American wrestler

  • May 4 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 1256 – The Augustinian monastic order is constituted at the Lecceto Monastery when Pope Alexander IV issues a papal bull Licet ecclesiae catholicae.
    • 1415 – Religious reformers John Wycliffe and Jan Hus are condemned as heretics at the Council of Constance.
    • 1436 – Assassination of the Swedish rebel (later national hero) Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson
    • 1471 – Wars of the Roses: The Battle of Tewkesbury: Edward IV defeats a Lancastrian Army and kills Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales.
    • 1493 – Pope Alexander VI divides the New World between Spain and Portugal along the Line of Demarcation.
    • 1626 – Dutch explorer Peter Minuit arrives in New Netherland (present day Manhattan Island) aboard the See Meeuw.
    • 1686 – The Municipality of Ilagan is founded in the Philippines.
    • 1776 – Rhode Island becomes the first American colony to renounce allegiance to King George III.
    • 1799 – Fourth Anglo-Mysore War: The Battle of Seringapatam: The siege of Seringapatam ends when the city is invaded and Tipu Sultan killed by the besieging British army, under the command of General George Harris.
    • 1814 – Emperor Napoleon arrives at Portoferraio on the island of Elba to begin his exile.
    • 1814 – King Ferdinand VII abolishes the Spanish Constitution of 1812, returning Spain to absolutism.
    • 1836 – Formation of Ancient Order of Hibernians
    • 1859 – The Cornwall Railway opens across the Royal Albert Bridge linking Devon and Cornwall in England.
    • 1869 – The Naval Battle of Hakodate is fought in Japan.
    • 1871 – The National Association, the first professional baseball league, opens its first season in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
    • 1886 – Haymarket affair: A bomb is thrown at policemen trying to break up a labor rally in Chicago, United States, killing eight and wounding 60. The police fire into the crowd.
    • 1904 – The United States begins construction of the Panama Canal.
    • 1910 – The Royal Canadian Navy is created.
    • 1912 – Italy occupies the Greek island of Rhodes.
    • 1919 – May Fourth Movement: Student demonstrations take place in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China, protesting the Treaty of Versailles, which transferred Chinese territory to Japan.
    • 1926 – The United Kingdom general strike begins.
    • 1927 – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is incorporated.
    • 1932 – In Atlanta, mobster Al Capone begins serving an eleven-year prison sentence for tax evasion.
    • 1942 – World War II: The Battle of the Coral Sea begins with an attack by aircraft from the United States aircraft carrier USS Yorktown on Japanese naval forces at Tulagi Island in the Solomon Islands. The Japanese forces had invaded Tulagi the day before.
    • 1945 – World War II: Neuengamme concentration camp near Hamburg is liberated by the British Army.
    • 1945 – World War II: The German surrender at Lüneburg Heath is signed, coming into effect the following day. It encompasses all Wehrmacht units in the Netherlands, Denmark and northwest Germany.
    • 1946 – In San Francisco Bay, U.S. Marines from the nearby Treasure Island Naval Base stop a two-day riot at Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary. Five people are killed in the riot.
    • 1949 – The entire Torino football team (except for two players who did not take the trip: Sauro Tomà, due to an injury and Renato Gandolfi, because of coach request) is killed in a plane crash.
    • 1953 – Ernest Hemingway wins the Pulitzer Prize for The Old Man and the Sea.
    • 1959 – The 1st Annual Grammy Awards are held.
    • 1961 – American civil rights movement: The “Freedom Riders” begin a bus trip through the South.
    • 1961 – Malcolm Ross and Victor Prather attain a new altitude record for manned balloon flight ascending in the Strato-Lab V open gondola to 113,740 feet (34.67 km).
    • 1970 – Vietnam War: Kent State shootings: The Ohio National Guard, sent to Kent State University after disturbances in the city of Kent the weekend before, opens fire killing four unarmed students and wounding nine others. The students were protesting the Cambodian Campaign of the United States and South Vietnam.
    • 1972 – The Don’t Make A Wave Committee, a fledgling environmental organization founded in Canada in 1971, officially changes its name to “Greenpeace Foundation”.
    • 1978 – The South African Defence Force attacks a SWAPO base at Cassinga in southern Angola, killing about 600 people.
    • 1979 – Margaret Thatcher becomes the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
    • 1982 – Twenty sailors are killed when the British Type 42 destroyer HMS Sheffield is hit by an Argentinian Exocet missile during the Falklands War.
    • 1988 – The PEPCON disaster rocks Henderson, Nevada, as tons of Space Shuttle fuel detonate during a fire.
    • 1989 – Iran–Contra affair: Former White House aide Oliver North is convicted of three crimes and acquitted of nine other charges; the convictions are later overturned on appeal.
    • 1990 – Latvia proclaims the renewal of its independence after the Soviet occupation.
    • 1994 – Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO leader Yasser Arafat sign a peace accord, granting self-rule in the Gaza Strip and Jericho.
    • 1998 – A federal judge in Sacramento, California, gives “Unabomber” Theodore Kaczynski four life sentences plus 30 years after Kaczynski accepts a plea agreement sparing him from the death penalty.
    • 2000 – Ken Livingstone becomes the first Mayor of London (an office separate from that of the Lord Mayor of London).
    • 2007 – Greensburg, Kansas is almost completely destroyed by a 1.7-mile wide EF5 tornado. It was the first-ever tornado to be rated as such with the new Enhanced Fujita scale.
    • 2014 – Three people are killed and 62 injured in a pair of bombings on buses in Nairobi, Kenya.

    Births on May 4

    • 1006 – Khwaja Abdullah Ansari, Persian mystic and poet (d. 1088)
    • 1008 – Henry I, king of France (d. 1060)
    • 1559 – Alice Spencer, English noblewoman (d. 1637)
    • 1634 – Katherine Ferrers, English aristocrat and heiress (d. 1660)
    • 1649 – Chhatrasal, Indian ruler (d. 1731)
    • 1654 – Kangxi Emperor, Emperor of the Qing Dynasty
    • 1655 – Bartolomeo Cristofori, Italian instrument maker, invented the piano (d. 1731)
    • 1677 – Françoise-Marie de Bourbon, French noblewoman (d.1749)
    • 1715 – Richard Graves, English minister and author (d. 1804)
    • 1733 – Jean-Charles de Borda, French mathematician, physicist, and sailor (d. 1799)
    • 1752 – John Brooks, American soldier and politician, 11th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1825)
    • 1757 – Manuel Tolsá, Spanish sculptor and first director of the Academy of San Carlos in Mexico City (d. 1816)
    • 1767 – Tyagaraja, Indian composer (d. 1847)
    • 1770 – François Gérard, French painter (d. 1837)
    • 1772 – Friedrich Arnold Brockhaus, German publisher (d. 1823)
    • 1796 – Horace Mann, American educator and politician (d. 1859)
    • 1796 – William Pennington, American lawyer and politician, 13th Governor of New Jersey, 23rd Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (d. 1862)
    • 1796 – William H. Prescott, American historian and scholar (d. 1859)
    • 1820 – Julia Gardiner Tyler, American wife of John Tyler, 11th First Lady of the United States (d. 1889)
    • 1820 – John Whiteaker, American soldier, judge, and politician, 1st Governor of Oregon (d. 1902)
    • 1822 – Charles Boucher de Boucherville, Canadian physician and politician, 3rd Premier of Quebec (d. 1915)
    • 1825 – Thomas Henry Huxley, English biologist, anatomist, and academic (d. 1895)
    • 1825 – Augustus Le Plongeon, English-American historian, photographer, and academic (d. 1908)
    • 1826 – Frederic Edwin Church, American painter (d. 1900)
    • 1827 – John Hanning Speke, English soldier and explorer (d. 1864)
    • 1851 – Thomas Dewing, American painter (d. 1938)
    • 1852 – Alice Liddell, English model (d. 1934)
    • 1855 – Greyfriars Bobby, faithful dog (d. 1872)
    • 1883 – Wang Jingwei, Chinese politician (d. 1944)
    • 1884 – Richard Baggallay, English army officer and cricketer (d. 1975)
    • 1887 – Andrew Dasburg, French-American painter (d. 1979)
    • 1889 – Francis Spellman, American cardinal (d. 1967)
    • 1890 – Franklin Carmichael, Canadian painter (d. 1945)
    • 1902 – Ronnie Aird, English cricketer and administrator (d. 1986)
    • 1902 – Cola Debrot, Dutch physician, lawyer, and politician (d. 1981)
    • 1903 – Luther Adler, American actor (d. 1984)
    • 1903 – Paul Demel, Czech actor (d. 1951)
    • 1905 – Al Dexter, American country singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1984)
    • 1906 – Gustav Bergmann, Austrian-American philosopher from the Vienna Circle (d. 1987)
    • 1907 – Lincoln Kirstein, American soldier and playwright, co-founded the New York City Ballet (d. 1996)
    • 1907 – Walter Walsh, American target shooter and FBI agent (d. 2014)
    • 1908 – Wolrad Eberle, German decathlete (d. 1949)
    • 1911 – Evald Seepere, Estonian boxer (d. 1990)
    • 1913 – John Broome, American author (d. 1999)
    • 1913 – Princess Katherine of Greece and Denmark (d. 2007)
    • 1914 – Maedayama Eigorō, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 39th Yokozuna (d. 1971)
    • 1916 – Jane Jacobs, American-Canadian journalist, author, and activist (d. 2006)
    • 1916 – Richard Proenneke, American soldier, carpenter, and meteorologist (d. 2003)
    • 1917 – Edward T. Cone, American pianist and composer (d. 2004)
    • 1917 – Nick Joaquin, Filipino writer, journalist and historian (d. 2004)
    • 1918 – Tom Mead, Australian journalist and politician (d. 2004)
    • 1918 – Kakuei Tanaka, Japanese soldier and politician, 64th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1993)
    • 1919 – Dory Funk, American wrestler and trainer (d. 1973)
    • 1919 – Basil Yamey, South African-English economist and academic
    • 1921 – Patsy Garrett, American actress and singer (d. 2015)
    • 1921 – John van Kesteren, Dutch-American tenor and actor (d. 2008)
    • 1921 – Edo Murtić, Croatian painter, sculptor, and illustrator (d. 2005)
    • 1922 – Paul-Émile Charbonneau, Canadian archbishop (d. 2014)
    • 1922 – Eugenie Clark, American biologist and academic (d. 2015)
    • 1923 – Stanley Biber, American soldier and physician (d. 2006)
    • 1923 – Ed Cassidy, American jazz and rock drummer (d. 2012)
    • 1923 – Assi Rahbani, Lebanese composer and producer (d. 1986)
    • 1923 – Eric Sykes, British actor and comedian (d. 2012)
    • 1923 – John Toner, American football player and coach (d. 2014)
    • 1925 – Jenő Buzánszky, Hungarian footballer and coach (d. 2015)
    • 1925 – Maurice R. Greenberg, American businessman and philanthropist
    • 1926 – David Stoddart, Baron Stoddart of Swindon, English politician
    • 1928 – Maynard Ferguson, Canadian trumpet player and bandleader (d. 2006)
    • 1928 – Thomas Kinsella, Irish poet, translator, and publisher
    • 1928 – Hosni Mubarak, Egyptian air marshal and politician, 4th President of Egypt (d. 2020)
    • 1928 – Betsy Rawls, American golfer
    • 1928 – Wolfgang von Trips, German race car driver (d. 1961)
    • 1929 – Manuel Contreras, Chilean general (d. 2015)
    • 1929 – Audrey Hepburn, Belgian-British actress and humanitarian (d. 1993)
    • 1930 – Katherine Jackson, matriarch of the Jackson family
    • 1930 – Roberta Peters, American soprano (d. 2017)
    • 1931 – Jan Pesman, Dutch speed skater (d. 2014)
    • 1931 – Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Russian conductor and educator (d. 2018)
    • 1931 – Thomas Stuttaford, English physician, journalist, and politician (d. 2018)
    • 1932 – Harlon Hill, American football player and coach (d. 2013)
    • 1932 – Alexander MacAra, Scottish epidemiologist and academic (d. 2012)
    • 1933 – J. Fred Duckett, American journalist and educator (d. 2007)
    • 1936 – El Cordobés, Spanish bullfighter
    • 1936 – Med Hondo, Mauritanian filmmaker and actor (d. 2019)
    • 1937 – Ron Carter, American bassist and educator
    • 1937 – Dick Dale, American surf-rock guitarist, singer, and songwriter (d. 2019)
    • 1937 – Wim Verstappen, Dutch director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2004)
    • 1938 – Tyrone Davis, American blues and soul singer (d. 2005)
    • 1938 – Carlos Monsiváis, Mexican journalist, author, and critic (d. 2010)
    • 1938 – Gillian Tindall, English historian and author
    • 1939 – Neil Fox, English rugby league player and coach
    • 1939 – Amos Oz, Israeli journalist and author (d. 2018)
    • 1939 – Leon Rochefort, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1940 – Robin Cook, American physician and author
    • 1940 – Peter Gregg, American race car driver and businessman (d. 1980)
    • 1941 – George Will, American journalist and author
    • 1942 – Nickolas Ashford, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer (d. 2011)
    • 1943 – Georgi Asparuhov, Bulgarian footballer (d. 1971)
    • 1943 – Mihail Chemiakin, Russian painter and sculptor
    • 1943 – Prasanta Pattanaik, Indian economist and academic
    • 1944 – Steve Liebmann, Australian radio and television host
    • 1944 – Russi Taylor, American voice actress (d. 2019)
    • 1945 – Jan Mulder, Dutch footballer and journalist
    • 1946 – John Barnard, English car designer
    • 1946 – Gary Bauer, American political activist
    • 1946 – John Watson, British race car driver
    • 1947 – John Bosley, Canadian businessman and politician, 31st Canadian Speaker of the House of Commons
    • 1947 – Ronald Sørensen, Dutch historian and politician
    • 1947 – Trivimi Velliste, Estonian politician, 17th Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs
    • 1948 – Alison Britton, English sculptor and educator
    • 1948 – Hurley Haywood, American race car driver
    • 1948 – King George Tupou V of Tonga, (d. 2012)
    • 1949 – Graham Swift, English novelist and short story writer
    • 1950 – Darryl Hunt, English bass player
    • 1951 – Colin Bass, English bass player, songwriter, and producer
    • 1951 – Colleen Hanabusa, American lawyer and politician
    • 1951 – Jackie Jackson, American singer-songwriter and dancer
    • 1952 – Belinda Green, Australian beauty queen and 1972 Miss World
    • 1953 – Pia Zadora, American actress and singer
    • 1954 – Ryan Cayabyab, Filipino pianist, composer, and conductor
    • 1956 – Michael L. Gernhardt, American astronaut and engineer
    • 1956 – David Guterson, American novelist, short story writer, poet, and essayist
    • 1956 – Ken Oberkfell, American baseball player and coach
    • 1957 – Jaak Huimerind, Estonian architect
    • 1957 – Kathy Kreiner, Canadian skier
    • 1957 – Peter Sleep, Australian cricketer
    • 1957 – Marijke Vos, Dutch educator and politician
    • 1958 – Delbert Fowler, American football player
    • 1958 – Keith Haring, American painter (d. 1990)
    • 1958 – Jane Kennedy, English politician
    • 1958 – Caroline Spelman, English politician, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
    • 1959 – Valdemaras Chomičius, Lithuanian basketball player and coach
    • 1959 – Randy Travis, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
    • 1959 – Bob Tway, American golfer
    • 1960 – Werner Faymann, Austrian politician, 28th Chancellor of Austria
    • 1961 – Jay Aston, English singer-songwriter and dancer
    • 1964 – Silvia Costa, Cuban high jumper
    • 1966 – Gary Elkins, English footballer and manager
    • 1966 – Jane McGrath, English-Australian activist, co-founded the McGrath Foundation (d. 2008)
    • 1967 – Kate Garraway, English journalist
    • 1967 – Ana Gasteyer, American actress and singer
    • 1969 – Micah Aivazoff, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1969 – Franz Resch, Austrian footballer and manager
    • 1970 – Gregg Alexander, American singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1970 – Will Arnett, Canadian actor and producer
    • 1970 – Giovanni Mirabassi, Italian jazz musician
    • 1970 – Dawn Staley, American basketball player
    • 1970 – Paul Wiseman, New Zealand cricketer and coach
    • 1971 – Joe Borowski, American baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1971 – Miles Stewart, Australian triathlete
    • 1972 – Manny Aybar, Dominican baseball player
    • 1972 – Mike Dirnt, American bass player and songwriter
    • 1973 – Matthew Barnaby, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
    • 1973 – Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Argentinian footballer and coach
    • 1973 – John Madden, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1974 – Miguel Cairo, Venezuelan baseball player and coach
    • 1974 – Tony McCoy, Northern Irish jockey and sportscaster
    • 1976 – Ben Grieve, American baseball player
    • 1976 – Rory Hamill, Northern Irish international footballer
    • 1976 – Jason Michaels, American baseball player
    • 1976 – Indrek Visnapuu, Estonian basketball player and coach
    • 1977 – John Tripp, Canadian-German ice hockey player
    • 1978 – Erin Andrews, American sportscaster and journalist
    • 1978 – Igor Biscan, Croatian footballer
    • 1978 – Brett Burton, Australian footballer
    • 1978 – Vladimíra Uhlířová, Czech tennis player
    • 1979 – Lance Bass, American singer, dancer, and producer
    • 1979 – Kristin Harmel, American journalist and author
    • 1979 – Marie Poissonnier, French pole vaulter
    • 1979 – Lesley Vainikolo, Tongan rugby player
    • 1980 – Andrew Raycroft, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1981 – Eric Djemba-Djemba, Cameroon footballer
    • 1981 – Dallon Weekes, American singer-songwriter and musician
    • 1982 – Kleopas Giannou, Greek footballer
    • 1982 – Markus Rogan, Austrian swimmer
    • 1982 – Giorgos Tsiaras, Greek basketball player
    • 1983 – Dan Christian, Australian cricketer
    • 1983 – Derek Roy, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1983 – Robert Zwinkels, Dutch footballer
    • 1984 – Manjural Islam Rana, Bangladeshi cricketer (d. 2007)
    • 1984 – Brad Maddox, American wrestler and referee
    • 1984 – Sarah Meier, Swiss figure skater
    • 1984 – Montell Owens, American football player
    • 1984 – Kevin Slowey, American baseball player
    • 1985 – Ravi Bopara, English cricketer
    • 1985 – Anthony Fedorov, Ukrainian-born American singer and actor
    • 1985 – Fernandinho, Brazilian footballer
    • 1985 – Lester “Bo” McCalebb, American-Macedonian professional basketball player
    • 1985 – Jamie Adenuga, English MC and rapper
    • 1986 – Devan Dubnyk, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1986 – George Hill, American basketball player
    • 1987 – Cesc Fàbregas, Spanish footballer
    • 1987 – Jorge Lorenzo, Spanish motorcycle racer
    • 1988 – Radja Nainggolan, Belgian footballer
    • 1989 – Dániel Gyurta, Hungarian swimmer
    • 1989 – Henna Lindholm, Finnish figure skater
    • 1989 – Rory McIlroy, Northern Irish golfer
    • 1989 – Aris Tatarounis, Greek basketball player
    • 1989 – James van Riemsdyk, American ice hockey player
    • 1990 – Irina Falconi, American tennis player
    • 1990 – Ryan Morgan, Australian rugby league player
    • 1990 – Duvashen Padayachee, Australian race car driver
    • 1990 – Andrea Torres, Filipino actress and model
    • 1991 – Brianne Jenner, Canadian women’s ice hockey player
    • 1992 – Victor Oladipo, American basketball player
    • 1993 – Jānis Bērziņš, Latvian basketball player
    • 1994 – Abi Masatora, Japanese sumo wrestler
    • 1994 – Joseph Tapine, New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1996 – Pelayo Roza, Spanish sprint canoeist

