Events

2025

Reconstitution of the Academy of the Distrustful in the Sala Dalmases of the Historical Archive of the City of Barcelona in Barcelona.

2019

Khartoum massacre: In Sudan, over 100 people are killed when security forces accompanied by Janjaweed militiamen storm and open fire on a sit-in protest.

2013

The trial of United States Army private Chelsea Manning for leaking classified material to WikiLeaks begins in Fort Meade, Maryland.

2013

At least 119 people are killed in a fire at a poultry farm in Jilin Province in northeastern China.

2012

A plane carrying 153 people crashes in a residential neighborhood in Lagos, Nigeria, killing everyone on board plus six people on the ground.

2012

The pageant for the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II takes place on the River Thames.

2006

The union of Serbia and Montenegro comes to an end with Montenegro's formal declaration of independence.

1998

After suffering a mechanical failure, a high speed train derails at Eschede, Germany, killing 101 people.

1992

Australian Aboriginal land rights are recognised in Mabo v Queensland (No 2), a case brought by Torres Strait Islander Eddie Mabo which led to the Native Title Act 1993 overturning the long-held colonial assumption of terra nullius.

1991

Mount Unzen erupts in Kyūshū, Japan, killing 43 people, all of them either researchers or journalists.

1989

The government of China sends troops to force protesters out of Tiananmen Square after seven weeks of occupation.

1984

Operation Blue Star, a military offensive, is launched by the Indian government at Harmandir Sahib, also known as the Golden Temple, the holiest shrine for Sikhs, in Amritsar. The operation continues until June 6, with casualties, most of them civilians, in excess of 5,000.

1982

The Israeli ambassador to the United Kingdom, Shlomo Argov, is shot on a London street; he survives but is left paralysed.

1980

The 1980 Grand Island tornado outbreak hits Nebraska, United States, causing five deaths and $300 million (equivalent to $1172 million in 2025) worth of damage.

1979

A blowout at the Ixtoc I oil well in the southern Gulf of Mexico causes at least 3,000,000 barrels (480,000 m3) of oil to be spilled into the waters, the second-worst accidental oil spill ever recorded.

1973

A Soviet supersonic Tupolev Tu-144 crashes near Goussainville, France, killing 14, the first crash of a supersonic passenger aircraft.

1969

Melbourne-Evans collision: Off the coast of South Vietnam, the Australian aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne cuts the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Frank E. Evans in half, resulting in 74 deaths.

1965

The launch of Gemini 4, the first multi-day space mission by a NASA crew. Ed White, a crew member, performs the first American spacewalk.

1963

Soldiers of the South Vietnamese Army attack protesting Buddhists in Huế with liquid chemicals from tear-gas grenades, causing 67 people to be hospitalized for blistering of the skin and respiratory ailments.

1962

At Paris Orly Airport, Air France Flight 007 overruns the runway and explodes when the crew attempts to abort takeoff, killing 130.

1950

Herzog and Lachenal of the French Annapurna expedition become the first climbers to reach the summit of an 8,000-metre peak.

1943

In Los Angeles, California, white U.S. Navy sailors and Marines attack Latino youths in the five-day Zoot Suit Riots.

1942

World War II: Japan begins the Aleutian Islands Campaign by bombing Unalaska Island.

1941

World War II: The Wehrmacht razes the Greek village of Kandanos to the ground and murders 180 of its inhabitants.

1940

World War II: During the Battle of France, the Luftwaffe bombs Paris.

1940

Franz Rademacher proposes plans to make Madagascar the "Jewish homeland", an idea that had first been considered by 19th century journalist Theodor Herzl.

1937

The Duke of Windsor (the former King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom) marries Wallis Simpson.

1935

One thousand unemployed Canadian workers board freight cars in Vancouver, beginning a protest trek to Ottawa.

1916

The National Defense Act is signed into law, increasing the size of the United States National Guard by 450,000 men.

