April 25

  • April 25 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 404 BC – Admiral Lysander and King Pausanias of Sparta blockade Athens and bring the Peloponnesian War to a successful conclusion.
    • 775 – The Battle of Bagrevand puts an end to an Armenian rebellion against the Abbasid Caliphate. Muslim control over Transcaucasia is solidified and its Islamization begins, while several major Armenian nakharar families lose power and their remnants flee to the Byzantine Empire.
    • 799 – After mistreatment and disfigurement by the citizens of Rome, pope Leo III flees to the Frankish court of king Charlemagne at Paderborn for protection.
    • 1134 – The name Zagreb was mentioned for the first time in the Felician Charter relating to the establishment of the Zagreb Bishopric around 1094.
    • 1607 – Eighty Years’ War: The Dutch fleet destroys the anchored Spanish fleet at Gibraltar.
    • 1644 – The Chongzhen Emperor, the last Emperor of Ming dynasty China, commits suicide during a peasant rebellion led by Li Zicheng.
    • 1707 – A coalition of Britain, the Netherlands and Portugal is defeated by a Franco-Spanish army at Almansa (Spain) in the War of the Spanish Succession.
    • 1792 – Highwayman Nicolas J. Pelletier becomes the first person executed by guillotine.
    • 1792 – “La Marseillaise” (the French national anthem) is composed by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle.
    • 1804 – The western Georgian kingdom of Imereti accepts the suzerainty of the Russian Empire.
    • 1829 – Charles Fremantle arrives in HMS Challenger off the coast of modern-day Western Australia prior to declaring the Swan River Colony for the United Kingdom.
    • 1846 – Thornton Affair: Open conflict begins over the disputed border of Texas, triggering the Mexican–American War.
    • 1849 – The Governor General of Canada, Lord Elgin, signs the Rebellion Losses Bill, outraging Montreal’s English population and triggering the Montreal Riots.
    • 1859 – British and French engineers break ground for the Suez Canal.
    • 1862 – American Civil War: Forces under U.S. Admiral David Farragut demand the surrender of the Confederate city of New Orleans, Louisiana.
    • 1864 – American Civil War: The Battle of Marks’ Mills.
    • 1882 – French and Vietnamese troops clashed in Tonkin, when Commandant Henri Rivière seized the citadel of Hanoi with a small force of marine infantry.
    • 1898 – Spanish–American War: The United States declares war on Spain.
    • 1901 – New York becomes the first U.S. state to require automobile license plates.
    • 1915 – World War I: The Battle of Gallipoli begins: The invasion of the Turkish Gallipoli Peninsula by British, French, Indian, Newfoundland, Australian and New Zealand troops, begins with landings at Anzac Cove and Cape Helles.
    • 1916 – Anzac Day is commemorated for the first time on the first anniversary of the landing at ANZAC Cove.
    • 1920 – At the San Remo conference, the principal Allied Powers of World War I adopt a resolution to determine the allocation of Class “A” League of Nations mandates for administration of the former Ottoman-ruled lands of the Middle East.
    • 1938 – U.S. Supreme Court delivers its opinion in Erie Railroad Co. v. Tompkins and overturns a century of federal common law.
    • 1940 – Merkið, the flag of the Faroe Islands is approved by the British occupation government.
    • 1944 – The United Negro College Fund is incorporated.
    • 1945 – Elbe Day: United States and Soviet troops meet in Torgau along the River Elbe, cutting the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany in two.
    • 1945 – Liberation Day (Italy): The Nazi occupation army surrenders and leaves Northern Italy after a general partisan insurrection by the Italian resistance movement; the puppet fascist regime dissolves and Benito Mussolini is captured after trying to escape. This day was set as a public holiday to celebrate the Liberation of Italy.
    • 1945 – United Nations Conference on International Organization: Founding negotiations for the United Nations begin in San Francisco.
    • 1945 – The last German troops retreat from Finland’s soil in Lapland, ending the Lapland War. Military acts of Second World War end in Finland.
    • 1951 – Korean War: Assaulting Chinese forces are forced to withdraw after heavy fighting with UN forces, primarily made up of Australian and Canadian troops, at the Battle of Kapyong.
    • 1953 – Francis Crick and James Watson publish “Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids: A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid” describing the double helix structure of DNA.
    • 1954 – The first practical solar cell is publicly demonstrated by Bell Telephone Laboratories.
    • 1959 – The Saint Lawrence Seaway, linking the North American Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean, officially opens to shipping.
    • 1960 – The United States Navy submarine USS Triton completes the first submerged circumnavigation of the globe.
    • 1961 – Robert Noyce is granted a patent for an integrated circuit.
    • 1972 – Vietnam War: Nguyen Hue Offensive: The North Vietnamese 320th Division forces 5,000 South Vietnamese troops to retreat and traps about 2,500 others northwest of Kontum.
    • 1974 – Carnation Revolution: A leftist military coup in Portugal overthrows the authoritarian-conservative Estado Novo regime and establishes a democratic government.
    • 1975 – As North Vietnamese forces close in on the South Vietnamese capital Saigon, the Australian Embassy is closed and evacuated, almost ten years to the day since the first Australian troop commitment to South Vietnam.
    • 1981 – More than 100 workers are exposed to radiation during repairs of at the Tsuruga Nuclear Power Plant in Japan.
    • 1982 – Israel completes its withdrawal from the Sinai Peninsula per the Camp David Accords.
    • 1983 – Cold War: American schoolgirl Samantha Smith is invited to visit the Soviet Union by its leader Yuri Andropov after he read her letter in which she expressed fears about nuclear war.
    • 1983 – Pioneer 10 travels beyond Pluto’s orbit.
    • 1986 – Mswati III is crowned King of Swaziland, succeeding his father Sobhuza II.
    • 1988 – In Israel, John Demjanjuk is sentenced to death for war crimes committed in World War II.
    • 1990 – Violeta Chamorro takes office as the President of Nicaragua, the first woman to hold the position.
    • 2001 – Michele Alboreto is killed while testing an Audi R8 at the Lausitzring in Germany.
    • 2004 – The March for Women’s Lives brings between 500,000 and 800,000 protesters, mostly pro-choice, to Washington D.C. to protest the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003, and other restrictions on abortion.
    • 2005 – The final piece of the Obelisk of Axum is returned to Ethiopia after being stolen by the invading Italian army in 1937.
    • 2005 – Bulgaria and Romania sign accession treaties to join the European Union.
    • 2007 – Boris Yeltsin’s funeral: The first to be sanctioned by the Russian Orthodox Church for a head of state since the funeral of Emperor Alexander III in 1894.
    • 2015 – Nearly 9,100 are killed after a massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake strikes Nepal.

    Births on April 25

    • 1214 – Louis IX of France (d. 1270)
    • 1228 – Conrad IV of Germany (d. 1254)
    • 1284 – Edward II of England (d. 1327)
    • 1287 – Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (d. 1330)
    • 1502 – Georg Major, German theologian and academic (d. 1574)
    • 1529 – Francesco Patrizi, Italian philosopher and scientist (d. 1597)
    • 1599 – Oliver Cromwell, English general and politician, Lord Protector of Great Britain (d. 1658)
    • 1621 – Roger Boyle, 1st Earl of Orrery, English soldier and politician (d. 1679)
    • 1666 – Johann Heinrich Buttstett, German organist and composer (d. 1727)
    • 1694 – Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington, English architect and politician, Lord High Treasurer of Ireland (d. 1753)
    • 1710 – James Ferguson, Scottish astronomer and author (d. 1776)
    • 1723 – Giovanni Marco Rutini, Italian composer (d. 1797)
    • 1725 – Augustus Keppel, 1st Viscount Keppel, English admiral and politician (d. 1786)
    • 1767 – Nicolas Oudinot, French general (d. 1847)
    • 1770 – Georg Sverdrup, Norwegian philologist and academic (d. 1850)
    • 1776 – Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh (d. 1857)
    • 1843 – Princess Alice of the United Kingdom (d. 1878)
    • 1849 – Felix Klein, German mathematician and academic (d. 1925)
    • 1850 – Luise Adolpha Le Beau, German composer and educator (d. 1927)
    • 1851 – Leopoldo Alas, Spanish author, critic, and academic (d. 1901)
    • 1854 – Charles Sumner Tainter, American engineer and inventor (d. 1940)
    • 1862 – Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon, English ornithologist and politician, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (d. 1933)
    • 1868 – John Moisant, American pilot and engineer (d. 1910)
    • 1871 – Lorne Currie, French-English sailor (d. 1926)
    • 1872 – C. B. Fry, English cricketer, footballer, educator, and politician (d. 1956)
    • 1873 – Walter de la Mare, English poet, short story writer, and novelist (d. 1956)
    • 1873 – Howard Garis, American author, creator of the Uncle Wiggily series of children’s stories (d. 1962)
    • 1874 – Guglielmo Marconi, Italian businessman and inventor, developed Marconi’s law, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1937)
    • 1874 – Ernest Webb, English-Canadian race walker (d. 1937)
    • 1876 – Jacob Nicol, Canadian publisher, lawyer, and politician (d. 1958)
    • 1878 – William Merz, American gymnast and triathlete (d. 1946)
    • 1882 – Fred McLeod, Scottish golfer (d. 1976)
    • 1887 – Kojo Tovalou Houénou, Beninese lawyer and critic (d. 1936)
    • 1892 – Maud Hart Lovelace, American author (d. 1980)
    • 1896 – Fred Haney, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 1977)
    • 1897 – Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood (d. 1965)
    • 1900 – Gladwyn Jebb, English politician and diplomat, Secretary-General of the United Nations (d. 1996)
    • 1900 – Wolfgang Pauli, Austrian-Swiss-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1958)
    • 1902 – Werner Heyde, German psychiatrist and academic (d. 1964)
    • 1902 – Mary Miles Minter, American actress (d. 1984)
    • 1903 – Andrey Kolmogorov, Russian mathematician and academic (d. 1987)
    • 1905 – George Nepia, New Zealand rugby player and referee (d. 1986)
    • 1906 – William J. Brennan Jr., American colonel and Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court (d. 1997)
    • 1908 – Edward R. Murrow, American journalist (d. 1965)
    • 1909 – William Pereira, American architect, designed the Transamerica Pyramid (d. 1985)
    • 1910 – Arapeta Awatere, New Zealand interpreter, military leader, politician, and murderer (d. 1976)
    • 1911 – Connie Marrero, Cuban baseball player and coach (d. 2014)
    • 1912 – Earl Bostic, African-American saxophonist (d. 1965)
    • 1913 – Nikolaos Roussen, Greek captain (d. 1944)
    • 1914 – Ross Lockridge Jr., American author and academic (d. 1948)
    • 1915 – Mort Weisinger, American journalist and author (d. 1978)
    • 1916 – Jerry Barber, American golfer (d. 1994)
    • 1917 – Ella Fitzgerald, American singer (d. 1996)
    • 1917 – Jean Lucas, French racing driver (d. 2003)
    • 1918 – Graham Payn, South African-born English actor and singer (d. 2005)
    • 1918 – Gérard de Vaucouleurs, French-American astronomer and academic (d. 1995)
    • 1918 – Astrid Varnay, Swedish-American soprano and actress (d. 2006)
    • 1919 – Finn Helgesen, Norwegian speed skater (d. 2011)
    • 1921 – Karel Appel, Dutch painter and sculptor (d. 2006)
    • 1923 – Francis Graham-Smith, English astronomer and academic
    • 1923 – Melissa Hayden, Canadian ballerina (d. 2006)
    • 1923 – Albert King, African-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 1992)
    • 1924 – Ingemar Johansson, Swedish race walker (d. 2009)
    • 1924 – Franco Mannino, Italian pianist, composer, director, and playwright (d. 2005)
    • 1924 – Paulo Vanzolini, Brazilian singer-songwriter and zoologist (d. 2013)
    • 1925 – Tony Christopher, Baron Christopher, English trade union leader and businessman
    • 1925 – Sammy Drechsel, German comedian and journalist (d. 1986)
    • 1925 – Louis O’Neil, Canadian academic and politician (d. 2018)
    • 1926 – Johnny Craig, American author and illustrator (d. 2001)
    • 1926 – Gertrude Fröhlich-Sandner, Austrian politician (d. 2008)
    • 1926 – Patricia Castell, Argentine actress (d. 2013)
    • 1927 – Corín Tellado, Spanish author (d. 2009)
    • 1927 – Albert Uderzo, French author and illustrator (d. 2020)
    • 1928 – Cy Twombly, American-Italian painter and sculptor (d. 2011)
    • 1929 – Yvette Williams, New Zealand long jumper, shot putter, and discus thrower (d. 2019)
    • 1930 – Paul Mazursky, American actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2014)
    • 1930 – Godfrey Milton-Thompson, English admiral and surgeon (d. 2012)
    • 1930 – Peter Schulz, German lawyer and politician, Mayor of Hamburg (d. 2013)
    • 1931 – Felix Berezin, Russian mathematician and physicist (d. 1980)
    • 1931 – David Shepherd, English painter and author (d. 2017)
    • 1932 – Nikolai Kardashev, Russian astrophysicist (d. 2019)
    • 1932 – Meadowlark Lemon, African-American basketball player and minister (d. 2015)
    • 1932 – Lia Manoliu, Romanian discus thrower and politician (d. 1998)
    • 1933 – Jerry Leiber, American songwriter and producer (d. 2011)
    • 1933 – Joyce Ricketts, American baseball player (d. 1992)
    • 1934 – Peter McParland, Northern Irish footballer and manager
    • 1935 – Bob Gutowski, American pole vaulter (d. 1960)
    • 1935 – Reinier Kreijermaat, Dutch footballer (d. 2018)
    • 1936 – Henck Arron, Surinamese banker and politician, 1st Prime Minister of the Republic of Suriname (d. 2000)
    • 1938 – Roger Boisjoly, American aerodynamicist and engineer (d. 2012)
    • 1938 – Ton Schulten, Dutch painter and graphic designer
    • 1939 – Tarcisio Burgnich, Italian footballer and manager
    • 1939 – Michael Llewellyn-Smith, English academic and diplomat
    • 1939 – Robert Skidelsky, Baron Skidelsky, English historian and academic
    • 1939 – Veronica Sutherland, English academic and British diplomat
    • 1940 – Al Pacino, American actor and director
    • 1941 – Bertrand Tavernier, French actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1942 – Jon Kyl, American lawyer and politician
    • 1943 – Tony Christie, English singer-songwriter and actor
    • 1944 – Len Goodman, English dancer
    • 1944 – Mike Kogel, German singer-songwriter
    • 1944 – Stephen Nickell, English economist and academic
    • 1944 – Bruce Ponder, English geneticist and cancer researcher
    • 1945 – Stu Cook, American bass player, songwriter, and producer
    • 1945 – Richard C. Hoagland, American theorist and author
    • 1945 – Björn Ulvaeus, Swedish singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1946 – Talia Shire, American actress
    • 1946 – Peter Sutherland, Irish lawyer and politician, Attorney General of Ireland
    • 1946 – Vladimir Zhirinovsky, Russian colonel, lawyer, and politician
    • 1947 – Johan Cruyff, Dutch footballer and manager (d. 2016)
    • 1947 – Jeffrey DeMunn, American actor
    • 1948 – Mike Selvey, English cricketer and sportscaster
    • 1948 – Yu Shyi-kun, Taiwanese politician, 39th Premier of the Republic of China
    • 1949 – Vicente Pernía, Argentinian footballer and race car driver
    • 1949 – Dominique Strauss-Kahn, French economist, lawyer, and politician, French Minister of Finance
    • 1949 – James Fenton, English poet, journalist and literary critic
    • 1950 – Donnell Deeny, Northern Irish lawyer and judge
    • 1950 – Steve Ferrone, English drummer
    • 1950 – Peter Hintze, German politician (d. 2016)
    • 1950 – Valentyna Kozyr, Ukrainian high jumper
    • 1951 – Ian McCartney, Scottish politician, Minister of State for Trade
    • 1952 – Ketil Bjørnstad, Norwegian pianist and composer
    • 1952 – Vladislav Tretiak, Russian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1952 – Jacques Santini, French footballer and coach
    • 1953 – Ron Clements, American animator, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1953 – Gary Cosier, Australian cricketer
    • 1953 – Anthony Venables, English economist, author, and academic
    • 1954 – Melvin Burgess, English author
    • 1954 – Randy Cross, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1954 – Róisín Shortall, Irish educator and politician
    • 1955 – Américo Gallego, Argentinian footballer and coach
    • 1955 – Parviz Parastui, Iranian actor and singer
    • 1955 – Zev Siegl, American businessman, co-founded Starbucks
    • 1956 – Dominique Blanc, French actress, director, and screenwriter
    • 1956 – Abdalla Uba Adamu, Nigerian professor, media scholar
    • 1957 – Theo de Rooij, Dutch cyclist and manager
    • 1958 – Fish, Scottish singer-songwriter
    • 1958 – Misha Glenny, British journalist
    • 1959 – Paul Madden, English diplomat, British High Commissioner to Australia
    • 1959 – Daniel Kash, Canadian actor and director
    • 1959 – Tony Phillips, American baseball player (d. 2016)
    • 1960 – Paul Baloff, American singer (d. 2002)
    • 1960 – Robert Peston, English journalist
    • 1960 – Bruce Redman, Australian director, producer, and critic
    • 1961 – Dinesh D’Souza, Indian-American journalist and author
    • 1961 – Miran Tepeš, Slovenian ski jumper
    • 1962 – Foeke Booy, Dutch footballer and manager
    • 1963 – Joy Covey, American businesswoman (d. 2013)
    • 1963 – Dave Martin, English footballer
    • 1963 – David Moyes, Scottish footballer and manager
    • 1963 – Bernd Müller, German footballer and manager
    • 1963 – Paul Wassif, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1964 – Hank Azaria, American actor, voice artist, comedian and producer
    • 1964 – Andy Bell, English singer-songwriter
    • 1965 – Eric Avery, American bass player and songwriter
    • 1965 – Mark Bryant, American basketball player and coach
    • 1965 – John Henson, American puppeteer and voice actor (d. 2014)
    • 1966 – Diego Domínguez, Argentinian-Italian rugby player
    • 1966 – Femke Halsema, Dutch sociologist, academic, and politician
    • 1966 – Darren Holmes, American baseball player and coach
    • 1966 – Erik Pappas, American baseball player and coach
    • 1967 – Angel Martino, American swimmer
    • 1968 – Vitaliy Kyrylenko, Ukrainian long jumper
    • 1968 – Thomas Strunz, German footballer
    • 1969 – Joe Buck, American sportscaster
    • 1969 – Martin Koolhoven, Dutch director and screenwriter
    • 1969 – Jon Olsen, American swimmer
    • 1969 – Darren Woodson, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1969 – Renée Zellweger, American actress and producer
    • 1970 – Jason Lee, American skateboarder, actor, comedian and producer
    • 1971 – Sara Baras, Spanish dancer
    • 1971 – Brad Clontz, American baseball player
    • 1973 – Carlota Castrejana, Spanish triple jumper
    • 1973 – Fredrik Larzon, Swedish drummer
    • 1973 – Barbara Rittner, German tennis player
    • 1975 – Jacque Jones, American baseball player and coach
    • 1976 – Gilberto da Silva Melo, Brazilian footballer
    • 1976 – Tim Duncan, American basketball player
    • 1976 – Breyton Paulse, South African rugby player
    • 1976 – Rainer Schüttler, German tennis player and coach
    • 1977 – Constantinos Christoforou, Cypriot singer-songwriter
    • 1977 – Ilias Kotsios, Greek footballer
    • 1977 – Marguerite Moreau, American actress and producer
    • 1977 – Matthew West, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
    • 1978 – Matt Walker, English swimmer
    • 1980 – Ben Johnston, Scottish drummer and songwriter
    • 1980 – James Johnston, Scottish bass player and songwriter
    • 1980 – Daniel MacPherson, Australian actor and television host
    • 1980 – Bruce Martin, New Zealand cricketer
    • 1980 – Kazuhito Tadano, Japanese baseball player
    • 1980 – Alejandro Valverde, Spanish cyclist
    • 1981 – Dwone Hicks, American football player
    • 1981 – Felipe Massa, Brazilian racing driver
    • 1981 – John McFall, English sprinter
    • 1981 – Anja Pärson, Swedish skier
    • 1982 – Brian Barton, American baseball player
    • 1982 – Monty Panesar, English cricketer
    • 1982 – Marco Russo, Italian footballer
    • 1983 – Johnathan Thurston, Australian rugby league player
    • 1983 – DeAngelo Williams, American football player
    • 1984 – Robert Andino, American baseball player
    • 1984 – Isaac Kiprono Songok, Kenyan runner
    • 1985 – Giedo van der Garde, Dutch racing driver
    • 1986 – Alexei Emelin, Russian ice hockey player
    • 1986 – Thin Seng Hon, Cambodian Paralympic athlete
    • 1986 – Gwen Jorgensen, American triathlete
    • 1986 – Claudia Rath, German heptathlete
    • 1987 – Razak Boukari, Togolese footballer
    • 1987 – Jay Park, American-South Korean singer-songwriter and dancer
    • 1987 – Johann Smith, American soccer player
    • 1988 – James Sheppard, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1989 – Marie-Michèle Gagnon, Canadian skier
    • 1989 – Michael van Gerwen, Dutch darts player
    • 1989 – Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the 11th Panchen Lama, one of the highest-ranking spiritual leaders in Tibet
    • 1990 – Jean-Éric Vergne, French racing driver
    • 1990 – Taylor Walker, Australian footballer
    • 1991 – Alex Shibutani, American ice dancer
    • 1993 – Alex Bowman, American race car driver
    • 1993 – Daniel Norris, American baseball player
    • 1994 – Omar McLeod, Jamaican hurdler
    • 1995 – Lewis Baker, English footballer
    • 1996 – Mack Horton, Australian swimmer
    • 1997 – Julius Ertlthaler, Austrian footballer

