Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for his role in the advancement of civil rights using nonviolent civil disobedience. King has become a national icon in the history of American progressivism.
A Baptist minister, King became a civil rights activist early in his career. He led the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1957, serving as its first president. King's efforts led to the 1963 March on Washington, where King delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech. There, he established his reputation as one of the greatest orators in American history. He also established his reputation as a radical, and became an object of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's COINTELPRO for the rest of his life.
On October 14, 1964, King received the Nobel Peace Prize for combating racial inequality through nonviolence. In the next few years leading up to his death, he expanded his focus to include poverty and the Vietnam War—alienating many of his liberal allies with a 1967 speech titled "Beyond Vietnam". King was planning a national occupation of Washington, D.C., called the Poor People's Campaign.
King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 and Congressional Gold Medal in 2004; Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was established as a U.S. federal holiday in 1986. Hundreds of streets in the U.S. and beyond have been renamed in his honor.
Events
- 69 – Otho seizes power in Rome, proclaiming himself Emperor of Rome, but rules for only three months before committing suicide.
- 1493 – Christopher Columbus sets sail for Spain from Hispaniola, ending his first voyage to the New World.
- 1541 – King Francis I of France gives Jean-François Roberval a commission to settle the province of New France (Canada) and provide for the spread of the "Holy Catholic faith".
- 1559 – Elizabeth I is crowned Queen of England in Westminster Abbey, London, England.
- 1582 – Russia cedes Livonia and Estonia to the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
- 1759 – The British Museum opens.
- 1777 – American Revolutionary War: New Connecticut (present day Vermont) declares its independence.
- 1782 – Superintendent of Finance Robert Morris goes before the U.S. Congress to recommend establishment of a national mint and decimal coinage.
- 1815 – War of 1812: American frigate USS President, commanded by Commodore Stephen Decatur, is captured by a squadron of four British frigates.
- 1822 – Greek War of Independence: Demetrios Ypsilantis is elected president of the legislative assembly.
- 1844 – University of Notre Dame receives its charter from the state of Indiana.
- 1865 – American Civil War: Fort Fisher in North Carolina falls to the Union, thus cutting off the last major seaport of the Confederacy.
- 1870 – A political cartoon for the first time symbolizes the Democratic Party with a donkey ("A Live Jackass Kicking a Dead Lion" by Thomas Nast for Harper's Weekly).
- 1889 – The Coca-Cola Company, then known as the Pemberton Medicine Company, is incorporated in Atlanta, Georgia.
- 1892 – James Naismith publishes the rules of basketball.
- 1908 – The Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority becomes the first Greek-letter organization founded and established by African American college women.
- 1910 – Construction ends on the Buffalo Bill Dam in Wyoming, United States, which was the highest dam in the world at the time, at 325 ft (99 m).
- 1919 – Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht, two of the most prominent socialists in Germany, are tortured and murdered by the Freikorps at the end of the Spartacist uprising.
- 1919 – Boston Molasses Disaster: A large molasses tank in Boston, Massachusetts, bursts and a wave of molasses rushes through the streets, killing 21 people and injuring 150 others.
- 1933 – A twelve-year-old girl experiences the first Marian apparition of Our Lady of Banneux in Banneux, Belgium.
- 1936 – The first building to be completely covered in glass, built for the Owens-Illinois Glass Company, is completed in Toledo, Ohio.
- 1937 – Spanish Civil War: Nationalists and Republican both withdraw after suffering heavy losses, ending the Second Battle of the Corunna Road.
- 1943 – World War II: The Soviet counter-offensive at Voronezh begins.
- 1943 – The world's largest office building, The Pentagon, is dedicated in Arlington, Virginia.
- 1947 – The brutalized corpse of Elizabeth Short (The "Black Dahlia") is found in Leimert Park, Los Angeles.
- 1949 – Chinese Civil War: The Communist forces take over Tianjin from the Nationalist Government.
- 1951 – Ilse Koch, "The Witch of Buchenwald", wife of the commandant of the Buchenwald concentration camp, is sentenced to life imprisonment by a court in West Germany.
- 1962 – The Derveni papyrus, Europe's oldest surviving manuscript dating to 340 BC, is found in northern Greece.
- 1966 – The Nigerian First Republic, led by Abubakar Tafawa Balewa is overthrown in a military coup d'état.
- 1967 – The first Super Bowl is played in Los Angeles, California. The Green Bay Packers defeat the Kansas City Chiefs 35–10.
- 1969 – The Soviet Union launches Soyuz 5.
- 1970 – Nigerian Civil War: After a 32-month fight for independence from Nigeria, Biafra surrenders.
- 1970 – Moammar Gadhafi is proclaimed premier of Libya.
- 1973 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, President Richard Nixon announces the suspension of offensive action in North Vietnam.
- 1974 – Dennis Rader aka the BTK Killer kills his first victims by binding, torturing and murdering Joseph, Joseph II, Josephine and Julie Otero in their house.
- 1975 – The Alvor Agreement is signed, ending the Angolan War of Independence and giving Angola independence from Portugal.
- 1976 – Gerald Ford's would-be assassin, Sara Jane Moore, is sentenced to life in prison.
- 1991 – The United Nations deadline for the withdrawal of Iraqi forces from occupied Kuwait expires, preparing the way for the start of Operation Desert Storm.
- 1991 – Elizabeth II, in her capacity as Queen of Australia, signs letters patent allowing Australia to become the first Commonwealth Realm to institute its own Victoria Cross in its honours system.
- 1992 – The international community recognizes the independence of Slovenia and Croatia from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
- 1993 – Salvatore Riina, the Mafia boss known as "The Beast", is arrested in Sicily, Italy after three decades as a fugitive.
- 2001 – Wikipedia, a free Wiki content encyclopedia, goes online.
- 2005 – ESA's SMART-1 lunar orbiter discovers elements such as calcium, aluminum, silicon, iron, and other surface elements on the moon.
- 2007 – Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti, former Iraqi intelligence chief and half-brother of Saddam Hussein, and Awad Hamed al-Bandar, former chief judge of the Revolutionary Court, are executed by hanging in Iraq.
- 2009 – US Airways Flight 1549 makes an emergency landing in the Hudson River shortly after takeoff from LaGuardia Airport in New York, New York. All passengers and crew members survive.
