Events

2026

A gas explosion at a coal mine in Changzhi, Shanxi, leaves at least 82 people dead.

2021

Hypothermia kills 21 runners in the 100 km (60-mile) Gansu ultramarathon disaster in China.

2020

Pakistan International Airlines Flight 8303 crashes in Model Colony near Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, Pakistan, killing 98 people.

2017

Twenty-two people are killed at an Ariana Grande concert in the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing.

2017

United States President Donald Trump visits the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and becomes the first sitting U.S. president to visit the Western Wall.

2015

The Republic of Ireland becomes the first nation in the world to utilise a public referendum to legalise gay marriage.

2014

General Prayut Chan-o-cha becomes interim leader of Thailand in a military coup d'état, following six months of political turmoil.

2014

An explosion occurs in Ürümqi, capital of China's far-western Xinjiang region, resulting in at least 43 deaths and 91 injuries.

2013

Fusilier Lee Rigby is murdered by two Islamic extremists in Woolwich, Southeast London.

2012

Tokyo Skytree opens to the public. It is the tallest tower in the world (634 m), and the third tallest man-made structure on Earth after Merdeka 118 (680.5 m) and Burj Khalifa (829.8 m).

2012

SpaceX COTS Demo Flight 2 launches a Dragon capsule on a Falcon 9 rocket in the first commercial flight to the International Space Station.

2011

An EF5 tornado strikes Joplin, Missouri, killing 158 people and wreaking $2.8 billion in damages, the costliest and seventh-deadliest single tornado in U.S. history.

2010

Air India Express Flight 812, a Boeing 737 crashes over a cliff upon landing at Mangalore, India, killing 158 of 166 people on board, becoming the deadliest crash involving a Boeing 737 until the crash of Lion Air Flight 610.

2010

Inter Milan beat Bayern Munich 2–0 in the UEFA Champions League final in Madrid, Spain to become the first, and so far only, Italian team to win the historic treble (Serie A, Coppa Italia, Champions League).

2002

Civil rights movement: A jury in Birmingham, Alabama, convicts former Ku Klux Klan member Bobby Frank Cherry of the 1963 murder of four girls in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing.

2000

In Sri Lanka, over 150 Tamil rebels are killed over two days of fighting for control in Jaffna.

1998

A U.S. federal judge rules that U.S. Secret Service agents can be compelled to testify before a grand jury concerning the Lewinsky scandal involving President Bill Clinton.

1996

The Burmese military regime jails 71 supporters of Aung San Suu Kyi in a bid to block a pro-democracy meeting.

1994

A worldwide trade embargo against Haiti goes into effect to punish its military rulers for not reinstating the country's ousted elected leader, Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

1992

Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Slovenia join the United Nations.

1990

North and South Yemen are unified to create the Republic of Yemen.

1987

Hashimpura massacre occurs in Meerut, India.

1987

First ever Rugby World Cup kicks off with New Zealand playing Italy at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand.

1972

Ceylon adopts a new constitution, becoming a republic and changing its name to Sri Lanka.

1972

Over 400 women in Derry, Northern Ireland attack the offices of Sinn Féin following the shooting by the Irish Republican Army of a young British soldier on leave.

1969

Apollo 10's Lunar Module flies within 8.4 nautical miles (16 km) of the Moon's surface.

1968

The nuclear-powered submarine USS Scorpion sinks with 99 men aboard, 400 nautical miles (740 km) southwest of the Azores.

1967

Egypt closes the Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping.

1967

L'Innovation department store in Brussels, Belgium, burns down, resulting in 323 dead or missing and 150 injured, the most devastating fire in Belgian history.

1964

U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson launches his Great Society program.

1963

Greek left-wing politician Grigoris Lambrakis is clubbed over the head, causing his death five days later.

1962

Continental Airlines Flight 11 crashes in Unionville, Missouri after bombs explode on board, killing 45.

1960

The Great Chilean earthquake, measuring 9.5 on the moment magnitude scale, hits southern Chile, becoming the most powerful earthquake ever recorded.

1958

The 1958 riots in Ceylon become a watershed in the race relations of various ethnic communities of Sri Lanka. The total deaths are estimated at 300, mostly Tamils.

