On This Day in History

May 21

May 21 is the 141st day of the year (142nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. 224 days remain until the end of the year.

Lottery News On This Day

2021
NC man almost chokes on his food after winning $150,000 jackpot. Winning the lottery certainly came as a shock for a North Carolina man, who nearly choked on his meal after playing a scratch-off ticket over dinner.
2017
Critic calls a Mississippi lottery 'new tax' and 'false hope'. The vice president for policy at the Mississippi Center for Public Policy writes an anti-lottery column, and illustrates how lottery opponents feel they should be able to decide how you live your life, the type of entertainment you should be allowed to enjoy, and how you should spend your money.
2016
Audit: Illinois Lottery broke law to get around budget impasse. Eleven months ago, just as the state budget impasse was about to take hold, the Illinois Lottery violated state finance law by prepaying $20 million to take part in future multi-state lottery games, according to an Auditor General's report.
2014
Pennsylvania has its first Mega Millions lottery winner. Someone who bought a multi-state Mega Millions lottery ticket in Pennsylvania is millions of dollars richer.
2012
8 lottery scam suspects arrested in Jamaica. Eight people accused of defrauding U.S. citizens through a multinational lottery scam were arrested during raids of several homes on a single street in Jamaica's capital, police announced Thursday.
2010
Woman takes Fla. Lottery to court for ticket misprint. A Florida woman is suing the state lottery for $500,000, claiming Florida's lottery officials are refusing to honor a scratch-off ticket because of a printing error.
2009
Mega Millions lottery winner proved his wife wrong. A retired New York Air Brake worker won $250,000, proving his doubting wife wrong, when he nailed five out of six numbers Tuesday in the Mega Millions lottery.
2008
Contract controversy reveals D.C. Lottery's tangled roots. The battle for the Washington, D.C. lottery contract has been nasty and aggressive, a contest complete with accusations of bias and incompetence.
2008
Man claims $16M Florida Lotto prize. A Bradenton, Florida, man Monday stepped forward to claim his winnings for a $16 million lottery ticket, which was $10 million higher than the base jackpot, thanks to a new Florida Lotto feature.
2008
Lottery-winning couple's White Sox love story. Alex Snelius is synonomous with White Sox home runs. Every time they go yard, he donates $100 dollars in memory of his wife, Ursula, who was a huge Sox fan.
2007
Mom finds $10, buys $1M lottery ticket. A single mother bought what turned out to a $1 million winning lottery ticket with a $10 bill she found in the store Friday.
2004
UK Lottery funds digital movie projection. The UK Film Council has been awarded _19.25m (£13m, US$23.14m) by the UK National Lottery to furnish some 150 cinemas across Britain with digital projectors in an effort to increase the viewership of independent films.
2004
Can you beat the odds to win the Powerball jackpot?. If you've played the Powerball drawings and lost, would you like to improve your odds of winning the multi-million dollar jackpot? The head of the University of Tennessee's math department explains whether it's possible to beat the odds.
2004
Lotto winner sits on lucky ticket for weeks. A Newark, Ohio man cashed in on a Mega Millions ticket for a cool $175,000, after the winning ticket sat idly in his car for nearly a month.
2004
Lotto prediction comes true for Kentucky couple. After signing to purchase a new home Friday, Pati and Stephen Kohl said they would have to win the lottery to make ends meet. The next day, they did just that.
2004
Tennessee Lottery To Fully Fund Scholarships. The Tennessee Education Lottery today celebrates its four-month anniversary with "higher-than projected revenues and an optimistic outlook for its next transfer to the Tennessee Lottery for Education fund scheduled for July 15."
2004
Stolen lottery tickets land pair in jail. Two Kentucky men are accused of stealing more than $10,000 in lottery tickets and were arrested after trying to cash some of the winning ones, law enforcement officials said.