    Deaths on May 4

    • 408 – Venerius, archbishop of Milan
    • 784 – Arbeo, bishop of Freising
    • 1003 – Herman II, duke of Swabia
    • 1038 – Gotthard of Hildesheim, German bishop (b. 960)
    • 1406 – Coluccio Salutati, chancellor of Florence (b. 1331)
    • 1436 – Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson, Swedish rebel leader
    • 1471 – Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales, son and heir of Henry VI of England (b. 1453)
    • 1471 – Edmund Beaufort, 4th Duke of Somerset (b. 1438)
    • 1483 – George Neville, Duke of Bedford (b. 1457)
    • 1506 – Husayn Mirza Bayqara, Timurid ruler of Herat (b. 1438)
    • 1519 – Lorenzo de’ Medici, duke of Urbino (b. 1492)
    • 1535 – John Houghton, Carthusian monk and saint
    • 1562 – Lelio Sozzini, Italian Protestant theologian (b. 1525)
    • 1566 – Luca Ghini, Italian physician and botanist (b. 1490)
    • 1571 – Pierre Viret, Swiss theologian and reformer (b. 1511)
    • 1604 – Claudio Merulo, Italian organist and composer (b. 1533)
    • 1605 – Ulisse Aldrovandi, Italian naturalist (b. 1522)
    • 1615 – Adriaan van Roomen, Flemish priest and mathematician (b. 1561)
    • 1626 – Arthur Lake, English bishop and scholar (b. 1569)
    • 1677 – Isaac Barrow, English mathematician and theologian (b. 1630)
    • 1684 – John Nevison, English criminal (b. 1639)
    • 1729 – Louis Antoine de Noailles, French cardinal (b. 1651)
    • 1734 – James Thornhill, English painter and politician (b. 1675)
    • 1737 – Eustace Budgell, English journalist and politician (b. 1686)
    • 1774 – Anthony Ulrich of Brunswick, Prussian nobleman (b. 1714)
    • 1776 – Jacques Saly, French painter and sculptor (b. 1717)
    • 1790 – Matthew Tilghman, American politician (b. 1718)
    • 1799 – Tipu, ruler of Mysore (b. 1750)
    • 1811 – Nikolay Kamensky, Russian general (b. 1776)
    • 1816 – Samuel Dexter, American lawyer and politician, 4th United States Secretary of War, 3rd United States Secretary of the Treasury (b. 1761)
    • 1824 – Joseph Joubert, French author (b. 1754)
    • 1826 – Sebastián Kindelán y O’Regan, colonial governor of East Florida, Santo Domingo and Cuba (b. 1757)
    • 1839 – Denis Davydov, Russian general and poet (b. 1784)
    • 1858 – Aimé Bonpland, French botanist and explorer (b. 1773)
    • 1859 – Joseph Diaz Gergonne, French mathematician and philosopher (b. 1771)
    • 1880 – Edward Clark, American lawyer and politician, 8th Governor of Texas (b. 1815)
    • 1901 – John Jones Ross, Canadian lawyer and politician, 7th Premier of Quebec (b. 1831)
    • 1903 – Gotse Delchev, Macedonian Bulgarian revolutionary IMRO (b. 1872)
    • 1912 – Nettie Stevens, American geneticist credited with discovering sex chromosomes (b. 1861)
    • 1916 – Ned Daly, Irish rebel commander (Easter Rising) (b. 1891)
    • 1916 – John Murray, Australian politician, 23rd Premier of Victoria (b. 1851)
    • 1916 – Joseph Plunkett, Irish rebel and writer (b. 1887)
    • 1916 – Willie Pearse, Irish rebel (b. 1891)
    • 1919 – Milan Rastislav Štefánik, Slovak general and politician (b. 1880)
    • 1922 – Viktor Kingissepp, Estonian politician (b. 1888)
    • 1923 – Ralph McKittrick, American golfer and tennis player (b. 1877)
    • 1924 – E. Nesbit, English author and poet (b. 1858)
    • 1938 – Kanō Jigorō, Japanese founder of judo (b. 1860)
    • 1938 – Carl von Ossietzky, German journalist and activist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1889)
    • 1941 – Chris McKivat, Australian rugby player and coach (b. 1880)
    • 1945 – Fedor von Bock, German field marshal (b. 1880)
    • 1953 – Alexandre Pharamond, French rugby player (b. 1876)
    • 1955 – George Enescu, Romanian pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1881)
    • 1964 – Karl Robert Pusta, Estonian politician, 4th Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1883)
    • 1969 – Osbert Sitwell, English-Italian author and poet (b. 1892)
    • 1972 – Edward Calvin Kendall, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1886)
    • 1973 – Jane Bowles, American author and playwright (b. 1917)
    • 1975 – Moe Howard, American actor, singer, and screenwriter (b. 1897)
    • 1976 – Frank Strahan, Australian public servant (b. 1886)
    • 1980 – Josip Broz Tito, Yugoslav field marshal and politician, 1st President of Yugoslavia (b. 1892)
    • 1981 – C. Loganathan, Sri Lankan banker (b. 1913)
    • 1983 – Nino Sanzogno, Italian conductor and composer (b. 1911)
    • 1984 – Diana Dors, English actress (b. 1931)
    • 1985 – Fikri Sönmez, Turkish tailor and politician (b. 1938)
    • 1985 – Clarence Wiseman, English-Canadian 10th General of The Salvation Army (b. 1907)
    • 1987 – Paul Butterfield, American singer and harmonica player (b. 1942)
    • 1987 – Cathryn Damon, American actress (b. 1930)
    • 1988 – Lillian Estelle Fisher, American historian of Spanish America (b. 1891)
    • 1990 – Emily Remler, American guitarist (b. 1957)
    • 1991 – Mohammed Abdel Wahab, Egyptian singer-songwriter and mandolin player (b. 1902)
    • 1992 – Gregor Mackenzie, Scottish politician (b. 1927)
    • 1993 – France Štiglic, Slovenian film director and screenwriter (b. 1919)
    • 1995 – Connie Wisniewski, American baseball player (b. 1922)
    • 2000 – Hendrik Casimir, Dutch physicist and academic (b. 1909)
    • 2001 – Bonnie Lee Bakley, American model, wife of Robert Blake (b. 1956)
    • 2004 – David Reimer, Canadian victim of a botched circumcision and transgender reassignment surgery (b. 1965)
    • 2005 – David Hackworth, American colonel and journalist (b. 1930)
    • 2008 – Fred Baur, American chemist and founder of Pringles (b. 1918)
    • 2009 – Dom DeLuise, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1933)
    • 2011 – Sammy McCrory, Northern Irish footballer (b. 1924)
    • 2012 – Mort Lindsey, American pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1923)
    • 2012 – Bob Stewart, American television producer, founded Stewart Tele Enterprises (b. 1920)
    • 2012 – Adam Yauch, American rapper and director (b. 1964)
    • 2012 – Rashidi Yekini, Nigerian footballer (b. 1963)
    • 2013 – Otis R. Bowen, American physician and politician, 44th Governor of Indiana (b. 1918)
    • 2013 – Christian de Duve, English-Belgian cytologist and biochemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1917)
    • 2013 – Javier Diez Canseco, Peruvian sociologist and politician (b. 1948)
    • 2013 – Mario Machado, Chinese-American journalist and actor (b. 1935)
    • 2013 – Morgan Morgan-Giles, English admiral and politician (b. 1914)
    • 2013 – César Portillo de la Luz, Cuban guitarist and composer (b. 1922)
    • 2014 – Dick Ayers, American author and illustrator (b. 1924)
    • 2014 – Elena Baltacha, Ukrainian-Scottish tennis player (b. 1983)
    • 2014 – Edgar Cortright, American scientist and engineer (b. 1923)
    • 2014 – Helga Königsdorf, German physicist and author (b. 1938)
    • 2014 – Ross Lonsberry, Canadian-American ice hockey player (b. 1947)
    • 2014 – Jean-Paul Ngoupandé, Central African politician, Prime Minister of the Central African Republic (b. 1948)
    • 2015 – William Bast, American screenwriter and author (b. 1931)
    • 2015 – Ellen Albertini Dow, American actress (b. 1913)
    • 2015 – Marv Hubbard, American football player (b. 1946)
    • 2016 – Jean-Baptiste Bagaza, Burundian politician (b. 1946)
    • 2020 – Don Shula, American football player and coach (b. 1930)
    • 2020 – Greg Zanis, American carpenter and activist (b. 1950)

    Holidays and observances on May 4

    • Anti-Bullying Day (United Nations)
    • Bird Day (United States)
    • Cassinga Day (Namibia)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Blessed Ceferino Giménez Malla
      • Blessed Michal Giedroyc
      • English Saints and Martyrs of the Reformation Era (Church of England)
      • F. C. D. Wyneken (Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod)
      • Florian
      • Gotthard of Hildesheim
      • José María Rubio
      • Judas Cyriacus
      • Monica of Hippo (1960 Roman Catholic Calendar)
      • Sacerdos of Limoges
      • Venerius of Milan
      • May 4 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Dave Brubeck Day
    • Death of Milan Rastislav Štefánik Day (Slovakia)
    • Greenery Day (Japan)
    • International Firefighters’ Day
    • May Fourth Movement commemorations:
      • Literary Day (Republic of China)
      • Youth Day (China)
    • Remembrance Day for Martyrs and Disabled (Afghanistan)
    • Remembrance of the Dead (Netherlands)
    • Restoration of Independence day (Latvia)
    • Star Wars Day (International observance)
    • World Give Day
    • World Naked Gardening Day
    • Youth Day (Fiji)

  • May 3 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 752 – Mayan king Bird Jaguar IV of Yaxchilan in modern-day Chiapas, Mexico assumes the throne.
    • 1294 – John II becomes Duke of Brabant, Lothier and Limburg.
    • 1481 – The largest of three earthquakes strikes the island of Rhodes and causes an estimated 30,000 casualties.
    • 1491 – Kongo monarch Nkuwu Nzinga is baptized by Portuguese missionaries, adopting the baptismal name of João I.
    • 1616 – Treaty of Loudun ends French civil war.
    • 1715 – A total solar eclipse was visible across northern Europe, and northern Asia, as predicted by Edmond Halley to within 4 minutes accuracy.
    • 1791 – The Constitution of May 3 (the first modern constitution in Europe) is proclaimed by the Sejm of Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
    • 1802 – Washington, D.C. is incorporated as a city after Congress abolishes the Board of Commissioners, the District’s founding government. The “City of Washington” is given a mayor-council form of government.
    • 1808 – Finnish War: Sweden loses the fortress of Sveaborg to Russia.
    • 1808 – Peninsular War: The Madrid rebels who rose up on May 2 are executed near Príncipe Pío hill.
    • 1815 – Neapolitan War: Joachim Murat, King of Naples is defeated by the Austrians at the Battle of Tolentino, the decisive engagement of the war.
    • 1830 – The Canterbury and Whitstable Railway is opened; it is the first steam-hauled passenger railway to issue season tickets and include a tunnel.
    • 1837 – The University of Athens is founded in Athens, Greece.
    • 1848 – The boar-crested Anglo-Saxon Benty Grange helmet is discovered in a barrow on the Benty Grange farm in Derbyshire.
    • 1849 – The May Uprising in Dresden begins: The last of the German revolutions of 1848–49.
    • 1855 – American adventurer William Walker departs from San Francisco with about 60 men to conquer Nicaragua.
    • 1860 – Charles XV of Sweden–Norway is crowned king of Sweden.
    • 1867 – The Hudson’s Bay Company gives up all claims to Vancouver Island.
    • 1901 – The Great Fire of 1901 begins in Jacksonville, Florida.
    • 1913 – Raja Harishchandra, the first full-length Indian feature film, is released, marking the beginning of the Indian film industry.
    • 1920 – A Bolshevik coup fails in the Democratic Republic of Georgia.
    • 1921 – West Virginia becomes the first state to legislate a broad sales tax, but does not implement it until a number of years later due to enforcement issues.
    • 1921 – The Government of Ireland Act 1920 is passed, dividing Ireland into Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland.
    • 1928 – The Jinan incident begins with the deaths of twelve Japanese civilians by Chinese forces in Jinan, China, which leads to Japanese retaliation and the deaths of over 2,000 Chinese civilians in the following days.
    • 1939 – The All India Forward Bloc is formed by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.
    • 1942 – World War II: Japanese naval troops invade Tulagi Island in the Solomon Islands during the first part of Operation Mo that results in the Battle of the Coral Sea between Japanese forces and forces from the United States and Australia.
    • 1945 – World War II: Sinking of the prison ships Cap Arcona, Thielbek and Deutschland by the Royal Air Force in Lübeck Bay.
    • 1947 – New post-war Japanese constitution goes into effect.
    • 1948 – The U.S. Supreme Court rules in Shelley v. Kraemer that covenants prohibiting the sale of real estate to blacks and other minorities are legally unenforceable.
    • 1951 – London’s Royal Festival Hall opens with the Festival of Britain.
    • 1951 – The United States Senate Committee on Armed Services and United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations begin their closed door hearings into the relief of Douglas MacArthur by U.S. President Harry Truman.
    • 1952 – Lieutenant Colonels Joseph O. Fletcher and William P. Benedict of the United States land a plane at the North Pole.
    • 1952 – The Kentucky Derby is televised nationally for the first time, on the CBS network.
    • 1957 – Walter O’Malley, the owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers, agrees to move the team from Brooklyn to Los Angeles.
    • 1960 – The Off-Broadway musical comedy The Fantasticks opens in New York City’s Greenwich Village, eventually becoming the longest-running musical of all time.
    • 1960 – The Anne Frank House museum opens in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
    • 1963 – The police force in Birmingham, Alabama switches tactics and responds with violent force to stop the “Birmingham campaign” protesters. Images of the violent suppression are transmitted worldwide, bringing new-found attention to the civil rights movement.
    • 1971 – Erich Honecker becomes First Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany, remaining in power until 1989
    • 1973 – The 108-story Sears Tower in Chicago is topped out at 1,451 feet as the world’s tallest building.
    • 1978 – The first unsolicited bulk commercial email (which would later become known as “spam”) is sent by a Digital Equipment Corporation marketing representative to every ARPANET address on the west coast of the United States.
    • 1986 – Twenty-one people are killed and forty-one are injured after a bomb explodes on Air Lanka Flight 512 at Colombo airport in Sri Lanka.
    • 1987 – A crash by Bobby Allison at the Talladega Superspeedway, Alabama fencing at the start-finish line would lead NASCAR to develop the restrictor plate for the following season both at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega.
    • 1999 – The southwestern portion of Oklahoma City is devastated by an F5 tornado, killing forty-five people, injuring 665, and causing $1 billion in damage. The tornado is one of 66 from the 1999 Oklahoma tornado outbreak. This tornado also produces the highest wind speed ever recorded, measured at 301 +/- 20 mph (484 +/- 32 km/h).
    • 1999 – Infiltration of Pakistani soldiers on Indian side resulted into the kargil war.
    • 2000 – The sport of geocaching begins, with the first cache placed and the coordinates from a GPS posted on Usenet.
    • 2001 – The United States loses its seat on the U.N. Human Rights Commission for the first time since the commission was formed in 1947.
    • 2002 – An Indian Air Force MiG-21 crashes into a bank in Jalandhar, killing eight and injuring 17.
    • 2007 – The 3-year-old British girl Madeleine McCann disappears in Praia da Luz, Portugal, starting “the most heavily reported missing-person case in modern history”.
    • 2015 – Two gunmen launch an attempted attack on an anti-Islam event in Garland, Texas, which was held in response to the Charlie Hebdo shooting.
    • 2016 – Eighty-eight thousand people were evacuated from their homes in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada as a wildfire ripped through the community, destroying approximately 2,400 homes and buildings.

