Events

Pre-1600

  • 451 – Attila the Hun captures Metz in France, killing most of its inhabitants and burning the town.;
  • 529 – First Corpus Juris Civilis, a fundamental work in jurisprudence, is issued by Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian I.
  • 1141 – Empress Matilda becomes the first female ruler of England, adopting the title "Lady of the English".
  • 1348 – Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV charters Prague University.;
  • 1449 – Felix V abdicates his claim to the papacy, ending the reign of the final Antipope.
  • 1521 – Ferdinand Magellan arrives at Cebu.
  • 1541 – Francis Xavier leaves Lisbon on a mission to the Portuguese East Indies.

1601–1900

  • 1724 – Premiere performance of Bach's St John Passion, BWV 245, at St. Nicholas Church, Leipzig.
  • 1767 – End of Burmese–Siamese War (1765–1767).
  • 1788 – Settlers establish Marietta, Ohio, the first permanent settlement created by U.S. citizens in the recently organized Northwest Territory.
  • 1790 – Russo-Turkish war (1787–1792): Greek privateer Lambros Katsonis loses three of his ships in the Battle of Andros.
  • 1795 – The French First Republic adopts the kilogram and gram as its primary unit of mass.
  • 1798 – The Mississippi Territory is organized from disputed territory claimed by both the United States and the Spanish Empire. It is expanded in 1804 and again in 1812.
  • 1805 – Lewis and Clark Expedition: The Corps of Discovery breaks camp among the Mandan tribe and resumes its journey West along the Missouri River.
  • 1805 – German composer Ludwig van Beethoven premieres his Third Symphony, at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna.
  • 1824 – The Mechanics' Institution is established in Manchester, England at the Bridgewater Arms hotel, as part of a national movement for the education of working men. The institute is the precursor to three Universities in the city: the University of Manchester, UMIST and the Metropolitan University of Manchester (MMU).
  • 1831 – Pedro II becomes emperor of the Empire of Brazil.
  • 1862 – American Civil War: The Union's Army of the Tennessee and the Army of the Ohio defeat the Confederate Army of Mississippi near Shiloh, Tennessee.
  • 1868 – Thomas D'Arcy McGee, one of the Canadian Fathers of Confederation, is assassinated by a Fenian activist.

