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

On This Day /
  • 17 – Germanicus celebrates a triumph in Rome for his victories over the Cherusci, Chatti, and other German tribes west of the Elbe.
  • 451 – Battle of Avarayr between Armenian rebels and the Sasanian Empire takes place. The Sasanids defeat the Armenians militarily but guarantee them freedom to openly practice Christianity.
  • 946 – King Edmund I of England is murdered by a thief whom he personally attacks while celebrating St Augustine’s Mass Day.
  • 961 – King Otto I elects his 6-year-old son Otto II as heir apparent and co-ruler of the East Frankish Kingdom. He is crowned at Aachen, and placed under the tutelage of his grandmother Matilda.
  • 1135 – Alfonso VII of León and Castile is crowned in León Cathedral as Imperator totius Hispaniae (Emperor of all of Spain).
  • 1293 – An earthquake strikes Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan, killing about 23,000.
  • 1328 – William of Ockham, the Franciscan Minister-General Michael of Cesena, and two other Franciscan leaders secretly leave Avignon, fearing a death sentence from Pope John XXII.
  • 1538 – Geneva expels John Calvin and his followers from the city. Calvin lives in exile in Strasbourg for the next three years.
  • 1573 – The Battle of Haarlemmermeer, a naval engagement in the Dutch War of Independence.
  • 1637 – Pequot War: A combined English and Mohegan force under John Mason attacks a village in Connecticut, massacring approximately 500 Pequots.
  • 1644 – Portuguese Restoration War: Portuguese and Spanish forces both claim victory in the Battle of Montijo.
  • 1736 – The Battle of Ackia was fought near the present site of Tupelo, Mississippi. British and Chickasaw soldiers repelled a French and Choctaw attack on the then-Chickasaw village of Ackia.
  • 1770 – The Orlov Revolt, an attempt to revolt against the Ottoman Empire before the Greek War of Independence, ends in disaster for the Greeks.
  • 1783 – A Great Jubilee Day held at North Stratford, Connecticut, celebrated the end of fighting in the American Revolution.
  • 1805 – Napoléon Bonaparte assumes the title of King of Italy and is crowned with the Iron Crown of Lombardy in Milan Cathedral, the gothic cathedral in Milan.
  • 1821 – Establishment of the Peloponnesian Senate by the Greek rebels.
  • 1822 – One hundred sixteen people die in the Grue Church fire, the biggest fire disaster in Norway’s history.
  • 1857 – Dred Scott is emancipated by the Blow family, his original owners.
  • 1864 – Montana is organized as a United States territory.
  • 1865 – American Civil War: The Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith, commander of the Confederate Trans-Mississippi division, is the last full general of the Confederate Army to surrender, at Galveston, Texas.
  • 1868 – The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson ends with his acquittal by one vote.
  • 1869 – Boston University is chartered by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
  • 1879 – Russia and the United Kingdom sign the Treaty of Gandamak establishing an Afghan state.
  • 1896 – Nicholas II becomes the last Tsar of Imperial Russia.
  • 1896 – Charles Dow publishes the first edition of the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
  • 1897 – Dracula, a Gothic horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker, is published.
  • 1897 – The original manuscript of William Bradford’s history, “Of Plymouth Plantation” is returned to the Governor of Massachusetts by the Bishop of London after being taken during the American Revolutionary War.
  • 1900 – Thousand Days’ War: The Colombian Conservative Party turns the tide of war in their favor with victory against the Colombian Liberal Party in the Battle of Palonegro.
  • 1908 – The first major commercial oil strike in the Middle East was made at Masjed Soleyman in southwest Persia. The rights to the resource were quickly acquired by the Anglo-Persian Oil Company.
  • 1917 – Several powerful tornadoes rip through Illinois, including the city of Mattoon.
  • 1918 – The Democratic Republic of Georgia is established.
  • 1923 – The first 24 Hours of Le Mans was held and has since been run annually in June.
  • 1927 – The last Ford Model T rolls off the assembly line after a production run of 15,007,003 vehicles.
  • 1936 – In the House of Commons of Northern Ireland, Tommy Henderson begins speaking on the Appropriation Bill. By the time he sits down in the early hours of the following morning, he had spoken for ten hours.
  • 1937 – Walter Reuther and members of the United Auto Workers (UAW) clashed with Ford Motor Company security guards at the River Rouge Complex complex in Dearborn, Michigan, during the Battle of the Overpass.
  • 1938 – In the United States, the House Un-American Activities Committee begins its first session.
  • 1940 – World War II: Operation Dynamo: In northern France, Allied forces begin a massive evacuation from Dunkirk, France.
  • 1940 – World War II: The Siege of Calais ends with the surrender of the British and French garrison.
  • 1942 – World War II: The Battle of Gazala takes place.
  • 1948 – The U.S. Congress passes Public Law 80-557, which permanently establishes the Civil Air Patrol as an auxiliary of the United States Air Force.
  • 1966 – British Guiana gains independence, becoming Guyana.
  • 1967 – The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is released.
  • 1968 – H-dagurinn in Iceland: Traffic changes from driving on the left to driving on the right overnight
  • 1969 – Apollo program: Apollo 10 returns to Earth after a successful eight-day test of all the components needed for the forthcoming first manned moon landing.
  • 1970 – The Soviet Tupolev Tu-144 becomes the first commercial transport to exceed Mach 2.
  • 1971 – Bangladesh Liberation War: The Pakistan Army slaughters at least 71 Hindus in Burunga, Sylhet, Bangladesh.
  • 1972 – The United States and the Soviet Union sign the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.
  • 1981 – Italian Prime Minister Arnaldo Forlani and his coalition cabinet resign following a scandal over membership of the pseudo-masonic lodge P2 (Propaganda Due).
  • 1981 – An EA-6B Prowler crashes on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, killing 14 crewmen and injuring 45 others.
  • 1983 – The 7.8 Mw  Sea of Japan earthquake shakes northern Honshu with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). A destructive tsunami is generated that leaves about 100 people dead.
  • 1986 – The European Community adopts the European flag.
  • 1991 – Zviad Gamsakhurdia becomes the first elected President of the Republic of Georgia in the post-Soviet era.
  • 1991 – Lauda Air Flight 004 breaks apart in mid-air and crashes in the Phu Toei National Park in Thailand, killing all 223 people on board.
  • 1998 – The Supreme Court of the United States rules in New Jersey v. New York that Ellis Island, the historic gateway for millions of immigrants, is mainly in the state of New Jersey, not New York.
  • 1998 – The first “National Sorry Day” was held in Australia, and reconciliation events were held nationally, and attended by over a million people.
  • 2002 – The tugboat Robert Y. Love collides with a support pier of Interstate 40 on the Arkansas River near Webbers Falls, Oklahoma, resulting in 14 deaths and 11 others injured.
  • 2004 – United States Army veteran Terry Nichols is found guilty of 161 state murder charges for helping carry out the Oklahoma City bombing.
  • 2008 – Severe flooding begins in eastern and southern China that will ultimately cause 148 deaths and force the evacuation of 1.3 million.

Births on May 26

  • 1264 – Koreyasu, Japanese prince and shōgun (d. 1326)
  • 1478 – Clement VII, pope of the Catholic Church (d. 1534)
  • 1562 – James III, margrave of Baden-Hachberg (d. 1590)
  • 1566 – Mehmed III, Ottoman sultan (d. 1603)
  • 1602 – Philippe de Champaigne, Dutch-French painter (d. 1674)
  • 1623 – William Petty, English economist and philosopher (d. 1687)
  • 1650 – John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire (d. 1722)
  • 1667 – Abraham de Moivre, French-English mathematician and theorist (d. 1754)
  • 1669 – Sébastien Vaillant, French botanist and mycologist (d. 1722)
  • 1700 – Nicolaus Zinzendorf, German bishop and saint (d. 1760)
  • 1799 – August Kopisch, German poet and painter (d. 1853)
  • 1822 – Edmond de Goncourt, French author and critic, founded the Académie Goncourt (d. 1896)
  • 1863 – Bob Fitzsimmons, English-New Zealand boxer (d. 1917)
  • 1865 – Robert W. Chambers, American author and illustrator (d. 1933)
  • 1867 – Mary of Teck, English-born queen consort of the United Kingdom (d. 1953)
  • 1873 – Olaf Gulbransson, Norwegian painter and illustrator (d. 1958)
  • 1876 – Percy Perrin, English cricketer (d. 1945)
  • 1880 – W. Otto Miessner, American composer and educator (d. 1967)
  • 1881 – Adolfo de la Huerta, Mexican politician and provisional president, 1920 (d. 1955)
  • 1883 – Mamie Smith, American singer, actress, dancer, and pianist (d. 1946)
  • 1886 – Al Jolson, American singer and actor (d. 1950)
  • 1887 – Ba U, 2nd President of Burma (d. 1963)
  • 1893 – Eugene Aynsley Goossens, English conductor and composer (d. 1962)
  • 1895 – Dorothea Lange, American photographer and journalist (d. 1965)
  • 1895 – Paul Lukas, Hungarian-American actor and singer (d. 1971)
  • 1898 – Ernst Bacon, American pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1990)
  • 1898 – Christfried Burmeister, Estonian speed skater (d. 1965)
  • 1899 – Antonio Barrette, Canadian lawyer and politician, 18th Premier of Quebec (d. 1968)
  • 1899 – Muriel McQueen Fergusson, Canadian lawyer and politician, Canadian Speaker of the Senate (d. 1997)
  • 1900 – Karin Juel, Swedish singer, actor, and writer (d. 1976)
  • 1904 – George Formby, English singer-songwriter and actor (d. 1961)
  • 1904 – Necip Fazıl Kısakürek, Turkish author, poet, and playwright (d. 1983)
  • 1904 – Vlado Perlemuter, Lithuanian-French pianist and educator (d. 2002)
  • 1907 – Jean Bernard, French physician and haematologist (d. 2006)
  • 1907 – John Wayne, American actor, director, and producer (d. 1979)
  • 1908 – Robert Morley, English actor (d. 1992)
  • 1908 – Nguyễn Ngọc Thơ, Vietnamese politician, 1st Prime Minister of the Republic of Vietnam (d. 1976)
  • 1909 – Matt Busby, Scottish footballer and manager (d. 1994)
  • 1909 – Adolfo López Mateos, Mexican politician, 48th President of Mexico (d. 1969)
  • 1910 – Imi Lichtenfeld, Hungarian-Israeli martial artist, boxer, and gymnast (d. 1998)
  • 1911 – Maurice Baquet, French actor and cellist (d. 2005)
  • 1911 – Henry Ephron, American playwright, screenwriter, and producer (d. 1992)
  • 1912 – János Kádár, Hungarian mechanic and politician, 46th Prime Minister of Hungary (d. 1989)
  • 1912 – Jay Silverheels, Canadian-American actor (d. 1980)
  • 1913 – Peter Cushing, English actor (d. 1994)
  • 1913 – Pierre Daninos, French author (d. 2005)
  • 1913 – Karin Ekelund, Swedish actress (d. 1976)
  • 1913 – Josef Manger, German weightlifter (d. 1991)
  • 1914 – Frankie Manning, American dancer and choreographer (d. 2009)
  • 1915 – Vernon Alley, American bassist (d. 2004)
  • 1915 – Antonia Forest, English author (d. 2003)
  • 1916 – Henriette Roosenburg, Dutch journalist and author (d. 1972)
  • 1919 – Rubén González, Cuban pianist (d. 2003)
  • 1920 – Jack Cheetham, South African cricketer (d. 1980)
  • 1920 – Peggy Lee, American singer-songwriter and actress (d. 2002)
  • 1921 – Inge Borkh, German soprano (d. 2018)
  • 1922 – Troy Smith, American businessman, founded Sonic Drive-In (d. 2009)
  • 1923 – James Arness, American actor (d. 2011)
  • 1923 – Roy Dotrice, English actor (d. 2017)
  • 1925 – Carmen Montejo, Cuban-Mexican actress (d. 2013)
  • 1925 – Alec McCowen, English actor (d. 2017)
  • 1926 – Miles Davis, American trumpet player, composer, and bandleader (d. 1991)
  • 1927 – Jacques Bergerac, French actor and businessman (d. 2014)
  • 1928 – Jack Kevorkian, American pathologist, author, and assisted suicide activist (d. 2011)
  • 1929 – J. F. Ade Ajayi, Nigerian historian and academic (d. 2014)
  • 1929 – Ernie Carroll, Australian television personality and producer
  • 1929 – Hans Freeman, Australian bioinorganic chemist and protein crystallographer (d. 2008)
  • 1929 – John Jackson, English lawyer and businessman
  • 1929 – Catherine Sauvage, French singer and actress (d. 1998)
  • 1930 – Karim Emami, Indian-Iranian lexicographer and critic (d. 2005)
  • 1933 – Edward Whittemore, American soldier and author (d. 1995)
  • 1935 – Eero Loone, Estonian philosopher and academic
  • 1936 – David Stevens, Baron Stevens of Ludgate, English politician
  • 1937 – Manorama, Indian actress and singer (d. 2015)
  • 1937 – Paul E. Patton, American politician, 59th Governor of Kentucky
  • 1938 – William Bolcom, American pianist and composer
  • 1938 – Lyudmila Petrushevskaya, Russian author and playwright
  • 1938 – K. Bikram Singh, Indian director and producer (d. 2013)
  • 1938 – Teresa Stratas, Canadian soprano and actress
  • 1939 – Brent Musburger, American sportscaster
  • 1939 – Herb Trimpe, American author and illustrator (d. 2015)
  • 1940 – Monique Gagnon-Tremblay, Canadian academic and politician, Deputy Premier of Quebec
  • 1940 – Levon Helm, American singer-songwriter, drummer, producer, and actor (d. 2012)
  • 1941 – Aldrich Ames, American CIA officer and criminal
  • 1941 – Jim Dobbin, Scottish microbiologist and politician (d. 2014)
  • 1941 – Cliff Drysdale, South African tennis player and sportscaster
  • 1941 – Imants Kalniņš, Latvian composer
  • 1943 – Erica Terpstra, Dutch swimmer, journalist, and politician
  • 1944 – Phil Edmonston, American-Canadian journalist and politician
  • 1944 – Jan Kinder, Norwegian ice hockey player (d. 2013)
  • 1944 – Sam Posey, American race car driver and journalist
  • 1945 – Vilasrao Deshmukh, Indian lawyer and politician, 17th Chief Minister of Maharashtra (d. 2012)
  • 1945 – Alistair MacDuff, English lawyer and judge
  • 1945 – Garry Peterson, Canadian-American drummer
  • 1946 – Neshka Robeva, Bulgarian gymnast and coach
  • 1946 – Mick Ronson, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer (d. 1993)
  • 1947 – Carol O’Connell, American author and painter
  • 1947 – Glenn Turner, New Zealand cricketer
  • 1948 – Stevie Nicks, American singer-songwriter
  • 1949 – Jeremy Corbyn, British journalist and politician
  • 1949 – Ward Cunningham, American computer programmer, developed the first wiki
  • 1949 – Pam Grier, American actress
  • 1949 – Anne McGuire, Scottish educator and politician
  • 1949 – Philip Michael Thomas, American actor
  • 1949 – Hank Williams Jr., American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1951 – Ramón Calderón, Spanish lawyer and businessman
  • 1951 – Lou van den Dries, Dutch mathematician
  • 1951 – Sally Ride, American physicist and astronaut, founded Sally Ride Science (d. 2012)
  • 1951 – Madeleine Taylor-Quinn, Irish educator and politician
  • 1952 – David Meece, American singer-songwriter and pianist
  • 1953 – Kay Hagan, American lawyer and politician (d. 2019)
  • 1953 – Don McAllister, English footballer and manager
  • 1953 – Michael Portillo, English journalist and politician, Secretary of State for Defence
  • 1953 – Dan Roundfield, American basketball player (d. 2012)
  • 1954 – Alan Hollinghurst, English novelist, poet, short story writer, and translator
  • 1954 – Denis Lebel, Canadian businessman and politician, 29th Canadian Minister of Transport
  • 1955 – Masaharu Morimoto, Japanese-American chef
  • 1955 – Paul Stoddart, Australian businessman
  • 1955 – Wesley Walker, American football player and educator
  • 1956 – Neil Parish, English politician
  • 1956 – Fiona Shackleton, English lawyer
  • 1957 – Diomedes Díaz, Colombian singer-songwriter (d. 2013)
  • 1957 – François Legault, Canadian businessman and politician
  • 1957 – Roberto Ravaglia, Italian race car driver
  • 1958 – Ronnie Black, American golfer
  • 1958 – Arto Bryggare, Finnish hurdler and politician
  • 1958 – Margaret Colin, American actress
  • 1959 – Ole Bornedal, Danish actor, director, and producer
  • 1960 – Doug Hutchison, American actor
  • 1960 – Dean Lukin, Australian weightlifter
  • 1960 – Masahiro Matsunaga, Japanese race car driver
  • 1960 – Rob Murphy, American baseball player
  • 1960 – Romas Ubartas, Lithuanian discus thrower
  • 1961 – Steve Pate, American golfer
  • 1961 – Tarsem Singh, Indian-American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1962 – Black, English singer-songwriter (d. 2016)
  • 1962 – Genie Francis, Canadian-American actress
  • 1962 – Bobcat Goldthwait, American actor, director, and screenwriter
  • 1963 – Simon Armitage, English poet, playwright and novelist
  • 1963 – Claude Legault, Canadian actor and screenwriter
  • 1963 – Mary Nightingale, English journalist
  • 1963 – Jamie Spence, English golfer
  • 1964 – Caitlín R. Kiernan, Irish-American paleontologist and author
  • 1964 – Lenny Kravitz, American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and actor
  • 1964 – Argiris Pedoulakis, Greek basketball player and coach
  • 1965 – Hazel Irvine, Scottish sportscaster and journalist
  • 1966 – Helena Bonham Carter, English actress
  • 1966 – Zola Budd, South African runner
  • 1967 – Philip Treacy, Irish milliner, hat designer
  • 1967 – Mika Yamamoto, Japanese journalist (d. 2012)
  • 1968 – Fernando León de Aranoa, Spanish director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1968 – Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark
  • 1968 – Steve Sedgley, English footballer and manager
  • 1969 – John Baird, Canadian politician, 10th Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs
  • 1969 – Siri Lindley, American triathlete and coach
  • 1969 – Dominic Mohan, English journalist
  • 1970 – Nobuhiro Watsuki, Japanese illustrator
  • 1971 – Zaher Andary, Lebanese footballer
  • 1971 – Matt Stone, American actor, animator, screenwriter, producer, and composer
  • 1973 – Naomi Harris, Canadian-American photographer
  • 1974 – Lars Frölander, Swedish swimmer
  • 1975 – Lauryn Hill, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
  • 1976 – Paul Collingwood, English cricketer and coach
  • 1976 – Stephen Curry, Australian comedian and actor
  • 1976 – Kenny Florian, American mixed martial artist and sportscaster
  • 1976 – Justin Pierre, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1977 – Nikos Chatzivrettas, Greek basketball player
  • 1977 – Raina Telgemeier, American author and cartoonist
  • 1977 – Luca Toni, Italian footballer
  • 1977 – Misaki Ito, Japanese actress and model
  • 1978 – Phil Elvrum, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1978 – Fabio Firmani, Italian footballer
  • 1978 – Dan Parks, Australian-Scottish rugby player
  • 1979 – Amanda Bauer, American astronomer and academic
  • 1979 – Natalya Nazarova, Russian sprinter
  • 1979 – Elisabeth Harnois, American actress
  • 1979 – Mehmet Okur, Turkish basketball player
  • 1980 – Louis-Jean Cormier, Canadian singer and songwriter
  • 1981 – Robert Copeland, Australian footballer
  • 1981 – Anthony Ervin, American swimmer
  • 1981 – Jason Manford, English actor, screenwriter, and television host
  • 1981 – Isaac Slade, American singer-songwriter and pianist
  • 1981 – Ben Zobrist, American baseball player
  • 1982 – Sten Lassmann, Estonian pianist
  • 1982 – Hasan Kabze, Turkish footballer
  • 1983 – Demy de Zeeuw, Dutch footballer
  • 1983 – Henry Holland, English fashion designer
  • 1983 – Nathan Merritt, Australian rugby league player
  • 1985 – Monika Christodoulou, Greek singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1985 – Ashley Vincent, English footballer
  • 1986 – Michel Tornéus, Swedish long jumper
  • 1987 – Olcay Şahan, Turkish footballer
  • 1987 – Josh Thomas, Australian comedian and actor
  • 1988 – Andrea Catellani, Italian footballer
  • 1988 – Will Chambers, Australian rugby league player
  • 1988 – Juan Guillermo Cuadrado, Colombian footballer
  • 1988 – Dani Samuels, Australian discus thrower
  • 1988 – Joel Selwood, Australian footballer
  • 1988 – Damian Williams, American football player
  • 1989 – Paula Findlay, Canadian triathlete
  • 1991 – Ah Young, South Korean singer and actress
  • 1992 – Curtis Rona, New Zealand rugby league player
  • 1993 – Jason Adesanya, Belgian footballer
  • 1993 – Dan Sarginson, Australian-English rugby league player
  • 1993 – Katerine Savard, Canadian swimmer
  • 1993 – Jimmy Vesey, American ice hockey player
  • 1996 – Lara Goodall, South African cricketer

Deaths on May 26

  • 604 – Augustine of Canterbury, Benedictine monk and archbishop
  • 735 – Bede, English monk, historian, and theologian
  • 818 – Ali al-Ridha, Saudi Arabian 8th of The Twelve Imams
  • 926 – Yuan Xingqin, Chinese general and governor
  • 946 – Edmund I, king of England (b. 921)
  • 1035 – Berenguer Ramon I, Spanish nobleman (b. 1005)
  • 1055 – Adalbert, margrave of Austria
  • 1250 – Peter I, duke of Brittany
  • 1339 – Aldona Ona, queen of Poland
  • 1362 – Louis I, king of Naples (b. 1320)
  • 1421 – Mehmed I, Ottoman sultan (b. 1389)
  • 1512 – Bayezid II, Ottoman sultan (b. 1447)
  • 1536 – Francesco Berni, Italian poet (b. 1498)
  • 1552 – Sebastian Münster, German cartographer and cosmographer (b. 1488)
  • 1648 – Vincent Voiture, French poet and author (b. 1597)
  • 1653 – Robert Filmer, English theorist and author (b. 1588)
  • 1679 – Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria (b. 1636)
  • 1685 – Charles II, German elector palatine (b. 1651)
  • 1703 – Samuel Pepys, English politician (b. 1633)
  • 1742 – Pylyp Orlyk, Ukrainian diplomat (b. 1672)
  • 1746 – Thomas Southerne, Irish playwright (b. 1660)
  • 1762 – Alexander Gottlieb Baumgarten, German philosopher and academic (b. 1714)
  • 1799 – James Burnett, Lord Monboddo, Scottish linguist, biologist, and judge (b. 1714)
  • 1818 – Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly, Russian field marshal and politician, Governor-General of Finland (b. 1761)
  • 1818 – Manuel Rodríguez Erdoíza, Chilean lawyer and guerrilla leader (b. 1785)
  • 1824 – Capel Lofft, English lawyer (b. 1751)
  • 1840 – Sidney Smith, English admiral and politician (b. 1764)
  • 1881 – Jakob Bernays, German philologist and academic (b. 1824)
  • 1883 – Abdelkader El Djezairi, Algerian ruler (b. 1808)
  • 1902 – Almon Brown Strowger, American soldier and inventor (b. 1839)
  • 1904 – Georges Gilles de la Tourette, French physician and neurologist (b. 1857)
  • 1908 – Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, Indian religious leader, founded the Ahmadiyya movement (b. 1835)
  • 1914 – Jacob August Riis, Danish-American journalist, photographer, and reformer (b. 1849)
  • 1924 – Victor Herbert, Irish-American cellist, composer, and conductor, founded the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (b. 1859)
  • 1926 – Srečko Kosovel, Slovenian poet (b. 1904)
  • 1933 – Horatio Bottomley, English financier, journalist, and politician (b. 1860)
  • 1933 – Jimmie Rodgers, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1897)
  • 1939 – Charles Horace Mayo, American physician, co-founded Mayo Clinic (b. 1865)
  • 1943 – Edsel Ford, American businessman (b. 1893)
  • 1943 – Alice Tegnér, Swedish organist, composer, and educator (b. 1864)
  • 1944 – Christian Wirth, German SS officer (b. 1885)
  • 1948 – Torsten Bergström, Swedish actor and director (b. 1896)
  • 1951 – Lincoln Ellsworth, American explorer (b. 1880)
  • 1954 – Lionel Conacher, Canadian football player and politician (b. 1900)
  • 1955 – Alberto Ascari, Italian race car driver (b. 1918)
  • 1956 – Al Simmons, American baseball player and coach (b. 1902)
  • 1959 – Philip Kassel, American gymnast (b. 1876)
  • 1966 – Elizabeth Dilling, American author and activist (b. 1894)
  • 1969 – Paul Hawkins, Australian race car driver (b. 1937)
  • 1969 – Allan Haines Loughead, American engineer, co-founded the Lockheed Corporation (b. 1889)
  • 1974 – Silvio Moser, Swiss race car driver (b. 1941)
  • 1976 – Martin Heidegger, German philosopher and academic (b. 1889)
  • 1978 – Cybele Andrianou, Greek actress (b. 1887)
  • 1979 – George Brent, Irish-American actor (b. 1904)
  • 1984 – Elizabeth Peer, American journalist (b. 1936)
  • 1989 – Don Revie, English footballer and manager (b. 1927)
  • 1994 – Sonny Sharrock, American guitarist (b. 1940)
  • 1995 – Friz Freleng, American animator, director, and producer (b. 1906)
  • 1997 – Ralph Horween, American football player and coach (b. 1896)
  • 1999 – Paul Sacher, Swiss conductor and philanthropist (b. 1906)
  • 1999 – Waldo Semon, American chemist and engineer (b. 1898)
  • 2001 – Vittorio Brambilla, Italian race car driver (b. 1937)
  • 2001 – Anne Haney, American actress (b. 1934)
  • 2001 – Moven Mahachi, Zimbabwean soldier and politician, Zimbabwean Minister of Defence (b. 1952)
  • 2001 – Dona Massin, Canadian actress and choreographer (b. 1917)
  • 2002 – Mamo Wolde, Ethiopian runner (b. 1932)
  • 2003 – Kathleen Winsor, American journalist and author (b. 1919)
  • 2004 – Nikolai Chernykh, Russian astronomer (b. 1931)
  • 2005 – Eddie Albert, American actor (b. 1906)
  • 2005 – Chico Carrasquel, Venezuelan baseball player and manager (b. 1928)
  • 2005 – Ruth Laredo, American pianist and educator (b. 1937)
  • 2005 – Leslie Smith, English businessman, co-founded Lesney Products (b. 1918)
  • 2006 – Édouard Michelin, French businessman (b. 1963)
  • 2006 – Kevin O’Flanagan, Irish footballer and physician (b. 1919)
  • 2007 – Jack Edward Oliver, English illustrator (b. 1942)
  • 2007 – Howard Porter, American basketball player (b. 1948)
  • 2008 – Sydney Pollack, American actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1934)
  • 2008 – Zita Urbonaitė, Lithuanian cyclist (b. 1973)
  • 2009 – Mihalis Papagiannakis, Greek journalist and politician (b. 1941)
  • 2009 – Peter Zezel, Canadian ice hockey and soccer player (b. 1965)
  • 2010 – Art Linkletter, Canadian-American radio and television host (b. 1912)
  • 2010 – Chris Moran, English air marshal and pilot (b. 1956)
  • 2010 – Kieran Phelan, Irish politician (b. 1949)
  • 2011 – Arisen Ahubudu, Sri Lankan scholar, author, and playwright (b. 1920)
  • 2012 – Arthur Decabooter, Belgian cyclist (b. 1936)
  • 2012 – Leo Dillon, American illustrator (b. 1933)
  • 2012 – Stephen Healey, Welsh captain and footballer (b. 1982)
  • 2012 – Hiroshi Miyazawa, Japanese politician (b. 1921)
  • 2012 – Hans Schmidt, Canadian wrestler (b. 1925)
  • 2012 – Jim Unger, English-Canadian illustrator (b. 1937)
  • 2013 – Ray Barnhart, American businessman and politician (b. 1928)
  • 2013 – John Bierwirth, American lawyer and businessman (b. 1924)
  • 2013 – Roberto Civita, Italian-Brazilian businessman (b. 1936)
  • 2013 – Tom Lichtenberg, American football player and coach (b. 1940)
  • 2013 – Otto Muehl, Austrian painter (b. 1925)
  • 2013 – Jack Vance, American author (b. 1916)
  • 2014 – Baselios Thoma Didymos I, Indian metropolitan (b. 1921)
  • 2014 – Miodrag Radulovacki, Serbian-American academic and neuropharmacologist (b. 1933)
  • 2014 – William R. Roy, American physician, journalist, and politician (b. 1926)
  • 2014 – Hooshang Seyhoun, Iranian-Canadian architect, sculptor, and painter (b. 1920)
  • 2015 – Vicente Aranda, Spanish director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1926)
  • 2015 – Les Johnson, Australian politician and diplomat, Australian High Commissioner to New Zealand (b. 1924)
  • 2015 – Robert Kraft, American astronomer and academic (b. 1927)
  • 2015 – João Lucas, Portuguese footballer (b. 1979)
  • 2015 – Dayton Waller, American soldier and politician (b. 1925)
  • 2016 – Hedy Epstein, German-born American human rights activist and Holocaust survivor (b. 1924)
  • 2017 – Zbigniew Brzezinski, Polish-born American politician (b. 1928)

Holidays and observances on May 26

  • Christian feast day:
    • Augustine of Canterbury (Anglican Communion and Eastern Orthodox)
    • Lambert of Vence
    • Peter Sanz (one of Martyr Saints of China)
    • Philip Neri
    • Pope Eleuterus
    • Quadratus of Athens
    • Zachary, Bishop of Vienne
    • May 26 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Independence Day, commemorates the day of the First Republic in 1918 (Georgia)
  • Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Guyana from the United Kingdom in 1966.
  • Mother’s Day (Poland)
  • National Paper Airplane Day (United States)
  • National Sorry Day (Australia)

May 26 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

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

On This Day /
  • 639 – Ashina Jiesheshuai and his tribesmen assaulted Emperor Taizong at Jiucheng Palace.
  • 715 – Pope Gregory II is elected.
  • 1051 – Henry I of France marries the Russian princess, Anne of Kiev.
  • 1445 – John II of Castile defeats the Infantes of Aragon at the First Battle of Olmedo.
  • 1499 – Catherine of Aragon is married by proxy to Arthur, Prince of Wales. Catherine is 13 and Arthur is 12.
  • 1535 – French explorer Jacques Cartier sets sail on his second voyage to North America with three ships, 110 men, and Chief Donnacona’s two sons (whom Cartier had kidnapped during his first voyage).
  • 1536 – Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII of England, is beheaded for adultery, treason, and incest.
  • 1542 – The Prome Kingdom falls to the Taungoo Dynasty in present-day Myanmar.
  • 1568 – Queen Elizabeth I of England orders the arrest of Mary, Queen of Scots.
  • 1643 – Thirty Years’ War: French forces under the duc d’Enghien decisively defeat Spanish forces at the Battle of Rocroi, marking the symbolic end of Spain as a dominant land power.
  • 1649 – An Act of Parliament declaring England a Commonwealth is passed by the Long Parliament. England would be a republic for the next eleven years.
  • 1655 – The Invasion of Jamaica begins during the Anglo-Spanish War.
  • 1743 – Jean-Pierre Christin developed the centigrade temperature scale.
  • 1749 – King George II of Great Britain grants the Ohio Company a charter of land around the forks of the Ohio River.
  • 1776 – American Revolutionary War: A Continental Army garrison surrenders in the Battle of The Cedars.
  • 1780 – New England’s Dark Day, an unusual darkening of the day sky, was observed over the New England states and parts of Canada.
  • 1802 – Napoleon Bonaparte founds the Legion of Honour.
  • 1828 – U.S. President John Quincy Adams signs the Tariff of 1828 into law, protecting wool manufacturers in the United States.
  • 1845 – Captain Sir John Franklin and his ill-fated Arctic expedition depart from Greenhithe, England.
  • 1848 – Mexican–American War: Mexico ratifies the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo thus ending the war and ceding California, Nevada, Utah and parts of four other modern-day U.S. states to the United States for US$15 million.
  • 1911 – Parks Canada, the world’s first national park service, is established as the Dominion Parks Branch under the Department of the Interior.
  • 1917 – The Norwegian football club Rosenborg BK is founded.
  • 1919 – Mustafa Kemal Atatürk lands at Samsun on the Anatolian Black Sea coast, initiating what is later termed the Turkish War of Independence.
  • 1921 – The United States Congress passes the Emergency Quota Act establishing national quotas on immigration.
  • 1922 – The Young Pioneer Organization of the Soviet Union is established.
  • 1934 – Zveno and the Bulgarian Army engineer a coup d’état and install Kimon Georgiev as the new Prime Minister of Bulgaria.
  • 1942 – World War II: In the aftermath of the Battle of the Coral Sea, Task Force 16 heads to Pearl Harbor.
  • 1950 – A barge containing munitions destined for Pakistan explodes in the harbor at South Amboy, New Jersey, devastating the city.
  • 1950 – Egypt announces that the Suez Canal is closed to Israeli ships and commerce.
  • 1959 – The North Vietnamese Army establishes Group 559, whose responsibility is to determine how to maintain supply lines to South Vietnam; the resulting route is the Ho Chi Minh trail.
  • 1961 – Venera program: Venera 1 becomes the first man-made object to fly by another planet by passing Venus (the probe had lost contact with Earth a month earlier and did not send back any data).
  • 1961 – At Silchar Railway Station, Assam, 11 Bengalis die when police open fire on protesters demanding state recognition of Bengali language in the Bengali Language Movement.
  • 1962 – A birthday salute to U.S. President John F. Kennedy takes place at Madison Square Garden, New York City. The highlight is Marilyn Monroe’s rendition of “Happy Birthday”.
  • 1963 – The New York Post Sunday Magazine publishes Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter from Birmingham Jail.
  • 1971 – Mars probe program: Mars 2 is launched by the Soviet Union.
  • 1986 – The Firearm Owners Protection Act is signed into law by U.S. President Ronald Reagan.
  • 1991 – Croatians vote for independence in a referendum.
  • 1997 – The Sierra Gorda biosphere, the most ecologically diverse region in Mexico, is established as a result of grassroots efforts.
  • 2007 – President of Romania Traian Băsescu survives an impeachment referendum and returns to office from suspension.
  • 2010 – The Royal Thai Armed Forces concludes its crackdown on protests by forcing the surrender of United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship leaders.
  • 2012 – Three gas cylinder bombs explode in front of a vocational school in the Italian city of Brindisi, killing one person and injuring five others.
  • 2012 – A car bomb explodes near a military complex in the Syrian city of Deir ez-Zor, killing nine people.
  • 2015 – The Refugio oil spill deposited 142,800 U.S. gallons (3,400 barrels) of crude oil onto an area in California considered one of the most biologically diverse coastlines of the west coast.
  • 2016 – EgyptAir Flight 804 crashes into the Mediterranean Sea while traveling from Paris to Cairo, killing all on board.
  • 2018 – The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle is held at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, with an estimated global audience of 1.9 billion.

