Skip to content
-
- 48 BC – Pompey is assassinated by order of King Ptolemy upon arriving in Egypt.
- 235 – Pope Pontian resigns. He is exiled to the mines of Sardinia, along with Hippolytus of Rome.
- 351 – Constantius II defeats the usurper Magnentius.
- 365 – Roman usurper Procopius bribes two legions passing by Constantinople, and proclaims himself emperor.
- 935 – Duke Wenceslaus I of Bohemia is murdered by a group of nobles led by his brother Boleslaus I, who succeeds him.
- 995 – Boleslaus II, Duke of Bohemia, kills most members of the rival Slavník dynasty.
- 1066 – William the Conqueror lands in England, beginning the Norman conquest.
- 1106 – King Henry I of England defeats his brother, Robert Curthose.
- 1238 – King James I of Aragon conquers Valencia from the Moors. Shortly thereafter, he proclaims himself king of Valencia.
- 1322 – Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor, defeats Frederick I of Austria in the Battle of Mühldorf.
- 1538 – Ottoman–Venetian War: The Ottoman Navy scores a decisive victory over a Holy League fleet in the Battle of Preveza.
- 1542 – Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo of Portugal arrives at what is now San Diego, California.
- 1779 – American Revolution: Samuel Huntington is elected President of the Continental Congress, succeeding John Jay.
- 1781 – American Revolution: American forces backed by a French fleet begin the siege of Yorktown.
- 1787 – The Congress of the Confederation votes to send the newly-written United States Constitution to the state legislatures for approval.
- 1821 – The Declaration of Independence of the Mexican Empire is drafted. It will be made public on 13 October.
- 1844 – Oscar I of Sweden–Norway is crowned king of Sweden.
- 1867 – Toronto becomes the capital of Ontario, having also been the capital of Ontario’s predecessors since 1796.
- 1868 – The Battle of Alcolea causes Queen Isabella II of Spain to flee to France.
- 1871 – The Brazilian Parliament passes a law that frees all children thereafter born to slaves, and all government-owned slaves.
- 1889 – The General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) defines the length of a meter.
- 1892 – The first night game for American football takes place in a contest between Wyoming Seminary and Mansfield State Normal.
- 1893 – Foundation of the Portuguese football club FC Porto.
- 1901 – Philippine–American War: Filipino guerrillas kill more than forty American soldiers while losing 28 of their own.
- 1912 – The Ulster Covenant is signed by some 500,000 Ulster Protestant Unionists in opposition to the Third Irish Home Rule Bill.
- 1912 – Corporal Frank S. Scott of the United States Army becomes the first enlisted man to die in an airplane crash.
- 1918 – World War I: The Fifth Battle of Ypres begins.
- 1919 – Race riots begin in Omaha, Nebraska.
- 1924 – The first aerial circumnavigation is completed by a team from the US Army.
- 1928 – Alexander Fleming notices a bacteria-killing mold growing in his laboratory, discovering what later became known as penicillin.
- 1939 – World War II: Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union agree on a division of Poland.
- 1939 – World War II: The siege of Warsaw comes to an end.
- 1941 – World War II: The Drama uprising against the Bulgarian occupation in northern Greece begins.
- 1941 – Ted Williams achieves a .406 batting average for the season, and becomes the last major league baseball player to bat .400 or better.
- 1944 – World War II: Soviet Army troops liberate Klooga concentration camp in Estonia.
- 1951 – CBS makes the first color televisions available for sale to the general public, but the product is discontinued less than a month later.
- 1961 – A military coup in Damascus effectively ends the United Arab Republic, the union between Egypt and Syria.
- 1970 – Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser dies of a heart attack in Cairo.
- 1971 – The Parliament of the UK passes the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, banning the medicinal use of cannabis.
- 1973 – The ITT Building in New York City is bombed in protest at ITT’s alleged involvement in the coup d’état in Chile.
- 1975 – The Spaghetti House siege, in which nine people are taken hostage, takes place in London.
- 1986 – The Democratic Progressive Party becomes the first opposition party in Taiwan.
- 1991 – The Strategic Air Command stands down from alert all ICBMs scheduled for deactivation under START I, as well as its strategic bomber force.
- 1992 – A Pakistan International Airlines flight crashes into a hill in Nepal, killing all 167 passengers and crew.
- 1994 – The cruise ferry MS Estonia sinks in the Baltic Sea, killing 852 people.
- 1995 – Bob Denard and a group of mercenaries take the islands of the Comoros in a coup.
- 1995 – Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat sign the Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
- 2000 – Al-Aqsa Intifada: Ariel Sharon visits Al-Aqsa Mosque known to Jews as the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
- 2008 – Falcon 1 becomes the first privately developed liquid-fuel ground-launched vehicle to put a payload into orbit.
- 2009 – The military junta leading Guinea attacks a protest rally, killing or wounding 1400 people.
- 2012 – Somali and African Union forces launch a coordinated assault on the Somali port of Kismayo to take back the city from al-Shabaab militants.
- 2014 – The 2014 Hong Kong protests begin in response to restrictive political reforms imposed by the NPC in Beijing.
- 2016 – The 2016 South Australian blackout occurs, lasting up to three days in some areas.
- 2018 – The 7.5 Mw 2018 Sulawesi earthquake, which triggered a large tsunami, leaves 4,340 dead and 10,679 injured.
- 2018 – On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War, the international project Tree of Peace was established (September, 28). One of the trees was planted personally by Zuzana Čaputová, President of the Slovak Republic.