Top 25 Lottery Jackpots On This Day

1.$516 Million
Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
May 21, 2021
2.$367 Million
Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
May 21, 2019
3.$298 Million
Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
May 22, 2020
4.$288 Million
Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
May 22, 2019
5.$250 Million
Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
May 24, 2017
6.$219.9 Million
Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
May 22, 2021
7.€207.72 Million
US$219.31 Million
Draw Date
May 21, 2022
8.$203 Million
Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
May 24, 2016
9.$194 Million
Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
May 22, 2015
10.$192 Million
Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
May 23, 2009
11.€156.29 Million
US$190.37 Million
Draw Date
May 22, 2021
12.$178.7 Million
Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
May 22, 2023
13.€155.5 Million
US$173.51 Million
Draw Date
May 21, 2019
14.$170 Million
Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
May 22, 2010
15.$155 Million
Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
May 21, 2005
16.$150 Million
Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
May 23, 2023
17.$143 Million
Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
May 24, 2022
18.$138 Million
Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
May 23, 2015
19.€116 Million
US$130.06 Million
Multi-Country
Euro Millions
Draw Date
May 23, 2017
20.$120 Million
Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
May 21, 2011
21.$117.3 Million
Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
May 21, 2022
22.$114 Million
Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
May 21, 2014
23.$110 Million
Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
May 23, 2012
24.€90 Million
US$105.08 Million
Multi-Country
EuroJackpot
Draw Date
May 25, 2018
25.$104 Million
Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
May 23, 2020

Lottery Post Member Birthdays On This Day

1990
Monday, May 21, 1990
33 years old
1985
Tuesday, May 21, 1985
38 years old
1985
Tuesday, May 21, 1985
38 years old
1983
Saturday, May 21, 1983
40 years old
1979
Monday, May 21, 1979
44 years old
1974
Tuesday, May 21, 1974
49 years old
1966
Saturday, May 21, 1966
57 years old
1964
Thursday, May 21, 1964
59 years old
1962
Monday, May 21, 1962
61 years old
1959
Thursday, May 21, 1959
64 years old
1959
Thursday, May 21, 1959
64 years old
1959
Thursday, May 21, 1959
64 years old
1957
Tuesday, May 21, 1957
66 years old
1955
Saturday, May 21, 1955
68 years old
1954
Friday, May 21, 1954
69 years old
1952
Wednesday, May 21, 1952
71 years old
1948
Friday, May 21, 1948
75 years old
1948
Friday, May 21, 1948
75 years old
1947
Wednesday, May 21, 1947
76 years old
1941
Wednesday, May 21, 1941
82 years old
(year not provided)
(year not provided)

Worldwide Events On This Day

2017
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus performed their final show at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
2014
Random killings occurred on the Bannan Line of the Taipei MRT, killing four and injuring 24.
2012
A bus accident near Himara, Albania kills 13 people and injures 21 others.
2012
A suicide bombing kills more than 120 people in Sana'a, Yemen.
2011
Radio broadcaster Harold Camping predicted that the world would end on this date.
2010
JAXA, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, launches the solar-sail spacecraft IKAROS aboard an H-IIA rocket. The vessel would make a Venus flyby late in the year.
2006
The Republic of Montenegro holds a referendum proposing independence from the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro; 55% of Montenegrins vote for independence.
2005
The tallest roller coaster in the world, Kingda Ka opens at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township, New Jersey.
2003
The 6.8 Mw Boumerdès earthquake shakes northern Algeria with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme). More than 2,200 people were killed and a moderate tsunami sank boats at the Balearic Islands.
2001
French Taubira law is enacted, officially recognizing the Atlantic slave trade and slavery as crimes against humanity.
2000
Nineteen people are killed in a plane crash in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
1998
In Miami, five abortion clinics are attacked by a butyric acid attacker.
1998
President Suharto of Indonesia resigns following the killing of students from Trisakti University earlier that week by security forces and growing mass protests in Jakarta against his ongoing corrupt rule.
1996
The ferry MV Bukoba sinks in Tanzanian waters on Lake Victoria, killing nearly 1,000.
1994
The Democratic Republic of Yemen unsuccessfully attempts to secede from the Republic of Yemen; a war breaks out.
1992
After 30 seasons Johnny Carson hosted his penultimate episode and last featuring guests (Robin Williams and Bette Midler) of The Tonight Show.
1991
Former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi is assassinated by a female suicide bomber near Madras.
1991
Mengistu Haile Mariam, president of the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, flees Ethiopia, effectively bringing the Ethiopian Civil War to an end.
1988
Margaret Thatcher holds her controversial Sermon on the Mound before the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.
1982
Falklands War: A British amphibious assault during Operation Sutton leads to the Battle of San Carlos.
1981
The Italian government releases the membership list of Propaganda Due, an illegal pseudo-Masonic lodge that was implicated in numerous Italian crimes and mysteries.
1981
Transamerica Corporation agrees to sell United Artists to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer for $380 million after the box office failure of the 1980 film Heaven's Gate.
1979
White Night riots in San Francisco following the manslaughter conviction of Dan White for the assassinations of George Moscone and Harvey Milk.
1976
Twenty-nine people are killed in the Yuba City bus disaster in Martinez, California.
1972
Michelangelo's Pietà in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome is damaged by a vandal, the mentally disturbed Hungarian geologist Laszlo Toth.
1969
Civil unrest in Rosario, Argentina, known as Rosariazo, following the death of a 15-year-old student.
1966
The Ulster Volunteer Force declares war on the Irish Republican Army in Northern Ireland.
1961
American civil rights movement: Alabama Governor John Malcolm Patterson declares martial law in an attempt to restore order after race riots break out.
