)
- 2018 – James Hylton, American race car driver (b. 1934)
- 2019 – Richard Lugar, American politician (b.1932)
- 2019 – John Singleton, American film director (b. 1968)
 Holidays and observances on April 28
- Christian feast day:
- Aphrodisius and companions
- Gianna Beretta Molla
- Kirill of Turov (Orthodox, added to Roman Martyrology in 1969)
- Louis de Montfort
- Pamphilus of Sulmona
- Peter Chanel
- Vitalis and Valeria of Milan
- April 28 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
 
- Lawyers’ Day (Odisha, India)
- Mujahideen Victory Day (Afghanistan)
- National Heroes Day (Barbados)
- Restoration of Sovereignty Day (Japan)
- Sardinia Day (Sardinia)
- Workers’ Memorial Day and World Day for Safety and Health at Work (international)
- National Day of Mourning (Canada)
 
 
 
 
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 April 25 in History
- 404 BC – Admiral Lysander and King Pausanias of Sparta blockade Athens and bring the Peloponnesian War to a successful conclusion.
- 775 – The Battle of Bagrevand puts an end to an Armenian rebellion against the Abbasid Caliphate. Muslim control over Transcaucasia is solidified and its Islamization begins, while several major Armenian nakharar families lose power and their remnants flee to the Byzantine Empire.
- 799 – After mistreatment and disfigurement by the citizens of Rome, pope Leo III flees to the Frankish court of king Charlemagne at Paderborn for protection.
- 1134 – The name Zagreb was mentioned for the first time in the Felician Charter relating to the establishment of the Zagreb Bishopric around 1094.
- 1607 – Eighty Years’ War: The Dutch fleet destroys the anchored Spanish fleet at Gibraltar.
- 1644 – The Chongzhen Emperor, the last Emperor of Ming dynasty China, commits suicide during a peasant rebellion led by Li Zicheng.
- 1707 – A coalition of Britain, the Netherlands and Portugal is defeated by a Franco-Spanish army at Almansa (Spain) in the War of the Spanish Succession.
- 1792 – Highwayman Nicolas J. Pelletier becomes the first person executed by guillotine.
- 1792 – “La Marseillaise” (the French national anthem) is composed by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle.
- 1804 – The western Georgian kingdom of Imereti accepts the suzerainty of the Russian Empire.
- 1829 – Charles Fremantle arrives in HMS Challenger off the coast of modern-day Western Australia prior to declaring the Swan River Colony for the United Kingdom.
- 1846 – Thornton Affair: Open conflict begins over the disputed border of Texas, triggering the Mexican–American War.
- 1849 – The Governor General of Canada, Lord Elgin, signs the Rebellion Losses Bill, outraging Montreal’s English population and triggering the Montreal Riots.
- 1859 – British and French engineers break ground for the Suez Canal.
- 1862 – American Civil War: Forces under U.S. Admiral David Farragut demand the surrender of the Confederate city of New Orleans, Louisiana.
- 1864 – American Civil War: The Battle of Marks’ Mills.
- 1882 – French and Vietnamese troops clashed in Tonkin, when Commandant Henri Rivière seized the citadel of Hanoi with a small force of marine infantry.
- 1898 – Spanish–American War: The United States declares war on Spain.
- 1901 – New York becomes the first U.S. state to require automobile license plates.
- 1915 – World War I: The Battle of Gallipoli begins: The invasion of the Turkish Gallipoli Peninsula by British, French, Indian, Newfoundland, Australian and New Zealand troops, begins with landings at Anzac Cove and Cape Helles.
- 1916 – Anzac Day is commemorated for the first time on the first anniversary of the landing at ANZAC Cove.
- 1920 – At the San Remo conference, the principal Allied Powers of World War I adopt a resolution to determine the allocation of Class “A” League of Nations mandates for administration of the former Ottoman-ruled lands of the Middle East.
- 1938 – U.S. Supreme Court delivers its opinion in Erie Railroad Co. v. Tompkins and overturns a century of federal common law.
- 1940 – Merkið, the flag of the Faroe Islands is approved by the British occupation government.
- 1944 – The United Negro College Fund is incorporated.
- 1945 – Elbe Day: United States and Soviet troops meet in Torgau along the River Elbe, cutting the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany in two.
- 1945 – Liberation Day (Italy): The Nazi occupation army surrenders and leaves Northern Italy after a general partisan insurrection by the Italian resistance movement; the puppet fascist regime dissolves and Benito Mussolini is captured after trying to escape. This day was set as a public holiday to celebrate the Liberation of Italy.
- 1945 – United Nations Conference on International Organization: Founding negotiations for the United Nations begin in San Francisco.
- 1945 – The last German troops retreat from Finland’s soil in Lapland, ending the Lapland War. Military acts of Second World War end in Finland.
- 1951 – Korean War: Assaulting Chinese forces are forced to withdraw after heavy fighting with UN forces, primarily made up of Australian and Canadian troops, at the Battle of Kapyong.
- 1953 – Francis Crick and James Watson publish “Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids: A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid” describing the double helix structure of DNA.
- 1954 – The first practical solar cell is publicly demonstrated by Bell Telephone Laboratories.
- 1959 – The Saint Lawrence Seaway, linking the North American Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean, officially opens to shipping.
- 1960 – The United States Navy submarine USS Triton completes the first submerged circumnavigation of the globe.
- 1961 – Robert Noyce is granted a patent for an integrated circuit.
- 1972 – Vietnam War: Nguyen Hue Offensive: The North Vietnamese 320th Division forces 5,000 South Vietnamese troops to retreat and traps about 2,500 others northwest of Kontum.
- 1974 – Carnation Revolution: A leftist military coup in Portugal overthrows the authoritarian-conservative Estado Novo regime and establishes a democratic government.
- 1975 – As North Vietnamese forces close in on the South Vietnamese capital Saigon, the Australian Embassy is closed and evacuated, almost ten years to the day since the first Australian troop commitment to South Vietnam.
- 1981 – More than 100 workers are exposed to radiation during repairs of at the Tsuruga Nuclear Power Plant in Japan.
- 1982 – Israel completes its withdrawal from the Sinai Peninsula per the Camp David Accords.
- 1983 – Cold War: American schoolgirl Samantha Smith is invited to visit the Soviet Union by its leader Yuri Andropov after he read her letter in which she expressed fears about nuclear war.
- 1983 – Pioneer 10 travels beyond Pluto’s orbit.
- 1986 – Mswati III is crowned King of Swaziland, succeeding his father Sobhuza II.
- 1988 – In Israel, John Demjanjuk is sentenced to death for war crimes committed in World War II.
- 1990 – Violeta Chamorro takes office as the President of Nicaragua, the first woman to hold the position.
- 2001 – Michele Alboreto is killed while testing an Audi R8 at the Lausitzring in Germany.
- 2004 – The March for Women’s Lives brings between 500,000 and 800,000 protesters, mostly pro-choice, to Washington D.C. to protest the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003, and other restrictions on abortion.
- 2005 – The final piece of the Obelisk of Axum is returned to Ethiopia after being stolen by the invading Italian army in 1937.
- 2005 – Bulgaria and Romania sign accession treaties to join the European Union.
- 2007 – Boris Yeltsin’s funeral: The first to be sanctioned by the Russian Orthodox Church for a head of state since the funeral of Emperor Alexander III in 1894.
- 2015 – Nearly 9,100 are killed after a massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake strikes Nepal.
 Births on April 25
- 1214 – Louis IX of France (d. 1270)
- 1228 – Conrad IV of Germany (d. 1254)
- 1284 – Edward II of England (d. 1327)
- 1287 – Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (d. 1330)
- 1502 – Georg Major, German theologian and academic (d. 1574)
- 1529 – Francesco Patrizi, Italian philosopher and scientist (d. 1597)
- 1599 – Oliver Cromwell, English general and politician, Lord Protector of Great Britain (d. 1658)
- 1621 – Roger Boyle, 1st Earl of Orrery, English soldier and politician (d. 1679)
- 1666 – Johann Heinrich Buttstett, German organist and composer (d. 1727)
- 1694 – Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington, English architect and politician, Lord High Treasurer of Ireland (d. 1753)
- 1710 – James Ferguson, Scottish astronomer and author (d. 1776)
- 1723 – Giovanni Marco Rutini, Italian composer (d. 1797)
- 1725 – Augustus Keppel, 1st Viscount Keppel, English admiral and politician (d. 1786)
- 1767 – Nicolas Oudinot, French general (d. 1847)
- 1770 – Georg Sverdrup, Norwegian philologist and academic (d. 1850)
- 1776 – Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh (d. 1857)
- 1843 – Princess Alice of the United Kingdom (d. 1878)
- 1849 – Felix Klein, German mathematician and academic (d. 1925)
- 1850 – Luise Adolpha Le Beau, German composer and educator (d. 1927)
- 1851 – Leopoldo Alas, Spanish author, critic, and academic (d. 1901)
- 1854 – Charles Sumner Tainter, American engineer and inventor (d. 1940)
- 1862 – Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon, English ornithologist and politician, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (d. 1933)
- 1868 – John Moisant, American pilot and engineer (d. 1910)
- 1871 – Lorne Currie, French-English sailor (d. 1926)
- 1872 – C. B. Fry, English cricketer, footballer, educator, and politician (d. 1956)
- 1873 – Walter de la Mare, English poet, short story writer, and novelist (d. 1956)
- 1873 – Howard Garis, American author, creator of the Uncle Wiggily series of children’s stories (d. 1962)
- 1874 – Guglielmo Marconi, Italian businessman and inventor, developed Marconi’s law, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1937)
- 1874 – Ernest Webb, English-Canadian race walker (d. 1937)
- 1876 – Jacob Nicol, Canadian publisher, lawyer, and politician (d. 1958)
- 1878 – William Merz, American gymnast and triathlete (d. 1946)
- 1882 – Fred McLeod, Scottish golfer (d. 1976)
- 1887 – Kojo Tovalou Houénou, Beninese lawyer and critic (d. 1936)
- 1892 – Maud Hart Lovelace, American author (d. 1980)
- 1896 – Fred Haney, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 1977)
- 1897 – Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood (d. 1965)
- 1900 – Gladwyn Jebb, English politician and diplomat, Secretary-General of the United Nations (d. 1996)
- 1900 – Wolfgang Pauli, Austrian-Swiss-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1958)
- 1902 – Werner Heyde, German psychiatrist and academic (d. 1964)
- 1902 – Mary Miles Minter, American actress (d. 1984)
- 1903 – Andrey Kolmogorov, Russian mathematician and academic (d. 1987)
- 1905 – George Nepia, New Zealand rugby player and referee (d. 1986)
- 1906 – William J. Brennan Jr., American colonel and Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court (d. 1997)
- 1908 – Edward R. Murrow, American journalist (d. 1965)
- 1909 – William Pereira, American architect, designed the Transamerica Pyramid (d. 1985)
- 1910 – Arapeta Awatere, New Zealand interpreter, military leader, politician, and murderer (d. 1976)
- 1911 – Connie Marrero, Cuban baseball player and coach (d. 2014)
- 1912 – Earl Bostic, African-American saxophonist (d. 1965)
- 1913 – Nikolaos Roussen, Greek captain (d. 1944)
- 1914 – Ross Lockridge Jr., American author and academic (d. 1948)
- 1915 – Mort Weisinger, American journalist and author (d. 1978)
- 1916 – Jerry Barber, American golfer (d. 1994)
- 1917 – Ella Fitzgerald, American singer (d. 1996)
- 1917 – Jean Lucas, French racing driver (d. 2003)
- 1918 – Graham Payn, South African-born English actor and singer (d. 2005)
- 1918 – Gérard de Vaucouleurs, French-American astronomer and academic (d. 1995)
- 1918 – Astrid Varnay, Swedish-American soprano and actress (d. 2006)
- 1919 – Finn Helgesen, Norwegian speed skater (d. 2011)
- 1921 – Karel Appel, Dutch painter and sculptor (d. 2006)
- 1923 – Francis Graham-Smith, English astronomer and academic
- 1923 – Melissa Hayden, Canadian ballerina (d. 2006)
- 1923 – Albert King, African-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 1992)
- 1924 – Ingemar Johansson, Swedish race walker (d. 2009)
- 1924 – Franco Mannino, Italian pianist, composer, director, and playwright (d. 2005)
- 1924 – Paulo Vanzolini, Brazilian singer-songwriter and zoologist (d. 2013)
- 1925 – Tony Christopher, Baron Christopher, English trade union leader and businessman
- 1925 – Sammy Drechsel, German comedian and journalist (d. 1986)
- 1925 – Louis O’Neil, Canadian academic and politician (d. 2018)
- 1926 – Johnny Craig, American author and illustrator (d. 2001)
- 1926 – Gertrude Fröhlich-Sandner, Austrian politician (d. 2008)
- 1926 – Patricia Castell, Argentine actress (d. 2013)
- 1927 – Corín Tellado, Spanish author (d. 2009)
- 1927 – Albert Uderzo, French author and illustrator (d. 2020)
- 1928 – Cy Twombly, American-Italian painter and sculptor (d. 2011)
- 1929 – Yvette Williams, New Zealand long jumper, shot putter, and discus thrower (d. 2019)
- 1930 – Paul Mazursky, American actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2014)
- 1930 – Godfrey Milton-Thompson, English admiral and surgeon (d. 2012)
- 1930 – Peter Schulz, German lawyer and politician, Mayor of Hamburg (d. 2013)
- 1931 – Felix Berezin, Russian mathematician and physicist (d. 1980)
- 1931 – David Shepherd, English painter and author (d. 2017)
- 1932 – Nikolai Kardashev, Russian astrophysicist (d. 2019)
- 1932 – Meadowlark Lemon, African-American basketball player and minister (d. 2015)
- 1932 – Lia Manoliu, Romanian discus thrower and politician (d. 1998)
- 1933 – Jerry Leiber, American songwriter and producer (d. 2011)
- 1933 – Joyce Ricketts, American baseball player (d. 1992)
- 1934 – Peter McParland, Northern Irish footballer and manager
- 1935 – Bob Gutowski, American pole vaulter (d. 1960)
- 1935 – Reinier Kreijermaat, Dutch footballer (d. 2018)
- 1936 – Henck Arron, Surinamese banker and politician, 1st Prime Minister of the Republic of Suriname (d. 2000)
- 1938 – Roger Boisjoly, American aerodynamicist and engineer (d. 2012)
- 1938 – Ton Schulten, Dutch painter and graphic designer
- 1939 – Tarcisio Burgnich, Italian footballer and manager
- 1939 – Michael Llewellyn-Smith, English academic and diplomat
- 1939 – Robert Skidelsky, Baron Skidelsky, English historian and academic
- 1939 – Veronica Sutherland, English academic and British diplomat
- 1940 – Al Pacino, American actor and director
- 1941 – Bertrand Tavernier, French actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1942 – Jon Kyl, American lawyer and politician
- 1943 – Tony Christie, English singer-songwriter and actor
- 1944 – Len Goodman, English dancer
- 1944 – Mike Kogel, German singer-songwriter
- 1944 – Stephen Nickell, English economist and academic
- 1944 – Bruce Ponder, English geneticist and cancer researcher
- 1945 – Stu Cook, American bass player, songwriter, and producer
- 1945 – Richard C. Hoagland, American theorist and author
- 1945 – Björn Ulvaeus, Swedish singer-songwriter and producer
- 1946 – Talia Shire, American actress
- 1946 – Peter Sutherland, Irish lawyer and politician, Attorney General of Ireland
- 1946 – Vladimir Zhirinovsky, Russian colonel, lawyer, and politician
- 1947 – Johan Cruyff, Dutch footballer and manager (d. 2016)
- 1947 – Jeffrey DeMunn, American actor
- 1948 – Mike Selvey, English cricketer and sportscaster
- 1948 – Yu Shyi-kun, Taiwanese politician, 39th Premier of the Republic of China
- 1949 – Vicente Pernía, Argentinian footballer and race car driver
- 1949 – Dominique Strauss-Kahn, French economist, lawyer, and politician, French Minister of Finance
- 1949 – James Fenton, English poet, journalist and literary critic
- 1950 – Donnell Deeny, Northern Irish lawyer and judge
- 1950 – Steve Ferrone, English drummer
- 1950 – Peter Hintze, German politician (d. 2016)
- 1950 – Valentyna Kozyr, Ukrainian high jumper
- 1951 – Ian McCartney, Scottish politician, Minister of State for Trade
- 1952 – Ketil Bjørnstad, Norwegian pianist and composer
- 1952 – Vladislav Tretiak, Russian ice hockey player and coach
- 1952 – Jacques Santini, French footballer and coach
- 1953 – Ron Clements, American animator, producer, and screenwriter
- 1953 – Gary Cosier, Australian cricketer
- 1953 – Anthony Venables, English economist, author, and academic
- 1954 – Melvin Burgess, English author
- 1954 – Randy Cross, American football player and sportscaster
- 1954 – Róisín Shortall, Irish educator and politician
- 1955 – Américo Gallego, Argentinian footballer and coach
- 1955 – Parviz Parastui, Iranian actor and singer
- 1955 – Zev Siegl, American businessman, co-founded Starbucks
- 1956 – Dominique Blanc, French actress, director, and screenwriter
- 1956 – Abdalla Uba Adamu, Nigerian professor, media scholar
- 1957 – Theo de Rooij, Dutch cyclist and manager
- 1958 – Fish, Scottish singer-songwriter
- 1958 – Misha Glenny, British journalist
- 1959 – Paul Madden, English diplomat, British High Commissioner to Australia
- 1959 – Daniel Kash, Canadian actor and director
- 1959 – Tony Phillips, American baseball player (d. 2016)
- 1960 – Paul Baloff, American singer (d. 2002)
- 1960 – Robert Peston, English journalist
- 1960 – Bruce Redman, Australian director, producer, and critic
- 1961 – Dinesh D’Souza, Indian-American journalist and author
- 1961 – Miran Tepeš, Slovenian ski jumper
- 1962 – Foeke Booy, Dutch footballer and manager
- 1963 – Joy Covey, American businesswoman (d. 2013)
- 1963 – Dave Martin, English footballer
- 1963 – David Moyes, Scottish footballer and manager
- 1963 – Bernd Müller, German footballer and manager
- 1963 – Paul Wassif, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1964 – Hank Azaria, American actor, voice artist, comedian and producer
- 1964 – Andy Bell, English singer-songwriter
- 1965 – Eric Avery, American bass player and songwriter
- 1965 – Mark Bryant, American basketball player and coach
- 1965 – John Henson, American puppeteer and voice actor (d. 2014)
- 1966 – Diego Domínguez, Argentinian-Italian rugby player
- 1966 – Femke Halsema, Dutch sociologist, academic, and politician
- 1966 – Darren Holmes, American baseball player and coach
- 1966 – Erik Pappas, American baseball player and coach
- 1967 – Angel Martino, American swimmer
- 1968 – Vitaliy Kyrylenko, Ukrainian long jumper
- 1968 – Thomas Strunz, German footballer
- 1969 – Joe Buck, American sportscaster
- 1969 – Martin Koolhoven, Dutch director and screenwriter
- 1969 – Jon Olsen, American swimmer
- 1969 – Darren Woodson, American football player and sportscaster
- 1969 – Renée Zellweger, American actress and producer
- 1970 – Jason Lee, American skateboarder, actor, comedian and producer
- 1971 – Sara Baras, Spanish dancer
- 1971 – Brad Clontz, American baseball player
- 1973 – Carlota Castrejana, Spanish triple jumper
- 1973 – Fredrik Larzon, Swedish drummer
- 1973 – Barbara Rittner, German tennis player
- 1975 – Jacque Jones, American baseball player and coach
- 1976 – Gilberto da Silva Melo, Brazilian footballer
- 1976 – Tim Duncan, American basketball player
- 1976 – Breyton Paulse, South African rugby player
- 1976 – Rainer Schüttler, German tennis player and coach
- 1977 – Constantinos Christoforou, Cypriot singer-songwriter
- 1977 – Ilias Kotsios, Greek footballer
- 1977 – Marguerite Moreau, American actress and producer
- 1977 – Matthew West, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
- 1978 – Matt Walker, English swimmer
- 1980 – Ben Johnston, Scottish drummer and songwriter
- 1980 – James Johnston, Scottish bass player and songwriter
- 1980 – Daniel MacPherson, Australian actor and television host
- 1980 – Bruce Martin, New Zealand cricketer
- 1980 – Kazuhito Tadano, Japanese baseball player
- 1980 – Alejandro Valverde, Spanish cyclist
- 1981 – Dwone Hicks, American football player
- 1981 – Felipe Massa, Brazilian racing driver
- 1981 – John McFall, English sprinter
- 1981 – Anja Pärson, Swedish skier
- 1982 – Brian Barton, American baseball player
- 1982 – Monty Panesar, English cricketer
- 1982 – Marco Russo, Italian footballer
- 1983 – Johnathan Thurston, Australian rugby league player
- 1983 – DeAngelo Williams, American football player
- 1984 – Robert Andino, American baseball player
- 1984 – Isaac Kiprono Songok, Kenyan runner
- 1985 – Giedo van der Garde, Dutch racing driver
- 1986 – Alexei Emelin, Russian ice hockey player
- 1986 – Thin Seng Hon, Cambodian Paralympic athlete
- 1986 – Gwen Jorgensen, American triathlete
- 1986 – Claudia Rath, German heptathlete
- 1987 – Razak Boukari, Togolese footballer
- 1987 – Jay Park, American-South Korean singer-songwriter and dancer
- 1987 – Johann Smith, American soccer player
- 1988 – James Sheppard, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1989 – Marie-Michèle Gagnon, Canadian skier
- 1989 – Michael van Gerwen, Dutch darts player
- 1989 – Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the 11th Panchen Lama, one of the highest-ranking spiritual leaders in Tibet
- 1990 – Jean-Éric Vergne, French racing driver
- 1990 – Taylor Walker, Australian footballer
- 1991 – Alex Shibutani, American ice dancer
- 1993 – Alex Bowman, American race car driver
- 1993 – Daniel Norris, American baseball player
- 1994 – Omar McLeod, Jamaican hurdler
- 1995 – Lewis Baker, English footballer
- 1996 – Mack Horton, Australian swimmer
- 1997 – Julius Ertlthaler, Austrian footballer
 Deaths on April 25
- 501 – Rusticus, saint and archbishop of Lyon (b. 455)
- 775 – Smbat VII Bagratuni, Armenian prince
- 775 – Mushegh VI Mamikonian, Armenian prince
- 908 – Zhang Wenwei, Chinese chancellor
- 1074 – Herman I, Margrave of Baden
- 1077 – Géza I of Hungary (b. 1040)
- 1185 – Emperor Antoku of Japan (b. 1178)
- 1217 – Hermann I, Landgrave of Thuringia
- 1228 – Queen Isabella II of Jerusalem (b. 1212)
- 1243 – Boniface of Valperga, Bishop of Aosta
- 1264 – Roger de Quincy, 2nd Earl of Winchester, medieval English nobleman; Earl of Winchester (b. 1195)
- 1295 – Sancho IV of Castile (b. 1258)
- 1342 – Pope Benedict XII (b. 1285)
- 1397 – Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent, English nobleman
- 1472 – Leon Battista Alberti, Italian author, poet, and philosopher (b. 1404)
- 1516 – John Yonge, English diplomat (b. 1467)
- 1566 – Louise Labé, French poet and author (b. 1520)
- 1566 – Diane de Poitiers, mistress of King Henry II of France (b. 1499)
- 1595 – Torquato Tasso, Italian poet and songwriter (b. 1544)
- 1605 – Naresuan, Siamese King of Ayutthaya Kingdom (b. c. 1555)
- 1644 – Chongzhen Emperor of China (b. 1611)
- 1660 – Henry Hammond, English cleric and theologian (b. 1605)
- 1690 – David Teniers the Younger, Flemish painter and educator (b. 1610)
- 1744 – Anders Celsius, Swedish astronomer, physicist, and mathematician (b. 1701)
- 1770 – Jean-Antoine Nollet, French minister, physicist, and academic (b. 1700)
- 1800 – William Cowper, English poet (b. 1731)
- 1840 – Siméon Denis Poisson, French mathematician and physicist (b. 1781)
- 1873 – Fyodor Petrovich Tolstoy, Russian painter and sculptor (b. 1783)
- 1875 – 12th Dalai Lama (b. 1857)
- 1878 – Anna Sewell, English author (b. 1820)
- 1890 – Crowfoot, Canadian tribal chief (b. 1830)
- 1891 – Nathaniel Woodard, English priest and educator (b. 1811)
- 1892 – Henri Duveyrier, French explorer (b. 1840)
- 1892 – Karl von Ditmar, Estonian-German geologist and explorer (b. 1822)
- 1906 – John Knowles Paine, American composer and educator (b. 1839)
- 1911 – Emilio Salgari, Italian journalist and author (b. 1862)
- 1913 – Joseph-Alfred Archambeault, Canadian bishop (b. 1859)
- 1915 – Frederick W. Seward, American journalist, lawyer, and politician, 6th United States Assistant Secretary of State (b. 1830)
- 1919 – Augustus D. Juilliard, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1836)
- 1923 – Louis-Olivier Taillon, Canadian lawyer and politician, 8th Premier of Quebec (b. 1840)
- 1928 – Pyotr Nikolayevich Wrangel, Russian general (b. 1878)
- 1941 – Salih Bozok, Turkish commander and politician (b. 1881)
- 1943 – Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko, Russian director, producer, and playwright (b. 1858)
- 1944 – George Herriman, American cartoonist (b. 1880)
- 1944 – Tony Mullane, Irish-American baseball player (b. 1859)
- 1944 – William Stephens, American engineer and politician, 24th Governor of California (b. 1859)
- 1945 – Huldreich Georg Früh, Swiss composer (b. 1903)
- 1961 – Robert Garrett, American discus thrower and shot putter (b. 1875)
- 1970 – Anita Louise, American actress (b. 1915)
- 1972 – George Sanders, English actor (b. 1906)
- 1973 – Olga Grey, Hungarian-American actress (b. 1896)
- 1974 – Gustavo R. Vincenti, Maltese architect and developer (b. 1888)
- 1975 – Mike Brant, Israeli singer and songwriter (b.1947)
- 1976 – Carol Reed, English director and producer (b. 1906)
- 1976 – Markus Reiner, Israeli engineer and educator (b. 1886)
- 1982 – John Cody, American cardinal (b. 1907)
- 1983 – William S. Bowdern, American priest and author (b. 1897)
- 1988 – Carolyn Franklin, American singer-songwriter (b. 1944)
- 1988 – Clifford D. Simak, American journalist and author (b. 1904)
- 1990 – Dexter Gordon, American saxophonist, composer, and actor (b. 1923)
- 1992 – Yutaka Ozaki, Japanese singer-songwriter (b. 1965)
- 1995 – Art Fleming, American game show host (b. 1925)
- 1995 – Ginger Rogers, American actress, singer, and dancer (b. 1911)
- 1995 – Lev Shankovsky, Ukrainian military historian (b. 1903)
- 1996 – Saul Bass, American graphic designer and director (b. 1920)
- 1998 – Wright Morris, American author and photographer (b. 1910)
- 1999 – Michael Morris, 3rd Baron Killanin, Irish journalist and author (b. 1914)
- 1999 – Roger Troutman, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1951)
- 2000 – Lucien Le Cam, French mathematician and statistician (b. 1924)
- 2000 – David Merrick, American director and producer (b. 1911)
- 2001 – Michele Alboreto, Italian racing driver (b. 1956)
- 2002 – Lisa Lopes, American rapper and dancer (b. 1971)
- 2003 – Samson Kitur, Kenyan runner (b. 1966)
- 2004 – Thom Gunn, English-American poet and academic (b. 1929)
- 2005 – Jim Barker, American politician (b. 1935)
- 2005 – Swami Ranganathananda, Indian monk and educator (b. 1908)
- 2006 – Jane Jacobs, American-Canadian journalist, author, and activist (b. 1916)
- 2006 – Peter Law, Welsh politician and independent member of parliament (b. 1948)
- 2007 – Alan Ball Jr., English footballer and manager (b. 1945)
- 2007 – Arthur Milton, English footballer and cricketer (b. 1928)
- 2007 – Bobby Pickett, American singer-songwriter (b. 1938)
- 2008 – Humphrey Lyttelton, English trumpet player, composer, and radio host (b. 1921)
- 2009 – Bea Arthur, American actress and singer (b. 1922)
- 2010 – Dorothy Provine, American actress and singer (b. 1935)
- 2010 – Alan Sillitoe, English novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet (b. 1928)
- 2011 – Poly Styrene, British musician (b. 1957)
- 2012 – Gerry Bahen, Australian footballer (b. 1929)
- 2012 – Denny Jones, American rancher and politician (b. 1910)
- 2012 – Moscelyne Larkin, American ballerina and educator (b. 1925)
- 2012 – Louis le Brocquy, Irish painter and illustrator (b. 1916)
- 2013 – Brian Adam, Scottish biochemist and politician (b. 1948)
- 2013 – Jacob Avshalomov, American composer and conductor (b. 1919)
- 2013 – György Berencsi, Hungarian virologist and academic (b. 1941)
- 2013 – Rick Camp, American baseball player (b. 1953)
- 2014 – Dan Heap, Canadian priest and politician (b. 1925)
- 2014 – William Judson Holloway Jr., American soldier, lawyer, and judge (b. 1923)
- 2014 – Earl Morrall, American football player and coach (b. 1934)
- 2014 – Tito Vilanova, Spanish footballer and manager (b. 1968)
- 2014 – Stefanie Zweig, German journalist and author (b. 1932)
- 2015 – Jim Fanning, American-Canadian baseball player and manager (b. 1927)
- 2015 – Matthias Kuhle, German geographer and academic (b. 1948)
- 2015 – Don Mankiewicz, American screenwriter and novelist (b. 1922)
- 2015 – Mike Phillips, American basketball player (b. 1956)
- 2016 – Tom Lewis, Australian politician, 33rd Premier of New South Wales (b. 1922)
- 2018 – Madeeha Gauhar, Pakistani actress, playwright and director of social theater, and women’s rights activist (b. 1956)
- 2019 – John Havlicek, American basketball player (b. 1940)
 Holidays and observances on April 25
- Anniversary of the First Cabinet of Kurdish Government (Iraqi Kurdistan)
- Anzac Day (Australia, New Zealand)
- Arbor Day (Germany)
- Christian feast day:
- Giovanni Battista Piamarta
- Major Rogation (Western Christianity)
- Mark the Evangelist
- Maughold
- Philo and Agathopodes
- Anianus of Alexandria
- April 25 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
 