Births
- 1432 – King Afonso V of Portugal (d. 1481)
- 1481 – Ashikaga Yoshizumi, Japanese shogun (d. 1511)
- 1538 – Maeda Toshiie, Japanese general (d. 1599)
- 1622 – Molière, French playwright (d. 1673)
- 1671 – Abraham de la Pryme, English antiquarian (d. 1704)
- 1674 – Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon, French writer (d. 1762)
- 1716 – Philip Livingston, American founding father (d. 1778)
- 1747 – John Aikin, English doctor and writer (d. 1822)
- 1754 – Richard Martin, Irish animal rights activist (d. 1834)
- 1760 – Jean-François Le Sueur, French composer (d. 1837)
- 1791 – Franz Grillparzer, Austrian writer (d. 1872)
- 1795 – Alexandr Griboyedov, Russian playwright (d. 1829)
- 1803 – Marjory Fleming, Scottish writer and poet (d. 1811)
- 1809 – Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, French anarchist (d. 1865)
- 1812 – Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, Norwegian writer (d. 1885)
- 1815 – William Bickerton, Mormon prophet (d. 1905)
- 1816 – Marie LaFarge, French murderer (d. 1852)
- 1824 – Marie Duplessis, French courtesan (d. 1847)
- 1834 – Samuel Arza Davenport, American politician (d. 1911)
- 1841 – Frederick Arthur Stanley, Governor General of Canada (d. 1908)
- 1842 – Josef Breuer, Austrian psychiatrist (d. 1925)
- 1842 – Mary MacKillop, Australian Saint (d. 1909)
- 1850 – Leonard Darwin, son of Charles Darwin (d. 1943)
- 1850 – Mihai Eminescu, Romanian poet (d. 1889)
- 1850 – Sofia Kovalevskaya, Russian mathematician (d. 1891)
- 1855 – Jacques Damala, Greek military officer and actor (d. 1889)
- 1859 – Archibald Peake, Premier of South Australia (d. 1920)
- 1863 – Wilhelm Marx, Chancellor of Germany (d. 1946)
- 1866 – Nathan Söderblom, Swedish archbishop, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (d. 1931)
- 1869 – Ruby Laffoon, 43rd Governor of Kentucky (d. 1941)
- 1869 – Stanislaw Wyspianski, Polish dramatist (d. 1907)
- 1870 – Pierre S. du Pont, American businessman (d. 1954)
- 1872 – Arsen Kotsoyev, Russian writer (d. 1944)
- 1872 – Hugo Rüster, German rower (death date unknown)
- 1875 – Thomas Burke, American sprinter (d. 1929)
- 1877 – Lewis Terman, American psychologist (d. 1956)
- 1878 – Johanna Müller-Hermann, Austrian composer and pedagogue (d. 1941)
- 1879 – Mazo de la Roche, Canadian author (d. 1961)
- 1882 – Princess Margaret of Connaught (d. 1920)
- 1885 – Lorenz Böhler, Austrian physician (d. 1973)
- 1885 – Miles Burke, American flyweight boxer (d. 1928)
- 1885 – Grover Lowdermilk, American baseball player (d. 1968)
- 1885 – Huang Yuanyong, Chinese writer (d. 1915)
- 1890 – Tommy Fleming, American soccer player (d. 1965)
- 1891 – Ray Chapman, American baseball player (d. 1920)
- 1891 – Osip Mandelstam, Russian poet (d. 1938)
- 1892 – Rex Ingram, Irish director (d. 1950)
- 1893 – Ivor Novello, Welsh composer and actor (d. 1951)
- 1894 – Ecaterina Teodoroiu, Romanian World War I hero (d. 1917)
- 1895 – Artturi Ilmari Virtanen, Finnish chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1973)
- 1897 – Xu Zhimo, Chinese poet (d. 1931)
- 1899 – Goodman Ace, American actor (d. 1982)
- 1900 – William Heinesen, Faroese writer, poet and artist (d. 1991)
- 1902 – King Saud of Saudi Arabia (d. 1969)
- 1903 – Paul A. Dever, 58th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1958)
- 1905 – Kamatari Fujiwara, Japanese actor (d. 1985)
- 1905 – Torin Thatcher, English actor (d. 1981)
- 1906 – Aristotle Onassis, Greek shipping magnate (d. 1975)
- 1908 – Edward Teller, Hungarian-born physicist (d. 2003)
- 1909 – Jean Bugatti, German-born automobile designer (d. 1939)
- 1909 – Gene Krupa, American drummer (d. 1973)
- 1912 – Michel Debré, French politician (d. 1996)
- 1913 – Eugène Brands, Dutch painter (d. 2002)
- 1913 – Lloyd Bridges, American actor (d. 1998)
- 1913 – Miriam Hyde, Australian composer (d. 2005)
- 1913 – Alexander Marinesko, captain of the S-13 submarine (d. 1963)
- 1914 – Hugh Trevor-Roper, English historian (d. 2003)
- 1918 – João Figueiredo, President of Brazil (d. 1999)
- 1918 – Édouard Gagnon, Canadian Roman Catholic cardinal (d. 2007)
- 1918 – Gamal Abdel Nasser, President of Egypt (d. 1970)
- 1919 – Maurice Herzog, French mountaineer, first to ascend an 8000m peak, Annapurna in 1950 (d. 2012)
- 1920 – John Joseph O'Connor, American Catholic cardinal (d. 2000)
- 1920 – Steve Gromek, American baseball player (d. 2002)
- 1921 – Babasaheb Bhosale, Indian politician (d. 2007)
- 1921 – Frank Thornton, English actor
- 1922 – Eric Willis, Australian politician (d. 1999)
- 1923 – Ivor Cutler, Scottish poet (d. 2006)
- 1923 – Lee Teng-hui, Taiwanese politician
- 1923 – Arthur Quinlan, Irish journalist (d. 2012)
- 1925 – Ruth Slenczynska, American pianist
- 1926 – Maria Schell, Austrian actress (d. 2005)
- 1927 – Phyllis Coates, American actress
- 1929 – Martin Luther King, Jr., American civil rights leader, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (d. 1968)
- 1929 – Queen Ida, Zydeco accordionist and singer
- 1929 – Earl Hooker, American Chicago blues guitarist (d. 1970)
- 1930 – Eddie Graham, American professional wrestler (d. 1985)
- 1931 – Lee Bontecou, American artist
- 1933 – Ernest J. Gaines, American author
- 1935 – Malcolm Frager, American pianist
- 1936 – Obo Addy, Ghanaian drummer and dancer (d. 2012)
- 1937 – Margaret O'Brien, American actress
- 1938 – Chuni Goswami, Indian footballer and cricketer
- 1939 – Tony Bullimore, English sailor and adventurer
- 1941 – Captain Beefheart, American musician and visual artist (d. 2010)
- 1942 – Barbara Tarbuck, American actress
- 1943 – Ashraf Aman, first Pakistani to reach the summit of K2
- 1943 – Stuart E. Eizenstat, adviser to American Presidents Carter and Clinton
- 1943 – Mike Marshall, American baseball player
- 1944 – Jenny Nimmo, British author
- 1945 – Vincent Foster Jr., American lawyer (d. 1993)
- 1945 – William R. Higgins, USMC colonel (d. 1990)
- 1945 – Princess Michael of Kent, British royal
