April 6 is the 96th day of the year (97th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 269 days remaining until the end of the year.
[edit] Events
- 46 BC – Julius Caesar defeats Caecilius Metellus Scipio and Marcus Porcius Cato (Cato the Younger) in the battle of Thapsus.
- 402 – Stilicho stymies the Visigoths under Alaric in the Battle of Pollentia.
- 1199 – King Richard I of England dies from an infection following the removal of an arrow from his shoulder.
- 1250 – Seventh Crusade: Ayyubids of Egypt capture King Louis IX of France in the Battle of Fariskur.
- 1320 – The Scots reaffirm their independence by signing the Declaration of Arbroath.
- 1327 – The poet Petrarch first sees his idealized love, Laura, in the church of Saint Clare in Avignon.
- 1385 – John, Master of the Order of Aviz, is made king John I of Portugal.
- 1453 – Mehmed II begins his siege of Constantinople (Istanbul), which falls on May 29.
- 1580 – One of the largest earthquakes recorded in the history of England, Flanders, or Northern France, takes place.
- 1652 – At the Cape of Good Hope, Dutch sailor Jan van Riebeeck establishes a resupply camp that eventually becomes Cape Town.
- 1667 – An earthquake devastates Dubrovnik, then an independent city-state.
- 1776 – American Revolutionary War: Ships of the Continental Navy fail in their attempt to capture a Royal Navy dispatch boat.
- 1782 – King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke (Rama I) of Siam (modern day Thailand) founded the Chakri dynasty.
- 1793 – During the French Revolution, the Committee of Public Safety becomes the executive organ of the republic.
- 1808 – John Jacob Astor incorporates the American Fur Company, that would eventually make him America's first millionaire.
- 1812 – British forces under the command of the Duke of Wellington assault the fortress of Badajoz. This would be the turning point in the Peninsular War against Napoleon-led France.
- 1814 – Nominal beginning of the Bourbon Restoration; anniversary date that Napoleon abdicates and is exiled to Elba.
- 1830 – The Church of Christ, the original church of the Latter Day Saint movement, is organized by Joseph Smith, Jr. and others at Fayette or Manchester, New York.
- 1860 – The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints—later renamed Community of Christ—is organized by Joseph Smith III and others at Amboy, Illinois
- 1861 – First performance of Arthur Sullivan's debut success, his suite of incidental music for The Tempest, leading to a career that included the famous Gilbert and Sullivan operas.
- 1862 – American Civil War: The Battle of Shiloh begins – in Tennessee, forces under Union General Ulysses S. Grant meet Confederate troops led by General Albert Sidney Johnston.
- 1865 – American Civil War: The Battle of Sayler's Creek – Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia fights its last major battle while in retreat from Richmond, Virginia.
- 1866 – The Grand Army of the Republic, an American patriotic organization composed of Union veterans of the American Civil War, is founded. It lasts until 1956.
- 1869 – Celluloid is patented.
- 1888 – Thomas Green Clemson dies, bequeathing his estate to the State of South Carolina to establish Clemson Agricultural College.
- 1893 – Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is dedicated by Wilford Woodruff.
- 1895 – Oscar Wilde is arrested in the Cadogan Hotel, London after losing a libel case against the Marquess of Queensberry.
- 1896 – In Athens, the opening of the first modern Olympic Games is celebrated, 1,500 years after the original games are banned by Roman Emperor Theodosius I.
- 1903 – The Kishinev pogrom in Kishinev (Bessarabia) begins, forcing tens of thousands of Jews to later seek refuge in Israel and the Western world.
- 1909 – Robert Peary and Matthew Henson reach the North Pole.
- 1911 – During the Battle of Deçiq, Dedë Gjon Luli Dedvukaj, leader of the Malësori Albanians, raises the Albanian flag in the town of Tuzi, Montenegro, for the first time after George Kastrioti (Skenderbeg).
- 1917 – World War I: The United States declares war on Germany (see President Woodrow Wilson's address to Congress).
- 1919 – Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi orders a general strike.
