Events

• 456 – St. Patrick returns to Ireland as a missionary bishop.

• 1242 – During a battle on the ice of Lake Peipus, Russian forces, led by Alexander Nevsky, rebuff an invasion attempt by the Teutonic Knights.

• 1566 – Two-hundred Dutch noblemen, led by Hendrik van Brederode, force themselves into the presence of Margaret of Parma and present the Petition of Compromise, denouncing the Spanish Inquisition in the Netherlands. The Inquisition is suspended and a delegation is sent to Spain to petition Philip II.

• 1609 – Daimyo (Lord) of the Satsuma Domain in southern Kyūshū, Japan, completes his successful invasion of the Ryūkyū Kingdom in Okinawa.

• 1614 – In Virginia, Native American Pocahontas marries English colonist John Rolfe.

• 1621 – The Mayflower sets sail from Plymouth, Massachusetts on a return trip to Great Britain.

• 1722 – The Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen discovers Easter Island.

• 1792 – U.S. President George Washington exercises his authority to veto a bill, the first time this power is used in the United States.

• 1804 – High Possil Meteorite: The first recorded meteorite in Scotland falls in Possil.

• 1818 – In the Battle of Maipú, Chile's independence movement – led by Bernardo O'Higgins and José de San Martín – win a decisive victory over Spain, leaving 2,000 Spaniards and 1,000 Chilean patriots dead.

• 1862 – American Civil War: The Battle of Yorktown begins.

• 1874 – Birkenhead Park, the first civic public park, is opened in Birkenhead.

• 1879 – Chile declares war on Bolivia and Peru, starting the War of the Pacific.

• 1897 – The Greco-Turkish War, also called "Thirty Days' War", is declared between Greece and the Ottoman Empire.

• 1904 – The first international rugby league match is played between England and an Other Nationalities team (Welsh & Scottish players) in Central Park, Wigan, England.

• 1923 – Firestone Tire and Rubber Company begins production of balloon-tires.

• 1930 – In an act of civil disobedience, Mohandas Gandhi breaks British law after marching to the sea and making salt.

• 1932 – Alcohol prohibition in Finland ends. Alcohol sales begin in Alko liquor stores.

• 1932 – Dominion of Newfoundland: 10,000 rioters seize the Colonial Building leading to the end of self-government.

• 1936 – Tupelo-Gainesville tornado outbreak: An F5 tornado kills 233 in Tupelo, Mississippi.

• 1942 – World War II: The Japanese Navy attacks Colombo in Ceylon (Sri Lanka). Royal Navy Cruisers HMS Cornwall and HMS Dorsetshire are sunk southwest of the island.

• 1944 – World War II: 270 inhabitants of the Greek town of Kleisoura are executed by the Germans.

• 1945 – Cold War: Yugoslav leader Josip "Tito" Broz signs an agreement with the USSR to allow "temporary entry of Soviet troops into Yugoslav territory."

• 1946 – Soviet troops leave the island of Bornholm, Denmark after an 11 month occupation.

• 1949 – Fireside Theater debuts on television.

• 1949 – A fire in a hospital in Effingham, Illinois, kills 77 people and leads to nationwide fire code improvements.

• 1951 – Ethel and Julius Rosenberg are sentenced to death for performing espionage for the Soviet Union.

• 1955 – Winston Churchill resigns as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom amid indications of failing health.

• 1956 – Fidel Castro declares himself at war with the President of Cuba.

• 1956 – In Sri Lanka, the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna win the general elections in a landslide and S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike is sworn in as the Prime Minister.

• 1957 – In India, Communists win the first elections in united Kerala and E.M.S. Namboodiripad is sworn in as the first chief minister.

• 1958 – Ripple Rock, an underwater threat to navigation in the Seymour Narrows in Canada is destroyed in one of the largest non-nuclear controlled explosions of the time.

• 1969 – Vietnam War: Massive antiwar demonstrations occur in many U.S. cities.

• 1971 – In Sri Lanka, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna launches insurrection against the United Front government of Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike.

• 1976 – In the People's Republic of China, the April Fifth Movement leads to the Tiananmen incident.

• 1986 – Three people are killed in the bombing of the La Belle Discothèque in West Berlin, Germany.

• 1991 – An ASA EMB 120 crashes in Brunswick, Georgia, killing all 23 aboard.

• 1992 – Several hundred-thousand abortion rights demonstrators march in Washington, D.C.

• 1992 – Alberto Fujimori, president of Peru, dissolves the Peruvian congress by military force.