1957

South Africa's government approves of racial separation in universities.

1948

Finnish President J. K. Paasikivi releases Yrjö Leino from his duties as interior minister after the Finnish parliament adopted a motion of censure of Leino with connection to his illegal handing over of nineteen people to the Soviet Union in 1945.

1947

Cold War: The Truman Doctrine goes into effect, aiding Turkey and Greece.

1943

Joseph Stalin disbands the Comintern.

1942

Mexico enters the Second World War on the side of the Allies.

1941

During the Anglo-Iraqi War, British troops take Fallujah.

1939

World War II: Germany and Italy sign the Pact of Steel.

1927

Near Xining, China, an 8.3 magnitude earthquake causes 200,000 deaths in one of the world's most destructive earthquakes.

1926

Chiang Kai-shek replaces the communists in Kuomintang China.[vague]

1916

A British army defeats a force of the Darfur Sultanate under Sultan Ali Dinar due to its superior firepower in the battle of Beringia.

1915

Lassen Peak erupts with a powerful force, the only volcano besides Mount St. Helens to erupt in the contiguous U.S. during the 20th century.

1915

Three trains collide in the Quintinshill rail disaster near Gretna Green, Scotland, killing 227 people and injuring 246.

1906

The Wright brothers are granted U.S. patent number 821,393 for their "Flying-Machine".

1905

The Sultan of the Ottoman Empire Abdul Hamid II establishes the Ullah millet for the Aromanians of the empire. For this reason, the Aromanian National Day is sometimes celebrated on this day, although most do so on May 23 instead, which is when this event was publicly announced.

1874

Verdi's Requiem is first performed at San Marco in Milan on the first anniversary of Alessandro Manzoni's death.

1872

Reconstruction Era: President Ulysses S. Grant signs the Amnesty Act into law, restoring full civil and political rights to all but about 500 Confederate sympathizers.

1866

Oliver Winchester founds the Winchester Repeating Arms.

1864

American Civil War: After ten weeks, the Union Army's Red River Campaign ends in failure.

1863

American Civil War: Union forces begin the Siege of Port Hudson which lasts 48 days, the longest siege in U.S. military history.

1856

Congressman Preston Brooks of South Carolina severely beats Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts with a cane in the hall of the United States Senate for a speech Sumner had made regarding Southerners and slavery.

1849

Future U.S. President Abraham Lincoln is issued a patent for an invention to lift boats, making him the only U.S. president to ever hold a patent.

1848

Slavery is abolished in Martinique.

1846

The Associated Press is formed in New York City as a non-profit news cooperative.

1840

The penal transportation of British convicts to the New South Wales colony is abolished.

1826

HMS Beagle departs on its first voyage.

1819

SS Savannah leaves port at Savannah, Georgia, United States, on a voyage to become the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean.

1816

A mob in Littleport, Cambridgeshire, England, riots over high unemployment and rising grain costs, and the riots spread to Ely the next day.

1809

On the second and last day of the Battle of Aspern-Essling (near Vienna, Austria), Napoleon I is defeated in a major battle for the first time in his career, and repelled by an enemy army for the first time in a decade.

1807

A grand jury indicts former Vice President of the United States Aaron Burr on a charge of treason.

1804

The Lewis and Clark Expedition officially begins as the Corps of Discovery departs from St. Charles, Missouri.

1766

A large earthquake causes heavy damage and loss of life in Istanbul and the Marmara region.

1762

Sweden and Prussia sign the Treaty of Hamburg.

1762

Trevi Fountain is officially completed and inaugurated in Rome.

1629

Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II and Danish King Christian IV sign the Treaty of Lübeck ending Danish intervention in the Thirty Years' War.

1520

The massacre at the festival of Tóxcatl takes place during the Fall of Tenochtitlan, resulting in turning the Aztecs against the Spanish.

1455

Start of the Wars of the Roses: At the First Battle of St Albans, Richard, Duke of York, defeats and captures King Henry VI of England.

1377

Pope Gregory XI issues five papal bulls to denounce the doctrines of English theologian John Wycliffe.

