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May 16 in History
- 946 – Emperor Suzaku abdicates the throne in favor of his brother Murakami who becomes the 62nd emperor of Japan.
- 1204 – Having been elected on May 9, Baldwin IX, Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire.
- 1426 – Gov. Thado of Mohnyin becomes king of Ava.
- 1527 – The Florentines drive out the Medici for a second time and Florence re-establishes itself as a republic.
- 1532 – Sir Thomas More resigns as Lord Chancellor of England.
- 1568 – Mary, Queen of Scots, flees to England.
- 1584 – Santiago de Vera becomes sixth Governor-General of the Spanish colony of the Philippines.
- 1739 – The Battle of Vasai concludes as the Marathas defeat the Portuguese army.
- 1770 – The 14-year-old Marie Antoinette marries 15-year-old Louis-Auguste, who later becomes king of France.
- 1771 – The Battle of Alamance, a pre-American Revolutionary War battle between local militia and a group of rebels called The “Regulators”, occurs in present-day Alamance County, North Carolina.
- 1811 – Peninsular War: The allies Spain, Portugal and United Kingdom, defeat the French at the Battle of Albuera.
- 1812 – Imperial Russia signs the Treaty of Bucharest, ending the Russo-Turkish War. The Ottoman Empire cedes Bessarabia to Russia.
- 1822 – Greek War of Independence: The Turks capture the Greek town of Souli.
- 1832 – Juan Godoy discovers the rich silver outcrops of Chañarcillo sparking the Chilean silver rush.
- 1834 – The Battle of Asseiceira is fought, the last and decisive engagement of the Liberal Wars in Portugal.
- 1842 – The first major wagon train heading for the Pacific Northwest sets out on the Oregon Trail from Elm Grove, Missouri, with 100 pioneers.
- 1866 – The United States Congress establishes the nickel.
- 1868 – The United States Senate fails to convict President Andrew Johnson by one vote.
- 1874 – A flood on the Mill River in Massachusetts destroys much of four villages and kills 139 people.
- 1877 – The 16 May 1877 crisis occurs in France, ending with the dissolution of the National Assembly 22 June and affirming the interpretation of the Constitution of 1875 as a parliamentary rather than presidential system. The elections held in October 1877 led to the defeat of the royalists as a formal political movement in France.
- 1888 – Nikola Tesla delivers a lecture describing the equipment which will allow efficient generation and use of alternating currents to transmit electric power over long distances.
- 1891 – The International Electrotechnical Exhibition opens in Frankfurt, Germany, and will feature the world’s first long-distance transmission of high-power, three-phase electric current (the most common form today).
- 1916 – The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the French Third Republic sign the secret wartime Sykes-Picot Agreement partitioning former Ottoman territories such as Iraq and Syria.
- 1918 – The Sedition Act of 1918 is passed by the U.S. Congress, making criticism of the government during wartime an imprisonable offense. It will be repealed less than two years later.
- 1919 – A naval Curtiss NC-4 aircraft commanded by Albert Cushing Read leaves Trepassey, Newfoundland, for Lisbon via the Azores on the first transatlantic flight.
- 1920 – In Rome, Pope Benedict XV canonizes Joan of Arc.
- 1929 – In Hollywood, the first Academy Awards ceremony takes place.
- 1943 – The Holocaust: The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising ends.
- 1951 – The first regularly scheduled transatlantic flights begin between Idlewild Airport (now John F Kennedy International Airport) in New York City and Heathrow Airport in London, operated by El Al Israel Airlines.
- 1959 – The Triton Fountain in Valletta, Malta is turned on for the first time.
- 1960 – Theodore Maiman operates the first optical laser (a ruby laser), at Hughes Research Laboratories in Malibu, California.
- 1961 – Park Chung-hee leads a coup d’état to overthrow the Second Republic of South Korea.
- 1966 – The Communist Party of China issues the “May 16 Notice”, marking the beginning of the Cultural Revolution.
- 1969 – Venera program: Venera 5, a Soviet space probe, lands on Venus.
- 1974 – Josip Broz Tito is elected president for life of Yugoslavia.
- 1988 – A report by the Surgeon General of the United States C. Everett Koop states that the addictive properties of nicotine are similar to those of heroin and cocaine.
- 1991 – Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom addresses a joint session of the United States Congress. She is the first British monarch to address the U.S. Congress.
- 1997 – Mobutu Sese Seko, the President of Zaire, flees the country.
- 2003 – In Morocco, 33 civilians are killed and more than 100 people are injured in the Casablanca terrorist attacks.
- 2005 – Kuwait permits women’s suffrage in a 35–23 National Assembly vote.
- 2011 – STS-134 (ISS assembly flight ULF6), launched from the Kennedy Space Center on the 25th and final flight for Space Shuttle Endeavour.
- 2014 – Twelve people are killed in two explosions in the Gikomba market area of Nairobi, Kenya.
Births on May 16
- 1418 – John II of Cyprus, King of Cyprus and Armenia and also titular King of Jerusalem from 1432 to 1458 (probable; d. 1458)
- 1455 – Wolfgang I of Oettingen, German count (d. 1522)
- 1542 – Anna Sibylle of Hanau-Lichtenberg, German noblewoman (d. 1580)
- 1606 – John Bulwer, British doctor (d. 1656)
- 1611 – Pope Innocent XI (d. 1689)
- 1641 – Dudley North, English economist and politician (d. 1691)
- 1710 – William Talbot, 1st Earl Talbot, English politician, Lord Steward of the Household (d. 1782)
- 1718 – Maria Gaetana Agnesi, Italian mathematician and philosopher (d. 1799)
- 1763 – Louis Nicolas Vauquelin, French pharmacist and chemist (d. 1829)
- 1788 – Friedrich Rückert, German poet and translator (d. 1866)
- 1801 – William H. Seward, American lawyer and politician, 24th United States Secretary of State (d. 1872)
- 1804 – Elizabeth Palmer Peabody, American educator who founded the first U.S. kindergarten (d. 1894)
- 1819 – Johann Voldemar Jannsen, Estonian journalist and poet (d. 1890)
- 1821 – Pafnuty Chebyshev, Russian mathematician and statistician (d. 1894)
- 1824 – Levi P. Morton, American banker and politician, 22nd United States Vice President (d. 1920)
- 1824 – Edmund Kirby Smith, American general (d. 1893)
- 1827 – Pierre Cuypers, Dutch architect, designed the Amsterdam Centraal railway station and Rijksmuseum (d. 1921)
- 1831 – David Edward Hughes, Welsh-American physicist, co-invented the microphone (d. 1900)
- 1862 – Margaret Fountaine, English lepidopterist and diarist (d.1940)
- 1876 – Fred Conrad Koch, American biochemist and endocrinologist (d. 1948)
- 1879 – Pierre Gilliard, Swiss author and academic (d. 1962)
- 1882 – Simeon Price, American golfer (d. 1945)
- 1883 – Celâl Bayar, Turkish politician, 3rd President of Turkey (d. 1986)
- 1888 – Royal Rife, American microbiologist and instrument maker (d. 1971)
- 1890 – Edith Grace White, American ichthyologist (d. 1975)
- 1892 – Osgood Perkins, American actor (d. 1937)
- 1894 – Walter Yust, American journalist and writer (d. 1960)
- 1897 – Zvi Sliternik, Israeli entomologist and academic (d. 1994)
- 1898 – Tamara de Lempicka, Polish-American painter (d. 1980)
- 1898 – Desanka Maksimović, Serbian poet and academic (d. 1993)
- 1898 – Kenji Mizoguchi, Japanese director and screenwriter (d. 1956)
- 1903 – Charles F. Brannock, American inventor and manufacturer (d. 1992)
- 1905 – Henry Fonda, American actor (d. 1982)
- 1906 – Ernie McCormick, Australian cricketer (d. 1991)
- 1906 – Alfred Pellan, Canadian painter and educator (d. 1988)
- 1906 – Arturo Uslar Pietri, Venezuelan lawyer, journalist, and author (d. 2001)
- 1906 – Margret Rey, German author and illustrator (d. 1996)
- 1907 – Bob Tisdall, Irish hurdler (d. 2004)
- 1909 – Margaret Sullavan, American actress and singer (d. 1960)
- 1909 – Luigi Villoresi, Italian race car driver (d. 1997)
- 1910 – Olga Bergholz, Russian poet and author (d. 1975)
- 1910 – Higashifushimi Kunihide, Japanese monk and educator (d. 2014)
- 1910 – Aleksandr Ivanovich Laktionov, Russian painter and educator (d. 1972)
- 1912 – Studs Terkel, American historian and author (d. 2008)
- 1913 – Gordon Chalk, Australian politician, 30th Premier of Queensland (d. 1991)
- 1913 – Woody Herman, American singer, saxophonist, and clarinet player (d. 1987)
- 1914 – Edward T. Hall, American anthropologist and author (d. 2009)
- 1915 – Mario Monicelli, Italian director and screenwriter (d. 2010)
- 1916 – Ephraim Katzir, Israeli biophysicist and politician, 4th President of Israel (d. 2009)
- 1917 – Ben Kuroki, American sergeant and pilot (d. 2015)
- 1917 – James C. Murray, American lawyer and politician (d. 1999)
- 1917 – Juan Rulfo, Mexican author and photographer (d. 1986)
- 1918 – Wilf Mannion, English footballer and manager (d. 2000)
- 1919 – Liberace, American pianist and entertainer (d. 1987)
- 1919 – Ramon Margalef, Spanish ecologist and biologist (d. 2004)
- 1920 – Martine Carol, French actress (d. 1967)
- 1921 – Harry Carey, Jr., American actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2012)
- 1923 – Victoria Fromkin, American linguist and academic (d. 2000)
- 1923 – Merton Miller, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2000)
- 1923 – Peter Underwood, English parapsychologist and author (d. 2014)
- 1924 – Dawda Jawara, 1st President of the Gambia (d. 2019)
- 1925 – Nancy Roman, American astronomer (d. 2018)
- 1925 – Ola Vincent, Nigerian banker and economist (d. 2012)
- 1925 – Nílton Santos, Brazilian footballer (d. 2013)
- 1928 – Billy Martin, American baseball player and coach (d. 1989)
- 1929 – Betty Carter, American singer-songwriter (d. 1998)
- 1929 – John Conyers, American lawyer and politician (d. 2019)
- 1929 – Claude Morin, Canadian academic and politician
- 1929 – Adrienne Rich, American poet, essayist, and feminist (d. 2012)
- 1930 – Friedrich Gulda, Austrian pianist and composer (d. 2000)
- 1931 – Vujadin Boškov, Serbian footballer, coach, and manager (d. 2014)
- 1931 – Hana Brady, Jewish-Czech Holocaust victim (d.1944)
- 1931 – K. Natwar Singh, Indian scholar and politician, Indian Minister of External Affairs
- 1931 – Lowell P. Weicker, Jr., American soldier and politician, 85th Governor of Connecticut
- 1934 – Kenneth O. Morgan, Welsh historian and author
- 1934 – Antony Walker, English general
- 1935 – Floyd Smith, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1936 – Karl Lehmann, German cardinal (d. 2018)
- 1937 – Yvonne Craig, American ballet dancer and actress (d. 2015)
- 1938 – Stuart Bell, English lawyer and politician (d. 2012)
- 1938 – Ivan Sutherland, American computer scientist and academic
- 1938 – Marco Aurelio Denegri, Peruvian television host and sexologist (d. 2018)
- 1941 – Denis Hart, Australian archbishop
- 1942 – David Penry-Davey, English lawyer and judge (d. 2015)
- 1943 – Kay Andrews, Baroness Andrews, English politician
- 1943 – Dan Coats, American politician and diplomat, 29th United States Ambassador to Germany
- 1943 – Wieteke van Dort, Dutch actress, comedian, singer, writer and artist
- 1944 – Billy Cobham, Panamanian-American drummer, composer, and bandleader
- 1944 – Antal Nagy, Hungarian footballer
- 1944 – Danny Trejo, American actor
- 1946 – John Law, English sociologist and academic
- 1946 – Robert Fripp, English guitarist, songwriter and producer
- 1947 – Cheryl Clarke, American writer
- 1947 – Darrell Sweet, Scottish drummer (d. 1999)
- 1947 – Roch Thériault, Canadian religious leader (d. 2011)
- 1948 – Jesper Christensen, Danish actor, director, and producer
- 1948 – Judy Finnigan, English talk show host and author
- 1948 – Enrico Fumia, Italian automobile and product designer
- 1948 – Emma Georgina Rothschild, English historian and academic
- 1948 – Staf Van Roosbroeck, Belgian cyclist
- 1949 – Rick Reuschel, American baseball player
- 1950 – Georg Bednorz, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1950 – Ray Condo, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2004)
- 1950 – Bruce Coville, American author
- 1951 – Christian Lacroix, French fashion designer
- 1951 – Jonathan Richman, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1951 – Janet Soskice, Canadian philosopher and theologian
- 1952 – James Herndon, American psychologist and academic
- 1953 – Pierce Brosnan, Irish-American actor and producer
- 1953 – Peter Onorati, American actor
- 1953 – Richard Page, American singer-songwriter and bass player
- 1953 – Kitanoumi Toshimitsu, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 55th Yokozuna (d. 2015)
- 1953 – David Maclean, Scottish politician
- 1953 – Stephen Woolman, Lord Woolman, Scottish judge and academic
- 1954 – Dafydd Williams, Canadian physician and astronaut
- 1955 – Olga Korbut, Soviet gymnast
- 1955 – Jack Morris, American baseball player and sportscaster
- 1955 – Hazel O’Connor, English-born Irish singer-songwriter and actress
- 1955 – Páidí Ó Sé, Irish footballer and manager (d. 2012)
- 1955 – Debra Winger, American actress
- 1956 – Loretta Schrijver, Dutch television host, news anchor
- 1957 – Joan Benoit, American runner
- 1957 – Benjamin Mancroft, 3rd Baron Mancroft, English politician
- 1957 – Yuri Shevchuk, Russian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1957 – Anthony St John, 22nd Baron St John of Bletso, English lawyer and businessman
- 1957 – Bob Suter, American ice hockey player and coach (d. 2014)
- 1959 – Mitch Webster, American baseball player
- 1959 – Mare Winningham, American actress and singer-songwriter
- 1960 – Landon Deireragea, Nauruan politician, Nauruan Speaker of Parliament
- 1960 – S. Shanmuganathan, Sri Lankan commander and politician (d. 1998)
- 1961 – Kevin McDonald, Canadian actor and screenwriter
- 1961 – Charles Wright, American wrestler
- 1962 – Jimmy Hood, Scottish engineer and politician (d. 2017)
- 1962 – Helga Radtke, German long jumper
- 1963 – Rachel Griffith, Anglo-American economist
- 1963 – David Wilkinson, English theologian and academic
- 1964 – John Salley, American basketball player and actor
- 1964 – Boyd Tinsley, American singer-songwriter and violinist
- 1964 – Milton Jones, English comedian, actor, and screenwriter
- 1965 – Krist Novoselic, American bass player, songwriter, author, and activist
- 1965 – Tanel Tammet, Estonian computer scientist, engineer, and academic
- 1966 – Janet Jackson, American singer-songwriter, producer, dancer, and actress
- 1966 – Scott Reeves, American singer-songwriter and actor
- 1966 – Thurman Thomas, American football player
- 1967 – Doug Brocail, American baseball player and coach
- 1967 – Susan Williams, Baroness Williams of Trafford, British politician
- 1968 – Ralph Tresvant, American singer and producer
- 1969 – David Boreanaz, American actor
- 1969 – Tucker Carlson, American journalist, co-founded The Daily Caller
- 1969 – Steve Lewis, American sprinter
- 1970 – Gabriela Sabatini, Argentinian tennis player
- 1970 – Danielle Spencer, Australian singer-songwriter and actress
- 1971 – Phil Clarke, English rugby league player and sportscaster
- 1971 – Rachel Goswell, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1972 – Christian Califano, French rugby player
- 1972 – Matthew Hart, New Zealand cricketer
- 1973 – Tori Spelling, American actress, reality television personality, and author
- 1974 – Laura Pausini, Italian singer-songwriter and producer
- 1974 – Sonny Sandoval, American singer-songwriter and rapper
- 1975 – Tony Kakko, Finnish musician, composer, and vocalist
- 1975 – Simon Whitfield, Canadian triathlete
- 1976 – Dirk Nannes, Australian-Dutch cricketer
- 1977 – Melanie Lynskey, New Zealand actress
- 1977 – Emilíana Torrini, Icelandic singer-songwriter
- 1978 – Scott Nicholls, English motorcycle racer
- 1978 – Lionel Scaloni, Argentinian footballer
- 1980 – Nuria Llagostera Vives, Spanish tennis player
- 1981 – Ricardo Costa, Portuguese footballer