Births on September 28
- 551 BC – Confucius, Chinese teacher, editor, politician, and philosopher of the Spring and Autumn period of Chinese history. (d. 479 BC)
- 616 – Javanshir, King of Caucasian Albania (d. 680)
- 1494 – Agnolo Firenzuola, Italian poet and playwright (d. 1545)
- 1555 – Henri de La Tour d’Auvergne, Marshal of France (d. 1623)
- 1573 – Théodore de Mayerne, Swiss physician (d. 1654)
- 1605 – Ismaël Bullialdus, French astronomer and mathematician (d. 1694)
- 1681 – Johann Mattheson, German composer, lexicographer, and diplomat (d. 1764)
- 1705 – Henry Fox, 1st Baron Holland, English politician, Secretary of State for the Southern Department (d. 1774)
- 1705 – Johann Peter Kellner, German organist and composer (d. 1772)
- 1735 – Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton, English academic and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1811)
- 1746 – William Jones, English-Welsh philologist and scholar (d. 1794)
- 1765 – Frederick Christian II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg (d. 1814)
- 1803 – Prosper Mérimée, French archaeologist, historian, and author (d. 1870)
- 1809 – Alvan Wentworth Chapman, American physician and botanist (d. 1899)
- 1819 – Narcís Monturiol, Spanish engineer and publisher (d. 1885)
- 1821 – Jonathan Clarkson Gibbs, American minister and politician (d. 1874)
- 1823 – Alexandre Cabanel, French painter and educator (d. 1889)
- 1824 – Francis Turner Palgrave, English poet and critic (d. 1897)
- 1836 – Thomas Crapper, English plumber, invented the ballcock (d. 1910)
- 1838 – Sai Baba of Shirdi, Indian national saint (d. 1918)
- 1841 – Georges Clemenceau, French journalist, physician, and politician, 85th Prime Minister of France (d. 1929)
- 1844 – Robert Stout, Scottish-New Zealand lawyer and politician, 13th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1930)
- 1852 – Henri Moissan, French chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1907)
- 1852 – Isis Pogson, British astronomer and meteorologist (d. 1945)
- 1856 – Kate Douglas Wiggin, American author and educator (d. 1923)
- 1860 – Paul Ulrich Villard, French chemist and physicist (d. 1934)
- 1861 – Amélie of Orléans, queen consort of Portugal (d. 1951)
- 1867 – Hiranuma Kiichirō, Japanese lawyer and politician, 35th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1952)
- 1867 – James Edwin Campbell, American poet, editor, short story writer and educator (d. 1896)
- 1868 – Evelyn Beatrice Hall, English writer best known for her biography of Voltaire, and wrote under the pseudonym S. G. Tallentyre (d. 1956)
- 1877 – Albert Young, American boxer and promoter (d. 1940)
- 1878 – Joseph Ruddy, American swimmer and water polo player (d. 1962)
- 1870 – Florent Schmitt, French composer and critic (d. 1958)
- 1881 – Pedro de Cordoba, American actor (d. 1950)
- 1882 – Mart Saar, Estonian organist and composer (d. 1963)
- 1885 – Emil Väre, Finnish wrestler, coach, and referee (d. 1974)
- 1887 – Avery Brundage, American businessman, 5th President of the International Olympic Committee (d. 1975)
- 1889 – Jack Fournier, American baseball player and coach (d. 1973)
- 1890 – Florence Violet McKenzie, Australian electrical engineer (d. 1982)
- 1892 – Elmer Rice, American playwright (d. 1967)
- 1893 – Hilda Geiringer, Austrian mathematician (d. 1973)
- 1893 – Giannis Skarimpas, Greek author, poet, and playwright (d. 1984)
- 1898 – Carl Clauberg, German Nazi physician (d. 1957)
- 1900 – Isabel Pell, American socialite, fought as part of the French Resistance during WWII (d. 1951)
- 1901 – William S. Paley, American broadcaster, founded CBS (d. 1990)
- 1901 – Ed Sullivan, American television host (d. 1974)
- 1903 – Haywood S. Hansell, American general (d. 1988)
- 1905 – Max Schmeling, German boxer (d. 2005)
- 1907 – Heikki Savolainen, Finnish gymnast and physician (d. 1997)
- 1907 – Bhagat Singh, Indian activist (d. 1931)
- 1909 – Al Capp, American author and illustrator (d. 1979)
- 1910 – Diosdado Macapagal, Filipino lawyer and politician, 9th President of the Philippines (d. 1997)
- 1910 – Wenceslao Vinzons, Filipino lawyer and politician (d. 1942)
- 1913 – Warja Honegger-Lavater, Swiss illustrator (d. 2007)
- 1913 – Alice Marble, American tennis player (d. 1990)
- 1914 – Maria Franziska von Trapp, Austrian-American refugee and singer (d. 2014)
- 1915 – Ethel Rosenberg, American spy (d. 1953)
- 1916 – Peter Finch, English-Australian actor (d. 1977)
- 1916 – Olga Lepeshinskaya, Ukrainian-Russian ballerina and educator (d. 2008)
- 1918 – Ángel Labruna, Argentinian footballer and manager (d. 1983)
- 1918 – Arnold Stang, American actor (d. 2009)
- 1919 – Doris Singleton, American actress (d. 2012)
- 1922 – Larry Munson, American sportscaster (d. 2011)
- 1923 – Tuli Kupferberg, American singer, poet, and writer (d. 2010)
- 1923 – John Scott, 9th Duke of Buccleuch, Scottish captain and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Selkirkshire (d. 2007)
- 1923 – William Windom, American actor (d. 2012)
- 1924 – Rudolf Barshai, Russian-Swiss viola player and conductor (d. 2010)
- 1924 – Marcello Mastroianni, Italian-French actor and singer (d. 1996)
- 1925 – Seymour Cray, American computer scientist, founded the CRAY Computer Company (d. 1996)
- 1925 – Cromwell Everson, South African composer (d. 1991)
- 1925 – Martin David Kruskal, American physicist and mathematician (d. 2006)
- 1926 – Jerry Clower, American soldier, comedian, and author (d. 1998)
- 1928 – Koko Taylor, American singer (d. 2009)
- 1929 – Lata Mangeshkar, Indian playback singer and composer
- 1930 – Tommy Collins, American country music singer-songwriter (d. 2000)
- 1930 – Immanuel Wallerstein, American sociologist, author, and academic (d. 2019)
- 1932 – Jeremy Isaacs, Scottish screenwriter and producer
- 1932 – Víctor Jara, Chilean singer-songwriter, poet, and director (d. 1973)
- 1933 – Joe Benton, English soldier and politician
- 1933 – Miguel Ortiz Berrocal, Spanish sculptor and educator (d. 2006)
- 1933 – Johnny “Country” Mathis, American singer-songwriter (d. 2011)
- 1934 – Brigitte Bardot, French actress
- 1935 – Bruce Crampton, Australian golfer
- 1935 – David Hannay, Baron Hannay of Chiswick, English diplomat, British Permanent Representative to the United Nations
- 1935 – Ronald Lacey, English actor (d. 1991)
- 1936 – Emmett Chapman, American guitarist, invented the Chapman Stick
- 1936 – Eddie Lumsden, Australian rugby league player (d. 2019)
- 1936 – Robert Wolders, Dutch television actor (d. 2018)
- 1937 – Alice Mahon, English trade union leader and politician
- 1937 – Glenn Sutton, American country music songwriter and record producer (d. 2007)
- 1938 – Ben E. King, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2015)
- 1939 – Stuart Kauffman, American biologist and academic
- 1941 – David Lewis, American philosopher and academic (d. 2001)
- 1941 – Edmund Stoiber, German lawyer and politician, Minister President of Bavaria
- 1942 – Pierre Clémenti, French actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1999)
- 1942 – Edward “Little Buster” Forehand, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2006)
- 1943 – Warren Lieberfarb, American businessman
- 1943 – George W. S. Trow, American novelist, playwright, and critic (d. 2006)
- 1943 – Nick St. Nicholas, German-Canadian bass player
- 1944 – Richie Karl, American golfer
- 1944 – Marcia Muller, American journalist and author
- 1945 – Marielle Goitschel, French skier