    Births on May 3

    • 490 – K’an Joy Chitam I, ruler of Palenque (d. 565)
    • 612 – Constantine III, Byzantine emperor (d. 641)
    • 1238 – Emilia Bicchieri, Italian saint (d. 1314)
    • 1276 – Louis, Count of Évreux, son of King Philip III of France (d. 1319)
    • 1415 – Cecily Neville, Duchess of York (d. 1495)
    • 1428 – Pedro González de Mendoza, Spanish cardinal (d. 1495)
    • 1446 – Margaret of York (d. 1503)
    • 1461 – Raffaele Riario, Italian cardinal (d. 1521)
    • 1469 – Niccolò Machiavelli, Italian historian and philosopher (d. 1527)
    • 1479 – Henry V, Duke of Mecklenburg (d. 1552)
    • 1481 – Juana de la Cruz Vázquez Gutiérrez, Spanish abbess of the Franciscan Third Order Regular (d. 1534)
    • 1536 – Stephan Praetorius, German theologian (d. 1603)
    • 1632 – Catherine of St. Augustine, French-Canadian nurse and saint, founded the Hôtel-Dieu de Québec (d. 1668)
    • 1662 – Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann, German architect, designed the Pillnitz Castle (d. 1736)
    • 1678 – Amaro Pargo, Spanish corsair (d. 1747)
    • 1695 – Henri Pitot, French physicist and engineer, invented the Pitot tube (d. 1771)
    • 1729 – Florian Leopold Gassmann, Czech composer (d. 1774)
    • 1761 – August von Kotzebue, German playwright and author (d. 1819)
    • 1764 – Princess Élisabeth of France (d. 1794)
    • 1768 – Charles Tennant, Scottish chemist and businessman (d. 1838)
    • 1783 – José de la Riva Agüero, Peruvian soldier and politician, 1st President of Peru and 2nd President of North Peru (d. 1858)
    • 1814 – Adams George Archibald, Canadian lawyer and politician, 4th Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia (d. 1892)
    • 1826 – Charles XV of Sweden (d. 1872)
    • 1844 – Richard D’Oyly Carte, English talent agent and composer (d. 1901)
    • 1849 – Jacob Riis, Danish-American journalist and photographer (d. 1914)
    • 1849 – Bernhard von Bülow, German soldier and politician, Chancellor of Germany (d. 1929)
    • 1854 – George Gore, American baseball player and manager (d. 1933)
    • 1859 – August Herrmann, American executive in Major League Baseball (d.1931)
    • 1860 – Vito Volterra, Italian mathematician and physicist (d. 1940)
    • 1867 – Andy Bowen, American boxer (d. 1894)
    • 1867 – J. T. Hearne, English cricketer (d. 1944)
    • 1870 – Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein (d. 1948)
    • 1871 – Emmett Dalton, American criminal (d. 1937)
    • 1873 – Pavlo Skoropadskyi, German-Ukrainian general and politician, Hetman of Ukraine (d. 1945)
    • 1874 – François Coty, French businessman and publisher, founded Coty, Inc. (d. 1934)
    • 1874 – Vagn Walfrid Ekman, Swedish oceanographer and academic (d. 1954)
    • 1877 – Karl Abraham, German psychoanalyst and author (d. 1925)
    • 1879 – Fergus McMaster, Australian businessman and soldier, co-founded Qantas (d. 1950)
    • 1886 – Marcel Dupré, French organist and composer (d. 1971)
    • 1887 – Marika Kotopouli, Greek actress (d. 1954)
    • 1889 – Beulah Bondi, American actress (d. 1981)
    • 1889 – Gottfried Fuchs, German-Canadian Olympic soccer player (d. 1972)
    • 1891 – Tadeusz Peiper, Polish poet and critic (d. 1969)
    • 1891 – Eppa Rixey, American baseball pitcher (d. 1963)
    • 1892 – George Paget Thomson, English physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1975)
    • 1892 – Jacob Viner, Canadian-American economist and academic (d. 1970)
    • 1893 – Konstantine Gamsakhurdia, Georgian author (d. 1975)
    • 1895 – Cornelius Van Til, Dutch philosopher, theologian, and apologist (d. 1987)
    • 1896 – Karl Allmenröder, German soldier and pilot (d. 1917)
    • 1896 – V. K. Krishna Menon, Indian lawyer, jurist, and politician, Indian Minister of Defence (d. 1974)
    • 1896 – Dodie Smith, English author and playwright (d. 1990)
    • 1897 – William Joseph Browne, Canadian lawyer and politician, 20th Solicitor General of Canada (d. 1989)
    • 1898 – Septima Poinsette Clark, American educator and activist (d. 1987)
    • 1898 – Golda Meir, Ukrainian-Israeli educator and politician, 4th Prime Minister of Israel (d. 1978)
    • 1902 – Alfred Kastler, German-French physicist and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1984)
    • 1903 – Bing Crosby, American singer and actor (d. 1977)
    • 1905 – Edmund Black, American hammer thrower (d. 1996)
    • 1905 – Werner Fenchel, German-Danish mathematician and academic (d. 1988)
    • 1905 – Red Ruffing, American baseball pitcher and coach (d. 1986)
    • 1906 – Mary Astor, American actress (d. 1987)
    • 1906 – René Huyghe, French historian and author (d. 1997)
    • 1906 – Anna Roosevelt Halsted, American journalist and author (d. 1975)
    • 1906 – Enrique Laguerre, Puerto Rican journalist, author, and playwright (d. 2005)
    • 1910 – Norman Corwin, American screenwriter and producer (d. 2011)
    • 1912 – Virgil Fox, American organist and composer (d. 1980)
    • 1912 – May Sarton, American poet, novelist and memoirist (d. 1995)
    • 1913 – William Inge, American playwright and novelist (d. 1973)
    • 1914 – Georges-Emmanuel Clancier, French journalist, author, and poet (d. 2018)
    • 1915 – Stu Hart, Canadian wrestler and trainer, founded Stampede Wrestling (d. 2003)
    • 1915 – Richard Lippold, American sculptor and academic (d. 2002)
    • 1916 – Léopold Simoneau, Canadian tenor and actor (d. 2006)
    • 1917 – Betty Comden, American screenwriter and librettist (d. 2006)
    • 1917 – George Gaynes, Finnish-American actor (d. 2016)
    • 1918 – Ted Bates, English footballer and manager (d. 2003)
    • 1919 – John Cullen Murphy, American soldier and illustrator (d. 2004)
    • 1919 – Pete Seeger, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and activist (d. 2014)
    • 1920 – John Lewis, American pianist and composer (d. 2001)
    • 1921 – Sugar Ray Robinson, American boxer (d. 1989)
    • 1922 – Len Shackleton, English footballer and journalist (d. 2000)
    • 1923 – George Hadjinikos, Greek pianist, conductor, and educator (d. 2015)
    • 1923 – Ralph Hall, American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician (d. 2019)
    • 1924 – Yehuda Amichai, German-Israeli author and poet (d. 2000)
    • 1924 – Ken Tyrrell, English race car driver, founded Tyrrell Racing (d. 2001)
    • 1925 – Jean Séguy, French sociologist and author (d. 2007)
    • 1926 – Matt Baldwin, Canadian curler and engineer
    • 1928 – Dave Dudley, American singer-songwriter (d. 2003)
    • 1928 – Jacques-Louis Lions, French mathematician (d. 2001)
    • 1929 – Denise Lor, American singer and actress (d. 2015)
    • 1930 – Juan Gelman, Argentinian poet and author (d. 2014)
    • 1930 – David Harrison, English chemist and academic
    • 1931 – Vasily Rudenkov, Belarusian hammer thrower (d. 1982)
    • 1931 – Sait Maden, Turkish translator, poet, painter and graphic designer (d. 2013)
    • 1932 – Robert Osborne, American actor and historian (d. 2017)
    • 1933 – James Brown, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor (d. 2006)
    • 1933 – Steven Weinberg, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1934 – Henry Cooper, English boxer and sportscaster (d. 2011)
    • 1934 – Georges Moustaki, Egyptian-French singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2013)
    • 1934 – Frankie Valli, American singer and actor
    • 1935 – Ron Popeil, American businessman, founded the Ronco Company
    • 1937 – Nélida Piñon, Brazilian author and academic
    • 1938 – Omar Abdel-Rahman, Egyptian terrorist
    • 1938 – Chris Cannizzaro, American baseball player
    • 1938 – Napoleon XIV, American singer, songwriter and record producer
    • 1939 – Jonathan Harvey, English composer and educator (d. 2012)
    • 1940 – David Koch, American engineer, businessman, and philanthropist (d. 2019)
    • 1940 – Clemens Westerhof, Dutch footballer and manager
    • 1941 – Alexander Harley, English general
    • 1941 – Edward Malloy, American priest and academic
    • 1942 – Věra Čáslavská, Czech gymnast and coach (d. 2016)
    • 1942 – Dave Marash, American journalist and sportscaster
    • 1942 – Butch Otter, American soldier and politician, 32nd Governor of Idaho
    • 1943 – Yukio Hashi, Japanese singer and actor
    • 1943 – Jim Risch, American lawyer and politician, 31st Governor of Idaho
    • 1943 – Vicente Saldivar, Mexican boxer (d. 1985)
    • 1944 – Peter Doyle, English bishop
    • 1944 – Pete Staples, English bass player
    • 1945 – Jörg Drehmel, German triple jumper and coach
    • 1945 – Davey Lopes, American baseball player, coach, and manager
    • 1946 – Norm Chow, American football player and coach
    • 1946 – Silvino Francisco, South African snooker player
    • 1946 – Greg Gumbel, American sportscaster
    • 1947 – Doug Henning, Canadian magician (d. 2000)
    • 1948 – Denis Cosgrove, British-American academic and geographer (d. 2008)
    • 1948 – Chris Mulkey, American actor
    • 1949 – Liam Donaldson, English physician and academic
    • 1949 – Ruth Lister, Baroness Lister of Burtersett, English academic and politician
    • 1949 – Ron Wyden, American academic and politician
    • 1950 – Mary Hopkin, Welsh singer-songwriter
    • 1950 – Dag Arnesen, Norwegian pianist and composer
    • 1951 – Alan Clayson, English singer-songwriter and journalist
    • 1951 – Christopher Cross, American singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1951 – Ashok Gehlot, Indian politician, 21st Chief Minister of Rajasthan
    • 1951 – Tatyana Tolstaya, Russian author and publicist
    • 1952 – Chuck Baldwin, American pastor and politician
    • 1952 – Caitlin Clarke, American actress (d. 2004)
    • 1952 – Joseph W. Tobin, American cardinal
    • 1953 – Bruce Hall, American singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer
    • 1953 – Jake Hooker, Israeli-American guitarist and songwriter (d. 2014)
    • 1954 – Angela Bofill, American singer-songwriter
    • 1954 – Jean-Marc Roberts, French author and screenwriter (d. 2013)
    • 1955 – Stephen D. M. Brown, British geneticist
    • 1955 – Colin Deans, Scottish rugby player
    • 1955 – David Hookes, Australian cricketer, coach, and sportscaster (d. 2004)
    • 1955 – Seishirō Nishida, Japanese actor
    • 1956 – Marc Bellemare, Canadian lawyer and politician
    • 1957 – Alain Côté, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1957 – Rod Langway, Taiwanese-American ice hockey player and coach
    • 1958 – Bill Sienkiewicz, American author and illustrator
    • 1958 – Sandi Toksvig, Danish-English comedian, writer, and broadcaster
    • 1959 – David Ball, English keyboard player and producer
    • 1959 – Uma Bharti, Indian activist and politician, 16th Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh
    • 1959 – Ben Elton, English actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1960 – Kathy Smallwood-Cook, English sprinter and educator
    • 1961 – Steve McClaren, English footballer and manager
    • 1961 – David Vitter, American lawyer and politician
    • 1961 – Leyla Zana, Kurdish activist and politician
    • 1962 – Anders Graneheim, Swedish bodybuilder
    • 1963 – Jeff Hornacek, American basketball player and coach
    • 1963 – Mona Siddiqui, Pakistani-Scottish journalist and academic
    • 1964 – Sterling Campbell, American drummer and songwriter
    • 1964 – Ron Hextall, Canadian-American ice hockey player and manager
    • 1965 – Ignatius Aphrem II, Syrian patriarch
    • 1965 – Mark Cousins, Northern Irish director, writer, cinematographer
    • 1965 – John Jensen, Danish footballer and coach
    • 1965 – Mikhail Prokhorov, Russian businessman
    • 1966 – Giorgos Agorogiannis, Greek footballer
    • 1966 – Frank Dietrich, German politician (d. 2011)
    • 1967 – Daniel Anderson, Australian rugby league coach and manager
    • 1967 – Kenneth Joel Hotz, Canadian producer, writer, director, actor, and comedian
    • 1968 – Viliami Ofahengaue, Tongan-Australian rugby player
    • 1971 – Douglas Carswell, British politician, the first elected MP for the UK Independence Party
    • 1972 – Stephen Barclay, English lawyer and politician
    • 1973 – Jamie Baulch, Welsh sprinter and television host
    • 1975 – Willie Geist, American television journalist and host
    • 1976 – Jeff Halpern, American ice hockey player
    • 1976 – Brad Scott, Australian footballer and coach
    • 1976 – Chris Scott, Australian footballer and coach
    • 1977 – Eric Church, American country music singer-songwriter
    • 1977 – Ryan Dempster, Canadian baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1977 – Tyronn Lue, American basketball player and coach
    • 1977 – Maryam Mirzakhani, Iranian mathematician (d. 2017)
    • 1977 – Ben Olsen, American soccer player and coach
    • 1978 – Christian Annan, Ghanaian-Hong Kong footballer
    • 1978 – Paul Banks, English-American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1978 – Dai Tamesue, Japanese hurdler
    • 1978 – Lawrence Tynes, American football player
    • 1979 – Steve Mack, American wrestler
    • 1979 – Anastasiya Shvedova, Belarusian pole vaulter
    • 1980 – Zuzana Ondrášková, Czech tennis player
    • 1982 – Igor Olshansky, Ukrainian-American football player
    • 1982 – Nick Stavinoha, American baseball player
    • 1983 – Joseph Addai, American football player
    • 1983 – Romeo Castelen, Dutch footballer
    • 1983 – Jérôme Clavier, French pole vaulter
    • 1983 – Márton Fülöp, Hungarian footballer (d. 2015)
    • 1985 – Ezequiel Lavezzi, Argentinian footballer
    • 1985 – Kadri Lehtla, Estonian biathlete
    • 1985 – Miko Mälberg, Estonian swimmer
    • 1986 – Moon Byung-woo, South Korean footballer
    • 1987 – Lina Grinčikaitė, Lithuanian sprinter
    • 1988 – Ben Revere, American baseball player
    • 1988 – Paddy Holohan, Irish mixed martial artist
    • 1989 – Jesse Bromwich, New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1989 – Katinka Hosszú, Hungarian swimmer
    • 1990 – Brooks Koepka, American golfer
    • 1991 – Samuel Seo, South Korean musician
    • 1992 – Aaron Whitchurch, Australian rugby league player
    • 1995 – Ivan Bukavshin, Russian chess player (d. 2016)
    • 1996 – Mary Cain, American runner
    • 1996 – Alex Iwobi, Nigerian football player
    • 1996 – Domantas Sabonis, Lithuanian basketball player
    • 1997 – Desiigner, American rapper
    • 1997 – Dwayne Haskins, American football player
    • 1997 – Ivana Jorović, Serbian tennis player