- 1923 – The first Prefects Board in Southeast Asia is formed in Victoria Institution, Malaysia.
- 1926 – Varney Airlines makes its first commercial flight (Varney is the root company of United Airlines).
- 1929 – Huey P. Long Governor of Louisiana is impeached by the Louisiana House of Representatives.
- 1930 – Gandhi raises a lump of mud and salt and declares, "With this, I am shaking the foundations of the British Empire." beginning the Salt Satyagraha.
- 1936 – Tupelo-Gainesville tornado outbreak: Another tornado from the same storm system as the Tupelo tornado hits Gainesville, Georgia, killing 203.
- 1941 – World War II: Nazi Germany launches Operation 25 (the invasion of Kingdom of Yugoslavia) and Operation Marita (the invasion of Greece).
- 1945 – World War II: Sarajevo is liberated from German and Croatian forces by the Yugoslav Partisans.
- 1945 – World War II: the Battle of Slater's Knoll on Bougainville comes to an end.
- 1947 – The first Tony Awards are presented for theatrical achievement.
- 1957 – Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis buys the Hellenic National Airlines (TAE) and founds Olympic Airlines.
- 1962 – Leonard Bernstein causes controversy with his remarks from the podium during a New York Philharmonic concert featuring Glenn Gould performing Brahms' First Piano Concerto.
- 1965 – Launch of Early Bird, the first communications satellite to be placed in geosynchronous orbit.
- 1965 – The British Government announces the cancellation of the TSR-2 aircraft project.
- 1968 – In Richmond, Indiana's downtown district, a double explosion kills 41 and injures 150.
- 1968 – Pierre Elliot Trudeau wins the Liberal Leadership Election, and becomes Prime Minister of Canada soon after.
- 1970 – Newhall Incident: Four California Highway Patrol officers are killed in a shootout.
- 1972 – Vietnam War: Easter Offensive – American forces begin sustained air strikes and naval bombardments.
- 1973 – Launch of Pioneer 11 spacecraft.
- 1973 – The American League of Major League Baseball begins using the designated hitter.
- 1982 – Estonian Communist Party bureau declares "fight against bourgeois TV"—meaning Finnish TV—a top priority of the propagandists of Estonian SSR
- 1984 – Members of Cameroon's Republican Guard unsuccessfully attempt to overthrow the government headed by Paul Biya.
- 1994 – The Rwandan Genocide begins when the aircraft carrying Rwandan president Juvénal Habyarimana and Burundian president Cyprien Ntaryamira is shot down.
- 1998 – Pakistan tests medium-range missiles capable of reaching India.
- 1998 – Travelers Group announces an agreement to undertake the $76 billion merger between Travelers and Citicorp, and the merger is completed on October 8, of that year, forming Citibank.
- 2004 – Rolandas Paksas becomes the first president of Lithuania to be peacefully removed from office by impeachment.
- 2005 – Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani becomes Iraqi president; Shiite Arab Ibrahim al-Jaafari is named premier the next day.
- 2008 – 2008 Egyptian general strike starts led by Egyptian workers later to be adopted by April 6 Youth Movement and Egyptian activities .
- 2009 – A 6.3 magnitude earthquake strikes near L'Aquila, Italy, killing 307.
- 2010 – Maoist rebels kill 76 CRPF officers in Dantewada district, India.
- 2011 – In San Fernando, Tamaulipas, Mexico, over 193 bodies were exhumed from several mass graves made by Los Zetas.
- 2012 – The Independent State of Azawad is declared.