1370

Brussels massacre: An estimated 13 Jews are murdered and the rest of the Jewish community is banished from Brussels, Belgium, in an anti-Semitic attack, for allegedly desecrating consecrated Host.

1254

Serbian King Stefan Uroš I and the Republic of Venice sign a peace treaty.

1246

Henry Raspe is elected anti-king of the Kingdom of Germany in opposition to Conrad IV.

1200

King John of England and King Philip II of France sign the Treaty of Le Goulet.

1176

The Hashshashin (Assassins) attempt to assassinate Saladin near Aleppo.

853

A Byzantine fleet sacks and destroys undefended Damietta in Egypt.

760

Fourteenth recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet.

192

Dong Zhuo is assassinated by his adopted son Lü Bu.

Births

2004

Peyton Elizabeth Lee, American actress

2002

Anthony Richardson, American football player

2001

Enzo Barrenechea, Argentine footballer

2001

Emma Chamberlain, American internet personality

2001

Joshua Zirkzee, Dutch footballer

2000

Julián Carranza, Argentine footballer

1999

Samuel Chukwueze, Nigerian footballer

1999

Femke Huijzer, Dutch model

1999

Hōshōryū Tomokatsu, Mongolian sumo wrestler

1998

Samile Bermannelli, Brazilian fashion model

1997

Lauri Markkanen, Finnish basketball player

1997

Brandon Duhaime, American ice hockey player

1994

Florian Luger, Austrian male model

1994

Athena Manoukian, Greek-Armenian singer and songwriter

1992

Anna Baryshnikov, American actress

1991

Joel Obi, Nigerian footballer

1991

Suho, South Korean singer and actor

1990

Wyatt Roy, Australian politician

1989

Corey Dickerson, American baseball player

1988

Heida Reed, Icelandic-British actress

1987

Novak Djokovic, Serbian tennis player

1987

Arturo Vidal, Chilean footballer

1986

Julian Edelman, American football player

1986

Matt Jarvis, English footballer

1986

Tatiana Volosozhar, Russian figure skater

1985

Tranquillo Barnetta, Swiss footballer

1985

Mauro Boselli, Argentine footballer

1985

Tao Okamoto, Japanese model and actress

1984

Clara Amfo, English television and radio presenter

1984

Karoline Herfurth, German actress

1984

Didier Ya Konan, Ivorian footballer

1984

Dustin Moskovitz, American entrepreneur, co-founder of Facebook

1983

Natasha Kai, American soccer player and Olympic medalist

1982

Erin McNaught, Australian model and actress

1982

Apolo Ohno, American speed skater

1982

Hong Yong-jo, North Korean footballer

1981

Bryan Danielson, American wrestler

1981

Bassel Khartabil, Syrian computer programmer and engineer (died 2015)

1981

Jürgen Melzer, Austrian tennis player

1981

Mark O'Meley, Australian rugby league player

1980

Tarin Bradford, Australian rugby league player

1980

Sharice Davids, American politician

1980

Lucy Gordon, British actress and model (died 2009)

1979

Nazanin Boniadi, Iranian-American actress

1979

Tihomir Dovramadjiev, Bulgarian Chess boxer

1979

Maggie Q, American actress

1978

Ginnifer Goodwin, American actress

1978

Katie Price, English television personality and glamour model

1977

Pat Smullen, Irish jockey (died 2020)

1976

Christian Vande Velde, American cyclist

1975

Salva Ballesta, Spanish footballer and manager

1974

Sean Gunn, American actor

1974

Garba Lawal, Nigerian footballer

1974

Henrietta Ónodi, Hungarian Olympic gymnast

1974

Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Ukrainian politician

1974

Canek Sánchez Guevara, Cuban author and dissident (died 2015)

1974

Anne Beathe Tvinnereim, Norwegian politician

1973

Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Danish actor

1973

Shefali Shah, Indian actress

1972

Max Brooks, American author and screenwriter

1970

Naomi Campbell, English model

1970

Brody Stevens, American comedian and actor (died 2019)