- 1947 – Andrea Martin, Canadian actress
- 1948 – Ronnie Van Zant, American singer (Lynyrd Skynyrd) (d. 1977)
- 1949 – Luis Alvarado, Puerto Rican baseball player (d. 2001)
- 1949 – Alasdair Liddell, English businessman (d. 2012)
- 1949 – Panos Mihalopoulos, Greek actor
- 1950 – Marius Trésor, French footballer
- 1952 – Andrzej Fischer, Polish footballer
- 1953 – Kent Hovind, American evangelist
- 1953 – Ta-Tanisha, American actress
- 1953 – Randy White, American football player
- 1954 – Jose Dalisay, Jr., Filipino writer
- 1954 – Nikos Sarganis, Greek footballer
- 1955 – Nigel Benson, English author
- 1956 – Mayawati, Indian politician
- 1956 – Miki Fujimura, Japanese singer (Candies)
- 1956 – Vitaly Kaloyev, Russian architect and murderer
- 1956 – Marc Trestman, CFL head coach
- 1957 – Patrick Dixon, English entrepreneur
- 1957 – Marty Lyons, American football player
- 1957 – Mario Van Peebles, American actor
- 1958 – Boris Tadic, President of Serbia
- 1959 – Sister Carol, Jamaican reggae singer
- 1959 – Pavle Kozjek, Slovenian climber (d. 2008)
- 1959 – Pete Trewavas, English musician (Kino and Marillion)
- 1960 – Kelly Asbury, American director and actor
- 1960 – Jeremy Beck, American composer
- 1960 – Aaron Jay Kernis, American composer
- 1961 – Yves P. Pelletier, Canadian comedian and film director
- 1963 – Conrad Lant, English musician (Venom)
- 1963 – Bruce Schneier, American cryptographer, security expert, and writer
- 1964 – Osmo Tapio Räihälä, Finnish composer
- 1965 – Maurizio Fondriest, Italian cyclist
- 1965 – Bernard Hopkins, American boxer
- 1965 – Adam Jones, American musician (Tool)
- 1965 – James Nesbitt, Northern Irish actor
- 1966 – Lisa Lisa, American R&B singer
- 1968 – Chad Lowe, American actor
- 1968 – Iñaki Urdangarín, Spanish royalty
- 1969 – Meret Becker, German actress and singer
- 1969 – Delino DeShields, American baseball player
- 1969 – Huck Seed, American professional poker player
- 1970 – Shane McMahon, American professional wrestler
- 1971 – Regina King, American actress
- 1972 – Christos Kostis, Greek footballer
- 1972 – Ernie Reyes, Jr. American actor and martial artist
- 1972 – Kobe Tai, American porn star
- 1972 – Claudia Winkleman, English television presenter
- 1973 – Essam El-Hadary, Egyptian footballer
- 1974 – Edith Bowman, Scottish television and radio presenter
- 1974 – Ray King, American baseball player
- 1974 – Tim Shaw, British radio DJ and television presenter
- 1975 – Marc Cartwright, American Photographer
- 1975 – Mary Pierce, French tennis player
- 1975 – 9th Wonder (born Patrick Douthit), American producer
- 1976 – Corey Chavous, American football player
- 1976 – Doug Gottlieb, American basketball analyst
- 1976 – Florentin Petre, Romanian footballer
- 1976 – Scott Murray, Scotland rugby player
- 1978 – Eddie Cahill, American actor
- 1978 – Franco Pellizotti, Italian cyclist
- 1978 – Ryan Sidebottom, English Cricketer
- 1979 – Drew Brees, American football player
- 1979 – Ken Chu, Taiwanese singer-actor and taichi champ (F4)
- 1979 – Young Dro, American rapper
- 1979 – Michalis Morfis, Cypriot footballer
- 1979 – Martin Petrov, Bulgarian footballer
- 1980 – Matt Holliday, American baseball player
- 1981 – Howie Day, American singer
- 1981 – El Hadji Diouf, Senegalese footballer
- 1981 – Vanessa Henke, German tennis player
- 1981 – Sean Lamont, Scottish rugby union footballer
- 1981 – Pitbull, American rapper
- 1982 – Benjamin Agosto, American skater
- 1982 – Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia
- 1982 – Armando Galarraga, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1982 – Brett Lebda, American hockey player
- 1982 – Neil Nitin Mukesh, Indian actor
- 1982 – Prince Philip of Yugoslavia
- 1982 – Ari Pulkkinen, Finnish composer
- 1982 – Francis Zé, Cameroonian footballer
- 1983 – Matic Kralj, Slovenian ice hockey player
- 1983 – Jermaine Pennant, English footballer
- 1983 – Hugo Viana, Portuguese footballer
- 1984 – Megan Jendrick, American swimmer
- 1984 – Victor Rasuk, American actor
- 1985 – René Adler, German footballer
- 1985 – Enrico Patrizio, Italian rugby player
- 1985 – Kenneth Emil Petersen, Danish footballer
- 1986 – Fred Davis, American football player
- 1986 – Jessy Schram, American actress
- 1986 – Isaia Toeava, New Zealand rugby player
- 1987 – Greg Inglis, Australian rugby player
- 1987 – Aria C Jalali, American musician (Railcars)
- 1987 – Kelly Kelly, American WWE Diva
- 1987 – David Knight, English footballer
- 1987 – Michael Seater, Canadian actor
- 1988 – Daniel Caligiuri, German footballer
- 1988 – Jun. K, South Korean singer (2PM)
- 1988 – Skrillex (born Sonny Moore), American producer
- 1989 – Alexei Cherepanov, Russian hockey player (d. 2008)
- 1989 – Keiffer Hubbell, American ice dancer
- 1990 – Paul Blake, English paralympic athlete
- 1990 – Fernando Forestieri, Italian footballer
- 1990 – Konstantinos Sloukas, Greek basketball player
- 1990 – Sophie Sumner, English model
- 1990 – Catherine Thomas, English model
- 1990 – Robert Trznadel, Polish footballer
- 1991 – Marc Bartra, Spanish footballer
- 1991 – Nicolai Jørgensen, Danish footballer
- 1992 – Joshua King, Norwegian footballer
- 1994 – Jordy Croux, Belgian footballer
Deaths
- 69 – Galba, Roman Emperor (b. 3 BC)
- 570 – Saint Ita, Irish nun (b. 475)
- 936 – King Rudolph of France
- 1345 – Martin Zaccaria, Italo-Greek ruler
- 1568 – Nicolaus Olahus, Archbishop of Esztergom, Primate of Hungary, and a distinguished Roman Catholic prelate (b. 1493)
- 1595 – Murat III, Ottoman Sultan (b. 1546)
- 1623 – Fra Paolo Sarpi, Italian patriot, scholar, scientist and church reformer (b. 1552)
- 1672 – John Cosin, English clergyman (b. 1594)
- 1683 – Philip Warwick, English writer and politician (b. 1609)
- 1775 – Giovanni Battista Sammartini, Italian composer
- 1781 – Infanta Mariana Victoria of Spain, queen regent of Portugal (b. 1718)
- 1790 – John Landen, English mathematician (b. 1719)