1901–present

  • 1906 – Mount Vesuvius erupts and devastates Naples.
  • 1906 – The Algeciras Conference gives France and Spain control over Morocco.
  • 1922 – Teapot Dome scandal: United States Secretary of the Interior Albert B. Fall leases federal petroleum reserves to private oil companies on excessively generous terms.
  • 1926 – Violet Gibson attempts to assassinate Italian Prime Minister Benito Mussolini.
  • 1933 – Prohibition in the United States is repealed for beer of no more than 3.2% alcohol by weight, eight months before the ratification of the Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution. (Now celebrated as National Beer Day in the United States.)
  • 1933 – Nazi Germany issues the Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service banning Jews and political dissidents from civil service posts.
  • 1939 – Benito Mussolini declares an Italian protectorate over Albania and forces King Zog I into exile.
  • 1939 – Italy invades Albania.
  • 1940 – Booker T. Washington becomes the first African American to be depicted on a United States postage stamp.
  • 1943 – The Holocaust in Ukraine: In Terebovlia, Germans order 1,100 Jews to undress and march through the city to the nearby village of Plebanivka, where they are shot and buried in ditches.
  • 1943 – Ioannis Rallis becomes collaborationist Prime Minister of Greece during the Axis Occupation.
  • 1943 – The National Football League makes helmets mandatory.
  • 1944 – In the Fragheto massacre, soldiers belonging to the German 356th Infantry Division kill 30 Italian civilians and 15 partisans near Casteldelci in central-northern Italy.
  • 1945 – World War II: The Imperial Japanese Navy battleship Yamato, one of the two largest ever constructed, is sunk by United States Navy aircraft during Operation Ten-Go.
  • 1946 – The Soviet Union annexes East Prussia as the Kaliningrad Oblast of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic.
  • 1948 – The World Health Organization is established by the United Nations.
  • 1954 – United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower gives his "domino theory" speech during a news conference.
  • 1956 – Francoist Spain agrees to surrender its protectorate in Morocco.
  • 1964 – IBM announces the System/360.
  • 1965 – Representatives of the National Congress of American Indians testify before members of the US Senate in Washington, D.C., against the termination of the Colville tribe.
  • 1968 – Two-time Formula One British World Champion Jim Clark dies in an accident during a Formula Two race in Hockenheim.
  • 1969 – The Internet's symbolic birth date: Publication of RFC 1.
  • 1971 – Vietnam War: President Richard Nixon announces his decision to quicken the pace of Vietnamization.
  • 1972 – Vietnam War: Communist forces overrun the South Vietnamese town of Loc Ninh.
  • 1976 – Member of Parliament and suspected spy John Stonehouse resigns from the Labour Party after being arrested for faking his own death.
  • 1977 – German Federal prosecutor Siegfried Buback and his driver are shot by two Red Army Faction members while waiting at a red light.
  • 1978 – Development of the neutron bomb is canceled by President Jimmy Carter.
  • 1980 – During the Iran hostage crisis, the United States severs relations with Iran.
  • 1982 – Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Sadegh Ghotbzadeh is arrested.
  • 1983 – During STS-6, astronauts Story Musgrave and Don Peterson perform the first Space Shuttle spacewalk.
  • 1988 – Soviet Defense Minister Dmitry Yazov orders the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan.
  • 1989 – Soviet submarine Komsomolets sinks in the Barents Sea off the coast of Norway, killing 42 sailors.
  • 1990 – A fire breaks out on the passenger ferry Scandinavian Star, killing 159 people.
  • 1990 – John Poindexter is convicted for his role in the Iran–Contra affair. In 1991 the convictions are reversed on appeal.
  • 1994 – Rwandan genocide: Massacres of Tutsis begin in Kigali, Rwanda, and soldiers kill the civilian Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana.
  • 1994 – Auburn Calloway attempts to destroy Federal Express Flight 705 in order to allow his family to benefit from his life insurance policy.
  • 1995 – First Chechen War: Russian paramilitary troops begin a massacre of civilians in Samashki, Chechnya.
  • 1999 – Turkish Airlines Flight 5904 crashes near Ceyhan in southern Turkey, killing six people.
  • 2001 – NASA launches the 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter.
  • 2003 – Iraq War: U.S. troops capture Baghdad; Saddam Hussein's Ba'athist regime falls two days later.
  • 2003 – Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide demands reparations of $21 billion from France for the Haitian independence debt.
  • 2005 – First release of Git distributed version control system.
  • 2009 – Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori is sentenced to 25 years in prison for ordering killings and kidnappings by security forces.
  • 2009 – Mass protests begin across Moldova under the belief that results from the parliamentary election are fraudulent.
  • 2011 – The Israel Defense Forces use their Iron Dome missile system to successfully intercept a BM-21 Grad launched from Gaza, marking the first short-range missile intercept ever.
  • 2011 – A gunman opens fire at an elementary school in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, killing twelve children and injuring 22 others before committing suicide.
  • 2017 – A man deliberately drives a hijacked truck into a crowd of people in Stockholm, Sweden, killing five people and injuring fifteen others.15 were reported injured on the day of the attack. However, a woman died three weeks after the attack, bringing the number of injuries down to 14.
  • 2017 – U.S. President Donald Trump orders the 2017 Shayrat missile strike against Syria in retaliation for the Khan Shaykhun chemical attack.
  • 2018 – Former Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, is arrested for corruption by determination of Judge Sérgio Moro, from the "Car-Wash Operation". Lula stayed imprisoned for 580 days, before being released by the Brazilian Supreme Court.
  • 2018 – Syria launches the Douma chemical attack during the Eastern Ghouta offensive of the Syrian Civil War.
  • 2020 – COVID-19 pandemic: China ends its lockdown in Wuhan.
  • 2020 – COVID-19 pandemic: Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly resigns for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic on USS Theodore Roosevelt and the dismissal of Brett Crozier.
  • 2021 – COVID-19 pandemic: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announces that the SARS-CoV-2 Alpha variant has become the dominant strain of COVID-19 in the United States.
  • 2022 – Ketanji Brown Jackson is confirmed for the Supreme Court of the United States, becoming the first black female justice.

Births

Pre-1600

  • 1206 – Otto II Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria (died 1253)
  • 1330 – John, 3rd Earl of Kent, English nobleman (died 1352)
  • 1470 – Edward Stafford, 2nd Earl of Wiltshire (died 1498)
  • 1506 – Francis Xavier, Spanish missionary and saint, co-founded the Society of Jesus (died 1552)
  • 1539 – Tobias Stimmer, Swiss painter and illustrator (died 1584)