1969

Michael Kelly, American actor

1969

Cathy McMorris Rodgers, American lawyer and politician

1968

Graham Linehan, Irish comedy writer and activist

1966

Johnny Gill, American singer-songwriter and producer

1966

Wang Xiaoshuai, Chinese director and screenwriter

1965

Jay Carney, American journalist, 29th White House Press Secretary

1963

Claude Closky, French contemporary artist

1962

Andrew Magee, French-American golfer

1962

Brian Pillman, American football player and wrestler (died 1997)

1960

Hideaki Anno, Japanese animator, director, and screenwriter

1959

David Blatt, Israeli-American basketball player and coach

1959

Olin Browne, American golfer

1959

Morrissey, English singer-songwriter and performer

1959

Kwak Jae-yong, South Korean director and screenwriter

1959

Mehbooba Mufti, Indian politician

1957

Lisa Murkowski, American lawyer and politician

1956

Lucie Brock-Broido, American poet (died 2018)

1955

Iva Davies, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist

1954

Barbara May Cameron, Native American human rights activist (died 2002)

1954

Shuji Nakamura, Japanese-American physicist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate

1953

François Bon, French writer

1953

Cha Bum-kun, South Korean footballer and manager

1953

Paul Mariner, English footballer, coach, and manager (died 2021)

1951

Kenneth Bianchi, American serial killer and rapist

1950

Bernie Taupin, English singer-songwriter and poet

1949

Cheryl Campbell, English actress

1949

Valentin Inzko, Austrian diplomat

1948

Tomás Sánchez, Cuban painter and engraver

1948

Nedumudi Venu, Indian actor and screenwriter (died 2021)

1946

George Best, Northern Irish footballer (died 2005)

1946

Michael Green, English physicist and academic

1946

Howard Kendall, English footballer and manager (died 2015)

1946

Andrei Marga, Romanian philosopher, political scientist, politician

1946

Lyudmila Zhuravleva, Russian-Ukrainian astronomer

1945

Bob Katter, Australian politician

1944

John Flanagan, Australian fantasy author (died 2026)

1943

Betty Williams, Northern Irish peace activist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2020)

1943

Tommy John, American baseball player

1942

Roger Brown, American basketball player (died 1997)

1942

Ted Kaczynski, American academic and mathematician turned anarchist and serial murderer (Unabomber) (died 2023)

1942

Barbara Parkins, Canadian actress

1942

Richard Oakes, Native American civil rights activist (died 1972)

1941

Menzies Campbell, Scottish sprinter and politician (died 2025)

1940

Kieth Merrill, American filmmaker

1940

E. A. S. Prasanna, Indian cricketer

1940

Michael Sarrazin, Canadian actor (died 2011)

1940

Bernard Shaw, American journalist (died 2022)

1940

Mick Tingelhoff, American football player (died 2021)

1939

Paul Winfield, American actor (died 2004)

1938

Richard Benjamin, American actor and director

1938

Susan Strasberg, American actress (died 1999)

1937

Facundo Cabral, Argentinian singer-songwriter (died 2011)

1937

Tomáš Janovic, Slovak writer (died 2023)

1936

George H. Heilmeier, American engineer (died 2014)

1935

Billy Rayner, Australian rugby league player (died 2006)

1934

Peter Nero, American pianist and conductor (died 2023)

1934

Garry Wills, American historian, author, and political philosopher

1933

Fred Anderson, Australian-South African rugby league player (died 2012)

1933

Chen Jingrun, Chinese mathematician and academic (died 1996)

1932

Robert Spitzer, American psychiatrist and academic (died 2015)

1930

Kenny Ball, English jazz trumpet player, vocalist, and bandleader (died 2013)

1930

Marisol Escobar, French-American sculptor (died 2016)

1930

Harvey Milk, American lieutenant and politician (died 1978)

1929

Ahmed Fouad Negm, Egyptian poet (died 2013)

1928

Serge Doubrovsky, French theorist and author (died 2017)

1928

John Mackenzie, Scottish director and producer (died 2011)

1928

T. Boone Pickens, American businessman (died 2019)

1928

Hiroshi Sano, Japanese novelist (died 2013)