1892

Liverpool F.C. is founded by John Houlding.

1889

The first long-distance electric power transmission line in the United States is completed, running 14 miles (23 km) between a generator at Willamette Falls and downtown Portland, Oregon.

1885

In the last military engagement fought on Canadian soil, the Cree leader, Big Bear, escapes the North-West Mounted Police.

1864

American Civil War: Union forces under Ulysses S. Grant sustain heavy casualties attacking Confederate troops under Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Cold Harbor in Hanover County, Virginia.

1863

American Civil War: Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia begin marching to invade the North for a second time, starting the Gettysburg campaign.

1861

American Civil War: Battle of Philippi (also called the Philippi Races): Union forces rout Confederate troops in Barbour County, Virginia, now West Virginia.

1844

The last pair of great auks is killed.

1839

In Humen, China, Lin Zexu destroys 1.2 million kilograms of opium confiscated from British merchants, providing Britain with a casus belli to open hostilities, resulting in the First Opium War.

1781

Jack Jouett begins his midnight ride to warn Thomas Jefferson and the Virginia legislature of an impending British raid.

1700

Foundation of the Academy of the Distrustful in the library room of the Palau Dalmases in Barcelona.

1665

James Stuart, Duke of York (later to become King James II of England), defeats the Dutch fleet off the coast of Lowestoft.

1658

Pope Alexander VII appoints François de Laval vicar apostolic in New France.

1621

The Dutch West India Company receives a charter for New Netherland.

1608

Samuel de Champlain lands at Tadoussac, Quebec, in the course of his third voyage to New France, and begins erecting fortifications.

1602

An English naval force defeats a fleet of Spanish galleys, and captures a large Portuguese carrack at the Battle of Sesimbra Bay.

1539

Hernando de Soto claims Florida for Spain.

1326

The Treaty of Novgorod delineates borders between Russia and Norway in Finnmark.

1140

The French scholar Peter Abelard is found guilty of heresy.

1098

After a five-month siege during the First Crusade, the Crusaders seize Antioch.

713

The Byzantine emperor Philippicus is blinded, deposed and sent into exile by conspirators of the Opsikion army in Thrace. He is succeeded by Anastasios II, who begins the reorganization of the Byzantine army.

350

The Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, proclaims himself Roman emperor, entering Rome at the head of a group of gladiators.

Births

2011

Yağız Kaan Erdoğmuş, Turkish chess prodigy and grandmaster

2005

Désiré Doué, French footballer

2002

Tyrell Sloan, Australian rugby league player

2001

Jalen Suggs, American basketball player

2000

Beabadoobee, Filipino singer-songwriter

1999

Cameron Green, Australian cricketer

1999

Dzhem Yamenov, Bulgarian politician

1998

Sam Curran, English cricketer

1997

Louis Hofmann, German actor

1994

Harrison Bader, American baseball player

1993

Otto Porter Jr., American basketball player

1992

Dilraba Dilmurat, Chinese actress

1992

Mario Götze, German footballer

1992

Jade Cargill, American professional wrestler

1991

Yordano Ventura, Dominican baseball player (died 2017)