• 1992 – The Siege of Sarajevo begins when Serb paramilitaries murder peace protesters Suada Dilberovic and Olga Sucic on the Vrbanja Bridge.

• 1998 – In Japan, the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge linking Shikoku with Honshū and costing about $3.8 billion USD, opens to traffic, becoming the largest suspension bridge in the world.

• 1999 – Two Libyans suspected of bringing down Pan Am flight 103 in 1988 are handed over for eventual trial in the Netherlands.

• 2009 – North Korea launches its controversial Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2 rocket. The satellite passed over mainland Japan, which prompted an immediate reaction from the United Nations Security Council, as well as participating states of Six-party talks.

Births

• 1288 – Emperor Go-Fushimi of Japan (d. 1336)

• 1472 – Bianca Maria Sforza, wife of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1510)

• 1523 – Blaise de Vigenère, French cryptographer (d. 1596)

• 1588 – Thomas Hobbes, English philosopher (d. 1679)

• 1604 – Charles IV, Duke of Lorraine (d. 1675)

• 1622 – Vincenzo Viviani, Italian mathematician (d. 1703)

• 1649 – Elihu Yale, American benefactor of Yale University (d. 1721)

• 1692 – Adrienne Lecouvreur, French actress (d. 1730)

• 1719 – Axel von Fersen the Elder, Swedish statesman and soldier; father of Axel von Fersen the Younger (d. 1794)

• 1732 – Jean-Honoré Fragonard, French artist (d. 1806)

• 1752 – Sébastien Érard, French musical instruments maker (d. 1831)

• 1784 – Louis Spohr, German violinist (d. 1859)

• 1816 – Samuel Freeman Miller, U.S. Supreme Court Justice (d. 1890)

• 1827 – Joseph Lister, English surgeon (d. 1912)

• 1832 – Jules Ferry, French statesman (d. 1893)

• 1837 – Algernon Charles Swinburne, English poet (d. 1909)

• 1856 – Booker T. Washington, American educator (d. 1915)

• 1863 – Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine (d. 1950)

• 1869 – Sergei Chaplygin, Russian physicist and engineer (d. 1942)

• 1869 – Albert Roussel, French composer (d. 1937)

• 1871 – Mirko Seljan, Croatian explorer

• 1872 – Samuel Cate Prescott, American food scientist and microbiologist (d. 1962)

• 1875 – Mistinguett, French vaudeville performer (d. 1956)

• 1893 – Clas Thunberg, Finnish speed skater (d. 1973)

• 1899 – Alfred Blalock, American surgeon (d. 1964)

• 1900 – Spencer Tracy, American actor (d. 1967)

• 1901 – Melvyn Douglas, American actor (d. 1981)

• 1906 – Lord Buckley, American monologist (d. 1960)

• 1908 – Bette Davis, American actress (d. 1989)

• 1908 – Herbert von Karajan, Austrian conductor (d. 1989)

• 1908 – Jagjivan Ram, Indian politician (d. 1986)

• 1909 – Albert R. Broccoli, American film producer (d. 1996)

• 1912 – John Le Mesurier, British actor (d. 1983)

• 1916 – Gregory Peck, American actor (d. 2003)

• 1916 – Albert Henry Ottenweller, American Bishop

• 1917 – Robert Bloch, American author (d. 1994)

• 1920 – Arthur Hailey, American writer (d. 2004)

• 1920 – Rafique Zakaria, Indian author (d. 2005)

• 1922 – Tom Finney, English footballer

• 1922 – Christopher Hewett, British actor (d. 2001)

• 1922 – Gale Storm, American singer

• 1923 – Michael V. Gazzo, American actor (d. 1995)

• 1923 – Nguyen Van Thieu, President of South Vietnam (d. 2001)

• 1926 – Roger Corman, American film director

• 1928 – Tony Williams, American singer (The Platters) (d. 1992)

• 1929 – Hugo Claus, Belgian writer (d. 2008)

• 1929 – Ivar Giaever, Norwegian physicist, Nobel laureate

• 1929 – Nigel Hawthorne, British actor (d. 2001)

• 1929 – Joe Meek, English record producer (d. 1967)

• 1932 – Billy Bland, American singer and songwriter

• 1933 – Larry Felser, American sports columnist

• 1933 – Frank Gorshin, American actor (d. 2005)

• 1934 – Roman Herzog, German politician

• 1934 – Stanley Turrentine, American jazz saxophonist (d. 2000)

• 1935 – Peter Grant, British music manager (d. 1995)

• 1936 – John Kelly, Irish republican politician (d. 2007)

