Roman Emperor

  • June 9- History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 411 BC – The Athenian coup succeeds, forming a short-lived oligarchy.
    • AD 53 – The Roman emperor Nero marries Claudia Octavia.
    • AD 68 – Nero commits suicide, after quoting Homer’s Iliad, thus ending the Julio-Claudian dynasty and starting the civil war known as the Year of the Four Emperors.
    • 721 – Odo of Aquitaine defeats the Moors in the Battle of Toulouse.
    • 747 – Abbasid Revolution: Abu Muslim Khorasani begins an open revolt against Umayyad rule, which is carried out under the sign of the Black Standard.
    • 1311 – Duccio’s Maestà, a seminal artwork of the early Italian Renaissance, is unveiled and installed in Siena Cathedral in Siena, Italy.
    • 1523 – The Parisian Faculty of Theology fines Simon de Colines for publishing the Biblical commentary Commentarii initiatorii in quatuor Evangelia by Jacques Lefèvre d’Étaples.
    • 1534 – Jacques Cartier is the first European to describe and map the Saint Lawrence River.
    • 1667 – Second Anglo-Dutch War: The Raid on the Medway by the Dutch fleet begins. It lasts for five days and results in the worst ever defeat of the Royal Navy.
    • 1732 – James Oglethorpe is granted a royal charter for the colony of the future U.S. state of Georgia.
    • 1772 – The British schooner Gaspee is burned in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island.
    • 1798 – Irish Rebellion of 1798: Battles of Arklow and Saintfield.
    • 1815 – End of the Congress of Vienna: The new European political situation is set.
    • 1856 – Five hundred Mormons leave Iowa City, Iowa for the Mormon Trail.
    • 1862 – American Civil War: Stonewall Jackson concludes his successful Shenandoah Valley Campaign with a victory in the Battle of Port Republic; his tactics during the campaign are now studied by militaries around the world.
    • 1863 – American Civil War: Battle of Brandy Station, Virginia.
    • 1885 – Treaty of Tientsin is signed to end the Sino-French War, with China eventually giving up Tonkin and Annam – most of present-day Vietnam – to France.
    • 1900 – Indian nationalist Birsa Munda dies of cholera in a British prison.
    • 1915 – William Jennings Bryan resigns as Woodrow Wilson’s Secretary of State over a disagreement regarding the United States’ handling of the sinking of the RMS Lusitania.
    • 1923 – Bulgaria’s military takes over the government in a coup.
    • 1928 – Charles Kingsford Smith completes the first trans-Pacific flight in a Fokker Trimotor monoplane, the Southern Cross.
    • 1930 – A Chicago Tribune reporter, Jake Lingle, is killed during rush hour at the Illinois Central train station by Leo Vincent Brothers, allegedly over a $100,000 gambling debt owed to Al Capone.
    • 1944 – World War II: Ninety-nine civilians are hanged from lampposts and balconies by German troops in Tulle, France, in reprisal for maquisards attacks.
    • 1944 – World War II: The Soviet Union invades East Karelia and the previously Finnish part of Karelia, occupied by Finland since 1941.
    • 1948 – Foundation of the International Council on Archives under the auspices of the UNESCO.
    • 1953 – The Flint–Worcester tornado outbreak sequence kills 94 people in Massachusetts.
    • 1954 – Joseph Welch, special counsel for the United States Army, lashes out at Senator Joseph McCarthy during the Army–McCarthy hearings, giving McCarthy the famous rebuke, “You’ve done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?”
    • 1957 – First ascent of Broad Peak by Fritz Wintersteller, Marcus Schmuck, Kurt Diemberger, and Hermann Buhl.
    • 1959 – The USS George Washington is launched. It is the first nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine.
    • 1965 – The civilian Prime Minister of South Vietnam, Phan Huy Quát, resigns after being unable to work with a junta led by Nguyễn Cao Kỳ.
    • 1965 – Vietnam War: The Viet Cong commences combat with the Army of the Republic of Vietnam in the Battle of Đồng Xoài, one of the largest battles in the war.
    • 1967 – Six-Day War: Israel captures the Golan Heights from Syria.
    • 1968 – U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson declares a national day of mourning following the assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy.
    • 1972 – Severe rainfall causes a dam in the Black Hills of South Dakota to burst, creating a flood that kills 238 people and causes $160 million in damage.
    • 1973 – In horse racing, Secretariat wins the U.S. Triple Crown.
    • 1978 – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints opens its priesthood to “all worthy men”, ending a 148-year-old policy of excluding black men.
    • 1979 – The Ghost Train fire at Luna Park Sydney, Australia, kills seven.
    • 1999 – Kosovo War: The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and NATO sign a peace treaty.
    • 2008 – Two bombs explode at a train station near Algiers, Algeria, killing at least 13 people.
    • 2009 – An explosion kills 17 people and injures at least 46 at a hotel in Peshawar, Pakistan.
    • 2010 – At least 40 people are killed and more than 70 wounded in a suicide bombing at a wedding party in Arghandab, Kandahar.

    Births on June 9

    • 1016 – Deokjong of Goryeo, ruler of Korea (d. 1034)
    • 1424 – Blanche II of Navarre (d. 1464)
    • 1580 – Daniel Heinsius, Belgian poet and scholar (d. 1655)
    • 1588 – Johann Andreas Herbst, German composer and theorist (d. 1666)
    • 1595 – Władysław IV Vasa, Polish king (d. 1648)
    • 1597 – Pieter Jansz. Saenredam, Dutch painter (d. 1665)
    • 1640 – Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1705)
    • 1661 – Feodor III of Russia (d. 1682)
    • 1672 – Peter the Great, Russian emperor (d. 1725)
    • 1686 – Andrey Osterman, German-Russian politician, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 1747)
    • 1696 – Shiva Rajaram, infant Chattrapati of the Maratha Empire (d. 1726)
    • 1732 – Giuseppe Demachi, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1791)
    • 1754 – Francis Mackenzie, 1st Baron Seaforth, English general and politician, Governor of Barbados (d. 1815)
    • 1768 – Samuel Slater, English-American engineer and businessman (d. 1835)
    • 1781 – George Stephenson, English engineer, designed the Liverpool and Manchester Railway (d. 1848)
    • 1810 – Otto Nicolai, German composer and conductor (d. 1849)
    • 1812 – Johann Gottfried Galle, German astronomer and academic (d. 1910)
    • 1836 – Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, English physician and politician (d. 1917)
    • 1837 – Anne Isabella Thackeray Ritchie, English author (d. 1919)
    • 1842 – Hazard Stevens, American military officer, mountaineer, politician and writer (d. 1918)
    • 1843 – Bertha von Suttner, Austrian journalist and author, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1914)
    • 1845 – Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 4th Earl of Minto, English soldier, academic, and politician, 36th Governor-General of India (d. 1914)
    • 1845 – Frank Norton, American baseball player (d. 1920)
    • 1849 – Michael Ancher, Danish painter and academic (d. 1927)
    • 1851 – Charles Joseph Bonaparte, American lawyer and politician, 46th United States Attorney General (d. 1921)
    • 1861 – Pierre Duhem, French physicist, mathematician, and historian (d. 1916)
    • 1861 – Gustav Heinrich Johann Apollon Tammann, Russian-German chemist and physicist (d. 1938)
    • 1864 – Jeanne Bérangère, French actress (d. 1928)
    • 1865 – Albéric Magnard, French composer and educator (d. 1914)
    • 1865 – Carl Nielsen, Danish violinist, composer, and conductor (d. 1931)
    • 1868 – Jane Avril, French model and dancer (d. 1943)
    • 1874 – Launceston Elliot, Scottish weightlifter and wrestler (d. 1930)
    • 1875 – Henry Hallett Dale, English pharmacologist and physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1968)
    • 1879 – Harry DeBaecke, American rower (d. 1961)
    • 1882 – Robert Kerr, Irish-Canadian sprinter and coach (d. 1963)
    • 1885 – Felicjan Sławoj Składkowski, Polish general and politician, 27th Prime Minister of Poland (d. 1962)
    • 1890 – Leslie Banks, English actor, director, and producer (d. 1952)
    • 1891 – Cole Porter, American composer and songwriter (d. 1964)
    • 1893 – Irish Meusel, American baseball player and coach (d. 1963)
    • 1895 – Archie Weston, American football player and journalist (d. 1981)
    • 1898 – Luigi Fagioli, Italian race car driver (d. 1952)
    • 1900 – Fred Waring, American singer, bandleader, and television host (d. 1984)
    • 1902 – Skip James, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1969)
    • 1903 – Felice Bonetto, Italian race car driver (d. 1953)
    • 1903 – Marcia Davenport, American author and critic (d. 1996)
    • 1906 – Robert Klark Graham, American eugenicist and businessman, founded Repository for Germinal Choice (d. 1997)
    • 1908 – Luis Kutner, American lawyer, author, and activist (d. 1993)
    • 1908 – Branch McCracken, American basketball player and coach (d. 1970)
    • 1910 – Robert Cummings, American actor, singer, and director (d. 1990)
    • 1910 – Ted Hicks, Australian public servant and diplomat, Australian High Commissioner to New Zealand (d. 1984)
    • 1912 – Ingolf Dahl, German-American pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1970)
    • 1915 – Jim McDonald, American football player and coach (d. 1997)
    • 1915 – Les Paul, American guitarist and songwriter (d. 2009)
    • 1916 – Jurij Brězan, German soldier and author (d. 2006)
    • 1916 – Siegfried Graetschus, German SS officer (d. 1943)
    • 1916 – Robert McNamara, American businessman and politician, 8th United States Secretary of Defense (d. 2009)
    • 1917 – Eric Hobsbawm, Egyptian-English historian and author (d. 2012)
    • 1918 – John Hospers, American philosopher and politician (d. 2011)
    • 1921 – Arthur Hertzberg, American rabbi and scholar (d. 2006)
    • 1921 – Jean Lacouture, French journalist, historian, and author (d. 2015)
    • 1922 – George Axelrod, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2003)
    • 1922 – John Gillespie Magee, Jr., Anglo-American pilot and poet (d. 1941)
    • 1922 – Fernand Seguin, Canadian biochemist and academic (d. 1988)
    • 1923 – Gerald Götting, German politician (d. 2015)
    • 1924 – Ed Farhat, American wrestler and manager (d. 2003)
    • 1925 – Keith Laumer, American soldier and author (d. 1993)
    • 1925 – Herman Sarkowsky, German-American businessman and philanthropist, co-founded the Seattle Seahawks (d. 2014)
    • 1926 – Calvin “Fuzz” Jones, American singer and bass player (d. 2010)
    • 1926 – Happy Rockefeller, American philanthropist, 31st Second Lady of the United States (d. 2015)
    • 1927 – Jim Nolan, American basketball player (d. 1983)
    • 1928 – R. Geraint Gruffydd, Welsh critic and academic (d. 2015)
    • 1929 – Johnny Ace, American singer and pianist (d. 1954)
    • 1930 – Barbara, French singer (d. 1997)
    • 1930 – Jordi Pujol, Spanish physician and politician, 126th President of the Generalitat de Catalunya
    • 1931 – Jackie Mason, American comedian, actor, and screenwriter
    • 1931 – Nandini Satpathy, Indian author and politician, 8th Chief Minister of Odisha (d. 2006)
    • 1931 – Bill Virdon, American baseball player, coach, and manager
    • 1933 – Al Cantello, American javelin thrower and coach
    • 1934 – Michael Mates, English colonel and politician
    • 1934 – Jackie Wilson, American singer-songwriter (d. 1984)
    • 1935 – Dutch Savage, American wrestler and promoter (d. 2013)
    • 1936 – Nell Dunn, English playwright, screenwriter and author
    • 1936 – Mick O’Dwyer, Irish Gaelic footballer and manager
    • 1936 – George Radda, Hungarian chemist and academic
    • 1937 – Harald Rosenthal, German hydrobiologist and academic
    • 1938 – Jeremy Hardie, English economist and businessman
    • 1938 – Giles Havergal, Scottish actor, director, and playwright
    • 1938 – Charles Wuorinen, American composer and educator (d. 2020)
    • 1939 – Ileana Cotrubaș, Romanian soprano and actress
    • 1939 – Eric Fernie, Scottish historian and academic
    • 1939 – David Hobbs, English race car driver and sportscaster
    • 1939 – Dick Vitale, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster
    • 1939 – Charles Webb, American author
    • 1940 – André Vallerand, Canadian businessman and politician
    • 1941 – Jon Lord, English singer-songwriter and keyboard player (d. 2012)
    • 1942 – Anton Burghardt, German footballer and manager
    • 1942 – Nicholas Lloyd, English journalist
    • 1943 – John Fitzpatrick, English race car driver
    • 1943 – Charles Saatchi, Iraqi-English businessman, co-founded Saatchi & Saatchi
    • 1944 – Janric Craig, 3rd Viscount Craigavon, English accountant and politician
    • 1944 – Wally Gabler, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1946 – Deyda Hydara, Gambian journalist and publisher, co-founded The Point (d. 2004)
    • 1946 – James Kelman, Scottish author and playwright
    • 1946 – Peter Kilfoyle, English politician
    • 1946 – Giulio Terzi di Sant’Agata, Italian politician and diplomat, Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs
    • 1947 – Robert Indermaur, Swiss painter
    • 1947 – Robbie Vincent, UK disc jockey and radio presenter
    • 1948 – Jim Bailey, American football player
    • 1948 – Gudrun Schyman, Swedish social worker and politician
    • 1949 – Kiran Bedi, Indian police officer and activist
    • 1950 – Trevor Bolder, English bass player, songwriter, and producer (d. 2013)
    • 1950 – Fred Jackson, American football player and coach
    • 1950 – Giorgos Kastrinakis, Greek-American basketball player
    • 1951 – Michael Patrick Cronan, American graphic designer and academic (d. 2013)
    • 1951 – James Newton Howard, American composer, conductor, and producer
    • 1951 – Dave Parker, American baseball player and coach
    • 1951 – Brian Taylor, American basketball player
    • 1952 – Uzi Hitman, Israeli singer-songwriter (d. 2004)
    • 1952 – Billy Knight, American basketball player
    • 1953 – Ken Navarro, Italian-American guitarist and composer
    • 1954 – Pete Byrne, English singer-songwriter
    • 1954 – Paul Chapman, Welsh guitarist and songwriter
    • 1954 – Gregory Maguire, American author
    • 1954 – Elizabeth May, American-Canadian environmentalist, lawyer, and politician
    • 1954 – George Pérez, American author and illustrator
    • 1956 – Berit Aunli, Norwegian skier
    • 1956 – Patricia Cornwell, American journalist and author
    • 1956 – Marek Gazdzicki, Polish nuclear physicist
    • 1956 – Joaquín, Spanish footballer
    • 1956 – John Le Lievre, British squash player
    • 1956 – Kayhan Mortezavi, Iranian director
    • 1956 – Francine Raymond, French Canadian singer songwriter
    • 1956 – Nikolai Tsonev, Bulgarian politician
    • 1956 – Rudolf Wojtowicz, Polish footballer
    • 1957 – Randy Read, English crystallographer and academic
    • 1958 – David Ancrum, American basketball player and coach
    • 1959 – Peter Fowler, Australian golfer
    • 1960 – Steve Paikin, Canadian journalist and author
    • 1961 – Thomas Benson, American football player
    • 1961 – Michael J. Fox, Canadian-American actor, producer, and author
    • 1961 – Aaron Sorkin, American screenwriter, producer, and playwright
    • 1962 – Yuval Banay, Israeli singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1962 – Ken Rose, American football player
    • 1962 – David Trewhella, Australian rugby league player
    • 1963 – Gilad Atzmon, Israeli-English saxophonist, author, and activist
    • 1963 – Johnny Depp, American actor
    • 1963 – David Koepp, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1964 – Gloria Reuben, Canadian-American actress
    • 1964 – Wayman Tisdale, American basketball player and bass player (d. 2009)
    • 1967 – Rubén Maza, Venezuelan runner
    • 1968 – Niki Bakoyianni, Greek high jumper and coach
    • 1969 – André Racicot, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1969 – Eric Wynalda, American soccer player, coach, and sportscaster
    • 1971 – Gilles De Bilde, Belgian footballer and sportscaster
    • 1971 – Jean Galfione, French pole vaulter and sportscaster
    • 1971 – Jackie McKeown, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1972 – Matt Horsley, Australian footballer and coach
    • 1973 – Aigars Apinis, Latvian discus thrower and shot putter
    • 1973 – Tedy Bruschi, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1973 – Frédéric Choffat, Swiss director, producer, and cinematographer
    • 1973 – Grant Marshall, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1974 – Samoth, Norwegian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1975 – Otto Addo, German-Ghanaian footballer and manager
    • 1975 – Ameesha Patel, Indian actress and model
    • 1975 – Andrew Symonds, English-Australian cricketer
    • 1977 – Usman Afzaal, Pakistani-English cricketer
    • 1977 – Paul Hutchison, English cricketer
    • 1977 – Olin Kreutz, American football player
    • 1977 – Peja Stojaković, Serbian basketball player
    • 1978 – Matt Bellamy, English singer, musician and songwriter
    • 1978 – Shandi Finnessey, American model and actress, Miss USA 2004
    • 1978 – Miroslav Klose, German footballer
    • 1978 – Heather Mitts, American soccer player
    • 1978 – Hayden Schlossberg, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1979 – Dario Dainelli, Italian footballer
    • 1979 – Amanda Lassiter, American basketball player
    • 1980 – D’banj, Nigerian singer-songwriter and harmonica player
    • 1980 – Mike Fontenot, American baseball player
    • 1980 – Udonis Haslem, American basketball player
    • 1980 – Lehlohonolo Seema, South African footballer
    • 1981 – Natalie Portman, Israeli-American actress
    • 1982 – Parinya Charoenphol, Thai boxer, model, and actress
    • 1982 – Yoshito Ōkubo, Japanese footballer
    • 1982 – Christina Stürmer, Austrian singer-songwriter
    • 1983 – Firas Al-Khatib, Syrian footballer
    • 1983 – Josh Cribbs, American football player
    • 1983 – Dwayne Jones, American basketball player
    • 1983 – Danny Richar, Dominican-American baseball player
    • 1984 – Yulieski Gourriel, Cuban baseball player
    • 1984 – Jake Newton, Guyanese footballer
    • 1984 – Asko Paade, Estonian basketball player
    • 1984 – Masoud Shojaei, Iranian footballer
    • 1984 – Wesley Sneijder, Dutch footballer
    • 1985 – Richard Kahui, New Zealand rugby player
    • 1985 – Sonam Kapoor, Indian model and actress
    • 1985 – Sebastian Telfair, American basketball player
    • 1986 – Doug Legursky, American football player
    • 1986 – Yadier Pedroso, Cuban baseball player (d. 2013)
    • 1986 – Ashley Postell, American gymnast
    • 1987 – Jaan Mölder, Estonian race car driver
    • 1988 – Jason Demers, Canadian ice hockey defenseman
    • 1988 – Sara Isaković, Slovenian swimmer
    • 1989 – Dídac Vilà, Spanish footballer
    • 1990 – Matthias Mayer, Austrian skier
    • 1992 – Zach Hyman, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1992 – Yannick Agnel, French swimmer
    • 1992 – Boyd Cordner, Australian rugby league player
    • 1993 – George Jennings, Australian rugby league player

    Deaths on June 9

    • AD 68 – Nero, Roman emperor (b. 37)
    • 373 – Ephrem the Syrian, hymnographer and theologian (b. 306)
    • 597 – Columba, Irish missionary and saint (b. 521)
    • 630 – Shahrbaraz, king of the Persian Empire
    • 889 – Aimoin, Frankish monk and archivist
    • 908 – Yang Wo, Prince of Hongnong
    • 1075 – Gebhard of Supplinburg, Saxon count
    • 1087 – Otto I of Olomouc (b. 1045)
    • 1238 – Peter des Roches, bishop of Winchester
    • 1252 – Otto I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
    • 1348 – Ambrogio Lorenzetti, Sienese painter (b. 1290)
    • 1361 – Philippe de Vitry, French composer and poet (b. 1291)
    • 1563 – William Paget, 1st Baron Paget, English accountant and politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (b. 1506)
    • 1572 – Jeanne d’Albret, Navarrese queen and Huguenot leader (b. 1528)
    • 1583 – Thomas Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Sussex, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (b. 1525)
    • 1597 – José de Anchieta, Spanish Jesuit missionary (b. 1534)
    • 1647 – Leonard Calvert, Colonial governor of Maryland (b. 1606)
    • 1656 – Thomas Tomkins, Welsh-English composer (b. 1572)
    • 1716 – Banda Singh Bahadur, Indian commander (b. 1670)
    • 1717 – Jeanne Guyon, French mystic and author (b. 1648)
    • 1834 – William Carey, English minister and missionary (b. 1761)
    • 1870 – Charles Dickens, English novelist and critic (b. 1812)
    • 1875 – Gérard Paul Deshayes, French geologist and conchologist (b. 1795)
    • 1889 – Mike Burke, American baseball player (b. 1854)
    • 1892 – William Grant Stairs, Canadian-English captain and explorer (b. 1863)
    • 1901 – Adolf Bötticher, German historian and author (b. 1842)
    • 1923 – Princess Helena of the United Kingdom (b. 1846)
    • 1927 – Victoria Woodhull, American activist for women’s rights (b. 1838)
    • 1929 – Louis Bennison, American stage and silent film actor (b. 1884)
    • 1929 – Margaret Lawrence, American stage actress (b. 1889)
    • 1942 – František Erben, Czech gymnast (b. 1874)
    • 1952 – Adolf Busch, German-Austrian violinist and composer (b. 1891)
    • 1953 – Ernest Graves, Sr., American football player, coach, and general (b. 1880)
    • 1956 – Chandrashekhar Agashe, Indian industrialist and lawyer (b. 1888)
    • 1956 – Hans Bergsland, Norwegian fencer (b. 1878)
    • 1956 – Thomas Hicks, Australian tennis player (b. 1869)
    • 1956 – Ferdinand Jodl, German general (b. 1896)
    • 1958 – Robert Donat, English actor (b. 1905)
    • 1959 – Adolf Otto Reinhold Windaus, German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1876)
    • 1960 – Harry S. Hammond, American football player and businessman (b. 1884)
    • 1961 – Camille Guérin, French veterinarian, bacteriologist and immunologist (b. 1872)
    • 1963 – Jacques Villon, French painter (b.1875)
    • 1964 – Max Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook, British businessman and politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (b. 1879)
    • 1968 – Bernard Cronin, Australian author and journalist (b. 1884)
    • 1972 – Gilberto Parlotti, Italian motorcycle racer (b. 1940)
    • 1973 – Chuck Bennett, American football player and coach (b. 1907)
    • 1973 – John Creasey, English author and politician (b. 1908)
    • 1973 – Erich von Manstein, German general (b. 1887)
    • 1974 – Miguel Ángel Asturias, Guatemalan journalist, author, and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1899)
    • 1979 – Cyclone Taylor, Canadian ice hockey player and civil servant (b. 1884)
    • 1981 – Allen Ludden, American game show host (b. 1917)
    • 1984 – Helen Hardin, American painter (b. 1943)
    • 1989 – George Wells Beadle, American geneticist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1903)
    • 1991 – Claudio Arrau, Chilean-American pianist and educator (b. 1903)
    • 1993 – Alexis Smith, Canadian-born American actress (b. 1921)
    • 1994 – Jan Tinbergen, Dutch economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1903)
    • 1997 – Stanley Knowles, American-Canadian academic and politician (b. 1908)
    • 1998 – Lois Mailou Jones, American painter and academic (b. 1905)
    • 2000 – John Abramovic, American basketball player (b. 1919)
    • 2000 – Jacob Lawrence, American painter and academic (b. 1917)
    • 2004 – Rosey Brown, American football player and coach (b. 1932)
    • 2004 – Brian Williamson, Jamaican activist, co-founded J-FLAG (b. 1945)
    • 2006 – Drafi Deutscher, German singer-songwriter (b. 1946)
    • 2007 – Frankie Abernathy, American purse designer, cast-member on The Real World: San Diego (b. 1981)
    • 2008 – Algis Budrys, Lithuanian-American author and critic (b. 1931)
    • 2008 – Suleiman Mousa, Jordanian historian and author (b. 1919)
    • 2009 – Dick May, American race car driver (b. 1930)
    • 2010 – Ken Brown, British Guitarist who was a member of The Quarrymen (b. 1940)
    • 2011 – M. F. Husain, Indian painter and director (b. 1915)
    • 2011 – Tomoko Kawakami, Japanese voice actress (b. 1970)
    • 2011 – Mike Mitchell, American basketball player (b. 1956)
    • 2012 – Régis Clère, French cyclist (b. 1956)
    • 2012 – John Maples, Baron Maples, English lawyer and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Defence (b. 1943)
    • 2012 – Ivan Minatti, Slovene poet and translator (b. 1924)
    • 2012 – Hawk Taylor, American baseball player and coach (b. 1939)
    • 2012 – Abram Wilson, American-English trumpet player and educator (b. 1973)
    • 2013 – Iain Banks, Scottish author (b. 1954)
    • 2013 – Bruno Bartoletti, Italian conductor (b. 1926)
    • 2013 – John Burke, English rugby player (b. 1948)
    • 2013 – Walter Jens, German philologist, historian, and academic (b. 1923)
    • 2013 – Zdeněk Rotrekl, Czech poet and historian (b. 1920)
    • 2014 – Bernard Agré, Ivorian cardinal (b. 1926)
    • 2014 – Rik Mayall, English comedian, actor, and screenwriter (b. 1958)
    • 2014 – Elsie Quarterman, American ecologist and academic (b. 1910)
    • 2014 – Alicemarie Huber Stotler, American lawyer and judge (b. 1942)
    • 2014 – Gustave Tassell, American fashion designer (b. 1926)
    • 2014 – Bob Welch, American baseball player and coach (b. 1956)
    • 2015 – Pumpkinhead, American rapper (b. 1975)
    • 2015 – Pedro Zerolo, Spanish lawyer and politician (b. 1960)
    • 2017 – Adam West, American actor and investor (b. 1928)
    • 2018 – Fadil Vokrri, Kosovo Albanian football administrator and player (b. 1960)
    • 2019 – Bushwick Bill, Jamaican-American rapper (b. 1966)

    Holidays and observances on June 9

    • Anniversary of the Accession of King Abdullah II (Jordan)
    • Autonomy Day (Åland Islands)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Aidan of Lindisfarne (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America)
      • Bede (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America)
      • Columba
      • Ephrem the Syrian (Roman Catholic Church and Church of England)
      • José de Anchieta
      • Primus and Felician
      • June 9 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Coral Triangle Day
    • La Rioja Day (La Rioja)
    • Murcia Day (Murcia)
    • National Heroes’ Day (Uganda)

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

    • 1411 – King Charles VI granted a monopoly for the ripening of Roquefort cheese to the people of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon as they had been doing for centuries.
    • 1561 – The steeple of St Paul’s, the medieval cathedral of London, is destroyed in a fire caused by lightning and is never rebuilt.
    • 1615 – Siege of Osaka: Forces under Tokugawa Ieyasu take Osaka Castle in Japan.
    • 1745 – Battle of Hohenfriedberg: Frederick the Great’s Prussian army decisively defeated an Austrian army under Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine during the War of the Austrian Succession.
    • 1760 – Great Upheaval: New England planters arrive to claim land in Nova Scotia, Canada, taken from the Acadians.
    • 1783 – The Montgolfier brothers publicly demonstrate their montgolfière (hot air balloon).
    • 1784 – Élisabeth Thible becomes the first woman to fly in an untethered hot air balloon. Her flight covers four kilometres in 45 minutes, and reached 1,500 metres altitude (estimated).
    • 1792 – Captain George Vancouver claims Puget Sound for the Kingdom of Great Britain.
    • 1802 – King Charles Emmanuel IV of Sardinia abdicates his throne in favor of his brother, Victor Emmanuel.
    • 1812 – Following Louisiana’s admittance as a U.S. state, the Louisiana Territory is renamed the Missouri Territory.
    • 1825 – General Lafayette, a French officer in the American Revolutionary War, speaks at what would become Lafayette Square, Buffalo, during his visit to the United States.
    • 1855 – Major Henry C. Wayne departs New York aboard the USS Supply to procure camels to establish the U.S. Camel Corps.
    • 1859 – Italian Independence wars: In the Battle of Magenta, the French army, under Louis-Napoleon, defeat the Austrian army.
    • 1862 – American Civil War: Confederate troops evacuate Fort Pillow on the Mississippi River, leaving the way clear for Union troops to take Memphis, Tennessee.
    • 1876 – An express train called the Transcontinental Express arrives in San Francisco, via the First Transcontinental Railroad only 83 hours and 39 minutes after leaving New York City.
    • 1878 – Cyprus Convention: The Ottoman Empire cedes Cyprus to the United Kingdom but retains nominal title.
    • 1896 – Henry Ford completes the Ford Quadricycle, his first gasoline-powered automobile, and gives it a successful test run.
    • 1912 – Massachusetts becomes the first state of the United States to set a minimum wage.
    • 1913 – Emily Davison, a suffragette, runs out in front of King George V’s horse at The Derby. She is trampled, never regains consciousness, and dies four days later.
    • 1916 – World War I: Russia opens the Brusilov Offensive with an artillery barrage of Austro-Hungarian lines in Galicia.
    • 1917 – The first Pulitzer Prizes are awarded: Laura E. Richards, Maude H. Elliott, and Florence Hall receive the first Pulitzer for biography (for Julia Ward Howe). Jean Jules Jusserand receives the first Pulitzer for history for his work With Americans of Past and Present Days. Herbert B. Swope receives the first Pulitzer for journalism for his work for the New York World.
    • 1919 – Women’s rights: The U.S. Congress approves the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which guarantees suffrage to women, and sends it to the U.S. states for ratification.
    • 1920 – Hungary loses 71% of its territory and 63% of its population when the Treaty of Trianon is signed in Paris.
    • 1928 – The President of the Republic of China, Zhang Zuolin, is assassinated by Japanese agents.
    • 1932 – Marmaduke Grove and other Chilean military officers lead a coup d’état establishing the short-lived Socialist Republic of Chile.
    • 1939 – The Holocaust: The MS St. Louis, a ship carrying 963 Jewish refugees, is denied permission to land in Florida, in the United States, after already being turned away from Cuba. Forced to return to Europe, more than 200 of its passengers later die in Nazi concentration camps.
    • 1940 – World War II: The Dunkirk evacuation ends: British forces complete evacuation of 338,000 troops from Dunkirk in France. To rally the morale of the country, Winston Churchill delivers, only to the House of Commons, his famous “We shall fight on the beaches” speech.
    • 1942 – World War II: The Battle of Midway begins. The Japanese Admiral Chūichi Nagumo orders a strike on Midway Island by much of the Imperial Japanese Navy.
    • 1943 – A military coup in Argentina ousts Ramón Castillo.
    • 1944 – World War II: A hunter-killer group of the United States Navy captures the German submarine U-505: The first time a U.S. Navy vessel had captured an enemy vessel at sea since the 19th century.
    • 1944 – World War II: The United States Fifth Army captures Rome, although much of the German Fourteenth Army is able to withdraw to the north.
    • 1961 – Cold War: In the Vienna summit, the Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev sparks the Berlin Crisis by threatening to sign a separate peace treaty with East Germany and ending American, British and French access to East Berlin.
    • 1967 – Seventy-two people are killed when a Canadair C-4 Argonaut crashes at Stockport in England.
    • 1970 – Tonga gains independence from the United Kingdom.
    • 1975 – The Governor of California Jerry Brown signs the California Agricultural Labor Relations Act into law, the first law in the U.S. giving farmworkers collective bargaining rights.
    • 1979 – Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings takes power in Ghana after a military coup in which General Fred Akuffo is overthrown.
    • 1983 – Gordon Kahl, who killed two US Marshals in Medina, North Dakota on February 13, is killed in a shootout in Smithville, Arkansas, along with a local sheriff, after a four-month manhunt.
    • 1986 – Jonathan Pollard pleads guilty to espionage for selling top secret United States military intelligence to Israel.
    • 1988 – Three cars on a train carrying hexogen to Kazakhstan explode in Arzamas, Gorky Oblast, USSR, killing 91 and injuring about 1,500.
    • 1989 – Ali Khamenei is elected as the new Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran by the Assembly of Experts after the death and funeral of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
    • 1989 – The Tiananmen Square protests are suppressed in Beijing by the People’s Liberation Army, with between 241 and 1,000 dead (an unofficial estimate).
    • 1989 – Solidarity’s victory in the first (somewhat) free parliamentary elections in post-war Poland sparks off a succession of peaceful anti-communist revolutions in Eastern Europe, leads to the creation of the so-called Contract Sejm and begins the Autumn of Nations.
    • 1989 – Ufa train disaster: A natural gas explosion near Ufa, Russia, kills 575 as two trains passing each other throw sparks near a leaky pipeline.
    • 1996 – The first flight of Ariane 5 explodes after roughly 37 seconds. It was a Cluster mission.
    • 1998 – Terry Nichols is sentenced to life in prison for his role in the Oklahoma City bombing.
    • 2010 – Falcon 9 Flight 1 is the maiden flight of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, which launches from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex 40.