- 1804 – Dru Drury, English entomologist (b. 1725)
- 1813 – Anton Bernolák, Slovak linguist (b. 1762)
- 1815 – Emma, Lady Hamilton, English mistress of Lord Nelson (b. 1761)
- 1855 – Henri Braconnot, French chemist and pharmacist (b. 1780)
- 1864 – Isaac Nathan, UK-Australian composer (b. 1792)
- 1876 – Eliza Johnson, U.S. First Lady (b. 1810)
- 1885 – Leopold Damrosch, German-American orchestral conductor (b. 1832)
- 1893 – Fanny Kemble, British actress and author (b. 1809)
- 1896 – Mathew Brady, U.S. photographer (b. 1822)
- 1909 – Arnold Janssen, German missionary (b. 1837)
- 1916 – Modest Tchaikovsky, Russian writer (b. 1850)
- 1919 – Karl Liebknecht, German politician (b. 1871)
- 1919 – Rosa Luxemburg, German politician (b. 1871)
- 1926 – August Sedlácek, Czech historian (b. 1843)
- 1926 – Enrico Toselli, Italian composer (b. 1883)
- 1936 – Henry Forster, 1st Baron Forster, Governor-General of Australia (b. 1866)
- 1937 – Anton Holban, Romanian novelist (b. 1902)
- 1944 – Robert J. Kirby, Warden of New York's Sing Sing Prison (b. 1890)
- 1945 – Wilhelm Wirtinger, Austrian mathematician (b. 1865)
- 1947 – Elizabeth Short, the Black Dahlia (b. 1924)
- 1948 – Josephus Daniels, American publisher and United States Secretary of the Navy (b. 1862)
- 1950 – General Henry "Hap" Arnold, U.S. General of the Air Force (b. 1886)
- 1952 – Ned Hanlon, Premier of Queensland (b. 1887)
- 1955 – Yves Tanguy, French painter (b. 1900)
- 1964 – Jack Teagarden, American musician (b. 1905)
- 1967 – David Burliuk, Ukrainian artist (b. 1882)
- 1968 – Bill Masterton, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1938)
- 1970 – William T. Piper, American aircraft designer (b. 1881)
- 1972 – Daisy Ashford, English child writer (The Young Visiters) (b. 1881)
- 1973 – Coleman Francis, American film director (b. 1919)
- 1973 – Ivan Petrovsky, Russian mathematician (b. 1901)
- 1983 – Meyer Lansky, Russian-born gangster (b. 1902)
- 1983 – Shepperd Strudwick, American actor (b. 1907)
- 1987 – Ray Bolger, American actor, singer, and dancer (b. 1904)
- 1988 – Seán MacBride, Irish statesman, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1904)
- 1990 – Dame Peggy van Praagh, British ballet dancer, choreographer, director (b. 1910)
- 1992 – Dee Murray, English bassist (b. 1946)
- 1993 – Sammy Cahn, American songwriter (b. 1913)
- 1994 – Georges Cziffra, Hungarian-French pianist (b. 1921)
- 1994 – Harry Nilsson, American musician (b. 1941)
- 1994 – Harilal Upadhyay, Gujarati-Indian author, poet, astrologist (b. 1916)
- 1995 – Vera Maxwell, American fashion designer (b. 1901)
- 1996 – Les Baxter, American musician and composer (b. 1922)
- 1996 – Paramount Chief Moshoeshoe II of Lesotho (b. 1938)
- 1996 – Minnesota Fats, American billiards player (b. 1913)
- 1998 – Gulzarilal Nanda, Indian Po litician, Acting Prime Minister (b.1898)
- 1998 – Junior Wells, American musician (b. 1934)
- 1999 – Betty Box, British film producer (b. 1915)
- 2000 – Georges-Henri Lévesque, Canadian Dominican priest and sociologist (b. 1903)
- 2000 – Željko Ražnatovic, aka Arkan, Serbian paramilitary leader (b. 1952)
- 2000 – Fran Ryan, American actress (b. 1916)
- 2001 – Ted Mann, American screenwriter (b. 1916)
- 2001 – Leo Marks, English cryptographer, screenwriter and playwright (b. 1920)
- 2002 – Michael Anthony Bilandic, Mayor of Chicago (b. 1923)
- 2002 – Eugène Brands, Dutch painter (b. 1913)
- 2002 – Steve Gromek, American baseball player (b. 1920)
- 2003 – Doris Fisher, American singer and songwriter (b. 1915)
- 2004 – Olivia Goldsmith, American author (b. 1949)
- 2005 – Walter Ernsting, German author (b. 1920)
- 2005 – Elizabeth Janeway, American author (b. 1913)
- 2005 – Dan Lee, Canadian animator (b. 1969)
- 2005 – Victoria de los Angeles, Catalan soprano (b. 1923)
- 2005 – Ruth Warrick, American actress (b. 1915)
- 2006 – Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait (b. 1926)
- 2007 – Awad Hamed al-Bandar, former chief judge of the Iraqi Revolutionary Court (b. 1945) (executed)
- 2007 – James Hillier, Canadian inventor of electron microscope (b. 1915)
- 2007 – Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti, former Iraqi intelligence chief and half-brother of Saddam Hussein (b. 1951) (executed)
- 2007 – David Vanole, American soccer player (b. 1963)
- 2007 – Pura Santillan-Castrence, Filipino writer and diplomat (b. 1905)
- 2007 – Bo Yibo, Chinese politician (b. 1908)
- 2008 – Mark Haigh-Hutchinson, English game designer (b. 1964)
- 2008 – Brad Renfro, American actor (b. 1982)
- 2009 – Lincoln Verduga Loor, Ecuadorian journalist and politician (b. 1917)
- 2011 – Nat Lofthouse, English footballer (b. 1925)
- 2012 – Carlo Fruttero, Italian writer (b. 1926)
- 2012 – Manuel Fraga Iribarne, Spanish politician (b. 1922)
Holidays and observances
Albert Schweitzer, OM (14 January 1875 – 4 September 1965) was a German and then French theologian, organist, philosopher, physician, and medical missionary. He was born in Kaysersberg in the province of Alsace-Lorraine, at that time part of the German Empire. Schweitzer, a Lutheran, challenged both the secular view of Jesus as depicted by historical-critical methodology current at his time in certain academic circles, as well as the traditional Christian view. He depicted Jesus as one who believed the end of the world was coming in his own lifetime and believed himself to be a world savior. He received the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize for his philosophy of "Reverence for Life", expressed in many ways, but most famously in founding and sustaining the Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Lambaréné, now in Gabon, west central Africa (then French Equatorial Africa). His "Reverence for Life" principle was also a precursor to modern biocentrism (ethics). As a music scholar and organist, Schweitzer studied the music of German composer Johann Sebastian Bach and influenced the Organ reform movement (Orgelbewegung).