Births on May 19

  • 1400 – John Stourton, 1st Baron Stourton, English soldier and politician (d. 1462)
  • 1462 – Baccio D’Agnolo, Italian woodcarver, sculptor and architect (d. 1543)
  • 1476 (or 1474) – Helena of Moscow, Grand Duchess consort of Lithuania and Queen consort of Poland (d. 1513)
  • 1593 – Claude Vignon, French painter (d. 1670)
  • 1616 – Johann Jakob Froberger, German organist and composer (d. 1667)
  • 1639 – Charles Weston, 3rd Earl of Portland, English soldier and noble (d. 1665)
  • 1700 – José de Escandón, 1st Count of Sierra Gorda, Spanish sergeant and politician (d. 1770)
  • 1724 – Augustus Hervey, 3rd Earl of Bristol, English admiral and politician, Chief Secretary for Ireland (d. 1779)
  • 1744 – Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, German-born Queen to George III of the United Kingdom (d. 1818)
  • 1762 – Johann Gottlieb Fichte, German philosopher and academic (d. 1814)
  • 1773 – Arthur Aikin, English chemist and mineralogist (d. 1854)
  • 1795 – Johns Hopkins, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 1873)
  • 1827 – Paul-Armand Challemel-Lacour, French academic and politician, French Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 1896)
  • 1832 – James Watney, Jr., English politician, brewer and cricketer (d. 1886)
  • 1857 – John Jacob Abel, American biochemist and pharmacologist (d. 1938)
  • 1861 – Nellie Melba, Australian soprano and actress (d. 1931)
  • 1871 – Walter Russell, American painter, sculptor, and author (d. 1963)
  • 1874 – Gilbert Jessop, English cricketer and soldier (d. 1955)
  • 1878 – Alfred Laliberté, Canadian sculptor and painter (d. 1953)
  • 1879 – Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor, American-English politician (d. 1964)
  • 1880 – Albert Richardson, English architect and educator, designed the Manchester Opera House (d. 1964)
  • 1881 – Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (official birthday), Turkish field marshal and statesman, 1st President of Turkey (d. 1938)
  • 1884 – David Munson, American runner (d. 1953)
  • 1886 – Francis Biddle, American lawyer and judge, 58th United States Attorney General (d. 1968)
  • 1887 – Ion Jalea, Romanian soldier and sculptor (d. 1983)
  • 1889 – Tản Đà, Vietnamese poet and author (d. 1939)
  • 1889 – Henry B. Richardson, American archer (d. 1963)
  • 1890 – Eveline Adelheid von Maydell, German-American illustrator (d. 1962)
  • 1890 – Ho Chi Minh, Vietnamese politician, 1st President of Vietnam (d. 1969)
  • 1891 – Oswald Boelcke, German captain and pilot (d. 1916)
  • 1893 – H. Bonciu, Romanian author, poet, and journalist (d. 1950)
  • 1897 – Frank Luke, American lieutenant and pilot, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1918)
  • 1898 – Julius Evola, Italian philosopher and painter (d. 1974)
  • 1899 – Lothar Rădăceanu, Romanian journalist, linguist, and politician (d. 1955)
  • 1902 – Lubka Kolessa, Ukrainian-Canadian pianist and educator (d. 1997)
  • 1903 – Ruth Ella Moore, American scientist (d. 1994)
  • 1906 – Bruce Bennett, American shot putter and actor (d. 2007)
  • 1908 – Manik Bandopadhyay, Indian author, poet, and playwright (d. 1956)
  • 1908 – Merriam Modell, American author (d. 1994)
  • 1908 – Percy Williams, Canadian sprinter (d. 1982)
  • 1909 – Nicholas Winton, English banker and humanitarian (d. 2015)
  • 1910 – Alan Melville, South African cricketer (d. 1983)
  • 1913 – Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, Indian lawyer and politician, 6th President of India (d. 1996)
  • 1914 – Max Perutz, Austrian-English biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2002)
  • 1914 – Alex Shibicky, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2005)
  • 1914 – John Vachon, American photographer and journalist (d. 1975)
  • 1915 – Renée Asherson, English actress (d. 2014)
  • 1918 – Abraham Pais, Dutch-American physicist, historian, and academic (d. 2000)
  • 1919 – Georgie Auld, Canadian-American saxophonist, clarinet player, and bandleader (d. 1990)
  • 1919 – Mitja Ribičič, Italian-Slovenian soldier and politician, 25th Prime Minister of Yugoslavia (d. 2013)
  • 1920 – Tina Strobos, Dutch psychiatrist known for rescuing Jews during World War II (d. 2012)
  • 1921 – Leslie Broderick, English lieutenant and pilot (d. 2013)
  • 1921 – Harry W. Brown, American colonel and pilot (d. 1991)
  • 1921 – Daniel Gélin, French actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2002)
  • 1921 – Yuri Kochiyama, American activist (d. 2014)
  • 1921 – Karel van het Reve, Dutch historian and author (d. 1999)
  • 1922 – Arthur Gorrie, Australian hobby shop proprietor (d. 1992)
  • 1924 – Sandy Wilson, English composer and songwriter (d. 2014)
  • 1925 – Pol Pot, Cambodian general and politician, 29th Prime Minister of Cambodia (d. 1998)
  • 1925 – Malcolm X, American minister and activist (d. 1965)
  • 1926 – Edward Parkes, English engineer and academic (d. 2019)
  • 1926 – Peter Zadek, German director and screenwriter (d. 2009)
  • 1927 – Serge Lang, French-American mathematician, author and academic (d. 2005)
  • 1928 – Colin Chapman, English engineer and businessman, founded Lotus Cars (d. 1982)
  • 1928 – Thomas Kennedy, English air marshal (d. 2013)
  • 1928 – Gil McDougald, American baseball player and coach (d. 2010)
  • 1928 – Dolph Schayes, American basketball player and coach (d. 2015)
  • 1929 – Helmut Braunlich, German-American violinist and composer (d. 2013)
  • 1929 – Richard Larter, Australian painter (d. 2014)
  • 1929 – John Stroger, American politician (d. 2008)
  • 1930 – Eugene Genovese, American historian and author (d. 2012)
  • 1930 – Lorraine Hansberry, American playwright and director (d. 1965)
  • 1931 – Bob Anderson, English race car driver (d. 1967)
  • 1931 – Trevor Peacock, English actor, screenwriter and songwriter
  • 1932 – Alma Cogan, English singer (d. 1966)
  • 1932 – Paul Erdman, American economist and author (d. 2007)
  • 1932 – Bill Fitch, American basketball player and coach
  • 1932 – Elena Poniatowska, Mexican intellectual and journalist
  • 1933 – Edward de Bono, Maltese physician, author, and academic
  • 1934 – Ruskin Bond, Indian author and poet
  • 1934 – Jim Lehrer, American journalist and author (d. 2020)
  • 1935 – David Hartman, American journalist and television personality
  • 1937 – Pat Roach, English wrestler (d. 2004)
  • 1938 – Moisés da Costa Amaral, East Timorese politician (d. 1989)
  • 1938 – Herbie Flowers, English musician
  • 1938 – Igor Ter-Ovanesyan, Ukrainian long jumper and coach
  • 1939 – Livio Berruti, Italian sprinter
  • 1939 – James Fox, English actor
  • 1939 – Nancy Kwan, Hong Kong-American actress and makeup artist
  • 1939 – Jānis Lūsis, Latvian javelin thrower and coach (d. 2020)
  • 1939 – Dick Scobee, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (d. 1986)
  • 1940 – Jan Janssen, Dutch cyclist
  • 1940 – Mickey Newbury, American country/pop singer-songwriter (d. 2002)
  • 1941 – Nora Ephron, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2012)
  • 1941 – Igor Judge, Baron Judge, Maltese-English lawyer and judge, Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales
  • 1942 – Gary Kildall, American computer scientist, founded Digital Research Inc. (d. 1994)
  • 1942 – Robert Kilroy-Silk, English television host and politician
  • 1943 – Eddie May, English footballer and manager (d. 2012)
  • 1943 – Shirrel Rhoades, American author, publisher, and academic
  • 1944 – Peter Mayhew, English-American actor (d. 2019)
  • 1945 – Pete Townshend, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1946 – Claude Lelièvre, Belgian activist
  • 1946 – Michele Placido, Italian actor and director
  • 1946 – André the Giant, French-American wrestler and actor (d. 1993)
  • 1947 – Paul Brady, Irish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1947 – Christopher Chope, English lawyer and politician
  • 1947 – David Helfgott, Australian pianist
  • 1948 – Grace Jones, Jamaican-American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
  • 1949 – Dusty Hill, American singer-songwriter and bass player
  • 1949 – Philip Hunt, Baron Hunt of Kings Heath, English politician
  • 1949 – Archie Manning, American football player
  • 1950 – Tadeusz Ślusarski, Polish pole vaulter (d. 1998)
  • 1951 – Joey Ramone, American singer-songwriter (d. 2001)
  • 1951 – Dick Slater, American wrestler
  • 1952 – Charlie Spedding, English runner
  • 1952 – Bert van Marwijk, Dutch footballer, coach, and manager
  • 1953 – Patrick Hodge, Lord Hodge, Scottish lawyer and judge
  • 1953 – Shavarsh Karapetyan, Armenian finswimmer
  • 1953 – Florin Marin, Romanian footballer and manager
  • 1953 – Victoria Wood, English actress, singer, director, and screenwriter (d. 2016)
  • 1954 – Rick Cerone, American baseball player and sportscaster
  • 1954 – Hōchū Ōtsuka, Japanese voice actor
  • 1954 – Phil Rudd, Australian-New Zealand drummer
  • 1955 – James Gosling, Canadian-American computer scientist, created Java
  • 1956 – Oliver Letwin, English philosopher and politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
  • 1956 – Martyn Ware, English keyboard player, songwriter, and producer
  • 1957 – Bill Laimbeer, American basketball player and coach
  • 1957 – James Reyne, Nigerian-Australian singer-songwriter
  • 1961 – Vadim Cojocaru, Moldovan politician
  • 1961 – Gregory Poirier, American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1961 – Wayne Van Dorp, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1963 – Filippo Galli, Italian footballer and manager
  • 1964 – Peter Jackson, Australian rugby league player and sportscaster (d. 1997)
  • 1964 – John Lee, South Korean-American football player
  • 1964 – Miloslav Mečíř, Slovak tennis player
  • 1965 – Maile Flanagan, American actress, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1966 – Marc Bureau, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
  • 1966 – Jodi Picoult, American author and educator
  • 1966 – Polly Walker, English actress
  • 1967 – Alexia, Italian singer
  • 1967 – Geraldine Somerville, Irish-born English actress
  • 1968 – Kyle Eastwood, American actor and bass player
  • 1970 – Stuart Cable, Welsh drummer (d. 2010)
  • 1970 – K. J. Choi, South Korean golfer
  • 1970 – Regina Narva, Estonian chess player
  • 1970 – Nia Zulkarnaen, Indonesian actress, singer and producer
  • 1971 – Ross Katz, American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1971 – Andres Salumets, Estonian biologist, biochemist, and educator
  • 1972 – Jenny Berggren, Swedish singer-songwriter
  • 1972 – Claudia Karvan, Australian actress, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1973 – Dario Franchitti, Scottish race car driver
  • 1974 – Andrew Johns, Australian rugby league player, coach, and sportscaster
  • 1974 – Emma Shapplin, French soprano
  • 1974 – Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Indian actor
  • 1975 – Pretinha, Brazilian footballer
  • 1975 – London Fletcher, American football player
  • 1975 – Josh Paul, American baseball player and manager
  • 1975 – Jonas Renkse, Swedish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1976 – Ed Cota, American basketball player
  • 1976 – Kevin Garnett, American basketball player
  • 1977 – Manuel Almunia, Spanish footballer
  • 1977 – Wouter Hamel, Dutch singer and guitarist
  • 1977 – Brandon Inge, American baseball player
  • 1977 – Natalia Oreiro, Uruguayan singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1978 – Marcus Bent, English footballer
  • 1978 – Dave Bus, Dutch footballer
  • 1979 – Andrea Pirlo, Italian footballer
  • 1979 – Diego Forlan, Uruguayan footballer
  • 1980 – Tony Hackworth, English footballer
  • 1981 – Luciano Figueroa, Argentinian footballer
  • 1981 – Yo Gotti, American rapper
  • 1981 – Michael Leighton, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1981 – Sina Schielke, German sprinter
  • 1981 – Klaas-Erik Zwering, Dutch swimmer
  • 1982 – Kevin Amankwaah, English footballer
  • 1982 – Pål Steffen Andresen, Norwegian footballer
  • 1982 – Klaas Vantornout, Belgian cyclist
  • 1983 – Michael Che, American comedian
  • 1983 – Jessica Fox, English actress
  • 1984 – Marcedes Lewis, American football player
  • 1985 – Aleister Black, Dutch professional wrestler
  • 1986 – Mario Chalmers, American basketball player
  • 1987 – Michael Angelakos, American singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1987 – David Edgar, Canadian soccer player
  • 1987 – Mariano Torres, Argentinian footballer
  • 1987 – Jayne Wisener, Northern Irish actress
  • 1991 – Jordan Pruitt, American singer-songwriter
  • 1992 – Marshmello, American electronic music producer and DJ
  • 1992 – Michele Camporese, Italian footballer
  • 1992 – Ola John, Dutch footballer
  • 1992 – Felise Kaufusi, New Zealand-Tongan rugby league player
  • 1992 – Evgeny Kuznetsov, Russian ice hockey player
  • 1992 – Sam Smith, English singer-songwriter
  • 1994 – Carlos Guzmán, Mexican footballer
  • 1995 – Taane Milne, New Zealand rugby league player

Deaths on May 19

  • 804 – Alcuin, English monk and scholar (b. 735)
  • 956 – Robert, archbishop of Trier
  • 988 – Dunstan, English archbishop and saint (b. 909)
  • 1102 – Stephen, Count of Blois (b. 1045)
  • 1125 – Vladimir II Monomakh, Grand Duke of Kiev
  • 1164 – Saint Bashnouna, Egyptian saint and martyr
  • 1218 – Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor
  • 1296 – Pope Celestine V (b. 1215)
  • 1303 – Saint Ivo of Kermartin, French canon lawyer (b. 1253)
  • 1319 – Louis, Count of Évreux (b. 1276)
  • 1389 – Dmitry Donskoy, Grand Prince of Muscovy (b. 1350)
  • 1396 – John I of Aragon (b. 1350)
  • 1526 – Emperor Go-Kashiwabara of Japan (b. 1464)
  • 1531 – Jan Łaski, Polish archbishop and diplomat (b. 1456)
  • 1536 – Anne Boleyn, Queen of England (1533–1536); second wife of Henry VIII of England (b. c. 1501)
  • 1601 – Costanzo Porta, Italian composer (b. 1528)
  • 1609 – García Hurtado de Mendoza, 5th Marquis of Cañete (b. 1535)
  • 1610 – Thomas Sanchez, Spanish priest and theologian (b. 1550)
  • 1623 – Mariam-uz-Zamani, Empress of the Mughal Empire (b. 1542)
  • 1637 – Isaac Beeckman, Dutch scientist and philosopher (b. 1588)
  • 1715 – Charles Montagu, 1st Earl of Halifax, English poet and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (b. 1661)
  • 1786 – John Stanley, English organist and composer (b. 1712)
  • 1795 – Josiah Bartlett, American physician and politician, 4th Governor of New Hampshire (b. 1729)
  • 1795 – James Boswell, Scottish biographer (b. 1740)
  • 1798 – William Byron, 5th Baron Byron, English lieutenant and politician (b. 1722)
  • 1821 – Camille Jordan, French lawyer and politician (b. 1771)
  • 1825 – Claude Henri de Rouvroy, comte de Saint-Simon, French philosopher and theorist (b. 1760)
  • 1831 – Johann Friedrich von Eschscholtz, Estonian-German physician, botanist, and entomologist (b. 1793)
  • 1864 – Nathaniel Hawthorne, American novelist and short story writer (b. 1804)
  • 1865 – Sengge Rinchen, Mongolian general (b. 1811)
  • 1872 – John Baker, English-Australian politician, 2nd Premier of South Australia (b. 1813)
  • 1876 – Guillaume Groen van Prinsterer, Dutch historian and politician (b. 1801)
  • 1885 – Peter W. Barlow, English engineer (b. 1809)
  • 1895 – José Martí, Cuban journalist, poet, and philosopher (b. 1853)
  • 1898 – William Ewart Gladstone, English lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1809)
  • 1901 – Marthinus Wessel Pretorius, South African general and politician, 1st President of the South African Republic (b. 1819)
  • 1903 – Arthur Shrewsbury, English cricketer (b. 1856)
  • 1904 – Auguste Molinier, French librarian and historian (b. 1851)
  • 1904 – Jamsetji Tata, Indian businessman, founded Tata Group (b. 1839)
  • 1906 – Gabriel Dumont, Canadian Métis leader (b. 1837)
  • 1907 – Benjamin Baker, English engineer, designed the Forth Bridge (b. 1840)
  • 1912 – Bolesław Prus, Polish journalist and author (b. 1847)
  • 1915 – John Simpson Kirkpatrick, English-Australian soldier (b. 1892)
  • 1918 – Gervais Raoul Lufbery, French-American soldier and pilot (b. 1885)
  • 1935 – T. E. Lawrence, British colonel and archaeologist (b. 1888)
  • 1936 – Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall, British Islamic scholar (b. 1875)
  • 1939 – Ahmet Ağaoğlu, Azerbaijani-Turkish journalist and publicist (b. 1869)
  • 1943 – Kristjan Raud, Estonian painter and illustrator (b. 1865)
  • 1945 – Philipp Bouhler, German soldier and politician (b. 1889)
  • 1946 – Booth Tarkington, American novelist and dramatist (b. 1869)
  • 1950 – Daniel Ciugureanu, Romanian physician and politician, Prime Minister of Moldova (b. 1884)
  • 1954 – Charles Ives, American composer and educator (b. 1874)
  • 1958 – Jadunath Sarkar, Indian historian (b. 1870)
  • 1958 – Archie Scott Brown, Scottish race car driver (b. 1927)
  • 1958 – Ronald Colman, English actor (b. 1891)
  • 1963 – Walter Russell, American painter, sculptor, and author (b. 1871)
  • 1969 – Coleman Hawkins, American saxophonist and clarinet player (b. 1901)
  • 1971 – Ogden Nash, American poet (b. 1902)
  • 1978 – Albert Kivikas, Estonian-Swedish journalist and author (b. 1898)
  • 1980 – Joseph Schull, Canadian playwright and historian (b. 1906)
  • 1983 – Jean Rey, Belgian lawyer and politician, 2nd President of the European Commission (b. 1902)
  • 1984 – John Betjeman, English poet and academic (b. 1906)
  • 1986 – Jimmy Lyons, American saxophonist (b. 1931)
  • 1987 – James Tiptree, Jr., American psychologist and author (b. 1915)
  • 1989 – Yiannis Papaioannou, Greek composer and educator (b. 1910)
  • 1994 – Jacques Ellul, French sociologist, philosopher, and academic (b. 1912)
  • 1994 – Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, American journalist, 37th First Lady of the United States (b. 1929)
  • 1994 – Luis Ocaña, Spanish cyclist (b. 1945)
  • 1996 – John Beradino, American baseball player and actor (b. 1917)
  • 1998 – Sōsuke Uno, Japanese soldier and politician, 75th Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1922)
  • 2001 – Alexey Maresyev, Russian soldier and pilot (b. 1916)
  • 2001 – Susannah McCorkle, American singer (b. 1946)
  • 2002 – John Gorton, Australian lieutenant and politician, 19th Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1911)
  • 2002 – Walter Lord, American historian and author (b. 1917)
  • 2004 – Mary Dresselhuys, Dutch actress and screenwriter (b. 1907)
  • 2007 – Bernard Blaut, Polish footballer and coach (b. 1940)
  • 2007 – Dean Eyre, New Zealand politician (b. 1914)
  • 2008 – Vijay Tendulkar, Indian playwright and screenwriter (b. 1928)
  • 2009 – Robert F. Furchgott, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1916)
  • 2009 – Nicholas Maw, English composer and academic (b. 1935)
  • 2009 – Clint Smith, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1913)
  • 2011 – Garret FitzGerald, Irish lawyer and politician, 8th Taoiseach of Ireland (b. 1926)
  • 2011 – Jeffrey Catherine Jones, American artist (b.1944)
  • 2012 – Bob Boozer, American basketball player (b. 1937)
  • 2012 – Tamara Brooks, American conductor and educator (b. 1941)
  • 2012 – Ian Burgess, English race car driver (b. 1930)
  • 2012 – Gerhard Hetz, German-Mexican swimmer (b. 1942)
  • 2012 – Phil Lamason, New Zealand soldier and pilot (b. 1918)
  • 2013 – G. Sarsfield Ford, American lawyer and jurist (b. 1933)
  • 2013 – Robin Harrison, English-Canadian pianist and composer (b. 1932)
  • 2013 – Neil Reynolds, Canadian journalist and politician (b. 1940)
  • 2014 – Simon Andrews, English motorcycle racer (b. 1982)
  • 2014 – Jack Brabham, Australian race car driver (b. 1926)
  • 2014 – Terry W. Gee, American businessman and politician (b. 1940)
  • 2014 – Sam Greenlee, American author and poet (b. 1930)
  • 2014 – Vincent Harding, American historian and scholar (b. 1931)
  • 2014 – Gabriel Kolko, American historian and author (b. 1932)
  • 2014 – Zbigniew Pietrzykowski, Polish boxer (b. 1934)
  • 2015 – Bruce Lundvall, American businessman (b. 1935)
  • 2015 – Ted McWhinney, Australian-Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1924)
  • 2015 – Happy Rockefeller, American philanthropist, socialite; 31st Second Lady of the United States (b. 1926)
  • 2015 – Robert S. Wistrich, English historian, author, and academic (b. 1945)
  • 2016 – Alan Young, English-born Canadian-American actor (b. 1919)
  • 2016 – Morley Safer, Canadian-born American journalist (b. 1931)
  • 2017 – Nawshirwan Mustafa, General coordinator of the Movement for Change (Gorran) (b. 1944)
  • 2018 – Zhengzhang Shangfang, Chinese linguist (b. 1933)

Holidays and observances on May 19

  • Christian feast day:
    • Calocerus (Eastern Orthodox Church)
    • Crispin of Viterbo
    • Dunstan (Roman Catholic Church, Orthodox Church; commemoration, Anglicanism)
    • Ivo of Kermartin
    • Joaquina Vedruna de Mas
    • Maria Bernarda Bütler
    • Peter Celestine
    • Pudentiana (Roman Catholic Church, Orthodox Church)
    • May 19 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day (Turkey, Northern Cyprus)
  • Greek Genocide Remembrance Day (Greece)
  • Hồ Chí Minh’s Birthday (Vietnam)
  • Malcolm X Day (United States of America)
  • National Asian & Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (United States)
  • Hepatitis Testing Day (United States)
  • Mother’s Day (Kyrgyzstan)

May 19 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

May 18 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 332 – Emperor Constantine the Great announces free distributions of food to the citizens in Constantinople.
  • 872 – Louis II of Italy is crowned for the second time as Roman Emperor at Rome, at the age of 47. His first coronation was 28 years earlier, in 844, during the reign of his father Lothair I.
  • 1096 – First Crusade: Around 800 Jews are massacred in Worms, Germany.
  • 1152 – The future Henry II of England marries Eleanor of Aquitaine. He would become king two years later, after the death of his cousin once removed King Stephen of England.
  • 1268 – The Principality of Antioch, a crusader state, falls to the Mamluk Sultan Baibars in the Siege of Antioch.
  • 1291 – Fall of Acre, the end of Crusader presence in the Holy Land.
  • 1302 – Bruges Matins, the nocturnal massacre of the French garrison in Bruges by members of the local Flemish militia.
  • 1388 – During the Battle of Buyur Lake, General Lan Yu leads a Chinese army forward to crush the Mongol hordes of Tögüs Temür, the Khan of Northern Yuan.
  • 1499 – Alonso de Ojeda sets sail from Cádiz on his voyage to what is now Venezuela.
  • 1565 – The Great Siege of Malta begins, in which Ottoman forces attempt and fail to conquer Malta.
  • 1593 – Playwright Thomas Kyd’s accusations of heresy lead to an arrest warrant for Christopher Marlowe.
  • 1631 – In Dorchester, Massachusetts, John Winthrop takes the oath of office and becomes the first Governor of Massachusetts.
  • 1652 – Slavery in Rhode Island is abolished, although the law is not rigorously enforced.
  • 1756 – The Seven Years’ War begins when Great Britain declares war on France.
  • 1783 – First United Empire Loyalists reach Parrtown (later called Saint John, New Brunswick), Canada, after leaving the United States.
  • 1794 – Battle of Tourcoing during the Flanders Campaign of the War of the First Coalition.
  • 1803 – Napoleonic Wars: The United Kingdom revokes the Treaty of Amiens and declares war on France.
  • 1804 – Napoleon Bonaparte is proclaimed Emperor of the French by the French Senate.
  • 1811 – Battle of Las Piedras: The first great military triumph of the revolution of the Río de la Plata in Uruguay led by José Artigas.
  • 1812 – John Bellingham is found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging for the assassination of British Prime Minister Spencer Perceval.
  • 1843 – The Disruption in Edinburgh of the Free Church of Scotland from the Church of Scotland.
  • 1848 – Opening of the first German National Assembly (Nationalversammlung) in Frankfurt, Germany.
  • 1860 – Abraham Lincoln wins the Republican Party presidential nomination over William H. Seward, who later becomes the United States Secretary of State.
  • 1863 – American Civil War: The Siege of Vicksburg begins.
  • 1896 – The United States Supreme Court rules in Plessy v. Ferguson that the “separate but equal” doctrine is constitutional.
  • 1896 – Khodynka Tragedy: A mass panic on Khodynka Field in Moscow during the festivities of the coronation of Russian Tsar Nicholas II results in the deaths of 1,389 people.
  • 1900 – The United Kingdom proclaims a protectorate over Tonga.
  • 1912 – The first Indian film, Shree Pundalik by Dadasaheb Torne, is released in Mumbai.
  • 1917 – World War I: The Selective Service Act of 1917 is passed, giving the President of the United States the power of conscription.
  • 1926 – Evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson disappears in Venice, California.
  • 1927 – The Bath School disaster: Forty-five people, including many children, are killed by bombs planted by a disgruntled school-board member in Michigan.
  • 1927 – After being founded for 20 years, the Government of the Republic of China approves Tongji University to be among the first national universities of the Republic of China.
  • 1933 – New Deal: President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs an act creating the Tennessee Valley Authority.
  • 1944 – World War II: Battle of Monte Cassino: Conclusion after seven days of the fourth battle as German paratroopers evacuate Monte Cassino.
  • 1944 – Deportation of Crimean Tatars by the Soviet Union government.
  • 1948 – The First Legislative Yuan of the Republic of China officially convenes in Nanking.
  • 1953 – Jackie Cochran becomes the first woman to break the sound barrier.
  • 1955 – Operation Passage to Freedom, the evacuation of 310,000 Vietnamese civilians, soldiers and non-Vietnamese members of the French Army from communist North Vietnam to South Vietnam following the end of the First Indochina War, ends.
  • 1965 – Israeli spy Eli Cohen is hanged in Damascus, Syria.
  • 1969 – Apollo program: Apollo 10 is launched.
  • 1973 – Aeroflot Flight 109 is hijacked mid-flight and the aircraft is subsequently destroyed when the hijacker’s bomb explodes, killing all 82 people on board.
  • 1974 – Nuclear weapons testing: Under project Smiling Buddha, India successfully detonates its first nuclear weapon becoming the sixth nation to do so.
  • 1977 – Likud party wins the 1977 Israeli legislative election, with Menachem Begin, its founder, as the sixth Prime Minister of Israel.
  • 1980 – Mount St. Helens erupts in Washington, United States, killing 57 people and causing $3 billion in damage.
  • 1980 – Students in Gwangju, South Korea begin demonstrations calling for democratic reforms.
  • 1990 – In France, a modified TGV train achieves a new rail world speed record of 515.3 km/h (320.2 mph).
  • 1991 – Northern Somalia declares independence from the rest of Somalia as the Republic of Somaliland but is not recognized by the international community.
  • 1993 – Riots in Nørrebro, Copenhagen, caused by the approval of the four Danish exceptions in the Maastricht Treaty referendum. Police open fire against civilians for the first time since World War II and injure 11 demonstrators.
  • 1994 – Israeli troops finish withdrawing from the Gaza Strip, ceding the area to the Palestinian National Authority to govern.
  • 2005 – A second photo from the Hubble Space Telescope confirms that Pluto has two additional moons, Nix and Hydra.
  • 2006 – The post Loktantra Andolan government passes a landmark bill curtailing the power of the monarchy and making Nepal a secular country.
  • 2009 – The LTTE are defeated by the Sri Lankan government, ending almost 26 years of fighting between the two sides.
  • 2015 – At least 78 people die in a landslide caused by heavy rains in the Colombian town of Salgar.
  • 2018 – A school shooting at Santa Fe High School in Texas kills 10 people.

Births on May 18

  • 1048 – Omar Khayyám, Persian mathematician, astronomer, and poet (d. 1131)
  • 1186 – Konstantin of Rostov (d. 1218)
  • 1450 – Piero Soderini, Italian politician and diplomat (d. 1513)
  • 1537 – Guido Luca Ferrero, Roman Catholic cardinal (d. 1585)
  • 1631 – Stanislaus Papczyński, Polish priest (d. 1701)
  • 1662 – George Smalridge, English bishop (d. 1719)
  • 1692 – Joseph Butler, English bishop, theologian, and apologist (d. 1752)
  • 1711 – Roger Joseph Boscovich, Ragusan physicist, astronomer, and mathematician (d. 1787)
  • 1777 – John George Children, English chemist, mineralogist, and zoologist (d. 1852)
  • 1778 – Charles Vane, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry, Irish soldier and diplomat, British Ambassador to Austria (d. 1854)
  • 1785 – John Wilson, Scottish author and critic (d. 1854)
  • 1797 – Frederick Augustus II of Saxony (d. 1854)
  • 1822 – Mathew Brady, American photographer and journalist (d. 1896)
  • 1835 – Charles N. Sims, American Methodist preacher and 3rd chancellor of Syracuse University (d. 1908)
  • 1850 – Oliver Heaviside, English engineer, mathematician, and physicist (d. 1925)
  • 1851 – James Budd, American lawyer and politician, 19th Governor of California (d. 1908)
  • 1852 – Gertrude Käsebier, American photographer (d. 1934)
  • 1854 – Bernard Zweers, Dutch composer and educator (d. 1924)
  • 1855 – Francis Bellamy, American minister and author (d. 1931)
  • 1862 – Josephus Daniels, American publisher and politician, 41st United States Secretary of the Navy (d. 1948)
  • 1867 – Minakata Kumagusu, Japanese author, biologist, naturalist and ethnologist (d. 1941)
  • 1868 – Nicholas II of Russia (d. 1918)
  • 1869 – Lucy Beaumont, English-American actress (d. 1937)
  • 1871 – Denis Horgan, Irish shot putter and weight thrower (d. 1922)
  • 1872 – Bertrand Russell, British mathematician, historian, and philosopher, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1970)
  • 1876 – Hermann Müller, German journalist and politician, 12th Chancellor of Germany (d. 1931)
  • 1878 – Johannes Terwogt, Dutch rower (d. 1977)
  • 1882 – Babe Adams, American baseball player, manager, and journalist (d. 1968)
  • 1883 – Eurico Gaspar Dutra, Brazilian marshal and politician, 16th President of Brazil (d. 1974)
  • 1883 – Walter Gropius, German-American architect, designed the John F. Kennedy Federal Building (d. 1969)
  • 1886 – Jeanie MacPherson, American actress and screenwriter (d. 1946)
  • 1889 – Thomas Midgley, Jr., American chemist and engineer (d. 1944)
  • 1891 – Rudolf Carnap, German-American philosopher and academic (d. 1970)
  • 1892 – Ezio Pinza, Italian-American actor and singer (d. 1957)
  • 1895 – Augusto César Sandino, Nicaraguan rebel leader (d. 1934)
  • 1896 – Eric Backman, Swedish runner (d. 1965)
  • 1897 – Frank Capra, Italian-American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1991)
  • 1898 – Faruk Nafiz Çamlıbel, Turkish poet, author, and playwright (d. 1973)
  • 1901 – Henri Sauguet, French composer (d. 1989)
  • 1901 – Vincent du Vigneaud, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1978)
  • 1902 – Meredith Willson, American playwright and composer (d. 1984)
  • 1904 – Shunryū Suzuki, Japanese-American monk and educator (d. 1971)
  • 1904 – Jacob K. Javits, American colonel and politician, 58th New York Attorney General (d. 1986)
  • 1905 – Ruth Alexander, pioneering American pilot (d. 1930)
  • 1905 – Hedley Verity, English cricketer and soldier (d. 1943)
  • 1907 – Irene Hunt, American author and educator (d. 2001)
  • 1909 – Fred Perry, English-Australian tennis player and academic (d. 1995)
  • 1910 – Ester Boserup, Danish economist and author (d. 1999)
  • 1911 – Big Joe Turner, American blues/R&B singer (d. 1985)
  • 1912 – Richard Brooks, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1992)
  • 1912 – Perry Como, American singer and television host (d. 2001)
  • 1912 – Walter Sisulu, South African politician (d. 2003)
  • 1913 – Jane Birdwood, Baroness Birdwood, Canadian-English publisher and politician (d. 2000)
  • 1914 – Pierre Balmain, French fashion designer, founded Balmain (d. 1982)
  • 1914 – Boris Christoff, Bulgarian-Italian opera singer (d. 1993)
  • 1917 – Bill Everett, American author and illustrator (d. 1973)
  • 1919 – Margot Fonteyn, British ballerina (d. 1991)
  • 1920 – Pope John Paul II (d. 2005)
  • 1921 – Michael A. Epstein, English pathologist and academic
  • 1922 – Bill Macy, American actor (d. 2019)
  • 1922 – Kai Winding, Danish-American trombonist and composer (d. 1983)
  • 1923 – Jean-Louis Roux, Canadian actor and politician, 34th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (d. 2013)
  • 1923 – Hugh Shearer, Jamaican journalist and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Jamaica (d. 2004)
  • 1924 – Priscilla Pointer, American actress
  • 1924 – Jack Whitaker, American sportscaster (d. 2019)
  • 1925 – Lillian Hoban, American author and illustrator (d. 1998)
  • 1927 – Richard Body, English politician (d. 2018)
  • 1927 – Ray Nagel, American football player and coach (d. 2015)
  • 1928 – Pernell Roberts, American actor (d. 2010)
  • 1929 – Jack Sanford, American baseball player and coach (d. 2000)
  • 1929 – Norman St John-Stevas, Baron St John of Fawsley, English lawyer and politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (d. 2012)
  • 1930 – Warren Rudman, American soldier, lawyer, and politician (d. 2012)
  • 1930 – Fred Saberhagen, American soldier and author (d. 2007)
  • 1931 – Don Martin, American cartoonist (d. 2000)
  • 1931 – Robert Morse, American actor
  • 1931 – Kalju Pitksaar, Estonian chess player (d. 1995)
  • 1931 – Clément Vincent, Canadian farmer and politician (d. 2018)
  • 1933 – Bernadette Chirac, French politician, First Lady of France
  • 1933 – H. D. Deve Gowda, Indian farmer and politician, 11th Prime Minister of India
  • 1933 – Don Whillans, English rock climber and mountaineer (d. 1985)
  • 1934 – Dwayne Hickman, American actor and director
  • 1936 – Leon Ashley, American singer-songwriter (d. 2013)
  • 1936 – Türker İnanoğlu, Turkish director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1936 – Michael Sandle, English sculptor and academic
  • 1937 – Brooks Robinson, American baseball player and sportscaster
  • 1937 – Jacques Santer, Luxembourger jurist and politician, 22nd Prime Minister of Luxembourg
  • 1938 – Janet Fish, American painter and academic
  • 1939 – Patrick Cormack, Baron Cormack, English historian, journalist, and politician
  • 1939 – Giovanni Falcone, Italian lawyer and judge (d. 1992)
  • 1939 – Gordon O’Connor, Canadian general and politician, 38th Canadian Minister of Defence
  • 1940 – Erico Aumentado, Filipino journalist, lawyer, and politician (d. 2012)
  • 1941 – Gino Brito, Canadian wrestler and promoter
  • 1941 – Malcolm Longair, Scottish astronomer, physicist, and academic
  • 1941 – Miriam Margolyes, English-Australian actress and singer
  • 1942 – Nobby Stiles, English footballer, coach, and manager
  • 1944 – Albert Hammond, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1944 – W. G. Sebald, German novelist, essayist, and poet (d. 2001)
  • 1946 – Frank Hsieh, Taiwanese lawyer and politician, 40th Premier of the Republic of China
  • 1946 – Reggie Jackson, American baseball player and sportscaster
  • 1946 – Gerd Langguth, German political scientist and author (d. 2013)
  • 1947 – John Bruton, Irish politician, 10th Taoiseach of Ireland
  • 1947 – Gail Strickland, American actress
  • 1948 – Joe Bonsall, American country/gospel singer
  • 1948 – Yi Mun-yol, South Korean author and academic
  • 1948 – Richard Swedberg, Swedish sociologist and academic
  • 1948 – Tom Udall, American lawyer and politician, 28th New Mexico Attorney General, United States Senator from New Mexico
  • 1949 – Rick Wakeman, English progressive rock keyboardist and songwriter (Yes)
  • 1949 – Walter Hawkins, American gospel music singer and pastor (d. 2010)
  • 1950 – Rod Milburn, American hurdler and coach (d. 1997)
  • 1950 – Mark Mothersbaugh, American singer-songwriter and painter
  • 1951 – Richard Clapton, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1951 – Jim Sundberg, American baseball player and sportscaster
  • 1951 – Angela Voigt, German long jumper (d. 2013)
  • 1952 – Diane Duane, American author and screenwriter
  • 1952 – David Leakey, English general and politician
  • 1952 – George Strait, American singer, guitarist and producer
  • 1952 – Jeana Yeager, American pilot
  • 1953 – Alan Kupperberg, American author and illustrator (d. 2015)
  • 1954 – Wreckless Eric, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1954 – Eric Gerets, Belgian footballer and manager
  • 1955 – Chow Yun-fat, Hong Kong actor and screenwriter
  • 1956 – Catherine Corsini, French director and screenwriter
  • 1956 – John Godber, English playwright and screenwriter
  • 1957 – Michael Cretu, Romanian-German keyboard player and producer
  • 1957 – Henrietta Moore, English anthropologist and academic
  • 1958 – Rubén Omar Romano, Argentinian-Mexican footballer and coach
  • 1958 – Toyah Willcox, English singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
  • 1959 – Graham Dilley, English cricketer and coach (d. 2011)
  • 1959 – Jay Wells, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1960 – Brent Ashton, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1960 – Jari Kurri, Finnish ice hockey player, coach, and manager
  • 1960 – Yannick Noah, French tennis player
  • 1961 – Russell Senior, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1963 – Marty McSorley, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1963 – Sam Vincent, American basketball player and coach
  • 1964 – Ignasi Guardans, Spanish academic and politician
  • 1966 – Renata Nielsen, Polish-Danish long jumper and coach
  • 1966 – Michael Tait, American singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1967 – Nina Björk, Swedish journalist and author
  • 1967 – Heinz-Harald Frentzen, German race car driver
  • 1967 – Nancy Juvonen, American screenwriter and producer, co-founded Flower Films
  • 1967 – Mimi Macpherson, Australian environmentalist, entrepreneur and celebrity
  • 1968 – Philippe Benetton, French rugby player
  • 1968 – Ralf Kelleners, German race car driver
  • 1969 – Troy Cassar-Daley, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1969 – Martika, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
  • 1969 – Antônio Carlos Zago, Brazilian footballer and manager
  • 1970 – Tina Fey, American actress, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1970 – Tim Horan, Australian rugby player and sportscaster
  • 1970 – Billy Howerdel, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
  • 1970 – Javier Cárdenas, Spanish singer, television and radio presenter
  • 1970 – Vicky Sunohara, Canadian former ice hockey player
  • 1971 – Brad Friedel, American international soccer player, goalkeeper, manager and sportscaster
  • 1971 – Mark Menzies, Scottish politician
  • 1971 – Nobuteru Taniguchi, Japanese race car driver
  • 1972 – Turner Stevenson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1973 – Donyell Marshall, American basketball player and coach
  • 1973 – Aleksandr Olerski, Estonian footballer (d. 2011)
  • 1974 – Nelson Figueroa, American baseball player and sportscaster
  • 1975 – Jem, Welsh singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1975 – John Higgins, Scottish snooker player
  • 1975 – Jack Johnson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1976 – Ron Mercer, American basketball player
  • 1976 – Marko Tomasović, Croatian pianist and composer
  • 1976 – Oleg Tverdovsky, Ukrainian-Russian ice hockey player
  • 1977 – Lee Hendrie, English footballer
  • 1977 – Danny Mills, English footballer and sportscaster
  • 1977 – Li Tie, Chinese footballer and manager
  • 1978 – Ricardo Carvalho, Portuguese footballer
  • 1978 – Marcus Giles, American baseball player
  • 1978 – Charles Kamathi, Kenyan runner
  • 1979 – Jens Bergensten, Swedish video game designer, co-designed Minecraft
  • 1979 – Mariusz Lewandowski, Polish footballer
  • 1979 – Michal Martikán, Slovak slalom canoeist
  • 1979 – Milivoje Novaković, Slovenian footballer
  • 1979 – Julián Speroni, Argentinian footballer
  • 1980 – Reggie Evans, American basketball player
  • 1980 – Michaël Llodra, French tennis player
  • 1980 – Diego Pérez, Uruguayan footballer
  • 1981 – Mahamadou Diarra, Malian international footballer
  • 1981 – Ashley Harrison, Australian rugby league player
  • 1982 – Jason Brown, English footballer
  • 1982 – Marie-Ève Pelletier, Canadian tennis player
  • 1983 – Gary O’Neil, English footballer
  • 1983 – Luis Terrero, Dominican baseball player
  • 1983 – Vince Young, American football player
  • 1984 – Ivet Lalova, Bulgarian sprinter
  • 1984 – Simon Pagenaud, French race car driver
  • 1984 – Darius Šilinskis, Lithuanian basketball player
  • 1984 – Joakim Soria, Mexican baseball player
  • 1984 – Niki Terpstra, Dutch cyclist
  • 1985 – Oliver Sin, Hungarian painter
  • 1985 – Henrique Sereno, Portuguese footballer
  • 1986 – Ahmed Hamada, Egyptian race car driver
  • 1986 – Kevin Anderson, South African tennis player
  • 1988 – Taeyang, South Korean singer
  • 1990 – Dimitri Daeseleire, Belgian footballer
  • 1990 – Yuya Osako, Japanese footballer
  • 1990 – Josh Starling, Australian rugby league player
  • 1992 – Adwoa Aboah, British fashion model
  • 1993 – Stuart Percy, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1993 – Jessica Watson, Australian sailor
  • 1998 – Polina Edmunds, American figure skater
  • 1999 – Laura Omloop, Belgian singer-songwriter
  • 2000 – Ryan Sessegnon, English footballer
  • 2000 – Steven Sessegnon, English footballer
  • 2002 – Alina Zagitova, Russian figure skater