    Births on June 4

    • 1394 – Philippa of England, Queen of Denmark, Norway and Sweden (d. 1430)
    • 1489 – Antoine, Duke of Lorraine (d. 1544)
    • 1563 – George Heriot, Scottish goldsmith (d. 1624)
    • 1604 – Claudia de’ Medici, Italian daughter of Christina of Lorraine (d. 1648)
    • 1665 – Zacharie Robutel de La Noue, Canadian captain (d. 1733)
    • 1694 – François Quesnay, French economist and physician (d. 1774)
    • 1704 – Benjamin Huntsman, English inventor and businessman (d. 1776)
    • 1738 – George III of the United Kingdom (d. 1820)
    • 1744 – Patrick Ferguson, Scottish soldier, designed the Ferguson rifle (d. 1780)
    • 1754 – Miguel de Azcuénaga, Argentinian soldier (d. 1833)
    • 1754 – Franz Xaver von Zach, Slovak astronomer and academic (d. 1832)
    • 1787 – Constant Prévost, French geologist and academic (d. 1856)
    • 1801 – James Pennethorne, English architect, designed Victoria Park (d. 1871)
    • 1821 – Apollon Maykov, Russian poet and playwright (d. 1897)
    • 1829 – Jinmaku Kyūgorō, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 12th Yokozuna (d. 1903)
    • 1854 – Solko van den Bergh, Dutch target shooter (d. 1916)
    • 1860 – Alexis Lapointe, Canadian runner (d. 1924)
    • 1861 – William Propsting, Australian politician, 20th Premier of Tasmania (d. 1937)
    • 1866 – Miina Sillanpää, Finnish journalist and politician (d. 1952)
    • 1867 – Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, Finnish general and politician, 6th President of Finland (d. 1951)
    • 1873 – Nictzin Dyalhis, American author (d.1942)
    • 1877 – Heinrich Otto Wieland, German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1957)
    • 1879 – Mabel Lucie Attwell, English author and illustrator (d. 1964)
    • 1880 – Clara Blandick, American actress (d. 1962)
    • 1885 – Arturo Rawson, Argentinian general and politician, 26th President of Argentina (d. 1952)
    • 1887 – Tom Longboat, Canadian runner and soldier (d. 1949)
    • 1889 – Beno Gutenberg, German-American seismologist (d. 1960)
    • 1903 – Yevgeny Mravinsky, Russian conductor (d. 1988)
    • 1904 – Bhagat Puran Singh, Indian publisher, environmentalist, and philanthropist (d. 1992)
    • 1907 – Jacques Roumain, Haitian journalist and politician (d. 1944)
    • 1907 – Rosalind Russell, American actress (d. 1976)
    • 1907 – Patience Strong, English poet and journalist (d. 1990)
    • 1910 – Christopher Cockerell, English engineer, invented the hovercraft (d. 1999)
    • 1912 – Robert Jacobsen, Danish sculptor and painter (d. 1993)
    • 1915 – Walter Hadlee, New Zealand cricketer (d. 2006)
    • 1915 – Modibo Keïta, Malian educator and politician, 1st President of Mali (d. 1977)
    • 1915 – Nils Kihlberg, Swedish actor, singer, and director (d. 1965)
    • 1916 – Robert F. Furchgott, American biochemist and pharmacologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2009)
    • 1916 – Fernand Leduc, Canadian painter (d. 2014)
    • 1917 – Robert Merrill, American actor and singer (d. 2004)
    • 1921 – Milan Komar, Slovenian-Argentinian philosopher and academic (d. 2006)
    • 1921 – Bobby Wanzer, American basketball player and coach (d. 2016)
    • 1923 – Elizabeth Jolley, English-Australian author and academic (d. 2007)
    • 1923 – Masutatsu Ōyama, Japanese karateka (d. 1994)
    • 1924 – Tofilau Eti Alesana, Samoan politician, 5th Prime Minister of Samoa (d. 1999)
    • 1924 – Dennis Weaver, American actor and director (d. 2006)
    • 1925 – Antonio Puchades, Spanish footballer (d. 2013)
    • 1926 – Robert Earl Hughes, American who was the heaviest human being recorded in the history of the world during his lifetime (d. 1958)
    • 1926 – Ain Kaalep, Estonian poet, playwright, and critic (d. 2020)
    • 1926 – Judith Malina, German-American actress and director, co-founded The Living Theatre (d. 2015)
    • 1927 – Henning Carlsen, Danish director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2014)
    • 1927 – Geoffrey Palmer, English actor
    • 1928 – Ruth Westheimer, German-American therapist and author
    • 1929 – Karolos Papoulias, Greek lawyer and politician, 5th President of Greece
    • 1930 – George Chesworth, English air marshal and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Moray (d. 2017)
    • 1930 – Morgana King, American singer and actress (d. 2018)
    • 1930 – Viktor Tikhonov, Russian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2014)
    • 1931 – Gustav Nossal, Austrian-Australian biologist and academic
    • 1932 – John Drew Barrymore, American actor (d. 2004)
    • 1932 – Oliver Nelson, American saxophonist and composer (d. 1975)
    • 1932 – Maurice Shadbolt, New Zealand author and playwright (d. 2004)
    • 1934 – Monica Dacon, Vincentian educator and politician, 6th Governor-General of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
    • 1934 – Daphne Sheldrick, Kenyan-British conservationist and author (d. 2018)
    • 1935 – Colette Boky, Canadian soprano and actress
    • 1935 – Berhanu Dinka, Ethiopian economist and diplomat (d. 2013)
    • 1936 – Vince Camuto, American fashion designer and businessman, co-founded Nine West (d. 2015)
    • 1936 – Bruce Dern, American actor
    • 1937 – Freddy Fender, American singer and guitarist (d. 2006)
    • 1937 – Mortimer Zuckerman, Canadian-American businessman and publisher, founded Boston Properties
    • 1938 – John Harvard, Canadian journalist and politician, 23rd Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba (d. 2016)
    • 1938 – Art Mahaffey, American baseball player
    • 1939 – Jeremy Browne, 11th Marquess of Sligo, Anglo-Irish peer (d. 2014)
    • 1939 – Denis de Belleval, Canadian civil servant and politician
    • 1939 – Henri Pachard, American director and producer (d. 2008)
    • 1939 – George Reid, Scottish journalist and politician, 2nd Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament
    • 1940 – Ludwig Schwarz, Slovak-Austrian bishop
    • 1941 – Kenneth G. Ross, Australian playwright and screenwriter
    • 1942 – Louis Reichardt, American mountaineer
    • 1942 – Bill Rowe, Canadian lawyer and politician
    • 1943 – John Burgess, Australian radio and television host
    • 1943 – Sandra Haynie, American golfer
    • 1943 – Tom Jaine, English author
    • 1944 – Roger Ball, Scottish saxophonist and songwriter
    • 1944 – Michelle Phillips, American singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1945 – Anthony Braxton, American saxophonist, clarinet player, and composer
    • 1945 – Daniel Topolski, English rower and coach (d. 2015)
    • 1945 – Gordon Waller, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2009)
    • 1947 – Viktor Klima, Austrian businessman and politician, 25th Chancellor of Austria
    • 1948 – Bob Champion, English jockey
    • 1948 – Sandra Post, Canadian golfer and sportscaster
    • 1948 – Jürgen Sparwasser, German footballer and manager
    • 1949 – Gabriel Arcand, Canadian actor
    • 1949 – Mark B. Cohen, American lawyer and politician
    • 1950 – Raymond Dumais, Canadian bishop (d. 2012)
    • 1951 – Leigh Kennedy, American author
    • 1951 – Bronisław Malinowski, Polish runner (d. 1981)
    • 1951 – Melanie Phillips, English journalist and author
    • 1951 – Wendy Pini, American author and illustrator
    • 1951 – David Yip, English actor and playwright
    • 1952 – Bronisław Komorowski, Polish historian and politician, 5th President of Poland
    • 1952 – Dambudzo Marechera, Zimbabwean author and poet (d. 1987)
    • 1953 – Linda Lingle, American journalist and politician, 6th Governor of Hawaii
    • 1953 – Jimmy McCulloch, Scottish musician and songwriter (d. 1979)
    • 1953 – Susumu Ojima, Japanese businessman, founded Huser
    • 1953 – Paul Samson, English guitarist and producer (d. 2002)
    • 1954 – Raphael Ravenscroft, English saxophonist and composer (d. 2014)
    • 1954 – Kazuhiro Yamaji, Japanese actor and voice actor
    • 1955 – Val McDermid, Scottish author
    • 1955 – Mary Testa, American singer and actress
    • 1956 – Keith David, American actor
    • 1956 – John Hockenberry, American journalist and author
    • 1956 – Terry Kennedy, American baseball player and manager
    • 1956 – Joyce Sidman, American author and poet
    • 1957 – Neil McNab, Scottish footballer
    • 1959 – Juan Camacho, Bolivian runner
    • 1959 – Georgios Voulgarakis, Greek politician, 21st Greek Minister for Culture
    • 1960 – Miloš Đelmaš, Serbian footballer and manager
    • 1960 – Kristine Kathryn Rusch, American author
    • 1960 – Paul Taylor, American guitarist and keyboard player
    • 1960 – Bradley Walsh, English television presenter, comedian, singer and former footballer
    • 1961 – El DeBarge, American singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1961 – Ferenc Gyurcsány, Hungarian businessman and politician, 6th Prime Minister of Hungary
    • 1962 – Krzysztof Hołowczyc, Polish race car driver
    • 1962 – Zenon Jaskuła, Polish cyclist
    • 1962 – John P. Kee, American singer-songwriter and pastor
    • 1962 – Junius Ho, Hong Kong solicitor and politician
    • 1963 – Sean Fitzpatrick, New Zealand rugby union player
    • 1963 – Jim Lachey, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1963 – Xavier McDaniel, American basketball player and coach
    • 1964 – Sean Pertwee, English actor
    • 1964 – Kōji Yamamura, Japanese animator, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1965 – Mick Doohan, Australian motorcycle racer
    • 1965 – Andrea Jaeger, American tennis player and preacher
    • 1966 – Cecilia Bartoli, Italian soprano and actress
    • 1966 – Vladimir Voevodsky, Russian mathematician and academic (d. 2017)
    • 1966 – Bill Wiggin, English politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Wales
    • 1967 – Robert S. Kimbrough, American colonel and astronaut
    • 1968 – Roger Lim, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1968 – Niurka Montalvo, Cuban-Spanish long jumper
    • 1968 – Al B. Sure!, American R&B singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer
    • 1968 – Scott Wolf, American actor
    • 1969 – Horatio Sanz, Chilean-American actor and comedian
    • 1970 – Deborah Compagnoni, Italian skier
    • 1970 – Richie Hawtin, English-Canadian DJ and producer
    • 1970 – Dave Pybus, English bass player and songwriter
    • 1970 – Izabella Scorupco, Polish-Swedish actress and model
    • 1971 – Joseph Kabila, Congolese soldier and politician, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
    • 1971 – Mike Lee, American lawyer and politician
    • 1971 – Shoji Meguro, Japanese director and composer
    • 1971 – Karl Martin Sinijärv, Estonian journalist and poet
    • 1971 – Noah Wyle, American actor and producer
    • 1972 – Derian Hatcher, American ice hockey defenseman
    • 1972 – Rob Huebel, American comedian, actor, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1973 – Mikey Whipwreck, American wrestler and trainer
    • 1974 – Jacob Sahaya Kumar Aruni, Indian chef (d. 2012)
    • 1974 – Darin Erstad, American baseball player and coach
    • 1974 – Andrew Gwynne, English lawyer and politician
    • 1974 – Janette Husárová, Slovak tennis player
    • 1974 – Buddy Wakefield, American poet and author
    • 1975 – Russell Brand, English comedian and actor
    • 1975 – Henry Burris, American football player
    • 1975 – Angelina Jolie, American actress, filmmaker, humanitarian, and activist
    • 1975 – Dinanath Ramnarine, Trinidadian cricketer
    • 1975 – Alex Wharf, English cricketer
    • 1976 – Kasey Chambers, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1976 – Alexei Navalny, Russian lawyer and politician
    • 1976 – Nenad Zimonjić, Serbian tennis player
    • 1977 – Dionisis Chiotis, Greek footballer
    • 1977 – Alex Manninger, Austrian footballer
    • 1977 – Roman Miroshnichenko, Ukrainian guitarist and composer
    • 1977 – Roland G. Fryer Jr., American economist and professor
    • 1978 – Robin Lord Taylor, American actor
    • 1979 – Naohiro Takahara, Japanese footballer
    • 1979 – Daniel Vickerman, South African-Australian rugby player (d. 2017)
    • 1980 – François Beauchemin, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1981 – Jennifer Carroll, Canadian swimmer
    • 1981 – Giourkas Seitaridis, Greek footballer
    • 1981 – Natalia Vodopyanova, Russian basketball player
    • 1982 – Abel Kirui, Kenyan runner
    • 1982 – Ronnie Prude, American-Canadian football player
    • 1983 – Romaric, Ivorian footballer
    • 1983 – Emmanuel Eboué, Ivorian footballer
    • 1983 – Olha Saladuha, Ukrainian triple jumper
    • 1984 – Enrico Rossi Chauvenet, Italian footballer
    • 1984 – Rainie Yang, Taiwanese actress
    • 1984 – Ian White, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1985 – Leon Botha, South African painter and DJ (d. 2011)
    • 1985 – Anna-Lena Grönefeld, German tennis player
    • 1985 – Evan Lysacek, American figure skater
    • 1985 – Lukas Podolski, German footballer
    • 1985 – Oddvar Reiakvam, Norwegian politician
    • 1987 – Luisa Zissman, English businesswoman
    • 1987 – Mollie King, English singer-songwriter and model
    • 1988 – Matt Bartkowski, American ice hockey defenseman
    • 1988 – Kimberley Busteed, Australian model
    • 1989 – Federico Erba, Italian footballer
    • 1989 – Paweł Fajdek, Polish hammer thrower
    • 1990 – Zac Farro, American singer and drummer
    • 1990 – Evan Spiegel, American Internet entrepreneur
    • 1991 – Lorenzo Insigne, Italian footballer
    • 1991 – Matt McIlwrick, New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1991 – Ben Stokes, New Zealand-English cricketer
    • 1993 – Jonathan Huberdeau, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1995 – Shiori Tamai, Japanese singer
    • 1999 – Kim So-hyun, South Korean actress
    • 2004 – Mackenzie Ziegler, American dancer, singer, actress and model

    Deaths on June 4

    • 756 – Shōmu, Japanese emperor (b. 701)
    • 863 – Charles, archbishop of Mainz
    • 895 – Li Xi, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty
    • 946 – Guaimar II (Gybbosus), Lombard prince
    • 956 – Muhammad III of Shirvan, Muslim ruler
    • 1039 – Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 990)
    • 1102 – Władysław I Herman, Polish nobleman (b. c. 1044)
    • 1134 – Magnus I of Sweden (b. 1106)
    • 1135 – Emperor Huizong of Song (b. 1082)
    • 1206 – Adela of Champagne (b. 1140)
    • 1246 – Isabella of Angoulême (b. 1188)
    • 1257 – Przemysł I of Greater Poland (b. 1221)
    • 1394 – Mary de Bohun, wife of Henry IV of England (b.c. 1368)
    • 1453 – Andronikos Palaiologos Kantakouzenos, Byzantine commander
    • 1463 – Flavio Biondo, Italian historian and author (b. 1392)
    • 1472 – Nezahualcoyotl, Aztec poet (b. 1402)
    • 1585 – Muretus, French philosopher and author (b. 1526)
    • 1608 – Francis Caracciolo, Italian Catholic priest (b. 1563)
    • 1622 – Péter Révay, Hungarian soldier and historian (b. 1568)
    • 1647 – Canonicus, Grand Chief Sachem of the Narragansett (b. 1565)
    • 1663 – William Juxon, English archbishop and academic (b. 1582)
    • 1798 – Giacomo Casanova, Italian adventurer and author (b. 1725)
    • 1801 – Frederick Muhlenberg, American minister and politician, 1st Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (b. 1750)
    • 1809 – Nicolai Abildgaard, Danish neoclassical and history painter, sculptor and architect (b. 1743)
    • 1830 – Antonio José de Sucre, Venezuelan general and politician, 2nd President of Bolivia (b. 1795)
    • 1872 – Johan Rudolph Thorbecke, Dutch historian, jurist, and politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (b. 1798)
    • 1875 – Eduard Mörike, German pastor and poet (b. 1804)
    • 1876 – Abdülaziz of the Ottoman Empire, 32nd Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (b. 1830)
    • 1922 – W. H. R. Rivers, English anthropologist, neurologist, ethnologist, and psychiatrist (b. 1864)
    • 1925 – Margaret Murray Washington, American Academic (b. 1865)
    • 1926 – Fred Spofforth, Australian-English cricketer and coach (b. 1853)
    • 1928 – Zhang Zuolin, Chinese warlord (b. 1873)
    • 1929 – Harry Frazee, American director, producer, and agent (b. 1881)
    • 1931 – Hussein bin Ali, Sharif of Mecca, Sharif and Emir of Mecca, King of the Hejaz (b. 1853/54)
    • 1933 – Ahmet Haşim, Turkish poet and author (b. 1884)
    • 1939 – Tommy Ladnier, American trumpet player (b. 1900)
    • 1941 – Wilhelm II, German Emperor (b. 1859)
    • 1942 – Reinhard Heydrich, German SS officer and politician (b. 1904)
    • 1951 – Serge Koussevitzky, Russian-American bassist, composer, and conductor (b. 1874)
    • 1956 – Katherine MacDonald, American actress and producer (b. 1881)
    • 1962 – Clem McCarthy, American sportscaster (b. 1882)
    • 1967 – Linda Eenpalu, Estonian lawyer and politician (b. 1890)
    • 1968 – Dorothy Gish, American actress (b. 1898)
    • 1970 – Sonny Tufts, American actor (b. 1911)
    • 1971 – György Lukács, Hungarian historian and philosopher (b. 1885)
    • 1973 – Maurice René Fréchet, French mathematician and academic (b. 1878)
    • 1973 – Murry Wilson, American songwriter, producer, and manager (b. 1917)
    • 1981 – Leslie Averill, New Zealand doctor and soldier (b. 1897)
    • 1989 – Dik Browne, American cartoonist (b. 1917)
    • 1990 – Stiv Bators, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1949)
    • 1992 – Carl Stotz, American businessman, founded Little League Baseball (b. 1910)
    • 1993 – Bernard Evslin, American writer (b. 1922)
    • 1994 – Derek Leckenby, English musician (b. 1943)
    • 1997 – Ronnie Lane, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1946)
    • 1998 – Josephine Hutchinson, American actress (b. 1903)
    • 2002 – Fernando Belaúnde Terry, Peruvian architect and politician, 42nd President of Peru (b. 1912)
    • 2004 – Steve Lacy, American saxophonist and composer (b. 1934)
    • 2004 – Nino Manfredi, Italian actor (b. 1921)
    • 2007 – Clete Boyer, American baseball player and manager (b. 1937)
    • 2007 – Bill France, Jr., American businessman (b. 1933)
    • 2007 – Craig L. Thomas, American captain and politician (b. 1933)
    • 2010 – John Wooden, American basketball player and coach (b. 1910)
    • 2011 – Juan Francisco Luis, Virgin Islander sergeant and politician, 23rd Governor of the United States Virgin Islands (b. 1940)
    • 2011 – Andreas P. Nielsen, Danish author and composer (b. 1953)
    • 2012 – Peter Beaven, New Zealand architect, designed the Lyttelton Road Tunnel Administration Building (b. 1925)
    • 2012 – Pedro Borbón, Dominican-American baseball player (b. 1946)
    • 2012 – Rodolfo Quezada Toruño, Guatemalan cardinal (b. 1932)
    • 2012 – Herb Reed, American violinist (b. 1929)
    • 2013 – Walt Arfons, American race car driver (b. 1916)
    • 2013 – Joey Covington, American drummer (b. 1945)
    • 2013 – Hermann Gunnarsson, Icelandic footballer, handball player, and sportscaster (b. 1946)
    • 2013 – Will Wynn, American football player (b. 1949)
    • 2014 – George Ho, American-Hong Kong businessman (b. 1919)
    • 2014 – Nathan Shamuyarira, Zimbabwean journalist and politician, Zimbabwean Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1928)
    • 2014 – Sydney Templeman, Baron Templeman, English lawyer and judge (b. 1920)
    • 2014 – Don Zimmer, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1931)
    • 2015 – Marguerite Patten, English economist and author (b. 1915)
    • 2015 – Leonid Plyushch, Ukrainian mathematician and academic (b. 1938)
    • 2015 – Jabe Thomas, American race car driver (b. 1930)
    • 2015 – Anne Warburton, British academic and diplomat, British Ambassador to Denmark (b. 1927)
    • 2016 – Carmen Pereira, Bissau-Guinean politician (b. 1937)
    • 2017 – Juan Goytisolo, Spanish essayist, poet and novelist (b. 1931)

    Holidays and observances on June 4

    • Birthday of Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim & Flag Day celebration of the Finnish Defence Forces (Finland)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Filippo Smaldone
      • Francis Caracciolo
      • Optatus
      • Petroc of Cornwall
      • Quirinus of Sescia
      • Saturnina
      • June 4 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Emancipation Day or Independence Day, commemorates the abolition of serfdom in Tonga by King George Tupou in 1862, and the independence of Tonga from the British protectorate in 1970. (Tonga)
    • Flag Day (Estonia)
    • International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression (International)
    • National Unity Day (Hungary)
    • Tiananmen Square Protests of 1989 Memorial Day (International)

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

    • 350 – The Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, proclaims himself Roman emperor, entering Rome at the head of a group of gladiators.
    • 713 – The Byzantine emperor Philippicus is blinded, deposed and sent into exile by conspirators of the Opsikion army in Thrace. He is succeeded by Anastasios II, who begins the reorganization of the Byzantine army.
    • 1140 – The French scholar Peter Abelard is found guilty of heresy.
    • 1326 – The Treaty of Novgorod delineates borders between Russia and Norway in Finnmark.
    • 1539 – Hernando de Soto claims Florida for Spain.
    • 1608 – Samuel de Champlain completes his third voyage to New France at Tadoussac, Quebec.
    • 1621 – The Dutch West India Company receives a charter for New Netherland.
    • 1658 – Pope Alexander VII appoints François de Laval vicar apostolic in New France.
    • 1665 – James Stuart, Duke of York (later to become King James II of England), defeats the Dutch fleet off the coast of Lowestoft.
    • 1781 – Jack Jouett begins his midnight ride to warn Thomas Jefferson and the Virginia legislature of an impending raid by Banastre Tarleton.
    • 1839 – In Humen, China, Lin Tse-hsü destroys 1.2 million kilograms of opium confiscated from British merchants, providing Britain with a casus belli to open hostilities, resulting in the First Opium War.
    • 1861 – American Civil War: Battle of Philippi (also called the Philippi Races): Union forces rout Confederate troops in Barbour County, Virginia, now West Virginia.
    • 1864 – American Civil War: Battle of Cold Harbor: Union forces attack Confederate troops in Hanover County, Virginia.
    • 1866 – The Fenians are driven out of Fort Erie, Ontario back into the United States.
    • 1885 – In the last military engagement fought on Canadian soil, the Cree leader, Big Bear, escapes the North-West Mounted Police.
    • 1889 – The first long-distance electric power transmission line in the United States is completed, running 14 miles (23 km) between a generator at Willamette Falls and downtown Portland, Oregon.
    • 1916 – The National Defense Act is signed into law, increasing the size of the United States National Guard by 450,000 men.
    • 1935 – One thousand unemployed Canadian workers board freight cars in Vancouver, beginning a protest trek to Ottawa.
    • 1937 – The Duke of Windsor marries Wallis Simpson.
    • 1940 – World War II: The Luftwaffe bombs Paris.
    • 1940 – World War II: The Battle of Dunkirk ends with a German victory and with Allied forces in full retreat.
    • 1940 – Franz Rademacher proposes plans to make Madagascar the “Jewish homeland”, an idea that had first been considered by 19th century journalist Theodor Herzl.
    • 1941 – World War II: The Wehrmacht razes the Greek village of Kandanos to the ground and murders 180 of its inhabitants.
    • 1942 – World War II: Japan begins the Aleutian Islands Campaign by bombing Unalaska Island.
    • 1943 – In Los Angeles, California, white U.S. Navy sailors and Marines clash with Latino youths in the Zoot Suit Riots.
    • 1950 – Herzog and Lachenal of the French Annapurna expedition become the first climbers to reach the summit of an 8,000-metre peak.
    • 1962 – At Paris Orly Airport, Air France Flight 007 overruns the runway and explodes when the crew attempts to abort takeoff, killing 130.
    • 1963 – Soldiers of the South Vietnamese Army attack protesting Buddhists in Huế with liquid chemicals from tear-gas grenades, causing 67 people to be hospitalized for blistering of the skin and respiratory ailments.
    • 1965 – The launch of Gemini 4, the first multi-day space mission by a NASA crew. Ed White, a crew member, performs the first American spacewalk.
    • 1969 – Melbourne–Evans collision: off the coast of South Vietnam, the Australian aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne cuts the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Frank E. Evans in half.
    • 1973 – A Soviet supersonic Tupolev Tu-144 crashes near Goussainville, France, killing 14, the first crash of a supersonic passenger aircraft.
    • 1979 – A blowout at the Ixtoc I oil well in the southern Gulf of Mexico causes at least 3,000,000 barrels (480,000 m3) of oil to be spilled into the waters, the second-worst accidental oil spill ever recorded.
    • 1980 – An explosive device is detonated at the Statue of Liberty. The FBI suspects Croatian nationalists.
    • 1980 – The 1980 Grand Island tornado outbreak hits Nebraska, causing five deaths and $300 million (equivalent to $931 million in 2019) worth of damage.
    • 1982 – The Israeli ambassador to the United Kingdom, Shlomo Argov, is shot on a London street; he survives but is left paralysed.
    • 1984 – Operation Blue Star, a military offensive, is launched by the Indian government at Harmandir Sahib, also known as the Golden Temple, the holiest shrine for Sikhs, in Amritsar. The operation continues until June 6, with casualties, most of them civilians, in excess of 5,000.
    • 1989 – The government of China sends troops to force protesters out of Tiananmen Square after seven weeks of occupation.
    • 1991 – Mount Unzen erupts in Kyūshū, Japan, killing 43 people, all of them either researchers or journalists.
    • 1992 – Aboriginal land rights are granted in Australia in Mabo v Queensland (No 2), a case brought by Eddie Mabo.
    • 1998 – After suffering a mechanical failure, a high speed train derails at Eschede, Germany, killing 101 people.
    • 2006 – The union of Serbia and Montenegro comes to an end with Montenegro’s formal declaration of independence.
    • 2012 – A plane carrying 153 people on board crashes in a residential neighborhood in Lagos, Nigeria, killing everyone on board and 10 people on the ground.
    • 2012 – The pageant for the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II takes place on the River Thames.
    • 2013 – The trial of United States Army private Chelsea Manning for leaking classified material to WikiLeaks begins in Fort Meade, Maryland.
    • 2013 – At least 119 people are killed in a fire at a poultry farm in Jilin Province in northeastern China.
    • 2015 – An explosion at a gasoline station in Accra, Ghana, killing more than 200 people.
    • 2017 – London Bridge attack: Eight people are murdered and dozens of civilians are wounded by Islamist terrorists. Three of the attackers are shot dead by the police.
    • 2019 – Khartoum massacre: In Sudan, over 100 people are killed when security forces accompanied by Janjaweed militiamen storm and open fire on a sit-in protest.

    Births on June 3

    • 20 BC – Sejanus, Roman soldier and bodyguard (d. 31 AD)
    • 1139 – Conon of Naso, Basilian abbot (d. 1236)
    • 1421 – Giovanni di Cosimo de’ Medici, Italian noble (d. 1463)
    • 1454 – Bogislaw X, Duke of Pomerania (1474–1523) (d. 1523)
    • 1537 – João Manuel, Prince of Portugal (d. 1554)
    • 1540 – Charles II, Archduke of Austria (d. 1590)
    • 1554 – Pietro de’ Medici, Italian noble (d. 1604)
    • 1576 – Giovanni Diodati, Swiss-Italian minister, theologian, and academic (d. 1649)
    • 1594 – César, Duke of Vendôme, French nobleman (d. 1665)
    • 1603 – Pietro Paolini, Italian painter (d. 1681)
    • 1635 – Philippe Quinault, French playwright and composer (d. 1688)
    • 1636 – John Hale, American minister (d. 1700)
    • 1659 – David Gregory, Scottish-English mathematician and astronomer (d. 1708)
    • 1662 – Willem van Mieris, Dutch painter (d. 1747)
    • 1723 – Giovanni Antonio Scopoli, Italian physician, geologist, and botanist (d. 1788)
    • 1726 – James Hutton, Scottish geologist and physician (d. 1797)
    • 1736 – Ignaz Fränzl, German violinist and composer (d. 1811)
    • 1770 – Manuel Belgrano, Argentinian economist, lawyer, and politician (d. 1820)
    • 1808 – Jefferson Davis, American colonel and politician, President of the Confederate States of America (d. 1889)
    • 1818 – Louis Faidherbe, French general and politician, Governor of Senegal (d. 1889)
    • 1819 – Anton Anderledy, Swiss religious leader, 23rd Superior General of the Society of Jesus (d. 1892)
    • 1819 – Johan Jongkind, Dutch painter (d. 1891)
    • 1832 – Charles Lecocq, French pianist and composer (d. 1918)
    • 1843 – Frederick VIII of Denmark (d. 1912)
    • 1844 – Garret Hobart, American lawyer and politician, 24th Vice President of the United States (d. 1899)
    • 1844 – Detlev von Liliencron, German poet and author (d. 1909)
    • 1852 – Theodore Robinson, American painter and academic (d. 1896)
    • 1853 – Flinders Petrie, English archaeologist and academic (d. 1942)
    • 1864 – Otto Erich Hartleben, German poet and playwright (d. 1905)
    • 1864 – Ransom E. Olds, American businessman, founded Oldsmobile and REO Motor Car Company (d. 1950)
    • 1865 – George V of the United Kingdom (d. 1936)
    • 1866 – George Howells Broadhurst, English-American director and manager (d. 1952)
    • 1873 – Otto Loewi, German-American pharmacologist and psychobiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1961)
    • 1877 – Raoul Dufy, French painter and illustrator (d. 1953)
    • 1879 – Alla Nazimova, Ukrainian-American actress, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1945)
    • 1879 – Raymond Pearl, American biologist and botanist (d. 1940)
    • 1879 – Vivian Woodward, English footballer and soldier (d. 1954)
    • 1881 – Mikhail Larionov, Russian painter and set designer (d. 1964)
    • 1890 – Baburao Painter, Indian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1954)
    • 1897 – Memphis Minnie, American singer-songwriter (d. 1973)
    • 1899 – Georg von Békésy, Hungarian-American biophysicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1972)
    • 1900 – Adelaide Ames, American astronomer and academic (d. 1932)
    • 1900 – Leo Picard, German-Israeli geologist and academic (d. 1997)
    • 1901 – Maurice Evans, English actor (d. 1989)
    • 1901 – Zhang Xueliang, Chinese general and warlord (d. 2001)
    • 1903 – Eddie Acuff, American actor (d. 1956)
    • 1904 – Charles R. Drew, American physician and surgeon (d. 1950)
    • 1904 – Jan Peerce, American tenor and actor (d. 1984)
    • 1905 – Martin Gottfried Weiss, German SS officer (d. 1946)
    • 1906 – R. G. D. Allen, English economist, mathematician, and statistician (d. 1983)
    • 1906 – Josephine Baker, French actress, singer, and dancer; French Resistance operative (d. 1975)
    • 1906 – Walter Robins, English cricketer and footballer (d. 1968)
    • 1907 – Paul Rotha, English director and producer (d. 1984)
    • 1910 – Paulette Goddard, American actress and model (d. 1990)
    • 1911 – Ellen Corby, American actress and screenwriter (d. 1999)
    • 1913 – Pedro Mir, Dominican poet and author (d. 2000)
    • 1914 – Ignacio Ponseti, Spanish physician and orthopedist (d. 2009)
    • 1917 – Leo Gorcey, American actor (d. 1969)
    • 1918 – Patrick Cargill, English actor and producer (d. 1996)
    • 1918 – Lili St. Cyr, American dancer (d. 1999)
    • 1921 – Forbes Carlile, Australian pentathlete and coach (d. 2016)
    • 1921 – Jean Dréjac, French singer and composer (d. 2003)
    • 1922 – Alain Resnais, French director, cinematographer, and screenwriter (d. 2014)
    • 1923 – Igor Shafarevich, Russian mathematician and theorist (d. 2017)
    • 1924 – Karunanidhi, Indian screenwriter and politician, 3rd Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu (d. 2018)
    • 1924 – Colleen Dewhurst, Canadian-American actress (d. 1991)
    • 1924 – Bernard Glasser, American director and producer (d. 2014)
    • 1924 – Jimmy Rogers, American singer and guitarist (d. 1997)
    • 1924 – Torsten Wiesel, Swedish neurophysiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1925 – Tony Curtis, American actor (d. 2010)
    • 1925 – Thomas Winning, Scottish cardinal (d. 2001)
    • 1926 – Allen Ginsberg, American poet (d. 1997)
    • 1926 – Flora MacDonald, Canadian banker and politician, 10th Canadian Minister of Communications (d. 2015)
    • 1927 – Boots Randolph, American saxophonist and composer (d. 2007)
    • 1928 – Donald Judd, American sculptor and painter (d. 1994)
    • 1928 – John Richard Reid, New Zealand cricketer
    • 1929 – Werner Arber, Swiss microbiologist and geneticist, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1929 – Chuck Barris, American game show host and producer (d. 2017)
    • 1930 – Marion Zimmer Bradley, American author and poet (d. 1999)
    • 1930 – George Fernandes, Indian journalist and politician, Minister of Defence for India (d. 2019)
    • 1930 – Dakota Staton, American singer (d. 2007)
    • 1930 – Abbas Zandi, Iranian wrestler (d. 2017)
    • 1930 – Ben Wada, Japanese director and producer (d. 2011)
    • 1930 – Joe Coulombe, founder of Trader Joe’s (d. 2020)
    • 1931 – Françoise Arnoul, Algerian-French actress
    • 1931 – Raúl Castro, Cuban commander and politician, 18th President of Cuba
    • 1931 – John Norman, American philosopher and author
    • 1931 – Lindy Remigino, American runner and coach (d. 2018)
    • 1933 – Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Bahranian king (d. 1999)
    • 1936 – Larry McMurtry, American novelist and screenwriter
    • 1936 – Colin Meads, New Zealand rugby player and coach (d. 2017)
    • 1937 – Jean-Pierre Jaussaud, French race car driver
    • 1939 – Frank Blevins, English-Australian lawyer and politician, 7th Deputy Premier of South Australia (d. 2013)
    • 1939 – Steve Dalkowski, American baseball player (d. 2020)
    • 1939 – Ian Hunter, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1942 – Curtis Mayfield, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 1999)
    • 1943 – Billy Cunningham, American basketball player and coach
    • 1944 – Thomas Burns, British bishop
    • 1944 – Edith McGuire, American sprinter and educator
    • 1944 – Eddy Ottoz, Italian hurdler and coach
    • 1945 – Hale Irwin, American golfer and architect
    • 1945 – Ramon Jacinto, Filipino singer, guitarist, and businessman, founded the Rajah Broadcasting Network
    • 1945 – Bill Paterson, Scottish actor
    • 1946 – Michael Clarke, American drummer (d. 1993)
    • 1946 – Eddie Holman, American pop/R&B/gospel singer
    • 1946 – Penelope Wilton, English actress
    • 1947 – John Dykstra, American special effects artist and producer
    • 1947 – Mickey Finn, English drummer (d. 2003)
    • 1948 – Jan Reker, Dutch footballer and manager
    • 1950 – Frédéric François, Belgian-Italian singer-songwriter
    • 1950 – Melissa Mathison, American screenwriter and producer (d. 2015)
    • 1950 – Juan José Muñoz, Argentinian businessman (d. 2013)
    • 1950 – Larry Probst, American businessman
    • 1950 – Suzi Quatro, American-English singer-songwriter, bass player, producer, and actress
    • 1950 – Christos Verelis, Greek politician, Greek Minister of Transport and Communications
    • 1950 – Deniece Williams, American singer-songwriter
    • 1952 – Billy Powell, American keyboard player and songwriter (d. 2009)
    • 1952 – David Richards, Welsh entrepreneur and businessman
    • 1954 – Dan Hill, Canadian singer-songwriter
    • 1954 – Susan Landau, American mathematician and engineer
    • 1956 – George Burley, Scottish footballer and manager
    • 1956 – Danny Wilde, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1957 – Horst-Ulrich Hänel, German field hockey player
    • 1959 – Imbi Paju, Estonian-Finnish journalist and author
    • 1960 – Catherine Davani, first female Papua New Guinean judge (d. 2016)
    • 1960 – Tracy Grimshaw, Australian television host
    • 1960 – Carl Rackemann, Australian cricketer and sportscaster
    • 1961 – Lawrence Lessig, American lawyer, academic, and author, founded the Creative Commons
    • 1961 – Peter Vidmar, American gymnast
    • 1961 – Ed Wynne, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer
    • 1962 – Susannah Constantine, English fashion designer, journalist, and author
    • 1962 – Dagmar Neubauer, German sprinter
    • 1963 – Rudy Demotte, Belgian politician, 8th Minister-President of the Walloon Region
    • 1963 – Toshiaki Karasawa, Japanese actor
    • 1964 – André Bellavance, Canadian politician
    • 1964 – Kerry King, American guitarist and songwriter
    • 1964 – James Purefoy, English actor
    • 1965 – Hans Kroes, Dutch swimmer
    • 1965 – Michael Moore, British accountant and politician, Secretary of State for Scotland
    • 1966 – Wasim Akram, Pakistani cricketer, coach, and sportscaster
    • 1967 – Anderson Cooper, American journalist and author
    • 1967 – Tamás Darnyi, Hungarian swimmer
    • 1969 – Takako Minekawa, Japanese singer-songwriter
    • 1969 – Dean Pay, Australian rugby league player and coach
    • 1971 – Luigi Di Biagio, Italian footballer and manager
    • 1971 – Mary Grigson, Australian cross-country mountain biker
    • 1972 – Julie Gayet, French actress
    • 1974 – Kelly Jones, Welsh singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1974 – Serhiy Rebrov, Ukrainian international footballer and manager
    • 1975 – Jose Molina, Puerto Rican-American baseball player
    • 1976 – Nikos Chatzis, Greek basketball player
    • 1976 – Jamie McMurray, American race car driver
    • 1977 – Cris, Brazilian footballer
    • 1978 – Lyfe Jennings, American singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1979 – Luis Fernando López, Colombian race walker
    • 1979 – Christian Malcolm, Welsh sprinter
    • 1980 – Amauri, Brazilian-Italian footballer
    • 1981 – Sosene Anesi, New Zealand rugby player
    • 1982 – Yelena Isinbayeva, Russian pole vaulter
    • 1982 – Manfred Mölgg, Italian skier
    • 1983 – Pasquale Foggia, Italian footballer
    • 1984 – Todd Reid, Australian tennis player (d. 2018)
    • 1985 – Papiss Cissé, Senegalese footballer
    • 1985 – Łukasz Piszczek, Polish footballer
    • 1986 – Al Horford, Dominican basketball player
    • 1986 – Micah Kogo, Kenyan runner
    • 1986 – Rafael Nadal, Spanish tennis player
    • 1986 – Adrián Vallés, Spanish race car driver
    • 1986 – Tomáš Verner, Czech ice skater
    • 1987 – Masami Nagasawa, Japanese actress
    • 1989 – Katie Hoff, American swimmer
    • 1991 – Lukasz Teodorczyk, Polish footballer
    • 1991 – Sami Vatanen, Finnish ice hockey defenceman
    • 1991 – Yordano Ventura, Dominican baseball player (d. 2017)
    • 1992 – Mario Götze, German footballer