- 1982 – Łukasz Kubot, Polish tennis player
- 1983 – Daniel Kerr, Australian footballer
- 1983 – Kyle Wellwood, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1984 – Darío Cvitanich, Argentinian footballer
- 1984 – Tomáš Fleischmann, Czech ice hockey player
- 1984 – Jensen Lewis, American baseball player
- 1984 – Rick Rypien, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2011)
- 1985 – Anja Mittag, German footballer
- 1985 – Rodrigo Peters Marques, Brazilian footballer
- 1985 – Corey Perry, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1986 – Megan Fox, American actress
- 1986 – Andy Keogh, Irish footballer
- 1986 – Shamcey Supsup, Filipino model and architect
- 1987 – Tom Onslow-Cole, English race car driver
- 1988 – Jesús Castillo, Mexican footballer
- 1988 – Martynas Gecevičius, Lithuanian basketball player
- 1988 – Jaak Põldma, Estonian tennis player
- 1989 – Behati Prinsloo, Namibian model
- 1990 – Amanda Carreras, Gibraltarian tennis player
- 1990 – Thomas Brodie-Sangster, English actor
- 1990 – Darko Šarović, Serbian sprinter
- 1990 – Omar Strong, American basketball player
- 1991 – Grigor Dimitrov, Bulgarian tennis player
- 1991 – Joey Graceffa, American internet celebrity
- 1991 – Ashley Wagner, American figure skater
- 1992 – Jeff Skinner, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1992 – Kirstin Maldonado, American singer and songwriter
- 1993 – Johannes Thingnes Bø, Norwegian biathlete
- 1993 – Karol Mets, Estonian footballer
- 1993 – IU, Korean singer-songwriter and actress
- 1995 – Elizabeth Ralston, Australian footballer
- 1996 – Louisa Chirico, an American tennis player
Deaths on May 16
- 290 – Emperor Wu of Jin, Chinese emperor (b. 236)
- 895 – Qian Kuan, Chinese nobleman
- 934 – Meng Hanqiong, eunuch official of Later Tang
- 995 – Fujiwara no Michitaka, Japanese nobleman (b. 953)
- 1182 – John Komnenos Vatatzes, Byzantine general (b. 1132)
- 1265 – Simon Stock, English-French saint (b. 1165)
- 1375 – Liu Bowen, Chinese military strategist, officer, statesman and poet (b. 1311)
- 1412 – Gian Maria Visconti, Duke of Milan (b. 1388)
- 1561 – Jan Tarnowski, Polish noble and statesman (b. 1488)
- 1620 – William Adams, English sailor and navigator (b. 1564)
- 1657 – Andrew Bobola, Polish missionary and martyr (b. 1591)
- 1667 – Thomas Wriothesley, 4th Earl of Southampton, English politician, Lord High Treasurer (b. 1607)
- 1669 – Pietro da Cortona, Italian painter and architect, designed the Santi Luca e Martina (b. 1596)
- 1691 – Jacob Leisler, German-American politician, 8th Colonial Governor of New York (b. 1640)
- 1696 – Mariana of Austria, Queen consort of Spain (b. 1634)
- 1703 – Charles Perrault, French author and academic (b. 1628)
- 1778 – Robert Darcy, 4th Earl of Holderness, English politician, Secretary of State for the Southern Department (b. 1718)
- 1790 – Philip Yorke, 2nd Earl of Hardwicke, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire (b. 1720)
- 1818 – Matthew Lewis, English author and playwright (b. 1775)
- 1823 – Grace Elliott, Scottish courtesan and spy (b. c.1754)
- 1830 – Joseph Fourier, French mathematician and physicist (b. 1768)
- 1862 – Edward Gibbon Wakefield, English politician (b. 1796)
- 1882 – Reuben Chapman, American lawyer and politician, 13th Governor of Alabama (b. 1799)
- 1890 – Mihkel Veske, Estonian poet, linguist and theologist (b. 1843)
- 1891 – Ion C. Brătianu, Romanian politician, 14th Prime Minister of Romania (b. 1821)
- 1910 – Henri-Edmond Cross, French Neo-Impressionist painter (b. 1856)
- 1913 – Louis Perrier, Swiss architect and politician (b. 1849)
- 1920 – Levi P. Morton, American politician, 22nd United States Vice President (b. 1824)
- 1926 – Mehmed VI, Ottoman sultan (b. 1861)
- 1936 – Leonidas Paraskevopoulos, Greek general and politician (b. 1860)
- 1938 – Joseph Strauss, American engineer, co designed The Golden Gate Bridge (b. 1870)
- 1943 – Alfred Hoche, German psychiatrist and academic (b. 1865)
- 1944 – George Ade, American journalist, author, and playwright (b. 1866)
- 1946 – Bruno Tesch, German chemist and businessman (b. 1890)
- 1947 – Frederick Gowland Hopkins, English biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1861)
- 1947 – Zhang Lingfu, Chinese general (b. 1903)
- 1953 – Django Reinhardt, Belgian guitarist and composer (b. 1910)
- 1954 – Clemens Krauss, Austrian conductor and manager (b. 1893)
- 1955 – James Agee, American novelist, screenwriter, and critic(b. 1909)
- 1955 – Manny Ayulo, American race car driver (b. 1921)
- 1956 – H. B. Reese, American candy-maker and businessman, created Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (b. 1876)
- 1957 – Eliot Ness, American federal agent (b. 1903)
- 1961 – George A. Malcolm, American lawyer and jurist (b. 1881)
- 1973 – Jacques Lipchitz, Lithuanian-American sculptor (b. 1891)
- 1977 – Modibo Keïta, Malian politician, 1st President of Mali (b. 1915)
- 1979 – A. Philip Randolph, American union leader and activist (b. 1889)
- 1981 – Ernie Freeman, American pianist, composer, and bandleader (b. 1922)
- 1981 – Willy Hartner, German physician and academic (b. 1905)
- 1984 – Andy Kaufman, American actor, comedian, and screenwriter (b. 1949)
- 1984 – Irwin Shaw, American playwright, screenwriter, novelist, and short story writer (b. 1913)
- 1985 – Margaret Hamilton, American actress (b. 1902)
- 1989 – Leila Kasra, Iranian poet and songwriter (b. 1939)
- 1990 – Sammy Davis Jr., American singer, dancer, and actor (b. 1925)
- 1990 – Jim Henson, American puppeteer, director, producer, and screenwriter, created The Muppets (b. 1936)
- 1993 – Marv Johnson, American singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1938)
- 1994 – Alain Cuny, French actor (b. 1908)
- 1996 – Jeremy Michael Boorda, American admiral (b. 1939)
- 1997 – Elbridge Durbrow, American diplomat (b. 1903)
- 2002 – Alec Campbell, Australian soldier (b. 1899)
- 2003 – Mark McCormack, American lawyer and sports agent, founded IMG (b. 1930)
- 2005 – Andrew Goodpaster, American general (b. 1915)
- 2008 – Robert Mondavi, American winemaker, co-founded the Opus One Winery (b. 1913)
- 2010 – Ronnie James Dio, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1942)
- 2010 – Hank Jones, American pianist, composer, and bandleader (b. 1918)
- 2011 – Ralph Barker, English author (b. 1917)
- 2011 – Bob Davis, Australian footballer and coach (b. 1928)
- 2011 – Edward Hardwicke, English actor (b. 1932)
- 2011 – Kiyoshi Kodama, Japanese actor (b. 1934)
- 2012 – Patricia Aakhus, American author and academic (b. 1952)
- 2012 – James Abdnor, American soldier and politician, 30th Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota (b. 1923)
- 2012 – Chuck Brown, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1936)
- 2012 – Ernie Chan, Filipino-American illustrator (b. 1940)
- 2012 – Kevin Hickey, American baseball player (b. 1956)
- 2013 – Angelo Errichetti, American politician (b. 1928)
- 2013 – Bryan Illerbrun, Canadian football player (b. 1957)
- 2013 – Frankie Librán, Puerto Rican-American baseball player (b. 1948)
- 2013 – Heinrich Rohrer, Swiss physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1933)
- 2013 – Dick Trickle, American race car driver (b. 1941)
- 2013 – Bernard Waber, American author and illustrator (b. 1921)
- 2014 – Chris Duckworth, Zimbabwean-South African cricketer (b. 1933)
- 2014 – Vito Favero, Italian cyclist (b. 1932)
- 2014 – Bud Hollowell, American baseball player and manager (b. 1943)
- 2014 – Clyde Snow, American anthropologist and author (b. 1928)
- 2015 – Prashant Bhargava, American director and producer (b. 1973)
- 2015 – Moshe Levinger, Israeli rabbi and author (b. 1935)
- 2015 – Flora MacNeil, Scottish Gaelic singer (b. 1928)
- 2019 – Piet Blauw, Dutch politician (b. 1937)
- 2019 – Bob Hawke, Australian politician, 23rd Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1929)
- 2019 – I. M. Pei, Chinese-American architect (b. 1917)
Holidays and observances on May 16
- Christian feast day:
- Aaron (Coptic Church)
- Abda and Abdjesus, and companions:
- Andrew Bobola
- Brendan the Navigator (Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Communion, Eastern Orthodox Church)
- Caroline Chisholm (Church of England)
- Gemma Galgani (Passionists Calendar)
- Germerius
- Honoratus of Amiens
- John of Nepomuk
- Margaret of Cortona
- Peregrine of Auxerre
- Simon Stock
- Ubald (see Saint Ubaldo Day)
- Martyrs of Sudan (Episcopal Church (USA))
- Mass Graves Day (Iraq)
- National Day, declared by Salva Kiir Mayardit (South Sudan)
- Teachers’ Day (Malaysia)
-
May 9 in History
- 1009 – Lombard Revolt: Lombard forces led by Melus revolt in Bari against the Byzantine Catepanate of Italy.
- 1271 – Ninth Crusade, Edward I of England disembarks at Acre.
- 1386 – England and Portugal formally ratify their alliance with the signing of the Treaty of Windsor, making it the oldest diplomatic alliance in the world which is still in force.
- 1450 – ‘Abd al-Latif (Timurid monarch) is assassinated.
- 1540 – Hernando de Alarcón sets sail on an expedition to the Gulf of California.
- 1662 – The figure who later became Mr. Punch makes his first recorded appearance in England.
- 1671 – Thomas Blood, disguised as a clergyman, attempts to steal England’s Crown Jewels from the Tower of London.
- 1726 – Five men arrested during a raid on Mother Clap’s molly house in London are executed at Tyburn.
- 1763 – The Siege of Fort Detroit begins during Pontiac’s War against British forces.
- 1864 – Second Schleswig War: The Danish navy defeats the Austrian and Prussian fleets in the Battle of Heligoland.
- 1865 – American Civil War: Nathan Bedford Forrest surrenders his forces at Gainesville, Alabama.
- 1865 – American Civil War: President Andrew Johnson issues a proclamation ending belligerent rights of the rebels and enjoining foreign nations to intern or expel Confederate ships.
- 1873 – Der Krach: Vienna stock market crash heralds the Long Depression.
- 1874 – The first horsebus makes its début in the city of Mumbai, traveling two routes.
- 1877 – Mihail Kogălniceanu reads, in the Chamber of Deputies, the Declaration of Independence of Romania. This day became the Independence Day of Romania.
- 1877 – A magnitude 8.8 earthquake off the coast of Peru kills 2,541, including some as far away as Hawaii and Japan.
- 1887 – Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show opens in London.
- 1901 – Australia opens its first national parliament in Melbourne.
- 1904 – The steam locomotive City of Truro becomes the first steam engine in Europe to exceed 100 mph (160 km/h).
- 1911 – The works of Gabriele D’Annunzio are placed in the Index of Forbidden Books by the Vatican.
- 1915 – World War I: Second Battle of Artois between German and French forces.
- 1918 – World War I: Germany repels Britain’s second attempt to blockade the port of Ostend, Belgium.
- 1920 – Polish–Soviet War: The Polish army under General Edward Rydz-Śmigły celebrates its capture of Kiev with a victory parade on Khreshchatyk.
- 1926 – Admiral Richard E. Byrd and Floyd Bennett claim to have flown over the North Pole (later discovery of Byrd’s diary appears to cast some doubt on the claim.)
- 1927 – Old Parliament House, Canberra officially opens.
- 1936 – Italy formally annexes Ethiopia after taking the capital Addis Ababa on May 5.
- 1940 – World War II: The German submarine U-9 sinks the French coastal submarine Doris near Den Helder.
- 1941 – World War II: The German submarine U-110 is captured by the Royal Navy. On board is the latest Enigma machine which Allied cryptographers later use to break coded German messages.
- 1942 – Holocaust: The SS executes 588 Jewish residents of the Podolian town of Zinkiv (Khmelnytska oblast, Ukraine). The Zoludek Ghetto (in Belarus) is destroyed and all its inhabitants executed or deported.
- 1945 – World War II: The final German Instrument of Surrender is signed at the Soviet headquarters in Berlin-Karlshorst.
- 1945 – World War II: The German occupation of the Channel Islands comes to an end.
- 1946 – King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy abdicates and is succeeded by Umberto II.
- 1948 – Czechoslovakia’s Ninth-of-May Constitution comes into effect.
- 1949 – Rainier III becomes Prince of Monaco.
- 1950 – Robert Schuman presents his proposal on the creation of an organized Europe, which according to him was indispensable to the maintenance of peaceful relations. This proposal, known as the “Schuman Declaration”, is considered by some people to be the beginning of the creation of what is now the European Union.
- 1955 – Cold War: West Germany joins NATO.
- 1958 – Alfred Hitchcock’s film Vertigo has world premiere in San Francisco.
- 1960 – The Food and Drug Administration announces it will approve birth control as an additional indication for Searle’s Enovid, making Enovid the world’s first approved oral contraceptive pill.
- 1961 – FCC Chairman Newton N. Minow gives his Wasteland Speech.
- 1964 – Ngô Đình Cẩn, de facto ruler of central Vietnam under his brother President Ngô Đình Diệm before the family’s toppling, is executed.
- 1969 – Carlos Lamarca leads the first urban guerrilla action against the military dictatorship of Brazil in São Paulo, by robbing two banks.
- 1970 – Vietnam War: In Washington, D.C., 75,000 to 100,000 war protesters demonstrate in front of the White House.
- 1974 – Watergate scandal: The United States House Committee on the Judiciary opens formal and public impeachment hearings against President Richard Nixon.
- 1977 – Hotel Polen fire: A disastrous fire burns down the Hotel Polen in Amsterdam causing 33 deaths and 21 severe injuries.
- 1979 – Iranian Jewish businessman Habib Elghanian is executed by firing squad in Tehran, prompting the mass exodus of the once 100,000-strong Jewish community of Iran.
- 1980 – In Florida, Liberian freighter MV Summit Venture collides with the Sunshine Skyway Bridge over Tampa Bay, making a 1,400-ft. section of the southbound span collapse. Thirty-five people in six cars and a Greyhound bus fall 150 ft. into the water and die.
- 1980 – In Norco, California, five masked gunmen hold up a Security Pacific bank, leading to a violent shoot-out and one of the largest pursuits in California history. Two of the gunmen and one police officer are killed and thirty-three police and civilian vehicles are destroyed in the chase.
- 1987 – LOT Flight 5055 Tadeusz Kościuszko crashes after takeoff in Warsaw, Poland, killing all 183 people on board.
- 1988 – New Parliament House, Canberra officially opens.
- 1992 – Armenian forces capture Shusha, marking a major turning point in the Nagorno-Karabakh War.
- 1992 – Westray Mine disaster kills 26 workers in Nova Scotia, Canada.
- 1994 – Disappearance of Cleashindra Hall in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.
- 2001 – In Ghana, 129 football fans die in what became known as the Accra Sports Stadium disaster. The deaths are caused by a stampede (caused by the firing of tear gas by police personnel at the stadium) that followed a controversial decision by the referee.
- 2002 – The 38-day stand-off in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem comes to an end when the Palestinians inside agree to have 13 suspected terrorists among them deported to several different countries.
- 2012 – A Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft crashes into Mount Salak in West Java, Indonesia, killing 45 people.
- 2015 – An Airbus A400M Atlas military transport aircraft crashes near the Spanish city of Seville with three people on board killed.
- 2015 – Russia stages its biggest ever military parade in Moscow’s Red Square to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Victory Day.
- 2018 – The historic defeat for Barisan Nasional, the governing coalition of Malaysia since the country’s independence in 1957 in 2018 Malaysian general election.
- 2018 – At the height of the 2018 East Africa floods, the Patel dam breaks in Solai, Kenya, killing 48 people and displacing another 2000.