- DNA Day
- Flag Day (Faroe Islands)
- Freedom Day (Portugal)
- Liberation Day (Italy)
- Liberation Day (South Georgia)
- Military Foundation Day (North Korea)
- Parental Alienation Awareness Day
- Red Hat Society Day
- Sinai Liberation Day (Egypt)
- World Malaria Day
 
 
 
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 April 22 in History
- 238 – Year of the Six Emperors: The Roman Senate outlaws emperor Maximinus Thrax for his bloodthirsty proscriptions in Rome and nominates two of its members, Pupienus and Balbinus, to the throne.
- 1500 – Portuguese navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral lands in Brazil.
- 1519 – Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés establishes a settlement at Veracruz, Mexico.
- 1529 – Treaty of Zaragoza divides the eastern hemisphere between Spain and Portugal along a line 297.5 leagues (1,250 kilometres (780 mi)) east of the Moluccas.
- 1622 – The Capture of Ormuz by the East India Company ends Portuguese control of Hormuz Island.
- 1809 – The second day of the Battle of Eckmühl: The Austrian army is defeated by the First French Empire army led by Napoleon and driven over the Danube in Regensburg.
- 1836 – Texas Revolution: A day after the Battle of San Jacinto, forces under Texas General Sam Houston identify Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna among the captives of the battle when some of his fellow soldiers mistakenly give away his identity.
- 1864 – The U.S. Congress passes the Coinage Act of 1864 that mandates that the inscription In God We Trust be placed on all coins minted as United States currency.
- 1876 – The first game in the history of the National League was played at the Jefferson Street Grounds in Philadelphia. This game is often pointed to as the beginning of Major League Baseball.
- 1889 – At noon, thousands rush to claim land in the Land Rush of 1889. Within hours the cities of Oklahoma City and Guthrie are formed with populations of at least 10,000.
- 1898 – Spanish–American War: The USS Nashville captures a Spanish merchant ship.
- 1906 – The 1906 Intercalated Games, now recognized as part of the official Olympic Games, open in Athens.
- 1915 – The use of poison gas in World War I escalates when chlorine gas is released as a chemical weapon in the Second Battle of Ypres.
- 1930 – The United Kingdom, Japan and the United States sign the London Naval Treaty regulating submarine warfare and limiting shipbuilding.
- 1944 – The 1st Air Commando Group using Sikorsky R-4 helicopters stage the first use of helicopters in combat with combat search and rescue operations in the China Burma India Theater.
- 1944 – World War II: Operation Persecution is initiated: Allied forces land in the Hollandia (currently known as Jayapura) area of New Guinea.
- 1944 – World War II: In Greenland, the Allied Sledge Patrol attack the German Bassgeiger weather station.
- 1945 – World War II: Prisoners at the Jasenovac concentration camp revolt. Five hundred twenty are killed and around eighty escape.
- 1948 – Arab–Israeli War: The port city of Haifa is captured by Jewish forces.
- 1951 – Korean War: The Chinese People’s Volunteer Army begin assaulting positions defended by the Royal Australian Regiment and the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry at the Battle of Kapyong.
- 1954 – Red Scare: Witnesses begin testifying and live television coverage of the Army–McCarthy hearings begins.
- 1969 – British yachtsman Sir Robin Knox-Johnston wins the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race and completes the first solo non-stop circumnavigation of the world.
- 1969 – The formation of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) is announced at a mass rally in Calcutta.
- 1970 – The first Earth Day is celebrated.
- 1972 – Increased American bombing in Vietnam prompts anti-war protests in Los Angeles, New York City, and San Francisco.
- 1977 – Optical fiber is first used to carry live telephone traffic.
- 1983 – The German magazine Stern claims the “Hitler Diaries” had been found in wreckage in East Germany; the diaries are subsequently revealed to be forgeries.
- 1992 – In a series of explosions in Guadalajara, Mexico, 206 people are killed, nearly 500 injured and 15,000 left homeless.
- 1993 – Eighteen-year-old Stephen Lawrence is murdered in a racially motivated attack while waiting for a bus in Well Hall, Eltham.
- 1997 – Haouch Khemisti massacre in Algeria where 93 villagers are killed.
- 2000 – In a pre-dawn raid, federal agents seize six-year-old Elián González from his relatives’ home in Miami.
- 2004 – Two fuel trains collide in Ryongchon, North Korea, killing up to 150 people.
- 2005 – Japan’s Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi apologizes for Japan’s war record.
- 2008 – The United States Air Force retires the remaining F-117 Nighthawk aircraft in service.
- 2013 – The Royal Canadian Mounted Police arrest and charge two men with plotting to disrupt a Toronto area train service in a plot claimed to be backed by Al-Qaeda elements.
- 2014 – More than 60 people are killed and 80 are seriously injured in a train crash in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Katanga Province.
- 2016 – The Paris Agreement is signed, an agreement to help fight global warming.
- 2019 – The 2019 Luzon earthquake kills at least 18 people in the Philippines.
 Births on April 22
- 1412 – Reinhard III, Count of Hanau (1451–1452) (d. 1452)
- 1444 – Elizabeth of York, Duchess of Suffolk (d. 1503)
- 1451 – Isabella I of Castile (d. 1504)
- 1518 – Antoine of Navarre (d. 1562)
- 1592 – Wilhelm Schickard, German astronomer and mathematician (d. 1635)
- 1610 – Pope Alexander VIII (d. 1691)
- 1658 – Giuseppe Torelli, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1709)
- 1690 – John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville, English politician, Lord President of the Council (d. 1763)
- 1707 – Henry Fielding, English novelist and playwright (d. 1754)
- 1711 – Paul II Anton, Prince Esterházy, Austrian soldier (d. 1762)
- 1724 – Immanuel Kant, German anthropologist, philosopher, and academic (d. 1804)
- 1732 – John Johnson, English architect and surveyor (d. 1814)
- 1744 – James Sullivan, American lawyer and politician, 7th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1808)
- 1757 – Alessandro Rolla, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1841)
- 1766 – Germaine de Staël, French author and political philosopher (d. 1817)
- 1812 – Solomon Caesar Malan, Swiss-English orientalist (d. 1894)
- 1816 – Charles-Denis Bourbaki, French general (d. 1897)
- 1830 – Emily Davies, British suffragist and educator, co-founder and an early Mistress of Girton College, Cambridge University
- 1832 – Julius Sterling Morton, American journalist and politician, 3rd United States Secretary of Agriculture (d. 1902)
- 1844 – Lewis Powell, American soldier, attempted assassin of William H. Seward (d. 1865)
- 1852 – William IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (d. 1912)
- 1858 – Ethel Smyth, English composer (d. 1944)
- 1854 – Henri La Fontaine, Belgian lawyer and author, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1943)
- 1860 – Ada Rehan, Irish-American actress (d. 1916)
- 1870 – Vladimir Lenin, Russian revolutionary and founder of Soviet Russia (d. 1924)
- 1872 – Princess Margaret of Prussia (d. 1954)
- 1873 – Ellen Glasgow, American author (d. 1945)
- 1876 – Róbert Bárány, Austrian-Swedish otologist and physician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1936)
- 1876 – Georg Lurich, Estonian wrestler and strongman (d. 1920)
- 1879 – Bernhard Gregory, Estonian-German chess player (d. 1939)
- 1884 – Otto Rank, Austrian-American psychologist and academic (d. 1939)
- 1886 – Izidor Cankar, Slovenian historian, author, and diplomat (d. 1958)
- 1889 – Richard Glücks, German SS officer (d. 1945)
- 1891 – Laura Gilpin, American photographer (d. 1979)
- 1891 – Vittorio Jano, Italian engineer (d. 1965)
- 1891 – Harold Jeffreys, English mathematician, geophysicist, and astronomer (d. 1989)
- 1891 – Nicola Sacco, Italian-American anarchist (d. 1927)
- 1892 – Vernon Johns, African-American minister and activist (d. 1965)
- 1899 – Vladimir Nabokov, Russian-born novelist and critic (d. 1977)
- 1900 – Nellie Beer, British politician, Lord Mayor of Manchester from 1966–67 (d. 1988)
- 1904 – J. Robert Oppenheimer, American physicist and academic (d. 1967)
- 1905 – Robert Choquette, American-Canadian author, poet, and diplomat (d. 1991)
- 1906 – Eric Fenby, English composer and educator (d. 1997)
- 1906 – Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten (d. 1947)
- 1908 – Ivan Yefremov, Russian paleontologist and author (d. 1972)
- 1909 – Rita Levi-Montalcini, Sephardic Jewish-Italian neurologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2012)
- 1909 – Indro Montanelli, Italian journalist and historian (d. 2001)
- 1909 – Spyros Markezinis, Greek politician, Prime Minister of Greece (d. 2000)
- 1910 – Norman Steenrod, American mathematician and academic (d. 1971)
- 1912 – Kathleen Ferrier, English operatic singer (d. 1953)
- 1912 – Kaneto Shindo, Japanese director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2012)
- 1914 – Baldev Raj Chopra, Indian director and producer (d. 2008)
- 1914 – Jan de Hartog, Dutch-American author and playwright (d. 2002)
- 1914 – José Quiñones Gonzales, Peruvian soldier and pilot (d. 1941)
- 1914 – Michael Wittmann, German SS officer (d. 1944)
- 1916 – Hanfried Lenz, German mathematician and academic (d. 2013)
- 1916 – Yehudi Menuhin, American-Swiss violinist and conductor (d. 1999)
- 1917 – Yvette Chauviré, French ballerina (d. 2016)
- 1917 – Sidney Nolan, Australian painter (d. 1992)
- 1918 – William Jay Smith, American poet and academic (d. 2015)
- 1918 – Mickey Vernon, American baseball player and coach (d. 2008)
- 1919 – Donald J. Cram, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2001)
- 1919 – Carl Lindner, Jr., American businessman and philanthropist (d. 2011)
- 1922 – Richard Diebenkorn, American soldier and painter (d. 1993)
- 1922 – Charles Mingus, American bassist, composer, and bandleader (d. 1979)
- 1922 – Wolf V. Vishniac, American microbiologist and academic (d. 1973)
- 1923 – Peter Kane Dufault, American soldier, pilot, and poet (d. 2013)
- 1923 – Bettie Page, American model and actress (d. 2008)
- 1923 – Aaron Spelling, American actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2006)
- 1924 – Nam Duck-woo, South Korean politician, 12th Prime Minister of South Korea (d. 2013)
- 1926 – Charlotte Rae, American actress and singer (d. 2018)
- 1926 – James Stirling, Scottish architect, designed the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart and Seeley Historical Library (d. 1992)
- 1927 – Laurel Aitken, Cuban-Jamaican singer (d. 2005)
- 1929 – Michael Atiyah, English-Lebanese mathematician and academic (d. 2019)
- 1929 – Robert Wade-Gery, English diplomat, British High Commissioner to India (d. 2015)
- 1930 – Enno Penno, Estonian politician, Prime Minister of Estonia in exile (d. 2016)
- 1931 – John Buchanan, Canadian lawyer and politician, 20th Premier of Nova Scotia (d. 2019)
- 1931 – Ronald Hynd, English dancer and choreographer
- 1933 – Anthony Llewellyn, Welsh-American chemist and astronaut (d. 2013)
- 1935 – Christopher Ball, English linguist and academic
- 1935 – Paul Chambers, African-American bassist and composer (d. 1969)
- 1935 – Bhama Srinivasan, Indian-American mathematician and academic
- 1936 – Glen Campbell, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (d. 2017)
- 1936 – Pierre Hétu, Canadian pianist and conductor (d. 1998)
- 1937 – Jack Nicholson, American actor and producer
- 1937 – Jack Nitzsche, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and conductor (d. 2000)
- 1938 – Alan Bond, English-Australian businessman (d. 2015)
- 1938 – Gani Fawehinmi, Nigerian lawyer and activist (d. 2009)
- 1938 – Issey Miyake, Japanese fashion designer
- 1938 – Adam Raphael, English journalist and author
- 1939 – Mel Carter, American singer and actor
- 1939 – John Foley, English general and politician, Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey
- 1939 – Ray Guy, Canadian journalist and author (d. 2013)
- 1939 – Jason Miller, American actor and playwright (d. 2001)
- 1939 – Theodor Waigel, German lawyer and politician, German Federal Minister of Finance
- 1941 – Greville Howard, Baron Howard of Rising, English politician
- 1942 – Giorgio Agamben, Italian philosopher and academic
- 1942 – Mary Prior, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Bristol
- 1943 – Keith Crisco, American businessman and politician (d. 2014)
- 1943 – Janet Evanovich, American author
- 1943 – Louise Glück, American poet
- 1943 – John Maples, Baron Maples, English lawyer and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Defence (d. 2012)
- 1943 – Scott W. Williams, American mathematician and professor
- 1944 – Steve Fossett, American businessman, pilot, and sailor (d. 2007)
- 1944 – Doug Jarrett, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2014)
- 1944 – Joshua Rifkin, American conductor and musicologist
- 1945 – Gopalkrishna Gandhi, Indian civil servant and politician, 22nd Governor of West Bengal
- 1945 – Demetrio Stratos, Egyptian-Italian singer-songwriter (d. 1979)
- 1946 – Steven L. Bennett, American captain and pilot, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1972)
- 1946 – Paul Davies, English physicist and author
- 1946 – Louise Harel, Canadian lawyer and politician
- 1946 – Archy Kirkwood, Baron Kirkwood of Kirkhope, Scottish lawyer and politician
- 1946 – Nicholas Stern, Baron Stern of Brentford, English economist and academic
- 1946 – John Waters, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1948 – John Pritchard, English bishop
- 1949 – Spencer Haywood, American basketball player
- 1950 – Peter Frampton, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1950 – Jancis Robinson, English journalist and critic
- 1951 – Paul Carrack, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1951 – Aivars Kalējs, Latvian organist, composer, and pianist
- 1951 – Ana María Shua, Argentinian author and poet
- 1952 – François Berléand, French actor
- 1952 – Dave Loveridge, New Zealand rugby player
- 1952 – Phil Smith, American basketball player (d. 2002)
- 1953 – Valeri Bondarenko, Estonian footballer and coach
- 1953 – Richard Broadbent, English businessman
- 1955 – David Collier, English businessman
- 1957 – Donald Tusk, Polish journalist and politician, 14th Prime Minister of Poland
- 1959 – Keith Boanas, English footballer and manager
- 1959 – Terry Francona, American baseball player, coach, and manager
- 1959 – Catherine Mary Stewart, Canadian actress
- 1959 – Ryan Stiles, American-Canadian actor and producer
- 1960 – Lloyd Honeyghan, Jamaican-English boxer
- 1960 – Mart Laar, Estonian historian and politician, 9th Prime Minister of Estonia
- 1960 – Randall L. Stephenson, American businessman
- 1961 – Alo Mattiisen, Estonian composer (d. 1996)
- 1961 – Ann McKechin, Scottish lawyer and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland
- 1961 – Dewey Nicks, American photographer and director
- 1962 – Danièle Sauvageau, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1963 – Rosalind Gill, English sociologist and academic
- 1963 – Magnús Ver Magnússon, Icelandic weightlifter and strongman
- 1964 – Paul Baxter, English footballer
- 1965 – Miguel Leal, Portuguese footballer and manager
- 1965 – Peter Zezel, Canadian ice hockey and soccer player (d. 2009)
- 1966 – Mickey Morandini, American baseball player and manager
- 1966 – Jeffrey Dean Morgan, American actor
- 1967 – David J. C. MacKay, English physicist, engineer, and academic
- 1967 – Sherri Shepherd, American actress and talk show panelist
- 1967 – Harvey Williams, American football player
- 1968 – Jo Angel, Australian cricketer
- 1968 – Bimbo Coles, American basketball player and coach
- 1968 – Zarley Zalapski, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1969 – Dion Dublin, English footballer and sportscaster
- 1970 – Erkki Bahovski, Estonian journalist
- 1971 – Eric Mabius, American actor
- 1971 – Spencer Prior, English footballer
- 1972 – Sabine Appelmans, Belgian tennis player
- 1972 – Owen Finegan, Australian rugby player and coach
- 1972 – Milka Duno, Venezuelan race car driver and engineer
- 1972 – Sergei Hohlov-Simson, Estonian footballer and manager
- 1972 – Willie Robertson, American hunter and businessman
- 1973 – Adem Poric, English-Australian footballer
- 1973 – Ofer Talker, Israeli footballer and manager
- 1974 – Shavo Odadjian, Armenian-American bass player, songwriter, and producer
- 1975 – Greg Moore, Canadian race car driver (d. 1999)
- 1975 – Carlos Sastre, Spanish cyclist
- 1975 – Anders Nyström, Swedish guitarist and songwriter
- 1976 – Dan Cloutier, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1976 – Paul Henderson, Australian footballer
- 1976 – Michał Żewłakow, Polish footballer
- 1977 – Mark van Bommel, Dutch footballer
- 1978 – Paul Malakwen Kosgei, Kenyan runner and coach
- 1978 – David Masters, English cricketer
- 1978 – Matt Orford, Australian rugby league player
- 1978 – Jason Stollsteimer, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1978 – Esteban Tuero, Argentinian race car driver
- 1979 – Zoltán Gera, Hungarian international footballer and manager
- 1979 – Daniel Johns, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1980 – Igor Budan, Croatian footballer
- 1980 – Clarke Dermody, New Zealand rugby player
- 1980 – Nicolas Douchez, French footballer
- 1980 – Courtney Friel, American journalist
- 1980 – Carlos Hernández, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1980 – Quincy Timberlake, Kenyan-Australian activist, engineer, and politician
- 1980 – Rutledge Wood, American racing analyst and television personality
- 1981 – Madis Kallas, Estonian decathlete and activist
- 1981 – Rafael Sperafico, Brazilian race car driver (d. 2007)
- 1981 – Jonathan Trott, South African-English cricketer
- 1982 – Kaká, Brazilian footballer
- 1982 – Cassidy Freeman, American actress and musician
- 1982 – Joel Monaghan, Australian rugby league player
- 1982 – David Purcey, American baseball player
- 1982 – Aidas Reklys, Lithuanian figure skater
- 1982 – Aleksander Saharov, Estonian footballer
- 1982 – Noriko Shitaya, Japanese voice actress
- 1983 – Remi Ayodele, American football player
- 1983 – Sam W. Heads, English-American entomologist and palaeontologist
- 1983 – Jos Hooiveld, Dutch footballer
- 1983 – Matt Jones, American football player
- 1983 – Vangelis Mantzios, Greek footballer
- 1984 – Amelle Berrabah, English singer-songwriter
- 1985 – Kristin Fairlie, Canadian actress
- 1986 – Amber Heard, American actress and producer
- 1986 – Marshawn Lynch, American football player
- 1986 – Dušan Šakota, Serbian-Greek basketball player
- 1987 – David Luiz, Brazilian footballer
- 1987 – David Mateos, Spanish footballer
- 1988 – Dee Gordon, American baseball player
- 1989 – DeJuan Blair, American basketball player
- 1989 – Jasper Cillessen, Dutch footballer
- 1989 – Aron Gunnarsson, Icelandic footballer
- 1990 – Óscar González, Mexican boxer (d. 2014)
- 1990 – Machine Gun Kelly, American rapper and actor
- 1991 – Jordi Murphy, Irish international rugby player
- 1991 – Braydon Smith, Australian boxer (d. 2015)
- 1992 – Kenny Stills, American football player
- 1992 – Joonas Vaino, Estonian basketball player
- 1993 – Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti, Australian footballer
- 1993 – Ngani Laumape, New Zealand rugby player
- 1993 – Marcel Ritzmaier, Austrian footballer
 Deaths on April 22
- 296 – Pope Caius
- 536 – Pope Agapetus I
- 591 – Peter III of Raqqa
- 613 – Saint Theodore of Sykeon
- 846 – Wuzong, Chinese emperor (b. 814)
- 1208 – Philip of Poitou, Prince-Bishop of Durham
- 1322 – Francis of Fabriano, Italian writer (b. 1251)
- 1355 – Eleanor of Woodstock, countess regent of Guelders, eldest daughter of King Edward II of England (b. 1318)
- 1585 – Henry of Saxe-Lauenburg, Prince-Archbishop of Bremen, Prince-Bishop of Osnabrück and Paderborn (b. 1550)
- 1616 – Miguel de Cervantes, Spanish novelist, poet, and playwright (b. 1547)
- 1672 – Georg Stiernhielm, Swedish linguist and poet (b. 1598)
- 1699 – Hans Erasmus Aßmann, German poet (b. 1646)
- 1758 – Antoine de Jussieu, French botanist and physician (b. 1686)
- 1778 – James Hargreaves, British inventor (b. 1720)
- 1806 – Pierre-Charles Villeneuve, French admiral (b. 1763)
- 1821 – Gregory V of Constantinople, Greek patriarch and saint (b. 1746)
- 1833 – Richard Trevithick, English engineer and explorer (b. 1771)
- 1850 – Friedrich Robert Faehlmann, Estonian philologist and physician (b. 1798)
- 1854 – Nicolás Bravo, Mexican general and politician, 11th President of Mexico (b. 1786)
- 1871 – Martín Carrera, Mexican general and president (1855) (b. 1806)
- 1877 – James P. Kirkwood, Scottish-American engineer (b. 1807)
- 1892 – Édouard Lalo, French violinist and composer (b. 1823)
- 1893 – Chaim Aronson, Lithuanian businessman and author (b. 1825)
- 1894 – Kostas Krystallis, Greek author and poet (b. 1868)
- 1896 – Thomas Meik, English engineer, founded Halcrow Group (b. 1812)
- 1908 – Henry Campbell-Bannerman, Scottish-English merchant and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1836)
- 1925 – André Caplet, French composer and conductor (b. 1878)
- 1929 – Henry Lerolle, French painter and art collector (b. 1848)
- 1932 – Ferenc Oslay, Hungarian-Slovene historian and author (b. 1883)
- 1933 – Henry Royce, English engineer and businessman, co-founded Rolls-Royce Limited (b. 1863)
- 1944 – Nikolaos Roussen, Greek captain (b. 1913)
- 1945 – Wilhelm Cauer, German mathematician and academic (b. 1900)
- 1945 – Käthe Kollwitz, German painter and sculptor (b. 1867)
- 1946 – Lionel Atwill, English-American actor (b. 1885)
- 1946 – Harlan F. Stone, American lawyer and jurist, 12th Chief Justice of the United States (b. 1872)
- 1949 – Charles Middleton, American actor (b. 1874)
- 1950 – Charles Hamilton Houston, American lawyer and academic (b. 1895)
- 1951 – Horace Donisthorpe, English myrmecologist and coleopterist (b. 1870)
- 1956 – Walt Faulkner, American race car driver (b. 1918)
- 1968 – Stephen H. Sholes, American record producer (b. 1911)
- 1978 – Will Geer, American actor (b. 1902)
- 1980 – Jane Froman, American actress and singer (b. 1907)
- 1980 – Fritz Strassmann, German chemist and physicist (b. 1902)
- 1983 – Earl Hines, American pianist and bandleader (b. 1903)
- 1984 – Ansel Adams, American photographer and environmentalist (b. 1902)
- 1985 – Paul Hugh Emmett, American chemist and academic (b. 1900)
- 1985 – Jacques Ferron, Canadian physician and author (b. 1921)
- 1986 – Mircea Eliade, Romanian historian and author (b. 1907)
- 1987 – Erika Nõva, Estonian architect (b. 1905)
- 1988 – Grigori Kuzmin, Russian-Estonian astronomer and academic (b. 1917)
- 1988 – Irene Rich, American actress (b. 1891)
- 1989 – Emilio G. Segrè, Italian-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1905)
- 1990 – Albert Salmi, American actor (b. 1928)
- 1994 – Richard Nixon, American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician, 37th President of the United States (b. 1913)
- 1995 – Jane Kenyon, American poet and author (b. 1947)
- 1996 – Erma Bombeck, American journalist and author (b. 1927)
- 1996 – Jug McSpaden, American golfer and architect (b. 1908)
- 1998 – Kitch Christie, South African rugby player and coach (b. 1940)
- 1999 – Chan Canasta, Polish-English magician (b. 1920)
- 1999 – Munir Ahmad Khan, Pakistani nuclear engineer (b. 1926)
- 2002 – Linda Lovelace, American porn actress and activist (b. 1949)
- 2003 – Felice Bryant, American songwriter (b. 1925)
- 2003 – James H. Critchfield, American CIA officer (b. 1917)
- 2003 – Martha Griffiths, American lawyer, judge, and politician, 58th Lieutenant Governor of Michigan (b. 1912)
- 2003 – Mike Larrabee, American runner (b. 1933)
- 2004 – Jason Dunham, American soldier, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1981)
- 2004 – Pat Tillman, American football player and soldier (b. 1976)
- 2005 – Erika Fuchs, German translator (b. 1906)
- 2005 – Philip Morrison, American physicist and academic (b. 1915)
- 2005 – Eduardo Paolozzi, Scottish sculptor and artist (b. 1924)
- 2006 – Henriette Avram, American computer scientist and academic (b. 1919)
- 2006 – D’Iberville Fortier, Canadian diplomat (b. 1926)
- 2006 – Alida Valli, Italian actress (b. 1921)
- 2007 – Juanita Millender-McDonald, American educator and politician (b. 1938)
- 2008 – Cameron Argetsinger, American race car driver and lawyer (b. 1921)
- 2008 – Ed Chynoweth, Canadian businessman (b. 1941)
- 2009 – Jack Cardiff, British cinematographer, director and photographer (b. 1914)
- 2010 – Richard Barrett, American lawyer and activist (b. 1943)
- 2011 – Hazel Dickens, American singer-songwriter, bassist and guitarist (b. 1935)
- 2012 – John Amabile, American football player and coach (b. 1939)
- 2012 – Bill Granger, American author (b. 1941)
- 2012 – Buzz Potamkin, American director and producer (b. 1945)
- 2012 – George Rathmann, American chemist, biologist, and businessman (b. 1927)
- 2013 – Dave Gold, American businessman, founded 99 Cents Only Stores (b. 1932)
- 2013 – George Stanley Gordon, American businessman (b. 1926)
- 2013 – Richie Havens, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1941)
- 2013 – Lalgudi Jayaraman, Indian violinist and composer (b. 1930)
- 2013 – Mike Smith, English footballer (b. 1935)
- 2013 – Robert Suderburg, American pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1936)
- 2013 – J. S. Verma, Indian judge, 27th Chief Justice of India (b. 1933)
- 2014 – Allen Jacobs, American football player and coach (b. 1941)
- 2014 – Jovan Krkobabić, Serbian politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia (b. 1930)
- 2014 – Mohammad Naseem, Pakistani-English activist (b. 1924)
- 2014 – Werner Potzernheim, German cyclist (b. 1927)
- 2014 – Oswaldo Vigas, Venezuelan painter (b. 1926)
- 2015 – Dick Balharry, Scottish environmentalist and photographer (b. 1937)
- 2015 – Gennadi Vengerov, Belarusian-Russian actor (b. 1959)
- 2017 – Erin Moran, American actress (b. 1960)
- 2017 – Donna Leanne Williams, Australian writer, artist, activist (b. 1963)
 Holidays and observances on April 22
- Christian feast day:
- Acepsimas of Hnaita and companions (Catholic Church)
- Arwald
- Epipodius and Alexander
- Hudson Stuck (Episcopal Church)
- John Muir (Episcopal Church)
- Opportuna of Montreuil
- Pope Caius
- Pope Soter
- St Senorina
- April 22 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
 
- Discovery Day (Brazil)
- Earth Day (International observance) and its related observance:
- International Mother Earth Day
 
- Holocaust Remembrance Day (Serbia)
- From 2018 onwards, a national day of commemoration for the murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence (United Kingdom)
 
 
 