    Deaths on June 3

    • 628 – Liang Shidu, Chinese rebel leader
    • 800 – Staurakios, Byzantine general
    • 1052 – Prince Guaimar IV of Salerno
    • 1395 – Ivan Shishman of Bulgaria (b. 1350)
    • 1397 – William de Montagu, 2nd Earl of Salisbury, English commander (b. 1328)
    • 1411 – Leopold IV, Duke of Austria (b. 1371)
    • 1453 – Loukas Notaras, last megas doux of the Byzantine Empire
    • 1511 – Ahmad ibn Abi Jum’ah, Islamic scholar, author of the Oran fatwa
    • 1548 – Juan de Zumárraga, Spanish-Mexican archbishop (b. 1468)
    • 1553 – Wolf Huber, Austrian painter, printmaker and architect (b. 1485)
    • 1594 – John Aylmer, English bishop and scholar (b. 1521)
    • 1605 – Jan Zamoyski, Polish nobleman (b. 1542)
    • 1615 – Sanada Yukimura, Japanese samurai (b. 1567)
    • 1640 – Theophilus Howard, 2nd Earl of Suffolk, English politician, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports (b. 1584)
    • 1649 – Manuel de Faria e Sousa, Portuguese historian and poet (b. 1590)
    • 1657 – William Harvey, English physician and academic (b. 1578)
    • 1659 – Morgan Llwyd, Welsh minister and poet (b. 1619)
    • 1665 – Charles Weston, 3rd Earl of Portland, English noble (b. 1639)
    • 1780 – Thomas Hutchinson, American businessman and politician, Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay (b. 1711)
    • 1826 – Nikolay Karamzin, Russian historian and poet (b. 1766)
    • 1858 – Julius Reubke, German pianist and composer (b. 1834)
    • 1861 – Stephen A. Douglas, American lawyer and politician, 7th Secretary of State of Illinois (b. 1813)
    • 1865 – Okada Izō, Japanese samurai (b. 1838)
    • 1875 – Georges Bizet, French pianist and composer (b. 1838)
    • 1877 – Ludwig Ritter von Köchel, Austrian botanist, composer, and publisher (b. 1800)
    • 1882 – Christian Wilberg, German painter and illustrator (b. 1839)
    • 1894 – Karl Eduard Zachariae von Lingenthal, German lawyer and jurist (b. 1812)
    • 1899 – Johann Strauss II, Austrian composer and educator (b. 1825)
    • 1900 – Mary Kingsley, English explorer and author (b. 1862)
    • 1902 – Vital-Justin Grandin, French-Canadian bishop and missionary (b. 1829)
    • 1906 – John Maxwell, American golfer (b. 1871)
    • 1921 – Coenraad Hiebendaal, Dutch rower and physician (b. 1879)
    • 1924 – Franz Kafka, Czech-Austrian lawyer and author (b. 1883)
    • 1928 – Li Yuanhong, Chinese general and politician, 2nd President of the Republic of China (b. 1864)
    • 1933 – William Muldoon, American wrestler (b. 1852)
    • 1938 – John Flanagan, Irish-American hammer thrower and tug of war competitor (b. 1873)
    • 1946 – Mikhail Kalinin, Russian civil servant and politician (b. 1875)
    • 1963 – Edmond Decottignies, French weightlifter (b. 1893)
    • 1963 – Pope John XXIII (b. 1881)
    • 1963 – Nâzım Hikmet Ran, Turkish poet, author, and playwright (b. 1902)
    • 1964 – Kâzım Orbay, Turkish general and politician, 9th Turkish Speaker of the Parliament (b. 1887)
    • 1964 – Frans Eemil Sillanpää, Finnish author and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1888)
    • 1969 – George Edwin Cooke, American soccer player (b. 1883)
    • 1970 – Hjalmar Schacht, Danish-German economist, banker, and politician (b. 1877)
    • 1971 – Heinz Hopf, German-Swiss mathematician and academic (b. 1894)
    • 1973 – Jean Batmale, French footballer and manager (b. 1895)
    • 1975 – Ozzie Nelson, American actor and bandleader (b. 1906)
    • 1975 – Eisaku Satō, Japanese lawyer and politician, 39th Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1901)
    • 1977 – Archibald Hill, English physiologist and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1886)
    • 1977 – Roberto Rossellini, Italian director and screenwriter (b. 1906)
    • 1981 – Carleton S. Coon, American anthropologist and academic (b. 1904)
    • 1986 – Anna Neagle, English actress and singer (b. 1904)
    • 1987 – Will Sampson, American actor and painter (b. 1933)
    • 1989 – Ruhollah Khomeini, Iranian religious leader and politician, 1st Supreme Leader of Iran (b. 1902)
    • 1990 – Robert Noyce, American physicist and businessman, co-founded the Intel Corporation (b. 1927)
    • 1991 – Brian Bevan, Australian rugby league player (b. 1924)
    • 1991 – Katia Krafft, French volcanologist and geologist (b. 1942)
    • 1991 – Maurice Krafft, French volcanologist and geologist (b. 1946)
    • 1991 – Lê Văn Thiêm, Vietnamese mathematician and academic (b. 1918)
    • 1992 – Robert Morley, English actor and screenwriter (b. 1908)
    • 1994 – Puig Aubert, German-French rugby player and coach (b. 1925)
    • 1997 – Dennis James, American actor and game show host (b. 1917)
    • 2001 – Anthony Quinn, Mexican-American actor and producer (b. 1915)
    • 2002 – Lew Wasserman, American talent agent and manager (b. 1913)
    • 2003 – Felix de Weldon, Austrian-American sculptor, designed the Marine Corps War Memorial (b. 1907)
    • 2005 – Harold Cardinal, Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1945)
    • 2009 – David Carradine, American actor (b. 1936)
    • 2009 – Koko Taylor, American singer (b. 1928)
    • 2010 – John Hedgecoe, English photographer and author (b. 1932)
    • 2010 – Rue McClanahan, American actress (b. 1934)
    • 2011 – James Arness, American actor and producer (b. 1923)
    • 2011 – Andrew Gold, American singer, songwriter, musician and arranger (b. 1951)
    • 2011 – Bhajan Lal, Indian politician, 6th Chief Minister of Haryana (b. 1930)
    • 2011 – Jack Kevorkian, American pathologist, author, and activist (b. 1928)
    • 2011 – Jan van Roessel, Dutch footballer (b. 1925)
    • 2012 – Carol Ann Abrams, American producer, author, and academic (b. 1942)
    • 2012 – Rajsoomer Lallah, Mauritian lawyer and judge (b. 1933)
    • 2012 – Roy Salvadori, English race car driver and manager (b. 1922)
    • 2012 – Brian Talboys, New Zealand journalist and politician, 7th Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1921)
    • 2013 – Atul Chitnis, German-Indian technologist and journalist (b. 1962)
    • 2013 – Józef Czyrek, Polish economist and politician, Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1928)
    • 2013 – Frank Lautenberg, American soldier and politician (b. 1924)
    • 2014 – Svyatoslav Belza, Russian journalist, author, and critic (b. 1942)
    • 2014 – Gopinath Munde, Indian politician, 3rd Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra (b. 1949)
    • 2015 – Avi Beker, Israeli political scientist and academic (b. 1951)
    • 2016 – Muhammad Ali, American boxer (b. 1942)

    Holidays and observances on June 3

    • Christian feast day:
      • Charles Lwanga and Companions (Roman Catholic Church), and its related observances:
        • Martyrs’ Day (Uganda)
      • Clotilde
      • Kevin of Glendalough
      • Ovidius
      • Vladimirskaya (Russian Orthodox)
      • June 3 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Confederate Memorial Day (Kentucky, Louisiana, and Tennessee, United States)
    • Economist day (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
    • Mabo Day (Australia)
    • Opium Suppression Movement Day (Taiwan)
    • World Bicycle Day

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

    • 1215 – Zhongdu (now Beijing), then under the control of the Jurchen ruler Emperor Xuanzong of Jin, is captured by the Mongols under Genghis Khan, ending the Battle of Zhongdu.
    • 1252 – Alfonso X is proclaimed king of Castile and León.
    • 1298 – Residents of Riga and Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeated the Livonian Order in the Battle of Turaida.
    • 1495 – A monk, John Cor, records the first known batch of Scotch whisky
    • 1533 – Anne Boleyn is crowned Queen of England.
    • 1535 – Combined forces loyal to Charles V attack and expel the Ottomans from Tunis during the Conquest of Tunis.
    • 1648 – The Roundheads defeat the Cavaliers at the Battle of Maidstone in the Second English Civil War.
    • 1649 – Start of the Sumuroy Revolt: Filipinos in Northern Samar led by Agustin Sumuroy revolt against Spanish colonial authorities.
    • 1670 – In Dover, England, Charles II of England and Louis XIV of France sign the Secret Treaty of Dover, which will force England into the Third Anglo-Dutch War.
    • 1676 – Battle of Öland: allied Danish-Dutch forces defeat the Swedish navy in the Baltic Sea, during the Scanian War (1675–79).
    • 1679 – The Scottish Covenanters defeat John Graham of Claverhouse at the Battle of Drumclog.
    • 1773 – Wolraad Woltemade rescues 14 sailors at the Cape of Good Hope from the sinking ship De Jonge Thomas by riding his horse into the sea seven times. He drowned on his eighth attempt.
    • 1779 – The court-martial for malfeasance of Benedict Arnold, a general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, begins.
    • 1792 – Kentucky is admitted as the 15th state of the United States.
    • 1794 – The battle of the Glorious First of June is fought, the first naval engagement between Britain and France during the French Revolutionary Wars.
    • 1796 – Tennessee is admitted as the 16th state of the United States.
    • 1812 – War of 1812: U.S. President James Madison asks the Congress to declare war on the United Kingdom.
    • 1813 – Capture of USS Chesapeake.
    • 1815 – Napoleon promulgates a revised Constitution after it passes a plebiscite.
    • 1831 – James Clark Ross becomes the first European at the North Magnetic Pole.
    • 1849 – Territorial Governor Alexander Ramsey declared the Territory of Minnesota officially established.
    • 1855 – The American adventurer William Walker conquers Nicaragua.
    • 1857 – Charles Baudelaire’s Les Fleurs du mal is published.
    • 1861 – American Civil War: The Battle of Fairfax Court House is fought.
    • 1862 – American Civil War: Peninsula Campaign: The Battle of Seven Pines (or the Battle of Fair Oaks) ends inconclusively, with both sides claiming victory.
    • 1868 – The Treaty of Bosque Redondo is signed, allowing the Navajo to return to their lands in Arizona and New Mexico.
    • 1879 – Napoléon Eugène, the last dynastic Bonaparte, is killed in the Anglo-Zulu War.
    • 1890 – The United States Census Bureau begins using Herman Hollerith’s tabulating machine to count census returns.
    • 1913 – The Greek–Serbian Treaty of Alliance is signed, paving the way for the Second Balkan War.
    • 1916 – Louis Brandeis becomes the first Jew appointed to the United States Supreme Court.
    • 1918 – World War I: Western Front: Battle of Belleau Wood: Allied Forces under John J. Pershing and James Harbord engage Imperial German Forces under Wilhelm, German Crown Prince.
    • 1922 – The Royal Ulster Constabulary is founded.
    • 1929 – The 1st Conference of the Communist Parties of Latin America is held in Buenos Aires.
    • 1930 – The Deccan Queen is introduced as first intercity train between Bombay VT (Now Mumbai CST) and Poona (Pune) to run on electric locomotives.
    • 1939 – First flight of the German Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighter aircraft.
    • 1941 – World War II: The Battle of Crete ends as Crete capitulates to Germany.
    • 1941 – The Farhud, a massive pogrom in Iraq, starts and as a result, many Iraqi Jews are forced to leave their homes.
    • 1943 – BOAC Flight 777 is shot down over the Bay of Biscay by German Junkers Ju 88s, killing British actor Leslie Howard and leading to speculation that it was actually an attempt to kill British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
    • 1946 – Ion Antonescu, “Conducator” (“Leader”) of Romania during World War II, is executed.
    • 1950 – The Chinchaga fire ignites. By September, it would become the largest single fire on record in North America.
    • 1958 – Charles de Gaulle comes out of retirement to lead France by decree for six months.
    • 1961 – The Canadian Bank of Commerce and Imperial Bank of Canada merge to form the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, the largest bank merger in Canadian history.
    • 1962 – Adolf Eichmann is hanged in Israel.
    • 1964 – Kenya becomes a republic with Jomo Kenyatta (1897 – 22 August 1978) as its first President (1964 to 1978).
    • 1974 – The Heimlich maneuver for rescuing choking victims is published in the journal Emergency Medicine.
    • 1975 – The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan was founded by Jalal Talabani, Nawshirwan Mustafa, Fuad Masum and others.
    • 1978 – The first international applications under the Patent Cooperation Treaty are filed.
    • 1979 – The first black-led government of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in 90 years takes power.
    • 1980 – Cable News Network (CNN) begins broadcasting.
    • 1988 – European Central Bank is founded in Brussels.
    • 1988 – The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty comes into effect.
    • 1990 – Cold War: George H. W. Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev sign a treaty to end chemical weapon production.
    • 1993 – Dobrinja mortar attack: Thirteen are killed and 133 wounded when Serb mortar shells are fired at a soccer game in Dobrinja, west of Sarajevo.
    • 1994 – Republic of South Africa becomes a Commonwealth republic.
    • 1999 – American Airlines Flight 1420 slides and crashes while landing at Little Rock National Airport, killing 11 people on a flight from Dallas to Little Rock.
    • 2001 – Nepalese royal massacre: Crown Prince Dipendra of Nepal shoots and kills several members of his family including his father and mother.
    • 2001 – Dolphinarium discotheque massacre: A Hamas suicide bomber kills 21 at a disco in Tel Aviv.
    • 2004 – Oklahoma City bombing co-conspirator Terry Nichols is sentenced to 161 consecutive life terms without the possibility of a parole, breaking a Guinness World Record.
    • 2008 – A fire on the back lot of Universal Studios breaks out, destroying the attraction King Kong Encounter and a large archive of master tapes for music and film, the full extent of which was not revealed until 2019.
    • 2009 – Air France Flight 447 crashes into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Brazil on a flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. All 228 passengers and crew are killed.
    • 2009 – General Motors files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. It is the fourth largest United States bankruptcy in history.
    • 2011 – A rare tornado outbreak occurs in New England; a strong EF3 tornado strikes Springfield, Massachusetts, during the event, killing four people.
    • 2011 – Space Shuttle Endeavour makes its final landing after 25 flights.
    • 2015 – A ship carrying 458 people capsizes on Yangtze river in China’s Hubei province, killing 400 people.

    Births on June 1

    • 1134 – Geoffrey, Count of Nantes (d. 1158)
    • 1300 – Thomas of Brotherton, 1st Earl of Norfolk, English politician, Lord Marshal of England (d. 1338)
    • 1451 – Giles Daubeney, 1st Baron Daubeney (d. 1508)
    • 1460 – Enno I, Count of East Frisia, German noble (d. 1491)
    • 1480 – Tiedemann Giese, Polish bishop (d. 1550)
    • 1498 – Maarten van Heemskerck, Dutch painter (d. 1574)
    • 1522 – Dirck Volckertszoon Coornhert, Dutch writer and scholar (d. 1590)
    • 1563 – Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, English politician, Secretary of State for England (d. 1612)
    • 1612 – Frans Post, Dutch painter (d. 1680)
    • 1633 – Geminiano Montanari, Italian astronomer and academic (d. 1687)
    • 1637 – Jacques Marquette, French missionary and explorer (d. 1675)
    • 1653 – Georg Muffat, French organist and composer (d. 1704)
    • 1675 – Francesco Scipione, marchese di Maffei, Italian archaeologist and playwright (d. 1755)
    • 1762 – Edmund Ignatius Rice, Irish priest and missionary, founded the Irish Christian Brothers (d. 1844)
    • 1765 – Christiane Vulpius, mistress and wife of Johann Wolfgang Goethe (d. 1816)
    • 1770 – Friedrich Laun, German author (d. 1849)
    • 1790 – Ferdinand Raimund, Austrian actor and playwright (d. 1836)
    • 1796 – Nicolas Léonard Sadi Carnot, French physicist and engineer (d. 1832)
    • 1800 – Edward Deas Thomson, Australian educator and politician, Chief Secretary of New South Wales (d. 1879)
    • 1801 – Brigham Young, American religious leader, 2nd President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (d. 1877)
    • 1804 – Mikhail Glinka, Russian composer (d. 1857)
    • 1808 – Henry Parker, English-Australian politician, 3rd Premier of New South Wales (d. 1881)
    • 1815 – Otto of Greece (d. 1862)
    • 1819 – Francis V, Duke of Modena (d. 1875)
    • 1822 – Clementina Maude, Viscountess Hawarden, English portrait photographer (d. 1865)
    • 1825 – John Hunt Morgan, American general (d. 1864)
    • 1831 – John Bell Hood, American general (d. 1879)
    • 1833 – John Marshall Harlan, American lawyer, judge, and politician, Attorney General of Kentucky (d. 1911)
    • 1843 – Henry Faulds, Scottish physician and missionary, developed fingerprinting (d. 1930)
    • 1844 – John J. Toffey, American lieutenant, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1911)
    • 1869 – Richard Wünsch, German philologist (d. 1915)
    • 1873 – Elena Alistar, Bessarabian politician (d. 1955)
    • 1874 – Yury Nikolaevich Voronov, Russian botanist (d. 1931)
    • 1878 – John Masefield, English author and poet (d. 1967)
    • 1879 – Max Emmerich, American triathlete and gymnast (d. 1956)
    • 1882 – Nicolae Bivol, Moldovan businessman and politician, Mayor of Chișinău (d. 1940)
    • 1887 – Clive Brook, English actor (d. 1974)
    • 1889 – James Daugherty, American author, illustrator, and painter (d. 1974)
    • 1889 – Charles Kay Ogden, English linguist and philosopher (d. 1957)
    • 1890 – Frank Morgan, American actor (d. 1949)
    • 1892 – Amanullah Khan, sovereign of the Kingdom of Afghanistan, (d. 1960)
    • 1899 – Edward Charles Titchmarsh, English mathematician and academic (d. 1963)
    • 1901 – Hap Day, Canadian ice hockey player, referee, and manager (d. 1990)
    • 1901 – Tom Gorman, Australian rugby league player (d. 1978)
    • 1901 – John Van Druten, English-American playwright and director (d. 1957)
    • 1903 – Vasyl Velychkovsky, Ukrainian-Canadian bishop and martyr (d. 1973)
    • 1903 – Hans Vogt, Norwegian linguist and academic (d. 1986)
    • 1905 – Robert Newton, English-American actor (d. 1956)
    • 1907 – Jan Patočka, Czech philosopher (d. 1977)
    • 1907 – Frank Whittle, English airman and engineer, developed the jet engine (d. 1996)
    • 1908 – Julie Campbell Tatham, American author (d. 1999)
    • 1909 – Yechezkel Kutscher, Slovakian-Israeli philologist and linguist (d. 1971)
    • 1910 – Gyula Kállai, Hungarian communist leader, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the People’s Republic of Hungary (d. 1996)
    • 1912 – Herbert Tichy, Austrian geologist, author, and mountaineer (d. 1987)
    • 1913 – Bill Deedes, English journalist and politician (d. 2007)
    • 1915 – John Randolph, American actor (d. 2004)
    • 1916 – Jean Jérôme Hamer, Belgian Cardinal (d. 1996)
    • 1917 – William Standish Knowles, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2012)
    • 1920 – Robert Clarke, American actor and producer (d. 2005)
    • 1921 – Nelson Riddle, American composer and bandleader (d. 1985)
    • 1922 – Joan Caulfield, American model and actress (d. 1991)
    • 1922 – Povel Ramel, Swedish singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 2007)
    • 1924 – William Sloane Coffin, American minister and activist (d. 2006)
    • 1925 – Dilia Díaz Cisneros, Venezuelan teacher (d. 2017)
    • 1926 – Johnny Berry, English footballer (d. 1994)
    • 1926 – Andy Griffith, American actor, singer, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2012)
    • 1926 – Marilyn Monroe, American model and actress (d. 1962)
    • 1926 – George Robb, English international footballer and teacher (d. 2011)
    • 1926 – Richard Schweiker, American soldier and politician, 14th United States Secretary of Health and Human Services (d. 2015)
    • 1928 – Georgy Dobrovolsky, Ukrainian pilot and astronaut (d. 1971)
    • 1928 – Steve Dodd, Australian actor and composer (d. 2014)
    • 1928 – Bob Monkhouse, English actor and screenwriter (d. 2003)
    • 1929 – Nargis, Indian actress (d. 1981)<ref”>Dilip Kumar (28 July 2014). Dilip Kumar: The Substance and the Shadow. Hay House, Inc. p. 137. ISBN 978-93-81398-96-8.</ref>
    • 1929 – James H. Billington, American academic and Thirteenth Librarian of Congress (d. 2018)
    • 1930 – John Lemmon, English logician and philosopher (d. 1966)
    • 1930 – Richard Levins, American ecologist and geneticist (d. 2016)
    • 1930 – Matt Poore, New Zealand cricketer (d. 2020)
    • 1930 – Edward Woodward, English actor (d. 2009)
    • 1931 – Walter Horak, Austrian footballer (d. 2019)
    • 1932 – Frank Cameron, New Zealand cricketer
    • 1932 – Christopher Lasch, American historian and critic (d. 1994)
    • 1933 – Haruo Remeliik, Palauan politician, 1st President of Palau (d. 1985)
    • 1933 – Charles Wilson, American lieutenant and politician (d. 2010)
    • 1934 – Pat Boone, American singer-songwriter and actor
    • 1934 – Peter Masterson, American actor, director, producer and screenwriter (d. 2018)
    • 1934 – Doris Buchanan Smith, American author (d. 2002)
    • 1935 – Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank, English architect, founded Foster and Partners
    • 1935 – Reverend Ike, American minister and television host (d. 2009)
    • 1935 – Jack Kralick, American baseball player (d. 2012)
    • 1935 – Percy Adlon, German director, screenwriter and producer
    • 1935 – John C. Reynolds, American computer scientist and academic (d. 2013)
    • 1936 – Anatoly Albul, Soviet and Russian wrestler (d. 2013)
    • 1936 – André Bourbeau, Canadian politician (d. 2018)
    • 1936 – Bekim Fehmiu, Bosnian actor (d. 2010)
    • 1936 – Gerald Scarfe, English illustrator and animator
    • 1937 – Morgan Freeman, American actor and producer
    • 1937 – Rosaleen Linehan, Irish actress
    • 1937 – Colleen McCullough, Australian neuroscientist and author (d. 2015)
    • 1939 – Cleavon Little, American actor and comedian (d. 1992)
    • 1940 – René Auberjonois, American actor (d. 2019)
    • 1940 – Katerina Gogou, Greek writer and actress (d. 1993)
    • 1940 – Kip Thorne, American physicist, astronomer, and academic
    • 1941 – Dean Chance, American baseball player and manager (d. 2015)
    • 1941 – Toyo Ito, Japanese architect, designed the Torre Realia BCN and Hotel Porta Fira
    • 1941 – Alexander V. Zakharov, Russian physicist and astronomer
    • 1942 – Parveen Kumar, Pakistani-English physician and academic
    • 1943 – Orietta Berti, Italian singer and actress
    • 1943 – Richard Goode, American pianist
    • 1943 – Lorrie Wilmot, South African cricketer (d. 2004)
    • 1944 – Colin Blakemore, British neurobiologist
    • 1944 – Robert Powell, English actor
    • 1945 – Jim McCarty, American blues rock guitarist
    • 1945 – Linda Scott, American singer
    • 1945 – Lydia Shum, Chinese-Hong Kong actress (d. 2008)
    • 1945 – Kerry Vincent, Australian chef and author
    • 1945 – Frederica von Stade, American soprano and actress
    • 1946 – Brian Cox, Scottish actor
    • 1947 – Ron Dennis, English businessman, founded the McLaren Group
    • 1947 – Jonathan Pryce, Welsh actor and singer
    • 1947 – Ronnie Wood, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer
    • 1948 – Powers Boothe, American actor (d. 2017)
    • 1948 – Tomáš Halík, Czech Roman Catholic priest, philosopher, theologian and scholar
    • 1948 – Michel Plasse, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2006)
    • 1948 – Juhan Viiding, Estonian poet and actor (d. 1995)
    • 1950 – Perrin Beatty, Canadian businessman and politician
    • 1950 – Charlene, American singer-songwriter
    • 1950 – Jean Lambert, English educator and politician
    • 1950 – Michael McDowell, American author and screenwriter (d. 1999)
    • 1952 – Şenol Güneş, Turkish footballer and manager
    • 1952 – David Lan, South African-English director and playwright
    • 1952 – Mihaela Loghin, Romanian shot putter
    • 1953 – Ronnie Dunn, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1953 – Ted Field, American entrepreneur and race car driver
    • 1954 – Jill Black, English lawyer and judge
    • 1955 – Chiyonofuji Mitsugu, Japanese sumo wrestler (d. 2016)
    • 1955 – Lorraine Moller, New Zealand runner
    • 1955 – Tony Snow, American journalist, 26th White House Press Secretary (d. 2008)
    • 1956 – Patrick Besson, French writer and journalist
    • 1956 – Lisa Hartman Black, American actress
    • 1956 – Petra Morsbach, German author
    • 1958 – Nambaryn Enkhbayar, Mongolian lawyer and politician, 3rd President of Mongolia
    • 1958 – Gennadiy Valyukevich, Belarusian triple jumper (d. 2019)
    • 1959 – Martin Brundle, English racing driver and sportscaster
    • 1959 – Alan Wilder, English singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer
    • 1960 – Simon Gallup, English musician (The Cure)
    • 1960 – Vladimir Krutov, Russian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2012)
    • 1960 – Sergey Kuznetsov, Russian footballer and manager
    • 1960 – Giorgos Lillikas, Cypriot politician, 8th Cypriot Minister of Foreign Affairs
    • 1960 – Elena Mukhina, Russian gymnast (d. 2006)
    • 1961 – Paul Coffey, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1961 – Mark Curry, American actor
    • 1961 – Werner Günthör, Swiss shot putter and bobsledder
    • 1961 – John Huston, American golfer
    • 1961 – Peter Machajdík, Slovakian-German pianist and composer
    • 1963 – Vital Borkelmans, Belgian footballer
    • 1963 – Miles J. Padgett, Scottish physicist and academic
    • 1963 – David Westhead, English actor and producer
    • 1965 – Larisa Lazutina, Russian skier
    • 1965 – Olga Nazarova, Russian sprinter
    • 1965 – Nigel Short, English chess player and journalist
    • 1966 – Greg Schiano, American football player and coach
    • 1968 – Jason Donovan, Australian actor and singer
    • 1968 – Jeff Hackett, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1968 – Mathias Rust, German aviator
    • 1969 – Luis García Postigo, former Mexican footballer
    • 1969 – Teri Polo, American actress
    • 1970 – Georgie Gardner, Australian journalist and television host
    • 1970 – Alexi Lalas, American soccer player, manager, and sportscaster
    • 1971 – Mario Cimarro, Cuban-American actor and singer
    • 1973 – Frédérik Deburghgraeve, Belgian swimmer
    • 1973 – Adam Garcia, Australian actor
    • 1973 – Derek Lowe, American baseball player
    • 1973 – Heidi Klum, German-American model, fashion designer, and producer
    • 1974 – Alanis Morissette, Canadian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actress
    • 1974 – Michael Rasmussen, Danish cyclist
    • 1974 – Sarah Teather, English politician
    • 1974 – Akis Zikos, Greek footballer and coach
    • 1975 – Michal Grošek, Czech-Swiss ice hockey player and coach
    • 1975 – Frauke Petry, German politician
    • 1975 – Ēriks Rags, Latvian javelin thrower
    • 1976 – Marlon Devonish, English sprinter and coach
    • 1976 – Kōhei Murakami, Japanese actor
    • 1977 – Andrea Bogart, American actress
    • 1977 – Arsen Gitinov, Russian and Kyrgyzstani freestyle wrestler
    • 1977 – Danielle Harris, American actress
    • 1977 – Brad Wilkerson, American baseball player and coach
    • 1977 – Sarah Wayne Callies, American actress
    • 1978 – Antonietta Di Martino, Italian high jumper
    • 1978 – Matthew Hittinger, American poet and author
    • 1979 – Santana Moss, American football player
    • 1979 – Markus Persson, Swedish game designer, founded Mojang
    • 1981 – Brandi Carlile, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1981 – Amy Schumer, American actress
    • 1981 – Carlos Zambrano, Venezuelan-American baseball player
    • 1981 – Aleksei Mikhailovich Uvarov, Russian footballer
    • 1982 – Justine Henin, Belgian tennis player
    • 1983 – Tetyana Hamera-Shmyrko, Ukrainian runner
    • 1983 – Tõnis Sahk, Estonian long jumper
    • 1984 – Jean Beausejour, Chilean footballer
    • 1984 – Olivier Tielemans, Dutch racing driver
    • 1985 – Tirunesh Dibaba, Ethiopian runner
    • 1985 – Mário Hipólito, Angolan footballer
    • 1985 – Dinesh Karthik, Indian cricketer
    • 1985 – Nick Young, American basketball player
    • 1985 – Sam Young, American basketball player
    • 1986 – Moses Ndiema Masai, Kenyan runner
    • 1986 – Chinedu Obasi, Nigerian footballer
    • 1986 – Ben Smith, New Zealand rugby player
    • 1987 – Zoltán Harsányi, Slovakian footballer
    • 1987 – Jerel McNeal, American basketball player
    • 1987 – Yarisley Silva, Cuban pole vaulter
    • 1988 – Javier Hernández, Mexican footballer
    • 1989 – Nataliya Goncharova, Ukrainian/Russian volleyball player
    • 1989 – Sammy Alex Mutahi, Kenyan runner
    • 1990 – Miller Bolaños, Ecuadoran footballer
    • 1990 – Kennie Chopart, Danish footballer
    • 1990 – Carlota Ciganda, Spanish golfer
    • 1990 – Martin Pembleton, English footballer
    • 1990 – Bianca Perie, Romanian hammer thrower
    • 1991 – Tyrone Roberts, Australian rugby league player
    • 1993 – Sam Anas, American ice hockey player
    • 1994 – Kagayaki Taishi, Japanese sumo wrestler
    • 1996 – Edvinas Gertmonas, Lithuanian footballer
    • 1996 – Tom Holland, English actor
    • 1999 – Dmitri Aliev, Russian figure skater

    Deaths on June 1

    • 195 BC – Emperor Gaozu of Han (b. 256 BC)
    • 193 – Didius Julianus, Roman Emperor (b. 133)
    • 352 – Ran Min, “Heavenly Prince” (Tian Wang) during the Sixteen Kingdoms
    • 654 – Pyrrhus, patriarch of Constantinople
    • 829 – Li Tongjie, general of the Tang Dynasty
    • 847 – Xiao, empress of the Tang Dynasty
    • 896 – Theodosius Romanus, Syriac Orthodox patriarch of Antioch
    • 932 – Thietmar, duke of Saxony
    • 1146 – Ermengarde of Anjou, Duchess regent of Brittany (b. 1068)
    • 1186 – Minamoto no Yukiie, Japanese warlord
    • 1220 – Henry de Bohun, 1st Earl of Hereford (b. 1176)
    • 1310 – Marguerite Porete, French mystic
    • 1354 – Kitabatake Chikafusa (b. 1293)
    • 1434 – King Wladislaus II of Poland
    • 1571 – John Story, English martyr (b. 1504)
    • 1616 – Tokugawa Ieyasu, Japanese shogun (b. 1543)
    • 1625 – Honoré d’Urfé, French author and poet (b. 1568)
    • 1639 – Melchior Franck, German composer (b. 1579)
    • 1660 – Mary Dyer, English-American martyr (b. 1611)
    • 1662 – Zhu Youlang, Chinese emperor (b. 1623)
    • 1681 – Cornelis Saftleven, Dutch genre painter (b. 1607)
    • 1710 – David Mitchell, Scottish admiral and politician (b. 1642)
    • 1740 – Samuel Werenfels, Swiss theologian (b. 1657)
    • 1769 – Edward Holyoke, American pastor and academic (b. 1689)
    • 1773 – Wolraad Woltemade, South African folk hero (b. 1708)
    • 1795 – Pierre-Joseph Desault, French anatomist and surgeon (b. 1744)
    • 1815 – Louis-Alexandre Berthier, French general and politician, French Minister of War (b. 1753)
    • 1823 – Louis-Nicolas Davout, French general and politician, French Minister of War (b. 1770)
    • 1826 – J. F. Oberlin, French pastor and philanthropist (b. 1740)
    • 1830 – Swaminarayan, Indian religious leader (b. 1781)
    • 1833 – Oliver Wolcott Jr., American lawyer and politician, 2nd United States Secretary of the Treasury, 24th Governor of Connecticut (b. 1760)
    • 1841 – David Wilkie, Scottish painter and academic (b. 1785)
    • 1846 – Pope Gregory XVI (b. 1765)
    • 1861 – John Quincy Marr, American captain (b. 1825)
    • 1864 – Hong Xiuquan, Chinese rebel, led the Taiping Rebellion (b. 1812)
    • 1868 – James Buchanan, American lawyer and politician, 15th President of the United States (b. 1791)
    • 1872 – James Gordon Bennett, Sr., American publisher, founded the New York Herald (b. 1795)
    • 1873 – Joseph Howe, Canadian journalist and politician, 5th Premier of Nova Scotia (b. 1804)
    • 1876 – Hristo Botev, Bulgarian poet and journalist (b. 1848)
    • 1879 – Napoléon, Prince Imperial of France (b. 1856)
    • 1908 – Allen Butler Talcott, American painter (b. 1867)
    • 1927 – Lizzie Borden, American accused murderer (b. 1860)
    • 1927 – J. B. Bury, Irish historian, philologist, and scholar (b. 1861)
    • 1934 – Sir Alfred Rawlinson, 3rd Baronet, English colonel and polo player (b. 1867)
    • 1935 – Arthur Arz von Straußenburg, Romanian-Hungarian general (d. 1857)
    • 1938 – Ödön von Horváth, Croatian-French author and playwright (b. 1901)
    • 1941 – Hans Berger, German neurologist and academic (b. 1873)
    • 1941 – Hugh Walpole, New Zealand-English author (b. 1884)
    • 1943 – Leslie Howard, English actor, director, and producer (b. 1893)
    • 1943 – Wilfrid Israel, English-German businessman and philanthropist (b. 1899)
    • 1946 – Ion Antonescu, Romanian marshal and politician, 43rd Prime Minister of Romania (b. 1882)
    • 1948 – Alex Gard, Russian-American cartoonist (b. 1900)
    • 1952 – John Dewey, American psychologist and philosopher (b. 1859)
    • 1953 – Emanuel Vidović, Croatian painter and illustrator (b. 1870)
    • 1954 – Martin Andersen Nexø, Danish-German journalist and author (b. 1869)
    • 1960 – Lester Patrick, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1883)
    • 1960 – Paula Hitler, German-Austrian sister of Adolf Hitler (b. 1896)
    • 1962 – Adolf Eichmann, a German Nazi SS-Obersturmbannführer (b. 1906)
    • 1963 – Walter Lee, Australian politician, 24th Premier of Tasmania (b. 1874)
    • 1965 – Curly Lambeau, American football player and coach, founded the Green Bay Packers (b. 1898)
    • 1966 – Papa Jack Laine, American drummer and bandleader (b. 1873)
    • 1968 – Helen Keller, American author and activist (b. 1880)
    • 1968 – André Laurendeau, Canadian playwright, journalist, and politician (b. 1912)
    • 1969 – Ivar Ballangrud, Norwegian speed skater (b. 1904)
    • 1971 – Reinhold Niebuhr, American theologian and academic (b. 1892)
    • 1979 – Werner Forssmann, German physician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1904)
    • 1980 – Arthur Nielsen, American businessman, founded the ACNielsen company (b. 1897)
    • 1981 – Carl Vinson, American lawyer and politician (b. 1883)
    • 1983 – Prince Charles, Count of Flanders (b. 1903)
    • 1985 – Richard Greene, English actor and soldier (b. 1918)
    • 1986 – Jo Gartner, Austrian racing driver (b. 1958)
    • 1987 – Rashid Karami, Lebanese lawyer and politician, 32nd Prime Minister of Lebanon (b. 1921)
    • 1988 – Herbert Feigl, Austrian philosopher from the Vienna Circle (b. 1902)
    • 1989 – Aurelio Lampredi, Italian engineer, designed the Ferrari Lampredi engine (b. 1917)
    • 1991 – David Ruffin, American singer-songwriter (b. 1941)
    • 1996 – Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, Indian politician, 6th President of India (b. 1913)
    • 1999 – Christopher Cockerell, English engineer, invented the hovercraft (b. 1910)
    • 2000 – Tito Puente, American drummer, composer, and producer (b. 1923)
    • 2001 – Hank Ketcham, American cartoonist, created Dennis the Menace (b. 1920)
    • 2001 – notable victims of the Nepalese royal massacre
      • Aishwarya of Nepal (b. 1949)
      • Birendra of Nepal (b. 1945)
      • Dhirendra of Nepal (b. 1950)
      • Prince Nirajan of Nepal (b. 1978)
      • Princess Shruti of Nepal (b. 1976)
    • 2002 – Hansie Cronje, South African cricketer (b. 1969)
    • 2004 – William Manchester, American historian and author (b. 1922)
    • 2005 – Hilda Crosby Standish, American physician (b. 1902)
    • 2005 – George Mikan, American basketball player and coach (b. 1924)
    • 2006 – Rocío Jurado, Spanish singer and actress (b. 1944)
    • 2007 – Tony Thompson, American singer and songwriter (Hi-Five) (b. 1975)
    • 2008 – Tommy Lapid, Israeli journalist and politician, 17th Justice Minister of Israel (b. 1931)
    • 2008 – Yves Saint Laurent, French fashion designer, founded Saint Laurent Paris (b. 1936)
    • 2009 – Bob Christie, American race car driver (b. 1924)
    • 2009 – Vincent O’Brien, Irish horse trainer (b. 1917)
    • 2010 – Kazuo Ohno, Japanese dancer (b. 1906)
    • 2010 – Andrei Voznesensky, Russian poet (b. 1933)
    • 2011 – Haleh Sahabi, Iranian humanitarian and activist (b. 1957)
    • 2012 – Faruq Z. Bey, American saxophonist and composer (b. 1942)
    • 2012 – Pádraig Faulkner, Irish educator and politician, 19th Irish Minister of Defence (b. 1918)
    • 2012 – Milan Gaľa, Slovak politician (b. 1953)
    • 2013 – James Kelleher, Canadian lawyer and politician, 33rd Solicitor General of Canada (b. 1930)
    • 2014 – Ann B. Davis, American actress (b. 1926)
    • 2014 – Valentin Mankin, Ukrainian sailor (b. 1938)
    • 2015 – Charles Kennedy, Scottish journalist and politician (b. 1959)
    • 2015 – Joan Kirner, Australian educator and politician, 42nd Premier of Victoria (b. 1938)
    • 2015 – Nicholas Liverpool, Dominican lawyer and politician, 6th President of Dominica (b. 1934)
    • 2015 – Jacques Parizeau, Canadian economist and politician, 26th Premier of Quebec (b. 1930)
    • 2015 – Jean Ritchie, American singer-songwriter (b. 1922)
    • 2018 – Sinan Sakić, Serbian pop-folk singer (b. 1956)
    • 2019 – Ani Yudhoyono, Indonesian politician, 6th First Lady of Indonesia. (b. 1952)