Births on May 9
- 1147 – Minamoto no Yoritomo, Japanese shōgun (d. 1199)
- 1170 – Valdemar II of Denmark (d. 1241)
- 1540 – Maharana Pratap, Indian ruler (d. 1597)
- 1555 – Jerónima de la Asunción, Spanish Catholic nun and founder of the first monastery in Manila (d. 1630)
- 1594 – Louis Henry, Prince of Nassau-Dillenburg, military leader in the Thirty Years’ War (d. 1662)
- 1617 – Frederick, Landgrave of Hesse-Eschwege (d. 1655)
- 1740 – Giovanni Paisiello, Italian composer and educator (probable; d. 1816)
- 1746 – Gaspard Monge, French mathematician and engineer (d. 1818)
- 1763 – János Batsányi, Hungarian-Austrian poet and author (d. 1845)
- 1800 – John Brown, American activist (d. 1859)
- 1801 – Peter Hesketh-Fleetwood, English politician, founded the town of Fleetwood (d. 1866)
- 1814 – John Brougham, Irish-American actor and playwright (d. 1880)
- 1823 – Frederick Weld, English-New Zealand politician, 6th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1891)
- 1824 – Jacob ben Moses Bachrach, Polish apologist and author (d. 1896)
- 1825 – James Collinson, Victorian painter (d. 1881)
- 1836 – Ferdinand Monoyer, French ophthalmologist, invented the Monoyer chart (d. 1912)
- 1837 – Adam Opel, German engineer, founded the Opel Company (d. 1895)
- 1845 – Gustaf de Laval, Swedish engineer and businessman (d. 1913)
- 1850 – Edward Weston, English-American chemist (d. 1936)
- 1855 – Julius Röntgen, German-Dutch composer (d. 1932)
- 1860 – J. M. Barrie, Scottish novelist and playwright (d. 1937)
- 1866 – Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Indian economist and politician (d. 1915)
- 1870 – Harry Vardon, British golfer (d. 1937)
- 1873 – Anton Cermak, Czech-American captain and politician, 44th Mayor of Chicago (d. 1933)
- 1874 – Howard Carter, English archaeologist and historian (d. 1939)
- 1882 – George Barker, American painter (d. 1965)
- 1882 – Henry J. Kaiser, American shipbuilder and businessman, founded Kaiser Shipyards (d. 1967)
- 1883 – José Ortega y Gasset, Spanish philosopher, author, and critic (d. 1955)
- 1884 – Valdemar Psilander, Danish actor (d. 1917)
- 1885 – Gianni Vella, Maltese artist (d. 1977)
- 1888 – Francesco Baracca, Italian fighter pilot (d. 1918)
- 1888 – Rolf de Maré, Swedish art collector (d. 1964)
- 1892 – Zita of Bourbon-Parma, last Empress of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (d. 1989)
- 1893 – William Moulton Marston, American psychologist and author (d. 1947)
- 1895 – Richard Barthelmess, American actor (d. 1963)
- 1895 – Lucian Blaga, Romanian poet, playwright, and philosopher (d. 1961)
- 1895 – Frank Foss, American pole vaulter (d. 1989)
- 1896 – Richard Day, Canadian-American art director and set decorator (d. 1972)
- 1900 – Maria Malicka, Polish stage and film actress (d. 1992)
- 1904 – Conrad Bernier, Canadian-American organist, composer, and educator (d. 1988)
- 1905 – Lilí Álvarez, Spanish tennis player, author, and feminist (d. 1998)
- 1906 – Eleanor Estes, American librarian, author, and illustrator (d. 1988)
- 1907 – Jackie Grant, Trinidadian cricketer (d. 1978)
- 1907 – Kathryn Kuhlman, American evangelist and author (d. 1976)
- 1907 – Baldur von Schirach, German politician (d. 1974)
- 1909 – Don Messer, Canadian violinist (d. 1973)
- 1909 – Gordon Bunshaft, American architect, designed the Solow Building (d. 1990)
- 1911 – Harry Simeone, American music arranger, conductor, and composer (d. 2005)
- 1912 – Pedro Armendáriz, Mexican-American actor (d. 1963)
- 1912 – Per Imerslund, Norwegian-German soldier and author (d. 1943)
- 1912 – Géza Ottlik, Hungarian mathematician and theorist (d. 1990)
- 1914 – Patricia Swift Blalock, American librarian (d.2011)
- 1914 – Denham Fouts, American prostitute (d. 1948)
- 1914 – Thanat Khoman, Thai politician and diplomat (d. 2016)
- 1914 – Carlo Maria Giulini, Italian conductor and director (d. 2005)
- 1914 – Hank Snow, American country music singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1999)
- 1916 – William Pène du Bois, American author and illustrator (d. 1993)
- 1917 – Fay Kanin, American screenwriter and producer (d. 2013)
- 1918 – Moisis Michail Bourlas, Greek soldier and educator (d. 2011)
- 1918 – Orville Freeman, American soldier and politician, 16th United States Secretary of Agriculture (d. 2003)
- 1918 – Mike Wallace, American journalist, media personality and one-time game show host (d. 2012)
- 1919 – Clifford Chadderton, Canadian soldier and journalist (d. 2013)
- 1920 – William Tenn, English-American author and academic (d. 2010)
- 1920 – Richard Adams, English novelist (d. 2016)
- 1921 – Daniel Berrigan, American priest, poet, and activist (d. 2016)
- 1921 – Sophie Scholl, German activist (d. 1943)
- 1921 – Mona Van Duyn, American poet and academic (d. 2004)
- 1923 – Johnny Grant, American radio host and producer (d. 2008)
- 1924 – Bulat Okudzhava, Russian singer, poet, and author (d. 1997)
- 1926 – John Middleton Murry, Jr., English soldier, pilot, and author (d. 2002)
- 1927 – Manfred Eigen, German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2019)
- 1928 – Ralph Goings, American painter (d. 2016)
- 1928 – Pancho Gonzales, American tennis player (d. 1995)
- 1928 – Barbara Ann Scott, Canadian figure skater (d. 2012)
- 1930 – Joan Sims, English actress (d. 2001)
- 1930 – Kalifa Tillisi, Libyan historian and linguist (d. 2010)
- 1931 – Vance D. Brand, American pilot, engineer, and astronaut
- 1932 – Conrad Hunte, Barbadian cricketer (d. 1999)
- 1934 – Alan Bennett, English screenwriter, playwright, and novelist
- 1935 – Nokie Edwards, American guitarist (d. 2018)
- 1935 – Roger Hargreaves, English author and illustrator (d. 1988)
- 1936 – Terry Downes, British boxer and former world middle-weight champion (d. 2017)
- 1936 – Albert Finney, English actor (d. 2019)
- 1936 – Glenda Jackson, English actress and politician
- 1937 – Sonny Curtis, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1937 – Rafael Moneo, Spanish architect, designed the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels and Valladolid Science Museum
- 1937 – Dave Prater, American singer (d. 1988)
- 1938 – Charles Simić, Serbian-American poet and editor
- 1939 – Ralph Boston, American long jumper
- 1939 – Ion Țiriac, Romanian tennis player and manager
- 1939 – Ken Warby, Australian motorboat racer
- 1939 – Giorgio Zancanaro, Italian baritone
- 1939 – John Ogbu, Nigerian-American anthropologist and professor (d. 2003)
- 1940 – James L. Brooks, American director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1941 – Dorothy Hyman, English sprinter
- 1941 – Danny Rapp, American musician (d. 1983)
- 1942 – John Ashcroft, American lawyer and politician, 79th United States Attorney General
- 1942 – Tommy Roe, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1943 – Vince Cable, English economist and politician, former Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills
- 1943 – Anders Isaksson, Swedish historian and journalist (d. 2009)
- 1943 – Colin Pillinger, English astronomer, chemist, and academic (d. 2014)
- 1944 – Richie Furay, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1945 – Gamal El-Ghitani, Egyptian journalist and author (d. 2015)
- 1945 – Jupp Heynckes, German footballer and manager
- 1945 – Steve Katz, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
- 1946 – Candice Bergen, American actress and producer
- 1946 – Ayşe Nur Zarakolu, Turkish author and activist (d. 2002)
- 1947 – Yukiya Amano, Japanese diplomat (d. 2019)
- 1948 – Hans Georg Bock, German mathematician, computer scientist, and academic
- 1948 – John Mahaffey, American golfer
- 1948 – Steven W. Mosher, American social scientist and author
- 1948 – Calvin Murphy, American basketball player and radio host
- 1949 – Billy Joel, American singer-songwriter and pianist
- 1949 – Richard S. Williamson, American lawyer and diplomat, 17th Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs (d. 2013)
- 1951 – Alley Mills, American actress
- 1953 – Bruno Brokken, Belgian high jumper
- 1955 – Meles Zenawi, Prime Minister of Ethiopia (d. 2012)
- 1955 – Anne Sofie von Otter, Swedish soprano and actress
- 1956 – Wendy Crewson, Canadian actress and producer
- 1956 – Jana Wendt, Australian television host
- 1958 – Graham Smith, Canadian swimmer
- 1959 – Andrew Jones, New Zealand cricketer
- 1960 – Tony Gwynn, American baseball player and coach (d. 2014)
- 1961 – Sean Altman, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1961 – John Corbett, American actor
- 1962 – Dave Gahan, English singer-songwriter
- 1962 – Paul Heaton, English singer-songwriter
- 1963 – Joe Cirella, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1965 – Ken Nomura, Japanese race car driver and sportscaster
- 1965 – Steve Yzerman, Canadian ice hockey player and manager
- 1966 – Mark Tinordi, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1968 – Masahiko Harada, Japanese ski jumper
- 1968 – Graham Harman, American philosopher and academic
- 1968 – Ruth Kelly, British economist and politician, Secretary of State for Transport
- 1968 – Marie-José Pérec, French sprinter
- 1968 – Neil Ruddock, English international footballer and television personality
- 1970 – Doug Christie, American basketball player
- 1970 – Hao Haidong, Chinese footballer & all time top scorer for Chinese national team
- 1970 – Ghostface Killah, American rapper and actor
- 1971 – Jason Lee, English footballer and manager
- 1971 – Dan Chiasson, American poet and critic
- 1972 – Megumi Odaka, Japanese actress and singer
- 1973 – Tegla Loroupe, Kenyan runner
- 1973 – Leonard Myles-Mills, Ghanaian sprinter
- 1975 – Tamia, Canadian singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
- 1975 – Brian Deegan, American motocross rider
- 1977 – Averno, Mexican wrestler
- 1977 – Marek Jankulovski, Czech footballer
- 1977 – Svein Tuft, Canadian cyclist
- 1978 – Leandro Cufré, Argentinian footballer
- 1978 – Santiago Dellapè, Argentinian-Italian rugby player
- 1978 – Aaron Harang, American baseball player
- 1978 – Marwan al-Shehhi, Emirati terrorist (d. 2001)
- 1979 – Pierre Bouvier, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1979 – Rosario Dawson, American actress
- 1979 – Andrew W.K., American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, motivational speaker, and music producer
- 1980 – Grant Hackett, Australian swimmer
- 1980 – Angela Nikodinov, American figure skater
- 1980 – Tony Schmidt, German race car driver
- 1980 – Jo Hyun-jae, South Korean actor
- 1981 – Bill Murphy, American baseball player
- 1981 – Evangelos Tsiolis, Greek footballer
- 1983 – Giacomo Brichetto, Italian footballer
- 1983 – Alan Campbell, British sculler
- 1983 – Christos Marangos, Cypriot footballer
- 1983 – Ryuhei Matsuda, Japanese actor
- 1983 – Gilles Müller, Luxembourgian tennis player
- 1983 – Tyler Lumsden, American baseball player
- 1983 – Leandro Rinaudo, Italian footballer
- 1984 – Prince Fielder, American baseball player
- 1984 – Chase Headley, American baseball player
- 1985 – Jake Long, American football player
- 1985 – Henrique Andrade Silva, Brazilian footballer
- 1987 – Scott Bolton, Australian rugby league player
- 1987 – Kevin Gameiro, French footballer
- 1987 – Vitaliy Pushkar, Ukrainian race car driver
- 1988 – J. R. Fitzpatrick, Canadian race car driver
- 1989 – Ellen White, English footballer
- 1991 – Majlinda Kelmendi, Kosovar judoka
- 1992 – Dan Burn, English footballer
- 1996 – Saron Läänmäe, Estonian footballer
- 1996 – Grace Reid, Scottish diver
Deaths on May 9
- 729 – Osric, king of Northumbria
- 893 – Shi Pu, warlord of the Tang Dynasty
- 909 – Adalgar, archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen
- 934 – Wang Sitong, Chinese general and governor (b. 892)
- 1280 – Magnus VI of Norway
- 1315 – Hugh V, Duke of Burgundy (b. 1282)
- 1329 – John Drokensford, Bishop of Bath and Wells
- 1443 – Niccolò Albergati, Italian Cardinal and diplomat (b. 1373)
- 1446 – Mary of Enghien (b. 1368)
- 1590 – Charles de Bourbon French cardinal and pretender to the throne (b. 1523)
- 1657 – William Bradford, English-American politician, 2nd Governor of Plymouth Colony (b. 1590)
- 1707 – Dieterich Buxtehude, German-Danish organist and composer (b. 1637)
- 1736 – Diogo de Mendonça Corte-Real, Portuguese judge and politician (b. 1658)
- 1745 – Tomaso Antonio Vitali, Italian violinist and composer (b. 1663)
- 1747 – John Dalrymple, 2nd Earl of Stair, Scottish field marshal and diplomat, British Ambassador to France (b. 1673)
- 1760 – Nicolaus Zinzendorf, German bishop and saint (b. 1700)
- 1789 – Jean-Baptiste Vaquette de Gribeauval, French general and engineer (b. 1715)
- 1790 – William Clingan, American politician (b. 1721)
- 1791 – Francis Hopkinson, American judge and politician (b. 1737)
- 1805 – Friedrich Schiller, German poet, playwright, and historian (b. 1759)
- 1850 – Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac, French chemist and physicist (b. 1778)
- 1850 – Garlieb Merkel, Estonian author and activist (b. 1769)
- 1861 – Peter Ernst von Lasaulx, German philologist and politician (b. 1805)
- 1864 – John Sedgwick, American general and educator (b. 1813)
- 1889 – William S. Harney, American general (b. 1800)
- 1906 – Oscar von Gebhardt, German theologian and academic (b. 1844)
- 1914 – C. W. Post, American businessman, founded Post Foods (b. 1854)
- 1915 – François Faber, Luxembourgian-French cyclist and soldier (b. 1887)
- 1915 – Anthony Wilding, New Zealand tennis player and cricketer (b. 1883)
- 1918 – George Coșbuc, Romanian journalist and poet (b. 1866)
- 1931 – Albert Abraham Michelson, German-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1852)
- 1933 – John Arthur Jarvis, English swimmer (b. 1872)
- 1935 – Ernst Bresslau, German zoologist (b. 1877)
- 1938 – Thomas B. Thrige, Danish businessman (b. 1866)
- 1942 – Józef Cebula, Polish priest and saint (b. 1902)
- 1944 – Han Yong-un, Korean poet and social reformer (b. 1879)
- 1949 – Louis II, Prince of Monaco (b. 1870)
- 1950 – Esteban Terradas i Illa, Spanish mathematician and engineer (b. 1883)
- 1957 – Ernest de Silva, Sri Lankan banker and businessman (b. 1887)
- 1957 – Ezio Pinza, Italian actor and singer (b. 1892)
- 1959 – Bhaurao Patil, Indian activist and educator (b. 1887)
- 1965 – Leopold Figl, Austrian engineer and politician, 18th Chancellor of Austria (b. 1902)
- 1968 – Mercedes de Acosta, American author, poet, and playwright (b. 1893)
- 1968 – Harold Gray, American cartoonist, created Little Orphan Annie (b. 1894)
- 1968 – Marion Lorne, American actress (b. 1883)
- 1968 – Finlay Currie, British actor (b. 1878)
- 1970 – Walter Reuther, American union leader (b. 1907)
- 1976 – Jens Bjørneboe, Norwegian author, poet, and playwright (b. 1920)
- 1976 – Ulrike Meinhof, German militant, co-founded the Red Army Faction (b. 1934)
- 1977 – James Jones, American novelist (b. 1921)
- 1978 – Giuseppe Impastato, Italian journalist and activist (b. 1948)
- 1978 – Aldo Moro, Italian lawyer and politician, 38th Prime Minister of Italy (b. 1916)
- 1979 – Cyrus S. Eaton, Canadian-American banker, businessman, and philanthropist (b. 1883)
- 1979 – Eddie Jefferson, American singer and lyricist (b. 1918)
- 1980 – Kate Molale, South African activist (b. 1928)
- 1981 – Nelson Algren, American novelist and short story writer (b. 1909)
- 1983 – Henry Bachtold, Australian soldier and railway engineer (b. 1891)
- 1985 – Edmond O’Brien, American actor and director (b. 1915)
- 1986 – Tenzing Norgay, Nepalese mountaineer (b. 1914)
- 1987 – Obafemi Awolowo, Nigerian lawyer and politician (b. 1909)
- 1993 – Penelope Gilliatt, English novelist, short story writer, and critic (b. 1932)
- 1994 – Elias Motsoaledi, South African activist (b. 1924)
- 1997 – Rawya Ateya, Egyptian captain and politician (b. 1926)
- 1997 – Marco Ferreri, Italian actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1928)
- 1998 – Alice Faye, American actress and singer (b. 1915)
- 1998 – Talat Mahmood, Indian singer and actor (b. 1924)
- 2003 – Russell B. Long, American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician (b. 1918)
- 2004 – Akhmad Kadyrov, Chechen cleric and politician, 1st President of the Chechen Republic (b. 1951)
- 2004 – Alan King, American actor, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1927)
- 2004 – Brenda Fassie, South African singer (b. 1964)
- 2007 – Dwight Wilson, Canadian soldier (b. 1901)
- 2008 – Jack Gibson, Australian rugby league player, coach, and sportscaster (b. 1929)
- 2008 – Baptiste Manzini, American football player (b. 1920)
- 2008 – Nuala O’Faolain, Irish journalist and producer (b. 1942)
- 2008 – Pascal Sevran, French singer, television host, and author (b. 1945)
- 2009 – Chuck Daly, American basketball player and coach (b. 1930)
- 2010 – Lena Horne, American singer, actress, and activist (b. 1917)
- 2010 – Otakar Motejl, Czech lawyer and politician (b. 1932)
- 2011 – Wouter Weylandt, Belgian cyclist (b. 1984)
- 2012 – Bertram Cohler, American psychologist, psychoanalyst, and academic (b. 1938)
- 2012 – Geoffrey Henry, Cook Islander lawyer and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of the Cook Islands (b. 1940)
- 2012 – Vidal Sassoon, English-American hairdresser and businessman (b. 1928)
- 2013 – Ramón Blanco Rodríguez, Spanish footballer and manager (b. 1952)
- 2013 – George M. Leader, American soldier and politician, 36th Governor of Pennsylvania (b. 1918)
- 2013 – Humberto Lugo Gil, Mexican lawyer and politician, 23rd Governor of Hidalgo (b. 1933)
- 2013 – Ottavio Missoni, Italian hurdler and fashion designer, founded Missoni (b. 1921)
- 2014 – Giacomo Bini, Italian priest and missionary (b. 1938)
- 2014 – Harlan Mathews, American lawyer and politician (b. 1927)
- 2014 – Nedurumalli Janardhana Reddy, Indian politician, 12th Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh (b. 1935)
- 2014 – Mary Stewart, English-Scottish author and poet (b. 1916)
- 2015 – Edward W. Estlow, American football player and journalist (b. 1920)
- 2015 – Kenan Evren, Turkish general and politician, 7th President of Turkey (b. 1917)
- 2015 – Elizabeth Wilson, American actress (b. 1921)
- 2017 – Robert Miles, a Swiss-born Italian record producer, composer, musician and DJ (b. 1969)
- 2018 – Per Kirkeby, Danish painter, poet, film maker and sculptor (b. 1938)
- 2019 – Freddie Starr, English comedian, impressionist, singer and actor (1943)
- 2020 – Little Richard, American singer, songwriter, and pianist (b. 1932)
Holidays and observances on May 9
- Anniversary of Dianetics (Church of Scientology)
- Christian feast day:
- Beatus of Lungern
- Beatus of Vendome
- Christopher (Eastern Orthodox Church)
- George Preca
- Gerontius of Cervia
- Gregory of Nazianzen (The Episcopal Church (US) and traditional Roman Catholic calendar)
- Nicolaus Zinzendorf (Lutheran)
- Pachomius the Great
- Tudy of Landevennec
- May 9 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Commemoration of the end of the German occupation of the Channel Islands related observances:
- Liberation Day, commemorating the end of the German occupation of the Channel Islands during World War II. (Guernsey and Jersey)
- National Day (Alderney)
- Europe Day, commemorating the Schuman Declaration. (European Union)
- Victory Day observances, celebration of the Soviet Union victory over Nazi Germany (Soviet Union, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Serbia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan)
- Victory and Peace Day, marks the capture of Shusha (1992) in the Nagorno-Karabakh War, and the end of World War II. (Armenia)
- Victory Day over Nazism in World War II (Ukraine)
-
May 8 in History
- 453 BC – Spring and Autumn period: The house of Zhao defeats the house of Zhi, ending the Battle of Jinyang, a military conflict between the elite families of the State of Jin.
- 413 – Emperor Honorius signs an edict providing tax relief for the Italian provinces Tuscia, Campania, Picenum, Samnium, Apulia, Lucania and Calabria, which were plundered by the Visigoths.
- 589 – Reccared I opens the Third Council of Toledo, marking the entry of Visigothic Spain into the Catholic Church.
- 1429 – Joan of Arc lifts the Siege of Orléans, turning the tide of the Hundred Years’ War.
- 1450 – Kentishmen revolt against King Henry VI.
- 1516 – A group of imperial guards, led by Trịnh Duy Sản, murdered Emperor Lê Tương Dực and fled, leaving the capital Thăng Long undefended.
- 1541 – Hernando de Soto stops near present-day Walls, Mississippi, and sees the Mississippi River(then known by the Spanish as Río de Espíritu Santo, the name given to it by Alonso Álvarez de Pineda in 1519).
- 1788 – King Louis XVI of France attempts to impose the reforms of Étienne Charles de Loménie de Brienne by abolishing the parlements.
- 1794 – Branded a traitor during the Reign of Terror, French chemist Antoine Lavoisier, who was also a tax collector with the Ferme générale, is tried, convicted and guillotined in one day in Paris.
- 1821 – Greek War of Independence: The Greeks defeat the Turks at the Battle of Gravia Inn.
- 1842 – A train derails and catches fire in Paris, killing between 52 and 200 people.
- 1846 – Mexican–American War: American forces led by Zachary Taylor defeat a Mexican force north of the Rio Grande in the first major battle of the war.
- 1877 – At Gilmore’s Gardens in New York City, the first Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show opens.
- 1886 – Pharmacist John Pemberton first sells a carbonated beverage named “Coca-Cola” as a patent medicine.
- 1898 – The first games of the Italian football league system are played.
- 1899 – The Irish Literary Theatre in Dublin produced its first play.
- 1902 – In Martinique, Mount Pelée erupts, destroying the town of Saint-Pierre and killing over 30,000 people. Only a handful of residents survive the blast.
- 1912 – Paramount Pictures is founded.
- 1919 – Edward George Honey proposes the idea of a moment of silence to commemorate the Armistice of 11 November 1918 which ended World War I.
- 1921 – The creation of the Communist Party of Romania.