Schweitzer's passionate quest was to discover a universal ethical philosophy, anchored in a universal reality, and make it directly available to all of humanity.
Events
- 1301 – Andrew III of Hungary dies, ending the Árpád dynasty in Hungary.
- 1343 – Arnošt of Pardubice becomes the last bishop of Prague and, subsequently, the first Archbishop of Prague.
- 1514 – Pope Leo X issues a papal bull against slavery.
- 1539 – Spain annexes Cuba.
- 1639 – The "Fundamental Orders", the first written constitution that created a government, is adopted in Connecticut.
- 1724 – King Philip V of Spain abdicates the throne.
- 1761 – The Third Battle of Panipat is fought in India between the Afghans under Ahmad Shah Durrani and the Marhatas. The Afghan victory changes the course of Indian History.
- 1784 – American Revolutionary War: Ratification Day, United States Congress ratifies Treaty of Paris with Great Britain.
- 1814 – Treaty of Kiel: Frederick VI of Denmark cedes Norway to Sweden in return for Pomerania.
- 1822 – Greek War of Independence: Acrocorinth is captured by Theodoros Kolokotronis and Demetrios Ypsilantis.
- 1858 – Napoleon III of France escapes an assassination attempt.
- 1907 – An earthquake in Kingston, Jamaica kills more than 1,000.
- 1911 – Roald Amundsen's South Pole expedition makes landfall on the eastern edge of the Ross Ice Shelf.
- 1933 – The controversial Bodyline cricket tactics used by Douglas Jardine's England peaks when Australian captain Bill Woodfull was hit in the heart.
- 1938 – Norway claims Queen Maud Land in Antarctica.
- 1943 – World War II: Operation Ke, the successful Japanese operation to evacuate their forces from Guadalcanal during the Guadalcanal Campaign, begins.
- 1943 – World War II: Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill begin the Casablanca Conference to discuss strategy and study the next phase of the war.
- 1943 – World War II: Franklin D. Roosevelt becomes the first President of the United States to travel via airplane while in office when he travels from Miami, Florida to Morocco to meet with Winston Churchill.
- 1950 – The first prototype of the MiG-17 makes its maiden flight.
- 1952 – NBC's long-running morning news program Today debuts, with host Dave Garroway.
- 1954 – The Hudson Motor Car Company merges with Nash-Kelvinator Corporation forming the American Motors Corporation.
- 1957 – Jagadguru Kripalu Maharaj was named fifth Jagad guru (world teacher) after giving seven days of speeches before 500 Hindu scholars.
- 1960 – The Reserve Bank of Australia, the country's central bank and banknote issuing authority, is established.
- 1967 – Counterculture of the 1960s: The Human Be-In, takes place in San Francisco, California's Golden Gate Park, launching the Summer of Love.
- 1969 – An accidental explosion aboard the USS Enterprise (CVN-65) near Hawaii kills 27 people.
- 1972 – Queen Margrethe II of Denmark ascends the throne, the first Queen of Denmark since 1412 and the first Danish monarch not named Frederick or Christian since 1513.
- 1973 – Elvis Presley's concert Aloha from Hawaii is broadcast live via satellite, and sets a record as the most watched broadcast by an individual entertainer in television history.
- 1975 – Teenage heiress Lesley Whittle is kidnapped by Donald Neilson, aka "the Black Panther".
- 1999 – Toronto, Ontario, Canada Mayor Mel Lastman becomes the first mayor in Canada to call in the Army to help with emergency medical evacuations and snow removal after more than one meter of snow paralyzes the city.
- 2000 – A United Nations tribunal sentences five Bosnian Croats to up to 25 years for the 1993 killing of over 100 Muslims in a Bosnian village.
- 2004 – The national flag of The Republic of Georgia, the so-called "five cross flag", is restored to official use after a hiatus of some 500 years.
- 2005 – Landing of the Huygens probe on Saturn's moon Titan.
- 2010 – Yemen declares an open war against the terrorist group al-Qaeda.
Births
- 47 BC – Marcus Antonius Antyllus, Roman soldier and eldest son of Marc Antony (d. 30 BC)
- 38 BC – Nero Claudius Drusus, Roman politician and military commander (d. 9 BC)
- 1131 – King Valdemar I of Denmark (d. 1182)
- 1451 – Franchinus Gaffurius, Italian music theorist (d. 1522)
- 1477 – Hermann of Wied, German Catholic archbishop (d. 1552)
- 1507 – Catherine of Habsburg, Infanta of Spain and queen of Portugal (d. 1578)
- 1552 – Alberico Gentili, Italian jurist (d. 1608)
- 1615 – John Biddle, English theologian (d. 1662)
- 1683 – Gottfried Silbermann, German keyboard instrument maker (d. 1753)
- 1684 – Johann Matthias Hase, German scientist (d. 1742)
- 1684 – Jean-Baptiste van Loo, French painter (d. 1745)
- 1699 – Jakob Adlung, German organist, teacher, instrument maker, music historian, and music theorist (d. 1762)
- 1700 – Picander, German poet and librettist for many of the cantatas which Johann Sebastian Bach composed in Leipzig (d. 1764)
- 1705 – Jean-Baptiste Charles Bouvet de Lozier, French governor (d. 1786)
- 1741 – Benedict Arnold, American/British general (d. 1801)
- 1767 – Maria Theresa of Tuscany, queen consort of Saxony (d. 1827)
- 1780 – Henry Baldwin, U.S. Supreme Court Justice (d. 1844)
- 1792 – Christian Julius De Meza, Danish general (d. 1865)
- 1793 – John C. Clark, American politician (d. 1852)
- 1798 – Johan Rudolf Thorbecke, Dutch politician (d. 1872)
- 1800 – Ludwig Ritter von Köchel, Austrian musicologist (d. 1877)
- 1806 – Sir Charles Hotham, Governor of Victoria (d. 1855)
