Events

2023

The coronation of Charles III and Camilla as King and Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms is held in Westminster Abbey, London.

2023

Eight people are killed and seven injured in a mass shooting in Allen, Texas. The perpetrator is killed by a police officer.

2013

Three women, kidnapped and missing for more than a decade, are found alive in Cleveland, Ohio, in the United States.

2010

In just 36 minutes, the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunges nearly 1,000 points in what is known as the 2010 Flash Crash.

2004

The final episode of the television sitcom Friends is aired.

2002

Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn is assassinated following a radio interview at the Mediapark in Hilversum.

2001

During a trip to Syria, Pope John Paul II becomes the first pope to enter a mosque.

1999

The first elections to the devolved Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly are held.

1998

Kerry Wood strikes out 20 Houston Astros to tie the major league record held by Roger Clemens. He threw a one-hitter and did not walk a batter in his fifth career start.

1998

Steve Jobs of Apple Inc. unveils the first iMac.

1997

The Bank of England is given independence from political control, the most significant change in the bank's 300-year history.

1996

The body of former CIA director William Colby is found washed up on a riverbank in southern Maryland, eight days after he disappeared.

1994

Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and French President François Mitterrand officiate at the opening of the Channel Tunnel.

1988

All thirty-six passengers and crew are killed when Widerøe Flight 710 crashes into Mt. Torghatten in Brønnøy.

1984

One hundred and three Korean Martyrs are canonized by Pope John Paul II in Seoul.

1983

The Hitler Diaries are revealed as a hoax after being examined by new experts.

1976

The 6.5 Mw Friuli earthquake affects Northern Italy with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme), leaving 900–978 dead and 1,700–2,400 injured.

1975

During a lull in fighting, 100,000 Armenians gather in Beirut for the 60th anniversary commemorations of the Armenian genocide.

1972

Deniz Gezmiş, Yusuf Aslan and Hüseyin İnan are executed in Ankara after being convicted of attempting to overthrow the Constitutional order.

1966

Myra Hindley and Ian Brady are sentenced to life imprisonment for the Moors murders in England.

1960

More than 20 million viewers watch the first televised royal wedding when Princess Margaret marries Antony Armstrong-Jones at Westminster Abbey.

1954

Roger Bannister becomes the first person to run the mile in under four minutes.

1949

EDSAC, the first practical electronic digital stored-program computer, runs its first operation.

1945

World War II: Axis Sally delivers her last propaganda broadcast to Allied troops.

1945

World War II: The Prague Offensive, the last major battle of the Eastern Front, begins.

1942

World War II: On Corregidor, the last American forces in the Philippines surrender to the Japanese.

1941

At California's March Field, Bob Hope performs his first USO show.

1941

The first flight of the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt.

1940

John Steinbeck is awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his novel The Grapes of Wrath.

1937

Hindenburg disaster: The German zeppelin Hindenburg catches fire and is destroyed within a minute while attempting to dock at Lakehurst, New Jersey. Thirty-six people are killed.

1935

New Deal: Under the authority of the newly-enacted Federal Emergency Relief Administration, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issues Executive Order 7034 to create the Works Progress Administration.

1933

The Deutsche Studentenschaft attack Magnus Hirschfeld's Institut für Sexualwissenschaft, later burning many of its books.

1916

Twenty-one Lebanese nationalists are executed in Martyrs' Square, Beirut by Djemal Pasha.

1916

Vietnamese Emperor Duy Tân is captured while calling upon the people to rise up against the French, and is later deposed and exiled to Réunion island.

1915

Babe Ruth, then a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, hits his first major league home run.

1915

Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition: The SY Aurora breaks loose from its anchorage during a gale, beginning a 312-day ordeal.

1910

George V becomes King of Great Britain, Ireland, and many overseas territories, on the death of his father, Edward VII.

1906

The Russian Constitution of 1906 is adopted (on April 23 by the Julian calendar).

1901

The first issue of Gorkhapatra, the oldest still running state-owned Nepali newspaper, is published.

1889

The Eiffel Tower is officially opened to the public at the Universal Exposition in Paris.

1882

Thomas Henry Burke and Lord Frederick Cavendish are stabbed to death by Fenian assassins in Phoenix Park, Dublin.

1882

The United States Congress passes the Chinese Exclusion Act.

1877

Chief Crazy Horse of the Oglala Lakota surrenders to United States troops in Nebraska.

1863

American Civil War: The Battle of Chancellorsville ends with a major defeat of the Union's Army of the Potomac under Joseph Hooker by the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia under Robert E. Lee.