1951
The opening of the Ninth Street Show, otherwise known as the 9th Street Art Exhibition: A gathering of a number of notable artists, and the stepping-out of the post war New York avant-garde, collectively known as the New York School.
1946
Physicist Louis Slotin is fatally irradiated in a criticality incident during an experiment with the demon core at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
1939
The Canadian National War Memorial is unveiled by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
1937
A Soviet station, North Pole-1, becomes the first scientific research settlement to operate on the drift ice of the Arctic Ocean.
1936
Sada Abe is arrested after wandering the streets of Tokyo for days with her dead lover's severed genitals in her handbag. Her story soon becomes one of Japan's most notorious scandals.
1934
Oskaloosa, Iowa, becomes the first municipality in the United States to fingerprint all of its citizens.
1932
Bad weather forces Amelia Earhart to land in a pasture in Derry, Northern Ireland, and she thereby becomes the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
1927
Charles Lindbergh touches down at Le Bourget Field in Paris, completing the world's first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean.
1924
University of Chicago students Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold, Jr. murder 14-year-old Bobby Franks in a "thrill killing".
1917
The Imperial War Graves Commission is established through royal charter to mark, record, and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of the British Empire's military forces.
1917
The Great Atlanta fire of 1917 causes $5.5 million in damages, destroying some 300 acres including 2,000 homes, businesses and churches, displacing about 10,000 people but leading to only one fatality (due to heart attack).
1911
President of Mexico Porfirio Díaz and the revolutionary Francisco Madero sign the Treaty of Ciudad Juárez to put an end to the fighting between the forces of both men, concluding the initial phase of the Mexican Revolution.
1904
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) is founded in Paris.
1894
The Manchester Ship Canal in the United Kingdom is officially opened by Queen Victoria, who later knights its designer Sir Edward Leader Williams.
1881
The American Red Cross is established by Clara Barton in Washington, D.C.
1879
War of the Pacific: Two Chilean ships blocking the harbor of Iquique (then belonging to Peru) battle two Peruvian vessels in the Battle of Iquique.
1871
French troops invade the Paris Commune and engage its residents in street fighting. By the close of "Bloody Week", some 20,000 communards have been killed and 38,000 arrested.
1871
Opening of the first rack railway in Europe, the Rigi Bahnen on Mount Rigi.
1864
Russia declares an end to the Russo-Circassian War and many Circassians are forced into exile. The day is designated the Circassian Day of Mourning.
1864
American Civil War: The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House ends.
1864
The Ionian Islands reunite with Greece.
1863
American Civil War: The Union Army succeeds in closing off the last escape route from Port Hudson, Louisiana, in preparation for the coming siege.
1856
Lawrence, Kansas is captured and burned by pro-slavery forces.
1851
Slavery in Colombia is abolished.
1809
The first day of the Battle of Aspern-Essling between the Austrian army led by Archduke Charles and the French army led by Napoleon I of France sees the French attack across the Danube held.
1792
A lava dome collapses on Mount Unzen, near the city of Shimbara on the Japanese island of Kyūshū, creating a deadly tsunami that killed nearly 15,000 people.
1758
Ten-year-old Mary Campbell is abducted in Pennsylvania by Lenape during the French and Indian War. She is returned six and a half years later.
1725
The Order of St. Alexander Nevsky is instituted in Russia by Empress Catherine I. It would later be discontinued and then reinstated by the Soviet government in 1942 as the Order of Alexander Nevsky.
1703
Daniel Defoe is imprisoned on charges of seditious libel.
1674
The nobility elect John Sobieski King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania.
1660
The Battle of Long Sault concludes after five days in which French colonial militia, with their Huron and Algonquin allies, are defeated by the Iroquois Confederacy.
1659
In the Concert of The Hague, the Dutch Republic, the Commonwealth of England and the Kingdom of France set out their views on how the Second Northern War should end.
1554
Queen Mary I grants a royal charter to Derby School, as a grammar school for boys in Derby, England.
1403
Henry III of Castile sends Ruy González de Clavijo as ambassador to Timur to discuss the possibility of an alliance between Timur and Castile against the Ottoman Empire.
1349
Dušan's Code, the constitution of the Serbian Empire, is enacted by Dušan the Mighty.
996
Sixteen-year-old Otto III is crowned Holy Roman Emperor.
879
Pope John VIII gives blessings to Branimir of Croatia and to the Croatian people, considered to be international recognition of the Croatian state.
878
Syracuse, Sicily, is captured by the Muslim Aghlabids after a nine-month siege.
293
Roman Emperors Diocletian and Maximian appoint Galerius as Caesar to Diocletian, beginning the period of four rulers known as the Tetrarchy.