Deaths on May 18

  • 526 – Pope John I (b. 470)
  • 893 – Stephen I of Constantinople (b. 867)
  • 932 – Ma Shaohong, general of Later Tang
  • 947 – Emperor Taizong of the Liao Dynasty
  • 978 – Frederick I, duke of Upper Lorraine
  • 1065 – Frederick, Duke of Lower Lorraine (b. c. 1003)
  • 1096 – Minna of Worms, Jewish martyr killed during the Worms massacre (1096)
  • 1160 – Eric Jedvardsson (King Eric IX) of Sweden (since 1156); (b. circa 1120)
  • 1297 – Nicholas Longespee, Bishop of Salisbury
  • 1401 – Vladislaus II of Opole (b. 1332)
  • 1410 – Rupert of Germany, Count Palatine of the Rhine (b. 1352)
  • 1550 – Jean, Cardinal of Lorraine (b. 1498)
  • 1551 – Domenico di Pace Beccafumi, Italian painter (b. 1486)
  • 1675 – Stanisław Lubieniecki, Polish astronomer, historian, and theologian (b. 1623)
  • 1675 – Jacques Marquette, French-American missionary and explorer (b. 1637)
  • 1692 – Elias Ashmole, English astrologer and politician (b. 1617)
  • 1721 – Maria Barbara Carillo, victim of the Spanish Inquisition (b.1625)
  • 1733 – Georg Böhm, German organist and composer (b. 1761)
  • 1780 – Charles Hardy, English-American admiral and politician, 29th Colonial Governor of New York (b. 1714)
  • 1781 – Túpac Amaru II, Peruvian-Indian rebel leader (b. 1742)
  • 1792 – Levy Solomons, Canadian merchant and fur trader (b. 1730)
  • 1795 – Robert Rogers, English colonel (b. 1731)
  • 1799 – Pierre Beaumarchais, French playwright and publisher (b. 1732)
  • 1800 – Alexander Suvorov, Russian general (b. 1729)
  • 1807 – John Douglas, Scottish bishop and scholar (b. 1721)
  • 1808 – Elijah Craig, American minister, inventor, and educator, invented Bourbon whiskey (b. 1738)
  • 1844 – Richard McCarty, American lawyer and politician (b. 1780)
  • 1853 – Lionel Kieseritzky, Estonian-French chess player (b. 1806)
  • 1867 – Clarkson Stanfield, English painter (b. 1793)
  • 1889 – Isabella Glyn, Scottish-English actress (b. 1823)
  • 1900 – Félix Ravaisson-Mollien, French archaeologist and philosopher (b. 1813)
  • 1908 – Louis-Napoléon Casault, Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician (b. 1823)
  • 1909 – Isaac Albéniz, Spanish pianist and composer (b. 1860)
  • 1909 – George Meredith, English novelist and poet (b. 1828)
  • 1910 – Eliza Orzeszkowa, Polish author and publisher (b. 1841)
  • 1910 – Pauline Viardot, French soprano and composer (b. 1821)
  • 1911 – Gustav Mahler, Austrian composer and conductor (b. 1860)
  • 1922 – Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran, French physician and parasitologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1845)
  • 1941 – Werner Sombart, German economist and sociologist (b. 1863)
  • 1943 – Ōnishiki Daigorō, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 28th Yokozuna (b. 1883)
  • 1947 – Hal Chase, American baseball player and manager (b. 1883)
  • 1955 – Mary McLeod Bethune, American educator and activist (b. 1875)
  • 1956 – Maurice Tate, English cricketer (b. 1895)
  • 1958 – Jacob Fichman, Israeli poet and critic (b. 1881)
  • 1963 – Ernie Davis, American football player, coach, and manager (b. 1939)
  • 1968 – Frank Walsh, Australian politician, 34th Premier of South Australia (b. 1897)
  • 1971 – Aleksandr Gennadievich Kurosh, Russian mathematician and theorist (b. 1908)
  • 1973 – Jeannette Rankin, American social worker and politician (b. 1880)
  • 1974 – Harry Ricardo, English engine designer and researcher (b. 1885)
  • 1975 – Leroy Anderson, American composer and conductor (b. 1908)
  • 1980 – Victims of Mount St. Helens eruption:
    • Reid Blackburn, American photographer and journalist (b. 1952)
    • David A. Johnston, American volcanologist and geologist (b. 1949)
  • 1980 – Ian Curtis, English singer-songwriter (b. 1956)
  • 1981 – Arthur O’Connell, American actor (b. 1908)
  • 1981 – William Saroyan, American novelist, playwright, and short story writer (b. 1908)
  • 1987 – Mahdi Amel, Lebanese journalist, poet, and academic (b. 1936)
  • 1989 – Dorothy Ruth, American horse breeder and author (b. 1921)
  • 1990 – Jill Ireland, English actress (b. 1936)
  • 1995 – Elisha Cook, Jr., American actor (b. 1903)
  • 1995 – Alexander Godunov, Russian-American ballet dancer and actor (b. 1949)
  • 1995 – Brinsley Le Poer Trench, 8th Earl of Clancarty, Irish ufologist and historian (b. 1911)
  • 1995 – Elizabeth Montgomery, American actress (b. 1933)
  • 1998 – Obaidullah Aleem, Indian-Pakistani poet and author (b. 1939)
  • 1999 – Augustus Pablo, Jamaican singer, keyboard player, and producer (b. 1954)
  • 1999 – Betty Robinson, American runner (b. 1911)
  • 2000 – Stephen M. Wolownik, Russian-American composer and musicologist (b. 1946)
  • 2001 – Irene Hunt, American author and illustrator (b. 1907)
  • 2004 – Elvin Jones, American drummer and bandleader (b. 1927)
  • 2006 – Jaan Eilart, Estonian geographer, ecologist, and historian (b. 1933)
  • 2007 – Pierre-Gilles de Gennes, French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1932)
  • 2008 – Joseph Pevney, American actor and director (b. 1911)
  • 2008 – Roberto García-Calvo Montiel, Spanish judge (b. 1942)
  • 2009 – Velupillai Prabhakaran, Sri Lankan rebel leader, founded the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (b. 1954)
  • 2012 – Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, German opera singer and conductor (b. 1925)
  • 2012 – Peter Jones, English-Australian drummer and songwriter (b. 1967)
  • 2012 – Alan Oakley, English bicycle designer, designed the Raleigh Chopper (b. 1927)
  • 2013 – Aleksei Balabanov, Russian director and screenwriter (b. 1959)
  • 2013 – Jo Benkow, Norwegian soldier and politician (b. 1924)
  • 2013 – Steve Forrest, American actor (b. 1925)
  • 2013 – David McMillan, American football player (b. 1981)
  • 2013 – Lothar Schmid, German chess player (b. 1928)
  • 2014 – Dobrica Ćosić, Serbian politician, 1st President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (b. 1921)
  • 2014 – Hans-Peter Dürr, German physicist and academic (b. 1929)
  • 2014 – Kaiketsu Masateru, Japanese sumo wrestler (b. 1948)
  • 2014 – Chukwuedu Nwokolo, Nigerian physician and academic (b. 1921)
  • 2014 – Wubbo Ockels, Dutch physicist and astronaut (b. 1946)
  • 2015 – Halldór Ásgrímsson, Icelandic accountant and politician, 22nd Prime Minister of Iceland (b. 1947)
  • 2015 – Raymond Gosling, English physicist and academic (b. 1926)
  • 2015 – T. J. Moran, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1930)
  • 2015 – Jean-François Théodore, French businessman (b. 1946)
  • 2017 – Roger Ailes, American businessman (b. 1940)
  • 2017 – Jacque Fresco, American engineer and academic (b. 1916)
  • 2017 – Chris Cornell, American singer (b. 1964)
  • 2020 – Ken Osmond, American actor and the police officer (b. 1943)

Holidays and observances on May 18

  • Christian feast day:
    • Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury
    • Eric IX of Sweden
    • Felix of Cantalice
    • Pope John I
    • Venantius of Camerino
    • May 18 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Victoria Day (Canada) (Earliest possible date of the last Monday preceding May 25)
  • Baltic Fleet Day (Russia)
  • Battle of Las Piedras Day (Uruguay)
  • Day of Remembrance of Crimean Tatar genocide (Ukraine)
  • Flag and Universities Day (Haiti)
  • Independence Day (Somaliland) (unrecognized)
  • International Museum Day
  • Mullivaikkal Remembrance Day (Sri Lankan Tamils)
  • Revival, Unity, and Poetry of Magtymguly Day (Turkmenistan)
  • Teacher’s Day (Syria)
  • Victory Day (Sri Lanka)
  • World AIDS Vaccine Day

May 18 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

May 15 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 495 BC – A newly constructed temple in honour of the god Mercury was dedicated in ancient Rome on the Circus Maximus, between the Aventine and Palatine hills. To spite the senate and the consuls, the people awarded the dedication to a senior military officer, Marcus Laetorius.
  • 221 – Liu Bei, Chinese warlord, proclaims himself emperor of Shu Han, the successor of the Han dynasty.
  • 392 – Emperor Valentinian II is assassinated while advancing into Gaul against the Frankish usurper Arbogast. He is found hanging in his residence at Vienne.
  • 589 – King Authari marries Theodelinda, daughter of the Bavarian duke Garibald I. A Catholic, she has great influence among the Lombard nobility.
  • 908 – The three-year-old Constantine VII, the son of Emperor Leo VI the Wise, is crowned as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire by Patriarch Euthymius I at Constantinople.
  • 1252 – Pope Innocent IV issues the papal bull ad extirpanda, which authorizes, but also limits, the torture of heretics in the Medieval Inquisition.
  • 1525 – Insurgent peasants led by Anabaptist pastor Thomas Müntzer were defeated at the Battle of Frankenhausen, ending the German Peasants’ War in the Holy Roman Empire.
  • 1536 – Anne Boleyn, Queen of England, stands trial in London on charges of treason, adultery and incest; she is condemned to death by a specially-selected jury.
  • 1567 – Mary, Queen of Scots marries James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, her third husband.
  • 1618 – Johannes Kepler confirms his previously rejected discovery of the third law of planetary motion (he first discovered it on March 8 but soon rejected the idea after some initial calculations were made).
  • 1648 – The Peace of Münster is ratified, by which Spain acknowledges Dutch sovereignty.
  • 1718 – James Puckle, a London lawyer, patents the world’s first machine gun.
  • 1776 – American Revolution: The Fifth Virginia Convention instructs its Continental Congress delegation to propose a resolution of independence from Great Britain, paving the way for the United States Declaration of Independence.
  • 1791 – French Revolution: Maximilien Robespierre proposes the Self-denying Ordinance.
  • 1792 – War of the First Coalition: France declares war on Kingdom of Sardinia.
  • 1793 – Diego Marín Aguilera flies a glider for “about 360 meters”, at a height of 5–6 meters, during one of the first attempted manned flights.
  • 1796 – War of the First Coalition: Napoleon enters Milan in triumph.
  • 1800 – King George III of the United Kingdom survives an assassination attempt by James Hadfield, who is later acquitted by reason of insanity.
  • 1817 – Opening of the first private mental health hospital in the United States, the Asylum for the Relief of Persons Deprived of the Use of Their Reason (now Friends Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania).
  • 1836 – Francis Baily observes “Baily’s beads” during an annular eclipse.
  • 1849 – The Sicilian revolution of 1848 is finally extinguished.
  • 1850 – The Bloody Island massacre takes place in Lake County, California, in which a large number of Pomo Indians are slaughtered by a regiment of the United States Cavalry.
  • 1850 – The Arana–Southern Treaty is ratified, ending “the existing differences” between Great Britain and Argentina.
  • 1851 – The first Australian gold rush is proclaimed, although the discovery had been made three months earlier.
  • 1858 – Opening of the present Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London.
  • 1862 – President Abraham Lincoln signs a bill into law creating the United States Bureau of Agriculture. It is later renamed the United States Department of Agriculture.
  • 1864 – American Civil War: Battle of New Market, Virginia: Students from the Virginia Military Institute fight alongside the Confederate army to force Union General Franz Sigel out of the Shenandoah Valley.
  • 1867 – Canadian Bank of Commerce opens for business in Toronto, Ontario. The bank would later merge with Imperial Bank of Canada to become what is CIBC in 1961.
  • 1869 – Women’s suffrage: In New York, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton form the National Woman Suffrage Association.
  • 1891 – Pope Leo XIII defends workers’ rights and property rights in the encyclical Rerum novarum, the beginning of modern Catholic social teaching.
  • 1904 – Russo-Japanese War: The Russian minelayer Amur lays a minefield about 15 miles off Port Arthur and sinks Japan’s battleships Hatsuse, 15,000 tons, with 496 crew and Yashima.
  • 1905 – Las Vegas is founded when 110 acres (0.45 km2), in what later would become downtown, are auctioned off.
  • 1911 – In Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey v. United States, the United States Supreme Court declares Standard Oil to be an “unreasonable” monopoly under the Sherman Antitrust Act and orders the company to be broken up.
  • 1911 – More than 300 Chinese immigrants are killed in the Torreón massacre when the forces of the Mexican Revolution led by Emilio Madero take the city of Torreón from the Federales.
  • 1914 – During a poker game at the Gaiety Theatre in Galesburg, Illinois, comedian Art Fisher nicknames Chicko, Harpo, Groucho, and Gummo Marx.
  • 1919 – The Winnipeg general strike begins. By 11:00, almost the whole working population of Winnipeg had walked off the job.
  • 1919 – Greek occupation of Smyrna. During the occupation, the Greek army kills or wounds 350 Turks; those responsible are punished by Greek commander Aristides Stergiades.
  • 1925 – Al-Insaniyyah, the first Arabic communist newspaper, is founded.
  • 1928 – Walt Disney character Mickey Mouse premieres in his first cartoon, “Plane Crazy”.
  • 1929 – A fire at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio kills 123.
  • 1932 – In an attempted coup d’état, the Prime Minister of Japan Inukai Tsuyoshi is assassinated.
  • 1933 – All military aviation organizations within or under the control of the RLM of Germany were officially merged in a covert manner to form its Wehrmacht military’s air arm, the Luftwaffe.
  • 1934 – Kārlis Ulmanis establishes an authoritarian government in Latvia.
  • 1940 – USS Sailfish is recommissioned. It was originally the USS Squalus.
  • 1940 – World War II: After fierce fighting, the poorly trained and equipped Dutch troops surrender to Germany, marking the beginning of five years of occupation.
  • 1940 – Richard and Maurice McDonald open the first McDonald’s restaurant.
  • 1941 – First flight of the Gloster E.28/39 the first British and Allied jet aircraft.
  • 1941 – Joe DiMaggio begins a 56-game hitting streak.
  • 1942 – World War II: In the United States, a bill creating the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) is signed into law.
  • 1943 – Joseph Stalin dissolves the Comintern (or Third International).
  • 1945 – World War II: The Battle of Poljana, the final skirmish in Europe is fought near Prevalje, Slovenia.
  • 1948 – Following the expiration of The British Mandate for Palestine, the Kingdom of Egypt, Transjordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia invade Israel thus starting the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.
  • 1957 – At Malden Island in the Pacific Ocean, Britain tests its first hydrogen bomb in Operation Grapple.
  • 1958 – The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 3.
  • 1960 – The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 4.
  • 1963 – Project Mercury: The launch of the final Mercury mission, Mercury-Atlas 9 with astronaut Gordon Cooper on board. He becomes the first American to spend more than a day in space, and the last American to go into space alone.
  • 1966 – After a policy dispute, Prime Minister Nguyễn Cao Kỳ of South Vietnam’s ruling junta launches a military attack on the forces of General Tôn Thất Đính, forcing him to abandon his command.
  • 1969 – People’s Park: California Governor Ronald Reagan has an impromptu student park owned by the University of California at Berkeley fenced off from student anti-war protestors, sparking a riot.
  • 1970 – President Richard Nixon appoints Anna Mae Hays and Elizabeth P. Hoisington the first female United States Army generals.
  • 1970 – Philip Lafayette Gibbs and James Earl Green are killed at Jackson State University by police during student protests.
  • 1972 – The Ryukyu Islands, under U.S. military governance since its conquest in 1945, reverts to Japanese control.
  • 1972 – In Laurel, Maryland, Arthur Bremer shoots and paralyzes Alabama Governor George Wallace while he is campaigning to become president.
  • 1974 – Ma’alot massacre: Members of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine attack and take hostages at an Israeli school; a total of 31 people are killed, including 22 schoolchildren.
  • 1976 – Aeroflot Flight 1802 crashes in Viktorovka, Chernihiv Raion, killing all 52 people on board.
  • 1987 – The Soviet Union launches the Polyus prototype orbital weapons platform. It fails to reach orbit.
  • 1988 – Soviet–Afghan War: After more than eight years of fighting, the Soviet Army begins to withdraw 115,000 troops from Afghanistan.
  • 1991 – Édith Cresson becomes France’s first female Prime Minister.
  • 1997 – The United States government acknowledges the existence of the “Secret War” in Laos and dedicates the Laos Memorial in honor of Hmong and other “Secret War” veterans.
  • 1997 – The Space Shuttle Atlantis launches on STS-84 to dock with the Russian space station Mir.
  • 2004 – Arsenal F.C. go an entire league campaign unbeaten in the English Premier League, joining Preston North End F.C with the right to claim the title “The Invincibles”.
  • 2008 – California becomes the second U.S. state after Massachusetts in 2004 to legalize same-sex marriage after the state’s own Supreme Court rules a previous ban unconstitutional.
  • 2010 – Jessica Watson becomes the youngest person to sail, non-stop and unassisted around the world solo.
  • 2013 – An upsurge in violence in Iraq leaves more than 389 people dead over three days.

Births on May 15

  • 1397 – Sejong the Great, Korean king (d. 1450)
  • 1531 – Maria of Austria, Duchess of Jülich-Cleves-Berg (d. 1581)
  • 1565 – Hendrick de Keyser, Dutch sculptor and architect (d. 1621)
  • 1567 – Claudio Monteverdi, Italian priest and composer (d. 1643)
  • 1655 – Pope Innocent XIII (d. 1724)
  • 1608 – René Goupil, French-American missionary and saint (d. 1642)
  • 1633 – Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban, French noble (d. 1707)
  • 1645 – George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreys, British judge (d. 1689)
  • 1689 – Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, English writer (d. 1762)
  • 1720 – Maximilian Hell, Hungarian priest and astronomer (d. 1792)
  • 1749 – Levi Lincoln Sr., American lawyer and politician, 4th United States Attorney General (d. 1820)
  • 1759 – Maria Theresia von Paradis, Austrian pianist and composer (d. 1824)
  • 1770 – Ezekiel Hart, Canadian businessman and politician (d. 1843)
  • 1773 – Klemens von Metternich, German-Austrian politician, 1st State Chancellor of the Austrian Empire (d. 1859)
  • 1786 – Dimitris Plapoutas, Greek general and politician (d. 1864)
  • 1803 – Juan Almonte, son of José María Morelos, was a Mexican soldier and diplomat who served as a regent in the Second Mexican Empire (1863-1864) (d. 1869)
  • 1805 – Samuel Carter, Early English railway solicitor and MP (d. 1878)
  • 1808 – Michael William Balfe, Irish composer and conductor (d. 1870)
  • 1817 – Debendranath Tagore, Indian philosopher and author (d. 1905)
  • 1841 – Clarence Dutton, American commander and geologist (d. 1912)
  • 1845 – Élie Metchnikoff, Russian zoologist (d. 1916)
  • 1848 – Viktor Vasnetsov, Russian painter and illustrator (d. 1926)
  • 1854 – Ioannis Psycharis, Ukrainian-French philologist and author (d. 1929)
  • 1856 – L. Frank Baum, American novelist (d. 1919)
  • 1856 – Matthias Zurbriggen, Swiss mountaineer (d. 1917)
  • 1857 – Williamina Fleming, Scottish-American astronomer and academic (d. 1911)
  • 1859 – Pierre Curie, French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1906)
  • 1862 – Arthur Schnitzler, Austrian author and playwright (d. 1931)
  • 1863 – Frank Hornby, English businessman and politician, invented Meccano (d. 1936)
  • 1869 – Paul Probst, Swiss target shooter (d. 1945)
  • 1869 – John Storey, Australian politician, 20th Premier of New South Wales (d. 1921)
  • 1882 – Walter White, Scottish international footballer (d. 1950)
  • 1890 – Katherine Anne Porter, American short story writer, novelist, and essayist (d. 1980)
  • 1891 – Mikhail Bulgakov, Russian novelist and playwright (d. 1940)
  • 1891 – Fritz Feigl, Austrian-Brazilian chemist and academic (d. 1971)
  • 1892 – Charles E. Rosendahl, American admiral (d. 1977)
  • 1892 – Jimmy Wilde, Welsh boxer (d. 1969)
  • 1893 – José Nepomuceno, Filipino filmmaker, founder of Philippine cinema (d. 1959)
  • 1894 – Feg Murray, American hurdler and cartoonist (d. 1973)
  • 1895 – Prescott Bush, American captain, banker, and politician (d. 1972)
  • 1895 – William D. Byron, American lieutenant and politician (d. 1941)
  • 1898 – Arletty, French model, actress, and singer (d. 1992)
  • 1899 – Jean Étienne Valluy, French general (d. 1970)
  • 1900 – Ida Rhodes, American mathematician, pioneer in computer programming (d. 1986)
  • 1901 – Xavier Herbert, Australian author (d. 1984)
  • 1901 – Luis Monti, Argentinian-Italian footballer and manager (d. 1983)
  • 1902 – Richard J. Daley, American lawyer and politician, 48th Mayor of Chicago (d. 1976)
  • 1902 – Sigizmund Levanevsky, Soviet aircraft pilot of Polish origin (d. 1937)
  • 1903 – Maria Reiche, German mathematician and archaeologist (d. 1998)
  • 1904 – Clifton Fadiman, American game show host and author (d. 1999)
  • 1905 – Joseph Cotten, American actor (d. 1994)
  • 1905 – Albert Dubout, French cartoonist, illustrator, painter, and sculptor (d. 1976)
  • 1905 – Abraham Zapruder, American businessman and amateur photographer, filmed the Zapruder film (d. 1970)
  • 1907 – Sukhdev Thapar, Indian activist (d. 1931)
  • 1909 – James Mason, English actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1984)
  • 1909 – Clara Solovera, Chilean singer-songwriter (d. 1992)
  • 1910 – Constance Cummings, British-based American actress (d. 2005)
  • 1911 – Max Frisch, Swiss playwright and novelist (d. 1991)
  • 1911 – Herta Oberheuser, German physician (d. 1978)
  • 1912 – Arthur Berger, American composer and educator (d. 2003)
  • 1914 – Turk Broda, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 1972)
  • 1914 – Angus MacLean, Canadian farmer and politician, 25th Premier of Prince Edward Island (d. 2000)
  • 1914 – Norrie Paramor, English composer, producer, and conductor (d. 1979)
  • 1915 – Hilda Bernstein, English-South African author and activist (d. 2006)
  • 1915 – Paul Samuelson, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2009)
  • 1915 – Henrik Sandberg, Danish production manager and producer (d. 1993)
  • 1916 – Vera Gebuhr, Danish actress (d. 2014)
  • 1918 – Eddy Arnold, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (d. 2008)
  • 1918 – Arthur Jackson, American lieutenant and target shooter (d. 2015)
  • 1918 – Joseph Wiseman, Canadian-American actor (d. 2009)
  • 1920 – Michel Audiard, French director and screenwriter (d. 1985)
  • 1922 – Sigurd Ottovich Schmidt, Russian historian and ethnographer (d. 2013)
  • 1922 – Jakucho Setouchi, Japanese nun and author
  • 1923 – Richard Avedon, American sailor and photographer (d. 2004)
  • 1923 – John Lanchbery, English-Australian composer and conductor (d. 2003)
  • 1924 – Maria Koepcke, German-Peruvian ornithologist and zoologist (d. 1971)
  • 1925 – Andrei Eshpai, Russian pianist and composer (d. 2015)
  • 1925 – Mary F. Lyon, English geneticist and biologist (d. 2014)
  • 1925 – Carl Sanders, American soldier, pilot, and politician, 74th Governor of Georgia (d. 2014)
  • 1925 – Roy Stewart, Jamaican-English actor and stuntman (d. 2008)
  • 1926 – Clermont Pépin, Canadian pianist, composer, and educator (d. 2006)
  • 1926 – Anthony Shaffer, English author, playwright, and screenwriter (d. 2001)
  • 1926 – Peter Shaffer, English playwright and screenwriter (d. 2016)
  • 1930 – Jasper Johns, American painter and sculptor
  • 1931 – Ken Venturi, American golfer and sportscaster (d. 2013)
  • 1935 – Don Bragg, American pole vaulter
  • 1935 – Ted Dexter, Italian-English cricketer
  • 1935 – Utah Phillips, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2008)
  • 1935 – Akihiro Miwa, Japanese singer, actor, director, composer, author and drag queen
  • 1936 – Anna Maria Alberghetti, Italian-American actress and singer
  • 1936 – Mart Laga, Estonian basketball player (d. 1977)
  • 1936 – Ralph Steadman, English painter and illustrator
  • 1936 – Paul Zindel, American playwright and novelist (d. 2003)
  • 1937 – Madeleine Albright, Czech-American politician and diplomat, 64th United States Secretary of State
  • 1937 – Karin Krog, Norwegian singer
  • 1937 – Trini Lopez, American singer, guitarist, and actor
  • 1938 – Mireille Darc, French actress, director, and screenwriter (d. 2017)
  • 1938 – Nancy Garden, American author (d. 2014)
  • 1939 – Dorothy Shirley, English high jumper and educator
  • 1940 – Roger Ailes, American businessman (d. 2017)
  • 1940 – Lainie Kazan, American actress and singer
  • 1940 – Don Nelson, American basketball player and coach
  • 1941 – Jaxon, American illustrator and publisher, co-founded the Rip Off Press (d. 2006)
  • 1942 – Lois Johnson, American singer-songwriter (d. 2014)
  • 1942 – Jusuf Kalla, Indonesian businessman and politician, 10th Vice President of Indonesia
  • 1942 – Doug Lowe, Australian politician, 35th Premier of Tasmania
  • 1942 – K. T. Oslin, American singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1943 – Paul Bégin, Canadian lawyer and politician
  • 1943 – Freddie Perren, American songwriter, producer, and conductor (d. 2004)
  • 1944 – Bill Alter, American police officer and politician
  • 1944 – Ulrich Beck, German sociologist and academic (d. 2015)
  • 1945 – Michael Dexter, English hematologist and academic
  • 1945 – Jerry Quarry, American boxer (d. 1999)
  • 1946 – Thadeus Nguyễn Văn Lý, Vietnamese priest and activist
  • 1947 – Graeham Goble, Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer
  • 1948 – Kate Bornstein, American author, playwright, performance artist, and gender theorist
  • 1948 – Yutaka Enatsu, Japanese baseball player
  • 1948 – Brian Eno, English singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer
  • 1948 – Kathleen Sebelius, American politician, 44th Governor of Kansas
  • 1949 – Frank L. Culbertson Jr., American captain, pilot, and astronaut
  • 1949 – Robert S.J. Sparks, English geologist and academic
  • 1950 – Jim Bacon, Australian politician, 41st Premier of Tasmania (d. 2004)
  • 1950 – Jim Simons, American golfer (d. 2005)
  • 1951 – Dennis Frederiksen, American singer-songwriter (d. 2014)
  • 1951 – Chris Ham, English political scientist and academic
  • 1951 – Frank Wilczek, American mathematician and physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1952 – Chazz Palminteri, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1953 – George Brett, American baseball player and coach
  • 1953 – Athene Donald, English physicist and academic
  • 1953 – Mike Oldfield, English-Irish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1954 – Diana Liverman, English-American geographer and academic
  • 1954 – Caroline Thomson, English journalist and broadcaster
  • 1955 – Mohamed Brahmi, Tunisian politician (d. 2013)
  • 1955 – Lia Vissi, Cypriot singer-songwriter and politician
  • 1956 – Andreas Loverdos, Greek lawyer and politician, Greek Minister of Labour
  • 1956 – Dan Patrick, American television anchor and sportscaster
  • 1956 – Kevin Greenaugh, American nuclear engineer
  • 1957 – Meg Gardiner, American-English author and academic
  • 1957 – Juan José Ibarretxe, Spanish politician
  • 1957 – Kevin Von Erich, American football player and wrestler
  • 1958 – Jason Graae, American musical theater actor
  • 1958 – Ruth Marcus, American journalist
  • 1958 – Ron Simmons, American football player and wrestler
  • 1959 – Khaosai Galaxy, Thai boxer and politician
  • 1959 – Luis Pérez-Sala, Spanish race car driver
  • 1959 – Beverly Jo Scott, American-Belgian singer-songwriter
  • 1960 – Rhonda Burchmore, Australian actress, singer, and dancer
  • 1960 – Rob Bowman, American director and producer
  • 1960 – R. Kuhaneswaran, Sri Lankan politician
  • 1960 – Rimas Kurtinaitis, Lithuanian basketball player and coach
  • 1961 – Giselle Fernández, Mexican-American television journalist.
  • 1962 – Lisa Curry, Australian swimmer
  • 1963 – Gavin Nebbeling, South African footballer
  • 1964 – Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Danish lawyer and politician, 40th Prime Minister of Denmark
  • 1965 – André Abujamra, Brazilian singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1965 – Scott Tronc, Australian rugby league player
  • 1966 – Jiří Němec, Czech footballer
  • 1967 – Simen Agdestein, Norwegian chess grandmaster and football player
  • 1967 – Laura Hillenbrand, American journalist and author
  • 1967 – John Smoltz, American baseball player and sportscaster
  • 1967 – Madhuri Dixit, Indian actress
  • 1968 – Cecilia Malmström, Swedish academic and politician, 15th European Commissioner for Trade
  • 1968 – Sophie Raworth, English journalist and broadcaster
  • 1969 – Hideki Irabu, Japanese-American baseball player (d. 2011)
  • 1969 – Emmitt Smith, American football player and sportscaster
  • 1970 – Frank de Boer, Dutch footballer and manager
  • 1970 – Ronald de Boer, Dutch footballer and manager
  • 1970 – Desmond Howard, American football player and sportscaster
  • 1970 – Alison Jackson, English photographer, director, and screenwriter
  • 1970 – Rod Smith, American football player
  • 1970 – Ben Wallace, English captain and politician
  • 1971 – Karin Lušnic, Slovenian tennis player
  • 1972 – Danny Alexander, Scottish politician, Secretary of State for Scotland
  • 1972 – David Charvet, French actor and singer
  • 1974 – Vasilis Kikilias, Greek basketball player and politician
  • 1974 – Matthew Sadler, English chess player and author
  • 1974 – Marko Tredup, German footballer and manager
  • 1974 – Ahmet Zappa, American musician and writer
  • 1975 – Ray Lewis, American football player and sportscaster
  • 1975 – Ales Michalevic, Belarusian lawyer and politician
  • 1976 – Torraye Braggs, American basketball player
  • 1976 – Mark Kennedy, Irish footballer
  • 1976 – Jacek Krzynówek, Polish footballer
  • 1976 – Ryan Leaf, American football player and coach
  • 1976 – Anže Logar, Slovenian politician
  • 1976 – Tyler Walker, American baseball player
  • 1978 – Amy Chow, American gymnast and pediatrician
  • 1978 – Dwayne De Rosario, Canadian soccer player
  • 1978 – Edu, Brazilian footballer
  • 1978 – David Krumholtz, American actor
  • 1979 – Adolfo Bautista, Mexican footballer
  • 1979 – Daniel Caines, English sprinter
  • 1979 – Chris Masoe, New Zealand rugby player
  • 1979 – Ryan Max Riley, American skier
  • 1979 – Robert Royal, American football player
  • 1979 – Dominic Scott, Irish guitarist
  • 1980 – Josh Beckett, American baseball player
  • 1981 – Patrice Evra, French footballer
  • 1981 – Paul Konchesky, English international footballer
  • 1981 – Justin Morneau, Canadian baseball player
  • 1981 – Zara Phillips, English equestrian
  • 1981 – Jamie-Lynn Sigler, American actress and singer
  • 1982 – Veronica Campbell-Brown, Jamaican sprinter
  • 1982 – Segundo Castillo, Ecuadorian footballer
  • 1982 – Rafael Pérez, Dominican baseball player
  • 1982 – Layal Abboud, Lebanese singer
  • 1984 – Jeff Deslauriers, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1984 – Sérgio Jimenez, Brazilian race car driver
  • 1984 – Samantha Noble, Australian actress
  • 1984 – Beau Scott, Australian rugby league player
  • 1984 – Mr Probz, Dutch singer, songwriter, rapper, actor and record producer
  • 1985 – Cristiane, Brazilian footballer
  • 1985 – Tania Cagnotto, Italian diver
  • 1985 – Laura Harvey, English football coach
  • 1985 – Tathagata Mukherjee, Indian actor
  • 1985 – Denis Onyango, Ugandan goalkeeper
  • 1985 – Justine Robbeson, South African javelin thrower
  • 1986 – Thomas Brown, American football player
  • 1986 – Matías Fernández, Chilean footballer
  • 1986 – Adam Moffat, Scottish footballer
  • 1987 – David Adams, American baseball player
  • 1987 – Michael Brantley, American baseball player
  • 1987 – Brian Dozier, American baseball player
  • 1987 – Mark Fayne, American ice hockey player
  • 1987 – Ersan İlyasova, Turkish basketball player
  • 1987 – Leonardo Mayer, Argentinian tennis player
  • 1987 – Andy Murray, Scottish tennis player
  • 1988 – Indrek Kajupank, Estonian basketball player
  • 1988 – Scott Laird, English footballer
  • 1989 – Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, French footballer
  • 1990 – Jordan Eberle, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1990 – Lee Jong-hyun, Korean guitarist
  • 1990 – Stella Maxwell, New Zealand model
  • 1993 – Jeremy Hawkins, New Zealand rugby league player
  • 1993 – Tomáš Kalas, Czech international footballer
  • 1996 – Birdy, English singer-songwriter
  • 1997 – Ousmane Dembélé, French footballer