1601–1900

  • 1613 – Gerrit Dou, Dutch painter (died 1675)
  • 1644 – François de Neufville, duc de Villeroy, French general (died 1730)
  • 1648 – John Sheffield, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby, English poet and politician, Lord President of the Council (died 1721)
  • 1652 – Pope Clement XII (died 1740)
  • 1713 – Nicola Sala, Italian composer and theorist (died 1801)
  • 1718 – Hugh Blair, Scottish minister and author (died 1800)
  • 1727 – Michel Adanson, French botanist, entomologist, and mycologist (died 1806)
  • 1763 – Domenico Dragonetti, Italian bassist and composer (died 1846)
  • 1770 – William Wordsworth, English poet (died 1850)
  • 1772 – Charles Fourier, French philosopher (died 1837)
  • 1780 – William Ellery Channing, American preacher and theologian (died 1842)
  • 1803 – James Curtiss, American journalist and politician, 11th Mayor of Chicago (died 1859)
  • 1803 – Flora Tristan, French author and activist (died 1844)
  • 1811 – Hasan Tahsini, Albanian astronomer, mathematician, and philosopher (died 1881)
  • 1817 – Francesco Selmi, Italian chemist and patriot (died 1881)
  • 1848 – Randall Davidson, Scottish archbishop (died 1930)
  • 1859 – Walter Camp, American football player and coach (died 1925)
  • 1860 – Will Keith Kellogg, American businessman, founded the Kellogg Company (died 1951)
  • 1867 – Holger Pedersen, Danish linguist and academic (died 1953)
  • 1870 – Gustav Landauer, German theorist and activist (died 1919)
  • 1871 – Epifanio de los Santos, Filipino jurist, historian, and scholar (died 1927)
  • 1873 – John McGraw, American baseball player and manager (died 1934)
  • 1874 – Frederick Carl Frieseke, German-American painter (died 1939)
  • 1876 – Fay Moulton, American sprinter, football player, coach, and lawyer (died 1945)
  • 1882 – Bert Ironmonger, Australian cricketer (died 1971)
  • 1882 – Kurt von Schleicher, German general and politician, 23rd Chancellor of Germany (died 1934)
  • 1883 – Gino Severini, Italian-French painter and author (died 1966)
  • 1884 – Clement Smoot, American golfer (died 1963)
  • 1886 – Ed Lafitte, American baseball player and soldier (died 1971)
  • 1889 – Gabriela Mistral, Chilean poet and educator, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1957)
  • 1890 – Paul Berth, Danish footballer (died 1969)
  • 1890 – Victoria Ocampo, Argentine writer (died 1979)
  • 1890 – Marjory Stoneman Douglas, American journalist and activist (died 1998)
  • 1891 – Ole Kirk Christiansen, Danish businessman, founded the Lego Group (died 1958)
  • 1892 – Julius Hirsch, German footballer (died 1945)
  • 1893 – José Sobral de Almada Negreiros, Portuguese artist (died 1970)
  • 1893 – Allen Dulles, American lawyer and diplomat, 5th Director of Central Intelligence (died 1969)
  • 1895 – John Bernard Flannagan, American soldier and sculptor (died 1942)
  • 1895 – Margarete Schön, German actress (died 1985)
  • 1896 – Frits Peutz, Dutch architect, designed the Glaspaleis (died 1974)
  • 1897 – Erich Löwenhardt, Polish-German lieutenant and pilot (died 1918)
  • 1897 – Walter Winchell, American journalist and radio host (died 1972)
  • 1899 – Robert Casadesus, French pianist and composer (died 1972)
  • 1900 – Adolf Dymsza, Polish actor (died 1975)
  • 1900 – Tebbs Lloyd Johnson, English race walker (died 1984)