• 1937 – Colin Powell, U.S. Secretary of State

• 1937 – Allan R. Thieme, American inventor

• 1938 – Colin Bland, South African Cricket player

• 1939 – Ronald White, American singer and songwriter (d. 1995)

• 1939 – Crispian St. Peters, British singer

• 1941 – Michael Moriarty, American actor

• 1941 – Dave Swarbrick, British folk musician

• 1942 – Peter Greenaway, Welsh film director

• 1941 – Jon Kyl, American politician

• 1943 – Max Gail, American actor

• 1944 – Pedro Rossello, Puerto Rican politician

• 1945 – Tommy Smith, English footballer

• 1946 – Jane Asher, British actress

• 1947 – Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, President of the Philippines

• 1948 – Les Binks, British musician, former drummer for Judas Priest

• 1948 – Dave Holland, British musician (Judas Priest)

• 1949 – John Berg (actor), American actor (d. 2007)

• 1949 – Judith Resnik, American astronaut (d. 1986)

• 1950 – Agnetha Fältskog, Swedish singer (ABBA)

• 1950 – Miki Manojlović, Serbian actor

• 1951 – Dean Kamen, American inventor

• 1952 – Mitch Pileggi, American actor

• 1954 – Stan Ridgway, American musician (Wall of Voodoo)

• 1955 – Akira Toriyama, Japanese manga artist

• 1955 – Janice Long, English broadcaster

• 1955 – Charlotte de Turckheim, French actress

• 1956 – Diamond Dallas Page, American professional wrestler

• 1958 – Johan Kriek, South African born tennis player

• 1961 – Lisa Zane, American actress

• 1961 – Jim LeRoy, Airshow Pilot

• 1962 – Lana Clarkson, American actress (d. 2003)

• 1964 – Steve Beaton, English darts player

• 1964 – Christopher "Kid" Reid, American rapper (Kid 'n Play)

• 1964 – Princess Erika, French singer

• 1965 – Cris Carpenter, American baseball player

• 1966 – Mike McCready, American musician (Pearl Jam)

• 1967 – Gary Gait, Canadian lacrosse player

• 1968 – Paula Cole, American musician

• 1970 – Thea Gill, Canadian actress

• 1970 – Miho Hatori, Japanese singer and songwriter (Cibo Matto)

• 1971 – Dong Abay, Filipino musician, singer-songwriter

• 1972 – Krista Allen, American actress

• 1972 – Tom Coronel, Dutch racing driver

• 1972 – Pat Green, American singer and songwriter

• 1972 – Paul Okon, Australian soccer player

• 1973 – Tony Banks, American football player

• 1973 – Élodie Bouchez, French actress

• 1973 – Pharrell, American music producer (The Neptunes)

• 1974 – Sahaj Ticotin, American musician/producer (Ra)

• 1974 – Uhm Tae Woong, South Korean actor

• 1975 – John Hartson, Welsh footballer

• 1976 – Kim Collins, Nevisian sprinter

• 1976 – Ryan Drese, American baseball player

• 1976 – Ross Gload, American baseball player

• 1976 – Simone Inzaghi, Italian footballer

• 1976 – Fernando Morientes, Spanish footballer

• 1978 – Franziska van Almsick, German swimmer

• 1978 – Stephen Jackson, American basketball player

• 1979 – Timo Hildebrand, German footballer

• 1980 – Matt Bonner, American basketball player

• 1980 – Lee Jae Won, South Korean actor, singer, and rapper

• 1981 – Jorge de la Rosa, Mexican baseball player

• 1981 – Michael A. Monsoor, American soldier (d. 2006)

• 1982 – Thomas Hitzlsperger, German footballer

• 1982 – Matt Pickens, American soccer player

• 1982 – Alexandre Prémat, French racing driver

• 1982 – Kelly Pavlik, American boxer

• 1984 – Shin Min-a, South Korean model and actress

Deaths

• 582 – Eutychius, Patriarch of Constantinople (b. c. 512)

• 1168 – Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester (b. 1104)

• 1419 – Vincent Ferrer, Spanish missionary and saint (b. 1350)

• 1605 – Adam Loftus, English Protestant archbishop in Ireland (b. c. 1513)

• 1617 – Alonso Lobo, Spanish composer (b. 1555)

• 1673 – François Caron, French explorer (b. 1600)

• 1676 – John Winthrop, the Younger, American politician (b. 1606)

• 1693 – Anne, Duchess of Montpensier, French writer (b. 1627)

• 1695 – George Savile, 1st Marquess of Halifax, English writer (b. 1633)

• 1697 – King Charles XI of Sweden (b. 1655)

• 1717 – Jean Jouvenet, French painter (b. 1647)