    Deaths on May 3

    • 678 – Tōchi, Japanese princess
    • 738 – Uaxaclajuun Ub’aah K’awiil, Mayan ruler (ajaw)
    • 1152 – Matilda of Boulogne (b. 1105)
    • 1270 – Béla IV of Hungary (b. 1206)
    • 1294 – John I, Duke of Brabant (b. 1252)
    • 1330 – Alexios II Megas Komnenos, Emperor of Trebizond (b. 1282)
    • 1410 – Antipope Alexander V
    • 1481 – Mehmed the Conqueror, Ottoman sultan (b. 1432)
    • 1501 – John Devereux, 8th Baron Ferrers of Chartley, English Baron (b. 1463)
    • 1524 – Richard Grey, 3rd Earl of Kent, English peer (b. 1481)
    • 1534 – Juana de la Cruz Vazquez Gutierrez, Spanish Roman Catholic nun and venerable (b. 1481)
    • 1589 – Julius, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (b. 1528)
    • 1606 – Henry Garnet, English priest and author (b. 1555)
    • 1621 – Elizabeth Bacon, English Tudor gentlewoman (b. 1541)
    • 1679 – James Sharp, Scottish archbishop (b. 1613)
    • 1693 – Claude de Rouvroy, duc de Saint-Simon, French courtier (b. 1607)
    • 1704 – Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber, Czech-Austrian violinist and composer (b. 1644)
    • 1724 – John Leverett the Younger, American lawyer, academic, and politician (b. 1662)
    • 1750 – John Willison, Scottish minister and author (b. 1680)
    • 1752 – Samuel Ogle, English-American captain and politician, 5th Governor of Restored Proprietary Government (b. 1692)
    • 1758 – Pope Benedict XIV (b. 1675)
    • 1763 – George Psalmanazar, French-English author (b. 1679)
    • 1764 – Francesco Algarotti, Italian philosopher, poet, and critic (b. 1712)
    • 1779 – John Winthrop, American mathematician, physicist, and astronomer (b. 1714)
    • 1793 – Martin Gerbert, German historian and theologian (b. 1720)
    • 1839 – Ferdinando Paer, Italian composer (b. 1771)
    • 1856 – Adolphe Adam, French composer and critic (b. 1803)
    • 1856 – Louis-Étienne Saint-Denis, Arab-French servant to Napoleon I (b. 1788)
    • 1882 – Leonidas Smolents, Austrian–Greek general and army minister (b. 1806)
    • 1910 – Howard Taylor Ricketts, American pathologist (b. 1871)
    • 1916 – Tom Clarke, Irish rebel (b. 1858)
    • 1916 – Thomas MacDonagh, Irish poet and rebel (b. 1878)
    • 1916 – Patrick Pearse, Irish teacher and rebel leader (b. 1879)
    • 1918 – Charlie Soong, Chinese businessman and missionary (b. 1863)
    • 1919 – Elizabeth Almira Allen, American educator (b. 1854)
    • 1921 – Théodore Pilette, Belgian race car driver (b. 1883)
    • 1925 – Clément Ader, French engineer, designed the Ader Avion III (b. 1841)
    • 1932 – Charles Fort, American journalist and author (b. 1874)
    • 1935 – Jessie Willcox Smith, American illustrator (b. 1863)
    • 1939 – Madeleine Desroseaux, French author and poet (b. 1873)
    • 1942 – Thorvald Stauning, Danish politician, 24th Prime Minister of Denmark (b. 1873)
    • 1943 – Harry Miller, American engineer (b. 1875)
    • 1948 – Ernst Tandefelt, Finnish assassin of Heikki Ritavuori (b. 1876)
    • 1949 – Fanny Walden, English footballer and cricketer (b. 1888)
    • 1958 – Frank Foster, English cricketer (b. 1889)
    • 1969 – Zakir Husain, Indian academic and politician, 3rd President of India (b. 1897)
    • 1970 – Cemil Gürgen Erlertürk, Turkish footballer, coach, and pilot (b. 1918)
    • 1972 – Kenneth Bailey, Australian lawyer and diplomat, Australian High Commissioner to Canada (b. 1898)
    • 1972 – Emil Breitkreutz, American runner and coach (b. 1883)
    • 1972 – Bruce Cabot, American actor (b. 1904)
    • 1978 – Bill Downs, American journalist (b. 1914)
    • 1981 – Nargis, Indian actress (b. 1929)
    • 1986 – Robert Alda, American actor (b. 1914)
    • 1987 – Dalida, Italian singer, actress, dancer, and model (b. 1933)
    • 1988 – Lev Pontryagin, Russian mathematician and academic (b. 1908)
    • 1989 – Christine Jorgensen, American trans woman (b. 1926)
    • 1991 – Jerzy Kosiński, Polish-American novelist and screenwriter (b. 1933)
    • 1992 – George Murphy, American actor, dancer, and politician (b. 1902)
    • 1996 – Dimitri Fampas, Greek guitarist, composer, and educator (b. 1921)
    • 1996 – Alex Kellner, American baseball player (b. 1924)
    • 1996 – Jack Weston, American actor (b. 1924)
    • 1997 – Sébastien Enjolras, French race car driver (b. 1976)
    • 1997 – Narciso Yepes, Spanish guitarist and composer (b. 1927)
    • 1998 – Gene Raymond, American actor (b. 1908)
    • 1999 – Joe Adcock, American baseball player and manager (b. 1927)
    • 1999 – Steve Chiasson, Canadian-American ice hockey player (b. 1967)
    • 1999 – Godfrey Evans, English cricketer (b. 1920)
    • 2000 – Júlia Báthory, Hungarian glass designer (b. 1901)
    • 2000 – John Joseph O’Connor, American cardinal (b. 1920)
    • 2002 – Barbara Castle, Baroness Castle of Blackburn, English politician, First Secretary of State (b. 1910)
    • 2002 – Yevgeny Svetlanov, Russian pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1928)
    • 2003 – Suzy Parker, American model and actress (b. 1932)
    • 2004 – Ken Downing, English race car driver (b. 1917)
    • 2004 – Darrell Johnson, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1928)
    • 2006 – Karel Appel, Dutch painter, sculptor, and poet (b. 1921)
    • 2006 – Pramod Mahajan, Indian politician (b. 1949)
    • 2006 – Earl Woods, American colonel, baseball player, and author (b. 1932)
    • 2007 – Warja Honegger-Lavater, Swiss illustrator (b. 1913)
    • 2007 – Wally Schirra, American captain, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1923)
    • 2007 – Knock Yokoyama, Japanese politician (b. 1932)
    • 2008 – Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo, Spanish engineer and politician, Prime Minister of Spain (b. 1926)
    • 2009 – Renée Morisset, Canadian pianist (b. 1928)
    • 2009 – Ram Balkrushna Shewalkar, Indian author and critic (b. 1931)
    • 2010 – Roy Carrier, American accordion player (b. 1947)
    • 2010 – Peter O’Donnell, English soldier and author (b. 1920)
    • 2010 – Guenter Wendt, German-American engineer (b. 1923)
    • 2011 – Jackie Cooper, American actor, television director, producer and executive (b. 1922)
    • 2011 – Sergo Kotrikadze, Georgian footballer and manager (b. 1936)
    • 2011 – Thanasis Veggos, Greek actor and director (b. 1927)
    • 2012 – Jorge Illueca, Panamanian politician, 30th President of Panama (b. 1918)
    • 2012 – Felix Werder, German-Australian composer, conductor, and critic (b. 1922)
    • 2013 – Joe Astroth, American baseball player (b. 1922)
    • 2013 – Herbert Blau, American engineer and academic (b. 1926)
    • 2013 – Cedric Brooks, Jamaican-American saxophonist and flute player (b. 1943)
    • 2013 – Keith Carter, American swimmer and soldier (b. 1924)
    • 2013 – Brad Drewett, Australian tennis player and sportscaster (b. 1958)
    • 2013 – David Morris Kern, American pharmacist, co-invented Orajel (b. 1909)
    • 2013 – Curtis Rouse, American football player (b. 1960)
    • 2013 – Branko Vukelić, Croatian politician, 11th Minister of Defence for Croatia (b. 1958)
    • 2014 – Gary Becker, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1930)
    • 2014 – Francisco Icaza, Mexican painter (b. 1930)
    • 2014 – Jim Oberstar, American educator and politician (b. 1934)
    • 2015 – Revaz Chkheidze, Georgian director and screenwriter (b. 1926)
    • 2015 – Danny Jones, Welsh rugby player (b. 1986)
    • 2015 – Warren Smith, American golfer and coach (b. 1915)
    • 2016 – Ian Deans, Canadian politician (b. 1937)
    • 2016 – Jadranka Stojaković, Yugoslav singer-songwriter (b. 1950)
    • 2017 – Daliah Lavi, Israeli actress, singer and model (b. 1942)

    Holidays and observances on May 3

    • Christian feast day:
      • Abhai (Syriac Orthodox Church)
      • Antonia and Alexander
      • Juvenal of Narni
      • Moura (Coptic Church)
      • Philip and James the Lesser
      • Pope Alexander I
      • Sarah the Martyr (Coptic Church)
      • The Most Holy Virgin Mary, Queen of Poland
      • Theodosius of Kiev (Eastern Orthodox Church)
      • May 3 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Constitution Memorial Day (Japan)
    • Constitution Day (Poland)
    • Finding of the Holy Cross-related observances:
      • Fiesta de las Cruces (Spain and Hispanic America)
      • Roodmas, or Feast of the Finding of the Holy Cross (Gallican Rite of the Catholic Church)
    • Sun Day (International)
    • World Press Freedom Day

  • May 1 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 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):
      • Maharashtra Day
    • 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)

  • April 30 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 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)
  • |

    April 28 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 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)

  • April 26 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 1336 – Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch) ascends Mont Ventoux.
    • 1478 – The Pazzi family attack Lorenzo de’ Medici and kill his brother Giuliano during High Mass in Florence Cathedral.
    • 1564 – Playwright William Shakespeare is baptized in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England (date of actual birth is unknown).
    • 1607 – English colonists make landfall at Cape Henry, Virginia.
    • 1721 – A massive earthquake devastates the Iranian city of Tabriz.
    • 1777 – Sybil Ludington, aged 16, rode 40 miles (64 km) to alert American colonial forces to the approach of the British regular forces
    • 1794 – Battle of Beaumont during the Flanders Campaign of the War of the First Coalition.
    • 1802 – Napoleon Bonaparte signs a general amnesty to allow all but about one thousand of the most notorious émigrés of the French Revolution to return to France.
    • 1803 – Thousands of meteor fragments fall from the skies of L’Aigle, France; the event convinces European scientists that meteors exist.
    • 1805 – First Barbary War: United States Marines captured Derne under the command of First Lieutenant Presley O’Bannon.
    • 1865 – American Civil War: Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston surrenders his army to General William Tecumseh Sherman at the Bennett Place near Durham, North Carolina. Also the date of Confederate Memorial Day for two states.
    • 1865 – Union cavalry troopers corner and shoot dead John Wilkes Booth, assassin of President Abraham Lincoln, in Virginia.
    • 1903 – Atlético Madrid Association football club is founded
    • 1923 – The Duke of York weds Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon at Westminster Abbey.
    • 1925 – Paul von Hindenburg defeats Wilhelm Marx in the second round of the German presidential election to become the first directly elected head of state of the Weimar Republic.
    • 1933 – The Gestapo, the official secret police force of Nazi Germany, is established.
    • 1937 – Spanish Civil War: Guernica, Spain, is bombed by German Luftwaffe.
    • 1942 – Benxihu Colliery accident in Manchukuo leaves 1549 Chinese miners dead.
    • 1943 – The Easter Riots break out in Uppsala, Sweden.
    • 1944 – Georgios Papandreou becomes head of the Greek government-in-exile based in Egypt.
    • 1944 – Heinrich Kreipe is captured by Allied commandos in occupied Crete.
    • 1945 – World War II: Battle of Bautzen: Last successful German tank-offensive of the war and last noteworthy victory of the Wehrmacht.
    • 1945 – World War II: Filipino troops of the 66th Infantry Regiment, Philippine Commonwealth Army, USAFIP-NL and the American troops of the 33rd and 37th Infantry Division, United States Army are liberated in Baguio City and they fight against the Japanese forces under General Tomoyuki Yamashita.
    • 1954 – The Geneva Conference, an effort to restore peace in Indochina and Korea, begins.
    • 1956 – SS Ideal X, the world’s first successful container ship, leaves Port Newark, New Jersey, for Houston, Texas.
    • 1958 – Final run of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad’s Royal Blue from Washington, D.C., to New York City after 68 years, the first U.S. passenger train to use electric locomotives.
    • 1960 – Forced out by the April Revolution, President of South Korea Syngman Rhee resigns after 12 years of dictatorial rule.
    • 1962 – NASA’s Ranger 4 spacecraft crashes into the Moon.
    • 1963 – In Libya, amendments to the constitution transform Libya (United Kingdom of Libya) into one national unity (Kingdom of Libya) and allows for female participation in elections.
    • 1964 – Tanganyika and Zanzibar merge to form Tanzania.
    • 1966 – The magnitude 5.1 Tashkent earthquake affects the largest city in Soviet Central Asia with a maximum MSK intensity of VII (Very strong). Tashkent is mostly destroyed and 15–200 are killed.
    • 1966 – A new government is formed in the Republic of the Congo, led by Ambroise Noumazalaye.
    • 1970 – The Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization enters into force.
    • 1981 – Dr. Michael R. Harrison of the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center performs the world’s first human open fetal surgery.
    • 1982 – Fifty-seven people are killed by former police officer Woo Bum-kon in a shooting spree in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea.
    • 1986 – A nuclear reactor accident occurs at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic in the Soviet Union, creating the world’s worst nuclear disaster.
    • 1989 – The deadliest known tornado strikes Central Bangladesh, killing upwards of 1,300, injuring 12,000, and leaving as many as 80,000 homeless.
    • 1989 – People’s Daily publishes the April 26 Editorial which inflames the nascent Tiananmen Square protests.
    • 1991 – Seventy tornadoes break out in the central United States. Before the outbreak’s end, Andover, Kansas, would record the year’s only F5 tornado.
    • 1994 – China Airlines Flight 140 crashes at Nagoya Airport in Japan, killing 264 of the 271 people on board.
    • 2002 – Robert Steinhäuser kills 16 at Gutenberg-Gymnasium in Erfurt, Germany before dying of a self-inflicted gunshot.
    • 2005 – Under international pressure, Syria withdraws the last of its 14,000 troop military garrison in Lebanon, ending its 29-year military domination of that country (Syrian occupation of Lebanon).
    • 2018 – American comedian Bill Cosby is found guilty of sexual assault.