1901–present

  • 1902 – Eduard Eelma, Estonian footballer (died 1941)
  • 1903 – M. Balasundaram, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician (died 1965)
  • 1903 – Edwin T. Layton, American admiral (died 1984)
  • 1904 – Roland Wilson, Australian economist and statistician (died 1996)
  • 1908 – Percy Faith, Canadian composer, conductor, and bandleader (died 1976)
  • 1908 – Pete Zaremba, American hammer thrower (died 1994)
  • 1909 – Robert Charroux, French author and critic (died 1978)
  • 1910 – Melissanthi, Greek poet, teacher and journalist (died 1990)
  • 1913 – Louise Currie, American actress (died 2013)
  • 1913 – Charles Vanik, American soldier, judge, and politician (died 2007)
  • 1914 – Ralph Flanagan, American pianist, composer, and conductor (died 1995)
  • 1914 – Domnitsa Lanitou-Kavounidou, Greek sprinter (died 2011)
  • 1915 – Stanley Adams, American actor and screenwriter (died 1977)
  • 1915 – Billie Holiday, American singer-songwriter and actress (died 1959)
  • 1915 – Henry Kuttner, American author (died 1958)
  • 1916 – Anthony Caruso, American actor (died 2003)
  • 1917 – R. G. Armstrong, American actor and playwright (died 2012)
  • 1918 – Bobby Doerr, American baseball player and coach (died 2017)
  • 1919 – Roger Lemelin, Canadian author and screenwriter (died 1992)
  • 1919 – Edoardo Mangiarotti, Italian fencer (died 2012)
  • 1920 – Ravi Shankar, Indian-American sitar player and composer (died 2012)
  • 1921 – Feza Gürsey, Turkish mathematician and physicist (died 1992)
  • 1922 – Mongo Santamaría, Cuban-American drummer (died 2003)
  • 1924 – Johannes Mario Simmel, Austrian-English author and screenwriter (died 2009)
  • 1925 – Chaturanan Mishra, Indian trade union leader and politician (died 2011)
  • 1925 – Jan van Roessel, Dutch footballer (died 2011)
  • 1927 – Babatunde Olatunji, Nigerian-American drummer, educator, and activist (died 2003)
  • 1927 – Leonid Shcherbakov, Russian triple jumper (died 2004)
  • 1928 – James Garner, American actor, singer, and producer (died 2014)
  • 1928 – Alan J. Pakula, American director, producer, and screenwriter (died 1998)
  • 1928 – James White, Northern Irish author and educator (died 1999)
  • 1929 – Bob Denard, French soldier (died 2007)
  • 1929 – Joe Gallo, American gangster (died 1972)
  • 1930 – Jane Priestman, English interior designer (died 2021)
  • 1930 – Yves Rocher, French businessman, founded the Yves Rocher Company (died 2009)
  • 1930 – Andrew Sachs, German-English actor and screenwriter (died 2016)
  • 1930 – Roger Vergé, French chef and restaurateur (died 2015)
  • 1931 – Donald Barthelme, American short story writer and novelist (died 1989)
  • 1931 – Daniel Ellsberg, American activist and author (died 2023)
  • 1931 – Ted Kotcheff, Canadian film and television director (died 2025)
  • 1932 – Cal Smith, American singer and guitarist (died 2013)
  • 1933 – Wayne Rogers, American actor, investor, and producer (died 2015)
  • 1933 – Sakıp Sabancı, Turkish businessman and philanthropist (died 2004)
  • 1934 – Ian Richardson, Scottish-English actor (died 2007)
  • 1935 – Bobby Bare, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1935 – Hodding Carter III, American journalist and politician, Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs (died 2023)
  • 1937 – Charlie Thomas, American singer (died 2023)
  • 1938 – Jerry Brown, American lawyer and politician, 34th and 39th Governor of California
  • 1938 – Spencer Dryden, American drummer (died 2005)
  • 1938 – Freddie Hubbard, American trumpet player and composer (died 2008)
  • 1938 – Iris Johansen, American author
  • 1939 – Francis Ford Coppola, American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1939 – David Frost, English journalist and game show host (died 2013)
  • 1939 – Gary Kellgren, American record producer, co-founded Record Plant (died 1977)
  • 1939 – Brett Whiteley, Australian painter (died 1992)
  • 1940 – Marju Lauristin, Estonian academic and politician, 1st Estonian Minister of Social Affairs
  • 1941 – James Di Pasquale, American composer
  • 1941 – Peter Fluck, English puppet maker and illustrator
  • 1941 – Cornelia Frances, English-Australian actress (died 2018)
  • 1941 – Gorden Kaye, English actor (died 2017)
  • 1942 – Jeetendra, Indian actor, TV and film producer
  • 1943 – Mick Abrahams, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2025)