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		April 20 in History
- 1303 – The Sapienza University of Rome is instituted by a bull of Pope Boniface VIII.
- 1453 – Three Genoese galleys and a Byzantine blockade runner fight their way through an Ottoman blockading fleet a few weeks before the fall of Constantinople.
- 1534 – Jacques Cartier begins his first voyage to what is today the east coast of Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador.
- 1535 – The sun dog phenomenon is observed over Stockholm, as later depicted in the famous painting Vädersolstavlan.
- 1653 – Oliver Cromwell dissolves the Rump Parliament.
- 1657 – Admiral Robert Blake destroys a Spanish silver fleet under heavy fire at the Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
- 1657 – Freedom of religion is granted to the Jews of New Amsterdam (later New York City).
- 1689 – Deposed monarch James II of England lays siege to Derry.
- 1752 – Start of Konbaung–Hanthawaddy War, a new phase in the Burmese Civil War (1740–57).
- 1770 – The Georgian king, Erekle II, abandoned by his Russian ally Count Totleben, wins a victory over Ottoman forces at Aspindza.
- 1775 – American Revolutionary War: The Siege of Boston begins, following the battles at Lexington and Concord.
- 1789 – George Washington arrives at Grays Ferry, Philadelphia while en route to Manhattan for his inauguration.
- 1792 – France declares war against the “King of Hungary and Bohemia”, the beginning of French Revolutionary Wars.
- 1800 – The Septinsular Republic is established.
- 1809 – Two Austrian army corps in Bavaria are defeated by a First French Empire army led by Napoleon at the Battle of Abensberg on the second day of a four-day campaign that ended in a French victory.
- 1810 – The governor of Caracas, Venezuela declares independence from Spain.
- 1818 – The case of Ashford v Thornton ends, with Abraham Thornton allowed to go free rather than face a retrial for murder, after his demand for trial by battle is upheld.
- 1828 – René Caillié becomes the second non-Muslim to enter (and the first to return from) Timbuktu, following Major Gordon Laing.
- 1836 – U.S. Congress passes an act creating the Wisconsin Territory.
- 1861 – American Civil War: Robert E. Lee resigns his commission in the United States Army in order to command the forces of the state of Virginia.
- 1862 – Louis Pasteur and Claude Bernard complete the experiment disproving the theory of spontaneous generation.
- 1865 – Astronomer Angelo Secchi demonstrates the Secchi disk, which measures water clarity, aboard Pope Pius IX’s yacht, the L’Immaculata Concezion.
- 1876 – The April Uprising begins. Its suppression shocks European opinion, and Bulgarian independence becomes a condition for ending the Russo-Turkish War.
- 1884 – Pope Leo XIII publishes the encyclical Humanum genus.
- 1898 – U.S. President William McKinley signed a joint resolution to Congress for declaration of war against Spain, beginning the Spanish–American War.
- 1902 – Pierre and Marie Curie refine radium chloride.
- 1908 – Opening day of competition in the New South Wales Rugby League.
- 1912 – Opening day for baseball’s Tiger Stadium in Detroit, and Fenway Park in Boston.
- 1914 – Nineteen men, women, and children die in the Ludlow Massacre during a Colorado coal-miners’ strike.
- 1916 – The Chicago Cubs play their first game at Weeghman Park (currently Wrigley Field), defeating the Cincinnati Reds 7–6 in 11 innings.
- 1918 – Manfred von Richthofen, a.k.a. The Red Baron, shoots down his 79th and 80th victims, his final victories before his death the following day.
- 1922 – The Soviet government creates South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast within Georgian SSR.
- 1939 – Adolf Hitler’s 50th birthday’s celebrations in Germany
- 1945 – World War II: U.S. troops capture Leipzig, Germany, only to later cede the city to the Soviet Union.
- 1945 – World War II: Führerbunker: On his 56th birthday Adolf Hitler makes his last trip to the surface to award Iron Crosses to boy soldiers of the Hitler Youth.
- 1945 – Twenty Jewish children used in medical experiments at Neuengamme are killed in the basement of the Bullenhuser Damm school.
- 1946 – The League of Nations officially dissolves, giving most of its power to the United Nations.
- 1961 – Cold War: Failure of the Bay of Pigs Invasion of US-backed Cuban exiles against Cuba.
- 1968 – English politician Enoch Powell makes his controversial “Rivers of Blood” speech.
- 1972 – Apollo program: Apollo 16 lunar module, commanded by John Young and piloted by Charles Duke, lands on the moon.
- 1998 – Air France Flight 422 crashes after taking off from El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá, Colombia, killing all 53 people on board.
- 1999 – Columbine High School massacre: Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold kill 13 people and injure 24 others before committing suicide at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado.
- 2007 – Johnson Space Center shooting: William Phillips with a handgun barricade himself in NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas before killing a male hostage and himself.
- 2008 – Danica Patrick wins the Indy Japan 300 becoming the first female driver in history to win an Indy car race.
- 2010 – The Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explodes in the Gulf of Mexico, killing eleven workers and beginning an oil spill that would last six months.
- 2012 – One hundred twenty-seven people are killed when a plane crashes in a residential area near the Benazir Bhutto International Airport near Islamabad, Pakistan.
- 2013 – A 6.6-magnitude earthquake strikes Lushan County, Ya’an, in China’s Sichuan province, killing more than 150 people and injuring thousands.
- 2015 – Ten people are killed in a bomb attack on a convoy carrying food supplies to a United Nations compound in Garowe in the Somali region of Puntland.
 Births on April 20
- 1494 – Johannes Agricola, German theologian and reformer (d. 1566)
- 1544 – Renata of Lorraine, Duchess consort of Bavaria (d. 1602)
- 1586 – Rose of Lima, Peruvian mystic and saint (d. 1617)
- 1633 – Emperor Go-Kōmyō of Japan (d. 1654)
- 1646 – Charles Plumier, French botanist and author (d. 1704)
- 1650 – William Bedloe, English spy (d. 1680)
- 1718 – David Brainerd, American missionary (d. 1747)
- 1723 – Cornelius Harnett, American merchant, farmer, and politician (d. 1781)
- 1727 – Florimond Claude, Comte de Mercy-Argenteau, Belgian-Austrian minister and diplomat (d. 1794)
- 1745 – Philippe Pinel, French physician and psychiatrist (d. 1826)
- 1748 – Georg Michael Telemann, German composer and theologian (d. 1831)
- 1772 – William Lawless, Irish revolutionary and French general (d. 1824)
- 1808 – Napoleon III, French politician, 1st President of France (d. 1873)
- 1816 – Bogoslav Šulek, Croatian philologist, historian, and lexicographer (d. 1895)
- 1818 – Heinrich Göbel, German-American mechanic and engineer (d. 1893)
- 1826 – Dinah Craik, English author and poet (d. 1887)
- 1836 – Eli Whitney Blake, Jr., American scientist and academic (d. 1895)
- 1839 – Carol I of Romania, King of Romania (d. 1914)
- 1840 – Odilon Redon, French painter and illustrator (d. 1916)
- 1850 – Daniel Chester French, American sculptor, designed the Lincoln statue (d. 1931)
- 1851 – Alexander Dianin, Russian chemist (d. 1918)
- 1851 – Siegmund Lubin, Polish-American businessman, founded the Lubin Manufacturing Company (d. 1923)
- 1860 – Justinien de Clary, French target shooter (d. 1933)
- 1871 – Sydney Chapman, English economist and civil servant (d. 1951)
- 1873 – James Harcourt, English character actor (d. 1951)
- 1875 – Vladimir Vidrić, Croatian poet and lawyer (d. 1909)
- 1879 – Paul Poiret, French fashion designer (d. 1944)
- 1882 – Holland Smith, American general (d. 1967)
- 1884 – Princess Beatrice of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (d. 1966)
- 1884 – Oliver Kirk, American boxer (d. 1960)
- 1884 – Daniel Varoujan, Armenian poet and educator (d. 1915)
- 1889 – Albert Jean Amateau, Turkish rabbi, lawyer, and activist (d. 1996)
- 1889 – Prince Erik, Duke of Västmanland (d. 1918)
- 1889 – Marie-Antoinette de Geuser, French mystic (d. 1918)
- 1889 – Adolf Hitler, Austrian born German politician, Führer of Nazi Germany (d. 1945)
- 1889 – Tonny Kessler, Dutch footballer (d. 1960)
- 1890 – Maurice Duplessis, Canadian lawyer and politician, 16th Premier of Quebec (d. 1959)
- 1890 – Adolf Schärf, Austrian soldier and politician, 6th President of Austria (d. 1965)
- 1891 – Dave Bancroft, American baseball player and manager (d. 1972)
- 1893 – Harold Lloyd, American actor, comedian, and producer (d. 1971)
- 1893 – Joan Miró, Spanish painter and sculptor (d. 1983)
- 1895 – Emile Christian, American trombonist and composer (d. 1973)
- 1895 – Henry de Montherlant, French essayist, novelist, and dramatist (d. 1972)
- 1896 – Wop May, Canadian captain and pilot (d. 1952)
- 1899 – Alan Arnett McLeod, Canadian lieutenant, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 1918)
- 1904 – Bruce Cabot, American actor (d. 1972)
- 1907 – Miran Bux, Pakistani cricketer (d. 1991)
- 1907 – Augoustinos Kantiotes, Greek bishop (d. 2010)
- 1908 – Lionel Hampton, American vibraphone player, pianist, bandleader, and actor (d. 2002)
- 1910 – Fatin Rüştü Zorlu, Turkish diplomat and politician (d. 1961)
- 1913 – Mimis Fotopoulos, Greek actor and poet (d. 1986)
- 1913 – Willi Hennig, German biologist and entomologist (d. 1976)
- 1913 – Roger Rochard, French runner (d. 1993)
- 1914 – Betty Lou Gerson, American actress (d. 1999)
- 1915 – Joseph Wolpe, South African psychotherapist and physician (d. 1997)
- 1916 – Nasiba Zeynalova, Azerbaijani actress (d. 2004)
- 1918 – Kai Siegbahn, Swedish physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2007)
- 1919 – Richard Hillary, Australian lieutenant and pilot (d. 1943)
- 1920 – Frances Ames, South African neurologist, psychiatrist, and human rights activist (d. 2002)
- 1920 – Clement Isong, Nigerian banker and politician, Governor of Cross River State (d. 2000)
- 1920 – Ronald Speirs, American colonel (d. 2007)
- 1920 – John Paul Stevens, American lawyer and jurist, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (d. 2019)
- 1923 – Mother Angelica, American nun and broadcaster, founded Eternal Word Television Network (d. 2016)
- 1923 – Irene Lieblich, Polish-American painter and illustrator (d. 2008)
- 1923 – Tito Puente, American drummer and producer (d. 2000)
- 1924 – Nina Foch, Dutch-American actress (d. 2008)
- 1924 – Leslie Phillips, English actor and producer
- 1924 – Guy Rocher, Canadian sociologist and academic
- 1925 – Ernie Stautner, German-American football player and coach (d. 2006)
- 1925 – Elena Verdugo, American actress (d. 2017)
- 1927 – Bud Cullen, Canadian judge and politician, 1st Canadian Minister of Employment and Immigration (d. 2005)
- 1927 – Phil Hill, American race car driver (d. 2008)
- 1927 – K. Alex Müller, Swiss physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1928 – Robert Byrne, American chess player and author (d. 2013)
- 1928 – Johnny Gavin, Irish international footballer (d. 2007)
- 1929 – Harry Agganis, American baseball and football player (d. 1955)
- 1929 – Bobby Hollander, American film director, actor, and magazine publisher (d. 2002)
- 1930 – Dwight Gustafson, American composer and conductor (d. 2014)
- 1930 – Antony Jay, English director and screenwriter (d. 2016)
- 1931 – Michael Allenby, 3rd Viscount Allenby, English lieutenant and politician (d. 2014)
- 1931 – John Eccles, 2nd Viscount Eccles, English businessman and politician
- 1932 – Myriam Bru, French actress
- 1933 – Kristaq Dhamo, Albanian actor and film director
- 1936 – Lisa Davis, English and American former child and adult actress
- 1936 – Pauli Ellefsen, Faroese technician, surveyor, and politician, 6th Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands (d. 2012)
- 1936 – Pat Roberts, American captain, journalist, and politician
- 1936 – Christopher Robinson, English organist and conductor
- 1937 – Jiří Dienstbier, Czech journalist and politician, Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 2011)
- 1937 – Antonios Kounadis, Greek discus thrower
- 1937 – Harvey Quaytman, American painter and educator (d. 2002)
- 1937 – George Takei, American actor
- 1938 – Betty Cuthbert, Australian sprinter
- 1938 – Manfred Kinder, German runner
- 1938 – Peter Snow, British historian and journalist
- 1938 – Eszter Tamási, Hungarian actress (d. 1991)
- 1939 – Elspeth Ballantyne, Australian actress
- 1939 – Peter S. Beagle, American author and screenwriter
- 1939 – Gro Harlem Brundtland, Norwegian physician and politician, 22nd Prime Minister of Norway
- 1939 – Johnny Tillotson, American singer-songwriter
- 1940 – James Gammon, American actor (d. 2010)
- 1941 – Ryan O’Neal, American actor
- 1942 – Giles Henderson, English lawyer and academic
- 1942 – Arto Paasilinna, Finnish journalist and author
- 1943 – Alan Beith, English academic and politician
- 1943 – John Eliot Gardiner, English conductor and director
- 1943 – Edie Sedgwick, American model and actress (d. 1971)
- 1944 – Toivo Aare, Estonian journalist and author (d. 1999)
- 1945 – Michael Brandon, American actor and director
- 1945 – Olga Karlatos, Greek actress and Bermudian lawyer
- 1945 – Thein Sein, Burmese general and politician, 8th President of Burma
- 1945 – Naftali Temu, Kenyan runner (d. 2003)
- 1945 – Steve Spurrier, American football player and head coach, 1966 Heisman Trophy winner
- 1946 – Sandro Chia, Italian painter and sculptor
- 1946 – Julien Poulin, Canadian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1946 – Gordon Smiley, American race car driver (d. 1982)
- 1947 – Rita Dionne-Marsolais, Canadian economist and politician
- 1947 – David Leland, English actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1947 – Viktor Suvorov, Russian intelligence officer, historian, and author
- 1948 – Gregory Itzin, American actor
- 1948 – Matthias Kuhle, German geographer and academic (d. 2015)
- 1949 – Veronica Cartwright, English-American actress
- 1949 – Toller Cranston, Canadian-Mexican figure skater and painter (d. 2015)
- 1949 – Massimo D’Alema, Italian journalist and politician, 76th Prime Minister of Italy
- 1949 – Jessica Lange, American actress
- 1950 – Steve Erickson, American author and critic
- 1950 – Alexander Lebed, Russian general and politician (d. 2002)
- 1950 – N. Chandrababu Naidu, Indian politician, 13th Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
- 1951 – Louise Jameson, English actress
- 1951 – Luther Vandross, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2005)
- 1952 – Louka Katseli, Greek economist and politician
- 1952 – Božidar Maljković, Serbian basketball player and coach
- 1952 – Eric Pickles, English politician, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
- 1953 – Sebastian Faulks, English journalist and author
- 1955 – Donald Pettit, American engineer and astronaut
- 1956 – Beatrice Ask, Swedish politician, Swedish Minister for Justice
- 1956 – Peter Chelsom, English film director, writer, and actor
- 1956 – Kakha Bendukidze, Georgian economist and politician
- 1956 – Georgie Glen, Scottish actress
- 1958 – Viacheslav Fetisov, Russian ice hockey player and coach
- 1959 – Perry Haddock, Australian rugby league player
- 1960 – Debbie Flintoff-King, Australian hurdler and coach
- 1961 – Don Mattingly, American baseball player, coach, and manager
- 1961 – Konstantin Lavronenko, Russian actor
- 1961 – Nicholas Lyndhurst, English actor
- 1961 – Paul Usher, English actor
- 1963 – Maurício Gugelmin, Brazilian race car driver
- 1963 – Rachel Whiteread, English sculptor
- 1964 – Crispin Glover, American actor
- 1964 – Andy Serkis, English actor and director
- 1964 – Rosalynn Sumners, American figure skater
- 1965 – Kostis Chatzidakis, Greek politician, Ministry of Economy, Infrastructure, Shipping and Tourism
- 1965 – Léa Fazer, Swiss film director, screenwriter and actress
- 1965 – Adrián Fernández, Mexican race car driver
- 1965 – Rebecca Lacey, English actress
- 1966 – David Chalmers, Australian philosopher and academic
- 1966 – David Filo, American businessman, co-founded Yahoo!
- 1966 – Vincent Riendeau, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1967 – Mike Portnoy, American drummer and songwriter
- 1967 – Raymond van Barneveld, Dutch darts player
- 1968 – Julia Morris, Australian entertainer
- 1968 – Yelena Välbe, Russian skier and manager
- 1968 – Roman Virastyuk, Ukrainian shot putter
- 1969 – Felix Baumgartner, Austrian skydiver and BASE jumper
- 1969 – Will Hodgman, Australian politician, 45th Premier of Tasmania
- 1970 – Sarantuya, Mongolian soprano
- 1970 – Avishai Cohen, Israeli singer-songwriter and bassist
- 1970 – Shemar Moore, American actor
- 1971 – Carla Geurts, Dutch swimmer, physiologist, and academic
- 1971 – Allan Houston, American basketball player and manager
- 1971 – Nikos Kyzeridis, Greek footballer
- 1972 – Lê Huỳnh Đức, Vietnamese footballer, coach, and manager
- 1972 – Carmen Electra, American model and actress
- 1972 – Željko Joksimović, Serbian singer-songwriter and producer
- 1972 – Stephen Marley, American singer, guitarist, and producer
- 1972 – Julia Peng, Taiwanese singer
- 1973 – Isabel dos Santos, Angolan businesswoman and first African woman billionaire
- 1973 – Lamond Murray, American basketball player
- 1974 – Adrian Ilie, Romanian footballer
- 1974 – Julie Fernandez, English actress and model
- 1974 – Urmas Paet, Estonian journalist and politician, 26th Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs
- 1975 – Killer Mike, American rapper and activist
- 1976 – Aldo Bobadilla, Paraguayan footballer
- 1976 – Shay Given, Irish footballer and manager
- 1976 – Chris Mason, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1976 – Ismail Rasheed, Maldivian actor
- 1976 – Georgina Rylance, English actress
- 1979 – Stian Barsnes-Simonsen, Norwegian actor and television host
- 1979 – Ludovic Magnin, Swiss footballer and coach
- 1979 – Nate Marquardt, American mixed martial artist
- 1980 – Gunta Baško, Latvian basketball player
- 1980 – Sunaina Sunaina, Indian weightlifter
- 1980 – Jasmin Wagner, German singer and actress
- 1982 – Jacqueline Govaert, Dutch singer-songwriter and pianist
- 1982 – Dario Knežević, Croatian footballer
- 1983 – Danny Granger, American basketball player
- 1983 – Miranda Kerr, Australian model
- 1983 – Joanne King, Irish actress
- 1984 – Nelson Évora, Ivorian-Portuguese triple jumper
- 1984 – Bárbara Lennie, Spanish actress
- 1984 – Edixon Perea, Colombian footballer
- 1984 – Jenna Shoemaker, American triathlete
- 1985 – Curt Hawkins, American wrestler
- 1985 – Brent Seabrook, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1987 – Chun Woo-hee, South Korean actress
- 1988 – Brandon Belt, American baseball player
- 1989 – Cally-Jo, English fine artist and tattoo artist
- 1989 – Nina Davuluri, Miss America 2014
- 1989 – Carlos Valdes, Colombian-American actor and singer
- 1990 – Luhan, Chinese singer and actor
- 1990 – Abby Mavers, English actress
- 1992 – Kristian Álvarez, Mexican footballer
- 1992 – Marko Meerits, Estonian footballer
- 1995 – Damian McKenzie, New Zealand rugby union player
- 1995 – Jean Marie Dongou, Cameroonian footballer
- 1997 – Alexander “Sascha” Zverev, German tennis player
- 1998 – Zachary Claman DeMelo, Canadian racing driver
 Deaths on April 20
- 689 – Cædwalla, king of Wessex (b. 659)
- 767 – Taichō, Japanese monk (b. 682)
- 888 – Xi Zong, Chinese emperor (b. 862)
- 1099 – Peter Bartholomew (b. 1061)
- 1164 – Antipope Victor IV
- 1176 – Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, English-Irish politician, Lord Chief Justice of Ireland (b. 1130)
- 1248 – Güyük Khan, Mongol ruler, 3rd Great Khan of the Mongol Empire (b. 1206)
- 1284 – Hōjō Tokimune, regent of Japan (b. 1251)
- 1314 – Pope Clement V (b. 1264)
- 1322 – Simon Rinalducci, Italian Augustinian friar
- 1521 – Zhengde, Chinese emperor (b. 1491)
- 1534 – Elizabeth Barton, English nun and martyr (b. 1506)
- 1558 – Johannes Bugenhagen, German priest and theologian (b. 1485)
- 1643 – Christoph Demantius, German composer and poet (b. 1567)
- 1703 – Lancelot Addison, English clergyman and educator (b. 1632)
- 1769 – Chief Pontiac, American tribal leader (b. 1720)
- 1831 – John Abernethy, English surgeon and anatomist (b. 1764)
- 1873 – William Tite, English architect, designed the Royal Exchange (b. 1798)
- 1874 – Alexander H. Bailey, American lawyer, judge, and politician (b. 1817)
- 1881 – William Burges, English architect and designer (b. 1827)
- 1886 – Charles-François-Frédéric, marquis de Montholon-Sémonville, French general and diplomat, French ambassador to the United States (b. 1814)
- 1887 – Muhammad Sharif Pasha, Greek-Egyptian politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Egypt (b. 1826)
- 1899 – Joseph Wolf, German ornithologist and illustrator (b. 1820)
- 1902 – Joaquim de Sousa Andrade, Brazilian poet and educator (b. 1833)
- 1912 – Bram Stoker, Anglo-Irish novelist and critic, created Count Dracula (b. 1847)
- 1918 – Karl Ferdinand Braun, German-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1850)
- 1927 – Enrique Simonet, Spanish painter and educator (b. 1866)
- 1929 – Prince Henry of Prussia (b. 1862)
- 1931 – Sir Cosmo Duff-Gordon, 5th Baronet, Scottish-English fencer and businessman (b. 1862)
- 1932 – Giuseppe Peano, Italian mathematician and philosopher (b. 1858)
- 1935 – John Cameron, Scottish footballer and manager (b. 1872)
- 1935 – Lucy, Lady Duff-Gordon, English fashion designer (b. 1863)
- 1942 – Jüri Jaakson, Estonian businessman and politician, 6th State Elder of Estonia (b. 1870)
- 1944 – Elmer Gedeon, American baseball player and pilot (b. 1917)
- 1945 – Erwin Bumke, Polish-German jurist and politician (b. 1874)
- 1946 – Mae Busch, Australian actress (b. 1891)
- 1947 – Christian X of Denmark (b. 1870)
- 1951 – Ivanoe Bonomi, Italian politician, 25th Prime Minister of Italy (b. 1873)
- 1961 – Ado Vabbe, Estonian painter (b. 1892)
- 1967 – Léo-Paul Desrosiers, Canadian journalist and author (b. 1896)
- 1968 – Rudolph Dirks, German-American illustrator (b. 1877)
- 1969 – Vjekoslav Luburić, Croatian Ustaše official and concentration camp administrator (b. 1914)
- 1980 – M. Canagaratnam, Sri Lankan politician (b. 1924)
- 1982 – Archibald MacLeish, American poet, playwright, and lawyer (b. 1892)
- 1986 – Sibte Hassan, Pakistani journalist, scholar, and activist (b. 1916)
- 1991 – Steve Marriott, English singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1947)
- 1991 – Don Siegel, American director and producer (b. 1912)
- 1992 – Marjorie Gestring, American springboard diver (b. 1922)
- 1992 – Benny Hill, English comedian, actor, and screenwriter (b. 1924)
- 1993 – Cantinflas, Mexican actor, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1911)
- 1995 – Milovan Đilas, Yugoslav communist, politician, theorist and author (b. 1911)
- 1996 – Trần Văn Trà, Vietnamese general and politician (b. 1918)
- 1999 – Casualties of the Columbine High School massacre:
- Cassie Bernall, American student (b. 1981)
- Eric Harris, American student and murderer (b. 1981)
- Dylan Klebold, American student and murderer (b. 1981)
- Rachel Scott, American student, inspired the Rachel’s Challenge (b. 1981)
 
- 1999 – Rick Rude, American wrestler (b. 1958)
- 2001 – Giuseppe Sinopoli, Italian conductor and composer (b. 1946)
- 2002 – Alan Dale, American singer (b. 1925)
- 2003 – Daijiro Kato, Japanese motorcycle racer (b. 1976)
- 2003 – Bernard Katz, German-English biophysicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1911)
- 2004 – Lizzy Mercier Descloux, French musician, singer-songwriter, composer, actress, writer and painter (b. 1956)
- 2005 – Fumio Niwa, Japanese journalist and author (b. 1904)
- 2007 – Andrew Hill, American pianist, composer, and bandleader (b. 1931)
- 2007 – Michael Fu Tieshan, Chinese bishop (b. 1931)
- 2008 – Monica Lovinescu, Romanian journalist and author (b. 1923)
- 2010 – Dorothy Height, American educator and activist (b. 1912)
- 2011 – Tim Hetherington, English photographer and journalist (b. 1970)
- 2012 – Bert Weedon, English guitarist and songwriter (b. 1920)
- 2014 – Mithat Bayrak, Turkish wrestler and trainer (b. 1929)
- 2014 – Rubin Carter, American-Canadian boxer (b. 1937)
- 2014 – Neville Wran, Australian lawyer and politician, 35th Premier of New South Wales (b. 1926)
- 2016 – Victoria Wood, British comedian, actress and writer (b. 1953)
- 2017 – Cuba Gooding Sr., American singer and actor (b. 1944)
- 2018 – Avicii, Swedish DJ, and musician (b. 1989)
- 2019 – Jacqueline Saburido, Venezuelan activist (b. 1978)
 Holidays and observances on April 20
- 420 (cannabis culture) (International)
- Christian feast day:
- Agnes of Montepulciano
- Beuno
- Hugh of Anzy le Duc
- Johannes Bugenhagen (Lutheran)
- Marcellinus of Gaul (Embrun)
- Blessed Oda of Brabant
- Pope Anicetus
- Theotimos
- April 20 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
 
- UN Chinese Language Day (United Nations)
 
 
 