- 1945 – Manolis Rasoulis, Greek singer-songwriter and journalist (d. 2011)
- 1945 – Fusako Shigenobu, Japanese activist, founded the Japanese Red Army
- 1946 – Tom Bower, English journalist and author
- 1946 – Majid Khan, Indian-Pakistani cricketer
- 1947 – Bob Carr, Australian journalist and politician, 37th Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs
- 1947 – Sheikh Hasina, Bangladeshi politician, 10th Prime Minister of Bangladesh
- 1947 – Jon Snow, English journalist and academic
- 1947 – Rhonda Hughes, American mathematician and academic
- 1949 – Jim Henshaw, Canadian actor, producer, and screenwriter
- 1950 – Paul Burgess, English drummer
- 1950 – Christina Hoff Sommers, American author and philosopher
- 1950 – John Sayles, American novelist, director, and screenwriter
- 1951 – Jim Diamond, Scottish singer-songwriter and musician (d. 2015)
- 1952 – Christopher Buckley, American satirical novelist
- 1952 – Efthimis Kioumourtzoglou, Greek basketball player and coach
- 1952 – Sylvia Kristel, Dutch model and actress (d. 2012)
- 1952 – Andy Ward, English drummer
- 1953 – Otmar Hasler, Liechtensteiner educator and politician, 11th Prime Minister of Liechtenstein
- 1954 – Steve Largent, American football player and politician
- 1954 – George Lynch, American guitarist and songwriter
- 1954 – John Scott, English rugby player
- 1954 – Margot Wallström, Swedish politician and diplomat, 42nd Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs
- 1955 – Stéphane Dion, Canadian sociologist and politician, 15th Canadian Minister of the Environment
- 1955 – Mercy Manci, Xhosa sangoma and HIV activist from South Africa
- 1955 – Kenny Kirkland, American pianist (d. 1998)
- 1956 – Martha Isabel Fandiño Pinilla, Colombian-Italian mathematician and author
- 1957 – Bill Cassidy, American politician and physician
- 1959 – Ron Fellows, Canadian race car driver
- 1959 – Laura Bruce, American artist
- 1960 – Gary Ayres, Australian footballer and coach
- 1960 – Tom Byrum, American golfer
- 1960 – Frank Hammerschlag, German footballer and manager
- 1960 – Gus Logie, Trinidadian cricketer
- 1960 – Kamlesh Patel, Baron Patel of Bradford, English politician
- 1960 – Jennifer Rush, American singer-songwriter
- 1960 – Socrates Villegas, Filipino archbishop
- 1961 – Helen Grant, English lawyer and politician, Minister for Sport and the Olympics
- 1961 – Gregory Jbara, American actor and singer
- 1961 – Quentin Kawānanakoa, American lawyer and politician
- 1961 – Anne White, American tennis player
- 1962 – Grant Fuhr, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1962 – Laurie Rinker, American golfer
- 1962 – Dietmar Schacht, German footballer and manager
- 1962 – Chuck Taylor, American journalist
- 1963 – Steve Blackman, American wrestler and martial artist
- 1963 – Érik Comas, French race car driver
- 1963 – Greg Weisman, American voice actor, producer, and screenwriter
- 1964 – Claudio Borghi, Argentinian footballer and manager
- 1964 – Gregor Fisken, Scottish race car driver
- 1964 – Janeane Garofalo, American comedian, actress, and screenwriter
- 1964 – Paul Jewell, English footballer and manager
- 1964 – Mārtiņš Roze, Latvian lawyer and politician (d. 2012)
- 1966 – Scott Adams, American football player (d. 2013)
- 1966 – Maria Canals-Barrera, Cuban-American actress
- 1966 – Puri Jagannadh, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1967 – Mira Sorvino, American actress
- 1967 – Moon Zappa, American actress and author
- 1968 – Francois Botha, South African boxer and mixed martial artist
- 1968 – Mika Häkkinen, Finnish race car driver
- 1968 – Trish Keenan, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2011)
- 1968 – Sean Levert, American R&B singer-songwriter and actor (d. 2008)
- 1968 – Rob Moroso, American race car driver (d. 1990)
- 1968 – Naomi Watts, English-Australian actress and producer
- 1969 – Kerri Chandler, electronic music producer and DJ
- 1969 – Marcel Dost, Dutch decathlete
- 1969 – Ben Greenman, American journalist and author
- 1969 – Piper Kerman, American author and memoirist
- 1969 – Éric Lapointe, Canadian singer-songwriter and keyboard player
- 1969 – Sascha Maassen, German race car driver
- 1969 – Angus Robertson, Scottish politician
- 1969 – Nico Vaesen, Belgian footballer
- 1970 – Kimiko Date-Krumm, Japanese tennis player
- 1970 – Mike DeJean, American baseball player
- 1970 – Gualter Salles, Brazilian race car driver
- 1971 – Joseph Arthur, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1971 – George Eustice, English lawyer and politician
- 1971 – Braam van Straaten, South African rugby player
- 1971 – Alan Wright, English footballer and manager
- 1972 – Dita Von Teese, American model and dancer
- 1973 – Brian Rafalski, American ice hockey player
- 1974 – Marco Di Loreto, Italian footballer and manager
- 1974 – Mariya Kiselyova, Russian swimmer
- 1974 – Joonas Kolkka, Finnish footballer and coach
- 1974 – Shane Webcke, Australian rugby league player and coach
- 1975 – Stuart Clark, Australian cricketer and manager
- 1975 – Isamu Jordan, American journalist and academic (d. 2013)
- 1975 – Lenny Krayzelburg, Russian-American swimmer
- 1976 – Fedor Emelianenko, Russian mixed martial artist and politician
- 1977 – Ireneusz Marcinkowski, Polish footballer
- 1977 – Pak Se-ri, South Korean golfer
- 1977 – Young Jeezy, American rapper
- 1978 – Ben Edmondson, Australian cricketer
- 1979 – Bam Margera, American skateboarder, actor, and stuntman
- 1979 – Taki Tsan, American-Greek rapper and producer
- 1980 – Marlon Parmer, American basketball player
- 1981 – Greg Anderson, American pianist and composer
- 1981 – Willy Caballero, Argentine footballer
- 1981 – José Calderón, Spanish basketball player
- 1981 – Jorge Guagua, Ecuadorian footballer
- 1981 – Iracema Trevisan, Brazilian bass player
- 1982 – Aleksandr Anyukov, Russian footballer
- 1982 – Abhinav Bindra, Indian target shooter
- 1982 – Ray Emery, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2018)
- 1982 – Ranbir Kapoor, Indian actor and director
- 1982 – Nolwenn Leroy, French singer-songwriter and actress
- 1982 – Emeka Okafor, American basketball player
- 1982 – Dustin Penner, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1982 – Aivar Rehemaa, Estonian skier
- 1982 – Anderson Varejão, Brazilian basketball player
- 1982 – St. Vincent, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1983 – Stefan Moore, English footballer
- 1983 – John Schwalger, New Zealand rugby player
- 1984 – Jenny Omnichord, Canadian singer-songwriter
- 1984 – Luke Pomersbach, Australian cricketer
- 1984 – Naim Terbunja, Kosovan-Swedish boxer
- 1984 – Melody Thornton, American singer-songwriter and dancer
- 1984 – Mathieu Valbuena, French footballer
- 1984 – Ryan Zimmerman, American baseball player
- 1985 – Shindong, South Korean singer-songwriter and dancer
- 1985 – Alina Ibragimova, Russian-English violinist
- 1986 – Andrés Guardado, Mexican footballer
- 1986 – Meskerem Legesse, Ethiopian runner (d. 2013)
- 1986 – Dominic Waters, American basketball player
- 1987 – Pierre Becken, German footballer
- 1987 – Gary Deegan, Irish footballer
- 1987 – Hilary Duff, American singer-songwriter and actress
- 1987 – Chloë Hanslip, English violinist
- 1987 – Viktoria Leks, Estonian high jumper
- 1988 – Marin Čilić, Croatian tennis player
- 1988 – Esmée Denters, Dutch singer-songwriter
- 1988 – Aleks Vrteski, Australian footballer
- 1988 – Worakls, French DJ and electronic musician