  • 1943 – Dennis Amiss, English cricketer and manager
  • 1944 – Shel Bachrach, American insurance broker, investor, businessman and philanthropist (died 2024)
  • 1944 – Warner Fusselle, American sportscaster (died 2012)
  • 1944 – Oshik Levi, Israeli singer and actor
  • 1944 – Julia Phillips, American film producer and author (died 2002)
  • 1944 – Gerhard Schröder, German lawyer and politician, 7th Chancellor of Germany
  • 1944 – Bill Stoneman, American baseball player and manager
  • 1945 – Megas, Icelandic singer-songwriter
  • 1945 – Gerry Cottle, English circus owner (died 2021)
  • 1945 – Marilyn Friedman, American philosopher and academic
  • 1945 – Martyn Lewis, Welsh journalist and author
  • 1945 – Joël Robuchon, French chef and author (died 2018)
  • 1945 – Werner Schroeter, German director and screenwriter (died 2010)
  • 1945 – Hans van Hemert, Dutch songwriter and producer (died 2024)
  • 1946 – Zaid Abdul-Aziz, American basketball player
  • 1946 – Colette Besson, French runner and educator (died 2005)
  • 1946 – Herménégilde Chiasson, Canadian poet, playwright, and politician, 29th Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick
  • 1946 – Robert Metcalfe, American engineer and entrepreneur
  • 1946 – Dimitrij Rupel, Slovenian politician and diplomat
  • 1946 – Stan Winston, American special effects designer and makeup artist (died 2008)
  • 1947 – Patricia Bennett, American singer
  • 1947 – Florian Schneider, German singer and drummer (died 2020)
  • 1947 – Michèle Torr, French singer and author
  • 1948 – John Oates, American singer-songwriter guitarist, and producer
  • 1948 – Arnie Robinson, American athlete (died 2020)
  • 1948 – Ecaterina Andronescu, Romanian politician
  • 1949 – Mitch Daniels, American academic and politician, 49th Governor of Indiana
  • 1950 – Brian J. Doyle, American press secretary
  • 1950 – Neil Folberg, American-Israeli photographer
  • 1951 – Bruce Gary, American drummer (died 2006)
  • 1951 – Janis Ian, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1952 – David Baulcombe, English geneticist and academic
  • 1952 – Jane Frederick, American hurdler and heptathlete
  • 1952 – Gilles Valiquette, Canadian actor, singer, and producer
  • 1952 – Dennis Hayden, American actor
  • 1953 – Santa Barraza, American mixed media artist
  • 1953 – Douglas Kell, English biochemist and academic
  • 1954 – Jackie Chan, Hong Kong martial artist, actor, stuntman, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1954 – Tony Dorsett, American football player
  • 1955 – Tim Cochran, American mathematician and academic (died 2014)
  • 1955 – Gregg Jarrett, American lawyer and journalist
  • 1956 – Annika Billström, Swedish businesswoman and politician, 16th Mayor of Stockholm
  • 1956 – Christopher Darden, American lawyer and author
  • 1956 – Georg Werthner, Austrian decathlete
  • 1957 – Kim Kap-soo, South Korean actor
  • 1957 – Thelma Walker, British politician
  • 1958 – Brian Haner, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1958 – Hindrek Kesler, Estonian architect
  • 1960 – Buster Douglas, American boxer and actor
  • 1960 – Sandy Powell, English costume designer
  • 1961 – Thurl Bailey, American basketball player and actor
  • 1961 – Pascal Olmeta, French footballer
  • 1961 – Brigitte van der Burg, Tanzanian-Dutch geographer and politician
  • 1962 – Jon Cruddas, English lawyer and politician
  • 1962 – Andrew Hampsten, American cyclist
  • 1963 – Jaime de Marichalar, Spanish businessman
  • 1963 – Nick Herbert, English businessman and politician, Minister for Policing
  • 1963 – Dave Johnson, American decathlete and educator
  • 1964 – Jace Alexander, American actor and director
  • 1964 – Russell Crowe, New Zealand-Australian actor
  • 1964 – Steve Graves, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1965 – Bill Bellamy, American comedian, actor, and producer
  • 1965 – Rozalie Hirs, Dutch composer and poet
  • 1965 – Alison Lapper, English painter and photographer
  • 1965 – Nenad Vučinić, Serbian-New Zealand basketball player and coach
  • 1966 – Richard Gomez, Filipino actor and politician
  • 1966 – Zvika Hadar, Israeli entertainer
  • 1966 – Béla Mavrák, Hungarian tenor singer
  • 1966 – Gary Wilkinson, English snooker player
  • 1967 – Artemis Gounaki, Greek-German singer-songwriter
  • 1967 – Bodo Illgner, German footballer
  • 1967 – Simone Schilder, Dutch tennis player