    Holidays and observances on June 1

    • Children’s Day (International), and its related observances:
      • The Day of Protection of Children Rights (Armenia)
      • Mothers’ and Children’s Day (Mongolia)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Annibale Maria di Francia
      • Crescentinus
      • Fortunatus of Spoleto
      • Herculanus of Piegaro
      • Íñigo of Oña
      • Justin Martyr (Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran)
      • Ronan of Locronan
      • June 1 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Earliest day on which Canadian Forces Day can fall, while June 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Sunday in June. (Canada)
    • Earliest day on which Father’s Day can fall, while June 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Sunday in June. (Lithuania)
    • Earliest day on which June Holiday can fall, while June 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Monday in June. (Ireland)
    • Earliest day on which Labour Day can fall, while June 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Friday in June. (The Bahamas)
    • Earliest day on which Teacher’s Day can fall, while June 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Sunday in June. (Hungary)
    • Earliest day on which the Queen’s Birthday can fall, while June 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Monday in June. (New Zealand, Cook Islands, Fiji)
    • Earliest day on which Seamen’s Day can fall, while June 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Sunday in June. (Iceland)
    • Earliest day on which Western Australia Day can fall, while June 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Sunday in June. (Western Australia)
    • Global Day of Parents (International)
    • Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Samoa from New Zealand in 1962.
    • Madaraka Day (Kenya)
    • National Maritime Day (Mexico)
    • National Tree Planting Day (Cambodia)
    • Pancasila Day (Indonesia)
    • President’s Day (Palau)
    • The beginning of Crop over, celebrated until the first Monday of August. (Barbados)
    • Victory Day (Tunisia)
    • World Milk Day (International)
  • |

    May 31- History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 455 – Emperor Petronius Maximus is stoned to death by an angry mob while fleeing Rome.
    • 1223 – Mongol invasion of the Cumans: Battle of the Kalka River: Mongol armies of Genghis Khan led by Subutai defeat Kievan Rus’ and Cumans.
    • 1293 – Mongol invasion of Java was a punitive expedition against King Kertanegara of Singhasari, who had refused to pay tribute to the Yuan and maimed one of its ministers. However, it ended with failure for the Mongols. Regarded as establish City of Surabaya
    • 1578 – King Henry III lays the first stone of the Pont Neuf (New Bridge), the oldest bridge of Paris, France.
    • 1669 – Citing poor eyesight as a reason, Samuel Pepys records the last event in his diary.
    • 1775 – American Revolution: The Mecklenburg Resolves are adopted in the Province of North Carolina.
    • 1790 – Manuel Quimper explores the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
    • 1790 – The United States enacts its first copyright statute, the Copyright Act of 1790.
    • 1795 – French Revolution: The Revolutionary Tribunal is suppressed.
    • 1805 – French and Spanish forces begin the assault against British forces occupying Diamond Rock.
    • 1813 – In Australia, William Lawson, Gregory Blaxland and William Wentworth reach Mount Blaxland, effectively marking the end of a route across the Blue Mountains.
    • 1859 – The clock tower at the Houses of Parliament, which houses Big Ben, starts keeping time.
    • 1862 – American Civil War: Peninsula Campaign: Confederate forces under Joseph E. Johnston and G.W. Smith engage Union forces under George B. McClellan outside Richmond, Virginia.
    • 1864 – American Civil War: Overland Campaign: Battle of Cold Harbor: The Army of Northern Virginia engages the Army of the Potomac.
    • 1879 – Gilmore’s Garden in New York City is renamed Madison Square Garden by William Henry Vanderbilt and is opened to the public at 26th Street and Madison Avenue.
    • 1884 – The arrival at Plymouth of Tāwhiao, King of Maoris, to claim the protection of Queen Victoria.
    • 1889 – Johnstown Flood: Over 2,200 people die after a dam fails and sends a 60-foot (18-meter) wall of water over the town of Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
    • 1902 – Second Boer War: The Treaty of Vereeniging ends the war and ensures British control of South Africa.
    • 1909 – The National Negro Committee, forerunner to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), convenes for the first time.
    • 1910 – The South Africa Act comes into force, establishing the Union of South Africa.
    • 1911 – The RMS Titanic is launched in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
    • 1911 – The President of Mexico Porfirio Díaz flees the country during the Mexican Revolution.
    • 1916 – World War I: Battle of Jutland: The British Grand Fleet engages the High Seas Fleet in the largest naval battle of the war, which proves indecisive.
    • 1921 – The Tulsa race massacre kills at least 39, but other estimates of black fatalities vary from 55 to about 300.
    • 1935 – A 7.7 Mw  earthquake destroys Quetta in modern-day Pakistan killing 40,000.
    • 1941 – Anglo-Iraqi War: The United Kingdom completes the re-occupation of Iraq and returns ‘Abd al-Ilah to power as regent for Faisal II.
    • 1942 – World War II: Imperial Japanese Navy midget submarines begin a series of attacks on Sydney, Australia.
    • 1947 – Ferenc Nagy, the democratically elected Prime Minister of Hungary, resigns from office after blackmail from the Hungarian Communist Party accusing him of being part of a plot against the state. This grants the Communists effective control of the Hungarian government.
    • 1961 – The South African Constitution of 1961 becomes effective, thus creating the Republic of South Africa, which remains outside the Commonwealth of Nations until 1 June 1994, when South Africa is returned to Commonwealth membership.
    • 1961 – In Moscow City Court, the Rokotov–Faibishenko show trial begins, despite the Khrushchev Thaw to reverse Stalinist elements in Soviet society.
    • 1962 – The West Indies Federation dissolves.
    • 1970 – The 7.9 Mw  Ancash earthquake shakes Peru with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe) and a landslide buries the town of Yungay, Peru. Between 66,794–70,000 were killed and 50,000 were injured.
    • 1971 – In accordance with the Uniform Monday Holiday Act passed by the U.S. Congress in 1968, observation of Memorial Day occurs on the last Monday in May for the first time, rather than on the traditional Memorial Day of May 30.
    • 1973 – The United States Senate votes to cut off funding for the bombing of Khmer Rouge targets within Cambodia, hastening the end of the Cambodian Civil War.
    • 1977 – The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System is completed.
    • 1985 – United States–Canada tornado outbreak: Forty-one tornadoes hit Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Ontario, leaving 76 dead.
    • 1991 – Bicesse Accords in Angola lay out a transition to multi-party democracy under the supervision of the United Nations’ UNAVEM II mission.
    • 2005 – Vanity Fair reveals that Mark Felt was “Deep Throat”.
    • 2008 – Usain Bolt breaks the world record in the 100m sprint, with a wind-legal (+1.7 m/s) 9.72 seconds
    • 2010 – Israeli Shayetet 13 commandos boarded the Gaza Freedom Flotilla while still in international waters trying to break the ongoing blockade of the Gaza Strip; nine Turkish citizens on the flotilla were killed in the ensuing violent affray.
    • 2013 – The asteroid 1998 QE2 and its moon make their closest approach to Earth for the next two centuries.
    • 2013 – A record breaking 2.6 mile wide tornado strikes El Reno, Oklahoma, United States, causing eight fatalities and over 150 injuries.
    • 2017 – A car bomb explodes in a crowded intersection in Kabul near the German embassy during rush hour, killing over 90 and injuring 463.
    • 2017 – U.S. President Donald Trump tweets the word “covfefe” and quickly becomes a worldwide viral phenomenon.
    • 2019 – A shooting occurs inside a municipal building at Virginia Beach, Virginia, leaving 13 people dead, including the shooter, and four others injured.

    Births on May 31

    • 1443 (or 1441) – Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond and Derby (d. 1509)
    • 1462 – Philipp II, Count of Hanau-Lichtenberg (d. 1504)
    • 1469 – Manuel I of Portugal (d. 1521)
    • 1535 – Alessandro Allori, Italian painter (d. 1607)
    • 1556 – Jerzy Radziwiłł, Catholic cardinal (d. 1600)
    • 1577 – Nur Jahan, Empress consort of the Mughal Empire (d. 1645)
    • 1613 – John George II, Elector of Saxony (d. 1680)
    • 1640 – Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki, King of Poland (d. 1673)
    • 1641 – Patriarch Dositheos II of Jerusalem (d. 1707)
    • 1725 – Ahilyabai Holkar, Queen of the Malwa Kingdom under the Maratha Empire (d. 1795)
    • 1732 – Count Hieronymus von Colloredo, Austrian archbishop (d. 1812)
    • 1753 – Pierre Victurnien Vergniaud, French lawyer and politician (d. 1793)
    • 1754 – Andrea Appiani, Italian painter and educator (d. 1817)
    • 1773 – Ludwig Tieck, German poet, author, and critic (d. 1853)
    • 1801 – Johann Georg Baiter, Swiss philologist and scholar (d. 1887)
    • 1815 – Adye Douglas, English-Australian cricketer and politician, 15th Premier of Tasmania (d. 1906)
    • 1818 – John Albion Andrew, American lawyer and politician, 25th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1867)
    • 1819 – Walt Whitman, American poet, essayist, and journalist (d. 1892)
    • 1827 – Kusumoto Ine, first Japanese female doctor of Western medicine (d. 1903)
    • 1835 – Hijikata Toshizō, Japanese commander (d. 1869)
    • 1838 – Henry Sidgwick, English economist and philosopher (d. 1900)
    • 1842 – John Cox Bray, Australian politician, 15th Premier of South Australia (d. 1894)
    • 1847 – William Pirrie, 1st Viscount Pirrie, Canadian-Irish businessman and politician, Lord Mayor of Belfast (d. 1924)
    • 1852 – Francisco Moreno, Argentinian explorer and academic (d. 1919)
    • 1852 – Julius Richard Petri, German microbiologist, invented the Petri dish (d. 1921)
    • 1857 – Pope Pius XI (d. 1939)
    • 1858 – Graham Wallas, English socialist, social psychologist, and educationalist (d. 1932)
    • 1860 – Walter Sickert, English painter (d. 1942)
    • 1863 – Francis Younghusband, Indian-English captain and explorer (d. 1942)
    • 1866 – John Ringling, American entrepreneur; one of the founders of the Ringling Brothers Circus (d. 1936)
    • 1875 – Rosa May Billinghurst, British suffragette and women’s rights activist (d.1953)
    • 1879 – Frances Alda, New Zealand-Australian soprano (d. 1952)
    • 1882 – Sándor Festetics, Hungarian politician, Hungarian Minister of War (d. 1956)
    • 1883 – Lauri Kristian Relander, Finnish politician, 2nd President of Finland (d. 1942)
    • 1885 – Robert Richards, Australian politician, 32nd Premier of South Australia (d. 1967)
    • 1887 – Saint-John Perse, French poet and diplomat, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1975)
    • 1892 – Michel Kikoine, Belarusian-French painter (d. 1968)
    • 1892 – Erich Neumann, German lieutenant and politician (d. 1951)
    • 1892 – Konstantin Paustovsky, Russian poet and author (d. 1968)
    • 1892 – Gregor Strasser, German lieutenant and politician (d. 1934)
    • 1894 – Fred Allen, American comedian, radio host, game show panelist, and author (d. 1956)
    • 1898 – Norman Vincent Peale, American minister and author (d. 1993)
    • 1900 – Lucile Godbold, American Olympic athlete (d. 1981)
    • 1901 – Alfredo Antonini, Italian-American conductor and composer (d. 1983)
    • 1908 – Don Ameche, American actor (d. 1993)
    • 1909 – Art Coulter, Canadian-American ice hockey player (d. 2000)
    • 1911 – Maurice Allais, French economist and physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2010)
    • 1912 – Chien-Shiung Wu, Chinese-American experimental physicist (d. 1997)
    • 1914 – Akira Ifukube, Japanese composer and educator (d. 2006)
    • 1916 – Bert Haanstra, Dutch director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1997)
    • 1918 – Robert Osterloh, American actor (d. 2001)
    • 1918 – Lloyd Quarterman, African American chemist (d. 1982)
    • 1919 – Robie Macauley, American editor, novelist and critic (d. 1995)
    • 1921 – Edna Doré, English actress (d. 2014)
    • 1921 – Andrew Grima, Anglo-Italian jewellery designer (d. 2007)
    • 1921 – Howard Reig, American radio and television announcer (d. 2008)
    • 1921 – Alida Valli, Austrian-Italian actress and singer (d. 2006)
    • 1922 – Denholm Elliott, English-Spanish actor (d. 1992)
    • 1923 – Ellsworth Kelly, American painter and sculptor (d. 2015)
    • 1923 – Rainier III, Prince of Monaco (d. 2005)
    • 1925 – Julian Beck, American actor and director (d. 1986)
    • 1927 – James Eberle, English admiral (d. 2018)
    • 1927 – Michael Sandberg, Baron Sandberg, English lieutenant and banker (d. 2017)
    • 1928 – Pankaj Roy, Indian cricketer (d. 2001)
    • 1929 – Menahem Golan, Israeli director and producer (d. 2014)
    • 1930 – Clint Eastwood, American actor, director, musician, and producer
    • 1931 – John Robert Schrieffer, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2019)
    • 1931 – Shirley Verrett, American soprano and actress (d. 2010)
    • 1932 – Ed Lincoln, Brazilian pianist, bassist, and composer (d. 2012)
    • 1932 – Jay Miner, American computer scientist and engineer (d. 1994)
    • 1933 – Henry B. Eyring, American religious leader, educator, and author
    • 1934 – Jim Hutton, American actor (d. 1979)
    • 1935 – Jim Bolger, New Zealand businessman and politician, 35th Prime Minister of New Zealand
    • 1938 – Johnny Paycheck, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2003)
    • 1938 – John Prescott, British sailor and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
    • 1938 – Peter Yarrow, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1939 – Terry Waite, English humanitarian and author
    • 1940 – Anatoliy Bondarchuk, Ukrainian hammer thrower and coach
    • 1940 – Augie Meyers, American musician and singer-songwriter
    • 1940 – Gilbert Shelton, American illustrator
    • 1941 – June Clark, Welsh nurse and educator
    • 1941 – Louis Ignarro, American pharmacologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1941 – William Nordhaus, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1943 – Sharon Gless, American actress
    • 1943 – Joe Namath, American football player, sportscaster, and actor
    • 1945 – Rainer Werner Fassbinder, German actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1982)
    • 1945 – Laurent Gbagbo, Ivorian academic and politician, 4th President of Côte d’Ivoire
    • 1945 – Bernard Goldberg, American journalist and author
    • 1946 – Ted Baehr, American publisher and critic
    • 1946 – Steve Bucknor, Jamaican cricketer and umpire
    • 1946 – Krista Kilvet, Estonian journalist, politician, and diplomat (d. 2009)
    • 1946 – Debbie Moore, English model and businesswoman
    • 1947 – Junior Campbell, Scottish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1947 – Gabriele Hinzmann, German discus thrower
    • 1948 – Svetlana Alexievich, Belarusian journalist and author, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1948 – John Bonham, English musician, songwriter and drummer (d. 1980)
    • 1948 – Martin Hannett, English bass player, guitarist, and record producer (d. 1991)
    • 1948 – Duncan Hunter, American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician
    • 1949 – Tom Berenger, American actor, film producer and television writer
    • 1950 – Jean Chalopin, French director, producer, and screenwriter, founded DIC Entertainment
    • 1950 – Gregory Harrison, American actor
    • 1950 – Edgar Savisaar, Estonian politician, Estonian Minister of the Interior
    • 1951 – Karl-Hans Riehm, German hammer thrower
    • 1952 – Karl Bartos, German singer-songwriter and keyboard player
    • 1953 – Pirkka-Pekka Petelius, Finnish actor and screenwriter
    • 1954 – Thomas Mavros, Greek footballer
    • 1954 – Vicki Sue Robinson, American actress and singer (d. 2000)
    • 1955 – Tommy Emmanuel, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1955 – Susie Essman, American actress, comedian, and screenwriter
    • 1956 – Fritz Hilpert, German drummer and composer
    • 1956 – John Young, English singer-songwriter and keyboard player
    • 1957 – Jim Craig, American ice hockey player
    • 1959 – Andrea de Cesaris, Italian racing driver (d. 2014)
    • 1959 – Phil Wilson, English politician
    • 1960 – Greg Adams, Canadian ice hockey player and businessman
    • 1960 – Chris Elliott, American actor, comedian, and screenwriter
    • 1960 – Peter Winterbottom, English rugby player
    • 1961 – Ray Cote, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1961 – Justin Madden, Australian footballer and politician
    • 1961 – Lea Thompson, American actress, director, and producer
    • 1962 – Corey Hart, Canadian singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1963 – David Leigh, holder of the Sir Samuel Hall Chair of Chemistry at the University of Manchester
    • 1963 – Viktor Orbán, Hungarian politician, 38th Prime Minister of Hungary
    • 1963 – Wesley Willis, American singer-songwriter and keyboard player (d. 2003)
    • 1964 – Leonard Asper, Canadian lawyer and businessman
    • 1964 – Stéphane Caristan, French hurdler and coach
    • 1964 – Yukio Edano, Japanese politician, Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs
    • 1964 – Darryl “D.M.C.” McDaniels, American rapper and producer
    • 1965 – Brooke Shields, American model, actress, and producer
    • 1966 – Roshan Mahanama, Sri Lankan cricketer and referee
    • 1967 – Phil Keoghan, New Zealand television host and producer
    • 1967 – Kenny Lofton, American baseball player, coach, and sportscaster
    • 1971 – Arun Luthra, Indo-Anglo-American saxophonist, konnakol artist, composer, and arranger
    • 1972 – Christian McBride, American bassist and record producer
    • 1972 – Archie Panjabi, Indo-British actress
    • 1972 – Frode Estil, Norwegian skier
    • 1972 – Antti Niemi, Finnish international footballer, goalkeeper and coach
    • 1972 – Dave Roberts, American baseball player and coach
    • 1974 – Hiroiki Ariyoshi, Japanese comedian and singer
    • 1974 – Chad Campbell, American golfer
    • 1975 – Mac Suzuki, Japanese baseball player
    • 1976 – Colin Farrell, Irish actor
    • 1976 – Matt Harpring, American basketball player and sportscaster
    • 1977 – Theodoros Baev, Bulgarian-Greek volleyball player
    • 1977 – Domenico Fioravanti, Italian swimmer
    • 1977 – Eric Christian Olsen, American actor
    • 1977 – Moses Sichone, Zambian footballer
    • 1977 – Petr Tenkrát, Czech ice hockey player
    • 1979 – Jean-François Gillet, Belgian footballer
    • 1981 – Mikael Antonsson, Swedish footballer
    • 1981 – Daniele Bonera, Italian footballer
    • 1981 – Jake Peavy, American baseball player
    • 1981 – Marlies Schild, Austrian skier
    • 1984 – Andrew Bailey, American baseball player
    • 1984 – Milorad Čavić, Serbian swimmer
    • 1984 – Nate Robinson, American basketball player
    • 1985 – Jordy Nelson, American football player
    • 1986 – Robert Gesink, Dutch cyclist
    • 1989 – Marco Reus, German footballer
    • 1990 – Erik Karlsson, Swedish ice hockey player
    • 1992 – Michaël Bournival, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1992 – Laura Ikauniece, Latvian heptathlete
    • 1996 – Normani Korde, American singer
    • 1998 – Santino Ferrucci, American race car driver

    Deaths on May 31

    • 455 – Petronius Maximus, Roman emperor (b. 396)
    • 930 – Liu Hua, princess of Southern Han (b. 896)
    • 960 – Fujiwara no Morosuke, Japanese statesman (b. 909)
    • 1076 – Waltheof, Earl of Northumbria, English politician (b. 1050)
    • 1089 – Sigwin von Are, archbishop of Cologne
    • 1162 – Géza II, king of Hungary (b. 1130)
    • 1321 – Birger, king of Sweden (b. 1280)
    • 1326 – Maurice de Berkeley, 2nd Baron Berkeley (b. 1271)
    • 1329 – Albertino Mussato, Italian statesman and writer (b. 1261)
    • 1349 – Thomas Wake, English politician (b. 1297)
    • 1370 – Vitalis of Assisi, Italian hermit and monk (b. 1295)
    • 1408 – Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, Japanese shōgun (b. 1358)
    • 1410 – Martin of Aragon, Spanish king (b. 1356)
    • 1504 – Engelbert II of Nassau (b. 1451)
    • 1558 – Philip Hoby, English general and diplomat (b. 1505)
    • 1567 – Guido de Bres, Belgian pastor and theologian (b. 1522)
    • 1594 – Tintoretto, Italian painter and educator (b. 1518)
    • 1601 – Gebhard Truchsess von Waldburg, Archbishop-Elector of Cologne (b. 1547)
    • 1640 – Zeynab Begum, Safavid princess (date of birth unknown)
    • 1665 – Pieter Jansz. Saenredam, Dutch painter (b. 1597)
    • 1680 – Joachim Neander, German theologian and educator (b. 1650)
    • 1740 – Frederick William I of Prussia (b. 1688)
    • 1747 – Andrey Osterman, German-Russian politician, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1686)
    • 1809 – Joseph Haydn, Austrian pianist and composer (b. 1732)
    • 1809 – Jean Lannes, French general (b. 1769)
    • 1831 – Samuel Bentham, English architect and engineer (b. 1757)
    • 1832 – Évariste Galois, French mathematician and theorist (b. 1811)
    • 1837 – Joseph Grimaldi, English actor, comedian and dancer, (b. 1779)
    • 1846 – Philip Marheineke, German pastor and philosopher (b. 1780)
    • 1847 – Thomas Chalmers, Scottish minister and economist (b. 1780)
    • 1848 – Eugénie de Guérin, French author (b. 1805)
    • 1899 – Stefanos Koumanoudis, Greek archaeologist, teacher and writer (b. 1818)
    • 1908 – Louis-Honoré Fréchette, Canadian author, poet, and politician (b. 1839)
    • 1909 – Thomas Price, Welsh-Australian politician, 24th Premier of South Australia (b. 1852)
    • 1910 – Elizabeth Blackwell, English-American physician and educator (b. 1821)
    • 1931 – Felix-Raymond-Marie Rouleau, Canadian cardinal (b. 1866)
    • 1931 – Willy Stöwer, German author and illustrator (b. 1864)
    • 1945 – Odilo Globocnik, Italian-Austrian SS officer (b. 1904)
    • 1954 – Antonis Benakis, Greek art collector and philanthropist, founded the Benaki Museum (b. 1873)
    • 1957 – Stefanos Sarafis, Greek general and politician (b. 1890)
    • 1957 – Leopold Staff, Polish poet and academic (b. 1878)
    • 1960 – Willem Elsschot, Flemish author and poet (b. 1882)
    • 1960 – Walther Funk, German economist, journalist, and politician, German Minister of Economics (b. 1890)
    • 1962 – Henry F. Ashurst, American lawyer and politician (b. 1874)
    • 1967 – Billy Strayhorn, American pianist and composer (b. 1915)
    • 1970 – Terry Sawchuk, Canadian-American ice hockey player (b. 1929)
    • 1976 – Jacques Monod, French biologist and geneticist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1910)
    • 1977 – William Castle, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1914)
    • 1978 – József Bozsik, Hungarian footballer and manager (b. 1925)
    • 1981 – Barbara Ward, Baroness Jackson of Lodsworth, English economist and journalist (b. 1914)
    • 1982 – Carlo Mauri, Italian mountaineer and explorer (b. 1930)
    • 1983 – Jack Dempsey, American boxer and lieutenant (b. 1895)
    • 1985 – Gaston Rébuffat, French mountaineer and author (b. 1921)
    • 1986 – Jane Frank, American painter and sculptor (b. 1918)
    • 1986 – James Rainwater, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1917)
    • 1987 – John Abraham, Indian director and screenwriter (b. 1937)
    • 1989 – Owen Lattimore, American author and academic (b. 1900)
    • 1989 – C. L. R. James, Trinidadian journalist and historian (b. 1901)
    • 1993 – Honey Tree Evil Eye, or, Spud Mackenzie, a Bull Terrier, dies of kidney failure.
    • 1994 – Uzay Heparı, Turkish actor, producer, and composer (b. 1969)
    • 1994 – Herva Nelli, Italian-American soprano (b. 1909)
    • 1995 – Stanley Elkin, American novelist, short story writer, and essayist (b. 1930)
    • 1996 – Timothy Leary, American psychologist and author (b. 1920)
    • 1998 – Charles Van Acker, Belgian-American race car driver (b. 1912)
    • 2000 – Petar Mladenov, Bulgarian diplomat, 1st President of Bulgaria (b. 1936)
    • 2000 – Tito Puente, American jazz musician (b. 1923)
    • 2000 – A. Jeyaratnam Wilson, Sri Lankan historian, author, and academic (b. 1928)
    • 2001 – Arlene Francis, American actress, talk show host, game show panelist, and television personality (b. 1907)
    • 2002 – Subhash Gupte, Indian cricketer (b. 1929)
    • 2004 – Aiyathurai Nadesan, Sri Lankan journalist (b. 1954)
    • 2004 – Robert Quine, American guitarist (b. 1941)
    • 2004 – Étienne Roda-Gil, French screenwriter and composer (b. 1941)
    • 2006 – Miguel Ortiz Berrocal, Spanish sculptor (b. 1933)
    • 2006 – Raymond Davis, Jr., American physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1914)
    • 2009 – Danny La Rue, Irish-British drag queen performer and singer (b. 1927)
    • 2009 – George Tiller, American physician (b. 1941)
    • 2010 – Louise Bourgeois, French-American sculptor and painter (b. 1911)
    • 2010 – Brian Duffy, English photographer and producer (b. 1933)
    • 2010 – William A. Fraker, American director, producer, and cinematographer (b. 1923)
    • 2010 – Rubén Juárez, Argentinian singer-songwriter and bandoneón player (b. 1947)
    • 2010 – Merata Mita, New Zealand director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1942)
    • 2011 – Pauline Betz, American tennis player (b. 1919)
    • 2011 – Jonas Bevacqua, American fashion designer, co-founded the Lifted Research Group (b. 1977)
    • 2011 – Derek Hodge, Virgin Islander lawyer and politician, Lieutenant Governor of the United States Virgin Islands (b. 1941)
    • 2011 – Hans Keilson, German-Dutch psychoanalyst and author (b. 1909)
    • 2011 – John Martin, English admiral and politician, Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey (b. 1918)
    • 2011 – Andy Robustelli, American football player and manager (b. 1925)
    • 2012 – Christopher Challis, English cinematographer (b. 1919)
    • 2012 – Randall B. Kester, American lawyer and judge (b. 1916)
    • 2012 – Paul Pietsch, German racing driver and publisher (b. 1911)
    • 2012 – Orlando Woolridge, American basketball player and coach (b. 1959)
    • 2013 – Gerald E. Brown, American physicist and academic (b. 1926)
    • 2013 – Frederic Lindsay, Scottish author and educator (b. 1933)
    • 2013 – Miguel Méndez, American author and poet (b. 1930)
    • 2013 – Tim Samaras, American engineer and storm chaser (b. 1957)
    • 2013 – Jairo Mora Sandoval, Costa Rican environmentalist (b. 1987)
    • 2013 – Jean Stapleton, American actress (b. 1923)
    • 2014 – Marilyn Beck, American journalist (b. 1928)
    • 2014 – Marinho Chagas, Brazilian footballer and coach (b. 1952)
    • 2014 – Hoss Ellington, American race car driver (b. 1935)
    • 2014 – Martha Hyer, American actress (b. 1924)
    • 2014 – Lewis Katz, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1942)
    • 2014 – Mary Soames, Baroness Soames, English author (b. 1922)
    • 2015 – Gladys Taylor, Canadian author and publisher (b. 1917)
    • 2016 – Mohamed Abdelaziz, President of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (1976–2016) (b. 1947)
    • 2016 – Jan Crouch, American televangelist, co-founder of the Trinity Broadcasting Network (b. 1938)
    • 2016 – Carla Lane, English television writer (b. 1928)
    • 2016 – Rupert Neudeck, German journalist and humanitarian (b. 1939)

    Holidays and observances on May 31

    • Anniversary of Royal Brunei Malay Regiment (Brunei)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Camilla Battista da Varano
      • Hermias
      • Petronella
      • Visitation of Mary (Western Christianity)
      • May 31 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • The beginning of Gawai Dayak (Dayaks in Sarawak, Malaysia and West Kalimantan, Indonesia)
    • World No Tobacco Day (International)

  • May 29 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 363 – The Roman emperor Julian defeats the Sasanian army in the Battle of Ctesiphon, under the walls of the Sasanian capital, but is unable to take the city.
    • 1108 – Battle of Uclés: Almoravid troops under the command of Tamim ibn Yusuf defeat a Castile and León alliance under the command of Prince Sancho Alfónsez.
    • 1167 – Battle of Monte Porzio: A Roman army supporting Pope Alexander III is defeated by Christian of Buch and Rainald of Dassel.
    • 1176 – Battle of Legnano: The Lombard League defeats Emperor Frederick I.
    • 1328 – Philip VI is crowned King of France.
    • 1416 – Battle of Gallipoli: The Venetians under Pietro Loredan defeat a much larger Ottoman fleet off Gallipoli.
    • 1453 – Fall of Constantinople: Ottoman armies under Sultan Mehmed II Fatih capture Constantinople after a 53-day siege, ending the Byzantine Empire.
    • 1658 – Battle of Samugarh: decisive battle in the struggle for the throne during the Mughal war of succession (1658–1659).
    • 1660 – English Restoration: Charles II is restored to the throne of England, Scotland and Ireland.
    • 1733 – The right of settlers in New France to enslave natives is upheld at Quebec City.
    • 1780 – American Revolutionary War: At the Battle of Waxhaws, the British continue attacking after the Continentals lay down their arms, killing 113 and critically wounding all but 53 that remained.
    • 1790 – Rhode Island becomes the last of North America’s original Thirteen Colonies to ratify the Constitution and become one of the United States.
    • 1798 – United Irishmen Rebellion: Between 300 and 500 United Irishmen are executed as rebels by the British Army in County Kildare, Ireland.
    • 1807 – Mustafa IV became Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and Caliph of Islam.
    • 1848 – Wisconsin is admitted as the 30th U.S. state.
    • 1852 – Jenny Lind leaves New York after her two-year American tour.
    • 1861 – The Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce is founded, in Hong Kong.
    • 1864 – Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico arrives in Mexico for the first time.
    • 1867 – The Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 (“the Compromise”) is born through Act 12, which establishes the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
    • 1868 – Mihailo Obrenović III, Prince of Serbia is assassinated.
    • 1886 – The pharmacist John Pemberton places his first advertisement for Coca-Cola, which appeared in The Atlanta Journal.
    • 1900 – N’Djamena is founded as Fort-Lamy by the French commander Émile Gentil.
    • 1903 – In the May Coup, Alexander I, King of Serbia, and Queen Draga, are assassinated in Belgrade by the Black Hand (Crna Ruka) organization.
    • 1913 – Igor Stravinsky’s ballet score The Rite of Spring receives its premiere performance in Paris, France, provoking a riot.
    • 1914 – The Ocean liner RMS Empress of Ireland sinks in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence with the loss of 1,012 lives.
    • 1918 – Armenia defeats the Ottoman Army in the Battle of Sardarabad.
    • 1919 – Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity is tested (later confirmed) by Arthur Eddington and Andrew Claude de la Cherois Crommelin
    • 1920 – The Louth flood of 1920 was a severe flash flooding in the Lincolnshire market town of Louth which occurred 29 May 1920, resulting in 23 fatalities in 20 minutes. It has been described as one of the most significant flood disasters in Britain during the 20th century.
    • 1931 – Michele Schirru, a citizen of the United States, is executed by Italian military firing squad for intent to kill Benito Mussolini.
    • 1932 – World War I veterans begin to assemble in Washington, D.C., in the Bonus Army to request cash bonuses promised to them to be paid in 1945.
    • 1935 – First flight of the Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter aeroplane.
    • 1945 – First combat mission of the Consolidated B-32 Dominator heavy bomber.
    • 1948 – United Nations Truce Supervision Organization is founded.
    • 1950 – The St. Roch, the first ship to circumnavigate North America, arrives in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
    • 1953 – Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay become the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest, on Tenzing Norgay’s (adopted) 39th birthday.
    • 1964 – The Arab League meets in East Jerusalem to discuss the Palestinian question, leading to the formation of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
    • 1973 – Tom Bradley is elected the first black mayor of Los Angeles, California.
    • 1982 – Pope John Paul II becomes the first pontiff to visit Canterbury Cathedral.
    • 1982 – Falklands War: British forces defeat the Argentines at the Battle of Goose Green.
    • 1985 – Heysel Stadium disaster: Thirty-nine association football fans die and hundreds are injured when a dilapidated retaining wall collapses.
    • 1985 – Amputee Steve Fonyo completes cross-Canada marathon at Victoria, British Columbia, after 14 months.
    • 1988 – The U.S. President Ronald Reagan begins his first visit to the Soviet Union when he arrives in Moscow for a superpower summit with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.
    • 1989 – Signing of an agreement between Egypt and the United States, allowing the manufacture of parts of the F-16 jet fighter plane in Egypt.
    • 1990 – The Russian parliament elects Boris Yeltsin as president of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic.
    • 1993 – The Miss Sarajevo beauty pageant is held in war-torn Sarajevo drawing global attention to the plight of its citizens.
    • 1999 – Olusegun Obasanjo takes office as President of Nigeria, the first elected and civilian head of state in Nigeria after 16 years of military rule.
    • 1999 – Space Shuttle Discovery completes the first docking with the International Space Station.
    • 2001 – The U.S. Supreme Court rules that the disabled golfer Casey Martin can use a cart to ride in tournaments.
    • 2004 – The National World War II Memorial is dedicated in Washington, D.C.
    • 2008 – A doublet earthquake, of combined magnitude 6.1, strikes Iceland near the town of Selfoss, injuring 30 people.
    • 2012 – A 5.8-magnitude earthquake hits northern Italy near Bologna, killing at least 24 people.
    • 2015 – One World Observatory at One World Trade Center opens.

