Events
★
1256 -
Augustinian monastic order constituted at
Lecceto Monastery when
Pope Alexander IV issues a
papal bull ''Licet ecclesiae catholicae''
★
1415 - Religious reformers
John Wycliffe and
Jan Hus were condemned as
heretics at the
Council of Constance.
★
1471 -
Wars of the Roses: The
Battle of Tewkesbury –
Edward IV defeats a
Lancastrian Army and kills
Edward,
Prince of Wales.
★
1493 -
Pope Alexander VI divides the
New World between
Spain and
Portugal along the
Demarcation Line.
★
1494 -
Christopher Columbus lands in
Jamaica.
★
1626 -
Dutch explorer Peter Minuit arrives in
New Netherland (present day
Manhattan Island) aboard the ''
See Meeuw''.
★
1675 - King
Charles II of England orders the construction of the
Royal Greenwich Observatory.
★
1686 -
Municipality of
Ilagan was founded in the
Philippines.
★
1776 -
Rhode Island becomes the first
American colony to renounce allegiance to King
George III.
★
1799 -
Fourth Anglo-Mysore War: The
Battle of Seringapatam – The siege of
Seringapatam ends when the city is assaulted and the
Tipu Sultan killed by the besieging British army, under the command of
General George Harris.
★
1814 -
Emperor Napoleon I of France arrives at
Portoferraio on the island of
Elba to begin his exile.
★ 1814 - King
Ferdinand VII of Spain signs the Decrete of the 4th of May, returning Spain to
absolutism.
★
1855 -
American adventurer William Walker departs from
San Francisco with about 60 men to conquer
Nicaragua.
★
1859 -
Cornwall Railway opened across the
Royal Albert Bridge linking the counties of
Devon and
Cornwall in
England.
★
1863 -
American Civil War:
Battle of Chancellorsville – The
battle ends with a
Union retreat.
★
1865 -
Abraham Lincoln buried in
Springfield, Illinois, three weeks after his
assassination.
★
1869 - The
Naval Battle of Hakodate takes place in
Japan.
★
1871 - The
National Association, the first professional baseball league, opens its first season in
Fort Wayne, Indiana.
★
1886 -
Haymarket Square Riot: A bomb is thrown at policemen trying to break up a
labor rally in
Chicago,
Illinois,
United States, killing eight and wounding 60. The
police fire into the crowd.
★
1904 - Construction begins by the
United States on the
Panama Canal.
★ 1904 - German football club
FC Schalke 04 was founded
★ 1904 -
Charles Stewart Rolls met
Frederick Henry Royce at the
Midland Hotel in
Manchester England.
★
1910 - The
Royal Canadian Navy is created.
★
1912 -
Italy occupies the Greek island of
Rhodes.
★
1919 -
May Fourth Movement: Student demonstrations take place in
Tiananmen Square in
Beijing,
China, protesting the
Treaty of Versailles, which transferred
Chinese territory to
Japan.
★
1924 - The
1924 Summer Olympics open in
Paris,
France.
★
1930 -
British police arrest
Mahatma Gandhi and place him in
Yeravda Central Prison.
★
1932 - In
Atlanta, Georgia,
mobster Al Capone begins serving an eleven-year prison sentence for
tax evasion.
★
1942 -
World War II:
Battle of the Coral Sea – The
battle begins with an attack by aircraft from the
United States aircraft carrier ''Yorktown'' on
Japanese naval forces at
Tulagi Island in the
Solomon Islands. The Japanese forces had
invaded Tulagi the day before.
★
1945 - World War II: Liberation of the
Neuengamme concentration camp near
Hamburg by the
British Army.
★ 1945 - World War II: Surrender of the
North Germany Army to
Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery.
★
1946 - In
San Francisco Bay,
US Marines from the
Treasure Island Marine Barracks stop a two-day
riot at
Alcatraz federal prison. Five people are killed in the riot.