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 April 17 in History
- 1080 – Harald III of Denmark dies and is succeeded by Canute IV, who would later be the first Dane to be canonized.
- 1349 – The rule of the Bavand dynasty in Mazandaran is brought to an end by the murder of Hasan II.
- 1362 – Kaunas Castle falls to the Teutonic Order after a month-long siege.
- 1492 – Spain and Christopher Columbus sign the Capitulations of Santa Fe for his voyage to Asia to acquire spices.
- 1521 – Trial of Martin Luther over his teachings begins during the assembly of the Diet of Worms. Initially intimidated, he asks for time to reflect before answering and is given a stay of one day.
- 1524 – Giovanni da Verrazzano reaches New York harbor.
- 1797 – Sir Ralph Abercromby attacks San Juan, Puerto Rico, in what would be one of the largest invasions of the Spanish territories in the Americas.
- 1797 – Citizens of Verona begin an unsuccessful eight-day rebellion against the French occupying forces.
- 1861 – The state of Virginia’s secession convention votes to secede from the United States, later becoming the eighth state to join the Confederate States of America.
- 1863 – American Civil War: Grierson’s Raid begins: Troops under Union Army Colonel Benjamin Grierson attack central Mississippi.
- 1864 – American Civil War: The Battle of Plymouth begins: Confederate forces attack Plymouth, North Carolina.
- 1869 – Morelos is admitted as the 27th state of Mexico.
- 1876 – Catalpa rescue: The rescue of six Fenian prisoners from Fremantle Prison in Western Australia.
- 1895 – The Treaty of Shimonoseki between China and Japan is signed. This marks the end of the First Sino-Japanese War, and the defeated Qing Empire is forced to renounce its claims on Korea and to concede the southern portion of the Fengtien province, Taiwan and the Pescadores Islands to Japan.
- 1905 – The Supreme Court of the United States decides Lochner v. New York, which holds that the “right to free contract” is implicit in the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
- 1907 – The Ellis Island immigration center processes 11,747 people, more than on any other day.
- 1912 – Russian troops open fire on striking goldfield workers in northeast Siberia, killing at least 150.
- 1941 – World War II: The Kingdom of Yugoslavia surrenders to Germany.
- 1942 – French prisoner of war General Henri Giraud escapes from his castle prison in Königstein Fortress.
- 1944 – Forces of the Communist-controlled Greek People’s Liberation Army attack the smaller National and Social Liberation resistance group, which surrenders. Its leader Dimitrios Psarros is murdered.
- 1945 – World War II: Montese, Italy, is liberated from Nazi forces.
- 1946 – The last French troops are withdrawn from Syria.
- 1951 – The Peak District becomes the United Kingdom’s first National Park.
- 1961 – Bay of Pigs Invasion: A group of Cuban exiles financed and trained by the CIA lands at the Bay of Pigs in Cuba with the aim of ousting Fidel Castro.
- 1969 – Sirhan Sirhan is convicted of assassinating Robert F. Kennedy.
- 1969 – Communist Party of Czechoslovakia chairman Alexander Dubček is deposed.
- 1970 – Apollo program: The ill-fated Apollo 13 spacecraft returns to Earth safely.
- 1971 – The Provisional Government of Bangladesh is formed.
- 1975 – The Cambodian Civil War ends. The Khmer Rouge captures the capital Phnom Penh and Cambodian government forces surrender.
- 1978 – Mir Akbar Khyber is assassinated, provoking a communist coup d’état in Afghanistan.
- 1982 – Constitution Act, 1982 Patriation of the Canadian constitution in Ottawa by Proclamation of Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada.
- 1992 – The Katina P is deliberately run aground off of Maputo, Mozambique and 60,000 tons of crude oil spill into the ocean.
- 2006 – A Palestinian suicide bomber detonates an explosive device in a Tel Aviv restaurant, killing 11 people and injuring 70.
- 2013 – An explosion at a fertilizer plant in the city of West, Texas, kills 15 people and injures 160 others.
- 2014 – NASA’s Kepler space telescope confirms the discovery of the first Earth-size planet in the habitable zone of another star.
 Births on April 17
- 44 – Pope Evaristus (d. 107)
- 1277 – Michael IX Palaiologos, Byzantine emperor (d. 1320)
- 1455 – Andrea Gritti, Doge of Venice (d. 1538)
- 1497 – Pedro de Valdivia, Spanish conquistador, conquered northern Chile (d. 1553)
- 1573 – Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria (d. 1651)
- 1586 – John Ford, English poet and playwright (d. 1639)
- 1598 – Giovanni Battista Riccioli, Italian priest and astronomer (d. 1671)
- 1620 – Marguerite Bourgeoys, French-Canadian nun and saint, founded the Congregation of Notre Dame of Montreal (d. 1700)
- 1635 – Edward Stillingfleet, British theologian and scholar (d. 1699)
- 1676 – Frederick I of Sweden (d. 1751)
- 1683 – Johann David Heinichen, German composer and theorist (d. 1729)
- 1710 – Henry Erskine, 10th Earl of Buchan, Scottish politician (d. 1767)
- 1734 – Taksin, King of Thailand (d. 1782)
- 1741 – Samuel Chase, American lawyer and jurist (d. 1811)
- 1750 – François de Neufchâteau, French academic and politician, French Minister of the Interior (d. 1828)
- 1756 – Dheeran Chinnamalai, Indian commander (d. 1805)
- 1766 – Collin McKinney, American surveyor, merchant, and politician (d. 1861)
- 1794 – Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius, German botanist and explorer (d. 1868)
- 1798 – Étienne Bobillier, French mathematician and academic (d. 1840)
- 1814 – Josif Pančić, Serbian botanist and academic (d. 1888)
- 1816 – Thomas Hazlehurst, English architect and philanthropist (d. 1876)
- 1820 – Alexander Cartwright, American firefighter and inventor of baseball (d. 1892)
- 1833 – Jean-Baptiste Accolay, Belgian violinist, composer, and conductor (d. 1900)
- 1837 – J. P. Morgan, American banker and financier, founded J.P. Morgan & Co. (d. 1913)
- 1842 – Maurice Rouvier, French businessman and politician, 53rd Prime Minister of France (d. 1911)
- 1849 – William R. Day, American jurist and politician, 36th United States Secretary of State (d. 1923)
- 1852 – Cap Anson, American baseball player and manager (d. 1922)
- 1863 – Augustus Edward Hough Love, English mathematician and theorist (d. 1940)
- 1865 – Ursula Ledóchowska, Polish-Austrian nun and saint, founded the Congregation of the Ursulines of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus (d. 1939)
- 1866 – Ernest Starling, English physiologist and academic (d. 1927)
- 1875 – Aleksander Tõnisson, Estonian general and politician, 5th Estonian Minister of War (d. 1941)
- 1877 – Matsudaira Tsuneo, Japanese diplomat (d. 1949)
- 1878 – Emil Fuchs, German-American lawyer and businessman (d. 1961)
- 1878 – Demetrios Petrokokkinos, Greek tennis player (d. 1942)
- 1879 – Henri Tauzin, French hurdler (d. 1918)
- 1882 – Artur Schnabel, Jewish-Polish pianist and composer (d. 1951)
- 1888 – Herms Niel, German soldier, trombonist, and composer (d. 1954)
- 1891 – George Adamski, Polish-American ufologist and author (d. 1965)
- 1895 – Robert Dean Frisbie, American soldier and author (d. 1948)
- 1896 – Señor Wences, Spanish-American ventriloquist (d. 1999)
- 1897 – Nisargadatta Maharaj, Indian philosopher and educator (d. 1981)
- 1897 – Thornton Wilder, American novelist and playwright (d. 1975)
- 1897 – Edouard Wyss-Dunant, Swiss physician and mountaineer (d. 1983)
- 1899 – Aleksander Klumberg, Estonian decathlete and coach (d. 1958)
- 1903 – Nicolas Nabokov, Russian-American composer and educator (d. 1978)
- 1903 – Gregor Piatigorsky, Ukrainian-American cellist and educator (d. 1976)
- 1903 – Morgan Taylor, American hurdler and coach (d. 1975)
- 1905 – Louis Jean Heydt, American journalist and actor (d. 1960)
- 1905 – Arthur Lake, American actor (d. 1987)
- 1906 – Sidney Garfield, American physician, co-founded Kaiser Permanente (d. 1984)
- 1909 – Alain Poher, French politician, President of France (d. 1996)
- 1910 – Evangelos Averoff, Greek historian and politician, Greek Minister of Defence (d. 1990)
- 1910 – Ivan Goff, Australian screenwriter and producer (d. 1999)
- 1910 – Helenio Herrera, French footballer and manager (d. 1997)
- 1911 – Hervé Bazin, French author and poet (d. 1996)
- 1911 – Lester Rodney, American soldier and journalist (d. 2009)
- 1912 – Marta Eggerth, Jewish-Hungarian-American actress and singer (d. 2013)
- 1914 – George Davis, American art director (d. 1984)
- 1914 – Mac Raboy, American illustrator (d. 1967)
- 1915 – Martin Clemens, Scottish soldier (d. 2009)
- 1915 – Joe Foss, American general and politician, 20th Governor of South Dakota (d. 2003)
- 1915 – Regina Ghazaryan, Armenian painter (d. 1999)
- 1916 – Win Maung, 3rd President of Union of Myanmar (d. 1989)
- 1916 – A. Thiagarajah, Sri Lankan educator and politician (d. 1981)
- 1916 – Sirimavo Bandaranaike, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, world’s first female prime minister (d. 2000)
- 1918 – William Holden, American actor (d. 1981)
- 1919 – Gilles Lamontagne, Canadian lieutenant and politician, 24th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (d. 2016)
- 1919 – Chavela Vargas, Costa Rican-Mexican singer-songwriter and actress (d. 2012)
- 1920 – Edmonde Charles-Roux, French journalist and author (d. 2016)
- 1923 – Lindsay Anderson, English actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1994)
- 1923 – Solly Hemus, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 2017)
- 1923 – Neville McNamara, Australian air marshal (d. 2014)
- 1923 – Gianni Raimondi, Italian lyric tenor (d. 2008)
- 1923 – Harry Reasoner, American soldier and journalist (d. 1991)
- 1924 – Kenneth Norman Jones, Australian public servant
- 1924 – Donald Richie, American-Japanese author and critic (d. 2013)
- 1925 – René Moawad, Lebanese lawyer and politician, 13th President of Lebanon (d. 1989)
- 1926 – Joan Lorring, British actress (d. 2014)
- 1926 – Gerry McNeil, Canadian ice hockey player and manager (d. 2004)
- 1927 – Margot Honecker, East German politician and First Lady (d. 2016)
- 1928 – Victor Lownes, American businessman (d. 2017)
- 1928 – Cynthia Ozick, American short story writer, novelist, and essayist
- 1928 – Heinz Putzl, Austrian fencer
- 1928 – Fabien Roy, Canadian accountant and politician
- 1929 – James Last, German-American bassist, composer, and bandleader (d. 2015)
- 1930 – Chris Barber, English trombonist and bandleader
- 1931 – John Barrett, English tennis player and sportscaster
- 1931 – Malcolm Browne, American journalist and photographer (d. 2012)
- 1934 – Don Kirshner, American songwriter and producer (d. 2011)
- 1934 – Peter Morris, Australian-English surgeon and academic
- 1935 – Bud Paxson, American broadcaster, founded Home Shopping Network and Pax TV (d. 2015)
- 1937 – Ronald Hamowy, Canadian historian and academic (d. 2012)
- 1937 – Ferdinand Piëch, Austrian-German engineer and businessman (d. 2019)
- 1938 – Ben Barnes, American businessman and politician, 36th Lieutenant Governor of Texas
- 1938 – Doug Lewis, Canadian lawyer and politician, 41st Canadian Minister of Justice
- 1938 – Ronald H. Miller, American theologian, author, and academic (d. 2011)
- 1938 – Kerry Wendell Thornley, American theorist and author (d. 1988)
- 1939 – Robert Miller, American art dealer (d. 2011)
- 1940 – Eric Dancer, English businessman and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Devon
- 1940 – Billy Fury, English singer-songwriter (d. 1983)
- 1940 – John McCririck, English journalist (d. 2019)
- 1940 – Chuck Menville, American animator and screenwriter (d. 1992)
- 1940 – Anja Silja, German soprano and actress
- 1940 – Agostino Vallini, Italian cardinal and vicar general of Rome
- 1941 – Lagle Parek, Estonian architect and politician, Estonian Minister of the Interior
- 1942 – Buster Williams, American jazz bassist
- 1943 – Richard Allen Epstein, American lawyer, author, and academic
- 1946 – Clare Francis, English sailor and author
- 1947 – Nigel Emslie, Lord Emslie, Scottish lawyer and judge
- 1947 – Richard Field, English lawyer and judge
- 1947 – Sherrie Levine, American photographer
- 1947 – Tsutomu Wakamatsu, Japanese baseball player, coach, and manager
- 1948 – Jan Hammer, Czech pianist, composer, and producer
- 1948 – Alice Harden, American educator and politician (d. 2012)
- 1948 – Pekka Vasala, Finnish runner
- 1951 – Olivia Hussey, Argentinian-English actress
- 1951 – Börje Salming, Swedish ice hockey player and businessman
- 1952 – Joe Alaskey, American voice actor (d. 2016)
- 1952 – Pierre Guité, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1952 – John McColl, English general and politician, Lieutenant Governor of Jersey
- 1952 – Željko Ražnatović, Serbian commander (d. 2000)
- 1952 – John Robertson, Scottish businessman and politician
- 1954 – Riccardo Patrese, Italian race car driver
- 1954 – Roddy Piper, Canadian professional wrestler and actor (d. 2015)
- 1954 – Michael Sembello, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1955 – Todd Lickliter, American basketball player and coach
- 1955 – Pete Shelley, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2018)
- 1955 – Mike Stroud, English physician and explorer
- 1956 – Colin Tyre, Lord Tyre, Scottish lawyer and judge
- 1957 – Teri Austin, Canadian actress
- 1957 – Afrika Bambaataa, American disc jockey
- 1957 – Nick Hornby, English novelist, essayist, lyricist, and screenwriter
- 1957 – Julia Macur, English lawyer and judge
- 1957 – Frank McDonough, British historian
- 1958 – Laslo Babits, Canadian javelin thrower (d. 2013)
- 1959 – Sean Bean, English actor
- 1959 – Jimmy Mann, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1959 – Li Meisu, Chinese shot putter
- 1960 – Vladimir Polyakov, Russian pole vaulter
- 1961 – Frank J. Christensen, American labor union leader
- 1961 – Norman Cowans, Jamaican-English cricketer
- 1961 – Boomer Esiason, American football player and sportscaster
- 1961 – Bella Freud, English fashion designer
- 1962 – Paul Nicholls, English jockey and trainer
- 1964 – Ken Daneyko, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
- 1964 – Maynard James Keenan, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1964 – Rachel Notley, Canadian politician
- 1964 – Lela Rochon, American actress
- 1966 – Vikram, Indian actor and singer
- 1967 – Kimberly Elise, American actress
- 1967 – Marquis Grissom, American baseball player and coach
- 1967 – Ian Jones, New Zealand rugby player
- 1967 – Barnaby Joyce, Australian politician, 17th Deputy Prime Minister of Australia
- 1967 – Liz Phair, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1968 – Julie Fagerholt, Danish fashion designer
- 1968 – Phil Henderson, American basketball player and coach (d. 2013)
- 1968 – Eric Lamaze, Canadian jockey
- 1968 – Roger Twose, New Zealand cricketer
- 1968 – Richie Woodhall, English boxer and trainer
- 1970 – Redman, American rapper, producer, and actor
- 1971 – Claire Sweeney, English actress
- 1972 – Gary Bennett, American baseball player
- 1972 – Tony Boselli, American football player and sportscaster
- 1972 – Jennifer Garner, American actress
- 1972 – Muttiah Muralitharan, Sri Lankan cricketer
- 1972 – Yuichi Nishimura, Japanese footballer and referee
- 1972 – Terran Sandwith, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1973 – Katrin Koov, Estonian architect
- 1973 – Brett Maher, Australian basketball player and sportscaster
- 1973 – Theo Ratliff, American basketball player
- 1974 – Mikael Åkerfeldt, Swedish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1974 – Victoria Beckham, English singer and fashion designer
- 1975 – Heidi Alexander, English politician
- 1975 – Travis Roy, American ice hockey player
- 1976 – Maurice Wignall, Jamaican hurdler and long jumper
- 1977 – Chad Hedrick, American speed skater
- 1977 – Frederik Magle, Danish composer, organist, and pianist
- 1978 – Monika Bergmann-Schmuderer, German skier
- 1978 – Lindsay Hartley, American actress
- 1978 – Jason White, Scottish rugby player
- 1979 – Eric Brewer, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1979 – Marija Šestak, Serbian-Slovenian triple jumper
- 1980 – Fabián Vargas, Colombian footballer
- 1980 – Curtis Woodhouse, English footballer, boxer, and manager
- 1981 – Jenny Meadows, English runner
- 1981 – Hanna Pakarinen, Finnish singer-songwriter
- 1981 – Ryan Raburn, American baseball player
- 1981 – Chris Thompson, English runner
- 1981 – Zhang Yaokun, Chinese footballer
- 1982 – Brad Boyes, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1982 – Chuck Kobasew, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1983 – Stanislav Chistov, Russian ice hockey player
- 1983 – Roberto Jiménez, Peruvian footballer
- 1983 – Andrea Marcato, Italian rugby player
- 1984 – Pablo Sebastián Álvarez, Argentinian footballer
- 1984 – Jed Lowrie, American baseball player
- 1984 – Raffaele Palladino, Italian footballer
- 1985 – Rooney Mara, American actress
- 1985 – Luke Mitchell, Australian actor and model
- 1985 – Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, French tennis player
- 1986 – Romain Grosjean, French race car driver
- 1988 – Takahiro Moriuchi, Japanese singer-songwriter
- 1989 – Paraskevi Papachristou, Greek triple jumper
- 1989 – Avi Kaplan, singer and songwriter
- 1990 – Jonathan Brown, Welsh footballer
- 1992 – Lachlan Maranta, Australian rugby league footballer
- 1994 – Alanna Goldie, Canadian fencer
- 1996 – Lorna Fitzgerald, British actress
 Deaths on April 17
- 485 – Proclus, Greek mathematician and philosopher (b. 412)
- 617 – Donnán of Eigg, Irish priest and saint
- 648 – Xiao, empress of the Sui Dynasty
- 744 – Al-Walid II, Umayyad caliph (b. 706)
- 818 – Bernard of Italy, Frankish king (b. 797)
- 858 – Benedict III, pope of the Catholic Church
- 1071 – Manuel Komnenos, Byzantine military commander (b. c. 1045)
- 1080 – Harald III of Denmark (b. 1041)
- 1111 – Robert of Molesme, Christian saint and abbot (b. 1027)
- 1298 – Árni Þorláksson, Icelandic bishop (b. 1237)
- 1321 – Infanta Branca of Portugal, daughter of King Afonso III of Portugal (b. 1259)
- 1331 – Robert de Vere, 6th Earl of Oxford, English nobleman (b. 1257)
- 1344 – Constantine II, King of Armenia
- 1355 – Marin Falier, Doge of Venice (b. 1285)
- 1427 – John IV, Duke of Brabant (b. 1403)
- 1539 – George, Duke of Saxony (b. 1471)
- 1574 – Joachim Camerarius, German scholar and translator (b. 1500)
- 1669 – Antonio Bertali, Italian violinist and composer (b. 1605)
- 1680 – Kateri Tekakwitha, Mohawk-born Native American saint (b. 1656)
- 1695 – Juana Inés de la Cruz, Mexican poet and scholar (b. 1651)
- 1696 – Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, marquise de Sévigné, French author (b. 1626)
- 1711 – Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1678)
- 1713 – David Hollatz, Polish pastor and theologian (b. 1648)
- 1764 – Johann Mattheson, German lexicographer and composer (b. 1681)
- 1790 – Benjamin Franklin, American inventor, publisher, and politician, 6th President of Pennsylvania (b. 1706)
- 1799 – Richard Jupp, English surveyor and architect (b. 1728)
- 1840 – Hannah Webster Foster, American journalist and author (b. 1758)
- 1843 – Samuel Morey, American engineer (b. 1762)
- 1882 – George Jennings, English engineer and plumber, invented the Flush toilet (b. 1810)
- 1888 – E. G. Squier, American archaeologist and journalist (b. 1821)
- 1892 – Alexander Mackenzie, Scottish-Canadian journalist and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1822)
- 1921 – Manwel Dimech, Maltese journalist, author, and philosopher (b. 1860)
- 1923 – Laurence Ginnell, Irish lawyer and politician (b. 1852)
- 1930 – Alexander Golovin, Russian painter and stage designer (b. 1863)
- 1933 – Kote Marjanishvili, Georgian director and playwright (b. 1872)
- 1936 – Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck, Dutch lawyer and politician, 28th Prime Minister of the Netherlands (b. 1873)
- 1942 – Jean Baptiste Perrin, French-American physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1870)
- 1944 – J. T. Hearne, English cricketer and coach (b. 1867)
- 1944 – Dimitrios Psarros, Greek lieutenant, founded the National and Social Liberation (b. 1893)
- 1946 – Juan Bautista Sacasa, Nicaraguan medical doctor, politician and 20th President of Nicaragua (b. 1874)
- 1948 – Suzuki Kantarō, Japanese admiral and politician, 42nd Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1868)
- 1954 – Lucrețiu Pătrășcanu, Romanian lawyer and politician, Romanian Minister of Justice (b. 1900)
- 1960 – Eddie Cochran, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1938)
- 1961 – Elda Anderson, American physicist and health researcher (b. 1899)
- 1967 – Red Allen, American singer and trumpet player (b. 1908)
- 1975 – Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Indian philosopher and politician, 2nd President of India (b. 1888)
- 1976 – Henrik Dam, Danish biochemist and physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1895)
- 1977 – William Conway, Irish cardinal (b. 1913)
- 1983 – Felix Pappalardi, American singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer (b. 1939)
- 1984 – Claude Provost, Canadian-American ice hockey player (b. 1933)
- 1987 – Cecil Harmsworth King, English publisher (b. 1901)
- 1987 – Dick Shawn, American actor (b. 1923)
- 1988 – Louise Nevelson, Ukrainian-American sculptor and educator (b. 1900)
- 1990 – Ralph Abernathy, American minister and activist (b. 1936)
- 1993 – Turgut Özal, Turkish engineer and politician, 8th president of Turkey (b. 1927)
- 1994 – Roger Wolcott Sperry, American psychologist and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1913)
- 1995 – Frank E. Resnik, American sergeant and businessman (b. 1928)
- 1996 – Piet Hein, Danish poet and mathematician (b. 1905)
- 1997 – Chaim Herzog, Israeli general, lawyer, and politician, 6th President of Israel (b. 1918)
- 1998 – Linda McCartney, American photographer, activist, and musician (b. 1941)
- 2003 – Robert Atkins, American physician and cardiologist, created the Atkins diet (b. 1930)
- 2003 – H. B. Bailey, American race car driver (b. 1936)
- 2003 – John Paul Getty, Jr., American-English philanthropist (b. 1932)
- 2003 – Earl King, American blues singer, guitarist and songwriter (b. 1934)
- 2003 – Yiannis Latsis, Greek businessman (b. 1910)
- 2004 – Edmond Pidoux, Swiss author and poet (b. 1908)
- 2006 – Jean Bernard, French physician and haematologist (b. 1907)
- 2006 – Scott Brazil, American director and producer (b. 1955)
- 2006 – Henderson Forsythe, American actor (b. 1917)
- 2007 – Kitty Carlisle, American actress, singer, socialite and game show panelist (b. 1910)
- 2008 – Aimé Césaire, Caribbean-French poet and politician (b. 1913)
- 2008 – Danny Federici, American organist and accordion player (b. 1950)
- 2011 – Eric Gross, Austrian-Australian pianist and composer (b. 1926)
- 2011 – Michael Sarrazin, Canadian actor (b. 1940)
- 2011 – Robert Vickrey, American artist and author (b. 1926)
- 2012 – Leila Berg, English journalist and author (b. 1917)
- 2012 – J. Quinn Brisben, American educator and politician (b. 1934)
- 2012 – Dimitris Mitropanos, Greek singer (b. 1948)
- 2012 – Nityananda Mohapatra, Indian journalist, poet, and politician (b. 1912)
- 2012 – Jonathan V. Plaut, American rabbi and author (b. 1942)
- 2012 – Stanley Rogers Resor, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 9th United States Secretary of the Army (b. 1917)
- 2013 – Carlos Graça, São Toméan politician, Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe (b. 1931)
- 2013 – Bi Kidude, Tanzanian Taarab singer (b. ≈1910)
- 2013 – Yngve Moe, Norwegian bass player and songwriter (b. 1957)
- 2013 – V. S. Ramadevi, Indian politician, 13th Governor of Karnataka (b. 1934)
- 2014 – Gabriel García Márquez, Colombian journalist and author, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1927)
- 2014 – Bernat Klein, Serbian-Scottish fashion designer and painter (b. 1922)
- 2014 – Wojciech Leśnikowski, Polish–American architect and academic (b. 1938)
- 2014 – Karpal Singh, Malaysian lawyer and politician (b. 1940)
- 2015 – Robert P. Griffin, American soldier, lawyer, and politician (b. 1923)
- 2015 – Scotty Probasco, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1928)
- 2015 – Jeremiah J. Rodell, American general (b. 1921)
- 2015 – A. Alfred Taubman, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1924)
- 2016 – Chyna, American wrestler (b. 1969)
- 2016 – Doris Roberts, American actress (b. 1925)
- 2018 – Barbara Bush, former First Lady of the United States (b. 1925)
- 2018 – Carl Kasell, American radio personality (b. 1934)
- 2019 – Alan García, Peruvian lawyer and politician, 61st and 64th President of Peru (b. 1949)
 Holidays and observances on April 17
- Christian feast day:
- Kateri Tekakwitha (Canada)
- Stephen Harding
- April 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
 