- 1989 – Çağla Büyükakçay, Turkish tennis player
- 1989 – Darius Johnson-Odom, American basketball player
- 1989 – Mark Randall, English footballer
- 1990 – Phoenix Battye, Australian rugby player
- 1992 – Khem Birch, Canadian professional basketball player
- 1992 – Adam Thompson, English-Northern Irish footballer
- 1992 – Kōko Tsurumi, Japanese gymnast
- 1993 – Jodie Williams, English sprinter
- 1995 – Jason Williams, English footballer
Deaths on September 28
- 48 BC – Pompey, Roman general and politician (b. 106 BC)
- 782 – Leoba, Anglo-Saxon nun
- 935 – Wenceslaus I, duke of Bohemia
- 980 – Minamoto no Hiromasa, Japanese nobleman (b. 918)
- 1197 – Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1165)
- 1213 – Gertrude of Merania, queen consort of Hungaria (b. 1185)
- 1330 – Elizabeth of Bohemia, queen consort of Bohemia (b. 1292)
- 1429 – Cymburgis of Masovia, duchess consort of Austria (b. 1394)
- 1582 – George Buchanan, Scottish historian and scholar (b. 1506)
- 1596 – Margaret Clifford, countess of Derby (b. 1540)
- 1618 – Josuah Sylvester, English poet and translator (b. 1563)
- 1687 – Francis Turretin, Swiss-Italian theologian and academic (b. 1623)
- 1694 – Gabriel Mouton, French mathematician and theologian (b. 1618)
- 1702 – Robert Spencer, 2nd Earl of Sunderland, French-English lawyer and politician, Lord President of the Council (b. 1640)
- 1742 – Jean Baptiste Massillon, French bishop (b. 1663)
- 1829 – Nikolay Raevsky, Russian general and politician (b. 1771)
- 1844 – Pyotr Aleksandrovich Tolstoy, Russian general and politician (b. 1769)
- 1859 – Carl Ritter, German geographer and academic (b. 1779)
- 1873 – Émile Gaboriau, French journalist and author (b. 1832)
- 1891 – Herman Melville, American author and poet (b. 1819)
- 1895 – Louis Pasteur, French chemist and microbiologist (b. 1822)
- 1899 – Giovanni Segantini, Austrian painter (b. 1858)
- 1914 – Richard Warren Sears, American businessman, co-founded Sears (b. 1863)
- 1915 – Saitō Hajime, Japanese samurai (b. 1844)
- 1918 – Georg Simmel, German sociologist and philosopher (b. 1858)
- 1918 – Freddie Stowers, American soldier, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1896)
- 1925 – Paul Vermoyal, French actor (b. 1888)
- 1935 – William Kennedy Dickson, French-Scottish actor, director, and producer, invented the Kinetoscope (b. 1860)
- 1938 – Charles Duryea, American engineer and businessman, founded the Duryea Motor Wagon Company (b. 1861)
- 1943 – Sam Ruben, American chemist and academic (b. 1913)
- 1943 – Filippo Illuminato, Italian partisan, Gold Medal of Military Valour (b. 1930)
- 1949 – Archbishop Chrysanthus of Athens (b. 1881)
- 1953 – Edwin Hubble, American astronomer and scholar (b. 1889)
- 1956 – William Boeing, American businessman, founded the Boeing Company (b. 1881)
- 1957 – Luis Cluzeau Mortet, Uruguayan violinist and composer (b. 1888)
- 1959 – Rudolf Caracciola, German race car driver (b. 1901)
- 1962 – Roger Nimier, French soldier and author (b. 1925)
- 1964 – Harpo Marx, American comedian, actor, and singer (b. 1888)
- 1966 – André Breton, French author and poet (b. 1896)
- 1970 – John Dos Passos, American novelist, poet, essayist, and playwright (b. 1896)
- 1970 – Gamal Abdel Nasser, Egyptian colonel and politician, 2nd President of Egypt (b. 1918)
- 1978 – Pope John Paul I (b. 1912)
- 1979 – John Herbert Chapman, Canadian physicist and engineer (b. 1921)
- 1981 – Rómulo Betancourt, Venezuelan journalist and politician, President of Venezuela (b. 1908)
- 1982 – Mabel Albertson, American actress (b. 1901)
- 1984 – Cihad Baban, Turkish journalist, author, and politician (b. 1911)
- 1989 – Ferdinand Marcos, Filipino lawyer and politician, 10th President of the Philippines (b. 1917)
- 1990 – Larry O’Brien, American businessman and politician, 57th United States Postmaster General (b. 1917)
- 1991 – Miles Davis, American trumpet player, composer, and bandleader (b. 1926)
- 1993 – Peter De Vries, American editor and novelist (b. 1910)
- 1993 – Alexander A. Drabik, American sergeant (b. 1910)
- 1994 – Urmas Alender, Estonian singer (b. 1953)
- 1994 – José Francisco Ruiz Massieu, Mexican lawyer and politician, 6th Governor of Guerrero (b. 1946)
- 1994 – Harry Saltzman, Canadian production manager and producer (b. 1915)
- 1994 – K. A. Thangavelu, Indian film actor and comedian (b. 1917)
- 1999 – Escott Reid, Canadian academic and diplomat (b. 1905)
- 2000 – Pierre Trudeau, Canadian journalist, lawyer, and politician, 15th Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1919)
- 2002 – Patsy Mink, American lawyer and politician (b. 1927)
- 2002 – Hartland Molson, Canadian captain and politician (b. 1907)
- 2003 – Althea Gibson, American tennis player and golfer (b. 1927)
- 2003 – Elia Kazan, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1909)
- 2003 – George Odlum, Saint Lucian politician and diplomat (b. 1934)
- 2004 – Geoffrey Beene, American fashion designer (b. 1924)
- 2005 – Constance Baker Motley, American lawyer, judge, and politician (b. 1921)
- 2007 – René Desmaison, French mountaineer (b. 1930)
- 2007 – Wally Parks, American businessman, founded the National Hot Rod Association (b. 1913)
- 2009 – Guillermo Endara, Panamanian lawyer and politician, 32nd President of Panama (b. 1936)
- 2009 – Ulf Larsson, Swedish actor and director (b. 1956)
- 2010 – Kurt Albert, German mountaineer and photographer (b. 1954)
- 2010 – Arthur Penn, American director and producer (b. 1922)
- 2010 – Dolores Wilson, American soprano and actress (b. 1928)
- 2012 – Avraham Adan, Israeli general (b. 1926)
- 2012 – Chris Economaki, American journalist and sportscaster (b. 1920)
- 2012 – Brajesh Mishra, Indian politician and diplomat, 1st Indian National Security Advisor (b. 1928)
- 2013 – James Emanuel, American-French poet and scholar (b. 1921)
- 2013 – Jonathan Fellows-Smith, South African cricketer and rugby player (b. 1932)
- 2013 – George Amon Webster, American singer and pianist (b. 1945)
- 2014 – Dannie Abse, Welsh physician, poet, and author (b. 1923)
- 2014 – Joseph H. Alexander, American colonel and historian (b. 1938)
- 2014 – Sheila Faith, English dentist and politician (b. 1928)
- 2014 – Tim Rawlings, English footballer and manager (b. 1932)
- 2014 – Petr Skoumal, Czech pianist and composer (b. 1938)
- 2015 – Alexander Faris, Irish composer and conductor (b. 1921)
- 2015 – Walter Dale Miller, American rancher and politician, 29th Governor of South Dakota (b. 1925)
- 2015 – Ignacio Zoco, Spanish footballer (b. 1939)
- 2016 – Agnes Nixon, American television writer and director (b. 1922)
- 2016 – Gary Glasberg, American television writer and producer (b. 1966)
- 2016 – Shimon Peres, Polish-Israeli statesman and politician, 9th President of Israel (b. 1923)
- 2016 – Gloria Naylor, American novelist (b. 1950)
- 2017 – Daniel Pe’er, Israeli television host and newsreader (b. 1943)
- 2018 – Predrag Ejdus, Serbian actor (b. 1947)
- 2019 – José José, 71, Mexican singer (El Principe de la Canción or The Prince of Song), pancreas cancer (b. 1948)
Holidays and observances on September 28
- Christian feast day:
- Aaron of Auxerre
- Annemund
- Conval
- Eustochium
- Exuperius
- Faustus of Riez
- John of Dukla
- Leoba
- Lorenzo Ruiz
- Paternus of Auch
- Richard Rolle, Walter Hilton and Margery Kempe (Episcopal Church (USA))
- Simón de Rojas
- Wenceslas
- September 28 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics).