    Deaths on April 25

    • 501 – Rusticus, saint and archbishop of Lyon (b. 455)
    • 775 – Smbat VII Bagratuni, Armenian prince
    • 775 – Mushegh VI Mamikonian, Armenian prince
    • 908 – Zhang Wenwei, Chinese chancellor
    • 1074 – Herman I, Margrave of Baden
    • 1077 – Géza I of Hungary (b. 1040)
    • 1185 – Emperor Antoku of Japan (b. 1178)
    • 1217 – Hermann I, Landgrave of Thuringia
    • 1228 – Queen Isabella II of Jerusalem (b. 1212)
    • 1243 – Boniface of Valperga, Bishop of Aosta
    • 1264 – Roger de Quincy, 2nd Earl of Winchester, medieval English nobleman; Earl of Winchester (b. 1195)
    • 1295 – Sancho IV of Castile (b. 1258)
    • 1342 – Pope Benedict XII (b. 1285)
    • 1397 – Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent, English nobleman
    • 1472 – Leon Battista Alberti, Italian author, poet, and philosopher (b. 1404)
    • 1516 – John Yonge, English diplomat (b. 1467)
    • 1566 – Louise Labé, French poet and author (b. 1520)
    • 1566 – Diane de Poitiers, mistress of King Henry II of France (b. 1499)
    • 1595 – Torquato Tasso, Italian poet and songwriter (b. 1544)
    • 1605 – Naresuan, Siamese King of Ayutthaya Kingdom (b. c. 1555)
    • 1644 – Chongzhen Emperor of China (b. 1611)
    • 1660 – Henry Hammond, English cleric and theologian (b. 1605)
    • 1690 – David Teniers the Younger, Flemish painter and educator (b. 1610)
    • 1744 – Anders Celsius, Swedish astronomer, physicist, and mathematician (b. 1701)
    • 1770 – Jean-Antoine Nollet, French minister, physicist, and academic (b. 1700)
    • 1800 – William Cowper, English poet (b. 1731)
    • 1840 – Siméon Denis Poisson, French mathematician and physicist (b. 1781)
    • 1873 – Fyodor Petrovich Tolstoy, Russian painter and sculptor (b. 1783)
    • 1875 – 12th Dalai Lama (b. 1857)
    • 1878 – Anna Sewell, English author (b. 1820)
    • 1890 – Crowfoot, Canadian tribal chief (b. 1830)
    • 1891 – Nathaniel Woodard, English priest and educator (b. 1811)
    • 1892 – Henri Duveyrier, French explorer (b. 1840)
    • 1892 – Karl von Ditmar, Estonian-German geologist and explorer (b. 1822)
    • 1906 – John Knowles Paine, American composer and educator (b. 1839)
    • 1911 – Emilio Salgari, Italian journalist and author (b. 1862)
    • 1913 – Joseph-Alfred Archambeault, Canadian bishop (b. 1859)
    • 1915 – Frederick W. Seward, American journalist, lawyer, and politician, 6th United States Assistant Secretary of State (b. 1830)
    • 1919 – Augustus D. Juilliard, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1836)
    • 1923 – Louis-Olivier Taillon, Canadian lawyer and politician, 8th Premier of Quebec (b. 1840)
    • 1928 – Pyotr Nikolayevich Wrangel, Russian general (b. 1878)
    • 1941 – Salih Bozok, Turkish commander and politician (b. 1881)
    • 1943 – Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko, Russian director, producer, and playwright (b. 1858)
    • 1944 – George Herriman, American cartoonist (b. 1880)
    • 1944 – Tony Mullane, Irish-American baseball player (b. 1859)
    • 1944 – William Stephens, American engineer and politician, 24th Governor of California (b. 1859)
    • 1945 – Huldreich Georg Früh, Swiss composer (b. 1903)
    • 1961 – Robert Garrett, American discus thrower and shot putter (b. 1875)
    • 1970 – Anita Louise, American actress (b. 1915)
    • 1972 – George Sanders, English actor (b. 1906)
    • 1973 – Olga Grey, Hungarian-American actress (b. 1896)
    • 1974 – Gustavo R. Vincenti, Maltese architect and developer (b. 1888)
    • 1975 – Mike Brant, Israeli singer and songwriter (b.1947)
    • 1976 – Carol Reed, English director and producer (b. 1906)
    • 1976 – Markus Reiner, Israeli engineer and educator (b. 1886)
    • 1982 – John Cody, American cardinal (b. 1907)
    • 1983 – William S. Bowdern, American priest and author (b. 1897)
    • 1988 – Carolyn Franklin, American singer-songwriter (b. 1944)
    • 1988 – Clifford D. Simak, American journalist and author (b. 1904)
    • 1990 – Dexter Gordon, American saxophonist, composer, and actor (b. 1923)
    • 1992 – Yutaka Ozaki, Japanese singer-songwriter (b. 1965)
    • 1995 – Art Fleming, American game show host (b. 1925)
    • 1995 – Ginger Rogers, American actress, singer, and dancer (b. 1911)
    • 1995 – Lev Shankovsky, Ukrainian military historian (b. 1903)
    • 1996 – Saul Bass, American graphic designer and director (b. 1920)
    • 1998 – Wright Morris, American author and photographer (b. 1910)
    • 1999 – Michael Morris, 3rd Baron Killanin, Irish journalist and author (b. 1914)
    • 1999 – Roger Troutman, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1951)
    • 2000 – Lucien Le Cam, French mathematician and statistician (b. 1924)
    • 2000 – David Merrick, American director and producer (b. 1911)
    • 2001 – Michele Alboreto, Italian racing driver (b. 1956)
    • 2002 – Lisa Lopes, American rapper and dancer (b. 1971)
    • 2003 – Samson Kitur, Kenyan runner (b. 1966)
    • 2004 – Thom Gunn, English-American poet and academic (b. 1929)
    • 2005 – Jim Barker, American politician (b. 1935)
    • 2005 – Swami Ranganathananda, Indian monk and educator (b. 1908)
    • 2006 – Jane Jacobs, American-Canadian journalist, author, and activist (b. 1916)
    • 2006 – Peter Law, Welsh politician and independent member of parliament (b. 1948)
    • 2007 – Alan Ball Jr., English footballer and manager (b. 1945)
    • 2007 – Arthur Milton, English footballer and cricketer (b. 1928)
    • 2007 – Bobby Pickett, American singer-songwriter (b. 1938)
    • 2008 – Humphrey Lyttelton, English trumpet player, composer, and radio host (b. 1921)
    • 2009 – Bea Arthur, American actress and singer (b. 1922)
    • 2010 – Dorothy Provine, American actress and singer (b. 1935)
    • 2010 – Alan Sillitoe, English novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet (b. 1928)
    • 2011 – Poly Styrene, British musician (b. 1957)
    • 2012 – Gerry Bahen, Australian footballer (b. 1929)
    • 2012 – Denny Jones, American rancher and politician (b. 1910)
    • 2012 – Moscelyne Larkin, American ballerina and educator (b. 1925)
    • 2012 – Louis le Brocquy, Irish painter and illustrator (b. 1916)
    • 2013 – Brian Adam, Scottish biochemist and politician (b. 1948)
    • 2013 – Jacob Avshalomov, American composer and conductor (b. 1919)
    • 2013 – György Berencsi, Hungarian virologist and academic (b. 1941)
    • 2013 – Rick Camp, American baseball player (b. 1953)
    • 2014 – Dan Heap, Canadian priest and politician (b. 1925)
    • 2014 – William Judson Holloway Jr., American soldier, lawyer, and judge (b. 1923)
    • 2014 – Earl Morrall, American football player and coach (b. 1934)
    • 2014 – Tito Vilanova, Spanish footballer and manager (b. 1968)
    • 2014 – Stefanie Zweig, German journalist and author (b. 1932)
    • 2015 – Jim Fanning, American-Canadian baseball player and manager (b. 1927)
    • 2015 – Matthias Kuhle, German geographer and academic (b. 1948)
    • 2015 – Don Mankiewicz, American screenwriter and novelist (b. 1922)
    • 2015 – Mike Phillips, American basketball player (b. 1956)
    • 2016 – Tom Lewis, Australian politician, 33rd Premier of New South Wales (b. 1922)
    • 2018 – Madeeha Gauhar, Pakistani actress, playwright and director of social theater, and women’s rights activist (b. 1956)
    • 2019 – John Havlicek, American basketball player (b. 1940)