1927

Michael Constantine, American actor (died 2021)

1927

Peter Matthiessen, American novelist, short story writer, editor, co-founded The Paris Review (died 2014)

1927

George Andrew Olah, Hungarian-American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2017)

1925

Jean Tinguely, Swiss painter and sculptor (died 1991)

1924

Charles Aznavour, French-Armenian singer-songwriter and actor (died 2018)

1922

Quinn Martin, American screenwriter and producer (died 1987)

1921

George S. Hammond, American scientist (died 2005)

1920

Thomas Gold, Austrian-American astrophysicist and academic (died 2004)

1919

Paul Vanden Boeynants, Belgian businessman and politician, 55th Prime Minister of Belgium (died 2001)

1917

George Aratani, American businessman and philanthropist (died 2013)

1917

Jean-Louis Curtis, French author (died 1995)

1914

Max Kohnstamm, Dutch historian and diplomat (died 2010)

1914

Sun Ra, American pianist, composer, bandleader, poet (died 1993)

1913

Rafael Gil, Spanish director and screenwriter (died 1986)

1913

Dominique Rolin, Belgian author (died 2012)

1912

Herbert C. Brown, English-American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2004)

1909

Bob Dyer, American-Australian radio and television host (died 1984)

1909

Margaret Mee, English illustrator and educator (died 1988)

1908

Horton Smith, American golfer and captain (died 1963)

1907

Hergé, Belgian author and illustrator (died 1983)

1907

Laurence Olivier, English actor, director, and producer (died 1989)

1905

Bodo von Borries, German physicist and academic, co-invented the electron microscope (died 1956)

1905

Tom Driberg, British politician (died 1976)

1904

Uno Lamm, Swedish electrical engineer and inventor (died 1989)

1902

Jack Lambert, English footballer and manager (died 1940)

1902

Al Simmons, American baseball player and coach (died 1956)

1901

Maurice J. Tobin, American politician, 6th United States Secretary of Labor (died 1953)

1900

Juan Arvizu, Mexican lyric opera tenor and bolero vocalist (died 1985)

1897

Robert Neumann, German and English-speaking author (died 1975)

1894

Friedrich Pollock, German sociologist and philosopher (died 1970)

1891

Johannes R. Becher, German politician, novelist, and poet (died 1958)

1887

A. W. Sandberg, Danish film director and screenwriter (died 1938)

1885

Giacomo Matteotti, Italian lawyer and politician (died 1924)

1885

Soemu Toyoda, Japanese admiral (died 1957)

1884

Wilhelmina Hay Abbott, Scottish suffragist and feminist (died 1957)

1880

Francis de Miomandre, French author and translator (died 1959)

1879

Warwick Armstrong, Australian cricketer and journalist (died 1947)

1879

Jean Cras, French admiral and composer (died 1932)

1879

Symon Petliura, Ukrainian statesman and independence leader (died 1926)

1876

Julius Klinger, Austrian painter and illustrator (died 1942)

1874

Daniel François Malan, South African clergyman and politician, 5th Prime Minister of South Africa (died 1959)

1868

Augusto Pestana, Brazilian engineer and politician (died 1934)

1864

Willy Stöwer, German author and illustrator (died 1931)

1859

Arthur Conan Doyle, British writer (died 1930)

1859

Tsubouchi Shōyō, Japanese author, playwright, and educator (died 1935)

1858

Belmiro de Almeida, Brazilian painter, illustrator, sculptor (died 1935)

1849

Aston Webb, English architect and academic (died 1930)

1848

Fritz von Uhde, German painter and educator (died 1911)

1846

Rita Cetina Gutiérrez, Mexican poet, educator, and activist (died 1908)

1844

Mary Cassatt, American painter and educator (died 1926)

1841

Catulle Mendès, French poet, author, and playwright (died 1909)

1833

Félix Bracquemond, French painter and etcher (died 1914)

1833

Manuel Ruiz Zorrilla, Spanish politician, Prime Minister of Spain (died 1895)

1831

Henry Vandyke Carter, English anatomist and surgeon (died 1897)

1828

Albrecht von Graefe, German ophthalmologist and academic (died 1870)