- Earliest day on which Store Bededag or General Prayer Day can fall, while May 13 is the latest; observed on the 4th Friday after Easter. (Denmark)
- Evacuation Day (Syria), celebrates the recognition of the independence of Syria from France in 1946.
- FAO Day (Iraq)
- Flag Day (American Samoa)
- Malbec World Day
- Women’s Day (Gabon)
- World Hemophilia Day
 
 
 
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 April 16 in History
- AD 73 – Masada, a Jewish fortress, falls to the Romans after several months of siege, ending the First Jewish–Roman War.
- 1346 – Stefan Dušan, “the Mighty”, is crowned Emperor of the Serbs at Skopje, his empire occupying much of the Balkans.
- 1520 – The Revolt of the Comuneros begins in Spain against the rule of Charles V.
- 1582 – Spanish conquistador Hernando de Lerma founds the settlement of Salta, Argentina.
- 1746 – The Battle of Culloden is fought between the French-supported Jacobites and the British Hanoverian forces commanded by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, in Scotland.After the battle many highland traditions were banned and the Highlands of Scotland were cleared of inhabitants.
- 1780 – Franz Friedrich Wilhelm von Fürstenberg founds the University of Münster.
- 1799 – French Revolutionary Wars: The Battle of Mount Tabor: Napoleon drives Ottoman Turks across the River Jordan near Acre.
- 1818 – The United States Senate ratifies the Rush–Bagot Treaty, limiting naval armaments on the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain.
- 1847 – Shooting of a Māori by an English sailor results in the opening of the Wanganui Campaign of the New Zealand Wars.
- 1853 – The Great Indian Peninsula Railway opens the first passenger rail in India, from Bori Bunder to Thane.
- 1858 – The Wernerian Natural History Society, a former Scottish learned society, is wound up.
- 1862 – American Civil War: Battle at Lee’s Mills in Virginia.
- 1862 – American Civil War: The District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act, a bill ending slavery in the District of Columbia, becomes law.
- 1863 – American Civil War: During the Vicksburg Campaign, gunboats commanded by acting Rear Admiral David Dixon Porter run downriver past Confederate artillery batteries at Vicksburg.
- 1881 – In Dodge City, Kansas, Bat Masterson fights his last gun battle.
- 1908 – Natural Bridges National Monument is established in Utah.
- 1910 – The oldest existing indoor ice hockey arena still used for the sport in the 21st century, Boston Arena, opens for the first time.
- 1912 – Harriet Quimby becomes the first woman to fly an airplane across the English Channel.
- 1917 – Vladimir Lenin returns to Petrograd, Russia, from exile in Switzerland.
- 1919 – Mohandas Gandhi organizes a day of “prayer and fasting” in response to the killing of Indian protesters in the Jallianwala Bagh massacre by the British colonial troops three days earlier.
- 1919 – Polish–Soviet War: The Polish army launches the Vilna offensive to capture Vilnius in modern Lithuania.
- 1922 – The Treaty of Rapallo, pursuant to which Germany and the Soviet Union re-establish diplomatic relations, is signed.
- 1925 – During the Communist St Nedelya Church assault in Sofia, Bulgaria, 150 are killed and 500 are wounded.
- 1941 – World War II: The Italian-German Tarigo convoy is attacked and destroyed by British ships.
- 1941 – World War II: The Nazi-affiliated Ustaše is put in charge of the Independent State of Croatia by the Axis powers after Operation 25 is effected.
- 1943 – Albert Hofmann accidentally discovers the hallucinogenic effects of the research drug LSD. He intentionally takes the drug three days later on April 19.
- 1944 – World War II: Allied forces start bombing Belgrade, killing about 1,100 people. This bombing fell on the Orthodox Christian Easter.
- 1945 – World War II: The Red Army begins the final assault on German forces around Berlin, with nearly one million troops fighting in the Battle of the Seelow Heights.
- 1945 – The United States Army liberates Nazi Sonderlager (high security) prisoner-of-war camp Oflag IV-C (better known as Colditz).
- 1945 – More than 7,000 die when the German refugee ship Goya is sunk by a Soviet submarine.
- 1947 – An explosion on board a freighter in port causes the city of Texas City, Texas, to catch fire, killing almost 600.
- 1947 – Bernard Baruch first applies the term “Cold War” to describe the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union.
- 1961 – In a nationally broadcast speech, Cuban leader Fidel Castro declares that he is a Marxist–Leninist and that Cuba is going to adopt Communism.
- 1963 – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. pens his Letter from Birmingham Jail while incarcerated in Birmingham, Alabama for protesting against segregation.
- 1972 – Apollo program: The launch of Apollo 16 from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
- 1990 – “Doctor Death”, Jack Kevorkian, participates in his first assisted suicide.
- 2001 – India and Bangladesh begin a five-day border conflict, but are unable to resolve the disputes about their border.
- 2003 – The Treaty of Accession is signed in Athens admitting ten new member states to the European Union.
- 2007 – Virginia Tech shooting: Seung-Hui Cho guns down 32 people and injures 17 before committing suicide.
- 2012 – The trial for Anders Behring Breivik, the perpetrator of the 2011 Norway attacks, begins in Oslo, Norway.
- 2012 – The Pulitzer Prize winners were announced, it was the first time since 1977 that no book won the Fiction Prize.
- 2013 – A 7.8-magnitude earthquake strikes Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran, killing at least 35 people and injuring 117 others.
- 2013 – The 2013 Baga massacre is started when Boko Haram militants engage government soldiers in Baga.
- 2014 – The South Korean ferry MV Sewol capsizes and sinks near Jindo Island, killing 304 passengers and crew and leading to widespread criticism of the South Korean government, media, and shipping authorities.
 Births on April 16
- 1435 – Jan II the Mad, Duke of Żagań (1439–1449 and 1461–1468 and again in 1472) (d. 1504)
- 1488 – Jungjong of Joseon (d. 1544)
- 1495 – Petrus Apianus, German mathematician and astronomer (d. 1557)
- 1516 – Tabinshwehti, Burmese king (d. 1550)
- 1569 – John Davies, English poet and lawyer (d. 1626)
- 1635 – Frans van Mieris the Elder, Dutch painter (d. 1681)
- 1646 – Jules Hardouin-Mansart, French architect, designed the Château de Dampierre and Grand Trianon (d. 1708)
- 1660 – Hans Sloane, Irish-English physician and academic (d. 1753)
- 1661 – Charles Montagu, 1st Earl of Halifax, English poet and politician, First Lord of the Treasury (d. 1715)
- 1682 – John Hadley, English mathematician, invented the octant (d. 1744)
- 1697 – Johann Gottlieb Görner, German organist and composer (d. 1778)
- 1728 – Joseph Black, French-Scottish physician and chemist (d. 1799)
- 1730 – Henry Clinton, English general and politician (d. 1795)
- 1755 – Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, French painter (d. 1842)
- 1786 – John Franklin, English admiral and politician, 4th Lieutenant Governor of Van Diemen’s Land (d. 1847)
- 1800 – George Bingham, 3rd Earl of Lucan, English field marshal and politician (d. 1888)
- 1808 – Caleb Blood Smith, American journalist, lawyer, and politician, 6th United States Secretary of the Interior (d. 1864)
- 1821 – Ford Madox Brown, French-English soldier and painter (d. 1893)
- 1823 – Gotthold Eisenstein, German mathematician and academic (d. 1852)
- 1826 – Sir James Corry, 1st Baronet, British politician (d. 1891)
- 1827 – Octave Crémazie, Canadian poet and bookseller (d. 1879)
- 1839 – Antonio Starabba, Marchese di Rudinì, Italian politician, 12th Prime Minister of Italy (d. 1908)
- 1834 – Charles Lennox Richardson, English merchant (d. 1862)
- 1844 – Anatole France, French journalist, novelist, and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1924)
- 1847 – Hans Auer, Swiss-Austrian architect, designed the Federal Palace of Switzerland (d. 1906)
- 1848 – Kandukuri Veeresalingam, Indian author and activist (d. 1919)
- 1851 – Ponnambalam Ramanathan, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician, 3rd Solicitor General of Sri Lanka (d. 1930)
- 1864 – Rose Talbot Bullard, American medical doctor and professor (d. 1915)
- 1865 – Harry Chauvel, Australian general (d. 1945)
- 1866 – José de Diego, Puerto Rican journalist, lawyer, and politician (d. 1918)
- 1867 – Wilbur Wright, American inventor (d. 1912)
- 1871 – John Millington Synge, Irish author, poet, and playwright (d. 1909)
- 1874 – Jōtarō Watanabe, Japanese general (d. 1936)
- 1878 – R. E. Foster, English cricketer and footballer (d. 1914)
- 1882 – Seth Bingham, American organist and composer (d. 1972)
- 1884 – Ronald Barnes, 3rd Baron Gorell, English cricketer, journalist, and politician (d. 1963)
- 1885 – Leó Weiner, Hungarian composer and educator (d. 1960)
- 1886 – Michalis Dorizas, Greek-American football player and javelin thrower (d. 1957)
- 1886 – Ernst Thälmann, German politician (d. 1944)
- 1888 – Billy Minter, English footballer and manager (d. 1940)
- 1889 – Charlie Chaplin, English actor, director, producer, screenwriter, and composer (d. 1977)
- 1890 – Fred Root, English cricketer and umpire (d. 1954)
- 1890 – Gertrude Chandler Warner, American author and educator (d. 1979)
- 1891 – Dorothy P. Lathrop, American author and illustrator (d. 1980)
- 1892 – Howard Mumford Jones, American author, critic, and academic (d. 1980)
- 1893 – Germaine Guèvremont, Canadian journalist and author (d. 1968)
- 1893 – John Norton, American hurdler (d. 1979)
- 1895 – Ove Arup, English-Danish engineer and businessman, founded Arup (d. 1988)
- 1896 – Robert Henry Best, American journalist (d. 1952)
- 1896 – Árpád Weisz, Hungarian footballer (d. 1944)
- 1899 – Osman Achmatowicz, Polish chemist and academic (d. 1988)
- 1900 – Polly Adler, Russian-American madam and author (d. 1962)
- 1903 – Paul Waner, American baseball player and manager (d. 1965)
- 1904 – Fifi D’Orsay, Canadian-American vaudevillian, actress, and singer (d. 1983)
- 1905 – Frits Philips, Dutch businessman (d. 2005)
- 1907 – Joseph-Armand Bombardier, Canadian inventor and businessman, founded Bombardier Inc. (d. 1964)
- 1907 – August Eigruber, Austrian-German politician (d. 1947)
- 1908 – Ellis Marsalis, Sr., American businessman and activist (d. 2004)
- 1908 – Ray Ventura, French jazz bandleader (d. 1979)
- 1910 – Berton Roueché, American journalist and author (d. 1994)
- 1911 – Guy Burgess, English-Russian spy (d. 1963)
- 1913 – Les Tremayne, English actor (d. 2003)
- 1914 – John Hodiak, American actor (d. 1955)
- 1915 – Robert Speck, Canadian politician, 1st Mayor of Mississauga (d. 1972)
- 1916 – Behçet Necatigil, Turkish author, poet, and translator (d. 1979)
- 1917 – Victoria Eugenia Fernández de Córdoba, 18th Duchess of Medinaceli (d. 2013)
- 1917 – Barry Nelson, American actor (d. 2007)
- 1918 – Dick Gibson, English racing driver (d. 2010)
- 1918 – Hsuan Hua, Chinese-American monk and author (d. 1995)
- 1918 – Juozas Kazickas, Lithuanian-American businessman and philanthropist (d. 2014)
- 1918 – Spike Milligan, Irish actor, comedian, and writer (d. 2002)
- 1919 – Merce Cunningham, American dancer and choreographer (d. 2009)
- 1919 – Nilla Pizzi, Italian singer (d. 2011)
- 1919 – Pedro Ramírez Vázquez, Mexican architect, designed the Tijuana Cultural Center and National Museum of Anthropology (d. 2013)
- 1919 – Thomas Willmore, English geometer and academic (d. 2005)
- 1920 – Ananda Dassanayake, Sri Lankan politician (d. 2012)
- 1920 – Prince George Valdemar of Denmark (d. 1986)
- 1921 – Arlin M. Adams, American lawyer and judge (d. 2015)
- 1921 – Wolfgang Leonhard, German historian and author (d. 2014)
- 1921 – Peter Ustinov, English actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2004)
- 1922 – Kingsley Amis, English novelist, poet, and critic (d. 1995)
- 1922 – John Christopher, English author (d. 2012)
- 1922 – Lawrence N. Guarino, American colonel (d. 2014)
- 1922 – Leo Tindemans, Belgian politician, 43rd Prime Minister of Belgium (d. 2014)
- 1923 – Warren Barker, American composer (d. 2006)
- 1923 – Arch A. Moore Jr., American sergeant, lawyer, and politician, 28th Governor of West Virginia (d. 2015)
- 1924 – John Harvey-Jones, English academic and businessman (d. 2008)
- 1924 – Henry Mancini, American composer and conductor (d. 1994)
- 1924 – Rudy Pompilli, American saxophonist (d. 1976)
- 1924 – Madanjeet Singh, Indian diplomat, author, and philanthropist (d. 2013)
- 1926 – Pierre Fabre, French pharmacist, founded Laboratoires Pierre Fabre (d. 2013)
- 1927 – Edie Adams, American actress and singer (d. 2008)
- 1927 – Pope Benedict XVI
- 1927 – Rolf Schult, German actor (d. 2013)
- 1928 – Dick Lane, American football player and soldier (d. 2002)
- 1929 – Roy Hamilton, American singer (d. 1969)
- 1929 – Ralph Slatyer, Australian biologist and ecologist (d. 2012)
- 1929 – Ed Townsend, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2003)
- 1930 – Doug Beasy, Australian footballer and educator (d. 2013)
- 1930 – Herbie Mann, American flute player and composer (d. 2003)
- 1932 – Maury Meyers, American lawyer and politician (d. 2014)
- 1933 – Marcos Alonso Imaz, Spanish footballer (d. 2012)
- 1933 – Joan Bakewell, English journalist and author
- 1933 – Perry Botkin Jr., American composer, arranger and musician
- 1933 – Vera Krepkina, Russian long jumper
- 1933 – Ike Pappas, American journalist and actor (d. 2008)
- 1934 – Vince Hill, English singer-songwriter
- 1934 – Robert Stigwood, Australian producer and manager (d. 2016)
- 1934 – Barrie Unsworth, Australian politician, 36th Premier of New South Wales
- 1934 – Vicar, Chilean cartoonist (d. 2012)
- 1935 – Marcel Carrière, Canadian director and screenwriter
- 1935 – Sarah Kirsch, German poet and author (d. 2013)
- 1935 – Lennart Risberg, Swedish boxer (d. 2013)
- 1935 – Dominique Venner, French journalist and historian (d. 2013)
- 1935 – Bobby Vinton, American singer
- 1936 – Vadim Kuzmin, Russian physicist and academic (d. 2015)
- 1937 – Gert Potgieter, South African hurdler and coach
- 1938 – Rich Rollins, American baseball player
- 1938 – Gordon Wilson, Scottish lawyer and politician (d. 2017)
- 1939 – John Amabile, American football player and coach (d. 2012)
- 1939 – Dusty Springfield, English singer and record producer (d. 1999)
- 1940 – Benoît Bouchard, Canadian academic and politician, 18th Canadian Minister of Transport
- 1940 – David Holford, Barbadian cricketer
- 1940 – Queen Margrethe II of Denmark
- 1940 – Joan Snyder, American painter
- 1940 – Thomas Stonor, 7th Baron Camoys, English banker and politician, Lord Chamberlain of the United Kingdom
- 1941 – Allan Segal, American director and producer (d. 2012)
- 1942 – Jim Lonborg, American baseball pitcher
- 1942 – Sir Frank Williams, English businessman, founded the Williams F1 Racing Team
- 1943 – Lonesome Dave Peverett, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2000)
- 1943 – Petro Tyschtschenko, Austrian-German businessman
- 1943 – John Watkins, Australian cricketer