    Holidays and observances on April 25

    • Anniversary of the First Cabinet of Kurdish Government (Iraqi Kurdistan)
    • Anzac Day (Australia, New Zealand)
    • Arbor Day (Germany)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Giovanni Battista Piamarta
      • Major Rogation (Western Christianity)
      • Mark the Evangelist
      • Maughold
      • Philo and Agathopodes
      • Anianus of Alexandria
      • April 25 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • DNA Day
    • Flag Day (Faroe Islands)
    • Freedom Day (Portugal)
    • Liberation Day (Italy)
    • Liberation Day (South Georgia)
    • Military Foundation Day (North Korea)
    • Parental Alienation Awareness Day
    • Red Hat Society Day
    • Sinai Liberation Day (Egypt)
    • World Malaria Day

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

    • AD 65 – The freedman Milichus betrays Piso’s plot to kill Emperor Nero and all the conspirators are arrested.
    • 531 – Battle of Callinicum: A Byzantine army under Belisarius is defeated by the Persians at Raqqa (northern Syria).
    • 797 – Empress Irene organizes a conspiracy against her son, the Byzantine emperor Constantine VI. He is deposed and blinded. Shortly after, Constantine dies of his wounds; Irene proclaims herself basileus.
    • 1506 – The Lisbon Massacre begins, in which accused Jews are being slaughtered by Portuguese Catholics.
    • 1529 – Beginning of the Protestant Reformation: After the Second Diet of Speyer bans Lutheranism, a group of rulers (German: Fürst) and independent cities protests the reinstatement of the Edict of Worms.
    • 1539 – The Treaty of Frankfurt between Protestants and the Holy Roman Emperor is signed.
    • 1608 – In Ireland: O’Doherty’s Rebellion is launched by the Burning of Derry.
    • 1677 – The French army captures the town of Cambrai held by Spanish troops.
    • 1713 – With no living male heirs, Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor, issues the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713 to ensure that Habsburg lands and the Austrian throne would be inheritable by a female; his daughter and successor, Maria Theresa was not born until 1717.
    • 1770 – Captain James Cook, still holding the rank of lieutenant, sights the eastern coast of what is now Australia.
    • 1770 – Marie Antoinette marries Louis XVI of France in a proxy wedding.
    • 1775 – American Revolutionary War: The war begins with an American victory in Concord during the battles of Lexington and Concord.
    • 1782 – John Adams secures the Dutch Republic’s recognition of the United States as an independent government. The house which he had purchased in The Hague, Netherlands becomes the first American embassy.
    • 1809 – An Austrian corps is defeated by the forces of the Duchy of Warsaw in the Battle of Raszyn, part of the struggles of the Fifth Coalition. On the same day the Austrian main army is defeated by a First French Empire Corps led by Louis-Nicolas Davout at the Battle of Teugen-Hausen in Bavaria, part of a four-day campaign that ended in a French victory.
    • 1810 – Venezuela achieves home rule: Vicente Emparán, Governor of the Captaincy General is removed by the people of Caracas and a junta is installed.
    • 1818 – French physicist Augustin Fresnel signs his preliminary “Note on the Theory of Diffraction” (deposited on the following day). The document ends with what we now call the Fresnel integrals.
    • 1839 – The Treaty of London establishes Belgium as a kingdom and guarantees its neutrality.
    • 1861 – American Civil War: Baltimore riot of 1861: A pro-Secession mob in Baltimore attacks United States Army troops marching through the city.
    • 1903 – The Kishinev pogrom in Kishinev (Bessarabia) begins, forcing tens of thousands of Jews to later seek refuge in Palestine and the Western world.
    • 1927 – Mae West is sentenced to ten days in jail for obscenity for her play Sex.
    • 1942 – World War II: In Poland, the Majdan-Tatarski ghetto is established, situated between the Lublin Ghetto and a Majdanek subcamp.
    • 1943 – World War II: In Poland, the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising begins, after German troops enter the Warsaw Ghetto to round up the remaining Jews.
    • 1943 – Albert Hofmann deliberately doses himself with LSD for the first time, three days after having discovered its effects on April 16.
    • 1956 – Actress Grace Kelly marries Prince Rainier of Monaco.
    • 1960 – Students in South Korea hold a nationwide pro-democracy protest against president Syngman Rhee, eventually forcing him to resign.
    • 1971 – Sierra Leone becomes a republic, and Siaka Stevens the president.
    • 1971 – Launch of Salyut 1, the first space station.
    • 1971 – Charles Manson is sentenced to death (later commuted to life imprisonment) for conspiracy in the Tate–LaBianca murders.
    • 1973 – The Portuguese Socialist Party is founded in the German town of Bad Münstereifel.
    • 1975 – India’s first satellite Aryabhata launched in orbit from Kapustin Yar, Russia.
    • 1984 – Advance Australia Fair is proclaimed as Australia’s national anthem, and green and gold as the national colours.
    • 1985 – Two hundred ATF and FBI agents lay siege to the compound of the white supremacist survivalist group The Covenant, The Sword, and the Arm of the Lord in Arkansas; the CSA surrenders two days later.
    • 1987 – The Simpsons first appear as a series of shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show, first starting with Good Night.
    • 1989 – A gun turret explodes on the USS Iowa, killing 47 sailors.
    • 1993 – The 51-day FBI siege of the Branch Davidian building in Waco, Texas, USA, ends when a fire breaks out. 76 Davidians, including eighteen children under the age of ten, died in the fire.
    • 1995 – Oklahoma City bombing: The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, USA, is bombed, killing 168 people including 19 children under the age of six.
    • 1999 – The German Bundestag returns to Berlin.
    • 2000 – Air Philippines Flight 541 crashes in Samal, Davao del Norte, killing all 131 people on board.
    • 2005 – Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger is elected to the papacy and becomes Pope Benedict XVI.
    • 2011 – Fidel Castro resigns as First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba after holding the title since July 1961.
    • 2013 – Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev is killed in a shootout with police. His brother Dzhokhar is later captured hiding in a boat inside a backyard in the suburb of Watertown.
    • 2020 – A killing spree in Nova Scotia, Canada, leaves 22 people and the perpetrator dead, making it the deadliest rampage in the country’s history.