1820

Worthington Whittredge, American painter (died 1910)

1814

Amalia Lindegren, Swedish painter (died 1891)

1813

Richard Wagner, German composer (died 1883)

1811

Giulia Grisi, Italian soprano (died 1869)

1811

Henry Pelham-Clinton, 5th Duke of Newcastle, English politician (died 1864)

1808

Gérard de Nerval, French poet and translator (died 1855)

1783

William Sturgeon, English physicist and inventor, invented the electromagnet and electric motor (died 1850)

1782

Hirose Tansō, Japanese neo-Confucian scholar, teacher, writer (died 1856)

1779

Johann Nepomuk Schödlberger, Austrian painter (died 1853)

1772

Ram Mohan Roy, Indian philosopher and reformer (died 1833)

1770

Princess Elizabeth of the United Kingdom (died 1840)

1762

Henry Bathurst, 3rd Earl Bathurst, English politician (died 1834)

1752

Louis Legendre, French butcher and politician (died 1797)

1733

Hubert Robert, French painter (died 1808)

1715

François-Joachim de Pierre de Bernis, French cardinal and diplomat (died 1794)

1694

Daniel Gran, Austrian painter (died 1757)

1665

Magnus Stenbock, Swedish field marshal and Royal Councillor (died 1717)

1650

Richard Brakenburgh, Dutch Golden Age painter (died 1702)

1644

Gabriël Grupello, Flemish Baroque sculptor (died 1730)

1622

Louis de Buade de Frontenac, French soldier and governor (died 1698)

1539

Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford (died 1621)

1408

Annamacharya, Hindu saint (died 1503)

1009

Su Xun, Chinese writer (died 1066)

626

Itzam K'an Ahk I, Mayan king (died 686)

Deaths

2026

Richard A. Tapia, American mathematician, National Medal of Science recipient (born 1939)

2024

David Wilkie, Scottish swimmer (born 1954)

2022

Dervla Murphy, Irish touring cyclist and author (born 1931)

2020

Denise Cronenberg, Canadian costume designer (born 1938)

2019

Judith Kerr, German-born British writer and illustrator (born 1923)

2017

Nicky Hayden, American motorcycle racer (born 1981)

2016

Velimir "Bata" Živojinović, Serbian actor and politician (born 1933)

2015

Marques Haynes, American basketball player and coach (born 1926)

2015

Vladimir Katriuk, Ukrainian-Canadian SS officer (born 1921)

2013

Sigurd Ottovich Schmidt, Russian historian and ethnographer (born 1922)

2012

Muzafar Bhutto, Pakistani politician (born 1970)

2012

Wesley A. Brown, American lieutenant and engineer (born 1927)

2011

Joseph Brooks, American director, producer, screenwriter, and composer (born 1938)

2010

Martin Gardner, American mathematician, cryptographer, and author (born 1914)

2008

Robert Asprin, American soldier and author (born 1946)

2007

Pemba Doma Sherpa, Nepalese mountaineer (born 1970)

2006

Lee Jong-wook, South Korean physician and diplomat (born 1945)

2005

Charilaos Florakis, Greek politician (born 1914)

2005

Thurl Ravenscroft, American voice actor and singer (born 1914)

2004

Richard Biggs, American actor (born 1960)

2004

Mikhail Voronin, Russian gymnast (born 1945)

2000

Davie Fulton, Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician (born 1916)

1998

John Derek, American actor, director, and photographer (born 1926)

1998

José Enrique Moyal, Israeli physicist and engineer (born 1910)

1997

Alziro Bergonzo, Italian architect and painter (born 1906)

1997

Alfred Hershey, American biochemist and geneticist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1908)

1993

Mieczysław Horszowski, Polish-American pianist and composer (born 1892)

1992

Zellig Harris, American linguist and academic (born 1909)

1991

Lino Brocka, Filipino director and screenwriter (born 1939)

1991

Shripad Amrit Dange, Indian lawyer and politician (born 1899)

1991

Stan Mortensen, English footballer and manager (born 1921)

1990

Rocky Graziano, American boxer (born 1922)