    Births on April 26

    • 121 – Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor (d. 180)
    • 757 – Hisham I of Córdoba (d. 796)
    • 764 – Al-Hadi, Iranian caliph (d. 786)
    • 1284 – Alice de Toeni, Countess of Warwick (d. 1324)
    • 1319 – King John II of France (d. 1364)
    • 1538 – Gian Paolo Lomazzo, Italian painter and academic (d. 1600)
    • 1575 – Marie de’ Medici, queen of Henry IV of France (d. 1642)
    • 1647 – William Ashhurst, English banker, Sheriff of London, Lord Mayor of London and politician (d. 1720)
    • 1648 – Peter II of Portugal (d. 1706)
    • 1697 – Adam Falckenhagen, German lute player and composer (d. 1754)
    • 1710 – Thomas Reid, Scottish philosopher and academic (d. 1796)
    • 1718 – Esek Hopkins, American commander (d. 1802)
    • 1774 – Christian Leopold von Buch, German geologist and paleontologist (d. 1853)
    • 1782 – Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily (d. 1866)
    • 1785 – John James Audubon, French-American ornithologist and painter (d. 1851)
    • 1787 – Ludwig Uhland, German poet, philologist, and historian (d. 1862)
    • 1798 – Eugène Delacroix, French painter and lithographer (d. 1863)
    • 1801 – Ambrose Dudley Mann, American politician and diplomat, 1st United States Assistant Secretary of State (d. 1889)
    • 1804 – Charles Goodyear, American banker, lawyer, and politician (d. 1876)
    • 1822 – Frederick Law Olmsted, American journalist and designer, co-designed Central Park (d. 1903)
    • 1834 – Charles Farrar Browne, American author (d. 1867)
    • 1856 – Joseph Ward, Australian-New Zealand businessman and politician, 17th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1930)
    • 1862 – Edmund C. Tarbell, American painter and educator (d. 1938)
    • 1876 – Ernst Felle, German rower (d. 1959)
    • 1877 – James Dooley, Irish-Australian politician, 21st Premier of New South Wales (d. 1950)
    • 1878 – Rafael Guízar y Valencia, Mexican bishop and saint (d. 1938)
    • 1879 – Eric Campbell, British actor (d. 1917)
    • 1879 – Owen Willans Richardson, English physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1959)
    • 1886 – Ma Rainey, American singer (d. 1939)
    • 1886 – Ğabdulla Tuqay, Russian poet and publicist (d. 1913)
    • 1889 – Anita Loos, American author, playwright, and screenwriter (d. 1981)
    • 1889 – Ludwig Wittgenstein, Austrian-English philosopher and academic (d. 1951)
    • 1894 – Rudolf Hess, Egyptian-German politician (d. 1987)
    • 1896 – Ruut Tarmo, Estonian actor and director (d. 1967)
    • 1896 – Ernst Udet, German colonel and pilot (d. 1941)
    • 1897 – Eddie Eagan, American boxer and bobsledder (d. 1967)
    • 1897 – Douglas Sirk, German-American director and screenwriter (d. 1987)
    • 1898 – Vicente Aleixandre, Spanish poet and author, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1984)
    • 1898 – John Grierson, Scottish director and producer (d. 1972)
    • 1899 – Oscar Rabin, Latvian-English saxophonist and bandleader (d. 1958)
    • 1900 – Eva Aschoff, German bookbinder and calligrapher (d. 1969)
    • 1900 – Charles Francis Richter, American seismologist and physicist (d. 1985)
    • 1900 – Hack Wilson, American baseball player (d. 1948)
    • 1904 – Paul-Émile Léger, Canadian cardinal (d. 1991)
    • 1904 – Xenophon Zolotas, Greek economist and politician, 177th Prime Minister of Greece (d. 2004)
    • 1905 – Jean Vigo, French director and screenwriter (d. 1934)
    • 1907 – Ilias Tsirimokos, Greek politician, Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1968)
    • 1909 – Marianne Hoppe, German actress (d. 2002)
    • 1910 – Tomoyuki Tanaka, Japanese screenwriter and producer (d. 1997)
    • 1911 – Paul Verner, German soldier and politician (d. 1986)
    • 1912 – A. E. van Vogt, Canadian-American author (d. 2000)
    • 1914 – Bernard Malamud, Jewish American novelist and short story writer (d. 1986)
    • 1914 – James Rouse, American real estate developer (d. 1996)
    • 1916 – Eyvind Earle, American artist, author, and illustrator (d. 2000)
    • 1916 – Ken Wallis, English commander, engineer, and pilot (d. 2013)
    • 1916 – Morris West, Australian author and playwright (d. 1999)
    • 1917 – Sal Maglie, American baseball player and coach (d. 1992)
    • 1917 – I. M. Pei, Chinese-American architect, designed the National Gallery of Art and Bank of China Tower (d. 2019)
    • 1917 – Virgil Trucks, American baseball player and coach (d. 2013)
    • 1918 – Fanny Blankers-Koen, Dutch sprinter and long jumper (d. 2004)
    • 1921 – Jimmy Giuffre, American clarinet player, saxophonist, and composer (d. 2008)
    • 1922 – J. C. Holt, English historian and academic (d. 2014)
    • 1922 – Jeanne Sauvé, Canadian journalist and politician, 23rd Governor General of Canada (d. 1993)
    • 1922 – Margaret Scott, South African-Australian ballerina and choreographer (d. 2019)
    • 1924 – Browning Ross, American runner and soldier (d. 1998)
    • 1925 – Vladimir Boltyansky, Russian mathematician, educator and author (d. 2019)
    • 1925 – Gerard Cafesjian, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 2013)
    • 1925 – Michele Ferrero, Italian entrepreneur (d. 2015)
    • 1925 – Frank Hahn, British economist (d. 2013)
    • 1926 – Michael Mathias Prechtl, German soldier and illustrator (d. 2003)
    • 1927 – Jack Douglas, English actor (d. 2008)
    • 1927 – Harry Gallatin, American basketball player and coach (d. 2015)
    • 1927 – Granny Hamner, American baseball player (d. 1993)
    • 1929 – Richard Mitchell, American author and educator (d. 2002)
    • 1930 – Roger Moens, Belgian runner and sportscaster
    • 1931 – Paul Almond, Canadian director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2015)
    • 1931 – Bernie Brillstein, American talent agent and producer (d. 2008)
    • 1931 – John Cain Jr., Australian politician, 41st Premier of Victoria (d. 2019)
    • 1932 – Israr Ahmed, Indian-Pakistani theologian, philosopher, and scholar (d. 2010)
    • 1932 – Shirley Cawley, English long jumper
    • 1932 – Frank D’Rone, American singer and guitarist (d. 2013)
    • 1932 – Francis Lai, French accordion player and composer (d. 2018)
    • 1932 – Michael Smith, English-Canadian biochemist and geneticist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2000)
    • 1933 – Carol Burnett, American actress, singer, and producer
    • 1933 – Filiberto Ojeda Ríos, Puerto Rican-American general (d. 2005)
    • 1933 – Arno Allan Penzias, German-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1935 – Patricia Reilly Giff, American author and educator
    • 1937 – Jean-Pierre Beltoise, French race car driver and motorcycle racer (d. 2015)
    • 1938 – Duane Eddy, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
    • 1938 – Maurice Williams, American doo-wop/R&B singer-songwriter
    • 1940 – Molvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari, Indian cleric and politician (d. 2014)
    • 1940 – Giorgio Moroder, Italian singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1940 – Cliff Watson, English rugby league player (d. 2018)
    • 1941 – Claudine Auger, French model and actress (d. 2019)
    • 1942 – Svyatoslav Belza, Russian journalist, author, and critic (d. 2014)
    • 1942 – Sharon Carstairs, Canadian lawyer and politician, Leader of the Government in the Senate
    • 1942 – Michael Kergin, Canadian diplomat, Canadian Ambassador to the United States
    • 1942 – Bobby Rydell, American singer and actor
    • 1942 – Jadwiga Staniszkis, Polish sociologist, political scientist, and academic
    • 1943 – Gary Wright, American singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer
    • 1943 – Peter Zumthor, Swiss architect and academic, designed the Therme Vals
    • 1944 – Richard Bradshaw, English conductor (d. 2007)
    • 1945 – Howard Davies, English director and producer (d. 2016)
    • 1945 – Dick Johnson, Australian race car driver
    • 1945 – Sylvain Simard, Canadian academic and politician
    • 1946 – Ralph Coates, English international footballer (d. 2010)
    • 1946 – Marilyn Nelson, American poet and author
    • 1946 – Alberto Quintano, Chilean footballer
    • 1949 – Carlos Bianchi, Argentinian footballer and manager
    • 1949 – Jerry Blackwell, American wrestler (d. 1995)
    • 1951 – John Battle, English politician
    • 1954 – Tatyana Fomina, Estonian chess player
    • 1954 – Alan Hinkes, English mountaineer and explorer
    • 1955 – Kurt Bodewig, German politician
    • 1956 – Koo Stark, American actress and photographer
    • 1958 – John Crichton-Stuart, 7th Marquess of Bute, Scottish race car driver
    • 1958 – Giancarlo Esposito, American actor, director, and producer
    • 1958 – Georgios Kostikos, Greek footballer, coach, and manager
    • 1959 – John Corabi, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1960 – Steve Lombardozzi, American baseball player and coach
    • 1960 – Roger Taylor, English drummer
    • 1961 – Joan Chen, Chinese-American actress, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1961 – Chris Mars, American artist
    • 1962 – Colin Anderson, English footballer
    • 1962 – Debra Wilson, American actress and comedian
    • 1963 – Jet Li, Chinese-Singaporean martial artist, actor, and producer
    • 1963 – Colin Scotts, Australian-American football player
    • 1963 – Cornelia Ullrich, German hurdler
    • 1963 – Bill Wennington, Canadian basketball player
    • 1965 – Susannah Harker, English actress
    • 1965 – Kevin James, American actor and comedian
    • 1967 – Glenn Thomas Jacobs, American professional wrestler, actor, businessman and politician
    • 1967 – Marianne Jean-Baptiste, English actress and singer-songwriter
    • 1967 – Toomas Tõniste, Estonian sailor and politician
    • 1970 – Dean Austin, English footballer and manager
    • 1970 – Melania Trump, Slovene-American model; 47th First Lady of the United States
    • 1970 – Kristen R. Ghodsee, American ethnographer and academic
    • 1970 – Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress
    • 1971 – Jay DeMarcus, American bass player, songwriter, and producer
    • 1972 – Jason Bargwanna, Australian race car driver
    • 1972 – Kiko, Spanish footballer
    • 1972 – Natrone Means, American football player and coach
    • 1972 – Avi Nimni, Israeli footballer and manager
    • 1973 – Geoff Blum, American baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1973 – Jules Naudet, French-American director and producer
    • 1973 – Chris Perry, English footballer
    • 1973 – Óscar García Junyent, Spanish footballer and coach
    • 1975 – Joey Jordison, American musician, songwriter, record producer
    • 1975 – Rahul Verma, Indian social worker and activist
    • 1976 – Luigi Panarelli, Italian footballer
    • 1976 – Václav Varaďa, Czech ice hockey player
    • 1977 – Samantha Cristoforetti, Italian astronaut
    • 1977 – Kosuke Fukudome, Japanese baseball player
    • 1977 – Roxana Saberi, American journalist and author
    • 1977 – Tom Welling, American actor
    • 1978 – Joe Crede, American baseball player
    • 1978 – Stana Katic, Canadian actress
    • 1978 – Peter Madsen, Danish footballer
    • 1980 – Jordana Brewster, Panamanian-American actress
    • 1980 – Marlon King, English footballer
    • 1980 – Anna Mucha, Polish actress and journalist
    • 1980 – Channing Tatum, American actor and producer
    • 1981 – Caro Emerald, Dutch pop and jazz singer
    • 1981 – Ms. Dynamite, English rapper and producer
    • 1981 – Sandra Schmitt, German skier (d. 2000)
    • 1982 – Novlene Williams-Mills, Jamaican sprinter
    • 1983 – José María López, Argentinian race car driver
    • 1983 – Jessica Lynch, American soldier
    • 1984 – Emily Wickersham, American actress
    • 1985 – John Isner, American tennis player
    • 1985 – Andrea Koch Benvenuto, Chilean tennis player
    • 1986 – Lior Refaelov, Israeli footballer
    • 1986 – Sean Evans, American YouTuber and producer
    • 1986 – Yuliya Zaripova, Russian runner
    • 1987 – Jorge Andújar Moreno, Spanish footballer
    • 1988 – Ben Spina, Australian rugby league player
    • 1988 – Manuel Viniegra, Mexican footballer
    • 1988 – Gareth Evans, English footballer
    • 1989 – Melvin Ingram, American football player
    • 1990 – Mitch Rein, Australian rugby league player
    • 1990 – Nevin Spence, Northern Irish rugby player (d. 2012)
    • 1991 – Lazaros Fotias, Greek footballer
    • 1991 – Peter Handscomb, Australian cricketer
    • 1991 – Will Heard, British singer and songwriter
    • 1991 – Isaac Liu, New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1991 – Ignacio Lores Varela, Uruguayan footballer
    • 1991 – Srdjan Pejicic, Canadian/Bosnian basketball player
    • 1991 – Wojciech Pszczolarski, Polish bicycle racer
    • 1992 – Aaron Judge, American baseball player
    • 1994 – Daniil Kvyat, Russian race car driver

    Deaths on  April 26

    • 499 – Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei (b. 467)
    • 645 – Richarius, Frankish monk and saint (b. 560)
    • 680 – Muawiyah I, Umayyad caliph (b. 602)
    • 757 – Pope Stephen II (b. 715)
    • 893 – Chen Jingxuan, general of the Tang Dynasty
    • 962 – Adalbero I, bishop of Metz
    • 1192 – Emperor Go-Shirakawa of Japan (b. 1127)
    • 1366 – Simon Islip, Archbishop of Canterbury
    • 1392 – Jeong Mong-ju, Korean civil minister, diplomat and scholar (b. 1338)
    • 1444 – Robert Campin, Flemish painter (b. 1378)
    • 1478 – Giuliano de’ Medici, Italian ruler (b. 1453)
    • 1489 – Ashikaga Yoshihisa, Japanese shōgun (b. 1465)
    • 1558 – Jean Fernel, French physician (b. 1497)
    • 1686 – Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie, Swedish statesman and military man (b. 1622)
    • 1716 – John Somers, 1st Baron Somers, English jurist and politician, Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain (b. 1651)
    • 1784 – Nano Nagle, Irish nun and educator, founded the Presentation Sisters (b. 1718)
    • 1789 – Petr Ivanovich Panin, Russian general (b. 1721)
    • 1809 – Bernhard Schott, German music publisher (b. 1748)
    • 1865 – John Wilkes Booth, American actor, assassin of Abraham Lincoln (b. 1838)
    • 1881 – Ludwig Freiherr von und zu der Tann-Rathsamhausen, German general (b. 1815)
    • 1895 – Eric Stenbock, Estonian-English author and poet (b. 1860)
    • 1910 – Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Norwegian-French author, poet, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1832)
    • 1915 – John Bunny, American actor (b. 1863)
    • 1920 – Srinivasa Ramanujan, Indian mathematician and theorist (b. 1887)
    • 1932 – William Lockwood, English cricketer (b. 1868)
    • 1934 – Arturs Alberings, Latvian politician, former Prime Minister of Latvia (b. 1876)
    • 1940 – Carl Bosch, German chemist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1874)
    • 1944 – Violette Morris, French footballer, shot putter, and discus thrower (b. 1893)
    • 1945 – Sigmund Rascher, German physician (b. 1909)
    • 1945 – Pavlo Skoropadskyi, German-Ukrainian general and politician, Hetman of Ukraine (b. 1871)
    • 1946 – James Larkin White, American miner, explorer, and park ranger (b. 1882)
    • 1950 – George Murray Hulbert, American lawyer, judge, and politician (b. 1881)
    • 1951 – Arnold Sommerfeld, German physicist and academic (b. 1868)
    • 1956 – Edward Arnold, American actor (b. 1890)
    • 1957 – Gichin Funakoshi, Japanese martial artist, founded Shotokan (b. 1868)
    • 1964 – E. J. Pratt, Canadian poet and author (b. 1882)
    • 1968 – John Heartfield, German illustrator and photographer (b. 1891)
    • 1969 – Morihei Ueshiba, Japanese martial artist, founded aikido (b. 1883)
    • 1970 – Erik Bergman, Swedish minister and author (b. 1886)
    • 1970 – Gypsy Rose Lee, American actress, striptease dancer, and writer (b. 1911)
    • 1973 – Irene Ryan, American actress and philanthropist (b. 1902)
    • 1976 – Sidney Franklin, American bullfighter (b. 1903)
    • 1976 – Sid James, South African-English actor (b. 1913)
    • 1976 – Armstrong Sperry, American author and illustrator (b. 1897)
    • 1980 – Cicely Courtneidge, Australian-born British actress, comedian and singer (b. 1893)
    • 1981 – Jim Davis, American actor (b. 1909)
    • 1984 – Count Basie, American pianist, composer, and bandleader (b. 1904)
    • 1986 – Broderick Crawford, American actor (b. 1911)
    • 1986 – Bessie Love, American actress (b. 1898)
    • 1986 – Dechko Uzunov, Bulgarian painter (b. 1899)
    • 1987 – Shankar, Indian composer and conductor (b. 1922)
    • 1987 – John Silkin, English lawyer and politician, Shadow Leader of the House of Commons (b. 1923)
    • 1989 – Lucille Ball, American model, actress, comedian, and producer (b. 1911)
    • 1991 – Leo Arnaud, French-American composer and conductor (b. 1904)
    • 1991 – Carmine Coppola, American composer and conductor (b. 1910)
    • 1991 – A. B. Guthrie, Jr., American novelist and historian, (b. 1901)
    • 1991 – Richard Hatfield, Canadian lawyer and politician, 26th Premier of New Brunswick (b. 1931)
    • 1994 – Masutatsu Ōyama, Japanese martial artist, founded Kyokushin kaikan (b. 1923)
    • 1996 – Stirling Silliphant, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1918)
    • 1999 – Adrian Borland, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1957)
    • 1999 – Jill Dando, English journalist and television personality (b. 1961)
    • 2003 – Rosemary Brown, Jamaican-Canadian academic and politician (b. 1930)
    • 2003 – Yun Hyon-seok, South Korean poet and author (b. 1984)
    • 2003 – Edward Max Nicholson, Irish environmentalist, co-founded the World Wide Fund for Nature (b. 1904)
    • 2004 – Hubert Selby, Jr., American author, poet, and screenwriter (b. 1928)
    • 2005 – Mason Adams, American actor (b. 1919)
    • 2005 – Elisabeth Domitien, Prime Minister of the Central African Republic (b. 1925)
    • 2005 – Maria Schell, Austrian-Swiss actress (b. 1926)
    • 2005 – Augusto Roa Bastos, Paraguayan journalist, author, and academic (b. 1917)
    • 2007 – Jack Valenti, American businessman, created the MPAA film rating system (b. 1921)
    • 2009 – Hans Holzer, Austrian-American paranormal investigator and author (b. 1920)
    • 2010 – Mariam A. Aleem, Egyptian graphic designer and academic (b. 1930)
    • 2010 – Urs Felber, Swiss engineer and businessman (b. 1942)
    • 2011 – Phoebe Snow, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1950)
    • 2012 – Terence Spinks, English boxer and trainer (b. 1938)
    • 2013 – Jacqueline Brookes, American actress and educator (b. 1930)
    • 2013 – George Jones, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1931)
    • 2014 – Gerald Guralnik, American physicist and academic (b. 1936)
    • 2014 – Paul Robeson, Jr., American historian and author (b. 1927)
    • 2014 – DJ Rashad, American electronic musician, producer and DJ (b. 1979)
    • 2015 – Jayne Meadows, American actress (b. 1919)
    • 2015 – Marcel Pronovost, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1930)
    • 2016 – Harry Wu, Chinese human rights activist (b. 1937)
    • 2017 – Jonathan Demme, American filmmaker, producer and screenwriter (b. 1944)

    Holidays and observances on April 26

    • Chernobyl disaster related observances:
      • Day of Remembrance of the Chernobyl tragedy (Belarus)
      • Memorial Day of Radiation Accidents and Catastrophes (Russia)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Aldobrandesca (or Alda)
      • Franca Visalta
      • Lucidius of Verona
      • Our Lady of Good Counsel
      • Pope Anacletus and Marcellinus
      • Riquier
      • Paschasius Radbertus
      • Peter of Rates (or of Braga)
      • Robert Hunt (Episcopal Church (USA))
      • Stephen of Perm, see also Old Permic Alphabet Day
      • Trudpert
      • April 26 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Confederate Memorial Day (Florida, United States)
    • Union Day (Tanzania)
    • World Intellectual Property Day

  • April 24 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 1479 BC – Thutmose III ascends to the throne of Egypt, although power effectively shifts to Hatshepsut (according to the Low Chronology of the 18th dynasty).
    • 1183 BC – Traditional reckoning of the Fall of Troy marking the end of the legendary Trojan War, given by chief librarian of the Library of Alexandria Erastothenes, among others.
    • 1547 – Battle of Mühlberg. Duke of Alba, commanding Spanish-Imperial forces of Charles I of Spain, defeats the troops of Schmalkaldic League.
    • 1558 – Mary, Queen of Scots, marries the Dauphin of France, François, at Notre Dame de Paris.
    • 1704 – The first regular newspaper in British Colonial America, The Boston News-Letter, is published.
    • 1800 – The United States Library of Congress is established when President John Adams signs legislation to appropriate $5,000 to purchase “such books as may be necessary for the use of Congress”.
    • 1877 – Russo-Turkish War: Russian Empire declares war on Ottoman Empire.
    • 1885 – American sharpshooter Annie Oakley is hired by Nate Salsbury to be a part of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West.
    • 1895 – Joshua Slocum, the first person to sail single-handedly around the world, sets sail from Boston, Massachusetts aboard the sloop “Spray”.
    • 1913 – The Woolworth Building, a skyscraper in New York City, is opened.
    • 1914 – The Franck–Hertz experiment, a pillar of quantum mechanics, is presented to the German Physical Society.
    • 1915 – The arrest of 250 Armenian intellectuals and community leaders in Istanbul marks the beginning of the Armenian Genocide.
    • 1916 – Easter Rising: Irish rebels, led by Patrick Pearse and James Connolly, launch an uprising in Dublin against British rule and proclaim an Irish Republic.
    • 1916 – Ernest Shackleton and five men of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition launch a lifeboat from uninhabited Elephant Island in the Southern Ocean to organise a rescue for the crew of the sunken Endurance.
    • 1918 – World War I: First tank-to-tank combat, during the second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux. Three British Mark IVs meet three German A7Vs.
    • 1922 – The first segment of the Imperial Wireless Chain providing wireless telegraphy between Leafield in Oxfordshire, England, and Cairo, Egypt, comes into operation.
    • 1926 – The Treaty of Berlin is signed. Germany and the Soviet Union each pledge neutrality in the event of an attack on the other by a third party for the next five years.
    • 1932 – Benny Rothman leads the mass trespass of Kinder Scout, leading to substantial legal reforms in the United Kingdom.
    • 1933 – Nazi Germany begins its persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses by shutting down the Watch Tower Society office in Magdeburg.
    • 1944 – World War II: The SBS launches a raid against the garrison of Santorini in Greece.
    • 1953 – Winston Churchill is knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.
    • 1955 – The Bandung Conference ends: Twenty-nine non-aligned nations of Asia and Africa finish a meeting that condemns colonialism, racism, and the Cold War.
    • 1957 – Suez Crisis: The Suez Canal is reopened following the introduction of UNEF peacekeepers to the region.
    • 1963 – Marriage of Princess Alexandra of Kent to Angus Ogilvy at Westminster Abbey in London.
    • 1965 – Civil war breaks out in the Dominican Republic when Colonel Francisco Caamaño overthrows the triumvirate that had been in power since the coup d’état against Juan Bosch.
    • 1967 – Cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov dies in Soyuz 1 when its parachute fails to open. He is the first human to die during a space mission.
    • 1967 – Vietnam War: American General William Westmoreland says in a news conference that the enemy had “gained support in the United States that gives him hope that he can win politically that which he cannot win militarily”.
    • 1970 – China launches Dong Fang Hong I, becoming the fifth nation to put an object into orbit using its own booster.
    • 1970 – The Gambia becomes a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations, with Dawda Jawara as its first President.
    • 1980 – Eight U.S. servicemen die in Operation Eagle Claw as they attempt to end the Iran hostage crisis.
    • 1990 – STS-31: The Hubble Space Telescope is launched from the Space Shuttle Discovery.
    • 1990 – Gruinard Island, Scotland, is officially declared free of the anthrax disease after 48 years of quarantine.
    • 1993 – An IRA bomb devastates the Bishopsgate area of London.
    • 1996 – In the United States, the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 is passed into law.
    • 2004 – The United States lifts economic sanctions imposed on Libya 18 years previously, as a reward for its cooperation in eliminating weapons of mass destruction.
    • 2005 – Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger is inaugurated as the 265th Pope of the Catholic Church taking the name Pope Benedict XVI.
    • 2011 – WikiLeaks starts publishing the Guantanamo Bay files leak.
    • 2013 – A building collapses near Dhaka, Bangladesh, killing 1,129 people and injuring 2,500 others.
    • 2013 – Violence in Bachu County, Kashgar Prefecture, of China’s Xinjiang results in death of 21 people.