    Births on April 19

    • 1452 – Frederick IV, King of Naples (d. 1504)
    • 1593 – Sir John Hobart, 2nd Baronet, English politician (d. 1647)
    • 1603 – Michel Le Tellier, French politician, French Minister of Defence (d. 1685)
    • 1613 – Christoph Bach, German musician (d. 1661)
    • 1633 – Willem Drost, Dutch painter (d. 1659)
    • 1655 – George St Lo(e), Royal Navy officer and administrator (d. 1718)
    • 1658 – Johann Wilhelm, Elector Palatine, German husband of Archduchess Maria Anna Josepha of Austria (d. 1716)
    • 1665 – Jacques Lelong, French author (d. 1721)
    • 1686 – Vasily Tatishchev, Russian ethnographer and politician (d. 1750)
    • 1715 – James Nares, English organist and composer (d. 1783)
    • 1721 – Roger Sherman, American lawyer and politician (d. 1793)
    • 1734 – Karl von Ordóñez, Austrian violinist and composer (d. 1786)
    • 1757 – Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth, English admiral and politician (d. 1833)
    • 1758 – William Carnegie, 7th Earl of Northesk, Scottish admiral (d. 1831)
    • 1785 – Alexandre Pierre François Boëly, French pianist and composer (d. 1858)
    • 1787 – Deaf Smith, American soldier (d. 1837)
    • 1793 – Ferdinand I of Austria (d. 1875)
    • 1806 – Sarah Bagley, American labor organizer (d. 1889)
    • 1814 – Louis Amédée Achard, French journalist and author (d. 1875)
    • 1832 – José Echegaray, Spanish poet and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1916)
    • 1835 – Julius Krohn, Finnish poet and journalist (d. 1888)
    • 1863 – Hemmo Kallio, Finnish actor (d. 1940)
    • 1872 – Alice Salomon, German social reformer (d. 1948)
    • 1873 – Sydney Barnes, English cricketer (d. 1967)
    • 1874 – Ernst Rüdin, Swiss psychiatrist, geneticist, and eugenicist (d. 1952)
    • 1877 – Ole Evinrude, Norwegian-American engineer, invented the outboard motor (d. 1934)
    • 1879 – Arthur Robertson, Scottish runner (d. 1957)
    • 1882 – Getúlio Vargas, Brazilian lawyer and politician, 14th President of Brazil (d. 1954)
    • 1883 – Henry Jameson, American soccer player (d. 1938)
    • 1883 – Richard von Mises, Austrian-American mathematician and physicist (d. 1953)
    • 1885 – Karl Tarvas, Estonian architect (d. 1975)
    • 1889 – Otto Georg Thierack, German jurist and politician (d. 1946)
    • 1891 – Françoise Rosay, French actress (d. 1974)
    • 1892 – Germaine Tailleferre, French composer and educator (d. 1983)
    • 1894 – Elizabeth Dilling, American author and activist (d. 1966)
    • 1897 – Peter de Noronha, Indian businessman and philanthropist (d. 1970)
    • 1897 – Jiroemon Kimura, Japanese super-centenarian, oldest verified man ever (d. 2013)
    • 1898 – Constance Talmadge, American actress and producer (d. 1973)
    • 1899 – George O’Brien, American actor (d. 1985)
    • 1899 – Cemal Tollu, Turkish lieutenant and painter (d. 1968)
    • 1900 – Iracema de Alencar, Brazilian film actress (d. 1978)
    • 1900 – Richard Hughes, English author, poet, and playwright (d. 1976)
    • 1900 – Roland Michener, Canadian lawyer and politician, 20th Governor General of Canada (d. 1991)
    • 1900 – Rhea Silberta, Yiddish songwriter and singing teacher (d. 1959)
    • 1902 – Veniamin Kaverin, Russian author and screenwriter (d. 1989)
    • 1903 – Eliot Ness, American law enforcement agent (d. 1957)
    • 1907 – Alan Wheatley, English actor (d. 1991)
    • 1908 – Irena Eichlerówna, Polish actress (d. 1990)
    • 1912 – Glenn T. Seaborg, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1999)
    • 1913 – Ken Carpenter, American discus thrower and coach (d. 1984)
    • 1917 – Sven Hassel, Danish-German soldier and author (d. 2012)
    • 1919 – Sol Kaplan, American pianist and composer (d. 1990)
    • 1920 – Gene Leis, American guitarist, composer, and producer (d. 1993)
    • 1920 – Marvin Mandel, American lawyer and politician, 56th Governor of Maryland (d. 2015)
    • 1920 – John O’Neil, American baseball player and manager (d. 2012)
    • 1920 – Julien Ries, Belgian cardinal (d. 2013)
    • 1920 – Marian Winters, American actress (d. 1978)
    • 1921 – Anna Lee Aldred, American jockey (d. 2006)
    • 1921 – Leon Henkin, American logician (d. 2006)
    • 1921 – Roberto Tucci, Italian Jesuit leader, cardinal, and theologian (d. 2015)
    • 1922 – Erich Hartmann, German colonel and pilot (d. 1993)
    • 1922 – David Smith, politician in Rhodesia and Zimbabwe (d. 1996)
    • 1925 – John Kraaijkamp, Sr., Dutch actor (d. 2011)
    • 1925 – Hugh O’Brian, American actor (d. 2016)
    • 1926 – Rawya Ateya, Egyptian captain and politician (d. 1997)
    • 1928 – John Horlock, English engineer and academic (d. 2015)
    • 1928 – Azlan Shah of Perak, Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia (d. 2014)
    • 1931 – Walter Stewart, Canadian journalist and author (d. 2004)
    • 1932 – Fernando Botero, Colombian painter and sculptor
    • 1933 – Dickie Bird, English cricketer and umpire
    • 1933 – Jayne Mansfield, American model and actress (d. 1967)
    • 1933 – Philip Lavallin Wroughton, English captain and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire
    • 1934 – Dickie Goodman, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 1989)
    • 1935 – Dudley Moore, English actor, comedian, and pianist (d. 2002)
    • 1935 – Justin Francis Rigali, American cardinal
    • 1936 – Wilfried Martens, Belgian politician, 60th Prime Minister of Belgium (d. 2013)
    • 1936 – Jack Pardee, American football player and coach (d. 2013)
    • 1937 – Antonio Carluccio, Italian-English chef and author (d. 2017)
    • 1937 – Elinor Donahue, American actress
    • 1937 – Joseph Estrada, Filipino politician, 13th President of the Philippines
    • 1938 – Stanley Fish, American theorist, author, and scholar
    • 1939 – E. Clay Shaw, Jr., American accountant, judge, and politician (d. 2013)
    • 1941 – Roberto Carlos, Brazilian singer-songwriter
    • 1941 – Clark Dimond, American musician and author
    • 1941 – Michel Roux, French-English chef and author (d. 2020)
    • 1941 – Bobby Russell, American singer-songwriter (d. 1992)
    • 1942 – Bas Jan Ader, Dutch-American photographer and director (d. 1975)
    • 1942 – Alan Price, English keyboard player, singer, and composer
    • 1942 – Jack Roush, American businessman, founded Roush Fenway Racing
    • 1942 – Maarten van den Bergh, American-Dutch businessman
    • 1943 – Margo MacDonald, Scottish journalist and politician (d. 2014)[28]
    • 1943 – Lorenzo Sanz, Spanish businessman
    • 1944 – Keith Erickson, American basketball player and sportscaster
    • 1944 – James Heckman, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1944 – Bernie Worrell, American keyboard player and songwriter (d. 2016)[29]
    • 1946 – Duygu Asena, Turkish journalist, author, and activist (d. 2006)
    • 1946 – Tim Curry, English actor[30]
    • 1947 – Murray Perahia, American pianist and conductor
    • 1947 – Wilfrid Stevenson, Baron Stevenson of Balmacara, English civil servant
    • 1947 – Yan Pascal Tortelier, French violinist and conductor
    • 1947 – Mark Volman, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1948 – Stuart McLean, Canadian radio host and author (d. 2017)
    • 1948 – Rick Miller, American baseball player and manager
    • 1949 – Paloma Picasso, French-Spanish fashion designer
    • 1949 – Larry Walters, American truck driver and pilot (d. 1993)
    • 1950 – Julia Cleverdon, English businesswoman and philanthropist
    • 1951 – Barry Brown, American actor and playwright (d. 1978)
    • 1951 – Jóannes Eidesgaard, Faroese educator and politician, Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands
    • 1952 – Alexis Argüello, Nicaraguan boxer and politician (d. 2009)
    • 1952 – Tony Plana, Cuban-American actor and director
    • 1952 – Michael Trend, English journalist and politician
    • 1953 – Rod Morgenstein, American drummer
    • 1953 – Sara Simeoni, Italian high jumper
    • 1953 – Ruby Wax, British-based American comedian, actress, and screenwriter
    • 1954 – Trevor Francis, English footballer and manager
    • 1954 – Bob Rock, Canadian guitarist, songwriter, and producer
    • 1956 – Sue Barker, English tennis player and journalist
    • 1956 – Randy Carlyle, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1956 – Anne Glover, Scottish biologist and academic
    • 1957 – Tony Martin, English singer-songwriter
    • 1957 – Mukesh Ambani, Indian businessman, chairman of Reliance Industries and currently the richest man in Asia[31][32]
    • 1958 – Steve Antin, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1958 – Stevie B, American singer-songwriter and record producer
    • 1958 – Denis O’Brien, Irish businessman, founded BT Ireland
    • 1958 – Vytautas Šapranauskas, Lithuanian actor (d. 2013)
    • 1958 – Keith Shine, British academic and educator
    • 1959 – Jane Campbell, Baroness Campbell of Surbiton, English activist
    • 1959 – Teofisto Guingona III, Filipino lawyer and politician
    • 1959 – Donald Markwell, Australian sociologist and academic
    • 1960 – Nicoletta Braschi, Italian actress and producer
    • 1960 – Ara Gevorgyan, Armenian pianist, composer, and producer
    • 1960 – Roger Merrett, Australian footballer and coach
    • 1960 – John Schweitz, American basketball player and coach
    • 1960 – Frank Viola, American baseball player and coach[33]
    • 1961 – Alan Kirschenbaum, American producer and writer (d. 2012)
    • 1961 – Albert Martinez, Filipino actor, director, and producer
    • 1961 – Spike Owen, American baseball player and coach
    • 1962 – Al Unser Jr., American race car driver
    • 1964 – Gordon Marshall, Scottish footballer and coach
    • 1964 – Kim Weaver, American astrophysicist, astronomer, and academic
    • 1965 – Natalie Dessay, French soprano and actress
    • 1965 – Suge Knight, American record producer, co-founded Death Row Records
    • 1966 – Véronique Gens, French soprano and actress
    • 1966 – David La Haye, Canadian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1966 – Paul Reiffel, Australian cricketer and umpire
    • 1966 – El Samurai, Japanese wrestler
    • 1967 – Philippe Saint-André, French rugby player and coach
    • 1968 – Ashley Judd, American actress and activist
    • 1968 – Arshad Warsi, Indian film actor and producer
    • 1969 – Andrew Carnie, Canadian-American linguist, author, and academic
    • 1969 – Susan Polgar, Hungarian-American chess player
    • 1970 – Luis Miguel, Mexican singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1970 – Kelly Holmes, English runner
    • 1970 – Abelardo Fernández, Spanish footballer and manager
    • 1971 – Brendon Burns, Australian comedian, podcaster, writer and author
    • 1971 – Scott McCord, Canadian voice actor
    • 1972 – Rivaldo, Brazilian footballer
    • 1972 – Jeff Wilkins, American football player
    • 1973 – George Gregan, Zambian-Australian rugby player and coach
    • 1973 – Alessio Scarpi, Italian footballer
    • 1975 – Jason Gillespie, Australian cricketer and coach
    • 1975 – Jussi Jääskeläinen, Finnish footballer
    • 1976 – Ruud Jolie, Dutch guitarist
    • 1976 – Scott Padgett, American basketball player, coach, and radio host
    • 1976 – Kim Young-oh, South Korean author and illustrator
    • 1977 – Joe Beimel, American baseball player
    • 1977 – Anju Bobby George, Indian long jumper
    • 1977 – Lucien Mettomo, Cameroonian footballer
    • 1977 – Dennys Reyes, Mexican baseball player
    • 1977 – Jonny Storm, English wrestler and trainer
    • 1978 – James Franco, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1978 – Gabriel Heinze, Argentinian footballer
    • 1978 – Amanda Sage, American-Austrian painter and educator
    • 1979 – Rocky Bernard, American football player
    • 1979 – Kate Hudson, American actress
    • 1979 – Zhao Junzhe, Chinese footballer
    • 1980 – Jason Blaine, Canadian singer-songwriter
    • 1980 – Robyn Regehr, Brazilian-Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1981 – Hayden Christensen, Canadian actor and producer
    • 1981 – Ryuta Hara, Japanese footballer
    • 1981 – Martin Havlát, Czech ice hockey player
    • 1981 – James Hibberd, English cricketer
    • 1981 – Troy Polamalu, American football player
    • 1981 – Catalina Sandino Moreno, Colombian actress
    • 1982 – Joseph Hagerty, American gymnast
    • 1982 – Filip Jícha, Czech handball player
    • 1982 – Samuel C. Morrison, Jr., Liberian-American journalist, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1982 – Rocco Sabato, Italian footballer
    • 1982 – Ignacio Serricchio, Argentinian-American actor
    • 1982 – Sitiveni Sivivatu, New Zealand rugby player
    • 1983 – Alberto Callaspo, Venezuelan-American baseball player
    • 1983 – Zach Duke, American baseball player
    • 1983 – Joe Mauer, American baseball player
    • 1983 – Patrick Platins, German footballer
    • 1983 – Curtis Thigpen, American baseball player
    • 1984 – Christopher Pearce, English cricketer
    • 1985 – Valon Behrami, Swiss footballer
    • 1985 – David Cavazos, Mexican singer-songwriter
    • 1985 – Sabrina Jalees, Canadian comedian, dancer, actress, presenter, and writer
    • 1985 – Jan Zimmermann, German footballer
    • 1986 – Pascal Angan, Beninese footballer
    • 1986 – Candace Parker, American basketball player
    • 1986 – Gabe Pruitt, American basketball player
    • 1986 – Will Thursfield, English-Australian footballer
    • 1987 – Luigi Giorgi, Italian footballer
    • 1987 – Joe Hart, English footballer
    • 1987 – Daniel Schuhmacher, German singer-songwriter
    • 1987 – Maria Sharapova, Russian tennis player
    • 1987 – Lauren Wilson, Canadian figure skater
    • 1988 – Enrique Esqueda, Mexican footballer
    • 1989 – Dominik Mader, German footballer
    • 1989 – Daisuke Watabe, Japanese footballer
    • 1989 – Genoveva Añonma, Equatoguinean footballer
    • 1990 – Jackie Bradley, Jr., American baseball player
    • 1990 – Kim Chiu, Filipino actress, singer, and dancer[34]
    • 1990 – Héctor Herrera, Mexican footballer
    • 1990 – Ayaka Takahashi, Japanese badminton player
    • 1991 – Steve Cook, English footballer

    Deaths April 19

    • 843 – Judith of Bavaria, Frankish empress
    • 1012 – Ælfheah of Canterbury, English archbishop and saint (b. 954)
    • 1013 – Hisham II, Umayyad caliph of Córdoba (b. 966)
    • 1044 – Gothelo I, duke of Lorraine
    • 1054 – Leo IX, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 1002)
    • 1321 – Gerasimus I, patriarch of Constantinople
    • 1390 – Robert II, king of Scotland (b. 1316)
    • 1405 – Thomas West, 1st Baron West, English nobleman (b. 1335)[35]
    • 1431 – Adolph III, count of Waldeck (b. 1362)
    • 1560 – Philip Melanchthon, German theologian and reformer (b. 1497)
    • 1567 – Michael Stifel, German monk and mathematician (b. 1487)
    • 1578 – Uesugi Kenshin, Japanese samurai and warlord (b. 1530)
    • 1588 – Paolo Veronese, Italian painter (b. 1528)
    • 1608 – Thomas Sackville, 1st Earl of Dorset, English poet, playwright, and politician, Lord High Treasurer (b. 1536)
    • 1618 – Thomas Bastard, English priest and author (b. 1566)
    • 1619 – Jagat Gosain, Mughal empress (b. 1573)[36]
    • 1629 – Sigismondo d’India, Italian composer (b. 1582)
    • 1632 – Sigismund III Vasa, king of Sweden and Poland (b. 1566)
    • 1686 – Antonio de Solís y Ribadeneyra, Spanish historian and playwright (b. 1610)
    • 1689 – Christina, queen of Sweden (b. 1626)
    • 1733 – Elizabeth Hamilton, countess of Orkney (b. 1657)
    • 1739 – Nicholas Saunderson, English mathematician and academic (b. 1682)
    • 1768 – Canaletto, Italian painter and etcher (b. 1697)
    • 1776 – Jacob Emden, German rabbi and author (b. 1697)
    • 1791 – Richard Price, Welsh-English preacher and philosopher (b. 1723)
    • 1813 – Benjamin Rush, American physician and educator (b. 1745)
    • 1824 – Lord Byron, English-Scottish poet and playwright (b. 1788)
    • 1831 – Johann Gottlieb Friedrich von Bohnenberger, German astronomer and mathematician (b. 1765)
    • 1833 – James Gambier, 1st Baron Gambier, Bahamian-English admiral and politician, 36th Commodore Governor of Newfoundland (b. 1756)
    • 1840 – Jean-Jacques Lartigue, Canadian bishop (b. 1777)
    • 1854 – Robert Jameson, Scottish mineralogist and academic (b. 1774)
    • 1881 – Benjamin Disraeli, English journalist and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1804)
    • 1882 – Charles Darwin, English biologist and theorist (b. 1809)
    • 1893 – Martin Körber, Estonian-German pastor, composer, and conductor (b. 1817)
    • 1901 – Alfred Horatio Belo, American publisher, founded The Dallas Morning News (b. 1839)
    • 1906 – Pierre Curie, French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1859)
    • 1906 – Spencer Gore, English tennis player and cricketer (b. 1850)
    • 1909 – Signe Rink, Greenland-born Danish writer and ethnologist (b. 1836)
    • 1914 – Charles Sanders Peirce, American mathematician and philosopher (b. 1839)
    • 1915 – Thomas Playford II, English-Australian politician, 17th Premier of South Australia (b. 1837)
    • 1916 – Ephraim Shay, American engineer, designed the Shay locomotive (b. 1839)
    • 1926 – Alexander Alexandrovich Chuprov, Russian-Swiss statistician and theorist (b. 1874)
    • 1930 – Georges-Casimir Dessaulles, Canadian businessman and politician (b. 1827)
    • 1937 – Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington, English cartographer and politician (b. 1856)
    • 1937 – William Morton Wheeler, American entomologist and zoologist (b. 1865)
    • 1941 – Johanna Müller-Hermann, Austrian composer (b. 1878)
    • 1949 – Ulrich Salchow, Danish-Swedish figure skater (b. 1877)
    • 1950 – Ernst Robert Curtius, French-German philologist and scholar (b. 1886)
    • 1955 – Jim Corbett, British-Indian colonel, hunter, and author (b. 1875)
    • 1960 – Beardsley Ruml, American economist and statistician (b. 1894)
    • 1961 – Max Hainle, German swimmer (b. 1882)
    • 1967 – Konrad Adenauer, German politician, 1st Chancellor of Germany (b. 1876)
    • 1971 – Luigi Piotti, Italian race car driver (b. 1913)
    • 1975 – Percy Lavon Julian, American chemist and academic (b. 1899)
    • 1987 – Hugh Brannum, American vocalist, arranger, and composer (b. 1910)
    • 1989 – Daphne du Maurier, English novelist and playwright (b. 1907)
    • 1991 – Stanley Hawes, English-Australian director and producer (b. 1905)
    • 1992 – Frankie Howerd, English actor and screenwriter (b. 1917)
    • 1993 – David Koresh, American religious leader (b. 1959)
    • 1993 – George S. Mickelson, American captain, lawyer, and politician, 28th Governor of South Dakota (b. 1941)
    • 1998 – Octavio Paz, Mexican poet, philosopher, and academic Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1914)
    • 1999 – Hermine Braunsteiner, Austrian-German SS officer (b. 1919)
    • 2000 – Louis Applebaum, Canadian composer and conductor (b. 1918)
    • 2001 – Meldrim Thomson, Jr.. American publisher and politician, 73rd Governor of New Hampshire (b. 1912)
    • 2002 – Reginald Rose, American writer (b. 1920)
    • 2003 – Mirza Tahir Ahmad, Indian-English caliph (b. 1928)
    • 2004 – Norris McWhirter, English author and activist co-founded the Guinness World Records (b. 1925)
    • 2004 – John Maynard Smith, English biologist and geneticist (b. 1920)
    • 2004 – Jenny Pike, Canadian WWII servicewoman and photographer (b. 1922)[37]
    • 2005 – George P. Cosmatos, Italian-Greek director and screenwriter (b. 1941)
    • 2005 – Ruth Hussey, American actress (b. 1911)
    • 2005 – Clement Meadmore, Australian-American sculptor and author (b. 1929)
    • 2005 – Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Danish bassist and composer (b. 1946)
    • 2006 – Albert Scott Crossfield, American engineer, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1921)
    • 2007 – Jean-Pierre Cassel, French actor (b. 1932)
    • 2008 – John Marzano, American baseball player and sportscaster (b. 1963)
    • 2008 – Alfonso López Trujillo, Colombian cardinal (b. 1935)
    • 2009 – J. G. Ballard, English novelist, short story writer, and essayist (b. 1930)
    • 2011 – Elisabeth Sladen, English actress (b. 1946)[38]
    • 2012 – Leopold David de Rothschild, English financier and philanthropist (b. 1927)
    • 2012 – Greg Ham, Australian saxophonist, songwriter, and actor (b. 1953)
    • 2012 – Levon Helm, American singer-songwriter, drummer, guitarist, instrumentalist, and actor (b. 1940)
    • 2012 – Valeri Vasiliev, Russian ice hockey player (b. 1949)
    • 2013 – Sivanthi Adithan, Indian businessman (b. 1936)
    • 2013 – Allan Arbus, American actor and photographer (b. 1918)
    • 2013 – Mike Denness, Scottish-English cricketer and referee (b. 1940)
    • 2013 – François Jacob, French biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1920)
    • 2013 – E. L. Konigsburg, American author and illustrator (b. 1930)
    • 2013 – Al Neuharth, American journalist, author, and publisher, founded USA Today (b. 1924)
    • 2014 – Lindy Berry, American football player (b. 1927)
    • 2014 – Ian McIntyre, Scottish journalist and producer (b. 1930)
    • 2014 – Frits Thors, Dutch journalist (b. 1909)
    • 2015 – Raymond Carr, English historian and academic (b. 1919)
    • 2015 – William Price Fox, American journalist and author (b. 1926)
    • 2015 – Roy Mason, English miner and politician, Secretary of State for Defence (b. 1924)[39]
    • 2015 – Tom McCabe, Scottish social worker and politician (b. 1954)[40]
    • 2015 – Oktay Sinanoğlu, Italian-Turkish chemist and academic (b. 1935)
    • 2016 – Patricio Aylwin, Chilean politician (b. 1918)[41]
    • 2016 – Milt Pappas, American baseball player (b. 1939)[42]
    • 2017 – Aaron Hernandez, American football player (b. 1989)[43]