- 1806 – Matthew Fontaine Maury American oceanographer (d. 1873)
- 1818 – Zacharias Topelius, Finnish-Swedish writer (d. 1898)
- 1819 – Dimitrie Bolintineanu, Romanian poet (d. 1872)
- 1824 – Vladimir Stasov, Russian art and music critic (d. 1906)
- 1836 – Henri Fantin-Latour, French painter (d. 1904)
- 1841 – Berthe Morisot, French painter (d. 1895)
- 1845 – 5th Marquess of Lansdowne, Governor-General of Canada, Viceroy of India (d. 1927)
- 1850 – Pierre Loti, French writer (d. 1923)
- 1850 – Jean de Reszke, Polish operatic tenor (d. 1925)
- 1856 – J. F. Archibald, Australian journalist and publisher (d. 1919)
- 1861 – Mehmed VI, Ottoman Sultan (d. 1926)
- 1863 – Manuel Gomes da Costa, 96th Prime Minister of Portugal and 10th President of Portugal (d. 1929)
- 1869 – Robert Fournier-Sarlovèze, French politician and polo player (d. 1937)
- 1870 – Sir George Pearce, Australian politician (d. 1952)
- 1875 – Albert Schweitzer, Alsatian physician, Nobel laureate (d. 1965)
- 1882 – Hendrik Willem van Loon, Dutch-American historian and journalist (d. 1944)
- 1883 – Nina Ricci, Italian-born French fashion designer (d. 1970)
- 1886 – Hugh Lofting, English author (d. 1947)
- 1887 – Hugo Steinhaus, Polish mathematician and educator (d. 1972)
- 1892 – Martin Niemöller, German theologian (d. 1984)
- 1892 – Hal Roach, American film producer (d. 1992)
- 1896 – John Dos Passos, American author (d. 1970)
- 1897 – Hasso von Manteuffel, German general and politician (d. 1978)
- 1899 – Carlos Romulo, Filipino diplomat and author (d. 1985)
- 1901 – Bebe Daniels, American actress (d. 1971)
- 1901 – Alfred Tarski, Polish logician and mathematician (d. 1983)
- 1904 – Sir Cecil Beaton, English photographer (d. 1980)
- 1904 – Emily Hahn, American writer (d. 1997)
- 1904 – Babe Siebert, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1939)
- 1905 – Takeo Fukuda, 67th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1995)
- 1906 – William Bendix, American actor (d. 1964)
- 1907 – Georges-Émile Lapalme, French-Canadian politician (d. 1985)
- 1908 – Russ Columbo, American singer (d. 1934)
- 1909 – Joseph Losey, American theatre and film director (d. 1984)
- 1911 – Norman 'Sailor Jerry' Collins, Tattoo artist (d. 1973)
- 1911 – Anatoly Rybakov, Russian writer (d. 1998)
- 1912 – Tillie Olsen, American writer (d. 2007)
- 1914 – Harold Russell, Canadian-born actor (d. 2002)
- 1914 – Harlal Bisen, Indian Farmer (d. 2003)
- 1915 – Mark Goodson, American game show producer (d. 1992)
- 1917 – Billy Butterfield, American jazz trumpeter (d. 1988)
- 1919 – Giulio Andreotti, Italian politician
- 1919 – Andy Rooney, American journalist (d. 2011)
- 1920 – Bertus de Harder, Dutch footballer (d. 1982)
- 1921 – Murray Bookchin, American libertarian socialist (d. 2006)
- 1921 – Kenneth Bulmer, American science fiction writer (d. 2005)
- 1924 – Guy Williams, American actor (d. 1989)
- 1925 – Yukio Mishima, Japanese writer (d. 1970)
- 1925 – Louis Quilico, Canadian baritone (d. 2000)
- 1926 – Frank Aletter, American actor (d. 2009)
- 1926 – Warren Mitchell, English actor
- 1926 – Tom Tryon, American actor (d. 1991)
- 1927 – Zuzana Ruzickova, Czech harpsichordist
- 1928 – Gerald Arpino, American dancer and choreographer (d. 2008)
- 1928 – Lars Forssell, Swedish writer (d. 2007)
- 1928 – Garry Winogrand, American photographer (d. 1984)
- 1931 – Frank Costigan, Australian lawyer (d. 2009)
- 1931 – Caterina Valente, French-born singer
- 1932 – Don Garlits, American race car driver
- 1933 – Stan Brakhage, American filmmaker (d. 2003)
- 1934 – Richard Briers, English actor
- 1934 – Alberto Rodriguez Larreta, Argentine racing driver (d. 1977)
- 1935 – Lucille Wheeler, Canadian alpine skier
- 1937 – Sobhan Babu, Indian actor (d. 2008)
- 1937 – J. Bernlef, Dutch writer (d. 2012)
- 1937 – Ken Higgs, English cricketer
- 1937 – Erland Kops, Danish badminton player
- 1937 – Sonny Siebert, American baseball player
- 1938 – Morihiro Hosokawa, 79th Prime Minister of Japan
- 1938 – Jack Jones, American singer
- 1938 – Allen Toussaint, American singer
- 1940 – Julian Bond, American civil rights activist
- 1940 – Ron Kostelnik, American football player (d. 1993)
- 1940 – Sir Trevor Nunn, English theatre director and film director
- 1941 – Faye Dunaway, American actress
- 1941 – Barry Jenner, American actor
- 1941 – Milan Kucan, Slovenian statesman
- 1942 – Ian Brayshaw, Australian cricketer and footballer
- 1942 – Dave Campbell, American baseball player
- 1942 – Gerben Karstens, Dutch racing cyclist
- 1943 – Mariss Jansons, Latvian conductor
- 1943 – Shannon Lucid, American astronaut
- 1943 – José Luis Rodríguez, Venezuelan singer
- 1944 – Marjoe Gortner, American evangelist
- 1944 – Graham Marsh, Australian golfer
- 1944 – Nina Totenberg, American journalist
- 1945 – Maina Gielgud, British ballet dancer and administrator
- 1945 – Einar Hakonarson, Icelandic painter
- 1946 – Harold Shipman, British serial killer (d. 2004)
- 1947 – Taylor Branch, American author and historian
- 1947 – Beverly Perdue, American politician
- 1947 – Bill Werbeniuk, Canadian snooker player (d. 2003)
- 1948 – T-Bone Burnett, American producer
- 1948 – Valeri Kharlamov, Soviet ice hockey player (d. 1981)
- 1948 – John Lescroart, American author
- 1948 – Carl Weathers, American actor
- 1949 – Paul Chubb, Australian actor (d. 2002)
- 1949 – Lawrence Kasdan, American director
- 1949 – Mary Robison, American writer
- 1950 – Jagadguru Ramabhadracarya, Indian religious leader
- 1952 – Sydney Biddle Barrows, American author
- 1952 – Maureen Dowd, American writer