Births On This Day

2002
Elena Huelva, Spanish cancer activist and influencer (d. 2023)
1997
Ivan De Santis, Italian footballer
1997
Sisca Folkertsma, Dutch footballer
1997
Viktoria Petryk, Ukrainian singer-songwriter
1997
Kevin Quinn, American actor and singer
1996
Josh Allen, American football player
1996
Indy de Vroome, Dutch tennis player
1996
Karen Khachanov, Russian tennis player
1995
Diego Loyzaga, Filipino actor
1994
Tom Daley, English diver
1993
Grete Gaim, Estonian biathlete
1993
Luke Garbutt, English footballer
1993
Lynn Williams, American soccer player
1992
Hutch Dano, American actor
1992
Lisa Evans, Scottish footballer
1992
Philipp Grüneberg, German footballer
1992
Olivia Olson, American singer and actress
1991
Guilherme, Brazilian footballer
1990
Kierre Beckles, Barbadian athlete
1990
Rene Krhin, Slovenian footballer
1989
Emily Robins, New Zealand actress and singer
1989
Hal Robson-Kanu, Welsh footballer
1988
Claire Cashmore, English Paralympic swimmer
1988
Park Gyu-ri, South Korean singer
1988
Jonny Howson, English footballer
1988
Kaire Leibak, Estonian triple jumper
1987
Beau Falloon, Australian rugby league player
1986
Mario Mandžukić, Croatian footballer
1986
Myra, American singer and actress
1986
Eder Sánchez, Mexican race walker
1986
Park Sojin, South Korean singer-songwriter and dancer
1986
Greg Stewart, Canadian ice hockey player
1986
Matt Wieters, American baseball player
1985
Mark Cavendish, Manx cyclist
1985
Alexander Dale Oen, Norwegian swimmer (d. 2012)
1985
Isa Guha, English cricketer and sportscaster
1985
Lucie Hradecká, Czech tennis player
1985
Kano, English rapper, producer, and actor
1985
Dušan Kuciak, Slovak footballer
1985
Heath L'Estrange, Australian rugby league player
1985
Andrew Miller, American baseball player
1984
Brandon Fields, American football player
1984
Sara Goller, German volleyball player
1983
Līga Dekmeijere, Latvian tennis player
1983
Deidson Araújo Maia, Brazilian footballer
1981
Craig Anderson, American ice hockey player
1981
Edson Buddle, American soccer player
1981
Josh Hamilton, American baseball player
1981
Maximilian Mutzke, German singer-songwriter
1981
Anna Rogowska, Polish pole vaulter
1980
Gotye, Belgian-Australian singer-songwriter
1979
Damián Ariel Álvarez, Argentinian-Mexican footballer
1979
Jamie Hepburn, Scottish politician, Minister for Sport, Health Improvement and Mental Health
1979
James Clancy Phelan, Australian author and academic
1979
Scott Smith, American mixed martial artist
1979
Sonja Vectomov, Czech musician/composer
1978
Max B, American rapper and songwriter
1978
Briana Banks, German-American porn actress and model
1978
Jamaal Magloire, Canadian basketball player and coach
1977
Quinton Fortune, South African international footballer and coach
1977
Michael Fuß, German footballer
1977
Ricky Williams, American football player
1976
Stuart Bingham, English snooker player
1976
Abderrahim Goumri, Moroccan runner (d. 2013)
1976
Deron Miller, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1975
Anthony Mundine, Australian rugby league player and boxer
1974
Brad Arthur, Australian rugby league coach
1974
Fairuza Balk, American actress
1974
Havoc, American rapper and producer
1973
Stewart Cink, American golfer
1973
Noel Fielding, English comedian, musician and television presenter
1972
The Notorious B.I.G., American rapper (d. 1997)
1970
Brigita Bukovec, Slovenian hurdler
1970
Dorsey Levens, American football player and sportscaster
1970
Pauline Menczer, Australian surfer
1970
Carl Veart, Australian footballer and coach
1969
Pierluigi Brivio, Italian footballer
1969
Georgiy Gongadze, Georgian-Ukrainian journalist and director (d. 2000)
1969
Masayo Kurata, Japanese voice actress and singer
1969
George LeMieux, American lawyer and politician
1969
Brian Statham, Rhodesian born English footballer and manager
1968
Ilmar Raag, Estonian director, producer, and screenwriter
1968
Matthias Ungemach, German-Australian rower
1968
Julie Vega, Filipino actress and singer (d. 1985)
1967
Chris Benoit, Canadian professional wrestler (d. 2007)
1966
Lisa Edelstein, American actress and playwright
1966
Tatyana Ledovskaya, Belarusian hurdler
1964
Pete Sandoval, Salvadoran-American drummer
1964
Danny Bailey, English footballer and coach
1963
Richard Appel, American screenwriter and producer
1963
Patrick Grant, American musician and producer
1963
David Lonsdale, English actor
1963
Dave Specter, American guitarist
1963