1989

Katie Hoff, American swimmer

1989

Imogen Poots, English actress and model

1987

Masami Nagasawa, Japanese actress

1986

Al Horford, Dominican basketball player

1986

Micah Kogo, Kenyan runner

1986

Rafael Nadal, Spanish tennis player

1986

Tomáš Verner, Czech ice skater

1985

Papiss Cissé, Senegalese footballer

1985

Łukasz Piszczek, Polish footballer

1983

Pasquale Foggia, Italian footballer

1982

Yelena Isinbayeva, Russian pole vaulter

1982

Manfred Mölgg, Italian skier

1981

Sosene Anesi, New Zealand rugby player

1981

Sam Murphy, Australian rugby league player

1980

Amauri, Italian international footballer

1979

Christian Malcolm, Welsh sprinter

1979

Pierre Poilievre, Canadian politician, Leader of the Opposition

1977

Cris, Brazilian footballer

1977

Travis Hafner, American baseball player

1976

Jamie McMurray, American race car driver

1975

Jose Molina, Puerto Rican baseball player

1974

Kelly Jones, Welsh singer-songwriter and guitarist

1974

Serhiy Rebrov, Ukrainian international footballer and manager

1972

Julie Gayet, French actress

1971

John Hodgman, American humorist

1969

Takako Minekawa, Japanese singer-songwriter

1969

Hiroyuki Takami, Japanese singer and actor

1967

Anderson Cooper, American journalist and author

1967

Tamás Darnyi, Hungarian swimmer

1967

Newton, English singer-songwriter

1966

Wasim Akram, Pakistani cricketer, coach, and sportscaster

1966

Bill Callahan, American singer-songwriter

1965

Mike Gordon, American bassist and vocalist

1965

Hans Kroes, Dutch swimmer

1965

Tina Kaidanow, American diplomat and government official (died 2024)

1964

Kerry King, American guitarist and songwriter

1962

Susannah Constantine, English fashion designer, journalist, and author

1961

Lawrence Lessig, American lawyer, academic, and author, founded the Creative Commons

1961

Peter Vidmar, American gymnast

1960

Jeff Colyer, American politician, 47th Governor of Kansas

1960

Catherine Davani, first female Papua New Guinean judge (died 2016)

1960

Tracy Grimshaw, Australian television host

1960

Carl Rackemann, Australian cricketer and sportscaster

1959

Sam Mills, American football player (died 2005)

1956

George Burley, Scottish footballer and manager

1956

Danny Wilde, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

1955

Louis H. Schiff, retired American judge, law school professor.

1954

Dan Hill, Canadian singer-songwriter

1951

Jill Biden, American educator, First Lady of the United States

1951

Deniece Williams, American singer-songwriter

1950

Frédéric François, Belgian singer-songwriter

1950

Melissa Mathison, American screenwriter and producer (died 2015)

1950

Suzi Quatro, American-English singer-songwriter and guitarist

1948

Jan Reker, Dutch footballer and manager

1946

Michael Clarke, American drummer (died 1993) [citation needed]

1946

Penelope Wilton, English actress

1945

Hale Irwin, American golfer and architect

1945

Ramon Jacinto, Filipino singer, guitarist, and businessman, founded the Rajah Broadcasting Network

1945

Bill Paterson, Scottish actor

1943

Billy Cunningham, American basketball player and coach

1942

Curtis Mayfield, American singer-songwriter and producer (died 1999)

1940

Ian Hunter, English singer-songwriter and guitarist

1937

Jean-Pierre Jaussaud, French racing driver (died 2021)

1936

Larry McMurtry, American novelist and screenwriter (died 2021)

1936

Colin Meads, New Zealand rugby player and coach (died 2017)

1931

Françoise Arnoul, Algerian-French actress (died 2021)

1931

Raúl Castro, Cuban commander and politician, 18th President of Cuba

1931

John Norman, American philosopher and author

1931

Lindy Remigino, American runner and coach (died 2018)

1931

Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Bahranian king (died 1999)

1930

Marion Zimmer Bradley, American author and poet (died 1999)

1930

George Fernandes, Indian journalist and politician, Minister of Defence for India (died 2019)

1930

Joe Coulombe, founder of Trader Joe's (died 2020)

1929

Werner Arber, Swiss microbiologist and geneticist, Nobel Prize laureate

1929

Chuck Barris, American game show host and producer (died 2017)

1928

Donald Judd, American sculptor and painter (died 1994)

1928

John Richard Reid, New Zealand cricketer (died 2020)

1927

Boots Randolph, American saxophonist and composer (died 2007)

1926

Allen Ginsberg, American poet (died 1997)

1926

Flora MacDonald, Canadian banker and politician, 10th Canadian Minister of Communications (died 2015)