- 1952 – Calin Popescu-Tariceanu, Prime Minister of Romania
- 1952 – Konstantinos Iosifidis, Greek footballer and manager
- 1954 – Jim Duggan, American professional wrestler
- 1954 – Masanobu Fuchi, Japanese professional wrestler
- 1954 – Vernee Watson-Johnson, American actress
- 1956 – Étienne Daho, French singer-songwriter
- 1956 – Ben Heppner, Canadian tenor
- 1956 – Rosina Lippi, American writer
- 1957 – Suzanne Danielle, English actress
- 1957 – Anchee Min, Chinese writer
- 1958 – Colin Ferguson, American mass murderer
- 1959 – Geoff Tate, American musician (Queensrÿche)
- 1961 – Rob Hall, New Zealand mountaineer (d. 1996)
- 1961 – Mike Tramp, Danish singer (White Lion and Freak of Nature)
- 1962 – Michael McCaul, American politician
- 1963 – Steven Soderbergh, American director
- 1963 – Gert-Jan Theunisse, Dutch cyclist
- 1964 – Mark Addy, British actor
- 1964 – Ernest Miller, American wrestler
- 1964 – Shepard Smith, American news anchor
- 1965 – Shamil Basayev, Chechen rebel (d. 2006)
- 1965 – Marc Delissen, Dutch field hockey player
- 1965 – Bob Essensa, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1965 – Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, British chef
- 1965 – Ellis Paul, American singer-songwriter and folk musician
- 1966 – DJ Paul Elstak, Dutch hardcore/gabber and happy hardcore DJ and record producer
- 1966 – Marco Hietala, Finnish vocalist and bassist (Nightwish and Tarot)
- 1967 – Kerri Green, American actress
- 1967 – Leonardo "Leo" Ortolani, Italian comic book author
- 1967 – Emily Watson, English actress
- 1967 – Saskia Wickham, British actress
- 1967 – Zakk Wylde, American musician (Black Label Society)
- 1968 – Efthimis Bakatsias, Greek basketball player
- 1968 – Ruel Fox, English footballer
- 1968 – Veikka Gustafsson, Finnish mountaineer
- 1968 – LL Cool J, American rapper and actor
- 1969 – Jason Bateman, American actor
- 1969 – David Grohl, American drummer and composer (Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Them Crooked Vultures)
- 1970 – Imam Samudra, Indonesian terrorist, 2002 Bali Bombings (d. 2008)
- 1970 – Gene Snitsky, American professional wrestler
- 1970 – Fazil Say, Turkish pianist and composer
- 1971 – Lasse Kjus, Norwegian skier
- 1971 – Bert Konterman, Dutch footballer
- 1971 – Antonios Nikopolidis, Greek footballer
- 1972 – Kyle Brady, American football player
- 1972 – Dion Forster, South African theologian
- 1972 – James Key, British engineer
- 1972 – Raimondas Rumšas, Lithuanian cyclist
- 1973 – Eva Bes, Spanish tennis player
- 1973 – Giancarlo Fisichella, Italian race car driver
- 1974 – Kevin Durand, Canadian actor
- 1974 – Brent Hinds, American musician (Mastodon)
- 1976 – Vincenzo Chianese, Italian footballer
- 1977 – Narain Karthikeyan, Indian race car driver
- 1978 – Just Blaze, American hip hop producer
- 1978 – Shawn Crawford, American sprinter
- 1979 – Karen Elson, British supermodel
- 1979 – Angela Lindvall, American supermodel
- 1979 – John Reuben, American hip hop artist
- 1979 – Evans Soligo, Italian footballer
- 1980 – Clive Clarke, Irish footballer
- 1980 – Cory Gibbs, American soccer player
- 1980 – Ossama Haidar, Lebanese soccer player
- 1980 – Byron Leftwich, American football player
- 1980 – Sosuke Sumitani, Japanese announcer
- 1980 – Taeke Taekema, Dutch field hockey player
- 1980 – Hiroshi Tamaki, Japanese actor and model
- 1981 – Abdelmalek Cherrad, Algerian football player
- 1981 – Rosa López, Spanish singer
- 1982 – Caleb Followill, American singer (Kings of Leon)
- 1982 – Léo Lima, Brazilian footballer
- 1982 – Víctor Valdés, Spanish footballer
- 1983 – Jason Krejza, Australian cricketer
- 1983 – Maxime Monfort, Belgian cyclist
- 1983 – Cesare Bovo, Italian footballer
- 1984 – Erick Aybar, American baseball player
- 1984 – Fred Matua, American football player (d. 2012)
- 1984 – Brandon Meriweather, American football player
- 1984 – Mike Pelfrey, American baseball player
- 1985 – Shawn Sawyer, Canadian figure skater
- 1986 – Cristina Aicardi, Peruvian badminton player
- 1986 – Gary Brolsma, American internet personality
- 1986 – Alessio Cossu, Italian footballer
- 1986 – Yohan Cabaye, French footballer
- 1988 – Farshad Bashir, Dutch politician
- 1988 – Mikalah Gordon, American singer
- 1988 – Hakeem Nicks, American football player
- 1988 – Jack P. Shepherd, English actor
- 1989 – Mattia Marchi, Italian footballer
- 1989 – Frankie Sandford, English singer (S Club 8 and The Saturdays)
- 1989 – Adam Clayton, English footballer
- 1989 – Liu Xiaodong, Chinese footballer
- 1990 – Grant Gustin, American actor
- 1991 – Diva Montelaba, Filipina actress, singer and dancer
- 1992 – Robbie Brady, Irish footballer
- 1992 – Nimue Smit, Dutch fashion model
Deaths
- 1092 – Vratislaus II of Bohemia (b. 1032/5)
- 1163 – Ladislaus II of Hungary (b. 1131)
- 1235 – Saint Sava, Serbian saint (b. 1175)
- 1301 – King Andrew III of Hungary (b. 1265)
- 1331 – Odoric, Italian explorer (b. 1286)
- 1640 – Thomas Coventry, 1st Baron Coventry, English lawyer and judge (b. 1578)
- 1648 – Caspar Barlaeus, Dutch polymath and Renaissance humanist, a theologian, poet, and historian. (b. 1584)
- 1676 – Francesco Cavalli, Italian composer (b. 1602)
- 1679 – Jacques de Billy, French mathematician (b. 1602)
- 1701 – Tokugawa Mitsukuni, Japanese warlord (b. 1628)
- 1742 – Edmond Halley, English scientist (b. 1656)
- 1753 – George Berkeley, Irish theologian (b. 1685)
- 1776 – Edward Cornwallis, English military officer (b. 1713)
- 1786 – Michael Arne, English composer (b. 1741)