- 1924 – The Klaipėda Convention is signed formally incorporating Klaipėda Region (Memel Territory) into Lithuania.
- 1927 – Attempting to make the first non-stop transatlantic flight from Paris to New York, French war heroes Charles Nungesser and François Coli disappear after taking off aboard The White Bird biplane.
- 1933 – Mohandas Gandhi begins a 21-day fast of self-purification and launched a one-year campaign to help the Harijan movement.
- 1941 – World War II: The German Luftwaffe launches a bombing raid on Nottingham and Derby.
- 1942 – World War II: The German 11th Army begins Operation Trappenjagd (Bustard Hunt) and destroys the bridgehead of the three Soviet armies defending the Kerch Peninsula.
- 1942 – World War II: The Battle of the Coral Sea comes to an end with Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft carrier aircraft attacking and sinking the United States Navy aircraft carrier USS Lexington.
- 1942 – World War II: Gunners of the Ceylon Garrison Artillery on Horsburgh Island in the Cocos Islands rebel in the Cocos Islands Mutiny. Their mutiny is crushed and three of them are executed, the only British Commonwealth soldiers to be executed for mutiny during the Second World War.
- 1945 – World War II: The German Instrument of Surrender signed at Reims comes into effect.
- 1945 – End of the Prague uprising, celebrated now as a national holiday in the Czech Republic.
- 1945 – Hundreds of Algerian civilians are killed by French Army soldiers in the Sétif massacre.
- 1945 – The Halifax riot starts when thousands of civilians and servicemen rampage through Halifax, Nova Scotia.
- 1946 – Estonian schoolgirls Aili Jõgi and Ageeda Paavel blow up the Soviet memorial which preceded the Bronze Soldier of Tallinn.
- 1963 – South Vietnamese soldiers under the Roman Catholic President Ngo Dinh Diem open fire on Buddhists defying a ban on the flying of the Buddhist flag on Vesak, killing nine and sparking the Buddhist crisis.
- 1967 – The Philippine province of Davao is split into three: Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, and Davao Oriental.
- 1972 – Vietnam War: U.S. President Richard Nixon announces his order to place naval mines in major North Vietnamese ports in order to stem the flow of weapons and other goods to that nation.
- 1973 – A 71-day standoff between federal authorities and the American Indian Movement members occupying the Pine Ridge Reservation at Wounded Knee, South Dakota ends with the surrender of the militants.
- 1976 – The rollercoaster The New Revolution, the first steel coaster with a vertical loop, opens at Six Flags Magic Mountain.
- 1978 – The first ascent of Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen, by Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler.
- 1980 – The World Health Organization confirms the eradication of smallpox.
- 1984 – Corporal Denis Lortie enters the Quebec National Assembly and opens fire, killing three people and wounding 13. René Jalbert, Sergeant-at-Arms of the Assembly, succeeds in calming him, for which he will later receive the Cross of Valour.
- 1984 – The Thames Barrier is officially opened, preventing the floodplain of most of Greater London from being flooded except under extreme circumstances.
- 1987 – The SAS kills eight Provisional Irish Republican Army volunteers and a civilian during an ambush in Loughgall, Northern Ireland.
- 1988 – A fire at Illinois Bell’s Hinsdale Central Office triggers an extended 1AESS network outage once considered to be the “worst telecommunications disaster in US telephone industry history”.
- 1997 – China Southern Airlines Flight 3456 crashes on approach into Bao’an International Airport, killing 35 people.
- 2019 – British 17-year-old Isabelle Holdaway is reported to be the first patient ever to receive a genetically modified phage therapy to treat a drug-resistant infection.
Births on May 8
- 1326 – Joan I, Countess of Auvergne (d. 1360)
- 1427 – John Tiptoft, 1st Earl of Worcester, Lord High Treasurer (d. 1470)
- 1460 – Frederick I, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach (d. 1536)
- 1492 – Andrea Alciato, Italian jurist and writer (d. 1550)
- 1508 – Charles Wriothesley, English Officer of Arms (d. 1562)
- 1521 – Peter Canisius, Dutch-Swiss priest and saint (d. 1597)
- 1551 – Thomas Drury, English government informer and swindler (d. 1603)
- 1587 – Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy (d. 1637)
- 1622 – Claes Rålamb, Swedish politician (d. 1698)
- 1628 – Angelo Italia, Sicilian Jesuit and architect (d. 1700)
- 1629 – Niels Juel, Norwegian-Danish admiral (d. 1697)
- 1632 – Heino Heinrich Graf von Flemming, German field marshal and politician (d. 1706)
- 1639 – Giovanni Battista Gaulli, Italian artist (d. 1709)
- 1641 – Nicolaes Witsen, Mayor of Amsterdam, Netherlands (d. 1717)
- 1653 – Claude Louis Hector de Villars, French general and politician, French Minister of Defence (d. 1734)
- 1670 – Charles Beauclerk, 1st Duke of St Albans, English soldier and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire (d. 1726)
- 1698 – Henry Baker, English naturalist (d. 1774)
- 1720 – William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1764)
- 1735 – Nathaniel Dance-Holland, English painter and politician (d. 1811)
- 1737 – Edward Gibbon, English historian and politician (d. 1794)
- 1745 – Carl Stamitz, German violinist and composer (d. 1801)
- 1753 – Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, Mexican priest and rebel leader (d. 1811)
- 1786 – John Vianney, French priest and saint (d. 1859)
- 1815 – Edward Tompkins, American lawyer and politician (d. 1872)
- 1818 – Samuel Leonard Tilley, Canadian pharmacist and politician, 3rd Premier of New Brunswick (d. 1896)
- 1821 – William Henry Vanderbilt, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 1885)
- 1824 – William Walker, American physician, lawyer, journalist and mercenary (d. 1860)
- 1825 – George Bruce Malleson, English-Indian colonel and author (d. 1898)
- 1828 – Henry Dunant, Swiss businessman and activist, co-founded the Red Cross, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1910)
- 1828 – Charbel Makhluf, Lebanese monk and saint (d. 1898)
- 1829 – Louis Moreau Gottschalk, American pianist and composer (d. 1869)
- 1835 – Bertalan Székely, Hungarian painter and academic (d. 1910)
- 1839 – Adolphe-Basile Routhier, Canadian judge, author, and songwriter (d. 1920)
- 1842 – Emil Christian Hansen, Danish physiologist and mycologist (d. 1909)
- 1846 – Oscar Hammerstein I, American businessman and composer (d. 1919)
- 1850 – Ross Barnes, American baseball player and manager (d. 1915)
- 1853 – Dan Brouthers, American baseball player and manager (d. 1932)
- 1856 – Pedro Lascuráin, Mexican politician, president for 45 minutes on February 13, 1913. (d. 1952)
- 1858 – Heinrich Berté, Slovak-Austrian composer (d. 1924)
- 1858 – J. Meade Falkner, English author and poet (d. 1932)
- 1859 – Johan Jensen, Danish mathematician and engineer (d. 1925)
- 1867 – Margarete Böhme, German novelist (d. 1939)
- 1879 – Wesley Coe, American shot putter, discus thrower, and tug of war competitor (d. 1926)
- 1884 – Harry S. Truman, American colonel and politician, 33rd President of the United States (d. 1972)
- 1885 – Thomas B. Costain, Canadian journalist and author (d. 1965)
- 1892 – Adriaan Pelt, Dutch journalist and diplomat (d. 1981)
- 1893 – Francis Ouimet, American golfer (d. 1967)
- 1893 – Edd Roush, American baseball player and coach (d. 1988)
- 1893 – Teddy Wakelam, English rugby player and sportscaster (d. 1963)
- 1895 – James H. Kindelberger, American businessman (d. 1962)
- 1895 – Fulton J. Sheen, American archbishop (d. 1979)
- 1895 – Edmund Wilson, American critic, essayist, and editor (d. 1972)
- 1898 – Aloysius Stepinac, Croatian cardinal (d. 1960)
- 1899 – Arthur Q. Bryan, American actor, voice actor, comedian and radio personality (d. 1959)
- 1899 – Friedrich Hayek, Austrian economist and philosopher, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1992)
- 1899 – Jacques Heim, French fashion designer (d. 1967)
- 1901 – Turkey Stearnes, American baseball player (d. 1979)
- 1902 – André Michel Lwoff, French microbiologist and physician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1994)
- 1903 – Fernandel, French actor and singer (d. 1971)
- 1903 – Mary Stewart, Baroness Stewart of Alvechurch, British politician and educator (d. 1984)
- 1904 – John Snagge, English journalist (d. 1996)
- 1905 – Red Nichols, American cornet player, composer, and bandleader (d. 1965)
- 1906 – Roberto Rossellini, Italian director and screenwriter (d. 1977)
- 1910 – George Male, English footballer (d. 1998)
- 1910 – Andrew E. Svenson, American author and publisher (d. 1975)
- 1910 – Mary Lou Williams, American pianist and composer (d. 1981)
- 1911 – Wilhelm Friedrich de Gaay Fortman, Dutch jurist and politician, Dutch Minister of The Interior (d. 1997)
- 1911 – Robert Johnson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1938)
- 1912 – George Woodcock, Canadian author and poet (d. 1995)
- 1913 – Bob Clampett, American animator, director, and producer (d. 1984)
- 1913 – Sid James, South African-English actor and singer (d. 1976)
- 1915 – Milton Meltzer, American historian and author (d. 2009)
- 1916 – João Havelange, Brazilian water polo player, lawyer, and businessman (d. 2016)
- 1916 – Chinmayananda Saraswati, Indian spiritual leader and educator (d. 1993)
- 1916 – Ramananda Sengupta, Indian cinematographer (d. 2017)
- 1917 – John Anderson, Jr., American lawyer and politician, 36th Governor of Kansas (d. 2014)
- 1919 – Lex Barker, American actor (d. 1973)
- 1920 – Saul Bass, American graphic designer and director (d. 1996)
- 1920 – Tom of Finland, Finnish illustrator (d. 1991)
- 1920 – Sloan Wilson, American author and poet (d. 2003)
- 1920 – Gordon McClymont, Australian ecologist and academic (d. 2000)
- 1922 – Mary Q. Steele, American naturalist and author (d. 1992)
- 1924 – S. Vithiananthan, Sri Lankan author and academic (d. 1989)
- 1925 – Ali Hassan Mwinyi, Tanzanian politician, 2nd President of Tanzania
- 1926 – David Attenborough, English environmentalist and television host
- 1926 – David Hurst, German actor (d. 2019)
- 1926 – Don Rickles, American comedian and actor (d. 2017)
- 1927 – Chumy Chúmez, Spanish actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2003)
- 1927 – László Paskai, Hungarian cardinal (d. 2015)
- 1928 – Robert Conley, American journalist (d. 2013)
- 1928 – Ted Sorensen, American lawyer, 8th White House Counsel (d. 2010)
- 1929 – Ethel D. Allen, American physician and politician (d. 1981)
- 1929 – Girija Devi, Indian classical singer (d. 2017)
- 1929 – Claude Castonguay, Canadian banker and politician
- 1929 – Miyoshi Umeki, Japanese-American actress and singer (d. 2007)
- 1930 – Heather Harper, Northern Irish soprano (d. 2019)
- 1930 – Doug Atkins, American football player (d. 2015)
- 1930 – René Maltête, French photographer and poet (d. 2000)
- 1930 – Gary Snyder, American poet, essayist, and translator
- 1932 – Julieta Campos, Cuban-Mexican author and translator (d. 2007)
- 1932 – Phyllida Law, Scottish actress
- 1932 – Harry Wells, Australian rugby league player
- 1934 – Leonard Hoffmann, Baron Hoffmann, South African-English lawyer and judge
- 1934 – Maurice Norman, English footballer
- 1934 – David Williamson, Baron Williamson of Horton, English soldier and politician (d. 2015)
- 1935 – Lucius Cary, 15th Viscount Falkland, Scottish politician
- 1935 – Princess Elisabeth of Denmark (d. 2018)
- 1935 – Jack Charlton, English footballer and manager
- 1936 – Kazuo Koike, Japanese author
- 1936 – Haljand Udam, Estonian orientalist and academic (d. 2005)
- 1937 – Bernard Cleary, Canadian journalist, academic, and politician
- 1937 – Mike Cuellar, Cuban-American baseball player (d. 2010)
- 1937 – Carlos Gaviria Díaz, Colombian lawyer and politician (d. 2015)
- 1937 – Thomas Pynchon, American novelist
- 1938 – Javed Burki, Indian-Pakistani cricketer
- 1938 – Jean Giraud, French author and illustrator (d. 2012)
- 1939 – Paul Drayton, American sprinter (d. 2010)
- 1940 – Peter Benchley, American author and screenwriter (d. 2006)
- 1940 – James Blyth, Baron Blyth of Rowington, English businessman and academic
- 1940 – Irwin Cotler, Canadian lawyer and politician, 47th Canadian Minister of Justice
- 1940 – Emilio Delgado, Mexican-American actor, “Sesame Street”
- 1940 – Ricky Nelson, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (d. 1985)
- 1940 – Toni Tennille, American singer-songwriter and keyboard player
- 1941 – John Fred, American singer-songwriter (d. 2005)
- 1941 – Bill Lockyer, American academic and politician, 30th Attorney General of California
- 1941 – James Traficant, American lawyer and politician (d. 2014)
- 1942 – Martin Dobkin, Canadian doctor and politician, 2nd Mayor of Mississauga
- 1942 – Robin Hobbs, English cricketer
- 1942 – Norman Lamont, Scottish banker and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer
- 1942 – Pierre Morency, Canadian poet and playwright
- 1942 – Terry Neill, Irish footballer and manager
- 1943 – Pat Barker, English author
- 1943 – Johnny Greaves, Australian rugby league player
- 1943 – Jon Mark, English-New Zealand singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1943 – Paul Samwell-Smith, English bass player and producer
- 1943 – Danny Whitten, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1972)
- 1944 – Gary Glitter, English singer-songwriter
- 1944 – Bill Legend, English drummer
- 1945 – Arthur Docters van Leeuwen, Dutch jurist and politician
- 1945 – Mike German, Baron German, Welsh educator and politician, Deputy First Minister for Wales
- 1945 – Janine Haines, Australian politician (d. 2004)
- 1945 – Keith Jarrett, American pianist and composer
- 1946 – André Boulerice, Canadian politician
- 1946 – Jonathan Dancy, English philosopher, author, and academic
- 1947 – H. Robert Horvitz, American biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1947 – Felicity Lott, English soprano
- 1947 – John Reid, Baron Reid of Cardowan, Scottish historian and politician, Secretary of State for Defence
- 1948 – Steve Braun, American baseball player and coach
- 1948 – Stephen Stohn, American-Canadian lawyer and producer
- 1949 – David Vines, Australian economist and academic
- 1950 – Robert Mugge, American director and producer
- 1950 – Lepo Sumera, Estonian composer and educator (d. 2000)
- 1951 – Philip Bailey, American singer-songwriter, drummer, and actor
- 1951 – Mike D’Antoni, American basketball player and coach
- 1951 – Chris Frantz, American drummer and producer
- 1952 – Peter McNab, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
- 1953 – Billy Burnette, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
- 1953 – Alex Van Halen, Dutch-American drummer
- 1954 – Pam Arciero, American puppeteer and voice actress
- 1954 – David Keith, American actor and director
- 1954 – John Michael Talbot, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1955 – Stephen Furst, American actor and director (d. 2017)
- 1955 – Mladen Markač, Croatian general
- 1955 – Keith Osgood, English footballer
- 1956 – Jeff Wincott, Canadian actor and martial artist
- 1957 – Bill Cowher, American football player and coach
- 1957 – Rino Katase, Japanese actress
- 1957 – Gary Lunn, Canadian lawyer and politician, 6th Canadian Minister of Natural Resources
- 1958 – Roddy Doyle, Irish novelist, playwright, and screenwriter
- 1958 – Simone Kleinsma, Dutch actress and singer
- 1958 – Brooks Newmark, American-English businessman and politician, Lord of the Treasury
- 1958 – Lovie Smith, American football player and coach
- 1959 – Ronnie Lott, American football player and sportscaster
- 1959 – David Manners, 11th Duke of Rutland, English politician
- 1959 – Ikue Sakakibara, Japanese actress and singer
- 1960 – Franco Baresi, Italian footballer and coach
- 1960 – Eric Brittingham, American bass player
- 1961 – Bill de Blasio, American politician, 109th Mayor of New York City
- 1961 – Gert Kruys, Dutch footballer and manager
- 1961 – Vallo Reimaa, Estonian academic and politician
- 1961 – David Winning, Canadian-American director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1962 – Natalia Molchanova, Russian diver (d. 2015)
- 1962 – David Sole, Scottish rugby player
- 1963 – Sylvain Cossette, Canadian singer-songwriter
- 1963 – Anthony Field, Australian guitarist, songwriter, producer, and actor
- 1963 – Michel Gondry, French director and screenwriter
- 1963 – Izabela Kloc, Polish politician
- 1963 – Aleksandr Kovalenko, Belarusian triple jumper
- 1963 – Rick Zombo, American ice hockey player and coach
- 1964 – Päivi Alafrantti, Finnish javelin thrower
- 1964 – Melissa Gilbert, American actress and director
- 1964 – Bobby Labonte, American race car driver
- 1964 – Nathalie Roy, Canadian lawyer and politician
- 1964 – Dave Rowntree, English drummer and animator
- 1964 – Metin Tekin, Turkish footballer, manager, and journalist
- 1966 – Cláudio Taffarel, Brazilian footballer and coach
- 1967 – Viviana Durante, Italian ballerina and actress
- 1967 – Angus Scott, British sports television presenter
- 1968 – Teet Kask, Estonian ballet dancer and choreographer
- 1968 – Nathalie Normandeau, Canadian politician, Deputy Premier of Quebec
- 1968 – Johan Pehrson, Swedish lawyer and politician
- 1969 – Jonny Searle, English rower
- 1969 – Akebono Tarō, American-Japanese sumo wrestler, the 64th Yokozuna
- 1969 – John Timu, New Zealand rugby player
- 1970 – Michael Bevan, Australian cricketer and coach
- 1970 – Naomi Klein, Canadian author and activist
- 1970 – Luis Enrique, Spanish footballer and manager
- 1971 – Chuck Huber, American voice actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1971 – Candice Night, American singer-songwriter
- 1972 – Darren Hayes, Australian singer-songwriter
- 1972 – Ray Whitney, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1973 – Hiromu Arakawa, Japanese author and illustrator
- 1973 – Jesús Arellano, Mexican footballer
- 1973 – Marcus Brigstocke, English comedian, actor, and screenwriter
