Events

• 193 – Septimius Severus is proclaimed Roman Emperor by the army in Illyricum (in the Balkans).

• 475 – Byzantine Emperor Basiliscus issues a circular letter (Enkyklikon) to the bishops of his empire, supporting the Monophysite christological position.

• 1241 – Battle of Liegnitz: Mongol forces defeat the Polish and German armies.

• 1413 – Henry V is crowned King of England.

• 1440 – Christopher of Bavaria is appointed King of Denmark.

• 1682 – Robert Cavelier de La Salle discovers the mouth of the Mississippi River, claims it for France and names it Louisiana.

• 1860 – The oldest audible sound recording of a human voice is recorded.

• 1865 – American Civil War: Robert E. Lee surrenders the Army of Northern Virginia (26,765 troops) to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia, effectively ending the war.

• 1865 – Birth of Charles Proteus Steinmetz

• 1867 – Alaska purchase: Passing by a single vote, the United States Senate ratifies a treaty with Russia for the purchase of Alaska.

• 1909 – The U.S. Congress passes the Payne-Aldrich Tariff Act.

• 1916 – World War I: The Battle of Verdun – German forces launch their third offensive of the battle.

• 1917 – World War I: The Battle of Arras – the battle begins with Canadian Corps executing a massive assault on Vimy Ridge.

• 1918 – World War I: The Battle of the Lys – the Portuguese Expeditionary Corps is crushed by the German forces during what is called the Spring Offensive on the Belgian region of Flanders.

• 1937 – The Kamikaze arrives at Croydon Airport in London – it is the first Japanese-built aircraft to fly to Europe.

• 1939 – Marian Anderson sings at the Lincoln Memorial, after being denied the right to sing at the Daughters of the American Revolution's Constitution Hall.

• 1940 – World War II: Germany invades Denmark and Norway.

• 1942 – World War II: The Battle of Bataan/Bataan Death March – United States forces surrender on the Bataan Peninsula. The Japanese Navy launches an air raid on Trincomalee in Ceylon (Sri Lanka); Royal Navy aircraft carrier and Royal Australian Navy Destroyer are sunk off the island's east coast.

• 1945 – World War II: The German pocket battleship Admiral Scheer is sunk.

• 1945 – World War II: The Battle of Königsberg, in East Prussia, ends.

• 1945 – The United States Atomic Energy Commission is formed.

• 1947 – The Glazier-Higgins-Woodward tornadoes kill 181 and injure 970 in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas.

• 1947 – The Journey of Reconciliation, the first interracial Freedom Ride begins through the upper South in violation of Jim Crow laws. The riders wanted enforcement of the United States Supreme Court's 1946 Irene Morgan decision that banned racial segregation in interstate travel.

• 1948 – Jorge Eliécer Gaitán's assassination provokes a violent riot in Bogotá (the Bogotazo), and a further ten years of violence in Colombia known as La violencia.

• 1948 – Massacre at Deir Yassin.

• 1952 – Hugo Ballivian's government is overthrown by the Bolivian National Revolution, starting a period of agrarian reform, universal suffrage and the nationalisation of tin mines

• 1957 – The Suez Canal in Egypt is cleared and opens to shipping.

• 1959 – Mercury program: NASA announces the selection of the United States' first seven astronauts, whom the news media quickly dub the "Mercury Seven".

• 1965 – Astrodome opens. First indoor baseball game is played.

• 1967 – The first Boeing 737 (a 100 series) makes its maiden flight.

• 1968 – Martin Luther King funeral

• 1969 – The "Chicago Eight" plead not guilty to federal charges of conspiracy to incite a riot at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois.

• 1969 – The first British-built Concorde 002 makes its maiden flight from Filton to RAF Fairford.

• 1975 – The first game of the Philippine Basketball Association, the second oldest professional basketball league in the world.

• 1989 – The April 9 tragedy in Tbilisi, Georgian SSR an anti-Soviet peaceful demonstration and hunger strikes, demanding restoration of Georgian independence is dispersed by the Soviet army, resulting in 20 deaths and hundreds of injuries.

• 1991 – Georgia declares its independence from the Soviet Union.

• 1992 – A U.S. Federal Court finds former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega guilty of drug and racketeering charges. He is sentenced to 30 years in prison.

• 1992 – John Major's Conservative Party wins an unprecedented fourth general election victory in the United Kingdom.

• 1999 – Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara, President of Niger, is assassinated.

• 2002 – The funeral of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother at Westminster Abbey.

• 2003 – 2003 invasion of Iraq: Baghdad falls to American forces.