    Births on May 29

    • 1421 – Charles, Prince of Viana (d. 1461)
    • 1439 – Pope Pius III (d. 1503)
    • 1443 – Victor, Duke of Münsterberg, Reichsgraf, Duke of Münsterberg and Opava, Count of Glatz (d. 1500)
    • 1504 – Antun Vrančić, Croatian archbishop (d. 1573)
    • 1555 – George Carew, 1st Earl of Totnes, English Earl, general and administrator (d. 1629)
    • 1568 – Virginia de’ Medici, Italian princess (d. 1615)
    • 1594 – Gottfried Heinrich Graf zu Pappenheim, Bavarian field marshal (d. 1632)
    • 1627 – Anne, Duchess of Montpensier, French princess (d. 1693)
    • 1630 – Charles II of England (d. 1685)
    • 1675 – Humphry Ditton, English mathematician and philosopher (d. 1715)
    • 1716 – Louis-Jean-Marie Daubenton, French zoologist and mineralogist (d. 1800)
    • 1722 – James FitzGerald, 1st Duke of Leinster, Irish soldier and politician (d. 1773)
    • 1730 – Jackson of Exeter, English organist and composer (d. 1803)
    • 1736 – Patrick Henry, American lawyer and politician, 1st Governor of Virginia (d. 1799)
    • 1780 – Henri Braconnot, French chemist and pharmacist (d. 1855)
    • 1794 – Johann Heinrich von Mädler, German astronomer and selenographer (d. 1874)
    • 1797 – Louise-Adéone Drölling, French painter (d. 1836)
    • 1823 – John H. Balsley, American carpenter and inventor (d. 1895)
    • 1860 – Isaac Albéniz, Spanish pianist and composer (d. 1909)
    • 1871 – Clark Voorhees, American painter (d. 1933)
    • 1873 – Rudolf Tobias, Estonian organist and composer (d. 1918)
    • 1874 – G. K. Chesterton, English essayist, poet, and playwright (d. 1936)
    • 1880 – Oswald Spengler, German historian and philosopher (d. 1936)
    • 1892 – Alfonsina Storni, Swiss-Argentinian poet and author (d. 1938)
    • 1893 – Max Brand, American journalist and author (d. 1944)
    • 1894 – Beatrice Lillie, Canadian-English actress, singer and writer (d. 1989)
    • 1894 – Josef von Sternberg, Austrian-American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1969)
    • 1897 – Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Czech-American pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1957)
    • 1899 – Douglas Abbott, Canadian lawyer and politician, 10th Canadian Minister of Defence (d. 1987)
    • 1902 – Harry Kadwell, Australian rugby league player and coach (d. 1999)
    • 1903 – Bob Hope, English-American actor, singer, and producer (d. 2003)
    • 1904 – Hubert Opperman, Australian cyclist and politician (d. 1996)
    • 1905 – Sebastian Shaw, English actor, director, and playwright (d. 1994)
    • 1906 – T. H. White, Indian-English author (d. 1964)
    • 1907 – Hartland Molson, Canadian captain and politician (d. 2002)
    • 1908 – Diana Morgan, Welsh-English playwright and screenwriter (d. 1996)
    • 1910 – Ralph Metcalfe, American sprinter and politician (d. 1978)
    • 1913 – Tony Zale, American boxer (d. 1997)
    • 1914 – Stacy Keach Sr., American actor (d. 2003)
    • 1914 – Tenzing Norgay, Nepalese-Indian mountaineer (d. 1986)
    • 1915 – Karl Münchinger, German conductor and composer (d. 1990)
    • 1917 – John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States (d. 1963)
    • 1917 – Marcel Trudel, Canadian historian, author, and academic (d. 2011)
    • 1919 – Jacques Genest, Canadian physician and academic (d. 2018)
    • 1920 – John Harsanyi, Hungarian-American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2000)
    • 1920 – Clifton James, American actor (d. 2017)
    • 1921 – Norman Hetherington, Australian cartoonist and puppeteer (d. 2010)
    • 1922 – Joe Weatherly, American race car driver (d. 1964)
    • 1922 – Iannis Xenakis, Greek-French composer, engineer, and theorist (d. 2001)
    • 1923 – Bernard Clavel, French author (d. 2010)
    • 1923 – John Parker, 6th Earl of Morley, English colonel and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Devon (d. 2015)
    • 1923 – Eugene Wright, American jazz bassist
    • 1924 – Lars Bo, Danish author and illustrator (d. 1999)
    • 1924 – Miloslav Kříž, Czech basketball player and coach (d. 2013)
    • 1924 – Pepper Paire, American baseball player (d. 2013)
    • 1926 – Katie Boyle, Italian-English actress and television host (d. 2018)
    • 1926 – Halaevalu Mataʻaho ʻAhomeʻe, Queen Consort of Tonga (d. 2017)
    • 1926 – Abdoulaye Wade, Senegalese academic and politician, 3rd President of Senegal
    • 1927 – Jean Coutu, Canadian pharmacist and businessman, founded the Jean Coutu Group
    • 1929 – Harry Frankfurt, American philosopher and academic
    • 1929 – Peter Higgs, English-Scottish physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1929 – Roberto Vargas, Puerto Rican-American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 2014)
    • 1932 – Paul R. Ehrlich, American biologist and author
    • 1932 – Richie Guerin, American basketball player and coach
    • 1933 – Helmuth Rilling, German conductor and educator
    • 1933 – Tarquinio Provini, Italian motorcycle racer (d. 2005)
    • 1934 – Bill Vander Zalm, Dutch-Canadian businessman and politician, 28th Premier of British Columbia
    • 1935 – André Brink, South African author and playwright (d. 2015)
    • 1935 – Sylvia Robinson, American singer and producer (d. 2011)
    • 1937 – Charles W. Pickering, American lawyer and judge
    • 1937 – Irmin Schmidt, German keyboard player and composer
    • 1937 – Alwin Schockemöhle, German show-jumper
    • 1937 – Harry Statham, American basketball player and coach
    • 1938 – Christopher Bland, English businessman and politician (d. 2017)
    • 1938 – Fay Vincent, American lawyer and businessman
    • 1939 – Pete Smith, Australian radio and television announcer
    • 1939 – Al Unser, American race car driver
    • 1940 – Taihō Kōki, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 48th Yokozuna (d. 2013)
    • 1940 – Farooq Leghari, Pakistani politician, 8th President of Pakistan (d. 2010)
    • 1941 – Doug Scott, English mountaineer and author
    • 1941 – Bob Simon, American journalist (d. 2015)
    • 1942 – Pierre Bourque, Canadian businessman and politician, 40th Mayor of Montreal
    • 1942 – Kevin Conway, American actor and director (d. 2020)
    • 1943 – Robert W. Edgar, American educator and politician (d. 2013)
    • 1944 – Bob Benmosche, American businessman (d. 2015)
    • 1944 – Quentin Davies, English soldier and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
    • 1945 – Gary Brooker, English singer-songwriter and pianist
    • 1945 – Peter Fraser, Baron Fraser of Carmyllie, Scottish lawyer and politician, Solicitor General for Scotland (d. 2013)
    • 1945 – Julian Le Grand, English economist and author
    • 1945 – Martin Pipe, English jockey and trainer
    • 1945 – Joyce Tenneson, American photographer
    • 1945 – Jean-Pierre Van Rossem, Belgian scholar and author (d. 2018)
    • 1946 – Fernando Buesa, Spanish politician (d. 2000)
    • 1947 – Anthony Geary, American actor
    • 1948 – Michael Berkeley, English composer and radio host
    • 1948 – Keith Gull, English microbiologist and academic
    • 1949 – Robert Axelrod, American actor and screenwriter (d. 2019)
    • 1949 – Brian Kidd, English footballer and manager
    • 1949 – Francis Rossi, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1950 – Rebbie Jackson, American singer and actress
    • 1953 – Danny Elfman, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
    • 1954 – Robert Beaser, American composer and educator
    • 1954 – Jerry Moran, American lawyer and politician
    • 1955 – Frank Baumgartl, German runner (d. 2010)
    • 1955 – John Hinckley Jr., American attempted assassin of Ronald Reagan
    • 1955 – David Kirschner, American animator, producer, and author
    • 1955 – Gordon Rintoul, Scottish historian and curator
    • 1955 – Ken Schrader, American race car driver and sportscaster
    • 1956 – Mark Lyall Grant, English diplomat, British Ambassador to the United Nations
    • 1956 – La Toya Jackson, American singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1957 – Steven Croft, English bishop and theologian
    • 1957 – Jeb Hensarling, American lawyer and politician
    • 1957 – Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Iranian film director
    • 1958 – Annette Bening, American actress
    • 1958 – Juliano Mer-Khamis, Israeli actor, director, and activist (d. 2011)
    • 1958 – Uwe Rapolder, German footballer and coach
    • 1958 – Mike Stenhouse, American baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1959 – Rupert Everett, English actor and novelist
    • 1959 – Mel Gaynor, English drummer
    • 1959 – Steve Hanley, Irish-English bass player and songwriter
    • 1960 – Thomas Baumer, Swiss economist and academic
    • 1960 – Mike Freer, English politician
    • 1961 – Melissa Etheridge, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and activist
    • 1961 – John Miceli, American drummer
    • 1962 – Fandi Ahmad, Singaporean footballer, coach, and manager
    • 1962 – Eric Davis, American baseball player
    • 1962 – Carol Kirkwood, Scottish journalist
    • 1962 – Chloé Sainte-Marie, Canadian actress and singer
    • 1963 – Blaze Bayley, English singer-songwriter
    • 1963 – Zhu Jianhua, Chinese high jumper
    • 1963 – Ukyo Katayama, Japanese race car driver
    • 1963 – Claude Loiselle, Canadian ice hockey player and manager
    • 1964 – Howard Mills III, American academic and politician
    • 1964 – Oswaldo Negri Jr., Brazilian race car driver
    • 1966 – Natalie Nougayrède, French journalist
    • 1967 – Noel Gallagher, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1967 – Mike Keane, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1967 – Steven Levitt, American economist, author, and academic
    • 1968 – Torquhil Campbell, 13th Duke of Argyll, Scottish politician
    • 1968 – Tate George, American basketball player
    • 1968 – Jessica Morden, English politician
    • 1968 – Hida Viloria, American activist
    • 1970 – Natarsha Belling, Australian journalist
    • 1970 – Roberto Di Matteo, Italian footballer and manager
    • 1971 – Éric Lucas, Canadian boxer
    • 1971 – Bernd Mayländer, German race car driver
    • 1971 – Jo Beth Taylor, Australian television host and actress
    • 1971 – Rob Womack, English shot putter and discus thrower
    • 1972 – Bill Curley, American basketball player and coach
    • 1972 – Simon Jones, English singer and bass player
    • 1973 – Tomoko Kaneda, Japanese voice actress, singer, and radio personality
    • 1973 – Mark Lee, American guitarist and songwriter
    • 1973 – Alpay Özalan, Turkish footballer
    • 1974 – Steve Cardenas, American martial artist and retired actor
    • 1974 – Stephen Larkham, Australian rugby player and coach
    • 1974 – Aaron McGruder, American author and cartoonist
    • 1974 – Myf Warhurst, Australian radio and television host
    • 1974 – Jenny Willott, English politician
    • 1975 – Jason Allison, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1975 – Mel B, English singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress
    • 1975 – Sven Kubis, German footballer
    • 1975 – Sarah Millican, English comedian
    • 1975 – Anthony Wall, English golfer
    • 1975 – Daniel Tosh, American comedian, television host, actor, writer, and executive producer
    • 1976 – Caçapa, Brazilian footballer and manager
    • 1976 – Jerry Hairston Jr., American baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1976 – Raef LaFrentz, American basketball player
    • 1976 – Yegor Titov, Russian footballer
    • 1977 – Massimo Ambrosini, Italian footballer
    • 1977 – Marco Cassetti, Italian footballer
    • 1977 – António Lebo Lebo, Angolan footballer
    • 1978 – Pelle Almqvist, Swedish singer-songwriter
    • 1978 – Sébastien Grosjean, French tennis player
    • 1978 – Lorenzo Odone, Italian-American adrenoleukodystrophy patient who inspired the 1992 film, Lorenzo’s Oil (d. 2008)
    • 1978 – Adam Rickitt, English singer
    • 1979 – Arne Friedrich, German footballer
    • 1979 – Brian Kendrick, American wrestler
    • 1979 – John Rheinecker, American baseball player (d. 2017)
    • 1980 – Ernesto Farías, Argentinian footballer
    • 1981 – Andrey Arshavin, Russian footballer
    • 1982 – Nataliya Dobrynska, Ukrainian heptathlete
    • 1982 – Matt Macri, American baseball player
    • 1982 – Kim Tae-kyun, South Korean baseball player
    • 1984 – Carmelo Anthony, American basketball player
    • 1984 – Nia Jax, Australian-American professional wrestler
    • 1984 – Funmi Jimoh, American long jumper
    • 1984 – Andreas Schäffer, German footballer
    • 1984 – Ina Wroldsen, Norwegian singer and songwriter
    • 1985 – Nathan Horton, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1987 – Lina Andrijauskaitė, Lithuanian long jumper
    • 1987 – Issac Luke, New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1987 – Kelvin Maynard, Dutch footballer (d. 2019)
    • 1987 – Noah Reid, Canadian actor, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1987 – Rui Sampaio, Portuguese footballer
    • 1988 – Muath Al-Kasasbeh, Jordanian captain and pilot (d. 2015)
    • 1988 – Cheng Fei, Chinese gymnast
    • 1988 – Steve Mason, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1989 – Ezekiel Ansah, Ghanaian-American football player
    • 1989 – Diego Barisone, Argentinian footballer (d. 2015)
    • 1989 – Riley Keough, American model and actress
    • 1990 – Joe Biagini, American baseball pitcher
    • 1992 – Sarah Moundir, Swiss tennis player
    • 1993 – Jana Čepelová, Slovak tennis player
    • 1993 – Maika Monroe, American actress and kiteboarder
    • 1993 – Grete Šadeiko, Estonian heptathlete
    • 1998 – Markelle Fultz, American basketball player
    • 1999 – Park Ji-hoon, South Korean singer and actor

    Deaths on May 29

    • 931 – Jimeno Garcés of Pamplona
    • 1040 – Renauld I, Count of Nevers
    • 1259 – Christopher I of Denmark (b. 1219)
    • 1311 – James II of Majorca (b. 1243)
    • 1320 – Pope John VIII of Alexandria, Coptic pope
    • 1327 – Jens Grand, Danish archbishop (b. c. 1260)
    • 1379 – Henry II of Castile (b. 1334)
    • 1405 – Philippe de Mézières, French soldier and author (b. 1327)
    • 1425 – Hongxi Emperor of China (b. 1378)
    • 1453 – Ulubatlı Hasan, Ottoman commander (b. 1428)
    • 1453 – Constantine XI Palaiologos, Byzantine emperor (b. 1404)
    • 1500 – Bartolomeu Dias, Portuguese explorer and navigator (b. 1451)
    • 1500 – Thomas Rotherham, English cleric and minister (b. 1423)
    • 1546 – David Beaton, Scottish cardinal and politician, Lord Chancellor of Scotland (b. 1494)
    • 1593 – John Penry, Welsh martyr (b. 1559)
    • 1660 – Frans van Schooten, Dutch mathematician and academic (b. 1615)
    • 1691 – Cornelis Tromp, Dutch admiral (b. 1629)
    • 1790 – Israel Putnam, American general (b. 1718)
    • 1796 – Carl Fredrik Pechlin, Swedish general and politician (b. 1720)
    • 1814 – Joséphine de Beauharnais, first wife of Napoleon Bonaparte (b. 1763)
    • 1829 – Humphry Davy, English-Swiss chemist and academic (b. 1778)
    • 1847 – Emmanuel de Grouchy, Marquis de Grouchy, French general (b. 1766)
    • 1862 – Franz Mirecki, Polish composer, music conductor, and music teacher (b. 1791)
    • 1866 – Winfield Scott, American general, lawyer, and politician (b. 1786)
    • 1873 – Prince Friedrich of Hesse and by Rhine (b. 1870)
    • 1892 – Bahá’u’lláh, Persian religious leader, founded the Bahá’í Faith (b. 1817)
    • 1896 – Gabriel Auguste Daubrée, French geologist and academic (b. 1814)
    • 1903 – Bruce Price, American architect, designed the Château Frontenac and American Surety Building (b. 1845)
    • 1910 – Mily Balakirev, Russian pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1837)
    • 1911 – W. S. Gilbert, English playwright and poet (b. 1836)
    • 1914 – Laurence Sydney Brodribb Irving, English author and playwright (b. 1871)
    • 1914 – Henry Seton-Karr, English explorer, hunter, and author (b. 1853)
    • 1917 – Kate Harrington, American poet and educator (b. 1831)
    • 1919 – Robert Bacon, American colonel and politician, 39th United States Secretary of State (b. 1860)
    • 1920 – Carlos Deltour, French rower (b. 1864)
    • 1921 – Abbott Handerson Thayer, American painter and educator (b. 1849)
    • 1935 – Josef Suk, Czech violinist and composer (b. 1874)
    • 1939 – Ursula Ledóchowska, Austrian-Polish nun and saint, founded the Congregation of the Ursulines of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus (b. 1865)
    • 1941 – Léo-Pol Morin, Canadian pianist, composer, and educator (b. 1892)
    • 1942 – John Barrymore, American actor (b. 1882)
    • 1946 – Martin Gottfried Weiss, German SS officer (b. 1905)
    • 1948 – May Whitty, English actress (b. 1865)
    • 1951 – Fanny Brice, American singer and comedian (b. 1891)
    • 1951 – Dimitrios Levidis, Greek-French soldier and composer (b. 1885)
    • 1953 – Morgan Russell, American painter and educator (b. 1886)
    • 1957 – James Whale, English director (b. 1889)
    • 1958 – Juan Ramón Jiménez, Spanish poet and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1881)
    • 1963 – Netta Muskett, English author (b. 1887)
    • 1966 – Ignace Lepp, Estonian-French priest and psychologist (b. 1909)
    • 1968 – Arnold Susi, Estonian lawyer and politician, Estonian Minister of Education (b. 1896)
    • 1970 – John Gunther, American journalist and author (b. 1901)
    • 1970 – Eva Hesse, American artist (b. 1936)
    • 1972 – Moe Berg, American baseball player, coach, and spy (b. 1902)
    • 1972 – Stephen Timoshenko, Ukrainian-American engineer and academic (b. 1878)
    • 1973 – George Harriman, English businessman (b. 1908)
    • 1977 – Ba Maw, Burmese politician, Prime Minister of Burma (b. 1893)
    • 1979 – Mary Pickford, Canadian-American actress, producer, and screenwriter, co-founded United Artists (b. 1892)
    • 1979 – John H. Wood Jr., American lawyer and judge (b. 1916)
    • 1982 – Romy Schneider, Austrian actress (b. 1938)
    • 1983 – Arvīds Pelše, Latvian-Russian historian and politician (b. 1899)
    • 1987 – Charan Singh, Indian politician, 5th Prime Minister of India (b. 1902)
    • 1988 – Salem bin Laden, Saudi Arabian businessman (b. 1946)
    • 1989 – George C. Homans, American sociologist and academic (b. 1910)
    • 1991 – Margaret Barr (choreographer), Australian choreographer and teacher of dance-drama (b. 1904)
    • 1993 – Billy Conn, American boxer (b. 1917)
    • 1994 – Erich Honecker, German lawyer and politician (b. 1912)
    • 1994- Lady May Abel Smith, member of the British Royal Family (b. 1906)
    • 1996 – Tamara Toumanova, American ballerina and actress (b. 1919)
    • 1997 – Jeff Buckley, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1966)
    • 1998 – Barry Goldwater, American general, activist, and politician (b. 1909)
    • 2003 – David Jefferies, English motorcycle racer (b. 1972)
    • 2004 – Archibald Cox, American lawyer and politician, 31st United States Solicitor General (b. 1912)
    • 2004 – Samuel Dash, American academic and politician (b. 1925)
    • 2005 – John D’Amico, Canadian ice hockey player and referee (b. 1937)
    • 2005 – Hamilton Naki, South African surgeon (b. 1926)
    • 2005 – George Rochberg, American soldier and composer (b. 1918)
    • 2006 – Jacques Bouchard, Canadian businessman (b. 1930)
    • 2007 – Dave Balon, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1938)
    • 2007 – Lois Browne-Evans, Bermudian lawyer and politician (b. 1927)
    • 2008 – Paula Gunn Allen, Native American writer (b. 1939)
    • 2008 – Luc Bourdon, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1987)
    • 2008 – Harvey Korman, American actor and comedian (b. 1927)
    • 2010 – Dennis Hopper, American actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1936)
    • 2011 – Sergei Bagapsh, Abkhazian politician, 2nd President of Abkhazia (b. 1949)
    • 2011 – Bill Clements, American soldier and politician, 42nd Governor of Texas (b. 1917)
    • 2011 – Ferenc Mádl, Hungarian academic and politician, 14th President of Hungary (b. 1931)
    • 2012 – Mark Minkov, Russian composer (b. 1944)
    • 2012 – Kaneto Shindo, Japanese director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1912)
    • 2012 – Doc Watson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1923)
    • 2013 – Richard Ballantine, American-English journalist and author (b. 1940)
    • 2013 – Françoise Blanchard, French actress (b. 1954)
    • 2013 – Andrew Greeley, American priest, sociologist, and author (b. 1928)
    • 2013 – Mulgrew Miller, American pianist and composer (b. 1955)
    • 2013 – Henry Morgentaler, Polish-Canadian physician and activist (b. 1923)
    • 2013 – Franca Rame, Italian actress and playwright (b. 1928)
    • 2013 – Ludwig G. Strauss, German physician and academic (b. 1949)
    • 2013 – Wali-ur-Rehman, Pakistani commander (b. 1970)
    • 2014 – Christine Charbonneau, Canadian singer-songwriter (b. 1943)
    • 2014 – Walter Jakob Gehring, Swiss biologist and academic (b. 1939)
    • 2014 – Peter Glaser, Czech-American scientist and engineer (b. 1923)
    • 2014 – Miljenko Prohaska, Croatian composer and conductor (b. 1925)
    • 2014 – William M. Roth, American businessman (b. 1916)
    • 2015 – Henry Carr, American football player and sprinter (b. 1942)
    • 2015 – Doris Hart, American tennis player (b. 1925)
    • 2015 – Betsy Palmer, American actress (b. 1926)
    • 2017 – Manuel Noriega, Panamanian general and politician, Military Leader of Panama (b. 1934)
    • 2017 – Mordechai Tzipori, Israeli Lieutenant General and minister (b. 1924)
    • 2017 – Konstantinos Mitsotakis, Greek politician and prime minister (b. 1918)
    • 2020 – Maikanti Baru, Nigerian engineer, former chief of state oil firm. (b. 1959)

    Holidays and observances on May 29

    • Army Day (Argentina)
    • Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh (Bahá’í Faith) (Only if Bahá’í Naw-Rúz falls on March 21 of the Gregorian calendar)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Bona of Pisa
      • Hypomone (Eastern Orthodox Church)
      • Maximin of Trier
      • Pope Alexander of Alexandria (Eastern Orthodox Church)
      • Theodosia of Constantinople (Eastern Orthodox Church)
      • Ursula Ledóchowska
      • May 29 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Earliest day on which Feast of the Sacred Heart can fall, while July 2 is the latest; celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. (Catholic Church)
    • International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers (International)
    • National Elderly Day (Indonesia)
    • Oak Apple Day (England), and its related observance:
      • Castleton Garland Day (Castleton)
    • Statehood Day (Rhode Island and Wisconsin)
    • Veterans Day (Sweden)
    • World Digestive Health Day

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

    • 567 BC – Servius Tullius, the king of Rome, celebrates a triumph for his victory over the Etruscans.
    • 240 BC – First recorded perihelion passage of Halley’s Comet.
    • 1085 – Alfonso VI of Castile takes Toledo, Spain, back from the Moors.
    • 1420 – Henry the Navigator is appointed governor of the Order of Christ.
    • 1521 – The Diet of Worms ends when Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, issues the Edict of Worms, declaring Martin Luther an outlaw.
    • 1644 – Ming general Wu Sangui forms an alliance with the invading Manchus and opens the gates of the Great Wall of China at Shanhaiguan pass, letting the Manchus through towards the capital Beijing.
    • 1659 – Richard Cromwell resigns as Lord Protector of England following the restoration of the Long Parliament, beginning a second brief period of the republican government called the Commonwealth of England.
    • 1660 – Charles II lands at Dover at the invitation of the Convention Parliament, which marks the end of the Cromwell-proclaimed Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland and begins the Restoration of the British monarchy.
    • 1738 – A treaty between Pennsylvania and Maryland ends the Conojocular War with settlement of a boundary dispute and exchange of prisoners.
    • 1787 – After a delay of 11 days, the United States Constitutional Convention formally convenes in Philadelphia after a quorum of seven states is secured.
    • 1798 – United Irishmen Rebellion: Battle of Carlow begins; executions of suspected rebels at Carnew and at Dunlavin Green take place.
    • 1809 – Chuquisaca Revolution: Patriot revolt in Chuquisaca (modern-day Sucre) against the Spanish Empire, sparking the Latin American wars of independence.
    • 1810 – May Revolution: Citizens of Buenos Aires expel Viceroy Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros during the “May Week”, starting the Argentine War of Independence.
    • 1819 – The Argentine Constitution of 1819 is promulgated.
    • 1833 – The Chilean Constitution of 1833 is promulgated.
    • 1865 – In Mobile, Alabama, around 300 people are killed when an ordnance depot explodes.
    • 1878 – Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic opera H.M.S. Pinafore opens at the Opera Comique in London.
    • 1895 – Playwright, poet and novelist Oscar Wilde is convicted of “committing acts of gross indecency with other male persons” and sentenced to serve two years in prison.
    • 1895 – The Republic of Formosa is formed, with Tang Jingsong as its president.
    • 1914 – The House of Commons of the United Kingdom passes the Home Rule Bill for devolution in Ireland.
    • 1925 – Scopes Trial: John T. Scopes is indicted for teaching human evolution in Tennessee.
    • 1926 – Sholom Schwartzbard assassinates Symon Petliura, the head of the government of the Ukrainian People’s Republic, which is in government-in-exile in Paris.
    • 1935 – Jesse Owens of Ohio State University breaks three world records and ties a fourth at the Big Ten Conference Track and Field Championships in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
    • 1938 – Spanish Civil War: The bombing of Alicante kills 313 people.
    • 1940 – World War II: The German 2nd Panzer Division captures the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer; the surrender of the last French and British troops marks the end of the Battle of Boulogne.
    • 1946 – The parliament of Transjordan makes Abdullah I of Jordan their Emir.
    • 1953 – Nuclear weapons testing: At the Nevada Test Site, the United States conducts its first and only nuclear artillery test.
    • 1953 – The first public television station in the United States officially begins broadcasting as KUHT from the campus of the University of Houston.
    • 1955 – In the United States, a night-time F5 tornado strikes the small city of Udall, Kansas, killing 80 and injuring 273. It is the deadliest tornado to ever occur in the state and the 23rd deadliest in the U.S.
    • 1955 – First ascent of Mount Kangchenjunga: A British expedition led by Charles Evans, Joe Brown and George Band reaches the summit of the third-highest mountain in the world (8,586 meters); Norman Hardie and Tony Streather join them the following day.
    • 1961 – Apollo program: U.S. President John F. Kennedy announces, before a special joint session of the U.S. Congress, his goal to initiate a project to put a “man on the Moon” before the end of the decade.
    • 1963 – The Organisation of African Unity is established in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
    • 1966 – Explorer program: Explorer 32 launches.
    • 1968 – The Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri, is dedicated.
    • 1973 – In protest against the dictatorship in Greece, the captain and crew on Greek naval destroyer Velos mutiny and refuse to return to Greece, instead anchoring at Fiumicino, Italy.
    • 1977 – Star Wars (retroactively titled Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope) is released in theaters.
    • 1977 – The Chinese government removes a decade-old ban on William Shakespeare’s work, effectively ending the Cultural Revolution started in 1966.
    • 1978 – The first of a series of bombings orchestrated by the Unabomber detonates at Northwestern University resulting in minor injuries.
    • 1979 – John Spenkelink, a convicted murderer, is executed in Florida; he is the first person to be executed in the state after the reintroduction of capital punishment in 1976.
    • 1979 – American Airlines Flight 191: A McDonnell Douglas DC-10 crashes during takeoff at O’Hare International Airport, Chicago, killing all 271 on board and two people on the ground.
    • 1981 – In Riyadh, the Gulf Cooperation Council is created between Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
    • 1982 – Falklands War: HMS Coventry is sunk by Argentine Air Force A-4 Skyhawks.
    • 1985 – Bangladesh is hit by a tropical cyclone and storm surge, which kills approximately 10,000 people.
    • 1986 – The Hands Across America event takes place.
    • 1997 – A military coup in Sierra Leone replaces President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah with Major Johnny Paul Koroma.
    • 1999 – The United States House of Representatives releases the Cox Report which details the People’s Republic of China’s nuclear espionage against the U.S. over the prior two decades.
    • 2000 – Liberation Day of Lebanon: Israel withdraws its army from Lebanese territory (with the exception of the disputed Shebaa farms zone) 18 years after the invasion of 1982.
    • 2001 – Erik Weihenmayer becomes the first blind person to reach the summit of Mount Everest, in the Himalayas, with Dr. Sherman Bull.
    • 2002 – China Airlines Flight 611 disintegrates in mid-air and crashes into the Taiwan Strait, with the loss of all 225 people on board.
    • 2008 – NASA’s Phoenix lander touches down in the Green Valley region of Mars to search for environments suitable for water and microbial life.
    • 2009 – North Korea allegedly tests its second nuclear device, after which Pyongyang also conducts several missile tests, building tensions in the international community.
    • 2011 – Oprah Winfrey airs her last show, ending her 25-year run of The Oprah Winfrey Show.
    • 2012 – The SpaceX Dragon becomes the first commercial spacecraft to successfully rendezvous and berth with the International Space Station.
    • 2013 – Suspected Maoist rebels kill at least 28 people and injure 32 others in an attack on a convoy of Indian National Congress politicians in Chhattisgarh, India.
    • 2013 – A gas cylinder explodes on a school bus in the Pakistani city of Gujrat, killing at least 18 people.
    • 2018 – The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) becomes enforceable in the European Union.
    • 2018 – Ireland votes to repeal the Eighth Amendment of their constitution that prohibits abortion in all but a few cases, choosing to replace it with the Thirty-sixth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland.
    • 2020 – George Floyd, a black man, is killed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during an arrest when he is restrained in a prone position face-down on the ground for several minutes, provoking protests across the United States and elsewhere around the world.