1925

Tony Curtis, American actor (died 2010)

1924

Karunanidhi, Indian screenwriter and politician, 3rd Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu (died 2018)

1924

Colleen Dewhurst, Canadian-American actress (died 1991)

1924

Jimmy Rogers, American singer and guitarist (died 1997)

1924

Torsten Wiesel, Swedish neurophysiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate

1923

Igor Shafarevich, Russian mathematician and theorist (died 2017)

1922

Alain Resnais, French director, cinematographer, and screenwriter (died 2014)

1921

Forbes Carlile, Australian pentathlete and coach (died 2016)

1918

Patrick Cargill, English actor and producer (died 1996)

1918

Lili St. Cyr, American burlesque dancer (died 1999)

1917

Leo Gorcey, American actor (died 1969)

1914

Ignacio Ponseti, Spanish physician and orthopedist (died 2009)

1913

Pedro Mir, Dominican poet and author (died 2000)

1911

Ellen Corby, American actress and screenwriter (died 1999)

1910

Paulette Goddard, American actress and model (died 1990)

1910

Wilfred Thesiger, British military officer, explorer, and writer (died 2003)

1907

Paul Rotha, English director and producer (died 1984)

1906

R. G. D. Allen, English economist, mathematician, and statistician (died 1983)

1906

Josephine Baker, French actress, singer, and dancer; French Resistance operative (died 1975)

1905

Martin Gottfried Weiss, German SS officer, commandant of the Dachau concentration camp, executed war criminal (died 1946)

1904

Charles R. Drew, American physician and surgeon (died 1950)

1904

Jan Peerce, American tenor and actor (died 1984)

1903

Eddie Acuff, American actor (died 1956)

1901

Maurice Evans, English actor (died 1989)

1901

Zhang Xueliang, Chinese general and warlord (died 2001)

1900

Adelaide Ames, American astronomer and academic (died 1932)

1900

Leo Picard, German-Israeli geologist and academic (died 1997)

1899

Georg von Békésy, Hungarian-American biophysicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1972)

1897

Memphis Minnie, American singer-songwriter (died 1973)

1890

Baburao Painter, Indian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (died 1954)

1881

Mikhail Larionov, Russian painter and set designer (died 1964)

1879

Alla Nazimova, Ukrainian-American actress, producer, and screenwriter (died 1945)

1879

Raymond Pearl, American biologist and botanist (died 1940)

1879

Vivian Woodward, English footballer and soldier (died 1954)

1877

Raoul Dufy, French painter and illustrator (died 1953)

1873

Otto Loewi, German-American pharmacologist and psychobiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1961)

1866

George Howells Broadhurst, English-American director and manager (died 1952)

1865

George V of the United Kingdom (died 1936)

1864

Otto Erich Hartleben, German poet and playwright (died 1905)

1864

Ransom E. Olds, American businessman, founded Oldsmobile and REO Motor Car Company (died 1950)

1853

Flinders Petrie, English archaeologist and academic (died 1942)

1852

Theodore Robinson, American painter and academic (died 1896)

1844

Garret Hobart, American lawyer and politician, 24th Vice President of the United States (died 1899)

1844

Detlev von Liliencron, German poet and author (died 1909)

1843

Frederik VIII of Denmark (died 1912)

1832

Charles Lecocq, French pianist and composer (died 1918)

1819

Anton Anderledy, Swiss religious leader, 23rd Superior General of the Society of Jesus (died 1892)

1819

Johan Jongkind, Dutch painter (died 1891)

1819

Magdalene Thoresen, Danish writer (died 1903)

1818

Louis Faidherbe, French general and politician, Governor of Senegal (died 1889)

1817

Princess Clémentine of Orléans(died 1907)

1808

Jefferson Davis, American colonel and politician, President of the Confederate States of America from 1861 - 1865 (died 1889)

1771

Sydney Smith, English preacher and author (died 1845)