- 1945 – Tom Allen, American lawyer and politician
- 1946 – Margot Adler, American journalist and author (d. 2014)
- 1946 – Ernst Bakker, Dutch politician (d. 2014)
- 1946 – Johnnie Lewis, Liberian lawyer and politician, 18th Chief Justice of Liberia (d. 2015)
- 1946 – R. Carlos Nakai, American flute player
- 1947 – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, American basketball player and coach
- 1947 – Gerry Rafferty, Scottish singer-songwriter (d. 2011)
- 1948 – Reg Alcock, Canadian businessman and politician, 17th Canadian President of the Treasury Board (d. 2011)
- 1950 – David Graf, American actor (d. 2001)
- 1950 – Colleen Hewett, Australian singer and actress
- 1951 – Ioan Mihai Cochinescu, Romanian author and photographer
- 1951 – David Nutt, English psychiatrist and academic
- 1952 – Bill Belichick, American football player and coach
- 1952 – Michel Blanc, French actor and director
- 1952 – Esther Roth-Shahamorov, Israeli sprinter and hurdler
- 1952 – Billy West, American voice actor, singer-songwriter, and comedian
- 1953 – Peter Garrett, Australian singer-songwriter and politician
- 1953 – Jay O. Sanders, American actor
- 1954 – Ellen Barkin, American actress
- 1954 – John Bowe, Australian racing driver
- 1954 – Mike Zuke, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1955 – Bruce Bochy, American baseball player and manager
- 1955 – Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg
- 1956 – David M. Brown, American captain, pilot, and astronaut (d. 2003)
- 1956 – T Lavitz, American keyboard player, composer, and producer (d. 2010)
- 1956 – Lise-Marie Morerod, Swiss skier
- 1957 – Patricia De Martelaere, Belgian philosopher, author, and academic (d. 2009)
- 1958 – Tim Flach, English photographer and director
- 1958 – Ulf Wakenius, Swedish guitarist
- 1959 – Alison Ramsay, English-Scottish field hockey player and lawyer
- 1960 – Wahab Akbar, Filipino politician (d. 2007)
- 1960 – Rafael Benítez, Spanish footballer and manager
- 1960 – Pierre Littbarski, German footballer and manager
- 1961 – Jarbom Gamlin, Indian lawyer and politician, 7th Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh (d. 2014)
- 1961 – Linda Ruth Williams, British film studies academic
- 1962 – Anna Dello Russo, Italian journalist
- 1962 – Douglas Elmendorf, American economist and politician
- 1962 – Ian MacKaye, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1963 – Saleem Malik, Pakistani cricketer
- 1963 – Jimmy Osmond, American singer
- 1964 – David Kohan, American screenwriter and producer
- 1964 – Dave Pirner, American singer, songwriter and producer
- 1964 – Esbjörn Svensson, Swedish pianist (d. 2008)
- 1965 – Yves-François Blanchet, Canadian politician
- 1965 – Jon Cryer, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1965 – Martin Lawrence, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1966 – Jarle Vespestad, Norwegian drummer
- 1966 – Jeff Varner, American newscaster and reality television personality
- 1968 – Vickie Guerrero, American wrestler and manager
- 1968 – Rüdiger Stenzel, German runner
- 1969 – Patrik Järbyn, Swedish skier
- 1969 – Fernando Viña, American baseball player and sportscaster
- 1970 – Dero Goi, German singer-songwriter and drummer
- 1970 – Walt Williams, American basketball player
- 1971 – Cameron Blades, Australian rugby player
- 1971 – Selena, American singer-songwriter, actress, and fashion designer (d. 1995)
- 1971 – Seigo Yamamoto, Japanese racing driver
- 1971 – Natasha Zvereva, Belarusian tennis player
- 1972 – Conchita Martínez, Spanish-American tennis player
- 1972 – Tracy K. Smith, American poet and educator
- 1973 – Akon, Senegalese-American singer, rapper and songwriter
- 1973 – Charlotta Sörenstam, Swedish golfer
- 1973 – Teddy Cobeña, Spanish-Ecuadorian expressionist and representational sculptor
- 1975 – Keon Clark, American basketball player
- 1976 – Lukas Haas, American actor and musician
- 1976 – Kelli O’Hara, American actress and singer
- 1977 – Freddie Ljungberg, Swedish footballer
- 1979 – Christijan Albers, Dutch racing driver
- 1979 – Lars Börgeling, German pole vaulter
- 1979 – Daniel Browne, New Zealand rugby player
- 1981 – Anestis Agritis, Greek footballer
- 1981 – Maya Dunietz, Israeli singer-songwriter and pianist
- 1981 – Matthieu Proulx, Canadian football player
- 1982 – Gina Carano, American mixed martial artist and actress
- 1982 – Boris Diaw, French basketball player
- 1982 – Jonathan Vilma, American football player
- 1983 – Marié Digby, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress
- 1983 – Cat Osterman, American softball player
- 1984 – Teddy Blass, American composer and producer
- 1984 – Claire Foy, English actress
- 1984 – Tucker Fredricks, American speed skater
- 1984 – Paweł Kieszek, Polish footballer
- 1984 – Kerron Stewart, Jamaican sprinter
- 1985 – Luol Deng, Sudanese-English basketball player
- 1985 – Brendon Leonard, New Zealand rugby player
- 1985 – Benjamín Rojas, Argentinian singer-songwriter and actor
- 1985 – Taye Taiwo, Nigerian footballer
- 1986 – Paul di Resta, Scottish racing driver
- 1986 – Shinji Okazaki, Japanese footballer
- 1986 – Peter Regin, Danish ice hockey player
- 1986 – Epke Zonderland, Dutch gymnast
- 1987 – Cenk Akyol, Turkish basketball player
- 1987 – Aaron Lennon, English international footballer
- 1988 – Kyle Okposo, American ice hockey player
- 1990 – Reggie Jackson, American basketball player
- 1990 – Vangelis Mantzaris, Greek basketball player
- 1990 – Tony McQuay, American sprinter
- 1990 – Travis Shaw, American baseball player
- 1991 – Nolan Arenado, American baseball player
- 1991 – Kim Kyung-jung, South Korean footballer
- 1993 – Mirai Nagasu, American figure skater
- 1993 – Chance the Rapper, American rapper
- 1994 – Albert Almora, American baseball player
- 1994 – Will Fuller, American football player
- 2002 – Sadie Sink, American actress
 Deaths on April 16
- AD 69 – Otho, Roman emperor (b. AD 32)
- 665 – Fructuosus of Braga, French archbishop and saint
- 1090 – Sikelgaita, duchess of Apulia (b. c. 1040)
- 1113 – Sviatopolk II of Kiev (b. 1050)
- 1118 – Adelaide del Vasto, regent of Sicily, mother of Roger II of Sicily, queen of Baldwin I of Jerusalem
- 1198 – Frederick I, Duke of Austria (b. 1175)
- 1234 – Richard Marshal, 3rd Earl of Pembroke (b. 1191)
- 1375 – John Hastings, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, English nobleman and soldier (b. 1347)
- 1496 – Charles II, Duke of Savoy (b. 1489)
- 1587 – Anne Seymour, Duchess of Somerset (b. 1497)
- 1640 – Countess Charlotte Flandrina of Nassau (b. 1579)
- 1645 – Tobias Hume, Scottish soldier, viol player, and composer (b. 1569)
- 1687 – George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, English poet and politician, Lord Lieutenant of the West Riding of Yorkshire (b. 1628)
- 1689 – Aphra Behn, English author and playwright (b. 1640)
- 1742 – Stefano Benedetto Pallavicino, Italian poet and translator (b. 1672)
- 1756 – Jacques Cassini, French astronomer (b. 1677)
- 1783 – Christian Mayer, Czech astronomer and educator (b. 1719)
- 1788 – Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon, French mathematician, cosmologist, and author (b. 1707)
- 1828 – Francisco Goya, Spanish-French painter and illustrator (b. 1746)
- 1846 – Domenico Dragonetti, Italian bassist and composer (b. 1763)
- 1850 – Marie Tussaud, French-English sculptor, founded the Madame Tussauds Wax Museum (b. 1761)
- 1859 – Alexis de Tocqueville, French historian and philosopher, French Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1805)
- 1879 – Bernadette Soubirous, French nun and saint (b. 1844)
- 1888 – Zygmunt Florenty Wróblewski, Polish physicist and chemist (b. 1845)
- 1899 – Emilio Jacinto, Filipino journalist and activist (b. 1875)
- 1904 – Maximilian Kronberger, German poet and author (b. 1888)
- 1904 – Samuel Smiles, Scottish-English author (b. 1812)
- 1914 – George William Hill, American astronomer and mathematician (b. 1838)
- 1915 – Nelson W. Aldrich, American businessman and politician (b. 1841)
- 1925 – Stefan Nerezov, Bulgarian general (b. 1867)
- 1928 – Henry Birks, Canadian businessman, founded Henry Birks and Sons (b. 1840)
- 1928 – Roman Steinberg, Estonian wrestler (b. 1900)
- 1930 – José Carlos Mariátegui, Peruvian journalist, philosopher, and activist (b. 1894)
- 1935 – Panait Istrati, Romanian journalist and author (b. 1884)
- 1937 – Jay Johnson Morrow, American military engineer and politician, 3rd Governor of the Panama Canal Zone (b. 1870)
- 1938 – Steve Bloomer, English footballer and manager (b. 1874)
- 1941 – Josiah Stamp, 1st Baron Stamp, English economist and civil servant (b. 1880)
- 1942 – Princess Alexandra of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (b. 1878)
- 1942 – Denis St. George Daly, Irish polo player (b. 1862)
- 1946 – Arthur Chevrolet, Swiss-American race car driver and engineer (b. 1884)
- 1947 – Rudolf Höss, German SS officer (b. 1900)
- 1950 – Eduard Oja, Estonian composer, conductor, and critic (b. 1905)
- 1950 – Anders Peter Nielsen, Danish target shooter (b. 1867)
- 1955 – David Kirkwood, Scottish engineer and politician (b. 1872)
- 1958 – Rosalind Franklin, English biophysicist and academic (b. 1920)
- 1960 – Mihály Fekete, Hungarian actor, screenwriter and film director (b. 1884)
- 1961 – Carl Hovland, American psychologist and academic (b. 1912)
- 1965 – Francis Balfour, English soldier and colonial administrator (b. 1884)
- 1965 – Sydney Chaplin, English actor, comedian, brother of Charlie Chaplin (b. 1885)
- 1966 – Eric Lambert, Australian author (b. 1918)
- 1968 – Fay Bainter, American actress (b. 1893)
- 1968 – Edna Ferber, American novelist, short story writer, and playwright (b. 1885)
- 1969 – Hem Vejakorn, Thai illustrator and painter (b. 1904)
- 1970 – Richard Neutra, Austrian-American architect, designed the Los Angeles County Hall of Records (b. 1892)
- 1970 – Péter Veres, Hungarian politician, Hungarian Minister of Defence (b. 1897)
- 1972 – Yasunari Kawabata, Japanese novelist and short story writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1899)
- 1972 – Frank O’Connor, Australian public servant (b. 1894)
- 1973 – István Kertész, Hungarian conductor and educator (b. 1929)
- 1978 – Lucius D. Clay, American officer and military governor in occupied Germany (b. 1898)
- 1980 – Morris Stoloff, American composer (b. 1898)
- 1985 – Scott Brady, American actor (b. 1924)
- 1988 – Khalil al-Wazir, Palestinian commander, founded Fatah (b. 1935)
- 1988 – Youri Egorov, Russian pianist (b. 1954)
- 1989 – Jocko Conlan, American baseball player and umpire (b. 1899)
- 1989 – Kaoru Ishikawa Japanese author and educator (b. 1915)
- 1989 – Miles Lawrence, English cricketer (b. 1940)
- 1989 – Hakkı Yeten, Turkish footballer and manager (b. 1910)
- 1991 – David Lean, English director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1908)
- 1992 – Neville Brand, American actor (b. 1920)
- 1992 – Alexandru Nicolschi, Romanian spy and activist (b. 1915)
- 1992 – Andy Russell, American singer and actor (b. 1919)
- 1994 – Paul-Émilien Dalpé, Canadian labor unionist (b. 1919)
- 1994 – Ralph Ellison, American novelist and critic (b. 1913)
- 1996 – Lucille Bremer, American actress and dancer (b. 1917)
- 1996 – Stavros Niarchos, Greek-Swiss businessman (b. 1909)
- 1997 – Esmeralda Arboleda Cadavid, Colombian politician (b. 1921)
- 1997 – Roland Topor, French actor, director, and painter (b. 1938)
- 1998 – Alberto Calderón, Argentinian-American mathematician and academic (b. 1920)
- 1998 – Fred Davis, English snooker player (b. 1913)
- 1998 – Marie-Louise Meilleur, Canadian super-centenarian (b. 1880)
- 1999 – Skip Spence, Canadian-American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1946)
- 2001 – Robert Osterloh, American actor (b. 1918)
- 2001 – Michael Ritchie, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1938)
- 2001 – Alec Stock, English footballer and manager (b. 1917)
- 2002 – Billy Ayre, English footballer and manager (b. 1952)
- 2002 – Ruth Fertel, American businesswoman, founded Ruth’s Chris Steak House (b. 1927)
- 2002 – Robert Urich, American actor (b. 1946)
- 2003 – Graham Jarvis, Canadian actor (b. 1930)
- 2003 – Graham Stuart Thomas, English horticulturalist and author (b. 1909)
- 2005 – Kay Walsh, English actress, singer, and dancer (b. 1911)
- 2007 – Frank Bateson, New Zealand astronomer (b. 1909)
- 2007 – Gaétan Duchesne, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1962)
- 2007 – Maria Lenk, Brazilian swimmer (b. 1915)
- 2007 – Chandrabose Suthaharan, Sri Lankan journalist
- 2008 – Edward Norton Lorenz, American mathematician and meteorologist (b. 1917)
- 2010 – Rasim Delić, Bosnian general and convicted war criminal (b. 1949)
- 2010 – Daryl Gates, American police officer, created the D.A.R.E. Program (b. 1926)
- 2011 – Gerry Alexander, Jamaican cricketer and veterinarian (b. 1928)
- 2011 – Allan Blakeney, Canadian scholar and politician, 10th Premier of Saskatchewan (b. 1925)
- 2011 – Sol Saks, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1910)
- 2012 – Sári Barabás, Hungarian soprano (b. 1914)
- 2012 – Marian Biskup, Polish author and academic (b. 1922)
- 2012 – Alan Hacker, English clarinet player and conductor (b. 1938)
- 2012 – George Kunda, Zambian lawyer and politician, 11th Vice-President of Zambia (b. 1956)
- 2012 – Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller, Danish businessman (b. 1913)
- 2012 – Carlo Petrini, Italian footballer and coach (b. 1948)
- 2013 – Charles Bruzon, Gibraltarian politician (b. 1938)
- 2013 – Ali Kafi, Algerian colonel and politician (b. 1928)
- 2013 – Siegfried Ludwig, Austrian politician, 18th Governor of Lower Austria (b. 1926)
- 2013 – Pentti Lund, Finnish-Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1925)
- 2013 – George Beverly Shea, Canadian-American singer-songwriter (b. 1909)
- 2013 – Pat Summerall, American football player and sportscaster (b. 1930)
- 2013 – Pedro Ramírez Vázquez, Mexican architect, designed the Tijuana Cultural Center and National Museum of Anthropology (b. 1919)
- 2014 – Gyude Bryant, Liberian businessman and politician (b. 1949)
- 2014 – Aulis Rytkönen, Finnish footballer and manager (b. 1929)
- 2014 – Ernst Florian Winter, Austrian-American historian and political scientist (b. 1923)
- 2015 – Valery Belousov, Russian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1948)
- 2015 – Attaphol Buspakom, Thai footballer and manager (b. 1962)
- 2015 – Oles Buzina, Ukrainian journalist and author (b. 1969)
- 2015 – Stanislav Gross, Czech lawyer and politician, 5th Prime Minister of the Czech Republic (b. 1969)
- 2016 – Charlie Hodge, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1933)
- 2018 – Harry Anderson, American actor and magician (b. 1952)
- 2018 – Jim Caine, British jazz pianist (b. 1926)
 Holidays and observances on April 16
- Christian feast day:
- Benedict Joseph Labre
- Bernadette Soubirous
- Drogo
- Fructuosus of Braga
- Isabella Gilmore (Church of England)
- Martyrs of Zaragoza
- Molly Brant (Konwatsijayenni) (Anglican Church of Canada, Episcopal Church)
- Turibius of Astorga
- April 16 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
 