    Births on May 25

    • 1048 – Emperor Shenzong of Song (d. 1085)
    • 1320 – Toghon Temür, Mongolian emperor (d. 1370)
    • 1334 – Emperor Sukō of Japan (d. 1398)
    • 1416 – Jakobus (“James”), Count of Lichtenburg (d. 1480)
    • 1417 – Catherine of Cleves, Duchess consort regent of Guelders (d. 1479)
    • 1550 – Camillus de Lellis, Italian saint and nurse (d. 1614)
    • 1606 – Charles Garnier, French missionary and saint (d. 1649)
    • 1661 – Claude Buffier, Polish-French historian and philosopher (d. 1737)
    • 1713 – John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute, Scottish politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1792)
    • 1725 – Samuel Ward, American politician, 31st Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island (d. 1776)
    • 1783 – Philip Pendleton Barbour, American farmer and politician, 12th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (d. 1841)
    • 1791 – Minh Mạng, Vietnamese emperor (d. 1841)
    • 1803 – Edward Bulwer-Lytton, English author, playwright, and politician, Secretary of State for the Colonies (d. 1873)
    • 1803 – Ralph Waldo Emerson, American poet and philosopher (d. 1882)
    • 1818 – Jacob Burckhardt, Swiss historian and academic (d. 1897)
    • 1818 – Louise de Broglie, Countess d’Haussonville, French essayist and biographer (d. 1882)
    • 1830 – Trebor Mai (né Robert Williams), Welsh poet (d. 1877)
    • 1846 – Naim Frashëri, Albanian-Turkish poet and translator (d. 1900)
    • 1848 – Johann Baptist Singenberger, Swiss composer, educator, and publisher (d. 1924)
    • 1852 – William Muldoon, American wrestler and trainer (d. 1933)
    • 1856 – Louis Franchet d’Espèrey, Algerian-French general (d. 1942)
    • 1860 – James McKeen Cattell, American psychologist and academic (d. 1944)
    • 1865 – John Mott, American evangelist and saint, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1955)
    • 1865 – Pieter Zeeman, Dutch physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1943)
    • 1867 – Anders Peter Nielsen, Danish target shooter (d. 1950)
    • 1869 – Robbie Ross, Canadian journalist and art critic (d. 1918)
    • 1869 – Mathilde Verne, English pianist and educator (d. 1936)
    • 1878 – Bill Robinson, American actor and dancer (d. 1949)
    • 1879 – Max Aitken, Lord Beaverbrook, Canadian-English businessman and politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (d. 1964)
    • 1879 – William Stickney, American golfer (d. 1944)
    • 1880 – Jean Alexandre Barré, French neurologist and academic (d. 1967)
    • 1882 – Marie Doro, American actress (d. 1956)
    • 1883 – Carl Johan Lind, Swedish hammer thrower (d. 1965)
    • 1886 – Rash Behari Bose, Indian soldier and activist (d. 1945)
    • 1886 – Philip Murray, Scottish-American miner and labor leader (d. 1952)
    • 1887 – Padre Pio, Italian priest and saint (d. 1968)
    • 1888 – Miles Malleson, English actor and screenwriter (d. 1969)
    • 1889 – Günther Lütjens, German admiral (d. 1941)
    • 1889 – Igor Sikorsky, Russian-American aircraft designer, founded Sikorsky Aircraft (d. 1972)
    • 1893 – Ernest “Pop” Stoneman, American country musician (d. 1968)
    • 1897 – Alan Kippax, Australian cricketer (d. 1972)
    • 1897 – Gene Tunney, American boxer and soldier (d. 1978)
    • 1898 – Bennett Cerf, American publisher and television game show panelist; co-founded Random House (d. 1971)
    • 1899 – Kazi Nazrul Islam, Bengali poet, author, and flute player (d. 1976)
    • 1900 – Alain Grandbois, Canadian poet and author (d. 1975)
    • 1907 – U Nu, Burmese politician, 1st Prime Minister of Burma (d. 1995)
    • 1908 – Theodore Roethke, American poet (d. 1963)
    • 1909 – Alfred Kubel, German politician, 5th Prime Minister of Lower Saxony (d. 1999)
    • 1912 – Dean Rockwell, American commander, wrestler, and coach (d. 2005)
    • 1913 – Heinrich Bär, German colonel and pilot (d. 1957)
    • 1913 – Richard Dimbleby, English journalist and producer (d. 1965)
    • 1916 – Brian Dickson, Canadian captain, lawyer, and politician, 15th Chief Justice of Canada (d. 1998)
    • 1916 – Giuseppe Tosi, Italian discus thrower (d. 1981)
    • 1917 – Steve Cochran, American film, television and stage actor (d. 1965)
    • 1917 – Theodore Hesburgh, American priest, theologian, and academic (d. 2015)
    • 1920 – Arthur Wint, Jamaican runner and diplomat (d. 1992)
    • 1921 – Hal David, American songwriter and composer (d. 2012)
    • 1921 – Kitty Kallen, American singer (d. 2016)
    • 1921 – Jack Steinberger, German-Swiss physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1922 – Enrico Berlinguer, Italian politician (d. 1984)
    • 1924 – István Nyers, French-Hungarian footballer (d. 2005)
    • 1925 – Rosario Castellanos, Mexican poet and author (d. 1974)
    • 1925 – Jeanne Crain, American actress (d. 2003)
    • 1925 – Eldon Griffiths, English journalist and politician (d. 2014)
    • 1925 – Don Liddle, American baseball player (d. 2000)
    • 1925 – Claude Pinoteau, French film director and screenwriter (d. 2012)
    • 1926 – Claude Akins, American actor (d. 1994)
    • 1926 – William Bowyer, English painter and academic (d. 2015)
    • 1926 – Phyllis Gotlieb, Canadian author and poet (d. 2009)
    • 1926 – Bill Sharman, American basketball player and coach (d. 2013)
    • 1926 – David Wynne, English sculptor and painter (d. 2014)
    • 1927 – Robert Ludlum, American soldier and author (d. 2001)
    • 1927 – Norman Petty, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer (d. 1984)
    • 1929 – Beverly Sills, American soprano and actress (d. 2007)
    • 1930 – Sonia Rykiel, French fashion designer (d. 2016)
    • 1931 – Herb Gray, Canadian lawyer and politician, 7th Deputy Prime Minister of Canada (d. 2014)
    • 1931 – Georgy Grechko, Russian engineer and astronaut (d. 2017)
    • 1931 – Irwin Winkler, American director and producer
    • 1932 – John Gregory Dunne, American novelist, screenwriter, and critic (d. 2003)
    • 1932 – K. C. Jones, American basketball player and coach
    • 1933 – Sarah Marshall, English-American actress (d. 2014)
    • 1933 – Basdeo Panday, Trinidadian lawyer and politician, 5th Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago
    • 1933 – Ray Spencer, English footballer (d. 2016)
    • 1933 – Jógvan Sundstein, Faroese accountant and politician, 7th Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands
    • 1935 – John Ffowcs Williams, Welsh engineer and academic
    • 1935 – Cookie Gilchrist, American football player (d. 2011)
    • 1935 – W. P. Kinsella, Canadian novelist and short story writer (d. 2016)
    • 1935 – Victoria Shaw, Australian-born American actress (d. 1988)
    • 1936 – Tom T. Hall, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1936 – Rusi Surti, Indian cricketer (d. 2013)
    • 1937 – Tom Phillips, English painter and academic
    • 1938 – Raymond Carver, American short story writer and poet (d. 1988)
    • 1938 – Margaret Forster, English historian, author, and critic (d. 2016)
    • 1938 – Geoffrey Robinson, English businessman and politician
    • 1939 – Dixie Carter, American actress and singer (d. 2010)
    • 1939 – Ian McKellen, English actor
    • 1940 – Nobuyoshi Araki, Japanese photographer
    • 1941 – Rudolf Adler, Czech filmmaker:88
    • 1941 – Uta Frith, German developmental psychologist
    • 1941 – Vladimir Voronin, Moldovan economist and politician, 3rd President of Moldova
    • 1943 – Jessi Colter, American singer-songwriter and pianist
    • 1943 – John Palmer, English keyboard player
    • 1943 – Leslie Uggams, American actress and singer
    • 1944 – Digby Anderson, English journalist and philosopher
    • 1944 – Pierre Bachelet, French singer-songwriter (d. 2005)
    • 1944 – Charlie Harper, English singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1944 – Robert MacPherson, American mathematician and academic
    • 1944 – Frank Oz, English-born American puppeteer, filmmaker, and actor
    • 1944 – Chris Ralston, English rugby player
    • 1946 – Bill Adam, Scottish-Canadian racing driver
    • 1946 – David A. Hargrave, American game designer, created Arduin (d. 1988)
    • 1947 – Karen Valentine, American actress
    • 1947 – Catherine G. Wolf, American psychologist and computer scientist
    • 1948 – Bülent Arınç, Turkish lawyer and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey
    • 1948 – Marianne Elliott, Northern Irish historian, author, and academic
    • 1948 – Klaus Meine, German rock singer-songwriter
    • 1949 – Jamaica Kincaid, Antiguan-American novelist, short story writer, and essayist
    • 1949 – Barry Windsor-Smith, English painter and illustrator
    • 1950 – Robby Steinhardt, American rock violinist and singer
    • 1951 – Bob Gale, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1952 – Jeffrey Bewkes, American businessman
    • 1952 – Nick Fotiu, American ice hockey player and coach
    • 1952 – David Jenkins, Trinidadian-Scottish runner
    • 1952 – Al Sarrantonio, American author and publisher
    • 1952 – Gordon H. Smith, American businessman and politician
    • 1953 – Eve Ensler, American playwright and producer
    • 1953 – Daniel Passarella, Argentinian footballer, coach, and manager
    • 1953 – Stan Sakai, Japanese-American author and illustrator
    • 1953 – Gaetano Scirea, Italian footballer (d. 1989)
    • 1954 – John Beck, English footballer, midfielder and manager
    • 1954 – Murali, Indian actor, producer, and politician (d. 2009)
    • 1955 – Alistair Burt, English lawyer and politician
    • 1956 – Stavros Arnaoutakis, Greek politician
    • 1956 – Larry Hogan, American politician, 62nd Governor of Maryland
    • 1956 – David P. Sartor, American composer and conductor
    • 1957 – Alastair Campbell, English journalist and author
    • 1957 – Edward Lee, American author
    • 1957 – Robert Picard, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1958 – Dorothy Straight, American children’s author
    • 1958 – Paul Weller, English singer, songwriter and musician
    • 1959 – Julian Clary, English comedian, actor, and author
    • 1959 – Manolis Kefalogiannis, Greek politician
    • 1959 – Rick Wamsley, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1960 – Amy Klobuchar, American lawyer and politician
    • 1960 – Anthea Turner, English journalist and television host
    • 1962 – Ric Nattress, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager
    • 1963 – George Hickenlooper, American director and producer (d. 2010)
    • 1963 – Mike Myers, Canadian-American actor, singer, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1963 – Ludovic Orban, Romanian engineer, and politician, 68th Prime Minister of Romania
    • 1964 – David Shaw, Canadian-American ice hockey player
    • 1965 – Yahya Jammeh, Gambian colonel and politician, President of the Gambia
    • 1967 – Luc Nilis, Belgian footballer and manager
    • 1967 – Mark Rosewater, Head designer of Magic: the Gathering
    • 1968 – Kendall Gill, American basketball player, boxer, and sportscaster
    • 1969 – Glen Drover, Canadian guitarist and songwriter
    • 1969 – Anne Heche, American actress
    • 1969 – Karen Bernstein, Canadian voice actress
    • 1969 – Stacy London, American journalist and author
    • 1970 – Robert Croft, Welsh-English cricketer and sportscaster
    • 1970 – Jamie Kennedy, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1971 – Stefano Baldini, Italian runner
    • 1971 – Marco Cappato, Italian politician
    • 1972 – Karan Johar, Indian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1972 – Octavia Spencer, American actress and author
    • 1973 – Daz Dillinger, American rapper and producer
    • 1973 – Molly Sims, American model and actress
    • 1974 – Dougie Freedman, Scottish footballer and manager
    • 1974 – Frank Klepacki, American drummer and composer
    • 1974 – Miguel Tejada, Dominican-American baseball player
    • 1975 – Blaise Nkufo, Congolese-Swiss footballer
    • 1976 – Stefan Holm, Swedish high jumper
    • 1976 – Erki Pütsep, Estonian cyclist
    • 1976 – Ethan Suplee, American actor
    • 1976 – Cillian Murphy, Irish actor
    • 1976 – Miguel Zepeda, Mexican footballer
    • 1977 – Andre Anis, Estonian footballer
    • 1977 – Alberto Del Rio, Mexican-American mixed martial artist and wrestler
    • 1978 – Adam Gontier, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1978 – Brian Urlacher, American football player
    • 1979 – Carlos Bocanegra, American international soccer player, defender and Sports Executive
    • 1979 – Sayed Moawad, Egyptian footballer
    • 1979 – Caroline Ouellette, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1979 – Sam Sodje, English-Nigerian footballer
    • 1979 – Jonny Wilkinson, English rugby player
    • 1979 – Chris Young, American baseball pitcher
    • 1980 – David Navarro, Spanish footballer
    • 1981 – Michalis Pelekanos, Greek basketball player
    • 1981 – Matt Utai, New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1982 – Adam Boyd, English footballer
    • 1982 – Daniel Braaten, Norwegian footballer
    • 1982 – Ryan Gallant, American skateboarder
    • 1982 – Roger Guerreiro, Polish footballer
    • 1982 – Justin Hodges, Australian rugby league player
    • 1982 – Ezekiel Kemboi, Kenyan runner
    • 1982 – Jason Kubel, American baseball player
    • 1982 – Stacey Pensgen, American figure skater and meteorologist
    • 1982 – Luke Webster, Australian footballer
    • 1984 – Luke Ball, Australian footballer
    • 1984 – Kyle Brodziak, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1984 – A. J. Foyt IV, American race car driver
    • 1984 – Shawne Merriman, American football player
    • 1985 – Luciana Abreu, Portuguese singer and actress
    • 1985 – Demba Ba, French footballer
    • 1985 – Gert Kams, Estonian footballer
    • 1985 – Roman Reigns, American football player and wrestler
    • 1986 – Edewin Fanini, Brazilian footballer
    • 1986 – Yoan Gouffran, French footballer
    • 1986 – Takahiro Hōjō, Japanese actor and musician
    • 1986 – Geraint Thomas, Welsh cyclist
    • 1987 – Timothy Derijck, Belgian footballer
    • 1987 – Yves De Winter, Belgian footballer
    • 1987 – Moritz Stehling, German footballer
    • 1987 – Kamil Stoch, Polish ski jumper
    • 1988 – Dávid Škutka, Slovak footballer
    • 1988 – Cameron van der Burgh, South African swimmer
    • 1990 – Bo Dallas, American wrestler
    • 1990 – Nikita Filatov, Russian ice hockey player
    • 1993 – James Porter, English cricketer
    • 1994 – Matt Murray, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1994 – Aly Raisman, American gymnast
    • 1995 – Kagiso Rabada, South African cricketer
    • 1996 – David Pastrňák, Czech ice hockey player

    Deaths on May 25

    • 675 – Li Hong, Chinese prince (b. 652)
    • 709 – Aldhelm, English-Latin bishop, poet, and scholar (b. 639)
    • 803 – Higbald of Lindisfarne, English bishop
    • 912 – Xue Yiju, chancellor of Later Liang
    • 916 – Flann Sinna, king of Meath
    • 939 – Yao Yanzhang, general of Chu
    • 986 – Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi, Muslim astronomer (b. 903)
    • 992 – Mieszko I of Poland (b. 935)
    • 1085 – Pope Gregory VII (b. 1020)
    • 1261 – Pope Alexander IV (b. 1185)
    • 1452 – John Stafford, English archbishop and politician
    • 1555 – Gemma Frisius, Dutch physician, mathematician, and cartographer (b. 1508)
    • 1555 – Henry II of Navarre (b. 1503)
    • 1595 – Valens Acidalius, German poet and critic (b. 1567)
    • 1595 – Philip Neri, Italian priest and saint (b. 1515)
    • 1607 – Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi, Italian Carmelite nun and mystic (b. 1566)
    • 1632 – Adam Tanner, Austrian mathematician and philosopher (b. 1572)
    • 1667 – Gustaf Bonde, Finnish-Swedish politician, 5th Lord High Treasurer of Sweden (b. 1620)
    • 1681 – Pedro Calderón de la Barca, Spanish poet and playwright (b. 1600)
    • 1741 – Daniel Ernst Jablonski, German bishop and theologian (b. 1660)
    • 1786 – Peter III of Portugal (b. 1717)
    • 1789 – Anders Dahl, Swedish botanist and physician (b. 1751)
    • 1797 – John Griffin, 4th Baron Howard de Walden, English field marshal and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Essex (b. 1719)
    • 1805 – William Paley, English priest and philosopher (b. 1743)
    • 1849 – Benjamin D’Urban, English general and politician, Governor of British Guiana (b. 1777)
    • 1895 – Ahmed Cevdet Pasha, Ottoman sociologist, historian, and jurist (b. 1822)
    • 1899 – Rosa Bonheur, French painter and sculptor (b. 1822)
    • 1912 – Austin Lane Crothers, American educator and politician, 46th Governor of Maryland (b. 1860)
    • 1917 – Maksim Bahdanovič, Belarusian poet and critic (b. 1891)
    • 1919 – Eliza Pollock, American archer (b. 1840)
    • 1919 – Madam C. J. Walker, American businesswoman and philanthropist, founded the Madame C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company (b. 1867)
    • 1924 – Lyubov Popova, Russian painter and illustrator (b. 1889)
    • 1926 – Symon Petliura, Ukrainian journalist and politician (b. 1879)
    • 1927 – Payne Whitney, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1876)
    • 1930 – Randall Davidson, Scottish-English archbishop (b. 1848)
    • 1934 – Gustav Holst, English trombonist, composer, and educator (b. 1874)
    • 1937 – Henry Ossawa Tanner, American-French painter and illustrator (b. 1859)
    • 1939 – Frank Watson Dyson, English astronomer and academic (b. 1868)
    • 1942 – Emanuel Feuermann, Ukrainian-American cellist and educator (b. 1902)
    • 1943 – Nils von Dardel, Swedish painter (b. 1888)
    • 1948 – Witold Pilecki, Polish officer and Resistance leader (b. 1901)
    • 1951 – Paula von Preradović, Croatian poet and author (b. 1887)
    • 1954 – Robert Capa, Hungarian photographer and journalist (b. 1913)
    • 1957 – Leo Goodwin, American swimmer, diver, and water polo player (b. 1883)
    • 1968 – Georg von Küchler, German field marshal (b. 1881)
    • 1970 – Tom Patey, Scottish mountaineer and author (b. 1932)
    • 1977 – Yevgenia Ginzburg, Russian author (b. 1904)
    • 1979 – Itzhak Bentov, Czech-Israeli engineer, mystic, and author (b. 1923)
    • 1979 – Amédée Gordini, Italian-born French racing driver and sports car manufacturer (b. 1899)
    • 1981 – Ruby Payne-Scott, Australian physicist and astronomer (b. 1912)
    • 1981 – Fredric Warburg, English author and publisher (b. 1898)
    • 1983 – Necip Fazıl Kısakürek, Turkish author, poet, and playwright (b. 1904)
    • 1983 – Idris of Libya (b. 1889)
    • 1983 – Jack Stewart, Canadian-American ice hockey player (b. 1917)
    • 1986 – Chester Bowles, American journalist and politician, 22nd Under Secretary of State (b. 1901)
    • 1990 – Vic Tayback, American actor (b. 1930)
    • 1995 – Élie Bayol, French racing driver (b. 1914)
    • 1995 – Krešimir Ćosić, Croatian basketball player and coach, Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer 1996 (b. 1948)
    • 1995 – Dany Robin, French actress (b. 1927)
    • 1996 – Renzo De Felice, Italian historian and author (b. 1929)
    • 2003 – Sloan Wilson, American author and poet (b. 1920)
    • 2004 – Roger Williams Straus, Jr., American publisher, co-founded Farrar, Straus and Giroux Publishing Company (b. 1917)
    • 2005 – Sunil Dutt, Indian actor, director, producer, and politician (b. 1929)
    • 2005 – Robert Jankel, English businessman, founded Panther Westwinds (b. 1938)
    • 2005 – Graham Kennedy, Australian television host and actor (b. 1934)
    • 2005 – Ismail Merchant, Indian-born film producer and director (b. 1936)
    • 2005 – Zoran Mušič, Slovene painter and illustrator (b. 1909)
    • 2007 – Charles Nelson Reilly, American actor, comedian, and director (b. 1931)
    • 2008 – J. R. Simplot, American businessman, founded Simplot (b. 1909)
    • 2009 – Haakon Lie, Norwegian politician (b. 1905)
    • 2010 – Alexander Belostenny, Ukrainian basketball player (b. 1959)
    • 2010 – Michael H. Jordan, American businessman (b. 1936)
    • 2010 – Alan Hickinbotham, Australian footballer and coach (b. 1925)
    • 2010 – Gabriel Vargas, Mexican painter and illustrator (b. 1915)
    • 2010 – Jarvis Williams, American football player and coach (b. 1965)
    • 2011 – Terry Jenner, Australian cricketer and coach (b. 1944)
    • 2012 – William Hanley, American author and screenwriter (b. 1931)
    • 2012 – Peter D. Sieruta, American author and critic (b. 1958)
    • 2012 – Lou Watson, American basketball player and coach (b. 1924)
    • 2013 – Mahendra Karma, Indian politician (b. 1950)
    • 2013 – Nand Kumar Patel, Indian politician (b. 1953)
    • 2014 – David Allen, English cricketer (b. 1935)
    • 2014 – Marcel Côté, Canadian economist and politician (b. 1942)
    • 2014 – Wojciech Jaruzelski, Polish general and politician, 1st President of Poland (b. 1923)
    • 2014 – Herb Jeffries, American singer and actor (b. 1913)
    • 2014 – Toaripi Lauti, Tuvaluan educator and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Tuvalu (b. 1928)
    • 2014 – Matthew Saad Muhammad, American boxer and trainer (b. 1954)
    • 2015 – George Braden, Canadian lawyer and politician, 2nd Premier of the Northwest Territories (b. 1949)
    • 2015 – Robert Lebel, Canadian bishop (b. 1924)
    • 2019 – Claus von Bülow, Danish-British socialite (b.1926)

    Holidays and observances on May 25

    • Africa Day (African Union)
    • African Liberation Day (African Union, Rastafari)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Aldhelm
      • Bede
      • Canius
      • Dionysius of Milan
      • Dúnchad mac Cinn Fáelad
      • Gerard of Lunel
      • Madeleine Sophie Barat
      • Mary Magdalene de Pazzi
      • Maximus (Mauxe) of Évreux
      • Pope Boniface IV
      • Pope Gregory VII
      • Pope Urban I
      • Zenobius of Florence
      • May 25 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Earliest day on which Arbor Day can fall, while May 31 is the latest; celebrated on the last Sunday in May. (Venezuela)
    • Earliest day on which Children’s Day can fall, while May 31 is the latest; celebrated on the last Sunday in May. (Hungary)
    • Earliest day on which Holiday of Saint Etchmiadzin can fall, while July 27 is the latest; celebrated on the 64th day after Easter. (Armenia)
    • Earliest day on which Memorial Day can fall, while May 31 is the latest; celebrated on the last Monday in May. (United States)
    • Earliest day on which Mother’s Day can fall, while May 31 is the latest; celebrated on the last Sunday in May. (Algeria, Dominican Republic, France (First Sunday of June, if Pentecost occurs on this day), Haiti, Mauritius, Morocco, Sweden, Tunisia)
    • Earliest day on which Turkmen Carpet Day can fall, while May 31 is the latest; celebrated on the last Sunday in May. (Turkmenistan)
    • First National Government / National Day (Argentina)
    • Geek Pride Day (geek culture)
    • Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Jordan from the United Kingdom in 1946.
    • Last bell (Russia, post-Soviet countries)
    • Liberation Day (Lebanon)
    • International Missing Children’s Day and its related observances:
      • National Missing Children’s Day (United States),
    • National Tap Dance Day (United States)
    • Towel Day in honour of the work of the writer Douglas Adams

  • May 23 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 1430 – Joan of Arc is captured by the Burgundians while leading an army to raise the Siege of Compiègne.
    • 1498 – Girolamo Savonarola is burned at the stake in Florence, Italy.
    • 1533 – The marriage of King Henry VIII to Catherine of Aragon is declared null and void.
    • 1568 – Dutch rebels led by Louis of Nassau, defeat Jean de Ligne, Duke of Arenberg, and his loyalist troops in the Battle of Heiligerlee, opening the Eighty Years’ War.
    • 1609 – Official ratification of the Second Virginia Charter takes place.
    • 1618 – The Second Defenestration of Prague precipitates the Thirty Years’ War.
    • 1701 – After being convicted of piracy and of murdering William Moore, Captain William Kidd is hanged in London.
    • 1706 – John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, defeats a French army under Marshal François de Neufville, duc de Villeroy at the Battle of Ramillies.
    • 1788 – South Carolina ratifies the United States Constitution as the eighth American state.
    • 1793 – Battle of Famars during the Flanders Campaign of the War of the First Coalition.
    • 1829 – Accordion patent granted to Cyrill Demian in Vienna, Austrian Empire.
    • 1844 – Declaration of the Báb the evening before the 23rd: A merchant of Shiraz announces that he is a Prophet and founds a religious movement that would later be brutally crushed by the Persian government. He is considered to be a forerunner of the Bahá’í Faith; Bahá’ís celebrate the day as a holy day.
    • 1846 – Mexican–American War: President Mariano Paredes of Mexico unofficially declares war on the United States.
    • 1863 – The General German Workers’ Association, a precursor of the modern Social Democratic Party of Germany, is founded in Leipzig, Kingdom of Saxony.
    • 1873 – The Canadian Parliament establishes the North-West Mounted Police, the forerunner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
    • 1900 – American Civil War: Sergeant William Harvey Carney is awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism in the Assault on the Battery Wagner in 1863.
    • 1907 – The unicameral Parliament of Finland gathers for its first plenary session.
    • 1911 – The New York Public Library is dedicated.
    • 1915 – World War I: Italy joins the Allies, fulfilling its part of the Treaty of London.
    • 1932 – In Brazil, four students are shot and killed during a manifestation against the Brazilian dictator Getúlio Vargas, which resulted in the outbreak of the Constitutionalist Revolution several weeks later.
    • 1934 – Infamous American bank robbers Bonnie and Clyde are ambushed by police and killed in Bienville Parish, Louisiana.
    • 1934 – The Auto-Lite strike culminates in the “Battle of Toledo”, a five-day melée between 1,300 troops of the Ohio National Guard and 6,000 picketers.
    • 1939 – The U.S. Navy submarine USS Squalus sinks off the coast of New Hampshire during a test dive, causing the death of 24 sailors and two civilian technicians. The remaining 32 sailors and one civilian naval architect are rescued the following day.
    • 1945 – World War II: Heinrich Himmler, head of the Schutzstaffel, commits suicide while in Allied custody.
    • 1945 – World War II: Germany’s Flensburg Government under Karl Dönitz is dissolved when its members are arrested by British forces.
    • 1948 – Thomas C. Wasson, the US Consul-General, is assassinated in Jerusalem, Israel.
    • 1949 – Cold War: The Western occupying powers approve the Basic Law and establish a new German state, the Federal Republic of Germany.
    • 1951 – Tibetans sign the Seventeen Point Agreement with China.
    • 1960 – A tsunami caused by an earthquake in Chile the previous day kills 61 people in Hilo, Hawaii.
    • 1992 – Italy’s most prominent anti-mafia judge Giovanni Falcone, his wife and three body guards are killed by the Corleonesi clan with a half-ton bomb near Capaci, Sicily. His friend and colleague Paolo Borsellino will be assassinated less than two months later, making 1992 a turning point in the history of Italian Mafia prosecutions.
    • 1995 – The first version of the Java programming language is released.
    • 1998 – The Good Friday Agreement is accepted in a referendum in Northern Ireland with roughly 75% voting yes.
    • 2002 – The “55 parties” clause of the Kyoto Protocol is reached after its ratification by Iceland.
    • 2006 – Alaskan stratovolcano Mount Cleveland erupts.
    • 2008 – The International Court of Justice (ICJ) awards Middle Rocks to Malaysia and Pedra Branca (Pulau Batu Puteh) to Singapore, ending a 29-year territorial dispute between the two countries.
    • 2013 – A freeway bridge carrying Interstate 5 over the Skagit River collapses in Mount Vernon, Washington.
    • 2014 – Seven people, including the perpetrator, are killed and another 14 injured in a killing spree near the campus of University of California, Santa Barbara.
    • 2015 – At least 46 people are killed as a result of floods caused by a tornado in Texas and Oklahoma.
    • 2016 – Two suicide bombings, conducted by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, killed at least 45 potential army recruits in Aden, Yemen.
    • 2016 – Eight bombings were carried out by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria in Jableh and Tartus, coastline cities in Syria. One hundred eighty-four people were killed and at least 200 people injured.
    • 2017 – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law in Mindanao, following the Maute’s attack in Marawi.

    Births on May 23

    • 635 – K’inich Kan Bahlam II, Mayan king (d. 702)
    • 675 – Perumbidugu Mutharaiyar II, King of Mutharaiyar dynasty, Tamil Nadu, India
    • 1052 – Philip I of France (d. 1108)
    • 1100 – Emperor Qinzong of Song (d. 1161)
    • 1127 – Uijong of Goryeo, Korean monarch of the Goryeo dynasty (d. 1173)
    • 1330 – Gongmin of Goryeo, Korean ruler (d. 1374)
    • 1586 – Paul Siefert, German composer and organist (d. 1666)
    • 1606 – Juan Caramuel y Lobkowitz, Spanish mathematician and philosopher (d. 1682)
    • 1614 – Bertholet Flemalle, Flemish Baroque painter (d. 1675)
    • 1617 – Elias Ashmole, English astrologer and politician (d. 1692)
    • 1629 – William VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel, noble of Hesse-Kassel (d. 1663)
    • 1707 – Carl Linnaeus, Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist (d. 1778)
    • 1718 – William Hunter, Scottish-English anatomist and physician (d. 1783)
    • 1729 – Giuseppe Parini, Italian poet and educator (d. 1799)
    • 1730 – Prince Augustus Ferdinand of Prussia, Prussian prince and general (d. 1813)
    • 1734 – Franz Mesmer, German physician and astrologer (d. 1815)
    • 1741 – Andrea Luchesi, Italian organist and composer (d. 1801)
    • 1789 – Franz Schlik, Austrian earl and general (d. 1862)
    • 1790 – Jules Dumont d’Urville, French admiral and explorer (d. 1842)
    • 1790 – James Pradier, French neoclassical sculptor (d. 1852)
    • 1794 – Ignaz Moscheles, Czech pianist and composer (d. 1870)
    • 1795 – Charles Barry, English architect, designed the Upper Brook Street Chapel and Halifax Town Hall (d. 1860)
    • 1800 – Rómulo Díaz de la Vega, Mexican general and president (1855) (d. 1877)
    • 1810 – Margaret Fuller, American journalist and critic (d. 1850)
    • 1817 – Manuel Robles Pezuela, Unconstitutional Mexican interim president (d. 1862)
    • 1820 – James Buchanan Eads, American engineer, designed the Eads Bridge (d. 1887)
    • 1820 – Lorenzo Sawyer, American lawyer and judge (d. 1891)
    • 1824 – Ambrose Burnside, American general and politician, 30th Governor of Rhode Island (d. 1881)
    • 1834 – Jānis Frīdrihs Baumanis, Latvian architect (d. 1891)
    • 1834 – Carl Bloch, Danish painter and academic (d. 1890)
    • 1837 – Anatole Mallet, Swiss mechanical engineer and inventor (d. 1919)
    • 1837 – Józef Wieniawski, Polish pianist and composer (d. 1912)
    • 1838 – Amaldus Nielsen, Norwegian painter (d. 1932)
    • 1840 – George Throssell, Irish-Australian politician, 2nd Premier of Western Australia (d. 1910)
    • 1844 – `Abdu’l-Bahá, Iranian religious leader (d. 1921)
    • 1848 – Otto Lilienthal, German pilot and engineer (d. 1896)
    • 1855 – Isabella Ford, English author and activist (d. 1924)
    • 1861 – József Rippl-Rónai, Hungarian painter (d. 1927)
    • 1863 – Władysław Horodecki, Polish architect (d. 1930)
    • 1864 – William O’Connor, American fencer (d. 1939)
    • 1865 – Epitácio Pessoa, Brazilian jurist and politician, 11th President of Brazil (d. 1942)
    • 1875 – Alfred P. Sloan, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 1966)
    • 1882 – William Halpenny, Canadian pole vaulter (d. 1960)
    • 1883 – Douglas Fairbanks, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1939)
    • 1884 – Corrado Gini, Italian sociologist and demographer (d. 1965)
    • 1887 – Thoralf Skolem, Norwegian mathematician and theorist (d. 1963)
    • 1887 – Nikolai Vekšin, Estonian-Russian sailor and captain (d. 1951)
    • 1888 – Adriaan Roland Holst, Dutch writer (d. 1976)
    • 1888 – Zack Wheat, American baseball player and police officer (d. 1972)
    • 1889 – Ernst Niekisch, German educator and politician (d. 1967)
    • 1890 – Herbert Marshall, English-American actor and singer (d. 1966)
    • 1891 – Pär Lagerkvist, Swedish novelist, playwright, and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1974)
    • 1892 – Albert Spencer, 7th Earl Spencer, British peer and grandfather of Diana Spencer (d. 1975)
    • 1896 – Felix Steiner, Russian-German SS officer (d. 1966)
    • 1897 – Jimmie Guthrie, Scottish motorcycle racer (d. 1937)
    • 1898 – Scott O’Dell, American soldier, journalist, and author (d. 1989)
    • 1898 – Josef Terboven, German soldier and politician (d. 1945)
    • 1899 – Jeralean Talley, American super-centenarian (d. 2015)
    • 1900 – Hans Frank, German lawyer and politician (d. 1946)
    • 1900 – Franz Leopold Neumann, German lawyer and theorist (d. 1954)
    • 1908 – John Bardeen, American physicist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1991)
    • 1908 – Hélène Boucher, French pilot (d. 1934)
    • 1910 – Margaret Wise Brown, American author and educator (d. 1952)
    • 1910 – Hugh Casson, English architect and academic (d. 1999)
    • 1910 – Scatman Crothers, American actor and comedian (d. 1986)
    • 1910 – Franz Kline, American painter and academic (d. 1962)
    • 1910 – Artie Shaw, American clarinet player, composer, and bandleader (d. 2004)
    • 1911 – Lou Brouillard, Canadian boxer (d. 1984)
    • 1911 – Paul Augustin Mayer, German cardinal (d. 2010)
    • 1911 – Betty Nuthall, English tennis player (d. 1983)
    • 1912 – Jean Françaix, French pianist and composer (d. 1997)
    • 1912 – John Payne, American actor (d. 1989)
    • 1914 – Harold Hitchcock, English visionary landscape artist (d. 2009)
    • 1914 – Celestine Sibley, American journalist and author (d. 1999)
    • 1914 – Barbara Ward, Baroness Jackson of Lodsworth, English economist, journalist, and prominent Catholic layperson (d. 1981)
    • 1915 – S. Donald Stookey, American physicist and chemist, invented CorningWare (d. 2014)
    • 1917 – Edward Norton Lorenz, American mathematician and meteorologist (d. 2008)
    • 1918 – Denis Compton, English cricketer and sportscaster (d. 1997)
    • 1919 – Robert Bernstein, American author and playwright (d. 1988)
    • 1919 – Ruth Fernández, Puerto Rican contralto and a member of the Puerto Rican Senate (d. 2012)
    • 1919 – Betty Garrett, American actress, singer, and dancer (d. 2011)
    • 1920 – Helen O’Connell, American singer (d. 1993)
    • 1923 – Alicia de Larrocha, Catalan-Spanish pianist (d. 2009)
    • 1923 – Irving Millman, American virologist and microbiologist (d. 2012)
    • 1924 – Karlheinz Deschner, German author and activist (d. 2014)
    • 1925 – Joshua Lederberg, American biologist and geneticist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2008)
    • 1926 – Basil Salvadore D’Souza, Indian bishop (d. 1996)
    • 1926 – Joe Slovo, Lithuanian-South African activist and politician (d. 1995)
    • 1928 – Rosemary Clooney, American singer and actress (d. 2002)
    • 1928 – Nigel Davenport, English actor (d. 2013)
    • 1928 – Nina Otkalenko, Russian runner (d. 2015)
    • 1929 – Ulla Jacobsson, Swedish-Austrian actress (d. 1982)
    • 1930 – Friedrich Achleitner, German poet and critic (d. 2019)
    • 1931 – Barbara Barrie, American actress
    • 1932 – Kevork Ajemian, Syrian-French journalist and author (d. 1998)
    • 1933 – Joan Collins, English actress
    • 1933 – Ove Fundin, Swedish motorcycle racer
    • 1934 – Robert Moog, electronic engineer and inventor of the Moog synthesizer (d. 2005)
    • 1935 – Lasse Strömstedt, Swedish author (d. 2009)
    • 1936 – Ingeborg Hallstein, German soprano and actress
    • 1936 – Charles Kimbrough, American actor
    • 1939 – Michel Colombier, French-American composer and conductor (d. 2004)
    • 1939 – Reinhard Hauff, German director and screenwriter
    • 1940 – Bjorn Johansen, Norwegian saxophonist (d. 2002)
    • 1940 – Gérard Larrousse, French race car driver
    • 1940 – Cora Sadosky, Argentinian mathematician and academic (d. 2010)
    • 1941 – Zalman King, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2012)
    • 1941 – Rod Thorn, American basketball player, coach, and executive
    • 1942 – Gabriel Liiceanu, Romanian philosopher, author, and academic
    • 1942 – Kovelamudi Raghavendra Rao, Indian director, screenwriter, and choreographer
    • 1943 – Peter Kenilorea, Solomon Islands politician, 1st Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands (d. 2016)
    • 1944 – John Newcombe, Australian tennis player and sportscaster
    • 1945 – Padmarajan, Indian director, screenwriter, and author (d. 1991)
    • 1946 – David Graham, Australian golfer
    • 1947 – Jane Kenyon, American poet and translator (d. 1995)
    • 1948 – Myriam Boyer, French actress, director, and producer
    • 1949 – Daniel DiNardo, American cardinal
    • 1949 – Alan García, Peruvian lawyer and politician, 61st and 64th President of Peru (d. 2019)
    • 1950 – Martin McGuinness, Irish republican and Sinn Féin politician, Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland (d. 2017)
    • 1951 – Anatoly Karpov, Russian chess player
    • 1951 – Antonis Samaras, Greek economist and politician, 185th Prime Minister of Greece
    • 1952 – Martin Parr, English photographer and journalist
    • 1954 – Gerry Armstrong, Northern Irish international footballer, striker
    • 1954 – Marvelous Marvin Hagler, American boxer and actor
    • 1955 – Luka Bloom, Irish singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1956 – Andrea Pazienza, Italian illustrator and painter (d. 1988)
    • 1956 – Ursula Plassnik, Austrian politician and diplomat, Foreign Minister of Austria
    • 1956 – Buck Showalter, American baseball player, coach, and manager
    • 1958 – Mitch Albom, American journalist, author, and screenwriter
    • 1958 – Drew Carey, American actor, game show host, and entrepreneur
    • 1958 – Lea DeLaria, American actress and singer
    • 1959 – Marcella Mesker, Dutch tennis player and sportscaster
    • 1960 – Linden Ashby, American actor
    • 1961 – Daniele Massaro, Italian footballer and manager
    • 1961 – Norrie May-Welby, Scottish Australian gender activist
    • 1962 – Karen Duffy, American actress
    • 1963 – Viviane Baladi, Swiss mathematician
    • 1964 – Ruth Metzler, Swiss lawyer and politician
    • 1965 – Manuel Sanchís Hontiyuelo, Spanish footballer
    • 1965 – Tom Tykwer, German director, producer, screenwriter, and composer
    • 1965 – Melissa McBride, American actress
    • 1965 – Paul Sironen, Australian rugby league player
    • 1966 – Graeme Hick, Zimbabwean-English cricketer and coach
    • 1966 – Gary Roberts, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1967 – Luís Roberto Alves, Mexican footballer
    • 1967 – Anna Ibrisagic, Swedish politician
    • 1968 – Guinevere Turner, American actress and screenwriter
    • 1970 – Bryan Herta, American race car driver and businessman, co-founded Bryan Herta Autosport
    • 1971 – George Osborne, English journalist and politician, former Chancellor of the Exchequer
    • 1972 – Rubens Barrichello, Brazilian race car driver
    • 1972 – Martin Saggers, English cricketer and umpire
    • 1973 – Maxwell, American singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1974 – Jewel, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, actress, and poet
    • 1974 – Manuela Schwesig, German politician, German Federal Minister of Family Affairs
    • 1976 – Ricardinho, Brazilian footballer and manager
    • 1977 – Ilia Kulik, Russian figure skater
    • 1978 – Scott Raynor, American drummer
    • 1979 – Rasual Butler, American basketball player (d. 2018)
    • 1979 – Brian Campbell, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1980 – Theofanis Gekas, Greek footballer
    • 1980 – Ben Ross, Australian rugby league player
    • 1983 – Silvio Proto, Belgian-Italian footballer
    • 1984 – Hugo Almeida, Portuguese footballer
    • 1985 – Sebastián Fernández, Uruguayan footballer
    • 1985 – Teymuraz Gabashvili, Russian tennis player
    • 1985 – Wim Stroetinga, Dutch cyclist
    • 1985 – Ross Wallace, Scottish footballer
    • 1986 – Ryan Coogler, American film director and screenwriter
    • 1986 – Alexei Sitnikov, Russian-Azerbaijani figure skater
    • 1986 – Alice Tait, Australian swimmer
    • 1986 – Ruben Zadkovich, Australian footballer
    • 1987 – Gracie Otto, Australian actress, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1987 – Bray Wyatt, American wrestler
    • 1988 – Rosanna Crawford, Canadian biathlete
    • 1988 – Angelo Ogbonna, Italian footballer
    • 1988 – Morgan Pressel, American golfer
    • 1989 – Ezequiel Schelotto, Italian footballer
    • 1990 – Dan Evans, British tennis player
    • 1990 – Kristina Kucova, Slovakian tennis player
    • 1990 – Oliver Venno, Estonian volleyball player
    • 1991 – Aaron Donald, American football player
    • 1991 – Lena Meyer-Landrut, German singer-songwriter
    • 1991 – César Pinares, Chilean footballer
    • 1996 – Katharina Althaus, German ski jumper
    • 1996 – Emmanuel Boateng, Ghanaian footballer
    • 1996 – Razvan Marin, Romanian footballer
    • 1997 – Pedro Chirivella, Spanish footballer
    • 1997 – Coy Craft, American footballer
    • 1997 – Joe Gomez, English footballer
    • 1997 – Gustaf Nilsson, Swedish footballer
    • 1997 – Sam Timmins, New Zealand basketball player
    • 1998 – Sérgio Sette Câmara, Brazilian race car driver
    • 1998 – Ross Cunningham, Scottish footballer
    • 1998 – Salwa Eid Naser, Bahraini track and field sprinter
    • 1998 – Luca De La Torre, American footballer
    • 1998 – Steve Lacy, American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer
    • 2000 – Felipe Drugovich, Brazilian race car driver
    • 2000 – Jaxson Hayes, American basketball player