    Holidays and observances on April 19

    • Christian feast day:
      • Ælfheah of Canterbury (Anglican, Catholic)
      • Conrad of Ascoli
      • Emma of Lesum
      • Expeditus
      • George of Antioch
      • Olaus and Laurentius Petri (Lutheran)
      • Pope Leo IX
      • Ursmar
      • April 19 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Earliest day on which First Day of Summer or Sumardagurinn fyrsti can fall, while April 25 is the latest; celebrated on the first Thursday after April 18. (Iceland)
    • Army Day (Brazil)
    • Beginning of the Independence Movement (Venezuela)
    • Bicycle Day[44]
    • Dutch-American Friendship Day (United States)
    • Holocaust Remembrance Day (Poland)
    • Indian Day (Brazil)
    • King Mswati III’s birthday (Eswatini)
    • Landing of the 33 Patriots Day (Uruguay)
    • Patriots’ Day (Massachusetts, Maine and Wisconsin, United States)

  • March 22 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 106 – Start of the Bostran era, the calendar of the province of Arabia Petraea.
    • 238 – Gordian I and his son Gordian II are proclaimed Roman emperors.
    • 871 – Æthelred of Wessex is defeated by a Danish invasion army at the Battle of Marton.
    • 1508 – Ferdinand II of Aragon commissions Amerigo Vespucci chief navigator of the Spanish Empire.
    • 1621 – The Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony sign a peace treaty with Massasoit of the Wampanoags.
    • 1622 – Jamestown massacre: Algonquians kill 347 English settlers around Jamestown, Virginia, a third of the colony’s population, during the Second Anglo-Powhatan War.
    • 1630 – The Massachusetts Bay Colony outlaws the possession of cards, dice, and gaming tables.
    • 1638 – Anne Hutchinson is expelled from Massachusetts Bay Colony for religious dissent.
    • 1713 – The Tuscarora War comes to an end with the fall of Fort Neoheroka, effectively opening up the interior of North Carolina to European colonization.
    • 1739 – Nader Shah occupies Delhi in India and sacks the city, stealing the jewels of the Peacock Throne.
    • 1765 – The British Parliament passes the Stamp Act that introduces a tax to be levied directly on its American colonies.
    • 1784 – The Emerald Buddha is moved with great ceremony to its current location in Wat Phra Kaew, Thailand.
    • 1829 – In the London Protocol, the three protecting powers (United Kingdom, France and Russia) establish the borders of Greece.
    • 1849 – The Austrians defeat the Piedmontese at the Battle of Novara.
    • 1871 – In North Carolina, William Woods Holden becomes the first governor of a U.S. state to be removed from office by impeachment.
    • 1872 – Illinois becomes the first state to require gender equality in employment.
    • 1873 – The Spanish National Assembly abolishes slavery in Puerto Rico.
    • 1894 – The first playoff game for the Stanley Cup starts.
    • 1906 – The first England vs France rugby union match is played at Parc des Princes in Paris
    • 1920 – Azeri and Turkish army soldiers with participation of Kurdish gangs attacked the Armenian inhabitants of Shushi (Nagorno Karabakh).
    • 1933 – Cullen–Harrison Act: President Franklin Roosevelt signs an amendment to the Volstead Act, legalizing the manufacture and sale of “3.2 beer” (3.2% alcohol by weight, approximately 4% alcohol by volume) and light wines.
    • 1939 – Germany takes Memel from Lithuania.
    • 1942 – World War II: In the Mediterranean Sea, the Royal Navy confronts Italy’s Regia Marina in the Second Battle of Sirte.
    • 1943 – World War II: The entire village of Khatyn (in what is the present-day Republic of Belarus) is burnt alive by Schutzmannschaft Battalion 118.
    • 1945 – World War II: The city of Hildesheim, Germany heavily damaged in a British air raid, though it had little military significance and Germany was on the verge of final defeat.
    • 1945 – The Arab League is founded when a charter is adopted in Cairo, Egypt.
    • 1960 – Arthur Leonard Schawlow and Charles Hard Townes receive the first patent for a laser.
    • 1972 – The United States Congress sends the Equal Rights Amendment to the states for ratification.
    • 1972 – In Eisenstadt v. Baird, the United States Supreme Court decides that unmarried persons have the right to possess contraceptives.
    • 1975 – A fire at the Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant in Decatur, Alabama causes a dangerous reduction in cooling water levels.
    • 1978 – Karl Wallenda of The Flying Wallendas dies after falling off a tight-rope suspended between two hotels in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
    • 1982 – NASA’s Space Shuttle Columbia is launched from the Kennedy Space Center on its third mission, STS-3.
    • 1992 – USAir Flight 405 crashes shortly after takeoff from New York City’s LaGuardia Airport, leading to a number of studies into the effect that ice has on aircraft.
    • 1992 – Fall of communism in Albania: The Democratic Party of Albania wins a decisive majority in the parliamentary election.
    • 1993 – The Intel Corporation ships the first Pentium chips (80586), featuring a 60 MHz clock speed, 100+ MIPS, and a 64 bit data path.
    • 1995 – Cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov returns to earth after setting a record of 438 days in space.
    • 1997 – Tara Lipinski, aged 14 years and nine months, becomes the youngest women’s World Figure Skating Champion.
    • 2004 – Ahmed Yassin, co-founder and leader of the Palestinian Sunni Islamist group Hamas, two bodyguards, and nine civilian bystanders are killed in the Gaza Strip when hit by Israeli Air Force Hellfire missiles.
    • 2006 – Three Christian Peacemaker Team (CPT) hostages are freed by British forces in Baghdad after 118 days of captivity and the murder of their colleague from the U.S., Tom Fox.
    • 2013 – At least 37 people are killed and 200 are injured after a fire destroys a camp containing Burmese refugees near Ban Mae, Thailand.
    • 2016 – Three suicide bombers kill 32 people and injure 316 in the 2016 Brussels bombings at the airport and at the Maelbeek/Maalbeek metro station.
    • 2017 – A terrorist attack in London near the Houses of Parliament leaves four people dead and at least 20 injured.
    • 2019 – Robert S. Mueller III delivers his report on the Russian government’s influence on the election of Donald Trump in the 2016 United States presidential election.
    • 2019 – Two buses crashes in Kitampo, a town north of Ghana’s capital Accra, killing at least 50 people.
    • 2020 – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announces the country’s largest ever self-imposed curfew, in an effort to fight the spread of COVID-19.