• 2005 – Charles, Prince of Wales marries Camilla Parker Bowles.

Births

• 1336 – Tamerlane (Timur), Central Asian, Turkic conqueror (d. 1405)

• 1498 – John, Cardinal of Lorraine, French churchman (d. 1550)

• 1597 – John Davenport, Connecticut pioneer (d. 1670)

• 1634 – Albertine Agnes of Nassau, Regent of Friesland, Groningen and Drenthe (d. 1696)

• 1648 – Henri de Massue, Marquis de Ruvigny, 1st Viscount Galway, French soldier and diplomat (d. 1720)

• 1649 – James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, illegitimate son of Charles II of Great Britain (d. 1685)

• 1680 – Philippe Néricault Destouches, French dramatist (d. 1754)

• 1686 – James Craggs the Younger, British politician (d. 1721)

• 1691 – Johann Matthias Gesner, German classical scholar (d. 1761)

• 1757 – Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth, British admiral (d. 1833)

• 1770 – Thomas Johann Seebeck, German physicist (d. 1831)

• 1773 – Étienne Aignan, French writer (d. 1824)

• 1794 – Theobald Boehm, German inventor of the modern flute (d. 1881)

• 1806 – Isambard Kingdom Brunel, British engineer (d. 1859)

• 1821 – Charles Baudelaire, French poet (d. 1867)

• 1830 – Eadweard Muybridge, English-born photographer and motion picture pioneer (d. 1904)

• 1835 – King Léopold II of Belgium (d. 1909)

• 1865 – Erich Ludendorff, German general in World War I (d. 1937)

• 1867 – Chris Watson, third Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1941)

• 1872 – Léon Blum, French prime minister (d. 1950)

• 1882 – Frederick Francis IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, (d. 1946)

• 1888 – Sol Hurok, Russian-born impresario (d. 1974)

• 1889 – Efrem Zimbalist, Russian violinist (d. 1985)

• 1893 – Mahapandit Rahul Sankrityayan, Great Indian Historian, Writer, Scholar (d. 1963)

• 1895 – Michel Simon, French actor (d. 1975)

• 1897 – John B. Gambling, American radio talk-show host (d. 1974)

• 1898 – Curly Lambeau, American football coach, executive (d. 1965)

• 1898 – Paul Robeson, American singer and activist (d. 1976)

• 1900 – Allen Jenkins, American actor (d. 1974)

• 1901 – Paul Willis, American actor (d. 1960)

• 1903 – Ward Bond, American actor (d. 1960)

• 1904 – Sharkey Bonano, American musician (d. 1972)

• 1905 – J. William Fulbright, American politician (d. 1995)

• 1906 – Rafaela Aparicio, Spanish actress (d. 1996)

• 1906 – Antal Dorati, Hungarian conductor (d. 1988)

• 1908 – Victor Vasarely, Hungarian-born painter (d. 1997)

• 1910 – Abraham Ribicoff, American politician (d. 1998)

• 1912 – Lew Kopelew, Russian author (d. 1997)

• 1915 – Daniel Johnson, Sr., Quebec politician (d. 1968)

• 1917 – Johannes Bobrowski, German lyricist and writer (d. 1965)

• 1917 – Brad Dexter, American actor (d. 2002)

• 1918 – Jørn Utzon, Danish architect (d. 2008)

• 1919 – J. Presper Eckert, American computer pioneer (d. 1995)

• 1921 – Jean-Marie Balestre, French motorsports official (FIA) (d. 2008)

• 1921 – Frankie Thomas, American actor (d. 2006)

• 1922 – Carl Amery, German writer (d. 2005)

• 1926 – Hugh Hefner, American editor and publisher

• 1928 – Paul Arizin, American basketball player (d. 2006)

• 1928 – Tom Lehrer, American musician and mathematician

• 1930 – Nathaniel Branden, Canadian psychotherapist

• 1930 – F. Albert Cotton, American chemist (d. 2007)

• 1931 – Richard Hatfield, Canadian politician (d. 1991)

• 1932 – Jim Fowler, American zoologist

• 1932 – Armin Jordan, Swiss conductor (d. 2006)

• 1932 – Carl Perkins, American musician (d. 1998)

• 1933 – Jean-Paul Belmondo, French actor

• 1934 – Bill Birch, New Zealand politician

• 1935 – Avery Schreiber, American actor (d. 2002)

• 1936 – Valerie Solanas, American feminist (d. 1988)