- 1974 – Marge Kõrkjas, Estonian swimmer
- 1974 – Korey Stringer, American football player (d. 2001)
- 1974 – Christian XXX, American pornographic star
- 1975 – Enrique Iglesias, Spanish-American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
- 1975 – Jussi Markkanen, Finnish ice hockey player
- 1975 – Gastón Mazzacane, Argentinian race car driver
- 1975 – Dmitri Ustritski, Estonian footballer
- 1976 – Gonçalo Abecasis, Portuguese-American biochemist and academic
- 1976 – Martha Wainwright, Canadian-American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1977 – Joe Bonamassa, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1977 – Bad News Brown, Canadian rapper, harmonica player, and actor (d. 2011)
- 1977 – Theodoros Papaloukas, Greek basketball player
- 1977 – Kathrin Bringmann, German mathematician and academic
- 1978 – Lúcio, Brazilian footballer
- 1978 – Jang Woo-hyuk, South Korean rapper and dancer
- 1979 – Ole Morten Vågan, Norwegian bassist
- 1980 – Keyon Dooling, American basketball player
- 1980 – Panagiotis Kafkis, Greek basketball player
- 1980 – Evgeny Lebedev, Russian-English publisher and philanthropist
- 1980 – Michelle McManus, Scottish singer-songwriter and actress
- 1980 – Benny Yau, Hong Kong-Canadian actor and singer
- 1981 – Stephen Amell, Canadian actor
- 1981 – Andrea Barzagli, Italian footballer
- 1981 – Tatyana Dektyareva, Russian hurdler
- 1981 – Björn Dixgård, Swedish singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1981 – Manny Gamburyan, Armenian-American mixed martial artist
- 1981 – John Maine, American baseball player
- 1982 – Buakaw Banchamek, Thai kick-boxer
- 1982 – Christina Cole, English actress
- 1982 – Adrián González, American baseball player
- 1982 – Uğur Yıldırım, Turkish-Dutch footballer
- 1983 – Juan Martin Goity, Argentinian-German rugby player
- 1983 – Bershawn Jackson, American hurdler
- 1983 – Lawrence Vickers, American football player
- 1983 – Vicky McClure, English actress
- 1984 – David King, English figure skater
- 1985 – Tommaso Ciampa, American wrestler
- 1985 – Silvia Stroescu, Romanian gymnast
- 1985 – Sarah Vaillancourt, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1985 – Usama Young, American football player
- 1986 – Pemra Özgen, Turkish tennis player
- 1986 – Galen Rupp, American runner
- 1986 – Marvell Wynne, American soccer player
- 1987 – Felix Jones, American football player
- 1987 – Aarne Nirk, Estonian hurdler
- 1987 – Mark Noble, English footballer
- 1987 – Kurt Tippett, Australian footballer
- 1988 – Tanel Kurbas, Estonian basketball player
- 1988 – Maicon Pereira de Oliveira, Brazilian footballer (d. 2014)
- 1989 – Liam Bridcutt, English footballer
- 1989 – Lars Eller, Danish ice hockey player
- 1989 – Dinesh Patel, Indian baseball player
- 1990 – Kemba Walker, American basketball player
- 1991 – Ethan Gage, Canadian soccer player
- 1991 – Valentijn Lietmeijer, Dutch basketball player
- 1991 – Anamaria Tămârjan, Romanian gymnast
- 1992 – Kevin Hayes, American ice hockey player
- 1993 – Pat Cummins, Australian cricketer
- 1996 – 6ix9ine, American rapper
- 2001 – Jordyn Huitema, Canadian soccer player
- 2003 – Moulay Hassan, Crown Prince of Morocco
Deaths on May 8
- 535 – Pope John II
- 615 – Pope Boniface IV (b. 550)
- 685 – Pope Benedict II
- 997 – Tai Zong, Chinese emperor (b. 939)
- 1157 – Ahmed Sanjar, Seljuk sultan (b. 1086)
- 1192 – Ottokar IV, duke of Styria (b. 1163)
- 1220 – Richeza of Denmark, queen of Sweden
- 1278 – Duan Zong, Chinese emperor (b. 1269)
- 1319 – Haakon V, king of Norway (b. 1270)
- 1473 – John Stafford, 1st Earl of Wiltshire, English politician (b. 1420)
- 1538 – Edward Foxe, English bishop and academic (b. 1496)
- 1551 – Barbara Radziwiłł, queen of Poland (b. 1520)
- 1668 – Catherine of St. Augustine, French-Canadian nun and saint (b. 1632)
- 1766 – Samuel Chandler, English minister and author (b. 1693)
- 1773 – Ali Bey al-Kabir, Egyptian sultan (b. 1728)
- 1781 – Richard Jago, English priest and poet (b. 1715)
- 1782 – Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, 1st Marquis of Pombal, Portuguese politician, Prime Minister of Portugal (b. 1699)
- 1785 – Étienne François, duc de Choiseul, French general and politician, Prime Minister of France (b. 1719)
- 1785 – Pietro Longhi, Italian painter (b. 1701)
- 1788 – Giovanni Antonio Scopoli, Italian physician and botanist (b. 1723)
- 1794 – Antoine Lavoisier, French chemist and biologist (b. 1743)
- 1819 – Kamehameha I, king of the Hawaiian Islands
- 1822 – John Stark, American general (b. 1728)
- 1828 – Mauro Giuliani, Italian guitarist, cellist, and composer (b. 1781)
- 1837 – Alexander Balashov, Russian general and politician, Russian Minister of Police (b. 1770)
- 1842 – Jules Dumont d’Urville, French admiral and explorer (b. 1790)
- 1853 – Jan Roothaan, Dutch priest, 21st Superior General of the Society of Jesus (b. 1785)
- 1880 – Gustave Flaubert, French novelist (b. 1821)
- 1891 – Helena Blavatsky, Russian-English mystic and author (b. 1831)
- 1891 – John Robertson, English-Australian politician, 5th Premier of New South Wales (b. 1816)
- 1893 – Manuel González Flores, Mexican general and president, 1880–1884 (b. 1833)
- 1903 – Paul Gauguin, French painter and sculptor (b. 1848)
- 1907 – Edmund G. Ross, American soldier and politician, 13th Governor of New Mexico Territory (b. 1826)
- 1925 – John Beresford, Irish polo player (b. 1847)
- 1936 – Oswald Spengler, German historian and philosopher (b. 1880)
- 1941 – Natalie, queen consort of Serbia (b. 1859)
- 1941 – Tore Svennberg, Swedish actor and director (b. 1858)
- 1942 – Nikolai Reek, Estonian general and politician, 11th Estonian Minister of War (b. 1890)
- 1943 – Mordechai Anielewicz, Polish commander (b. 1919)
- 1944 – Themistoklis Diakidis, Greek high jumper (b. 1882)
- 1945 – Frank Bourne, British soldier, last survivor of the Battle of Rorke’s Drift (b. 1854)
- 1945 – Wilhelm Rediess, German SS officer (b. 1900)
- 1945 – Bernhard Rust, German lieutenant and politician (b. 1883)
- 1945 – Josef Terboven, German lieutenant and politician (b. 1898)
- 1947 – Harry Gordon Selfridge, American-English businessman, founded Selfridges (b. 1858)
- 1948 – U Saw, Burmese politician, Prime Minister of Burma (b. 1900)
- 1950 – Vital Brazil, Brazilian physician and immunologist (b. 1865)
- 1952 – William Fox, Austrian businessman, founded Fox Theatres (b. 1879)
- 1959 – John Fraser, Canadian soccer player (b. 1881)
- 1960 – J. H. C. Whitehead, Indian-English mathematician and academic (b. 1904)
- 1965 – Wally Hardinge, English cricketer and footballer (b. 1886)
- 1969 – Remington Kellogg, American zoologist and paleontologist (b. 1892)
- 1972 – Pandurang Vaman Kane, Indologist and Sanskrit scholar, Bharat Ratna awardee (b. 1880)
- 1972 – Beatrice Helen Worsley, Mexican-Canadian computer scientist (b. 1921)
- 1975 – Avery Brundage, American businessman and art collector (b. 1887)
- 1980 – Geoffrey Baker, English Field Marshal and Chief of the General Staff of the British Army (b. 1920)
- 1981 – Uri Zvi Greenberg, Israeli poet and journalist (b. 1896)
- 1982 – Neil Bogart, American record producer, co-founded Casablanca Records (b. 1943)
- 1982 – Gilles Villeneuve, Canadian race car driver (b. 1950)
- 1983 – John Fante, American author and screenwriter (b. 1909)
- 1984 – Lila Bell Wallace, American publisher, co-founded Reader’s Digest (b. 1890)
- 1984 – Gino Bianco, Italian-Brazilian race car driver (b. 1916)
- 1985 – Karl Marx, German conductor and composer (b. 1897)
- 1985 – Theodore Sturgeon, American author and critic (b. 1918)
- 1985 – Dolph Sweet, American actor (b. 1920)
- 1986 – Ernle Bradford, English historian and author (b. 1922)
- 1987 – Doris Stokes, English psychic and author (b. 1920)
- 1988 – Robert A. Heinlein, American science fiction writer and screenwriter (b. 1907)
- 1990 – Luigi Nono, Italian composer and educator (b. 1924)
- 1991 – Jean Langlais, French pianist and composer (b. 1907)
- 1991 – Rudolf Serkin, Czech-Austrian pianist and educator (b. 1903)
- 1992 – Joyce Ricketts, American baseball player (b. 1933)
- 1993 – Avram Davidson, American soldier and author (b. 1923)
- 1994 – George Peppard, American actor and producer (b. 1928)
- 1995 – Teresa Teng, Taiwanese singer (b. 1953)
- 1996 – Beryl Burton, English cyclist (b. 1937)
- 1996 – Luis Miguel Dominguín, Spanish bullfighter (b. 1926)
- 1996 – Larry Levis, American poet, author, and critic (b. 1946)
- 1996 – Garth Williams, American illustrator (b. 1912)
- 1998 – Johannes Kotkas, Estonian wrestler (b. 1915)
- 1998 – Charles Rebozo, American banker and businessman (b. 1912)
- 1999 – Dirk Bogarde, English actor and screenwriter (b. 1921)
- 1999 – Ed Gilbert, American actor (b. 1931)
- 1999 – Dana Plato, American actress (b. 1964)
- 1999 – Soeman Hs, Indonesian author and educator (b. 1904)
- 2000 – Pita Amor, Mexican poet and author (b. 1918)
- 2000 – Dédé Fortin, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1962)
- 2000 – Henry Nicols, American activist (b. 1973)
- 2003 – Elvira Pagã, Brazilian vedette, singer, and artist (b. 1920)
- 2005 – Jean Carrière, French author (b. 1928)
- 2005 – Nicolás Vuyovich, Argentinian race car driver (b. 1981)
- 2006 – Iain Macmillan, Scottish photographer and author (b. 1938)
- 2007 – Philip R. Craig, American author and poet (b. 1933)
- 2007 – Carson Whitsett, American keyboard player, songwriter, and producer (b. 1945)
- 2008 – Eddy Arnold, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (b. 1918)
- 2008 – François Sterchele, Belgian footballer (b. 1982)
- 2009 – Dom DiMaggio, American baseball player (b. 1917)
- 2009 – Bud Shrake, American journalist and author (b. 1931)
- 2011 – Lionel Rose, Australian boxer (b. 1948)
- 2012 – Everett Lilly, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1924)
- 2012 – Jerry McMorris, American businessman (b. 1941)
- 2012 – Stacy Robinson, American football player (b. 1962)
- 2012 – Maurice Sendak, American author and illustrator (b. 1928)
- 2012 – Ampon Tangnoppakul, Thai criminal (b. 1948)
- 2012 – Roman Totenberg, Polish-American violinist and educator (b. 1911)
- 2013 – Jeanne Cooper, American actress (b. 1928)
- 2013 – Bryan Forbes, English actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1926)
- 2013 – Juan José Muñoz, Argentinian businessman (b. 1950)
- 2013 – Hugh J. Silverman, American philosopher and theorist (b. 1945)
- 2013 – Ken Whaley, Austrian-English bass player (b. 1946)
- 2014 – Roger L. Easton, American scientist, co-invented the GPS (b. 1921)
- 2014 – Nancy Malone, American actress, director, and producer (b. 1935)
- 2014 – Yago Lamela, Spanish long jumper (b. 1977)
- 2014 – Jair Rodrigues, Brazilian singer (b. 1939)
- 2014 – R. Douglas Stuart Jr., American businessman and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Norway (b. 1916)
- 2014 – Joseph P. Teasdale, American lawyer and politician, 48th Governor of Missouri (b. 1936)
- 2015 – Zeki Alasya, Turkish actor and director (b. 1943)
- 2015 – Mwepu Ilunga, Congolese footballer (b. 1949)
- 2015 – Menashe Kadishman, Israeli sculptor and painter (b. 1932)
- 2015 – Juan Schwanner, Hungarian-Chilean footballer and manager (b. 1921)
- 2015 – Atanas Semerdzhiev, Bulgarian soldier and politician, 1st Vice President of Bulgaria (b. 1924)
- 2016 – Tom M. Apostol, American analytic number theorist (b. 1923)
- 2016 – William Schallert, American actor; president (1979–81) of the Screen Actors Guild (b. 1922)
- 2018 – Big Bully Busick, American professional wrestler (b. 1954)
- 2018 – Anne V. Coates, British film editor (Lawrence of Arabia, The Elephant Man, Erin Brockovich), Oscar winner (1963) (b. 1925)
- 2019 – Sprent Dabwido, President of Nauru from 2011 to 2013 (b. 1972)
Holidays and observances on May 8
- Christian feast day:
- Amato Ronconi
- Apparition of Saint Michael
- Arsenius the Great
- Desideratus
- Blessed Catherine of St. Augustine
- Julian of Norwich (Anglican, Lutheran)
- Magdalene of Canossa
- Our Lady of Luján
- Peter of Tarentaise
- Blessed Teresa Demjanovich (Ruthenian Catholic Church)
- May 8 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Earliest day on which Father’s Day can fall, while May 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Sunday of May. (Romania)
- Earliest day on which Mother’s Day can fall, while May 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Sunday of May. (United States and others)
- Earliest day on which State Flag and State Emblem Day can fall, while May 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Sunday of May. (Belarus)
- Earliest day on which World Fair Trade Day can fall, while May 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Saturday of May (site of the WFTO) (International)
- Emancipation Day (Columbus, Mississippi)
- Furry Dance (Helston, UK)
- Liberation Day (Czech Republic)
- Miguel Hidalgo’s birthday (Mexico)
- Parents’ Day (South Korea)
- Truman Day (Missouri)
- Veterans Day (Norway)
- Victory in Europe Day, and its related observances (Europe):
- Time of Remembrance and Reconciliation for Those Who Lost Their Lives during the Second World War, continues to May 9
- White Lotus Day (Theosophy)
- World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day (International)
-
April 5 in History
- 823 – Lothair I is crowned King of Italy by Pope Paschal I.
- 919 – The second Fatimid invasion of Egypt begins, when the Fatimid heir-apparent, al-Qa’im bi-Amr Allah, sets out from Raqqada at the head of his army.
- 1081 – Alexios I Komnenos is crowned Byzantine emperor at Constantinople, bringing the Komnenian dynasty to full power.
- 1242 – During the Battle on the Ice of Lake Peipus, Russian forces, led by Alexander Nevsky, rebuff an invasion attempt by the Teutonic Knights.
- 1536 – Royal Entry of Charles V into Rome: The last Roman triumph.
- 1566 – Two hundred Dutch noblemen, led by Hendrick van Brederode, force themselves into the presence of Margaret of Parma and present the Petition of Compromise, denouncing the Spanish Inquisition in the Seventeen Provinces.
- 1609 – Daimyō (Lord) Shimazu Tadatsune of the Satsuma Domain in southern Kyūshū, Japan, completes his successful invasion of the Ryūkyū Kingdom in Okinawa.
- 1614 – In Virginia, Native American Pocahontas marries English colonist John Rolfe.
- 1621 – The Mayflower sets sail from Plymouth, Massachusetts on a return trip to England.
- 1710 – The Statute of Anne receives the royal assent establishing the Copyright law of the United Kingdom.
- 1722 – The Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen discovers Easter Island.
- 1792 – United States President George Washington exercises his authority to veto a bill, the first time this power is used in the United States.
- 1795 – Peace of Basel between France and Prussia is made.
- 1818 – In the Battle of Maipú, Chile’s independence movement, led by Bernardo O’Higgins and José de San Martín, win a decisive victory over Spain, leaving 2,000 Spaniards and 1,000 Chilean patriots dead.
- 1862 – American Civil War: The Battle of Yorktown begins.
- 1879 – Chile declares war on Bolivia and Peru, starting the War of the Pacific.
- 1900 – Archaeologists in Knossos, Crete, discover a large cache of clay tablets with hieroglyphic writing in a script they call Linear B.
- 1904 – The first international rugby league match is played between England and an Other Nationalities team (Welsh and Scottish players) in Central Park, Wigan, England.
- 1915 – Boxing challenger Jess Willard knocks out Jack Johnson in Havana, Cuba to become the Heavyweight Champion of the World.
- 1922 – The American Birth Control League, forerunner of Planned Parenthood, is incorporated.
- 1932 – Dominion of Newfoundland: Ten thousand rioters seize the Colonial Building leading to the end of self-government.
- 1933 – U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs two executive orders: 6101 to establish the Civilian Conservation Corps, and 6102 “forbidding the Hoarding of Gold Coin, Gold Bullion, and Gold Certificates” by U.S. citizens.
- 1936 – Tupelo–Gainesville tornado outbreak: An F5 tornado kills 233 in Tupelo, Mississippi.
- 1942 – World War II: The Imperial Japanese Navy launches a carrier-based air attack on Colombo, Ceylon during the Indian Ocean raid. Port and civilian facilities are damaged and the Royal Navy cruisers HMS Cornwall and HMS Dorsetshire are sunk southwest of the island.
- 1943 – World War II: American bomber aircraft accidentally cause more than 900 civilian deaths, including 209 children, and 1,300 wounded among the civilian population of the Belgian town of Mortsel. Their target was the Erla factory one kilometer from the residential area hit.
- 1944 – World War II: Two hundred seventy inhabitants of the Greek town of Kleisoura are executed by the Germans.
- 1945 – Cold War: Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito signs an agreement with the Soviet Union to allow “temporary entry of Soviet troops into Yugoslav territory”.
- 1946 – Soviet troops end their year-long occupation of the Danish island of Bornholm.
- 1946 – A Fleet Air Arm Vickers Wellington crashes into a residential area in Rabat, Malta during a training exercise, killing all 4 crew members and 16 civilians on the ground.
- 1949 – A fire in a hospital in Effingham, Illinois, kills 77 people and leads to nationwide fire code improvements in the United States.
- 1951 – Cold War: Ethel and Julius Rosenberg are sentenced to death for spying for the Soviet Union.
- 1956 – Cuban Revolution: Fidel Castro declares himself at war with Cuban President Fulgencio Batista.
- 1956 – In Sri Lanka, the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna win the general elections in a landslide and S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike is sworn in as the Prime Minister of Ceylon.
- 1957 – In India, Communists win the first elections in united Kerala and E. M. S. Namboodiripad is sworn in as the first Chief Minister.
- 1958 – Ripple Rock, an underwater threat to navigation in the Seymour Narrows in Canada is destroyed in one of the largest non-nuclear controlled explosions of the time.