    Deaths on May 23

    • 230 – Urban I, pope of the Catholic Church
    • 922 – Li Sizhao, Chinese general and governor
    • 962 – Guibert of Gembloux, Frankish abbot (b. 892)
    • 1125 – Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1081)
    • 1304 – Jehan de Lescurel, French poet and composer
    • 1338 – Alice de Warenne, Countess of Arundel, English noble (b. 1287)
    • 1370 – Toghon Temür, Mongol emperor (b. 1320)
    • 1423 – Antipope Benedict XIII (b. 1328)
    • 1498 – Girolamo Savonarola, Italian friar and preacher (b. 1452)
    • 1523 – Ashikaga Yoshitane, Japanese shōgun (b. 1466)
    • 1524 – Ismail I, First Emperor of Safavid Empire (b. 1487)
    • 1591 – John Blitheman, English organist and composer (b. 1525)
    • 1662 – John Gauden, English bishop (b. 1605)
    • 1670 – Ferdinando II de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (b. 1610)
    • 1691 – Adrien Auzout, French astronomer and instrument maker (b. 1622)
    • 1701 – William Kidd, Scottish pirate (b. 1645)
    • 1749 – Abraham ben Abraham, Polish martyr (b. 1700)
    • 1752 – William Bradford, English-American printer (b. 1663)
    • 1754 – John Wood, the Elder, English architect, designed The Circus and Queen Square (b. 1704)
    • 1783 – James Otis, Jr., American lawyer and politician (b. 1725)
    • 1813 – Géraud Duroc, French general and diplomat (b. 1772)
    • 1815 – Gotthilf Heinrich Ernst Muhlenberg, American clergyman and botanist (b. 1753)
    • 1841 – Franz Xaver von Baader, German philosopher and theologian (b. 1765)
    • 1855 – Charles Robert Malden, English lieutenant and explorer (b. 1797)
    • 1857 – Augustin-Louis Cauchy, French mathematician and academic (b. 1789)
    • 1868 – Kit Carson, American general (b. 1809)
    • 1886 – Leopold von Ranke, German historian and academic (b. 1795)
    • 1893 – Anton von Schmerling, Austrian politician (b. 1805)
    • 1895 – Franz Ernst Neumann, German mineralogist, physicist, and mathematician (b. 1798)
    • 1906 – Henrik Ibsen, Norwegian director, playwright, and poet (b. 1828)
    • 1908 – François Coppée, French poet and author (b. 1842)
    • 1920 – Svetozar Boroević, Croatian-Austrian field marshal (b. 1856)
    • 1921 – August Nilsson, Swedish shot putter and tug of war competitor (b. 1872)
    • 1934 – Clyde Barrow, American criminal (b. 1909)
    • 1934 – Mihkel Martna, Estonian journalist and politician (b. 1860)
    • 1934 – Bonnie Parker, American criminal (b. 1910)
    • 1937 – John D. Rockefeller, American businessman and philanthropist, founded the Standard Oil Company and Rockefeller University (b. 1839)
    • 1938 – Frederick Ruple, Swiss-American painter (b. 1871)
    • 1942 – Panagiotis Toundas, Greek composer and conductor (b. 1886)
    • 1945 – Heinrich Himmler, German commander and politician, Reich Minister of the Interior (b. 1900)
    • 1947 – Charles-Ferdinand Ramuz, Swiss author and poet (b. 1878)
    • 1949 – Jan Frans De Boever, Belgian painter and illustrator (b. 1872)
    • 1956 – Gustav Suits, Latvian-Estonian poet and politician (b. 1883)
    • 1960 – Georges Claude, French engineer and inventor, created Neon lighting (b. 1870)
    • 1962 – Louis Coatalen, French engineer (b. 1879)
    • 1963 – August Jakobson, Estonian author and politician (b. 1904)
    • 1965 – David Smith, American sculptor (b. 1906)
    • 1975 – Moms Mabley, American comedian and actor (b. 1894)
    • 1979 – S. Selvanayagam, Sri Lankan geographer and academic (b. 1932)
    • 1981 – Gene Green, American baseball player (b. 1933)
    • 1981 – Rayner Heppenstall, English author and poet (b. 1911)
    • 1981 – George Jessel, American actor, singer, and producer (b. 1898)
    • 1981 – David Lewis, Belarusian-Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1909)
    • 1986 – Sterling Hayden, American actor (b. 1916)
    • 1989 – Georgy Tovstonogov, Russian director and producer (b. 1915)
    • 1989 – Karl Koch, German computer hacker (b. 1965)
    • 1991 – Wilhelm Kempff, German pianist and composer (b. 1895)
    • 1991 – Jean Van Houtte, Belgian academic and politician, 50th Prime Minister of Belgium (b. 1907)
    • 1991 – Fletcher Markle, Canadian director, screenwriter, and producer (b. 1921)
    • 1992 – Kostas Davourlis, Greek footballer (b. 1948)
    • 1992 – Giovanni Falcone, Italian lawyer and judge (b. 1939)
    • 1994 – Olav Hauge, Norwegian poet (b. 1908)
    • 1996 – Kronid Lyubarsky, Russian journalist and activist (b. 1934)
    • 1998 – Telford Taylor, American general and lawyer (b. 1908)
    • 1999 – Owen Hart, Canadian-American wrestler (b. 1965)
    • 2002 – Sam Snead, American golfer and journalist (b. 1912)
    • 2006 – Lloyd Bentsen, American colonel and politician, 69th United States Secretary of the Treasury (b. 1921)
    • 2006 – Kazimierz Górski, Polish footballer and manager (b. 1921)
    • 2008 – Iñaki Ochoa de Olza, Spanish mountaineer (b. 1967)
    • 2008 – Utah Phillips, American singer-songwriter and poet (b. 1935)
    • 2009 – Roh Moo-hyun, South Korean soldier and politician, 9th President of South Korea (b. 1946)
    • 2010 – José Lima, Dominican-American baseball player (b. 1972)
    • 2010 – Simon Monjack, English director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1970)
    • 2011 – Xavier Tondo, Spanish cyclist (b. 1978)
    • 2012 – Paul Fussell, American historian, author, and academic (b. 1924)
    • 2013 – Epy Guerrero, Dominican baseball player, coach, and scout (b. 1942)
    • 2013 – Hayri Kozakçıoğlu, Turkish police officer and politician, 15th Governor of Istanbul Province (b. 1938)
    • 2013 – Georges Moustaki, Egyptian-French singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1934)
    • 2013 – Flynn Robinson, American basketball player (b. 1941)
    • 2014 – Mikhail Egorovich Alekseev, Russian linguist and academic (b. 1949)
    • 2014 – Madhav Mantri, Indian cricketer (b. 1921)
    • 2015 – Anne Meara, American actress, comedian and playwright (b. 1929)
    • 2015 – Aleksey Mozgovoy, Ukrainian sergeant (b. 1975)
    • 2015 – Alicia Nash, Salvadoran-American physicist and engineer (b. 1933)
    • 2015 – John Forbes Nash, Jr., American mathematician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1928)
    • 2017 – Roger Moore, English actor (b. 1927)
    • 2020 – Hana Kimura, Japanese professional wrestler (b. 1997)

    Holidays and observances on May 23

    • Christian feast day:
      • Aaron the Illustrious (Syriac Orthodox Church)
      • Desiderius of Vienne
      • Giovanni Battista de’ Rossi
      • Julia of Corsica
      • Nicolaus Copernicus and Johannes Kepler (Episcopal Church (USA))
      • Quintian, Lucius and Julian
      • William of Perth
      • May 23 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Constitution Day (Germany)
    • Earliest day on which Declaration of the Báb can fall, while May 24 is the latest; observed on ‘Aẓamat 8 (Bahá’í Faith)
    • Earliest day on which National Heroes’ Day can fall, while May 31 is the latest; celebrated on last Monday of May. (Turks and Caicos Islands)
    • Labour Day (Jamaica)
    • Students’ Day (Mexico)
    • World Turtle Day

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

    • 192 – Dong Zhuo is assassinated by his adopted son Lü Bu.
    • 760 – Fourteenth recorded perihelion passage of Halley’s Comet.
    • 853 – A Byzantine fleet sacks and destroys undefended Damietta in Egypt.
    • 1176 – The Hashshashin (Assassins) attempt to assassinate Saladin near Aleppo.
    • 1200 – King John of England and King Philip II of France sign the Treaty of Le Goulet.
    • 1246 – Henry Raspe is elected anti-king of the Kingdom of Germany in opposition to Conrad IV.
    • 1254 – Serbian King Stefan Uroš I and the Republic of Venice sign a peace treaty.
    • 1370 – Brussels massacre: Hundreds of Jews are murdered and the rest of the Jewish community is banished from Brussels, Belgium, for allegedly desecrating consecrated Host.
    • 1377 – Pope Gregory XI issues five papal bulls to denounce the doctrines of English theologian John Wycliffe.
    • 1455 – Start of the Wars of the Roses: At the First Battle of St Albans, Richard, Duke of York, defeats and captures King Henry VI of England.
    • 1520 – The massacre at the festival of Tóxcatl takes place during the Fall of Tenochtitlan, resulting in turning the Aztecs against the Spanish.
    • 1629 – Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II and Danish King Christian IV sign the Treaty of Lübeck ending Danish intervention in the Thirty Years’ War.
    • 1762 – Sweden and Prussia sign the Treaty of Hamburg.
    • 1762 – Trevi Fountain is officially completed and inaugurated in Rome.
    • 1766 – A large earthquake causes heavy damage and loss of life in Istanbul and the Marmara region.
    • 1804 – The Lewis and Clark Expedition officially begins as the Corps of Discovery departs from St. Charles, Missouri.
    • 1807 – A grand jury indicts former Vice President of the United States Aaron Burr on a charge of treason.
    • 1809 – On the second and last day of the Battle of Aspern-Essling (near Vienna, Austria), Napoleon I is repelled by an enemy army for the first time.
    • 1816 – A mob in Littleport, Cambridgeshire, England, riots over high unemployment and rising grain costs, and the riots spread to Ely the next day.
    • 1819 – SS Savannah leaves port at Savannah, Georgia, United States, on a voyage to become the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean.
    • 1826 – HMS Beagle departs on its first voyage.
    • 1840 – The penal transportation of British convicts to the New South Wales colony is abolished.
    • 1848 – Slavery is abolished in Martinique.
    • 1849 – Future U.S. President Abraham Lincoln is issued a patent for an invention to lift boats, making him the only U.S. president to ever hold a patent.
    • 1856 – Congressman Preston Brooks of South Carolina severely beats Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts with a cane in the hall of the United States Senate for a speech Sumner had made regarding Southerners and slavery.
    • 1863 – American Civil War: Union forces begin the Siege of Port Hudson which lasts 48 days, the longest siege in U.S. military history.
    • 1864 – American Civil War: After ten weeks, the Union Army’s Red River Campaign ends in failure.
    • 1872 – Reconstruction Era: President Ulysses S. Grant signs the Amnesty Act into law, restoring full civil and political rights to all but about 500 Confederate sympathizers.
    • 1900 – The Associated Press is formed in New York City as a non-profit news cooperative.
    • 1906 – The Wright brothers are granted U.S. patent number 821,393 for their “Flying-Machine”.
    • 1915 – Lassen Peak erupts with a powerful force, the only volcano besides Mount St. Helens to erupt in the contiguous U.S. during the 20th century.
    • 1915 – Three trains collide in the Quintinshill rail disaster near Gretna Green, Scotland, killing 227 people and injuring 246.
    • 1926 – Chiang Kai-shek replaces the communists in Kuomintang China.
    • 1927 – Near Xining, China, an 8.3 magnitude earthquake causes 200,000 deaths in one of the world’s most destructive earthquakes.
    • 1939 – World War II: Germany and Italy sign the Pact of Steel.
    • 1941 – During the Anglo-Iraqi War, British troops take Fallujah.
    • 1942 – Mexico enters the Second World War on the side of the Allies.
    • 1943 – Joseph Stalin disbands the Comintern.
    • 1947 – Cold War: The Truman Doctrine goes into effect, aiding Turkey and Greece.
    • 1957 – South Africa’s government approves of racial separation in universities.
    • 1958 – The 1958 riots in Ceylon become a watershed in the race relations of various ethnic communities of Sri Lanka. The total deaths is estimated at 300, mostly Tamils.
    • 1960 – The Great Chilean earthquake, measuring 9.5 on the moment magnitude scale, hits southern Chile, becoming the most powerful earthquake ever recorded.
    • 1962 – Continental Airlines Flight 11 crashes after bombs explode on board.
    • 1963 – Greek left-wing politician Grigoris Lambrakis is shot in an assassination attempt, and dies five days later.
    • 1964 – Lyndon B. Johnson launches the Great Society.
    • 1967 – Egypt closes the Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping.
    • 1967 – L’Innovation department store in Brussels, Belgium, burns down, resulting in 323 dead or missing and 150 injured, the most devastating fire in Belgian history.
    • 1968 – The nuclear-powered submarine USS Scorpion sinks with 99 men aboard, 400 miles southwest of the Azores.
    • 1969 – Apollo 10’s lunar module flies within 8.4 nautical miles (16 km) of the moon’s surface.
    • 1972 – Ceylon adopts a new constitution, becoming a republic and changing its name to Sri Lanka, and joins the Commonwealth of Nations.
    • 1972 – Over 400 women in Derry, Northern Ireland attack the offices of Sinn Féin following the shooting by the Irish Republican Army of a young British soldier on leave.
    • 1987 – Hashimpura massacre occurs in Meerut, India.
    • 1987 – First ever Rugby World Cup kicks off with New Zealand playing Italy at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand.
    • 1990 – North and South Yemen are unified to create the Republic of Yemen.
    • 1992 – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Slovenia join the United Nations.
    • 1994 – A worldwide trade embargo against Haiti goes into effect to punish its military rulers for not reinstating the country’s ousted elected leader, Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
    • 1996 – The Burmese military regime jails 71 supporters of Aung San Suu Kyi in a bid to block a pro-democracy meeting.
    • 1998 – A U.S. federal judge rules that U.S. Secret Service agents can be compelled to testify before a grand jury concerning the Lewinsky scandal involving President Bill Clinton.
    • 2000 – In Sri Lanka, over 150 Tamil rebels are killed over two days of fighting for control in Jaffna.
    • 2002 – Civil rights movement: A jury in Birmingham, Alabama, convicts former Ku Klux Klan member Bobby Frank Cherry of the 1963 murder of four girls in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing.
    • 2010 – Air India Express Boeing 737 crashes over a cliff upon landing at Mangalore, India, killing 158 of 166 people on board, becoming the deadliest crash involving a Boeing 737.
    • 2010 – Inter Milan beat Bayern Munich 2–0 in the Uefa Champions League final in Madrid, Spain to become the first, and so far only, Italian team to win the historic treble (Serie A, Coppa Italia, Champions League).
    • 2011 – An EF5 tornado strikes Joplin, Missouri, killing 158 people and wreaking $2.8 billion in damages, the costliest and seventh-deadliest single tornado in U.S. history.
    • 2012 – Tokyo Skytree opens to the public. It is the tallest tower in the world (634 m), and the second tallest man-made structure on Earth after Burj Khalifa (829.8 m).
    • 2014 – General Prayut Chan-o-cha becomes interim leader of Thailand in a military coup d’état, following six months of political turmoil.
    • 2014 – An explosion occurs in Ürümqi, capital of China’s far-western Xinjiang region, resulting in at least 43 deaths and 91 injuries.
    • 2015 – The Republic of Ireland becomes the first nation in the world to legalize gay marriage in a public referendum.
    • 2017 – Twenty-two people are killed at an Ariana Grande concert in the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing.
    • 2017 – United States President Donald Trump visits the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and becomes the first sitting U.S. president to visit the Western Wall.

    Births on May 22

    • 626 – Itzam K’an Ahk I, Mayan king (d. 686)
    • 1009 – Su Xun, Chinese writer (d. 1066)
    • 1408 – Annamacharya, Hindu saint (d. 1503)
    • 1539 – Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford (d. 1621)
    • 1622 – Louis de Buade de Frontenac, French soldier and governor (d. 1698)
    • 1644 – Gabriël Grupello, Flemish Baroque sculptor (d. 1730)
    • 1650 – Richard Brakenburgh, Dutch Golden Age painter (d. 1702)
    • 1694 – Daniel Gran, Austrian painter (d. 1757)
    • 1715 – François-Joachim de Pierre de Bernis, French cardinal and diplomat (d. 1794)
    • 1733 – Hubert Robert, French painter (d. 1808)
    • 1752 – Louis Legendre, French butcher and politician (d. 1797)
    • 1762 – Henry Bathurst, 3rd Earl Bathurst, English politician (d. 1834)
    • 1770 – Princess Elizabeth of the United Kingdom (d. 1840)
    • 1772 – Ram Mohan Roy, Indian philosopher and reformer (d. 1833)
    • 1782 – Hirose Tansō, Japanese neo-Confucian scholar, teacher, writer (d. 1856)
    • 1783 – William Sturgeon, English physicist and inventor, invented the electromagnet and electric motor (d. 1850)
    • 1808 – Gérard de Nerval, French poet and translator (d. 1855)
    • 1811 – Giulia Grisi, Italian soprano (d. 1869)
    • 1811 – Henry Pelham-Clinton, 5th Duke of Newcastle, English politician (d. 1864)
    • 1813 – Richard Wagner, German composer (d. 1883)
    • 1814 – Amalia Lindegren, Swedish painter (d. 1891)
    • 1820 – Worthington Whittredge, American painter (d. 1910)
    • 1828 – Albrecht von Graefe, German ophthalmologist and academic (d. 1870)
    • 1831 – Henry Vandyke Carter, English anatomist and surgeon (d. 1897)
    • 1833 – Félix Bracquemond, French painter and etcher (d. 1914)
    • 1833 – Manuel Ruiz Zorrilla, Spanish politician, Prime Minister of Spain (d. 1895)
    • 1841 – Catulle Mendès, French poet, author, and playwright (d. 1909)
    • 1844 – Mary Cassatt, American painter and educator (d. 1926)
    • 1846 – Rita Cetina Gutiérrez, Mexican poet, educator, and activist (d. 1908)
    • 1848 – Fritz von Uhde, German painter and educator (d. 1911)
    • 1849 – Aston Webb, English architect and academic (d. 1930)
    • 1858 – Belmiro de Almeida, Brazilian painter, illustrator, sculptor (d. 1935)
    • 1859 – Arthur Conan Doyle, British writer (d. 1930)
    • 1859 – Tsubouchi Shōyō, Japanese author, playwright, and educator (d. 1935)
    • 1864 – Willy Stöwer, German author and illustrator (d. 1931)
    • 1868 – Augusto Pestana, Brazilian engineer and politician (d. 1934)
    • 1874 – Daniel François Malan, South African clergyman and politician, 5th Prime Minister of South Africa (d. 1959)
    • 1876 – Julius Klinger, Austrian painter and illustrator (d. 1942)
    • 1879 – Warwick Armstrong, Australian cricketer and journalist (d. 1947)
    • 1879 – Jean Cras, French admiral and composer (d. 1932)
    • 1879 – Symon Petliura, Ukrainian statesman and independence leader (d. 1926)
    • 1880 – Francis de Miomandre, French author and translator (d. 1959)
    • 1885 – Giacomo Matteotti, Italian lawyer and politician (d. 1924)
    • 1885 – Soemu Toyoda, Japanese admiral (d. 1957)
    • 1887 – A. W. Sandberg, Danish film director and screenwriter (d. 1938)
    • 1891 – Johannes R. Becher, German politician, novelist, and poet (d. 1958)
    • 1894 – Friedrich Pollock, German sociologist and philosopher (d. 1970)
    • 1897 – Robert Neumann, German and English-speaking author (d. 1975)
    • 1900 – Juan Arvizu, Mexican lyric opera tenor and bolero vocalist (d.1985)
    • 1901 – Maurice J. Tobin, American politician, 6th United States Secretary of Labor (d. 1953)
    • 1902 – Jack Lambert, English footballer and manager (d. 1940)
    • 1902 – Al Simmons, American baseball player and coach (d. 1956)
    • 1904 – Uno Lamm, Swedish electrical engineer and inventor (d. 1989)
    • 1905 – Bodo von Borries, German physicist and academic, co-invented the electron microscope (d. 1956)
    • 1905 – Tom Driberg, British politician (d. 1976)
    • 1907 – Hergé, Belgian author and illustrator (d. 1983)
    • 1907 – Laurence Olivier, English actor, director, and producer (d. 1989)
    • 1908 – Horton Smith, American golfer and captain (d. 1963)
    • 1909 – Margaret Mee, English illustrator and educator (d. 1988)
    • 1912 – Herbert C. Brown, English-American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2004)
    • 1913 – Rafael Gil, Spanish director and screenwriter (d. 1986)
    • 1913 – Dominique Rolin, Belgian author (d. 2012)
    • 1914 – Max Kohnstamm, Dutch historian and diplomat (d. 2010)
    • 1914 – Sun Ra, American pianist, composer, bandleader, poet (d. 1993)
    • 1917 – George Aratani, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 2013)
    • 1917 – Jean-Louis Curtis, French author (d. 1995)
    • 1919 – Paul Vanden Boeynants, Belgian businessman and politician, 55th Prime Minister of Belgium (d. 2001)
    • 1920 – Thomas Gold, Austrian-American astrophysicist and academic (d. 2004)
    • 1921 – George S. Hammond, American scientist (d. 2005)
    • 1922 – Quinn Martin, American screenwriter and producer (d. 1987)
    • 1924 – Charles Aznavour, French-Armenian singer-songwriter and actor (d. 2018)
    • 1925 – Jean Tinguely, Swiss painter and sculptor (d. 1991)
    • 1927 – Michael Constantine, American actor
    • 1927 – Peter Matthiessen, American novelist, short story writer, editor, co-founded The Paris Review (d. 2014)
    • 1927 – George Andrew Olah, Hungarian-American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2017)
    • 1928 – Serge Doubrovsky, French theorist and author (d. 2017)
    • 1928 – John Mackenzie, Scottish director and producer (d. 2011)
    • 1928 – T. Boone Pickens, American businessman (d. 2019)
    • 1928 – Hiroshi Sano, Japanese novelist (d. 2013)
    • 1929 – Ahmed Fouad Negm, Egyptian poet (d. 2013)
    • 1930 – Kenny Ball, English jazz trumpet player, vocalist, and bandleader (d. 2013)
    • 1930 – Marisol Escobar, French-American sculptor (d. 2016)
    • 1930 – Harvey Milk, American lieutenant and politician (d. 1978)
    • 1932 – Robert Spitzer, American psychiatrist and academic (d. 2015)
    • 1933 – Chen Jingrun, Chinese mathematician and academic (d. 1996)
    • 1934 – Peter Nero, American pianist and conductor
    • 1936 – George H. Heilmeier, American engineer (d. 2014)
    • 1937 – Facundo Cabral, Argentinian singer-songwriter (d. 2011)
    • 1938 – Richard Benjamin, American actor and director
    • 1938 – Susan Strasberg, American actress (d. 1999)
    • 1939 – Paul Winfield, American actor (d. 2004)
    • 1940 – Kieth Merrill, American filmmaker
    • 1940 – Michael Sarrazin, Canadian actor (d. 2011)
    • 1940 – Bernard Shaw, American journalist
    • 1940 – Mick Tingelhoff, American Pro Football Hall of Famer
    • 1941 – Menzies Campbell, Scottish sprinter and politician
    • 1942 – Roger Brown, American basketball player (d. 1997)
    • 1942 – Ted Kaczynski, American academic and mathematician turned anarchist and serial murderer (Unabomber)
    • 1942 – Barbara Parkins, Canadian actress
    • 1942 – Richard Oakes, Native American civil rights activist (d. 1972)
    • 1943 – Betty Williams, Northern Irish peace activist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2020)
    • 1943 – Tommy John, American baseball player
    • 1944 – John Flanagan, Australian fantasy author
    • 1945 – Bob Katter, Australian politician
    • 1946 – George Best, Northern Irish footballer and manager (d. 2005)
    • 1946 – Michael Green, English physicist and academic
    • 1946 – Howard Kendall, English footballer and manager (d. 2015)
    • 1946 – Andrei Marga, Romanian philosopher, political scientist, politician
    • 1946 – Lyudmila Zhuravleva, Russian-Ukrainian astronomer
    • 1948 – Tomás Sánchez, Cuban painter and engraver
    • 1948 – Nedumudi Venu, Indian actor and screenwriter
    • 1949 – Cheryl Campbell, English actress
    • 1949 – Valentin Inzko, Austrian diplomat
    • 1950 – Bernie Taupin, English singer-songwriter and poet
    • 1953 – François Bon, French writer
    • 1953 – Cha Bum-kun, South Korean footballer and manager
    • 1953 – Paul Mariner, English footballer, coach, and manager
    • 1954 – Barbara May Cameron, Native American human rights activist (d. 2002)
    • 1954 – Shuji Nakamura, Japanese-American physicist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1956 – Lucie Brock-Broido, American poet (d. 2018)
    • 1957 – Lisa Murkowski, American lawyer and politician
    • 1959 – David Blatt, Israeli-American basketball player and coach
    • 1959 – Morrissey, English singer-songwriter and performer
    • 1959 – Kwak Jae-yong, South Korean director and screenwriter
    • 1959 – Mehbooba Mufti, Indian politician
    • 1960 – Hideaki Anno, Japanese animator, director, and screenwriter
    • 1962 – Brian Pillman, American football player and wrestler (d. 1997)
    • 1963 – Claude Closky, French contemporary artist
    • 1965 – Jay Carney, American journalist, 29th White House Press Secretary
    • 1966 – Johnny Gill, American singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1966 – Wang Xiaoshuai, Chinese director and screenwriter
    • 1968 – Graham Linehan, Irish comedian, actor, and author
    • 1969 – Cathy McMorris Rodgers, American lawyer and politician
    • 1970 – Naomi Campbell, English model
    • 1970 – Brody Stevens, American comedian and actor (d. 2019)
    • 1972 – Max Brooks, American author and screenwriter
    • 1973 – Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Danish actor
    • 1974 – Garba Lawal, Nigerian footballer
    • 1974 – Henrietta Ónodi, Hungarian Olympic gymnast
    • 1974 – Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Ukrainian politician
    • 1975 – Salva Ballesta, Spanish footballer and manager
    • 1976 – Christian Vande Velde, American cyclist
    • 1978 – Ginnifer Goodwin, American actress
    • 1978 – Katie Price, English television personality and glamour model
    • 1979 – Maggie Q, American actress
    • 1979 – Nazanin Boniadi, Iranian-American actress
    • 1980 – Sharice Davids, American politician
    • 1980 – Lucy Gordon, British actress and model (d. 2009)
    • 1981 – Daniel Bryan, American wrestler
    • 1981 – Bassel Khartabil, Syrian computer programmer and engineer (d. 2015)
    • 1981 – Jürgen Melzer, Austrian tennis player
    • 1982 – Erin McNaught, Australian model and actress
    • 1982 – Apolo Ohno, American speed skater
    • 1982 – Hong Yong-jo, North Korean footballer
    • 1983 – Natasha Kai, American soccer player and Olympic medalist
    • 1984 – Karoline Herfurth, German actress
    • 1984 – Didier Ya Konan, Ivorian footballer
    • 1984 – Dustin Moskovitz, American entrepreneur, co-founder of Facebook
    • 1985 – Tranquillo Barnetta, Swiss footballer
    • 1985 – Tao Okamoto, Japanese model and actress
    • 1986 – Julian Edelman, American football player
    • 1986 – Matt Jarvis, English footballer
    • 1986 – Tatiana Volosozhar, Russian figure skater
    • 1987 – Novak Djokovic, Serbian tennis player
    • 1987 – Arturo Vidal, Chilean footballer
    • 1988 – Heida Reed, Icelandic-British actress
    • 1989 – Corey Dickerson, American baseball player
    • 1990 – Wyatt Roy, Australian politician
    • 1991 – Joel Obi, Nigerian footballer
    • 1991 – Suho, South Korean singer and actor
    • 1992 – Anna Baryshnikov, American actress
    • 1994 – Florian Luger, Austrian male model
    • 1998 – Samile Bermannelli, Brazilian fashion model
    • 1999 – Camren Bicondova, American actress
    • 1999 – Femke Huijzer, Dutch model

    Deaths on May 22

    • 192 – Dong Zhuo, Chinese warlord and politician (b. 138)
    • 337 – Constantine the Great, Roman emperor (b. 272)
    • 748 – Empress Genshō of Japan (b. 683)
    • 1067 – Constantine X, Byzantine Emperor (b. 1006)
    • 1068 – Emperor Go-Reizei of Japan (b. 1025)
    • 1310 – Saint Humility, founder of the Vallumbrosan religious order of nuns (b. c.1226)
    • 1409 – Blanche of England, sister of King Henry V (b. 1392)
    • 1455 – Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset, English commander (b. 1406)
    • 1455 – Thomas Clifford, 8th Baron de Clifford, Lancastrian commander (b. 1414)
    • 1455 – Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland, English commander (b. 1393)
    • 1457 – Rita of Cascia, Italian nun and saint (b. 1381)
    • 1490 – Edmund Grey, 1st Earl of Kent, English administrator, nobleman and magnate (b. 1416)
    • 1538 – John Forest, English friar and martyr (b. 1471)
    • 1540 – Francesco Guicciardini, Italian historian and politician (b. 1483)
    • 1545 – Sher Shah Suri, Indian ruler (b. 1486)
    • 1553 – Giovanni Bernardi, Italian sculptor and engraver (b. 1495)
    • 1602 – Renata of Lorraine (b. 1544)
    • 1609 – Pieter Willemsz. Verhoeff, Dutch captain (b. 1573)
    • 1666 – Gaspar Schott, German physicist and mathematician (b. 1608)
    • 1667 – Pope Alexander VII (b. 1599)
    • 1745 – François-Marie, 1st duc de Broglie, French general (b. 1671)
    • 1760 – Baal Shem Tov, Polish rabbi and author (b. 1700)
    • 1772 – Durastante Natalucci, Italian historian and academic (b. 1687)
    • 1795 – Ewald Friedrich von Hertzberg, Prussian politician, Foreign Minister of Prussia (b. 1725)
    • 1802 – Martha Washington, First, First Lady of the United States (b. 1731)
    • 1851 – Mordecai Manuel Noah, American journalist and diplomat (b. 1755)
    • 1859 – Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies (b. 1810)
    • 1861 – Thornsbury Bailey Brown, American soldier (b. 1829)
    • 1868 – Julius Plücker, German mathematician and physicist (b. 1801)
    • 1885 – Victor Hugo, French novelist, poet, and playwright (b. 1802)
    • 1901 – Gaetano Bresci, Italian-American anarchist, assassin of Umberto I of Italy (b. 1869)
    • 1910 – Jules Renard, French author and playwright (b. 1864)
    • 1932 – Augusta, Lady Gregory, Anglo-Irish activist, landlord, and playwright, co-founded the Abbey Theatre (b. 1852)
    • 1933 – Tsengeltiin Jigjidjav, Mongolian politician, 10th Prime Minister of Mongolia (b. 1894)
    • 1938 – William Glackens, American painter and illustrator (b. 1870)
    • 1939 – Ernst Toller, German playwright and author (b. 1893)
    • 1939 – Jiří Mahen, Czech author and playwright (b. 1882)
    • 1954 – Chief Bender, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1884)
    • 1965 – Christopher Stone, English radio host (b. 1882)
    • 1966 – Tom Goddard, English cricketer (b. 1900)
    • 1967 – Langston Hughes, American poet, social activist, novelist, and playwright (b. 1902)
    • 1967 – Charlotte Serber, American Librarian of the Manhattan Project’s Los Alamos site (b. 1911)
    • 1972 – Cecil Day-Lewis, Anglo-Irish poet and author (b. 1904)
    • 1972 – Margaret Rutherford, English actress (b. 1892)
    • 1974 – Irmgard Flügge-Lotz, German-American mathematician and aerospace engineer (b. 1903)
    • 1975 – Lefty Grove, American baseball player (b. 1900)
    • 1982 – Cevdet Sunay, Turkish general and politician, 5th President of Turkey (b. 1899)
    • 1983 – Albert Claude, Belgian biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1899)
    • 1985 – Wolfgang Reitherman, German-American animator, director, and producer (b. 1909)
    • 1988 – Giorgio Almirante, Italian journalist and politician (b. 1914)
    • 1989 – Steven De Groote, South African pianist and educator (b. 1953)
    • 1990 – Rocky Graziano, American boxer (b. 1922)
    • 1991 – Shripad Amrit Dange, Indian lawyer and politician (b. 1899)
    • 1991 – Stan Mortensen, English footballer and manager (b. 1921)
    • 1992 – Zellig Harris, American linguist and academic (b. 1909)
    • 1993 – Mieczysław Horszowski, Polish-American pianist and composer (b. 1892)
    • 1997 – Alziro Bergonzo, Italian architect and painter (b. 1906)
    • 1997 – Alfred Hershey, American biochemist and geneticist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1908)
    • 1998 – John Derek, American actor, director, and photographer (b. 1926)
    • 1998 – José Enrique Moyal, Israeli physicist and engineer (b. 1910)
    • 2000 – Davie Fulton, Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician (b. 1916)
    • 2004 – Richard Biggs, American actor (b. 1960)
    • 2004 – Mikhail Voronin, Russian gymnast (b. 1945)
    • 2005 – Charilaos Florakis, Greek politician (b. 1914)
    • 2005 – Thurl Ravenscroft, American voice actor and singer (b. 1914)
    • 2006 – Lee Jong-wook, South Korean physician and diplomat (b. 1945)
    • 2007 – Pemba Doma Sherpa, Nepalese mountaineer (b. 1970)
    • 2008 – Robert Asprin, American soldier and author (b. 1946)
    • 2010 – Martin Gardner, American mathematician, cryptographer, and author (b. 1914)
    • 2011 – Joseph Brooks, American director, producer, screenwriter, and composer (b. 1938)
    • 2012 – Muzafar Bhutto, Pakistani politician (b. 1970)
    • 2012 – Wesley A. Brown, American lieutenant and engineer (b. 1927)
    • 2013 – Sigurd Ottovich Schmidt, Russian historian and ethnographer (b. 1922)
    • 2015 – Marques Haynes, American basketball player and coach (b. 1926)
    • 2015 – Vladimir Katriuk, Ukrainian-Canadian SS officer (b. 1921)
    • 2016 – Velimir “Bata” Živojinović, Serbian actor and politician (b. 1933)
    • 2017 – Nicky Hayden, American motorcycle racer (b. 1981)
    • 2019 – Judith Kerr, German-born British writer and illustrator (b. 1923)
    • 2020 – Denise Cronenberg, Canadian costume designer (b. 1938)