• 1937 – Marty Krofft, Canadian television producer

• 1937 – Valerie Singleton, British television presenter

• 1938 – Viktor Chernomyrdin, Russian politician

• 1939 – Michael Learned, American actress

• 1940 – Jim Roberts, Canadian ice hockey player

• 1941 – Kaye Adams, American country singer

• 1941 – Chu Song-woong, Korean stage actor (d. 1985)

• 1942 – Brandon De Wilde, American actor (d. 1972)

• 1943 – Terry Knight, American music promoter (d. 2004)

• 1945 – Steve Gadd, American session drummer

• 1945 – Peter Gammons, American sports journalist

• 1946 – David Webb, English footballer and coach

• 1948 – Jaya Bachchan, Indian actress

• 1953 – Hal Ketchum, American musician

• 1954 – Dennis Quaid, American actor

• 1954 – Iain Duncan Smith, British politician

• 1955 – Joolz Denby, English poet and novelist

• 1955 – Kate Heyhoe, American food writer

• 1956 – Miguel Ángel Russo, Argentine footballer

• 1957 – Brian Alexander, British broadcaster

• 1957 – Seve Ballesteros, Spanish golfer

• 1957 – Martin Margiela, Belgian fashion designer

• 1961 – Mark Kelly, British keyboard player (Marillion)

• 1962 – Ihor Podolchak, Ukrainian artist and film director

• 1962 – Imran Sherwani, British field hockey player

• 1963 – Marc Jacobs, American fashion designer

• 1963 – Joe Scarborough, American television personality

• 1964 – Rob Awalt, American football player

• 1964 – Soyo Oka, Japanese musician

• 1964 – Rick Tocchet, Canadian ice hockey player

• 1965 – Jay Wesley Neill, American murderer (d. 2002)

• 1965 – Mark Pellegrino, American actor

• 1965 – Paulina Porizkova, Czechoslovakian actress and supermodel

• 1965 – Jeff Zucker, American television executive

• 1966 – Cynthia Nixon, American actress

• 1967 – Alex Kahn, American artist

• 1970 – Mike Barz, American meteorologist and TV anchor

• 1971 – Peter Canavan, Gaelic footballer

• 1971 – Earl Cole, Winner of Survivor: Fiji

• 1971 – Austin Peck, American actor

• 1971 – Jacques Villeneuve, French/Canadian racing driver

• 1973 – Spenny Rice, Canadian entertainer

• 1974 – Jenna Jameson, American pornographic actress

• 1974 – Alexander Pichushkin, Russian serial killer

• 1975 – Robbie Fowler, English footballer

• 1975 – David Gordon Green, American filmmaker

• 1977 – Gerard Way, American singer (My Chemical Romance)

• 1978 – Jorge Andrade, Portuguese footballer

• 1978 – Vesna Pisarović, Croatian singer

• 1978 – Rachel Stevens, English singer (S Club)

• 1978 – Veronica Taylor, American actress

• 1979 – Albert Hammond, Jr., American guitarist (The Strokes)

• 1979 – Katsuni, French pornographic actress

• 1979 – Keith Nobbs, American actor

• 1979 – Keshia Knight Pulliam, American actress

• 1979 – Jeff Reed, American football player

• 1980 – Clueso, German singer, rapper, songwriter and producer

• 1980 – Yoanna House, American model

• 1980 – Jerko Leko, Croatian footballer

• 1981 – Milan Bartovič, Slovak ice hockey player

• 1981 – Ireneusz Jeleń, Polish footballer

• 1981 – Dennis Sarfate, American baseball player

• 1982 – Jay Baruchel, Canadian actor

• 1982 – Carlos Hernández, Costa Rican footballer

• 1984 – Linda Chung, Canadian/Hong Kong actress and singer

• 1984 – Adam Loewen, Canadian baseball player

• 1985 – Tomohisa Yamashita, Japanese actor and singer (NEWS)

• 1986 – Brian Larsen, American musician and record producer

• 1986 – Leighton Meester, American Singer/Actress

• 1987 – Craig Mabbitt, American singer (Escape the Fate)

• 1987 – Jesse McCartney, American actor and singer

• 1987 – Jarrod Mullen, Australian rugby league footballer

• 1987 – Jazmine Sullivan , American R&B Singer

• 1988 – Dino Imperial, Filipino actor

• 1990 – Kristen Stewart, American actress

• 1998 – Elle Fanning, American actress

Deaths

• 93 – Yuan An, Minister over the Masses of the Han dynasty

• 491 – Zeno, Byzantine Emperor

• 715 – Pope Constantine

• 1024 – Pope Benedict VIII

• 1137 – William X, Duke of Aquitaine (b. 1099)