- 1969 – Vietnam War: Massive antiwar demonstrations occur in many U.S. cities.
- 1971 – In Sri Lanka, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna launches a revolt against the United Front government of Sirimavo Bandaranaike.
- 1976 – In China, the April Fifth Movement leads to the Tiananmen Incident.
- 1977 – The US Supreme Court rules that congressional legislation that diminished the size of the Sioux people’s reservation thereby destroyed the tribe’s jurisdictional authority over the area in Rosebud Sioux Tribe v. Kneip.
- 1986 – Three people are killed in the bombing of the La Belle discotheque in West Berlin, Germany.
- 1991 – An ASA EMB 120 crashes in Brunswick, Georgia, killing all 23 aboard including Sen. John Tower and astronaut Sonny Carter.
- 1992 – Alberto Fujimori, president of Peru, dissolves the Peruvian congress by military force.
- 1992 – Peace protesters Suada Dilberovic and Olga Sučić are killed on the Vrbanja Bridge in Sarajevo, becoming the first casualties of the Bosnian War.
- 1998 – In Japan, the Akashi Kaikyō Bridge opens to traffic, becoming the longest bridge span in the world.
- 1999 – Two Libyans suspected of bringing down Pan Am Flight 103 in 1988 are handed over for eventual trial in the Netherlands.
- 2000 – UEFA Cup semi-final violence: Four Galatasaray fans are arrested for the stabbings to death of two Leeds United fans.
- 2009 – North Korea launches its controversial Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2 rocket. The satellite passed over mainland Japan, which prompted an immediate reaction from the United Nations Security Council, as well as participating states of Six-party talks.
- 2010 – Twenty-nine coal miners are killed in an explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine in West Virginia.
Births on April 5
- 1170 – Isabella of Hainault (d. 1190)
- 1219 – Wonjong of Goryeo, 24th ruler of Goryeo (d. 1274)
- 1279 – Al-Nuwayri, Egyptian Muslim historian (d. 1333)
- 1288 – Emperor Go-Fushimi of Japan (d. 1336)
- 1315 – James III of Majorca (d. 1349)
- 1365 – William II, Duke of Bavaria (d. 1417)
- 1472 – Bianca Maria Sforza, Italian wife of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1510)
- 1521 – Francesco Laparelli, Italian architect (d. 1570)
- 1523 – Blaise de Vigenère, French cryptographer and diplomat (d. 1596)
- 1533 – Giulio della Rovere, Italian Catholic Cardinal (d. 1578)
- 1539 – George Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach (d. 1603)
- 1549 – Princess Elizabeth of Sweden, (d. 1597)
- 1568 – Pope Urban VIII (d. 1644)
- 1588 – Thomas Hobbes, English philosopher (d. 1679)
- 1591 – Frederick Ulrich, Duke of Brunswick-Luneburg (d. 1634)
- 1595 – John Wilson, English composer and educator (d. 1674)
- 1604 – Charles IV (d. 1675)
- 1616 – Frederick, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken (d. 1661)
- 1622 – Vincenzo Viviani, Italian mathematician, astronomer, and physicist (d. 1703)
- 1649 – Elihu Yale, American-English merchant and philanthropist (d. 1721)
- 1656 – Nikita Demidov, Russian industrialist (d. 1725)
- 1664 – Élisabeth Thérèse de Lorraine, French noblewoman and Princess of Epinoy (d. 1748)
- 1674 – Margravine Elisabeth Sophie of Brandenburg, (d. 1748)
- 1691 – Louis VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt (d. 1768)
- 1692 – Adrienne Lecouvreur, French actress (d. 1730)
- 1719 – Axel von Fersen the Elder, Swedish field marshal and politician, Lord Marshal of Sweden (d. 1794)
- 1726 – Benjamin Harrison V, American politician, planter and merchant (d. 1791)
- 1727 – Pasquale Anfossi, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1797)
- 1729 – Frederick Charles Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (d. 1809)
- 1730 – Jean Baptiste Seroux d’Agincourt, French archaeologist and historian (d. 1814)
- 1732 – Jean-Honoré Fragonard, French painter and etcher (d. 1806)
- 1735 – Franziskus Herzan von Harras, Czech Roman Catholic cardinal (d. 1804)
- 1739 – Philemon Dickinson, American lawyer and politician (d. 1809)
- 1752 – Sébastien Érard, French instrument maker (d. 1831)
- 1761 – Sybil Ludington, American heroine of the American Revolutionary War (d. 1839)
- 1769 – Sir Thomas Hardy, 1st Baronet, English admiral (d. 1839)
- 1773 – José María Coppinger, governor of Spanish East Florida (d. 1844)
- 1773 – Duchess Therese of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, (d. 1839)
- 1777 – Marie Jules César Savigny, French zoologist (d. 1851)
- 1782 – Wincenty Krasiński, Polish nobleman (d. 1858)
- 1784 – Louis Spohr, German violinist, composer, and conductor (d. 1859)
- 1788 – Franz Pforr, German painter (d. 1812)
- 1793 – Casimir Delavigne, French poet and dramatist (d. 1843)
- 1793 – Felix de Muelenaere, Belgian politician (d. 1862)
- 1795 – Henry Havelock, British general (d. 1857)
- 1799 – Jacques Denys Choisy, Swiss clergyman and botanist (d. 1859)
- 1801 – Félix Dujardin, French biologist (d. 1860)
- 1801 – Vincenzo Gioberti, Italian philosopher, publicist and politician (d. 1852)
- 1804 – Matthias Jakob Schleiden, German botanist (d. 1881)
- 1809 – Karl Felix Halm, German scholar and critic (d. 1882)
- 1810 – Sir Henry Rawlinson, British East India Company army officer and politician (d. 1895)
- 1811 – Jules Dupré, French painter (d. 1889)
- 1814 – Felix Lichnowsky, Czech soldier and politician (d. 1848)
- 1822 – Émile Louis Victor de Laveleye, Belgian economist (d. 1892)
- 1827 – Joseph Lister, English surgeon and academic (d. 1912)
- 1832 – Jules Ferry, French lawyer and politician, 44th Prime Minister of France (d. 1893)
- 1834 – Prentice Mulford, American humorist and author (d. 1891)
- 1834 – Wilhelm Olbers Focke, German medical doctor and botanist (d. 1922)
- 1834 – Frank R. Stockton, American writer and humorist (d. 1902)
- 1835 – Vítězslav Hálek, Czech poet, writer, journalist, dramatist and theatre critic. (d. 1874)
- 1837 – Algernon Charles Swinburne, English poet, playwright, novelist, and critic (d. 1909)
- 1839 – Robert Smalls, African-American ship’s pilot, sea captain, and politician (d. 1915)
- 1840 – Ghazaros Aghayan, Armenian historian and linguist (d. 1911)
- 1842 – Hans Hildebrand, Swedish archaeologist (d. 1913)
- 1845 – Friedrich Sigmund Merkel, German anatomist and histopathologist (d. 1919)
- 1845 – Jules Cambon, French diplomat (d. 1935)
- 1846 – Sigmund Exner, Austrian physiologist (d. 1926)
- 1846 – Henry Wellesley, British peer and politician (d. 1900)
- 1848 – Thure de Thulstrup, American illustrator (d. 1930)
- 1848 – Ulrich Wille, Swiss army general (d. 1925)
- 1850 – Enrico Mazzanti, Italian engineer and cartoonist (d. 1910)
- 1852 – Émile Billard, French sailor (d. 1930)
- 1852 – Walter W. Winans, American marksman and sculptor (d. 1920)
- 1852 – Franz Eckert, German composer and musician (d. 1916)
- 1856 – Booker T. Washington, African-American educator, essayist and historian (d. 1915)
- 1857 – Alexander of Battenberg (d. 1893)
- 1858 – Washington Atlee Burpee, Canadian businessman, founded Burpee Seeds (d. 1915)
- 1859 – Reinhold Seeberg, German theologian (d. 1935)
- 1860 – Harry S. Barlow, British tennis player (d. 1917)
- 1862 – Louis Ganne, French conductor (d. 1923)
- 1862 – Leo Stern, English cellist (d. 1904)
- 1863 – Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine (d. 1950)
- 1867 – Ernest Lewis, British tennis player (d. 1930)
- 1869 – Sergey Chaplygin, Russian physicist, mathematician, and engineer (d. 1942)
- 1869 – Albert Roussel, French composer (d. 1937)
- 1870 – Motobu Chōki, Japanese karateka (d. 1944)
- 1871 – Stanisław Grabski, Polish economist and politician (d. 1949)
- 1872 – Samuel Cate Prescott, American microbiologist and chemist (d. 1962)
- 1873 – Joseph Rheden, Austrian astronomer (d. 1946)
- 1874 – Emmanuel Célestin Suhard, French Cardinal of the Catholic Church (d. 1949)
- 1874 – Manuel María Ponce Brousset, President of Peru (d. 1966)
- 1878 – Albert Champion, French cyclist (d. 1927)
- 1878 – Georg Misch, German philosopher (d. 1965)
- 1878 – Paul Weinstein, German high jumper (d. 1964)
- 1879 – Arthur Berriedale Keith, Scottish lawyer (d. 1944)
- 1879 – Nikolaus zu Dohna-Schlodien, German naval officer and author (d. 1956)
- 1880 – Eric Carlberg, Swedish Army officer, diplomat, shooter, fencer and modern pentathlete (d. 1963)
- 1880 – Vilhelm Carlberg, Swedish Army officer and shooter (d. 1970)
- 1882 – Song Jiaoren, Chinese revolutionary (d. 1913)
- 1882 – Natalia Sedova, 2nd wife of Leon Trotsky (d. 1962)
- 1883 – Walter Huston, Canadian-American actor and singer (d. 1950)
- 1884 – Ion Inculeț, Bessarabian academic and politician, President of Moldova (d. 1940)
- 1885 – Dimitrie Cuclin, Romanian composer (d. 1978)
- 1886 – Gotthelf Bergsträsser, German linguist (d. 1933)
- 1886 – Frederick Lindemann, British physicist (d. 1957)
- 1886 – Gustavo Jiménez, Peruvian colonel and politician, 73rd President of Peru (d. 1933)
- 1887 – William Cowhig, British gymnast (d. 1964)
- 1889 – Vicente Ferreira Pastinha, Brazilian martial artist (d. 1981)
- 1890 – Karl Kirk, Danish gymnast (d. 1955)
- 1890 – William Moore, British track and field athlete (d. 1956)
- 1891 – Arnold Jackson, English runner, soldier, and lawyer (d. 1972)
- 1891 – Laura Vicuña, Chilean nun (d. 1904)
- 1892 – Raymond Bonney, American ice hockey player (d. 1964)
- 1893 – Frithjof Andersen, Norwegian wrestler (d. 1975)
- 1893 – Clas Thunberg, Finnish speed skater (d. 1973)
- 1894 – Lawrence Dale Bell, American industrialist and founder of Bell Aircraft Corporation (d. 1956)
- 1894 – Hans Hüttig, German SS officer (d. 1980)
- 1894 – Carl Rudolf Florin, Swedish botanist (d. 1965)
- 1895 – Mike O’Dowd, American boxer (d. 1957)
- 1896 – Einar Lundborg, Swedish aviator (d. 1931)
- 1897 – Hans Schuberth, German politician (d. 1976)
- 1899 – Alfred Blalock, American surgeon and academic (d. 1964)
- 1900 – Herbert Bayer, Austrian-American graphic designer, painter, and photographer (d. 1985)
- 1900 – Roman Steinberg, Estonian wrestler (d. 1928)
- 1900 – Spencer Tracy, American actor (d. 1967)
- 1901 – Curt Bois, German actor (d. 1991)
- 1901 – Chester Bowles, American diplomat and ambassador (d. 1986)
- 1901 – Melvyn Douglas, American actor (d. 1981)
- 1901 – Doggie Julian, American football, basketball, and baseball player and coach (d. 1967)
- 1902 – Menachem Mendel Schneerson, Russian-American rabbi (d. 1994)
- 1903 – Marion Aye, American actress (d. 1951)
- 1904 – Richard Eberhart, American poet and academic (d. 2005)
- 1906 – Albert Charles Smith, American botanist (d. 1999)
- 1906 – Fernando Germani, Italian organist (d. 1998)
- 1906 – Ted Morgan, New Zealand boxer (d. 1952)
- 1907 – Sanya Dharmasakti, Thai jurist (d. 2002)
- 1908 – Bette Davis, American actress (d. 1989)
- 1908 – Kurt Neumann, German director (d. 1958)
- 1908 – Jagjivan Ram, Indian politician, 4th Deputy Prime Minister of India (d. 1986)
- 1908 – Herbert von Karajan, Austrian conductor and manager (d. 1989)
- 1909 – Albert R. Broccoli, American film producer, co-founded Eon Productions (d. 1996)
- 1909 – Giacomo Gentilomo, Italian film director and painter (d. 2001)
- 1909 – Károly Sós, Hungarian footballer and manager (d. 1991)
- 1909 – Erwin Wegner, German hurdler (d. 1945)
- 1910 – Sven Andersson, Swedish politician (d. 1987)
- 1910 – Oronzo Pugliese, Italian football manager (d. 1990)
- 1911 – Hedi Amara Nouira, Tunisian politician (d. 1993)
- 1911 – Johnny Revolta, American golfer (d. 1991)
- 1912 – Jehan Buhan, French fencer (d. 1999)
- 1912 – Habib Elghanian, Iranian businessman (d. 1979)
- 1912 – Antonio Ferri, Italian scientist (d. 1975)
- 1912 – Carlos Guastavino, Argentine composer (d. 2000)
- 1912 – Makar Honcharenko, Ukrainian footballer and manager (d. 1997)
- 1912 – John Le Mesurier, English actor (d. 1983)
- 1912 – István Örkény, Hungarian author and playwright (d. 1979)
- 1912 – Bill Roberts, English sprinter and soldier (d. 2001)
- 1913 – Antoni Clavé, Catalan artist (d. 2005)
- 1913 – Nicolas Grunitzky, 2nd President of Togo (d. 1969)
- 1913 – Ruth Smith, Faroese artist (d. 1958)
- 1914 – Felice Borel, Italian footballer (d. 1993)
- 1916 – Gregory Peck, American actor, political activist, and producer (d. 2003)
- 1917 – Robert Bloch, American author (d. 1994)
- 1917 – Frans Gommers, Belgian footballer (d. 1996)
- 1919 – Lester James Peries, Sri Lankan director, screenwriter, and producer (d. 2018)
- 1920 – Barend Biesheuvel, Dutch politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (d. 2001)
- 1920 – Arthur Hailey, English-Canadian soldier and author (d. 2004)
- 1920 – Alfonso Thiele, Turkish-Italian race car driver (d. 1986)
- 1920 – John Willem Gran, Swedish bishop (d. 2008)
- 1921 – Christopher Hewett, English actor and theatre director (d. 2001)
- 1922 – Tom Finney, English footballer (d. 2014)
- 1922 – Harry Freedman, Polish-Canadian horn player, composer, and educator (d. 2005)
- 1922 – Andy Linden, American race car driver (d. 1987)
- 1922 – Gale Storm, American actress and singer (d. 2009)
- 1923 – Ernest Mandel, German-born Belgian Marxist economist, Trotskyist activist and theorist (d. 1995)
- 1923 – Michael V. Gazzo, American actor (d. 1995)
- 1923 – Nguyễn Văn Thiệu, Vietnamese general and politician, 5th President of South Vietnam (d. 2001)
- 1924 – Igor Borisov, Soviet rower (d. before 2005)
- 1925 – Janet Rowley, American human geneticist (d. 2013)
- 1925 – Pierre Nihant, Belgian cyclist (d. 1993)
- 1926 – Roger Corman, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1926 – Liang Yusheng, Chinese writer (d. 2009)
- 1927 – Thanin Kraivichien, Thai lawyer and politician
- 1927 – Arne Hoel, Norwegian ski jumper (d. 2006)
- 1928 – Enzo Cannavale, Italian actor (d. 2011)
- 1928 – Tony Williams, American singer (d. 1992)
- 1929 – Hugo Claus, Belgian author, poet, and painter (d. 2008)
- 1929 – Ivar Giaever, Norwegian-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1929 – Nigel Hawthorne, English actor and producer (d. 2001)
- 1929 – Joe Meek, English songwriter and producer (d. 1967)
- 1929 – Mahmoud Mollaghasemi, Iranian wrestler
- 1930 – Mary Costa, American singer and actress
- 1930 – Pierre Lhomme, French director of photography (d. 2019)
- 1931 – Jack Clement, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2013)
- 1931 – Héctor Olivera, Argentine director, producer and screenwriter
- 1933 – Feridun Buğeker, Turkish footballer (d. 2014)
- 1933 – Frank Gorshin, American actor (d. 2005)
- 1933 – Barbara Holland, American author (d. 2010)
- 1933 – K. Kailasapathy, Sri Lankan journalist and academic (d. 1982)
- 1934 – John Carey, English author and critic
- 1934 – Roman Herzog, German lawyer and politician, 7th President of Germany (d. 2017)
- 1934 – Moise Safra, Brazilian businessman and philanthropist, co-founded Banco Safra (d. 2014)
- 1934 – Stanley Turrentine, American saxophonist and composer (d. 2000)
- 1935 – Giovanni Cianfriglia, Italian actor
- 1935 – Peter Grant, English talent manager (d. 1995)
- 1935 – Donald Lynden-Bell, English astrophysicist and astronomer (d. 2018)
- 1935 – Frank Schepke, German rower (d. 2017)
- 1936 – Ronnie Bucknum, American race car driver (d. 1992)
- 1936 – Glenn Jordan, American director and producer
- 1936 – Dragoljub Minić, Yugoslavian chess Grandmaster (d. 2005)
- 1937 – Joseph Lelyveld, American journalist and author
- 1937 – Jean-Pierre Petit, French scientist
- 1937 – Colin Powell, American general and politician, 65th United States Secretary of State
- 1937 – Andrzej Schinzel, Polish mathematician
- 1937 – Arie Selinger, Israeli volleyball player and manager
- 1937 – Juan Vicente Lezcano, Paraguayan footballer (d. 2012)
- 1938 – Colin Bland, Zimbabwean-South African cricketer (d. 2018)
- 1938 – Mal Colston, Australian educator and politician (d. 2003)
- 1938 – Nancy Holt, American sculptor and painter (d. 2014)
- 1938 – Natalya Kustinskaya, Soviet actress (d. 2012)
- 1939 – Leka I, Crown Prince of Albania (d. 2011)
- 1939 – Crispian St. Peters, English singer-songwriter (d. 2010)
- 1939 – Haidar Abu Bakr al-Attas, Prime Minister of Yemen
- 1939 – Ronald White, American singer-songwriter (d. 1995)
- 1939 – David Winters, English-American actor, choreographer and producer (d. 2019)
- 1940 – Tommy Cash, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1940 – Gilles Proulx, Canadian journalist, historian, and radio host
- 1941 – Michael Moriarty, American-Canadian actor
- 1941 – Dave Swarbrick, English singer-songwriter and fiddler (d. 2016)
- 1942 – Allan Clarke, English singer-songwriter
- 1942 – Pascal Couchepin, Swiss politician
- 1942 – Juan Gisbert Sr., Spanish tennis player
- 1942 – Peter Greenaway, Welsh director and screenwriter
- 1943 – Dean Brown, Australian politician, 41st Premier of South Australia
- 1943 – Max Gail, American actor and director
- 1943 – Fighting Harada, Japanese boxer
- 1943 – Miet Smet, Belgian politician
- 1943 – Jean-Louis Tauran, French cardinal (d. 2018)
- 1944 – Willeke van Ammelrooy, Dutch actress and director
- 1944 – János Martonyi, Hungarian politician
- 1944 – Evan Parker, British musician
- 1944 – Douangchay Phichit, Laotian politician (d. 2014)
- 1944 – Willy Planckaert, Belgian cyclist
- 1944 – Pedro Rosselló, Puerto Rican physician and politician, 7th Governor of Puerto Rico
- 1944 – Peter T. King, American soldier, lawyer, and politician
- 1945 – Ove Bengtson, Swedish tennis player
- 1945 – Steve Carver, American director and producer
- 1945 – Cem Karaca, Turkish musician (d. 2004)
- 1945 – Tommy Smith, English footballer (d. 2019)
- 1946 – Jane Asher, English actress
- 1946 – Julio Ángel Fernández, Uruguayan astronomer
- 1946 – Björn Granath, Swedish actor (d. 2017)
- 1946 – Georgi Markov, Bulgarian Greco-Roman wrestler
- 1947 – Đurđica Bjedov, Yugoslav swimmer
- 1947 – Willy Chirino, Cuban-American musician
- 1947 – Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Filipino academic and politician, 14th President of the Philippines
- 1947 – Ramón Mifflin, Peruvian footballer
- 1947 – Virendra Sharma, Indian-English lawyer and politician
- 1948 – Pierre-Albert Chapuisat, Swiss footballer
- 1948 – Dave Holland, English drummer (d. 2018)
- 1948 – Roy McFarland, English footballer and manager
- 1949 – Stanley Dziedzic, American wrestler
- 1949 – Larry Franco, American film producer
- 1949 – Judith Resnik, Ukrainian-American engineer and astronaut (d. 1986)
- 1950 – Ann C. Crispin, American writer (d. 2013)
- 1950 – Franklin Chang Díaz, Costa Rican-Chinese American astronaut and physicist
- 1950 – Agnetha Fältskog, Swedish singer-songwriter and producer
- 1950 – Toshiko Fujita, Japanese actress, singer and narrator (d. 2018)
- 1950 – Miki Manojlović, Serbian actor
- 1951 – Les Binks, Irish drummer and songwriter
- 1951 – Yevgeniy Gavrilenko, Belarusian hurdler
- 1951 – Nedim Gürsel, Turkish writer
- 1951 – Dean Kamen, American inventor and businessman, founded Segway Inc.