Laurie Spina, Australian rugby league player and sportscaster
1962
David Crumb, American composer and educator
1960
Jeffrey Dahmer, American serial killer (d. 1994)
1960
Kent Hrbek, American baseball player and sportscaster
1960
Mohanlal, Indian actor
1960
Mark Ridgway, Australian cricketer
1960
Vladimir Salnikov, Russian swimmer
1959
Nick Cassavetes, American actor, director, and screenwriter
1959
Abdulla Yameen, Maldivian politician, 6th President of the Maldives
1958
Christian Audigier, French fashion designer (d. 2015)
1958
Muffy Calder, Canadian-Scottish computer scientist and academic
1958
Michael Crick, English journalist and author
1958
Naeem Khan, Indian-American fashion designer
1958
Jefery Levy, American director, producer, and screenwriter
1957
James Bailey, American basketball player
1957
Nadine Dorries, English nurse and politician
1957
Judge Reinhold, American actor and producer
1957
Renée Soutendijk, Dutch actress
1955
Paul Barber, English field hockey player
1955
Stan Lynch, American drummer, songwriter, and producer
1954
Marc Ribot, American guitarist and composer
1953
Nora Aunor, Filipino actress and recording artist
1953
Jim Devine, British politician
1952
Mr. T, American actor and wrestler
1951
Al Franken, American actor, screenwriter, and politician
1951
Adrian Hardiman, Irish lawyer and judge (d. 2016)
1950
Will Hutton, English economist and journalist
1949
Andrew Neil, Scottish journalist and academic
1949
Denis O'Connor, British police officer
1949
Rosalind Plowright, English soprano
1948
Elizabeth Buchan, English author and critic
1948
Joe Camilleri, Maltese-Australian singer-songwriter and saxophonist
1948
Jonathan Hyde, Australian-English actor
1948
Denis MacShane, Scottish journalist and politician, UK Minister of State for Europe
1948
Leo Sayer, English-Australian singer-songwriter and musician
1947
Bill Champlin, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
1947
Linda Laubenstein, American physician and academic (d. 1992)
1947
İlber Ortaylı, Turkish historian and academic
1946
Allan McKeown, English-American screenwriter and producer (d. 2013)
1946
Wayne Roycroft, Australian equestrian rider and coach
1945
Ernst Messerschmid, German physicist and astronaut
1945
Richard Hatch, American actor, writer, and producer (d. 2017)
1944
Haleh Afshar, Baroness Afshar, Iranian-English academic and politician (d. 2022)
1944
Marcie Blane, American singer
1944
Janet Dailey, American author and entrepreneur (d. 2013)
1944
Mary Robinson, Irish lawyer and politician, President of Ireland
1943
Vincent Crane, English pianist and composer (d. 1989)
1943
John Dalton, English bass player
1943
Hilton Valentine, English guitarist and songwriter (d. 2021)
1942
David Hunt, Baron Hunt of Wirral, English politician, Secretary of State for Wales
1942
John Konrads, Australian swimmer (d. 2021)
1942
Danny Ongais, American race car driver (d. 2022)
1941
Martin Carthy, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
1941
Bobby Cox, American baseball player and manager
1941
Ambrose Greenway, 4th Baron Greenway, English photographer and politician
1941
Ronald Isley, American singer-songwriter and producer
1940
Tony Sheridan, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2013)
1939
Heinz Holliger, Swiss oboist, composer, and conductor
1938
Lee "Shot" Williams, American singer (d. 2011)
1936
Günter Blobel, Polish-American biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2018)
1935
Terry Lightfoot, English clarinet player and bandleader (d. 2013)
1934
Jocasta Innes, Chinese-English journalist and author (d. 2013)
1934
Bob Northern, American horn player and bandleader (d.2020)
1934
Bengt I. Samuelsson, Swedish biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
1933
Maurice André, French trumpet player (d. 2012)
1933
Yevgeny Minayev, Russian weightlifter (d. 1993)
1932
Inese Jaunzeme, Latvian javelin thrower and surgeon (d. 2011)
1932
Leonidas Vasilikopoulos, Greek admiral and intelligence chief (d. 2014)
1930
Tommy Bryant, American bassist (d. 1982)
1930
Keith Davis, New Zealand rugby player (d. 2019)
1930
Malcolm Fraser, Australian politician, 22nd Prime Minister of Australia (d. 2015)
1929
Larance Marable, American drummer (d. 2012)
1929
Robert Welch, English silversmith and industrial designer (d. 2000)
1928
Tom Donahue, American radio host and producer (d. 1975)
1928
Alice Drummond, American actress (d. 2016)
1927
Kay Kendall, English actress and comedian (d. 1959)