★
1948 -
Norman Mailer's first novel, ''
The Naked and the Dead'', is published.
★
1949 - The entire
Torino football (soccer) team (except for one player who did not take the trip due to an injury) is killed in
a plane crash at the
Superga hill at the edge of
Turin,
Italy.
★
1953 -
Ernest Hemingway is awarded the
Pulitzer Prize for ''
The Old Man and the Sea''.
★
1961 -
American civil rights movement: The "
Freedom Riders" begin a bus trip through the
South.
★
1964 - The long-running soap opera ''
Another World'', which would run until
1999, debuts on
NBC.
★
1970 -
Vietnam War:
Kent State shootings – The
Ohio National Guard, sent to
Kent State University after the
ROTC building was burnt down, opens fire killing four students and wounding nine others. The students were protesting the
United States' invasion of
Cambodia.
★
1972 - The ''
Don't Make A Wave Committee'', a fledgling
environmental organization founded in
Canada in
1971, officially changes its name to "
Greenpeace Foundation".
★
1974 - An all-female
Japanese team reaches the summit of
Manaslu, becoming the first women to climb an 8,000-meter peak.
★
1979 -
Margaret Thatcher becomes the first female
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
★
1980 -
President Josip Broz Tito of
Yugoslavia dies in
Ljubljana at the age of 87.
★
1981 -
Donald Eugene Webb is placed on the
FBI's Ten Most Wanted List.
★
1982 - 20 sailors are killed when the
British Type 42 destroyer HMS ''Sheffield'' (D80) is hit by an
Argentinian Exocet missile during the
Falklands War.
★
1988 - The
PEPCON disaster rocked
Henderson, Nevada, as tons of
space shuttle fuel detonated during a fire.
★
1989 -
Iran-Contra Affair: Former
White House aide
Oliver North is convicted of three crimes and was acquitted of nine other charges. The convictions, however, are later overturned on appeal.
★
1990 -
Latvia proclaims renewal of its independence after the
Soviet occupation.
★
1994 -
Israeli
Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and
PLO leader
Yasser Arafat sign a
peace accord regarding
Palestinian autonomy granting self-rule in the
Gaza Strip and
Jericho.
★
1996 -
José María Aznar is appointed
Prime Minister of
Spain, thus ending 13 years of
Socialist rule.
★
1998 - A federal judge in
Sacramento, California, gives "
Unabomber"
Theodore Kaczynski four life sentences plus 30 years after Kaczynski accepted a plea agreement sparing him from the
death penalty.
★
2000 -
Ken Livingstone becomes the
first Mayor of London.
★
2001 -
Pope John Paul II follows
Saint Paul's footsteps across the
Mediterranean, from
Greece to
Syria to
Malta.
★
2002 - An
EAS Airlines BAC 1-11-500 crashes in a suburb of
Kano,
Nigeria shortly after takeoff killing more than 148 people.
★
2003 -
The Outbreak of 2003 begins. Ninety-four tornadoes begin the week-long outbreak.
★
2007 - A series of
tornadoes rip through Western Kansas, including the first EF-5 tornado that destroyed the town of Greensburg.
Births
★
1008 -
Khajeh Abdollah Ansari The Persian Sufi (d.
1088)
★ 1008 - King
Henry I of France (d.
1060)
★
1654 -
Kangxi Emperor of China (d.
1722)
★
1655 -
Bartolomeo Cristofori, Italian maker of musical instruments (d.
1731)
★
1715 -
Richard Graves, English writer (d.
1804)
★
1733 -
Jean-Charles de Borda, French mathematician, physicist, political scientist, and sailor (d.
1799)
★
1767 -
Tyagaraja, Composer of Indian classical Carnatic music (d.
1847)
★
1772 -
Friedrich Arnold Brockhaus, German publisher (d.
1823)
★
1781 -
Karl Christian Friedrich Krause, German philosopher (d.
1832)
★
1796 -
Horace Mann, American educator (d.