- Birthday of José de Diego (Puerto Rico, United States)
- Birthday of Queen Margrethe II (Denmark)
- Emancipation Day (Washington, D.C., United States)
- Foursquare Day (International observance)
- Memorial Day for the Victims of the Holocaust (Hungary)
- National Healthcare Decisions Day (United States)
- Remembrance of Chemical Attack on Balisan and Sheikh Wasan (Iraqi Kurdistan)
- World Voice Day
 
 
 
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 April 14 in History
- 43 BC – Battle of Forum Gallorum: Mark Antony, besieging Caesar’s assassin Decimus Brutus in Mutina, defeats the forces of the consul Pansa, but is then immediately defeated by the army of the other consul, Aulus Hirtius.
- AD 69 – Vitellius, commander of the Rhine armies, defeats Emperor Otho in the Battle of Bedriacum to take power over Rome.
- AD 70 – Siege of Jerusalem: Titus, son of emperor Vespasian, surrounds the Jewish capital with four Roman legions.
- 193 – Septimius Severus is proclaimed Roman emperor by the army in Illyricum (in the Balkans).
- 966 – After his marriage to the Christian Doubravka of Bohemia, the pagan ruler of the Polans, Mieszko I, converts to Christianity, an event considered to be the founding of the Polish state.
- 972 – Co-Emperor Otto II, a son of Otto I (the Great), marries the Byzantine princess Theophanu. She is crowned empress by Pope John XIII at Rome.
- 1028 – Henry III, son of Conrad, is elected King of Germany.
- 1205 – Battle of Adrianople between Bulgarians and Crusaders.
- 1294 – Temür, grandson of Kublai, is elected Khagan of the Mongols and Emperor of the Yuan dynasty with the reigning titles Oljeitu and Chengzong.
- 1341 – Sack of Saluzzo (Italy) by Italian-Angevine troops under Manfred V, Marquess of Saluzzo.
- 1434 – The foundation stone of Nantes Cathedral, France is laid.
- 1471 – In England, the Yorkists under Edward IV defeat the Lancastrians under the Earl of Warwick at the Battle of Barnet; the Earl is killed and Edward IV resumes the throne.
- 1561 – A celestial phenomenon is reported over Nuremberg, described as an aerial battle.
- 1639 – Imperial forces are defeated by the Swedes at the Battle of Chemnitz. The Swedish victory prolongs the Thirty Years’ War and allows them to advance into Bohemia.
- 1699 – Khalsa: The Sikh religion was formalised as the Khalsa – the brotherhood of Warrior-Saints – by Guru Gobind Singh in northern India, in accordance with the Nanakshahi calendar.
- 1775 – The first abolition society in North America is established. The Society for the Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage is organized in Philadelphia by Benjamin Franklin and Benjamin Rush.
- 1816 – Bussa, a slave in British-ruled Barbados, leads a slave rebellion and is killed. For this, he is remembered as the first national hero of Barbados.
- 1828 – Noah Webster copyrights the first edition of his dictionary.
- 1849 – Hungary declares itself independent of Austria with Lajos Kossuth as its leader.
- 1865 – U.S. President Abraham Lincoln is shot in Ford’s Theatre by John Wilkes Booth; Lincoln died the next day.
- 1865 – U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward and his family are attacked at home by Lewis Powell.
- 1881 – The Four Dead in Five Seconds Gunfight is fought in El Paso, Texas.
- 1890 – The Pan-American Union is founded by the First International Conference of American States in Washington, D.C.
- 1894 – The first ever commercial motion picture house opened in New York City using ten Kinetoscopes, a device for peep-show viewing of films.
- 1900 – The Exposition Universelle begins.
- 1902 – James Cash Penney opens his first store in Kemmerer, Wyoming.
- 1906 – The Azusa Street Revival opens and will launch Pentecostalism as a worldwide movement.
- 1908 – Hauser Dam, a steel dam on the Missouri River in Montana, U.S., fails, sending a surge of water 25 to 30 feet (7.6 to 9.1 m) high downstream.
- 1909 – A massacre is organized by the Ottoman Empire against the Armenian population of Cilicia.
- 1912 – The British passenger liner RMS Titanic hits an iceberg in the North Atlantic at 23:40 (sinks morning of April 15th).
- 1927 – The first Volvo car premieres in Gothenburg, Sweden.
- 1928 – The Bremen, a German Junkers W 33 type aircraft, reaches Greenly Island, Canada – the first successful transatlantic aeroplane flight from east to west.
- 1931 – The Spanish Cortes deposes King Alfonso XIII and proclaims the Second Spanish Republic.
- 1935 – The Black Sunday dust storm, considered one of the worst storms of the Dust Bowl, swept across the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles and neighboring areas.
- 1939 – The Grapes of Wrath, by American author John Steinbeck is first published by the Viking Press.
- 1940 – World War II: Royal Marines land in Namsos, Norway in preparation for a larger force to arrive two days later.
- 1941 – World War II: German general Erwin Rommel attacks Tobruk.
- 1944 – Bombay explosion: A massive explosion in Bombay harbor kills 300 and causes economic damage valued then at 20 million pounds.
- 1945 – Razing of Friesoythe: The 4th Canadian (Armoured) Division deliberately destroyed the German town of Friesoythe on the orders of Major General Christopher Vokes.
- 1958 – The Soviet satellite Sputnik 2 falls from orbit after a mission duration of 162 days. This was the first spacecraft to carry a living animal, a female dog named Laika, who likely lived only a few hours.
- 1967 – Gnassingbé Eyadéma overthrows President of Togo Nicolas Grunitzky and installs himself as the new president, a title he would hold for the next 38 years.
- 1978 – Tbilisi Demonstrations: Thousands of Georgians demonstrate against Soviet attempts to change the constitutional status of the Georgian language.
- 1981 – STS-1: The first operational Space Shuttle, Columbia completes its first test flight.
- 1986 – The heaviest hailstones ever recorded (1 kilogram (2.2 lb)) fall on the Gopalganj district of Bangladesh, killing 92.
- 1988 – The USS Samuel B. Roberts strikes a mine in the Persian Gulf during Operation Earnest Will.
- 1988 – In a United Nations ceremony in Geneva, Switzerland, the Soviet Union signs an agreement pledging to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan.
- 1991 – The Republic of Georgia introduces the post of President after its declaration of independence from the Soviet Union.
- 1994 – In a U.S. friendly fire incident during Operation Provide Comfort in northern Iraq, two United States Air Force aircraft mistakenly shoot-down two United States Army helicopters, killing 26 people.
- 1999 – NATO mistakenly bombs a convoy of ethnic Albanian refugees. Yugoslav officials say 75 people were killed.
- 1999 – A severe hailstorm strikes Sydney, Australia causing A$2.3 billion in insured damages, the most costly natural disaster in Australian history.
- 2002 – Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez returns to office two days after being ousted and arrested by the country’s military.
- 2003 – The Human Genome Project is completed with 99% of the human genome sequenced to an accuracy of 99.99%.
- 2003 – U.S. troops in Baghdad capture Abu Abbas, leader of the Palestinian group that killed an American on the hijacked cruise liner the MS Achille Lauro in 1985.
- 2005 – The Oregon Supreme Court nullifies marriage licenses issued to same-sex couples a year earlier by Multnomah County.
- 2006 – Twin blasts triggered by crude bombs during Asr prayer in Jama Masjid, Delhi injure 13 people.
- 2010 – Nearly 2,700 are killed in a magnitude 6.9 earthquake in the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture.
- 2014 – Twin bomb blasts in Abuja, Nigeria, kill at least 75 people and injures 141 others.
- 2014 – Two hundred seventy-six schoolgirls are abducted by Boko Haram in Chibok, Nigeria.
- 2016 – In Japan, the foreshock of Kumamoto earthquakes occurs.
 Births on April 14
- 1126 – Averroes, Spanish physician and philosopher (d. 1198)
- 1204 – Henry I, king of Castile (d. 1217)
- 1331 – Jeanne-Marie de Maille, French Roman Catholic saint (d. 1414)
- 1527 – Abraham Ortelius, Flemish cartographer and geographer (d. 1598)
- 1572 – Adam Tanner, Austrian mathematician, philosopher, and academic (d. 1632)
- 1578 – Philip III of Spain (d. 1621)
- 1629 – Christiaan Huygens, Dutch mathematician, astronomer, and physicist (d. 1695)
- 1668 – Magnus Julius De la Gardie, Swedish general and politician (d. 1741)
- 1678 – Abraham Darby I, English iron master (d. 1717)
- 1709 – Charles Collé, French playwright and songwriter (d. 1783)
- 1714 – Adam Gib, Scottish minister and author (d. 1788)
- 1738 – William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1809)
- 1741 – Emperor Momozono of Japan (d. 1762)
- 1769 – Barthélemy Catherine Joubert, French general (d. 1799)
- 1773 – Jean-Baptiste de Villèle, French politician, 6th Prime Minister of France (d. 1854)
- 1788 – David G. Burnet, American politician, 2nd Vice-President of Texas (d. 1870)
- 1800 – John Appold, English engineer (d. 1865)
- 1812 – George Grey, Portuguese-New Zealand soldier, explorer, and politician, 11th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1898)
- 1814 – Dimitri Kipiani, Georgian publicist and author (d. 1887)
- 1819 – Harriett Ellen Grannis Arey, American educator, author, editor, and publisher (d. 1901)
- 1827 – Augustus Pitt Rivers, English general, ethnologist, and archaeologist (d. 1900)
- 1852 – Alexander Greenlaw Hamilton, Australian biologist (d. 1941)
- 1854 – Martin Lipp, Estonian pastor and poet (d. 1923)
- 1857 – Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom (d. 1944)
- 1865 – Alfred Hoare Powell, English architect, and designer and painter of pottery (d. 1960)
- 1866 – Anne Sullivan, American educator (d. 1936)
- 1868 – Peter Behrens, German architect, designed the AEG turbine factory (d. 1940)
- 1870 – Victor Borisov-Musatov, Russian painter and educator (d. 1905)
- 1870 – Syd Gregory, Australian cricketer and coach (d. 1929)
- 1872 – Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Indian-English scholar and translator (d. 1953)
- 1876 – Cecil Chubb, English barrister and one time owner of Stonehenge (d. 1934)
- 1881 – Husain Salaahuddin, Maldivian poet and scholar (d. 1948)
- 1882 – Moritz Schlick, German-Austrian physicist and philosopher (d. 1936)
- 1886 – Ernst Robert Curtius, German philologist and scholar (d. 1956)
- 1886 – Árpád Tóth, Hungarian poet and translator (d. 1928)
- 1889 – Arnold J. Toynbee, English historian and academic (d. 1975)
- 1891 – B. R. Ambedkar, Indian economist, jurist, and politician, 1st Indian Minister of Law and Justice (d. 1956)
- 1891 – Otto Lasanen, Finnish wrestler (d. 1958)
- 1892 – Juan Belmonte, Spanish bullfighter (d. 1962)
- 1892 – V. Gordon Childe, Australian archaeologist and philologist (d. 1957)
- 1892 – Claire Windsor, American actress (d. 1972)
- 1902 – Sylvio Mantha, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and referee (d. 1974)
- 1903 – Henry Corbin, French philosopher and academic (d. 1978)
- 1903 – Ruth Svedberg, Swedish discus thrower and triathlete (d. 2002)
- 1904 – John Gielgud, English actor, director, and producer (d. 2000)
- 1905 – Elizabeth Huckaby, American author and educator (d. 1999)
- 1905 – Georg Lammers, German sprinter (d. 1987)
- 1905 – Jean Pierre-Bloch, French author and activist (d. 1999)
- 1906 – Faisal of Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabian king (d. 1975)
- 1907 – François Duvalier, Haitian physician and politician, 40th President of Haiti (d. 1971)
- 1912 – Robert Doisneau, French photographer and journalist (d. 1994)
- 1912 – Georg Siimenson, Estonian footballer (d. 1978)
- 1913 – Jean Fournet, French conductor (d. 2008)
- 1916 – Don Willesee, Australian telegraphist and politician, 29th Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs (d. 2003)
- 1917 – Valerie Hobson, English actress (d. 1998)
- 1917 – Marvin Miller, American baseball executive (d. 2012)
- 1918 – Mary Healy, American actress and singer (d. 2015)
- 1919 – Shamshad Begum, Pakistani-Indian singer (d. 2013)
- 1919 – K. Saraswathi Amma, Indian author and playwright (d. 1975)
- 1920 – Ivor Forbes Guest, English lawyer, historian, and author (d. 2018)
- 1921 – Thomas Schelling, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2016)
- 1922 – Audrey Long, American actress (d. 2014)
- 1923 – Roberto De Vicenzo, Argentinian golfer (d. 2017)
- 1924 – Shorty Rogers, American trumpet player and composer (d. 1994)
- 1924 – Joseph Ruskin, American actor and producer (d. 2013)
- 1924 – Mary Warnock, Baroness Warnock, English philosopher, and academic (d. 2019)
- 1925 – Abel Muzorewa, Zimbabwean minister and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Zimbabwe Rhodesia (d. 2010)
- 1925 – Rod Steiger, American soldier and actor (d. 2002)
- 1926 – Barbara Anderson, New Zealand author (d. 2013)
- 1926 – Frank Daniel, Czech director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1996)
- 1926 – Gloria Jean, American actress and singer (d. 2018)
- 1926 – Liz Renay, American actress and author (d. 2007)
- 1927 – Alan MacDiarmid, New Zealand chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2007)
- 1927 – Dany Robin, French actress and singer (d. 1995)
- 1929 – Gerry Anderson, English director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2012)
- 1929 – Inez Andrews, African-American singer-songwriter (d. 2012)
- 1930 – Martin Adolf Bormann, German priest and theologian (d. 2013)
- 1930 – Arnold Burns, American lawyer and politician, 21st United States Deputy Attorney General (d. 2013)
- 1930 – René Desmaison, French mountaineer (d. 2007)
- 1930 – Bradford Dillman, American actor and author (d. 2018)
- 1931 – Geoffrey Dalton, English admiral
- 1931 – Paul Masnick, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1932 – Bill Bennett, Canadian lawyer and politician, 27th Premier of British Columbia (d. 2015)
- 1932 – Atef Ebeid, Egyptian academic and politician, 47th Prime Minister of Egypt (d. 2014)
- 1932 – Loretta Lynn, American singer-songwriter and musician
- 1932 – Cameron Parker, Scottish businessman and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Renfrewshire
- 1933 – Paddy Hopkirk, Northern Irish racing driver
- 1933 – Boris Strugatsky, Russian author (d. 2012)
- 1933 – Yuri Oganessian, Armenian-Russian nuclear physicist
- 1934 – Fredric Jameson, American philosopher and theorist
- 1935 – Susan Cunliffe-Lister, Baroness Masham of Ilton, English table tennis player, swimmer, and politician
- 1935 – John Oliver, English bishop
- 1935 – Erich von Däniken, Swiss historian and author
- 1936 – Arlene Martel, American actress and singer (d. 2014)
- 1936 – Bobby Nichols, American golfer
- 1936 – Frank Serpico, American-Italian soldier, police officer and lecturer
- 1937 – Efi Arazi, Israeli businessman, founded the Scailex Corporation (d. 2013)
- 1937 – Sepp Mayerl, Austrian mountaineer (d. 2012)
- 1938 – Mahmud Esad Coşan, Turkish author and academic (d. 2001)
- 1940 – Julie Christie, English actress and activist
- 1940 – David Hope, Baron Hope of Thornes, English archbishop and academic
- 1940 – Richard Thompson, English physician and academic
- 1941 – Pete Rose, American baseball player and manager
- 1942 – Valeriy Brumel, Soviet high jumper (d. 2003)
- 1942 – Valentin Lebedev, Russian engineer and astronaut
- 1942 – Björn Rosengren, Swedish politician, Swedish Minister of Enterprise and Innovation
- 1944 – John Sergeant, English journalist
- 1945 – Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi, Samoan economist and politician, 8th Prime Minister of Samoa
- 1945 – Ritchie Blackmore, English guitarist and songwriter
- 1945 – Roger Frappier, Canadian producer, director and screenwriter
- 1946 – Mireille Guiliano, French-American author
- 1946 – Michael Sarris, Cypriot economist and politician, Cypriot Minister of Finance