    Births on March 22

    • 841 – Bernard Plantapilosa, Frankish son of Bernard of Septimania (d. 885)
    • 875 – William I, Duke of Aquitaine (d. 918)
    • 1212 – Emperor Go-Horikawa of Japan (d. 1235)
    • 1367 – Thomas de Mowbray, 1st Duke of Norfolk, English politician, Earl Marshal of the United Kingdom (probable; d. 1399)
    • 1394 – Ulugh Beg, Persian astronomer and mathematician (d. 1449)
    • 1459 – Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1519)
    • 1499 – Johann Carion, German astrologer and chronicler (d. 1537)
    • 1503 – Antonio Francesco Grazzini, Italian author and educator (d. 1583)
    • 1517 – Gioseffo Zarlino, Italian composer (d. 1590)
    • 1519 – Catherine Brandon, Duchess of Suffolk, English noblewoman (d. 1580)
    • 1582 – John Williams, Archbishop of York (d. 1650)
    • 1599 – Anthony van Dyck, Flemish-English painter and etcher (d. 1641)
    • 1609 – John II Casimir Vasa, Polish king (d. 1672)
    • 1615 – Katherine Jones, Viscountess Ranelagh, British scientist (d. 1691)
    • 1663 – August Hermann Francke, German clergyman, philanthropist, and scholar (d. 1727)
    • 1684 – William Pulteney, 1st Earl of Bath, English politician, Secretary at War (d. 1764)
    • 1712 – Edward Moore, English poet and playwright (d. 1757)
    • 1720 – Nicolas-Henri Jardin, French architect, designed the Yellow Palace and Bernstorff Palace (d. 1799)
    • 1723 – Charles Carroll, American lawyer and politician (d. 1783)
    • 1728 – Anton Raphael Mengs, German painter and theorist (d. 1779)
    • 1785 – Adam Sedgwick, English scientist (d. 1873)
    • 1797 – William I, German Emperor (d. 1888)
    • 1808 – Caroline Norton, English feminist, social reformer, and author (d. 1877)
    • 1808 – David Swinson Maynard, American physician and lawyer (d. 1873)
    • 1812 – Stephen Pearl Andrews, American author and activist (d. 1886)
    • 1814 – Thomas Crawford, American sculptor, designed the Statue of Freedom (d. 1857)
    • 1817 – Braxton Bragg, American general (d. 1876)
    • 1818 – John Ainsworth Horrocks, English-Australian explorer, founded Penwortham (d. 1846)
    • 1822 – Ahmed Cevdet Pasha, Ottoman sociologist, historian, scholar, statesman and jurist (d. 1895)
    • 1842 – Mykola Lysenko, Ukrainian pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1912)
    • 1846 – Randolph Caldecott, English illustrator and painter (d. 1886)
    • 1846 – James Timberlake, American lieutenant, police officer, and farmer (d. 1891)
    • 1852 – Otakar Ševčík, Czech violinist and educator (d. 1934)
    • 1852 – Hector Sévin, French cardinal (d. 1916)
    • 1855 – Dorothy Tennant, British painter (d. 1926)
    • 1857 – Paul Doumer, French mathematician, journalist, and politician, 14th President of France (d. 1932)
    • 1866 – Jack Boyle, American baseball player and umpire (d. 1913)
    • 1868 – Robert Andrews Millikan, American colonel and physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1953)
    • 1869 – Tom McInnes, Scottish-English footballer (d. 1939)
    • 1873 – Ernest Lawson, Canadian-American painter (d. 1939)
    • 1880 – Ernest C. Quigley, Canadian-American football player and coach (d. 1960)
    • 1884 – Arthur H. Vandenberg, American journalist and politician (d. 1951)
    • 1884 – Lyda Borelli, Italian actress (d. 1959)
    • 1885 – Aryeh Levin, Polish-Lithuanian rabbi and educator (d. 1969)
    • 1886 – August Rei, Estonian lawyer and politician, Head of State of Estonia (d. 1963)
    • 1887 – Chico Marx, American actor (d. 1961)
    • 1890 – George Clark, American race car driver (d. 1978)
    • 1892 – Charlie Poole, American country banjo player (d. 1931)
    • 1892 – Johannes Semper, Estonian poet and scholar (d. 1970)
    • 1896 – He Long, Chinese general and politician, 1st Vice Premier of the People’s Republic of China (d. 1969)
    • 1896 – Joseph Schildkraut, Austrian-American actor (d. 1964)
    • 1899 – Ruth Page, American ballerina and choreographer (d. 1991)
    • 1901 – Greta Kempton, Austrian-American painter (d. 1991)
    • 1902 – Johannes Brinkman, Dutch architect, designed the Van Nelle Factory (d. 1949)
    • 1902 – Madeleine Milhaud, French actress and composer (d. 2008)
    • 1903 – Bill Holman, American cartoonist (d. 1987)
    • 1907 – James M. Gavin, American general and diplomat, United States Ambassador to France (d. 1990)
    • 1908 – Jack Crawford, Australian tennis player (d. 1991)
    • 1908 – Louis L’Amour, American novelist and short story writer (d. 1988)
    • 1909 – Gabrielle Roy, Canadian author and educator (d. 1983)
    • 1910 – Nicholas Monsarrat, English sailor and author (d. 1979)
    • 1912 – Wilfrid Brambell, Irish actor and performer (d. 1985)
    • 1912 – Karl Malden, American actor (d. 2009)
    • 1912 – Agnes Martin, Canadian-American painter and educator (d. 2004)
    • 1912 – Leslie Johnson, English race car driver (d. 1959)
    • 1913 – Tom McCall, American journalist and politician, 30th Governor of Oregon (d. 1983)
    • 1913 – Lew Wasserman, American businessman and talent agent (d. 2002)
    • 1913 – James Westerfield, American actor (d. 1971)
    • 1914 – John Stanley, American author and illustrator (d. 1993)
    • 1914 – Donald Stokes, Baron Stokes, English businessman (d. 2008)
    • 1917 – Virginia Grey, American actress (d. 2004)
    • 1917 – Irving Kaplansky, Canadian-American mathematician and academic (d. 2006)
    • 1917 – Paul Rogers, English actor (d. 2013)
    • 1918 – Cheddi Jagan, Guyanese politician, 4th President of Guyana (d. 1997)
    • 1919 – Bernard Krigstein, American illustrator (d. 1990)
    • 1920 – James Brown, American actor and singer (d. 1992)
    • 1920 – Werner Klemperer, German-American actor (d. 2000)
    • 1920 – Lloyd MacPhail, Canadian businessman and politician, 23rd Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island (d. 1995)
    • 1920 – Fanny Waterman, English pianist and educator, founded the Leeds International Pianoforte Competition
    • 1920 – Katsuko Saruhashi, Japanese geochemist (d. 2007)
    • 1920 – Ross Martin, American actor (d. 1981)
    • 1921 – Nino Manfredi, Italian actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2004)
    • 1922 – John J. Gilligan, American lieutenant and politician, 62nd Governor of Ohio (d. 2013)
    • 1922 – Stewart Stern, American screenwriter (d. 2015)
    • 1923 – Marcel Marceau, French mime and actor (d. 2007)
    • 1924 – Al Neuharth, American journalist and author, founded USA Today (d. 2013)
    • 1924 – Yevgeny Ostashev, Russian test pilot, participant in the launch of the first artificial Earth satellite (d. 1960)
    • 1924 – Osman F. Seden, Turkish director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1998)
    • 1924 – Bill Wendell, American television announcer (d. 1999)
    • 1927 – Marty Blake, American basketball player and manager (d. 2013)
    • 1927 – Nicolas Tikhomiroff, Russian photographer (d. 2016)
    • 1928 – Carrie Donovan, American journalist (d. 2001)
    • 1928 – E. D. Hirsch, American author, critic, and academic
    • 1928 – Ed Macauley, American basketball player, coach, and priest (d. 2011)
    • 1929 – Yayoi Kusama, Japanese artist
    • 1929 – P. Ramlee, Malaysian actor, director, singer, songwriter, composer, and producer. (d. 1973)
    • 1930 – Derek Bok, American lawyer and academic
    • 1930 – Pat Robertson, American minister and broadcaster, founded the Christian Broadcasting Network
    • 1930 – Stephen Sondheim, American composer and songwriter
    • 1931 – Burton Richter, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2018)
    • 1931 – William Shatner, Canadian actor
    • 1931 – Leslie Thomas, Welsh journalist and author (d. 2014)
    • 1932 – Els Borst, Dutch physician and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands (d. 2014)
    • 1932 – Larry Evans, American chess player and journalist (d. 2010)
    • 1933 – Abolhassan Banisadr, Iranian economist and politician, 1st President of Iran
    • 1934 – May Britt, Swedish actress
    • 1934 – Sheila Cameron, English lawyer and judge
    • 1934 – Orrin Hatch, American lawyer and politician
    • 1935 – Lea Pericoli, Italian tennis player and journalist
    • 1935 – Frank Pulli, American baseball player and umpire (d. 2013)
    • 1935 – M. Emmet Walsh, American actor
    • 1936 – Ron Carey, American trade union leader (d. 2008)
    • 1936 – Roger Whittaker, Kenyan-English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1936 – Erol Büyükburç, Turkish singer-songwriter, pop music composer, and actor (d. 2015)
    • 1937 – Angelo Badalamenti, American pianist and composer
    • 1937 – Armin Hary, German sprinter
    • 1937 – Jon Hassell, American trumpet player and composer
    • 1938 – Rein Etruk, Estonian chess player (d. 2012)
    • 1940 – Dave Keon, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1940 – Haing S. Ngor, Cambodian-American physician and author (d. 1996)
    • 1940 – George Edward Alcorn, Jr. American physicist and inventor
    • 1941 – Billy Collins, American poet
    • 1941 – Jeremy Clyde, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1941 – Bruno Ganz, Swiss actor (d. 2019)
    • 1941 – Cassam Uteem, Mauritian politician, 2nd President of Mauritius
    • 1942 – Jorge Ben Jor, Brazilian singer-songwriter
    • 1942 – Dick Pound, Canadian lawyer and academic
    • 1943 – George Benson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1943 – Nazem Ganjapour, Iranian footballer and manager (d. 2013)
    • 1943 – Keith Relf, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 1976)
    • 1945 – Eric Roth, American screenwriter and producer
    • 1946 – Don Chaney, American basketball player and coach
    • 1946 – Rivka Golani, Israeli viola player and composer
    • 1946 – Rudy Rucker, American mathematician, computer scientist, and author
    • 1946 – Harry Vanda, Dutch-Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1947 – George Ferguson, English architect and politician, 1st Mayor of Bristol
    • 1947 – James Patterson, American author and producer
    • 1947 – Maarten van Gent, Dutch basketball player and coach
    • 1948 – Andrew Lloyd Webber, English composer and director
    • 1949 – Fanny Ardant, French actress, director, and screenwriter
    • 1949 – Brian Hanrahan, English journalist (d. 2010)
    • 1952 – Des Browne, Scottish lawyer and politician, Secretary of State for Scotland
    • 1953 – Kenneth Rogoff, American economist and chess grandmaster
    • 1955 – Lena Olin, Swedish actress
    • 1955 – Pete Sessions, American politician
    • 1955 – Valdis Zatlers, Latvian physician and politician, 7th President of Latvia
    • 1956 – Maria Teresa, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg (born María Teresa Mestre y Batista)
    • 1957 – Jürgen Bucher, German footballer
    • 1957 – Stephanie Mills, American actress and singer
    • 1959 – Matthew Modine, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1960 – Tarmo Laht, Estonian architect
    • 1960 – Lauri Vahtre, Estonian historian and politician
    • 1961 – Simon Furman, British comic book writer
    • 1963 – Deborah Bull, English ballerina
    • 1963 – Susan Ann Sulley, English pop singer (The Human League)
    • 1963 – Martin Vizcarra, Peruvian engineer and politician, 67th President of Peru
    • 1964 – David Gillespie, Australian rugby league player
    • 1966 – Pia Cayetano, Filipino lawyer and politician
    • 1966 – Todd Ewen, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2015)
    • 1966 – Artis Pabriks, Latvian academic and politician, 11th Minister for Defence of Latvia
    • 1966 – António Pinto, Portuguese runner
    • 1966 – Brian Shaw, American basketball player and coach
    • 1967 – Mario Cipollini, Italian cyclist
    • 1967 – Bernie Gallacher, Scottish-English footballer (d. 2011)
    • 1970 – Andreas Johnson, Swedish singer-songwriter
    • 1970 – Leontien van Moorsel, Dutch cyclist
    • 1970 – Hwang Young-cho, South Korean runner
    • 1971 – Keegan-Michael Key, American actor, comedian, and writer
    • 1972 – Shawn Bradley, German-American basketball player, coach, and actor
    • 1972 – Cory Lidle, American baseball player (d. 2006)
    • 1972 – Elvis Stojko, Canadian figure skater and sportscaster
    • 1973 – Beverley Knight, English singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1974 – Marcus Camby, American basketball player
    • 1974 – Philippe Clement, Belgian footballer
    • 1974 – Geo Meneses, Mexican producer and singer
    • 1975 – Cole Hauser, American actor and producer
    • 1975 – Jiří Novák, Czech-Monegasque tennis player
    • 1976 – Teun de Nooijer, Dutch field hockey player
    • 1976 – Kathryn Jean Lopez, American journalist
    • 1976 – Asako Toki, Japanese singer-songwriter
    • 1976 – Kellie Shanygne Williams, American actress
    • 1976 – Reese Witherspoon, American actress and producer
    • 1977 – Joey Porter, American football player and coach
    • 1977 – Tom Poti, American ice hockey player
    • 1979 – Aaron North, American guitarist
    • 1979 – Juan Uribe, Dominican baseball player
    • 1981 – Arne Gabius, German runner
    • 1982 – Piá, Brazilian footballer
    • 1982 – Enrico Gasparotto, Italian cyclist
    • 1982 – Michael Janyk, Canadian skier
    • 1984 – Piotr Trochowski, German footballer
    • 1985 – Mayola Biboko, Belgian footballer
    • 1985 – Jakob Fuglsang, Danish cyclist
    • 1985 – Mike Jenkins, American football player
    • 1985 – Justin Masterson, American baseball player
    • 1985 – Kelli Waite, Australian swimmer
    • 1986 – David Choi, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1986 – Dexter Fowler, American baseball player
    • 1987 – Ike Davis, American baseball player
    • 1987 – Jairo Mora Sandoval, Costa Rican environmentalist (d. 2013)
    • 1987 – Liam Doran, British rally cross driver
    • 1989 – Ruben Popa, Romanian footballer
    • 1989 – J. J. Watt, American football player
    • 1989 – Tyler Oakley, American internet celebrity

    Deaths on March 22

    • 880 – Carloman of Bavaria, Frankish king
    • 1144 – William of Norwich, child murder victim
    • 1322 – Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster, English politician, Lord High Steward of England (b. 1278)
    • 1418 – Dietrich of Nieheim, German bishop and historian (b. 1345)
    • 1421 – Thomas of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Clarence, English soldier and politician, Lord High Steward of England (b. 1388)
    • 1454 – John Kemp, Archbishop of Canterbury
    • 1471 – George of Poděbrady (b. 1420)
    • 1544 – Johannes Magnus, Swedish archbishop and theologian (b. 1488)
    • 1602 – Agostino Carracci, Italian painter and educator (b. 1557)
    • 1685 – Emperor Go-Sai of Japan (b. 1638)
    • 1687 – Jean-Baptiste Lully, Italian-French composer and conductor (b. 1632)
    • 1758 – Jonathan Edwards, English minister, theologian, and philosopher (b. 1703)
    • 1772 – John Canton, English physicist and academic (b. 1718)
    • 1820 – Stephen Decatur, American commander (b. 1779)
    • 1832 – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German novelist, poet, playwright, and diplomat (b. 1749)
    • 1840 – Étienne Bobillier, French mathematician and academic (b. 1798)
    • 1864 – Konstanty Kalinowski, writer, journalist, lawyer and revolutionary (b. 1838)
    • 1881 – Samuel Courtauld, English businessman (b. 1793)
    • 1896 – Thomas Hughes, English lawyer and politician (b. 1822)
    • 1913 – Song Jiaoren, Chinese educator and politician (b. 1882)
    • 1913 – Ruggero Oddi, Italian physiologist and anatomist (b.1864)
    • 1924 – William Macewen, Scottish surgeon and neuroscientist (b. 1848)
    • 1931 – James Campbell, 1st Baron Glenavy, Irish lawyer and politician (b. 1851)
    • 1942 – Frederick Cuming, English cricketer (b. 1875)
    • 1942 – William Donne, English captain and cricketer (b. 1875)
    • 1945 – John Hessin Clarke, American lawyer and judge (b. 1857)
    • 1952 – D. S. Senanayake, 1st Prime Minister of Sri Lanka (b. 1883)
    • 1955 – Ivan Šubašić, Croatian lawyer and politician, 23rd Prime Minister of Yugoslavia (b. 1892)
    • 1958 – Mike Todd, American film producer (b. 1909)
    • 1960 – José Antonio Aguirre, Spanish lawyer and politician, 1st President of the Basque Country (b. 1904)
    • 1966 – John Harlin, American mountaineer and pilot (b. 1935)
    • 1971 – Johannes Villemson, Estonian-American runner (b. 1893)
    • 1971 – Nella Walker, American actress and vaudevillian (b. 1886)
    • 1974 – Peter Revson, American race car driver (b. 1939)
    • 1974 – Orazio Satta Puliga, Italian automobile designer (b. 1910)
    • 1976 – John Dwyer McLaughlin, American painter (b. 1898)
    • 1977 – A. K. Gopalan, Indian educator and politician (b. 1904)
    • 1978 – Karl Wallenda, German-American acrobat and tightrope walker, founded The Flying Wallendas (b. 1905)
    • 1979 – Ben Lyon, American actor and studio executive (b. 1901)
    • 1981 – James Elliott, American runner and coach (b. 1915)
    • 1981 – Gil Puyat, Filipino businessman and politician, 13th President of the Senate of the Philippines (b. 1907)
    • 1986 – Olive Deering, American actress (b. 1918)
    • 1986 – Mark Dinning, American singer (b. 1933)
    • 1987 – Odysseas Angelis, Greek general and politician (b. 1912)
    • 1989 – Peta Taylor, English cricketer (b. 1912)
    • 1990 – Gerald Bull, Canadian engineer and academic (b. 1928)
    • 1991 – Léon Balcer, Canadian lawyer and politician, 19th Solicitor General of Canada (b. 1917)
    • 1991 – Paul Engle, American novelist, poet, playwright, and critic (b. 1908)
    • 1991 – Dave Guard, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1934)
    • 1991 – Gloria Holden, English-American actress (b. 1908)
    • 1993 – Steve Olin, American baseball player (b. 1965)
    • 1994 – Dan Hartman, American singer-songwriter, and producer (b. 1950)
    • 1994 – Walter Lantz, American animator, director, and producer (b. 1899)
    • 1996 – Don Murray, American drummer (b. 1945)
    • 1996 – Robert F. Overmyer, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1936)
    • 1996 – Billy Williamson, American guitarist (b. 1925)
    • 1999 – Max Beloff, Baron Beloff, English historian and academic (b. 1913)
    • 1999 – David Strickland, American actor (b. 1969)
    • 2000 – Carlo Parola, Italian footballer and manager (b. 1921)
    • 2001 – Stepas Butautas, Lithuanian basketball player and coach (b. 1925)
    • 2001 – Sabiha Gökçen, Turkish soldier and pilot (b. 1913)
    • 2001 – William Hanna, American animator, director, producer, and voice actor, co-founded Hanna-Barbera (b. 1910)
    • 2001 – Robert Fletcher Shaw, Canadian businessman, academic, and civil servant (b. 1910)
    • 2002 – Rudolf Baumgartner, Swiss violinist and conductor (b. 1917)
    • 2003 – Terry Lloyd, English journalist (b. 1952)
    • 2004 – Janet Akyüz Mattei, Turkish-American astronomer and academic (b. 1943)
    • 2004 – Ahmed Yassin, Co-founded Hamas (b. 1937)
    • 2004 – V. M. Tarkunde, Indian lawyer and civil rights activist (b. 1909)
    • 2005 – Rod Price, English guitarist and songwriter (b. 1947)
    • 2005 – Gemini Ganesan, Indian film actor (b. 1920)
    • 2005 – Kenzō Tange, Japanese architect, designed the Yoyogi National Gymnasium and Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum (b. 1913)
    • 2006 – Pierre Clostermann, French soldier, pilot, and politician (b. 1921)
    • 2006 – Pío Leyva, Cuban singer and author (b. 1917)
    • 2006 – Kurt von Trojan, Austrian-Australian journalist and author (b. 1937)
    • 2007 – U. G. Krishnamurti, Indian-Italian philosopher and educator (b. 1918)
    • 2008 – Cachao López, Cuban-American bassist and composer (b. 1918)
    • 2010 – James Black, Scottish biologist and pharmacologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1924)
    • 2010 – Özhan Canaydın, Turkish basketball player and businessman (b. 1943)
    • 2011 – Artur Agostinho, Portuguese journalist (b. 1920)
    • 2011 – Victor Bouchard, Canadian pianist and composer (b. 1926)
    • 2012 – Joe Blanchard, American football player and wrestler (b. 1928)
    • 2012 – John Payton, American lawyer and activist (b. 1946)
    • 2012 – Matthew White Ridley, 4th Viscount Ridley, English academic and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Northumberland (b. 1925)
    • 2012 – Mickey Sullivan, American baseball player and coach (b. 1932)
    • 2012 – David Waltz, American computer scientist and academic (b. 1943)
    • 2012 – Neil L. Whitehead, English anthropologist and author (b. 1956)
    • 2013 – Vladimír Čech, Czech actor and politician (b. 1951)
    • 2013 – James Nabrit, American lawyer and academic (b. 1932)
    • 2013 – Bebo Valdés, Cuban-Swedish pianist and composer (b. 1918)
    • 2013 – Derek Watkins, English trumpet player and composer (b. 1945)
    • 2013 – Ray Williams, American basketball player and coach (b. 1954)
    • 2014 – Yashwant Vithoba Chittal, Indian author (b. 1928)
    • 2014 – Mickey Duff, Polish-English boxer and manager (b. 1929)
    • 2014 – Thor Listau, Norwegian soldier and politician (b. 1938)
    • 2014 – Tasos Mitsopoulos, Cypriot politician, Cypriot Minister of Defence (b. 1965)
    • 2015 – Arkady Arkanov, Ukrainian-Russian actor and playwright (b. 1933)
    • 2015 – Horst Buhtz, German footballer and manager (b. 1923)
    • 2015 – George Neel, Jr., American businessman (b. 1930)
    • 2015 – Norman Scribner, American pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1936)
    • 2016 – Phife Dawg, American rapper (b. 1970)
    • 2016 – Rob Ford, Canadian businessman and politician, 64th Mayor of Toronto (b. 1969)
    • 2016 – Rita Gam, American actress (b. 1927)
    • 2018 – Johan van Hulst, Dutch politician, academic and author, Yad Vashem recipient (b. 1911)