1927
Péter Zwack, Hungarian businessman and diplomat (d. 2012)
1926
Robert Creeley, American novelist, essayist, and poet (d. 2005)
1924
Peggy Cass, American actress, comedian, and game show panelist (d. 1999)
1923
Vernon Biever, American photographer (d. 2010)
1923
Armand Borel, Swiss-American mathematician and academic (d. 2003)
1923
Ara Parseghian, American football player and coach (d. 2017)
1923
Dorothy Hewett, Australian feminist poet, novelist and playwright (d. 2002)
1923
Evelyn Ward, American actress (d. 2012)
1921
Sandy Douglas, English computer scientist and academic, designed OXO (d. 2010)
1921
Andrei Sakharov, Russian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1989)
1920
Bill Barber, American tuba player and educator (d. 2007)
1920
Forrest White, American businessman, co-founded the Music Man Company (d. 1994)
1919
George P. Mitchell, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 2013)
1917
Raymond Burr, Canadian-American actor and director (d. 1993)
1916
Dennis Day, American singer and actor (d. 1988)
1916
Tinus Osendarp, Dutch sprinter and police officer (d. 2002)
1916
Harold Robbins, American author and screenwriter (d. 1997)
1915
Chakravarthi V. Narasimhan, Indian Civil Service Officer and former Under Secretary-General of the UN (d. 2003)
1914
Romain Gary, French novelist, diplomat, film director, aviator (d. 1980)
1913
Gina Bachauer, Greek pianist and composer (d. 1976)
1912
Chen Dayu, Chinese painter and calligrapher (d. 2001)
1912
John Curtis Gowan, American psychologist and academic (d. 1986)
1912
Monty Stratton, American baseball player and coach (d. 1982)
1907
John C. Allen, American roller coaster designer (d. 1979)
1904
Robert Montgomery, American actor and director (d. 1981)
1904
Fats Waller, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 1943)
1903
Manly Wade Wellman, American author (d. 1986)
1902
Earl Averill, American baseball player (d. 1983)
1902
Marcel Breuer, Hungarian-American architect and academic, designed the Ameritrust Tower (d. 1981)
1902
Anatole Litvak, Ukrainian-American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1974)
1901
Regina M. Anderson, Multiracial playwright and librarian (d. 1993)
1901
Horace Heidt, American pianist, bandleader, and radio host (d. 1986)
1901
Sam Jaffe, American film producer and agent (d. 2000)
1901
Suzanne Lilar, Belgian author and playwright (d. 1992)
1898
Armand Hammer, American physician and businessman, founded Occidental Petroleum (d. 1990)
1898
Charles Léon Hammes, Luxembourgian lawyer and judge (d. 1967)
1898
Carl Johnson, American long jumper (d. 1932)
1898
John McLaughlin, American painter and translator (d. 1976)
1895
Lázaro Cárdenas, Mexican general, president (1934-1940) and father of Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas (d. 1970)
1893
Arthur Carr, English cricketer (d. 1963)
1893
Giles Chippindall, Australian public servant (d. 1969)
1885
Princess Sophie of Albania, (Princess Sophie of Schönburg-Waldenburg) (d. 1936)
1884
Manuel Pérez y Curis, Uruguayan poet and publisher (d. 1920)
1880
Tudor Arghezi, Romanian journalist, author, and poet (d. 1967)
1878
Glenn Curtiss, American cyclist and engineer (d. 1930)
1873
Hans Berger, German neurologist and academic (d. 1941)
1867
Anne Walter Fearn, American physician (d. 1939)
1864
Princess Stéphanie of Belgium (d. 1945)
1863
Archduke Eugen of Austria (d. 1954)
1861
Abel Ayerza, Argentinian physician and academic (d. 1918)
1860
Willem Einthoven, Indonesian-Dutch physician, physiologist, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1927)
1858
Édouard Goursat, French mathematician (d. 1936)
1856
José Batlle y Ordóñez, Uruguayan journalist and politician, President of Uruguay (d. 1929)
1855
Ella Stewart Udall, American telegraphist (d. 1937)
1853
Jacques Marie Eugène Godefroy Cavaignac, French politician (d. 1905)
1851
Léon Bourgeois, French police officer and politician, 64th Prime Minister of France, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1925)
1850
Giuseppe Mercalli, Italian priest and volcanologist (d. 1914)
1844
Henri Rousseau, French painter (d. 1910)
1843
Charles Albert Gobat, Swiss lawyer and politician, and Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1914)
1843
Louis Renault, French jurist, educator, and Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1918)
1837
Itagaki Taisuke, Japanese soldier and politician (d. 1919)
1835