[edit] Births
- 1483 – Raphael, Italian painter and architect (d. 1520)
- 1613 – Stjepan Gradić, Croatian philosopher and scientist (d. 1683)
- 1632 – Maria Leopoldine of Austria, Holy Roman Empire Empress (d. 1649)
- 1651 – André Dacier, French scholar (d. 1722)
- 1660 – Johann Kuhnau, German composer, organist and harpsichordist (d. 1722)
- 1664 – Arvid Horn, Swedish statesman (d. 1742)
- 1671 – Jean-Baptiste Rousseau, French poet (d. 1741)
- 1672 – André Cardinal Destouches, French composer (d. 1749)
- 1706 – Louis de Cahusac, French playwright and librettist, and Freemason (d. 1759)
- 1708 – Georg Reutter II, Austrian composer (d. 1772)
- 1725 – Pasquale Paoli, Corsican patriot and military leader (d. 1807)
- 1741 – Nicolas Chamfort, French writer (d. 1794)
- 1766 – Wilhelm von Kobell, German painter and printmaker (d. 1853)
- 1773 – James Mill, Scottish philosopher and historian (d. 1836)
- 1810 – Philip Henry Gosse, English naturalist (d. 1888)
- 1812 – Alexander Herzen, Russian writer (d. 1870)
- 1815 – Robert Volkmann, German composer (d. 1883)
- 1818 – Aasmund Olavsson Vinje, Norwegian poet (d. 1870)
- 1820 – Nadar, French photographer, caricaturist, journalist, novelist and balloonist (d. 1910)
- 1823 – Joseph Medill, American editor, publisher, and politician (d. 1899)
- 1826 – Gustave Moreau, French painter (d. 1898)
- 1841 – Karl Binding, German jurist (d. 1920)
- 1849 – John William Waterhouse, British painter (d. 1917)
- 1851 – Guillaume Bigourdan, French astronomer (d. 1932)
- 1861 – Stanislas de Guaita, French occultist (d. 1897)
- 1864 – William Bate Hardy, British biochemist (d. 1934)
- 1866 – Felix-Raymond-Marie Rouleau, Canadian cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church (d. 1931)
- 1869 – Levon Shant, Armenian playwright, novelist and poet (d. 1951)
- 1871 – Prince Alexander John of Wales (d. 1871)
- 1878 – Erich Mühsam, German author (d. 1934)
- 1884 – Walter Huston, Canadian actor (d. 1950)
- 1886 – Athenagoras I, Greek religious leader, 268th Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople (d. 1972)
- 1886 – Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII, Nizam of Hyderabad state (d. 1967)
- 1886 – Walter Edward Dandy, American neurosurgeon and scientist (d. 1946)
- 1888 – Hans Richter, Swiss painter, filmmaker, and graphic artist (d. 1976)
- 1888 – Gerhard Ritter, German historian (d. 1967)
- 1890 – Anthony Fokker, Dutch aviation engineer (d. 1939)
- 1892 – Donald Wills Douglas, Sr., American aviation industrialist (d. 1981)
- 1892 – Lowell Thomas, American writer (d. 1981)
- 1894 – Gertrude Baines, American super-centenarian (d. 2009)
- 1895 – Dudley Nichols, American screenwriter (d. 1960)
- 1898 – Jeanne Hébuterne, French artist, the wife of Amedeo Modigliani (d. 1920)
- 1900 – Leo Robin, American songwriter and composer (d. 1984)
- 1901 – Pier Giorgio Frassati, Italian Catholic activist (d. 1925)
- 1902 – Veniamin Kaverin, Russian writer (d. 1989)
- 1902 – Julien Torma, French writer, playwright and poet (d. 1933)
- 1903 – Mickey Cochrane, American baseball player (d. 1962)