1989

Steven De Groote, South African pianist and educator (born 1953)

1988

Giorgio Almirante, Italian journalist and politician (born 1914)

1985

Wolfgang Reitherman, German-American animator, director, and producer (born 1909)

1984

Karl-August Fagerholm, Finnish politician, valtioneuvos, the Speaker of the Parliament and the Prime Minister of Finland (born 1901)

1983

Albert Claude, Belgian biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1899)

1983

Erna Scheffler, German lawyer and justice of the Federal Constitutional Court (born 1893)

1982

Cevdet Sunay, Turkish general and politician, 5th President of Turkey (born 1899)

1975

Lefty Grove, American baseball player (born 1900)

1974

Irmgard Flügge-Lotz, German-American mathematician and aerospace engineer (born 1903)

1972

Cecil Day-Lewis, Anglo-Irish poet and author (born 1904)

1972

Margaret Rutherford, English actress (born 1892)

1967

Langston Hughes, American poet, social activist, novelist, and playwright (born 1902)

1967

Charlotte Serber, American Librarian of the Manhattan Project's Los Alamos site (born 1911)

1966

Tom Goddard, English cricketer (born 1900)

1965

Christopher Stone, English radio host (born 1882)

1954

Chief Bender, American baseball player, coach, and manager (born 1884)

1950

Alfonso Quiñónez Molina, Salvadoran politician, physician, and three-time president of El Salvador (born 1874)

1948

Claude McKay, Jamaican writer and poet (born 1889)

1939

Ernst Toller, German playwright and author (born 1893)

1939

Jiří Mahen, Czech author and playwright (born 1882)

1938

William Glackens, American painter and illustrator (born 1870)

1933

Tsengeltiin Jigjidjav, Mongolian politician, 10th Prime Minister of Mongolia (born 1894)

1932

Augusta, Lady Gregory, Anglo-Irish activist, landlord, and playwright, co-founded the Abbey Theatre (born 1852)

1910

Jules Renard, French author and playwright (born 1864)

1901

Gaetano Bresci, Italian-American anarchist, assassin of Umberto I of Italy (born 1869)

1885

Victor Hugo, French novelist, poet, and playwright (born 1802)

1868

Julius Plücker, German mathematician and physicist (born 1801)

1861

Thornsbury Bailey Brown, American soldier (born 1829)

1859

Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies (born 1810)

1851

Mordecai Manuel Noah, American journalist and diplomat (born 1755)

1802

Martha Washington, First, First Lady of the United States (born 1731)

1795

Ewald Friedrich von Hertzberg, Prussian politician, Foreign Minister of Prussia (born 1725)

1772

Durastante Natalucci, Italian historian and academic (born 1687)

1760

Baal Shem Tov, Polish rabbi and author (born 1700)

1745

François-Marie, 1st duc de Broglie, French general (born 1671)

1667

Pope Alexander VII (born 1599)

1666

Gaspar Schott, German physicist and mathematician (born 1608)

1609

Pieter Willemsz. Verhoeff, Dutch captain (born 1573)

1602

Renata of Lorraine (born 1544)

1553

Giovanni Bernardi, Italian sculptor and engraver (born 1495)

1545

Sher Shah Suri, Indian ruler (born 1486)

1540

Francesco Guicciardini, Italian historian and politician (born 1483)

1538

John Forest, English friar and martyr (born 1471)

1490

Edmund Grey, 1st Earl of Kent, English administrator, nobleman and magnate (born 1416)

1457

Rita of Cascia, Italian nun and saint (born 1381)

1455

Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset, English commander (born 1406)

1455

Thomas Clifford, 8th Baron de Clifford, Lancastrian commander (born 1414)

1455

Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland, English commander (born 1393)

1409

Blanche of England, sister of King Henry V (born 1392)

1310

Saint Humility, founder of the Vallumbrosan religious order of nuns (born c.1226)

1068

Emperor Go-Reizei of Japan (born 1025)

748

Empress Genshō of Japan (born 683)

337

Constantine the Great, Roman emperor (born 272)

192

Dong Zhuo, Chinese warlord and politician (born 138)

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