• 1735 – William Derham, English minister and writer (b. 1657)

• 1735 – Samuel Wesley, English poet (b. 1662)

• 1765 – Edward Young, English poet (b. 1683)

• 1794 – Georges Danton, French Revolutionary leader (b. 1759)

• 1794 – Camille Desmoulins, French journalist and politician (b. 1760)

• 1900 – Joseph Louis François Bertrand, French mathematician (b. 1822)

• 1923 – George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon, English financier (b. 1866)

• 1928 – Roy Kilner, English cricketer (b. 1890)

• 1941 – Sir Nigel Gresley, Steam locomotive engineer (b. 1876)

• 1943 – Aleš Hrdlička, Czech anthropologist (b. 1869)

• 1945 – Karl Otto Koch, German SS-officer (b. 1897)

• 1945 – Huldreich Georg Früh (b. 1903)

• 1946 – Vincent Youmans, American songwriter (b. 1898)

• 1952 – Charles Collett, GWR chief mechanical engineer (b. 1871)

• 1964 – General Douglas MacArthur, American general (b. 1880)

• 1967 – Hermann Joseph Muller, American geneticist, Nobel laureate (b. 1890)

• 1967 – Mischa Elman, Ukrainian violinist (b. 1891)

• 1969 – Ain-Ervin Mere, Estonian Nazi (b. 1903)

• 1969 – Shelby Storck, American television producer (b. 1917)

• 1970 – Alfred Henry Sturtevant, American geneticist (b. 1891)

• 1972 – Brian Donlevy, American actor (b. 1901)

• 1972 – Isabel Jewell, American actress (b. 1907)

• 1973 – John Coleman, Australian rules footballer (b. 1928)

• 1974 – A. Y. Jackson, Canadian painter (b. 1882)

• 1975 – Chiang Kai-shek, 1st President of the Republic of China (b. 1887)

• 1976 – Howard Hughes, American aviator (b. 1905)

• 1976 – Wilder Penfield, Canadian surgeon (b. 1891)

• 1979 – Eugène Gabritschevsky, Russian biologist and artist (b. 1893)

• 1981 – Bob Hite, American singer (Canned Heat) (b. 1945)

• 1982 – Abe Fortas, U.S. Supreme Court Justice (b. 1910)

• 1983 – Danny Rapp, American musician (Danny & the Juniors) (b. 1941)

• 1987 – Jan Lindblad, Swedish naturalist, writer, photografer (b. 1932)

• 1989 – María Cristina Gómez, Salvadoran Teacher (b. 1938)

• 1991 – John Tower, American politician (b. 1925)

• 1991 – Sonny Carter, American astronaut (b. 1947)

• 1992 – Molly Picon, American actress (b. 1898)

• 1992 – Sam Walton, American retailer (b. 1918)

• 1993 – Divya Bharti, Indian Bollywood actress (b. 1974)

• 1994 – Kurt Cobain, musician (Nirvana) (b. 1967)

• 1997 – Allen Ginsberg, American poet (b. 1926)

• 1998 – Cozy Powell, British musician (b. 1947)

• 1999 – Paul David, French-Canadian cardiologist (b. 1919)

• 2000 – Lee Petty, American race car driver (b. 1914)

• 2001 – Brother Theodore, German comedian (b. 1906)

• 2002 – Layne Staley, American musician (Alice in Chains) (b. 1967)

• 2004 – Heiner Zieschang, German mathematician (b. 1936)

• 2004 – Sławomir Rawicz, Polish soldier (b. 1915)

• 2005 – Saul Bellow, Canadian born writer, Nobel laureate (b. 1915)

• 2005 – Dale Messick, American comic strip artist (b. 1906)

• 2005 – Debralee Scott, American actress (b. 1953)

• 2005 – John Sichel, British film and television director (b. 1937)

• 2006 – Gene Pitney, American singer (b. 1941)

• 2007 – Mark St. John, American musician (Kiss) (b. 1956)

• 2007 – Darryl Stingley, American football player (b. 1951)

• 2007 – Maria Gripe, Swedish writer (b. 1923)

• 2007 – Leela Majumdar, Bengali writer (b. 1908)

• 2007 – Poornachandra Tejaswi, Kannada writer (b. 1938)

• 2008 – Charlton Heston, American actor (b. 1923)

Holidays and observances

• Mauritius: Ougadie.

• Arbor Day and Hansik in South Korea

• Saint Vincent Ferrer

• Saint Irene (d. 304)

• Saint Ruadhan (d. 584)

• Saint Juliana of Liège (d. 1252)