- 1903 – Harold Edgerton, American electrical engineer (d. 1990)
- 1904 – Kurt Kiesinger, German politician (d. 1988)
- 1908 – Marcel-Marie Desmarais, Quebec writer, preacher and broadcaster (d. 1994)
- 1909 – William M. Branham, American evangelist (d. 1965)
- 1909 – Hermann Lang, German race car driver (d. 1987)
- 1911 – Feodor Felix Konrad Lynen, German biochemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1979)
- 1913 – Shannon Boyd-Bailey McCune, American geographer (d. 1993)
- 1915 – Tadeusz Kantor, Polish painter, set designer and theater director (d. 1990)
- 1916 – Phil Leeds, American actor (d.1998)
- 1916 – Vincent Ellis McKelvey, American geologist (d. 1987)
- 1917 – Leonora Carrington, British surrealist painter (d. 2011)
- 1918 – Alfredo Ovando Candía, Bolivian president (d. 1982)
- 1919 – Georgios Mylonas, Greek politician (d. 1998)
- 1920 – Jack Cover, American inventor of the Taser gun (d. 2009)
- 1920 – Edmond H. Fischer, Swiss-American biochemist, Nobel laureate
- 1926 – Sergio Franchi, Italian singer and actor (d. 1990)
- 1926 – Gil Kane, Latvian cartoonist (d. 2000)
- 1926 – Ian Paisley, Northern Irish politician
- 1927 – Gerry Mulligan, American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, composer, and arranger (d. 1996)
- 1928 – James D. Watson, American geneticist, Nobel laureate
- 1929 – Willis Hall, English playwright and writer (d. 2005)
- 1929 – Joi Lansing, American model and actress (d. 1972)
- 1929 – André Previn, German composer and conductor
- 1931 – Baba Ram Dass, American Hindu spiritual teacher
- 1931 – Ivan Dixon, American actor and director (d. 2008)
- 1932 – Helmut Griem, German actor (d. 2004)
- 1933 – Roy Goode, British lawyer
- 1933 – Eduardo Malapit, American politician (d. 2007)
- 1934 – Enrique Álvarez Félix, Mexican actor (d. 1996)
- 1934 – Anton Geesink, Dutch judoka (d. 2010)
- 1934 – Guy Peellaert, Belgian artist and photographer (d. 2008)
- 1935 – Douglas Hill, Canadian writer (d. 2007)
- 1936 – Helen Berman, Dutch-Israeli artist
- 1937 – Merle Haggard, American singer-songwriter and musician
- 1937 – Peter Maivia, Samoan wrestler (d. 1982)
- 1937 – Billy Dee Williams, American actor
- 1938 – Paul Daniels, English magician
- 1938 – Roy Thinnes, American actor
- 1939 – André Ouellet, French-Canadian politician
- 1940 – Homero Aridjis, Mexican writer and diplomat
- 1940 – Pedro Armendáriz Jr., Mexican actor
- 1941 – Phil Austin, American comedian
- 1941 – Hans W. Geissendörfer, German director
- 1941 – Don "The Snake" Prudhomme, American drag racer
- 1941 – Gheorghe Zamfir, Romanian musician
- 1942 – Barry Levinson, American producer and director
- 1944 – Felicity Palmer, English soprano
- 1945 – Neal Boortz, American radio personality
- 1947 – John Ratzenberger, American actor
- 1947 – Mike Worboys, British mathematician
- 1948 – Patrika Darbo, American actress
- 1949 – Patrick Hernandez, French singer and songwriter
- 1949 – Horst Ludwig Störmer, German physicist, Nobel laureate
- 1950 – Cleo Odzer, American writer
- 1951 – Bert Blyleven, Dutch baseball player
- 1952 – Udo Dirkschneider, German singer (Accept and U.D.O.)