1861

American Civil War: Arkansas secedes from the Union.

1857

The East India Company disbands the 34th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry whose sepoy Mangal Pandey had earlier revolted against the British in the lead up to the War of Indian Independence.

1840

The Penny Black postage stamp becomes valid for use in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

1835

James Gordon Bennett, Sr. publishes the first issue of the New York Herald.

1801

Captain Thomas Cochrane in the 14-gun HMS Speedy captures the 32-gun Spanish frigate El Gamo.

1782

Construction begins on the Grand Palace, the royal residence of the King of Siam in Bangkok, at the command of King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke.

1757

Battle of Prague: A Prussian army fights an Austrian army in Prague during the Seven Years' War.

1757

The end of Konbaung–Hanthawaddy War, and the end of Burmese Civil War (1740–1757).

1757

English poet Christopher Smart is admitted into St Luke's Hospital for Lunatics in London, beginning his six-year confinement to mental asylums.

1682

Louis XIV of France moves his court to the Palace of Versailles.

1659

English Restoration: A faction of the British Army removes Richard Cromwell as Lord Protector of the Commonwealth and reinstalls the Rump Parliament.

1594

The Dutch city of Coevorden, held by the Spanish, falls to a Dutch and English force.

1542

Francis Xavier reaches Old Goa, the capital of Portuguese India at the time.

1541

King Henry VIII orders English-language Bibles be placed in every church. In 1539 the Great Bible would be provided for this purpose.

1536

The Siege of Cuzco commences, in which Incan forces attempt to retake the city of Cuzco from the Spanish.

1527

Spanish and German troops sack Rome; many scholars consider this the end of the Renaissance.

1104

King Baldwin I of Jerusalem begins the siege of Acre, then held by the Fatimids.

Births

2019

Prince Archie of Sussex

2006

Sadie Sandler, American actress

2002

Cole Palmer, English footballer

2002

Angel Reese, American basketball player

1999

Pato O'Ward, Mexican racing driver

1998

Luigi Mangione, suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson

1997

Maymay Entrata, Filipino model, entertainer and singer-songwriter

1997

Ranz Kyle, Filipino social media personality and entertainer

1997

Duncan Scott, Scottish swimmer

1994

Mateo Kovačić, Croatian international footballer

1993

Gustavo Gómez, Paraguayan footballer

1993

Naomi Scott, English actress and singer

1992

Brendan Gallagher, Canadian ice hockey player

1992

Baekhyun, South Korean musician and actor

1992

Jonas Valančiūnas, Lithuanian basketball player

1990

Jose Altuve, Venezuelan baseball player

1990

Péter Gulácsi, Hungarian footballer

1989

Dominika Cibulková, Slovak tennis player

1989

Cameron Heyward, American football player

1988

Ryan Anderson, American basketball player

1988

Dakota Kai, New Zealand professional wrestler

1987

Dries Mertens, Belgian footballer

1987

Meek Mill, American rapper

1987

Gerardo Parra, Venezuelan baseball player and coach

1987

Adrienne Warren, American actress

1986

Goran Dragic, Slovenian basketball player

1985

Chris Paul, American basketball player

1983

Dani Alves, Brazilian footballer

1983

Gabourey Sidibe, American actress

1983

Trinley Thaye Dorje, Tibetan religious leader, the 17th Karmapa Lama

1982

Jason Witten, American football player

1980

Brooke Bennett, American swimmer

1980

Dimitris Diamantidis, Greek professional basketball player

1980

Ricardo Oliveira, Brazilian footballer

1979

Gerd Kanter, Estonian discus thrower

1979

Jon Montgomery, Canadian skeleton racer and television host

1978

John Abraham, American football player

1978

Tony Estanguet, French slalom canoeist

1978

Fredrick Federley, Swedish journalist and politician

1977

Mark Eaton, American ice hockey player and coach

1977

Chantelle Newbery, Australian diver

1976

Iván de la Peña, Spanish footballer

1972

Martin Brodeur, Canadian ice hockey player

1971

Chris Shiflett, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

1969

Jim Magilton, Northern Irish footballer and coach

1968

Lætitia Sadier, French singer and keyboard player

1965

Leslie Hope, Canadian actress, director, producer, and screenwriter

1963

Alessandra Ferri, Italian ballerina

1961

George Clooney, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter

1961

Tom Hunter, Scottish businessman and philanthropist

1961

Frans Timmermans, Dutch politician and diplomat, First Vice President of the European Commission