  • 1968 – Duncan Armstrong, Australian swimmer and sportscaster
  • 1968 – Jennifer Lynch, American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1968 – Jože Možina, Slovenian historian, sociologist and journalist
  • 1968 – Vasiliy Sokov, Russian triple jumper
  • 1969 – Ricky Watters, American football player
  • 1970 – Leif Ove Andsnes, Norwegian pianist and educator
  • 1970 – Alexander Karpovtsev, Russian ice hockey player and coach (died 2011)
  • 1971 – Guillaume Depardieu, French actor (died 2008)
  • 1971 – Victor Kraatz, German-Canadian figure skater
  • 1972 – Tim Peake, British astronaut
  • 1973 – Marco Delvecchio, Italian footballer
  • 1973 – Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, Dutch lawyer and politician, Dutch Minister of Defence
  • 1973 – Carole Montillet, French skier
  • 1973 – Christian O'Connell, British radio DJ and presenter
  • 1973 – Brett Tomko, American baseball player
  • 1975 – Karin Dreijer Andersson, Swedish singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1975 – Ronde Barber, American football player and sportscaster
  • 1975 – Tiki Barber, American football player and journalist
  • 1975 – Ronnie Belliard, American baseball player
  • 1975 – John Cooper, American singer-songwriter and bass player
  • 1975 – Simon Woolford, Australian rugby league player
  • 1976 – Kevin Alejandro, American actor and producer
  • 1976 – Martin Buß, German high jumper
  • 1976 – Jessica Lee, English lawyer and politician
  • 1976 – Aaron Lohr, American actor
  • 1976 – Barbara Jane Reams, American actress
  • 1976 – Gang Qiang, Chinese anchor
  • 1977 – Tama Canning, Australian-New Zealand cricketer
  • 1977 – Karin Haydu, Slovak actress
  • 1978 – Jo Appleby, English soprano
  • 1978 – Duncan James, English singer-songwriter and actor
  • 1978 – Lilia Osterloh, American tennis player
  • 1979 – Adrián Beltré, Dominican-American baseball player
  • 1979 – Patrick Crayton, American football player
  • 1979 – Pascal Dupuis, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1979 – Danny Sandoval, Venezuelan-American baseball player
  • 1980 – Dragan Bogavac, Montenegrin footballer
  • 1980 – Bruno Covas, Brazilian lawyer, politician (died 2021)
  • 1980 – Tetsuji Tamayama, Japanese actor
  • 1981 – Hitoe Arakaki, Japanese singer
  • 1981 – Kazuki Watanabe, Japanese songwriter and guitarist (died 2000)
  • 1981 – Vanessa Olivarez, American singer-songwriter, and actress
  • 1981 – Suzann Pettersen, Norwegian golfer
  • 1982 – Silvana Arias, Peruvian actress
  • 1982 – Sonjay Dutt, American wrestler
  • 1982 – Kelli Young, English singer
  • 1983 – Hamish Davidson, Australian musician
  • 1983 – Franck Ribéry, French footballer
  • 1983 – Jon Stead, English footballer
  • 1983 – Jakub Smrž, Czech motorcycle rider
  • 1983 – Janar Talts, Estonian basketball player
  • 1984 – Hiroko Shimabukuro, Japanese singer
  • 1985 – KC Concepcion, Filipino actress and singer
  • 1985 – Humza Yousaf, Scottish politician
  • 1986 – Brooke Brodack, American comedian
  • 1986 – Jack Duarte, Mexican actor, singer, and guitarist
  • 1986 – Andi Fraggs, English singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1986 – Christian Fuchs, Austrian footballer
  • 1986 – Choi Si-won, South Korean singer and actor
  • 1987 – Martín Cáceres, Uruguayan footballer
  • 1987 – Eelco Sintnicolaas, Dutch decathlete
  • 1987 – Jamar Smith, American football player
  • 1988 – Antonio Piccolo, Italian footballer
  • 1988 – Ed Speleers, English actor and producer
  • 1989 – Franco Di Santo, Argentinian footballer
  • 1989 – Mitchell Pearce, Australian rugby league player
  • 1989 – Teddy Riner, French judoka
  • 1990 – Nickel Ashmeade, Jamaican sprinter
  • 1990 – Anna Bogomazova, Russian-American kick-boxer, martial artist, and wrestler
  • 1990 – Sorana Cîrstea, Romanian tennis player
  • 1990 – Trent Cotchin, Australian footballer
  • 1991 – Luka Milivojević, Serbian footballer
  • 1991 – Anne-Marie, English singer-songwriter
  • 1992 – Andreea Acatrinei, Romanian gymnast
  • 1992 – Guilherme Negueba, Brazilian footballer
  • 1993 – Ichinojō Takashi, Mongolian sumo wrestler
  • 1994 – Johanna Allik, Estonian figure skater
  • 1994 – Aaron Gray, Australian rugby league player
  • 1994 – Josh Hader, American baseball player
  • 1996 – Emerson Hyndman, American international soccer player
  • 1997 – Rafaela Gómez, Ecuadorian tennis player