    Births on April 24

    • 1086 – Ramiro II of Aragon (d. 1157)
    • 1492 – Sabina of Bavaria, Bavarian duchess and noblewoman (d. 1564)
    • 1532 – Thomas Lucy, English politician (d. 1600)
    • 1533 – William I of Orange, founding father of the Netherlands (d. 1584)
    • 1538 – Guglielmo Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua (d. 1587)
    • 1545 – Henry Wriothesley, 2nd Earl of Southampton, English Earl (d. 1581)
    • 1562 – Xu Guangqi, Ming Dynasty Chinese politician, scholar and lay Catholic leader (d. 1633)
    • 1581 – Vincent de Paul, French priest and saint (d. 1660)
    • 1608 – Gaston, Duke of Orléans, third son of King Henry IV of France (d. 1660)
    • 1620 – John Graunt, English demographer and statistician (d. 1674)
    • 1706 – Giovanni Battista Martini, Italian pianist and composer (d. 1780)
    • 1718 – Nathaniel Hone the Elder, Irish-English painter and educator (d. 1784)
    • 1743 – Edmund Cartwright, English clergyman and engineer, invented the power loom (d. 1823)
    • 1784 – Peter Vivian Daniel, American lawyer and jurist (d. 1860)
    • 1815 – Anthony Trollope, English novelist, essayist, and short story writer (d. 1882)
    • 1823 – Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada, Mexican politician, President of Mexico (d. 1889)
    • 1845 – Carl Spitteler, Swiss poet and author, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1924)
    • 1856 – Philippe Pétain, French general and politician, 119th Prime Minister of France (d. 1951)
    • 1860 – Queen Marau, last Queen of Tahiti (d.1935)
    • 1862 – Tomitaro Makino, Japanese botanist (d. 1957)
    • 1868 – Sandy Herd, Scottish golfer (d. 1944)
    • 1876 – Erich Raeder, German admiral (d. 1960)
    • 1878 – Jean Crotti, Swiss-French painter (d. 1958)
    • 1879 – Susanna Bokoyni, Hungarian-American circus performer (d. 1984)
    • 1880 – Gideon Sundback, Swedish-American engineer and businessman, developed the zipper (d. 1954)
    • 1880 – Josef Müller, Croatian entomologist (d. 1964)
    • 1882 – Hugh Dowding, 1st Baron Dowding, Scottish-English air marshal (d. 1970)
    • 1885 – Thomas Cronan, American triple jumper (d. 1962)
    • 1885 – Con Walsh, Irish-Canadian hammer thrower and footballer (d. 1961)
    • 1887 – Denys Finch Hatton, English hunter (d. 1931)
    • 1888 – Pe Maung Tin, Burma-based scholar and educator (d. 1973)
    • 1889 – Stafford Cripps, English academic and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (d. 1952)
    • 1889 – Lyubov Popova, Russian painter and academic (d. 1924)
    • 1897 – Manuel Ávila Camacho, Mexican colonel and politician, 45th President of Mexico (d. 1955)
    • 1897 – Benjamin Lee Whorf, American linguist, anthropologist, and engineer (d. 1941)
    • 1899 – Oscar Zariski, Russian-American mathematician and academic (d. 1986)
    • 1900 – Elizabeth Goudge, English author and educator (d. 1984)
    • 1903 – José Antonio Primo de Rivera, Spanish lawyer and politician, founded the Falange (d. 1936)
    • 1904 – Willem de Kooning, Dutch-American painter and educator (d. 1997)
    • 1905 – Al Bates, American long jumper (d. 1999)
    • 1905 – Robert Penn Warren, American novelist, poet, and literary critic (d. 1989)
    • 1906 – William Joyce, American-born Irish-British Nazi propaganda broadcaster (d. 1946)
    • 1906 – Mimi Smith, English nurse (d. 1991)
    • 1907 – Gabriel Figueroa, Mexican cinematographer (d. 1997)
    • 1908 – Marceline Day, American actress (d. 2000)
    • 1908 – Inga Gentzel, Swedish runner (d. 1991)
    • 1908 – Józef Gosławski, Polish sculptor (d. 1963)
    • 1912 – Ruth Osburn, American discus thrower (d. 1994)
    • 1913 – Dieter Grau, German-American scientist and engineer (d. 2014)
    • 1914 – William Castle, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1977)
    • 1914 – Phil Watson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 1991)
    • 1914 – Justin Wilson, American chef and author (d. 2001)
    • 1916 – Lou Thesz, American wrestler and trainer (d. 2002)
    • 1919 – David Blackwell, American mathematician and academic (d. 2010)
    • 1919 – Glafcos Clerides, Cypriot lawyer and politician, 4th President of Cyprus (d. 2013)
    • 1920 – Gino Valenzano, Italian race car driver (d. 2011)
    • 1922 – Marc-Adélard Tremblay, Canadian anthropologist and academic (d. 2014)
    • 1923 – Gus Bodnar, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2005)
    • 1923 – Doris Burn, American author and illustrator (d. 2011)
    • 1924 – Clement Freud, German-English radio host, academic, and politician (d. 2009)
    • 1924 – Ruth Kobart, American actress and singer (d. 2002)
    • 1925 – Franco Leccese, Italian sprinter (d. 1992)
    • 1926 – Marilyn Erskine, American actress
    • 1926 – Thorbjörn Fälldin, Swedish farmer and politician, 27th Prime Minister of Sweden (d. 2016)
    • 1927 – Josy Barthel, Luxembourgian runner and politician, Luxembourgian Minister for Energy (d. 1992)
    • 1928 – Tommy Docherty, Scottish footballer and manager
    • 1928 – Johnny Griffin, American saxophonist (d. 2008)
    • 1928 – Anahit Perikhanian, Russian-born Armenian Iranologist (d. 2012)
    • 1929 – Dr. Rajkumar, Indian actor and singer (d. 2006)
    • 1930 – Jerome Callet, American instrument designer, educator, and author (d. 2019)
    • 1930 – Richard Donner, American actor, director, and producer
    • 1930 – José Sarney, Brazilian lawyer and politician, 31st President of Brazil
    • 1931 – Abdelhamid Kermali, Algerian footballer and manager (d. 2013)
    • 1931 – Bridget Riley, English painter and illustrator
    • 1934 – Jayakanthan, Indian journalist and author (d. 2015)
    • 1934 – Shirley MacLaine, American actress, singer, and dancer
    • 1936 – David Crombie, Canadian educator and politician, 56th Mayor of Toronto
    • 1936 – Jill Ireland, English actress (d. 1990)
    • 1937 – Joe Henderson, American saxophonist and composer (d. 2001)
    • 1940 – Sue Grafton, American author (d. 2017)
    • 1941 – Richard Holbrooke, American journalist, banker, and diplomat, 22nd United States Ambassador to the United Nations (d. 2010)
    • 1941 – John Williams, Australian-English guitarist and composer
    • 1942 – Richard M. Daley, American lawyer and politician, 54th Mayor of Chicago
    • 1942 – Barbra Streisand, American singer, actress, activist, and producer
    • 1943 – Richard Sterban, American country & gospel bass singer
    • 1943 – Gordon West, English footballer (d. 2012)
    • 1944 – Peter Cresswell, English judge
    • 1944 – Maarja Nummert, Estonian architect
    • 1944 – Tony Visconti, American record producer, musician and singer
    • 1945 – Doug Clifford, American drummer and songwriter
    • 1946 – Doug Christie, Canadian lawyer and activist (d. 2013)
    • 1947 – Josep Borrell, Spanish engineer and politician, 22nd President of the European Parliament
    • 1947 – João Braz de Aviz, Brazilian cardinal
    • 1947 – Claude Dubois, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1947 – Denise Kingsmill, Baroness Kingsmill, New Zealand-English lawyer and politician
    • 1947 – Roger D. Kornberg, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1948 – Paul Cellucci, American soldier and politician, 69th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 2013)
    • 1948 – Eliana Gil, Ecuadorian-American psychiatrist, therapist, and author
    • 1949 – Eddie Hart, American sprinter
    • 1949 – Véronique Sanson, French singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1950 – Rob Hyman, American singer-songwriter and musician
    • 1951 – Ron Arad, Israeli architect and academic
    • 1951 – Christian Bobin, French author and poet
    • 1951 – Nigel Harrison, English bass player and songwriter
    • 1951 – Enda Kenny, Irish educator and politician, 13th Taoiseach of Ireland
    • 1952 – Jean Paul Gaultier, French fashion designer
    • 1952 – Ralph Winter, American film producer
    • 1953 – Eric Bogosian, American actor and writer
    • 1954 – Mumia Abu-Jamal, American journalist, activist, and convicted murderer
    • 1954 – Jack Blades, American singer-songwriter and bass player
    • 1955 – Marion Caspers-Merk, German politician
    • 1955 – John de Mol Jr., Dutch businessman, co-founded Endemol
    • 1955 – Eamon Gilmore, Irish trade union leader and politician, 25th Tánaiste of Ireland
    • 1955 – Margaret Moran, British politician and criminal
    • 1955 – Guy Nève, Belgian race car driver (d. 1992)
    • 1955 – Michael O’Keefe, American actor
    • 1955 – Bill Osborne, New Zealand rugby player
    • 1956 – James A. Winnefeld, Jr., American admiral
    • 1957 – Nazir Ahmed, Baron Ahmed, Pakistani-English businessman and politician
    • 1958 – Brian Paddick, English police officer and politician
    • 1959 – Paula Yates, British-Australian television host and author (d. 2000)
    • 1961 – Andrew Murrison, English physician and politician, Minister for International Security Strategy
    • 1962 – Clemens Binninger, German politician
    • 1962 – Stuart Pearce, English footballer, coach, and manager
    • 1962 – Steve Roach, Australian rugby league player, coach, and sportscaster
    • 1963 – Paula Frazer, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1963 – Billy Gould, American bass player, songwriter, and producer
    • 1963 – Mano Solo, French singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 2010)
    • 1964 – Helga Arendt, German sprinter (d. 2013)
    • 1964 – Cedric the Entertainer, American comedian, actor, and producer
    • 1964 – Djimon Hounsou, Beninese-American actor and producer
    • 1964 – Witold Smorawiński, Polish guitarist, composer, and educator
    • 1965 – Jeff Jackson, Canadian ice hockey player and manager
    • 1966 – Pierre Brassard, Canadian comedian and actor
    • 1966 – Alessandro Costacurta, Italian footballer, coach, and manager
    • 1966 – David Usher, English-Canadian singer-songwriter
    • 1967 – Dino Rađa, Croatian basketball player
    • 1967 – Omar Vizquel, Venezuelan-American baseball player and coach
    • 1968 – Aidan Gillen, Irish actor
    • 1968 – Todd Jones, American baseball player
    • 1968 – Roxanna Panufnik, English composer
    • 1968 – Hashim Thaçi, Kosovan soldier and politician, 5th Prime Minister of Kosovo
    • 1969 – Elias Atmatsidis, Greek footballer
    • 1969 – Rory McCann, Scottish actor
    • 1969 – Eilidh Whiteford, Scottish academic and politician
    • 1970 – Damien Fleming, Australian cricketer, coach, and sportscaster
    • 1971 – Kumar Dharmasena, Sri Lankan cricketer and umpire
    • 1971 – Mauro Pawlowski, Belgian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1972 – Rab Douglas, Scottish footballer
    • 1972 – Chipper Jones, American baseball player
    • 1972 – Jure Košir, Slovenian skier and singer
    • 1973 – Gabby Logan, English gymnast, television and radio host
    • 1973 – Damon Lindelof, American screenwriter and producer
    • 1973 – Brian Marshall, American bass player and songwriter
    • 1973 – Eric Snow, American basketball player and coach
    • 1973 – Sachin Tendulkar, Indian cricketer
    • 1973 – Toomas Tohver, Estonian footballer
    • 1973 – Lee Westwood, English golfer
    • 1974 – Eric Kripke, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1974 – Stephen Wiltshire, English illustrator
    • 1975 – Dejan Savić, Yugoslavian and Serbian water polo player
    • 1976 – Steve Finnan, Irish international footballer
    • 1976 – Frédéric Niemeyer, Canadian tennis player and coach
    • 1977 – Carlos Beltrán, Puerto Rican-American baseball player
    • 1977 – Diego Placente, Argentine footballer
    • 1978 – Diego Quintana, Argentine footballer
    • 1980 – Fernando Arce, Mexican footballer
    • 1980 – Karen Asrian, Armenian chess player (d. 2008)
    • 1981 – Taylor Dent, American tennis player
    • 1981 – Yuko Nakanishi, Japanese swimmer
    • 1982 – Kelly Clarkson, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
    • 1982 – David Oliver, American hurdler
    • 1982 – Simon Tischer, German volleyball player
    • 1983 – Hanna Melnychenko, Ukrainian heptathlete
    • 1985 – Mike Rodgers, American sprinter
    • 1986 – Aaron Cunningham, American baseball player
    • 1987 – Ben Howard, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1987 – Kris Letang, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1987 – Rein Taaramäe, Estonian cyclist
    • 1987 – Jan Vertonghen, Belgian international footballer
    • 1987 – Varun Dhawan, Indian actor
    • 1989 – Elīna Babkina, Latvian basketball player
    • 1989 – David Boudia, American diver
    • 1989 – Taja Mohorčič, Slovenian tennis player
    • 1990 – Kim Tae-ri, South Korean actress
    • 1990 – Jan Veselý, Czech basketball player
    • 1991 – Sigrid Agren, French-Swedish model
    • 1991 – Morgan Ciprès, French figure skater
    • 1991 – Batuhan Karadeniz, Turkish footballer
    • 1992 – Joe Keery, American actor
    • 1992 – Laura Kenny, English cyclist
    • 1993 – Ben Davies, Welsh international footballer
    • 1994 – Jordan Fisher, American singer, dancer, and actor
    • 1994 – Caspar Lee, British-South African Youtuber
    • 1996 – Ashleigh Barty, Australian tennis player
    • 1997 – Lydia Ko, New Zealand golfer
    • 1997 – Veronika Kudermetova, Russian tennis player
    • 1998 – Ryan Newman, American actress
    • 1999 – Jerry Jeudy, American football player