- 1786 – Meshech Weare, Governor of New Hampshire (b. 1713)
- 1788 – François Joseph Paul, marquis de Grasetilly, comte de Grasse, French admiral (b. 1722)
- 1819 – Peter Pindar, English satirist (b. 1738)
- 1824 – Athanasios Kanakaris, Greek politician (b. 1760)
- 1825 – George Dance the Younger, English architect (b. 1741)
- 1833 – Seraphim of Sarov, Russian Orthodox saint (b. 1759)
- 1867 – Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, French painter (b. 1780)
- 1872 – Greyfriars Bobby, Famous dog (b. 1856)
- 1887 – Peter Donders, Dutch Roman Catholic Missionary (b. 1807)
- 1888 – Stephen Heller, Hungarian composer (b. 1813)
- 1889 – Ema Puksec, Croatian singer (b. 1834)
- 1892 – Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence, British prince (b. 1864)
- 1898 – Lewis Carroll, English writer and mathematician (b. 1832)
- 1901 – Bishop Mandell Creighton, English historian and ecclesiastic (b. 1843)
- 1901 – Charles Hermite, French mathematician (b. 1822)
- 1905 – Ernst Abbe, German physicist (b. 1840)
- 1907 – Sir James Fergusson, British politician (b. 1832)
- 1908 – Holger Drachmann, Danish poet and dramatist (b. 1846)
- 1915 – Richard Meux Benson, founder of Anglican religious order (b. 1824)
- 1920 – John Francis Dodge, American automobile pioneer (b. 1864)
- 1923 – Zübeyde Hanim, Mother of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (b. 1857)
- 1923 – Louis Richardet, Swiss sports shooter (b. 1864)
- 1934 – Ioan Cantacuzino, Romanian physician and bacteriologist (b. 1863)
- 1937 – Jaishankar Prasad, Hindi poet, dramatist and novelist (b. 1889)
- 1942 – Porfirio Barba-Jacob, Colombian writer (b. 1883)
- 1945 – Heinrich Schroth, German actor (b. 1871)
- 1949 – Joaquín Turina, Spanish composer (b. 1882)
- 1951 – Gregorios Xenopoulos, Greek novelist, journalist and playwright (b. 1867)
- 1952 – Artur Kapp, Estonian composer (b. 1878)
- 1957 – Humphrey Bogart, American actor (b. 1899)
- 1961 – Barry Fitzgerald, Irish actor (b. 1888)
- 1965 – Jeanette MacDonald, American actress and singer (b. 1903)
- 1966 – Bill Carr, American athlete (b. 1909)
- 1966 – Sergei Korolev, Russian rocket scientist (b. 1906)
- 1968 – Dorothea Mackellar, Australian poet (My Country) (b. 1885)
- 1970 – William Feller, Croatian mathematician (b. 1906)
- 1972 – Horst Assmy, German footballer (b. 1933)
- 1972 – King Frederick IX of Denmark (b. 1899)
- 1976 – Tun Abdul Razak, 2nd Prime Minister of Malaysia (b. 1922)
- 1977 – Anthony Eden, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1897)
- 1977 – Peter Finch, English-born actor (b. 1916)
- 1977 – Anaïs Nin, French author (b. 1903)
- 1978 – Harold Abrahams, British athlete (b. 1899)
- 1978 – Kurt Gödel, Austrian mathematician (b. 1906)
- 1978 – Robert Heger, German conductor and composer (b. 1886)
- 1978 – Blossom Rock, American actress (b. 1895)
- 1979 – Thomas DeSimone, gangster associate of the Lucchese crime family (b. 1950)
- 1980 – Robert Ardrey, American author (b. 1908)
- 1981 – John O'Grady, Australian writer (They're a Weird Mob) (b. 1907)
- 1984 – Ray Kroc, American fast food entrepreneur (b. 1902)
- 1986 – Daniel Balavoine, French singer (b. 1952)
- 1986 – Donna Reed, American actress (b. 1921)
- 1987 – Douglas Sirk, German-U.S. film director (b. 1900)
- 1988 – Georgy Malenkov, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party (b. 1902)
- 1990 – Mani Madhava Chakyar, Koodiyattam artist and Sanskrit scholar (b. 1899)
- 1991 – Gordon Bryant, Australian politician (b. 1914)
- 1991 – Jerry Nolan, American rock drummer (The New York Dolls) (b. 1946)
- 1995 – Sir Alexander Gibson, Scottish conductor (b. 1926)
- 1997 – Dollard Ménard, French Canadian general (b. 1913)
- 1999 – Jerzy Grotowski, Polish theatre director (b. 1933)
- 1999 – Muslimgauze, British musician (b. 1961)
- 2001 – Burkhard Heim, German physicist (b. 1925)
- 2001 – Kostas Rigopoulos, Greek actor (b. 1930)
- 2003 – Koloman Sokol, Slovak painter (b. 1902)
- 2004 – Uta Hagen, American actress (b. 1919)
- 2004 – Ron O'Neal, American actor (b. 1937)
- 2004 – Valfar, Norwegian musician (Windir) (b. 1978)
- 2005 – Charlotte MacLeod, American writer (b. 1922)
- 2005 – Conroy Maddox, English painter (b. 1912)
- 2005 – Rudolph Moshammer, German fashion designer (b. 1940)
- 2005 – Jesús-Rafael Soto, Venezuelan kinetic artist (b. 1923)
- 2006 – Henri Colpi, French film editor and director (b. 1921)
- 2006 – Jim Gary, American sculptor (b. 1939)
- 2006 – Mark Philo, English footballer (b. 1984)
- 2006 – Shelley Winters, American actress (b. 1920)
- 2007 – Darlene Conley, American actress (b. 1934)
- 2007 – Barbara Kelly, Canadian-born actress (b. 1924)
- 2007 – Robert Noortman, Dutch art-dealer (b. 1946)
- 2007 – Vassilis Photopoulos, Greek painter, film director, art director and set designer (b. 1934)
- 2008 – Judah Folkman, American medical scientist (b. 1933)
- 2009 – Jan Kaplický, British architect of Czech origin (b. 1937)
- 2009 – Ricardo Montalbán, Mexican actor (b. 1920)
- 2010 – Petra Schürmann, German model and TV announcer, Miss World 1956 (b. 1935)
- 2010 – Antonio Fontan, Spanish journalist and politician (b. 1923)
- 2011 – Peter Post, Dutch cyclist and cyclist team manager (b. 1933)
- 2012 – Txillardegi, Basque writer and politician (b. 1929)
- 2012 – Dan Evins, American businessman, founded Cracker Barrel Old Country Store (b. 1935)
- 2012 – Lasse Kolstad, Norwegian actor (b. 1922)
- 2012 – Mircea Ciumara, Romanian politician and former cabinet minister (b. 1943)
Holidays and observances