- Czech Statehood Day (Czech Republic)
- Freedom from Hunger Day
- International Day for Universal Access to Information
- National Day of Awareness and Unity against Child Pornography (Philippines)
- Teachers’ Day (Taiwan and Chinese-Filipino schools in the Philippines), ceremonies dedicated to Confucius are also observed.
- World Rabies Day (International)
-
June 4 in History
- 1411 – King Charles VI granted a monopoly for the ripening of Roquefort cheese to the people of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon as they had been doing for centuries.
- 1561 – The steeple of St Paul’s, the medieval cathedral of London, is destroyed in a fire caused by lightning and is never rebuilt.
- 1615 – Siege of Osaka: Forces under Tokugawa Ieyasu take Osaka Castle in Japan.
- 1745 – Battle of Hohenfriedberg: Frederick the Great’s Prussian army decisively defeated an Austrian army under Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine during the War of the Austrian Succession.
- 1760 – Great Upheaval: New England planters arrive to claim land in Nova Scotia, Canada, taken from the Acadians.
- 1783 – The Montgolfier brothers publicly demonstrate their montgolfière (hot air balloon).
- 1784 – Élisabeth Thible becomes the first woman to fly in an untethered hot air balloon. Her flight covers four kilometres in 45 minutes, and reached 1,500 metres altitude (estimated).
- 1792 – Captain George Vancouver claims Puget Sound for the Kingdom of Great Britain.
- 1802 – King Charles Emmanuel IV of Sardinia abdicates his throne in favor of his brother, Victor Emmanuel.
- 1812 – Following Louisiana’s admittance as a U.S. state, the Louisiana Territory is renamed the Missouri Territory.
- 1825 – General Lafayette, a French officer in the American Revolutionary War, speaks at what would become Lafayette Square, Buffalo, during his visit to the United States.
- 1855 – Major Henry C. Wayne departs New York aboard the USS Supply to procure camels to establish the U.S. Camel Corps.
- 1859 – Italian Independence wars: In the Battle of Magenta, the French army, under Louis-Napoleon, defeat the Austrian army.
- 1862 – American Civil War: Confederate troops evacuate Fort Pillow on the Mississippi River, leaving the way clear for Union troops to take Memphis, Tennessee.
- 1876 – An express train called the Transcontinental Express arrives in San Francisco, via the First Transcontinental Railroad only 83 hours and 39 minutes after leaving New York City.
- 1878 – Cyprus Convention: The Ottoman Empire cedes Cyprus to the United Kingdom but retains nominal title.
- 1896 – Henry Ford completes the Ford Quadricycle, his first gasoline-powered automobile, and gives it a successful test run.
- 1912 – Massachusetts becomes the first state of the United States to set a minimum wage.
- 1913 – Emily Davison, a suffragette, runs out in front of King George V’s horse at The Derby. She is trampled, never regains consciousness, and dies four days later.
- 1916 – World War I: Russia opens the Brusilov Offensive with an artillery barrage of Austro-Hungarian lines in Galicia.
- 1917 – The first Pulitzer Prizes are awarded: Laura E. Richards, Maude H. Elliott, and Florence Hall receive the first Pulitzer for biography (for Julia Ward Howe). Jean Jules Jusserand receives the first Pulitzer for history for his work With Americans of Past and Present Days. Herbert B. Swope receives the first Pulitzer for journalism for his work for the New York World.
- 1919 – Women’s rights: The U.S. Congress approves the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which guarantees suffrage to women, and sends it to the U.S. states for ratification.
- 1920 – Hungary loses 71% of its territory and 63% of its population when the Treaty of Trianon is signed in Paris.
- 1928 – The President of the Republic of China, Zhang Zuolin, is assassinated by Japanese agents.
- 1932 – Marmaduke Grove and other Chilean military officers lead a coup d’état establishing the short-lived Socialist Republic of Chile.
- 1939 – The Holocaust: The MS St. Louis, a ship carrying 963 Jewish refugees, is denied permission to land in Florida, in the United States, after already being turned away from Cuba. Forced to return to Europe, more than 200 of its passengers later die in Nazi concentration camps.
- 1940 – World War II: The Dunkirk evacuation ends: British forces complete evacuation of 338,000 troops from Dunkirk in France. To rally the morale of the country, Winston Churchill delivers, only to the House of Commons, his famous “We shall fight on the beaches” speech.
- 1942 – World War II: The Battle of Midway begins. The Japanese Admiral Chūichi Nagumo orders a strike on Midway Island by much of the Imperial Japanese Navy.
- 1943 – A military coup in Argentina ousts Ramón Castillo.
- 1944 – World War II: A hunter-killer group of the United States Navy captures the German submarine U-505: The first time a U.S. Navy vessel had captured an enemy vessel at sea since the 19th century.
- 1944 – World War II: The United States Fifth Army captures Rome, although much of the German Fourteenth Army is able to withdraw to the north.
- 1961 – Cold War: In the Vienna summit, the Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev sparks the Berlin Crisis by threatening to sign a separate peace treaty with East Germany and ending American, British and French access to East Berlin.
- 1967 – Seventy-two people are killed when a Canadair C-4 Argonaut crashes at Stockport in England.
- 1970 – Tonga gains independence from the United Kingdom.
- 1975 – The Governor of California Jerry Brown signs the California Agricultural Labor Relations Act into law, the first law in the U.S. giving farmworkers collective bargaining rights.
- 1979 – Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings takes power in Ghana after a military coup in which General Fred Akuffo is overthrown.
- 1983 – Gordon Kahl, who killed two US Marshals in Medina, North Dakota on February 13, is killed in a shootout in Smithville, Arkansas, along with a local sheriff, after a four-month manhunt.
- 1986 – Jonathan Pollard pleads guilty to espionage for selling top secret United States military intelligence to Israel.
- 1988 – Three cars on a train carrying hexogen to Kazakhstan explode in Arzamas, Gorky Oblast, USSR, killing 91 and injuring about 1,500.
- 1989 – Ali Khamenei is elected as the new Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran by the Assembly of Experts after the death and funeral of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
- 1989 – The Tiananmen Square protests are suppressed in Beijing by the People’s Liberation Army, with between 241 and 1,000 dead (an unofficial estimate).
- 1989 – Solidarity’s victory in the first (somewhat) free parliamentary elections in post-war Poland sparks off a succession of peaceful anti-communist revolutions in Eastern Europe, leads to the creation of the so-called Contract Sejm and begins the Autumn of Nations.