    Deaths on April 24

    • 624 – Mellitus, saint, and archbishop of Canterbury
    • 1149 – Petronille de Chemillé, abbess of Fontevrault
    • 1288 – Gertrude of Austria (b. 1226)
    • 1338 – Theodore I, Marquess of Montferrat (b. 1291)
    • 1479 – Jorge Manrique, Spanish poet (b. 1440)
    • 1513 – Şehzade Ahmet, Ottoman prince (b. 1465)
    • 1617 – Concino Concini, Italian-French politician, Prime Minister of France (b. 1575)
    • 1622 – Fidelis of Sigmaringen, German friar and saint (b. 1577)
    • 1656 – Thomas Fincke, Danish mathematician and physicist (b. 1561)
    • 1731 – Daniel Defoe, English journalist, novelist, and spy (b. 1660)
    • 1748 – Anton thor Helle, German-Estonian clergyman and translator (b. 1683)
    • 1779 – Eleazar Wheelock, American minister and academic, founded Dartmouth College (b. 1711)
    • 1794 – Axel von Fersen the Elder, Swedish field marshal and politician (b. 1719)
    • 1852 – Vasily Zhukovsky, Russian poet and translator (b. 1783)
    • 1889 – Zulma Carraud, French author (b. 1796)
    • 1891 – Helmuth von Moltke the Elder, German field marshal (b. 1800)
    • 1924 – G. Stanley Hall, American psychologist and academic (b. 1844)
    • 1931 – David Kldiashvili, Georgian author and playwright (b. 1862)
    • 1935 – Anastasios Papoulas, Greek general (b. 1857)
    • 1938 – George Grey Barnard, American sculptor (b. 1863)
    • 1939 – Louis Trousselier, French cyclist (b. 1881)
    • 1941 – Karin Boye, Swedish author and poet (b. 1900)
    • 1942 – Lucy Maud Montgomery, Canadian author (b. 1874)
    • 1944 – Charles Jordan, American magician (b. 1888)
    • 1945 – Ernst-Robert Grawitz, German physician (b. 1899)
    • 1947 – Hans Biebow, German SS officer (b. 1902)
    • 1947 – Willa Cather, American novelist, short story writer, and poet (b. 1873)
    • 1948 – Jāzeps Vītols, Latvian composer (b. 1863)
    • 1954 – Guy Mairesse, French race car driver (b. 1910)
    • 1960 – Max von Laue, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1879)
    • 1961 – Lee Moran, American actor, director and screenwriter (b. 1888)
    • 1962 – Milt Franklyn, American composer (b. 1897)
    • 1964 – Gerhard Domagk, German pathologist and bacteriologist (b. 1895)
    • 1965 – Louise Dresser, American actress (b. 1878)
    • 1966 – Simon Chikovani, Georgian poet and author (b. 1902)
    • 1967 – Vladimir Komarov, Russian pilot, engineer, and astronaut (b. 1927)
    • 1967 – Robert Richards, Australian politician, 32nd Premier of South Australia (b. 1885)
    • 1968 – Walter Tewksbury, American athlete (b. 1876)
    • 1970 – Otis Spann, American singer and pianist (b. 1930)
    • 1972 – Fernando Amorsolo, Filipino painter (b. 1892)
    • 1974 – Bud Abbott, American comedian and producer (b. 1895)
    • 1975 – Pete Ham, Welsh singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1947)
    • 1976 – Mark Tobey, American-Swiss painter and educator (b. 1890)
    • 1980 – Alejo Carpentier, Swiss-Cuban musicologist and author (b. 1904)
    • 1982 – Ville Ritola, Finnish runner (b. 1896)
    • 1983 – Erol Güngör, Turkish sociologist, psychologist, and academic (b. 1938)
    • 1983 – Rolf Stommelen, German race car driver (b. 1943)
    • 1984 – Rafael Pérez y Pérez, Spanish author (b. 1891)
    • 1993 – Oliver Tambo, South African lawyer and activist (b. 1917)
    • 1993 – Tran Duc Thao, Vietnamese philosopher and theorist (b. 1917)
    • 1995 – Lodewijk Bruckman, Dutch painter (b. 1903)
    • 1997 – Allan Francovich, American director and producer (b. 1941)
    • 1997 – Pat Paulsen, American comedian and activist (b. 1927)
    • 1997 – Eugene Stoner, American engineer, designed the AR-15 rifle (b. 1922)
    • 2001 – Josef Peters, German race car driver (b. 1914)
    • 2001 – Johnny Valentine, American wrestler (b. 1928)
    • 2002 – Lucien Wercollier, Luxembourgian sculptor (b. 1908)
    • 2004 – José Giovanni, French-Swiss director and producer (b. 1923)
    • 2004 – Estée Lauder, American businesswoman, co-founded Estée Lauder Companies (b. 1906)
    • 2005 – Ezer Weizman, Israeli general and politician, 7th President of Israel (b. 1924)
    • 2005 – Fei Xiaotong, Chinese sociologist and academic (b. 1910)
    • 2006 – Brian Labone, English footballer (b. 1940)
    • 2006 – Moshe Teitelbaum, Romanian-American rabbi and author (b. 1914)
    • 2008 – Jimmy Giuffre, American clarinet player, and saxophonist, and composer (b. 1921)
    • 2011 – Sathya Sai Baba, Indian guru and philanthropist (b. 1926)
    • 2014 – Hans Hollein, Austrian architect, designed Haas House (b. 1934)
    • 2014 – Sandy Jardine, Scottish footballer and manager (b. 1948)
    • 2014 – Shobha Nagi Reddy, Indian politician (b. 1968)
    • 2014 – Tadeusz Różewicz, Polish poet and playwright (b. 1921)
    • 2015 – Władysław Bartoszewski, Polish journalist and politician, Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1922)
    • 2016 – Tommy Kono, American weightlifter and coach (b. 1930)
    • 2017 – Robert Pirsig, American author and philosopher (b. 1928)

    Holidays and observances on April 24

    • Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day (Armenia, France)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Benedict Menni
      • Dermot of Armagh
      • Dyfnan of Anglesey
      • Ecgberht of Ripon
      • Fidelis of Sigmaringen
      • Gregory of Elvira
      • Ivo of Ramsey
      • Johann Walter (Lutheran)
      • Mary of Clopas
      • Mary Euphrasia Pelletier
      • Mellitus
      • Peter of Saint Joseph de Betancur
      • Salome (disciple)
      • Wilfrid (Church of England)
      • William Firmatus
      • April 24 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Concord Day (Niger)
    • Democracy Day (Nepal)
    • Earliest day on which Arbor Day can fall, while April 30 is the latest; celebrated on the last Friday in April. (United States)
    • Earliest day on which Turkmen Racing Horse Festival can fall, while April 30 is the latest; celebrated on the last Sunday in April. (Turkmenistan)
    • Fashion Revolution Day, and its related observances:
      • Labour Safety Day (Bangladesh, proposed)
    • Kapyong Day (Australia, Canada)
    • National Panchayati Raj Day (India)
    • St Mark’s Eve
    • Republic Day (The Gambia)
    • World Day for Laboratory Animals

  • April 21 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 753 BC – Romulus founds Rome (traditional date).
    • 43 BC – Battle of Mutina: Mark Antony is again defeated in battle by Aulus Hirtius, who is killed. Antony fails to capture Mutina and Decimus Brutus is murdered shortly after.
    • 900 – The Laguna Copperplate Inscription (the earliest known written document found in what is now the Philippines): the Commander-in-Chief of the Kingdom of Tondo, as represented by the Honourable Jayadewa, Lord Minister of Pailah, pardons from all debt the Honourable Namwaran and his relations.
    • 1092 – The Diocese of Pisa is elevated to the rank of metropolitan archdiocese by Pope Urban II
    • 1506 – The three-day Lisbon Massacre comes to an end with the slaughter of over 1,900 suspected Jews by Portuguese Catholics.
    • 1509 – Henry VIII ascends the throne of England on the death of his father, Henry VII.
    • 1526 – The last ruler of the Lodi dynasty, Ibrahim Lodi is defeated and killed by Babur in the First Battle of Panipat.
    • 1615 – The Wignacourt Aqueduct is inaugurated in Malta.
    • 1782 – The city of Rattanakosin, now known internationally as Bangkok, is founded on the eastern bank of the Chao Phraya River by King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke.
    • 1789 – George Washington’s reception at Trenton is hosted by the Ladies of Trenton as he journeys to New York City for his first inauguration.
    • 1792 – Tiradentes, a revolutionary leading a movement for Brazil’s independence, is hanged, drawn and quartered.
    • 1802 – Twelve thousand Wahhabis under Abdul-Aziz bin Muhammad, invaded city of Karbala, killed over three thousand inhabitants, and sacked the city.
    • 1806 – Action of 21 April 1806: A French frigate escapes British forces off the coast of South Africa.
    • 1809 – Two Austrian army corps are driven from Landshut by a First French Empire army led by Napoleon as two French corps to the north hold off the main Austrian army on the first day of the Battle of Eckmühl.
    • 1821 – Benderli Ali Pasha arrives in Constantinople as the new Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire; he remains in power for only nine days before being sent into exile.
    • 1836 – Texas Revolution: The Battle of San Jacinto: Republic of Texas forces under Sam Houston defeat troops under Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna.
    • 1856 – Australian labour movement: Stonemasons and building workers on building sites around Melbourne march from the University of Melbourne to Parliament House to achieve an eight-hour day.
    • 1894 – Norway formally adopts the Krag–Jørgensen bolt-action rifle as the main arm of its armed forces, a weapon that would remain in service for almost 50 years.
    • 1898 – Spanish–American War: The United States Navy begins a blockade of Cuban ports. When the U.S. Congress issued a declaration of war on April 25, it declared that a state of war had existed from this date.
    • 1914 – Ypiranga incident: A German arms shipment to Mexico is intercepted by the U.S. Navy near Veracruz.
    • 1918 – World War I: German fighter ace Manfred von Richthofen, better known as “The Red Baron”, is shot down and killed over Vaux-sur-Somme in France.
    • 1926 – Al-Baqi cemetery, former site of the mausoleum of four Shi’a Imams, is leveled to the ground by Wahhabis.
    • 1934 – The “Surgeon’s Photograph”, the most famous photo allegedly showing the Loch Ness Monster, is published in the Daily Mail (in 1999, it is revealed to be a hoax).
    • 1945 – World War II: Soviet forces south of Berlin at Zossen attack the German High Command headquarters.
    • 1948 – United Nations Security Council Resolution 47 relating to Kashmir conflict is adopted.
    • 1952 – Secretary’s Day (now Administrative Professionals’ Day) is first celebrated.
    • 1958 – United Airlines Flight 736 collides into a United States Air Force fighter jet near Arden, Nevada in what is now Enterprise, Nevada.
    • 1960 – Brasília, Brazil’s capital, is officially inaugurated. At 09:30, the Three Powers of the Republic are simultaneously transferred from the old capital, Rio de Janeiro.
    • 1962 – The Seattle World’s Fair (Century 21 Exposition) opens. It is the first World’s Fair in the United States since World War II.
    • 1963 – The first election of the Universal House of Justice is held, marking its establishment as the supreme governing institution of the Bahá’í Faith.
    • 1964 – A Transit-5bn satellite fails to reach orbit after launch; as it re-enters the atmosphere, 2.1 pounds (0.95 kg) of radioactive plutonium in its SNAP RTG power source is widely dispersed.
    • 1965 – The 1964–1965 New York World’s Fair opens for its second and final season.
    • 1966 – Rastafari movement: Haile Selassie of Ethiopia visits Jamaica, an event now celebrated as Grounation Day.
    • 1967 – A few days before the general election in Greece, Colonel George Papadopoulos leads a coup d’état, establishing a military regime that lasts for seven years.
    • 1975 – Vietnam War: President of South Vietnam Nguyễn Văn Thiệu flees Saigon, as Xuân Lộc, the last South Vietnamese outpost blocking a direct North Vietnamese assault on Saigon, falls.
    • 1977 – Annie opens on Broadway.
    • 1982 – Baseball: Rollie Fingers of the Milwaukee Brewers becomes the first pitcher to record 300 saves.
    • 1985 – The compound of the militant group The Covenant, The Sword, and the Arm of the Lord surrenders to federal authorities in Arkansas after a two-day government siege.
    • 1987 – The Tamil Tigers are blamed for a car bomb that detonates in the Sri Lankan capital city of Colombo, killing 106 people.
    • 1989 – Tiananmen Square protests of 1989: In Beijing, around 100,000 students gather in Tiananmen Square to commemorate Chinese reform leader Hu Yaobang.
    • 1993 – The Supreme Court in La Paz, Bolivia, sentences former dictator Luis García Meza to 30 years in jail without parole for murder, theft, fraud and violating the constitution.
    • 2004 – Five suicide car bombers target police stations in and around Basra, killing 74 people and wounding 160.
    • 2010 – The controversial Kharkiv Pact (Russian Ukrainian Naval Base for Gas Treaty) is signed in Kharkiv, Ukraine, by Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev; it was unilaterally terminated by Russia on March 31, 2014.
    • 2012 – Two trains are involved in a head-on collision near Sloterdijk, Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, injuring 116 people.
    • 2014 – The American city of Flint, Michigan switches its water source to the Flint River, beginning the ongoing Flint water crisis which has caused lead poisoning in up to 12,000 people, and 15 deaths from Legionnaires disease, ultimately leading to criminal indictments against 15 people, five of whom have been charged with involuntary manslaughter.
    • 2019 – Eight bombs explode at churches, hotels, and other locations in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday; more than 200 people are killed.