1960

Keith Dowding, English political scientist, philosopher, and academic

1960

Roma Downey, Irish-American actress and producer

1960

John Flansburgh, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

1960

Anne Parillaud, French actress

1959

Charles Hendry, English politician

1955

Tom Bergeron, American television host

1955

John Hutton, Baron Hutton of Furness, English academic and politician, Secretary of State for Defence

1954

Dora Bakoyannis, Greek politician, 120th Greek Minister for Foreign Affairs

1953

Alexander Akimov, Ukrainian Chernobyl worker (died 1986)

1953

Tony Blair, British politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

1953

Graeme Souness, Scottish international footballer and manager

1952

Chiaki Mukai, Japanese physician and astronaut

1952

Gerrit Zalm, Dutch economist and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands

1951

Samuel Doe, Liberian sergeant and politician, 21st President of Liberia (died 1990)

1950

Jeffery Deaver, American journalist and author

1947

Alan Dale, New Zealand actor

1947

Martha Nussbaum, American philosopher and author

1945

Jimmie Dale Gilmore, American country singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor, and producer

1945

Bob Seger, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

1944

Masanori Murakami, Japanese baseball player

1943

Andreas Baader, German terrorist, co-founded the Red Army Faction (died 1977)

1943

Milton William Cooper, American conspiracy theorist and author (died 2001)

1943

James Turrell, American sculptor and illustrator

1942

Ariel Dorfman, Argentinian author, playwright, and academic

1937

Rubin Carter, American-Canadian boxer (died 2014)

1934

Richard Shelby, American lawyer and politician

1932

Alexander Thynn, 7th Marquess of Bath, English lieutenant and politician (died 2020)

1931

Willie Mays, American baseball player and coach (died 2024)

1930

David Carpenter, American serial killer

1929

Rosemary Cramp, English archaeologist and academic (died 2023)

1929

Paul Lauterbur, American chemist and biophysicist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2007)

1924

Nestor Basterretxea, Spanish painter and sculptor (died 2014)

1924

Patricia Helen Kennedy, American socialite, activist, and author (died 2006)

1923

Harry Watson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (died 2002)

1920

Kamisese Mara, Fijian politician, 1st Prime Minister of Fiji (died 2004)

1918

Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, emir of Abu Dhabi and first president of the United Arab Emirates (died 2004)

1916

Robert H. Dicke, American physicist and astronomer (died 1997)

1915

Orson Welles, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (died 1985)

1915

Theodore H. White, American historian, journalist, and author (died 1986)

1913

Carmen Cavallaro, American pianist (died 1989)

1913

Stewart Granger, English-American actor (died 1993)

1911

Guy des Cars, French journalist and author (died 1993)

1907

Peter Barnes, Executed Irish Republican (died 1940)

1907

Weeb Ewbank, American football player and coach (died 1998)

1906

André Weil, French mathematician and academic (died 1998)

1904

Moshé Feldenkrais, Ukrainian-Israeli physicist and academic (died 1984)

1904

Catherine Lacey, English actress (died 1979)

1904

Harry Martinson, Swedish novelist, essayist, and poet Nobel Prize laureate (died 1978)

1903

Toots Shor, American businessman, founded Toots Shor's Restaurant (died 1977)

1902

Max Ophüls, German-American director and screenwriter (died 1957)

1898

Konrad Henlein, Czech soldier and politician (died 1945)

1897

Paul Alverdes, German author and poet (died 1979)

1896

Rolf Maximilian Sievert, Swedish physicist and academic (died 1966)

1895

Júlio César de Mello e Souza, Brazilian mathematician and author (died 1974)

1895

Fidél Pálffy, Hungarian soldier and politician, Hungarian Minister of Agriculture (died 1946)

1895

Rudolph Valentino, Italian actor (died 1926)

1883

Alberto Collo, Italian actor (died 1955)

1880

Winifred Brunton, English-South African painter and illustrator (died 1959)

1880

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, German-Swiss painter (died 1938)

1879

Bedřich Hrozný, Czech orientalist and linguist (died 1952)

1879

Hendrik van Heuckelum, Dutch footballer (died 1929)

1872

Willem de Sitter, Dutch mathematician, physicist, and astronomer (died 1934)

1872

Djemal Pasha, Ottoman general (died 1922)

1871

Victor Grignard, French chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1935)

1871

Christian Morgenstern, German author and poet (died 1914)

1870

Walter Rutherford, Scottish golfer (died 1936)

1869

Junnosuke Inoue, Japanese businessman and central banker, 8th and 11th Governor of the Bank of Japan (died 1932)