František Chvostek, Czech-Austrian physician and academic (d. 1884)
1828
Rudolf Koller, Swiss painter (d. 1905)
1827
William P. Sprague, American banker and politician (d. 1899)
1808
David de Jahacob Lopez Cardozo, Dutch Talmudist (d. 1890)
1806
Harriet Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland, English duchess (d. 1868)
1801
Princess Sophie of Sweden, Swedish princess (d. 1865)
1799
Mary Anning, English paleontologist (d. 1847)
1792
Gaspard-Gustave de Coriolis, French mathematician and engineer (d. 1843)
1790
William Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire, English politician, Lord Chamberlain of the Household (d. 1858)
1780
Elizabeth Fry, English prison reformer, philanthropist and Quaker (d. 1845)
1775
Lucien Bonaparte, French soldier and politician (d. 1840)
1759
Joseph Fouché, French lawyer and politician (d. 1820)
1756
William Babington, Irish-born, English physician and mineralogist (d. 1833)
1755
Alfred Moore, American lawyer and judge (d. 1810)
1688
(O.S.) Alexander Pope, English poet, essayist, and translator (d. 1744)
1653
Eleonore of Austria, Queen of Poland (d. 1697)
1527
Philip II of Spain (d. 1598)
1497
Al-Hattab, Muslim jurist (d. 1547)
1471
Albrecht Dürer, German painter, engraver, and mathematician (d. 1528)

Deaths On This Day

2020
Alan Merten, fifth President of George Mason University (b. 1941)
2019
Rik Kuypers, Belgian film director (b. 1925)
2019
Binyavanga Wainaina, Kenyan writer (b. 1971)
2016
Nick Menza, American drummer and songwriter (b. 1964)
2015
Annarita Sidoti, Italian race walker (b. 1969)
2015
Twinkle, English singer-songwriter (b. 1948)
2015
Jassem Al-Kharafi, Kuwaiti businessman and politician, 8th Kuwaiti Speaker of the National Assembly (b. 1940)
2015
Fred Gladding, American baseball player and coach (b. 1936)
2015
Louis Johnson, American bass player and producer (b. 1955)
2014
Tunku Annuar, Malaysian son of Badlishah of Kedah (b. 1939)
2014
Johnny Gray, American baseball player (b. 1926)
2014
Jaime Lusinchi, Venezuelan physician and politician, President of Venezuela (b. 1924)
2014
Alireza Soleimani, Iranian wrestler (b. 1956)
2013
Count Christian of Rosenborg, member of the Danish royal family (b. 1942)
2013
Frank Comstock, American trombonist, composer, and conductor (b. 1922)
2013
Cot Deal, American baseball player and coach (b. 1923)
2013
Leonard Marsh, American businessman, co-founded Snapple (b. 1933)
2013
Bob Thompson, American pianist and composer (b. 1924)
2013
Dominique Venner, French journalist and historian (b. 1935)
2012
Eddie Blazonczyk, American singer-songwriter (b. 1941)
2012
Otis Clark, American butler and preacher, survivor of the Tulsa race riot (b. 1903)
2012
Constantine of Irinoupolis, Metropolitan of Irinoupolis and Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA (b. 1936)
2012
Roman Dumbadze, Georgian commander (b. 1964)
2012
Douglas Rodríguez, Cuban boxer (b. 1950)
2012
Bill Stewart, American football player and coach (b. 1952)
2012
Alan Thorne, Australian anthropologist and academic (b. 1939)
2006
Spencer Clark, American race car driver (b. 1987)
2006
Katherine Dunham, American dancer, choreographer, and author (b. 1909)
2006
Cherd Songsri, Thai director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1931)
2006
Billy Walker, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1929)
2005
Deborah Berger, American outsider artist (b. 1956)
2005
Stephen Elliott, American actor (b. 1918)
2005
Howard Morris, American actor and director (b. 1919)
2003
Alejandro de Tomaso, Argentinian-Italian race car driver and businessman, founded De Tomaso (b. 1928)
2003
Frank D. White, American captain, banker, and politician, 41st Governor of Arkansas (b. 1933)
2002
Niki de Saint Phalle, French-American sculptor and painter (b. 1930)
2000
Barbara Cartland, English author (b. 1901)
2000
John Gielgud, English actor (b. 1904)
2000
Mark R. Hughes, American businessman, founded Herbalife (b. 1956)
1998
Robert Gist, American actor and director (b. 1917)
1996
Paul Delph, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1957)
1996
Lash LaRue, American actor and producer (b. 1917)
1996
Villem Raam, Estonian art historian, art critic and conservator (b. 1910)
1995
Les Aspin, American captain and politician, 18th United States Secretary of Defense (b. 1938)
1991
Rajiv Gandhi, Indian politician, 6th Prime Minister of India (b. 1944)
1988
Sammy Davis Sr., American actor and dancer (b. 1900)
1984