Deaths on May 15

  • 392 – Valentinian II, Roman emperor (b. 371)
  • 558 – Hilary of Galeata, Christian monk (b. 476)
  • 884 – Narinus I, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 830)
  • 913 – Hatto I, German archbishop (b. 850)
  • 926 – Zhuang Zong, Chinese emperor (b. 885)
  • 973 – Byrhthelm, bishop of Wells
  • 1036 – Go-Ichijō, emperor of Japan (b. 1008)
  • 1157 – Yuri Dolgorukiy, Grand Prince of Kiev (b. 1099)
  • 1175 – Mleh, prince of Armenia
  • 1174 – Nur ad-Din, Seljuk emir of Syria (b. 1118)
  • 1268 – Peter II, count of Savoy (b. 1203)
  • 1461 – Domenico Veneziano, Italian painter (b. c. 1410)
  • 1464 – Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset (b. 1436)
  • 1470 – Charles VIII, king of Sweden (b. 1409)
  • 1585 – Niwa Nagahide, Japanese samurai (b. 1535)
  • 1609 – Giovanni Croce, Italian composer and educator (b. 1557)
  • 1615 – Henry Bromley, English politician (b. 1560)
  • 1634 – Hendrick Avercamp, Dutch painter (b. 1585)
  • 1698 – Marie Champmeslé, French actress (b. 1642)
  • 1699 – Sir Edward Petre, 3rd Baronet, English politician (b. 1631)
  • 1700 – John Hale, American minister (b. 1636)
  • 1740 – Ephraim Chambers, English publisher (b. 1680)
  • 1773 – Alban Butler, English priest and hagiographer (b. 1710)
  • 1845 – Braulio Carrillo Colina, Costa Rican lawyer and politician, Head of State of Costa Rica (b. 1800)
  • 1879 – Gottfried Semper, German architect and educator, designed the Semper Opera House (b. 1803)
  • 1886 – Emily Dickinson, American poet and author (b. 1830)
  • 1914 – Ida Freund, Austrian-born chemist and educator (b. 1863)
  • 1919 – Hasan Tahsin, Turkish journalist (b. 1888)
  • 1924 – Paul-Henri-Benjamin d’Estournelles de Constant, French diplomat and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1852)
  • 1926 – Joseph James Fletcher, Australian biologist (b. 1850)
  • 1928 – Umegatani Tōtarō I, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 15th Yokozuna (b. 1845)
  • 1935 – Kazimir Malevich, Ukrainian-Russian painter and theoretician (b. 1878)
  • 1937 – Philip Snowden, 1st Viscount Snowden, English politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (b. 1864)
  • 1945 – Kenneth J. Alford, English soldier, bandmaster, and composer (b. 1881)
  • 1945 – Charles Williams, English author, poet, and critic (b. 1886)
  • 1948 – Edward J. Flanagan, Irish-American priest, founded Boys Town (b. 1886)
  • 1954 – William March, American soldier and author (b. 1893)
  • 1956 – Austin Osman Spare, English painter and magician (b. 1886)
  • 1957 – Keith Andrews, American race car driver (b. 1920)
  • 1957 – Dick Irvin, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1892)
  • 1963 – John Aglionby, English-born Bishop of Accra and soldier (b. 1884)
  • 1964 – Vladko Maček, Croatian lawyer and politician (b. 1879)
  • 1965 – Pio Pion, Italian businessman (b. 1887)
  • 1967 – Edward Hopper, American painter (b. 1882)
  • 1967 – Italo Mus, Italian painter (b. 1892)
  • 1969 – Joe Malone, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1890)
  • 1971 – Tyrone Guthrie, English director, producer, and playwright (b. 1900)
  • 1978 – Robert Menzies, Australian lawyer and politician, 12th Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1894)
  • 1980 – Gordon Prange, American historian and author (b. 1910)
  • 1982 – Gordon Smiley, American race car driver (b. 1946)
  • 1984 – Francis Schaeffer, American pastor, theologian, and philosopher (b. 1912)
  • 1985 – Jackie Curtis, American actress and writer (b. 1947)
  • 1986 – Elio de Angelis, Italian race car driver (b. 1958)
  • 1986 – Theodore H. White, American historian, journalist, and author (b. 1915)
  • 1989 – Johnny Green, American composer and conductor (b. 1908)
  • 1989 – Luc Lacourcière, Canadian ethnographer and author (b. 1910)
  • 1991 – Andreas Floer, German mathematician and academic (b. 1956)
  • 1991 – Amadou Hampâté Bâ, Malian ethnologist and author (b. 1901)
  • 1991 – Fritz Riess, German race car driver (b. 1922)
  • 1993 – Salah Ahmed Ibrahim, Sudanese poet and diplomat (b. 1933)
  • 1994 – Gilbert Roland, American actor (b. 1905)
  • 1995 – Eric Porter, English actor (b. 1928)
  • 1996 – Charles B. Fulton, American lawyer and judge (b. 1910)
  • 1998 – Earl Manigault, American basketball player (b. 1944)
  • 1998 – Naim Talu, Turkish economist, banker, politician, 15th Prime Minister of Turkey (b. 1919)
  • 2003 – June Carter Cash, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress (b. 1929)
  • 2006 – Nizar Abdul Zahra, Iraqi footballer (b. 1961)
  • 2007 – Jerry Falwell, American pastor, founded Liberty University (b. 1933)
  • 2008 – Tommy Burns, Scottish footballer and manager (b. 1956)
  • 2008 – Alexander Courage, American composer and conductor (b. 1919)
  • 2008 – Will Elder, American illustrator (b. 1921)
  • 2009 – Bud Tingwell, Australian actor, director, and producer (b. 1923)
  • 2009 – Wayman Tisdale, American basketball player and bass player (b. 1964)
  • 2010 – Besian Idrizaj, Austrian footballer (b. 1987)
  • 2010 – Loris Kessel, Swiss race car driver (b. 1950)
  • 2012 – Carlos Fuentes, Mexican novelist and essayist (b. 1928)
  • 2012 – Arno Lustiger, German historian and author (b. 1924)
  • 2012 – Zakaria Mohieddin, Egyptian soldier and politician, 33rd Prime Minister of Egypt (b. 1918)
  • 2013 – Henrique Rosa, Bissau-Guinean politician, President of Guinea-Bissau (b. 1946)
  • 2014 – Jean-Luc Dehaene, French-Belgian politician, 63rd Prime Minister of Belgium (b. 1940)
  • 2014 – Noribumi Suzuki, Japanese director and screenwriter (b. 1933)
  • 2015 – Elisabeth Bing, German-American physical therapist and author (b. 1914)
  • 2015 – Jackie Brookner, American sculptor and educator (b. 1945)
  • 2015 – Garo Yepremian, Cypriot-American football player (b. 1944)
  • 2020 – Fred Willard, American actor, comedian, and writer (b. 1933)[19]

Holidays and observances on May 15

  • Aoi Matsuri (Kyoto)
  • Army Day (Slovenia)
  • Christian feast day:
    • Achillius of Larissa
    • Athanasius of Alexandria (Coptic Church)
    • Dymphna
    • Hallvard Vebjørnsson (Roman Catholic Church)
    • Hesychius of Cazorla
    • Hilary of Galeata
    • Isidore the Laborer, celebrated with festivals in various countries, the beginning of bullfighting season in Madrid.
    • Jean-Baptiste de La Salle (Roman Catholic Church)
    • Peter, Andrew, Paul, and Denise (Roman Catholic Church)
    • Reticius (Roman Catholic Church)
    • Sophia of Rome (Roman Catholic church)
    • May 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Constituent Assembly Day (Lithuania)
  • Earliest date on which Armed Forces Day (United States) can fall, while May 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Saturday of May.
  • Independence Day (Paraguay), celebrates the independence of Paraguay from Spain in 1811. Celebrations for the anniversary of the independence begin on Flag Day, May 14.
  • International Conscientious Objectors Day
  • International Day of Families (International)
  • La Corsa dei Ceri begins on the eve of the feast day of Saint Ubaldo. (Gubbio)
  • Mother’s Day (Paraguay)
  • Nakba Day (Palestinian communities)
  • Peace Officers Memorial Day (United States)
  • Republic Day (Lithuania)
  • Teachers’ Day (Colombia, Mexico and South Korea)

May 15 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

May 14 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 1097 – The Siege of Nicaea begins during the First Crusade.
  • 1264 – Battle of Lewes: Henry III of England is captured and forced to sign the Mise of Lewes, making Simon de Montfort the effective ruler of England.
  • 1509 – Battle of Agnadello: In northern Italy, French forces defeat the Republic of Venice.
  • 1607 – Jamestown, Virginia is settled as an English colony.
  • 1608 – The Protestant Union, a coalition of Protestant German states, is founded to defend the rights, land and safety of each member against the Catholic Church and Catholic German states.
  • 1610 – Henry IV of France is assassinated by Catholic zealot François Ravaillac, and Louis XIII ascends the throne.
  • 1643 – Four-year-old Louis XIV becomes King of France upon the death of his father, Louis XIII.
  • 1747 – War of the Austrian Succession: A British fleet under Admiral George Anson defeats the French at the First Battle of Cape Finisterre.
  • 1796 – Edward Jenner administers the first smallpox inoculation.
  • 1800 – The 6th United States Congress recesses, and the process of moving the U.S. Government from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C., begins the following day.
  • 1804 – William Clark and 42 men depart from Camp Dubois to join Meriwether Lewis at St. Charles, Missouri, marking the beginning of the Lewis and Clark Expedition‘s historic journey up the Missouri River.
  • 1811 – Paraguay: Pedro Juan Caballero, Fulgencio Yegros and José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia start actions to depose the Spanish governor.
  • 1836 – The Treaties of Velasco are signed in Velasco, Texas.
  • 1863 – American Civil War: The Battle of Jackson takes place.
  • 1868 – Boshin War: The Battle of Utsunomiya Castle ends as former Tokugawa shogunate forces withdraw northward.
  • 1870 – The first game of rugby in New Zealand is played in Nelson between Nelson College and the Nelson Rugby Football Club.
  • 1878 – The last witchcraft trial held in the United States begins in Salem, Massachusetts, after Lucretia Brown, an adherent of Christian Science, accused Daniel Spofford of attempting to harm her through his mental powers.
  • 1879 – The first group of 463 Indian indentured laborers arrives in Fiji aboard the Leonidas.
  • 1913 – Governor of New York William Sulzer approves the charter for the Rockefeller Foundation, which begins operations with a $100 million donation from John D. Rockefeller.
  • 1918 – Cape Town Mayor, Sir Harry Hands, inaugurates the Two-minute silence.
  • 1925 – Virginia Woolf’s novel Mrs Dalloway is published.
  • 1931 – Five unarmed civilians are killed in the Ådalen shootings, as the Swedish military is called in to deal with protesting workers.
  • 1935 – The Constitution of the Philippines is ratified by a popular vote.
  • 1939 – Lina Medina becomes the youngest confirmed mother in medical history at the age of five.
  • 1940 – World War II: Rotterdam, Netherlands is bombed by the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany despite a ceasefire, killing about 900 people and destroying the historic city center.
  • 1943 – World War II: A Japanese submarine sinks AHS Centaur off the coast of Queensland.
  • 1948 – Israel is declared to be an independent state and a provisional government is established. Immediately after the declaration, Israel is attacked by the neighboring Arab states, triggering the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.
  • 1951 – Trains run on the Talyllyn Railway in Wales for the first time since preservation, making it the first railway in the world to be operated by volunteers.
  • 1955 – Cold War: Eight Communist bloc countries, including the Soviet Union, sign a mutual defense treaty called the Warsaw Pact.
  • 1961 – Civil rights movement: A white mob twice attacks a Freedom Riders bus near Anniston, Alabama, before fire-bombing the bus and attacking the civil rights protesters who flee the burning vehicle.
  • 1970 – Andreas Baader is freed from custody by Ulrike Meinhof, Gudrun Ensslin and others, a pivotal moment in the formation of the Red Army Faction.
  • 1973 – Skylab, the United States’ first space station, is launched.
  • 1977 – A Dan-Air Boeing 707 leased to IAS Cargo Airlines crashes on approach to Lusaka International Airport (now Kenneth Kaunda International Airport) in Lusaka, Zambia, killing six people.
  • 1980 – Salvadoran Civil War: the Sumpul River massacre occurs in Chalatenango, El Salvador.
  • 1988 – Carrollton bus collision: A drunk driver traveling the wrong way on Interstate 71 near Carrollton, Kentucky hits a converted school bus carrying a church youth group. Twenty-seven die in the crash and ensuing fire.
  • 2004 – The Constitutional Court of South Korea overturns the impeachment of President Roh Moo-hyun.
  • 2004 – Rico Linhas Aéreas Flight 4815 crashes into the Amazon rainforest during approach to Eduardo Gomes International Airport in Manaus, Brazil, killing 33 people.
  • 2010 – Space Shuttle Atlantis launches on the STS-132 mission to deliver the first shuttle-launched Russian ISS component — Rassvet. This was originally slated to be the final launch of Atlantis, before Congress approved STS-135.
  • 2012 – Agni Air Flight CHT crashes in Nepal after a failed go-around, killing 15 people.

Births on May 14

  • 1316 – Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1378)
  • 1553 – Margaret of Valois (d. 1615)
  • 1574 – Francesco Rasi, Italian singer-songwriter, theorbo player, and poet (d. 1621)
  • 1592 – Alice Barnham, wife of statesman Francis Bacon (d. 1650)
  • 1630 – Katakura Kagenaga, Japanese samurai (d. 1681)
  • 1652 – Johann Philipp Förtsch, German composer (d. 1732)
  • 1657 – Sambhaji, Indian emperor (d. 1689)
  • 1666 – Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia (d. 1732)
  • 1679 – Peder Horrebow, Danish astronomer and mathematician (d. 1764)
  • 1699 – Hans Joachim von Zieten, Prussian general (d. 1786)
  • 1701 – William Emerson, English mathematician and academic (d. 1782)
  • 1710 – Adolf Frederick, King of Sweden (d. 1771)
  • 1725 – Ludovico Manin, the last Doge of Venice (d. 1802)
  • 1727 – Thomas Gainsborough, English painter (d. 1788)
  • 1737 – George Macartney, 1st Earl Macartney, Irish-English politician and diplomat, Governor of Grenada (d. 1806)
  • 1752 – Timothy Dwight IV, American minister, theologian, and academic (d. 1817)
  • 1752 – Albrecht Thaer, German agronomist and author (d. 1828)
  • 1761 – Samuel Dexter, American lawyer and politician, 4th United States Secretary of War, 3rd United States Secretary of the Treasury (d. 1816)
  • 1771 – Robert Owen, Welsh businessman and social reformer (d. 1858)
  • 1771 – Thomas Wedgwood, English photographer (d. 1805)
  • 1781 – Friedrich Ludwig Georg von Raumer, German historian and academic (d. 1873)
  • 1794 – Fanny Imlay, daughter of British feminist Mary Wollstonecraft (d. 1816)
  • 1814 – Charles Beyer, German-English engineer, co-founded Beyer, Peacock and Company (d. 1876)
  • 1817 – Alexander Kaufmann, German poet and educator (d. 1893)
  • 1820 – James Martin, Irish-Australian politician, 6th Premier of New South Wales (d. 1886)
  • 1830 – Antonio Annetto Caruana, Maltese archaeologist and author (d. 1905)
  • 1832 – Rudolf Lipschitz, German mathematician and academic (d. 1903)
  • 1851 – Anna Laurens Dawes, American author and suffragist (d. 1938)
  • 1852 – Henri Julien, Canadian illustrator (d. 1908)
  • 1863 – John Charles Fields, Canadian mathematician, founder of the Fields Medal (d. 1932)
  • 1867 – Kurt Eisner, German journalist and politician, Prime Minister of Bavaria (d. 1919)
  • 1868 – Magnus Hirschfeld, German physician and sexologist (d. 1935)
  • 1869 – Arthur Rostron, English captain (d. 1940)
  • 1872 – Elia Dalla Costa, Italian cardinal (d. 1961)
  • 1878 – J. L. Wilkinson, American baseball player and manager (d. 1964)
  • 1879 – Fred Englehardt, American jumper (d. 1942)
  • 1880 – Wilhelm List, German field marshal (d. 1971)
  • 1881 – Lionel Hill, Australian politician, 30th Premier of South Australia (d. 1963)
  • 1881 – George Murray Hulbert, American judge and politician (d. 1950)
  • 1885 – Otto Klemperer, German composer and conductor (d. 1973)
  • 1887 – Ants Kurvits, Estonian general and politician, 10th Estonian Minister of War (d. 1943)
  • 1888 – Archie Alexander, American mathematician and engineer (d. 1958)
  • 1893 – Louis Verneuil, French actor and playwright (d. 1952)
  • 1897 – Sidney Bechet, American saxophonist, clarinet player, and composer (d. 1959)
  • 1897 – Ed Ricketts, American biologist and ecologist (d. 1948)
  • 1899 – Charlotte Auerbach, German-Jewish Scottish folklorist, geneticist, and zoologist. (d.1994)
  • 1899 – Pierre Victor Auger, French physicist and academic (d. 1993)
  • 1899 – Earle Combs, American baseball player and coach (d. 1976)
  • 1900 – Hal Borland, American journalist and author (d. 1978)
  • 1900 – Walter Rehberg, Swiss pianist and composer (d. 1957)
  • 1900 – Cai Chang, Chinese first leader of All-China Women’s Federation (d. 1990)
  • 1900 – Leo Smit, Dutch pianist and composer (d. 1943)
  • 1900 – Edgar Wind, German-English historian, author, and academic (d. 1971)
  • 1901 – Robert Ritter, German psychologist and physician (d. 1951)
  • 1903 – Billie Dove, American actress (d. 1997)
  • 1904 – Hans Albert Einstein, Swiss-American engineer and educator (d. 1973)
  • 1904 – Marcel Junod, Swiss physician and anesthesiologist (d. 1961)
  • 1905 – Jean Daniélou, French cardinal and theologian (d. 1974)
  • 1905 – Herbert Morrison, American soldier and journalist (d. 1989)
  • 1905 – Antonio Berni, Argentinian painter, illustrator, and engraver (d. 1981)
  • 1907 – Ayub Khan, Pakistani general and politician, 2nd President of Pakistan (d. 1974)
  • 1907 – Hans von der Groeben, German journalist and diplomat (d. 2005)
  • 1908 – Betty Jeffrey, Australian nurse and author (d. 2000)
  • 1909 – Godfrey Rampling, English sprinter and colonel (d. 2009)
  • 1910 – Ken Viljoen, South African cricketer (d. 1974)
  • 1910 – Ne Win, Prime Minister and President of Burma (d. 2002)
  • 1914 – Gul Khan Nasir, Pakistani journalist, poet, and politician (d. 1983)
  • 1914 – William Thomas Tutte, British codebreaker and mathematician (d. 2002)
  • 1916 – Robert F. Christy, Canadian-American physicist and astronomer (d. 2012)
  • 1916 – Lance Dossor, English-Australian pianist and educator (d. 2005)
  • 1916 – Marco Zanuso, Italian architect and designer (d. 2001)
  • 1917 – Lou Harrison, American composer and critic (d. 2003)
  • 1917 – Norman Luboff, American composer and conductor (d. 1987)
  • 1919 – Solange Chaput-Rolland, Canadian journalist and politician (d. 2001)
  • 1919 – John Hope, American soldier and meteorologist (d. 2002)
  • 1921 – Richard Deacon, American actor (d. 1984)
  • 1922 – Franjo Tuđman, Yugoslav historian; later 1st President of Croatia (d. 1999)
  • 1923 – Adnan Pachachi, Iraqi politician, Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 2019)
  • 1923 – Mrinal Sen, Bangladeshi-Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2018)
  • 1925 – Sophie Kurys, American baseball player (d. 2013)
  • 1925 – Patrice Munsel, American soprano and actress (d. 2016)
  • 1925 – Boris Parsadanian, Armenian-Estonian violinist and composer (d. 1997)
  • 1925 – Al Porcino, American trumpet player (d. 2013)
  • 1925 – Ninian Sanderson, Scottish race car driver (d. 1985)
  • 1926 – Eric Morecambe, English comedian and actor (d. 1984)
  • 1927 – Herbert W. Franke, Austrian scientist and author
  • 1928 – Dub Jones, American R&B bass singer (d. 2000)
  • 1928 – Frederik H. Kreuger, Dutch engineer, author, and academic (d. 2015)
  • 1928 – Brian Macdonald, Canadian dancer and choreographer (d. 2014)
  • 1929 – Barbara Branden, Canadian-American author (d. 2013)
  • 1929 – Henry McGee, English actor and singer (d. 2006)
  • 1929 – Gump Worsley, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2007)
  • 1930 – William James, Australian general and physician (d. 2015)
  • 1931 – Alvin Lucier, American composer and academic
  • 1932 – Robert Bechtle, American lithographer and painter
  • 1933 – Siân Phillips, Welsh actress and singer
  • 1935 – Ethel Johnson, American professional wrestler (d. 2018)
  • 1935 – Rudi Šeligo, Slovenian playwright and politician (d. 2004)
  • 1936 – Bobby Darin, American singer-songwriter and actor (d. 1973)
  • 1936 – Dick Howser, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 1987)
  • 1938 – Robert Boyd, English pediatrician and academic
  • 1939 – Rupert Neudeck, German journalist and humanitarian (d. 2016)
  • 1939 – Troy Shondell, American singer-songwriter (d. 2016)
  • 1940 – Chay Blyth, Scottish sailor and rower
  • 1940 – H. Jones, English colonel, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 1982)
  • 1940 – George Mathewson, Scottish banker and businessman
  • 1941 – Ada den Haan, Dutch swimmer
  • 1942 – Valeriy Brumel, Russian high jumper (d. 2003)
  • 1942 – Byron Dorgan, American lawyer and politician
  • 1942 – Alistair McAlpine, Baron McAlpine of West Green, English businessman and politician (d. 2014)
  • 1942 – Tony Pérez, Cuban-American baseball player and manager
  • 1942 – Malise Ruthven, Irish author and academic
  • 1943 – Jack Bruce, Scottish-English singer-songwriter and bass player (d. 2014)
  • 1943 – L. Denis Desautels, Canadian accountant and civil servant
  • 1943 – Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, Icelandic academic and politician, 5th President of Iceland
  • 1943 – Derek Leckenby, English pop-rock guitarist (d. 1994)
  • 1943 – Richard Peto, English statistician and epidemiologist
  • 1944 – Gene Cornish, Canadian-American guitarist
  • 1944 – George Lucas, American director, producer, and screenwriter, founded Lucasfilm
  • 1944 – David Kelly, Welsh scientist (d. 2003)
  • 1945 – Francesca Annis, English actress
  • 1945 – George Nicholls, English rugby player
  • 1945 – Yochanan Vollach, Israeli footballer
  • 1946 – Sarah Hogg, Viscountess Hailsham, English economist and journalist
  • 1947 – Al Ciner, American pop-rock guitarist
  • 1947 – Ana Martín, Mexican actress, singer producer and former model (Miss Mexico 1963)
  • 1948 – Timothy Stevenson, English lawyer and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire
  • 1948 – Bob Woolmer, Indian-English cricketer and coach (d. 2007)
  • 1949 – Sverre Årnes, Norwegian author, screenwriter, and director
  • 1949 – Walter Day, American game designer and businessman, founded Twin Galaxies
  • 1949 – Johan Schans, Dutch swimmer
  • 1949 – Klaus-Peter Thaler, German cyclist
  • 1951 – Jay Beckenstein, American saxophonist
  • 1952 – David Byrne, Scottish singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
  • 1952 – Michael Fallon, Scottish politician, Secretary of State for Defence
  • 1952 – Orna Grumberg, Israeli computer scientist and academic
  • 1952 – Raul Mälk, Estonian politician, 22nd Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs
  • 1952 – Wim Mertens, Belgian composer, countertenor vocalist, pianist, guitarist, and musicologist.
  • 1952 – Donald R. McMonagle, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut
  • 1952 – Robert Zemeckis, American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1953 – Tom Cochrane, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1953 – Hywel Williams, Welsh politician
  • 1955 – Marie Chouinard, Canadian dancer and choreographer
  • 1955 – Alasdair Fraser, Scottish fiddler
  • 1955 – Peter Kirsten, South African cricketer and rugby player
  • 1955 – Dennis Martínez, Nicaraguan baseball player and coach
  • 1955 – Jens Sparschuh, German author and playwright
  • 1956 – Hazel Blears, English lawyer and politician, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
  • 1956 – Steve Hogarth, English singer-songwriter and keyboardist
  • 1958 – Christine Brennan, American journalist and author
  • 1958 – Chris Evans, English-Australian politician, 26th Australian Minister for Employment
  • 1958 – Rudy Pérez, Cuban-born American composer and music producer
  • 1958 – Wilma Rusman, Dutch runner
  • 1959 – Carlisle Best, Barbadian cricketer
  • 1959 – Patrick Bruel, French actor, singer, and poker player
  • 1959 – Markus Büchel, Liechtensteiner politician, 9th Prime Minister of Liechtenstein (d. 2013)
  • 1959 – Robert Greene, American author and translator
  • 1959 – John Holt, American football player (d. 2013)
  • 1959 – Rick Vaive, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1959 – Heather Wheeler, English politician
  • 1960 – Anne Clark, English singer-songwriter and poet
  • 1960 – Alec Dankworth, English bassist and composer
  • 1960 – Frank Nobilo, New Zealand golfer
  • 1960 – Ronan Tynan, Irish tenor
  • 1961 – David Quantick, English journalist and critic
  • 1961 – Tommy Rogers, American wrestler (d. 2015)
  • 1961 – Tim Roth, English actor and director
  • 1961 – Alain Vigneault, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1962 – Ian Astbury, English-Canadian singer-songwriter
  • 1962 – C.C. DeVille, American guitarist, songwriter, and actor
  • 1962 – Danny Huston, Italian-American actor and director
  • 1963 – Pat Borders, American baseball player and coach
  • 1963 – David Yelland, English journalist and author
  • 1964 – James M. Kelly, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut
  • 1964 – Suzy Kolber, American sportscaster and producer
  • 1964 – Alan McIndoe, Australian rugby league player
  • 1964 – Eric Peterson, American guitarist and songwriter
  • 1965 – Eoin Colfer, Irish author
  • 1966 – Marianne Denicourt, French actress, director, and screenwriter
  • 1966 – Mike Inez, American rock bass player and songwriter
  • 1966 – Fab Morvan, French singer-songwriter, dancer and model
  • 1966 – Raphael Saadiq, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1967 – Natasha Kaiser-Brown, American sprinter and coach
  • 1967 – Tony Siragusa, American football player and journalist
  • 1968 – Mary DePiero, Canadian diver
  • 1969 – Cate Blanchett, Australian actress
  • 1969 – Sabine Schmitz, German race car driver and sportscaster
  • 1969 – Henry Smith, English politician
  • 1969 – Danny Wood, American singer-songwriter, record producer, and choreographer
  • 1971 – Deanne Bray, American actress
  • 1971 – Sofia Coppola, American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1971 – Martin Reim, Estonian footballer and manager
  • 1972 – Kirstjen Nielsen, American attorney, 6th United States Secretary of Homeland Security
  • 1973 – Natalie Appleton, Canadian singer and actress
  • 1973 – Voshon Lenard, American basketball player
  • 1973 – Fraser Nelson, Scottish journalist
  • 1973 – Hakan Ünsal, Turkish footballer and sportscaster
  • 1973 – Julian White, English rugby player
  • 1974 – Anu Välba, Estonian journalist
  • 1975 – Nicki Sørensen, Danish cyclist
  • 1976 – Hunter Burgan, American bass player
  • 1976 – Brian Lawrence, American baseball player and coach
  • 1976 – Martine McCutcheon, English actress and singer
  • 1977 – Sophie Anderton, English model and actress
  • 1977 – Roy Halladay, American baseball player (d. 2017)
  • 1977 – Ada Nicodemou, Cypriot-Australian actress
  • 1978 – Brent Harvey, Australian footballer
  • 1978 – Eddie House, American basketball player
  • 1978 – André Macanga, Angolan footballer and manager
  • 1978 – Gustavo Varela, Uruguayan footballer
  • 1979 – Dan Auerbach, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1979 – Edwige Lawson-Wade, French basketball player
  • 1979 – Clinton Morrison, English-Irish footballer
  • 1979 – Carlos Tenorio, Ecuadorian footballer
  • 1980 – Zdeněk Grygera, Czech footballer
  • 1980 – Pavel Londak, Estonian footballer
  • 1980 – Eugene Martineau, Dutch decathlete
  • 1980 – Júlia Sebestyén, Hungarian figure skater
  • 1980 – Hugo Southwell, English-Scottish rugby player
  • 1980 – Joe van Niekerk, South African rugby player
  • 1981 – Pranav Mistry, Indian computer scientist, invented SixthSense
  • 1983 – Anahí, Mexican singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
  • 1983 – Keeley Donovan, English journalist
  • 1983 – Frank Gore, American football player
  • 1983 – Uroš Slokar, Slovenian basketball player
  • 1983 – Tatenda Taibu, Zimbabwean cricketer
  • 1983 – Amber Tamblyn, American actress, author, model, director
  • 1984 – Gary Ablett, Jr., Australian footballer
  • 1984 – Luke Gregerson, American baseball player
  • 1984 – Olly Murs, English singer-songwriter
  • 1984 – Michael Rensing, German footballer
  • 1984 – Indrek Siska, Estonian footballer
  • 1984 – Mark Zuckerberg, American computer programmer and businessman, co-founded Facebook
  • 1985 – Dustin Lynch, American singer-songwriter
  • 1985 – Sam Perrett, New Zealand rugby league player
  • 1985 – Simona Peycheva, Bulgarian gymnast
  • 1985 – Zack Ryder, American wrestler
  • 1986 – Andrea Bovo, Italian footballer
  • 1986 – Clay Matthews III, American football player
  • 1986 – Marco Motta, Italian footballer
  • 1987 – Jeong Min-hyeong, South Korean footballer (d. 2012)
  • 1987 – Franck Songo’o, Cameroonian footballer
  • 1987 – François Steyn, South African rugby player
  • 1988 – Jayne Appel, American basketball player
  • 1989 – Rob Gronkowski, American football player
  • 1989 – Alina Talay, Belorussian hurdler
  • 1993 – Miranda Cosgrove, American actress and singer
  • 1993 – Kristina Mladenovic, French tennis player
  • 1993 – Bence Rakaczki, Hungarian footballer (d. 2014)
  • 1994 – Marcos Aoás Corrêa, Brazilian footballer
  • 1994 – Pernille Blume, Danish swimmer
  • 1994 – Bronte Campbell, Australian swimmer
  • 1994 – Dennis Praet, Belgian footballer
  • 1995 – Bernardo Fernandes da Silva Junior, Brazilian footballer
  • 1995 – Jonah Placid, Australian rugby player
  • 1996 – Martin Garrix, Dutch DJ
  • 2001 – Jack Hughes, American hockey player

Deaths on May 14

  • 649 – Pope Theodore I
  • 934 – Zhu Hongzhao, Chinese general and governor
  • 964 – Pope John XII (b. 927)
  • 1080 – William Walcher, Bishop of Durham
  • 1219 – William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke, English soldier and politician (b. 1147)
  • 1470 – Charles VIII of Sweden (b. 1409)
  • 1576 – Tahmasp I, Shah of Persia (b. 1514)
  • 1603 – Magnus II, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg (b. 1543)
  • 1608 – Charles III, Duke of Lorraine (b. 1543)
  • 1610 – Henry IV of France (b. 1553)
  • 1643 – Louis XIII of France (b. 1601)
  • 1649 – Friedrich Spanheim, Swiss theologian and academic (b. 1600)
  • 1667 – Georges de Scudéry, French author, poet, and playwright (b. 1601)
  • 1688 – Antoine Furetière, French scholar, lexicographer, and author (b. 1619)
  • 1754 – Pierre-Claude Nivelle de La Chaussée, French playwright and producer (b. 1692)
  • 1761 – Thomas Simpson, English mathematician and academic (b. 1710)
  • 1847 – Fanny Mendelssohn, German pianist and composer (b. 1805)
  • 1860 – Ludwig Bechstein, German author (b. 1801)
  • 1873 – Gideon Brecher, Austrian physician and author (b. 1797)
  • 1878 – Ōkubo Toshimichi, Japanese samurai and politician (b. 1830)
  • 1881 – Mary Seacole, Jamaican-English nurse and author (b. 1805)
  • 1889 – Volney Howard, American lawyer, jurist, and politician (b. 1809)
  • 1893 – Ernst Kummer, German mathematician and academic (b. 1810)
  • 1906 – Carl Schurz, German-American general, journalist, and politician, 13th United States Secretary of the Interior (b. 1829)
  • 1912 – Frederick VIII of Denmark (b. 1843)
  • 1912 – August Strindberg, Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist (b. 1849)
  • 1918 – James Gordon Bennett, Jr., American journalist and publisher (b. 1841)
  • 1919 – Henry J. Heinz, American businessman, founded the H. J. Heinz Company (b. 1844)
  • 1923 – N. G. Chandavarkar, Indian jurist and politician (b. 1855)
  • 1923 – Charles de Freycinet, French engineer and politician, 43rd Prime Minister of France (b. 1828)
  • 1931 – David Belasco, American director, producer, and playwright (b. 1853)
  • 1934 – Lou Criger, American baseball player and manager (b. 1872)
  • 1935 – Magnus Hirschfeld, German physician and sexologist (b. 1868)
  • 1936 – Edmund Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby, English field marshal and diplomat, British High Commissioner in Egypt (b. 1861)
  • 1940 – Emma Goldman, Lithuanian author and activist (b. 1869)
  • 1940 – Menno ter Braak, Dutch author (b. 1902)
  • 1943 – Henri La Fontaine, Belgian lawyer and author, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1854)
  • 1945 – Heber J. Grant, American religious leader, 7th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (b. 1856)
  • 1945 – Wolfgang Lüth, Latvian-German captain (b. 1913)
  • 1945 – Isis Pogson, English astronomer and meteorologist (b. 1852)
  • 1953 – Yasuo Kuniyoshi, American painter and photographer (b. 1893)
  • 1954 – Heinz Guderian, Prussian-German general (b. 1888)
  • 1956 – Joan Malleson, English physician (b. 1889)
  • 1957 – Marie Vassilieff, Russian-French painter (b. 1884)
  • 1959 – Sidney Bechet, American saxophonist, clarinet player, and composer (b. 1897)
  • 1959 – Infanta Maria Antonia of Portugal (b. 1862)
  • 1960 – Lucrezia Bori, Spanish soprano and actress (b. 1887)
  • 1962 – Florence Auer, American actress and screenwriter (b. 1880)
  • 1968 – Husband E. Kimmel, American admiral (b. 1882)
  • 1969 – Enid Bennett, Australian-American actress (b. 1893)
  • 1969 – Frederick Lane, Australian swimmer (b. 1888)
  • 1970 – Billie Burke, American actress and singer (b. 1884)
  • 1973 – Jean Gebser, German linguist, philosopher, and poet (b. 1905)
  • 1976 – Keith Relf, English singer-songwriter, harmonica player, and producer (b. 1943)
  • 1979 – Jean Rhys, Dominican-English novelist (b. 1890)
  • 1980 – Hugh Griffith, Welsh actor (b. 1912)
  • 1982 – Hugh Beaumont, American actor (b. 1909)
  • 1983 – Roger J. Traynor, American academic and jurist, 23rd Chief Justice of California (b. 1900)
  • 1983 – Miguel Alemán Valdés, Mexican politician, 46th President of Mexico (b. 1900)
  • 1984 – Ted Hicks, Australian public servant and diplomat, Australian High Commissioner to New Zealand (b. 1910)
  • 1984 – Walter Rauff, German SS officer (b. 1906)
  • 1987 – Rita Hayworth, American actress and dancer (b. 1918)
  • 1987 – Vitomil Zupan, Slovenian poet and playwright (b. 1914)
  • 1988 – Willem Drees, Dutch politician and historian, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (1948–1958) (b. 1886)
  • 1991 – Aladár Gerevich, Hungarian fencer (b. 1910)
  • 1992 – Nie Rongzhen, Chinese general and politician, Mayor of Beijing (b. 1899)
  • 1993 – William Randolph Hearst, Jr., American journalist and publisher (b. 1908)
  • 1994 – Cihat Arman, Turkish footballer and manager (b. 1915)
  • 1994 – W. Graham Claytor Jr., American businessman, lieutenant, and politician, 15th United States Secretary of the Navy (b. 1914)
  • 1995 – Christian B. Anfinsen, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1916)
  • 1997 – Harry Blackstone Jr., American magician and author (b. 1934)
  • 1997 – Boris Parsadanian, Armenian-Estonian violinist and composer (b. 1925)
  • 1998 – Marjory Stoneman Douglas, American journalist and environmentalist (b. 1890)
  • 1998 – Frank Sinatra, American singer and actor (b. 1915)
  • 2000 – Keizō Obuchi, Japanese politician, 84th Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1937)
  • 2001 – Paul Bénichou, French writer, intellectual, critic, and literary historian (b. 1908)
  • 2001 – Gil Langley, Australian cricketer, footballer, and politician (b. 1919)
  • 2003 – Dave DeBusschere, American basketball player and coach (b. 1940)
  • 2003 – Wendy Hiller, English actress (b. 1912)
  • 2003 – Robert Stack, American actor and producer (b. 1919)
  • 2004 – Anna Lee, English-American actress (b. 1913)
  • 2005 – Jimmy Martin, American musician (b. 1927)
  • 2006 – Lew Anderson, American actor and saxophonist (b. 1922)
  • 2006 – Stanley Kunitz, American poet and translator (b. 1905)
  • 2006 – Eva Norvind, Mexican actress, director, and producer (b. 1944)
  • 2007 – Mary Scheier, American sculptor and educator (b. 1908)
  • 2007 – Ülo Jõgi, Estonian historian and author (b. 1921)
  • 2010 – Frank J. Dodd, American businessman and politician, president of the New Jersey Senate (b. 1938)
  • 2010 – Norman Hand, American football player (b. 1972)
  • 2010 – Goh Keng Swee, Singaporean soldier and politician, 2nd Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore (b. 1918)
  • 2012 – Ernst Hinterberger, Austrian author and screenwriter (b. 1931)
  • 2012 – Mario Trejo, Argentinian poet, playwright, and journalist (b. 1926)
  • 2013 – Wayne Brown, American accountant and politician, 14th Mayor of Mesa (b. 1936)
  • 2013 – Arsen Chilingaryan, Armenian footballer and manager (b. 1962)
  • 2013 – Asghar Ali Engineer, Indian author and activist (b. 1939)
  • 2013 – Ray Guy, Canadian journalist (b. 1939)
  • 2014 – Jeffrey Kruger, English-American businessman (b. 1931)
  • 2014 – Emanuel Raymond Lewis, American librarian and author (b. 1928)
  • 2014 – Morvin Simon, New Zealand historian, composer, and conductor (b. 1944)
  • 2015 – B.B. King, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1925)
  • 2015 – Micheál O’Brien, Irish footballer and hurler (b. 1923)
  • 2015 – Stanton J. Peale, American astrophysicist and academic (b. 1937)
  • 2015 – Franz Wright, Austrian-American poet and translator (b. 1953)
  • 2016 – Darwyn Cooke, American comic book writer and artist (b. 1962)
  • 2017 – Powers Boothe, American actor (b. 1948)
  • 2018 – Tom Wolfe, American author (b. 1931)
  • 2019 – Tim Conway, American actor, writer (b. 1933)