1859)
★
1820 -
Julia Tyler,
First Lady of the United States (d.
1889)
★
1822 -
Charles Boucher de Boucherville, Quebec politician (d.
1915)
★
1825 -
Thomas Henry Huxley, English scientist (d.
1895)
★ 1825 -
Augustus Le Plongeon, French antiquitarian (d.
1908)
★
1826 -
Frederic Edwin Church, American painter (d.
1900)
★
1827 -
John Hanning Speke, British explorer (d.
1864)
★
1852 -
Alice Pleasance Liddell, English schoolgirl model for Alice in Wonderland (d.
1934)
★
1864 -
Marie Booth, the third daughter of
William and
Catherine Booth (d.
1937)
★
1870 -
Alexandre Benois, Russian artist (d.
1960)
★
1873 -
Joe De Grasse, Canadian film director (d.
1940)
★
1889 -
Francis Cardinal Spellman, American religious leader (d.
1967)
★
1903 -
Luther Adler, American stage actor (d.
1984)
★
1904 -
Umm Kulthum,
Egyptian singer (official Date of Birth)(d.
1975)
★
1908 -
Giovannino Guareschi, Italian journalist (d.
1968)
★
1913 -
Lady Katherine Brandram, née Princess of Greece and Denmark
★
1916 -
Jane Jacobs, Canadian author and activist (d.
2006)
★
1918 -
Tanaka Kakuei, Japanese political leader (d.
1993)
★ 1918 -
Thomas Mead, Australian politician and journalist (d.
2004)
★
1919 -
Dory Funk, Professional wrestler (d.
1973)
★
1921 -
Edo Murtić, Croatian painter (d.
2005)
★
1923 -
Ed Cassidy, American musician (
Spirit)
★ 1923 -
Eric Sykes, British actor and comedian
★ 1923 -
Godfrey Quigley, British actor (d.
1994)
★ 1923 -
Assi Rahbani, Lebanese composer and author
★
1925 -
Maurice R. Greenberg, American businessman
★
1928 -
Maynard Ferguson, Canadian musician (d.
2006)
★ 1928 -
Hosni Mubarak,
President of Egypt
★ 1928 -
Wolfgang von Trips, German racing driver (d.
1961)
★
1929 -
Audrey Hepburn, Belgian actress (d.
1993)
★ 1929 -
Sidney Lamb, American linguist
★
1930 -
Roberta Peters, American soprano
★
1931 -
Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Russian conductor
★ 1931 -
Thomas Stuttaford, British doctor and writer
★
1933 -
J. Fred Duckett, Texan sports announcer and teacher
★
1935 -
Mr. Fuji, Former professional wrestler
★
1936 -
El Cordobés, Spanish matador
★
1937 -
Ron Carter, American jazz bassist
★ 1937 -
Dick Dale, American guitarist
★
1938 -
Tyrone Davis, American soul singer (d.
2005)
★ 1938 -
Carlos Monsiváis, Mexican writer
★
1939 -
Paul Gleason, American actor (d.
2006)
★ 1939 -
Amos Oz, Israeli writer, novelist, and journalist
★
1940 -
Robin Cook, American novelist
★
1941 -
George Will, American writer
★
1942 -
Nickolas Ashford, American record producer, songwriter, and musician (
Ashford and Simpson)
★
1943 -
Mikhail Chemiakin, Russian painter
★
1944 -
Roger Rees, British-born actor
★
1945 -
Narasimhan Ram, Indian journalist
★
1946 -
John Watson, Northern Irish racecar driver
★
1949 -
John Force, American race car driver
★ 1949 -
Stella Parton, American country music singer
★ 1949 -
Graham Swift, British author
★
1951 -
Colin Bass, British bassist (
Camel)
★ 1951 -
Jackie Jackson, American singer and musician (
The Jackson 5)
★ 1951 -
Gérard Jugnot, French actor, film director, screenwriter and producer
★ 1951 -
Mick Mars, American guitarist (
Mötley Crüe)
★
1952 -
Michael Barrymore, English comedian, actor, quiz master and entertainer
★
1954 -
Pia Zadora, American actress
★
1955 -
Robert Ellis Orrall, American singer
★
1956 -
David Guterson, American author
★ 1956 -
Ulrike Meyfarth, German athlete
★ 1956 -
Ken Oberkfell, American baseball player
★
1958 -
Delbert Fowler, American and Canadian professional football player
★ 1958 -
Keith Haring, American graphical artist (d.