- 1989 – Ufa train disaster: A natural gas explosion near Ufa, Russia, kills 575 as two trains passing each other throw sparks near a leaky pipeline.
- 1996 – The first flight of Ariane 5 explodes after roughly 37 seconds. It was a Cluster mission.
- 1998 – Terry Nichols is sentenced to life in prison for his role in the Oklahoma City bombing.
- 2010 – Falcon 9 Flight 1 is the maiden flight of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, which launches from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex 40.
Births on June 4
- 1394 – Philippa of England, Queen of Denmark, Norway and Sweden (d. 1430)
- 1489 – Antoine, Duke of Lorraine (d. 1544)
- 1563 – George Heriot, Scottish goldsmith (d. 1624)
- 1604 – Claudia de’ Medici, Italian daughter of Christina of Lorraine (d. 1648)
- 1665 – Zacharie Robutel de La Noue, Canadian captain (d. 1733)
- 1694 – François Quesnay, French economist and physician (d. 1774)
- 1704 – Benjamin Huntsman, English inventor and businessman (d. 1776)
- 1738 – George III of the United Kingdom (d. 1820)
- 1744 – Patrick Ferguson, Scottish soldier, designed the Ferguson rifle (d. 1780)
- 1754 – Miguel de Azcuénaga, Argentinian soldier (d. 1833)
- 1754 – Franz Xaver von Zach, Slovak astronomer and academic (d. 1832)
- 1787 – Constant Prévost, French geologist and academic (d. 1856)
- 1801 – James Pennethorne, English architect, designed Victoria Park (d. 1871)
- 1821 – Apollon Maykov, Russian poet and playwright (d. 1897)
- 1829 – Jinmaku Kyūgorō, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 12th Yokozuna (d. 1903)
- 1854 – Solko van den Bergh, Dutch target shooter (d. 1916)
- 1860 – Alexis Lapointe, Canadian runner (d. 1924)
- 1861 – William Propsting, Australian politician, 20th Premier of Tasmania (d. 1937)
- 1866 – Miina Sillanpää, Finnish journalist and politician (d. 1952)
- 1867 – Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, Finnish general and politician, 6th President of Finland (d. 1951)
- 1873 – Nictzin Dyalhis, American author (d.1942)
- 1877 – Heinrich Otto Wieland, German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1957)
- 1879 – Mabel Lucie Attwell, English author and illustrator (d. 1964)
- 1880 – Clara Blandick, American actress (d. 1962)
- 1885 – Arturo Rawson, Argentinian general and politician, 26th President of Argentina (d. 1952)
- 1887 – Tom Longboat, Canadian runner and soldier (d. 1949)
- 1889 – Beno Gutenberg, German-American seismologist (d. 1960)
- 1903 – Yevgeny Mravinsky, Russian conductor (d. 1988)
- 1904 – Bhagat Puran Singh, Indian publisher, environmentalist, and philanthropist (d. 1992)
- 1907 – Jacques Roumain, Haitian journalist and politician (d. 1944)
- 1907 – Rosalind Russell, American actress (d. 1976)
- 1907 – Patience Strong, English poet and journalist (d. 1990)
- 1910 – Christopher Cockerell, English engineer, invented the hovercraft (d. 1999)
- 1912 – Robert Jacobsen, Danish sculptor and painter (d. 1993)
- 1915 – Walter Hadlee, New Zealand cricketer (d. 2006)
- 1915 – Modibo Keïta, Malian educator and politician, 1st President of Mali (d. 1977)
- 1915 – Nils Kihlberg, Swedish actor, singer, and director (d. 1965)
- 1916 – Robert F. Furchgott, American biochemist and pharmacologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2009)
- 1916 – Fernand Leduc, Canadian painter (d. 2014)
- 1917 – Robert Merrill, American actor and singer (d. 2004)
- 1921 – Milan Komar, Slovenian-Argentinian philosopher and academic (d. 2006)
- 1921 – Bobby Wanzer, American basketball player and coach (d. 2016)
- 1923 – Elizabeth Jolley, English-Australian author and academic (d. 2007)
- 1923 – Masutatsu Ōyama, Japanese karateka (d. 1994)
- 1924 – Tofilau Eti Alesana, Samoan politician, 5th Prime Minister of Samoa (d. 1999)
- 1924 – Dennis Weaver, American actor and director (d. 2006)
- 1925 – Antonio Puchades, Spanish footballer (d. 2013)
- 1926 – Robert Earl Hughes, American who was the heaviest human being recorded in the history of the world during his lifetime (d. 1958)
- 1926 – Ain Kaalep, Estonian poet, playwright, and critic (d. 2020)
- 1926 – Judith Malina, German-American actress and director, co-founded The Living Theatre (d. 2015)
- 1927 – Henning Carlsen, Danish director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2014)
- 1927 – Geoffrey Palmer, English actor
- 1928 – Ruth Westheimer, German-American therapist and author
- 1929 – Karolos Papoulias, Greek lawyer and politician, 5th President of Greece
- 1930 – George Chesworth, English air marshal and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Moray (d. 2017)
- 1930 – Morgana King, American singer and actress (d. 2018)
- 1930 – Viktor Tikhonov, Russian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2014)
- 1931 – Gustav Nossal, Austrian-Australian biologist and academic
- 1932 – John Drew Barrymore, American actor (d. 2004)
- 1932 – Oliver Nelson, American saxophonist and composer (d. 1975)
- 1932 – Maurice Shadbolt, New Zealand author and playwright (d. 2004)
- 1934 – Monica Dacon, Vincentian educator and politician, 6th Governor-General of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- 1934 – Daphne Sheldrick, Kenyan-British conservationist and author (d. 2018)
- 1935 – Colette Boky, Canadian soprano and actress
- 1935 – Berhanu Dinka, Ethiopian economist and diplomat (d. 2013)
- 1936 – Vince Camuto, American fashion designer and businessman, co-founded Nine West (d. 2015)
- 1936 – Bruce Dern, American actor
- 1937 – Freddy Fender, American singer and guitarist (d. 2006)
- 1937 – Mortimer Zuckerman, Canadian-American businessman and publisher, founded Boston Properties
- 1938 – John Harvard, Canadian journalist and politician, 23rd Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba (d. 2016)
- 1938 – Art Mahaffey, American baseball player
- 1939 – Jeremy Browne, 11th Marquess of Sligo, Anglo-Irish peer (d. 2014)
- 1939 – Denis de Belleval, Canadian civil servant and politician
- 1939 – Henri Pachard, American director and producer (d. 2008)
- 1939 – George Reid, Scottish journalist and politician, 2nd Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament
- 1940 – Ludwig Schwarz, Slovak-Austrian bishop
- 1941 – Kenneth G. Ross, Australian playwright and screenwriter
- 1942 – Louis Reichardt, American mountaineer
- 1942 – Bill Rowe, Canadian lawyer and politician
- 1943 – John Burgess, Australian radio and television host
- 1943 – Sandra Haynie, American golfer
- 1943 – Tom Jaine, English author
- 1944 – Roger Ball, Scottish saxophonist and songwriter
- 1944 – Michelle Phillips, American singer-songwriter and actress
- 1945 – Anthony Braxton, American saxophonist, clarinet player, and composer