Holidays and observances on May 14

  • Christian feast day:
    • Boniface of Tarsus
    • Engelmund of Velsen
    • Matthias the Apostle (Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Communion)
    • Michael Garicoïts
    • Mo Chutu of Lismore (Roman Catholic Church)
    • Victor and Corona
    • May 14 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Earliest day on which the first day of Sanja Matsuri can fall, while May 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third weekend of May. (Sensō-ji, Tokyo)
  • Flag Day (Paraguay)
  • Hastings Banda’s Birthday (Malawi)
  • National Unification Day (Liberia)
  • The first day of Izumo-taisha Shrine Grand Festival. (Izumo-taisha)

May 14 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

May 12 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 254 – Pope Stephen I succeeds Pope Lucius I, becoming the 23rd pope of the Catholic Church.
  • 907 – Zhu Wen forces Emperor Ai into abdicating, ending the Tang dynasty after nearly three hundred years of rule.
  • 1191 – Richard I of England marries Berengaria of Navarre in Cyprus; she is crowned Queen consort of England the same day.
  • 1328 – Antipope Nicholas V, a claimant to the papacy, is consecrated in Rome by the Bishop of Venice.
  • 1364 – Jagiellonian University, the oldest university in Poland, is founded in Kraków.
  • 1510 – The Prince of Anhua rebellion begins when Zhu Zhifan kills all the officials invited to a banquet and declares his intent on ousting the powerful Ming dynasty eunuch Liu Jin during the reign of the Zhengde Emperor.
  • 1551 – National University of San Marcos, the oldest university in the Americas, is founded in Lima, Peru.
  • 1588 – French Wars of Religion: Henry III of France flees Paris after Henry I, Duke of Guise, enters the city and a spontaneous uprising occurs.
  • 1593 – London playwright Thomas Kyd is arrested and tortured by the Privy Council for libel.
  • 1743 – Maria Theresa of Austria is crowned Queen of Bohemia after defeating her rival, Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor.
  • 1778 – Heinrich XI, count of the Principality of Reuss-Greiz, is elevated to Prince by Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor.
  • 1780 – American Revolutionary War: In the largest defeat of the Continental Army, Charleston, South Carolina is taken by British forces.
  • 1797 – War of the First Coalition: Napoleon I of France conquers Venice.
  • 1821 – The first major battle of the Greek War of Independence against the Turks is fought in Valtetsi.
  • 1846 – The Donner Party of pioneers departs Independence, Missouri for California, on what will become a year-long journey of hardship and cannibalism.
  • 1862 – American Civil War: U.S. federal troops occupy Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
  • 1863 – American Civil War: Battle of Raymond: Two divisions of James B. McPherson’s XVII Corps turn the left wing of Confederate General John C. Pemberton’s defensive line on Fourteen Mile Creek, opening up the interior of Mississippi to the Union Army during the Vicksburg Campaign.
  • 1864 – American Civil War: The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House: Union troops assault a Confederate salient known as the “Mule Shoe”, with the fiercest fighting of the war, much of it hand-to-hand combat, occurring at “the Bloody Angle” on the northwest.
  • 1865 – American Civil War: The Battle of Palmito Ranch: The first day of the last major land action to take place during the Civil War, resulting in a Confederate victory.
  • 1870 – The Manitoba Act is given the Royal Assent, paving the way for Manitoba to become a province of Canada on July 15.
  • 1881 – In North Africa, Tunisia becomes a French protectorate.
  • 1885 – North-West Rebellion: The four-day Battle of Batoche, pitting rebel Métis against the Canadian government, comes to an end with a decisive rebel defeat.
  • 1888 – In Southeast Asia, the North Borneo Chartered Company’s territories become the British protectorate of North Borneo.
  • 1926 – The Italian-built airship Norge becomes the first vessel to fly over the North Pole.
  • 1932 – Ten weeks after his abduction, Charles Jr., the infant son of Charles Lindbergh, is found dead near Hopewell, New Jersey, just a few miles from the Lindberghs’ home.
  • 1933 – The Agricultural Adjustment Act, which restricts agricultural production through government purchase of livestock for slaughter and paying subsidies to farmers when they remove land from planting, is signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
  • 1937 – The Duke and Duchess of York are crowned as King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Westminster Abbey.
  • 1941 – Konrad Zuse presents the Z3, the world’s first working programmable, fully automatic computer, in Berlin.
  • 1942 – World War II: Second Battle of Kharkov: In eastern Ukraine, Red Army forces under Marshal Semyon Timoshenko launch a major offensive from the Izium bridgehead, only to be encircled and destroyed by the troops of Army Group South two weeks later.
  • 1942 – World War II: The U.S. tanker SS Virginia is torpedoed in the mouth of the Mississippi River by the German submarine U-507.
  • 1948 – Wilhelmina, Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, cedes the throne.
  • 1949 – Cold War: The Soviet Union lifts its blockade of Berlin.
  • 1965 – The Soviet spacecraft Luna 5 crashes on the Moon.
  • 1968 – Vietnam War: North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces attack Australian troops defending Fire Support Base Coral.
  • 1978 – In Zaire, rebels occupy the city of Kolwezi, the mining center of the province of Shaba (now known as Katanga); the local government asks the US, France and Belgium to restore order.
  • 1981 – Francis Hughes, Provisional IRA hunger striker, dies in the Maze Prison, Northern Ireland.
  • 1982 – During a procession outside the shrine of the Virgin Mary in Fátima, Portugal, security guards overpower Juan María Fernández y Krohn before he can attack Pope John Paul II with a bayonet.
  • 1989 – The San Bernardino train disaster kills four people. A week later an underground gasoline pipeline explodes killing two more people.
  • 1998 – Four students are shot at Trisakti University, leading to widespread riots and the fall of Suharto.
  • 2002 – Former US President Jimmy Carter arrives in Cuba for a five-day visit with Fidel Castro, becoming the first President of the United States, in or out of office, to visit the island since Castro’s 1959 revolution.
  • 2003 – The Riyadh compound bombings, carried out by al-Qaeda, kill 26 people.
  • 2006 – Mass unrest by the Primeiro Comando da Capital begins in São Paulo (Brazil), leaving at least 150 dead.
  • 2006 – Iranian Azeris interpret a cartoon published in an Iranian magazine as insulting, resulting in massive riots throughout the country.
  • 2008 – An earthquake (measuring around 8.0 magnitude) occurs in Sichuan, China, killing over 69,000 people.
  • 2008 – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducts the largest-ever raid of a workplace in Postville, Iowa, arresting nearly 400 immigrants for identity theft and document fraud.
  • 2010 – Afriqiyah Airways Flight 771 crashes on final approach to Tripoli International Airport in Tripoli, Libya, killing 103 out of the 104 people on board.
  • 2015 – A train derailment in Philadelphia kills eight people and injures more than 200.
  • 2015 – Massive Nepal earthquake kills 218 people and injures more than 3500.
  • 2017 – The WannaCry ransomware attack impacts over 400 thousand computers worldwide, targeting computers of the United Kingdom’s National Health Services and Telefónica computers.
  • 2018 – Paris knife attack: A man was fatally shot by police in Paris after killing one and injuring several others.

Births on May 13

1401 – Emperor Shōkō of Japan (d. 1428)

  • 1479 – Pompeo Colonna, Catholic cardinal (d. 1532)
  • 1496 – Gustav I of Sweden (d. 1560)
  • 1590 – Cosimo II de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (d. 1621)
  • 1606 – Joachim von Sandrart, German art-historian and painter (d. 1688)
  • 1622 – Louis de Buade de Frontenac, French-Canadian soldier and politician, 3rd Governor General of New France (d. 1698)
  • 1626 – Louis Hennepin, Flemish priest and missionary (d. 1705)
  • 1670 – Augustus II the Strong, Polish king (d. 1733)
  • 1700 – Luigi Vanvitelli, Italian architect and engineer, designed the Palace of Caserta and Royal Palace of Milan (d. 1773)
  • 1725 – Louis Philippe I, Duke of Orléans (d. 1785)
  • 1739 – Johann Baptist Wanhal, Czech-Austrian organist and composer (d. 1813)
  • 1754 – Franz Anton Hoffmeister, German composer and publisher (d. 1812)
  • 1755 – Giovanni Battista Viotti, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1824)
  • 1767 – Manuel Godoy, Spanish field marshal and politician, Prime Minister of Spain (d. 1851)
  • 1774 – Ellis Cunliffe Lister, English politician (d. 1853)
  • 1777 – Mary Reibey, Australian businesswoman (d. 1855)
  • 1803 – Justus von Liebig, German chemist and academic (d. 1873)
  • 1804 – Robert Baldwin, Canadian lawyer and politician, 3rd Premier of West Canada (d. 1858)
  • 1806 – Johan Vilhelm Snellman, Finnish philosopher and politician (d. 1881)
  • 1812 – Edward Lear, English poet and illustrator (d. 1888)
  • 1814 – Adolf von Henselt, German pianist and composer (d. 1889)
  • 1820 – Florence Nightingale, Italian-English nurse, social reformer, and statistician (d. 1910)
  • 1825 – Orélie-Antoine de Tounens, French lawyer and explorer (d. 1878)
  • 1828 – Dante Gabriel Rossetti, English poet and painter (d. 1882)
  • 1829 – Pavlos Carrer, Greek composer and educator (d. 1896)
  • 1839 – Tôn Thất Thuyết, Vietnamese mandarin (d. 1913)
  • 1840 – Alejandro Gorostiaga, Chilean colonel (d. 1912)
  • 1842 – Jules Massenet, French composer (d. 1912)
  • 1845 – Gabriel Fauré, French pianist, composer, and educator (d. 1924)
  • 1850 – Henry Cabot Lodge, American historian and politician (d. 1924)
  • 1850 – Frederick Holder, Australian politician, 19th Premier of South Australia (d. 1909)
  • 1859 – William Alden Smith, American lawyer and politician (d. 1932)
  • 1859 – Frank Wilson, English-Australian politician, 9th Premier of Western Australia (d. 1918)
  • 1863 – Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury, Bengali writer, painter, violin player and composer, technologist and entrepreneur. (d. 1915)
  • 1867 – Hugh Trumble, Australian cricketer and accountant (d. 1938)
  • 1869 – Carl Schuhmann, German gymnast, wrestler, and weightlifter (d. 1946)
  • 1872 – Anton Korošec, Slovenian priest and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Yugoslavia (d. 1940)
  • 1873 – J. E. H. MacDonald, English-Canadian painter (d. 1932)
  • 1874 – Clemens von Pirquet, Austrian pediatrician and immunologist (d. 1929)
  • 1875 – Charles Holden, English architect, designed the Bristol Central Library (d. 1960)
  • 1880 – Lincoln Ellsworth, American explorer (d. 1951)
  • 1885 – Paltiel Daykan, Lithuanian-Israeli lawyer and jurist (d. 1969)
  • 1885 – Saneatsu Mushanokōji, Japanese author (d. 1976)
  • 1886 – Ernst A. Lehmann, German captain and pilot (d. 1937)
  • 1899 – Abelardo L. Rodríguez, substitute president of Mexico (d. 1967)
  • 1889 – Otto Frank, German-Swiss businessman and Holocaust survivor; father of diarist Anne Frank (d. 1980)
  • 1892 – Fritz Kortner, Austrian-German actor and director (d. 1970)
  • 1895 – William Giauque, Canadian-American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1982)
  • 1895 – Jiddu Krishnamurti, Indian-American philosopher and author (d. 1986)
  • 1900 – Helene Weigel, Austrian-German actress (d. 1971)
  • 1901 – The Duke of Paducah, American country comedian, radio host and banjo player (d. 1986)
  • 1903 – Faith Bennett, British actress and ATA pilot during WWII (d. 1969)
  • 1903 – Wilfrid Hyde-White, English actor (d. 1991)
  • 1905 – Édouard Rinfret, Canadian lawyer and politician, Postmaster General of Canada (d. 1994)
  • 1907 – Leslie Charteris, English author and screenwriter (d. 1993)
  • 1907 – Katharine Hepburn, American actress (d. 2003)
  • 1908 – Nicholas Kaldor, Hungarian-English economist (d. 1986)
  • 1910 – James Dudley, American baseball player, wrestling manager and executive (d. 2004)
  • 1910 – Johan Ferrier, Surinamese educator and politician, 1st President of Suriname (d. 2010)
  • 1910 – Dorothy Hodgkin, English biochemist, crystallographer, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1994)
  • 1910 – Gordon Jenkins, American pianist and composer (d. 1984)
  • 1911 – Charles Biro, American author and illustrator (d. 1972)
  • 1912 – Henry Jonsson, Swedish runner (d. 2001)
  • 1912 – Marshal Royal, American saxophonist and clarinet player (d. 1995)
  • 1914 – Bertus Aafjes, Dutch poet and author (d. 1993)
  • 1914 – Howard K. Smith, American journalist and actor (d. 2002)
  • 1915 – Tony Strobl, American comics artist and animator (d. 1991)
  • 1916 – Albert Murray, American author and critic (d. 2013)
  • 1918 – Mary Kay Ash, American businesswoman, founded Mary Kay Cosmetics (d. 2001)
  • 1918 – Julius Rosenberg, American spy (d. 1953)
  • 1921 – Joseph Beuys, German sculptor and illustrator (d. 1986)
  • 1921 – Farley Mowat, Canadian environmentalist and author (d. 2014)
  • 1922 – Marco Denevi, Argentinian lawyer and author (d. 1998)
  • 1922 – Murray Gershenz, American actor and businessman (d. 2013)
  • 1922 – Bob Goldham, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster (d. 1991)
  • 1922 – Roy Salvadori, English race car driver and manager (d. 2012)
  • 1924 – Maxine Cooper, American actress and photographer (d. 2009)
  • 1924 – Alexander Esenin-Volpin, Russian-American mathematician and poet (d. 2016)
  • 1924 – Tony Hancock, English actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1968)
  • 1925 – Yogi Berra, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 2015)
  • 1926 – Paulette Poujol-Oriol, Hatian educator and writer (d. 2011)
  • 1926 – Viren J. Shah, Indian politician, 21st Governor of West Bengal (d. 2013)
  • 1928 – Burt Bacharach, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer
  • 1929 – Sam Nujoma, Namibian politician, 1st President of Namibia
  • 1929 – Dollard St. Laurent, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2015)
  • 1930 – Jesús Franco, Spanish director and screenwriter (d. 2013)
  • 1932 – Joel Joffe, Baron Joffe, South African-English lawyer and politician (d. 2017)
  • 1933 – Andrei Voznesensky, Russian poet (d. 2010)
  • 1935 – Felipe Alou, Dominican-American baseball player, coach, and manager
  • 1935 – Johnny Bucyk, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
  • 1936 – Guillermo Endara, Panamanian lawyer and politician, 32nd President of Panama (d. 2009)
  • 1936 – Tom Snyder, American journalist and talk show host (d. 2007)
  • 1936 – Frank Stella, American painter and sculptor
  • 1937 – Beryl Burton, English cyclist (d. 1996)
  • 1937 – George Carlin, American comedian, actor, and author (d. 2008)
  • 1937 – Susan Hampshire, English actress
  • 1937 – Miriam Stoppard, English physician and author
  • 1938 – Millie Perkins, American actress
  • 1939 – Cyril Chantler, English pediatrician and academic
  • 1939 – Jalal Dabagh, Kurdish journalist and politician
  • 1939 – Miltiadis Evert, Greek minister and politician, 69th Mayor of Athens (d. 2011)
  • 1939 – Reg Gasnier, Australian rugby league player, coach, and sportscaster (d. 2014)
  • 1939 – Ron Ziegler, American politician, White House Press Secretary (d. 2003)
  • 1940 – Lill Lindfors, Swedish singer
  • 1940 – Norman Whitfield, American songwriter and producer (d. 2008)
  • 1941 – Ruud de Wolff, Dutch singer (d. 2000)
  • 1942 – Ian Dury, English singer-songwriter (d. 2000)
  • 1942 – Michel Fugain, French singer-songwriter
  • 1942 – Billy Swan, American country singer-songwriter
  • 1942 – Dragoljub Velimirović, Serbian chess player and theoretician (d. 2014)
  • 1944 – Chris Patten, English academic and politician, 28th Governor of Hong Kong
  • 1945 – Alan Ball, Jr., English footballer and manager (d. 2007)
  • 1945 – Ian McLagan, English keyboard player and songwriter (d. 2014)
  • 1945 – Patrick Ricard, French businessman (d. 2012)
  • 1946 – Daniel Libeskind, American architect, designed the Imperial War Museum North and Jewish Museum
  • 1947 – Michael Ignatieff, Canadian journalist and politician
  • 1948 – Lindsay Crouse, American actress
  • 1948 – Dave Heineman, American captain and politician, 39th Governor of Nebraska
  • 1948 – Richard Riehle, American actor
  • 1948 – Steve Winwood, English singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist
  • 1949 – Ross Bleckner, American painter
  • 1950 – Bruce Boxleitner, American actor and author
  • 1950 – Gabriel Byrne, Irish actor, director, and producer
  • 1950 – Helena Kennedy, Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws, Scottish lawyer, academic, and politician
  • 1950 – Billy Squier, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1951 – George Karl, American basketball player and coach
  • 1955 – Kix Brooks, American country music singer-songwriter and musician
  • 1956 – Bernie Federko, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager
  • 1956 – Sergio Marchi, Argentinean-Canadian urban planner and politician, 10th Canadian Minister of International Trade
  • 1956 – Greg Phillinganes, American keyboardist
  • 1956 – Asad Rauf, Pakistani cricketer and umpire
  • 1957 – Ziya Onis, Turkish economist and academic
  • 1958 – Kim Greist, American actress
  • 1958 – Andreas Petroulakis, Greek cartoonist
  • 1958 – Dries van Noten, Belgian fashion designer
  • 1959 – Dave Christian, American ice hockey player
  • 1959 – Ray Gillen, American rock singer-songwriter (d. 1993)
  • 1959 – Ving Rhames, American actor
  • 1960 – Lisa Martin, Australian runner
  • 1961 – Thomas Dooley, German-American soccer player and manager
  • 1961 – Billy Duffy, English rock guitarist and songwriter
  • 1961 – Bruce McCulloch, Canadian actor and comedian
  • 1962 – Emilio Estevez, American actor
  • 1962 – Brett Gurewitz, American guitarist and songwriter
  • 1962 – Gregory H. Johnson, English-born American astronaut
  • 1963 – Panagiotis Fasoulas, Greek basketball player and politician
  • 1963 – Gavin Hood, South African actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1963 – Stefano Modena, Italian race car driver
  • 1963 – Vanessa A. Williams, American actress and producer
  • 1964 – Pierre Morel, French director and cinematographer
  • 1965 – Renée Simonsen, Danish model and writer
  • 1965 – Stacy Wilson, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1966 – Stephen Baldwin, American actor
  • 1966 – Bebel Gilberto, American-Brazilian singer-songwriter
  • 1966 – Deborah Kara Unger, Canadian actress
  • 1967 – Mireille Bousquet-Mélou, French mathematician
  • 1967 – Bill Shorten, Australian politician
  • 1968 – Tony Hawk, American skateboarder and actor
  • 1968 – Catherine Tate, English actress and screenwriter
  • 1969 – Suzanne Clément, Canadian actress
  • 1969 – Kim Fields, American actress
  • 1970 – Mark Foster, English swimmer
  • 1970 – Jim Furyk, American golfer
  • 1970 – Samantha Mathis, American actress
  • 1970 – Mike Weir, Canadian golfer
  • 1970 – David A. R. White, American actor and producer
  • 1971 – Doug Basham, American wrestler
  • 1971 – Jamie Luner, American actress
  • 1972 – Christian Campbell, Canadian-American actor, writer and photographer
  • 1973 – Mackenzie Astin, American actor
  • 1973 – Lutz Pfannenstiel, German footballer and manager
  • 1975 – Jonah Lomu, New Zealand rugby player (d. 2015)
  • 1975 – Ricky Ortiz, American professional wrestler and football player
  • 1976 – Kardinal Offishall, Canadian rap musician and producer
  • 1977 – Graeme Dott, Scottish snooker player and coach
  • 1977 – Maryam Mirzakhani, Iranian mathematician (d. 2017)
  • 1977 – Onur Saylak, Turkish actor, filmmaker and director
  • 1977 – Rachel Wilson, Canadian actress and voice actress
  • 1978 – Aaron Abrams, Canadian actor
  • 1978 – Malin Åkerman, Swedish-Canadian model, actress, and singer
  • 1978 – Jason Biggs, American actor and comedian
  • 1978 – Aya Ishiguro, Japanese singer and fashion designer
  • 1979 – Adrian Serioux,Canadian soccer player
  • 1979 – Aaron Yoo, American actor
  • 1980 – Keith Bogans, American basketball player
  • 1981 – Rami Malek, American actor
  • 1981 – Kentaro Sato, Japanese-American composer and conductor
  • 1981 – Dennis Trillo, Filipino actor and singer
  • 1982 – Donnie Nietes, Filipino boxer
  • 1983 – Domhnall Gleeson, Irish actor
  • 1983 – Alina Kabaeva, Russian gymnast and politician
  • 1983 – Yujiro Kushida, Japanese wrestler and mixed martial artist
  • 1983 – Charilaos Pappas, Greek footballer
  • 1983 – Virginie Razzano, French tennis player
  • 1983 – Francisco Javier Torres, Mexican footballer
  • 1984 – Clare Bowen, Australian actress and singer
  • 1985 – Paolo Goltz, Argentinian footballer
  • 1985 – Andrew Howe, Italian long jumper and sprinter
  • 1985 – Jeroen Simaeys, Belgian footballer
  • 1986 – Jonathan Orozco, Mexican footballer
  • 1986 – Emily VanCamp, Canadian actress
  • 1987 – Kieron Pollard, Trinidadian cricketer
  • 1988 – Marcelo, Brazilian footballer
  • 1989 – Eleftheria Eleftheriou, Greek Cypriot singer, musician, and actress
  • 1990 – Florent Amodio, French figure skater
  • 1992 – Volha Khudzenka, Belarusian kayaker
  • 1995 – Luke Benward, American actor and singer
  • 1995 – Irina Khromacheva, Russian tennis player
  • 1997 – Morgan Lake, English athlete

Deaths on May 12

  • 805 – Æthelhard, archbishop of Canterbury
  • 940 – Eutychius, patriarch of Alexandria (b. 877)
  • 1003 – Sylvester II, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 946)
  • 1012 – Sergius IV, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 970)
  • 1090 – Liutold of Eppenstein, duke of Carinthia
  • 1161 – Fergus of Galloway, Scottish nobleman
  • 1182 – Valdemar I, king of Denmark (b. 1131)
  • 1331 – Engelbert of Admont, Benedictine abbot and scholar
  • 1382 – Joanna I, queen of Naples (b. 1328)
  • 1465 – Thomas Palaiologos, Despot of Morea (b. 1409)
  • 1490 – Joanna, Portuguese princess and regent (b. 1452)
  • 1529 – Cecily Bonville, 7th Baroness Harington, English noblewoman (b. 1460)
  • 1599 – Murad Mirza, Mughal prince (b. 1570)
  • 1634 – George Chapman, English poet and playwright (b. 1559)
  • 1641 – Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford, English soldier and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (b. 1593)
  • 1684 – Edme Mariotte, French physicist and priest (b. 1620)
  • 1699 – Lucas Achtschellinck, Flemish painter (b. 1626)
  • 1700 – John Dryden, English poet, playwright, and critic (b. 1631)
  • 1708 – Adolphus Frederick II, duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (b. 1658)
  • 1748 – Thomas Lowndes, English astronomer and academic (b. 1692)
  • 1759 – Lambert-Sigisbert Adam, French sculptor (b. 1700)
  • 1784 – Abraham Trembley, Swiss zoologist and academic (b. 1710)
  • 1792 – Charles Simon Favart, French playwright and composer (b. 1710)
  • 1796 – Johann Uz, German poet and author (b. 1720)
  • 1801 – Nicholas Repnin, Russian general and politician, Governor-General of Baltic provinces (b. 1734)
  • 1842 – Walenty Wańkowicz, Belarusian-Polish painter (b. 1799)
  • 1845 – János Batsányi, Hungarian poet and academic (b. 1763)
  • 1856 – Jacques Philippe Marie Binet, French mathematician, physicist, and astronomer (b. 1786)
  • 1859 – Sergey Aksakov, Russian author and academic (b. 1791)
  • 1860 – Charles Barry, English architect, designed Upper Brook Street Chapel and the Palace of Westminster (b. 1795)
  • 1864 – J. E. B. Stuart, American general (b. 1833)
  • 1867 – Friedrich Wilhelm Eduard Gerhard, German archaeologist and academic (b. 1795)
  • 1878 – Anselme Payen, French chemist and academic (b. 1795)
  • 1876 – Georgi Benkovski, Bulgarian activist (b. 1843)
  • 1884 – Bedřich Smetana, Czech composer and educator (b. 1824)
  • 1907 – Joris-Karl Huysmans, French author and critic (b. 1848)
  • 1916 – James Connolly, Scottish-born Irish socialist and rebel leader (b. 1868)
  • 1925 – Amy Lowell, American poet and critic (b. 1874)
  • 1931 – Eugène Ysaÿe, Belgian violinist, composer, and conductor (b. 1858)
  • 1935 – Józef Piłsudski, Polish field marshal and politician, 15th Prime Minister of Poland (b. 1867)
  • 1944 – Max Brand, American journalist and author (b. 1892)
  • 1944 – Arthur Quiller-Couch, English author, poet, and critic (b. 1863)
  • 1956 – Louis Calhern, American actor and singer (b. 1895)
  • 1957 – Alfonso de Portago, Spanish bobsledder and race car driver (b. 1928)
  • 1957 – Erich von Stroheim, Austrian-American actor, director, and producer (b. 1885)
  • 1963 – Richard Girulatis, German footballer and manager (b. 1878)
  • 1963 – Robert Kerr, Irish-Canadian sprinter and coach (b. 1882)
  • 1964 – Agnes Forbes Blackadder, Scottish medical doctor (b. 1875)
  • 1966 – Felix Steiner, Russian-German SS officer (b. 1896)
  • 1967 – John Masefield, English poet and author (b. 1878)
  • 1970 – Nelly Sachs, German poet and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1891)
  • 1971 – Heinie Manush, American baseball player and coach (b. 1901)
  • 1973 – Frances Marion, American screenwriter, novelist and journalist (b. 1888)
  • 1973 – Art Pollard, American race car driver (b. 1927)
  • 1974 – Wayne Maki, Canadian National Hockey League player (b. 1944)
  • 1980 – Lillian Roth, American actress 9b. 1910)
  • 1985 – Jean Dubuffet, French painter and sculptor (b. 1901)
  • 1986 – Elisabeth Bergner, German actress (b. 1897)
  • 1992 – Nikos Gatsos, Greek poet and songwriter (b. 1911)
  • 1992 – Robert Reed, American actor (b. 1932)
  • 1993 – Zeno Colò, Italian Olympic alpine skier (b.1920)
  • 1994 – Erik Erikson, German-American psychologist and psychoanalyst (b. 1902)
  • 1994 – John Smith, Scottish-English lawyer and politician, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer (b. 1938)
  • 1995 – Ștefan Kovács, Romanian football player and coach (b. 1920)
  • 1999 – Saul Steinberg, Romanian-American illustrator (b. 1914)
  • 2000 – Adam Petty, American race car driver (b. 1980)
  • 2001 – Perry Como, American singer and television host (b. 1912)
  • 2001 – Alexei Tupolev, Russian engineer, designed the Tupolev Tu-144 (b. 1925)
  • 2003 – Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, French-American diplomat (b. 1933)
  • 2005 – Ömer Kavur, Turkish director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1944)
  • 2005 – Martin Lings, English author and scholar (b. 1909)
  • 2005 – Monica Zetterlund, Swedish actress (b. 1937)
  • 2006 – Hussein Maziq, Libyan politician, Prime Minister of Libya (b. 1918)
  • 2008 – Robert Rauschenberg, American painter and illustrator (b. 1925)
  • 2008 – Irena Sendler, Polish nurse and humanitarian (b. 1910)
  • 2009 – Antonio Vega, Spanish singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1957)
  • 2012 – Jan Bens, Dutch footballer and coach (b. 1921)
  • 2012 – Eddy Paape, Belgian illustrator (b. 1920)
  • 2013 – Gerd Langguth, German political scientist, author, and academic (b. 1946)
  • 2014 – Cornell Borchers, Lithuanian-German actress and singer (b. 1925)
  • 2014 – Marco Cé, Italian cardinal (b. 1925)
  • 2014 – H. R. Giger, Swiss painter, sculptor, and set designer (b. 1940)
  • 2014 – Sarat Pujari, Indian actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1934)
  • 2014 – Lorenzo Zambrano, Mexican businessman and philanthropist (b. 1944)
  • 2015 – Peter Gay, German-American historian, author, and academic (b. 1923)
  • 2015 – William Zinsser American journalist and critic (b. 1922)
  • 2016 – Mike Agostini, Trinidadian sprinter (b. 1935)
  • 2017 – Mauno Koivisto, Finnish banker and politician, 9th President of Finland (b. 1923)
  • 2018 – Dennis Nilsen, Scottish serial killer (b. 1945)

Holidays and observances on May 12

  • 2nd Amendment Day (Pennsylvania, United States)
  • Christian feast day:
    • Blessed Imelda
    • Blessed Joan of Portugal
    • Crispoldus
    • Dominic de la Calzada
    • Epiphanius of Salamis
    • Gregory Dix (Church of England)
    • Modoald
    • Nereus, Achilleus, Domitilla, and Pancras
    • Patriarch Germanus I of Constantinople (Eastern Church)
    • Philip of Agira
    • May 12 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Day of the Finnish Identity (Finland)
  • International Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Awareness Day
  • International Nurses Day
  • Saint Andrea the First Day (Georgia)

May 12 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

May 9 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 1009 – Lombard Revolt: Lombard forces led by Melus revolt in Bari against the Byzantine Catepanate of Italy.
  • 1271 – Ninth Crusade, Edward I of England disembarks at Acre.
  • 1386 – England and Portugal formally ratify their alliance with the signing of the Treaty of Windsor, making it the oldest diplomatic alliance in the world which is still in force.
  • 1450 – ‘Abd al-Latif (Timurid monarch) is assassinated.
  • 1540 – Hernando de Alarcón sets sail on an expedition to the Gulf of California.
  • 1662 – The figure who later became Mr. Punch makes his first recorded appearance in England.
  • 1671 – Thomas Blood, disguised as a clergyman, attempts to steal England’s Crown Jewels from the Tower of London.
  • 1726 – Five men arrested during a raid on Mother Clap’s molly house in London are executed at Tyburn.
  • 1763 – The Siege of Fort Detroit begins during Pontiac’s War against British forces.
  • 1864 – Second Schleswig War: The Danish navy defeats the Austrian and Prussian fleets in the Battle of Heligoland.
  • 1865 – American Civil War: Nathan Bedford Forrest surrenders his forces at Gainesville, Alabama.
  • 1865 – American Civil War: President Andrew Johnson issues a proclamation ending belligerent rights of the rebels and enjoining foreign nations to intern or expel Confederate ships.
  • 1873 – Der Krach: Vienna stock market crash heralds the Long Depression.
  • 1874 – The first horsebus makes its début in the city of Mumbai, traveling two routes.
  • 1877 – Mihail Kogălniceanu reads, in the Chamber of Deputies, the Declaration of Independence of Romania. This day became the Independence Day of Romania.
  • 1877 – A magnitude 8.8 earthquake off the coast of Peru kills 2,541, including some as far away as Hawaii and Japan.
  • 1887 – Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show opens in London.
  • 1901 – Australia opens its first national parliament in Melbourne.
  • 1904 – The steam locomotive City of Truro becomes the first steam engine in Europe to exceed 100 mph (160 km/h).
  • 1911 – The works of Gabriele D’Annunzio are placed in the Index of Forbidden Books by the Vatican.
  • 1915 – World War I: Second Battle of Artois between German and French forces.
  • 1918 – World War I: Germany repels Britain’s second attempt to blockade the port of Ostend, Belgium.
  • 1920 – Polish–Soviet War: The Polish army under General Edward Rydz-Śmigły celebrates its capture of Kiev with a victory parade on Khreshchatyk.
  • 1926 – Admiral Richard E. Byrd and Floyd Bennett claim to have flown over the North Pole (later discovery of Byrd’s diary appears to cast some doubt on the claim.)
  • 1927 – Old Parliament House, Canberra officially opens.
  • 1936 – Italy formally annexes Ethiopia after taking the capital Addis Ababa on May 5.
  • 1940 – World War II: The German submarine U-9 sinks the French coastal submarine Doris near Den Helder.
  • 1941 – World War II: The German submarine U-110 is captured by the Royal Navy. On board is the latest Enigma machine which Allied cryptographers later use to break coded German messages.
  • 1942 – Holocaust: The SS executes 588 Jewish residents of the Podolian town of Zinkiv (Khmelnytska oblast, Ukraine). The Zoludek Ghetto (in Belarus) is destroyed and all its inhabitants executed or deported.
  • 1945 – World War II: The final German Instrument of Surrender is signed at the Soviet headquarters in Berlin-Karlshorst.
  • 1945 – World War II: The German occupation of the Channel Islands comes to an end.
  • 1946 – King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy abdicates and is succeeded by Umberto II.
  • 1948 – Czechoslovakia’s Ninth-of-May Constitution comes into effect.
  • 1949 – Rainier III becomes Prince of Monaco.
  • 1950 – Robert Schuman presents his proposal on the creation of an organized Europe, which according to him was indispensable to the maintenance of peaceful relations. This proposal, known as the “Schuman Declaration”, is considered by some people to be the beginning of the creation of what is now the European Union.
  • 1955 – Cold War: West Germany joins NATO.
  • 1958 – Alfred Hitchcock’s film Vertigo has world premiere in San Francisco.
  • 1960 – The Food and Drug Administration announces it will approve birth control as an additional indication for Searle’s Enovid, making Enovid the world’s first approved oral contraceptive pill.
  • 1961 – FCC Chairman Newton N. Minow gives his Wasteland Speech.
  • 1964 – Ngô Đình Cẩn, de facto ruler of central Vietnam under his brother President Ngô Đình Diệm before the family’s toppling, is executed.
  • 1969 – Carlos Lamarca leads the first urban guerrilla action against the military dictatorship of Brazil in São Paulo, by robbing two banks.
  • 1970 – Vietnam War: In Washington, D.C., 75,000 to 100,000 war protesters demonstrate in front of the White House.
  • 1974 – Watergate scandal: The United States House Committee on the Judiciary opens formal and public impeachment hearings against President Richard Nixon.
  • 1977 – Hotel Polen fire: A disastrous fire burns down the Hotel Polen in Amsterdam causing 33 deaths and 21 severe injuries.
  • 1979 – Iranian Jewish businessman Habib Elghanian is executed by firing squad in Tehran, prompting the mass exodus of the once 100,000-strong Jewish community of Iran.
  • 1980 – In Florida, Liberian freighter MV Summit Venture collides with the Sunshine Skyway Bridge over Tampa Bay, making a 1,400-ft. section of the southbound span collapse. Thirty-five people in six cars and a Greyhound bus fall 150 ft. into the water and die.
  • 1980 – In Norco, California, five masked gunmen hold up a Security Pacific bank, leading to a violent shoot-out and one of the largest pursuits in California history. Two of the gunmen and one police officer are killed and thirty-three police and civilian vehicles are destroyed in the chase.
  • 1987 – LOT Flight 5055 Tadeusz Kościuszko crashes after takeoff in Warsaw, Poland, killing all 183 people on board.
  • 1988 – New Parliament House, Canberra officially opens.
  • 1992 – Armenian forces capture Shusha, marking a major turning point in the Nagorno-Karabakh War.
  • 1992 – Westray Mine disaster kills 26 workers in Nova Scotia, Canada.
  • 1994 – Disappearance of Cleashindra Hall in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.
  • 2001 – In Ghana, 129 football fans die in what became known as the Accra Sports Stadium disaster. The deaths are caused by a stampede (caused by the firing of tear gas by police personnel at the stadium) that followed a controversial decision by the referee.
  • 2002 – The 38-day stand-off in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem comes to an end when the Palestinians inside agree to have 13 suspected terrorists among them deported to several different countries.
  • 2012 – A Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft crashes into Mount Salak in West Java, Indonesia, killing 45 people.
  • 2015 – An Airbus A400M Atlas military transport aircraft crashes near the Spanish city of Seville with three people on board killed.
  • 2015 – Russia stages its biggest ever military parade in Moscow’s Red Square to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Victory Day.
  • 2018 – The historic defeat for Barisan Nasional, the governing coalition of Malaysia since the country’s independence in 1957 in 2018 Malaysian general election.
  • 2018 – At the height of the 2018 East Africa floods, the Patel dam breaks in Solai, Kenya, killing 48 people and displacing another 2000.