    Holidays and observances on March 22

    • Bihar Day (Bihar, India)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Basil of Ancyra
      • Blessed Clemens August Graf von Galen
      • Darerca of Ireland
      • Epaphroditus
      • Jonathan Edwards (Lutheranism)
      • Lea of Rome
      • Nicholas Owen
      • Paul of Narbonne
      • March 22 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Earliest day on which Easter Sunday can fall (last in 1818, will not happen again until 2285), while April 25 is the latest. (Christianity)
    • Emancipation Day or Día de la Abolición de la Esclavitud (Puerto Rico)
    • World Water Day (International)

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

    • 202 BC – Liu Bang is enthroned as the Emperor of China, beginning four centuries of rule by the Han dynasty.
    • 870 – The Fourth Council of Constantinople closes.
    • 1246 – The siege of Jaén ends in the context of the Spanish Reconquista resulting in the Castilian takeover of the city from the Taifa of Jaen.
    • 1525 – Aztec king Cuauhtémoc is executed on the order of conquistador Hernán Cortés.
    • 1638 – The Scottish National Covenant is signed in Edinburgh.
    • 1700 – Today is followed by March 1 in Sweden, thus creating the Swedish calendar.
    • 1710 – Battle of Helsingborg: 14,000 Danish invaders under Jørgen Rantzau are decisively defeated by an equally sized Swedish force under Magnus Stenbock. This is the last time Swedish and Danish troops meet on Swedish soil.
    • 1728 – Peshwa Bajirao I of the Maratha Empire defeats Asaf Jah I in the Battle of Palkhed.
    • 1827 – The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad is incorporated, becoming the first railroad in America offering commercial transportation of both people and freight.
    • 1838 – Robert Nelson, leader of the Patriotes, proclaims the independence of Lower Canada (today Quebec).
    • 1844 – A gun on USS Princeton explodes while the boat is on a Potomac River cruise, killing six people, including two United States Cabinet members.
    • 1847 – The Battle of the Sacramento River during the Mexican–American War is a decisive victory for the United States leading to the capture of Chihuahua.
    • 1849 – Regular steamship service from the east to the west coast of the United States begins with the arrival of the SS California in San Francisco Bay, four months 22 days after leaving New York Harbor.
    • 1867 – Seventy years of Holy See–United States relations are ended by a Congressional ban on federal funding of diplomatic envoys to the Vatican and are not restored until January 10, 1984.
    • 1870 – The Bulgarian Exarchate is established by decree of Sultan Abdülaziz of the Ottoman Empire.
    • 1874 – One of the longest cases ever heard in an English court ends when the defendant is convicted of perjury for attempting to assume the identity of the heir to the Tichborne baronetcy.
    • 1893 – The USS Indiana, the lead ship of her class and the first battleship in the United States Navy comparable to foreign battleships of the time, is launched.
    • 1897 – Queen Ranavalona III, the last monarch of Madagascar, is deposed by a French military force.
    • 1900 – The Second Boer War: The 118-day “Siege of Ladysmith” is lifted.
    • 1904 – S.L. Benfica is founded in Portugal.
    • 1922 – The United Kingdom ends its protectorate over Egypt through a Unilateral Declaration of Independence.
    • 1925 – The Charlevoix-Kamouraska earthquake strikes northeastern North America.
    • 1933 – Gleichschaltung: The Reichstag Fire Decree is passed in Germany a day after the Reichstag fire.
    • 1935 – DuPont scientist Wallace Carothers invents nylon.
    • 1939 – The erroneous word “dord” is discovered in the Webster’s New International Dictionary, Second Edition, prompting an investigation.
    • 1940 – Basketball is televised for the first time (Fordham University vs. the University of Pittsburgh in Madison Square Garden).
    • 1942 – The heavy cruiser USS Houston is sunk in the Battle of Sunda Strait with 693 crew members killed, along with HMAS Perth which lost 375 men.
    • 1947 – February 28 Incident: In Taiwan, civil disorder is put down with the loss of an estimated 30,000 civilians.
    • 1948 – Christiansborg Cross-Roads shooting in the Gold Coast, when a British police officer opens fire on a march of ex-servicemen, killing three of them and sparking major riots and looting in Accra.
    • 1953 – James Watson and Francis Crick announce to friends that they have determined the chemical structure of DNA; the formal announcement takes place on April 25 following publication in April’s Nature (pub. April 2).
    • 1954 – The first color television sets using the NTSC standard are offered for sale to the general public.
    • 1958 – A school bus in Floyd County, Kentucky hits a wrecker truck and plunges down an embankment into the rain-swollen Levisa Fork river. The driver and 26 children die in what remains one of the worst school bus accidents in U.S. history.
    • 1959 – Discoverer 1, an American spy satellite that is the first object intended to achieve a polar orbit, is launched but fails to achieve orbit.
    • 1966 – A NASA T-38 Talon crashes into the McDonnell Aircraft factory while attempting a poor-visibility landing at Lambert Field, St. Louis, killing astronauts Elliot See and Charles Bassett.
    • 1972 – China–United States relations: The United States and China sign the Shanghai Communiqué.
    • 1975 – In London, an underground train fails to stop at Moorgate terminus station and crashes into the end of the tunnel, killing 43 people.
    • 1980 – Andalusia approves its statute of autonomy through a referendum.
    • 1983 – The final episode of M*A*S*H airs, with almost 106 million viewers. It still holds the record for the highest viewership of a season finale.
    • 1985 – The Provisional Irish Republican Army carries out a mortar attack on the Royal Ulster Constabulary police station at Newry, killing nine officers in the highest loss of life for the RUC on a single day.
    • 1986 – Olof Palme, 26th Prime Minister of Sweden, is assassinated in Stockholm.
    • 1991 – The first Gulf War ends.
    • 1993 – The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents raid the Branch Davidian church in Waco, Texas with a warrant to arrest the group’s leader David Koresh. Four ATF agents and six Davidians die in the initial raid, starting a 51-day standoff.
    • 1995 – Former Australian Liberal party leader John Hewson resigns from the Australian parliament almost two years after losing the 1993 Australian federal election.
    • 1997 – An earthquake in northern Iran is responsible for about 3,000 deaths.
    • 1997 – GRB 970228, a highly luminous flash of gamma rays, strikes the Earth for 80 seconds, providing early evidence that gamma-ray bursts occur well beyond the Milky Way.
    • 1998 – First flight of RQ-4 Global Hawk, the first unmanned aerial vehicle certified to file its own flight plans and fly regularly in U.S. civilian airspace.
    • 1998 – Kosovo War: Serbian police begin the offensive against the Kosovo Liberation Army in Kosovo.
    • 2002 – During the religious violence in Gujarat, the 97 people killed in the Naroda Patiya massacre and 69 in Gulbarg Society massacre.
    • 2004 – Over one million Taiwanese participate in the 228 Hand-in-Hand rally form a 500-kilometre (310 mi) long human chain to commemorate the February 28 Incident in 1947.
    • 2005 – A suicide bombing at a police recruiting centre in Al Hillah, Iraq kills 127.
    • 2013 – Pope Benedict XVI resigns as the pope of the Catholic Church, becoming the first pope to do so since Pope Gregory XII, in 1415.