1990)
★
1959 -
Scott Armstrong, American professional wrestling referee
★ 1959 -
Randy Travis, American musician
★
1961 -
Luis Herrera, Colombian cyclist
★
1962 -
Oleta Adams, American singer
★
1964 -
Rocco Siffredi, Italian porn actor
★
1967 -
Ana Gasteyer, American actress
★
1968 -
Julian Barratt, English comedian and musician, one half of
The Mighty Boosh
★
1969 -
Micah Aivazoff, Canadian ice hockey player
★ 1969 -
Ryan Shamrock, American wrestling valet
★
1970 -
Gregg Alexander, American musician (
New Radicals)
★
1971 -
Joe Borowski, American baseball player
★ 1971 -
Luiz Garcia, Jr., Brazilian racing driver
★
1972 -
Manny Aybar, Dominican baseball player
★ 1972 -
Mike Dirnt, American musician (
Green Day)
★
1973 -
Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Argentine footballer
★ 1973 -
John Madden, Canadian ice hockey player
★
1974 -
Miguel Cairo, Venezuelan baseball player
★
1975 -
Laci Peterson, American murder victim (d.
2002)
★
1976 -
Ben Grieve, American baseball player
★ 1976 -
Jason Michaels, American baseball player
★
1977 -
Emily Perkins, Canadian actress
★ 1977 -
Mariano Pernía, Argentine-Spanish footballer
★
1979 -
Lance Bass, American singer (
★ NSYNC)
★ 1979 -
Wes Butters, British broadcaster
★
1981 -
Eric Djemba-Djemba, Cameroon footballer
★
1982 -
Kleopas Giannou, Greek footballer
★ 1982 -
Markus Rogan, Austrian swimmer
★
1983 -
Trisha Krishnan, Indian actress
★ 1983 -
Derek Roy, Canadian ice hockey player
★
1984 -
Manjural Islam, Bangladeshi test cricket player (d.
2007)
★
1985 -
Anthony Fedorov, American singer
★
1987 -
Cesc Fàbregas, Spanish footballer
★ 1987 -
Jorge Lorenzo, Spanish motorcycle racer
★ 1987 -
Anjeza Shahini, Albanian singer
★
1994 -
Pauline Ducruet, daughter of HSH Princess Stéphanie of Monaco
Deaths
★
1436 -
Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson, Swedish statesman (b.
1390s)
★
1471 -
Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales (killed in battle) (b.
1453)
★ 1471 -
Edmund Beaufort, 4th Duke of Somerset, English military commander (executed)
★
1506 -
Husayn Bayqarah, ruler of Herat (b.
1438)
★
1519 -
Lorenzo II de' Medici, Duke of Urbino (b.
1492)
★
1566 -
Luca Ghini, Italian physician and botanist (b.
1490)
★
1615 -
Adriaan van Roomen, Flemish mathematician (b.
1561)
★
1626 -
Arthur Lake, Bishop of Bath and Wells, English bishop and Bible translator (b.
1569)
★
1677 -
Isaac Barrow, English mathematician (b.
1630)
★
1684 -
John Nevison, English highwayman (b.
1639)
★
1729 -
Louis-Antoine, Cardinal de Noailles, French cardinal (b.
1651)
★
1734 -
James Thornhill, English painter
★
1737 -
Eustace Budgell, English writer (b.
1686)
★
1774 -
Anthony Ulrich II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (b.