• 1483 – King Edward IV of England (b. 1442)

• 1484 – Edward of Middleham, Prince of Wales (b. 1473)

• 1492 – Lorenzo de' Medici, Italian statesmen (b. 1449)

• 1553 – François Rabelais, French writer

• 1557 – Mikael Agricola, Finnish scholar (b. c. 1510)

• 1626 – Sir Francis Bacon, English philosopher, statesman, and essayist (b. 1561)

• 1654 – Matei Basarab, Prince of Wallachia (b. 1588)

• 1693 – Roger de Rabutin, Comte de Bussy, French writer (b. 1618)

• 1747 – Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat, Scottish clan chief (executed)

• 1754 – Christian Wolff, German philosopher (b. 1679)

• 1761 – William Law, British minister (b. 1686)

• 1804 – Jacques Necker, French statesman (b. 1732)

• 1806 – William V of Orange, Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic (b. 1748)

• 1872 – Erastus Corning, American businessman and politician (b. 1794)

• 1876 – Charles Goodyear, American politician (b. 1804)

• 1889 – Michel Eugène Chevreul, French chemist (b. 1786)

• 1909 – Helena Modrzejewska, Polish-American actress (b. 1840)

• 1917 – James Hope Moulton, British scholar of Classical Greek (b. 1863)

• 1936 – Ferdinand Tönnies, German sociologist (b. 1855)

• 1940 – Mrs. Patrick Campbell, British actress (b. 1865)

• 1944 – Evgeniya Rudneva, Russian World War II heroine (b. 1920)

• 1945 – Wilhelm Canaris, German Admiral (b. 1887)

• 1945 – Dietrich Bonhoeffer, German theologian (b. 1906)

• 1945 – Georg Elser, failed assassin of Hitler (b. 1903)

• 1945 – Hans Oster, German General, member of the German Resistance (b. 1887)

• 1945 – Hans von Dohnanyi, German jurist, member of the German Resistance (b. 1902)

• 1945 – Karl Sack, German jurist, member of the German Resistance (b. 1896)

• 1948 – George Carpenter, Australian Salvation Army general (b. 1872)

• 1948 – Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, Colombian politician (b. 1903)

• 1951 – Vilhelm Bjerknes, Norwegian physicist (b. 1862)

• 1953 – Eddie Cochems, Father of the Forward Pass in American football (b. 1877)

• 1959 – Frank Lloyd Wright, American architect (b. 1867)

• 1961 – King Zog of Albania (b. 1895).

• 1963 – Eddie Edwards, American jazz tromboner (b. 1891)

• 1970 – Gustaf Tenggren, Swedish illustrator (b. 1896)

• 1976 – Dagmar Nordstrom, American composer, pianist (b. 1903)

• 1976 – Phil Ochs, American singer (b. 1940)

• 1978 – Clough Williams-Ellis, Welsh architect (b. 1883)

• 1982 – Wilfrid Pelletier, French Canadian conductor (b. 1896)

• 1988 – Brook Benton, American singer (b. 1931)

• 1988 – David Prater, American singer (Sam & Dave) (b. 1937)

• 1989 – Robert Mapplethorpe, American photographer (b. 1946)

• 1991 – Martin Hannett, record producer (b. 1948)

• 1996 – Richard Condon, American novelist (b. 1915)

• 1996 – James W. Rouse, American real estate developer, activist, and philanthropist (b. 1914)

• 1997 – Helene Hanff, American writer (b. 1916)

• 1997 – Mae Boren Axton, American singer and songwriter (b. 1914)

• 1998 – Tom Cora, American cellist and composer (b. 1953)

• 1999 – Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara, Niger politician and general (b. 1949)

• 2001 – Willie Stargell, American baseball player (b. 1940)

• 2002 – Leopold Vietoris, Austrian mathematician (b. 1891)

• 2002 – Pat Flaherty, American racecar driver (b. 1926)

• 2005 – Andrea Dworkin, American feminist activist and writer (b. 1946)

• 2006 – Billy Hitchcock, American baseball player, coach, and official (b. 1916)

• 2006 – Vilgot Sjöman, Swedish writer and film director (b. 1924)

• 2007 – Egon Bondy, Czech philosopher and writer (b. 1930)

• 2009 – Nick Adenhart, MLB pitcher (b. 1986)

Holidays and observances

• Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor, celebrated as Bataan Day in Bataan) in the Philippines.

• Saints

• *Saint Waltrudis

• *Saint Gaucherius

• Vimy Ridge Day in Canada commemorating the Battle of Vimy Ridge