    Holidays and observances on May 22

    • Abolition Day (Martinique)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Castus and Emilius
      • Fulk
      • Humilita
      • Michael Hồ Đình Hy (one of Vietnamese Martyrs)
      • Quiteria
      • Rita of Cascia
      • Romanus of Subiaco
      • May 22 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Harvey Milk Day (California)
    • International Day for Biological Diversity (International)
    • United States National Maritime Day
    • National Sovereignty Day (Haiti)
    • Republic Day (Sri Lanka)
    • Translation of the Relics of Saint Nicholas from Myra to Bari (Ukraine)
    • Unity Day (Yemen), celebrates the unification of North and South Yemen into the Republic of Yemen in 1990.
    • World Goth Day

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

    • 293 – Roman Emperors Diocletian and Maximian appoint Galerius as Caesar to Diocletian, beginning the period of four rulers known as the Tetrarchy.
    • 878 – Syracuse, Sicily, is captured by the Muslim Aghlabids after a nine-month siege.
    • 879 – Pope John VIII gives blessings to Branimir of Croatia and to the Croatian people, considered to be international recognition of the Croatian state.
    • 996 – Sixteen-year-old Otto III is crowned Holy Roman Emperor.
    • 1349 – Dušan’s Code, the constitution of the Serbian Empire, is enacted by Dušan the Mighty.
    • 1403 – Henry III of Castile sends Ruy González de Clavijo as ambassador to Timur to discuss the possibility of an alliance between Timur and Castile against the Ottoman Empire.
    • 1554 – Queen Mary I grants a royal charter to Derby School, as a grammar school for boys in Derby, England.
    • 1659 – In the Concert of The Hague, the Dutch Republic, the Commonwealth of England and the Kingdom of France set out their views on how the Second Northern War should end.
    • 1660 – The Battle of Long Sault concludes after five days in which French colonial militia, with their Huron and Algonquin allies, are defeated by the Iroquois Confederacy.
    • 1674 – The nobility elect John Sobieski King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania.
    • 1703 – Daniel Defoe is imprisoned on charges of seditious libel.
    • 1725 – The Order of St. Alexander Nevsky is instituted in Russia by Empress Catherine I. It would later be discontinued and then reinstated by the Soviet government in 1942 as the Order of Alexander Nevsky.
    • 1758 – Ten-year-old Mary Campbell is abducted in Pennsylvania by Lenape during the French and Indian War. She is returned six and a half years later.
    • 1792 – A lava dome collapses on Mount Unzen, near the city of Shimbara on the Japanese island of Kyūshū, creating a deadly tsunami that kills nearly 15,000 people.
    • 1809 – The first day of the Battle of Aspern-Essling between the Austrian army led by Archduke Charles and the French army led by Napoleon I of France sees the French attack across the Danube held.
    • 1851 – Slavery in Colombia is abolished.
    • 1856 – Lawrence, Kansas is captured and burned by pro-slavery forces.
    • 1863 – American Civil War: The Union Army succeeds in closing off the last escape route from Port Hudson, Louisiana, in preparation for the coming siege.
    • 1864 – Russia declares an end to the Russo-Circassian War and many Circassians are forced into exile. The day is designated the Circassian Day of Mourning.
    • 1864 – American Civil War: The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House ends.
    • 1864 – The Ionian Islands reunite with Greece.
    • 1871 – French troops invade the Paris Commune and engage its residents in street fighting. By the close of “Bloody Week”, some 20,000 communards have been killed and 38,000 arrested.
    • 1871 – Opening of the first rack railway in Europe, the Rigi Bahnen on Mount Rigi.
    • 1879 – War of the Pacific: Two Chilean ships blocking the harbor of Iquique (then belonging to Peru) battle two Peruvian vessels in the Battle of Iquique.
    • 1881 – The American Red Cross is established by Clara Barton in Washington, D.C.
    • 1894 – The Manchester Ship Canal in the United Kingdom is officially opened by Queen Victoria, who later knights its designer Sir Edward Leader Williams.
    • 1904 – The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) is founded in Paris.
    • 1911 – President of Mexico Porfirio Díaz and the revolutionary Francisco Madero sign the Treaty of Ciudad Juárez to put an end to the fighting between the forces of both men, concluding the initial phase of the Mexican Revolution.
    • 1917 – The Imperial War Graves Commission is established through royal charter to mark, record, and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of the British Empire’s military forces.
    • 1917 – The Great Atlanta fire of 1917 causes $5.5 million in damages, destroying some 300 acres including 2,000 homes, businesses and churches, displacing about 10,000 people but leading to only one fatality (due to heart attack).
    • 1924 – University of Chicago students Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold, Jr. murder 14-year-old Bobby Franks in a “thrill killing”.
    • 1927 – Charles Lindbergh touches down at Le Bourget Field in Paris, completing the world’s first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean.
    • 1932 – Bad weather forces Amelia Earhart to land in a pasture in Derry, Northern Ireland, and she thereby becomes the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
    • 1934 – Oskaloosa, Iowa, becomes the first municipality in the United States to fingerprint all of its citizens.
    • 1936 – Sada Abe is arrested after wandering the streets of Tokyo for days with her dead lover’s severed genitals in her handbag. Her story soon becomes one of Japan’s most notorious scandals.
    • 1937 – A Soviet station, North Pole-1, becomes the first scientific research settlement to operate on the drift ice of the Arctic Ocean.
    • 1939 – The Canadian National War Memorial is unveiled by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
    • 1946 – Physicist Louis Slotin is fatally irradiated in a criticality incident during an experiment with the demon core at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
    • 1951 – The opening of the Ninth Street Show, otherwise known as the 9th Street Art Exhibition: A gathering of a number of notable artists, and the stepping-out of the post war New York avant-garde, collectively known as the New York School.
    • 1961 – American civil rights movement: Alabama Governor John Malcolm Patterson declares martial law in an attempt to restore order after race riots break out.
    • 1966 – The Ulster Volunteer Force declares war on the Irish Republican Army in Northern Ireland.
    • 1969 – Civil unrest in Rosario, Argentina, known as Rosariazo, following the death of a 15-year-old student.
    • 1972 – Michelangelo’s Pietà in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome is damaged by a vandal, the mentally disturbed Hungarian geologist Laszlo Toth.
    • 1976 – Twenty-nine people are killed in the Yuba City bus disaster in Martinez, California.
    • 1979 – White Night riots in San Francisco following the manslaughter conviction of Dan White for the assassinations of George Moscone and Harvey Milk.
    • 1981 – The Italian government releases the membership list of Propaganda Due, an illegal pseudo-Masonic lodge that was implicated in numerous Italian crimes and mysteries.
    • 1981 – Transamerica Corporation agrees to sell United Artists to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer for $380 million after the box office failure of the 1980 film Heaven’s Gate.
    • 1982 – Falklands War: A British amphibious assault during Operation Sutton leads to the Battle of San Carlos.
    • 1991 – Former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi is assassinated by a female suicide bomber near Madras.
    • 1991 – Mengistu Haile Mariam, president of the People’s Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, flees Ethiopia, effectively bringing the Ethiopian Civil War to an end.
    • 1992 – After 30 seasons Johnny Carson hosted his penultimate episode and last featuring guests (Robin Williams and Bette Midler) of The Tonight Show.
    • 1994 – The Democratic Republic of Yemen unsuccessfully attempts to secede from the Republic of Yemen; a war breaks out.
    • 1996 – The ferry MV Bukoba sinks in Tanzanian waters on Lake Victoria, killing nearly 1,000.
    • 1998 – In Miami, five abortion clinics are attacked by a butyric acid attacker.
    • 1998 – President Suharto of Indonesia resigns following the killing of students from Trisakti University earlier that week by security forces and growing mass protests in Jakarta against his ongoing corrupt rule.
    • 2001 – French Taubira law is enacted, officially recognizing the Atlantic slave trade and slavery as crimes against humanity.
    • 2003 – The 6.8 Mw  Boumerdès earthquake shakes northern Algeria with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme). More than 2,200 people were killed and a moderate tsunami sank boats at the Balearic Islands.
    • 2005 – The tallest roller coaster in the world, Kingda Ka opens at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township, New Jersey.
    • 2006 – The Republic of Montenegro holds a referendum proposing independence from the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro; 55% of Montenegrins vote for independence.
    • 2010 – JAXA, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, launches the solar-sail spacecraft IKAROS aboard an H-IIA rocket. The vessel would make a Venus flyby late in the year.
    • 2011 – Radio broadcaster Harold Camping predicted that the world would end on this date.
    • 2012 – A bus accident near Himara, Albania kills 13 people and injures 21 others.
    • 2012 – A suicide bombing kills more than 120 people in Sana’a, Yemen.
    • 2017 – Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus performed their final show at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

    Births on May 21

    • 1471 – Albrecht Dürer, German painter, engraver, and mathematician (d. 1528)
    • 1497 – Al-Hattab, Muslim jurist (d. 1547)
    • 1527 – Philip II of Spain (d. 1598)
    • 1653 – Eleonore of Austria, Queen of Poland (d. 1697)
    • 1688 – Alexander Pope, English poet, essayist, and translator (d. 1744)
    • 1755 – Alfred Moore, American lawyer and judge (d. 1810)
    • 1756 – William Babington, Irish-born, English physician and mineralogist (d. 1833)
    • 1763 – Joseph Fouché, French lawyer and politician (d. 1820)
    • 1775 – Lucien Bonaparte, French soldier and politician (d. 1840)
    • 1780 – Elizabeth Fry, English prison reformer, philanthropist and Quaker (d. 1845)
    • 1790 – William Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire, English politician, Lord Chamberlain of the Household (d. 1858)
    • 1792 – Gaspard-Gustave de Coriolis, French mathematician and engineer (d. 1843)
    • 1799 – Mary Anning, English paleontologist (d. 1847)
    • 1801 – Princess Sophie of Sweden, Swedish princess (d. 1865)
    • 1806 – Harriet Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland, English duchess (d. 1868)
    • 1808 – David de Jahacob Lopez Cardozo, Dutch Talmudist (d. 1890)
    • 1827 – William P. Sprague, American banker and politician (d. 1899)
    • 1828 – Rudolf Koller, Swiss painter (d. 1905)
    • 1835 – František Chvostek, Czech-Austrian physician and academic (d. 1884)
    • 1837 – Itagaki Taisuke, Japanese soldier and politician (d. 1919)
    • 1843 – Charles Albert Gobat, Swiss lawyer and politician, and Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1914)
    • 1843 – Louis Renault, French jurist, educator, and Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1918)
    • 1844 – Henri Rousseau, French painter (d. 1910)
    • 1850 – Giuseppe Mercalli, Italian priest and volcanologist (d. 1914)
    • 1851 – Léon Bourgeois, French police officer and politician, 64th Prime Minister of France, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1925)
    • 1853 – Jacques Marie Eugène Godefroy Cavaignac, French politician (d. 1905)
    • 1856 – José Batlle y Ordóñez, Uruguayan journalist and politician, President of Uruguay (d. 1929)
    • 1860 – Willem Einthoven, Indonesian-Dutch physician, physiologist, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1927)
    • 1861 – Abel Ayerza, Argentinian physician and academic (d. 1918)
    • 1863 – Archduke Eugen of Austria (d. 1954)
    • 1864 – Princess Stéphanie of Belgium (d. 1945)
    • 1873 – Hans Berger, German neurologist and academic (d. 1941)
    • 1878 – Glenn Curtiss, American cyclist and engineer (d. 1930)
    • 1880 – Tudor Arghezi, Romanian journalist, author, and poet (d. 1967)
    • 1884 – Manuel Pérez y Curis, Uruguayan poet and publisher (d. 1920)
    • 1885 – Princess Sophie of Albania, (Princess Sophie of Schönburg-Waldenburg) (d. 1936)
    • 1893 – Arthur Carr, English cricketer (d. 1963)
    • 1893 – Giles Chippindall, Australian public servant (d. 1969)
    • 1895 – Lázaro Cárdenas, Mexican general, president (1934–1940) and father of Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas (d. 1970)
    • 1898 – Armand Hammer, American physician and businessman, founded Occidental Petroleum (d. 1990)
    • 1898 – Charles Léon Hammes, Luxembourgian lawyer and judge (d. 1967)
    • 1898 – Carl Johnson, American long jumper (d. 1932)
    • 1898 – John McLaughlin, American painter and translator (d. 1976)
    • 1901 – Regina M. Anderson, Multiracial playwright and librarian (d. 1993)
    • 1901 – Horace Heidt, American pianist, bandleader, and radio host (d. 1986)
    • 1901 – Sam Jaffe, American film producer and agent (d. 2000)
    • 1901 – Suzanne Lilar, Belgian author and playwright (d. 1992)
    • 1902 – Earl Averill, American baseball player (d. 1983)
    • 1902 – Marcel Breuer, Hungarian-American architect and academic, designed the Ameritrust Tower (d. 1981)
    • 1902 – Anatole Litvak, Ukrainian-American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1974)
    • 1903 – Manly Wade Wellman, American author (d. 1986)
    • 1904 – Robert Montgomery, American actor and director (d. 1981)
    • 1904 – Fats Waller, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 1943)
    • 1907 – John C. Allen, American roller coaster designer (d. 1979)
    • 1912 – Chen Dayu, Chinese painter and calligrapher (d. 2001)
    • 1912 – John Curtis Gowan, American psychologist and academic (d. 1986)
    • 1912 – Monty Stratton, American baseball player and coach (d. 1982)
    • 1913 – Gina Bachauer, Greek pianist and composer (d. 1976)
    • 1915 – Cathleen Cordell, American actress (d. 1997)
    • 1915 – Chakravarthi V. Narasimhan, Indian Civil Service Officer and former Under Secretary-General of the UN (d. 2003)
    • 1916 – Dennis Day, American singer and actor (d. 1988)
    • 1916 – Tinus Osendarp, Dutch sprinter and police officer (d. 2002)
    • 1916 – Harold Robbins, American author and screenwriter (d. 1997)
    • 1917 – Raymond Burr, Canadian-American actor and director (d. 1993)
    • 1918 – Anthony Steel, English actor and singer (d. 2001)
    • 1919 – George P. Mitchell, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 2013)
    • 1920 – Bill Barber, American tuba player and educator (d. 2007)
    • 1920 – Forrest White, American businessman, co-founded the Music Man Company (d. 1994)
    • 1921 – Sandy Douglas, English computer scientist and academic, designed OXO (d. 2010)
    • 1921 – Andrei Sakharov, Russian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1989)
    • 1923 – Vernon Biever, American photographer (d. 2010)
    • 1923 – Armand Borel, Swiss-American mathematician and academic (d. 2003)
    • 1923 – Ara Parseghian, American football player and coach (d. 2017)
    • 1923 – Dorothy Hewett, Australian feminist poet, novelist and playwright (d. 2002)
    • 1923 – Evelyn Ward, American actress (d. 2012)
    • 1924 – Peggy Cass, American actress, comedian, and game show panelist (d. 1999)
    • 1926 – Robert Creeley, American novelist, essayist, and poet (d. 2005)
    • 1927 – Kay Kendall, English actress and comedian (d. 1959)
    • 1927 – Péter Zwack, Hungarian businessman and diplomat (d. 2012)
    • 1928 – Tom Donahue, American radio host and producer (d. 1975)
    • 1928 – Alice Drummond, American actress (d. 2016)
    • 1929 – Larance Marable, American drummer (d. 2012)
    • 1929 – Robert Welch, English silversmith and industrial designer (d. 2000)
    • 1930 – Tommy Bryant, American bassist (d. 1982)
    • 1930 – Keith Davis, New Zealand rugby player (d. 2019)
    • 1930 – Malcolm Fraser, Australian politician, 22nd Prime Minister of Australia (d. 2015)
    • 1932 – Inese Jaunzeme, Latvian javelin thrower and surgeon (d. 2011)
    • 1932 – Leonidas Vasilikopoulos, Greek admiral and intelligence chief (d. 2014)
    • 1933 – Maurice André, French trumpet player (d. 2012)
    • 1933 – Yevgeny Minayev, Russian weightlifter (d. 1993)
    • 1934 – Jocasta Innes, Chinese-English journalist and author (d. 2013)
    • 1934 – Bob Northern, American horn player and bandleader
    • 1934 – Bengt I. Samuelsson, Swedish biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1935 – Terry Lightfoot, English clarinet player and bandleader (d. 2013)
    • 1936 – Günter Blobel, Polish-American biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2018)
    • 1938 – Lee “Shot” Williams, American singer (d. 2011)
    • 1939 – Heinz Holliger, Swiss oboist, composer, and conductor
    • 1940 – Tony Sheridan, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2013)
    • 1941 – Martin Carthy, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1941 – Bobby Cox, American baseball player and manager
    • 1941 – Ambrose Greenway, 4th Baron Greenway, English photographer and politician
    • 1941 – Ronald Isley, American singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1942 – David Hunt, Baron Hunt of Wirral, English politician, Secretary of State for Wales
    • 1942 – John Konrads, Australian swimmer
    • 1942 – Danny Ongais, American race car driver
    • 1943 – Vincent Crane, English pianist and composer (d. 1989)
    • 1943 – John Dalton, English bass player
    • 1943 – Hilton Valentine, English guitarist and songwriter
    • 1944 – Haleh Afshar, Baroness Afshar, Iranian-English academic and politician
    • 1944 – Marcie Blane, American singer
    • 1944 – Janet Dailey, American author and entrepreneur (d. 2013)
    • 1944 – Mary Robinson, Irish lawyer and politician, 7th President of Ireland
    • 1945 – Ernst Messerschmid, German physicist and astronaut
    • 1945 – Richard Hatch, American actor, writer, and producer (d. 2017)
    • 1946 – Allan McKeown, English-American screenwriter and producer (d. 2013)
    • 1946 – Wayne Roycroft, Australian equestrian rider and coach
    • 1947 – Bill Champlin, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1947 – Linda Laubenstein, American physician and academic (d. 1992)
    • 1947 – İlber Ortaylı, Turkish historian and academic
    • 1948 – Elizabeth Buchan, English author and critic
    • 1948 – Joe Camilleri, Maltese-Australian singer-songwriter and saxophonist
    • 1948 – Jonathan Hyde, Australian-English actor
    • 1948 – Denis MacShane, Scottish journalist and politician, UK Minister of State for Europe
    • 1948 – Leo Sayer, English-Australian singer-songwriter and musician
    • 1949 – Andrew Neil, Scottish journalist and academic
    • 1949 – Denis O’Connor, British police officer
    • 1949 – Rosalind Plowright, English soprano
    • 1950 – Will Hutton, English economist and journalist
    • 1951 – Al Franken, American actor, screenwriter, and politician
    • 1951 – Adrian Hardiman, Irish lawyer and judge (d. 2016)
    • 1952 – Mr. T, American actor and wrestler
    • 1953 – Nora Aunor, Filipino actress and recording artist
    • 1954 – D. B. S. Jeyaraj, Sri Lankan-Canadian journalist and blogger
    • 1954 – Janice Karman, American film producer, record producer, singer, and voice actress
    • 1954 – Marc Ribot, American guitarist and composer
    • 1955 – Paul Barber, English field hockey player
    • 1955 – Stan Lynch, American drummer, songwriter, and producer
    • 1957 – James Bailey, American basketball player
    • 1957 – Nadine Dorries, English nurse and politician
    • 1957 – Judge Reinhold, American actor and producer
    • 1957 – Renée Soutendijk, Dutch actress
    • 1958 – Christian Audigier, French fashion designer (d. 2015)
    • 1958 – Muffy Calder, Canadian-Scottish computer scientist and academic
    • 1958 – Michael Crick, English journalist and author
    • 1958 – Naeem Khan, Indian-American fashion designer
    • 1958 – Jefery Levy, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1959 – Nick Cassavetes, American actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1959 – Abdulla Yameen, Maldivian politician, 6th President of the Maldives
    • 1960 – Jeffrey Dahmer, American serial killer (d. 1994)
    • 1960 – Kent Hrbek, American baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1960 – Mohanlal, Indian actor
    • 1960 – Mark Ridgway, Australian cricketer
    • 1960 – Vladimir Salnikov, Russian swimmer
    • 1962 – David Crumb, American composer and educator
    • 1963 – Richard Appel, American screenwriter and producer
    • 1963 – Patrick Grant, American musician and producer
    • 1963 – David Lonsdale, English actor
    • 1964 – Pete Sandoval, Salvadoran-American drummer
    • 1963 – Kevin Shields, American-Irish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1963 – Dave Specter, American guitarist
    • 1963 – Laurie Spina, Australian rugby league player and sportscaster
    • 1964 – Danny Bailey, English footballer and coach
    • 1965 – Josh Richman, American actor and producer
    • 1966 – Lisa Edelstein, American actress and playwright
    • 1966 – Tatyana Ledovskaya, Belarusian hurdler
    • 1967 – Chris Benoit, Canadian professional wrestler (d. 2007)
    • 1968 – Ilmar Raag, Estonian director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1968 – Matthias Ungemach, German-Australian rower
    • 1968 – Julie Vega, Filipino actress and singer (d. 1985)
    • 1969 – Pierluigi Brivio, Italian footballer
    • 1969 – Georgiy Gongadze, Georgian-Ukrainian journalist and director (d. 2000)
    • 1969 – Masayo Kurata, Japanese voice actress and singer
    • 1969 – George LeMieux, American lawyer and politician
    • 1969 – Brian Statham, Rhodesian born English footballer, defender and manager
    • 1970 – Brigita Bukovec, Slovenian hurdler
    • 1970 – Dorsey Levens, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1970 – Pauline Menczer, Australian surfer
    • 1970 – Carl Veart, Australian footballer and coach
    • 1972 – The Notorious B.I.G., American rapper (d. 1997)
    • 1973 – Stewart Cink, American golfer
    • 1973 – Noel Fielding, English comedian, musician and television presenter
    • 1974 – Brad Arthur, Australian rugby league coach
    • 1974 – Fairuza Balk, American actress
    • 1974 – Aditi Gowitrikar, Indian model, actress, and physician, Mrs. World 2001
    • 1974 – Havoc, American rapper and producer
    • 1975 – Anthony Mundine, Australian rugby league player and boxer
    • 1976 – Stuart Bingham, English snooker player
    • 1976 – Abderrahim Goumri, Moroccan runner (d. 2013)
    • 1976 – Deron Miller, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1977 – Quinton Fortune, South African international footballer midfielder and coach
    • 1977 – Michael Fuß, German footballer
    • 1977 – Ricky Williams, American football player and coach
    • 1978 – Max B, American rapper and songwriter
    • 1978 – Briana Banks, German-American porn actress and model
    • 1978 – Jamaal Magloire, Canadian basketball player and coach
    • 1979 – Damián Ariel Álvarez, Argentinian-Mexican footballer
    • 1979 – Jamie Hepburn, Scottish politician, Minister for Sport, Health Improvement and Mental Health
    • 1979 – James Clancy Phelan, Australian author and academic
    • 1979 – Scott Smith, American mixed martial artist
    • 1979 – Sonja Vectomov, Czech musician/composer
    • 1980 – Gotye, Belgian-Australian singer-songwriter
    • 1981 – Craig Anderson, American ice hockey player
    • 1981 – Edson Buddle, American soccer player
    • 1981 – Josh Hamilton, American baseball player
    • 1981 – Maximilian Mutzke, German singer-songwriter
    • 1981 – Anna Rogowska, Polish pole vaulter
    • 1983 – Līga Dekmeijere, Latvian tennis player
    • 1983 – Deidson Araújo Maia, Brazilian footballer
    • 1983 – Kaori Shimizu, Japanese voice actress and singer
    • 1984 – Brandon Fields, American football player
    • 1984 – Sara Goller, German volleyball player
    • 1984 – Syamsul Yusof, Malaysian actor, film director, scriptwriter, film producer, rapper and singer
    • 1985 – Mutya Buena, English singer-songwriter
    • 1985 – Alison Carroll, English gymnast, model, and actress
    • 1985 – Mark Cavendish, Manx cyclist
    • 1985 – Alexander Dale Oen, Norwegian swimmer (d. 2012)
    • 1985 – Isa Guha, English cricketer
    • 1985 – Lucie Hradecká, Czech tennis player
    • 1985 – Kano, English rapper, producer, and actor
    • 1985 – Dušan Kuciak, Slovak footballer
    • 1985 – Heath L’Estrange, Australian rugby league player
    • 1985 – Andrew Miller, American baseball player
    • 1986 – Mario Mandžukić, Croatian footballer
    • 1986 – Myra, American singer and actress
    • 1986 – Eder Sánchez, Mexican race walker
    • 1986 – Park Sojin, South Korean singer-songwriter and dancer
    • 1986 – Greg Stewart, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1987 – Beau Falloon, Australian rugby league player
    • 1988 – Claire Cashmore, English Paralympic swimmer
    • 1988 – Park Gyu-ri, South Korean singer
    • 1988 – Jonny Howson, English footballer
    • 1988 – Kaire Leibak, Estonian triple jumper
    • 1989 – Emily Robins, New Zealand actress and singer
    • 1989 – Hal Robson-Kanu, English footballer
    • 1990 – Kierre Beckles, Barbadian athlete
    • 1990 – Rene Krhin, Slovenian footballer
    • 1991 – Guilherme, Brazilian footballer
    • 1992 – Hutch Dano, American actor
    • 1992 – Lisa Evans, Scottish footballer
    • 1992 – Philipp Grüneberg, German footballer
    • 1992 – Olivia Olson, American singer and actress
    • 1993 – Grete Gaim, Estonian biathlete
    • 1993 – Luke Garbutt, English footballer, left-back
    • 1994 – Tom Daley, English diver
    • 1995 – Katharina Andresen, Norwegian heiress and equestrian
    • 1995 – Diego Loyzaga, Filipino actor
    • 1996 – Josh Allen, American footballer
    • 1996 – Indy de Vroome, Dutch tennis player
    • 1996 – Karen Khachanov, Russian tennis player
    • 1997 – Ivan De Santis, Italian footballer
    • 1997 – Sisca Folkertsma, Dutch footballer
    • 1997 – Viktoria Petryk, Ukrainian singer-songwriter

    Deaths on May 21

    • 252 – Sun Quan, Chinese emperor of Eastern Wu (b. 182)
    • 954 – Feng Dao, Chinese prince and chancellor (b. 882)
    • 987 – Louis V, king of West Francia (b. c. 966)
    • 1075 – Richeza of Poland, queen of Hungary (b. 1013)
    • 1086 – Wang Anshi, Chinese statesman and poet (b. 1021)
    • 1237 – Olaf the Black, Manx son of Godred II Olafsson
    • 1254 – Conrad IV, king of Germany (b. 1228)
    • 1416 – Anna of Celje, queen consort of Poland (b. 1386)
    • 1471 – Henry VI, king of England (b. 1421)
    • 1481 – Christian I, king of Denmark (b. 1426)
    • 1512 – Pandolfo Petrucci, Italian ruler (b. 1452)
    • 1524 – Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk, English soldier and politician, Lord High Treasurer (b. 1443)
    • 1542 – Hernando de Soto, Spanish-American explorer (b. 1496)
    • 1563 – Martynas Mažvydas, Lithuanian writer (b. 1510)
    • 1607 – John Rainolds, English scholar and academic (b. 1549)
    • 1619 – Hieronymus Fabricius, Italian anatomist (b. 1537)
    • 1639 – Tommaso Campanella, Italian astrologer, theologian, and poet (b. 1568)
    • 1647 – Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft, Dutch poet and playwright (b. 1581)
    • 1650 – James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose, Scottish general and politician (b. 1612)
    • 1664 – Elizabeth Poole, English settler, founded Taunton, Massachusetts (b. 1588)
    • 1670 – Niccolò Zucchi, Italian astronomer and physicist (b. 1586)
    • 1686 – Otto von Guericke, German physicist and inventor of the Magdeburg Hemispheres (b. 1602)
    • 1690 – John Eliot, English-American minister and missionary (b. 1604)
    • 1719 – Pierre Poiret, French mystic and philosopher (b. 1646)
    • 1724 – Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer, English politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (b. 1661)
    • 1742 – Lars Roberg, Swedish physician and academic (b. 1664)
    • 1762 – Alexander Joseph Sulkowski, Polish and Saxon general (b. 1695)
    • 1771 – Christopher Smart, English actor, playwright, and poet (b. 1722)
    • 1786 – Carl Wilhelm Scheele, German-Swedish chemist and pharmacist (b. 1742)
    • 1790 – Thomas Warton, English poet and critic (b. 1728)
    • 1810 – Chevalier d’Eon, French diplomat and spy (b. 1728)
    • 1844 – Giuseppe Baini, Italian priest and composer (b. 1775)
    • 1858 – José de la Riva Agüero, Peruvian soldier and politician, 1st President of Peru and 2nd President of North Peru (b. 1783)
    • 1862 – John Drew, Irish-American actor and manager (b. 1827)
    • 1879 – Arturo Prat, Chilean lawyer and commander (b. 1848)
    • 1894 – Émile Henry, French anarchist (b. 1872)
    • 1894 – August Kundt, German physicist and academic (b. 1839)
    • 1895 – Franz von Suppé, Austrian composer and conductor (b. 1819)
    • 1901 – Joseph Olivier, French rugby player (b. 1874)
    • 1911 – Williamina Fleming, Scottish-American astronomer and academic (b. 1857)
    • 1915 – Leonid Gobyato, Russian general and engineer (b. 1875)
    • 1919 – Evgraf Fedorov, Russian mathematician, crystallographer, and mineralogist (b. 1853)
    • 1920 – Venustiano Carranza, Mexican politician, 54th President of Mexico (b. 1859)
    • 1925 – Hidesaburō Ueno, Japanese agriculturalist, guardian of Hachikō (b. 1871)
    • 1926 – Ronald Firbank, English-Italian author (b. 1886)
    • 1929 – Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1847)
    • 1932 – Marcel Boulenger, French fencer and author (b. 1873)
    • 1935 – Jane Addams, American activist and author, co-founded Hull House, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1860)
    • 1935 – Hugo de Vries, Dutch botanist and geneticist (b. 1848)
    • 1940 – Billy Minter, English footballer and manager (b. 1888)
    • 1949 – Klaus Mann, German-American novelist, playwright, and critic (b. 1906)
    • 1952 – John Garfield, American actor (b. 1913)
    • 1956 – Harry Bensley, English businessman and adventurer (b. 1877)
    • 1957 – Alexander Vertinsky, Ukrainian-Russian singer-songwriter, actor, and poet (b. 1889)
    • 1964 – James Franck, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1882)
    • 1965 – Marguerite Bise, French chef (b. 1898)
    • 1965 – Geoffrey de Havilland, English pilot and engineer, designed the de Havilland Mosquito (b. 1882)
    • 1968 – Doris Lloyd, English actress (b. 1896)
    • 1970 – E. L. Grant Watson, English-Australian biologist and author (b. 1885)
    • 1973 – Vaughn Monroe, American singer, trumpet player, bandleader, and actor (b. 1911)
    • 1973 – Ivan Konev, Soviet Marshal and general (b. 1897)
    • 1981 – Raymond McCreesh, PIRA volunteer (b. 1957)
    • 1981 – Patsy O’Hara, INLA volunteer (b. 1957)
    • 1983 – Kenneth Clark, English historian and author (b. 1903)
    • 1984 – Ann Little, American actress (b. 1891)
    • 1988 – Sammy Davis Sr., American actor and dancer (b. 1900)
    • 1991 – Lino Brocka, Filipino director and screenwriter (b. 1939)
    • 1991 – Rajiv Gandhi, Indian politician, 6th Prime Minister of India (b. 1944)
    • 1995 – Les Aspin, American captain and politician, 18th United States Secretary of Defense (b. 1938)
    • 1996 – Paul Delph, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1957)
    • 1996 – Lash LaRue, American actor and producer (b. 1917)
    • 1996 – Villem Raam, Estonian art historian, art critic and conservator (b. 1910)
    • 1998 – Robert Gist, American actor and director (b. 1917)
    • 2000 – Barbara Cartland, English author (b. 1901)
    • 2000 – John Gielgud, English actor (b. 1904)
    • 2000 – Mark R. Hughes, American businessman, founded Herbalife (b. 1956)
    • 2002 – Niki de Saint Phalle, French-American sculptor and painter (b. 1930)
    • 2003 – Alejandro de Tomaso, Argentinian-Italian race car driver and businessman, founded De Tomaso (b. 1928)
    • 2003 – Frank D. White, American captain, banker, and politician, 41st Governor of Arkansas (b. 1933)
    • 2005 – Deborah Berger, American outsider artist (b. 1956)
    • 2005 – Stephen Elliott, American actor (b. 1918)
    • 2005 – Howard Morris, American actor and director (b. 1919)
    • 2006 – Spencer Clark, American race car driver (b. 1987)
    • 2006 – Katherine Dunham, American dancer, choreographer, and author (b. 1909)
    • 2006 – Cherd Songsri, Thai director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1931)
    • 2006 – Billy Walker, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1929)
    • 2012 – Eddie Blazonczyk, American singer-songwriter (b. 1941)
    • 2012 – Otis Clark, American butler and preacher, survivor of the Tulsa race riot (b. 1903)
    • 2012 – Constantine of Irinoupolis, Metropolitan of Irinoupolis and Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA (b. 1936)
    • 2012 – Roman Dumbadze, Georgian commander (b. 1964)
    • 2012 – Douglas Rodríguez, Cuban boxer (b. 1950)
    • 2012 – Bill Stewart, American football player and coach (b. 1952)
    • 2012 – Alan Thorne, Australian anthropologist and academic (b. 1939)
    • 2013 – Count Christian of Rosenborg, member of the Danish royal family (b. 1942)
    • 2013 – Frank Comstock, American trombonist, composer, and conductor (b. 1922)
    • 2013 – Cot Deal, American baseball player and coach (b. 1923)
    • 2013 – Mohammad Khaled Hossain, Bangladeshi mountaineer (b. 1979)
    • 2013 – Leonard Marsh, American businessman, co-founded Snapple (b. 1933)
    • 2013 – Bob Thompson, American pianist and composer (b. 1924)
    • 2013 – Dominique Venner, French journalist and historian (b. 1935)
    • 2013 – David Voelker, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1953)
    • 2014 – Tunku Annuar, Malaysian son of Badlishah of Kedah (b. 1939)
    • 2014 – Evelyn Blackmon, American businesswoman and politician (b. 1924)
    • 2014 – Johnny Gray, American baseball player (b. 1926)
    • 2014 – Jaime Lusinchi, Venezuelan physician and politician, President of Venezuela (b. 1924)
    • 2014 – Alireza Soleimani, Iranian wrestler (b. 1956)
    • 2015 – Annarita Sidoti, Italian race walker (b. 1969)
    • 2015 – Twinkle, English singer-songwriter (b. 1948)
    • 2015 – Jassem Al-Kharafi, Kuwaiti businessman and politician, 8th Kuwaiti Speaker of the National Assembly (b. 1940)
    • 2015 – Fred Gladding, American baseball player and coach (b. 1936)
    • 2015 – Louis Johnson, American bass player and producer (b. 1955)
    • 2016 – Nick Menza, American drummer and songwriter (b. 1964)
    • 2019 – Rik Kuypers, Belgian film director (b. 1925)
    • 2019 – Binyavanga Wainaina, Kenyan writer (b. 1971)
    • 2020 – Alan Merten, fifth President of George Mason University (b. 1941)

    Holidays and observances on May 21

    • Afro-Colombian Day (Colombia)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Arcangelo Tadini
      • Blessed Adílio Daronch and Manuel Gómez González
      • Blessed Franz Jägerstätter
      • Earliest day on which Corpus Christi can fall, while June 24 is the latest; held on Thursday after Trinity Sunday (often locally moved to Sunday). (Roman Catholic Church)
      • Emperor Constantine I
      • Eugène de Mazenod
      • Helena of Constantinople, also known as “Feast of the Holy Great Sovereigns Constantine and Helen, Equal-to-the-Apostles.” (Eastern Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion)
      • John Elliot (Episcopal Church)
      • Saints of the Cristero War, including Christopher Magallanes
      • May 21 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Circassian Day of Mourning (Circassians)
    • Day of Patriots and Military (Hungary)
    • Independence Day, celebrates the Montenegrin independence referendum in 2006, celebrated until the next day. (Montenegro)
    • Navy Day (Chile)
    • Saint Helena Day, celebrates the discovery of Saint Helena in 1502. (Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha)
    • World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development (International)
    • International Tea Day (International)