- 1945 – Daniel Topolski, English rower and coach (d. 2015)
- 1945 – Gordon Waller, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2009)
- 1947 – Viktor Klima, Austrian businessman and politician, 25th Chancellor of Austria
- 1948 – Bob Champion, English jockey
- 1948 – Sandra Post, Canadian golfer and sportscaster
- 1948 – Jürgen Sparwasser, German footballer and manager
- 1949 – Gabriel Arcand, Canadian actor
- 1949 – Mark B. Cohen, American lawyer and politician
- 1950 – Raymond Dumais, Canadian bishop (d. 2012)
- 1951 – Leigh Kennedy, American author
- 1951 – Bronisław Malinowski, Polish runner (d. 1981)
- 1951 – Melanie Phillips, English journalist and author
- 1951 – Wendy Pini, American author and illustrator
- 1951 – David Yip, English actor and playwright
- 1952 – Bronisław Komorowski, Polish historian and politician, 5th President of Poland
- 1952 – Dambudzo Marechera, Zimbabwean author and poet (d. 1987)
- 1953 – Linda Lingle, American journalist and politician, 6th Governor of Hawaii
- 1953 – Jimmy McCulloch, Scottish musician and songwriter (d. 1979)
- 1953 – Susumu Ojima, Japanese businessman, founded Huser
- 1953 – Paul Samson, English guitarist and producer (d. 2002)
- 1954 – Raphael Ravenscroft, English saxophonist and composer (d. 2014)
- 1954 – Kazuhiro Yamaji, Japanese actor and voice actor
- 1955 – Val McDermid, Scottish author
- 1955 – Mary Testa, American singer and actress
- 1956 – Keith David, American actor
- 1956 – John Hockenberry, American journalist and author
- 1956 – Terry Kennedy, American baseball player and manager
- 1956 – Joyce Sidman, American author and poet
- 1957 – Neil McNab, Scottish footballer
- 1959 – Juan Camacho, Bolivian runner
- 1959 – Georgios Voulgarakis, Greek politician, 21st Greek Minister for Culture
- 1960 – Miloš Đelmaš, Serbian footballer and manager
- 1960 – Kristine Kathryn Rusch, American author
- 1960 – Paul Taylor, American guitarist and keyboard player
- 1960 – Bradley Walsh, English television presenter, comedian, singer and former footballer
- 1961 – El DeBarge, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1961 – Ferenc Gyurcsány, Hungarian businessman and politician, 6th Prime Minister of Hungary
- 1962 – Krzysztof Hołowczyc, Polish race car driver
- 1962 – Zenon Jaskuła, Polish cyclist
- 1962 – John P. Kee, American singer-songwriter and pastor
- 1962 – Junius Ho, Hong Kong solicitor and politician
- 1963 – Sean Fitzpatrick, New Zealand rugby union player
- 1963 – Jim Lachey, American football player and sportscaster
- 1963 – Xavier McDaniel, American basketball player and coach
- 1964 – Sean Pertwee, English actor
- 1964 – Kōji Yamamura, Japanese animator, producer, and screenwriter
- 1965 – Mick Doohan, Australian motorcycle racer
- 1965 – Andrea Jaeger, American tennis player and preacher
- 1966 – Cecilia Bartoli, Italian soprano and actress
- 1966 – Vladimir Voevodsky, Russian mathematician and academic (d. 2017)
- 1966 – Bill Wiggin, English politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Wales
- 1967 – Robert S. Kimbrough, American colonel and astronaut
- 1968 – Roger Lim, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1968 – Niurka Montalvo, Cuban-Spanish long jumper
- 1968 – Al B. Sure!, American R&B singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer
- 1968 – Scott Wolf, American actor
- 1969 – Horatio Sanz, Chilean-American actor and comedian
- 1970 – Deborah Compagnoni, Italian skier
- 1970 – Richie Hawtin, English-Canadian DJ and producer
- 1970 – Dave Pybus, English bass player and songwriter
- 1970 – Izabella Scorupco, Polish-Swedish actress and model
- 1971 – Joseph Kabila, Congolese soldier and politician, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- 1971 – Mike Lee, American lawyer and politician
- 1971 – Shoji Meguro, Japanese director and composer
- 1971 – Karl Martin Sinijärv, Estonian journalist and poet
- 1971 – Noah Wyle, American actor and producer
- 1972 – Derian Hatcher, American ice hockey defenseman
- 1972 – Rob Huebel, American comedian, actor, producer, and screenwriter
- 1973 – Mikey Whipwreck, American wrestler and trainer
- 1974 – Jacob Sahaya Kumar Aruni, Indian chef (d. 2012)
- 1974 – Darin Erstad, American baseball player and coach
- 1974 – Andrew Gwynne, English lawyer and politician
- 1974 – Janette Husárová, Slovak tennis player
- 1974 – Buddy Wakefield, American poet and author
- 1975 – Russell Brand, English comedian and actor
- 1975 – Henry Burris, American football player
- 1975 – Angelina Jolie, American actress, filmmaker, humanitarian, and activist
- 1975 – Dinanath Ramnarine, Trinidadian cricketer
- 1975 – Alex Wharf, English cricketer
- 1976 – Kasey Chambers, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1976 – Alexei Navalny, Russian lawyer and politician
- 1976 – Nenad Zimonjić, Serbian tennis player
- 1977 – Dionisis Chiotis, Greek footballer
- 1977 – Alex Manninger, Austrian footballer
- 1977 – Roman Miroshnichenko, Ukrainian guitarist and composer
- 1977 – Roland G. Fryer Jr., American economist and professor
- 1978 – Robin Lord Taylor, American actor
- 1979 – Naohiro Takahara, Japanese footballer
- 1979 – Daniel Vickerman, South African-Australian rugby player (d. 2017)
- 1980 – François Beauchemin, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1981 – Jennifer Carroll, Canadian swimmer
- 1981 – Giourkas Seitaridis, Greek footballer
- 1981 – Natalia Vodopyanova, Russian basketball player
- 1982 – Abel Kirui, Kenyan runner
- 1982 – Ronnie Prude, American-Canadian football player
- 1983 – Romaric, Ivorian footballer
- 1983 – Emmanuel Eboué, Ivorian footballer
- 1983 – Olha Saladuha, Ukrainian triple jumper
- 1984 – Enrico Rossi Chauvenet, Italian footballer
- 1984 – Rainie Yang, Taiwanese actress
- 1984 – Ian White, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1985 – Leon Botha, South African painter and DJ (d. 2011)
- 1985 – Anna-Lena Grönefeld, German tennis player
- 1985 – Evan Lysacek, American figure skater
- 1985 – Lukas Podolski, German footballer
- 1985 – Oddvar Reiakvam, Norwegian politician
- 1987 – Luisa Zissman, English businesswoman
- 1987 – Mollie King, English singer-songwriter and model
- 1988 – Matt Bartkowski, American ice hockey defenseman
- 1988 – Kimberley Busteed, Australian model
- 1989 – Federico Erba, Italian footballer
- 1989 – Paweł Fajdek, Polish hammer thrower
- 1990 – Zac Farro, American singer and drummer
- 1990 – Evan Spiegel, American Internet entrepreneur
- 1991 – Lorenzo Insigne, Italian footballer
- 1991 – Matt McIlwrick, New Zealand rugby league player
- 1991 – Ben Stokes, New Zealand-English cricketer