Births on May 9

  • 1147 – Minamoto no Yoritomo, Japanese shōgun (d. 1199)
  • 1170 – Valdemar II of Denmark (d. 1241)
  • 1540 – Maharana Pratap, Indian ruler (d. 1597)
  • 1555 – Jerónima de la Asunción, Spanish Catholic nun and founder of the first monastery in Manila (d. 1630)
  • 1594 – Louis Henry, Prince of Nassau-Dillenburg, military leader in the Thirty Years’ War (d. 1662)
  • 1617 – Frederick, Landgrave of Hesse-Eschwege (d. 1655)
  • 1740 – Giovanni Paisiello, Italian composer and educator (probable; d. 1816)
  • 1746 – Gaspard Monge, French mathematician and engineer (d. 1818)
  • 1763 – János Batsányi, Hungarian-Austrian poet and author (d. 1845)
  • 1800 – John Brown, American activist (d. 1859)
  • 1801 – Peter Hesketh-Fleetwood, English politician, founded the town of Fleetwood (d. 1866)
  • 1814 – John Brougham, Irish-American actor and playwright (d. 1880)
  • 1823 – Frederick Weld, English-New Zealand politician, 6th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1891)
  • 1824 – Jacob ben Moses Bachrach, Polish apologist and author (d. 1896)
  • 1825 – James Collinson, Victorian painter (d. 1881)
  • 1836 – Ferdinand Monoyer, French ophthalmologist, invented the Monoyer chart (d. 1912)
  • 1837 – Adam Opel, German engineer, founded the Opel Company (d. 1895)
  • 1845 – Gustaf de Laval, Swedish engineer and businessman (d. 1913)
  • 1850 – Edward Weston, English-American chemist (d. 1936)
  • 1855 – Julius Röntgen, German-Dutch composer (d. 1932)
  • 1860 – J. M. Barrie, Scottish novelist and playwright (d. 1937)
  • 1866 – Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Indian economist and politician (d. 1915)
  • 1870 – Harry Vardon, British golfer (d. 1937)
  • 1873 – Anton Cermak, Czech-American captain and politician, 44th Mayor of Chicago (d. 1933)
  • 1874 – Howard Carter, English archaeologist and historian (d. 1939)
  • 1882 – George Barker, American painter (d. 1965)
  • 1882 – Henry J. Kaiser, American shipbuilder and businessman, founded Kaiser Shipyards (d. 1967)
  • 1883 – José Ortega y Gasset, Spanish philosopher, author, and critic (d. 1955)
  • 1884 – Valdemar Psilander, Danish actor (d. 1917)
  • 1885 – Gianni Vella, Maltese artist (d. 1977)
  • 1888 – Francesco Baracca, Italian fighter pilot (d. 1918)
  • 1888 – Rolf de Maré, Swedish art collector (d. 1964)
  • 1892 – Zita of Bourbon-Parma, last Empress of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (d. 1989)
  • 1893 – William Moulton Marston, American psychologist and author (d. 1947)
  • 1895 – Richard Barthelmess, American actor (d. 1963)
  • 1895 – Lucian Blaga, Romanian poet, playwright, and philosopher (d. 1961)
  • 1895 – Frank Foss, American pole vaulter (d. 1989)
  • 1896 – Richard Day, Canadian-American art director and set decorator (d. 1972)
  • 1900 – Maria Malicka, Polish stage and film actress (d. 1992)
  • 1904 – Conrad Bernier, Canadian-American organist, composer, and educator (d. 1988)
  • 1905 – Lilí Álvarez, Spanish tennis player, author, and feminist (d. 1998)
  • 1906 – Eleanor Estes, American librarian, author, and illustrator (d. 1988)
  • 1907 – Jackie Grant, Trinidadian cricketer (d. 1978)
  • 1907 – Kathryn Kuhlman, American evangelist and author (d. 1976)
  • 1907 – Baldur von Schirach, German politician (d. 1974)
  • 1909 – Don Messer, Canadian violinist (d. 1973)
  • 1909 – Gordon Bunshaft, American architect, designed the Solow Building (d. 1990)
  • 1911 – Harry Simeone, American music arranger, conductor, and composer (d. 2005)
  • 1912 – Pedro Armendáriz, Mexican-American actor (d. 1963)
  • 1912 – Per Imerslund, Norwegian-German soldier and author (d. 1943)
  • 1912 – Géza Ottlik, Hungarian mathematician and theorist (d. 1990)
  • 1914 – Patricia Swift Blalock, American librarian (d.2011)
  • 1914 – Denham Fouts, American prostitute (d. 1948)
  • 1914 – Thanat Khoman, Thai politician and diplomat (d. 2016)
  • 1914 – Carlo Maria Giulini, Italian conductor and director (d. 2005)
  • 1914 – Hank Snow, American country music singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1999)
  • 1916 – William Pène du Bois, American author and illustrator (d. 1993)
  • 1917 – Fay Kanin, American screenwriter and producer (d. 2013)
  • 1918 – Moisis Michail Bourlas, Greek soldier and educator (d. 2011)
  • 1918 – Orville Freeman, American soldier and politician, 16th United States Secretary of Agriculture (d. 2003)
  • 1918 – Mike Wallace, American journalist, media personality and one-time game show host (d. 2012)
  • 1919 – Clifford Chadderton, Canadian soldier and journalist (d. 2013)
  • 1920 – William Tenn, English-American author and academic (d. 2010)
  • 1920 – Richard Adams, English novelist (d. 2016)
  • 1921 – Daniel Berrigan, American priest, poet, and activist (d. 2016)
  • 1921 – Sophie Scholl, German activist (d. 1943)
  • 1921 – Mona Van Duyn, American poet and academic (d. 2004)
  • 1923 – Johnny Grant, American radio host and producer (d. 2008)
  • 1924 – Bulat Okudzhava, Russian singer, poet, and author (d. 1997)
  • 1926 – John Middleton Murry, Jr., English soldier, pilot, and author (d. 2002)
  • 1927 – Manfred Eigen, German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2019)
  • 1928 – Ralph Goings, American painter (d. 2016)
  • 1928 – Pancho Gonzales, American tennis player (d. 1995)
  • 1928 – Barbara Ann Scott, Canadian figure skater (d. 2012)
  • 1930 – Joan Sims, English actress (d. 2001)
  • 1930 – Kalifa Tillisi, Libyan historian and linguist (d. 2010)
  • 1931 – Vance D. Brand, American pilot, engineer, and astronaut
  • 1932 – Conrad Hunte, Barbadian cricketer (d. 1999)
  • 1934 – Alan Bennett, English screenwriter, playwright, and novelist
  • 1935 – Nokie Edwards, American guitarist (d. 2018)
  • 1935 – Roger Hargreaves, English author and illustrator (d. 1988)
  • 1936 – Terry Downes, British boxer and former world middle-weight champion (d. 2017)
  • 1936 – Albert Finney, English actor (d. 2019)
  • 1936 – Glenda Jackson, English actress and politician
  • 1937 – Sonny Curtis, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1937 – Rafael Moneo, Spanish architect, designed the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels and Valladolid Science Museum
  • 1937 – Dave Prater, American singer (d. 1988)
  • 1938 – Charles Simić, Serbian-American poet and editor
  • 1939 – Ralph Boston, American long jumper
  • 1939 – Ion Țiriac, Romanian tennis player and manager
  • 1939 – Ken Warby, Australian motorboat racer
  • 1939 – Giorgio Zancanaro, Italian baritone
  • 1939 – John Ogbu, Nigerian-American anthropologist and professor (d. 2003)
  • 1940 – James L. Brooks, American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1941 – Dorothy Hyman, English sprinter
  • 1941 – Danny Rapp, American musician (d. 1983)
  • 1942 – John Ashcroft, American lawyer and politician, 79th United States Attorney General
  • 1942 – Tommy Roe, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1943 – Vince Cable, English economist and politician, former Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills
  • 1943 – Anders Isaksson, Swedish historian and journalist (d. 2009)
  • 1943 – Colin Pillinger, English astronomer, chemist, and academic (d. 2014)
  • 1944 – Richie Furay, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1945 – Gamal El-Ghitani, Egyptian journalist and author (d. 2015)
  • 1945 – Jupp Heynckes, German footballer and manager
  • 1945 – Steve Katz, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
  • 1946 – Candice Bergen, American actress and producer
  • 1946 – Ayşe Nur Zarakolu, Turkish author and activist (d. 2002)
  • 1947 – Yukiya Amano, Japanese diplomat (d. 2019)
  • 1948 – Hans Georg Bock, German mathematician, computer scientist, and academic
  • 1948 – John Mahaffey, American golfer
  • 1948 – Steven W. Mosher, American social scientist and author
  • 1948 – Calvin Murphy, American basketball player and radio host
  • 1949 – Billy Joel, American singer-songwriter and pianist
  • 1949 – Richard S. Williamson, American lawyer and diplomat, 17th Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs (d. 2013)
  • 1951 – Alley Mills, American actress
  • 1953 – Bruno Brokken, Belgian high jumper
  • 1955 – Meles Zenawi, Prime Minister of Ethiopia (d. 2012)
  • 1955 – Anne Sofie von Otter, Swedish soprano and actress
  • 1956 – Wendy Crewson, Canadian actress and producer
  • 1956 – Jana Wendt, Australian television host
  • 1958 – Graham Smith, Canadian swimmer
  • 1959 – Andrew Jones, New Zealand cricketer
  • 1960 – Tony Gwynn, American baseball player and coach (d. 2014)
  • 1961 – Sean Altman, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1961 – John Corbett, American actor
  • 1962 – Dave Gahan, English singer-songwriter
  • 1962 – Paul Heaton, English singer-songwriter
  • 1963 – Joe Cirella, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1965 – Ken Nomura, Japanese race car driver and sportscaster
  • 1965 – Steve Yzerman, Canadian ice hockey player and manager
  • 1966 – Mark Tinordi, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1968 – Masahiko Harada, Japanese ski jumper
  • 1968 – Graham Harman, American philosopher and academic
  • 1968 – Ruth Kelly, British economist and politician, Secretary of State for Transport
  • 1968 – Marie-José Pérec, French sprinter
  • 1968 – Neil Ruddock, English international footballer and television personality
  • 1970 – Doug Christie, American basketball player
  • 1970 – Hao Haidong, Chinese footballer & all time top scorer for Chinese national team
  • 1970 – Ghostface Killah, American rapper and actor
  • 1971 – Jason Lee, English footballer and manager
  • 1971 – Dan Chiasson, American poet and critic
  • 1972 – Megumi Odaka, Japanese actress and singer
  • 1973 – Tegla Loroupe, Kenyan runner
  • 1973 – Leonard Myles-Mills, Ghanaian sprinter
  • 1975 – Tamia, Canadian singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
  • 1975 – Brian Deegan, American motocross rider
  • 1977 – Averno, Mexican wrestler
  • 1977 – Marek Jankulovski, Czech footballer
  • 1977 – Svein Tuft, Canadian cyclist
  • 1978 – Leandro Cufré, Argentinian footballer
  • 1978 – Santiago Dellapè, Argentinian-Italian rugby player
  • 1978 – Aaron Harang, American baseball player
  • 1978 – Marwan al-Shehhi, Emirati terrorist (d. 2001)
  • 1979 – Pierre Bouvier, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1979 – Rosario Dawson, American actress
  • 1979 – Andrew W.K., American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, motivational speaker, and music producer
  • 1980 – Grant Hackett, Australian swimmer
  • 1980 – Angela Nikodinov, American figure skater
  • 1980 – Tony Schmidt, German race car driver
  • 1980 – Jo Hyun-jae, South Korean actor
  • 1981 – Bill Murphy, American baseball player
  • 1981 – Evangelos Tsiolis, Greek footballer
  • 1983 – Giacomo Brichetto, Italian footballer
  • 1983 – Alan Campbell, British sculler
  • 1983 – Christos Marangos, Cypriot footballer
  • 1983 – Ryuhei Matsuda, Japanese actor
  • 1983 – Gilles Müller, Luxembourgian tennis player
  • 1983 – Tyler Lumsden, American baseball player
  • 1983 – Leandro Rinaudo, Italian footballer
  • 1984 – Prince Fielder, American baseball player
  • 1984 – Chase Headley, American baseball player
  • 1985 – Jake Long, American football player
  • 1985 – Henrique Andrade Silva, Brazilian footballer
  • 1987 – Scott Bolton, Australian rugby league player
  • 1987 – Kevin Gameiro, French footballer
  • 1987 – Vitaliy Pushkar, Ukrainian race car driver
  • 1988 – J. R. Fitzpatrick, Canadian race car driver
  • 1989 – Ellen White, English footballer
  • 1991 – Majlinda Kelmendi, Kosovar judoka
  • 1992 – Dan Burn, English footballer
  • 1996 – Saron Läänmäe, Estonian footballer
  • 1996 – Grace Reid, Scottish diver

Deaths on May 9

  • 729 – Osric, king of Northumbria
  • 893 – Shi Pu, warlord of the Tang Dynasty
  • 909 – Adalgar, archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen
  • 934 – Wang Sitong, Chinese general and governor (b. 892)
  • 1280 – Magnus VI of Norway
  • 1315 – Hugh V, Duke of Burgundy (b. 1282)
  • 1329 – John Drokensford, Bishop of Bath and Wells
  • 1443 – Niccolò Albergati, Italian Cardinal and diplomat (b. 1373)
  • 1446 – Mary of Enghien (b. 1368)
  • 1590 – Charles de Bourbon French cardinal and pretender to the throne (b. 1523)
  • 1657 – William Bradford, English-American politician, 2nd Governor of Plymouth Colony (b. 1590)
  • 1707 – Dieterich Buxtehude, German-Danish organist and composer (b. 1637)
  • 1736 – Diogo de Mendonça Corte-Real, Portuguese judge and politician (b. 1658)
  • 1745 – Tomaso Antonio Vitali, Italian violinist and composer (b. 1663)
  • 1747 – John Dalrymple, 2nd Earl of Stair, Scottish field marshal and diplomat, British Ambassador to France (b. 1673)
  • 1760 – Nicolaus Zinzendorf, German bishop and saint (b. 1700)
  • 1789 – Jean-Baptiste Vaquette de Gribeauval, French general and engineer (b. 1715)
  • 1790 – William Clingan, American politician (b. 1721)
  • 1791 – Francis Hopkinson, American judge and politician (b. 1737)
  • 1805 – Friedrich Schiller, German poet, playwright, and historian (b. 1759)
  • 1850 – Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac, French chemist and physicist (b. 1778)
  • 1850 – Garlieb Merkel, Estonian author and activist (b. 1769)
  • 1861 – Peter Ernst von Lasaulx, German philologist and politician (b. 1805)
  • 1864 – John Sedgwick, American general and educator (b. 1813)
  • 1889 – William S. Harney, American general (b. 1800)
  • 1906 – Oscar von Gebhardt, German theologian and academic (b. 1844)
  • 1914 – C. W. Post, American businessman, founded Post Foods (b. 1854)
  • 1915 – François Faber, Luxembourgian-French cyclist and soldier (b. 1887)
  • 1915 – Anthony Wilding, New Zealand tennis player and cricketer (b. 1883)
  • 1918 – George Coșbuc, Romanian journalist and poet (b. 1866)
  • 1931 – Albert Abraham Michelson, German-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1852)
  • 1933 – John Arthur Jarvis, English swimmer (b. 1872)
  • 1935 – Ernst Bresslau, German zoologist (b. 1877)
  • 1938 – Thomas B. Thrige, Danish businessman (b. 1866)
  • 1942 – Józef Cebula, Polish priest and saint (b. 1902)
  • 1944 – Han Yong-un, Korean poet and social reformer (b. 1879)
  • 1949 – Louis II, Prince of Monaco (b. 1870)
  • 1950 – Esteban Terradas i Illa, Spanish mathematician and engineer (b. 1883)
  • 1957 – Ernest de Silva, Sri Lankan banker and businessman (b. 1887)
  • 1957 – Ezio Pinza, Italian actor and singer (b. 1892)
  • 1959 – Bhaurao Patil, Indian activist and educator (b. 1887)
  • 1965 – Leopold Figl, Austrian engineer and politician, 18th Chancellor of Austria (b. 1902)
  • 1968 – Mercedes de Acosta, American author, poet, and playwright (b. 1893)
  • 1968 – Harold Gray, American cartoonist, created Little Orphan Annie (b. 1894)
  • 1968 – Marion Lorne, American actress (b. 1883)
  • 1968 – Finlay Currie, British actor (b. 1878)
  • 1970 – Walter Reuther, American union leader (b. 1907)
  • 1976 – Jens Bjørneboe, Norwegian author, poet, and playwright (b. 1920)
  • 1976 – Ulrike Meinhof, German militant, co-founded the Red Army Faction (b. 1934)
  • 1977 – James Jones, American novelist (b. 1921)
  • 1978 – Giuseppe Impastato, Italian journalist and activist (b. 1948)
  • 1978 – Aldo Moro, Italian lawyer and politician, 38th Prime Minister of Italy (b. 1916)
  • 1979 – Cyrus S. Eaton, Canadian-American banker, businessman, and philanthropist (b. 1883)
  • 1979 – Eddie Jefferson, American singer and lyricist (b. 1918)
  • 1980 – Kate Molale, South African activist (b. 1928)
  • 1981 – Nelson Algren, American novelist and short story writer (b. 1909)
  • 1983 – Henry Bachtold, Australian soldier and railway engineer (b. 1891)
  • 1985 – Edmond O’Brien, American actor and director (b. 1915)
  • 1986 – Tenzing Norgay, Nepalese mountaineer (b. 1914)
  • 1987 – Obafemi Awolowo, Nigerian lawyer and politician (b. 1909)
  • 1993 – Penelope Gilliatt, English novelist, short story writer, and critic (b. 1932)
  • 1994 – Elias Motsoaledi, South African activist (b. 1924)
  • 1997 – Rawya Ateya, Egyptian captain and politician (b. 1926)
  • 1997 – Marco Ferreri, Italian actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1928)
  • 1998 – Alice Faye, American actress and singer (b. 1915)
  • 1998 – Talat Mahmood, Indian singer and actor (b. 1924)
  • 2003 – Russell B. Long, American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician (b. 1918)
  • 2004 – Akhmad Kadyrov, Chechen cleric and politician, 1st President of the Chechen Republic (b. 1951)
  • 2004 – Alan King, American actor, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1927)
  • 2004 – Brenda Fassie, South African singer (b. 1964)
  • 2007 – Dwight Wilson, Canadian soldier (b. 1901)
  • 2008 – Jack Gibson, Australian rugby league player, coach, and sportscaster (b. 1929)
  • 2008 – Baptiste Manzini, American football player (b. 1920)
  • 2008 – Nuala O’Faolain, Irish journalist and producer (b. 1942)
  • 2008 – Pascal Sevran, French singer, television host, and author (b. 1945)
  • 2009 – Chuck Daly, American basketball player and coach (b. 1930)
  • 2010 – Lena Horne, American singer, actress, and activist (b. 1917)
  • 2010 – Otakar Motejl, Czech lawyer and politician (b. 1932)
  • 2011 – Wouter Weylandt, Belgian cyclist (b. 1984)
  • 2012 – Bertram Cohler, American psychologist, psychoanalyst, and academic (b. 1938)
  • 2012 – Geoffrey Henry, Cook Islander lawyer and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of the Cook Islands (b. 1940)
  • 2012 – Vidal Sassoon, English-American hairdresser and businessman (b. 1928)
  • 2013 – Ramón Blanco Rodríguez, Spanish footballer and manager (b. 1952)
  • 2013 – George M. Leader, American soldier and politician, 36th Governor of Pennsylvania (b. 1918)
  • 2013 – Humberto Lugo Gil, Mexican lawyer and politician, 23rd Governor of Hidalgo (b. 1933)
  • 2013 – Ottavio Missoni, Italian hurdler and fashion designer, founded Missoni (b. 1921)
  • 2014 – Giacomo Bini, Italian priest and missionary (b. 1938)
  • 2014 – Harlan Mathews, American lawyer and politician (b. 1927)
  • 2014 – Nedurumalli Janardhana Reddy, Indian politician, 12th Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh (b. 1935)
  • 2014 – Mary Stewart, English-Scottish author and poet (b. 1916)
  • 2015 – Edward W. Estlow, American football player and journalist (b. 1920)
  • 2015 – Kenan Evren, Turkish general and politician, 7th President of Turkey (b. 1917)
  • 2015 – Elizabeth Wilson, American actress (b. 1921)
  • 2017 – Robert Miles, a Swiss-born Italian record producer, composer, musician and DJ (b. 1969)
  • 2018 – Per Kirkeby, Danish painter, poet, film maker and sculptor (b. 1938)
  • 2019 – Freddie Starr, English comedian, impressionist, singer and actor (1943)
  • 2020 – Little Richard, American singer, songwriter, and pianist (b. 1932)

Holidays and observances on May 9

  • Anniversary of Dianetics (Church of Scientology)
  • Christian feast day:
    • Beatus of Lungern
    • Beatus of Vendome
    • Christopher (Eastern Orthodox Church)
    • George Preca
    • Gerontius of Cervia
    • Gregory of Nazianzen (The Episcopal Church (US) and traditional Roman Catholic calendar)
    • Nicolaus Zinzendorf (Lutheran)
    • Pachomius the Great
    • Tudy of Landevennec
    • May 9 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Commemoration of the end of the German occupation of the Channel Islands related observances:
    • Liberation Day, commemorating the end of the German occupation of the Channel Islands during World War II. (Guernsey and Jersey)
    • National Day (Alderney)
  • Europe Day, commemorating the Schuman Declaration. (European Union)
  • Victory Day observances, celebration of the Soviet Union victory over Nazi Germany (Soviet Union, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Serbia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan)
    • Victory and Peace Day, marks the capture of Shusha (1992) in the Nagorno-Karabakh War, and the end of World War II. (Armenia)
    • Victory Day over Nazism in World War II (Ukraine)

May 9 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

May 7 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 351 – The Jewish revolt against Constantius Gallus breaks out after his arrival at Antioch.
  • 558 – In Constantinople, the dome of the Hagia Sophia collapses, twenty years after its construction. Justinian I immediately orders that the dome be rebuilt.
  • 1274 – In France, the Second Council of Lyon opens to regulate the election of the Pope.
  • 1487 – The Siege of Málaga commences during the Spanish Reconquista.
  • 1544 – The Burning of Edinburgh by an English army is the first action of the Rough Wooing.
  • 1664 – Louis XIV of France begins construction of the Palace of Versailles.
  • 1685 – Battle of Vrtijeljka between rebels and Ottoman forces.
  • 1697 – Stockholm’s royal castle (dating back to medieval times) is destroyed by fire. It is replaced in the 18th century by the current Royal Palace.
  • 1718 – The city of New Orleans is founded by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville.
  • 1763 – Pontiac’s War begins with Pontiac’s attempt to seize Fort Detroit from the British.
  • 1794 – French Revolution: Robespierre introduces the Cult of the Supreme Being in the National Convention as the new state religion of the French First Republic.
  • 1824 – World premiere of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in Vienna, Austria. The performance is conducted by Michael Umlauf under the composer’s supervision.
  • 1832 – Greece’s independence is recognized by the Treaty of London.
  • 1840 – The Great Natchez Tornado strikes Natchez, Mississippi killing 317 people. It is the second deadliest tornado in United States history.
  • 1846 – The Cambridge Chronicle, America’s oldest surviving weekly newspaper, is published for the first time in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
  • 1864 – American Civil War: The Army of the Potomac, under General Ulysses S. Grant, breaks off from the Battle of the Wilderness and moves southwards.
  • 1864 – The world’s oldest surviving clipper ship, the City of Adelaide is launched by William Pile, Hay and Co. in Sunderland, England, for transporting passengers and goods between Britain and Australia.
  • 1895 – In Saint Petersburg, Russian scientist Alexander Stepanovich Popov demonstrates to the Russian Physical and Chemical Society his invention, the Popov lightning detector—a primitive radio receiver. In some parts of the former Soviet Union the anniversary of this day is celebrated as Radio Day.
  • 1915 – World War I: German submarine U-20 sinks RMS Lusitania, killing 1,198 people, including 128 Americans. Public reaction to the sinking turns many former pro-Germans in the United States against the German Empire.
  • 1915 – The Republic of China accedes to 13 of the 21 Demands, extending the Empire of Japan‘s control over Manchuria and the Chinese economy.
  • 1920 – Kiev Offensive: Polish troops led by Józef Piłsudski and Edward Rydz-Śmigły and assisted by a symbolic Ukrainian force capture Kiev only to be driven out by the Red Army counter-offensive a month later.
  • 1920 – Treaty of Moscow: Soviet Russia recognizes the independence of the Democratic Republic of Georgia only to invade the country six months later.
  • 1920 – Morecambe Football Club was founded during a meeting at the West View Hotel on the town’s promenade.
  • 1930 – The 7.1 Mw  Salmas earthquake shakes northwestern Iran and southeastern Turkey with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). Up to three-thousand people were killed.
  • 1931 – The stand-off between criminal Francis Crowley and 300 members of the New York Police Department takes place in his fifth-floor apartment on West 91st Street, New York City.
  • 1937 – Spanish Civil War: The German Condor Legion, equipped with Heinkel He 51 biplanes, arrives in Spain to assist Francisco Franco’s forces.
  • 1940 – World War II: The Norway Debate in the British House of Commons begins, and leads to the replacement of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain with Winston Churchill three days later.
  • 1942 – World War II: During the Battle of the Coral Sea, United States Navy aircraft carrier aircraft attack and sink the Imperial Japanese Navy light aircraft carrier Shōhō; the battle marks the first time in naval history that two enemy fleets fight without visual contact between warring ships.
  • 1945 – World War II: Last German U boat attack of the war, two freighters are sunk off the Firth of Forth, Scotland.
  • 1945 – World War II: General Alfred Jodl signs unconditional surrender terms at Reims, France, ending Germany’s participation in the war. The document takes effect the next day.
  • 1946 – Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering (later renamed Sony) is founded
  • 1948 – The Council of Europe is founded during the Hague Congress.
  • 1952 – The concept of the integrated circuit, the basis for all modern computers, is first published by Geoffrey Dummer.
  • 1954 – Indochina War: The Battle of Dien Bien Phu ends in a French defeat and a Viet Minh victory (the battle began on March 13).
  • 1960 – Cold War: U-2 Crisis of 1960: Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev announces that his nation is holding American U-2 pilot Gary Powers.
  • 1976 – The Honda Accord is officially launched.
  • 1986 – Canadian Patrick Morrow becomes the first person to climb each of the Seven Summits.
  • 1992 – Michigan ratifies a 203-year-old proposed amendment to the United States Constitution making the 27th Amendment law. This amendment bars the U.S. Congress from giving itself a mid-term pay raise.
  • 1992 – Space Shuttle program: The Space Shuttle Endeavour is launched on its first mission, STS-49.
  • 1992 – Three employees at a McDonald’s Restaurant in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada, are brutally murdered and a fourth permanently disabled after a botched robbery. It is the first “fast-food murder” in Canada.
  • 1994 – Edvard Munch’s painting The Scream is recovered undamaged after being stolen from the National Gallery of Norway in February.
  • 1998 – Mercedes-Benz buys Chrysler for US$40 billion and forms DaimlerChrysler in the largest industrial merger in history.
  • 1999 – Pope John Paul II travels to Romania, becoming the first pope to visit a predominantly Eastern Orthodox country since the Great Schism in 1054.
  • 1999 – Kosovo War: Three Chinese citizens are killed and 20 wounded when a NATO aircraft apparently inadvertently bombs the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, Serbia.
  • 1999 – In Guinea-Bissau, President João Bernardo Vieira is ousted in a military coup.
  • 2000 – Vladimir Putin is inaugurated as president of Russia.
  • 2002 – An EgyptAir Boeing 737-500 crashes on approach to Tunis–Carthage International Airport, killing 14 people.
  • 2002 – A China Northern Airlines MD-82 plunges into the Yellow Sea, killing 112 people.
  • 2004 – American businessman Nick Berg is beheaded by Islamic militants. The act is recorded on videotape and released on the Internet.

Births on May 7

  • Before 160 – Julia Maesa, Roman noblewoman (d. 224)
  • 1488 – John III of the Palatinate, archbishop of Regensburg (d. 1538)
  • 1530 – Louis, Prince of Condé (d. 1569)
  • 1553 – Albert Frederick, Duke of Prussia (d. 1618)
  • 1605 – Patriarch Nikon of Moscow (d. 1681)
  • 1643 – Stephanus Van Cortlandt, American politician, 10th Mayor of New York City (d. 1700)
  • 1700 – Gerard van Swieten, Dutch-Austrian physician (d. 1772)
  • 1701 – Carl Heinrich Graun, German tenor and composer (d. 1759)
  • 1711 – David Hume, Scottish economist, historian, and philosopher (d. 1776)
  • 1724 – Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser, French-Austrian field marshal (d. 1797)
  • 1740 – Nikolai Arkharov, Russian police officer and general (d. 1814)
  • 1748 – Olympe de Gouges, French playwright and philosopher (d. 1793)
  • 1763 – Józef Poniatowski, Polish general (d. 1813)
  • 1767 – Princess Frederica Charlotte of Prussia (d. 1820)
  • 1774 – William Bainbridge, American commodore (d. 1833)
  • 1787 – Jacques Viger, Canadian archaeologist and politician, 1st mayor of Montreal (d. 1858)
  • 1812 – Robert Browning, English poet and playwright (d. 1889)
  • 1833 – Johannes Brahms, German pianist and composer (d. 1897)
  • 1836 – Joseph Gurney Cannon, American lawyer and politician, 40th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (d. 1926)
  • 1837 – Karl Mauch, German geographer and explorer (d. 1875)
  • 1840 – Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Russian composer and educator (d. 1893)
  • 1845 – Mary Eliza Mahoney, American nurse and activist (d. 1926)
  • 1847 – Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1929)
  • 1857 – William A. MacCorkle, American lawyer and politician, 9th Governor of West Virginia (d. 1930)
  • 1860 – Tom Norman, English businessman (d. 1930)
  • 1861 – Rabindranath Tagore, Indian author and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1941)
  • 1867 – Władysław Reymont, Polish novelist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1925)
  • 1875 – Bill Hoyt, American pole vaulter (d. 1951)
  • 1880 – Pandurang Vaman Kane, Indologist and Sanskrit scholar, Bharat Ratna awardee (d. 1972)
  • 1881 – George E. Wiley, American cyclist (d. 1954)
  • 1882 – Willem Elsschot, Belgian author and poet (d. 1960)
  • 1885 – George “Gabby” Hayes, American actor (d. 1969)
  • 1889 – Viktor Puskar, Estonian colonel (d. 1943)
  • 1891 – Harry McShane, Scottish engineer and activist (d. 1988)
  • 1892 – Archibald MacLeish, American poet, playwright, and lawyer (d. 1982)
  • 1892 – Josip Broz Tito, Yugoslav field marshal and politician, 1st President of Yugoslavia (d. 1980)
  • 1893 – Frank J. Selke, Canadian ice hockey coach and manager (d. 1985)
  • 1896 – Kathleen McKane Godfree, English tennis and badminton player (d. 1992)
  • 1899 – Alfred Gerrard, English sculptor and academic (d. 1998)
  • 1901 – Gary Cooper, American actor (d. 1961)
  • 1903 – Jimmy Ball, Canadian sprinter (d. 1988)
  • 1904 – Kurt Weitzmann, German-American historian and author (d. 1993)
  • 1906 – Eric Krenz, American discus thrower and shot putter (d. 1931)
  • 1909 – Edwin H. Land, American scientist and inventor, co-founded the Polaroid Corporation (d. 1991)
  • 1909 – Dorothy Sunrise Lorentino, Native American teacher (d. 2005)
  • 1911 – Ishirō Honda, Japanese director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1993)
  • 1911 – Rıfat Ilgaz, Turkish author, poet, and educator (d. 1993)
  • 1912 – Pannalal Patel, Indian author (d. 1989)
  • 1913 – John Spencer Hardy, American general (d. 2012)
  • 1913 – Simon Ramo, American physicist and engineer (d. 2016)
  • 1914 – Arthur Snelling, English civil servant and diplomat. British Ambassador to South Africa (d. 1996)
  • 1916 – Huw Wheldon, Welsh-English broadcaster (d. 1986)
  • 1916 – W. B. Young, Scottish rugby player and physician (d. 2013)
  • 1917 – Domenico Bartolucci, Italian cardinal and composer (d. 2013)
  • 1917 – Lenox Hewitt, Australian public servant (d. 2020)
  • 1917 – David Tomlinson, English actor (d. 2000)
  • 1919 – Eva Perón, Argentinian actress, 25th First Lady of Argentina (d. 1952)
  • 1920 – Rendra Karno, Indonesian actor (d. 1985)
  • 1921 – Asa Briggs, Baron Briggs, English historian and academic (d. 2016)
  • 1921 – Gaston Rébuffat, French mountaineer and author (d. 1985)
  • 1922 – Darren McGavin, American actor and director (d. 2006)
  • 1922 – Joe O’Donnell, American photographer and journalist (d. 2007)
  • 1923 – Anne Baxter, American actress (d. 1985)
  • 1923 – Jim Lowe, American singer-songwriter, disc jockey, and radio host (d. 2016)
  • 1923 – Bülent Ulusu, Turkish admiral and politician, 18th Prime Minister of Turkey (d. 2015)
  • 1924 – Albert Band, French-American director and producer (d. 2002)
  • 1925 – Lauri Vaska, Estonian-American chemist and academic (d. 2015)
  • 1927 – Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, German-American author and screenwriter (d. 2013)
  • 1929 – Dick Williams, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 2011)
  • 1930 – Totie Fields, American comedian and author (d. 1978)
  • 1930 – Babe Parilli, American football player and coach (d. 2017)
  • 1930 – John Smith, Baron Kirkhill, English politician
  • 1931 – Teresa Brewer, American singer (d. 2007)
  • 1931 – Gene Wolfe, American author (d. 2019)
  • 1932 – Jordi Bonet, Spanish-Canadian painter and sculptor (d. 1979)
  • 1932 – Alan Cuthbert, English pharmacologist and academic (d. 2016)
  • 1932 – Pete Domenici, American lawyer and politician, 37th Mayor of Albuquerque (d. 2017)
  • 1932 – Derek Taylor, English journalist and author (d. 1997)
  • 1933 – Johnny Unitas, American football player and sportscaster (d. 2002)
  • 1935 – Avraham Heffner, Israeli actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2014)
  • 1935 – Michael Hopkins, English architect
  • 1936 – Robin Hanbury-Tenison, English explorer and author
  • 1936 – Tony O’Reilly, Irish rugby player and businessman
  • 1936 – Jimmy Ruffin, American soul singer (d. 2014)
  • 1937 – Eddie Clayton, English footballer
  • 1937 – Claude Raymond, Canadian baseball player and coach
  • 1939 – Sidney Altman, Canadian-American biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1939 – Ruggero Deodato, Italian actor, director, and screenwriter
  • 1939 – Ruud Lubbers, Dutch economist and politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (d. 2018)
  • 1939 – Johnny Maestro, American pop/doo-wop singer (d. 2010)
  • 1939 – Clive Soley, Baron Soley, English politician
  • 1940 – Angela Carter, English novelist and short story writer (d. 1992)
  • 1940 – Dave Chambers, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1941 – Lawrence Collins, Baron Collins of Mapesbury, English lawyer and judge
  • 1943 – Terry Allen, American singer and painter
  • 1943 – Harvey Andrews, English singer-songwriter and poet
  • 1943 – John Bannon, Australian academic and politician, 39th Premier of South Australia (d. 2015)
  • 1943 – Peter Carey, Australian novelist and short story writer
  • 1945 – Christy Moore, Irish singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1945 – Robin Strasser, American actress
  • 1946 – Thelma Houston, American R&B/disco singer and actress
  • 1946 – Marv Hubbard, American football player (d. 2015)
  • 1946 – Bill Kreutzmann, American drummer
  • 1946 – Michael Rosen, English author and poet
  • 1946 – Brian Turner, English chef and television host
  • 1949 – Kathy Ahern, American golfer (d. 1996)
  • 1949 – Deborah Butterfield, American sculptor
  • 1950 – John Dowling Coates, Australian lawyer, sports administrator and businessman
  • 1950 – Randall “Tex” Cobb, American boxer and actor
  • 1950 – Tim Russert, American television journalist and lawyer (d. 2008)
  • 1953 – Pat McInally, American football player and coach
  • 1953 – Ian McKay, English sergeant, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 1982)
  • 1954 – Philippe Geluck, Belgian cartoonist
  • 1954 – Joanna Haigh, English meteorologist and physicist
  • 1954 – Amy Heckerling, American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1955 – Clément Gignac, Canadian politician
  • 1955 – Ben Poquette, American basketball player
  • 1955 – Axel Zwingenberger, German pianist and songwriter
  • 1956 – Jan Peter Balkenende, Dutch jurist and politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands
  • 1956 – Anne Dudley, English pianist and composer
  • 1956 – Nicholas Hytner, English director and producer
  • 1956 – Jean Lapierre, Canadian talk show host and politician
  • 1956 – Calum MacDonald, Scottish journalist and politician
  • 1957 – Kristina M. Johnson, American business executive, engineer, academic and government official
  • 1958 – Mikhail Biryukov, Russian footballer and manager
  • 1958 – Mark G. Kuzyk, American physicist and academic
  • 1958 – Anne Marie Rafferty, English nurse and academic
  • 1959 – Michael E. Knight, American actor
  • 1959 – Tony Sealy, English footballer, forward and manager
  • 1959 – Heiki Valk, Estonian archeologist and academic
  • 1960 – Adam Bernstein, American director and screenwriter
  • 1960 – Ara Darzi, Baron Darzi of Denham, Iraqi-English surgeon and academic
  • 1960 – Almudena Grandes, Spanish author
  • 1961 – Hans-Peter Bartels, German politician
  • 1961 – Sue Black, Scottish anthropologist and academic
  • 1961 – Ivar Must, Estonian composer and producer
  • 1962 – Tony Campbell, American basketball player and coach
  • 1962 – Judith Donath, American computer scientist and academic
  • 1963 – Johnny Lee Middleton, American bass player and songwriter
  • 1964 – Ronnie Harmon, American football player
  • 1964 – Denis Mandarino, Brazilian guitarist, composer, and painter
  • 1964 – Leslie O’Neal, American football player
  • 1965 – Reuben Davis, American football player
  • 1965 – Owen Hart, Canadian wrestler (d. 1999)
  • 1965 – Norman Whiteside, Northern Irish footballer and manager
  • 1965 – Huang Zhihong, Chinese shot putter
  • 1967 – Martin Bryant, Australian mass murderer
  • 1967 – Adam Price, Danish chef and screenwriter
  • 1967 – Joe Rice, American colonel and politician
  • 1968 – Traci Lords, American actress and singer
  • 1968 – Lisa Raitt, Canadian lawyer and politician, 30th Canadian Minister of Transport
  • 1969 – Eagle-Eye Cherry, Swedish singer-songwriter
  • 1969 – Jun Falkenstein, American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1969 – Katerina Maleeva, Bulgarian tennis player
  • 1971 – Reidar Horghagen, Norwegian drummer
  • 1971 – Dave Karpa, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1971 – Thomas Piketty, French economist
  • 1972 – Peter Dubovský, Czech-Slovak footballer (d. 2000)
  • 1972 – Frank Trigg, American mixed martial artist and wrestler
  • 1973 – Kristian Lundin, Swedish songwriter and producer
  • 1973 – Paolo Savoldelli, Italian cyclist
  • 1974 – Ian Pearce, English footballer and assistant manager
  • 1973 – Lawrence Johnson, American pole vaulter
  • 1975 – Ashley Cowan, English cricketer
  • 1976 – Calvin Booth, American basketball player
  • 1976 – Berke Hatipoğlu, Turkish guitarist and songwriter
  • 1976 – Stacey Jones, New Zealand rugby league player
  • 1976 – Andrea Lo Cicero, Italian rugby player
  • 1976 – Michael P. Murphy, American lieutenant, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 2005)
  • 1976 – Ayelet Shaked, Israeli Minister of Justice (2015-2019)
  • 1977 – Elton Flatley, Australian rugby player
  • 1978 – Stian Arnesen, Norwegian guitarist, drummer, and songwriter
  • 1978 – James Carter, American hurdler
  • 1978 – Shawn Marion, American basketball player
  • 1979 – Katie Douglas, American basketball player
  • 1983 – Phionah Atuhebwe, Ugandan vaccinologist and immunization expert
  • 1984 – James Loney, American baseball player
  • 1984 – Alex Smith, American football player
  • 1984 – Kevin Owens, Canadian wrestler
  • 1985 – Jarrad Hickey, Australian rugby league player
  • 1985 – Drew Neitzel, American basketball player
  • 1986 – Matt Helders, English drummer
  • 1987 – Asami Konno, Japanese singer
  • 1987 – Michael Maidens, English footballer (d. 2007)
  • 1987 – Mark Reynolds, Scottish footballer
  • 1987 – David Schlemko, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1988 – Eino Puri, Estonian footballer
  • 1988 – Sander Puri, Estonian footballer
  • 1989 – Earl Thomas, American football player
  • 1995 – Seko Fofana, French born Ivorian international footballer
  • 1997 – Daria Kasatkina, Russian tennis player
  • 1998 – Jesse Puljujärvi, Finnish ice hockey player