1868

Gaston Leroux, French journalist and author (died 1927)

1861

Motilal Nehru, Indian lawyer and politician, President of the Indian National Congress (died 1931)

1856

Sigmund Freud, Austrian neurologist and psychoanalyst (died 1939)

1856

Robert Peary, American admiral and explorer (died 1920)

1851

Aristide Bruant, French singer and actor (died 1925)

1848

Henry Edward Armstrong, English chemist and academic (died 1937)

1843

Grove Karl Gilbert, American geologist and academic (died 1918)

1836

Max Eyth, German engineer and author (died 1906)

1827

Hermann Raster, German-American journalist and politician (died 1891)

1800

Roman Sanguszko, Polish general (died 1881)

1797

Joseph Brackett, American religious leader and composer (died 1882)

1781

Karl Christian Friedrich Krause, German philosopher and author (died 1832)

1769

Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany (died 1824)

1769

Jean Nicolas Pierre Hachette, French mathematician and academic (died 1834)

1758

André Masséna, French general (died 1817)

1758

Maximilien Robespierre, French politician (died 1794)

1742

Jean Senebier, Swiss pastor and physiologist (died 1809)

1714

Anton Raaff, German tenor (died 1797)

1713

Charles Batteux, French philosopher and academic (died 1780)

1680

Jean-Baptiste Stuck, Italian-French cellist and composer (died 1755)

1668

Alain-René Lesage, French author and playwright (died 1747)

1635

Johann Joachim Becher, German physician and alchemist (died 1682)

1580

Charles Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua and Montferrat, French noble (died 1637)

1574

Innocent X, pope of the Catholic Church (died 1655)

1501

Marcellus II, pope of the Catholic Church (died 1555)

1493

Girolamo Seripando, Italian theologian and cardinal (died 1563)

1464

Sophia Jagiellon, Margravine of Brandenburg-Ansbach, Polish princess (died 1512)

973

Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (died 1024)

Deaths

2026

Ted Turner, American media mogul (born 1938)

2024

Bernard Pivot, French journalist, interviewer and host (born 1935)

2024

Brian Wenzel, Australian actor (born 1929)

2022

George Pérez, American comic book artist and writer (born 1954)

2021

Kentaro Miura, Japanese manga artist (born 1966)

2016

Patrick Ekeng, Cameroonian footballer (born 1990)

2016

Reg Grundy, Australian businessman (born 1923)

2015

Novera Ahmed, Bangladeshi sculptor (born 1930)

2015

Denise McCluggage, American race car driver and journalist (born 1927)

2015

Jim Wright, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 56th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (born 1922)

2014

Wil Albeda, Dutch economist and politician, Dutch Minister of Social Affairs (born 1925)

2014

William H. Dana, American pilot, engineer, and astronaut (born 1930)

2014

Jimmy Ellis, American boxer (born 1940)

2014

Billy Harrell, American baseball player and scout (born 1928)

2014

Antony Hopkins, English pianist, composer, and conductor (born 1921)

2014

Maria Lassnig, Austrian painter and academic (born 1919)

2014

Farley Mowat, Canadian environmentalist and author (born 1921)

2013

Giulio Andreotti, Italian journalist and politician, 41st Prime Minister of Italy (born 1919)

2013

Severo Aparicio Quispe, Peruvian bishop (born 1923)

2013

Michelangelo Spensieri, Italian-Canadian lawyer and politician (born 1949)

2012

James R. Browning, American lieutenant, lawyer, and judge (born 1918)

2012

James Isaac, American director and producer (born 1960)

2012

Jean Laplanche, French psychoanalyst and author (born 1924)

2010

Robin Roberts, American baseball player, coach, and sportscaster (born 1926)

2009

Kevin Grubb, American race car driver (born 1978)

2007

Enéas Carneiro, Brazilian physician and politician (born 1938)

2007

Curtis Harrington, American actor, director, and screenwriter (born 1926)

2006

Grant McLennan, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1958)

2006

Lorne Saxberg, Canadian journalist (born 1958)

2004

Virginia Capers, American actress and singer (born 1925)

2004

Philip Kapleau, American monk and educator (born 1912)

2004

Barney Kessel, American guitarist and composer (born 1923)

2003

Art Houtteman, American baseball player and journalist (born 1927)

2002

Murray Adaskin, Canadian violinist, composer, conductor, and educator (born 1906)

2002

Otis Blackwell, American singer-songwriter and pianist (born 1932)