Deaths

Pre-1600

  • AD 30 – Jesus Christ (possible date of the crucifixion) (born circa 4 BC)
  • 821 – George the Standard-Bearer, archbishop of Mytilene (born c. 776)
  • 924 – Berengar I of Italy (born 845)
  • 1201 – Baha al-Din Qaraqush, regent of Egypt and builder of the Cairo Citadel
  • 1206 – Frederick I, Duke of Lorraine
  • 1340 – Bolesław Jerzy II of Mazovia (born 1308)
  • 1498 – Charles VIII of France (born 1470)
  • 1499 – Galeotto I Pico, Duke of Mirandola (born 1442)
  • 1501 – Minkhaung II, king of Ava (born 1446)

1601–1900

  • 1606 – Edward Oldcorne, English martyr (born 1561)
  • 1614 – El Greco, Greek-Spanish painter and sculptor (born 1541)
  • 1638 – Shimazu Tadatsune, Japanese daimyō (born 1576)
  • 1651 – Lennart Torstensson, Swedish field marshal and engineer (born 1603)
  • 1658 – Juan Eusebio Nieremberg, Spanish mystic and philosopher (born 1595)
  • 1661 – Sir William Brereton, 1st Baronet, English commander and politician (born 1604)
  • 1663 – Francis Cooke, English-American settler (born 1583)
  • 1668 – William Davenant, English poet and playwright (born 1606)
  • 1719 – Jean-Baptiste de La Salle, French priest and saint, founded the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools (born 1651)
  • 1739 – Dick Turpin, English criminal (born 1705)
  • 1747 – Leopold I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau (born 1676)
  • 1761 – Thomas Bayes, English minister and mathematician (born 1701)
  • 1766 – Tiberius Hemsterhuis, Dutch philologist and critic (born 1685)
  • 1767 – Franz Sparry, Austrian composer and director (born 1715)
  • 1779 – Martha Ray, English singer (born 1746)
  • 1782 – Taksin, Thai king (born 1734)
  • 1789 – Abdul Hamid I, Ottoman sultan (born 1725)
  • 1789 – Petrus Camper, Dutch physician, anatomist, and physiologist (born 1722)
  • 1801 – Noël François de Wailly, French lexicographer and author (born 1724)
  • 1804 – Toussaint Louverture, Haitian general (born 1743)
  • 1811 – Garsevan Chavchavadze, Georgian diplomat and politician (born 1757)
  • 1823 – Jacques Charles, French physicist and mathematician (born 1746)
  • 1833 – Antoni Radziwiłł, Lithuanian composer and politician (born 1775)
  • 1836 – William Godwin, English journalist and author (born 1756)
  • 1849 – Pedro Ignacio de Castro Barros, Argentinian priest and politician (born 1777)
  • 1850 – William Lisle Bowles, English poet and critic (born 1762)
  • 1858 – Anton Diabelli, Austrian composer and publisher (born 1781)
  • 1868 – Thomas D'Arcy McGee, Irish-Canadian journalist, activist, and politician (born 1825)
  • 1879 – Begum Hazrat Mahal, Begum of Awadh, was the second wife of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah (born 1820)
  • 1884 – Maria Doolaeghe, Flemish novelist (born 1803)
  • 1885 – Karl Theodor Ernst von Siebold, German physiologist and zoologist (born 1804)
  • 1889 – Youssef Bey Karam, Lebanese soldier and politician (born 1823)
  • 1889 – Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada, Mexican politician and president, 1872-1876 (born 1823)
  • 1891 – P. T. Barnum, American businessman and politician, co-founded The Barnum & Bailey Circus (born 1810)