Deaths on May 7

  • 721 – John of Beverley, bishop of York
  • 833 – Ibn Hisham, Egyptian Muslim historian
  • 973 – Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 912)
  • 1014 – Bagrat III, 1st King of Georgia (b. 960)
  • 1092 – Remigius de Fécamp, English monk and bishop
  • 1166 – William I of Sicily
  • 1202 – Hamelin de Warenne, Earl of Surrey
  • 1205 – Ladislaus III of Hungary (b. 1201)
  • 1234 – Otto I, Duke of Merania (b. c. 1180)
  • 1243 – Hugh d’Aubigny, 5th Earl of Arundel
  • 1427 – Thomas la Warr, 5th Baron De La Warr, English priest (b. 1352)
  • 1494 – Eskender, Emperor of Ethiopia (b. 1471)
  • 1523 – Franz von Sickingen, German knight (b. 1481)
  • 1539 – Ottaviano Petrucci, Italian printer (b. 1466)
  • 1617 – David Fabricius, German astronomer and theologian (b. 1564)
  • 1667 – Johann Jakob Froberger, German organist and composer (b. 1616)
  • 1682 – Feodor III of Russia (b. 1661)
  • 1685 – Bajo Pivljanin (b. 1630)
  • 1718 – Mary of Modena (b. 1658)
  • 1793 – Pietro Nardini, Italian violinist and composer (b. 1722)
  • 1800 – Niccolò Piccinni, Italian composer (b. 1728)
  • 1805 – William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne, Irish-English general and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1737)
  • 1815 – Jabez Bowen, American colonel and politician, 45th Deputy Governor of Rhode Island (b. 1739)
  • 1825 – Antonio Salieri, Italian composer and conductor (b. 1750)
  • 1840 – Caspar David Friedrich, German painter and educator (b. 1774)
  • 1868 – Henry Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux, Scottish lawyer and politician, Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain (b. 1778)
  • 1872 – Alexander Loyd, American carpenter and politician, 4th Mayor of Chicago (b. 1805)
  • 1876 – William Buell Sprague, American clergyman, historian, and author (b. 1795)
  • 1887 – C. F. W. Walther, German-American religious leader and theologian (b. 1811)
  • 1896 – H. H. Holmes, American serial killer (b. 1861)
  • 1902 – Agostino Roscelli, Italian priest and saint (b. 1818)
  • 1917 – Albert Ball, English fighter pilot (b. 1896)
  • 1922 – Max Wagenknecht, German pianist and composer (b. 1857)
  • 1924 – Alluri Sitarama Raju, Indian activist (b. 1897/1898)
  • 1925 – William Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme, English businessman and politician (b. 1851)
  • 1937 – Ernst A. Lehmann, German captain and author (b. 1886)
  • 1938 – Octavian Goga, Romanian politician, former Prime Minister (b. 1881)
  • 1940 – George Lansbury, English journalist and politician (b. 1859)
  • 1941 – James George Frazer, Scottish-English anthropologist and academic (b. 1854)
  • 1942 – Felix Weingartner, Croatian pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1863)
  • 1943 – Fethi Okyar, Turkish colonel and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Turkey (b. 1880)
  • 1946 – Herbert Macaulay, Nigerian journalist and politician (b. 1864)
  • 1951 – Warner Baxter, American actor (b. 1889)
  • 1967 – Margaret Larkin, American writer and poet (b. 1899)
  • 1958 – Mihkel Lüdig, Estonian organist, composer, and conductor (b. 1880)
  • 1976 – Alison Uttley, English children’s book writer (b. 1884)
  • 1978 – Mort Weisinger, American journalist and author (b. 1915)
  • 1986 – Haldun Taner, Turkish playwright and author (b. 1915)
  • 1987 – Colin Blakely, Northern Irish actor (b. 1930)
  • 1987 – Paul Popham, American soldier and activist, co-founded Gay Men’s Health Crisis (b. 1941)
  • 1990 – Sam Tambimuttu, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician (b. 1932)
  • 1994 – Clement Greenberg, American art critic (b. 1909)
  • 1995 – Ray McKinley, American drummer, singer, and bandleader (Glenn Miller Orchestra) (b. 1910)
  • 1998 – Allan McLeod Cormack, South African-English physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1924)
  • 1998 – Eddie Rabbitt, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1941)
  • 2000 – Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., American captain, actor, and producer (b. 1909)
  • 2001 – Jacques de Bourbon-Busset, French author and politician (b. 1912)
  • 2004 – Waldemar Milewicz, Polish journalist (b. 1956)
  • 2005 – Tristan Egolf, American author and activist (b. 1971)
  • 2005 – Peter Rodino, American captain and politician (b. 1909)
  • 2005 – Otilino Tenorio, Ecuadorian footballer (b. 1980)
  • 2006 – Richard Carleton, Australian journalist (b. 1943)
  • 2006 – Joan C. Edwards, American singer and philanthropist (b. 1918)
  • 2007 – Isabella Blow, English magazine editor (b. 1958)
  • 2007 – Diego Corrales, American boxer (b. 1977)
  • 2007 – Octavian Paler, Romanian journalist and politician (b. 1926)
  • 2007 – Yahweh ben Yahweh, American cult leader, founded the Nation of Yahweh (b. 1935)
  • 2009 – David Mellor, English designer (b. 1930)
  • 2009 – Danny Ozark, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1923)
  • 2011 – Seve Ballesteros, Spanish golfer (b. 1957)
  • 2011 – Willard Boyle, Canadian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1924)
  • 2011 – Big George, English songwriter, producer, and radio host (b. 1957)
  • 2012 – Sammy Barr, Scottish trade union leader (b. 1931)
  • 2012 – Ferenc Bartha, Hungarian economist and politician (b. 1943)
  • 2012 – Dennis E. Fitch, American captain and pilot (b. 1942)
  • 2013 – Ferruccio Mazzola, Italian footballer and manager (b. 1948)
  • 2013 – George Sauer, Jr., American football player (b. 1943)
  • 2014 – Neville McNamara, Australian air marshal (b. 1923)
  • 2014 – Colin Pillinger, English astronomer, chemist, and academic (b. 1943)
  • 2014 – Dick Welteroth, American baseball player (b. 1927)
  • 2015 – Frank DiPascali, American businessman (b. 1956)
  • 2015 – John Dixon, Australian-American author, and illustrator (b. 1929)

Holidays and observances on May 7

  • Christian feast day:
    • Agathius of Byzantium
    • Agostino Roscelli
    • Pope Benedict II
    • Flavia Domitilla
    • Gisela of Hungary
    • Harriet Starr Cannon (Episcopal Church (USA))
    • John of Beverley
    • Rose Venerini
    • Stanislaus (Roman Martyrology)
    • May 7 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Defender of the Fatherland Day (Kazakhstan)
  • Dien Bien Phu Victory Day (Vietnam)
  • Radio Day, commemorating the work of Alexander Popov (Russia, Bulgaria)

May 7 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

May 5 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /

This day marks the approximate midpoint of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and of autumn in the Southern Hemisphere (starting the season at the March equinox).

May 5 in History

  • 553 – The Second Council of Constantinople begins
  • 1215 – Rebel barons renounce their allegiance to King John of England — part of a chain of events leading to the signing of the Magna Carta.
  • 1260 – Kublai Khan becomes ruler of the Mongol Empire.
  • 1494 – Christopher Columbus lands on the island of Jamaica and claims it for Spain.
  • 1640 – King Charles I of England dissolves the Short Parliament.
  • 1654 – Cromwell’s Act of Grace, aimed at reconciliation with the Scots, proclaimed in Edinburgh.
  • 1672 – In preparation for the Franco-Dutch War, Louis XIV of France personally inspects his troops at Charleroi in one of the most magnificent displays of military power in the seventeenth century.
  • 1762 – Russia and Prussia sign the Treaty of St. Petersburg.
  • 1789 – In France, the Estates-General convenes for the first time since 1614.
  • 1809 – Mary Kies becomes the first woman awarded a U.S. patent, for a technique of weaving straw with silk and thread.
  • 1809 – The Swiss canton of Aargau allows citizenship to Jews.
  • 1811 – Peninsular War: In the Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro, the British-Portuguese Army repels an attempt by the French Army of Portugal to relieve the besieged city of Almeida.
  • 1821 – Emperor Napoleon dies in exile on the island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean.
  • 1835 – The first railway in continental Europe opens between Brussels and Mechelen.
  • 1860 – Giuseppe Garibaldi sets sail from Genoa, leading the expedition of the Thousand to conquer the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and giving birth to the Kingdom of Italy.
  • 1862 – Cinco de Mayo: Troops led by Ignacio Zaragoza halt a French invasion in the Battle of Puebla in Mexico.
  • 1864 – American Civil War: The Battle of the Wilderness begins in Spotsylvania County.
  • 1865 – American Civil War: The Confederate District of the Gulf surrenders about 4,000 men at Citronelle, Alabama.
  • 1865 – American Civil War: The Confederate government was declared dissolved at Washington, Georgia.
  • 1866 – Memorial Day first celebrated in United States at Waterloo, New York.
  • 1877 – American Indian Wars: Sitting Bull leads his band of Lakota into Canada to avoid harassment by the United States Army under Colonel Nelson Miles.
  • 1886 – The Bay View massacre: A militia fires into a crowd of protesters in Milwaukee, killing seven.
  • 1891 – The Music Hall in New York City (later known as Carnegie Hall) has its grand opening and first public performance, with Tchaikovsky as the guest conductor.
  • 1904 – Pitching against the Philadelphia Athletics at the Huntington Avenue Grounds, Cy Young of the Boston Americans throws the first perfect game in the modern era of baseball.
  • 1905 – The trial in the Stratton Brothers case begins in London, England; it marks the first time that fingerprint evidence is used to gain a conviction for murder.
  • 1912 – Pravda, the “voice” of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, begins publication in Saint Petersburg.
  • 1920 – Authorities arrest Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti for alleged robbery and murder.
  • 1925 – Scopes Trial: Serving of an arrest warrant on John T. Scopes for teaching evolution in violation of the Butler Act.
  • 1927 – To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf is first published.
  • 1936 – Italian troops occupy Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
  • 1940 – World War II: Norwegian refugees form a government-in-exile in London.
  • 1940 – World War II: Norwegian Campaign: Norwegian squads in Hegra Fortress and Vinjesvingen capitulate to German forces after all other Norwegian forces in southern Norway had laid down their arms.
  • 1941 – Emperor Haile Selassie returns to Addis Ababa; the country commemorates the date as Liberation Day or Patriots’ Victory Day.
  • 1945 – World War II: The German surrender at Lüneburg Heath becomes effective, encompassing all German armed forces opposing the 21st Army Group in northwestern Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands.
  • 1945 – World War II: Dönitz gives Löhr permission to seek an armistice with the Western Allies to preserve a communist free Austria and recognising first, from a German standpoint, the separation of Austria from Germany undoing the Anschluss.
  • 1945 – World War II: The Prague uprising begins as an attempt by the Czech resistance to free the city from German occupation.
  • 1945 – World War II: A Fu-Go balloon bomb launched by the Japanese Army kills six people near Bly, Oregon.
  • 1945 – World War II: Battle of Castle Itter, the only battle in which American and German troops fought cooperatively.
  • 1946 – The International Military Tribunal for the Far East begins in Tokyo with twenty-eight Japanese military and government officials accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
  • 1950 – Bhumibol Adulyadej is crowned as King of Thailand.
  • 1955 – The General Treaty, by which France, Britain and the United States recognize the sovereignty of West Germany, comes into effect.
  • 1961 – Alan Shepard becomes the first American to travel into outer space, on a sub-orbital flight.
  • 1964 – The Council of Europe declares May 5 as Europe Day.
  • 1972 – Alitalia Flight 112 crashes into Mount Longa near Palermo, Sicily, killing all 115 aboard, making it the deadliest single-aircraft disaster in Italy.
  • 1973 – Secretariat wins the 1973 Kentucky Derby in 1:59​2⁄5, an as-yet unbeaten record.
  • 1980 – Operation Nimrod: The British Special Air Service storms the Iranian embassy in London after a six-day siege.
  • 1981 – Bobby Sands dies in the Long Kesh prison hospital after 66 days of hunger-striking, aged 27.
  • 1985 – Ronald Reagan visits the military cemetery at Bitburg and the site of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where he makes a speech.
  • 1987 – Iran–Contra affair: Start of Congressional televised hearings in the United States of America
  • 1991 – A riot breaks out in the Mt. Pleasant section of Washington, D.C. after police shoot a Salvadoran man.
  • 1992 – Armand Césari Stadium disaster in Bastia (Corsica): Eighteen people are killed and 2,300 are injured when one of the terraces collapses before a football match between SC Bastia and Olympique de Marseille.
  • 1993 – Three eight-year-old boys are murdered in West Memphis, Arkansas, Ultimately leading to the conviction of the West Memphis Three.
  • 1994 – The signing of the Bishkek Protocol between Armenia and Azerbaijan effectively freezes the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
  • 1994 – American teenager Michael P. Fay is caned in Singapore for theft and vandalism.
  • 1998 – A Peruvian Air Force Boeing 737 operating for Occidental Petroleum crashes on approach to Alférez FAP Alfredo Vladimir Sara Bauer Airport in Andoas, Peru, killing 75 people.
  • 2006 – The government of Sudan signs an accord with the Sudan Liberation Army.
  • 2007 – Kenya Airways Flight 507 crashes after takeoff from Douala International Airport in Douala, Cameroon, killing all 114 aboard, making it the deadliest aircraft disaster in Cameroon.
  • 2010 – Mass protests in Greece erupt in response to austerity measures imposed by the government as a result of the Greek government-debt crisis.
  • 2014 – Eleven people are missing after a Chinese cargo ship collides with a Marshall Islands registered container ship off the coast of Hong Kong.
  • 2014 – Twenty-two people die after two boats carrying refugees collide in the Aegean Sea off the coast of Greece.
  • 2019 – A Russian jet plane burst into flames while attempting an emergency landing at Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow killing at least 41 people.
  • 2020 – The National Telecommunications Commission issued a Cease and desist order to ABS-CBN Corporation to stop the operation of it’s free TV and radio stations.

Births on May 5

  • 1210 – Afonso III of Portugal (d. 1279)
  • 1282 – Juan Manuel, Prince of Villena (d. 1322)
  • 1310 – Preczlaw of Pogarell, Cardinal and Bishop of Wrocław (d. 1376)
  • 1352 – Rupert of Germany, Count Palatine of the Rhine (d. 1410)
  • 1479 – Guru Amar Das, Indian 3rd Sikh Guru (d. 1574)
  • 1504 – Stanislaus Hosius, Polish cardinal (d. 1579)
  • 1530 – Gabriel, comte de Montgomery, French nobleman (d. 1574)
  • 1542 – Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exeter, English soldier and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Northamptonshire (d. 1623)
  • 1582 – John Frederick, Duke of Württemberg (d. 1628)
  • 1684 – Françoise Charlotte d’Aubigné, French wife of Adrien Maurice de Noailles (d. 1739)
  • 1747 – Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1792)
  • 1749 – Jean-Frédéric Edelmann, French pianist and composer (d. 1794)
  • 1764 – Robert Craufurd, Scottish general and politician (d. 1812)
  • 1800 – Louis Christophe François Hachette, French publisher (d. 1864)
  • 1813 – Søren Kierkegaard, Danish philosopher and author (d. 1855)
  • 1818 – Karl Marx, German philosopher, sociologist, and journalist (d. 1883)
  • 1826 – Eugénie de Montijo, French wife of Napoleon III (d. 1920)
  • 1830 – John Batterson Stetson, American businessman, founded the John B. Stetson Company (d. 1906)
  • 1832 – Hubert Howe Bancroft, American ethnologist and historian (d. 1918)
  • 1833 – Ferdinand von Richthofen, German geographer and academic (d. 1905)
  • 1834 – Viktor Hartmann, Russian painter and architect (d. 1873)
  • 1843 – William George Beers, Canadian dentist and patriot (d. 1900)
  • 1846 – Henryk Sienkiewicz, Polish journalist and author, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1916)
  • 1858 – John L. Leal, American physician (d. 1914)
  • 1859 – Charles B. Hanford, American Shakespearean actor (d. 1926)
  • 1864 – Nellie Bly, American journalist and author (d. 1922)
  • 1865 – Helen Maud Merrill, American litterateur and poet (d. 1943)
  • 1866 – Thomas B. Thrige, Danish businessman (d. 1938)
  • 1869 – Fabián de la Rosa, Filipino painter and educator (d. 1937)
  • 1869 – Hans Pfitzner, German composer and conductor (d. 1949)
  • 1874 – Thomas Bavin, New Zealand-Australian politician, 24th Premier of New South Wales (d. 1941)
  • 1882 – Sylvia Pankhurst, English women’s suffrage movement leader and socialist activist (d. 1960)
  • 1883 – Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell, English general and politician, 43rd Governor-General of India (d. 1950)
  • 1883 – Anna Johnson Pell Wheeler, American mathematician (d. 1966)
  • 1884 – Chief Bender, American baseball player and coach (d. 1954)
  • 1885 – Kingsley Fairbridge, South African-Australian scholar and politician (d. 1924)
  • 1887 – Mervyn S. Bennion, American captain, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1941)
  • 1889 – Herbie Taylor, South African cricketer and soldier (d. 1973)
  • 1890 – Christopher Morley, American journalist and author (d. 1957)
  • 1892 – Dorothy Garrod, British archaeologist (d. 1968)
  • 1898 – Elsie Eaves, American engineer (d. 1983)
  • 1898 – Blind Willie McTell, American Piedmont blues singer and guitar player (d. 1959)
  • 1899 – Freeman Gosden, American actor and screenwriter (d. 1982)
  • 1900 – Helen Redfield, American geneticist (d. 1988)
  • 1903 – James Beard, American chef and author (d. 1985)
  • 1905 – Floyd Gottfredson, American author and illustrator (d. 1986)
  • 1906 – Charles Exbrayat, French author and screenwriter (d. 1989)
  • 1907 – Daryna Dmytrivna Polotniuk, Bukovinian (Ukrainian) journalist and author (d. 1982)
  • 1908 – Kurt Böhme, German opera singer (d. 1989)
  • 1909 – Miklós Radnóti, Hungarian poet and author (d. 1944)
  • 1910 – Leo Lionni, American author and illustrator (d. 1999)
  • 1911 – Gilles Grangier, French director and screenwriter (d. 1996)
  • 1911 – Andor Lilienthal, Russian-Hungarian chess player (d. 2010)
  • 1911 – Pritilata Waddedar, Indian educator and activist (d. 1932)
  • 1913 – Duane Carter, American race car driver (d. 1993)
  • 1914 – Tyrone Power, American actor (d. 1958)
  • 1915 – Alice Faye, American actress and singer (d. 1998)
  • 1916 – Zail Singh, Indian politician, 7th President of India (d. 1994)
  • 1917 – Pío Leyva, Cuban singer-songwriter (d. 2006)
  • 1918 – Egidio Galea, Maltese Roman Catholic priest (d. 2005)
  • 1919 – Georgios Papadopoulos, Greek colonel and politician, 169th Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1999)
  • 1921 – Arthur Leonard Schawlow, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1999)
  • 1922 – Irene Gut Opdyke, Polish nurse and humanitarian (d. 2003)
  • 1923 – William C. Campbell, American golfer (d. 2013)
  • 1923 – James Gilbert, Scottish television producer and director (d. 2016)
  • 1923 – Cathleen Synge Morawetz, Canadian mathematician (d. 2017)
  • 1923 – Richard Wollheim, English philosopher and academic (d. 2003)
  • 1925 – Leo Ryan, American soldier, educator, and politician (d. 1978)
  • 1927 – Pat Carroll, American actress
  • 1929 – Ilene Woods, American actress (d. 2010)
  • 1930 – Hans Abramson, Swedish director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2012)
  • 1931 – Greg, Belgian author and illustrator (d. 1999)
  • 1932 – Stan Goldberg, American illustrator (d. 2014)
  • 1932 – Bob Said, American race car driver and bobsled racer (d. 2002)
  • 1933 – Igor Kashkarov, Russian high jumper
  • 1933 – Collie Smith, Jamaican cricketer (d. 1959)
  • 1934 – Henri Konan Bédié, Ivorian politician, 2nd President of Côte d’Ivoire
  • 1934 – Victor Garland, Australian accountant and politician, 26th Australian Minister for Veterans’ Affairs
  • 1935 – Eddie Linden, Scottish poet and magazine editor
  • 1935 – Bernard Pivot, French journalist, talk show host, and producer
  • 1935 – Robert Rehme, American film producer
  • 1936 – Sandy Baron, American actor and comedian (d. 2001)
  • 1936 – Patrick Gowers, English composer and educator (d. 2014)
  • 1936 – Ervin Lázár, Hungarian author (d. 2006)
  • 1937 – Delia Derbyshire, English musician, arranger and composer (d. 2001)
  • 1938 – Michael Murphy, American actor
  • 1938 – Barbara Wagner, Canadian figure skater and coach
  • 1939 – Ray Gosling, English journalist, author, and activist (d. 2013)
  • 1940 – Lance Henriksen, American actor
  • 1940 – Michael Lindsay-Hogg, American director and producer
  • 1941 – Alexander Ragulin, Russian ice hockey player (d. 2004)
  • 1942 – István Bujtor, Hungarian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2009)
  • 1942 – Jean Corston, Baroness Corston, English lawyer and politician
  • 1942 – Hugh Courtenay, 18th Earl of Devon, English politician (d. 2015)
  • 1942 – Tammy Wynette, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1998)
  • 1943 – Michael Palin, English actor and screenwriter
  • 1943 – Ignacio Ramonet, Spanish journalist and author
  • 1944 – Bo Larsson, Swedish footballer
  • 1944 – John Rhys-Davies, Welsh actor and screenwriter
  • 1944 – Roger Rees, Welsh-American actor and director (d. 2015)
  • 1945 – Kurt Loder, American journalist, author, and critic
  • 1945 – Dianne Willcocks, English sociologist and academic
  • 1946 – Jim Kelly, American actor, athlete, and martial artist
  • 1946 – Aydın Menderes, Turkish politician (d. 2011)
  • 1948 – Bella van der Spiegel-Hage, Dutch cyclist
  • 1948 – Bill Ward, English drummer and songwriter
  • 1949 – Eppie Bleeker, Dutch speed skater
  • 1950 – Rex Caldwell, American golfer
  • 1950 – Maggie MacNeal, Dutch singer
  • 1951 – Rudolf Finsterer, German rugby player and coach
  • 1951 – Toomas Vilosius, Estonian physician and politician, 2nd Minister of Social Affairs of Estonia
  • 1952 – Ed Lee, American politician and attorney, 43rd Mayor of San Francisco (d. 2017)
  • 1952 – Jorge Llopart, Spanish race walker
  • 1952 – Willem Witteveen, Dutch scholar and politician (d. 2014)
  • 1955 – Jon Butcher, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and freelance multimedia producer
  • 1956 – Steve Scott, American runner and coach
  • 1957 – Richard E. Grant, Swazi-English actor, director, and screenwriter
  • 1957 – Peter Howitt, English actor, director, and screenwriter
  • 1957 – Aad van Mil, Dutch water polo player
  • 1958 – Ron Arad, Israeli colonel and pilot (d. 1986)
  • 1958 – Robert DiPierdomenico, Australian footballer and sportscaster
  • 1958 – Vanessa Downing, Australian actress
  • 1958 – Jack Wishna, American businessman, co-founded Rockcityclub (d. 2012)
  • 1959 – Bobby Ellsworth, American singer and bass player
  • 1959 – Ian McCulloch, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1959 – Steve Stevens, American guitarist and songwriter
  • 1959 – Brian Williams, American journalist
  • 1960 – Doug Hawkins, Australian footballer and sportscaster
  • 1961 – Marg Downey, Australian actress
  • 1961 – Hiroshi Hase, Japanese wrestler and politician
  • 1961 – Rob Williams, American basketball player (d. 2014)
  • 1962 – Kaoru Wada, Japanese composer and conductor
  • 1963 – James LaBrie, Canadian singer-songwriter
  • 1963 – Simon Rimmer, English chef and author
  • 1963 – Scott Westerfeld, American author and composer
  • 1964 – Jean-François Copé, French politician, French Minister of Budget
  • 1964 – Heike Henkel, German high jumper
  • 1964 – Don Payne, American screenwriter and producer (d. 2013)
  • 1964 – Minami Takayama, Japanese voice actress and singer
  • 1964 – Efrat Mishori, Israeli poet and filmmaker
  • 1965 – Glenn Seton, Australian race car driver
  • 1966 – Shawn Drover, Canadian drummer
  • 1966 – Sergei Stanishev, Bulgarian politician, 46th Prime Minister of Bulgaria
  • 1966 – Josh Weinstein, American screenwriter and producer
  • 1967 – Adam Hughes, American author and illustrator
  • 1967 – Alexis Sinduhije, Burundian journalist and politician
  • 1969 – Pieter Muller, South African rugby player
  • 1970 – Kyan Douglas, American television host and author
  • 1970 – Todd Newton, American game show host
  • 1971 – Harold Miner, American basketball player
  • 1971 – Mike Redmond, American baseball player and manager
  • 1972 – James Cracknell, English rower
  • 1972 – Žigmund Pálffy, Slovakian ice hockey player
  • 1972 – Mikael Renberg, Swedish ice hockey player
  • 1975 – Meb Keflezighi, American runner
  • 1976 – Dieter Brummer, Australian actor
  • 1976 – Jean-François Dumoulin, Canadian race car driver
  • 1976 – Anastasios Pantos, Greek footballer
  • 1976 – Juan Pablo Sorín, Argentinian footballer and sportscaster
  • 1978 – Morgan Pehme, American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1979 – Vincent Kartheiser, American actor
  • 1980 – Yossi Benayoun, Israeli footballer
  • 1980 – Hank Green, American entrepreneur, educator, and vlogger
  • 1980 – DerMarr Johnson, American basketball player
  • 1981 – Craig David, English singer-songwriter, musician and producer
  • 1981 – Danielle Fishel, American actress
  • 1982 – Ferrie Bodde, Dutch footballer
  • 1982 – Wouter D’Haene, Belgian sprinter
  • 1982 – Randall Gay, American football player
  • 1982 – Corey Parker, Australian rugby league footballer
  • 1983 – James Anyon, English cricketer
  • 1983 – Henry Cavill, English actor
  • 1983 – Mabel Gay, Cuban triple jumper
  • 1983 – Annie Villeneuve, Canadian singer-songwriter
  • 1983 – Scott Ware, American football player
  • 1984 – Johanna Hedva, Korean-American artist and genderqueer activist
  • 1984 – Wade MacNeil, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1984 – Christian Valdez, Mexican footballer
  • 1985 – Shoko Nakagawa, Japanese actress and singer
  • 1985 – Emanuele Giaccherini, Italian footballer
  • 1985 – Tsepo Masilela, South African footballer
  • 1985 – Marcos Rogério Oliveira Duarte, Brazilian footballer
  • 1985 – Terrence Wheatley, American football player
  • 1987 – Graham Dorrans, Scottish footballer
  • 1988 – Adele, English singer-songwriter
  • 1988 – Mervyn Westfield, English cricketer
  • 1989 – Chris Brown, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actor
  • 1991 – Xenofon Fetsis, Greek footballer
  • 1991 – Raúl Jiménez, Mexican footballer
  • 1992 – Loïck Landre, French footballer
  • 1994 – Celeste, English singer
  • 1998 – Aryna Sabalenka, Belarusian tennis player
  • 1999 – Nathan Chen, American figure skater
  • 1999 – Justin Kluivert, Dutch footballer

Deaths on May 5

  • 465 – Gerontius, Archbishop of Milan
  • 1194 – Casimir II the Just, Polish son of Bolesław III Wrymouth (b. 1138)
  • 1243 – Hubert de Burgh, 1st Earl of Kent, English justiciar (b. c. 1160)
  • 1306 – Constantine Palaiologos, Byzantine general (b. 1261)
  • 1309 – Charles II of Naples (b. 1254)
  • 1316 – Elizabeth of Rhuddlan, daughter of King Edward I of England (b. 1282)
  • 1338 – Prince Tsunenaga, son of the Japanese Emperor (b. 1324)
  • 1380 – Saint Philotheos, Coptic martyr
  • 1432 – Francesco Bussone da Carmagnola, Italian adventurer
  • 1525 – Frederick III, Elector of Saxony (b. 1463)
  • 1582 – Charlotte of Bourbon, Princess consort of Orange, married to William I of Orange (b. 1547)
  • 1586 – Henry Sidney, Irish politician, Lord Deputy of Ireland (b. 1529)
  • 1671 – Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester, English general and politician, Lord Chamberlain of the United Kingdom (b. 1602)
  • 1672 – Samuel Cooper, English painter and linguist (b. 1609)
  • 1700 – Angelo Italia, Italian architect (b. 1628)
  • 1705 – Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1640)
  • 1760 – Laurence Shirley, 4th Earl Ferrers, English politician (b. 1720)
  • 1766 – Jean Astruc, French physician and scholar (b. 1684)
  • 1808 – Pierre Jean George Cabanis, French physiologist and philosopher (b. 1757)
  • 1821 – Napoleon, French general and emperor (b. 1769)
  • 1827 – Frederick Augustus I of Saxony (b. 1750)
  • 1833 – Sophia Campbell, English-Australian painter (b. 1777)
  • 1855 – Sir Robert Inglis, 2nd Baronet, English politician (b. 1786)
  • 1859 – Peter Gustav Lejeune Dirichlet, German mathematician and academic (b. 1805)
  • 1860 – Jean-Charles Prince, Canadian bishop (b. 1804)
  • 1883 – John O’Shanassy, Irish-Australian politician, 2nd Premier of Victoria (b. 1818)
  • 1892 – August Wilhelm von Hofmann, German chemist and academic (b. 1818)
  • 1896 – Silas Adams, American lawyer and politician (b. 1839)
  • 1902 – Bret Harte, American short story writer and poet (b. 1836)
  • 1907 – Şeker Ahmed Pasha, Turkish soldier and painter (b. 1841)
  • 1913 – Henry Moret, French painter (b. 1856)
  • 1916 – John MacBride, Irish soldier and rebel (b. 1865)
  • 1916 – Maurice Raoul-Duval, French polo player (b. 1866)
  • 1921 – Alfred Hermann Fried, Austrian journalist and publicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1864)
  • 1924 – A. Sabapathy, Sri Lankan journalist and politician (b. 1853)
  • 1931 – Glen Kidston, English pilot and race car driver (b. 1899)
  • 1942 – Qemal Stafa, Albanian politician (b. 1920)
  • 1947 – Ty LaForest, Canadian-American baseball player (b. 1917)
  • 1957 – Leopold Löwenheim, German mathematician and logician (b. 1878)
  • 1959 – Carlos Saavedra Lamas, Argentinian academic and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1878)
  • 1962 – Ernest Tyldesley, English cricketer (b. 1889)
  • 1965 – Nikos Gounaris, Greek tenor and composer (b. 1915)
  • 1965 – John Waters, American director and screenwriter (b. 1893)
  • 1971 – Violet Jessop, Argentinean-English nurse (b. 1887)
  • 1973 – Zekai Özger, Turkish poet and academic (b. 1948)
  • 1977 – Ludwig Erhard, German economist and politician, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1897)
  • 1981 – Bobby Sands, PIRA volunteer and hunger striker (b. 1954)
  • 1983 – Horst Schumann, German physician (b. 1901)
  • 1983 – John Williams, English-American actor (b. 1903)
  • 1985 – Donald Bailey, English engineer, designed the Bailey bridge (b. 1901)
  • 1988 – Michael Shaara, American author and academic (b. 1928)
  • 1993 – Irving Howe, American literary and social critic (b. 1920)
  • 1994 – Mário Quintana, Brazilian poet and translator (b. 1906)
  • 1995 – Mikhail Botvinnik, Russian chess player and coach (b. 1911)
  • 1999 – Vasilis Diamantopoulos, Greek actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1920)
  • 2000 – Gino Bartali, Italian cyclist (b. 1914)
  • 2000 – Bill Musselman, American basketball player and coach (b. 1940)
  • 2001 – Morris Graves, American painter and educator (b. 1910)
  • 2001 – Clifton Hillegass, American publisher, created CliffsNotes (b. 1918)
  • 2002 – Hugo Banzer, Bolivian general and politician, 62nd President of Bolivia (b. 1926)
  • 2002 – Paul Wilbur Klipsch, American engineer, founded Klipsch Audio Technologies (b. 1904)
  • 2002 – George Sidney, American director and producer (b. 1916)
  • 2003 – Sam Bockarie, Sierra Leonean commander (b. 1964)
  • 2003 – Walter Sisulu, South African activist and politician (b. 1912)
  • 2006 – Naushad Ali, Indian composer and producer (b. 1919)
  • 2006 – Atıf Yılmaz, Turkish director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1925)
  • 2007 – Theodore Harold Maiman, American-Canadian physicist and engineer, created the laser (b. 1927)
  • 2008 – Irv Robbins, Canadian-American businessman, co-founded Baskin-Robbins (b. 1917)
  • 2008 – Jerry Wallace, American singer and guitarist (b. 1928)
  • 2010 – Giulietta Simionato, Italian soprano (b. 1910)
  • 2010 – Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, Nigerian academic and politician, 13th President of Nigeria (b. 1951)
  • 2011 – Claude Choules, English-Australian soldier (b. 1901)
  • 2011 – Yosef Merimovich, Israeli footballer and manager (b. 1924)
  • 2011 – Dana Wynter, British actress (b. 1931)
  • 2012 – Surendranath, Indian cricketer (b. 1937)
  • 2012 – Carl Johan Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg (b. 1916)
  • 2012 – Aatos Erkko, Finnish journalist and publisher (b. 1932)
  • 2012 – George Knobel, Dutch footballer, coach, and manager (b. 1922)
  • 2012 – Roy Padayachie, South African lawyer and politician, South African Minister of Communications (b. 1950)
  • 2013 – Sarah Kirsch, German poet and author (b. 1935)
  • 2013 – Robert Ressler, American FBI agent and author (b. 1937)
  • 2014 – Michael Otedola, Nigerian journalist and politician, 9th Governor of Lagos State (b. 1926)
  • 2015 – Jobst Brandt, American cyclist, engineer, and author (b. 1935)
  • 2015 – Hans Jansen, Dutch linguist, academic, and politician (b. 1942)
  • 2017 – Binyamin Elon, Israeli Orthodox rabbi and politician (b. 1954)
  • 2017 – Ely Ould Mohamed Vall, Mauritanian politician (b. 1953)