Ann Little, American actress (b. 1891)
1983
Kenneth Clark, English historian and author (b. 1903)
1981
Raymond McCreesh, PIRA volunteer and Hunger Striker (b. 1957)
1981
Patsy O'Hara, INLA volunteer and Hunger Striker (b. 1957)
1973
Vaughn Monroe, American singer, trumpet player, bandleader, and actor (b. 1911)
1973
Ivan Konev, Soviet Marshal and general (b. 1897)
1970
E. L. Grant Watson, English-Australian biologist and author (b. 1885)
1968
Doris Lloyd, English actress (b. 1896)
1965
Marguerite Bise, French chef (b. 1898)
1965
Geoffrey de Havilland, English pilot and engineer, designed the de Havilland Mosquito (b. 1882)
1964
James Franck, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1882)
1957
Alexander Vertinsky, Ukrainian-Russian singer-songwriter, actor, and poet (b. 1889)
1956
Harry Bensley, English businessman and adventurer (b. 1877)
1952
John Garfield, American actor (b. 1913)
1949
Klaus Mann, German-American novelist, playwright, and critic (b. 1906)
1940
Billy Minter, English footballer and manager (b. 1888)
1935
Jane Addams, American activist and author, co-founded Hull House, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1860)
1935
Hugo de Vries, Dutch botanist and geneticist (b. 1848)
1932
Marcel Boulenger, French fencer and author (b. 1873)
1929
Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1847)
1926
Ronald Firbank, English-Italian author (b. 1886)
1925
Hidesaburō Ueno, Japanese agriculturalist, guardian of Hachikō (b. 1871)
1920
Venustiano Carranza, Mexican politician, 54th President of Mexico (b. 1859)
1919
Evgraf Fedorov, Russian mathematician, crystallographer, and mineralogist (b. 1853)
1915
Leonid Gobyato, Russian general and engineer (b. 1875)
1911
Williamina Fleming, Scottish-American astronomer and academic (b. 1857)
1901
Joseph Olivier, French rugby player (b. 1874)
1895
Franz von Suppé, Austrian composer and conductor (b. 1819)
1894
Émile Henry, French anarchist (b. 1872)
1894
August Kundt, German physicist and academic (b. 1839)
1879
Arturo Prat, Chilean lawyer and commander (b. 1848)
1862
John Drew, Irish-American actor and manager (b. 1827)
1858
José de la Riva Agüero, Peruvian soldier and politician, 1st President of Peru and 2nd President of North Peru (b. 1783)
1844
Giuseppe Baini, Italian priest and composer (b. 1775)
1829
Sikandar Jah, 3rd Nizam (b. 1768)
1810
Chevalier d'Eon, French diplomat and spy (b. 1728)
1790
Thomas Warton, English poet and critic (b. 1728)
1786
Carl Wilhelm Scheele, German-Swedish chemist and pharmacist (b. 1742)
1771
Christopher Smart, English actor, playwright, and poet (b. 1722)
1762
Alexander Joseph Sulkowski, Polish and Saxon general (b. 1695)
1742
Lars Roberg, Swedish physician and academic (b. 1664)
1724
Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer, English politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (b. 1661)
1719
Pierre Poiret, French mystic and philosopher (b. 1646)
1690
John Eliot, English-American minister and missionary (b. 1604)
1686
Otto von Guericke, German physicist and inventor of the Magdeburg Hemispheres (b. 1602)
1670
Niccolò Zucchi, Italian astronomer and physicist (b. 1586)
1664
Elizabeth Poole, English settler, founded Taunton, Massachusetts (b. 1588)
1650
James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose, Scottish general and politician (b. 1612)
1647
Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft, Dutch poet and playwright (b. 1581)
1639
Tommaso Campanella, Italian astrologer, theologian, and poet (b. 1568)
1619
Hieronymus Fabricius, Italian anatomist (b. 1537)
1617
Luis Fajardo, Spanish admiral and nobleman (b. c. 1556)
1607
John Rainolds, English scholar and academic (b. 1549)
1563
Martynas Mažvydas, Lithuanian writer (b. 1510)
1542
Hernando de Soto, Spanish-American explorer (b. 1496)
1524
Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk, English soldier and politician, Lord High Treasurer (b. 1443)
1512
Pandolfo Petrucci, Italian ruler (b. 1452)
1481
Christian I, king of Denmark (b. 1426)
1471
Henry VI, king of England (b. 1421)
1416
Anna of Celje, queen consort of Poland (b. 1386)
1254
Conrad IV, king of Germany (b. 1228)
1237
Olaf the Black, Manx son of Godred II Olafsson
1086
Wang Anshi, Chinese statesman and poet (b. 1021)
1075
Richeza of Poland, queen of Hungary (b. 1013)
987
Louis V, king of West Francia (b. c. 966)
954
Feng Dao, Chinese prince and chancellor (b. 882)
252
Sun Quan, Chinese emperor of Eastern Wu (b. 182)