- 1993 – Jonathan Huberdeau, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1995 – Shiori Tamai, Japanese singer
- 1999 – Kim So-hyun, South Korean actress
- 2004 – Mackenzie Ziegler, American dancer, singer, actress and model
Deaths on June 4
- 756 – Shōmu, Japanese emperor (b. 701)
- 863 – Charles, archbishop of Mainz
- 895 – Li Xi, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty
- 946 – Guaimar II (Gybbosus), Lombard prince
- 956 – Muhammad III of Shirvan, Muslim ruler
- 1039 – Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 990)
- 1102 – Władysław I Herman, Polish nobleman (b. c. 1044)
- 1134 – Magnus I of Sweden (b. 1106)
- 1135 – Emperor Huizong of Song (b. 1082)
- 1206 – Adela of Champagne (b. 1140)
- 1246 – Isabella of Angoulême (b. 1188)
- 1257 – Przemysł I of Greater Poland (b. 1221)
- 1394 – Mary de Bohun, wife of Henry IV of England (b.c. 1368)
- 1453 – Andronikos Palaiologos Kantakouzenos, Byzantine commander
- 1463 – Flavio Biondo, Italian historian and author (b. 1392)
- 1472 – Nezahualcoyotl, Aztec poet (b. 1402)
- 1585 – Muretus, French philosopher and author (b. 1526)
- 1608 – Francis Caracciolo, Italian Catholic priest (b. 1563)
- 1622 – Péter Révay, Hungarian soldier and historian (b. 1568)
- 1647 – Canonicus, Grand Chief Sachem of the Narragansett (b. 1565)
- 1663 – William Juxon, English archbishop and academic (b. 1582)
- 1798 – Giacomo Casanova, Italian adventurer and author (b. 1725)
- 1801 – Frederick Muhlenberg, American minister and politician, 1st Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (b. 1750)
- 1809 – Nicolai Abildgaard, Danish neoclassical and history painter, sculptor and architect (b. 1743)
- 1830 – Antonio José de Sucre, Venezuelan general and politician, 2nd President of Bolivia (b. 1795)
- 1872 – Johan Rudolph Thorbecke, Dutch historian, jurist, and politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (b. 1798)
- 1875 – Eduard Mörike, German pastor and poet (b. 1804)
- 1876 – Abdülaziz of the Ottoman Empire, 32nd Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (b. 1830)
- 1922 – W. H. R. Rivers, English anthropologist, neurologist, ethnologist, and psychiatrist (b. 1864)
- 1925 – Margaret Murray Washington, American Academic (b. 1865)
- 1926 – Fred Spofforth, Australian-English cricketer and coach (b. 1853)
- 1928 – Zhang Zuolin, Chinese warlord (b. 1873)
- 1929 – Harry Frazee, American director, producer, and agent (b. 1881)
- 1931 – Hussein bin Ali, Sharif of Mecca, Sharif and Emir of Mecca, King of the Hejaz (b. 1853/54)
- 1933 – Ahmet Haşim, Turkish poet and author (b. 1884)
- 1939 – Tommy Ladnier, American trumpet player (b. 1900)
- 1941 – Wilhelm II, German Emperor (b. 1859)
- 1942 – Reinhard Heydrich, German SS officer and politician (b. 1904)
- 1951 – Serge Koussevitzky, Russian-American bassist, composer, and conductor (b. 1874)
- 1956 – Katherine MacDonald, American actress and producer (b. 1881)
- 1962 – Clem McCarthy, American sportscaster (b. 1882)
- 1967 – Linda Eenpalu, Estonian lawyer and politician (b. 1890)
- 1968 – Dorothy Gish, American actress (b. 1898)
- 1970 – Sonny Tufts, American actor (b. 1911)
- 1971 – György Lukács, Hungarian historian and philosopher (b. 1885)
- 1973 – Maurice René Fréchet, French mathematician and academic (b. 1878)
- 1973 – Murry Wilson, American songwriter, producer, and manager (b. 1917)
- 1981 – Leslie Averill, New Zealand doctor and soldier (b. 1897)
- 1989 – Dik Browne, American cartoonist (b. 1917)
- 1990 – Stiv Bators, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1949)
- 1992 – Carl Stotz, American businessman, founded Little League Baseball (b. 1910)
- 1993 – Bernard Evslin, American writer (b. 1922)
- 1994 – Derek Leckenby, English musician (b. 1943)
- 1997 – Ronnie Lane, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1946)
- 1998 – Josephine Hutchinson, American actress (b. 1903)
- 2002 – Fernando Belaúnde Terry, Peruvian architect and politician, 42nd President of Peru (b. 1912)
- 2004 – Steve Lacy, American saxophonist and composer (b. 1934)
- 2004 – Nino Manfredi, Italian actor (b. 1921)
- 2007 – Clete Boyer, American baseball player and manager (b. 1937)
- 2007 – Bill France, Jr., American businessman (b. 1933)
- 2007 – Craig L. Thomas, American captain and politician (b. 1933)
- 2010 – John Wooden, American basketball player and coach (b. 1910)
- 2011 – Juan Francisco Luis, Virgin Islander sergeant and politician, 23rd Governor of the United States Virgin Islands (b. 1940)
- 2011 – Andreas P. Nielsen, Danish author and composer (b. 1953)
- 2012 – Peter Beaven, New Zealand architect, designed the Lyttelton Road Tunnel Administration Building (b. 1925)
- 2012 – Pedro Borbón, Dominican-American baseball player (b. 1946)
- 2012 – Rodolfo Quezada Toruño, Guatemalan cardinal (b. 1932)
- 2012 – Herb Reed, American violinist (b. 1929)
- 2013 – Walt Arfons, American race car driver (b. 1916)
- 2013 – Joey Covington, American drummer (b. 1945)
- 2013 – Hermann Gunnarsson, Icelandic footballer, handball player, and sportscaster (b. 1946)
- 2013 – Will Wynn, American football player (b. 1949)
- 2014 – George Ho, American-Hong Kong businessman (b. 1919)
- 2014 – Nathan Shamuyarira, Zimbabwean journalist and politician, Zimbabwean Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1928)
- 2014 – Sydney Templeman, Baron Templeman, English lawyer and judge (b. 1920)
- 2014 – Don Zimmer, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1931)
- 2015 – Marguerite Patten, English economist and author (b. 1915)
- 2015 – Leonid Plyushch, Ukrainian mathematician and academic (b. 1938)
- 2015 – Jabe Thomas, American race car driver (b. 1930)
- 2015 – Anne Warburton, British academic and diplomat, British Ambassador to Denmark (b. 1927)
- 2016 – Carmen Pereira, Bissau-Guinean politician (b. 1937)
- 2017 – Juan Goytisolo, Spanish essayist, poet and novelist (b. 1931)
Holidays and observances on June 4
- Birthday of Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim & Flag Day celebration of the Finnish Defence Forces (Finland)
- Christian feast day:
- Filippo Smaldone
- Francis Caracciolo
- Optatus
- Petroc of Cornwall
- Quirinus of Sescia
- Saturnina
- June 4 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Emancipation Day or Independence Day, commemorates the abolition of serfdom in Tonga by King George Tupou in 1862, and the independence of Tonga from the British protectorate in 1970. (Tonga)
- Flag Day (Estonia)
- International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression (International)
- National Unity Day (Hungary)
- Tiananmen Square Protests of 1989 Memorial Day (International)
-
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)