Holidays and observances on May 5

  • Children’s Day (Japan, South Korea)
  • Christian feast day:
    • Angelus of Jerusalem
    • Aventinus of Tours
    • Blessed Edmund Ignatius Rice
    • Frederick the Wise (Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod)
    • Hilary of Arles
    • Jutta of Kulmsee
    • Stanisław Kazimierczyk
    • May 5 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Cinco de Mayo (Mexico, United States)
  • Constitution Day (Kyrgyzstan)
  • Europe Day (Council of Europe)
  • Feast of al-Khadr or Saint George (Palestinian)
  • Indian Arrival Day (Guyana)
  • International Midwives’ Day (International)
  • Liberation Day (Denmark, Netherlands)
  • Lusophone Culture Day (Community of Portuguese Language Countries)
  • World Portuguese language day (International)
  • Martyrs’ Day (Albania)
  • Patriots’ Victory Day (Ethiopia)
  • Senior Citizens Day (Palau)
  • Tango no sekku (Japan)

May 5 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

May 2 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /

May 2 in History

  • 1194 – King Richard I of England gives Portsmouth its first Royal Charter
  • 1230 – William de Braose is hanged by Prince Llywelyn the Great.
  • 1335 – Otto the Merry, Duke of Austria, becomes Duke of Carinthia.
  • 1536 – Anne Boleyn, Queen of England, is arrested and imprisoned on charges of adultery, incest, treason and witchcraft.
  • 1559 – John Knox returns from exile to Scotland to become the leader of the nascent Scottish Reformation.
  • 1568 – Mary, Queen of Scots, escapes from Loch Leven Castle.
  • 1611 – The King James Version of the Bible is published for the first time in London, England, by printer Robert Barker.
  • 1625 – Afonso Mendes, appointed by Pope Gregory XV as Latin Patriarch of Ethiopia, arrives at Beilul from Goa.
  • 1670 – King Charles II of England grants a permanent charter to the Hudson’s Bay Company to open up the fur trade in North America.
  • 1672 – John Maitland becomes Duke of Lauderdale and Earl of March.
  • 1808 – Outbreak of the Peninsular War: The people of Madrid rise up in rebellion against French occupation. Francisco de Goya later memorializes this event in his painting The Second of May 1808.
  • 1812 – The Siege of Cuautla during the Mexican War of Independence ends with both sides claiming victory after Mexican rebels under José María Morelos y Pavón abandon the city after 72 days under siege by royalist Spanish troops under Félix María Calleja.
  • 1816 – Marriage of Léopold of Saxe-Coburg and Princess Charlotte of Wales.
  • 1829 – After anchoring nearby, Captain Charles Fremantle of HMS Challenger, declares the Swan River Colony in Australia.
  • 1863 – American Civil War: Stonewall Jackson is wounded by friendly fire while returning to camp after reconnoitering during the Battle of Chancellorsville. He succumbs to pneumonia eight days later.
  • 1866 – Peruvian defenders fight off the Spanish fleet at the Battle of Callao.
  • 1876 – The April Uprising breaks out in Ottoman Bulgaria.
  • 1879 – The Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party is founded in Madrid by Pablo Iglesias.
  • 1885 – Cree and Assiniboine warriors win the Battle of Cut Knife, their largest victory over Canadian forces during the North-West Rebellion.
  • 1889 – Menelik II, Emperor of Ethiopia, signs the Treaty of Wuchale, giving Italy control over Eritrea.
  • 1906 – Closing ceremony of the Intercalated Games in Athens, Greece.
  • 1918 – General Motors acquires the Chevrolet Motor Company of Delaware.
  • 1920 – The first game of the Negro National League baseball is played in Indianapolis.
  • 1933 – Germany’s independent labor unions are replaced by the German Labour Front.
  • 1941 – Following the coup d’état against Iraq Crown Prince ‘Abd al-Ilah earlier that year, the United Kingdom launches the Anglo-Iraqi War to restore him to power.
  • 1945 – World War II: The Soviet Union announces the fall of Berlin.
  • 1945 – World War II: The surrender of Caserta comes into effect, by which German troops in Italy cease fighting.
  • 1945 – World War II: The US 82nd Airborne Division liberates Wöbbelin concentration camp finding 1000 dead prisoners, most of whom starved to death.
  • 1945 – World War II: A death march from Dachau to the Austrian border is halted by the segregated, all-Nisei 522nd Field Artillery Battalion of the U.S. Army in southern Bavaria, saving several hundred prisoners.
  • 1952 – A De Havilland Comet makes the first jetliner flight with fare-paying passengers, from London to Johannesburg.
  • 1955 – Tennessee Williams wins the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
  • 1963 – Berthold Seliger launches a rocket with three stages and a maximum flight altitude of more than 100 kilometres near Cuxhaven. It is the only sounding rocket developed in Germany.
  • 1964 – Vietnam War: An explosion sinks the American aircraft carrier USNS Card while it is docked at Saigon. Two Viet Cong combat swimmers had placed explosives on the ship’s hull. She is raised and returned to service less than seven months later.
  • 1964 – First ascent of Shishapangma, the fourteenth highest mountain in the world and the lowest of the Eight-thousanders.
  • 1969 – The British ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 2 departs on her maiden voyage to New York City.
  • 1972 – In the early morning hours a fire breaks out at the Sunshine Mine located between Kellogg and Wallace, Idaho, killing 91 workers.
  • 1982 – Falklands War: The British nuclear submarine HMS Conqueror sinks the Argentine cruiser ARA General Belgrano.
  • 1986 – Chernobyl disaster: The City of Chernobyl is evacuated six days after the disaster.
  • 1989 – Cold War: Hungary begins dismantling its border fence with Austria, which allows a number of East Germans to defect.
  • 1994 – A bus crashes in Gdańsk, Poland killing 32 people.
  • 1995 – During the Croatian War of Independence, the Army of the Republic of Serb Krajina fires cluster bombs at Zagreb, killing seven and wounding over 175 civilians.
  • 1998 – The European Central Bank is founded in Brussels in order to define and execute the European Union’s monetary policy.
  • 1999 – Panamanian general election, 1999: Mireya Moscoso becomes the first woman to be elected President of Panama.
  • 2000 – President Bill Clinton announces that accurate GPS access would no longer be restricted to the United States military.
  • 2004 – The Yelwa massacre concludes. It began on 4 February 2004 when armed Muslims killed 78 Christians at Yelwa. In response, about 630 Muslims were killed by Christians on May 2nd.
  • 2008 – Cyclone Nargis makes landfall in Burma killing over 138,000 people and leaving millions of people homeless.
  • 2008 – Chaitén Volcano begins erupting in Chile, forcing the evacuation of more than 4,500 people.
  • 2011 – Osama bin Laden, the suspected mastermind behind the September 11 attacks and the FBI’s most wanted man, is killed by the United States special forces in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
  • 2011 – An E. coli outbreak strikes Europe, mostly in Germany, leaving more than 30 people dead and many others sick from the bacteria outbreak.
  • 2012 – A pastel version of The Scream, by Norwegian painter Edvard Munch, sells for $120 million in a New York City auction, setting a new world record for a work of art at auction.
  • 2014 – Two mudslides in Badakhshan, Afghanistan, leave up to 2,500 people missing.

Births on May 2

  • 1360 – Yongle Emperor of China (d. 1424)
  • 1402 – Eleanor of Aragon, Queen of Portugal (d. 1445)
  • 1451 – René II, Duke of Lorraine (d. 1508)
  • 1458 – Eleanor of Viseu (d. 1525)
  • 1476 – Charles I, Duke of Münsterberg-Oels, Count of Kladsko, Governor of Bohemia and Silesia (d. 1536)
  • 1533 – Philip II, Duke of Brunswick-Grubenhagen (d. 1596)
  • 1551 – William Camden, English historian and topographer (d. 1623)
  • 1567 – Sebald de Weert, Dutch captain, vice-admiral of the Dutch East India Company (d. 1603)
  • 1579 – Tokugawa Hidetada, Japanese shōgun (d. 1632)
  • 1601 – Athanasius Kircher, German priest and scholar (d. 1680)
  • 1660 – Alessandro Scarlatti, Italian composer (d. 1725)
  • 1695 – Giovanni Niccolò Servandoni, Italian-French painter and architect (d. 1766)
  • 1702 – Friedrich Christoph Oetinger, German theologian and theosopher (d. 1782)
  • 1707 – Jean-Baptiste Barrière, French cellist and composer (d. 1747)
  • 1729 – Catherine the Great of Russia (d. 1796)
  • 1737 – William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne, Irish-English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1805)
  • 1740 – Elias Boudinot, American lawyer and politician, 10th President of the Continental Congress (d. 1821)
  • 1750 – John André, English soldier and spy (d. 1780)
  • 1752 – Ludwig August Lebrun, German oboe player and composer (d. 1790)
  • 1754 – Vicente Martín y Soler, Spanish composer (d. 1806)
  • 1772 – Novalis, German author and poet (d. 1801)
  • 1773 – Henrik Steffens, Norwegian philosopher and poet (d. 1845)
  • 1797 – Abraham Pineo Gesner, Canadian physician and geologist (d. 1864)
  • 1802 – Heinrich Gustav Magnus, German chemist and physicist (d. 1870)
  • 1806 – Catherine Labouré, French nun and saint (d. 1876)
  • 1810 – Hans Christian Lumbye, Danish composer and conductor (d. 1874)
  • 1813 – Caroline Leigh Gascoigne, English novelist and poet (d. 1883)
  • 1815 – William Buell Richards, Canadian lawyer and judge, 1st Chief Justice of Canada (d. 1889)
  • 1822 – Jane Miller Thengberg, Scottish-Swedish governess and educator (d. 1902)
  • 1828 – Désiré Charnay, French archaeologist and photographer (d. 1915)
  • 1830 – Otto Staudinger, German entomologist and author (d. 1900)
  • 1843 – Elijah McCoy, Canadian-American engineer (d. 1929)
  • 1859 – Jerome K. Jerome, English author and playwright (d. 1927)
  • 1860 – John Scott Haldane, Scottish physiologist, physician, and academic (d. 1936)
  • 1860 – Theodor Herzl, Austro-Hungarian Zionist philosopher, journalist and author (d. 1904)
  • 1865 – Clyde Fitch, American playwright (d. 1909)
  • 1867 – Giuseppe Morello, Italian-American mobster (d. 1930)
  • 1873 – Jurgis Baltrušaitis, Lithuanian poet, critic, and translator (d. 1944)
  • 1879 – James F. Byrnes, American stenographer and politician, 49th United States Secretary of State (d. 1972)
  • 1880 – Bill Horr, American football player, discus thrower, and coach (d. 1955)
  • 1882 – Isabel González, Puerto Rican activist who helped pave the way for Puerto Ricans’ American citizenship (d. 1971)
  • 1885 – Hedda Hopper, American actress and gossip columnist (d. 1966)
  • 1886 – Gottfried Benn, German author and poet (d. 1956)
  • 1887 – Vernon Castle, English-American dancer (d. 1918)
  • 1887 – Eddie Collins, American baseball player and manager (d. 1951)
  • 1889 – Ki Hajar Dewantara, Indonesian philosopher, academic, and politician (d. 1959)
  • 1890 – E. E. Smith, American engineer and author (d. 1965)
  • 1892 – Manfred von Richthofen, German captain and pilot (d. 1918)
  • 1894 – Norma Talmadge, leading US actress of the silent era (d. 1957)
  • 1894 – Joseph Henry Woodger, English biologist, philosopher, and academic (d. 1981)
  • 1895 – Lorenz Hart, American playwright and lyricist (d. 1943)
  • 1897 – John Frederick Coots, American songwriter (d. 1985)
  • 1898 – Henry Hall, English bandleader, composer, and actor (d. 1989)
  • 1901 – Bob Wyatt, English cricketer (d. 1995)
  • 1901 – Edouard Zeckendorf, Belgian doctor, army officer and mathematician (d. 1983)
  • 1901 – Willi Bredel, German writer (d. 1964)
  • 1902 – Brian Aherne, English actor (d. 1986)
  • 1902 – Werner Finck, German Kabarett comedian, actor and author (d. 1978)
  • 1903 – Benjamin Spock, American rower, pediatrician, and author (d. 1998)
  • 1904 – Bill Brandt, German-English photographer and journalist (d. 1983)
  • 1905 – Alan Rawsthorne, British composer (d. 1971)
  • 1905 – Charlotte Armstrong, American author (d. 1969)
  • 1906 – Philippe Halsman, Latvian-American photographer (d. 1979)
  • 1907 – Pinky Lee, American comedian and television host (d. 1993)
  • 1908 – Frank Rowlett, American cryptologist (d. 1998)
  • 1909 – Teddy Stauffer, Swiss bandleader, musician, and actor (d. 1991)
  • 1910 – Alexander Bonnyman, Jr., American lieutenant, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1943)
  • 1910 – Edmund Bacon, American urban planner, architect, educator, and author (d. 2005)
  • 1912 – Axel Springer, German journalist and publisher, founded Axel Springer AG (d. 1985)
  • 1912 – Karl Adam, German rowing coaches (d. 1976)
  • 1912 – Marten Toonder, Dutch comic strip creator (d. 2005)
  • 1912 – Nigel Patrick, English actor and director (d. 1981)
  • 1913 – Pietro Frua, Italian coachbuilder and car designer (d. 1983)
  • 1913 – Aydın Sayılı, Turkish historian and academic (d. 1993)
  • 1915 – Doris Fisher, American singer-songwriter (d. 2003)
  • 1915 – Peggy Mount, English actress (d. 2001)
  • 1917 – Albert Castelyns, Belgian water polo player and bobsledder
  • 1917 – Văn Tiến Dũng, Vietnamese general and politician, 6th Minister of Defence for Vietnam (d. 2002)
  • 1920 – Jean-Marie Auberson, Swiss violinist and conductor (d. 2004)
  • 1920 – Otto Buchsbaum, Austrian-Brazilian journalist and activist (d. 2000)
  • 1920 – Vasantrao Deshpande, Indian singer and sitar player (d. 1983)
  • 1920 – Guinn Smith, American pole vaulter, soldier, and pilot (d. 2004)
  • 1920 – Jacob Gilboa, Israeli composer (d. 2007)
  • 1921 – B. B. Lal, Indian archaeologist
  • 1921 – Satyajit Ray, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1992)
  • 1922 – Roscoe Lee Browne, American actor and director (d. 2007)
  • 1922 – A. M. Rosenthal, Canadian-born American journalist and author (d. 2006)
  • 1922 – Serge Reggiani, Italian-born French singer and actor (d. 2004)
  • 1923 – Patrick Hillery, Irish physician and politician, 6th President of Ireland (d. 2008)
  • 1923 – Albert Nordengen, Norwegian banker and politician (d. 2004)
  • 1924 – Jamal Abro, Pakistani lawyer and author (d. 2004)
  • 1924 – Theodore Bikel, Austrian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (d. 2015)
  • 1924 – Arthur Clues, Australian rugby league player (d. 1998)
  • 1924 – Hugh Cortazzi, English soldier, historian, and diplomat, British Ambassador to Japan (d. 2018)
  • 1925 – John Neville, English-Canadian actor (d. 2011)
  • 1926 – Gérard D. Levesque, Canadian lawyer and politician, 5th Deputy Premier of Quebec (d. 1993)
  • 1927 – Ray Barrett, Australian actor and singer (d. 2009)
  • 1927 – Amos Kenan, Israeli columnist, painter, sculptor, playwright and novelist (d. 2009)
  • 1927 – Michael Broadbent, British wine critic and writer (d. 2020)
  • 1928 – Hans Trass, Estonian ecologist and botanist (d. 2017)
  • 1928 – Georges-Arthur Goldschmidt, French writer and translator of German origin
  • 1928 – Horst Stein, German conductor (d. 2008)
  • 1929 – Édouard Balladur, Turkish-French economist and politician, 162nd Prime Minister of France
  • 1929 – James Dillion, American discus thrower (d. 2010)
  • 1929 – Link Wray, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2005)
  • 1929 – Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, Druk Gyalpo of Bhutan (d. 1972)
  • 1930 – Yoram Kaniuk, Israeli painter and critic (d. 2013)
  • 1930 – Marco Pannella, Italian journalist and politician (d. 2016)
  • 1931 – Phil Bruns, American actor and stuntman (d. 2012)
  • 1931 – Martha Grimes, American author and poet
  • 1932 – Maury Allen, American journalist, actor, and author (d. 2010)
  • 1933 – Bunk Gardner, American musician
  • 1933 – Harry Woolf, Baron Woolf, English lawyer and judge, Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales
  • 1934 – Manfred Durniok, German film producer, director and screenwriter (d. 2003)
  • 1935 – Luis Suárez Miramontes, Spanish footballer and manager
  • 1935 – Faisal II of Iraq, the last King of Iraq (d.1958)
  • 1936 – Norma Aleandro, Argentinian actress, director, and screenwriter
  • 1936 – Engelbert Humperdinck, English singer and pianist
  • 1936 – Michael Rabin, American violinist (d. 1972)
  • 1937 – Klaus Enders, German motorcycle sidecar racer (d. 2019)
  • 1937 – Lorenzo Music, American actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2001)
  • 1937 – Gisela Elsner, German writer (d. 1992)
  • 1938 – Moshoeshoe II of Lesotho (d. 1996)
  • 1939 – Sumio Iijima, Japanese physicist and engineer
  • 1939 – Ernesto Castano, Italian football player
  • 1940 – Jules Albert Wijdenbosch, Surinamese politician
  • 1941 – Tony Adamowicz, American race car driver (d. 2016)
  • 1941 – Bruce Cameron, Scottish bishop
  • 1941 – Clay Carroll, American baseball player
  • 1941 – Eddy Louiss, French jazz musician (d. 2015)
  • 1942 – Jacques Rogge, Belgian businessman
  • 1942 – Wojciech Pszoniak, Polish film and theater actor
  • 1944 – Robert G. W. Anderson, English chemist, historian, and curator
  • 1945 – Randy Cain, American soul singer (d. 2009)
  • 1945 – Judge Dread, English singer-songwriter (d. 1998)
  • 1945 – Bianca Jagger, Nicaraguan-American model, actress, and activist
  • 1945 – Goldy McJohn, Canadian keyboard player (d. 2017)
  • 1946 – Peter L. Benson, American psychologist and academic (d. 2011)
  • 1946 – Lesley Gore, American singer-songwriter (d. 2015)
  • 1946 – David Suchet, English actor
  • 1947 – James Dyson, English businessman, founded the Dyson Company
  • 1947 – Lynda Myles, English screenwriter and producer
  • 1947 – Philippe Herreweghe, Belgian conductor
  • 1948 – Larry Gatlin, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
  • 1949 – Alan Titchmarsh, English gardener and author
  • 1949 – Alfons Schuhbeck, German celebrity chef, author and businessman
  • 1950 – Simon Gaskell, English chemist and academic
  • 1950 – Duncan Gay, Australian businessman and politician
  • 1950 – Lou Gramm, American singer-songwriter
  • 1950 – Richard Ground, English lawyer and judge (d. 2014)
  • 1950 – Fausto Silva, Brazilian television presenter
  • 1951 – John Glascock, English singer and bass player (d. 1979)
  • 1952 – Chris Anderson, Australian rugby league player and coach
  • 1952 – Christine Baranski, American actress and singer
  • 1952 – Isla St Clair, Scottish singer and actress
  • 1953 – Valery Gergiev, Russian conductor and director
  • 1953 – Jamaal Wilkes, American basketball player
  • 1954 – Elliot Goldenthal, American composer and conductor
  • 1954 – Dawn Primarolo, English politician
  • 1954 – Stephen Venables, English mountaineer and author
  • 1955 – Willie Miller, Scottish footballer
  • 1955 – Donatella Versace, Italian fashion designer
  • 1956 – Régis Labeaume, Canadian businessman and politician, 41st Mayor of Quebec City
  • 1958 – Yasushi Akimoto, Japanese songwriter and producer
  • 1958 – Stanislav Levý, Czech footballer and manager
  • 1958 – David O’Leary, English-Irish footballer and manager
  • 1959 – Alan Best, Canadian animator, director, and producer
  • 1959 – Tony Wakeford, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1960 – Stephen Daldry, English director and producer
  • 1961 – Steve James, English snooker player
  • 1961 – Sophie Thibault, Canadian journalist
  • 1961 – Phil Vickery, English chef and author
  • 1962 – Elizabeth Berridge, American actress
  • 1962 – Michael Grandage, English director and producer
  • 1962 – Jimmy White, English snooker player
  • 1965 – Félix José, Dominican-American baseball player
  • 1966 – Uwe Freiler, German footballer
  • 1966 – Margus Kolga, Estonian diplomat
  • 1966 – Belinda Stronach, Canadian businesswoman, philanthropist, and politician
  • 1967 – Bengt Åkerblom, Swedish ice hockey player (d. 1995)
  • 1967 – Mika Brzezinski, American journalist and author
  • 1967 – David Rocastle, English footballer (d. 2001)
  • 1968 – Jeff Agoos, Swiss-American soccer player, manager, and sportscaster
  • 1968 – Julia Hartley-Brewer, English broadcaster and columnist
  • 1968 – Ziana Zain, Malaysian singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1969 – Brian Lara, Trinidadian cricketer
  • 1970 – Marco Walker, Swiss footballer and coach
  • 1971 – Musashimaru Kōyō, Samoan-American sumo wrestler, the 67th Yokozuna
  • 1971 – Fatima Yusuf, Nigerian sprinter
  • 1972 – Paul Adcock, English footballer
  • 1972 – Ahti Heinla, Estonian programmer and businessman, co-developed Skype
  • 1972 – Dwayne Johnson, American-Canadian wrestler, actor, and producer
  • 1973 – Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, German director and screenwriter
  • 1974 – Horacio Carbonari, Argentinian footballer and manager
  • 1974 – Andy Johnson, English-Welsh footballer
  • 1974 – Janek Meet, Estonian footballer
  • 1975 – David Beckham, English footballer, coach, and model
  • 1975 – Joe Wilkinson, English comedian, actor and writer
  • 1976 – Jeff Gutt, American singer-songwriter
  • 1977 – Brian Cardinal, American basketball player
  • 1977 – Jan Fitschen, German runner
  • 1977 – Luke Hudson, American baseball player
  • 1977 – Fredrik Malm, Swedish journalist and politician
  • 1977 – Jenna von Oÿ, American actress and singer
  • 1977 – Kalle Palander, Finnish skier
  • 1978 – Melvin Ely, American basketball player
  • 1978 – Mike Weaver, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1979 – Jason Chimera, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1979 – Ioannis Kanotidis, Greek footballer
  • 1979 – Defne Joy Foster, Turkish-American actress, presenter and VJ (d. 2011)
  • 1980 – Tim Borowski, German footballer
  • 1980 – Pierre-Luc Gagnon, Canadian skateboarder
  • 1980 – Ellie Kemper, American actress, comedian and writer
  • 1980 – Zat Knight, English footballer
  • 1980 – Artūras Masiulis, Lithuanian basketball player
  • 1980 – Troy Murphy, American basketball player
  • 1980 – Lassaâd Ouertani, Tunisian footballer (d. 2013)
  • 1980 – Brad Richards, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1980 – Vincent Tong, Canadian actor, singer, voice actor and director
  • 1981 – Robert Buckley, American actor
  • 1981 – Chris Kirkland, English footballer
  • 1981 – Tiago Mendes, Portuguese footballer
  • 1981 – Matt Murray, English footballer
  • 1981 – Rina Satō, Japanese voice actress and singer
  • 1982 – Timothy Benjamin, Welsh sprinter
  • 1982 – Johan Botha, South African cricketer
  • 1983 – Alessandro Diamanti, Italian footballer
  • 1983 – Maynor Figueroa, Honduran footballer
  • 1983 – Tina Maze, Slovenian skier
  • 1983 – Daniel Sordo, Spanish race car driver
  • 1983 – Ove Vanebo, Norwegian politician
  • 1984 – Saulius Mikoliūnas, Lithuanian footballer
  • 1984 – Thabo Sefolosha, Swiss basketball player
  • 1985 – Lily Allen, English singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1985 – Kyle Busch, American race car driver
  • 1985 – Ashley Harkleroad, American tennis player
  • 1985 – Sarah Hughes, American figure skater
  • 1987 – Saara Aalto, Finnish singer and actress
  • 1987 – Nana Kitade, Japanese singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1987 – Pat McAfee, American football player
  • 1987 – Kris Russell, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1987 – Justin Young, English singer and songwriter
  • 1988 – Neftalí Feliz, Dominican baseball player
  • 1988 – Stephen Henderson, Irish footballer
  • 1989 – Jeanette Pohlen, American basketball player
  • 1990 – Kay Panabaker, American actress
  • 1990 – Paul George, American basketball player
  • 1991 – Jeong Jinwoon, South Korean actor and singer
  • 1992 – Sunmi, South Korean singer
  • 1992 – María Teresa Torró Flor, Spanish tennis player
  • 1993 – Owain Doull, Welsh track cyclist
  • 1993 – Isyana Sarasvati, Indonesian singer
  • 1993 – Huang Zitao, Chinese singer and rapper
  • 1996 – Cherprang Areekul, Thai singer
  • 1996 – Julian Brandt, German footballer
  • 1996 – Schuyler Bailar, American swimmer
  • 2015 – Princess Charlotte of Cambridge, British royal, and fourth in line to the British throne

Deaths on May 2

  • 373 – Athanasius of Alexandria, Egyptian bishop and saint (b. 298)
  • 649 – Marutha of Tikrit, Persian theologian of the Syriac Orthodox Church (b. 565)
  • 821 – Liu Zong, general of the Tang Dynasty
  • 907 – Boris I of Bulgaria
  • 1219 – Leo I, King of Armenia (b. 1150)
  • 1230 – William de Braose, English son of Reginald de Braose (b. 1197)
  • 1293 – Meir of Rothenburg, German rabbi (b. c.1215)
  • 1300 – Blanche of Artois (b. 1248)
  • 1450 – William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk, English admiral (b. 1396)
  • 1519 – Leonardo da Vinci, Italian painter, sculptor, and architect (b. 1452)
  • 1564 – Rodolfo Pio da Carpi, Italian cardinal (b. 1500)
  • 1627 – Lodovico Grossi da Viadana, Italian composer and educator (b. 1560)
  • 1667 – George Wither, English poet and author (b. 1588)
  • 1683 – Stjepan Gradić, Croatian philosopher and mathematician (b. 1613)
  • 1711 – Laurence Hyde, 1st Earl of Rochester, English politician, First Lord of the Treasury (b. 1641)
  • 1799 – Juan Vicente de Güemes, 2nd Count of Revillagigedo (b. 1740)
  • 1802 – Herman Willem Daendels, Dutch general and politician, Governor-General of the Dutch Gold Coast (b. 1762)
  • 1810 – Henry Jerome de Salis, English priest (b. 1740)
  • 1819 – Mary Moser, English painter and academic (b. 1744)
  • 1857 – Alfred de Musset, French dramatist, poet, and novelist (b. 1810)
  • 1864 – Giacomo Meyerbeer, German composer and educator (b. 1791)
  • 1880 – Eberhard Anheuser, German-American businessman, co-founded Anheuser-Busch (b. 1805)
  • 1880 – Tom Wills, Australian cricketer, co-created Australian rules football (b. 1835)
  • 1885 – Terézia Zakoucs, Hungarian-Slovene author (b. 1817)
  • 1915 – Clara Immerwahr, German chemist (b. 1870)
  • 1918 – Jüri Vilms, Estonian lawyer and politician (b. 1889)
  • 1925 – Antun Branko Šimić, Croatian and Bosnian-Herzegovinian poet (b. 1898)
  • 1927 – Ernest Starling, English physiologist and academic (b. 1866)
  • 1929 – Charalambos Tseroulis, Greek general and politician, Greek Minister for Military Affairs (b. 1879)
  • 1941 – Penelope Delta, Greek author (b. 1874)
  • 1945 – Martin Bormann, German politician (b. 1900)
  • 1945 – Joe Corbett, American baseball player and journalist (b. 1875)
  • 1947 – Dorothea Binz, German SS officer (b. 1920)
  • 1953 – Wallace Bryant, American archer (b. 1863)
  • 1957 – Joseph McCarthy, American captain, lawyer, judge, and politician (b. 1908)
  • 1963 – Ronald Barnes, 3rd Baron Gorell, English cricketer, peer, politician, poet, author and newspaper editor (b. 1884)
  • 1964 – Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor, American-English politician (b. 1879)
  • 1969 – Franz von Papen, German general and politician, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1879)
  • 1972 – J. Edgar Hoover, American 1st director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (b. 1895)
  • 1974 – James O. Richardson, American admiral (b. 1878)
  • 1977 – Nicholas Magallanes, American principal dancer and charter member of the New York City Ballet (b. 1922)
  • 1979 – Giulio Natta, Italian chemist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1903)
  • 1980 – Clarrie Grimmett, New Zealand-Australian cricketer (b. 1891)
  • 1980 – George Pal, Hungarian-American animator and producer (b. 1908)
  • 1983 – Norm Van Brocklin, American football player and coach (b. 1926)
  • 1984 – Jack Barry, American game show host and producer, co-founded Barry & Enright Productions (b. 1918)
  • 1984 – Bob Clampett, American animator, director, and producer (b. 1913)
  • 1985 – Attilio Bettega, Italian race car driver (b. 1951)
  • 1985 – Larry Clinton, American trumpet player and bandleader (b. 1909)
  • 1986 – Sergio Cresto, American race car driver (b. 1956)
  • 1986 – Henri Toivonen, Finnish race car driver (b. 1956)
  • 1989 – Veniamin Kaverin, Russian author (b. 1902)
  • 1989 – Giuseppe Siri, Italian cardinal (b. 1906)
  • 1990 – David Rappaport, English-American actor (b. 1951)
  • 1991 – Gauri Shankar Rai, Indian Politician(b.1924)
  • 1991 – Ronald McKie, Australian journalist and author (b. 1909)
  • 1992 – Wilbur Mills, American lawyer and politician (b. 1909)
  • 1993 – André Moynet, French race car driver, pilot, and politician (b. 1921)
  • 1994 – Dorothy Marie Donnelly, American poet and author (b. 1903)
  • 1995 – John Bunting, Australian public servant and diplomat, (b. 1918)
  • 1995 – Michael Hordern, English actor (b. 1911)
  • 1997 – John Eccles, Australian neurophysiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1903)
  • 1997 – Paulo Freire, Brazilian philosopher and academic (b. 1921)
  • 1998 – hide, Japanese singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1964)
  • 1998 – Justin Fashanu, English footballer (b. 1961)
  • 1998 – Gene Raymond, American actor (b. 1908)
  • 1998 – Lord Voldemort, English wizard and terrorist (b. 1926)
  • 1999 – Douglas Harkness, Canadian colonel and politician (b. 1903)
  • 1999 – Oliver Reed, English actor (b. 1938)
  • 2000 – Sundar Popo, Indo-Trinidadian musician (b. 1943)
  • 2002 – W. T. Tutte, English-Canadian mathematician and academic (b. 1917)
  • 2005 – Wee Kim Wee, Singaporean journalist and politician, 4th President of Singapore (b. 1915)
  • 2006 – Louis Rukeyser, American journalist and author (b. 1933)
  • 2007 – Brad McGann, New Zealand director and screenwriter (b. 1964)
  • 2008 – Beverlee McKinsey, American actress (b. 1940)
  • 2008 – Izold Pustõlnik, Ukrainian-Estonian astronomer and academic (b. 1938)
  • 2009 – Marilyn French, American author and academic (b. 1929)
  • 2009 – Kiyoshiro Imawano, Japanese singer-songwriter, producer, and actor (b. 1951)
  • 2009 – Jack Kemp, American football player and politician, 9th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (b. 1935)
  • 2010 – Lynn Redgrave, English-American actress and singer (b. 1943)
  • 2011 – Osama bin Laden, Saudi Arabian terrorist, founder of Al-Qaeda (b. 1957)
  • 2012 – Fernando Lopes, Portuguese director and screenwriter (b. 1935)
  • 2012 – Zenaida Manfugás, Cuban-born American-naturalized pianist (b. 1932)
  • 2012 – Tufan Miñnullin, Russian playwright and politician (b. 1936)
  • 2012 – Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih, Indonesian physician and politician, Indonesian Minister of Health (b. 1955)
  • 2012 – Akira Tonomura, Japanese physicist, author, and academic (b. 1942)
  • 2013 – Ernie Field, English boxer (b. 1943)
  • 2013 – Jeff Hanneman, American guitarist and songwriter (b. 1964)
  • 2013 – Joseph P. McFadden, American bishop (b. 1947)
  • 2013 – Dvora Omer, Israeli author and educator (b. 1932)
  • 2013 – Ivan Turina, Croatian footballer (b. 1980)
  • 2013 – Charles Banks Wilson, American painter and illustrator (b. 1918)
  • 2014 – Tomás Balduino, Brazilian bishop (b. 1922)
  • 2014 – Žarko Petan, Slovenian director, playwright, and screenwriter (b. 1929)
  • 2014 – Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., American actor (b. 1918)
  • 2015 – Stuart Archer, English colonel and architect (b. 1915)
  • 2015 – Michael Blake, American author and screenwriter (b. 1945)
  • 2015 – Guy Carawan, American singer and musicologist (b. 1927)
  • 2015 – Maya Plisetskaya, Russian-Lithuanian ballerina, choreographer, actress, and director (b. 1925)
  • 2015 – Ruth Rendell, English author (b. 1930)
  • 2016 – Afeni Shakur, American music businesswoman, activist, and Black Panther (b. 1947)
  • 2020 – Arif Wazir, Pakistani politician, leader of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (b. 1982)

Holidays and observances on May 2

  • Christian feast day:
    • Athanasius of Alexandria (Western Christianity)
    • Boris I of Bulgaria (Bulgarian Orthodox Church)
    • Germanus of Normandy
    • May 2 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • International Harry Potter Day
  • The last day of the Festival of Ridván (Bahá’í Faith) (Note that this date is non-Gregorian and may change according to the March equinox, see List of observances set by the Baháʼí calendar)
  • Anniversary of the Dos de Mayo Uprising (Community of Madrid, Spain)
  • Birth Anniversary of Third Druk Gyalpo (Bhutan)
  • Flag Day (Poland)
  • Indonesia National Education Day
  • Teachers’ Day (Iran) (Note that this date is non-Gregorian and may change according to the March Equinox, see List of observances set by the Solar Hijri calendar)

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