- 1952 – Marilu Henner, American actress
- 1952 – Michel Larocque, Canadian hockey player (d. 1992)
- 1953 – Christopher Franke, German musician and composer (Tangerine Dream)
- 1955 – Rob Epstein, American filmmaker and journalist
- 1955 – Keith Hunter Jesperson, Canadian serial killer
- 1955 – Cathy Jones, Canadian comedian
- 1955 – Blind Mississippi Morris, American blues musician
- 1955 – Michael Rooker, American actor
- 1956 – Sebastian Spreng, Argentinean artist and journalist
- 1956 – Dilip Vengsarkar, Indian cricketer and administrator
- 1957 – Jaroslava Maxova, Czech soprano and vocal coach
- 1957 – Paolo Nespoli, Italian astronaut
- 1959 – Gail Shea, Canadian politician
- 1960 – Batem, French comic book artist
- 1960 – Warren Haynes, American guitarist and songwriter (The Allman Brothers Band, Gov't Mule, and The Dead)
- 1960 – John Pizzarelli, American jazz guitarist, songwriter, singer and bandleader
- 1961 – Rory Bremner, Scottish comedian
- 1962 – Iris Häussler, German artist
- 1963 – Rafael Correa, Ecuadorian politician, President of Ecuador
- 1964 – Phil Gayle, English news anchor
- 1965 – Frank Black, American singer-songwriter (Pixies, Frank Black and the Catholics, and Grand Duchy)
- 1965 – Sterling Sharpe, American football player
- 1965 – Lieve Slegers, Belgian athlete
- 1966 – Young Man Kang, Korean director
- 1967 – Jonathan Firth, British actor
- 1967 – Mika Koivuniemi, Finnish bowler
- 1968 – Affonso Giaffone, Brazilian race car driver
- 1968 – Vanessa Lann, American composer
- 1969 – Bret Boone, American baseball player
- 1969 – Jack Canfora, American playwright
- 1969 – Bison Dele, American basketball player (d. 2002)
- 1969 – Ari Meyers, Puerto Rican actress
- 1969 – Philipp Peter, Austrian race car driver
- 1969 – Paul Rudd, American actor
- 1969 – Louie Spence, English dancer and choreographer
- 1969 – Spencer Wells, American geneticist and anthropologist
- 1970 – Olaf Kölzig, African-German hockey player
- 1970 – Roy Mayorga, American drummer (Stone Sour, Soulfly, Amebix, Black President, and Nausea)
- 1970 – Huang Xiaomin, Chinese swimmer
- 1971 – Lou Merloni, American baseball player
- 1971 – Sanjay Suri, Indian actor and model
- 1972 – Scott Martin Brooks, American actor
- 1972 – Chad Eaton, American football player
- 1972 – Jason Hervey, American actor
- 1972 – Ami James, Israeli-American tattoo artist
- 1972 – Anders Thomas Jensen, Danish screenwriter and director
- 1972 – Dickey Simpkins, American basketball player
- 1972 – Jo Van Daele, Belgian discus thrower
- 1973 – Donnie Edwards, American football player
- 1973 – Randall Godfrey, American football player
- 1973 – Joe Machine, English artist, poet and writer
- 1973 – Rie Miyazawa, Japanese actress and model
- 1973 – Sun Wen, Chinese footballer
- 1974 – Camilla Dallerup, British-Danish dancer, teacher, and model
- 1974 – Érica García, Argentinian-American composer, singer, and actress (Fool's Gold)
- 1974 – Robert Kovač, Croatian footballer
- 1974 – Jeff Tymoschuk, Canadian composer
- 1974 – Gina Yashere, English comedian
- 1975 – Zach Braff, American actor
- 1975 – Hal Gill, American hockey player
- 1975 – Damon Pampolina, American musician and actor (The Party)
- 1975 – Joel West, American actor and model
- 1976 – Candace Cameron Bure, American actress
- 1976 – James Fox, Welsh singer-songwriter, and actor
- 1976 – Chris Hoke, American football player
- 1976 – Georg Hólm, Icelandic bassist (Sigur Rós)
- 1976 – Markku Lappalainen, American bass player (Hoobastank)
- 1976 – Hirotada Ototake, Japanese writer
- 1977 – Gabriela Cano, Mexican actress
- 1977 – Ville Nieminen, Finnish hockey player