1770

Manuel Belgrano, Argentinian economist, lawyer, and politician (died 1820)

1736

Ignaz Fränzl, German violinist and composer (died 1811)

1726

James Hutton, Scottish geologist and physician (died 1797)

1723

Giovanni Antonio Scopoli, Italian physician, geologist, and botanist (died 1788)

1659

David Gregory, Scottish-English mathematician and astronomer (died 1708)

1636

John Hale, American minister (died 1700)

1635

Philippe Quinault, French playwright and composer (died 1688)

1576

Giovanni Diodati, Swiss-Italian minister, theologian, and academic (died 1649)

1554

Pietro de' Medici, Italian noble (died 1604)

1540

Charles II, Archduke of Austria (died 1590)

1537

João Manuel, Prince of Portugal (died 1554)

1454

Bogislaw X, Duke of Pomerania (1474–1523) (died 1523)

1421

Giovanni di Cosimo de' Medici, Italian noble (died 1463)

1139

Conon of Naso, Basilian abbot (died 1236)

Deaths

2025

Jim Marshall, American football player (born 1937)

2025

Shigeo Nagashima, Japanese baseball player and manager (born 1936)

2025

Edmund White, American novelist, memoirist and essayist (born 1940)

2024

Brigitte Bierlein, former Austrian chancellor (born 1949)

2024

William Russell, English actor (born 1924)

2021

F. Lee Bailey, American attorney (born 1933)

2016

Muhammad Ali, American boxer (born 1942)

2015

Avi Beker, Israeli political scientist and academic (born 1951)

2014

Svyatoslav Belza, Russian journalist, author, and critic (born 1942)

2014

Gopinath Munde, Indian politician, 3rd Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra (born 1949)

2013

Atul Chitnis, German-Indian technologist and journalist (born 1962)

2013

Józef Czyrek, Polish economist and politician, Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs (born 1928)

2013

Frank Lautenberg, American soldier and politician (born 1924)

2012

Carol Ann Abrams, American producer, author, and academic (born 1942)

2012

Roy Salvadori, English racing driver and manager (born 1922)

2012

Brian Talboys, New Zealand journalist and politician, 7th Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand (born 1921)

2011

James Arness, American actor and producer (born 1923)

2011

Andrew Gold, American singer, songwriter, musician and arranger (born 1951)

2011

Bhajan Lal, Indian politician, 6th Chief Minister of Haryana (born 1930)

2011

Jack Kevorkian, American pathologist, author, and activist (born 1928)

2011

Jan van Roessel, Dutch footballer (born 1925)

2010

Rue McClanahan, American actress (born 1934)

2009

David Carradine, American actor (born 1936)

2009

Koko Taylor, American singer (born 1928)

2006

Clinton Jones, American Episcopal priest and gay rights activist (born 1916)

2005

Harold Cardinal, Canadian lawyer and politician (born 1945)

2003

Felix de Weldon, Austrian-American sculptor, designed the Marine Corps War Memorial (born 1907)

2002

Lew Wasserman, American talent agent and manager (born 1913)

2001

Anthony Quinn, Mexican-American actor and producer (born 1915)

1997

Dennis James, American actor and game show host (born 1917)

1994

Puig Aubert, German-French rugby player and coach (born 1925)

1993

Yeoh Ghim Seng, Singaporean politician, acting President of Singapore (born 1918)

1992

Robert Morley, English actor and screenwriter (born 1908)

1991

Brian Bevan, Australian rugby league player (born 1924)

1991

Katia Krafft, French volcanologist and geologist (born 1942)

1991

Maurice Krafft, French volcanologist and geologist (born 1946)

1991

Lê Văn Thiêm, Vietnamese mathematician and academic (born 1918)

1990

Robert Noyce, American physicist and businessman, co-founded the Intel Corporation (born 1927)

1989

Ruhollah Khomeini, Iranian religious leader and politician, 1st Supreme Leader of Iran (born 1900)