    Births on April 21

    • 1132 – Sancho VI, king of Navarre (d. 1194)
    • 1488 – Ulrich von Hutten, German religious reformer (d. 1523)
    • 1523 – Marco Antonio Bragadin, Venetian lawyer and military officer (d. 1571)
    • 1555 – Ludovico Carracci, Italian painter and etcher (d. 1619)
    • 1619 – Jan van Riebeeck, Dutch founder of Cape Town (d. 1677)
    • 1630 – Pieter Gerritsz van Roestraten, Dutch-English painter (d. 1700)
    • 1631 – Francesco Maidalchini, Catholic cardinal (d. 1700)
    • 1642 – Simon de la Loubère, French mathematician, poet, and diplomat (d. 1729)
    • 1651 – Joseph Vaz, Sri Lankan priest, missionary, and saint (d. 1711)
    • 1652 – Michel Rolle, French mathematician and academic (d. 1719)
    • 1671 – John Law, Scottish economist (d. 1729)
    • 1673 – Wilhelmine Amalia of Brunswick-Lüneburg (d. 1742)
    • 1713 – Louis de Noailles, French general (d. 1793)
    • 1730 – Antonín Kammel, Czech violinist and composer (d. 1788)
    • 1752 – Pierre-Alexandre-Laurent Forfait, French engineer, hydrographer, and politician, French Minister of Marine and the Colonies (d. 1807)
    • 1752 – Humphry Repton, English gardener and author (d. 1818)
    • 1774 – Jean-Baptiste Biot, French physicist, astronomer, and mathematician (d. 1862)
    • 1775 – Alexander Anderson, Scottish-American illustrator and engraver (d. 1870)
    • 1790 – Manuel Blanco Encalada, Spanish-Chilean admiral and politician, 1st President of Chile (d. 1876)
    • 1810 – John Putnam Chapin, American politician, 10th Mayor of Chicago (d. 1864)
    • 1811 – Alson Sherman, American merchant and politician, 8th Mayor of Chicago (d. 1903)
    • 1814 – Angela Burdett-Coutts, 1st Baroness Burdett-Coutts, English art collector and philanthropist (d. 1906)
    • 1816 – Charlotte Brontë, Cornish-English novelist and poet (d. 1855)
    • 1837 – Fredrik Bajer, Danish lieutenant and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1922)
    • 1838 – John Muir, Scottish-American environmentalist and author (d. 1914)
    • 1851 – Charles Barrois, French geologist and palaeontologist (d. 1939)
    • 1854 – William Stang, German-American bishop (d. 1907)
    • 1864 – Max Weber, German economist and sociologist (d. 1920)
    • 1868 – Alfred Henry Maurer, American painter (d. 1932)
    • 1870 – Edwin Stanton Porter, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1941)
    • 1874 – Vincent Scotto, French actor and composer (d. 1952)
    • 1882 – Percy Williams Bridgman, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1961)
    • 1885 – Tatu Kolehmainen, Finnish runner (d. 1967)
    • 1887 – Joe McCarthy, American baseball manager (d. 1978)
    • 1889 – Marcel Boussac, French businessman (d. 1980)
    • 1889 – Paul Karrer, Russian-Swiss chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1971)
    • 1889 – Efrem Zimbalist, Sr., Russian-American violinist, composer, and conductor (d. 1985)
    • 1892 – Freddie Dixon, English motorcycle racer and racing driver (d. 1956)
    • 1893 – Romeo Bertini, Italian runner (d. 1973)
    • 1898 – Maurice Wilson, English soldier, pilot, and mountaineer (d. 1934)
    • 1899 – Randall Thompson, American composer and academic (d. 1984)
    • 1903 – Luis Saslavsky, Argentinian director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1995)
    • 1904 – Jean Hélion, French painter (d. 1987)
    • 1904 – Odilo Globocnik, Italian-Austrian SS officer (d. 1945)
    • 1905 – Pat Brown, American lawyer and politician, 32nd Governor of California (d. 1996)
    • 1911 – Ivan Combe, American businessman, developed Clearasil (d. 2000)
    • 1911 – Kemal Satır, Turkish physician and politician (d. 1991)
    • 1912 – Eve Arnold, Russian-American photojournalist (d. 2012)
    • 1912 – Marcel Camus, French director and screenwriter (d. 1982)
    • 1913 – Norman Parkinson, English photographer (d. 1990)
    • 1914 – Angelo Savoldi, Italian-American wrestler and promoter, co-founded International World Class Championship Wrestling (d. 2013)
    • 1915 – Garrett Hardin, American ecologist, author, and academic (d. 2003)
    • 1915 – Anthony Quinn, Mexican-American actor (d. 2001)
    • 1916 – Estella B. Diggs, American businesswoman and politician (d. 2013)
    • 1918 – Eddy Christiani, Dutch singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2016)
    • 1919 – Don Cornell, American singer (d. 2004)
    • 1919 – Roger Doucet, Canadian tenor (d. 1981)
    • 1919 – Licio Gelli, Italian financer (d. 2015)
    • 1920 – Edmund Adamkiewicz, German footballer (d. 1991)
    • 1922 – Alistair MacLean, Scottish novelist and screenwriter (d. 1987)
    • 1922 – Allan Watkins, Welsh-English cricketer (d. 2011)
    • 1923 – John Mortimer, English lawyer and author (d. 2009)
    • 1924 – Ira Louvin, American singer-songwriter and mandolin player (d. 1965)
    • 1925 – Anthony Mason, Australian soldier and judge, 9th Chief Justice of Australia
    • 1925 – John Swinton of Kimmerghame, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Berwickshire (d. 2018)
    • 1926 – Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and her other realms
    • 1926 – Arthur Rowley, English footballer, manager and cricketer (d. 2002)
    • 1927 – Ahmed Arif, Turkish poet and author (d. 1991)
    • 1928 – Jack Evans, Welsh-Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 1996)
    • 1930 – Hilda Hilst, Brazilian author, poet, and playwright (d. 2004)
    • 1930 – Silvana Mangano, Italian actress (d. 1989)
    • 1930 – Dieter Roth, German-Swiss illustrator and sculptor (d. 1998)
    • 1930 – Jack Taylor, English footballer and referee (d. 2012)
    • 1931 – Morgan Wootten, American high school basketball coach (d. 2020)
    • 1932 – Slide Hampton, African-American trombonist and composer
    • 1932 – Elaine May, American actress, comedian, director, and screenwriter
    • 1932 – Angela Mortimer, English tennis player
    • 1933 – Edelmiro Amante, Filipino lawyer and politician (d. 2013)
    • 1933 – Easley Blackwood, Jr., American pianist, composer, and educator
    • 1933 – Ignatius Zakka I Iwas, Iraqi patriarch (d. 2014)
    • 1935 – Charles Grodin, American actor and talk show host
    • 1935 – Thomas Kean, American academic and politician, 48th Governor of New Jersey
    • 1936 – James Dobson, American evangelist, psychologist, and author, founded Focus on the Family
    • 1936 – Reg Fleming, Canadian-American ice hockey player (d. 2009)
    • 1937 – Gary Peters, American baseball player
    • 1937 – Ben Zinn, Israeli-born American academic and former international soccer player
    • 1939 – John McCabe, English pianist and composer (d. 2015)
    • 1939 – Sister Helen Prejean, American nun, activist, and author
    • 1939 – Reni Santoni, American actor
    • 1940 – Jacques Caron, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1940 – Souleymane Cissé, Malian director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1941 – David L. Boren, American lawyer and politician, 21st Governor of Oklahoma
    • 1942 – Geoffrey Palmer, New Zealand politician, 33rd Prime Minister of New Zealand
    • 1945 – Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan, Indian cricketer and umpire
    • 1945 – Mark Wainberg, Canadian researcher and HIV/AIDS activist (d. 2017)
    • 1945 – Diana Darvey, English actress, singer and dancer (d. 2000)
    • 1947 – Al Bumbry, American baseball player
    • 1947 – Iggy Pop, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
    • 1947 – John Weider, English bass player
    • 1948 – Gary Condit, American businessman and politician
    • 1948 – Paul Davis, American singer-songwriter and musician (d. 2008)
    • 1948 – Josef Flammer, Swiss ophthalmologist
    • 1948 – Dieter Fromm, German runner
    • 1949 – Patti LuPone, American actress and singer
    • 1950 – Shivaji Satam, Indian actor
    • 1951 – Tony Danza, American actor and producer
    • 1951 – Michael Freedman, American mathematician and academic
    • 1951 – Bob Varsha, American sportscaster
    • 1951 – Steve Vickers, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1952 – Gerald Early, American author and academic
    • 1952 – Cheryl Gillan, British businesswoman and politician, Secretary of State for Wales
    • 1953 – John Brumby, Australian politician, 45th Premier of Victoria
    • 1954 – Ebiet G. Ade, Indonesian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1954 – James Morrison, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1955 – Murathan Mungan, Turkish author, poet, and playwright
    • 1955 – Doug Soetaert, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1956 – Peter Kosminsky, English director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1956 – Phillip Longman, German-American demographer and journalist
    • 1957 – Hervé Le Tellier, French linguist and author
    • 1957 – Jesse Orosco, American baseball player
    • 1957 – Herbert Wetterauer, German painter, sculptor, and author
    • 1958 – Andie MacDowell, American model, actress, and producer
    • 1958 – Yoshito Usui, Japanese illustrator (d. 2009)
    • 1958 – Michael Zarnock, American author
    • 1959 – Tim Jacobus, American illustrator and painter
    • 1959 – Olga Kuragina, Russian pentathlete
    • 1959 – Arno Pijpers, Dutch footballer and coach
    • 1959 – Robert Smith, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1960 – Michel Goulet, Canadian ice hockey player and scout
    • 1960 – Julius Korir, Kenyan runner
    • 1961 – Cathy Cavadini, American voice actress
    • 1961 – Carey Hayes, American screenwriter and producer
    • 1961 – Chad Hayes, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1961 – Neale Marmon, English-German footballer, coach, and manager
    • 1961 – David Servan-Schreiber, French physician, neuroscientist, and author (d. 2011)
    • 1962 – Les Lancaster, American baseball player and coach
    • 1962 – Craig Robinson, American basketball player and coach
    • 1962 – Aavo Sarap, Estonian footballer and coach
    • 1963 – Ken Caminiti, American baseball player (d. 2004)
    • 1963 – Roy Dupuis, Canadian actor
    • 1963 – John Cameron Mitchell, American actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1964 – Alex Baumann, Czech-Canadian swimmer
    • 1964 – Ludmila Engquist, Russian-Swedish hurdler
    • 1965 – Ed Belfour, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1965 – Karen Foster, American model and actress
    • 1965 – Gary Grant, American basketball player
    • 1965 – Thomas Helmer, German footballer
    • 1965 – Fiona Kelleghan, American academic, critic and librarian
    • 1967 – Emilio Valle, Cuban hurdler
    • 1968 – Peter van Vossen, Dutch footballer and coach
    • 1969 – John Kibowen, Kenyan runner
    • 1969 – Toby Stephens, English actor
    • 1970 – Jeff Anderson, American actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1970 – Glen Hansard, Irish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
    • 1970 – Rob Riggle, American actor and comedian
    • 1970 – Nicole Sullivan, American actress, comedian, and screenwriter
    • 1971 – Axl Rotten, American wrestler (d. 2016)
    • 1971 – Michael Turner, American author and illustrator (d. 2008)
    • 1972 – Richard Chelimo, Kenyan runner (d. 2001)
    • 1972 – Gwendal Peizerat, French ice dancer
    • 1973 – Steve Backshall, English naturalist, writer, and television presenter
    • 1973 – Jonathan Nsenga, Belgian hurdler and coach
    • 1974 – Maksim Gruznov, Estonian footballer
    • 1974 – Orlando Jordan, American wrestler
    • 1974 – David Peachey, Australian rugby league player
    • 1975 – Danyon Loader, New Zealand swimmer
    • 1976 – Rommel Adducul, Filipino basketball player
    • 1976 – Petero Civoniceva, Fijian-Australian rugby league player
    • 1977 – Gyula Koi, Hungarian scholar and educator
    • 1977 – Jamie Salé, Canadian figure skater
    • 1978 – Jacob Burns, Australian footballer
    • 1978 – Jukka Nevalainen, Finnish drummer
    • 1978 – Yuliya Pechonkina, Russian hurdler
    • 1979 – Virginie Basselot, French chef
    • 1979 – Tobias Linderoth, French-Swedish footballer and coach
    • 1979 – James McAvoy, Scottish actor
    • 1980 – Jeff Keppinger, American baseball player
    • 1980 – Vincent Lecavalier, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1980 – Tony Romo, American football player
    • 1981 – Mads Junker, Danish footballer
    • 1982 – Khalif Barnes, American football player
    • 1982 – Micheal Luck, Australian rugby league player
    • 1982 – Carnell Williams, American football player
    • 1983 – Paweł Brożek, Polish footballer
    • 1983 – Marco Donadel, Italian footballer
    • 1983 – Tarvaris Jackson, American football player (d. 2020)
    • 1984 – Shayna Fox, American voice actress
    • 1986 – Audra Cohen, American tennis player
    • 1986 – Alexander Edler, Swedish ice hockey player
    • 1986 – Rodney Stuckey, American basketball player
    • 1986 – Mirko Valdifiori, Italian footballer
    • 1987 – Nadif Chowdhury, Bangladeshi cricketer
    • 1987 – Eric Devendorf, American basketball player
    • 1987 – Leroy George, Dutch footballer
    • 1987 – Anastasia Prikhodko, Ukrainian singer
    • 1988 – Ricky Berens, American swimmer
    • 1988 – Jencarlos Canela, American singer-songwriter and actor
    • 1988 – Pedro Mosquera, Spanish footballer
    • 1988 – Adam Rooney, Irish footballer
    • 1989 – Tatyana McFadden, Russian-American sprinter and skier
    • 1989 – Carlos Muñoz, Chilean footballer
    • 1990 – Aleksandar Prijović, Swiss-born Serbian footballer
    • 1992 – Isco, Spanish footballer
    • 1992 – Rene Santos, Brazilian footballer
    • 1992 – Joc Pederson, American baseball player
    • 1994 – Mitchell Weiser, German footballer

    Deaths on April 21

    • 234 – Emperor Xian of Han, Chinese emperor (b. 181)
    • 586 – Liuvigild, king of the Visigoths
    • 847 – Odgar, Frankish archbishop of Mainz
    • 866 – Bardas, de facto regent of the Byzantine Empire
    • 941 – Bajkam, de facto regent of the Abbasid Caliphate
    • 1073 – Pope Alexander II
    • 1109 – Anselm of Canterbury, Italian-English archbishop and saint (b. 1033)
    • 1136 – Stephen, Count of Tréguier Breton noblemen (b. c. 1058/62)
    • 1142 – Peter Abelard, French philosopher and theologian (b. 1079)
    • 1213 – Maria of Montpellier, Lady of Montpellier, Queen of Aragon (b. 1182)
    • 1329 – Frederick IV, Duke of Lorraine (b. 1282)
    • 1400 – John Wittlebury, English politician (b. 1333)
    • 1509 – Henry VII of England (b. 1457)
    • 1557 – Petrus Apianus, German mathematician and astronomer (b. 1495)
    • 1574 – Cosimo I de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (b. 1519)
    • 1591 – Sen no Rikyū, Japanese exponent of the tea ceremony (b. 1522)
    • 1650 – Yagyū Jūbei Mitsuyoshi, Japanese samurai (b. 1607)
    • 1668 – Jan Boeckhorst, Flemish painter (b. c. 1604)
    • 1699 – Jean Racine, French playwright and poet (b. 1639)
    • 1719 – Philippe de La Hire, French mathematician and astronomer (b. 1640)
    • 1720 – Antoine Hamilton, Irish-French soldier and author (b. 1646)
    • 1722 – Robert Beverley, Jr., English historian and author (b. 1673)
    • 1736 – Prince Eugene of Savoy (b. 1663)
    • 1740 – Thomas Tickell, English poet and author (b. 1685)
    • 1758 – Francesco Zerafa, Maltese architect (b. 1679)
    • 1815 – Joseph Winston, American soldier and politician (b. 1746)
    • 1825 – Johann Friedrich Pfaff, German mathematician and academic (b. 1765)
    • 1852 – Ivan Nabokov, Russian general (b. 1787)
    • 1863 – Sir Robert Bateson, 1st Baronet, Irish politician (b. 1782)
    • 1900 – Vikramatji Khimojiraj, Indian ruler (b. 1819)
    • 1910 – Mark Twain, American novelist, humorist, and critic (b. 1835)
    • 1918 – Manfred von Richthofen, German captain and pilot (b. 1892)
    • 1924 – Eleonora Duse, Italian actress (b. 1858)
    • 1930 – Robert Bridges, English poet and author (b. 1844)
    • 1932 – Friedrich Gustav Piffl, Bohemian cardinal (b. 1864)
    • 1938 – Muhammad Iqbal, Indian-Pakistani philosopher and poet (b. 1877)
    • 1941 – Fritz Manteuffel, German gymnast (b. 1875)
    • 1945 – Walter Model, German field marshal (b. 1891)
    • 1946 – John Maynard Keynes, English economist and philosopher (b. 1883)
    • 1948 – Aldo Leopold, American ecologist and author (b. 1887)
    • 1952 – Leslie Banks, American actor, director and producer (b. 1890)
    • 1954 – Emil Leon Post, Polish-American mathematician and logician (b. 1897)
    • 1956 – Charles MacArthur, American playwright and screenwriter (b. 1895)
    • 1965 – Edward Victor Appleton, English-Scottish physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1892)
    • 1971 – François Duvalier, Haitian physician and politician, 40th President of Haiti (b. 1907)
    • 1973 – Arthur Fadden, Australian accountant and politician, 13th Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1894)
    • 1973 – Kemal Tahir, Turkish journalist and author (b. 1910)
    • 1974 – Chic Harley, American football player (b. 1894)
    • 1977 – Gummo Marx, American vaudevillian and talent agent (b. 1893)
    • 1978 – Sandy Denny, English singer-songwriter (b.1947)
    • 1978 – Thomas Wyatt Turner, American biologist and academic (b. 1877)
    • 1980 – Alexander Oparin, Russian biochemist and academic (b. 1894)
    • 1980 – Sohrab Sepehri, Iranian poet and painter (b. 1928)
    • 1983 – Walter Slezak, Austrian-American actor and singer (b. 1902)
    • 1984 – Marcel Janco, Romanian-Israeli artist (b. 1895)
    • 1984 – Hristo Prodanov, Bulgarian engineer and mountaineer (b. 1943)
    • 1985 – Rudi Gernreich, Austrian-American fashion designer, created the monokini (b. 1922)
    • 1985 – Tancredo Neves, Brazilian banker and politician, Prime Minister of Brazil (b. 1910)
    • 1986 – Marjorie Eaton, American painter and actress (b. 1901)
    • 1986 – Salah Jahin, Egyptian poet, playwright, and composer (b. 1930)
    • 1987 – Gustav Bergmann, Austrian-American philosopher from the Vienna Circle (b. 1906)
    • 1989 – James Kirkwood, Jr., American actor, playwright, and author (b. 1924)
    • 1990 – Erté, Russian-French illustrator (b. 1892)
    • 1991 – Willi Boskovsky, Austrian violinist and conductor (b. 1909)
    • 1996 – Zora Arkus-Duntov, Belgian-born American engineer and race car driver (b. 1909)
    • 1996 – Dzhokhar Dudayev, Chechen general and politician, 1st President of Ichkeria (b. 1944)
    • 1996 – Abdul Hafeez Kardar, Pakistani cricketer (b. 1925)
    • 1996 – Jimmy Snyder, American sportscaster (b. 1919)
    • 1998 – Jean-François Lyotard, French sociologist and philosopher (b. 1924)
    • 1999 – Buddy Rogers, American actor (b. 1904)
    • 2003 – Nina Simone, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and activist (b. 1933)
    • 2004 – Mary McGrory, American journalist (b. 1918)
    • 2005 – Gerry Marshall, English race car driver and journalist (b. 1941)
    • 2006 – Johnny Checketts, New Zealand commander and pilot (b. 1912)
    • 2006 – T. K. Ramakrishnan, Indian politician (b. 1922)
    • 2006 – Telê Santana, Brazilian footballer and manager (b. 1931)
    • 2007 – Lobby Loyde, Australian guitarist, songwriter, and producer (b. 1941)
    • 2009 – Vivian Maier, American photographer (b. 1926)
    • 2010 – Gustav Lorentzen, Norwegian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1947)
    • 2010 – Juan Antonio Samaranch, Spanish businessman, seventh President of the International Olympic Committee (b. 1920)
    • 2010 – Kanagaratnam Sriskandan, Sri Lankan-English engineer and civil servant (b. 1930)
    • 2011 – Catharina Halkes, Dutch theologian and academic (b. 1920)
    • 2012 – Doris Betts, American author and academic (b. 1932)
    • 2012 – Charles Colson, American lawyer and activist, founded Prison Fellowship (b. 1931)
    • 2012 – Albert Falco, French captain and diver (b. 1927)
    • 2012 – Charles Higham, English-American author and poet (b. 1931)
    • 2012 – Jerry Toppazzini, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1931)
    • 2013 – Chrissy Amphlett, Australian singer-songwriter and actress (b. 1959)
    • 2013 – Shakuntala Devi, Indian mathematician and astrologer (b. 1929)
    • 2013 – Leopold Engleitner, Austrian Holocaust survivor, author, and educator (b. 1905)
    • 2013 – Gordon D. Gayle, American general and historian (b. 1917)
    • 2014 – Herb Gray, Canadian lawyer and politician, 7th Deputy Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1931)
    • 2014 – Janet Gray Hayes, American politician, 60th Mayor of San Jose (b. 1926)
    • 2014 – George H. Heilmeier, American engineer (b. 1936)
    • 2014 – Win Tin, Burmese journalist and politician, co-founded the National League for Democracy (b. 1930)
    • 2015 – M. H. Abrams, American author, critic, and academic (b. 1912)
    • 2015 – Steve Byrnes, American sportscaster and producer (b. 1959)
    • 2015 – John Moshoeu, South African footballer and manager (b. 1965)
    • 2015 – Janaki Ballabh Patnaik, Indian politician, Governor of Assam (b. 1927)
    • 2015 – Sydney Valpy Radley-Walters, Canadian general (b. 1920)
    • 2015 – Betsy von Furstenberg, German-American actress (b. 1931)
    • 2016 – Prince, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor (b. 1958)
    • 2017 – Ugo Ehiogu, English footballer (b. 1972)
    • 2018 – Verne Troyer, American actor (b. 1969)
    • 2018 – Nabi Tajima, Japanese supercentenarian, oldest Japanese and Asian person ever, last verified person born in the 19th century (b. 1900)
    • 2019 – Polly Higgins, Scottish barrister, author and environmental lobbyist, (b. 1968)

    Holidays and observances April 21

    • Christian feast day:
      • Abdecalas
      • Anastasius Sinaita
      • Anselm of Canterbury
      • Beuno
      • Conrad of Parzham
      • Holy Infant of Good Health
      • Shemon Bar Sabbae
      • Wolbodo
      • April 21 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Civil Service Day (India)
    • Grounation Day (Rastafari movement)
    • Heroic Defense of Veracruz (Mexico)
    • Kang Pan-sok’s Birthday (North Korea)
    • Kartini Day (Indonesia)
    • Local Self Government Day (Russia)
    • National Tea Day (United Kingdom)
    • National Tree Planting Day (Kenya)
    • San Jacinto Day (Texas)
    • Queen’s Official Birthday (Falkland Islands)
    • Tiradentes’ Day (Brazil)
    • Vietnam Book Day (Vietnam)

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

    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)

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

    • 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