- 1946 – Knut Kristiansen, Norwegian pianist and orchestra leader
- 1947 – Dominique Baudis, French journalist and politician (d. 2014)
- 1947 – Bob Massie, Australian cricketer
- 1948 – Berry Berenson, American model, actress, and photographer (d. 2001)
- 1948 – Anastasios Papaligouras, Greek lawyer and politician, Greek Minister of Justice
- 1949 – Dave Gibbons, English author and illustrator
- 1949 – DeAnne Julius, American-British economist and academic
- 1949 – Chris Langham, English actor and screenwriter
- 1949 – Chas Mortimer, English motorcycle racer
- 1949 – John Shea, American actor and director
- 1950 – Francis Collins, American physician and geneticist
- 1950 – Péter Esterházy, Hungarian author (d. 2016)
- 1951 – Milija Aleksic, English footballer (d. 2012)
- 1951 – José Eduardo González Navas, Spanish politician
- 1951 – Julian Lloyd Webber, English cellist, conductor, and educator
- 1951 – Elizabeth Symons, Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean, English politician
- 1952 – Kenny Aaronson, American bass player
- 1952 – Mickey O’Sullivan, Irish footballer and manager
- 1952 – David Urquhart, Scottish bishop
- 1954 – Sue Hill, English pathologist and civil servant
- 1954 – Katsuhiro Otomo, Japanese director, screenwriter, and illustrator
- 1956 – Boris Šprem, Croatian lawyer and politician, 8th President of Croatian Parliament (d. 2012)
- 1957 – Lothaire Bluteau, Canadian actor
- 1957 – Mikhail Pletnev, Russian pianist, composer, and conductor
- 1958 – Peter Capaldi, Scottish actor
- 1959 – Steve Byrnes, American sportscaster and producer (d. 2015)
- 1959 – Marie-Thérèse Fortin, Canadian actress
- 1960 – Brad Garrett, American actor and comedian
- 1960 – Myoma Myint Kywe, Burmese historian and journalist
- 1960 – Osamu Sato, Japanese graphic artist, programmer, and composer
- 1960 – Tina Rosenberg, American journalist and author
- 1960 – Pat Symcox, South African cricketer
- 1961 – Robert Carlyle, Scottish actor and director
- 1961 – Daniel Clowes, American cartoonist and screenwriter
- 1962 – Guillaume Leblanc, Canadian athlete
- 1964 – Brian Adams, American wrestler (d. 2007)
- 1964 – Jeff Andretti, American race car driver
- 1964 – Greg Battle, American-Canadian football player
- 1964 – Stuart Duncan, American bluegrass musician
- 1964 – Jeff Hopkins, Welsh international footballer and manager
- 1964 – Gina McKee, English actress
- 1965 – Tom Dey, American director and producer
- 1965 – Alexandre Jardin, French author
- 1965 – Craig McDermott, Australian cricketer and coach
- 1966 – André Boisclair, Canadian lawyer and politician
- 1966 – Jan Boklöv, Swedish ski jumper
- 1966 – David Justice, American baseball player and sportscaster
- 1966 – Greg Maddux, American baseball player, coach, and manager
- 1967 – Nicola Berti, Italian international footballer
- 1967 – Steve Chiasson, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1999)
- 1967 – Alain Côté, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1967 – Barrett Martin, American drummer, songwriter, and producer
- 1967 – Julia Zemiro, French-Australian actress, comedian, singer and writer
- 1968 – Anthony Michael Hall, American actor
- 1969 – Brad Ausmus, American baseball player and manager
- 1969 – Martyn LeNoble, Dutch-American bass player
- 1969 – Vebjørn Selbekk, Norwegian journalist
- 1970 – Steve Avery, American baseball player
- 1970 – Shizuka Kudō, Japanese singer and actress
- 1971 – Miguel Calero, Colombian footballer and manager (d. 2012)
- 1971 – Carlos Pérez, Dominican-American baseball player
- 1971 – Gregg Zaun, American baseball player and sportscaster
- 1972 – Paul Devlin, English-Scottish footballer and manager
- 1972 – Roberto Mejía, Dominican baseball player
- 1972 – Dean Potter, American rock climber and BASE jumper (d. 2015)
- 1973 – Roberto Ayala, Argentinian footballer
- 1973 – Adrien Brody, American actor
- 1973 – Hidetaka Suehiro, Japanese video game director and writer
- 1973 – David Miller, American tenor
- 1974 – Da Brat, American rapper
- 1975 – Lita, American wrestler
- 1975 – Luciano Almeida, Brazilian footballer
- 1975 – Avner Dorman, Israeli-American composer and academic
- 1975 – Anderson Silva, Brazilian mixed martial artist and boxer
- 1976 – Christian Älvestam, Swedish singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1976 – Georgina Chapman, English model, actress, and fashion designer, co-founded Marchesa
- 1976 – Anna DeForge, American basketball player
- 1976 – Kyle Farnsworth, American baseball player
- 1976 – Nadine Faustin-Parker, Hatian hurdler
- 1976 – Jason Wiemer, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1977 – Nate Fox, American basketball player (d. 2014)
- 1977 – Martin Kaalma, Estonian footballer
- 1977 – Sarah Michelle Gellar, American actress and producer
- 1977 – Rob McElhenney, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
- 1978 – Roland Lessing, Estonian biathlete
- 1979 – Iain Balshaw, English rugby player
- 1979 – Rebecca DiPietro, American wrestler and model
- 1979 – Marios Elia, Cypriot footballer
- 1979 – Ross Filipo, New Zealand rugby player
- 1979 – Noé Pamarot, French footballer
- 1979 – Patrick Somerville, American novelist and short story writer
- 1979 – Kerem Tunçeri, Turkish basketball player
- 1980 – Win Butler, American-Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1980 – Jeremy Smith, New Zealand rugby league player
- 1981 – Mustafa Güngör, German rugby player
- 1981 – Amy Leach, English director and producer
- 1982 – Uğur Boral, Turkish footballer
- 1982 – Larissa França, Brazilian volleyball player
- 1983 – Simona La Mantia, Italian triple jumper
- 1983 – James McFadden, Scottish footballer
- 1983 – William Obeng, Ghanaian-American football player
- 1983 – Nikoloz Tskitishvili, Georgian basketball player
- 1984 – Blake Costanzo, American football player
- 1984 – Charles Hamelin, Canadian speed skater
- 1984 – Harumafuji Kōhei, Mongolian sumo wrestler, the 70th Yokozuna
- 1984 – Adán Sánchez, American-Mexican musician (d. 2004)
- 1984 – Tyler Thigpen, American football player
- 1985 – Grant Clitsome, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1986 – Matt Derbyshire, English footballer
- 1986 – Goran Gogić, Serbian footballer (d. 2015)
- 1987 – Michael Baze, American jockey (d. 2011)
- 1987 – Erwin Hoffer, Austrian footballer
- 1987 – Wilson Kiprop, Kenyan runner
- 1987 – Korina Perkovic, German tennis player
- 1988 – Roberto Bautista Agut, Spanish tennis player
- 1988 – Eric Gryba, Canadian ice hockey defenseman
- 1988 – Eliška Klučinová, Czech heptathlete
- 1988 – Vasileios Pliatsikas, Greek footballer
- 1988 – Brad Sinopoli, Canadian football player
- 1989 – Joe Haden, American football player
- 1990 – Markus Smarzoch, German footballer
- 1992 – Frederik Sørensen, Danish footballer
- 1996 – Abigail Breslin, American actress
 Deaths on April 14
- 911 – Pope Sergius III, pope of the Roman Catholic Church
- 1070 – Gerard, Duke of Lorraine (b. c. 1030)
- 1099 – Conrad, Bishop of Utrecht (b. before 1040)
- 1132 – Mstislav I of Kiev (b. 1076)
- 1279 – Bolesław the Pious, Duke of Greater Poland (b. 1224)
- 1322 – Bartholomew de Badlesmere, 1st Baron Badlesmere, English soldier and politician, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports (b. 1275)
- 1345 – Richard de Bury, English bishop and politician, Lord Chancellor of The United Kingdom (b. 1287)
- 1424 – Lucia Visconti, English countess (b. 1372)
- 1433 – Lidwina, Dutch saint (b. 1380)
- 1471 – Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, English commander and politician (b. 1428)
- 1471 – John Neville, 1st Marquess of Montagu (b. 1431)
- 1480 – Thomas de Spens, Scottish statesman and prelate (b. c. 1415)
- 1488 – Girolamo Riario, Lord of Imola and Forli (b. 1443)
- 1574 – Louis of Nassau (b. 1538)
- 1578 – James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, English husband of Mary, Queen of Scots (b. 1534)
- 1587 – Edward Manners, 3rd Earl of Rutland (b. 1548)
- 1599 – Henry Wallop, English politician (b. 1540)
- 1609 – Gasparo da Salò, Italian violin maker (b. 1540)
- 1662 – William Fiennes, 1st Viscount Saye and Sele, English politician (b. 1582)
- 1682 – Avvakum, Russian priest and saint (b. 1620)
- 1721 – Michel Chamillart, French politician, Controller-General of Finances (b. 1652)
- 1740 – Lady Catherine Jones, English philanthropist (b.1672)
- 1759 – George Frideric Handel, German-English organist and composer (b. 1685)
- 1785 – William Whitehead, English poet and playwright (b. 1715)
- 1792 – Maximilian Hell, Slovak-Hungarian astronomer and priest (b. 1720)
- 1843 – Joseph Lanner, Austrian violinist and composer (b. 1801)
- 1864 – Charles Lot Church, American-Canadian politician (b. 1777)
- 1888 – Emil Czyrniański, Polish chemist (b. 1824)
- 1910 – Mikhail Vrubel, Russian painter and sculptor (b. 1856)
- 1911 – Addie Joss, American baseball player and journalist (b. 1880)
- 1911 – Henri Elzéar Taschereau, Canadian lawyer and jurist, 4th Chief Justice of Canada (b. 1836)
- 1912 – Henri Brisson, French politician, 50th Prime Minister of France (b. 1835)
- 1914 – Hubert Bland, English activist, co-founded the Fabian Society (b. 1855)
- 1916 – Gina Krog, Norwegian suffragist and women’s rights activist (b. 1847)
- 1917 – L. L. Zamenhof, Polish physician and linguist, created Esperanto (b. 1859)
- 1919 – Auguste-Réal Angers, Canadian judge and politician, 6th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (b. 1837)
- 1925 – John Singer Sargent, American painter (b. 1856)
- 1930 – Vladimir Mayakovsky, Georgian-Russian actor, playwright, and poet (b. 1893)
- 1931 – Richard Armstedt, German philologist, historian, and educator (b. 1851)
- 1935 – Emmy Noether, German-American mathematician and academic (b. 1882)
- 1938 – Gillis Grafström, Swedish figure skater and architect (b. 1893)
- 1943 – Yakov Dzhugashvili, Georgian-Russian lieutenant (b. 1907)
- 1950 – Ramana Maharshi, Indian guru and philosopher (b. 1879)
- 1951 – Al Christie, Canadian-American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1881)
- 1962 – M. Visvesvaraya, Indian engineer and scholar (b. 1860)
- 1963 – Rahul Sankrityayan, Indian monk and historian (b. 1893)
- 1964 – Tatyana Afanasyeva, Russian-Dutch mathematician and theorist (b. 1876)
- 1964 – Rachel Carson, American biologist and author (b. 1907)
- 1968 – Al Benton, American baseball player (b. 1911)
- 1969 – Matilde Muñoz Sampedro, Spanish actress (b. 1900)
- 1975 – Günter Dyhrenfurth, German-Swiss mountaineer, geologist, and explorer (b. 1886)
- 1975 – Fredric March, American actor (b. 1897)
- 1976 – José Revueltas, Mexican author and activist (b. 1914)
- 1978 – Joe Gordon, American baseball player and manager (b. 1915)
- 1978 – F. R. Leavis, English educator and critic (b. 1895)
- 1983 – Pete Farndon, English bassist (The Pretenders) (b. 1952)
- 1983 – Gianni Rodari, Italian journalist and author (b. 1920)
- 1986 – Simone de Beauvoir, French novelist and philosopher (b. 1908)
- 1990 – Thurston Harris, American singer (b. 1931)
- 1990 – Olabisi Onabanjo, Nigerian politician, 3rd Governor of Ogun State (b. 1927)
- 1992 – Irene Greenwood, Australian radio broadcaster and feminist and peace activist (b. 1898)
- 1994 – Salimuzzaman Siddiqui, Pakistani chemist and scholar (b. 1897)
- 1995 – Burl Ives, American actor, folk singer, and writer (b. 1909)
- 1999 – Ellen Corby, American actress and screenwriter (b. 1911)
- 1999 – Anthony Newley, English singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1931)
- 1999 – Bill Wendell, American television announcer (b. 1924)
- 2000 – Phil Katz, American computer programmer, co-created the zip file format (b. 1962)
- 2000 – August R. Lindt, Swiss lawyer and politician (b. 1905)
- 2000 – Wilf Mannion, English footballer (b. 1918)
- 2001 – Jim Baxter, Scottish footballer (b. 1939)
- 2001 – Hiroshi Teshigahara, Japanese director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1927)
- 2003 – Jyrki Otila, Finnish politician (b. 1941)
- 2004 – Micheline Charest, English-Canadian television producer, co-founded the Cookie Jar Group (b. 1953)
- 2006 – Mahmut Bakalli, Kosovo politician (b. 1936)
- 2007 – June Callwood, Canadian journalist, author, and activist (b. 1924)
- 2007 – Don Ho, American singer and ukulele player (b. 1930)
- 2007 – René Rémond, French historian and economist (b. 1918)
- 2008 – Tommy Holmes, American baseball player and manager (b. 1917)
- 2008 – Ollie Johnston, American animator and voice actor (b. 1912)
- 2009 – Maurice Druon, French author (b. 1918)
- 2010 – Israr Ahmed, Pakistani theologian and scholar (b. 1932)
- 2010 – Alice Miller, Polish-French psychologist and author (b. 1923)
- 2010 – Peter Steele, American singer-songwriter and bass player (b. 1962)
- 2011 – Jean Gratton, Canadian Roman Catholic bishop (b. 1924)
- 2012 – Émile Bouchard, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1919)
- 2012 – Jonathan Frid, Canadian actor (b. 1924)
- 2012 – Piermario Morosini, Italian footballer (b. 1986)
- 2013 – Efi Arazi, Israeli businessman, founded the Scailex Corporation (b. 1937)
- 2013 – Colin Davis, English conductor and educator (b. 1927)
- 2013 – R. P. Goenka, Indian businessman, founded RPG Group (b. 1930)
- 2013 – George Jackson, American singer-songwriter (b. 1945)
- 2013 – Armando Villanueva, Peruvian politician, 121st Prime Minister of Peru (b. 1915)
- 2013 – Charlie Wilson, American politician (b. 1943)
- 2014 – Nina Cassian, Romanian poet and critic (b. 1924)
- 2014 – Crad Kilodney, American-Canadian author (b. 1948)
- 2014 – Wally Olins, English businessman and academic (b. 1930)
- 2014 – Mick Staton, American soldier and politician (b. 1940)
- 2015 – Klaus Bednarz, German journalist and author (b. 1942)
- 2015 – Mark Reeds, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach (b. 1960)
- 2015 – Percy Sledge, American singer (b. 1940)
- 2015 – Roberto Tucci, Italian cardinal and theologian (b. 1921)
- 2019 – Bibi Andersson, Swedish actress (b.1935)
 Holidays and observances on April 14
- Ambedkar Jayanti (India)
- Black Day (South Korea)
- Christian feast day:
- Anthony, John, and Eustathius
- Bénézet
- Henry Beard Delany (Episcopal Church (USA))
- Domnina of Terni
- Lidwina
- Peter González
- Tiburtius, Valerian, and Maximus
- April 14 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
 
- Commemoration of Anfal Genocide Against the Kurds (Iraqi Kurdistan)
- Day of Mologa (Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia)
- Day of the Georgian language (Georgia)
- Dhivehi Language Day (Maldives)
- N’Ko Alphabet Day (Mande speakers)
- Pan American Day (several countries in The Americas)
- South and Southeast Asian New Year, celebrated on the sidereal vernal equinox. (see April 13):
- Assamese New Year, or Bohag Bihu (India’s Assam Valley)
- Bengali New Year, or Pohela Boishakh (Bangladesh and India’s West Bengal state)
- Burmese New Year, or Thingyan (Myanmar)
- Hindu and Sikh New Year, or Vaisakhi (Punjab region)
- Khmer New Year, or Chol Chnam Thmey (Cambodia)
- Lao New Year, or Pi Mai Lao (Laos)
- Mahl New Year, or Alathu Aharudhuvas (Maldives and India’s Lakshadweep and Kerala state)
- Maithili New Year, or Jude Sheetal (Mithila region)
- Malayali New Year, or Vishu (India’s Kerala state)
- Nepali New Year, or Navabarsha / Vaishak Ek (Nepal)
- Oriya/Odia New Year, or Pana Sankranti (India’s Odisha state)
- Sinhalese New Year, or Aluth Avurudhu (Sri Lanka)
- Tamil New Year, or Puthandu (India’s Tamil Nadu state)
- Thai New Year, or Songkran, celebrated from 13 to 15 April (Thailand)
- Tuluva New Year, or Bisu (India’s Karnataka state)
 
- The first day of Takayama Spring Festival (Takayama, Gifu, Japan)
- Youth Day (Angola)
 
 
 
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 April 11 in History
- 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