    Births on February 28

    • 1119 – Emperor Xizong of Jin (d. 1150)
    • 1155 – Henry the Young King, son and heir of Henry II of England (d. 1183)
    • 1261 – Margaret of Scotland, Queen of Norway (d. 1283)
    • 1518 – Francis III, Duke of Brittany, Duke of Brittany (d. 1536)
    • 1533 – Michel de Montaigne, French philosopher and author (d. 1592)
    • 1535 – Cornelius Gemma, Dutch astronomer and astrologer (d. 1578)
    • 1552 – Jost Bürgi, Swiss mathematician and clockmaker (d. 1632)
    • 1612 – John Pearson, English bishop, theologian, and scholar (d. 1686)
    • 1627 – Aubrey de Vere, 20th Earl of Oxford, English soldier and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Essex (d. 1703)
    • 1675 – Guillaume Delisle, French cartographer (d. 1726)
    • 1683 – René Antoine Ferchault de Réaumur, French entomologist and academic (d. 1757)
    • 1704 – Louis Godin, French astronomer and academic (d. 1760)
    • 1712 – Louis-Joseph de Montcalm, French general (d. 1759)
    • 1724 – George Townshend, 1st Marquess Townshend, English field marshal and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (d. 1807)
    • 1792 – Karl Ernst von Baer, German biologist, meteorologist, and geographer (d. 1876)
    • 1812 – Berthold Auerbach, German poet and author (d. 1882)
    • 1820 – John Tenniel, English illustrator (d. 1914)
    • 1833 – Alfred von Schlieffen, German field marshal (d. 1913)
    • 1840 – Henri Duveyrier, French explorer (d. 1892)
    • 1848 – Arthur Giry, French historian and academic (d. 1899)
    • 1851 – Samuel W. McCall, American journalist and politician, 47th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1923)
    • 1858 – Tore Svennberg, Swedish actor and director (d. 1941)
    • 1865 – Wilfred Grenfell, English physician and missionary (d. 1940)
    • 1866 – Vyacheslav Ivanov, Russian poet and playwright (d. 1949)
    • 1873 – William McMaster Murdoch, Scottish sailor (d. 1912)
    • 1878 – Pierre Fatou, French mathematician and astronomer (d. 1929)
    • 1882 – Geraldine Farrar, American soprano and actress (d. 1967)
    • 1882 – José Vasconcelos, Mexican philosopher, lawyer, and politician, Mexican Secretary of Public Education (d. 1959)
    • 1883 – Seán Mac Diarmada, Irish rebel leader (d. 1916)
    • 1884 – Ants Piip, Estonian lawyer and politician, 7th Prime Minister of Estonia (d. 1942)
    • 1887 – William Zorach, Lithuanian-American sculptor and painter (d. 1966)
    • 1894 – Ben Hecht, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1964)
    • 1895 – Marcel Pagnol, French author, playwright and director (d. 1974)
    • 1896 – Philip Showalter Hench, American physician and endocrinologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1965)
    • 1898 – Zeki Rıza Sporel, Turkish footballer (d. 1969)
    • 1900 – Wolf Hirth, German pilot and engineer, co-founded Schempp-Hirth (d. 1959)
    • 1901 – Linus Pauling, American chemist and activist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1994)
    • 1903 – Vincente Minnelli, American director and screenwriter (d. 1986)
    • 1906 – Bugsy Siegel, American gangster (d. 1947)
    • 1907 – Milton Caniff, American cartoonist (d. 1988)
    • 1908 – Billie Bird, American actress (d. 2002)
    • 1909 – Stephen Spender, English author and poet (d. 1995)
    • 1911 – Otakar Vávra, Czech director and screenwriter (d. 2011)
    • 1915 – Ketti Frings, American author, playwright, and screenwriter (d. 1981)
    • 1915 – Peter Medawar, Brazilian-English biologist and immunologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1987)
    • 1915 – Zero Mostel, American actor and comedian (d. 1977)
    • 1916 – Cesar Climaco, Filipino lawyer and politician, 10th Mayor of Zamboanga City (d. 1984)
    • 1917 – Ernesto Alonso, Mexican actor, director, and producer (d. 2007)
    • 1919 – Alfred Marshall, American businessman, founded Marshalls (d. 2013)
    • 1919 – Brian Urquhart, English soldier and diplomat, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations
    • 1920 – Jadwiga Piłsudska, Polish soldier, pilot, and architect (d. 2014)
    • 1921 – Pierre Clostermann, French pilot, engineer, and author (d. 2006)
    • 1922 – Yuri Lotman, Russian-Estonian historian and scholar (d. 1993)
    • 1923 – Charles Durning, American soldier and actor (d. 2012)
    • 1924 – Uno Prii, Estonian-Canadian architect (d. 2000)
    • 1924 – Robert A. Roe, American soldier and politician (d. 2014)
    • 1925 – Harry H. Corbett, Burmese-English actor (d. 1982)
    • 1926 – Svetlana Alliluyeva, Russian-American author and educator (d. 2011)
    • 1928 – Stanley Baker, Welsh actor and producer (d. 1976)
    • 1928 – Tom Aldredge, American actor (d. 2011)
    • 1928 – Sylvia del Villard, actress, dancer, choreographer and Afro-Puerto Rican activist (d. 1990)
    • 1929 – Hayden Fry, American football player and coach (d. 2019)
    • 1929 – Frank Gehry, Canadian-American architect, designed 8 Spruce Street and Walt Disney Concert Hall
    • 1929 – John Montague, American-Irish poet and academic (d. 2016)
    • 1929 – Rangaswamy Srinivasan, Indian-American physical chemist and inventor
    • 1930 – Leon Cooper, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1931 – Iajuddin Ahmed, Bangladeshi academic and politician, 14th President of Bangladesh (d. 2012)
    • 1931 – Peter Alliss, English golfer and sportscaster
    • 1931 – Gavin MacLeod, American actor
    • 1931 – Len Newcombe, Welsh footballer, outside forward and scout (d. 1996)
    • 1931 – Dean Smith, American basketball player and coach (d. 2015)
    • 1932 – Don Francks, Canadian actor, singer, and jazz musician (d. 2016)
    • 1933 – Rein Taagepera, Estonian political scientist and politician
    • 1934 – Willie Bobo, American Latin Jazz/Afro-Cuban jazz percussionist (d. 1983)
    • 1937 – Jeff Farrell, American swimmer
    • 1938 – Foge Fazio, American football player and coach (d. 2009)
    • 1939 – John Fahey, American guitarist (d. 2001)
    • 1939 – Chögyam Trungpa, Tibetan philosopher and scholar (d. 1987)
    • 1939 – Daniel C. Tsui, Chinese-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1939 – Tommy Tune, American actor, singer, dancer, and director
    • 1940 – Aldo Andretti, Italian-American race car driver
    • 1940 – Mario Andretti, Italian-American race car driver
    • 1940 – Joe South, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer (d. 2012)
    • 1942 – Brian Jones, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer (d. 1969)
    • 1942 – Dino Zoff, Italian footballer and manager
    • 1943 – Barbara Acklin, American singer-songwriter (d. 1998)
    • 1943 – Hans Dijkstal, Egyptian-Dutch educator and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands (d. 2010)
    • 1943 – Donnie Iris, American rock singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1944 – Kelly Bishop, American actress and dancer
    • 1944 – Edward Greenspan, Canadian lawyer and author (d. 2014)
    • 1944 – Sepp Maier, German footballer and manager
    • 1944 – Storm Thorgerson, English graphic designer (d. 2013)
    • 1945 – Mimsy Farmer, American-French actress and sculptor
    • 1945 – Bubba Smith, American football player and actor (d. 2011)
    • 1945 – Linda Preiss Rothschild, American mathematician and academic
    • 1946 – Philip Bailhache, English lawyer and politician
    • 1946 – Robin Cook, Scottish educator and politician, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (d. 2005)
    • 1946 – Syreeta Wright, African-American singer songwriter (d. 2004)
    • 1947 – Stephanie Beacham, English actress
    • 1948 – Steven Chu, American physicist and politician, 12th United States Secretary of Energy, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1948 – Mike Figgis, English director, screenwriter, and composer
    • 1948 – Bernadette Peters, American actress, singer, and author
    • 1948 – Mercedes Ruehl, American actress
    • 1948 – Alfred Sant, Maltese politician, 11th Prime Minister of Malta
    • 1951 – Bill Cratty, American dancer and choreographer (d. 1998)
    • 1951 – Debora Green, American physician convicted of murder
    • 1953 – Ingo Hoffmann, Brazilian race car driver
    • 1953 – Paul Krugman, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1953 – Ricky Steamboat, American wrestler, referee, and trainer
    • 1954 – Brian Billick, American football player, coach, and sportscaster
    • 1955 – Adrian Dantley, American basketball player and coach
    • 1955 – Gilbert Gottfried, American comedian, actor, and singer
    • 1956 – Terry Leahy, English businessman
    • 1956 – Guy Maddin, Canadian director, screenwriter, and cinematographer
    • 1957 – Paul Delph, American singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer (d. 1996)
    • 1957 – Ainsley Harriott, English chef and author
    • 1957 – Ian Smith, New Zealand cricketer and sportscaster
    • 1957 – John Turturro, American actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1957 – Cindy Wilson, American singer-songwriter
    • 1958 – Manuel Torres Félix, Mexican criminal and narcotics trafficker (d. 2012)
    • 1958 – Natalya Estemirova, Russian journalist and activist (d. 2009)
    • 1958 – Jeanne Mas, Spanish-French singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1958 – David R. Ross, Scottish historian and author (d. 2010)
    • 1959 – Jack Abramoff, American businessman and lobbyist
    • 1959 – Megan McDonald, American librarian and author
    • 1961 – Rae Dawn Chong, Canadian-American actress
    • 1961 – Mark Latham, Australian politician
    • 1961 – Barry McGuigan, Irish-British boxer
    • 1962 – Gary Belcher, Australian rugby league player and sportscaster
    • 1963 – Claudio Chiappucci, Italian cyclist
    • 1964 – Djamolidine Abdoujaparov, Uzbekistan sprinter and cyclist
    • 1965 – Colum McCann, Irish-American author and academic
    • 1965 – Norman Smiley, English-American wrestler and trainer
    • 1966 – Vincent Askew, American basketball player and coach
    • 1966 – Paulo Futre, Portuguese footballer
    • 1966 – Archbishop Jovan VI of Ohrid
    • 1967 – Colin Cooper, English footballer and manager
    • 1967 – Martin Tielli, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1969 – Sean Farrel, English footballer, forward
    • 1969 – Butch Leitzinger, American race car driver
    • 1969 – Robert Sean Leonard, American actor
    • 1969 – Patrick Monahan, American singer-songwriter and actor
    • 1970 – Daniel Handler, American journalist, author, and accordion player
    • 1970 – Noureddine Morceli, Algerian runner
    • 1971 – Junya Nakano, Japanese pianist and composer
    • 1971 – Peter Stebbings, Canadian actor and director
    • 1972 – Rory Cochrane, American actor
    • 1972 – Ville Haapasalo, Finnish actor and screenwriter
    • 1973 – Eric Lindros, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1973 – Scott McLeod, New Zealand rugby player
    • 1973 – Nicolas Minassian, French race car driver
    • 1973 – Masato Tanaka, Japanese wrestler
    • 1974 – Lee Carsley, English-Irish footballer and manager
    • 1974 – Alexander Zickler, German footballer and manager
    • 1975 – Mike Rucker, American football player
    • 1976 – Ali Larter, American actress
    • 1977 – Jason Aldean, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1977 – Lance Hoyt, American football player and wrestler
    • 1978 – Jeanne Cherhal, French singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1978 – Benjamin Raich, Austrian skier
    • 1978 – Jamaal Tinsley, American basketball player
    • 1978 – Mariano Zabaleta, Argentinian tennis player
    • 1979 – Sébastien Bourdais, French race car driver
    • 1979 – Ivo Karlović, Croatian tennis player
    • 1979 – Primož Peterka, Slovenian ski jumper
    • 1980 – Pascal Bosschaart, Dutch footballer
    • 1980 – Lucian Bute, Romanian-Canadian boxer
    • 1980 – Christian Poulsen, Danish footballer
    • 1980 – Tayshaun Prince, American basketball player
    • 1981 – Brian Bannister, American baseball player and scout
    • 1982 – Natalia Vodianova, Russian-French model and actress
    • 1984 – Noureen DeWulf, American actress
    • 1984 – Karolína Kurková, Czech model and actress
    • 1985 – Tim Bresnan, English cricketer
    • 1985 – Jelena Janković, Serbian tennis player
    • 1985 – Diego Ribas da Cunha, Brazilian footballer
    • 1986 – Travis Stevens, American judoka
    • 1987 – Antonio Candreva, Italian footballer
    • 1988 – Aroldis Chapman, Cuban baseball player
    • 1988 – Markéta Irglová, Czech singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress
    • 1989 – Carlos Dunlap, American football player
    • 1989 – Charles Jenkins, American basketball player
    • 1989 – Kevin Proctor, New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1989 – Angelababy, Chinese actress
    • 1990 – Takayasu Akira, Japanese sumo wrestler
    • 1994 – Jake Bugg, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1994 – Arkadiusz Milik, Polish footballer
    • 1999 – Luka Dončić, Slovenian basketball player

    Deaths on February 28

    • 628 – Khosrow II, Shah of Iran – Sasanian Empire (b. c. 570)
    • 911 – Abu Abdallah al-Shi’i, Muslim Shia imam
    • 1105 – Raymond IV, Count of Toulouse (b. c. 1042)
    • 1261 – Henry III, Duke of Brabant (b. 1230)
    • 1326 – Leopold I, Duke of Austria (b. 1290)
    • 1453 – Isabella, Duchess of Lorraine (b. 1400)
    • 1510 – Juan de la Cosa, Spanish cartographer and explorer (b. 1450)
    • 1551 – Martin Bucer, German Protestant reformer (b. 1491)
    • 1572 – Aegidius Tschudi, Swiss historian and author (b. 1505)
    • 1621 – Cosimo II de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (b. 1590)
    • 1648 – Christian IV of Denmark (b. 1577)
    • 1786 – John Gwynn, English architect and engineer (b. 1713)
    • 1788 – Thomas Cushing, American lawyer and politician, 1st Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts (b. 1725)
    • 1857 – André Dumont, Belgian geologist and academic (b. 1809)
    • 1869 – Alphonse de Lamartine, French author and poet (b. 1790)
    • 1879 – Hortense Allart, Italian-French author (b. 1801)
    • 1891 – George Hearst, American businessman and politician (b. 1820)
    • 1916 – Henry James, American novelist, short writer, and critic (b. 1843)
    • 1925 – Friedrich Ebert, German politician, 1st President of Germany (b. 1871)
    • 1929 – Clemens von Pirquet, Austrian physician and immunologist (b. 1874)
    • 1932 – Guillaume Bigourdan, French astronomer and academic (b. 1851)
    • 1935 – Chiquinha Gonzaga, Brazilian pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1847)
    • 1936 – Charles Nicolle, French biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1866)
    • 1941 – Alfonso XIII of Spain (b. 1886)
    • 1942 – Karel Doorman, Dutch admiral (b. 1889)
    • 1959 – Maxwell Anderson, American journalist, author, and playwright (b. 1888)
    • 1963 – Rajendra Prasad, Indian lawyer and politician, 1st President of India (b. 1884)
    • 1966 – Charles Bassett, American captain, engineer, and astronaut (b. 1931)
    • 1966 – Elliot See, American commander, engineer, and astronaut (b. 1927)
    • 1967 – Henry Luce, American publisher, co-founded Time Magazine (b. 1898)
    • 1977 – Eddie “Rochester” Anderson, American actor and comedian (b. 1905)
    • 1978 – Zara Cully, American actress (b. 1892)
    • 1978 – Eric Frank Russell, English author (b. 1905)
    • 1983 – Winifred Atwell, Trinidadian pianist (b. 1910 or 1914)
    • 1987 – Stephen Tennant, English author (b. 1906)
    • 1991 – Wassily Hoeffding, Finnish-American statistician and theorist (b. 1914)
    • 1993 – Ishirō Honda, Japanese director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1911)
    • 1993 – Ruby Keeler, Canadian-American actress and dancer (b. 1909)
    • 1998 – Dermot Morgan, Irish comedian and actor (b. 1952)
    • 1998 – Arkady Shevchenko, Ukrainian diplomat (b. 1930)
    • 2002 – Mary Stuart, American actress and singer (b. 1926)
    • 2002 – Helmut Zacharias, German violinist and composer (b. 1920)
    • 2003 – Chris Brasher, Guyanese-English runner and journalist, co-founded the London Marathon (b. 1928)
    • 2003 – Fidel Sánchez Hernández, Salvadorian general and politician, President of El Salvador (b. 1917)
    • 2004 – Daniel J. Boorstin, American historian and librarian (b. 1914)
    • 2004 – Carmen Laforet, Spanish author (b. 1921)
    • 2004 – Andres Nuiamäe, Estonian sergeant (b. 1982)
    • 2005 – Chris Curtis, English singer and drummer (b. 1941)
    • 2006 – Owen Chamberlain, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1920)
    • 2007 – Charles Forte, Baron Forte, Italian-English businessman, founded the Forte Group (b. 1908)
    • 2007 – Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. American historian and critic (b. 1917)
    • 2007 – Billy Thorpe, English-Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1946)
    • 2008 – Joseph M. Juran, Romanian-American engineer and businessman (b. 1904)
    • 2009 – Paul Harvey, American radio host (b. 1918)
    • 2011 – Annie Girardot, French actress (b. 1931)
    • 2011 – Jane Russell, American actress and singer (b. 1921)
    • 2012 – Frisner Augustin, Haitian drummer and composer (b. 1948)
    • 2012 – Jim Green, American-Canadian educator and politician (b. 1943)
    • 2012 – Hal Roach, Irish comedian and author (b. 1927)
    • 2013 – Donald A. Glaser, American physicist and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1926)
    • 2013 – Neil McCorkell, English cricketer and coach (b. 1912)
    • 2014 – Hugo Brandt Corstius, Dutch linguist and author (b. 1935)
    • 2014 – Lee Lorch, American mathematician and activist (b. 1915)
    • 2015 – Alex Johnson, American baseball player (b. 1942)
    • 2015 – Yaşar Kemal, Turkish journalist and author (b. 1923)
    • 2016 – George Kennedy, American actor (b. 1925)
    • 2017 – Pierre Pascau, Mauritian-Canadian journalist (b. 1938)
    • 2019 – André Previn, German-American pianist, conductor, and composer. (b. 1929)
    • 2020 – Joe Coulombe, founder of Trader Joe’s (b. 1930)
    • 2020 – Freeman Dyson, British-born American physicist and mathematician (b. 1923)
    • 2020 – Sir Lenox Hewitt, Australian public servant (b. 1917)

    Holidays and observances on February 28

    • Christian feast day:
      • Abercius (martyr)
      • Anna Julia Cooper and Elizabeth Evelyn Wright (Episcopal Church (USA))
      • Hilarius
      • Mar Abba
      • Oswald of Worcester
      • Romanus of Condat
      • Rufinus
      • February 28 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Earliest day on which Rare Disease Day can fall, while February 29 is the latest; observed on the last day of February (international)
    • The third day of Ayyám-i-Há (Bahá’í Faith) (Please note that this observance is only locked into this date the Gregorian calendar on this date if Bahá’í Naw-Rúz takes place on March 21, which it doesn’t in all years)
    • Día de Andalucía (Andalusia, Spain)
    • Kalevala Day, the day of Finnish culture. (Finland)
    • National Science Day (India)
    • Peace Memorial Day (Taiwan)
    • Teachers’ Day (Arab states)