1901–present

  • 1917 – Spyridon Samaras, Greek composer and playwright (born 1861)
  • 1918 – David Kolehmainen, Finnish wrestler (born 1885)
  • 1918 – George E. Ohr, American potter (born 1857)
  • 1920 – Karl Binding, German lawyer and jurist (born 1841)
  • 1922 – James McGowen, Australian politician, 18th Premier of New South Wales (born 1855)
  • 1928 – Alexander Bogdanov, Russian physician, philosopher, and author (born 1873)
  • 1932 – Grigore Constantinescu, Romanian priest and journalist (born 1875)
  • 1938 – Suzanne Valadon, French painter (born 1865)
  • 1939 – Joseph Lyons, Australian educator and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Australia (born 1879)
  • 1943 – Jovan Dučić, Serbian-American poet and diplomat (born 1871)
  • 1943 – Alexandre Millerand, French lawyer and politician, 12th President of France (born 1859)
  • 1947 – Henry Ford, American engineer and businessman, founded the Ford Motor Company (born 1863)
  • 1949 – John Gourlay, Canadian soccer player (born 1872)
  • 1950 – Walter Huston, Canadian-American actor and singer (born 1883)
  • 1955 – Theda Bara, American actress (born 1885)
  • 1956 – Fred Appleby, English runner (born 1879)
  • 1960 – Henri Guisan, Swiss general (born 1874)
  • 1965 – Roger Leger, Canadian ice hockey player (born 1919)
  • 1966 – Walt Hansgen, American race car driver (born 1919)
  • 1968 – Edwin Baker, Canadian co-founder of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) (born 1893)
  • 1968 – Jim Clark, Scottish race car driver (born 1936)
  • 1972 – Joe Gallo, American gangster (born 1929)
  • 1972 – Abeid Karume, Tanzanian politician, 1st President of Zanzibar (born 1905)
  • 1981 – Kit Lambert, English record producer and manager (born 1935)
  • 1981 – Norman Taurog, American director and screenwriter (born 1899)
  • 1982 – Harald Ertl, Austrian race car driver and journalist (born 1948)
  • 1984 – Frank Church, American soldier, lawyer, and politician (born 1924)
  • 1985 – Carl Schmitt, German philosopher and jurist (born 1888)
  • 1986 – Leonid Kantorovich, Russian mathematician and economist (born 1912)
  • 1990 – Ronald Evans, American captain, engineer, and astronaut (born 1933)
  • 1991 – Memduh Ünlütürk, Turkish general (born 1913)
  • 1992 – Ace Bailey, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (born 1903)
  • 1992 – Antonis Tritsis, Greek high jumper and politician, 71st Mayor of Athens (born 1937)
  • 1994 – Lee Brilleaux, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1952)
  • 1994 – Albert Guðmundsson, Icelandic footballer, manager, and politician (born 1923)
  • 1994 – Golo Mann, German historian and author (born 1909)
  • 1994 – Agathe Uwilingiyimana, Rwandan chemist, academic, and politician, Prime Minister of Rwanda (born 1953)
  • 1995 – Philip Jebb, English architect and politician (born 1927)
  • 1997 – Luis Aloma, Cuban-American baseball player (born 1923)
  • 1997 – Georgy Shonin, Ukrainian-Russian general, pilot, and astronaut (born 1935)
  • 1998 – Alex Schomburg, Puerto Rican painter and illustrator (born 1905)
  • 1999 – Heinz Lehmann, German-Canadian psychiatrist and academic (born 1911)
  • 2001 – David Graf, American actor (born 1950)
  • 2001 – Beatrice Straight, American actress (born 1914)
  • 2002 – John Agar, American actor (born 1921)
  • 2003 – Cecile de Brunhoff, French pianist and author (born 1903)
  • 2003 – David Greene, English-American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1921)
  • 2004 – Victor Argo, American actor (born 1934)
  • 2004 – Konstantinos Kallias, Greek politician (born 1901)
  • 2005 – Cliff Allison, English race car driver (born 1932)
  • 2005 – Grigoris Bithikotsis, Greek singer-songwriter (born 1922)
  • 2005 – Bob Kennedy, American baseball player, coach, and manager (born 1920)
  • 2005 – Melih Kibar, Turkish composer and educator (born 1951)
  • 2007 – Johnny Hart, American author and illustrator (born 1931)
  • 2007 – Barry Nelson, American actor (born 1917)
  • 2008 – Ludu Daw Amar, Burmese journalist and author (born 1915)
  • 2009 – Dave Arneson, American game designer, co-created Dungeons & Dragons (born 1947)
  • 2011 – Pierre Gauvreau, Canadian painter (born 1922)
  • 2012 – Steven Kanumba, Tanzanian actor and director (born 1984)
  • 2012 – Satsue Mito, Japanese zoologist and academic (born 1914)
  • 2012 – Ignatius Moses I Daoud, Syrian cardinal (born 1930)
  • 2012 – David E. Pergrin, American colonel and engineer (born 1917)
  • 2012 – Bashir Ahmed Qureshi, Pakistani politician (born 1959)
  • 2012 – Mike Wallace, American television news journalist (born 1918)
  • 2013 – Marty Blake, American businessman (born 1927)
  • 2013 – Les Blank, American director and producer (born 1935)
  • 2013 – Andy Johns, English-American record producer (born 1950)
  • 2013 – Lilly Pulitzer, American fashion designer (born 1931)
  • 2013 – Irma Ravinale, Italian composer and educator (born 1937)
  • 2013 – Mickey Rose, American screenwriter (born 1935)
  • 2013 – Carl Williams, American boxer (born 1959)
  • 2014 – George Dureau, American painter and photographer (born 1930)
  • 2014 – James Alexander Green, American-English mathematician and academic (born 1926)
  • 2014 – V. K. Murthy, Indian cinematographer (born 1923)
  • 2014 – Zeituni Onyango, Kenyan-American computer programmer (born 1952)
  • 2014 – John Shirley-Quirk, English opera singer (born 1931)
  • 2014 – George Shuffler, American guitarist (born 1925)
  • 2014 – Josep Maria Subirachs, Spanish sculptor and painter (born 1927)
  • 2014 – Royce Waltman, American basketball player and coach (born 1942)
  • 2015 – Tim Babcock, American soldier and politician, 16th Governor of Montana (born 1919)
  • 2015 – José Capellán, Dominican-American baseball player (born 1981)
  • 2015 – Stan Freberg, American puppeteer, voice actor, and singer (born 1926)
  • 2015 – Richard Henyekane, South African footballer (born 1983)
  • 2015 – Geoffrey Lewis, American actor (born 1935)
  • 2017 – Nicolae Șerban Tanașoca, Romanian historian and philologist (born 1941)
  • 2019 – Seymour Cassel, American actor (born 1935)
  • 2020 – John Prine, American country folk singer-songwriter (born 1946)
  • 2020 – Herb Stempel, American television personality (born 1926)
  • 2021 – Tommy Raudonikis, Australian rugby league player and coach (born 1950)
  • 2023 – Ben Ferencz, American lawyer (born 1920)
  • 2023 – Philippe Bouvatier, French cyclist (born 1964)
  • 2024 – Jerry Grote, American baseball player (born 1942)
  • 2024 – Joe Kinnear, Irish football player and manager (born 1946)
  • 2025 – William Finn, American composer and lyricist (born 1952)
  • 2025 – Greg Millen, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster (born 1957)
  • 2026 – Mircea Lucescu, Romanian football player and manager (born 1945)

Holidays and observances

  • Christian feast days:
  • Aibert of Crespin
  • Blessed Alexander Rawlins
  • Blessed Edward Oldcorne and Blessed Ralph Ashley
  • Brynach
  • Hegesippus
  • Henry Walpole
  • Hermann Joseph
  • Jean-Baptiste de La Salle
  • Blessed Maria Assunta Pallotta
  • Patriarch Tikhon of Moscow (Eastern Orthodox Church, Episcopal Church (USA))
  • April 7 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Flag Day (Slovenia)
  • Women's Day (Mozambique)
  • World Health Day (International observance)

References

  • BBC: On This Day
  • Historical Events on April 7