1987

Will Sampson, American actor and painter (born 1933)

1986

Anna Neagle, English actress and singer (born 1904)

1981

Carleton S. Coon, American anthropologist and academic (born 1904)

1977

Archibald Hill, English physiologist and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1886)

1977

Roberto Rossellini, Italian director and screenwriter (born 1906)

1975

Ozzie Nelson, American actor and bandleader (born 1906)

1975

Eisaku Satō, Japanese and politician, Prime Minister of Japan (born 1901)

1974

Michael Gaughan, Irish Republican died on hunger strike (born 1949)

1973

Jean Batmale, French footballer and manager (born 1895)

1971

Heinz Hopf, German-Swiss mathematician and academic (born 1894)

1970

Hjalmar Schacht, Danish-German economist, banker, and politician (born 1877)

1969

George Edwin Cooke, American soccer player (born 1883)

1964

Kâzım Orbay, Turkish general and politician, 9th Turkish Speaker of the Parliament (born 1887)

1964

Frans Eemil Sillanpää, Finnish author and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1888)

1963

Edmond Decottignies, French weightlifter (born 1893)

1963

Pope John XXIII (born 1881)

1963

Nâzım Hikmet, Turkish poet, author, and playwright (born 1902)

1963

Samuel Rocke, Australian politician who served as an independent member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia (born 1874)

1946

Mikhail Kalinin, Russian civil servant and politician (born 1875)

1938

John Flanagan, Irish-American hammer thrower and tug of war competitor (born 1873)

1933

William Muldoon, American wrestler (born 1852)

1928

Li Yuanhong, Chinese general and politician, 2nd President of the Republic of China (born 1864)

1924

Franz Kafka, Czech-Austrian lawyer and author (born 1883)

1921

Coenraad Hiebendaal, Dutch rower and physician (born 1879)

1906

John Maxwell, American golfer (born 1871)

1902

Vital-Justin Grandin, French-Canadian bishop and missionary (born 1829)

1900

Mary Kingsley, English explorer and author (born 1862)

1899

Johann Strauss II, Austrian composer and educator (born 1825)

1894

Karl Eduard Zachariae von Lingenthal, German lawyer and jurist (born 1812)

1882

Christian Wilberg, German painter and illustrator (born 1839)

1877

Ludwig Ritter von Köchel, Austrian botanist, composer, and publisher (born 1800)

1875

Georges Bizet, French pianist and composer (born 1838)

1865

Okada Izō, Japanese samurai (born 1838)

1861

Stephen A. Douglas, American lawyer and politician, 7th Secretary of State of Illinois (born 1813)

1858

Julius Reubke, German pianist and composer (born 1834)

1826

Nikolay Karamzin, Russian historian and poet (born 1766)

1780

Thomas Hutchinson, American businessman and politician, Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay (born 1711)

1659

Morgan Llwyd, Welsh minister and poet (born 1619)

1657

William Harvey, English physician and academic (born 1578)

1649

Manuel de Faria e Sousa, Portuguese historian and poet (born 1590)

1640

Theophilus Howard, 2nd Earl of Suffolk, English politician, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports (born 1584)

1615

Sanada Yukimura, Japanese samurai (born 1567)

1594

John Aylmer, English bishop and scholar (born 1521)

1553

Wolf Huber, Austrian painter, printmaker and architect (born 1485)

1548

Juan de Zumárraga, Spanish-Mexican archbishop (born 1468)

1511

Ahmad ibn Abi Jum'ah, Islamic scholar, author of the Oran fatwa

1453

Loukas Notaras, last megas doux of the Byzantine Empire

1411

Leopold IV, Duke of Austria (born 1371)

1397

William de Montagu, 2nd Earl of Salisbury, English commander (born 1328)

1052

Prince Guaimar IV of Salerno

800

Staurakios, Byzantine general

734

Simeon of the Olives, Syriac bishop of Harran

628

Liang Shidu, Chinese rebel leader

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