- 1951 – Dave McArtney, New Zealand singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2013)
- 1951 – Ubol Ratana, Thai Princess
- 1952 – Alfie Conn, Scottish international footballer, midfielder
- 1952 – John C. Dvorak, American author and editor
- 1952 – Sandy Mayer, American tennis player
- 1952 – Dennis Mortimer, English footballer
- 1952 – Mitch Pileggi, American actor
- 1953 – Frank Gaffney, American journalist and radio host
- 1953 – Keiko Han, Japanese actress
- 1953 – Tae Jin-ah, South Korean singer
- 1953 – Raleb Majadele, Israeli politician
- 1953 – Ian Swales, English accountant and politician
- 1954 – Guy Bertrand, Canadian linguist and radio host
- 1954 – Peter Case, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1954 – Mohamed Ben Mouza, Tunisian footballer
- 1954 – Stan Ridgway, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1954 – Yoshiichi Watanabe, Japanese footballer
- 1955 – Charlotte de Turckheim, French actress, producer, and screenwriter
- 1955 – Ricardo Ferrero, Argentine footballer (d. 2015)
- 1955 – Christian Gourcuff, French footballer and manager
- 1955 – Anthony Horowitz, English author and screenwriter
- 1955 – Bernard Longley, English prelate
- 1955 – Akira Toriyama, Japanese illustrator
- 1955 – Takayoshi Yamano, Japanese footballer
- 1956 – Diamond Dallas Page, American wrestler and actor
- 1956 – Leonid Fedun, Russian businessman
- 1956 – Reid Ribble, American politician
- 1957 – Sebastian Adayanthrath, Indian bishop
- 1957 – Karin Roßley, German hurdler
- 1958 – Henrik Dettmann, Finnish basketball coach
- 1958 – Ryoichi Kawakatsu, Japanese footballer
- 1958 – Johan Kriek, South African-American tennis player
- 1958 – Daniel Schneidermann, French journalist
- 1958 – Lasantha Wickrematunge, Sri Lankan lawyer and journalist (d. 2009)
- 1959 – Paul Chung, Hong Kong actor and host (d. 1989)
- 1960 – Asteris Koutoulas, Romanian-German record producer, manager, and author
- 1960 – Larry McCray, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1960 – Ian Redford, Scottish footballer and manager (d. 2014)
- 1960 – Hiromi Taniguchi, Japanese long-distance runner
- 1960 – Adnan Terzić, Bosnian politician
- 1961 – Andrea Arnold, English filmmaker and actress
- 1961 – Anna Caterina Antonacci, Italian soprano
- 1961 – Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, Bahraini-Danish human rights activist
- 1961 – Lisa Zane, American actress and singer
- 1962 – Lana Clarkson, American actress and model (d. 2003)
- 1962 – Sara Danius, Swedish scholar of literature and aesthetics
- 1962 – Richard Gough, Swedish born Scottish international footballer
- 1962 – Arild Monsen, Norwegian cross-country skier
- 1962 – Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, Russian businessman and politician, 1st President of Kalmykia
- 1963 – Arthur Adams, American comic book artist and writer
- 1964 – Neil Eckersley, British judoka
- 1964 – Vakhtang Iagorashvili, Soviet modern pentathlete
- 1964 – Levon Julfalakyan, Soviet Armenian Greco-Roman wrestler
- 1964 – Marius Lăcătuș, Romanian footballer and coach
- 1965 – Aykut Kocaman, Turkish footballer and manager
- 1965 – Lang Tzu-yun, Taiwanese actress
- 1965 – Elizabeth McIntyre, American freestyle skier
- 1965 – Svetlana Paramygina, Belarusian biathlete
- 1966 – Yoon Hyun, South Korean judoka
- 1966 – Mike McCready, American guitarist and songwriter
- 1967 – Troy Gentry, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2017)
- 1967 – Franck Silvestre, French footballer
- 1967 – Erland Johnsen, Norwegian footballer
- 1967 – Laima Zilporytė, Soviet cyclist
- 1968 – Paula Cole, American singer-songwriter and pianist
- 1969 – Dinos Angelidis, Greek basketball player
- 1969 – Viatcheslav Djavanian, Russian cyclist
- 1969 – Pontus Kåmark, Swedish footballer
- 1969 – Pavlo Khnykin, Ukrainian swimmer
- 1969 – Tomislav Piplica, Bosnian footballer and manager
- 1969 – Ravindra Prabhat, Indian writer and journalist
- 1970 – Soheil Ayari, French race car driver
- 1970 – Valérie Bonneton, French actress
- 1970 – Diamond D, American hip hop producer
- 1970 – Petar Genov, Bulgarian chess grandmaster
- 1970 – Thea Gill, Canadian actress
- 1970 – Miho Hatori, Japanese singer-songwriter
- 1970 – Irina Timofeyeva, Russian long-distance runner
- 1971 – Dong Abay, Filipino singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1971 – Austin Berry, Costa Rican footballer
- 1971 – Simona Cavallari, Italian actress
- 1971 – Victoria Hamilton, English actress
- 1971 – Nelson Parraguez, Chilean footballer
- 1971 – Kim Soo-nyung, South Korean archer
- 1972 – Krista Allen, American actress
- 1972 – Nima Arkani-Hamed, American-Canadian theoretical physicist
- 1972 – Tom Coronel, Dutch race car driver
- 1972 – Paul Okon, Australian footballer and manager
- 1972 – Yasuhiro Takemoto, Japanese animator and director (d. 2019)
- 1972 – Junko Takeuchi, Japanese actress
- 1973 – Élodie Bouchez, French-American actress
- 1973 – Lidia Trettel, Italian snowboarder
- 1973 – Pharrell Williams, American singer, songwriter and rapper
- 1974 – Sandra Bagarić, Croatian opera singer and actress
- 1974 – Julien Boutter, French tennis player
- 1974 – Katja Holanti, Finnish biathlete
- 1974 – Oleg Khodkov, Russian handball player
- 1974 – Ariel López, Argentine footballer
- 1974 – Lukas Ridgeston, Slovak actor and director
- 1974 – Vyacheslav Voronin, Russian high jumper
- 1975 – Sarah Baldock, English organist and conductor
- 1975 – John Hartson, Welsh footballer and coach
- 1975 – Juicy J, American rapper and producer
- 1975 – Serhiy Klymentiev, Ukrainian ice hockey player
- 1975 – Caitlin Moran, English journalist, author, and critic
- 1975 – Marcos Vales, Spanish footballer
- 1975 – Shammond Williams, American basketball player and coach
- 1976 – Luis de Agustini, Uruguayan footballer
- 1976 – Péter Biros, Hungarian water polo player
- 1976 – Sterling K. Brown, American actor
- 1976 – Aleksei Budõlin, Estonian judoka
- 1976 – Simone Inzaghi, Italian footballer
- 1976 – Fernando Morientes, Spanish footballer and coach
- 1976 – Natascha Ragosina, Russian boxer
- 1976 – Henrik Stenson, Swedish golfer
- 1976 – Valeria Straneo, Italian long-distance runner
- 1976 – Indrek Tobreluts, Estonian biathlete
- 1976 – Anouska van der Zee, Dutch cyclist
- 1977 – Jonathan Erlich, Israeli tennis player
- 1977 – Trevor Letowski, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1977 – Daniel Majstorović, Swedish footballer
- 1978 – Dwain Chambers, British track sprinter
- 1978 – Marcone Amaral Costa, Qatari footballer
- 1978 – Tarek El-Said, Egyptian footballer
- 1978 – Jairo Patiño, Colombian footballer
- 1978 – Sohyang, South Korean singer
- 1978 – Stephen Jackson, American basketball player
- 1978 – Arnaud Tournant, French cyclist
- 1978 – Franziska van Almsick, German swimmer
- 1978 – Günther Weidlinger, Austrian long-distance runner
- 1979 – Vlada Avramov, Serbian footballer
- 1979 – Josh Boone, American screenwriter and director
- 1979 – Song Dae-nam, South Korean judoka
- 1979 – Timo Hildebrand, German footballer
- 1979 – Imany, French singer
- 1979 – Barel Mouko, Congolese footballer
- 1979 – Cesare Natali, Italian footballer
- 1979 – Mitsuo Ogasawara, Japanese footballer
- 1979 – Alexander Resch, German luger
- 1979 – Andrius Velička, Lithuanian footballer
- 1979 – Dante Wesley, American football player
- 1979 – Chen Yanqing, Chinese weightlifter
- 1980 – Matt Bonner, American basketball player
- 1980 – Alberta Brianti, Italian tennis player
- 1980 – Rafael Cavalcante, Brazilian mixed martial artist
- 1980 – David Chocarro, Argentinian baseball player and actor
- 1980 – Mike Glumac, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1980 – Mario Kasun, Croatian basketball player
- 1980 – Lee Jae-won, South Korean DJ and singer
- 1980 – Joris Mathijsen, Dutch footballer
- 1980 – Rasmus Quist Hansen, Danish rower
- 1980 – Odlanier Solís, Cuban boxer
- 1981 – Matthew Emmons, American rifle shooter
- 1981 – Michael A. Monsoor, American sailor, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 2006)
- 1981 – Mariqueen Maandig, Filipino-American musician and singer-songwriter
- 1981 – Daba Modibo Keïta, Malian taekwondo athlete
- 1981 – Marissa Nadler, American musician
- 1981 – Tom Riley, English actor and producer
- 1981 – Mompati Thuma, Botswana footballer
- 1981 – Pieter Weening, Dutch cyclist
- 1982 – Hayley Atwell, English-American actress
- 1982 – Matheus Coradini Vivian, Brazilian footballer
- 1982 – Thomas Hitzlsperger, German footballer
- 1982 – Kelly Pavlik, American boxer
- 1982 – Matt Pickens, American soccer player
- 1982 – Alexandre Prémat, French race car driver
- 1982 – Danylo Sapunov, Ukrainian-Kazakhstani triathlete
- 1982 – Hubert Schwab, Swiss cyclist
- 1982 – Marcel Seip, Dutch former footballer
- 1983 – Jaime Castrillón, Colombian footballer
- 1983 – Jorge Andrés Martínez, Uruguayan footballer
- 1983 – Brock Radunske, Canadian-South Korean ice hockey player
- 1983 – Yohann Sangaré, French basketball player
- 1983 – Cécile Storti, French cross-country skier
- 1983 – Shikha Uberoi, Indian-American tennis player
- 1984 – Marshall Allman, American actor
- 1984 – Aram Mp3, Armenian singer and comedian
- 1984 – Rune Brattsveen, Norwegian biathlete
- 1984 – Alexei Glukhov, Russian ice hockey player
- 1984 – Maartje Goderie, Dutch field hockey player
- 1984 – Darija Jurak, Croatian tennis player
- 1984 – Dejan Kelhar, Slovenian footballer
- 1984 – Dmitry Kozonchuk, Russian cyclist
- 1984 – Shin Min-a, South Korean actress
- 1984 – Jess Sum, Hong Kong actress
- 1984 – Peter Penz, Austrian luger
- 1984 – Samuele Preisig, Swiss footballer
- 1984 – Cristian Săpunaru, Romanian footballer
- 1984 – Fabio Vitaioli, San Marinese footballer
- 1984 – Kisho Yano, Japanese footballer
- 1984 – Saba Qamar, Pakistani actress-model
- 1985 – Daniel Congré, French footballer
- 1985 – Erwin l’Ami, Dutch chess player
- 1985 – Jolanda Keizer, Dutch heptathlete
- 1985 – Sergey Khachatryan, Armenian violinist
- 1985 – Linas Pilibaitis, Lithuanian footballer
- 1985 – Jan Smeets, Dutch chess grandmaster
- 1985 – Kristof Vandewalle, Belgian cyclist
- 1986 – Anna Sophia Berglund, American model and actress
- 1986 – Anzor Boltukayev, Chechen wrestler
- 1986 – Diego Chará, Colombian footballer
- 1986 – Charlotte Flair, American wrestler, author and actress
- 1986 – Róbert Kasza, Hungarian Modern pentathlete
- 1986 – Eetu Muinonen, Finnish footballer
- 1986 – Manuel Ruz, Spanish footballer
- 1986 – Albert Selimov, Azerbaijani boxer
- 1987 – Max Grün, German footballer
- 1987 – Balázs Hárai, Hungarian water polo player
- 1987 – Anton Kokorin, Russian sprint athlete
- 1987 – Fyodor Kudryashov, Russian footballer
- 1987 – Etiënne Reijnen, Dutch footballer
- 1988 – Gerson Acevedo, Chilean footballer
- 1988 – Teresa Almeida, Angolan handball player
- 1988 – Quade Cooper, New Zealand rugby player and boxer
- 1988 – Jonathan Davies, Welsh rugby union player
- 1988 – Gevorg Ghazaryan, Armenian footballer
- 1988 – Alisha Glass, American ex-indoor volleyball player
- 1988 – Vurğun Hüseynov, Azerbaijani footballer
- 1988 – Matthias Jaissle, German footballer and manager
- 1988 – Jon Kwang-ik, North Korean footballer
- 1988 – Christopher Papamichalopoulos, Cypriot skier
- 1988 – Zack Smith, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1988 – Pape Sy, French basketball player
- 1988 – Alexey Volkov, Russian biathlete
- 1989 – Kader Amadou, Nigerien footballer
- 1989 – Yémi Apithy, Beninese fencer
- 1989 – Liemarvin Bonevacia, Dutch sprinter
- 1989 – Freddie Fox, English actor
- 1989 – Emre Güral, Turkish footballer
- 1989 – Justin Holiday, American basketball player
- 1989 – Rachel Homan, Canadian curler
- 1989 – Lily James, English actress
- 1989 – Trevor Marsicano, American speed skater
- 1989 – Jonathan Rossini, Swiss footballer
- 1989 – Kiki Sukezane, Japanese actress
- 1989 – Sosuke Takatani, Japanese wrestler
- 1990 – Alex Cuthbert, Welsh rugby player
- 1990 – Amer Said Al-Shatri, Omani footballer
- 1990 – Fredy Hinestroza, Colombian footballer
- 1990 – Chen Huijia, Chinese swimmer
- 1990 – Haruma Miura, Japanese actor and singer
- 1990 – Ismaeel Mohammad, Qatari footballer
- 1990 – Iryna Pamialova, Belarusian canoeist
- 1990 – Jakub Sedláček, Czech ice hockey player
- 1990 – Sercan Yıldırım, Turkish footballer
- 1990 – Género Zeefuik, Dutch footballer
- 1991 – Yassine Bounou, Moroccan footballer
- 1991 – Nathaniel Clyne, English footballer
- 1991 – Adriano Grimaldi, Italian-German footballer
- 1991 – Joël Mall, Swiss footballer
- 1991 – Guilherme dos Santos Torres, Brazilian footballer
- 1992 – Emmalyn Estrada, Canadian singer-songwriter and dancer
- 1992 – Shintaro Kurumaya, Japanese footballer
- 1992 – Kaveh Rezaei, Iranian footballer
- 1992 – Dmytro Ryzhuk, Ukrainian footballer
- 1993 – Andreas Bouchalakis, Greek footballer
- 1993 – Maya DiRado, American swimmer
- 1993 – Laura Feiersinger, Austrian footballer
- 1993 – Scottie Wilbekin, American-born naturalized Turkish basketball player
- 1994 – Mateusz Bieniek, Polish volleyball player
- 1994 – Edem Rjaïbi, Tunisian footballer
- 1994 – Richard Sánchez, Mexican footballer
- 1995 – Viliame Kikau, Fijian rugby league player
- 1995 – Sei Muroya, Japanese footballer
- 1995 – Gleb Rassadkin, Belarusian footballer
- 1995 – Sebastian Starke Hedlund, Swedish footballer
- 1996 – Nicolas Beer, Danish race car driver
- 1996 – Raouf Benguit, Algerian footballer
- 1997 – Borja Mayoral, Spanish footballer
- 1998 – Jeremy Olson
- 1999 – Andrea Buwalda
- 2000 – Ayush Mahesh Khedekar, Indian actor
- 2001 – Thylane Blondeau, French model and actress
Deaths on April 5
- 517 – Timothy I, Byzantine patriarch
- 582 – Eutychius, Byzantine patriarch
- 584 – Ruadán of Lorrha, Irish abbot
- 828 – Nikephoros I, Byzantine patriarch
- 902 – Al-Mu’tadid, Abbasid caliph
- 1168 – Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester, English politician (b. 1104)
- 1183 – Ramon Berenguer III, Spanish count of Cerdanya and Provence
- 1205 – Isabella I of Jerusalem, queen regent of Jerusalem (b. 1172)
- 1258 – Juliana of Liège, Belgian canoness and saint
- 1308 – Ivan Kőszegi, Hungarian baron and oligarch
- 1325 – Ralph de Monthermer, 1st Baron of Monthermer and Earl of Gloucester (b. c.1270)
- 1419 – Vincent Ferrer, Spanish missionary and saint (b. 1350)
- 1431 – Bernard I, margrave of Baden-Baden (b. 1364)
- 1512 – Lazzaro Bastiani, Italian painter (b. 1429)
- 1534 – Jan Matthys, Dutch anabaptist reformer
- 1594 – Catherine of Palma, Spanish nun (b. 1533)
- 1617 – Alonso Lobo, Spanish composer (b. 1555)
- 1626 – Anna Koltovskaya, Russian tsarina
- 1673 – François Caron, Belgian-French explorer and politician, 8th Governor of Formosa (b. 1600)