2002

Pim Fortuyn, Dutch sociologist, academic, and politician (born 1948)

2002

Bjørn Johansen, Norwegian saxophonist (born 1940)

2000

Gordon McClymont, Australian ecologist and academic (born 1920)

1995

Noel Brotherston, Northern Irish footballer (born 1956)

1993

Ann Todd, English actress and producer (born 1909)

1992

Marlene Dietrich, German-American actress and singer (born 1901)

1991

Wilfrid Hyde-White, English actor (born 1903)

1990

Charles Farrell, American actor (born 1900)

1989

Earl Blaik, American football player and coach (born 1897)

1987

William J. Casey, American politician, 13th Director of Central Intelligence (born 1913)

1984

Mary Cain, American journalist and politician (born 1904)

1984

Bonner Pink, English politician (born 1912)

1983

Ezra Jack Keats, American author and illustrator (born 1916)

1983

Kai Winding, Danish-American trombonist and composer (born 1922)

1980

María Luisa Bombal, Chilean writer (born 1910)

1975

József Mindszenty, Hungarian cardinal (born 1892)

1973

Ernest MacMillan, Canadian conductor and composer (born 1893)

1970

Alexander Rodzyanko, Russian general (born 1879)

1967

Zhou Zuoren, Chinese author and translator (born 1885)

1963

Theodore von Kármán, Hungarian-American mathematician, physicist, and engineer (born 1881)

1963

Ted Weems, American violinist, trombonist, and bandleader (born 1901)

1963

Monty Woolley, American raconteur, actor, and director (born 1888)

1961

Lucian Blaga, Romanian poet, playwright, and philosopher (born 1895)

1959

Maria Dulęba, Polish actress (born 1881)

1959

Ragnar Nurkse, Estonian-American economist and academic (born 1907)

1952

Maria Montessori, Italian-Dutch physician and educator (born 1870)

1951

Élie Cartan, French mathematician and physicist (born 1869)

1949

Maurice Maeterlinck, Belgian-French poet and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1862)

1939

Konstantin Somov, Russian-French painter and illustrator (born 1869)

1919

L. Frank Baum, American novelist (born 1856)

1911

René Vallon, French aviator (born 1880)

1910

Edward VII of the United Kingdom (born 1841)

1907

Emanuele Luigi Galizia, Maltese architect and civil engineer (born 1830)

1905

Robert Herbert, English-Australian politician, 1st Premier of Queensland (born 1831)

1888

Abraham Joseph Ash, American rabbi (born c. 1813)

1882

Thomas Henry Burke, Irish civil servant (born 1829)

1882

Lord Frederick Cavendish, British politician, Chief Secretary for Ireland (born 1836)

1877

Johan Ludvig Runeberg, Swedish-Finnish poet and hymn-writer (born 1804)

1867

Socrates Nelson, American businessman and politician (born 1814)

1862

Henry David Thoreau, American essayist, poet, and philosopher (born 1817)

1859

Alexander von Humboldt, German geographer and explorer (born 1769)

1840

Francisco de Paula Santander, Colombian general and politician, 4th President of the Republic of the New Granada (born 1792)

1782

Christine Kirch, German astronomer and academic (born 1696)

1757

Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (born 1683)

1757

Kurt Christoph Graf von Schwerin, Prussian field marshal (born 1684)

1708

François de Laval, French-Canadian bishop (born 1623)

1638

Cornelius Jansen, Dutch-French bishop and theologian (born 1585)

1631

Sir Robert Cotton, 1st Baronet, of Connington, English historian and politician, founded the Cotton library (born 1570)

1596

Giaches de Wert, Flemish-Italian composer (born 1535)

1540

Juan Luís Vives, Spanish scholar (born 1492)

1527

Charles III, Duke of Bourbon, Count of Montpensier and Dauphin of Auvergne (born 1490)

1502

James Tyrrell, English knight (born 1450)

1483

Queen Jeonghui, Korean regent (born 1418)

1475

Dieric Bouts, Flemish painter (born 1415)

1471

Edmund Beaufort, English commander (born 1438)

1471

Thomas Tresham, Speaker of the House of Commons

1236

Roger of Wendover, Benedictine monk and chronicler

1187

Ruben III, Prince of Armenia (born 1145)

1002

Ealdwulf, Archbishop of York, Abbot of Peterborough and Bishop of Worcester

988

Dirk II, count of Frisia and Holland

932

Qian Liu, Chinese warlord and king (born 852)

850

Ninmyō, Japanese emperor (born 808)

698

Eadberht, bishop of Lindisfarne

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