- 1977 – Andy Phillips, American baseball player
- 1977 – Teddy Sears, American actor
- 1978 – Tim Hasselbeck, American football player
- 1978 – Myleene Klass, British singer, pianist, and model (Hear’Say)
- 1978 – Martin Mendez, Uruguayan bassist (Opeth)
- 1978 – Blaine Neal, American baseball player
- 1978 – Igor Semshov, Russian footballer
- 1978 – Kendra Todd, American real estate agent and author
- 1979 – Sam Atwell, Australian actor
- 1979 – Christine Smith, American model and actress
- 1979 – Lord Frederick Windsor, British financial analyst
- 1980 – Matthew Carey, American actor
- 1980 – Tommi Evilä, Finnish long jumper
- 1980 – Tanja Poutiainen, Finnish ski racer
- 1981 – Robert Earnshaw, Zambian-Welsh footballer
- 1981 – Jeff Faine, American football player and agent
- 1981 – Kari Jobe, American singer and songwriter (Gateway Worship)
- 1981 – Alex Suarez, American bassist (Cobra Starship and This Is Ivy League)
- 1982 – Alana Austin, American actress
- 1982 – Sofia Boutella, Algerian-French dancer and actress
- 1982 – Michael Guy Chislett, Australian-American guitarist (The Academy Is... and Hillsong United)
- 1982 – Herculez Gomez, American soccer player
- 1982 – Ilan Hall, American chef
- 1982 – Bret Harrison, American actor
- 1982 – Travis Moen, Canadian hockey player
- 1982 – Miguel Ángel Silvestre, Spanish actor
- 1983 – Diora Baird, American actress and model
- 1983 – Mehdi Ballouchy, Moroccan footballer
- 1983 – Eliza Coupe, American actress
- 1983 – Jerome Kaino, New Zealand rugby player
- 1983 – Mitsuru Nagata, Japanese footballer
- 1983 – Remi Nicole, English singer-songwriter and actress
- 1983 – Jade Seah, Singaporean model and actress
- 1983 – Dash Shaw, American writer and artist
- 1983 – Bobbi Starr, American porn actress
- 1983 – James Wade, English darts player
- 1983 – Katie Weatherston, Canadian hockey player
- 1984 – Max Bemis, American singer, musician, and songwriter (Say Anything, Two Tongues, and Max Bemis and the Painful Splits)
- 1984 – Siboniso Gaxa, South African footballer
- 1985 – Clarke MacArthur, Canadian hockey player
- 1985 – Al Mukadam, Canadian director, producer, screenwriter and actor
- 1985 – Frank Ongfiang, Italian footballer
- 1986 – Nikolas Asprogenis, Cypriot footballer
- 1986 – Aaron Curry, American football player
- 1986 – Ryota Moriwaki, Japanese footballer
- 1986 – Tara Osseck, American model, Miss Missouri 2009
- 1987 – Levi Porter, English footballer
- 1987 – Hilary Rhoda, American model
- 1988 – Leigh Adams, Australian footballer
- 1988 – Mike Bailey, English actor and singer
- 1988 – Melisa Cantiveros, Filipina actress, comedienne, and television personality
- 1988 – Daniele Gasparetto, Italian footballer
- 1988 – Carlton Mitchell, American football player
- 1988 – Fabrice Muamba, Congolese-English footballer
- 1988 – Ivonne Orsini, Puerto Rician actress and model
- 1988 – Jucilei da Silva, Brazilian footballer
- 1990 – Charlie McDermott, American actor
- 1990 – Natalya Milnichenko, Russian guitarist and singer (Ranetki Girls)
- 1990 – Kyle Swann, American actor
- 1995 – Ryutaro Morimoto, Japanese actor and singer (Hey! Say! JUMP)
- 1998 – Lily Jackson, American actress
- 1998 – Peyton Roi List, American actress and model
- 1998 – Spencer List, American actor
- 1999 – Kwesi Boakye, American actor
[edit] Deaths
- 885 – Saint Methodius (b. c. 815)
- 1147 – Frederick II, Duke of Swabia (b. 1090)
- 1199 – Richard I of England (b. 1157)
- 1199 – Pierre Basile, French soldier
- 1362 – James I, Count of La Marche, French soldier (b. 1319)
- 1490 – Matthias Corvinus of Hungary (b. 1443)