1714)
★
1776 -
Jacques Saly, French sculptor (b.
1717)
★
1790 -
Matthew Tilghman, American delegate to the Continental Congress (b.
1718)
★
1799 -
Tipu Sultan, Indian military leader (b.
1750)
★
1811 -
Nikolay Kamensky, Russian general (b.
1776)
★
1824 -
Joseph Joubert, French essayist and moralist (b.
1754)
★
1849 -
Hokusai, Japanese artist (b.
1760)
★
1858 -
Aimé Bonpland, French explorer and botanist (b.
1773)
★
1859 -
Joseph Diaz Gergonne, French mathematician (b.
1771)
★
1880 -
Edward Clark, Governor of Texas (b.
1815)
★
1901 -
John Jones Ross, Canadian politician (b.
1831)
★
1903 -
Goce Delchev, Macedonian revolutionary (b.
1872)
★
1922 -
Viktor Kingissepp, Estonian Bolshevik politician (b.
1888)
★
1937 -
Noel Rosa, Brazilian songwriter (b.
1910)
★
1938 -
Carl von Ossietzky, German pacifist, recipient of the
Nobel Peace Prize (b.
1889)
★
1945 -
Fedor von Bock, German field marshal (b.
1880)
★
1955 -
George Enescu, Romanian composer (b.
1881)
★
1961 -
Anita Stewart, American film actress (b.
1895)
★
1969 -
Osbert Sitwell, English writer (b.
1892)
★
1970 -
Kent State victims:
★
★
Allison Krause (b.
1951)
★
★
Jeffrey Miller (b.
1950)
★
★
Sandra Scheuer (b.
1949)
★
★
William Schroeder (b.
1950)
★
1971 -
Seamus Elliott, Irish cyclist (b.
1934)
★
1972 -
Edward Calvin Kendall, American chemist, recipient of the
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b.
1886)
★
1973 -
Jane Bowles, American writer and playwright (b.
1917)
★
1975 -
Moe Howard, American actor and comedian (b.
1897)
★
1980 -
Josip Broz Tito,
President of Yugoslavia (b.
1892)
★
1984 -
Bob Clampett, American cartoonist (b.
1913)
★ 1984 -
Diana Dors, British actress (b.
1931)
★
1985 -
Clarence Wiseman, the 10th General of
The Salvation Army (b.
1907)
★
1987 -
Paul Butterfield, American blues harmonica player (b.
1942)
★
1992 -
Gregor Mackenzie, Labour Party (UK) politician (b.
1927)
★
2001 -
Bonnie Lee Bakley, American murder victim (b.
1956)
★
2005 -
David Hackworth, U.S. Army officer and military journalist (b.
1930)
Holidays and observances
★
International Firefighters' Day.
★
The Netherlands -
Remembrance of the Dead.
★
People's Republic of China -
Youth Day (青年节, commemorating
May Fourth Movement).
★
Republic of China -
Literary Day (文藝節, commemorating
May Fourth Movement).
★
Latvia - Day of Re-establishment of Independence
★
Denmark - Great praying day
===Liturgical
feast days===
in the
Roman Catholic Church:
★
Saint Judas Cyriacus
★
Saint Ladislaus of Gielnow
★
Saint Florian
★
Saint Godehard
★
Saint Malou
★
Saint Ethelred
★
Saint Sacerdos of Limoges
★
Saint Silvianus
★
Saint Titianus
★
Saint Venerius
★
Saint Willerik
★
Saint John Houghton,
Saint Robert Lawrence,
Saint Augustine Webster,
Saint Richard Reynolds, and
Saint John Hale; all put to death in
1535.
★
Saint Monica of Hippo (d.
387)
★
Blessed Catherine of Park
★ The Day of the 42 Beatified and Canonized Martyrs of England and Wales, known as the
Day of the Forty.
:Formerly celebrated in October.
External links
★
BBC: On This Day
★
★
On This Day in Canada
----