- 1674 – George Frederick, prince of Nassau-Siegen (b. 1606)
- 1679 – Anne Geneviève de Bourbon, French princess (b. 1619)
- 1684 – William Brouncker, English mathematician (b. 1620)
- 1684 – Karl Eusebius, prince of Liechtenstein (b. 1611)
- 1693 – Anne Marie Louise d’Orléans, French noblewoman (b. 1627)
- 1693 – Philip William August, German nobleman (b. 1668)
- 1695 – George Savile, English politician, Lord President of the Council (b. 1633)
- 1697 – Charles XI, king of Sweden (b. 1655)
- 1704 – Christian Ulrich I, German nobleman and Duke of Württemberg-Oels (b. 1652)
- 1708 – Christian Heinrich, German prince and member of the House of Hohenzollern (b. 1661)
- 1709 – Roger de Piles, French painter, engraver, art critic and diplomat (b. 1635)
- 1712 – Jan Luyken, Dutch poet, illustrator and engraver (b. 1649)
- 1717 – Jean Jouvenet, French painter (b. 1647)
- 1723 – Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach, Austrian architect, sculptor and historian (b. 1656)
- 1735 – William Derham, English minister and philosopher (b. 1657)
- 1751 – Frederick I, prince consort and king of Sweden (b. 1676)
- 1765 – Edward Young, English poet and author (b. 1683)
- 1767 – Princess Charlotte Wilhelmine of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, German princess of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (b. 1685)
- 1768 – Egidio Forcellini, Italian philologist (b. 1688)
- 1769 – Marc-Antoine Laugier, Jesuit priest (b. 1713)
- 1794 – Georges Danton, French lawyer and politician, French Minister of Justice (b. 1759)
- 1794 – François Chabot, French politician (b. 1756)
- 1794 – Camille Desmoulins, French journalist, lawyer, and politician (b. 1760)
- 1794 – Fabre d’Églantine, French actor, dramatist, poet and politician (b. 1750)
- 1794 – Marie-Jean Hérault de Séchelles, French judge and politician (b. 1759)
- 1794 – Pierre Philippeaux, French lawyer (b. 1754)
- 1794 – François Joseph Westermann, French general (b. 1751)
- 1799 – Johann Christoph Gatterer, German historian (b. 1727)
- 1804 – Jean-Charles Pichegru, French general (b. 1761)
- 1808 – Johann Georg Wille, German engraver (b. 1715)
- 1830 – Richard Chenevix, Irish chemist and playwright (b. 1774)
- 1831 – Pierre Léonard Vander Linden, Belgian entomologist (b. 1797)
- 1842 – Shah Shujah Durrani, 5th Emir of Afghanistan (b. 1785)
- 1852 – Prince Felix of Schwarzenberg, (b. 1800)
- 1861 – Ferdinand Joachimsthal, German mathematician (b. 1818)
- 1862 – Barend Cornelis Koekkoek, Dutch artist (b. 1803)
- 1865 – Manfredo Fanti, Italian general (b. 1806)
- 1866 – Thomas Hodgkin, British physician (b. 1798)
- 1868 – Karel Purkyně, Czech painter (b. 1834)
- 1871 – Paolo Savi, Italian geologist and ornithologist (b. 1798)
- 1872 – Paul-Auguste-Ernest Laugier, French astronomer (b. 1812)
- 1873 – Milivoje Blaznavac, Serbian soldier and politician (b. 1824)
- 1882 – Pierre Guillaume Frédéric le Play, (b. 1806)
- 1888 – Vsevolod Garshin, Russian author (b. 1855)
- 1891 – Johann Hermann Bauer, (b. 1861)
- 1900 – Joseph Bertrand, French mathematician, economist, and academic (b. 1822)
- 1900 – Osman Nuri Pasha, Ottoman field marshal and the hero of the Siege of Plevna in 1877 (b. 1832)
- 1901 – Angelo Messedaglia, Italian social scientist and statistician (b. 1820)
- 1902 – Hans Ernst August Buchner, German bacteriologist (b. 1850)
- 1904 – Ernst Leopold, 4th Prince of Leiningen (b. 1830)
- 1904 – Frances Power Cobbe, Irish writer (b. 1822)
- 1906 – Eastman Johnson, American painter (b. 1824)
- 1914 – Bernard Borggreve, German forestry scientist (b. 1836)
- 1916 – Maksim Kovalevsky, Russian sociologist (b. 1851)
- 1918 – George Tupou II, King of Tonga (b. 1874)
- 1918 – Paul Vidal de La Blache, French geographer (b. 1845)
- 1920 – Laurent Marqueste, French sculptor (b. 1848)
- 1921 – Alphons Diepenbrock, Dutch composer (b. 1862)
- 1921 – Sophie Elkan, Swedish-Jewish writer and translator (b. 1853)
- 1923 – George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon, English archaeologist and businessman (b. 1866)
- 1924 – Victor Hensen, German zoologist (b. 1835)
- 1928 – Roy Kilner, English cricketer and soldier (b. 1890)
- 1928 – Viktor Oliva, Czech painter and illustrator (b. 1861)
- 1929 – Francis Aidan Gasquet, English Benedictine monk (b. 1846)
- 1929 – Ludwig von Sybel, German archeologist (b. 1846)
- 1932 – María Blanchard, Spanish painter (b. 1881)
- 1933 – Earl Derr Biggers, American novelist and playwright (b. 1884)
- 1933 – Hjalmar Mellin, Finnish mathematician and functional theorist (b. 1854)
- 1934 – Salvatore Di Giacomo, Italian poet, playwright, songwriter and fascist intellectual (b. 1860)
- 1934 – Jiro Sato, Japanese tennis player (b. 1908)
- 1935 – Achille Locatelli, Roman Catholic cardinal (b. 1856)
- 1935 – Emil Młynarski, Polish conductor, violinist, composer, and pedagogue (b. 1870)
- 1935 – Franz von Vecsey, Hungarian violinist and composer (b. 1893)
- 1936 – Chandler Egan, American golfer and architect (b. 1884)
- 1937 – Gustav Adolf Deissmann, (b. 1866)
- 1937 – José Benlliure y Gil, Spanish painter (b. 1858)
- 1938 – Helena Westermarck, Finnish artist and writer (b. 1857)
- 1938 – Verner Lehtimäki, Finnish revolutionary (b. 1890)
- 1940 – Charles Freer Andrews, English-Indian priest, missionary, and educator (b. 1871)
- 1940 – Robert Maillart, Swiss civil engineer (b. 1872)
- 1940 – Jay O’Brien, American bobsledder (b. 1883)
- 1940 – Song Zheyuan, Chinese general (b. 1885)
- 1941 – Parvin E’tesami, Persian poet (b. 1907)
- 1941 – Nigel Gresley, Scottish-English engineer (b. 1876)
- 1941 – Franciszek Kleeberg, Polish general (b. 1888)
- 1945 – Heinrich Borgmann, German officer (b. 1912)
- 1945 – Karl-Otto Koch, German SS officer (b. 1897)
- 1946 – Vincent Youmans, American composer and producer (b. 1898)
- 1947 – Bernhard Pankok, German painter, artist and architect (b. 1872)
- 1947 – Elis Strömgren, Swedish-Danish astronomer (b. 1870)
- 1948 – Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, American socialite and philanthropist (b. 1874)
- 1949 – Erich Zeigner, Prime Minister of Saxony (b. 1886)
- 1950 – Hiroshi Yoshida, Japanese painter (b. 1876)
- 1952 – Agnes Morton, British tennis player (b.
- 1954 – Princess Märtha of Sweden, (b. 1901)
- 1954 – Claude Delvincourt, French pianist and composer (b. 1888)
- 1956 – William Titt, British gymnast (b. 1881)
- 1958 – Prince Ferdinand of Bavaria, (b. 1884)
- 1958 – Ásgrímur Jónsson, Icelandic painter (b. 1876)
- 1958 – Isidora Sekulić, Serbian writer (b. 1877)
- 1961 – Nikolai Kryukov, Russian composer (b. 1908)
- 1962 – Boo Kullberg, Swedish gymnast (b. 1889)
- 1963 – Jacobus Oud, Dutch architect (b. 1890)
- 1964 – James Chapin, American ornithologist (b. 1889)
- 1964 – Aloïse Corbaz, Swiss artist (b. 1886)
- 1964 – Douglas MacArthur, American general (b. 1880)
- 1965 – Pedro Sernagiotto, Italian-Brazilian footballer (b. 1908)
- 1965 – Sándor Szalay, Hungarian figure skater (b. 1893)
- 1967 – Mischa Elman, Ukrainian-American violinist (b. 1891)
- 1967 – Johan Falkberget, Norwegian author (b. 1879)
- 1967 – Hermann Joseph Muller, American geneticist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1890)
- 1967 – Herbert Johnston, British runner (b. 1902)
- 1968 – Félix Couchoro, Togolese writer (b. 1900)
- 1968 – Lajos Csordás, Hungarian footballer
- 1968 – Giuseppe Paris, Italian gymnast (b. 1895)
- 1969 – Alberto Bonucci, Italian actor and director (b. 1918)
- 1969 – Rómulo Gallegos, Venezuelan novelist and politician (b. 1917)
- 1969 – Ain-Ervin Mere, Estonian SS officer (b. 1903)
- 1970 – Louisa Bolus, South African botanist and taxonomist (b. 1877)
- 1970 – Alfred Sturtevant, American geneticist and academic (b. 1891)
- 1970 – Karl von Spreti, German diplomat (b. 1907)
- 1971 – José Cubiles, Spanish pianist and conductor (b. 1894)
- 1972 – Brian Donlevy, American actor and producer (b. 1901)
- 1973 – David Murray, British race car driver (b. 1909)
- 1973 – Isabel Jewell, American actress and singer (b. 1907)
- 1973 – Alla Tarasova, Russian ballerina (b. l898)
- 1974 – Bino Bini, Italian fencer (b. 1900)
- 1974 – A. Y. Jackson, Canadian painter (b. 1882)
- 1975 – Tell Berna, American middle and long-distance runner (b. 1891)
- 1975 – Victor Marijnen, Dutch politician (b. 1917)
- 1975 – Chiang Kai-shek, Chinese general and politician, 1st President of the Republic of China (b. 1887)
- 1975 – Harold Osborn, American track and fielder (b. 1899)
- 1976 – Howard Hughes, American pilot, engineer, and director (b. 1905)
- 1976 – Wilder Penfield, American-Canadian surgeon and academic (b. 1891)
- 1976 – Harry Wyld, British cyclist (b. 1900)
- 1977 – Carlos Prío Socarrás, President of Cuba, (b. 1903)
- 1977 – Yuri Zavadsky, Russian actor and director (b. 1894)
- 1981 – Émile Hanse, Belgian footballer (b. 1892)
- 1981 – Bob Hite, American singer-songwriter (b. 1945)
- 1981 – Pinchus Kremegne, French artist (b. 1890)
- 1982 – Abe Fortas, American lawyer and jurist (b. 1910)
- 1984 – Hans Lunding, Danish military officer (b. 1899)
- 1984 – Giuseppe Tucci, Italian scholar of oriental cultures (b. 1894)
- 1986 – Manly Wade Wellman, American writer (b. 1903)
- 1987 – Leabua Jonathan, 2nd Prime Minister of Lesotho (b. 1914)
- 1988 – Alf Kjellin, Swedish actor and director (b. 1920)
- 1989 – Frank Foss, American pole vaulter (b. 1895)
- 1989 – Karel Zeman, Czech director, artist, production designer and animator (b. 1910)
- 1991 – Sonny Carter, American soccer player, physician, and astronaut (b. 1947)
- 1991 – Jay Miller, American basketball player (b. 1943)
- 1991 – Jiří Mucha, Czech journalist, writer and screenwriter (b. 1915)
- 1991 – William Sidney, 1st Viscount De L’Isle (b. 1909)
- 1991 – John Tower, American soldier, academic, and politician (b. 1925)
- 1992 – Takeshi Inoue, Japanese footballer (b. 1928)
- 1992 – Molly Picon, American actress (b. 1898)
- 1992 – Sam Walton, American businessman, founded Walmart and Sam’s Club (b. 1918)
- 1993 – Divya Bharti, Indian actress (b. 1974)
- 1994 – Kurt Cobain, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1967)
- 1995 – Nicolaas Cortlever, Dutch chess player (b. 1915)
- 1995 – Emilio Greco, Italian sculptor and engraver (b. 1913)
- 1995 – Christian Pineau, French Resistance fighter (b. 1904)
- 1996 – Charlene Holt, American actress (b. 1928)
- 1997 – Allen Ginsberg, American poet (b. 1926)
- 1998 – Frederick Charles Frank, British theoretical physicist (b. 1911)
- 1998 – Cozy Powell, English drummer (b. 1947)
- 1999 – Giulio Einaudi, Italian book publisher (b. 1912)
- 2000 – Heinrich Müller, Austrian footballer (b. 1909)
- 2000 – Lee Petty, American race car driver (b. 1914)
- 2001 – Aldo Olivieri, Italian footballer (b. 1910)
- 2002 – Layne Staley, American singer-songwriter (b. 1967)
- 2002 – Kim Won-gyun, North Korean composer and politician (b. 1917)
- 2003 – Keizo Morishita, Japanese painter (b. 1944)
- 2004 – Fernand Goyvaerts, Belgian footballer (b. 1938)
- 2004 – Sławomir Rawicz, Polish lieutenant (b. 1915)
- 2004 – Heiner Zieschang, German mathematician and academic (b. 1936)
- 2005 – Saul Bellow, Canadian-American novelist, essayist and short story writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1915)
- 2005 – Robert Borg, American military officer and equestrian (b. 1913)
- 2005 – Chung Nam-sik, South Korean footballer (b. 1917)
- 2006 – Allan Kaprow, American painter and educator (b. 1927)
- 2006 – Gene Pitney, American singer-songwriter (b. 1941)
- 2006 – Yevgeny Seredin, Russian swimmer (b. 1958)
- 2006 – Pasquale Macchi, Roman Catholic archbishop (b. 1923)
- 2007 – Maria Gripe, Swedish journalist and author (b. 1923)
- 2007 – Leela Majumdar, Indian author and academic (b. 1908)
- 2007 – Werner Maser, German historian and journalist (b. 1922)
- 2007 – Mark St. John, American guitarist (b. 1956)
- 2007 – Thomas Stoltz Harvey, American pathologist (b. 1912)
- 2008 – Charlton Heston, American actor, director, and political activist (b. 1923)
- 2009 – I. J. Good, British mathematician (b. 1916)
- 2010 – Vitaly Sevastyanov, Soviet cosmonaut and engineer (b. 1935)
- 2011 – Baruch Samuel Blumberg, American physician and geneticist (b. 1925)
- 2011 – Ange-Félix Patassé, Central African politician (b. 1937)
- 2012 – Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, German designer (b. 1935)
- 2012 – Pedro Bartolomé Benoit, Dominican Republican politician military officer
- 2012 – Jim Marshall, English businessman, founded Marshall Amplification (b. 1923)
- 2012 – Barney McKenna, Irish musician (b. 1939)
- 2012 – Bingu wa Mutharika, Malawian economist and politician, 3rd President of Malawi (b. 1934)
- 2013 – Regina Bianchi, Italian actress (b. 1921)
- 2013 – Piero de Palma, Italian tenor and actor (b. 1924)
- 2014 – Alan Davie, Scottish saxophonist and painter (b. 1920)
- 2014 – Mariano Díaz, Spanish cyclist (b. 1939)
- 2014 – Peter Matthiessen, American novelist, short story writer, editor, co-founded The Paris Review (b. 1927)
- 2014 – John Pinette, American comedian (b. 1964)
- 2014 – José Wilker, Brazilian actor, director, and producer (b. 1947)
- 2015 – Fredric Brandt, American dermatologist and author (b. 1949)
- 2015 – Juan Carlos Cáceres, Argentinian singer and pianist (b. 1936)
- 2016 – Koço Kasapoğlu, Turkish footballer (b. 1936)
- 2017 – Attilio Benfatto, Italian cyclist (b. 1943)
- 2017 – Arthur Bisguier, American chess Grandmaster (b. 1929)
- 2017 – Paul G. Comba, Italian-American computer scientist and astronomer (b. 1926)
- 2017 – Makoto Ōoka, Japanese poet and literary critic (b. 1931)
- 2017 – Paul O’Neill, American rock composer and producer (b. 1956)
- 2017 – Tim Parnell, British race car driver (b. 1932)
- 2017 – Memè Perlini, Italian actor and director (b. 1947)
- 2017 – Atanase Sciotnic, Romanian sprint canoeist (b. 1942)
- 2017 – Ilkka Sinisalo, Finnish ice hockey player (b. 1958)
- 2018 – Isao Takahata, Japanese director (b. 1935)
- 2019 – Sydney Brenner, South African biologist (b. 1927)[16]
Holidays and observances on April 5
- Christian feast day:
- Albert of Montecorvino
- Derfel Gadarn
- Æthelburh of Kent
- Gerald of Sauve-Majeure
- Juliana of Liège
- Maria Crescentia Höss
- Blessed Mariano de la Mata
- Pandita Mary Ramabai (Episcopal Church (USA))
- Ruadhán of Lorrha
- Vincent Ferrer
- April 5 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Cold Food Festival, held on April 4 if it is a leap year (China); and its related observances:
- Earliest day on which Sham el-Nessim can fall, while May 9 is the latest; celebrated on Monday after the Orthodox Easter (Egypt)
- Children’s Day (Palestinian territories)
- Sikmogil (South Korea)
- National Maritime Day is observed in India, in commemoration of the first voyage of SS Loyalty of the Scindia Steam Navigation Company Ltd. in 1919.