- 1520 – Raphael, Italian painter and architect (b. 1483)
- 1528 – Albrecht Dürer, German artist (b. 1471)
- 1551 – Joachim Vadian, Swiss humanist (b. 1484)
- 1571 – John Hamilton, Scottish prelate and politician
- 1590 – Francis Walsingham, English spymaster
- 1605 – John Stow, English historian
- 1655 – David Blondel, French Protestant clergyman (b. 1591)
- 1686 – Arthur Annesley, 1st Earl of Anglesey, English statesman (b. 1614)
- 1707 – Willem van de Velde, the younger, Dutch painter (b. 1633)
- 1755 – Richard Rawlinson, English minister and antiquarian (b. 1690)
- 1825 – Vladimir Borovikovsky, Russian painter (b. 1757)
- 1829 – Niels Henrik Abel, Norwegian mathematician (b. 1802)
- 1833 – Adamantios Korais, Greek scholar (b. 1748)
- 1838 – José Bonifácio de Andrade e Silva, Brazilian statesman and geologist (b. 1763)
- 1862 – Albert Sidney Johnston, American Confederate general (b. 1803)
- 1883 – Benjamin Wright Raymond, American politician (b. 1801)
- 1899 – Alvan Wentworth Chapman, American physician and botanist (b. 1809)
- 1906 – Alexander Kielland, Norwegian author (b. 1849)
- 1933 – Elizabeth Bacon Custer, American author, wife of George Armstrong Custer (b. 1842)
- 1935 – Edwin Arlington Robinson, American poet (b. 1869)
- 1947 – Herbert Backe, German politician (b. 1896)
- 1953 – Idris Davies, Welsh poet (b. 1905)
- 1959 – Leo Aryeh Mayer, Israeli professor and scholar (b. 1895)
- 1961 – Jules Bordet, Belgian immunologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1870)
- 1963 – Otto Struve, Russian astronomer (b. 1897)
- 1970 – Sam Sheppard, American physician and neurosurgeon (b. 1923)
- 1970 – Maurice Stokes, American basketball player (b. 1933)
- 1971 – Igor Stravinsky, Russian composer (b. 1882)
- 1974 – Willem Marinus Dudok, Dutch architect (b. 1884)
- 1974 – Sir Hudson Fysh, Australian aviator and businessman (b. 1895)
- 1976 – Sidney Franklin, American bullfighter (b. 1903)
- 1979 – Ivan Vasilyov, Bulgarian architect (b. 1893)
- 1984 – Ral Donner, American singer and musician (b. 1943)
- 1992 – Isaac Asimov, Russian author (b. 1920)
- 1994 – Juvénal Habyarimana, Rwandan politician (b. 1937)
- 1994 – Cyprien Ntaryamira, Burundian politician (b. 1956)
- 1995 – Ioannis Alevras, Greek politician (b. 1912)
- 1996 – Greer Garson, Irish actress (b. 1904)
- 1998 – Norbert Schmitz, German footballer (b. 1958)
- 1998 – Wendy O. Williams, American singer (Plasmatics) (b. 1949)
- 1998 – Tammy Wynette, American singer-songwriter (b. 1942)
- 1999 – Red Norvo, American jazz vibraphonist (b. 1908)
- 2000 – Habib Bourguiba, Tunisian politician (b. 1903)
- 2001 – Charles Pettigrew, American singer (Charles & Eddie) (b. 1963)
- 2003 – David Bloom, American reporter (b. 1963)
- 2003 – Babatunde Olatunji, Nigerian drummer, educator, and activist (b. 1927)
- 2003 – Gerald Emmett Carter, Canadian cardinal (b. 1912)
- 2004 – Larisa Bogoraz, Soviet activist (b. 1929)
- 2004 – Niki Sullivan, American guitarist (The Crickets) (b. 1937)
- 2005 – Rainier III, Prince of Monaco (b. 1923)
- 2006 – Maggie Dixon, American basketball coach (b. 1977)
- 2006 – Francis L. Kellogg, American diplomat (b. 1917)
- 2006 – Stefanos Stratigos, Greek actor (b. 1926)
- 2007 – Luigi Comencini, Italian director (b. 1916)
- 2009 – J.M.S. Careless, Canadian historian (b. 1919)
- 2009 – Shawn Mackay, Australian rugby player (b. 1982)
- 2010 – Wilma Mankiller, Native-American activist, chief of the Cherokee Nation (b. 1945)
- 2010 – Corin Redgrave, British actor and political activist (b. 1939)
- 2012 – Thomas Kinkade, American painter (b. 1958)
[edit] Holidays and observances
[edit] External links
